Posted: 11/24/04

Alabama Baptists vote against same-sex
marriage, turn down funds for BWA

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (ABP)—Alabama Baptists at their annual meeting passed resolutions against same-sex marriage and in favor of education and military chaplains. But they turned down an attempt to divert $30,000 from the Southern Baptist Convention to the Baptist World Alliance.

Last June, the SBC withdrew its membership and $300,000 in funding from the Baptist World Alliance, an international umbrella organization representing 211 Baptist bodies. Southern Baptist leaders said BWA harbored theological liberalism, a charge denied by BWA and many of its member groups worldwide.

Meeting in Montgomery, messengers to the Alabama Baptist State Convention defeated an amendment to their $41.5 million budget to siphon $30,000 earmarked for the SBC Executive Committee and send it to BWA. The motion failed on a show-of-hands, according to the Alabama Baptist newsjournal.

The marriage resolution, like those passed in several other state conventions, affirmed "biblical and legal marriage is between one man and one woman," which is "the only marriage ordained of God." The resolution calls for the U.S. Congress and the Alabama legislature to pass constitutional amendments limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

The education resolution affirmed Alabama Baptists' support of education, including public schools, and affirmed actions by local churches, associations and individual Christians to partner with schools.

Several state conventions this fall have been asked to support Christian schools and home schooling as alternatives to public schools, but most conventions have declined to abandon public education.

Other resolutions passed by Alabama Baptists expressed appreciation for those who offered assistance after Hurricane Ivan and asked Baptists "to pray for our military chaplains, military personnel and their families, as well as those families who have lost loved ones in military service."

All resolutions were approved without debate.

In other business, messengers elected Henry Cox, pastor of First Baptist Church, Bay Minette, as president. He became the first person in Alabama Baptist history to serve as second vice president, first vice president and president consecutively.

Messengers also elected Roger Willmore, pastor of First Baptist Church in Boaz, as first vice president, and Gary Hollingsworth, pastor of First Baptist Church in Trussville, as second vice president. All three officers were elected without opposition.

The $41.5 million basic budget is the largest in the history of Alabama Baptists and a 2.65 percent increase over the 2004 base budget.

Allan Murphy, pastor of North Shelby Baptist Church, made a motion to divert $30,000 for the Baptist World Alliance from money budgeted for the SBC Executive Committee, which led the move to defund BWA.

"I do not believe that the Baptist World Alliance and its head, Denton Lotz, the brother-in-law of Billy Graham's daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, are theologically liberal," Murphy told the convention. Murphy said that while he and his church are "biblically ultra-conservative," he believes in supporting the BWA.

"I was standing at a microphone at the Southern Baptist Convention to ask us to re-consider (defunding BWA) when debate was cut off. We were not even allowed to discuss the issue," Murphy claimed.

Craig Carlisle, speaking on behalf of the budget committee, warned that "to amend the budget at this time would do tremendous harm to the (State Board of Mission) and our entities who rely on us and to whom it is our responsibly to take care of."

Nobody else spoke for or against the amendment. Messengers voted down the amendment, then approved the budget.

Another motion was presented that would have called for each Alabama Baptist entity to stipulate the Alabama Baptist State Convention as its "sole member," an action already taken by Southern Baptist agencies to prevent trustees from breaking away from the SBC. The motion was ruled out of order, since convention bylaws say charter changes can come only from those trustees.

"The motion asked the convention to overstep its role," said outgoing convention President Joe Godfrey.

Posted: 11/24/04

Baptist University of the Americas applies for BWA membership

SAN ANTONIO—Baptist University of the Americas has applied for associate membership in the Baptist World Alliance.

At its July meeting in Seoul, South Korea, the Baptist World Alliance General Council amended the international organization’s constitution to allow associate membership.

The new membership category was created “to involve Baptist churches and organized Baptist groups in the global ministry of the Baptist World Alliance through prayer, the sharing of resources and participation in the meetings, congresses and conferences of the Baptist World Alliance,” the amendment stated. “The ministry of churches, organized Baptist groups and the Alliance are all strengthened through this intentional partnership.”

Albert Reyes, president of Baptist University of the Americas, likewise viewed having his institution as an associate member of the BWA as mutually beneficial, as well as a way to make a statement of solidarity in support of the alliance and its member bodies around the world.

“I have stated numerous times that Baptists are at our best when we cooperate with each other,” said Reyes, recently elected president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

“I cannot imagine any other stance to take than to say we stand together with the millions of our Baptist brothers and sisters around the world.”

Arnie Adkison, vice president of advancement at Baptist University of the Americas, noted associate membership in the BWA also provides “incredible opportunities” for his school’s students. Ninety percent of the theological university’s student body is Hispanic, and 25 percent is international, he noted.

“BWA is the logical global organization for Baptist University of the Americas to participate with,” he said.

Posted: 11/24/04

California Baptists pass bylaw changes

By Terry Barone

California Southern Baptist

HIGHLAND, Calif. (ABP)—Except for several bylaw changes concerning the relationship of the California Southern Baptist Convention to its agencies, messengers to the convention's annual meeting approved a number of routine items with little debate.

Messengers also approved a $10.8 million budget, re-established a resolutions committee and elected officers to serve for the coming year.

The majority of business came from the Agency Relations Committee, appointed at the 2003 annual meeting to study the relationship of CSBC entities. In all, the committee presented 11 recommendations—two related to the convention's constitution, seven to the bylaws, one to the Executive Board bylaws and another from the floor.

Most of the recommendations dealt with convention committees and boards—the Executive Board, California Baptist University board of trustees and California Baptist Foundation board of directors. The recommendations ranged from organization of the boards to terms of service.

With the exception of a bylaw recommendation that would have detailed procedures for the committee on board nominations, all recommendations considered this year carried. Only one other recommendation, allowing two members from a church to serve on either the university or foundation board, garnered debate.

Two constitutional and one bylaw recommendations from the Agency Relations Committee were introduced and will be considered at the 2005 annual meeting.

With no questions or debate, messengers approved a $10.8 million budget with a Cooperative Program objective of $7,702,201. The total proposed budget is an increase of 1.36 percent over the 2004 budget of $10,663,671. Of the $7.7 million, the Southern Baptist Convention will receive 27 percent for worldwide missions.

The resolutions committee chose to present only one resolution, dealing with the right to life, family values, purity in marriage between a man and a woman, and raising children.

Encouraging California Southern Baptist churches and members to pray for these issues and "for our country to move forward in unity as one nation under God," the resolution also encouraged the convention president and executive director to notify the president of the United States concerning the resolution and "our support of him in prayer."

During miscellaneous business sessions, Los Angeles-area pastor Wiley Drake presented motions to "encourage" the CSBC executive director and president to send letters of encouragement to American Veterans in Domestic Defense, now touring the United States with the 10 Commandments monument placed by Judge Roy Moore in the Alabama judicial building in 2003; to Norma McCorvey, "Roe" in Roe vs. Wade, who has reversed her stance on abortion; and to the Texas Justice Foundation as it files suit to overturn the landmark abortion legislation. The motions carried.

In a continuing decline of attendance at state convention annual meetings, messenger registration totaled 586. Last year's annual meeting in San Diego drew 610 messengers.

Tom Stringfellow, pastor of First Baptist Church in Beverly Hills, was elected president with 51 percent of the vote over Steve Davidson. Ken Patton, pastor of Palermo Baptist Church in Palermo, was elected first vice president by acclamation. Jim Gregory, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Escalon and a student at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, was elected second vice president by 78 percent over Wiley Drake.

Posted: 11/24/04

New Secretary of State probably
won't impact religious freedom policy

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)— President Bush's choice of National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to replace Secretary of State Colin Powell may not mean much change in the United States' foreign policy regarding religious-freedom issues, experts on the subject maintained.

Bush formally selected Rice days after her 50th birthday and one day after Powell announced his resignation. Rice was raised in Jim Crow-era Alabama, the daughter of an African-American Presbyterian minister. She was the first woman of color to serve as national security adviser, and, if confirmed by the Senate, will break the same barrier at the State Department. She is a professing evangelical Christian.

But her actions as secretary of state may differ little from those of her two predecessors—who often came under fire from advocates of international religious freedom—in regard to making religious-liberty and other human-rights issues more central to American foreign policy.

"I'm not optimistic" about Rice's appointment heralding renewed emphasis on religious freedom, said Larry Uzzell, president of the Virginia-based group International Religious Freedom Watch.

He pointed to a press briefing Rice had with reporters prior to Bush's 2002 trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian studies is Rice's area of academic expertise.

In the press briefing, Rice noted that Bush was to visit a Christian cathedral and a recently restored Jewish synagogue in that city, giving him "the chance to witness firsthand the right to freedom of worship, which is now thriving in Russia."

Uzzell said that was, at best, a misleading characterization.

"It was shortly after a wave of expulsions of Roman Catholic clergy from Russia" in addition to several other incidents curtailing religious freedom in the former Soviet Union, he said.

"I was extremely disappointed that somebody in Dr. Rice's position would make such an unqualified statement about the state of church-state relations in Russia. That was not helpful for those of us who are trying to nudge that still semi-authoritarian country in the right direction. And right now, Russia is going in the wrong direction."

Of Rice's commitment to religious freedom as a central focus of American foreign policy, Uzzell continued, "I think Condoleezza Rice is in the Washington mainstream on that issue—and that is not a compliment."

A senior State Department official familiar with human-rights issues, speaking on the condition that his name not be published, expressed more optimism that his new boss would pay close attention to international religious-freedom issues because of her own "personal sensitivity to religious faith" and the support of the president.

"I can say, as far as the administration goes, and religious-freedom advocacy going forward into a second term, you'll see an ongoing commitment to religious freedom," the official said.

Some religious-freedom observers—such as the independent United States Commission on International Religious Freedom—have criticized the State Department under Powell's leadership and that of his predecessor, Madeleine Albright, for not doing enough to use the mechanisms provided by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act to punish countries that commit egregious violations of their citizens' liberty of conscience.

That act created the commission to serve as a watchdog agency and also created an ambassador-at-large position for international religious freedom within the State Department itself.

The department is charged with publishing an annual report on international religious freedom, and with designating major religious-liberty violators as countries of particular concern under the terms of the 1998 law. The law then sets forth a series of actions, including sanctions, the government can take against those countries.

Although the department has named several nations countries of particular concern under the act, it has not invoked any additional U.S. sanctions on the countries other than those already in place for other reasons.

Robert Seiple, the first U.S. ambassador-at-large for religious freedom, said that was partially due to the relatively toothless nature of the religious-freedom office, the human-rights division of the State Department and the department itself in the Washington power scheme.

"If the weakest office in the weakest bureau in the weakest agency in Washington, D.C., is going to have any validity to it, there has to be a massive effort to change that reality or that perception," he said.

"When I was at the State Department, part of my frustration in making things work was that I felt we were part of the junior varsity," Seiple said. He now is president of the Pennsylvania-based Institute for Global Engagement, which seeks to find realistic and pragmatic ways to advance religious freedom around the world.

Seiple said one way to gain more influence for religious-freedom issues would be to focus more government agencies, such as the Defense Department and the National Security Council, on religious issues.

"We have to find a way for anyone in government working on the issue of religious freedom to be associated with the strongest agency, and the strongest bureau, in the strongest office in Washington, D.C.," he said.

That—and a strengthening of the role of the State Department—may become more of a reality under Rice, he noted, due to her close personal and ideological relationship with Bush. Powell is generally believed to have disagreed often with the stances of other senior administration officials on foreign-policy issues, while Rice is one of Bush's closest advisers.

"Now, the agency that houses religious freedom is headed up by someone who not only has the ear of the president, she knows him well enough to finish his sentences," Seiple said. "That should augur well for this issue. That, and the times in which we live—highlighted by the first war of the 21st century being a religious war."

But, he added, "Whether it will do it or not, I don't know. But one could optimistically look at Condi Rice's presence there and say, given her association with the president, the State Department is not going to be the junior varsity in this equation."

Nonetheless, Uzzell argued, the war on terrorism may lead to further muting of a human-rights critique of countries—such as Pakistan or Saudi Arabia—that are vital to the United States' interest, in favor of maintaining good relations with them.

"I think it was clear even before Secretary Powell's resignation that the same kinds of policies in the war on terror are going to continue. And I think it's clear from the developments of the last three years that that's not good for religious freedom," he said. "Like any war, that means you have to develop some alliances with pretty unsavory characters."

Posted: 11/24/04

Stem cell research, gay marriage
opposed by Louisiana Baptist messengers

ALEXANDRIA, La. (ABP)—Messengers to the Louisiana Baptist Convention approved eight resolutions without discussion—including statements against embryonic stem-cell research, gay marriage and homosexuality—during the closing session of their annual meeting, even though leaders acknowledged a quorum may not have been present.

Louisiana Baptists urged an end to all funding—public and private—for embryonic stem-cell research, diverting it instead to adult stem-cell research. The statement notes embryonic stem-cell research requires human embryos be destroyed, which it declares "morally equivalent to murder."

Messengers declared support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would define marriage as only between a man and a woman. The Federal Marriage Amendment, they said, is needed to offset the push to legalize same-sex marriages in the country.

Another resolution urged Louisiana Baptists to continue to address the issue of homosexuality from a "biblical" standpoint. The statement asserts homosexuality is becoming more acceptable but remains an "abomination unto God" and "unrighteous." It calls on pastors to continue "stating very plainly what the Bible teaches about homosexuality."

Louisiana Baptists were encouraged to embrace a "biblical worldview," alleging that only 4 percent of American adults and 9 percent of self-professed Christians do so. Those who do not embrace such a view are more accepting of abortion, pornography, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, drunkenness, profanity, adultery and gambling, the resolution notes. The resolution urges people to repent of their slackness and indifference in such things and calls on them to stand against every effort to undermine the authority of Scripture.

Messengers elected three officers endorsed by the Louisiana Inerrancy Fellowship. President Philip Robertson, pastor of Philadelphia Baptist Church in Deville, was re-elected to a second term, despite a challenge from Gil Arthur, pastor of East Leesville Baptist Church in Leesville. Robertson won the election 787 to 656.

Three times in the last eight years, challengers have arisen to unsuccessfully oppose the sitting president for a second term.

Gary Richerson, pastor at Peniel Baptist Church in Glenmora, was elected first vice president over one other nominee. Mitch Harris, pastor at Goodwood Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, was elected second vice president without opposition.

Messengers welcomed David Hankins as the convention's new executive director. Hankins, a former Louisiana pastor who serves as executive vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, was elected in October and will begin his duties in February, succeeding Dean Doster, who is retiring.

In other business, messengers approved a static budget of $22 million for 2005. The portion forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention was increased from 35.25 percent to 35.5 percent, despite a motion that the amount be kept in Louisiana to assist in a time of leadership transition.

Posted: 11/24/04

New Orleans trustees take step
toward 'sole membership' compliance

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary attorney Don Richard recently issued a letter to Southern Baptist Convention attorneys, providing documentation about sole membership language approved by seminary trustees during a closed executive session in mid-October.

Previously, the exact nature of the actions taken in the closed session was unclear, even though the trustees publicly released two motions they had approved.

The news is significant, observers noted, because it signals the seminary’s compliance with the request by SBC messengers at the 2004 annual meeting that the seminary adopt sole membership at its October board meeting by amending the seminary's charter.

Richard also indicated trustees had abandoned interest in offering alternatives. Seminary President Chuck Kelley previously had stated other options would be placed before messengers next June.

"When the trustees of NOBTS met in executive session and voted on this matter, all of the trustees had before them several proposed charter amendments," Richard wrote in the letter, which was addressed to SBC attorney Jim Guenther. "All proposed charter amendments were rejected with the exception of the proposed charter amendment sent to the seminary by the Executive Committee of the SBC several years ago."

Richard noted the seminary also intends to repeat previously expressed concerns about polity and Louisiana law when the amended charter is presented for consideration at the 2005 SBC annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

The language adopted during the executive session is the "exact charter that was proposed" by the Executive Committee, Richard said.

"However, the trustees passed a further motion which directs the executive committee of NOBTS and undersigned counsel to draft reservations which were expressed by the trustees for presentation for the 2005 convention once they are finally approved by the NOBTS Executive Committee in December of 2004."

In recent weeks, by exchanging letters, attorneys for both the seminary and the convention have worked to reach an understanding. Augie Boto, general counsel and vice president for convention policy with the SBC Executive Committee, said a letter was received in early November from Richard with suggested wording changes to a proposed charter amendment.

"That letter, as well as the wording of the motions, both seemed to couch the approval as conditional on subsequent events or yet-to-be-determined language,” Boto said.

The Richard letter received by SBC attorneys Nov. 8 offered "some language changes which were submitted to us by our retained expert Dick Wolfe of Jones Walker" and indicated that the finished product would be presented in coming weeks, "no later than December." But Richard's most recent letter—with the news that trustees did indeed adopt sole membership while in closed session—may indicate that a resolution is at least one step closer.

"I see no reason why the Executive Committee cannot review the material in February, and make a formal recommendation to the messengers in June regarding the specific language that the NOBTS board has approved," Boto said.

New Orleans trustees passed two motions at their Oct. 13 meeting, making both public that day. One, which passed 35-1, read: "The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Board of Trustees move(s) to propose to the Southern Baptist Convention the amendment to our charter requested by the convention in Indianapolis, Ind., in 2004 regarding sole membership, as outlined by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, with the attached reservations regarding legal and polity concerns and possible minor language adjustments to which the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention would agree. We further move that the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary president explain the reservations to convention messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn., in 2005."

The trustees unanimously approved a second motion that read: "That the reservations regarding the legal and polity concerns be referred to the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary executive committee and to the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's legal counsel for further review with the final document being presented to the full Board before the April 2005 meeting."

Sole membership is a legal mechanism that allows a parent organization to establish its ownership (as sole member of the corporation) of a subordinate entity while setting limitations to the parent entity's control, thereby limiting the legal liability of the parent for the subsidiary.

The other five SBC seminaries previously have adopted sole membership, as have the North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the Annuity Board (doing business as GuideStone Financial Resources).

But New Orleans Seminary representatives have resisted, saying sole membership violates Baptist polity and also is incompatible with Louisiana law. However, NOBTS officials also have stated the seminary would adopt sole membership if the messengers requested it. The SBC messengers did so last June by a vote of about a two-thirds majority. A vote approving the seminary's revised charter at the 2005 annual meeting is now all that remains before the new governing documents can be filed and made effective.

The articles of incorporation Richard attached to his Nov. 10 letter state, in part: "The corporation shall have one member, the Southern Baptist Convention, a religious nonprofit corporation chartered by act of the Senate and House of Representatives of the state of Georgia. The membership of the Southern Baptist Convention shall not be cancelled except by the amendment of the articles of incorporation with the consent of the Southern Baptist Convention."

The Southern Baptist Convention is a Georgia corporation, founded in Augusta, Ga., in 1845.

Posted: 11/24/04

New Senate leaders cut across political assumptions

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Senate Democrats, whose party officially supports abortion rights, have elected an abortion opponent as their leader. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans, whose party officially opposes abortion, appear ready to name a rare pro-choice senator as chair of one of the Senate's most powerful committees.

Senate Democrats elected Nevada Sen. Harry Reid as minority leader by acclamation. Reid, a Mormon, is a longtime opponent of abortion rights who voted in favor of a 2003 law that bans so-called "partial-birth" abortions.

On the Republican side, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter appears to have quelled an uproar from social conservatives against his elevation to the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Specter is a moderate who supports abortion rights and who generally supported church-state separation.

Dozens of Religious Right groups and other conservative organizations had asked Specter's colleagues to bar him from the chairmanship after comments he made to reporters shortly after President Bush was re-elected . Specter implied Bush should not bother sending far-right nominees for Supreme Court vacancies to the Senate for confirmation, because they would likely be filibustered by Democrats.

Nominees to the federal bench first much be confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the chairman has wide latitude over which nominees receive a hearing.

But after meetings with Senate GOP leaders and Republican Judiciary Committee members, several expressed support for Specter.

"Senator Specter handled himself very well" in the meeting, said outgoing committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah, according to the Washington Post. "I'm for him, as I should be."

But in an e-mail newsletter, Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council asked supporters not to let up pressure on other senators, since a majority of the entire Senate Republican Conference must confirm Specter's nomination when the group meets Jan. 5 to organize for the new session of Congress.

"Each Republican senator must be challenged to stand up for the values of the voters that helped them gain solid control of the Senate, rather than capitulate to the political protocol that advances privilege above principle," Perkins wrote.