Posted: 11/12/04

Florida Baptists voice support for
efforts to ban same-sex marriage

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) –Florida Baptists voted to back amendments to the state and federal constitutions to ban gay marriage and to work with other denominations for their passage.

The motion passed apparently without opposition during the annual meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention, held Nov. 8-9 in Jacksonville.

The action calls on Florida legislators to define marriage “as the union between a man and a woman” and “the God-ordained building block of the family and bedrock of civil society.”

Lakeland pastor Jay Dennis introduced the motion, which urged Florida Baptists “lovingly, yet with passion and conviction,” to support the constitutional amendments.

In discussion, Dennis said the measure was not intended to “bash” homosexuals but to establish a clear legal definition of marriage.

“This is an issue that churches should take up,” said Dennis, pastor of the 6,500-member First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland. “The church is the voice of morality.”

He said Florida Baptists should work through state legislators to initiate the amendment. If that fails, he said, a grassroots petition campaign involving other denominations should ensue, according to the Florida Times-Union.

Newly elected convention president Hayes Wicker endorsed the convention action. Wicker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Naples, said Florida Baptists should “unite with other people of faith to stem the tide of what we believe is a perversion of God's original pattern of marriage.”

Florida already has enacted the Defense of Marriage Act that limits marriage to heterosexual couples. But conservatives say the constitutional amendments are necessary to prevent “activist” judges from ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.

Stephen Wise, a Republican state senator from Jacksonville, told the Florida Times-Union it will take a minimum of two years to get a state constitutional amendment on the ballot for approval by Florida voters.

Florida Baptists also celebrated their 150th anniversary during the 2004 convention, which drew 1,900 messengers.

In other business, the convention tightened its bylaws to enforce the “theological integrity” of member churches and associations. The change requires each Florida Baptist church to adhere to the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message doctrinal statement “or any other declaration of faith which parallels the tenets of our historic Baptist faith.”

“Any church or association which undertakes questionable theology, faith, practice or polity shall be subject to having fellowship withdrawn by the Florida Baptist State Convention,” the bylaw amendment reads.

The revision authorizes the State Board of Missions to determine if a church or association is compliant with the new requirements or should be expelled.

Another revision requires member churches to file a standardized statistical report each year and contribute at least $250 to the Cooperative Program. A church that violates either requirement for three consecutive years can be expelled.

Messengers also passed a brief motion asking convention administrators “to find ways to strengthen and support Christian schools and home schooling” among the convention's churches.

Because of that action, convention leaders decided it was not necessary to consider a much longer resolution condemning public schools and calling all Christians to abandon public education.

The more strident resolution, part of a nationwide anti-schools campaign led by the group Exodus Mandate, was introduced by messenger Robert Dreyfuss. It would denounce the “anti-Christian” influence of government-run schools and urge Christians to remove their children from those “godless” public schools and put them in “thoroughly” Christian schools or educate them at home.

Last June, the Southern Baptist Convention declined to act on the anti-schools resolution, but supporters promised to seek passage in at least 10 Baptist conventions.

The Florida convention adopted a budget of $37 million that earmarks 51.75 percent for Florida Baptist Convention causes and 40 percent for Southern Baptist Convention causes.

The remaining funds will be used for pastoral aid and annuities.

Florida Baptists changed their bylaws to ensure the “theological integrity' of affiliated churches. The change requires each Florida Baptist church to adhere to the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message doctrinal statement “or any other declaration of faith which parallels the tenets of our historic Baptist faith.”

Posted: 11/12/04

Florida voters narrowly approve call for
local referenda on legalized slot machines

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (ABP)– Though voters nationwide defeated most attempts to expand gambling Nov. 2, another razor-thin Florida vote count could bring slot machines to the state.

By a margin of 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent–or 3,606,045 to 3,524,019 votes–Florida voters approved an amendment to authorize two South Florida counties to hold referenda on whether to allow slot machines in existing parimutuel facilities.

Initial reports Nov. 3 said the slot-machine amendment had been narrowly defeated. But a later vote count showed supporters had eked out a victory.

Gambling opponents in Florida immediately cried foul when a South Florida TV station reported Nov. 4 that a glitch in Broward County software had resulted in a massive undercount of absentee ballots.

When the counting was done, an additional 78,000 votes had appeared, with 90 percent of them voting in favor of the amendment.

“Clearly, these new results are highly questionable,” said Carey Theil, an activist and slot-machine opponent. “We have reacted immediately, and rest assured that Amendment 4 opponents are preparing legal action now.”

All requests for a recount were denied, according to gambling opponents. An automatic recount would be triggered if the margin of victory was less than 0.5 percent. The final count showed a difference of about 0.8 percent.

The amendment does not immediately authorize slot machines in horse-racing, dog-racing and jai alai facilities but only allows residents of Broward and Miami-Dade counties to consider the possibility.

Taxes on the proceeds from the machines are supposed to benefit education.

Posted: 11/12/04

Texas Baptist Forum

School support

I attended the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in San Antonio and came away challenged, renewed and recommitted to do the work God has called me to do.

I was especially encouraged by the resolution affirming the public schools of our state.

My wife, my two daughters and one of my sons-in-law all work in the public school system. I frequently hear stories about administrators, teachers and staff who are interested in the spiritual as well as the educational needs of the students they work with. A recent incident at a North Texas high school bears this out.

At the end of a pep rally on the day of the school's final regular-season football game, a teacher was pushed to the floor by a group of students as they left the gym. The teacher was then walked on by several students and sustained numerous injuries as a result.

A couple of days after the incident, the injured teacher sent an e-mail to the faculty and staff of the school, thanking them for their prayers for her and her recovery. She closed her message by asking that her fellow workers especially pray for the students of the school. What a great example of praying for those “who persecute you.”

Without the presence of Christian administrators, teachers and staff members, I cannot imagine what our public schools would be like.

Thank you, Texas Baptists, for voicing your support for these dedicated people.

Richard Rose

Arlington

Haunting implications

I am the mother of two children who have died from a terminal illness that perhaps, if stem-cell treatment had been available years ago, could have benefited from new medical advances.

I know without the slightest doubt, however, that I never would have allowed aborted fetus tissue to be used for a “maybe” regression of loss of bodily function.

I don't believe the Old Testament story of Joseph and his fate correlates at all to terminal illness and treatment derived from embryonic stem cells (Nov. 1). As one familiar to suffering, I see Joseph's plight as one of encouragement in suffering, knowing it is the will of God for us to join in his suffering, not a “pie-in-the-sky” hope that a doctor with unsubstantiated experiments might improve one's life skills.

As one who has had conversations with women who have aborted babies, I wonder if the Newton and Lyles families have thought of the haunting implications of being able to live with such a decision.

My letter is sent with the understanding of such a terrible situation but also with the firm conviction that a murdered child's tissue is not the answer.

Kelley Forster

San Antonio

Amazing stance

I want to let William Reddick (Oct. 4) know that as a Southern Baptist myself, I deeply welcome his fellowship in our denomination. And furthermore, I don't have a problem with him being a Democrat.

However, he did say that he does not “agree that any abortion should be illegal.”

I would like to know why he supports abortion. I realize some Christians may sincerely believe abortion is not murder and therefore not a sin. Maybe he believes the “pro-choice” crowd has some good points.

But the truth is abortion is the most evil and heinous violation of human rights (in this case, fetus rights) in human history.

An evil committed against adults is bad enough, but abortion is committed against the most innocent and helpless of all humans.

The moment the sperm fertilizes the egg, it becomes a living organism. If it is living, then, by definition, it has life. A fetus is alive; it is not dead. Therefore, everyone should be against abortion except, perhaps, when the mother's life is in danger as a result of the labor.

Again, I welcome him in the SBC. I just would like to encourage him to rethink his stance on abortion. It just amazes me.

If a person in the United States were to take the egg of a bald eagle and throw it against a wall, destroying it, they would do jail time. But if one kills a human baby while it is still in the womb, it is perfectly legal.

Larry A. Jones

Beaumont

Loving acceptance

I do not feel accepted in my church when others make remarks like this: At a post-election adult choir rehearsal, at least half of the singers loudly remarked that they were pleased with the election of a Christian president. This is their privilege. I voted for a Christian Democrat, and he lost.

As a Christian, I have tried my best to accept others who do not believe or act as I do. But I wonder about others who are like me. Are they as considerate as I try to be? Or will they leave the church and attend nowhere? Or will they find a church where they can be happy not being put down by fellow members and pastors.

What about non-Christians in our churches? Twenty years ago, a number of non-Christian Vietnamese attended our mission. Many still attend as Christians today. When I first ministered with them, how far do you think I would have gotten to have come at them strongly against their former religion? Rather, I accepted and loved them even while I still held my Christian convictions. By myself, I did not try to get ahead of Christ Jesus in convicting them of their need of him. He saved them.

Do you want to reach others for Christ? First, learn to accept and love others who do not believe like yourself.

Gilbert Thornton

Longview

Repeating history?

A Baylor University law professor and the university's provost recently debated academic freedom and institutional governance. The debate was suggested by several events, including proposed changes to the university policy on academic freedom, the administration's response to a Lariat editorial on homosexuality and a speech the provost delivered at Wheaton College.

There were many issues that the Texas Baptist community would find interesting, but one I found alarming. In the course of making a case for the emergence of a broader institution denominationally and more of a uniform focus theologically, the administration sees a Baylor in which there will be a decrease in Baptist faculty and students (it is noticeable already); indeed, the provost suggested there may come a day when there are very few Baptists left at Baylor.

I came to Baylor largely because of its leadership in the Baptist world of higher education. I was director of a short-lived program in Baptist studies that was the envy of other institutions who lacked a graduate program. I saw the potential Baylor had to become virtually the paradigm in the Baptist tradition for a full-scale church-related university.

As a Texas Baptist by choice, I am greatly alarmed by this type of projection. Baptist history is replete with recognized colleges and universities that have severed ties with their Baptist constituencies for much the same reasons–Brown, Colgate, Bucknell, Chicago, Richmond, Stetson and Wake Forest, to name a few. Are Texas Baptists prepared to let history repeat itself at Baylor?

William H. Brackney

Waco

Reaching out

I could not agree more with your editorial calling for civility to be restored to the American scene (Nov. 1). But I hope you are not saying that President Bush should be any more responsible for this than the man on the street.

President Bush was re-elected, and he still is our president, so the people across the aisle should be doing the reaching if they want to have successes in their districts.

One explanation for the uncivility of our nation is the type of television broadcasting being “fed” to our populace. It is now the norm to belittle other people, your parents, your authority and each other.

I would like for us Christians to be more outspoken and proactive about stopping some of the filth that is sent over the airways. I am convinced we must take our Christianity out to the streets and into the schools to make a difference.

We were given a gift on election day, in that a clearer mandate was set forth for the election, and Christians can be very proud of their accomplishments. But we must use this gift wisely as we Republicans must use this power discreetly. We must be diligent to see that we offer up candidates who have those values that we voted to preserve.

Yes, civility needs to return to America, but I believe it has to start in the home and by example. And indeed President Bush must do his part in sharing the power, and I believe he will.

Betty Westbrook

Plano

Posted: 11/12/04

On the Move

John Bisagno to Pecan Grove Church in Richmond as interim pastor.

James Collins to First Church in Palacios as associate pastor.

Tim Doremus to Purmela Church in Purmela as pastor.

Jerry Gibson to First Church in Brookshire as interim pastor.

Don Higginbotham to First Church in Fredricksburg as pastor from First Church in Harlingen.

Rod Hite to Mimosa Lane Church in Mesquite as minister of praise and worship from Calvary Church in McAllen.

Bob Hobbins to Memorial Church in El Campo as pastor.

Jay Johnson to Open Range Cowboy Church in Whitney as minister of music.

Gary Kreder to Vaughan Church in Abbott as pastor.

John LaNoue to Cornerstone Church in Corsicana as pastor.

Keith Manning to Central Church in Hillsboro as pastor.

James Mantooth to First Church of Groceville in Cut and Shoot as pastor from First Church in Paducah.

Dusty Maxwell to Central Church in Thornton as youth minister.

Joey Meador to Central Church in Hillsboro as youth minister.

George Merriman to Trinity Church in Corsicana as interim pastor.

Mark Nelson to Bethel Church in Buffalo as pastor.

Louis Neyland to Ephesus Church in Jewett as youth minister.

Rhonda Parker to Leona Church in Leona as youth minister.

Kevin Poole to New Life Church in Covington as minister of music.

Doyle Purifoy to Shiloh Church in Mexia as interim pastor.

Todd Pylant to First Church in Benbrook as pastor from First Church in Augusta, Ga., where he was minister to young families.

Carol Raulston to Fort Graham Church in Whitney as music minister.

David Reeves to First Church in Kerens as youth minister.

Jared Wellman to Powell Church in Powell as interim pastor.

Posted: 11/12/04

Texas Tidbits

Wayland sets homecoming schedule. "Run the Good Race" is the theme for homecoming weekend, Nov. 19-20 at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview. Featured events include presentation of distinguished alumni awards, a golden anniversary celebration for the class of 1954, a banquet, crowning the homecoming queen and a basketball doubleheader pitting the Wayland Flying Queens against the University of Texas Permian Basin and the Wayland Pioneers against Howard Payne University. For reservations or information about any homecoming activities, contact the alumni services office at (806) 291-3600.

HBU Founder's Day set. Houston Baptist University will celebrate its 41st anniversary during a Founders' Day convocation at 10:10 a.m. Dec. 2. David Self, a 1973 HBU graduate and executive pastor at First Baptist Church in Houston, will be the guest speaker at the convocation in the Sharp Gym. Russ Clark, a 1982 graduate of HBU and choir director at Elkins High School in Fort Bend, will present special music. During the celebration, 37 HBU faculty and staff members celebrating an anniversary will be recognized, as well as the winners of the Who's Who among students in American universities and colleges.

ETBU & Wiley College sponsor health fair. Nursing students from East Texas Baptist University and students from Wiley College will conduct a health fair at Mallileu United Methodist Church, Nov. 20. "Project Outreach" is a cooperative effort between the two schools to promote good health. The United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service under its Learn and Serve America Higher Education Program granted Wiley College a $90,000 three-year grant to conduct health fairs in cooperation with ETBU and Texas State Technical College of Marshall. Ten health fairs have been scheduled over the next six months, offering free blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and mammogram screenings, as well as information on how to live healthier lives. For information, call (903) 923-2210.

HBU Guild features Gloria Gaither. Songwriter Gloria Gaither will be the featured speaker for the Houston Baptist University Guild's Christmas luncheon at 11:30 a.m., Dec. 3, at Houston's DoubleTree Hotel-Post. Gaither has written the lyrics to more than 600 gospel songs, recorded more than 60 albums and written several best-selling books. Individual tickets may be purchased for $45 each or a table of 10 for $450. To order tickets, reserve a table or obtain additional information, call (281) 649-3006. Proceeds from the luncheon benefit graduate scholarships at HBU for career classroom teachers.

DBU establishes Pinson lectures. Dallas Baptist University has established the William M. Pinson Baptist History Lecture Series as an expression of gratitude for Pinson's service to Baptists throughout the United States. The university has placed $50,000 at the Baptist Foundation of Texas for this endowed lectureship. Pinson is the Baptist General Convention of Texas executive director emeritus, having served as executive director from 1983 to 2000. He currently is a distinguished university professor at DBU.

UMHB names music department chair. Lon Chaffin has been named chairman of the music department at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, effective June 1, 2005. Chaffin has been with the university five years as an associate professor of music, serving as coordinator of music theory, composition and technology. Before coming to UMHB, Chaffin served on the music faculty of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and was director of choral activities at Paris Junior College and Temple College. He is a graduate of Wayland Baptist University, and he earned his master's degree and doctorate from Texas Tech University. He and his wife, Susan, are members of First Baptist Church of Temple.

Posted: 11/12/04

TOGETHER:
BGCT makes progress in San Antonio

After the mission service at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session, a pastor said: “This was great. I saw a new vision for missions, and I felt the old feelings stirring again.” Several young pastors and church members paused to say: “This is what we've been waiting to hear and see. We can build on this.”

This was music to my ears. Our people have worked hard to tell the Texas Baptist mission story. Excitement is building. The work is growing. Texas Baptists working together are making a difference in people's lives in Texas and around the world.

We also adopted new mission, vision, values and priorities statements. Now, as we develop core strategies to help our staff and related ministries address our priorities, you will begin to see positive changes occurring in our approach to the work God has given us to do. The key thing to remember is that our convention staff is committed to getting closer to the churches in order to know you better and be able to work with you in facilitating the work God has given your church to do.

There are three key verbs to consider–encourage, facilitate and connect. The BGCT takes seriously its role of encouraging the churches to see what can be done. To encourage is to “put heart into” someone who has been discouraged, who had “the heart cut out” of them. Our purpose statement says we are to “awaken and stimulate” the churches. We will advocate with you on behalf of God's mission to reconcile the world to himself.

We also will seek to facilitate your church's efforts to do the work of gospel reconciliation. We will provide easier access to resources and quicker response to questions, and we will follow up with the churches to see if what we worked together to develop actually worked.

Then we will connect your church to other churches so you can do more evangelism and missions, more Christian education and Christian ministry to hurting people than you could by yourself.

The convention approved the first reading of the revised constitution, which gives us a better governance structure. This called forth strong discussion. Clearly, most felt the basic idea was on target. The Executive Board chairman and I will work with Executive Board members and others to fashion the bylaws and make sure concerns raised by our Baptist people will be addressed.

There was great appreciation by messengers for the patient, fair and generous demeanor of our BGCT president. Ken Hall has led Texas Baptists well. The president of Buckner Baptist Benevolences was in top form on Monday as he preached and then presided over the business session. We saw Baptists doing their work freely and openly, respecting one another, honoring one another in the Lord. Ken Hall deserves and was given hardy applause for his leadership. The two vice presidents served admirably as well. Albert Reyes was elected our new president. He is a gifted communicator, visionary leader of Baptist University of the Americas, and will be an encourager of churches in our work together. Dennis Young is the former president of the African-American Fellowship, gifted preacher, builder and pastor of Missouri City Baptist Church in Missouri City. He presided beautifully in the Tuesday business session.

Our new leaders will follow in these deep footprints. Joining Albert Reyes, Michael Bell, pastor of Greater St. Stephen First Baptist Church in Fort Worth, and Stacy Conner, pastor of First Baptist Church in Muleshoe, will be strong servant leaders as the two new vice presidents. All together, these three good men will bring their gifts and passion for God's work to bear on the challenges before us.

I am glad God has called us all to serve him, knowing all the while …

We are loved.

Charles Wade is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas

Posted: 11/12/04

Virginia Baptists elect first African-American
officer; agree to apply for BWA membership

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

ROANOKE, Va. (ABP)–Messengers to the Baptist General Association of Virginia's 181st annual meeting elected the group's first African-American officer, agreed to apply for membership in the Baptist World Alliance and engaged in unexpected debate over the sale of a handful of properties.

The meeting in Roanoke drew about 1,500 messengers. While they approved proposals to apply for full membership in BWA–an umbrella group for national and regional Baptist denominations worldwide–and to increase funding for the organization, a proposal to sell a group of properties drew significant attention.

A proposal to sell the convention-owned Baptist Student Union building at Virginia Commonwealth University to the school inspired the most disagreement. The chair of a convention task force charged with studying the feasibility of maintaining all of Virginia Baptists' BSU properties said the building's liabilities outweigh its assets.

The motion to sell the BSU building ultimately passed, although it was amended to reflect that it was authorizing Virginia Baptist Mission Board officials to sell it rather than demanding they do so.

In addition, messengers approved a $14.4 million budget for 2005, a slight increase over the 2004 budget of $14.3 million. Virginia Baptists have three different giving plans–one that supports traditional Southern Baptist Convention causes, a second that includes support for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and other entities outside the SBC, and a third that allows individual churches to customize their giving plans.

In the second budget option, messengers approved a proposal that increased the percentage funding of the BWA in 2005 and reduced the percentage going to the SBC's International Mission Board. The Southern Baptist Convention voted to withdraw from BWA earlier this year, leaving the BGAV as the group's single largest funding entity, according to BGAV Executive Director John Upton.

The change would not alter the giving to SBC causes through the convention's traditional plan.

In addition, messengers approved–with little dissent–a motion to apply for full membership in BWA. BGAV has provided the organization with funding without requesting membership.

Messengers also elected three new convention officers and re-elected a fourth. All ran unopposed.

Richard Smith of Vienna, Va., was elevated to president from the convention's first vice president position. Smith is an attorney and a member at Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, near Washington, D.C. He succeeds Don Davidson, pastor of Mount Hermon Baptist Church in Danville.

Bert Browning, pastor of Huguenot Road Baptist Church in Richmond, was elected the convention's first vice president.

For the second vice president position, messengers elected Mark Croston as the BGAV's first African-American officer. Croston is pastor of East End Baptist Church in Suffolk. Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond President Tom Graves said Croston's election was “an historic and long-overdue moment for Virginia Baptists,” adding it was time “to proclaim that the Civil War is over.”

The convention's 2005 annual meeting will take place Nov. 10-11 in Woodbridge, near Washington.

Posted: 11/12/04

CYBERCOLUMN:
Blessed rest

By John Duncan

I’m sitting her under the old oak tree, thinking of rest. Augustine once said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” I wonder if Augustine needed rest when he wrote those words.

As a pastor, I hear the words “I’m tired” as much as I ever have heard them. I am beginning to wonder if a persistent weariness circulates mysteriously like a virus, silently encircling the earth.

Baptists notoriously know how to fill up a calendar with “busy-ness.” Baptists schedule enough stuff to make them feel like marathon runners near the end of a race.

In “Painted House,” author John Grisham affirms the Baptist reputation for busy schedules and saintly weariness. He writes: “Nobody met as much as us Baptists. We took great pride in constant worship. Pearl Watson, my favorite Methodist, said she’d like to be Baptist, but that she just wasn’t physically able.”

Here under the old oak, tree I find myself thinking about rest. What does the Bible say?

Joseph desired to rest and be buried with his fathers (Genesis 47:30). Exodus spoke of a Sabbath rest when all work ceased (Exodus 34:21). God told the people of Israel, “My presence will go with you and give you rest.” (Exodus 34:20). God gave rest from enemies, a long, hard nap on a pillow after a hard-fought war (Dueteronomy 25:19). Even the land deserved rest from war (Joshua 14:15). Such rest called for praise to God from his people (1 Kings 8:56). Job lamented, much like many people today, “I have no peace; no quietness; I have no rest, only turmoil.” Was Job trying to put three toddlers down for a midday nap?

The psalmist acknowledged, “My soul finds rest in God alone” (Psalm 62:1). He picturesquely described God as a bird spreading her wings over her young to protect, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).

Isaiah thundered, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust in your strength” (Isaiah 30:16). Jeremiah spoke of a battle and a sword, asking, “How long till you rest?” (Jeremiah 47:6). Ezekiel gently wafted a verbal blessing, “May a blessing rest on your household” (Ezekiel 44:30).

Jesus rested on a pillow in a boat dead center in the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm. The winds and waves seemed not to bother him. The disciples, though, that was another story. They panicked, immediately woke up Jesus, and pondered their possible deaths in wide-eyed fear. “Peace be still,” Jesus spoke, ending the chaos and calming the storm. Jesus gives rest. That is what he does best. He later invited us into his rest, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:30).

So, here I am under the old oak tree. All this “rest” talk makes me weary. I think I’ll clean the acorns and lay my head on a few leaves and take a nap. Hey, maybe, I will live to the ripe old age of 100. Recently I read where 100-year-old B.C. Watts, a man who voted in 19 presidential elections, said the key to his long life was his nap every afternoon.

As for you, Robert Frost puts it best: “It’s rest I want—there, I have said it out—/From cooking meals for hungry hired men/And washing dishes after them—from doing/Things over and over that just won’t stay done.”

The undone creates restlessness.

While thinking of the injustice in the world, the poet Langston Hughes appropriately lamented, “Jesus, ain’t you tired yet?”

All in all, our Lord never faints nor is weary. He gives rest (Isaiah 40:31). For this, I am eternally grateful. Thanksgiving blessings of rest to each of you.

John Duncan is pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, and the writer of numerous articles in various journals and magazines

Posted: 11/05/04

Christian illusionist uses stunts to present gospel message

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Baptist Standard

BAYTOWN–When illusionist Jared Hall wants to illustrate how sin separates people from God, he puts on a straitjacket.

“I explain how sin can strap us and keep us in bondage, just like the straight jacket,” he said.

The straitjacket illustration is just one of many escapes, stunts and illusions he performs during his gospel presentations.

Hall was raised in Baytown, where his father is music minister at Second Baptist Church.

His interest in illusions started at age 11. In junior high and high school, he used illusions as a way to entertain his friends.

During his freshman year of high school, Hall met Brock Gill, a Baptist youth evangelist and illusionist. Gill became a mentor to Hall and taught him how to use illusions to glorify God.

After touring with Gill in the summer, Hall returned to school and applied the lessons he learned.

“As I entered my sophomore year, I handled myself differently,” he explained. “I would go to the football games on Friday nights and perform illusions. By halftime, I would have the entire student section watching my illusions, rather than the game. I would use this to my advantage. And once I had their attention, I would share with them the message of Jesus Christ.

“During my junior year of high school, God called me into vocational ministry, and I knew that he was calling me to use illusions to share the message. God took my hobby and transformed it into a unique and awesome ministry. I like to challenge others to use their gifts to glorify God, because if God can use me through card tricks and other weird tricks, then he can use anyone.”

Today, as Hall travels around the country and books more than 100 events a year, he offers three unique shows for all ages. He recently performed at the Texas Baptist Youth Ministry Conclave in Arlington.

He regularly performs at youth camps, Disciple Now weekends, Upward sports award nights, church worship services and evangelistic outreach events.

“My shows are fast-paced, high-energy and high-flying,” he said. “I do things like making a person disappear and making a wooden table float around the stage and even into the audience. I also do crazy, comedic illusions to keep the audience laughing.”

While Hall knows how to slither out of a straitjacket, he realizes he cannot escape tribulations. Last year, he was in St. Louis, Mo., for a show when $6,000 worth of illusion and sound equipment was stolen from his truck.

“Through this experience, God taught me to trust him, no matter what,” he explained. “My show has rebuilt better than the one I was doing at that time.

“I would not be doing this if Jesus were not the center of my ministry. I love getting to tell others about God's power and grace.

“A lot of people at the shows have never been to a church service, but they'll come to an event thinking they're going to be entertained by an illusionist. Many of those same people leave the event knowing Jesus Christ as their Savior.”

Posted: 11/05/04

Right to Life researchers critique abortion study

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–Scholars associated with the National Right to Life committee point to what they consider as flaws in an evangelical seminary professor's study suggesting that the abortion rate has risen during the Bush administration. But the Baptist professor is standing by his conclusion.

Statistician and ethicist Glen Stassen of Fuller Theological Seminary near Los Angeles used statistics from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life and the Guttmacher Institute, as well as an analysis of figures on abortion rates in several states, to conclude that abortions likely increased nationwide by several thousand in 2002.

It also noted that, had the trend of a declining abortion rate–which decreased more than 17 percent between 1990 and 2000–continued under Bush's administration, about 50,000 fewer abortions would have taken place in 2002 than did.

In addition, Stassen tied the increase in abortion rate to economic factors, noting that such jumps in the number of abortions have historically occurred when unemployment was high. Pregnant women are less likely to abort their children if they or the fathers of their children have stable jobs and health-care coverage.

But two researchers for a group that opposes abortion rights and supports Bush's position said Stassen's argument was off the mark. Randall O'Bannon and Laura Hussey of the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund wrote that “neither his data nor his argument hold up under scrutiny.”

One of their critiques was that Stassen's sample size wasn't large enough.

“Since no national abortion data have been reported since 2000, Stassen looks at abortion figures for 16 states over 2001, 2002, and in some cases, 2003,” O'Bannon and Hussey wrote. “Stassen confidently claims that abortions increased in 11 of those 16 states during the Bush administration and asserts that this reflects a larger national upward trend in abortions. Yet Stassen never demonstrates that his 16 states are representative of the 50 states.”

Stassen defended the sample size by pointing to statistics cited every day in the run-up to the presidential election.

“The political polls include 500 or 1,000 respondents and extrapolate to 50 million voters. I have 16 states out of 50, which is a much greater sample, proportionately,” he said.

O'Bannon and Hussey also noted Stassen had incorrectly cited increases in the 2002 abortion rate in two states–South Dakota and Wisconsin–that actually showed decreases in their abortion rates. They also said newer statistics on the abortion rate in Illinois showed a significant decrease in 2003.

Therefore, O'Bannon and Hussey said: “When one shifts Wisconsin and South Dakota to the decrease column, and adds in Illinois after its dramatic 2003 drop in abortions, Stassen's claim that abortions have increased in 11 out of 16 states now turns into an eight-to-eight tie, with as many states decreasing as increasing. Hardly anything definitive.”

Stassen acknowledged the mistake with the Wisconsin and South Dakota figures but said he did not use the Illinois figures because they were too recent and may be incomplete. He also said the anti-abortion researchers were engaging in the same crime of which they accuse him.

“O'Bannon and Hussey confirm my report that Illinois abortions increased in 2002, but then they report that they found data for Illinois in 2003, in which the number of abortions then decreased,” he wrote. “Yet when they point to Wisconsin's 2002 decrease, they fail to report that in 2003, abortions in Wisconsin actually increased. Such selectivity looks like trying to defend against the truth and support a preconceived notion rather than accepting all the data in a consistent way.”

O'Bannon and Hussey also criticized Stassen's economic argument, contending that his data was insufficient to tie the abortion rate to unemployment figures. They also noted abortion rates and statewide unemployment rates in some of the states Stassen cited in his study don't correlate the way he claims they do nationally.

“Illinois' abortions dropped substantially between 2002 and 2003, in spite of its unemployment rate being stuck at 6.7 percent, among the worst in the nation,” they wrote. “Ohio's unemployment rate rose considerably relative to most other states, but abortions there declined. If the economic determinism Stassen assumes was valid, those state results would be reversed.”

But Stassen said studying the nationwide analysis over the past 30 years of abortion rates and unemployment rates confirms his assertions. He also cited other statistics–such as the fact that African-American and Hispanic women experience higher rates of unemployment and higher abortion rates than do white women.

O'Bannon and Hussey also accused Stassen of being dishonest by presenting himself as “consistently pro-life” in the original op-ed piece.

“Stassen presents himself as someone sympathetic to the pro-life cause who was shocked and saddened to find out that our pro-life president's policies were not having the pro-life effects he anticipated,” they said. “But this persona that he adopts is somewhat misleading as well.”

In 1977, they noted, Stassen was one of several Christian professors who signed “A Call to Concern,” a document that they say “expressed support for the Roe vs. Wade decision and affirmed that 'abortion in some instances may be the most loving act possible.'”

Stassen said the 1977 statement did not, in fact, support the controversial 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

“I signed a statement supporting academic freedom for Christian ethicists and moral theologians who take varieties of positions on these issues, and who were under pressure in some schools,” he said. “I do not appreciate the personal attack.”

Posted: 11/05/04

Faith sustains military couples seeking to adopt

By Felicia Fuller

Buckner News Service

The Bible says it's the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. It sustained U.S. Army Chaplain Lance Fadeley as he witnessed to soldiers amid death and devastation in Iraq. It sustained his wife, Shauna, as she read the headlines home alone in Texas.

And it sustains them now as they plan for the future in the face of uncertainty.

“Faith is at the center of everything we do,” said Lance Fadelay, a 12-year Army veteran and former Baptist pastor. “We have about $500 in savings, but I'm not worried. One of my favorite sayings is 'Jehovah Jirah,' which is 'God will provide' in Hebrew.”

The Fadeleys, childless since they married 10 years ago, are trusting God for provision to adopt a little girl from China before his redeployment to the Middle East. To date, they've invested more than $2,000 of their own resources but need an additional $14,000, not including overseas travel expenses. It would be money well spent, the couple said, as they seek to save “at least one young life” from certain destruction.

“We heard that girls in orphanages are not treated the best” in China, she said. “They're prevented from having children … leave the orphanage at 16 … don't have schooling … turn to prostitution. That just broke my husband's heart. We just feel like we could give her a great opportunity to be in a loving home and go to school. And when she's 16, we're still going to love her.”

Although they've considered adoption for many years, the couple didn't officially begin the process until a chance conversation during his first tour in Iraq. He'd been planning to conduct a marriage retreat when he returned home on 30-day leave, so he asked his deputy division captain for site suggestions and was referred to Camp Buckner Hill Country Retreat.

“I looked it up on the Internet from my barrack,” he said. “But the website I went to had nothing to do with land Buckner owns in Marble Falls. It was all about adoption. And it was a place in Dallas. So I sent an e-mail and said: 'Hey, my name is Lance. I'm in Iraq. I live in Killeen. My wife's named Shauna. And we want to adopt a girl from China. Can you help us out?'”

That was last fall.

“Right now, we're working on getting documents notarized and certified to complete our dossier for delivery to the Department of State,” he said. “We trust that everything will be in order soon.”

The couple credits Christ and the generosity of others with what they term little miracles along the way. The Army and Air Force have agreed to allow the Fadeleys to fly standby to China on a military jet to help curtail costs. And on March 12, during Fadeley's final chaplain service in Iraq, members of his battalion collected $458 while he wasn't looking as a sign of solidarity.

Among those who gave was a young soldier Fadeley baptized in the Tigris River after weeks of consoling and praying him through a painful breakup with his wife.

Asked to characterize the importance of that moment, Fadeley says: “We've lived here (in Killeen) for two years, and a mortar round hasn't landed in our little yard. I don't get shot at when I walk out my front door, but that's a daily occurrence in Iraq.

“Experiences like that make soldiers think more about eternal matters … about family matters.”

Lt. Col. Fred Leinweber is a man accustomed to making things happen. But this Texas Army National Guardsman concedes some things are out of his control.

“Our way is not always (God's) way,” he says. “You just have to have faith.”

Lt. Col. Fred Leinweber and his wife, Tabetha, have endured years of fertility problems and now believe God has called them to adopt Dimitry, whom they hosted for the 2004 Buckner Angels from Abroad program.

For most of their seven-year marriage, Leinweber and his wife, Tabetha, have struggled in vain to conceive a child. They've tried it all–five surgeries, high-dose hormones, even natural remedies but most of all, prayer.

“My body can't take anymore assault,” said Mrs. Leinweber, 37. “Besides, you don't have to give birth to a child to be a parent.”

It took a shy 12-year-old boy from Russia to teach her that.

Dimitry, affectionately called Dima, visited the Leinwebers for two weeks this summer as part of the Buckner Angels from Abroad program. Accompanied by directors and caretakers from two children's homes in St. Petersburg, 18 orphans toured Texas to raise awareness about the trove of older children available for adoption in Russia.

The Leinwebers were among 14 Dallas families who served as hosts.

“We sort of stumbled upon the opportunity,” she recalled. “In December last year, we started talking about adoption, so we went on the Internet and found names (of agencies). Then we came to Buckner, but when I pulled up the homepage, there was all this information about the angels program.”

The couple talked about it and decided it would be a good experience, a sort of litmus test of life as full-time parents. Little did they know what began as an experiment would change their lives like nothing else.

“It was tough the first four days. I was on the phone a lot crying, 'I don't know what to do with Dima,'” she said. “He was very introverted; I think he was scared, and he missed his friends.”

After a play date with other host program participants and a few rounds of ping-pong with Leinweber, Dima slowly shed his cool exterior, and a lively little boy emerged.

“He showed his personality more toward the latter half of the visit,” he remembered. “We formed a bond, and we perceived that he also was connecting with us.”

The day Dima left, his prospective mother said she felt an aching in her heart–the kind of longing a mother feels when she's separated from her child. In just 15 days, Dima and the Leinwebers had gone from strangers distanced by language to kindred souls bound by love.

“He's our kid. He is the child we've been praying for, and we've got to get him home,” she said, near tears.

A marketing professional, Mrs. Leinweber has dedicated a website to the cause, aptly titled www.bringdimahome.com. After years of desperately trying to conceive, the Leinwebers are on a new quest to adopt. But resources are limited and, with recent developments, time is short. Just two months ago, they learned Dima soon would be transferred to an orphanage for teenagers, making adoption unlikely.

With the clock ticking, the couple contacted Buckner International Adoption, completed their preliminary paperwork and participated in a home study. Now they're appealing to friends, family, the Christian community–and even talk show host Oprah Winfrey–to help them raise the remaining $27,000 in expenses. A friend of a friend referred the family to a producer at Harpo Studios in Chicago, where “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is taped. They hope the doyenne of daytime talk will air their story and help generate support.

“We're turning over every rock and deploying viral marketing to get the word out and drive people to the website,” said Leinweber, who works in civilian life as a project manager for a pharmaceutical services provider. “We're also passing out fliers that say, 'Help me find my way home' with little footprints and Dima's picture. … You do what you have to do for your family.”

For information on ways to help these families, call Mary Ann Hamby at Buckner International Adoption, (214) 381-1552, ext. 226.

Posted: 11/05/04

Mothers who place babies with Buckner find help at retreat

By Felicia Fuller

Buckner News Service

ROYSE CITY–Open adoption lifts the veil of secrecy once associated with placement, but Mayra Marquez, 21, says the process is no less painful–even 19 months after the ink has dried.

“There've been a lot of ups and downs. Right now, I'm in my valley,” she said. “It's a lot of struggle–a lot of hard work–but much love and thought went into my decision.”

Marquez was among nine young women from across Texas who gathered at Sabine Creek Ranch in Royse City recently for the fourth annual birthmothers retreat, sponsored by Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services.

Four facilitators from Buck-ner led workshops on making peace with the past, developing healthy coping skills, enriching interpersonal relationships and turning past failure into future successes. The retreat is offered free of charge to birthmothers who have placed or will place their child with Buckner.

“A lot of women who place are not able to grieve appropriately,” said Courtney Warren, community relations coordinator for Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services.

“Society in general has a difficult time understanding the grief of a decision that was, after all, a voluntary one. The retreat provides a weekend away from distractions during which birthmothers and prospective birthmothers can be together to share and normalize their feelings. It is so important for them to build bonds with other birthmothers, while at the same time they are getting valuable information from our clinicians about handling issues in a healthy way.”

At seven months pregnant, Cara Blackmon, 25, traveled from Houston for the event. She said it provided a venue for her to vent her feelings and glean wisdom from other women.

Before the closing devotion on the final day, she shared that during moments of resolve, she considers adoption the best decision “knowing that I might not be able to provide everything I want to give him like the security of having two loving parents.”

She expressed trepidation when expressing her feelings for her unborn son.

“I do love him very much and, sometimes, think maybe I should try to raise him on my own,” she said.

“One of the things I question is whether my child would grow up and think I didn't love him enough to try. I know, however, that this is in his best interest. Through open adoption, I can always be there if he needs me.”

Counseling is helping Blackmon sort through her feelings and weigh the consequences of her decision.

“It's easy to get caught up in your emotions when you're pregnant. I'm trying to realistically look at things and not judge myself and be convicted by guilt. The retreat has been great. Communication is crucial to getting through this.”

This was the second time Marquez attended the retreat. She said she returned for the camaraderie, counseling and re-affirmation that she made the best decision.

With no support from her baby's father and little money saved from her job at a pizza restaurant, Marquez says she was unprepared financially and emotionally to be a parent. “There's no way I could afford at least $12,000 a year for a baby,” she explained. “I felt that somebody who was not able to have children would be better blessed than I would.”

In her seventh month of pregnancy, after researching adoption agencies throughout Texas, Marquez contacted Buckner for placement.

“They told me all their families were Christian and carefully screened, so I was excited about that,” she said. Marquez purposefully picked a large brood– a couple with three children, including two adopted.

Over the next several weeks, she attended counseling sessions and meetings with the family, including one at the obstetrician's office.

“They got to see the ultrasound,” she recalled. “I fell in love with them. They were awesome, very understanding, and they were not quick to judge. They were interested in how I was going to be afterward and how involved I wanted to be.”

Today, Marquez enjoys frequent contact with the family, even traveling from Odessa to North Richland Hills to witness her birth son's first haircut.

“They all came to my hometown for his first birthday,” she said, beaming.

Though she's pleased with the arrangement and confident in her decision, Marquez acknowledged she still mourns the loss of motherhood.

“We have to put on a facade because it helps strengthen us for awhile,” she said. “Then we can go behind closed doors and cry our eyes out.

“But when you have your quiet time and you hear the voice of God saying, 'It's OK to break down and it's OK to have regrets, but think of the blessing you're giving someone else,' you know this was his will.”