Posted: 11/05/04

Most community foundations fund
faith-based social services, study shows

By Adelle Banks

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Most U.S. community foundations fund faith-based social services but don't permit their grants to support explicit religious activities, a new study shows.

Sixty-eight percent of 215 foundations responding to a survey from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy said they had awarded at least one grant to a faith-based organization in their last fiscal year.

Researchers found, on average, each foundation had awarded three grants in a year, with an average grant amount of $40,314.

More than half of the grants to faith-based organizations–54 percent–were awarded to local nonprofits, while congregations and nationally affiliated faith-based organizations each received 23 percent of the grants.

Foundations are organizations that give grants to nonprofits. Community foundations often are supported by tax-deductible contributions from the general public, while private foundations tend to be funded largely by trusts or individual or family contributions.

About 64 percent of the community foundations said they did not fund sectarian or explicitly religious activity.

“Our research suggests that community foundations appear to be hesitant to fund activities that are inherently religious,” concluded Jason Scott and Christopher Kidder, authors of a report on the survey.

Foundation policies that prohibit such funding reflect a concern about the wishes of donors, a desire to stay neutral about religion and an aim to be open to all members of the community, regardless of their religious ties, they said.

The researchers found that grants to faith-based organizations were most frequently used to aid services related to children, youth and families, including mentoring, summer camps and after-school activities. Grants for emergency services and outreach, such as those providing food assistance or supporting the homeless, also were common.

The survey results are based on responses from 215 community foundations via mail or the Internet. The survey, originally sent to 694 community foundations, had a 31 percent response rate.

The roundtable, based in Albany, N.Y., is a project of the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York.

Posted: 11/05/04

Call to kill terrorists 'in the name of the Lord' sparks outcry

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

JACKSON, Tenn. (ABP)–If American troops kill Osama bin Laden, a Southern Baptist ethicist insists it should be “in the name of justice,” not “in the name of the Lord” as televangelist Jerry Falwell suggests.

And a prominent Texas Baptist said using God's name as motivation for killing “defames Christianity.”

In a televised debate on CNN, Falwell said President Bush should “blow them (the terrorists) all away in the name of the Lord.”

Capturing and, if necessary, killing terrorists “is a morally legitimate exercise of military force,” said David Gushee, professor of moral philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. “However, it must be recognized that in the terms of Christian moral thought, even justified wars are not to be treated as if they are being fought 'in the name of the Lord.'

“If we do capture Osama bin Laden, for example, or even if we kill him, it will not be 'in the name of the Lord,'” Gushee said. “It will be in the name of justice, and in the defense of the United States. There is a difference, and one that is easily overlooked when passions run high in times of war.”

Falwell's comment came on “CNN Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer” in a debate with Baptist minister Jesse Jackson, who called the Iraq war “a misadventure” that isolated the United States politically and cost the country lives, money and “our character.”

Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchnurg, Va., responded: “I'd rather be killing them over there than fighting them over here, Jesse. And I think you would. …”

“Let's stop the killing and choose peace,” Jackson responded. “Let's choose negotiation over confrontation.”

“Well, I'm for that too,” Falwell added. “But you've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I'm for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord.”

David Currie, executive director of Texas Baptists Committed, said he was “dumbfounded” by Falwell's comments.

“I could not believe what I was hearing from a Christian minister,” said Currie, who holds a doctorate in Christian ethics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Currie agreed with Gushee that the United States should hunt down terrorists, killing them if necessary to prevent further acts of terrorism.

“But Jerry Falwell is absolutely wrong in his theology and his politics to claim such actions should be done 'in the name of Lord,' that is, Jesus Christ,” he said. “Jerry Falwell's remarks defame Christianity, my faith and the faith of most Americans. …

“The message of Christianity is not war, hatred or murder. It is love, unconditional love. That is the nature of God. The war on terror is not a war between Christians and Muslims. It is a war between those who want peace in the world and those who want to destroy peace. To imply God has a side, other than peace, is poor theology.

“It defames Christianity to imply God and the United States of America have some kind of special relationship. It defames the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross for every person, regardless of race, nationality, sex or religion. It defames Christianity to use the name of God as a motivation to kill others. It defames Christianity to imply Christians–who are only saved because they admit their sinfulness and need of a savior–are morally superior to persons of other faiths.”

Falwell and other conservative Christians have drawn criticism for linking the war on terrorism with a crusade against Islamic fundamentalism. Falwell earlier called Muhammad, Islam's founder, a terrorist, then later apologized.

“Jerry Falwell apparently believes the United States is waging holy war in Iraq,” said Stan Hastey, executive director of the Alliance of Baptists.

“Such comments are fodder for the terrorists, bulletin board material for Osama bin Laden in recruiting his own holy warriors. What spews out of Jerry Falwell's mouth is increasingly toxic. He would do well to re-read Jesus' beatitudes and reorder both his rhetoric and priorities accordingly.”

Falwell's comments place Americans–including American missionaries serving around the world–at risk, Currie commented.

“His remarks implying that this is a war between Christians and Muslims invite persons of other faiths to look at all Christians with suspicion,” he said.

“To say that terrorists should be 'killed in the name of the Lord,' it to imply Americans are all of the same faith and to encourage radical persons of other faiths to attack America because we are Christians who believe in killing others of different faiths.”

Gushee agreed Christians should speak carefully about the war. “We must be careful not to label every international adversary as a terrorist,” he said.

“We must draw appropriate distinctions between the struggle against the international Islamist terrorist network and ongoing problems in Iraq. And our nation (must) make every effort to pursue peacemaking initiatives that can ease tensions between our own nation and the countries and peoples of the Arab world.”

Glen Stassen, professor of Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., went further. Stassen, co-author with Gushee of “Kingdom Ethics,” advocated “just peacemaking” as an alternative to war.

“Falwell's strategy was adopted by Russia against the Muslim terrorists in Chechnya, and it only increases the anger and the recruits to terrorism and the killing, as in North Ossetia,” he said, referring to the recent massacre at a Russian school.

“Turkey instead used just peacemaking practices with its Muslim terrorists among the Kurds, and the Kurdish terrorism is completely ended,” Stassen said. “They are not killing 'here' or 'there.'”

With additional reporting by Managing Editor Ken Camp

Posted: 11/05/04

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Nov. 14

The Creator rules the whole of his handiwork

Psalm 33:6-17, 20-2

By Angela Hamm

First Baptist Church, Lewisville

The very nature of God is reason for praise. Charles Spurgeon writes: “To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous, to rejoice in self is foolish, to rejoice in sin is fatal, but to rejoice in God is heavenly. He who would have a double heaven must begin below to rejoice like those above.”

To set the foundation for this week's lesson, may we be reminded of four of God's attributes: (1) God is all-knowing. He knows everything about everything. There is nothing which escapes his knowledge. (2) God is all-powerful. He has power over creation, and nothing is beyond his power. (3) God is sovereign. He rules over all creation, including everything and everyone. (4) God never changes. He is the same as he was at the time of creation.

A young boy was waiting for his family after church. The pastor saw him standing around and struck up a conversation. Noticing the boy had just come from Bible study, the pastor thought he would ask him a question to see what he was learning. The pastor said, “Young man, if you can tell me something God can do, I'll give you a big, shiny apple.” Thoughtfully the boy replied, “Sir, if you can tell me something God can't do, I'll give you a whole box of apples.”

Psalm 33 reminds us that God rules over every facet of creation. All authority belongs to him. There is nothing above God. There is nothing God cannot do. He is the master of everything. It is difficult to grasp the power of God, yet Psalm 33 provides us some insight to God's character and power.

God's sovereign rule

Psalm 33:6-9 reveals God's power with respect to nature. God spoke, and the heavens, the earth and all it contains were created. God alone has creative sovereign power.

God's sovereignty rules over the totality of his creation. God is the grand designer of our world and universe–all we see is from his hand. His power is seen throughout creation. McEachern writes, “God's creative power inspires reverence and awe among mankind.”

We should stand in awe of God the Creator because he formed all that exists out of nothing with “absolute effortlessness.”

In verses 10 through 12, we see God's sovereign power in history. God's purposes stand no matter what people make an effort to do. God monitors all of the activity of the earth. He is an active and watchful ruler. God not only made the world, but he continues to care about it.

Psalm 33:13-19 develops the concept of God's omniscience. God alone has the all-seeing perspective from the heavens. He is not absent, detached or disinterested. God knows and cares about everything that is going on in his creation. True security is found in God's watch care.

God's unfailing love

Psalm 33:20-22 affirms God's love for his people. As one writer states, “This psalm celebrates Yahweh (God) as the only one who–by virtue of his trustworthy character and unassailable power–deserves our trust.” When we trust in God's love for us, we will wait in hope, rejoice in hope and pray for his unfailing love to rest on us. Romans 8:25 reminds us, “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” God is sovereign of both creation and history.

God's work in our lives

God has established his kingdom and rules over it with power and majesty. All God's works are characterized by his faithfulness to his promises. God stands behind his promises and has the power to make his promises a reality. Nothing is too grand for him to accomplish.

Many of us know God is powerful, but sometimes we forget God wants to fill our lives with his power. Faith is trusting in the presence and power of God. Faith is depending in the presence and power of God. Two questions will help us evaluate God's presence and power in our lives: (1) Do we expect the presence of God at all times? (2) Do we expect God to act?

We can rest in God's sovereignty and know he is worthy of our worship. We can know God is in total control, and we can trust him with every aspect of our lives. We can trust in God's rule and know he directs everything according to his purposes. God's sovereignty reminds us that God is God, and we are not.

Discussion questions

When was the last time you caught a greater glimpse of God and became awestruck at his power and majesty?

When was the last time you did something bold because you trusted in the presence and power of God and claimed his power as your own?

Posted: 11/05/04

Texas Baptist Missions Foundation
marks 20 years of mission funding

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

It started as a two-year Baptist General Convention of Texas fund-raising emphasis to encourage church starting. Thousands of changed lives later, the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation has blossomed to touch many aspects of the convention's ministry during the past 20 years.

What began in 1984 as part of the Mission Texas church-starting emphasis has developed into an organization that raised about $8.4 million last year for BGCT ministries and has distributed about $3.3 million this year. More than $81 million has channeled through the group to ministry in the foundation's history.

The foundation has become a way for individuals to have a lasting impact through their estates, non-cash donations and large financial gifts, said President Bill Arnold.

The foundation has several endowment funds, but most of the receipts are invested directly into ministries that stretch across the state.

The funds have helped support a wide variety of service, including starting new churches, Texas Baptist Men disaster relief, TBM retiree builders and BGCT River Ministry. Some of the financial resources were used to create low-interest loans for new churches to construct their first buildings. About $13 million of dehydrated food has been sent to Mexico and Belize. Foundation money has helped 23 ministries this year.

Charles Avery and Fred Roach, members of the foundation's board of advisers, said they have seen the funds impact Texas as they travel the state. Individuals have made faith professions. Others have been able to fulfill God's calling on their lives with the help of the foundation. Roach has seen “so many lives changed, so many decisions made.”

For Roach, starting churches is the driving force behind the organization. He wants to see Baptist work keep pace with the growing population in Texas. The majority of funds raised by the foundation are for church starting.

The chance to impact lives in the name of Christ will keep encouraging people to give through the foundation, Arnold said. Believers across the state want to make a difference in their communities and across Texas.

“I think the foundation's future is bright,” Arnold said. “The mission needs and mission opportunities in the state are not going to diminish. One way that Texas Baptists can help meet those challenges is through the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation.”

Posted: 11/05/04

Evangelical women begin to speak out about depression

By Dorianne Perruci

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Like her famous father, Ruth Graham knows how to deliver an uplifting and honest message.

After speaking to large crowds at Christian women's conferences, lines form for women to meet Billy Graham's youngest daughter. Many come to discuss a subject previously taboo in evangelical Christian circles, a subject that used to suggest weakness–or even a lack of faith–for those dragged down by its tentacles.

That subject is depression, a topic the younger Graham and other prominent evangelical women are addressing with increasing vulnerability and credibility. They have fallen into that black hole, only to be pulled back up with the help of counseling, Bible study and prayer.

For years, Graham suffered silently because of what she perceived as her sins–a bitter divorce from a husband who cheated and teenage children who rebelled and became pregnant and turned to drugs.

“I felt like the weak link in a long line of Christian leaders,” said Graham, author of “In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart,” which addresses denial and ignorance about depression.

“We don't need to make Jesus and God look good,” she said. “Our responsibility is to be honest and authentic.”

Singer Sheila Walsh, a former television co-host of “The 700 Club” with Pat Robertson, has done that in her book, “The Heartache No One Sees,” which is as medical as it is spiritual.

Taken together, along with the advance of Christian counseling and psychology in recent decades, the books by Graham and Walsh illustrate a potential sea-change in the way evangelicals talk about depression.

“There is an attitude in the evangelical community that you can pray (your problem) away,” said Walsh, who in an interview talked frankly about the antidepressant medication she takes regularly for clinical depression.

Walsh started taking an antidepressant during a stay in a psychiatric hospital. For months, “I couldn't concentrate, or sleep, or eat well,” displaying classic warning signs of clinical depression.

Before getting help, it was easy to ignore the obvious.

“Christian ministry provided the perfect place for me to hide,” Walsh said.

She began her journey out of denial in 1992, when an on-air guest on “The 700 Club” turned the tables and asked about her shortcomings. Walsh cried and fled to her dressing room.

“I had no idea what was wrong with me. I thought I was losing my mind,” she said.

For some evangelicals, therapy can come straight out of the passages of the Bible, said psychiatrist Paul Meier, who heads Meier Clinics, which provide Christian psychological care at 26 facilities across the country.

“Psychiatry is more biblical than churches,” said Meier, pointing to James 5:16 which admonishes believers to “confess your sins one to another.”

Meier, who says more than 3,000 women a week flock to his clinics, estimates about 20 percent of evangelicals still think seeking help outside the church is wrong–a big drop from the 80 percent he observed in the 1970s.

Not everyone in the evangelical community applauds such a shift.

Jim Pile, pastoral care minister at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., argues the Bible is sufficient to address issues of the soul.

He's in line with his pastor, John MacArthur, whose book, “Our Sufficiency in Christ,” warned against therapeutic solutions.

“There are spiritual principles that can be applied to whatever the issue is,” said Pile.

But every remedy isn't spiritual, argues Meier, citing the eating disorder bulimia as one example.

“There are some disorders that take 10 or more years of training to recognize,” said Meier. He said in those situations “most pastors are not very well equipped to give the right advice.”

Depression might seem easy to recognize, given that 19 million Americans suffer from it every year, and women suffer twice as much as men, the National Institute of Mental Health reports.

So if all churches haven't clearly seen the problem, others in the evangelical Christian community are paying close attention.

Since 1999, membership in the American Association of Christian Counselors, based in Forest, Va., has more than tripled, from 15,000 to more than 50,000.

“Of course, you need prayer and Bible study, but women need help,” said association President Tim Clinton.

In 2000, the association began offering “Caring for People God's Way,” a certificate program on mental health issues that Clinton said has trained 60,000 pastors, professional counselors and lay ministers.

The Christian counselors' association also sponsors “Extraordinary Women” weekend conferences with “spiritual intimacy” the heading that discusses depression and related issues.

Singer Sheila Walsh speaks to thousands of evangelical Christians about her depression at "Women of Faith" conferences. (Women of Faith Courtesy Photo)

Ruth Graham's appearance at a recent conference drew 7,000 women. By the end of the year, the counselors' association expects up to 200,000 to attend a conference–an increase of more than 50 percent since 2003.

“Women of Faith,” sponsored by publisher Thomas Nelson and featuring prominent Christian women as speakers, including Walsh, is expected to attract 365,000 women this year.

“A lot of pain and hurt has been swept under the rug,” Clinton said.

“We know now there are physical issues for depression in women–thyroid, hormone fluctuations. If we really accept that the church is a spiritual hospital, we can't deny these issues.

“But we're not for raw psychology. We're trying to champion faith.

“I think it's fine that the church is skeptical of therapy, but there is a strong God component in Christian counseling today. Our goal is to see the counseling movement go squarely into the church, and for the church to become a healing community.”

With women like Walsh and Graham being so publicly transparent, more evangelical women are seeking the healing they have so often neglected or ignored.

“It's all about connecting with one another and connecting with God,” Walsh said.

“In some churches, if I stood up and said I had a brain tumor, you'd pray for me. But if I talk about mental illness, that becomes a divisive issue.”

Graham also sees a need to address the body along with the soul.

“The emphasis of Christian ministry used to be on spiritual healing, and getting saved,” said Graham.

“Now we're looking at more of the whole person.”

Posted: 11/05/04

Hispanic McAllen church launches English-speaking mission

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

MCALLEN–Congregations struggle with worship style preferences. Like many other Hispanic churches, Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel throws language, culture and generational preferences into its balancing act.

But instead of chaos, the congregation concocted a new method of serving multiple generations of Hispanics

The church has offered bilingual services for the past six years, but it watched as second- and third-generation Hispanics eventually became dissatisfied with the effort and moved on to Anglo congregations where they find contemporary-styled ministries in English, Pastor Ernie Chapa said.

So, a few weeks ago, Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel executed a planned split.

About 100 members moved to a recently constructed campus across town to begin Crossroads Baptist Church, a ministry tailored to the needs of later generations of Hispanics.

Chapa leads worship both at Emmanuel and Crossroads, but the ministries look drastically different.

Emmanuel will continue with a Spanish service with traditional music that has a Hispanic flare. Crossroads will be an English ministry that hopes to serve the more economically mobile Hispanics who have settled in north McAllen.

Crossroads meets in facilities financed by members of Emmanuel.

“To some, we're dividing,” Chapa said. “To others, we're multiplying. It depends on your perspective.”

At least initially, Crossroads will function like a mission. Emmanuel has outlined funding for its sister congregation for the first six months.

After that, Chapa hopes Crossroads members will begin supporting their ministry.

Developing two distinct churches enables each to more clearly define its mission and tailor it to the needs of its community, Chapa said.

However, he admits this approach has not been a completely smooth undertaking. Some members expressed displeasure about seeing their friends go to another church. Some decided to go to another congregation.

Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel, a Baptist General Convention of Texas-designated key church, spent last summer celebrating its members before many of them departed.

Chapa began each service with a Spanish sermon. After the congregation came together to sing, he preached in English.

The church as a whole now views this move as an opportunity to serve a population that the congregation as it stands now is struggling to keep, Chapa said.

“I think people are starting to see we are trying to reach more people with the gospel,” he said.

Posted: 11/05/04

Christian tourists begin returning to
Holy Land after four-year hiatus

By Michele Chabin

Religion News Service

JERUSALEM (RNS)–After a nearly four-year hiatus sparked by the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, Christian tourists are coming back to the Holy Land.

Their presence can be felt on the streets of downtown Jerusalem, where tour buses are again making an appearance; in large restaurants that can accommodate tour groups; and in local hotels, virtually all of which were forced to lay off staff after the September 2000 uprising. Many hotels, particularly in Bethlehem in the West Bank and Nazareth in northern Israel, were forced to close their doors completely. With the return of tourism, a few have reopened.

In response to the upsurge in Christian tour groups and individuals, some of the long-shuttered shops in the colorful Arab shuk (market) in the walled Old City of Jerusalem have reopened their gates. Shopkeepers there estimate 50 percent of their colleagues lost their businesses due to the dearth of Christian and Jewish tourists, whose numbers have risen considerably in recent months.

Though hardly up to the standards of the year 2000, when Israel welcomed a record-breaking 2.6 million visitors, 1.5 million of them Christians, the most recent statistics are cause for optimism. During the first six months of this year, 216,000 Christians arrived, compared with 290,000 for all of 2003.

Assuming the security situation does not deteriorate markedly in the coming months, Ministry of Tourism officials expect at least 500,000 Christian pilgrims to arrive by New Year's Eve. All told, ministry officials believe 1.5 million visitors will come to Israel by the end of 2004.

Israel's tourism minister, Gideon Ezra, who doubles as the minister of internal security, credits the recent influx first and foremost to the sharp drop in terror attacks during the past year.

“Security in Israel is higher than it has been in recent years, and I think that people who have wanted to come since 2000 but have been afraid to do so are now feeling more comfortable,” Ezra said in an interview. “Since 9/11 people realize that terror exists everywhere.”

At the same time that it has been fighting terror, the Israeli government has courted Christians from various denominations through official and unofficial channels.

Israeli legislators and other emissaries regularly travel abroad to meet with clergy and lay leaders. The tourism ministry sends delegations to large Christian conferences and sponsors “familiarization” tours for Christian tour operators.

Much like Diaspora Jews, who since the start of the uprising have made a point of visiting Israel on “solidarity” missions, an increasing number of Christians are planning Holy Land trips as a way of supporting local Christians–or Jews.

Catholics, whose pilgrimages plummeted 90 percent between January 2001 and the start of this year, have begun heeding Pope John Paul II's call to visit the Holy Land in part to give comfort–and business–to the area's long-suffering Christians.

A large percentage of local Christians derived their incomes from pilgrimages and were particularly hard hit when they ceased. Hundreds of Christian families have emigrated during the past four years due to both the economic crises and security situation.

Raji Khoury, the owner of Shepherd Tours in East Jerusalem and the president of the Arab Tourist and Travel Association, said he was forced to lay off the majority of his employees at the end of 2000.

Khoury, whose late father was the Lutheran minister of Bethlehem, recalled: “Before the intifada, I averaged 30 groups a month. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I told you that between January 2001 and today, I've had only 15 groups. And these are small groups.”

Most of Khoury's recent arrivals have been Italian and French Catholics on organized church tours, “but there have also been some Protestants from Germany, and evangelicals from America who are coming in support of Israel,” he said.

As they have for the past quarter-century, thousands of evangelical Christians flew to Israel in September to take part in the annual Feast of the Tabernacle. They also participated in the first-ever Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Day.

The weeklong conference, which contributed at least $10 million to the Israeli economy in the form of hotel nights, meals and gift purchases, was organized by the International Christian Embassy, a pro-Israel evangelical ministry headquartered in Jerusalem.

At the feast's rousing opening-night ceremony, Embassy executive director Malcolm Hedding elicited wild applause and cries of praise when he declared: “Now is the time to come to Israel and stand by her, not just when things are going fine. It's the difficult times when our sincere love and concern stand out most.”

Continuing the theme, Rami Levy, Israel's tourism ambassador to North and South America, told the pilgrims: “You're doing a wonderful job by being here. If each and every one of you could bring one person (to Israel), imagine how much of a change it would make to the Israeli economy.”

Palestinians, even more than Israelis, need an influx of pilgrims to rebuild their teetering economy, which has been crippled by years of violence and repeated Israeli military closures in Bethlehem and other sites of Christian interest.

Bajis Ismail, director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, admitted that Palestinians whose livelihoods depend on pilgrimages have not yet seen the improvement the Israelis speak of.

“The problem is that most of those who visit Bethlehem, for example, don't stay here,” Ismail noted. “They stay over in Jerusalem. Most of our hotels are closed, and most restaurants are not functioning fully. The souvenir shops don't have much business.”

Ismail expressed hope that this will soon change, his tone fluctuating between pragmatism and optimism.

“We are expecting some European groups in the coming days,” he said. “Perhaps we'll be able to judge any improvement after their visit.”

Ismail promised tourists determined enough to enter the West Bank will return home unscathed and well fed.

“The pilgrims who come know that it is completely safe here, and that the Palestinians are a very hospitable people,” Ismail said.

Posted: 11/05/04

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM

Freedom 'restraints'

The Texas Baptist Forum in the Nov. 1 Baptist Standard is an interesting cross-section of the contemporary views on church and state in Texas and beyond.

Several letters rightly expressed the reasons the United States may appropriately be called a secular nation. One lamented perceived hostility from the government toward religious expression.

Believers in the first century would laugh at today's Americans complaining of restraints on our religious freedom. Most likely, believers in the Two-Thirds world would take offense at the same.

The freedom we enjoy in America, especially in terms of religious expression, is an anomaly in world history, probably unthinkable to the first few generations of Christians.

They knew what it was to live under a government hostile to Christ's followers. They knew what it was to have no freedom of religion.

David Tankersley

Abilene

Unifying sacrifice

We may never get a candidate for president again who will tell the real truth about the state of our union.

Greed, or the love of money, is the root of all evil. It is greed that drives the economic engine in America. Greed, directly and indirectly, is the chief cause of wars. Our country will go to war to get what we want and need to preserve our luxurious standard of living.

Sept. 11, 2001, probably would not have occurred if, over the past 50 years or so, we were not so greedy and arrogant.

The last president to call for national sacrifice was Jimmy Carter in 1979.

At that time, President Carter was addressing the energy crisis by calling on all Americans to join an effort to conserve energy, so we would be less dependent on foreign oil. He said: “We can manage the short-term shortages more effectively and we will, but there are no short-term solutions to our long-range problems. There is simply no way to avoid sacrifice.”

Over the past 25 years, we have avoided national sacrifice. A call to all Americans to sacrifice is not politically expedient. Citizens all over our land will answer the call, if our political leaders will face the truth and courageously ask us to sacrifice for the common good.

The right call for sacrifice might help unite a divided nation.

Paul L. Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

Liberal Jesus

Was Jesus liberal or conservative?

Would he support tax breaks for the rich? Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to go to heaven” and “Render unto Caesar … .”

Would Jesus support pre-emptive war? He said, “Turn the other cheek” and “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Jesus wasn't orthodox or conservative. He wasn't a hardliner, rightwing hawk or warmonger. Jesus was liberal. What's wrong with that?

Chuck Mann

Greensboro, N.C.

Sad day

For the greater part of the 20th century, most, if not all, of Texas' eight Baptist-supported universities had “hand in glove” relationships with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their administrators and faculties commonly recommended continuation of their graduates' theological study at Southwestern. Usually, little mention was made of other choices.

When Southwestern's board of trustees voted to offer a baccalaureate program beginning in 2005, it placed the seminary in direct competition with these universities that have been primary feeder schools for the seminary.

It is a sad day, made sadder by the trustees' pledges to recruit 50 students for the initial class. Indeed, the camel's nose is under the tent.

Don Newbury

Burleson

Misleading numbers

I read with interest about FamilyNet slashing its budget and laying off 19 staff members. What caught my eye was the statement about FamilyNet's potential audience of 32 million, which is very misleading–but something the Southern Baptist Convention has promoted for years.

When I worked for the SBC Radio & Television Commission several years ago, I pushed for accurate ratings of programs, but my plea got a deaf ear. I checked with TBN at the time and was told the network had a cumulative total of 3.5 million viewers weekly–and TBN had a huge audience in comparison to the RTVC.

Potential audience means nothing compared to actual audience, but if actual audience is used, we look bad. And it's all about looking good.

Isn't it time to tell the truth about our media impact through the SBC and to quit promoting pie in the sky? If you check the ratings, you'll find that some SBC programming reaches far fewer people than attend a single SBC church.

And some of our individual SBC pastors on TV and through radio reach millions more people than are reached through the denominational entity. Through SBC ministers on radio and television, we have a great media impact, which can never be attained with the kind of funding the denomination provides for an alleged network.

C.C. Risenhoover

Granbury

Fuel for meat

The crossing of the symbolic $50 mark for a barrel of oil should be a clear wakeup call for national energy policy officials.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, global oil reserves are fixed at around 3,000 billion barrels. Likely fields have been explored and assessed. Yet the annual global consumption of 27 billion barrels is growing at 1.6 percent, threatening to outstrip current production capacity.

Our desperate dependence on oil imports precipitated the invasion of Iraq and will lead to future disastrous adventures. Combustion of fossil fuels is precipitating a global-warming crisis. Both concerns demand a drastic reduction in fuel use for our cars, our homes and our diets.

Yes, our diets. According to Cornell University Professor David Pimentel, production of animal protein accounts for 8 percent of our national consumption of fossil fuels, nearly as much as driving our cars. It requires eight times as much fuel as production of plant protein. The additional fuel powers manufacture of fertilizers, operation of farm machinery and factory farms, and processing and refrigeration of meat products.

Anyone who cares about world peace and environmental conservation should be aware of the impacts of meat production on their next trip to the supermarket.

Jonah Terrin

Dallas

Diverse body

I share W.L. Reddick's deep concern about feeling unwelcome in the Southern Baptist denomination because he is a Democrat (Oct. 4), and I sympathize with his frustration.

But I want to encourage him not to leave his Baptist family. We need him.

To be healthy, the body of Christ needs a diversity of parts. We help each other grow with our differing views, and these differences provide the opportunity to bear with one another in love, humility and patience (Ephesians 4:1-6). We need all the practice we can get.

Denise Dinkins

La Marque

Posted: 11/05/04

Louisiana College violated accrediting body's
standards and internal policies, study says

PINEVILLE, La. (ABP)–Citing “a general climate of fear” and “pervasive mistrust” among faculty, administrators and trustees, a special team of investigators has concluded Louisiana College violated principles of academic freedom and proper board governance.

The report came from a specially appointed study team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, sent to investigate several recent controversies over academic freedom and other issues at the Louisiana Baptist institution. The study concluded the school had violated both standards set by the regional accrediting body and its own stated college policies in several areas.

“The committee concluded, based upon extensive interviews … that a significant portion of the board of trustees of Louisiana College are influenced if not controlled by the agenda of the Louisiana Inerrancy Fellowship and the Louisiana Baptist Convention,” the report stated.

The study team said an agenda from the group–established as a political movement within the Louisiana Baptist Convention–had unduly influenced the board's work.

Among the controversies on campus were two policies that many professors said violated academic freedom–a 2003 move to require prior approval of class texts and materials by administrators and a more recent action involving a board committee more closely in academic hiring and requiring new faculty hires to be in agreement with the Southern Baptist Convention's 2000 Baptist Faith & Message statement.

Posted: 11/05/04

Voters in 11 states approve bans on same-sex marriage

WASHINGTON (ABP)–Opponents of same-sex marriage got a clean sweep in the Nov. 2 elections, with voters in 11 states–from Michigan to Oregon and from Georgia to North Dakota–passing constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage.

Most of the proposals carried by large margins, according to the most recent figures available. In Mississippi, voters passed their state's ban by an 86-to-14 percent margin. In several other states–Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Dakota and Oklahoma–similar bans passed by margins of about three to one.

The amendments in Utah and Montana passed by 66-to-34 percent in each state. Even in Michigan and Oregon–states carried by Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry–similar bans passed by wide margins (59 to 41 percent in Michigan's case, and 57 to 43 percent in Oregon's).

Some observers thought the vote might be closer in Ohio, where the proposal was denounced by the state's Republican governor and its two Republican senators.

They said it would make the state vulnerable to economic boycotts because it not only banned marriage but also any other legal arrangements designed to protect same-sex couples.

Nonetheless, it passed by a 62-to-38 percent margin.

Mitch Daniels, president of the Washington-based Alliance For Marriage, called the results “a democratic tidal wave in the states in favor of marriage.”

But “the real big picture is: This is essentially a political dress rehearsal for the national phase, which is about to begin,” he added, noting that gay-rights activists have already promised to challenge the state amendments in federal court.

Which is why, Daniels said, opponents of gay marriage should work again to pass a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Such an amendment failed in both the House and the Senate earlier this year.

But that might change, he said, now that there is a slightly more conservative Congress–and what conservatives are viewing as a new mandate for Bush.

“We've got the Senate leadership. We've got the House leadership as stronger than ever,” he said. “Ultimately, if we get our marriage amendment out of Congress, it's going to fly through the states.”

A statement released Nov. 3 by the Human Rights Campaign–a gay-rights advocacy group–pointed to exit-polling data showing that a large majority of Americans support either same-sex marriage or civil unions.

The polls showed that, while only 25 percent of voters supported gay marriage, another 35 percent supported other legal arrangements for same-sex couples. Thirty-seven percent opposed any legal recognition for gay partners.

Of the 35 percent who supported civil unions but not marriages for gays, a 52-to-47 percent majority actually voted for Bush.

Despite the support for civil unions indicated in the poll, most of the state anti-gay-marriage amendments that passed Nov. 2 also banned such unions. Besides Ohio, the amendments in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah outlawed civil unions or similar arrangements.

Controversial sanctity-of-life issues were weighed by voters in two states Nov. 2, with Californians approving funding for stem-cell research and Floridians requiring parental notification before a minor can get an abortion. Both measures passed easily.

In California, voters established a stem-cell research group, called the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, that will distribute up to $3 billion over the next 10 years to fund research, which many scientists believe can produce new treatments and therapies to combat degenerative diseases such as muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's.

The measure, Proposition 71, passed 59 percent to 41 percent.

The funding, which will come from state bonds, will pay for research that has not been eligible for government money since 2001, when President Bush limited federal spending on human embryonic stem-cell research to cell lines already in existence. The creation of new cell lines involves the destruction of days-old human embryos. Most biomedical researchers believe the number of stem-cell lines available under Bush's order are inadequate to produce the promised breakthroughs.

The conservative Family Research Council decried the decision, claiming research funds will be used for human cloning and the destruction of human embryos.

“As a country, we cannot afford to let this type of egregious disregard for human life to become common and accepted practice,” said FRC President Tony Perkins.

Peter Van Etten, president of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, hailed the California decision but warned it will not be enough.

“Today's developments in California are very promising for the field of stem-cell research, but for the field to realize its true potential it needs the full support of the federal government,” he said.

Voters in Florida amended the state's constitution to require notification of the parent or guardian of a minor before an abortion can be performed.

The state legislature will be required to provide exemptions and create a process for waiving notification if approved by a judge. The amendment won 65 percent to 35 percent, with 99 percent of precincts reporting Nov. 3.

Florida Baptists lobbied heavily in favor of the parental-notification measure.

“Praise God for almost 5 million Florida voters who understand that parents have the responsibility to care for their children during difficult situations like unplanned pregnancy,” said Kathleen Hiers, director of sanctity of human life issues for the Florida Baptist Children's Homes, which supported the ballot measaure.

“I am thankful for the protection this will provide for young women facing the life-changing decisions related to parenting, adoption placement or abortion,” she said.

Compiled from reports by Greg Warner and Rob Marus of Associated Baptist Press and Trennis Henderson of the Kentucky Western Recorder.

Posted: 11/05/04

Posted: 11/05/04

Missouri Baptist Convention files new suits
against five agencies than changed charters

By Vicki Brown

Missouri Word & Way

RAYTOWN, Mo. (ABP)–On the same day it opened its 170th annual session, the Missouri Baptist Convention filed new legal action against five related agencies.

Attorneys for the convention filed a declaratory judgment action against the Baptist Home, Missouri Baptist University, Windermere Baptist Conference Center, the Missouri Baptist Foundation and the Word & Way newsjournal in an effort to void new charters the institutions filed in 2000 and 2001. Charter changes allow the five entities to elect their own trustees rather than to allow the convention to continue to do so.

The convention first filed a declaratory judgment action against the five entities on Aug. 13, 2002, in 19th Judicial District Circuit Court in Cole County. The convention's Executive Board and six convention-related churches were plaintiffs in that lawsuit.

In March, Judge Thomas Brown dismissed the action on the grounds that the Executive Board and the six churches did not have standing–the legal right–to file the action. Currently, the convention is appealing that ruling in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City.

The new legal action, filed in the same circuit court, names the Missouri Baptist Convention and five individual messengers, rather than churches, as plaintiffs. The five individuals were included as plaintiffs because each has served as a messenger to annual meetings since 1999 and each has been or is a convention-elected trustee for one of the five institutions.

According to court documents, the convention asks the court to declare that the convention and the five individuals have standing to bring the action. The convention also asks the court to declare the convention's right to elect trustees, that current convention-elected trustees are each agency's only authorized trustees, and that the convention has the right to approve amendments to the institutions' charters.

The Missouri Baptist Convention seeks to have the court declare the amendments to each charter as unlawful and void and the authorized charters as legally enforceable by the convention.

The convention seeks the return of some assets from the entities and a monetary award to cover its court costs and attorneys' fees.