Posted: 6/11/04

CYBERCOLUMN: Loyalty

By Berry D. Simpson

It was a hard week. My 20-year companion let me down; my calculator stopped working. And I am broken-hearted.

Well, it didn’t just stop working on its own, I dropped it. But I’ve dropped it many times, including several times on caliche-covered well locations, and this is was the first time it quit.

It’s an HP 41CV, and I’ve been using it since 1983. It was the instrument of choice for every pre-personal computer engineer. It had expansion ports for custom memory chips containing specialized complex programs available as after-market additions. It also had an attachable magnetic card reader that preceded floppy disks (which preceded RW-CDs, which preceded USB flash-memory devices). And more, the owner’s manual stated it “overcame previous human interface limitations by adding an exciting array of alphanumeric capabilities.”

Very cool.

It was a significant hand-held computer in its time, and mine had programs for things like sucker-rod designs, downhole log calculations, fluid gradients and pump sizing—all written by my smart friends. I wasn’t very good at programming my own 41CV since not long after I got it I also got a PC in my office (we all shared the one machine) and I was captured by the wonders of Lotus 1-2-3 (which, I must say, changed my entire outlook on life, setting me free from batch-process calculations and ushering me into real-time spreadsheets … a different essay, by the way!) and macro programming.

The HP used a quirky system for entering numbers called RPN (Reverse Polish Notation, a formal logic system which allowed mathematical expressions to be specified without parenthesis, and named to honor its inventor, Jan Lukasiewicz); easy to use once you got used to it. The best part about RPN was that it kept people-who-were-not-one-of-us from borrowing our calculators because they didn’t want to risk the smug look we engineers flashed whenever they asked how to make it work.

RPN was the secret handshake for engineers.

My HP 41CV has been in the top left-hand drawer of my desk for over 20 years, and that in spite of the fact I’ve not had to share a PC with anyone since 1992. I’ve continued to pull out my HP and use it at least once a day for 20 years. It is a deep-seated part of my engineering life.

For the engineers just a bit older than me, the instrument of choice was a slide rule. One of my favorite movie scenes is from “Apollo 13,” when a roomful of engineers whisk out their slide rules to calculate the coordinates necessary to bring the wounded spacecraft back home. It is a beautiful scene to watch them move those slides and bring those astronauts home safely to their families.

I myself used a slide rule in junior high school and senior high school, and even briefly during my first year of college. I still have it, a bamboo-wood Post Versalog 1460, with 24 scales, a silky-smooth action. It’s in my desk, but I can’t do much with it besides multiply two times three (equals six!).

In junior high, I belonged to the Slide Rule Users’ Club—a fact that was quite entertaining to my kids—where we practiced solving complex math problems and learned tricks to make us faster. For a short time, I even wore my slide rule on my belt for convenience, learning only later that a slide rule holster was not a turn-on for girls even if the holster matched my belt. Who knew? But in those days, I was more interested in physics than in girls anyway.

I’ve heard that Hewlett-Packard refuses to repair these vintage calculators (I actually heard that ten years ago!), so I don’t know what I can do about mine. I’ll try replacing the batteries if I can find any size “N.”

I’m sure there are modern calculators on the market that, given the opportunity, I would grow to love, maybe as much as I love my 41CV. I know that to be a true fact, but it’s hardly satisfying.

I could buy another HP 41CV on E-bay for about $100, but I won’t do that, either. It would be like telling a young child whose pet kitten was accidentally run over by the family car, “It’s OK; we’ll get you another one.” Another one is not the same.

Maybe it’s time for me to pull another portion of my life into the brave new world of the future. I’m never happy about going through this sort of involuntary change, but I’m usually a better man for doing it.

And it isn’t that I’m resistant to new technology. I don’t love old technology; I love things that have served me for a long time. This is about loyalty.

Just don’t ask me to multiply or divide anything for awhile.

Berry Simpson, a Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church in Midland, is a petroleum engineer, writer, runner and member of the city council in Midland.

Posted: 6/11/04

DOWN HOME:
'Two-fer' teaches Texans a lesson

Sometimes, I think God must use reverse-psychology.

What other rationale could possibly explain dumping, say, the Gulf of Mexico onto North Texas in early June?

We all know folks love to complain about the weather. But a complete and utter inundation this time of year heads off gripes in two directions.

For example, some people (we'll exclude the ones whose homes and/or cars flooded, since they've got a good excuse) always gripe when the rains come. And nobody except people who lived in Washington State too long actually enjoys day upon day of clouds. So rain-gripers could be tempted to complain about receiving a boatload of rain in less than a week.

They'll gripe all right, until they look at a calendar and remember what follows June. In July and August, Texas gets drier than an hour-long tithing sermon. So, anybody with the spiritual sense of a centipede realizes complaining about rain any time, much less early summer, is foolish. And they'll repent.

On the other hand, some people (we'll exclude the dryland farmers and ranchers, since they've got a good excuse) always gripe when the rains don't come. And nobody except people who gleefully pile their tumbleweeds into Christmas trees actually enjoys relative humidity measured in the negative numbers. So, these folks will be tempted to complain in a month or so, when they've forgotten the name for white puffy things that float in the sky.

They'll gripe, too, until they remember early June. That was when their dogs started growing gills and their children sprouted webbing between their toes, when they dreamed of a horror movie called “Return of the Black Mold.” And they'll repent.

A phenomenon such as a Texas monsoon in June is known in theological circles as a “two-fer” (and, among the alliterative theologians, a “double divine deal”)–an act of God that serves multiple purposes.

Like when the air conditioning goes out at church in early August, the same day the pastor preaches on hell. All souls above the “age of accountability” receive an object lesson they'll never forget. And the little kids rejoice because the heat causes the preacher to tire quickly, letting them out of church a little early.

It also occurs when the power goes out during a business meeting debate over worship music. Fans of both organ-powered anthems and electric-guitar-driven praise choruses have to admit, at least, they're nowhere without a power source. As well as the Power Source.

And that brings us back to the weather. The Bible tells us God causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. God also brings showers and drought upon everybody. So, we move forward, thankful for the good times and leaning on God's mercy during the bad.

Posted: 6/04/04

European Baptist leaders 'repent' of colonial-era sins

BERLIN, Germany (ABP)—European Baptists leaders "repented" for their century-old role in colonizing Africa, which they admit divided and exploited the continent.

The European Baptist Mission, the mission society of European Baptists, recognized the 120th anniversary of the Berlin Congo Conference of 1884, during which political leaders from 14 Western nations divvied up Africa for colonization.

The Baptist leaders adopted a statement in which they repented for the civil strife and economic injustice that resulted from Europe's colonization of Africa, according to the Baptist World Alliance.

"This division of Africa, which was planned, decreed and made possible by the Berlin Conference, resulted not only in a political splintering of Africa, but also in a destruction of natural ethnic, social and national connections, which led to tensions that continue to cause bloody conflicts," the European Baptist Mission statement said.

The European Baptist Mission, founded in 1945 by the European Baptist Federation and other Baptist groups, met in Berlin this spring to mark its own 50th anniversary. The group sends out missionaries for medical work, schools, theological education and project management to seven African and five Latin American countries.

The 1884 Berlin conference—called to resolve a dispute over control of the Congo—involved Belgium, Denmark, the German Empire, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Spain, the Ottoman Empire and the United States.

While only 10 percent of Africa's land was in European hands in 1876, 90 percent was controlled by those 14 colonial powers by 1902, the statement noted.

The European Baptists said the world's industrial powers—particularly the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund—continue "to treat African nations as cheap suppliers of raw materials, and have often used unfair trade and customs agreements to gain access to their markets, while closing themselves off for those exports."

"As European Christians who follow the example of Jesus Christ, we must confess that we have profited from the inequality of nations and markets," the EBM said. "We must confess that we are a part of a system that has for too long accepted these past and present injustices without resistance, and that has pocketed these profits for itself and its own prosperity without a guilty conscience."

The Baptists leaders asked African Christians for forgiveness for "allowing the spirit of colonialism to make a mockery of the spirit of Christ." They vowed to work for justice and called for a "New Berlin Conference" to right the wrongs of the 1884 meeting.

Posted: 6/04/04

CYBERCOLUMN:
Talk, action & love

By Jeanie Miley

For most of my life, I’ve been seduced into thinking that critical people are also critical thinkers.

Now, I know that critical people are … well, they are critical, and just because they have a wide audience or a big vocabulary doesn’t mean they are necessarily smarter than anyone else!

I’ve been (mis)led into believing that people who are really adept at articulating the problem really are concerned about the problem. I’ve (mis)thought that those who rant and rave about what has gone wrong in the world are the ones who care most about the world. And I have allowed myself to be manipulated and sometimes bullied by folks who made me think that I just couldn’t possibly understand the grave and dire outcomes that were just around the corner.

Hopefully, I’m catching on to something that could, in some important and powerful ways, change my life for the better! I’m waking up to the wonderful reality that anyone can state and re-state the problem, each time getting louder and more dramatic. I’m learning, as well, that zeal comes from the will to control and dominate, but true passion comes from the heart and that the difference in the two is profound.

People who really care about something don’t stand around making pronouncements about the problem but are in the middle of things, often quietly going about doing good. People who care about solutions don’t have time to listen to the rants about how bad things are, and they are often oblivious to the obstacles that others love to announce, analyze and bemoan.

People who care don’t repeat the same dire warnings over and over, but are effectively involved in finding solutions, seeking resolutions and making a difference in the small and large details of everyday life. Critics and complainers, whiners and belly-achers sit around and vent about the smoke in their eyes; problem-solvers figure out what to do about the fire that is causing the smoke!

People who care don’t get bogged down in negativism and criticism. They don’t have time for mumbling and murmuring, complaining and censuring, and they aren’t interested in rumors and gossip. Instead, they get up in the morning and show up for their assignment, making the world a better place, where they are, with whatever they have.

I think a lot about the fact that God so loved the world that he set about enacting a plan that was all about healing, transforming, liberating and empowering those whom he loved. I think about how different things would have been if God just sat on some judge’s bench, somewhere in the heavenlies, booming out his criticisms and complaints.

I think a lot about the ways in which God extends love and care to us, even while we are oblivious to those ways or even running away from that love. I stand amazed before the fact that it is love that changes us, and not criticism and condemnation.

I think a lot, as well, about how I shut down and clam up when all I hear is how bad things are or how wrong I am, and I wonder if other people are like me. I’ve never, ever gotten “better” under constant carping, but I have been healed and transformed by love.

I know for sure that stating and re-stating a problem does not solve the problem and, in fact, seems to perpetuate and enlarge the problem.

Talk is cheap.

Action is hard.

Love is costly.

I suppose that is why there is so much talk.

Jeanie Miley is an author and columnist and a retreat and workshop leader. She is married to Martus Miley, pastor of River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston, and they have three adult daughters. Got feedback? Write her at Writer2530@aol.com.

Posted: 5/28/04

Two Texas churches partner
with CBF in mission to Navajos

By Craig Bird

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

GALLUP, N.M.–A people at the crossroads just got another traveling companion.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship recently signed a four-way partnership covenant with Calvary Love Ministries of Gallup, N.M., and two Texas Baptist churches that “calls us into the heart of Christian ministry among the Navajo,” said Tom Ogburn, the Fellowship's associate coordinator for volunteer and partnership missions.

“We (Navajos) are at a spiritual crossroads,” Calvary director Andrew Begaye said.

“We have to answer the question, 'What is Native American Christianity?' And we have to answer it soon. For too long and … too often, our people are told that if you become a believer in Jesus, you have to become like the white man.

“Somehow, despite that, God's mercy has taken place, and faith has taken deep root into many hearts and minds. But young people are asking: 'What is truth, and what is religion?'”

Begaye, an Athapascan Navajo, spent 20 years evangelizing his people as a missionary with the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board.

Amanda Ellis of University Baptist Church in Houston enjoys working on a Vacation Bible School project with with a young Navajo girl. (Photos by Linda Lapointe)

In 1997, Begaye formed Calvary Love Ministries, which helps start four or five Navajo churches a year. Begaye describes the organization as “an interdependent and cooperative fellowship of churches” working with Native American, Hispanic, Asian and Anglo churches from five major denominations, three para-church organizations and seven independent ministries–plus CBF.

The organizational shift didn't disrupt relationships University Baptist Church of Houston and Broadway Baptist Church of Fort Worth had with Begaye. They had been bringing groups to the Navajo reservation–which is roughly the size of West Virginia–for years, and they kept right on.

Now they will serve as ministry models for other Fellowship churches that want to be involved, Ogburn said. They will focus on leadership training, church construction and holistic ministry endeavors, including home renovations and community empowerment activities.

Claudine Marion, Broadway Baptist's staff liaison with Calvary Loves Ministries, described Begaye as “a rare human being … committed to the idea that Navajo culture can be incorporated into Christian faith. And other Navajos have great respect for him because of that.”

Broadway tries to take people from other churches each year, hoping they will begin annual trips by their congregations.

University Baptist Church, which has built one Navajo church building a year for the past 15 years, also involves other churches from as far away as Kansas and Colorado–including nonBaptists–in its trips.

A Navajo woman studies a Bible written in her native language.

“Our intent is to make it possible for the Navajo Christians to sustain the work,” said Wally Long, a University Baptist Church member who heads up its projects.

“Navajos can share the gospel with other Navajos much better than we can.”

Marion added: “We go to work with them, not for them, to encourage their community church outreach.”

The formal agreement pledges the Fellowship to contribute $4,000 in 2003-04, $3,500 in 2004-05 and $3,000 in 2005-06 to the Calvary Love Ministries operating budget.

The two Texas churches will provide annual contributions of $4,000 to the ministry's operating budget, in addition to continuing volunteer participation. University Baptist Church has additional responsibility in church construction.

Potential projects include construction of a discipleship and leadership training center on 100 acres outside of Gallup.

The plan calls for using volunteer labor and about $50,000 in materials to build the center while recruiting volunteers for long-term commitments.

Posted: 5/28/04

Baylor president keeps post; benefactor may pull out money

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

WACO–Embattled Baylor University President Robert Sloan came within one vote of losing his job at the school's May 14 board of regents meeting.

And the board's failure to change leadership at Baylor could cost the university millions of dollars from a major benefactor in Houston.

A motion to ask for Sloan's resignation failed by an 18-17 secret ballot, and regents elected Will Davis, an Austin attorney who is considered a supporter of the beleaguered president, as chairman by the same margin.

The Waco Tribune Herald initially reported the action, which was confirmed to the Baptist Standard by a source close to the vote. Balloting occurred in a closed session, and regents were instructed not to discuss the matter with media.

Last September, when five regents announced their plans to fire Sloan, the board instead voted 31-4 to affirm his leadership as the university's president.

Baylor University spokesman Larry Brumley said he did not expect an immediate public response from Sloan regarding any vote the regents took.

Several regents leaving their six-hour meeting on the university's Waco campus refused to comment, referring all inquiries to outgoing board Chairman Drayton McLane of Temple.

McLane, owner of the Houston Astros, was eligible for re-election as chair. In a news conference at the close of the regents' meeting, McLane declined to say even if he had been nominated, since the vote took place in executive session.

McLane said the board will devote its June meeting to discussing the Baylor 2012 plan. The long-range vision includes an extensive campus building program, but it has incurred extensive debt for the 14,000-student school, the world's largest Baptist university.

Regents may need to extend the long-range plan beyond 2012 because of current economic conditions, he acknowledged.

He also announced the regents approved a $341 million budget for 2004-2005, a 9 percent increase over the current budget.

McLane's successor as chairman of the regents is a partner in the law firm of Heath, Davis and McCalla.

Davis is considered a strong Sloan supporter, as is at least one of the three regents elected at the meeting.

Buddy Jones, owner of a public affairs firm in Austin and a public supporter of Sloan's presidency, was elected to serve on the board, effective June 1, along with John Minton, an attorney from Tyler, and Albert Black, president and CEO of On-Target Supplies and Logistics of Dallas.

They replace three regents rotating off the board, characterized by informed observers as previously supportive of Sloan's leadership, but only mildly so: Dale Jones of Dallas, Neal Jones of Falls Church, Va., and Ted Snider of Little Rock, Ark.

“Baylor has been led into a crisis mode–a very serious crisis,” philanthropist John Baugh told the Baptist Standard.

Baugh, founder of the Houston-based SYSCO Corporation, addressed the regents, warning he would ask for loans to be repaid and financial gifts he has made to the university to be returned if the board allows Baylor to continue in its current direction.

“Baylor University's plight can be likened unto a ship–its rudder torn from the stern by tornadic winds created by the flailing actions of those who seemingly seek to gain unilateral and absolute control over the university,” he told the board, speaking from a prepared text.

Baugh urged the regents to take action immediately to rescue the university from “the paralyzing quagmire in which it currently is ensnared.”

He announced plans to establish a new nonprofit entity, the Partnership for Christian (Baptist) Education, to promote higher educational institutions committed to the ideals of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Baugh told the board he anticipated the new entity would receive funding equal to or greater than the total given by his family to Baylor.

The Baugh family contributed the $5 million lead gift toward the construction of facilities for Baylor's Truett Theological Seminary–one of more than a dozen programs and projects they have gifted at Baylor, ranging from capital improvements to scholarships and study-abroad programs.

Baylor's Hankamer School of Business named its Center for Private Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in Baugh's honor.

When asked how much he and his family had given the university, Baugh replied he hadn't added it up.

But some sources close to Baylor conservatively estimated his gifts at more than $15 million, plus $3 million in outstanding loans.

“Should the regents–either by specific decision or by default–allow the university's course to continue to be altered, we shall request the several million dollars currently on loan to Baylor by the (Baugh) Foundation be paid without delay,” he said.

“Additionally, the further request will be made that Baylor return promptly the aggregate amount of contributions that Mrs. Baugh and I have made to the university in order that the proceeds may be immediately redistributed to the Baptist General Convention of Texas.”

Those gifts would be redirected to Christian institutions of higher learning in Texas that reflect the principles held by Baylor at the time the donations originally were given, he explained.

Baugh told the board he intended to use “all other means possible to ensure that Baylor remain deeply rooted to its long-established moorings … religiously in keeping with a Baptist perspective, academically in keeping with a sound perspective fully involving the faculty of the university, and fiscally in keeping with available resources.”

Posted: 5/28/04

Reach Millennials by helping
them decode life, futurist says

By Marv Knox

Editor

HOUSTON–Churches can reach Millennials–the conservative generation of Americans born since 1982–by helping them “figure out the code” to life's profound questions, futurist Neil Howe advised.

Howe is a demographer, economist, historian and author of several books on U.S. generations, including “Millennials Rising: The Next American Generation.”

“We are constantly trying to predict what the next generation is going to be like,” he noted during a daylong lecture at Houston Baptist University, conceding, “Extrapolation–predicting that the rising generation will be like the current generation only moreso–always proves to be wildly inaccurate.”

For example, historians guessed the Baby Boomers, born between 1943 and 1960, would be more conformist than their parents, the Silent Generation, he said. But Boomers proved to be the opposite, questioning virtually all authority.

Based on how the Boomers lived, Generation X, born between 1961 and 1981, was expected to be even more passionate and ideological than their parents. “But they proved the present is not an extension of the past,” Howe observed.

Now that Millennials are coming of age, they are turning out to be quite different than anticipated, he said.

Extrapolating from Generation X, experts expected Millennials to be “more culturally cynical, collectively pessimistic about the future and prone to risk-taking activities like sex, drugs and crime,” he reported. “But once again, truth conflicts straight-line extrapolation.”

Howe cited an array of developments that document the Millennials' conservative generational turn.

In the past decade, teen violent crime has declined by 65 percent, “the greatest reduction in history … down beyond imagining,” he said.

Sexual activity by high school students has dropped 20 percent in 10 years, and the rates of teen pregnancy, abortion and births have declined 30 percent to 40 percent.

Teens also are less likely to be loner “free agents,” he said. High schoolers involved in community service climbed from 27 percent in 1984 to 83 percent in 1999-2000.

Fifty-six percent of Millennials say they find explicit sexual activity and nudity offensive, a trend Howe called “the new modesty.”

Millennials also are the most ethnically diverse U.S. generation, he said. Non-Anglos account for 37.6 percent of Millennials, compared to 32.8 percent of Gen X and 24.2 percent of Boomers.

Geographical or regional factors could impact how quickly people see these trends, he said, explaining, “If any group is behind the trends, it is rural kids.”

The shifts that shape each generation should not be surprising, since the parenting generation responds to the weaknesses or challenges they experienced, Howe reported.

“It's not that one generation rebels. The previous generation raises kids to complement themselves, not to be like themselves,” he explained. “New generations always are the answers to the problems of the older generation.”

For example, late Boomers and early Gen Xers, who grew up with the insecurity of divorce and parents who put careers ahead of kids, naturally compensate by lavishing attention and security on their Millennial children.

So, early Millennials grew up riding in minivans, the quintessential family cars, with bumper stickers touting, “Baby on Board,” he said. In their era, the markets flooded with books calling for raising children better and movies casting them in a positive light.

“It's been a good thing to be seen as a kid,” he said. “The '90s was the first decade when per capita spending on kids grew faster than any other generation.”

Responding to all the forces upon them, Millennials have developed seven generational characteristics, Howe described. Millennials are:

Special.

Millennials value stability over rapid change, he said. More of them want to have children than their counterparts in previous generations.

They also expect society to be better when they take over, with significant numbers saying they intend to make improvements in technology, ecology, foreign relationships, government, arts and culture, and religion.

Sheltered.

Noting that steps to care for children–such as child protection policies–have been in place all their lives, Howe said, “Millennials see protection as a sign that older people care about them and want to protect them to go out and do great things.”

While 58 percent of their parents acknowledge they're sometimes overprotective, 90 percent of Millennials agree on parental rules that are “strict and fair.”

In 2002, 56 percent of high school students said they prefer to attend a college that is nearby, compared to 41 percent who said they want to go far away.

Confident.

Among Millennials, 90 percent said they are happy, and 82 percent predicted they will be better off than their parents, he reported.

Not coincidentally, the suicide rate has declined for Millennials.

Team-oriented.

Sixty-four percent of Millennials agreed they will be seen as the “us generation,” Howe said, pointing out their emphasis shifted from the Boomers' “I” to “we.” Also, 50 percent of Millennials said they trust institutions, compared to just 26 percent of adults.

School innovations that “harness peer pressure”–such as uniforms and student juries that levy penalties for misbehavior–have been well-received by Millennials, he said.

Millennials also are quick to point a finger at indulgent individualism, he noted. Students in kindergarten through grade 12 said the primary causes of social problems are selfishness, failure to respond to authority, wrongdoing by politicians, and lack of parental discipline and leadership.

Conventional.

Millennials typically expect higher standards of themselves and others than do adults, Howe said.

Also, ninety-four percent of children age 9 to 17 told researchers they trust their parents, and 82 percent of teens said they have “no problems” with any family member–the highest percentage since World War II, he said. Sixty-seven percent said they would raise their own children the way they have been raised.

The “Harry Potter” book series is popular with Millennials because it emphasizes values they share–friendship, structure and the need to band together, he observed.

Pressured.

Despite all the attempts to protect them, Millennials feel pressure more intensely than did their predecessors, Howe noted.

An unprecedented number–84 percent–intend to attend college, he said. The same percentage see security as “very important” in their lives.

As markers of how driven they are, two-thirds of Millennials don't get enough sleep, and 88 percent reported they have specific five-year goals.

Achieving.

“It's cool to be smart,” Howe said of the young generation. Early Millennials posted the highest SAT college-entrance scores since 1974, and Millennials have chalked up increasingly high scores on standardized tests, particularly for math and science.

Perhaps their desire is linked to their view of the future, he said, noting 75 percent of college students expect increased terror threats. But 93 percent said they believe science and technology will play an important role in responding to those threats.

Churches can use this information about Millennials to create models for ministry that are effective at reaching them with the gospel, Howe noted in an interview.

The first step is understanding that, like everything else about them, Millennials see faith and religion differently than their parents do, he said.

All their lives, Boomers have keyed on religious insight, on “focusing on the heart … changing you from the inside out,” he asserted.

“Millennials are much more interested in figuring out the code: What makes sense? How do religions work?” he explained. “Millennials are incredibly system-minded.”

They also want to know the “how” and “what” of religion.

“If you're going to worship God, what do you do? Do you do some things every week? Practically speaking, what does that mean for changing your relationship to your parents, to society?” he said.

“Millennials also have a real interest in using the church as a focus of community involvement. They place a large focus on community service. But they also use the church as an extension of their social life–sort of a group.”

With Millennials' emphasis on behavior and rules, the Christian faith can become an attractive foundation for their lives, Howe said.

“I've heard teens talk about churches being an answer to the relativism of the postmodern time,” he said. “This allows the church to create anchors of trust and faith to build a basis for acting in this world.

“This is a generation that wants to do things–to plan, act, build communities. So, it helps to have certain cornerstones.”

For example, ministry to Millennials needs to be “straightforward about doctrine,” he explained.

“Millennials are not as indirect as Boomers often are in getting at what religion means. Boomers often get off on what the experience is like, what it feels like. They get fixated on attitude.

“The Millennial doesn't care about attitude. The Millennial cares about what I have to do; what behaviors are required. So, be direct. Tell Millennials what is required. Explain what it means. Then move on, telling them how they can be effective in this world.

“Millennials want to know how to build a better community, organize, socialize and have fun.”

And even how Millennials have fun is significant for churches that try to minister to them, he observed, describing a new trend–congregations renting skating rinks, movie theaters or laser tag facilities. “Obviously, it's fun. But it's also in tune with the whole Millennial approach to protection.”

Millennials also appreciate planning, he said.

“Millennials, much more than Boomers, want to plan their lives over time. What does that mean with regard to marriage, careers and education? I'm not sure how a church would do this, but in ways that are fun and interesting, it can help them focus on how to build a life that is significant.”

And with Millennials, significance matters.

Posted: 5/28/04

Terrorist attacks underscore
need to evangelize, Spanish leader says

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Evangelical Christians in Spain are feeling an increased urgency for evangelism in the aftermath of terror attacks that killed almost 200 people March 11, said Manuel Sarrias, general secretary of the Union Evangelica Bautista Española.

Spanish Baptists–still recovering after four explosions rocked three commuter trains in Madrid–are seeking to end terrorism, Sarrias said.

Ignorance, poverty and injustice lead people to hate established authority and push them to resort to violence, he said. Evangelicals are working to alter lives before they turn to terrorism.

“The church has to have a principal role in changing the lives of people,” he said through a translator. “The message is for everyone.”

The atmosphere in Spain is similar to the United States post-Sept. 11, 2001, Sarrias said. Some do not feel safe. Awareness of uncertainty has increased.

Spaniards are looking to religion for answers.

“People in general realize no one is in charge of their own lives,” said Sarrias, who also serves as the vice president of the evangelical representative body to the government.

This is a prime opportunity for Spanish evangelicals to convert a nominally Roman Catholic nation, he said.

But Spanish Baptists must seize the opportunity, he emphasized.

The attacks have “really encouraged us as evangelicals to double our efforts,” Sarrias said. “Spain is a mission field. Secularism is rampant.”

Spanish Baptists are facing a new world on several fronts, he added.

A nation that has long had friendly relationships with Muslims now sees increasing skepticism toward them.

Though Sarrias sees fundamentalist Islam as the major threat to the Western world, Spanish Baptists are encouraging people to stop associating terrorism with all Muslims.

The Baptists are against terrorism, but love people, he stressed.

“As evangelicals in Spain we're trying to help people understand the difference between fighting terrorism and xenophobia,” he said.

“We're really trying to make it work. It's a very difficult subject, he acknowledged.”

Spain also is facing a new political reality.

Shortly after the attacks, the nation elected Rodriguez Zapatero as their new prime minister, he explained.

Sarrias said he is hopeful the new leader will create a more equitable environment for evangelicals.

Traditionally, Spain's government has favored the Catholic church with financial subsidies and tax-exemptions denied to evangelical congregations.

In this new environment, Sarrias urges Texas Baptists to continue their efforts in Spain through the relationship facilitated by the Baptist General Convention of Texas Partnerships Resource Center.

He specifically would like to see more evangelism teams come to the nation.

Music and choral groups also are effective means of reaching Spaniards, he said.

Many people have responded positively to testimonies following concerts, he added.

Sarrias encouraged Texas Baptists to pray for Spanish Baptists in this new world.

“The Baptists of Spain really appreciate the close ties they've had with the Baptist General Convention of Texas,” he said.

For more information about mission trips to Spain, contact the BGCT Texas Partnership Resource Center at (214) 828-5182 or texas_partnerships@bgct.org.

Posted: 5/28/04

Tornado rips roof off Conroe church

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

CONROE–A tornado slammed RiverPointe Baptist Church, ripping off a large section of the sanctuary roof and damaging much of the facility's interior.

In about 90 seconds, the tornado tore off a 20-foot-by-30-foot section of the sanctuary roof and turned the inside of the building into a wind tunnel, said Pastor Dane Riddle, who was the only person in the church when the storm hit.

Winds bent a large portion of the building's metal frame, including the supports for a glass atrium. Tiles that created the ceiling were torn down in several rooms, corridors and the sanctuary. Walls were damaged.

Keith Crouch, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Church Facilities Center, visited the church, helped assess damages and advised leaders regarding steps in the rebuilding process. Ron Gunter, a BGCT regional associate, also was on site.

Riddle estimated the congregation will not be able to use the building for several months, and church services will be moved to a shopping center next door.

The relocation to the shopping center is a return to the church's roots, Riddle noted. The church did not have a permanent building for its first three years, until it moved into the now-damaged building about 18 months ago.

But church members remain upbeat, Riddle indicated. They recently have been working through Rick Warren's “Forty Days of Purpose” and just finished the section about the importance of strong fellowship.

“The spirit of the congregation has been wonderful,” he said.

The congregation has been able to share the Christian message of hope because of the tornado. Numerous media outlets interviewed Riddle in the days following the storm.

Riddle asked Texas Baptists to pray that the church continues to have a strong fellowship and makes wise decisions in the rebuilding process and that Christ will be glorified through the incident.

Posted: 5/28/04

	Larry Blackmon, pastor of First Baptist Church in Hearne, helped his grandchildren escape rising water by lifting them through a window.
Maria Rodriguez, temporary emergency child care volunteer from First Baptist Church in Magnolia, plays with a toddler.

Flood leaves pastor praising God for volunteers

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

HEARNE–In two weeks, Larry Blackmon went from watching furniture float in his swamped home to singing the praises of Christian workers who helped him and his town after widespread flash flooding hit May 13.

The pastor of First Baptist Church in Hearne was one of many people affected by 17 inches of rain in less than nine hours. Reports indicate as many as 200 homes, including the First Baptist parsonage, were damaged in Robertson County.

A surge of water three feet high blasted through the town, saturating furniture, accessories, walls and carpet in homes, Blackmon recalled.

The pastor helped his grandchildren escape rising water by lifting them through a window to a man driving a tractor by his home. While he was saving what belongings he could, Blackmon was shocked when the water rose to the electrical plugs.

“Everything we had was ruined,” he said.

That afternoon the waters began receding, and help came calling in the form of Ron Gunter, regional associate for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Gunter quickly assessed the situation as he talked with Blackmon and contacted Texas Baptist Men for disaster relief help.

Sam Rodriguez of First Baptist Church in Magnolia and a young child play with a toy in a temporary emergency child care facility in Hearne. Texas Baptist Men set up a day care facility there to allow parents free time to find relief services following widespread flooding throughout the area.

Volunteers with the Texas Baptist Men Gonzales Baptist Association clean-out unit, owned by Second Baptist Church in LaGrange, quickly arrived. In two days, they pulled up carpet and baseboards and knocked out sheetrock in 16 homes, including the pastor's house.

A TBM chainsaw unit from Harmony-Pittsburg Baptist Association served in Bryan soon after.

But ministry went beyond the houses. The TBM childcare unit set up a temporary day care that provided a safe environment for about 40 children in the wake of the floods, said Tracy Barber of First Baptist Church in Farmersville.

For Blackmon, the ministry had a personal touch. Several TBM volunteers spent all night separating and sorting rain-drenched pictures in ruined photo albums. Instead of preaching that Sunday, Blackmon encouraged TBM volunteers to give testimonies about how they became involved in this ministry.

“It's just amazing how hard they worked,” Blackmon said.

When Hearne residents discovered they did not qualify for federal aid, the BGCT was there again. Jim Young, director of the Missions Equipping Center, delivered forms for people to gain access to disaster relief funds from the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions and designated Texas Baptist donations. The convention distributed funds to 24 families.

The initial shock from the flooding and disappointment about lack of federal relief has turned into determination for Blackmon. He is attempting to alert people to the seemingly unreasonable standards for federal relief in Texas.

In this state, damages must total $23 million in a community before residents qualify for federal funding, Blackmon said. In other states, the damages must reach much lower levels. The May 13 floods covered more than half of Robertson County but caused only $11 million in damages, leaving residents to fend for themselves.

Blackmon also has become determined in praising the work of Texas Baptists. He stood and told parts of his story during the BGCT Executive Board meeting May 25.

Christian volunteers played an integral role in helping Hearne residents through their ordeal, he said.

“I am proud to be a Baptist, and I am proud of … (the BGCT) staff,” he said. “They guided me through it.”

A lot of work still remains in the town. Parts of Blackmon's home need rebuilding. Many members of his church also face home reconstruction.

But Blackmon remains optimistic about the future of his family, town and congregation.

First Baptist Church celebrated 135 years in April, he noted. “We'll be around another 135 years if the Lord doesn't come. We'll make it,” he said.

Contributions can be designated “Disaster Relief” and sent to Texas Baptist Men, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246. Mary Hill Davis contributions can be sent to Woman's Missionary Union of Texas, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246.

Posted: 5/28/04

Pastor sends potent picture postcards
to patrons of 'adult' businesses

By Erin Curry

Baptist Press

KENNEDALE–Jim Norwood got so fed up with the negative impact sexually oriented businesses were having on his local community he began an unusual campaign to run them out of town.

And in the process, the Baptist minister was elected mayor.

The pastor of Oakcrest Family Church of Kennedale, a Baptist congregation in suburban Fort Worth, began taking digital photographs of cars parked at local adult businesses and mailing them to the homes of the customers.

Texas public vehicle registration records allow individuals to obtain addresses of vehicle owners just by taking down license numbers.

As his photo-taking efforts were in full swing, Norwood was elected mayor of the town of 3,600 in a two-to-one landslide victory over the incumbent mayor in mid-May.

The postcards Norwood sends have a photograph on one side.

On the other side is printed a message: “Observed you in the neighborhood. Didn't know if you were aware there is a church in the area … Please stop by next time. We'd love to have you visit.”

Also included is a schedule of church services and the church's counseling classes on sexual addiction.

Norwood said his first objective is to send a message to adult business customers that what they are doing is wrong and to make them aware of the help available to them at Oakcrest Church.

His other goal is to curb business at the local sexually oriented places so that they will be forced to move elsewhere.

“Being a chaplain at the jail, I deal with a lot of sex offenders,” he said.

“And almost everyone I talk with says, 'Even if it would have been of the negative nature, I wish there would have been some intervention so it wouldn't have gotten to this point.'

“And unfortunately those are pastors, youth ministers, teachers and coaches that I talk to who have watched their lives totally crumble around them because of what happened.”

Norwood also has noticed the negative image his community has developed with the abundance of adult businesses.

He added the pornography industry has overflowed into the general public as magazines are left on the streets and lewd acts are performed in parking lots.

For those worried about the problems such a postcard could cause upon arrival at a house, Norwood said the outcome is worth it.

“The thing I tell people is that if the husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend are on the same page, regardless of what page they're on, then my postcard isn't going to have any effect,” he said.

“But if they're not on the same page, I can look at this as possibly bringing attention to a problem a wife might want to know about to protect the children, to confront their mate.

“And there aren't just husbands down there, there are wives I've seen too.

“At least maybe it would open up a line of communication between the two so that they can talk about the problem.”

Despite any criticism he may receive for his postcard-sending campaign, Norwood said he and the volunteers he has gathered are determined to keep it up.

“We'll continue the emphasis as long as the Lord says so, but I did hear … one particular store that's probably the nastiest of them all has plans to move out of the community,” he said.

Also, since the effort began in December 2003, Norwood said the church has seen or received calls from 12-15 people who either saw the media reports or received a postcard and were seeking help with sexual addiction.

“One thing I would attribute our victories to is that we have a group of people who pray on a consistent basis from different churches around the community,” Norwood said.

“And I believe the spiritual emphasis does more than anything else we do.”

Posted: 5/28/04

REBECCA ST. JAMES:
Preaching purity

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Baptist Standard

NASHVILLE–At age 26, Rebecca St. James has been voted the most influential woman in Christian music by Crosswalk.com and listed as one of the top 50 evangelists under age 40 by Christianity Today.

The Grammy Award-winning recording artist is using her influence to shape teenagers' attitudes about sexual purity and Christian commitment.

This summer, she will perform at the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Youth Evangelism Conference at Reunion Arena in Dallas June 26, helping to lead a massive True Love Waits rally.

“Probably a few of my main words of advice will be to guard your heart and your mind,” said St. James, author of the best-selling book “Wait for Me,” a personal plea for sexual abstinence until marriage.

“If you're listening to trashy music or watching movies that are promoting immorality, that's going to affect your life. These young people need to only allow things in their lives that are going to encourage purity. They also need to learn how to set major boundaries in their dating life and relationships. It's so important for them to talk about their commitment to purity, and only date people that are committed to purity, as they are.”

The key to remaining sexually pure is having a strong loving relationship with Jesus Christ, she emphasized.

“Most importantly, (young people) need to spend time with Jesus every day. When you're spending time reading the Bible and growing in that love relationship with Jesus, it's hard to sin. They say that sin keeps you from the Bible, and the Bible keeps you from sin. Spending time with God each day and in prayer really helps you to live a holy life,” she said.

St. James, a native of Australia who now lives in Nashville, grew up in “a real solid Christian family, so it has been an amazing heritage of faith,” she said. Her family attended Thornleigh Community Baptist Church in Australia, and she made a profession of faith in Christ at age 8.

Because her father was a Christian concert promoter, she became familiar with the Christian music industry at an early age.

“Music has always been a natural part of my life,” she noted. “When I was about 12, I committed my music and my gifts to God. I moved to America with my family when I was 14, and I sang at different youth groups and churches. Some guys from a record label saw me sing when I was about 15 and signed me to that label soon after that. So, it was one of those things that God definitely led me to do. I had a little bit of vocal training when I did my first album, but my training came more from things I learned growing up around music.”

Today, a busy touring schedule keeps her on the road most of the year. “There's a lot of sacrifice involved,” she said.

“It's hard being away from home and missing my family and friends. Some of my immediate family travel with me, but the rest of my family is pretty much in Australia. I also miss the formality of church. But knowing I'm being used to make a difference and that God has me where he wants me to be is absolutely wonderful.

“My favorite part is knowing that the music is reaching people and that God is using it to change lives. I definitely feel very fulfilled in what I'm doing.”

Before each concert, St. James has a devotional and prayer time with her band members. Then, she spends time alone in prayer before she goes on stage.

“I hope that people connect with God and are able to express their love for him at these concerts,” she said. “I hope that people walk away filled with Christ's love and his hope. I think a lot of people today are searching for hope and a reason to live. My prayer is they find that. At my concerts, we also have an altar call and commitment time each night. I hope that those who don't know God will come to know him that night, and those who do know him will be refreshed in their commitment.

“I think music in itself is very powerful and engaging, but when you put the Bible with that, it becomes a powerhouse … because the Bible is the most powerful tool in the world for life change. I've always had an emphasis on worship at my concerts, and I've really seen people respond during that time.”

A key message she seeks to communicate to young people is the importance of “being on guard against spiritual attack,” she said.

“I feel that Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy. Satan wants to draw us into compromise and wants to discourage us and distract us from living for God,” she said.

“We need to be on guard, realizing it's not just the flesh and bones world we live in, it's a spiritual warfare going on. We need to be in prayer and have people praying for us, and daily spending time with God, so our eyes are set on him and not things of this world. That's kind of my theme lately.”