Posted: 1/23/04

Does biblical command to care for
aliens depend on their legal status?

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

Churches' responsibility to care for “aliens and strangers” as the Bible commands transcends legal issues about immigration policy, according to David Guel of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

While President Bush's proposed temporary worker visa program could change the legal status of up to 8 million undocumented aliens, Christians' obligation to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of immigrants remains unchanged, he added.

Christians should obey laws, but sometimes following God means doing the right thing regardless of legalities, said Guel, regional associate with the BGCT Church Multiplication Center.

“If not for civil disobedience, the Egyptians would have killed off baby Moses,” he said, alluding to an incident in the Old Testament book of Exodus when Hebrew midwives disobeyed a mandate from Pharaoh requiring them to kill male Jewish newborns.

Ministry to immigrants–without regard to their legal status–falls into the same category, said Guel, whose doctoral project at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary focused on developing a strategy for ministry to undocumented aliens.

“A lot of our Baptist folks are reluctant to help people who are in this country illegally because of concern about breaking the law. But that's a non-issue when there is a hurting human being in front of you,” he said.

The church's role is neither to enforce laws nor to facilitate lawbreaking, he added. The church's role is to minister to human needs in Jesus' name.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a bureau of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, reports 1.04 million undocumented Hispanics in Texas, Guel discovered.

“A thousand cross the border each month,” he said. “That has ministry implications for us,” he said.

Now Guel is taking his findings to churches, associations and other groups, seeking to increase awareness and urging Christians to develop “intentional ministries” to immigrants.

“When you do something with intentionality, you do it all the way in terms of devoting budget and staff to it,” he explained.

Last year, messengers to the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and the BGCT approved resolutions encouraging ministry to immigrants “documented and undocumented, through prayer and action.”

Immigration policy is the focus of an interdenominational study committee that includes representatives from the BGCT and the Texas Conference of Churches. The BGCT Christian Life Commission also has enlisted an intern from the Baylor School of Social Work and Truett Seminary to conduct an in-depth project exploring the issue over the next few months.

Suzii Paynter, director of citizenship and public policy with the BGCT Christian Life Commission, convened a meeting in Austin last month bringing together representatives from widely varied religious and human rights organizations to examine immigration issues.

Guel presented his research findings and recommendations to the group.

He told them about conducting small-group interviews in San Antonio, McAllen and Houston with 25 currently undocumented immigrants, as well as individually interviewing four formerly undocumented Hispanic Baptists.

Those interviews detailed the hardships and dangers immigrants encountered as they entered the United States, their reasons for taking such risks and incidents when churches helped them. Guel also asked them to suggest, based on their own experiences, ways churches could develop “intentional ministries” to immigrants.

Most said they arrived hungry, tired and ill after exposure to the elements.

“For many, the journey necessitated days of going without food, water, shelter and sleep. Many walked for miles through all types of terrain, encountering all kinds of snakes and wildlife,” he said.

Currently undocumented aliens, in particular, told those stories. Since the advent of Homeland Security, illegal border crossings at borderland cities have become more difficult, forcing illegal immigrants to risk crossing in remote and isolated areas, Guel noted.

Others entered the United States with the help of “coyotes,” a term used to describe smugglers of human cargo.

“Three women were transported in the trunk of a car from Del Rio to San Antonio, non-stop,” Guel said.

“In one case, an individual was jailed for four months because authorities wanted him as a witness against a coyote. He had no legal representation for a long time and did not know the language.”

Some churches already offer ministry to undocumented aliens, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services knows it, Guel noted.

Northwest Hispanic Baptist Church in San Antonio, for instance, has established a ministry center near a major employer of undocumented workers, according to Pastor Roland Lopez. While the center is open to all needy people, many who find help there are illegal aliens.

Guel interviewed a senior Border Patrol officer who confirmed his agency's written service policy mandates that officers generally not enter churches or schools.

Unless the Border Patrol is pursuing an illegal alien who has committed crimes against people or property, as opposed to someone who simply has violated legal residency statutes, a church generally is considered an inviolable sanctuary, he explained.

That same officer told him churches should not feel obligated to investigate the legal residency status of needy people before offering them help. He explained that his agency “has the charge to determine the legal status of an individual, not the church. The church should do what it's called to do.”

Guel recommended several ways churches can minister to immigrants:

Create awareness. “Educate the congregation. It's amazing the response when people see the needs.”

Meet immediate needs. “Provide food, a place of rest, and a change of clothing and shoes.”

Offer referrals. “Create a referral list of agencies, medical clinics and legal offices that are willing to assist the undocumented person in times of need and emergencies.”

Help aliens gain legal status. Churches can offer English as a Second Language and citizenship classes. “Consider making the church a center accredited by the Justice Department for assisting undocumented persons through the maze of legalization.”

Focus on children. “Look into the well-being of the children of undocumented workers.” Help them with school orientation, and provide them access to school supplies.

Provide spiritual counsel. “Find a way to offer God's love and share his plan of salvation.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Even in Churches of Christ, there's
no sign of ceasefire in worship wars

By Craig Bird

Associated Baptist Press

SAN ANTONIO (ABP)–The raging debate over worship music has surfaced in a most unlikely place–within the Churches of Christ, which bear the historical distinction of shunning all musical instruments in worship.

Over the past two years, at least five major congregations associated with the Churches of Christ have added instruments to some worship services, according to the Christian Chronicle, a 60-year-old Church of Christ newspaper.

The highest-profile case involves Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, a 3,800-member congregation led by pastor and best-selling author Max Lucado.

No one is willing to predict whether these breaks from tradition signal the start of a sweeping change or are “isolated tragedies”–the description favored by Hardin University professor Flavil Yeakley.

But they do illustrate the ages-old tension between making the gospel message “user friendly” and defending the purity of “the truth once delivered to the saints.”

More than a century ago, Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians fought the issue of instrumental worship to a resolution, remodeling their sanctuaries to accommodate organs and pianos.

Since the Jesus Movement of the 1960s, guitars, drums and amplifiers likewise have gained acceptance in many Protestant churches, as Christians adapted musical styles to the marketplace.

The Churches of Christ, claiming about 2 million adherents, is by far the largest fellowship prohibiting man-made instruments. But other smaller groups, such as Primitive Baptists, have resisted as well.

The doctrine is based on the conviction that all congregational practices and structures should meticulously emulate the patterns of the New Testament, which reports nothing of musical instruments in worship.

For the same reason, Churches of Christ shun denominational labels. There is no formal structure or authority to the Churches of Christ beyond the local congregation, and even the capitalized “C” is avoided in the name–Churches of Christ–assigned by religious demographers.

Because of the decentralized nature of the Churches of Christ, there is no way to measure the extent of the pro-instrumental trend.

But the discussion is widespread enough that the issue is being re-examined with an intensity not seen in more than 100 years.

Breaking with tradition

The website for Lucado's Oak Hills Church deals openly with the topic. A cappella singing is still “our primary source” of music at worship assemblies, the website notes, but there are “ample opportunities for instrumental worship as well, such as at our Peak of the Week prayer services.”

“The use of instrumental accompaniment is not a doctrinal issue at Oak Hills, but it is part of our religious heritage that we have chosen to preserve,” the site notes.

Oak Hills and the Body of Christ at Amarillo South in Amarillo no longer identify themselves as Churches of Christ, according to the Christian Chronicle,

Other Churches of Christ that have added instruments, according to the newspaper, are the Northwest Church of Christ in Seattle, which added a Saturday evening instrumental service; Southlake Church of Christ, in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, which added a Sunday morning instrumental service; and Farmers Branch Church of Christ, also near Dallas, which added a Saturday night instrumental service.

All five report substantial growth in attendance and say the change was driven by the need for evangelism.

Reaching the culture

Indeed, the desire to reach out to a music-saturated culture is at the heart of the debate.

One new Church of Christ, still in its formative stages, recently asked a Baptist music professor to lead the congregation in a Bible study on instrumental worship.

Paul Richardson, professor of music at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., declined to name the church. But the professor said “at least part” of the congregation “was open to examining its traditions in light of biblical and historical scholarship.”

Prescribed or permitted

Since the New Testament gives little instruction in worship, Richardson said, the basic theological issue is: “How do we handle what we don't know?”

One extreme position is to do only what is explicitly allowed by Scripture. At the other end is the view that whatever isn't specifically forbidden in the New Testament is permitted–athough always with the limitation imposed by other doctrines.

Richardson said most Christians “find our lives, our ethics and our worship in the category of 'adiaphora,'” the Greek term for things neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture, and “about which we must make decisions according to the best light given us.”

The absence of instruments in the early church may have been influenced, ironically, by Greek philosophy. The Greeks argued that emotions stirred by music could be dangerous.

In later centuries, Richardson said, instruments became part of the Roman Catholic Church “about the same time as instruments became widely accepted by society at large.”

During the Reformation, clear divisions began to emerge. Some groups influenced by Martin Luther retained the instruments.

Those influenced by John Calvin placed strict limits on music in worship. Still others, influenced by Ulrich Zwingli, disallowed music of any sort.

Baptist traditions

Calvin's influence was greatest among Baptists and later the Churches of Christ. He placed three restrictions on music in worship: scriptural songs only (mostly the psalms), human voices only, and unison singing only.

“Most Churches of Christ and Primitive Baptists long ago gave up the restrictions on text and part-singing but cling to the one against instruments,” Richardson pointed out.

Baptist groups traveled differing routes. For example, Seventh-day Baptists, strict sabbatarians who know a thing or two about defending a minority position against steep odds, were early promoters of hymn singing, despite criticism from other Baptists.

At various times in Baptist history, instrumental worship was rejected because it was practiced by the Church of England, which persecuted the free-church followers like the Baptists.

Organs often were rejected–and later violins–because they were used to provide worldly entertainment.

All those historical precedents support one of Richardson's theories: “We are all Amish.”

“We all have some idealized culture that we find more faithful to the living of the gospel as we understand it,” he elaborated.

“That culture is typically one in which we never lived, though we have sought to preserve it in some way to 'protect' the faith.”

Yet, he argued, Christian discipleship includes the need “to present the gospel faithfully in the culture in which we live without binding it to the culture.”

Keeping theology first

In every area of Christian living, Richardson suggested, there is a need to look at any issue from three approaches–theology, aesthetics and pragmatics. But they should be addressed in that order, he advised, giving theology first priority.

“Much of the debate in the 'worship wars' is the result of starting the discussion with aesthetics or pragmatics instead of theology,” he asserted.

“If the New Testament shows us anything, it is that the church organizes itself and carries out its mission in a variety of ways, more or less appropriate to its culture.

“About the only unity that can be found in the churches of the New Testament is the confession 'Jesus is Lord.' And that was plenty to bring them into conflict with their surrounding cultures.

“The New Testament tells us very little about worship,” Richardson added, “and what is there is descriptive rather than prescriptive.

“However, it tells us a great deal about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the destination of all things, the Christian life and how we should treat others, both in and out of the faith.

“This should be the way in which the New Testament shapes our practice of worship.”

Posted: 1/23/04

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Uncooperative Baptists

Why do Southern Baptist Convention leaders want to withdraw from the Baptist World Alliance? (Jan. 12) They want to make sure they cannot be accused of being cooperative Baptists. To that end, they seek to be as uncooperative as possible with any Baptist body.

Perhaps we should not refer to these people as “fundamentalists.” They have forsaken the fundamentals, preferring to focus on peripheral issues. They would better be described as “peripheralists.”

Leon Johnson

Honolulu

Terriers & a giant

I am sad to see that in breaking their historic association with the BWA, the leaders of the SBC felt it necessary to attack and impugn the personal integrity and doctrinal soundness of Erich Geldbach, calling him “aberrant and dangerous.”

I came to know him during his recent stay in our country. He is a gracious Christian brother of deep commitment and doctrinal strength. I have shared counsel with him and worshipped with him.

To see men of limited understanding maligning this gentle and good man is like watching terriers snapping at the heels of a giant.

My best memory of Erich Geldbach is standing by his side on Christmas Eve, candles glowing in our hands, singing, “Silent night, holy night.”

C.W. Christian

Waco

Back to the Bible

I just read the list of committee members chosen by the SBC to determine the fate of the BWA's affiliation with the SBC.

My question is: Why spend time and money on something already determined? All of it could be done over the telephone.

I think our SBC leaders are spending too much time studying the book “A Hill on Which to Die.” They need to get back to God's Bible. A good place for them to start would be 1 Corinthians 13.

Jake Bradford

Arp

Narrowing circle

Thank you for the editorial on the BWA. You hit the nail on the head.

The SBC continues to narrow the circle, pull the reigns tighter and dismiss those who are not in complete agreement. Such radical fundamentalism, at its core, must have an enemy. Once that foe is conquered, another must appear. A sobering thought is that this pattern knows no end and has no boundaries.

What a great time to be involved in the Baptist General Convention of Texas, a convention with visionary leaders, who continue to broaden the circle in order to expand the kingdom of the Lord without diluting the gospel in any way.

Steve Martin

Plainview

BWA support

I'm right with you on your observations about the SBC's rift with the BWA and its executive director, Denton Lotz.

He spoke in our church the Sunday before the story broke about the SBC's proposal to pull the remainder of its funding. He never said one word about the SBC, nor did he promote the BWA. He simply preached Jesus, and that right well.

Our church will be reassigning missions support dollars in the effort to help the BWA continue its work apart from the SBC. I would encourage other pastors in “free” Baptist congregations like Third Baptist Church to suggest that their congregations do likewise.

Scott Shaver

St. Louis

Fellowship's 'founder'

An advertisement promoting Fellowship Church.com's Creative Identity Church Conference (Jan. 12) listed Ed Young as the church's “founder.”

It reminded me of a time in the 1980s, when First Baptist Church of Irving was considering whether to relocate to north Irving. Ultimately, the church decided instead to begin a mission of the church that became the Fellowship of Las Colinas and ultimately Fellowship Church.com.

During that period, FBC Irving made a tremendous sacrifice, both in providing young families who would be the initial leaders of the church and a tremendous amount of sacrifice in money. These initial leaders included Preston and Dido Mitchell, Dean West and Owen Goff, all of whom are now on staff at Fellowship in some capacity.

First Baptist Church of Irving had a great deal to do with what is now Fellowship Church.com.

As a former member of FBC Irving, I have always considered the true founder of the church to be Jesus Christ, who in this case worked through the members of FBC Irving to start this mission/church.

Gary L. Etter

Irving

Posted: 1/23/04

Baptist statesman Albert McClellan dies

By Marv Knox

Editor

Albert McClellan, a Baptist statesman and executive whose ministry spanned parts of six decades, died in Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 9 after a long illness. He was 91.

McClellan worked for the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee throughout more than 30 years of rapid denominational growth and change, from 1949 to 1980.

He served as the convention's public relations director from 1949 to 1959 and as its leader of program planning from 1959 to 1981. In those capacities, he worked alongside three Executive Committee presidents, Duke McCall, Porter Routh and Harold Bennett, serving as the chief associate to Routh and Bennett.

In mid-career, he was instrumental in developing the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, the convention's doctrinal statement. In retirement, he served on the SBC Peace Committee from 1985 to 1987, in the midst of denominational controversy.

Prior to joining the Executive Committee, McClellan was editor of the Baptist Messenger, newspaper of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, from 1945 to 1949.

Previously, he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Waurika, Okla., from 1942 to 1945 and Saint Jo Baptist Church in Montague County, Texas, from 1939 to 1942. Before that, he was part-time pastor of eight rural churches and also taught school in North Texas. After he retired, he taught Baptist history and polity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

A native of Bowie, McClellan attended Decatur Baptist College and Baylor University and graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University, which conferred an honorary doctorate upon him. He also is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He wrote at least 15 books and hundreds of articles on organization, planning, forecasting, evangelism and history.

McClellan was preceded in death by his wife, Mabel. He is survived by his sons, Alan of Nashville and Renick of Chicago, and four grandchildren.

Posted: 1/23/04

Mexican Baptists hope church-starting
goal sparks movement throughout Latin America

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

MATAMOROS, Mexico­The National Baptist Convention of Mexico is ushering in a “spiritual revolution” through what appears to be the beginnings of a church-starting movement, missions observers have noted.

And its leaders hope to see the movement spread throughout the Americas.

Mexican Baptists started about 800 churches in the past year. The National Baptist Convention of Mexico goal is to have 10,000 Baptist churches in the country by 2010. About 1,700 congregations, including the new churches, currently comprise the convention.

More encouraging for convention leaders are the 10,000 students enrolled in church- starting discipleship courses designed by Otto Arango, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in McAllen and director of the Church Starting Institute.

In churches throughout the nation, laypeople enrolled in the 10 courses are gaining basic knowledge of pastoral skills, church starting, preaching, teaching, theology and church administration.

Not all the students will start churches, but Arango said he believes 60 percent will. Those who do not start congregations will be stronger members of existing churches.

“They are going to reach the goal,” Arango said. “They are going to pass the goal.”

Mexico can be transformed through this snowballing effort, predicted Antonio Villa, vice president of the National Baptist Convention of Mexico. The significant increase in churches will enable Baptists in Mexico to minister more effectively to the 104 million people in the country, 5 percent of whom are evangelicals.

But for Baptists to have a larger impact in Mexico, they must be unified and committed to work under the direction of Christ, Villa said.

“Together we believe we can usher in a spiritual revolution in Mexico,” Villa told more than 300 church starters at a training event Jan. 10 in Matamoros.

Arango and Villa said they hope this model of church planting will spread throughout Central and South America, furthering a church-starting movement.

“This will be the platform that other countries will imitate,” Villa explained.

The duo added they think the project will stir Texas Baptist work as well. Mexican church-starting efforts will encourage increased church starting in Texas.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is working with the Mexican convention through a partnership between the two entities.

A Texas Baptist donor pays for the printed materials related to the courses, training events and some travel expenses.

Both conventions are encouraging their churches to work with congregations on each side of the border.

Cooperation is key to increasing Mexican Baptist work, BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade noted.

Texan resources help spread Mexican Baptist work, while Mexican faith inspires Texas Baptists to serve faithfully.

“Some plant the seed,” Wade said. “Some water it. Others harvest it. But it is together that God's work is done.”

But more help is needed, according to Villa.

More training is desired in evangelism and missions. Religious education needs to be strengthened. Mission and construction teams are wanted.

“We will take as many as can be sent,” Villa said.

For more information about Mexico missions or the Texas-Mexico partnership, contact the BGCT Texas Partnerships Resource Center at (214) 828-5181.

Posted: 1/23/04

On the Move

Scott Bowman to First Church in Winnsboro as minister of music and senior adults.

Dan Brown to Clearview Church in Marshall as pastor.

Bill Burch has resigned as youth minister at Colonial Hills Church in Cedar Hill.

J.C. Chambers to New Hope Church in Marshall as interim pastor.

Allan Cox to Westlake Church in Chandler as interim minister of music.

Tom Dobbs to Pine Island Church in Hempstead as pastor.

Brett Edwards to Salem Sayers Church in Adkins as pastor.

Craig Evers to Harleton Church in Harleton as interim pastor.

Brandon Hitt to Iola Missionary Church in Iola as youth minister.

Billy Johnson to Colonial Hills Church in Cedar Hill as pastor.

Jerry Marshall to First Church in Cookville as pastor.

Alex Medlock to Wellborn Church in Wellborn as music minister.

Don Nichols to Westwood Church in Waskom as interim pastor.

Shane Norcross to First Church in Milford as pastor.

Clint Pardue to Calvary Church in Port Arthur as youth minister.

Larry Phenneger has resigned as pastor of Trinity Church in Royse City.

Bob Posey has resigned as pastor at First Church in Ladonia.

Jack Riley has completed an interim pastorate at Grace Temple Church in Henrietta and is available for supply or interim at (940) 592-5595.

Lisa Rowe to Field Street Church in Cleburne as minister to children.

Tom Satterwhite to Calvary Church in Abilene as interim pastor.

Harold Smith to Dial Church in Honey Grove as pastor.

Donal Tittle to Grace Temple Church in Henrietta as pastor.

Posted: 1/23/04

Fear turns to fulfillment for prison
ministry volunteer discipleship teacher

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

GATESVILLE–Fear ran through David Barron's body when he first entered a prison in 1978 to help with the data entry systems. Now the clanging of prison gates closing behind him regularly welcomes him to his mission field.

Having overcome the initial fear he experienced when working for IBM in prisons during the late 1970s, Barron, a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Gatesville, started leading inmate Bible studies for two hours a week in the Hughes Unit.

The 73-year-old has led classes since 1995, covering various biblical books and other material such as “Experiencing God.”

“It was something at first I didn't want to do, but now I look forward to it,” said Barron, a regional director of spiritual development with Texas Baptist Men.

Many of the men who come to the studies are Christians who have lost their way, largely due to alcohol and drug issues, he explained. He seeks to help them get their lives in order by giving them a firm biblical foundation and teaching them to witness.

Barron said he is encouraged to see the men spreading their faith because he and one prison chaplain cannot reach all 3,000 inmates in the unit. Although other religious groups come to the prison, the convicts can have the most powerful impact, he believes.

“I said: 'I'm not going to be here every day. You are,'” Barron said.

Not only are the men ministering to fellow inmates, they have touched Barron's life as well. The group prayed for him and encouraged him after the recent death of his son. Their support helped him bond with the group spiritually and emotionally.

“They're a great bunch of guys, and I know some of them are in there for some pretty bad stuff,” he commented.

The most exciting part of Barron's work is seeing the men connect with a local church after they are released, he said. He fondly recalls running into a former member of one of the studies during the 2001 Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session in Dallas. He embraced the man, who now runs a halfway house for recently released convicts.

In the last couple of years, Barron has expanded his ministry as his church enlarged its outreach to the Gatesville prison. Once a week, Barron serves correctional officers hot chocolate and coffee from a trailer that rotates among the parking lots of the different units.

Barron's pastor, Tim Crosby, has noticed an increased openness from correctional officers as a result of the church's ministry inside and outside the prison. Some officers have come to worship, while others have thanked members for their outreach.

Whether dealing with officers or inmates, Barron prays God alters lifestyles through the congregation's efforts.

“The prison ministry is thrilling to work in,” he said. “You do see lives changed.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Most American voters want a deeply
religious president, recent poll reveals

By Adelle Banks

Religious News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) — Almost 60 percent of likely voters surveyed say it's important for a president to believe in God and be deeply religious while also having the backing of most Americans on how he is managing the economy and foreign policy.

A new O'Leary Report/Zogby International Values Poll that looked at the political and ideological divisions in the nation showed significant support for personal religious involvement by the country's top leader.

Fifty-nine percent of those polled said having a president who is religious is more important to them than having one who is not religious, while 30 percent said the opposite.

In the poll's so-called “red states,” which were won by President Bush in 2000, the percentage is higher–67 percent–who favor having a religious president who also is considered to have done a good job managing foreign policy and the economy.

In those states–covering the South, Southwest and mountain West–23 percent favored a president who is not religious but had success on policy issues. In the "blue states," won by former Vice President Al Gore, the percentage in favor of a religious president was lower–51 percent.

In those states–the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic, the Great Lakes and the far West– 36 percent favored a president who was successful on policy matters but not necessarily deeply religious.

“It is ultimately very important for a presidential candidate to identify with a supreme being and with what are perceived to be family and church values,” said pollster John Zogby, whose Zogby International organization is based in Utica, N.Y.

He said that view is shaped by Americans' conservative or liberal tendencies, with born-again Christians viewing religion in absolute terms and mainline Protestants and liberal Catholics having a more live-and-let-live philosophy.

Brad O'Leary, a Republican strategist and pollster who commissioned the poll, said Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean is responding to the sentiment expressed in the poll that favors religious presidents. “I think you have Dean right now looking at his polling and seeing that his persona among the American public is not as a religious or deeply religious person,” said O'Leary, publisher of “The O'Leary Report” newsletter. “So all of a sudden, in the midst of this campaign in the last few days, he starts talking about his religion.”

An earlier poll also suggested an American comfort with religious rhetoric from political leaders. A July 2003 poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found almost twice as many respondents thought there were too few references to prayer and religious faith by politicians than too much.

Forty-one percent said there was too little reference, compared to 21 percent who thought there was more than enough.

Posted: 1/23/04

Sacred Harp: Backwoods to big screen

By Howard Miller

Religion News Service

HENAGAR, Ala. (RNS)– Ask Shane Wootten how long he's been attending Sacred Harp singings, and for a moment the question hangs in the air as if it's silly.

“All my life,” he answers. Wootten was carried to singings while an infant in arms. He's 30 now, and he still loves it.

And since he's one of the Woottens of Sand Mountain, it's expected among the locals that he, like members of the Ivey, Haynes and other families, will carry on the tradition of Sacred Harp singing.

It's not uncommon to hear voices from three or more generations united in harmonious song. That was the case at a recent Sunday night singing at the simple white Liberty Baptist Church in northeast Alabama.

The crowd was a bit smaller than usual; several of the regular singers were in California attending the Los Angeles premiere of the movie “Cold Mountain” and taping a TV appearance for the A&E Network.

Two songs on the soundtrack of that major Miramax feature film were recorded in Liberty Baptist Church.

“Cold Mountain,” based on the acclaimed 1997 Civil War novel by Charles Frazier, opened nationally Christmas Day. The soundtrack went on sale in late December.

Shane Wootten was one of the singers recorded at the church in June 2002. He had been invited to the California red-carpet party but declined.

“I'm getting my baby chickens tomorrow,” he said.

Wootten, a poultry farmer, laughed at the notion he might give that up to “go Hollywood” and sing for the movies.

He figures the $200 he was paid will be all the financial return he will see from the film project.

But he will keep going to singings, which are held at the church the first Sunday of each month from October to April.

“We have a lot of all-day singings in the summer,” Wootten said, sitting on a wooden pew as other singers gathered.

Wootten said he thinks the movie will expose more people to Sacred Harp.

“We were surprised to get two whole songs in the movie. We expected to get about 30 seconds,” he said. The two songs are “I'm Going Home” and “Idumea.”

One of the songs is used in a church scene in the film when the congregation learns that its state has seceded from the Union. One by one, the males stop singing, representing the soldiers going off to war.

Real Sacred Harp singing is now most often a community social event rather than part of a religious service, though churches and their grounds often are the setting.

It gets its name from “The Sacred Harp,” an oblong songbook published in 1844 by B.F. White and E.J. King. The pair lived in western Georgia, though the book was printed in Philadelphia.

Despite the name, no harps or other musical instruments are used in Sacred Harp singing. It's all done a cappella.

The title is symbolic, probably because harps are mentioned frequently in the Psalms and are associated with King David. Others feel that the “sacred harp” is the human voice itself.

The songs in “The Sacred Harp” are not all hymns. Included are psalm tunes from English and European sources, songs by American composers (mostly from New England), and others composed or arranged by Southerners, such as traditional songs, marches, dance tunes and camp meeting spiritual songs.

There also are songs composed in the 20th century in styles consistent with the other material.

Sacred Harp also is known as shape-note singing, coming from the manner in which the musical notation is written, and fasola singing, after the syllables fa, sol, la and mi used to teach it. The notes are shaped like a triangle, an oval, a rectangle and a diamond, representing those syllables respectively.

Sacred Harp singers sit in a square and keep time by raising and lowering one of their arms.

Typically, a leader stands in the center of the square (the ideal place to hear the full effect) and calls out the number of the song. It is sung in the fasola syllables one time before the words are sung.

Singer-musician Tim Eriksen was partly responsible for bringing Hollywood to Henagar.

“I was hired to be the singing voice of the character Stobrod (played by Brendan Gleeson), who is an itinerant fiddle player in the film,” explained Eriksen from his home in Minneapolis.

When the film's music was being planned, Eriksen arranged a meeting between the movie people and the singers on Sand Mountain, a region known for its Sacred Harp music.

“The director had heard of a song called 'Logan' and that inspired him when he wrote the screenplay. He imagined a scene with singing coming out of a church,” he said.

Eriksen taught Sacred Harp singing to two of the film's stars, Nicole Kidman and Jude Law.

“It's neat that, aside from the movie, Sacred Harp music is getting such a wide exposure,” Eriksen said. “There's a possibility you might see some Sacred Harp at the Academy Awards.”

Posted: 1/23/04

Teens more likely to surf the Net
for religion than for porn, survey reveals

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (RNS)­U.S. teens say they are three times as likely to use the Internet for religious purposes as for pornography, a new study shows.

The National Study of Youth and Religion found that 17 percent of teens surveyed use the Internet a few times a month or more frequently to link to religious Web sites, while 5 percent use the Internet to connect to pornographic sites.

Overall, teens used the Internet most for homework, with 77 percent saying they used it for this purpose a few times a month or more frequently.

The survey looked at teenagers ages 13 to 17 with access to the Internet.

Researchers found a connection between teens who identified themselves as religious and their use of faith-related Web sites.

Forty percent of teens who say faith is extremely important to them said they visited religious sites a few times each month or more often.

Another 20 percent who say faith is very important to them said they visit such sites at the same rate.

In comparison, 4 percent of those who say faith is not very important to them visited such sites with the same frequency.

Researchers also found that teens who say they have a low interest in religion are far more likely than their religious counterparts to use the Internet to access pornography.

Researchers discovered similar findings when comparing frequency of attendance at religious services.

Three percent of those who regularly attend services report they view online pornography a few times a month or more often.

That compares to 8 percent of teens who never attend religious services and 7 percent of those who attend church sporadically.

The findings, released last month, were based on 2,600 teens surveyed through the National Study of Youth and Religion. The four-year research project, which is based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is funded by the Lilly Endowment and continues through August 2005.

Posted: 1/23/04

Texas Tidbits

Valley Baptist CEO wins national award. James Springfield, president and chief executive officer of Valley Baptist Health System in Harlingen, has won the American College of Healthcare Executives 2004 Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for young healthcare executive of the year. Springfield joined Valley Baptist Health System in 2001 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He was named president and CEO in 2003.

Baylor Medical honored. Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas recently received the Magnet Award for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The center granted the designation, achieved by fewer than 2 percent of hospitals nationwide, after Baylor Medical in Dallas met or exceeded standards in 14 areas of nursing leadership, clinical practice, education, research and quality during a weeklong on-site survey last November.

ETBU names CFO and treasurer. Controller Richard Hutsell has been named chief financial officer at East Texas Baptist University. Wanda Conder, former dean of financial services, has been appointed treasurer of the university.

Baylor posts $45 million in gifts. Baylor University received $45,489,886 in gifts during 2003–the fourth-largest amount given to the university during a calendar year. The figure does not include gifts made to the independent Baylor Alumni Association. The $45 million came from the third-largest number of donors in Baylor's history, as 16,440 individuals, foundations, companies and organizations gave to the university last year. More than 3,500 gifts came from first-time donors. Baylor posted its best year for donations in 1997, receiving $59,943,191 in gifts.

HPU guarantees tuition. Howard Payne University trustees have approved a guaranteed tuition program to be implemented in the fall semester of 2004. At that time, the block tuition rate for students will be locked in at $5,500, as long as a student is enrolled full-time for consecutive fall and spring semesters and is making satisfactory progress toward a degree.

Truett conference slated. "The Church Awake" is the theme of the Pastors-Laymans' Conference at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Feb. 16-18. Speakers include Joel Gregory, renowned preacher and former Texas Baptist pastor; Richard Jackson, evangelist and former pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church; Buckner Fanning, retired pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio; Jack MacGorman, distinguished professor emeritus of New Testament at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; and John Nguyen, vice president of the Vietnamese Baptist Theological Institute in Garland.

Baylor sets Sacred Harp sing. Baylor University will sponsor its third annual Sacred Harp sing Feb. 7 at Truett Theological Seminary. Sacred Harp singing is a 160-year-old Southern folk hymn tradition that uses shape-note notation and "fa-sol-la" syllables. The event will be preceded by a brief singing school. Lunch will be provided for the participants. For more information, contact David Music at (254) 710-2360 or David_Music@baylor.edu.

DBU sets Patriot Weekend. Dallas Baptist University has invited prospective students and their parents to visit the campus Feb. 6-7 for Patriot Weekend. DBU will provide information on financial aid options, the admissions process and campus life. Students will have the opportunity to interview for scholarships while parents meet DBU administrators. The weekend concludes with a concert by Glowing Heart. Cost for each prospective student is $25 for lodging and meals, as well as meals for parents. For more information, contact (214) 333-5360 or admiss@dbu.edu. Students who are unable to attend the weekend in February may register for the fall Patriot Weekend Nov. 12-13.

Posted: 1/23/04

TOGETHER:
Why is it so hard to live like Jesus?

Frank Dang, a gifted and articulate Vietnamese-American minister, gave his testimony at the Texas Evangelism and Missions Conference. He has just joined the Baptist General Convention of Texas' WorldconneX staff to help Texas Baptists increase missions involvement around the world, and he told about his father's miraculous salvation experience and his own journey to Christ.

As he spoke of his missions calling, he recalled an encounter with a Muslim in Afghanistan who said, “Please, tell the American Christians that if they can find a way to live like Jesus taught people to live, all the people I know would gladly follow Jesus.”

Why is it so hard for those of us who follow Christ to follow him? One reason is because Jesus set such a high standard.

We can't live like Christ asked us to do without his help. We know we will never achieve the full measure of his holiness. We always are a work in progress. We learn to depend on the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit just to keep going.

Another reason is we have become conditioned to excusing our carelessness in righteous living by noting we are only human.

We don't expect to do our best, much less seek God's best for us. Knowing we can't be absolutely perfect, we don't even try to be more Christlike in our attitudes and behavior.

But think of what it could mean if more and more Christians were willing to place the Sermon on the Mount foremost, living pure and holy lives, full of gratitude and grace, serving others. If enough of us began truly to follow him, it would change the world.

Read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 with a fresh sense of what it would be like if Christians would remember that Jesus has made us “salt and light” for the world. Do not let hatred or anger rule you. Forgive and be reconciled. Do not commit adultery. Flee from lust. Stay married. Use simple, honest language, without oaths. Do not strike back, and go the extra mile. Love and pray for your enemies. Give to the needy. Pray plainly, briefly, seeking the will of God on earth. Fast without calling attention to yourself. Store up treasure in heaven. Don't waste time worrying. Don't condemn others. Treat holy things with respect. Keep on praying. Be wary of false prophets. Build your life on solid rock.

Consider, as well, the Apostle Paul's admonitions to the young Christians in Ephesus who wanted so much to follow Christ but were having a hard time doing so. Put off falsehood and speak truthfully. Don't hold a grudge. Work hard so you'll have something to share with the needy. Speak words that build others up. Rid your life of bitterness, rage, fighting, slander and malice. Be kind and compassionate. Forgive others as God forgave you. Remain sexually pure. Rid your speech of obscenity, foolish talk and dirty jokes. Instead, offer words of thanksgiving. (Ephesians 4:25-5:4)

Some may caution that too much attention to behavior can lead to self-righteousness and pride. That's true. It can. But most of us have so far to go, it will be awhile before pride becomes a threat.

For the sake of the world that could be saved if only they could see the life of Christ in his people, we can say: “Here I am, Lord, keep changing me.”

We are loved.