Posted: 11/24/03

EDITORIAL:
Priesthood of the believer defines Baptists' differences

If you could study Baptists' DNA under a theological microscope, the defining chromosome–the strand that gives shape to all others–would be labeled “priesthood of the believer.”

Of course, numerous Baptist characteristics have received more attention, especially in recent decades. During the 1980s, at the height of the Southern Baptist Convention controversy, disagreement over Baptists' understanding of the nature of Scripture grabbed countless headlines. In the '90s, after one group gained control of the convention, Baptists focused on relationships, particularly between the fundamentalist-run SBC and the emerging moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. In the last few years, Baptists have debated how to conduct foreign and domestic missions. Baptists also have argued long and hard about structure, particularly the links–financial and relational–between churches and conventions, as well as between state and national conventions. If you've paid close attention, you probably could suggest a dozen other defining characteristics.

But Baptists' perspectives on the priesthood of the believer–the doctrine they have contributed to the larger church–pervade all these issues. In general, an interpretation of the priesthood of the believer determines how a person or group understands humanity's place in the world. And that determination divides Baptists.

We are not Lone Ranger Christians, riding off alone with God. We're responsible to God, but we're accountable to each other.

Before we go on, some background: The theological foundation for the priesthood of the believer is a doctrine called soul competency. It suggests each person is born with a soul, the core of one's spiritual being, that makes the person competent to relate directly to a loving and righteous God. The creation accounts of Genesis, cycle of rebellion-reconciliation-rebellion of the Old Testament and grace-filled glory of the New Testament all affirm people were made for a loving relationship with God. They were provided with competence, or free will, to accept or reject God's love. Otherwise, their love for God would be coerced and therefore bogus.

Consequently, we say that all people are entitled to be “priests” before God. No one needs a human intermediary–another priest–to facilitate a personal relationship with God. Each person is capable of giving and receiving God's love, seeking God's counsel, approaching God with needs and repenting directly to God.

This is a great privilege. Unfortunately, many Baptists–from the right as well as the left–understand the priesthood of the believer this far. That causes them to grasp only half the doctrine, which leads to misunderstanding and division.

The easy, enticing half of the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer is privilege. Who wouldn't feel proud, honored and grateful to relate directly to the King of the universe? The other half of the doctrine, however, is responsibility. Each person is responsible–to God and to others–for how this mighty privilege is used.

This concept is easier to understand when you think about the role of a priest within a congregation. He obviously enjoys privileges, such as presiding in worship and receiving recognition for his position. But he also bears enormous responsibility–both to God and to the people–for his stewardship of privilege and service to others.

The same goes for Baptists who believe in and practice the priesthood of the believer. We are privileged to go before God, to relate to God. We ask and receive God's guidance as we interpret Scripture, determine divine will for our lives and seek forgiveness of our sins. But we also exist in a community of believers, and we're responsible to serve them and are accountable to them. That's why Baptist historian Bill Leonard has suggested we re-name this doctrine “priesthood of all believers.” We are not Lone Ranger Christians, riding off alone with God. We're responsible to God, but we're accountable to each other.

Earlier, I mentioned Baptists' perspectives on the priesthood of the believer provide the defining chromosome in our DNA. That's because we see human tendency–and thus individual inclination to come down on the privilege or responsibility side of the doctrinal equation–differently.

This in large measure has to do with how much we emphasize another doctrine, total depravity. Articulated by Reformer John Calvin, the doctrine of total depravity insists that, since Adam and Eve, all people are sinners. Everyone yields to the urge to place self above God. “There is no one righteous, no, not one,” the Apostle Paul wrote.

Baptists believe this. We'd be hard pressed to name a Baptist who does not believe in total depravity, in humanity's sinful nature. However, the emphasis that different kinds of Baptists place on this determines how they come down on the priesthood of the believer and how they behave toward others.

Fundamentalists are more inclined to emphasize just how comprehensive and awful total depravity really is. Therefore, they naturally assume people will take advantage of the priesthood of the believer–abuse the generosity of privilege and ignore the accountability of responsibility. That's why they tend to go ballistic when others claim Jesus is all they need to guide them to do right; they're pretty sure a sinful person will take advantage of Jesus' goodwill. So, they insist on making people sign creeds and affirm new statements of belief. They're trying to build a theological wall to protect sinful souls from the evils of a wicked world.

Non-fundamentalists see it differently. While they recognize total depravity, they also stress that people are created in God's image. They're more inclined to believe people will do right and will land on the responsibility side of the priesthood of the believer. They emphasize that “me and Jesus” are sufficient to make all decisions, but they reason that a loving relationship with Jesus will compel a Christian to seek goodness and responsibility, not license and theological hedonism. For their part, they tend to be a little naive about human nature and sometimes even too quick to discount the value of Christian community.

Both extremes miss the nuance–and the beauty–of the priesthood of all believers. Some of us need to remember the church is a community of faith. We're accountable to each other, and all believers should be exhorted toward responsibility as well as privilege. Fundamentalists need to recognize Christians reflect Christ's image and are motivated by freedom to love (which was why we were created in the first place). Confessions of faith may be theologically accurate and precisely articulate the beliefs of Baptists. But if they are coerced, they become creeds that imprison souls and deny spiritual freedom.

–Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Posted: 11/24/03

Scarborough Hall begins
new chapter at ETBU

MARSHALL–An old building has a new look and a new name at East Texas Baptist University.

Scarborough Memorial Chapel opened in 1948 as both a chapel and home to the music department. It was named by its benefactor, Evelyn Scarborough Linebery, as a memorial to her parents, W.F. and Kara Scarborough, and her uncle and aunt, L.R. and Neppie Scarborough. L.R. Scarborough was president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

Over the past two years, the structure has been gutted and refitted as an academic center at a cost of $2 million. The exterior remains essentially the same in appearance.

The Nov. 14 rededication service was held on the front lawn of Marshall Hall, facing the neo-gothic landmark building. The ceremony kicked off homecoming activities.

Scarborough Hall has four floors of academic space. The first floor will house the Advising and Career Development Center and the communications department. The School of Religious Studies will occupy the second floor. The history/political science department will occupy the third floor, and the fourth floor will be home to the English department.

The English writing lab features a large picture window overlooking the campus. Each floor has office space and classrooms.

Rita Storie Turner, a 1948 graduate of East Texas Baptist College, was present at the original dedication service. She gave the keynote address at the rededication.

“My stay on the hill was one of the happiest times of my life,” she said. “I came at the age of 16. The names have changed–College of Marshall, East Texas Baptist College, East Texas Baptist University–but the vision remains the same, the continuity of Christian education.”

Posted: 11/24/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Nov. 30

Christians are heaven's ambassadors on earth

Colossians 3:18-4:18

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

What does a Christian look like in the 21st century? Paul's word to the Colossians paints a picture of a Christian–a person of prayer; witness; wisdom in daily life; and graceful speech that remembers God's servants are salt and light to the world. John Calvin describes it, “For the church is like a city of which all believers are the mutual inhabitants, joined with each other by a mutual kinship; but unbelievers are foreigners.” As a citizen of a city, the Christian is one fulfilling obligations of honor and duty to please the leaders of the city, according to Calvin. In the case of the Christian, he or she desires to serve Christ as a heavenly citizen while on earth.

Prayer

Paul encourages the church to “keep close company with prayer” (4:2). Described another way, Paul asks the church to “busily engage in prayer” with watchfulness. Paul's hint here is that the Christian life possesses danger. Prayer combats that danger. Prayer awakens the spiritual life so that grace touches the soul and gratitude flows from the lips. Speech and words are important to Paul. Therefore, he simply says what Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). What is in the heart comes out, either good or bad. The Christian prays God's grace, and gratitude results.

Paul longs for the Christian to have speech always seasoned with grace, like salt flavoring meat (Colossians 4:6). Prayer prepares the heart for what may need to come out later in conversation with another person. Prayers of grace sprinkle gratitude and also give the Christian an answer for speaking to others when necessary (v. 6). Christian speech honors Christ, flavors the world with the spice of God's grace and delivers words of purity for individual edification.

Testimony

Paul knows the importance of words carefully chosen to give witness to the cross (v. 3). Paul desired prayer for an open door (v. 3). The prayer was for the removal of hindrances to preaching (in Paul's case, he was in prison) and a prayer of opportunity for the good news of the gospel to go forth. Paul anxiously longed for the testimony of the cross, grace and God's peace to be told. He wished for the mystery of Christ to touch hearts and change lives (v. 3). Paul felt a moral obligation to announce the gospel (v. 4). The necessity was to make clear what Christ came to do–save, provide eternal life, love and grace the soul unto salvation.

Paul names fellow servants for Christ who also give witness to the gospel–Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Marcus, Barnabas, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Nymphas and Archippus. For the testimony of God's grace to be delivered, there must be zeal or enthusiasm, comfort, encouragement, a public reading of the Scriptures and faithfulness in service to Christ. Each person Paul names possesses these kinds of qualities and fruitfulness for witness that comes through Christ.

Wisdom

The Christians were to walk in wisdom (v. 5). Paul probably has in mind the philosophers and sophists of the day who gave their philosophies on speakers' corners in major cities. They shared their philosophic words about life as peripatetic walkers, those who walk in circles. Paul's gospel was more than a philosophy spoken in public places; it was a word of salvation that transformed soul, heart, mind, duty, conduct and life itself. Paul wishes for the Christian to speak and to conduct himself or herself in wisdom face to face to those outside of the gospel.

Paul sees Christ's servants who give testimony as heavenly citizens who speak and live as kingdom citizens on the earth. The witness for Christ and the cross comes in the daily traffic pattern of normal life in the city. The witness invites foreigners (“outside the gospel”) to become citizens of Christ's kingdom through grace and salvation. The witness anticipates the heavenly city where Christ dwells and heaven as the eternal home of Christian citizens when they leave this earth.

Praying, giving testimony in words for Jesus and displays of wisdom to the world, requires “redeeming the time” (v. 5). The idea is to set free the use of time by freeing it from worldly waste. It also means to “buy back at the market place” and involves conserving time like you would money and placing supreme value on it. Furthermore, the word indicates using time wisely and for God's glory. This does not mean the neurotic obsession with time, but the valuable use of time for witness, rest and service to please an audience of One (Christ).

Grace-filled speech

Paul feels a spiritual obligation to speak the good news of Jesus (v. 4, “ought”). Paul never strays far from the cross, the resurrection of Christ and the ascension of Jesus. Christ ascends, and the Holy Spirit comes to fill believers with God's grace. Christ lives in the Christian's heart by grace and peace, mercy and truth, thus supplying graceful and peaceful speech. Grace overflows from the heart that Christ has graced.

Question for discussion

What should identify citizens of heaven living on earth?

Posted: 11/24/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Dec. 7

A fish tale: When the grace of God spat

Jonah 1:1-2:9

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

God's call to serve comes to every Christian. The book of Jonah relays the message of God's call, one man's journey through disobedience and obedience, and God's gracious hand at work on a wide sea of trouble.

God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach the gospel. Nineveh, in the common language of Eugene Peterson, was not a “tall-steeple church with a cheesecake congregation,” but it was a place where wickedness reigned and where God's grace longed to transform hearts. Jonah fled like a runaway to Tarshish “from the presence of the Lord” (1:3). Think of Nineveh as God's call, plan, service and will. Think of Tarshish as man or woman's quest to please the self and an odyssey of “storm trouble” (Peterson). Trouble comes when we flee from God.

Cry out in the deep and dark

Jonah prayed to God in his storm trouble (2:1). Jonah had run from God's presence, or literally, “from God's face.” Jonah flees on a ship to Tarshish, a storms erupts, Jonah is thrown overboard and fights for his survival on a deep and dark sea. The power of the storm is described as broken up (1:4), swelling (v. 11, “tempestuous”) and raging like a man in a flash of red-hot anger (v. 15).

The sailors ask Jonah for help. They ask him “Why?” They draw straws to see if Jonah is the reason for the tossing ship on the sea and then throw him into the crashing waves of water (vv. 4-15). The storm calms, the sailors on the ship find relief and turn to God with a sacrifice and vows (v. 16). In the process of God seeking to get Jonah's attention, he got the attention of the sailors.

A large fish, possibly a whale, swallows Jonah whole (2:1). Jonah finds himself sucking seaweed and surviving in the bone-lined fish's belly on a wide sea in a tight space where darkness reigns. All Jonah knows to do is pray (v. 2).

P.T. Forsyth once said, “Prayer, true prayer, does not allow us to deceive ourselves. It relaxes the tension of our self-inflation. It produces clearness of spiritual vision.” Jonah prayed by confessing his anguish, his darkness, his condition, and his need for God's light and rescue (vv. 2-4).

Saint John of the Cross, a 16th century poet and mystic, once described his own anguish as a “dark night of the soul … as an inner sense of exile.” Jonah was exiled in the darkness of a fish's belly for three days and nights. In darkness Jonah feels pressure (literally, “affliction”).

Is God listening?

Jonah knew his choices entangled and imprisoned his life in a web of seaweed (v. 5). He acknowledged what his eyes before had rejected–that he needed to look to God and his presence again (v. 4). Worship in the darkness gives pause to reflect on God's light. Jonah's worship led him to confess his own sin (v. 6). Jonah described his life on the run against God's call as a move from God's mountain (of grace) to a fall to a low place on earth (“baseness,” referred to as the base of a mountain, v. 6). Jonah professed his need for God, as one who could deliver (literally, “overpower”) his life from the pit of destruction, sin and death. Jonah knew his life was “cut off” from God.

Jonah again described his condition as faint or weary in the darkness (literally, “to swoon,” v. 7). He remembered God's call, plan and will for himself and Nineveh. God's will never moves in isolation. It always includes God's light, spiritual eyes to see, spiritual ears to hear and service to others in God's name. Jonah reveals his need for God's presence, described as his inner, holy presence filling the temple (v. 7). Jonah contrasts the filling of God with the emptiness of idols, a reference to things that are breathless or without life. True, abundant life is found in God's mercy. Jonah admits that the people who worship idols, those who run from God and those who flee God's call, forsake their own mercy (v. 8). It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed (Lamentations 3:22-23). God's mercy spits Jonah on the shore (Jonah 2:10). Darkness surrenders to the light. God hears Jonah's cry from the deep and dark.

A reversal

Jonah experiences a reversal of fortune by God's grace. Amid seaweed and vomit, sand and a shore, God renews Jonah in an act of worshipful sacrifice (v. 9). The great reversal in Jonah's life occurs in confession and repentance. Jonah sacrifices to God and thanks God. He renews his vow to follow God's call, plan and will. He aims to see God's vision for himself and for Nineveh. He longs to hear God's voice and respond as God's servant. He acknowledges that salvation, both for him in a raging, dark sea of trouble and for the wicked Ninevites, comes through God (v. 9).

The preacher and commentator Charles Spurgeon said, “Jonah learned this sentence of theology in a strange college.” Jonah attended the school of hard knocks, running feet, raging seas and a dark night of life and soul, but through it all God's mercy spit Jonah onto the shores of God's service.

Questions for discussion

Has running from God ever brought you to a dark, smelly place you didn't want to be?

Posted: 11/24/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Nov. 30

Paul demonstrated God's life-changing power

Acts 21:27–22:29

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

With his third missionary journey completed, Paul faced the threat of Jewish hostility in Jerusalem. While at Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus had come from Judea to warn Paul of the danger awaiting him in Jerusalem. Those traveling with Paul (including Luke), along with fellow believers in Caesarea, pleaded with him not to continue to Jerusalem. Paul told his well-meaning friends he was convinced it was the Lord's will that he go, and he was ready to die in Jerusalem for the sake of Christ if that be God's plan. Paul was received with joy by his Christian brothers in Jerusalem. They glorified God when Paul completed his report concerning God's mighty work among the Gentiles through his ministry.

Facing Satan's fury

Even though the Jerusalem Council earlier had won liberty from the Jewish law for the Gentile believers out in the empire (Acts 15; 21:25), there were yet many thousands of Jewish believers in Judea who were still “zealous for the law” of Moses. False rumors had reached Jerusalem that Paul had urged Jewish believers to forsake Moses' law and Jewish customs. They had falsely accused Paul of bringing Trophimus, a Gentile believer from Ephesus, into the temple with him. This was considered a blasphemous act. Mob violence resulted, and news of the riot reached the captain of the Roman garrison who quickly brought his troops to quell the disturbance.

The captain, not able to extract a coherent charge from the seething mob, bound Paul and ordered him removed to their barracks in the Castle of Antonia in the northwest corner of the temple area. Paul was likely closer to losing his life than he had ever been before. Ironically, because of the impartial justice of the pagan Romans, Paul's life was saved.

Bearing witness under difficult circumstances

In the midst of the screaming, bloodthirsty mob calling for Paul's life, the soldiers struggled to get Paul safely inside their barracks in the castle. Paul, not wanting to miss a single opportunity to bear witness for Christ, made an amazing request of his captors. He asked for permission to address that furious mob of people clamoring for his life. The captain was stunned when Paul addressed him in flawless Greek. He had already decided Paul might be a certain Egyptian who, some years before, had led a band of desperados to the Mount of Olives. He had promised that he could cause the walls of Jerusalem to fall down. The Romans intervened and arrested his followers, although the Egyptian leader escaped.

Paul quickly gave his credentials to the captain and asked to speak to the people. Permission was granted, and when Paul began to speak in the Hebrew tongue, an eerie silence fell across the mob.

Defending the faith

What happened the next few moments that day in Jerusalem was a remarkable evidence of the authority of the Holy Spirit manifested through one of God's servants. From his elevated position on the steps of the castle, Paul lifted his hand toward the crowd for attention and spoke to them in their mother tongue. “Brethren and fathers” probably was the accepted form of formal address in any assembly where both scribes and elders were present. “Brethren” also may have expressed Paul's love for his own fellow Jews, and “fathers” showed his respect for the eminent rulers of the Jews, some of whom may have been in the crowd.

Paul gave something of a biographical sketch of his life. He admitted his zeal toward God, which meant he was committed without reservation to keeping and guarding the law. He confessed he had persecuted the followers of Christ. He described the lengths to which he had gone in his acts of defiance–persecuting believers “to the death.” He may have been referring to the part he played in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60). He continued the painful account of his crusade against Christ's followers by relating the turning point in his life, his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, his temporary blindness, and the meeting with Ananias.

At this point, Paul boldly declared how, through Ananias, God had revealed his plan for Paul's life. Three things were predominant in these divine instructions to Paul: (1) he would know God's will because of his submission to Jesus Christ; (2) he was appointed “to see the righteous One,” which fulfilled one of the requirements of apostleship and (3) he would receive God's message which he would communicate “to all men.” Ananias then urged Paul to be baptized, “calling on his name.” Paul complied with Jesus' command (Matthew 28:19).

His baptism was more than a formal or ceremonial act. Repentance and saving faith are clearly evident in Paul's actions. Paul had a clear concept of “the washing of regeneration” and “the renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), which came from his own personal experience with Christ.

Questions for discussion

How was the power of the gospel revealed in Paul's life?

What is the most effective evidence of the power of the gospel in your life?

Posted: 11/24/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Dec. 7

Joy can be discovered through giving to others

2 Corinthians 8:1-24

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

In our generation, “getting” is emphasized far more than “giving.” With many, acquiring and stockpiling things is an obsession. Somewhere along the way, we have developed the attitude that “what I have is mine, and you can get yours the same way I got mine!” Yet when Christians discover there is greater pleasure in giving than receiving, a fulfilling and inexpressible joy results.

The setting of this study grows out of the condition existing in the Jerusalem church. The believers were experiencing extreme poverty. The cause is not revealed, nor is it important, for when a person is suffering the focus should be on doing all we can to relieve the pain. Delaying our help in order to analyze the worthiness of the receiver can come dangerously close to judging one's fellowman.

Encouraging generosity through example

Between the time Paul told the Corinthians of the need for an offering to help the impoverished believers in Jerusalem (before 1 Corinthians was written) to the time of the writing of 2 Corinthians, relations between Paul and the Corinthian believers had been strained. Every chapter in 1 Corinthians contains rebuke and corrections for what was going on in the church. In addition to a sordid catalogue of sins that had surfaced, the Judaizers had begun a movement to discredit Paul. Paul sent Titus to deal with the matter, and he was used of the Lord to rectify the situation and put the Corinthians once more on the right course. Knowing this, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to encourage the church to complete the offering they had begun earlier, which apparently had been temporarily abandoned.

Paul found great joy in giving praise where it was due. With genuine delight, he wrote of the generosity of the Macedonian believers, and he longed to be able to offer the same gratitude to God for the Corinthians. They were so moved with the desire to share with their fellow believers in Jerusalem that they gave more than they were able to give. Knowing their limited resources, Paul may have been hesitant to receive their abundant gifts. He was deeply touched by their insistence that he receive their offering. They were not coerced to give. Their gracious sharing was totally voluntary.

Furthermore, the Macedonians “gave themselves first.” They may indeed have offered themselves for the work of the gospel. Like the widow Jesus commended who gave “all her living,” the Macedonians gave themselves in absolute dependence on God's care. Then, in all earnestness, Paul commended the Corinthians for the way in which they were excelling in the Christian graces, urging them to excel likewise in the grace of giving.

Managing what God has given

After citing the example the Macedonians had set in their giving, Paul moved to the ultimate example set by the Lord Jesus Christ. He emphasized that Christ's giving did not begin on the cross, nor even with his lowly birth. It began in heaven, when he set aside his glory and came to earth. With that magnificent demonstration of giving, how could any believer hold back?

A year before, the Corinthians had led out in being the first to support this offering. After the unfortunate interruption because of the problems in the church, they were again filled with the desire to give. They must match that desire by putting their words and intentions into action.

Many times we leave a conference where missionaries have shared the overwhelming needs on their fields of service, and we are convicted to give generously to support those endeavors. Often, however, we lose the edge of our enthusiasm and we fail to carry through by matching our giving with our excitement.

Insisting on integrity in giving

It was no accident that Paul was inspired to include these “housekeeping” matters in this portion of his letter. They reveal the careful attention Paul gave in dealing with any issue, and particularly this one involving money. His personal integrity in money matters was beyond reproach. He discouraged gifts sent to him, and insisted on “making tents” to support himself and his ministry. He did not do this to establish a precedent against supporting God's servants. In his particular situation, he felt it necessary to do nothing to give his enemies reason to accuse him of preaching for material gain.

In the matter of this offering collected from the churches, Paul wanted all of the details clearly laid out and understood. He asked the Corinthian church to choose certain individuals to be responsible for the offering collected and to personally deliver it to the church in Jerusalem.

In contemporary times, Billy Graham has been a model of integrity regarding money collected during his evangelistic crusades. To be certain that the way in which the money was handled would not be a source of criticism, he established a board of Christian businessmen to oversee these matters.

Giving to help others is essential to spiritual growth. As we do so, we are emulating the Lord Jesus Christ who taught us, by example, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Questions for discussion

What are some factors that should motivate Christians to give?

Why is it “more blessed to give than to receive”?

Posted: 11/24/03

Baylor names Kim Gaynor interim vice president

WACO–Kim Gaynor has been named interim vice president for university relations at Baylor University.

The interim post has been filled by Larry Brumley, associate vice president for university relations, since Feb. 1, when Vice President Stan Madden returned to the classroom.

Kim Gaynor

Gaynor has held a long career in advertising, most recently with Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, the largest advertising agency in the United States and the fifth-largest worldwide.

Gaynor earned the bachelor of business administration degree in marketing and finance in 1966 from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of the 1963 national championship football team. He began his career in 1967 in Cincinnati with Procter & Gamble Co. Two years later, he joined Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising in Los Angeles as assistant to the chairman. He rose to management supervisor and vice president, where he guided the agency's largest account, Mazda Motors of America, to become one of the fastest-selling brands in the U.S.

From 1975 to 1982, Gaynor served as senior vice president and director of client services for McCann Erickson Advertising in Houston. He returned to Austin in 1982 and spent the next five years as executive vice president and agency principal with GSD&M Advertising, a firm created by five entrepreneurs from the University of Texas.

In 1987, Gaynor joined Bozell/Dallas as executive vice president, chairman of the executive committee and director of client services. Three years later, he assumed leadership of Bozell's office in Detroit as executive vice president and general manager. He went on to serve as president of the firm's Chrysler Team USA and executive vice president of DaimlerChrysler USA and Mexico.

Gaynor's wife, Brenda, is a Baylor graduate. They have two children, Brandon, who is a sophomore at Baylor, and Morgan, who is in the fourth grade. The Gaynors reside in Amarillo.

Posted: 11/24/03

The recent house dedication featured a visit by Habitat founder Millard Fuller (second from left on back row). He is shown with Julie Turner, chairwoman of the DBU board; DBU President Gary Cook; WFAA-TV meteorologist Troy Dungan; new homeowner Dee Wright; and Blair Blackburn, DBU's executive vice president.	The DBU chapter built the latest Habitat house for Dallas resident Dee Wright, and her 17-year-old son, D.J. Students, faculty and staff constructed the home on campus, and it is being moved to the nearby Oak Cliff community. The photograph above shows the house in the early stages of framing.

Fuller: Help Habitat build character

By Marv Knox

Editor

DALLAS–Habitat for Humanity needs Baptists to help preserve its Christian character, founder Millard Fuller pleaded.

Fuller and his wife, Linda, launched Habitat in 1976 to provide “a simple, decent good place in which to live” for every person on Earth.

Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity.

The Fullers visited Dallas to accept the Maston Award for applied Christian ethics from the T.B. Maston Foundation. Prior to his death, Maston taught Christian ethics to generations of ministers at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and guided Baptists toward racial reconciliation.

The Fullers also helped Dallas Baptist University dedicate the latest home constructed by the DBU Habitat chapter, comprised of students, faculty and staff.

Habitat has built almost 160,000 homes for nearly 1 million people all over the globe, Fuller reported. Habitat completes a house every 26 minutes, working through chapters in 3,700 cities and 92 countries.

“I have a deep concern that Habitat for Humanity remain firmly a Christian ministry,” said Fuller, the organization's president. “From the beginning, I have seen Habitat as a new frontier in Christian missions–a creative and new way to proclaim the gospel.

“The missionary enterprise has been going on for many, many years, and there have been traditional ways to do missionary work–hospitals, schools, agriculture, preaching, revivals–and all of that is authentic. There's nothing wrong with that.

“But I see Habitat for Humanity as a new and creative work to do what we are commanded to do in Matthew 28, which is to proclaim the gospel, and proclamation occurs in many ways–verbal and incarnational.”

Incarnational proclamation involves living out the gospel, much like Jesus did when he came to Earth to demonstrate God's love for people, Fuller explained. “The prophets had proclaimed God's word, but God chose to send his Son, Jesus, as the message of his love.”

Ironically, success may be the biggest impediment to Fuller's vision, he conceded. Habitat has attracted millions of volunteers who want to help end poverty by providing affordable housing.

“Some of them are not Christians,” he noted. “We have an open-door policy” to accept all volunteers who want to build homes in order to end poverty. Consequently, people of all kinds of faiths and no faith have stepped up to participate.

This trend offers a couple of benefits. First, more homes get built. And second, since Habitat crews begin each day with a devotional and prayer and Christians work on the projects, the non-Christian workers theoretically receive a spiritual witness when they work on a project.

But if evangelical Christians don't do their part, if they get crowded out, then Habitat could lose its Christian flavor and the spark of its witness, Fuller fretted.

“My greatest concern for Habitat for Humanity is going secular,” he said. “It's not foreordained that this ministry remain a strong Christian ministry. All that it will take for Habitat to go secular is for Christians to stay away from it.”

Consequently, Fuller has been focusing his attention on challenging Baptists and other evangelical Christians to get involved in Habitat.

“We urgently need (Baptists), not just to saw boards and pound nails, but to have a presence on site that introduces people to Jesus,” he stressed. “But you can't do that without presence, … without Christians on site.”

Fuller gets most frustrated with his “evangelical brethren” who tell him they're uncomfortable on a Habitat work site with non-Christians.

Because of the scope of Habitat's mission–“to end poverty housing on Earth”–the organization cannot afford to turn away volunteers, Fuller said.

“We have an open door to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, atheists, agnostics, whoever wants to join us, but we are Christian,” he said. “In that sense, we are no different from a church. The church says, 'Whosoever will may come.'

“A church should rejoice if an atheist wants to come, … but the pastor doesn't alter the sermon. If anything it is stronger.”

Presbyterians and Methodists have provided the strongest support to Habitat, but Fuller is singling out Baptists.

“I want to issue the strongest possible appeal to Baptists to come out and join us, to keep Habitat for Humanity faithful to its founding principles,” he said.

Those principles are distinctively Baptist, Fuller insisted, pointing out Habitat's Baptist lineage.

The Fullers founded Habitat in 1976 out of Koinonia Farm, a Christian community near Americus, Ga. Two Baptist couples–Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England–sought to model Christian justice and racial reconciliation on the farm.

The Fullers are members of Maranatha Baptist Church in nearby Plains, Ga. And Habitat's most famous volunteers, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, also are members of the church.

“From the very beginning, the leadership of Habitat for Humanity has been Baptist,” Fuller said. “But that deep Baptist connection is not known by a lot of Baptists.”

The Fullers' trip to Texas highlighted their Baptist connections. Southwestern Seminary professor T.B. Maston, for whom their award is named, was a contemporary with Clarence Jordan in the civil rights movement.

And Dallas Baptist University President Gary Cook has been a longtime Habitat supporter. In 1987, Cook, then an administrator at Baylor University, helped organize Habitat's first official student organization at Baylor.

The DBU chapter built the latest Habitat house for Dallas resident Dee Wright, and her 17-year-old son, D.J. Students, faculty and staff constructed the home on campus, and it is being moved to the nearby Oak Cliff community.

Posted: 11/24/03

Where are the large Hispanic churches in Texas?

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

According to the 2000 census, 6.7 million Hispanics live in Texas. The Baptist General Convention of Texas relates to more than 1,200 Hispanic churches, a ratio of one congregation per 5,500 Hispanic resident.

But only one Hispanic BGCT-affiliated church has more 2,000 members. None average more than 1,000 people in a worship service.

In a state known for large Baptist churches, where are all the large Hispanic churches?

Hispanic Texas Baptist leaders believe such churches have not formed yet because of a combination of socio-economic reasons. But they see larger Hispanic Baptist churches on the horizon.

The major reason Hispanic churches have stayed small is a flawed approach to starting churches, according to Roland Lopez, pastor of Northwest Hispanic Baptist Church in San Antonio.

When congregations started missions in years past, they were designed to remain permanently reliant on the mother church. Mission church buildings were constructed to hold a maximum of 150 people. Without substantial funds, these potential churches would continue to be missions.

Over time, members of Hispanic Baptist mission churches have grown to think they never can be large churches, Lopez said. “It was conditioned that it can only go that far.”

Gus Reyes, ethnic consultant for the BGCT Center for Strategic Evangelism, ties the lack of large Hispanic Baptist churches directly to the lack of leadership trained in the skills needed to run a large church.

College and seminary training, coupled with experience with multi-member church staffs, are foundational in helping ministers understand how to lead staff and larger groups of people, Reyes said.

“The academic training gives you the vision, scope and skills to manage staff and issues found in a large church,” he said. “It gives you the tools. I'm not saying you need that to have a big church. It just gives you the tools needed for success in managing and leading a large church.”

Frank Palos, associate coordinator for the BGCT Church Health and Growth Section, believes many Hispanic churches fail to grow large because of their fondness for family and closeness. When a congregation gets large enough that an individual does not know everyone, members tend to find a smaller church where they have a relationship with each member.

“The Hispanic culture enjoys the intimacy,” Palos said. “The closeness of the folk may be a factor why Hispanics don't gather in large numbers.”

While Hispanics enjoy being close to their biological and church families, they can be separated by language preferences, Palos added. As later generations mature and draw closer to American culture, they limit their use of Spanish and often move into English-speaking congregations.

This movement limits the size of Spanish-speaking congregations that focus primarily on the needs of immigrants, Palos continued. While Anglo churches tend to minister to children's needs and assume parents will come too, Hispanic congregations serve the parents and assume the children also will come.

Accelerating the divide between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Hispanics is the lack of substantial youth or children's ministries in the ethnic churches, Palos said. When there is a program, it is conducted in English and further separates children from parents.

Hispanic churches are forced to choose how they are going to minister to the community, Palos continued. And that choice can determine the impact of the congregation.

“Our folk are really at the crossroads of diversity,” he said. “Do we do a ministry for kids which would be in English? Do we do an all-Spanish ministry for adults? Or do we attempt a bilingual ministry? It's difficult to do ministry in one language. It's even harder to do it in two or more languages.”

Despite these factors against growth, BGCT leaders believe large Hispanic churches will arise. Reyes points to mega-churches in South America and Mexico, as well as several large non-Baptist Hispanic churches in the United States, as models for the future.

“It's already being done. It's just not as visible in Texas,” he said. “I think we're on our way. We will see mega-sized Hispanic churches fulfilling the Great Commission in the near future.”

Lopez believes reaching third- and fourth-generation Hispanics is key in growing a large ethnic church. Later generations often have the economic stability and power their predecessors did not have, he said. This allows churches to have a larger budget to work with.

Palos is quick to remind that numbers are not the “sole measuring stick” of success for a Hispanic congregation. A church's impact on people and the community around it is more important to Hispanics than numbers. Attendance, membership and budget size are less important than people.

Several churches of a couple hundred people can be as effective as a large church of several thousand, Palos said. “If they are ministering to people inside and outside the church, they are doing their job.”

Posted: 11/24/03

Wanted: Trained Hispanic pastors

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Trained Hispanic pastors are a precious commodity, both because of their value and their scarcity.

While the Hispanic population grows by leaps and bounds and the Baptist General Convention of Texas Church Multiplication Center intentionally launches an increased number of congregations to serve the population, qualified Hispanic ministers remain in short supply.

The severe lack of trained pastors has left many of the 1,250 Hispanic congregations across the state without educated leadership and slowed the development of strong institutions, said Gus Reyes, ethnic consultant in the BGCT Center for Strategic Evangelism. More striking, there are only a handful of people serving as full-time ministers of education or youth in these churches.

Roland Lopez, pastor of Northwest Hispanic Baptist Church in San Antonio, places the blame for this problem squarely on the local church.

Congregations generally do not understand leadership development as part of reaching and discipling individuals, he said. “The local church has failed to train and disciple leadership. Leadership is not born. It is made.”

When a church leads a person to faith in Christ, the congregation has started a journey that lasts as long as the person is part of the church, Lopez argued. Members must continually invest in each other and help them “bear the fruit” of the faith.

Reyes agrees with Lopez's assessment, but he believes the situation is even more complex. Congregations should encourage their members to get educated, he added.

An overwhelming number of Hispanic pastors do not have a college degree, he pointed out. Statistically, the highest level of education achieved by Hispanics nationwide is:

Associate degree, 8 percent.

Bachelor's degree, 5.6 percent.

Master's degree, 3.8 percent.

Doctoral degree, 4.5 percent.

Among Baptists, many Hispanics who hold postgraduate degrees serve on the denominational level rather than in local congregations.

The problem is not that Hispanics are not graduating from programs; rather, they are not enrolling. One in five Hispanics ages 18 to 24 were enrolled in college in 2000, compared to almost two in five Anglos, according to a study published by the Public Agenda for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Excluding the Baptist University of the Americas, where 90 percent of the students are Hispanic, the ethnic group is not looking to Texas Baptist seminaries to attain degrees.

At Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, 5.4 percent of this year's student body is Hispanic. At Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology, slightly more than 3 percent of the current student body is Hispanic.

At Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, there are 69 Hispanic students, accounting for 2.4 percent of the current student body.

As well as pushing education, Reyes and his pastor, Rolando Rodriguez at Hampton Place Baptist Church in Dallas, are training students in the ministry themselves. College students are invited to serve as interns in certain aspects of the work, such as youth ministry.

The students then develop a conference plan in that ministry area and give seminars around the state about what they have learned. The program is designed to help spread information throughout Hispanic churches and help members lead conferences in other Hispanic congregations, Reyes said.

The church hopes to expand the program to include surrounding Hispanic congregations that would facilitate an internship for selected Dallas Baptist University students.

“It's based on the local church,” Reyes said. “If you can't do it on the local church level, you have no business doing it on the state level.”

The program stems from Reyes' belief that getting a degree is not enough for Hispanics. They must be trained in the work with an emphasis on leadership development. A ministry internship is key to their college experience.

He also hopes the training will help unite students with Hispanic churches that are competing with all other churches for their gifts.

“We increase the odds when we connect them with a Hispanic church during their college years and they have an internship experience,” he said.

When the education level of Hispanics increases, so will the earning power of individuals, Reyes argued. This will help congregations afford full-time qualified staff.

Mario Ramos, interim dean of student services at the Baptist University of the Americas, hopes Reyes is correct. The school prides itself on having curriculum that leads Hispanics who may not speak English or have high school diplomas to get a bachelor's degree and be prepared for church staff work or a master's degree program.

Ramos is pleased that 100 percent of BUA's graduates either move on to a master's-degree program or find church staff positions. However, many Hispanics trained in Texas leave the state for jobs after graduation.

Churches in other states offer better salaries and benefits, Ramos explained. In Texas, Hispanic graduates enter a cycle where churches cannot afford a full-time employee, but a church does not grow without that full-time help.

“It's a lack of money among Hispanics,” Ramos bemoaned. “We just don't make enough money to support” full-time ministers.

So the demand for Hispanic leaders in Texas continues. Reyes receives at least a call a month from Anglo pastors looking to hire Hispanics. Bilingual and bicultural ministers are snatched up as quickly as they put out resumes.

One focus for the Center for Strategic Evangelism's activities for 2004 includes encouraging Hispanic youth to get educated and respond to a call to the ministry, Reyes said.

He hopes this will help churches put pieces of leadership development into a systematic effort.

“Leadership is more than a seminar,” Reyes noted. “The strategic leadership development plan must be holistic. This means we work on all the pieces. It becomes an entry-to-exit and on-to-deployment approach. It's investing in someone whether you get credit or not.”

A lack of leadership hurts churches and their members, the Texas Baptists reminded. Leaders give direction and help members develop to guide the church in the future. If Texas Baptists are to reach the population demographers project Texas to be in the near future, it will be through the coming Hispanic leaders.

Posted: 11/24/03

Irving church changes course for Thanksgiving meal

By George Henson

Staff Writer

IRVING–A church with a history of ministry to its community on Thanksgiving will have a slightly more personal touch this year.

In years past, Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving ministered to families living in apartment complexes throughout the city. For 11 years, a ministry called Serving Irving grew to involve 800 volunteers feeding 4,000 people on Thanksgiving.

This year, Minister of Missions Bob Harper determined to turn the tables and reach out to the community in a different way.

“Serving Irving has been a great ministry, but I think maybe it's been more for our people rather than the people being ministered to,” he said. “I've really been burdened that we don't really feed hungry people. We do include the homeless, but they have other sources of meals during the holidays. Then it occurred to me, 'Why not serve our international friends?'”

The church's ministry to internationals has taken off this year, with more than 120 coming each Wednesday to learn English, study the Bible, learn to make crafts and fellowship with friends.

Church teams will take Thanksgiving dinner to families who sign up through the Wednesday morning ministry to internationals. Those delivering the food also will take chairs so they may stay and eat with the family if invited. Along with the food, each family also will receive a copy of the “Jesus” film in English and a Bible in their native language.

Sixty-six families have signed up to have sliced turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes and dressing brought to their home.

The majority are Hispanic, but they hail from about 10 South and Central American countries.

Harper acknowledged there are many unknowns involved with changing the ministry in mid-stream. Some who had volunteered with Serving Irving for years have opted to spend this Thanksgiving with their own families. As a matter of fact, with only two weeks left before Thanksgiving, only 21 serving groups had signed up.

Don Hoaldridge, a deacon, said he is excited by the new way of serving Thanksgiving dinner.

“This will be a more effective way to minister to people. Before, we would just take the food to a central location at the apartment complex and they would tend to come and get their food and take it back to their apartments. We didn't get a lot of opportunity to interact with them. This way will give us a greater chance to sit and talk with them and share with them and maybe even have the opportunity to lead someone to Christ,” he said.

Maintenance Director Bill Holt has headed the cooking team of Serving Irving from the beginning. Holt and his team of about 20 volunteers work a full day Wednesday preparing the food and then rise early Thanksgiving morning to do the actual cooking.

Even though only 66 families have requested assistance this year, that could translate into 600 people served, Harper said, because “a lot of people tend to live in each household.”

The desire to serve has drawn many to the church to serve, even though they're not church members.

Many people bring pies to accompany the meals. Wanda Bush will bring two pumpkin pies this year, as she has each year.

“I do it because I love the Lord, and we want to show these people what the United States is all about. About the love that is here, and that our God has feet,” she said.

Posted: 11/24/03

LifeWay launches site to download Christian tunes

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–LifeWay Christian Resources last week launched a new digital music download service with no monthly subscription fees.

The Southern Baptist Convention publishing house will offer downloads of single songs for 99 cents and complete albums for $10 to $12.

The service, conducted through a partnership with online music pioneer Liquid Digital Media, is the first of its kind available through a Christian retailer.

“LifeWay is seeking to bridge the illegal-downloads divide by providing people with an easy, affordable and legal way to download their favorite Christian artists,” said Mark King, vice president of direct marketing for LifeWay Christian Stores.

LifeWay's new service requires no monthly subscription fee or special software to download. All songs are offered in Windows Media format. Once a customer purchases a song, the file can be downloaded to a PC with unlimited transfers to portable devices and burning capabilities.

Downloading songs without paying for them has been an industrywide problem for years. Illegal downloads and copying are cited as a major reason why Christian music sales have fallen for the first time in two years, according to John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association.

“Illegal downloads have been a growing problem in the Christian community, and they are causing economic harm to everyone involved in the music industry,” Styll said. “We applaud LifeWay for taking this leadership role in offering digital music downloads for purchase on the Internet, as it is a practical solution to this very real problem.”

The site address is www.lifewaystores .com/getmusic.