Posted: 11/14/03

ANOTHER VIEW:
Proposed amendment would 'trump' federal courts

By Tom Edwards

The U.S. Constitution says, “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress” (Article 1, Section 1).

But the Constitution has been amended to state, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (First Amendment) and, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people” (Tenth Amendment).

The recent Pledge of Allegiance and Ten Commandments rulings present a wonderful opportunity to turn bad into good.

Despite the public outcry, the decisions are ones that lower federal courts, following the Supreme Court–exercising legislative power–could rationally reach. The results are strained and clearly wrong, but the primary fault lies with prior irrational Supreme Court decrees fostering such aberrations.

The decisions have erupted long-simmering rational absurdities. They are logical conclusions of a host of prior illogical decisions by the Supreme Court, beginning with 1940's Cantwell vs. Connecticut. It held the First Amendment is binding upon the states, although it says, “Congress shall make no law … .”

Another was 1947's Everson vs. Board of Education. It imposed a national “wall of separation” in place of a jurisdictional federal lawmaking preclusion on matters reserved to the states.

After subjecting the states to its control, the Supreme Court created a new, substantive “wall” and absurdly mandated total state neutrality, resulting in public free-exercise prohibitions and separation of state from God!

The court has unconstitutionally amended the Constitution, usurped legislative power, rewritten history and ignored the framers' original intent and Tenth Amendment-reserved rights. The court now reads the First Amendment to say, “Congress and the states shall make no law …” and to mean “total government neutrality.”

The Alabama federal judge held that a state cannot recognize God. The Ninth Circuit Court said that “one nation under God” is an endorsement of monotheism, one God.

So what? Recognition of God is not and never has been an “establishment” of religion! That court also said that a profession that we are a nation “under God” is identical, for the Supreme Court's purposes, to a profession that we are a nation “under no God,” because neither of these professions can be neutral with respect to religion.

The false presumption is that official silence maintains neutrality. In the recent controversy over comments made by Education Secretary Rod Paige, Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said, “There's no hostility toward God in public schools–there's neutrality.” Nuts.

Secularization ignores God and breeds atheistic, anti-God secularism. Ignoring God is not being neutral. Governmental silence marginalizes and creates a bias against God, while favoring atheism by default. Accordingly, Supreme Court-mandated “complete government neutrality” is impossible!

As to God, we can't not have a state preference. We must and will be either “for” or “against.” If we are not “for,” we are “against.” Neutrality is not an available option! It is an illusive and incoherent concept (Psalms 9:17, 33:12; Matthew 12:30).

What better cases to expose 60-plus years of absurd rulings by the Supreme Court? We are facing court-ordered, state-favored theological atheism–an anti-God state.

Establishing no theocracy, the bedrock civil solution is to permanently trump the federal courts by adopting state and federal constitutional amendments that simply say: "This (nation) (state) affirms the existence and sovereignty of God." For the sake of our nation and posterity, let's do it.

Tom Edwards is an attorney and member of First Baptist Church in Montgomery

Posted: 11/14/03

DOWN HOME:
Affirming words bless the family

We didn't eat any pot-luck dinners, but this year's Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session in Lubbock felt a lot like a family reunion.

If your extended family is like ours, you usually only get together for weddings and funerals. We had neither in Lubbock. But the vote to affirm the BGCT's partnership with Mexican Baptists felt a lot like a wedding. And the memorials committee's lovely report helped us give thanks for the lives of dear sisters and brothers who went home to be with the Lord this past year.

MARV KNOX Editor

A change in format set the tone for this year's BGCT get-together. The planning committee replaced hours and hours and hours of business sessions with four workshop sessions, where participants learned more about missions, ministries and issues facing Baptists in Texas. Of course, we still conducted business, but we had time to learn from each other.

One of the side benefits of the change was it pushed us out of the huge meeting hall into the hallways and smaller rooms. Instead of sitting in a mass of 3,000, we bumped into each other (sometimes literally) in the exhibit areas and meeting rooms. We had much more time to get acquainted or reacquainted.

But what most reminded me of family reunions was that I kept hearing phrases I've heard at family reunions all my life. These were words said to me but also words I overheard said to others:

“I love you.”

“I'm praying for you.”

“You're doing a great job.”

These are heart-healing words, soul-strengthening words, God-given words.

Everybody needs to know they're loved. Some folks might think you can say, “I love you” too much, but I don't see how. I want my wife and kids and family and friends to know the one thing about me that will endure to the end is my love for them. My life has been enriched by friends who call to catch up and remind me they love me.

Everybody needs prayer. God the Father planned it, Jesus promoted it and we're supposed to practice it. One of the great constants of my life has been the daily prayer of my parents. Just knowing Mother and Daddy have prayed for me has pulled me through many days. And when Texas Baptists, some I've never even met, stop to say they're praying for me –well, that's an indescribable blessing.

Everybody needs encouragement. It's almost like a parallel prayer. Instead of talking to God about each other, we talk in the same way to each other. Words of affirmation bind up emotional wounds and lift the spirit.

Do your family, friends and Christian sisters and brothers know you love them, pray for them, believe in them? What you say can bless their lives.

Posted: 11/14/03

EDITORIAL:
BGCT's 2004 challenge: Align budget with priorities

Missions and ministries muscled their way to the forefront of the Baptist General Convention of Texas' consciousness Nov. 10-11 in Lubbock.

In a time when the BGCT doesn't have nearly enough funds to accomplish all it needs to do, that development must make an impact on how the convention spends its money. The next logical step is a serious study of the budgeting process in light of our priorities.

Messengers to the BGCT annual session took several steps themselves, solidifying the convention's priority on missions and ministries. They:

Got their first close-up look at WorldconneX, the BGCT's missions network that was launched last month. WorldconneX should enable all BGCT Baptists–churches, associations and institutions–to engage directly in missions all across the planet.

Now is the time for BGCT President Ken Hall and the vice presidents to appoint a blue-ribbon panel that will evaluate the convention's budget in light of its priorities and suggest new ways of budgeting and working to accomplish our purposes.

Agreed to work on missions and evangelism ventures with the National Baptist Convention of Mexico. The BGCT has partnered with Baptists in other countries, but this is our most strategic alliance. Migration trends and a fluid border make this partnership mandatory. It will be a true partnership, in which Mexican and Texas Baptists both provide and receive resources and share the gospel equally. The partnership's impact will spread far beyond the borders of Mexico and Texas.

Affirmed a new name for Hispanic Baptist Theological School–Baptist University of the Americas–and celebrated the school's accreditation to grant bachelor's degrees. The San Antonio school will play the pivotal role in training church leaders who minister to the majority of Texans in the coming decades and train missionaries who will serve worldwide.

Ratified a BGCT budget that channels $31.9 million to a myriad of missions ministries. These include such longstanding endeavors as the Texas Partnerships Resource Center, River Ministry, Mission Service Corps, the Church Multiplication Center and Texas Baptist Men. The budget supports educational and human welfare ministries all over the state; ministerial training; African-American, Hispanic and intercultural initiatives; and the Minnesota/Wisconsin Baptist Convention. The budget also funds new ventures, such as the Mexico endeavor and WorldconneX.

Emphasized missions like never before. This year's convention schedule moved “missions night” to the middle meeting of the session. Historically, it occurred during the closing session, after many messengers headed for home. This year, almost all participants attended a celebration and declaration of Texas Baptists' missions mandate.

Made a move that received slight debate and few negative votes but sends a signal about Texas Baptists' priorities. Messengers passed a motion–introduced from the floor, not from any board, commission or committee–that “strongly encouraged” the BGCT Administrative Committee to secure $250,000 for restorative justice ministries next year. The messengers asked that an already-tight budget be tapped for a quarter-million dollars in order to supply more money for much-needed ministries.

The budget request highlights Texas Baptists' passionate commitment to missions and ministry–spreading the gospel and meeting the needs of people. It demonstrates Texas Baptists don't care if they take an eraser and pencil to the budget as long as their convention responds to spiritual and physical needs. It illustrates they affirm BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade's admonition to “be the presence of Christ” to people, even if they have to sacrifice to do it.

When you evaluate this budget “encouragement” beside missions and ministries developments in Lubbock, you get a clear picture of BGCT Baptists' priorities: Missions. Direct ministries. Church-starting. Training ministers.

This takes place within a frustrating financial context. Next year's $45.8 million BGCT total budget is a 10 percent decrease. The 2004 Cooperative Program portion of that budget, $39.8 million, reflects a 14 percent drop.

Two primary factors account for the budget decrease. The recent economic slump smacked Texas Baptists, their churches and, consequently, the BGCT. The departure of churches to a competing convention also took its toll, although not in proportion to the number of churches that defected. Economic analysts predict the worst of the recession is behind us. And observers note the loss of churches has slowed to a trickle.

However, the BGCT's compelling commitment to missions and ministries–highlighted by messengers' spontaneous desire to amend the budget to fund a response to a spiritual and physical need–should prompt convention leaders to evaluate the budget. The context created by tight finances also should encourage them to open the process and think creatively about the entire approach to funding what we value.

In his report to the convention, Wade lauded Texas Baptists' desire to “do missions and develop strategies in fresh ways.” Affirming a creative approach to the future, he added: “Nothing has to be done just because it is what we have always done. We should ask questions about how what we do relates to our priorities and our passion.”

Shortly after his election, new BGCT President Ken Hall noted: “I think we're a work in progress as Texas Baptists. We need to look at all the possibilities for growth.”

The BGCT's budget is a key ingredient in the formula for growth. Now is the time for Hall and the vice presidents to appoint a blue-ribbon panel that will evaluate the convention's budget in light of its priorities and suggest new ways of budgeting and working to accomplish our purposes.

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

Posted: 11/14/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Nov. 23

God's peace can rule, judge and regulate life

Colossians 3:1-17

By John Duncan

Lakeside Baptist Church, Granbury

Colossians 3 gives the impression the church is forcing its way rather than following God's way. Paul may be losing patience.

The Colossian community searched for meaning to life. The church and community fought to understand earthly ways and spiritual ways or, in simple terms, Paul's longstanding discussion between the flesh and the Spirit (see Romans 7). Paul felt the frustration of the church trying to force its own way. He experienced impatience that the church was not becoming all God desired. Consequently, Paul invited the church to return to do one simple thing–seek Christ in the things above. Paul sounds like Jesus (Matthew 6:33).

Singleness of heart

Paul asked the church to possess a singleness of heart by fearing God (Colossians 3:22). Paul begged the church to keep on seeking the “upward things,” that is, the virtues and knowledge of Christ and heaven where Christ reigned (3:1).

D.A. Carson says the Christian life requires “radical change,” and Abbott says the Christian life is a pursuit for spiritual things that involves Christ-honoring “moral conduct.” For Paul, right belief in Christ equaled right doctrine that produced right virtue and moral conduct. Paul's belief determined his conduct.

Think! Paul commands Christians to think constantly of Christ and allow such thinking to influence life, thought and action (v. 2). A.T. Robertson says, “The Christian has to keep his feet on earth, but his head in the heavens.” Christ makes the Christian alive, purifies from sin and equals eternal and abundant life (vv. 3-4). The word for “life” (v. 4) is not “bios,” or biology, like a heart pumping blood or a back aching in the morning or even a headache in mid-afternoon. The word “life” is “zoe,” an abundant, vibrant, eternal life on earth as we move toward heaven.

Earth and heaven: Put off versus put on

Paul recognizes, however, the challenges of living and the reality of pressures that pull the heart toward “downward things.” He lists the negatives– impure sexual activity, uncleanness, greed, idolatry, anger, malice, nasty language and dishonesty, to name a few (v. 9).

Paul preaches with passion the message of “putting off” ungodly, earthly things that represent the old way of life (vv. 8-9). Paul yearns passionately for the church to “put on” the new man, while allowing Christ to refresh the soul with God's upward and new heavenly things (v. 10). “Put off” and “put on” refer to doing so just as if you would remove a dirty T-shirt or put on a clean dress. The image of Christ's work when we seek him is vivid and clear.

What happens when Christ's new is put on the soul like a shirt? Your knowledge of God increases (v. 10). Also, God unites people of different backgrounds and expectations and brings them together under the banner of the cross (v. 11). Likewise, the virtue of Christ clothes the Christian, and virtuous conduct is displayed in daily life.

What virtue does the Christian demonstrate? Paul lists the virtue in Colossians 3:12-14–mercies, kindness, humility, patience (longsuffering, “slow to pay back a wrong”), forgiveness, edifying speech and the sacrificial love of Christ that knots relationships in acts of service (v. 14). The bond of Roman society was law and obligation. The bond of the church is God's grace and sacrificial love. When the bond of Christ's love encircles the Christian, mature service results. According to William Barclay, “Love is the binding power.”

Peace at Thanksgiving

How does the Christian seek Christ and his upward things while living in the world with its pull toward downward things? The Christian allows God's peace to rule, judge, regulate and umpire life (v. 15). God's peace becomes the framework for evaluating your own life and conduct. The peace possesses a quality of Christ-like grace that in turn, produces gratitude (“thankfulness,” v. 15). Paul never strays far from the cross of grace (doctrine) that supplies peace for living (ethics, hence, right conduct, specifically, the giving of thanks). How does peace rule in the heart in conjunction with the Holy Spirit?

When you allow God's peace to rule, then his word builds a permanent dwelling in the soul (v. 16). God's word “tabernacles” in the heart to bring peace through God's wisdom and teaching, joy through God's warnings and odes of praise, and an extravagant grace through union with him. Again, God's word as doctrine and encouragement gives impetus in daily conduct to please Christ by living for one reason: to seek him which means to honor his name (vv. 1 and 17).

Grace supplies gratitude and a spirit of Christ-like service (vv. 17-25). Paul follows with everyday relationships and the importance of four things for their health–the love of Christ (v. 14), mutual service in the Spirit of the cross, respect for people (v. 25) and a willingness to do all things “heartily” (literally, “energetically,” meaning a spiritual energy supplied by God's grace). Seek the risen Christ and his virtue!

Questions for discussion

How can personal demonstration of Christian values make Thanksgiving a more meaningful holiday?

Posted: 11/14/03

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Nov. 23

Paul shines the light of truth into the darkness

Acts 17:16-34

By David Jenkins

New Hope Baptist Church, Big Sandy

Athens was a noted center of philosophy, religion, art and architecture in the ancient world. Surrounded by mountains, it was the cultural capital of the world. Within its walls were four famous hills–a rocky hill known as the Acropolis on which stood the Parthenon, the crown of Greek architecture; the Areopagus, or Hill of Ares, north of the Acropolis, where Paul probably preached his famous Mars' Hill sermon; the Pynx, farther west; and the Museum, which was located to the south.

Because Jews from Thessalonica were in hot pursuit of Paul, who was the object of their jealous wrath, some of the Bereans to whom he had been preaching escorted him overland to Athens. He sent word back to Silas and Timothy to meet him in the Grecian city as soon as possible.

A ministry in synagogue and marketplace

Because of his strict monotheistic background as a Jew, Paul found the pagan temples and statues of the gods in Athens totally repugnant. It was said there were more statues to the gods in Athens than in the rest of Greece put together. Though no longer the political power she had been in the past, Athens still was a great university town. People came from all over the world to drink from her fountains of learning.

Frustrated and grieved by this overwhelming influence of paganism, Paul quickly sought out the synagogue. There he could reason with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles concerning Christ as the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies in Old Testament Scripture. The synagogue apparently was near the downtown marketplace or city square where the people met to talk–for in Athens, they seemed to do little else. In the synagogue and in the Agora (marketplace), Paul “reasoned” with the people. He opened his teaching to a general, free discussion. Luke recording that Paul did this “every day” suggests a somewhat protracted ministry in Athens.

The sermon on Mars' Hill

Of the four famous schools of philosophy founded in Athens, only two remained in Paul's day–the Stoics and of the Epicureans. The Stoics, who believed in many gods, were religious and sober-minded thinkers. The Epicureans were irreligious materialists who had an atheistic outlook and believed pleasure was the chief end of humanity. They considered the world a place of chance, without God or meaning.

Judging from their remarks, neither the Stoics nor the Epicureans understood the nature of Paul's preaching at first. They associated him with one of many itinerant philosophers who came through Athens. Paul had preached Jesus and the resurrection, and they considered Jesus a “strange god” they had not heard of before. The resurrection particularly was offensive because the Stoics held only a vague belief in life after death, and the Epicureans believed everything terminated with death.

Both the Romans and Athenians considered it unlawful to teach or worship unauthorized gods. Even though this placed Paul in jeopardy, they were willing to take him to the Areopagus (or court) to hear him more fully. The Areopagus was noted for its justice, where 12 superior judges held court.

Paul's message before the court was divinely inspired as he seized upon the concept of this altar dedicated “to an unknown god.” This very God, whom nobody seemed to know, became the subject of Paul's preaching. What a stroke of divine wisdom God gave Paul to use this tool to “legally” preach Christ! They had built an altar to this God whom they did not know!

Recognizing the philosophical thinking of his audience, Paul's message to them answered the three great questions of philosophy: “whence, what and whither.” If we were to outline his sermon, we would discover three points: (1) The origin of all things (vv. 24-26); (2) the nature of all things (vv. 27-30) and (3) the end of all things (v. 31). Paul's powerful conclusion was that the desired end of humanity is fellowship with God through repentance and faith in the resurrection of Christ. To reject God is certain destruction.

The product of Paul's preaching

Paul's mention of the resurrection sparked quite a reaction among his hearers, with some mocking him and others wanting to hear more. Apparently the court found insufficient cause for punishment in Paul's teachings.

We are not told how many were won over to faith in Christ by Paul's sermon. Among the new believers who were named was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagite court. He was a man of good reputation, intelligence and social position in Athens. Also listed was “a woman named Damaris and others.” These constituted the first fruits of the gospel preached in Athens. Whether or not a church developed immediately as a result of Paul's visit in Athens, we are not told. Nonetheless, the high court of Athens and many of the people heard, from the lips of Paul, the good news of God's redeeming grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Questions for discussion

How did Paul deal with the frustration caused by his pagan surroundings in Athens?

How can Christians bear witness for Christ in hostile situations?

Posted: 11/14/03

Illinois rejects 2000 BF&M as sole faith statement

By Michael Leathers

Associated Baptist Press

MARYVILLE, Ill. (ABP)–Messengers to the Illinois Baptist State Association's annual meeting soundly rejected a last-minute attempt to make the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message its official faith statement.

Instead, they adopted the recommendation of a state association's committee to affirm six faith statements–including four versions of the Baptist Faith & Message–as a consensus of what most Baptists believe.

The IBSA's 97th annual meeting was held Nov. 5-6 in Maryville, a St. Louis suburb. Messengers voted on the six faith statements–the 1925 Baptist Faith & Message; its revisions in 1963, 1998 and 2000; the Philadelphia Confession of Faith (1742); and the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833)–on the meeting's opening day.

The IBSA is now one of a handful of state Baptist conventions that have gone on record to reject the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, which was approved at the national Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting as its official statement of faith. Three years ago, Illinois rejected by a four-vote margin amending the IBSA constitution to add an amendment on the family, which was added to the Baptist Faith & Message by the SBC in 1998.

Patrick Stewart, pastor of First Baptist Church of St. Charles, made the motion to insert into the committee's recommendation a sentence giving official status to the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message. It's good to affirm multiple faith statements, he said, but “we need to have a single standard.”

Stewart is a trustee of the International Mission Board, a national Southern Baptist agency that oversees missionaries serving in foreign countries. That agency recently required its missionaries to affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message as a condition of continued employment.

By selecting an official faith statement, the state association would not violate the long-held Baptist beliefs in soul competency and local-church autonomy, Stewart said, but it would give direction to whom the association hired and how its committees worked. Having an official statement of beliefs is also important, he said, because it's not enough to “say the Bible alone is going to be our standard.” Episcopalians are being torn apart over the issue of homosexuality, he said, and both sides say the Bible represents their views.

Just because some misinterpret the Bible, countered Keith Stanford of Springfield, that should not prevent Baptists from making the Bible their sole standard. “We're not going to all agree,” said Stanford, an associate pastor of Western Oaks Baptist and former IBSA president, adding it was time to settle the issue and move on.

By affirming all six faith statements, the IBSA will build consensus among its member churches, said Lanny Faulkner, director of missions of Central Baptist Association. Faulkner was one of two messengers who presented a motion at the IBSA's 2001 annual meeting to affirm the six faith statements.

Speaking the next day, outgoing IBSA President Larry Richmond observed that “the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message may be an issue to some, but it is not an issue over which we should divide.”

In other annual-meeting developments, Don Sharp, pastor of Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church of Chicago and IBSA vice president, was elected president with no opposition. Sharp is the first African-American elected IBSA president since Eugene Gibson Sr. served in 1997. Fred Winters, pastor of First Baptist of Maryville, was elected vice president.

Posted: 11/14/03

Iraqis gratefully receive food boxes sent by Baptists in Texas & beyond

By Mike Creswell

SBC International Mission Board

CENTRAL IRAQ (BP)–Iraqis cheered as a volunteer team moved through their neighborhood to give out cartons of food sent by Southern Baptist churches across America.

Children ran up to the five men from Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., like they were long-lost uncles, giggling and jostling to get close. Mothers handed over their babies to be held, and the few men around extended greetings.

If there were any anti-American feelings, they were well-hidden in this impoverished Shiite Muslim village, where some families had relatives killed or tortured under the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Muslim women in central Iraq carry home boxes of food provided by Texas Baptists and Southern Baptists in America. Many families have lost husbands and fathers in Iraq's wars, leaving widows and children struggling to survive. Baptists sent 45,000 boxes of food like these to Iraq.

“It reminded me of kids coming up to Jesus,” marveled Jim Walker, a digital press artist from East Bend, N.C.

The 10-day project in late October and early November was one part of a massive, months-long Baptist effort to help the Iraqi people.

During late October, the last of 69 truckload-sized cargo containers–carrying a total of 45,000 boxes of food–arrived by truck and were off-loaded in a warehouse for distribution to needy people across Iraq.

Many thousands of Baptists in America had stuffed each carton with about 70 pounds of flour, sugar and other basic foodstuffs, enough to feed a family of four for several weeks. If all 45,000 cartons could be stacked up, the pile would have been more than eight miles high.

Distribution of the cartons was halted in August because of fears that supporters of Saddam Hussein might target humanitarian workers. Even during this period, however, a small crew of workers continued to distribute food, working through Iraqi churches, community councils and other organizations.

Under the leadership of a retiree from Greer, S.C., about half the food has been distributed, and the rest should be delivered by the end of this year.

In one neighborhood, hundreds of food boxes were delivered to a school building in a poor area far from downtown. People have built modest homes of mud bricks on land taken by squatter's rights. Raw sewage runs through the dirt streets, and livestock wander unimpeded.

Village council members had determined the most needy families to receive food boxes. Volunteer team members went with the government leaders, who carried lists of eligible families. The families were given tickets entitling them to claim a food box.

At one home visited by volunteers Larry Ledford of Winston-Salem and Hal Newell of Lewisville, N.C., , a man dressed in a working man's uniform humbly accepted the gift while his family peeked from the door of their simple mud-and-brick home. “There are seven children in this household, and they have no food at all,” a village leader said through a translator. Two of the volunteers prayed for the man after giving him a voucher for a food box.

Although few people in the community spoke English, they understood who was bringing the food.

One man said it was the Christians from America bringing food. “Where are the Muslims?” the man asked, recounted volunteer Doug Wells, a sales analyst with a baking company in Winston-Salem. “It struck me that the people realize we're trying to help them. And we're trying to show them the love of Christ.”

Some food boxes were distributed through Muslim mosques, which function as community centers. One local leader said the mosque maintains a list of needy families and delivered food to those.

Posted: 11/14/03

OUT OF ORDER:
Ten Commandments judge ousted

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (ABP) –Halfway through his term, “Ten Commandments judge” Roy Moore has been ousted as the head of Alabama's judicial system.

The Alabama Court of the Judiciary voted unanimously Nov. 13 to remove Moore as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. The vote followed a dramatic one-day trial that featured a former Moore ally, Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, now prosecuting the judge.

Moore no longer qualified to hold his post because he violated judicial ethics by openly flouting a higher court's order, the judiciary panel determined.

The judge, long an outspoken advocate for displaying the Ten Commandments on government property, had been suspended since August, when he defied a federal judge's order to remove a stone monument to the Ten Commandments he had placed in the state Supreme Court's headquarters.

The 5,280-pound granite monument–engraved with the Protestant King James translation of the biblical commandments–ultimately was removed from the rotunda of the Alabama state judicial building.

Moore's fellow justices on the Alabama Supreme Court overruled his decision to keep the monument in place.

Shortly after the judiciary court's decision to remove him, Moore told supporters and journalists he had “absolutely no regrets,” adding, “I have done what I was sworn to do.”

During his trial, he told the judiciary court he would return the monument to public view if he were reinstated as chief justice.

William Thompson, presiding judge of the Court of the Judiciary, said Moore had given him and his colleagues no other choice.

“The chief justice placed himself above the law,” Thompson said, adding Moore made the court's decision easier because he “showed no signs of contrition” for his action.

The president of a Washington-based group whose attorneys helped argue the original case against Moore's monument said the court's decision was the final vindication of their lawsuit.

“The Court of the Judiciary has served the cause of justice,” said Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “Moore flagrantly announced his intention to violate a federal court order, made a mockery of the legal system and created an unseemly media circus.”

Religious Right leader James Kennedy of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., called the judge's removal a deplorable example of judicial tyranny.

“Moore is being punished for upholding the rule of law, for following the will of the voters, for faithfully upholding his oath of office and for refusing to bow to tyranny,” Kennedy said.

“For too long, too many elected officials have bowed in submission to lawless federal court edicts that set aside life and liberty. They have stood by as, case by case, God and biblical morality have been removed from public life. At some point, the representatives of the people must defend the rule of law and oppose tyranny.”

Although most legal observers believed the court would rule against Moore, the panel had several options from which it could have chosen. Removal required a unanimous vote, but other options for punishment–such as further suspension or censure–would have required only a majority.

Alabama voters elected Moore chief justice of the state Supreme Court in 2000. He campaigned as the “Ten Commandments judge” after a highly publicized battle over a similar display in his courtroom when he was a county magistrate. Alabama is one of the few states that elects its Supreme Court justices.

After his election to the Supreme Court, Moore had the monument crafted and placed in the courthouse in the middle of the night July 31, 2001. A group of Alabama attorneys and three national civil-rights organizations then sued Moore, saying the monument violated the U.S. Constitution's ban on government establishment of religion.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson agreed and ordered the monument removed. However, he delayed implementing his own order pending review by a higher court.

In July, a panel of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld Thompson's ruling. Thompson then issued the August deadline for the monument's removal. Moore claimed removing the monument would violate his oath of office, because he believed the Alabama Constitution required him to “acknowledge God.”

Moore continued to receive his $170,000 annual salary during his suspension. That will now end. Republican Gov. Bob Riley will appoint a judge to take Moore's place on the state's high court.

The Court of the Judiciary is an ad hoc panel that meets only to consider such cases of ethics charges against a sitting judge. It is made up of nine members who are a mix of judges, lawyers and laypeople elected by their peers or appointed by state officeholders.

Moore may appeal to have the case re-heard by his colleagues on the Alabama Supreme Court. They could choose to recuse themselves from the case, in which case a special court would be appointed by Gov. Bob Riley or chosen by the justices themselves.

Moore also will face a battle to retain his credentials as a lawyer. Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center, another group involved in the original lawsuit, reportedly said his organization will file a petition with the Alabama Bar Association to have Moore disbarred.

Posted: 11/14/03

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Intestinal fortitude

I am all for this new anti-partial-birth abortion law.

Partial-birth abortion was not supposed to be a lifestyle choice for would-be parents. It was to be used to end a pregnancy for those children with serious problems.

E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

The children who are aborted are considered to be alive and have all the same rights as anyone else. Most are “viable,” and both sides agree.

If a child is developed enough to survive on its own, then it should not be aborted, even if science can sustain the child until it can sustain itself.

Thanks to President Bush for signing this law. It's about time someone had the intestinal fortitude to do this!

William Williams

Quinlan

Smiling face

I commend George W. Bush for his actions concerning the partial-birth abortion ban.

This is a great time in America. We are proving humanity will be held in the highest esteem when constructing our laws.

I will have a smile on my face when I think of the babies that now have a chance to live.

Adam Laurie

Denton

President's approach

I like your suggestions for modest, reasonable steps for faith-based initiatives (Nov. 3). It certainly would fit Republican ideas to reduce taxes on the public and let them give directly to charitable organizations.

There are a couple of possible reasons for taking the approach the president is taking.

Tax money is going to government-run relief efforts, and the Republicans would like to get rid of those. Shifting tax money to private organizations would let them say they are not heartless in cutting government programs.

And Republicans may actually want the government to determine where charitable giving will go. Perhaps they prefer that people not give to some of the “far-out” groups or to groups that promote ideas conservatives oppose.

Jim Skipper

Pearland

Jesus, not guns

A dog, a gun and a dad are the things every boy needs (Oct. 6)?

Every little boy needs a dog–well, yes, unless he lives in rental property where pets are not allowed or the family can't afford it. Nice, but not essential.

Every little boy needs a dad–agreed! A dad like Paige Patterson describes is what boys need; that's essential.

But a gun?! No! Instead, the weapon every boy needs to face life is Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and the teachings of the Bible that the Holy Spirit can progressively use to arm him with the full armor of Christ (Ephesians 6:10-18).

This is what will make of every little boy a true man in the likeness of Christ. Not a gun!

Josie Smith

El Paso

Primitive differences

I read your editorial on what makes a Baptist church “Baptist” (Nov. 10) and would like to point out an impression that bothers me. That is your view of Primitive Baptists.

You use the term “hyper-Calvinist Primitive Baptists” and leave the impression that this covers all Primitive Baptists. I would say it does not.

Within the Primitive Baptists, there are two groups, and they are as different as night and day. While it is true that there are Primitive Baptists who believe just the way you describe, there are also Primitive Baptists called “Progressive” who do believe in mission work and evangelism.

While we are both “Primitive,” we are worlds apart in belief and do not associate with one another in fellowship.

Bill Brown

Rockwood, Tenn.

Carroll & women deacons

Paige Patterson states that, under his leadership, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is “headed to a full and thorough reaffirmation of the doctrine of B.H. Carroll” (Nov. 3).

May one assume that this includes encouraging the ordination of women as deacons, a policy instituted, according to Alan Lefever of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection, under Carroll's leadership while pastor of First Baptist Church of Waco?

Doug Jackson

Corpus Christi

Institute's real test

I have to strongly disagree with Paige Patterson's comments about the B.H. Carroll Institute, “The real test will be whether they have honored Carroll's name or just used it” (Nov. 10).

The real test is this: Are these four men working for the glory of God?

I know two of these men and can honestly say that their goal is working to glorify God through teaching.

Since the outrageous ousting of Russell Dilday as Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president almost 10 years ago, the seminary's goal has been status, politics, increasing numbers for the wrong reasons, invoking a standard way of thinking and firing those who did not adhere to their ways and sign their so-called faith statement. (Remember all those missionaries out there who were fired while trying to do the Lord's work but would not sign the “statement”?)

What about God? What about freedom of worship?

Yes, God directs us and asks us to do his will, but did he tell Abraham, Moses or even Jesus they had to sign something before they could do it and they would not be allowed to do his work if they didn't?

Knowing two of these men personally, I know their goal is not to impose the things that sadly Southwestern Seminary has morphed into, but to bring back honor and glory to Carroll's name, God's people and God–not to self.

Our blessings are with these four men; our prayers are with Southwestern.

Suzanne Duncan

North Richland Hills

Evolution of textbooks

The computer and the science of artificial intelligence have introduced significant new understanding of patterns within the life sciences.

The discovery of DNA has changed the understanding of life science much as the discovery of the atom changed the physical science. Computer study of patterns using artificial intelligence techniques has mapped thousands of patterns within the living cell. The living cell is made up of a huge number of molecules whose activity is directed by the DNA.

Probably the most revealing new discovery is the DNA pattern of each living species. A pattern known as genome describes the DNA unique to each species.

Just as the atoms have families of metals, liquids and gases, a species' genome has similarities within groupings of similar species.

While similar, one species is so different from another that the hypothesis of Darwin that species developed through evolutionary change is as questionable as the alchemist changing lead into gold!

Because of the complexity, science might still be identifying new patterns for another 200 years. New discoveries will come faster when the hypothesis of Darwin is no longer taught in Texas schools.

William H. (Bill) Osborne

Houston

What do you think? Submit letters for Texas Baptist Forum via e-mail to marvknox@baptiststandard.com or regular mail at Box 660267, Dallas 75266-0267. Due to space considerations, letters must be no longer than 250 words. They may be edited to accommodate space.

Posted: 11/14/03

Court ruling favors case of Missouri Baptist University

By Vicki Brown

Missouri Word & Way

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ABP)–A Missouri judge has given an initial legal victory to one of the institutions locked in a messy legal spat with the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Cole County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brown ruled Nov. 10 that the state convention is not the “sole member” of the Missouri Baptist University corporation. The ruling dismisses the convention's contention that it is the university's sole member, which would have meant that only the convention has the authority to change the university's corporate charter.

In 2001, four convention-related institutions–the university, the Word & Way newspaper, the Missouri Baptist Foundation and Windermere Baptist Conference Center–changed their charters to allow each entity to elect its own trustees rather than to allow the convention to elect them. Trustees for The Baptist Home–a convention-related retirement-home system–had taken similar action a year earlier.

The trustee boards' moves to become self-perpetuating came after a lengthy battle by fundamentalists to take control of the convention's governing structures. They had largely won that battle by 2001 and attempted to fill open spots on the agencies' boards with like-minded conservatives.

The convention then filed a lawsuit against the five institutions to force the entities to rescind the new charters.

University attorneys filed a summary judgment motion asking the judge to determine whether the convention is a corporate member, as the convention had claimed. According to

Missouri Baptist Foundation legal counsel Larry Tucker, the other entities also have filed motions for judgments on member status. Those cases most likely will be argued sometime early next year.

Tucker noted that Brown ruled the convention did not become a member of the university's corporation simply because it traditionally had elected or appointed the university's trustees.

University attorney Clyde Farris argued the university changed its charter in 1997 to reflect changes in Missouri's not-for-profit laws made in 1995. The charter noted that the corporation would have no members.

Lead convention attorney Mike Whitehead contended that under the statutory definition of election, the convention should be considered a corporate member. He noted that members of a for-profit company are protected by stock shares, while members of a not-for-profit agency are protected by governance.

“The legislature says … that people who have the right to vote should be called members,” Whitehead said. “If someone else (other than the institution) has the ability to appoint directors, then the rights of that someone, even if it is an entity, must be protected.”

Whitehead added that the convention has “a right to control the governance” because it “birthed and founded the entity.”

He contended university President Alton Lacey changed wording in the institution's charter to read that the convention elects trustees rather than appoints them. Whitehead said the relationship between the two entities remained the same. The change “doesn't amount to a relinquishment of the known right to choose the trustees,” he said. “The process did not change until the college made a unilateral decision in 2001 … . It's the 'gotcha' that lets them walk away with a multimillion-dollar entity.”

Farris responded that the university never has been a convention asset. “It has never been on their financial statements,” he said.

The attorney acknowledged the convention helped start the university, but said the convention never owned it. The convention could have owned the university, but “they didn't want to because they didn't want to accept the liability responsibility,” Farris said.

Posted: 11/14/03

Moderates ponder future in North Carolina after ninth loss

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ABP)–Conservative David Horton was elected president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Nov. 11 in what was anticipated as a make-or-break election for moderate Baptists in the state.

Moderate David Hughes, 51, pastor of First Baptist Church in the host city of Winston-Salem, garnered 40.5 percent of the 3,840 votes cast–a weaker showing than either candidate anticipated.

“I was surprised, because the elections are always so close,” said Horton, pastor of Gate City Baptist Church in nearby Greensboro. He received 59.5 percent, the largest winning margin for a non-incumbent since 1987 and the largest since 1996 for a presidential candidate facing opposition.

Horton's election is the ninth in a row won by conservative presidential candidates. He succeeds conservative Jerry Pereira, 49, pastor of First Baptist Church of Swannanoa, who would have completed his second term as president but died four days before the convention, following a six-month battle with cancer. In an unusual move, Pereira endorsed Horton and other conservative officer candidates.

Even before the vote, there was speculation among messengers that moderate Baptists would disengage from the state convention if they lost another election, perhaps forming a new convention as has been attempted in a few other states.

After the election, Horton, 43, told reporters he hopes moderates will continue to accept the place open to them in the convention. “There has been a place at the table … for moderates and conservatives, and there will continue to be a place at the table for moderates.” He added moderates and conservatives still agree on more issues than they disagree.

Hughes, however, suggested many moderates no longer feel “a sense of place and belonging.” The sound defeat gave moderates “a clear-cut answer” for the future, he said. “While I'm disappointed with the choice that was made, I'm glad there is more clarity than there was before.”

“Today the convention spoke for the ninth year in a row…. That's very definitive,” Hughes told reporters in an unusual joint press conference with Horton. “This convention is lining up squarely behind the Southern Baptist Convention, and I think that it's good to get out on the table where things stand.”

Hughes said there is “a sense of discouragement and resignation among moderates. … I've been trying to get them to stay involved.” But he admitted that encouragement has been met with mixed reviews.

He predicted moderates will take some time to assess the situation, then gather to determine their course.

“Not all moderates will do the same thing,” he said. “These folks are like herding cats; they are very independent thinkers. … It will be well into next year before it's clear who might be doing what.”

Jim Royston, executive director-treasurer of the convention, said the staff will continue to work with all 3,803 churches in the convention, regardless of their alignment. He credited both Horton and Hughes for “rolling up their sleeves” and working within the convention.

“I wish this was an example of shared leadership,” Royston said, a reference to the aborted proposal to alternate the presidential position between conservatives and moderates. Horton and Hughes became friends when both worked to pass the “shared leadership” plan, which was defeated by convention messengers in 1999.

“I think the convention has to decide to do shared leadership,” Horton responded. He said the plan failed “because the convention didn't want to be given parameters” for convention officers. He said the current system is “a good process.”

By most accounts, the presidential election was in part a referendum on the conservative shift in the Southern Baptist Convention, now in its third decade. Horton's support for the SBC was mentioned at least four times in the three-minute nomination speech from retired Winston-Salem pastor Mark Corts.

And while Hughes suggested in recent weeks that the North Carolina convention should consider reducing its funding of the SBC to address its own budget shortfall, Horton said after the vote, “I think my election signals strong support for continued giving to the Southern Baptist Convention.”

Horton said the SBC is “really worthy of our support,” and he encouraged Baptists in the state “to do everything we can to give more to the Southern Baptist Convention” and the North Carolina convention.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Baptists twice affirmed a decision to oust McGill Baptist Church in Concord from the state convention for baptizing two men presumed to be gay.

Messengers overwhelmingly voted down a motion Nov. 11 to reconsider the ouster. A day earlier, the convention's Executive Committee affirmed the earlier decision by Executive Director-Treasurer Jim Royston to remove the church. The committee's Nov. 10 vote followed a lengthy discussion and an interview with church representatives.

McGill's baptism of the two men led to the church's ouster from the Cabarrus Baptist Association last April.

Posted: 11/14/03

On the Move

Ron Allen to Avenue D Church in Brownwood as pastor.

Abraham Almendariz to Iglesia Calvario in Buckholts as pastor.

Robert Bennett to Handley Church in Fort Worth as pastor from Freedom Church in Amarillo.

Judy Bryant to Second Church in Lubbock as associate pastor to children and families.

Drifty Cates to Pine Ridge Church in Sour Lake as pastor from First Church of China.

Truitt Cockrell has resigned as pastor of Woodbury Church in Hillsboro.

Cristobal Cruz to Emmanuel Church in Olden as pastor.

Joe Dacus to Leona Church in Leona as pastor.

David Diggs to Live Oak Church in Gatesville as pastor.

Michael Ferguson to Vaughan Church in Abbott as pastor.

Sergio Flores to Marquez Church in Marquez as youth minister.

Rick Gibbs has resigned as youth minister at First Church in Wortham.

John Hall to First Church in Tom Bean as pastor from First Church in Runge.

Mark Heath to Cornerstone Church in Fairfield as pastor.

John Henson has resigned as pastor of First Church in Brownwood.

Matt Hollingsworth to First Church in Taylor as youth minister.

Ronnie Hood to Fellowship Church in Longview as pastor.

Michael Howe to Corinth Church in Cisco as youth minister.

James Huffstetler to Kirvin Church in Kirvin as pastor.

Matt Kirk to Shenandoah Church in Cedar Park as youth minister.

Carole Jay to First Church in Whitney as children's minister.

Martin Knox to First Church in Temple as pastor from First Church in Grandview.

Adam Marquardt to The Heights Church in Richardson as executive pastor from Colorado Community Church in Englewood, Colo., where he was pastor of family life and foreign missions.

David McGee to Calvary Church in Gladewater as pastor from Emmanuel Church in Corsicana.

Mike Midkiff to East Texas Baptist University as director of public relations and marketing from Friendship Church in Marshall, where he was pastor.

Keith Moore to First Church in Hillsboro as minister of education.

Brett Moreland has resigned as pastor of Bethel Church in Buffalo.

Bill Nichols to Hebron Church in Yoakum as music director.

Mike O'Neill to Coastal Bend Association as director of missions.

Ben Overby to First Church in Smithville as youth minister.

Kenneth Parker to Hebron Church in Yoakum as pastor.

Fabian Ramirez to Iglesia Southside in Robstown as interim pastor.

Atila Runyan to Lamount Drive Church in Amarillo as pastor.

Matt Singleton to New Life Fellowship in Scapoose, Wash., as youth minister from Kirvin Church in Kirvin.

Joul Smith to First Church in Rising Star as youth minister.

Stanley Stamps to Covenant Church in Hillsboro as pastor.

Troy Stickland has resigned as pastor of Belle Plain Church in Brownwood.

Brent Trahan to First Church in Angleton as minister of music.

Salvador Treviño has resigned as pastor of Grace Church in Comanche.

Don Tyra to Latham Springs Encampment as assistant manager for properties from Mildred Church in Corsicana, where he was youth minister.

Gamaliel Villatoro to Primera Iglesia in Buffalo as pastor.