Posted: 7/11/03

Supreme Court's sodomy
ruling draws sharp reaction

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–The U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 decision to overturn state bans on sodomy has drawn sharp rebuke from cultural and religious conservatives.

“It is clear from this that the court has taken sides in the culture war,” said Justice Antonin Scalia, summarizing from the bench his dissent in the Lawrence and Garner vs. Texas case. “This effectively decrees the end of all morals legislation.”

Ken Connor, president of the Family Research Council, said, “Once again judicial activists have used their fertile imagination to create rights that simply don't exist in the Constitution. In doing so, they have imposed their own moral judgments in place of state legislatures and have thereby undermined the democratic process.”

Connor went on to warn that the “radical homosexual lobby” will use the decision to extend “a blanket privacy protection over one's choice of sexual partner to one's choice of marital partner as well–regardless of sex.”

While gay-rights activists and civil libertarians have denounced such blanket statements as hyperbole, some of the conservatives' nightmares may already be coming true.

In the recent decision, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn a Texas law that banned “sodomy”–a term for any kind of non-vaginal sexual intercourse–for homosexuals but not for heterosexuals. Five of the six justices in the majority claimed the law violated the 14th Amendment's guarantees of due process and privacy and implied that the law also violated that amendment's equal-protection clause.

The court's ruling was unexpectedly broad, explicitly embracing the right-to-privacy argument and implicitly embracing the equal-protection argument.

The decision means all bans on consensual, adult sodomy–for gays and heterosexuals alike–violate the right to privacy that the majority of the court believes exists in the 14th Amendment.

In the case, two Houston men were arrested, convicted and fined in 1998. The men appealed, claiming the statute under which they were convicted violated their rights to privacy and equal protection.

The recent decision already has had legal ramifications. On June 27, the day after the Lawrence decision was announced, the Supreme Court invalidated a sodomy conviction that a Kansas teenager received for having sex with a younger boy. Kansas law imposed a harsher penalty on same-sex violators of the state's age-of-consent law than it did on opposite-sex violators.

On the same day, a New Jersey judge asked for additional written arguments, in light of the new court decision, on a case in which seven gay couples are suing the state for the right to marry.

And a Massachusetts court is hearing arguments in a case many experts believe will expand that state's marriage laws to include homosexual marriage, given the Supreme Court's new ruling.

“Our victory last week was just the beginning,” said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, in a July 2 press release. “We're on stronger ground than ever before to fight for gay couples, parents, employees and students–to win fairness in every area of life.”

But conservatives are fighting back on the issue of gay marriage. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., announced June 29 he will support a constitutional amendment, already pending in Congress, that not only would ban recognition of same-sex marriage on the federal level but also invalidate any state or municipal law that confers either marriage or its corresponding benefits on gay couples.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer declined to say June 30 if President Bush supports the proposed amendment, which has been introduced in the House but not yet in the Senate.

Where the Lawrence decision may have its most immediate effect is in custody battles and other day-to-day struggles in the lives of gay and lesbian Americans. According to several gay-rights groups, courts and government agencies repeatedly have cited sodomy laws in denying homosexuals custody rights, state certifications and other legal advantages. In those cases, the court has assumed that homosexuals are, by definition, lawbreakers.

Posted 7/11/03

CYBERCOLUMN:
Walking the aisle

By Brett Younger

For years, some people have assumed that a real worship service hasn’t taken place unless it ends with a constantly interrupted invitation hymn. After a long sermon, a preacher with a booming voice says something along the lines of: "This is the time of commitment. If you feel God pulling at your heart, then you need to come forward. If you feel something in your heart and you’re not sure what it is, you need to come. No matter what you’re feeling, you need to come, as we stand and sing."

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and from me.

"If you would like to rededicate your life, this is the time for that decision. You may have rededicated your life 50 times; come again. Maybe you rededicate your life every revival; come now. Maybe you rededicated your life last Sunday, but had a bad week; come again, as the choir hums."

"If you are a male, then you may be called to full-time Christian service, or if you are really brave then you should be a missionary. Come as the pianist plays only the black keys."

"I know that many of you wish this invitation was over. Maybe your leg has fallen asleep from standing so long. Even so, I think that there is someone here who needs to come forward." (A husband whispers to his wife, "Do you think you could rededicate your life? I’m missing the kickoff.") "Let’s have every head bowed and every eye closed." (At this point almost every head is bowed and more than two-thirds of the eyes are closed.) "If you are a member of the church, pray for those who are not. If you are not a member, then know that there are people near you who are telekinetically pushing you to the front. Raise your hand if you feel like you need to make a decision. Raise your hand if someday you might make some decision. Raise your hand if you want to encourage me. If no one comes on this verse, then we’ll close the invitation." The less-spiritual members of the congregation offer a sigh of relief. For some, the measure of worship is whether anyone joins the church.

"Walking the aisle" has its roots in the 1830s, when Charles Finney began utilizing the "anxious bench," where those in need of salvation were to sit. The job of those who had already made decisions was, one can only assume, to stare the anxious into the kingdom. This practice evolved into the bizarre evangelical custom of shaking the preacher’s hand as the primary expression of the desire to become a Christian. (The early church thought of baptism as the primary expression of the desire to become a Christian.) Most churches that ask people to walk the aisle will keep doing so (and with some good reasons), but even as we invite those who are weary to come home, we should know how peculiar it is.

Brett Younger, pastor of Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth, still hopes people will walk the aisle on Sunday.

Posted 7/15/03

More than 400 youth evacuate
camp due to Hurricane Claudette

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

More than 400 youth evacuated the Texas Baptist Encampment Palacios By the Sea July 14 due to the threat of high winds and flooding as the eye of Hurricane Claudette neared the site.

Hurricane Claudette has sustained winds of near 75 miles per hour and could gain strength before it reaches the Texas coastline. Forecasters predict storm surge flooding between five and eight feet, accompanied with as much as eight inches of rain.

The campers relocated to First Baptist Church in Katy, where they are continuing the weeklong One Camp, affiliated with several Baptist associations, including Coastal Plains Area, Gulf Coast and Guadalupe.

Jeff Kluttz, director of One Camp, said he hoped previous forecasts of the hurricane moving toward Brownsville would be true so the camp could stay the entire week. But with the storm approaching, "we had to make a decision based on the best information we had," he conceded.

"A lot of churches we cater to are small churches, and this is the only (youth) thing they do all year," Kluttz commented. "We didn’t want to cancel camp."

With the help of the Katy church, the camp largely has continued as originally planned, he said. The Texas Baptist Men Dallas Associational feeding unit is en route to provide meals for the youth, and the Hill Country shower unit is on the way to supply showering facilities.

"It’s really been amazing how everyone jumped in and helped," Kluttz added. "We’ve been able to go right on doing camp."

Kluttz said he hopes to be back at the encampment by lunch July 16 if it is not badly damaged or flooded.

TBM South Texas and Bluebonnet units are on alert waiting to be called by the Red Cross to assist in disaster relief around the state.

Posted 7/16/03

TBM mobilizes in aftermath of Claudette

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Several feeding, victim relief, clean-up, retiree builder and chainsaw Texas Baptist Men units are en route to Southeast Texas July 16 to serve victims of Hurricane Claudette.

Winds up to 80 mph and as much as eight inches of rain severely damaged some areas of Southeast Texas. Initial reports indicate missing walls and roofs as well as substantial structural damage to buildings and homes. Fallen trees toppled power lines. Some towns still do not have electricity.

The East Texas feeding unit is on the way to First Baptist Church in Bay City, the South Texas feeding unit is headed to First Baptist Church in Port Lavaca and the Bluebonnet feeding unit is going to First Baptist Church in Victoria.

Chainsaw and clean-up units from around the state are traveling to Goliad.

The retiree builders are assembling a team to repair a hole about the size of a car in the roof of Central Baptist Church in Port Lavaca.

"We to hope to feed the people until they get their power back on and help do the clean up," said Bob Dixon, off-site coordinator of this TBM relief effort.

At First Baptist Church in Katy, the Dallas Association feeding unit and the Hill Country shower unit continue serving more than 400 campers who evacuated the Texas Baptist Encampment Palacios By the Sea the night before the hurricane caused millions of dollars in damages.

It is not known how long the units will operate and the Red Cross is surveying the state to see if there is need for more units in other places.

Posted 7/17/03

COMMENTARY:
A Plea for Texas Baptist leaders: No more fighting!

By Jeanie Miley

Gathered around a conference table at a large church in Seoul, Korea, this spring, I was prepared to respond to questions about contemplative prayer, the topic on which I had been invited to lecture for two days.

Quickly, however, one of the pastors asked me to explain the "war" among Baptists, a war I don’t want to think about any longer. It’s a war that brings up, still, huge pain for me, and I was embarrassed, half a world away, that the war was a subject of interest to them. Is our war, I wondered to myself, what defines us?

I recalled, that morning, that I was young and idealistic back in ‘79. As a young minister’s wife with a passion for Christ, a love for the local church and a lifelong loyalty to my denomination, there was no way I could have imagined the impact of the now-famous meeting at Café du Mond in New Orleans.

My father was a Texas Baptist minister, and so I didn’t come into my role in the church with stars in my eyes. I did want to make a difference–with my life and with my work–but I had no idea that part of the challenge would be dealing with the threats to the very fabric of my religious world from my own people.

In these intervening years, I’ve learned a lot, and the people with whom I work and worship have learned a lot, as well. We are not the naïve innocents we were in ‘79, and most of the people in my life don’t want any more fighting.

I have been profoundly disillusioned, but the truth is that dis-illusionment is a good thing, for it is only when the illusions are shattered and the lies exposed that the truth and the Truth of Christ can thrive. One of the hard lessons I have learned through this denominational warfare is that the truth can and will set you free. But first, it may make you miserable!

And so, as I read about current changes in our state, I recall some of the hard lessons I’ve learned. Basically, I’ve learned what I don’t believe and what I don’t want, and I’ve also gotten clearer and more focused and more committed and passionate about what I do believe and what I do want.

I’ve learned that most people don’t care nearly as much about how you interpret the Bible as they do about how you treat them. Most folks already have enough challenges in making a living and making their lives work, and if and when they come to church, the last thing they need is another battle to fight, a war to win or a position to take.

Most folks, I’ve learned, desperately need to know they are loved by God and by the people with whom they worship, and when they come to church, they need to be inspired, encouraged, equipped and empowered to live the abundant life that Jesus promised and provides.

I’ve also learned fear is a powerful motivator, and it feels safe to be in large groups where everyone agrees and where there are leaders who offer certainty and safety, absolutes and guarantees, easy answers to complex questions and a return to the patterns and practices of the past when the present and the future seem too scary or when changes are too fast and too tumultuous.

In seeing churches split and families torn asunder over one doctrinal issue or another, I’ve learned how precious and how fragile is the family of God known as the local church. I have learned how quickly what took previous generations years to build can be destroyed.

I’ve learned that most people in the pew don’t want to wrangle and fuss with each other. The people I know have lost their appetite for political strategizing. They aren’t nearly as interested in rallies and meetings now, but that doesn’t mean they are going to roll over and play dead when somebody with an agenda of control and power comes to town.

I’ve also learned some people do want others to do their thinking for them, and some folks need and want authoritarian systems. Some people simply don’t want to deal with complex issues, and some people would rather jeopardize freedom for themselves and others than face hard issues, call things what they really are and have the courage to speak out and speak up about controversial issues. I’ve learned some folks are too afraid of others’ disapproval to stand up for their convictions, and sometimes I’m one of those persons!

I’ve also learned some people on both sides do want to fuss and fight, no matter what the issue is, and that is their way of being in the world. I’ve learned some people aren’t happy without a war or without an enemy to defeat, and that is fine, for them. As for me, that isn’t the way I want to be in the world. It really doesn’t fit with my theology as a flawed, but eager, follower of the Prince of Peace, and I’ve had to learn not to let myself be used by people who need warriors for their battles.

I’ve looked into the faces of people whose careers were blown up over whether or not they fit the mold or the plan of the people in control, and I’ve watched them struggle to put their lives back together. I’ve learned it is a dangerous thing to mess with another person’s calling, and I shudder at the way we humans tamper and trifle with the things and the people of God.

I’ve also learned God truly is at work in all things, and in some cases, people who have been ravaged by denominational power plays come out better and stronger. Often, however, they’ve moved on to other denominations.

I’ve sat with pastors and pastors’ wives across the country and listened to the despondency and despair as they have tried to visit the sick, bury the dead, balance the church budget and preach week after week while also meeting weekly interrogations by folks who listen for the right buzzword that will satisfy their need to know they are in a true Baptist church and that their pastor toes the line of one particular group or another.

I’ve seen highly educated leaders being challenged on issues of doctrine by people who are recent converts, brand new to Bible study, church polity and doctrine. I’ve seen brand-new church members with their own political agenda handed to them by someone else turn the hard work of trained staff people upside down in one business meeting, and I’ve seen church members who think that is a good thing! I have seen people from other denominations come into a Baptist church and try to impose another denomination’s polity or doctrine on Baptists. I know, firsthand, the stress our leaders carry, having to spend their energy dealing with denominational conflict, knowing that they have been diverted from the most important tasks of all.

I’ve heard pastors share what happens when they do speak out, for one side or another, and I’ve heard them tell about what they are called if they don’t.

From where I sit, some of the most tragic victims of this denominational warfare have been the children who observe the warfare with tender and impressionable minds. I’ve heard the sad tales of our leaders’ children who have witnessed the ugliest side of this warfare, up close and personal, and have said, "If this is what church is about, I’m outta here," and I’m wondering if those who have been so cavalier among us remember it is not a good thing to cause the little ones to stumble.

I’ve learned those who set themselves up as judge, jury or executioner of someone else’s life or calling had better be ready to have the same standard applied to their own lives, and I’ve seen those who live by the lie, the innuendo, the rumor and the political strategy often get their weapon of choice used on them.

In traveling around as I do, leading retreats and workshops for Baptists and other denominations, I have witnessed the suspicions that have grown in church life as we members of the family of God have polarized around various hot-button issues and doctrinal points of view. I have witnessed the fear and the diminishment of creativity as power became the ruling principle in our agencies and boards.

I have learned to differentiate myself from one kind of Baptist or another, and my tough standard for myself is to be the kind of Christian whose life and message are formed by the mercy, grace and love of God, and that the news I give really is good news and not the bad news of conflict, judgment and censure.

Some of us love to say we "aren’t into politics", but the truth is that anyone who has been two years old has dabbled in politics, pitting one parent against another. Politics is a part of life, but we need to recall who the real enemy to the gospel of Christ is and what the real threats are. We Baptists need to remember what our Commission is and forget our campaigns against each other.

With all of my heart, I believe there are principles that are worth defending. I have learned that individuals and groups must be savvy, informed and aware of the threats to religious integrity and freedom. I have learned that one of the tests of character is the ability to stand up for one’s convictions. But we Baptists must learn how to do that without destroying each other.

I have learned bad things happen when secular political strategies are used in sacred places. I cringe when I consider that we employ the tactics of the political world to "win" and "lose," to "conquer and defeat" each other. The most minimally sophisticated among us knows the principle that where love is lacking, power and control rush in, and I have learned that where power and control dominate, there is no room for love.

When I read Jesus’ teachings, I can’t find anywhere that he said, "By your doctrinal agreements, your political maneuverings or your powerful positions, people will know that you are my disciples."

No matter how many times I try to find an easier way, the words stay the same: "By this shall all know that you are my disciples, by the love that you have for each other."

I take that, well, literally.

And imperfectly, incompletely and under the grace of God, I try to live it, and when I cannot, I fall back into the open arms of a merciful God who keeps on giving me another chance not to get it right, but to love the world that God loves.

And in that spirit, I beg you, presidents and leaders of Texas: No more fighting! No more takeovers. No more politics of power and control.

I am no longer naïve; I am frightened by what can happen if we continue to fight with each other.

I do not speak for any group or any church. I speak only for myself, but I plead with deacons and ministers, church members and agency heads: No more using people, created in the image of God, as pawns and objects in political games!

There’s a world that needs to know the saving grace and healing love of Jesus Christ, and part of the world that needs to know the healing love of Jesus most is the church. If all the world knows of us is that we fight each other with intent to dominate, defeat, diminish and destroy, we have tainted and sullied the very life of the One we claim to represent.

As I understand it, the Good News is that it is possible to have a personal, dynamic, love relationship with the Living Christ, and that that relationship is filled with love, grace and peace and all the other fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Sharing that good news is our mission, isn’t it? The gospel is what we want to be known for in Seoul and Samaria, San Angelo and Sabine, isn’t it?

The passion and love for Jesus Christ is the very thing we share, the thing that transforms and heals, inspires and unites us, isn’t it? And isn’t that the good news we say we are committed to proclaim? Isn’t that what we have been known for?

Or is it, really?

Jeanie Miley is an author and contemplative prayer and retreat leader from River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston

Posted 7/18/03

CYBERCOLUMN:
Lead the Way…

By Donna Van Cleve

Some years ago, a friend approached me about working at the bank here in town when a position became available. It seemed to be a family tradition: My mother, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and eventually my sister all worked there at one time or another. My children were in school, and I thought long and hard about committing myself to a long-term job. I decided that yes, I was ready.

I called the bank, and an interview was set up for me. This must be some formality they have to go through before I start to work, I thought.

"No, I don’t have any banking experience," I said to the interviewer, thinking that most of the people I knew that went to work there didn’t either. "But I’m willing to learn." I smiled at her knowingly–thinking that we both knew I had the job. I wonder in what part of the bank they’ll start me…

She asked several more questions and thanked me for coming in. I guess they’ll be calling me pretty soon.

The next week I went to the bank to do some business and was surprised to see a new lady working in a teller’s window. I walked up to her to make a deposit and said that I hadn’t seen her there before. She told me she had just started the job, and with a shock I realized they had hired her over me. I hadn’t even known they were considering anyone else. I forced a smile and slunk out of the bank with my deflated ego dragging behind me like Linus’ blanket. I felt so embarrassed since I had been talking to everyone like I had the job lined up–that it was going to be such a big change in my life, but I could handle it, blah, blah, blah.

Huh?

Not long after that humbling experience, the idea of home-schooling my children began to take root in my mind, thanks to a dear friend. At mid-term, we pulled our children out of school and began the challenge and adventure of home schooling. After a few months, the bank called again and offered me a job–no interviews–the job was mine if I wanted it. I declined, telling them I had decided to teach my children at home for awhile. When I put the phone down and thought about what had just happened, I realized that I might have missed the most wonderful opportunity with my children if I had been offered and had taken that job the first time around. And I cried when I realized that God had sent a balm to heal my bruised ego. I really didn’t expect that, and it just overwhelmed me to realize God cares about every aspect of my life–even areas I hadn’t even thought about or I thought were too petty for God to bother with. It has been over 10 years, but it still brings tears to my eyes when I realize that God had kept me from missing three of the best years in our family life.

Sometimes God shuts doors of opportunity because he has something better for us down the road. We may not understand why at the time, but we just have to keep on trusting him. He sees the big picture; we only see a fraction.

Lead on, O King Eternal. And thank you for shutting the door back there.

Donna Van Cleve is a writer and wife of one, mother of two, and grandmother of Audrie, and is a new member of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin.