A pastor who led the Southern Baptist Convention to adopt a resolution in 2009 applauding the election of Barack Obama as America’s first African-American president termed the president’s May 9 endorsement of same-sex marriage a betrayal of the black church and an attack on the Christian faith.

Dwight McKissic

“America is now a candidate for the same judgment received by Sodom and Gomorrah,” Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, wrote in a blog May 9. McKissic compared the moral impact of Obama’s statement to the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

“This means that parents are now going to have an extremely difficult time teaching their children that marriage biblically and traditionally is between a man and a woman, when the president that many love and admire is now on record endorsing sodomy,” McKissic said.

McKissic said black church leaders should mobilize and address the matter with the same vigor, if not greater, that they used during the Civil Rights Movement. “If we don’t, our children and grandchildren will pay a far greater price in suffering from a governmental sanction of same-sex marriage than we would have under segregation,” he commented.

McKissic, who is black, has been a leading voice in calling for greater representation by ethnic minorities in Southern Baptist denominational life. He recommended the 2009 resolution that, while in its final form criticized many of Obama’s policies, hailed his election as a step forward for racial reconciliation.

McKissic also called for rebuke of a former SBC officer who in 2009 said he was praying that God would kill President Obama. Just recently he threatened to bring a resolution to this year’s SBC annual meeting calling for ouster of the head of the convention’s moral-concerns agency unless he apologized for negative comments about media coverage of the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

McKissic said that due to a lengthy apology by SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land May 9, that he no longer intends to introduce a resolution of rebuke when the convention meets June 19-20 in New Orleans. Instead, he said, he now plans to propose a resolution asking Southern Baptists “to go on record disavowing and repudiating the position of our beloved President Barack Obama as it relates to his position on affirming same-sex marriages.”

–Bob Allen is managing editor of Associated Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission , issued a five-part public apology May 9 for  "injudicious comments" he made regarding the Trayvon Martin killing.

Land's apology stemmed from a May 2 meeting including key African-American Baptist leaders, including Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans; James Dixon Jr., president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of El-Bethel Baptist Church in Fort Washington, Md.; and K. Marshall Williams, chairman of the Southern Baptist African American Advisory Council and pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa.

"I am here today to offer my genuine and heartfelt apology for the harm my words of March 31, 2012, have caused to specific individuals, the cause of racial reconciliation, and the gospel of Jesus Christ," Land said in his two-page apology.

As a result of the meeting May 2 that lasted nearly five hours, Land said, "I have come to understand in sharper relief how damaging my words were."

Among others at the May 2 meeting were Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, and Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. In all, 12 individuals attended the session at the SBC Building in Nashville, Tenn.

Dixon said he would have no comment on Land's apology until after ERLC trustees have completed the process initiated by their executive committee on April 18 regarding comments by Land on his weekly call-in radio show over the intrusion of politics into the Trayvon Martin case, in which Land referenced President Obama and the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson by name.

The six-member executive committee, in a public statement, expressed sadness "that this controversy has erupted" and concern "about how these events may damage the work of the ERLC in support of Southern Baptists and in furtherance of the Kingdom of our Lord."

The ERLC executive committee also created an ad hoc committee to investigate allegations of plagiarism over material Land failed to attribute to a Washington Times columnist on the March 31 broadcast.

Steve Faith, ERLC trustee chairman, issued a statement later on May 9 that the ad hoc committee is working “with due diligence and will bring a thorough and complete report to the ERLC Executive Committee who will prayerfully consider the findings. The ERLC Executive Committee will bring a report to the full board of trustees and then release a public statement by June 1.

“It is important to understand that our Southern Baptist polity places Dr. Land under the authority of the ERLC trustees who are elected by and accountable directly to the Convention,” said Faith, a retired pastor and Baptist association director of missions in Indiana. “The trustees are aware of their responsibility to the Convention and to the watching world.”

Land's full statement of apology May 9 follows:

"I am here today to offer my genuine and heartfelt apology for the harm my words of March 31, 2012, have caused to specific individuals, the cause of racial reconciliation, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the ministry of The Reverend James Dixon, Jr. the president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention, and a group of brethren who met with me earlier this month, I have come to understand in sharper relief how damaging my words were.

"I admit that my comments were expressed in anger at what I thought was one injustice — the tragic death of Trayvon Martin — being followed by another injustice — the media trial of George Zimmerman, without appeal to due judicial process and vigilante justice promulgated by the New Black Panthers. Like my brothers in the Lord, I want true justice to prevail and must await the revelation of the facts of the case in a court of law. Nevertheless, I was guilty of making injudicious comments.

"First, I want to confess my insensitivity to the Trayvon Martin family for my imbalanced characterization of their son which was based on news reports, not personal knowledge. My heart truly goes out to a family whose lives have been turned upside down by the shocking death of a beloved child. I can only imagine their sense of loss and deeply regret any way in which my language may have contributed to their pain.

"Second, I am here to confess that I impugned the motives of President Obama and the reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. It was unchristian and unwise for me to have done so. God alone is the searcher of men's hearts. I cannot know what motivated them in their comments in this case. I have sent personal letters of apology to each of them asking for them to forgive me. I continue to pray for them regularly, and for our president daily.

"Third, I do not believe that crime statistics should in any way justify viewing a person of another race as a threat. I own my earlier words about statistics; and I regret that they may suggest that racial profiling is justifiable. I have been an outspoken opponent of profiling and was grief-stricken to learn that comments I had made were taken as a defense of what I believe is both unchristian and unconstitutional. I share the dream of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that all men, women, boys, and girls would be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Racial profiling is a heinous injustice. I should have been more careful in my choice of words.

"Fourth, I must clarify another poor choice of words. I most assuredly do not believe American racism is a 'myth' in the sense that it is imaginary or fictitious. It is all too real and all too insidious. My reference to myth in this case was to a story used to push a political agenda. Because I believe racism is such a grievous sin, I stand firmly against its politicization. Racial justice is a non-partisan ideal and should be embraced by both sides of the political aisle.

"Finally, I want to express my deep gratitude to Reverend Dixon and the other men who met with me recently for their Christ-like witness, brotherly kindness, and undaunting courage. We are brethren who have been knit together by the love of Jesus Christ and the passion to reach the world with the message of that love. I pledge to them — and to all who are within the sound of my voice — that I will continue to my dying breath to seek racial justice and that I will work harder than ever to be self-disciplined in my speech. I am grateful to them for holding me accountable.

"I am also delighted to announce that as a result of our meeting, the ERLC, in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, will initiate regular meetings to discuss our common calling to heal our nation's racial brokenness, work for meaningful reconciliation, and strategize for racial justice."

Attending the meeting in addition to Land, Luter, Dixon, Marshall, Page, Patterson and Faith were Dwight McKissick, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington; Terry Turner, president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church in Mesquite; A.B. Vines Sr., senior pastor of New Seasons Church in Spring Valley, Calif., in the San Diego area; Craig Mitchell, chairman of Southwestern Seminary's ethics faculty and associate director of the seminary's Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement; and C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

Land issued an initial apology April 16 for the comments in conjunction with comments by Luter and SBC President Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., in the Atlanta area.  Earlier on April 16, Land also issued an apology for the material he failed to attribute to a Washington Times columnist.

UMHB sets $60 million goal. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has launched a fund-raising campaign, Momentum: The Campaign for Mary Hardin-Baylor, with a goal of raising $60 million. The funds will provide support for scholarships, programs, endowment and campus master plan projects including construction of a center for the visual arts, a nursing education center, a new student union building, a football stadium and a performing arts center. The campaign—unanimously endorsed by the UMHB board of trustees—is the largest in the university's 167-year history. Nearly $35 million in lead gifts already have been pledged for this campaign, UMHB President Randy O'Rear said.

Major gift advances Baylor Stadium project. The football field at Baylor Stadium—the planned on-campus sports facility—will be named in honor of John Eddie Williams of Houston, an alumnus of Baylor University and Baylor Law School, and in recognition of his gift to the building project. Williams' contribution ranks among the top five capital gifts in Baylor's history, and it follows the announcement of a lead gift by Elizabeth and Drayton McLane Jr. of Temple. Baylor Stadium, which encompasses John Eddie Williams Field, will be built on a 93-acre site on Interstate 35 near the Brazos River. The stadium will hold 45,000 spectators, with the flexibility to expand to 55,000 in the future. Previously, John Eddie and Sheridan Williams have made major gifts to Baylor Law School's capital and endowment campaign to help finance the construction of the Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center, which opened in 2001.

Colloquy focuses on freedom and human rights. The spring colloquy of the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute in Arlington features Raimundo Barreto, director for freedom and justice for the Baptist World Alliance. "Crying Freedom and Human Rights: Baptists at the Global Table" is the theme of the colloquy, May 21-22 in the Wade Building at First Baptist Church in Arlington. All sessions are open to the public at no charge.

Bawcom named UMHB president emeritus. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor board of trustees unanimously voted to name Jerry Bawcom as president emeritus. Bawcom retires as university chancellor May 31. He served as the 21st president of UMHB from 1991 through 2009. Under his leadership, enrollment grew from about 1,700 to more than 2,700 students, the school added several academic programs, and UMHB built 12 residence halls and apartment buildings, as well the York Science Center, the Parker Academic Center, the Crusader Sports Complex, the Frank and Sue Mayborn Campus Center and the Paul and Jane Meyer Christian Studies Center, and additions to Mabee Student Center, Townsend Memorial Library and Sanderford Administrative Complex.

Hispanic leadership workshop slated. Westside Baptist Church in Seguin will offer a leadership workshop for Hispanic pastors, deacons and their spouses May 19. The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m. To make a reservation for lunch, contact Pastor Juan Manuel Sanchez at (512) 567-6837.

• John Bell to Oakwood Country Church in La Vernia as pastor.

• Ted Bosworth to McNeil Church in Luling as interim pastor.

• T.J. Boyd to Martin Springs Church in Sulphur Springs as pastor.

• Ken Clay to Saltillo Church in Saltillo as pastor.

• Ronald Davis to First Church of Miller Grove in Cumby as pastor.

• Josh Green to County Line Church in Bullard as pastor.

• David Guion to The Country Church in Marion as worship minister.

• Timoteo Gutierrez to Primera Iglesia in Kyle as pastor.

• Michael Habermehl to First Church in Schulenburg as interim pastor.

• Rick Hertless has resigned as pastor of Meadowbrook Church in Rockdale to become an evangelist.

• Walter Jackson to Guadalupe Association as director of missions from First Church in DeKalb, where he was pastor.

• Randy Marsh to Spring Hill Road Church in Aubrey as pastor.

• David May to Wheelock Church in Wheelock as pastor.

• Roland Pena to Iglesia Memorial in Waelder as interim pastor.

• Paul Pogue to Chapel Hill Church in Emory as pastor.

• Derrick Rickman has resigned as pastor of Hilltop Country Church in New Braunfels.

• Ken Schoenfeldt to Hilltop Country Church in New Braunfels as pastor.

Belief generally declined globally. Belief in God is declining slowly in most countries around the world, according to a new poll, but true believers still can be found in developing countries and Catholic societies. The Beliefs about God Across Time and Countries report, released recently by researchers at the University of Chicago, found the Philippines to be the country with the highest belief, where 94 percent of Filipinos said they were strong believers who always had believed. At the opposite end, at just 13 percent, was the former East Germany. The report covered data from 30 countries that participated in at least two surveys in 1991, 1998 or 2008. In 29 of the 30 countries surveyed in 2008, belief increased with age: Belief in God was highest for those ages 68 or older (43 percent), compared to 23 percent of those younger than 28. While overall belief in God has decreased in most parts of the world, three countries—Israel, Russia and Slovenia—saw increases. Atheism and unbelief were most prominent in northwest Europe and some former Soviet states, with the exception of majority-Catholic Poland (just 3.3 percent).

Bible translated into Inuktitut. According to United Bible Societies, the complete Bible has been rendered into 469 tongues as of 2010, and this spring, Inuktitut can be added to the list. An entire Bible in the language of Inuit people and the most widely spoken aboriginal tongue in Canada's Arctic will be dedicated at an igloo-shaped church in Nunavut, an autonomous region carved out of the Northwest Territories in 1999. Begun in 1978, the massive task marks the first time in Canada a translation of the whole Bible was accomplished entirely by native speakers of the language rather than by white missionaries. The full translation follows the completion in 1991 of an Inuktitut New Testament, now in its fifth edition. Canada's last census found about 33,000 speakers of Inuktitut, part of the Eskimo-Aleut family of languages.

Narnia or Neverland? Evangelicals prefer Narnia, Catholics opt for Wonderland, and mainline Protestants are split between hitching a ride to Hogwarts, Narnia or Neverland. Those are the results from a unique poll by the television show 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair magazine. The survey asked 1,000 Americans what fantasy land they'd most like to visit. Evangelicals showed a clear preference—28 percent—for Narnia, the fantastical world of C.S. Lewis' series The Chronicles of Narnia. Alice's Wonderland was many Catholics' cup of tea, with 21 percent saying they'd like to take a trip down the rabbit hole. Peter Pan's Neverland (18 percent), Harry Potter's Hogwarts (18 percent) and J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth (16 percent) weren't far behind. Mainline Protestants were split similarly between Neverland (19 percent), Narnia (18 percent) and Hogwarts (18 percent). Among those listed as "other" religions, Hogwarts was the clear favorite (31 percent). And Middle Earth led the way for those who professed no religious affiliation (23 percent). The survey, conducted in late 2010 and recently highlighted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, includes a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

—Compiled from Religion News Service

Council ratifies CBF report. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Coordinating Council approved the 2012 Task Force report May 1, sending it to the General Assembly this summer for a vote. A quorum of the council met in Atlanta, on the phone and through virtual meeting software, to receive the task force's response to questions and suggestions raised at a February meeting. After detailed discussions and changes in wording, the report was approved unanimously. The two-year study charting the future of the moderate Baptist organization recommends changes in governance, funding and how CBF relates to partners. The vote on the report is scheduled June 21 at the 2102 General Assembly in Fort Worth.

Missions experiences for children, youth offered at SBC. Woman's Missionary Union will offer missions-oriented worship, small-group Bible studies and hands-on mission projects for students entering seventh grade through 12th grade during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, June 19-20 in New Orleans. "To the Finish Line" is the theme of a missions day camp for children entering first through sixth grades. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief childcare volunteers from the Alabama and Mississippi state conventions will care for preschoolers through age 5. Childcare for preschoolers and missions camp for children both will be at the Ernest Morial Convention Center, the site of the SBC annual meeting. Students also will meet in the mornings at the convention center, then travel to the Baptist Friendship House for missions service each day. For pricing information and to register preschoolers, children or students, visit www.sbcannualmeeting.net. There is no registration deadline, but space is limited.

Kentucky Baptists losing 27 staff. One-third of Kentucky Baptist Convention employees are opting to resign or retire early in anticipation of a reorganization of the Baptist Building staff in Louisville. Officials said 23 full-time and four part-time employees of the KBC Mission Board accepted incentive packages and will leave their jobs by June 30. With the latest round of cuts, the second in a year, 43 full-time staff will remain at the Kentucky Baptist Building and eight full-time Baptist campus ministers will serve university and college campuses across the state. The cutbacks result from a decade-long decline in income received through the Cooperative Program unified budget and a vote at the 2010 state convention annual meeting to reduce the percentage of mission gifts from churches that stay in Kentucky from 62 percent to 50 percent within 10 years.

Ministers' wives luncheon planned. Mary Kassian, wife of a professional football team's chaplain and professor of women's studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, will speak at the annual Southern Baptist Convention Ministers' Wives Luncheon June 19 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La. The theme for this year's luncheon is "The Hidden Person of the Heart," based on 1 Peter 3:3-4. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and they can be ordered at www.lifeway.com/sbcwives.

Some religious leaders hailed North Carolina’s May 8 passage of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman as a win for family values, while others vowed to continue the fight for what they call “marriage equality.”

By a vote of 61 percent to 39 percent, North Carolina became the 30th state to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage. What set this referendum apart from other gay-marriage debates, however, was the number of churches — including Baptists — lining up both for and against the proposal.

Devon Park United Methodist’s sign supporting the amendment on election day, as the church doubled as a polling place for that neighborhood. (RNS photo by Amanda Greene)

Mark Creech, a Baptist minister and executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, termed May 8 “a historic day for marriage, a great day for North Carolina and a great day for America.” The Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated Baptist State Convention of North Carolina was one of several faith groups who backed the amendment under an umbrella campaign called Vote for Marriage NC.

More progressive Baptist voices, meanwhile, said the amendment was about more than just marriage. Opponents cited larger issues including religious liberty and unintended consequences the amendment might have on people like single mothers.

Three Baptist organizations — the Alliance of Baptists, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists — opposed the amendment in an unprecedented joint campaign titled “Many Voices, One Love.”  

Robin Lunn, executive director of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, said she was disappointed but not surprised that the amendment passed, but pleasantly surprised by the coalition of religious organizations that came together to seek its defeat.

“It was a coalition of religious leaders from around the state, from across denominational boundaries and particularly from within the Baptist tradition, crossing racial lines,” Lunn said. “It was truly a moment that we need to savor.”

“Despite the sorrow of the moment, the joy that will come in the morning is the joy borne out of these new relationships that this particular battle has provided,” she said. “I am hopeful we will take this defeat with grace, and that we will continue this fight together against discrimination.”

“Nobody can take away love,” Lunn said. “They can make it illegal, but they can’t take it away.”

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said one of the most interesting things from a Christian perspective is how churches lined up on opposite sides of the issue.

Robin Lunn

“The issue of homosexuality is one of those that demonstrates the great divide between liberals and conservatives when it comes not only to theology but in particular to the interpretation of Scripture,” Mohler said in a podcast commentary May 9.

“Liberals are able to turn to the scriptures and find a way out of the very clear biblical teachings that make clear that all forms of homosexual behavior are sinful,” Mohler said. “In North Carolina there were many Christians who were surprised by the churches that took such an aggressively liberal stance.”

Mohler said North Carolina has long had its share of liberal Protestant churches, but borrowing a metaphor from the gay-rights movement added that many of them “came out of the closet” on the issue during the competing campaigns.

Creech observed that “Some religious leaders departed from sound doctrine on marriage, betrayed the sacred institution, and opposed the amendment.”

Mohler said that even though gay-marriage bans have been approved in every state so far in which they appeared on the ballot, the battle is far from over, because polls show public opinion shifting toward acceptance of same-sex marriage, especially among younger-age cohorts.

Amy Jacks Dean, co-pastor of Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte and opponent of Amendment One, wrote a church newsletter article urging parishioners “to hold our ground of radical inclusion and stare right into the eyes of those who seek to oppress children of God and not blink once.”

“Our work of proclaiming the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not done,” she wrote. “It is only just beginning.”

In addition to the 30 states that ban gay marriage in their constitutions, 12 states prohibit it by statute. Gays may legally wed in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont, plus Washington, D.C. Maryland and Washington state passed laws in 2012 to begin granting same-sex marriage licenses, but they are expected to face challenge in voter referenda. California passed Proposition 8 banning gay marriage in 2006, but it was ruled unconstitutional and is likely headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.

–Bob Allen is managing editor of Associated Baptist Press

• East Texas Baptist University has named Joseph Brown associate dean of the School of Education, effective Aug. 1. Brown, who currently serves at Houston Baptist University, also will be chair of the kinesiology and exercise science department.

• Bill Muske is retiring as director of church relations at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, effective July 17. He worked at the school 12 years.

• Jon Ashby, visiting professor of speech-language pathology and audiology at Hardin-Simmons University, and Austin King, an Abilene otolaryngologist and vocal surgeon, made a presentation on newly developed voice preservation techniques to the Collegium Medicorum Theatri in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

• Dallas Baptist University presented the sixth annual Tom Landry Leadership Award to Fred Moses of Plano. Moses is a minister at Shiloh Missionary Church in Plano, as well as president and chief executive officer of Telecom Electric Supply Company, which he founded in 1980. The Landry Leadership Award is given to individuals who use their God-given talents and abilities to excel in their chosen field of work, who exhibit exceptional leadership, who are committed to serving others in their community and who demonstrate integrity in their personal lives. The proceeds raised from the awards dinner go to provide scholarships for Dallas Baptist University students in Collin County.

• Several Howard Payne University faculty members have been promoted. Landry Black-stock now is assistant professor of developmental studies; Bill Fowler is associate professor of Christian studies; Rusty Wheel-ington is associate professor of Christian studies; and Monte Garrett is professor of music.

Anniversaries

• Eastside Church in Gonzales, 70th, March 25. Hollas Hoffman is pastor.

• Primera Iglesia in Eastland, 30th, May 20. Tony Castro is pastor.

• Tommy Harden, 25th, as minister of music at Emmanuel Church in Arp, June 10.

Retiring

• Ron Davis, as associate pastor of music and education at First Church in Liberty. He has served the church 23 years of his 47 years of ministry. A reception in his honor will be held May 19 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Deaths

• Ray Bennett, 75, Feb. 3 in Hillsboro. A graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Theological Seminary, he was pastor of churches in Texas, California and Hawaii. He also served as a professor of history at Howard Payne University, as well as adjunct professor of religion and history at Wayland Baptist University of Hawaii and Dallas Baptist University. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Frances; son, Barton; daughter, Belynda Bennett; sisters, Glenda Crowl, Wanda Altom and Nelda Burney; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

• Tom Summers Jr., 81, Feb. 16 in La Vernia. He was senior adult pastor at First Church in La Vernia. He was preceded in death by his brother, Nelson. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; sons, Grady and Glenn; daughters, Debra Holloway and Jane Sijansky; sister, Edith Downing; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

• Rubynelle Dixon, 77, April 23 in Nashville, Tenn. A graduate of Southwestern Theological Seminary, she served churches in New Mexico, Texas and Tennessee as minister to preschool/children. She was preceded in death by her brothers, J.T. and Raymond Bennington; sister, Rachel; and infant son, Mark. She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Tommy; sons, Rick and Chris; sisters, Mary Jeffcoat, Helen Roberson, Linda Tooley and Sandra Crawford; and four grandchildren.

Ordained

• Alex Beasley, to the ministry at Oak Hills Church in Floresville.

• Josh Green, to the ministry at County Line Church in Bullard, May 6.

Revivals

• Primera Iglesia, Eastland; May 18-20; evangelist, Eddie Gonzales; pastor, Tony Castro.

• First Church, Milano; May 20-23; evangelist, Dennis Erwin; pastor, Dave Lucas.

WACO—Narcissism—inordinate self-centeredness—impairs ethical judgment among devout Christians, a study of marketing students by two professors in Baylor University's Hankhamer School of Business reveals.

The study divided survey respondents into three distinct clusters—skeptics, nominal Christian and devout Christians. Skeptics reject orthodox Christian teachings, nominal Christians are lukewarm in both their religious orientation and beliefs, and devout Christians rank high in having internalized biblical beliefs and values.

Religious skeptics in general demonstrate worse ethical judgment than either nominal or devout Christians, the study showed. But as the level of narcissism increases, it has a greater impact on Christians than skeptics.

A higher level of narcissism is more likely to be associated with unethical judgment among Christians—nominal or devout—than among people who reject foundational Christian teachings, according to research by marketing professor Marjorie Cooper and Chris Pulling, chair of Baylor's marketing department. Their findings have been published online in the Journal of Business Ethics.

"There is an inherent contradiction between high levels of narcissism and adherence to Christian orthodoxy that causes these findings to be surprising and to seem counterintuitive," Cooper and Pulling write.

"This discrepancy seems apparent because the teachings of Christ make clear believers' responsibility to put others before themselves, to uphold what is right even in difficult circumstances, and to make ethical decisions in submission to the transcendent authority and commandments of God.

"Thus, we conclude that the negative impact of narcissism is sufficiently intrusive and powerful that it entices people into behaving in ways inimical to their most deeply held beliefs. In short, the narcissistic Devouts who may choose to exercise their poor ethical judgment would be committing acts that are, according to their own internalized value system, blatantly hypocritical."

Researchers used an online survey to collect data from 423 undergraduate marketing students and collected 385 usable surveys.

To gauge ethical judgments, respondents were asked to read scenarios and rank on a scale of one to seven whether a particular behavior is never, sometimes or always acceptable.

Narcissism was determined by responses to paired questions such as "I like to be the center of attention" and "I prefer to blend in with the crowd."

Religiosity was ranked on scale of one to five based on agreement with statements such as "I have often had a strong sense of God's presence" and "I try hard to live all my life according to my religious beliefs."

Orthodoxy was measured based on agreement or disagreement with statements such as "Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God" and "The concept of God is an old superstition that is no longer needed to explain things in the modern era."

The Baptist Collegiate Ministries at Vanderbilt University will not comply with the school’s new nondiscrimination policy.

The Baptist and Reflector reported May 7 that while the university has approved the Baptist ministry as a recognized student organization on campus, that BCM will decline that status. The Tennessee Baptist Convention owns the Baptist Collegiate Ministries building, which is located in the center of campus.

Earlier Vanderbilt BCM director Thom Thornton said he was assured that a new policy requiring that membership in any campus organization be open to all students would still allow the group to select leaders who are committed to the organization’s mission.

Randy Davis, however, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, wrote members of the convention’s executive board to say that signing on to the policy would require the BCM "if the occasion should ever arise, to open the leadership to those who were not Christian.”

“Perhaps we should have known this earlier, but we did not," Davis wrote, adding that both Thornton and TBC Collegiate Ministries coordinator Bill Choate are supportive of the decision.

According to The Tennessean, 27 religious groups have said they will comply with the non-discrimination policy next year, while 14 have refused.

Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation designed to pressure Vanderbilt to drop the policy, but Gov. Bill Haslam said he would veto the measure, not because he agrees with the policy but that he believes the state has no business meddling in affairs of a private university.

On May 7, 36 members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus in Washington urged Vanderbilt to exempt religious groups from its “all-comers” policy, saying that it discriminates against faith-based groups by requiring them to accept members who don’t share their core beliefs.

–Bob Allen is managing editor of Associated Baptist Press.

CORRECTION: This story was edited May 9 to correct an error in the first sentence. We regret the error.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (BP)—The LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center is being offered for $1 to the Baptist Convention of New Mexico, according to both LifeWay and state convention leaders.

Jerry Rhyne, LifeWay's chief financial officer, confirmed LifeWay has communicated to the New Mexico convention it is "open to conveying the entire Glorieta campus to the state convention for one dollar."

Glorieta Conference Center outside of Santa Fe, N.M.

However, he added, "LifeWay has a responsibility to our trustees and all Southern Baptists that such action would be based on presentation of a financially stable, comprehensive plan."

Last fall, LifeWay trustees agreed to pursue viable options for the conference center near Santa Fe due to changes in church practices, rising costs and a volatile economy. The center now offers only summer events for student groups, including Centrifuge camps and Collegiate Week.

The $1 offer first was noted during an April 12 gathering at the Baptist Convention of New Mexico's building in Albuquerque to explore suggestions for Glorieta's future.

The group of about 30 people from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma met at the invitation of an ad hoc BCNM committee created in January and tasked with exploring "the future and possibilities of Glorieta."

The committee's creation was a response to a resolution adopted last fall during the BCNM's annual meeting in Farmington, where messengers resolved to "strongly urge the Southern Baptist Convention and LifeWay Christian Resources to insure that Glorieta continues its vital ministry to the people known as Southern Baptists now and well into the future or until Jesus returns."

The resolution followed the decision one month earlier by LifeWay trustees to only offer summer events for students and to pursue "viable options for the disposition of the property."

Executive Board Chairman Lamar Morin, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bloomfield, N.M., named himself to the study committee along with BCNM Executive Director Joseph Bunce, BCNM President Maurice Hollingsworth, BCNM business administrator Gerald Farley, BCNM attorney Steve Long and Bloomfield businessman George Riley. All but Farley were present April 12.

In March, Bunce issued an invitation to anyone who would like to address the committee on April 12.

"In order to do due diligence to the task that we have been assigned as a study committee concerning Glorieta's future, we truly want to hear every possible suggestion that would lead to a solution for the future of Glorieta," Bunce said, encouraging those with suggestions to bring "a written business plan."

In response to a question from Rick Sullivan, pastor of First Baptist Church in Artesia, N.M. , about the status of Glorieta, Bunce replied he had been told LifeWay would sell BCNM the property for $1, and Hollingsworth added LifeWay would require the convention to present a detailed and viable business plan.

Hal Hill, the conference center's director who was present at the meeting but did not speak, said later any plan must be one that would allow for ministry to continue at Glorieta.

Specific suggestions offered during the three-hour listening session included:

• Dividing the property into two "manageable" units, separating the campus from the residences.

• Finding new ways of encouraging people to come to Glorieta.

• Subleasing the property to a variety of Christian ministries.

• Employing a full-time sales staff to "aggressively" encourage people to attend Glorieta events.

• Taking advantage of Glorieta's excellent access to water.

Admitting he has been "grief-stricken" since LifeWay's decision last September, Sullivan urged the committee first to act on New Mexico Baptists' belief that Glorieta has a viable future in reaching the next generation and then conduct an economic audit and employ a team of "economic architects" to develop a plan they could propose to the committee.

Jay McCollum, pastor of First Baptist Church in Gallup, N.M., affirmed Sullivan's proposal, urging the committee to act on the conviction God has a plan and to make a commitment to carry it out, making Glorieta a viable ministry once more.

"We need to rethink throwing in the towel," McCollum said.

HUNTSVILLE—More than 100 volunteers from seven states recently led an Experiencing God discipleship weekend for about 1,000 inmates inside nine Huntsville-area Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities.

Carroll Prewitt, a Texas Baptist Men volunteer from First Baptist Church in Lindale, leads a small-group discussion among inmates at the Wynne Unit in Huntsville during an Experiencing God weekend. (PHOTO/ Simple Joy Media)

"God wants to do a whole lot more than we can ever think about or imagine. God wants to change your lives, not just the inmates' lives," Texas Baptist Men Executive Director Don Gibson told the volunteers before they entered the prison facilities for the Friday/Saturday event, sponsored by TBM and Inmate Discipler Fellowship. "Be open to God, and be open to others."

In general sessions and small-group times, volunteers introduced offenders to the key teachings of Experiencing God, a discipleship curriculum focused on "knowing and doing the will of God."

Claude King, who wrote the best-selling curriculum with Henry Blackaby, joined about two-dozen other volunteers who entered the maximum-security Wynne Unit—going inside two high fences topped with razor wire and passing through multiple pairs of steel double doors—to meet with inmates in Rockwell Chapel.

"When the Lord looks down, he doesn't see this," a worship leader for the praise band said at the opening session of the weekend, grasping the collar of the white uniform that identified him as an inmate. "All he sees is red—the blood of Jesus."

Isaac Torres, a Texas Baptist Men volunteer from Kingsville, leads a small-group discussion among inmates at the Wynne Unit in Huntsville during an Experiencing God weekend. (PHOTO/ Simple Joy Media)

People make mistakes and bad choices, but God never fails, King told the assembled crowd.

"God is love, and God's will is the best thing for you," he said. "We can trust God's direction always to be right. It's not trial and error with God."

Inmates and volunteers knelt together at the chapel altar in prayer and opened their hearts to each other in small-group discussions.

Delvin, an offender from Houston, noted the difficulty in "trying to walk the walk" as a Christian in prison, where believers are viewed with suspicion. Correctional officers and fellow inmates wonder if they claim "jailhouse religion" just to curry favor with administration, he observed.

But one female correctional officer noted the positive impact of faith-based programs on prisoners.

During an Experiencing God weekend, David Valentine, pastor of Covenant Fellowship, a Texas Baptist congregation in Huntsville, taught gospel lessons to Wynne Unit prisoners in administration segregation, where inmates are in solitary lock-down 23 hours a day. (PHOTO/ Simple Joy Media)

"It strengthens my faith in God to see these guys' lives changed," she said. "The changes are noticeable in individuals."

Warden Eddie Howell at the Byrd Unit observed the Experiencing God weekend involved more offenders than any other religious program had at the prison, and he saw results almost immediately.

"Everywhere I went this past Monday, as I made my rounds throughout the facility, I was approached by smiling offenders who wanted to make a special point to express their positive comments regarding this program," Howell said. "Most stated that this program revealed a part of their inner self that they never knew before and that it was the absolute best program they've ever experienced."

Calvin Page, chaplain at the Wynne Unit, affirmed the role of faith-based volunteers who serve on an ongoing basis, as well as those who participate in special weekend events.

"We believe in God changing hearts," Page said. "Events like this help these guys, and I just pray that the presence of God will illuminate this place from the chapel on out.

"This is the best job I ever had, because you see God at work. Working here, I see transformation take place."

David Valentine, pastor of Covenant Fellowship, a Texas Baptist congregation in Huntsville, likewise sees transformed lives through ongoing ministry inside the prisons, sharing God's love both with the inmates and the correctional officers.

Razor wire is sillouetted with Rockwell Chapel at Huntsville's Wynne Unit, where an Experiencing God weekend was led by Texas Baptist Men volunteers. (PHOTO/ Simple Joy Media)

During the Experiencing God weekend, Valentine taught gospel lessons to Wynne Unit prisoners in administration segregation, where inmates who prove they are violent, disciplinary problems or escape risks are in solitary lock-down 23 hours a day.

Two offenders who had moved from administrative segregation to the general prison population testified to the impact of Valentine's ongoing ministry. Cedric, a former gang leader, had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior as a result of Valentine consistently sharing the gospel. In turn, Cedric led Aketa to faith in Christ, and Aketa became the first person in the state to be baptized in administrative segregation.

As Gibson had predicted at the beginning of the weekend experience, God also changed the hearts of volunteers. Bob Joyce, pastor of Shady Shores Baptist Church, near Denton, brought four men from his church to Huntsville in spite of apprehension about entering a prison. The experience removed his anxiety.

"I am no longer a prisoner to my fears concerning ministry in prisons," he wrote to Mark Hollis, executive director of Inmate Discipler Fellowship. "Should the opportunity arise in the future, please know that you can pretty well count on the men from Shady Shores Baptist Church to be available to participate."

Bill Glass of Champions for Life has invited TBM and Inmate Discipler Fellowship to schedule an Experiencing God weekend after every evangelistic crusade his organization holds in a Texas prison, Hollis reported. Kairos Prison Ministry also has expressed the desire to work in partnership with the Texas Baptist groups, he added.

Texas Baptists who have completed Experiencing God and who are interested in serving with an Experiencing God weekend in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility can contact Texas Baptist Men at (214) 381-2800.