WASHINGTON (RNS)—Members of a new White House advisory council have mapped out plans to link government and religious groups, from interfaith service projects to regional town halls on fatherhood.

Eboo Patel, founder of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, said his task force of the Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships will work to advance President Obama’s discussion about interfaith cooperation by fostering hands-on activities.

“Can we have interfaith service projects on 500 campuses?” he asked fellow leaders on the 25-member council. “Can we work with 25 State Department embassies to have interfaith service projects?”

Council members discussed the priorities of six task forces, which range from reforming the faith-based office to addressing the economic crisis.

Melissa Rogers, an expert on religion and public affairs at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, said the task force charged with reforming the office will examine everything from executive orders to PowerPoint presentations to ensure church-state restrictions are clear when religious organizations partner with the government.

Several council members told administration officials they want to make sure government partnerships extend to the city and county level—in part to ensure that economic recovery funds reach struggling grassroots nonprofits.

Joshua DuBois, executive director of the office, said he expects intergovernmental outreach to increase, but he is seeking recommendations from the advisers on best approaches for that cooperation.

Many of the advisers’ proposals will be developed into a report to the White House next year. Some of their work will be evident before then, such as regional town hall meetings on fatherhood scheduled for later this year.

XELA, Guatemala—A 15-member team of students, faculty and staff from Dallas Baptist University learned what it meant to practice what the New Testament epistle of James called “pure and undefiled” religion when they ministered to 75 orphans in Guatemala.

The trip marked DBU’s seventh to Guatemala in partnership with Buckner International.

“It was amazing to spend time loving on these kids who don’t get very many hugs, touches, or words of encouragement,” explained trip leader Christy Gandy, DBU assistant director of spiritual life.

“To see their faces light up with joy when we walked in was always so special. It was amazing how quickly they would attach themselves to us.”

DBU students developed a Vacation Bible School program, using Bible stories, recreation and crafts to teach children about the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

In addition to the Vacation Bible School program, DBU students hosted a birthday celebration in which every child at the orphanage received a gift.

“The best thing about the trip was just loving on the kids,” DBU sophomore Elizabeth Lopez said.

Chrisy Gandy,DBU assistant director of spiritual life, enjoys time with three girls from the orphanage in Xena, Guatemala. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of Dallas Baptist University)

A special focus of this trip was the intentional inclusion of graduate-level students. Under the supervision of Shannon Wolf, DBU assistant professor of counseling, three graduate students shared basic counseling principles with the workers at the orphanage, such as dealing with neglect and active listening techniques.

The mission trip fit into DBU’s service-learning emphasis, where students are encouraged to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to real world settings.

“The service-learning trip to Guatemala has been a highlight in my counseling studies,” graduate student Erika Wiegand said. “All these conversations and experiences further advanced my understanding of multicultural perspectives in counseling in a way that could not have been achieved in only the classroom.”

Dallas Baptist University sophomore Elizabeth Mullins plays with a girl at the orphanage in Xena, Guatemala. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of Dallas Baptist University)

Another graduate student, Lori Ryan, added: “I truly believe I will be a better counselor because of my experience, and I will have a special tenderness and understanding of cultural differences and how the differences impact the counseling process.”

While the students made an impact on the lives of children in Guatemala, the mission volunteers “walked away changed, as well,” Gandy observed.

“It was a reminder to be thankful for all we’ve been given—for friends and parents who love us—and to remember how blessed we truly are,” she said.

ATLANTA (ABP) — Former President Jimmy Carter has urged religious leaders to repudiate teachings that he says justify cruelty to women.

Carter, a Nobel laureate and 39th president of the United States, described in an article in the British newspaper The Observer his "painful and difficult" decision in 2000 to leave the Southern Baptist Convention after six decades. 

Carter, who teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., said the decision became "unavoidable" when SBC leaders adopted a new consensus faith statement "quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be 'subservient' to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service."

Jimmy Carter

Carter said that went against his belief "that we are all equal in the eyes of God."

Writing on behalf of a group of world leaders convened by Nelson Mandela called the Elders, Carter said viewing women as inferior to men is not limited to one religion and is not confined to the walls of the church, mosque or synagogue.

"This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries," he said. "The male interpretations of religious texts and the way they interact with, and reinforce, traditional practices justify some of the most pervasive, persistent, flagrant and damaging examples of human rights abuses."

At its worst, Carter said the belief is used to justify slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But he said discriminatory thinking is also behind the continuing gender pay gap and why so few women hold public office in Britain and the U.S.

"It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population," Carter wrote. "We need to challenge these self-serving and out-dated attitudes and practices — as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom."

Carter acknowledged that some New Testament teachings can be used to support male superiority, but he countered that carefully selected Bible verses can also be used to defend slavery.

"The truth is that male religious leaders have had — and still have — an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women," Carter said. "They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter."

Carters said the Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders bringing their collective influence and experience to support peace and human rights, were "calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women."

He called on leaders of all religions to "acknowledge and emphasize the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share."

Carter said religion that demeans women "provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world."

He said that violates not only the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions — all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God."

–Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.

SAN ANTONIO—More than 125 San Antonio teenagers took their first steps toward a college degree and brighter future by participating in “The Road to Independence”—a self-sufficiency conference and job fair sponsored by Baptist Child & Family Services.

For 10 years, the BCFS transitional living program has sponsored the conference for young adults aging out of the foster care system, answering questions about how to build and maintain relationships, find housing and employment, apply to college and receive financial aid, and manage money.

This year, BCFS added a job fair to the conference to help connect foster teens with local employers.

“Before I got involved in the BCFS program, I thought maybe I could be a mechanic. But now I’m in college, and have the confidence to start a foundation to help the homeless,” said Michael Ramirez, age 18.

The hardest thing about aging out of the foster care program is feeling that nobody understands what foster children are going through, he said.

“Because of the BCFS program, I can be a living testimony for other kids,” said Ramirez, a Northwest Vista College student. “There are people out there who do understand and who can help.”

San Antonio teens spent a Saturday investing in their future at the Road to Independence conference sponsored by Baptist Child & Family Services. (PHOTOS/BCFS)

Ernesto Olivares found that help through the BCFS transitional living program.

“You have people who are working with you to make things better,” he said.

While on some levels the youth participating in BCFS’ conference and job fair are typical teenagers, they have had to deal with many issues that are foreign to most young adults. The BCFS transitional living program has helped thousands of teenagers overcome great challenges and will continue support in the future.

When asked what advice he had for young adults about to transition out of foster care, Ramirez grinned and said: “Simple—stick with the program. Those three hours a week will be worth your time. They’ll change your life.”

To find out more about the BCFS’ Transitional Living program, visit www.bcfs.net/transitionalliving.

BELTON—Bivocational ministers and their spouses gathered at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor to discuss “Simple Solutions for Tough Times: Living By Faith” during the annual Bivocational Smaller Church Ministers and Spouses Statewide Conference.

In addition to times of networking and fellowship, the gathering included seminars on such topics as conflict management, the use of technology in ministry, counseling and evangelizing communities, how to juggle a career, ministry and family and how to equip church leaders to serve congregations.

“I hope families had good experiences in our workshops and learned a lot through them,” said Cecil Deadman, Baptist General Convention of Texas small church/bivocational consultant. “I also hope that (participants) were able to spend time together and enjoy some relaxation.” 

A teen conference also was held for children of pastors, deacons, music leaders and administrators. The Nick Gainey Band led worship, and Emily Prevost , associate director of the BGCT Congregational Leadership Team and young leaders consultant, was the keynote speaker.  Prevost’s message challenged students to train themselves spiritually by praying and dwelling on Scripture by reading it habitually and focusing on key words.

“The talks were really good,” said Laurel Luedecke, a Bell Baptist Association summer missionary who helped lead the youth portion of the conference. “I hope it enriched their worship experience, and that they realized worship goes outside the normal church service.”

She believes it is beneficial for youth to network with other students with common backgrounds.

“It is important youth have this opportunity to mingle with kids that are in their same situation,” Luedecke said. “They’ve made good friendships, and hopefully realized they’re not the only ones going through their particular situation.”

Scholarship were presented to Joao Chaves of Grace Point Church in San Antonio, a Baptist University of the Americas student, and James Han of New Song Church in Carrollton, a Baylor University student, from the Claude and Ilene Slate Memorial Scholarship Fund.  The scholarship fund is made possible through individual contributions and a pre-conference golf tournament each year. 

“I think God worked through people like you,” Chaves said in receiving the scholarship. “It’s amazing how God has been faithful to me and my family.”

Both scholarship recipients are going into bivocational ministry, and the money will be used for their education.

“God is a great provider,” Han said. “Because of you, the Lord has pulled through in my life again.”

Leonardo Diaz of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Hitchcock was named Exemplary Bivocational Pastor of the Year because of his committed leadership to both the church and his community. He was recognized for his service during the Hurricane Ike recovery period as he encouraged the community through work projects, block parties and worship services.

Others honored included Jimmy Young of Streetman Baptist Church as the Exemplary Bivocational Music Minister of the Year and Derrell Monday of the Bi-Fork Baptist Area as the Exemplary Director of Missions. The association also provided a plaque expressing appreciation for Randy Rather as president of the Texas Baptist Bivocational Ministers and Spouses Association since 2007. 

The group elected a new slate of officers: President Tony Tawater, pastor of Lone Willow Baptist Church in Cleburne; First Vice President Rosalind Ray of Fairy Baptist Church in Fairy; Second Vice President Richard Ray, pastor of First Baptist Church in Wink; Treasurer Danny Rogers of Living Proof Baptist Church in Cleburne; and Secretary Ellen Goodson of Highland Baptist Church in Denton.

Just like the Apostle Paul needed Luke the physician as his traveling companion on missionary journeys, a wheelchair-bound young woman who feels called to India needs someone to serve alongside her.

Heather Herschap worked in Bangalore on two month-long mission trips— during the summers of 2005 and 2006—with the help of classmates at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary and WorldconneX, a missions network the Baptist General Convention of Texas launched.

Herschap, who has cerebral palsy, served with proVision Asia, counseling and ministering to physically challenged people.

Heather Herschap worked in Bangalore, India, on two month-long mission trips when she was a student at Truett Theological Seminary. She feels called to return for a one-year missions commitment, but she needs a caregiver to serve with her. (PHOTO/Ken Camp)

Since her graduation from seminary, she has dreamed of returning to India for an extended one-year missions experience.

But finding a classmate who could receive field-experience credit for a one-month missions trip proved easier than enlisting a long-term traveling companion. After more than 18 months, she has been unable to find a caregiver to accompany her.

“There have been possibilities along the way, but they all fizzled out for a number of reasons,” she said.

While she has found it “very difficult to wait,” Herschap noted her physical limitations make it essential that someone to travel with her.

“Cerebral palsy is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain at birth. That means my body is spastic—tense and contracted—affecting my extremities with complete feeling in my entire body. There is a loss of hand-eye coordination and fine motor control,” Herschap explained.

As a result, she needs help with bathing, grooming, basic hygiene and transportation.

“I need to be pushed in a manual wheel chair, but I can drive an electric one on my own,” she added.

If she can find a caregiver, both she and her traveling companion would serve with proVision Asia under the auspices of the Mission to Unreached Peoples missions-sending organization.

“I need someone not only to take care of my basic needs, but also to be my missions partner, going and serving as a missionary, as well,” Herschap explained.

Responsibilities include providing respite care for parents of children with physical disabilities, as well as helping disabled people with vocational training, physical therapy, job placement and English-language skills.

The caregiver would not have to be a seminary graduate, but she would need to complete training provided by Mission to Unreached Peoples. Herschap remains confident she has enough financial support to cover her caregiver’s expenses and provide some compensation, as well.

Anyone interested in more information about serving as Herschap’s caregiver in India can e-mail her at herschapah@gmail.com.

Waiting and searching unsuccessfully for a missions companion has proven frustrating, Herschap admits. But she remains confident God has a plan and purpose.

“I’m completely out of ideas. It’s all in God’s hands,” she said. “I’ve given it back to him.”

HOUSTON—Parents of missionaries support their children’s ministry, but they also need support from other missionary parents who understand the hardship of being apart from their children.

Susan Kilcoyne, who attends South Main Baptist in Pasadena, works as the state coordinator for the Missionary Parents’ Fellowship and participates in the fellowship’s Houston group. She serves as the connection among the missionary parents’ groups in Texas.

Amber Hill Beck, who grew up in Thailand where her parents served as missionaries, enjoys time with grandmother, Betty Price of Carrollton. (PHOTO/Courtesy of Missionary Parents Fellowship)

The International Mission Board started seven groups composed of 475 family units, including parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. The families come together in their areas in homes, restaurants and churches to share common concerns.

Those concerns become particularly acute for families when missionaries serve in places closed to overt Christian missions.

“A lot of parents of missionaries now can’t talk to anyone about what their children are doing,” Kilcoyne said. “It’s a good place for them to come and see that other parents have the same feelings.”

Parents whose children recently went overseas need to hear from parents who have gone through these experiences for 15 years or more, Kilcoyne said.

“It’s an encouragement, especially for parents who are new to this,” she said.

The groups meet and share information from the International Mission Board, prayer requests, praises, things going on in the lives of their children and if someone has visited his or her children. They also pray together.

“We always, always have a time of prayer for the children and the other missionaries on the mission field,” Kilcoyne said.

Kilcoyne can relate to parents in this group. Her son and daughter-in-law serve, along with her granddaughter, as missionaries in France. Although she does not see them as often as she would like, advances in technology have helped bridge the distance gap.

“I can’t imagine not being in contact with them,” Kilcoyne said. She uses Skype—with a computer and webcam—to see and talk to them. “We don’t get to see them (in person) as much as a normal parents or grandparents.”

The distance and dangers involved can be tough issues for parents at home. Parents sometimes have difficulty understanding their children’s call to missions when they have not felt this call themselves, Kilcoyne said.

“I have to let them do what God has called them to do,” Kilcoyne said about her son and daughter-in-law. “I know in my heart-of-hearts, if the Lord has called them to go to another country, I cannot stand in their way.”

The group addresses concerns like these and would love to have as many parents as possible involved in their efforts, Kilcoyne said. The group also communicates to parents through e-mail, but getting together can be more rewarding, she said.

“I think it gives the parents a feeling of not being alone, not being in a situation where no one knows what they’re going through,” Kilcoyne said.

Groups meet in Fort Worth, San Antonio, Brownwood, Tyler, Houston, Northeast Texas and North Dallas. For security reasons, the group does not encourage people who do not have children in missions to come.

HITCHCOCK—Last fall, Hurricane Ike left Primera Iglesia Bautista with nothing. One building was filled with two feet of water. Another building filled with four feet of water. Everything was damaged and needed to be replaced.

But Pastor Leonardo Diaz said God delivered the congregation. It managed to be a source of calm in its neighborhood following the storm and rebuild its facilities with the help of friends across the state. The congregation recently rededicated its facilities.

Churches statewide discovered the congregation’s needs, Diaz said. Some connected through the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Others did so through the Galveston Baptist Association. Often, connections were made through friends of friends.

First Baptist Church in Paris partnered with Primera Iglesia Bautista in the recovery process. The Paris church raised $18,000 for its Southeast Texas brethren for building supplies as well as teams to do the construction.

“They’re the ones God had in mind who would not give up in faith, because we have no flood insurance. When we saw the devastation, we knew it would take a God-sized miracle,” said Diaz, who recently was honored with the Texas Baptist Exemplary Bivocational/Smaller Membership Church Pastor Award.

The choir at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Hitchcock leads in worship at a rededication service for the church facilities after the building was severely damaged by Hurricane Ike. (PHOTOS/Courtesy of Primera Iglesia Bautista, Hitchcock)

Bill Kennedy, a member of First Baptist Church in Paris, said the church cherished the opportunity to build a relationship with Primera Iglesia Bautista. “I feel like we were doing what God wanted us to do. There have been a number of times in my life when I felt I was in God’s will. That’s how I felt throughout this.”

The assistance helped the church rebuild as well as reach out to its neighbors. Members of Primera Iglesia Bautista handed out bottled water following the storm. They also provided backpacks and school supplies to area children and offered mounds of clothes to the community. Most recently, the church held a Vacation Bible School in an effort to share the gospel.

The congregation’s commitment to reaching its community embodies the spirit of Texas Hope 2010, a Baptist General Convention of Texas initiative to share the hope of Christ with every Texan by Easter 2010.

“I always thought that God has a purpose for us just being there because the people need to know about Jesus,” Diaz said. “We need to be the light there. We’ve been really blessed by the help that has been coming in.”

Many families see it as a milestone when they are able to send their first child to college. The family of caregivers associated with Children’s Emergency Relief International is no exception.

CERI celebrates the success of Velautham Subasini as she recently received acceptance to college, a rare achievement in Sri Lanka. (BCFS PHOTO)

CERI, the overseas arm of Baptist Child & Family Services, established the foster care system in Sri Lanka at the government’s request after a devastating tsunami swept across the island five years ago, leaving thousands of children orphaned.

Since then, CERI caseworkers have found permanent homes for the children in their care.

And the CERI-Southeast Asia family is celebrating an important achievement by one of the young adults in its care. Thanks to CERI’s financial and emotional support, 20-year old Velautham Subasini was recently accepted to college.

Only 11 percent of the children in Sri Lanka who take pre-university classes go on to study in college. Thanks to CERI, Subasini said, she has confidence to achieve her goals. Subasini has been with CERI two and a half years, and financial provision for her pre-university education was made possible solely by CERI supporters.

Subasini has three sisters and two brothers. When she was just 1 year old, her father disappeared in the civil war that continues to plague Sri Lanka. Two years ago, her mother died of cancer. Since then, she has lived with her aunt, and CERI has helped the family with basic day-to-day needs.

“CERI’s financial assistance, love and care are a Godsend in my life,” said Subasini. “I believe God will continue to support me as I further my education.”

COVINGTON, La. (RNS)—An Alabama woman used the spine of a Bible to conceal several hacksaw blades that helped her husband and three other inmates escape a maximum-security prison.

Claudia Buras was booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail on one count of introducing contraband into a penal institution and one count of assisting escape. Both are felonies, each carrying a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.

When Buras, 24, of Irvington, Ala., came to the jail to visit her ex-husband, murder suspect Eric Buras, she smuggled the hacksaw blades to him by delivering the Bible, Sheriff Jack Strain said.

She had peeled off the Bible’s spine and then glued it back with the 6- to 6 1/2-inch blades inside, investigators said.

After she left, Eric Buras was strip searched, but the Bible was never inspected, Strain said.

“Our deputies would not have dismantled the Bible,” the sheriff added.

Three other men accused of involvement in various murders escaped with Buras in the jailbreak. Three of the escapees were caught within hours; a fourth eluded authorities for just over two days.

Prison officials say the inmates removed the caulk around a window and then used the hacksaws to cut away metal bars over the window.

SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP) — A teenager from Shreveport, La., continued to fight for her life in a Mississippi hospital four days after a July 12 bus crash that killed one and injured 22 passengers on their way to a church camp in Macon, Ga.

John Henson, associate pastor for emerging ministries at First Baptist Church in Shreveport, reported on Facebook that a July 16 CT scan found extensive swelling and hemorrhage to the brain of his daughter Maggie Lee, a rising seventh grader at First Baptist Church School.

Funeral services for Brandon Ugarte, 14, were held in Shreveport July 15.

She remains the most critical of surviving youth and adult sponsors injured when a church bus carrying them blew a tire and rolled over near Meridian, Miss., on the way to a Passport youth camp on the campus of Mercer University.

One boy, 14-year-old Brandon Ugarte,  died while being airlifted to a hospital in Jackson. Hundreds attended his funeral July 15 at the Catholic church his parents attend.

Updates on Maggie Lee's condition indicate her lungs and heart are stable, but doctors continue to be concerned about intracranial pressure, a critical measure in monitoring and treatment of brain injury.

According to an informational website, the average ICP in a healthy adult is in the range of 0 to 10 mmHg. Any pressure greater than 20 is abnormal and above 60 is fatal. Henson's pressure had hovered in the 30s all week before spiking into the 40s during the night of July 15.

John Henson reported midday July 16 that his daughter's ICP was in the low 20s, a plateau that doctors had hoped to reach during a critical first 72 hours after a head injury.

Elevated ICP creates a problem when fluid surrounding the brain has nowhere to go and can deform and cause further damage to the brain. Outcome is affected by both the amount and duration of pressure, but children have better recovery rates than adults.

John Henson and his wife, Jinny, both made Internet appeals July 16 for urgent prayer for their daughter. People from all over the world are responding. The largest of a number of Facebook prayer groups dedicated to teh youth group had grown to nearly 8,000 members by the time this story was filed.

Meanwhile, others who suffered serious injuries continued to improve.

Teenager Chase Johnson was discharged from Rush Hospital in Meridian July 15 and headed for home.

Sarah Smith, who was originally taken to a hospital in Meridian and transferred to Jackson with neck and upper-back fractures, awaited a final consultation with her doctor before being released, possibly July 16.

Lauren Murchison had surgery July 15 in Jackson to clean out a facial bone fragment that was affecting eye movement. Earlier she underwent surgery to repair a femur broken in two places, a broken clavicle and other injuries. She was described as alert and communicative before the most recent operation.

Jason Matlack, the church's youth minister, was transferred to a private room in Meridian and expected to be transported to Shreveport by the end of the week.

Kyle Kelley, an adult chaperone on the trip who works part time for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship  of Louisiana, was also moved to a private room in Meridian. An update on the church website said he was in a good deal of pain and it would take some time for his broken bones to heal, but both he and his wife, Charlene, a member of the national CBF Coordinating Council, are in good spirits.

Another Facebook group applauded heroic efforts by a National Guard unit that happened to be following the bus when it went out of control and rolled three times before landing on its side with three passengers trapped underneath. Soldiers physically lifted the 30-passenger bus to gain access to the pinned victims and began triage credited with saving lives.

Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler told The Meridian Star that seeing dozens of people littered across eastbound lanes of Interstate 20/59 — many of them seriously injured and in shock — was one of the worst scenes he had ever worked.

–Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.

Previous articles:

Shreveport church focuses prayer on daughter of church staff member

Pastor says National Guard saved lives following wreck of church bus

Church bus headed toward Passport overturns, killing teen

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (ABP) — David Rogers, son of the legendary preacher and Southern Baptist Convention president Adrian Rogers, is resigning after 19 years as a missionary to Spain.

Rogers, a blogger who has written extensively about his disagreement with International Mission Board policies against praying in tongues, said Baptist politics had nothing to do with the decision, which is based solely on health issues involving a family member.

Rogers said he will remain in the Memphis, Tenn., area to work full time with the Adrian Rogers Pastor Training Institute, where he has been editing training materials in Spanish and English on a temporary basis for several months.

At the institute, founded in 2003, Rogers works alongside his brother Steve and sits at the desk formerly used by his father while he was pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis for 32 years before retiring in 2005.

Rogers said part of his work will be dedicated to building the Adrian Rogers Legacy Library, a project by the family to electronically index and cross-reference notes and transcripts of more than 6,000 sermons the elder Rogers preached during a ministry spanning more than 50 years before his death in 2005.

Rogers and his wife, Kelly, have been on stateside appointment and leave of absence for two years. He said they had planned to return to Spain a year ago but decided to remain in the United States for personal family reasons.

He described the decision to leave the IMB as "painful" and said he would continue to support and pray for missionary colleagues still on the field.

Three years ago Rogers wrote IMB trustees objecting to a new policy banning missionaries who admit to a "private prayer language" in their devotional lives. He said he could not speak for his late father, but he voiced concern that the "conservative resurgence" that he helped launch in 1979 was "in danger of being commandeered in a new, more extreme direction."

Rogers told Associated Baptist Press July 16 his opinions about IMB policies or SBC politics had nothing to do with his resignation, and he hoped media would not ask personal questions that intrude into a private family decision.

–Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.