Thanks for reminding us of the continuing atrocities being committed by ISIS. The violence reads like something from the Assyrian conquest of thousands of years ago.

I read the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative’s provisions to try to stop the slaughter and return the areas and people to peace. Despite the hopes, the suggested help relies on UN agencies, which have proven to be powerless in the past. Their record of preventing attacks in Israel are dismal. The suggestion to provide an armed force to protect the new state to be carved out as a haven would require an enormous amount of time to recruit, arm and train. Witness the collapse of the so-called Iranian army, 200,000 troops that fled at the first shots fired, leaving all the military equipment for ISIS. 

We need an organization as effective as Samaritan’s Purse to channel aid for resettlement and protection. This would be, at least, the first step to salvaging the Christian population. 

Any hope for a true Western military response seems doomed by political division and fear of being drawn into an another endless war in the Middle East.

Paul Smith

Wichita, Kan.

Scripture must trump culture

Jim Denison is right on homosexuality. It’s important that we decide the biblical authority on the matter while we maintain a Christlike spirit of grace toward all sinners. 

There are two prevailing cultures that must not win over the authority of Scriptures and the Spirit of Christ—the secular relativist culture and the religiously pharisaic culture in some church circles. 

Sin is never justified, and neither is judgmental hatred.

Julio Guarneri

McAllen

Learn from past mistakes

I read and liked President Obama’s recent Prayer Breakfast address. Our country’s future is in danger if we continue to deny how history impacts our lives today. We suffer the consequences of our ancestors’ sins. It is up to us, today, to make amends for those transgressions and make needed changes—right past wrongs—make sure we do not repeat them.  

America has been a racist nation from its inception. No one should be proud of the white man’s treatment of Indians and black people over the past 400 years. Many people considered Indians and blacks less than human, inferior to the white man. We took the Indians’ land by force and deceit and enslaved black people.

Our educational system does our young people and our country a great disservice by not writing and publishing history textbooks that teach the total truth about our nation’s flawed past and how the consequences of some of those flaws impact us today. Each succeeding generation reaps what previous generations sowed, whether good or evil.

Martin Luther King Jr. loved America and all its people so much, he willingly, literally sacrificed his life by eloquently pointing out our country’s failure to live up to her professed ideals of “freedom and justice for all.” We would be a much better nation if we as people made the effort to learn from our past mistakes and strive to become the “beloved community” God wills us to be.  

Paul Lam Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

Hello, Texas Baptists! Kathleen and I were at First Baptist Church of Conroe recently. It was a wonderful morning of worship. Thanks to First Baptist for making us feel at home.

Sunday, Feb. 15, was a big day for the Hardage family! My granddaughter, Anne Marie, was dedicated at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas. This little girl brings so much joy to Kathleen and me. It was an honor to watch as our son and his wife dedicated their daughter to the Lord.

David HardageIf you are in the San Antonio area, make sure and take part in the [un]Apologetic Conference at Trinity Baptist Church Feb. 27-28. Click here to get more information. 

Houston Baptist University is hosting a launch for Lee Strobel’s and Mark Mittelberg’s new book, The Case for Grace. The event is taking place in Morris Cultural Arts Center Sunday, March 1, at 5:30 p.m. You can watch from home or church via live stream by going to www.hbu.edu/HBU-LIVE.aspx. Admission is free. Click here to RSVP.

An endowed scholarship has been established at Hardin-Simmons University in honor of B.F. and Jan Risinger and their longtime pastoral ministry at First Baptist Church of Corsicana. You may donate by sending a check to: Office of University Advancement, Hardin-Simmons University, P.O. Box 16100, Abilene 79698, Attn: Cheryl Purcell. Note on the check’s memo line it is for the Risinger Scholarship. For more information, call (325) 670-1371. 

Our new publication, Txb.life, has been delivered around the state. It also is a website, www.txb.life. This new initiative is geared toward church ministries at the interaction of faith and culture. It has current trending topic discussion, essays and our calendar of events broken down by church ministry aspect. Go online, and check it out.

Next week is Executive Board. I covet your prayers as our board of directors makes decisions regarding our future. The BGCT is fortunate to have a wonderful group of leaders giving their time to meet regularly to help us take the best steps forward. Please pray for them as they seek God’s direction for us.

Thank you for your support. We can’t do what we do without you! 

David Hardage is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

Amazement is defined as “a strong feeling of astonishment or wonder.” I have been amazed many times in my life.

I was amazed when my wife said “yes” she would marry me. I was amazed when I witnessed my five children born. I have been amazed when I saw the Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building and the trees at Sequoia National Park. Richard RayI remember growing up and attending Texas Rangers baseball games. Each time that I entered that stadium, walked up that ramp, and saw the grass field, I was amazed.

Later in life, I had the privilege of delivering the baseballs and bats to the Texas Rangers baseball clubhouse. I remember the time I walked onto that field, stood at home plate and pretended to hit a home run. That was an amazing day.

We all have had those days of amazement, but those days do not sustain us. The amazement we experience in this world is only temporary, but the amazement we receive from the Lord is eternal.  I still am amazed God loved me so much he sent his only Son to die for me. I am amazed each day God saved me by grace and not by works. With this amazing gift comes the amazing presence of the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell within us, to direct us and keep us in true fellowship with our heavenly Father.

Grace and Mercy

God’s grace and mercy is amazing. While mercy is not receiving what we do deserve, grace is receiving something that we could never deserve. Our works never will be enough, but God’s grace is more than sufficient. In fact, we find because of God’s grace, we are justified.

Through justification, God pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, his Son. However, God does not stop there. God also initiates a personal relationship with us. He walks with us, cares for us and always blesses us with his presence.  

Jesus Christ amazes me. Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Jesus left the gates of heaven, came to earth, took the robe of flesh and became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It is by Jesus’ amazing grace we are set free to live, to serve and to be able to spread his amazing love to this world we live in.  

I put my faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, and that makes me an amazing child of God. You as a believer are amazing in who you are because of who loves you. You are clothed in his righteousness and forgiven by his grace. You are empowered to serve and to live through the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, do not live your life in defeat, for Jesus has conquered defeat and brought you victory.

Amazing every day

Serve him, knowing God is amazing every day. Let Jesus be the one who amazes you each day, for it will be in his amazement you will find strength and refuge.  Never forget you are an amazing minister, servant leader, child of God, because you have been saved by the amazing grace of an amazing God who has uniquely called you to serve him.  

Remember, God has called you to serve him, but God has not called you to serve alone. Let us be your advocate, your resource and your prayer partner as you fulfill your calling. Until next time, please visit our website at www.bivocational.com. 

Richard Ray is executive director of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for the Tri-Rivers Baptist Area. You can reach him at brother_ray@juno.com.

The pool of churches that can and will work together is getting smaller. It looks like the pools eventually will shrink to puddles and then dry up completely.

When I was a kid, we loved to play in the creek behind our house. The tadpoles would swim away from us as we waded in the stream. When the water began to dry up, they would mound up in squirming balls. We would go to work digging channels in the mud, trying to link the water together and get them all to the deepest spot, but they seemed intent on staying in their own private Idaho. I hated to see them writhing in an ever-desiccating mud bath.

Kyle HendersonI sometimes feel like one of those tadpoles. I feel God has a big agenda, some deep water, but we keep wriggling into our own backwater and miss the current altogether.

A friend asked me recently, “If one of y’all’s churches ordained a homosexual deacon, would you kick them out?” By “y’all” he meant the Baptist group to which I belong. The simple answer was, “Yes, that is what would happen.” Since then, I have been rolling that question around, wondering: What are my boundaries of cooperation? Why is it I can joyfully attend a Christian conference with no knowledge of the people sitting around me, but when I know I disagree with a church, I can’t sit with them anymore?

For 18 years, I have worked in the same community trying to build an interracial, interdenominational coalition to tackle some of the big problems in our area. It has been a difficult struggle. The former ministerial alliance dissolved over doctrinal issues a little more than 20 years ago, and lots of feelings got hurt, and lots of churches abandoned the idea of working together. All the king’s horses have not been able to put it back together again.

The damage disunity has caused

Having watched the damage Christian disunity has caused, having seen the many missed opportunities, I’m ready to say it’s better to err on the side of working together than on the side of doctrinal purity.

Isn’t that what the Apostle Paul was after in Romans 14? Would he say the same thing to us today? If we could get Paul to show up at a roundtable meeting and give us a value judgment between “disputable matters” (Romans 14:1) and expulsion-worthy sin (1 Corinthians 5:2), which would he choose and why?

The talk I hear from people inside the church is purity is more important than unity because people outside the church need to know what we stand for, and we don’t need to compromise, even if the culture is shifting.

We have failed them

The talk I hear from people outside the church is they don’t need to listen to us, because we have had 2,000 years to get our stuff together and have failed. I feel we have failed them. Jesus’ comment seems a bit naïve: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). He just does not understand our excluding others is all about love. We just want to love him.

The Pauline principle for us today might be stated this way: Large groups need less agreement; small groups need more agreement. Paul never foresaw a time when he would cut off the Corinthian church; they were part of the team and on the same mission. They were part of the church. They were co-laborers in the cause of Christ. He clearly saw that the Corinthian church itself was threatened by immorality, but that was a local-church issue.

We should try a new organizing structure: 

• Declare what we generally believe and what we are going to do. 

• Let churches and individuals be responsible to either affirm or deny they are in agreement or disagreement. 

• Welcome anyone who will help us get on with the work, whether they agree with us or not.

The two greatest moments in our community that helped heal the rifts of separation were The Passion of the Christ and Hurricane Katrina. 

The cross was enough

After seeing the movie, a group of pastors got together to talk about a response. We rented 20,000 feet in a strip mall next to the theater and built a meditative space that included information, prayer stations, counseling, discussion pits and a coffee shop. For six weeks, we met during every showing of the movie, stood outside the doors and invited every person who saw the move to come join us to unpack the emotion of the event. Forty-six churches participated. The range of churches was extreme. We still hear about it in our town. The cross was enough to unify us.

During Katrina, we were contacted about 1 p.m. on Saturday and told a group of evacuees would arrive in our town in about an hour. Every hotel room was booked. We sent word to the other churches, building on Café Collation, and when the group arrived, we had over 400 beds ready. The four churches housing our new friends were joined by churches from all over our community. The need was enough to unify us.

Two things remain—the cross and human need. If you are going to kick me, don’t kick me out. Kick me into gear.

Kyle Henderson has been pastor of First Baptist Church in Athens since 1997. His column was distributed by Baptist News Global.

I answered my ringing office phone. Marva Carter explained her father was retiring after 42 years as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin. Earlier, he served 18 years at New Hope Baptist Church in Waco. Would we be interested in Marvin Griffin’s papers? I thought I remembered him, but my eyes widened as search results appeared. 

Kathy HillmanMarvin Collins Griffin died Christmas Day 2013 at age 90, two years after Baylor’s Texas Collection received his materials. 

Texas Baptist Heroes

This year, I’m adding Marvin Griffin and another African-American pastor to my list of Texas Baptist heroes. Harold T. Branch died Jan. 20, 2012, at age 92. Both fought for the spiritual and political freedom of all people. Both commanded such respect citizens elected them to political office, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas chose them as officers, the first African-Americans so recognized.

Branch led 19th Street Baptist Church to petition the Austin Baptist Association for membership. The Baptist Standard reported Oct. 22, 1955, the association voted into fellowship 19th Street and Ebenezer by a vote of 99 to 25. The two became the first predominantly African American churches in the BGCT, although both retained “affiliation with a Negro Baptist convention.”

Pastor Harold T. Branch in 1973. (Photo: Corpus Christi Caller-Times)St. John Baptist Church in Corpus Christi called Branch as pastor in 1956. When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, the respected pastor visited troubled neighborhoods, maintaining calm. Two years later, when a fight broke out between two black men at a high school football game, about 50 spectators marched on the police station alleging police brutality. Branch stood before them and respectfully asked only the actual witnesses remain to give statements. That began a relationship between Branch and the police that helped ensure fair treatment for all.

In 1971, Corpus Christi citizens elected Branch a city councilman. He pushed for an open accommodation ordinance that led to integration of theaters, bowling alleys, restaurants and businesses. When the BGCT met there in 1973, messengers elected the local pastor as second vice president, the first African-American to hold office. 

Harold Branch remained faithful to God, his calling and his commitment to equality. He loved all people, and they loved him. Shortly after his death, the Corpus Christi school district named its newest high school the Harold T. Branch Academy.

Pastor Marvin C. Griffin (Photo: Marvin C. Griffin Papers, the Texas Collection, Baylor University)Griffin, like Branch, blazed trails. He didn’t claim to be a civil rights leader. Yet he gently and fearlessly led. He wrote, “I am not disturbed about the white backlash, because I have lived all of my life under the front lash, and I doubt seriously if the backlash can be any more severe.”

Although he already held a master of divinity degree from Oberlin, in 1955 he and Leon Hardee became the first African-Americans to be awarded master’s degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Previously, blacks only received diplomas. The pastor later earned a doctorate from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He urged: “While we demonstrate, we must also educate. Instead of riots, we must read. We must develop the training, culture, dignity to match the status which we seek.”

While pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Waco from 1951 to 1969, Griffin obtained Sunday bus service so people could attend church. He chaired the Progressive Community Council that worked with local businessmen to integrate stores and restaurants. With that success, the council actively promoted the desegregation of theaters, parks, hospitals and schools, including Baylor University. 

Pastor Marvin C. Griffin (Photo: Marvin C. Griffin Papers, the Texas Collection, Baylor University)Yet, the pastor preached, “Our ultimate goal is not to eat at a lunch counter, nor get a single job, nor move into a given neighborhood, nor swim in a certain pool, but to be completely free and equal, and to stand unmolested and respected in the center of this culture and to move with dignity in the mainstream of its total life.” 

When Ebenezer Baptist Church called Griffin as pastor, Waco’s loss was Austin’s gain. Citizens elected him to the school board. He served as president during the Austin school district’s difficult integration. He led Ebenezer to begin Meals on Wheels and bus ministry, as well as to form the East Austin Economic Development Corporation to provide child development, elder services and affordable housing. In 2002, the corporation named its building for him.

In 1970, Griffin was the first African-American elected to the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission. Gov. John Connally appointed him a regent of Texas Southern University, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas elected him a trustee of Hardin-Simmons University. In 1996, Griffin became the convention’s first vice president. 

Harold Branch and Marvin Griffin blazed the trail in leadership and in life. In the intervening years, six other African-Americans have held BGCT offices, including President Michael Bell. 

The Civil War ended 150 years ago, but still we struggle. Marvin Griffin preached: “God is good to all. The God who spread out the canopy of the heavens is good to all his children. … Let us with blessed assurance rededicate ourselves to the task of telling God’s children that they are welcome to the Father’s banquet hall.”

Indeed, God is good to all his children, and Texas Baptists must welcome every one to the Father’s banquet hall with open arms.

Kathy Hillman is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. She also is director of Baptist collections, library advancement and the Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society at Baylor University.

Christians and other religious minorities in northern Iraq face extermination if people of faith in America and elsewhere in the West fail to speak up on their behalf.

A new religious liberty group, the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative, conducted a fact-finding trip to the region early this year and then released a sobering report. “Edge of Extinction” documents the attempted genocide of Christians, Yezidis, Shabaks and other religious minorities by the Islamic State.

Editor Marv KnoxThe toll of hostility toward Christians in the region already has been devastating, noted Wilberforce President Randel Everett, former executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.

“A decade ago, Iraq’s Christian population numbered 1.5 million,” Everett said. “Today, roughly 300,000 remain, and most have no jobs, no schools and no places of worship.”

The violence against Christians and other ethno-religious groups, such as the Yezidis and Shabak, escalated with the rise of the Islamic State early last summer.  The city of Mosul, just across a river from the biblical city of Nineveh in northern Iraq, fell to the Islamic State.

“Christians were ordered to leave lands that had been their home for thousands of years,” the Wilberforce group reported. “Those remaining were issued a stark choice—convert to Islam, pay the (Muslim) Jizya tax or die.” 

Christians, others in grave peril

By late summer, the Islamic State extended its control across the greater Nineveh Plain. Tens of thousands of Christians and other minorities fled as the Peshmerga, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s military force, abandoned them.

Wilberforce investigators found no evidence Christians in the region ever committed acts of terror. They are not led by warlords; they don’t operate militias. Still, they suffer grievously. 

Silvana holds a picture of her sister Sandi who was killed by an ISIS bomb while riding the bus to university. Threatened with death by ISIS, Silvana is now in hiding. (Photo: 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative)The Islamic State forces murdered men, raped women and girls, and kidnapped children. The death and refugee tolls escalated.

To illustrate the persecution, “Edge of Extinction” tells the story of a Christian couple in northern Iraq:

“After IS (Islamic State) seized Mosul, one Christian husband attempted to take his wife of 28 years to Mosul so that she could continue to receive treatment for breast cancer. When they arrived at the hospital, they were met by an IS guard who refused to allow them entrance because they were Christian. They were told the price for entrance and medical treatment was conversion to Islam.

“The wife responded: ‘I am not going to leave the cross of Christ. I will not abandon it. For me, a love of life is not as important as the faith. The desire to go on living is not as important as my faith.’

“The couple … returned to their small village about 16 miles away. Ten days later, she passed away with her husband and 19-year-old and 8-year-old sons at her bedside.”

These were her final words: “I am going to hold onto the cross of Christ. I refuse to convert. I prefer death. I prefer death to abandoning my religion and my faith.”

Church turned into torture chamber

The Wilberforce group learned the Islamic State converted an 800-year-old church into a torture chamber. A 150-year-old church was turned into a prison. And another now warehouses weapons.

The United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights also has documented “widespread ethnic and religious cleansing” in the region.

“The violations include targeted killings, forced conversions, abductions, trafficking, slavery, sexual abuse, destruction of places of religious and cultural significance, and the besieging of entire communities because of ethnic, religious or sectarian affiliation,” Commissioner Navi Pillay said. “Among those directly targeted have been Christians, Yezidi, Shabaks, Turkomen, Kaka’e and Sabaens.”

But for the most part, Christians in the West have turned a blind eye, the Wilberforce Initiative’s team noted.

“After a flurry of initial news coverage in August, the story of the men, women and children—whose lives were upended, homes confiscated and dignity assaulted—virtually disappeared from the public eye,” the Wilberforce report said.

The West has done little

 “With some notable exceptions, those living in the West have said or done little in the face of the crisis facing the minority communities in Iraq. There is a pervasive feeling of abandonment among these beleaguered men and women of faith who cannot comprehend why burning churches, forced conversions and the emergence of a caliphate in the cradle of Christendom is not being met with urgency and action by people of similar faiths in the West.”

The Wilberforce Initiative has proposed six recommendations to counteract “the destruction of ancient faith communities” in northern Iraq:

• Establish a Nineveh Plains Province “uniquely designed for Christians, Yezidis and other besieged minorities.” This would enable them to live peacefully in the land their ancestors have occupied for hundreds of years.

• Provide support for the new Nineveh Protection Unit, a national guard that can defend the province. This is necessary, since neither the Iraqi army nor the Peshmerga militia has stood with the people.

• Return property confiscated by the Islamic State—such as homes and churches—to its rightful owners.

• Encourage and strengthen the Kurdistan Regional Government’s “efforts to build a context of civil discourse, freedom of religion, human rights protections and the inclusion of all minorities.”

• Provide and support “ongoing and immediate humanitarian aid” from the United Nations but also from nongovernmental organizations, such as Samaritan’s Purse. The needs include both education and health care.

• Prosecute the Islamic State and its leaders for war crimes and genocide. The relevant authorities for such action include the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the U.S. State Department.

American Christians must do more than read about the plight of persecuted Christians and other minority groups and say, “How awful!” 

Pray and take action

We must pray for these people—Christian sisters and brothers, as well as sincere followers of other faiths. But we also must call for action. We must ask our lawmakers to see that these recommendations become reality.

And, in the meantime, we must not look away. Pay attention to the news from the Middle East. Follow the stories of persecution and genocide. They’re difficult to read and watch. But we must be neither ignorant nor silent.

To obtain a copy of the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative’s report, visit www.21wilberforce.org. 

In addition to President Randel Everett, another Texan is providing leadership to the Wilberforce Initiative. Elijah Brown, former assistant professor of missions at East Texas Baptist University, is chief of staff.

The Internet is full of articles about why people are leaving church—or never attending church in the first place. Some are called “nones,” and many people use the term “dones” for those who are finished with church—at least for now.

George BullardA great deal of focus is on the generation known as Millennials. This fits the pattern that every few years, church leaders, prognosticators and the parents of young adults express concern young adults are not as active in church as others think they ought to be.

On the other hand, I wonder why people are not leaving church. Why do people stay in their church, even when it is not serving them well and not helping them connect with the Triune God?

As I began pondering this question, I realized I had a few ideas about this, but not broad perspective. I decided to ask people in my network for help. I sent out a first-round survey asking participants to tell me the reasons they believe people do not leave their church.

I asked two questions. First: What are some healthy, positive reasons people are not leaving your church? Second: What are some unhealthy, negative reasons people are not leaving your church? 

I heard from four-dozen people. They provided interesting insights.

From the responses, I came up with the top 10 positive and top 10 negative reasons people are not leaving church. I sent out a second survey and asked people to prioritize the top positive and negative reasons. This time, I heard from almost seven-dozen people. The result was the top 10 healthy, positive reasons in perceived priority order and the same for the top 10 unhealthy, negative reasons.

Let’s be clear. I do not claim this is true scientific research. It is a beginning. It is the start of a conversation. It may actually be more hard data than many prognosticators have when they express an opinion on a subject.

Enough background stuff. What did I discover? Here are the top four positive and the top four negative reasons:

Healthy, positive reasons people are not leaving your church

• The top positive, healthy reason by far is relationships. 

People who have deep, strong, long-term relationships that exhibit openness and acceptance within the church are not leaving your church. This is home to them. They want to be a continual part of this church. They are unlikely to consider going anywhere else because of the depth of the relationships they have in your church.

• Second, when there is high-quality, exceptional preaching and teaching in the church, people want to continue to be a part. 

• This is coupled with the third reason. When there is genuine, exciting, engaging and uplifting worship, people want to continue being a part of your church.

• Fourth is a strong sense of community, love and unity. Obviously, this complements the top priority of relationships. I suspect the difference is relationships are about a person’s close network, and community is about the overall sense of the congregation.

Unhealthy, negative reasons people are not leaving your church

• The top negative, unhealthy reason is comfort. 

This was significantly higher than any other answer. When people have been in a church most of or all their lives, they are afraid to leave this comfort zone. It is not that they do not want to go anywhere else. They are afraid to leave where they are comfortable.

• Second, people have a part in controlling this church. A lot of things in their life are beyond their control, but at church, they can control things. They may even be seen as a matriarch or patriarch within the church. They cannot be sure they could control their next church.

• Third is personal complacency. Beyond being comfortable, they have no motivation to go anywhere else. They can participate in the church passively, hide in the fellowship and feel they fit.

• Fourth is low expectations from their church. It is easy to be a member of their church. The church is complacent and does not place many expectations on them. For example, their church never confronts people individually with the need to grow spiritually. Why leave?

 George Bullard is president of The Columbia Partnership, general secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowshipof the Baptist World Alliance and senior editor of TCP Books. Contact him at GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org or (803) 622.0923. Baptist News Global distributed his column.

Americans are right to be worried Sharia law might be applied to us. 

It is in agreement with a climate that is propagated in our churches, where male headship dictates what women and girls can do. In church bylaws, certain positions are to be held by men only. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 limits women from being senior pastors, meaning they can pastor women’s ministries and children’s ministries. It also says wives must submit graciously to their husbands. 

The ground is fertile because the majority of pastors and churches teach male headship, which by its nature cannot put limits on what men decide. If we really do not want Sharia law, we must set women free in churches, thus changing the climate.

Shirley Taylor

Willis

While sitting in an on-campus Starbucks at Stephen F. Austin State University with a friend, I saw Melissa a few tables away. Melissa is a friend who happens to be atheist, and she attended our Coffee and Doughnuts ministry on campus last semester.

Kirstie KibbeI didn’t want to leave my friend Gracie alone at our table, so I decided wait awhile and then stop by Melissa’s table to visit when we got ready to leave. I thought I had plenty of time, since Melissa looked like she was settled in to spend quite some time at the coffee shop.

Imagine my alarm when I saw Melissa begin to put away her books, gather her things, stand and begin to walk away. I felt the opportunity slipping between my fingers. The students in charge of orchestrating Coffee and Doughnuts had told me Melissa and her friend, Ashley, hadn’t been at Coffee and Doughnuts this semester. So, I wasn’t sure when I would see her again. 

I knew what I had to do—yell across the coffee shop to get her attention. For some, this is a simple feat. For me, it caused my stomach to churn and my palms to sweat. I didn’t have much time to think about what I should do, because she was almost getting too far away to hear. I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled her name. She turned, smiled and waved. 

I knew I had to go talk to her. I told Gracie I would be back in a second, and then I got up and went over to Melissa. She told me both she and Ashley wouldn’t be able to attend Coffee and Doughnuts this semester because of their work schedule. 

Discouraged

I felt discouraged. I had prayed and prayed for a way to build a friendship with Melissa and Ashley. Now, the avenue the Lord had provided to build that friendship had been taken away. I saw a chance to further our friendship by asking if I could give her my phone number. She said “yes.” I walked away, excited to hear from her, and then it dawned on me. I gave her my number and didn’t get hers. Maybe she’d never contact me. Our friendship rested in Melissa’s hands, with the decision to text me or not. I felt defeated in a way, but still grateful to the Lord for the opportunity and courage to reach out. 

I went about my usual evening activities, only to hear a “ding” sound from my pocket. I checked my phone, and it was a message: “Hey this is Melissa from Coffee and Donuts!” My hands flew up in victory, and I praised the Lord. 

God is greater

God reminded me of a couple of things that evening. First, be obedient, even if you think you will look like a fool. Second, God is full of surprises. I thought the fate of my friendship with Melissa and Ashley rested in the hands of Melissa but, of course, God reminded me he is greater and bigger. I didn’t think I could yell across a crowded Starbucks.

I was afraid Melissa would never text the weird girl who yelled her name in a crowded campus coffee shop. But the Lord revealed himself. He has been so present since the beginning. The Lord is good, and he desires to share that with us. And he wants us—his children—to share it with the people around us.  

Kirstie Kibbe, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University, is serving with Go Now Missions as a campus missionary intern at her alma mater’s Baptist Student Ministry.

Two rooms, 27 tables, 162 chairs, one hour, and one gospel message: all the ingredients to a free lunch on campus at the University of Texas at Dallas. It seems like the one thing we keep talking about here at the UTD Baptist Student Ministry is how much lunches have grown. From a maximum of around 80 students a year ago to more than 200 weekly this spring, it is certainly something to talk about.

Kinsey ClineThe growth has made some of the logistics of lunch more difficult. Churches have risen to the challenge, and God has provided food for all these students—far more than we expected or imagined. We still are struggling to find a student or volunteer leader to facilitate discussions at each table, but the numbers are growing, and we now only have six or seven tables without discussion leaders, while 20 or so are staffed by a BSM member or church volunteer.

These table leaders do their best to engage the students who sit with them in conversation. We might ask about classes, the weekend, the students’ families or religious backgrounds. After everyone has gotten food, we move into the discussion for the week. This semester, we are talking about “holy vocabulary” words, such as “sin,” “love,” “holy” and “justice.”

We have grown more organized about having our leaders sit at the same table each week, which has served two good purposes. First, students can sit at the same table week after week, which builds the relationship between the non-Christian and the BSM leader. Second, student leaders can let those they invite to lunch know at which table they will be seated, so it doesn’t feel so daunting to enter a room for lunch with 200 strangers.

Some engage, some don’t

There always are some students who come only for the food. It is hard to get them to converse with you or answer any questions. They leave as soon as they’ve finished eating. We are happy to provide a free meal to these students, and hope eventually they question why we continue to do what we do and begin to consider the gospel message. But for those students who engage in discussion, free lunches are our best opportunity to reach out and share the gospel. We intentionally structure our discussion questions so that it is easy to lead into a gospel message as conversation continues. 

Recently, I was able to share the gospel with someone before lunch even started. She and I were the only ones at my table, and I knew she had been coming to lunch all year, so I asked her what she liked about them. Apart from the free food, which she appreciated, she said she really liked the opportunity to talk about religious things, because she didn’t find that anywhere else on campus. She said most of the conversation she had outside of our lunches was about classes, homework and projects, but she liked the chance to come to lunch and discuss spiritual matters.

Sharing the gospel

She is Hindu and shared with me some of her beliefs, while also letting me tell her the main message of Christianity—the gospel. She also told me she plans to attend an event we are having soon to hang out and get to know more people. Lord willing, this relationship will continue to grow, so that she will be able to hear and see more of the gospel of our great Savior. 

If lunches continue to grow as they have been doing this school year, we will have to rethink and restructure again. But what a good problem to have! We are praising God for the opportunity to reach so many students at UTD, and we are trusting him to continue providing the necessary ingredients.

Kinsey Cline, a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, is serving with Go Now Missions as a campus missionary intern at her alma mater’s Baptist Student Ministry.

Does the path to Christlikeness lead through reflection, repentance and renewal? 

Most likely.

This spring, let’s find out.

Wednesday, Feb. 18, marks the start of the holiest season of the year. It’s Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent—the 40 days, excluding Sundays, leading up to Easter. Lent is a time for prayer and reflection, consecration and repentance, preparation and renewal. 

Isn’t Lent Catholic?

Of course, most Baptists say: “We don’t do Lent. It’s too Catholic.”

Editor Marv KnoxBut you don’t have to be Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal or any other brand of high church to observe Lent. The discipline of setting aside about six weeks to prepare for Easter will do your spirit, and probably your body, good.

Two misconceptions often blind Baptists and many other Christians from seeing the blessings of Lent.

First is Lent’s association with Catholicism. For more than 400 years, Baptists have joined all kinds of Protestants in criticizing Catholics for emphasizing “works salvation.” We have found fault with their reliance on observing sacraments to achieve salvation. When it comes to redemption, we quote the Apostle Paul: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Our differences regarding salvation do not negate blessed practices of other Christians. We have much to teach—as well as receive from—each other. Catholics can teach us about the discipline of preparation. After all, that’s the focus of Advent, preparation for Christmas, and Lent, preparation for Easter. Doctrine aside, reason tells us and experience shows us our spirits encounter God more fully when we take the time and effort to orient them toward God’s voice and God’s activity in the world and in our lives. At its core, that’s Lent.

‘Giving up’ vs. reminding

Second is the inane dilution of the essence of Lent. In popular culture, about all we hear regarding Lent is “giving up” something: “I’m giving up chocolate for lent.” “I’m giving up caffeine for Lent.” “I’m giving up watching ‘The Bachelor’ for Lent.” 

Of course, many people do refrain from favorite foods, beverages or activities during Lent. But the “giving up” is hardly the main point; it’s almost beside the point. This practice should be similar to fasting. The purpose is not refraining, but reminding. 

For example, if you give up dessert for Lent, you might feel righteous every time you turn away from cake, pie, cookies or ice cream. And you might be indulging in the sin of pride. “Giving up” should serve two greater purposes: Every time you crave whatever you’re giving up, you are reminded of Jesus’ self-denying sacrifice for our salvation and our gratitude for the grace that redeems us. And if you’re giving up something of monetary value, you can save what you normally would spend and invest it in relief for or blessing to others.

A sustained discipline

The emphasis of observing Lent should be private, just between you and God. And it should focus on enabling you to consider God’s love for the world, Jesus’ passionate sacrifice for our souls and our grateful response to divine love and mercy. It might involve one or more actions. It should be sustained, daily and disciplined.

Possibilities include:

• Refraining from a favorite food or beverage and, every time you feel a craving, remembering both your sin and the divine sacrifice of Easter.

• Laying off TV or digital media for a defined time each day or week and converting that time to prayer and Bible reading.

• Altering a behavior, such as refraining from complaining, curbing gossip or quieting covetousness.

• Spending more time in silence before God. 

• Designating time each day or week to serving others.

• Figuring out what your soul needs to focus on Jesus, and not letting anything stand in your way.

“By wisdom a house is built…through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” (Proverbs 24:3-4)

When I was elected president of Texas Baptists, notes from friends evoked special memories. One came as a precious surprise. My thoughts turned back the years to a group I taught in Girls in Action.

Kathy HillmanAndrea (not her real name) never mentioned her father, but her mother faithfully brought her and her younger sister to church. Andrea didn’t wear the same clothes as the other girls or chatter about the same things. She sometimes seemed sad, but Andrea loved her “sissy,” always asking if she could take leftover refreshments to her. 

One evening after we dismissed, Andrea waited—I assumed so she could have leftover popcorn. Hesitantly, she asked if I could please give her a piece of poster board. I opened my mouth to question her, but her pleading eyes took the words away. Instead, I heard myself say, “What color?” I glanced at the empty staff office as I headed for the resource room. As she hurried away, Andrea profusely thanked me for the cardboard and the popcorn. 

Later, I confessed to Columbus Avenue Baptist Church’s children’s minister and offered to replace the poster board. Mrs. Cresson shared Andrea’s situation, assuring me not to hesitate whenever Andrea or her sister needed school supplies. The church would provide. Sadly, I was blind to needs in front of me every Wednesday night.

Barbara Cunningham mentors a student at Brook Avenue Elementary School in Waco. (Photo: Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, Waco)Unfortunately, Andrea isn’t unique among more than 5.1 million students in Texas public schools. According to the 2013-14 enrollment report prepared by the Texas Education Agency, nearly 3.1 million of those children live in economically disadvantaged families. That means 60.1 percent of all students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. In the Waco Independent School District, it’s 91 percent. Texas public schools also identify 17.5 percent as English language learners. 

Article 7 of the Texas Constitution requires “support and maintenance of … public free schools” open to every boy and girl. Yet in spite of increasing numbers of disadvantaged children and English language learners, the Legislature stripped $5.4 billion from public education in 2011. The decrease forced districts into tough decisions. Some cut back pre-kindergarten and after-school programs. Many librarians, counselors, fine-arts and English-as-a-Second-Language teachers lost their jobs. Although lawmakers restored $3.4 billion in 2013, Texas has the fifth-lowest average expenditure per child among the states at $8,275, according to National Education Association research.

Brook Avenue Elementary School students and their mentors at a Christmas party sponsored by Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco. (Photo: Kathy Hillman)About 70 percent of Texas voters, like my husband and me, don’t have school-aged children. We sometimes forget our vested interest, even though I taught two years in public school. The success of our state is tied to public education. The Texas Constitution emphasizes knowledge is “essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people.” In addition to praying and paying property taxes, we as individuals and churches can make a difference in the future of Texas children. 

Pastors for Texas Children provides information and ideas. Founded by Texas Baptist Charles Foster Johnson, the group of pastors and church leaders is dedicated to providing care and ministry to local schools, to supporting public education, to promoting social justice for children and to advancing legislation that enriches Texas children, families and communities. 

Individually and as churches, we can:

• Study educational issues.

• Lobby legislators through e-mail, letters, calls and visits for positions that put children first. 

• Advocate for programs such as high-quality, full-day pre-kindergarten that yields significant benefits, particularly among disadvantaged and English language learners. 

• Meet with local principals to learn about needs and how best to help—winter coats, supplies, backpack feeding programs, chaperoning field trips, tutoring, etc.

• Publicly demonstrate support and appreciation for administrators, teachers and support staff. 

• Adopt a class. Teachers annually spend an average of $485 of their own money for supplies and instructional materials. Even a small congregation could furnish poster board for a teacher or school.

• Mentor. Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco focuses on Brook Avenue Elementary to provide one adult for one child for one hour once a week

• Create a school-church partnership.

We can do much to help the Andreas in our communities so their stories, like hers, have happy endings. By high school, Andrea joined a Baptist church nearer her home where she saw a flyer about prayer-walking neighborhood schools. She talked her pastor into participating with her, and we reconnected through the event. Today, Andrea is a successful public high school graduate who found the support and encouragement she needed through Texas Baptists. 

Kathy Hillman is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. She also is director of Baptist collections, library advancement and the Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society at Baylor University.