Posted: 10/27/03

Methodist ad for Times Square rejected

By Kevin Eckstrom

Religion News Service

NEW YORK (RNS)–A $30,000 deal to bring a glitzy United Methodist ad campaign to the heart of Times Square has been rejected because of its religious content.

The United Methodist Church's "Igniting Ministry" campaign signed a deal to show a 30-second video spot on a 22-story electronic billboard on the Reuters building.

But after the signing, Reuters rejected the contract because its policies prohibit ads for products or services that are "pornographic, political, religious, libelous, misleading or deceptive in nature."

Church officials blasted the global media company for displaying ads for beer but rejecting messages about how people "can bring order and peace to their lives."

"Reuters is an international communications company that has decided it will be the arbiter of what the public sees and hears," said Larry Hollon, chief executive of the church's Nashville, Tenn.-based communications agency.

The 11-screen billboard is located at the corner of West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue in the heart of the Great White Way. Reuters says advertisements on its 7,000 square feet of signage are seen by 1.5 million people per day.

The deal, part of a $20 million "open hearts, open minds, open doors" ad campaign, was to include a 30-second video segment called "The Gift" that was to be shown 10 times daily starting Nov. 15. The ad would have been seen during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

Reuters spokeswoman Samantha Topping said the contract was negotiated by the Toronto-based Outdoor Television Network Limited advertising agency.

"They have our policies," she said. "Why they didn't enforce them is something we're looking into."

Ron Walker, CEO of the Toronto ad company, apologized to the church and offered to help find space in Times Square to offer "the same message to the same audience in a similar medium."

"Reuters did not choose to make the United Methodist Church an outcast," he told United Methodist News Service. "It was purely an oversight on our part. We apologize to the church."

The Times Square ad was to be the second high-profile Big Apple billing for the 8.4 million-member denomination. The church displayed an ad near Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that said, "Fear is not the only thing at work in the world today."

Hollon accepted the apology but said the issue is not settled.

"A policy that arbitrarily shuts out religious organizations from speaking in the public marketplace is discriminatory," he said. "I will continue to speak out against such discrimination."

Posted: 10/27/03

Stanley interview suggests he
disagrees with SBC position on women

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

FORT WORTH–For the second time, Charles Stanley has been quoted in the secular press disagreeing with the Southern Baptist Convention's position on women. And for the second time, he contends he was misquoted.

In an interview with veteran religion reporter Jim Jones of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Stanley said the SBC issuing a mandate that wives should be graciously submissive to their husbands was "ridiculous."

And the Star-Telegram indicated the former SBC president doesn't support the convention's prohibition on women serving as pastors.

The article was published in the newspaper's Oct. 18 issue. It was based on an interview given during Stanley's visit to Texas to promote his latest book, "Finding Peace: God's Promise of a Life Free from Regret, Anxiety and Fear."

Six days later, the SBC's Baptist Press issued lengthy coverage of Stanley's remarks, including his assertion that his words had been twisted.

However, Jones released a transcript of the tape-recorded interview that verified the words he had quoted Stanley as saying.

According to that transcript, Jones asked Stanley about some other Christian denominations that allow women to serve as pastors.

Stanley responded: "Yeah, and for example in other countries of the world where men are not taking responsibility, women are beginning to be pastors of churches. The women are rising up in different places. So you can't go to somebody (in) like India or Japan or wherever it is and tell some woman who is preaching the gospel, people are being saved, lives are being changed, big churches (are being established) and say, 'You can't do that.' My feeling is this: You have to leave God's calling to whomever God calls. Period. And I just say no. I think getting into that was a mistake. What happened was it just stirred up anger and resentment toward Baptists that probably people hadn't even thought about Baptists before. And you know, if a woman is going to be submissive, she's not going to be submissive because of the Southern Baptist Convention. So it's just ridiculous."

According to the transcript, Jones then asked: "Speaking of submissive, what do think about that issue? You know, they talk about every verse of the Bible where (you) have statements on submission."

Stanley answered: "Well, Jesus said to honor one another. Submissive doesn't mean doormat. Submissive means should submit yourselves one to another. That husband and wives understand each others' needs, try to meet each others' needs. The Bible talks about unity and oneness. If I love my wife and she loves me, we are going to come to some kind of agreement. But the emphasis is usually, 'OK, the man is up here and the woman is down here.' And so, that's the message that gets sent no matter what you believe. So my feeling is that we don't need to discuss the issue."

Jones asked further: "So you disagree on that issue with Southern Baptists?"

Stanley responded: "My opinion was it wasn't necessary for it to come up."

In the Baptist Press coverage, Stanley contends Jones "did not quote me accurately, and I noticed he sort of rearranged a few things."

The quotes attributed to Stanley in the Star-Telegram story, however, appear essentially as verified by Jones' transcript.

Stanley insisted to Baptist Press he does not disagree with other conservative SBC presidents and leaders on theological issues, as the story seems to indicate.

Further, he said of Jones: "He asked me specifically, which he did not include in his article, 'Would you vote for a lady to be the pastor of a church, a woman?' I said, 'No, I would not.' I said, 'That's my personal opinion, and I certainly respect other people's opinions, but I would not vote for a woman to be the pastor of a church.' But he never put that in the article."

Jones responded that he has no recollection of asking such a question and that no such question or answer appears on his tape recording of the interview.

Stanley, pastor of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, was elected president at the peak of the battle between SBC moderates and conservatives. His re-election victory in Dallas in June 1985, when more than 45,000 messengers registered, is considered a pivotal moment in the so-called "conservative resurgence."

However, Stanley later fell out of favor with some SBC leaders after he and his wife divorced and he stayed on as pastor.

Both edicts Stanley reportedly criticized were additions to the SBC's Baptist Faith & Message doctrinal statement approved by convention messengers in 2000. Those controversial additions were penned and promoted by some of Stanley's allies in the fight to change the direction of the SBC beginning in 1979.

The fact that Stanley was converted under the preaching of a female Pentecostal preacher in Danville, Va., has been previously reported.

In the summer of 2000, soon after the revised Baptist Faith & Message was adopted, Stanley told a group of pastors in North Carolina: "There are some godly women out there. I would never say that a woman could not preach. … You just can't put God in a box."

Stanley quickly backed away from that report, however, saying his words had been "twisted and distorted" by the Charlotte Observer. At the time, he drew a distinction between a woman being a preacher and being a pastor.

He reiterated that distinction in his latest comments to Baptist Press.

"There are a number of women who are preachers who are preaching the gospel today, teaching the gospel today, and they are being very successful at it, and they are meeting people's needs," he told BP. "You can't tell a woman who is called by God to teach that she cannot teach the word of God."

There is a difference, he insisted, "between the authority of a pastor and a Bible teacher. And I think that's the distinction."

Posted: 10/20/03

New Orleans trustees reject request
to name SBC 'sole member' of corporation

NEW ORLEANS–Trustees of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary unanimously rejected a request by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee to name the SBC the "sole member" of the seminary's corporation.

All other SBC entities have acceded to the request, which was intended to prevent the possibility of a seminary or mission board ever declaring its independence from the national convention.

New Orleans Seminary President Chuck Kelley voiced strong opposition to the request on grounds of Baptist polity, suggesting such a change would result in a form of Baptist "connectionalism" rather than traditional Baptist autonomy.

He and trustees also objected to the change because of some peculiarities of Louisiana law, which is based on the Napoleonic Code rather than the British Common Law upon which the other 49 states based their law.

Despite rejecting the Executive Committee's request, New Orleans did approve a motion expressing their "deep and abiding commitment to the Southern Baptist Convention."

In a chapel address given to open the current academic year, Kelley told students, faculty and staff he supports the SBC and the changes in leadership that have occurred within the convention over the past 25 years. However, the trust held between the seminary and the SBC should be sufficient to maintain the relationship without opening the door to what he called the dangers of connectionalism.

Executive Committee President Morris Chapman expressed disappointment in the trustees' position.

"I deeply regret the New Orleans Seminary board of trustees has chosen to pass on this opportunity to secure that institution for SBC posterity," he said. "Had the board adopted the Southern Baptist Convention as sole member, it would have legally clarified the seminary's relationship to the convention, the seminary's parent corporation and benefactor. More importantly, as sole member, the Southern Baptist Convention could have more easily protected the Cooperative Program, the financial lifeline for all our entities, from the avarice of today's new breed of aggressive litigators."

Posted: 10/17/03

NAMB trustees OK BGCT cooperative
agreement, settling year-long debate

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board has approved a new cooperative agreement with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

The trustee action came after the BGCT Executive Board on Sept. 30 approved a revised agreement between the state convention and the missions agency. At previous meetings, the BGCT board had voted on two earlier versions of the document, but each was met by counter-proposals from NAMB.

Final approval of the agreement came after more than a year of negotiations between NAMB and the BGCT. One key issue was the NAMB requirement that its personnel comply with the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, a faith statement approved by the Southern Baptist Convention but not by the BGCT.

The approved cooperative agreement retains the requirement that jointly supported personnel conform to procedures and requirements of both NAMB and the BGCT but acknowledges the BGCT's disagreement. It states, “When North American Mission Board funds are used, both entities acknowledge that personnel must comply with North American Mission Board's requirements concerning the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, though this does not indicate affirmation of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.”

NAMB provides full financial support for fewer than 60 missionaries throughout North America. Most NAMB-appointed missionaries are funded cooperatively by local Baptist associations, state Baptist conventions or both. NAMB typically pays for insurance benefits and often contributes a salary supplement, while the other partners bear the remaining expense. BGCT leaders have said the Texas convention will pick up the entire compensation package for any missionary related to Texas mission efforts who does not wish to affirm the Baptist Faith & Message 2000.

E.B. Brooks, coordinator of the BGCT Church Missions and Evangelism Section, expressed appreciation both to NAMB and BGCT leaders for their efforts in negotiating the cooperative agreement.

“I believe this affords us the opportunity to continue our historic partnership with the North American Mission Board to do very effective evangelism and benevolent ministry in Texas,” Brooks said.

Terry Fox, chairman of the NAMB board of trustees, described the agreement as a “win-win situation” for everyone involved. “This agreement is the best thing for the kingdom of God,” said Fox, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Wichita, Kan.

NAMB President Bob Reccord said he was pleased the new agreement “clearly resolved” what he termed “two cornerstone issues” for his agency–the personnel policy regarding affirmation of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and the BGCT practice of retaining funds the convention believed NAMB would have routed back to Texas.

That policy grew out of a recommendation by the BGCT Missions Sending Agency Study Committee in 2001. The rationale cited at the time for retaining funds was to “enable Texas Baptists to plan and fulfill missions strategies within Texas more efficiently, by greatly reducing paperwork, bureaucracy, time-consuming documentation and delays.”

BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade wrote to his Executive Board members recently: “That rationale no longer holds. New processes and funding channels created by NAMB assure us that the problems faced earlier will no longer be present.”

More significantly, Wade pointed out that continuing to retain funds would put the BGCT in the position of keeping money not designated to return to Texas. The current amount of funds retained has been based on commitments NAMB made in 2001 at an annual strategic planning meeting.

“Because we have been in the process of framing a new cooperative agreement, no such meeting has been held with the BGCT since 2001,” he said. “Therefore, there has been no commitment of funds to Texas. We must not be in the position of withholding funds not allocated to Texas.”

Reccord expressed appreciation to Wade for his actions that “opened the way for … continued partnership” between NAMB and the BGCT.”

“I believe this agreement will be a key to reaching Texas and the rest of North America for Christ,” Reccord said.

The last formal cooperative agreement the BGCT had with a domestic Southern Baptist Convention missions agency was negotiated in 1991 with the Home Mission Board. That board merged with the Brotherhood Commission and the Radio & Television Commission in 1997 to form the North American Mission Board.

The approved cooperative agreement retains the requirement that jointly supported personnel conform to procedures and requirements of both NAMB and the BGCT but acknowledges the BGCT's disagreement.

Posted: 10/17/03

Size of church impacts per capita benevolent giving

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

ROCK HILL, S.C.–When churches lose members, giving to benevolent causes usually takes a disproportionate hit in budget cutting, a new study documents.

Church size is not the only factor in giving trends for benevolent and missions causes, but it is a significant factor, according to Robert Stonebraker, associate professor of business administration at Winthrop University. His study on the topic was published in the September issue of the journal Review of Religious Research.

While Protestant churches often encourage their members to tithe 10 percent of their income to the church, few churches apply the concept of proportional giving to their own missions mandate, Stonebraker noted. “Instead of paying an off-the-top percent of local revenues as benevolence, congregations often pass along only what local programs and committees cannot grab first.”

In the report, he cited previous studies documenting a decline in benevolence or missions giving as a percentage of church income. This trend in Baptist life was reported in the Baptist Standard's Aug. 25 issue. Further, a Southern Baptist Convention Funding Task Force recently issued a warning that the SBC will face a funding crisis if these trends continue.

Other researchers have noted a variety of factors contributing to the decrease in missions giving as a percentage of local church income–a national trend that crosses denominational lines. Reasons cited include declining interest in denominational programs, lack of vision, lack of understanding of worldwide needs, discontent with denominational leadership and direction, and increasing costs to pay and provide benefits for church personnel.

Stonebraker proposes changes in church size as another contributing factor. To study this notion, he examined a random sample of 2,085 congregations affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The comparative data covered 1990 and 1996.

Like most other mainline Protestant denominations, the ELCA experienced membership loss during that period. The average number of members in an ELCA church fell from 275 in 1990 to 265 in 1996.

At the same time, the real value of average benevolence giving–what Baptists would call missions giving–from ELCA congregations dropped from $17,674 to $16,091, and the share of church income going to benevolence fell from 12 percent to 10.3 percent.

Stonebraker's detailed analysis of the Lutheran data proved his hypothesis true: Smaller congregations give less per member to benevolence than larger congregations.

Further, changes in benevolence giving correlate to changes in church membership, he found. “When congregations lose members, revenues fall, and they fall faster than expenses. A loss of members means leaner offering plates with few offsetting drops in cost. The pastor must still be paid, the church must still be heated, and the organ must still be repaired.”

The resulting financial squeeze leaves fewer benevolence dollars for the larger church.

When churches grow, their benevolence giving per member tends to increase because of better economies of scale, he also noted. This is true despite documentation that larger churches tend to receive less income per capita than smaller churches.

The latter trend is known as the “free-rider” effect. Stonebraker explains it this way: “The larger the group, the easier it is to hide. Shirking one's proportionate responsibilities is tough in a group of two but easy in a group of 2,000. For those seeking only marginal commitment, large congregations are the places of choice.”

Free riders raise the costs of operation for more committed members because while they don't give, they tend to demand services at high levels.

On the flip-side, the larger the church, the less expensive it is to deliver services on a per-person basis, Stonebraker added. For example, building and maintaining a structure to house 1,000 worshippers is not twice as expensive as building and maintaining one to house 500.

Therefore, the larger the congregation, the larger the percentage of budget made available for discretionary use.

Stonebraker's study documented the actual impact of size on benevolent giving: “A congregation with twice as many members as another devoted about a 21 percent larger share of its receipts to benevolence than did its smaller counterpart in 1990 and 17 percent more in 1996. In other words, if a small congregation allocated 10 percent of its receipts to benevolence, a congregation twice as large, on average, would have been sending about 12 percent of receipts into benevolence.”

But even larger congregations have demonstrated the same drop in benevolence giving as a percent of total income.

“Ultimately, it is a matter of priorities,” Stonebraker said. “Denominational loyalties have declined, and with few parishioners directly affected by benevolence, benevolence is rarely the priority. The self-interest of congregations is often to keep their own staff and committees happy.”

However, exceptions do exist, and those exceptions often relate to pastoral leadership, he added. “One mainline church official commented privately that pastors held the key to benevolence; that he could trace the movement of pastors from congregation to congregation merely by looking at shifts in congregational benevolence payments. Different people do have different priorities and, in the end, people determine budget allocations.”

Posted: 10/17/03

Baylor cuts $9 million from budget due to enrollment

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

WACO–A second year of missed enrollment goals has led to a $9 million cut in operating expenses at Baylor University.

A university news release announced Oct. 10 that all department heads had been notified to curtail the balance of their operating expenses for the current fiscal year by 25 percent. The fiscal year began June 1 and still has more than seven months to run.

Additionally, department heads were told to reduce unspent capital budgets by 75 percent.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the budget reductions, university staff members will receive modest pay raises. A pool of money equal to 2 percent raises will be available, although individual raises will be based on merit, the news release said.

“Our first priority in adjusting our expenses to reflect our revenue realities was to take care of the dedicated staff who serve our faculty and students,” said David Brooks, vice president for finance and administration. “In an environment where many of our peer institutions–public and private–are having to deal with actual year-over-year budget reductions and have had to lay off faculty and staff, we are very grateful that we are able to meet these challenges by reducing the rate of increase in our operating budget.”

This year's Baylor budget is $320 million, and the projected reductions represent about 3 percent of the total budget, Brooks said. “Operating budgets” as defined in the budget-cut order to department heads does not include personnel costs but rather covers line items such as travel, library materials, consulting fees and marketing, Brooks explained.

Even with the cutback, this year's budget still represents a 10 percent increase over the previous year, Brooks noted. That 10 percent increase has funded additional financial aid and scholarships, new faculty and staff positions and academic program enhancements.

Since the Baylor 2012 vision was launched in 2001, Baylor has added nearly 200 faculty and staff positions, funded creation of an Honors College and begun construction of a $100 million science facility, the first student housing built on campus in 40 years and additional parking and office space.

However, this fall's budget cuts include what the university calls a “soft” hiring freeze. All staff positions that have gone unfilled since June 1 are frozen until the next fiscal year. Ten of those 25 positions were new, officials said.

Filling any staff positions that become vacant during the remainder of this fiscal year will require approval by the division head, the vice president for human resources and enrollment management, and Brooks. No position upgrades and no additional positions will be approved for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Fall enrollment at Baylor is 13,937, a drop of 1.6 percent or 222 students from last fall. Total undergraduate enrollment is 11,712, a decrease of 2.3 percent or 275 students.

The university budget anticipated 2,775 freshmen and 500 transfer students this fall. Freshman enrollment missed the budget goal by 97 students, an improvement over last year, when freshman enrollment fell short by 225. This year's transfer student enrollment fell short of budget goals by 80.

Posted: 10/17/03

Eldorado mourns church bus crash

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

ELDORADO–A church bus accident in eastern Louisiana claimed eight lives, left seven passengers hospitalized and broke 2,000 hearts.

The bus–taking 12 senior adults from First Baptist Church of Eldorado and three of their friends on a tour of historic sites–slammed into the back of a parked tractor-trailer rig near Tallulah, La., just before noon Oct. 13.

The impact of the crash was felt 500 miles to the west in Eldorado, a town of 2,000 residents about 40 miles south of San Angelo.

Madison Parish Sheriff Larry Cox surveys the damage hours after a church bus from Eldorado crashed into a 18-wheeler that was parked on the shoulder of the eastbound lane of Interstate 20 near Tallulah, La., Oct. 13. The crash killed eight of the 15 passengers on the bus. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not injured. (Reuters/Melanie Duncan Thortis/The Vicksburg Post Photo)

Ken Thomas, 66, was driving the church-owned bus at the time of the accident. Thomas received a misdemeanor citation for careless operation, according to a statement by Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran. No criminal charges initially were filed, and no arrests were made. The National Transportation Safety Board and federal Motor Carrier Administration are investigating.

Thomas, treasurer and past chairman of deacons at First Baptist Church of Eldorado, was hospitalized at River Regional Medical Center in Vicksburg, Miss., following surgery on a broken leg.

The accident left First Baptist Church mourning the immeasurable loss of a deacon, a choir member, an all-around handyman, a missions-minded registered nurse and a “grandmother to all the kids in the church,” according to Pastor Andy Anderson.

And it rallied the church in prayer for the seriously injured survivors who remained hospitalized in four widely scattered medical centers in Louisiana and Mississippi.

“The folks on that trip are the reason this church has been so great all these years,” Anderson said. “They are the backbone of the church.”

The five deceased church members included two couples–Kennith and Betty Richardson, both 81; Delia Piña, 72, and Domingo Piña, 65–as well as Mary Ruth Robinson, 63, and three non-members, Jean Demere, 74, and Jimmy Teel, 68 of Water Valley and Laverne Shannon, 76, of San Angelo.

The remains of the five Eldorado residents arrived home Oct. 15. They were to lie in state at First Baptist Church because the small local funeral home did not have enough rooms for that many caskets.

Anderson, who has been at the Eldorado church seven years, described the deceased as the kind of people who “took care of each other and took care of people outside the church.”

Kennith and Betty Richardson were “so devoted to each other,” Anderson said. “After all these years, he still opened the door for her.”

She was an active member of the choir. He was a deacon, known in the community for being willing to read storybooks to schoolchildren in his unmistakably resonant voice. “He had this one-of-a-kind voice, kind of like James Earl Jones,” said Sylas Politte, youth minister at First Baptist Church.

Domingo Piña was a volunteer firefighter who also gave his time as a general handyman and mechanic at First Baptist Church. Mrs. Piña was a retired nurse who served on the local hospital board. Both volunteered in missions along the Rio Grande in the Mexican towns of Piedras Negras and Acuña.

Mary Ruth Robinson was “the church's grandmother. All the kids loved her,” Anderson said.

In addition to Thomas, other hospitalized church members were:

Billy Frank Blaylock, 78, in fair condition at University Medical Center in Jackson, Miss. He was reported to be “in and out” of consciousness, suffering a brain hemorrhage and broken arm.

Mabel Blaylock, 76, in serious condition at the surgical trauma unit of LSU Hospital in Shreveport, La. She suffered a pelvic fracture, punctured lung and broken arm, and she sustained considerable blood loss.

Mary Barton Robinson, 75, who suffered multiple lacerations, was transferred to a hospital in Monroe, La., from Rayville, La. She then was released within a couple of days to Waco to be near her daughter, Kathy Hillman, president of Woman's Missionary Union of Texas. Mrs. Robinson is WMU director at the church and served as coordinator for the senior adult trip. She was to undergo surgery in Waco Oct. 16.

Oleon Stricklan, age not available, was to be released from Regional Medical Center, Vicksburg, Miss., Oct. 16, where she had been treated for a broken ankle, broken ribs and gashes.

Dana Owens, 75, was in stable condition at River Regional Medical Center, Vicksburg, Miss. She damaged a recent knee replacement and was awaiting surgery Oct. 16.

Jim Robinson, 70, was transferred from Rayville, La., to North Monroe, La. He had surgery and was expected to be released within a few days after the wreck. His wife, Mary Ruth Robinson, lost her life in the accident.

When the wreck took place, the “Senior Ambassadors” group was on the second day of a planned 16-day tour that was to take them to Colonial Williamsburg, Valley Forge, Philadelphia, Gettysburg and through the Pennsylvania Amish countryside.

Pastor Anderson initially learned about the accident from a motorist on I-20 in Louisiana. The passerby called on a cell phone after seeing the church's name painted on the side of the badly damaged bus. The caller reported that the wreck looked “really serious” and all the windows were “blown out” of the vehicle.

On the day after the wreck, Anderson struggled to find time to prepare for three funerals of accident victims scheduled at his church on Friday, Oct. 17. The Richardsons' service was slated for 11 a.m., Mary Ruth Robinson at 2 p.m., and the Piñas at 4:30 p.m. He wasn't yet sure what he would say.

“I'll attempt to preach a message of comfort to the families, based on the hope we have in Jesus Christ,” Anderson said.

“Of course, this is as much of a shock for us as it would be for anyone. The big difference is our faith in Christ and our hope of a future beyond this life. We don't understand tragedy, but we know the Lord is with us. We can't understand and can't see his hand in this, but we know his heart. And that makes it possible to get through it.”

Anderson expressed appreciation for the support offered by churches of all denominations in his community, from the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and particularly to Director of Missions Roger English in Concho Valley Baptist Association.

“It's going to take a long time even to discover all we lost,” the pastor said. “But we will rally, and through it all, we pray the Lord will be glorified.”

Posted: 10/17/03

Uninsured clergy face trials when surgery needed

By George Henson

Staff Writer

CORSICANA–Mark Chadwick loves his wife, but she needs surgery they can't afford. And that hurts them both.

Chadwick is pastor of a small Texas Baptist church that can't afford to provide him health insurance. He can't afford to buy it on his own, either.

The Chadwick family's plight, although more severe because of the urgent need for medical care, is shared by hundreds of other ministers.

“I get calls from small churches and bivocational pastors all the time asking what the Baptist General Convention of Texas can do, and I don't have anything to offer them,” said Bob Ray, director of the BGCT's office of bivocational and smaller church development. “It's a ongoing problem that seems to be getting worse, but I don't have any statistics to back that up.”

The Southern Baptist Annuity Board, which is the principal conduit for insurance for Southern Baptist pastors, does not track the number of pastors who are uninsured, either.

However, a ministerial compensation study conducted through multiple state Baptist conventions last year found one-fourth of full-time pastors do not receive medical insurance through their churches and 85 percent of bivocational pastors do not receive such a benefit.

Two Annuity Board officials said the agency realizes the problem and is working to address it.

“At a time when health-care costs are increasing so rapidly, the board understands the difficult situation many of our pastors face,” said Doug Day, executive officer for benefit services. “Our response for 2004 has been to redesign all our medical plans to provide more flexibility in benefits and costs to our participants.”

Annuity Board President O.S. Hawkins added his concern for “the pastor at the crossroads, the pastor who is out there serving in a smaller church, striving to be a good steward of the money his church provides him.” Such pastors “have been foremost in our minds as we've restructured our medical plans. We believe we have some helpful solutions for those who previously did not have access to a network or could not meet underwriting guidelines.”

But for now, insurance is not an option for the Chadwicks. And the clock is ticking for Becky Chadwick, who will need blood transfusions for anemia if she cannot find the $20,000 to pay for a complete hysterectomy.

Chadwick, full-time pastor of West Side Baptist Church in Corsicana, earns an annual salary of about $30,000 before taxes. He has investigated buying medical insurance for his wife and three children but learned the cost would be about $1,000 per month–more than one-third of his pre-tax income.

“It's just not a viable mathematical possibility,” he said. “What you really have to do is what we've been telling people for years–you live by faith.”

The Chadwicks have a son in college and a daughter who is a senior in high school.

“I really haven't been able to do anything for (the son in college) except buy him a book or something like that,” Chadwick said. “He's had to do everything through student loans, and my daughter's going to have to go that same route,” he said.

All that takes a distant back seat, however, to the health of his wife. She works as a secretary for another small church in Dallas, which also cannot provide health insurance.

When she first began seeing a doctor about six months ago, she was diagnosed as anemic. Doctors reported her blood volume was about a 2, with a normal score being about 15. “Basically, he told us over half her blood was not in her body,” Chadwick said.

Iron tablets made her extremely ill, but a substitute eventually was found. Then other symptoms began to arise.

Her doctor advised a hysterectomy is a must. Otherwise, she will need to begin blood transfusions in a matter of weeks.

“And then he sat us down for a little chat where he told us that they really are not that good at screening blood yet and it would be possible that she could catch some other disease through the transfusions,” Chadwick said.

To have the hysterectomy without insurance, however, will cost $20,000, and the local hospital will not schedule the surgery without a large down payment and the balance subject to high interest charges.

Chadwick is a man in turmoil.

“It really takes the wind out of you,” he said. “My wife is my testimony. I wouldn't be a Christian, much less a pastor, if it weren't for her. We were high school sweethearts, and I started coming to church chasing her.

“And now I'm wondering if I'm going to have to rush my wife to the hospital in the middle of the night so they can give her blood. I worry about what could happen every time she drives to work in Dallas from here in Corsicana.”

But beyond their own trials, the experience has made Chadwick worry about the challenges faced by many other pastors.

“Ministers in smaller churches tend to be paid less than their counterparts in the secular world,” he said. “We just know that there are so many more out there in the same position. I want them to know that we care about them and love them. When you work with smaller churches, a lot of times you feel isolated.”

In the last month alone, the Chadwicks have spent more than $600 on medical expenses.

“That's a big chunk for us, but I've learned with the Lord, don't try to add it up,” Chadwick said. “It won't make sense. We're just trusting God. I'm still tithing every week. I preach tithing, and it is my responsibility to my church to show leadership in that area.”

While it's been hard, the pastor has tried not to let his wife's medical difficulties affect his work as a congregational shepherd.

“I've tried not to let it shine through in the pulpit,” he said. “I've still got a responsibility to preach the good news and the hope that is in Jesus Christ.”

Chadwick praises his congregation of about 100 for their support. “They are tremendous people, and I'm grateful to be their pastor,” he said.

Now, he's praying that some way will be found to help the love of his life.

“We celebrated our 20th anniversary in September,” he said. “I am hoping to have at least another 20 years with her.”

Posted: 10/17/03

Supreme Court will hear 'under God' pledge case

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–In a move that surprised some observers, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Oct. 14 to hear a case involving the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The justices decided to review the “under God” ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but will do so without the participation of one of the court's most conservative justices.

Last year, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit declared a California school district's policy of teacher-led recitation of the pledge a violation of the Constitution's ban on government establishment of religion. A majority of the 9th Circuit's full 24-member panel later reaffirmed the decision.

In announcing their intention to hear the case, the Supreme Court noted it will be considered and decided without the participation of Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia recused himself, presumably because of questions about his impartiality, stemming from public comments the justice made in January. At a speech in Fredericksburg, Va., commemorating Religious Freedom Day, Scalia criticized the 9th Circuit's ruling on the pledge case.

In the original 2-1 decision, father Michael Newdow, an atheist, argued–and the panel agreed–that his rights to raise his then-8-year-old daughter were violated by her suburban Sacramento school district's policy of teacher-led pledge recitation.

Although the pledge has been around in forms similar to its present one since the late 1800s, Congress added the phrase “under God” to the oath in 1954. Federal records show congressmen made the move partially in reaction to the perceived atheistic threat of communism.

The 9th Circuit judges said both Congress' action to add the phrase and the Elk Grove Unified School District's policy of teachers leading recitation of the pledge were unconstitutional.

The decision caused a national firestorm of controversy when it was announced in June 2002. A large majority in Congress, as well as President George W. Bush and California Gov. Gray Davis, condemned the ruling and reaffirmed the addition of “under God” to the pledge.

After the public outcry, the same panel later amended their ruling, rescinding the portion declaring the addition of the words themselves unconstitutional but reiterating that the recitation of the pledge in public schools is illegal. That ruling also delayed implementation of the earlier ban, pending the Supreme Court's action in the case.

In accepting the case Oct. 14, the high court declined to review Newdow's argument that the words themselves were unconstitutional and should be removed from the pledge. However, they did agree to hear arguments on two other aspects of the case–whether teacher-led recitation of the pledge is constitutional and whether Newdow had standing to file the case.

The standing issue arose last year after the child's mother, Sandra Banning, told the media she and her daughter were practicing Christians and not offended by the pledge. She also said the fact Newdow–to whom she never was married–did not have custody of the child at the time he filed the suit meant that he lacked standing to file the lawsuit.

A California court recently granted Newdow partial custody of the girl, whose name has not been included in court papers to protect her privacy.

In their Dec. 4 ruling, the same three-judge panel that made the original ruling said Banning's argument didn't hold up regardless of the child's custody situation. In an accompanying opinion written by Judge Alfred Goodwin, the court reaffirmed its original decision in strong language.

“The pledge to a nation 'under God,' with its imprimatur of governmental sanction, provides the message to Newdow's young daughter not only that non-believers, or believers in non-Judeo-Christian religions, are outsiders, but more specifically that her father's beliefs are those of an outsider, and necessarily inferior to what she is exposed to in the classroom,” Goodwin wrote.

The Supreme Court previously ruled that children may not be forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance but has not ruled on whether teachers should be required to lead it.

Many court observers believe the justices will reverse the 9th Circuit's decision. Previous court opinions have suggested that a category of generalized government religious endorsements, often called “ceremonial deism,” does not violate the First Amendment because they have little actual religious meaning.

Such endorsements include phrases like the national motto, “In God We Trust,” or the announcement that the Supreme Court itself uses when opening its sessions: “God save the United States and this honorable court.”

The Supreme Court invited the Bush administration to file a brief in the case. Although White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan declined to say what Bush's intentions were in his Oct. 14 daily press briefing, he did say the White House believed the original decision was wrong.

“You have a Declaration of Independence that refers to God or the Creator four different times. You have sessions of Congress each day that begin with prayer. And, of course, if you look on our own currency, it says, 'In God We Trust.' So we believe the Pledge of Allegiance is an important right that ought to be upheld by the Supreme Court.”

However, the head of a Baptist church-state agency in Washington said that, while ceremonial deism may be legal, it isn't necessarily advisable for Christians to advocate on behalf of it.

“What is constitutional is not always helpful or conducive to a spirit of robust religious liberty,” said Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs. “The vitality of religion in America is diminished by blurring the allegiance to government with our ultimate allegiance to God. Are we any more religious today than we were before 'under God' was put into the pledge in 1954?”

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, called the 9th Circuit Court's decision “outrageous even for the looniest of all the federal appeals courts in the land.”

“If the Supreme Court were to uphold the 9th Circuit's ruling that the pledge is unconstitutional, it will have a full-scale revolt on its hands, which will in short order result in either a constitutional amendment or a removing of this area from the court's jurisdiction by Congress,” Land said.

The case is Elk Grove Unified School District vs. Newdow. The court will hear oral arguments in the case in early 2004 and likely will render a decision by the time it ends its 2003-2004 term in July.

Randy Easterday sets up the last section of a billboard ad in Phillipsburg, N.J. The ad was paid for by donations gathered by Marguerite Hansen in response to a federal court ruling that the phrase “under God'” in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional.

Posted: 10/17/03

Mom pens book for 60 seconds

By George Henson

Staff Writer

ROUND ROCK–Deborah Knapp has written a book for school children that she prays will give 60 seconds a day eternal consequences.

Since Sept. 1, school children in Texas have been given one minute of silence each day to use as they choose. Although advocated by supporters of school prayer, the legislation mandating the minute of silence does not require students to pray.

Knapp, who was working as a policy analyst and legislative aide to Sen. Eliot Shapleigh when the bill passed, was excited about the new legislation until she talked with her own daughter about it. Her daughter's response was, “Mom, a whole minute–that's a long time to do nothing.”

So Knapp began writing a journal for her daughter to use during those 60 seconds each school day. As others heard about the project, they encouraged her to publish the short devotionals so other children across Texas would have a guide for brief prayers.

“I guess what concerned me the most was that our kids wouldn't know what to do with the minute, and the opportunity would be lost,” Knapp said.

She hopes non-religious students will become interested in the tool used by their classmates. “They may never have seen anyone pray before, and this is a chance for kids to witness through their prayers in a non-threatening way,” she said.

Knapp, a member of River Bend Baptist Church in Austin, began writing the journal toward the end of June and had it completed by the end of July. That was possible because budget cuts had put her out of a job.

“It was just another example of how God's timing is always perfect,” Knapp said. “If I hadn't gotten laid off in June, I probably wouldn't have gotten to take a vacation because of the special session, and I probably wouldn't have gotten it finished on time.”

The paperback book is divided into 180 days, with a Scripture verse and the beginnings of a prayer to be completed for each day. Lines are included that children can write on, but Knapp tells them in the forward of the book that it is fine to simply pray silently without writing anything down.

The book has received so much attention that even Knapp's publicist has been surprised, she reported. The publicist told Knapp the book has garnered more attention than any project she had worked on before.

“I just told her: 'Amanda, you don't understand. God is pretty cool about doing things that have never been done before.'”

Posted: 10/17/03

Panel warns of repression in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (ABP)–Members of a federal panel warn that religious freedom and other human rights remain imperiled in Afghanistan–even under a United States-backed government.

Members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, reporting on an August visit to Kabul, said the U.S.-backed interim government is in danger of allowing the nation to return to the patterns of severe repression of religious freedom that characterized the Taliban's rule there. The Taliban was deposed by U.S.-led forces in 2001 for harboring Osama bin Laden and other members of al-Qaeda.

Noting that the country was in the “crucial period” of preparing a proposal for a permanent constitution, the report said “there are indications … that the gains for human rights achieved by the U.S.-led coalition's victory over the Taliban are in peril.”

The commission mentioned reports of abuse of religious freedom and other human rights taking place in areas of the country that have not yet been brought under the transitional government's authority.

The commission has before noted that an Afghan judge–whose salary is subsidized by the U.S.–has handed down blasphemy rulings.

Afghans are currently drafting the proposed constitution. A spokesperson for the commission said the proposal will be released sometime this fall.

Posted: 10/17/03

New church finds open door in development

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

AMARILLO–Developers often say they want to create “heavenly” communities. Donna Myatt is working to make that a real possibility.

Myatt and her husband, Murray, prayed for two years for Christians to start a church in the neighborhood she was developing for her Catholic uncle, R.J. Podzemny, who owned the land. The couple wanted to build a neighborhood that would serve God, going as far as naming some of the streets after prayer warriors in their family.

A former teacher, Myatt said she understands the importance of the church in raising children. Churches strengthen families and grow children spiritually and morally, she said.

“I was trying to put things together that you would need for a community, and you need a church first,” she explained. “We wanted this community to be a little different than everything else in Amarillo.”

As the Myatts' prayers went upward, George Haddox said he felt God calling him to start a new church in the area. At the urging of some friends, he looked at some land Myatt was developing.

Although the property seemed to be perfect for a new church and the Myatts' prayers were encouraging, Haddox explained to her that he did not have the resources to buy land in the area.

Myatt's response was simple: “Pray and claim it.”

Haddox said he could not believe his ears and asked her to repeat herself several times before he understood Podzemny would donate the land for a new church. The pastor got so excited, he finished the conversation without giving Myatt his name.

Realizing his mistake, he went back the next day to find “confirmation” of God's will. He approached Myatt as she was speaking to a young couple looking to purchase land and was introduced as “the new preacher.” Shortly after, a young girl who was playing nearby asked if she could be the first person baptized in the church.

Satisfied they were in God's will, Myatt and Haddox put together a church. Services for Hollywood Road Community Church, sponsored by Second Baptist Church and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, started last October in a model home.

The congregation soon began building its new facilities on the donated lot. Myatt's uncle was baptized and joined the congregation. The church is now 46 members strong and should move in to its new building around Thanksgiving.

Although Myatt and Podzemny made sacrifices and Haddox has worked to build the church, the pastor gives all the credit to God.

Myatt said she looks forward to seeing how God will work through the church and community.

The church is the answer to her prayers, she said. “You're not going to get anywhere without a plan. We had a pretty structured plan and knew what we needed.”

The couple wanted to build a neighborhood that would serve God, going as far as naming some of the streets after prayer warriors in their family.