Archives
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DOWN HOME: Abundant blessings in a chicken joint
Posted: 10/26/07
DOWN HOME:
Abundant blessings in a chicken jointEvery now and then, life blossoms with an unexpected-yet-perfect moment. You don’t see it coming; you may not even notice when it arrives. But there it is, resplendent in beauty and simplicity and loveliness.
We experienced one of those moments the other night. It was so sacred and special, I’m still savoring it.
To tell you the truth, it was better than I had dreamed. Then again, I don’t recall dreaming about eating dinner with my family in a home-cooked fried-chicken joint.
But there we were—Joanna and I, with our daughters, Lindsay and Molly, along with Jo’s middle sister, Janis, her dad, Jim, and Molly’s friend Katherine.
10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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EDITORIAL: Good words for BGCT: ‘Oh, behave’
Posted: 10/26/07
EDITORIAL:
Good words for BGCT: ‘Oh, behave’Cinema’s silly superspy, Austin Powers, doesn’t have much to offer Texas Baptists. But one of his taglines suggests sound advice as we convene for our annual meeting this year: “Oh, behave!”
The behavior of Baptist General Convention of Texas messengers isn’t typically open to serious speculation. We tend to be a rather sober lot. Actions at our annual meetings lean toward the predictable and humdrum. We would do well to pray for humdrum this year.
Speculation regarding behavior revolves around rumored motions and possible responses to those motions as BGCT messengers gather in Amarillo Oct. 29-30.
According to Baptist polity—arguably among the most democratic forms of governance anywhere—any registered messenger has the right to present motions on matters of concern to the convention. Since we affirm the twin doctrines of soul competency and the priesthood of all believers, we affirm the value of individual inspiration. Throughout our long history, Texas Baptists have benefitted from ideas individuals and small groups have placed before the full convention. And since we are composed of a collection of individuals who function together in community, we vote on those motions and let the group decide which ones merit adoption.
10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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ETBU senior enjoys roaring-good life as mascot, student-athlete
Posted: 10/26/07
ETBU senior enjoys roaring-good
life as mascot, student-athleteBy David Weaver
East Texas Baptist University
MARSHALL—Spare time is a relative term for East Texas Baptist University senior Lia Frederick.
For the last two years, Frederick—a member of Calvary Baptist Church in West Orange who attends Central Baptist Church of Marshall during the school year—has participated in both the Lady Tiger cross-country and soccer teams. On the course, she has consistently been one of ETBU’s top two runners. And on the soccer field, she’s been a starter since about midway through the 2006 season.
Lia Frederick and her alter-ego Toby. 10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Evangelicals debate how faith influences politics
Posted: 10/26/07
Evangelicals debate how faith influences politics
By Hannah Elliott
Associated Baptist Press
WASHINGTON (ABP)—Jim Wallis and Richard Land agree faith should influence public policy. They just can’t agree on how.
The two evangelical leaders— one progressive, one conservative—locked horns in a debate at the recent Values Voters Summit in Washington. The event, organized by the Family Research Council, attracted conservative Christian voters looking for encouragement, advice and leadership going into the 2008 presidential elections.
Jim Wallis Richard Land Watch excerpts from their discussion here. 10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Faith Digest
Posted: 10/26/07
Faith Digest
NAE names president. The National Association of Evangelicals board unanimously elected Leith Anderson as the organization’s president.
Leith Anderson Anderson, pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., was named interim president in November 2006 following the resignation of former Colorado megachurch pastor Ted Haggard, who was brought down in a sex and drug scandal. Anderson, 63, has been senior pastor of his church, affiliated with the Baptist General Conference, since 1977. The congregation has grown to 5,000 regular attenders during his tenure and is known for its outreach abroad, including to people suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Group warns Brits to leave clerical collars at home. A British church safety group is advising clergy—from the archbishop of Canterbury on down—to remove clerical collars when they are off duty to reduce the risk of being attacked. A new report issued by National Churchwatch says clergy are in danger from assailants who believe they have money or who bear some sort of “grudge against God.” National Churchwatch, an independent organization that provides clergy with personal safety advice, said priests are attacked more often than those of other professions because they are considered unlikely to fight back. In Britain, five vicars have been murdered in the past decade. In a survey of 90 ministers that Nick Tolson, who heads the safety group, said he conducted last year, nearly half reported they had been attacked in some form during the previous 12 months.
10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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TV news story helps make a family complete
Posted: 10/26/07
Collin, Lisa, Deidre and Geno Hill gather outside of their home in Winnsboro. The family first noticed Deidre on a local TV program highlighting adoptable foster children, and they immediately knew she was the one. TV news story helps make a family complete
By Rebekah Hardage
Communications Intern
WINNSBORO—Few parents can say the first time they saw their daughter was on TV, but the moment Geno and Lisa Hill saw Deidre’s smiling face on a local television news program, they knew she would be a part of their family.
KLTV News in Tyler features a foster child available for adoption on its monthly “Gift of Love” feature. As a result of seeing a story on Deidre, the Hills were introduced to their daughter one year ago this month.
10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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For Southeast Texas foster couple, 14 makes a family
Posted: 10/26/07
With 12 children of all ages and races living in their home, the Formans see it as God’s calling on their lives to foster. For Southeast Texas foster
couple, 14 makes a familyBy Jenny Pope
Buckner International
RANGE—At 7 a.m., the Forman residence looks like Grand Central Station. Teenagers of all ages and races—12 of them—race from room to room in search of backpacks, breakfast, clean laundry and medication. Kim Forman sits in a recliner in her living room and watches the chaos unfold.
“This is my chair,” she said while stroking the family’s two dogs on the back of their head. “I just stay out of the way until I’m needed.”
10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Texas Baptist Forum
Posted: 10/26/07
Texas Baptist Forum
Secret searches
I agree with Professor Roger Olson that Baptist pastor-search practices are wrong (Oct. 1). But the real vice is the pretended secrecy of the process. An abrupt pastoral departure can result in disillusionment, anger and grief in the church. It is also rough on the departing pastor; some compare it to the feeling of cheating on your spouse.
• Jump to online-only letters below Letters are welcomed. Send them to marvknox@baptiststandard.com; 250 words maximum.
“When I was an atheist, I thought Christianity was a dying religion. That’s nonsense; it’s like an explosion going off all the time.”
Anne Rice
Author of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, who previously wrote best-selling stories about witches and vampires (Charisma/RNS)“I’m very proud when I look and see guys praying in the end zone or praying after (a game). I see these guys as my sons. I gave birth to them. I see that as my purpose for playing in the NFL.”
Herb Lusk
Former NFL running back, now pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, on being the first player to pray in the end zone after scoring a touchdown (Washington Post/RNS)“The No. 1 lesson which makes the American people different from the politics of the news media of Washington is that this is a country that is sick and tired of (partisanship) and wants red-white-and-blue solutions.”
Newt Gingrich
Former U.S. speaker of the House, speaking to a “values voters” rally (ABP)Search committees are sworn to secrecy to “protect the continued ministry” of candidates. Nevertheless, the committees on which I have served were startled to learn how quickly word would spread, first among other ministers and then other congregations. Only the target church, which needs most to know, is kept in the dark.
What is more important than God’s call to members and ministers of a church? We are missing a huge opportunity to support our ministers when we keep the process “secret.” It is vanity to think we can protect the continued ministry of a pastor. That is up to God to do.
10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
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Senator backs off on funding earmarked for religious group
Posted: 10/26/07
Senator backs off on funding
earmarked for religious groupBy Bill Walsh
Religion News Service
WASHINGTON (RNS)—Bowing to pressure, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has backed off an attempt to steer $100,000 to a Christian group that supports teaching religious and alternative theories of creation alongside evolution in science classrooms.
Vitter took heat from educational, religious and civil rights groups for earmarking money in a fiscal 2008 spending bill for the Louisiana Family Forum, “to develop a plan to promote better science education.”
10/26/2007 - By John Rutledge
