Posted: 12/23/05

Federal court issues sweeping judgment
against teaching of intelligent design

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (ABP) — A federal judge has ruled that, while "intelligent design" may itself be intelligent, it isn't science — and shouldn't be taught as science in the public schools.

The Dec. 20 decision by U.S. District Judge John Jones III is a broad — and strongly worded — defeat for advocates of intelligent design being taught in public-school science classrooms. It is the federal courts' first foray into the raging controversy over teaching the theory as an alternative to evolution.

Jones found unconstitutional the Dover, Pa., school district's practice of requiring teachers to preface a high-school biology course with a statement suggesting that evolutionary theory "is not a fact" and that intelligent design is a plausible alternative. ID theory posits that some life forms are too complex to have arisen from naturalistic evolutionary processes without the aid of an unseen, super-intelligent designer.

The statement also directed students to an ID textbook, titled "Of Pandas and People," as a resource for those wanting to learn more about the theory.

In November, all eight members of the school board who favored the ID policy were ousted by voters and replaced with candidates who oppose the policy. As a result, the board is not expected to appeal the court ruling.

In a far-reaching and often-scathing opinion — weighing in at 139 pages — Judge Jones said, "the disclaimer singles out the theory of evolution for special treatment, misrepresents its status in the scientific community, causes students to doubt its validity without scientific justification, presents students with a religious alternative masquerading as a scientific theory, directs them to consult a creationist text as though it were a science resource, and instructs students to forego scientific inquiry in the public-school classroom and instead to seek out religious instruction elsewhere."

After reviewing an extensive trial record that includes weeks of testimony from some of the nation's foremost scientific and legal experts, Jones found that ID theory, as currently formulated, cannot be separated from its creation-science antecedents. The Supreme Court has already ruled that theories about the origins of species based on the creation accounts in the Christian and Jewish Scriptures cannot be taught in public-school science classes.

"The evidence at trial demonstrates that ID is nothing less than the progeny of creationism," Jones wrote. "ID uses the same, or exceedingly similar, arguments as were posited in support of creationism. One significant difference is that the words 'God,' 'creationism,' and 'Genesis' have been systematically purged from ID explanations, and replaced by an unnamed 'designer.'"

In particular, Jones noted how earlier versions of the "Of Pandas" text, published prior to a 1987 Supreme Court decision on creationism, used "creationism" where the book now inserts "intelligent design."

Jones also said ID theory, as presently formulated, is fundamentally not scientific because it deals with the supernatural.

"While supernatural explanations may be important and have merit, they are not part of science," he said. "ID is reliant upon forces acting outside of the natural world — forces that we cannot see, replicate, control or test — which have produced changes in this world. While we take no position on whether such forces exist, they are simply not testable by scientific means and therefore cannot qualify as part of the scientific process or as a scientific theory."

The decision is binding only in the central Pennsylvania district. However, the strong wording and breadth of the opinion will likely serve as warnings to school boards elsewhere in the country considering teaching intelligent design.

Jones heaped scorn on the actions of the Dover school-board members who voted to establish the policy in 2004, saying they clearly had religious aims, but then misrepresented them for legal reasons.

"Accordingly, we find that the secular purposes claimed by the board amount to a pretext for the board's real purpose," Jones wrote, "which was to promote religion in the public-school classroom, in violation of the establishment clause" of the First Amendment, which bars government endorsement of religion.

In particular, he cited members of the school board whose testimony he determined was not credible and, in some cases, amounted to outright perjury.

"The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the board who voted for the ID policy," Jones wrote. "It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID policy."

Intelligent design theory has gained national attention in recent years, with many religious conservatives pushing for it to be taught alongside traditional evolutionary theory in public schools. President Bush recently caused a stir when he endorsed teaching ID. However, the Dover case is the first major legal and scientific airing of the theory's appropriateness for science classes.

Jones, an appointee of President George W. Bush, gave a nod to the social controversy surrounding ID and launched a pre-emptive attack on social conservatives who might characterize his decision as judicial activism.

"Those who disagree with our holding will likely mark it as the product of an activist judge. If so, they will have erred, as this is manifestly not an activist court. Rather, this case came to us as the result of the activism of an ill-informed faction on a school board, aided by a national public interest law firm eager to find a constitutional test case on ID, who in combination drove the board to adopt an imprudent and ultimately unconstitutional policy," he wrote. "The students, parents, and teachers of the Dover Area School District deserved better than to be dragged into this legal maelstrom, with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources."

But the lead lawyer for the school board said the judge's decision was "silly" and wouldn't put the controversy to rest.

"A thousand opinions by a court that a particular scientific theory is invalid will not make that scientific theory invalid," said attorney Richard Thompson, according to the New York Times. "It is going to be up to the scientists who are going to continue to do research in their labs that will ultimately determine that."

Thompson is president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative Christian group.

Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said Jones' decision was a "slam dunk" for those who support separation of church and state, because it rightly determined that "ID is just gussied-up creationism and cannot be taught in public-school science classes."

Walker also praised the decision for noting that many ID advocates set up a false dichotomy between God and evolution. "One can be religious and embrace the best of science at the same time," he said.

But an ID advocate said Judge Jones' reasoning was flawed, because if ID goes beyond testable scientific theory, so does a key component of Darwinian evolutionary theory.

"I would argue that intelligent design is not science, but neither is natural selection," said Hal Poe, a Christian studies professor at Baptist-affiliated Union University in Jackson, Tenn. Poe referred to the Darwinian theory of natural selection, which says that evolutionary change can be attributed to the survival and reproduction of species most fit for their environments.

"The only reason for teaching intelligent design is if you're teaching philosophy of science," Poe said, "but the only reason for teaching natural selection is also if you're teaching philosophy of science."

The opinion in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District was the result of a lawsuit filed on behalf of 11 Dover parents by attorneys from Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union. The parents claimed the school board's policy violated the First Amendment and undermined their rights to instruct their children in religious matters.

Posted: 12/23/05

DBU group sings at White House

Posted: 12/23/05

Senate narrowly passes budget cuts
opposed by anti-poverty leaders

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP) — Vice President Dick Cheney had to cut short an official trip to Pakistan and rush back Washington to cast a tiebreaking Senate vote for budget cuts Dec. 21.

The chamber was deadlocked 50-50 on the $40 billion in cuts to growth in federal programs. Because most of the programs being squeezed — such as Medicaid and student-loan programs — serve the poor, many religious and anti-poverty leaders have spoken out against them.

Cheney, in his role as president of the Senate, cast the tiebreaker. The Senate's 44 Democrats were joined by five moderate Republicans and one left-leaning independent in opposing the cuts.

The budget-cutting measure trims nearly $40 billion from those programs and others over the next five years. However, that represents less than one half of one percent of the estimated trillion-plus dollars in federal spending over the same period.

The House passed a similar budget-cutting measure Dec. 19, but the Senate version differs sufficiently that it must return to the House for further approval.

In appealing for the vote, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said it would be a step toward reducing the federal budget deficit. "This is the one vote you'll have this year to reduce the rate of growth of the federal government," he argued on the Senate floor.

But Democrats and other critics said the bill would harm the poor, and noted that the same Republican leaders who are pushing it are also pushing many billions more in tax cuts.

"While proponents will likely declare this a victory for fiscal responsibility, it must be noted that for every dollar in spending cuts, more than two dollars will be spent for additional tax cuts if a companion tax bill is accepted by both chambers," read a statement from the Center for American Progress. "And all of the cuts combined add up to little more than one fifth of the already enacted tax cuts for the top 1 percent of the population."

A group of 115 Christian leaders were arrested Dec. 15 for blocking the entrance to a House office building to protest the cuts.

Posted: 12/23/05

Katrina 'put a face on poverty,'
but will long-term picture change?

By Greg Warner and Ken Camp

(ABP) — The dispersion of 1 million Hurricane Katrina evacuees is straining a social safety net that's already stretched to the limit by the needs of the country's 36 million poor people.

But those engaged in the long-term fight against poverty see a silver lining: Caring for Katrina's newly homeless is forcing Americans "to put a face on poverty" — an entrenched social ill they say is often overlooked in a consumer society.

The recent disasters — and the response they triggered — have made life worse for poor people nationwide, said Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity-watchdog group in Chicago.

With supplies and workers stretched so thin, Borochoff said, people outside the Gulf region who need assistance have to wait longer to get help. For instance, subsidized housing is harder to get all across the country, he said, because the diaspora of Katrina's homeless into 33 states has overloaded the cities that have taken them in.

The Katrina tragedy evoked an outpouring of both money and volunteerism , particularly from young adults, say social-service workers. In addition to the $2.8 billion donated to hurricane victims, many good Samaritans wanted to "get their hands dirty" by donating their time as well.

That's been a good thing, and it could have lasting impact, said Ginger Smith, executive director of Baptist Mission Centers in Houston. “The greatest challenge in communicating poverty in America is discovering a way to personalize it," she said.

"We [in Houston] had 200,000 neighbors that had lived through a horrific experience and were suddenly at our doorstep in need," she said. "The multitudes presented opportunities that could not be ignored.”

“Many volunteers who went into the shelters had life-changing conversations with people that days earlier had only been faces on TV," said Smith, whose organization operates three mission centers in Houston that feed an average of 3,200 people a month.

In the days after Katrina, Baptist Mission Centers decided against turning one ministry center into a shelter for evacuees. "I had several reasons for not opening as a shelter, and one was that I couldn’t imagine telling a community homeless man I knew by name that he couldn’t stay in the shelter because it was only for people from Louisiana and Mississippi,” Smith said. “I felt like that would be more damaging in the long run of our ministry to choose who we serve.”

When a crisis occurs, it places a special burden on community ministries that provide ongoing ministry to local people in need, she explained. After Katrina, Baptist Mission Centers combined two children's programs from different sites to make room for other ministries, only to see attendance drop from 50 kids to as few as four.

“We serve the impoverished, and their needs did not change through this disaster,” Smith said. “Our initial commitment was to them and our community, which meant we had to maintain our ministry as it is.”

Nationwide, 12.7 percent of the population (or 37 million people) lives below the poverty level, according to 2004 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, and the number continues to rise each year — even before Katrina's impact is measured.

"The abject poverty revealed by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans exists in every urban area of the United States," said Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. "It's poverty so severe that it kills people."

Edgar criticized legislators who warned paying for the Katrina recovery will require cuts to traditional social programs. "It's simply a sin for Congress to cut spending for other poor people to make up for unplanned but essential spending elsewhere," he said in a statement.

Others worry that Americans have become callused to long-term, intractable poverty.

The poor "blend into the background of our communities as we drive by, and they just become part of the landscape,” said Jim Young, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Missions Equipping Center. “It’s a theological problem when we look at the poor and don’t see the image of God the way we should. When we look at 'the least of these,' we should see Jesus.”

Addressing long-term poverty needs will be more difficult after Katrina, Borochoff predicted. It's always harder to raise money for long-term programs, he said. People are naturally drawn to the disaster of the moment and tend to ignore unseen, unpublicized poverty. And while people want to get involved in hands-on ways — like passing out food at shelters — what's really needed is money for long-term solutions, he said.

Borochoff urged donors not to abandon their traditional charities in order to help disaster victims. Contributions to those organizations tend to dip in the wake of disasters, he said, increasing the hardship on the poor. "These people should not do without because people are serving disaster victims."

Despite those concerns, some anti-poverty voices say the enormity of the Katrina disaster may change the anti-poverty debate.

"To be poor in America was to be invisible," wrote Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post soon after the hurricane, "but not after this week, not after those images of the bedraggled masses at the Superdome, convention center and airport. No one can claim that the post-Reagan orthodoxy of low taxes and small government, which does wonders for the extremely rich, also inevitably does wonders for the extremely poor. What was that about a rising tide lifting all boats? What if you don't have a boat?"

Borochoff is one who believes Katrina may change how Americans respond to hunger. "Kartina increased knowledge that there are working poor in America," he said, and it also energized more people, particularly young adults, to get involved in the solution.

Jimmy Dorrell, who runs a community ministry in Waco, Texas, agreed. “Among churches that opened their doors, housed people in their buildings, and got to know them, it could have a long-term positive effect,” Dorrell said. “But the jury’s still out. It could go the other way.”

Some potential donors may think they already have done their part for meeting human needs by giving to disaster relief, noted Dorrell, director of Mission Waco. That could create a problem for community ministries that rely heavily on year-end gifts to sustain them through lean months, he said.

“Maybe what’s happened will raise awareness about poverty and need,” he said. "Or maybe people will think they already have given and don’t have any discretionary money left."

For the answer, Dorrell said, they will simply have to wait and see.

Tom Prevost, who directs a long-term anti-poverty program for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, looks overseas for hopeful signs. He said the unprecedented international response to the South Asia tsunami, as well as the debt-relief campaign for Africa, have awakened previously uninvolved Christians.

Some of those mobilized Christians have volunteered in overseas projects, and that creates a positive "spillover effect," he continued. "Those who have seen some of this face to face in these poverty-ridden counties are more sensitive."

"There seems to be a growing awareness that it's going to take more than a quick fix" to reduce poverty at home and abroad, said Prevost, national coordinator of Together for Hope, the CBF's rural poverty initiative, a 20-year commitment to fight poverty in the nation's poorest counties.

The CBF initiative is "a long-term commitment to self-sustainability" in historically poor communities, Prevost said. The program helps the poor recognize they have the resources to change their economic destiny.

"They just feel alone," he said of the entrenched poor. "And to know someone is going to be with them for 20 or more years, that's the thing that really seems to change the conversation. … They are tired of hit-and-run missions."

A long-term solution to poverty will require all these elements — volunteerism, money and a long-term commitment — as well as political action to change public policy.

"There needs to be more concern for what is happening in our communities, more concern for the public witness that we have," Prevost concluded.

Posted: 1/03/06

CYBER COLUMN:
All in the Baptist family

By Brett Younger

It isn’t easy being Baptist. I’ve asked non-Baptist ministers to preach at our church about 10 times. The conversation goes something like this:

“You want a Methodist/Disciple/Presbyterian/fill-in-the-blank to preach at a Baptist church?”

“Yes, that’s why I asked you.”

“I’ve never preached at a Baptist church. Can I borrow your overalls?”

While many Baptist churches are filled with intelligent, sophisticated people like you and me, Baptists as a group don’t have the most cultured reputation. I’d like to complain, but it’s hard for even lifelong Baptists to know how to categorize us. Baptists are a mixed bag.

Politically speaking, we’re all over the map. Jesse Helms is a Baptist, but so is Jesse Jackson. Tom DeLay is a Baptist, as is Al Gore. If that’s not confusing enough, two of four Baptist presidents (Warren Harding, Bill Clinton) had scandals that embarrassed the WMU, but the other two (Jimmy Carter and Harry Truman) would make fine presidents of the Brotherhood.

Contrary to some opinions, Baptists not only read, but also write. John Bunyan (Pilgrim’s Progress), Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest), Will Campbell (Brother to a Dragonfly) and John Grisham (A Time to Kill—not a particularly Baptist book, but it sold pretty well) are Baptists.

Preacherwise, you can pick and choose who you’re proud to say is a Baptist: Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, Walter Rauschenbusch, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Rick Warren, Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Jerry Falwell. (Picture those seven sharing a table at the prayer breakfast.)

Johnny Cash was a Baptist—enough to put to rest the idea that Baptists are dull. If there’s a Baptist choir in heaven it will be amazing: Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, Mahalia Jackson, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding, Al Green, Chuck Berry, George Jones, Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Sr., (I’m guessing Hank Jr. doesn’t make it to church most Sundays, but I could be wrong) and Gladys Knight (no word on how many Pips are Baptists). Louis Armstrong can play the trumpet, Glen Campbell the guitar, and my church’s own Van Cliburn the piano.

Baptists may be better musicians than athletes, but take a look at Joe Frazier, Jim Brown, Reggie White, Payne Stewart and Maury Wills—all Baptists.

Queen Latifah is a Baptist (try picturing her as GA Queen Latifah with scepter). Baptist parents can decide if they want to tell their children that Jessica Simpson is a Baptist. Harry Longbaugh, the Sundance Kid, was a Baptist. (I realize he was a bank robber, but isn’t it encouraging that Robert Redford played a Baptist?)

Ava Gardner was a Baptist, but Howard Hughes wasn’t. Sometimes I wish more Baptists were rich like Baptist John D. Rockefeller.

Chuck Norris could have starred in Walker, Texas Baptist. You can argue that DeForest Kelley, Dr. “Bones” McCoy on Star Trek, is the best-known Baptist of the 25th century. I like to think that the Baptist in Kevin Costner is responsible for Field of Dreams, and that during Waterworld he wasn’t going to church much. Kevin was directed by a Baptist, Ron Shelton, in Bull Durham, a movie my Baptist mother would not want me to see.

Imagine throwing a “Baptists Only” party and having this crowd show up: Pat Robertson, Bill Moyers, Sam Rayburn, Trent Lott, Anita Bryant, Clarence Thomas, Marian Wright Edelman, Marian Anderson, Gene Autry, Kris Kristofferson and Eddie Murphy.

Some historians claim that Czar Alexander I of Russia was secretly a Baptist. If he was and didn’t want people to know, it’s understandable. Our family is hard to explain.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth and the author of Who Moved My Pulpit? A Hilarious Look at Ministerial Life, available from Smyth & Helwys (800) 747-3016. You can e-mail him at byounger@broadwaybc.org.

Posted: 1/03/06

BaptistWay Bible Series for Jan. 8

God’s standards are the only ones that count

• Luke 12:1-12

By Fallon Curry

Logsdon Seminary, Abilene

What are you afraid of? Fear can prevent us from hurting ourselves. However, fear often paralyzes us into lives of inaction. Is that the way Jesus wants us to live? Is that the way he wants us to serve? Are there things we should fear? The passage for this lesson calls us to look at ourselves and our fears, and consider how we will respond to Jesus’ leadership in our lives.

In Luke 11:37-53, a Pharisee had invited Jesus to dinner with hopes of “catching” him in doing or saying something wrong so that they might have grounds for accusations. At the dinner, Jesus noticed the Pharisee’s surprise that he had not ceremonially washed his hands before the meal. Jesus pointed out how obsessed the Scribes and Pharisees were with how clean they seemed to the world. All the while, their insides rotted like corpses in pretty tombs. Jesus declared that the maker of the outside also makes the inside. Both should be cared for and cleaned.

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In 12:1-12, Jesus returned to his disciples. Thousands gathered to see him perform a miracle. Jesus used this as an opportunity to warn his disciples about the dangers of hypocrisy.

Jesus began by clarifying, in verses 4-7, not to fear someone who can end one’s earthly life. Earthly life always is temporary. He explained that the one to truly fear is the One who has all ultimate power and authority. That One, God, knows and values each of his children. He even knows every hair on our heads! Therefore, the One to fear and trust is the Creator and not the created.

The fear of people feeds into pride which often leads to hypocrisy. It usually starts when a person becomes self-conscious or fearful of what someone else will think, say or do in reaction to certain weaknesses or faults. Sometimes the same type of fear can arise in people who live lives of faith and those who do not. Some people seek ways to cover or hide who they truly are in order to impress and gain favor with those around them. These are people are hypocritical as a result of the fear of people. This is what Jesus condemned.

In verses 2 and 3, Jesus explained that hypocrisy is futile. Everything kept in secret will be exposed for all to see. The Pharisees would be seen as the cruel, legalistic, evil people that they were before God and be required to give account.

This statement also prepared the disciples to fight the temptation to hide the truth they knew. In the near future, they would be tempted to hide in order to avoid hostility from others. This way Jesus was preparing the disciples for a time when their acknowledgement of Jesus as the Christ would become public truths that must be proclaimed.

Followers of Jesus who hide or downplay their faith to gain favor with others also will be exposed. So, if everything eventually will be revealed as it truly is, then hypocrisy is useless.

How do we, then, trust and not fear? Most of us have had the experience as children of jumping off the edge of a dock or pool side into their parent’s arms. Initially, the process for many was somewhat stressful. However, once the child determined to trust his or her parent and jump safely into those waiting arms, the child is not afraid anymore and, usually, they want to “do it again!”

Sometimes overcoming our fears means facing them head-on. In order to get over our fear of people and live in the manner that Jesus would have us live, we must acknowledge Jesus publicly. This does not necessarily mean we must stand on our desks at work and shout or pray obnoxious, loud and lengthy prayers in the middle of restaurants.

Most of the more effective ways we can acknowledge Jesus is to simply put into practice what we have learned from him. Be the only supervisor at our work place that truly lives by “the golden rule.” Be the one willing to befriend those who are difficult to befriend. We acknowledge Jesus by the way we live day-to-day. Verbalizing our faith usually is more effective after our listeners have seen us first prove our beliefs in actions.

Living out our faith takes a lot of help from the Holy Sprit. It is not something that comes naturally. It is something we can learn to do by seeking God daily in prayer and Bible study. The Holy Spirit often teaches us how to conduct ourselves and present our hearts before God in those times that we seek him in various forms of worship. By doing this on a regular basis, we come to know his voice and as verse 10-11 says, he will instruct us on what to say when the hostility or trouble that we might fear comes into our lives.

So, if we are going to be concerned about the thoughts and actions of someone other than ourselves, let us be concerned with the only One that counts. Let us seek God’s approval and will for our lives. Only he knows what is best for us. We can trust our Heavenly Father and jump into his arms. Don’t be afraid. He will catch us and hold us forever.

Discussion question

• How can trusting God help you overcome the fears in your life?

Posted: 12/16/05

Baptist Briefs

CBF leader meets with secretary of state. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Coordinator Daniel Vestal and a dozen other religious leaders met in Washington, D.C., with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. They called on the United States to lead in global poverty reduction initiatives at a World Trade Organization meeting. The interfaith group challenged Rice to advance proposals that would open global markets to trade and boost economies of developing nations. The religious leaders also lobbied for a $5 billion increase in poverty-focused development assistance in President Bush's 2007 budget request.

First Korean state convention president elected. New England Baptists elected their first non-Anglo president and the first Korean president of a state convention. Messengers to the 23rd annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of New England in Londonderry, N.H., elected Paul Kim, founding pastor of Berkland Baptist Church in Cambridge, Mass., president without opposition. Kim, who was named a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary distinguished alumnus in 2004 for his work in church planting, serves as a trustee of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. Tommy Oliver, pastor of New Life Baptist Church in Stratham, N.H., was elected vice president. Messengers unanimously passed a $2.8 million budget for 2006–a 5 percent increase and the first increase in more than five years.

First ordained Southern Baptist woman pastor dies. Addie Elizabeth Davis–whose 1964 ordination by Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., to pastoral ministry marked a first among Southern Baptist churches–died Dec. 3 in Covington, Va., after a brief illness. She was 88. Davis, a graduate of Meredith College and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, both in North Carolina, served churches in Vermont, Rhode Island and Virginia. The Baptist Women in Ministry organization provides annual scholarships to female ministerial students through a fund established in Davis' honor.

New Mexico executive director search ends. Joseph Bunce, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bloomfield, N.M., is the unanimous choice of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico executive director search team to become the state convention's next executive director. Bunce has spent all but four of his 50 years and his 30-year ministry in New Mexico. He was president of the New Mexico convention in 1998 and 1999. A special meeting of the convention will be held Jan. 31 at Hoffmantown Baptist Church in Albuquerque during the state evangelism conference to act on the recommendation. If elected, Bunce will assume his new role Feb. 13.

Oklahoma Baptists approve Armenia partnership. Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma's 99th annual meeting approved a missions partnership with Armenia. Oklahoma Baptists ratified a $22.65 million budget for 2006–a 1.8 percent increase over the current year–with 60 percent earmarked for Oklahoma causes and 40 percent for the Southern Baptist Convention. They also learned that about 300 Oklahoma Baptist churches doubled their number of baptisms in the past year. Messengers re-elected President Bob Green, pastor of Arrow Heights Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, and elected First Vice President Randy Childers, director of missions for Rogers Baptist Association, and Second Vice President James Swain, pastor of First Baptist Church in Kingfisher.

Virginia Baptists OK reduced budget. Messengers to the Baptist General Association of Virginia annual meeting approved a $14.4 million budget for 2006–$300,000 less than the current year. Treasurer Eddie Stratton projected a shortfall of up to $500,000 for 2005. Budget Committee Chairman Darrell Foster attributed the shortfall–and resultant reduced budget–to about $2.3 million in designated giving for disaster relief following the South Asia tsunami and Gulf Coast hurricanes. The 2006 budget excludes Averett University in Danville, Va. Virginia Baptists ended allocations to the school last year in a dispute over homosexuality and biblical authority. Virginia Baptists elected without opposition three officers endorsed by the moderate Virginia Baptists Committed organization–President Bert Browning, pastor of Huguenot Road Baptist Church in Richmond, First Vice President Boyce Brannock, an attorney and member of First Baptist Church in Waynesboro, and Second Vice President Barbara Filling, pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Charles City.

Illinois Baptists continue search. The committee appointed to find a potential executive director for the Illinois Baptist State Association has narrowed its search to eight candidates, Chairman Jim Rahtjen reported to the Illinois Baptist annual meeting in Springfield. The committee—named to find a successor for Wendell Lang, who left the executive director’s post in April for a Tennessee pastorate—received 47 recommendations for the position, 30 of whom agreed to be considered, Rahtjen said. The committee has interviewed each of the eight finalists, he added.

Michigan Baptists endorse marriage amendment. Messengers to the Baptist State Convention of Michigan’s 48th annual meeting approved a resolution supporting a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Michigan Baptists also approved a $3.4 million budget—a $500,000decrease from the current year, with anticipated Cooperative Program receipts from churches at $1.7 million.

NAMB invites Baltimore to become Strategic Focus City. In a video presentation to the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, North American Mission Board President Bob Reccord invited Baltimore to become a Strategic Focus City. Executive Director David Lee noted Baltimore churches must in turn invite the mission board and state convention to join them in the evangelistic and prayer emphasis. Messengers re-elected their slate of state convention officers and approved a more than $6.6 million budget for 2006.

Six baptized at Penn/Jersey annual meeting. Baptist pastors baptized six people during Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey annual meeting in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Messengers re-elected President Jerry Dixon, pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in Gettysburg, Pa., and Recording Secretary Melba Beaudreaux of Dallas Baptist Church in Dallas, Pa. They elected First Vice President Jimmy Knox, pastor of Chambersburg Baptist Church in Chambersburg, Pa., and Second Vice President Roger Mano, pastor Philadelphia International Bible Church in Philadelphia. Messengers approved a $3.3 million budget for 2006, a 2.69 percent increase over the current year.

Posted: 12/20/05

Mercer, Georgia convention agree to terms

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

ATLANTA (ABP)—Mercer University and the Georgia Baptist Convention have agreed to terms that will end their 172-year-old relationship.

The convention will end funding of the school after 2007, but Mercer will get control of trustee elections and all assets, including a $19.6 million endowment controlled by the convention.

A Nov. 15 vote of the Georgia Baptist Convention mandated an “orderly” dissolution of the relationship after convention officials claimed, “Mercer has already moved away from the theology, doctrine and principles for which the convention stands.” The convention complained specifically about a pro-gay student group on campus and Mercer support for “non-Southern Baptist organizations.”

The terms, negotiated by Mercer President Kirby Godsey and convention Executive Director Bob White, were approved by the convention’s executive committee Dec.13. The agreement has already been approved by Mercer’s executive committee and will be considered by trustees in April.

“Neither of us got everything we wanted,” White told the executive committee Dec. 13, “But I want to help bring about an orderly discontinuance of the relationship.”

Godsey lamented “the unilateral action of the Georgia Baptist Convention” to end the relationship, but he added: “It does not, of course, alter the heritage or the history of the institution, nor does it diminish the high Baptist traditions and values that gave rise to the university. In the days ahead, we must discuss how more deliberately and intentionally the university honors the Baptist traditions on which it was founded.”

Under the agreement, Mercer will create a self-perpetuating board, rather than allowing the convention to elect a portion of trustees. Endowed capital-improvement funds totaling $19,572,959, contributed by the convention in past years, will be released to the university.

The convention will continue to fund about $3.5 million for Mercer scholarships for 2006 and 2007, after which convention support will end. Mercer will seek similar funds directly from churches beginning in 2006.

Both sides pledged an amicable end to the relationship, which has become increasingly tense in recent years as fundamentalists have gained power in the state convention.

“I didn’t want to see it come to conflict that would leave Mercer and the Convention tattered,” Godsey told the Georgia convention’s executive committee.

“I want to express gratitude to Georgia Baptists,” he added. “The convention has made a grand difference in the university. Mercer is a Baptist university and will continue to be so. We will also continue to give scholarships to Baptist students.”

Messengers to next year’s Georgia Baptist Convention meeting likely will be asked to approve the dissolution as part of the executive committee’s report.

Posted: 12/20/05

Fate of hostages in Iraq still unknown

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Militants threatening to execute a British Baptist and three other Christian hostages by Dec. 10 had conveyed no word of their captives’ fate as of Dec. 12, according to multiple news reports.

That left their families, friends and colleagues scattered across the globe anxious for news.

“We all look to each other and offer a kind smile or a warm hug whenever that other person feels that they can’t handle it, and that happens quite a bit right now,” Ed Loney, brother of Canadian hostage Jim Loney, said Dec. 11, according to the Canadian Press news service.

On Nov. 26, an Iraqi militant group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness kidnapped Loney along with British Baptist peace activist Norman Kember, 74, and two other members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams working in Iraq. The militants initially announced they would execute the four Dec. 8 if American and British officials did not meet their demand to release all Iraqi prisoners.

Then, late in the afternoon of Dec. 7, the kidnappers sent word to news agencies that they had extended their deadline to Dec. 10.

Dec. 10 marks International Human Rights Day—just one of the story’s many ironies.

Friends and family of the hostages noted that they were in Iraq to oppose the very war and alleged treatment of detainees that their abductors do.

“My husband, Norman, doesn’t believe in violence, and neither does his family,” said Pat Kember in a Dec. 7 statement released from her London home. “We believe as he does that everyone should live in peace. This is an extremely worrying, stressful time for all of Norman’s family. We are praying with people from all faiths for the safe release of Norman and his friends.”

Ken Sehested, who served as the longtime executive director of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, said Kember has been a friend of his more than two decades.

“He is a genuinely modest man, with a scientist’s mind, a comedian’s dry wit, but also a quietly passionate heart—not to mention a winsome countenance,” Sehested said. He noted that Kember went to Iraq because he was embarrassed to sit at home and simply protest the war while soldiers were risking their lives on the field.

“That’s classic Norman—earnest but not loud,” Sehested said. “He’s simply trying to be a Christian.”

Christian Peacemakers’ co-chair, Carol Rose, said Dec. 7 the group has long opposed alleged abuses of Iraqi detainees by U.S. and other allied authorities, as well as what it describes as the “illegal occupation” of Iraq by U.S., British and other allied forces.

“It’s not unusual in the world for people who are not the ones doing the evil to bear the brunt of the reactions of those who are hurt by that,” she said, adding that it shouldn’t surprise Christians that suffering sometimes comes along with doing God’s work.

She also said she hopes the situation would inspire thought and action among Christians in the United States and across the globe.

“Part of what we’re hoping for is not only the swift and safe release of our friends and for the reuniting of those detained under such horrific circumstances all over the world and especially in Iraq, but also that this can be a moment when the church moves into determined and courageous action for following the Prince of Peace,” she said. “So that would be a way to honor and to partner with the lives of our co-workers, as well as just give witness to the truth that we live out of.”

Religious leaders from vastly different ideological persuasions have called for the hostages’ release. Jesse Jackson, the Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, appeared on Al-Jazeera and CNN early on Dec. 7 urging their captors to free the peace workers.

Later in the day, British news agencies reported that one of that nation’s most high-profile Islamist radicals, Abu Qatada, also called for the hostages’ release.

“I urge them to release the four prisoners in Iraq. This is a merciful act according to the principles of Islam,” the cleric said, according to an English translation of his Arabic statement published by the DeHavilland news service. Qatada has been imprisoned by British officials since 2002 on suspicions that he has ties to the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

The other hostages detained with Kember and Loney are Canadian Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32; and American Tom Fox, 54. The activists were abducted shortly after they left a Baghdad house, headed for a meeting with a Muslim group.

Unlike the vast majority of Westerners currently working in Iraq, Christian Peacemaker team members do not travel with weapons, bodyguards or armor for protection. They also, in the event of just such a kidnapping, agree to oppose any attempts to rescue them by violent means.

Christian Peacemaker officials released a statement Dec. 8 calling for Christians and others around the world to mark International Human Rights Day with prayer vigils for the hostages and for peace.

“Christian Peacemaker Teams calls for all people of conscience around the world to initiate non-violent public actions for peace and for prayer on December 10th in support of international human rights and in support of ending war and occupation,” the statement read. It asked vigil leaders to highlight the following phrases: “Love your enemies,” “End the occupation,” and “Free the captives.”

Supporters of the hostages held organized vigils in several nations and at least 15 states, including New York, California, North Carolina, Texas and Kentucky.

At a Dec. 7 vigil at the Episcopal Cathedral of All Souls in Asheville, N.C., Sehested said the captives would probably not want the attention now being focused on them.

“These four would be embarrassed—probably annoyed—to be the center of such attention, insisting that we focus instead on the hundreds of thousands in Iraq and elsewhere who have died, whose bodies have been maimed, whose lives have been shattered by this abominable war,” he said.

Sehested continued, referring to a large poster with photos of the captives on the cathedral’s chancel: “But their complaint would be misplaced. Their faces on the altar are not simply about them; they are our window into a world with which we are barely acquainted.”

Posted: 12/20/05

Westmoreland nominated for Samford presidency

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP)—Andrew Westmoreland, president of Arkansas Baptists’ Ouachita Baptist University, has been nominated to become president of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

The Samford search committee will recommend Westmoreland during a special meeting of trustees Jan.10, the university announced Dec. 15.

Westmoreland was chosen from among 140 nominees, the search team said. He visited the Samford campus Dec. 6 to meet with three constituent panels—faculty/staff, students and alumni/donors—as well as university leaders.

“The feedback received from the review panels was overwhelmingly positive and affirmed what the search committee discovered about Dr. Westmoreland,” said search committee co-chair Hobart Grooms, a Birmingham attorney and Samford trustee. “Respondents stated that they felt Dr. Westmoreland was a wonderful and more than capable candidate to lead Samford into the future.”

In a Dec. 1 e-mail to Ouachita faculty, staff and students, Westmoreland said he became “open to the possibility” of the Samford presidency in late October, after several conversations with the committee. After prayer, he said, he realized “this move might be best for all concerned.”

“The matter is in God’s hands,” he added. “I cannot explain what God is doing here, but I have surrendered.”

If elected, Westmoreland would complete the presidential carousal at three of the largest Baptist universities. On Dec. 2, Mercer University in Macon, Ga., elected as president Bill Underwood, interim president of Baylor University. Underwood was a leading candidate for the Baylor presidency before removing his name from consideration. Trustees of the Texas Baptist school in Waco elected Nevada educator John Lilley as president Nov. 3.

Samford’s next president will replace Tom Corts, who is retiring after 23 years. The 164-year-old university, affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention, reports 2,882 undergraduate students, 1,558 graduate students and 264 faculty members.

Westmoreland, 48, has served his entire career at Ouachita, in Arkadelphia, Ark. President since 1998, he has been an administrator at the Arkansas Baptist school for more than 19 years. He is best known for his successful fund-raising for the 1,700-student school, including two campaigns that raised more than $60 million each. He served as vice president for development until 1995, when he became executive vice president.

Search committee co-chair Albert Brewer, a former Alabama governor and retired Samford law professor, praised Westmoreland’s “leadership skills, views on academic freedom, thoughts on the balance of faith and learning, (and) interpersonal skills,” among other qualities.

A graduate of Ouachita, Westmoreland received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1979. He earned a master’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a doctorate in higher-education administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

A native of Batesville, Ark., Westmoreland is married to Jeanna Westmoreland, associate professor of education and dean of Ouachita’s School of Education. The Westmorelands have one daughter, Riley Elizabeth.

In addition to his duties as Ouachita president, Westmoreland serves as professor of political science and education. He is the author of Leading by Design, published in 2005.

Posted: 12/20/05

Churches adopting Chrismon trees

By Terri Jo Ryan

Special to the Baptist Standard

The Chrismons (CHRISt-MONogramS) ornaments were first developed in 1957 by Frances Kipps Spencer of Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Va., when she set out to create decorations appropriate for a church Christmas tree.

An evergreen tree, ancient symbol of eternal life, forms the background for tiny white lights and gold Chrismons designs, based on biblical and theological concepts familiar to believers.

The symbols used are interdenominational and the heritage of all Christians. Chrismons are a type of Christmas Tree decoration used in many churches and often in the homes of Christians. The symbols used represent a variety of biblical and theological concepts that are well known among most believers.

Technically, if the ornaments on a Christmas tree are comprised mostly of Christian symbols, the tree is known as a “Chrismon Tree.” Most Chrismons are white with gold decorations of beads, ribbon and glitter.

Common Chismons incorporate images of fish—an symbol for Christ, the Greek word for “Fish” forming an acrostic that spells out “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”—along with the cross, stars, angels, the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, taken from the New Testament passage: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Rev. 22:13)

Another more complex symbol is formed of a superimposed “X” and “P”. X is the greek letter Chi, and the P is the Greek letter Rho—the first two letters in the name “Christ” spelled in Greek (Xpistos).

Posted: 12/20/05

CYBER COLUMN:
Skipping Christmas

By Brett Younger

For centuries, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus by coming to church to sing, pray, remember, give thanks and recommit our lives to Christ. What were we thinking?

The front-page news is that many of the biggest churches in the United States have decided that the best way to celebrate the coming of Christ is to cancel worship.

The primary reason given is that attendance will be sparse. Ed Young of Fellowship Church pointed out that in 1994, the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday, only 300 people showed up.

When did we decide that the purpose of worship is to draw a crowd? Attendance at the first Christmas wasn’t big, but God decided to go ahead with it, anyway.

Another reason offered by these megachurches is that canceling worship is in keeping with their “family friendly” approach. Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, said his church is “always promoting family. (Cancelling worship on Christmas) keeps them together and not running off to get dressed up to go off to church.”

Too many churches give the impression that the primary purpose of the church is to support the family. The New Testament teaches that the church is our family. Christians put Christ ahead of their family. Jesus felt this so strongly that he said, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters cannot be my disciple.” (This verse isn’t going to make it onto anybody’s Christmas card.)

What about the people without a family—the elderly, singles, lonely people, those a long distance from family? Isn’t it possible that some of those who are alone at Christmas need to worship God?

In lieu of a worship service, Willow Creek Community Church is handing out a DVD. Cally Parkinson, communications director, explained, “What we’re encouraging people to do is take that DVD and in the comfort of their living room, with friends and family, pop it into the player and hopefully hear a different and more personal and maybe more intimate Christmas message.”

If watching a DVD is more personal and intimate than worship, then should we cancel worship on every holy day? Maybe churches could encourage members to gather with their family for brunch on Easter or go bowling together on Good Friday.

The issue isn’t that people will skip church on Sunday. The real problem is that churches are failing to tell the truth about Christmas. It’s hard to read the Gospels and see how our modern Christmas celebration could have begun with the ancient story. In the Bible, Christmas isn’t about big crowds, family gatherings or expensive presents.

The first Christmas marks the beginning of a small, counter-cultural community of people who put their trust in God’s way and none of their faith in materialism and selfishness. Christmas invites us to have different standards, hopes and dreams than those who don’t know the meaning of Christ’s coming.

If we believe that Jesus’ birth changes the world, then we’ll change the way we see our world. The work of Christ’s hands will be continued in the work of our hands. We’ll have compassion for all people—especially those that are usually left out. Because Jesus has come, we will walk out of step with the rhythms of the world.

On Sunday at our not-at-all-megachurch, we will sing, pray and listen to the story. We’ll remember the first Christmas and give ourselves again to the one born in Bethlehem.

Brett Younger is pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.