Posted: 6/25/04

Camp offers Asian teenagers chance to make connections

By Mary Crouch

Texas Baptist Communications

WACO–A youth camp at Baylor University offered Asian Baptist young people opportunities to make connections with new Christian friends, according to organizers.

Cathy Dundas, intercultural initiatives consultant for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, organized the event, which was created to give Asian youth the chance to learn more about their Christian faith.

About 200 attended the camp–double the number who attended the first event last year. And many of the youth who attended the camp last year have stayed connected even after camp is over, Dundas noted. As a result, many of their peers wanted to come this year.

“These kids are hungry for God and for spiritual depth,” she said. “They need to be communicated to where they are.”

Filipino, Cambodian, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese youth gathered at the Baylor campus to spend a week away from home and parents, a first for many of the students. Church camp is a new idea for most Asian families, who usually take retreats together, Dundas said.

The teenagers participated in many different workshops and activities, such as backyard Bible club and leadership workshops–many of them named for reality television shows, such as “The Apprentice.”

Many youth responded to the leadership training because they have a deep desire to become leaders in their own churches, Dundas said.

Since the first Asian youth camp in 2003, some churches have established ongoing relationships with other Asian congregations. And lives have been changed, Dundas noted.

She recalled a 16-year-old gang leader who accepted Christ during last year's camp. Since then, he has surrendered to the gospel ministry and become a leader in his church youth group. He also is witnessing to his old gang members.

Posted: 6/25/04

Baylor benefactor calls for reforms,
wants open forum at regents' meeting

By Sandi Villarreal

Associated Baptist Press

WACO, Texas, (ABP)–After a year of controversy at the world's largest Baptist university, one of Baylor University's biggest benefactors has written a letter to the Baylor board of regents criticizing President Robert Sloan's leadership and calling for an open forum to discuss the issues at the July board meeting.

“I am writing the chair a weekly series of letters that identifies (the issues),” John Baugh, a layman at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, told ABP.

One will focus on the fiduciary responsibility of regents, and another will be a compilation of the reforms in practices and policies Baugh wishes to see.

A university spokesman declined to comment on the letter, deferring to regents.

Baugh's initial letter proposed opening the meeting to “all of us who love Baylor” in order to examine the current problems plaguing the administration, which he said would include a question-and-answer session with those in attendance.

“The most immediate, basic question with which we are confronted is whether the philosophy and methods that have been employed by President Sloan and his administration … have alienated the major constituencies of the university to the point that new leadership must be put into place for Baylor to strive and thrive in an unimpeded fashion,” wrote Baugh, founder of the Houston-based Sysco Corporation.

Will Davis, newly elected chairman of the board of regents, has not yet said whether the board will approve Baugh's proposal and open the July meeting.

At the May board meeting, Baugh–who carries the title of regent emeritus–addressed the board and warned he would retract gifts given to the university if something is not changed in the current administration.

The Baugh family has donated more than $25 million to the university, including scholarships, study-abroad programs and a $5 million gift toward construction of Baylor's Truett Theological Seminary.

Following the meeting, outgoing board Chair Drayton McLane told the Waco Tribune-Herald the board is confident in Sloan's leadership.

“I've been in business a long time. One of the most difficult things is leadership,” McLane said.

“Doing bold things certainly excites a lot of people. But as change happens, it causes some difficulties. We certainly understand that, but we are sensitive to every group.”

Current Chair Davis and other regents could not be reached for comment about Baugh's letter.

When asked if he would call for another regents vote on Sloan's leadership, Baugh said he didn't “want to get into that dogfight.” Rather, Baugh said, he is writing Davis and the other regents “beseeching them to do what's right.”

Posted: 6/25/04

Baylor names faculty compensation task force

By Lori Scott Fogleman

Baylor University

WACO–Baylor University President Robert Sloan has created a task force on the impact of faculty and staff compensation and appointed 17 faculty and staff members to carry out its work.

The group is charged with establishing where Baylor stands on compensation issues for faculty and staff, where it wants to be and how it eventually will succeed in that effort, Sloan explained.

“Three years into 2012, our aspirations for truly competitive salaries for faculty and staff are still intact,” he said.

“Even though higher education in general has experienced difficulties in these areas, we are confident that in the not-too-distant future we will be able to move forward successfully with this very important aspiration of our 10-year vision. It is also appropriate and consistent with the goals of Baylor 2012 that faculty and staff participate in the evaluation and/or re-evaluation of this issue.”

Members of the task force are chairman, Bill Thomas, accounting professor; Richard Amos, assistant vice president and director of compensation and benefits; Randall Brown, associate director of compensation and benefits; Charlene Budd, accounting professor; Elizabeth Davis, associate professor of accounting and vice provost for academic relations; Brian Denman, director of fiscal planning; Mark Falsone, associate budget director; Thomas Featherston Jr., professor of law.

Others are Van Gray, associate vice president for strategic planning and improving; Steven Green, professor of economics and statistics and chair of the economics department; Donna Herbert, information technology support manager; Thomas Kelly, professor of economics and director of the Center for Business and Economic Research.

Also Kathleen Morley, associate director of information management and testing; J. William Petty, professor of finance and director of entrepreneurship studies program; William Reichenstein, professor of finance; Steven Rich, associate professor of finance; and Marlene Tyrrell, senior lecturer in computer science.

“One of the goals associated with Baylor 2012's Imperative III–develop a world-class faculty–is to recruit and retain the highest quality faculty and staff, and to compensate them competitively. Unless this goal is met, we will not be able to attract the caliber of people to Baylor that we need in order to accomplish the vision,” Thomas said.

Thomas was appointed to chair the task force to study current levels of Baylor faculty and staff salaries in comparison to certain benchmark schools and to recommend any changes necessary to keep Baylor competitive as the university moves forward.

The task force consists of three sub-groups who will bring their findings to the task force. The information will be presented to the president, who will use the data in a report to the Baylor board of regents in late July and also as a basis for subsequent financial and budgetary recommendations.

“It is also appropriate and consistent with the goals of Baylor 2012 that faculty and staff participate in the evaluation and/or re-evaluation of this issue.”

Posted: 6/25/04

Bible drill, speaker competitions help
participants learn lasting lessons

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–National Bible drill and speaker competitions ingrain biblical lessons in the lives of young people and strengthen future leaders, according to organizers of and participants in the contests.

Participants spend many hours memorizing biblical passages and speeches based on Scripture for the competitions, but more importantly they internalize the messages, said Dickie Dunn, director of discipleship for the Baptist General Convention of Texas Bible Study/Discipleship Center.

Youth take the biblical principles they learn and apply them to their lives, Dunn continued. They become stronger Christians.

“It focuses kids on the right thing,” he said. “When you read, study and memorize Scripture, your whole perspective changes.”

Those biblical ideas will make youth better at whatever profession they choose, Dunn added. The Bible gives them solid moral and ethical principles that guide their actions.

Kimberly Hayes, a 15-year-old member of Little Brasstown Baptist Church in Murphy, N.C., who competed in the speaker contest, said her participation was a step forward in strengthening her leadership skills. It also gives her strength to resist temptation.

Emily Burkhead, a member of First Baptist Church in Cleveland who won the speaker competition, said the other lectures were uplifting. Hearing about the strong faith of others encouraged her to continue her Christian journey.

Linnea Ison of Parkway Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla., whose son Adam participated in the Bible Drill competition, said the memorization and study give youth answers to doctrinal and life questions. The work provides a biblical foundation for the lives of youth.

The principles seem to be making a difference. Most of the participants congratulated all the winners with a handshake or hug. Daniel Hill of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Eldorado, Ark., had the winners sign his Bible.

Hill won first place in the Bible drill competition. Katie Mitchell of Sardis Baptist Church in Lumber City, Ga., took second. Burkhead placed first in the speaker contest. Jordan Helms of Harp's Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga., was second.

Representatives from 10 states participated in the events. Dunn praised the hard work of each participant. He said the impact will go beyond an award.

“It's not about winning or losing,” Dunn said. “Winning's OK, but it's about building character.”

Posted: 6/25/04

Baptist Briefs

CBF marks 9/11 anniversary with missions projects. In memory of the victims of terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will sponsor a day of mission projects Sept. 11. The Fellowship's young leaders network will organize 11 projects in 11 states to commemorate the date of the attacks. Each mission project will focus on peacemaking or rebuilding communities and relationships. For information about the Texas project, contact Rachel Sciretti in Waco at (254) 772-2910 or sciretti@hot.rr.com.

Louisiana Baptist leaders announce retirement. Dean Doster, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, and Lynn Clayton, editor of the Baptist Message, have announced their plans to retire. The announcements follow the recent resignation of Rory Lee, president of Louisiana College, who took a position as executive director of the Mississippi Baptist Children's Village. Doster will retire Jan. 31, 2005, and Clayton plans to retire at the end of 2005 after having served more than 27 years as editor of the Baptist state newspaper.

Seminary president falls at SBC. Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., was hospitalized June 15 after falling through an opening in the stage at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Akin was on stage for a presentation with other seminary presidents when he fell, according to Southeastern spokesman Jerry Higgins. Robert Stewart, the seminary's physician, examined Akin in a first aid room shortly after the accident. Stewart said Akin appeared to have suffered soft tissue damage to his left side and below his ribcage. Akin was later taken to a hospital, where X-rays showed no broken bones. He was released later the same day after other tests showed no damage to his spleen.

Draper points to SBC challenges. LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention has seen many accomplishments recently, but it serves a denomination that faces serious challenges, LifeWay President Jimmy Draper told the Southern Baptist Convention. "One is the decrease in baptisms for the fourth consecutive year," he said. "It reflects a denomination that has lost its focus." Draper's second concern dealt with demographics. "There is a lack of denominational involvement and loyalty among young ministers. We haven't shown them the relevancy of being Southern Baptist."

Texans named to SBC committee. Randy White from First Baptist Church of Katy and Wayne Lee from First Baptist Church of Euless are among the 70 Southern Baptists from 35 state Baptist conventions who have been selected by the SBC Committee on Committees to serve on the SBC Committee on Nominations. First Baptist in Katy is dually aligned with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. First Baptist in Euless is uniquely aligned with the SBTC. Lee was named chairman of the committee, which will nominate people to serve on SBC boards, commissions and committees. The committee will present its report to the 2005 SBC annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

Voter registration rig ready to roll. The iVoteValues.com mobile voter registration rig made its debut on the exhibit floor during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis. The 77-foot semi-trailer is decorated in red, white and blue and packed with multi-media resources designed to teach citizens the importance considering biblical values as they vote. The rig previously carried equipment and merchandise for the Charlie Daniels Band. The truck's owners, Sid and Jill Yochim, left the music business soon after they became Christians in 1989. The truck subsequently sat dormant for several years.

Posted: 6/25/04

Child development center
changes lives one family at a time

By Russ Dilday

Buckner News Service

Child development centers can change not only the lives of youngsters enrolled in them, but also the lives of parents–and sometimes even a community, says Michelle Dickeson, director of the Buckner Child Development Center at Ryan's Crossing in Marshall.

The center, which opened in December, already has enrolled more than 50 children, Dickeson said.

Many of the families live in Ryan's Crossing, a gated community made up of what Dickeson described as “quality townhomes for everyone from professionals to low-income working families.”

The center is licensed to care for up to 136 children.

The center represents a new opportunity for families from Buckner Children and Family Services of Northeast Texas, said Administrator Greg Eubanks. It serves children from birth to 12 years old from the community and is licensed to care for up to 136 children.

“Ryan's Crossing is a new direction for us, but one we were more than willing to take,” said Eubanks. “The potential to better serve our neighbors by providing care for their children and services to them through the (center) already has proved itself.”

Dickeson said the story of how the child development center came under Buckner operation is a credit to the Buckner reputation in Northeast Texas.

“To meet tax credit requirements, the owner group of Ryan's Crossing needed to provide a facility of this type. They came to Buckner Children and Family Services and asked us to take it and run it in a Buckner fashion.”

The “Buckner fashion,” she said, is the 125-year tradition of providing exceptional quality care for children.

“We have a long history of caring for children, and we are able to provide our families with Buckner counseling services, referral services, adoption services and the collaborations we've established with our parent-education program.”

In return, the Ryan's Crossing partnership provided “an excellent facility. When the staff came into the facility for the first time, they were amazed with what we've been provided. Those of us who have worked in child care said, 'This is what we've always hoped for.' It's a tremendous support,” Dickeson said.

The partnership between the Ryan's Crossing owner group and Buckner also has spawned possible future collaboration between the two, said Eubanks, who noted other Buckner-managed child development centers might be formed soon in the area.

The partnership already has changed the lives of participating families. When Jackie Robinson enrolled her son, she shared with Dickeson that she was working for minimum wage at what she called “a dead-end job. … I was at rock-bottom. I didn't know how I was going to make it. I used to cry all the time.”

“She told me about her job and what she wanted for her son,” Dickeson recalled.

Now she works at the center and plans to start college in the fall. The result has been life-changing, Robinson reflected. “I have a job I love doing, and I'm going to go to school. My attitude has changed.”

Posted: 6/25/04

Buckner offers haven of hope at housing complex

By Felicia Fuller

Buckner News Service

DALLAS–Like refugees from private wars, one by one they file in, their faces bearing silent witness to atrocities–hollow eyes, missing teeth and conspicuously concealed bruises. For Shirley Harrell, 40, the wounds hide in places only Christ can see.

“I'd been searching to fill an empty space in my heart,” she says wistfully. “Later, I found the void was love for myself and the Lord. Now I don't need anyone else to validate me.”

On this day at The Parks at Wynnewood housing complex, Harrell joins eight other women seeking restoration and recovery from domestic violence.

Many are estranged from their abusers, but a few still struggle to break free. All gather for a weekly roundtable to vent their frustrations and craft strategies for personal empowerment. Harrell, by far the most outspoken in the group, has become a matriarch of sorts to the younger women.

Such status has come at a high price. Harrell began selling and using drugs at 13. She dropped out of high school, and by age 18, she was roaming the red-light district in Dallas and exchanging sexual favors for money to support her drug habit.

After a series of incarcerations on drug and forgery charges, she finally achieved sobriety, earned a GED, took college courses and married a longtime companion.

But the security she'd coveted since childhood was short-lived. It wasn't long before her husband was belittling her and cursing her in front of her sons: Dameon, Dominick and Jermale.

“He threatened to throw me through a window,” she recalls. “I sent him to jail … tried to put him out. He set fires in front of my door.”

The nadir of her nightmare came Jan. 12, 2000, three days after the couple's first anniversary. In a haze of cocaine and alcohol, Harrell's husband struck her in the back of the head with a golf club. As she lay motionless on the floor, blood pooling around her body, he rummaged through her belongings, grabbed a VCR and fled the scene.

“I knew after the golf club incident that I had to build a better life for my sons,” she says. “I knew my boys needed to talk to a man, a strong man, someone who could give them direction.”

Enter Johnny Flowers, satellite site coordinator for Buckner Children and Family Services of North Texas, a ministry affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

On any given day, Flowers can be found policing the grounds at The Parks until well past dark–offering advice, praying for the sick and diffusing tensions.

His career with Buckner began at The Parks in 1998, when he was appointed to direct the after-school program at what was then a fledgling extension office. Known as Mr. Johnny to the 195 women and children he serves, this former U.S. Army Ranger serves as a model of manhood in a community where fathers are sadly lacking.

“Johnny is a light. I could feel his spirit from the moment we met,” Harrell recalls.

Harrell credits Flowers for saving her sons Dominick, 19, and Jermale, 18, from “a fate worse than death.” Although they already had arrests for drug possession, Harrell says, they were upping the ante–plotting the revenge-killing of her abusive husband.

“When I got into the program, the one thing I prayed about is for God to take away my shame and embarrassment so I could get help,” she says. “Johnny talked to my boys, and, to this day, they respect him to the utmost.”

Childcare is one of the services made possible at The Parks by a partnership between Buckner and local churches and ministries.

Under the mentorship of Flowers and other Buckner staff, the boys began to turn a corner, becoming active in the Young Men's Mentorship Group and participating in Bible study. Today, Dominick, who struggled for years with undiagnosed dyslexia, is working toward a GED. And Jermale is holding his own as a high school senior. At 24, Dameon is preparing to graduate from Texas A&M University­Commerce this summer with a master's degree.

The Harrell family represents many Parks residents who've achieved their own brand of success through Buckner programs.

“We speak life because we know that what you believe, you become,” says Theresa Heiskell, a clinical coordinator for The Family Place crisis center, which offers counseling sessions at The Parks through a partnership with Buckner.

Resources available to parti-cipants in the domestic violence program include temporary housing, childcare, job skills training, a food pantry and a fund for emergency crisis assistance.

“This is not a cookie-cutter program,” says Flowers. “It's a one-stop-shop, total social services network made possible through strategic partnerships.”

Among those partners is Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas, whose officials entered an agreement with Buckner in 2001 to provide expanded social services to the community in a Christian context.

The church regularly commits volunteers and resources, and its members host a summer Bible camp for children 7 to 12 years old.

Its missionary extension, Wynnewood Church, is housed on the property and serves as a refuge for residents needing spiritual intervention. Church services are held on site Sunday mornings.

“For us to address the needs of the people, we must work together as a team,” says Renwick Reid, pastor of Wynnewood Church. As a licensed substance abuse counselor, Reid also assists residents battling addiction.

From the unborn to the elderly, Buckner programs are improving quality of life for residents of this largely African-American community, where the median age is 30 and incomes average $18,000 annually. The heads of household mainly are single women with little more than a 10th grade education. Most receive government assistance.

Flowers also notes a steady rise in the number of single seniors raising their grandchildren.

“Besides providing a social outlet, we try to bring in speakers and resources that educate them on their rights,” says Flowers. “Perhaps more importantly, we provide a venue for them to talk about their daily stressors.”

Sessions open with prayer, food and fellowship and are followed by group discussions. Topics run the gamut, from overcoming feelings of isolation to finding affordable healthcare.

Participants cite a litany of reasons their children cannot or will not parent–child abuse and neglect, divorce, incarceration and illness, to name a few. By far the most common reasons are alcoholism and substance abuse.

“I remember the days before Buckner, when nothing was here and kids were just wandering aimlessly,” one participant recalls. “Now they're learning social graces, improving their grades and growing spiritually. The after-school program, especially, has been a godsend.”

Established in 1998, the after-school program has been refined over the years to offer more targeted services. The curriculum comprises homework assistance, spiritual enrichment and therapeutic recreation.

“I'm learning how to be a young lady and how to respect myself and others,” says 11-year-old Katrina Lyons, a sixth-grade honor student at Academy of Dallas. Katrina is a member of Young Successors, a new component of the after-school program that targets girls 9 to 12 years old.

“Thank God for Buckner because it's not just a job; it's a ministry,” says Flowers. “I don't just think of them as clients. I think of them as God's children in need. We don't criticize or judge because, by the time they come to us, they're already at their lowest point.

“We just try to lift them up.”

Posted: 6/25/04

San Antonio church sets sights on
leading 1,000 people to Christ a year

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–Leaders of Buena Voluntad Baptist Church are calling members to put forth a small effort to make a big impact for the kingdom of God.

Leadership set a goal for the 250-member church of reaching 1,000 people for Christ each year from 2000 through 2005. That may seem to be a lot to ask, but when broken down, the goal is and has been attainable, said Pastor Victor Lopez.

To reach the target, each family needs to win a person a month to Christ, Lopez noted.

That can happen easily if they are living faithfully and sharing their beliefs in their daily lives–at work, the mall or the grocery store, he added.

"Once we saw the possibilities, we saw it really wasn't that much," Lopez said.

And the congregation has responded to the challenge. Since 2000, members have seen 800 to 1,000 people become Christians each year.

The converts are coming through all the ministries of the church–youth work, Sunday school, Woman's Missionary Union, Mexico missions and aid to the homeless–and through members sharing their faith regularly.

The primary source of people coming into the faith has been the congregation's efforts in the city jail, located within walking distance of the church facility. In the first part of this year, members have baptized 372 people in the jail.

Lopez leads four chapel services a week at the jail–two in Spanish, two in English. Up to 120 people attend those services. He and a deacon also visit a half-dozen to 10 prisoners a week, giving them Christian literature and Bibles. They discuss spiritual matters.

When individuals are released from jail, church members write them letters and place follow-up phone calls that encourage the former inmates to get involved in a church. And many plug into a congregation, Lopez said, citing some of the letters he has received.

"That makes me very happy," he said. "They tell me they are going back, following Jesus."

The pastor understands most people whom church members lead to faith in Christ will not attend Buena Voluntad. Some cannot because they are incarcerated. Others will choose to go to another congregation.

But Christians are commanded to share their faith, baptizing and making disciples as they go, Lopez insists.

Leaders continuously keep that notion in front of the congregation. A chart is posted on one of the walls of the sanctuary that declares the number of souls saved that year.

Former inmates who came to know Christ through the church's ministry testify during services. During a recent service, a young man excitedly declared the pastor's continuous work led him to Christ and out of a life of crime, drugs and alcohol.

God is changing lives as his people are faithful to His command to share the gospel, Lopez said.

He looks forward to how God moves during the final 18 months of the drive to reach 1,000 people a year for Christ.

"The people are motivated," he said. "The bottom line is we want them to be soul winners–wherever they are."

Posted: 6/25/04

Posted: 6/25/04

Posted: 6/25/04

Digital evangelism project links churches
to missionaries in sharing gospel through DVDs

By Janelle Bagci

Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO–A San Antonio evangelist links churches with missionaries to distribute DVDs with evangelistic messages to tribal communities in 25 countries.

Digital evangelism enables missionaries to bring a clear and concise message to smaller villages or closed countries where the gospel never has been preached.

The ministry supplies missionaries with a DVD player, sound system, projector and DVDs.

Digital evangelism allows the messages evangelist Sammy Tippit preaches in different countries to be recorded, mass-produced and distributed to missionaries.

The messages then are dubbed into 100 languages. On the DVD, tribes are able to see their own people responding to a message in their own language.

Tippit launched digital evangelism as a part of his ministry three years ago.

By partnering with missionaries and churches located in the community the ministry is trying to reach, his ministry has shared the gospel in Africa, South America, India, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine.

“One guy who went to a town in Kenya rented a stadium and showed the video, and hundreds came to Christ,” Tippit said.

Tippit also has worked with the Nigerian Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist International Mission Board not only to communicate the gospel, but also to establish leadership for church plants.

“The Lord is using it as a church-building tool throughout the world,” Project Manager Chris Dillashaw said.

Missionary Joseph Karasanyi reported three churches were founded as a result of the digital evangelism concept.

“When we first began showing the evangelistic meetings, we were having many people come to Christ. Then I realized that we must train pastors to begin churches in these places,” Karasanyi said.

“So, we went to three villages where there was a need for a church. We showed the videos of Sammy Tippit preaching. People really responded to the messages, and we were able to start churches in those villages.”

Within the past few months, Tippit's messages have been broadcast weekly on TV in Iran, Pakistan and India.

Through broadcasts originating in Pakistan, the gospel has been heard throughout the Middle East.

Sammy Tippit Ministries would like to equip short-term missionaries with digital equipment to help them preach the gospel. Missionaries would take the equipment with them and return it after their trip.

Launching digital evangelism “has made our ministry explode, and we would just ask for the people to pray for us,” Tippit said.

Posted: 6/25/04

Committee nixes provision
allowing churches to endorse candidates

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)–A House committee has scuttled a provision in a trade bill that would have allowed churches to engage in partisan politics.

The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously removed an addendum to the “American Jobs Creation Act of 2004” that would have allowed churches and other houses of worship to endorse a political party or candidate up to three times without losing their tax-exempt status.

Currently, churches and other tax-exempt groups organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code are not allowed to engage in partisan politics. However, churches and ministers are allowed to speak for and against legislation and public policy and engage in advocacy and lobbying activities, as long as such activities don't comprise a substantial part of their activity.

Religious Right groups have pushed a proposal by conservative Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) that would have allowed houses of worship and religious charities–but not other 501(c)(3) organizations–to engage in partisan politics while maintaining their tax exemption.

The provision in the jobs bill would not have gone as far as Jones' legislation. It would have levied fines against churches after the second and third violations of the ban on partisan politicking.

The provision was recently slipped into the bill–which deals largely with international trade issues and corporate tax cuts–at the request of the House's Republican leadership.

It was included the same week President Bush's re-election campaign came under fire from church-state separationist groups for a campaign e-mail that was made public.

The e-mail sought to identify volunteers for the campaign from 1,600 “friendly congregations” in Pennsylvania, widely considered an important swing state in the upcoming presidential election.

However, even many religious leaders that support Jones' legislation opposed the addition to the trade bill. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission criticized the “three-strike” provision as well as other aspects of the amendment as inviting excessive government monitoring and regulation of religious groups.

In a letter Land sent to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) opposing the provision, Land said it would enable “an unacceptable intrusion of the IRS into the business of a church.”

Meanwhile, supporters of strict church-state separation criticized the stricken provision as blurring the line between church and state.

“You've taken Jesus out of the pulpit and put him in the polling places,” Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), the committee's ranking Democratic member, said to chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) in his opening remarks before the committee “mark-up” of the legislation.

However, it was a Republican–Rep. Nancy Johnson of Connecticut–who ultimately made the motion to strike the church-politicking provision. It passed without any dissent. H.R. 4520 will now move to the House floor without the church provision.

However, the most recent version of Jones' bill–H.R. 235, the “Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act”–remains before the committee for future consideration and currently has 165 co-sponsors.