• Baylor chaplains honor volunteer for service_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Baylor chaplains honor volunteer for service

  By John Hall

  Texas Baptist Communications

  DALLAS–Baylor University Medical Center chaplains honored a volunteer for completing the Baptist General Convention of Texas Hands-On Ministry training classes with praise and a certificate.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• Education journal studies Baptist governance_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Education journal studies Baptist governance

  By John Pierce

  Baptists Today

  Tension that sometimes leads to separation between Baptist-related colleges and state Baptist conventions was the focus of a July 4 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The writer looked to Georgia and Missouri for the latest examples to support her notion that colleges and conventions are increasingly at odds over trustee control and academic freedom.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• House amendments called political grandstanding_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  House amendments called
  political grandstanding

  By Hannah Lodwick

  Associated Baptist Press

  WASHINGTON (ABP)–The U.S. House of Representatives has approved two amendments to a spending bill that are intended to protect the Ten Commandments and Pledge of Allegiance.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• Commission magazine remembered for influence_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Commission magazine remembered for influence

  By Craig Bird

  Associated Baptist Press

  RICHMOND, Va. (ABP)–The Commission no longer goes to the ends of the earth–at least not the printed Southern Baptist version. What that means for Southern Baptists' efforts to carry out the Great Commission remains to be seen.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• Astronomers pinpoint Crucifixion time_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Astronomers pinpoint Crucifixion time

  LONDON (RNS)–Two Romanian astronomers claim to have pinpointed the exact time and date of the Crucifixion of Jesus, the Internet news service Ananova has reported.

  According to Liviu Mircea and Tiberiu Oproiu of the Astronomic Observatory Institute in Cluj, Romania, Jesus died at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 33 A.D.

  According to their reading of the New Testament data, Jesus was crucified on the day after the first night with a full moon after the vernal equinox. If the Crucifixion took place some time between the years 26 and 35, this could mean either Friday, April 7, 30, or Friday, April 3, 33. But it was only in the latter year that records show a solar eclipse as having occurred in Jerusalem, matching what it recorded in Mark 15:33–“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Is ‘The Da Vinci Code’ as accurate as it claims?_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Is 'The Da Vinci Code' as accurate as it claims?

  By Nancy Haught

  Religion News Service

  WASHINGTON (RNS)–What's the secret to “The Da Vinci Code,” the novel by Dan Brown that's been smiling down from fiction best-seller lists since it debuted in April?

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Dead Sea Scroll exhibit coming to Dallas next month_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Dead Sea Scroll exhibit
  coming to Dallas next month

  By Samuel Smith

  Southwestern Seminary

  FORT WORTH (BP)–Place the solid black fragment of lamb's skin under an infrared light, and the words revealed in 2,200-year-old Hebrew script are astounding.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  DOWN HOME: To recycle or not, that’s a question_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  DOWN HOME:
  To recycle or not, that's a question

  Here's a question–straight from the home of teenagers–I've never seen Miss Manners tackle:

  Is it OK to “recycle” toilet paper thrown into the trees on your front lawn?

  This subject came up at our house recently, when some friends of Molly, our 16-year-old, TP'd our yard.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• Government and clergy promote drug education_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Government and clergy promote drug education

  WASHINGTON (RNS)–Bush administration officials and clergy from a variety of faiths have announced a new partnership to encourage houses of worship to be more involved in preventing substance abuse among youth.

  “The best thing in the world is to have more of them not start” using drugs, said John Walters, the White House drug czar. “This is a very important step because of the influence of faith in many young people's lives.”

  Walters' Office of National Drug Control Policy has produced several new resources, including a prevention guide for youth leaders in faith communities called “Pathways to Prevention: Guiding Youth to Wise Decisions,” and a smaller brochure offering suggestions for how faith leaders can prevent drug and alcohol abuse.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  Bluegrass colors a world of musical joy for Bowie family_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  Bluegrass colors a world
  of musical joy for Bowie family

  By Jo Gray

  Special to the Standard

  BOWIE–Bluegrass weaves a thread of love through the Duffin family of Bowie.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• EDITORIAL: Speak biblically, clearly, lovingly about homosexuality_81103

  Posted: 8/8/03

  EDITORIAL:
  Speak biblically, clearly, lovingly about homosexuality

  Homosexuality has leaped out of the closet and landed in America's living rooms.

  This summer, significant issues revolving around homosexuality have grabbed headlines in national media. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Texas' sodomy law unconstitutional, President Bush affirmed legal restriction against homosexual marriage and the Episcopal Church confirmed the election of its first openly gay bishop.

  Many Americans–especially traditional Christians–find discussion of homosexuality embarrassing. It's like when parents talk about sex and their children want to put their fingers in their ears and chant, “Too much information; too much information …” until somebody changes the subject. But nobody's going to change this subject; not this time. Homosexuality is a fact of life in America, whether it's the orientation of the newest Episcopal bishop, the subject of constitutional amendments or a theme of seemingly every-other TV program.

  The Bible speaks to behavior, not desire or even inclination. Homosexual behavior is prohibited. Even if we grant that homosexual orientation is inherited, we must acknowledge that acting on those impulses is sinful, according to God's word.

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge

• 

  CYBERCOLUMN: The Gospel According to Seabiscuit_younger_81103

  Posted 8/8/03
  

  CYBERCOLUMN:
  The Gospel According to Seabiscuit

  By Brett Younger

  The Gospel According to Seabiscuit is playing to enthusiastic crowds. Laura Hillenbrand’s bestseller, "Seabiscuit: An American Legend," has my parents’ seal of approval—a seldom-awarded honor for a book given to them by their son.

  The story features an unlikely cast of damaged and forgotten Depression-era castoffs. When he was born, Seabiscuit was described as a "runty little thing." The horse’s forelegs wouldn't straighten all the way. He spent two years floundering in the lowest ranks of horseracing. Seabiscuit lost 16 races in a row. The most respected trainer of the day beat Seabiscuit hard to cure him of "laziness." Dismissed as worthless, the horse was sold for a pittance.

  Brett Younger

  10/14/2003 - By John Rutledge