Baptist Press Stories for Jan. 30 2013 --------------------------------------- Christian history 'made easy': seeing 'what draws us together' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39609 In Jerusalem, the Temple that Jesus visited http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39610 Chaplains rescue jumpers from suicide http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39611 Prison inmates learn from writing coaches http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39612 Stanford opens 'religious liberty clinic' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39613 CALL TO PRAYER: Boy Scouts & Scouting Sunday http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39608 --------------------------------------- Christian history 'made easy': seeing 'what draws us together' By Michael Foust Jan. 30 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39609 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Professor Timothy Paul Jones acknowledges that plenty of people view the study of history as boring -- full of drab facts and dates they'd rather forget. But Jones says it shouldn't be that way, and he's written a book about Christian history -- now in the form of a small-group DVD curriculum -- that recounts 2,000 years of Christian faith with fascinating stories he believes are as entertaining as a good fiction book. Sure, the facts and dates are there, but they're not the focus.
Jones' goal is to help Christians understand and appreciate their faith more by filling in that huge two millennia gap between the apostles and, say, Billy Graham. The book and curriculum are titled, perhaps appropriately, "Christian History Made Easy" (Rose Publishing). It's a 12-week session that has been used by churches, homeschoolers and Christians schools. The curriculum intersperses a Jones lecture with animation, intended to make it more entertaining. Christians, Jones says, need to know more about the history of their faith. "What draws us together as believers is not only a shared Spirit and a common faith but also the shared story of how God has worked through past believers," said Jones, professor of leadership and church ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. "If we aren't aware how God worked in their lives, we are less likely to recognize the rhythms of God's work in our lives; we are unable to distinguish which truths are vital to the faith; and, we are less able to articulate why we believe what we believe.
"The challenges that Christians face today are not that different from ones that Christians have faced before. Even if previous generations of Christians failed to face these challenges well, understanding how and why they responded as they did can help us to consider the challenges of our own generation with deeper humility and wisdom." Baptist Press talked to Jones about the importance of learning Christian history and his philosophy of teaching it. Following is a transcript: BAPTIST PRESS: Why should the average Christian care about church history, particularly those Christians who believe the Bible is sufficient and church history has no authority? TIMOTHY PAUL JONES: It's true that Christian history itself has no authority, but what we see in church history is how the Bible has been used in the life of the church, and by looking at how the Scriptures have been used in the life of the church and how the Spirit has worked through the Scriptures, that helps us to be wiser in how we respond today to issues that we face. Even as we recognize Scripture is our sole authority, church history is still really important because of the way we can see, in church history, how the Spirit has worked through the Scriptures, among our brothers and sisters who came before us. We learn how they used it wisely and how they used it poorly. Both of those can help us to make wiser choices in how we use the Scriptures, how we proclaim the Scriptures today. BP: Do you think learning church history can impact our faith? JONES: It helps us distinguish what is essential, what is non-essential, what matters. For example, in the Great Awakening, I think it would help us to recognize at this juncture in Baptist history how John Wesley, an Arminian, and George Whitefield, a Calvinist, worked together and were able to work in partnership with one another. That's helpful and instructive for us today. BP: Why is the average person in the pew largely uninformed about church history? JONES: I think there are at least a couple of reasons: 1) Particularly among American evangelicals, there has long been a tendency to seek and to value whatever is newest and trendiest, and to separate ourselves from the wisdom of the past. If there's any reference to church history at all, it typically takes the form of decontextualized illustrations and quotations from those in the past. 2) In school, most church members have experienced history poorly taught -- history that centers on isolated facts instead of focusing first on the stories that link us with people long-past. The result of poorly taught history is that people perceive history -- all history, even church history -- as boring, dry, irrelevant. History isn't boring, of course, but it's difficult to change people's minds when they've experienced years of boring history in school. BP: So you probably believe history is as exciting as a popular fiction book. JONES: I think it should be, but if often isn't presented that way. BP: There are a lot of people who will say, "I had a history class back in high school, and it wasn't as exciting as a fiction book." JONES: I think the reason that church history is not as exciting for many people as a good fiction book is because we don't tell it the right way. We don't tell it as a story; we tell it as isolated facts. And I think one of the things that we can do in teaching and telling church history is to tell the stories first and make the stories primary. Because that is where we are able to connect with earlier believers in our common humanness, in our common experiences as believers in Jesus Christ -- the stories of how God works through them. And I think if we tell the stories first, we help people connect the stories to the names, the dates, the facts. BP: How did the way you view history and how you want it taught affect how you wrote the book Christian History Made Easy? JONES: It completely shaped it, because when I wrote the book, the way I structured it was I laid out the framework of all the names, dates, facts that had to be mentioned. I made that the skeleton, and then I thought, "What stories do I fit in to all of this?" So I could lead into the stories, so that the stories were primary in it. BP: Why did you write the book, and how did you get interested in church history? JONES: I thought church history was boring all the way until I was in my master's degree, and I took some church history courses and I realized, "This really matters." This was in the mid-1990s, and I was a pastor, and I wanted my people in the church to understand some of these really important things. I started looking for a church history textbook to use in a study, and I couldn't find one that covered church history that wasn't boring. And so I started writing it myself. I wrote it for my people at Green Ridge Baptist Church in Green Ridge, Mo. It started off as a course at this rural church in central Missouri. Rose Publishing, in 1999, published it as a black and white book. And even then, I envisioned a full-color version of this book, but Rose Publishing, budget-wise, couldn't do it. And so finally, in 2009, they were able to go back to the drawing board of the book, and I was able to re-write significant portions of it and bring it up to date as a full-color book. BP: How did it get into a DVD curriculum? JONES: Rose Publishing has begun doing DVD curriculum, and I had always wanted to be able to teach this in a much broader format -- in essence, do what I did back in that little church in the 1990s and do make it available to a broader audience. BP: What's the audience for the curriculum? JONES: I and two Ph.D. students wrote the curriculum. We really wrote it with laypeople in mind, and we really tried to aim at an eighth-grade reading level. I want it to be used by high schoolers and adults, and laypeople with no theological education. Everything was written with a strong focus on: How can we make it interesting, enjoyable, spiritually deepening for people? BP: Rose Publishing took great strides in making the curriculum more than just a lecture. They incorporated animation. It's not just you standing at a podium talking for 30 minutes. JONES: One of the things I wanted was animation. They did a great job. They went all out and did everything I wanted. The animations tell different episodes of church history in about three minutes in a really funny and fun way. Interspersed throughout the lectures are complicated subjects reduced in a fun animation that has a good sense of humor but is always historically accurate. --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- In Jerusalem, the Temple that Jesus visited By Stephen Douglas Wilson Jan. 30 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39610 MAYFIELD, Ky. (BP) -- Viewing the remains of the Jewish Temple complex that Jesus visited on many occasions remains the favorite aspect of both trips I've made to Israel. After nearly 2,000 years, the Temple still inspires the many Jewish and Christian visitors to the old city of Jerusalem. In the New Testament, the term "Temple" is used for both the sanctuary/shrine as well as for the whole Temple complex site that includes its many courts and retaining walls. The Temple that Jesus visited was started by King Herod beginning around 20-19 B.C. Under Herod, the sanctuary itself was completed in a year and a half, but construction on the various courts, gates and retaining walls continued on and off until just a few years before the Jewish revolt in A.D. 66. In the early ministry of Jesus, the most recent terminus of construction to that point had occurred 46 years after Herod began the project, according to the biblical record in John 2:20. It was the third Jewish Temple built on the site. Solomon and Zerubbabel had earlier sponsored Temple complexes there, but the historian Josephus related that Herod even removed the foundation stones of the earlier Temples to construct his Temple (Antiquities of the Jews, 15,391; 15,421). Herod's Temple complex was impressive. Largely constructed of local white meleke limestone from the Jerusalem area with a veneer of marble and gold on the shrine itself, the huge ashlars (finely cut and dressed rectangular blocks designed to fit together without mortar) were polished to reflect the sunlight. Josephus tells us that visitors seeing the Temple from a distance may have thought it a snow-covered mountain (Jewish War, 5,223). Even a disciple of Jesus marveled at the beautiful and massive stone work of the Temple (Mark 13:1). Nevertheless, the Lord knew that Herod's great Temple would be destroyed -- particularly the buildings and shrine at the site. Jesus replied to His disciple: "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down" (Mark 13:2 HCSB). His prediction came true in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed all the buildings on the Temple Mount, including the magnificent sanctuary. So, what remains of the Temple that Jesus visited? Although the buildings on the Temple Mount were destroyed, one can still find a good deal of the Temple complex that Jesus, the disciples and the apostle Paul would have recognized. Specifically, the following features still can be viewed today: portions of the massive retaining walls, some special features and even some signage that once was posted in the Temple complex. The retaining walls Today we know that the lower courses of Herod's retaining walls are found on all four sides of the Temple Mount (or the "Haram al-Sharif" to Muslims who currently possess the Temple Mount platform). Most of the north side retaining wall is under the present ground level, but on three sides -- the west, south and east -- portions of the retaining wall exist above ground. We can identify the Herodian masonry because of the huge stone ashlars in the lower courses of the present old city wall around the Temple Mount. The upper portions, containing smaller stones from later centuries, were not present in New Testament times. One of more imposing parts of the Herodian retaining walls is at the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount (the "pinnacle of the Temple" -- the highest point of the Temple complex above the Kidron Valley). Here the Gospels record that Satan unsuccessfully tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:5; Luke 4:9). Below-ground portions of the "pinnacle" platform extend another 75 feet or so underneath the present ground level. Nevertheless, the most famous above-ground portion of the retaining wall is the Western Wall (the so-called "Wailing Wall"). Here 21st-century Jews pray at the most impressive surviving portion of the wall above ground. Like the stone courses of the "pinnacle" platform, many layers of the Western Wall continue underneath the present ground level. A tunnel adjacent to another portion of the Western Wall reveals the Herodian ashlars set on massive foundation stones. Special features Other aspects of the Temple that Herod built and Jesus visited still are extant today. These include some paving stones and floor tiles that match tiles found at Herodian palaces at Masada and other locales, a sundial for perhaps determining the time of day for prayers (Acts 3:1) and sacrifices, geometric and floral designs on the column capitals and facings of the stone work (no animal or human likenesses have been found among these) and, just outside the Temple complex on the south side, there are a number of Jewish "mikvot." A "mikveh" (singular) was a baptismal pool for Jews undergoing ceremonial cleansings. Many Jewish pilgrims to the Temple made use of these before ascending the steps into the Temple complex on the south side. In addition, some surviving architectural features can still be viewed today. Among these is Wilson's Arch on the Western Wall (named for the archeologist who rediscovered it). The arch once was part of a bridge over the Tyropoeon Valley (the misnamed "Valley of the Cheesemakers") into the Temple. A part of the arch is the original Herodian structure or a later rebuilt arch constructed with Herod's huge building blocks. Archeologists remain divided on the origin of the current structure. Not disputed are the nearby partial remains of Robinson's Arch (named for another archeologist) also on the Western Wall. Here pilgrims could enter the Temple from the valley below on a staircase supported by the arch. On the south side of the retaining wall for Herod's Temple are a number of interesting features. These include the stairs to the Double and Triple Gates. Both gates functioned as the entrance way for most Jews entering the Temple Complex in the New Testament era (Mishnah, Middoth, 1,3) but today, no one can enter the Temple Mount in the vicinity of these gates. Some of the stair steps have been reconstructed and restored while other original steps reveal their 2000 years of wear and tear. The lintel piece atop the walled-up Double Gate is partially visible today but the rest of it is covered by a Crusader era structure. The Triple Gate also is walled-up but contains some of the original stones at the bottom and below the ground level. It is not known if this was a "Triple Gate" in antiquity; the modern Avi-Yonah model of the Temple shows it as another Double Gate. Around and under the Temple Mount are a number of other surviving features. Highlights include some of the cisterns and water courses that served the Temple and the Fortress Antonia (some still carry water), storerooms and the massive Herodian structures misnamed as "Solomon's Stables." These huge pillars supported the massive works above ground near the south side. Some of these features have only recently been accessible to tourists by the opening of tunnels under and adjacent to the Temple Mount. Signage Like most public structures in the 21st century, the Temple that Jesus visited possessed signage. Only a few years ago, archeologists recovered a sign in Hebrew letters announcing "to the place of the trumpeting." At the original site somewhere atop the southwestern part of the Temple complex, Jewish priests blew the shofar to announce the beginning of the Sabbath and other special days. The sign either was a deliberate permanent sign to designate where the priests would trumpet or a temporary sign that remained to point construction teams to the site of the "place of the trumpeting." Josephus acknowledged that special signs in both Greek and Latin warned Gentiles not to go beyond the Court of the Gentiles into those courts reserved for Jews (Jewish War, 5,194). Although no Latin signs have been recovered, today we possess two stone signs in Greek that caution Gentiles not to go any further into the Temple Complex. The signs warn: "No foreigner [Gentile] is to enter within the forecourt and balustrade around the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his subsequent death" (ABD 2.963). That the Jews of this period took the warning seriously can be gleaned from Acts 21:27-33. Conclusion Aspects of the first-century Temple fascinate both Jews and Christians. One can still view some of the sights that Jesus saw when He ministered at the Temple. Archeologists continue to uncover both artifacts and even structures (largely underground today) connected to the Temple of this era. Although Christians are not commanded in the New Testament to make pilgrimages, Southern Baptists can learn much about their faith by touring Israel and Palestine and visiting places like the Temple Mount. Having returned from my second trip shortly after the tensions with Gaza last fall, I found the experience inspirational, safe and problem-free. My two visits to the Holy Land have positively impacted my faith. --30-- Stephen Douglas Wilson is dean emeritus and chair of the history department of Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Ky., and a member of the SBC Executive Committee. -- End of story -- Chaplains rescue jumpers from suicide By Ava Thomas Jan. 30 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39611 BEACHY HEAD, England (BP) -- For eight years, Ross Hardy has walked the white chalk cliffs of Beachy Head, England, among the thousands who travel there from around the world. Many come to take pictures. Some come to die. And by God's grace and a keen eye, Hardy usually can tell the difference. "We are trained in certain signs, to infer things from people's behavior," Hardy said. "But many times it is nothing but God's prompting that makes us know who to go talk to in a crowd of people standing near the edge." The "us" is the Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team, a ministry begun by Hardy, a former Baptist pastor. The ministry now encompasses 14 trained chaplains who patrol the cliffs and are on call 24/7 for people in need of help. It's not easy work, Hardy said. He's seen people jump, and he has a fear of heights. He and other chaplains sometimes have to dangle over the edge with a harness. They sit still for hours in the freezing wind and rain to talk to someone. And they all face constant emotional exhaustion. But Hardy said the team keeps going for two reasons -- a vision from God and dismal numbers. Beachy Head, on the southeast coast of England, consistently ranks in the top four on many lists of the world's most frequented suicide destinations, along with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco; Aokigahara forest at the base of Mount Fuji, Japan; and Niagara Falls in New York. Hardy isn't too excited about that. But there are other numbers he's happier about -- after face-to-face contact and communication with a chaplain, 99 percent of the suicidal people they meet choose to come away from the edge. Since 2004, the team has rescued about 1,750 people. "It's very rewarding, invigorating work. We may talk to between two and 14 people in a week," Hardy said. The chaplains aren't all ministers -- they're just followers of Christ who responded to the need to help others, Hardy said. They're dance teachers, firefighters, builders, doctors and journalists. They're Baptist, Church of England and several other Christian denominations. "God has placed us here to rescue people's lives. It's terribly sad to see so many broken lives, but we get the opportunity to speak with them and let them talk, and we listen without judging," he said. "Their situations don't stop us from loving them." As the recession drags on, the level of crisis deepens for people, he said. Some come because they've lost a job, committed a crime, had a breakup or simply aren't happy. "Some have planned it for months. We talked with one man who had flown all the way here from Switzerland," Hardy said. "Others have only been thinking of suicide for a few hours and something just caused them to break and make a quick decision to end their life." That was the way it was for the first man Hardy encountered in 2004, only 40 minutes into his very first shift. The man was walking up the side path toward the cliff, and something about him caught the attention of Hardy and another chaplain. "We couldn't get him out of our heads, so we went back and found him sitting on the edge in a spot hidden from view," Hardy said. "He wasn't particularly impressed that we'd shown up, which is what often happens at first. Most think it's their choice and don't want us to interfere." But as Hardy talked with the man and helped him explore his doubts, he agreed to come back to the chaplaincy hut, have a cup of tea and talk about it more. "We saw his hopelessness. He had a lot of gambling debt and didn't know how to move on." Hardy shared the Gospel with him and he professed faith in Christ that night. Six months later, he came back and asked if he could help with the ministry. "It's so amazing how, through the grace of God, we get to be one thing in a chain of events to see lives dramatically transformed," Hardy said. --30-- Ava Thomas is a writer/editor for the International Mission Board based in Europe. For more information about the Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team, visit bhct.org.uk. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Prison inmates learn from writing coaches By Samantha Adams/Baptist and Reflector Jan. 30 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39612 JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) -- Tears came to Carolyn Tomlin's eyes as she opened a Christmas card from 50 inmates at the DeSoto Correctional Institution in Florida. Each man had scrawled a message to Tomlin, using tiny print so everyone's note could fit on the card. Tomlin met the inmates when she and Denise George, cofounders of Boot Camp for Christian Writers, spent two days at the prison last fall teaching them about writing and publishing magazine articles and books. Tomlin was impressed at how appreciated and respected she felt among the inmates. She and George worked with a Prison Fellowship ministry that enables Christian inmates to take Bible classes, including Greek and Hebrew, in an 18-month program that leads to a certificate of completion. Many of the graduates subsequently become small-group Bible study leaders among their fellow inmates. Chuck Colson formed Prison Fellowship, the world's largest prison ministry, to serve prisoners and their families. Colson, who died in April 2012, developed the prison ministry and became an influential evangelical leader after serving seven months in prison in 1974 for his involvement in the Watergate scandal. By law, Florida prisoners may not profit from writing about their crimes, Tomlin said, but the prisoners at DeSoto have many other topics on which they can write. "When you're in prison, your body cannot escape, but no one can control your mind," Tomlin said. The prisoners may publish their writing in a newspaper within the prison and, for those without life sentences, use their writing skills after they are released, Tomlin said. "When a person has been in prison, it's very difficult to get a job sometimes because of their records," she said. "You can make a living out of writing if you work at it." Before Tomlin and George left, they gave each of the men in their writing seminars a copy of "Stories from the Manger: Dramatic Narratives on the Nativity," a book by Carolyn Tomlin's husband Matt. The book tells about the birth of Jesus from 13 perspectives, some drawn from people mentioned in the Gospels, others imagined. The men in DeSoto prison often take books and turn them into theatrical productions, Carolyn Tomlin said. The inmates performed what Tomlin called a "tremendous" play from a story in the Bible while she and George were visiting there. Tomlin said she and George hope to return to the prison again and, when they do, perhaps see a play of a story or two from her husband's book. Tomlin has taken the writing seminars around the world, most recently to Cuba. But the DeSoto Correctional Institution was the first time for Tomlin and George to work with convicted criminals. And it likely will not be the last. They would like to teach their seminars at women's prisons, as well, Tomlin said. Past Christians leaders have left legacies of writing in prison, Tomlin said, noting German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer's writings from a prison cell and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Prize-winning literature based on his time in a Soviet Union forced labor camp. "The apostle Paul -- look what he accomplished in prison," Tomlin said. The women started writing years before they began their Boot Camp for Christian Writers ministry in 2009. Tomlin, of Jackson, Tenn., has written more than 4,000 articles in magazines and newspapers. George, of Birmingham, Ala., has published 25 books and more than 1,500 articles. "So many people were talking to us about, 'How do you write? How do you publish?'" Tomlin said of the beginnings of their work as writing coaches. "We thought, you know, instead of just telling people here and there and everywhere, let's put a time together where we'll meet together -- about once every six weeks -- so we can bring people in and teach them." Tomlin and George host up to eight writing boot camps each year at Union University in Jackson and Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, two universities where they have close ties. Tomlin taught in Union's education department for many years; George teaches at Beeson and is married to the divinity school's founding dean, Timothy George. The seminars focus on such topics as networking, identifying audiences, finding publishers and using the latest technology. Participants are from a multitude of backgrounds and age groups, Tomlin said. "Our oldest participant I think was 87 years old," she said. "Christians from all denominations participate." Seminar attendees often keep in touch with Tomlin, George and each other, Tomlin said. "We have become a family, and families pray for each other," Tomlin said. "This is what makes ours different from any place [of which] I've ever heard. It certainly has expanded my life. As we try to help other people, we're the ones who have been blessed." --30-- Samantha Adams, a student at Union University, is a correspondent for the Baptist and Reflector (www.tnbaptist.org/BRNews.asp), newsjournal of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. To learn more about Boot Camp for Christian Writers and see what seminar attendees have published recently, visit christianwritersbootcamp.blogspot.com. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Stanford opens 'religious liberty clinic' By Emily Belz Jan. 30 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39613 STANFORD, Calif. (BP) -- As religious freedom litigation has ballooned in the United States, especially over the last year, Stanford Law School has opened the nation's first legal clinic devoted exclusively to religious freedom cases. "It's not needed because the United States is uniquely persecuting -- it's not," said former U.S. Circuit Judge Michael McConnell, a professor at Stanford Law who argues many religious liberty cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. "I believe we are the freest and most welcoming country in the world ... But we still need to fight and to think and to litigate and protect." The legal clinic opens at one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States. Stanford Law, ranked the second-best law school in the country by U.S. News & World Report, currently has 11 legal clinics, where students enroll full-time for 12 weeks. The students in each clinic handle actual cases, but do so under the supervision of a professor. The religious freedom clinic has four students working this quarter under the clinic's director, James Sonne, and six signed up for the next quarter. "It's like a small law firm," Sonne said. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty donated $1.6 million to get the religious freedom clinic off the ground. But Sonne said McConnell, who was on President George W. Bush's short list of possible Supreme Court nominees, was the driving force behind opening the clinic. McConnell explained why fighting real religious freedom cases would help students, and the public, understand the underlying right. "The stories of real human beings matter more than theory," he said. "When you learn about real people and what they value and what they undergo, that is the sort of thing that changes hearts much more than abstraction." The students will start by handling two religious land use cases, one for a mosque and one for a church. They'll also handle a case of a Jewish convert seeking a circumcision in prison, and a case of employment discrimination over Sabbath observance. Sonne hopes the clinic will lower the temperature on religious freedom disputes. "We're not going to avoid controversy but we need to be prudent in our case selection," Sonne said. "We are not a litigation group that has a particular goal in mind other than to train students." McConnell concurred: "Religious liberty needs to be articulated by people whose agenda is neither the left nor the right." The Becket Fund, which helped fund the clinic, is currently handling seven lawsuits just on religious liberty violations under the federal abortion/contraceptive mandate. The organization also handles a wide variety of other religious liberty cases in the United States and abroad. McConnell, in the unveiling of the clinic in mid-January at Stanford Law, said that he thinks there will be more and more litigation based off what he called "bureaucratic indifference," which he characterized as, "We can't take the trouble to deal with these pesky people who want to do odd things. ... It's easier to say 'one size fits all, the same rules for everyone.'" In the past, McConnell noted, many of the religious conflicts in the United States were between Catholics and Protestants. Now, he believes, the conflicts will arise mainly between those who are religiously committed and those who are not. "We are going to see clashes between those people who have deep commitments to a variety of religious traditions ... versus those who think it's premodern, it's superstitious, it's reactionary," he said. Sonne put it another way. "As our culture diversifies, people might look at religious liberty as a historical accident," he said. "And we're trying to show that's not the case. It's a natural human right that affects all of us." --30-- Emily Belz writes for World News Service, where this story first appeared. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- CALL TO PRAYER: Boy Scouts & Scouting Sunday By Frank S. Page Jan. 30 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39608 NASHVILLE (BP) -- Little did I know when I called on Southern Baptists to dedicate 2013 as a year of prayer for spiritual awakening that we would have so much to pray for so early into the New Year. When I received a call from the Boy Scouts two weeks ago asking for a face-to-face meeting, I somehow knew it would not be good. They wanted to let me know -- along with leaders of other conservative religious groups (Mormons and Catholics) -- of a probable change in their long-standing policy against allowing openly practicing homosexuals into positions of leadership in their national scouting organization. I was gravely distressed. But, what was even more distressing was to hear how far down the path toward change they had already traveled. After a time of prayer and consultation with several other leaders, including our SBC president Fred Luter, I sent a letter asking them to reconsider. On Monday (Jan. 28), I was on a conference call with three of their top leaders. What a distressing moment! I learned that their recommendation to the full board was already formalized before we were even informed a change was being considered. Is there a ray of light at the end of this tunnel? Is there a silver lining to this ominous cloud hanging over an organization I have lauded and loved? Yes, there is. First, there is worship. When Jesus heard the reports from the 70 following their missions trip (Luke 10), He reminded them that He had seen Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash. He then began to worship before the Father, saying, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to infants" (Luke 10:21). The same Lord who saw Satan cast out from heaven knows the eventual end of all who engage in sinful behavior. We must never forget that God is still on His throne! Second, there is providence. I find it very interesting that the Scouts themselves set the first Sunday in February (this weekend, Feb. 3) as Scout Sunday. This means that across our nation, thousands of churches will be focusing their attention on the Boy Scouts. I strongly urge every Southern Baptist member and congregation to direct our prayers toward the heavenly Father that the board members will reject this recommendation. Focused prayer on Sunday; board meeting on Monday. What a divine moment! Third, there is action. While we pray, let us act. I was told by the Scout leaders that they have received petitions asking them to reverse their long-standing, principled policy. I believe, had there been time, Southern Baptists and other Bible-believing Christians could have matched their petitions, not one for one, but 10 names for every name on their petitions, asking them to continue their principled stand on biblical morality. I join the leadership of the Association of Baptists for Scouting in their call to all Baptists involved in Scouting, whether through their church or in a non-church-based troop, to contact the Boy Scout leadership at [URL=http://www.scouting.org/ContactUs.aspx]http://www.scouting.org/ContactUs.aspx[/URL] to express your views and/or concerns with them. The Scouts need to hear from the grassroots Baptists who will be deeply impacted by this decision. Fourth, there is prayer. We should never confuse prayer as a substitute for human action. But, neither should we treat human action as if it were equal in effect to prayer. At the end of the day, the action steps we take can only do so much. Apart from the wooing influence of the Holy Spirit, the human heart remains stone cold to His purposes. Intercessory prayer is more than a quick rush of words in the midst of our busy schedules; it is a focused time of intense beseeching before the Father. Let us pray like never before! --30-- Frank S. Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. Initial articles about the Call to Prayer that Page has issued to Southern Baptists for 2013 can be read [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39336]here[/URL] and [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39334]here[/URL]. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax: 615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net