Baptist Press Stories for Mar. 15 2013 --------------------------------------- In Zimbabwe, relief gives HIV/AIDS patients 'lease on life' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39890 Ala. police chief apologizes for city's racist past http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39891 Portman 1st GOP senator to back gay marriage http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39899 On spring break, students clean up Sandy debris http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39895 'Nim's Island 2' launches TV family film venture http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39898 EC's Hammond resigns for full-time pastorate http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39892 Panel: Chinese regime still marked by brutality http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39889 CULTURE DIGEST: Chris Tomlin 'most prolific songwriter' in U.S. now, exec says http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39893 FIRST-PERSON: Extramarital sex has consequences far beyond 'the morning after' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39896 CALL TO PRAYER: Praying for the weather http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39894 EDITORIAL: El Amor Verdadero http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39897 --------------------------------------- In Zimbabwe, relief gives HIV/AIDS patients 'lease on life' By Mark Kelly Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39890 ZVAVAHERA, Zimbabwe (BP) -- Lives are being saved and families finding hope for the future in a Zimbabwe village, at a time when the country as a whole is battling one of the worst HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world. In a partnership project between Zimbabwean Baptists and the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund, not only have patients been gaining weight, but no deaths at all were reported in the village during the most recent phase of the effort, project director Aaron Mutingwende said. When the Baptist Union of Zimbabwe started a congregation in the Zvavahera area in 2010, they saw firsthand the stark poverty of the people and how families were being ravaged by AIDS. Mutingwende petitioned Baptist Global Response for assistance and, with resources provided by the World Hunger Fund, a six-month campaign was launched in January 2011. Of 229 patients registered at the Zvavahera clinic, 125 were identified as especially needing food support to make their HIV medications be more effective. Ten volunteers visited families to deliver food packets that included, among other things, dried meat and fish, rice, peanut butter, mealie meal and beans. "Once they saw the assistance and improved health of those being assisted, others were encouraged to come out in the open about their [HIV] status," Mutingwende said. Another 121 people registered for treatment at the clinic, and the next six-month campaign was expanded to feed 350 people, at a monthly cost of less than $30 per person. "The feeding program has become the talk of the area. It has also become a unifying factor in a land polarized by many problems," Mutingwende said. "Food is distributed by the church with a message of hope and salvation in a very non-partisan manner. Most beneficiaries are clearly showing signs of improved health and recording gains in their weight. "We can testify that the program has been changing lives. Hope is renewed and it is evident many people have been given a new lease on life," Mutingwende added. "Some people who were not expected to live this long have survived and even gained weight. Since the beginning of the fourth phase of the feeding program in May 2012, none of our beneficiaries have died." In six communities, totaling 1,500 residents, 660 people received health care and 70 were trained in agriculture, health care, community development and job skills. Of the 2,400 people who heard about God's love for them, 120 made decisions to follow Jesus. Realizing the need to move recipients toward self-sufficiency, Mutingwende and BGR area director Mark Hatfield developed a self-help strategy for participating families. "Our humanitarian projects always look for ways to help people move from dependency to self-support," Hatfield said. "For Zvavahera, we are in the process of designing projects in the areas of greenhouse vegetable gardening, goat rearing, and producing lotions, candles, and soaps. A local [organization], the Kunzwana Women's Cooperative, has been contracted by the Baptist Union of Zimbabwe to consult and assist in training in several of these areas. Church members set about molding the 27,000 mud bricks that would be needed for buildings that would house the projects." The food packs went a long way in averting hunger and providing much-needed nutrition to those who could not afford to buy it for themselves, Mutingwende added. "Given the drought in the province, the food packs continue to provide great relief to people who would otherwise starve," Mutingwende said. "Sadly we have lost some people whose conditions were critical, some of them young children, but the majority of those receiving this support greatly improved over the feeding project -- gaining weight and many feeling strong enough to return to school and work. "It is our strong conviction that establishing the self-help projects will help make the efforts and finances invested thus far have a lasting impact on the beneficiaries and the community," Mutingwende added. "The ultimate objective of the project is to show the community the love of Jesus Christ by ministering to their physical and spiritual needs and establishing the community in Christ." --30-- Mark Kelly writes for Baptist Global Response, which is located on the Internet at www.gobgr.org. Learn more about the World Hunger Fund at www.worldhungerfund.com. -- End of story -- Ala. police chief apologizes for city's racist past By Grace Thornton Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39891 MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BP) -- As Montgomery Police Chief Kevin Murphy unpinned his badge from his uniform, only he and the Lord knew what he was about to do. But both of them had known for a long time. "I had been thinking about it for a while. It had been on my mind and I had thought about it and prayed about it," Murphy said. He'd even had some sleepless nights. But he knew March 2 was "the right opportunity." He had been asked to speak at a ceremony at historic First Baptist Church on Ripley Street in Montgomery as part of the 13th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama. So he did. But his speech soon became an apology to U.S. Rep. John Lewis on behalf of the Montgomery police department, which stood down while Lewis and other Freedom Riders were beaten by a mob at the local Greyhound station May 20, 1961. Then, after apologizing, Murphy took off his badge and presented it to Lewis, moving the congressman to tears. "He [Lewis] was so gracious in his acceptance of it," Murphy said. "He is a man of great courage. He is my hero. The way he carries himself, he is an inspiration to me and to all of us here." Lewis said Murphy was the first chief he knows of in America to apologize, and it "means a great deal." Lewis, who was born in Troy, Ala., was beaten several times as he pursued civil rights. He was hit in the head with a wooden crate during the Montgomery skirmish, and Alabama State Troopers beat him on "Bloody Sunday" in Selma on March 7, 1965. He was arrested and jailed more than 40 times in America and four times in South Africa. But Lewis said his goal was always peace. While studying at American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, he began to study the life of Jesus and the nonviolent tactics of international leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi. "We all live in the same house. We must care for each other," Lewis told students and faculty at Judson College in Marion, Ala., on Feb. 21 when the college awarded him an honorary degree. "We're all children of the King," he said. "Never give up. Never become bitter. Keep your faith. Let the Spirit of God Almighty be your guide." Because of gestures like Murphy's, "the healing continues," Lewis said. "It moves us toward reconciliation, and that was what the movement was all about," he said. Jay Wolf, pastor of First Baptist Church on South Perry Street in Montgomery, said reconciliation has been a matter of collective prayer for black and white pastors for nearly 20 years. A regular gathering of pastors called John 17 finds its goal in Christ's prayer: "Father, I pray that they would be one so that the world may believe that you sent me." "Police Chief Murphy's apology provides another chapter in the long book of how God is bringing together the body of Christ to facilitate spiritual awakening," Wolf said. Montgomery is the "cradle of the Civil War and the civil rights movement" but also is filled with "dynamic Christ-followers," he said. "Montgomery was known for division but it is now known for reconciliation. "Chief Murphy's offering of a sincere apology for the injustices suffered by the Freedom Riders and giving John Lewis his badge provides another beautiful portrait of the reality of racial reconciliation," Wolf said. "I am confident that God wants to send a great revival in our day, but if the Lord's Church is divided by racial division, then the flow of His life-giving Spirit will be impeded." Murphy's actions "align with God's call to speak His truth and live His love," Wolf said. But Murphy is quick to say he's no hero. "It was a very easy decision to make, because it was the right thing to do," he said. "I really feel like God directed me ... I think that somebody who is wearing this uniform with this iconic patch that you see in the photographs of Martin Luther King [Jr.] and Rosa Parks, that that voice needs to be heard in a different light from what history has recorded in years past." It was a very personal decision, he said. "I didn't want any attention. I didn't even talk to my own wife about it." When Murphy got home from the ceremony, his wife Debbie asked him how it went, and he only told her it was "an outstanding and beautiful service." A few hours later, after she got a phone call, she sought him out on the other side of the house and asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?" In doing what he did, Murphy "pleased the King and built the Kingdom," Wolf said. --30-- Grace Thornton is assistant editor of The Alabama Baptist [URL=http://www.thealabamabaptist.org] (www.thealabamabaptist.org)[/URL], newsjournal of the Alabama Baptist Convention, where this story first appeared. -- End of story -- Portman 1st GOP senator to back gay marriage By Erin Roach Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39899 COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- Influential Sen. Rob Portman became the first sitting Republican U.S. senator to endorse same-sex marriage Friday (March 15), saying a development in his family led him to "wrestle" with his faith and decide that homosexuals should be allowed to marry. In an opinion piece in The Columbus Dispatch, the senator from Ohio said two years ago his son Will, who was a freshman at Yale University at the time, disclosed to his parents that he is gay. "He said he'd known for some time, and that his sexual orientation wasn't something he chose; it was simply a part of who he is," Portman wrote, adding that he and his wife Jane were proud of their son's honesty and courage. "At the time, my position on marriage for same-sex couples was rooted in my faith tradition that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman," Portman wrote. "Knowing that my son is gay prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective: that of a dad who wants all three of his kids to lead happy, meaningful lives with the people they love, a blessing Jane and I have shared for 26 years." The senator said he "wrestled with how to reconcile" his Christian faith with his desire for his son to have the same opportunities to pursue happiness and fulfillment as his two other children. "Ultimately, it came down to the Bible's overarching themes of love and compassion and my belief that we are all children of God," Portman wrote. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told Baptist Press Portman is wrong on his application of Scripture. Said Land, "The Bible does not condone a homosexual lifestyle, either in a committed relationship or in an uncommitted one." "The Christian faith, for over 2,000 years now, has said that the overarching theme of love and compassion tells homosexuals the truth, and that is that God does not condone or accept homosexual behavior. That is quite clear in the New Testament, as well as the Old," Land said. Portman served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before working for the George W. Bush administration as U.S. Trade Representative and later as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. He was elected to the Senate in 2010. He emphasized Friday in interviews about his change of heart on same-sex marriage that his political career has focused on economics, not social issues. Portman has, however, voted as a conservative on social issues, including supporting the Defense of Marriage Act. Portman was closely tied to Mitt Romney's campaign for president, helping with debate preparation and being strongly considered as a running mate. Land said he's glad Portman was not the vice presidential nominee. "I understand his reaction as a father and as a parent, but that's when you find out the difference between a preference and a conviction," Land said. "A chicken has a preference about breakfast. The pig has a conviction." If one of Land's children had told him they were gay, he said, "I would have made it clear to them that their mother and I disagree with their lifestyle preference and did not approve it, and the Bible doesn't approve it, but we would also make it clear that he's our son or our daughter, and we would continue to love them and pray for them, and they are welcome in our home -- but they would not be welcome to spend the night with their partner in our home." Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, commended Portman for his unconditional love for his son. "Regardless of a child's choices, the love of a parent can and should be a guiding beacon in the lives of their sons and daughters. Unconditional love, however, does not mean unconditional support in choices that are both harmful to them and society as a whole," Perkins said. In the public policy realm, unconditional love for children "should not override the historical and social science evidence which makes abundantly clear what is best for all children and for society -- being raised by a married mother and father," Perkins said. Portman, in his Columbus Dispatch column, said that with the overwhelming majority of young people supporting same-sex marriage, "in some respects the issue has become more generational than partisan." But Perkins noted that Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the youngest U.S. senators, "clearly articulated the need for natural marriage and the right of states to preserve it" during an address at the Conservative Political Action Conference March 14. "Just because I believe that states should have the right to define marriage in a traditional way does not make me a bigot," Rubio, of Florida, said. Portman told CNN he announced his new position now, even though he has known his son's status for two years, because he has recently become comfortable with his new belief and because the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in two cases related to gay marriage in about a week. In his column, Portman made clear that the Supreme Court should not make gay marriage legal nationwide in one fell swoop. "The process of citizens persuading fellow citizens is how consensus is built and enduring change is forged. That's why I believe change should come about through the democratic process in the states," Portman wrote. Judicial intervention from Washington, Portman said, would circumvent that process. "An expansive court ruling would run the risk of deepening divisions rather than resolving them." The Pew Research Center reported last fall that Democrats have become more supportive of same-sex marriage in the past decade, and support has risen recently among Independents. Most Republicans, though, continue to oppose same-sex marriage. Perkins agreed with Portman that the Supreme Court should allow the debate about marriage to continue. "As this debate goes on, we believe that most states will continue to conclude that marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife to be father and mother to any children their union produces," Perkins said. "Marriage is rooted in the reality that children need a mother and a father." --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. With reporting by Michael Foust, 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 -- On spring break, students clean up Sandy debris By Laura Sikes Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39895 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (BP) -- Staten Island resident Dominick Camerade was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. Five months after the storm ravaged the area, Camerade and others in the community continue repairing their lives. Camerade's home in New Dorp Beach and his small engine repair shop next door were severely damaged by flooding. After losing almost everything he had built over a lifetime, the recent retiree says his cries to God were answered when Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) collegiate volunteers helped him clean up his properties and spent time with him to lift his spirits. "These kids did more work in two days than I could have done in two months," Camerade said. "It's amazing that they would take their spring break to come and help us." Students from Resonate Church in Moscow, Idaho, and from Pullman, Wash., worked with Camerade for two days cleaning up and moving hundreds of damaged lawn mowers, weed eaters, snow plows and other small engines that flood waters ruined. Camerade hopes to sell the damaged machines as scrap metal. The group is one of seven student teams from states across the nation who are taking part in the SBC Collegiate Spring Break's recovery response to Staten Island this week. The project is being coordinated by the North American Mission Board. Resonate Church student Jessica McGettigan, who is 18 and on her first mission trip, said Camerade's attitude was encouraging to her and inspired the whole team. "He's lost so much but he kept his faith," she said. Bringing hope to residents who often feel forgotten after a disaster is what this team and other collegiate volunteers are doing through the middle of April. Students were working on mud-outs, mold remediation, tear-outs, clean-up and yard debris removal. They are also installing insulation and hanging sheetrock. Judy Cape, NAMB events/logistics specialist, said on March 13, 136 students, staff and local student volunteers were working. The students come from Washington, Idaho, Virginia, Kentucky, Texas and Ohio. "The students are willing to work and to do what needs to be done," Cape said of the students' whatever-it-takes attitude. Recovery jobs coordinator Marvin Corbin, a SBDR volunteer from Ocala, Fla., watched the students each day get up at 5:30 a.m. and work a hard, long day on sites, sometimes in the rain. "It restores your faith in the youth of today," he said. Texas A&M graduate student Joe Terrell, 22, who helped insulate a home, admitted it's hard work, but it's rewarding for him because he likes serving and seeing the progress made on a project. "You see a house gutted and walk out and can almost begin to see a home," he says. Eighteen-year-old Angeliccaa Williams came on her first mission trip with the BCM of University of the Cumberlands of Williamsbury, Ky. Williams said she felt led to serve and has seen things she's never experienced. Her team worked on a mud-out for three days in a home in Midland Beach. "The house was just floors, beams and a roof when we walked in. There was nothing inside," she said. The group met the homeowner, a mother with two teenaged daughters. Williams said it was emotionally hard for her. "The woman almost cried before we lifted a finger," Williams said. The appreciation from the community has been felt, said NAMB spring break project coordinator Bruce Poss. "They didn't know much about Southern Baptists, but now they do," Poss said. NAMB is planning a two-year presence for the area's recovery, Poss said. Kobie Jones, 21, with Central Baptist of College Station, Texas, said he wasn't expecting such positive feedback from homeowners. "They were so happy to see us and it makes all the work worth it." Kelsey Dickson, 21, also from Central Baptist, said although she had seen all the news coverage about the storm's destruction, it was the first time for her to see such loss. "To see all of their possessions in a pile makes me wonder how anyone, especially non-believers, can go through this and have any hope left," she said. "Our job as Christians is to build up others when they can't help themselves and to show the love of Christ. The act itself is to glorify God in the end." From its disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga., NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through a partnership between NAMB and the Southern Baptist Convention's 42 state conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs. SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Southern Baptists and others who want to donate to the disaster relief operations can contact their state conventions or contribute to NAMB's disaster relief fund via [URL=http://namb.net/disaster-relief-donations]namb.net/disaster-relief-donations[/URL]. Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for "Disaster Relief." --30-- Laura Sikes writes for the North American Mission Board. 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 -- 'Nim's Island 2' launches TV family film venture By Michael Foust Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39898 LOS ANGELES (BP) -- Seeking to fill what supporters are calling an "unmet need" for clean family entertainment, two media companies are joining two corporate giants to launch "Walden Family Theater" Friday night (March 15) with the premier of "Return to Nim's Island," followed with about 30 more films this year. The initiative is the result of a partnership between Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Walden Media and Hallmark Channel, where the family friendly films will be shown, all on Friday nights. "Return to Nim's Island" is a sequel to 2008's theatrical release "Nim's Island," which finished second on opening weekend and grossed $48 million at the box office. "Return" stars Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin. It airs at 8 Eastern. If the family movie night initiative sounds familiar, it is. Walmart and P&G sponsored a family movie night on various broadcast channels in 2010-11 with limited success, before halting the initiative.
The new venture, though, could have more potential for success. For starters, the movies will be on TV far more regularly -- essentially, most Friday nights, allowing families to form a habit of coming back each week. That is in contrast to the old initiative, which was criticized for being too sporadic with too few movies. Additionally, the host channel Hallmark has a history of showing family-friendly material, in contrast to the broadcast networks. "When you talk about bringing the dream team together of people who care about moms and care about families, with storytellers who have a proven track record of connecting with families, this is the dream team," Brian Wells, producer of Walden Family Theater, said of the partnership between the four companies. "... We're thrilled with this." Of the 30 movies this year, six will be premiers. The four companies, Wells said, all are "involved in selecting which titles are going to be part of this." "They're all involved in overseeing the development of the scripts and the casting -- everything along the way," he said. "I think that's what sets it apart." Walden has a history of releasing family-focused movies. Among its titles are the "Chronicles of Narnia" series, "Nim's Island," "Amazing Grace" and "Charlotte's Web." Francis X. ("Chip") Flaherty, Jr., executive vice-president of Walden Media, said the company receives positive feedback about its movies from parents when it conducts surveys. "They said they could go to the movies with their entire families," Flaherty said. "They went with their kids. They went with grandparents." Parents, he said, reported they had no "winced" moments where they had to deal with a subject they'd rather avoid. Plus, he said, parents told Walden the characters in the films were positive role models. Annie Howell, executive vice president for corporate communications and media relations at Crown Media Family Networks, which owns Hallmark, said Hallmark intentionally keeps its movies void of nudity, language and violence. "We're proud of that," Howell said. Hallmark, she said, always has an uptick in its ratings toward the end-of-year holiday season. "The viewer knows what to expect and we deliver on that," she said of the holiday season. "It's not just women who love Hallmark movies. Men love them and kids love them, and teenagers and young 20s. That's why we believe there is a place for this type of entertainment throughout the entire year." There is a market for family friendly films, Wells said. "We think there is this unmet need out there, that there needs to be more options on there, that television can come back to having this kind of unifying impact on a family," he said. "Everybody can sit down, and not only will mom and dad love the movie, but also kids of all ages will be engaged with it, as well." --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 -- EC's Hammond resigns for full-time pastorate By Staff Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39892 NASHVILLE (BP) -- W. Thomas Hammond Jr. has announced the resignation from his vice presidency with the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee to accept the full-time pastorate of First Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga. Hammond had worked since March 24, 2012, as vice president for convention advancement, and officially left the post March 15, 2013. "Most everyone knows that Thomas Hammond is one of my dearest friends in this world," SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page said. "Having faithfully served NAMB in their evangelism division for almost 15 years, Thomas brought a life and excitement to our Executive Committee staff." "I always encourage people to clearly follow God's call. It is apparent, though he was here for a short time, that God has led in calling this man to a strategic pastorate at First Baptist Church of Alpharetta," Page said. "Thomas will be missed, but we are excited to see him follow the will of God." Working under Page's leadership has been a blessing, Hammond said upon his departure, describing Page as a sincere, transparent man of God and a godly leader. "Many times working with someone enables you to see a side of them you did not know existed or their character flaws become much more pronounced," Hammond said. "For me however, the experience was quite different. The impressions and opinions I had of Frank Page have only been solidified and confirmed." As vice president for convention advancement, Hammond provided leadership in a number of areas, including various aspects of the Cooperative Program, the Convention Ministries Workgroup and the Global Evangelical Relations Ministry. Hammond served in 2009 as interim pastor at First Baptist Alpharetta and has maintained a relationship with the congregation. Hammond describes the 1,600-member body as a growing, thriving church committed to the Great Commission. He will be the 20th pastor to lead the church in its more than 100-year history. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff writer Diana Chandler. 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 -- Panel: Chinese regime still marked by brutality By Tonika Reed Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39889 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Near-death torture and medical or food deprivation describe the experience of innocent prisoners under China's latest Communist officials, experts said at a recent Capitol Hill briefing. A panel of Chinese, American and European leaders discussed the horrifying realities under the regime in a March 5 event sponsored by ChinaAid and Freedom House. "The things that take place in China amount in my view to a modern genocide," said Edward McMillan-Scott. McMillan-Scott, vice president of the European Parliament, described the Chinese government over the span of his lifetime as growing into the "most arbitrary, brutal and corrupt regime in the world." Blind since childhood and now a prominent human rights activist, Chen Guangcheng explained the recent cyber-attacks launched by China on the press in the United States earlier this year. He also talked about life under the new Communist regime for his nephew and himself. "In China they can openly go to your house to grab things, beat you, rob you of your abilities and your freedom," Chen said. Chen is known as a "barefoot lawyer," or a self-taught activist, who advocates for victims of forced sterilization and abortions, as well as women and the poor in China. He is commonly known for his organization of a class-action lawsuit against the city of Linyi in the province of Shandong for violent enforcement of the one-child policy. Placed under house arrest for about a year and formally arrested in June 2006, Chen was not allowed to have a lawyer. He was sentenced to four years and three months and was released in September 2010, then placed under house arrest and intense police scrutiny. Amnesty International deemed him a prisoner of conscience and issued appeals for his release. "It's incumbent upon the Chinese people to continuously fight for moral high ground and to bring moral legitimacy, not just to rely on what is written in books for law," Chen said. He left China for New York City with his wife and two children in April 2012 following negotiations between the U.S. and China. "I hope this Congress will take actions to help to break the Berlin Wall on the Internet, the cyber Berlin Wall in China. I hope this new Congress will give it some thought and take some tangible actions that can be seen by the world," Chen said. Geng He, wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zisheng, shared some of her husband's experiences under the regime. She, like Chen, hopes U.S. and European officials will place appropriate pressure on the authoritarian Chinese government. Last fall, China's Congress announced a new board of Communist Party leaders. "Facing this situation, Gao doesn't have any fear [of] those in power, and he has tried to spread righteousness and justice and human rights by utilizing his knowledge and capabilities as a lawyer. With his familiarity with law and eloquence, he was able to win cases for many victims. As a result, he enjoyed a very positive reputation and even love in the hearts of the people," Geng said. Geng escaped from China with her two children. Her husband is still detained. She described to the briefing audience how the police monitored her children and her. Geng also explained the emotional and mental distress that her daughter went through while being escorted to school in police vehicles. During her husband's detainment, the family was not adequately allowed visitation, she said. When the family asked where Gao went during his "disappearances," the guards would respond by saying, "We don't know. Why are you asking us?" Geng said. The family later learned Gao was being horribly tortured by the police during those times. Geng is distressed, but, like Chen, she is hopeful the U.S. will not be silent at the injustice. She quoted the poignant words of Martin Luther King Jr., saying, "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." McMillan-Scott, a friend of Gao and his family, regards Gao as "a very genuine expert lawyer, as well as a Christian." He recounted the few times that Gao has been able to contact him by phone while detained. When Gao described his condition, McMillan-Scott quickly understood Gao, like Chen, is a prisoner of conscience. "Now I have to say personally I have no religious beliefs, but I do believe it's clear that religious freedom is a fundamental part of any society. Even the Chinese Constitution provides that freedom, although of course it doesn't exist in China," McMillan-Scott said. To illustrate the brutality of the regime, McMillan-Scott recalled a time when Gao told him of his near-death torture. He would awake from being attacked, and people would be standing around him in white coats. Scott explained that when Gao asked why the regime did not want him to die, they replied with a very grim statement: "We don't want you to die; we want you to want to die." --30-- Tonika Reed is an intern with the Washington bureau 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 -- CULTURE DIGEST: Chris Tomlin 'most prolific songwriter' in U.S. now, exec says By Staff Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39893 NASHVILLE (BP) -- Worship leader Chris Tomlin "is the most prolific songwriter in the United States now, in this past decade," a Christian music executive said in a CNN feature highlighting the differences between Tomlin and secular stars. Howard Rachinski, CEO of Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), the company that tracks what music is used in churches around the world, said last year churches used 128 songs Tomlin wrote or co-wrote. According to CNN.com March 9, CCLI estimates that every Sunday in the United States, between 60,000 and 120,000 churches are singing Tomlin's worship songs. The article identified Tomlin, who leads worship for Passion conferences and helped pack the Georgia Dome in Atlanta with college students in January, as the "undisputed king of worship music." But CNN noted the secret to Tomlin's success: "The stage, the lights, the band aren't about him. As lively as his shows are, the point is not to get you inside the doors. The point is to get you singing in church." Churches across the spectrum -- black, white, Asian, large, small -- connect with Tomlin's songs, the article said. His goal, he told CNN, is to write songs that communicate what people would like to say to God. Tomlin, 40, grew up learning country music in Texas, he said, and he didn't give any thought to a career writing worship music. But in college, as he starting writing worship songs, he was invited to lead Christian conferences with 10,000 students, CNN reported. "I was just writing songs for the church and from there they just started taking off," Tomlin, now the worship pastor at Passion City Church in Atlanta, said. Unlike mainstream musical celebrities, Tomlin isn't driven by money or his own fame, the article said. "I feel like I have a responsibility, that God has given me a gift to write songs for His church that people listen to and that people are coming to expect now," he said. "... The difference to me in the music is that I ask that God's presence be on it and that people, when they sing these songs, sense that God does something." Tomlin added that when he's on stage, it's not about him. In fact, he prefers to step back from the microphone and listen to God's people praising Him in unison. "It's about a greater name than my name," Tomlin told CNN. "My name is on the ticket, but this is about a greater name." BAPTIST CONGRESSMEN RANK HIGH ON CONSERVATIVE GROUP'S LIST -- More than half of the 41 Southern Baptists in the U.S. Congress are ranked in the top categories of conservative voters by the American Conservative Union. The 2012 ACU Ratings of Congress list 24 Southern Baptists, including six who voted 100 percent of the time for the conservative position on what the ACU considers key legislation. The ACU released its rankings in February and has published the list the past 42 years. Members of Congress are judged based on their voting in areas the ACU considers the nation's founding principles, including constitutionally limited government, individual liberty, free markets, a strong national defense and traditional American values. Designated Defenders of Liberty are those whom the ACU judged chose the conservative position on all key legislation. Southern Baptists so ranked are Republican Representatives John Fleming of Louisiana's 4th District and a member of First Baptist Church in Minden; Jeff Duncan of South Carolina's 3rd District and a member of First Baptist Church in Clinton; Trey Gowdy, South Carolina's 4th District and member of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg; Mike Conaway, Texas' 11th District and member of First Baptist Church, Midland; Randy Neugebauer, Texas' 19th District and member of First Baptist Church, Lubbock; and Bill Flores, Texas' 17th District and member of Central Baptist Church, Bryan. Designated ACU Conservatives are Congress members who voted the conservative position on at least 80 percent of legislation, falling short of 100 percent. Southern Baptists so ranked are U.S. Senators Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and U.S. Representatives Spencer Bachus of Alabama's 6th District; Trent Franks of Arizona's 2nd District; Tim Griffin, Arkansas' 2nd District; Steve Southerland, Florida's 2nd District; Daniel Webster, Florida's 10th District; Austin Scott, Georgia's 8th District; and Paul Broun, Georgia's 10th District. Completing the list of Southern Baptist ACU Conservatives are Tom Graves, Georgia's 14th District; Marlin Stutzman, Indiana's 3rd District; Alan Nunnelee, Mississippi's 1st District; Gregg Harper, Mississippi's 3rd District; Sam Graves, Missouri's 6th District; Steve Pearce, New Mexico's 2nd District; James Lankford, Oklahoma's 5th District; Louis Gohmert, Texas' 1st District and Randy Forbes, Virginia's 4th District. ANOTHER ABORTION-RELATED DEATH OCCURS IN MD. -- Another woman who underwent an abortion in Maryland has died, this time resulting in suspension of the lethal procedures at the clinic involved. The unidentified woman suffered cardiac arrest and died at a Baltimore clinic, state health officials said in a March 8 letter to legislators, The Baltimore Sun reported. A defibrillator at the clinic, Associates in OB/GYN Care, did not function, and the doctor who performed the abortion was not certified to perform CPR, according to the letter. The news came only a month after a 29-year-old New York woman died reportedly following a third-trimester abortion at another Maryland clinic. Jennifer Morbelli of New Rochelle, N.Y., died at a Rockville, Md., hospital Feb. 7, days after beginning the lengthy abortion method at a clinic in Germantown, Md., according to reports. Her unborn daughter was reportedly 33 weeks into gestation when she died. LeRoy Carhart, reportedly one of only four third-trimester abortion doctors in the United States, performed the procedure at Germantown Reproductive Health Services, according to pro-life organizations. Carhart performs abortions not only in Maryland but also at clinics in Indianapolis and Bellevue, Neb., pro-life blogger Jill Stanek reported. The Maryland Board of Physicians is conducting a preliminary investigation of Carhart but has taken no action against the clinic or him so far. The state suspended surgical abortions not only at the Baltimore clinic involved in the unidentified woman's death but two other clinics, The Sun reported. The other two clinics are located at Landover, Md., and Silver Spring, Md. Associates in OB/GYN Care owns all three clinics. Seventeen members of Maryland's House of Delegates questioned in a Feb. 28 letter whether the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was adequately enforcing new rules issued last year for the licensing of abortion clinics. The operation of some of the clinics reminds him of "back-alley abortions," Del. Nicholaus Kipke, a Republican who was the lead signer of the letter, told The Sun. "Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, I think everyone should agree if abortion is going to be allowed, it should be safe...." S.D. STRENGTHENS 72-HOUR WAITING PERIOD FOR ABORTION -- South Dakota has strengthened its law requiring a three-day waiting period before a woman can have an abortion. Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican, signed into law March 8 a bill clarifying weekends and holidays do not count in the 72-hour wait required by a 2011 law, National Right to Life (NRL) News Today reported. The three-day wait is mandated after a woman meets with an abortion doctor. The 2011 law also requires the mother to consult with a pregnancy care center before undergoing an abortion. "In giving pregnant [women] more time to consider all of the information provided by the state and all of the alternatives to abortion, we protect South Dakotans from biased counseling and misinformation from abortion providers," said Valerie Johnson of South Dakota Right to Life, NRL News Today reported. A legal challenge by Planned Parenthood has prevented the law's section requiring counseling by a pregnancy care center from going into effect, according to the report. MORE THAN 7,000 UNBORN BABIES SPARED SINCE 40 DAYS' DEBUT -- More than 7,000 unborn children have been spared from abortion during 40 Days of Life campaigns, the ministry reported March 11. The semi-annual outreaches -- which focus on peaceful, pro-life prayer vigils outside abortion clinics -- began as a nationwide effort in 2007. Since the latest campaign began Feb. 13, the 40 Days staff has received reports of 360 babies saved as of March 13. Volunteers in the latest effort are participating at 261 locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, England, Poland, Spain and, for the first time, Russia, Nigeria, South Africa and Wales. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode, Erin Roach and Diana Chandler 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 -- FIRST-PERSON: Extramarital sex has consequences far beyond 'the morning after' By Thomas White Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39896 FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- It's plain and simple human nature -- if it hurts us, then we stop doing it. I remember as a little boy placing my hand firmly on top of a hot stove. I quickly removed it. You didn't have to tell me twice. It hurt. The problem comes when an action has long-term negative consequences but brings short-term pleasure. We no longer act rationally. No one starts drinking with the intention of becoming an alcoholic. No one starts gambling thinking, "I will become addicted, lose all my money and not be able to pay my bills." Think about extramarital sex. In the olden days, it came with the consequences of pregnancy. But through technology and feminist activism that helped fuel the sexual revolution, we have removed the consequences -- or at least we think we have. Clinics provide abortions all across the nation while public schools distribute the morning after pill. But we haven't told our kids about all the consequences -- emotion and physical. Abortions leave one dead and one wounded. Extramarital sex (and pornography) leaves emotional scars that affect intimacy in marriage for years to come. Men begin to view women as an object for pleasure rather than a partner for life, and once the pleasure ceases, those men throw them away like an old pair of tennis shoes. But consequences exist, and they go beyond the emotional, too. A Feb. 13 story on NBCNews.com demonstrates the rise of STDs: 20 million new incidents of infection arose in 2008 for a total of 110 million infections in the United States, according to the CDC. These STDs costs the US nearly $16 billion in estimated direct medical costs. So what is the secular solution? Matthew Golden, the director of Public Health Seattle and King County HIV/STD Program and a professor of medicine at the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD, wants to remove the consequence instead of addressing the root problem. Golden said, "We have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by not pursuing effective strategies, such as school-based universal access to the HPV vaccine." Let's be honest. If we did it God's way, which means waiting to have sex until you are married and then staying married to one person, you would have only one sexual partner with no prior experience for your entire life. Guess what? No more STDs. I'm glad I work with people like Richard Ross, who 20 years ago started a movement to inform people about the negative consequences and to call them to a higher standard. The movement known as "True Love Waits" has impacted millions with a challenge to do it God's way. A couple of weeks ago, Ross preached at the same church where, two decades earlier, he launched "True Love Waits." The Bible says in Galatians 6:7-8, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." No amount of technology, pills, procedures, or anything else will remove the consequences forever. One day we all will stand before our heavenly Father and give account for our actions. It's time we realize that God intended for it to hurt when I placed my hand on a hot stove, and God intends consequences when we violate His commands. Consequences exist for our own good -- an earthly reminder of eternal significance. --30-- Thomas White is vice president for student services and communications at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. This column first appeared at [URL= http://thomaswhite.wordpress.com] http://thomaswhite.wordpress.com[/URL] and was later re-posted at TheologicalMatters.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 -- CALL TO PRAYER: Praying for the weather By Rick Shepherd Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39894 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- In the spring of 2007, more than 215 wildfires ravaged the Florida landscape, polluting the air with thick smoke and smoldering ash. Winds carried smoke and ash from the Bugaboo swamp fire, which raged as the largest wildfire in the history of both Georgia and Florida, as far away as Atlanta and Birmingham where the haze hovered over those cities during April, May and June. In response to weeks of unrelenting, uncontrollable fires, Florida Baptists called for a Day of Prayer for Rain on the Sunday May 27, 2007, through an e-blast to pastors, a news story in the Florida Baptist Witness, radio spots and word of mouth. Many joined together in prayer. The very next day, Monday, May 28, a low pressure system began developing south of Key West. By Friday, June 1, tropical storm Barry began dropping moderate to heavy rain across the region. Over the next few days, three to seven inches of rain covered the state from Key West in the south to north of the Florida state line into Georgia and South Carolina. The rains doused wildfires and brought 90 percent containment to the Bugaboo swamp fire. Jacksonville, Fla., reported the wettest June 2 date since 1873. Baptists across the state believe God answered prayer! Can the weather forecast change so suddenly and dramatically? Can prayer have a part in that? Remember Elijah's prediction to wicked King Ahab? Elijah prophesied, as part of God's judgment on the unrepentant northern kingdom of Israel, that it would not rain in the land except at Elijah's command (1 Kings 17:1). For three years and six months it did not rain (James 5:17). At the end of the drought, Elijah fervently and earnestly prayed for rain from the top of Mount Carmel. As he prayed, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind followed by a downpour of rain (1 Kings 18:42-46). Prayer made a difference with the weather. Job 37:13 records three ways God works through weather: -- for a measure of correction (for punishment, v. 13a); -- for maintenance on earth (for His land, v. 13b -- sun, rain, snow, thick clouds, bright clouds, verses 6-12); -- for mercy on earth (for His faithful love, v. 13c). Fast forward a few months to the fall of 2007. Twenty-one of the 50 states were in drought, some extreme. Atlanta was in such severe drought that experts predicted there would be no drinking water for the metropolitan area within 90 days. With reservoirs drying up and boat docks and lake front property several yards from the water's edge as lakes receded, calls to prayer surfaced once again. The Georgia Baptist Convention issued prayer guides and bulletin inserts to churches across the state and set Sunday, November 4, as a day of prayer for rain. The convention's website carried information about ways to pray for rain. The governor of the state, a Georgia Baptist, gathered lawmakers and ministers from across the religious and political spectrum for a lunch-hour prayer service in downtown Atlanta on Nov. 13 of that year to pray for rain. Though he faced opposition from special interest groups claiming he violated church-state separation issues, he was undeterred. Demonstrators hoisted signs reading "20% chance of rain today, 100% chance of church-state violation," "Government-sponsored prayer is unconstitutional," and "Nothing fails like prayer." What happened? The weather changed! God brought rain in answer to prayer! Records show December of 2007 as one of the wettest Decembers in Atlanta's weather history. Many see this as part of the remedial judgment of God mixed with His mercy and willingness to answer those who call on Him. Without question, our nation needs spiritual awakening. Too many are saying, "God, will You leave us alone and let us do what we want!" Many in churches seek to do "church life" without earnest, fervent prayer. When Solomon completed the dedication service for the brand-new temple of God, the Lord responded with this warning: If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:13-14). The praying in verse 14 is based on the chastening in verse 13! God is ever at work ready to restore. Are we cooperating? Could the weather be an intensifying wake-up call to our nation for the need for spiritual awakening? Think about it. Since 2007, we have seen an increase in weather issues. In 2008, the number of disaster events exceeded 150 at a cost of more than $9 billion. In 2009, we had more than 200 disaster events at a total cost of more than $10 billion. The year 2010 set a new record with 247 events, again with more than a $10 billion price-tag. In 2011, we saw the disastrous October snow storm in the Northeast shatter every weather record on the books. Costs were in the billions. The total for 2011 topped $14 billion in disaster events. In 2012, Super Storm Sandy alone cost over 50 billion dollars. And 2013 has begun with an equal vengeance across much of the nation. The weather issues (droughts, fires, floods, tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes) of the past six years were and are signs and symbols of the needs of the churches in America. Far more telling, many churches are experiencing spiritual drought and need the refreshing rains of the Spirit of God. We need to intensify praying together for the physical, material and especially the spiritual needs we see all around us. Any need we see should serve as a call to prayer; and praying together is a much-needed ministry that often brings deeply longed-for answers and blessings. God is at work on many levels. While many are intensifying their rebellion against God, many others are turning to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Bottom line for today: We need to rehearse the facts of the past. Moving beyond the past, we need a new fascination with who God is and what He is doing. We then need to join Him in active faith. Whether praying alone and praying together, (Jeremiah 29:7; 33:3; Ephesians 6:17-19; 1 Timothy 2:1-8), we must pour out our souls in earnest, fervent prayer. --30-- Rick Shepherd is the prayer and spiritual awakening team leader with the Florida Baptist Convention. The booklet "Praying about the Weather" is available at [URL=http://www.flbaptist.org/Prayer/PrayerResources.aspx.]www.flbaptist.org/Prayer/PrayerResources.aspx.[/URL]. Initial articles about the Call to Prayer that Frank 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 -- EDITORIAL: El Amor Verdadero By Mike Gonzales Mar. 15 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39897 NOTA DEL EDITOR: La columna First-Person (De primera mano) es parte de la edición de hoy de BP en español. Para ver historias adicionales, vaya a [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/espanol]http://www.bpnews.net/espanol[/URL] GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- Sabemos que Dios es un Dios de amor. El amor de Dios fue mostrado al mundo cuando Cristo vino a este mundo y murió por un mundo perdido. Juan 15:13 dice: "Nadie tiene mayor amor que este, que uno ponga su vida por sus amigos." Y esa fue la misión de Cristo, venir a este mundo para salvar a los pecadores. El amor de Cristo fue un amor sin condiciones. Cristo vino al mundo con el propósito de darnos vida eterna. Ahora cuando hablamos del amor de Dios en nuestro idioma, sea en inglés o en español cuando se usa la palabra amor, hay muchas definiciones o interpretaciones sobre el uso de la palabra amor. Por ejemplo, cuando uno dice: "Yo amo a Dios. Yo amo a mi esposa. Yo amo a la pizza.", son tres maneras diferentes de expresar el amor en cada situación. En el griego, el idioma del Nuevo Testamento hay cinco maneras para describir el amor en diferentes situaciones. Nunca se puede equivocar uno en la interpretación del tipo de amor que uno quiere expresar cuando se usa el griego. Hay cinco palabras que expresan el amor en el griego: * Ágape -- es un tipo de amor que se da pero no se espera devolver ese amor. Es un amor sin condiciones. Es un amor superior a otros tipos de amor. Es un amor íntimo y se usa mucho para expresar el amor de Cristo hacia el mundo. * Phileo -- es un amor fraternal o de hermanos. Es un amor personal que requiere intercambio. Se espera una respuesta. De allí viene el significado de Philadelphia, que se conoce como la ciudad del amor fraternal. * Thelo -- es un tipo de amor que expresa el deseo de hacer algo o de estar ocupado en algo. El intento es de ser prominente en algo o querer ser reconocido públicamente. * Eros -- es un amor sensual y tiene que ver con los deseos sexuales. * Storge -- es un amor que se tiene entre hermanos o soldados que luchan juntos en las trincheras, o el amor que los atletas expresan entre ellos como compañeros. La palabra amor aparece 290 veces en el Nuevo Testamento. En cada situación se usa la palabra adecuada para expresar ese tipo de amor. * Ágape aparece 258 veces. * Phileo aparece 31 veces. * Thelo aparece una vez en Marcos 12:38 (cuando se habla de los escribas que les gustaba andar con largas ropas y amaban las salutaciones en las plazas). * Eros y Storge no se usan para nada en el Nuevo Testamento. La palabra ágape es el tipo de amor que se usa más para expresar el amor de Dios al mundo. Juan 3:16 "Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna." --30-- Dr. Mike Gonzales es director de los Ministerios Multiétnicos de la SBTC. -- 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