Baptist Press Stories for Apr. 20 2012 --------------------------------------- 1% Challenge: Economy doesn't deter church from giving http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37647 Study: Religious hostility escalates worldwide http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37657 Speaker: Avoid 'proof texts' for sexual ethics http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37651 Cooperation & the Southern Baptist Convention http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37652 Prioritizing SBC work in North America http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37655 Church members ponder, 'What more can I do?' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37648 Named for W. Carey, church is strong on CP http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37649 Complaint: N.H. P. Parenthood breaking law http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37653 CULTURE DIGEST: Births to cohabiting couples dramatically increase http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37654 FIRST-PERSON: Anti-bullying bills & sexual politics http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37656 FIRST-PERSON: Mirando a lo que tengo http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37650 --------------------------------------- 1% Challenge: Economy doesn't deter church from giving By Meredith Flynn Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37647 EDITOR'S NOTE: Cooperative Program Sunday is April 22 in the Southern Baptist Convention. BRIDGEPORT, Ill. (BP) -- Pastor Wes Hahn didn't have to twist any arms when he proposed that Shiloh Baptist Church increase its Cooperative Program giving by 1 percentage point in 2012. During his four-year tenure at Shiloh in Bridgeport, Ill., Hahn has used every opportunity to promote CP, Southern Baptists' main method of cooperative giving. In Illinois, 43.25 percent of CP funds go to national and global Southern Baptist missions, while the remaining 56.75 percent helps support Illinois missions. Shiloh has a long history of Cooperative Program support, Hahn said, so when he suggested the church raise its giving from 14.5 to 15.5 percent of their undesignated offerings, the finance team and the rest of the congregation were ready to accept the 1% Challenge, a national initiative by the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee.
"The beauty of the Cooperative Program" is that Southern Baptists' 45,000-plus churches are "all working to fulfill the Great Commission," Hahn said. "... For every dollar we give to the CP, it's literally going around the world." Shiloh and other churches that have tackled the 1% Challenge are doing their part to combat a nationwide slide in Cooperative Program giving. Last year, national CP giving was 3.98 percent below the amount allocated to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America, despite a slight increase over the previous year. In Illinois, year-end Cooperative Program giving was 9 percent below budgeted giving and 2.6 percent lower than the previous year. "It's been a couple of tough years in a row for Cooperative Program missions, but here in Illinois, we're making the necessary adjustments and living within our means," said Nate Adams, executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association. "We're all eager for the economy to improve and for Illinois Baptist families and churches to get past these current financial hardships. "The fact that these families and churches continue to give so faithfully to cooperative missions even during these challenging times, is a cause for great encouragement," Adams said. [QUOTE@right@180=CP is the best way to reach the uttermost parts of the world with the Gospel. -- Illinois pastor.]Shiloh is one example of a church giving despite a downward economy. The church's undesignated giving in 2011 was 6 to 7 percent lower than the previous year, Hahn said, but missions giving actually increased, including a record high contribution to the Illinois Mission Offering. "Even though there might be a little downturn in the economy, so the tithes and offerings are down, when it got to specific giving, they said, 'Well, that's the need; that's what we're going to do.'" Hahn recounted. Shiloh's missions giving mindset and growing missions sending strategy is based on knowing the important role the church plays in Kingdom ministries, Hahn said, noting that Jesus' challenge in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses all over the world isn't possible without cooperation. "How does a small southeastern Illinois church do all that?" Hahn asked. "Through the Cooperative Program, we do. "What's the best way to reach the uttermost and all the others at the same time? It's real easy. We do CP giving." --30-- Meredith Flynn is associate editor of the Illinois Baptist, newsjournal of the Illinois Baptist State Association. -- End of story -- Study: Religious hostility escalates worldwide By Mark Norton Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37657 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Practicing a religious belief in nearly one-third of the world's countries is increasingly difficult due to government restrictions and public hostilities, according to new data from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The Pew study found a 32 percent increase in governmental restrictions and public hostilities from 2006-09 in the 198 countries of the world. Among its finding, the survey showed religious restrictions: -- increased 12 percent in 23 countries. -- decreased 6 percent in 12 countries. -- remained unchanged in 163 countries. "Among the world's 25 most populous countries -- which account for about 75 percent of the world's population -- restriction on religions substantially increased in eight countries and did not substantially decrease in any," according to the Pew study, which was presented at an International Religious Freedom Roundtable event on Capitol Hill in late March. Worldwide, about 1 percent of all people live in a country where hostilities decreased. Many governments have religious freedom wording in their constitutions, but not all provide such protections, the Pew study noted. Religious liberty language is in the constitutions of all 198 countries and in the basic laws of 143 countries. Yet, 111 countries -- or 56 percent -- have statements in their constitutions or basic laws that contradict religious freedom. And, even though countries have these laws, "not all governments fully respect the religious rights written into their laws," the study noted. Nigeria has become a case in point. The Islamic extremist sect Boko Haram "started in 1995 with a stringent ideology that there is not a means for Christians to exist in the culture; you are to be targeted and killed," said Mark Lipdo, director of the Stefanos Foundation, at an April 5 event hosted by the Family Research Council (FRC). Nigeria is a key focus for the religious liberty efforts of the Stefanos Foundation. The most recent attack by Boko Haram came Easter Sunday near a church where at least 40 people were killed, according to Reuters News Service. In Nigeria, there are three levels of persecution: street, state and sect, Emmanuel Ogebe, a U.S.-based Nigerian human rights lawyer, said at the FRC briefing. At the street level, average Muslims in northern Nigeria are taught that Christians are infidels, Ogebe said. At "the state level, we have state governments who persecute Christians so they cannot get a job. If you get a job, you can't be promoted. If you're a Christian, you can't get loans to build a church," Ogebe said. Sect violence is mostly being done by Boko Haram, which is "calling for Christians to leave, calling for jihad," said Gregory Trent, who works for the Jubilee Campaign and recently was on a fact-finding mission in Nigeria. Social hostilities in Nigeria are significantly elevated in contrast to previous studies, given the rising number of instances of bombings and rioting. The Jubilee Campaign advocates for religious and ethnic minorities living under oppressive regimes. In the Pew study, social hostilities included individuals and groups reacting to a religion or religious person with violence, harassment and abuse. "In November 2008, for instance, at least 300 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured during three days of religious rioting in the [Nigerian] city of Jos," according to the study. Religious hostilities are constantly on Nigerians' minds, with Trent noting, "The violence has not abated; the violence has not stopped; there are constant barrages of attacks." The Pew Forum study can be accessed at http://www.pewforum.org/Government/Rising-Restrictions-on-Religion(2).aspx. --30-- Mark Norton, a student from California Baptist University, is an intern with the Washington bureau of Baptist Press. -- End of story -- Speaker: Avoid 'proof texts' for sexual ethics By Andrew Walker Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37651 DECATUR, Ga. (BP) -- A highly anticipated conference sponsored by moderate Baptists on the topic of sexuality kicked off its first day on Thursday (April 19) with conference attendees hearing speakers discuss the issue of sexual identity and how to discern "new understandings" of authority. Dubbed "A [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality & Covenant," day one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-sponsored event was attended by roughly 300 people at the First Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga. [IMG=32470@right@134]Organized by Mercer University ethicist David Gushee, the purpose of the conference -- officials say -- is to provide an atmosphere of honest discussion on sexual issues facing the church, not the least of which was homosexuality, a palpable undercurrent and unavoidable subject in each of the presenter's remarks. Organizers went to great lengths in their introduction to state that the presence of any particular speaker was not an endorsement of the speaker's position, but a willingness to give each a hearing, in keeping with the "conversational" intent of the conference. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) is an association of Baptist churches organized nearly 20 years ago in protest of the Southern Baptist Convention's return to conservative doctrine. Guy Sayles, pastor of First Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C. -- a CBF and Alliance of Baptists congregation -- gave an address on "Faithful Listening in Challenging Times: How Do We Discern God's Voice?" Sayles focused his address on the issue of authority, noting that "people read the Bible in astonishingly diverse ways," and that "Baptist Christians acknowledge how personal experience affects what people see, hear, feel, understand, do and become." Sayles went on to suggest that Christians ought to "remember that the risen, still-acting, and still-speaking Jesus is the norm by which we interpret Scripture and evaluate other sources of authority." Using the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8 as an example for marginalized voices seeking inclusion into the present-day church, Sayles noted that the Old Testament prohibitions would have forbidden the Ethiopian Eunuch from fellowship. "Their Bible said it: A man like him could never call the Temple his home. The Ethiopian experienced what too many people experience from God's people: the ugliness of exclusion," Sayles said. Sayles lamented the use of "proof texts" and suggested that Christians look to the overarching themes of Scripture -- such as creation, brokenness and new creation; slavery and liberation -- to guide their sexual ethics more than individual texts. "Too often, Christians read the Bible in ways that overemphasize isolated texts and use them to push aside the just, gracious and merciful God whom the grand overarching themes reveal," Sayles said. "The result," Sayles concluded, is that "followers of Jesus think, feel, and act in ways that aren't Jesus-like but seem to be required by their reading of the Bible." "Would [the eunuch's] race, or the fact that he was a foreigner or his high place of authority, or his peculiar status as a eunuch bar him from following Jesus?" Sayles asked. "Would he be held back, hindered and cut off once again? Were there hidden barriers in the Gospel, exceptions and exclusions written into the fine print of the Good News?" Jesus, in contrast, "made the radical inclusiveness of God unavoidably clear." Sayles warned of churches becoming "ecclesiastical border patrol officers" by focusing on characteristics such as race, gender, class, divorce and sexual orientation that prohibit entrance into the church. "What prevents people who make us uncomfortable, or who raise issues for which we lack adequate responses from being baptized?" Sayles asked. "What bars their becoming and being full and equal participants in the Christian community? Nothing in God. ... Therefore, it is a denial of God's unconditional love and of salvation by grace if the conditions of someone's life seem to us to justify our excluding him or her from the community." Jenell Williams Paris, an anthropologist from Messiah College and author of "The End of Sexual Identity," spoke on the topic, "While We Were Avoiding the Subject: What's Going in the World (and the Church)." Paris' address focused upon the sexual climate of present-day America, noting that America is awash in sexual brokenness, with sexual problems affecting the larger population and Christians alike. Paris said that with out-of-wedlock child births soaring, divorce rampant, pornography increasing, and shifting attitudes toward homosexuality occurring, Christians who find themselves in an increasingly pluralistic society must "turn from exemption to implication" -- to see the sexual brokenness of Christians as endemic to larger society's brokenness. Christians also, Paris added, must see that a one-time consensus on sexuality within the church has shifted into an "internal pluralism" where Christians now openly disagree on sexual ethics. Paris stopped short of endorsing the idea of sexual pluralism within modern Christianity, but to simply recognize its existence. While the conference has not been designed to sway denominational policies or ethics, the topic of homosexuality has been a conference overtone. The conference has been plagued with critics who insist that it is an invitation to invite immoral sexual arrangements into the life of the church. And with the CBF's current moderator, Colleen Burroughs, calling for the CBF to re-examine its hiring ban on homosexuals, her untimely statements have cast a shadow over the conference, although conference organizers insist that the intent of the conference has nothing to do with formal policy, specifically the hiring ban. Attendees of the conference have expressed appreciation for CBF's willingness to have a "conversation" about controversial sexual topics. Some attendees considered the conference a good "starting place," but one person said it was "long overdue." Asked about the conference in conjunction with the CBF's hiring ban on homosexuals, one individual who wished not to be identified said that "it was time to do away with the hiring policy and pursue justice," hinting at the need for the CBF to bring formal inclusion of LGBT persons into the life of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. One young attendee pointed to what he sees as a breaking point over issues of sexuality, saying "the debate over homosexuality is one of money and generational divide. Will the CBF make it another generation? Or will the younger generation leave?" Indeed, a generational divide seems apparent as attendees' responses on the question of homosexuality ranged from all-out endorsement to unease and reluctance. Of the seven exhibitors at the conference, three of them are sponsored by explicitly pro-gay ministries: Prophets for Sexual Justice; Pastors for Sexual Health, New Direction of Ministries of Canada, and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion & Democracy said in a statement that "some of the CBF leadership now seem poised to embrace liberal culture and sexual revisionism." In contrast, Tooley said, other Baptists have not compromised "with the broader culture on an issue to which Scripture and global Christian tradition speak directly." --30-- Andrew Walker writes for the Institute on Religion & Democracy (theird.org), where a version of this story first appeared. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- Cooperation & the Southern Baptist Convention By Roger S. (Sing) Oldham Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37652 EDITOR'S NOTE: Cooperative Program Sunday is April 22 in the Southern Baptist Convention. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Recognizing the drain frequent financial requests made on the churches, our Baptist forbears in the opening decades of the 20th century hammered out a plan that recognized and sought to address this problem. [IMGONLY=32467@left@220]The plan was remarkably simple -- 1) individuals give their tithes and offerings to their local churches; 2) the churches forward a percentage of their contributions to their state Baptist convention for ministry in the state; and 3) the state convention then forwards a percentage of its funds to provide support for SBC ministries. Leaders of Southern Baptist Convention ministries and leaders of state Baptist ministries realized the churches that were being asked to fund the ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention were the same churches being asked to support the ministries of individual state Baptist conventions. Inundated with so many requests from so many legitimate ministries, pastors and churches alike grew weary. Through a unified, cooperative program of giving, both sets of ministries could be funded -- state ministry needs and ministry endeavors of the Southern Baptist Convention. This plan, formulated was formally adopted in 1925 and called "the Cooperative Program of Southern Baptists." By definition, the "Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists' unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries." As faithful stewards give of their tithes and offerings through their local churches, they partner with other Southern Baptist Christians to accomplish Kingdom-sized ministries, including: -- Two of the world's largest missionary-sending entities -- the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board -- are equipped and resourced to deploy some 10,000 missionaries across the nation and around the world. -- Hundreds of new churches are planted annually in major cities and among multiple ethnic, racial and language groups in the United States through a collaboration of local church, associational, state convention and SBC efforts. -- More than 16,000 future church leaders are trained in the largest theological seminary consortium in the United States. -- Tens of thousands of college students are reached with and for the Gospel through Baptist Collegiate Ministry, the largest campus ministry organization in America. -- Thousands of children are fed and housed through children's homes ministries in multiple states. -- More than 1,600 mobile disaster relief teams, scattered across the states, constituting one of the three largest relief organizations in the United States, are trained and on alert for deployment whenever a natural disaster strikes the United States. The synergy of cooperative ministry is incalculable. In the book of Nehemiah, two things stand out in the historical narrative of rebuilding the city wall around Jerusalem following the Babylonian exile. First, the people had a plan to work (Nehemiah 2:11-4:23). Each person had a role to play, but it was only through cooperation that they were able to accomplish their goal. Second, the people had a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6). Once they set their minds to the task at hand, nothing was able to deter them from accomplishing their goal. As Nehemiah's story wonderfully illustrates, we each can accomplish so much more when we work together -- cooperating for the purpose of penetrating lostness, making disciples and evangelizing the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. --30— Roger S. (Sing) Oldham is vice president for communications and convention relations for the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. -- End of story -- Prioritizing SBC work in North America By Kevin Ezell Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37655 ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- Sometimes I am asked how the North American Mission Board is prioritizing its work in North America. There are probably a few different ways we could do that, but I tell people we are letting the numbers draw our map and letting God be our guide. [IMGONLY=32464@left@110]Here's what I mean by letting the numbers draw our map. One of the best ways to gauge spiritual need in North America is to look at the ratio of congregations to population in a particular area. Missiologists tell us it is best to have at least one congregation for every 1,000 people in an area. One to 500 would be even better. With that ratio in mind, Southern Baptists are doing pretty well in some areas. For instance, we have one congregation for every 1,404 people in Mississippi. In Alabama it is one for every 1,451. And in Arkansas, one for every 1,922. Those numbers are very encouraging. We should celebrate how effective Southern Baptists have been in these states and others in the South. But let's look elsewhere. Our congregation-to-population ratios change dramatically when we look toward other regions in North America. In Iowa there is only one congregation for every 30,464 people. In Michigan it is one for every 34,318. In the Pennsylvania-South Jersey state convention it's one for every 40,132 people. In New York there are 62,362 people for every one SBC congregation. Column continues below map [IMGONLY=32469@center@600]In the Minnesota-Wisconsin convention, there is only one SBC congregation for every 75,799 people. That means there are 54 times more people per SBC congregation in Minnesota-Wisconsin than there are people per SBC congregation in Mississippi. What a difference a few hundred miles can make! In Canada, Southern Baptists have only one congregation for every 117,212 people. These needs are huge and as believers we want to do all we can to give people in all of these areas better access to the Gospel. But still, we need a strategy as we approach such a large task. With that in mind, NAMB has identified states and provinces in the United States and Canada based on the level of need, which is based on these congregation-to-population ratios. Red states -- those with the highest need -- are any with ratios higher than 1-to-20,000. That includes all of Canada, virtually all of the Northeast and some states in the Midwest and West. Yellow states are those with between 10,000 and 20,000 people per SBC congregation. Green states have better than a 1-to-10,000 ratio between people and churches. It won't surprise you to learn that all of the 13 states in the South region fall into the green category. But you might be surprised by some of the others that show up. Missouri, West Virginia, Alaska, Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico all fall into the green category. Does this mean NAMB will ignore the needs in green states? Absolutely not. We still want to help make churches there stronger and help our partners start churches in population centers where our ratios are lower. But as we seek to penetrate lostness at its highest levels in North America, we have to look at sheer numbers. That's where the red, yellow and green list will help. (See graphic at top of page.) As we look at where most of our funding and church planting resources will go, NAMB must look at red states first. We have to start closing the gap in areas where congregation-to-population ratios are the highest. To impact lostness, we have to give people in those areas better access to the Gospel. Of course, there are other considerations as we chart this course. In some areas, other evangelical churches are proclaiming the Gospel effectively. The presence of these churches cuts congregation-to-population ratios considerably. And we also must realize that just because a church exists, doesn't mean it is reaching its community. So these numbers can only serve as a map as we become more familiar with a particular area. NAMB's Send North America strategy is informed by these numbers. We are especially concentrating on large cities where Southern Baptist congregation-to-population ratios have slipped the most in recent decades. But God is our ultimate guide. That's why we are keeping some of our budget flexible, so when we see God's activity in a particular state or region, we can move quickly to get more funds and more missionaries to that place. If we let the numbers make our map and let God be our guide, I believe Southern Baptists will be on a better track for penetrating lostness where it looms largest in North America. --30-- This article is one of a series Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, is writing about NAMB strategy and direction. To read the entire series, visit kevinezell.com. To learn how you or your church can become involved in reaching North America for Christ, visit namb.net and click "Mobilize Me." -- End of story -- Church members ponder, 'What more can I do?' By David Roach Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37648 EDITOR'S NOTE: Cooperative Program Sunday will be April 22 in the Southern Baptist Convention. MARION, Ky. (BP) -- Even though Mexico Baptist Church already was giving 25 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program, the rural Kentucky congregation wanted to do more for Christ. Led by pastor Tim Burdon, the congregation set a goal of giving more dollars through CP than ever before by asking each member to increase his or her weekly gift to the church by $3. Because it gives through CP on a percentage basis, the congregation knew that increased offerings would mean more dollars for local ministry as well as for Southern Baptists' plan for supporting missions and ministry in the state and around the world. So far Mexico Baptist in Marion is on pace to break its previous CP giving record of approximately $102,000 in a year. [QUOTE@left@180='I pray that God will multiply the Mexico Baptist Churches of the world.' -- Billy Compton]"It's real easy to look at our current situation and just say, 'We're already giving more than everybody else. What more can you expect?'" Burdon said. "But what I encouraged the church to do, and myself as well, is to look at it individually. We shouldn't compare ourselves to what other people are doing. We're just asking ourselves as individuals, 'What more can I do for Christ?'" The church's renewed focus on CP came in response to the Kentucky Baptist Convention's "More for Christ" initiative, a call to repentance and spiritual renewal embraced by messengers to the 2010 KBC annual meeting as a three-year focus. When former KBC president Floyd Paris "challenged the convention to do more for Christ," Burdon said, "that's really where this started." It was Paris who came up with the "Three More for Christ" challenge to Kentucky Baptists to increase their weekly church offerings by $3. Along with increasing CP giving and individual giving, members of Mexico Baptist adopted five other More for Christ goals they hope to accomplish over the next three to five years: -- Increase involvement in GROW, the church's outreach ministry, which involves contacting prospects by phone, writing them letters and visiting them. -- Offer additional evangelism training opportunities. -- Individually, spend more time with God in private devotionals. -- Achieve an average Sunday School attendance of 200, up from 174 in 2010. -- Increase hands-on involvement in mission work, particularly through the Kentucky-St. Louis Partnership launched this year. St. Louis is less than four hours from the church. After the adoption of these goals in December, Burdon preached a series of sermons related to them. In January, Mexico Baptist held an official kickoff with Billy Compton, KBC executive associate for Cooperative Program and resources, as the guest preacher. Compton said the church was packed that day with people eager to reach their community, their state, their nation and the world for Christ. "Our overall goal as a convention to do more for Christ wasn't just for big churches," Compton said. "Here's a [smaller] church that's having a tremendous impact. I pray that God will multiply the Mexico Baptist Churches of the world." For longtime member Denny Mott, giving through CP sacrificially is an important way to work to fulfill the Great Commission -- a concept he said always seems to catch on with new members. "Even though we've got lots of new people in the last two years, it seems like as they come in, they sort of jump on the bandwagon too," Mott said of CP giving. "That's just something the Lord has laid on the people here, and I think we enjoy it." Mott credits Burdon with casting the More for Christ vision, but "the people have really embraced it," he said, adding that the new goals can help the church bolster its spiritual health. Already Mexico Baptist is making progress, with Burdon reporting that giving has increased, new people have joined the outreach ministry and Sunday School attendance is up slightly. To advance the missions goal, the church Woman's Missionary Union has made more than 100 witnessing dolls that serve as visual aids for Gospel presentations. Still, the pastor knows enthusiasm could wane over time. So he has planned special events and emphases "through these three to five years that will ... remind us and challenge us" to continue working toward the goals." KBC Executive Director Paul Chitwood praised Mexico Baptist Church as a model for churches around the state. "Pastor Tim Burdon and the church family of Mexico Baptist are among our best examples of a Kentucky Baptist Convention church committed to being a part of something bigger than themselves," Chitwood said. "While they faithfully share Christ in their community, they have not lost sight of our Lord's command in Acts 1:8. "Through their sacrificial support of Cooperative Program missions, they provide a witness for Christ throughout Kentucky, North America and to the very ends of the earth," Chitwood said. "I pray more KBC churches will follow the lead of Mexico Baptist and embrace the vision of cooperative mission work to advance the Gospel." --30-- David Roach is a pastor and writer in Shelbyville, Ky. -- End of story -- Named for W. Carey, church is strong on CP By Mike Creswell Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37649 EDITOR'S NOTE: Cooperative Program Sunday will be April 22 in the Southern Baptist Convention. HENDERSON, N.C. (BP) -- Much of Al James' life connects with missions history. James is pastor of Carey Baptist Church near Henderson, N.C., named for William Carey (1761-1834), the famous English missionary. Carey's preaching and writing through his trailblazing career in India as a missionary, translator and educator helped launch the modern missions movement. James also is associate professor of missions at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, some 40 miles to the south in Wake Forest, in addition to serving as the seminary's dean for proclamation studies. For Carey Baptist Church, James said, "Missions has always been an important part of this church's heritage." [QUOTE@left@180='The Cooperative Program is a way we can all give sacrificially.' -- Al James]James became a pastor at age 19 and later served as a Southern Baptist missionary in Southeast Asia and the Philippines. He earned degrees at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and later joined Southeastern's faculty. Considering that missions is key to Carey Baptist and James, it's no surprise that the 400-member church is a strong supporter of the Cooperative Program. The church contributes 13 percent of its undesignated receipts through CP, James said. Although Southeastern is one of six Southern Baptist seminaries supported through the Cooperative Program, James is quick to say his is not a self-serving attitude. "It's that I really believe this is the most effective way of promoting who we are as Southern Baptists and what we want to accomplish. It doesn't matter if you are in a church with 10 people or 100 people or 1,000 people. We all have a way of giving together," he said. The percentage of undesignated receipts a church gives does matter, he added. "I have heard people say, 'You spend dollars, you don't spend percentages,' but percentage giving is a way for us to all be in this together with equal sacrifice. In the Bible, when you have a woman giving her widow's mite, Jesus wasn't looking at who gave the most money, He was looking at her heart. The Cooperative Program is a way we can all give sacrificially and we are united together so that we can do more," James said. Keeping a church focused on Cooperative Program support takes some effort, even for a seminary missions professor. James credits "excellent pastoral leadership" in earlier times at Carey, plus past and present Woman's Missionary Union leaders. He commends Linda Kelly and Pat Peoples as current missions leaders who support the Cooperative Program and the church's many other missions activities. James brings in Southern Baptist missionaries, both North American and international, plus staffers with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and other professors from Southeastern to speak. He hears some churches say they want to support missionaries they know, but James counters that they can bring in Southern Baptist and North Carolina Baptist personnel to match faces with financial support. Pastoral support for CP is crucial, James said. He preaches and teaches on missions and frequently mentions the Cooperative Program in his messages and announcements; he connects the church's CP giving to people or places in the news whenever possible. "I try to keep them informed on what those CP dollars are actually doing," he said. "I remember when I was growing up I often heard, 'You don't give to the Cooperative Program, you give through the Cooperative Program.' It's still the truth." CP giving is part of Carey Baptist Church's overall missions program, he said. Carey members both give to missions and do missions. They gave more than $11,000 to the 2011 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, and they exceeded their $5,000 goal for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions this year. Carey members give 3.5 percent of their undesignated receipts to Cullom Baptist Association and also give offerings to the North Carolina Baptist Children's Homes, North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Mission:Dignity, which supports retired ministers through GuideStone Financial Resources. Members at Carey fill Samaritan's Purse boxes with gifts for children at Christmas and take part in local ministries in the Henderson area. Some serve in the disaster relief ministries of North Carolina Baptist Men. Carey's youth serve in North Carolina and other states through the North American Mission Board's World Changers program. During his overseas service, James met with independent missionaries who had to raise their own support. It usually took them between 18 and 24 months to raise their initial support and then they had to make frequent trips back to the United States to keep their support going. "I just stayed out there and did my ministry. Those other missionaries told me they wish they had something like our Cooperative Program," he said. --30-- Mike Creswell is a Cooperative Program consultant at the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. -- End of story -- Complaint: N.H. P. Parenthood breaking law By Staff Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37653 CONCORD, N.H. (BP) -- The Alliance Defense Fund has filed an official complaint against Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, saying the group is breaking New Hampshire state law by directly providing abortion-causing drugs to women. According to the April 18 complaint, filed with the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy, "Planned Parenthood does not have a pharmacist on site at any of its six clinics" but nevertheless distributes birth control, the morning-after pill and RU-486. New Hampshire requires family-planning groups to contract with the state in order to dispense such drugs. Those without contracts -- such as Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, whose state contract expired last July -- are required to send women to licensed pharmacies. "No matter where a person stands on abortion, everyone should agree that Planned Parenthood has to play by the same rules as everyone else," said Michael Tierney, a Manchester lawyer who is affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). The Planned Parenthood chapter legally distributed the drugs before the contract expired. But, according to records, a representative from the group called the state department of health a few days after it expired to say that though patients were still being seen, "they have lost their dispensing privileges, so they are not handing out contraceptives" but rather "directing their clients to cost-effective pharmacies." But according to the complaint, "It appears that Planned Parenthood has been dispensing pharmaceuticals since September 14, 2011" -- one day after inking a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which intervened directly after New Hampshire refused to contract with Planned Parenthood any longer. Under that deal, the Planned Parenthood chapter "dispenses over $4,000 of pharmaceuticals a day." The New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy, Tierney said, "has the power to either revoke a license, suspend a license, not renew it, or impose fines on Planned Parenthood for dispensing pharmaceuticals in violation of the statute," Tierney said. --30-- Compiled by staff of World News Service, where this story first appeared. -- End of story -- CULTURE DIGEST: Births to cohabiting couples dramatically increase By Staff Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37654 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- The number of babies born to unmarried couples who are living together in America has increased dramatically during the past decade, according to a new report by the National Center for Health Statistics. "We were a little surprised in such a short time period to see these increases," Gladys Martinez, a demographer and the lead author of the report, said. About 23 percent of the reported births in the study -- based on face-to-face interviews of 22,000 men and women from 2006 through 2010 -- were to unmarried heterosexual couples who were cohabiting when the child was born. In 2002, the figure from a similar study was 14 percent. [QUOTE@left@120='It just could be that it's OK now to have a kid outside of marriage.' -- Sociologist Kelly Raley]Researchers in the study did not attempt to explain the increase, but a sociologist from Bowling Green State University in Ohio told USA Today that it could be attributed to the economy. "Marriage is an achievement that you enter into when you're ready. But in the meantime, life happens. You form relationships. You have sex. You get pregnant. In a perfect world, they would prefer to be married, but where the economy is now, they're not going to be able to get married, and they don't want to wait to have kids," Karen Benjamin Guzzo said. Another sociologist, Kelly Raley at the University of Texas-Austin, told USA Today, "It just could be that it's OK now to have a kid outside of marriage." Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, said children with cohabiting parents are three times more likely to experience their parents' breakup by the age of 5 than children whose parents are married. "They have less stability, security, legal and cultural support," Wilcox told TIME, adding, "... [Cohabiting] gives couples more flexibility but less stability to the kids born into these relationships." VIDEO GAMES INCORPORATE 'GAY' CHARACTERS -- Electronic Arts (EA), a popular video game maker, has been praised by a gay advocacy group for adding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters to its games while the Family Research Council condemned the move. Among the affected games is "Star Wars: The Old Republic," which allows role-playing in same-sex relationships and plot lines, according to CNET.com, a technology website. "Being for equality is good for business," AllOut.org said in a news release April 10. "Groups like the Family Research Council are truly on the 'dark side' -- they put pressure on companies like EA to block fair, balanced portrayals of gay characters in gaming and other media. "You don't have to be a gamer to understand that it makes a real difference for Electronic Arts to present positive portrayals of gays and lesbians to its community of 100 million players," AllOut.org said. In January, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said on his radio broadcast, "On the game's website, there are more than 300 pages of comments -- a lot of them expressing anger that their kids will be exposed to this Star Warped way of thinking. You can join them by logging on and speaking up. It's time to show companies who the force is really with." EA, meanwhile, recently was voted by readers of Consumerist as America's worst company, and over the last five years, the company's stock has lost 70 percent of its value, CNET.com reported. ARIZ. BANS PAIN-CAPABLE ABORTIONS -- Arizona has become the seventh state to enact a ban on abortions at 20 weeks or more into pregnancy based on evidence a baby in the womb experiences pain by that point. Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed the ban into law April 12. The Mother's Health and Safety Act not only bars late-term abortions but requires an ultrasound procedure on a woman at least 24 hours before an abortion, mandates doctors providing abortions have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and authorizes a website providing information about fetal development and abortion risks. The pain-capable abortion ban includes exceptions for abortions at 20 weeks or later to prevent the mother's death or "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function," according to The Arizona Republic. "This legislation is consistent with my strong track record of supporting common sense measures to protect the health of women and safeguard our most vulnerable population -- the unborn," Brewer said in a written statement. "Knowing that abortions become riskier the later they are performed in pregnancy, it only makes sense to prohibit these procedures past twenty weeks." FAKE ABORTION TWEET 'CROSSES THE LINE' -- Comedian Sarah Silverman has created a stir by tweeting fake before-and-after abortion photos. The controversial Silverman, 41, tweeted side-by-side photos April 12, one showing her belly uncovered and large, as if she were pregnant. The other showed her with an uncovered, flat stomach. With the photos, she tweeted: "Got a quickie aborsh in case R v W gets overturned." "R v W" apparently refers to Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Pro-life advocates did not find it humorous. "While a quick review of Silverman shows her to have years of tacky abortion jokes, this one crosses the line," wrote Susan Michelle Tyrrell, editor of the Bound4Life blog. "Many pro-abortion folks hailed her as witty and one broadcast labeled it as heroic, but the truth is it displays fear and cowardice, at best, and insensitivity at worst. "Consider this: Those of us who are pro-life believe that an unborn baby is a person, but also many women on both sides live with regret for their abortions. I have friends who have had abortions and still defend the right to have them, but who live in pain from having done it. "Silverman's 'joke' is cruel. Disguised as an attack on Republicans, it is actually a display of intolerance and prejudice...." Before tweeting the side-by-side, fake before-and-after abortion photos, Silverman had tweeted the first photo to show her stomach after eating a burrito, according to the New York Daily News. BRAZIL BROADENS ABORTION LAW -- Brazil's highest court has decided to permit abortion in the case of an unborn baby who has no brain. The Supreme Federal Tribunal voted 8-2 April 12 to expand exceptions to the country's abortion ban to include anencephalic children, the Associated Press reported. A baby with anencephaly develops without a brain, although he usually has a brain stem. If a child is born with the condition, he normally survives a few hours or days. "Eugenic abortion further erodes respect not only for human dignity in general but the dignity of the disabled in particular," said Piero Tozzi, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. "Protecting the innocent is a chief duty of the legislature, and the court was wrong to overstep its authority and tear down the protections long ago established by Brazil's lawmakers -- protections that are consistent with the pro-life views of most Brazilians." Abortion is otherwise prohibited in Brazil except in cases of a threat to the mother's life and rape. PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINIC MIMICKS 40 DAYS FOR LIFE -- A Planned Parenthood clinic in Eureka, Calif., has initiated a 40-day prayer effort for abortion providers and abortion-minded women -- but not unborn children. Six Rivers Planned Parenthood is sponsoring "40 Days of Prayer: Supporting Women Everywhere," with the support of Humboldt County Clergy for Choice, an official committee of the affiliate. The campaign began March 18 and will conclude April 27. The effort includes a prayer guide written by Faith Aloud, a pro-choice organization, for each of the 40 days. The campaign stands in stark contrast to 40 Days for Life, which concluded its largest spring campaign so far April 1. During those 40 days, the staff received reports of 876 unborn children being saved from abortion. The 40 Days for Life efforts -- which expanded from regional to national, then international, campaigns in 2007 -- focus on peaceful, pro-life prayer vigils outside abortion clinics. The campaign's volunteers also seek to minister to women seeking abortions, as well as abortion clinic workers. "It's disappointing that Planned Parenthood has exploited clergy and churches in their efforts to promote abortion," 40 Days for Life National Director David Bereit told CitizenLink.com. "And it's disappointing that they try to wrap it up in prayer. "This just underscores the importance of praying for God to intercede in saving the lives of innocent, unborn children at risk of abortion, as well as for their mothers at risk of making a decision that comes with a lifetime of regrets." VT. SENATE REJECTS ASSISTED SUICIDE EFFORT -- The Vermont Senate has turned back an effort to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Supporters of assisted suicide failed April 12 to garner the votes needed to suspend Senate rules in order to consider the proposal as an amendment, according to the Burlington (Vt.) Free Press. They needed 22 votes, or a three-fourths majority, but gained only 11. Eighteen senators voted against suspending the rules. The measure would have enabled people considered to have fewer than six months to live the legal right to request a lethal drug dosage. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Erin Roach and Washington bureau chief Tom Strode. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Anti-bullying bills & sexual politics By Kelly Boggs Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37656 ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- The word bully, according to the "Concise Oxford English Dictionary," is defined as a person or persons who "intimidate or persecute (someone weaker)." Though the practice has likely been around since the beginning of mankind's existence, the advent of the Internet and proliferation of social media has given bullies new and innovative ways to torment their victims. Situations have occurred where the bullying was so relentless and intense that victims were driven to commit suicide, a practice that is now referred to as "bullycide." "Bully," a documentary by Lee Hirsch that calls attention to the harsh reality of bullying, is currently showing in select theaters in the United States. The film focuses on students victimized by bullies and the families of children who committed suicide in response to being bullied. Though the motives for bullying are varied, they are irrelevant. It is a cowardly and despicable behavior that should never, ever be tolerated for any reason. That said, some lifestyle activists are taking advantage of the bully problem to push an agenda. In Louisiana, House Bill 407 was recently debated before the House Education Committee. The legislation sought to deal with "harassment, intimidation, and bullying in public schools." The scope of the law also included "cyber-bullying." While the bill was touted as seeking to deal with bullying in broad general terms, there are reasons that indicate the legislation was really about focusing only on gay students. Bullying, the bill said, would be prohibited based on "race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, exceptionalities, physical disability, intellectual disability, developmental disability, mental illness or emotional health disorder, language ability, sexual orientation, physical characteristic, gender identity, gender expression, political ideas or affiliations, socioeconomic status, or association with other identified by such characteristics." HB 407 attempted to identify the many reasons a student in a public school might be bullied, but even the bill itself admits there could be other reasons for bullying by prefacing the list with "including but not limited to ... " If the enumerated list was not exhaustive, why not use broader language that would include all bullying? Or, why not simply state that bullying will not be tolerated in any shape, form or fashion? Testimony was given that stated the enumerated list was needed to help teachers. More than one person indicated that currently teachers are unable to recognize bullying when it is taking place. The bill defined bullying clearly enough, calling it "any fear-inducing, threatening, or abusive gesture or written, verbal or physical act including audio-visual forms of expression." The actual intent of the bill came to light when Rep. Jeff Thompson (R), from Bossier City, La., moved to amend the bill and remove the list enumerating the motives for bullying. His amendment also stipulated four hours of training be required of teachers in order to help them indentify bullying behavior. "Bullying is an act, not a motive," Thompson said. "I don't care why you are bullying, it should stop." When Thompson's amendment passed the committee by a vote of 10 to 5, Democratic Rep. Pat Smith chose to defer her legislation. "Rather than you degrade a bill that was meant for the safety of children, which is what you've just done," Smith told the committee, "I am pulling the bill." Even though Thompson's amendment made the bill more comprehensive, in essence saying that bullying in any shape, form of fashion will not be tolerated and stipulated that training would be required of teachers, Smith pulled the bill. Why? Because the enumerated list that contained the language of sexual politics was stripped. Bullying is wrong. No child should be bullied for any reason. Teachers should stop it when they encounter it. If a teacher does not, or worse yet if a teacher participates in bullying, he or she should be fired. However, using bullying bills to push the agenda of sexual politics in public schools is just as wrong. HB 407, as amended by the Louisiana's House Education Committee would have been a tool that could have been used to help address the issue of bullying in public schools. However, because the legislation was stripped of the language of sexual politics, the bill's author pulled it. Bullying is a tragic reality in our society. However, it is made even more tragic when lifestyle activists seek to use it as cover to push their agenda of sexual politics. --30-- Kelly Boggs is a weekly columnist for Baptist Press, director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention's office of public affairs, and editor of the Baptist Message www.baptistmessage.com, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Mirando a lo que tengo By Óscar J. Fernández Apr. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37650 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] NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Cuando llegué a los Estados Unidos de América, tropecé con una realidad muy diferente a la que había imaginado por lo que había visto en las películas de Hollywood y leído en algunas revistas que habían llegado a mis manos en Cuba, país en el que cualquier publicación estadounidense era considerada como "Propaganda del Enemigo" por lo que podrá imaginar que era muy difícil leer algo publicado aquí. En mis primeras peripecias para solicitar asilo político conocí a un señor que aunque no era rico, tenía un floreciente negocio valorado en varios millones de dólares. Con el tiempo nos hicimos amigos y se convirtió en uno de los más fieles sostenedores del ministerio que desarrollamos posteriormente en la ciudad de Albuquerque, en New Mexico. Un día le pregunté: "Dago, ¿si yo te pidiera que me dieras un consejo que me ayudara a entender mejor a esta sociedad, cuál consejo tu me darías?" Sin pensarlo me respondió: Siempre gasta menos de lo que ganes. Y añadió: ¡Esa es la clave del éxito! Y añadió: En este país, no importan cuánto tú ganes, siempre tendrás la oportunidad de gastar más y esa es la fórmula para el fracaso. Mi amigo tenía razón. Durante los años que he vivido aquí he visto que esa es en realidad una fórmula para el desastre. Siempre le estaré agradecido a este amigo pues desde el principio me ayudó a adoptar ese principio. Nunca he tenido cuentas pendientes, otras que la casa en la que vivo y por muchos años el auto que manejaba. Soy aficionado a los autos desde que era niño. En Cuba no tuve oportunidad de cambiar de auto con frecuencia, pero ¿se imagina cuando llegué a este país? He tenido muchos autos y claro está las facturas para pagarlos, pero jamás he gastado más de lo que gano, ni siquiera cuando trabajaba con un salario de $4.25 la hora. Eso me ha dado una posición financiera estable, independientemente de mis ingresos. En la Biblia dice en Proverbios 21.20 "Tesoro precioso y aceite hay en la casa del sabio; Mas el hombre insensato todo lo disipa". Desafortunadamente, he conocido a muchos insensatos. ¿Ha conocido personas que gastan el aumento que recibirán, antes de haberlo recibido? Es decir, antes de tener, ya planificaron cómo gastarán. He visto a muchas personas hundirse en la crisis económica que estamos enfrentando, por haber tenido una mala administración. Simplemente por gastar más de lo que se tiene. Por comprar la casa que no se puede pagar. Por querer manejar el auto que no se puede mantener. Por desear vestir la ropa que no se puede comprar. Y en definitiva, vivir vanidosamente en un mundo irreal que no les pertenece. ¿Conoce a alguien que quiere estrenarse una ropa nueva cada semana para ir a la iglesia? ¿A quién quieren impresionar? ¿A Dios? ¿Qué tratan de aparentar? ¿Sabía que el afán por comprar se convierte en un vicio, que es una enfermedad y es en definitiva un pecado? Tal vez se esté preguntando a dónde pretendo ir. Pues le diré: Yo no soy un ejemplo en nada. El aspecto financiero no es una excepción. Pero hay dos principios que he aplicado rigurosamente desde que llegué a los Estados Unidos y Dios me ha bendecido de una manera que usted no pudiera imaginar. Primero: Nunca he gastado más de lo que he recibido, ni siquiera lo mismo, siempre he tratado, de por lo menos, gastar un dólar menos. Segundo de todo cuanto he recibido, aun antes de tener un trabajo fijo, antes de hacer cualquier otra cosa, he separado mi diezmo y lo he entregado a la iglesia. Hay muchas justificaciones para no devolverle a Dios parte de lo que es de Él que van desde el enjuiciamiento al pastor y a los líderes de la iglesia, el tamaño del edificio del templo, las necesidades de los pobres, los niños africanos, las mujeres maltratadas y la lista llega al infinito. La verdad es que los que no dan, simplemente están equivocados y en segundo lugar, son unos egoístas. Hace unos años en nuestra iglesia se hizo una gran campaña para llamar la atención hacia la mayordomía, no solo del dinero sino del tiempo y los talentos. Se imprimieron unos sticky notes que tenían impreso un letrero que decía: "Es de Él." Y nuestro pastor cada semana alentaba a que tomáramos aquellos papelitos y los fijáramos a aquellas cosas a las cuales nos sentíamos más apegados, como un recordatorio de que en realidad, pertenecían a Dios. Lo que más me llamó la atención en aquella campaña fue cómo, algunas personas le colocaban el papelito a las propiedades de otros para recordarles que eran de Dios, lo cual es una verdad, pero no le ponían papelitos a las "propiedades" de ellos, incluyendo la billetera o la libreta de cheques. ¿Conoce personas que no contribuyen regularmente a la iglesia? Yo conozco a muchas y conozco a algunas que si han contribuido unas pocas veces, ha sido por puro milagro. Lamentablemente, ninguna de estas personas está en una mala posición económica. Gastan mucho dinero, y lo gastan en deleites. Claro que siempre tienen justificaciones. Son a los que se les llama en Proverbios insensatos. Pido a Dios que esta pobre gente, y no pobres en el aspecto económico, algún día llegue a darse cuenta que Dios no necesita nuestro dinero. Somos nosotros los que necesitamos mostrarle a Dios que estamos agradecidos con lo que Él no ha dado. Si no lo hacemos, es porque simplemente, somos mal agradecidos y queremos más, aunque no lo confesemos. --30-- Óscar J. Fernández es Senior Editorial Project Leader para Multi-language Publishing, en LifeWay Church Resources Division, LifeWay Christian Resources en Nashville, TN, es además escritor independiente y estudioso de la Biblia. Su blog http://estudiandolabibliaconoscar.blogspot.com tiene seguidores en 45 países. -- 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