Baptist Press Stories for Apr. 23 2012 --------------------------------------- Walk-through tabernacle replica in Israel reflects atonement http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37658 Colson, felon-turned-evangelical leader, dies http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37661 SBC leaders say Colson was evangelical 'giant' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37659 Gay issue major theme of CBF-sponsored conf. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37666 NYC church policy challenged in court filing http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37665 Hopeful signs noted for immigration reform http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37660 Voice of Martyrs stunned by leader's death http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37663 Jason Crabb wins top honors at Doves http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37668 BP Ledger, April 23 edition http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37662 FIRST-PERSON: Chuck Colson taught me how to think http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37664 FIRST-PERSON: Chuck Colson -- God's man in the arena http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37667 --------------------------------------- Walk-through tabernacle replica in Israel reflects atonement By Ava Thomas Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37658 EILAT, Israel (BP) -- As the little girl stepped forward to pull back the ornate curtain, her eyes widened. "Are we going to die?" she asked.
She and hundreds of other Jewish children take it seriously when they enter the Holy of Holies at the tabernacle in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city. "It's so real to these kids, and interactive," said Josh, who helps with the full-size replica along with his wife Sarah. (Note: Workers at the site have asked that only their first names be used in this article.) "Children in Israel study the tabernacle in school," Josh noted, "and they bring their tape measures here with them so that they can make sure this one is the size it's supposed to be." And it is. The walk-through model of the tabernacle -- which gets about 15,000 visitors a year -- is made to the stipulations listed in Scripture, Josh said. It wows the kids, but it's not just for children, nor just for Jews, said Herb, a Southern Baptist representative living in Israel. And to dispel what some might think, he said, it's anything but boring. "When people read the Bible, they often get to the details of the tabernacle and think, 'Boring!' For many people, it's the driest part to read," Herb said. "But it really is exciting when you get into the details. It lays the foundation for our history of faith." That's why he and others decided to bring the tabernacle replica to Eilat, Israel, from Germany in 2000 -- so that people could see that foundation for themselves. "Without recognizing His dwelling presence in the camp," Herb said of the wilderness account from the book of Exodus, "how could we understand His dwelling presence in our lives? This is something we need to be able to see." The tabernacle screams out the message of atonement, Sarah said. "How many kids in the U.S. have learned about the details of the tabernacle in Sunday School? Not many. But the sacrifices that happened at the tabernacle were the first way God gave His people for atonement," she said. The tabernacle replica is a picture of reconciliation in more ways than one, said Yohannus Vogel of the Bible Center, a Bible school in Breckerfeld, Germany. The German school chose to build the 23-ton tabernacle model to show Israel honor on the occasion of the school's 30th anniversary in 1986, Vogel said. Built on the school's campus, the tabernacle had 15,000 visitors in its first two months. Thirty of them decided to follow Jesus Christ as Savior. "We prayed and prayed over the project, and it had a great start. Many visitors had an intense response to the tabernacle," Vogel recounted. Students manned it and gave tours seven days a week, and some time later the school decided to send it on tour around Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. "It had 500,000 visitors in all, but afterward it ended up in storage," Vogel said. "We were thinking over it and knew that God hadn't intended for it to end up in boxes." And that's when he got a call from Herb asking if he could rent the replica and put it in Israel. The same week, Vogel got a call from someone who had space for it in southern Israel, near where the Israelites passed through with the tabernacle on their way to the Promised Land. "In one week, two people with the same burden of their heart called me in Germany about the same tabernacle," Vogel said. "One had the money to move it but not the land, and the other had the land and not the money." It was a divine appointment, he said, and in 2000 the tabernacle found its home in Eilat. "Our vision for the tabernacle in Eilat is for people to get a vision for the Word of God," Josh said. "We don't want them to think, 'Wow, what a pretty picture,' as much as we want them to think, 'Wow, I want to go read God's Word!'" As you walk through the details of the tabernacle and see it come to life, the message of redemption becomes vibrant, Sarah said. And the way it points to Christ becomes evident to those who are open to seeing it, she explained. "When people ask questions, we say, 'Go back and read the Bible for yourselves,'" Sarah said. "If they go home and even open their Bible, that's a huge step." --30-- Ava Thomas is a writer/editor for Baptist Press based in Europe. -- End of story -- Colson, felon-turned-evangelical leader, dies By Emily Belz Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37661 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Former Watergate felon turned evangelical leader and Prison Fellowship founder Charles W. "Chuck" Colson, 80, died Saturday (April 21) in Fairfax, Va. He had suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage in his brain in late March and was hospitalized ever since. "Though we mourn the loss of a great leader, we rejoice knowing God has welcomed his humble and faithful servant home," said Prison Fellowship CEO Jim Liske in a statement. "Please continue to pray for the entire Colson family. While we all deeply feel this loss, we take heart knowing God has welcomed Chuck into paradise with a 'well done, good and faithful servant!'"
Colson started his career as a hard-nosed political operative in the Nixon White House, where Richard Nixon once told him to "break all the [expletive] china" to get the job as counsel to the president done. That led to a conviction in the Watergate proceedings for obstruction of justice -- and a seven-month sentence served out at a federal prison in Alabama. In the midst of the historic scandal, which led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, Colson's self-assurance and religious apathy broke after a Christian businessman friend, Tom Phillips, prayed for him. Phillips read to him from C.S. Lewis' “Mere Christianity,” a passage Colson later said led to his conversion. At the time, many doubted the sincerity of Nixon's "hatchet man." Wrote one columnist, "If he isn't embarrassed by this sudden excess of piety, then surely the Lord must be." Upon his release from jail, Colson decided to start a prison ministry. Prison Fellowship's logo since shortly after the group's founding in 1976 has featured a bent reed, referencing Isaiah 42:3: "A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." That reflected Colson's belief that no one -- not the most hardened criminal nor the most egotistical Washingtonian -- was beyond hope. "A lot of people falsely accuse Chuck of being overly political -- but Chuck's whole emphasis has been to say that the root problem is a spiritual problem," said Timothy George, a close friend of Colson's and dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. George, who for many years co-wrote a column with Colson for Christianity Today and serves on the Prison Fellowship board, added, "He was an evangelist at his deepest heart ... but he realized that preaching the Gospel is not just dropping tracts from a blimp." Today Prison Fellowship is at work in most U.S. prisons and in more than 115 countries around the world. The ministry helped to launch Justice Fellowship, an advocacy arm for criminal reform, as well as Colson's career as an evangelical leader, an author of more than 20 books, and the lead commentator for Breakpoint, a radio program with an estimated 8 million weekly listeners. A Southern Baptist and member of First Baptist Church in Naples, Fla., Colson remained politically and theologically conservative his whole life, but Prison Fellowship gained a reputation for working with both Republicans and Democrats for criminal justice reforms focused on transitioning prisoners into society. "Chuck Colson was a towering intellect who already has a high-impact place in history as a courageous reformer," said his pastor at FBC in Naples, Hayes Wicker. "He was an exemplary Christian, faithful churchman and the most precious encourager possible of my ministry. He is deeply loved by his church, First Baptist Naples, and will be greatly missed. As his pastor for 20 years, I feel that his 'iron has sharpened' my balsam wood. Like his Savior, he was 'anointed by the Spirit to preach the gospel and proclaim release to the prisoners.'" Colson also gained a reputation for working across theological aisles, helping to launch the 1994 Evangelicals and Catholics Together initiative and becoming co-author of the 2010 Manhattan Declaration, a statement on conscience and marriage endorsed by a broad spectrum of Christian leaders and now with more than a half-million signatures. Colson showed that smart people could be Christians, said Eric Metaxas, the author of bestselling biographies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Wilberforce who read Colson's books after becoming a Christian following his years as at student at Yale University. "A brilliant legal mind, worked for senators and the president of the United States -- he was a huge encouragement to me as a Christian, that the life of the mind went hand in hand with his faith," Metaxas said. "He was for me the example." Metaxas worked for Breakpoint earlier in his career, before he went on to write for the children's cartoon series VeggieTales and became a bestselling author. Over the years Metaxas and Colson developed a warm relationship, and Metaxas introduced Colson for what would be his final speech March 30 at the Wilberforce Weekend Conference hosted by the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview in northern Virginia. David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., which has a chair named for Colson -- the Charles Colson Chair of Faith and Culture -- said Colson's impact was monumental. "His writings taught us how to think Christianly, how to engage the culture, how to give a reason for the hope of the Christian faith," Dockery said. "His heart, formed by his own life experience and dramatic conversion, touched many who had lost hope through the years. His love for the Gospel, demonstrated in his vision for Prison Fellowship and so many other ministries, radiated for all to see." Colson fell ill during his March 30 speech and paramedics examined him before airlifting him to Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church, Va.), where he underwent surgery to remove a pool of clotted blood from the surface of his brain the following day. Colson remained in critical condition in the weeks following surgery, but colleagues were optimistic about his recovery, as he showed signs of apparent consciousness and improvement. The sudden incapacitation meant that Colson missed -- for the first time in 34 years -- spending Easter Sunday in a prison among inmates. Instead, inmates at Sing Sing and Riker's Island prisons in New York, where he was scheduled to preach, sent get well cards to him. With Colson in critical condition, Metaxas had been sitting in for Colson as host of Breakpoint and said he would continue Colson's call to the church to stand firm against the current threats to religious freedom. "He's not trying to impress anybody," Metaxas said. "He has completely avoided being merely political. And he has completely avoided the taint of the televangelist stuff. He's been his own man. He's been God's man." Before he fell ill and had to end his speech, Colson urged the church to renew a dying culture, one of his recent themes. He eviscerated the contraceptive mandate as one expression of hostility to the church, but called for a spiritual response to that hostility. "Elections can't solve the problem we've got," Colson said. "The problem we've got is that our culture has been decaying from inside for 30 or 40 years. And politics is nothing but an expression of culture. ... "So it comes right back to us," he continued. "Look in the mirror, that's where the problem is. If we can, through the church, renew the church to really bring a healthy cultural influence, then there's some hope we can be changed. ... This is a moment when the time is right for a movement of God's people under the power of the Holy Spirit to begin to impact the culture we live in. Desperately needed." Colson is survived by his wife Patty, three children and five grandchildren. --30-- Emily Belz writes for World Magazine (WorldMag.com), where this story first appeared on the Internet. With additional reporting by Baptist Press. Used by permission. -- End of story -- SBC leaders say Colson was evangelical 'giant' By Staff Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37659 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Leaders throughout the Southern Baptist Convention say Chuck Colson's death was a loss for evangelicalism and that his life -- particularly his ministry in prisons -- had a great eternal impact. Following is a sampling of their comments: -- Hayes Wicker, pastor of First Baptist Church in Naples, Fla., where Chuck Colson was a member: "Chuck Colson was a towering intellect who already has a high-impact place in history as a courageous reformer. He was an exemplary Christian, faithful churchman and the most precious encourager possible of my ministry. He is deeply loved by his church, First Baptist Naples, and will be greatly missed. As his pastor for 20 years, I feel that his 'iron has sharpened' my balsam wood. Like his Savior, he was 'anointed by the Spirit to preach the gospel and proclaim release to the prisoners.'" -- Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission: "Chuck Colson was a giant among evangelicals. If there were an evangelical Mount Rushmore, Chuck Colson would be on it. In many ways Chuck was like the Apostle Paul, a man completely changed by his Damascus Road experience with Jesus. Those of us who only knew Chuck this side of his conversion experience found the description of him as ruthless and a political 'dirty trickster' incomprehensible. What a gracious, humble, caring, servant of God Chuck was. I cannot think of a better advertisement for the Christian faith than Chuck Colson. While he has gone to a far better place, we mourn our loss of him. Eighty years of Chuck Colson was not enough. We still needed his gifts and spirit for the kingdom of God here." -- Bryant Wright, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga.: "It is sad news that Chuck Colson will no longer be with us, but what joy for him to be in the presence of our Lord. The testimony of his life, the ministry to those in prison, and the books he has written have been such a great inspiration to me personally and to countless millions. He has been one of my heroes in the faith, and it was such a privilege to be in a meeting he had called for Christian leaders around America the afternoon before he fell ill. He was passionate about the work of Christ's Kingdom in calling our nation back to God. Oh, how he will be missed. What a contribution he has made. May his fellow Southern Baptist Christians join in praying for his family and his ministry in these days." -- Frank Page, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention: "To hear of the death of Chuck Colson is a sad moment for all of evangelical Christianity as we have lost a true giant of the faith. He is one of but a few men that I put in the same category with Billy Graham. It is also a personal loss to me. He was very kind to me since first getting to know him in 2006. We shall mourn his loss but know that heaven has experienced a great gain." -- David Dockery, president of Union University, where the Charles Colson Chair of Faith and Culture resides: "His statesmanship served as a model for Christians across denominational lines. His writings taught us how to think Christianly, how to engage the culture, how to give a reason for the hope of the Christian faith. His heart, formed by his own life experience and dramatic conversion, touched many who had lost hope through the years. His love for the Gospel, demonstrated in his vision for Prison Fellowship and so many other ministries, radiated for all to see." -- Billy Graham: "For more than 35 years, Chuck Colson, a former prisoner himself, has had a tremendous ministry reaching into prisons and jails with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I get to Heaven and see Chuck again, I believe I will also see many, many people there whose lives have been transformed because of the message he shared with them. He will be greatly missed by many, including me. I count it a privilege to have called him friend." --30-- Compiled by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. -- End of story -- Gay issue major theme of CBF-sponsored conf. By Andrew Walker Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37666 DECATUR, Ga. (BP) -- Despite conference organizers' best attempts to keep the Baptist Conference on Sexuality & Covenant focused on broader issues April 19-21, the conversation often centered on the topic of homosexuality. [IMG=32213@right@130]The April 19-21 event was co-sponsored by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which is an association of Baptist churches organized nearly 20 years ago in protest of the Southern Baptist Convention's return to conservative doctrine. The other co-sponsor was the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. Two speakers, who incidentally are both friends and attended Truett Theological Seminary together, reached different conclusions on the topic of homosexuality. Melissa Browning, an ethicist and adjunct professor at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer, focused her plenary address on ancient and contemporary sexual attitudes. Focusing on "embodied theology," Browning emphasized that experience plays an important part in sexual ethics. "When we do theology from the body we not only remember our physical bodies, but the bodies of those around us, others in our community, the body of Christ," Browning said. "We might ask the same question asked in a recent workshop at a CBF General Assembly, 'How is God calling us to be the presence of Christ among people with same-sex orientation?' Yet when we ask the question, we remember that 'we' who are Christians are gay and straight, young and old, rich and poor, marginalized and mainlined. We might instead ask the question of how God is calling those with same-sex orientation to be the presence of Christ to us. How might our gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer sisters and brothers be teaching us to finally accept sex as grace and gift?" Lamenting the patriarchal context of the New Testament, Browning called on attendees to recognize that "in the world of the Bible, there was simply no concept of loving, committed, same-sex couples." Coleman Fannin, a lecturer at Baylor University, was the lone openly dissenting voice on the conference's discussions regarding homosexuality. Fannin expressed concern for the conference, noting a "strong current flowing in this direction among moderate Baptists." "I am convinced," Fannin said, "that the church's traditional teachings are basically correct and that although sexual desire is determined by a combination of genetics and environment, sexual behavior is rightly directed toward two equally valid ideals: celibacy and heterosexual marriage." He continued, "I am reluctant to discuss homosexuality in particular because doing so only seems to cause more pain and conflict." Later, he added, "Given the fragmented state of moderate Baptist life, it is difficult to imagine that they can avoid the impasse reached by every other denomination that has addressed the subject." Fannin warned moderate Baptists from taking their emphasis on democratic autonomy as an absolute, indicating that such an absolute is a crisis that is "fundamentally ecclesiological." "[I]f this remains Baptists' normative conviction, then their ethics, including their sexual ethics, are in peril," he said. The fallout of the conference is uncertain. But those in attendance said the conference, in the least, laid the intellectual firmament necessary for pro-LGBT advocates to gain momentum within the CBF. Conference organizers were careful to note that presentations were not to be interpreted as being a CBF endorsement. The audience's enthusiasm on controversial subjects like homosexuality often gained the loudest and most audible approval during the addresses. GUSHEE EMPHASIZES 'COVENANT' David Gushee, one of the conference's organizers and a professor of Christian ethics at McAfee, spoke passionately and forcefully on the topic of "covenant" in his address. Using his own parents as a model of covenantal faithfulness, Gushee noted, "I have thought from the beginning that the very important thing we could talk about would be the issue of covenant. I believe that covenant is a, if not the, single best way that has emerged in the Christian theological ethic-ecclesial tradition to talk about what we are supposed to with our sexuality, and for that matter, our relationality." He issued a sobering call to all churches to embrace "covenant" as an ethical norm. "I am firmly convinced that the greatest challenge facing the Christian/Baptist family at this time is nurturing more Christians who have the confidence, and the willingness, and the capacity, to make and keep such covenantal promises." Later, Gushee said that "the Left-Right differences have not made much of a difference in preventing the divorce culture. This must change." Gushee, though, stopped short of addressing who ought to be eligible for entry into such covenants and encouraged attendees to embrace the concept of "covenant" before it disappears. "I don't think our main issue is the fierce and tedious fighting on the boundaries about which categories of people ought to be viewed as eligible to make covenants." "Focusing on covenant," Gushee said, "gives some positive normative vision that has the potential for inviting everyone into the conversation. It speaks deeply to our ecclesial problems, as well as to our marital problems." Cody Sanders, who is openly gay and a doctoral student at Brite Divinity School, chose as his topic the ways in which churches might learn about the practice of covenant from LGBT persons. Sanders would later state that the most significant "contributions that LGBT persons make to our understanding of covenant is the way in which same-sex relationships call into question standard gender norms." When Sanders mentioned that his first "official" date with his current partner was to the Bob Jones University religious art museum, his statement was met with applause and laughter from the audience. Gushee later acknowledged that homosexuality did have relevance to the conference. According to Gushee, "I share the observation that homosexuality is the most pressing sexual question of our time. You see it on the left and right. It's an odd confluence of events that have led to that. When you have people arguing fiercely over an issue, that issue seems to set the horizon for debate." SCRIPTURE NOT THE FOCUS? Plenary addresses focused less on the Scriptural witness of sexual ethics and more on connecting personal narratives to the larger themes of Scripture. When asked whether the conference lacked an emphasis on the Bible, Gushee said, "I am hearing more of an embrace of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral" -- a reference to a model that encompasses Scripture, reason, tradition and experience. "I think that's an important observation. Some of our most thoughtful leaders are functioning more with a repertoire of resources beginning with Scripture but extending to tradition, reason and experience. I think that there is an awareness in our part of the Baptist world at this time that tradition, reason, and experience are always operative when people are reading Scripture. You might call it a loss of naiveté." Gushee added, "When someone is quoting the Bible to you, saying, 'This is the Word of God' and then drawing implications, they bring to that task all kinds of stuff. They bring experience, reasoning, often which are filtered through tradition. By naming that, we're less likely to be naïve about these other sources." Asked about the skepticism that conservative Christians might have towards the conference, Gushee replied, "I believe that it cannot be wrong to invite everybody in our part in the Christian family to gather in a room and wrestle with Scripture, lived experience, lived realities, in a discernment process asking: 'What does it mean to live our sexuality in a way that honors God?' "The presupposition is that cultural changes are so profound that fewer and fewer people are successfully living out what has been considered the traditional sexual ethic." R. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., criticized the conference as a catalyst for embracing progressive sexual ethics within the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. "The CBF is in the death throes of denominational anguish over sexuality in general, and homosexuality in particular," Mohler said. "They are making clear decisions to abandon biblical authority in pursuit of endless 'conversations.'" According to Mohler, "the denominations that take a clear position on homosexuality have, in the least, the virtue of honesty. The CBF has decided not to take that approach." Daniel Vestal, the CBF's current executive coordinator who holds to more conservative opinions on sexuality, called the conference a "sincere effort to have serious and honest conversation about Christian discipleship, which includes human sexuality." Vestal rejected the claim that the conference had any specific interest in homosexuality. "While the issue is on everybody's mind, this conference is about a broad discussion within Baptist life." "The CBF is not about instructing local churches on what to believe. That difference is the genius of the CBF," he emphasized. Of the seven exhibitors at the conference, three of them were 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. Jennifer Knapp, a highly successful Christian recording artist who gained notoriety in 2010 when she admitted to being a lesbian, performed a concert. Asked about whether Knapp's presence was intended to convey a particular message, Gushee said, "We thought her story was interesting. Here is a person who grows up in the Christian community, has a successful career, disappears, and comes back. And now, claims a lesbian identity and is predictably pummeled for having done so. We wanted to encounter her as a human being, as a Christian wrestling with sexuality, and hear her story." The prevailing defense for the conference, and salve for how the CBF will move forward, was the CBF's firm commitment to local autonomy. When asked whether the growing generational support for LBGT inclusion could potentially conflict with the CBF's commitment to local autonomy, Gushee said "the conference is about resourcing churches and not reaching consensus. Conflict doesn't have to be threatening." "Each congregation will have to decide what it is going to do about behavioral standards," he said. Gushee added, "Autonomy provides some space for doing things differently. You don't have to make policy that applies to congregations. Each congregation will make its own policy. If we can help congregations do well in that process, then this conference will have been a success." --30-- Read BP's earlier story about the conference [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37651]here[/URL]. 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 -- NYC church policy challenged in court filing By Tom Strode Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37665 WASHINGTON (BP) -- The New York City ban on religious worship in public schools violates both the free exercise of religion and the prohibition on government establishment of religion, a Southern Baptist entity and other groups contend in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in federal court. [QUOTE@left@180="[T]he state has no power whatsoever to determine what constitutes 'religious worship' and 'religious worship services' and what does not." -– CLS/ERLC brief]The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission joined local and national religious organizations in the April 20 brief that urges a federal court in New York to invalidate a Board of Education policy that bars churches and other faith groups from meeting in schools. The brief, written by the Christian Legal Society, also calls on the court to permanently block the policy from being enforced. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that the ban was constitutional, affecting dozens of churches, including seven Southern Baptist congregations, that used public schools for corporate worship. Some moved their meetings to other facilities. Some have been able to continue meeting in school buildings because of a Feb. 24 ruling by federal judge Loretta Preska of the Southern District of New York, which blocked enforcement of the ban while the case proceeds. The Second Circuit upheld the injunction five days later. The appeals court, however, urged Preska to release a final ruling by mid-June. New York City's school policy infringes on the opening two clauses of the First Amendment, according to the brief signed onto by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and other organizations. Those clauses say, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The policy "is not one that feigns neutrality on its face, hiding an ulterior purpose to target religious exercise," the brief says. "The Board's policy openly and notoriously singles out 'religious worship services' for exclusion from the public space that is otherwise available for other social and civic functions." The brief contends a social function that includes the same attributes as a religious worship service -- such as singing, praying and speaking on "moral" topics -- would not violate the policy. "But once these activities are part of a religious event, they suddenly become outlawed," according to the brief. The school board rule transgresses the First Amendment's establishment clause by trying to define religious worship, the brief says. "The Board cannot get into the business of deciding what does and does not qualify as a 'religious worship service' without entangling itself in issues forbidden to its authority and without discriminating among religious organizations and beliefs," according to the brief. For the last 60 years, the U.S. Supreme Court "has repeatedly instructed that the state has no power whatsoever to determine what constitutes 'religious worship' and 'religious worship services' and what does not," the brief says. The brief also contends the use of public schools for worship does not constitute endorsement of religion when the Board of Education makes its facilities available to all groups. "The fact that more churches than mosques and synagogues use school facilities reflects simple demographics, not endorsement," according to the brief. The policy also contradicts a long-held practice in American life, the brief contends. By singling out religious groups among all community organizations, it "is inconsistent with historical practice and threatens the equal access of religious observance to public space still common in our country," the brief says. In addition to the ERLC, others signing on to the CLS brief are the National Association of Evangelicals, American Bible Society, National Council of Churches, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York, Council of Churches of the City of New York, Brooklyn Council of Churches and Queens Federation of Churches. The case is Bronx Household of Faith v. Board of Education of the City of New York. --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -- End of story -- Hopeful signs noted for immigration reform By Tom Strode Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37660 WASHINGTON (BP) -- The push for immigration reform shows some hopeful signs after years of contentious battle over the issue, panelists said during a conference on cultural renewal in Washington, D.C. "The momentum is in the right direction," Southern Baptist public policy specialist Barrett Duke said. [QUOTE@left@180="I believe we are going to see our country deal in a humane way with the question of the folks who are here illegally." –- Barrett Duke]"I believe we are going to see our country deal in a humane way with the question of the folks who are here illegally, but we do still have a lot of work to do at the grassroots level," Duke said to a group of attendees at Q 2012, an annual conference that brings together Christians to focus on cultural renewal. Evangelical Christians need to inform their members of Congress that they care about comprehensive immigration reform in addition to such issues as abortion, Duke said. "What we have to do is get enough folks in their districts and in their states to say, 'This matters also. We want you to take a position on this too, and this is the position we want you to take,'" he said. Some agreement exists between those who support comprehensive immigration reform and those who want to deport all illegal immigrants, Duke told the briefing attendees. "[T]here is some common ground when you begin to talk about the impact on folks who have been here for a long time," he said. "And I think that's a starting point ... for us to begin to talk about the question of the impact [on] people when you drive them out of, in many cases, the only place they know and the only ... situation they have where they can actually make a living." Messengers to the 2011 Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix approved a resolution on immigration reform that called for the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus while pursuing justice and compassion. The resolution urged the government to make a priority of securing the nation's borders and holding businesses accountable in their hiring. After securing the borders, the resolution also requested that public officials establish "a just and compassionate path to legal status, with appropriate restitutionary measures, for those undocumented immigrants already living in our country." The resolution specified it was not to be interpreted as supporting amnesty. Duke, at the April 12 briefing, said most Southern Baptists agree that "it is not Christian -- not to mention it is not humane -- to try to drive 10 to 12 million people out of the country." Southern Baptists "are in a very good position on this," he said. "We continue to advocate for immigration reform. We're going to be ramping up our efforts at the grassroots level as well, because it's clear nothing's going to happen in Washington, D.C., until the country demands it." Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said an interesting shift has occurred in the debate. "The story for so many years has been about the conflicts around immigration reform, about one side versus another," Noorani said during the briefing. "Now the story is, 'Okay, how do we get this solved, and how do we piece together the votes and the policy that will get a bill to the president's desk?'" He continued, "I think that conservatives are realizing that in order to compete for not only Hispanic voters but also non-Hispanic voters, they have to put forward a compassionate position on the need for immigration reform. I think your liberal politicians are realizing they just can't play politics anymore, that they have to reach across the aisle and say, 'Okay, how are we going to fix this problem?'" Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, said the politics of the issue keeps it alive for some members of Congress. "[S]ome people want to have the issue more than the result," Carey said. "So, they want to have this issue so that they can beat up on the other party and say, 'See those guys -- they hate you.' But if the problem were solved, then the issue would go away, and they don't want that either." Noorani would not totally rule out passage of immigration reform this year, "but I think the chances are pretty slim," he said. "But there's a lot of important work that needs to take place in 2012." For several years, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commmission has supported the same type of comprehensive immigration reform advocated in the 2011 convention resolution. A paper written by Duke and ERLC President Richard Land on the fundamentals of "just immigration reform" can be accessed at http://erlc.com/article/just-immigration-reform-foundational-principles. --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -- End of story -- Voice of Martyrs stunned by leader's death By Staff Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37663 [IMG=32478@left@150]BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (BP) -- "Our hearts are broken" but the Voice of the Martyrs "will continue serving with our persecuted brothers and sisters," the ministry stated after the death of its executive director in mid-April. Tom White, 64, who led VOM for more than two decades, died in what is being described as a possible suicide on the heels of a molestation investigation by local police. White was reported missing on Tuesday night, April 17. Police found his body Wednesday morning in a warehouse at VOM's headquarters in Bartlesville, Okla. Police reported that a note was found in his vehicle that suggested he was suicidal or possibly fleeing to avoid investigation into alleged molesting a juvenile female. VOM released a statement April 20 concerning White's death and the allegations. "Rather than face those allegations, and all of the resulting fallout for his family and this ministry and himself, Tom appears to have chosen to take his own life," VOM stated. "None of those in leadership at VOM, including our board of directors, were aware of these allegations at the time of Tom's death." Under White's leadership, VOM had become one of the most recognized persecution ministries. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand after both were imprisoned in communist Romania for their faith, VOM focuses on assisting believers in countries where they suffer persecution and raising awareness of their plight. White worked personally with the Wurmbrands and was imprisoned himself in Cuba. Communist troops captured him in May 1979 after the plane from which he was dropping Christian material crash-landed. A 1982 memoir detailed his year and a half imprisonment and torture at the hands of his Cuban captors and catapulted him into greater prominence in persecution ministry. VOM, in its statement, noted, "There is no doubt that Tom cared about his wife, his children and his grandchildren. And there's no doubt that he cared about VOM. We are deeply saddened by these events. Our hearts are broken. "However, the work that God has called VOM to do is bigger than any one of us. There are persecuted Christians who need our help. The legal process will go forward, and we will continue serving with our persecuted brothers and sisters. We appreciate the many who are praying for our work, and we encourage you to join us in praying for Tom's family during this difficult time." A medical examiner and local police have not yet disclosed the specific cause of White's death. The president of a fellow persecution watchdog group, Jeff King of International Christian Concern, noted in an April 23 statement: "We would like to voice our support for [VOM], which had nothing to do with the leader's scandal. We are calling for prayer for the staff, as well as any potential victims. "We greatly admire and respect VOM-USA. For 50 years, they have done great work in serving and building the persecuted church and will continue to do so," King said. --30-- Compiled by Aaron Earls, a freelance writer in Wake Forest, N.C. -- End of story -- Jason Crabb wins top honors at Doves By Staff Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37668 ATLANTA (BP) -- Jason Crabb won top honors at the 43rd annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta April 19, taking home awards for Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. The Dove Awards will air on GMC, formerly the Gospel Music Channel, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, followed by an encore at 10 p.m. [QUOTE@left@180=Jason Crabb won Dove Awards for Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year.]"When they said my name, I couldn't believe it," Crabb, who was nominated for eight Dove Awards, said, according to watchgmctv.com. College student Jamie-Grace won New Artist of the Year, and as she accepted the award she noted how much her life had changed since she attended the Georgia Homeschool Prom in the same building four years ago, watchgmctv.com recounted. Industry veteran TobyMac signed Jamie-Grace to his Gotee Records after discovering her on YouTube, the Associated Press reported. "Growin up lovin Gospel & Christian music & looking up to artists in the industry, I am blown away that I'm considered as an artist...," Jamie-Grace tweeted after the win. Natalie Grant won Female Artist of the Year for the fifth time in six years, and Grammy-winner Laura Story won Song of the Year for "Blessings" as well as two other awards. NEEDTOBREATHE won three Doves, including Group of the Year, and Ed Cash was named Producer of the Year. The awards show, hosted by comedian Chonda Pierce and actor David Mann, began with a choir dressed in red singing a spirited rendition of Dottie Rambo's "I Go To the Rock" as a tribute to Whitney Houston, who sang the song in the movie "The Preacher's Wife." Other performances included the contemporary gospel duo Mary Mary, hip-hopper Lecrae and worship artist Kari Jobe. "This is an event that has a history of bringing together people who are not only giving us a new favorite song to sing but who are anointed with a heavenly message," GMA Executive Director Jackie Patillo said. For a complete list of award winners, visit gospelmusic.org. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Erin Roach. 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 -- BP Ledger, April 23 edition By Staff Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37662 EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger includes items from: SBC of Virginia Judson College Campbellsville University Kentucky Baptist Convention SBC's 2nd VP sees bright future By Brandon Pickett and Amanda Sullivan NORFOLK, Va (SBC of Virginia) -- The nomination came as a surprise; the responsibility and vision were clear. Eric Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Church of Norfolk, was recently named second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in June 2011. "I was extremely surprised. It was not one of those things that I had thought about being at all," said Thomas, whose church is part of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (SBC of Virginia). "Denominational offices like that [are] just not my sweet spot," shared Thomas, who accepted the nomination and role because "I was approached and out of respect for the guys that approached me and really out of a love for [SBC President] Bryant Wright." Thomas's vision for SBC includes uniting the generations in a more cohesive manner -- to update the current model. "There's always been some level of divide within the convention from my perspective," Thomas said. "But our passion for the cause of Christ remains the same, and if we can ever bring those two things together -- if we can continue to work and navigate and evaluate and be honest with each other -- I think we can accomplish together and move beyond the divide that we see." Thomas explained that, in conjunction with the generational divide, some pastors believe that the SBC has too many layers. "The challenge with the layers," shared Thomas, is that, "[for example,] our church being 200 years old -- it has layers, and the longer an organization exists, the deeper those layers can become. The challenge with that is that sometimes you feed the bureaucracy rather than accomplish the mission, and new generations come along and don't see the connection between the bureaucracy that we have and the fulfillment of the mission." Thomas recognizes that one of the goals of the SBC's Great Commission Resurgence is to "look underneath the layers of our organizational structure." He believes that reformulating the organizational structure will allow the SBC to "fulfill the mission"—the Great Commission. "The SBC of Virginia is really a model for me in how we can strip away a lot of the layers and really focus in on certain key things as a state convention and accomplish what we want to accomplish." Other issues on Thomas' mind are tithing, baptisms, and big church budgets -- concepts that Thomas believes tend to further the divide between generations. "We're not trying to get [just] 10 percent; we're trying to see 100,000 more baptized," Thomas said. "We've got to talk about changed and transformed lives. Until we do that, we're just talking about numbers and money, and that's just not going to inspire." "Especially, one of the things I notice in the generation coming up behind me -- they're not inspired by big budgets," Thomas said. "They're inspired by changed lives.... They want to hear the story." According to Thomas, although the convention has some obstacles to overcome, it also possesses great potential in opportunities. "I think the biggest opportunity we have is continuing the pursuit of planting more churches and really make inroads into this millennial generation that is coming up. The millennial generation is that future that we have and, if we give ourselves passionately to reach that generation, I think we'll see a bright future for the Southern Baptist Convention." --30-- Brandon Pickett is director of media services for the SBC of Virginia. Amanda Sullivan is a writer for Innovative Faith Resources. ********** Judson Founder, Gen. Edwin D. King, Honored at College By Michael J. Brooks MARION, Ala. (Judson College)--Descendents of Gen. Edwin Davis King met on the campus of Judson College on April 4 to witness the unveiling of the college's newly-restored portrait of King. King was one of three primary founders of Judson, along with Dr. Milo P. Jewett and Julia Tarrant Barron, according to Frances Dew Hamilton and Elizabeth Crabtree Wells, authors of the 1988 college history, "Daughters of the Dream." Judy Martin, assistant to the college president, noted that the painting was made by King's daughter, Margaret Eliza, and was finished in 1876, 14 years after King's death. "The painting had deteriorated over the years," Martin said. "We took it to a restorer in Nashville who immediately saw the value of the work. She told us it was obvious this wasn't Margaret's first work, and that the painting was 'excellent' and 'worthy of restoration.'" The restoration coincides with the college's 175th anniversary next year. King, a Georgia native, served in the Georgia Militia and was wounded in a battle with Creek Indians in 1813. He attained the rank of major and fought with Gen. Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. King later received the rank of major general in the Alabama Militia. King moved to Perry County in Alabama in 1816. He became a Marion businessman, plantation owner, trustee at the University of Alabama and, as a Baptist layman, an early supporter of a Baptist school for women in the city. UA president Basil Manly and Tuscaloosa pastor James H. DeVotie introduced educator Milo Jewett to King and this partnership brought about the founding of the Judson Female Institute in 1838. King served as trustee chair for the new school. The first class of nine students included two of King's daughters, Margaret and Maria Louisa, his granddaughter and a niece. King also assisted in the 1841 founding of Howard College in Marion, now known as Samford University and located in Birmingham. King offered his financial interest in Judson to the Alabama Baptist Convention in 1842 and the college began its long association with Alabama Baptists in 1844. King also loaned his office for the printing and distribution "The Alabama Baptist" newspaper that was published in Marin from 1843-1852. Jewett served as the first editor. The original office building, adjacent to Marion Presbyterian Church, was moved to the Judson campus in 1997. King died in 1862. He and his son, Porter who had been a local judge and Judson trustee, are buried in the Marion City Cemetery. An early Baptist history by B.H. Riley noted, "It is not too much to say that the denomination of the state is more indebted to Gen. E.D. King for the successful establishment and maintenance of its two schools than to any other. It is gravely doubted that they could ever have been successfully organized and maintained, through their shifting fortunes, but for the clear judgment and liberal purse of General King." Members of the King family who attended the unveiling toured the Judson campus, the King home on Clay Street in Marion and the burial site before having lunch with Judson president Dr. David Potts. "No single family in the history of the college has had more to do with the founding and keeping of Judson as Gen. King and his descendants," Potts said at the portrait's unveiling. --30-- Michael J. Brooks is Professor of Communications and assistant to the President for Public Relations at Judson College. ********** KBC Strategist Co-Authors Church Growth Book By Dannah Prather LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Kentucky Baptist Convention) -- Kentucky Baptist Convention Church Development Strategist Mike James has co-authored a book with Southern Baptist leader Ken Hemphill on how congregations can better serve new members. "V.E.L.C.R.O. Church," published by Auxano Press, is a Bible study that guides church leaders and members as they welcome guests, build relationships with them and help them become, and remain, active members of the congregation. Using the name of the popular product as an acrostic, V.E.L.C.R.O. Church explores how congregations can value every person, engage them in genuine friendship, lead them to Christ by sharing the gospel message, connect them to the church family, recognize the importance of deep, caring relationships among believers, and organize a small-group network in the church to continue to minister to each person's individual needs. "We want people to be 'velcroed,' glued in, to the church in a meaningful way," James said, noting that too many new church members fail to "plug in" to the congregational family and eventually drift away. The church "is more like (non-stick) Teflon than Velcro," he said. Hemphill is former national strategist for the Empowering Kingdom Growth initiative for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. He is founding director of the Center for Church Planting and Revitalization at North Greenville University in Tigerville, S.C. This is the second book on which James and Hemphill have collaborated. The first was an apologetics study, "Life Answers," which is expected to have a second printing sometime this year. James served on the staff of First Baptist Church of Norfolk, Va., for eight years when Hemphill was pastor. "Ken is one of my mentors," James said. A native of Stanford, James is a KBC church development strategist, helping congregations specifically in the South Central region of the commonwealth find new ways to share Christ in their communities and disciple new believers. James also coordinates KBC's discipleship ministries with an emphasis on equipping churches to better inspire new members, and new Christians, to become involved in the life of the local church. He also is a regular contributor to the KBC discipleship blog, www.28nineteen.com. Several state/regional Baptist conventions have purchased V.E.L.C.R.O. Church and James has been invited to help train Baptist leaders in California and Montana on the study. "I hope God will use (the book) as a tool so churches can help new believers develop a meaningful, lifelong, growing relationship with Christ and His people," he said. V.E.L.C.R.O. Church is available for purchase at www.auxanopress.com and LifeWay Christian Resources. Free teaching resources for the study are available for download from the Auxano Press site. The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit the KBC website at www.kybaptist.org become a fan of "Kentucky Baptist Convention" on Facebook or follow "kentuckybaptist" on Twitter. --30-- Dannah Prather is a marketing and media relations associate for the Kentucky Baptist Convention News. ********** Campbellsville University Christian Coaching class hosts Lincoln Village for basketball clinic By Sarah Ames CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (Campbellsville University)--Twelve young men from the Lincoln Village Detention Center visited Campbellsville University for a basketball clinic on Wednesday, April 10. Dr. G. Ted Taylor's Christian Coaching class hosted a Gospel-driven basketball clinic for the 12 juveniles in the Powell Athletic Center. The clinic included skill stations and team building activities, as well as lunch and a devotion. Mike Smith, recreational director at Lincoln Village and a CU student, said, "We had these 12 young men who had to be on good behavior all week in order to come." Because of their good behavior, the young men were allowed the outing to CU. "We were pleased to once again host these young men and their supervisors from Lincoln Village," said John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president. "The class, taught by Dr. Ted Taylor and assisted by Logan Hazelwood, initiated this partnership once again, and it afforded all involved with a good opportunity for ministry, fellowship, and sports involvement. This was a positive experience for all involved." Taylor's class hosts Lincoln Village once per semester. The Lincoln Village men played a double-elimination tournament after being divided into four teams. Individuals who won the titles of Most Valuable Player, Champion of Character and Mr. Hustle received signed basketballs from the CU Tiger basketball team, presented by assistant basketball coach, Justin Watson. Team champions were also given championship T-shirts, and all participants were presented with a Bible signed by the students of the Christian Coaching class. Sharing the Gospel was central to all activities. On center court, CU graduate assistant Logan Hazelwood spoke with the young men, and reminded them that Jesus is a life-changer, and the greatest reward. "I was so encouraged by our class and their initiative to build relationships with the Lincoln Village guys. If it was this encouraging to me, I can't imagine what it was like for Lincoln Village," said Hazelwood. "I think it really touched these young men because it showed them someone cares about them," Smith said. "When you have young men committed to the state, they feel like no one cares about them, that they're put on the shelf. But you have these CU students, who don't even know them, spending time with them and sharing with them. I think it made a big impact. I want to thank the school and the students for this opportunity." Hazelwood said, "I think we will hear soon that many of these Lincoln Village men have earned their way out of the program vastly due to the influence our guys and God's Gospel had on them." Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu. --30-- Sarah Ames is a student newswriter at Campbellsville University. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Chuck Colson taught me how to think By Trevin Wax Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37664 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Chuck Colson taught me how to think. I never met the man. Never heard him speak in person. Never interviewed him on my blog or asked all the questions I had for him. Nevertheless, his work had a profound influence on my life, especially in shaping my thinking during my teenage and college years. "How Now Shall We Live?," the book he wrote with Nancy Pearcey, was a paradigm-shifting book for me. It illuminated Christianity in light of competing worldviews and helped me understand the world I live in. Even when the critical thinking skills I learned from Colson led me to critique some of his own positions, I always felt indebted to him. Colson was the bridge back to Francis Schaeffer, who led me back to C.S. Lewis, who in turn led me back to G.K. Chesterton and other great Christian minds. In my theological journey, Colson served as the librarian who beckoned me to explore the riches of the Christian faith and see how Christianity encompasses all of life. What was his appeal? COLSON THE STORY-TELLER For starters, Colson was a masterful storyteller. Just the other day, I was reading parts of his big book, "The Good Life." The tales of religious persecution, corporate greed, extravagant waste, merciless injustice were so gripping I couldn't put down my Kindle. Colson knew a good story because he had one. From the heights of privilege and responsibility in the Nixon White House to the depths of despair and determination in prison, his life was a classic example of power and corruption transformed into servanthood and integrity. The only thing more compelling than the stories he told was the story he lived. When I was a college student in Romania, I checked out "Born Again" from the library and read it all in one afternoon. His testimony shined a spotlight on God's grace. The grace so evident in Colson's life provided a compelling apologetic for Christian truth claims. COLSON THE TRUTH-TELLER Colson was also a masterful truth-teller. He saw how postmodernism's inability to come to grips with objective truth claims made it more and more difficult for Christians to gain a hearing for the Gospel. Evangelism was never far from his heart. His popular philosophical critiques were born out of a heartfelt desire for people to experience the grace he had. There were times Colson seemed to emphasize the objective nature of the Bible's truthfulness in a way that relegated all biblical truth to propositions and left little room for the narrative nature of Scripture. But one can understand his emphasis on propositional truth when seen in light of his desire to uphold the very places where Christianity's foundations were being undermined. In later years, Colson seemed to move away from his concentration on the reasonableness of Christianity and became more explicit in his exposition of Christian doctrine. "The Faith" exemplified this shift. It was a book that celebrated Christian orthodoxy with Colson's unusual combination of childlike wonder and theological sophistication. COLSON THE BRIDGE-BUILDER Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Colson's ministry was his ecumenical pursuits. Along with Timothy George, J.I. Packer, and other Protestant leaders, Colson contributed to the official statements of Evangelicals and Catholics Together. He was also involved with the Manhattan Declaration, a statement that was significantly less ambitious than ECT, but still focused on common Christian views of morality. The upside of Colson's bridge-building was his reflection of Christ's heart in pursuing unity. Jesus' prayer for Christian unity and the need for a united Christian witness motivated these ecumenical endeavors. The downside of this bridge-building was that Colson seemed to walk back and forth across bridges that weren't always there. He tended to overstate ECT's ecumenical implications, suggesting there was broad agreement between Catholics and Protestants, when in fact, the joint statements did not reflect the official positions of the Roman Catholic Church or the major Protestant denominations. Likewise, the statements themselves (under significant scrutiny) sometimes allowed both sides to continue affirming the same positions because they could pour Catholic or Protestant meaning into common words. Though I didn't always agree with Colson's decisions in these areas, I appreciated the constant reminder that the day is coming when God's Kingdom won't be divided up into denominations. Colson thought we should bring people together in anticipation for that Day. CONCLUSION I thank God for Chuck Colson. He was a man who sought to use his platform to be a faithful witness to the grace and love of Jesus Christ. Others will speak of his prison ministry, his political involvement, and his keen understanding of the times in which we live. But I'm thankful personally for the way he helped me think. He was a man who pointed pilgrims and wanderers to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In Colson's words: "Either we are pilgrims looking for answers in order to make sense of our world, or we are wanderers who have turned off onto byways of distraction or despair, alienating ourselves from wonder. If you are reading this book, you probably are a seeker. That's good. To be alive is to seek." --30-- Trevin Wax is managing editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum line developed by LifeWay Christian Resources for all ages. This column first appeared at TrevinWax.com, a Gospel Coalition blog. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/Baptist Press) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Chuck Colson -- God's man in the arena By Richard Land Apr. 23 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37667 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Chuck Colson (1931-2012) was a giant among Christians in America. If there were an Evangelical Mount Rushmore, Chuck Colson would be on it. Those of us privileged to know Chuck only this side of his conversion to personal faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior found it hard to fathom that this was the same Chuck Colson who was President Nixon's ruthless master of dirty tricks and political hardball. The Chuck Colson we knew and loved was one of the kindest, gentlest, humblest, most generous people you could ever know. In a way, Chuck Colson was, like a late 20th-century Apostle Paul, radically transformed by his Damascus Road experience with Jesus Christ. Mr. Colson, after his religious conversion, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and served seven months in prison. After his release he founded Prison Fellowship Ministry (1976) which has had an enormous impact in ministering the Christian message of salvation and renewal through Jesus Christ to tens of thousands of inmates and their families. In 1993 he was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, in recognition of his invaluable contributions to American religion. When Chuck became an evangelical believer, he devoted all of his brilliance, skill and determination to the advancement of Christ's Kingdom. On the wall of my office I have a framed quotation from President Theodore Roosevelt. I carried the quotation in my wallet for a long time before having a copy made for my office wall. It is Roosevelt's tribute to the man of action that so encapsulated his persona. President Roosevelt proclaimed: "the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood: who strives valiantly; ... to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...." Just so, Chuck Colson was God's man in the arena, daring great things for God's cause, rousing evangelicals and Catholics to work together as allies across denominational lines on issues of common cause. As an advocate for Christian engagement with public policy and culture, Chuck Colson carried on the work of the late Francis Schaeffer (1912-84) more effectively than anyone else in American Christianity. Perhaps Chuck Colson's most lasting legacy will be the Manhattan Declaration. Chuck was absolutely essential in bringing together evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox religious leaders to hammer out an eloquent statement of common ground on three issues critical to people of faith in America: the sanctity of life; the institution of marriage; and religious freedom. This seminal document, already signed by more than half a million American Christians, will continue to rise in importance and influence as these issues escalate in controversy in our society. Without Chuck Colson there would have been no Manhattan Declaration. What a great Christian. What a great American. What a great friend. Chuck, we know you have gone home to a better place, having heard "well done, thy good and faithful servant." However, we who are left behind mourn our loss. Eighty years of Chuck Colson was not enough. We will miss your brilliance, your courage, your devotion, your inspiration and your encouragement. --30-- Richard Land is president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. -- 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