Baptist Press Stories for May. 25 2012 --------------------------------------- Theistic evolution challenged, defended in online exchange http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37901 Dembski: Darwinism not 'theologically neutral' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37908 Poll: SBC pastors say it would be good for convention to have black president http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37917 DECORATION DAY: A memorable tradition http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37911 101 new missionaries appointed by IMB http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37910 Midwestern grads embark on ministry journey http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37914 Abortion/contraceptive mandate draws 23 suits http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37912 CULTURE DIGEST: MTV show about losing virginity halted http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37899 Wayne Ward, seminary prof from 1951-91, dies http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37898 FIRST-PERSON: Remembering 'Uncle Wayne' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37916 FIRST-PERSON: Antibiotics & our future: A Christian farmer's response http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37909 FIRST-PERSON: Alcohol isn't to blame for the Colombia scandal http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37915 FIRST-PERSON: Liderazgo Espiritual es más que posición http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37913 --------------------------------------- Theistic evolution challenged, defended in online exchange By Erin Roach May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37901 Editor's note: To read a second story Baptist Press has posted on this issue, visit [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37908]http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37908[/URL] [IMGONLY=32664@left@150]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- The danger of the scientific tail wagging the theological dog is real, a Southern Baptist seminary professor wrote in an ongoing debate with evolutionary creationists at The BioLogos Foundation. "Can one start with the Scriptures and arrive at anything resembling theistic evolution? Are we to start with a scientific conclusion and then look for biblical sanction?" Kenneth Keathley, theology professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote. [QUOTE@right@150='Are we to start with a scientific conclusion and then look for biblical sanction?' -- Kenneth Keathley]"I don't think most scientists would want to do science the way evolutionary creationists seem to be asking theologians to do theology," Keathley, who also serves as SEBTS senior vice president for academic administration, noted. Keathley's essay, "Expressing Our Concerns," is part of a series titled "Southern Baptist Voices," which also includes essays from six other Southern Baptist seminary professors as well as responses to each from BioLogos representatives, posted at BioLogos.org. In addition to Keathley's introductory essay, William Dembski, research professor of philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has written, "Is Darwinism Theologically Neutral?" Others will be posted roughly every four weeks throughout the summer. The series emerged as an effort to "engage in charitable dialogue" as a result of discussions between Keathley and Darrel Falk, president of The BioLogos Foundation. In comments to Baptist Press, Mark Sprinkle, a senior fellow at BioLogos, said it's crucial that such conversations happen not just in academic circles but in the broader church. BioLogos, according to its website, "believes that evolution, properly understood, best describes God's work of creation." "Science, as it turns out, does not overthrow the Bible. And faith, as it turns out, does not require a rejection of science," BioLogos says. Concerns about the theological method used by evolutionary creationists were among those Keathley cited in his essay. "One gets the impression at times that evolutionary creationism is a theory in search of theological justification," Keathley wrote. "It's easy to see why believing scientists who hold to evolution would want to find ways that evolution could be compatible with orthodox Christian doctrine. However, theologically speaking, the danger of the tail wagging the dog is very real." Keathley added that certain evolutionary creationists "ask us to accept more and more fanciful interpretations of Genesis," though "the textual skin of Genesis 1-3 does not readily fit over an evolutionary drum." "The BioLogos community has yet to convince Southern Baptist scholars that they are correctly handling the Genesis accounts," Keathley wrote. Other matters that remain unresolved are the connection between natural history and salvation history, the status of Adam and Eve, and the problem of evil, Keathley wrote. "The BioLogos Foundation has not made clear its view of Scripture, but the nature and authority of the Bible will have to be a major portion of any serious conversation between Southern Baptists and BioLogos," Keathley wrote. "... If the members of the BioLogos Foundation someday demonstrate how evolutionary creationism fits reasonably with a high view of Scripture, a credible approach to Genesis 1-3, a historical Adam and Eve, and a historical Fall, then I will be the first to take their arguments seriously. I just don't think they've done that yet." In a response to Keathley's essay, Falk along with Kathryn Applegate of BioLogos and Deb Haarsma of Calvin College welcomed the opportunity "to clarify our positions and remove stumbling blocks where possible." BioLogos would emphatically agree with Keathley that the "goal should be more than merely finding a way to reconcile Genesis with the latest discoveries in genetics," Falk, Applegate and Haarsma wrote. "We are evangelical Christians ourselves, active in our own local evangelical churches, so it saddens us to observe that our own segment of the Protestant church has not, to date, adequately interacted with the enormous body of evidence for evolution or dealt with its implications in a substantive way," the three wrote. "Reconciling Scripture with firmly-established scientific theories ought to be a concern for all Christians in the present age." Responding to Keathley's statement that the Scriptures would not lead to a belief in theistic evolution, the BioLogos writers pointed to the sun-centered model of the solar system, which would not have been evident in Scripture, adding, "The church eventually came to see that heliocentrism wasn't so threatening to the Bible after all, because Scripture wasn't concerned with providing details about astronomy." Christians need to rethink the kind of information they're expecting from the Genesis creation account, Falk, Applegate and Haarsma wrote, because the early chapters likely were not written to explain how God made humans' physical bodies. "While only the Bible provides the knowledge necessary for salvation in Christ, creation itself reveals true knowledge about God's world including certain details about how God has created," the BioLogos writers said. Regarding Adam and Eve, BioLogos does not take a firm position but "welcomes a range of perspectives." The three wrote, "We view the historical details of Adam and the physical details of the Fall as secondary matters of belief and not core beliefs on which all Christians must agree." Whether Adam was a real person "is a theological question, not a scientific one; the most science can say is that there was never a time when the human population from which all modern humans descended was as small as two individuals," the BioLogos writers said. Furthermore, the BioLogos position is that all physical death is not the result of human sin because "many entire species became extinct long before humans appeared on the scene." Concerning the authority of Scripture, the BioLogos writers said, "We do not use the words 'infallible' or 'inerrant' here because these words mean different things to different audiences." In a statement to Baptist Press regarding the series, Keathley said, "The BioLogos participants self-identify as evangelical Christians and we addressed them as such. They have demonstrated charity throughout this process and we consider them to be Christian brethren. "The articles written by the SBC profs focused on our concerns about the biblical and theological implications of the positions advocated by the BioLogos fellows," Keathley added. "We determined to let others address the scientific matters. "We wanted to challenge their understanding of Scripture and their willingness to jettison the historicity of Adam and Eve. Hopefully they hear us when we warn that these biblical truths cannot be abandoned without serious consequences." Southern Baptist professors included in the series, in addition to Keathley, are William Dembski and John Laing of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Bruce Little, John Hammett and James Dew of Southeastern; and Steve Lemke of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. 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 -- Dembski: Darwinism not 'theologically neutral' By Erin Roach May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37908 Editor's note: To read a second story Baptist Press has posted on this issue, visit [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37901]http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37901[/URL] NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Darwinism and Christianity, even when generously defined, exhibit tensions that are so serious that Darwinism cannot be rightly regarded as theologically neutral, William Dembski wrote in the "Southern Baptist Voices" series hosted by The BioLogos Foundation. The series, at BioLogos.org, includes essays from seven Southern Baptist seminary professors as well as responses to each from BioLogos representatives. Dembski, research professor of philosophy and director of the Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, noted in his essay "Is Darwinism Theologically Neutral?" that while all Christians embrace Christ, not all reject Charles Darwin's views about the origin of humans. "So the question becomes whether Christians can embrace both Darwin and Christ with integrity, giving each his due without slighting the other," Dembski wrote in the second Southern Baptist essay in the series. "This is the real question underlying Darwinism's presumed theological neutrality." Dembski, a leading proponent of Intelligent Design, set forth four non-negotiables of Christianity: God created the world out of nothing, the world reflects God's glory, humans alone are made in the image of God and God raised Jesus from the dead. Four non-negotiables of Darwinism, Dembski wrote, are that all organisms are related to a common ancestor, biological adaptations can be attributed to natural selection, humans are continuous with other animals and the physical world operates by unbroken natural law. Dembski, who in August will transition to a position as a research fellow with the Discovery Institute in Seattle, explained the tensions that exist between the non-negotiables of Christianity and the non-negotiables of Darwinism. "God might, as a master of stealth, wipe away all fingerprints of his activity," Dembski wrote. "He might be guiding evolution in ways that to us look like chance (e.g., random variation) and necessity (e.g., natural selection). But if so, how could we know? "... Darwinism doesn't so much say that God doesn't exist as that God need not exist." Dembski went on to write, "The world, as a matter of general revelation, testifies to the divine glory, and failure by humans to acknowledge this fact results not from a dearth of evidence but from human wickedness, which willfully suppresses the truth of God's revelation in creation (Romans 1:20)." Darrel Falk, president of The BioLogos Foundation, wrote a response to Dembski's essay, saying at the outset it is important to note that "Darwininsm" is a contested and ideologically charged term. Falk does not consider his view Darwinian, though he concedes that it is perceived that way by some. Falk believes God created all living organisms, including humans, through the evolutionary process, and the laws of nature are "simply a description of God's ongoing and non-ceasing activity in the universe." "So consistent is that activity that it can be described mathematically through scientific analysis," Falk wrote. "If God ceased to be active, however, then not only would the matter of this universe no longer function in a way which enables a mathematical description of gravity, matter itself would cease to exist." Humans tend to expect that for something as special as creation of new species, God's supernatural activity would have been required, Falk wrote. But he added, "We should not assume with certainty that God would choose to use supernatural flurries of activity if his ongoing regular activity -- that prescribed through natural laws -- would accomplish the same end, albeit over a longer period of time," Falk wrote. "For all we know, God may prefer slowness, even though we seem to be inclined to think that faster is better." The natural activity of God, Falk believes, is not less divine than the supernatural activity of God. "This does not mean that I think no supernatural activity occurred in life's history; I just don't see why it would be 'odd' if God chose to create life's diversity through his natural activity," Falk wrote. What makes humans exceptional, he wrote, "has less to do with biology than with the fact that God chose to enter into a unique relationship with humankind." Just as with the people of Israel among the nations, Falk wrote, humans' special identity rests with God's choice to give them His name. "In the way that matters most, we are not continuous with animals," Falk wrote. "For philosophical and theological reasons, Darwin did not recognize this. Darwin, I believe, was wrong. I, like Dembski and like Southern Baptists in general, am not a Darwinist." Dembski replied to Falk in an essay posted at evolutionnews.org, a Discovery Institute website, concluding, "I found it refreshing that Falk would distance himself and BioLogos from strict Darwinism, which Falk rightly sees as spanning not only the 'Origin of Species' but also the far more theologically contentious 'Descent of Man.'" "Ultimately, our main source of disagreement is scientific: What properly counts as scientific inquiry? Can [Intelligent Design] legitimately qualify as science? Is the evidence for a purely naturalistic form of evolution so compelling that thinking Christians must adopt it?," Dembski wrote. "I hope to see further exploration of such questions at BioLogos." (for the full text, go to www.evolutionnews.org/2012/05/is_darwinism_th059411.html). Subsequent essays in the Southern Baptist Voices series will be posted at BioLogos.org throughout the summer. --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. 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 -- Poll: SBC pastors say it would be good for convention to have black president By John D. Wilke May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37917 NASHVILLE, Tenn (BP) -- Eighty-six percent of Southern Baptist Convention pastors who expressed an opinion believe it would be good for the convention to have an African-American leader. Fred Luter, an African-American pastor from New Orleans, will be nominated for SBC president at the denomination's annual meeting in June. [IMG=32677@right@410]LifeWay Research polled SBC pastors asking their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement: "Without regard to any individual, I think it would be a good thing to have an African-American as president of the Southern Baptist Convention." Of the nearly 1,000 SBC pastors who responded, 61 percent agree it would be positive, 10 percent disagree, but 29 percent don't have an opinion. Of those who had an opinion, 50 percent strongly agree and 36 percent somewhat agree. LifeWay Research president Ed Stetzer said the results are good news for a denomination born, in part, out of the racial divides of the mid-1800s. "Southern Baptists have come a long way. In the last 20 years, the percentage of non-Anglo SBC churches has grown from five percent to 20 percent, and now seven percent of Southern Baptist churches are identified as primarily African-American," Stetzer said. "But, we are still a predominantly Anglo denomination, so it is particularly encouraging to see the openness and enthusiasm for an African-American SBC president." Stetzer believes the high number of those not expressing an opinion, and some of those with a negative answer, may indicate many pastors believe race should play no part in selection of SBC leadership. Regional location of the pastor shows no pattern of significant statistical differences. In fact, the results show many similarities across regions. For example, 66 percent of SBC pastors in the Northeast agree, while 62 percent of pastors in the South agree. The survey results are reminiscent of public opinion polls taken four years ago that asked if Americans were ready for a black U.S. president. A pre-election CBS News poll in 2008 showed 68 percent of Americans agreed the country was ready for an African-American U.S. president. Stetzer explained the LifeWay Research question was posed to gain perspective on pastors' views of this anticipated historical vote, but was not focused specifically on Luter. "We wanted to know about race's role in denominational leadership," Stetzer said. "What we didn't want was a referendum or pre-convention vote of confidence of any individual's skills or electability. That's why we asked the question the way we did. "Pastors, when answering, may have thought about a black SBC leader as being a sign of national racial progress or even a positive pivot point in the direction of the denomination," Stetzer said. "Either way, more than 8 out of 10 is an overwhelming percentage and a sign of remarkable progress by any measure." The question was asked as part of a mail survey of 1,066 SBC pastors conducted April 1 - May 11. The mailing list was randomly drawn from a stratified list of all SBC churches. Surveys were mailed to the senior pastor with the option of completing online. Responses were weighted to match the actual geographic distribution and worship attendance of SBC churches. --30-- Jon D. Wilke is media relations manager for LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. -- End of story -- DECORATION DAY: A memorable tradition By Stephen Douglas Wilson & Myriah Snyder May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37911 MAYFIELD, Ky. (BP) -- Family members of various generations gather around a burial plot. One of the young men digs a hole to plant a dogwood tree while others clean up the site. A young girl lays a bouquet of fresh flowers on two of the graves while an older man speaks of how these deceased family members made a difference in their lives. He calls on another man to lead a short prayer for surviving family members. The calendar reads Memorial Day, but in parts of the rural South, residents know it as Decoration Day. Memorial Day for most Americans is a day set aside to honor fallen American veterans, but the holiday itself has its origins in the pre-Civil War South when families, and even whole churches, honored the dead in late spring or early summer. Decoration Day occurred in the rural South's calendar after spring planting, but before long summer days required extensive hoeing and maintenance of the crops and livestock. Because the burial sites were "spruced up" and flowers were placed on the graves as "decorations," the day was called Decoration Day. It would occur anytime in the late spring or early summer. Memorial Day, itself, once popularly called "Decoration Day" by many, grew out of the older observance of southern Christians remembering deceased family and church members. Parts of the rural South still celebrate Decoration Day in its traditional southern form. The literal definition of Decoration Day or "Decoration," as it is sometimes called, taken from the Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English, is: "An occasion on which a family or a church congregation gathers … to place flowers on the graves of loved ones and to hold a memorial service for them. Traditionally this involved singing, dinner on the ground as well as a religious service." Largely surviving in the rural South as a family event, Decoration Day once was a corporate event for rural churches. The day included such activities as cleaning up the church cemetery, placing fresh flowers on the graves, a sermon by the pastor and a dinner on the ground(s). During the sermon, the pastor would recount how those now buried in the plots influenced the life of the church and provided a positive testimony to current church members. Some rural churches today, particularly in southern Appalachia, still continue the corporate celebration of Decoration Day or its variants ("Cemetery Day"). Decoration Day, whether observed by families or a rural church, is steeped in Christian values and symbolism. Southern Christians, particularly Baptists of the rural South, tended to reject the autumn observances of remembering the Christian dead that focused on All Saints Day or All Souls Day (Nov. 1 and 2) as practiced by some faith denominations. Instead, they placed Decoration Day in the late spring at a time that nature itself symbolized resurrection. Newly decorated graves in springtime, all facing east to meet the Lord for the future resurrection, seemed more appropriate to these rural congregants. The custom of planting cedar trees (the evergreen cedar illustrates eternal life) or flowering trees such as dogwoods or ornamental fruit trees (symbols of resurrection) near gravesites also conveyed aspects of Christian symbolism. Fellowship among those who observed Decoration Day reflected the words of Bible in Hebrews 10:25: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." As they gathered together, living Christians remembered those who nourished them in the faith. Consequently, Decoration Day often provided the opportunity for family members to hold reunions during the Memorial Day weekend. Hardly an entirely somber event, Decoration Day always balanced reflection and celebration. Fellowship and a communal meal took place in tandem with the respectful graveside observance. Nevertheless, Decoration Day throughout the South possesses regional variations, especially in southern Appalachia where it has the strongest survival among rural churches. As referenced in Alan and Karen Singer Jabbor's insightful book, "Decoration Day in the Mountains: Traditions of Cemetery Decoration in the Southern Appalachians," many of these rural churches continue the custom of setting aside a day to honor the Christian dead. Appalachians still preserve many customs of the holiday that have disappeared in other parts of the South, such as erecting "grave shelters" over the graves to protect them from the elements. Grave shelters can be found as far north as Kentucky and West Virginia. Another custom found in Appalachia is the placing of memorabilia, toys and trinkets of the deceased loved ones on the grave. This is especially true for small children who have passed away. In other parts of the South, other regional customs connected to Decoration Day survive. Some southern families and rural churches once practiced the custom of designating "flower girls" for funerals or for Decoration Day. Instead of showering and honoring a bride with a plethora of flowers, these flower girls would decorate churches and gravesites with flowers to pay respect to the deceased. Being chosen for this role was an honor. Today this custom largely survives only in some African-American family and church observances. Nevertheless, older white southern women remember being chosen as flower girls for such occasions. Today, many southerners live in less rural areas, and Decoration Day customs are being conflated into the nationwide observance of Memorial Day. The long Memorial Day weekend provides the best opportunity to remember deceased family members and veterans, since a Decoration Day observed apart from this weekend is disappearing except perhaps in parts of Appalachia. Almost every living Christian today possesses a memory of being witnessed to and instructed in the faith by those who now reside with the Lord. Whether or not we set aside a special day to honor them, we should be grateful for them. Decoration Day provided that opportunity. --30-- Stephen Douglas Wilson is the dean emeritus and chair of the social studies department of Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Ky., and is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. Myriah Snyder is an English major at Mid-Continent University. Both have participated in Decoration Day events. -- End of story -- 101 new missionaries appointed by IMB By Laura Fielding May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37910 BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) -- Nate and Joanna Whitmire* told God they would go anywhere if He called them to missions. "It's not like He'd ever call us to Africa," they thought. But He did. "We had a heart that was, in theory, open to whatever God wanted to do -- we wanted to be in His will, but for whatever reason … Africa was this big, black hole that was just not a place that we would consider," Nate said. After the Whitmires, both from South Carolina, attended a Catalyst conference five years ago, however, their outlook changed. "God really just hit us with the realization that our hearts had been hard in that area and that we didn't love who He loved," Joanna said of what she and her husband experienced at the conference for young Christians held regionally three times a year. The Whitmires, along with their four children, will serve in sub-Saharan Africa. They are two of 101 International Mission Board missionaries appointed May 23 during a service at Brentwood (Tenn.) Baptist Church. Forty-one of the missionaries have served previous terms, bringing the current missionary count to 4,919. Many of the appointees recounted that their call to be God's heart, hands and voice to unreached people groups overseas was a matter of obedience -- no matter the cost. FROM FEAR TO JOY Both Mike and Rachael Kim's* parents immigrated to California from Korea to give their children the "American Dream" -- a better education, good jobs and lots of money. God gave Mike and Rachael another dream -- to share the Gospel with those who have never heard. Raised in a Southern Baptist church, Rachael was fascinated -- and horrified -- by missionaries' stories. , which led her to associate missions with suffering, hardship and martyrdom. But when she was in high school, a missionary spoke at her church about the number of unreached people groups, and Rachael's heart became burdened for the lost. After a short-term missions trip to South America, she felt God's calling loud and clear. Mike did not submit so easily to God's call. Among other things, he did not want to leave the comfortable lifestyle his parents had worked so hard to provide for him. "My biggest fear in life was becoming a missionary," he said. But on a missions trip to East Asia during college, Mike was troubled when he saw people worshipping false gods. For the first time in his life, he became angry with God -- how could He let these people who had never heard of Him go to hell? Who would God send to tell these people about Jesus? God clearly answered that it was Mike's own task. "My biggest fear has become my greatest joy -- just sharing the Gospel and taking it to people who have never heard of Jesus Christ," he said. The Kims, along with their two children, will serve in East Asia. FEELS LIKE HOME In high school, Aaron Meyers* questioned his Christian faith. When he miraculously survived a serious car accident, he created his own reasons for why he had survived. But when another wreck just nine days later landed him in the hospital, he began to seriously think about his life -- and his faith. "I didn't really experience life until I almost experienced death," Meyers said. "In that moment, I said, 'God, whatever You want me to do, wherever You want me to go, I'm willing.'" Missions is what God laid on his heart. Years later when he and his wife Sheila* were serving in Europe as short-term missionaries, their call to missions was severely tested. During their first year of service, they were forced to spend 90 days in a neighboring country due to visa issues, Aaron had to have emergency surgery and two family members back in the U.S. died. During those trials, Sheila said they doubted their call and just wanted to return home to California. But when they were able to go back to their country of service, God had truly solidified their call to that country. "We were able to push forward because we knew that God has us there for a purpose," Aaron said. "God has called us there, and until He calls us to go somewhere else, that's where He has us." The Meyers family will return to Europe to serve. THE CROSS Brentwood senior pastor Mike Glenn challenged the appointment service audience to respond to God's call on their own lives. "As our world keeps getting smaller and we keep saying technology will do this, and technology will do that, we still cannot replace the significance of a person telling the story of Jesus to another person," Glenn said. "As you see those celebrating their calling and their placing, don't forget you're called, you're placed, just like they are." IMB President Tom Elliff, in a message drawn from 1 Corinthians 1:17-18, noted that the cross is a "dividing point" -- everyone in the world is simply either saved or lost. This realization, he said, will shatter prejudices and simplify a believer's purpose. "You'll just see that you have one responsibility, and that is to share the Gospel with everybody." The cross is also a "demanding possession," Elliff continued. One is not a missionary just because of his or her geographic location or by living a good, Christ-like life. "Being a missionary is about confessing -- not just carrying the cross, but confessing the cross -- 'I am a blood-bought child of God,'" he said. The IMB's next appointment service will be Sept. 12 at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C., during the trustee meeting Sept. 11-12 in Ridgecrest, N.C. Both will be held during Emeritus Recognition Week, Sept. 7-13, at LifeWay's Ridgecrest Conference Center. --30-- *Names changed. Laura Fielding is a writer for the International Mission Board. -- End of story -- Midwestern grads embark on ministry journey By T. Patrick Hudson May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37914 KANSAS CITY, MO. (BP) -- Graduation is just the beginning of a journey in learning and ministry, James T. Draper Jr. told 70 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary graduates as they received their diplomas May 19 at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Liberty, Mo. Draper, president emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources, delivered the commencement address, titled "The Call to Ministry," relaying four principles from what he called the "forgotten verses" of John 3, verses 22-31. Draper urged the graduates to follow John the Baptist's example in their ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ. In providing the context for his address, Draper said Jesus' ministry was gaining momentum and many who had been following John the Baptist were now flocking to Jesus. John's disciples might have been jealous for John and may have felt he was being pushed aside. Feeling injured, neglected or unjustifiably forgotten would have been easy for John, Draper said. However, John responded in verses 27-31: "No one can receive a single thing unless it's given to him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Messiah, but I've been sent ahead of Him. … So this joy of mine is complete. He must increase but I must decrease. The One who comes from above is above all. …" Draper noted four of John the Baptist's attributes the graduates would do well to imitate -- an absolute confidence in recognizing the final authority of God over his life, clear understanding of his commissioning/calling, contentment in his calling and a driving compulsion that Jesus must increase and he must decrease. After summarizing each principle, Draper returned to his first point, saying, "As the ultimate authority, God has given us an assignment. Students, graduates, you shouldn't be here just because it seems like a good thing to do or because you have a talent for ministry. You should only be here because you know in your heart that God has called you to the ministry." Draper added that statistics show approximately half of the graduates would not be in ministry in five years. He suggested the reason for this is because many who are studying for the ministry don't have a calling to it. "I want to suggest to you that God does have a call for your life -- for all of our lives," Draper said. "It's especially true of those called into ministry. Without the assurance of God's call on your life, you will not make it in ministry. Listen carefully to what I say: The ministry is a terrible vocation, but it is a wonderful calling." This calling is evident throughout all of Scripture, Draper said, quoting biblical passages that showed God's call of such people as Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, the prophets, Jesus' disciples and the apostle Paul. Ministers should not be jealous of their colleagues because God made them each for different, specific purposes, Draper emphasized. "God has a plan and purpose for our lives. … His plan for you may include different responsibilities, but you are called to Him," Draper said. "This is tremendously important because it removes any possibility of rivalry or competition in ministry. It removes the idea that any of us are more important than another. We must be able to understand that we're working together and our assignments are unique and all of them are significant. To have anything to do in God's Kingdom is a supreme privilege and honor that we ought to cherish." Ministers are examples to others and must examine their own hearts and lives, Draper added. "God's call to ministry is different than any other career a person could have," he said. "It's a call to a different kind of life. You have to live out your ministry. You are your ministry and you set the example of holiness and devotion. It's not just important what you do, but who you are. You are a prototype. You are one that is an example of integrity, purity, honesty, passion, devotion and stewardship. You cannot lead people where you are not at yourself." Midwestern's interim president, Robin Hadaway, charged the graduates to "not let this be your last honor." He said it is alright to take some time to appreciate the moment, but it is only the beginning of their ministry and learning. Hadaway reminded the graduates that Christians should not look to attain honors for themselves, but instead should "honor Jesus as you serve Him in the ministry He's called you to." In addition to awarding degrees at the ceremony, the seminary and its undergraduate college announced the recipients of 16 academic awards. Nathan Edwards, a master of divinity graduate, received the Wanda J. Keatley Award, which included an all-expense paid trip for him and a guest to the Holy Land. In other awards, J. Craig Kubic, the seminary's director of library services since 1987, was named Professor of the Year. --30-- T. Patrick Hudson is director of communications for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. -- End of story -- Abortion/contraceptive mandate draws 23 suits By Emily Belz May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37912 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Certainly the White House hoped opposition to its abortion/contraceptive mandate would fade as the months passed and as it issued "compromises," but religious groups have not let up. Organizations have been filing lawsuits in a steady drip, so every few weeks the health care law's mandate comes into the news again. Forty-three Catholic groups filed 12 lawsuits against the federal government May 21, the largest number of coordinated actions against the contraceptive mandate so far. That Catholic leadership opposes the mandate is no secret, but the breadth of the lawsuits drew attention. Not only did the prominent archdiocese of Washington, D.C., headed by Cardinal Donald Wuerl, file a lawsuit, but so did social arms like Catholic Charities, which has sided with the Obama administration on past issues related to the budget (such as cutting defense and preserving social programs). The University of Notre Dame, which in 2009 invited President Obama to receive an honorary degree and speak at commencement, also filed a lawsuit against the administration. Separately, two colleges announced in May that they would be ending their student health plans because of the mandate. The federal government now faces 23 lawsuits in 15 states over the abortion/contraceptive mandate. Many of the plaintiffs are Catholic, but three of the plaintiffs are devout business owners. Three are evangelical groups, including colleges such as Colorado Christian University. Seven states -- Nebraska, South Carolina, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma -- also have filed suit. Under the mandate, all insurance plans must cover contraceptives and sterilizations as preventive services without cost to employees. This includes contraceptives, as defined by the federal government, that can cause abortions of tiny embryos. The mandate has a religious exemption that critics find woefully inadequate. (The Becket Fund, representing several of the plaintiffs, has compiled a list of the lawsuits and links to the court documents: http://www.becketfund.org/hhsinformationcentral/) Lawyers for these plaintiffs told WORLD in February that they were strategizing by filing lawsuits in different districts across the country, so as not to "put all of their eggs in one basket." But none of the suits have been filed in the states under the jurisdiction of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a circuit that would most likely take the administration's side. "Nothing is a sure thing, but the most likely way to get an issue before the Supreme Court is to have a lot of high-profile cases coming down in the different circuits with different results," said Brad Jacob, a professor at Regent University School of Law, in Virginia Beach, Va. If regional courts ruled against the contraceptive mandate, that would not change the law for the rest of the country, which is the reason for the push for it to go before the U.S. Supreme Court. All of these plaintiffs are waiting for the Supreme Court to issue its ruling on the broader health care law, an opinion the justices will likely publish at the end of June. If the high court decides that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, that would make the lawsuits moot since the contraceptive mandate is part of that larger mandate. Wheels are turning outside the courts, too, in civil society. On Thursday (May 24), prominent Catholic, Jewish and evangelical leaders met in Washington, D.C. at the American Religious Freedom Program's conference. The conference included people like Robert George, the Catholic professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University; Hannah Smith, senior counsel at the Becket Fund; former Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt; Donald Landry of New York Presbyterian Hospital; and Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School. The abortion/contraceptive mandate came up again and again at the conference. One session was titled "Unprecedented Threats to American Religious Freedom and Rights of Conscience," while another was called "Legislative Action to Constrain Overreaching Officials." State legislators were in the audience and taking notes as they are trying to carve religious exemptions into their own health insurance laws. One Arizona legislator asked about forming a network for state legislators on the issue, which organizers said was part of the design of the conference. If the mandate moves forward without delay, it will go into effect for most religious groups in August 2013. --30-- Emily Belz writes for World News Service, where this story first appeared. -- End of story -- CULTURE DIGEST: MTV show about losing virginity halted By Staff May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37899 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- In a display of just how far MTV will go to gain viewers, the cable network posted a casting notice for a reality television show aimed at getting young adults to lose their virginity. "Young adulthood is a time for exploration. New relationships, fresh experiences and sexual firsts," the casting notice said. MTV sought people age 18 and older who would allow themselves to be filmed for television in their quest to engage in sex before marriage -- until the network known for pushing the limits received enough pushback to halt plans for the show. Fox News reported May 21 that comments on Twitter about the show included "just when I thought MTV couldn't stoop lower than 'Jersey Shore'" and "one more reason I am glad we canceled our cable a year ago." Actress Patricia Heaton tweeted, "This is so incredibly depressing." Though the casting call was scheduled to close May 28, the webpage already was disabled at least a week in advance. "This was a preliminary casting notice, and we're not moving forward with a pilot," an MTV spokesperson told Fox News. Dan Gainor, vice president of business and culture for the Media Research Center, told Fox that MTV was "pandering to the gutter." "This is part of the media attempt to mock people who have morals and to treat virginity like a disease that must be cured," Gainor said. Nicole Clark, director of the documentary "Cover Girl Culture," told Fox News, "Adults know how strongly girls/boys desire attention and recognition. Offering fame to girls willing to lose their virginity is only going to encourage girls to participate, without considering the repercussions to their future or mental health. It's irresponsible." FEDEX MISTREATED CHRISTIAN, JUDGE RULES -- A Federal Express employee has prevailed in a lawsuit accusing the shipping giant of discrimination in failing to accommodate his religious beliefs. FedEx discriminated against Eric Weathers by refusing to allow him to answer questions from co-workers about the Bible and his faith and ordering him not to disclose to others his bachelor's degree in Bible and youth ministry from The Master's College, U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang ruled in Weathers v. FedEx. "Weathers' superiors told him that he could not discuss religion, even if asked, and he was told that he must affirmatively misrepresent his college degree," Chang wrote. "FedEx supervisors tied Weathers' hands … on a topic of great importance to him and did not bother to respond to his request for an accommodation." Failure to accommodate a religious practice constitutes religious discrimination under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Weathers, who worked as a sales manager, filed the suit regarding FedEx's response when a co-worker complained that Weathers quoted Scripture at work and made her uncomfortable by discussing his religious beliefs. In his response to FedEx, Weathers referenced 1 Peter 3:15, which teaches Christians to always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks regarding the basis of their faith. Weathers was eventually demoted. He resigned his job and sued the company. Chicago Attorney Jason Craddock, affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund, represented Weathers and was assisted by Christian Law Association attorneys. "We hope this ruling will remind corporate America that it's simply bad business to force employees to check their faith at the door," Craddock said in a press release. Weathers and FedEx have reached a confidential settlement in the case. WASH. REPORTS AT LEAST 70 ASSISTED SUICIDES -- The state of Washington may already have surpassed Oregon as the leader in legal, physician-assisted suicides. At least 70 Washington residents died in 2011 as a result of taking lethal drug doses prescribed by doctors, the state's Department of Health reported May 2. The total may have been higher, however. It was uncertain if five other people who died after receiving prescriptions of lethal medication did so after taking the drug. Another 19 people who received the prescriptions died without ingesting the medication. Oregon set its record of 71 assisted suicides in 2011. In 1997, Oregon became the first state to legalize assisted suicide. The practice became legal in Washington in 2009. Both states permit terminally ill citizens to take their own lives with prescription drugs. Oregon has recorded 596 assisted suicide deaths since the practice became legal, while Washington has reported at least 157 such deaths. As has been the case in Oregon, the three leading concerns expressed by Washington residents who received lethal prescriptions in 2011 were reduced ability "to engage in activities making life enjoyable" (89 percent), loss of autonomy (87 percent) and "loss of dignity" (79 percent). OKLA. JUDGE INVALIDATES RESTRICTION ON RU 486 -- An Oklahoma judge struck down May 11 a state law that prohibited use of the abortion drug RU 486 except under the guidelines by which it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In his ruling, Donald Worthington of the Oklahoma County District Court said the law violated "the fundamental rights of women to privacy and bodily integrity," according to the Tulsa World. The measure "can serve no purpose other than to prevent women from obtaining abortions and to punish and discriminate against those women who do," he wrote. The law's supporters took issue with Worthington's ruling. The law is intended to protect women who have been instructed by abortion providers to use the drug in an "off-label" manner. For instance, some providers have told women to use RU 486 vaginally, though the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug only for use orally. At least eight women have died in the United States after taking RU 486, and critics have blamed its "off-label" use in at least some of those cases. "There are a lot of problems with the judge's ruling," including some erroneous findings of fact, said Rep. Randy Grau, a sponsor of the measure, the Tulsa newspaper reported. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, said in a written statement, "It is astounding that the judge would find that allowing abortion facilities to hand out sometimes deadly drugs without regard to the safest protocols is somehow a state constitutional right. Ironically, this isn't a 'right' for women; it is a 'right' created for abortion providers, allowing them to perform abortions in any unsafe manner they desire." The Center for Reproductive Rights, a leading advocate for abortion rights, challenged the law after it was signed by Gov. Mary Fallin in May 2011. BRITISH PLAGUED BY REPEAT ABORTIONS -- British women are having repeat abortions, some as many as nine in their lifetimes, and costing the National Health Service the American equivalent of more than $1.5 million a week for the repetitious, lethal procedures. About a third of all abortions in England and Wales are repeats, according to a May 13 report by the Daily Mail. The new government statistics also show: -- About 189,000 abortions occurred in Great Britain in 2010, the latest year for which statistics are available, and more than 64,000 were for women who already had undergone at least one abortion. -- Half of the abortions in the London borough of Croydon were repeats. -- Unmarried women undergo five of every six repeat abortions. -- 85 women had at least their eighth abortion. In the United States, nearly half of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previously. Critics charged the British law enables abortion to act as another method of contraception. "Abortion is an unpleasant and harrowing experience for women and to hear it is happening repeatedly makes your hair stand on end," said the Pro-life Alliance's Josephine Quintavalle, according to the Daily Mail. "But is this surprising when we live in a society which says it's all right to have an abortion once?" she said. "If it's fine once, why not two, three or four times?" INDIAN MOTHER DIES DURING SEX-SELECTION ABORTION -- A 28-year-old Indian mother has died as a result of a sex-selection abortion of a baby who would have been her fifth daughter. Vijaymala Patekar, who died during an abortion May 18, did not want another female child, the police reported, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI). The procedure was performed in the Beed district, which has become notorious for having the most lopsided male-to-female ratio in India's Maharashtra state, PTI reported. Police charged the husband-wife physician team of Sudam and Sarswati Munde with negligence under Indian law, which includes a measure barring the use of ultrasounds for sex-selection purposes. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode, Erin Roach and Diana Chandler of Baptist Press. 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 -- Wayne Ward, seminary prof from 1951-91, dies By Staff May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37898 This story was first posted May 24. [IMG=32659@right@250]LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Longtime Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Wayne Ward died May 23 at the age of 90. Ward served as a professor at Southern Seminary from 1951-1991. A professor of Christian theology at the seminary, Ward was named in 1983 as the Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology, the same professorial chair that seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. presently holds. Upon his retirement, Ward was appointed senior professor of Christian theology. "Wayne Ward was born to be a teacher," Mohler said. "He brought incredible energy and commitment to the classroom. Through his classroom teaching and doctoral supervision, he touched and influenced thousands of lives. He had one of the longest tenures of any professor in the history of this institution, and it is a matter of academic legend that he served on more doctoral committees than any other member of Southern Seminary's faculty. "Wayne Ward was the very first Southern Seminary professor I ever met. He was a powerful preacher and he came regularly to my home church to preach January Bible studies," Mohler said. "He befriended me and my family and later became a member of my own Ph.D. committee. Ward had an infectious love for students. He cared deeply for people. He was a peacemaker on the faculty, and he was a man whose life represented so many of the most historic events of the 20th century -- events he not only witnessed, but helped shape." Mohler continued: "The power of a teacher is incalculable, but few lives make that point so clearly as Wayne Ward. He lived long enough that many of those whom he taught in his ministry have already served and gone to glory, but there remain countless gospel ministers and missionaries who would point to Wayne Ward as a great influence in their lives. "When Wayne Ward would teach theology in the classroom, his teaching lectern would become a pulpit. He would literally pound the pulpit and raise his voice to a high preaching tone, due to the fact that he not only loved to teach theology, he loved to preach, and the two came together in him in an incredible way. Those of us who knew Wayne Ward as teacher were perhaps most touched by Wayne Ward as husband. His devoted care for Mary Ann through the many years of her illness and infirmity was one of the greatest testimonies I have ever seen of a husband's devotion to his wife. That, among so many other things, will be long remembered by the Southern Seminary family." Duke K. McCall, Southern's seventh president (1951-1982), said Ward began teaching at Southern Seminary "the very year I became president (1951). He was both a colleague and a friend. We served many, many years at Southern Seminary together. He was an energetic teacher and a preacher popular in the churches." Ward earned a bachelor of arts from Ouachita Baptist University, a bachelor of divinity (now master of divinity) and doctor of theology (now doctor of philosophy) from Southern Seminary. He did post-doctoral studies at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University in New York City, as well as at the Universities of Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, where he studied with theologians Karl Barth, Edward Schweitzer and Oscar Cullmann. Born July 28, 1921, in Piggott, Ark., his father working as a prosecutor and later as a judge, Ward seemed bound for a career in law. As early as high school, he took shorthand notes in the courtroom, and during his time at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., he became chief reading clerk for the Arkansas legislature. However, in 1941, while serving as state Baptist Student Union president, Ward surrendered to the call to preach and served at three Arkansas churches before graduating college magna cum laude in 1943. One of Wayne Ward's earliest memories was of meeting E.Y. Mullins, Southern's fourth president, when Ward was a small boy in the early 1920s. Mullins, a titanic Baptist personality, made a huge impression on the youngster. Years later, Ward would occupy the very professorial chair held by Mullins. Ward was closely connected to a vast Baptist network. As a boy, he spent much time in the home of the Kelley family in Piggott, Ark., where Ward grew up with Charles S. Kelley, bonding as brothers. Later, Kelley's children would include Chuck Kelley, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Dorothy (Kelley) Patterson, wife of Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas. After World War II, Ward began studies at Southern, and following the completion of his doctoral studies, he was elected to the faculty as professor of Christian theology in 1951. He wrote several books and contributed many articles and chapters to reference volumes and other titles. Among Ward's works are "The Drama of Redemption," "The Word Comes Alive" and "Is the Bible a Human Book?" each published with Broadman Press, which is now B&H Publishing. Ward was a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of Religion, the American Schools of Oriental Research and the American Association of University Professors. Ward's tenure as a teacher also afforded him the opportunity to teach overseas on many occasions, including locations in Europe, the Middle East and South America. For 47 years, he served as interim pastor for more than 30 churches in the American South. During his more-than-four-decade career in teaching and ministry, Ward became acquainted with several famous personalities, including Bill Clinton and Martin Luther King Jr. First meeting Clinton when he was 8 years old, Ward later encountered him while serving as interim pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock when Clinton was governor of Arkansas. Clinton and his wife Hillary attended the church at the time and traveled with Ward on a tour of the Middle East. As a result, Ward and his wife Mary Ann developed something of a friendship with the Clintons. Ward met King while he was teaching at Union Theological Seminary. King was in town for a World Council of Churches meeting, and he asked Ward for assistance with formatting and citation in his doctoral dissertation. Ward also was a pilot, earning his license at age 15. By the time of World War II, he had logged hundreds of hours in a single-engine aircraft and also became a lieutenant in the Naval Air Rescue Service. During the war, Ward flew air-rescue and hospital planes for four years, including spending several months retrieving survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. He survived three crashes as a result of enemy fire or storms, and during the World War II era, he experienced an additional crash as a passenger aboard a commercial plane headed to Los Angeles. Ward became a widower in 2007, when Mary Ann died on Nov. 18 of that year. The two were married June 15, 1943. He leaves behind three children: Larry Wayne Ward, Rebecca Ann Fulgham and David Heath Ward; four grandchildren: and a great-grandson. The family will hold visitation at Shannon Funeral Service in Shelbyville, Ky., from 2-6 p.m. Friday, May 25. A funeral service will begin at 6 p.m. On Saturday, May 26, an additional visitation will take place at Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., from 10 a.m.-noon, with a funeral service beginning at noon. Public burial will follow immediately at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Ky. --30-- Reported by the communications staff of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Remembering 'Uncle Wayne' By Paige Patterson May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37916 EDITOR'S NOTE: The following reflection by Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was written after the death May 23 of Wayne Ward, 90, professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1951-91 and a cousin of Patterson's wife Dorothy. Patterson was in Europe when he wrote this reflection. [IMG=32676@left@200]FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Uncle Wayne was actually the cousin of my wife Dorothy's father. Her father Charles Kelley and Wayne Ward grew up together in Piggott, Ark. To our whole family, he was always known as "Uncle Wayne," a moniker of profound respect and deep affection. We disagreed about not a few vital matters, but agreed about many others. Like many others, Dr. Ward shaped my life. Today I miss him already even while I rejoice in his arrival home. Here is why we loved him, though not in any particular order. First, he taught me to witness by example. On a flight from Dallas to Louisville, he once probably saved a plane from disaster simply because he was late arriving in order to lead a man to Christ. Second, he was passionate about the biblical languages, especially Greek, and believed that no one could teach theology well without these languages since the best theology was exegetical theology. The greatest class Dorothy and I ever had was from Dr. Ward in a summer term at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Though it was a class in "Contemporary Theology," we spent the first hour of every morning with our Greek Testaments open, pouring over the sacred text. Third, Dr. Ward was a preacher's preacher. Through exegesis, illustrations that walked around Zion and applications that took you to your knees, he was a pulpit master as his preaching schedule every weekend demonstrated. Who among those 10,000 that attended the Texas Baptist Evangelism Conference will ever forget the three-part series on the Holy Spirit? Fourth, "Uncle Wayne" was always the encourager of young preachers. He would sit and weep when I would preach. Thinking back on my pedestrian efforts, I sometimes wonder if they were tears of desperation or just downright agony. If so, he never let on, but would hug me at the conclusion and tell the boy preacher how greatly God had used the message in his own life. It was he who persisted with me to send a book manuscript to Zondervan when I was a second-year student in seminary. Three printings later, I realized that I owed everything that happened to my kinsman by marriage. In all of this, I was but one of thousands touched and blessed by this remarkable scholar/preacher. So, my treasured mentor, I must bid you goodbye. Today here in Europe, my heart feels lonely and strangely empty -- like something of great value had been pilfered. But I am warmed and comforted by the quiet confidence of the Holy Spirit about whom "Uncle Wayne" so often preached, the One who wafted him away to undiluted glory and blessing, and will come soon enough for each of us and for that family reunion in the heavenlies. God bless your memory, my dear mentor and kinsman. --30-- -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Antibiotics & our future: A Christian farmer's response By Shane Burchfiel May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37909 DYERSBURG, Tenn. (BP) -- Ask any child to draw a farm, and they might use their Crayolas to produce an image that consists of a red barn, an apple tree on a green hill, and a cow or horse in the field. Unfortunately, this image of a "farm" doesn't change much into adulthood, and public perception of modern agriculture is often inaccurate. Discussing the ethical, environmental and moral issues of producing our food and clothing is important. However, I would respectfully challenge some of the claims made in a recent Baptist Press [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=37841]piece[/URL]. First, blaming cows for obesity, antibiotic resistance and the loss of forests for corn production is an effective but fear-based tactic. The United States produces roughly half of the world's corn supply, but we are not tearing down forests to accomplish this. Farmers are producing higher yields on fewer acres than ever before. Where exactly are all these forests that are being destroyed for more corn acres? Obesity is a problem, but the blame lies more squarely on gluttony and laziness than it does on cows and corn. Likewise, antibiotic resistance can be a cause for concern, but are we not already the most over-medicated society on the planet? The bigger problem lies in over-usage of antibiotics among people. Second, modern agriculture is not in defiance of nature. Farmers are not shaking their fists at God going against His natural order. A full 98 percent of all farms are family farms. Farmers are working in concert with nature. We use fertilizers that are mined from the earth or come from animals, herbicides that are derived from plants, and insect protection commonly known as "Bt" that is naturally occurring in the soil. Some people often make the claim that farmers are poisoning the environment. But why would we poison the land from which we derive our livelihood? We are stewards of the land. Part of our job is to create a cleaner, healthier environment. If we are destroying it, by default we destroy our own profession. Farmers strive to operate in an environmentally friendly manner. Our air you can breathe, our water you can drink. Why is it that when a person goes on a mission trip to a Third World country they dare not drink the water? A good friend of mine used this analogy: "I raise pigs. I grow corn to feed them. The pigs eat the corn and produce manure. I take that manure and put it onto my corn field(s) as fertilizer. I don't know how you get any greener than that." Yet, he would be criticized because his pigs live in a barn, or because of the odor when he spreads manure. Is this not a realistic, sustainable, and feasible model? Third, Scripture is quite clear in the distinction of humans and animals. God created humans in His likeness and gave them dominion over animals. This is not to say that animals should be treated cruelly, nor is it saying that animals are equal to humans. Animals need food, water, protection, and yes, sometimes they need medicine. Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian of the National Pork Producers Council, told USA Today that without antibiotics, animals would become sick, and food prices would rise. Until innovations occur in agriculture that enable us to move away from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) without sacrificing production, I'm comfortable with a free market driving demand. If that means chickens and pigs live in barns/houses in addition to having access to fresh grass and the open sunshine in order to maintain an abundant and affordable food supply, I'm not overly concerned with the risks that may or may not be associated with that. Fourth, this discussion is often framed in terms of an "us versus them" dialogue when it doesn't need to be. Why is the conversation so quickly reduced to organic vs. commercial, industry vs. family, or big vs. small? The reality is there are more than 6 billion people on this planet and they eat. Population experts tell us that by 2050 global population will double, meaning farmers will have to produce more food in the coming years than we have in the history of civilization. The real question becomes: Can we continue to feed people in a sustainable model that is environmentally friendly? Yes we can, but we are naive to think the organic (a term so loosely defined it is devoid of real meaning), green movement or community gardens is going to carry us there alone. Finally, the average consumer has no idea of the costs involved in producing agriculture. Literally, thousands of dollars are buried in the ground in seed, fertilizer and crop protection products. And it's all for naught if it doesn't rain. People continue to have a disconnect between the reality of producing food on the family farm and the romanticized, biased picture as portrayed by documentaries such as "Food Inc." Farmers make up less than 2 percent of the population of the United States. That means 98 percent of Americans will rely on a 2 percent minority to provide food and clothing, which by the way, we are doing despite overbearing regulation. The problem with the agri-ecology/green movement is that they are radically inconsistent. Its proponents will harp about free-range, grass-fed only beef, no pesticides, only buy local etc. Yet they will walk around with bought meat from a local producer while holding a $5 cup of Starbucks coffee made with beans imported from another country. Modern farming families are innovators, consistently working towards safer, more efficient methods of food and fiber production. This is the task the American population has demanded of us. We plant and pray. We are stewards of the land. --30-- Shane Burchfiel is a 2011 graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and works on a family farm in Dyer County, Tenn., where he raises cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat and manages a timber tract. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Alcohol isn't to blame for the Colombia scandal By Kelly Boggs May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37915 ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan appeared before the Senate Homeland Security Committee May 23 to answer questions about the scandal involving agents partying with prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia. "On this particular trip, we had individuals who made very bad decisions," Sullivan told the committee. "Between the alcohol and I don't know, the environment, these individuals did some dumb things." The cavorting in Cartagena has resulted in the dismissal of nine Secret Service members. Even with the dismissals and the investigation, I find troubling that Sullivan would blame something other than the men involved for their behavior. While watching Sullivan before the committee via television, his body language seemed to reinforce his testimony that he believes booze and an exotic locale are as much to blame, if not more so, than the agents themselves. I get the feeling if it were not for public pressure and the scrutiny of some in Congress who still have a modicum of common sense, the agents may not have been dismissed. After all, if not for the intoxication both from the booze and the environment, the escapades with the escorts would likely not have occurred. Let me ask: If they were crazy enough to get drunk and party all night with prostitutes, thus putting their careers in jeopardy, is it in the realm of possibility they could have been drunk enough to disclose sensitive information? Have we really come to the place in American culture where men in leadership are now excusing out-of-control, immoral behavior -- behavior that could compromise the safety of the president of the United States -- and blaming it on alcohol and an exotic venue? Mr. Sullivan seems to fail to realize that the agents in question chose to imbibe intoxicating beverages to excess. While that choice may have affected the subsequent choices, they did, of their own volition, secure the services of prostitutes. They did spend the better part of the night with these escorts. Their choices placed them in position of compromise. The agents alone are responsible for their actions. Some have been dismissed, as they should have been. Perhaps others will be. Because of the nature of the Secret Service, an investigation is necessary. If there is a culture that chooses to look the other way when agents play while they are away, it must be stopped. The very life of the president is in their hands. If America ever needed to return to the biblical mandate of personal responsibility, it is now. Every citizen is responsible for his or her actions and ultimately accountable to God. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. Whatever man sows he will also reap." The following has been attributed to several people. It seems the original source is unknown. That said, it is worthwhile food for thought for the times in which we live. "We sow a thought and reap an act. We sow an act and reap a habit. We sow a habit and reap a character. We sow a character and reap a destiny." Alcohol may have contributed to the Secret Service sex scandal; however, it is not to blame. In spite of what some may want to believe, the agents themselves are totally and completely responsible for the choices they made that resulted in the embarrassing and potentially dangerous situation in Colombia. You reap what you sow. --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: Liderazgo Espiritual es más que posición By Luis R. López May. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37913 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) -- Los líderes espirituales no dirigen solamente desde sus posiciones. Su cargo, ocupación o posición no son los únicos agentes que determinan la manera en que las personas tratan de influir a otros efectivamente. Mientras este concepto pueda tener mucha validez en el mundo secular y en algunos casos sea la única manera de evitar fracasos y consecuencias negativas, el liderazgo espiritual implica mucho más que esto. Un rey puede hacer que sus súbditos hagan lo que se les pide. En el área laboral, un jefe puede por su posición hacer que otros le obedezcan. Un maestro de escuela dominical puede decidir la manera en que se conduce una clase. Una esposa puede decirle al esposo “si no haces esto”, “no tendrás esto” o viceversa. Una padre puede “asegurarse” que su hijo pequeño coma vegetales o cumpla con sus tareas. Como padre de dos hijos varones de 24 y 18 años de edad, se que este estilo de liderazgo ha sido a veces el único recurso que me ha quedado para guiarles. Muchas veces la motivación por la que hacemos o seguimos algunas instrucciones son el resultado de obtener o evitar las consecuencias o el castigo de no hacerlo. Dicho de otra manera, hacemos algo porque hemos sido casi “forzados” a esto. Pero el liderazgo espiritual va mucho más allá. Las personas que son guiadas a la fuerza se cansan y su desarrollo moral se limita. No logran desarrollar todo el potencial que tienen dentro de sí mismas. Liderazgo espiritual comienza no alargando la distancia entre el guía y los guiados o poniendo un yugo sobre sus cuellos, pero identificándonos con la gente, entendiendo sus luchas y necesidades. Implica conocer sus valores y ayudarlos a descubrir los eternos valores de Dios y su palabra. He aquí parte de lo que es discipulado. Liderazgo espiritual tiene que ver con influir a las personas y dejar que ellas sean motivadas por los valores y creencias correctas. En otras palabras, un líder espiritual intenta influir a otros con su ejemplo e integridad. Le indica a las personas a Dios y le señala cómo depender de Él. Es decir, modela para otros lo que él espera que otros hagan. El líder secular dirige solamente con la mente. A este lo que le importa son los resultados, no las personas. Está dispuesto a sacrificar cualquier cosa a fin de conseguir lo que se propone. Al líder espiritual también le interesan los resultados, pero debe alcanzarlos asertivamente. Es decir, poniendo a Dios y a los demás primero. Este último dirige con la mente pero también con el corazón. Esdras es un buen ejemplo de liderazgo espiritual. Cuando se le pidió que guiara al pueblo que estaba en el exilio para que regresara a Jerusalén sabía que esto era parte del plan de Dios. Esdras temía a Dios y quería obedecerle. Había conseguido gracia delante del rey Artajerjes , rey de Persia, para llevar a cabo este esfuerzo, pero sabía que para hacerlo correctamente debía hacerlo no solo dando órdenes con la cabeza, pero guiando al pueblo con su corazón y sus actos. Necesitaba guiarlos a tener un profundo temor de Dios y Sus propósitos. Hacerlo no era fácil. No desde su posición, pero en el valle de la lucha con una gente que muchas veces se apartaba de Dios, Esdras se identificó con ellos. Oró y pidió perdón por su pecado mostrando quien era la fuente y motivación de su liderazgo. Allí está un ejemplo de un líder espiritual. La Biblia está llena de líderes espirituales cuyos testimonios fueron registrados para inspirarnos y enseñarnos en estos días. El mismo Jesús es el ejemplo supremo de un líder que se identificó con su pueblo. Juan 13: 3 nos recuerda que él sabía quién era y de donde venía. Sin embargo, ese mismo pasaje nos recuerda que El Rey de Reyes y Señor de Señores, aquel que es el Alfa y la Omega, se despojó a sí mismo, tomando forma de siervo, tomó la toalla y la vasija. Lavó los pies a sus discípulos. ¿Qué tal hablar de la cruz?. Eso es liderazgo espiritual. Filipenses 2.5 nos recuerda que debemos tener este mismo sentir (actitud) que hubo en Cristo. Un líder espiritual no lo hace la posición que ocupa o el cargo que desempeña. Es mucho más que eso. Lo hace su carácter, su capacidad de identificarse con la gente y la visión que Dios le ha dado. El líder espiritual dirige con la mente y con el corazón. No dirige exclusivamente con el sombrero puesto de su “descripción de trabajo”. Esta visión posicional de liderazgo se aplica al mundo secular y allí funciona pero no debe trasladarse a la esfera espiritual, la iglesia y el reino de Dios. Fraternalmente en Cristo, --30-- Luis R. López es el Director de LifeWay Español de LifeWay Church Resources en Nashville, Tenn. http://www.LifeWay.com/espanol. -- 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