Baptist Press Stories for May. 9 2012 --------------------------------------- Obama becomes 1st president to support gay 'marriage' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37796 As Land issues 5-part apology, NAAF pres. awaits trustee action http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37795 N.C. becomes 30th state with marriage amend. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37788 The people speak: A history of marriage votes http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37797 Church ladies provide clean water in Asia http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37790 SWBTS grads to see trials & victories http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37793 EDUCATION DIGEST: SWBTS, GGBTS, Union http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37789 FIRST-PERSON: Mother's Day & the infertile http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37792 FIRST-PERSON: Falling in love with Nineveh http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37791 --------------------------------------- Obama becomes 1st president to support gay 'marriage' By Michael Foust May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37796 WASHINGTON (BP) -- President Obama Wednesday became the first sitting U.S. president to support gay "marriage" publicly, an announcement that was surprising perhaps only in its timing and one that could impact the general election. The announcement came one day after North Carolinians overwhelmingly affirmed the traditional definition of marriage. Four other states will consider the issue this year, a year in which Obama is seeking re-election. Obama seemed to be forced into stating his position after Vice President Joe Biden told NBC's "Meet the Press" three days earlier that he is "comfortable" with gays and lesbians "marrying." Obama made the announcement during an interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts. "I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," Obama told Roberts. The full interview will air later Wednesday on ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer." Even before Obama was elected, some conservative and liberal pundits scoffed at the suggestion that Obama did not support gay "marriage." For instance, in 2008 he opposed California Prop 8, a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. In 2011 he ordered the Justice Department to stop defending in court the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage in the traditional sense, and he also announced support for a congressional bill that would overturn the law. And this year, his spokespersons announced he opposed proposed constitutional marriage amendments in North Carolina and Minnesota. He's also spoken twice to events held by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay group. Yet all along, the White House maintained he merely was "evolving" on the issue. Bryant Wright, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, reacted to the news with sadness. "It is very depressing news when the president of the United States uses his power of influence to endorse same-sex marriage," Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., told Baptist Press. "... Scripture is very clear that from the beginning, God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman. It is important for us who are followers of Jesus to uphold the sacredness of marriage according to Scripture." Wright added, "Christians are called to pray for our government leaders, and it is now more important than ever to pray for President Obama in this very misguided decision." It remains to be seen whether it will cost Obama politically. Although some polls now show majority support for gay "marriage," it has yet to translate to the ballot. North Carolina voters Tuesday passed a constitutional amendment defining marriage between one man and one woman, and the margin of victory -- 61-39 percent -- surprised even supporters. [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37797]Thirty-two states[/URL] now have voted on the issue, and traditional marriage has won with an average margin of 67-33 percent. After watching the North Carolina results Tuesday night, pollster Tom Jensen of the left-leaning Public Policy Polling send out a Tweet, saying, "Hate to say it but I don't believe polls showing majority support for gay marriage nationally. Any time there's a vote it doesn't back it up." Maine and Minnesota will consider the issue in November, and Maryland and Washington state likely will as well. Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, said he was "saddened" and "deeply disappointed" by Obama's announcement. "No matter what culture may dictate with its ever-changing winds, I am grateful for the sure and unchanging source of authority we have in Scripture," Page said. "We must hold to God's Word on this and many other issues." Jim Campbell, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund -- which defends traditional marriage laws -- said Obama's announcement could negatively impact families. "The president has spoken eloquently about how fatherless homes often hurt children and society," Campbell said. "Today's statement is a tragic contradiction that promotes the creation of even more fatherless and motherless homes." President Clinton also supports gay "marriage," but he made his announcement in 2009, well after leaving office. --30-- Michael Foust is associate 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). Read Glenn Stanton's column, "Why not legalize gay marriage?" at [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37494]http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37494 [/URL] -- End of story -- As Land issues 5-part apology, NAAF pres. awaits trustee action By Art Toalston May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37795 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- A five-part apology for "injudicious comments" was released today (May 9) by Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, regarding the Trayvon Martin killing. [IMGONLY=30339@right@140]Land's apology stemmed from a May 2 meeting in which several key African American leaders were in attendance, including Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans; James Dixon Jr., president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of El-Bethel Baptist Church in Fort Washington, Md.; and K. Marshall Williams, chairman of the Southern Baptist African American Advisory Council and pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa. "I am here today to offer my genuine and heartfelt apology for the harm my words of March 31, 2012, have caused to specific individuals, the cause of racial reconciliation, and the gospel of Jesus Christ," Land said in his two-page apology May 9. As a result of the meeting May 2 that lasted nearly five hours, Land said, "I have come to understand in sharper relief how damaging my words were." Among others at the May 2 meeting were Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, and Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In all, 12 individuals attended the session at the SBC Building in Nashville, Tenn. Dixon, contacted by Baptist Press, said he would have no comment on Land's apology until after ERLC trustees have completed the process initiated by their executive committee on April 18 regarding comments by Land on his weekly call-in radio show over the intrusion of politics into the Trayvon Martin case, in which Land referenced President Obama and the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson by name. The six-member executive committee, in a public statement, expressed sadness "that this controversy has erupted" and concern "about how these events may damage the work of the ERLC in support of Southern Baptists and in furtherance of the Kingdom of our Lord." The ERLC executive committee also created an ad hoc committee to investigate allegations of plagiarism over material Land failed to attribute to a Washington Times columnist on the March 31 broadcast. Steve Faith, ERLC trustee chairman, issued a statement later on May 9 that the ad hoc committee is working “with due diligence and will bring a thorough and complete report to the ERLC Executive Committee who will prayerfully consider the findings. The ERLC Executive Committee will bring a report to the full board of trustees and then release a public statement by June 1. “It is important to understand that our Southern Baptist polity places Dr. Land under the authority of the ERLC trustees who are elected by and accountable directly to the Convention,” said Faith, a retired pastor and Baptist association director of missions in Indiana. “The trustees are aware of their responsibility to the Convention and to the watching world.” Land's full statement of apology May 9 follows: "I am here today to offer my genuine and heartfelt apology for the harm my words of March 31, 2012, have caused to specific individuals, the cause of racial reconciliation, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the ministry of The Reverend James Dixon, Jr. the president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention, and a group of brethren who met with me earlier this month, I have come to understand in sharper relief how damaging my words were. "I admit that my comments were expressed in anger at what I thought was one injustice -- the tragic death of Trayvon Martin -- being followed by another injustice -- the media trial of George Zimmerman, without appeal to due judicial process and vigilante justice promulgated by the New Black Panthers. Like my brothers in the Lord, I want true justice to prevail and must await the revelation of the facts of the case in a court of law. Nevertheless, I was guilty of making injudicious comments. "First, I want to confess my insensitivity to the Trayvon Martin family for my imbalanced characterization of their son which was based on news reports, not personal knowledge. My heart truly goes out to a family whose lives have been turned upside down by the shocking death of a beloved child. I can only imagine their sense of loss and deeply regret any way in which my language may have contributed to their pain. "Second, I am here to confess that I impugned the motives of President Obama and the reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. It was unchristian and unwise for me to have done so. God alone is the searcher of men's hearts. I cannot know what motivated them in their comments in this case. I have sent personal letters of apology to each of them asking for them to forgive me. I continue to pray for them regularly, and for our president daily. "Third, I do not believe that crime statistics should in any way justify viewing a person of another race as a threat. I own my earlier words about statistics; and I regret that they may suggest that racial profiling is justifiable. I have been an outspoken opponent of profiling and was grief-stricken to learn that comments I had made were taken as a defense of what I believe is both unchristian and unconstitutional. I share the dream of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that all men, women, boys, and girls would be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Racial profiling is a heinous injustice. I should have been more careful in my choice of words. "Fourth, I must clarify another poor choice of words. I most assuredly do not believe American racism is a 'myth' in the sense that it is imaginary or fictitious. It is all too real and all too insidious. My reference to myth in this case was to a story used to push a political agenda. Because I believe racism is such a grievous sin, I stand firmly against its politicization. Racial justice is a non-partisan ideal and should be embraced by both sides of the political aisle. "Finally, I want to express my deep gratitude to Reverend Dixon and the other men who met with me recently for their Christ-like witness, brotherly kindness, and undaunting courage. We are brethren who have been knit together by the love of Jesus Christ and the passion to reach the world with the message of that love. I pledge to them -- and to all who are within the sound of my voice -- that I will continue to my dying breath to seek racial justice and that I will work harder than ever to be self-disciplined in my speech. I am grateful to them for holding me accountable. "I am also delighted to announce that as a result of our meeting, the ERLC, in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, will initiate regular meetings to discuss our common calling to heal our nation's racial brokenness, work for meaningful reconciliation, and strategize for racial justice." Attending the meeting in addition to Land, Luter, Dixon, Marshall, Page, Patterson and Faith were Dwight McKissick, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas; Terry Turner, president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and pastor of Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church in Mesquite; A.B. Vines Sr., senior pastor of New Seasons Church in Spring Valley, Calif., in the San Diego area; Craig Mitchell, chairman of Southwestern Seminary's ethics faculty and associate director of the seminary's Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement; and C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. Land issued an initial apology April 16 for the comments in conjunction with comments by Luter and SBC President Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., in the Atlanta area. The Baptist Press story can be accessed at [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37620]www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37620[/URL]. Earlier on April 16, Land also issued an apology for the material he failed to attribute to a Washington Times columnist. That BP story can be accessed at [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37619]www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37619[/URL]. The Baptist Press story on the April 18 statement by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission trustee executive committee can be accessed at [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37630]http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37630[/URL] --30-- Art Toalston is editor of Baptist Press. -- End of story -- N.C. becomes 30th state with marriage amend. By Michael Foust May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37788 Updated Wednesday, May 10, 11:10 p.m. Eastern. A version of this story originally was posted May 8. RALEIGH, N.C. (BP) -- North Carolina voters have made the state the 30th in the U.S. to define marriage within a constitution as between a man and a woman, passing a proposal that had drawn nationwide attention by a margin even larger than pre-election surveys.
With all counties reported, the amendment passed easily Tuesday (May 8), 61-39 percent. Critics said the North Carolina amendment was unnecessary because the state already defines marriage in the traditional sense, but supporters countered that North Carolina needed such an amendment to prevent a state court from legalizing gay "marriage," as happened in Massachusetts, Iowa and Connecticut. Judges can overturn statutes but not constitutional amendments. The amendment passed despite supporters being outspent on ads by a margin of about 2-to-1, and despite opponents running TV ads claiming the amendment would negatively impact health insurance for children and the state's domestic violence laws. Opponents avoided the issue of gay "marriage" altogether. If the debate had focused solely on marriage's definition, the winning percentage might have approached or surpassed 70 percent. "This not only sends ... a message to North Carolina, but this sends a message to the whole country," Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, told the Biblical Recorder newspaper. "And that is what people of this country want to see -- marriage remain as one man and one woman." It wasn't the only loss of the night for national gay groups. In Colorado Tuesday, the GOP-led House recessed without considering a same-sex civil unions bill, killing it for the session. Some observers thought it had the votes to pass. The North Carolina vote was only the beginning of what will be a busy year nationally for supporters and opponents of gay "marriage." In November, Minnesotans will vote on a marriage amendment and Maine citizens will consider a proposal that would legalize gay "marriage." Additionally, voters in Washington state and Maryland likely will consider proposals that would reverse gay "marriage" laws in those states.
Some polls have shown national support for gay "marriage," but -- in light of the North Carolina vote margin -- many conservative leaders and even some pollsters aren't buying it. After watching the North Carolina results Tuesday night, Tom Jensen of the left-leaning Public Policy Polling sent out a tweet, saying, "Hate to say it but I don't believe polls showing majority support for gay marriage nationally. Any time there's a vote it doesn't back it up." The final pre-election poll from Public Policy Polling had the amendment up among likely voters, 57-39 percent. Historically, marriage amendments have outperformed surveys. The coalition formed to promote the amendment, Vote For Marriage NC, didn't shy away from religion in urging voters to support it. One ad ended with an image of a Bible as a narrator explained that the amendment "protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman, just as God designed it." In the heart of the Bible Belt, the ad resonated. Having Billy Graham support the amendment in 14 newspaper ads the weekend before election day helped, too. Tami Fitzgerald, chairwoman of Vote FOR Marriage NC, said her state had waited long enough to vote on the issue. "We are thankful to God and to the people of North Carolina for joining together ... to preserve marriage as the union between one man and one woman in our State Constitution," Fitzgerald said in a post-election statement. "North Carolinians have been waiting for nearly a decade to protect marriage -- a sacred institution authored by God -- from being redefined against the will of the people." For years, Democratic leaders in the state legislature prevented the amendment from appearing on the ballot. Republicans took control of the legislature in 2010 and made the amendment a priority. Of North Carolina's 100 counties, the amendment passed in 93. North Carolina was the last remaining state in the Southeast to pass such an amendment. While the amendments have been popular in conservative-leaning states, they've also passed in such left-leaning states as Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon. The healthy margin by which the amendment passed has been the [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37797]norm[/URL] at the state level. Including the 30 states that have marriage amendments and two other states (Hawaii and Maine) that have voted on the issue, the proposals have passed by an average margin of 67-33 percent. Some criticized the amendment for prohibiting not only gay "marriage" but also New Jersey-style civil unions, which grant same-sex couples all the state legal benefits of marriage, minus the name. Supporters, though, said civil unions were simply a stepping stone to gay "marriage" legalization, and they noted that three states -- Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut -- had legalized civil unions only to follow by changing the marriage law, too. The heart of North Carolina's amendment reads, "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State." Opponents tried to change the subject from marriage in the closing weeks of the campaign, charging that the "domestic legal union" language could endanger women by impacting the state's domestic violence statutes. Although some legal scholars shared that opinion, others disagreed, pointing out that other states have similar language in their constitutions and have had no problems. For instance, Idaho's amendment is identical. Marriage amendments became popular after Massachusetts' highest court issued its landmark 2003 decision redefining marriage. Of the 30 states with marriage amendments, 26 have passed since 2003. If Massachusetts had had an amendment, the court would have been bound by the constitutional language. Passage of the amendment also means that eight of the 10 states listed in Forbes' 2011 "Best States for Business" list have marriage amendments. Amendment critics often say the proposals are bad for businesses. J.D. Greear, lead pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., a Southern Baptist congregation, urged the church's members to support the amendment. "Government did not define or establish marriage," Greear said in a video recorded for members. "God did. Government merely recognized that which has been established by the Creator." Redefining marriage would have "devastating consequences," Greear said, adding that it would "affect how we perceive God's image, how we understand God-like love, how kids understand their own gender identity." Greear added, "Nobody's arguing that homosexuals are lesser people or they ought to be ostracized in our society or that they ought not to enjoy the same freedoms or protections that the rest of us enjoy. The point is simply that you don't rewrite the nature of God's design based on contemporary cultural mores." Gay "marriage" is legal in six states: Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, New York and Connecticut. None of them had a marriage amendment. --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. With reporting by Shawn Hendricks of the Biblical Recorder (BRNow.org). Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). Read Glenn Stanton's column, "Why not legalize gay marriage?" at [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37494]http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37494 [/URL] -- End of story -- The people speak: A history of marriage votes By Staff May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37797 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Every state that has voted on the issue of marriage at the ballot has affirmed the traditional definition of marriage being between a man and a woman. Following is a list of each state that has voted on the issue. Unless noted, each vote involved a constitutional marriage amendment. Passage of the various proposals has come by an average margin of 67-33 percent. 1998 Alaska, 68-32 percent Hawaii, 69-31 percent 2000 *California, 61-39 percent Nevada, 70-30 percent (first of two required votes) Nebraska, 70-30 percent 2002 Nevada, 67-33 percent (second of two required votes) 2004 Arkansas, 75-25 percent Georgia, 76-24 percent Kentucky, 75-25 percent Louisiana, 78-22 percent Michigan, 59-41 percent Mississippi, 86-14 percent Missouri, 71-29 percent Montana, 67-33 percent North Dakota, 73-27 percent Ohio, 62-38 percent Oklahoma, 76-24 percent Oregon, 57-43 percent Utah, 66-34 percent 2005 Kansas, 70-30 percent Texas, 76-24 percent 2006 Alabama, 81-19 percent Colorado, 56-44 percent Idaho, 63-37 percent South Carolina, 78-22 percent South Dakota, 52-48 percent Tennessee, 81-19 percent Virginia, 57-43 percent Wisconsin, 59-41 percent 2008 **Arizona, 56-44 percent California, 52-48 percent Florida, 62-38 percent 2009 ***Maine, 53-47 percent 2012 North Carolina, 61-39 percent --30-- *California's 2000 vote was an initiative and not a constitutional amendment. **Arizona voters defeated a marriage amendment in 2006, only to pass one two years later. ***Maine's initiative was not a constitutional amendment but a "people's veto" that overturned a gay "marriage" law. -- End of story -- Church ladies provide clean water in Asia By Mark Kelly May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37790 JOYCE, La. (BP) -- When Ella Creel heard children were dying for lack of clean water, she knew something had to be done. But the problem was half a world away, in the high desert of southern Tajikistan. And her church didn't have a lot of resources. "We bump up around 100 in attendance on Sunday," said Creel, a member of East Winnfield Baptist Church in Joyce, La. "Our Sunday School class is just 18 members, mostly widows, mostly on fixed incomes. We've never had more than $100 in our class treasury." They had been studying a series of lessons in their LifeWay Sunday School quarterlies about the Christian's responsibility to make good use of the resources God has given them. When the class came to story of Jesus miraculously feeding several thousand people with a little boy's lunch, they pondered the question that the disciples initially asked. As Creel put it: "what that little bit of food was among so many people." "That's the way we felt. What can we do? This is a little class with no money." Then Creel received a call from one of the younger class members, truck driver Terri Provence, who was on the road that evening. Provence had heard John Avant, pastor of nearby First Baptist Church in West Monroe, talk about his recent trip to Tajikistan in Central Asia, where wells were being dug so villages could have clean water to drink, in a project coordinated by the aid organization Baptist Global Response. Most families in the region draw water for drinking and cooking from a muddy river or canal, Avant told his audience. And water-borne diseases kill 10 percent of children under 2. "Terrie just came unglued when she heard that," Creel recounted. "She called me and asked, 'Why can't we do something?'" Truth was, the class had an answer to that question, but it didn't sit well with Provence. "When we were studying those Sunday School lessons, our class had a lot of comments about how we used to do this or used to do that, but now we're old and it's time to let the young people do it," Creel recalled. "We couldn't do what we used to do, and we never had tackled anything very big anyway. "But those lessons challenged us ... so we agreed we would do what we could while we waited our turn for Jesus to come and get us." Creel called the West Monroe church and talked with Mark Fenn, the missions pastor. She was taken aback to hear that drilling a well cost $3,000 on average. She told him the class might raise $50, maybe $200, and asked if they could partner with First Baptist in drilling a well. Fenn agreed for the ladies' class to raise money for a year and send whatever they could. But Provence wasn't satisfied with a $50 or $200 goal. She brought a five-gallon water jug to class on Sunday -- marked off in dollar amounts up to $3,000. "We were amazed. We were thinking, 'What could we do?'" Creel said. "But our class got on board. "We adopted a theme, 'To outlive your life,' and our class took on a new life. God had put it in our hearts to drill a well." UNEXPECTED When the ladies brought their first offering, it totaled $370. After several weeks, it reached $800. To say they were excited would be an understatement. Then Provence took a better-paying job. "Terri pledged another $200 from her first paycheck and suggested we use it to buy ingredients for hamburgers and hold a fundraiser at the church," Creel said. "Our pastor agreed, and that dinner raised $800. "People outside our class got excited then and started giving. One man sold a bunch of old batteries and donated the money he got. Another one sold some scrap iron he had and gave that," Creel said, her voice filling with emotion. "One woman received $150 from her office staff on Bosses' Day and told me, 'I don't know anywhere I want to use this more than this water well.' A second woman held a garage sale, thinking it would generate about $200 but praying for $400. "At the end of the day, she was able to give us $970 -- the amount needed to reach our $3,000 goal -- and she had some left over to donate to the church's youth fund." What began as a year-long project had taken less than four months and produced a result 15 times their best-case scenario. "It was a God thing from start to finish," Creel said. "We had determined to do what we could, but God wanted to show us what He could do. "We learned there isn't anything too big for us if God asks us to do it. It's His work; He privileges us to join Him in it," Creel said. "We can't take any pride in it. We just get the joy of being part of it." Bruce Cardin, East Winnfield's pastor, agreed. "After the class raised that first $800, things slowed down, because they were on a fixed income," Cardin said. "Then God opened up some doors. You could see the excitement in them as a class, and it has built excitement in our church -- that we have done something and we can do something." Mark Fenn, the missions pastor in West Monroe, didn't know how much the church had raised until he came to receive the check Feb. 12. "I was stunned that it was $3,000. I had no idea they would come up with an amount that would pay for an entire well," Fenn said. "I didn't have any major expectations about how much they would raise. I just thought it was a great opportunity for them to be part of something bigger, whatever amount they could raise. "This shows us you never should underestimate what the Lord might use you to do -- and you sure never underestimate what a bunch of missions-motivated ladies can do," Fenn said. "When they get excited, it's just infectious." Drilling a well makes a life-changing difference for people in Central Asia who have to travel miles to fetch water every couple of days, Fenn added. "For them to have access to water in a few hundred feet or yards, to be able to get that water every day, is such a significant thing," Fenn said. "Then they realize this well has been provided by people who love them -- and ultimately understand the reason they love them is the teachings of Jesus. The beauty of this whole project is that we're able to help people, by meeting their basic needs, to be connected to someone who meets their ultimate need." --30-- Mark Kelly writes for Baptist Global Response, on the Web at www.gobgr.org. You can support clean water projects by giving to the World Hunger Fund at www.worldhungerfund.com. -- End of story -- SWBTS grads to see trials & victories By Benjamin Hawkins May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37793 FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Paige Patterson challenged graduates never to forget their calling nor lose their vision of the exalted and holy God during Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's spring commencement May 4. If graduates do this, the seminary's president said, the trials and pain of ministry will be small compared to the victories they will see throughout people's lives. He reminded the graduates that, in ministry, they will stand alongside people amid all of life's changes. "You will be there at every critical juncture of life," Patterson said. "You are there -- the man, the woman of God -- to bring the message of God that the world so desperately needs to hear." Southwestern awarded 206 graduates with diplomas, including 22 bachelor's degrees and 170 master's degrees during the commencement at the Fort Worth, Texas, campus. Additionally, 14 students received professional and research doctoral degrees. "I feel the seminary has changed me, made me better equipped for future ministry, even more than I realized I needed when I first arrived on campus four years ago," said Sarah Bubar, who received her master of divinity with a concentration in women's studies and will become dean of women at Word of Life Bible Institute in Hudson, Fla. "I know that Southwestern has prepared me for this ministry, and I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity to serve," Bubar said, noting that her studies have "pushed me academically, challenged me spiritually, and guided me vocationally. And I was able to make the best friends in the process of it all." While working on her degree, Bubar helped create UnlockingFeminity.com, which she called an "online resource for women." On the website, Bubar and other women's ministry students write about gender issues and about how, as she put it, women "are to relate to God, each other, and the world around us." Trey Thames, who received a master of divinity from Southwestern in 1999, was awarded his master of arts in archaeology and biblical studies. "My studies have equipped me to understand the archaeological data and how to communicate its significance to brothers and sisters in Christ sitting in the pew," Thames said. "I have learned that faith and scholarship, especially in an area of scientific inquiry like archaeology, are not mutually exclusive. The Bible ... does not have to be pitted against the archaeological record, nor theologians against archaeologists." With degrees in both ministry and archaeology, Thames hopes to serve the church while also teaching and working in the field of biblical archaeology. He already has begun coursework for a Ph.D. in archaeology and biblical studies at Southwestern. In 2008 and 2011, Thames participated in Southwestern's excavations in Tel Gezer, Israel, and he will work at the seminary's excavation in Kourion, Cyprus, this summer. Additionally, Thames has taken the lead role in constructing www.seethescrolls.com, an interactive, educational dig website in conjunction with Southwestern's Dead Sea Scrolls & the Bible exhibition which begins this July. Elementary, junior high and high school students as well as adults can simulate how archaeologists uncover the past through this interactive replica of Qumran, the ancient site inhabited by the Jewish sect that likely preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since Southwestern's founding in 1908, more than 42,000 graduates have been trained and challenged to proclaim God's Word in local churches and around the world. --30-- Benjamin Hawkins is senior newswriter for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas (www.swbts.edu/campusnews). -- End of story -- EDUCATION DIGEST: SWBTS, GGBTS, Union By Staff May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37789 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- This Education Digest contains reports about Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary embracing Madagascar's Antandroy people; Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary partnering with a seminary in Mexico; and a book on faith & learning by Union University faculty members and other contributors. SOUTHWESTERN EMBRACES UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has accepted the challenge of reaching the estimated 1.4 million Antandroy people of Madagascar with the Gospel as part of the "Embrace" initiative for the world's unengaged, unreached people groups. Embrace, introduced to Southern Baptist churches by the International Mission Board at the 2011 SBC annual meeting in Phoenix, is focused on people groups with less than a 2 percent Christian population and no active evangelical church planting strategy. The agrarian Antandroy people, who are heavily rooted in animism, live along the southern tip of the island of Madagascar. Food and health care can prove difficult to obtain in the region, due to a terrain of cactus and thorny plants. The Antandroy thus are known as "a people of the thorns," Southwestern President Paige Patterson said in introducing the initiative during a February chapel. The International Mission Board has appointed two Southwestern graduates to serve in Madagascar, Patterson noted. The seminary sent a five-member team of faculty and staff on a vision trip to Madagascar this spring, with plans to bring students on the first mission trip in December. Madagascar is a country with nearly impassable roads and limited drinking water, Patterson said, yet the island is known for its diverse wildlife, including nearly 100 species of lemurs and the world's smallest chameleon, measuring less than an inch in length. Patterson asked the seminary community to become prayer partners for the Antandroy outreach and, for those who are physically able, to willingly go. Hundreds raised their hands all across the auditorium in response. "I am going to ask you to join me in taking to the people of the thorns, the message of the crown of thorns that will heal the soreness and the sorrow of cultural life cut off from Christ and make eternity possible in heaven," Patterson said. "Wouldn't it be great to see churches planted all over southern Madagascar," he said, "to actually see a whole nation come to Christ?" Patterson said. Keith Eitel, dean of Southwestern's school of evangelism and missions, asked the chapel audience to kneel as he led in prayer for the salvation of the Antandroy people. "As foreboding as it may seem in terms of human strategies and devices and designs," Eitel prayed, "we know that You confound the wise with the simplicity of Your truth. Lord, let us be ambassadors, who can show forth how the scourge of thorns not only marred the head of our Lord and marred the existence of the Antandroy, but through that sacrifice, victory has come and new crowns await in the grace of the living God." GOLDEN GATE PARTNERS WITH MEXICAN SEMINARY -- Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary has entered into a partnership agreement with Seminario Teológico Bautista Mexicano (Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary). GGBTS President Jeff Iorg, who signed the agreement in mid-March, said it will "enhance the association between the two schools and develop academic and cultural relationships in the areas of educational development, research, spiritual growth, and other activities." Daniel Jiménez, president of the seminary in Mexico City, said the agreement is "the beginning of a great relationship with Golden Gate Seminary. It will provide us with opportunities for collaboration and enhancement of both of our programs." Among the key aspects of the partnership will be Golden Gate's efforts to facilitate faculty development, as well as consult with Mexican leaders about curriculum design. The Mexican seminary, meanwhile, will utilize Golden Gate's advanced academic programs as a source for training selected students with potential to become their future faculty members. FAITH & LEARNING AREN'T SEPARATE SPHERES -- A new book edited by Union University President David S. Dockery, titled "Faith and Learning: A Handbook for Christian Higher Education," asserts that faith and learning need not be separated into two spheres that have no bearing on each other, as sometimes is the case at church-related colleges and universities. "We believe that there is a way that faith and learning come together, recognizing that faith bears upon learning and serves as a window for how teaching takes place," Dockery said. "We believe that faith provides a resource for our understanding of all that is explored on a university campus. We wanted to try to show that authentic faith and genuine learning can be brought together in one place." Faith and Learning includes chapters from several Union faculty members writing about how the Christian faith should inform learning in a variety of fields, from the traditional arts and sciences to health care, engineering, social work, business and education. "Hopefully it's kind of a one-stop-shopping handbook that Christian college administrators, trustees, donors, parents, faculty, staff and students can use to think about a distinctive vision for Christian higher education," Dockery said. The first part of book deals with theological formation and understanding of faith and how ethical and moral reasoning help to form a philosophy of education. The second part of the book moves into application in all the disciplines across the university life, with a final section providing application for teaching, student life and engaging the culture. Dockery writes in the book's preface, "We believe that the calling of Christian higher education is to reflect the life of Christ and to shine the light of truth." He notes: "Our distinctive mission must not be forced into inappropriate either/or choices. We have chosen another course: the calling to be 'both/and.' We reject those who call for us to create false dichotomies or to join together unrelated ideas in an irrationalistic pluralistic fashion." Among the contributors from Union are Gene C. Fant Jr., vice president for academic administration; Hunter Baker, associate dean of arts and sciences; Gregory Alan Thornbury, dean of the school of theology and missions; Jeannette Russ, professor of engineering; Emily Lean, assistant professor of business; Mary Anne Poe, professor of social work; and C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy. In addition to the Union contributors, the book also includes chapters by Kenneth Magnuson, professor of Christian ethics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Klaus Issler, professor of Christian education and theology at Biola University; and Kevin S. Trowbridge, instructor in public relations at Belmont University. "'Faith and Learning' speaks clearly and with great insight to what I believe is the preferred future of Christian higher education," wrote Jon Wallace, president of Azusa Pacific University, in an endorsement for the book. "David Dockery and 24 contributing authors have created a road map to a thriving and effective Christian university built on the foundation of our historic Christian intellectual tradition." The book, published by B&H Academic, is available at LifeWay Christian Stores or at online retailers such as amazon.com. --30-- Compiled from reports by Sharaya Colter of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas; Phyllis Evans of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif.; and Tim Ellsworth of Union University in Jackson, Tenn. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Mother's Day & the infertile By Russell D. Moore May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37792 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Mother's Day is a particularly sensitive time in many congregations, and pastors and church leaders often don't even know it. This is true even in congregations that don't focus the entire service around the event as if it were a feast day on the church's liturgical calendar. Infertile women, and often their husbands, are still often grieving in the shadows. It is good and right to honor mothers. The Bible calls us to do so. Jesus does so with his own mother. We must recognize, though, that many infertile women find this day almost unbearable. This is not because these women are (necessarily) bitter or covetous or envious. The day is simply a reminder of unfulfilled longings, longings that are good. Some pastors, commendably, mention in their sermons and prayers on this day those who want to be mothers but who have not had their prayers answered. Some recognize those who are mothers not to children, but to the rest of the congregation as they disciple spiritual daughters in the faith. This is more than a "shout-out" to those who don't have children. It is a call to the congregation to rejoice in those who "mother" the church with wisdom, and it's a call to the church to remember those who long desperately to hear "Mama" directed at them. What if pastors and church leaders were to set aside a day for prayer for the infertile? In too many churches ministry to infertile couples is relegated to support groups that meet in the church basement during the week, under cover of darkness. Now it's true that infertile couples need each other. The time of prayer and counsel with people in similar circumstances can be helpful. But this alone can contribute to the sense of isolation and even shame experienced by those hurting in this way. Moreover, if the only time one talks about infertility is in a room with those who are currently infertile, one is probably going to frame the situation in rather hopeless terms. In fact, almost every congregation is filled with previously infertile people, including lots and lots who were told by medical professionals that they would never have children. Most of those (most of us, I should say) who fit into that category don't really talk about it much because they simply don't think of themselves in those terms. The baby or babies are here, and the pain of the infertility has subsided. Infertile couples need to see others who were once where they are, but who have been granted the blessing they seek. What if, at the end of a service, the pastor called any person or couple who wanted prayer for children to come forward and then asked others in the congregation to gather around them and pray? Not every person grappling with infertility will do this publicly, and that's alright. But many will. And even those too embarrassed to come forward will be encouraged by a church willing to pray for those hurting this way. The pastor could pray for God's gift of children for these couples, either through biological procreation or through adoption, whichever the Lord should desire in each case. Regardless of how you do it, remember the infertile as the world around us celebrates motherhood. The Proverbs 31 woman needs our attention, but the 1 Samuel 1 woman does, too. --30-- Russell D. Moore is dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column first appeared at www.russellmoore.com. 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: Falling in love with Nineveh By Eric Geiger May. 9 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37791 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- When the Lord called me into ministry, I told Him I would go anywhere He asked. When Kaye and I married and discussed where the Lord would possibly put us, we committed we would go wherever He sent us. I graduated from seminary, and was asked to fill out a form indicating where we would like to serve. I put "wherever God puts us." I've never understood those who list three states as their "preferences" for ministry. While I told God I would go anywhere, I also asked that it would never be Nineveh. And I don't mean a town or city called Nineveh, but a people and place I would not love. I never wanted to be the Jonah of chapter one, never wanted to be disciplined into the ministry God had for me. By God's grace, I have never served in Nineveh. He has always been gracious to me and given me a love for the people I served, a passion for the city, and a desire to live in the community in which God has placed me. You can minister in Nineveh, and God will use you as He used Jonah, but you may also be miserable. Surely it's much better to allow God to breathe His passion for the community and the people deeply into you. Surely it's much better to love the people and the place God has called you to serve. Looking back, here are a few practical things my wife and I did to develop our love for the places we served. I will use my most recent local church experience in Miami illustratively. 1. Eat at local restaurants. You can go to a chain restaurant in any city. Instead, find places authentic to the community, places that capture the local culture. We loved Cuban at Havanna Harry's, Peruvian at Jaguar's, and seafood at Garcia's. After each meal, I felt like Miami was a little more my home. 2. Date your spouse and the city. Explore different parts of the community/city/county. Find things to do in places you've not yet explored. Shop in a different part of town or try coffee in a new place. 3. Find fun local spots for your kids. Each community has unique things for kids. Find those. Whether it is a park, zoo, museum or library. Join those and visit them with your kids. 4. Pray each morning for your community. The more you pray for your community, the more you'll love it. God supernaturally does this work in your heart. When I flew into Miami at night and saw the city lights, I would pray for the city, and God always increased my love for her. At times, He would bring me to tears, and I knew He was doing something special deep in my heart. 5. Join the sports bandwagon. Allow the local team to become your team. Really make it your team. I became a huge Miami Heat and Miami Hurricane fan. When people talked smack about them, I took it personally. And giving Florida State fans a hard time only endeared me more to the people of Miami. 6. Use local illustrations in your messages. The more you talk about your community, the more you end up loving it. And the people sense it. 7. Honor local community leaders. Everyone in authority has been placed in authority by God (Romans 13). Schoolteachers, policemen, and community/political leaders care for the community and are in highly influential roles. Pray for these leaders and look for opportunities to serve them. Some of my great memories in Miami include flying in a helicopter with policemen on a night raid, serving a local school with my small group, and recognizing school teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day. 8. Embrace the history. The community has an historical narrative. Learn it in order to better understand the place and the people who live there. In Miami, the Freedom Tower is known as the Ellis Island of the South because Cubans fleeing Castro's regime were processed there. It's a statement of a new beginning for many people and an illustration of the new life Christ offers when we leave our old lives behind. 9. Listen. As you live in the community, listen to the people you meet. Hear their stories and allow God to give you His burden for them. What about you? Anything practical you would add to the list that you have found helpful in developing a deep love for the place you serve? --30-- Eric Geiger serves as vice president of the church resources division of LifeWay Christian Resources. Prior to joining LifeWay, Geiger served eight years as executive pastor of Christ Fellowship Miami in Florida. -- 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