Baptist Press Stories for Jun. 8 2012 --------------------------------------- As African Sahel hunger crisis deepens, pleas for help grow http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38005 FIRST-PERSON: 'Only God can repay you' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38007 Poll: Pastors want to keep SBC name, are split on 'Great Commission Baptists' descriptor http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38004 Council identifies needs of black Southern Baptists http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38006 New genetic test: a 'death sentence' for unborn http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38009 In Nigeria, bombing of churches injures dozens http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38008 CULTURE DIGEST: Saying 'you're gay' is no longer slander, court rules http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38012 FIRST-PERSON: Pornography, America's next moral battleground? http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38010 FIRST-PERSON: A return to civility in America -- the solution's quite simple http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38013 FIRST-PERSON: Dios estaba allí http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38011 --------------------------------------- As African Sahel hunger crisis deepens, pleas for help grow By Mark Kelly Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38005 DAKAR, Senegal (BP) -- The food crisis in Africa's Sahel region is expected to remain critical throughout the summer, a United Nations relief official has announced. Southern Baptists are being asked to pray for those who are suffering near starvation and for the workers struggling to help them, and to give to the World Hunger Fund. [IMG=32768@right@250]United Nations aid chief Valerie Amos met with the presidents of Senegal and Burkina Faso during a four-day trip to West Africa to assess the scope and impact of the emergency. Some 800,000 people in northern Senegal are going hungry, while 2.8 million in the country of Burkina Faso need urgent help, Amos told the AFP news service May 24. Burkina Faso also has 60,000 refugees from neighboring Mali living in refugee camps. An estimated 18 million people are suffering from food shortages, and nearly 1.5 million children are near starvation, according to UN figures. Southern Baptists have responded with an initiative in Mali that will provide a six-month ration of grain and peanuts to help two villages with a combined population of about 3,000. In coordination with local leaders, three distributions will be conducted in each village over the course of four to six months. The project is being funded with a $366,200 disbursement from the World Hunger Fund. Donations to the World Hunger Fund can be made at [URL=http://www.worldhungerfund.com]www.worldhungerfund.com[/URL]. "The humanitarian situation is expected to remain critical at least until the main harvest this autumn," around September, Amos said, according to AFP. "We can do more to avoid the crisis from becoming a catastrophe in the region but to save more lives we need strong leadership ... and continued generosity from the regional and humanitarian community." Hunger is a chronic problem in the Sahel, said Mark Hatfield, who directs work in Sub-Saharan Africa for Baptist Global Response with his wife, Susan,. "In 2011, the rains came late or not at all over much of the region, and harvests have been very limited. One country estimates agricultural production may be down as much as 75 percent," Hatfield said. "Families are running out of food quickly, food prices are skyrocketing, and malnutrition is reaching emergency levels, especially among infants and children." The only hope many people in the Sahel have is that people who care will respond to their need, said Jeff Palmer, BGR's executive director. "The most important thing Christians can do is to pray that God would miraculously provide the resources needed to avert a complete disaster," Palmer said. "This crisis is massive and the international community has not yet risen to meet all the need. Our own resources through the World Hunger Fund are limited. Families in a dozen countries are desperate to know that we care about their plight." The Sahel is a 3,400 mile expanse that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, between the Sahara desert to the north and the savanna to the south. Its name derives from an Arabic word that means "shore" -- the Sahel appears to run as a coastline along the southern edge of the Sahara's ocean of sand. The Sahel covers parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Cameroon and Eritrea. --30-- Mark Kelly writes for Baptist Global Response, located on the Internet at www.gobgr.org. You can help save lives in this crisis by donating to World Hunger Fund at [URL=http://www.worldhungerfund.com]www.worldhungerfund.com[/URL]. 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: 'Only God can repay you' By Anna Farmer Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38007 EDITOR'S NOTE: The following note was written by a Baptist Global Response partner after the first distribution of food to two villages in Mali suffering in the Sahel food crisis. The name has been changed for security reasons. You can help save lives in this crisis by donating to the World Hunger Fund at [URL=http://www.worldhungerfund.com.]www.worldhungerfund.com[/URL] DAKAR, Senegal (BP) -- It's going to be difficult to put into words the experience we had distributing food to these villages. I should begin by saying thank you to all of you have given to the World Hunger Fund. We brought six truckloads of grain to two different villages. [IMG=32770@right@270]Upon our arrival at the first village, nearly all the residents came to the road to welcome us. We were greeted with traditional musicians and singers, then treated to dancing -- something I've not seen amongst this people group. It was a festive air, filled with the anticipation of the arrival of much-needed grain. The first truck had arrived, and three days later the second arrived. In the interval, our team had the opportunity to share stories and participate in village activities, such as a baby-naming ceremony. Through this gift of love and our relational approach to the people, the residents of these villages now have a better understanding of God's love. After we had distributed the grain, we met with the village elders, who repeatedly thanked us for the food. They told us it arrived just in time. After the second day of distribution, I was in the "shower" taking a bucket bath under the stars after yet another 120+ degree day. In the distance, I heard a lady let out this traditional whoop of joy. I heard banging, like on a drum. After supper that night, our host asked if I had heard the lady. I said yes, and he went on to tell me a bit of her story. She was a divorced lady with four children; her husband had left her. Because she had no man to advocate for her to be on the recipient list for the grain we were distributing, she knew she and her children would be left out. When she got home from her work, however, she found enough grain for a family of five sitting in her court yard. It was then she let out the whoop I had heard earlier, and she began to beat a five-gallon water jug as a makeshift drum. She told her neighbors she was going to beat the drum all night because she now had food to feed her children! The second village that received the grain was about three times larger than the first. Two semi trucks arrived shortly after we did, and we inventoried the contents as they unloaded. We then got to wait another two days for the other two trucks to arrive. As those trucks were unloaded, the village treated us to traditional drumming and dancing in thanks for the food. They couldn't believe we would really bring such a gift. Our team and two volunteers from a sister organization measured out bowls of corn and peanuts to be sure the food was equally distributed -- hot and dusty work. Our last night in the village, we were called to the public square for more dancing and drumming. It was a very special night. We got back to our hosts' home at about 11:30 pm, all of us quite tired and ready for bed. Just 10 minutes later, though, the traditional singers and drummers came into the yard. They had followed us back to dance and sing more for us! Never mind some of us were already in bed! The song they sang, though, was the sweetest: "Who brought us corn? Who brought us peanuts? Who brought us millet? Jesus did!" During the past two weeks, I have received many thanks and blessings from the recipients of the grain. Our prayer from the beginning has been that this food would be seen given by Jesus and not simply the Americans. Villagers came to us and said, "We thought you'd forgotten about us. We were told you went back to America and didn't care." We explained that we had to leave for a little while but we were back for now. Others came to us and said, "You just don't understand, the food came just in time." Each time our team got to respond with a story and words of love. Many of these families had little or no food left at all in their homes. The neighbors of our teammates had had no food at all in their home that week. One teammate returned to his village and noticed there were very few folks out and about to talk with. He asked where everyone was and was told "Oh, they're at home sleeping. We finally have food in our stomachs, and we can sleep now." Before, the majority of the village was too hungry to sleep through the night. So it's been a humbling two weeks for me. Sure, it was 12 days of 120- to 128-degree weather -- with a few rains and sand storms tossed in to keep things interesting -- and some interesting food (tastes like chicken!). All of our team can testify to the Lord's provision and strength through it all. We got to share about God's love, and because of your generosity, softer hearts will reflect on things tonight as they eat supper. We hope to do at least one more distribution to these villages before the harvest comes in. Please ask the Lord to send timely and abundant rains to these villages on the fringe of the Sahara desert. Also, ask the Lord to answer the cries of the many, many villages that did not receive this blessing. Many will be hungry tonight in Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. Thank you for giving. It was a profound blessing to our team during this time of chaos in Mali where the only thing certain is hunger. I just wish we could do more. Only God can repay you. (Malian proverb/blessing) --30-- You can help save lives in this crisis by donating to the World Hunger Fund at [URL=http://www.worldhungerfund.com]www.worldhungerfund.com[/URL]. 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: Pastors want to keep SBC name, are split on 'Great Commission Baptists' descriptor By Russ Rankin Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38004 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- More than half of the pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention do not intend to use the name "Great Commission Baptists" in communication about their church, although 40 percent say they have not discussed the issue or decided, according to a survey by LifeWay Research. The survey also reveals more than 70 percent of pastors agree the name "Southern Baptist Convention" should continue to be used. [IMG=32755@right@380]LifeWay Research conducted a random survey of more than 1,000 SBC pastors in light of the task force appointed by SBC President Bryant Wright to study a possible name change for the 167-year-old convention. The report of the task force, delivered in February during the president's report to the SBC Executive Committee, recommended the convention maintain its legal name but adopt "Great Commission Baptists" as an informal, non-legal name for churches and entities that want to use it. The Executive Committee approved the president's recommendation, and SBC messengers will consider the recommendation during the annual meeting in New Orleans June 19-20. The LifeWay data was released June 8. LifeWay Research asked the question: "Do you agree that the Southern Baptist Convention should continue to be the name for this convention?" and found 72 percent of pastors agree (strongly or somewhat) the name should continue to be used. Twenty-three percent disagree and 5 percent "don't know." The percentage of pastors who agree with the statement increases with age. Sixty-one percent of pastors under 45 years agree, while 82 percent of pastors over 65 years agree. Pastors of smaller churches (under 50 in attendance) are most likely to "strongly agree" (64 percent) with the retention of the name Southern Baptist Convention. And, pastors in the West (45 percent) are less likely to "strongly agree" than pastors in the South (57 percent). Jimmy Draper, chairman of the task force that made the recommendation, told Baptist Press the "survey is about what I expected." (See Draper's full statement at the end of this story.) "The vast majority of Southern Baptists prefer to keep the Southern Baptist name," Draper told Baptist Press. "In our study we concluded that there were many reasons why we should keep the Southern Baptist name. That is why we recommended keeping that name. Approximately 90 percent of those who attend the convention annually are from the south. For most of us, we see the value of the name as a brand worthy of maintaining." [IMG=32757@right@380]Draper, though, said the task force made the "Great Commission Baptists" recommendation to benefit those outside the South, as well as ethnic groups. "It is important for all of us to remember that we are now ministering as Southern Baptist in all 50 states," Draper said. "For many of them the name 'Southern' is an impediment to gaining opportunities to seek to bring others to faith in Christ. For many of our African American church leaders in the SBC their involvement with the name 'Southern' has been a point of contention and conflict with their peers. We should believe in the Great Commission enough to be willing to remove every possible impediment to evangelistic outreach for those for whom it would be helpful." Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, said that "while more than one in five pastors indicate they are ready for a change in the name of the convention, across all subgroups measured the majority of pastors agree the current name should continue to be used." When pastors were asked if they agree "that a non-legal name like 'Great Commission Baptists' would be acceptable for use by those who would find it beneficial?" an equal number of pastors agree and disagree (46 percent) with the statement. Responses to this question also vary by church size and pastor age. Only 36 percent of pastors of churches with less than 50 in attendance agree the non-legal name would be acceptable compared to 61 percent of pastors of churches with attendance over 250. There is also a split in responses between younger and older pastors about the new name. The majority of pastors age 18-44 agree (59 percent), while the majority of pastors age 65-plus disagree (60 percent). Pastors also were asked if their church intends to use the tagline "Great Commission Baptists" in some or all of their communication about the church. More than half (54 percent) say they will not use the non-legal moniker although more than a third (35 percent) have not discussed it and five percent have not decided. Four percent responded they will use both Southern Baptist Convention and Great Commission Baptists in their descriptors, and two percent indicated they will use Great Commission Baptists exclusively in their church identification. Pastors in the West are more likely than those in the South to select "Yes, we will use it exclusively." Eight percent of those in the West compared to 1 percent of those in the South gave this response. Draper said the percentage of churches possibly open to the descriptor is about what he envisioned. "We should be willing to remove every obstacle that would discourage their efforts to reach others for Christ," Draper said, referencing churches who would use the descriptor. "The point has never been to satisfy the majority of Southern Baptists. The point from the beginning was to seek to remove any barrier to the presentation of the Gospel where it would be helpful. Southern Baptists are Great Commission Baptists! I encourage the messengers of the convention meeting in New Orleans to wholeheartedly approve this recommendation." [IMG=32756@right@380]Said McConnell, "Of course, churches have complete control over the name of their own church, but messengers to the SBC annual meeting will decide whether to grant cooperating churches the latitude of using an alternative descriptor when they refer to the convention itself. Pastors in this polling sample who have an opinion are much more comfortable with the current Southern Baptist Convention name than proposing a non-legal name for churches that would benefit from it." Wright, the SBC president, said he hopes the descriptor of Great Commission Baptists will be seen as a "way of describing who we are and what our mission is as Southern Baptists." "No church has to use it, but a church or a church plant inside or outside the South might feel it would be helpful in reaching people for Christ," Wright told Baptist Press. The questions were asked as part of a mail survey of SBC pastors April 1-May 11, 2012. 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. The 1,066 completed surveys were weighted to match the actual geographic distribution and worship attendance of SBC churches. --30-- Russ Rankin is LifeWay's manager of editorial services. With reporting by Michael Foust, 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 Baptist Press' previous stories on the task force's report: [URL=http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37224]Task force: Keep legal SBC name, but adopt informal name, 'Great Commission Baptists'[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37226]Fentress & Patterson: Descriptor would benefit African Americans, ethnic groups, non-Southerners[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37225]TASK FORCE'S REPORT: Transcript[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37235]Past opponent applauds 'brilliant' compromise[/URL] Following is Jimmy Draper's full statement: "The survey is about what I expected. The vast majority of Southern Baptists prefer to keep the Southern Baptist name. In our study we concluded that there were many reasons why we should keep the Southern Baptist name. That is why we recommended keeping that name. Approximately 90 percent of those who attend the convention annually are from the south. For most of us, we see the value of the name as a brand worthy of maintaining. "It is important for all of us to remember that we are now ministering as Southern Baptist in all 50 states. For many of them the name "Southern" is an impediment to gaining opportunities to seek to bring others to faith in Christ. For many of our African American church leaders in the SBC their involvement with the name 'Southern' has been a point of contention and conflict with their peers. We should believe in the Great Commission enough to be willing to remove every possible impediment to evangelistic outreach for those for who it would be helpful. The survey showed that 46 percent of those polled agreed that the Great Commission Baptists descriptor should be acceptable for use by those who believed they needed to use it. "The third question about the use of the descriptor by their churches shows that 11 percent either said yes or were undecided. That is about the percentage of folks who fit that description. We should be willing to remove every obstacle that would discourage their efforts to reach others for Christ. The point has never been to satisfy the majority of Southern Baptists. The point from the beginning was to seek to remove any barrier to the presentation of the Gospel where it would be helpful. Southern Baptists are Great Commission Baptists! I encourage the messengers of the convention meeting in New Orleans to wholeheartedly approve this recommendation." -- End of story -- Council identifies needs of black Southern Baptists By Staff Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38006 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Encouraging stronger churches to partner with declining churches and developing effective mentoring strategies to groom future missionaries, state convention leaders and denominational employees were among the topics discussed during the first meeting of the African American Advisory Council May 29–30 at the SBC Building in Nashville, Tenn. [IMG=32766@left@280]Led by chairman K. Marshall Williams, members began the meeting with an extended season of prayer. The group then discussed with Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, ways that the SBC benefits from participation of its 3,400 cooperating African American churches, and how these churches can more fully participate in convention processes. Page, drawing from Judges 2:1-7 in his opening devotional, noted three kinds of tears when the angel of the Lord shows up -- tears of regret, tears of repentance and tears of rejoicing. Page expressed gratitude for the "tears of regret" and "tears of repentance" that led to the SBC's 1995 Resolution on Racial Reconciliation. "That was good," he said. "But we have to go far beyond that." Page envisioned a time when "tears of rejoicing" will abound. "We are committed to a convention that is a Kingdom convention, that includes all ethnicities at every level," he said. Page was joined by EC staffers Roger S. Oldham, vice president for convention communications and relations, and Thomas Hammond, vice president for convention advancement, during the meeting. Some of the top needs identified by council members in the African American communities where they serve include reaching men, leadership development in the churches, pastoral health ("keeping him strong in all areas -- spiritually, mentally, physically"), missions training, church planting, evangelism and discipleship. Members also discussed the need to encourage pastors and church workers by "connecting leaders with other leaders with whom they can more closely identify." James Dixon initiated a conversation on the "value of being valued." He urged Page to share with other convention leaders the urgency of making Koreans, Hispanics and other Asians as well as African Americans "feel like they belong" in the SBC. A.B. Vines added it is hard to feel valued when one does not feel "respected at the table." The most visible place this can occur, Vines added, is if the faces on the platform of the SBC annual meeting truly reflect the broader face of the convention's churches. Council members agreed that the number of African Americans serving on staff at SBC entities has declined over the past decade. In response, Mark Croston and Terry Turner reminded the group of the many victories they have experienced over the past half-century. Croston, agreeing that he would like to see greater intentionality among SBC entity heads to hire qualified African American candidates for denominational positions, urged the council not to forget the progress that has been made since the early 1960s. Currently, four states have African American convention presidents elected by the messengers in their respective annual meetings. Frank Williams called on the council to keep prayer as the priority that overshadows its work and the work of the convention. "Lucifer will not sit back," Williams said. "We must pray while we do these other things." He enjoined the members to see themselves as missionaries to the SBC, to present themselves in such a way that "we are valued not just as equal partners, but as equal persons," cooperating for the ultimate purpose of reaching the nation for Christ. Concerned that racism continues to be a problem in American church life, Marvin Parker suggested that developing a curriculum on racism would reap spiritual benefits. Other members suggested holding classes in churches on racism and they discussed the value of the SBC hosting a nationwide conference to address the wounds racism has inflicted on the conscience of America's Christian communities. Roscoe Belton urged the council to encourage fellow African American pastors to participate in events sponsored by the state conventions. Leroy Fountain of the North American Mission Board and Mark Hammond, director of missions in Los Angeles, one of the largest associations in the nation, both added that one of the most significant ways individuals can impact churches with a Kingdom perspective is through denominational employment at the state convention or associational level. Kevin Smith added that "the closest brother-to-brother, sister-to-sister relationships" take place through the state convention and in the local association. Keith Jefferson of the International Mission Board encouraged churches to provide scholarships for high schoolers and collegians to participate in missions projects. He observed that, "When young people serve two weeks, it becomes easier for them to serve two months in the summer, then two years [as a Journeyman], than as career missionaries." During the advisory council's final session, Ken Weathersby, joined by Kim Hardy, Dennis Mitchell and Chandra Bennett, led out in discussing a number of strategies for communicating the stories and accomplishments of African American churches and church leaders. These included setting aside one day each month to communicate with one another through social media, linking up websites more effectively, having a stronger presence in Baptist Press and carrying stories through LifeWay's magazines that highlight the contributions of African American churches. Mitchell suggested "a big, red Easy button" on the SBC.net homepage that would point to resources for ethnic churches and church leaders. The council closed its meeting with gathered prayer around Page, asking God's wisdom, protection and guidance over him in these strategic days of convention advancement. Participating in the African American Advisory Council May 29–30 meeting were: K. Marshall Williams, chairman, senior pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church, Philadelphia, Pa. Roscoe Belton, senior pastor/teacher, Middlebelt Baptist Church, Inkster, Mich.; president of the Michigan Baptist Convention. Chandra Bennett, editorial team leader, adult ministry publishing, LifeWay Christian Resources. Mark Croston, senior pastor, East End Baptist Church, Suffolk, Va.; president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. James Dixon, senior pastor, El-Bethel Baptist Church, Fort Washington, Md.; president of the National African American Fellowship (NAAF). Leroy Fountain, national coordinator, church mobilization group, NAMB. Mark Hammond, director of missions, Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association. Kim Hardy, speaker, author, church planter/pastor's wife, Marietta, Ga. Keith Jefferson, African American mobilization strategist, IMB. Dennis Mitchell, senior pastor, Greenforest Community Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga. Marvin Parker, senior pastor, Broadview Missionary Baptist Church, Broadview, Ill. Kevin Smith, senior pastor, Watson Memorial Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.; assistant professor of Christian preaching, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Terry Turner, senior pastor, Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, Mesquite, Texas; president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. A.B. Vines, senior pastor, New Seasons Church, San Diego, Calif.; vice president and president-elect, NAAF. Ken Weathersby, NAMB presidential ambassador for ethnic church relations. Frank Williams, associate pastor, Bronx Baptist Church, and interim pastor, Wake Eden Community Baptist Church, both in Bronx, N.Y.; president, Black Church Leadership Network of New York. --30-- This article first appeared in SBC LIFE, journal of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. 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 -- New genetic test: a 'death sentence' for unborn By Tom Strode Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38009 WASHINGTON (BP) -- A new blood test that might empower physicians to screen unborn children for more than 3,000 genetic disorders will result in a "death sentence" for many, a Southern Baptist bioethicist says. In research published June 6, a University of Washington team reported it was able to map the entire genetic code of an unborn baby using a blood sample from the mother, who was 18 weeks into her pregnancy, and saliva from the father. The researchers predicted the noninvasive test could be widely used in several years, enabling screening for thousands of genetic conditions. [QUOTE@left@190="The diagnosis becomes a death sentence." – C. Ben Mitchell]The research, however, raises "many ethical questions," the scientists acknowledged, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph. Common use of the test likely would produce more abortions, pro-life advocates contended. Children whose screenings indicate unwelcome genetic conditions could become targets for elimination. "This discovery, like others before it, raises the means/end problem," Southern Baptist bioethicist C. Ben Mitchell told Baptist Press. "Everyone wants children to be born with fewer disabilities. That's a good end. But if the means to achieve that end is the destruction of unborn babies, the end doesn't justify the means. In fact, the logic is perverse: Save children from disability by killing them." [IMG=32187@right@200]Another problem with the test also exists, said Mitchell, professor of moral philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and a biomedical and life issues consultant for the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "[W]e will be able to diagnose these conditions long before we can do anything therapeutically for the child. So the diagnosis becomes a death sentence," he said. The test could result in the elimination of the unborn for reasons that stretch beyond genetic disorders, said bioethics commentator Wesley Smith. "The list of abortion excuses could spread into cosmetics, hair and eye color, height, propensity to weight gain, the list could go on and on," Smith wrote on his blog. In addition, he said, "[T]here will be pressure placed on parents to abort those children with the most serious or undesirable conditions – as already happens with Down [syndrome]. Such a test could become mandatory as a means of controlling health care costs. … In other words, this test will really be measuring the morality of our culture." A British scientist told The Telegraph he supports parents being able to know about their unborn child's genetic condition, so they have the option of aborting their baby -- who, he said, is not actually a human being. "No potential being has a right to become an actual being -- abortion is not a 'wrong' to the individual because the individual in question will never have existed," said John Harris, director of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester in England. "The ability to protect future generations from terrible conditions that will blight their lives seems to me to be an absolute moral responsibility and a duty that we should not shirk," Harris said. Invasive testing already exists that can predict some genetic disorders during pregnancy, and preimplantation genetic diagnosis is performed on embryos created by in vitro fertilization before they are transferred to a woman's womb. Unborn children who are diagnosed with Down syndrome and some other genetic conditions already are often aborted. It is estimated 90 percent of unborn babies who are detected to have Down syndrome in this country are aborted. The condition normally results when a person has three copies, rather than two, of chromosome 21. The new test reported on in the journal Science Translational Medicine would detect many more conditions than are now possible to detect, the researchers said, according to The Telegraph. Observers said the screening is not foolproof, and it will often be unable to forecast how severe the genetic disorder may be in a child. The research enabled the University of Washington scientists to find which natural mutations appeared during pregnancy, The Telegraph reported. These spontaneous mutations, known as "de novo" mutations, represent the majority of genetic disorders. The researchers compared their screening with DNA taken after the boy's birth and learned they predicted 39 of his 44 mutations, according to the newspaper. --30-- Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for 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 -- In Nigeria, bombing of churches injures dozens By Staff/Compass Direct News Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38008 BAUCHI, Nigeria (BP) -- Nigerian soldiers were responsible for at least eight of 21 deaths after a suicide bombing of two churches Sunday, June 3, local sources claim, according to a Compass Direct News June 7 report. [IMG=32771@right@250]Many of those injured from the blast and alleged military shooting have been in critical condition, Compass noted. A statement reportedly from the Muslim extremist sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of the Living Faith church on the outskirts of the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi. The blast also collapsed a wall of the nearby Harvest Field Church of Christ. Of 61 people taken to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi after the blast, 38 were in critical condition, a staff member told Compass on condition of anonymity; the other 23 have been treated and sent home. Church leaders said at a June 4 news conference that 45 Christians were considered injured. The military shot eight Christians to death, said Lawi Pokti, chairman of the Bauchi chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria. Twenty-five were injured by the bomb blast, "while 20 sustained various degrees of injuries from the gunshots by soldiers," Pokti said. The Nigerian military has yet to respond to the allegations, Compass reported. In similar church attacks in Nigeria, Christians angry that their brethren were being killed in the presence of security agencies have been shot for refusing military orders to leave. Lamenting that Christians have been attacked and killed without provocation, Pokti nevertheless beseeched Christians to refrain from seeking revenge. "We also wish to call on all Christians to remain calm and not to embark on any act of reprisal or vengeance, as this will constitute a criminal act and a violation of the teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," Pokti said. Johnson Elogva, associate pastor at Living Faith, said most of the injuries were severe. "Most of our members are critically ill in the hospitals," he said. "Some with first-degree, second-degree burns." Elogva said many of the church's 2,000 members were traumatized but that the battle belonged to the Lord. "Like the Lord told Jehoshaphat not to go out and fight, so we too believe that the Lord will fight for us," Elogva said. The pastor had completed the first worship service at 9:15 a.m. and had begun the second service when the congregation heard a loud blast that shook the sanctuary, Elogva recounted. "The glass windows were shattered, the roof of the church building was shaking and almost collapsing on us," he said. "Our church members were scattered, and they were running and jumping through all available entrances out of the sanctuary. There was smoke and fire all over outside." Mbami Godiya, pastor of nearby Harvest Field Church of Christ, said 10 members of the congregation were injured -- three critically -- when the blast collapsed a wall of the church building. Godiya said he saw two cars being screened at the security point in front of the church compound, the second one containing the suicide bomber, when he turned his attention away from them. "Suddenly, there was a loud bang which brought part of my church building down," Godiya said. "Our church became very dark as fire engulfed it. In the midst of this darkness and the cries from the members of my church, I shouted and called for calm, and asking them to lie down in case there were multiple explosions." The pastor said he saw the hand of God in that no one from his congregation died. "Ten of my members who were injured were taken to the hospital," Godiya said. "Seven were treated and discharged, and three are still in critical condition." Godiya saud most of the people who died at Living Faith were leaving the building after the first morning worship service. "They were all passing by the security checkpoint by my church when the explosion occurred," Godiya said. The government had sent security agents to keep watch over the churches based on threats to the area, but Godiya faulted the government approach. "They should have mounted security checkpoints far away from the churches, but they came and mounted such checkpoints close to our churches, and that was the reason the bombers were able to get close," Godiya said. Boko Haram -- literally meaning "Forbidden Book" and translated as "Western education is forbidden" -- has targeted churches, state offices, law enforcement sites and some moderate mosques in its effort to destabilize the government and impose a strict version of Shariah (Islamic law) on all of Nigeria. Nigeria's population of more than 158.2 million is divided between Christians, who make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims, who account for 45 percent and live mainly in the north. The percentages may be less, however, as those practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World. Five victims of the bombing were buried June 6 amid weeping and wailing. Buried at Christian Cemetery in the targeted Yelwa community were Irmiya Hassan Dodo, 67; Joseph Kehinde Aiyedipe, 30, a student of the Federal Polytechnic in Bauchi; Samuel Olusegun, 16, student of the Divine International School in Bauchi; Augustine Effiong Ita, 32, an adolescent health specialist; and Suru Gbamgboshe, a final year student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi. Gauis Biyal, pastor of Living Faith church, urged mourners at the service not to seek revenge against those who think they are fighting for God by killing Christians. "Vengeance belongs to the Lord; vengeance belongs to Jesus Christ who was persecuted for our sake," Biyal said. "It is He that can fight on our behalf. He knows what to do. If we try to do it ourselves, we will die in the process." --30-- Reported by Compass Direct News, www.compassdirect.org, a news service based in Santa Ana, Calif., focusing on Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. Used by permission. -- End of story -- CULTURE DIGEST: Saying 'you're gay' is no longer slander, court rules By Staff Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38012 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- An increasing acceptance of homosexual lifestyles has led a New York state appellate court to join a growing list of courts that have ruled it's no longer defamatory to be falsely called "gay." The New York court threw out a lawsuit filed by a man who said a false accusation of his being gay or bisexual led to the break-up of a relationship with his longtime girlfriend and caused him emotional distress. The lawsuit was "based on a false premise that it is shameful and disgraceful to be described as lesbian, gay or bisexual," Justice Thomas Mercure of the New York Appellate Division's Third Department wrote in the court's unanimous decision to dismiss the suit, reversing decades of rulings to the contrary. "These appellate division decisions are inconsistent with current public policy and should no longer be followed." Mercure cited "the tremendous evolution in social attitudes regarding homosexuality" that excludes it from such defamation as "accusations of serious criminal conduct or insinuations that an individual has a loathsome disease," the Associated Press reported. New York last year legalized gay marriage, now allowed in six states. The U.S. military allows gays to openly serve, and President Obama has endorsed gay marriage. The suit that Marky Yonaty of the Binghamton area brought against Jean Mincolla could still face another outcome on appeal. Legal experts say such court rulings are becoming more common but are difficult to track because of relatively few slander suits and varying state laws, AP reported. "The courts are all over the place on whether it is defamatory to refer to a person as gay," W. Wat Hopkins, a Virginia Tech communications professor, said. "In some jurisdictions, a court would hold that such a reference is defamatory, and in others courts would rule as … the judge did in New York." As recently as 1993, actor Tom Cruise won a $10 million suit against a gay pornography star who falsely claimed he had a homosexual relationship with Cruise that ended the actor's marriage to Nicole Kidman. SURROGACY INDUSTRY BOOMING IN INDIA -- Surrogate motherhood has become a major industry in India, with hundreds of women renting out their bodies to carry and give birth to children for foreigners. It is estimated there were 2,000 births to surrogate Indian mothers last year and there are 1,000 unregulated clinics in the country, but those figures are only guesses, an expert said. "Nobody in India actually knows for sure how many babies are born through these commercial enterprises and how many places are involved," said Radhey Sharma, who studied the issue for the Indian government and chaired a committee that has recommended standards to provide legal regulation of the industry. The Sunday Telegraph, a London newspaper, reported May 26 on an investigation it conducted of India's surrogacy industry. The investigation found, according to The Telegraph: -- The industry is worth as much as $2.3 billion a year. -- Births for British couples and singles, who go to India to circumvent laws in their home country, may have accounted for half of the surrogate cases last year in India. A New Delhi clinic reported 26 surrogate births in March for people from such countries as the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, Spain and Japan. The Birthplace of Joy, another New Delhi clinic, said its clients were all foreigners and as many as half were same-sex couples. "Nobody could have envisaged the sharp increase in Indian surrogacy for foreigners, and we accept this will not slow down, but in fact get more popular," Sharma said, according to The Telegraph. A recent trend reported to the newspaper is foreign women who are able to conceive but use surrogates because they don't want to bear children. "I do not encourage such people because mentally they are not good or fit," said Anoop Gupta, director of a Delhi clinic, the newspaper reported. "They are capable of giving birth, but the woman is worried about her figure or her career." An Indian mother of two acting as a surrogate for an American couple died May 16 after eight months of pregnancy. Doctors delivered the baby by emergency Caesarean section before Premila Vaghela, 30, died, according to The Times of India. The baby survived and was placed in a hospital neonatal intensive care unit. Bioethics specialist Wesley Smith has sharply criticized the practice of Americans and other westerners renting the wombs of poor women in other countries. "This entitlement mentality is really getting out of hand in the West and turning living human bodies and their constituent parts into mere natural resources to be used and exploited by the well off," Smith wrote May 22 on his blog. "Rich women will never rent their wombs. Rich women will never risk their lives, health and fecundity to help pay the rent. Rich women will never go through the potential trauma of gestating for nine months and the process of being impregnated by strangers' embryos only to have the child taken away at birth. No, that is work only fit for women who need money," he said. LA. LEGISLATORS APPROVE PAIN-CAPABLE ABORTION BAN -- The Louisiana legislature has approved with only a sole dissenting vote a bill to ban abortions at 20 weeks or more into pregnancy based on evidence that a baby in the womb experiences pain by that point. The House of Representatives passed the prohibition unanimously June 1, and the Senate voted 38-1 for it later the same day. The House also unanimously gave final approval May 29 to legislation restricting the performance of abortions to doctors, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. Gov. Bobby Jindal is expected to sign both bills into law. Mary Spaulding Balch, director of state legislation for the National Right to Life Committee, applauded legislators for approving the pain-capable ban. "Modern medical science provides substantial compelling evidence that unborn children recoil from painful stimuli, that their stress hormones increase when they are subjected to any painful stimuli and that they require anesthesia for fetal surgery," Balch said. N.H. LEGISLATURE VOTES TO OUTLAW PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION -- The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted May 30 to ban partial-birth abortion and outlaw fetal homicide. The partial-birth abortion measure restricts a particularly gruesome method of abortion that normally involves an intact baby being delivered feet first until only the head is left in the birth canal. The doctor pierces the base of the infant's skull with surgical scissors before inserting a catheter into the opening and suctioning out the brain, killing the baby. The technique, which is outlawed in federal law, normally is performed in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy. The fetal homicide proposal makes the killing of an unborn child eight weeks or more into a pregnancy a felony that might result in a murder charge, according to the Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph. Both bills will go to Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat who has not announced whether he will sign them. Both houses approved the partial-birth ban with the two-thirds majorities required to override a Lynch veto, the Telegraph reported. The House voted 210-108 for the fetal homicide measure, barely achieving the two-thirds required and leaving it only a couple of switched votes from falling short of an override. TURKEY'S PRIME MINISTER CONDEMNS ABORTION -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described abortion as murder and called for limiting the practice to procedures that are medically necessary in the first eight weeks after fertilization. "There is no difference in killing the fetus in a mother's womb or killing a person after birth," Erdogan said May 29, according to The New York Times. He also compared abortion to a botched military airstrike in December that killed 34 civilians in Uludere, a village in southeastern Turkey. "Every abortion is an Uludere," he said, according to The Times. Abortion is legal in Turkey through the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Abortions for medical reasons are permitted later in pregnancy, according to the newspaper. Erdogan, who leads an Islamic-based government, said abortion and births by Caesarean section are efforts to prevent population growth in Turkey. Women who give birth by Caesarean section, he said, normally can bear only one more baby, The Times reported. He wants each married couple to have at least three children. Women's rights groups protested Erdogan's comments. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode 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 -- FIRST-PERSON: Pornography, America's next moral battleground? By Richard Land Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38010 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- A newly released Gallup poll taking America's moral temperature finds strong support for fidelity in marriage and increasing respect for unborn life, but in other key areas -- specifically sex outside of marriage and homosexuality -- Americans may have lost their biblical compass. And, unless all people of faith unite in opposition, pornography may be next. Overall the trend is alarming for most. According to the Gallup organization's annual Values and Beliefs survey, 73 percent of the nation's citizens believe moral values are getting worse (up from 69 percent in 2011). This sense of moral malaise is generalized rather than specific with no one issue reaching even 25 percent as the number one issue. Lack of "compassion" or "caring" etc., reached first at 18 percent, followed by "lack of family structure" and "lack of faith/religion" at 10 percent, with many other individual issues gaining single digits. When Gallup focused on the specifics however, sexual behavior became the battleground. Biblically speaking, the best news coming from the values survey is that a majority of Americans still have tremendous respect for marriage. Not only do Americans overwhelmingly reject adulterous behavior in married spouses, they reject polygamy by an 81-7 percent margin. And "pro-life" Americans should be encouraged from Gallup's findings that 41 percent of Americans identify as "pro-choice," down six percent from last year and one percent lower than Gallup has ever recorded. Similarly, 50 percent identify as "pro-life," one point below the previous record of 51 percent. The "pro-choice" decline is evident in all three major American political groupings -- Republican, Independent and Democrat. Republicans lead the way (72 percent) followed by Independents where "pro-life" (47 percent) now outnumbers "pro-choice" (41 percent). Among Democrats, "pro-choice" has declined (68 percent to 58 percent) in the past year while "pro-life" has increased (27 percent to 34 percent). Just when champions of traditional biblical values may begin to feel good about the positive movement on the "pro-life" issue, the impact of the sexual revolution of the early 1970s shows another picture 40 years later. Fifty-four percent of Americans find "having a baby outside marriage" "morally acceptable," compared to 42 percent who find it "morally wrong." When sex between an unmarried man and woman is "morally acceptable" by a 59 percent to 38 percent margin, but married men and women having an affair is "morally unacceptable" by a whopping 89 percent to seven percent, you have a morally confused culture, but one that still somewhat respects marital vows. And then there is pornography. Given the tremendous growth of the pornography industry with the rise of the Internet and its negative impact on our mainstream entertainment, the low numbers on approval of pornography are, for the moment, encouraging. As destructive as pornography is to individuals and to relationships, it is comforting to hear that only 31 percent of Americans find viewing pornography "morally acceptable" and twice as many (64 percent) do not. But some would say that it is a sign of moral decline itself when people view "only" 31 percent finding pornography "morally acceptable" as a "good" sign. It is true that the rampant presence of ever more explicit pornography has severely impacted the nation's morals and led to ever greater acceptance of ever more deviant material (i.e. Fifty Shades of Grey, a sadomasochistic-themed No. 1 best seller.) But, at the most, acceptance of pornography at least lags behind unmarried sex and gay/lesbian relations (59 percent and 54 percent, respectively, calling each "morally acceptable") on the nation's moral compass. If pornography ever reaches these levels of moral acceptability in American society, then all the other non-traditional behaviors will increase to much higher levels. Hard-core pornography's ability to redefine moral deviance down to an ever-lower new "normal" is truly as dangerous as it is impressive. Americans who want to see moral reformation or "re-formation" in their culture should do all they can to confront and minimize pornography's impact on the nation's citizens, especially its young people. Pornography is the propaganda for a paganized sexual morality which will submerge our culture in a tidal wave of sexual deviance if uncontested and uncontrolled. Every church, temple, mosque and synagogue in America should consciously seek to be part of a pornography-free counter culture which attempts to inoculate its membership in age-applicable ways against pornography's seductive blandishments. In so doing, religious Americans of all persuasions can help insure that the 31 percent "morally acceptable" rate on pornography goes down rather than up in the future. --30-- Richard Land is president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: A return to civility in America -- the solution's quite simple By Kelly Boggs Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38013 ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- If observers of history are correct, America may be in more trouble than most of its citizens realize and for a reason not often highlighted in the news. While the national debt, war on terror and a presidential election dominate headlines and newscasts, the decline of civility may be the most ominous issue facing the United States. The deterioration of civility, according to many historians, served as a key factor in the decline and disappearance of the "enlightened" cultures of Greece and Rome. For some students of history, the decay of civility served as the linchpin for the ancient civilizations' ultimate demise. Civility refers to the behavior between members of society that create a social code. It is a foundational principle of a civilized society. Although a variety of definitions for what constitutes a civil society exists, common among them are a consensus as to what is moral. A civilized society has citizens that treat each other with dignity, respect and decorum. When the aforementioned erode, a society sails itself into troubled waters. Author Edward Wortley Montague wrote in the 1700s and observed, "Principle causes of the [decline of ancient Greece and Rome] was a degeneracy of manners, which reduced these once brave and free people into the most abject slavery" ("Reflections on the Rise and Fall of the Ancient Republics"). Edward Gibbons, in his classic work "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" which was produced in the 1700s, attributed the collapse of Rome "in large part due to the gradual loss of civic virtue among its citizens." If a common agreement about morality and respectful interaction among citizens are ingredients of a civil society, there are signs the civility that once existed in America is in decline. Almost everywhere you turn, rude, crude and once socially unacceptable behavior seem to be in vogue. The absence of civility has infected almost every nook and cranny of society. Television, radio, politics, roadways, blogs and social networking sites are rife with incivility. It seems being offensive has become a national pastime in America. The New York Times reported in January 2011, "Just as Americans are debating whether untamed political rhetoric inspired the shooting of a congresswoman in Arizona, the founder of a project to promote civility in politics is calling it quits because only three elected members of Congress agreed to sign a rudimentary 'Civility Pledge.'" According to the Times report, Mark DeMoss, who runs a public relations firm in Atlanta, initiated the Civility Project in 2009. He sent out 585 letters; one to every sitting governor and member of Congress. In the letter DeMoss asked the politicians to sign a pledge that said: "I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior. "I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them. "I will stand against incivility when I see it." Mr. DeMoss decided to stop the project when after spending two years and about $30,000 in expenses on the endeavor only three legislators signed the pledge. "They were," reported the Times, "Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut; Representative Frank Wolfe, Republican of Virginia; and Representative Sue Myrick, Republican of North Carolina." When only three out of 585 elected officials sign a simple pledge to conduct themselves with civility, it is not a good sign. If we were expecting our elected officials to lead way toward a more civil society, it seems we might be in for a long wait. Perusing a bookstore recently I came across two titles that offered solutions to the currently low state of civility in America. One was titled, "Saving Civility: 52 Ways to Tame Rude, Crude and Attitude for a Polite Planet." The other book was, "Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct." While the authors of the books on civility are well-meaning, and their suggestions are worthwhile, I don't think a solution to incivility is nearly as complicated as they make it. We don't need 52 principles or 25 rules in order to be civil. One simple consideration is all that is necessary. "Do unto others," Jesus taught, "as you would have others do unto you." Treat people the way you want to be treated and incivility evaporates. Sure rude people will still exist, but their influence would diminish and numbers would decline. And besides, after a while rude and crude people actually start to look pretty foolish if there is no one willing to fan their uncivil flame. Would you like to see a return to civility in America and perhaps stem a decline that could eventually result in the disappearance of our country as we know it? It has to start somewhere. Why not with you? And why not with me? --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: Dios estaba allí By Óscar J. Fernández Jun. 8 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38011 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Una de las cosas que me llaman la atención es que la mayoría de las personas, cuando las cosas empiezan a salir mal por haber tomado malas decisiones o asumir una actitud inapropiada, culpan a otras personas por sus fracasos y tratan de justificarse; algunos incluso, asumiendo papeles de "mártires" que sufren por causa de sus principios y valores cristianos. He encontrado a muy pocas personas que enfrenten sus fracasos y vean en ellos a la mano de Dios tratando de doblegar su personalidad y quebrantar su orgullo y arrogancia. Dios suele llevarnos en ocasiones más allá del punto de la desesperación, para que finalmente encontremos el camino que Dios quiere que llevemos. Yo he estado en ese punto y créame que se lo que le digo. Pero llegar hasta ese punto no es algo que suele ocurrir en un instante, es en verdad una especie de proceso. Estamos acostumbrados a que en nuestro país, las cosas sean rápidas, pero para sacar toda la basura que tenemos acumulada en nuestras vidas, hace falta tiempo. Dios trabaja en nosotros en cualquier lugar en el que nos encontremos. Dios nos reprende, nos revela nuestras faltas y corta y lima las asperezas en un proceso "purificador" para llevarnos a vivir rectamente y para despertar un avivamiento personal en nosotros. Claro está que este proceso, la mayor parte de las veces, puede ser doloroso y en ocasiones, hasta muy doloroso. La clave del asunto no es que acumulemos conocimientos bíblicos y/o nos llenemos de méritos por realizar actividades piadosas o eclesiásticas, sino que dobleguemos nuestro "ego" ante Jesucristo y que lo reconozcamos como el Señor de nuestras vidas. Esto parece obvio, pero no es algo común ni frecuente. Reconocer Su Señorío implica hacernos esclavos de Él, y actuar como tales. En Génesis 28, comenzando en el versículo 10 se nos narra un sueño que tuvo Jacob, mientras que trataba de escapar de su hermano que lo buscaba para matarlo. Génesis 28:15 es uno de esos pasajes que no me canso de leer y la declaración de Jacob en el versículo 16 siempre me llena de asombro. Él dijo, ¡ciertamente Dios estaba en este lugar y yo no lo sabia! Dios es muy paciente. Él nos persigue y en ocasiones nos doblega hasta que lleguemos a morder el polvo para que experimentemos sus bendiciones. Las bendiciones, la mayor parte de las veces, no se pueden experimentar sin una lucha previa. Si no tenemos disposición para ceder, nunca habrá disposición para dejar que Dios rija por entero nuestras vidas. Dios vio algo en Jacob que otros no podían ver. Jacob era un hombre que se había dado por vencido hacía tiempo, pero Dios no se dio por vencido con Jacob. ¿Por qué? Porque Dios quería que Jacob se rindiera a sí mismo para que pudiera llegar a ser algo por medio del poder de Dios, no como resultado de sus esfuerzos o engaños. Quería que fuera algo que solo Dios podía hacer con él. La lucha de Jacob (Génesis 32) marcó un momento único en su vida. Jacob, el "engañador," ahora tenía el poder de Dios. El fracasado, ahora encontraba fortaleza en Dios para triunfar. Donde una vez él trató de sobresalir por sus méritos y esfuerzos fracasó, pero ahora encontraba el poder de Dios para triunfar de una manera diferente. Jacob tuvo que morder el polvo para que un día se pudiera erguir victorioso solo gracias al poder de Dios. No sería su carisma, inteligencia, nombramiento, educación o méritos, sería Dios y solo Dios el que haría que él brillara. En Bethel (Génesis 35) Dios le ratificó su promesa y le cambió el nombre de Jacob por el de Israel. Nunca más serás llamado Jacob. Los seres humanos tenemos la tendencia de regresar al lugar de nuestros fracasos, eso se ve muchas veces en la Biblia, pero Dios nos lleva a nuevos lugares, y como en Sodoma y Gomorra, nos pide que no miremos atrás. No es bueno recordar el basurero del que nos sacó Dios. Satanás siempre hará lo indecible por hacer que volvamos a ese lugar de fracasos. ¿Por qué sucede esto? Observe y verá que la respuesta es fácil. Vivimos en un mundo tan agitado que no tenemos tiempo para hacer algo. Nuestros calendarios están llenos de reuniones y actividades. Nuestro tiempo en la iglesia y con la familia no varía mucho. Hacer, hacer y siempre hacer parece ser el único propósito de nuestras vidas. Hemos olvidado apartar un tiempo cada día para estar en comunión con el Padre. No como una tarea que debemos cumplir, sino como un deseo y necesidad de nuestra alma. Pienso con toda honestidad que el cristianismo moderno no está produciendo la clase de cristianos que el mundo espera que seamos. Vemos a mucha gente entrar y salir de nuestras iglesias sin que sus vidas muestren el más mínimo indicio de cambio o transformación. Esas personas están fallando por no practicar la vida en el Espíritu y la única manera de ganar el terreno perdido es doblegándose ante Cristo y reconociéndole a Él como el Señor de sus vidas. Jacob tuvo un encuentro con Dios en Peniel que cambió su nombre y su vida. ¿Ha tenido usted un Peniel? --30-- Dr. Óscar J. Fernández es Senior Team Leader, publishing en Adult Ministry, en LifeWay Church Resources Division, LifeWay Christian Resources en Nashville, TN, es además escritor independiente y un estudioso de la Biblia. Su blog http://estudiandolabibliaconoscar.blogspot.com tiene seguidores en 45 países. -- End of story -- Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax: 615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net