Baptist Press Stories for May. 29 2012 --------------------------------------- Suffering was 'beyond imagination,' Chen tells CNN http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37926 Shorter affirms new direction as faculty resign http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37918 Gay marriage at issue in Pentagon budget bill http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37921 Gladly reach nations, Mohler tells grads http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37920 Southern sends out 4th-generation graduate http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37919 FROM THE STATES: N.C., Ky. evangelism/missions news http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37922 BP Ledger, May 29 edition http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37923 FIRST-PERSON: Raising children without raising your voice http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37924 FIRST-PERSON: Defending marriage in a pluralistic culture http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37925 --------------------------------------- Suffering was 'beyond imagination,' Chen tells CNN By Erin Roach May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37926 NEW YORK (BP) -- In one of his first televised interviews since seeking refuge in the United States, former Chinese prisoner Chen Guangcheng told CNN's Anderson Cooper "the brutality was beyond anyone's imagination." "I want to correct one thing here," Chen told CNN. "When we talk about my situation in the future, let's not use the word 'house arrest' but instead let's use the term 'illegal detention.' It's hard for me to describe what it was like during that time. But let's just say that my suffering was beyond imagination." [IMG=32684@left@240]Chen, a blind self-taught human rights lawyer, was imprisoned for four years for helping to expose the cruelty of China's one-child policy and then was placed under strict surveillance in his home. Chen's investigation uncovered women being forced to have abortions. He escaped in April and now is in New York, where he will study law at New York University. Recently, Chen had an opportunity to sit outdoors in freedom for the first time in several years. "I haven't been able to feel the nature for a long time," he told CNN. "On that day I had some time to soak in the sun and feel the breeze. I just felt I hadn't been able to do that in so long. I have missed out for too long." Chen is scheduled to speak Thursday (May 31) at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York alongside his mentor, New York University law professor Jerome Cohen, whom he met in 2003 when Chen traveled to the United States. Bob Fu, president of the Texas-based ChinaAid Association, met with Chen in his New York apartment May 23. The two hugged tightly for a long time and spoke for three hours, ChinaAid said. The aid organization asked for prayer for Chen's family "to overcome new tough challenges after their arrival" in the United States. In the CNN interview May 24, Chen declined to speak further about the brutality he and his wife experienced at the hands of authorities in their home village. He realizes people are concerned about him, he said, but he still needs time to gather his thoughts. "There's one thing I want to mention that may be a surprise to many people," Chen said. "When a group of people come together and accomplish something, they often fight for credit. In my case all those people who went to Shandong to pick me up, when the news broke, they were fighting for risk instead of credit. They were all trying to claim responsibility to make others safer." While Chen, his wife and two children are in the United States, he is "very worried" about the rest of his family and those who helped him to safety. Since his escape, retribution against his family has intensified, he said. "In the case of my nephew Chen Kegui, when dozens of men break into someone's house with weapons in the middle of the night, taking away your parent with a hood over his head and detain him without any legal basis and then go back to assault my nephew, he only reacted when he could no longer bear the beatings and his actions would be self-defense according to any Chinese law," Chen told CNN. "They injured his head, and made him bleed for three hours. And his clothes were shattered and the sticks they used to beat him were bent, and if actions under such circumstances was not called self-defense, would there be any meaning left in having the term self-defense in Chinese law?" Chen was referring to the night authorities broke into his brother's home and later charged his nephew with intent to commit homicide for slashing local officials with a kitchen knife. The New York Times reported May 28 that Chen's brother, Chen Guangfu, was back at home and "unguarded but under great pressure." Chen Guangfu had escaped detention in order to travel to Beijing to meet with a lawyer to help his son. The Times said it was unclear whether Chen's brother returned to the village by force or on his own. "Local officials in China often send police officers to Beijing to retrieve discontented citizens who travel to the Chinese capital to try to make their grievances known to central officials," The Times said, adding that Chen himself was seized in such a way in 2005. The Los Angeles Times May 28 described the lockdown that continues in Chen's home village even after his departure to the United States. "At the turnoff for the sleepy farming village of Dongshigu, a man wearing a straw hat appears to be selling watermelons at a rough-hewn stand. But when an approaching car slows, burly young men dart out from behind the nearby concrete house and rush to head it off," the Los Angeles Times said. Any sign of resistance creates an overreaction, the newspaper said, and Chen's escape has infuriated the Communist Party. The Los Angeles Times described Chen's 19-month illegal detention in Dongshigu this way: "Chen's windows were covered with metal shutters and the perimeter cordoned off with an electric fence. Floodlights illuminated the house by night. Authorities put seven surveillance cameras at the entrance to the village and around the house and installed cellphone-jamming equipment to prevent Chen from having any contact with outsiders. Only Chen's mother was permitted in and out of the house to buy food." ChinaAid appealed to the international community to keep focus on Chen's family in China and asked believers to intercede in prayer. "The Chen Guangcheng incident is not yet over," ChinaAid said May 24. --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- Shorter affirms new direction as faculty resign By Joe Westbury/The Christian Index May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37918 ROME, Ga. (BP) -- Shorter University President Don Dowless is defending the university's renewed commitment to Christian principles amid the departure of at least 36 faculty members, a number of whom have refused to sign Shorter's new lifestyle statement. [IMG=32679@right@300]Normal attrition averages between 20 and 25 at the end of the spring semester as faculty accept employment opportunities elsewhere, Dawn Tolbert, Shorter's vice president for public relations, told The Christian Index, newsjournal of the Georgia Baptist Convention. Shorter employs "about 105 to 108 faculty" during a normal academic year, Tolbert said. The north Georgia university, with 3,000-plus students, is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention. Shorter graduated 485 students May 4. Staff -- non-faculty employees -- also will be required to sign the document but those letters have not yet been distributed, Tolbert said. Last October, trustees approved a suite of faculty and staff guidelines that draws the university closer to a biblical worldview also being embraced by the state convention's two other colleges. Those employees were given until this spring, when contracts for the fall 2012 semester were offered, to sign each document indicating their acceptance as partial terms of their employment. Dowless was inaugurated as Shorter's 19th president Nov. 11, a month after the new guidelines were approved. He came to the post from North Greenville University in South Carolina, where he served for five years as vice president of academics affairs. The four-point lifestyle statement states that university faculty and staff should: -- agree with the university's statement of faith. -- be active members of a local church. -- "reject as acceptable all sexual activity not in agreement with the Bible, including, but not limited to, premarital sex, adultery, and homosexuality." -- "not use alcoholic beverages in the presence of students, and … will abstain from serving, from using and from advocating the use of alcoholic beverages in public (e.g. in locations that are open to use by the general public, including as some examples restaurants, concert venues, stadiums and sports facilities) and in settings in which students are present or are likely to be present." The lifestyle statement further stipulates that faculty and staff "will not attend any university sponsored event in which I have consumed alcohol within the last six hours. Neither will I promote or encourage the use of alcohol." Dowless, in acknowledging the resignations, told The Index May 21 that he and Shorter's trustees "realize there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue surrounding these new employment policies." "Our university was at a crossroads to either take steps to regain an authentic Christian identity in policy and practice or we would become a Christian university in name only," Dowless said. "The board made the decision to reclaim our Christian roots knowing that it would have consequences in terms of losing current faculty and staff. "For months we have been preparing for this eventuality. We have already hired new faculty and are in the process of hiring additional well-qualified faculty and staff. "While we hate to lose members of our community, we wish them well as they pursue new opportunities. Through this time of transition, we continue to remain committed to providing our students with an academically excellent Christian education." The documents approved by Shorter's trustees last October include a philosophy of education, statement of faith and statement of faith integration as well as the personal lifestyle statement. According to a faculty survey in January commissioned by a group calling itself the Committee for Integrity and conducted by Read Martin & Slickman, a certified public accounting firm in Rome, Ga., some professors -- although anonymously -- voiced strong opposition to the new guidelines. An April 3 copy of the survey results received by The Index appears to be similar to one the Rome News-Tribune based an April 1 story on following a statement released by Dowless March 30. Retired pastor Nelson Price of Marietta, Ga., and Shorter board chairman when the lifestyle statement was approved, took issue with the survey in an email response to the newspaper. In a four-point response, Price said the survey infringed on the name of the university by implying the survey was official, was anonymous, was not an objective blind survey and had "highly biased" questions." The CPA firm, in its cover letter, stated 109 faculty members were asked and 61 responded to four questions provided by the Committee for Integrity: intent to sign the lifestyle statement, future employment plans, agreement with the president's affirmation of their value to Shorter and a vote of confidence in the president. The letter stated the results "were in no way influenced or arrived upon" by Read, Martin & Slickman and that the firm was employed simply to conduct the survey and tabulate the responses. Ten percent voiced approval of the lifestyle statement; 12 percent planned to remain at the university; 65 percent planned to retire at the end of the current academic year or find other employment;11 percent agreed with Dowless' view of the value of the new policies and 8 percent gave him a vote of confidence. Dowless, in acknowledging the survey, said Shorter remains committed to its founding values as a Christian institution. "We have long known that some faculty and staff do not agree with the steps Shorter is taking to bring the university back to its Christian roots." But, he added, "We want to employ faculty and staff that represent the biblical values at the core of Shorter University and that can serve as positive role models for our students. "We know, and research supports, that for any organization to be successful, it must clearly define its core values and articulate them internally and externally. That is what is now taking place at Shorter." But, while agreeing that "change is hard and while some disagree with the university's direction," he stated the institution has also experienced "an influx of renewed support from students, faculty, staff and alumni alike." "Our faculty and staff are important members of this community but, ultimately, we're here to serve our students first," Dowless said. "We believe we are taking the appropriate and necessary steps to do this well." Betty Zane Morris, a member of the Committee for Integrity and a former chair of the Shorter communications department, told the Rome News-Tribune the purpose of the survey was to "give the faculty a voice that has been denied them throughout all the changes that have taken place." In an open letter to Dowless and Shorter's board of trustees dated March 23, Morris said the survey was designed to give the "marginalized" faculty a voice. Morris said the survey was mailed by the CPA firm to 109 full-time faculty with stamped, self-addressed envelopes to be returned to the firm for compiling the results. Morris retired from Shorter as a distinguished professor in 2007 after 46 years on the teaching faculty. The university's Betty Zane Morris Communication Scholarship is named in her honor. Morris stated, as an authorized representative for the Committee for Integrity, the committee is not associated with Shorter "in any official way." Its members, she added, "are all stakeholders in Shorter's future: former and present faculty, alumni and staff." No committee members were listed in the letter. Regardless of the timing of the survey results' release, four nursing faculty -- representing the majority of the university's 18-month-old nursing program -- announced their resignations April 1. Included among them is Vanice Roberts, dean of the school of nursing, who is leaving to serve as consultant for a new nursing program at neighboring Berry College. Shorter University is one of three institutions of higher learning affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention. The other two are Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland and Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon. --30-- Joe Westbury is managing editor of The Christian Index (www.ChristianIndex.org), newsjournal of the Georgia Baptist Convention. Christian Index editorial can be found at [URL=http://christianindex.org/8093.article] www.christianindex.org/8093.article[\URL]. -- End of story -- Gay marriage at issue in Pentagon budget bill By Edward Lee Pitts May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37921 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (BP) -- President Obama told the graduating class of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets May 23 that they are starting their service at a time when the burden of national security no longer falls so heavily on the military's shoulders. [IMG=32685@right@130]Obama pledged to keep the military fast, flexible, versatile and superior. But what was left unsaid by the president was the lack of peace and harmony between the White House and Congress regarding how to fund the military going forward. The House of Representatives approved its plan for the Pentagon's budget for next year. But House lawmakers, including 77 Democrats, passed the $642 billion bill despite a veto threat from Obama. The House plan adds $8 billion more for the military next year than what the president has called for. Social issues also are at play. For example, an approved amendment to the House defense bill explicitly prevents same-sex marriage services from taking place on U.S. military bases. "The administration's recent actions have created uncertainty regarding ceremonies permitted on military installations," said Rep. Steven Palazzo, R.-Miss., one of the amendment's sponsors. "This amendment is intended to clear up any doubt and reinforce the [Defense of Marriage Act's] authority as it applies to those installations." Rep. Todd Akin, R.-Mo., successfully pushed through a second amendment to protect the religious liberty of all military service members, particularly military chaplains. Akin's amendment creating a statutory conscience protection clause for service members came at the request of military chaplain organizations that have reported an increase in censorship and discipline directed at soldiers who have moral or religious concerns about same-sex marriage. "This liberal agenda has infiltrated our military," Akins said. "Moral or religious concerns about same-sex marriage or the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' have become potentially career-ending." In a recent letter sent to Rep. Howard P. McKeon, R.-Calif., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, a group of 19 retired military officers and pastors representing the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty highlighted some of these recent abuses including: -- A senior chaplain on a major stateside military base lost his authority of the chapel under his charge for insisting that, in accordance with federal law, the chapel wouldn't be used to celebrate unions between same-sex couples. -- Another chaplain was threatened with early retirement and reassigned to a position with more supervision for forwarding an email reflecting on the former "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military. "Until Congress acts decisively, efforts to silence the voices of our military chaplains of all faiths and backgrounds will likely continue well into the future," states the letter from the alliance, which represents more than 2,000 military chaplains. The Obama administration issued a statement saying it "strongly objects" to these amendments protecting chapels and the conscience of chaplains and other service members. The administration stated those provisions "adopt unnecessary and ill-advised policies that would inhibit the ability of same-sex couples to marry or enter a recognized relationship." The administration added the religious and moral beliefs protected by the amendments are overbroad and would be "potentially harmful to good order and discipline." Denying service members access to facilities such as chapels on the basis of sexual orientation would, according to the administration, be "troublesome." Rep. Palazzo, while promoting his amendment protecting chapels from hosting same-sex union ceremonies during committee debates, argued that the Defense Department facilities are federal property, so they already fall under the jurisdiction of DOMA. "The Defense of Marriage Act was clear in defining marriage for purposes of the federal government," Palazzo said. "This amendment does nothing else but clarify for the Department of Defense that this standard should be upheld on military bases." --30-- Edward Lee Pitts writes for World News Service, where this story first appeared. -- End of story -- Gladly reach nations, Mohler tells grads By Staff May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37920 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- More than 270 Southern Baptist Theological Seminary students received degrees ranging from certificates to doctorates during commencement exercises on the seminary's lawn. [IMG=32678@right@300]"We set [graduates] loose to do what God has called and gifted and empowered them to do -- to teach and preach the Word of God, to shepherd the flock of God, to guard the good deposit and to follow the pattern of sound words, to herald the good tidings of the Gospel, to teach the church, to counsel believers, to reach the unreached and to comfort the afflicted," R. Albert Mohler Jr. told the 209th graduating class May 18 at the Louisville campus. "They are set forth to defend the truth, to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints, to mourn with those who mourn and to minister in Christ's name and stead," Mohler said. "Take everything good you received here, and leave anything that does not glorify God and strengthen Christ's church. Remember all who made this possible for you, knowing that all these things were provided so that the church may be faithfully taught and the nations gladly reached," Mohler said. Also at graduation, Mohler presented the Findley B. and Louvenia Edge Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence to Peter Gentry, who joined the seminary in 1998 and is professor of Old Testament interpretation. He also is the author, along with Southern's Stephen Wellum, of the forthcoming book "Kingdom through Covenant," available this summer. Mohler's entire address is available in audio and video formats at Southern's resources page, [URL=http://www.sbts.edu/resources]www.sbts.edu/resources[\URL]. A complete transcript of the address, "To Utter What Has Been Hidden Since the Foundation of the World," is available at [URL=http://www.albertmohler.com]www.albertmohler.com[/URL]. --30-- Reported by the communications staff of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. -- End of story -- Southern sends out 4th-generation graduate By Josh Hayes May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37919 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The old maxim "like father, like son" possesses a core truth: Sons tend to resemble their fathers on some detectable level, whether it is their appearance, behavior or vocation. [IMG=32680@right@200]For Joshua Thomas, a 2012 graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the maxim has held true for four generations. Thomas' completion of his degree this spring made him a fourth-generation graduate of Southern Seminary. Thomas' family history with Southern dates back 100 years to his great-grandfather on his mother's side, Effie Layton Howerton, who graduated from Southern in 1912. His son, Ellis Paul (E.P.) Howerton, graduated from Southern in 1956. E.P.'s son-in-law and Thomas' father, James H. Thomas Jr., graduated from the seminary in 1984. A full century since his great-grandfather's graduation, Joshua Thomas received his diploma -- a master of divinity in the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism's Great Commission track. Thomas' family ties to Southern led him to consider the seminary in 2008 when he made known to his family that he sensed a call to vocational ministry. Thomas' grandmother, Eunice Howerton, jovially commented to him that "the only real seminary is the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary." "The Lord has provided and affirmed us being here, through financial provision and ministry opportunities," Thomas said of his time at Southern. Effie Layton, the first-generation Southern graduate in Thomas' family, was a chaplain in the U.S. Army in France during World War I and later pastored First Baptist Church in Pikeville, Ky. E.P. was a church planter for the Home Mission Board (now the North American Mission Board) in Ohio and Kentucky. In Louisville, E.P. served as bivocational pastor of North 42nd Street Baptist Church and a teacher at Barrett Middle School. Thomas' father James is a bivocational minister of music at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in Walhalla, S.C., where Thomas grew up. James met his wife Martha at South Carolina's Oconee State Park while serving alongside her brother, Layton Howerton, who was a park missionary. One year later, they married and James went to study religious education and music at Southern. Joshua Thomas now serves as the development coordinator for institutional advancement at Southern in addition to being an intern for the associate vice president for enrollment management and student services at Southern. Thomas also is the interim elementary coordinator at Highview Baptist Church's East Campus in Louisville. Now that he has graduated, Thomas and his wife Deidre hope to work toward the revitalization of Southern Baptist churches in his home state of South Carolina. "I love the state of South Carolina," he said. "I want to see South Carolina Southern Baptist churches practice and articulate what they actually believe." If his family's past is any indication of the future, Thomas' passion for ministry and potential influence may result in further generations of Southern graduates. In fact, Thomas' brother Matthew plans to enroll in Southern's Greenville, S.C., extension site this fall. --30-- Josh Hayes is manager of news and information for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. -- End of story -- FROM THE STATES: N.C., Ky. evangelism/missions news By Staff May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37922 EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. The items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. Today's From the States features items from: Biblical Recorder (North Carolina) Kentucky Baptist Convention New partnership to target New England, 'impact lostness' By Melissa Lilley CARY, N.C. (Biblical Recorder) -- On any given weekend, less than 3 percent of New England's 14.3 million people will attend an evangelical church. Studies show that 97 out of every 100 New Englanders do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The six New England states are all among the top eight least religious states in America; religious including both Catholic and Protestant churches. North Carolina Baptists have committed to helping carry the Gospel to an area that is mostly unchurched and unreached with the message of Christ. The Baptist State Convention of N.C.'s (BSC) new partnership with the Baptist Convention of New England includes a specific focus on Boston and the interior of the I-495 loop around Boston. This area is home to 4.5 million people, about 100 Southern Baptist churches and cities as large as 100,000 that have no Gospel-preaching church. Boston's North Shore, which extends all the way up the I-95 corridor to the New Hampshire border, is also a focus area. Joe Souza, church planter and North American Mission Board (NAMB) lead church planting catalyst for the Baptist Convention of New England, serves in the North Shore city of Saugus. He is praying that as new churches are started, they will become church planting churches. "We need churches raising up churches from within and having native New Englanders plant churches. That's ideal," he said. "New England is a whole bunch of little towns clustered together. It has a community feel. People will not drive an hour to get to church. "The churches that will thrive are those that reach that town; that attract people from the 2-1/2-square-mile radius from the church." Souza said church planters and leaders are learning from each other how to better impact the city, and gaining insight from things in the past that did not work well. In 1998, the survival rate of church plants was 36 percent. Since 2008, the rate has been 100 percent. Better assessment of potential church planters has helped with the survival rate. "It's not the same deal planting a church here that it is wherever you are from. Some planters are coming here under the impression that you can buy land and build a building and the people will come. That has not worked here in recent years," Souza said. Support for planters is also improving. "A lot of the guys coming here were lone rangers. They were well intended, coming here with prayer support, but that was it. You have no idea how vital it is for planters to come here with a support network. It's the encouragement and knowing someone has your back." Michael Sowers, senior consultant for the BSC Office of Great Commission Partnerships, is praying that N.C. Baptists will consider adding Boston to their comprehensive missional strategy. "It is critical that church planters have partnering churches come alongside them in prayer and with resources. Churches have a great opportunity to be used by God to impact lostness by linking arms with a church planter," he said. Church planter Curtis Cook came to Cambridge in 2003 and started Hope Fellowship Church. Cook is also city coordinator for NAMB's Send Boston initiative. Cook described Boston as a city of great influence. He speculated that one in four future world leaders work in Boston. More than 250,000 students attend the nearly 80 colleges and universities in greater Boston. Cook said Boston is known for being highly educated, secular and agnostic. Since 2003, Cook and Hope Fellowship have helped start and support churches such as City on a Hill and Redemption Hill and know the importance of partnership. "We need North Carolina Baptists to participate in a way that serves the local church and leaves the strategy to the local church planter. Ask the planter what he needs," Cook said. Cook encouraged churches to take seriously praying for partner churches. "It's not just praying for Boston; it's knowing the planter by name and their real needs." Stephen McDonald and Mill City Church in Lowell is one example of a church where Cook and Hope Fellowship continue to invest. Mill City started in 2009, and 10 months ago McDonald moved to Lowell with his wife to become the full time pastor. "I never thought church planting was something I'd be doing. I saw it as a trendy thing," McDonald said. But when God called, McDonald faithfully obeyed, and he has seen God work through Mill City. Lowell is not a town with people moving in and out; most are native to New England. "Our growth will be slower because we do not have as many believers, but the fruit and impact will be really substantial. Indigenous planters could come from places like Lowell," McDonald said. In New England, almost 90 percent of the Christian population receives Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior through established relationships with other believers. Church planters and ministry leaders have learned that for almost 70 percent of these new believers it took more than one year of faithful witnessing to result in a profession of faith in Christ. "You have to earn their trust and willingness to hear you out. It's being alert and looking for those opportunities," McDonald said. Through community outreach and partnership with a local elementary school, where Mill City helps during parent-teacher events and other school events, McDonald and church members are building relationships. "We have learned to have a desperation for the Spirit of God to work through us. You can't manufacture things up here," he said. Tim Buehner, mission mobilization and ministry evangelism coordinator for the Baptist Convention of New England, never thought he'd end up in full-time ministry, either. In the 1980s, Buehner moved to New England from Cleveland, Ohio, to "chase my dreams of becoming a graphic designer." He resisted several years after he knew God was calling him into ministry, but finally responded in faith and headed to seminary. Before coming to the Convention he served as a pastor and associate pastor. "God changes journey paths at all sorts of ages and generations," he said. Since Buehner began serving in New England five years ago the number of churches has increased from 125 to more than 300. "There's something special going on in this place," he said. "It is a dynamic place to come and serve." To learn more about opportunities in Boston, visit ncbaptist.org/boston or necpcoalition.com. --30-- Melissa Lilley is research and communications coordinator for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. ********** Kentucky Baptists respond to new reality of mass evangelism LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Kentucky Baptist Convention) -- Mass outreach events have long used the same format: an evangelist presents the Gospel to a crowd then invites people to be saved, and many commit their lives to Christ on the spot. But that traditional format is changing to accommodate an increasingly post-Christian American culture, according to Keith Inman, the Kentucky Baptist Convention's collegiate evangelism strategist. Because many non-believers lack a basic Judeo-Christian worldview that allows them to process the Gospel the first time they hear it, organizers of mass outreach events in the 21st century should understand that inquiries or interest in Christ may not immediately translate into decisions for Christ, according to Inman. He added that such interest should be celebrated, and then those inquiries followed up. In recent years, a prime example of this new reality in mass outreach is a series of evangelistic illusion shows across Kentucky for youth and college students. The shows, featuring a performance known as Ma?e (pronounced "maize"), involved a series of illusions followed by the personal testimony of magician Jim Munroe. At the end of each event, attendees were asked to fill out cards indicating their openness to further conversation about spiritual matters. Kentucky Baptists followed up, having individual conversations with hundreds of students, explaining the Gospel in terms they could understand. "This event turned more into a pre-evangelism event in practice," Inman said. Munroe "presented the Gospel -- he nailed the Gospel. But we have a generation that is missing the first 100 pages of the book. They don't have a place to start, and the church has to figure out what to do. And that takes more conversation." Several Ma?e performances were funded by the Cooperative Program and the Eliza Broadus Offering for State Missions. More than 100 students indicated openness to further conversations at Ma?e performances in Hopkinsville, Campbellsville, Richmond and Bowling Green. Dozens made positive responses at other locations, prompting youth and campus ministers to follow up with one-on-one conversations. Evangelists such as Billy Graham saw mass conversions at crusades in the past, Inman said, in part because unbelievers understood that the world was created good and marred by sin. With that understanding, they were ready to embrace the Gospel's solution to sin. However, youth and college students today do not understand the doctrine of creation and lack even cursory knowledge of the doctrine of sin, he said, adding that for many, extended conversation is necessary to process a traditional Gospel presentation. Mass events such as Ma?e introduce Christian ideas and establish a starting point for additional conversations, according to Inman. For instance, last October at Eastern Kentucky University, Ma?e yielded 187 students willing to have follow-up conversations as well as 17 first-time professions of faith. Follow-up by students at the Baptist Campus Ministry resulted in approximately 60 new students participating in campus ministry events. A Bible study for the football team increased from approximately five attendees to 15-20, according to Baptist Campus Minister Jon Barron. "As a result (of Ma?e), there were evangelistic conversations taking place that would not have taken place had we not done this mass outreach event," Inman said. The Campbellsville University BCM leadership team followed up with 172 students who signaled openness to further conversation after a September Ma?e performance that drew 900 attendees. Students who attended the event were "very powerfully impressed and reevaluated their relationship with Jesus Christ," Baptist Campus Minister Ed Pavy said. "Some made professions of faith. Some recommitted." In Hopkinsville, Chuck Poe worked with a local network of youth ministers to call scores of middle- and high school students who responded to a fall Ma?e performance. The event boosted awareness of the BCM at Hopkinsville Community College and encouraged one student at the college to recommit her life to Christ, according to Poe, who serves as minister of students and families at Second Baptist Church in Hopkinsville and HCC Baptist campus minister. Results of Ma?e on other Kentucky campuses were similar, Inman said, with attendance increasing at almost every campus ministry that sponsored a performance. "The strength of the event was that it empowered our students to share the Gospel," he said. "The strength of the event was that it reminded our students that our call on this campus is to proclaim the Gospel. "It raised the temperature of evangelism," he continued. "Our students became more aggressive. I think they became more relational. They met people from all walks of life on the campus that they normally would not have engaged." On some secular college campuses, the miniscule percentage of evangelical students is comparable to the percentage of evangelicals in China, Inman said. Such a challenging mission field demands creative outreach events like Ma?e, he said. Through Ma?e, "the church invaded the campus, introduced the Gospel, the message of Jesus, through the missionary arm of the Kentucky Baptist Convention called Baptist Campus Ministry," Inman said. With a presence at more than 20 Kentucky colleges and universities, Kentucky Baptist Campus Ministry provides weekly Bible study and worship opportunities for college students. Additionally, students learn from campus ministers, and one another, how to share Christ with their peers through one-on-one relationships, service projects, recreation and other activities. For additional information about Kentucky Baptist Convention ministries to college students and other young adults, contact the department by e-mail at collegiate@kybaptist.org or call (502) 489-3573 or (866) 489-3573 (toll-free in Kentucky). Baptist Campus Ministry is supported by Kentucky Baptists' gifts through the Cooperative Program. Legacy giving opportunities are available to ensure that future college students will have the opportunity to meet Christ through Baptist Campus Ministry. For details, contact the Kentucky Baptist Foundation at (502) 489-3533 or (866) 489-3533 (toll-free in Kentucky). The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more information, visit the KBC website at www.kybaptist.org, become a fan of "Kentucky Baptist Convention" on Facebook or follow "kentuckybaptist" on Twitter. --30-- KBC Communications story by David Roach, a pastor in Shelbyville, Ky. -- End of story -- BP Ledger, May 29 edition By Staff May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37923 EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger includes items from: Josh McDowell/Just1ClickAway.org Campbellsville University Exodus International Answers in Genesis Josh McDowell's "Just 1 Click Away.com" Video, Website and Articles Offer Families Refuge From Growing Threat of Online Pornography PLANO, Texas (Josh McDowell/Just1ClickAway.org)--Josh McDowell, a leading advocate for children and the preservation of the Christian family, has launched Just1ClickAway.org, a new series of provocative but tastefully produced resources that raise awareness about the growing threat of online pornography. Released just in time for summer vacation when students' media consumption significantly increases, the Just1ClickAway.org website, video and articles from McDowell and his network of participating organizations offer solutions for families and individuals of all ages and stages. McDowell placed a warning label on the video because of its mature content. McDowell said, "The greatest threat to the cause of Christ is pervasive sexuality and pornography. Today we have, by and large, lost control of the controls because an intrusive immorality is just one click away from our children. With just one keystroke on a smartphone, iPad, or laptop, a child can open up some of the worst pornography and sexually graphic content you can imagine. There's never been such access in history. " Just1ClickAway.org contains the latest resources in The Bare Facts, McDowell's biblically based, medically sound and culturally relevant campaign that provides youth and those who influence them with an understanding of love, sexuality and relationships. Pornography is an equal opportunity intruder in the newly released Just1ClickAway.org video: a young boy on his laptop in the privacy of his bedroom, a father clutching a TV remote in the family room, and a teenage girl on her PDA in the kitchen. Dramatically portrayed as male and female tempters (wearing clothes), pornography aggressively preys on and attacks its victim, virtually in plain view of unsuspecting family members. The video shares disturbing statistics about the destructive impact of pornography on the Christian family, including: * More than 1 billion pornographic websites are one click away. * The average age of first-time views of pornography is 9 years old. * 80 percent of 15-17 year olds have been exposed to hardcore porn. * The adult pornography industry reports that 20-30 percent of their traffic comes from children. * Half of all Christian families report that pornography is a problem. * 68 percent of divorces happen when one partners finds a pornographic lover online. * And, 30 percent of pastors have viewed pornography in the last 30 days, among others. With over 50 years in ministry, McDowell continues to find that nothing sabotages faith commitments and spiritual growth of children, teens and college students more than sexual experimentation. Josh produced The Bare Facts campaign in response to pleas for tools on the issues of sex, love and relationships from youth and culture leaders in Latin America, Asia and even Middle Eastern nations. As part of a 45-city speaking tour in 15 countries throughout 2012, McDowell is currently touring Latin America with his Bare Facts campaign. Well-known as an articulate speaker, McDowell has addressed more than 10 million young people, giving over 24,000 talks in 118 countries. Since 1960, Josh has written or co-authored 120 books. For information, visit www.Just1ClickAway.org. ********** Campbellsville athletes return from Niger on threatened flight CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (Campbellsville University)--John Harbold and Alexa Moore signed on for a mission trip to show some human kindness toward their fellow man. What they found out is that the world is full of people that may not have the same agenda. The two Campbellsville University student-athletes were aboard the diverted US Airways flight Tuesday that sent F-15 jets scrambling toward Bangor, Maine. Harbold, a recent men's tennis graduate from Hopkinsville, Ky., and Moore, a sophomore cheerleader from Clarksville, Tenn., were part of an 11-member CU travel party returning from a two-week mission trip in Niger. After a night in Paris, the team thought their exciting moments of the trip were behind them - little did they know what was in store for them on Flight 787 between France and Charlotte, N.C. Harbold's tweet from Bangor International Airport Tuesday afternoon may describe the whirlwind the best. "2 weeks in Africa, top of Eiffel Tower yesterday and emergency landing in Maine for explosive devices on board today! #whatanadventure," posted the member of CU's recent national champion tennis team. About seven hours into the flight, a female passenger, which ABC News labeled as an unidentified 40-year-old woman from Cambodia, began holding her stomach and moving from three rows behind Harbold to three rows in front, and then back again. "We figured she must be sick," Harbold said. When the pilot informed that the plane was being redirected to Maine to pick up some extra fuel, no one flinched at the thought. But once a stewardess and pilot escorted the woman to the back of the plane, Harbold became suspicious. Those suspicions were proven right once the plane landed at Bangor International Airport and Border Patrol came aboard with a K-9 unit. The woman was removed in handcuffs and her bags were searched. "I was thinking she was trying to get drugs into the country," Harbold said. "It was crazy, because I'd never seen anything like it." But before exiting the plane, Moore and Harbold say the pilot came on the intercom to explain that the woman claimed to have an explosive device inside of her. That is when the CU student-missionaries and the other passengers on the 179-person flight realized what they had just witnessed. "Everyone was shocked," Moore said. Once off the plane, the phones of CU's students lit up. Phone calls, texts and tweets were being sent to and from friends, family and colleagues. "It was pretty crazy. I didn't know it was a big story. We were all checking our phones and it was already on the CNN website and all over Twitter," Moore said. Moore quickly joined the conversation on Twitter, tagging Harbold in a tweet. With that, both began to receive messages from ABC News, Fox News and CNN. While Moore talked to ABC News, Harbold fielded calls from his hometown radio station and newspaper. Wednesday, he hosted News Channel 5 from Nashville, Tenn., at his home. "It's been pretty cool that we made it through this and get to tell about it, but also share about the mission trip," said Harbold. Amidst the headline shocker of a bomb threat, CU's students see their time in Africa as the real story during this media frenzy. "It was really eye-opening to see that part of the world," Moore said. "The main focus of course was to try to share the gospel with the people over there. A lot of them had not even heard who Jesus was." The group spent two weeks in Niger, dividing up into two teams to share the gospel and paint a local school. Each day, the teams would get a chance to paint part of the day and share with locals the rest of the afternoon. Moore said two of her cherished memories from the trip are getting to see a man accept Christ and get baptized publically and also the chance to share with children and three women atop a mountain, which overlooked the village. Through the experience, those on the trip saw first-hand how Christian converts in the country can be persecuted for switching from Islam to Christianity. "(After the man's baptism), a lot of people in the village knew why we were there, and then didn't want to talk to us," Moore said. "But the little kids would follow us everywhere. We told them stories from the Bible and sang Jesus songs." Harbold, Moore and the rest are already having withdrawals, wishing they were still serving in Africa. "I feel God has called me there eventually in life," said Harbold, who was on his fourth international mission trip. "I loved it over there, working with the kids and adults and being able to interact with them and share Christ's love with them." Harbold and Kevin Metzger, a former CU student athletic trainer from Richmond, Va., are already making tentative plans to return next spring if neither is attending med school yet. Moore, who is on a high from her first-ever mission trip, is determined to spread the word about the trip and CU mission opportunities to the rest of the CU athletic department. "I'm definitely going to tell everyone about this," she said. "I think it's really cool that Campbellsville does (this). Not many schools have set mission trips every year that you can go on. I like that they tell everyone at the beginning of the year so you can plan for it and raise money." The Niger team included: Harbold, Moore, Metzger, Rev. Ed Pavy, CU director of campus ministries; Trent Creason, campus ministries intern; Kristen Large, a sophomore from Lewisburg, Ky.; Megan Parson, a senior of Greensburg, Ky.; Tyler Tucker, a freshman of Greensburg, Ky.; Haley Probus, a sophomore of Lebanon, Ky.; Kaela Vessels, a senior of Vine Grove, Ky.; and Lauren Barr, a freshman of Ekron, Ky. Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The athletic department fields 25 varsity programs in 15 sports. The websites for complete information are campbellsville.edu and campbellsvilletigers.com. ********** Christian Group Transcends Political Debate to Help the Church Reach People with Same-Sex Attraction ORLANDO, Fla. (Exodus International)--The furor over same-sex marriage and homosexuality has not abated in recent days as commentators continue to speak about President Obama's remarks, legislation to ban so called gay-to-straight therapy in California, and the fallout from North Carolina's marriage vote. Alan Chambers, president of the 36-year-old Exodus International said, "As usual, the spotlight is shining on the furthest extremes currently engaged in a public fight. I believe it's time for all of us to focus on the people beyond the political debate." While a minority of people such as North Carolina pastor Charles Worley represent the outdated and homophobic fringe of Christianity and should not be taken seriously, excellent churches like National Community Church in Washington, D.C. are drawing about 200 people each week to Ebenezer's Coffee House. These individuals gather to thoughtfully discuss how the church can better care for people with same-sex attractions (SSA), those inside and outside of the church. In the midst of the chaos and tired culture war mentality, Exodus International continues to serve a fast growing population of the Church that is ready to end the war and reach out in compassion to people who come to them for answers. "Exodus is here to provide support to individuals with SSA who want to be faithful in their pursuit of living out a biblical sexual ethic," said Chambers. "We encourage parents who desire to be faithful to their values to also love their gay or lesbian child unconditionally despite having differing worldviews. Finally we are here to help churches looking for ways to reach out to people in their congregations or across the divide to people in their communities." Exodus is a gospel-centric organization that seeks first and foremost to equip the Church to be the primary outreach to, and support for, individuals and families impacted by SSA. Exodus serves as an umbrella group for 260 organizations and churches. Exodus International is on the Web at www.exodusinternational.com. ********** New high-tech display opens on museum's fifth anniversary PETERSBURG, Ky. (Answers in Genesis)--Using the latest in holographic technology, the Creation Museum, as a part of its fifth anniversary celebration, is opening a new high-tech exhibit on human origins this Saturday. With striking holograms, this state-of-the-art exhibit is designed to expose the scientific bankruptcy of the evolutionary interpretation of the famous so-called ape-woman "Lucy." Perhaps more than any other fossil, Lucy is presented as "exhibit A" for evolutionists in their attempt to show that humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor. Through the scientific research of the Creation Museum's Dr. David Menton (PhD, biology, Brown University) and the artistic talents of Doug Henderson and his crew, the museum has created a stunning holographic refutation of Lucy. (The technical name for this Lucy creature found in Africa is "Australopithecus afarensis.") "I expect that scientists, both evolutionists and creationists, will make a trip to the Creation Museum to see this exceptional exhibit, not only because it refutes Lucy as an ancestor of ours, but also due to its use of remarkable holographic technology," declared Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and the museum. In a highly visual way, the exhibit conclusively shows that the Lucy fossils belong to a knuckle-walking, ape-like creature. Menton points out that many evolutionists such as the well-known researcher Donald Johanson, the discoverer of the first "Lucy," admit that Lucy's V-shaped mandible was very ape-like, nothing like that of a human. In addition, Israeli scientists reported in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Science" that it may not be our ancestor, for its lower jaw bone resembles a gorilla's. In the new museum exhibit, a number of Lucy heads have been created, cast from the same mold. Each head, however, is given different skin and eye coloration, as well as variations in the amount and color of hair. This was done to demonstrate how significant artistic license can be employed by researchers in interpreting what Lucy resembled as they "put flesh to the bones" of the creature. There simply isn't enough information found in the fossil bones for anyone to determine what Lucy looked like. "An imagination-rich artist can have a very powerful influence over what the viewer concludes about the evidence presented," Menton observed. "That is one reason why our Lucy exhibit is placed in an area of the museum that demonstrates to visitors that a person's starting point, or bias, influences their views. "Ultimately, with this excellent display, we want to show museum guests, once and for all, that this knuckle-walking creature needs to be discarded as a 'missing link' in human evolution," Menton concluded. Designer Henderson described the technology used in the exhibit: "We have used holograms of the actual bone models of Lucy, as opposed to simply exhibiting a 3D physical model. Holographers tell us this is the first time they have seen holography used to take a virtual 'look inside' a creature for the public to view. I call it a 3D X-ray." Every few months, the Creation Museum (located west of the Cincinnati Airport) adds new exhibits to present the case for the Bible's authority and accuracy, including creation. Last year, Menton's striking exhibit on homology—comparing humans to apes (and to other creatures)—used the technology of lasers to point out the differences between humans and animals. Menton's latest exhibit may create even more of a stir in the origins debate, for Lucy is treated with near reverence by some scientists. As the Creation Museum celebrates its fifth anniversary this weekend, almost 1.6 million visitors have walked through its 75,000 square feet of exhibits. Additional exhibits are in the works for year six. Last month, the Johnson Observatory opened, with two high-power telescopes. Also, virtually the same artistic team that built the Creation Museum is now busy designing a full-size Noah's Ark for the Ark Encounter, to be built south of Cincinnati. The museum opened May 28, 2007, with more than 4,000 people on opening day. The museum averages over 300,000 guests a year (about 800 visitors per day). Beginning Friday, May 25, all museum tickets are now be good for two days. The museum has instituted this new policy in response to visitor feedback that with so many additions to the museum, there is a lot to take in in one day. Current pricing will remain in effect through June 2, with prices increasing slightly on June 3 to $29.95 for adults, $23.95 for seniors and $15.95 for children ages 5-12 (under 5 is free). Answers in Genesis is a biblical apologetics ministry. AnswersInGenesis.org is this year's "Best Ministry Website" as picked by the 1,200-member National Religious Broadcasters (with over 1 million web visits a month). AiG's "Answers" magazine, for the second year in a row, recently took the top prize for magazine excellence as selected by the Evangelical Press Association. AiG conducts about 300 teaching meetings each year and produces the "Answers" radio program heard on more than 500 stations. For information, including about the all-wood Ark, see [URL=http://www.answersingenesis.org]www.AnswersInGenesis.org[/URL]. --30-- -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Raising children without raising your voice By Elizabeth Owens May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37924 FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- ... Wow! Is that even possible? There is only one way I know to raise your children without raising your voice. It is to teach your children to have proper respect for the authorities God has placed over them and then to teach them to obey the first time. The first verse we ever had our children memorize was John 3:16. The second was Ephesians 6:1, which states, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Children being raised to love God and His Word learn from this verse that obeying their parents is something God commands them to do. From that beginning they need to be taught that obedience means obeying immediately. Our children need to hear about the people in the Bible who immediately obeyed God or those in authority over them. Four biblical heroes come to mind. Noah was told to build an ark in Genesis 6. There is no record of his questioning God or waiting for a "better" time. He began after God gave him the plans, and worked diligently to complete them. Abraham was commanded by God to do several things: leave his country (Genesis 12) and sacrifice his son (Genesis 22). In both instances the very next verses show Abraham obeyed immediately. Ruth and Miriam both obeyed other people. Miriam obeyed her mother by watching her baby brother Moses (Exodus 2), and Ruth followed the counsel of Naomi in approaching Boaz (Ruth 3). The truth is that children can be trained to develop self-discipline to obey their parents immediately and cheerfully. The harder truth is that this demands self-discipline and self-sacrifice on the part of the parents. It demands knowing your child, establishing routines -- especially with preschoolers -- and thinking before you speak. Too often we train our children to disobey. Let me give you an example. Mom wants to run some errands. She tells Johnny to put his toys away so they can go, and then she works to collect all she needs to take with them. Johnny is having a great time with his toys and doesn't want to quit playing -- so he doesn't. In a few minutes Mom tells him again to put his toys away and keeps working on her own concerns. After this is repeated two or three more times Mom's voice begins to rise, and she finally yells at Johnny to obey now! Johnny is very smart, and he has learned his mother well. He knows just the level of loudness that his mother's voice will get to before she finally intervenes with his behavior in a way that is unpleasant to him. (Some mothers prefer to count, but their equally smart children know just what fraction of "two" is Mom's real disobedience limit.) He will usually "obey" just before she gets to that level. In essence, his mother has trained him to disobey until she gets to that magic loudness level. This is unpleasant for Mom and not helpful to Johnny. So what is the alternative? It begins with Mom, developing her own self-discipline and then re-training her son. Mom, when you tell your child to do something, you need to be prepared to drop whatever you are doing to deliver consequences if you are not obeyed immediately. You also need to learn to assess your child's situation to see that you are creating the best possible environment for him to be able to obey. Let me explain. It is very hard for me to pull myself away from something I am enjoying without warning, so I have great empathy for the child who is suddenly told to pick up his toys in order to do something else. He may do better if he is told that he will be running errands with Mom soon, that he has 10 more minutes to play and that then Mom will ask him to put his toys away. This lets him wind down his play a bit and be ready to obey. We used to set a timer for 10 minutes before our oldest child had to put his toys away for bed, and we found this made a huge difference in his willingness to obey and his happiness in doing so. Some children do not obey because they do not seem to "hear" when their parents give them directions. If you have one of those children you need to be very careful to make sure that he has heard you -- the first time. This may involve getting him to look at you while you give him directions. It may also mean you ask him to repeat the directions back to you, so you know he has heard and understands. Children have a harder time obeying cheerfully when they are hungry or tired. Just seeing that your children have meals and snacks at routine times and that they get adequate rest during the day and at night, goes a long way toward helping them to obey without whining or fussing. Knowing these needs are being managed will keep Mom from excusing disobedience by saying that he can't help it, poor thing, because he is tired or hungry. The truth is, children need to obey even when they are tired and hungry, and if you have developed the habit of obedience in them already it will be easier for them to do so at those times. They do not need to be taught that there are excuses for disobedience. "But I've been doing this all wrong," you say. "My children don't do what I say until I yell at them. How do I change this?" First, you need to ask God to forgive you for training your children to disobey. Then you need to ask Him for wisdom and self-discipline to change your behavior, so you can help them to change theirs. With younger children, this begins immediately. With older children, you may need to sit down with them and confess that you have been allowing them to disobey. Then explain the Bible says they need to obey, so you are going to do things differently and help them learn to obey God by obeying you. Clarify that this means obeying the first time. Then you need to be prepared to drop everything to carry this through consistently. The first couple days may be rough, as your child learns that you mean what you say. It is hard work, but your child is worth it. There is joy in obedience, in ours to the Father and in your child's to you. Praise your child lavishly as he is learning to obey you the first time. Brag on him to Dad, and to grandparents, about how well he is doing in learning to obey. Play obeying games (a modified Simon Says) with lots of laughter and even silliness. The end result will be an obedient child who may find it easier to obey God as he gets older because he has learned to obey his parents in his youth. It will be a Mom who doesn't have to yell. And it will be a home where the loudest noise is laughter. --30-- Elizabeth Owens is in her 18th year of homeschooling and is the mother of four. Her husband is Waylan Owens, dean of the school of church and family ministries at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. This column first appeared at BiblicalWoman.org, a blog of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. 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: Defending marriage in a pluralistic culture By Paul Brewster May. 29 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=37925 MADISON, Ind. (BP) -- The issues of homosexuality in general and same-sex marriage in particular simply will not go away. Increasingly, acrimonious debates about these matters find top billing in the headlines. President Obama's not-so-surprising decision to endorse same-sex marriage publicly all but guarantees this debate will loom even larger in the months to come. The question becomes: What position should the church take on the issue of same-sex marriage? While the Scriptures are clear on the sinful and deviant nature of homosexual behavior, and on God's intention for marriage to be a union of male and female, large swaths of the church have long since abandoned a scriptural mooring for matters of faith and practice. This issue simply highlights the authority of Scripture will remain a perennial topic of concern for the church until Christ returns. As Christians, we must contend within the church that the Bible is the authoritative guide for all believers and that those who reject its authority seriously compromise our faith in the eyes of a watching world. But many secularists in our society are constantly on watch for any perceived encroachment of Christian values into matters of national policy. They reject any appeal to Scripture as a violation of the separation of church and state. Thus, to secularists, for Christians to argue from Scripture that homosexual behavior is sinful or that marriage is to be between a man and a woman carries no weight. However, what these secularists overlook is that our nation was founded with the understanding that in certain areas, the policy of the state could not help but be informed by the Divine intent -- whether expressed verbally in Scripture or revealed more generally in Creation. For example, in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence, an appeal was made to the "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." In context, the point being made was that it was self-evident to the Founders that American independence was in conformity with the Divine intent. In the second sentence, the appeal to self-evident truths in Creation continued: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. ... " One wonders if this generation of Americans is willing to grant what the Founders assumed: that the revelation of God in Creation was an important source to consider in establishing at least some areas of national policy. I believe the church can and should appeal to our fellow citizens to be cognizant of the Creator's self-evident intentions in terms of maintaining a definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman. Basic human anatomy is sufficient to confirm a design for marriage indeed exists in the Creation. Our national welfare will not be advanced if the government undertakes to redefine marriage. Instead, our national policy should recognize and protect the design for marriage that already is in place by the wise actions of a purposeful and benevolent Creator. Not everyone, of course, is prepared to grant the premise upon which this argument rests: there is a God who created us and the world. But in rejecting this, they at least need to recognize their position is a new one in American life. Further, they need to be prepared for the moral chaos that will follow if it is widely embraced. If marriage is not a reflection of God's design for sexuality, then upon what could any definition of it rest? The answer is marriage can be redefined at will and assume any shape we choose to grant it. No one who is serious-minded can then deny the inevitability that a redefinition of marriage today will necessarily give way to further redefinitions tomorrow. If we grant that marriage can be between two men or two women, then upon what logic can we deny marriage can be between one man and three women? The only limit to a continually expanding definition of marriage then becomes human perversity -- which is to say there is no limit. And remember, of course, that much else flows from the definition of marriage. How would insurance premiums be impacted in the future if spousal benefits were required to be extended to a small harem? Is it really wise to allow for children to be adopted into same-sex marriages or polygamous marriages? A decision to allow same-sex marriages today lays the foundation for the definition of marriage to become Silly Putty tomorrow, capable of endless reshaping in the future. That, in turn, is a recipe for children to be made victims of all sorts of abuse and the welfare of our society to receive a fatal blow. It is simply not the case that no one will be harmed if marriage in America is redefined. America, we truly do stand at a crossroads on this issue. If we choose to ignore self-evident truths in Creation, then we choose to become a godless nation, not "One Nation under God." The consequences of that decision are more profound and far-reaching than anyone can at present fathom. --30-- Paul Brewster is pastor of Ryker's Ridge Baptist Church in Madison, Ind. -- 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