August 14, 2013 • ISSUE 14
The Alamo City considers banning those who oppose homosexuality from city office and contracts.
Military chaplains weathering ‘front wave’ of culture shift
Apologetics conference to tackle certainty in an unbelieving age
Jerry Pierce
Is yours a reasonable faith?
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t was one of those seminal moments. There I sat on a brick ledge outside the student center at Wichita State University on one of those warm, picturesque spring days you’d like to bottle up and keep. It was the mid1980s, and a speaker from Brown University named Cliffe Knechtle had jumped headlong into a Mars Hill-style talk on the lawn as passersby stopped to see what was being peddled during the noon hour. It wasn’t long before a crowd had gathered as Knechtle boldly, intelligently stated why he believed what he believed. That day—for the first time—I saw in person the power of a well-reasoned, articulate and winsome defense of the Christian faith. I knew what was true and had believed it since the day God overwhelmed me at age 8. But I had never seen it asserted so smartly and confidently and in such a hostile environment. Knechtle, wearing a button-down oxford with his sleeves rolled up as I recall, paced back and forth, hands engaged, making his case for God and specifically for Christ with skillful rhetoric. I don’t remember many specifics, except that he referred to “Pascal, the great 17th-century mathematician. …” Frankly, I’m not sure I knew Pascal from Pasteur, but Knechtle had me making mental notes when he said that Pascal believed man had within him a “God-shaped vacuum” that gravitated toward worship. I went back that evening to hear him speak to the campus InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and taped his presentation, replaying it several times. He genuinely seemed to enjoy the fray, not for argument’s sake, but for what seemed to be his end game. Apologetics was merely a means. All these years later, I have benefited from apologetical study, driven mostly out of fear of not knowing answers to potential questions. In fact, it’s a biblical command to be able to give an answer for your hope, but always kindly,
respectfully (1 Peter 3:15). Up until that point, however, I was where too many Christians stay, content to swim in the warm, shallow waters close to shore. Make no mistake: Apologetical argumentation has never converted a soul. The Holy Spirit does that through the explicit gospel. In fact, some who enjoy an argument too much can be a stumbling block. The goal isn’t to “win the debate” but to lay out the answers. That’s why the Word tells us to be ready. Amazingly, God desires to use us in his work. Furthermore, the value of apologetics extends to the believer as well as the unbeliever. An exposure to the best of Christian apologetics should remove objections that Christianity isn’t rational. If the skeptic is willing to follow the evidence historically and logically, he inevitably will come to a decision: Either he will seek more truth, setting up an encounter with the gospel, or he will opt to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” a la Romans 1. For the believer, though, he cannot defend what he doesn’t know. It seems logical that apologetical study for the Christian would drive biblical literacy and deeper theological understanding. It’s a natural partnership, holding in one hand the foundations of the faith and in the other an ability to defend its validity against all contenders. What we don’t know should drive us out of fear onto our knees and into greater study to be certified, unashamed workmen for Jesus. On this last point, ask any parent or grandparent these days about the terror of answering a 7-year-old who wants to know what gay means, or a 9-year-old who wants to know why a doctor would make babies die. They will talk about anything, and at surprisingly young ages. We live in a culture that lets it all hang out. So for a Christian adult, this is no time for lazy-minded belief. You must not only know what you believe and why you believe it (a first step), but what they believe, why they believe it, and why Jesus towers above the dead gods of this world. Our faith is wedded to reason. Can you provide a reasonable, kindly delivered answer for your hope? If not, or if you need a refresher, I recommend the Confident Christianity Conference on Sept. 6-7 at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, with leading thinkers such as J.P. Moreland of Biola University and our own Barry Creamer of Criswell College tackling the skepticism and relativism of the age. For more on that, see our story here.
Contents
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Military chaplains weathering ‘front wave’ of culture shift
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Board seeks greater cross-cultural efforts among churches
Recent months have brought challenges on many fronts as chaplains face navigating their ministry in light of the military’s repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling and other religious freedom issues.
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Atonement debate sparked by editorial on ‘In Christ Alone’ lyrics The centrality of the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is being emphasized by Southern Baptist leaders after a state newspaper editor wrote that he does not sing certain words of a popular hymn due to its mention of God’s wrath.
The SBTC Executive Board unanimously approved an initiative encouraging the 2,400-plus SBTC churches to engage in more cross-cultural fellowship and worship and celebration of its growing ethnic diversity during its Aug. 6 meeting in Grapevine.
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The San Antonio city council is considering an ordinance that would seem to bar anyone who opposes homosexuality from serving in public office or getting a city contract.
Apologetics conference to tackle certainty in an unbelieving age The SBTC is offering the Confident Christianity Conference, Sept. 6-7 at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, with the theme “Proclaiming the Certainty of Christ in an Age of Unbelief.”
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San Antonio law would bar from city government those who oppose homosexuality
GuideStone trustees expand participants O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources, reported on the continued growth in the number of the entity’s expanded ministry participants at a meeting of the trustees in San Francisco.
TEXAN Digital is e-published twice monthly by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, 4500 State Highway 360, Grapevine, TX 76099-1988. Jim Richards, Executive Director Gary Ledbetter, Editor Jerry Pierce, Managing Editor Russell Lightner, Design & Layout Stephanie Barksdale, Subscriptions Contributing Writers Mike Ebert, Mike Gonzales, David Roach, Tim Head To contact the TEXAN office, visit texanonline.net/contact or call toll free 877.953.7282 (SBTC)
Briefly //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// NORTH AMERICA
Calif. transgender students to pick restrooms
Transgender students at California K-12 public schools now can choose which gender’s restrooms and locker rooms they want to use. The measure, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown Aug. 12, gives transgender students the right “to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities” based on their perception of their gender and regardless of biology, as described by the Associated Press. The American Civil Liberties Union of California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights were among the bill’s supporters, AP reported, and while Brown signed the bill without comment, Assembly Speaker John Perez, D.-Los Angeles, said the new law “puts California at the forefront of leadership on transgender rights.” Proponents of the bill say it will help transgendered students avoid discrimination and bullying while opponents have argued it is damaging to children. “Jerry Brown and the Democrats have targeted every kid in public school with gender-bending brainwashing,” Randy Thomasson, president of the SaveCalifornia.com conservative family issues organization, said in a news release. “Fortunately, parents can protect their children from the insanity of biological boys in girls’ restrooms and girls’ showers and biological girls in boys’ restrooms and boys’ showers by exiting the dysfunctional, immoral public schools for homeschooling and solid church schools,” Thomasson said. 2 TEXANONLINE.NET AUGUST 14, 2013
Former homosexuals demand recognition A small band of former homosexuals representing about 10 organizations stood on the steps of the Supreme Court in late July to demand recognition and equal rights under the Constitution. They protested the claim by homosexual activists that people with same-sex attractions cannot change. “Anti-ex-gay extremists say that I do not exist—that we don’t exist,” said Christopher Doyle, president of Voice of the Voiceless and Equality and Justice for All. “Tell that to my wife of seven years. Tell that to my three beautiful children.” Some of the activists spent the morning in meetings on Capitol Hill. Doyle said he met with Democrats and Republicans, all cordial, but “Republicans were definitely more sympathetic.” The event marked the first Ex-Gay Pride Month, which the group designated as the month of July. Organizers had originally planned a reception at the Family Research Council, but emailed and phoned threats from homosexual activists caused them to postpone the event until September at an undisclosed location. Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, will receive the first Ex-Gay Pride Freedom Award at the event. Greg Quinlan, president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), said homosexual activists have no room for other opinions because they want to “take over” education, health care and government so that theirs is the only voice heard. Quinlan, a lobbyist, said he learned his trade while working with the Human Rights Campaign Fund in the 1980s and ‘90s.
“I have suffered more discrimination and intolerance as an ex-gay than I did when I was actually in the [homosexual] lifestyle.” —Grace Harley “When you see that equality sign in their logo, it’s not about equality —it’s about dominance,” Quinlan said. “It’s not about human rights. It’s about sexual rights of a small sexual minority.” The gathering at the Supreme Court only numbered about a dozen but they said there are thousands of ex-gays around the country who are afraid to identify as such. “I have suffered more discrimination and intolerance as an ex-gay than I did when I was actually in the [homosexual] lifestyle,” said Grace Harley, an African American woman who lived for 18 years as a transgendered man named Joe. “Former homosexuals like me need protection,” Harley said. “Ex-gays are more hated than gays are.” —Briefly section was compiled from staff reports and Baptist Press
Military chaplains weathering ‘front wave’ of culture shift
Doug Carver (right), executive director of the North American Mission Board’s chaplaincy team, leads a discussion of religious freedom issues with 55 Southern Baptist senior military chaplains. NAMB President Kevin Ezell (second from right) participated in the conference call along with Russell Moore (far left), president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Photo by Susan Whitley/NAMB
By Mike Ebert “We are proud of you. You are heroes to Southern Baptists.” Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, spoke those words to about 55 Southern Baptist senior military chaplains from across the armed services during a conference call that included Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Doug Carver, the retired Army major general who leads NAMB’s chaplaincy efforts. “We wanted to hear from them about the challenges they are facing in their ministry and ways we can better help and support them in the important work they are doing,” Ezell said after the session on Aug. 8. Recent months have brought challenges on many fronts as chaplains face navigating their ministry in light of the military’s repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the U.S. Supreme Court’s abolishment of the Defense of Marriage Act and other religious freedom issues
facing chaplains and members of the military. The decisions and changes mean chaplains might be asked to perform marriages for same-sex couples as well as counseling, marriage retreats and funerals. There are also concerns about whether military chaplains will be able to quote certain Scripture passages without facing disciplinary action for offending homosexuals. “Those of you serving in the military are at the front wave of what we are eventually going to be facing all over this country,” Moore told the chaplains. “You are going to be dealing with some things that every community in the United States will be dealing with in a few short years.” The NAMB chaplaincy team that Carver leads regularly communicates with the 1,434 Southern Baptist chaplains who serve the U.S. military around the globe. “For the last few months we have dealt with numerous issues regarding religious liberty,” Carver said. “To date and to the best of my knowledge in all
three components of the services, we have had no chaplains who have left as a result of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or the Defense of Marriage Act and we have none who have been charged or punished as a result of their beliefs.” One call participant stated that current Department of Defense policy protects religious freedom for chaplains, but the concern is that individual commanders may enact policies that conflict with or reach beyond DOD policy. “All of us have different situations with the people we are working with,” Carver said. “If you have conflicts that occur, we would like the opportunity to know about it so we can walk through that with you.” Ezell said NAMB has been and will continue to work closely with Moore and the ERLC to be proactive on these issues. “We will have your back with every ounce within us to support and defend you every step of the way,” Ezell said. “We are going to work hand in hand with those who are engaged in these types of issues every day.” Moore compared what today’s chaplains are facing to the challenges the apostle Paul faced during the time of the first-century church. Paul sought to exercise his rights as a Roman citizen not for the sake of his own well-being but for the precedents being set. He recounted Paul’s stay in a Roman prison as recorded in Acts chapter 16. “Paul is not seeking his rights, but he knows his response to this has implications for everybody else. Remember to recognize you are really in the same place,” Moore told the chaplains. “You are making decisions that will have an influence for the next 300 years to come. We need to know what is going on so that you are not standing alone. We are going to work with NAMB legislatively and culturally and we will be educating Southern Baptists so that the people in our churches will know.” AUGUST 14, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 3
Gay marriage causes pro-life rift in Ohio The nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life group, the National Right to Life Committee, has broken ties with a Cleveland affiliate accused of causing dissension by adding the gay marriage issue to its platform. Like the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), Cleveland Right to Life denounces abortion, infanticide and euthanasia in its mission statement. On June 24, after a year and a half of discussion, Cleveland Right to Life announced it had updated its mission statement to include same-sex marriage as a practice “contrary to ‘the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.’” The group added it would “consider any political candidate who does not support the right to life of the unborn child and marriage as only between a man and a woman to be unworthy of representing the rights and well-being of all of their constituents.” The move signals a new political strategy in an era when politicians may be pro-life but untraditional in their view of marriage. In this case, the untraditional politician is Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who in March declared his support for samesex marriage, a reversal of his previous position. The flip-flop caused some Ohio conservatives to drop support for Portman, who otherwise has been a consistent pro-life ally in the U.S. Senate. Portman is a co-sponsor of the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that would ban abortions in Washington, D.C., after 20 weeks of gestation. 4 TEXANONLINE.NET AUGUST 14, 2013
Atonement debate sparked by editorial on ‘In Christ Alone’ lyrics
The centrality of the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is being emphasized by Southern Baptist leaders after a state newspaper editor wrote that he does not sing certain words of a popular hymn due to its mention of God’s wrath. Substitutionary atonement refers to the belief that Jesus died in the place of sinners, taking on himself the wrath of God that they deserved. Bob Terry, editor of The Alabama Baptist, in an Aug. 8 editorial, paralleled the angst expressed by a Presbyterian Church USA hymnal committee in rejecting the song “In Christ Alone” because of the line “Till on that cross as Jesus died/The wrath of God was satisfied.” “Some popular theologies do hold that Jesus’ suffering appeased God’s wrath,” Terry wrote. “That is not how I understand the Bible and that is why I do not sing the phrase ‘the wrath of God was satisfied’ even though I love the song ‘In Christ Alone.’” Terry’s editorial prompted numerous reactions on Twitter from concerned Southern Baptist leaders, including Daniel Akin, Hershael York, Chad Brand and Jason Duesing, as well as an official statement from Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, and a clarification by Terry. Terry issued a statement to the media on Aug. 12 in which he wrote that some of the controversy could relate to “different meanings of the word ‘wrath.’” In his editorial, Terry wrote that the Bible “speaks clearly about the wrath of
God and warns that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.” “Yet there remains a question about whether God was an angry God at Golgotha whose wrath had to be appeased by the suffering of the innocent Jesus,” Terry wrote. “Sometimes Christians carelessly make God out to be some kind of ogre whose angry wrath overflowed until the innocent Jesus suffered enough to calm Him down.” Terry concluded, “God is not the enemy. He is our seeking Friend (Luke 15). That is why I prefer to focus on His love evidenced at Calvary rather than on His wrath.” In a clarification posted above the original column, Terry said the editorial was not about atonement but “about what has been called ‘the mindset of God’ at Calvary. Some emphasize God as angry and vengeful. To me this does not properly recognize God’s love expressed in the incarnation....” Lance, along with Alabama State Board of Missions President John Killian, released a statement Aug. 9 in response to the editorial, noting, “We share the expressed concerns of many who have disagreed with the article.” Lance and Killian, pastor of Maytown Baptist Church, affirmed the lyrics of the hymn In Christ Alone and wrote, “As Alabama Baptists seek to be true to Scripture, we affirm the essential and historic Christian doctrine of substitutionary atonement.” They offered their prayer support to Terry and the newspaper’s staff “and we call on all who have expressed concern to pray as well.”
Board seeks greater cross-cultural efforts among churches Recommended 2014 budget, new staff members also approved during summer meeting By Jerry Pierce
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he Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Executive Board unanimously approved an initiative encouraging the 2,400-plus SBTC churches to engage in more cross-cultural fellowship and worship and to celebrate its growing ethnic diversity during its Aug. 6 meeting in Grapevine. The motion from the ad hoc “Look Like Heaven Committee” commits the board to encourage “the building of cross-cultural relationships among SBTC pastors and churches” and requests promotion of crosscultural events during the next five SBTC annual meetings. Additionally, the motion calls for an emphasis on cross-cultural relationships during the month of July for the next five years. Chairman of the ad hoc committee, pastor David Fleming of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, said the latest list of affiliations the board approved was an example of the growing ethnic diversity in SBTC congregations, with Fleming noting Filipino, Hispanic, Japanese, Korean, Anglo and African American congregations among them. “The notion is that we really do have a very diverse convention. …” But “unity is more than the absence of strife, right?” Fleming said. Noting the importance of the July emphasis on cross-cultural relationships, Fleming said this could include something as simple as pastors meeting for coffee or
Members of the Executive Board lay hands on Ted Elmore, newly elected ministerchurch relations associate, as Chris Moody, pastor of First Baptist Church of Beaumont, leads in prayer. PHOTO BY GARY LEDBETTER
swapping pulpits or joint mission efforts. In the fall during the annual meeting, the fruit of such ministry would be reported. Fleming said the committee’s work was aimed at celebrating the convention’s ethnic variety, not blurring it. OTHER BUSINESS Also, the board elected two new ministry staff associates in the missions and minister/church relations (MCR) departments, and approved a recommended 2014 budget of $27,149,526—a 3.06 percent increase over 2013. The board extended its ministry affiliation with Waxahachiebased Texas Baptist Home for Children and its related ministry agreements with Baptist Missionary Association of Texas, Korean Baptist Fellowship of Texas and Baptist Credit Union. The board also approved a related ministry agreement with the Conference of Texas Baptist Evangelists (COTBE). The convention has worked closely with COTBE during the annual Empower Evangelism Conference, providing a venue for the COTBE session that immediately precedes the conference. The affiliated agreement with Texas Baptist Home is for five years while the related ministry agreements are reviewed annually. Also, the board approved affiliation requests from 31 churches while removing five, four of which disbanded and one that disaffiliated. That brings the total number of affiliated AUGUST 14, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 5
“Life was very difficult but I decided to live in Christ by faith.” —Dan Acharya speaking on his conversion from hinduism
Dan Acharya, the new missions strategies associate, shares his testimony of coming to faith in Christ while a teenager from a Buddhist family in Nepal. PHOTO BY GARY LEDBETTER
churches to 2,420. Ted L. Elmore, who has served the convention part-time as a field ministry strategist, was elected to fill a vacancy as minister/church relations associate, and Devendra (Dan) Acharya, a Nepal native who came to faith in Christ as a 15-yearold Hindu, was elected missions strategies associate. Elmore fills the spot left by Heath Peloquin, who succeeds Tom Campbell as MCR director. Campbell left the convention staff last spring to become pastor of First Baptist Church of Van. Elmore is a Tennessee native who surrendered to the ministry as a police officer in Dayton, Ohio in the early 1970s. He served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Hamilton from 1977-79 and for 34 years has led the Ted Elmore Evangelistic Association. Elmore served in several capacities with the Baptist General Convention of Texas as well. He is currently interim pastor at North Euless Baptist Church. Elmore told the board of the day as a young adult that he knew for certain he had surrendered his life to Christ as he sat on a front-row pew filling out a decision card and puzzled with which box to check. 6 TEXANONLINE.NET AUGUST 14, 2013
Having checked “other” because of earlier decisions as a child to take steps toward God, he wrote simply, “I want Jesus to have control of my life from this day forward.” From that moment, he said his will, emotions and understanding converged as he began to grow spiritually. Months later, he surrendered to a ministry calling. Through many years of service as an evangelist and through a recent bout with cancer his wife Cheryl experienced, “Matthew 6:33 (‘Seek first the kingdom of God …’) has been brought out time and time again,” he said. Acharya told of coming to saving faith in Christ as a 15-year-old after he said God spoke to him clearly about the person of Jesus while Acharya while steeped in Hinduism as a member of a high-caste family of Hindu priests. When he became a Christ follower after reading the Gospel of John, he was kicked out of his village and estranged from his family for 16 years. “Life was very difficult but I decided to live in Christ by faith,” Acharya told the board. In 2006, his mother and brother contacted him and invited him back home. Reunited after 16 years, he said he spent an entire evening and most of the next day explaining the gospel and filling in the blanks of lost time. Soon, his mother and brother were both saved and today they are involved in a church planting
ministry in Nepal begun by Acharya. In Dallas, Acharya and his wife Moanaro won converts and began New Life Family Church among Bhutanese immigrants. In his new role, Acharya will be helping the SBTC participate in new works among the growing number of international people groups in Texas. Board vice chairman Bart Barber of Farmersville, who presided in the absence of chairman Hal Kinkeade of Springtown, told the board following Acharya’s election that when his time comes to rotate off the board, “The thing I am going to miss most are these testimonies.” FINANCIAL REPORT The budget increase of 3.06 percent amounts to $805,900, with 55 percent of Cooperative Program (CP) receipts being passed for SBC worldwide ministry and the remaining 45 percent funding Texas ministry. Messengers to the SBTC annual meeting, Oct. 28-29 in Amarillo, will vote on the budget recommendation. The 55 percent passed on for SBC ministry remains the highest percentage of any state convention. Chief Financial Officer Joe Davis reported to the board that CP receipts through June were $358,064 above budget and $371,226 ahead of last year’s first six months. The total net operating income through June was $990,273. Davis said several factors
contributed to the net operating income: Staff vacancies reduced spending, seasonal expenditures were lower than expected and the convention’s annual liability insurance payment is not yet reflected. Health insurance expenditures were lower than expected also, he said. Meanwhile, giving through the Reach Texas Offering was up by $125,477 compared to last year with 10 months reported. Giving through the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions was up $12,327 with one month reported. The Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions was down $47,330 for the first six months of the giving year compared to 2012. In a letter to SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards shared with the board, Oklahoma Baptists’ executive director, Anthony Jordan, thanked the convention for its financial gift following the deadly May tornadoes that devastated parts of Moore, Okla., and Shawnee, Okla. “Your generous gift of $10,000 has given us the opportunity to turn hopelessness into hope, darkness into light, and tears into smiles of joy,” Jordan wrote. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT Richards told the board of the hospitality he and his wife June experienced during a seven-day tour of West Texas churches. He said the trip was meant to encourage pastors and churches and to invite participation at the SBTC annual meeting in Amarillo. “But instead of encouraging, we were encouraged,” Richards said, noting the blessing of preaching four times on Sunday during the
trip. New churches continue to affiliate with the SBTC at a rate of about one church every three days, Richards told the board. Of those, about 80 percent have a Southern Baptist history while others come from among missionary Baptists and even a few Bible churches, he said. Also, the Borderlands ministry is engaging people with the gospel from El Paso to the southeast Rio Grande Valley while the SBTC’s people groups effort seeks to win souls from “a huge conglomerate of globalization” that exists in the state’s largest cities, with Houston now being the nation’s most ethnically diverse metropolis. The successful effort this summer to pass life-affirming legislation in Texas that will curb abortions is an example of how resolutions passed by messengers at annual meetings are useful, Richards noted. Because messengers in recent years have spoken clearly that life begins at conception, “the SBTC staff was able to speak definitively about life” during the intense debate that ensued in the weeks leading up to House Bill 2’s passage. Church planter and church sponsor recruitment will be ramped up in the coming months, Richards said, with the convention able to fund about 100 church plants if qualified planters and sponsoring churches are available. He added that sponsoring churches’ spiritual support and involvement are even more crucial than their financial support. Richards lauded Campbell, the former MCR director who returned to the pastorate last spring, and Ken Lasater, who has served 11
years as a church ministries associate. “Tom has one of the sweetest spirits of anyone I know,” Richards said. Lasater, meanwhile, is leaving the SBTC staff to join the staff of First Baptist Church of Bowie. Richards called Lasater a “true renaissance man; he has incredible gifting and does so many things so well.” In closing, Richards asked board members to encourage their church families to come to Amarillo for the annual meeting, where the business of the convention “makes it possible to reach Texas and touch the world,” he said. The board voted to present O.S. Hawkins, GuideStone Financial Resources president, with the 2013 H. Paul Pressler Award. Of Hawkins, board member James Nickell of Quitman told the board, “He has provided encouragement and support to SBTC during our 15 years.” Hawkins served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Hobart, Okla., and then Ada, Okla., then First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and First Baptist Church of Dallas. He has led GuideStone since 1997. The Pressler Award is presented at each SBTC annual meeting. Also, the convention’s facilitating ministries area will now be called ministry relationships. The former facilitating ministries committee—a committee of the Executive Board— will now be termed the ministry relationships committee. As director of facilitating ministries, Gary Ledbetter of the SBTC staff acts as liaison between the committee and the affiliated and related ministries of the convention. Ledbetter also serves as SBTC communications director.
AUGUST 14, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 7
San Antonio law would bar from city government those who oppose homosexuality By David Roach
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he San Antonio city council is considering an ordinance that would seem to bar anyone who opposes homosexuality from serving in public office or getting a city contract. Opponents of the ordinance, some Texas Southern Baptists among them, say it violates the First Amendment freedoms of religion and speech. “An effort is being made to silence and in some senses violate the civil rights of the Christian community and even the community at large, irrespec8 TEXANONLINE.NET AUGUST 14, 2013
tive of their faith, if they oppose this non-discrimination policy,” Robert Welch, teaching pastor at Parkhills Baptist Church in San Antonio, told the TEXAN. “They will be discriminated against if they have had any association with an organization that has had discriminatory policies.” A draft of the proposed ordinance prohibits “appointed officials” and “member[s] of a board or commission” from demonstrating “bias, by word or deed, against any person, groups of persons, or organization on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age or disability, while acting in such public position.” “Sexual orientation” and “gender identity” are
“Any attempt to bar an individual from public the categories that have sparked opposition. The service based on a personal religious conviction is ordinance draft labels “bias” against homosexuals contrary to the liberties guaranteed us under our as “malfeasance” and authorizes the city council, constitution and should be emphatically opposed,” in what would be unprecedented for a Texas muthe Houston Republican said in a statement. “It is nicipality, to “remove the offending person from encouraging to see so many Texans standing up to office.” defend their religious freeBusinesses that have condoms in light of the misguidtracts with the city must ed proposal put forth by the include in their contracts a “Any attempt to bar an local city council.” statement that they do not individual from public service Even if the ordinance discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, based on a personal religious passes, Saenz said it is likely according to the draft. The conviction is contrary to the to lose a legal challenge. Cities measure could come to a vote liberties guaranteed us under that have attempted to enact similar measures, he said, this month. our constitution and should “have been tied up for years Supporters argue that be emphatically opposed. It is in legal challenges and recall similar policies in Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin lend credencouraging to see so many elections and court cases.” Welch worries that the ibility to the San Antonio Texans standing up to defend ordinance could exclude from proposal. But Jonathan Saenz, their religious freedoms public office any member of president of Texas Values, told in light of the misguided a church that teaches hothe TEXAN that the San Antoproposal put forth by the mosexuality is a sin. He has nio measure goes further than mentioned the issue in leaderthose cities’ statutes and is local city council.” ship meetings at Parkhills and “one of the most egregious city —sen. ted cruz urges all San Antonio believordinances of its type,” effecers to contact city leaders to tively barring Christians who express their opposition. believe homosexuality is a sin If Christians remain silent on this measure, it from serving in city government. could hinder their ability to win people to faith in The ordinances in Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin Christ, Welch said. Believers who do not defend deal with employment and housing discriminabiblical standards in civic life appear selective and tion and equal access to public accommodations as hypocritical when they call people to repent in prithey pertain to gender identity and sexual orientavate witnessing encounters, he said. tion, but say nothing about bias “by word or deed” “If we keep silent at this point on a matter that is regarding city officials or boards. most clearly revealed in Scripture to be antithetical It “jeopardizes and threatens religious freedom to the plans of God, then we have no leg to stand on and free speech and also tramples on rights of private businesses,” Saenz said. “That is why there is a when we call people to repent of any sin,” Welch said. large and growing group of folks in the San AntoThere is no evidence that a homosexual or transnio area and throughout the state that have major gendered person has ever faced discrimination in concerns with this ordinance.” He added that the the city government, Saenz said. opposition is an effort by people of “all different “It’s very clear that the folks that define thempolitical parties.” Nearly 120 people signed up to testify against the selves by their sexual orientation and behavior and their gender identity want to use the government ordinance at a public hearing Aug. 7, and opposito punish people that don’t agree with their lifetion letters are pouring into city hall, according to style,” he said. “It’s unfortunate but I think it’s very Texas Public Radio. clear that’s why these ordinances continue to come Among the measure’s critics is first-term U.S. forward.” Sen. Ted Cruz. AUGUST 14, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 9
Apologetics conference to tackle certainty in an unbelieving age
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By Jerry Pierce
he value of Christian apologetics may be seen in the “many convincing proofs” Jesus gave to his disciples over 40 days following his resurrection (Acts 1:3) or the instruction to “contend for the faith” in Jude, says Bruno Molina, language evangelism associate with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Molina said he first became convinced of the value of studying apologetics—the art of defending the faith—while developing a strategy to reach Muslims with the gospel several years ago. He went on to earn a certification in apologetics with the North American Mission Board through a program NAMB offered in conjunction with Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., one of the first institutions with a degree program in apologetics. Molina said that because Jesus spent 40 days offering those “many convincing proofs” that he was the risen Christ, we must follow his example. “What must be remembered is that some people have honest questions, they aren’t just suppressing the truth in unrighteousness” as the unbelievers described in Romans 1 were, Molina said. “We should respond by contending earnestly for the faith.” To that end, the SBTC is offering the Confident Christianity Conference, Sept. 6-7 at Hillcrest Baptist in Cedar Hill. This year’s theme is “Proclaiming the Certainty of Christ in an Age of Unbelief.” “The overall concern we wanted to address this year is how we are to hold our biblical standard up in an environment in which our postmodern culture constantly assaults our foundational beliefs,” Molina said. 10 TEXANONLINE.NET AUGUST 14, 2013
In addition to a lineup of breakout session speakers, keynote speakers include J.P. Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and a leading apologist; Sean McDowell, a popular speaker and a Ph.D. student in apologetics and worldview studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Barry Creamer, vice president for academic affairs and professor of humanities at Criswell College in Dallas; and Mary Jo Sharp, an author and assistant professor of Christian apologetics at Houston Baptist University. Conference sessions will deal with such topics as the trustworthiness of the Bible, same-sex marriage, relativism, the intellectual integrity of Christianity, discerning popular media messages, and the biblical woman in a media-driven world. Training on nonChristian religions is also included. “For me, the study of apologetics has greatly strengthened my own faith in God and the reliability of his Word,” Molina said. “We need to remember that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word, and apologetics is part of that,” he added. Cost is $35 per person with a student price of $15. Registration is available online at sbtexas.com/ccc. A Spanish-language track with Pastor Edgardo Ferrer will also be available.
GuideStone trustees expand participants By Tim Head SAN FRANCISCO
O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources, reported on the continued growth in the number of the entity’s expanded ministry participants at a meeting of the trustees in San Francisco. Trustees also were updated on GuideStone’s long-range plan and on health care reform efforts. Expanded ministry participants, Hawkins said, help provide stability and strength to GuideStone’s insurance program. “Each year, we see value from our efforts to reach out and engage like-minded evangelical organizations,” Hawkins said at the July 2930 meeting. “Currently, expanded market ministries comprise over 25 percent of our total group medical plan participants and provide more than 10 percent of total new money into the retirement plan. “Additionally, many of the participants in our expanded ministries insurance base are younger, which enables us to keep our premiums lower for our participants, as well as providing the ability to attain additional economies of scale across all of our product lines,” Hawkins said. GuideStone’s request for a ministry assignment change was approved by messengers to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in June, allowing GuideStone to serve like-minded investors and individuals with a focus on Southern Baptist and evangelical church members. Even with a potential new market, Hawkins said GuideStone will continue to serve “the SBC pas-
tor at the crossroads” and “will remain committed to its vision of enhancing [the pastor’s] financial security.” Health care reform Trustees heard a report from Rod Miller, GuideStone’s special counsel, on health care reform legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Supreme Court decision on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Miller noted that PPACA “fails to recognize the special legal nature of church health plans and imposes numerous new plan requirements while not affording the participants in church health care plans equal treatment with those who are in secular plans.” “A major area of focus for us has been GuideStone’s ongoing commitment to be an advocate for employers and participants in church plans as health care reform becomes more fully applicable in 2014,” Miller said. “GuideStone continues to be actively and diligently engaged in preserving and protecting church health plans designed for those in ministry.” Miller reiterated that GuideStone is committed to “protecting, persevering and providing fairness for church plan participants.” In response to the health care reform report, trustees passed a resolution stating their commitment to upholding biblical convictions regarding the sanctity of life, including the lives of the unborn. Regarding DOMA, Miller said GuideStone is “monitoring federal and state developments flowing from the decision, working with other like-minded church benefits
boards to evaluate next steps and determining ways to mitigate the potential impact on church plans.” Performance John Jones, GuideStone’s chief operating officer, reported on GuideStone’s activities through the first half of the year, which he characterized as a “remarkable period of time across all areas of GuideStone’s ministry.” “In May, GuideStone’s total assets increased to $11.7 billion from the previous high of $10.7 billion in the fall of 2007,” Jones said. “From an absolute performance perspective, including overall net income and returns, GuideStone Funds continue to achieve superlative results. “In addition, GuideStone Funds has continued to receive favorable national recognition from industry firms such as Lipper and fi360. For nine straight quarters, GuideStone Funds has ranked in the top 7 percent of all fund families in the fi360 Fund Family Fiduciary Rankings universe,” Jones said. “This is a particularly meaningful recognition because of the broad scope of criteria used by fi360 in their rankings. Their evaluation includes such factors as regulatory oversight, track record, assets under management, stability of the organization, expense ratio/ fees relative to peers, risk-adjusted performance relative to peers and overall investment performance relative to peers.” AUGUST 14, 2013 TEXANONLINE.NET 11
Student Evangelism Conference North More than 1,000 people attended the SBTC’s Student Evangelism Conference North at Southwestern Seminary on Aug. 9-10. During the annual event, 78 students made professions of faith and 44 students surrendered to vocational ministry. During the SBTC summer student ministry as a whole, 253 students give their lives to Christ and 153 students surrendered to vocational ministry. Photos by Rick Linthicum
Christian Pop artist Adam Cappa leads the students in worship through music during the SEC North Event.
Illusionist Drew Worsham interacts with the students.
Brad and Jordan of Far From Ordinary Ministries make a humorous point during the presentation.
Evangelist Clayton King preached during the event at Southwestern Seminary.
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sbtexas.com/am13
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Hispanic Women’s Conference More than 800 women attended the SBTC’s Hispanic Women’s Conference July 25-26 at the Westin Galleria in Dallas. In the photo below, two attendees share a laugh during the Friday night banquet. Also pictured is Lilly Goodman of the Lilly Goodman Band, who read Scripture to the women during her performance. Photos by Rick Linthicum
Texas Baptist Home hosts open house for new Abba’s House WAXAHACHIE
Texas Baptist Home for Children will host an open house for its new home for expectant mothers from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Aug. 20 at its Waxahachie campus, 629 Farley St., 75165. The come-and-go reception will
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include refreshments and the ministry will host a former client who will talk about how TBHC changed her life through its adoption services. Abba’s House “will allow expectant mothers to have a place of refuge while they go through
the process of placing for adoption” and to receive counseling, life skills training and spiritual growth, said Jami Hogan, TBHC director of adoption services. For more information on TBHC or Abba’s House, call Hogan at 972937-1321.
Mike Gonzales
Mirando Hacía El Futuro
E
tienen una buena actitud. Lo que hacemos hoy va afectar nuestro futuro y lo que pensamos hoy también afectará nuestro futuro. Si quieres tener éxito en esta vida, tienes que tener una buena actitud. * Segundo para mantener la alegría del Señor en nuestras vidas debemos aprender de nuestros errores.
s un gozo saber los que somos salvos
Hay que reconocer que no somos perfectos, sólo Cristo
en Cristo vamos caminando hacia el
fue perfecto en todo. Muchas veces hemos hecho algo mal
cielo. Los seguidores en Jesús sabemos
pero no queremos admitirlo y queremos esconderlos, Y
que cuando esta vida se acabe va-
al no tratar esos errores muchas veces estos hechos se
mos a estar con Él para toda una eternidad. Cada
convierten en pecados.
creyente en Cristo puede enfrentarse al futuro con certeza. Y a la vez hay gozo en nuestros cora-
I Juan 1:8,9 dice
zones aun cuando estamos pasando por pruebas.
“Si decimos que no tenemos pecado, nos engañamos
Porque cuando estamos en Cristo Jesús hay gozo
a nosotros mismo, y la verdad no está en nosotros. Si
en nuestras vidas.
confesamos nuestros pecados, él es fiel y justo para perdonar nuestros pecados, y limpiarnos de toda maldad.”
Filipenses 4:4-7 dice “¡Regocijaos en el Señor siempre. Otra vez digo: ¡Regocijaos! Vuestra gentileza sea conocida de todos los hombres. El Señor está cerca. Por nada
Personas que muestran el gozo del Señor en sus vidas, lo hacen porque saben que ellos no son perfectos y sólo Cristo es perfecto. * En tercer lugar para mantener la alegría del Señor en
estéis afanosos, sino sean conocidas vuestras
nuestras vidas debemos poner a Dios primero. Muchos
peticiones delante de Dios en toda oración y ruego,
creyentes fracasan porque no ponen a Dios primero,
con acción de gracias. Y la paz de Dios, que sobre
ponen otras cosas. Siempre es una lucha buscar a Dios
pasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros
porque hay tantas distracciones en este mundo.
corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús.” Al tener el gozo del Señor en nuestros corazones también tenemos la paz de Dios. Al caminar hacia
Mateo 6:33 nos dice “Más buscad primeramente el reino de Dios y su justicia, y todas estas cosas os serán añadidas.”
el futuro hay algunas cosas que debemos hacer para mantener esa alegría en el Señor: * Primero para mantener la alegría del Señor
Deuteronomio 6:4 y 5 nos dice “Oye, Israel: Jehová nuestro Dios, Jehová uno es. Y
en nuestras vidas debemos mostrar una buena
amarás a Jehová tu Dios de todo tu corazón, y de toda tu
actitud en la vida que vivimos aquí en la tierra.
alma, y con todas tus fuerzas.”
Las personas que siempre se regocijan en el
Debemos darle a nuestro Dios toda nuestra atención
Señor lo hacen porque tienen una buena actitud.
siempre y así podremos enfrentarnos al futuro con
Personas con malas actitudes siempre son
seguridad y certeza.
personas que van mostrando vidas negativas. Dios desea que todos sus seguidores muestren
—Mike Gonzales es director de los Ministerios Multiétnicos de la SBTC.
una buena actitud hacia la vida. Las personas que tienen éxito en este mundo son personas que
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