Texan Digital • Dec. 17, 2014 • Issue #41

December 17, 2014 • ISSUE 41

LONGVIEW CHURCH MAKES LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO SLOVENIA

Also in this issue:

EVANGELICALS, SOUTHERN BAPTISTS REACT TO PRESIDENT OBAMA’S IMMIGRATION REFORM BLACK PASTORS OFFER VARYING PERSPECTIVES ON FERGUSON DECISION

Gary Ledbetter

Marriage as a Christian institution

O

ur culture is willfully taking poison.

The problem is not specifically the mad enthusiasm by our political and cultural leaders for same-sex unions but our nation’s rising disinterest in real marriage. A culture should praise and in all ways encourage those behaviors beneficial to the common good. A one-flesh, productive commitment in marriage has been to the benefit of every human culture. Other relationships, including same-sex relationships, are incapable of replacing marriage for our nation and others.

Of course, we’re not the only culture to embrace poisonous ideas. Any number of defunct empires claimed divinity for their monarchs, for example.

Totalitarian Communism, a dead and dying system, was undone by its belief in a divine state. Western civilization is now enamored with the notion of a divine scientific system. “The science is settled” is a far stupider statement than “The earth is flat.” Every culture that founds laws and policies on things simply untrue will languish in proportion to their buy-in to the lie—partly because of true things the worshippers of false gods reject.

Cultures within and without the Judeo-Christian tradition have learned the primacy of a committed heterosexual marriage. Call it natural law as in Romans 2:14-15, but the value, the fruitfulness, of heterosexual marriage is observable. Same-sex unions cannot make that claim.

I bring this observation into the discussion of pastors and their role as “pronouncers” of legal marriage relationships. Some pastors advocate that we should no longer act as agents of the state in signing marriage licenses. I share some of the concerns they’ve expressed. It does embroil us in a debate (same-sex marriage) we will likely lose. It can also water down the essentially spiritual role of a pastor as officiant at a Christian wedding. Marriage is a religious ritual rich in meaning for Christians and even non-Christians; the state’s licensure of marriage is intervening in a religious event. Yes, it is in the common interest that some marriages remain unrecognized by the magistrate—incestuous or polygamous ones, for example. But the state’s role has grown from

recognizing and recording religious commitments to giving permission, to even beating the drum for strange definitions of marriage. Public policy is incapable of subtlety, it seems.

Win or lose, I argue that we should remain in the fray. No, the magistrate will not give back any authority he has claimed, and some of you may not buy my suggestion that he should. Either way, our role as salt or, to carry my poison metaphor forward, ipecac, can slow the effects of our culture’s decline. In practical terms, that means that some number of children can be spared the toxic effects of being on the front lines of social jiggering with “family.” Plainly, fewer children will be raised in homes with two “daddies” or two (or more) “mommies” because a Christian pastor led his people to ask a fumbling magistrate if he really has any evidence that this is a comparable and fruitful model of family.

Perhaps a few children will be raised by parents who did not divorce because a church helped them, encouraged them to stay together. Maybe some children will be spared the crippling wounds of fatherlessness because a Bible-believing church teaches men that they should marry their women, or teaches women that worthy men give them a ring and make a commitment. Astoundingly, some churches have bought into the lie that sometimes it’s just best to start over or that all things we choose to call “families” are equal in strength and desirability.

Pastors and churches, marriage is our stewardship.

The role of the magistrate is so thoroughly interwoven into the institution that it will never be diminished, but we should allow our role to diminish as slowly and unwillingly as possible. Our culture’s understanding of marriage still has a strong religious core we can build on. If today’s slide is any indication, our role in marriage will have less significance legally and culturally in the future. I regret that, but I do not embrace it. Neither should you.

The definition of marriage, like the definition of sexual identity, came from God before religious and political institutions entered any man’s imagination.

Churches, the body of Christ, and their pastors, ministers of his Word, must remain integral to the debate over marriage outside and inside the fellowship of believers. Our culture is steadily poisoning itself, even if we are not. Cultural engagement with this issue is not apart from the truth of the gospel. We want our neighbors to know the joy of forgiveness in Christ and that Great Commission work is enhanced by alleviating the suffering of the saved and the lost. It’s too early to talk about retreat in the face of dire threats to our basic and essential human institution.

CONTENTS ISSUE #41 /////////////////////////////////////////////

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COVER STORY

A Perfect Fit: Longview church makes long-term commitment to Slovenia With a photographer’s eye, Kay Tanner of Oakland Heights Baptist Church in Longview sees something on the faces of the people of Slovenia that others might miss. Faces downcast, with eyes that refuse to make contact with strangers, especially those who talk of a God that many in Slovenia have never heard of or one that atheists in the country reject. A “disconnect,” she calls it. However, Oakland Heights, through a recently launched 10-year partnership with IMB missions in Slovenia, hopes to bring the light and hope of the gospel to a battered, bruised and oftenforgotten people.

Panel discusses how churches should address issue of homosexuality

Baptist educators, a Texas pastor, an expert on the law and the head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s ethical and moral concerns entity shared their perspectives on the church’s response to the issue of homosexuality during a panel discussion following the close of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting, Nov. 11.

6 Black pastors offer varying perspectives on Ferguson decision As the nation reeled from the news out of Ferguson, Mo., that a grand jury would not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-yearold Michael Brown, the decision set off a firestorm of riots and violent protests in Ferguson and across the U.S. The aftermath reminded the country that racial tensions continue to be a blight on the American landscape.

In the wake of these events, several black pastors offered varying perspectives on the decision and the reactions stirred as a result.

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The Wounds Run Deep: Racism and Injustice Must End and Let Grace and Love Begin Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd conducted a conference call with black and white Southern Baptist pastors to discuss “the growing racial tension in our nation.” Out of that phone conversation, an article about racism and the gospel was drafted.

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Evangelicals, Southern Baptists react to President Obama’s executive order

President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration reform, including granting legal status to millions of people currently in the country illegally, was detrimental to the efforts of Southern Baptists who for years have championed comprehensive and compassionate immigration legislation.

SBC leaders in the church and Congress said the president’s unilateral, and arguably unconstitutional, action hurts those he claims to be helping and alienates those who echoed his calls for reform.

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 Keith Collier, Managing Editor Sharayah Colter, Staff Writer Russell Lightner, Design & Layout Stephanie Barksdale, Subscriptions Contributing Writers Ronnie Floyd, Dwayne Hastings, Marc Ira Hooks, Kate Kimbley, Bonnie Pritchett, Paul F. South, Andrew J.W. Smith, Paul Michael Vacca To contact the TEXAN, visit texanonline.net/contact or call toll free 877.953.7282 (SBTC).

Briefly /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// AT TH E M OVIES :

A SCHIZOPHRENIC MOSES?

ROB BELL TELEVISION SHOW TO DEBUT ON OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK

Founding pastor of Michigan’s Mars Hill Bible Church Rob Bell says he is no longer going to church, according to a Dec. 2 Religion News Service article.

“We have a little tribe of friends,” Bell, who now lives in California, said in the article. “We have a group that we are journeying with. There’s no building.

We’re churching all the time. It’s more of a verb for us. Churches can be places that help people grow and help people connect with others and help people connect with the great issues of our day. They can also be toxic, black holes of despair. My thinking is, it depends on where you are in your life. One of the most extraordinary things I’ve done since I left Mars Hill is be with people and engage with people who would never step foot in a church.”

Bell’s most recent book, co-written with his wife Kristen, has received mocking reviews from evangelicals, many pointing out that it only quoted the Bible three times. The 44-year-old has also been working alongside Oprah Winfrey and has a television show set to debut on her network, Dec. 21, called “The Rob Bell Show.”

To read the story click here.

HOW ULTRASOUND-ON-A-CHIP WILL TRANSFORM ABORTION

According to the Hollywood Reporter, actor Christian Bale has said of Moses, “I think the man was likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life.”

This on the completion of his new film, “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” wherein Oscar-winner Bale played the man who led the Jews out of bondage and into the Promised Land.

In the 20th Century Fox production, Moses is equal parts Streetcar Named Desire’s Stanley Kowalski and General Patton. Bale portrays Moses more as a military figure than humble messenger of God. And God is played by a little boy in a silly artistic choice done possibly to take from the Almighty his majesty.

This rather jaundiced view of Bible heroes may be a trend in upcoming screen versions of biblical stories. There just doesn’t seem to be a shortage of men in Hollywood who like to borrow from the Bible, yet don’t believe a word of it.

To read the story click here.

Cutting edge technology may soon make ultrasounds cheaper, more accessible and more common, according to Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission communication specialist Joe Carter. Whereas current technology requires “small crystals or ceramics to generate and receive sound waves,” the new technology would “etch ultrasound emitters directly onto a semiconductor wafer, alongside circuits and processors,” resulting in ultrasound on the chip. While the technology could and may be used to monitor health, Carter says it may lead to more abortions by being available at drug stores and allowing easy detection of gender and disability.

Read the story here.

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK., LGBT LAW REPEALED

Voters in a northwest Arkansas city have overturned a pro-homosexual/transgender ordinance that many claimed posed a threat to religious liberty.

In a special election Dec. 9, residents of Fayetteville—home of the University of Arkansas— approved repeal of the measure by fewer than 500 votes, with 52 percent (7,523) of voters in favor of repeal and 48 percent (7,040) opposed. The result rescinded a law passed by the city council in a 6-2 vote in August. Opponents of the ordinance collected enough signatures within a month to place its repeal on a special election ballot.

Read the story here.

SBC HISPANIC LEADERSHIP NETWORK PLANNED

Hispanics are strengthening their unity and cooperation within the Southern Baptist Convention by forming a leadership network set to launch at the 2015 SBC annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

SBC Hispanic Relations Consultant Bob Sena announced the network in cooperation with Luis Lopez, director of LifeWay Espanol church resources, at a Dec. 2 dinner meeting in Nashville attended by 65 leaders, including SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page and Hispanics from 23 Baptist state conventions.

Read the story here.

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—Briefly section compiled from Baptist Press, other news sources and staff reports

NEW RESEARCH FINDS MORE AMERICANS SUPPORT GUN RIGHTS THAN GUN CONTROL

For the first time in more than two decades of survey, poll results reveal Americans favor gun rights over gun control. Fifty-two percent of Americans polled by the Pew Research Center say protecting rights of gun owners is more important than gun control, represented by 46 percent of those polled.

Read the story here.

BREWTON-PARKER COLLEGE’S ACCREDITATION REAFFIRMED

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has reaffirmed the accreditation of Brewton-Parker College, reversing an earlier decision.

The Dec. 9 announcement means the Georgia Baptist college, which had been on probation and then lost its academic ranking on June 19, will remain fully accredited without any blemish on its record.

Read the story here.

PETITION CIRCULATING TO BRING FAMILY-FRIENDLY WIFI TO FAST-FOOD CHAINS AS DONE IN U.K.

Despite both McDonald’s and Starbucks United Kingdom stores having already implemented filters to disallow pornography viewing over their free WiFi, neither chain has agreed to take the same steps in U.S. stores. Internet safety group Enough is Enough, which organized the “Porn-Free WiFi” campaign, has contacted both chains to no avail and plans to present petition signatures next.

Read the story here.

ISIS REPORTEDLY SELLING JAMES FOLEY’S BODY FOR $1 MILLION

After publically beheading journalist James Foley in August, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists have reportedly placed the man’s body up for sale, asking $1 million. Since the United States does not negotiate with terrorists, it is unlikely the body will return to Foley’s parents, according to the Christian Post.

BOB JONES UNIVERSITY APOLOGIZES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS IN CONJUNCTION WITH GRACE REPORT

Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) released a 300-page report Dec. 11 regarding Bob Jones University’s response to sexual abuse on its campus.

The report faulted the university for in some instances allowing Christian teaching to affect its handling of reported abuses and counseling of victims.

Read the story here.

SATANIST DISPLAY IN FLA. CAPITOL ‘OFFENSIVE’

A Satanist holiday display scheduled for exhibition this Christmas in the Florida state capitol rotunda is a “spiritual danger” that “could literally cost someone their eternal soul,” a Southern Baptist pastor who was involved in Satanism before his conversion told Baptist Press.

The display—which depicts an angel doll falling from clouds made of cotton into flames made of construction paper— ”is bringing religion down” and “saying, ‘Anything can be a religion,’” Gwan Garrison, pastor of Franklin Baptist Church in Bainbridge, Ga., said.

Garrison also works as special projects coordinator for nearby Leon County, Fla., where the capitol building in Tallahassee is located.

Sponsored by a group called the Satanic Temple, the controversial holiday display will appear Dec. 22-29 in an area of the capitol designated as an open forum for private speech, the Washington Post reported. The display includes the greeting, “Happy Holidays from the Satanic Temple,” and the words of Isaiah 14:12, which many Bible scholars believe describes the fall of Satan from heaven.

Last year Florida officials rejected a similar display proposed by the New York-based Satanic Temple as “grossly offensive during the holiday season” but granted approval for this year’s display following threats of legal action, the Post reported.

Read the story here.

Read the story here.

‘EBOLA FIGHTERS’: TIME’S PERSON OF THE YEAR “The Ebola Fighters,” many of whom were motivated by their Christian faith to risk their lives in battling the deadly disease in West Africa, have been named TIME’s “Person of the Year,” the magazine announced Dec. 10.

The magazine’s special issue recognized the group for doing the most to influence the events of 2014.

TIME editor Nancy Gibbs wrote in announcing the decision that medical workers in West Africa “fought side by side with local doctors and nurses, ambulance drivers and burial teams” while much of the world was still “in denial and snarled in red tape” concerning the Ebola outbreak.

Read the story here.

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 3

Panel discusses how churches should address issue of homosexuality

By Dwayne Hastings FORT WORTH

Baptist educators, a Texas pastor, an expert on the law and the head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s ethical and moral concerns entity shared their perspectives on the church’s response to the issue of homosexuality during a panel discussion following the close of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting, Nov. 11. The panel was held in MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

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The panel, moderated by SBTC Director of Communications and Ministry Relationships Gary Ledbetter, agreed the church’s failure to speak both to the culture and its members has contributed to the normalization of homosexuality and the rapid acceptance of samesex marriage in the culture.

Criswell College President Barry Creamer said the trajectory of this issue at this moment has the Biblebelieving church judged to be on the wrong side of history rather than the “wrong side of truth.”

Nonetheless, said Creamer, “we have to make absolutely certain the basis of all we do in responding to the government or being obedient to proclaiming the gospel is rooted in my love of God and my love for my neighbor.”

While the gap between the church and culture is well acknowledged, there is a similar gap between the pulpit and the pew on this issue, noted Nathan Lino, senior pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church.

“Our people are desperate for teaching on these matters. We do not have to convince them to want to talk about these things,” Lino said.

“I think we pastors live in such a bubble based on our vocation that we are out of touch with the reality in which people live. They are immersed in these matters. … Yet no one is speaking truth to them in these matters nor teaching how to do truth well.”

Lino said homosexuality is personal for most young people: “They have homosexual friends.

When we address the issue, they’re not hearing an issue, they’re thinking of their friend.”

“We haven’t done a good job training younger generations how to think biblically about sexuality,” asserted Evan Lenow, assistant professor of ethics and director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Seminary. He said the church has failed to give young people a scriptural foundation for human sexuality.

Russell Moore, president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty, said the church has been caught flat-footed with the rapid shift in opinion on the homosexual issue in part because of its mishandling of the Bible’s teachings on sexuality.

“The problem with divorce is not that it is shocking but that divorce is destroying a picture of the union of the church and Jesus Christ,” Moore said.

Lino agreed, saying pastors need to give a more full understanding of the gospel as it relates to human sexuality, Lino added.

“It’s not just homosexuality that we need to be addressing.

Homosexuality is a piece of a bigger pie,” Lino said.

“We speak against homosexuality just like we are supposed to be speaking against heterosexual premarital sex. We’re also supposed to be speaking against heterosexual extramarital sex.

We’re supposed to be speaking about gender roles. All of these are the same matter. All of these are the picture of Christ and the church.

“Our people are unprepared to deal with these issues in the culture because they don’t think of it along these lines. Until we start equipping them with a more robust gospel they’re not going to be able

to address this in culture, and we are just going to fall more behind.”

Creamer cautioned those in the church to be more careful in their choice of words.

“It’s not a compromise of our commitment to the gospel to be more considerate about the way we speak about people in the culture who need to come to the gospel.”

Ledbetter asked the panel how pastors should respond when their religious liberty rights are threatened, as in the recent case in Houston when the city’s mayor subpoenaed pastors’ sermons and notes related to the city’s statute extending certain rights to gay and transgender residents.

Moore said church leaders would be wise in heeding the model set by the Apostles Peter and John, as recorded in Acts 4, who when they were told to cease preaching, refused.

“That’s necessary because the only way they could be obedient to Christ is to refuse to submit to that decree,” he said, explaining at times the state will ask Christfollowers to do things they might not agree with but that are within the “rightful authority” of the government to require.

“But then there are going to be those things that to obey the government is to disobey God,” Moore added, citing instances in which the government tries to dictate what is to be preached or asserts what is and what isn’t sin.

“We have to say to the government, ‘There’s a law higher than your law,’ and refuse to obey,” Moore said.

This tidal change in the culture will also impact the legal environment the church finds itself in, attorney Jim Guenther said.

“The constitution simply will not allow the government to interfere

with the free choice of religious bodies in the selection of their religious leaders,” Guenther, who has served as general counsel for the Southern Baptist Convention for 40 years, told those gathered.

Yet Guenther noted the ongoing cultural confusion over gender roles and the societal redefinition of marriage complicates laws regarding discrimination.

“We’ve got a lot of untangling to do in this area. All the laws pertaining to marriage were rooted in the traditional notion that marriage was a relationship between one man and one woman.

As its fundamental basis erodes, those laws are going to be in transition,” he warned.

Guenther prepared a questionand-answer document on the law, churches and same-sex attraction that was handed out during the event and is also available online.

When examining the church’s responsibility to stand for truth and also offer grace, Lino said, “To Jesus, absolute truth and loving your neighbor are not mutually exclusive,” adding there is not a third way.

“Silence is not an option; you have to stand on truth. We have to proclaim the gospel with courage from our pulpits,” Lino said, adding that pastors must proclaim a biblical gospel.

“The issue with homosexuals isn’t that they are homosexual,” Lino said. “The issue with homosexuals is that they are in need of Jesus Christ.

“The right gospel is not that the road to salvation for a homosexual goes through becoming heterosexual. The road to salvation for anyone from anywhere is to go directly to Jesus Christ.”

To watch the entire panel discussion, go to sbtexas.com/panel.

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 5

Black pastors offer varying perspectives on Ferguson decision

By Keith Collier

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s the nation reeled from the news out of Ferguson, Mo., Nov. 24, that a grand jury would not indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-yearold Michael Brown, the decision set off a firestorm of riots and violent protests in Ferguson and across the U.S. The aftermath reminded the country that racial tensions continue to be a blight on the American landscape, and solutions are not easily found. In the wake of these events, several black Southern Baptist pastors offered varying viewpoints on the decision and the reactions stirred as a result.

While in agreement on many items, these pastors also respectfully disagree with one another on some matters, signifying

the diverse perspectives inherent in such a complex discussion.

As you consider their thoughts below, pray that churches hold forth the gospel and lead the way in racial reconciliation in our country.

Thoughts on Ferguson

by Voddie Baucham, pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas.

Four Common But Misleading Themes in Ferguson-Like Times by Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor for church planting at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Fight Over Ferguson or Focus On Solutions: How Should Evangelicals Respond? by William Dwight McKissic Sr., pastor of Cornerstone Church, Arlington, Texas.

Good Grief: The Gospel, Race, and Our Experiences by Eric Mason, pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia.

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“Rest assured, I do believe there are systemic issues plaguing black men.

These issues are violence, criminality, and immorality, to name a few.

And all of these issues are rooted in and connected to the epidemic of fatherlessness.” —VODDIE BAUCHAM

“Some people place a high premium on fatherlessness and family structure in discussions about Ferguson-like events. …

They are correct to stress the importance of these issues. … But they leave off the important qualifiers.” —THABITI ANYABWILE

“Battle lines are being drawn among evangelicals regarding how to properly interpret and consequently communicate the happenings at Ferguson, within the context of a biblical-kingdom worldview. … My encouragement to evangelicals is for us to stop fighting over Ferguson and focus on solutions.” —WILLIAM DWIGHT MCKISSIC SR. “The cross is a meeting place of conflict. Let’s go to the cross together and deal with issues.

Jesus died on the cross to face our sin and brokenness, not to ignore it. Let’s head there together.”

—ERIC MASON

THE WOUNDS RUN DEEP:

Racism and injustice must end and let grace and love begin

By Ronnie Floyd SBC President Under deep conviction by the Holy Spirit that I must do something as a Christian, as a pastor and as the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention, this past Wednesday (Dec. 10), I conducted a conference call with four of our SBC African-American pastors and two Anglo pastors. We talked openly and honestly about the growing racial tension in our nation.

The conversation we had on this conference call led to this article.

When I shared with these men my desire to write on this subject, they immediately joined in and said, “Let us help, sign our names, and enlist a few others to come alongside of speaking to the issues of racism and injustice.” Various representatives of ethnicities, who have signed below, are joining us in releasing this article to the pastors, churches, leaders and laypeople of our Southern Baptist Convention.

We Cry Out Against Racism and Injustice We are grieved that racism and injustice still abounds in our nation in 2014. All human beings are created by God and in His image.

The dignity of each individual needs to be recognized and appreciated by each of us and by all of the 50,000 churches and congregations that comprise the Southern Baptist

Convention.

Southern Baptists have always been a prophetic voice crying out against matters such as the evil of abortion, the persecution of Christians around the world, the tragedy of human trafficking, or the sexual sins from adultery to homosexuality. The time is now for us to rise up together and cry out against the racism that still exists in our nation and our churches and the subsequent injustices.

All racism and injustice is sin.

All ethnicities are capable of committing the sin of racism.

Pastors, churches, leaders and laypeople of the Southern Baptist Convention, the time is now for us to repent personally and collectively of all racism and injustice. Silence is not the answer, and passivity is not our prescription for healing.

The Wounds Run Deep The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:26, “So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” With heavy hearts, we recognize the deep pain and hurt that has come to many of our African-American brothers and sisters. The recent events in America have reawakened many of their greatest fears. Their wounds from the past run deep.

Without relationships and conversations, we will never understand one another. Because you hurt, we hurt with you today.

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 7

We are a part of the same body of Christ, his church, which is to be a picture of the multi-faceted wisdom of God. Because we believe the Bible, there is only one race—the human race. As Bible-believing Christians, we affirm that 1) All people are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), 2) Jesus died for all people (1 John 2:2), and 3) God loves all people (John 3:16).

We are not black Christians.

We are not white Christians. We are not Latino Christians. We are not Asian Christians. We are not Native American Christians. We are Christians! We are followers of Jesus Christ.

The Church Must Rise In this desperate hour in our nation when the racial tension is building rapidly, the church of Jesus Christ must rise. We are not black churches. We are not white churches. We are not Latino churches. We are not Asian churches. We are not Native American churches. We are the church of Jesus Christ. We are members of the same body.

The Bible says in Ephesians 3:10, “This is so God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.” Just as a jewel can be multi-colored, exhibiting beauty beyond words, the church is one powerful body when all races and ethnicities fellowship and worship together.

With Grace Racism and injustice must end, letting grace begin to unite us together in the bond of peace.

Schisms and divisions will end when the gospel of grace begins to rule in our hearts again.

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Since the gospel of grace removes the wall between all ethnicities and races, His death on the cross has made us one in Jesus Christ.

We read these words in Ephesians 2:14-15, “For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.” Since the gospel of grace can tear down the wall of enmity and hate between Jews and Gentiles, this same gospel of grace can still tear down the walls of racism and injustice today.

Since the gospel of grace removes the wall between all ethnicities and races, His death on the cross has made us one in Jesus Christ. It is time for the walls of racism and injustice to come down!

Let our Southern Baptist churches rise up as one, filled with the beauty of multiple races and ethnicities, shining forth the grace of God to a world that needs the testimony and hope of the church today.

With Love The church must rise with both grace and love. We need to repent of our racism and injustice and return to the first commandment of loving our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Matthew 22:37-38, “He said to him, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment.” The church must fall in love with Jesus again.

When we love Jesus, we will love all people. We will see all people the way Jesus sees all people.

We need to stop talking about

“my people” and start loving all people. When we return to the first commandment, we will experience a revival living out the second commandment as recorded in Matthew 22:39, “The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The church will love all people from all walks of life and even various colors of skin when we fall in love with Jesus again.

When grace is experienced personally and collectively, love will be demonstrated loudly and consistently.

We Are a Jesus Convention and a Kingdom People In our Baptist Faith and Message 2000, we find in Article XV what we believe about The Christian and Social Order. In this article, we are reminded that, “In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism.” Today we restate we oppose all racism and injustice in America and around the world.

We replace these evils with the beauty of grace and love as his people and his church. Yes, one body of Christ. We are not a black convention. We are not a white convention. We are not a Latino Convention. We are not an Asian convention. We are not a Native American convention. We are a Jesus convention.

Jesus is the Lord of our churches. We are a kingdom people. Therefore, before our broken and hopeless world, may the walls of racism and injustice fall and our churches rise with grace, love and hope.

A Perfect Fit LONGVIEW CHURCH MAKES LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO SLOVENIA STORY BY PAUL F. SOUTH | PHOTOS BY KAY TANNER

LONGVIEW

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ith a photographer’s eye, Kay Tanner of Oakland Heights Baptist Church in Longview sees something on the faces of the people of Slovenia that others might miss.

Faces downcast, with eyes that refuse to make contact with strangers, especially those who talk of a God that many in Slovenia have never heard of or one that atheists in the country reject.

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 9

A “disconnect,” she calls it.

“Because of the mistrust and the defeat that people have seen, there’s a ‘lostness’ that you can see and feel in the people without them saying anything,” Kay Tanner said. “Because of their past, they’re not interested in change because for them, it’s not necessarily a good thing. They don’t want change because they haven’t experienced good change.”

A glance at the history of the nation makes such a spirit of pessimism understandable. Over 1,000 years, Slovenia—once part the former Yugoslavia—has weathered two bloody world wars that each claimed half of the population. The people have endured authoritarian regimes and communism with its atheism and social Darwinism. Once a crossroads 10 TEXANONLINE.NET DECEMBER 17, 2014

for culture and a catalyst for the Christian faith, Slovenia is now witness to human trafficking, the narcotics trade and international arms dealing.

Slovenia, a country the size of Massachusetts, has one of the world’s highest suicide rates and one of its highest abortion rates.

Darkness, it seems, shrouds this once-proud land. In this country of some 2 million, only 1,500 souls count themselves as born-again Christians.

However, Oakland Heights Baptist Church, through a recently launched 10-year partnership with IMB missions in Slovenia, hopes to bring the light and hope of the gospel to a battered, bruised and often-forgotten people. The church’s efforts are focused on partnerships with the Evangelical

Christian Church in Slovenj Gradec as well as with IMB missionaries Randy and Joan Bell in Velenje, the country’s fifth-largest city.

The Oakland Heights partnership is a “big deal,” Randy Bell said. Right now, there is no evangelical presence in Velenje. However, the Bells and another couple are beginning a church planting effort in this city.

“For the church there in Longview to say, ‘We want to focus on you … and the church start you want to do there’—we’ve never had a covenant like this before,” Randy Bell said, adding “We’re all starting from zero together.”

Slovenia Facts size of Massachusetts one of the world’s highest suicide rates and one of its highest abortion rates. over 2 million people only 1,500 souls are born-again Christians

“To have a commitment like this is a big boost to us and the couple we’re going to be working with. It’s a great encouragement.”

Despite its bleak history, Slovenia is also known for global contributions to science, the arts and theology. In the 1500s, it was a hotbed for the Protestant Reformation in the Balkans.

The Oakland Heights effort is the result of four years of prayer on the part of Pastor James “Butch” Tanner and his wife, Carole, as they asked how and where they could engage an unreached people group for Christ. In their third year of prayer the Tanners answered the call to Oakland Heights.

Although the church had previously committed to prayer, finances and a vision trip to a country other than Slovenia, those plans crumbled at the last moment.

“I always know that God’s up to

something else when something like that happens,” Tanner said.

“Within a month of that happening, we were on the ground in Slovenia.”

While church mission trips across the globe are common in the evangelical world, long-term commitments to one country, or to one community in that country, can be rare, Tanner said. Oakland Heights averages about 415 on Sunday mornings but is sold-out for missions at home and abroad.

For churches that feel too financially or numerically limited to take on such a task, Tanner encourages them to begin crafting their mission vision on their knees.

“Begin praying, and ask God to open up those opportunities, and he will,” Tanner said.

“As far as the financial side, one of the first things we did right off the bat was start talking to

the church about setting aside a certain percentage of our entire budget … for the project we wanted do with these people. You might not have a lot of money in that first or second year. But by that third year, if you’ve (remained consistent), you begin to see that funding begin to pick up. Now that we have a country that we are actually partnering with, (church members) are really excited about it.”

Oakland Heights contributes almost 2 percent of its budget to the Slovenia mission project. Over 10 years, that translates to almost $300,000 that helps finance the trips for church members.

“Begin to make it a part of your budgeting process, something you’re doing consistently,” Tanner said.

“Don’t get lost in the big numbers or what has to happen. When the church begins to realize the road you’re on, the church is going DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 11

“WHEN YOU SAY ‘GOD LOVES YOU,’ THEY RESPOND, ‘WHO’S GOD?’ YOU JUST CAN’T TAKE THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS AND GO THROUGH THEM BECAUSE THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE A BASIS TO BEGIN WITH.” to buy into it more, and they’re going to be open to doing more.”

The stories of missionaries and Slovene nationals also pack a punch.

Recently, Randy and Joan Bell spoke at Oakland Heights. Tanner recalled one member’s reaction.

“I’m finally beginning to connect the dots,” she told Tanner. “It’s beginning to make sense to me.”

When the Oakland Heights vision team arrived in Slovenia, they discovered a relationship-driven culture where meeting over coffee isn’t a run through a drive-thru.

“Sitting down for a cup of coffee in a café is an event,” Tanner says.

“When you say ‘God loves you,’ they respond, ‘Who’s God?’” Tanner said.

“You just can’t take the Four Spiritual Laws and go through them because they don’t even have a basis to begin with. You can’t talk about the truth of God’s word in the same way there as you would here. Many of them have never read it, never been exposed to it.

We’re having to adapt and rethink the way we’re going to do evangelism and build those relationships.”

One of the goals at Oakland Heights was to mirror the partnership in Slovenia in their own context in Longview.

Members learned to prayer walk on the streets of Longview, learned apologetics and shared their faith with unchurched Longview residents who had never read the Bible.

“If we can take the gospel to skeptical people in Longview, we can take it 12 TEXANONLINE.NET DECEMBER 17, 2014

to Slovenia,” Tanner said. “It’s impacted and improved our ministry in Longview.”

Lee Brown helped lead the prayer walking training at Oakland Heights. The church’s first trips to Slovenia will center on prayer walking.

“We have to be very sensitive and understanding of that culture, (saying), ‘I really care for you, and I want to be your friend,’ earning the right to share the gospel,” Brown said.

Tools for crafting that difference, for chiseling away the “disconnect,” may not come through the traditional methods of American evangelism like a tent revival or tract distribution. Slovenian missionaries asked for a handbell choir, something Tanner never considered.

“The people here are extremely musical, and (Slovenia) is a very musically involved country. A handbell choir can get us into places very easily, into schools and malls, and enable us to build relationships and eventually open the door to sharing Christ. It’s a perfect fit.”

Even in its early days, the partnership has impacted Slovenj Gradec, a town of some 15,000

“IT’S AN ENCOURAGEMENT BECAUSE THERE IS SUCH A SMALL GROUP OF BELIEVERS HERE. SO IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF. BUT IF SOMEBODY COMES AND SAYS, ‘LISTEN, WE PRAY FOR YOU; WE’D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU. WE’D LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR THE CITY AND THE REGION AND THE COUNTRY,’—THAT’S A BIG ENCOURAGEMENT.” near the Austrian border. Pastor Ben Hlastan planted the Evangelical Christian Church in Slovenj Gradec nine years ago.

“It’s an encouragement because there is such a small group of believers here. So if you want to do something, you have to do it yourself,” Hlastan said. “But if somebody comes and says, ‘Listen, we pray for you; we’d like to encourage you. We’d like to participate in what God has planned for the city and the region and the country,’— that’s a big encouragement.”

The long-term commitment is also important, Hlastan said.

Like a sculptor crafting a masterpiece, it will take time to build the relationships that will open

the door to sharing the gospel.

“Just to know that there is a church that’s interested in investing 10 years or so of their time and talents and personal finances to come over, it’s encouraging that there are people to do that,” Hlastan said.

Tanner said his congregation is committed to Slovenia. When Hlastan preached at Oakland Heights earlier this year, Tanner said, eyes were opened to the needs there.

“We’re going to keep coming back and coming back and coming back. We have a commitment to the area to have those friendships and relationships. It will make a huge difference in the long run.”

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 13

BREWING RELATIONSHIPS:

LIFE ON MISSION IN SLOVENIA

By Paul F. South Pastor Benjamin Hlastan met a man on the streets of Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia. As the conversation began, the man asked his occupation. Hlastan told him, and his new acquaintance did not mince words.

“I don’t want your God. I don’t need your God. Is that clear?”

The conversation continued. The man again repeated his disdain for God. Hlastan replied: “OK, why don’t we have coffee?”

The man was stunned. But the two sat for coffee, and a friendship was born. That was nine years ago.

This is the life of missions in Slovenia, a hard and often-frustrating business.

But the pastor, whose grandparents were imprisoned for their faith by the former communist regime, believes God is at work. It will take time, but Hlastan draws from Christ’s example.

14 TEXANONLINE.NET DECEMBER 17, 2014

“(People) forget that Jesus spent 10 times more time with people than he did preaching to them. He only officially ministered to them for three years,” Hlastan said. “He spent the other 30 years living with people before he began his official ministry. He was involved in people’s lives. He worked so hard at

being human that people had a hard time believing that he was divine.

Christ understood how important it is to get to know people and the culture and the people around him.”

So it has been for IMB missionaries Randy and Joan Bell. They’ve spent 20 years in the Balkans, investing time and the gospel. Patience is a must.

“We learned that early on when we were in Serbia and Bosnia that it’s a lifetime commitment and a prayer commitment,” Randy Bell said.

“You have to let your life unfold in the lives of those that you befriend and prayerfully let the Lord just work by his Holy Spirit to touch hearts while you’re sharing your life with them. They’ve got to see (Christ) in you. You can share the gospel with them, but they don’t

understand that. They’ve got to see it in your life.”

Hlastan is optimistic that God is at work.

“We might be one of the prime instruments that God wants to use to reach Europe,” Hlastan said.

“The situation is rough.

I’m not trying to glorify Slovenia’s difficulties over anyone else’s. That’s not my point. But if we are willing to give ourselves for God’s glory and his kingdom, then Slovenia may be at the top of the list as one of the countries that God wants to use for his glory.

“God often glorifies himself through broken vessels, and Slovenia is certainly one of them. But we see the gospel is penetrating little by little. … It’s a difficult time, but it’s a prime time.”

One simple, powerful truth sustains Hlastan: “Jesus is enough. He is enough.”

And nine years after making a new friend over coffee, the man who had no wish to know God, there came a glimmer of hope.

“Last week, I met with him, and we began to discuss a religious subject,” Hlastan said. “It’s encouraging.”

In the last six years, six souls have come to faith in Christ at the church. That may not mean much in numbers-driven American evangelical circles, but Hlastan believes God is at work in Slovenia.

“It’s exciting to see after all these years,” Hlastan said.

FBC CROCKETT PASTOR RENEWS PASSION IN EUROPE

Pastor Keeney Dickenson (not pictured) realized one of his church’s greatest obstacles to engaging people in a foreign culture was going to be the language barrier. However, on their first trip God made it possible for them to meet and partner with several native English speakers who helped translate for the mission team during their time in the city. Now he and his team are able to visit outdoor cafes like this one and share the Good News with those they meet. IMB FILE PHOTO

By Marc Ira Hooks | IMB VIENNA—One Southern Baptist pastor has found a renewed vision and passion for ministry through embracing one of Europe’s unengaged, unreached people groups.

“This is more than an opportunity to do missions,” said Keeney Dickenson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Crockett, Texas. “This is an opportunity to reawaken in us

what true ministry really is, what evangelism is really about, and what it should be.”

FBC Crockett is one of several churches in the Neches River Baptist Association who are participating in the International Mission Board’s (IMB) Embrace initiative that connects stateside churches to specific unengaged, unreached people groups around the world. The association has DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 15

committed to work with a European people group located in a Central Asian country and is part of the Euro-Embrace program.

However, Dickenson readily agrees that many churches are not in a position to commit time, people and financial resources to the level that is asked of Embrace partners. Embrace partners are asked to commit to spending eight weeks a year for eight years on the ground engaging their assigned people groups.

Recently, Euro-Embrace leaders announced a companion program called Partners in Embrace (PiE), which offers a second, less intensive path to help churches engage people groups in Europe. PiE partners commit to spend two weeks a year on the ground for just three years, lessening the obligation and making it more feasible for smaller churches to participate in the Embrace program.

Euro-Embrace director Tom Hearon said PiE partners still receive training from IMB field personnel and participate in a European training lab before they are expected to begin working in the field engaging their people group. He added that most PiE partners would be teamed with other Embrace churches that have made longer, deeper commitments. That way both churches can support each other and team together to reach these unengaged and unreached peoples.

“This is a Kingdom effort,” Dickenson said. “It is not the effort of a church or of an association or even IMB. This is something we are doing for God’s kingdom, and that is why people should be involved.”

Dickenson said involvement in the Embrace program has brought new life to his church.

“This has really captured the attention of our lay people,” he said. “While I am involved, this is a project that is being led from the pew and not the pulpit. And people are excited about that.”

Dickenson said he understands how churches, big or small, can be overwhelmed by the task of being an Embrace church. However, for every fear they had before leaving, or obstacle they encountered while on the ground, God provided answers to their prayers.

“It seems like every challenge that we were overwhelmed with, God eliminated those challenges,” Dickenson said. “So by the time we got back home we were very enthusiastic about all that has happened so far.”

Dickenson said he hopes other PiE churches will join their association and other Embrace churches as they work.

“Each church has different strengths,” he said.

“And that is the beauty of it. One church could be focused on prayer, another on evangelism, and another on discipleship. Each church can bring its own gifting and vision to the table, and they all work together for the greater good of the project. It is a very neat process.”

Hearon said the next training lab has been scheduled for the spring in London. Churches who would like to become either an Embrace church or PiE partner church can find out more by going to europeanpeoples.imb.org/embrace.

“As a church, we are on the cutting edge of something really big,” concluded Dickinson. “It’s global … and it’s God-sized … and we have never been a part of anything like this before.”

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New DMin to PhD Program: Contact us for more information. We are looking for students who are seeking a high level of professional and academic competence. Our Doctor of Ministry program offers concentrations in leadership, expository preaching, church reviatlization, miliatry chaiplancy, and care and counseling.

SBC Tuition: $7,500 800-944-MBTS 16 TEXANONLINE.NET DECEMBER 17, 2014 Non-SBC Tuition: $12,780 Kansas City, MO

ERLC President Russell D. Moore (second from right) and other religious leaders meet with President Obama and Vice President Biden Nov. 13 in the Oval Office to discuss immigration reform. OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY PETE SOUZA

Evangelicals, Southern Baptists react to President Obama’s executive order on immigration reform

By Bonnie Pritchett President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration reform, including granting legal status to millions of people currently in the country illegally, was detrimental to the efforts of Southern Baptists who for years have championed comprehensive and compassionate immigration legislation. SBC leaders in the church and Congress said the president’s unilateral, and

arguably unconstitutional, action hurts those he claims to be helping and alienates those who echoed his calls for reform.

In a presidential address Thursday evening, Nov. 20, Obama highlighted his three steps for addressing immigration reform: more security personnel on the borders, simplification of visa applications for high tech workers, and legalization of undocumented immigrants already in the country.

The president officially signed the

order during a visit to Las Vegas.

Since 2012 a collaborative effort among ministry leaders representing about 68 million American evangelicals, including Southern Baptists, has been pressing Congress for immigration legislation grounded in biblical principles. Although representing socio-political ideological extremes, the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT) coalesced on this one issue. But Obama’s actions could jeopardize that tenuous relationship.

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 17

“ACTING UNILATERALLY THREATENS THAT CONSENSUS AND IS THE WRONG THING TO DO. EVEN THOSE WHO SUPPORT BROAD EXECUTIVE ACTION (INCLUDING MANY FRIENDS OF MINE) ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE ACTIONS WON’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM, ONLY A LEGISLATIVE SOLUTION WILL.” RUSSELL MOORE, PRESIDENT, ETHICS & RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION

“Acting unilaterally threatens that consensus, and is the wrong thing to do,” wrote Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, in an op-ed for TIME magazine posted Thursday afternoon. “Even those who support broad executive action (including many friends of mine) acknowledge that the actions won’t solve the problem, only a legislative solution will.”

Tim Moore, pastor of Walk Worthy Baptist Church in Austin and Texas Mobilizer for EIT, is also frustrated, telling the TEXAN Thursday before the president’s address, “Am I eager for the president to do something?

Yes and no.”

The failure of the House of Representatives to take up a bipartisan bill passed last year by the Senate concerned Tim Moore.

He believed Obama, impatient with Congressional inaction, was acting out of conviction but said an executive order only provides a temporary and insufficiently comprehensive solution and shifts undocumented immigrants from one state of limbo to another.

“It’s unconscionable that Congress won’t act,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-TX, said the frustration is understandable but criticized the Senate bill for its lack of border security and appropriation mechanisms that 18 TEXANONLINE.NET DECEMBER 17, 2014

can only be initiated by the House.

He said Congress will be in a better position to pass legislation in January when the new legislators are sworn in, but Obama’s executive order interferes with that process. Both houses will have Republican majorities.

“The Republicans have said that they want to demonstrate that they can govern and that they want to find areas where they can work together with the White House,” Russell Moore wrote. “Why not give them the opportunity to do so?”

In an interview with the TEXAN before Obama’s speech, Flores admitted “hypertension” over the subject of amnesty causes some Republican House members to reject sound legislation, especially since “amnesty” means different things to different people. To some, Flores explained, anything short of “rounding up” the undocumented immigrants and sending them back to their home countries is amnesty.

But that, Flores said, is not a practical solution. The reforms he would outline in legislation include: a secure border certified as such by an agency not affiliated with the federal government; an enforced visa entry/exit tracking system (40 percent of all illegal immigrants are people who overstayed their visa); a guest worker program; full implementation of E-verify for employers and stiff fines for those who fail to use it to verify legal status of potential employees; a long and rigorous path to legal residency—not citizenship—for those willing to meet the standards; and similar standards for those brought to the U.S. as minors by their parents. The latter group could earn citizenship, Flores said, because he feels it inappropriate to hold the children responsible for “the sins of the fathers,” adding,

“That’s not amnesty.”

But if Obama grants immediate legal status to the estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants in the country, the act would not only be unlawful but unfair, critics contend. And the battle over the constitutionality of his action could stymie the legislative progress.

In a statement released Thursday evening, Texas Attorney General and Governor-elect Greg Abbott said, “Following tonight’s pronouncement, I am prepared to immediately challenge President Obama in court, securing our state’s sovereignty and guaranteeing the rule of law as it was intended under the Constitution.”

Texas Governor Rick Perry called the president’s decision a bad policy that will only encourage more illegal immigration.

Flores, who was elected Nov. 18 to head the Republican Survey Committee, said the executive order complicates the process of creating immigration reform legislation, something the 114th Congress is sure to take up. By granting legal status to people who entered or stayed in the country illegally, Flores said, the president disregards the efforts of those who came here through lawful channels.

Additionally, a sudden influx of millions of new workers competing for jobs in a sluggish economy hurts U.S. citizens, which is problematic in its own right.

“FOLLOWING TONIGHT’S PRONOUNCEMENT, I AM PREPARED TO IMMEDIATELY CHALLENGE PRESIDENT OBAMA IN COURT, SECURING OUR STATE’S SOVEREIGNTY AND GUARANTEEING THE RULE OF LAW AS IT WAS INTENDED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.” TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND GOVERNORELECT GREG ABBOTT

“THERE IS A COMMON MISTAKE BEING MADE BY CARING CHRISTIANS WHO THINK THE DUTY OF A GOVERNMENT AND THE DUTY OF A CHRISTIAN INDIVIDUAL ARE THE SAME. THEY ARE EXCEEDINGLY DIFFERENT.” REP. LOUIE GOHMERT, R-TX

Thus, Christians face a tension between offering mercy to lawbreakers and demanding their accountability, but SBC pastors and policy makers affiliated with the EIT and lawmakers in Congress argue the two ideas are not diametrically opposed and can work for the good of all involved.

Tim Moore’s role with the EIT

has given him the opportunity to hear and be heard on the matter of immigration in congregations across the state. Most evangelicals admit Congress needs to enact reform, he said, but their ideas on what should be done are informed more by emotion and politics than Scripture.

As a pastor and EIT spokesman, his message is the same—Scripture demands Christians treat all people with the dignity afforded them as image bearers of God. That is manifested in government policies that offer assistance to those who merit consideration for a visa, permanent residency or citizenship while deporting everyone else.

Although sympathetic with the plight of undocumented immigrants, Flores and Rep. Louie

Gohmert, R-TX, both members of SBC churches, said the roles of the church and government are distinct and not interchangeable.

“There is a common mistake being made by caring Christians who think the duty of a government and the duty of a Christian individual are the same. They are exceedingly different,” Gohmert wrote in a statement about the role of Christians in the immigration debate.

“The Bible says we are to help those in need,” Flores said. “The question is, “Who is the ‘we’?”

While Christians and churches should assist “the least of these,” including undocumented immigrants, the institutions established to create and enforce law are bound by their pledge to uphold the law even if it seems unpopular at the time to do so, Flores said. Without the enforcement of the law, all citizens would suffer.

Gohmert agrees.

“The government must follow its own laws fairly and impartially so lawlessness is not encouraged,” he wrote. “A Christian should love his neighbor. A government should require neighbors to comply with its laws.”

Russell Moore emphasized the need for Christians to rise above the political fray.

“I pray that our churches will transcend all of this posing and maneuvering that we see in Washington,” he wrote. “Whatever our political disagreements, we ought to continue to stand with [immigrants], and to see to it that the immigrants among us are welcomed and loved. Whatever happens in the White House, our churches must press on with ministry and mission.”

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 19

Grow in gospel freedom, says D.A. Carson

O

By Andrew J.W. Smith

nly gospel freedom can produce inward change, said D.A. Carson during a chapel service at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Nov. 13. Preaching from Galatians 5:16-26, Carson emphasized how the fruit of the Spirit represents the outworking of regeneration, which not only restrains sinfulness but also changes the heart.

“Gospel freedom does not merely keep us from sin, it generates goodness,” he said. “It transforms us in such a way that the law cannot condemn us.”

Carson, a noted biblical scholar and research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, opened his message by highlighting two equally legitimate aspects of biblical faith: it cannot be earned by works, and yet it cannot be proven without them. He suggested that Galatians 5 provides a way to integrate these two streams.

According to Carson, the fruit of the Spirit fits within Paul’s larger point about freedom in the gospel— that Christians are not restrained by law keeping or moral rules.

20 TEXANONLINE.NET DECEMBER 17, 2014

“Gospel freedom does not mean you get to do whatever you want.

It means you want good things.”

Yet Christian freedom is not rooted in any kind of “anti-authority,” Carson said. Instead, the believer’s identity is transferred from living through the law to living through the Spirit.

“Gospel freedom does not mean you get to do whatever you want,” he said. “It means you want good things.”

Freedom also does not mean Christians never experience struggle, he said, but that the Spirit’s guidance enables believers to struggle successfully against the desires of the flesh. Christians no longer live according to the flesh—which represents the old nature, Carson said—but according to the Spirit.

“An entirely new dimension of conflict begins the day you become a Christian,” he said. “So whatever Christian liberty means, it doesn’t mean there’s no struggle; it means engaging in a struggle you can win.”

Carson outlined the sins that are antithetical to gospel freedom, categorizing them as sexual sins, pagan practices and relational regression. These sins are patterns of living through the flesh, he said,

and are wholly opposed to life in the Spirit. Those who do these things do not “inherit the kingdom of God.” “The notion of a Christian who is indistinguishable from the world cannot be found in the New Testament,” he said. “For when the Christian does seriously backslide, sooner or later a question mark is placed over that life as to whether that person is a Christian at all.”

In contrast to the works of the flesh, new life is expressed by the fruit of the Spirit, which is the evidence of inward regeneration, Carson said. Gospel freedom will not fail to produce this evidence in the Christian’s life.

“The human heart must be changed, or human beings cannot be saved, and when human beings are changed, so they become new creatures in Christ,” he said.

“Wherever there is regeneration by the Spirit of God, then there will be signs of fruit.”

Audio and video of the chapel message are available at sbts.edu/ resources.

New smart phone app helps pastors, churches with revitalization efforts

By Sharayah Colter The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention released a new app this fall designed to help pastors and congregations revitalize their churches. The app, which became available Nov. 13 for Apple, Windows and Android smart phones, is free and loaded with resources.

Kenneth Priest, director of convention strategies for the SBTC, says the app has been built as an introductory tool for pastors as well as an on-going resource to use in church revitalization.

App features include videos from revitalization conferences, which Priest notes as especially helpful to

pastors who are unable to attend an event in person but desire to glean from the content presented.

Under the “resources” tab, pastors have access to articles, book reviews and the Sacred Struggles blog site, which is written by Jim Baker, a retired executive pastor, and “offers guidance from a second chair leader on leadership helps, how to implement change, etcetera,” Priest said.

“This [resource] section also includes an area where a pastor can request a demographic report; and a church survey is listed here, permitting a pastor to answer some questions related to his present church and to give us a snapshot of

what is going on. It emails me so I can follow up and offer assistance to the pastor.”

In 2015, the SBTC will offer two revitalization conferences designed as one-day intensives that foster conversations about strategic church revitalization topics.

Events for 2015: 4Feb. 12, 2015 - Criswell College, Dallas 4Sept. 10, 2015 - Northeast Houston Baptist Church, Humble The events last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and cost $20.

For more information, visit sbtexas.com/church-revitalization.

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 21

Paul Michael Vacca

Context is Key

A

pastor sits down to prepare Sunday’s sermon. As he opens his Bible, a question begs for an answer, “What does the text mean?”

Proper meaning can only be understood within context. The old adage still stands, “A text without a context is a pretext.” But, how much context is needed for each text? The answer is a text-by-text decision. As a case study in the importance of knowing the immediate context and being aware of the greater context in which a passage is placed, consider the story of Mephibosheth.

In 2 Samuel 8, David is installed as King of Israel and embarks upon a bloody conquest of the surrounding territory. He eliminates his adversaries and all threats to the throne. As David looks up from battle, he asks the question of 2 Samuel 9:1, “Who’s next?” This question and the corresponding story of Mephibosheth can only be grasped in the immediate context of 2 Samuel 8 and the greater context of 1 and 2 Samuel.

For most kings in David’s day, the best way to bring about peace was to kill all who opposed you. In 2 Samuel 8, David set out to establish his reign through the deaths of his enemies.

2 Samuel 8:5 gives a glimpse of just one day of David’s conquests, “When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians.”

David established his rule by defeating, killing and humiliating his enemies. It was a very bloody time. In fact, there was so much blood spilt by the hands of David that when he wanted to build a temple for God, God commended David for his desire but would not allow him to build the temple. It is within this context that we find 2 Samuel 9:1, “Now David said, ‘Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’”

When I first read this verse, I thought, “Yeah right, kindness. Is that another way of saying, 22 TEXANONLINE.NET DECEMBER 17, 2014

Apart from understanding the immediate context of a passage of Scripture and at least being aware of the greater book context, a preacher may miss the point of a specific passage.

‘That I might chop off his head’”? David had just killed thousands of enemies. Saul had made himself an enemy of David. David had not made himself an enemy of Saul. Now Saul is dead and his heir should be king, but because of Saul’s disobedience God had rejected him and his family and chosen David.

Humanly speaking, any male from Saul’s line should be considered a threat to David’s throne. So when we find David’s question in 2 Samuel 9:1, we have to ask what David is really up to here. Is it really kindness that David is seeking to show to a member of Saul’s family? Or is David about to rack up another number in the ongoing body count?

The key phrase of 9:1 is, “kindness for Jonathan’s sake.” The Hebrew word that is translated as “kindness” is hesed. It speaks of God’s covenantal faithfulness. What happened between Jonathan and David was a covenant. At least three times in 1 Samuel David and Jonathan made or affirmed a covenant. The basis of the covenant is that Jonathan recognized God had rejected his father Saul and chosen David to one day be king over all of Israel. Therefore, the two men agreed that in whatever may happen to either one of them, they would show kindness to each other’s family.

In 2 Samuel 9, Saul and Jonathan are now dead.

David is king. He has all the power. Will he keep his covenant? This context is key to understanding the story of Mephibosheth, the descendant of Saul (2 Samuel 4:4).

Apart from understanding the immediate context of a passage of Scripture and at least being aware of the greater book context, a preacher may miss the point of a specific passage. In the story of Mephibosheth, the grace of David is only understood once the greater context is taken into account. In light of 1 and 2 Samuel, the main point of 2 Samuel 9 may be stated as follows, “Grace reaches beyond obligation to bless others.” Surveying the context of a given passage of Scripture will add understanding and depth to preaching. Without context, we may miss the point God intended. Thus, context is key.

—Paul Michael Vacca is the Associate Pastor of First Baptist Watauga.

Kate Kimbley

Santa Had to Die

I

will never forget the year my husband and I agreed that Santa needed to go down.

At least, the idea of Santa as a reality did.

We didn’t launch a campaign against the commercialization of Christmas. We didn’t pop anyone’s inflatable lawn Santas or burn our family stockings. Instead, we did the unthinkable.

We told our kids that Santa wasn’t real. They took it pretty well, but our families did not. When we told them what we had done, they acted like we had hired the mafia to take him out. We were officially religious nuts. No one messes with Santa. We had ruined Christmas.

I don’t think the idea of Santa is a bad one. It is fun to imagine that a large, loving, super-powered grandpa figure would lavish gifts upon even the most wretched children. In fact, it’s ironic that the deepest human need for unconditional love and free blessing is manifested in an imaginary character who is fully embraced by almost every western family, while the actual unconditional Lover of our souls and Giver of endless free gifts—a real person—is rejected by the majority. Which brings me to three reasons why Santa had to die: Jesus is #1.

Sporting a “Jesus is the reason for the season” sweater is just propaganda if we daily remind our kids of Santa’s impending visit to leverage behavior modification. Forget about the fear of God, we’re talking about the fear of Santa here. We go into debt to protect Santa’s reputation as a great giver, while dragging Jesus’ name through the mud with the comparably miniscule amount we give to the poor.

We forgo the seasonal opportunity to engage in conversations about Jesus, while asking every child we see if they are excited about Santa.

Jesus said we cannot serve two masters. We must pick one. In an attempt to make Christmas “all” about Jesus plus Santa, we unwittingly put our children in a position of having to choose. I’m no expert, but I’d say that most children would pick the guy with the magic flying animals and an Xbox under his arm over the guy whose gifts they cannot yet comprehend.

Reality Check.

I am a big fan of imagination, and God is too. He invented it and gifted it to us. However, imagination does not glorify God when it replaces truth. In our house, we still play Santa. Our kids leave out a plate of cookies and some carrots for the reindeer, which will be magically nibbled the next morning … but they know it’s pretend.

Our culture so deeply embraces the imaginary and so voraciously consumes falsehood that the line between truth and fiction has become severely blurred. Pawning off lies as truth causes the naïve to believe anything and those cunning enough to sense the culture’s propensity to fantasize to reject everything they cannot see or explain, including God. Thus, Jesus Christ is often lumped into the same category as Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

When we deprive our children the ability to properly distinguish truth from fiction, we set them up to be deceived. We lay groundwork for them to be discipled by empty philosophies of the world rather than by truth, sentencing the power of Christ to death in their lives by silently announcing, “What is truth?”

It is possible to nurture creativity and encourage thinking outside the box while maintaining a healthy grip on reality. Despite the advice of every Disney princess, I will not encourage my children to follow their hearts, unless they are firmly tethered to the Spirit of the living God. We have been charged by God to raise up our children in this world, without making them of this world.

A Foundation of Truth.

A cartoon of a little girl reads, “My parents accused me of lying today. I looked at them and said, ‘Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa.’ Then I walked away like a boss.”

When falsehood creeps into any relationship, it acts as a mechanism of destruction that eventually deteriorates trust. Our relationships with our children are invaluable and are paramount to the way in which they view their Heavenly Father. If we can look our children in the eyes and tell them we have never lied to them, it would be greater than a sled full of anything.

I am not going to pretend to know what’s best for your family. In fact, my husband and I have had numerous talks with our children about not breaking the news to their friends. My Christmas wish for you is that, in your hearts and in your households, Jesus would become more and Santa would become less this holiday season.

—Kate Kimbley is a pastor’s wife in Forestburg, Texas.

DECEMBER 17, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 23

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