Texan Digital • Nov. 19, 2014 • Issue #40 by Southern Baptists of Texas Convention

November 19, 2014 • ISSUE 40

SEXUALITY

& THE CHURCH Conference addresses church’s role in biblical understanding of marriage, singleness, homosexuality

‘CAN WE TALK?’ EQUIPS HUNDREDS TO SHARE FAITH

BROKENNESS, DESPERATE PRAYER CHARACTERIZE SBTC ANNUAL MEETING

Keith Collier

Did you vote?

olitics in Texas grew to a fever pitch in recent months in the wake of the ongoing saga over Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s subpoena of pastors’ sermons and mid-term elections that produced a new governor, new lieutenant governor and new attorney general for the Lone Star State. The political involvement of Christians ranges across the intensity spectrum from fanatic to oblivious. Regardless of which political party you align with, the right to vote is a privilege and a responsibility that every Christian should take seriously. I’ll admit, I considered skipping long lines at the polls on Election Day. However, something I heard regarding last year’s Houston mayoral election prompted me to reconsider. As more than 6,000 gathered Nov. 2 for the I Stand Sunday rally in support of the five Houston-area pastors subpoenaed for their sermons, one of the participants mentioned that only around 10 percent of registered voters in Houston turned out for the 2013 election, where Parker was re-elected. Even if this number was approximate, it’s still telling. Imagine what might have happened if conservative Christians in Houston had exercised their right to vote last November. The outcome of the mayoral election likely would have been different, and the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance likely would have never been on the docket in May. Yet, now, Christians are up in arms over the city’s infringement on religious liberty, and rightfully so. However, there’s no doubt that many of them are at least partially to blame because they abstained from the ballot box last November. Certainly as Christians we realize that our hope is not found in government, and the state of Texas—as glorious as it may be—is not our true home. However, in the United States we have the freedom and obligation to let our voices be heard, which is best done proactively at the polls rather than reactively after elected officials pass legislation we dislike. We should do both, but the latter without the former seems disingenuous. This article is not meant to make you feel guilty if you didn’t vote. Hopefully, it will encourage you to make sure you exercise your right to vote in future

elections and to consider how you can be both a good citizen of the state as well as a good citizen of the kingdom of God. It’s growing increasingly apparent what happens when Christians remove themselves from the public square. We must not cower in fear nor should we be obnoxious revelers. There are ways you can be a responsible citizen, maintain your Christian convictions and make a difference. Here are a few suggestions to consider: 4Look for ways to be involved in the public sector. This could include running for a position on your local school board, city council or other civil office. 4Volunteer in your community. City officials are always looking for individuals to help organize or serve at community events. I know of many church planters who have found serving their city in these ways gives them credibility in the community and opens doors for ministry. 4Get to know and pray for elected officials, even if you disagree with their positions. What might it look like if your local city council received consistent notes of encouragement letting them know that you care about them and are praying for them? Who knows, those prayers may go a long way in turning their hearts toward God. 4Vote in all elections, not just the “big” ones. You never know what ordinance or decision may have a significant impact down the road. 4As much as possible, without violating the Word of God, submit yourself to those in authority over you. Peter’s words to fellow sojourners is helpful here: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:13-17) Imagine the impact convictional kindness and community involvement can have in your city, in Texas and in the United States. In this way, Christians can be “in the world but not of the world.”

CONTENTS ISSUE #40 /////////////////////////////////////////////

The Gospel, Homosexuality & the Future of Marriage: ERLC Conference addresses church’s response to broken world

COVER STORY

What would a group of evangelical Christians say about homosexuality and marriage? Speakers and attendees at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s conference “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage” discussed the issues openly and graciously, understanding those inside and outside the church were paying attention to what was said concerning one of the most pressing cultural issues in America.

Can We Talk?

First Baptist Church of Euless Pastor John Meador sensed the Lord’s leading in creating a pastor-led evangelism ministry in the church. Now, nearly 600 church members—from teenagers to senior citizens—have been trained to share the gospel with confidence. In 2015 First Euless will offer 10 conferences across the state of Texas to equip pastors.

Brokenness, desperate prayer characterize SBTC annual meeting

I Stand Sunday rally draws more than 6,000 in Houston

Hundreds profess faith in Christ at three-day oil field trade show

A Harley Davidson motorcycle may seem an unlikely tool for evangelism, but for attendees of the Permian Basin International Oil Show (PBIOS), Oct. 2123, a drawing to win a brand new set of wheels also provided an opportunity to hear the gospel.

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 Rob Collingsworth, Dwayne Hastings, Bonnie Pritchett, JC Jones, Thom Rainer To contact the TEXAN, visit texanonline.net/contact or call toll free 877.953.7282 (SBTC).

Briefly /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// COURT BREAKS RANKS, UPHOLDS MARRIAGE BANS

A federal appeals court upheld state laws that refuse to recognize same-sex marriage Thursday (Nov. 6), seemingly preparing the way for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide a contentious issue it has avoided so far. In a 2-1 opinion, a panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati broke ranks and ruled four states —Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee—did not violate the U.S. Constitution by defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The decision conflicts with rulings by four other federal appeals courts that struck down state laws prohibiting gay marriage. Read the story from Baptist Press here.

GOLDEN GATE FINALIZES CAMPUS PURCHASE

Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary has finalized the purchase of its new campus site east of Los Angeles near the Ontario International Airport. President Jeff Iorg announced Nov. 7 that the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) has been approved by the city of Ontario, removing the final condition on closing the sale. Read the story from Baptist Press here.

BERLIN WALL TORN DOWN 25 YRS. AGO

A frenzied crowd danced on the wall separating East Berlin and West Berlin 25 years ago, celebrating a longsought victory for freedom. Bit by bit, men and women, children and youth, proletarian and elite, joined the protesters to literally pick the wall apart piece by piece with chisels and axes and bloodied fingers. Nov. 9, 1989, harkened a new era of democracy and freedom from communist repression—and hope for a more peaceful and democratic world. Read the story from Baptist Press here.

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IND. BAPTISTS AFFIRM BIBLICAL MARRIAGE

Indiana Baptists affirmed biblical marriage and increased their Cooperative Program giving to the largest percentage in the group’s history at its 56th annual meeting Oct. 20-21 at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenwood, Ind. Stating that they are “sensitive to and challenged by the recent seismic cultural shifts regarding marriage,” Indiana Baptists reaffirmed support of Article 18 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, defining marriage as “the joining of one man and one woman with the promise of being faithful to one another for life.” Read the story from Baptist Press here.

NOBTS CONF.: SEEK FRESH MOVE OF GOD

Three Southern Baptist leaders, in a “Prayer Summit for Spiritual Awakening” at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, challenged pastorsin-training to seek a fresh movement of God and lead their congregations to experience the same. Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas, opened the prayer summit in New Orleans Seminary’s Leavell Chapel, preaching from Isaiah 63-64. Read the story from Baptist Press here.

N.Y. BAPTISTS CONSIDER NAME CHANGE

The Baptist Convention of New York could soon have a new name and a new location for its offices, messengers learned at the convention’s 45th annual meeting Sept. 29-30 at Grace Baptist Church in Nanuet. Messenger Edwin Attaway of First Christian Church in Brushton, N.Y., moved that the BCNY’s constitution be amended to change its name to the Great Commission Baptists of the Northeast, a name that would better reflect the presence of churches in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Messengers voted to refer the motion to the executive board for consideration at next year’s annual meeting. Terry Robertson, BCNY executive director, noted the appropriateness of referring to the convention’s 417 churches and 35,944 total members as “Great Commission Baptists” in keeping with the meeting’s theme of “Until the World Knows.” Read the story from Baptist Press here.

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

CANCER PATIENT MAYNARD ENDS OWN LIFE

Terminally ill cancer patient and right-to-die advocate Brittany Maynard ended her own life Nov. 1 at her Portland, Ore. home, taking a lethal prescription administered under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act. “Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me … but would have taken so much more,” was Maynard’s Facebook post on the day she died. “The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers. I even have a ring of support around my bed as I type … Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!”

GOP GAINS SENATE; SOUTHERN BAPTISTS WIN

Voters gave the Republican Party a majority in the U.S. Senate in the mid-term election, leaving President Obama without a Democratic-controlled chamber in Congress for the first time since he took residence in the White House nearly six years ago. Southern Baptist candidates, meanwhile, won firsttime seats in Congress as part of the Republican blitz, but social conservatives did not fare well on some state initiatives. The GOP gained at least seven senatorial seats Nov. 4, with winners in at least two races yet to be determined. Republicans will have at least 52 seats in the 100-member Senate beginning in January. In the House of Representatives, Republicans expanded their majority. It appears the GOP will gain at least nine seats to push its total to 243 or more in the 435-member chamber. Social conservatives said the results showed that Democrats’ “war-on-women” rhetoric against Republican pro-life candidates—seemingly successful in the past—had worn out its welcome with voters. Russell D. Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said the election illustrates that “the pro-life issue persists and can win,” which he deemed the “most important aspect” of Election Day 2014. Read the story from Baptist Press here.

FORMER MISSIONARY PLEADS GUILTY TO WIRE FRAUD

Former Southern Baptist missionary Brady Nurse pleaded guilty Oct. 21 in a federal court to fraudulently obtaining approximately $300,000 in mission funds over a period of five years while working as a logistics and business coordinator for the International Mission Board in Portugal. Nurse, 37, who resigned as a missionary in January, could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and an order to make full restitution of the money he took. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21, 2015, by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer. Read the story from Baptist Press here.

The 29-year-old died in her bed at home 11 months after being diagnosed with gioblastoma multiforme. Her oncologist told her in April she had about six months to live. Maynard’s decision to take the deadly prescription stands in sharp contrast to 13-year-old cancer victim Ethan Hallmark of Midlothian, Texas, who died Sept. 26 after a four-year battle with an aggressive form of Neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer. Before his death, Hallmark recorded a message proclaiming faith in God, and exhorting others to trust in our Lord. “Keep putting your faith in God and always remember he is with you even in the depths of suffering,” Hallmark said in a video. “He’s good.” Read the story from Baptist Press here.

MARS HILL CHURCH TO DISSOLVE, SELL PROPERTY

Mars Hill Church, the Seattle-based network of congregations founded by controversial pastor Mark Driscoll, will dissolve, sell all church assets and encourage its 13 campuses to become independent congregations. Dale Braswell, a Southern Baptist church planter in the Seattle area, told Baptist Press the dissolution is both sad and hopeful. “It’s sad seeing an organization like Mars that’s reached so many people and done so much good working in the Seattle area” dissolve, Braswell, pastor of Lifepoint Church in Lynnwood, Wash., said. “But there’s hope in the sense that a lot of new churches are going to be autonomously started. And, Lord willing, those churches are going to start churches ... and the impact can kind of continue.” Read the story from Baptist Press here.

SURVEY: HEAVEN, HELL & A BIT OF HERESY

Most Americans believe in heaven, hell and a few old-fashioned heresies. Those are among the findings of a new study of American views about Christian theology from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. Americans also disagree about mixing religion and politics and about the Bible. And few pay much heed to their pastor’s sermons or see themselves as sinners, according to the online survey of 3,000 Americans commissioned by Orlando-based Ligonier Ministries. Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries, said the study was intended to “take the temperature of America’s theological health.” Ligonier founder and chairman R.C. Sproul noted, “What comes screaming through this survey is the pervasive influence of humanism.” Researchers asked 43 questions about faith, covering topics from sin and salvation to the Bible and the afterlife. They wanted to know how people in the pews—and people on the street—understand theology. Read the story from Baptist Press here.

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Can We Talk? Conversational, pastor-led evangelism effort sparks surge in gospel fervor, transforms church culture By Sharayah Colter

ne hundred and twenty football players in a locker room. One hundred and seventy mourners at a funeral. Two young women wandering in a parking lot. A classroom full of students in a secular college philosophy class. Not soliciting spiritual answers or seeking out a preacher, these people were simply going about their business—playing sports, grieving the dead, waiting for a ride and earning class credit. But, because of one North Texas pastor following the Lord’s instruction to lead out in evangelism in his church, each of these people heard the gospel clearly and confidently explained. It wasn’t the pastor, though, who shared with them but members of an ever-growing gospel army rising up at First Baptist Church of Euless. 4 TEXANONLINE.NET NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Last year as pastor John Meador was preparing his message for the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2014 annual meeting to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, the Lord guided him not to select a text or write a message. Instead, he would live the message, and that is what he would share with Baptists in Baltimore. Meador says he certainly did not know what the Lord meant or intended by that all those months ago. Looking back, it is crystal clear.

Before he was ever invited to preach at the annual meeting, the Lord had already begun working on the substance of that message. “We needed an evangelism ministry here,” Meador said. “I’d been involved in evangelism ministries over the years, but since I became a senior pastor here … most of that’s delegated to a staff member. But the Lord began to convict me, ‘No, you as a senior pastor need to step up and lead the way. It’s never

“We needed an evangelism ministry here. I’d been involved in evangelism ministries over the years, but since I became a senior pastor here … most of that’s delegated to a staff member. But the Lord began to convict me, ‘No, you as a senior pastor need to step up and lead the way. It’s never going to get into the DNA of the church unless you do it.’ So I really began to be convicted in that.”

going to get into the DNA of the church unless you do it.’ So I really began to be convicted in that.” Meanwhile, the pastor continued his patterns for evangelism and ministry at Euless. In addition to giving clear presentations of the gospel and extending invitations to salvation in each worship service, Meador was and is personally committed to meeting visitors at the church’s guest reception each week following the service. At the reception, known as Guest Central, he tells the two or eight or 20 people who gather that he wants to share with them the one conversation he would have with each of them if he could only have one. In just a few minutes, Meador conveys in a concise and conversational way that faith in Christ—not works or church attendance or good behavior—is the only reason God will ever let anyone into heaven. Hundreds who have listened to Meador’s brief presentation over the years have trusted Christ for salvation. Somewhere along the way, a church member suggested to Meador that he put the presentation on paper so others could emulate the message and share with people who don’t come to Guest Central. So, he did just that and began training church members to share, resulting in a ministry that now bears the name Can We Talk?, which Meador leads each week. The pastor and his church had found God’s answer to the need for a pastor-led evangelism ministry, and

First Euless Pastor John Meador rejoices with Holly Coleman after baptizing her during the SBTC Annual Meeting, Nov. 11. Coleman, a young woman who had prayed to receive Christ after hearing a Can We Talk? presentation a month ago, attended a Can We Talk? meeting at First Euless, assuming it to be a class on baptism. “About an hour into that class, she realized we weren’t talking about baptism, we were equipping her to share the gospel,” Meador said. “She decided to stay, and she joined an evangelism team and has already been out sharing the gospel.” (PHOTO BY ALYSSA MARTIN)

Meador had the message he needed to share and did share at the 2014 annual meeting. “We saw God raise up a community of people in the church that believed the gospel was going to change the world and that he was going to do it from right here,” Meador said. Nearly 600 church members—from teenagers to senior citizens—have been trained to share the gospel with confidence and are now qualified as Can We Talk? trainers. Each semester, Meador casts the vision, equips the people and then leads them in going out in groups of three to share the gospel in the community. Meanwhile, prayer partners gather to pray the entire time the groups are sharing, directed by live requests sent via Twitter feed to a television screen at the church. When tweets come in showing real-time answers to those prayers, the prayer team celebrates. “When [the Tweet] came through and said [Sofia] had accepted Christ, it was like someone scored a touchdown at a football game,” said John Briere, a NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 5

deacon at First Euless and a Can We Talk? team leader. Briere says Can We Talk? has revolutionized his life by equipping him to confidently engage lost people—both strangers and those he knows well—with the truth of the gospel. Watching his pastor’s evangelistic example and repeatedly listening to a Can We Talk? CD has significantly helped Briere feel prepared to strike up conversations that he can direct toward the gospel. “In the beginning I was fumbling my way through it,” Briere said. “Now [I’m] sensitive to when God is putting those opportunities in front of [me]. I’ve had countless conversations with colleagues that I never would have before.” Briere even used what he learned through Can We Talk? to share the gospel with about 170 people at his father’s funeral— something he says he never would have done before the training. Jenna Milleson, Meador’s executive assistant, and college student Morgan Wilson—both active in Can We Talk?—led a young woman to Christ in the church’s parking lot just a day before talking to the TEXAN. Milleson said two weeks prior to sharing with the woman in the parking lot, their pastor also led someone to the Lord in the same parking lot. She said Meador’s involvement and accessibility has helped make evangelism at First Euless not just a top priority at the church but a pervading culture. Meador says he, too, is immensely grateful for the increased church member interaction afforded him by Can We Talk? each week. 6 TEXANONLINE.NET NOVEMBER 19, 2014

“I get to know these people. I get to love on them and laugh with them and communicate passion to them and watch them grow,” Meador said. “I get to know the John Briers who are out there sharing the gospel at their dads’ funerals.” Wilson also had the opportunity to share with her college philosophy class when she disagreed with the professor’s appraisal of Jesus and Christianity and was ready to defend her beliefs with grace and confidence. Wilson says Can We Talk? has shown her that God has given her a mission field in Dallas-Fort Worth. Another unexpected blessing, Wilson said, is seeing all ages from across the church catch a passion for sharing the gospel. Meador said a 13-year-old boy who had been through the class multiple times with his dad approached him at church to say he is ready to be a team leader. Milleson said a 13-yearold girl from Can We Talk? pulls her teachers out into the hallway during free periods and study halls to share with them at the Spirit’s prompting. A football coach asked another student involved with Can We Talk? if he had anything inspirational he could share with the football team

before they ended their practice on Good Friday. The student jumped right in and shared with the team the record book of sin illustration that Meador taught him. “These are just normal kids that have gotten excited about the gospel,” Meador said. Meador said other churches and pastors are beginning to catch the excitement and model their own evangelism efforts after Euless’. In 2015 First Euless will offer 10 conferences across the state of Texas to equip pastors. Information is available at johnmeador.com/canwetalk. Briere and Meador agreed that the conversational approach of Can We Talk? equips and emboldens church members to share throughout the course of their day-to-day lives, often with people they already know well. From locker rooms and funerals to parking lots and classes, daily life provides many divine appointments just waiting to be kept by believers, they said. “Can We Talk? is not a program where we enlist more and more people to go out together to share the gospel one night a week,” Meador said in a July 2014 blog post. “Can We Talk? is about equipping people to share the gospel in their everyday lives.”

Beginning in 2015, the SBTC Evangelism Department will use Can We Talk? as part of a statewide evangelism strategy, which will be launched at the Empower Conference, Feb. 23-25, 2015.

I Stand Sunday

rally draws more than 6,000 in Houston STORY BY BONNIE PRITCHETT

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As pastors embroiled in a lawsuit against the city rallied thousands to Grace Community Church for the cause of religious liberty and with chants of “Let the people vote,” their cohorts in the battle were also crying out for the church to repent for its retreat from the public square and its role as the public conscience.

Part revival meeting, part civics lesson, the I Stand Sunday rally Nov. 2 drew more than 6,000 people to the Houston church of one of five pastors subpoenaed for their role in a legal fight against city hall. An additional 300 churches and 765 homes were logged into the live stream webcast. Interwoven throughout the evening was the message of religious liberty, the church’s culpability for the current cultural malaise, and the need for repentance. “We are in this place in America today not because of the mayor of Houston. It is not because of what she did. It is because of what so many people in our churches have failed to do,” Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas told the audience. The lack of civic participation on

the part of Christians has resulted in the cultural conflicts arising throughout the nation with Houston as a flashpoint in the national clash between religious liberties and government policies. And though Mayor Annise Parker directed City Attorney Dave Feldman to withdraw subpoenas against five pastors, the mayor’s critics called the court order an act of political intimidation that could not be undone with the removal of the subpoenas. For the pastors, and more than a dozen speakers gathered on their behalf, the primary issue remained—the city administration’s unauthorized dismissal of thousands of signatures on a referendum that thwarted the resident’s right to vote on the issue. NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 7

Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd leads participants in the I Stand Sunday rally in prayer, Nov. 2. PHOTO BY BONNIE PRITCHETT

The ordinance that sparked the legal battle was passed by Houston’s city council in May and gives civil rights designation to individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Over 50,000 signatures were gathered on a referendum to put the ordinance to a vote in Houston. And though enough signatures were verified by City Secretary Anna Russell to put the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, Feldman disqualified thousands of pages of signatures for reasons not prescribed in the city charter. The coalition sued the city to have the signatures certified and the ordinance put to a vote by the city’s residents. As part of their defense, the city subpoenaed five pastors calling for their sermons, speeches and other communications with their church members. “It’s not about the issue of transgender rights. It’s about the fundamental issue: Do all citizens have equal rights? And those rights include the right to vote,” Huckabee said in a press conference prior to the rally. The issue is all the more profound for three of the five subpoenaed pastors. As immigrants or the child of immigrants to America they spoke passionately about fleeing the abuses of communism 8 TEXANONLINE.NET NOVEMBER 19, 2014

and enjoying religious and civil liberties as Americans. Khanh Huynh, senior pastor of Vietnamese Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist Church, was among the two million “boat people” refugees seeking asylum in America in the 1970s. “The freedom of speech and freedom of religion were among the first to be lost in Vietnam. And now I’m facing the same marching boots of tyranny right here where I live,” Huynh told the audience. Magda Hermida, founder of Magda Hermida Ministries told how she and her husband left Fidel Castro’s Cuba almost 50 years ago where they lived under the scrutiny of a police state. “We never thought we would see what is happening—that is now happening in this country—here in Houston, in our beloved America,” she said. Dave Welch, executive director of the Houston Area Pastor Council and one of the subpoenaed pastors, noted that just over 10 percent of eligible Houston residents voted in the 2013 mayoral election. Less than a month after Parker’s reelection, she began development of the Equal Rights Ordinance. “We cannot blame the people who do not love God,” Huckabee said. “We’d better look inwardly

and say, ‘It’s because we’ve told our people that they could effectively be wonderful Christians just going to church and reading their Bibles and praying, and voting wasn’t that important.” Prominent Southern Baptist pastors drove that message home calling on Christians to repent of their apathy and to recognize that cultural change does not happen at the ballot box but in the hearts of those who call on Christ in faith. Ed Young, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston, said, “This gathering will be construed by a lot of people as a political gathering [saying], ‘They were here mad and militant and violent,’ but we are here as worshippers of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.” Young added that Christians pray for those in leadership, including Parker. Drawing his comments from Rev. 3:22, SBC President Ronnie Floyd asked what the Spirit of God is saying to the church of America. He concluded, “It is time for the church in America to look at its own sin, to repent of our own apathy. … It is time for us to wake up from our slumber. It is time for us to understand that our greatest problem is not in the White House, nor is it in the State House; but it is in the church house of Jesus Christ. We must get our lives right with the Lord.” And with that he called on the audience to take a posture of prayer, leading them in a prayer of repentance and revival “to do only what God can do.” “That our heartbeat would not be simply to see a culture changed but to see millions and millions and millions of lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because that is our hope.”

Sexuality & the Church CONFERENCE ADDRESSES CHURCH’S ROLE IN BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF MARRIAGE, SINGLENESS, HOMOSEXUALITY PHOTOS BY ROCKET REPUBLIC

Organizers knew they were being watched. What would a group of evangelical Christians say about homosexuality and marriage? Speakers and attendees at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s conference “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage” discussed the issues openly and graciously, understanding those inside and outside the church were paying attention to what was said concerning one of the most pressing cultural issues in America. Originally hoping a few hundred people would attend the Oct. 27-29 meeting in Nashville, conference organizers knew they had touched a nerve when almost 1,300 people registered for the event. The conference offered a sometimes brutally honest discussion about the church’s culpability for America’s distorted view of marriage and singleness, the un-Christlike way people with same-sex attraction have been treated, the legal clash between Christians and culture, and the need to stand unfaltering on biblical truth in moving forward. In the closing address to the conference, Pastor J.D. Greear summed up the common thread of each message. He said, “Jesus-representing churches will not make sexual ethics, but the gospel, the center of their message.”

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ERLC CONFERENCE:

Churches must reclaim biblical view of marriage, singleness By Bonnie Pritchett For participants seeking to grapple with the manifest public policy and religious issue of the day—same-sex relationships and marriage—the 2014 ERLC National Conference turned introspective, asking not so much how to change the LGBT community but how to restore a biblical view of marriage and singleness within the church. “It started with heterosexual sin. It started with the heterosexual subversion of marriage,” said Albert Mohler, president of Southern Seminary in the opening address of the conference in Nashville, Oct. 27. “The divorce revolution has done far more to harm marriage than same-sex marriage will ever do by making it a tentative, hypothetical union for so long as it may last.” The church cannot go back and change what has happened, but it can seek to change the course of history by reclaiming marriage, singleness and sexual

“It started with heterosexual sin. It started with the heterosexual subversion of marriage. The divorce revolution has done far more to harm marriage than same-sex marriage will ever do by making it a tentative, hypothetical union for so long as it may last.” —ALBERT MOHLER, PRESIDENT OF SOUTHERN SEMINARY

expression as gifts of God to be used for his glory and human flourishing. A panel discussion featuring John Stonestreet, executive director for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview; Trevin Wax, managing editor of LifeWay’s Gospel Project; Lindsay Swartz, content manager for the ERLC; and Eric Teetsel, executive director of the Manhattan Declaration, addressed two major questions: What is the culture saying about sex and marriage to millenials? And how is this shaping their perspective as they mature into adulthood? Teetsel said millenial Christians have a basic understanding of the influence of marriage and family on the culture, but that knowledge is grounded in an “insipid sense of romantic love” rather than a biblical theology. Stonestreet concurred. Many millenials—a term that often refers to those born between 1982 and 2004—don’t fully appreciate the broader biblical concepts of love among friends and with God. Understanding and experiencing those types of love will only strengthen a marriage. Swartz, who is single, was asked about the men she encounters and their readiness for marriage. “There are commitment issues,” Swartz said, adding that she didn’t know whether to blame the young men or their fathers. While many don’t seem to

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want to make the effort it takes to meet women, she said, others are hardworking and waiting for that perfect someone. “The millenial generation doesn’t want to commit because something better might come along. They don’t want to settle,” Swartz said. The impact of pornography on the state of marriage cannot be divorced from the discussion. Teetsel said the realistic, no cost, no effort sexual experience offered by pornography virtually sears the impulse in men that would “cause them to step out of their comfort zone, take a shower, get a haircut, WOMEN TELL ALL get a job, become a desirable mate “Women Tell All: Gospel so that they can win over an actual Perspectives on Marriage, Submission, and Sexuality” woman who would want to have with panelists Lindsay Swartz, sex with them.” Trillia Newbell, Christine Hoover, Jennifer Lyell and Jani Ortlund. Pornography, essentially, takes the effort and relationship out of the sexual experience. But for a host of reasons young adults are waiting to get married, and in some U.S. urban areas singles outnumber married people. This should make churches assess how they view singles. Are they a niche group or a transitory group that will eventually segue into the married young adult department? “If the culture we live in is one where single is the norm, not the exception, then what does it look like for us to really reach singles, to bring them fully integrated into a congregation to where it’s not just ministry to singles?” said Wax. “We have to be ministering alongside singles. There has to be an integration of singles into all areas of the church.” For many like Swartz who were raised in broken homes, there is no frame of reference for a lifelong, devoted marriage. She suggested the church and society could benefit from mature married couples mentoring singles and newlyweds in their congregations. The irony is that those hurt by divorce as kids end up putting off marriage and, in the process, “amp up” the culture of romantic love setting themselves up to repeat the mistakes of their parents, said Wax. There is much the church can do to preserve marriage and ensure those preparing for it are grounded in a “robust theology” of what and who it represents. There has been a paradigm shift with regard to marriage, Stonestreet noted.

“It’s time to rebuild marriage,” Stonestreet said. “Stop defending it, and rebuild it. There’s not much left to defend on a cultural level.” Swartz said being single isn’t always fun, but knowing she is where God would have her is worth the wait. “I choose to do it because my heart has been captivated by the gospel,” Swartz said. “There is a greater joy in the gospel than going the world’s way. It’s worth it to be single for the Lord if he doesn’t bring marriage. You want to honor the Lord. His word is worth it, and you’re going to see it in the end.”

“I choose to do it because my heart has been captivated by the gospel. There is a greater joy in the gospel than going the world’s way. It’s worth it to be single for the Lord if he doesn’t bring marriage. You want to honor the Lord. His word is worth it, and you’re going to see it in the end.” —LINDSAY SWARTZ, CONTENT MANAGER FOR THE ERLC

NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 11

UNICORNS TO THE SECULAR WORLD:

Former homosexuals offer advice on reaching those who struggle with same-sex attraction

By Bonnie Pritchett

Imago Dei.

One simple Latin term—“the Image of God”—speaks volumes. The cultural debate surrounding homosexual relationships and same-sex marriage has digressed into an “us vs. them” shouting match. Similar lines have been drawn in the church, where the doctrine of Imago Dei should infuse the discussion, according to those whose identity is found not in their sexual orientation but as image bearers of a holy God. Included in the list of speakers addressing the 1,200 people attending the 2014 12 TEXANONLINE.NET NOVEMBER 19, 2014

Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission conference “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage” were four individuals whose stories of same-sex attraction (SSA) converge at the intersection of Christian faith. In the throes of being drawn to Christ, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Christopher Yuan, Jackie Hill Perry, and Sam Allberry were confronted with the biblical truth regarding homosexual sex. Would they deny what they believed to be their natural predisposition, or would they try to make Christian doctrine

accommodate their sexual proclivities? Scripture was clear; homosexuality is sin. Living in obedience to Christ meant repentance and celibacy in singleness. But buoyed by what appears to be mounting support for their agenda, LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) advocates within the church have called for a reinterpretation of more than 2,000 years of biblical doctrine regarding homosexual sex. In 2014 alone pastors, para-church organizations and an entire denomination affirmed same-sex relationships and marriage.

With each new revelation Perry, Yuan, Allberry, and Butterfield share a sense of sadness and frustration. During the October conference in Nashville they spoke with the TEXAN about the confluence of same-sex attraction, sex and the Bible. Using anything, especially the Word of God, as a tool to lead someone away from instead of toward Christ makes Butterfield cringe. And telling anyone, especially someone who is gay, that God approves of same-sex relationships does just that. “Good neighbors would never put a stumbling block between an image bearer of a holy God and God himself,” she said. But some outspoken Christians with SSA have come to believe happiness in Christ is impossible if it means giving up their LGBT identity and sexual relationships. “That’s not the truth,” Perry said. “So when I see churches that have embraced this affirming type of view, its like, ‘Dude, you’re actually keeping people from true joy on earth and eternally.’ So that’s what grieves me.” Perry, a Christian poet and spoken-word artist, gives a brutally honest testimony about God’s transformative power in her performance “My Life as a Stud.” She married Preston Perry in early 2014 and is expecting their first child, a daughter, in December. “God’s word on this issue is not only clear, but I think it is good,” said Allberry, associate

“When I see churches that have embraced this affirming type of view, its like, ‘Dude, you’re actually keeping people from true joy on earth and eternally’. So that’s what grieves me.” —JACKIE HILL PERRY, A CHRISTIAN POET AND SPOKEN-WORD ARTIST

pastor of St. Mary’s Maidenhead, in Berkshire, UK. In his book Is God Anti-Gay? Allberry refers to himself as same-sex attracted and celibate, eschewing the term “gay” as it denotes a sexually active lifestyle. Yuan said dissenting voices criticize traditional biblical doctrine regarding sexuality, saying it “calls people who are gay to be relegated—to be cursed—to a life of loneliness.” But Yuan says that mantra ignores and, to a degree, insults SSA Christians living single, celibate, fulfilling lives. Yuan recounts his life of reckless abandon and redemption in the book he co-authored with his mother, Angela, Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God, a Broken Mother’s Search for Hope. Yuan said his attraction to men has waned in the years he has been a Christian, and he hopes someday to marry. But, for now, God has called him to be single. Allberry quipped that, to LGBT advocates, Christians like him are anomalies. “We’re a bit like unicorns to the secular world. They don’t quite know what to do with us,” Allberry said. And for gay Christians involved in or seeking romantic same-sex relations, the testimonies of Allberry and Yuan counter their efforts to rewrite Scripture to justify those relationships. Among the biblical revisionists attending the ERLC conference was Matthew Vines. In a 2012 YouTube video Vines, who identifies as a “gay Christian,” gave a passionate yet hermeneutically inaccurate reinterpretation of key Bible passages that directly address and condemn homosexual sex. He has since written a book declaring God affirms “committed and loving” gay relationships. Butterfield has little patience for those who claim to have a high regard for Scripture, like Vines, yet who apply twisted exegesis to make the Bible endorse something that Christians have rejected for millennia. “It’s bad hermeneutics,” said the former tenured Syracuse University English professor. “What they are appealing to is a sense of personal experience as a former of epistemology.” NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 13

“The battle we need to wage is to win souls to Christ. And the more that we become enemies of people who are currently trapped in the domain of Satan the less likely we are to win that war.” —ROSARIA CHAMPAGNE BUTTERFIELD

Butterfield said that without internal accountability, individual Christians and entire churches answer to no one for the destructive doctrine they produce and, consequently, hurt those to whom their gay-affirming message is intended. Butterfield is not without empathy for those with SSA and tells of her “train wreck” conversion in The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. Before coming to Christ Butterfield was an LGBT activist in a long-term lesbian relationship. Today she is the wife of a Reformed Presbyterian pastor and a homeschooling mother. Allberry said when the church affirms same-sex relationships and marriages it abdicates its role as a bearer of God’s good news. The Church of England, in which Allberry serves, is debating whether to bless same-sex unions. “If it does, it will no longer be a Christian denomination because

I think the moment you bless something the word calls ‘sin’ you are sending people to destruction,” Allberry said. The “gay movement” within American evangelical churches does not represent a seismic shift because its foundations are precarious and not shared by the average person in the pew, ERLC President Russell Moore said during a press conference at the convention. Moore told reporters about every 10 years the church is faced with a theological challenge that eventually fades into obscurity, noting Brian McLaren’s Emergent Church movement and Rob Bell’s universalism as examples. But Yuan was not as confident. LGBT activists have effectively cloaked their cause in the rhetoric of the Civil Rights movement. As a Chinese-American and minority, Yuan balks at the equivocation but warns, “Our secular culture has connected the dots,

“If it does, it will no longer be a Christian denomination because I think the moment you bless something the word calls ‘sin’ you are sending people to destruction.” —SAM ALLBERRY, SPEAKING ON THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND’S DEBATE ON WHETHER TO BLESS SAME-SEX UNIONS

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and that’s how everyone thinks.” Perry believes the conflict is not a passing fad. Internal debates may come and go, but external pressure comes in the form of laws that hold noncompliant offenders to account. Invoking sola scriptura—another Latin term, which means “Scripture alone”—Butterfield said, “There is a movement within this movement that wants to believe that being gay is sanctifiable. It’s a false anthropology of the soul. God cannot condemn something and then grant it, on its own terms, as a sanctifiable item.” And affirming gay relationships within the church tells Yuan and Allberry, who are single, that their efforts to remain chaste do not matter and are actually counter to God’s will for them. Allberry said when the Evangelical Alliance UK discontinued relations last May with one of its member organizations over its affirmation of same-sex marriage, he wrote the EAUK to thank them. “That must have been an agoniz-

ing, heartbreaking decision, but can I thank you for doing it?” Allberry wrote. “Because you doing that says to me the battle for godliness I’m fighting every day is worth fighting for.” With a sense of humility Allberry, Butterfield, Perry, and Yuan contend for the truth of Scripture. Butterfield said Christians must remember that the thumbprint of original sin is on us all. She warned, “The battle we need to wage is to win souls to Christ. And the more that we become enemies of people who are currently trapped in the domain of Satan the less likely we are to win that war.” Too many LGBT people believe Christians hate them, Yuan said. So there is ground to regain before evangelization can begin. Perry said simply being a friend to gays and lesbians will open opportunities to share the gospel in natural, caring ways. Don’t begin those discussions with the sin of homosexuality, Allberry admonished. Begin with Jesus. And in so doing, Christians affirm humanity’s role as the pinnacle of God’s creation, as image bearers of a holy God. Our identity should be found in nothing less.

Pastor outlines principles for having ‘The Talk’ about homosexuality with children By Bonnie Pritchett Parents cannot begin too soon the conversation with their children about God’s design for human sexuality and marriage, Jimmy Scroggins told an overflow audience during a breakout session of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s annual conference “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage,” Oct. 28. “I am not necessarily an expert on ‘The Talk’—talking to kids about homosexuality—but what I am is a practitioner. I’m walking through it as a father, constantly. And I’m walking through it as a pastor, constantly,” said Scroggins, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Fla. Scroggins and his wife, Kristin, are the parents of eight children—six boys and two girls. School, extracurricular activities and even church involvement increase a child’s chance of being introduced to peers with same-sex attraction or whose families may have two parents of the same gender prompting questions from children. That, in addition to a sexually saturated teen culture, forces parents to address the issue of sexuality long before their children’s ability to grasp the concepts fully. “We’re confronted with actual relationships and actual people that are challenging our assumptions and understanding of the gospel and of family structure that we’re trying to pass down to our children,” Scroggins said.

“We’re confronted with actual relationships and actual people that are challenging our assumptions and understanding of the gospel and of family structure that we’re trying to pass down to our children.” —JIMMY SCROGGINS FILE PHOTO / UNION UNIVERSITY

NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 15

Scroggins began his discussion by affirming fundamental church doctrine regarding Scripture, salvation, and gender roles, which may have seemed a given at a Southern Baptist conference, but because LGBT-affirming church members were in attendance at the conference and the breakout session, Scroggins did not want to presume everyone in the audience shared his perspective. Scroggins outlined the current cultural climate in which children and teens live. Pornography is a given. Using his own homeschooled, community-involved family as an example, Scroggins said there is a zero percent chance that his six sons will graduate from high school without viewing pornography. The scourge is that pervasive. Sex is expected. There is a broad range of sexual experimentation kids are willing to try. Marriage is a capstone, not a cornerstone. Marriage is considered “an option out there somewhere.”

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Gay is OK. “They know these people. It’s not a bogeyman out there in the culture war. You have to remember that when you talk to your kids,” Scroggins said. “You add to this the fact that the culture increasingly holds people who hold God’s design for sexuality and marriage as bigots. Nobody wants to be perceived as a bigot,” he added. Scroggins said parents face the challenge of building and rebuilding a marriage culture in their homes and churches. With that as the goal, parents can have “The Talk” with these principles in mind: It is a conversation. Talking to children and teens about God’s design for sex and marriage is not a one-time, information download but an ongoing discussion, putting life’s observations into biblical contexts. Start early, not late. Because the culture is foisting the issue on children, parents need to provide a biblical framework to counter secular talking points. Even the youngest children can be taught the basic concepts of love,

“Every aspect of the common good depends on a strong marriage culture. This is Matthew 25 stuff.” —SHERIF GIRGIS 19, 2014 16 TEXANONLINE.NET NOVEMBER

marriage and physical affection as prescribed in Scripture. Be clean, not crude. Be respectful and above board about homosexuality. Don’t depersonalize the issue. Teach kindness. A parent never knows when their children may have this struggle. Encourage, don’t condemn. There needs to be more to the sexual abstinence talk than “Love Jesus. Don’t have sex.” Children must be encouraged to value God’s design over the world’s promises. Management, not triumphalism. Do not present sexual passions as something to be defeated. Sexual desires must be managed “by the instruction of the Bible, in the community of the church and the leadership and conviction of the Holy Spirit.” Scroggins said the conversation must be saturated with the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Salvation does not change a person’s struggle with sexual temptations or erase the scars of sexual sin. That is why “The Talk” must include the gospel message of hope for this life and beyond.

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Panel: “The State of Marriage in American Churches” with Daniel Darling, Kevin Ezell, Dennis Rainey, Carmen Fowler Faberge and Heath Lambert.

Texas Baptist Home seeks Christmas gifts for foster children By Sharayah Colter The Texas Baptist Home for Children (TBHC) has created a new avenue for giving gifts to orphans and foster children that will allow foster parents to “shop” for items to place under the Christmas tree. This year, in the first-ever Christmas Shoppe, TBHC will accept and collect donations of new toys for children up to 17 years old. Jennifer Walker, marketing and development supervisor for TBHC, says this new twist on Christmas gifts for the children grew out of a desire to help foster parents and to meet the growing needs of the expanding ministry. “When we started doing Christmas presents for the children at TBHC, we were smaller and did not have as many children in our care,” Walker said. “Now we are a larger agency with two offices in the DFW metroplex. The Christmas Shoppe allows us to have more volunteers to help with Christmas, and it helps our families provide a great Christmas to kids in foster care.” TBHC will accept toys, electronics and gift cards for teenagers in addition to gift wrapping materials and supplies at its Waxahachie or Bedford locations through Dec. 8. Monetary donations are also welcome and would help buy gifts for children who come to the home right before Christmas. The process works similarly to that of the Angel Tree ministry in that those interested in purchasing gifts call or email to request a child’s wish list and then buy gifts accordingly. The gifts, which need to be dropped off unwrapped for Shoppe purposes, can then be picked up by foster parents as they “shop” for Christmas presents. First Baptist Church of Nixon pastor Michael Linton serves on the board of directors for TBHC. As a foster and adoptive dad himself, Linton says he heartily encourages people to get involved with the effort to minister to the children. “I know what it does for the kids there at the Texas Baptist Home and how it eases the expense for the foster parents,” Linton said. “Many of them have their own children, too, and they want to get good gifts for the kids. I know what it does to go to the event where you get the gifts and then to be able to turn around and give them to foster children. It’s really a wonderful

HOW TO HELP: GIVE: eToys (Think about having a toy drive at your church) eElectronics (Gifts are for children 0-17 years old) eSpecific items from wish lists (Email chumphrey@tbhc.org for the list) eGift cards (Great for the teenagers) eMoney (To help provide gifts for children who come to the home right before Christmas) eGift wrapping

VOLUNTEER: IAt the Bedford campus (email jschmitz@tbhc.org) IAt the Waxahachie campus (email klindsey@tbhc.org)

FOSTER OR ADOPT: ITBHC works with families throughout the DFW metroplex for fostering ITBHC works with families all over Texas for adoptions

thing. I enjoy taking part as a foster parent and seeing other parents do the same thing.” Aside from tangible donations, TBHC also welcomes volunteer help at either the Bedford or Waxahachie Christmas Shoppe. Those interested in serving can email Waxahachie’s Kristen Lindsey at klindsey@tbhc. org or Bedford’s Jennie Schmitz at jschmitz@tbhc.org. To request a list of suggested gifts from the children’s wish lists, contact Cari Humphrey at (972) 937-1321 or chumphrey@thbc.org. Walker hopes the children will encounter Christ’s love through the Christmas Shoppe. “Holidays can bring up many emotions for our kids,” Walker said. “We want to show these children the love of Christ through the community’s generosity.” Linton encourages his own church members to give, but he also encourages them to consider foster care and adoption. “Do everything you can to support your foster parents that are in your church and in your Baptist homes,” Linton said. “But there are a couple thousand children in San Antonio that are adoptable right now. … If not our churches, then who?” To help supply gifts for the Christmas Shoppe, to volunteer, or for information about fostering or adopting children, visit www.tbhc.org. NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 17

Brokenness, desperate prayer characterize SBTC annual meeting By Keith Collier & Sharayah Colter FORT WORTH

Organizers of the 2014 Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Bible Conference and Annual Meeting made clear from the outset that they desired for prayer and spiritual awakening to serve as the focus and priority. Throughout the threeday event, Nov. 9-11, that spirit of brokenness and desperate prayer washed over the gathering at MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Dedicated prayer times peppered the entire SBTC meeting, from Sunday night to Tuesday. Leaders repeatedly assured attendees that they believe a fresh movement of God and one that will truly 18 TEXANONLINE.NET NOVEMBER 19, 2014

“We are spoiled. The Great Commission has shifted to be the Great Convenience. Our problem is not in structure. It’s in our heart.” —JIMMY PRITCHARD shake American churches from a national slumber will come only when Christians get on their knees, humble themselves and desperately seek God. Speakers reminded leaders that they bear the responsibility of modeling and leading out in that change. SBTC President Jimmy Pritchard boldly challenged messengers to contend “as one man” for spiritual awakening during his president’s address, Nov. 10.

“We are spoiled,” Pritchard said. “The Great Commission has shifted to be the Great Convenience. Our problem is not in structure. It’s in our heart.” Pritchard said a call to spiritual awakening is born out of prayer and announced that he will be holding times of prayer in every region of Texas during 2015. “We’ll find out if we really want spiritual awakening by who comes to those prayer meetings,” Pritchard

READ MORE STORIES FROM THE SBTC BIBLE CONFERENCE & ANNUAL MEETING AT TEXANONLINE.NET/2014-ANNUAL-MEETING

PANEL ON HOMOSEXUALITY & THE CHURCH

SERMON BY RUSSELL MOORE

said, adding, “Talk is cheap.” Attendance at this year’s meeting included 981 registered messengers from 360 churches and 930 registered guests for a total of 1,911 representing 391 churches. Participation was estimated at well over 2,000 considering the number of unregistered seminary participants. The SBTC is made up of more than 2,500 affiliated churches. In addition to extended times of prayer for revival and spiritual awakening, messengers also conducted business, adopted resolutions, approved a 2015 budget and elected officers. Business During the annual meeting, messengers completed a two-year process of approving revisions to the SBTC constitution and bylaws, which included updated language for consistency and clarity, methods of affiliation, messenger representation and quorum requirements. Bylaws revisions can be made at a single annual meeting, but changes to the constitution require approval at two consecutive annual meetings. During the 2013 annual meeting in Amarillo, messengers approved revisions to both, with bylaws changes dependent on the final approval of the constitution. Messengers approved the

BAPTISM SERVICE

constitution again during the 2014 meeting, completing the revisions approval process. Messengers also approved a motion to increase the size of the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation board of directors from seven to as many as 12. The SBTC executive board honored Jimmy Draper with the Paul Pressler Award for Distinguished Denominational Service. Draper received the honor for his excellence in leadership and service as a pastor in eight Southern Baptist churches, as president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1982-84, as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources from 1991-2006, and as interim president of Criswell College from 2013-14. Resolutions Messengers passed seven resolutions that addressed compassionate evangelism, gambling, gender identity, legislation supporting women’s and children’s health, pornography and religious liberty as well as a resolution of appreciation to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for hosting the meeting. Budget Messengers approved a 2015 budget of $27,488,059, which is a 1.25 percent increase from 2014.

MINISTRY CAFE

This budget is funded by $27,136,059 in Cooperative Program gifts and $352,000 from partnerships with the North American Mission Board and LifeWay Christian Resources. The convention continues to send 55 percent of its budget for SBC Cooperative Program ministries, while designating 45 percent for Cooperative Program ministries in Texas. Election of Officers Jimmy Pritchard, pastor of First Baptist Church of Forney was re-elected for a second term as convention president. Sookwan Lee, pastor of Seoul Baptist Church in Houston was elected vice president. Dante Wright, pastor of Sweet Home Baptist Church in Round Rock, was re-elected as recording secretary. All nominees ran unopposed. 2015 Annual Meeting The 2015 Bible Conference and Annual Meeting of the SBTC will take place on Nov. 8-10 at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston. Messengers approved Mark Estep, pastor of Spring Baptist Church in Spring, to deliver the 2015 convention sermon, with Bill Jones, executive director of the Neches River Baptist Association, as the alternate. —With reporting from Rob Collingsworth, Dwayne Hastings, Stephanie Heading and Bonnie Pritchett.

NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 19

Hundreds profess faith in Christ at three-day oil field trade show By JC Jones

Taryn Snider spreads the word to Permian Basin International Oil Show attendees about free lunch and a chance to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle, shotgun and rifle. (BRITTANY STREBECK/GENESIS PHOTOS)

ODESSA

A Harley Davidson motorcycle may seem an unlikely tool for evangelism, but for attendees of the Permian Basin International Oil Show (PBIOS), Oct. 21-23, a drawing to win a brand new set of wheels also provided an opportunity to hear the gospel. Local Southern Baptist churches partnered to provide free lunch across the street from the PBIOS for its participants. Each person received a meal ticket, and if they agreed to watch a three-minute video presentation of the gospel, they could enter that ticket in a raffle for several prizes, including the motorcycle. “Our heart was to try to reach those in the oil field,” said Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Director of Evangelism Nathan Lorick. The idea originally came about last year when a group of church leaders in Odessa gathered together

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to plan a joint effort to share Christ in their city. Pastor Ivy Shelton of Sherwood Baptist Church said when the dates of the oil show first came up, the consensus was to choose another time to hold an event, but they soon recognized the potential gospel impact. “Not only do we have a great number of people that participate in that expo from the area but also from the state of Texas and the nation,” Shelton said. “We realized it could be an evangelistic event that would not only impact our city but would also send the seeds of the gospel to parts of our world.”

Out of an estimated 1,000 people who came to eat lunch over the course of three days, 600 viewed the video, and more than 200 made professions of faith. Many others also reached out with needs for prayer. “The big thing was just seeing people bow their heads to pray to receive Christ. That was the most amazing thing, to see that and know there was a change happening in people’s hearts,” Shelton said. Along with Sherwood Baptist Church, members from First Baptist Church of Odessa, Mission Dorado Baptist Church, Kingston

Members of local Odessa Baptist churches serve the Permian Basin International Oil Show attendees a free lunch. (BRITTANY STREBECK/GENESIS PHOTOS)

Avenue Baptist Church and Living Word Baptist Church contributed to the event, which they called “Fractured,” playing off of a common oil field term. It was truly a collaborative effort, supported also by local businesses that donated food; the SBTC, which provided gospel tracts to engage oilfield workers; and the Oilfield Christian Fellowship, which gave thousands of Bibles to be handed out. “A really cool thing for the

church was just to see all the different churches and people from those churches coming together and cooperating together to pull this thing off,” Shelton said. “Seeing God’s people come together, seeing people that were ministered to that needed that, and just seeing lives that were changed.” Lorick is also thankful for the joint effort of the churches in planning the Fractured event. “The churches really worked hard,” Lorick said. “God

showed up. There were many people saved, and many people engaged with the gospel, and we’re extremely grateful for the partnership we have with the churches in this event.” The oil show has packed up and moved out of Odessa, but leaders look forward to the long-lasting effects on their community, and even beyond. “As we do the follow-up, we hope to see the people that accepted Christ come into our local churches and strengthen the churches that are here, and in turn, strengthen ministry in our city,” Shelton said. “We also hope that those that were from out of town or other states, that the seeds of the gospel would go back with them and impact those communities also.” Though the next Permian Basin International Oil Show isn’t scheduled until 2016, Shelton said Fractured was designed with the intention to carry on in the future. “We branded it in such a way that we can use that name again and there will be some recognition of it and what we’re doing. Our hope is that in two years, we can do it again.”

Jacksonville College opens SBTC-funded dorm By Keith Collier JACKSONVILLE—Administrators, trustees, faculty and students at Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Texas, celebrated the opening of their new SBTC Dorm, Oct. 29. The dormitory’s name is in honor of the $300,000 gift from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention to build the student housing, which represented approximately 75 percent of the total construction costs. NOVEMBER 19, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 21

Thom Rainer

Should churches have stand-andgreet times?

conducted a Twitter poll (not scientific, I assure you) asking first-time church guests what factors made them decide not to return. In listing the top 10 in order of frequency, I was surprised that the number one issue guests don’t like is a time to stand and greet one another. So what is it about a stand-and-greet time that many guests don’t like? Here are the several of the most common— although, again, unscientific—responses, listed in order of frequency.

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Many guests are introverts. “I would rather have a root canal than be subjected to a stand-and-greet time.” Some guests perceive the members are not sincere during the time of greeting. “In most of the churches it should be called a stand-and-fake-it time. The members weren’t friendly at all except for 90 seconds.”

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Many guests don’t like the lack of hygiene that takes place during this time. “Look, I’m not a germaphobe, but that guy wiped his nose right before he shook my hand.” Many times the members only greet other members. “I went to one church where no one spoke to me the entire time of greeting. I could tell they were speaking to people they already knew.” Both members and guests at some churches perceive the entire exercise as awkward. “Nowhere except churches do we have times that are so awkward and artificial. If members are going to be friendly, they would be friendly at other times as well. They’re not.” In some churches, the people in the congregation are told to say something silly to one another. “So the pastor told us to tell someone near us that they are good looking. I couldn’t find anyone who fit that description, so I left and didn’t go back.” Not only do some guests dread the stand-andgreet time, so do some members. “I visited the church and went through the ritual of standing and greeting, but many of the members looked just as uncomfortable as I was. We were all doing a required activity that none of us liked.”

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There are strong comments at the post on both sides of the issue of whether a stand-and-greet time is helpful in reaching guests—enough to prompt churches to ask themselves whether it’s effective in their community. —This story first appeared on thomrainer.com. Read the follow-up article, “Responses from Those Who Really Don’t Like the Church “Stand-and-Greet Time.”