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News Articles

BP Ledger, June 2, 2014


EDITOR’S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received.

Today’s BP Ledger contains items from:
The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood
Creation Museum
Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools
Harvest Crusades

Grant Castleberry appointed executive director of CBMW

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood) — The Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood (CBMW) has announced that Grant Castleberry has been named its executive director. He will fill the role previously held by Dr. Owen Strachan, now the president of CBMW. At 33 and 29 years of age, respectively, Strachan (@ostrachan) and Castleberry (@grcastleberry) form one of evangelicalism’s youngest leadership teams.

Castleberry is no stranger to the role of leader; the word pops up repeatedly in his impressive resume. At Texas A&M University, Castleberry served in the school’s most prestigious elected position as Junior Yell Leader and then Head Yell Leader his senior year (2005-07). As an officer in the Marine Corps, he served for two years overseas as an Air Traffic Control Marine Mobile Team Leader (2008-2010) and then as a Series Commander at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina (2010-11). Upon his successful tour at Parris Island, he was promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Navy Achievement Medal by Colonel Charles Western. Following his active duty service in the Marine Corps, he served as pastoral assistant at Community Bible Church in Beaufort, S.C., under Dr. Carl Broggi (2011-12).

Strachan, president of CBMW, commented on Castleberry’s appointment: “CBMW is at a thrilling place in our organization’s life. In the face of impressive cultural opposition, we have tremendous momentum, surging interest from young evangelicals, and a young, fresh-faced, gospel-captivated staff. Grant Castleberry fits this profile to a tee. Though 29 years of age, he has proven himself several times over as a leader, serving his country, his church and his family.”

Strachan said Castleberry “brings to the highly strategic role of executive director proven leadership ability, great passion for the Word of God, winsome courage, and an ability, quite simply, to get things done. I could not have asked for a finer man in this role. I can’t wait for him to get started so that, with profound gratitude to God for CBMW’s past, we can push this eminent organization forward into an exhilarating new season of ministry to Christ’s church.”

Castleberry has most recently served as student life coordinator at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, working closely with Dr. Jeremy Pierre, dean of students (2012-14). He was also editor of the CBMW Men’s Blog, Manual, and then transitioned to the position of conference director to plan and execute the 2014 CBMW National Conference this past spring (CBMW’s largest-ever event, drawing nearly 1,500 people). In addition, he also completed the pastoral internship at Kenwood Baptist Church under complementarian leaders Dr. James Hamilton and Dr. Denny Burk. Hamilton said of Castleberry’s appointment that “Grant is a great blessing to our church and a bright young evangelical leader. He is exactly what CBMW needs.”

Castleberry is the author of many blog articles for CBMW as well as Servants of Grace and The Gospel Coalition. He and his wife GraceAnna are also co-authoring a chapter on purity in Good, a forthcoming e-book to be released by CBMW and Desiring God.

Castleberry and his wife have two young girls and are members of Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville. He is an M.Div student in the School of Theology at Southern Seminary and a graduate of Texas A&M University (BS in Agricultural Leadership and Development).

He will begin full-time work with CBMW this summer and will lead the organization’s “Stand Against the Tide” fundraising campaign, among other initiatives to be announced in coming days.
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45 Southern Baptist high school seniors recognized for scholarship and musical achievements

WINDERMERE, Fla. (Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools) — Forty-five high school seniors from the Class of 2014 enrolled in 21 SBACS member Christian schools were selected to compete in a national awards program for their outstanding scholarship and/or musical achievements. Out of the 45 finalists, 14 shared the spotlight as national, regional or state award winners, dividing $8,000 in college grants, $1,000 to each of the four national winners, $500 to each of the six regional winners and $250 to each of the four state winners. National and regional scholar winners’ schools also received awards of $250 and $100 for each nominee ultimately selected as a winner.

Each fall, SBACS member schools nominate candidates in two groups; scholars and musicians. Nominees must then complete an application process to compete for the scholarships. Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements become finalists. In the spring, a panel of judges chooses the winners in each of the two categories.

Joshua Expeditions Outstanding SBACS Scholars Awards Program awards two national winners $1,000 each, four regional winners $500 each and four state winners $250 each. Ten Christian school students were selected as 2014 scholarship winners from a field of thirty-seven finalists from nine states. To compete for the award, seniors must:

— score at least a 1250 on SAT (combined critical reading and math score) or 28 on ACT.
— have at least a 3.5 non-weighted cumulative GPA.
— have the testimony of their faculty to their good character, service and leadership within their schools, churches and communities.

Joshua Expeditions Outstanding SBACS Musicians Awards Program awards two national winners $1,000 each and two regional winners $500 each. Four Christian school seniors were selected as 2014 musician winners from a field of eight finalists from five states. To compete for the award, seniors must:

— have at least a 3.0 non-weighted cumulative GPA.
— be highly involved in music and show a superior level of vocal or instrumental skill.
— demonstrate an active faith in Christ.
— audition by CD.
— receive recommendations from music directors and teachers indicating good character, service and leadership within their schools, churches and communities.

The purpose of the Joshua Expeditions Outstanding SBACS Scholars & Musicians Awards Program is to discover and recognize students in our Southern Baptist Christian schools across the nation with exemplary expertise and accomplishments in scholastics or music, Christian character and service to others. The extraordinary level of achievement, character and leadership evidenced by this year’s participants demonstrates that our schools are producing outstanding results, young men and women of excellence who will be the salt and light that the Lord Jesus Christ expects and requires to lead his Kingdom. SBACS maintains a database of over 700 Christian schools affiliated with Southern Baptist churches, associations or conventions around the nation, 200 of which have high schools.

The Outstanding SBACS Scholars and Musicians Awards Program is funded by a generous grant from Joshua Expeditions, a non-profit Christian student travel company that offers global educational and mission trips for high school students from across the nation. “Through their generous commitment, Joshua Expeditions has provided scholarship funding for SBACS member school students throughout the United States to receive help with the cost of higher education. Our hope is that other individuals and foundations will be encouraged to contribute to this fund as well,” said SBACS Executive Director Edward E. Gamble.

More information available HERE or by contacting [email protected].
Request photos of all winners and finalists

2013-2014 Award Winners

National Scholar Winners ($1,000)
Joshua Howard Gray – North Raleigh Christian Academy, Raleigh, NC
Max Morris Price – Calvary Christian High School, Clearwater, FL

Regional Scholar Winners ($500)
Carter Bledsoe Adkins – Strong Rock Christian School, Locust Grove, GA
Peyton Hedrick – Tri-City Christian School, Conover, NC
Paul Christopher Parish – Indian Rocks Christian School, Largo, FL
Genevieve Lee Parker – The First Academy, Orlando, FL

State Scholar Winners ($250)
James Gruber – Calvary Christian High School, Clearwater, FL
James Robert Oden – North Raleigh Christian Academy, Raleigh, NC
Kayla Ann Reaves – Parkview Baptist School, Baton Rouge, LA
Samuel David Walsh – Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, TX

National Musician Winners ($1,000)
Sawyer Lee Pollock – North Raleigh Christian Academy, Raleigh, NC
Abbey Nicole Poole – Strong Rock Christian School, Locust Grove, GA

Regional Musician Winners ($500)
Tyler Hillier – Cambridge Christian School, Tampa, FL
Jordan Ann Jares – North Raleigh Christian Academy, Raleigh, NC
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$1 million dinosaur to go on display at Creation Museum

PETERSBURG, Ky. (Creation Museum) — A new $1.5 million dinosaur exhibit at the Creation Museum housing a world-class allosaur skeleton — having one of the best-preserved Allosaurus skulls ever discovered – has gone on public display. The 30-foot-long, 10-foot-high allosaur, after recent cleaning and restoration, has been reappraised at $1 million. The rare skeleton will be placed in a $500,000 exhibit, which will join an array of dinosaur exhibits at the museum near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Allosaurs, sometimes confused with a T. rex, were large theropod dinosaurs. This allosaur, named Ebenezer, is exceptional not only for its almost-complete three-foot-long skull (including 53 teeth) but because its bones, rather than mixed and scattered, were found together (with many in their articulated position). The creature probably weighed 2.3 tons. Over 50 percent of its bones were recovered and will be on display. The new exhibit is called “Facing the Allosaurus,” to help draw attention to the preserved skull.

Ken Ham, president/founder of the Creation Museum (an outreach of Answers in Genesis), stated that having Ebenezer “fulfills a dream I’ve had for quite some time. For decades I’ve walked through many leading secular museums, like the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and have seen their impressive dinosaur skeletons. But they were used for evolution. Now we have one of that class, and it will help us defend the book of Genesis and expose the scientific problems with evolution.”

Ham’s hope to obtain a world-class dinosaur for the museum had been held back because excellent skeletons were cost prohibitive. Thus he did not seek one out. Last year, however, Michael and Stephen Peroutka of the Elizabeth Streb Peroutka Foundation approached the museum with the offer of their allosaur. The foundation had bought Ebenezer, housed it and, through the efforts of the DeRosa family in Florida and restorers in Utah, the magnificent fossil is ready to be shared with the public.

Michael Peroutka said the fossil “is a testimony to the creative power of God in designing dinosaurs, and that it also lends evidence to the truth of a worldwide catastrophic flooding of the earth in Noah’s time.” Appropriately, the allosaur is being placed in the museum’s large “Flood Geology” section.

Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling of AiG and the Creation Museum says that the new allosaur stands out for other reasons. Found in the Morrison Formation of North America (specifically in northwestern Colorado), its bones, said Dr. Snelling, “were arranged in their correct anatomical positions relative to each other, rather than in a scattered assortment of bones as is often the case. Also, much of the spine, 97% of the skull, and 53 curved, serrated teeth, up to 4.5 inches in length, were found. Of the 60 Allosaurus specimens found, only a half-dozen have such a complete skull, and it may be one of the two finest allosaur skulls in the world. It is also much larger than the famous ‘Big Al’ dinosaur at the Museum of the Rockies in Montana.”

Dr. Snelling added that Ebenezer most likely died in Noah’s Flood, over 4,300 years ago. In fleeing the rising waters, Dr. Snelling posited, Ebenezer was swept away in a debris flow and buried rapidly under massive amounts of sediment, preserving many of its bones. Dr. Snelling soon will oversee CT scans of these bones to facilitate further study of them. He has already started a site study in Colorado in collaboration with Dr. John Whitmore, geology professor at Cedarville University, to discover more about the animal’s demise. Their research will be published in AiG’s peer-reviewed Answers Research Journal.

The Creation Museum already has various dinosaur-related exhibits, including dinosaur eggs and bones, plus realistic animatronic models. Also, a dragon legends exhibit that opened last year asks the question: “Were the many dragons of legend really dinosaurs?”

Noting that children 12 and under are free at the museum in 2014 with a paying adult, Ham observed: “Evolutionists use dinosaurs to reach children more than anything to promote their worldview. Our museum uses dinosaurs to help tell their true history according to the Bible. This remarkable allosaur is a great addition to our dinosaur exhibits. It’s been a pleasure to work with the Peroutka Foundation, which wants to use this great fossil in a God-honoring way.”

The Creation Museum is an outreach of the apologetics organization of Answers in Genesis. The high-tech museum has drawn over 2 million visitors in over six years. With most of the funding in place for phase one of its Ark Encounter project (a $74 million first phase), AiG will soon start construction on a full-size Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, Ky.
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Harvest crusades with Greg Laurie to celebrate 25 years of outreach

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Harvest Crusades) — Harvest Crusades with Greg Laurie will celebrate its 25th consecutive year of evangelistic outreach in Southern California during the 2014 SoCal Harvest, slated for August 15-17 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Founded by pastors Greg Laurie and Chuck Smith in 1990, the Harvest Crusades have returned to Orange County each summer for the past 25 years, and have also drawn millions of people to additional stadium events across the country and around the world.

Southern California pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie has spoken at each Harvest Crusade event since their inception, sharing the Gospel message with more than 6.5 million people worldwide, both in-person and via live internet broadcasts. This year will be no different as each night of the 2014 SoCal Harvest outreach will feature a straight-forward message of faith from Laurie and music from top Christian recording artists including Chris Tomlin, Skillet, NeedtoBreathe, for King & Country, Sidewalk Prophets, and Phil Wickham (musicians vary by night).

In addition to the 2014 SoCal Harvest, this year Harvest with Greg Laurie will host the Dallas Harvest at the American Airlines Center (October 5), which will be simulcast to thousands of locations nationwide for a coast-to-coast evangelistic outreach called Harvest America. Two previous Harvest America programs were simulcast from Angel Stadium in 2012 and from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia in 2013. The Anaheim Harvest America event alone drew more than 302,700 participants, making it one of the largest evangelistic outreaches in U.S. history.

The Harvest with Greg Laurie events are known for relating to audiences through contemporary means like top notch music, live Internet webcasts and hosted video podcasts, but the crux of each event is the nightly message presented by Greg Laurie. Called the “evangelist of the future” by Billy Graham, Laurie draws on Scripture, flavored with personal and cultural examples, to describe the relevance of faith in today’s world. Laurie’s talks encompass topics that appeal to people of any age and answer questions like: Why am I here? Is God real? What happens when I die?

The 2014 SoCal Harvest will be broadcast live via the Internet at www.harvest.org and video blog accounts of each message will also be made available. “Behind the scenes” updates about the Harvest outreach will be posted on Facebook (www.facebook.com/harvestcrusades), Instagram (harvest_org or search #HarvestSoCal) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/harvest_org).

Greg Laurie, who founded the evangelistic Harvest Crusade events in 1990, also serves as senior pastor of one of the largest churches in the U.S., Harvest Christian Fellowship, which has campuses in Riverside and Irvine, Calif. Laurie also serves on the board of directors for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
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