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:
Florida Baptist Witness
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Christian Newswire
Enough is Enough
World News Service
Florida Baptist Witness launches
new print and online versions
By FBW Staff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Florida Baptist Witness) — The Florida Baptist Witness launched new print and online versions on Nov. 6, a little more than 10 months after Kevin Bumgarner was named executive editor.
In the time leading up to the re-launch, Bumgarner added full-time reporters based out of Jacksonville and Miami, and hired Associate Editor Michael Smith to oversee the print-edition redesign.
“My goal throughout this process has been to find a group of talented reporters and designers who would do their very best to put together content that will bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ,” Bumgarner said. “I have been blessed by God as he has shown me the right people for the right time to move the Witness in a new direction.”
Reporters Nicole Kalil and Keila Diaz have been focusing on stories that have the broadest possible appeal to Florida Baptists. New features include “A Closer Look,” which is a question and answer with a Florida Baptist who is leading in the areas of business, education, arts, entertainment, nonprofits or parenting. The “Florida Focus” feature, which used to be defined by Baptist Associations, has been broken into the state’s five well-known regions, so people who are not familiar with association work can more easily find the stories of interest to them.
The Witness will continue to have a close relationship with the Florida Baptist Convention, with Barbara Denman and her team supplying regular content designed to keep readers informed and encouraged about what is going on within the denomination statewide.
Each print edition will be anchored by a cover story with the broadest possible interest to Florida Baptists, Bumgarner said, adding that the goal with everything is to create content that readers will be able to use and apply to their daily lives.
To that end, the new Witness has added seven columns that are being written by leading pastors and laypeople throughout the state. Topics are mental health, personal finances, leadership, politics, parenting, women-to-women and Millennial-focused content.
“It is extremely important that we include insightful commentary on the issues that affect our readers and potential readers,” Bumgarner said. “That is one of the primary reasons we added columns written by women, Millennials and minorities. While never doing anything to dilute the Gospel-centered message, we need voices that reflect the increasingly diverse state we are trying to serve.”
To increase the Witness’ emphasis on the Gospel, each issue will now contain someone’s personal testimony and, separately, a story about why someone likes the church they are attending. Anyone has the opportunity to share their testimony or brag on their church by contacting Bumgarner. Two popular Bible studies are a few of the only things that have been carried over from the previous version.
Online readers will see big improvements as well.
For the first time, the Witness will have a daily poll question, and those who respond will be able to see what other Florida Baptists are thinking on a variety of topics. Readers also will find easy access to the five social media platforms the Witness is now engaged in: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn. There also will be dedicated spots for blogs and breaking news, videos and channels that help readers find the content they want by subject.
“We know that users will come to our website for the opportunity to connect and interact with us—not just read stories,” Bumgarner said. “We are committed to giving them a robust experience while staying focused on the truth of God’s Word.”
Website users also will notice that access to the content that also appears in print is now behind a paywall. If you would prefer to get the Witness online, you may now do so for $20 a year.
Bumgarner said that, as good stewards of its share of Cooperative Program dollars, subscriptions and advertising revenue, the time was right for website users to pay their share when it comes to consuming high-quality content that costs ever-more to produce.
For those who have questions or comments, feel free to contact Bumgarner at [email protected] or by phone at 904-596-3171.
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Wells calls for biblical vision of God’s
‘holy-love’ in Southern Seminary’s Gheens Lectures
By Andrew J.W. Smith
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) — A holistic vision of God forms the center of Christian life, freeing believers to be “God-centered in our thoughts, God-fearing in our hearts and God-honoring in our work,” said David F. Wells in the Gheens Lectures at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Sept. 24-25.
Wells, distinguished research professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and author of numerous books on evangelicalism and culture, lectured on the “holy-love” of God, which is the central idea in his most recent work, God in the Whirlwind.
In the first lecture, Wells presented his vision of a fully Godward identity, centered on the union of his holiness and his love. While God’s love cannot be fully comprehended without his wrath and judgment, Wells said, his holiness similarly is not completed without his love. Therefore, the holy-love of God brings together both fundamental aspects of his character.
Western culture, however, is dominated by a “centerless vision” and prisoner to a postmodern ideology without objective truth, which has resulted in staggeringly high rates of depression in spite of prosperity, he noted.
“Never have we had so much; never have we had so little,” Wells said.
The second lecture, delivered the following morning, focused on the holy-love of God expressed in the revelation of the crucified Jesus Christ. In the person of Christ, Wells said, “God’s love provides what God’s holiness requires.”
Wells sketched out a Protestant understanding of substitution, propitiation and imputed righteousness, demonstrating how each theological category functions throughout the New Testament.
“Jesus never said he was dying as a martyr for a cause, but as a propitiation for people,” he said, demonstrating that Jesus’ death was always meant to be substitutionary.
Wells also pointed out the weaknesses of liberal revisions of orthodox Christian theology. Liberalism, he argued, in omitting God’s holiness also misses the profundity of his love.
“We see the depth of God’s love when Jesus enters into our judgment,” Wells said.
Wells concluded his second lecture by identifying the best way to commend the gospel to a culture with both spiritual and physical needs. While it is increasingly common for evangelicals to argue that evangelism must be combined with social action to be effective, Wells posited that social action is not the best way to minister to people in the Western world.
Human needs in the West, he said, are experienced psychologically, and there are thousands of other ways besides social action in which Christians can express God’s holy-love.
His third lecture explored the relationship between God’s holy-love and the workplace. Instead of seeing work as a necessary evil in a fallen world, Wells showed that work was in place before the Fall but became difficult and burdensome because of sin.
Wells highlighted three aspects of work that relate to the Christian life: instrumental, work requires effort; relational, work involves social interaction; and ontological, meaning that motivates our work.
Regarding the relational aspect, Wells pointed out that the modern workplace often exists in anonymity — people barely know their co-workers. This often leads them to do and say things they never would in their family contexts. The solution for anonymity, according to Wells, is the holy-love of God: before him, no one is alone.
“We are always before God,” Wells said, “Before whom all things are laid bare.”
Wells also demonstrated how Christianity informs the ontological aspect of work, saturating it with deeper meaning.
“The holy-love of God gives our work a future hope, making it more likely to work with joy and satisfaction,” Wells said.
Invoking Luther’s robust theology of vocation, Wells argued that Christians are not meant to retreat from daily life into monasticism, but are called to work out their faith in their workplace contexts. Ultimately, he argued, a love of neighbor that is rooted in the holy-love of God offers true meaning to our work lives.
“Whatever your calling, give yourself to people,” Wells said. “If you do this, you’ll find that work is not an interference with your spiritual life.”
Audio and video from the Gheens Lectures are available at sbts.edu/resources.
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SEBTS professors lead student
missions teams to South Asia and Taiwan
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) — Three Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) professors recently led student missions teams to South Asia and Taiwan to partner with International Mission Board workers in the field.
George Robinson, SEBTS associate professor of missions and evangelism, led a team of 15 students and spouses to South Asia in May. In addition, Walter Strickland, special advisor to the SEBTS president for diversity and instructor of theology, and Benjamin Quinn, SEBTS instructor of theology and history of ideas, recently led five students on a weeklong mission trip to Taipei, Taiwan.
Five couples and five individuals from SEBTS divided into three teams of five working with local partners in a mountainous region of South Asia. They engaged in church planting strategies and shared the Gospel among unreached Tibetan Buddhist and Hindu people groups. The team saw five people come to faith in Christ through outreach efforts.
Team participants in South Asia also conducted training sessions for indigenous pastors and lay leaders. These times of informal theological education focused on Old and New Testament surveys, Ecclesiology and Sanctity of Life training. This region is also known for sex trafficking, political instability and opposition to the Gospel.
Robinson planned the trip logistics and functioned in a shepherding role before and during the mission. He also taught the connected storyline of the Scripture in local house churches that had requested informal theological education, and he hosted a nightly “ask anything” session for pastors and lay-leaders where they could ask biblical and theological questions.
Robinson said one of his favorite memories from the mission was “Seeing the incredible team unity that the Lord formed between our SEBTS students, residential missionaries and national workers.”
Matthew and Heather Hirts, the team hosts, are both full-time workers in South Asia. Matthew has a Master of Divinity in International Church Planting , and Heather has a diploma in Women’s Studies with a missions emphasis from SEBTS.
SEBTS student Paige Westberg helped document the South Asia mission through photography. She said that God taught her humility throughout the mission, as she had to realize that she was, “not the mover and the shaker. He is the One changing the world.”
One of the SEBTS professors who led a student missions team to Taiwan, Strickland saw the trip as a way to fulfill the Great Commission. “As an individual it shapes me to be a person who is Great Commission oriented,” he said.
The other SEBTS professor Quinn said, “Much of Taiwan has never heard the story of Jesus. It is a place where we can go and share the Gospel without having to look over our shoulder.”
In addition, Taipei is a large city in Taiwan, but is not large compared to other major Eastern cities such as Beijing or Hong Kong. With a population of approximately eight million people, the city has about 800,000 college and university students.
“In Taiwan, only two percent of the population is Christian but the people are very open to the Gospel,” Quinn said.
The missions team visited with Rob Riley, a 2003 graduate from Southeastern with a Master of Divinity in International Church Planting, his wife Pam and their three children, who are a dedicated IMB missionary family serving the Taiwan student population.
Riley has served in Taiwan for five years, for a total of seven years in East Asia. He is one of the College at Southeastern’s partners for the Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies degree program where students spend a semester abroad in a strategic ministry location.
Jenny Citarelli, a College at Southeastern student, said, “Out of the three missionary families I met in Taiwan, all three of them worked for the IMB and two of them studied at SEBTS. For one of the first times I witnessed the real people and places (where) much of our focus and money is directed towards.”
As part of his ministry, Riley teaches classes on college campuses including English as a Second Language (ESL), a life skills class, an American civilization class and a “The Cosby Show” class. “The Cosby Show” class has seen the most “conversion fruit.”
The SEBTS team visited Taiwan classrooms and performed a formal, dramatized presentation of the Gospel to 350 students. Ninety percent of the viewers had never heard the full story of Jesus. Then they would break up into small groups to discuss the story of creation, fall, redemption and restoration in Christ Jesus
Strickland shared that he would highly recommend going on an international mission trip because it will help someone to fully understand the heart of SEBTS as a Great Commission seminary.
“The trip made me into a more mature and missional disciple of Christ by reaffirming my desire to serve overseas one day,” Citarelli said. “It gave me a better understanding and passion for the current ministry work I do in North Carolina.”
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Missouri Baptist Convention honors BRN founder
Dick Bott with Outstanding Christian Service Award
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (Christian Newswire) — The Missouri Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission presented Bott Radio Network (BRN) Founder and Chairman Dick Bott its Outstanding Christian Service Award today during the MBC’s annual state convention held at the Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Mo.
Since its founding in 1962 with one radio station (KCCV – Kansas City’s Christian Voice), BRN has grown to become a world leader in quality Christian Talk Radio with 97 radio stations reaching into 15 states and a combined coverage of 51 million people. BRN also has expanded worldwide via the Internet and other digital media. “I am both honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” said BRN Founder and Chairman Dick Bott. “BRN shares the vision of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission to address the social, moral and ethical concerns of our times from a Christian worldview, and to do so with the Word of God.”
“We are delighted to recognize the outstanding contributions Dick Bott has made to Christian broadcasting and the advancement of God’s kingdom,” said Don Hinkle, director of public policy for the Missouri Baptist Convention. “Bott Radio Network has enriched the lives of millions of listeners and it is fitting that we pause to thank Dick Bott, the driving force behind BRN’s success.”
Mr. Bott was joined on stage by Missouri Liberty Project founder Joshua Hawley, who also received the Outstanding Christian Service Award for his work defending religious liberties, including his representation of Hobby Lobby before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, concerned the Obama Administration’s rules that would have forced business owners to fund abortion-inducing drugs in violation of their Christian conscience. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby upholding the religious liberties of business people to practice their faith at work.
The Outstanding Christian Service Award is inspired by a quote from Daniel Webster, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate during the first half of the 19th century, argued 223 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and served as Secretary of State in the administration of three Presidents. Webster, who is considered to be among the five greatest senators in our nation’s history, once said, “Whatever makes men good Christians makes them good citizens.”
About Bott Radio Network
Since its founding in 1962, Bott Radio Network (BRN) has grown from one radio station to become a world leader in quality Christian Talk Radio with 97 radio stations reaching into 15 states and a combined coverage of 51 million people. BRN can be heard 24/7 worldwide at BottRadioNetwork.com and on mobile devices with BRN apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. Additionally, BRN can be heard on iHeart Radio, iTunes and TuneIn Radio. Bott Radio Network also connects with listeners on Facebook and Twitter.
About Christian Life Commission
The Missouri Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission is the public policy arm of the state’s largest evangelical denomination. Its members are composed of both laity and ministers from across the state whose primary task is to educate and advise Missouri Southern Baptists about public policy issues of concern from a Christian Worldview. The Missouri Baptist Convention comprises approximately 2,000 churches with total membership of about 650,000.
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Newly published academic article compiles latest peer-
reviewed research on internet pornography pandemic
GREAT FALLS, Va. (Enough is Enough) — To explore what has been called “the largest unregulated social experiment in human history,” Donna Rice Hughes, CEO and president of Enough Is Enough®, has authored a research article entitled “The Internet Pornography Pandemic” (http://bit.ly/1rA0erQ).
Published in the 2014 edition of The Christian Apologetics Journal, the article details the current state of Internet pornography, its real world consequences as it relates to children and adolescents, and the routes to resolution.
“The eye-opening escalating statistics concerning the saturation of extreme online pornography into cultures worldwide and the harmful impact on the emotional, mental and sexual health of young children, tweens and teens continue to worsen,” said Hughes. “This extensive paper lays out the most information to serve as a clearinghouse for anyone needing additional education on the subject.”
In “The Internet Pornography Pandemic,” Hughes lays out the current reliable research from trusted institutions and medical and sociological professionals on the topic, including:
— A brief history and legal background of federal pornography laws including indecency, obscenity and child pornography, Supreme Court decisions, and First Amendment issues.
— The current state of Internet pornography and youth, citing specific statistics regarding both.
— The deceptive marketing techniques used by the Internet pornographers’ industry, such as free teaser images and videos; innocent word searches; cartoon characters; and free flash games to lure children into pornography sites.
— Addiction and compulsive habituation, porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED), and breakthrough brain science are explored along with the public health impact of pornography, on the attitude, values, behavior and relationships of youth.
— The real-world consequences of extreme pornography such as sexting, sex-trafficking and kids acting out aggressively against other youth.
— Routes to resolution, including the roles and responsibilities of parents and caring adults, the Internet industry, corporate America, law enforcement, government, and faith-based communities.
— The necessity to create a cultural shift, or “Tipping Point,” in attitudes regarding the unrelenting social costs of pornography and to elevate the harms of pornography from not only a moral issue but also to a rapidly growing public health pandemic with the goal of creating a movement, much like the stop smoking campaign.
“Nations like the United Kingdom under the leadership of Prime Minister Cameron are implementing holistic and effective solutions through which government and industry are proactively doing their part to protect children from Internet pornography and child pornography,” said Hughes.
“However, in America significant gaps continue to exist between the Internet’s dangers to children and the level of enforcement and industry-driven action dedicated to protecting children online.” Hughes continued, “As a result, the buck is passed to parents, who are usually uninformed, overwhelmed or ill-equipped to shoulder the entire burden to protect their children and families from the onslaught.”
According to Hughes, Internet-initiated crimes, and dangers directed at young people have continued to grow exponentially, threatening the safety, security and quality of life for children and families globally.
Ending with a clarion call to the Church to wake up and get involved, Hughes distinguishes between her organization’s secular focus and her own perspective as a Christian.
“Sadly, many of today’s cultural problems are the consequences of the failure of the church. America has abandoned its spiritual roots and the vision of our nation’s founding fathers. As a result, America is in a moral free fall,” said Hughes. “After having sacrificed almost two generations of children to the destructive influence of Internet pornography much of which is prosecutable under current U.S. law, it is long past time to say ‘enough is enough.’ A spectrum of prevention starts with one person, one family, one community and one nation at a time to bring about widespread cultural change.”
To view the full article visit: http://bit.ly/1rA0erQ .
About Enough Is Enough
Enough Is Enough® (EIE) is a national non-profit organization, the mission for which is to make the Internet safer for children and families. Since 1994, EIE has been a national leader in the efforts to combat Internet p*rnography, child p*rnography, and sexual predation,incorporating a three-pronged approach. First, educating the public about Internet dangers and equipping them with safety solutions. Secondly, partnering within the technology industry to develop and implement viable, family-friendly technological safety solutions and best practices. And thirdly, promoting legal solutions that call for aggressive enforcement of existing laws and enactment of new laws to prevent the online exploitation and victimization of children EIEis dedicated to advancing awareness and solutions to these problems that promote equality, fairness and respect for human dignity with shared responsibilities between the public, the technology industry, and the legal community.EIE stands for freedom of speech as defined by the Constitution of the United States; for a culture where all people are respected and valued; for a childhood with a protected period of innocence; for healthy sexuality; and for a society free from sexual exploitation. www.enough.org; www.internetsafety101.org; www.friendlywifi.org
About Donna Rice Hughes
Donna Rice Hughes, CEO and President of Enough Is Enough®, is an Internet safety advocate, author and speaker. She is frequently sought out for her expertise by national media outlets, including (NBC) The Today Show, CNN and Fox News. She served as a Child Online Protection Commissioner, the U.S. Attorneys General’s Internet Safety Technical Task Force and won the 2013 Women in Technology Leadership Award for “Social Impact”. She is the Executive Producer and host of EIE’s Emmy and Telly award-winning Internet Safety 101® multi-media program. The adult curriculum was developed in partnership with the Department of Justice to prevent Internet-initiated crimes against children by educating, equipping and empowering parents, educators and caring adults with the knowledge and resources needed to protect children from online p*rnography, child p*rnography, sexual predators and cyberbullies, as well as cyber security risks and dangers related to social networking, online gaming and mobile devices.
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Concerned Women and Cultural Shifts
Penny Young Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, talks
about the ways our nation is changing, for better and for worse
By Warren Cole Smith
WASHINGTON (World News Service) — Penny Young Nance is president of Concerned Women for America (CWA), described on the group’s website as “the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.” CWA has been around for 35 years, articulating conservativeviews on what are often called “women’s issues” as well on as other political issues. Nance has served as the CEO of Concerned Women for American since 2010. She was named the group’s president last year.
This is your 35th anniversary. What’s the genesis of your organization, and what have you done over those years? Concerned Women for America began in 1979 when our founder, Beverly LaHaye was sitting in her living room in Southern California. She was a pastor’s wife and had never been involved in public policy. One day she was watching Betty Friedan talk about what women want, talking about the ERA. Betty Friedan decided she wanted to speak on behalf of all women. She pretended that women were monolithic. And Mrs. LaHaye literally jumped off her sofa, stood up and said, “She doesn’t represent me. The things she’s asking for, I don’t support.” And that was, of course, abortion on demand and passage of the ERA. So she got busy and she met with some women and they ended up doing a rally in Southern California and one thing led to another. Now we have seven core issues. Those issues are: life; marriage; education; national sovereignty; … religious freedom, which is a huge issue right now for Americans; sexual exploitation of women and children; … and support for the nation of Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East.
How are we doing on those issues? It’s a mixed bag on many of those issues. For instance, on the life issue, the Allan Guttmacher institute numbers just came out, and abortions are down. They’re the lowest they’ve been since Roe v. Wade. However, even one’s too many. I would say we have come so far, though, because we were getting close to 2 million a year at one point. What’s changed is the country has become more pro-life. Even Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is not a conservative, admits that the courts jumped into something and created problems instead of letting the states work out this issue, … but now the states are pushing back. We’ve had abortion clinics shutting down all over the country because of two things. Demand has decreased, and also [there are] better state laws. … We’re seeing real traction in the debate … because now we’re making the country talk about what is actually in the womb. It’s not just about a woman’s right to choose. It’s about what she’s choosing. And when we talk about the fetal pain bill, which is the 20-week ban on abortions, suddenly we have to explain, this is why this should be illegal. This is part of our human family.
So, abortion? Progress. Same-sex marriage? Not so much. Not so much. That’s a very difficult issue. Now, I say, remain calm. There was a time when conservatives were told, you’re just going to have to get over abortion. It is settled law, and you are never going to gain traction. … But guess what? Something changed. Public opinion changed, and there’s a pendulum. Now, the pendulum, admittedly, right now is not swinging in our favor. People don’t understand why it is essential that traditional marriage is honored. That it’s a privileged institution. I would suggest that it will swing back because now you’re seeing the consequences.
In general, what do you see for the future? Are you hopeful, or are you discouraged? Are we really getting better, or are we just maybe slowing slightly the decline. The founders of this nation knew what they were doing. It makes it difficult for one person, one administration, to completely destroy the country, although they can put policies in place that really hurt us. … I would suggest, really, at the heart of decline is our walking away as a country from faith and becoming much more secular. So as long as that trend continues, we’re going to have a problem. But, while that’s happening, I see a shift in our young people coming. … I see that starting to happen right now. Concerned Women for America’s Young Women for America chapters on college campuses just started two years ago and we have 21 now founded, up and going. Our latest was at Princeton University. We have about 35 in the works. I believe that we are on the cutting edge of offering not only a place of community for young, conservative woman on campus who really believe in our founding principles—free-market principles and biblical worldview—to come together and to be a force and to be salt and light on campus, but also to be winsome.
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