Baptist Press Stories for Jan. 14 2013 --------------------------------------- Collegians wrapping up post-Sandy disaster relief work http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39521 Hobby Lobby finds short-term way to avoid fines http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39522 Iranian-American pastor threatened with death http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39523 States deliver 43 pro-life laws in 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39524 FedEx donates Boeing 727 to Calif. Baptist Univ. http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39525 FIRST-PERSON: Religious freedom -- at the cost of $1.3 million per day http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39526 FIRST-PERSON: Trusting God in the winter of life http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39527 BP Ledger, Jan. 14, 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39528 --------------------------------------- Collegians wrapping up post-Sandy disaster relief work By Tobin Perry Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39521 NEW YORK CITY (BP) -- No more sleeping in tents or working long hours during a cold New York City winter. For college students who've spent part of their Christmas break ministering to Hurricane Sandy survivors, it's back to their routines of school, work, church and friends. Many also will return with memories and experiences that'll last a lifetime. "There's nothing that replaces the look on a homeowner's face when you get to talk with them and you get to share the Gospel with them, when you get to look them in the eyes and pray with them and tell them there's hope in the middle of this destruction," said Jordan Niemeyer, a student at Anderson University in Anderson, Ind. The last team of students serving in disaster relief roles in the Northeast head back to school during the week of Jan. 21. More than 500 Southern Baptist students from 22 states have participated in the DR initiative. As the students head back to school, Southern Baptists will continue transitioning to a long-term strategy of ministry to Hurricane Sandy survivors. Fritz Wilson, the North American Mission Board's executive director of disaster relief, said SBDR ministry in the region will continue for as long as a year. Long-range SBDR plans in the Sandy-affected areas will focus on places where the Baptist Convention of New York and Send North America: New York City teams will be starting new churches. Wilson hopes the relationships and goodwill garnered by SBDR efforts will help church plants as they reach out to their communities. "We can't be everywhere, so we want to be in those communities where we'll be starting new churches so we can enhance what they're doing," Wilson said. In this long-term work, Wilson said Southern Baptists will continue to do some flood recovery -- such as mud-out work -- but they will do more pressure washing and spraying. Many homeowners have cleaned out their homes but they need help to get rid of the mold. Wilson said SBDR will also be helping in some rebuilding efforts. "It won't be on the scale of Operation NOAH [after Hurricane Katrina] but we'll be recruiting churches and disaster relief teams to come in and help homeowners rebuild," Wilson said. SBDR continues to have non-collegiate teams in the Sandy-impacted region as well. To date, Southern Baptists have served more than 1.8 million meals to Hurricane Sandy survivors. A total of more than 34,000 volunteer days had been spent to help survivors through Jan. 11. The pastor of a small, independent church that SBDR volunteers worked on last November now says the church plans to worship in the building by late January. Last fall Hurricane Sandy threatened the century-long witness of Port Monmouth Community Church, which sits less than a mile off the shore in Port Monmouth, N.J. Church members say a 13-foot storm surge left the church's furnishings floating in 5 feet of water and destroyed two pulpits, among numerous other items. SBDR volunteers from Texas Baptist Men spent three days last November removing the salvageable contents of the building. They then pulled out damaged sheetrock before power washing and sanitizing the interior walls and floors and replacing the electric meter and wiring lost due to the hurricane. "I honestly believe if the Texas men had not shown up, our building would have been condemned by the city," McGaw said. From its disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga., NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through a partnership between NAMB and the Southern Baptist Convention's 42 state conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs. SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Southern Baptists and others who want to donate to the disaster relief operations can contact their state conventions or contribute to NAMB's disaster relief fund via namb.net/disaster-relief-donations. Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for "Disaster Relief." --30-- Tobin Perry is a writer for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Hobby Lobby finds short-term way to avoid fines By Staff Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39522 OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) -- Hobby Lobby says it has found a way to avoid for "several months" being penalized by the federal government for not covering abortion-inducing drugs in its employee health care plans. Beginning Jan. 1, Hobby Lobby reportedly was facing fines of around $1.3 million per day for defying the Department of Health and Human Services' abortion/contraceptive mandate. Jan. 1 was the date its new employee health care plan was to take effect. But Peter M. Dobelbower, an attorney and vice president for Hobby Lobby, said in a Jan. 10 statement that that date had been delayed, although he didn't provide specific details. "Hobby Lobby discovered a way to shift the plan year for its employee health insurance, thus postponing the effective date of the mandate for several months," Dobelbower said. "Hobby Lobby does not provide coverage for abortion-inducing drugs in its healthcare plan. Hobby Lobby will continue to vigorously defend its religious liberty and oppose the mandate and any penalties." Hobby Lobby eventually could face fines despite the fact that for-profits have a record of 9-5 (nine wins, five losses) in federal court against the mandate, according to a tally by the legal group Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Hobby Lobby -- the largest business to sue the government over the issue -- is among the four for-profits to have lost in court. So far, each of the nine victories has been limited to the business that sued, although if those wins stand on appeal, they could cover Hobby Lobby. Under the mandate, businesses and even some religious organizations are required to carry employee insurance that covers contraceptives, including emergency contraceptives such as Plan B and ella that can kill an embryo after fertilization and even after implantation. Pro-lifers consider that action a chemical abortion. After a federal judge in November ruled Hobby Lobby must cover the drugs, Becket unsuccessfully appealed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who oversees emergency appeals from the Tenth Circuit. Sotomayor did say the lawsuit could proceed in the lower court and be appealed back to the high court at the appropriate time. The Hobby Lobby suit also includes Mardel, a Christian bookstore chain. The same family -- the Greens -- owns both of them. "These abortion-causing drugs go against our faith, and our family is now being forced to choose between following the laws of the land that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful," David Green, Hobby Lobby's founder and CEO, said in September. "... We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate." In total, there have been 43 lawsuits against the mandate. Many of them involve religious organizations such as Christian colleges and universities. The mandate was announced by the Department of Health and Human Services in August 2011 as part of the health care law championed by President Obama. Although the Supreme Court upheld the health care law last June, the justices' ruling did not deal with the religious liberty issues surrounding the abortion/contraceptive mandate. That means the nation's highest court could yet strike down what has been for religious groups and some business owners the most controversial part of the law. --30-- Compiled by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Iranian-American pastor threatened with death By John Evans Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39523 TEHRAN (BP) -- Saeed Abedini, an Iranian-American pastor currently imprisoned in Iran, is being threatened with death as the country continues its longstanding pressures against Christians, according to a U.S. organization advocating in Abedini's behalf. The Iranian-born Abedini, a U.S. citizen who planted a network of house churches in Iran, was imprisoned last September and recently indicted on secret charges. According to the American Center for Law and Justice, Abedini's case recently was handed to Iranian Judge Pir-Abassi, known as one of the country's "hanging judges" for the number of people he has sent to their deaths. Also languishing in prison in Iran are attorney Mohammed Ali Dadkhah and pastor Benham Irani. The ACLJ reported Jan. 10 that Abedini had released a letter to his family members in Iran describing his ordeal. "The life of Pastor Saeed is in grave danger," Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the ACLJ, said in a news release. "When you read Pastor Saeed's own words, you understand that Iran has absolutely no regard for human rights and religious freedom." In his letter, a copy of which was posted by the ACLJ, Abedini writes of sleeping in a room with a bright light constantly lit, blurring day and night, and of the difficult process by which he says God is making him a godly man. "It is a hard process of warm and cold to make steel," Abedini wrote. "This is the process in my life today: one day I am told I will be freed and allowed to see my family and kids on Christmas (which was a lie) and the next day I am told I will hang for my faith in Jesus. One day there are intense pains after beatings in interrogations, the next day they are nice to you and offer you candy. These hot and cold days only make you a man of steel for moving forward in expanding His Kingdom." Abedini also wrote of the joy he felt when he heard how Christians around the world were supporting him, and that other prisoners were "shocked" by the love followers of Jesus showed each other. "I told them how in the Bible we are all considered brothers and sisters (despite race, color, or nationality) and we are to share in each other's pains," Abedini wrote. "This comes from our Lord. The Word of God says that when we are persecuted for our faith we are to count it all joy. When I think that all of these trials and persecutions are being recorded in heaven for me, my heart is filled with complete joy." The Iranian government does not recognize Abedini's U.S. citizenship, the ACLJ says, which he gained in 2010 by marriage to his American wife, with whom he has two children. Abedini had traveled back and forth from Iran freely until his arrest. The ACLJ, which represents his wife and children (who reside in the U.S.), claims the U.S. State Department has done little to help the pastor. "We continue to press the Obama Administration to engage this case -- to speak out forcefully on Pastor Saeed's behalf and put pressure on Iran's allies to free this American," Sekulow said in the ACLJ's news release. "Time is of the essence." Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a British religious rights organization, meanwhile reported on Jan. 7 that prominent Iranian human rights attorney Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, who led in securing the release of Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from prison, was jailed and disbarred for 10 years in September 2012, and his health is deteriorating. Dadkhah had faced the prospect of imprisonment for more than a year. "Moreover, official attempts to justify his imprisonment by attempting to coerce an 'on air' confession are not only reprehensible, but are also clear indications that the charges levelled against him were spurious," Mervyn Thomas, CSW's chief executive, said in a statement on the group's website. "CSW calls for the immediate release of Mr Dadkhah and for an end to the campaign of harassment of civil society." International Christian Concern, a Washington advocacy group for the persecuted church, meanwhile has kept its spotlight on the plight of pastor Benham Irani, who since his 2011 arrest has suffered severe health problems due to beatings by Iranian prison authorities and other cellmates and has been denied medical treatment. Serving a six-year sentence for "acting against the interests of national security," Irani wrote a letter from his prison cell to fellow Christians, ICC reported, speaking of his love and faith despite his suffering. "My brothers and sisters, I love you all," Irani wrote. "Christ has given you to me on Calvary. Even if I were sentenced to many years behind bars for the salvation of one of you, there would never be any complaint." ICC also relayed a report from Mohabet News, an Iranian Christian news agency, that Tehran house church pastor Vruir Avanessian was released on bail from Iran's notorious Evin Prison on Jan. 10 after 15 days in custody. Avanessian, apparently arrested due to his alleged contacts with Christian converts from Islam, was in poor health and required dialysis while in prison. And Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported that Iranian pastor Nadarkhani was was re-arrested and released several days later. Nadarkhani, a Muslim convert to Christianity, spent nearly three years in an Iranian prison before his acquittal in September of apostasy charges that could have led to his execution. He was convicted on lesser charges and sentenced to three years in prison but released due to time already served. On Christmas Day 2012, he was returned to prison but subsequently released on Jan. 8 of this year, CSW reported. According to a recent International Christian Concern report on Iran, the country saw a steep increase in persecution of religious minorities in 2011, which continued in 2012. Among the issues the report identified were arrests and detentions, harsh interrogations, raids on church gatherings, torture, long detentions without charge, violations of due process, and exorbitant bail demands. --30-- John Evans is a writer based in Houston. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- States deliver 43 pro-life laws in 2012 By Angela Lu Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39524 WASHINGTON (BP) -- As the United States approaches Roe v. Wade's 40th anniversary, pro-life advocates have gained ground in restricting the number of abortions taking place every year. In 2012, 43 pro-life provisions went into effect in 19 states, the second highest number after states enacted 92 pro-life laws in 2011. The numbers come from a report published by the pro-choice group Guttmacher Institute, which calculated the number of pro-life provisions rather than bills or laws, since bills often have multiple provisions. And while the Guttmacher Institute bemoaned the number of states restricting abortions, pro-life advocates rejoiced over lives saved. "For those who have been in the pro-life trenches for years, the remarkable passage of so many pro-life pieces of legislation should give these faithful warriors much hope and encouragement," bioethics analyst Dawn McBane wrote on CitizenLink.com. Arizona led all states that passed pro-life laws with seven, followed by Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin, which all enacted three or more laws. Most of the provisions focused on banning late-term abortions, limiting abortion coverage under the health care law, and regulating medication abortions, Guttmacher said. Late-term abortions are described as abortions after 20 weeks, which studies found is the time when preborn babies feel pain. Currently seven states ban abortions at 20 weeks, while similar laws in Arizona and Georgia are facing court challenges. Four states enacted provisions to counter President Obama's healthcare law by banning abortion coverage in insurance exchanges, except in cases of life endangerment. Three states prohibited the use of telemedicine, which allows physicians to dispense abortion drugs through webcams. Many provisions also require pregnant women to have an ultrasound before having an abortion. According to Option Ultrasound, when a women sees an ultrasound of her baby, she is 60 percent more likely to proceed with the pregnancy. Some states also increased regulation on abortion providers so that they follow the same safety laws as other medical centers that perform outpatient surgeries. Other provisions included securing admitting privileges at hospitals near abortion centers in the case of botched abortions. The pro-life trend looks like it will continue: Texas lawmakers plan to introduce six pro-life bills in 2013, with the support of Gov. Rick Perry. The bills range from banning late-term abortions to prohibiting abortion insurance coverage. "Now, to be clear, my goal, and the goal of many of those joining me here today, is to make abortion, at any stage, a thing of the past," Perry said in December. "We cannot, and we will not, stand idly by while the unborn are going through the agony of having their lives ended." --30-- Angela Lu writes for World News Service, where this story first appeared. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- FedEx donates Boeing 727 to Calif. Baptist Univ. By Kathie Chute Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39525 RIVERSIDE, Calif. (BP) -- FedEx Express has donated a Boeing 727-200F to California Baptist University for its new aviation science program. The cargo jet made its final taxi Jan. 10 after landing at the Riverside Municipal Airport. The aircraft will be on permanent display at the airport and will provide a working laboratory for CBU aviation science students. Before its final flight, the aircraft with registration number N266FE provided FedEx with 20 years of service, transporting packages to destinations throughout the United States. The plane is FedEx's 60th donation of a Boeing 727 to various organizations for educational purposes. Prior to its service with FedEx, the aircraft served as a passenger plane for Air Canada. Daniel Prather, founding chair of the university's aviation science department, said the aircraft "reached the end of its useful life in commercial service after 33 years" but is "beginning a new life here at the Riverside Municipal Airport as a working lab for CBU aviation science students." Prather noted that Women in Aviation International helped facilitate the FedEx donation. WAI is a nonprofit Ohio-based organization that encourages the advancement of women in all aviation careers and interests. "FedEx is always proud to give back to the communities where we live and work," said David Sutton, FedEx managing director of aircraft acquisition and sales, "and this donation of a 727 from our fleet is a good example of the company's community spirit. This marks the 60th aircraft we have donated coast to coast, reflecting the community pride shared by all FedEx employees in support of educational endeavors." "Starting a program with a B727 already on hand," Prather said, "is more than I could have ever expected." --30-- Kathie Chute is director of communications at California Baptist University. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Religious freedom -- at the cost of $1.3 million per day By James A. Smith Sr./Florida Baptist Witness Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39526 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- It's not theoretical any longer. Hobby Lobby -- a business owned by Christians seeking to run their company on biblical principles -- is currently in jeopardy of government fines of $1.3 million PER DAY for its principled refusal to provide to employees contraceptive healthcare coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs. I don't know of a more obvious example of the endangerment of religious freedom in America than that faced by Hobby Lobby and all other businesses owned by those who stand for the sanctity of human life. This threat has been growing ever since President Obama signed the 2010 health care reform bill into law. Yet, even with a flurry of lawsuits filed by various kinds of for-profit businesses owned by evangelical, Catholic and Mennonite believers and religious non-profits not exempted by the Obama administration's onerous mandate, it seems many Christians are unaware or unconcerned about this matter. As Baptist Press reported, Hobby Lobby will not compromise its beliefs and remains at risk for the exorbitant fines after losing several rounds in federal courts. The threat faced by the Oklahoma-based company is very real, even though a number of other similarly situated for-profit businesses have received temporary judicial relief from the mandate required by the Obama administration's implementation of the healthcare reform law. Further, the threats to religious colleges -- including Baptist schools -- and other religious non-profits not included in the very narrow exemption permitted by the Department of Health and Human Services also remain, even after several promising rulings by federal courts. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals, for example, ruled Dec. 18 the mandate cannot be enforced while it awaits the government's promised re-write of the regulations that may address the concerns of religious non-profits. Still, there are no guarantees that the new regulations will in fact provide true religious freedom to such organizations. Further, even if the new regulations are satisfactory for religious non-profits, undoubtedly they will not provide any protection to for-profit businesses with owners, like Hobby Lobby, who conscientiously object to providing morally objectionable "health care." Hobby Lobby is a national crafts retailer with more than 500 stores and more than 13,000 full-time employees. (The mandate applies to businesses with more than 50 employees.) It's the largest business to challenge the Obamacare "birth control" mandate. Hobby Lobby is widely known for its Christian convictions, which include running the family business according to biblical principles, not doing business on Sunday, employing Christian chaplains for its employees, and publishing advertising with Gospel messages during holiday seasons. "It's by God's grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured," said David Green, its founder. "Therefore, we seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles." Because of those principles, Hobby Lobby will not provide coverage in its self-insured healthcare plan that includes abortion-inducing birth control. At some point this year -- when its new plan begins -- it apparently will be subject to fines of $1.3 million per day. (It was initially reported Hobby Lobby would be subject to the fines beginning Jan. 1, but the company has found a way to shift its plan year, thus postponing the beginning of the plan year. The company has not said publicly what the new date is.) In November, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton in Oklahoma rejected Hobby Lobby's lawsuit seeking protection under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Heaton said RFRA does not protect Hobby Lobby because a company is not a "person" under the law. He said the claim that businesses enjoy free exercise of religious rights is "uncharted waters." The company also failed to get temporary relief from a court of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court while its case is pending. The ruling against Hobby Lobby, however, is contrary to the results of lawsuits brought by nine other businesses that have won temporary reprieves from the mandate. On Dec. 28, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago granted an emergency motion to Korte & Luitjohan Contractors, Inc., a family-owned construction business in Highland, Ill. The Korte family is Catholic and seeks to run its business according to its religious convictions, which include an objection to any kind of contraceptive drugs -- abortion inducing or otherwise. On this point most evangelicals will not be in agreement with Catholics (on non-abortifacient drugs). Nevertheless, the principle of religious liberty demands that evangelicals defend Catholics against government requirements that violate their conscience. Losing in the trial court an effort to block enforcement of the mandate, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a motion with the Seventh Circuit seeking an injunction to stop application of the mandate while the Korte case is considered. The appeals court granted the motion. Of particular note, the Seventh Circuit rejected the argument of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals against Hobby Lobby's request for temporary relief. "The religious-liberty violation at issue here inheres in the coerced coverage of contraception, abortifacients, sterilization, and related services, not -- or perhaps more precisely, not only -- in the later purchase or use of contraception or related services," the Seventh Circuit ruled (emphasis in original). ACLJ helpfully explains the "absurdity" of the Obama administration's argument against the application of religious freedom to religious employers: "Simply put, the injury to an employer's religious beliefs occurs from the mandate forcing the employer, under pain of penalty, to arrange for and pay for insurance that provides drugs and services the employer deems immoral, whether or not those drugs and services are ever prescribed or used.... "According to the government, the mandate does not burden an employer's religious beliefs because there are independent decisions that have to be made by the health care providers and the patients/employees before the drugs and services are ever used. "In other words, the government argues that there is sufficient distance between the employer and the immoral acts to avoid a violation of the employer's religious exercise rights. "Under the government's incorrect rationale, however, a governmental mandate, for example, requiring Catholic hospitals to provide ready access to surgical abortions would not substantially burden the religious exercise of those Catholic hospitals because any burden would be negated by the independent decisions of individuals seeking the abortion. "The absurdity of this logic is obvious, as the Seventh Circuit recognized. "Forcing an employer to pay for a health plan that includes what the employer believes are immoral drugs and services is the equivalent of forcing that employer to provide employees with coupons for those things paid for by the employer himself. There is nothing distant about that; the employer's religious beliefs are violated in either circumstance." I last wrote about this deeply troubling issue in October, arguing President Obama should take a cue from Thomas Jefferson who said in 1779, "To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical." As I said then, the situation is far worse than that contemplated by Jefferson more than two centuries ago. The heath care law doesn't merely violate consciences by using the coercive power of the state to tax for the propagation of opinions contrary to the religious convictions of pro-life citizens. Even if there were true exemptions for religious employers, the law's framework provides for the inclusion of abortion-inducing drugs as "health care." Without a true religious freedom-protecting exemption, the Obama "birth control" mandate makes employers complicit with their own private funds in the act of ending human life or preventing pregnancy, contrary to the deeply held religious opinions of these employers. It is truly extraordinary that the Obama administration's lock-step devotion to the Culture of Death would cause it to take such a stringent stance, coercing Americans to pay for with their own money that which they abhor. Sinful and tyrannical indeed. The right to operate your business according to your deeply held religious convictions at the cost $1.3 million per day in government fines is not religious liberty. America's Founders certainly never would have contemplated such a definition of freedom of conscience. There are now 43 active lawsuits against the Obama mandate. This growing legal battle is one in which Christians should be actively engaged. We should pray -- and work to make our concerns known -- that God would grant success in this matter, either through new regulations, new law or legal victory that would result in full religious freedom. Facing the very real threat of violation of religious conscience or economic ruin, we should also pray for and financially support Hobby Lobby and other businesses that are seeking to operate according to biblical principles that the impending, outrageous fines would not be realized and that their Christian testimony would impact many for the sake of the Gospel. --30-- This column first appeared at the Florida Baptist Witness, online at [URL=http://gofbw.com]gofbw.com[/URL]. James A. Smith Sr. is executive editor of the Florida Baptist Witness. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Trusting God in the winter of life By David Jeremiah Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39527 EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- What comes to your mind when you think of winter? Short days? Chilling blasts of air? Flames in the hearth? Many people have a love-hate relationship with the wintry season. There's something cozy about snuggling under thick blankets on frosty nights. But reduced daylight and plummeting temperatures can affect our mental and physical health. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of winter depression that hits half a million people due to inadequate sunlight. We need sunshine for physical and emotional well-being. Too much sun damages skin, but too little reduces the production of hormones that help us remain healthy and upbeat. Sunlight produces vitamin D in the body. Lack of vitamin D results in chronic fatigue and depression. Some people become "SAD" in the winter of life, too. They look sadly back over the springtime of their youth, the summer of mid-life, and the autumn of advancing years. Facing them now are the cold blasts of winter, and they feel their time on earth is drawing to a close. We can face winter at any age, of course. We never know when an illness, trauma, or tragedy, a reversal of fortune will chill us to the bone. Even so, we often equate winter with advancing years when many adults live alone. The onset of age begins removing life's most precious possessions -- friends and family, health and energy, employment and meaningful activity, even hobbies. A sense of uselessness creeps over the soul. The elderly often become worn down by the dark days of inactivity and illness. In the winter of life, "SAD" stands for Sickness, Age and Death. Depression affects 18 percent of the elderly, but only 8 percent of the young. But it doesn't have to be dark in winter. Christ can make the difference. In the dead of winter, doctors treat Seasonal Affective Disorder with light therapy. Daily treatment with a lamp 10 times the intensity of ordinary lighting is 85 percent effective. A similar prescription works for those facing the Sickness, Age and Death of life's cold winter. Bask in the Light on a cold winter's day. John the apostle lived to a ripe old age, and he faced life's winter with enthusiasm because of "Light Therapy": "Jesus spoke to them..., 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12). "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). If you're facing the dark days of life's winter, let the light of Jesus brighten your days. Here's an aggressive treatment of Light Therapy. First, rededicate yourself to Christ. He wants you to trust Him even with sickness, age and death. He was faithful earlier in life, and He will not forsake you now. Jesus faced winter, too. On a cold night He was betrayed. Under dark skies, He faced death. But He rose three days later -- and it was springtime, Easter, which brings to an end the tyranny of winter and ushers in a beautiful world of new and eternal life. Second, spend extended time basking in the study of God's Word. Third, let the light of Christ reflect from you to others. During the winter of life, God can often use us more powerfully -- more time and experience to pray, witness and uplift others through notes, calls, volunteer work. We could encourage our grandchildren, pastor, family -- anyone in need of a ray of sunshine. Be God's Light Therapy. Are you facing illness? Trust Christ and walk in His light. Are you facing old age? God won't forsake you. Are you worried about dying? Even in death, the Lord opens the doors to new life. Don't worry about the passing seasons. If it's icy now, spring is just around the corner. If it's winter now, remember that Easter is near at hand. --30-- Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif. For more information on Turning Point, visit www.DavidJeremiah.org. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). This column has been approved by Turning Point for redistribution in Baptist state newspapers and in Townhall.com. For permission to reprint it, contact Myrna Davis at mdavis@turningpointonline.org. -- End of story -- BP Ledger, Jan. 14, 2013 By Staff Jan. 14 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39528 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: William Carey Library World News Service (two items) Hardin-Simmons University New Ralph D. Winter Biography Highlights Lasting Impact of Sometimes Controversial World-Changer PASADENA, Calif. (William Carey Library) -- Legendary American missionary strategist Ralph D. Winter always provoked strong reactions, one way or another. The U.S. Center for World Mission and William Carey Library are bringing us an important biography, The Ralph D. Winter Story: How One Man Dared to Shake Up World Missions (William Carey Library, 2013), by renowned author Harold Fickett. This long overdue book captures both the genius and the controversy of a self-described "social engineer," named by TIME magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. Winter (1924-2009), who revolutionized our understanding of the missionary task and championed a truly innovative approach to training global church leaders, had plenty of influential fans. -- Billy Graham wrote, "Ralph Winter has not only helped promote evangelism among many mission boards around the world, but by his research, training and publishing he has accelerated world evangelization." -- Missionary statesman Ray Tallman described him as "perhaps the most influential person in missions of the last 50 years." However, some who worked most closely with Winter didn't always see him that way. -- A mission administrator said: "A great deal could be written about his transient ideas and schemes, many of them impracticable and not founded upon careful planning." -- Said another missionary colleague, frustrated by the constant questions and tinkering of Ralph Winter and his wife, Roberta: "One of the two of us will have to leave." Both views of Winter, who founded both the U.S. Center for World Mission and William Carey Library, were true at different points in his long and productive life … and The Ralph D. Winter Story reveals how both worked together to shape the man who came up with innovative solutions to problems missionaries face in expanding the kingdom of God. The book also shows how Winter grappled with the theological meaning of the bone-marrow cancer that eventually killed both Roberta and himself. His tentative answers on "evil intelligent design" provoked new ways of thinking, fresh controversy, and a unique initiative—the Roberta Winter Institute, which focuses on the wide open field of disease eradication for the glory of God. The Ralph D. Winter Story: How One Man Dared to Shake Up World Missions, published by William Carey Library, provides an outstanding look at the life, ministry, and continuing influence of one of the true giants of the evangelical missionary movement, and indeed of contemporary evangelical faith. Based in Pasadena near the campus of the U.S. Center for World Mission, William Carey Library publishes and distributes books and other materials used to mobilize individuals and organizations in world mission. Founded in 1969 to publish, at reasonable cost, the best in current thinking on world mission, William Carey Library has especially sought to assist the work of the mission executive, the field missionary and his/her home church, and the student of world mission. In publishing, William Carey Library has specialized in short print runs of valuable books that other publishers might not find attractive or feasible. In distribution, William Carey Library has sought to distribute at low cost not only its own books, but also selected mission resources from other publishers. Founded in 1976, the U.S. Center for World Mission (USCWM) has sought to foster cooperation between organizations focused on the world's unreached peoples. Not only is William Carey Library a cooperating agency at the USCWM, but for many years William Carey Library and the USCWM have enjoyed a management partnership in which William Carey Library has published or distributed many of the key resources the USCWM has promoted. --30-- ********** Faithful Leadership in Indiana By Russ Pulliam INDIANAPOLIS (World News Service) -- The Christian conservative movement may be dwindling in other parts of the country, but in Indiana politics it has matured into a dominant influence in state government. The handoff from Gov. Mitch Daniels to his successor, former U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, on Jan. 7 illustrates the trend. Pence is more vocal than Daniels about his personal faith in Jesus Christ and has been a favorite of Tea Party conservatives for his fiscal conservatism during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives. Daniels shares the same faith in Christ as Pence but has a more Presbyterian reticence in how he expresses his commitment. And during his years in the governor's mansion, Daniels has come across as more of a fiscal conservative than a social one. Together the two Republican politicians provide an intriguing opportunity to compare and contrast how Christians carry their faith into the public arena. For Indiana Republicans, Daniels has been the state's strongest governor since Oliver P. Morton, who served during the Civil War. Facing a big deficit when he took office in 2005, Daniels moved quickly to cut spending and balance the budget. He leased the state toll road, unleashing $2.5 billion worth of road and highway improvements that his predecessors had drawn up on paper but never could figure out how to finance. He got the General Assembly to put the state on daylight savings time—a big deal that had divided the state for years. He shortened the waiting time at Bureau of Motor Vehicle license branch facilities. The big and small stuff added up, and Daniels won a second term in 2008, even as Barack Obama became the first Democrat to carry the state in a presidential election since the Lyndon Johnson landslide of 1964. In his second term, Daniels pushed through the state's biggest education changes in history: more charter schools, private school scholarships for poor children to escape public schools, and merit pay for teachers. His fiscal conservatism came in handy during the recession, as the state suffered less than neighbors such as Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio. Like former President Ronald Reagan, Daniels had lots of liberal critics, but even some of his critics came to appreciate parts of his second-term record. He's leaving the state with a AAA credit rating and a $1 billion surplus. Daniels' emphasis on the economy tended to obscure a solid record as a social conservative. Quiet about how his faith drives him, he prefers Bible passages such as James 1:22, to be a doer of a Word rather than a talker about it. Before he was governor, Daniels helped start an inner-city private school in Indianapolis, Oaks Academy, with a remarkable 50-50 racial balance mixed with classical and Christian emphases. Daniels is a no-nonsense manager and doesn't cry for the cameras the way former President Bill Clinton could. But he could break down emotionally in speaking to smaller audiences about the faith side of this educational endeavor, remembering the prayer meetings late at night when the school was about to run out of money in its early years. Oaks Academy also became an anchor in a neighborhood transformation of what had been one of the worst crime sections of the city. It also indirectly laid the groundwork for education reform in the state, by showing how high expectations could lead to better education in a low-income part of town. Daniels also gave eloquent speeches about the crying need for each child to have a father and mother staying committed to each other, for the sake of the children. He had practiced what he preached, both in deepening his faith in Christ and reuniting with his wife, Cheri, after a divorce in the 1990s. Yet, in contrast to Pence, Daniels was never a big favorite of Christian conservative groups in Indiana or nationally. He once called for a truce on social issues debate, trying to make the point that a nation that literally runs out of cash cannot pay for military defense or anything else. Economists explaining dismal truths are seldom popular. Even so, for a time in 2011 Daniels could have jumped into the GOP presidential race and perhaps could have offered a stronger challenge to Barack Obama than Mitt Romney. Instead he'll be president of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and try his reform-minded hand on higher education. His successor in the governor's mansion doesn't have the same hard-nosed managerial style. Like Daniels, Pence was a conservative presidential hope in 2011, but his advisers realized he should seek executive branch experience rather than try to be the first person to go from the U.S. House of Representatives to the White House since James Garfield in 1881. Pence talks about taking the state from good to great. A former radio talk show host, he's more of a cheerleader than Daniels. He's been a favorite among Christian conservatives in Indiana and nationally. His family is a part of the nondenominational Community Church of Greenwood, Ind., whereas Daniels has been a long-time member of Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, with its history of inner-city mission in Indianapolis. What's surprising is how two Christian conservatives, of different styles but very similar views of the world, have come to dominate Indiana in recent years, even as Barack Obama worked his electioneering magic on the state in 2008 over John McCain. Timing may be a factor. Daniels was an influential behind-the-scenes political player for 30 years in Indiana circles. When he decided to run for governor in 2004 and try to end 16 years of Democratic dominance of the governor's mansion, other potential GOP rivals stepped out of his way. Daniels never identified himself as a conservative-movement candidate in the first place, and he wasn't especially public about his faith. But he had keen grasp of market economics and he applied it at the state level with unusual success. Pence, 53, a decade younger than Daniels, 63, had run for the U.S. House in 1988 and 1990, losing both times. He put his Christian faith to work in the aftermath, repenting publicly of negative campaigning and befriending Democrats as he spent the 1990s in the political wilderness of Indiana talk radio. Coming back into politics in a 2000 race for the House, he quickly became a leader of conservatives in Congress and helped them enlarge their numbers and influence until he ran for governor. The Religious Right movement may not be so much dead or dwindling as it is evolving in states such as Indiana. Politically, the movement is not only strong in the governor's office, but also in Indiana's General Assembly, with a number of younger Christian conservatives working their way into leadership positions. The era of top-down national leadership of a Pat Robertson or a James Dobson has faded. But a voter hunger for leaders of faith and limited government is still available for the harvest by competent candidates like Daniels and Pence. ********** Miss America Settles into College Life PURCELLVILLE, Va. (World News Service) -- Bright-eyed and nervous, 13-year-old Teresa Scanlan jumped out of the car and waved good-bye to her mom. As the car sped away, Scanlan walked into the local theater to compete for the title of Miss Scotts Bluff County. Wearing a $12 dress from the after-prom sale at J.C. Penney, self-applied make-up, and a mouth full of braces, the frizzy-haired, glasses-wearing girl from rural Nebraska just wanted to try something different from piano competitions. She won. "I knew she was good, but I didn't know she would win," said Scanlan's mother, Janie. Four pageant seasons later, Scanlan won Miss Nebraska. She went on to win the title of Miss America 2011. At 17, she was the youngest Miss America since 1938 and the only Nebraskan to hold the title. Scanlan also is the fourth of seven homeschooled children in a conservative Christian family. Her parents initially were skeptical of pageants. They talked to her about their concerns and made sure she made conscious decisions. But the more her parents learned about the competition, the more they liked it, Scanlan said. Now that her reign is over, Scanlan has just finished her first semester at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va. She divides her attention between classes and speaking opportunities. "The balance has been interesting," she said. "I think I overestimated myself and underestimated the classes." She has pulled six all-nighters so far and has been "two seconds away from quitting." While she wants to be more involved in the college, Scanlan depends on Miss America speaking engagements for income. Still, she's happy she came, even though the past year has been tough on her faith. Some students at Patrick Henry were unsure of how a national figure would fit in at the 300-student school. "I thought a major icon would shake things up a bit a PHC," said freshman Noelle Garnier, but added that students are finding her down-to-earth and friendly. "People are realizing she's a person just like anyone else." Despite the attention that comes with participating in pageants, Scanlan learned early how to come to terms with loneliness. She met new people every day, but everyone came and went. Often she cried herself to sleep in her hotel room. "It was just me and Him sometimes," she said. "That's why Jesus is my best friend now." Even harder was the criticism from fellow Christians who accused her of immodesty. But the Miss America pageant is not about appearance, Scanlan said. The majority of the points come from the competitor's scores in the talent and interview competitions. The winner becomes a public speaker, not a model. Once she won, Scanlan faced other challenges: "The fame is very flattering and I appreciate it, but it starts to feel empty when people are just a fan because of your title. It becomes meaningless very quickly." But the experience also has been very rewarding, she added. Scanlan has had the opportunity to speak on behalf of charities like the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. She created a piano album called The Dueling Pianos with Calvin Jones, the creator of the 2016: Obama's America soundtrack and her competition piece, "Whitewater Chopsticks." Scanlan hopes to attend Harvard Law School after Patrick Henry. After that, she wants to be a stay-at-home mom and work on a future political career. She's already eying one of Nebraska's U.S. Senate seats and repeatedly tells interviewers she plans to run for president one day. Meanwhile, Scanlan makes news even when she's not trying. The Washington Examiner reported Dec. 4 that Scanlan bought dinner just before Thanksgiving for the car behind her in the Purcellville McDonald's drive-through line. The driver ran up to thank her and recognized her as soon as she rolled the window down. "She said, 'I believe everybody should have something nice done for them every day,'" Jennifer Helbert told the newspaper. "I reached in and gave her a hug." ********** Ardent Supporter of HSU, Student Advocate Dies at 81 ABILENE, Texas (Hardin-Simmons University) -- Dr. David "Scotty" Holland and his wife Jacque always loved to personally hear from Hardin-Simmons University students, and especially enjoyed getting to know the student who received scholarships from HSU's Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics. The Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics was established in 1999 with an initial $2-million gift from the Hollands. They also helped fund the Holland Medical High School and the future establishment of the Holland School of Health Sciences. The man known for his great generosity and personal interest in HSU's students, Scotty Holland, died Saturday, Jan. 5, in Houston at the age of 81. HSU president, Dr. Lanny Hall told HSU staff, "It is difficult to express the depth and breadth of the loss we feel in the death of Scotty Holland. "Dr. Holland was a tremendously generous benefactor of Hardin-Simmons University. He loved this institution and tangibly demonstrated that love by the endowments he built, the scholarships he provided and through his interaction with faculty, staff and students. Scotty Holland has left deep and indelible footprints on this campus. He will be long remembered and appreciated." The Hollands are 1949 graduates of Abilene High School. Dr. Holland attended HSU on a football scholarship before entering the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict where he served as an airborne radio operator aboard a B-25 Mitchell aircraft. Following military service, Holland received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from the University of Texas. Holland was the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of Pennzoil in Houston. Wayne Roy, senior development officer for HSU, said, "Scotty always took sheer delight in the accomplishment of each student." Despite his high title and demands on his time, "I recall on a stroll across campus, he would stop and talk to students, always taking a personal interest in their journey here." Mike Hammack, HSU vice president for institutional advancement, recalled, "Scotty and Jacque would frequently tell me how much they enjoyed receiving letters from our students. They took a personal interest in each young man's or young woman's life. During a science and math scholarship awards ceremony in 2009, attended by the Hollands, Dr. Chris McNair, dean of the Holland School of Science and Mathematics, told the students that Holland rose to the rank of CEO when, as a senior geologist, he was finally able to convince his company that there was oil to be found in the Gulf of Mexico. The statement drew a laugh from the students born in the late 1980's, since they had never known the Gulf not to have oil! Holland, expressing his pleasure in meeting the scholarship recipients, told students, "Keep God in your life and he will take care of you. I am amazed at your ability to handle so many things. You are involved with people, and that's who you will work with and for all of your life." Holland was born March 26, 1931, in Havana, Arkansas, the second of six children to Mae Elizabeth Scott and William Dewey Holland. His family moved to Abilene in 1946 where he met his high school sweetheart, Jacque Nell Hunter, marrying in 1952. Scotty and Jacque Nell had the first of their two sons, David Scott Jr., in 1953 while stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. Their second son, Terrence Hunter, was born while Holland was attending UT. Holland was a recipient of Hardin Simmons University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983, and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by HSU in 1990. "Scotty Holland was one of the most generous and passionate supporters of higher learning in the history of Hardin-Simmons University," says McNair. "He and his wife Jacque have been instrumental in furthering the Christian mission and educational dreams of countless numbers of high school and college students at numerous institutions across the state of Texas. "Scotty loved exploration geology and he shared that passion with HSU students whenever he could. His inspiration and commitment to education and scientific research led Scotty and Jacque enabling us to flourish in research, teaching, and field experiences. Dr. Holland was a dear friend to all of our faculty, staff, and students alike, and our thoughts and prayers are with his soul mate, Jacque." Dr. Jesse Fletcher, HSU president emeritus, says of Holland, "Scotty was a personal friend with whom Mexican food, along with spouses Jacque and Dot, was a requirement when they came to town (Abilene). It was through HSU that I came to know Scotty and soon was aware of his international reputation as head of Pennzoil Exploration yet he was a down-to-earth friend and an ardent supporter of HSU. In later years that support led him to give his name and his resources to the cause of science and healthcare through HSU. He will be long remembered and sorely missed." Holland served on the boards of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Geology Foundation of the University of Texas, Austin, and the Geology Foundation of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He was also a devoted father, grandfather and great grandfather to his children. He was preceded in death by his parents and four siblings. He is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Jacque Nell; his sister Mae Rue Hazard of Arlington, Texas; sons, David Scott Holland and wife Dashika of San Antonio, Texas; Terrence Hunter Holland and wife Nita of Midland, Texas; and grandchildren Sara Michele Holland and Katie Dyan Holland, Ft. Worth, Texas; Travis Jared Holland and wife Krystal Cathleen; and great-grandchildren, Lyla Grace and Cayson Scott Holland of San Antonio. A funeral service was scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 8, at Memorial Church of Christ in Houston. --30-- -- End of story -- Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax: 615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net