Baptist Press Stories for Jul. 16 2012 --------------------------------------- Glorieta Conference Center sale moves from N.M. Baptists to Calif.-based Olivet University http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38272 'Guilty as charged,' Cathy says of Chick-fil-A's stand on biblical & family values http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38271 Proposed web porn domains draw opposition http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38274 Ore. to vote on marijuana legalization http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38276 Judge issues split ruling on Miss. abortion law http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38275 BP Ledger, July 16 edition http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38277 FIRST-PERSON: Keeping the dream alive http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38273 --------------------------------------- Glorieta Conference Center sale moves from N.M. Baptists to Calif.-based Olivet University By Art Toalston Jul. 16 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38272 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- The potential sale of LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center has turned from the Baptist Convention of New Mexico to a California-based Christian school, Olivet University. The BCNM's Glorieta Task Force has notified LifeWay Christian Resources that it is not feasible for the state convention to assume ownership of Glorieta, even for the $1 price LifeWay had set forth for the 2,100-acre site near Santa Fe. LifeWay, meanwhile, has stated that it is considering a sale to Olivet contingent on a "comprehensive review of the theological compatibility" of LifeWay and Olivet. BCNM executive board chairman Lamar Morin, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bloomfield, confirmed to Baptist Press in a July 16 statement that ownership and responsibility for Glorieta would not be financially feasible for New Mexico Baptists. "The BCNM Glorieta Task Force believed any prudent business plan would include an environmental study and indemnification by LifeWay for any environmental problems that might be discovered," Morin said. "Based on its inspection of the property, the task force determined that a viable business plan needed to include deferred maintenance of $10 million to $20 million." Morin said when LifeWay advised the BCNM it "could not indemnify the state convention as requested, the task force could not proceed any further." Morin acknowledged the "deep love and devotion New Mexico Baptists" have for Glorieta but said the task force "recognized, despite multiple suggestions, there was no offer of financial resources by any person or organization to cover the enormous costs and potential liabilities of assuming such a large property." LifeWay trustees voted last fall to pursue viable options for the conference center, which opened 60 years ago. Officials cited changes in church practices, rising costs and a volatile economy in noting that Glorieta had achieved financial break-even only once in the last 25 years. Glorieta now offers only summer events for student groups, including Centrifuge camps and Collegiate Week. LifeWay, in information provided to Baptist Press July 16, said it is working with Olivet and an evangelical third party to conduct the theological compatibility review. During the process, LifeWay said Olivet is renting previously unused facilities at Glorieta for 200 students, faculty and staff. Jerry Rhyne, LifeWay's chief financial officer, declined to release specific details of the potential sale to Olivet. According to a LifeWay statement, in addition to the theological review, a potential sale to Olivet would entail: -- "Significant protections for individuals and churches that lease land from Glorieta for houses and conference facilities -- "Permission for LifeWay to continue using Glorieta for summer camps -- "Accommodation of use by New Mexico Baptists -- "Preservation of memorials associated with rooms and structures, and, -- "Prohibition of re-selling the facilities in the future without LifeWay's permission." Rhyne noted that any sale would need approval of LifeWay's board of trustees which next meets in late August. LifeWay's consideration of Olivet, however, made front-page news July 16 in The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville. Various facets of Olivet's operation were scrutinized in the article, along with organizations to which Olivet is related, such as The Christian Post, an Internet news site. "LifeWay is aware of past concerns about some of Olivet's relationships and theology," LifeWay director of communications Martin King told Baptist Press July 16. "As part of our due diligence, we have created a process to ensure the theological compatibility of Olivet and LifeWay. This will be done by a team of theologians outside both organizations. We expect that thorough review to take several weeks." The president of Olivet is Bill Wagner, a former International Mission Board missionary and missions professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary who was elected second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2003 and was one of several candidates for SBC president in 2008. Wagner said Olivet is "honored LifeWay would consider Olivet to steward the Glorieta Conference Center …. Glorieta's mission has always been to point people to Christ, which Olivet University is committed to continue to do through education and training of the next generation of leaders called to fulfill the Great Commission through church ministry and missions." According to the Tennessean article: -- David Jang, a Korea native who founded both Olivet and The Christian Post, had alleged ties as a young man to the Sun Myung Moon Unification Church and was investigated by church leaders in Korea and China for alleged teaching by his followers that he was the second coming of Jesus. The general secretary of the World Evangelical Association, Geoff Tunnicliffe, said Jang was cleared of theological issues, according to The Tennessean. Jang stepped down from Olivet and now runs a nonprofit called the Holy Bible Society. -- Questions about Olivet's "theology, finances and viability already have led to Olivet's failure in two recent attempts to acquire properties from other Christian groups," The Tennessean stated. Earlier this year Olivet leaders tried to acquire the former campus of a school founded by D.L. Moody in Massachusetts and, earlier, tried to buy the campus of Bethany University, a now-closed Assemblies of God school in California. -- A 2007 Olivet tax return, The Tennessean reported, shows $1.41 million in revenue for operating the school and about $900,000 in net assets. The school's 2007 annual report filed with its accrediting agency, though, listed $9.7 million in revenue and $3.37 million in assets. An Olivet spokesperson told The Tennessean the school's annual reports include overseas locations with no official ties to the school. -- Olivet accepts only undergraduates with ties to the school's denomination, the Evangelical Assembly of Presbyterian Churches in America, which, according to the article, has about 100 churches overseas and a handful in the United States. Some of the U.S. churches have only two or three members, a spokesperson told the newspaper. The school recruits students from new converts in China and Korea, The Tennessean said. A spokesperson with A. Larry Ross and Associates, which now represents the university alongside the Billy Graham Evangelistic Organization and other leading evangelicals, told the newspaper that Olivet does allow for some graduate students from outside the small Presbyterian group. The Tennessean also noted the role of Richard Land as executive editor of The Christian Post, which is operated by Olivet leaders and former students. Land is president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Land, in a July 16 statement to Baptist Press, said, "I accepted the position as Executive Editor of The Christian Post July 7, 2011. I write at least one column a month on current moral issues and I'm available to advise and consult with the writers and editorial staff upon their request on issues they should cover and how to cover them." R. Albert Mohler Jr. of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Danny Akin of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary also were mentioned in The Tennessean article as being senior editorial advisers to The Christian Post. Mohler told The Tennessean the Post has used his columns and he has met some of its leaders. Glorieta's history dates back to the mid-1940s, when Southern Baptists wanted a conference facility in the west to correspond with Ridgecrest Conference Center in the east. Harry P. Stagg, New Mexico Baptists' executive director at the time, helped secure an 800-acre ranch near Santa Fe through special gifts and the sale of state convention property. The ranch, along with adjacent land, was a gift from New Mexico Baptists to the Southern Baptist Convention. At the time, New Mexico Baptists numbered fewer than 35,000 people in 166 churches. In 1949, the SBC Executive Committee authorized the official development of the western assembly located at Glorieta. The first Southern Baptist conference at Glorieta, "a place of decision and life dedication," was held in August 1952 with more than 1,400 registered guests from 18 states. The first full summer of conferences was in 1953. Glorieta underwent a major campus revitalization project that began in 2000. --30-- Art Toalston is editor of Baptist Press. With reporting by John Loudat, editor of the Baptist New Mexican, newsjournal of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico; the communications office of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; and Baptist Press assistant editor Erin Roach. The full statement by Lamar Morin, chairman of the Baptist Convention of New Mexico's executive board, follows: "The Baptist Convention of New Mexico was offered the Glorieta property from LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention for $1 under the condition that it would present a viable business plan to operate the conference center as a ministry. The Glorieta Task Force of the BCNM, formed at the January meeting of the BCNM Executive Board, diligently sought to address and respond in a fiduciary manner to the offer made by LifeWay. "The BCNM Glorieta Task Force believed that any prudent business plan would include an environmental study and indemnification by LifeWay for any environmental problems that might be discovered. LifeWay would also need to indemnify the BCNM for the litigation it might incur as a result of assuming ownership of the property and not because of any action taken by the BCNM. Based on its inspection of the property, the task force determined that a viable business plan needed to include deferred maintenance of $10 million to $20 million. "Accordingly, the task force advised LifeWay that it could not proceed further with the acquisition unless LifeWay agreed to indemnify BCNM for any environmental liability and litigation liability. LifeWay advised BCNM that it could not indemnify BCNM as requested, and as a result the task force could not proceed any further. "The Baptist Convention of New Mexico Glorieta Task Force is keenly aware of the deep love and devotion that New Mexico Baptists and Southern Baptists around the world have for the Glorieta Conference Center. Our hearts are sympathetic to the many letters, phone calls and emails that we have received. The task force sought to respond and discuss every suggestion proposed. They also recognized that, despite multiple suggestions, there was no offer of financial resources by any person or organization to cover the enormous costs and potential liabilities of assuming such a large property." -- End of story -- 'Guilty as charged,' Cathy says of Chick-fil-A's stand on biblical & family values By K. Allan Blume/Biblical Recorder Jul. 16 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38271 Read our most recent stories on Chick-fil-A: [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38301]Chick-fil-A, in nat'l media storm, swims against cultural tide[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=38314]Some Chick-fil-A news reports called 'distorted'[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=38321]Huckabee launches 'Chick-fil-A Day' for Aug. 1[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38338]'Chick-fil-A Day' sign-up tops 200,000[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38353]Attorneys: Politicians can't legally block Chick-fil-A[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38363]'Chick-fil-A Day' sign-ups surge past 300,000[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38393]600,000-plus ready for Wed.'s 'Chick-fil-A Day'[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38402]Chick-fil-A Day: Thousands pack restaurants to show support[/URL] [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38428]Legal group warns colleges: Booting Chick-fil-A would be unconstitutional[/URL] CARY, N.C. (BP) -- Dan Cathy oversees one of the country's most successful businesses. As president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Cathy leads a business with 1,608 restaurants that had sales of more than $4 billion dollars last year. They sell chicken and train employees to focus on values rooted in the Bible. His father, S. Truett Cathy started the business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as The Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House). In 1967, his father opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Atlanta. Today, Chick-fil-A is the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States based on annual system-wide sales. Dan Cathy's success has not erased the biblical values he learned as a child in a Baptist church. He is a warm, common man who is deeply committed to being a faithful Christian witness. And he is fully involved in New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga. He drives Chick-fil-A's efforts to provide genuine hospitality, ensuring that customers have an exceptional dining experience in a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Based on Matthew 5:41, Cathy is on a mission to provide customers with "second-mile" service -- exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant. "We don't claim to be a Christian business," Cathy told the Biblical Recorder in a recent visit to North Carolina. He attended a business leadership conference many years ago where he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say, "There is no such thing as a Christian business." "That got my attention," Cathy said. Roach went on to say, "Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me." "In that spirit ... [Christianity] is about a personal relationship. Companies are not lost or saved, but certainly individuals are," Cathy added. "But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us." Rather than leading from his corporate office in Atlanta, Cathy chooses to spend the majority of his time traveling to the chain's growing family of restaurants and interacting with Chick-fil-A's committed team members. His actions stem from a belief that working in the field provides a clearer understanding of the needs of Chick-fil-A customers. Leading from the front line also enables him personally to convey his servant spirit to the chain's 61,000-plus employees. Cathy believes strongly that Christians are missionaries in the workplace. "Jesus had a lot of things to say about people who work and live in the business community," he said. His goal in the workplace is "to take biblical truth and put skin on it. ... We're talking about how our performance in the workplace should be the focus of how we build respect, rapport and relationships with others that opens the gateway to interest people in knowing God. "All throughout the New Testament there is an evangelism strategy related to our performance in the workplace. ... Our work should be an act of worship. Our work should be our mission field. As long as we are stateside, let's don't think we have to go on mission trips by getting a passport. ... If you're obedient to God you are going to be evangelistic in the quality of the work you do, using that as a portal to share [Christ]," he said. When asked if Chick-fil-A's success is attributed to biblical values, Cathy quickly said, "I think they're inseparable. God wants to give us wisdom to make good decisions and choices." Quoting James 1:5, he spoke of how often he asks God for wisdom. "Frequently Jesus challenged us to just ask ... we're simply not asking as often as we should. We need to be more faithful to depend on a God who does love us and wants to have a relationship with us, and wants to give us the desires of our hearts." There is another success story attributed to Cathy's organization. They have a positive influence in the world of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) football. There was a time when the Atlanta college football bowl game, which is now named after Chick-fil-A, was called the Peach Bowl. The annual bowl features teams from the ACC and the SEC. It struggled for a long time. Then 15 years ago the Chick-fil-A organization got involved. It was rebranded as the Chick-fil-A Bowl and has been incredibly successful with 15 consecutive sellouts. "We are the only bowl that has an invocation. It's in our agreement that if Chick-fil-A is associated in this, there's going to be an invocation. Also, we don't have our bowl on Sunday, either," Cathy said. In 2008 Chick-fil-A began sponsoring a Chick-fil-A Kickoff game matching two of the nation's top teams and hosted on the first weekend of the season in the same stadium (Georgia Dome) as the Chick-fil-A Bowl. This year Chick-fil-A will host two kickoff games, one on Friday and one on Saturday. "That's never been done before," he said. The pair of Chick-fil-A Kickoff games is expected to generate more than $60 million in economic impact. The bowl website describes the event as "a college football celebration of epic proportions." When questioned about Chick-Fil-A's "Closed on Sunday" policy Cathy responded, "It was not an issue in 1946 when we opened up our first restaurant. But as living standards changed and lifestyles changed, people came to be more active on Sundays." The policy has not changed over the years as malls began changing their policies by opening on Sundays. "We've always put in our lease that we will be closed on Sundays," Cathy said. "We've had a track record that we were generating more business in six days than the other tenants were generating in seven [days]." "While developers had no identity whatsoever with our corporate purpose to 'glorify God and be a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and have a positive influence on all that come in contact with Chick-fil-A,' they did identify with the rent checks that we wrote to the mall, that were based on our sales. "So, they would make an exception for Chick-fil-A when they wouldn't make an exception for anybody else, simply because they knew we would pay them more in rent than any other tenant would that was open even seven days a week." The company invests in Christian growth and ministry through its WinShape Foundation (WinShape.com). The name comes from the idea of shaping people to be winners. It began as a college scholarship and expanded to a foster care program, an international ministry, and a conference and retreat center modeled after the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove. "That morphed into a marriage program in conjunction with national marriage ministries," Cathy added. Some have opposed the company's support of the traditional family. "Well, guilty as charged," said Cathy when asked about the company's position. "We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that. "We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that," Cathy emphasized. "We intend to stay the course," he said. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles." --30-- K. Allan Blume is editor of the Biblical Recorder, online at [URL=http://BRNow.org]BRNow.org[/URL]. 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 -- Proposed web porn domains draw opposition By Diana Chandler Jul. 16 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38274 WASHINGTON (BP) – Morality in Media is working to block new Internet pornography domains, months after the initiation of the .xxx portal, which was promoted as a central adult gateway to Internet porn. At issue is an application .xxx-domain owner ICM Registry has made to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers for approval of three additional pornography domains: .sex, .porn and .adult. Morality in Media is asking the public to block approval of these domains that would only increase the number of porn sites on the Internet proven harmful to children, adults and families. [IMGONLY=30179@right@150]"What we need to do is overwhelm the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers with complaints about the new porn domains so that it calls attention to the problem with them and the fact that we don't need more porn on the Internet, which is all this will be," said Patrick Trueman, Morality in Media president and former chief of the U.S. Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. "We are working today, in fact, on our current campaign to get organizations and individuals to file objections to these new domains, .sex, .adult and .porn." MIM is contacting such groups as Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, the Alliance Defending Freedom and others and has posted on its website www.pornharms.com, a petition gathering signatures against IMC Registry's application. The public has until Aug. 12 to file complaints with ICANN, an international agency. "This is a winnable issue," Trueman said. "And what ICANN wants to know and what ICM Registry has to demonstrate is that these new domains, these new porn domains, are in the public interest. So let's show that it's not, by just filing a complaint." ICM Registry promoted the .xxx domain as a vehicle for porn sites to leave the established .com portal. Instead, the new portal only proliferated new sites. In the seven months since the .xxx domain went online, more than 215,000 new sites have registered under the domain, according to ICM Registry statistics, adding to numerous sites already active. Concurrently, ICM has made millions of dollars by selling programs to companies seeking to protect their names from association with the .xxx domain, which Trueman said was a calculated cash cow. "Many of those that bought protection from ICM Registry paid thousands of dollars to assure that their good name would not be attached to a porn site on .xxx, but they did not know that ICM planned to roll out more and more porn-related domains," Trueman said. "ICM Registry stands to make untold millions of dollars from additional porn-related domains, but one has to wonder what new porn domains ICM will propose next year." Filing a complaint with ICANN requires registration on the ICANN website, which Trueman described as a ploy to discourage participation. The process takes about five minutes. "Keep in mind ICM Registry is going to try to get people to file supporting comments for this, as though we need more porn. There's always a lot of people supporting that position," Trueman said. "So we can win it if we get the people." He encourages the public to file complaints at www.waronillegalpornography.com. "America is already suffering an untreated pandemic of harm from pornography and we need less, not more, pornography," Trueman said. "Research demonstrates that harms from pornography include damage to brain function, lifelong addictions for both children and adults, isolation and depression, family dysfunction and divorce, increased demand for child pornography and child sexual abuse, increased prostitution and sex trafficking, violence against women, financial instability and the list continues." --30— Diana Chandler is Baptist Press' staff writer. 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 -- Ore. to vote on marijuana legalization By Staff Jul. 16 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38276 SALEM, Ore. (BP) -- An Oregon initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana has qualified for the November ballot, placing the state alongside two others that will consider on the issue. [IMGONLY=31127@right@120]The Oregon secretary of state announced Friday (July 13) that the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, as it is called, had qualified with 88,887 valid signatures, more than the 87,213 that are required. Although 17 states have legalized medicinal marijuana, no state currently allows its recreational use. That could change in November, when Colorado and Washington state will join Oregon in voting on the issue. In essence, the initiatives would legalize and regulate marijuana in a similar manner to how alcohol is regulated. The Oregonian newspaper reported that the Oregon initiative likely will face opposition from law enforcement. It will be known as Initiative 9. California voters rejected a similar proposal in 2010, 54-46 percent. In California, opponents of legalization said legalizing it would lead to an increase in drugged drivers and road deaths, an uptick in marijuana's usage among teens and young adults and an increase in crime statewide. They also said the black market for marijuana would not disappear, as some supporters contend. --30-- Compiled by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. -- End of story -- Judge issues split ruling on Miss. abortion law By Staff Jul. 16 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38275 JACKSON, Miss. (BP) -- Mississippi's only abortion clinic will stay open even though a new law that threatens its existence has gone into effect. In a ruling Friday (July 13), federal judge Daniel Jordan III of Jackson permitted the law to become effective. The measure, signed into law in April, requires a doctor who performs abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and to be certified as an obstetrician/gynecologist. But Jordan issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the state from using a portion of the law to try to penalize the clinic while its doctors seek to fulfill the law's mandates. Only one of the doctors who performs abortions at Jackson Women's Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, has admitting privileges at a local hospital, Jordan said in his 11-page order. The other two doctors, who perform the majority of the abortions, are seeking admitting privileges, according to the clinic. While the futures of both the law and the clinic remain in doubt, the clinic has up to six months under the law to comply with its requirements. In addition, the state has renewed the clinic's license for another year, Jordan said. Jordan's order, however, included language that alarmed the pro-life activist organization Operation Rescue. It commended the judge's decision to let the law take effect but protested his analysis that an "undue burden" would be created for women if the two doctors stopped doing abortions because of concern about being prosecuted. "The judge has proposed a new legal doctrine: A dangerous abortion clinic is better than no abortion clinic," Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said in a written statement. "We beg to differ. "If a clinic has unsafe operations that endanger patients and violate the law, then it makes no good sense to keep it open," he said. "In fact, it would violate the state's right to protect the public safety." Jordan initially issued a restraining order against the law July 1, the day it was to take effect, and extended the order July 11. Initiatives by the Mississippi legislature to adopt health and safety regulations and other restrictions regarding abortion have helped produce a dramatic reduction in abortions over the last two decades. The state total has dropped from more than 8,000 abortions in 1991 to less than 2,800 in 2010, according to Mississippi Right to Life. --30— Compiled by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -- End of story -- BP Ledger, July 16 edition By Staff Jul. 16 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38277 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 includes items from: Home School Legal Defense Association LifeWay Christian Resources (3 items) University of the Cumberlands UN Treaty Threatens Families: Senate Considers United Nations Treaty Undermining Parental Rights PURCELLVILLE, Va. (Home School Legal Defense Association) -- United States Senate Committee to consider dangerous United Nations treaty; parental rights advocates cry foul. The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was signed by President Obama in July 2009, but it has not received the necessary two-thirds approval from the United States Senate for ratification. Recently, Obama has pushed the Senate to ratify the CRPD, and the treaty is now getting a hearing in the Senate. Michael Farris, co-founder and chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), was scheduled to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 12 to highlight the concerns of parents across the county. "We all want to show our love and care for people with disabilities," Farris said. "This treaty, however, is not the way to do it. This treaty will give United Nations and government agents, not parents, the authority to decide all educational and treatment issues for disabled children. All of the rights that parents have under both traditional American law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will be undermined by this treaty." J. Michael Smith, President of HSLDA, agrees, "The question is, who should make critical decisions regarding the care and raising of children who have disabilities? Their parents or United Nations social workers?" The CRPD, if ratified by the U.S. Senate, would transform the parent-child relationship by establishing a new legal standard for dealing with children with disabilities: the best interests of the child standard. The CRPD states in Article 7: "In all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration." "Parental rights will be eviscerated by the mandatory application of the 'best interest of the child' standard," said Farris. "If parents think that private education is best for their child, the CRPD gives the government the authority and the legal duty to override that judgment and keep the child in the government-approved program that the officials think is best for the child." "There is no need for the Senate to ratify the CRPD, as our nation's state and federal laws already protect our precious loved ones with disabilities. It is outrageous that U.S. senators would support a treaty that surrenders U.S. sovereignty and family integrity to unelected U.N. bureaucrats." Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Visit us online at www.HSLDA.org. ********** Women Meet Bible Study Authors at LifeWay's Abundance Conferences By Polly House HOUSTON (LifeWay Christian Resources) -- She's done the Bible studies, so what's next? It's time to live out of the abundance. A new event from LifeWay Women called Abundance made its debut at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston. "We have hosted many events for women like Living Proof Live with Beth Moore and Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer, and women love that, but we wanted to offer something new, something different," said Betsy Langmade, a women's event coordinator at LifeWay Christian Resources. Conference participant Donna Winstone from Houston said getting to meet the authors and hear them speak in person made the Bible studies they had written mean even more to her. "I was really glad to hear Kelly Minter since our group had done her Nehemiah study," she said. "Now I really look forward to doing some of these other studies from the women I heard speak." In addition to hearing from Bible study authors and musical guests, women were given the opportunity to learn about local and global mission opportunities. Featured speakers at the Houston event included LifeWay authors Angela Thomas, Jennifer Rothschild, Kelly Minter and Tammie Head. Travis Cottrell and CeCe Winans led worship and Lisa Harper, known to many in the women's ministry world for her time as women's ministry director for Focus on the Family, emceed the event. "We were enormously blessed to be able to have CeCe Winans as the musical guest at this first Abundance event," Langmade said. "Her talent and passion for Jesus is just unbelievable. At future Abundance events our special musical guests will be equally amazing. We will have Mandisa, Sara Groves, Laura Story, Brandon Heath, and Anthony Evans." Authors featured in upcoming Abundance events will include Vicki Courtney, Angie Smith and Mary Kassian, Langmade said. "About 80 percent of the women who do our LifeWay-produced Bible studies never get the chance to meet the authors," Langmade said. "Abundance is part of a bigger strategy that lets the authors and teachers have a platform to interact with the women who know them through their studies." Kelly Minter, author of the LifeWay study titled Nehemiah, reminded the women that God sent Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, not build it from scratch. "Building isn't that hard, but rebuilding is tough," she said. "The difference in building and rebuilding is that with rebuilding, you have to deal with all the rubble. To rebuild - whether it's a wall or a woman - you have to deal with a lot of stuff." Angela Thomas, author of the study Brave, spoke on weariness. "There is no plateau we can ever reach where we won't be tired," she said. "But while we will always be tired, we have to remember that God never gets tired. God is not some grandpa who needs a nap in His La-Z-Boy so he can be a better God. He doesn't slumber or sleep. He doesn't need to. There is nothing He can - or needs - to do to be a better God." Tammie Head, a new LifeWay author from Houston, has written Duty or Delight. She reminded the women that God is the only One who deserves to receive our glory. "Your struggle each day is who is going to be the recipient of your glory," she said. "The enemy wants to receive your glory. But, only God deserves your glory. He is the only One worthy." Jennifer Rothschild, author of Me, Myself and Lies, closed the March 23-24 Abundance event speaking from Habakkuk. "It's in the time when you are really beaten down and don't have any answers that God can use you for His purposes," she said, using a biblical metaphor of when the figs don't blossom and the olive crop fails. During a low point in her own life she said she realized "I wanted God to need me more than I needed Him. I didn't want to be like the broken man in the Good Samaritan story. I finally realized that God doesn't need me at all, but I constantly need Him." LifeWay Women will host an Abundance event Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Greenville, S.C. Go to LifeWay.com/Abundance to find out details, including scheduled speakers and musical guests. ********** Women Urged to Live Out from Their Personal Abundance By Polly House HOUSTON (LifeWay Christian Resources) -- Studying the Word of God isn't an end to itself. It is a call to action. The 850 women attending LifeWay Women's premier Abundance event in Houston had the opportunity to answer this call. "Women have asked us for a way to meet their favorite Bible study authors, said LifeWay event coordinator Betsy Langmade. "Abundance is designed to do that, but we also want to give women an opportunity to get involved in missions." The name of the event – Abundance – speaks to the resulting outpouring of the filling the women get from their study of God's Word. "Women can participate in many wonderful Bible studies, but if the studies don't lead the women to action, they have missed something," said Langmade. Both international and local missions organizations representing ministries to single mothers, orphans, women victimized by the sex trade and human trafficking, the poor and the sick exhibited at the conference. Conference attendees also heard stories from some of the women who had been helped by these organizations. Olive, a native of Uganda, spoke briefly about how being sponsored as a child changed her life. As a 6-year-old in Uganda she received a sponsor through Compassion International. That sponsor's support allowed Olive to go to school, get healthcare and nourishing food. Olive grew up, came to America, and now is a social worker in Georgia working on a master's degree. She is married and has a son. Her family sponsors three children. Oksana lived in an orphanage in Russia when she was a child. She said while the orphanage was not good, it was better than her life with her drug-addicted mother. She said all she wanted, as a child was to be in a family that loved her. Receiving a Christmas shoebox from Samaritan's Purse one year was the first time she had ever received a gift from anyone. It gave her more than just the small gifts in the box. It gave her hope, she said. Oksana's dream came true when she was adopted by an American family and was able to live in a loving home. Debbie Rippstein, executive director of Gracewood, a Houston-area group that helps single parent mothers and their children shared how the facility helps resolve temporary family instability through residential care and other types of assistance. Conference attendees had the opportunity to give "shower gifts" for a new Gracewood facility. Women filled a table with diapers, kitchen goods, linens and gift cards to help set up the new home. "These women who commit to the Bible studies are disciples," Langmade said. "They want to serve and reach out to people with the love of Christ. Abundance is more than just the name of this event. It's what these women have - an abundance of love, compassion and resources. They give from this abundance." ********** Girls and their leaders learn a holy obsession is OK By Polly House NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LifeWay Christian Resources) -- Teenage girls would do better to be obsessed with God, foregoing such cultural passions as fashion and pop stars, according to Christian author Hayley DiMarco. DiMarco addressed about 400 girls and their leaders at this year's LifeWay Girls' Ministry Conference, joined by Miss Black USA Ocielia Gibson. "Loving God with everything you are and with everything you do, now that is a true obsession," DiMarco said, encouraging girls to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength. "Most obsessions are over [a thing] we love because it makes us feel good," DiMarco said. "First we love it, then we crave it. This leads us to worship our obsession." Such obsession demands sacrifice and a desire to fellowship and converse with those who share our passions, DiMarco said. Ultimately, we become controlled and enslaved by our obsession, she said. Gibson encouraged girls to use whatever platform they are given to speak for the Lord. "I have been given such a wonderful opportunity to be able to speak truth to people because of my position as Miss Black USA," Gibson said. "Being faithful in whatever position God has given you will lead to more opportunities to be a witness for Him." Gibson, founder of More Than a Pretty Face Ministry and a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, told the girls she has seen God work miracles in her life. Event worship leader Jaime Jamgochian shared with girls her journey to becoming a believer in Christ. "I was a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston when I was saved," she said. "I didn't grow up in a Christian home; [I] didn't go to church. But I knew that I believed in God. I just didn't know about Jesus." When another student at Berklee shared the Gospel with her, Jamgochian said she felt a new freedom. "All I wanted to do then, and now, is worship," said Jamgochian, founder of the ministry Modest is Hottest. Joining Jamgochian in leading worship was high school junior Rachel Chan, who recently released her first music CD. "I had a time in my life when I was really all wrapped up in what people thought of me," she said. "But after I came to the realization I was the king's daughter, it made all the difference." The conference was held in February at LifeWay. Details for next year's confab Feb. 22-23, 2013, are forthcoming at LifeWay.com/Girls. ********** University of the Cumberlands to partner with Clear Creek Baptist Bible College WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. (University of the Cumberlands) -- Beginning this fall, University of the Cumberlands (UC) will partner with Clear Creek Baptist Bible College alumni through a special scholarship opportunity for Clear Creek alumni to pursue a master's degree in Christian studies (MACS). "We are very pleased to be able to provide the special scholarship opportunity for Clear Creek graduates. As sister institutions of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, UC and Clear Creek already partner together on many levels through the ministry of Christian education with the goal of reaching others for Christ. Clear Creek Baptist Bible College is a fine institution with a long history of training adults for ministry. We are glad that Cumberlands can partner with Clear Creek to provide this opportunity for their graduates to pursue an option for graduate study through our MACS program at a greatly reduced cost," said Dr. Jim Taylor, President of University of the Cumberlands. "The special scholarship opportunity is named in honor of our son, James H. Taylor, II. Many lives have been impacted through the kindness and generosity of the individuals who have made this scholarship possible." UC's Master of Arts in Christian Studies program is a fully accredited, online program that requires students to complete 30 hours of academic credit. The program focuses on providing a thorough understanding of the Bible, theology, education, contemporary culture and ministry strategies to prepare individuals to minister effectively in the 21 century. In addition to being lead through courses by UC's own respected faculty members, students will also learn from and interact with some of the most outstanding and influential Christian leaders in the United States. "One thing that has always made me proud to be a part of the Kentucky Baptist Convention as President of a Convention Educational Institution is the cooperative spirit that exists between all the agencies and institutions. I am grateful to Dr Taylor and his administration for their cooperative spirit in providing the special scholarship opportunity for Clear Creek graduates interested in the Master of Arts in Christian Studies program at Cumberlands," said Dr. Donnie Fox, President of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. Located in Williamsburg, KY, University of the Cumberlands is an institution of regional distinction, which currently offers four undergraduate degrees in more than 40 major fields of study; nine pre-professional programs; seven graduate degrees, including a doctorate and six master's degrees; certifications in education; and online programs. --30-- -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Keeping the dream alive By Terry Turner Jul. 16 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38273 MESQUITE, Texas (BP) -- Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. has given us a vision of hope, a dream that we must keep alive in America. It is a dream that continues to overshadow a history steeped in the despair of godless attitudes and relationships. This dream provides all Americans the inspiration to contest the unholy norms of separatism that have been interwoven into our society for hundreds of years. It's good to see that Southern Baptists are leading the way to break institutionalized bias and are on the path to total inclusion and acceptance of all people in leadership. While the excitement of the occasion is still high in the hearts of all who attended this historic election, I hope to portray the joy we experienced with our brothers and sisters who did not attend the meeting. I wish every Southern Baptist could have felt the excitement present at this historical convention. From my viewpoint, the 2012 annual meeting had the greatest display of diversity of any convention that I have attended in my 21 years as a Southern Baptist pastor. It was the largest reflections of what I envision heaven will look like because of the diverse multicultural presence of men and women who were involved in Kingdom affairs. The excitement and joy that filled the nearly 8,000 messengers at the Rev. Fred Luter's election for SBC president was without a doubt one of the highlights of my life as a Southern Baptist. It was wonderful to witness how God is moving in the life of Southern Baptists and to observe God bringing our convention together in such a spectacular way. It was exceptional and inspirational to be a part of God stirring the hearts of Christian men and women with the power of His love. The experience was overwhelming. Filled with emotions, I openly wept as I noticed the men and women around me weeping for joy as they waved their ballots high above their heads in favor of his presidency. It was great to see the enthusiasm of people from all ethnicities weeping as they made history by putting all racial barriers aside. America has always been a great nation, but in moments like this she continues to reveal her greatness. The words of Samuel Francis Smith's "America," written in 1831, echoes with pride, even today: "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." It is my prayer that we will keep the dream alive that makes us one people in Christ and one as Americans. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." These words from Dr. King's dream speech represent an American dream, a dream that our convention is one step closer to fulfilling with this election. We see the wheels of brotherhood turning within our convention, and it's an occasion to be excited about! The psalmist reminds us how good it is when Christian brothers and sisters fellowship in oneness of spirit. Keeping the dream alive. --30-- Terry Turner is senior pastor Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas, and president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. 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 -- 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