Baptist Press Stories for Jul. 18 2012 --------------------------------------- Nigeria's persecuted Christians need help from U.S., ERLC says http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38293 Luter, while opposed to Obama on gay marriage, appreciative of 5-min. call with him http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38287 Boy Scouts reaffirm exclusion of gay leaders http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38288 Thomas Road gives needed shelter after storm http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38289 Wheaton sues to strike abortion drug mandate http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38292 FIRST-PERSON: The need for spiritual revival in the SBC http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38291 FIRST-PERSON: Holiness in a hook-up culture http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38290 --------------------------------------- Nigeria's persecuted Christians need help from U.S., ERLC says By Tom Strode Jul. 18 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38293 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Voices from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are calling for the United States government to do more to protect Nigeria's Christians from the Islamic terrorist organization Boko Haram. Nigerian Christian leaders requested American help on a recent visit to Washington, and the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy entity urged members of Congress to support legislation requiring the State Department to report on whether Boko Haram qualifies for classification as a "foreign terrorist organization" (FTO). [QUOTE@left@225=Last year, more than 765 churches were destroyed in the country, a Nigerian spokesman said.]Boko Haram and its associates have killed more than 1,000 people in the west African country during the last 18 months, according to the State Department. Boko Haram took credit for July 7-8 attacks that killed about 100 members of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, including 50 who had taken refuge in a pastor's home, according to Open Doors News. Last year, more than 765 churches were destroyed in the country, a Nigerian spokesman said. Speaking at a July 12 Washington briefing, the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said the problem is a "jihadist, fundamentalist ideology." Boko Haram "basically is a group that believes Nigeria should operate on Shariah law," Ayodele Joseph Oritsejafor said. "And they want to turn Nigeria into a Muslim country -- by force. And that's what they've always said." The militant group has said, "[I]f Christians want peace in Nigeria, they must accept Islam, because Islam is the only religion," Oritsejafor told participants at a briefing sponsored by the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom. The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) hand-delivered a July 12 letter to 100 members of the House of Representatives to ask them to cosponsor the Boko Haram Terrorist Designation Act, H.R. 5822. The proposal calls for the secretary of state to explain why Boko Haram does not meet the criteria for FTO designation, if that is the department's decision. "With Boko Haram seemingly intent to establish Shariah law in Nigeria by any means, explicitly targeting Christians in its murderous campaign to do so, we believe the State Department must do more to quell this violence," ERLC President Richard Land said in the letter. In June, the State Department designated three Boko Haram leaders as "specially designated global terrorists." That was a "minimal step," said Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom, at the July 12 briefing. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said at a July 10 hearing he chaired that the Boko Haram attacks on Christians "are unprovoked and unconscionable. People of all faiths -- and all people of goodwill -- must demand immediate action against this terrorist organization," according to his prepared remarks. During the hearing, he challenged the testimony of a State Department official. Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state over the Bureau of African Affairs, pointed to poverty as a reason for the group's reign of terror. "Boko Haram thrives because of social and economic problems in the north that the government must find a way of addressing," Carson said, according to Voice of America (VOA). Smith -- chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights -- refuted that reasoning. "Ideology that is highly, highly radicalized may exploit poverty at times, but poor people do not necessarily become terrorists and killers," Smith said, VOA reported. "That is an insult, frankly, to poor people." In his prepared remarks to the subcommittee, Oritsejafor said, "By refusing to designate Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization, the United States is sending a very clear message, not just to the federal government of Nigeria, but to the world -- that the murder of innocent Christians, and Muslims who reject Islamism ... are acceptable losses." The United States is aiding Nigeria in its security efforts by providing police, as well as training in forensics and investigative measures, Carson said, according to VOA. "The U.S. policy right now is that more money needs to be given to the Muslims to de-radicalize them" because of poverty, said Emmanuel Ogebe of the U.S. Nigeria Law Group at the July 12 briefing. FTO designation requires an organization's activity be a threat to U.S. security or that of U.S. nationals. In January, James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, said in congressional testimony there are fears Boko Haram "is interested in hitting Western targets, such as the U.S. Embassy and hotels frequented by Westerners." Problems between Christians and Muslims have existed in Nigeria for more than 50 years, Oritsejafor said at the briefing. They are rooted in such causes as land disputes and the sharing of government power, according to Open Doors News. Christians make up at least 60 percent of the population, but there has been a "lot of discrimination" against them, Oritsejafor told briefing participants. "The Christians in Nigeria have not been given credit for the fact that they have not retaliated," Ogebe said. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country with about 170 million people. It also is the continent's No. 1 oil producer. The ERLC letter went to representatives who had yet to cosponsor H.R. 5822 and are members of the Judiciary Committee, the International Religious Freedom Caucus or a Southern Baptist church. Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., is the bill's sponsor. --30-- Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for 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 -- Luter, while opposed to Obama on gay marriage, appreciative of 5-min. call with him By James A. Smith Sr./Florida Baptist Witness Jul. 18 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38287 TAMPA, Fla. (BP) -- Fred Luter and Barack Obama share historical distinctions as African Americans' first Southern Baptist Convention and U.S. presidents, respectively, but on the political-moral issue of gay marriage they are on opposite sides -- a disagreement driven by Luter's commitment to the Bible. "I believe that nothing, nothing can be politically right if it's biblically wrong," Luter said in an interview with Florida Baptist Witness. "The Word of God says marriage is between one man and one woman," Luter said, adding that "no president, no governor, no mayor, no politician, no individual can change that fact." In light of the Bible's teaching on marriage, Luter said he is "totally against" Obama's support of gay marriage. Luter sat down for a 30-minute interview with the Witness July 10 while in Tampa to preach at two Florida Baptist churches. In addition to Obama's gay marriage position, Luter talked about a congratulatory phone call from President Obama, the state of race relations in the Southern Baptist Convention, his goals as SBC president, Calvinism and the recent death of his mother. The Tampa events were Luter's first engagements since being elected SBC president in June, although the events were scheduled even before he decided to be a candidate for the presidency. While Luter disagrees with Obama on gay marriage, he was quick to note that it's not the first time he has disagreed with a president and he remains committed to pray for the president and his family. Following Obama's May announcement of his "evolved" views in favor of gay marriage, Luter said many members of his predominantly African American congregation, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, asked for his reaction. "I told my congregation I support our president. I pray for him, but on this same-sex marriage deal, I'm totally against it," he said. "When I said that on that Sunday morning, not everybody, to be honest with you, but the majority of our members stood up and applauded because they've known me to be a man of the Book." When others became aware of Luter's comments to the congregation, he received emails of appreciation "because not everybody's taking a stand on that," he said. "That's one of the things I have to deal with -- people feel that because I'm African American I've got to agree with everything that the president says because he's African American," Luter said. "My mind is made up and set on this issue, and it doesn't make me uncomfortable" to disagree with his fellow African American president, he said. Luter said he is willing to be a spokesman for Southern Baptists on the issues of the day with the news media, adding, "I think you cannot avoid it in this position." OBAMA'S CALL President Obama called Luter two days after his election as SBC president -- a call he at first suspected was a prank. He said Obama was gracious and the call "made my day." Luter said Obama asked him, "How does it feel to be the most popular president in America?" Luter said the president greeted his wife, Elizabeth, saying, "Hello, First Lady Luter. Make sure this doesn't go to his head. OK?" During the five-minute telephone conversation, Luter said Obama expressed a desire to meet him, although no plans were made. Obama's call caused Luter to conclude his election "must be a big deal. I mean I didn't win an NBA championship. I didn't win the Super Bowl. I didn't win the World Series." RACE RELATIONS The fact that he was elected the first African American SBC president on June 19 -- Juneteenth, the day many African Americans celebrate the end of slavery in America -- was important "symbolism," Luter said, noting the SBC's founding in connection with the defense of slavery. "I really believe that it was God-ordained and that it was very significant, not necessarily to the masses, but it was significant to a lot of folk in the African American community," Luter said of his election on Juneteenth. As for race relations in the SBC, Luter said his election means Southern Baptists "can turn the page. We can turn that chapter." Luter said he became emotional at the time of his election because of the response of the messengers -- "just to see 8,000 folks stand up in unison and applaud -- and nobody else ran." He added that his election shows that "this is not your grandfather's convention anymore. … Fred Luter is Exhibit A that says that this convention is open to everyone." HIS GOALS Noting he has a relatively short time as president -- two years, assuming his reelection next year -- Luter said he has given himself three months to talk with various SBC leaders, seek counsel and pray about a "vision" or "platform" for his presidency. "I don't have a position of power, but I do have a position of influence," he said. "God has given me the gift of building bridges throughout the years," Luter said, adding that he would like to "take the energy" resulting from his election and use it to find a way for the SBC to "get together." Given the SBC's diversity, Luter said he would like to "get us all on the same page as far as making the main thing the main thing -- and that is evangelism and discipleship and winning lost folk to Christ and doing all we can as a convention." Luter compared dealing with the diversity in the SBC to the diversity in the local church. "I tell people, 'Listen, the church is not here to help you with your agenda. You're here to help the church to carry out God's agenda.' And it's the same thing in the convention," he said. "If we would let go of our egos, if we would let go of our own agendas and let's come together -- despite all of the diversity -- let's come together and do what's best for the Kingdom of heaven, I really think that this convention can really continue to make an impact," he said. CALVINISM Asked about the debate about Calvinism that has become prominent in the Southern Baptist Convention in recent months, Luter said he is "still trying to wrap my mind around this thing," noting that he is frequently asked about it. Although he is studying the issue, admitting, "I don't have a handle on it yet," Luter expressed concern about the debate. "One of the things I can say with surety, I have no doubt the enemy is behind it all. … I just believe that this may be an issue as … in the past that the enemy has tried to divide brothers, divide churches, divide friends to keep our mind off the main thing," he said. MOTHER'S DEATH Luter said he was grateful for the many expressions of support he received following his mother's death -- just one week after his election. "I was riding this high, then my mom died. Of course, that was a low," Luter said. "But to see the response from people across the country … it's been overwhelming." He was especially thankful that Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, came to New Orleans for his mother's memorial service. It was a "great, great testimony that Frank would come down to be a part of that," he said. Although Luter's mother, Viola Blayton Brooks, 82, had been ill for about 10 months, her death was unexpected, he said. "The greatest thing of all was that she was able to see her son make history," Luter said, noting that she was very proud of him, both because of his pastoral successes and his SBC honor. The day after he was elected SBC president, Luter said he visited her at her New Orleans home. Upon his arrival, she would typically greet him with the declaration, "Look at my pastor!" "This time when I walked in her door … she said, 'Look at my president! Look at my president!' And she gave me a big old hug." --30-- James A. Smith Sr. is executive editor of the Florida Baptist Witness ([URL=http://www.gofbw.com]www.gofbw.com[/URL]), newsjournal of the Florida Baptist State Convention. -- End of story -- Boy Scouts reaffirm exclusion of gay leaders By Staff Jul. 18 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38288 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – After a confidential two-year review, the Boy Scouts of America is upholding its policy to exclude homosexuals from membership and leadership posts in the group, despite activists' cries for change. "The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their rights to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers, and at the appropriate time and in the right setting," Bob Mazzuca, BSA chief scout executive, said in a BSA press release. "While a majority of our membership agrees with our policy, we fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society." BSA also noted "that there will be no further action" on the matter. But that didn’t stop dismissed Ohio Scout den mother Jennifer Tyrrell, a lesbian, from taking to the BSN’s Irving, Texas, office a petition demanding her reinstatement. Tyrrell took to the office a Change.org petition reportedly with 300,000 signatures. "I hope to deliver the message that hundreds of thousands of people want this changed," she told CNN affiliate WFAA July 17. "It's not just me, it's Scouts, former Scouts, Scout leaders, Scout masters, council members, everyone you could imagine, and they're ready for this change, and they are tired of seeing people discriminated against." While the BSA press release indicated the 11-member review committee formed in 2010 included a "diversity of perspectives and opinions," BSA spokesman Deron Smith told the Associated Press the committee was unanimous in its decision. Names of committee members were not disclosed. But at least two members of the BSA national executive board, Ernst & Young leader James Turley and AT&T head Randall Stephenson, have indicated their desire to change the policy, according to the Associated Press. Stephenson, the AP reported, is on track to become president of the BSA national board in 2014. The BSA in its press release alluded to disagreement within its own board. "Scouting believes that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together to achieve the life-changing benefits to youth through Scouting," the BSA said. "While not all Board members may personally agree with this policy, and may choose a different direction for their own organizations, BSA leadership agrees this is the best policy for the organization and supports it for the BSA." The U.S. Supreme Court in June 2000 upheld the Scouts' membership policy as constitutional. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff writer Diana Chandler. 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 -- Thomas Road gives needed shelter after storm By Brandon Pickett & Amanda Sullivan Jul. 18 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38289 LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP) -- The shelter that Thomas Road Baptist Church opened after crippling straight-line winds tore across the region June 29 became a place of spiritual refuge for some 70 people on July 4. Less than 24 hours after the storm -- a "dericho" in meteorological terms -- had knocked out most of the power in Lynchburg, Va., Thomas Road opened a cooling center for the community and surrounding areas. A day later, it was expanded into a full-fledged relief center. TRBC pastor Jonathan Falwell and his staff then decided to cancel a longtime local tradition, the church's Celebrate America celebration, to focus on those in need. Tom Frietas, Thomas Road's pastor of family care, said Celebrate America is "known in this area … [as] what TRBC does near the 4th of July. When the storm hit, Jonathan [Falwell] knew this was a different scenario. We had people without power and basic necessities such as water. He recognized through the Lord's leading that there was no way we could do [the annual event] because Lynchburg and the surrounding areas needed help." Although Thomas Road's power was unaffected, tens of thousands of customers were without power for days, some as long as a week. Hundreds poured into the church throughout the week to cool off from 100-plus-degree temperatures, get free water and ice to take home, eat one of the three free meals per day, take advantage of the medical station or stay the night in the overnight shelter. TRBC scaled back to a special church service on Wednesday, July 4, to honor America. Frietas said approximately 70 people of the 380 in attendance received Christ that night. "Jonathan clearly gave a Gospel presentation and had those who wanted to respond come talk to the pastors," Frietas said. "I dealt with a couple. It's kind of a neat story." David and Jennifer accepted Christ that night and walked down the aisle to speak with Frietas -- the same pastor who had made a connection with the couple earlier in the week. "The husband could not stop weeping," Frietas said. "He was really broken. We went through Scripture. I told them how their lives are completely different at this point -- they are a new creation in Christ; they have been grafted into God's family." The change, Frietas said, was immediate within David and Jennifer. "It was interesting watching [David] after he gave his life to the Lord. He was staying at the shelter but he was running all over the place to help people get home," Frietas said. "It was almost like a transformation taking place in his life. He went from being grateful for having a place to come for shelter, but then there was a new spirit in him after that Wednesday night service. He just had a spirit of service." Jennifer expressed her thanks to TRBC by tacking a sticky note onto a cardboard thank you sign that someone had set up. "TRBC thank you so much! In all of this storm, I found God. Thank you!" the note read. Leading Jennifer and David to Christ was a special moment for Frietas. It was "just a unique opportunity for me to really invest in a family," he said. "This was a family that kept coming back," he added. "God just kept giving me opportunities." When TRBC opened the shelter the staff did not know "what would happen. We just knew there was a need," Frietas said. "God truly, truly blessed us. We had the opportunity to be the hands and feet of God to our community," Frietas said. "It really didn't have anything to do with TRBC. It had to do with God's love." --30-- Brandon Pickett is director of media services for the SBC of Virginia; Amanda Sullivan is a writer for Innovative Faith Resources in Lynchburg, Va. -- End of story -- Wheaton sues to strike abortion drug mandate By Michael Foust Jul. 18 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38292 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Evangelical school Wheaton College has joined the list of religious organizations suing to overturn the Obama administration's abortion/contraceptive mandate, asserting in a new federal suit that the mandate for religious organizations is unconstitutional and "runs roughshod over Wheaton's religious beliefs." The lawsuit was filed Wednesday (July 18), bringing to 24 the number of suits nationally against a mandate that would require religious organizations to offer their employees insurances plans covering contraceptives, including abortion-causing drugs. Those drugs, often called morning-after pills and emergency contraceptives, come under various names, including Plan B and ella. Illinois-based Wheaton is represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which said the suit was filed in partnership with Catholic University, a Washington D.C.-based school which previously filed suit against the mandate in May. "Wheaton's religious beliefs forbid it from participating in, providing access to, paying for, training others to engage in or otherwise supporting abortion," the Wheaton suit states. It was filed in federal district court for the District of Columbia. "... The government's Mandate unconstitutionally coerces Wheaton to violate its deeply-held religious beliefs under threat of heavy fines and penalties." The mandate, the suit says, violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of freedom of religion and freedom of speech. The mandate was handed down by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Churches are exempt from the mandate, but many religious organizations -- such as universities and faith-based ministries -- are not. The Obama administration has argued that under the mandate, the insurance company -- and not the religious organization -- would be the one paying for the drugs. But Wheaton, in its suit, rejected such logic. Subsidizing an insurance plan that would "facilitate access" to abortion-causing drugs violates its religious beliefs, even if the drugs themselves are paid for by the insurance company, Wheaton said. "The government issued an administrative rule ... that runs roughshod over Wheaton's religious beliefs, and the beliefs of millions of other Americans, by forcing it to provide health insurance coverage for abortifacient drugs and related education and counseling," the lawsuit states. In a statement, Wheaton College President Philip Ryken said the mandate presents a "clear and present threat" to religious liberty. “Our first president, the abolitionist Jonathan Blanchard, believed it was imperative to act in defense of freedom," Ryken said. "In bringing this suit, we act in defense of freedom again." Catholic University President John Garvey said, “As the president of the national university of the Catholic Church, I am happy to express solidarity with our evangelical brothers and sisters from Wheaton College as they challenge the HHS mandate. Wheaton's lawsuit is another sign of how troubling many people of faith find the government's efforts to chip away at our first freedom." Among the other schools that have filed suit against the mandate is Louisiana College, affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention. The Alliance Defending Freedom, formerly known as the Alliance Defense Fund, is representing the college. Meanwhile, a federal judge on Tuesday (July 17) tossed out one of the lawsuits against the mandate, ruling the plaintiffs lacked standing. That suit was filed in part by Nebraska and six other states. The Becket Fund's Kyle Duncan cautioned against putting too much significance into the judge's decision because he did not rule on the merits of the case. Duncan wrote about the decision in a blog post at NationalReview.com. --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Read the Wheaton suit online at http://bit.ly/OmgRr2. 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: The need for spiritual revival in the SBC By Frank S. Page Jul. 18 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38291 Editor's note: This first-person is part of a series of first-persons Baptist Press will publish in anticipation of the 40/40 Prayer Vigil for Spiritual Revival and National Renewal. The 40/40 Prayer Vigil is an initiative of the North American Mission Board and Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission to encourage Southern Baptists and other evangelicals to pray for 40 days from Sept. 26 to Nov. 4. To learn more, visit [URL=http://www.4040prayer.com]www.4040prayer.com[/URL]. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- In my almost two years in the role I now hold, I have traveled a great deal across our nation and some across the world. I am met with an almost universal understanding by God's people that we are in dire need of a Holy Ghost revival in our nation, in our churches and in our lives. This refrain is repeated over and over. I have long stated that God has a plan for our nation, for our churches and for our lives. I also constantly state that Satan has his own plan for all of the above. We all agree that he has won far too many battles. God's desire has been thwarted too long. Psalm 85:6 asked the question, "Will you not revive us again?" This cry from the psalmist is a question that all of us must ask today. When this was written, conditions in Judah were desperate as God's people had shortly returned from the Babylonian captivity. People had expected great things from their deliverance and homecoming but the harsh realities of their return brought bitter disappointment and discouragement. There is much discouragement, disunity and hopelessness today. We find ourselves theologically and methodologically divided. We find ourselves thwarted on every hand to see our nation touched for the Gospel. One of the saddest realities of today is that personal evangelism has reached a new low of emphasis in many of our churches and has led to disengagement from lost people that frightens me deeply. Many people are asking the same question today that was asked by the psalmist, only rephrased: "Is revival coming?" Our 21st century churches to a great extent have become ease loving churches. Such being the case, too often churches are not willing to pay the price that revival costs. It is true for individuals as well. At times we hate our deadness, our lack of spiritual vitality, but we hate still more to be bothered into action. That may sound a bit pessimistic and unkind, but I am confident that this is the reality in which we live. There are many, no doubt, who would like to have a true revival, but many would also ask that revival come without much serious alteration of behavior and priority. We must understand today that revival is costly. It always has been. It always will be. My main point in this article is simply to help us realize it is time to quit talking about it and start doing what God tells us to do! His Word is clear. He has told us what must take place for revival to come. His precious Word gives the outline, highlights the need and provides the answer. Look at 2 Chronicles 7:14: "[If] my people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land." Where is humility? Where are earnest prayer warriors? Where are those who seek His face? Where is genuine and life-altering repentance? Are there hearts being broken as we realize the answer to those questions? We fall far short of what God would wish. May God break our hearts and bring us to the point where we not only see the need, but we are willing to do whatever it takes to see the Holy Ghost revival fall upon our people! --30-- Frank S. Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. 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: Holiness in a hook-up culture By Candi Finch Jul. 18 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38290 FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- A few months ago I heard an eye-opening presentation by Dr. Joe McIlhaney, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, who came to speak to our college students at Southwestern about what he has observed over his lengthy career caring for girls and women. His conclusion? Western culture has stopped protecting its girls. He argues that we have abandoned our protective role for young women, especially in regards to guiding them in male-female relations, romance, love, sex, marriage, etc. Young women are made to grow up much too quickly --clothing stores are advertising push-up bra bathing suits to seven- to nine-year-olds, 12-year-olds can buy shorts with "sexy" written across the back of them and Hollywood programs geared to teens and young adults often glamorize the idea of young women who are sexually aggressive and loose. Have we lost our minds? It was heartbreaking to hear from Dr. McIlhaney about the impact, both physically and emotionally, that America's sexual culture is having on young women. The back cover of Dr. McIhaney's book "Girls Uncovered" states, "Our daughters live in a culture that sees sex as both a sacred right to be exercised with anyone, at any time, and also as 'no big deal.' This culture of 'hooking up' among teens and young adults is no longer a secret." And, it is having disastrous and long-term effects on our young women. So the question for those of us involved in ministry to young women and parents of girls and young women: How can we help our young women live holy lives in a "hook-up" culture? The end of James 1:27 exhorts us to keep ourselves "unstained by the world" and 1 Peter 1:16 says we should "be holy" as God is holy. How can we encourage this in our young women, knowing full well that they are bombarded daily with messages that do anything but encourage holiness? PARENTS: TALK TO YOUR STUDENTS Studies show that parents still have the number one influence over their children's thoughts about sexual activity. One young women quoted in McIlhaney's book said that her ideas come "probably mostly from my parents and seeing the way my dad treats my mom." This may come as a shock to you parents who get eye-rolls and long sighs when you try to offer instruction, but your children and teens are listening to you. They are watching what you do. Sex and relationships are uncomfortable and difficult topics, but parents, you cannot relegate your role as your children's primary teacher to culture. I remember being on a trip with more than 300 students several years ago, and we had one beautiful young woman who struggled to dress according to the dress code for the trip. Her mom was also on the trip and also dressed inappropriately, and the mom actually argued with the staff about the guidelines we had set. We weren't trying to be legalistic by setting a dress code -- we were just trying to help encourage modesty. The mom was modeling immodesty before her daughter instead of encouraging modesty that is appropriate for those who profess God (1 Timothy 2:9-10). BE CAREFUL LITTLE EYES WHAT YOU SEE I was in the airport in early July waiting to catch a flight, and I was scrolling through the newsfeed on my Facebook page. The movie "Magic Mike" must have been coming out that day because several girls were posting about how excited they were to see the movie. It made me really sad because the movie is about male strippers, and I can't image that it will encourage pure thoughts. The psalmist said "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless" (Psalm 101:3), and Job said "I have made a covenant with my eyes" that he would not look upon a girl with lust (Job 31:1a). What we see impacts what we think about and how we think about things. I believe one of the reasons we have become such a sex-saturated culture is that we have become numb over time to the images we see in movies, media and TV. A high school young woman that I worked with a few years ago told me that it was hard not to have sex with her boyfriend because he kept telling her "everyone was doing it" and that all the shows that she watched showed teenagers having sex. She just felt so much pressure and felt alone in her stand. We can't and shouldn't shut our students away from the world, but we must help them set standards in what they put before their eyes. SET APPROPRIATE STANDARDS FOR RELATIONSHIPS I get the question several times a year about "how far is too far" to go in a relationship. I understand it, but it is really the wrong question because it essentially asks how close we can get to the line without crossing it. Instead, we need to ask things like: How can I encourage holiness in my dating relationship or how can I protect my boyfriend's purity so that, if he is not my future husband, I would not be ashamed to meet his wife one day in the future? Song of Solomon 8:4 pleads with the daughters of Jerusalem that they not "stir up or awaken love until it pleases." That is my plea for our young women as well. Dr. Joe McIlhaney has a chapter in Girls Uncovered that discusses the significant influence physical (holding hands, kissing, hugging) and sexual activities can have in bonding a couple emotionally. This should not be a surprise because God designed us this way! Oxytocin, a hormone that is released in a new mother when she breastfeeds to help her bond to her new baby, is also released when a girl or women "has close physical contact with a man," even hugging and holding hands. This hormone helps in bonding and can cause a young woman to trust another person. You can see, then, how a teenage girl's judgment can be clouded when it comes to upholding physical boundaries with her boyfriend. When a relationship gets physical, many girls make compromises they never thought they would make. Living holy lives in a hook-up culture is difficult, but it's not impossible! Help your daughters and the young women you work with see that God has a beautiful plan for sexuality and a setting for it to be expressed -- within the boundaries of marriage. --30-- Candi Finch serves as assistant professor of theology in women's studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. This column first appeared at BiblicalWoman.org, a blog of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. 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