Baptist Press Stories for Jul. 20 2012 --------------------------------------- Bangkok church reaches int'l refugees in its own backyard http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38310 In Bangkok detention, refugee learns of Christ http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38311 Some Chick-fil-A news reports called 'distorted' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38314 Critics: State fumbled China trafficking rating http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38318 Chaplain mentioned in AP story is leaving SBC http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38317 New generic morning after pill is approved http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38312 Shorter, Union advance in NCAA process http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38313 CULTURE DIGEST: Pastor jailed, fined for home church; city says it's a zoning issue http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38309 FIRST-PERSON: The dark night in Denver -- groping for answers http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38315 FIRST-PERSON: Dan Cathy's views are in the majority http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38316 FIRST-PERSON: Hablando de libertad http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38308 --------------------------------------- Bangkok church reaches int'l refugees in its own backyard By Susie Rain Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38310 BANGKOK (BP) -- The white gunnysack keeps slipping out of my hands. It didn't feel this heavy when we started walking 20 minutes ago, but now my arms feel like wet noodles in this Bangkok heat and humidity.
Calvary Baptist Church volunteer Kim Amihan grabs the bag from me and lets out a grunt at the weight. I'm convinced we're carrying 70 pounds of rice but it's really just 10, plus spices from South Asia, cookies, canned meat and an odd assortment of extras from the church's "world hunger food closet." We are taking it to a refugee family but are lost on the backstreets of Bangkok. We definitely look out of place in this Thai neighborhood -- a Filipino, a Brit and two Americans looking for South Asians. Finally, International Mission Board missionary Carrie Chappell spies a smiling William Younus waving to us. He quickly invites us out of the scorching sun and into the oven he calls home. Two teenage boys pour us glasses of cool water while their preteen brother confiscates extra stools from the neighbors. The four of us sit shoulder-to-shoulder in the open floor space of this tiny concrete room. The boys and their parents squeeze onto the only other available spot, on top of the lone bed crammed into one corner. This concrete block room is no bigger than a child's bedroom in most American homes, yet a family of five lives here. It isn't quite what you expect when you think of refugee life. The iconic image of refugees is row upon row of white tents in a sprawling emergency camp, not a dingy apartment in a mega-city. But the reality is that only one-third of the world's 15.4 million refugees live in camps. Like most of the world's population, refugees have steadily moved into cities and towns. Urban refugees are among the fastest-growing population segment globally. Thousands of people like the Younuses live in Bangkok, where the United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees has an office. UNHCR estimates 90 people seek asylum each month in Thailand, fleeing some form of persecution or war. Thailand is one of the few countries that does not honor the international human rights laws protecting those who flee persecution and seek asylum outside of traditional camps. Instead, urban refugees are considered illegal migrants. Younus lifts his chin to show us a shiny scar from a knife wound. His 13-year-old son has a scar from a bullet on his arm. The two were threatened for being Catholic. The family fled to Bangkok in the hopes of safety and a better future. What they didn't know was that urban refugees often face dangers and hardships those in the traditional camps never experience. The South Asian man explains they knew it would be difficult to leave everything behind -- the family business, their home, dishes, clothes, friends and family -- but no one warned them about the isolation, depression, fear and hunger that most suffer when seeking asylum, especially when separated from the large refugee camps. In an urban environment, the UNHCR cannot always provide services, protection or support as easily as it can in a camp. Filling this gap is the reason our group is traipsing around Bangkok carrying a gunnysack of food. Chappell explains that asylum seekers are not allowed to work or earn money. Once the United Nations has granted them refugee status, they receive a small stipend for rent until they leave for their new host country or are repatriated to their old one. Navigating through the UN paperwork can take years. In the meantime, families like the Younuses struggle to survive. For the first time in their lives, these doctors, bankers, accountants and business owners turn to begging to feed their families. "Jesus is so compassionate that we want to share His compassion with others," Chappell explains. "This often starts with a bag of food and a listening ear. They just want someone to talk to … someone to share their stories with. They want to know that somebody cares about them." UNHCR estimates that more than 40 nationalities are represented in Bangkok's urban refugee population. Calvary Baptist Church, a Bangkok congregation, realized the urban refugees' needs were an opportunity to minister to "the nations" in their own backyard. With Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund help, the church established a food closet supplied with a few comfort foods from various countries. Volunteers from the congregation distribute the food during their free time. "We decided early on that we didn't want to have the refugees come and stand in a distribution line. We wanted to really connect one-to-one," Chappell said. "We want to have personal contact and meet each family in their home like this." I can see love and concern in Chappell and Amihan's faces and hear it in their laughter. The two sit in easy companionship with this refugee family. Amihan, a Filipino schoolteacher, teases the Younus boys while Chappell asks the parents deeper questions. She knows the UN paperwork lingo and can ask the right questions to make certain the Younuses have enough food. By the smiles, Chappell knows they are excited to have visitors. Finally, someone cares enough to listen to their story. Younus says his family lives in constant fear of being arrested, so they stay in the small cement-block room they rent. They are lonely and depressed. Chappell nods her head in understanding. Providing social interaction is one reason church members visit refugees' homes. She invites them to church, mentioning that several families attend a small group in their language. They would love to add another family from home. I try to hide my smile at Chappell's understatement. The international church has many small groups studying the Bible and offering each other support in language groups from Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Some of the small group leaders are trained pastors who are also refugees. When it's time for us to go, no one wants the visit to end. Our new friends walk with us to the main road and promise to visit Calvary on Sunday. Back at the church, we meet a group of refugees sweeping the parking lot and raking leaves. They do this every week as a way to say "thank you" and serve the Lord. A 19-year-old who was baptized a few weeks ago asks if we have just come back from visitation. I give a tired nod and his smile grows wide. "Someone came to our house," he says. "That's how I met Jesus." He goes back to work, humming a praise chorus. This is the same story I hear repeatedly from the refugees: "Someone came to my home and shared Jesus' love." For believers, Calvary's ministry provides a safe place to worship the Savior. For those who have never heard, Calvary introduces them to the Gospel. Just thinking about this makes me want to load up a gunnysack with food and visit another family. --30-- Susie Rain is an International Mission Board writer living in Southeast Asia. -- End of story -- In Bangkok detention, refugee learns of Christ By Susie Rain Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38311 BANGKOK (BP) -- The tall, lanky man can hardly contain his excitement. He anxiously paces the narrow waiting area, stopping to tell anyone sitting in the uncomfortable, plastic government chairs his big news. "Today is the day!" the South Asian man exclaims. Rajeevan Kuharasah is so excited that not even a big, bushy mustache can hide his toothy smile. "Today is the day I bail my wife and son out!" His wife, Uma, and youngest son share a cell at Bangkok's International Detention Center (IDC) with 130 women plus 35 children under age 10. Their crime was fleeing a country during a brutal civil war and seeking asylum in Thailand, a country that does not recognize international human rights laws protecting individuals seeking asylum across international lines. Here, they are illegal migrants. At one time, the entire family was in IDC. Rajeevan and his teenage son lived in the crowded men's side but were bailed out a few months ago after receiving their official United Nations refugee status. It's been 18 months since Rajeevan's family of four has slept in the same house, since they've eaten a meal together, since he's held his wife. Thinking about everything they've missed doesn't curb his excitement and optimism, though. "We found a better life here," Rajeevan, whose family endured everything from torture camp to rape in South Asia, said. "This is where I first heard Jesus' name." He motions to a group of people stuffing fruit, vegetables and toiletries into plastic bags and marking each with detention identification numbers. "They came to visit and showed me love," he said. The eclectic group of 25 Thais, Asians and Americans are a mix of International Mission Board missionaries and congregants from Bangkok's Calvary Baptist and Immanuel Baptist churches waiting for visitation to start. All voluntarily take a few hours from their jobs to visit asylum seekers and refugees in IDC each week. They shake Rajeevan's hand and pat him on the back in congratulations for not only the rest of his family being released today but for his being baptized less than 20 hours ago. "I have a lot to tell my wife today," Rajeevan says excitedly. A loud buzzer stops the conversation and the large metal gate to the visitation room slowly squeaks open. Everyone grabs a gift bag of food, provided through the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund, and rushes in. It's important to be the first through the security check and firmly planted in a spot along the fence. Rajeevan explains that the only way to communicate is by yelling back and forth. On days like today, when there are a lot of visitors, people are lined up two or three deep behind the visitor's barrier in this bare, open-air room. Rajeevan laces his fingers through the chain link fence and presses his face against it, trying to get a better view of the male and female detainees coming out. He spots his wife's long, flowing, dark hair and his smile grows. Not even a neon orange uniform can hide her beauty. Uma quickly pushes her way to the front of her fence, a barrier three feet away from the visitors' side. They can't touch. They just look at each other as if they are alone in this overcrowded room. The roar of conversation grows around them, yet as Rajeevan yells a description of the baptismal service held the previous day at Calvary Baptist Church, Uma is captivated. Five of their friends were also baptized along with their elder son. When the loving husband says preparations for Uma's baptism are underway, she gives him a quizzical look. Rajeevan gives a mischievous grin and finally blurts out that he can take her home in a few hours. As the news sinks in, tears of joy fill their eyes. "Papa! Papa!" screams a seven-year-old boy, interrupting the intimate, yet very public, moment. Rajeevan reaches for his long-legged younger son and gives a tight hug before trying to smooth down his cowlick. Only children are allowed to cross the barrier and interact with the visitors. The father and son get to touch and play only during visitation. When Rajeevan was in detention, the family would go months without seeing each other -- that is, until through some miracle, the Christians selected the four for visitation, choosing among the 1,200 living in IDC. The 39-year-old father remembers that the church members brought fresh fruit and vegetables without asking for anything in return or pushing their beliefs. They always smiled and chatted, but were more than happy to let Rajeevan's clan have "family time." The Christians do this for everyone. This unselfish act is what originally piqued the former Hindu's interest about their God. Why would anyone come to such a depressing place and give strangers this precious gift? He soon realized the Christians' "gift" involved more than time: it was one of peace and hope, something his war-torn family had never experienced. When IMB missionaries Martin and Carrie Chappell shared the Gospel with Rajeevan, it was the first time he'd ever heard of Jesus. The information made his heart feel so peaceful, he knew he had to go to this church. "I went to the church and never wanted to leave. I felt peace and …," Rajeevan pauses to find the right word in English, then defaults to just pointing to IMB missionary David Johnson and other church members teasing and laughing with his family and friends through the two barriers. "Love! I found love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ." The refugee father joins the celebrating group of friends just as Johnson shouts out a short Bible story and yells a prayer at the top of his lungs. A buzzer interrupts the impromptu small group. The hour feels as if it is over before it really began. The detainees are herded back to their cells while the visitors file back into the waiting area and return to their jobs. Chappell pulls Rajeevan aside and hands him a bulging bag. There is enough food in it to prepare a celebration fit for a queen. The refugee bows his head in thanksgiving. God provided for his need. He has no money in his pocket to feed his family today. He spent every last dime on bail. The refugee positions himself in the chair closest to the big metal gate where his wife will walk out … and waits … and waits … until finally, it slowly squeaks open. Rajeevan's seven-year-old son sprints out and jumps into his waiting arms, chattering nonstop. Rajeevan's eyes stay on the gate until Uma appears with a few heavy bags containing their belongings. Their teenager skulks up to his mother, trying to be cool. She musses his hair and then holds his chin, examining the slight shadow of peach fuzz growing on his lip. The teenager is embarrassed but pleased that his mother sees he is becoming a man. Uma turns to her waiting husband. According to their culture, they cannot show public displays of affection like an embrace or kiss. However, the love that passes between them when Rajeevan takes Uma's heavy burden is electric. The guard hands Uma her official refugee papers, walks the reunited family to the outer gate and offers a heartfelt goodbye. To the guard's surprise, the couple tells her there's no need for "goodbyes," because they will see her next week. Rajeevan explains, "It is our turn to show God's love." --30-- Susie Rain is an International Mission Board writer living in Southeast Asia. -- End of story -- Some Chick-fil-A news reports called 'distorted' By Shawn Hendricks/Biblical Recorder Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38314 Editor's note: To read our earlier story, "Chick-fil-A, in nat'l media storm, swims against cultural tide," [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38301]click here.[/URL] CARY, N.C. (BP) -- As debate swirls over comments made by Chick-fil-A's president, the Biblical Recorder's editor described many media reports of his conversation with the company's president as "distorted." During a call-in radio interview Thursday (July 19) with WORD-FM in Pittsburgh, K. Allan Blume described his conversation with Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy as "very positive," unlike how it is being portrayed in a variety of news reports. [IMG=33093@right@120]Baptist Press re-posted the original [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38271]story[/URL] July 16, which was published in the Recorder's July 7 issue and posted on its website ([URL=http://www.brnow.org]brnow.org[/URL]). After Baptist Press re-posted the story, related articles soon surfaced in the Huffington Post, Associated Press, USAToday, Los Angeles Times, Fox News, and other news agencies -- some of which ran articles with "anti-gay" in the headline. Many of those reports "turned [the original story] into a negative," said Blume, adding the term "anti-gay" never came up in the June interview while Cathy was speaking in the Raleigh, N.C., area. "He was not saying 'guilty as charged anti-gay,'" Blume added. "[Cathy] never even brought up that subject. Everything he stated was on the positive side … He never stated anything negative." Blume asked Cathy about opposition to the company's support of the traditional family, and Cathy responded, "Well, guilty as charged." In the interview Cathy went on to say, "We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that." Blume expressed his surprise at how standing up for traditional family values in today's politically correct society has become code for hate speech. "I don't understand why that's a bad thing all of a sudden," he told the radio hosts. "It was not an anti-gay statement. It was a pro-family statement." "Sadly even some religious press organizations have published that as an anti-gay statement." Blume added that during their conversation Cathy also said, "We're a business that serves the public, all people are welcomed into Chick-fil-A, and frankly we do not feel called to weigh in on a lot of social activism that's taking place as it relates to the definition of the family, but we do definitely want to encourage strong families." Blume, who has not been in touch with Cathy or the company since the story was first published, referred to Chick-fil-A as a "class organization." "They're very positive," he said. "This is basically an All-American organization that's worked hard and been very successful, and yet, they're painted to be very anti-American or something worse than that. "They don't shut anybody out from their restaurant … they welcome everyone." Cathy's comments in the story have sparked more than 14,000 comments on Chick-fil-A's Facebook page. While some criticized the company and vowed never to buy a Chick-fil-A sandwich, most comments were supportive. One person wrote, "I love Chick-fil-A for their wonderful food and their great family values!" "Thank you Chick-fil-[A]!!!," another person wrote. "It is refreshing to see a company to live out in practice what they believe instead of compromising. We should all learn a lesson on living out our faith in a faithless generation. I liked Chick-fil-[A] before, I'll try to eat there more often now!" --30-- Shawn Hendricks is managing editor of the Biblical Recorder ([URL=http://www.brnow.org]brnow.org[/URL]), newsjournal of the State Convention of Baptists in North Carolina, where this story first appeared. -- End of story -- Critics: State fumbled China trafficking rating By Staff Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38318 WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. State Department's refusal to categorize China as one of the world's worst countries at combating human trafficking continues to receive criticism. In its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, the State Department again placed the communist power on the Tier 2 Watch List instead of dropping it to Tier 3, the designation reserved for governments that fall short of standards established by U.S. law and are not making meaningful attempts to reach them. A spokeswoman for a leading anti-trafficking organization told a Senate committee July 17 the ranking for China and other countries was based on "political considerations." "There are a handful of countries on the Tier II Watch List for the second year right now, including China, Russia, and Uzbekistan[,] that certainly do not meet the Tier II standard," said Holly Burkhalter of International Justice Mission (IJM) in written testimony prepared for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "But the State Department because of political considerations unrelated to trafficking may feel that they should be moved up to Tier II." While Burkhalter commended the quality of the State Department report as "very high," she told the panel, "[P]olitical considerations occasionally erode the ranking system." The report, which was released June 19, ranked 185 countries on their efforts against slavery. The State Department analyzes governments regarding "prevention, protection and prosecution," said Luis CdeBaca, ambassador at large of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. It is estimated between 21 to 27 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, which involves such forced activities as prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation, labor in sweatshops and on farms and child service in the military. Sex trafficking includes the abduction or coercion of women for prostitution, as well as the sexual exploitation of minors by "tourists" from other countries. Some members of Congress criticized the State Department's handling of China even more sharply than IJM's Burkhalter when the report was released. "China has remained on the 'Watch List' for eight years now, evading a downgrade to Tier 3 -- and sanctions -- by stringing this president along with empty promises," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who drafted the original federal law to combat trafficking in 2000 and also authored subsequent laws that strengthened it. "China was granted a waiver last year because its government allegedly had a 'written plan that, if implemented, would constitute a significant effort to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards' and it was allegedly 'devoting sufficient resources to implement that plan' -- it is the exact same story this year, except ... we still do not know the contents of the plan and its release has been postponed yet again," Smith said in a written statement. "Where are the results? When will the Administration say that enough is enough? "Our obligation is to the victims of trafficking, not the dictatorship," Smith said. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a written release she was "extremely skeptical" about China receiving a waiver to stay on the Tier II Watch List, "where it has been parked for the past 8 years. Real progress, not paper promises, should be required to keep abusive regimes from receiving deserved Tier 3 designations." In its report on China, the State Department said it was "unclear what efforts" Beijing made to protect victims and reported the government "made minimal efforts" regarding prevention of trafficking. Last year, a provision went into effect that limits countries to two years on the Tier 2 Watch List before being demoted to Tier 3, unless the secretary of State grants a waiver. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued such a waiver for China the last two years. The secretary can issue a waiver for only two consecutive years. Afterward, the country must go to either Tier 2 or Tier 3. While China evaded Tier 3 status, 17 countries did not -- including Algeria, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe. Under the law, the United States may refuse aid that is not humanitarian or trade-related to governments on Tier 3. In addition to China, Russia and Uzbekistan, the Tier 2 Watch List's 42 countries this year included Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Belarus, Burma, Cyprus, Ecuador, Haiti, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Lebanon, South Sudan, Thailand and Venezuela. The Tier 2 Watch List is for governments that fall short of the minimum standards required by U.S. law but are making significant attempts to achieve them. Watch List countries also have sizable numbers of trafficking victims, have provided no evidence of greater efforts against trafficking or have made commitments to improve their work. Tier 2, which is different from the Tier 2 Watch List consists of governments that have made important attempts to comply, has 93 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine and Vietnam. The 33 Tier 1 countries that fully comply with the standards included Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is estimated as many as 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year. Twenty-nine countries gained upgrades to higher tiers in the latest report, which "could mean enacting strong laws, stepping up their investigations and prosecutions, or simply laying out a roadmap of steps they will take to respond," Clinton said upon the report's release. The report showed increases in some important categories: Prosecutions increased from about 6,000 in the 2011 report to more than 7,900 in the new report; convictions grew from 3,619 to 3,969, and victims identified escalated from about 33,000 to 42,000. Burkhalter is IJM's vice president for government relations. The trafficking report may be accessed at the State Department's website, [URL=www.state.gov/g/tip]www.state.gov/g/tip[/URL]. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode, 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 -- Chaplain mentioned in AP story is leaving SBC By Staff Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38317 ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- The Air Force chaplain who attended a same-sex civil union that took place in June has notified chaplaincy leaders at the North American Mission Board (NAMB) that he is leaving the Southern Baptist Convention. "Southern Baptists love and pray for our chaplains. That being said, we only want to endorse chaplains who can support Baptist doctrine and belief without reservation," said Kevin Ezell, NAMB's president. "When it comes to what our chaplains believe and practice, we do ask and we do expect them to tell." NAMB chaplaincy leaders contacted Air Force Chaplain (Col.) Timothy Wagoner after an Associated Press article appeared in early July describing him as "watching supportively" during the civil union. At the time, Wagoner indicated to NAMB he did not support the ceremony. He also gave assurances of his support for the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and for the biblical definition of one man, one woman marriage. "If an SBC chaplain concludes he cannot conduct his ministry in harmony with SBC beliefs and doctrine, then it is best to part ways," Ezell said. Wagoner notified NAMB of his decision July 19. As part of its endorsement process, NAMB assesses chaplain candidates based on their doctrine, beliefs, ministry experience and their history as Southern Baptists. Each applicant is required to indicate agreement with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the Southern Baptist doctrinal belief statement. The United States military requires that all of its chaplains have the endorsement of an established faith group. NAMB is the endorsing entity for chaplains on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention. There are 1,450 Southern Baptist chaplains serving the United States Armed Services. --30-- Compiled by communications staff of 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 -- New generic morning after pill is approved By Staff Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38312 WASHINGTON (BP) -- A new, generic version of the "morning-after" pill -- which can cause abortions -- will soon be available in stores across the United States. Watson Pharmaceuticals announced July 13 it immediately will begin shipping its generic drug, Next Choice One Dose, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its application to market a generic version of Plan B One-Step, Watson said. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries manufactures Plan B One-Step. It is the second generic version of the morning-after pill to be approved. The first one (Next Choice) was FDA-approved in 2009. The "morning-after" pill, also known as emergency contraception, is basically a heavier dose of birth control pills. There are two-step versions (Plan B and Next Choice) and one-step versions (Plan B One-Step and now Next Choice One Dose). Under the two-part regimen, a woman takes a pill within 72 hours of sexual intercourse and another dose 12 hours later. The one-step version is taken in a single dose within 72 hours. The "morning-after" pill can restrict ovulation in a woman or prevent fertilization, but it also can block implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall. The latter effect causes an abortion, pro-life advocates point out. Watson's announcement is an acknowledgment it believes there is money to be made in the "morning-after" pill industry. American sales of Plan B One-Step reached $88 million from June 2011 to May 2012, according to Watson. Watson, which is based in New Jersey, also markets "ella," a drug the FDA has approved as emergency contraception. Pro-lifers, however, describe "ella" as more like the abortion drug RU 486 because it can destroy an embryo already implanted in the mother's womb. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -- End of story -- Shorter, Union advance in NCAA process By Staff Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38313 INDIANAPOLIS (BP) -- Union University and Shorter University each have advanced to year two of candidacy in their bids for full membership in the NCAA at the Division II level. The NCAA notified both schools in a July 13 conference call about their progression in the three-year membership process. Shorter and Union are now one-third of the way through the process and on pace to gain active membership status by the 2014-15 academic year. "The move to the next milestone in the NCAA Division II process has appropriately taken on a team effort," said Jerry Tidwell, Union University's senior vice president for university relations. "Our athletic administration and coaches have given their best efforts in making this step possible. I am proud of our entire athletic family and team." Both schools will begin competition within the Gulf South Conference in Division II this fall but will not be eligible for NCAA championships. "Our participation in the Gulf South Conference is one of the most exciting aspects of our move to the NCAA," said Bill Peterson, Shorter's director of athletics. "The GSC is the SEC of NCAA Division II so we will have our work cut out for us. That said, I know that our coaches and our student-athletes are looking forward to the challenge." --30-- Compiled by Tim Ellsworth, editor of BPSports (www.bpsports.net) and director of news and media relations at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. -- End of story -- CULTURE DIGEST: Pastor jailed, fined for home church; city says it's a zoning issue By Staff Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38309 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- An Arizona pastor whose at-home worship services and Bible studies regularly drew as many as 80 people has been sentenced to 60 days in jail, ordered to pay a $12,180 fine and given three years of probation. In a decision upheld on appeal, the Maricopa County Superior Court found Michael Salman guilty of 67 building code violations. Salman contends the case is about religious freedom. Phoenix city officials said the case centers on compliance with zoning and building code laws designed to protect the public. After he was ordered to host no more than 12 worshippers at a time at his home, Salman gained in 2008 a building permit to attach a 2,000-square-foot private game room to his home but began using the room as Harvest Christian Fellowship Community Church, according to a fact sheet posted on the city's website. The usage violated the building permit, which prohibits any use of the facility other than a private game room. "The Michael Salman court case is about building safety," the city said. "Due to the regular, reoccurring high vehicular traffic in this quiet residential neighborhood, neighbors repeatedly complained about the public assembly occurring on his property. Because of the multiple, reoccurring complaints, the city investigated the activity and discovered numerous building code violations primarily related to fire safety standards." Salman has launched a campaign for his freedom, drawing public support and representation from civil liberties attorney John Whitehead, founder of the Rutherford Institute. "What happened to Michael Salman ... illustrates the absurdity of government officials prosecuting individuals for engaging in religious activity on their private property," Whitehead said in a Rutherford news release. "That Michael Salman and his family and friends are not allowed to gather in private to study the Bible goes against every founding principle of the United States of America." PENTAGON HOLDS FIRST GAY PRIDE EVENT -- The U.S. military has broken with history, holding its first celebration of homosexuality at the Pentagon. Jeh Johnson, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense, delivered a keynote address before a panel discussion titled "The Value of Open Service and Diversity" June 26. Johnson co-wrote the report that eventually led to the Obama administration's dismantling last fall of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy which prevented homosexuals from serving openly in the military. Johnson said the CIA held its first gay pride event 12 years ago and that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell has not affected the military in any tangible way. "We lifted a real and personal burden from their shoulders. They no longer have to live a lie in the military. They no longer have to teach a child to lie to protect her father's career," Johnson said of homosexual service members. "All of us should applaud the near flawless manner in which the entire military implemented this policy and unconditionally welcomed their brothers and sisters to the table." Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, said that statement is false. "There have been signs of discontent with the situation," she said, citing a U.S. Army study on stress and sex crime trends. "The most important thing is, people in the military follow orders, and one is you don't go out and question policy once it's been changed. So there's no vehicle for people in the military to register discomfort with the new LGBT law." Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, agreed. "In fact," he said, "I know some officers who've been ordered by their commanders not to speak to the press, whereas those who have been supportive of the policy are brought out before the press. We have a double standard." Contrary to the Pentagon event's title, Donnelly said "diversity" actually weakens the military, and that civilian activists are using it as a crucible for social engineering. "What makes our military strong are the intangibles -- dedication to the mission, selfless service, putting the mission ahead of individual interests," she said. "If you have a faction that says, 'It's about me, me, us, us,' that's inherently divisive. There's no evidence the kind of diversity being talked about there today will be helpful to the military." MO. GOV. VETOES RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTION -- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed legislation that would protect the religious liberties of employers and employees against the abortion-contraceptive mandate included in the health care reform law supported by the Obama administration. It appears, however, both houses of the Missouri legislature may be able to achieve the two-thirds majorities to override Nixon's July 12 veto. The Senate approved the bill with a 28-6 vote, while the House of Representatives voted 105-33 for the measure, according to LifeNews.com. The abortion-contraceptive mandate in the law commonly referred to as "Obamacare" requires all plans to cover contraceptives and sterilizations as preventive services without cost to employees under a federal rule announced in January. The mandate includes coverage of contraceptives that can cause abortions of tiny embryos. The rule regarding that mandate has a religious exemption critics find woefully inadequate and has elicited ardent opposition from church groups and religious freedom advocates. The vetoed bill would protect employers or employees from being required to purchase health insurance that covers abortion, contraception or sterilization if doing so would conflict with their "religious beliefs or moral convictions," LifeNews reported. In his veto message, Nixon said the state already has a law protecting religious freedom in such cases. He also said he opposes a provision in the new bill empowering insurance companies to deny contraceptive coverage to women and "override the rights and beliefs of employees and employers." Pam Fichter, president of Missouri Right to Life, said in a written statement she is "sincerely disappointed that Governor Nixon has chosen to give away our religious liberties to Washington politicians." The bill "would have sent a clear message that pro-life Missourians oppose participating in the taking of innocent human lives against our religious beliefs," she said. "Governor Nixon joins the Obama Administration in attacking our religious liberty by supporting the [Department of Health and Human Services] mandate forcing all Missourians to pay for insurance that includes abortion coverage even if doing so is a violation of our religious beliefs." Nixon, a Democrat, is running for re-election this year. TEEN'S DEATH PUTS FOCUS ON ASSISTED REPRODUCTION -- Sushma Pandey was only 17 when she died in Mumbai, India, after having donated eggs for at least the third time in 18 months. Nearly two years later, her death is bringing attention to India's unregulated assisted reproduction industry, The Indian Express reported July 12. Pandey died Aug. 10, 2010, two days after she had gone to a hospital, Rotunda -- The Centre for Human Reproduction, apparently to donate eggs. Police investigations showed she also had gone to the center as an egg donor in February 2009, October 2009 and possibly February 2010, according to The Express. An examination after her death showed she had six injection marks, an abrasion, four contusions and a blood clot in the head, The Express reported. The likely cause of death "was shock, possibly due to such multiple injuries," according to the Bombay High Court. "The histopathological report showed some congestion in ovaries and uterus." The High Court rebuked police for not investigating the hospital, according to The Express. Police are waiting on a doctors committee report to determine what steps they may take against the hospital. "What happened to Sushma Pandey is happening to women every day, all over the world. The infertility industry knows the seriousness of the health risks, yet objects to any oversight, to long-term studies, and to regulation, simply because it will compromise their profits," said Jennifer Lahl, president of the Center for Bioethics and Culture and producer of the video documentary "Eggsploitation." Women must receive injections of a strong drug to undergo ovarian hyperstimulation before donating their eggs for use in in vitro fertilization. The eggs are extracted by a 12-inch needle inserted into each ovary. Among the possible risks for donors are ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, infertility and kidney disease, critics say. 'DEATH PATHWAY' MAY BE USED TO CUT COSTS -- British hospitals may be placing thousands of terminally ill patients on a "death pathway" to save money, elder care experts have warned. In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, six doctors -- in alliance with the Medical Ethics Alliance, a Christian organization -- issued the warning about the Liverpool Care Pathway, the newspaper reported July 8. The pathway, which empowers healthcare providers to withdraw medication and fluids from patients in their final days, is used in as much as 29 percent of hospital deaths. Natural death is a less painful manner of dying than the withholding of fluids and drugs, the doctors said in their letter. There is no "scientific way of diagnosing imminent death," they said, according to The Telegraph. "It is essentially a prediction, and it is possible that other considerations may come into reaching such a decision, not excluding the availability of resources." One of the six doctors -- retired geriatrics specialist Gillian Craig -- told the newspaper, "If you are cynical about it, as I am, you can see it as a cost-cutting measure, if you don't want your beds to be filled with old people." The pathway "is not about saving money," a Department of Health spokesperson told The Telegraph. "It is an established and respected tool that is recommended by [the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence] and has overwhelming support from clinicians at home and abroad." --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode and Diana Chandler of Baptist Press and by World News Service. 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 dark night in Denver -- groping for answers By R. Albert Mohler Jr. Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38315 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The news hit the airwaves like a sudden onslaught, and the truth began to sink in. It has happened again. This time, 71 people shot while attending the midnight premier of the last in the Batman sequence, "The Dark Knight Rises." According to press reports, a 24-year-old man burst into the crowded theater, wearing a gas mask and carrying an arsenal. After deploying what is believed to be tear gas, he opened fire with a shotgun, a rifle and two handguns. At least 12 people are dead, and dozens are injured, many critically. More than 100 police officers responded to the scene in Aurora, just a few miles from Columbine High School, where in 1999 two high school students killed 12 fellow students and one teacher in a rampage that also injured 21 other students. That school massacre became a milestone in the nation's legacy of violence. Now, yet another Denver suburb joins that tragic list. The inevitable media swarm focuses on the data first -- the who, what, when and where questions. Then they, along with the public at large, begin to ask the why question. That is always the hard one. The same vexing but inescapable question comes every time a Columbine happens or an Anders Behring Breivik attempts to justify his mass homicide. How could such a thing happen? How could a human being do such a thing? There is no easy answer to this question. The easy answers are never satisfying, and they are often based in the confused moral calculus of popular culture. We assume there must have been a political motivation, a psychiatric disturbance, a sociological pressure … anything that will offer a satisfying explanation that will assure us. Wave after wave of analysis is offered, and sometimes some horrifying clues emerge. But the moral madness of mass homicide can never be truly explained. Christians are driven by instinct to think in biblical and theological terms. But, how should that instinct be guided? THE REALITY OF HUMAN EVIL First, Christians know that the human heart is capable of great evil. Human history includes a catalog of human horrors. The 20th century, described by historian Eric Hobsbawm as the century of "megadeath," included a list of names such as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot and Charles Manson. But those murderers did their killing from a distance, at least usually. Those who carry out the murders themselves are even more haunting to us. The young man arrested in this case, 24-year-old James Holmes, looks disarmingly normal. The Fall released human moral evil into the cosmos, and every single human being is a sinner, tempted by a full range of sinfulness. When someone does something as seemingly unthinkable as this, we often question how anyone could do such a thing. The prophet Jeremiah spoke to this when he lamented, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) Human beings are capable of unspeakable moral evil. We are shocked by such atrocities, but only because we have some distance from the last one. We cannot afford to be shocked when humans commit grotesque moral evil. It tells us the truth about unbridled human sin. THE GRACE OF MORAL RESTRAINT Second, we must be thankful for restraints on moral evil. Christians must not underestimate the potential of any human being -- ourselves included -- to commit moral horror. We know ourselves to be sinners, and we know ourselves to be capable of sins we do not actually commit. Why do we not commit them? God restrains human sinfulness. If the fullness of human sin was set loose, humanity would destroy itself. God restrains human evil by several means. First, he has created us in His image, and at least part of this image is what we call conscience. The moral conscience is a powerful restraint on human evil, and for this we must be exceedingly thankful. At the same time, the human conscience is also warped by the Fall and no longer fully trustworthy. We have developed the capacity to ignore the conscience, torture the conscience and even misdirect the conscience by moral rationalization. Nevertheless, the restraint of the conscience is fundamental, and for that we must be very thankful. God has also established institutions and orders that restrain human evil. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 13, God gave us the institution of government in order to restrain evil and to punish the evildoer. He has also given us the institution of marriage and the family and the larger order of society in order to restrain evil. We are surrounded by a complex of laws and statutes and social expectations and civic associations. All these function to restrain evil. At the foundation of these restraints is the fear of God, which, even in an increasingly secular society, still retains a more powerful force than is often acknowledged. EVIL ANSWERED AT THE CROSS Third, we must admit that there will be no fully satisfying answer to these questions in this life. Christians know that God is sovereign, and that nothing is outside of His control. We also know that He allows evil to exist, and human beings to commit moral atrocities. We cannot allow the sovereignty of God to be denied and evil allowed its independent existence. Nor can we deny the reality of evil and the horror of its threat to be lessened. We are reminded that evil can be answered only by a cross. Theologian Henri Blocher explains this truth vividly in these words: "Evil is conquered as evil because God turns it back upon itself. He makes the supreme crime, the murder of the only righteous person, the very operation that abolishes sin. The maneuver is utterly unprecedented. No more complete victory could be imagined. God responds in the indirect way that is perfectly suited to the ambiguity of evil. He entraps the deceiver in his own wiles. Evil, like a judoist, takes advantage of the power of good, which it perverts; the Lord, like a supreme champion, replies by using the very grip of the opponent." We must grieve with those who grieve. We must pray for Gospel churches in the Denver area who will be called upon for urgent ministry. We must pray for our nation and communities. And we must pray that God will guard ourselves from evil -- especially our own evil. And we must point to the cross. What other answer can we give? --30-- R. Albert Mohler Jr. is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column first appeared at AlbertMohler.com. 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: Dan Cathy's views are in the majority By Kelly Boggs Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38316 ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- Dan Cathy, Chief Operating Officer of Chick-fil-A, supports the traditional definition of marriage. "Well guilty as charged," is how Cathy responded to the Biblical Recorder when it was pointed out that some are critical of Chick-fil-A's support of traditional values. "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." For daring to express his view, he has been labeled homophobic, bigoted and his restaurant chain has been targeted by homosexual activists for a boycott. The way Cathy and Chick-fil-A have been vilified by some homosexual activists and media reports, you would think that his view is aberrant, marginal and out of step with mainstream America. However, the truth is quite the opposite. Based on the ballot box, a significant majority of Americans agree with Cathy. To date, 32 states have voted on the issue, and by an average margin of 67-33 percent, Americans in those states have said marriage is between only a man and a woman. North Carolina, in May, was the latest. If you did not already know this, allow me to point out that if a candidate or issue garners 67 percent of the vote in an election, it is considered to be a landslide of epic proportions. Traditional marriage has even been affirmed by voters in liberal states like Oregon and California. The Golden State affirmed it twice -- once with an initiative then with a constitutional amendment. In spite of what the media seeks to portray, in spite of polls touted by special interest groups, in spite of what homosexual activists insist, if you support the concept of traditional marriage, you are not in the minority in America. Quite the contrary, you are part of a significant majority. What you are witnessing with Chick-fil-A is an "end justifies the means" political effort to convince society to endorse homosexuality as natural, normal and healthy. This will be achieved if same-sex marriage is ever accepted in America. There are millions of people like Dan Cathy who affirm a biblical and traditional view of sexuality. So when the activists want to brand Dan Cathy as a hateful homophobe, don't be deceived. They are actually calling the 67 percent of the American population who have voted to support traditional marriage hateful, homophobic and bigoted. Dan Cathy is a hardworking, good man. He operates a good company. In many ways he is just like you and me. Like many of us Cathy ascribes to traditional values. As a result, many brand him as hateful and his company worthy of boycott. Keep in mind that when they hold Cathy in contempt, they hold the 67 percent of us who agree with Cathy in contempt as well. --30-- Kelly Boggs is a weekly columnist for Baptist Press, director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention's office of public affairs, and editor of the Baptist Message www.baptistmessage.com , newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist 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 -- FIRST-PERSON: Hablando de libertad By Oscar Fernández Jul. 20 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38308 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- El lunes de esta semana que termina celebré el 20 aniversario de haber recibido la sentencia favorable a mi solicitud de asilo político a los Estados Unidos de América, de la Corte Federal de Inmigración que funciona en la ciudad de Houston en Texas. Aunque este hecho carece de importancia para usted, para mí marcó un hito en mi vida y como tal, lo recuerdo con lujo de detalles. Hay muchas razones por las que los que hemos inmigrado a los Estados Unidos hemos venido a este país. En mi caso, que es similar al de muchos cientos de miles de personas, vine buscando la libertad, en todo el amplio sentido de la palabra.Como muchos otros, yo tuve que renunciar a todo cuanto era y tenía para enfrentarme a una nueva sociedad y cultura que me eran desconocidas. Para mí, además implicó una especie de distanciamiento de mis costumbres y hábitos, fue como saltar de una isla en el Mar Caribe al desierto del Suroeste de los Estado Unidos, de usar el idioma que dominaba a uno que a duras penas entendía. Fue en verdad, un nuevo comenzar a partir de cero, pero con Dios a mi lado. Una de las mayores enseñanzasque recibí fue la de comprender la extensión de lo que significa el concepto delibertad en la sociedad norteamericana. Me costó mucho trabajo llegar a comprender esto en toda su magnitud.Pero a la vez, me ayudó a entender, por primera vez, el verdadero significado de la libertad que disfrutamos en Cristo. Cuando no se disfruta de libertad, no se puede apreciar todo el alcance del significado de esta palabra. La última vez que fui a la ciudad de Albuquerque, que considero como mi verdadera casa, visité a uno de los ministros que trabajó conmigo en la iglesia que tuve el honor de pastorear. Este me invitó para ir a visitar a una de las familias que llegaron a nuestra iglesia y que hicieron profesión de fe y fueron bautizadas. Aunque ha pasado bastante tiempo, no he podido olvidar la impresión que recibí. Al abrir la puerta de la casa, lo primero que vi en el fondo de la sala, fue una estatua de yeso de una "santa" de unos 9 pies de alto. A los pies de ese altar había cestas con frutas e innumerables ofrendas. Me dio la impresión de estar entrando en el templo griego de la diosa Artemisa. Mi amigo me dijo, si quieres nos vamos. Pero yo no podía desperdiciar aquella oportunidad que tal vez nunca más tenga.Por lo que entramos, hablamos y les leí un par de pasajes de las Escrituras: 1 Pedro 2:19 y 1 Juan 1:5-9. Les pregunté si me permitían orar por ellos y le pedí a Dios que les quitara el velo de sus ojos y que el Espíritu Santo pusiera convicción de pecado en sus corazones. Al salir de aquel tenebroso lugar, mi amigo me expresó la frustración que él sentía con aquella familia. Es verdad que es un caso triste, es verdad que empleamos muchas horas trabajando con ellos, enseñándoles y discipulándolos. No podemos pasar por alto que pasamos mucho tiempo junto a ellos que les ayudamos a encaminarse, que les ayudamos a encontrar empleo, y que siempre estuvimos atentos a su necesidades materiales y espirituales, pero ellos no nos desecharon a nosotros ni a nuestra iglesia, lo triste y trágico es que ellos han desechado a Dios. Han tomado en vano la sangre de Cristo y han desperdiciado la libertad que Cristo les dio para esclavizarse en las garras del diablo, o a lo mejor, nunca fueron libres, y solo aparentaron lo que no sentían. ¡Cristo es el único que nos puede dar la verdadera libertad!Para los que alguna vez vivimos sin libertad para pensar o actuar, volver a ser esclavos después de haber conocido y disfrutado la libertad, no tiene sentido, es cosa de locos.Es como estar encarcelado y ver abrirse las puertas de la prisión, salir afuera y decir, no me regreso. Me gusta vivir encadenado. Comenté con mi amigo que en verdad me había sentido como el apóstol Pablo y había tenido deseos de decirles: "insensatos, ¿cómo han podido caer de nuevo en las garras del diablo? ¿Cómo han podido desperdiciar la libertad para volver a ser esclavos? Pero en realidad, ¿quién soy yo para juzgar a mi hermano? ¿Estuvieron alguna vez en el camino? ¿Se convirtieron realmente? Hay mil preguntas más que me he hecho, pero la respuesta, aunque desagradable, es lo que encuentro en la Biblia. En Juan 8:31-32 dice: "Dijo entonces Jesús a los judíos que habían creído en él: Si vosotros permaneciereis en mi palabra, seréis verdaderamente mis discípulos; y conoceréis la verdad, y la verdad os hará libres". Esta pobre gente evidentemente no creyó verdaderamente en Jesús ni permaneció en su Palabra o ellos, tal vez nunca conocieron la libertad que Jesucristo da. ¿Fracasamos nosotros? No, la Palabra de Dios nunca vuelve vacía. Yo no puedo saber los motivos que tuvo Dios para traerlos hasta nuestra iglesia ni el alcance eterno de lo que hicimos con ellos y con otras muchas familias que al igual que ellos, vinieron a nuestra iglesia en aquellos años que viví en Albuquerque. No podemos asumir el papel de Dios. Nuestra tarea fue y seguirá siendo presentar el evangelio que tiene el poder de liberar de la esclavitud del pecado, y amar a la gente, tratando de imitar el amor de Cristo. No podemos cansarnos de predicar la Verdad y mostrar a la gente la Fuente que provee el Agua que da la verdadera libertad. Lo demás no es nuestra tarea ni función. Incluso hay creyentes que han confiado en Cristo y han experimentado el poder de Dios en sus vidas, pero que no reconocen la responsabilidad que tienen de vivir para Cristo. Estos en lugar de entregarle el control de sus vidas a Dios y permitir que Él les ayude a vivir una vida de santidad, viven como si el Espíritu Santo no existiera. La mayor parte de las veces ellos no tienen estatuas de yeso ubicadas en las salas de sus casas, pero tienen ídolos en sus corazones que ocupan todo el espacio del mismo. No son "santos" hechos por manos de hombres, pero son verdaderos dioses que ellos adoran, incluso sin percatarse de lo que hacen. Esos falsos dioses pueden ser el trabajo, los estudios, la casa, el jardín, las tiendas, la familia y hasta las actividades en la iglesia. Cualquier cosa que ocupe el lugar que Dios debe tener en nuestras vidas, es un falso dios que esclaviza. Debemos vivir en la práctica la libertad que tenemos en Cristo, y no cansarnos de predicar ni de hacer el bien, sin tomar en cuenta lo que el mundo suele considerar fracasos, pues no nos desechan a nosotros que somos solo simples instrumentos en las manos del Creador del universo sino que es a Él a quien desechan. --30-- Dr. Óscar Fernández es Senior Team Leader, publishing en Adult Ministry, en LifeWay Church Resources Division, LifeWay Christian Resources en Nashville, TN, es además escritor independiente y un estudioso de la Biblia. Su blog http://estudiandolabibliaconoscar.blogspot.com tiene seguidores en 45 países. -- 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