Baptist Press Stories for Jul. 2 2012 --------------------------------------- Bivocational pastors do 'double duty' to impact world for Christ http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38187 Gay marriage issue appealed to Supreme Court http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38188 Candidates urged to speak out for persecuted http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38189 With CP, 'We have a part' in missions http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38191 CP 4.27% above budget for year http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38190 18 dead in twin church attacks in Kenya http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38192 FIRST-PERSON: A stunning reminder: the darkness lives in me http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38193 BP Ledger, July 2 edition http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38194 --------------------------------------- Bivocational pastors do 'double duty' to impact world for Christ By Joe Conway Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38187 RICHFIELD, Pa. (BP) -- Pusey Losch begins his day in God's Word. Like many men who make a living with their hands, he seeks spiritual preparation for the mental and physical challenges his workday presents. Losch is a painting contractor -- owner/operator -- starting his business 32 years ago after seeing an opportunity while laboring as a carpenter in rural Pennsylvania.
"I started building houses to make a living," said Losch. "I did that until I figured out I could make a better living with a bucket of paint than a stack of 2X4s." While some working men eschew Facebook, Losch checks it regularly. He isn't worried about his status -- he's checking on his flock. Losch is one of the many bivocational pastors serving congregations across the Southern Baptist and Canadian National Baptist conventions. According to data reported in the Annual Church Profile, some 8,000 pastors and associate pastors report being bivocational. Even more bivocational ministers serve as student pastors, worship leaders and in other roles. Losch joins men like adjunct professor Martinez "Tez" Andrews and engineer Carlos Soca who work more than 40-hour weeks at their day jobs, give spiritual leadership to their churches and remain engaged in the lives of their families. A new phrase -- Iron Men of the SBC -- coined by Tim Dowdy describes these men. The thought came to the senior pastor after attending a triathlon. He serves as pastor of Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Ga. "A couple of days later I was in a meeting at NAMB discussing bivocational pastors," said Dowdy, immediate past chairman of the North American Mission Board's trustees. "Then it hit me. I thought, 'Most of them don't swim, bike and run, but they are the Iron Men of the SBC.' They hold down full-time jobs, pastor churches and take care of their families." To raise awareness for the need to help bivocational pastors, Dowdy will participate in his first full triathlon November 3 in Panama City, Fla. "There are 345 million people in North America, and conservatively 70 to 80 percent still need to come to faith in Christ," said Dowdy. "We need bivocational pastors leading churches. In some urban and rural settings, there may never be a base that can support a full-time pastor." Losch, Andrews and Soca may be in the minority in the SBC, but it is a large one. Only 63 percent of Southern Baptist congregations are led by full-time pastors, according to Southern Baptist Directory Services. "We believe the only way for us to have a true church planting movement is to garnish the efforts of bivocational pastors and to train our young people that they, too, can be bivocational," said NAMB president Kevin Ezell. Ezell recently announced a partnership between Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and NAMB to offer a 33-hour, online master's degree in theology. NAMB will support the effort with Iron Men of the SBC scholarships. NAMB honored bivocational pastors with a luncheon at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans and featured a bivocational pastor in its report to the convention. A typical day in the life of the average bivocational pastor is anything but typical. "Sermon preparation is probably the toughest. I've been told how I'm supposed to do it and then there is reality. When you work all day, come home and then are up until 1 a.m. counseling someone with serious issues, and you have to be up the next morning for work, sometimes sermon preparation takes a hit. I'll admit it. I've written one or two on my way walking to the pulpit." Finding family time is daunting, too. Tez Andrews, father of four sons, ages 13-2, was hit recently with the sudden need to find a new worship location for his church plant, Connect Church in Decatur, Ga. "I was, of course, concerned about the move," said Andrews. "As I was preparing my sermon, God made it clear to me I should focus on my sons, not where the church would meet." He sensed the Lord prodding him, "Don't worry about the location. Be with your boys. You let me take care of where the church will meet." Andrews spends 40-50 hours per week in lesson preparation and classroom lectures at Carver College and Belhaven University, both in Atlanta. Although the calling can be challenging, bivocational pastors have support in the form of The Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network (BSCLN). "The BSCLN is the champion of the validity, importance and resourcefulness of the bivocational and smaller membership church pastors," said Ray Gilder, BSCLN national coordinator. "Bivocational pastors are vital to planting churches across North America. They are double-duty ministers, willing to do whatever it takes to make a difference for Christ in their communities." Engineer and pastor Carlos Soca appreciates the members at Open Door Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., where he leads the multi-ethnic congregation's Hispanic ministry. Travel is tough enough leaving his wife and three children behind, so having confidence in men who can step in at services is important. "I lead the Spanish Fellowships on Sunday and Wednesday evenings," said Soca. "The balance of a professional career, a growing family, and the demands of leading in a congregation are challenging. What do you put your energy and your time into? "Recently I was told I was needed the next week in Mexico for a presentation. There is no way to make services when you're out of the country. Thankfully we've developed men who can lead." Recognizing those challenges, NAMB supports pastors with people like George Garner, who leads Bivocational and Rural Missional Strategies on NAMB's behalf. "Kingdom explosion and spiritual awakening will come when the vast army of bivocational and lay leaders are released to be Kingdom agents ... in the marketplace of our continent," said Garner. At 54, Losch has planted four churches, including his current pastorate, Mountain View Community Church in Richfield, Penn. He and his wife raised four children. Losch's habit of keeping up with Facebook allowed him to lead an old friend to faith in Christ. It also helped a family make a major change. "We had a boy come to our VBS," said Losch. "Three years later he sent a friend request. I asked him if he was going to church. When he said no, I invited him. His entire family showed up. Three weeks later his dad came to say the entire family were giving their lives to Christ. "My advice for anyone considering bivocational pastoring would be to do it," Losch said. "Make sure you are good at both preaching and working. It is hard work and you need to be good at what you do." Soca agreed. "It can be challenging and tough," said Soca. "But at the same time I have learned to rely on the Holy Spirit. That's been a big lesson, a big growth area for me. You cannot do this in your own strength. You have to rely on God." --30-- Joe Conway is a writer for the North American Mission Board. -- End of story -- Gay marriage issue appealed to Supreme Court By Michael Foust Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38188 WASHINGTON (BP) -- The issue of gay marriage has officially been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in a move that could lead to a landmark ruling. On Friday (June 29) lawyers for the House of Representatives filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, asking it to take up a case concerning the constitutionality of a major section of the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 federal law which defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. Because the court is in its summer recess, attorneys may not know for weeks or months whether the Supreme Court will hear it. [QUOTE@right@130=Unless the First Circuit's ruling is reversed, the United States would join 11 countries around the world that recognize gay marriage.]The appeal comes after the First Circuit Court of Appeals in May overturned DOMA Section 3, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection. Section 3 of DOMA defines marriage in federal law in the traditional sense. Massachusetts and the gay legal group GLAAD filed the suits that led to the First Circuit ruling, arguing it's wrong for the federal government not to recognize the gay marriages from states where it's legal -- and, by extension, not to grant federal benefits to the couples. But the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) -- the House's attorneys -- said the federal government has legitimate reasons to define marriage as between a man and a woman. It also said the federal government is a sovereign body -- just like each state -- that has the power, like Massachusetts, to define marriage as it chooses. "Section 3 of DOMA simply asserts the federal government's right as a separate sovereign to provide its own definition which 'governs only federal programs and funding,'" the House attorneys wrote in the request. "Congress, of course, did not invent the meanings of 'marriage' and 'spouse' in 1996. Rather, DOMA merely reaffirmed and codified the traditional definition of marriage, i.e., what Congress itself has always meant -- and what courts and the executive branch have always understood it to mean." Unless the First Circuit's ruling is reversed, the United States would join 11 countries around the world that recognize gay marriage, even though it's legal only in six states and the District of Columbia. The 35-page House request notes that DOMA passed with bipartisan support and was signed by President Clinton, and it quotes from both Democrats and Republicans who backed it. Significantly, the request argues that heterosexual relationships are unique and that children need a mother and father -- arguments that the Obama administration had avoided even when it was defending the law. Congress, the request says, believes it has a "deep and abiding interest in encouraging responsible procreation and child-rearing." "Congress recognized the basic biological fact that only a man and a woman can beget a child together without external assistance, and sought to encourage children to be raised by both their biological parents," the request says. The request even quoted an 1885 Supreme Court decision that had said marriage between a man and woman was the "sure foundation of all that is stable and noble in our civilization." Four district courts have found DOMA constitutional, four have found it unconstitutional, the request said. "This Court and this Court alone has the power to settle this question and redirect controversy over this important national question to the democratic process," the House attorneys wrote. Technically, the DOMA suit being appealed to the high court would not impact states' rights to determine their own marriage laws. However, a separate lawsuit out of California -- the high-profile Proposition 8 case -- could directly affect states. A Ninth Circuit panel overturned Prop 8, and that decision is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court takes the Prop 8 case, then it probably would determine the constitutionality of the laws in the 44 states that don't recognize gay marriage. Former Solicitor General Paul Clement is the lead attorney for the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group. --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -- End of story -- Candidates urged to speak out for persecuted By Tom Strode Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38189 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Religious freedom advocates need to persuade each presidential candidate to "grow a backbone" and speak out for the rights of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, a Southern Baptist church-state specialist said at a recent Washington conference. Speaking to a room of about 50 religious liberty supporters, Richard Land and two other speakers called for America and its allies to do more to help religious adherents in such countries as Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told the policy makers, faith leaders, scholars and religious liberty advocates that they "represent the movements and the capability of the last line of defense" for the persecuted in the Mideast. "We need to in this room covenant that we're going to do everything within our sphere of influence ... to make certain that both presidential candidates and both presidential campaigns grow a backbone and use their newly found vertebrae to stand up for the basic values, the basic human values, the basic universal values upon which this nation is based and upon which western civilization is based," Land said. When the United States "loses its backbone and becomes an invertebrate, the persecuted of the world suffer, and they suffer disproportionately," he told his fellow advocates. "Unless we insist that this happen, it's not going to happen." Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Vienna, Austria, and Habib Malik, associate professor of history at the American Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon, also addressed the precarious situation for minorities in the Middle East and made recommendations for American engagement. The June 26 conference sponsored by the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom came only two days after Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood was announced as the winner of Egypt's presidential election. Less than 18 months after the Arab Spring uprising ended the Hosni Mubarak regime, the country's 13 million Coptic Christians face potential peril under an Islamist president. An uncertain future confronts Christians and other minorities in war-torn Syria. The aftermath of the Iraq war has resulted in at least half of the country's Christians abandoning their homeland and vast numbers of other religious minorities leaving or being killed. Representatives of the Egyptian Coptic and Iraqi Christian communities participated in the conference, as well as representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim and Baha'i minorities. Spokesmen from Nigeria also attended. "We've seen human tragedy in the persecution of Christians and others in the Middle East over the last 20, 25 years, and it's increasing and it has increased as we know as a side effect of the Iraq war," Land said. With the Egyptian election result, "we're talking about a whole different degree of magnitude here. [The Coptic Christians] are in severe danger," he said. "And when we expand the discussion to talk about Nigeria, there are more professing, church-going Christians -- Catholic and Protestant -- in Nigeria than there are in any European country except Poland. ... And these people are at severe risk of being killed." Malik told participants, "Indigenous, Middle Eastern Christians -- whether in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, among the Palestinians and whatever remains of them in Iraq, where they were nearly decimated on America's watch --... do not see a spring anywhere in sight. To them, the term Arab Spring actually sounds increasingly like a bad joke, black humor. They see instead the makings of an Arab nightmare and one with the possibility of bringing death and destruction to them and to people and cultures far beyond the Middle East." Without these religious minorities, "pluralism is all but dead in the Middle East and along with it any real chances for genuine freedom and democracy," he said. As one of his recommendations, Malik said the United States and its western allies "must draw a thick red line to protect and preserve whatever meager freedoms already exist in part of the Middle East and build on them. This means among other things active protection for minority rights and for pluralism as absolutely integral components of any meaningful, full-bore democratization." Schonborn also said America and Europe have a duty to protect the "political rights and religious freedom" of Mideast minorities. Among Schonborn's recommendations were: -- "Insist on the importance of the secular state. The Christians and other minorities in the Mideast know that their only chance for survival is a secular state with real religious freedom. ... [W]hatever origin it may have, Islamic or other, theocracy is degenerating rapidly into totalitarianism. And as Christians, we stand firmly against any theocracy, because no state can assure the Kingdom of God. -- "Please ask the [politicians responsible] not to repeat in Syria and elsewhere the mistakes of Iraq. ... Syria and Egypt must not become Iraq." -- Do not overlook the reality in the Middle East of the "new presence of Christians coming mostly from Asia." Filipinos, Indians and Sri Lankans are among those who have moved to that region, and one million Catholics are now living in Saudi Arabia as servants and workers with no religious rights, he said. The protection of religious rights in the Mideast can be achieved, Land said. "I know that that's a really, really ugly, fascistic regime in Iran and a very ugly, fascistic regime in Syria, but they're not nearly as scary as the Soviet Union was," he said. "And when the United States had backbone -- defined as [President] Ronald Reagan and [Secretary of State] George Schultz -- and we made the refuseniks [Jews and others seeking to emigrate] part of every discussion that we had with the Soviets ... in the end we won. "If we can back down the Soviet Union, we can back down" the regimes in Iran, Syria, Egypt, Iraq "and anywhere else," Land said. After Land, Schonborn and Malik spoke, participants held an off-the-record discussion of strategies and efforts to advance religious liberty in the Middle East --30-- Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -- End of story -- With CP, 'We have a part' in missions By Karen L. Willoughby Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38191 BONIFAY, Fla. (BP) -- It was while he was repotting root-bound plants that pastor Shelly Chandler realized what needed to happen at First Baptist Church in Bonifay, Fla., a church that was "at best, plateaued." "While doing that, it came to me that replanting is what we needed," Chandler said of the congregation, which averages nearly 400 people on Sundays. "Here we are, a bit root-bound over the last hundred-plus years -- the church was started in 1899 -- so we need to be shaken out and replanted into a bigger vision." One part of its vision has not changed. Though First Baptist Bonifay has cut its budget for the past two years, it refuses to cut the 13 percent of undesignated offerings that are given to missions through the Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program is the way churches in the Southern Baptist Convention work together in a global missions thrust. "This church has always given at least 10 percent; it's been at 13 percent for the last four or five years," said Chandler, pastor of First Baptist Bonifay for the last 10 years and youth pastor from 1993-97. "This is sacrificial giving for us." The church is located in a county-seat town in the part of Florida's panhandle that is south of Alabama. The number of residents in Holmes County is around 20,000, and the number of children continues to decrease as younger families move away for better-paying jobs. "The only way a church our size can truly impact the world with the Gospel is through the Cooperative Program," Chandler said. "The Cooperative Program does what the local church cannot do alone. "There's no way First Baptist Church of Bonifay could have a really good ministry in China or Montana or anywhere else in the world, but with the Cooperative Program we have a part in a global mission strategy," the pastor said. "It gives us an identity larger than just Bonifay." Along with its giving, First Baptist Bonifay does what it can to impact Holmes County and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the same way that it has refused to cut its giving through the Cooperative Program, the church -- which has baptized 45 people in the last nine months -- also refuses to cut missions and ministries where members can see God at work. "We've turned into a missions church," Chandler said. "We have more than 100 people participating in missions.... Ten years ago we just gave to missions. Now we're also doing missions." The church's international missions interest includes Honduras. First Baptist Bonifay last year helped pay for and build Living Waters Baptist Church in Guiamaca, Honduras, in partnership with Hospital Bautista. Members also participate in Holmes Baptist Association's commitment to an unreached people group in Peru and are helping fund an associational missions trip to Baltimore, Md. But it's locally where First Baptist Bonifay exhibits its day-in, day-out commitment to participating in the Great Commission. David Lauen, music minister at the church for 30 years, was the catalyst to starting a thrift store now run by the local ministerial association. The local pregnancy center is supported financially by First Baptist Bonifay. Earlier this year, the church opened a free faith-based medical clinic twice a month for anyone without insurance. It is staffed by eight doctors plus nurses and administrative support. Many are volunteers from the church. Through First Baptist Bonifay's prison ministry, the Gospel is shared each week at three facilities: a state prison, a juvenile "wilderness camp" and a county jail. "We've been able to baptize inside the walls of the prison, where we have ongoing discipleship and follow-up two days a week with the guys who make decisions," Chandler said. "The jail is for men and women, so we have both men and women go there [to minister]." First Baptist Bonifay's most ambitious ministry to date is the FARM -- Faith-based Addiction Regeneration Ministry. It's an outgrowth of a need Chandler became aware of soon after he was called in 2002 as pastor and is expected to be operational by the fall of 2013. "I was seeing at least one person a week who was dealing with addictions," the pastor said. The church sent those who were ready to make a change from drug and/or alcohol abuse to Dunklin Memorial Camp, a faith-based treatment center an hour south of Orlando. "Many returned from Dunklin changed," the pastor said. "We've learned so much about drug and alcohol addiction and recovery." A year ago First Baptist Bonifay began praying about the possibility of opening its own recovery center. Holmes Baptist Association leased a 22-acre camp site to the church for a nominal sum. A ministry director became available: Chip and Jill Chester and their two daughters are in training at the Dunklin Camp for the FARM. The FARM regeneration program will require a 10-month commitment: four weeks of induction, four weeks of orientation and 10 weeks each of regeneration, inner healing and discipleship, "where he learns to take his focus off the addiction and who he used to be and learns to walk in the truth of who God says he is," according to the website, www.thefarmnwf.org. "This ministry is new to me -- addiction recovery or prison ministry," Chandler said, "It's the [Henry] Blackaby thing: 'God's at work in these places. Are you going to join me or not?'... "There are a lot of churches that shy away from addiction," the pastor said. "Our church has had to embrace it.... Churches have to get to the point where we acknowledge what's going on in our communities." It is the membership of First Baptist Bonifay that is making the church's "repotting" possible, the pastor said. "Leading a traditional church in a changing world, trying to adjust and adapt ministries to reach the unreached culture is a huge demand, and how you do that without alienating anyone, I don't know," Chandler said. "The resources here -- the talents and abilities here -- are just enormous. It's my job to release them into ministry.... We're probably positioned right now to reach this whole county for Christ." --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Baptist Message (www.baptistmessage.com), newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. -- End of story -- CP 4.27% above budget for year By Staff Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38190 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are $5,959,045.57, or 4.27 percent, above the year-to-date budgeted goal, and are .32 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Page. The total includes receipts from state conventions and fellowships, churches and individuals for distribution according to the 2011-12 SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. The Cooperative Program is a channel of giving, begun in 1925, through which a local church is able to contribute to the various ministries of its state convention and to the various missions and ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention with a single contribution. As of June 30, gifts received by the Executive Committee for distribution through the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget totaled $145,459,045.57 or 104.27 percent, of the $139,500,000 year-to-date budgeted amount to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. The total is $464,635.86 more than the $144,994,409.71 received through the end of June 2011. The convention-adopted budget is distributed as follows: 50.2 percent to international missions through IMB, 22.79 percent to North American missions through NAMB, 22.16 percent to theological education, 3.2 percent to the SBC operating budget and 1.65 percent to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. If the convention exceeds its annual budget goal of $186 million dollars, IMB's share will go to 51 percent of any overage in Cooperative Program allocation budget receipts. Other ministry entities of the SBC will receive their adopted percentage amounts and the SBC operating budget's portion will be reduced to 2.4 percent of any overage. Designated giving of $173,504,478.86 for the same year-to-date period is 3.22 percent, or $5,405,119.18, ahead of the $168,099,359.68 received at this point last year. This total includes only those gifts received and distributed by the Executive Committee and does not reflect designated gifts contributed directly to SBC entities. Traditionally, state and regional conventions have acted as collecting entities for Cooperative Program contributions. They retain a portion of church contributions to the Cooperative Program to support work in their respective areas and forward a percentage to Southern Baptist national and international causes. The percentage of distribution from the states is at the discretion of the messengers of each state convention through the adoption of the state convention's annual budget. CP allocation budget receipts received by the Executive Committee are reported monthly to the executives of the entities of the convention, to the state offices, to the denominational papers and are posted online at www.cpmissions.net/CPReports. June's CP allocation receipts for SBC work totaled $16,549.505.61. Designated gifts received last month amounted to $24,070,605.92. The end-of-month total represents money received by the Executive Committee by the close of the last business day of each month. Month-to-month swings reflect a number of factors, including the number of Sundays in a given month, the day of the month churches forward their CP contributions to their state conventions and the timing of when state conventions forward the national portion of their CP contributions to the Executive Committee. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff. -- End of story -- 18 dead in twin church attacks in Kenya By Staff/Open Doors USA Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38192 SANTA ANA, Calif. (BP) -- At least 18 people died while 66 were wounded in Kenya's northeastern town of Garissa Sunday (July 1) when assailants burst into the Africa Inland Church (AIC) and Catholic Church, shooting at worshipers with firearms and detonating grenades. Two policemen guarding the AIC churches were among those killed. Four of the injured are in critical condition in Nairobi hospitals. Details are still emerging, but eyewitnesses told Open Doors in telephone interviews that the attackers approached the AIC church, shot the two policemen guarding the church at point blank range, took their guns and started shooting at worshippers. As the churchgoers realized what was going on, they tried to flee. Many were shot dead as they attempted to escape. The attackers threw at least four grenades into the church. Two detonated while two were found intact. At the Catholic Church the attackers apparently jumped over a fence and started shooting at people standing near the church. Three church members were killed before the attackers fled. "These brazen attacks on innocent Christian worshippers are horrific," said Open Doors USA President/CEO Carl Moeller. "The area near the border of Somalia and Kenya is becoming a killing field as well as a place where many aid workers are being kidnapped. While attacks on churches in Nigeria have held our attention over the last few months, attacks on Christians have increased in the Somalia/Kenya border area. Please pray for the families of the victims." Eyewitnesses were shocked by the attacks. "We heard something like stones being thrown on top of the roof. Then we realized that we were being shot at," said Dennis Nzioki, who was attending the AIC worship service at the time of the attack. Police said they have identified suspects in the attacks. "No arrests have been made but we have reports that five suspects were involved in the AIC attack while two suspects were involved in the Catholic Church attack," said Deputy Regional Police Chief Philip Ndolo. There is speculation about the attackers being linked to the Somali rebel militant group al-Shabaab. Kenya has suffered a number of abductions and gun, grenade and bomb attacks since October 2011 when the government sent troops into southern Somalia to target al-Shabaab, which is fighting its UN-backed government. The atmosphere in areas close to the Somalia border, such as Garissa, has been particularly tense. However, some observers suspect that radical Islamists are using the tense atmosphere in these regions to rid Christian presence in these Somali-dominated border regions. Chairman Abdulghafur El-Busaidy of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims condemned Sunday's church attacks: "All places of worship must be respected. We want to send our condolences, and we are sad that no arrests have been made yet." Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka also condemned the attacks. "Places of worship should be respected," he said. Open Doors USA is planning to visit the churches in the next few days to encourage believers and to determine the need for further support. --30-- Written by staff of Open Doors USA (OpenDoorsUSA.org), which advocates on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world. On July 1 Open Doors assumed direction of the Compass Direct News service. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: A stunning reminder: the darkness lives in me By Dave Miller Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38193 SIOUX CITY, Iowa (BP) -- I had a shocking conversation with an old friend recently. He told me that his wife, whom I had known as a vibrant, passionate, committed Christian, had abandoned her family, her faith and embraced a life of sin with wild abandon. I would have never believed that it was possible. I'd preached to her, talked with her about deep spiritual matters, and watched her grow. What happened? As I pondered that chilling event, my mind cast back to a pastors' conference I attended nearly 20 years ago. The prominent pastor who hosted the conference was discussing the ongoing problem of moral failure among pastors. And then he said something that shocked me: "That is never going to happen to me. It is not in me to cheat on my wife, to commit adultery. I just do not have that in me." To my knowledge, this pastor has remained faithful to his wife. But that doesn't change the fact that I think his confidence was foolish. I am a redeemed sinner, indwelled by the Holy Spirit and in the process of transformation to become like Jesus. One day I will be free from sin, from temptation and from any chance that I would ever fall into sin. This is not that day. Whenever I hear of a Christian brother (or sister) who falls into sin, I am reminded that the darkness that brought their fall lives in me. I have never cheated on my wife, not before marriage or since. I do not think I ever will. But I've talked to more than one person, looking up from the floor, who said, "I never thought it would happen to me." I don't plan to fall. I really don't. But it would be foolish of me to believe that I cannot. I had a long conversation in my office several years ago with a Christian leader who was trying to hold his marriage together after he fell headlong into adultery. He was nearing his retirement years, had been a respected leader, one of those guys who no one would ever believe could fall. He did. I asked him to tell me how it all happened. It hit him like a storm -- unexpected and powerful. He had no idea what happened. But perhaps the root of his problem was his failure to understand what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12: "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." Overconfidence, especially confidence in my own character and ability, is a serious problem. As long as I live in this world, as long as I still await the consummation of my salvation, the darkness lives in me. I need to fight it. I need to walk in Christ's power and make wise choices and draw near to God and resist the devil and be filled with the Spirit and ... well, you know what I'm getting at. I make an assumption every time a command is given to believers in God's Word: 1) In the power of Christ, I can obey the command. The light of Christ is in me! 2) In the power of the flesh, I can fail. The darkness of sin is not gone from me. I wish I could give you three or four devastatingly pithy secrets to resisting temptation. Would that it were that easy. Every saint who falls into sin has this in common -- they never thought they would. So, keep your marriage strong. Stoke your passion for Christ. Don't do stupid things (like hanging out alone with a woman to whom you aren't married). I'm sure there are others who can give better advice on this than I can. But I write this to remind myself (and you) of the truth -- the darkness is in me. Though Christ has made it possible for me to resist temptation, I must never forget that the darkness that has consumed other committed Christians is never fully banished as long as I draw breath. --30-- This column first appeared at SBCVoices.com. Dave Miller is pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City, Iowa, editor of SBCVoices.com, and second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention. -- End of story -- BP Ledger, July 2 edition By Staff Jul. 2 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38194 EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger includes items from: Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Compass Direct News Bluefield College Campbellsville University Reflections on Fred Luter's Election as SBC President, 19JUN12 By Toby Jennings EDITOR'S NOTE: Toby Jennings, an African American, is a Ph.D. candidate at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (SBTS)--Much laudable and warranted commentary is beginning to circulate concerning the historic election of Fred Luter to the presidency of the nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention—an announcement made at 3:57 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, 2012 -- "Juneteenth." Diverse commentaries are fitting, considering the nature of the election that renders it historic. Providentially, although apparently from different Noahic genealogies, Luter bears the name of another Protestant leader who, too, valiantly and heroically pioneered change for the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the glory of God. Like Martin Luder (alternatively, Luther), Fred Luter's labor of love has not failed to position him at the forefront of gospel battle lines, nor has his gift failed to make room for him and bring him before great men. His extant leadership eminently qualifies him to lead the Southern Baptist Convention. Although neither Fred nor Martin have experienced a martyr's death, both have boldly lived a martyr's life; they both have evidenced their devotion to the testimony of Jesus Christ above their own lives. Baptist Protestants may be very grateful for the Luter name. Many will want to compare this historic election to the United States national election of 2008. Too many distinctions exist, however, to legitimize such a comparison. First of all, the narrow scope of an evangelical organization's electing to a position of leading administration one who embraces the same creed as its entire membership cannot compare with an election to civil presidency of a secular nation state by a population diverse in numerous categories. Second, no comparison can quantify either the percentage of votes cast by ethnic minorities of the candidate's own ethnicity or the voters' motivation for so voting. Third, the socio-political and economic dynamics between the two elections are vastly disparate. Fourth, the two candidates possess disparate worldviews and therefore cannot be compared legitimately on a common leadership paradigm. Fifth, the two bodies represent entirely different missions and ends—one conscripted to the city of man, the other to the City of God. Consequently, Tertullian's query may be adapted here, "What has Washington to do with New Orleans?" Further, as David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church in New Orleans (also the SBC messenger who delivered Luter's nomination), has commented, "[Luter's] presidency is not going to be about him. It's going to be about the health of our convention. And we need his help. We need his perspective. We need his wisdom." In reflection on this historic SBC election, I certainly have no desire to herald any distinct ethnicity as being in need of discriminating attention to any disregard of another; for the tapestry of humanity portrayed in Revelation 5.9 by its Creator trumps any creaturely attempt at any such preference. The significance, however, of a body of God's image-bearers appointing as their leader one who bears a minority ethnicity from the overwhelming majority of them evidences so much worthy of commentary. First, as joyful image-bearers of God—and not merely politically correct pundits—the electors evidence not that a racial quota is being employed to satisfy some project of affirmative action, but that these who bear the image of the Spirit God—who both formed humanity in his own multi-splendored image and purchased with his own blood their redemption from the curse of his warranted wrath—have humbled themselves in acknowledgment of their dependence upon a power beyond themselves. They also acknowledge that the spiritual warfare that they engage daily is not about the establishment of their own puny and parochial fiefdoms. Rather, they confirm their faith in the divine edict that "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever," and that the gospel of Jesus Christ, which they profess to a desperately needy, selfish, divided, and depraved culture of utterly vain fiefdoms, weighs infinitely more than those other ultimately meaningless endeavors. Second, this election further evidences the fruit of genuine repentance by a body of sinners whose origin was grounded in sins like hatred, man-stealing, and indignity against the image of God. Of such a turn of events, Russell Moore has quipped, "A denomination formed to protect slavery led by a descendant of slaves, that's just the kind of providential irony our God loves." Amen. Of course, we must be vigilant to recognize that while repentance legitimately may be characterized as momentary, penitence must perpetuate if confession and repentance is to be substantiated as genuine. Finally, but certainly not exhaustively, this election evidences the awe striking, gratitude evoking, and worship provoking grace that the Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ is alive and is directing his church and the Southern Baptist Convention (or Great Commission Baptists, if you prefer) to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with her God, soli Deo gloria! ********** Christian Legislator in Pakistan Stuck with Muslim ID Assemblyman nearly lost post to error. By Murad Khan/Compass Direct News LAHORE, Pakistan (Compass Direct News)–-Pakistan's rigid system of prohibiting Muslims from changing their religion status on their national ID cards nearly cost a Punjab politician his post – even though he has always been a Christian. Rana Asif Mahmood's political opponents in April sought to disqualify him from the Punjab Provincial Assembly seat reserved for minorities on grounds that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) identified him as a Muslim. Mahmood said that NADRA had mistakenly identified him as a Muslim because of his name and then refused to rectify the error. The mistake not only cost Mahmood a cabinet position but also his part in proposing the provincial budget for 2012-13, he said. The law establishing NADRA prohibits Muslims from changing the religion column on their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), though non-Muslims can easily obtain such changes – especially if they are converting to Islam. "The situation was revealed to me when my son applied for a CNIC a few months ago," Mahmood said. "He was told that he could not put down Christianity as his religion because the records showed his father to be a Muslim." When he approached NADRA officials for corrections, Mahmood said, they told him that there was no provision for changing the religion entry. He said that his passport identified him as a Christian, and that twice he had his religion section corrected on his passport because of the NADRA error of listing him as a Muslim. Mahmood's political opponents filed a petition seeking his removal from one of the seats reserved for minorities based on the error. Opposition parties accepted Mahmood's clarification only after he vehemently stated on the floor of the Punjab Assembly that he was born a Christian and appealed to them and the media not to indulge in propaganda against him that could incite Muslim extremists to kill him. A NADRA official who requested anonymity said that while a person could get their religion changed in ID records from a religion other than Islam to another, the same could not be done if the person wanted to change their religion away from Islam. "My understanding of the matter is that if stated by the person himself that he/she is a Muslim, the religion cannot be changed," he said. At the same time, he added that if the CNIC recipient provided evidence of religion and established that there had been a clerical error, the request would be entertained. "But a clerical error is highly unlikely," he said. "Data is cross-checked several times in cases of identity card entries." He said that once a person applied for a CNIC and his personal information was recorded, they were sent a form for attestation, and that at that stage the applicant could report any errors. That is precisely what Mahmood did, to no effect. "I noticed the error in the entry for religion in my attestation form and reported it to NADRA. After some days I received my CNIC and it did not mention religion, so I assumed that NADRA had changed its records," Mahmood said. Problems can be even more severe for converts such as Muhammad Kamran. After a pelvic injury he received from a beating by unidentified men for converting to Christianity from Islam, the 34-year-old Kamran has not been able to obtain medical treatment because of his name (see www.compassdirect.org, "Injured Convert in Pakistan Tries to Rebuild Life," May 15). A human rights activist criticized NADRA's policy. "It is unfortunate and a violation of human rights," he said on condition of anonymity. "The policy appears to be a reflection of customs prohibiting Muslims from changing their religion, but it is still a violation of a person's basic human rights." ********** Bluefield College Students Use Art to Share Faith BLUEFIELD, Va. (Bluefield College)--Integrating faith and learning is a major part of the Bluefield College mission. That's why this past spring a group of BC students used the gifts they've obtained from the art classroom to share their faith with Gypsy children in Romania. For 10 days, March 1-10, students Erin Darnell, Melissa Hubert, Celia Jones, Pip Pattison, and Emily Sears served on mission at the Ruth School in Bucharest, Romania. Part of Project Ruth, a charitable organization designed to improve the lives of Roma (Gypsy) families, the Ruth School is committed to giving education to disadvantaged Roma children in order to help them reach their highest potential. Joining the effort, the Bluefield College mission team set out to paint an 83-foot mural inside the Ruth School. Led by staff members Walter Shroyer, head of the Art Department, and registrar Amanda Parks, who studied art while a student at BC, the students also used the week to share the love of Christ with the Roma children. "I had prayed for a long time that I could use the talents God has given me in a way that is good for others," said Jones, a graphic communication and art major from Brookneal, Virginia. "I feel like this was an opportunity to do that." Hosted by Providenta Baptist Church and Bluefield College alumna Brittany Garton, who works with Project Ruth, the BC students worked on art projects with the Roma schoolchildren during the morning hours of their mission days and on the mural project during the afternoon hours. "The children here crave words of encouragement and positive interactions," said Sears, a teacher education major from Hinton, West Virginia. "I know there are so many children in America who need the same thing, and seeing how grateful the students at the Ruth School are has inspired me to go back to student teaching with a huge smile and the habit of constantly praising and telling my students 'bravo," which means you did a good thing." The BC mission team spent more than 200 hours painting the mural, which featured images of city and country life, including stars in the sky, trees, a schoolhouse, a downtown city street, a church and stained glass window, mountains, and a river. "Everyone worked very hard on the mural," said Shroyer. "They all knew why we were there: to paint something beautiful for the kids in the Ruth School. It was one of the best weeks of my life. It was so gratifying to see the immediate impact you can have on people who are less fortunate." Beyond the mural, the BC team led singing and games for chapel service at the school. They also played soccer with the Roma children and participated in youth group activities at a local church. "I was really grateful we got the opportunity to speak at chapel, because it gave us a chance to say that we came there for a reason," said Jones. "And, that reason was for the students to be inspired and to not give up on what God can do in their lives." Garton not only assisted the BC group in their mission, but also cooked for them most nights. "Brittany is a great example for Bluefield College," said Shroyer. "She is really making a difference in people's lives, and she has such a love and passion for it. Knowing she graduated from BC makes me proud of our students, and her success in Romania makes me see great hope for the future." The students spent the last two days touring Romania, including Castle Peles, Castle Braun, a fortified church in Prejmer, the Palace of Parliament, the Transylvanian countryside, and the Carpathian Mountains. But, in the end, what they remembered most about the trip were the "inspiring, strong, and beautiful people" of Romania. "Our driver told us several times, 'My country is poor, but we are rich because we have God,'" said Jones. "I can't think of a better lesson to take away from this experience. This one week we spent covered in paint and surrounded by Roma children has been a richer experience than anything dollars, euros, or ron could buy. It's my prayer that I helped the Ruth School just a little, because this people, this place, and this country has a place in my heart forever." --30-- ********** Campbellsville University wrestler nurtures CU campus with nature work By Chris Megginson CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (Campbellsville University)--As a freshman in 2008, Campbellsville University's Spencer Adams was looking for a place where he could momentarily escape thecollege life and find peace and quiet. He desired to be in nature, away from campus, but settled for a shaded storm drain at the corner of North Columbia Avenue and University Drive. Today, that space is known as CU's Log Cabin Park, developed over the past year by Adams' student-based organization Green Minds. Green Minds was created to help clean up Taylor County/Campbellsville and promote environment-conscious thinking among CU students. Adams, a three-time NAIA All-American wrestler from Marion, Ohio, developed his vision as a student in Dr. Richie Kessler's freshman environment and man class. "When Spencer first came to me with this idea, it was a pencil drawing on a piece of paper. He was tired of hearing of all of the environmental problems out there," Kessler said. "We all get tired of hearing people complain. Here was an instance where somebody was not complaining but actually working to build consensus and do something to make things better. I was all for that from the beginning." With Kessler's advice, Adams worked to build the organization from the bottom-up as a student movement. Recruiting the help of his fellow wrestlers and some other environmental science students, Adams was determined to start the process of awareness on campus. "I wanted other students to get in there and have a place where they can make their impact on campus. Iwanted to establish that base for everyone else," said Adams, who graduated in May with a degree in environmental science. In the past year, Adams worked with Green Minds, Kessler and Rob Roberts, CU director of grounds and landscape development, to transform that edge of campus into a likeness of a small park with a cedar-log gazebo and bridge. "There was a lot of harassment and persistence," joked Roberts of Adams' passion. "He's had great ideas, and everyone loved them. We started with the gazebo, planting and bridge and now the ball's rolling." After planting more than 60 species of native plants, three wildflower beds, 20 or so different shrubs and trees and multiple ferns, the park has become home to numerous types of birds, who frequent the park to sing to visitors. "It's been completely transformed from what it was ... It's like you're not even on campus, but out at some far away cabin," Adams said. "This is the only place on campus you can hear all of the birds. You don't (usually) get that in the middle of a city." This summer, Adams passed the Green Minds torch to fellow wrestler Derek Alsip. The Cincinnati, Ohio senior takes over the organization with the plan of giving international students a chance to plant a vegetable garden on the land. He also has plans for hiking trips this fall and fundraiser opportunities by building benches out of cedar logs. The organization has already sold many to pay for additional plants at the park. "I don't think you could have done this at any other university," Alsip said. "The university provided us this opportunity." Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimedKentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu. --30-- Chris Megginson is the sports information director at Campbellsville University. -- 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