Baptist Press Stories for Jul. 25 2012 --------------------------------------- Q&A: Bob Fu on China's 10 million yearly forced abortions http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38333 Chinese repression recapped at seminar http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38334 Aurora churches kindle hope after the horror http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38336 How can churches prepare for tragedies? http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38337 From Aurora, stories of miracles, belief http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38335 'Chick-fil-A Day' sign-up tops 200,000 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38338 Seminary to support 'Chick-fil-A Day' Aug. 1 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38343 Alan Chambers' views 'lost in translation' http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38339 School supt.: Churches opposed to homosexuality not welcome http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38340 SBC DIGEST: New Ky. associate exec; World Congress of Families; other news http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38341 FIRST-PERSON: The 12 lessons of fatherhood, part two (7-12) http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38342 --------------------------------------- Q&A: Bob Fu on China's 10 million yearly forced abortions By Whitney Jones Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38333 NASHVILLE, Tenn.. (BP) -- Discussion about forced abortions in China was sparked by a viral online photo of a young woman lying next to her aborted baby in a Chinese hospital. That woman, Feng Jianmei, has been a rallying point according to Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid who has broken several stories about the atrocities Chinese women have had to face living under that country's one-child policy. Feng was captured by Chinese officials in June while her husband was out after they discovered she was pregnant with her second child. The government officials forced her to sign a consent form and then injected her with a substance that caused her to give birth prematurely. She was almost 8 months pregnant. The gruesome photo that quickly spread across the Internet was taken by Feng's sister-in-law, who leaked it onto Sina Weibo, a China microblog much like Twitter. Feng's husband, Deng Jiyuan, fled his village where groups of people held banners claiming he and his family were traitors for taking the story of his wife to foreign journalists. The family has also been threatened with violence. [IMGONLY=33110@right@250]After traveling on foot for more than three days Deng arrived in Beijing where he met with a Christian human rights lawyer who took up the family's legal case. The case is now pending. Baptist Press asked Fu about the affect of China's one-child policy on its people, including stories of families who have contacted his U.S.-based organization after being forced to abort their children, often late into the woman's pregnancy. Following is a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity. BAPTIST PRESS: Could you briefly explain the one-child policy? [QUOTE@right@100='In every corner in China as long as you are a woman, your birthright, your womb is not owned by you, it's by the state.']BOB FU: One couple is only allowed to have one-child, except there are several exceptions. After the one-child policy was enacted there were several exceptions like if you're a minority group you are allowed to have the second one. In the past 10 years or so it also relaxed a little bit by saying if the first one was a girl, then if the girl grew to 10 years old then you can apply for the second pregnancy. This one-child per couple policy has been enforced pretty much by force all over China to really millions and millions of women every year. BP: What is the significance of Feng's case and do you think it will have an impact on the debate of this issue? FU: I think this case is very significant in the sense that one picture is worth 10,000 words. Although this horrible forced abortion had been practiced for more than nearly three decades, the international community has not really paid closer attention as it should be. The Chinese government rather boastfully made the announcement a few years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark, claiming that because of China's government effort for the family planning policy China has prevented 400 million children from being born in the past 30 years. Four hundred million lives lost like Jianmei's baby, and many of them, even as recently as this week we learned more stories, like one mother lost her baby because of a forced abortion two days before her due date. It's just a horrible, horrible atrocity. It's really the war against women and the war against humanity. So I think this lady in that photo, Ms. Feng, and her baby fetus's photo really caused an outcry, and I think it could become a milestone for the Chinese government to change course. Of course, right now it has not produced that direct result yet. I noticed that just yesterday (July 4) some prominent, about a dozen Chinese prominent scholars who work within the communist party system -- they are government scholars -- they issued an open letter publicly questioning the legitimacy of the one-child policy that also, of course, said we are very doubtful that the Chinese economy would be able to sustain if the current one-child policy continues because of the rapid aging population and also the gender imbalance, the gendercide, because most of the aborted are girls. I think also it caused an extraordinary international outcry. It seems to me this has been going on for so many decades for ordinary Chinese they already feel numbed, but from Jianmei's story and the exposure it seems the international community had a wakeup call. Today, just today (July 5), for the first time the European Parliament passed a very strong resolution citing from Jianmei's story and condemning the forced abortion practice, although it falls short of condemning the one-child policy and even insists that Europeans are still supporting the family planning system in China financially. BP: What does forced abortion show about China? Does it show any insight on what's going on inside the nation? FU: I was bitterly happy in a sense to see the exposure, the media attention by ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, all these media outlets paid attention to Jianmei's story. But at the same time I was surprised, you know, this is not new. This has been going on 30 years, and there are more brutal stories other than what Feng Jianmei had experienced. I think it shows the Chinese government's on one hand the propaganda has been largely successful even among Western, free society. On the other hand I think the Chinese people need to wake up and to fight for basic dignity of life. It took the extraordinary bravery of Feng Jianmei's sister-in-law who posted that photo on the website that became viral and then got that attention being paid. All things need to work together and, that story now because of the exposure, it encouraged more and more of those who had that horrible experience to come out, and we have just received now many cases already into our office with ... documentation. There's photos. There's husbands who were forcibly sterilized with wounds and their wives experienced that, and there's horrible forced abortion. … It just gives a sharp contrast. Especially for a Christian community in the West, especially in America I think ... it's a wakeup call. Have they paid attention? Have they heard the stories from Jianmei? And it's time for them when they dine and wine with the Chinese communist leaders, it's time for them to see their eyes and tell them honestly unless there is a change of course there should be consequences. That's something I want to call upon the U.S. evangelical communities. BP: Is this a local or a national problem in China, and do these forced abortions have the support of the Chinese government? FU: These forced abortions have been going on for three decades, so it's not like just something that happened in the countryside. In 1982 there were about 14 million -- that one year -- family planning forced abortions, and then around 2000 that dropped to around 8 million and around 2008 it rose up to almost 10 million that year. So that's official Chinese statistics so it's a national-driven policy and practice. In every corner in China as long as you are a woman, your birthright, your womb is not owned by you, it's by the state. So the state and especially the family planning office has the single privilege and right and authority to check up with the little book anywhere, anytime. Your house can be destroyed, your career can be terminated, all the property can be destroyed at any time if you're deemed as a violator of this one-child policy. Your family members are all impacted, so it almost impacts every family household in China. In recent years, of course, there's the fear because of the enormous penalty. That's another aspect for local officials to do this because they can impose four to six times of annual income as a penalty to a family. Even if you birth the baby, most people are bankrupted. Otherwise, if you don't pay the fine then you will be in a doomed status. We just received a case, a family, husband and wife with three children, and the wife had already experienced a forced abortion eight months into her pregnancy. They had been escaping from their hometown and roaming around the country for 21 years. The husband was captured and experienced a barbaric forced sterilization, and the wife was extremely traumatized. This is not a local issue. This is a state, a national government-driven policy. In recent years, of course, there are less and less cases of report because people are afraid to be pregnant. BP: Do you have anything to say to members of U.S. churches? Do you have anything to ask of them? FU: It's time for us to pray for those women, to take prayerful action, to help them -- many of them are traumatized -- and also to support those who need help. I mean, we sort of have to assemble a protection of life fund within our organizations with the purpose really to help provide some urgent relief to women and to provide legal defense by hiring lawyers to defend them for their rights. In some extraordinary cases a fine will save a life so women need to help pay the temporary relief to pay a fine in order to get the life saved. We can build that. We also need to, as Americans, we need to urge our elected government officials to stop sending this funding to the UN, the (United Nations Population Fund), so that more lives can be rescued. If Chinese family planning officials are not receiving this international aid so it will not give them enough power to continue, enough financial power to continue. So that's something we can do from here. --30-- Whitney Jones is a writer with 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 -- Chinese repression recapped at seminar By Staff Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38334 WASHINGTON (BP) -- While hundreds of millions of Chinese have emerged from poverty in recent years, China's people are not any freer due to a "brutally repressive" government, Sen. John Cornyn, R.-Texas, told a Capitol Hill audience Tuesday. The Chinese regime imposes forced sterilization and infanticide, represses religious freedom and refuses to uphold basic human rights. During a human rights seminar highlighting the China Aid Association's 10th anniversary, Cornyn called these actions "continued and ongoing horrific abuses that are simply unjust and a manifestation of evil." Chinese officials have such a blatant disregard for human life, Cornyn charged, that political prisoners are slaughtered "so their organs can be harvested for transplants." ChinaAid exists to focus worldwide attention on the plight of Chinese Christians and others who are persecuted for their religious or political beliefs. The July 24 seminar on "Human Rights, Religious Freedom and the Rule of Law in China: A 10-Year Review and Future Prospects," included addresses by Cornyn and a Chinese human rights attorney, Teng Biao, who has been imprisoned for his work. Cornyn, who sits on the Senate Finance, Judiciary, Armed Services and Budget committees, called on the U.S. government and the American people to "be linked arm-in-arm with the Chinese people to promote the guarantee of human rights and religious freedom." Cornyn said the continued outgrowth of "peaceful activism in the face of continued government repression is the means we have to continue this effort for justice and freedom." Prior to the recent Washington visit by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinpin, who is expected by many to be named as China's president this fall, Cornyn recounted that he and 10 other senators wrote to President Obama to urge that he convey "strong opposition" to China's ongoing "political and religious repression." The senators called on Obama to push Jinpin to end such abuses as extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearances; prolonged illegal detentions at unofficial holding facilities known as "black jails"; torture of prisoners; detention and harassment of journalists, writers, dissidents and others; severe religious oppression; and the continued coercive one-child policy that has led to forced abortions and sterilizations. Teng Biao, the human rights attorney, risked being detained, beaten and tortured again for speaking to the ChinaAid audience via a videotaped statement from China in which he discussed his work to defend those who are persecuted for their religious beliefs. Biao's caseload has included church leaders charged with holding unsanctioned worship services in their homes, such as Shi Weihan, who was imprisoned for three years for his faith. Biao is a lecturer at the University of Politics and Law in Beijing. He has been a vocal supporter of human rights activists such as blind civil rights activist and recently escaped house arrest prisoner Chen Guangcheng and activist and dissident Hu Jia. Biao has been arrested and held at least twice, in March 2008 and in February 2011. Through an interpreter, Biao said he had witnessed entire congregations praying aloud in devotional meetings but had never prayed himself. That quickly changed after the first time he was arrested, dragged away to prison, beaten and physically and mentally tortured. Thrown into a dank, fetid cell in isolation after yet another seemingly unending torture session, Biao said he "found it natural at that time to pray." "I was often put away for long periods of time in solitary confinement in dirty cells" and made to sit cross-legged and stare at the back cell wall from 6 a.m. to midnight every day, Biao said. His cell had a bucket for a toilet, he was given scraps of rotten food to eat, and "repeatedly questioned about what cases I represented and what new clients I was taking on." Biao said "the beatings were bad but the mental torture was unbearable. They told me to not even think of myself as a human being, as a man. They told me over and over again that I was less than a farm animal, less important or worthwhile than an insect." Biao said he "had no protection in law. The only protection I had was what I received in prayer. Jesus was my only hope, my only friend, my only protection." There is "no religious freedom in China -- we are all denied," Biao said. "We cannot legally testify to our faith or spread the Good Word to our fellow citizens." Rep. Frank Wolf, R.-Va., told the ChinaAid seminar he believes the Chinese government will collapse before the human rights group reaches its 20th anniversary. "If you look at history in 1986, few thought the USSR would fall," Wolf said. "I had a defector tell me then that Russia was dominating, powerful and that the U.S. government did not understand that Russia was ascending and the communist system there would be strong and around for a long, long time. I heard the same thing about Bosnia and [former Romanian leader Nicolae] Ceausescu. "I don't know if I would have the courage of my convictions to stand up for my faith and freedom as these Chinese," Wolf told the ChinaAid audience. "I have never been tested in such a way. We have read about Catholic cardinals taken away and 'disappeared' after holding Mass and about 41 Tibetan monks and nuns who self-immolated themselves in the past six months to protest harsh repression of religious liberty. "I pray for all those in China who are willing to speak out as these here," Wolf said. In reviewing the importance of ChinaAid's work, Sharon Kang Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China, said the communist government has evoked an "increasing sophistication to manipulate human rights by sidestepping issues, making general statements and creating new laws that are never enforced." Hom, a former professor of law at the City University of New York School of Law, said "the ongoing surveillance technology boom has well-served the Chinese in repressing rights and freedoms. At the same time, Chinese officials have integrated human relations and foreign policy to align likeminded countries to shield each other from human rights monitoring and assessment, such as by gaining footholds in various United Nation bodies established to monitor torture and religious freedoms worldwide." --30-- Compiled by Daniel Walker Guido, a journalist based in Front Royal, Va. 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 -- Aurora churches kindle hope after the horror By Aaron Earls Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38336 AURORA, Colo. (BP) -- Almost as soon as the gunfire ceased in the Century Theater in Aurora, Colo., local churches began meeting the needs of the hurting in the community and their own congregations. "I immediately felt the same anxiety that many others felt," said Mitchell Hamilton, pastor of Mississippi Avenue Baptist Church, "as I considered the very real possibility that one of our members might be directly affected. My second thought was to get to the church and begin organizing a response." The church, located less than a mile from the scene of the shootings, opened its doors for prayer vigils and counseling. All of the church staff members have been involved, Hamilton said, and other counselors were brought in, including one who had ministered following the Columbine shooting. During one counseling session, Hamilton was faced with a teary eyed 6-year-old girl asking why her cousin died. "It was tough," Hamilton said of talking with the little girl and her mother. "The mother came to our church because that was the first place she thought might could help her daughter." After sharing some about heaven and praying with the family, Hamilton scheduled an appointment for them later that day with a professional grief counselor. While several people came by the church and received counseling, others simply wanted a place to mourn and pray. "A young Marine came by in tears. He ran in and just wanted to go to the altar," said Allie McNider, associate pastor at Mississippi Avenue. "We lost two local servicemen and he was grieving for them." Besides providing on-site help for the community, the church has empowered their members to minister to those around them. "We offered any resource they may have needed," McNider said, "anything from counseling to a gift card for family members to eat at local restaurants while they are here." "This is the essence of Ephesians 4:11-12," Hamilton said. "Our members were able to touch our community in ways the staff never could." Rose Lamb, a Mississippi Avenue member, has been helping a co-worker who lost her son. "Parents are not supposed to bury their kids," Lamb said. While prayer was the most important need, Lamb said she and other co-workers have been able to meet some of their friend's immediate needs of "food, hugs, errands and daily visits to the home for emotional support." While the church may not always have the answer to the "why" questions, Lamb said Christians "can offer comfort and support through listening, prayer and just being there for a hurting world. Just offering to pray with someone makes a huge impact. People remember that." For Lamb, reaching out to the hurting should be how believers respond during tragedies. "Bottom line," she said, "it's what Christians are called to do." Lamb said her friend needs prayer to have the strength to keep going and her community needs to regain a sense of security that was ripped away early Friday morning. "Folks need to feel safe," she said. "There are so many who are struggling. Even those that were there but got out safe, their minds and hearts will be forever scarred. The city needs emotional healing as well as physical healing." Despite the tragic events, both Lamb and Hamilton also expressed amazement at seeing God's hand at work since the shooting and even during those tragic moments in the theater. In the midst of the pain, Hamilton rejoiced that the gunman's weapon jammed and that he was taken into custody without incident, allowing the police to discern that his apartment was rigged with explosives, preventing additional deaths. Lamb has seen non-Christian friends attend Mississippi Avenue and Christians come together in prayer and support. "There are incredible testimonies of believers who were in critical places to save and counsel the hurting," Hamilton said, "and there are miraculous survival stories." Ryan Heller, pastor of The Edge Church, a Southern Baptist church plant in Aurora, experienced one of those stories as he discovered that one of his members was among the 58 wounded. Pierce O'Farrill told Dave Delozier of NBC 9 News that he and a friend were only a few feet from the gunman when he first unleashed his torrent of bullets. O'Farrill and his friend were hit and fell to the ground. As he lay motionless on the floor unable to attempt an escape due to his gunshot wounds, O'Farrill heard the shooter walk toward him, stopping only six inches from him. "He was literally standing directly above me, and I could feel his boot right next to my head," O'Farrill said. "I just had my face down on the ground and stayed as still as I possibly could, and I prayed and prayed. He fired off a couple more rounds and then he left." As soon as they realized one of their own was one of the victims, The Edge Church began to minister to O'Farrill. "Our whole staff has really been involved in encouraging him," Heller said. "Lots of our people are visiting and loving on him. Kids from our children's ministry made him get well cards. We visited him in the hospital and joined hands in prayer over him and his family." While O'Farrill will be sharing his story with his church family on Sunday, he has, in the words of his pastor, "stirred a national debate on forgiveness" after he told national media figures that he forgives the accused gunman. The media exposure has allowed church members like O'Farrill and pastors like Hamilton to share their message personally with reporters and media personnel. "We became very intentional to share the love of Christ and the Gospel with each member of the press we met," Hamilton said. "I had one videographer, with tears, tell me that he had never had anyone pray for him." Since the shooting, Mississippi Avenue has had more than 10 media outlets on the campus. "God has allowed us to tell His story of hope to the world through the media," McNider said. "This is a very small window. Next week, we could not pay them to come through our doors." However, through this tragedy, McNider feels that they were "able to show them a side of church they may not have experienced. From statements they made, they saw the true spirit of the living God through His people." Bob Ryan, team leader for the Denver-area Mile High Baptist Association, was clearly moved when speaking about the response of the area pastors and churches. "I'm so proud of my pastors," Ryan said. Ryan recalled the string of tragedies that have occurred in and around the Denver metro area, beginning with the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. He said these tragedies pose a danger to churches and Christians. "You can become desensitized to pain and calloused to the hurting around you, but our pastors have not done that," Ryan said. "They have responded with brokenness and responded with hope." Speaking of the Aurora tragedy along with the deaths of 14 in a recent truck accident in Texas, Ryan said Christians must always weep with the weeping and never stop being shocked at such events. Mike Edlund, executive director of the Colorado Baptist General Convention, found the events hit "very close to home," as his daughter and son-in-law live near the theater and she works at University Hospital, where many victims were taken after the shooting. Edlund said that despite the vivid reminder of the fallenness of this world, a responsibility exists for Christians. "We have the message of hope that must be shared with our state," Edlund said. Hope was the theme that so many stressed as a community began seeking to move beyond this tragedy. "The world will move on quickly," McNider said, "but this is only a mile from here. We will have to drive past that theater as we travel around Aurora. That makes it more difficult to move on, but we will move on. We have to get up and proclaim the message of hope in the midst of what the world would say is hopeless." The church must be about "sharing hope in darkness," Ryan said. "This Sunday, there will be a lot of talk about pain, and in a way that helps, but there will also be talk of hope." Hamilton had a similar message. "We will continue to encourage our community," he said. "As time moves forward, we will continue to give a message of hope. It is quite obvious that God is here and touching lives." McNider echoed these sentiments saying, "God will see us through this. He is beginning to give us the strength to put one foot in front of the other." --30-- Aaron Earls is a writer based in Wake Forest, N.C. With additional reporting by Amber Cassady, Colorado Baptist General Convention correspondent. 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 -- How can churches prepare for tragedies? By Aaron Earls Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38337 DENVER (BP) -- The Denver area has seen its share of senseless shootings. From Columbine to the 2007 shootings at a Youth With a Mission center and New Life Church and now the Aurora theater, churches have sought to prepare for a similar attack during their services. Bob Ryan, team leader for the Mile High Baptist Association, said people must be assured that the church is a safe place, not just spiritually, but also physically. Many of the churches in the area have had training for security, he reported. "If the shooter had come to one of our churches wearing the type of gear he had on, it would have been dealt with outside," Ryan said. "It's not necessarily about having concealed weapon permits, but about having a plan in place for something like this." Churches have to be intentional about protecting those inside, but not at the risk of keeping others out, Ryan said. "Churches can have security set up to be essentially invisible unless they are needed." Practically, Ryan said, churches should have procedures in place to deal with the unimaginable because it has become a reality. Spiritually, he urged churches to learn how to watch for evil. "Jesus said we are to be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves," Ryan said. "We have to figure out how to do that in our culture. "Our churches have had opportunities to train. You are never ready, but you can be trained." --30-- Aaron Earls is a writer based in Wake Forest, N.C. 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 -- From Aurora, stories of miracles, belief By Whitney Jones Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38335 AURORA, Colo. (BP) -- Hope rises from the tragic Aurora theater shooting in such stories as a young woman thought to be critically injured and a mother who shielded her teenage daughter. While the nation mourns the 12 lives lost during the Colorado shooting, victims and their families, including Petra Anderson and Marie Isom, try to piece their lives together and find hope in the days following the disaster. PETRA ANDERSON When Anderson, a 22-year-old violinist, walked into the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" with two friends, she didn't know a small defect in her skull soon would save her life. Anderson's trip to the movies turned into a horrific evening when she was wounded by four shots in the gunman's melee: three in her arm and one in her brain, Brad Strait, her pastor at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Englewood, Colo., recounted on his blog. The bullet went through her nose and traveled through her brain until it stopped at the back of her skull. Strait said doctors were uncertain if she would live, and if she did, they said she might have significant brain damage limiting her speech, thinking and movement. Hospital visits were not new for Anderson's family. Her mother is currently fighting an aggressive, potentially fatal case of cancer. After an agonizing wait in the hospital room, Strait and Anderson's mother were brought good news. Unbeknownst to them, Anderson had from birth "a tiny channel of fluid running through her skull, like a tiny vein through a marble, or a small hole in an oak board, winding from front to rear," Strait wrote. The bullet managed to follow that path and missed all the vital areas of her brain. "Like a giant BB through a straw created in Petra's brain before she was born, it follows the route of the defect," Strait wrote. "It is channeled in the least harmful way." After surgery to remove the bullet, Strait noted Anderson looked "surprisingly, wonderful" and almost uninjured. She still has much healing ahead of her though, including more surgeries and maybe even facial reconstruction. In a video for Anderson and other victims, her sister Chloe Anderson spoke about living in the aftermath of the shooting. "Hearing the descriptions of what happened that night is like hearing someone talk about the worst parts of the movie just coming right off the screen and into reality," Chloe Anderson said. "Our family has been shaken by the events of last Friday, but we have not been broken anymore than this community has been broken." MARIE ISOM Isom also was in the packed Aurora theater in suburban Denver, and while she was not injured like Anderson, she shares a story of hope from the experience. Isom wrote on her blog "A Miniature Clay Pot" that she was not thrilled about seeing the end of the Batman trilogy, but after pressure from her teenage daughters she chose to attend on opening night. "I don't like action movies. And I don't like midnight showings," she wrote. "But … parents sometimes make sacrifices for their kiddos, and I decided I would take my 14-year-old and 16-year-old daughters who were chomping at the bit to see this eagerly anticipated third movie in the Batman Trilogy. "Twice I had the opportunity to back out and twice I was quite tempted. But something in me said just go with your girls. I did." Isom was a mere 50 feet from the gunman when gas filled the air and he began shooting. She noticed her daughters were struggling and they all got on the floor. Her youngest daughter was at the end of the row near the gunman, so Isom jumped on top of her to cover and protect her as shots fired across the theater. But even during disaster, Isom's faith did not falter. "In that moment, as the rapid-fire shots continued, I truly thought I was going to die. And I realized that I was ready," she wrote. "I have put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as the redeemer of my soul, and there wasn't the slightest doubt that I would be received into heaven, not because of any good thing that I have done but because of His merciful nature and the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ." Once the shots stopped, Isom and her daughters had to step over a body on their way out of the theater. They made it to their car safely, but remain rattled. Despite the terrible incident, Isom also remained adamant that God is still good even though there is evil in the world. "God is always good," she wrote. "Man is not. Don't get the two confused. "We will continue to praise and worship our mighty God, anticipating that He will bring beauty from ashes, as only He can do." --30— Whitney Jones is a writer 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 -- 'Chick-fil-A Day' sign-up tops 200,000 By Michael Foust Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38338 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- More than 200,000 people have signed up so far to take part in Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day Aug. 1, despite the fact that Facebook workers may have censored the event page for about 12 hours Tuesday. Mike Huckabee launched the idea for a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day over the weekend, saying he was "incensed" at the "vitriolic assaults" that have been made at company president Dan Cathy for affirming a biblical definition of marriage. Cathy made the comments to the Biblical Recorder in a story [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38271]re-posted[/URL] by Baptist Press, and he also discussed the issue in a radio interview. On Tuesday, a Facebook sign-up page that Huckabee had launched suddenly disappeared, leaving him and others wondering what had happened. Huckabee posted a note saying he had asked Facebook "to look into this," and about 12 hours later the page reappeared. "We caught a 12-hour bug, apparently it hits when large numbers of Christians support something and post about it on Facebook!" he wrote, about midnight. Huckabee went a step further Wednesday (July 25), saying Facebook had censored the page for a short time. "Yesterday, Facebook decided to censor and delete the entire event page, and it was down for over 12 hours until they finally decided that maybe that wasn't really smart," Huckabee said. He noted that during those 12 hours, Facebook had left up a webpage sponsored by gay activists promoting a "national same-sex kiss day" at Chick-fil-A Aug. 3. (About 4,700 have signed up for that event.) "But they were censoring one that said simply, 'Go and buy a chicken sandwich,'" Huckabee said. As part of Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day Aug. 1, Huckabee is asking supporters to visit the restaurant or speak up for it via social media. (More information is available at [URL=http://www.ISupportChickFilA.com]www.ISupportChickFilA.com[/URL].) Meanwhile, a handful of city politicians continue to speak out against the restaurant chain. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was the first to say he would try and block a Chick-fil-A from opening in his city, and a Chicago alderman, Joe Moreno, followed by saying he opposes a Chick-fil-A opening in his area. Chick-fil-A wants to open a restaurant in Moreno's ward, which would be its second store in the city, the Chicago Tribune reported. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel agreed with Moreno, alleging of Chick-fil-A in a Politico.com article, "They disrespect our fellow neighbors and residents." But Chick-fil-A has received support in some surprising corners. The Los Angeles Times editorial board -- which supports gay marriage -- said it is wrong for politicians to block construction of the restaurants. The editorial was written before Chicago's politicians joined the mix. "Menino suggested that it would be appropriate to block the chain from opening in Boston because Cathy's views amount to discrimination," the editorial read. "That would rightly apply if Chick-fil-A were to refuse service to gay customers; the city has a right and an obligation to prevent discriminatory actions against its residents and visitors. But there's no evidence that any such thing has occurred. ... It was the freedom to express politically unpopular views and to oppose such views that the Founding Fathers fought to establish." Family Research Council President Tony Perkins asked rhetorically on Twitter, "Could you imagine the outrage if a mayor in TX decided to block a Starbucks from opening in her town b/c of their support of SSM [same-sex marriage]?" Business, though, appears to be booming at Chick-fil-As. About 200 people were camping out in Forest Hill, Md., Wednesday, waiting for the newest Chick-fil-A in the area to open, according to the Baltimore Sun. The first 100 customers were set to receive free meals for a year. The company issued a statement Thursday (July 19) telling its customers that "going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena" and that its tradition is "to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." It also noted that it has applied "biblically-based principles" to business management and will continue to do so. There are more than 1,600 Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide. Chick-fil-A continues to receive the most heat on the issue despite the fact that other companies have taken the exact opposite position, with little media attention. For example, the same week the Chick-fil-A controversy broke, the video gaming company Electronic Arts (EA) signed onto a legal brief opposing the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Just this year, General Mills, Target, JC Penney and Nabisco all have taken actions in support of gay marriage. Huckabee said the goal of the Aug. 1 event is "simple." "Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1," he wrote on Facebook. "Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant. This effort is not being launched by the Chick Fil-A company and no one from the company or family is involved in proposing or promoting it. "There's no need for anyone to be angry or engage in a verbal battle," Huckabee added. "Simply affirm appreciation for a company run by Christian principles by showing up on Wednesday, August 1 or by participating online -- tweeting your support or sending a message on Facebook." --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Seminary to support 'Chick-fil-A Day' Aug. 1 By Keith Collier Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38343 FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will be buying chicken sandwiches for faculty, staff and students on Aug. 1 to show its support for Chick-Fil-A as part of a nationwide initiative launched by former presidential candidate and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. Central time, the Fort Worth seminary expects to purchase more than 200 sandwiches at the local Chick-fil-A in Fort Worth. In light of harsh criticism and calls for boycotts of the company after Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy recently stood for the biblical definition of marriage, Huckabee is urging people to visit the restaurant on Aug. 1 for "Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day." Huckabee, who was honored as a distinguished alumnus by Southwestern Seminary in June, created the website ISupportChickfilA.com where people can "RSVP" that they intend to participate Aug. 1. More than 125,000 have signed up. "No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate," Huckabee wrote on the site. "The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1." Southwestern Seminary, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, is one of the largest seminaries in the world with more than 3,500 students, faculty and staff. The seminary affirms the biblical definition of marriage and is in full agreement with the Southern Baptist statement of faith, The Baptist Faith & Message 2000, which says in its article on the family: "Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime." Additionally, the seminary's administration supports Cathy's First Amendment rights. "Southwestern Seminary wants to encourage Chick-Fil-A's support of the traditional family and the First Amendment right of Dan Cathy to live out his religious beliefs," said Thomas White, the seminary's vice president for student services and communications. "We gladly partner with organizations like Chick-fil-A who take a stand for faith, and we will also be providing all of our students with Chick-Fil-A sandwiches during our all-campus picnic in September." --30-- Keith Collier is director of news and information for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary [URL=http://www.swbts.edu/campusnews]www.swbts.edu/campusnews[/URL]. -- End of story -- Alan Chambers' views 'lost in translation' By Erin Roach Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38339 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, a ministry to homosexuals, has been under fire for comments that largely were "lost in translation," according to a Southern Baptist strategist. At issue are Chambers' statements that reparative therapy does not work and that people can persist in homosexual behavior and still receive the salvation that Jesus offers. Bob Stith, who served Southern Baptists as a national strategist for gender issues until funding for his position ceased in June, told Baptist Press the issues are more nuanced than they appear at first glance and, no matter what, Christians must continue to proclaim the freedom from sin that Jesus offers. In an address to the Gay Christian Network earlier this year, Chambers said "99.9 percent" of the people he met through Exodus International either had not changed their sexual attraction or still struggled with temptation, according to NPR July 6. In a June interview with The Atlantic, Chambers implied that homosexuals did not need to repent of their behavior in order to be saved. "My personal belief is that everyone has the opportunity to know Christ, and that while behavior matters, those things don't interrupt someone's relationship with Christ," Chambers, who has led Exodus International for more than a decade, said. Exodus International was founded in 1976 to provide spiritual support for Christians who are struggling with homosexual attraction. Robert Gagnon, associate professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of an influential book titled "The Bible and Homosexual Practice," wrote a 35-page response to Chambers' comments and called on him to resign because of a faulty doctrine of salvation. "My greatest concern has to do with Alan's repeated assurances to homosexually active 'gay Christians' that they will be with him in heaven," Gagnon told The New York Times. Russell Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president of academic administration at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told Christianity Today that Chambers appears to have "uploaded some really bad, reactionary tendencies from popular evangelicalism" by embracing a repentance-lacking gospel in an effort to avoid legalism. Chambers, in a Christianity Today column July 16, took issue with people who "want to emphasize that homosexual sexual expression is more egregious than other sexual sins and deserves greater judgment and eternal consequence." "For anyone to point at one group of people with a certain set of proclivities and condemn them for those things while exonerating (or ignoring) another group with other proclivities is hypocritical and inconsistent," Chambers wrote. Stith, in comments to Baptist Press, said the debate over Chambers' salvation remarks centers on whether an unrepentant person who persistently engages in homosexual conduct can go to heaven. "Alan has correctly observed that we should be asking the same question about any unrepentant sin," Stith, a pastor for more than 40 years, said. "I don't think homosexuality is being singled out because of the nature of the sin. I think it is because it is in my opinion the most critical issue facing the church today." For 18 years, Stith has worked with those who are impacted by same-sex struggles, and he believes homosexuality will be the watershed issue for the church in this generation. "Certainly we are seeing that played out in many denominations. We in the SBC are being impacted in ways that many do not yet recognize," Stith said. The way to approach salvation and homosexuals, he said, is to consider whether a person has had a genuine conversion experience. "If there is no change in behavior and that persists, then certainly it is legitimate to call into question whether true conversion has been experienced," Stith said. If a person has indeed been born again, the desires of the flesh will remain and if left uncontrolled can quench and grieve the Holy Spirit, Stith said. "I do firmly believe in the security of the believer, the perseverance of the saints," he said. "... But it also means that any of us can believe a lie and begin a drift away from God." Reparative therapy, Stith said, is a type of counseling that "means different things to different people." "In the sense that it is used by those who originated it, my understanding is that they believe homosexuality results from a break with a parent, predominantly the father, and that break needs to be repaired," Stith said. "Certainly this is a major simplification, but most people have this understanding. "It has been my experience that this is true of many people who struggle with same-sex attractions. Many counselors and ministries acknowledge this reality and will help those who have those issues to resolve them," he said. "I think it is unwise to dismiss this in its entirety because for many people it has opened the door to a more complete resolution of their struggle." For the average Southern Baptist who wants to minister to a homosexual, Stith advised confidently proclaiming the great hope and truth of Scripture. "I believe in a God who is able to set every captive free, and that freedom doesn't mean dragging an anchor around for the rest of our lives," Stith told BP. "Don't be afraid to confidently offer that hope. I would encourage you to be sure you really believe that and are working it out in your own life." Several studies, Stith said, have shown that one of the most effective ways people can help someone overcome a homosexual struggle is to be a mentor. When he was first asked to get involved in a ministry to homosexuals, Stith was told he had no idea how much it would mean to the group just to have a heterosexual pastor love them and walk alongside them toward Jesus. "I have seen the truth of that over and over through the years," Stith said. "You won't know all the answers and shouldn't try to give them. But be willing to listen and to learn." --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- School supt.: Churches opposed to homosexuality not welcome By Todd Starnes/Fox News & Commentary Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38340 NEW YORK (BP) -- The head of Miami-Dade County Public Schools wants to evict a Southern Baptist church that rents space in one of its buildings because of the congregation's opposition to homosexuality. Supt. Alberto Carvalho released a statement to a local television station alleging that Impact Miami's opposition to homosexuality "appears to be contrary to school board policy as well as the basic principles of humanity." "I have asked for immediate legal review to seek the termination of the contract that is involved," he told Local10.com. "I am making this decision not on the basis of policy or politics but as a rejection of prejudice and intolerance." The controversy surrounds Impact Miami, a new Southern Baptist church that is currently renting space inside North Miami High School for its Sunday worship services. When President Obama announced that he supported gay marriage, Pastor Jack Hakimian preached two sermons explaining the biblical position on homosexuality. One of the sermons was titled, "Gays and Sex Addicts Can Change and Should Change." Another was titled, "Pedophiles Use the Same Argument as Homosexuals and the Weed Smoking Community." "The school board chair, as well as the superintendent, have both reviewed the allegations and found this disturbing and appalling," school spokesman John Schuster told www.Local10.com. Hakimian said he and his congregation have been unfairly labeled as bigots. He said they are facing eviction from their space simply because he preached that homosexuality is a sin. "It's about a message that homosexuality is a sin that God wants to redeem as all other sins," he told Fox News. The church pays nearly $1,500 a month to rent the high school facility, and Hakimian said "as taxpayers we have the right to assemble in public spaces." "I never thought I would be penalized for teaching on Christian marriage and sexual ethics from the Bible -- the very Bible that presidents swear on," he said. Impact Miami is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination. SBC President Fred Luter told Fox News that the controversy is a "sign of the times." "We're living in a day and time when people are calling wrong right and they're calling right wrong," Luter said. "Any time a man of God stands up for the words of God, I think we should expect opposition -- simply because of the fact that God's ways are not man's ways." The possible eviction has enraged religious liberty groups -- several of whom have already volunteered their services to defend the pastor and the church should they be thrown out of their meeting space. "He has the right to be able to speak on Sunday from the Scriptures and speak about his viewpoint on human sexuality," said Mat Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal group. "This is not someone who is advocating violence or some whacko that is extreme that would be a threat to society. This is a pastor who is speaking on issues from their own moral, political and biblical perspective." Staver told Fox News that he's had a chance to review the pastor's sermons and said the messages were in line with what millions of Americans believe. "It is not contrary to humanity," he said, refuting the school superintendent's allegations. "It is absolutely outrageous that you would have a superintendent who would [think] along these lines." Staver added, "It's serious for all of us. If we lose the right to free speech in this area -- we lose it in every other area." Joel Oster, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, told Fox News the U.S. Constitution is clear on matters regarding free speech. "A school cannot be listening to sermons and then discriminate against the church based on the content of the sermons," Oster said. "This church does have a constitutional right to use these facilities. Public schools cannot discriminate against religious use of their facilities based upon viewpoints -- and that's exactly what's going on here." Andre Pierre, the mayor of North Miami, told Fox News he had concerns about the school board's actions and wondered what kind of an impact it might have on other religious groups renting space. "You cannot censor his speech," Pierre said. "The school should stay out of it. Pastor Jack is paying rent. He's not getting the space for free." The mayor said he believes the school board attorney will side with the church. "I think he'll come down on the right side -- which is -- you cannot censor freedom of speech," Pierre said. "You have to respect the American principles and you have to uphold the Constitution." --30-- Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard daily on Fox News Radio stations around the nation. He is the author of "Dispatches From Bitter America" and "They Popped My Hood and Found Gravy on the Dipstick." This article first appeared at www.toddstarnes.com. Used by permission. -- End of story -- SBC DIGEST: New Ky. associate exec; World Congress of Families; other news By Staff Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38341 ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (BP) -- Curtis Woods has been elected by the Kentucky Baptist Convention's Mission Board as associate executive director for convention relations and communications. Woods, who began his duties July 1, has served as Baptist campus minister at Kentucky State University since 2006. KBC President Adam Greenway said he believes Woods now holds the highest staff position by an African American among the "old-line" state Baptist conventions. While Woods is responsible for maintaining good relations with all Kentucky Baptists, he will be relied upon specifically to relate to African American Baptists and promote racial reconciliation within the convention, according to a news story in the Western Recorder, the state convention's newsjournal. Woods is capable of "bridging the gap that, all too often, has separated us in the Southern Baptist Convention," KBC Executive Director Paul Chitwood said. Woods also will oversee the KBC's external communications department formerly led by Robert Reeves, who is assuming a teaching position at Anderson University in South Carolina. Following Woods' election, Greenway said Woods is testimony "of the grace of God, not only in the color of his skin, but in the content of his character." Chitwood, meanwhile, said of Woods' election, "I celebrate this, I know Kentucky Baptists will celebrate this, and I am trusting that our African American Baptists will celebrate this. "But this is about much, much more," Chitwood said. As with Fred Luter's election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Chitwood said Woods' selection is not just about naming an African American to a top post in the Kentucky convention. "While that's incredibly important," he said, "this is about the right man in the job. … It's just across the board: He is a top-tiered leader who will excel in this position." Prior to his work at Kentucky State, Woods served on staff at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas and Old St. James Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Ark. He holds a master's degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and currently is pursuing a doctorate at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The KBC has welcomed more than 165 ethnic congregations in recent decades, more than 90 of which are African American. Chitwood said he hopes Woods' election sends a strong message to them: "that African American individuals, leaders and churches will hear us keeping the promises that we've made with regard to inclusion, equality, to an open door—not just a seat at the table, but even to leadership roles in our convention." Woods' work will strategically poise the state convention for the future, Chitwood added, noting, "I hope we are sending a signal that we want our KBC staff to look like Kentucky." Recent news reports indicate that for the first time in U.S. history more that half of the babies born were brown in color, leading to the projection that over the next few decades the face of America will change dramatically. "We want, as a convention, to be poised to evangelize the ever-growing diversity of population in our state," Chitwood said. The KBC Mission Board, in a special meeting June 26, also named several others to the convention staff, including Chuck McAlister as leader of the newly formed evangelism and church planting team. He will begin Sept. 1. The evangelism and church planting team is one of the three areas of focus the convention has adopted in the new organizational structure. The others are missions mobilization and church consulting and revitalization. McAlister will be responsible for overseeing collegiate and ethnic ministries in the state, as well as developing strategic evangelism strategies for Kentucky Baptists to implement in their associations and churches. Since 2009, McAlister has served primarily as an evangelist through Promise of Hope Ministries in Hot Springs, Ark., of which he is the president. He also serves as director of constituent relations for Baptist Global Response. He previous led The Church at Crossgate Center in Hot Springs, Ark., for 17 years. In 1996, McAlister and his wife Janice launched the award-winning national cable TV program "Adventure Bound Outdoors." He also has authored several books. In Kentucky, McAlister served as pastor of Old Cedar Baptist Church in Owenton from 1979-81. He holds a master's degree from Southern Seminary and a doctorate at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. PATTERSONS ADDRESS FAMILY CONFERENCE IN SPAIN -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson and his wife Dorothy spoke, respectively, on religious freedom and the ability of mothers to empower the next generation during the sixth World Congress of Families in Madrid, Spain. People from 80 countries attended the congress, an international forum for discussions on the value of family as it directly affects the structure of society. Its members seek to support and affirm policies, legislation and ideas that undergird the family unit toward as a key facet of a constructive society. Paige Patterson, in his presentation "Religious Symbols in Public Spaces, a Right?" noted various instances worldwide in which one group or another physically or litigiously sought to remove symbols of faith from display in both the private and public sectors of a culture. Among such instances: the 2002 vandalism of more than 230 Islamic monuments in the western India state of Gujarat; the burning of copies of the Quran by American soldiers and civilians; the Taliban's destruction of Buddha statues; and the pressures on Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Judge Roy Moore to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments from state property, which resulted in his removal from office. "Each of these events and hundreds of others like them emphasize both the intensity of religious convictions and the complications that frequently result when public policy collides with religious conviction," Patterson said during the May 25-27 congress. "In response, one can wring his hands in consternation and hopelessness, or he can attempt to set just standards equitable to all faiths and ask the human family to inculcate these principles in all religious matters." Patterson pointed to the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as offering helpful insight to applying the ideals of religious liberty to the public square. "Both of these declarations recognize the crucial nature of religious liberty," Patterson said. "Indeed, religious liberty is the fountainhead of all liberties, and without this freedom, no society is genuinely free." A distinction must be made, however, between "religious liberty" and "religious toleration," Patterson said. "I once complained to a statesman about the lack of religious liberty in his country," Patterson recounted. "Offended, he insisted that his country had religious liberty. I responded that what he intended was that a person had a right to remain in the 'religion of his birth,' but not the right to change his faith and not the right to a free market place of open discussion of the values and essence of all religion." Governments should avoid "sponsorship of partisan religious symbols in public places," Patterson said, but temporary religious symbols that do not create physical danger should be allowed as exercise of religious liberty. Governments, he said, should respect peaceful symbols from every faith in the effort to support the formulation of a just and free generation as it rises to leadership. "The relationship of this issue to families and family life is that parents attempting to rear children in a culture of death have every right to expect governments to ensure justice and equal opportunity for religious expression, thus aiding the family in its assignment," Patterson said. Dorothy Patterson, professor of theology in women's studies at Southwestern, in her presentation, "A Modern Paradigm for Motherhood: Mothers Empowered to Empower a New Generation," noted the opportunity mothers have to shape the world's next work force and thus society as a whole. "Being a mother is often perceived to be a thankless and joyless, as well as an overwhelming, task," Dorothy Patterson said. "Many look at rearing children as a hardship tour in the duties of life -- burdens and sacrifices, self-denial and boredom, an interruption and an inconvenience." Patterson said women have been "brainwashed to believe that the absence of a titled, payroll occupation condemns a woman to failure, boredom and even imprisonment within the confines of her home." Though motherhood requires many sacrifices, it is a high and rewarding calling, Patterson said, one that she describes as her crowning achievement and highlight of her life's work. "Motherhood is important enough to demand a woman's diligent preparation, foremost commitment, full energies and greatest creativity for many reasons," Patterson said. "Each generation must be sure there is another generation. A mother does her job without the enticement of a paycheck, but she cannot be duplicated for any amount of money." BREWTON-PARKER ON SACS PROBATION – "Extremely disappointed" was Brewton-Parker College President Mike Simoneaux's reaction to the academic probation placed on the Georgia college by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in late June. SACS failed to recognize the progress the college has made in the past year, Simoneaux told Georgia Baptists' Christian Index newsjournal. The college remains fully accredited to award baccalaureate and associate degrees throughout the reaffirmation process, which occurs every ten years, Simoneaux said. "Enrollment is up, finances have improved and we are in the process of hiring new faculty," Simoneaux said. In addition, he said the college "has hired Dr. Tim Searcy [formerly of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary] as our new academic vice president, who brings many years of experience in academics and accreditation to Brewton-Parker." Searcy previously has served at Louisiana College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. "We are poised to grow," Simoneaux said, "and I am confident we will be able to overcome, with God's help, this latest challenge." The south Georgia college, which is affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention, has been struggling with declining enrollment and financial resources but has a rebuilding plan in place under the new administration of Simoneaux, who was named BPC president in July 2011. FIRE DESTROYS WINDERMERE LODGE -- A July 22 fire at Windermere Baptist Conference Center at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri destroyed a deluxe two-story lodge and caused additional damage to a maintenance building. Whispering Oak Lodge burned to the ground due to a mechanical failure in a dryer unit, according to Chris Bachman, fire marshal of the Mid-County Fire Protection District, who was assisted by the state fire marshal. The lodge was a 7,200-square-foot facility capable of sleeping 46 people. Windermere was one of five Missouri Baptist Convention subsidiary corporations to break from the convention in 2000-01 by changing their charters to create self-perpetuating trustee boards. The convention's efforts to regain Windermere remain in court. Firefighters were called to the scene at 2:57 a.m. Sunday and found the structure fully engulfed. No guests were in the lodge at the time, Bachman said, and firefighters went to work for the next three hours negating flames that were shooting 30 feet from the roof. It was then determined that the fire would go to a second alarm situation. That prompted a more intense response that included 16 pieces of equipment and 27 personnel responding from six departments including Mid-County FPD, Camdenton Fire Department, Osage Beach Fire Protection District, Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District, Southwest Fire Protection District and Lebanon Fire Department. Data and communication equipment was damaged inside the maintenance building, Bachman said. LIFEWAY, PENNY WISE OFFER OFFICE SUPPLY SAVINGS -- LifeWay Christian Resources has announced a savings program with Penny Wise Office Products, a major national supplier, giving churches the purchasing power of a much larger company. Penny Wise offers a wide selection of name-brand office products such as 3M, HP and Bic substantially below retail price, with prompt, free delivery. Coupled with LifeWay's aggregate purchasing power, church customers will receive sizable savings, according to Jennie Taylor of LifeWay's retail marketing department. Penny Wise offers the largest online office products ordering network in the nation, according to a LifeWay news release, and online buyers receive an additional 3 percent discount for all orders. LifeWay customers also can order by toll-free phone, email or toll-free fax. While no office supply company can guarantee their prices are the lowest on every product every day, LifeWay's program assures our members the lowest price available, Taylor said, explaining, "If you buy a product from Penny Wise, see it advertised for less and send the ad to Penny Wise within 30 days, Penny Wise will credit your account." Also, customer satisfaction is 100 percent guaranteed, Taylor added. "If you aren't happy, neither are they. They will send UPS out to pick up your return, absolutely free of charge. For more information on the program or to request a catalog, call 1-800-464-2799 or go to LifeWay.com/pennywise. LifeWay customers should use the savings code "LIF" to receive discounts and benefits. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston from reporting by Drew Nichter and Todd Deaton of Kentucky Baptists' Western Recorder; Sharayah Colter of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Joe Westbury of Georgia Baptists' Christian Index; Allen Palmeri of Missouri Baptists' Pathway; and the communications office of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: The 12 lessons of fatherhood, part two (7-12) By Thom S. Rainer Jul. 25 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38342 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- In 12 lessons of fatherhood, I covered lessons one through six yesterday ([URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=38330]http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=38330[/URL]). Today: lessons seven through 12. Lesson 7: Communicate the blessing with words and touch. Even if our children know we love them and that we are proud of them, they need to hear it. They need to feel with our hugs. When they are young, the physical interaction with children is critical. When they are older, we must still keep hugging them. Lesson 8: Talk to your children. I love it. I absolutely love it. My sons still want to talk to me. My boys can call my cell phone at almost any time. They know that I am the president of this big company, but they know they can get in touch with me quickly. Most of the time I will answer their calls on the spot. Otherwise, I get back to them quickly. I am honored beyond measure that those boys still want to talk to me. I think I instilled this desire early in their lives. I let them know that there was no such thing as a stupid question and that there were no subjects that were out of bounds. We really had some interesting discussions. Some of them were theological. Some of them were blunt talks about the "facts of life." Others were about sports, girls, politics, morals, clothes, careers, hobbies, places to live, places to go and the list goes on. Lesson 9: Fun and humor is healthy. The Rainer house was a fun place to be. I think that's why we became a hangout on the east side of town. All three of my boys have a great sense of humor. Our three sons like to joke with one another. They especially enjoy making fun of their old man. Because they had to endure hundreds of my sermons and speeches, they frequently would imitate my mannerisms and frequently repeated phrases. Their mother enjoyed popping paper bags behind them when they were not aware she was in the room. Lesson 10: Admit your mistakes. Art and his brothers have taught me much as they have raised their dad. My natural and sinful tendency was to speak quickly and harshly when one of the boys was out of line. I blew it many times as a father. But my boys have taught me to think before I speak and to be willing to ask for forgiveness when I was wrong. They have indeed raised Dad well. Lesson 11: Know when to let go, know when to hold. Indeed, there were not many things that I did not share with my sons. And there were not many emotions I left unchecked. On the one hand, this transparency is good. My boys knew where I stood on almost all issues. They knew they could get clear and non-evasive answers from me. And they knew how I felt at almost all times. There was no doubt how Dad was feeling in the Rainer home. On the other hand, I was often transparent to a fault. Kids need to be kids, and they do not need to be exposed to every feeling and concern parents have. I needed to protect them from the harsh world more than I did, instead of letting them hear almost every fear and problem with which I struggled. Some parents never let their children see the real mom and dad. And some parents let their kids see too much. I was guilty of the latter. Lesson 12: There is nothing more important than a child's eternity. "Lord, please look over our sons. Keep them in Your protective and loving hands. Help us to be the type of parents that show Your love. And we pray for the salvation of our sons. We ask that they hear clearly one day the gospel message, and that they accept and follow Your Son Jesus." Those words, or words similar to those, were prayed by Nellie Jo and me on a regular basis. We do want the best for our sons in this life. But this life is so incredibly brief. Our most fervent prayer was for each of the boys to become a Christian so that their eternities would be secure. God has answered our prayers. Very few dads have had the incredible privilege to do what I did. I baptized each of my sons after they became followers of Christ. Those were moments that I cherished, moments that moved me to tears. Though I was imperfect, I tried to model Christ to my sons. I wanted them to see Him in both my words and actions. I wanted them to have the freedom to talk with me about anything, especially spiritual matters. God answered our prayers. The most important gift a child can receive is the gift of salvation in Christ. And I thank God that He used Nellie Jo and me as His instruments in their eternities. --30-- Thom S. Rainer is president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. This column first appeared on his website, www.ThomRainer.com. It was adapted from the book "Raising Dad" (B&H Publishing Group, 2007). 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 -- 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