It is not a surprise to God where we find ourselves culturally. He says to us what He has always said to His people: Live for me in the place where I have placed you.
Archives For May 31, 2013
Fred Luter encourages listeners at the SBC Pastors’ Conference in Houston.
HOUSTON | “Can I just share my testimony for just a minute?”
Southern Baptist Convention President and New Orleans native Fred Luter drew on his experiences after Hurricane Katrina to encourage listeners at the SBC Pastors’ Conference June 9.
“One day you can be pastoring thousands and thousands of people, and the next day, you can be without a congregation,” Luter said, alluding to the storm that devastated his city and his church, Franklin Avenue Baptist.
“One day, you’re in a city where everybody knows your name…and the next day, you’re in the city where you’re only known by your FEMA number.”
Luter’s message, from Psalm 34, focused on taking heart when you get to “the other side of ministry,” when afflictions and trials of all kinds threaten to discourage and overwhelm the righteous.
“Every child of God sooner or later in life will face the other side of ministry,” he said.
He spoke like a pastor to the crowd assembled at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, exhorting them to pay special attention to the word “but” in Psalm 34:19. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
‘That word ‘but’ is a sanctified conjunction,” Luter said to laughter from the audience. “It negates everything that was said before.” He told the crowd that just when it feels like everything is about to go under, “God can put a ‘but’ in your situation.”
He ended his message with an illustration from his favorite movie franchise, James Bond. Animatedly, he described how the super spy manages to get himself out of every scrape he ever gets into. While watching a documentary one day about the making of James Bond movies, Luter said he realized how that was possible: The writers write it that way in the script!
Holding up his Bible and smiling joyously at the crowd, Luter said, “You know how I know you’re going to make it?
“It’s in the script!”
John Bolin, minister of worship and arts at FBC Houston, leads in worship at the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference, which began Sunday, June 9.
Greg Matte, pastor of FBC Houston, Texas, and president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference, moderated a panel discussion on leadership with Rodney Woo (International Baptist Church, Singapore, Jack Graham (Prestonwood Baptist, Plano) and Eric Geiger (LifeWay Christian Resources).
Children in costumes representing nations around the world join FBC Houston’s praise team and choir to sing a moving version of “How Great is Our God”.
Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter closed the Pastors’ Conference opening session with a message from Psalm 34.
Affliction will come to the righteous, Luter quoted Psalm 34, but, “You know how I know you’re going to make it?” he asked pastors, holding up his Bible. “It’s in the script!”
“God is alive and well in the inner city,” Chet Cantrell told attenders at the WMU Missions Celebration in Houston.
SBC | Chet Cantrell, executive director of Illinois’ Christian Activity Center, spoke about his ministry in East St. Louis this afternoon at the annual Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Missions Celebration, held in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention.
“God is alive and well in the inner city,” Cantrell told women (and a few men) gathered in the Hilton Americas hotel. At the CAC, Cantrell and his staff partner with an army of volunteers to run a daily tutoring and mentoring program that has resulted in a 95% graduation rate among the kids they serve in poverty-stricken East St. Louis. The center, located next to an infamous housing project, is a haven in the neighborhood.
But it wasn’t always that way. When he arrived in the city and asked parents what he could do to help, their answer was “Keep our kids alive.” Cantrell told his audience the playground that now sits opposite the center was once a weed-plagued field. When he set out to mow down the tall grass, a young child told him he couldn’t do that. When Cantrell asked why not, the reply was, “Because that’s where they throw the dead bodies.”
What child should have to grow up in that environment, Cantrell asked. He shared stories of what God has done in the years since, like transforming that field, and turning a street known for trafficking into a place where kids can feel safe. He thanked WMU for their support of ministry centers like his, and encouraged them from Isaiah 45, where God says:
“I will go before you and level the uneven places; I will shatter the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two.I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I, Yahweh, the God of Israel call you by your name.” (Isaiah 45:2-3, HCSB)
“I would like to tell you that I’m smart and I’m capable, but sometimes God just asks you to show up,” Cantrell said.
“…God was at work in East St. Louis long before I got there.”
Cantrell ended with a challenge: “You want to find God, you come serve in areas just like mine, because God shows up.
“Will you?”
NEWS | Meredith Flynn
The Southern Baptist Convention will kick off in just a few hours, and the Illinois Baptist will be in Houston all week with live coverage here on ib2news.org, and at Facebook.com/IllinoisBaptist and Twitter.com/IllinoisBaptist.
We’re anticipating the re-election of Fred Luter, currently running unopposed, to a second term as SBC President. And in the wake of a report by the Calvinism advisory team that formed last year, Reformed theology could get a lot of attention from speakers on the platform and in the audience. SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page, who appointed the advisory team to study how Southern Baptists can cooperate despite theological differences, is likely to share the group’s finding during his report Tuesday.
Boy Scouts, marriage, and a continuing discussion of gender-inclusive language in the NIV Bible are other topics that could come up on the convention floor.
You can watch all the action, beginning tonight with the Pastors’ Conference, at sbcannualmeeting.net.
COMMENTARY | Meredith Flynn
Do you ever get the feeling everybody’s looking at you? It happened to me a week ago, when I spent the day at the Illinois Capitol waiting for an anticipated vote on the same-sex marriage bill.
Those of you who read the coverage on this blog know that vote never happened. The bill’s sponsoring representative, Greg Harris, announced that his fellow legislators needed time to go home and talk to their constituents before they could come back in the fall and vote “yes” for same-sex marriage.
That’s the official news, which you likely already knew. What you don’t know is that, in retrospect, I felt as if I almost caused an incident because of a fashion decision.
That morning I chose to wear a bright, multi-colored shirt with horizontal stripes. Almost like a rainbow. I chose it because it’s pretty, no other reason. During the course of the day, it became apparent that my apparel was making a statement I did not intend.
That day, advocates on both sides of the debate held rallies in the Capitol rotunda. The pro-traditional marriage group met first to pray together. An hour later, a larger group of same-sex marriage supporters met. And that’s where I realized my clothes might be talking for me.
I was snapping photos for the Illinois Baptist newspaper, like I’d done at the previous gathering, when a friendly lobbyist stopped to talk to me. I knew she was working for conservative groups that opposed the legislation, and I had noticed earlier how polite she was to some same-sex marriage advocates who had listened in on the prayer meeting. I complimented her on that, and she said something like, “Well I think we can disagree on some things and still agree on others…like you and I probably agree on lots of things.”
I thought, well sure we do, including this. But as she kept talking, I realized she assumed she and I were on different sides of the marriage debate. Then, I noticed someone taking a cell phone photo of me. I looked down at my shirt.
Oh.
Then, uh-oh.
In a matter of moments, my (overactive) imagination envisioned those photos posted on Facebook, then CNN, with people making all kinds of assumptions about me and my beliefs, based on my colorful shirt.
“I better call my husband,” I thought to myself. “And my mom.”
Later, calmer, I began to consider this: As a reporter, I’ve tried to tell the Illinois marriage story fairly, while still holding firmly our convictions that God designed marriage as a union between one man and one woman. But in the moments when I feared my own identity might be in question, I realized how very personal the marriage debate is for the people who are involved.
For a moment, I saw the issue from a different angle. I considered from a new perspective why so much of the debate has been rancorous, why the atmosphere in the House gallery last Friday grew more and more tense as the vote was delayed, and why some same-sex marriage advocates are so angry with Christians.
And after my own brief fears that I would be identified as standing opposite my readers and my employer, I came to see how important it is that we as Christians have a loving attitude – compelled by how deeply we ourselves are loved by a holy God – toward those with whom we disagree.
This marriage business is a serious business; it’s emotional, and where we stand on it is closely tied to our identity. As people, as fellow citizens, as believers in Christ. Let’s walk in truth and in love – a precarious balance sometimes – so that others might look past the stripes on shirts, and see the One we’re called to reflect.
That said, I still think my shirt is pretty.
Urges cooperation, unity around Baptist Faith & Message ahead of meeting in Houston
THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn
The advisory committee formed by Southern Baptist Executive Committee President Frank Page to study the divide over Reformed theology in the convention released its final report a week before the SBC was scheduled to hold its annual meeting in Houston.
Page assembled the group last August, after an annual meeting in New Orleans where Reformed theology was a hot-button issue. Much of the conversation then centered on the need to work together despite theological differences; Page wanted the team to help him develop “a strategy whereby people of various theological persuasions can purposely work together in missions and evangelism.”
The group’s 3,200-word statement outlines nine areas of theology that all Southern Baptists can agree on, and then tackles areas of disagreement within those issues. For example:
“We agree that God is absolutely sovereign in initiating salvation, uniting the believer to Himself, and preserving the believer to the end, but we differ as to how God expresses His sovereignty with respect to human freedom,” the report reads.
Pointing to one of the tenets of Reformed theology, the statement continues, “We agree that the Holy Spirit working through the Gospel enables sinners to be saved, but we differ as to whether this grace is resistible or irresistible.”
But those tensions shouldn’t hinder cooperation, according to the advisory committee, which was made up of people from both sides of the theological divide. Rather, “we urge Southern Baptists to grant one another liberty in those areas within The Baptist Faith and Message (BFM) where differences in interpretation cause us to disagree.”
Later in the report, the group points to the BFM, as adopted in 2000, as the confession that “is to serve as the doctrinal basis for our cooperation in Great Commission ministry.”
A report on the group’s work is expected during next week’s annual meeting, which begins June 11. In its closing words, the statement offers a challenge that could be especially important in Houston:
“If we stand together in truth, we can trust one another in truth, even as we experience tension. We can talk like brothers and sisters in Christ, and we can work urgently and eagerly together.”
Read the full report at BPNews.net.
-With reporting by Baptist Press
Other news:
Baptists expected to discuss Boy Scouts at annual meeting
Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land told CNN there is a “100% chance” there will be a resolution to disaffiliate with Boy Scouts during the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention in Houston. “…And a 100% chance that 99% of people will vote for it,” Land continued. “Southern Baptists are going to be leaving the Boy Scouts en masse.” Boy Scouts of America recently voted to allow gay-identifying youth to be members. As autonomous churches, Southern Baptist congregations can choose their own course of action when it comes to Boy Scouts, but many will likely find it difficult to comply with the new policy, SBC spokesman Sing Oldham told CNN. “With this policy change, the Boy Scouts’ values are contradictory to the basic values of our local churches.” Read more on CNN’s Belief blog.
What does Illinois’ non-action on same-sex marriage mean for the rest of the country?The St. Louis Post-Dispatch asked that question in the wake of Rep. Greg Harris’ refusal to call the same-sex marriage bill for a vote before the Illinois House adjourned its spring session May 31. David Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, told the paper, “The momentum has been stopped.
“It shows that it’s not as popular with people as the national media is telling us.”
Smith added that the non-action in Illinois could be a “bellwether” for other states, especially those that don’t lean as far to the left. As the Post-Dispatch pointed out, “If gay marriage fails here, how would a state like Missouri ever even flirt with it?” Read the full story here.
One-third of Americans trust God more during suffering
A new study by LifeWay Research found 33% of Americans trust God more during times of suffering that seems unfair. The research, conducted after the devastating May 20 tornado in Moore, Okla., also found 25% of people reported being “confused by God” during such times, and 16% say they “don’t think about God in those situations.” Read more at LifeWayResearch.com.
NEWS | When the General Assembly’s spring legislative session ended May 31 without a vote on same-sex marriage, opponents of the bill rejoiced.
“As Christians we know that all good things are gifts from God, and the retention of sexual complementarity in the government’s definition of marriage is a very good thing,” the Illinois Family Institute posted on its website. IFI was one of several conservative and religious groups that worked together to stand against the legislation.
Same-sex marriage supporters, some wearing “ILove” T-shirts, gathered in the Capitol’s rotunda in anticipation of a vote Friday, May 31.
Supporters of same-sex marriage also were vocal over the weekend in their response to Rep. Greg Harris’ decision not to call the bill for a vote. Harris, sponsor of the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” has faced harsh criticism from those who wanted to see it passed.
The Windy City Times, a Chicago newspaper which advocates for LGBT rights, said in a Saturday morning editorial, “The marriage equality non-vote in the Illinois House May 31 is a historic failure with plenty of blame to hand out.” The writer of editorial blamed a host of people and organizations, including Harris. Later, the paper and the representative issued a joint statement calling on the LGBT community to come together.
“We must unite fiercely as a community and focus our efforts on carrying the beacon of hope and equality for all families, and against those who wish to defeat the full promise of America for all her peoples.”
Echoing that theme, gay rights organization Equality Illinois posted a new banner on its Facebook page: “Fight back, Illinois!” Legalizing same-sex marriage in Illinois “isn’t a matter of if – it’s a matter of when,” read a post on the page.
Illinois Family Institute Executive Director David Smith prays during a rally for traditional marriage supporters.
According to an article in the Illinois Observer, House Speaker Mike Madigan extended the bill’s extend its deadline for approval to August 31, meaning it could be brought back for a vote if the legislature meets over the summer. During his speech in the House chamber Friday, Harris said some representatives, whom he declined to name, wanted to go back and talk with their constituents before bringing the marriage bill back to the table during the fall veto session, which begins October 22.
In the meantime, all eyes will be watching closely to see how members of the House Black Caucus, believed to be swing votes in the debate, will withstand the pressure. In the days leading up to the non-vote, African American pastors were considered a key part of the stand against same-sex marriage. If their alliance with downstate conservatives holds up over the summer, Harris’ bill could face another tough legislative season.
Could be called during summer or fall legislative sessions
NEWS | Lisa Sergent Same-sex marriage supporters filled the Illinois House gallery Friday night for an anticipated vote on SB10, the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.”
Rep. Greg Harris was the lone legislator on the floor before Friday’s session began. Harris, who is gay, is the same-sex marriage bill’s chief sponsor in the House.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), had told the Windy City Times he would “absolutely” call the bill to a vote before session ended May 31 and that it would pass. “When I put it up on the board, it’s going up to win,” he said.
Instead, an emotional Harris addressed the House chamber. “As chief sponsor of this legislation, decisions surrounding the legislation are mine and mine alone. Several of my colleagues have indicated they’d not be willing to cast a vote on this bill today.
“And I’ve never been sadder to accept this request, but I have to keep my eye, as we all must, on the ultimate prize. They’ve asked for time to go back to their districts, talk to their constituents and reach out to their minds and hearts and have told me they’ll return in November with their word that they’re prepared to support this legislation.”
The General Assembly will meet in Springfield in November for the fall veto session, where the bill could come up again. The Illinois Observer reported it could also be an issue this summer, due to a last-minute move by House Speaker Mike Madigan. The Speaker extended the bill’s deadline for approval to August 31, meaning it could be up for discussion if a special summer legislative session is called.
“A deadline extension by itself resolves none of the political problems associated with the bill’s opponents, but it may give advocates an incentive to work to resolve them before summer’s end,” the online paper reported. Read that story here.
Pastor Danny Holliday has been an active voice against same-sex marriage at the Capitol. Holliday, who leads Victory Baptist Church in Alton, prayed during a rally organized by the Illinois Family Institute in the Capitol rotunda Friday.
On Friday, shouts of “Shame!” and “Justice delayed is justice denied” could be heard from the disappointed and angry gallery.
For months, Christians of different denominations, from all walks of life and different races, had banded together to stop what many believed was inevitable when the Senate approved the bill February 14. Then, the momentum seemed to be moving in a direction that would make Illinois the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
But throughout the spring, religious and conservative groups stood firm for a traditional definition of marriage. The Chicago area African American Clergy Coalition used automated phone calls to urge voters around the state to contact their local representatives and tell them to vote no.
Following the non-vote, Bishop Larry Trotter, co-chairman of the coalition, told WFLD TV Fox Chicago, “Today our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has won! We are so proud of the God fearing Black Caucus members who withstood the pressure of the LGBT forces.”
Sharee Langenstein, a lobbyist who has worked with conservative groups during the same-sex marriage debate in Illinois, told the Illinois Baptist, “The African American community is by and large socially conservative, and so it has been very important through this whole process, in fighting same-sex marriage, to make sure that we form alliances with our friends.
“And I think for too long we have unfortunately kind of assumed that the African American community, which does traditionally vote Democrat, would not be with us on some of our social issues. And we have all learned…that in fact we have a lot more in common than we ever thought, and God has really worked well through this whole process in helping us work together and form alliances that before we never had thought were possible.”
Southern Baptists in Illinois actively opposed the bill. IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams told the Illinois Baptist Friday night, “I was greatly encouraged by the majority of our state representatives who stood firm for traditional marriage today, in spite of tremendous political pressure. I believe the voices and prayers of Illinois Baptist churches and church members made a difference, and have helped defend churches and Christians throughout the state from pressures, requirements and litigation that would certainly have flowed from the proposed legislation, if it had passed.
“I’m sure the political pressure to pass same sex marriage legislation in Illinois will continue. But today helped demonstrate that it is not a fore drawn conclusion, and that the religious liberty implications tied to this issue are being increasingly recognized.”
iB2 News 