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  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

The Briefing: LifeWay list of top 500 SBC churches shows denomination becoming more urban

Lisa Misner —  November 10, 2015

Lifeway: SBC becoming more urban
LifeWay’s new list of the top 500 Southern Baptist churches shows the denomination is becoming more urban because the American population is becoming more urban. Among other findings the South—and particularly Texas—is the epicenter of SBC megachurches; and of the 20 largest SBC churches, 20% are predominantly non-anglo. Learn more findings.

Feds give Chicago school 30 days to let boy use girls’ locker room
A transgender female student has complained District 211 high school in Palatine has “set her apart from her female classmates and teammates.” The district however has “noted two concerns it had in giving full locker room access to the student: First, a biological male would have opportunity to see girls changing clothes, and second, girls might see the student’s ‘biologically male body.’ OCR said those concerns were ‘unavailing in this case,’ and called them a pretext.”

German Protestant church rejects the Great Commission
The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland says the passage in the Gospel of Matthew known as the Great Commission does not mean Christians must try to convert others to their faith. Their position paper states, “A strategic mission to Islam or meeting Muslims to convert them threatens social peace and contradicts the spirit and mandate of Jesus Christ and is therefore to be firmly rejected.”

Religious liberty key to refugee crisis, leaders say
Religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities are essential to resolving the escalating refugee crisis in Syria and other countries, human rights advocates say. The repressive role of a religious group against other religious adherents can be seen not only in Syria but in Burma, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Nigeria and Pakistan.

High court to hear GuideStone abortion mandate appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court (Nov. 6) agreed to hear appeals by several ministries, including GuideStone Financial Resources, to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that would require certain ministries served by GuideStone to provide potentially abortion-causing drugs and devices or face crippling penalties.

Sources: Baptist Press, Religion News Services, ThomRainer.com

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The Briefing: Houston votes on ‘bathroom ordinance’

Lisa Misner —  November 3, 2015

The BriefingHouston votes on ‘the bathroom ordinance’

Today (Nov. 3), voters in Houston, TX go to the polls to cast their ballots for or against Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) —a proposed sexual orientation, gender identity, nondiscrimination law that includes regulations for the use of restrooms and locker rooms in the city limits.

The real reason China is ditching its ‘one-child policy’

After 35 years, China has announced that it will abandon its “one-child policy,” but not because the Chinese leadership has become prolife. According to the Washington Post, “The decision appears to have been driven by concerns that the country’s low fertility rate would create a crisis that eventually could threaten the legitimacy of Communist Party rule.”

University of California seeks to ban free speech

A new campus policy has been proposed at the University of California that seeks to limit freedom of speech so that students and faculty have the “right” to study or work “free from acts and expressions of intolerance.”

Baptist care for Syrian refugees

Southern Baptists have poured nearly $3 million dollars through BGR into relief efforts for Syrian refugees. These resources have helped fund projects in several countries and have been used for things like distributions of food, blankets, clothing and more.

KY Baptist university rekindles gender role debate

Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky., hosted the inaugural Christians for Biblical Equality lectures, named for an organization that advocates equal authority and leadership roles for men and women in families and churches.

Sources: BPnews.net, Christian Post, ERLC.com, Washington Post

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The Briefing: Halloween is focus of new study, The Wall St. Journal on the IMB

Lisa Misner —  October 27, 2015

LifeWay Research studies views on HalloweenHalloween: ‘All in good fun’?

Most Americans don’t have a problem celebrating Halloween, a new study shows. Although 3 in 5 Americans told LifeWay Research that Halloween is “all in good fun,” 21 percent avoid the holiday completely and another 14 percent avoid the pagan elements.

The Wall St. Journal looks at the International Mission Board

The Wall Street Journal has taken notice of the International Mission Board’s budget woes. In the Oct. 25 article, “Cash-Strapped Missionaries Get a New Calling: Home,” the newspaper gives readers (and Southern Baptists) an opportunity to view the staff reduction from outside the denomination’s news agencies.

IBSA Disaster Relief volunteers head to SC

Three disaster relief teams from Illinois will each serve in South Carolina where severe flooding destroyed homes, businesses, and infrastructure in early October. The mudout teams will minister over three concurrent weeks beginning November 7. They will join the work of Southern Baptist Disaster relief volunteers from 15 other states.

Football coach can’t pray on field

In Washington State, Bremerton High School Coach Joe Kennedy has been told he’ll be fired if he continues to pray from the 50-yard line before each game. In a letter, Superintendent Aaron Leavell forbade him from “bowing his head, taking a knee or doing anything that might remotely be construed as religious.” The school district offered to provide him a place to pray that is “not observable to students or the public.” Coach Kennedy said he will continue to pray.

Sources: Baptist Press, Fox New, The Wall Street Journal

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The Briefing: Palatine school refuses transgender student locker room use

Lisa Misner —  October 20, 2015

The BriefingPalatine school refuses transgender student locker room use

A suburban Chicago school district has announced that it will not allow transgender students to use locker rooms for changing and showering, defying federal civil rights officials. Township High School District 211 in Palatine, IL allows transgender students to use restrooms in accordance with their gender identity, because there are private stalls. But the district will continue barring transgender students from communal locker rooms to “protect the privacy of all students.”

Nude photos gone from Playboy: Good or bad news?

Playboy magazine recently announced it would no longer print completely nude photos of women. What does this mean for our culture? According to Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler, “Playboy has outlived its ability to transgress and to push the moral boundaries. As a matter of fact, it was a victim of its own sad success. Pornography is such a pervasive part of modern society that Playboy is now a commercial victim of the very moral revolution it symbolized and promoted for decades.”

‘Woodlawn’ opens in top 10

The faith-based drama “Woodlawn” opened in the eighth spot Oct. 16, and finished the weekend at number nine, earning a total of $4.1 million, Box Office Mojo reported. Based on the true story of a high school football team in the midst of racial integration 40 years ago in Birmingham, Ala., the film follows the journey of African American Tony Nathan as a star running back for the Woodlawn High School Colonels in 1973 after court-ordered desegregation. Amid racial hatred, cross burnings and riots, spiritual revival transforms the team so profoundly that it affects the team’s coach, school and community.

Returning missionaries grateful for help

The IMB’s transition team recently created a database to manage the list of housing, employment and other offers sent to returning missionaries by state conventions, local churches, SBC entities and other sources. WMU is also extending a push to make churches aware of the needs of returning missionaries. The entity is offering to counsel individuals, churches and associations who want to learn more about starting a missionary house ministry.

Sources: AlbertMohler.com, Baptist Press, International Mission Board, Washington Post

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The Briefing: High and dry in Albion with medical marijuana

Lisa Misner —  October 13, 2015

The BriefingHigh and dry in Albion, IL

The first medical marijuana harvest in the state has begun near the southern Illinois town of Albion. The town, where the sale of packaged liquor is banned, is the site of an Ataraxia cultivation center for medical marijuana.

Grandma clings to the old red cross in SC floodwaters

South Carolina grandmother Clara Gantt was heading to church near Blythewood when her car was caught up in floodwaters. Her grandson Travis Catchings came to her aid, but both ended up clinging to a large red cross in a churchyard until rescuers arrived five hours later. Watch a cell phone video from the rescue.

Lawsuit: Baby Jesus doesn’t belong in Christmas play

The “War on Christmas” started early this year. The Freedom from Religion Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against Concord Community Schools in Elkhart, Ind. demanding an injunction to forbid the school from “presenting the portion of the Christmas Spectacular with the live Nativity Scene and the telling of the story of the birth of Jesus.”

SBTS conference on transgenderism responds to challenges

The transgender movement presents an unprecedented theological and cultural crisis for the church, said Southern Baptist scholars at the SBTS conference on transgenderism and transformational Christianity. “The transgender revolution presents a more acute and more comprehensive challenge than merely the issue of homosexuality,” seminary President Albert Mohler said. “Because of the identity questions rooted in creation, the transgender revolution represents a challenge on an altogether different scale.”

Another state legalizes physician-assisted suicide

California became the latest—and most populous—state to pass an assisted dying bill. The law will permit physicians to provide lethal prescriptions to mentally competent adults who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and face the expectation that they will die within six months. Currently, 1 in 6 Americans lives in a state where a doctor can prescribe a lethal dose of drugs to a patient.

Sources: Baptist Press, Chicago Sun-Times, ERLC, Fox News

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The Briefing: Southern Baptist pastor’s granddaughter shot in Ore. campus attack

Lisa Misner —  October 6, 2015

The BriefingA 26-year-old man who killed nine and injured perhaps nine others at an Oregon community college reportedly targeted Christians in the attack, said a Southern Baptist pastor whose granddaughter was shot and survived.

“The shooter asked a question, ‘Are you a Christian?’ And if they said yes, he said, ‘Good, because you’re going to see God in a second,’ and he shot them. My granddaughter hid and got a bullet through the leg,” Howard A. Johnson, founding pastor of Bethany Bible Fellowship (SBC) in Roseburg, told Baptist Press. “That’s pretty traumatic.” Read the entire story at BPnews.net.

ERLC goes to the dogs, cats, hamsters, birds…

The Ethic and Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC and the Clapham Group, released the Evangelical Statement on Responsible Care for Animals Sept. 30. “Our treatment of animals is a spiritual issue,” said ERLC President Russell Moore. “The Bible is clear that our being created in the image of God does not lessen our responsibility to steward the physical world well, but heightens it. This statement is a reminder that the gospel transforms our use and care of animals as we see all of God’s glory reflected in his good creation.” Read the statement at EveryLivingThing.com.

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief heading to South Carolina

The North American Mission Board mobilized two semi-trucks with supplies for South Carolina flood victims Oct. 5. NAMB will also deploy two recovery trailers as soon as roads in the areas are open. Like so many other facilities, the South Carolina Baptist Convention office building is nearly cut off at this time with flooded roads. Pray for the people of South Carolina and the disaster relief volunteers who will be sent to minister to them.

CP surpasses budget projection for fiscal year

The Southern Baptist Convention ended its fiscal year $1.1 million over its 2014–2015 budgeted goal and $2.5 million over the previous year’s Cooperative Program allocation budget gifts, according to Frank S. Page, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.

Barna: Concerns over religious freedom have increased since 2012

A new study from the Barna Group reveals a significant rise in Americans’ belief that religious freedom is worse today than 10 years ago (up from 33% in 2012 to 41% today). The increase is the most marked by marked among Gen-Xers (29% to 42%) and Boomers (38% to 46%). While 34% of Millennials say religious freedom is worse today than it was 10 years ago, up from 25% in 2012.

Sources: Baptist Press, Barna Group, ERLC, EveryLivingThing.com

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The Briefing: Baptists ‘not threatened’ by pope’s U.S. visit

Lisa Misner —  September 22, 2015

The BriefingTHE BRIEFING | As Pope Francis visits the U.S., Southern Baptist leaders say they stand with his statements of biblical morality but urge Catholics to reject the Vatican’s official teaching on salvation in favor of a personal relationship with Christ by faith alone.

“I hope the pope speaks with clarity about the dignity of all human life, including that of the unborn; the stability of the family, including the necessity of mothers and fathers for children; and religious liberty for all,” ERLC President Russell Moore told Baptist Press. “I also hope he speaks directly as he has before to our responsibility for the most vulnerable among us, the poor, the prisoner, the immigrant and the orphan.” Read what others are saying at BPnews.net.

ISIS using churches as torture chambers

Christian Freedom International, a Virginia-based aid organization, reports captured church buildings into torture chambers that are being used to coerce Iraqi Christians into renouncing Christ and converting to its brand of radical Islam. The organization also estimates more Christians have been martyred in the 20th and 21st centuries than in the previous 19 centuries combined.

House OKs PPFA defunding, abortion survivors’ bills

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Sept. 18 to defund Planned Parenthood in the wake of the release of undercover videos providing evidence the organization trades in baby body parts. That same day, the House also approved legislation to protect babies who survive abortions.

Representatives voted 241-187 for the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, H.R. 3134. The bill would place a one-year moratorium on federal money for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates while Congress investigates the organization.

Gay rights group opens office in Springfield

Equality Illinois, the state’s largest LGBT rights group, has open its first office outside Chicagoland in Springfield. The group is seeking to expand its strategy statewide and hopes to open offices in the southern and western parts of the state.

The Muppets return to TV a bit worse for wear

The new Muppets primetime television show isn’t the show Gen Xers remember from their childhood. A reviewer for The Guardian, a British newspaper, calls the new show for ABC a “spoof documentary” in the style of reality television.

According to the paper, “In one scene, Animal laments his consequence-free promiscuity. In another, Zoot from The Electric Mayhem is outed as an alcoholic. And then, most heartbreakingly of all, there’s Kermit…This Kermit badmouths fellow celebrities, openly discusses his sex life and, at one point, describes his life as ‘a living hell.’”

Say it isn’t so Kermit.

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The Briefing: No safe haven for Assyrian Christians, Sanders speaks at Liberty U, Navy Chaplain cleared

Lisa Misner —  September 15, 2015

The BriefingNo safe haven will be granted in the United States for the Assyrian Christians

The United States is the largest home to Assyrians, many of them driven out starting a century ago during the Armenian genocide. Yet the Obama administration has made clear it won’t shelter the Assyrian refugees forced from Syria or Iraq by ISIS.

“This administration will not issue visas for Syrians based on Christian faith.”

That was the word given to Anglican bishop Julian Dobbs by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. As a board member of Barnabas Fund, one of the largest relief organizations working in Syria and Iraq, Bishop Dobbs appealed to the State Department earlier this summer on behalf of the Assyrian Christians. The State Department said no.

Officials told Dobbs the Assyrians should use “people traffickers” to get across their borders to Turkey then appeal to the UN for refugee status.

9 things you need to know about refugees in America

Because of wars, conflicts, and persecution, there are more people around the world than at any other time since records began that have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere, reports the UN refugee agency. Currently, across the globe there about 19.5 million people are refugees, and about half are children.

The number of refugees admitted into the U.S. each year is decided by the President. Before the beginning of each fiscal year, the President, in consultation with Congress, establishes an overall refugee admissions ceiling as well as regional allocations. The total number of refugees authorized for admission in 2013 was 70,000. The largest regional allocation was to the Near East/South Asia region, which accounted for 46 percent of the authorized admissions number to continue accommodating refugee arrivals from Iraq, Iran, and Bhutan. Learn more about the laws, policies, and numbers regarding refugees in America.

Chaplain survives dismissal attempt

Navy Chaplain Wesley Modder has survived an attempt to force him out of the Navy after his commanding officer’s claims that Modder failed to show tolerance and discriminated against sailors of different faiths were not proven.

David Steindl, commander of the Naval Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn., said the evidence presented against Modder did not meet the standard of “gross negligence” or “disregard of duty.”

Capt. Jon Fahs had requested Modder be detached from duty last February for counseling sailors that premarital sex and homosexuality were wrong. Fahs said Modder had shown he was unable to function in a pluralistic environment.

“I am called by my faith to express love for all, regardless of the diversity of backgrounds from which they come,” said Modder, who is endorsed by the Assemblies of God. “I will continue to follow my faith in all things. I am grateful to be able to continue the ministry God called me to do.”

Bernie Sanders Seeks ‘Common Ground’ With Evangelicals at Liberty University

Speaking as an honored guest at Liberty University’s Sept. 14 morning convocation, Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders stated, “I came here today because I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to engage in a civil discourse.”

Sanders noted he believed “we can find common ground” on issues like economic equality, family welfare, free higher education, and race relations.

“I am motivated by a vision which exists in all of the great religions, in Christianity, in Judaism, in Islam, in Buddhism, and other religions,” continued Sanders. “That vision is so beautifully and clearly stated in Matthew 7:12 and it states, ‘so in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.'”

Assisted suicide bill passed in Calif.

Approved by the California State Senate Sept. 11 and the state Assembly Sept. 9, the End of Life Option Act would allow physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients, according to the Los Angeles Times. The measure heads for approval or veto to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, who has “expressed concern” about it but not articulated his position, the Times reported.

The California bill is modelled after Oregon’s so-called “death with dignity” law, but with several changes. California’s law would expire after 10 years if not reapproved by the legislature and would require doctors to consult in private with patients desiring to die in an effort to prevent coercion by friends and family members, The New York Times reported.

Sources: Baptist Press, Christian Post, ERLC.com, The Gospel Coalition, World Magazine

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The Briefing: IMB’s Platt sends open letter to SBC family

Lisa Misner —  September 8, 2015

The BriefingTHE BRIEFING | International Mission Board President David Platt released an open letter to Southern Baptists Friday (Sept. 4), related to the organization’s financial plan announced Aug. 27.

In the letter, Platt addressed several concerns and criticisms raised related to the plan, specifically the announcement that IMB will reduce its missionaries and staff by 600-800 people over the next six months.

Platt also called on Southern Baptists to “pray that God will provide grace, wisdom, strength, and unity across the IMB family as we navigate the various challenges” in the coming months

Billy Graham’s grandson files for divorce, accepts new position at church

Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham, filed for divorce Aug. 22 in Broward County, Fla. Under Florida law, one party must establish that the marriage is “irretrievably broken” in order for the union to be dissolved. He resigned as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale earlier this summer after admitting an extramarital affair. The couple had been working to move past an earlier extramarital affair by his wife, Kim. They married in 1994 and have three children.

On Sept. 4 Willow Creek Presbyterian Church in Winter Springs, Florida, (unrelated to Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, IL) announced it had hired Tchividjian as its congregation’s director of ministry development.

Despite stresses, survey finds few pastors give up on ministry

Though pastors are stressed about money and overwhelming ministry demands, only one percent abandon the pulpit each year, LifeWay Research has found.

In a first-of-its-kind study, LifeWay Research surveyed 1,500 pastors of evangelical and historically black churches and found an estimated 13 percent of senior pastors in 2005 had left the pastorate ten years later for reasons other than death or retirement.

The survey also found: 84% say they’re on call 24 hours a day, 80% expect conflict in their church, and 53% are often concerned about their family’s financial security. Find out more about the survey.

GuideStone video highlights market volatility

GuideStone Financial Resources has produced a video outlining the nation’s current market volatility and responses that long-term investors should consider, including remaining calm in the face of daily news, keeping a long-term focus on investments and maintaining diversification in age- and risk-appropriate investments.

David S. Spika, CFA, global investment strategist for GuideStone Capital Management, LLC, narrates the video. Spika has been called on in recent days to discuss market volatility in a variety of news outlets, including cable business channel CNBC and industry news source InvestmentNews.

“We believe that what is happening now is simply a needed short-term correction and not the beginning of a bear market,” said Spika. Watch the video.

Sources: Baptist Press, Christianity Today, LifeWay Research

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Tuesday Briefing: Southern Baptist leaders address ‘Ashley Madison, Adultery, and the Church’

Lisa Misner —  September 1, 2015

The BriefingTHE BRIEFING | Southern Baptist leaders including Thom Rainer and Ed Stetzer are taking notice of the repercussions that have followed the release by hackers of names of subscribers to the Ashley Madison website, which boasts the tagline, “Life is short. Have an affair.” Rainer, president of LifewWay wrote about the revelations on his blog, ThomRainer.com. “As the list of names on the Ashley Madison list began to unfold, pastors and other church leaders received word that some of their own members were on the list,” he said. “Some of the names included elders, deacons, pastors, church staff, and laypersons in the church.”

Rainer said the pastors he spoke with “were struggling with how they were going to respond to the families impacted, other church leaders, and the congregation as a whole.” He offered some ways church leaders and members could deal with the scandal if it touches their church.

Stetzer, LifeWay Research President, used his blog, The Exchange, to blame the culture for the Ashley Madison site and the behavior that supported it. “Many are reaping what they have sown individually, but we are also reaping what we have sown culturally…Though what was in the dark is now in the light, and though those who share our faith face utter embarrassment, our place is not to gloat. Perhaps, rather, we should grieve at what sexuality has become in our culture.”

Stetzer went on in another post to estimate a wave of up to 400 ministry resignations due to the hackers’ list. He noted however, “Not everyone on the list signed themselves up. Among those who did, the sin and circumstances will be different. Many likely signed themselves up and didn’t actually go through with adultery. Regardless, though, trust has been shattered and hearts have been broken. But before we assume a name on a list means adultery has taken place, we must confirm all things and seek the full truth.”

Late Monday (Aug. 31) night, the news broke that theologian RC Sproul, Jr, had admitted that in a “moment of weakness, pain, and from an unhealthy curiosity” he left an old e-mail address on the site.

Supreme Court rules against Kentucky clerk in gay marriage case

The Supreme Court ruled Aug. 31 against the Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, and today, Sept. 1, the clerk has refused to issue licenses to same-sex couples who have arrived at her office.

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis may now be found in contempt of court and face fines or be ordered to go to jail.

Morehead County Sheriff Matt Clark told the couples there was nothing he could do, saying the matter was in the hands of the federal courts.

“She will likely be found in contempt, as we know,” the sheriff said.

42 IMB missionaries appointed; Platt addresses trustees

Even as the International Mission Board prepared to announce a reduction of up to 15% of its staff and missionaries, the organization held an appointment service Aug. 26 for 42 new missionaries. IMB President David Platt addressed the missionaries and attendees, speaking on Matthew 4:18-22, where Jesus is calling His first disciples, and particularly verse 19: “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (ESV). Read about the appointment service at BPNews.net.

SBC President Ronnie Floyd addressed the announced staff reduction on his blog, writing, “Regardless of our thoughts or feelings on the International Mission Board’s budget announcement, now is the time to go to the Lord in prayer about it more than ever before. We are a people that believe in our powerful and providing God, and no one is more committed to reaching the nations than the Lord Himself. When His people fasten their eyes to joining Him in this eternal task, God will move powerfully and provide generously. He always has and will do so again.”

Christianity Today cover highlights ERLC’s Moore

Russell Moore’s five meetings with President Obama and a personal objection to displaying the Confederate battle flag that predates Moore’s public stance on the issue are among the highlights of a Christianity Today cover article profiling the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president.

Same-sex marriage ruling used to defend polygamy

We knew it was coming. The stars of the reality television show “Sister Wives” used the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent same-sex marriage ruling to support their case against Utah’s polygamy ban, court records show.

The filing with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by Kody Brown and the four women he considers his wives – Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown and Robyn Sullivan – came in response the Utah Attorney General’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling in their favor.

Sources: Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Fox News, Reuters, ThomRainer.com, USA Today, Washington Post

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