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Archives For November 30, 1999

#angrybirds respond in tweets to Baptist sexuality summit

Meredith Flynn —  May 15, 2014

COMMENTARY | Meredith Flynn

The tweets came fast and furious. They poured in, at least a dozen every 30 seconds or so, throughout the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission’s April summit for church leaders.

By the end of its first day, the conference on “The Gospel and Sexuality” had become one of Twitter’s top trending topics.

Most of the posts were angry. One might have guessed the subject matter would cause a stir, and indeed, many of the objecting tweets came from activists and others who don’t believe the Bible is the ultimate authority for marriage and sexuality.

But not all the messages addressed what the speakers said. Some pointed out that the majority of the speakers were white and male. Out of two dozen personalities who would take the stage during the three-day conference, only two were women.

Amid the tweets about homosexuality and gay marriage came a different complaint: Where was the diversity?

The topics covered certainly were diverse: pornography, pastoring church members through sexual sin, teaching kids about sex.

The speakers handled their topics with sensitivity, encouraging church leaders that the best way to truly love people in their communities is to teach what the Bible says about sex and marriage.

Their messages echoed the ERLC’s current tone, described by President Russell Moore as “convictional kindness.” It’s what most Christians think when they hear the phrase “speak the truth in love.”

Or, as Moore told conference attenders, “A refusal to speak to consciences, clearly and openly, is a refusal to love.”

While men populated the platform, in the back of the room it was mostly female journalists who covered the summit. One of them blogged about the summit’s overall tone and applied it to the angry tweets about so few women at the podium.

Chelsen Vicari of the Institute on Religion and Democracy wrote that while she would have appreciated more female voices, “it cannot be disputed that the ERLC’s tone is shifting in a genuine attempt to mirror the Gospel and balance a message of grace, respect for all women and men, repentance and  reconciliation in a troubled post-modern world.”

But on Twitter, and for the outside world, a new tone wasn’t enough. The world is watching to make sure when we Baptists preach a Gospel for everyone, we really do mean everyone.

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Five summer prayer action steps

Meredith Flynn —  July 4, 2013

Phil_MigliorattiCOMMENTARY | Phil Miglioratti

We’ve entered the dog-days of summer, this often oppressive and sweltering time of year that coincides with traditional summer slumps in church attendance as families scatter for summer vacations and other summertime activities.

But our need for prayer is never greater. Here are five suggestions to make your dog days of summer sparkle with spiritual freshness:

1. Family table time. Ask each church family to use at least one family meal each week to pray for their neighbors, whether those who live nearby, people they work with or fellow students. Keep a log of the names and needs of those the Lord leads toward in prayer. During a Sunday morning service in August, ask families to come prepared to share their prayers and God’s responses.

2. Schedule a church picnic. Before the festivities begin, ask every family to form a circle and to pray (facing inward) for the church, its spiritual health, its ministry vision and its evangelistic effectiveness. Reverse positions to face outward and pray for the community, its needs, its leaders and the church’s influence on it.

3. Weeknight prayer meeting. Take the midweek prayer service outside. Those who cannot handle the walk or the heat may stay inside and pray using this as a template. Ask everyone to pray with their eyes open, looking at and praying for:

  • God’s good creation
  • The church facilities
  • Residential areas, schools, recreational, medical or business districts to the north, to the east, to the south and to the west

4. Secret saint. Ask everyone in the congregation to become a secret intercessor. Prepare cards with the names of your church family for distribution on a Sunday morning – perhaps a reverse offering where everyone picks a name as a basket is passed. Ask the church family, including youth and older children, to pray each day for a week for the person whose name they drew. The following Sunday simply ask for testimonies of what it was like to pray once a day for their person or if anyone sensed a special blessing from the Lord because someone was praying for them.

5. Pastoral prayer. Recruit volunteers to pray aloud for the pastor each Sunday during the summer. Encourage them to pray from their deepest passion.

So, rather than succumb to the slow-down, casual atmosphere of summer, put those dog-days to good use. Prayer – encourage every member and family to invite the Holy Spirit to alert them every day to special summertime opportunities to pray for people they may only see in July or August. Care – show the love of Christ to them through practical and appreciated acts of service or mercy. Share – invite them to investigate the often misunderstood message of the Gospel. Let’s love our communities to Christ!

Phil Miglioratti is IBSA’s Prayer Ministries consultant. This column is from Baptist Press. Read more from Phil in the current issue of Resource online here.

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SBC President Luter says his church will cut ties with Boy Scouts

Meredith Flynn —  June 25, 2013

Tuesday_BriefingTHE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

At the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston earlier this month, messengers responded to policy changes made by Boy Scouts of America this spring. (The Scouts voted to allow gay-identifying youth as members, but stopped short of lifting a ban on gay troop leaders.)

Baptists meeting in Houston approved a resolution urging the removal of those who “sought to change both the membership and the leadership policy of the Scouts without seeking input from the full range of the Scouting family.” But the resolution stopped short of prescribing specific action by SBC churches. Rather, it affirmed “the right of all families and churches prayerfully to assess their continued relationship with the BSA,” and encouraged churches who choose to sever ties with Boy Scouts to consider Royal Ambassadors (RA’s), a Southern Baptist missions education program for boys, as a ministry alternative.

SBC President Fred Luter recently announced his church will cut ties with Boy Scouts because of the organization’s policy change. Luter told Alabama news site AL.com, “We’ll be pulling out of Boy Scouts,” at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, which has hosted a troop. Luter, once a Scout himself, also said the Scouts were trying to be “politically correct” by making the policy change, but, “There’s nothing that can be politically right if it’s biblically wrong.”

Read more at AL.com, or more about the resolution at BPNews.net.

What could a Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage mean?
The Illinois General Assembly didn’t take up the same-sex marriage issue during a recently called summer session, but the U.S. Supreme Court could rule on two pieces of legislation – the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8 – this week. The Washington Post has an interactive graphic that details what could happen depending on the Court’s decision.

Frank Page on finding comfort in the wake of a loved one’s suicide
Southern Baptist Executive Committee President Frank Page spoke to the Christian Post during the convention’s annual meeting in Houston about some things that have given him comfort after his daughter’s suicide. Page’s new book, “Melissa: how parents struggling with a child’s suicide can find comfort. “Melissa: A Father’s Lessons from a Daughter’s Suicide,” was released in June. Watch the video at ChristianPost.com.

GuideStone announces support for Church Health Plan Act
Baptist Press reports GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention is encouraging pastors to contact their senators and urge them to sign on as co-sponsors of the Church Health Plan Act. The legislation, S.B. 1164, is in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will allow premium tax credits beginning in 2014 for people who purchase coverage from commercial health care exchanges, but not pastors and others who get their health care coverage from church health plans. “If Congress fails to act, they will be disadvantaging church plans as compared to commercial, secular plans,” said GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins. Read GuideStone’s statement on BPNews.net.

Prodigal son gets modern-day movie treatment
The American Bible Society (ABS) is working on a series of films that update familiar parables from the Bible. The first, based on the story of the prodigal son, isn’t fully funded yet, but already has a trailer viewable here. ABS is utilizing Kickstarter, a website that allows people to help fund creative projects they believe in, to produce the films.

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Same-sex marriage bill a non-vote in Illinois House

Lisa Misner —  June 1, 2013

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 and living with HIV, is the same-sex marriage bill's House sponsor.

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.

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.”

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What fatherhood teaches me about the Gospel

Meredith Flynn —  May 27, 2013
Jonas, Charlotte and Simon Abner

Jonas, Charlotte and Simon Abner Photo by Alisha Abner

HEARTLAND | Chase Abner

Just over five years ago, my firstborn came into the world. My wife, Alisha, and I thought we were doing something noble by naming him Simon, hoping that would set a Godward course for his life since it originates from a Hebrew phrase for “he has heard.” Ironically, Simon strives to understand every conversation going on around him and asks me, “What’d you say?” about a hundred times each day.

Just 15 months later, our second came along. “Name him Jonas,” we said. “It’s from the Hebrew for dove. He’ll be a peaceful child.” Little did we know that in some contexts Jonas also means “destroyer,” making it more appropriate than ever. The same child who can give the sweetest, voluntary snuggles, is also the most prone to fits of anger that leave broken toys and scarred furniture in his wake.

Finally, there is 2-year-old Charlotte whose name we chose simply because we thought it was extremely cute. So far, she’s lived up to that expectation. The only problem is she has already learned to use it to her advantage.

I share all this to demonstrate that I’m a father to real, live kids. And though I’m enamored with them, they still suffer from the effects of the fall and, like me, are in need of the grace of God. As a matter of fact, that is my charge as their dad – to teach them how we are all utterly dependent upon the grace of God.

I wish there was a Bible verse that told me exactly how to respond when Simon asks me the same question 20 times in a row. I wish Jesus had preached a sermon on how to discipline Jonas when he throws toys. I wish God gave us step-by-step instructions on how to teach Charlotte not to be manipulative. But He didn’t.

He gave us something better…the Gospel.

Fatherhood is teaching me just how much better the Gospel is than the law, especially a parenting law. Rather than loving us based on how well we love our children, God loves us exactly as He loves Jesus. Rather than condemning us for the promises we break to our children, God keeps His promise to make us new. Rather than judging us by how healthy we keep our children, God gave His only son on our behalf.

I’m really glad that no one but God could see what was in my heart during the sleepless nights while Simon was an infant. We had prayed for this gift from God and welcomed him with tears in our hospital room. Yet in my sinful, selfish moments, I viewed Simon like a curse just because he was on a different sleep schedule than me. I found that the best way to soothe him was to pace through our Carbondale apartment singing hymns as lullabies. That was God’s design. He knew I’d need reminders in those moments of how He has loved me through the cross, so that the Gospel would again equip me to love my children at cost to myself.

One of the most comforting implications of God’s sovereignty is that all circumstances in the lives of His children, even the bad ones, are means of grace by which He is revealing His goodness to us. After all, as Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (ESV). So then, whatever God gives or withholds in our lives is meant to draw us closer to Him.

One of those gifts in my life is fatherhood. No experience has taught me more about my sinfulness and God’s goodness. I have seen how prone I am to selfish pride when I get something right. I have seen how judgmental I am when I see another parent’s failures. And yet, I’m secretly insecure because I often just don’t know if I’m getting one bit of fatherhood right.

In those wee hours of the night in my early fatherhood, Simon’s favorite hymn seemed to be “Down at the Cross.” It’s fitting because few things drive me to Jesus like my failures as a father. Because of His perfection, my Father accepts me as though I had never once been selfish or lost my temper. So to those who are right there with me, the hymn has this to say: “Come to the fountain so rich and sweet, Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet; Plunge in today and be made complete.”

Chase Abner is IBSA’s collegiate evangelism strategist.

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When Halloween falls on a church night

Meredith Flynn —  October 25, 2012

COMMENTARY | Craig Webb

Seven in 10 Americans (68.6%) plan to celebrate Halloween, according to a 2011 National Retail Federation study. But this year, Halloween falls on a Wednesday. If your church is like most others, you have midweek programming on Wednesday nights and it is unlikely that you would cancel those activities for Halloween.

So the question is: What do you do when a major cultural event that does not represent your values threatens to hijack your activities?

Let me share how our church has chosen to tackle this. Our Wednesday night programming includes dinner, age-level activities and short-term connect groups for adults. I called an “ad hoc strategic meeting” with key staff members who lead or are involved in Wednesday activities. The only item on our agenda was to deal with our plans for Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012.

After discussing all the options, we decided not to ignore Halloween, but to plan a few simple enhancements for the night and communicate to our church family in time for them to make their own decisions about participation.

This is what we are planning to do.

1) We will not cancel any of our activities on Oct. 31.

2) We will host a Fall Family Festival the previous Sunday evening (Oct. 28).

3) We are planning a fun “family meal” on Oct. 31.

4) We are planning service-focused activities and games for our children and middle school students. They will be packing Operation Christmas Child boxes.

5) We will hold normal activities for our high school and adult ministries.

While that may not sound revolutionary, we have clarity and agreement about our path, and we can communicate this direction to the larger staff, church leaders and the whole church family. If you have not decided what you will do, here’s my suggestion for your church:

1) Call a strategic meeting with your staff, key church leaders or those involved in leading Wednesday night activities.

2) Discuss ways to capitalize on Halloween for your Wednesday activities.

3) Plan enhancements on Wednesday night that will make people think twice about missing.

4) Communicate these plans to your leaders and your church family.

Two other options to consider for Oct. 31:

1) Host a trunk-or-treat or fall family festival.

2) Host a community movie night (Visit LifeWay Films for help).

Craig Webb is pastor of vision & purpose at Gladeville Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. This article first appeard in the Pastors Today weekly newsletter published by LifeWay Christian Resources. This version is excerpted from Baptist Press.

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When Proverbs 22:6 isn’t a guarantee

Meredith Flynn —  September 13, 2012

COMMENTARY | Mark Coppenger

A number of years ago, I got a Sunday night call from a pastor who was facing backlash from a prominent deacon in his church. The critic was taking exception to his statement that Proverbs 22:6 wasn’t a guarantee – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

The layman was “claiming the promise” that his wayward son, having been brought up in a seriously Christian home and church, would eventually straighten up and fly right. When the pastor ventured to suggest the verse wasn’t an ironclad warranty, the distraught, indignant dad said he was denying the truth of Scripture, and was threatening to take his complaint to others in the church.

What can one say to this?

Well, a not-so-impressive approach is to suggest that it might well be the case that the man and his wife hadn’t “trained him up in the way he should go” after all. If they had, the boy wouldn’t be on the wrong path. In other words, the proof was in the pudding.

Or, we could say, “Just wait. It’ll all work out, just as the Bible promises.” But we can all think of Christian families where all but one of the kids turned out well, and where it is hard to say how the one child was trained significantly more poorly than the others.

A much better approach is to see Proverbs as a divine book of moral generalities, of rules of thumb, rather than a book of pointed prophecies, physical laws or contractual obligations. That’s just what proverbs or aphorisms are meant to be, whether we’re talking about such secular versions as “a stitch in time saves nine” and “absence makes the heart grow fonder” or the inspired, biblical counterparts, “A gracious woman gains honor” (Proverbs 11:16) or “wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle” (Proverbs 13:11). Though we can think of exceptions to these rules, there is deep and life-important truth in them.

Proverbs 22:16, the verse in question, teaches us that sound religious and moral upbringing is a wise investment of time and energy. It’s the sort of thing that pays off in a big way. And to neglect it is to flirt with disaster.

With this view of Proverbs, you don’t lose trust in Scripture when the skeptic says, “Aha, I know a lazy man who lived like a king all his life on his inheritance” as a way to refute Proverbs 24:33-34 (“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”) The problem would arise if, in general, laziness proved to be a better path to success than hard work. Which it won’t. And neither will laissez-faire parenting, where the kids are allowed to run wild and ignorant.

Mark Coppenger, former pastor of Evanston (Ill.) Baptist Church, is professor of Christian apologetics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

-Excerpted from Baptist Press

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Supporting freedom of speech from the drive-through line

Meredith Flynn —  August 1, 2012

Posted by Meredith Flynn

Waiting customers spilled out into the parking lot at the Chick-Fil-A in Wheaton, Ill., on Wednesday, designated as National Support Chick-Fil-A Day.

If you’re headed to your local Chick-Fil-A, give yourself a few extra minutes. Or maybe half an hour. Or longer.

Americans are flooding into the restaurant chain’s 1,600 locations as part of National Support Chick-Fil-A Day, created by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to counteract negative response the chain has received for its support of traditional marriage and family values.

More than 600,000 people pledged their support for Chick-Fil-A on Facebook through the campaign, which started less than two weeks ago.

Cars were lined up for at least half a mile to wait in the Chick-Fil-A drive-through line in Wheaton, Ill., reported local pastor Jim Rahtjen. He stopped by during the lunch rush and said the line of customers waiting to get inside the restaurant was wrapped around the building, too.

One drive-through customer told Rahtjen she would wait however long it took to order her lunch, because she supports freedom of speech. “Even if I don’t fully support what people are saying, that’s what we’re founded on,” she said.

So, what do you think? If there’s a Chick-Fil-A nearby, are you planning a trip? Do you think financial support (like buying a chicken sandwich) is a beneficial way to support traditional family values? Or do you think the whole thing has caused too much divisive debate? Leave a comment here, or head over to Facebook to vote in our poll.

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A new branch on an old tree

Meredith Flynn —  July 23, 2012

HEARTLAND | Lisa Sergent

I’m amazed and even jealous when I hear people talk about their family’s Christian heritage. They recall learning about Jesus from their grandmother, hearing about their great-grandfather’s dedication to tithing as a child, and listening as their father led Bible study each evening before they went to bed. Others talk about holding Sunday morning services at family reunions. Their children are raised in church and make professions of faith before they are out of elementary school. All of their family members know Christ.

My family doesn’t have a rich Christian heritage. I didn’t grow up in a bad home; my parents were and still are very loving and, I believe, quite wonderful. I am blessed to call them my mom and dad. I just didn’t grow up surrounded by a Christian family.

My father’s parents were not Christians, but thought if they were “good” people they would go to heaven. My mother’s parents argued about religion from the very start of their marriage, he being Catholic and she, a member of the Christian Church. Because of their arguments my mother and her sister were not allowed to go to church. They rarely if ever talked about God in the home.

Thankfully, my branch of our family tree “branched out” from tradition. My mom became a Christian shortly after I was born, and my father when I was 12. (I met Christ three years earlier). My brother and sister came to believe in Him, too. But many of our family members still don’t know Him.

I have one relative who dismissively calls the story of Noah and the flood, “that old myth.” Another steadfastly maintains, “As long was we are good, God will send us all to heaven.” My heart aches for my paternal grandfather who died without making a commitment to Christ (to our knowledge).

So, with my parent’s generation, my family is just beginning to start its Christian heritage. Now, I see my parents teaching my nephews and niece about Jesus. I listen as they sing songs about Him and are eager to pray. My sister-in-law became a Christian after their first child was born and joins my brother in raising their children in church. My brother-in-law knows Christ, and I married a wonderful Christian man. It is my hope that my nephews and niece will one day have their own children who will reap the joy of being part of a Christian family and become Christians themselves.

If you are a product of a Christian heritage – rejoice and thank God for that heritage. Pray for new Christians and those Christians who do not have such a heritage and that they will be start of generations of their family living for Christ.

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