The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-01/26/2016 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- San Fran. church's heart: 'Know the person first' by Kathie Chute Date: January 26, 2016 - Tuesday SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (BP) -- It is important for pastors and churches to not turn their backs on people who identify as gay or transgender, says Ryan Blackwell, pastor of First Baptist Church in San Francisco. While the church seeks to welcome all persons, Blackwell believes it is important to preach clearly on all matters, including those that go contrary to prevailing cultural thought. "It is important that pastors not be nuanced," he said. "We have to be very clear what we teach people. If they hear nothing from us, they will seek answers from the culture." Blackwell said members of First Baptist Church SF minister to people dealing with sexual identity issues (including those married to their same gender) just as they do any other person living in the city. They develop relationships first, then address the person's spiritual issues with the hope of connecting people with Christ. "We get to know the person first," Blackwell said. "Then we share the Gospel. Our primary concern is not sexuality. Our primary concern is the state of a person's soul. If they enter a relationship with Christ, we disciple them and, as with all believers dealing with all sorts of issues, we help them process their behavior in the light of Scripture." The church's approach is featured in the book "Ministry in the New Marriage Culture" in chapter 14, "A Pastoral Model for Engaging Community." Edited by Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, the book is written by veteran professors, pastors and theologians to give Christians a framework for leading their churches effectively and ministering to non-believers amid new and complex cultural situations. "Of course, we endorse the book," Blackwell said. "We believe it will be a useful resource for pastors as they navigate the realities of our modern world." The San Francisco church has connected with LGBT-identified persons since the beginning of the gay rights movement. "You cannot live in this city and not be connected with someone who is gay," associate pastor Mike Goeke said. "We don't have to encourage our members to treat gay men and women with respect because they already love, care for and appreciate their friends, neighbors and co-workers who are part of the LGBT community. They relate to them just as they would anyone else living in the city. "The Bible tells us how to love all people, both like-minded people and people with whom we may disagree," Goeke said. "You can't just attack people who believe differently with a biblical standard that means nothing to them. Opening a relationship by telling a non-believer that his or her behavior is sinful could shut the door to relationship, and we would never want to do that." Instead, Goeke said it is important to build a real connection first. "Build a relationship, and in that mutual context, share your faith without fear or compromise," he advises fellow Christians. "People may reject you for your faith, but a Christian should do everything possible to keep doors of relationship open with non-believers." Blackwell said the church is not always aware of all that is going on in a person's life, whether they identify as gay or transgender. "We see people who are drawn to the Lord," the pastor said, "and sometimes we don't know what's going on, but then the Lord connects with that person's heart. Allowing people the freedom to be where they are provides a great opportunity for that person to see who we are without pressure and to gain a sense of acceptance and belonging in our community." Blackwell said some people who choose to no longer follow their gay or transgender feelings and desires miss the sense of connectedness they developed within the LGBT community. He added that is why it is important to truly include and welcome them into the church's community. "We extend grace and hope that all people feel welcomed and wanted," Blackwell said. "No matter where people are in their journey with God, we are glad they are here and listening. We hope that God is touching their hearts." -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Hopeful for millennials by Shane Pruitt Date: January 26, 2016 - Tuesday GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- What is a millennial? There are no precise dates when this generation starts and ends; most researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from 1978 to the early 2000s. I was born in 1978, so I just missed the Generation-X group and barely fit into the millennials. In fact, some definitions would keep my age group out of the millennials category, but I am around true millennials all the time by speaking to high school and college students, church planters and young families on a regular basis. In my experience with this broad and large people group, I find there are extreme differences between 34-year-olds and 17-year-olds. However, there are some common views that come to the surface in most millennials no matter their age. This is extremely important because, as children of God, we have firsthand experience of the incredible grace of Jesus. So, we should have a never-ending drive within us to love every age group the way that He loves us, and be students of every generation in order to be faithful missionaries with the Gospel to them. With that in mind, here are 10 common views of millennials that may help us understand this large and diverse generation: 1. Millennials don't promote ageism. People tend to think that millennials don't want to have anything to do with the older generation. However, this generation is in desperate need for older generations to invest into them. This is largely a fatherless generation. They often seek out or are more open to discipleship or mentorship than we tend to believe. But they won't know how to ask for it, so they ask you to "hang out." 2. Millennials value experience over heritage. For the most part, millennials don't value "heritage." For example, a young person is not typically going to be Southern Baptist just because his parents were. If we can't answer their "why" questions or we get defensive over their questions, we'll lose them. Be ready to answer their honest questions with love, patience and kindness. Their experience with something or someone will dictate their views more than history will. 3. Millennials are fairly non-committal. Unless it's an Apple product, millennials aren't completely committed to anything. Previous generations may have valued commitment over enjoyment by making statements such as, "I've hated my job for over 40 years but I'm committed to it." You'll probably never hear a millennial say that, however, because they tend to value enjoyment over commitment. So they may say something like, "Why be miserable for 40 years? I may make less money and move around a lot, but I certainly don't want to be miserable. Life is too short for that!" A great way to keep millennials engaged is by constantly communicating, illustrating and empowering participation in the vision and mission of the church. Remember, the younger generation is not the future of the church -- if they've been redeemed with the blood of Jesus, they're the church right now. Let them have some ownership of the ministry and be patient with them when they mess up, possibly a lot. 4. Millennials mainly think about today. They often seem shortsighted. Think about it -- the defining moment of their lifetime involves the tragic events of 9/11. They saw the twin towers fall over and over again on a video screen while they were still children. It's burned into their subconscious. Because there is so much focus on today, there will be very little preparation for the future by most millennials. This is also the reason for a lot of debt with this generation. "I need money today, so I'll take out this loan and worry about how to pay for it tomorrow." There is a great opportunity for the church to utilize the urgency of each day with this generation while also discipling them in the values of planning. 5. Millennials are more globally minded. Most millennials are up to date on world news and affairs. However, they may seem to be less patriotic to the USA than previous generations. They tend to view things from a global perspective while still valuing their country. It's very possible that the Lord may accomplish the Great Commission through their interest in the nations. 6. Millennials know public shaming all too well. Public shaming once was a thing of the past but now has been revived with social media. Millennials have grown up afraid. They've felt the sting of cyber-bullying and may even have participated in viral trends. Their online persona is often as important to them as their real persona. Where we once said a photo was "A Kodak moment," we now say, "That picture is Instagram-worthy." This is an incredible opportunity for the church to teach this generation that a true identity found in Christ is better than a false identity created online. 7. Millennials see brokenness at an earlier age. They are exposed to more violence, graphic images and evil at an earlier age. Internet exposure, media coverage and broken homes are unfortunately the norm for far too many. Mass shootings are mainly a new phenomenon in their generation. This is a pornography-saturated generation -- the average age of first exposure is 11. The fastest-growing consumers of Internet pornography are girls 15–30; 90 percent of guys admit to interaction with Internet pornography and 60 percent of girls. This generation is looking for solutions at a much earlier time in their lives. They know they're broken. Thank God for the Gospel because it is mighty to save millennials. Share it with them because they're starving for it, whether they know it or not. 8. Millennials are cause-oriented. This generation wants to be a part of "doing" something. They'll want more out of their church than sitting on a pew, listening to sermons, going to potluck dinners, while waiting on the Rapture Bus to swoop down to pick them all up. They are not scared to die young; however, they are terrified to die at a ripe old age while not having done anything significant with their lives in their own eyes. They are not typically impressed by a church's size or budget. They're more interested in being noticed relationally and in what the church is doing outside the walls of the building. Sometimes you'll find a greater percentage of millennials in smaller churches or church plants because of the assumed accessibility of the leaders to cultivate a relationship. 9. Millennials are an ADHD generation. Surprising to some, they usually don't mind long sermons. The communicators most popular among millennials commonly preach 45-50-minute sermons. However, millennials have about a 7-10-minute attention span at the most. In communicating, teaching, preaching, it is a must to break up the message several times with a story, illustration or practical application. Also, teaching has to be more than relaying content. This generation is visual. If they can't see it or envision it, they have difficulty understanding it. 10. Millennials value doctrine. Mature Christ-following millennials deeply value doctrine, verse-by-verse preaching and missions. This generation seems to get weary of gimmicks and sleek presentations very quickly. The seeker-sensitive movement of their parents' generation has grown to be "old hat" for the millennials who grew up in church. In preaching, the more raw, transparent and vulnerable the communicator is, the more millennials connect. There was a time when preachers were told not to use themselves in personal illustrations; however, this generation wants to hear those personal stories. Millennials are a hopeful generation, and I personally am encouraged by this. My prophetic prediction about this generation is that God will use them to further the Great Commission more than any previous generation. Even if I'm wrong, millennials nevertheless are people made in the image of God who desperately need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE STATES: Fla., Mo., Ky. evangelism/missions news; '... [T]hey are battling against a very present force' by Staff Date: January 26, 2016 - Tuesday Today's From the States features items from: Florida Baptist Witness The Pathway (Missouri) Western Recorder (Kentucky) ********** Fla. Baptists celebrate with 186 graduating Haitian pastors By Barbara Denman TITANYEN, Haiti (Florida Baptist Convention) -- They entered through the door with poise and dignity, carrying well-worn Bibles, wearing matching blazers and ties, marching to the song "Pomp and Circumstance." The academic road they had traveled had been long -- an arduous two years of theological training culminated that day in a graduation ceremony to receive their diplomas. Many of the 186 graduates receiving their diplomas at the Confraternite Missionaire Baptist de'Haiti (CMBH) graduation held this past fall in Titanyen had walked for hours to participate in theological classes. Others had ridden public transportation along a dangerous maze of rutted paved and dirt roads. During the two years of classes, Reginal Moise from Cayes rode a bus all night to the site of the training, sleeping in the vehicle along the way. Yet, it was all worth it, he said. "I am excited to get my diploma." "Today's a great day for us as students," said Junior Charles from Bethanie Church in Delmar in his stilted English. "We have trained for two years by New Orleans seminary. And now we can serve God and be able to reach other people for Him. By being trained, we will be able to do that in a better way." The theological education program attended by the Haitian pastors is provided by the Florida Baptist Convention in partnership with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Florida Baptists have been partnering with CMBH churches in Haiti for the past two decades as the primary support of the organization. Together, Florida Baptists and the Haitian pastors have planted new churches until the original 36 congregations have grown to 1,654 across the nation. The work is supported through the Convention's Maguire State Mission Offering. Prior to the commencement, the 20-year relationship was marked in a separate worship celebration with pastors and a delegation of Florida Baptists leaders. "For us this is a great day," said Pastor DeLouis Labranche, CMBH's director of ministry, his excitement shining in his eyes and brimming in his voice. "It is the 20th anniversary of the CMBH, formed in 1995, and then we will graduate 186 students from NOBTS." For Labranche, the day's activities were a testimony to the rest of the country, he said, that the Gospel is more powerful than the satanic voodoo religion that holds the hearts of the majority of the 9.9 million Haitians. "The spiritual warfare in Haiti is very real," added Tommy Green, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, who traveled to Haiti for the anniversary celebration and graduation. "Indeed, there is voodoo, and there is spiritual darkness found around the country in Haiti." "As these pastors take their stands for Christ in their community, they are battling against a very present force," he added. Haitian pastors have no other opportunities "to find quality theological education," Green explained. "So through the regimen of classes they have acquired elements of pastoral ministry to better equip them, to better equip their churches and other pastors and become more effective in ministering to their communities and cities." Green, who spoke during the anniversary celebration and graduation, was accompanied by a delegation of Florida Baptists, including James Peoples, president of the Florida Baptist State Convention and pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Keystone Heights, and Michael Tatem, president of the State Board of Missions and pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Lake City. "I'm a big fan of theological education," said Tatem. "Florida Baptists investing their money in theological education for pastors who are serving in churches -- whether in Florida or here in Haiti -- is a very wise investment of these resources." "Haiti is too close for us to ignore," said Peoples. "It is just 700 miles from the shores of Florida, and God has opened the door for us to come and make a difference bringing the light of Jesus Christ in this dark place." "I want to say thank you to the Christians in Florida," said Pastor Elius Michel of Port-au-Prince, adding the CMBH's often-repeated watchword. "Haiti for Christ. And Christ for Haiti." --30-- This article appeared in the Florida Baptist Witness (gofbw.com), newsjournal of the Florida Baptist Convention. Barbara Denman is director of communications for the Florida Baptist Convention. ********** Ferguson, Mo., area churches merge for ministry By Vicki Stamps FERGUSON, Mo. (The Pathway) -- "Double" has an impact on the future for the First Baptist Church of Ferguson/Passage Community Church replants. "Both congregations have joined together," Joe Costephens, lead pastor, said, "to bring the most glory to God and to do what we were created to do as the body of Christ, to represent Him." Stoney Shaw, former pastor of FBC Ferguson, described a new attitude in the unified church. "It gives the church new life and it sets the people free to reach out even more to the community." Shaw described the foundation of the two churches coming together as beginning two years ago. "Ron Beckner (former associate pastor) and I met with some of the church leadership," he said, "and we identified a need to attract younger people to the congregation. After much prayer, Ron and I decided that we would step down, but stay until a new pastor came on board." According to Costephens, several people encouraged him to contact the pastor search committee. "I submitted my resume," he said, "but, I also told them that I didn't feel God was leading me away from Passage Community Church." Shaw said the Search Committee explored many resumes. "The committee decided not to bring a man," he said, "but, to bring a process which would include bringing in the other church." Costephens is quick to point out that this is not a merger. "It is not a big fish swallowing a little fish," he said. "We are replanting and growing together," he said. "We are a group of brothers and sisters agreeing to move forward together for others to meet Jesus and to grow in faith." A transition team of 6 members of Ferguson and 5 from Passage is working out many of the details of joining the two churches into one. In a recent "family" meeting, Costephens said the team was examining the bylaws. "The transition team is examining the bylaws in connection with Scripture," he said. "We are looking to put together a bare bones plan to balance biblical with state requirements." Costephens highlighted some of the strengths of each of the congregations. "Ferguson's strength is in many of the programs like Bible Study and AWANA," Costephens said. "We want to enhance some with a more missionary focus like the senior luncheon. We've got the space to do a luncheon and a senior adult worship during the week to reach out to retired Christians and non-Christians." According to Costephens, worship is a strength for Passage. "We worshipped well corporately and privately," he said. "Also, we are loving in community groups with accountability." Shaw agreed that relationships were strong at Ferguson. "Unity and love help us reach out to the community. We used the building to serve more than 1,000 children during Trunk Treats." Having a building does open new doors Costephens said. "More people drop by, there is a constant flow," he said. "We want to realize the building is a tool and not the prize. It is a resource and not the kingdom." Shaw and Costephens agreed that getting the church out into the community is the most important goal. "Several stories lately by church members have been so encouraging," Costephens said. "They have tried to share their faith with more people. That's what we need to be about." The new mission statement for the congregation is to "Love God, Love Others and Serve the Community." "By serving the community," Costephens said, "we show we care about people and we build credibility to share the Gospel." --30-- This story appeared in The Pathway (mbcpathway.com), newsjournal of the Missouri Baptist Convention. Vicki Stamps is a contributing writer for The Pathway. ********** Rural Ky. church sees baptisms as a result of bus ministry By Myriah Snyder WAYNESBURG, Ky. (Western Recorder) -- Pleasant View Baptist Church in Waynesburg baptized 16 children, one adult and a teenager on Dec. 11. The majority of these came by way of the church's children's/bus ministry, GLOW. Each Wednesday, Pleasant View runs two vans and a bus, making multiple trips, to bring in around 70 children and teenagers. There, they are fed a meal and taught the Gospel. "Our church is in a rural context in a poor area of our county, and on Wednesday nights, bus ministry is something that still really works," Kyle Page, pastor of Pleasant View, shared. "These children, a lot of them, only have a Christian atmosphere one hour a week, and that's on Wednesday night. They're coming, getting filled with the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, going back home to their parents and being missionaries in their own community," Chuck Jacobs, a bus driver for the ministry, said. "It's a major opportunity for our church not only to reach out to these kids and youth, but also through them to their parents," Page added. Jacobs shared how he and another worker had the opportunity to share the Gospel with and see a little girl accept Christ in her driveway one evening while being dropped off. "It is good for us and good for them also," he said. "It's not that we've done anything necessarily different here lately, it's just that God has blessed. His Spirit moved. In the midst of this, our church in general has seen a lot of spiritual growth," Page said. In November, Pleasant View hosted an "Awakening Weekend" through One Cry, "a movement of believers who are urgently crying out to God to revive the church and transform the culture. It's a movement of like-minded people, churches, and organizations who agree that our nation needs a dramatic turnaround," according to their website. As a result, the church not only was "spiritually renewed and reinvigorated," said Page, but they began to focus "on training people and encouraging people to have personal quiet times with God." Page said that the children's ministry has also been focused on teaching the children how to have a quiet time. Additionally, they have concentrated efforts on small groups. He explained, "These salvations came in the context of their small groups. They all have small group leaders and the younger ones who can't read have leaders who sit down with them and help them learn how to have a quiet time with God. The Gospel was shared in that context. "Our Wednesday night has really become more of an outreach night for our whole church," Page said, explaining the church's vision to reach their poverty-stricken community. Page believes the bus ministry is "that open door that we have to reach out to these kids and these youth." (WR) --30-- This article appeared in the Western Recorder (westernrecorder.org), newsjournal of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Myriah Snyder is a news writer for the Western Recorder. ********** EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. The items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Abedini: 'God saved me' from death in Iran by Diana Chandler Date: January 26, 2016 - Tuesday ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- American pastor Saeed Abedini prayed hours at times to survive years of abuse and unjust imprisonment in Iran for his Christian faith, and described his prayers as a "wonderful time with the Lord" which he enjoyed. In his first media interview since his release from an Iranian prison was announced Jan. 16, Abedini told FOX News' Greta Van Susteren of the brutal physical and psychological torture he suffered in Iran for three and half years. The 35-year-old Abedini described three harsh beatings in particular, including a beating by an al Qaeda prisoner that nearly took his life. "I was beaten within to death kind of," he told Van Susteren in broken English. "God saved me over there." During a botched trial, the judge closed him in a room where guards beat him so badly with their fists that he suffered internal bleeding in his stomach. And at another time, he said, he was beaten on the face and body with a heavy metal chair. "They tried hardly [sic] to damage my reputation in Iran so they asked me to write and sign the things that I didn't do," Abedini said. "Actually it was in a courtroom that the judge closed the door and the interrogators started beating me, which in that time I got stomach bleeding. They asked me the things that criminal prisoners do, so when I deny it, they start beating me. They asked me to sign it, to write it, and I denied and they, when they saw it doesn't work, they let me go." He described the 60 days he spent in a cell with U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, also released in the prison swap, as both joyful and painful. "It was the best moment I had since I got arrested, to see him alive," Abedini said, while describing the pain he felt upon seeing Hekmati, underweight with black eyes. During that time, the two decided to encourage one another. "It was just me and him in a room, nothing to do … for two months. Actually he was over there for more than eight years in the same room when I met him," Abedini said of Hekmati. The harshness of solitary confinement sweetened the release to another prison area, he said. "But after coming out from solitary and seeing one person, that you can talk, it was like heaven," Abedini said. "So it was a good time." Tens of prisoners at a time were executed on Wednesdays, Abedini said. "The worst thing I saw was they took some Sunnis for execution; it was in front of our eyes, and they took like tens of them to hang them," Abedini said. "Every Wednesday … they hang the people, and they take them for execution. Most of them, they are Sunnis, some of them political prisoners, and I can say most of them, they are there for their faith." The prisoners were afraid, crying, screaming, forcibly taken by their hands and feet to be hanged, Abedini said, "like when they take a lamb for slaughtering." Van Susteren interviewed Abedini at the Billy Graham Conference Center at the Cove in Asheville, and announced plans to release portions of the interview in segments in the coming weeks. Abedini's wife Naghmeh has twice been delayed in seeing him since his prison release. She cancelled plans to visit him in Germany, where he was treated at a U.S. military hospital before his Jan. 21 arrival in the U.S., to give him more time to recover before reuniting with their children Rebekka and Jacob. She told Baptist Press of plans to meet him Jan. 25 at the Cove, but according to news reports, that visit had also been delayed, Reuters News reported. Naghmeh Abedini could not be reached for comment today (Jan. 26), but she earlier told BP she was looking forward to spending time with her husband and undergoing counseling with him at the Cove. The Abedini marriage is strained by the imprisonment and emails that surfaced, intended only for close friends, in which Naghmeh Abedini accused her husband of spousal abuse and an addiction to pornography. She expressed regret for sending the emails and declined to discuss the specifics of the abuse. "I think when it's time," she told BP, "I think it's a story that needs to be told by Saeed, not me. I think it had better not be anything that I focus on anymore." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fla. Baptists send additional $500,000 to SBC by Barbara Denman/Florida Baptist Convention Date: January 26, 2016 - Tuesday JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- The Florida Baptist Convention sent an additional $500,000 in Cooperative Program funds to the Southern Baptist Convention Jan. 25. The funds represented 51 percent of the $970,924 in budget overages from Florida Baptist churches to the state convention's 2015 budget of $28.8 million. "What a tremendous blessing from God for Florida Baptists to express our commitment to the Great Commission in our work together as Southern Baptists through this budget overage," said Tommy Green, the convention's executive director-treasurer. "This means we will be sharing an additional $500,000 to the SBC beyond the $11,808,000 budgeted amount, bringing the total earmarked for the SBC to $12,308,000," he said. Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, voiced gratitude to the Lord "for the faithfulness of His people to support our state convention and SBC ministries through the Cooperative Program." "I have recently heard from [state convention executives] Rick Lance with Alabama, Terry Dorsett with New England, Terry Robertson in New York, as well as this wonderful news from Tommy Green in Florida," Page said. "I have heard of several other states that have experienced overages in their CP as well. As in this case, several have shared this means an even greater percentage for national missions and ministries because of their state's predetermined formulas for distribution. These state executives are excited about what God is doing through their churches, and we celebrate with them. We're grateful for every dollar and rejoice over this particular good news coming from Florida. Praise the Lord!" The 2015 giving of Florida Baptist churches through the Cooperative Program is the first time since 2007 when receipts exceeded the prior year, reversing a seven-year trend when CP receipts dropped by 25 percent. Florida Baptists gave $29,770,924 through the Cooperative Program in 2015, exceeding the year's $28.8 million budget by 3.37 percent and surpassing the 2014 giving of $29,643,195 by approximately $128,000, or 0.43 percent. "I am thrilled we have reversed a declining trend in Cooperative Program receipts. We had dropped by 25 percent since 2007 in our Cooperative Program giving. The 2015 CP giving reveals the first yearly increase since that year," Green said. "The generosity of our Florida Baptist churches reflects their deep commitment to reaching the world for Christ." The decline over the seven-year period, which originally mirrored the downturn in the economy, was felt throughout the Florida convention, as receipts dropped from an all-time high of $39.61 million given in 2007 to $29.64 million in 2014. But as time progressed, many Florida Baptists urged the convention to send a larger percentage of CP receipts to the SBC to reach the nations, rather than keeping the money in the state. In 2010, at the initiative of then Florida Baptist State Convention President John Cross, a Great Commission Task Force recommendation approved by messengers called for the state convention to move toward a 50-50 split of CP funds between Florida and the SBC. But little progress was made in subsequent years. Then, this past November, under the leadership of Green as the new executive director, messengers to the Florida Baptist State Convention approved sweeping budget revisions that would allocate 51 percent of the CP budget to the SBC. Green had pledged to present such a budget to messengers -- "sending more than we are keeping" -- when he assumed office the previous June. Green said that decision of Florida Baptists to send 51 percent of the 2016 Cooperative Program gifts to the SBC and retain 49 percent for work in the state "is already being blessed by God." "Our next transition of the budget percentage will be a 55-45 percent split when we reach $34 million in CP receipts," Green pledged. "I praise God for the faithful giving of our Florida Baptist churches to global missions through the Cooperative Program." -------------------------------------------------------------------- CMP activists indicted by Houston grand jury by David Roach Date: January 26, 2016 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- The Houston grand jury charged with investigating Planned Parenthood in conjunction with undercover videos produced by the pro-life Center for Medical Progress has said the abortion provider broke no laws and instead has indicted CMP activists on two felony counts. In response to the indictments, a spokeswoman for Texas Right to Life told Baptist Press the grand jury process "reeks of something amiss." She said the case illustrates "a pattern" in the Harris County district attorney's office of failing to issue indictments in "abortion-related" cases despite significant evidence that abortionists have committed crimes. CMP founder David Daleiden and his colleague Sandra Merritt were both indicted on felony charges of tampering with a government record, Harris County district attorney Devon Anderson announced Jan. 25. The New York Times speculated the charges may stem from making and presenting fake identification resembling California driver's licenses in conjunction with the CMP's investigation of Planned Parenthood's Houston affiliate. If convicted, the journalists each could face up to 20 years in prison, according to the Houston Chronicle. Daleiden also was indicted on a misdemeanor charge related to purchasing human organs. Last week, Daleiden told Russell Moore, president of Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, CMP's undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood's apparent sale of body parts from aborted babies was not unethical. Asked by Moore at the Evangelicals For Life conference in Washington whether he was "making morality relative here by using lying and deception," Daleiden responded, "I think that undercover work is fundamentally different from lying because the purpose of undercover work is to serve the truth and to bring the truth to greater clarity and to communicate the truth more strongly." Deleiden continued, "Certainly in normal everyday life we don't always communicate the truth by a simple one-equals-one mathematical way of speaking. We often use poetry and metaphor and even pretext in order to communicate really important truth in a more clear way. Our Lord did that in the Gospels with the parables; it's often done throughout the Holy Scriptures; and so I see undercover work in that same sort of vein, as a creative way of communicating and speaking that is in service of the truth." District attorney Anderson, a Republican, said in announcing the indictments, "As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us. All the evidence uncovered in the course of this investigation was presented to the grand jury. I respect their decision on this difficult case," the Chronicle reported. Anderson said the grand jury's investigation, which lasted more than two months, was "lengthy and thorough" and involved her office, the Houston police and the Texas Rangers, the Times reported. CMP posted a statement on its website in response to the indictments: "The Center for Medical Progress uses the same undercover techniques that investigative journalists have used for decades in exercising our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press, and follows all applicable laws. We respect the processes of the Harris County District Attorney, and note that buying fetal tissue requires a seller as well. Planned Parenthood still cannot deny the admissions from their leadership about fetal organ sales captured on video for all the world to see." Melissa Conway of Texas Right to Life told BP this is not the first time Anderson's office has declined to indict an abortionist despite what she deemed significant evidence of a crime. Anderson's office did not indict abortionist Douglas Karpen in 2013 despite testimony from former employees and "photographic evidence" that he used "barbaric methods of murdering babies born alive during late-term abortions," Conway, director of external relations at Texas Right to Life, said in written comments. Likewise, "the hard evidence against Planned Parenthood and contained in the investigative video by CMP is overwhelming and undeniable," yet no indictment of Planned Parenthood officials was handed down. "This case reeks of something amiss," Conway said. "...We proudly stand in defense of the efforts of CMP through their investigative reporting and feel that a grave injustice exists as a result of the charges brought against the very people seeking justice on behalf of the true victims in this case -- brutally dismembered preborn children." Conway and other pro-life activists expressed concern that one of the prosecutors in the Harris County district attorney's office, Lauren Reeder, has served on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast since 2013 -- a fact confirmed by Reeder's LinkedIn page. But Anderson said in August that Reeder "would not be involved in any manner in this investigation." "If at any time in the future," Anderson said according to the Chronicle, "reliable and credible information is brought to my attention that would question our ability to continue to perform a fair, thorough and independent investigation of this matter due to her board membership, I will revisit the issue of seeking the appointment of an independent prosecutor and act accordingly." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton both said the state's investigation of Planned Parenthood will continue, according to CNN. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AiG wins court battle for Ky. tax incentive by Diana Chandler Date: January 26, 2016 - Tuesday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Answers in Genesis has won a court battle to benefit from a Kentucky sales tax rebate incentive program that could save the apologetics ministry up to $18 million on its Ark Encounter museum being built in northern Kentucky. The Commonwealth of Kentucky had withheld the incentive program from AiG by claiming that the ministry would use religion to discriminate in hiring its employees, and that the use of tax incentives to advance religion violated state law. In its lawsuit, AiG argued that the tax incentive was "facially neutral" and thereby applicable to religious organizations just as any other business that meets program criteria. U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ruled Jan. 25 in AIG'S favor and issued a preliminary injunction requiring the state to extend the incentive to AiG. "The Court finds that the Commonwealth's exclusion of AiG from participating in the program for the reasons stated -- i.e., on the basis of AiG's religious beliefs, purpose, mission, message, or conduct, is a violation of AiG's rights under the First Amendment to the federal Constitution," Tatenhove wrote in his decision. "Because … AiG has shown a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of their federal First Amendment claims, the Kentucky Constitution cannot bar those claims. Additionally, the provisions in the Kentucky constitution cited by the Commonwealth are inapplicable to the case at hand. When balancing this finding against the other necessary factors, the Court concludes that a preliminary injunction is warranted." The judge also upheld AiG's right to religious preference in its hiring, stating that the ministry may "utilize any Title VII exception for which it qualifies concerning the hiring of its personnel." "I rejoice in the court's decision today," AiG president Ken Ham said in a Jan. 25 press release. "The state gave us no choice but to bring this legal action. We, along with our attorneys, tried for many months to show these officials why their actions were blatantly violating our rights under the federal and state constitutions, as well as the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Kentucky Civil Rights Act. "The law is crystal clear that the state cannot discriminate against a Christian group simply because of its viewpoint, but that is precisely what happened here," Ham said. "The decision today is a victory for the free exercise of religion in this country, including in hiring." Ham described the ruling as a victory for "all religious groups and churches that want to maintain their free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment when that freedom is challenged by the government." AiG won the right to an incentive offered under the Kentucky Tourism Development Act. "The incentive for developers of approved new or expanding tourism projects is the ability to recover up to 25% of the project's development costs over a ten year term," reads the law posted on the official Kentucky government website. "On an annual basis the Kentucky Department of Revenue will return to developers of approved projects the state sales tax paid by visitors to the attraction on admission tickets, food and gift sales and lodging costs." When the lawsuit was filed in February 2015, AiG estimated the rebate could amount to as much as $18.25 million, based on the cost of the project's first phase. No taxpayer money is being used in the project's construction, and the business must operate one year before receiving the tax rebates, AiG said. AiG has raised more than $90 million towards the first phase of the project in Williamstown, which will include a full-scale, 510-foot replica of Noah's Ark at a cost of $92 million, according to the press release. AiG has set July 7 as the opening date of the Ark Encounter, and began selling tickets Jan. 19 to the first 40 days and nights of the ark's opening. Between 1.4 million and 2.2 million visitors are expected annually.