
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-02/15/2006

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Ohio board of education votes 11-4 <br>against language questioning evolution
by Erin Curry Roach
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP)--The Ohio State Board of Education has voted 11-4 to discard portions of its 10th-grade biology curriculum guidelines that critics said opened the door for teaching Intelligent Design.

The model lesson plan, called “Critical Analysis of Evolution,” requires that students learn “how scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory.” The guidelines did not mention Intelligent Design apart from a disclaimer, but critics said information for the lesson was derived from Intelligent Design and creationist literature, The Columbus Dispatch reported Feb. 15.

Board members asked a subcommittee to determine whether a replacement lesson is necessary for the plan, which was implemented by the board two years ago.

Ohio’s vote Feb. 14 follows controversies in Cobb County, Ga., and Dover, Pa., in which courts stepped in to decide whether curriculum mentioning Intelligent Design is appropriate. Some say Ohio’s school board decided to remove any hint of the debate in order to avoid such court entanglement.

“The &#91;Ohio&#93; board has protected itself from legal action,” Patricia Princehouse, a biology professor at Case Western Reserve University and a leading critic of the guidelines, told The Dispatch. “We &#91;now&#93; have science standards that do not try and indoctrinate students.”

But supporters of the curriculum guidelines said the board went against the will of most Ohioans who, as revealed in a Zogby International poll released the day before the vote, overwhelmingly support teaching the controversy.

The poll, commissioned by Discovery Institute, found that by more than a 3-to-1 margin, Ohio residents strongly support public school teachers presenting both evidence for evolution and evidence challenging the theory.

“This is a completely outrageous slap in the face to the 69 percent of Ohioans just polled who said they want students to hear the scientific evidence for and against Darwin’s theory,” John G. West, associate director of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture, said of the state board’s vote. “Most people want students to learn evidence critical of Darwinism, as well as the evidence that supports it, rather than just teaching Darwin’s theory as if it were sacred dogma.”

Also reported in the poll was that 75 percent of Ohio’s residents favor teaching Intelligent Design alongside Darwinian evolution so that students can be allowed to make up their own minds regarding the origin of life.

Casey Luskin, Discovery Institute’s program officer for public policy and legal affairs, called the board’s decision “a gag order on science” and said activists are “dumbing down the teaching of evolution” by prohibiting criticism of the theory.

“Who would have thought that simply questioning and analyzing a scientific theory would be banned in schools anywhere in America?” Luskin said. “Are we now going to enter an age when there is an outright ban on saying anything against Darwin or his theory? Unfortunately it looks as if Darwinist censorship of science is spreading.”

Luskin also said a federal judge’s ruling last December in the Dover case “clearly has no relevance for Ohio.” Since Ohio is not addressing Intelligent Design as prescribed in the Dover case, the issue is completely different, he said, and the Dover ruling was simply used as a fear tactic to get board members to vote against teaching the challenges to evolution.

The latest Ohio school board vote follows one just last month on the same issue, in which the motion to remove the provisions from the science standards failed by one vote, The Dispatch recounted. Ohio’s Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican, then asked the board to seek a legal review of the standards, and a committee advising the board on the provisions said they promoted creationism.

Passage of the motion was secured Feb. 14 because two members who had voted against the change in January decided to support it, and a third member who was absent from the first vote gave her support. Also, three members who had opposed the idea of removing the language last month were absent on Tuesday, The Dispatch reported.

Observers predict the issue is not completely settled because a rotation of new members onto the board in the future could yield a vote in favor of teaching the controversy, which would be a reversal of the current decision. 

“This won’t likely be the definite answer,” Virgil E. Brown Jr., a board member who voted to reverse the standards, told The Dispatch.

Before the vote, the Campaign to Defend the Constitution -- which was described in a news release as “an online grassroots movement to combat the growing power of the religious right” -- urged board of education members to follow the governor’s lead after he called on them to remove “intelligent design language” from the state’s science standards. The group, encompassing 40,000 teachers, scientists and members of academic organizations, labeled the language “religiously motivated” and claimed it was unconstitutional.

But not all scientists spoke out against changing the standards. Lyle H. Jensen, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences, asked the Ohio board of education to allow students to learn both sides of the argument.

“While students should surely learn about the scientific strengths of evolution, they should also have the opportunity to learn about scientific weaknesses with the theory,” Jenson, a professor emeritus with the University of Washington, wrote. “I strongly urge you to retain the Critical Analysis of Evolution Lesson Plan so that Ohio students are objectively informed concerning the facts of biology and trained to be better scientists.”
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New Jersey Supreme Court hears 'gay marriage' case
by Michael Foust
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

TRENTON, N.J. (BP)--New Jersey's Supreme Court heard oral arguments Feb. 15 in a "gay marriage" case that could result in the Garden State following Massachusetts' lead in redefining marriage.

Four of the court's seven justices peppered Assistant Attorney General Patrick DeAlmeida with tough questions, asking him why the state believes marriage should be the exclusive domain of heterosexuals. 

"The legislature has an interest in protecting the institution of marriage," DeAlmeida said. "It is a fundamental institution in our society." 

The court gave no indication as to when it would rule. Massachusetts legalized "gay marriage" in 2004, six months after its highest court struck down the state's marriage laws. Washington state's highest court is expected to issue a "gay marriage" decision by mid-March. In total, nine states are defending their marriage laws against suits by homosexual activists. 

Liberal groups hope to tally several more wins on the state level before taking their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which they hope legalizes "gay marriage" nationwide. For that reason, conservative groups are pushing for a federal marriage amendment.

The homosexual group Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit in 2002, but lost on both the trial level and appeals court level.  

The New Jersey Supreme Court is considered one of the more liberal high courts in the U.S. In 1999 it ruled that the Boy Scouts could not prevent homosexuals from becoming troop leaders -- a decision that eventually was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

During oral arguments Feb. 15, New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah Poritz asserted that marriage has "changed with time in rapid dramatic ways."

"What separates out this particular change and makes it unacceptable, especially in light of what the legislature has said about not discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation?" she asked before referring to previous bans on interracial marriage that were struck down in the U.S. Supreme Court's Loving v. Virginia decision.

"That's an entirely different scenario, because in that case there was a federal constitutional amendment -- the 14th Amendment -- which prohibited discrimination based on race," DeAlmeida said. "The plaintiffs in that case had a constitutional foundation on which to make their claim. The plaintiffs here don't. There is no state constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry, or a provision in the state constitution prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation."

Several of the justices took exception to DeAlmeida's reliance upon tradition. Tradition, Justice Virginia Long said, was a fact, and not a legal argument.

"What we need is the legal argument that stems out of that fact ...," she said.

"The legal argument is that there is nothing in the &#91;New Jersey&#93; Constitution that empowers this court to make that change," DeAlmeida said. "... &#91;T&#93;here is nothing in the Constitution that says four members of this court can make that radical change without the other branches being involved."

To the consternation of conservative groups, the New Jersey attorney general's office chose not to argue that heterosexual marriage is unique because of its ties to procreation and childrearing. Procreation and childrearing have been central legal arguments used by conservatives nationwide as to why marriage should be only a heterosexual institution. At one point Justice James R. Zazzali asked: "If you take away procreation and you take away optimal childrearing, what's left?"

"What's left is the protection of the marriage institution," DeAlmeida said.

Justice Jaynee LaVecchia noted the magnitude of the case.

"This is not just changing pronouns in a statute," she told Lambda Legal Attorney David Buckel. "It's changing the historical understanding of what marriage has been in the laws of New Jersey."

"This court," Buckel replied, "has confronted such historical exclusions of similar magnitude."

Demetrios Stratis, an attorney allied with the conservative Alliance Defense Fund, called it a "concern" that the state chose to ignore procreation and childrearing arguments.

"That's why we tried to intervene, because we knew &#91;tradition&#93; would be the thrust of their argument," he told Baptist Press. 

DeAlmeida was the only attorney to defend the current marriage law.

Rena M. Lindevaldsen, an attorney with the conservative legal group Liberty Counsel, said attorney general offices in other states also have failed to make the connection to procreation and childrearing. 

"They will not make the most central argument that needs to be made about why same-sex couples are different than opposite-sex couples when it comes to marriage," she told BP. "&#91;Traditional marriage and 'gay marriage' are&#93; different because of the procreative ability of opposite-sex couples versus same-sex couples. The state gets involved in marriage because it wants to promote a particular relationship in which kids should be raised."

Stratis did not want to make a prediction on how the court would rule.

"After doing this for 15 years I've realized it's very, very difficult to decide which way they're leaning just based on questions," he said. "They could be asking questions just based on thoroughness. You never know."

Lindevaldsen was less optimistic.

"At a minimum, we're not going to get as good of a decision out of them, and I think there's a real concern that they're going to rule the marriage laws unconstitutional," she said.

Although conservatives have called for a state constitutional marriage amendment in New Jersey, the legislature thus far has failed to act. Constitutional amendments must be initiated with the legislature and cannot begin via citizen petitions. 

New Jersey already has a law that provides some of the legal benefits of marriage to homosexual couples.

"They want the word marriage," Stratis said. "That's what they want. Anything short of that is not acceptable." 

The case is Lewis v. Harris.
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IMB executive committee proposes revising Burleson action
by Tammi Reed Ledbetter, Southern Baptist Texan
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP)--Trustees of the nine-member International Mission Board executive committee will recommend at the March 20-21 meeting in Tampa that trustees reverse a Jan. 11 motion asking the Southern Baptist Convention to remove Wade Burleson of Enid, Okla., as a trustee.

IMB trustee chairman Thomas Hatley of Rogers, Ark., told the Southern Baptist TEXAN the committee determined that the matter of disciplining a trustee can be handled internally. Meeting Feb. 10 in Atlanta, the committee reviewed the Burleson matter and acted unilaterally to offer the new plan.

The committee includes the chairman, first and second vice chairmen, recording secretary and chairmen of the board’s five primary standing committees.

Hatley is informing trustees of the proposal through e-mail Feb. 15, with an official news release anticipated Feb. 16.

“As a board, we continue to affirm our missionaries, our president and our staff, and we stand with them in leading Southern Baptists to reach the harvest fields of our world,” Hatley told the TEXAN, newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

In several weeks, Hatley said he will release a comprehensive explanation of the board's earlier decision to assess missionary candidates regarding private prayer language and baptism, giving the historical and theological framework. Misinformation disseminated through informal weblogs caused confusion in the minds of some Southern Baptists, he said. He hopes a more detailed accounting of the timeline and rationale for those standards will help separate those issues from the matter of Burleson's personal conduct as a trustee and answer questions that have arisen.

When the original action proposing Burleson’s removal was announced Jan. 11, Hatley said the board first explored other ways to handle the impasse with the Oklahoma pastor, who also is the immediate past president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

“The decision to seek removal was based on broken trust and resistance to accountability, not Burleson’s opposition to policies recently enacted by the board,” the official Jan. 11 statement read. At various intervals of the Jan. 9-11 meeting, Burleson posted updated reports on his weblog, or “blog,” of his interaction with trustees, refusing trustee requests to stop the practice out of concern that inaccurate and confidential information was being disseminated.

Burleson said he used the weblog to express his concerns to a broader Baptist constituency, believing potential missionaries could be held back due to the new criteria and accusing certain trustees of “political power plays” and private caucuses.

Since November, Burleson’s weblog and several others have maintained frequent discussion of the issues. Many of the weblogs include feedback from online readers rallying to the embattled trustee’s defense and calling for a large turnout at the annual meeting of the convention in Greensboro, N.C., June 13-14 to vote against his removal.

Burleson, on his weblog Feb. 12, stated, “Trustee leadership has been very communicative with me these past three weeks, and I appreciate their hearts in dialogue. I have been asked to prayerfully consider shutting down this blog. Let me be clear. I have said, from the beginning, if I can be shown where my blog violates any policy or procedure of the IMB I will cease blogging immediately. In all fairness to my fellow trustees, blogging by a trustee is something new, and for everyone&#91;’&#93;s benefit I am considering possibly ending the blog until an official policy on blogging can be established in the &#91;upcoming IMB trustee&#93; meeting.”

With the initial wave of e-mails and letters opposing the action against Burleson subsiding, Hatley told the TEXAN that he was beginning to receive many letters expressing appreciation for the stand taken by trustees.

The policy on private prayer language regards the practice to be outside the norm of Southern Baptist doctrine and states that candidates holding to the conviction or practice eliminate themselves from consideration. The guideline related to baptism expects candidates to have been baptized in a church that practices believer’s baptism by immersion alone; does not view it as sacramental or regenerative; and embraces the doctrine of eternal security of the believer. Both the policy and the guideline feature an exception clause to allow for special situations to receive review.
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Former gold medalist holds to faith amid personal trials
by Tim Ellsworth
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

TURIN, Italy (BP)--Four years ago at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, U.S. speed skater Derek Parra seemed to be on top of the world. 

In his personal life, Parra and his wife Tiffany had just celebrated the birth of their first child, Mia Elizabeth.

In his professional life, Parra won a silver medal in the 5,000 meters, then set a world record and captured the gold in the 1,500 meters -– becoming the first Mexican-American to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

How things change in four years. 

The Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, don’t hold the same meaning for Parra as they did the last time. For one thing, he struggled even to make the Olympic team, and most experts consider him, now 35, a long shot to defend his title in the 1,500 meters.

More importantly, he and his wife endured a painful divorce that shook Parra’s faith and left his world in shambles.

But through it all, Parra still clings to his faith in God as he struggles through the darkest chapter of his life.

“My family, my friends and my faith is what’s gotten me through it,” Parra said. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life, but I’ve had my friends and my family around me to help me through this. It keeps coming back to my faith as well.”

Parra says he has been encouraged by the number of e-mails he’s received from fans expressing their support in recent days and offering words of encouragement. He especially appreciated the wisdom of a friend who reminded him that God will ultimately bring good out of the situation.

In a story in The Los Angeles Times in December, Parra “alleged that his wife, Tiffany, had been unfaithful,” as the paper put it. During an interview with Baptist Press, Parra declined to affirm or deny that allegation.

“I’m not going to drag her name in the dirt,” he said.

He does have other matters of pressing importance on his mind these days. Today he and his U.S. teammates competed in the team pursuit, but a loss to the Italians ended their medal hopes in the event. On Tuesday, Feb. 21, Parra will seek to win the gold once again in the 1,500 meters.

“I’m just hoping to do my best in both,” Parra said. “The Olympic Games are exciting. We’ve got a couple of medals already for the speed skating team, and it’s nice to be a part of that. I just hope it continues to roll that way.”

Parra was especially pleased to watch his friend Chad Hedrick win gold in the 5,000 meters. 

“It was rewarding in a way,” Parra said. “He’s helped me a lot in my struggles this year. I was proud of him, and happy to be a part of it.”
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CULTURE DIGEST: Darwin draws celebration on ‘Evolution Sunday’; Black literature increasingly immoral, author says
by Erin Curry Roach
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Under the banner of “Evolution Sunday,” several hundred churches nationwide marked the 197th birthday of Charles Darwin Feb. 12 by expressing their support for the theory that made him famous. Pastors, largely from mainline Protestant denominations, preached sermons on the importance of strictly teaching evolution without mention of Intelligent Design.

Evolution Sunday was derived from the Clergy Letter Project, which scholars and ministers in Wisconsin initiated last year in response to attempts to teach the controversy surrounding evolution, specifically by introducing Intelligent Design in classrooms, The New York Times recounted Feb. 13.

“There was a growing need to demonstrate that the loud, shrill voices of fundamentalists claiming that Christians had to choose between modern science and religion were presenting a false dichotomy,” Michael Zimmerman, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and leader of the letter project, told The Times.

Clergy Letter Project leaders said 441 congregations in 48 states and the District of Columbia were participating in Evolution Sunday, but The Times noted that such a claim could not be independently verified and at least a couple were advertised to be celebrating the day but were in fact not.

Bruce Chapman, president of Discovery Institute, a leading think tank researching scientific challenges to Darwinian evolution, called Evolution Sunday “the height of hypocrisy.”

“Our view is not that pastors should speak out against evolution, but that the Darwinists are hypocrites for claiming -- falsely -- that opposition to Darwinism is merely faith based, and then turning around and trying to make the case that Darwinism itself is faith based,” he said.

Chapman also said the only time religion is introduced in arguments over evolution is when its defenders falsely charge that anyone who opposes it must be religiously motivated.

“We maintain a list of hundreds of scientists who are skeptical of Darwinian evolution because of the unresolved scientific problems with the theory, not because of any so-called religious motivation,” Chapman said. “This isn’t science versus religion. It’s science versus science. It’s a standard part of science to raise evidence critical of an existing scientific theory or paradigm.

“That’s what good science is about -- analyzing evidence and asking tough questions. Scientists have a duty to raise critical questions about existing scientific theories.”

Rev. Patricia Templeton of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church north of Atlanta told her congregation, “A faith that requires you to close your mind in order to believe is not much of a faith at all,” The Times reported.

But The Times also mentioned that mainline Protestant churches have declined sharply over the past three decades while membership in evangelical churches, which hold to a higher view of biblical authority, has risen.

AUTHOR SAYS BLACK LITERATURE INCREASINGLY IMMORAL -- Nick Chiles, an award-winning black author, gave a shocking assessment of the state of African American literature and expressed his fears for its future in a New York Times column, saying what he saw in a local Borders bookstore “thoroughly embarrassed and disgusted” him.

“To my surprise, it had one of the largest collections of books by black authors that I’ve ever seen outside an independent black bookstore, rows and rows of bookcases,” Chiles wrote last month.

But what he found in the “African-American Literature” section was not what he expected.

“On shelf after shelf, in bookcase after bookcase, all that I could see was lurid book jackets displaying all forms of brown flesh, usually half-naked and in some erotic pose, often accompanied by guns and other symbols of criminal life,” he recounted. “I felt as if I was walking into a pornography shop, except in this case the smut is being produced by and for my people, and it is called ‘literature.’”

Chiles said he had been aware of the sexualization and degradation of black fiction and the number of novels meant to “appeal exclusively to our most prurient natures,” but what upsets him is that such books are no longer relegated to seedy street vendors in New York City -- they’re also popping up in chains like Barnes & Noble and B. Dalton.

“The genre has been described by different names; ‘ghetto fiction’ and ‘street lit’ are two I’ve heard most often,” Chiles wrote. “Apparently, what we are now seeing is the crossover of this genre to mainstream bookstores.”

Young black women are considered the target audience of such publications, and the lists of bestsellers at black bookstores are now dominated by street lit, Chiles said, “driving out serious writers.”

“As I stood there in Borders, I had two sensations: I was ashamed and mortified to see my books sitting on the same shelves as these titles; and secondly, as someone who makes a living as a writer I felt I had no way to compete with these purveyors of crassness.”

JUDGE DISMISSES ‘PROVE JESUS’ LAWSUIT -- An Italian judge who at one point entertained the idea of having court-appointed technical experts review historical data in order to prove whether Jesus really existed has now thrown out the case entirely.

Luigi Cascioli, a lifelong atheist, filed a lawsuit in 2002 alleging that Rev. Enrico Righi violated two Italian laws -- “abuse of popular belief,” in which someone intentionally deceives people, and “impersonation,” in which someone makes gains by attributing a false name to someone, the Associated Press said, when he claimed in a church bulletin that Jesus was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth.

But Judge Gaetano Mautone released a ruling Feb. 9 saying Cascioli had no case and should be investigated for possible slander.

“This is not surprising but it doesn’t mean it all ends here,” Cascioli said in response to the ruling, adding that he may take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

MEL GIBSON BUILDING EXCLUSIVE CHURCHES -- Mel Gibson is building churches with the money he earned from his blockbuster “The Passion of The Christ,” but the kind of churches he is building may surprise some who had assessed him as a more mainstream Roman Catholic.

Roger Friedman, reporting for FoxNews.com, said Feb. 13 that over the weekend he visited Holy Family Catholic Church, a multi-million-dollar compound built by Gibson along a secluded highway near Malibu, Calif.

“One look at Holy Family’s chapel confirms that the great joys of churchgoing are such that inclusion is not paramount in Gibson’s clubhouse,” Friedman wrote. “Parishioners, from what I could tell, are few. They sit on what looked like uncomfortable stiff chairs. The millions put out by Gibson were not for luxury, that’s for sure.

“There were three pieces of paper taped to the windows of the main chapel doors, which were locked. One of the papers warned about using cameras; another described how one could get communion; and the third explained that women had to have their heads covered at all times when inside the chapel,” he added.

Friedman’s snooping was stopped by a young man believed to be Gibson’s son, who drove up and told him he was on private property.

But it seems, Friedman said, that Gibson is building this and a similar church in Pennsylvania for so-called retro-Catholics, those who reject Vatican II, which in 1965, among other things, absolved Jews of Christ’s death.
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Idaho legislature sends marriage amendment to voters
by Staff
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

BOISE, Idaho (BP)--Idaho's Senate Feb. 15 sent a state constitutional marriage amendment to voters, making it the fifth state to place such an amendment on the ballot for 2006.

Idaho joins Alabama, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee -- all of which are scheduled to vote on state marriage amendments this year. That list is expected to grow. Virginians almost certainly will get to vote on a marriage amendment. Other states, including Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin and West Virginia, may join the list. 

The Idaho Senate passed the amendment by a vote of 26-9, giving it two more votes than the 24 needed for the required two-thirds majority. The Idaho House previously had passed the amendment, 53-17. The successful legislative vote comes one year after a similar amendment failed to pass the state Senate when it fell three votes short of the required supermajority.

The proposed amendment would protect the natural definition of marriage by preventing Idaho courts from legalizing "gay marriage." Only 23 words, it states: "A marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state."

Nineteen states have adopted marriage amendments, and it is possible that by the end of 2006 a majority of states will have passed them. Incredibly, the amendments have passed by an average of more than 70 percent of the vote. An amendment has never failed at the ballot.

Massachusetts' highest court issued a decision in 2003 legalizing "gay marriage." The highest courts in New Jersey and Washington state are considering similar lawsuits. None of those states have marriage amendments. 
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For more information about the national debate over "gay marriage," visit <a href="http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage">http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage</a>

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Dembski, in Kansas, explains cells as Intelligent Design ‘icon’
by Cory Miller
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

LAWRENCE, Kan. (BP)--Amid the debate in Kansas over a controversial vote by the state's board of education to allow criticism of evolutionary theory in schools, Intelligent Design proponent William Dembski addressed an audience of 1,500 at the University of Kansas on the "Case for Intelligent Design."

Dembski, a noted mathematician who is the Carl F.H. Henry Professor of Science and Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was sponsored by KU's Campus Crusade for Christ with support from area churches and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City.

Dembski began his presentation by acknowledging the contribution Charles Darwin and his theory have made to the scientific community, while also noting one of the theory's weaknesses.

"Darwin is a great man. Darwin's theory is a great idea. His mechanism of random variation and natural selection is a milestone in intellectual history,” Dembski said. “It fundamentally changed our conception of history. And yet it's not the whole story."

Although the theory explains many small-scale changes that organisms have undergone over time, Dembski noted that "it has difficulty explaining large-scale changes."

Darwin, writing in the late 1800s, did not foresee the technological advances in molecular biology of the last 30 years that have allowed scientists to look into the single cell -- something Dembski compares to an "automated city" -- and see its complex engineering and design.

"Evolutionary theory provides an important window into natural history,” Dembski said, “but it no longer functions as a complete organizational package for biology. It needs to be supplemented."

Dembski said Intelligent Design -- "the study of patterns in nature that are best explained as the result of intelligence" -- can provide a more comprehensive framework.

Explaining Intelligent Design, Dembski compared it to building a rocket or baking a cake and commented on the design process that goes into doing both.

"Often we don't see that whole process taking place," he said of the design and manufacturing process. "What we're confronted with is the product at the very end."

Intelligent Design, he said, asks whether or not a designer can be inferred from that end product.

"Did that product arise as a result of design or is it the result of a purposeless material process?" he said. "Was this the result of intention or accident?"

He said scientists and observers at SETI -- which stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence and made famous by Hollywood movies like "Contact" in 1997 -- do the same thing when discerning radio signals from outer space.

What is seen as perfectly reasonable in many fields, like SETI, has become the cause of great controversy for Intelligent Design, Dembski said, because of the theological implications of the universe having a designer.

"If there is real intelligence behind biology, that would be unevolved &#91;intelligence&#93;," he said. "Then very quickly the G-word &#91;God&#93; comes to the fore."

The most compelling evidence for Intelligent Design, Dembski noted, is the cell's "bacterial flagellum" -- a bi-directional, motor-driven propeller inside the cell that can spin up to 100,000 r.p.m. and change direction in just a quarter turn.

"In Darwin's day, the cell was basically a little blob of Jell-O enclosed by a membrane," Dembski said. "That's why Darwin didn't write about the origin of life; he wrote about the origin of species." The problem was determining how complexity and diversity of life came into being, at a time when most thought single cells were very simple, Dembski said.

"Now you look inside the cell with what we know and you find a world of information processing, storage retrieval, high-tech, high-efficiency, nano-engineered motors," Dembski said. "You need engineering to understand what's going on inside the cell."

There's little comparison to the complexity of the cell, Dembski noted.

"Name your most complicated human artifact -- the supercomputer -- it is dwarfed by even the simplest cell."

Evolution, Dembski said, with its theory of evolving process and slow changes cannot account for the bacterial flagellum's intricate design.

"What needs to happen if you're going to tell an evolutionary story is you have to tell a story of gradual change and at each point there has to be some sort of selective advantage," Dembski said. "The evidence is just not there that these processes can do the sort of design work that I am pointing to."

The bacterial flagellum -- which has become the "icon" of Intelligent Design -- has pointed to serious issues within evolutionary theory's viability, Dembski continued.

"What we're talking about is a pervasive failure &#91;in evolutionary theory&#93; to account for systems like this," he said. "These systems have to be explained because this is where nuts and bolts biology takes place.

“If we're not explaining complexity at the biochemical level, then we have not explained life."

Addressing frequent criticism that there are theological influences behind Intelligent Design, Dembski noted that the same can be said for evolutionary theory.

"I would put it to you also that there are theological implications to evolution -- not that it's implications for God, but against God."

Acknowledging that Intelligent Design often gets mixed together with creationism, Dembski pointed out that there are clear distinctions between the two.

"Creationism is always about the source of being of the world -- where did everything come from," he said. "Intelligent Design is content to look at patterns in an existing world and say, 'Do they point to an intelligence?' but it doesn't get you to a source that's behind everything."

Just as a carpenter, he said, fashions and cuts wood into furniture, the carpenter is not also responsible for the wood itself.

"That's what a doctrine of creation does," he said. "Intelligent Design looks at patterns in nature and &#91;discerns whether there's&#93; good evidence that there's intelligence behind it."

Dembski said he sees Intelligent Design's theological role more "in a negative sense of clearing out the intellectual rubbish that has been bequeathed on our culture through materialistic, atheistic worldview. But it doesn't give us a positive theology.

"If you want a positive theology,” he said, “study theology."
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VBS leaders get early start on kids’ ‘Arctic Adventure’
by Polly House
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--More than 1,300 people had an Arctic Adventure without leaving the Southeastern United States. 

LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention hosted two Vacation Bible School preview events, Jan. 20-21 at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, N.C., and Feb. 3-4 at the Nashville-area Brentwood Baptist Church.

The previews showcased both of LifeWay’s 2006 lines of VBS materials -- “VBS: The Arctic Edge: Where Adventure Meets Courage” and “Club VBS: Space Quest – Exploring My Mission with Jesus.”

The previews were designed to give local church VBS leaders and workers a “sneak peek” at the resources, decorations and music for VBS 2006, building excitement for their own churches’ VBS weeks.

More than 150 of the nearly 750 participants at the Tennessee event attended a session on preparing for family night, the time when the parents and families join the children attending VBS as they present their music and show what they have made and learned during their week of VBS. 

Amy Stewart, a VBS leader from Pleasant Heights Baptist Church in Indianapolis, said family night is an important event because of the evangelistic/outreach opportunities. 

“At our church, we get the children all pumped up on family night,” Steward said. “They are excited to sing their songs and show their families all they’ve learned. After the performance, we ask the parents if they would be willing to bring the children back on Sunday morning so the children can present their music again to the whole church. Most of the parents will do this, so we get to make another contact with them and they get to see what our church is like.” 

VBS preview participants were able to see rooms decorated with the Arctic-themed materials like inflatable moose and puffins, offering ideas on how to do their own decorations. Many of the VBS decorations were available for purchase at the event so participants could take them back to show co-workers. 

Denise Coats, children’s minister at Woodmont Baptist Church in Florence, Ala., brought two of her VBS leaders with her to the event and said she believed the Arctic theme would be fun to use in Alabama in the summer. “I can just see us doing something like ice fishing or dogsleds in Florence! The children will love it.” 

Children from the Nashville-area Clearview Baptist Church in Franklin, directed by Jennie Ross, performed the VBS musical for preview participants at both locations. The musical, once again written by Jeff Slaughter, includes five songs that carry out the theme of trusting God for the courage to share the Gospel. The musical’s setting is an adventure trek camp in the forests of Alaska. The characters -– four children and two adults -– trek out from the base camp to experience different adventures each day.

Jimmy and Pam Crider, VBS leaders from Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, Calif., made their own cross-country trek for the preview. “I really like the music this year,” Pam Crider said. “I especially like ‘I Know That I Know.’ I think our kids will enjoy it.” 

The Criders said their church does a good job reaching “churched kids” in their area, but they were looking for some ideas on how to reach the “unchurched kids.” Both agreed what they learned was worth the trip. 

After all the fun of the musical, Becky Martin, VBS ministry specialist at LifeWay, reminded the participants that VBS is a lot of work. “There’s no need to do all this hard work if we’re only going to see these kids one week of their lives. We want VBS to be a real investment in the lives of these children and their families. The decorations don’t mean anything if the children don’t learn about Jesus.” 

About 750 representatives of state Baptist conventions attended two earlier Vacation Bible School Institutes at LifeWay Glorieta (N.M.) and LifeWay Ridgecrest (N.C.) conference centers on Jan. 13-14 and 20-21, respectively. 

These leaders returned to their respective states to train associational VBS leaders, who then train VBS leaders from their local churches. These training events are important because of the “ripple effect” they have, Martin noted.

“Last year, because of the ripple effect of training &#91;at the VBS institutes&#93;, more than 86,000 people were trained to lead Vacation Bible School in our churches,” Martin said, emphasizing that the vast training opportunities set the LifeWay-produced VBS apart from other VBS choices. 
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5 quick facts about VBS 2006 
-- May 21 is National Day of Prayer for VBS 2006. Encourage pastors to preach emphasizing the value of VBS, and recognize all leaders who will work with VBS.
-- LifeWay offers two options for VBS 2006: “The Arctic Edge: Where Adventure Meets Courage,” a study of six people from the Bible who showed courage, and “Club VBS: Space Quest – Exploring My Mission with Jesus,” five studies about Jesus and people who related to Him. 
-- VBS enthusiasts can go to www.lifeway.com/yourvbs and sign up for the e-newsletter, get periodic updates, ideas and more. 
-- VBS Tools Online can be renewed and is available for new church subscribers. Additional features are available as a result of suggestions from 2005 subscribers. 
-- VBS 2006 also has resources for adults, youth and special education classes. 


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LifeWay expands VBS Tools Online
by Staff
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--VBS Tools Online, after being unveiled in 2005, is being expanded to provide added help for Vacation Bible School leaders in 2006.

Last year, 800-plus VBS coordinators used VBS Tools Online to register students and volunteers online; coordinate classes and rotations; and communicate quickly and easily with volunteers and families through the customized website and e-mail center.

For 2006, the e-business department at LifeWay Christian Resources has released an updated version of VBS Tools Online with new features that include an enhanced version of class rolls that includes volunteers and teachers and medical/allergy information for participants.

"The online tools are meant to be a time saver for &#91;VBS&#93; directors so they are not overloaded with paperwork and can focus on other important matters such as enlisting quality volunteers and planning VBS events," said Bethany Webster, VBS Internet producer at LifeWay.

For those who used VBS Tools Online in 2005, LifeWay also has made it possible to transfer the 2005 enrollment information into the 2006 version through a quick and easy process. 

The online tools not only benefit VBS leaders but parents and volunteers as well by providing online registration through a customized website that can be linked to the individual church's website. 

"The VBS director can print valuable reports such as volunteer lists, class lists, participants by class and VBS schedules for volunteers to create a safer and more efficient VBS," said Allyson Hobbie, solutions specialist with LifeWay's e-business department.

For Reed Christian of Hickory Heights Baptist Church in Dallas, Ga., the online tools made the organizational side of VBS much easier. 

"The online tools were a benefit to us in many ways," Christian said. "Assigning kids to classes was a breeze as &#91;was&#93; the ease in record-keeping and generating rolls for classrooms. We were able to keep a running count each evening for snacks and &#91;we&#93; generated labels for craft identification and follow-up mailings." 

LifeWay developed VBS Tools Online to be used by anyone with basic computer skills. The icon-based system makes navigating the tools easy for VBS administrators and produces reports that are clear and helpful to volunteers and teachers. 

"I was able to begin the administrative process with the online tool and then easily and confidently hand it over to someone else knowing I didn't have to explain my system," Christian said. "It was all there in black and white. 

"No more difficult spreadsheets for us!" she added. 

For more information on 2006 VBS Tools Online, visit www.lifeway.com/vbstools. More than 3 million VBS participants are anticipated this year in Southern Baptist churches across the country.
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FIRST-PERSON: The economic forecast for 2006
by Howard Dayton
Date: February 15, 2006 - Wednesday

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (BP)--Back in 2002, my good friend and cofounder of Crown Financial Ministries, Larry Burkett, had this to say about the economy: “The storm clouds aren’t all gone, but the U.S. economy appears poised for growth this year.”

But, wasn’t 2002 one of the worst years ever for the U.S. economy? Well, not really. That year, The Wall Street Journal noted: “Surely the most under-reported story of the past year has been the economy’s amazing resilience in the face of terrorism, war uncertainties, corporate scandals, the telecom meltdown, and a vast loss of paper wealth by investors in technology companies.” 

The Journal was exactly right. The economy grew by about 3 percent that year -- not a record-setter but a vast improvement over 2001. Both productivity and profits were up, consumer confidence rebounded, and the outlook appeared to be solid.

Of course, no one can predict the long-term economic impact of war with Iraq -- it could be either negative or positive, depending on the length and the outcome -- but since that time in 2002 we have seen modest, but steady growth.

And, even though the average U.S. stock fund in 2001 lost 21.5 percent, stocks continued to rebound from the depths the following year as low interest rates and lower taxes helped companies improve their bottom line.

There is no predicting just how the nation’s tax burden will turn out through the legislative process, but sound proposals should cause the wheels of the economy to turn faster by spurring investments, savings and job creation.

What about 2006? If Larry were still alive, what would be his forecast for this year? Of course, we don’t really know. But, whether or not 2006 turns out well in the general economy, one thing is certain: You can make this a good year for yourself by taking some steps in your personal finances:

-- First, pray before you pay. God wants to help you be a good steward of His resources, so ask Him for willpower and wisdom “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

-- Plan ahead, develop and use a monthly budget as your spending guide. Don’t forget to plan for those occasional expenses, such as car insurance. Crown has free online budget helps that we invite you to use.

-- Make giving to God a priority. Give intentionally, regularly and generously to God’s work. It’s His money anyway. Loosening up those purse strings will help loosen the grip money has on your heart. “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18).

-- Every month put some money into savings so that you’ll have a reserve for emergencies.

“Precious treasure and oil are in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man consumes them” (Proverbs 21:20).

-- Remember this simple financial principle: If you don’t keep borrowing, you can’t get further into debt. “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

What’s the economic forecast for 2006? I’ll leave that to those who predict such matters, but no one really can foresee the future. Nevertheless, every Christian should know that we serve a God who is the same today as He was yesterday, and He will be the same on our every tomorrow. Our God never changes, nor does His Word. That’s why we can depend upon His biblical principles to guide us confidently into an unknown future, with our well-known God, through Jesus Christ.
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Howard Dayton is CEO of Crown Financial Ministries. Dayton and the late Larry Burkett joined forces in 2000 when Crown Ministries, led by Dayton, merged with Christian Financial Concepts, led by Burkett. The new organization became Crown Financial Ministries, on the web at www.crown.org.



