The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-02/24/2014 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Privatizing marriage by Penna Dexter Date: February 24, 2014 - Monday DALLAS (BP) -- Young evangelicals are not rising to defend traditional marriage. Perhaps this is because they don't have the theological and intellectual tools to do so, or because they don't want to be derided and marginalized as "haters" of homosexuals or "on the wrong side of history." Many want marriage for themselves, but don't care how others define it. Some people are asking, "Why not privatize marriage? Push the state out of this battle in the culture wars. Why should the state have to give its approval to the definition of marriage? Why not let denominations define marriage the way they deem correct?" It won't work. It might if marriages really were permanent, and people never got divorced. But there are certain disputes that have to be resolved when marriages end. Baylor University philosophy and church-state studies professor Francis Beckwith writes: "What to do with children, property, state residency, freedom of movement, etc. when marital relationships [that] break down are public issues. They are not private ones. Consequently," he says, "in such a privatization of marriage scenario, the state would actually become more intrusive into ecclesial matters than it is at present." The public nature of marriage exists, in part, because in our society, and historically, marriage is the institutional arrangement that defines parenthood. Economist Jennifer Roback Morse is Founder and President of the Ruth Institute, an organization devoted to encouraging lifelong married love. She writes that, "if no children were ever involved, adult sexual relationships simply wouldn't be any of the state's business." However, she points out that the advent of no-fault divorce has involved the state "in the minutiae of family life," resolving "disputes over custody, visitation, and child support." Of leaving marriage to the churches, Dr. Morse writes, "At this point in history, churches are not the ultimate legal authority for anything." In fact, the state is busy marginalizing the churches and their influence. And even if the state were to somehow allow churches authority over the issues surrounding the children of divorce, it would still be called upon to settle disputes between people not of the same religion, or where one or the other -- or both - claims no religion at all. Given these realities, getting the state out of the marriage business is asking the impossible. And, as Dr. Morse points out, "Assigning the state an impossible task amounts to giving it a blank check." With marriage meaning different things to different people or groups, the state will only find itself more enmeshed in defining who counts as a parent. "Up to now," she writes, "that job has been largely left to Mother Nature, with the state simply recording the natural reality of parenthood.'" No-fault divorce, co-habitation and same-sex marriage have increased the state's role in marriage. The church must do a better job of teaching a theology of marriage. But it must not withdraw from the culture wars, especially the one over marriage. --30-- Penna Dexter is a conservative activist and frequent panelist on the "Point of View" syndicated radio program. Her weekly commentaries air on the Bott and Moody radio networks. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Abedini's wife tells of unjust journey by Trillia Newbell Date: February 24, 2014 - Monday BOISE, Idaho (BP) -- On a hot summer day in 2012, Naghmeh Abedini drove her husband Saeed to an Idaho airport. They shared a casual goodbye, assuming they would see one another in two or three weeks. Instead he was imprisoned in Iran, and they haven't seen or spoken to one another since. Saeed Abedini, 33, was sentenced to eight years in prison after returning to Iran for a work trip. This began an almost two-year nightmare for his wife, who is now fighting for his release while raising their two children alone. "It has been the hardest time of my life," Abedini said of her husband's imprisonment. "I feel like my life was taken from me. I experienced extreme anxiety and depression at first. I cried out to the Lord and felt like the woman bleeding for 12 years" (Mark 5:25-34). Abedini's imprisonment has caught the attention of major news sources as well as President Obama. At the 2014 National Prayer Breakfast, Obama mentioned Abedini in calling for international religious freedom: "We pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini. He's been held in Iran for more than 18 months, sentenced to eight years in prison on charges relating to his Christian beliefs. And as we continue to work for his freedom, today, again, we call on the Iranian government to release Pastor Abedini so he can return to the loving arms of his wife and children in Idaho." Naghmeh Abedini believes Obama's inclusion of her husband is a result of the people of the United States taking interest in her story and standing up for religious liberty. "When the president speaks, he speaks about things that matter to the American people. Millions of people have been behind me -- signing petitions, writing letters. When [the president] shared [my husband's story] I knew that the American people had been speaking out," she said. On Feb. 25 Naghmeh Abedini will speak on religious persecution at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. "The American people care about the religious liberty. We hit a nerve with the American people and the world about Saeed's imprisonment. Religious liberty is such an important part of our core values," she said. "Saeed wanted to serve the people of Iran and the intelligence police said that he could continue to visit Iran as long as he did not [engage] the house church movement again." After much prayer, Saeed Abedini returned to Iran -- with the assistance and blessing of the Iranian government -- to build an orphanage the couple started in 2009. But everything changed when he was arrested and sentenced for supposedly undermining Iran's national security. "The basis of the law was the gathering of Christians," Naghmeh Abedini said. "They called it a soft war and are treating him as a political prisoner, not a religious prisoner." Placed under house arrest in July, 2012, he was awaiting a call from officials about a potential hearing when, on Sept. 26, 2012, he was met instead by a violent house raid. "It was just a shock to his siblings and parents," she said. "We didn't even know if he was alive for the first week." Since then, Saeed Abedini's parents have been allowed to visit him every week, but his condition is failing and prison doctors say he needs surgery. "He is suffering from internal bleeding from earlier beatings as they were trying to get him to deny his faith," his wife said. "He has been fainting and sick." Saeed Abedini was once a radical Muslim, but after his conversion channeled his passion toward evangelism. He went into the streets sharing the Gospel and launching house churches. And despite serving time in prison, he has not stopped sharing his faith. Naghmeh Abedini's story is a little different. A war between Iran and Iraq forced her family to flee Iran for California. At age nine, she and her twin brother heard the Gospel and became Christians against their parents' wishes. Their parents, attempting to squelch their new faith, took away their Bibles and moved to Boise, Idaho, hoping to be isolated from Christians. But 11 years later her parents converted, too. Naghmeh Abedini's desire to share the Gospel led her back to her birth country in September, 2001. She began a Bible study with cousins and a few close friends. Within a year five people made professions of faith in Christ. Before returning to the U.S., she visited a "building church" (churches that are allowed and monitored by the government) where she met her future husband Abedini, who was a pastor of an underground house church (a church not monitored by the government). "Underground house churches were growing rapidly and within a few years it had grown to a few thousand converts," she said. "The government and president changed and he promised to crack down on Christianity. Saeed had been arrested several times but would always be released." The couple married in Iran in 2004, but political unrest began to make it difficult for them to share their faith. The two were arrested five times together. In 2005 they fled Iran, but never lost their passion to see Iranians come to know Jesus. Since Abedini's arrest and imprisonment, his wife has shared his story with thousands in more than 196 countries. In the process, she has found a peace that transcends all understanding. "I felt the Lord say, 'Get up, I'm going to use this for my Gospel,'" she said. "I couldn't see how the Lord would use this for good. I just wanted to pray it away." God has proven Himself faithful, as Naghmeh Abedini has seen more than 30 people come to Christ. "I have peace and joy now that no one can take from me," she said. "I discovered the reality of Jesus." She continues to seek prayer and political intervention. "As Christians we know that nothing is more powerful than the power of prayer. But as Christians we are also called to speak out and take action on injustices happening around us," she said. "Our family asks you to stand with us and contact your local government officials to voice your concern about pastor Saeed and Christian persecution around the world. In Hebrews 13:3 we are told to remember those in prison as if imprisoned with them." --30-- Trillia Newbell is consultant for women's initiatives for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Page, at NOBTS, cites SBC pressure points by Frank Michael McCormack Date: February 24, 2014 - Monday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Frank Page, speaking at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, cited "seismic pressures" within the Southern Baptist Convention that must be overcome for the advancement of the Great Commission. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, was on the seminary campus in early February for a trio of appearances to engage and encourage students and ministers. In a segment of the online interview series "Conversations," Page spoke about the state of the SBC and acknowledged some challenges. "Last year I worked real hard with Calvinist and non-Calvinist leaders. I think some of that pressure was relieved, because godly men and women from both sides of that issue said, 'We have got to start talking to each other and not at each other,'" Page said. "That's very positive, but the reality is we still have pressure points." Page said other pressure points include issues like "How do we do church in the 21st century?" and "How do we support mission work in the 21st century?" But at the same time, those hard questions are encouraging, he said. "It excites me particularly that we have some younger pastors who are asking the hard questions," he said. Page said the primary point to remember is keeping God central and staying focused on the task at hand. "The world is winning a lot of battles. If there was ever a time we needed each other, it's now," he said. "We need each other in the battle we face in our culture and in our world." Regarding the future of the Cooperative Program, the funding mechanism by which Southern Baptists collectively support ministry and missionaries around the world, Page said, "Do you believe in Acts 1:8? It's the only way I know where you and your church can be a part of seeing Acts 1:8 accomplished fully, consistently and concurrently." Prior to the Cooperative Program, ministry leaders and missionaries had to raise their own support from individual churches. The Cooperative Program cuts that step in the process by pooling funds from individuals and churches and dispersing them to ministries and missionaries. Still, Page said there's some room for improvement. "There needs to be some adjustment in the percentages, and I will tell you that's happening," he said. "I will tell young ministers: If you want to see [changes] happen even more, support it from the inside and don't criticize from the outside." Also in the interview, Page spoke about what he learned from God after the tragic loss of his daughter Melissa to suicide. Page emphasized that suffering comes in many shapes and sizes. "It's not a question of if we will suffer; it's a question of when and how. And everyone does," Page said. "I've learned that [God is] real, that He really cares. His grace really is sufficient." Page cautioned those facing the pain of losing someone to suicide not to blame each other and not to blame God. Page said he realizes that he could have done some things differently, but he added, "The truth is, I did the best I could at the time with what I knew." Page chronicled his family's story in the book "Melissa: A Father's Lessons from a Daughter's Suicide." He said the book can be a powerful tool for those considering suicide, for pastors ministering to those considering suicide, and for people who have lost loved ones to suicide. "Conversations" is a video interview between NOBTS dean of chapel Blake Newsom and noteworthy chapel speakers who come to New Orleans Seminary. To view Conversations videos, clickhere. The Frank Page Conversations segment will be released March 17. Speaking in Leavell Chapel at NOBTS, Page preached from Revelation 2:1-7, the letter to the church at Ephesus. Page pointed out four keys elements of Jesus' message to the church: a call, a commendation, a condemnation and a command. The call, Page said, is Jesus calling the church back to living according to His lordship. In chapter 1, Jesus describes Himself as "the one who is, who was and who is coming" and "the Alpha and the Omega." "He is the Lord of the church. He is in the midst of the church. He's listening to the hallway conversations in the seminary and in the church. He knows your thoughts. He's in your midst," Page said. "He is not out yonder; He is right here." Jesus also commends the Ephesian church for what the people are doing well, Page said. "'I know your deeds; I know your hard work,'" Page said. "They were commended for their patience. They were getting it done in the midst of a pagan city. They were commended for their sensitivity to evil." Jesus then moves to His condemnation of the Ephesian church: "But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first." Page said the text does not go into detail about what that first love is specifically. From the greater context of Scripture, though, Page said he has an idea. "Scripture tells us what our first love ought to be: The Great Commission. Acts 1:8," he said. "Many passages tell us that the first love of the early church and the first love of every church ought to be a love for lost people." With that in view, Page said today's church, just like the Ephesian church, is failing. "We have adopted a cultural lie that no one will talk to you about the Lord ...," Page said. "I do share Christ, but I'm telling you this: People don't like the church much anymore, but they will talk to you about Jesus." Page closed with the threefold command to the Ephesian church: remember, repent and do. "Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen," verse 5 says. Repent by turning from the wrong and turning to the right, Page said. "And do the first works," he said. "Let's get back to what God called us to do. That call of renewing our first love is upon us today." After chapel, Page hosted a third meeting -- a Q&A session with NOBTS students and area pastors to discuss ministry in the SBC and current convention issues. --30-- Frank Michael McCormack writes for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Engage Sochi, post-Olympics, to nurture churches worldwide by Staff Date: February 24, 2014 - Monday SOCHI, Russia (BP) -- As the 2014 Winter Olympics comes to a close in Sochi, Russia, medal-winning Christian athletes who gave witness for Jesus Christ say their lives are about much more than winning medals. Meanwhile, the Engage Sochi outreach kicks into its next phase -- church planting.
For 17 days, Sochi was marked by glitter and gold, pomp and ceremony, victory and defeat. Now the Olympic flag is lowered, the flame is extinguished and the baton is passed to PyeongChang, South Korea, for the 2018 Winter Games. "Athletes, you have inspired us over this last 17 days," International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said during the closing ceremonies on Sunday (Feb. 23). "By living together under one roof in the Olympic village you send a powerful message from Sochi to the world, that of a society of peace, tolerance and respect. I appeal to everybody implicated in confrontation, oppression and violence to act on this Olympic message of dialogue and peace." American Jessica Lutz, whose father is from Switzerland, won a bronze medal playing on the Swiss women's hockey team, saying, "It is a huge honor and blessing to be able to go to the Olympics and to be called an Olympian." "But it is so much more of an honor to be able to be called a child of God, to be forgiven of my sin and to be able to have Christ's righteousness as my own," Lutz said in an interview with Baptist Press. Lutz entered the Olympic arena during the opening ceremonies wearing an Engage Sochi pin, identifying herself with a network of Southern Baptists who set the goal of making a difference for Christ before, during and after the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Also among those who spoke out for their faith were Kelly Clark, who won a bronze medal in the women's snowboard half pipe and women's hockey team members Anne Schleper and Gigi Marvin. Marc Hooks, co-director of Engage Sochi, noted that a major part of the Engage Sochi strategy during the Olympics was to use specialized trading pins that facilitated sharing the Gospel. "The unofficial Olympic spectator sport is pin trading," Hooks said. "People coming to the Olympics love to trade pins, so we designed a pin that is fun to trade, that people like and that they want, but has elements that allow us to share the Gospel." Colors on the pin represented key aspects of the plan of salvation -- "the same five colors as the Olympic rings," Hooks said, "so we can tie it all together and share God's love with the people here." Nearly 200 Southern Baptists traveled to the Games to participate in Engage Sochi. They included The Singing Men of Oklahoma; the University of Mobile Jazz Band; the bluegrass Earl Brackin Band, who are members of First Baptist Church of Middleburg, Fla.; and Strong Tower Baptist Church of St. Joseph, Mo.; along with participants from the national Woman's Missionary Union and the Georgia and Oklahoma Baptist state conventions. As the streets came alive with bluegrass music, Dixieland jazz, clowns, balloon artists and drama groups, a Russian security officer asked one Engage Sochi team, "Are you here to make a spiritual difference? Because it's working!" Apparently it was. One young woman who travelled from California for the Olympics was among who heard the Gospel. "Hearing this was a shining light from God," she said, "Him telling me that He's still here with me." Stephanie Brock, wife of Tod Brock, fiddler for the Earl Brackin Band, said, "I saw firsthand magnificent grace that broke through cultural and language barriers. … It was an unbelievable experience to simply say, 'Here's a gift of love' as I handed a new friend a pin and tract. … I know I planted a seed. As I watched our whole team work as one to promote God's love, I have no doubt that lives were changed." More than 13,000 Engage Sochi trading pins and Gospels tracts were distributed during the 17 days of the Games. Three people told of committing their lives to Jesus while talking to Engage Sochi volunteers and more than 130 contacts were made with individuals who wanted to learn more about Him. The Engage Sochi strategy is more than pins and Gospel presentations, Hooks noted. There is a church-planting focus as well. "Church planting is based on forming relationships. So, what our Engage Sochi folks are doing here is the building blocks for new churches to be started in Sochi and around the world," he said. "We want everybody that we came in contact with to have the opportunity to continue the conversations that were started in Sochi," Hooks continued. "So, regardless of where that person is from, we want to connect them with a believer in their area who can make a relationship with that person and continue to speak with them about issues of faith." Hooks put out a plea for prayer as Engage Sochi enters the final strategy phase. "Pray for us as we finish this part of the project and we move into the next part, as we do follow-up and discipleship, that these new believers would be discipled and be brought into bodies of believers," he said. --30-- Contributors to this article are Evelyn Adamson, William Bagsby and Charles Braddix of the London bureau of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible translation is their shared ministry by Evelyn Adamson Date: February 24, 2014 - Monday SOUTHEAST ASIA (BP) -- The constant tick, tick, tick of computer keys provides the backdrop as Don Patrick* and Rith Jaya* compare notes on flickering laptop screens. The men also swish the pages of a dictionary as they work together. The ticking and swishing have comprised the soundtrack of the past two and a half years during which Patrick and Jaya have been translating the New Testament and the Pentateuch for a people group of 290,000 souls in Southeast Asia. With half the Bible still needing to be translated, the pair has at least two years of work ahead of them. Jaya, who is from this people group, recounts how he became involved with the translation, saying, "I started reading the Bible, but I couldn't understand [the Gospel] clearly." It was only after Patrick shared one-on-one that Jaya grasped the power of the Gospel and surrendered his life to Christ. "This work is important for my people,” Jaya says, “because many [people around the world] already have access to a Bible. This [is a] Bible my people can read and understand. Until now, they did not have one." Both Jaya and Patrick embarked on this project to provide access to the Gospel for those who have yet to know Christ. Having worked on the translation together for more than two years, friendship plays a major role in driving the project forward. Village Bible study Sputtering in protest, the small truck quiets to a stop, refusing to start. Patrick opens his door and pops the hood. Examining the engine, he tries starting the truck one more time before Jaya walks over and hops in the driver's seat. Jaya turns the key and the engine reluctantly begins churning. Smiling, a laugh escapes as he pokes Patrick in the arm and says, "Let me show how to fix a truck. You pray first!" The men climb back in the truck and whiz down the dirt road, destined for a village where believers lead small house churches in their communities. As the truck shifts into third gear, Patrick and Jaya are lost in conversation. With one hand on the steering wheel, Patrick gestures often as he gives updates on believers and then listens as Jaya discusses his herbal medicine classes. Aiming to help other believers, Jaya uses his herbal medicine materials to provide medical aid to those who are too poor or too far from medical facilities. Upon arrival at the village, Patrick parks the truck while Jaya hollers a greeting to a young believer, Balin Nhek*, who owns a roadside shop and shares Bible stories with customers as they come in his store. Nhek invites Patrick and Jaya into his home, located directly above his shop. Strips of bamboo separate home from shop. Soon, three more believers arrive for the Bible study. Tapping his Bible on its deep green cover, Nhek says, "I'm happy to have this Bible. It's something I can cling to. It's something I can refer to." Another believer, the leader of a house church, offers his own testimony: "Don [Patrick] has taught us many lessons, but sometimes it is difficult to remember them all. Now that we have the Bible, I can remember the lessons [better]." Conversation continues between Patrick and Nhek as Jaya listens to the health problems another believer is experiencing. Jaya, a certified acupuncturist, suggests a session of acupuncture might help. He asks the man to lie down on a mat as he prepares the materials needed for the treatment. After the session ends, Jaya places his equipment in a small backpack and follows Patrick out of the house. On their way to the truck, someone asks if Patrick and Jaya could visit a sick woman living nearby. Examining the woman, Patrick calls his wife, who is a nurse, to hear her suggestion. She says the woman might have Hansen's disease, a bacteria skin condition more commonly known as leprosy. Fortunately, there is a nonprofit clinic nearby where she can receive treatment. Back on the road Red dust swirls behind the truck as it moves over the bumpy, clay road and the village fades in the distance. Jaya steps out of the truck, stretching and yawning. He walks over and sits down at a local restaurant. Patrick soon plops down next to him and they look over the menu, deciding to order two baguette pizzas. After a night’s rest, the final leg of the trip will take the men through two more tropical provinces before they return home. Whether sleeping on hardwood floors in villages and comparing who snores the loudest or sharing a meal of popcorn and peanut butter sandwiches while praying over their families, Patrick and Jaya approach every day as brothers in Christ. Jaya says, "We have been like one family, it's not an American family and Southeast Asian family. We're all together and care about each other." Giving Jaya a bear hug, Patrick says, "I love this guy! He's great!" In praying for Don Patrick and Rith Jaya: -- Pray for God’s continued guidance as they continue working to complete the translation project. -- Pray for their wives during the times Patrick and Jaya are on the road. Pray God will give them strength and patience for the additional responsibilities of caring for their families. -- Give thanks to the Father for placing families like the Patricks overseas so God's message of hope can be shared among all peoples in their heart language. --30-- *Names changed. Evelyn Adamson is a writer living in Southeast Asia. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- BP Ledger, Feb. 24, 2014 by Staff Date: February 24, 2014 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger contains items from: GuideStone Financial Resources Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary Christian Newswire Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary WORLD News Service Southern Baptist Business Officers Conference returns to GuideStone By Shelly Moon DALLAS (GuideStone Financial Resources) -- Business officers from Southern Baptist churches and ministries are invited to attend the annual Southern Baptist Business Officers Conference, March 17-19, in Dallas, Texas. GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention is once again the host for the meeting. The event offers business administrators from Baptist churches and organizations the opportunity to learn about legislative and health care reform issues, as well as participate in networking opportunities. "The SBBOC annual meeting is the one go-to event for business administrators from Baptist churches and organizations," said Susan May, SBBOC secretary and treasurer. "There is no other conference that touches on such a wide variety of subjects that affect their everyday work." This year, the conference will feature sessions on social media, working with the millennial generation and leadership lessons. Attendees will also hear the latest news on human resource policies, employment law and health care reform. This year's conference speakers include: Richard R. Hammar, a CPA, attorney and author who writes extensively about legal and tax issues for churches and clergy, including GuideStone's annual Ministers' Tax Guide. Jess Rainer, executive pastor of Redemption City Church in Franklin, Tennessee, and the author of The Millienials: Reaching America's Largest Generation Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Gayla Crain, a seasoned trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience in labor and employment law and litigation. Donna Lively, director of insurance marketing at GuideStone will update attendees on health care reform and its continuing impact on churches and ministries. Luis Barreto, director of administration and human resources at a church in New York, said the conference provides his team with practical advice that applies directly to their mission. "As we began attending the various workshops, our excitement level was so ramped up because the information we were receiving was already providing new ideas to help us to better strategize once we returned to New York City," Barreto said. "The seminars on health care, employment law, finance and security were timely and will help us to be better stewards of the gifts that God has given us and to be a better resource to our employees and our congregation." This year's SBBOC conference runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, March 17, with early bird sessions beginning at 10 a.m. The conference continues Tuesday, March 18 with sessions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The final session will be from 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 19. The conference fee of $145 includes all materials, a thumb drive containing all presentations and three meals. Visit www.SBBOC.com to register. New this year is an optional dinner and tour of the recently expanded First Baptist Church, Dallas on Monday evening. There is an additional $25 charge for the meal. Conference details are at www.SBBOC.com or you may contact Susan May by email at Susan.May@GuideStone.org. SBBOC's website includes specially negotiated rates at nearby hotels and a full schedule of conference sessions. GuideStone headquarters, near the heart of downtown Dallas, is convenient to both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airports. --30-- Shelly Moon is a marketing writer at GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. ********** Iorg to Lead Golden Gate Seminary’s Alaska Cruise By Phyllis Evans, Director of Communications MILL VALLEY, Calif. (Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary) -- Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary announces its inaugural Alaska cruise, August 1 through 8, 2014. "Seasons of a Leader's Life" is the theme of this seven-day trip, sailing the pristine and majestic Alaska coastline. "Our time together promises to be filled with great fellowship, thought-provoking Bible study, and jaw-dropping views as we behold God's magnificent creation," said Golden Gate President Jeff Iorg. There will be several on-board sessions led by Dr. Jeff Iorg, including daily devotions, Bible studies in the area of leadership, and an introduction of the Seminary's vision for Business as Mission. Other speakers are Dr. Ben Skaug, Golden Gate's Vice President for Institutional Advancement, and Dr. Phil Kell, President of the California Baptist Foundation, who will lead seminars on the topic of planned giving. Ports of call include Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, Alaska, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. Guests will see the amazing ice formations and wildlife of the Tracy Arm Fjord and the Inside Passage. There is an early bird discount for those registering before March 7, 2014. For more information about the destinations, discussion topics, speakers, and to register: www.ggbtscruise.com or 877-768-2784 ext. 108 or ggbts14@sovereigncruises.org ********** ChinaAid 2013 report indicates upswing in persecution MIDLAND, Texas (Christian Newswire) -- China Aid Association released its 2013 Persecution report today, which states that government persecution against Christians in China had risen 38.82 percent since 2012 based on six categories. Of the six categories, which include the total number of persecution cases, the number of people persecuted, the number of people detained, the number of people sentenced, the number of abuse cases and the number of people abused, all but one increased between 2 and 50.9 percent. The only category which saw a decrease in percentage was the number of abuse case, which fell 42.9 percent since 2012. In 2013, ChinaAid documented 143 cases of persecution; 7,424 people were persecuted, representing a 50.9 percent increase since 2012. ChinaAid revealed in the report that, via access to a government document entitled "Focus of Work of State Administration for Religious Affairs in 2014," the Chinese government aims to "summarize the practice and experience of regulating the privately set-up Christian meeting places in some regions and explore effective methods of regulating. Also, to attach importance to the job of uniting and liaising with minority religious groups and resolve conflicts and disputes." ChinaAid, however, remained hopeful. "House churches in China had a difficult year in 2013, but we won't lose heart. Oppositely, only in such circumstances can churches be constantly purified, free of blemishes, mature and strong, and prepared for even greater mission. When political regimes and figures, one by one, sink into the long river of history, Jesus Christ's Church stands tall and firm, and like it was 2,000 years ago; even the power of Hell cannot triumph over it," Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, said. To view and download the full report, including diagrams, visit: drive.google.com/file/d/0B024UfutRtHodEI0Tm1aREVpRmM/edit?usp=sharing  ********** In Alumni Academy, Timothy Paul Jones addresses family ministry By Matt Damico LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) -- The call to disciple the next generation belongs to parents, said The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Timothy Paul Jones during the most recent Alumni Academy course, Jan. 9-10. Jones, who in addition to his role as professor of leadership and church ministry is editor of the Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry, is the author of Family Ministry Field Guide: How the Church Can Equip Patents to Make Disciples, which provided much of the content and structure for the two-day course. Recognizing the gap that exists between what Scripture demands of parents and what is actually happening in the homes of Christian families, Jones encouraged those in attendance — which consisted primarily of pastors and youth ministers — to teach the parents in their churches, especially the fathers, how to disciple their children according to the expectations that Scripture places on parents. The way to do this is to create a ministry driven by grace, rather than a ministry driven by prescription. The importance of grace in family ministry is why, Jones said, the instructions given to parents in Deuteronomy 6 did not work. "Deuteronomy 6 is not wrong, but it's not enough, because it's not the whole story," Jones said. "Jesus delivered all that God's law and justice demanded," Jones said. Pastors, preachers and youth ministers should not, then, "proclaim Deuteronomy 6, saying 'Do this, do this, do this,' without also turning towards Christ, in whom all is done already." On the other hand, Jones urged those in attendance to avoid telling church members that "whatever you're doing [in family worship] is okay," but rather that God has provided means — through the church, the Spirit and the Scriptures — to pursue faithfulness in raising children.  "We want to proclaim to our people the fullness of the story that is centered in one God, a story of grace and a story that's passed from generation to generation," Jones said. "That's the big picture of what we want to happen in family ministry." During the first night of the two-day course, Southern Seminary professors James M. Hamilton Jr. and Thomas J. Nettles joined Jones for a panel discussion about family worship, with the Hamilton and Jones families modeling how they each do family worship, respectively. "I learned from Don Whitney [another professor at Southern Seminary] that we ought to read the Bible, pray the Bible and sing the Bible," Hamilton said, as he led his family in reading a Psalm, a New Testament passage, singing the doxology, reciting the Apostles' Creed and praying the Lord's Prayer. Jones led his family through a reading in Hamilton's recent children's book, The Big Story of the Bible, a reading and subsequent discussion from the Gospel of Matthew and then a time of family prayer. Steve and Candice Watters, authors of Start Your Family and founders Boundless a webzine for teenagers, led the first session on Friday morning about helping young adults move toward marriage. The next session featured a discussion between Randy Stinson, senior vice president for academic administration and provost of Southern Seminary, and David E. Prince, assistant professor of Christian preaching, about using sports as a means of discipleship for kids. Alumni Academy offers ministry enhancement and ongoing theological learning to the institution's alumni free of charge. For a nominal fee, attendees may bring members of their church staff with them. The next scheduled Alumni Academy course will feature Boyce College dean Dan DeWitt teaching through his forthcoming book, Jesus OR Nothing, May 22-23, 2014. More information about Alumni Academy is available at www.events.sbts.edu. ********** A Conversation with Frank Page about BI-Vocational Ministry Recorded Jan. 17, 2014 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) -- JASON K. ALLEN, MIDWESTERN PRESIDENT: Dr. Page it is a joy to host you in the Spurgeon Room on the campus of Midwestern Seminary. I am grateful for your friendship and your gospel partnership and to have a conversation with you today that is germane to so many of our churches and many of those in ministry and aspiring to ministry. Today, I want to talk about bi-vocational ministry. I know you well enough to know your heart, and you're like me in that you have a great heart for those serving in bi-vocational ministry and all the challenges and complexities that go with that. Also, I think we both perceive that the wave of the future, in many ways, will be bi-vocational ministry. Today, we want to unpack some of these realities. Let me begin by asking you a question: When you think of bi-vocational ministry, what comes to mind as far as the different challenges associated with it? FRANK PAGE, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Dr. Allen. It is an honor to be with you today. I will tell you that I have spent a lot of time working with bi-vocational pastors, and I speak every year to various groups of bi-vocational pastors. What comes to mind is that hard-working pastor who maybe a school teacher during the day, maybe a lawyer or doctor, or maybe a blue collar worker, but works in the evening and on the weekends in such a hard fashion. Statistically, probably a majority of Southern Baptist churches are pastored by a bi-vocational pastor. In the state of Missouri, it is more than 50 percent. In most states, it is more than 50 percent. Out west and up north, high percentages of our pastors are bi-vocational. I will tell you, they are my heroes. ALLEN: Thank you. The North American Mission Board refers to bi-vocational pastors as ironmen, and that's true. You must have a profound sense of calling and be one that is willing and able to burn the candle at both ends, so to speak, and to give of oneself in a generous way. Of course, we can go all the way back to the New Testament and see Paul, who was a tentmaker, but also a preacher, balancing these things. I think the profile of the typical bi-vocational minister is probably changing. Studies indicate this. By that I mean it is not just the person who, for whatever reason, has yet to find a full-time ministry. That is often the profile we tend to associate with bi-vocational ministers. These days there is more intentionality. I'm seeing where people are consciously choosing to be a bi-vocational minister and to fulfill that ministry from a business platform or from a particular vocational platform so they are not a financial burden on the church. Maybe their business platform gives them certain entrees or avenues into ministry context. Are you seeing that same shift take place? PAGE: I am, and I'm seeing it emphasized and promoted—I think in a healthy way—not only by our North American Mission Board, but by some of our colleges. We have some of our Christian schools that are intentionally encouraging their graduates, whether in pharmacy, business, or wherever it might be, to consider a ministry such as that which you just outlined. I think it's a healthy emphasis and an encouraging emphasis. May I say just a couple other things about why one of the reasons your earlier statement was so apropos? It is not only a current reality, it is going to be more of a reality. That is for one main reason, one major fact that we often do not look at. The pool from which we get pastoral candidates is aging. Earlier we spoke about it in another subject. We have talked about the current plethora of students and ministers who want to be church planters. Well, there are a lower number of people who want to be pastor of traditional Baptist churches. It is a fact, and the fact that less numbers want to go in traditional churches is combined with another huge factor that receives scant attention, and that is the pastoral pool is aging. In Missouri, for example, when I was president of the SBC, I did a little study. I don't remember why I did it. Then, there were 2,000 churches; now, there are slightly less. They have done a little bit of pulling back, not much. I asked of the 2,000 churches, how many in this state were pastored by persons under 40 years of age? At that time, it was less than 240. How many are pastored by people less than 30 years of age? Six. Almost 1,750 of the 2,000 churches were pastored by people 40 and up, and the majority were pastored by people 50 or 60 and up. We are seeing this to be true across the convention, that the pastoral pool from which we get pastors are my age. I am currently 61, so we are seeing a "graying" of the pastors. Well, what is going to happen 10 years from now, 20 years from now? The group from which one gets pastors is shrinking. Add to that, in many of our theological schools, there is a lack of emphasis on pastoring a traditional church. So, we may well see not only more bi-vocational pastors of necessity. We are going to see some places, Dr. Allen, where you go back to the old what we call "half-time" or "quarter-time" churches, where in Missouri or Kansas/Nebraska there are two churches per pastor, or three or four. Pastor preaches one Sunday in one church, a different Sunday in another. We may even see the circuit-riding type preacher, who would almost have to be bi-vocational in some instances, come back into mainstream. ALLEN: It is an incredible phenomenon when you think about it, and it's not merely limited to domestic pastors. We look to the international context, and it is similar for different reasons. We are seeking to address that here at Midwestern Seminary. At our undergraduate level, in the past couple of years, we have introduced a dual major track understanding we are going to be training a lot of men who will one day be in a bi-vocational context. They can get a Bible degree with a business degree, or a Bible degree with a liberal arts degree, and graduate with those degrees so they're positioned for bi-vocational ministry if the Lord has that down the road. In the international context, you think about two primary realities why bi-vocational ministry is becoming more prevalent. One is, of course, the offering plate dollar, or lack of the offering plate dollar. Being able to support oneself as one ministers on the mission field, but also in many contexts a lot of countries are hostile to those serving there as missionaries. So, they have to go there on a business platform to work. Though they may be working during the day as an engineer, as a physician, as a teacher, or some other skill they are rendering to that group, they are really there and using the margin of their time to spread the gospel. PAGE: That is exactly right, and I want to tell you, our current administration in our International Mission Board is well aware of that growing need, and they are actually also purposely reaching out to those who are already in business and finance and other kinds of industries who often go into foreign fields, international countries, to do their work trying to engage them also. It is an ongoing and a purposeful moving into a new direction of using bi-vocational persons. You are right, in international as well as North American missions. ALLEN: I have served at different times in my ministry functionally as a bi-vocational pastor. In the first church I ever pastored I was there nearly four years. The Lord really blessed the church and the ministry. They were just incredible years for me, my wife, and our very young family then. The church kindly paid me a full-time wage, so I wasn't financially a bi-vocational minister, but I was a full-time seminary student, and the church blessed me to be a full-time seminary student. As a relation to the allocation of my time, I had to function bi-vocationally. Later in life, and in a different context, I served at another church similarly where I had divided time. I had to manage my time accordingly. So, when you think about bi-vocational ministry, that is probably the greatest challenge. Hopefully, if you are bi-vocational, the financial challenges are met by that business or job you are holding. If you are giving a part of your time to a job that is not ministerial, then obviously you have this dramatic reduction in the time you can give. To help pastors and ministers who are serving bi-vocationally, what type of commentary or encouragement would you give them, as far as redeeming their time and optimizing their time for the sake of the gospel? PAGE: Thank you, Dr. Allen. That is the most crucial aspect in the life of bi-vocational pastor. My first two pastorates were similar to yours, in which I was the pastor of those churches, but my time certainly had to be spent in educational enterprise because I was either doing the master's or Ph.D. program during those times. I understand a little bit, like you do, of what bi-vocational pastors go through. It is all about a daily prioritization. That is why they are my heroes. They struggle so much with trying to do what they do to make a living, at the same time trying to build the kingdom of God in a local setting. So, prioritization daily is extremely important. I try to tell them there are days that you are going to give so much time to your business, so much time to the church, be careful not to neglect their families in those days. I have found that if we will just concentrate on Matthew 6:33 to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you." That ought to be our daily prayer: "God help me to prioritize my life today to be a kingdom man, and how do you want me to prioritize that?" He will give us the perfect balance, even in a bi-vocational ministry setting. I also have to say to bi-vocational pastors, this is going to sound somewhat odd, to recognize that you can't be perfect in everything you do. While some scholars would say that you need to spend 20 hours a week on each sermon, well, reality for every pastor and particularly for bi-vocational pastors is that is not going to happen. So, don't eat yourself up if you can't do what the textbook says you are supposed to do in every regard. You are not going to be able to spend 20 hours a week doing your sermon, and do pastoral care, and take care of your family, and serve a position in a school or industry or wherever it might be. That is not going to happen. Do the best you can, and God will bless that. I think that is important. ALLEN: That is important. I have as a personal discipline, and I encourage bi-vocational ministers similarly, and frankly pastors as well, think of your time as a pie and make strategic decisions on the front end of how much time you can give to sermons, how time you can give to other ministry work, and other aspects of pastoral ministry, and then you just have to make some decisions and divide it. If you don't get on the front end of it, you are continually behind the eight ball. You're continually reacting and not acting, and it is a formula for disaster. PAGE: It is, and another thing that I try to talk to bi-vocational pastors about is that in some ways bi-vocational pastors also have to be like a larger church pastor. What I mean by that is, as a bi-vocational pastor, you can't do everything. You better learn to delegate. The larger a church gets, a pastor has to start delegating because he can't do the ministry for that number of people. A bi-vocational pastor has to do the same thing. If you really want to succeed, you learn to delegate, to spend your time in training your lay people, as Scripture says in Ephesians, to do the work of ministry. You can't do it all. For example, utilize people in the church to help with hospital visitation. You can't go to the hospital every day and do your work and help your family. Get them to be a part of ministering one-to-another. Not only does it use your time wisely, it is better for them. ALLEN: That's good, that's very good. The other word of encouragement—strong encouragement—that I give, and I would love for you to speak to this as well, is on the front end making crystal clear expectations. Some churches think, "We want a bi-vocational minister," and they interpret that as, "We want to pay part-time but get full-time." It's not sufficient merely to hammer out expectations for the search committee. You have to hammer out those expectations as clearly as you can with the church as a whole, as what this will look like, feel like, functionally week-to-week and month-to-month. As the church has those expectations clearly defined, and as they sense the pastor or bi-vocational minister's heart is there full-time—even if their hands and their feet and themselves are not there full-time—they seem to be able to process that much better. PAGE: I totally agree. Again, they need to learn how to make their presence known even when they can't be totally present all the time. There are ways to do that. You can use the phone. You may not be able to visit all the time, but you can make 10 phone calls in the time you can make one visit. So, you can call your people. Call them on their birthday. Call them when they have been to the hospital, even when you didn't get to go by and see them. Check with them; let them know; write notes to them. A note of encouragement will go a long way to help people. Make your presence known even when you can't be present all the time. Help your people know up front, here is what I can do, and here is what I can't do. Let them know that there is going to be a priority to your family, and they need to honor that. I remember years ago, it started when my girls were just toddlers, I let everyone in my church know, even when I was in a bi-vocational type setting, that Thursday nights were date nights in the Page house. I had my wife and three daughters. The first night was Dale, the second Thursday night was Melissa, and then Laura, and then little Allison. So, for almost 30 years because of the span of the children's ages, even when they were in college, we did date night. That is just the way it was. Everyone knew not to try and get me on Thursday night, because I wouldn't come. There was a reason why I wouldn't come. Maybe over those years there were emergencies some Thursday nights. My girls and my wife, they always understood. Let your priorities be known up front, say this is the way it is, and I hope you understand; if you don't, then you can get over it. It is extremely important to bi-vocational pastors that they set those expectations, just like you said, ahead of time and say that "I want to do everything I can to be your pastor. I'm going to love you, but I have to make some priorities." ALLEN: That is good. I learned, and I consciously realized and determined, that the most important hour of my week as a bi-vocational minister was the 10 minutes before and after the three services. Be there 10 minutes early, at least; stay 10 minutes late, at least; and the amount of pastoral contact that you can have before and after services on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday can save you multiple hours during the week where you have to make a special trip or have some special follow-up. You can do that around those services, and it can go a long way. PAGE: Every Wednesday night, we would have a supper. I would walk around to every table touching, loving, playing with kids, touching lives, ministering to the people. Same thing, up and down the aisles every Sunday morning and every Sunday night: speaking to people, encouraging people, and getting to know people. There are ways to make your presence known, even when your time is limited. ALLEN: That's good.  This has been a very helpful conversation. My heart and my prayers are for bi-vocational ministers. I anticipate their tribe increasing in the years ahead, and we are determined to be faithful here at Midwestern Seminary to serve them, to encourage them, to equip them, so they can be most effectively used for the glory of God. Thank you for the conversation, and thank you for being with us here at Midwestern. PAGE: Thank you, Dr. Allen. ********** Christian higher education faces legal battle with former president By J.C. Derrick WASHINGTON (WORLD News Service) -- Former Council for Christian Colleges and Universities president Edward O. Blews Jr. is suing the council for $2.2 million, saying he was fired without cause, tarnishing his reputation, as he tried to address systemic problems at the organization. The CCCU, a coalition of 174 Christian colleges and universities, announced it was dismissing Blews last October, less than 10 months after he assumed the presidency. The CCCU gave no public reasons for replacing Blews—saying only that it came after "careful investigation and prayerful consideration"—but a subsequent investigation by WORLD revealed some of the reasons in an article published last month. The lawsuit alleges that after the council's October press release hurt Blews' reputation, WORLD's coverage "further damaged" his name with "outrageous allegations." I asked Blews' attorney, Joyce Smithey, what specific allegations her client disputes and she declined to cite any. She said Blews will not give any interviews, but he is "profoundly disappointed" in the council's refusal to honor its contractual obligations. In a statement released Thursday, the CCCU said it "stands ready to defend its decision to make a presidential transition." Blews filed the lawsuit as the council opened a major conference Wednesday in Los Angeles—a scaled-down version of the CCCU's quadrennial International Forum on Christian Higher Education. According to the CCCU Board of Directors and former employees, Blews' lack of preparation for the forum was a major factor in the decision to fire him. But Blews claimed he was "attentive" to forum planning as soon as he took office in January 2013. Blews said he was working "extraordinarily hard," and while he had received some "advice," he had overall positive feedback from the board as recent as two months before being fired. According to the complaint, Blews was shocked to learn of the board's many problems with his presidency. Attached to the suit is a 23-page letter Blews submitted to the board in early October regarding his performance. The letter included detailed responses to specific charges: intentionally failing to represent the CCCU to vital external audiences; intentionally failing to plan the International Forum; misrepresenting facts to the board; misrepresenting the board to the staff; intentionally failing to schedule or attend meetings; and intentionally failing to execute decisions in a timely fashion. The term "intentional failure" is key because, according to the complaint, Blews' five-year contract only allows three causes for dismissal: grossly immoral or felonious behavior, an explicit denial of his Christian faith, or "intentional failure" to execute his duties as president and CEO. The first two causes would allow the council to relieve Blews without pay, but the third—the one the organization apparently used—requires it to pay no less than 24 months of his $303,850 annual salary and full benefits. The suit claims Blews "has not engaged in any conduct or behavior that would trigger any of the provisions" outlined in the contract and was given "no reasonable opportunity to defend himself." Blews wants the CCCU to pay him the full $2,204,894.72 owed over the life of the contract. The complaint accuses the organization of only offering him $200,000 and no benefits. Blews said he was reluctant to take the position and turned it down initially, citing "concerns about the dysfunction and serious problems within the organization and unhappiness among employees with the Board after his acceptance." The suit says the board fired Blews in part based on information from "disgruntled prior employees," although former employees told me the board did not consult them before firing Blews. They said the unanimous decision was based solely on interviews with employees still working for the council. According to Blews, he was working to address a variety of organizational problems, including a "substantial" 2012-13 budget deficit, one employee's conflict of interest, nepotism in hiring practices, a violation of board policies, gender discrimination, and a disclosure of private employee information on the organization's computer system. All former employees left of their own volition, but Blews, in his suit—while going after the reputation of several former employees—does not say why he never fired anyone over the alleged serious problems. The suit also recounts a conversation in which the board's vice chair, Barry Corey, president of Biola University, said he didn't think Blews would be able to correct the office problems because "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." A footnote of the suit said Blews, 58, is filing an age discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and plans to add that charge to the complaint once he's granted a right to sue. Blews filed the complaint in Superior Court in Washington, D.C. He said he tried to resolve the disagreement through biblical methods of mediation and dispute resolution, but the council refused to cooperate after an initial meeting in November. The CCCU on Thursday said it was "surprised and disappointed" to learn Blews filed a lawsuit, since it agreed to his proposed mediation date of March 18. "A Christian mediation process is required by his presidential contract before the filing of a lawsuit, and it is in keeping with our shared faith commitment to litigate only after exhausting all other options," the council's statement said. EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story appeared in WORLD News Service on Jan. 31 of this year. A key Christian college group quickly fires a president -- and tries to regain its footing By J.C. Derrick (WORLD News Service) -- The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), with 119 members and 55 affiliates, provides off-campus programs for Christian students and development conferences for administrators. Operating from offices near Capitol Hill, it tries to protect Christian schools from government encroachment in areas ranging from faculty hiring to Obamacare-mandated provision of abortion pills.  Threats from within and without are hitting the CCCU as it prepares to host on Feb. 12-14 in Los Angeles its quadrennial International Forum on Christian Higher Education—the largest Christian higher-education gathering in the world. Along with discussing demographic challenges and shrinking budgets, members will chart the future of the Council itself: Within the past year the CCCU lost its president and three of its four vice presidents. Over the past three months I've looked into the CCCU's firing last October of its 57-year-old president, Edward O. Blews Jr., after only ten months in office. I interviewed two former CCCU presidents, seven college presidents (including three former CCCU Board chairmen), other college administrators, and three former staffers. I found two stories: one about an organization trying to find its way in a shifting economic and political climate, and one about a man who "took a hacksaw" to an important organization. After an 18-month search, the CCCU Board in 2012 tapped Ed Blews to replace the retiring Paul Corts, a former assistant attorney general in the Bush administration. Fellow students at Seattle Pacific University had elected Blews student body president, but SPU says he never earned a bachelor's degree there. Blews did graduate from Thomas Cooley Law School, which accepts certain students without a bachelor's degree, but the State Bar of Michigan has no record of his ever passing the bar. Blews spent 28 years in a lobbying role at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Michigan, a four-person operation without the size and scope of the CCCU, which has 72 full-time employees. "He was probably overwhelmed by the complexity and the diversity of institutions," said Bob Andringa, the CCCU president from 1994 to 2006: "It's an entirely different ballgame at the federal level than the state level." Critics say Blews lacked sufficient education and experience, but Board members such as Messiah College President Kim Phipps, then the Board's chair, enthusiastically backed him. Blews in his CCCU inaugural address said, "I answered my phone to hear a commanding female voice that sounded suspiciously like Kim Phipps saying, 'Ed. This is God. And she is calling you to the CCCU presidency.'"  Blews' inaugural celebration was the first such bash in the Council's history, complete with giveaways for attendees: pens and golden bookmarks engraved with Blews' name. He brought in as entertainment the acclaimed but typically off-color Capitol Steps, a political satire group that charges $9,500 per hour—an amount roughly equal to a college's annual membership dues. The CCCU website's account of the event began, "In an inspiring and compelling ceremony marked by an extended standing ovation?…" Three former CCCU employees—WORLD is giving them anonymity because they could lose their current jobs—describe the work environment Blews created in nightmarish terms: He would berate staff, sometimes in front of colleagues, in meetings that could last for hours. They say Blews tracked which employees complimented him, and during his first staff meeting laid out on a table dozens of congratulatory letters to himself. The Spring 2013 issue of the CCCU's Advance Magazine had 18 photos of Blews. Staffers say he had to approve everything. "You felt like you needed permission to go to the bathroom," one former employee said. "It became this paranoid, Soviet culture." Inconsistency marked Blews' tenure even in lobbying, his area of strength. He officially protested Obamacare's abortion pill mandate to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), but his communications strategy wasn't robust. In July, days after HHS released its final rule, Inside Higher Ed ran a story quoting leaders of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, but noted that the CCCU declined to comment. Some CCCU member presidents saw Blews as unresponsive to their concerns. Eleven of the 24 administrative staff members in Washington left the Council in 2013, taking with them seven decades of institutional knowledge. Andringa said the departed employees played critical roles, and cited Kyle Royer as "a terrific CFO" who had been with the Council 24 years. Blews' solution: bring in a temporary accountant two days a week. Office disarray led to confusion about plans for February's Forum: When the Board unanimously ousted Blews in October, registration was still not online and the program was still unset.  Philanthropist Roberta Ahmanson, the opening-night keynote speaker at next month's Forum, says the CCCU Board should have more carefully reviewed Blews' educational background: "If they did know, then they really need to do some soul searching about why they went ahead and hired him." I contacted Kim Phipps and the current CCCU Board chair, Chip Pollard, president of John Brown University, but they both declined to comment. I left voicemails for Blews and visited his home in Washington, but he did not return my messages. BLEWS' TENURE CAME as the council already faced significant challenges. According to the most recent data available on GuideStar, which collects nonprofit financial reports, member dues accounted for only $1.4 million of the CCCU's $12.6 million budget in 2011. Three-fourths of it, $9.5 million, came from off-campus student programs, including a journalism program in Washington, a film-studies program in Los Angeles, and study-abroad programs in countries around the world.  Former employees confirmed enrollment in those programs is down dramatically in recent years, as more institutions create their own study-abroad programs and seek to keep student dollars on campus. Some schools are saying scholarship money cannot be used for off-campus courses. Former president Andringa, now a nonprofit ministry consultant, said many campuses suffer from dwindling denominational support, have already deferred campus maintenance, and have mandated hiring and salary freezes.  The CCCU Washington administrative staff is barely half the size it was a year ago. Blews' contract may leave the CCCU in a financial bind: When he first met the staff in July 2012, he boasted that his "ironclad five-year contract" could not be voided even if he was fired with cause. No former employee would reveal to me the details of the contract, but according to GuideStar, Blews' predecessor had an annual salary of almost $320,000. If Blews was making that amount and the contract is as ironclad as he thinks it is, the Council could pay as much as $1.6 million over five years—a lot of money for an organization that cleared only $33,299 in fiscal 2011. Blews may sue the CCCU over his dismissal, and this would create more uncertainty for an organization that, according to Andringa, has "lost a lot of credibility, unfortunately, in the last year." Although acting CCCU president Bill Robinson made Forum planning his top priority, and registration went online days after the firing of Blews, as of mid-January the Council was still scrambling to secure enough registrants to cover the Los Angeles hotel contract. Former CCCU president Corts told me the CCCU is a crucial defender of Christian institutions' right to hire only believers: Without that right, Christian institutions cease to be Christian and "all the rest is for naught." The Obama administration has argued the religious exemption to laws against hiring discrimination should not exist, but the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 ruled unanimously in favor of keeping it. "It's such a fragile thing," Corts said. "In virtually every Congress there is legislation introduced to take that right away." Colorado Christian University vice president Christopher Leland said it's becoming increasingly difficult to convince accrediting bodies that educational excellence can go together with a uniquely Christian vision: "We have a lot of Christian colleges and universities who are doing a lot of good work and need help." Some CCCU members want an organization that will engage not only Congress and the Department of Education, but scholars and writers who critique higher education. Andringa said Christians should rally around the CCCU: "The Council is critical to the body of Christ in the next several decades." Without accountability, says Ahmanson, scandals are inevitable: "It's time for evangelical institutions, especially in higher education, to assess their boards.?…?They need to also understand that being supportive means asking hard questions." --30-- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moore responds: Christians not hypocrites to refuse gay marriage business by Tom Strode Date: February 24, 2014 - Monday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Christian photographers, florists and bakers are not hypocrites to refuse their services for same-sex weddings, Southern Baptist ethicist Russell D. Moore has written in response to the charge from other evangelical Christians. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, posted a response Sunday (Feb. 23) to a column by Kirsten Powers and Jonathan Merritt published the same day at The Daily Beast, a popular news and commentary website. Powers, a Daily Beast columnist and Fox News analyst, and Merritt, a senior columnist for Religion News Service, said Moore and other Christians are selectively invoking the Bible when they refuse to serve for same-sex weddings while not declining for other "unbiblical" ceremonies. As an example of an unbiblical wedding, Powers and Merritt cited a ceremony between a Christian and a non-Christian or involving a divorced person who does not have a biblical basis for divorce. "If you refuse to photograph one unbiblical wedding, you should refuse to photograph them all," Powers and Merritt wrote. "If not, you'll be seen as a hypocrite and as a known Christian, heap shame on the Gospel." There is a distinction, Moore responded, between a same-sex ceremony and a heterosexual wedding, even if a man and woman do not have biblical grounds for marriage. "In the case of a same-sex marriage, the marriage is obviously wrong, in every case," Moore wrote at his blog. "There are no circumstances in which a man and a man or a woman and a woman can be morally involved in a sexual union." Moore's blog response followed more extensive comments on the distinction in a "Question and Ethics" podcast posted Feb. 20 at The Gospel Coalition blog. A same-sex ceremony is different from "other problematic marriages," Moore told a Christian photographer who asked about shooting a same-sex wedding. "[W]hile a biblical view of marriage would see that such people (fornicators, believers to unbelievers, unlawfully divorced, etc.) should not get married, and that the church has no authority to marry them, we also would affirm that such people, when married, actually are married," Moore said. "A pastor who joins a believer to an unbeliever bears an awful responsibility for doing something wrong, but the end result is an actual marriage. "The same-sex marriage differs not in terms of morality, but in terms of reality. It is not that homosexuality is some sort of wholly different or unforgivable sexual sin. It's that the historic Christian view of marriage means that without sexual complementarity there is no marriage at all." Moore applied the apostle Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 8 regarding meat sacrificed to idols to the situation. When they are served meat, Paul writes, Christians in Corinth can "eat it to the glory of God," but they are to abstain "for the sake of the consciences around you" if it "is advertised as sacrificed to idols," Moore wrote in his Feb. 23 post. In the Feb. 20 response to the photographer, Moore said, "You need not investigate as a wedding photographer whether the wedding you are photographing is Christ-honoring. But when there is an obvious deviation from the biblical reality, sacrifice the business for conscience, your own and those of the ones in your orbit who would be confused." Powers, formerly part of the Clinton administration, and Merritt, a master of divinity graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said of Moore's counsel, "Apparently, ignorance is bliss. This makes sure to put just one kind of 'unbiblical' marriage in a special category." Moore "is telling Christian vendors that it's okay to do something 'wrong' by providing services for a heterosexual wedding as long as they don't know its unbiblical," Powers and Merritt wrote. "But do we really believe that Christians don't know that many weddings they provide service for are unbiblical without 'investigating?' That's a real stretch. "Rather than protecting the conscience rights of Christians, this looks a lot more like randomly applying religious belief in a way that discriminates against and marginalizes one group of people, while turning a blind eye to another group," they wrote. "It's hard to believe that Jesus was ever for that." Moore noted Feb. 23, "The photographer has, in most cases, no ability or authority to find out the sorts of things a pastor or church elders would about a marrying couple." He said, "[U]nless the photographer has a reason to think [there is an unbiblical basis for a marriage], he needn't hire a private investigator or ask for birth certificates and court papers to make sure it's not." The hypocrisy charge from other evangelicals is one thing, Moore said. "It's quite another thing for the state to coerce persons through fines and penalties and licenses to use their creative gifts to support weddings they believe to be sinful," he said. In their column, Powers and Merritt said the Bible does not call Christians "to deny services to people who are engaging in behavior they believe violates the teachings of Christianity regarding marriage." Moore took issue. "Does that apply only to the morality of marriage?" Moore asked. "Should a Christian (or Muslim or Orthodox Jewish or feminist New Age) web designer be compelled to develop a site platform for a legal pornography company?" Moore expressed his love for Powers and Merritt, and they said they respect him. Powers appeared on a panel on religious liberty sponsored by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission in October in Washington. Both Powers and Merritt had written columns days earlier criticizing state legislative efforts to protect the conscience rights of photographers, florists and others regarding same-sex weddings. In a Feb. 19 column in USA today, Powers equated the measures with the Jim Crow laws used in the South to discriminate against African Americans. Merritt said in a Feb. 20 Religious News Service piece the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. would have agreed with Powers. Other evangelical bloggers commented on the Feb. 23 column by Powers and Merritt: -- Denny Burk, professor at Boyce College in Louisville, Ky., said in a Feb. 23 post he was "grieved" by their commentary. "Of course we do not expect society at large to understand the teachings of Christianity or why the Bible might prohibit Christians from participating in gay wedding celebrations," Burk wrote. "After all, it is not their consciences that are in view here. It's ours. But I would have expected more from Powers and Merritt." They say Christians "are discriminating against gay people by giving a pass to unbiblical heterosexual weddings," Burk wrote. "Yet to make this argument, Powers and Merritt must assume a moral equivalence between gay marriage and conjugal marriage. And this is precisely the point. They are not equal." He also described as a "blatant misrepresentation" the assertion by Powers and Merritt that Moore said it is "okay to do something 'wrong.'" -- Betsy Childs, web and publications editor for Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala., said in a Monday (Feb. 24) post at the website First Things: "A same-sex wedding is the ceremonial blessing of behavior the Bible condemns. Affirmation of homosexual practice is intrinsic to gay nuptials. There is no need to ask the history of the couple or their reasons for marrying in order to figure out whether or not the marriage is one that God would approve. In contrast, while two heterosexuals wishing to marry may or may not be obeying God's commands, the institution itself is one that God has affirmed. "Hypocritical Christians are those who forget that they are sinners in need of a savior. Apart from God's grace we would be damned, and we are hypocrites if we refuse to call others from their sin to experience that same grace. To profit by helping others celebrate their sin, thereby perpetuating the illusion that homosexual behavior is not sin, would be hypocritical for any Christian, be he butcher, baker, or candlestick maker." --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).