The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-03/06/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK OF PRAYER: Missions -- 'whatever it takes' by Jim Burton Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday UPDATE: Paragraphs 2 and 7 of the story were adjusted to identify Christ Fellowship Church, not Christ Fellowship Baptist Church. EDITOR'S NOTE: The annual Week of Prayer for North American Missions, March 1-8, and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering provide support for missionaries who serve on behalf of Southern Baptists across North America. With a goal of $60 million, this year's offering theme is "Send North America." For more information, visit AnnieArmstrong.com. CHICAGO (BP) -- Gabriel Revilla recalls a "Nike moment" when his college pastor in Miami approached him with a question. "What do you think about recruiting an actual team of students and allowing them to come to Miami to reach lostness here?" Gus Hernandez, collegiate pastor at Christ Fellowship Church, asked Revilla. The question was neither small nor random. Hernandez knew Revilla's heart and potential for leadership in ministry. Revilla accepted the challenge and decided to "Just do it." Hernandez connected Revilla with a North American Mission Board Generation Send (GenSend) mobilizer who challenged Revilla to leave his comfort zone in Miami to learn how to be a missionary in another major city. Going somewhere new through NAMB's GenSend initiative was attractive to Revilla. "I was so curious about what God is doing in cities other than Miami," Revilla said of the six-week opportunity in the summer of 2014. Through Christ Fellowship Church, Revilla had gained early exposure to missions in Miami. The church regularly hosted a mission camp in which all seven of its campuses met to serve the city of Miami for an entire week at the downtown campus. "If you can't make disciples where you currently live," Revilla said, "I think it will be extremely difficult to make disciples in a setting in which you are unfamiliar with language and culture. So the mission starts where you are right now. "Missions is important," he said, "because when our heart is in God, then our heart is in the nations because God is in the nations." International mission trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic also had enlarged his understanding of what God was doing beyond Miami. "I'm a city dude, grew up in Miami my whole life," Revilla said. Venturing outside the U.S. "to see what Jesus is doing in these two countries was incredible." But, he realized, "Here I am traveling the world, and I don't even know what's going on in my own country outside Miami." Revilla attended a Next Generation Leader's Conference in Nashville in early June 2014 that helped prepare him for a subsequent assignment in Chicago and in Miami in 2015. "I started to realize that there is so much more to the Gospel," Revilla said. Loving the Windy City "You can only read so much until you actually do something," Revilla said. "I came into [Chicago's] O'Hare Airport thinking I could do this," but "it was interesting to see how God humbled me to show me that this trip meant loving on people and intentionally caring for people -- because they are people not just an objective. So it was great to see God readjust my mindset." Revilla's team lived in Edgewater, the northernmost part of Chicago that includes Loyola University, for much of the six-week immersion -- home to students and scores of established and affluent people. Bordering Lake Michigan, Edgewater gets the full effect of wind coming off the water. The community also represents the full effect of America's diversity. Devon Street, which claims to be the most diverse in the country, is lined with shops all the way to Wrigleyville where the Chicago Cubs play at the venerated Wrigley Field. Like other GenSend missionaries, Revilla's assignment has been to walk the streets and engage people. NAMB designs GenSend as part of its Send North America strategy to help a generation of Southern Baptist college students develop a heart for America's major metropolitan areas where most of the nation lives. Chicago and Miami are two of 32 Send North America cities. "You learn to live in the city, and you let the city change you," Revilla said. "You figure out the rhythm of the city, the flow and the tides." One place where Devon Street and Cuban coffee flow is a restaurant called La Unica (translated: the one and only). Revilla is Cuban, and over the summer he built relationships with La Unica's employees and was able to share his faith in Christ. On the street, Revilla found that being a Captain America fan opened doors when he wore Captain America T-shirts. Around Wrigleyville, he wore his Miami Marlins baseball hat, which led to conversations with Cubs fans. He's also good at skateboarding. So he bought one in Chicago and met people as he skated. While he had some success in meeting people, "I get discouraged when I see the brokenness and people don't want to talk. They don't know who Jesus is, and they still don't want to talk," Revilla said. "The urgency is extremely overwhelming." Revilla said Chicago seems to reflect the same challenge as Miami, where an estimated 96 percent of Miamians don't have a personal relationship with Christ. "People are lost here," he said of the Windy City. "People don't know who Jesus is." Having now experienced missions in two urban areas, Revilla has developed convictions about missions in America's largest cities. "If you change cities, you can change the world," he said. "I'm a firm believer in that. The cities impact everything else." Revilla will mobilize a GenSend team this summer to encounter Miami and learn how to minister there. "The reason to do it is not because it's just another mission trip," said Revilla, who aspires to be a collegiate minister. "It's the kind of mission experience that allows you to see where your own heart is, to realize how important people are." Watch Gabriel Revilla and other GenSend missionaries talk about the program and their passion for the cities: -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDUCATION DIGEST: SWBTS partners with Filipino seminary; SBTS adds apologetics doctorates by Staff Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: In this Education Digest: Southwestern Seminary partners with the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary; Southern Seminary adds applied apologetics doctorates. Southwestern to partner with Filipino seminary By Alex Sibley FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Paige Patterson sealed a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary partnership with the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary during a visit to Baguio City in the Philippines in January. The partnership, which was framed during the past year, is being coordinated through Southwestern's Global Theological Innovation initiative to aid in the theological education of God-called men and women in the Philippines. Patterson, Southwestern's president, said, "Such a commitment is strategically important because trained pastors who understand doctrinal and methodological issues from the Baptist perspective are essential if Baptists are to continue to have a significant witness [throughout the world]. "By reconnecting with seminaries all over the world, Southwestern has the opportunity not only to be blessed by these brothers and sisters from many nations but also to lend whatever expertise we may have to the task of training the next generation of pastors in those places," Patterson said. Patterson was the featured speaker at the Philippine seminary's 46th annual Lide-Walker Bible Conference entailing a series of lectures on various theological topics. Armand Canoy, president of the Philippine seminary, said it would be an "exciting moment for many pastors, church leaders and workers in this part of the globe to see and hear God's Word through [Patterson] ... to be refreshed and be ready for another year of ministry." Patterson delivered three lectures on the book of Revelation and led a breakout session on archaeology. Dorothy Patterson, professor of theology in women's studies at Southwestern, led a breakout session on women's ministry; Leo Day, dean of the school of church music, led one on worship. Day also led worship during the conference's four worship services. Patterson and Canoy formally signed a five-year partnership agreement between the two seminaries in which Southwestern will send faculty to the Philippine seminary to supplement some of the classes that the seminary does not have faculty to teach. Southwestern first connected to the Philippine seminary through one of the Texas seminary's trustees, Danny Johnson, a former missionary to the Philipppines who now serves as director of missions for the Pulaski Baptist Association in Arkansas. Johnson suggested the partnership to Patterson, who in turn asked Global Theological Innovation staff to explore the possibility. When discussions between Southwestern and the Philippine seminary made it clear that a partnership would benefit theological education in the Philippines, the two parties moved to formalize a relationship. In the partnership, Southwestern also will work with the Philippine seminary in evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, church planting, missions and involving students in ministry through Filipino churches and missions endeavors across Asia. Day, reflecting on his part in the trip, said it was significant "to learn how we, Southwestern, could partner academically with the Philippine seminary. Through our partnership, we will be able to serve them by sending students and faculty to help fulfill our shared mission in spreading the Gospel through preaching and musical worship. "I can't wait to go back to see the students who hunger and thirst for God through musical worship," Day added. "It's in their eyes. I feel it in their hearts. I hear it when they speak." Deron Biles, Southwestern's dean of extension education, also was among those who visited the Philippines, speaking at the seminary's Summit for Extension Education. "The fact that Dr. Patterson came to the Philippine seminary was significant for them," Biles said, "as it marked a formalization of our partnership, and having the president there signified our commitment to the project." Southern offers apologetics doctorates By RuthAnne Irvin & Mackenzie Miller LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has initiated D.Min. and D.Ed.Min. degrees in applied apologetics to equip ministry leaders as their churches confront current issues and reach people with the Gospel. "Apologetics remains indispensable for biblical ministry, therefore, the study of apologetics should be regarded as fundamental in ministry preparation," said Ted Cabal, professor of philosophy and apologetics. "No one obeys our Lord's Great Commission to evangelize without apologetics." The D.Min. degree is a 32-hour program and the D.Ed.Min. a 46-hour program, both designed to be completed in 36 months. The doctoral programs include modular courses offered in the winter and summer terms. The degrees encourage cohort learning, which program leaders say promotes spiritual comradery and the building of long-term relationships. Cabal and Timothy Paul Jones, the seminary's C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Family Ministry, will teach the seminars along with guest apologetics experts. "The Southern Seminary D.Min. in applied apologetics is uniquely designed to shape a new generation of apologists by bringing together academic studies of history and cultural issues with real-life engagement in apologetics," Jones said. The program unites the experiences and expertise of professors from the School of Theology and the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry. "The result of this synergy of two schools, two professors and renowned guest lecturers is an apologetic degree that is practical and academic, historical and philosophical, evangelistic and culturally engaged," Jones said. The study of apologetics correlates to the Gospel in everyday interactions, Cabal said. Every belief has a reason behind it, including those of unbelievers, he said, and every conversation is influenced by these beliefs. In each interaction, if evangelism is done without care for the reasons behind the beliefs, "the powerfully subversive Good News" is mishandled. Studying applied apologetics must lead to careful prayer for the Spirit to tear down non-Christian worldviews and lay a foundation to build up a belief system founded on the Gospel, he said. "While apologetics saves no one," Jones said, "its truth is the necessary corollary to the Gospel." More information about the D.Min. and D.Ed.Min. in applied apologetics is available at sbts.edu/dmin. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SWBTS at 2/3 mark for college-missions building by Staff Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Funding for a new building for the College at Southwestern and the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has reached the two-thirds mark for the cost of construction. The seminary received a $12 million lead gift from Harold and Patricia Mathena of Oklahoma City in October and a $1 million challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation in February. An additional $3 million in gifts and pledges place the overall total at $16 million raised thus far. The 73,000-square-foot building is tentatively named Mathena Hall. "There are living in this world 7 billion unsaved men and women, boys and girls," Mathena, a businessman and bivocational evangelist, said in announcing the $12 million gift. "I also know that, from the beginning, Southwestern Seminary's mission has been to prepare men and women to take the Gospel to the ends of the world," Mathena said in a mid-October chapel. "To enhance this mission of taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to every man and woman, we [the Mathena family] believe that the Lord wants a home for the proclamation of the Gospel on this campus. We want to be a part of that," Mathena said. "After much prayer, [my wife] Patricia and I want to give you today this pledge of $12 million as our testimony and our personal stewardship commitment to the College at Southwestern and to the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions -- for the building of a complex to hold their strategic ministries." Mathena was relatively poor in his early years, working as a roughneck in the oil industry and later serving in the pastorate. After working as both a full-time and bivocational pastor at various churches, Mathena became a full-time evangelist. Using his experience from the oil field, he founded a manufacturing company for the oil industry as an effort to support his family during his evangelistic ministry. In 2012, Mathena sold his business for more than $200 million. The following Sunday, Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City received Mathena's tithe: a check for more than $20 million. For Mathena, the stewardship principles he has practiced all his life continue to motivate him, in his words, "to put his money where his mouth is," investing in ministry efforts to further the Kingdom of God. The nonprofit Mabee Foundation was founded in 1948 by John and Lottie Mabee to assist religious, charitable and educational organizations. When the Mabees died in the early 1960s, they left a substantial portion of their personal estates to the foundation, based in Tulsa, Okla. The foundation continues to carry out the Mabees' vision, and evidence of its benevolence can be seen throughout the Southwestern United States. "The dream of connecting our students across the world with the ability to attend classes on a virtual basis in Mathena Hall is another step closer to reality," said Mike Hughes, Southwestern's vice president for institutional advancement. "Mathena Hall will end up being the most technologically advanced building on the campus of Southwestern," Hughes said. "As the world gets smaller, we clearly want to seize the opportunity to bring more students into the classrooms of Southwestern, whether the students are residential or online." Hughes said, however, that in order for Southwestern to receive the Mabee Foundation's $1 million challenge grant, the seminary must raise the balance of the construction cost, or $23 million, in gifts or pledges by January 2016. He encouraged friends of Southwestern to begin praying about "joining this strategic and life-changing funding effort to raise a total of $24 million, which will end up sending missionaries, pastors and other church workers across the globe to share the Gospel." Hughes added that Southwestern has achieved many notable milestones yet "the gap between aspirations and means has widened. Specifically, 'people and program' growth has outpaced the seminary's current facilities." Concerning the $12 million lead gift from the Mathenas, Paige Patterson, Southwestern's president, said last fall, "Harold Mathena knows that evangelism and missions are not accomplished through a building. My pledge to Harold Mathena has been that this building will be used to train men and women for the glory of God to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. I promised him that, and that's what he's interested in. Bricks and mortar, he knows you have to have them, but in the end, what he's interested in is the taking of the Gospel to the ends of the earth." The new building will be located to the west of the longtime president's residence, Pecan Manor. In addition to housing the undergraduate college and the school of evangelism and missions, Patterson said the building will contain up-to-date classroom facilities and a memorial with some of the memorabilia of Lottie Moon, a Southern Baptist missionary who spent nearly 40 years teaching and evangelizing in China. Hughes said the new building will ameliorate critical facility limitations as well as accommodate future growth and sustainability. He added that it will be "an outward expression of Southwestern's abiding commitment to the spiritual formation of all who come to Southwestern to prepare for ministry and to the mandate to reach the world for Christ." To view a rendering of the new building as well as information about the College at Southwestern and the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, visit swbts.edu/mathenahall. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Kendrick brothers: fight battles through prayer by Shawn Hendricks Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick will tell you they believe prayer can change America. The Southern Baptist duo, of Kendrick Brothers Productions, acknowledged they picked a good time to promote and release their latest film, "War Room," focusing on the power of prayer. Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd has been urging prayer for revival around the country since his election last June, and this year's annual meeting theme is "Great Awakening: Clear Agreement, Visible Union, Extraordinary Prayer." "We're very grateful [for the SBC's focus on prayer]," Stephen, producer/co-writer of the film, told Baptist Press while promoting the brothers' fifth film in Nashville at the National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention in February. "And we believe that for such a time as this that Southern Baptists need to unite and prioritize prayer above everything else," he said. Both men shared how prayer has impacted their lives and how they hope War Room will prompt more churches to bathe all of their decisions in prayer. "... We need to be repenting and we need to be humbling ourselves before the Lord and we need to fight our battles in prayer first," Stephen told BP. "And we hope that churches will use War Room as a flag to wave in their cities and in their communities and on Facebook to say let's redirect our attention away from our best-laid plans and let's start laying ourselves before the Lord and let Him work." This is the Kendrick brothers' first project independent of Sherwood Pictures, the filmmaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. Both men are active members and associate pastors at Sherwood Baptist. Their other movies include "Courageous," "Fireproof" and "Facing the Giants." In War Room, the character Elizabeth Jordan -- played by Christian author and Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer -- discovers through the help of a godly woman how prayer can help save her struggling marriage. See related story here. While Fireproof in 2008 also featured a couple -- played by Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea -- with a struggling marriage, Alex noted their latest film takes on the theme of marriage from a different perspective. Alex, director and co-writer, said the difference is Fireproof "focused on what scriptural love looks like, especially as led by the husband in a marriage. In War Room, it was the power of prayer and we came at it from the angle of the wife, and more specifically, an African American couple ... and this is the first of our [five] movies where we came at it from the wife's perspective." He added, "I'm hoping that the movie inspires everyone ... wives to fight for their husbands the right way, for husbands to fight for their wives the right way in prayer, and so we're excited about that." While many might contend the divorce rate and overall spiritual condition of the U.S. is in the worst shape it has ever been, Stephen said moral decay isn't new to the country. "If you look at the condition of America before the first and second Great Awakening, it was bad," he said. "... But what happened? "Believers started uniting together, and started praying and humbling themselves before the Lord. And the Lord showed up in a mightily move of the Holy Spirit where hundreds of thousands of people across the nation were being saved." If the body of Christ will "become desperate for the Lord on our knees and united together and begin to pray, God will start changing the hearts," Stephen said. He added, "If every church in America became a praying church, America would change." Both of the Kendrick brothers said prayer transformed their own lives. War Room, like the other films they've made, has challenged them to live out the messages they're sharing with audiences. "Every film we've done, God has had us walk through applying the truth that we're presenting," Alex said. "He makes us walk it and apply it to our own lives." Alex described the process as "spiritual surgery." During the making of their last film, Courageous, that focused on the role of fathers, Alex said he and his brother decided they needed to make changes with how they led their families. While he acknowledged he was already taking his kids to church and teaching them biblical principles "to a degree," he said Courageous prompted them to be better fathers. "After Courageous, I began daily devotions with my family, reading through the Scripture, praying over them as an entire family every evening. We turned the TV off," he said. With the making of War Room, Alex said he and his brother felt convicted to improve their commitment to prayer. "The Lord's made me amp up my prayer life ... develop prayer strategies," Alex said. "So my wife and I can tell you how we're praying for our kids, how we're praying for each other, more so than before." Before a film is made, the Kendrick brothers spend six months to a year praying for God to show them their next project. Prayer is the best tool for preempting spiritual attacks, Stephen said. "Fight your battles in prayer first," he said. "Fight your battles in your war room, in your prayer closet before you ever go confront this person about this issue, before you go look for the job, before you and your wife sit down and talk about the problems in your marriage, before you confront your rebellious teenager. You meet with the Lord first." While hoping their films change lives, Stephen said he and his brother also continue to look for ways to improve technically as filmmakers. Each film they release appears to outdo the previous one, drawing larger audiences, wider recognition and more money at the box office. Courageous, released in 2011 and made on a budget of $2 million, grossed nearly $34.5 million at the box office and sold more than 5 million DVDs. According to Box Office Mojo, Courageous' opening weekend ranks fifth all-time among Christian movies, behind "The Passion of the Christ" and the three "Chronicles of Narnia" films. "We are trying to grow as filmmakers and in each aspect of the filmmaking," he said. "How can we improve in our writing? How can we improve in our cinematography? What can we do to take the score to the next level? We try to do that with every film. "... But winning awards, impressing Hollywood is not an agenda or a goal for us at all. We want to honor the Lord with excellent art that will hopefully communicate a message worth hearing. And that's a higher priority for us." The movie is set to release Aug. 28. For more information, go to https://kendrickbrothers.com or Warroomthemovie.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenneth Ridings, former Fruitland president, dies by Dianna L. Cagle/Biblical Recorder Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- Kenneth Ridings, 78, a longtime professor and past president of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute (now college), died March 5. "Throughout his ministry, Dr. Kenneth Ridings was a living legend among Baptist preachers," David Horton, current president of Fruitland in Hendersonville, N.C., said. Fruitland is a ministry of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. "His exceptional homiletical skills placed him in the category of such notable expository preachers as Stephen Olford, Ron Dunn and Adrian Rogers," Horton said. "His legacy as a pastor, professor and previous president of Fruitland Baptist Bible College will continue throughout the years as we build on the foundation that he laid. Today, Dr. Ridings has joined the other heroes of the faith in 'that great cloud of witnesses' and he is cheering the rest of us on!" In a statement released March 5, Milton A. Hollifield Jr., executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention, urged people to pray for the family and to thank God for Ridings' impact on the "lives of pastors, and as a result, the churches of this convention." He said, "Ridings was more than a faithful employee of the Baptist State Convention and more than an excellent professor of homiletics; he was a dear friend and a tremendous influence upon my life. Like so many students at Fruitland, the members of the churches he served, and those impacted by his extensive preaching ministry, Kenneth helped me to not only appreciate expositional preaching but modeled for me how to preach God's Word. I will miss him greatly, but find comfort in the truth that we will meet again." Ridings, a South Carolina native, became a Christian in 1953 with the help of his now wife Ann. He is a graduate of North Greenville College, Furman University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received doctor of divinity degrees from Fredericksburg Bible Institute and Covington Seminary. He served as pastor of churches in South Carolina and North Carolina, including Ebenezer Baptist Church of Hendersonville, N.C., and Grassy Branch Baptist Church of Asheville, N.C., where he led for 22 years while teaching at Fruitland. Ridings began his service to Fruitland in 1968, teaching church administration and pastoral counseling. He started what would become a 39-year tenure as professor of homiletics the next year. He was on the board for the International Mission Board and was second vice president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Ridings retired as Fruitland's president Dec. 31, 2008. He was named president emeritus on July 16, 2009. He was president for 11 years and taught at the school for 40 years. Fruitland honored Ridings with a Baptist Heritage Award in 2009. "I just cannot imagine Fruitland without Kenneth Ridings," said Greg Mathis, Ridings' pastor at Mud Creek Baptist Church, in a 2009 Biblical Recorder story. At that time, Mathis said Ridings was the "face of Fruitland," and that "his influence is the force behind the reputation we have. No other man lives with more integrity or more impeccable character than Kenneth Ridings." Hollifield also praised Ridings at his retirement service. "Your fingerprints are on this place, the preachers you have prepared and the people associated with Fruitland have been enriched by your ministry," he said. "God blessed and honored your ministry, service and leadership of this school." During his retirement service, Ridings revealed his heart for Fruitland: "You can go to heaven from many places. But when you go to heaven from Fruitland, you don't notice the difference as much." Ridings is survived by his wife Ann; daughter, Beverly; and one granddaughter. Visitation is Sunday, March 8 from 3-5 p.m. at Mud Creek Baptist Church (403 Rutledge Dr., Hendersonville, NC 28739). The funeral is at 5 p.m. Mathis and D.L. Lowrie will preside over the funeral. The service can be viewed live at www.mudcreekchurch.org; it will be archived for later viewing as well. Donations can be made to the Fruitland Baptist Bible College Chapel Fund that bears Ridings' name: Fruitland Baptist Bible College, 1455 Gilliam Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28792. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Same-sex marriage arguments set April 28 by Tom Strode Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- The legal fate of marriage in the United States will be debated April 28 before the Supreme Court. The high court announced Thursday (March 5) the date for oral arguments regarding same-sex marriage. The justices likely will issue an opinion before they adjourn this summer. If they do, gay marriage could be legal throughout the country by the end of June or states could maintain their authority to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. Advocates on both sides of the issue recognize the significance of the Supreme Court's decision in this case. "This case could potentially transform the cultural landscape of America," Russell Moore has said. Moore is president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "We should pray for the court, that they will not seek to redefine marriage. And even more than that, we should pray for churches who will know how to articulate and embody a Christian vision of marriage as the one-flesh union of a man and a woman in the tumultuous years ahead." Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, has said gay marriage proponents hope this will be "the last chapter in our campaign to win marriage nationwide." Same-sex marriage is now legal in 37 states, nearly tripling the 13 states where it was legal just 18 months ago. It also is legal in the District of Columbia. In January, the high court granted review of a November decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals involving challenges to laws in the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. A three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit, which is based in Cincinnati, was the first federal appeals court to rule states could limit marriage to the union of a man and a woman. Four other appeals courts had previously invalidated state laws that prohibited gay marriage. In the cases the justices will consider from the Sixth Circuit, the voters of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee all approved constitutional amendments between 2004 and 2006 that limited marriage to a man and a woman. The Supreme Court has consolidated the four cases and limited consideration to two questions: (1) Does the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution require a state "to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?" and (2) Does the 14th Amendment require a state "to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?" The court set the time for oral arguments on the first question at 90 minutes. It allotted one hour for arguments on the second question. Normally, oral arguments in a case are only an hour in length. Freedom to Marry filed its own friend-of-the-court brief and helped enlist signers to others that were filed Friday (March 6) with the high court. Freedom to Marry's brief contends discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation should be considered unconstitutional and the justices should rule same-sex marriage is legal nationwide. Among the other briefs filed in support of gay marriage, according to Freedom to Marry, were ones from nearly 2,000 religious leaders; almost 400 major corporations; more than 220 mayors, including those of the five largest American cities; and more than 300 conservatives and Republicans, as Freedom to Marry described them. The latter group includes former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former U.S. Sens. John Danforth and Larry Pressler, and former U.S. Reps. Bob Inglis and Rick Lazio. The expansion of same-sex marriage has resulted in a growing clash between the rights of gay couples and the religious freedom of individuals and organizations. Photographers, florists, bakers and other business owners who oppose serving in support of same-sex wedding ceremonies have been penalized or are facing penalties for their refusal. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Rick Brewer to lead Louisiana College by Brian Blackwell/Baptist Message Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday PINEVILLE, La. -- Trustees of Louisiana College have elected Rick Brewer as the college's 9th president. They announced their unanimous decision during a special called meeting March 5. Brewer will begin his duties April 7. He is a New Orleans native, and his father attended seminary there. He grew up mostly in North Carolina, and for the past 28 years has called Charleston Southern University in North Charleston, S.C., home. "We believe this is an answer to prayer," Brewer said during a press conference following the board meeting. "We believe God has been in this from the very beginning. "In fact, He was working here before we knew it," he continued. "He was working in our life before [trustees] knew it. He brought it all together. "I want to challenge the faculty, staff, students, alums, and other persons or constituent groups in the state that love Louisiana College to leave the past in the rear view mirror and get on board with what I believe will become the finest days Louisiana College has ever seen." When Brewer arrives on the Pineville campus, he will bring years of extensive senior-level administrative experience from Charleston Southern, where he served in various capacities, including most recently as vice-president for student affairs and athletics. While at the South Carolina Baptist Convention-affiliated school, Brewer helped double enrollment from 1,600 to more than 3,400 students, increased unrestricted giving and endowment support and improved freshman-to-sophomore retention from 50 to 78 percent. Under his leadership, the integration of planning, budgeting and assessment with broad-based campus participation led to additional academic programs and facilities, such as an athletic facility, state-of-the-art science building and an expansion of a building for the School of Nursing. Brewer also brings extensive experience as an evaluator for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the NCAA. He plans to use that experience with SACS-COC to help Louisiana College move off of probation status. Placed on probation in 2014, the probationary status in no way affects the current accreditation of Louisiana College. "Let's move through this and let's have probation removed and be fully accredited," Brewer said. "The school deserves it. The wonderful people here, the faculty and the reputation of the school all deserve it. We're going to do all we can to make this work and we'll do everything they ask us to do to be successful at the end of the day." Brewer said he is looking forward to seeing students' lives transformed. He said he will maintain an open-door policy with them. While at Charleston Southern, Brewer said he could be found eating with students in the cafeteria, spending time with them in his home or visiting with them in the stands at a football game. "Nothing gets my heart and my blood pumping (more) to see students go through that transformational experience," he said. "We prepare graduates but also transform lives." To help students reach that dream of coming to Louisiana College, Brewer said he wants to start a donor program that will help raise funds for student scholarships. While at Charleston Southern, Brewer helped garner resource development, including $50 million for student scholarships, academic programs and campus construction. During the March 5 meeting he asked the board members to begin identifying people he could personally call and visit for possible fundraising that would include student scholarships. "We will build a donor program that will help students because at the end of the day this is about student scholarships," he said. "This is about enabling a student to be able to attain that education they desire. They want to be in a Christian college. They want an education that is taught through the lens of Christianity. They want a good education. In many cases it just becomes an issue of affordability." In his remarks, board chairman Tommy French said when the presidential search committee saw Brewer's resume and met with him, they were convinced he was God's choice for Louisiana College. "To say that we were impressed is an understatement," French said. "We were thrilled. We were overjoyed. And we were hopeful. "And we still are those things today because our board has unanimously elected one of God's best servants to lead Louisiana College," he said. "I dare say we couldn't have been led to a candidate who can speak the language of educators and preach the sermons of Baptists any better than Dr. Rick Brewer." Brewer earned a Bachelor of Arts and master's in business administration from Charleston Southern and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policies from the University of South Carolina. He also completed post-graduate study at Harvard University and Duke University. Brewer and his wife Cathy have two grown sons, Jason and Jonathan. Brewer is an accomplished pianist and is a deacon at Summerville Baptist Church in Summerville, S.C., not far from the Charleston Southern campus. The hiring of Brewer ends a lengthy search to fill the position, most recently held by Interim President Argile Smith. The school began its search for a new president after the contract of Joe Aguillard as president expired on July 31, 2014, and the board approved an agreement which allowed Aguillard to remain on campus as president emeritus beginning Aug. 1, 2014. Smith then became interim president of the college once Aguillard's contract expired. Before being named interim president, Smith served as executive vice-president for integration of faith and learning at Louisiana College. In addition to the college's nine presidents, two of its past leaders have served in interim roles. During the board's December meeting, the search committee announced they had narrowed the pool of candidates to three from a pool of around 40. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Mi papá: cinco años ya de su partida by Octavio Esqueda Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday LA MIRADA, Calif. (BP) -- Hace ya cinco años que mi papá, Javier Esqueda, falleció inesperadamente. El gran vacío que nos dejó sigue y seguirá presente por el resto de nuestras vidas y es muy difícil resignarse a su ausencia. Cuando en conversaciones casuales sale el tema de mi papá me cuesta trabajo referirme a él en el pasado, pero estoy tristemente consciente que el presente y el futuro seguirán sin su presencia. Mi mamá habría celebrado 45 años de casada el pasado diciembre, mis dos hermanos habrían celebrado sus graduaciones de la universidad con su orgulloso papá, mis dos hijos se habrían gozado con su abuelito que estoy seguro los habría consentido muchísimo y yo tendría el apoyo y el oído total de un hombre que me amara incondicionalmente y me daría sus consejos totalmente desinteresados buscando siempre lo mejor para mí, pero todo esto no pudo ni podrá ser. La Biblia dice que la muerte es la consecuencia directa del pecado (Rom. 3:23) y siempre es una intrusa que se mete en nuestro camino y nos recuerda que la vida es corta y no refleja lo que tendría que ser en un mundo ideal y perfecto. Dios nos creó para vivir y disfrutar la vida. El término que refleja esta realidad es "Shalom" que significa plenitud, completa paz y bienestar. Por lo tanto, el pecado y su consecuencia directa, la muerte, son el reflejo mismo del vandalismo o pérdida de Shalom. Jesucristo es el príncipe de paz (Is. 9:6) y nos vino a dar vida abundante (Juan 10:10). Al morir en la cruz por nuestros pecados Jesús derrotó a la muerte. Sin embargo, la destrucción final del pecado y de la muerte aún está por venir (1 Cor. 15:26). Por lo tanto, a pesar de tener nuestros pecados perdonados a través del sacrificio de Jesús, los cristianos seguimos viviendo en un mundo en donde la muerte nos acecha y nos marca con la pérdida de nuestros seres queridos. Mi papá era cristiano y ahora disfruta al estar en la presencia del Señor (2 Cor. 5:8). De la misma manera, como cristiano también tengo la certeza que la separación no es para siempre y que un día estaré con él (1 Ts. 4:17). Sin embargo, en el presente el dolor de su ausencia es real y aunque de alguna manera pareciera disminuir con el tiempo, nunca se quita y siempre permanece adormilado esperando despertar al menor recuerdo. Todos los seres humanos nos dolemos por la muerte de un ser querido, pero los cristianos lo hacemos con la esperanza en la resurrección (1 Ts. 4:13). Así que, vivimos entre la esperanza y el dolor, entre los recuerdos del pasado y el gozo prometido en el futuro, pero con el dolor y la incertidumbre del presente. No importa que mi papá haya fallecido ya hace cinco años o que yo sea un adulto, soy y seguiré siendo un huérfano al igual que mis hermanos, mi mamá una viuda y mis hijos crecerán escuchando historias de un abuelo al que no conocieron al igual que lo hice yo. A través de esta experiencia he podido darme cuenta lo poco que estamos preparados para lidiar con la muerte a pesar de que siempre nos rodea. Cuando alguien pasa por una pena, la reacción natural es no acercarse porque "no sabemos qué decir". Es verdad, no hay nada que podamos decir que llene el vacío o aminore el dolor que ocasiona la pérdida de un ser querido. Sin embrago, la Biblia nos recuerda que debemos alegrarnos con los que se alegran y llorar con los que lloran (Rom. 12:15). Realmente no tenemos que decir nada sino solamente estar presentes y acompañarlos en su dolor. En una palabra, debemos mostrar "empatía". Esto significa participar en los sentimientos de otra persona y asimilarse a su estado de ánimo. En lenguaje coloquial se diría "ponerse en los zapatos del otro". Al identificarnos con los sentimientos de los que sufren realmente ayudamos y somos de gran apoyo. Desgraciadamente, por alguna razón pensamos que cuando alguien pasa por un trago amargo deberíamos animarlos minimizando el dolor o cambiando su perspectiva. A pesar de querer ayudar, lo que hacemos es invalidar los sentimientos de la otra persona y, sin quererlo, aumentamos su dolor. ¡La empatía es tan necesaria como difícil de encontrar! La muerte de mi papá me ha hecho más sensible al dolor ajeno y cuando escucho acerca de las enfermedades o muertes de los padres e hijos de mi amigos y compañeros de trabajo, no puedo sino llorar por dentro. Sé que puedo y debo mejorar muchísimo mi capacidad para mostrar empatía hacia los demás. De hecho, creo que todos podemos mejorar en esta área y de esta manera realmente confortar a los que sufren a nuestro alrededor que para ser sincero somos todos. Debajo de esa sonrisa que todos esbozan se encuentra un dolor que se sufre en silencio y que ruega por comprensión y apoyo. En los últimos cinco años la vida ha seguido su curso. Lo cotidiano camina con sus altas y bajas, con sus momentos de alegría y sus destellos de melancolía. Mi mamá y hermanos han aprendido a caminar sin mi papá, mis hijos a crecer sin saber lo que es tener un abuelo y yo a recordar y llorar por dentro cuando estoy consciente de lo mucho que extraño a mi papá. El tiempo no llena vacíos sino que solamente nos distrae para que no sean tan dolorosos y presentes como al principio. Si usted tiene el privilegio de estar cerca de sus padres no pierda la oportunidad para decirles que los ama. Si como yo, ha perdido por lo menos a uno, lo acompaño en su dolor mientras seguimos llorando con esperanza. -------------------------------------------------------------------- New Orleans church grieved by youth minister's arrest by Art Toalston Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- A prominent New Orleans church took prompt action to dismiss a youth minister accused of sexual abuse of a teenage girl and to begin the healing process within the congregation. "We are devastated by the events that have led to the arrest of one of our former ministers," the March 1 worship guide of First Baptist Church in New Orleans stated to the congregation. "The safety of the children in our care is our highest priority. We do everything in our power to make certain that all persons who work with them are properly screened and interviewed. We are now reviewing all of our policies and procedures with paid staff and volunteers and will bring forward any recommendations that might strengthen our security." The pastor, David Crosby, wrote that a family meeting of the church would be held at 1 p.m. after the 10:45 a.m. worship service, with childcare provided, to address the dismissal and arrest of former youth minister Jonathan Bailey. "All are welcome to attend," Crosby wrote in the worship guide. "I will address some errors in the media reports and provide further information that you may want to know as a member of our family of faith." Crosby told local media that Bailey was fired and escorted off church property Feb. 9, the day that allegations were reported to him and to police of sexual misconduct by Bailey with a 14-year-old girl in First Baptist's youth group. Bailey, 33, was charged Feb. 23 with indecent behavior with a juvenile and was freed on bond. He was arrested again on sexual battery March 4 after the youth disclosed additional details of Bailey's improper contact with her. Bond was set at $35,000. If convicted, Bailey could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison without parole or probation, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune daily newspaper. Crosby, in March 6 comments to Baptist Press, recounted: "As we do for all potential employees, we ran a criminal background check on Jonathan Bailey before he received an offer of employment. It came back clear. Our search committee called references and references of references. The committee did not learn of any negative incident or circumstance. As an employee of FBNO, Jonathan was under the daily scrutiny of fellow staff members, adult volunteers and parents of youth. He experienced instruction and correction, as do we all, but nothing observed by our staff or reported to us by parents or volunteers indicated that he had the capacity for such a horrible breach of trust." Crosby said the church was "deceived and manipulated by someone who knew how to navigate church life, who knew the vocabulary of our faith and who believed that he could break the rules without being discovered. That has come to an end." The pastor noted that Bailey's "behavior is no longer hidden, and his breach of professional ethics and moral failure are now exposed." "We want the justice system to work as it should in this case. To this end, we are fully cooperating with criminal authorities as they continue their investigation," Crosby said. "The safety of children in our care is and will remain our highest priority," the pastor said. "We ask for prayers for our young people and their families, especially those most affected, as well as our entire congregation. We have suffered a terrible blow. Jonathan was a friend and a colleague in ministry. We are struggling with feelings of anger, grief, sadness and confusion. "We are clinging to one another and the promises of God's Word," Crosby said. "We do not know what the future may hold. But we have confidence in our Almighty God, and we are experiencing daily the comfort and encouragement of His Holy Spirit." Bailey, who had served at First Baptist for about two years, is a 2010 graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley issued a statement to Baptist Press on March 6, noting: "We profoundly regret the apparent reprehensible conduct of this former NOBTS student. We have a zero tolerance for such behavior on the part of students, faculty or staff and applaud the swift response of First Baptist Church upon learning of the situation. We pray for all those affected by this tragic situation. "We take very seriously the ministerial training role entrusted to us by Southern Baptist churches," Kelley said. "Our concern for the churches our graduates will serve begins during the admission process. A student who applies for any degree at the seminary is required to have a church endorsement and provide multiple references. NOBTS also includes a criminal background check as part of our screening process for admission." Bailey's wife Tiffany, also a 2010 graduate of the seminary, is a Baptist Collegiate Ministry staff member at Tulane and Loyola universities. The couple has a young daughter. Roger S. Oldham of the SBC Executive Committee said in a statement to Baptist Press, "We grieve over this tragic episode in this teen's life. We grieve for this trusting teen and her parents, this trusting wife and daughter, this trusting youth group and this trusting church. "Trust is sacred. When it is violated, it leaves a debris field as wide and long as the most devastating tornado, but with deeper wounds and scars," said Oldham, the EC's vice president for convention communications and relations. "We also applaud the swift action taken by the leadership of First Baptist Church to work with law enforcement to address this alleged criminal act and the efforts the church takes to protect the children under its care," Oldham said. "We join them in praying for the day when there will be no more instances of sexual abuse by any professed minister of the Gospel." The Southern Baptist Convention's website has numerous resources for sexual abuse prevention with links to LifeWay Background Check Resources, the U.S. Department of Justice Dru Sjodin National Database of Sex Offenders and links to other aids. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SEMANA DE ORACIÓN: Un corazón por el mayormente mormón Utah by Por Jim Burton Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday HERRIMAN, Utah (BP) -- Ustedes han mirado por la ventana y los han visto llegar. Dos jóvenes varones con camisa blanca y corbata negra están pedaleando sus bicicletas en el vecindario. Cuando tocan a la puerta, ¿qué hacen ustedes? El misionero Travis Kerns de la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas (NAMB por sus siglas en inglés) los animaría a hacer lo que él ha aprendido a hacer -- amarlos. El amor de Kerns por los mormones ha crecido al punto que ahora vive a 56 kilómetros del centro de Salt Lake City, y funge como misionero de la iniciativa de plantación de iglesias Envía Norteamérica de NAMB. Kerns tiene algo que la mayoría de los bautistas del Sur no tienen, un doctorado en filosofía en apologética aplicada con enfoque en mormonismo del Seminario Teológico Bautista Southern. Durante sus estudios universitarios en 1996, una de sus clases fue sobre movimientos religiosos, y el mormonismo fue el primero que estudiaron. "Se apoderó de mí," dijo Kerns sobre la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. "En la escuela cada composición que hacía giraba en torno al mormonismo." Cuando comenzó a enseñar en el Seminario Southern en 2007, Kerns comenzó a llevar estudiantes a Salt Lake City. En el vuelo de regreso después de su sexto viaje allá en 2012, Kerns vio fuego en las montañas. Cuando observaba el humo llenar el valle Salt Lake durante el ascenso, este se volvió una visión fresca. "Lo que me dijo fue que esta ciudad estaba en llamas y quemándose," dijo Kerns. "No me pude contener y comencé a llorar como un bebé." Raíces bautistas del sur Kerns creció en Greenville, South Carolina, donde su familia asistía a la Primera Iglesia Bautista Taylors. Él es producto de la educación misionera por haber sido embajador del Rey. "Nací bautista, crecí bautista y moriré bautista," dijo Kerns. Su padre lo guió a Cristo en el hogar cuando él tenía 9 años. "No me bauticé sino a los 14 años," dijo Kerns, porque su pastor quería que él estuviera seguro de su decisión. "Vi a muchos de mis amigos pasar al frente y bautizarse pero realmente nada pasó en ellos. Así que yo no quería hacerlo nada más por hacerlo." Kerns asistió a la cercana Universidad de North Greenville donde su entonces presidente, Jimmy Epting, ejerció una gran influencia en él. Se matriculó en negocios, pero eso cambió pronto. "En mi primer año de universidad, algo en mí simplemente hizo clic, y me enamoré del Nuevo Testamento, de Jesús y la gente en la iglesia," dijo Kerns. Ser estudiante en la universidad bautista al norte de South Carolina tuvo sus ventajas, ya que había muchas relaciones y conexiones. La misma dinámica es verdad para los Santos de los Últimos Días, o mormones, en Salt Lake City. "Utah es 70 por ciento mormón," dijo Kerns. "Los mormones controlan el gobierno estatal. La mayoría de los jueces, oficiales de policía, bomberos, abogados, agentes de bienes raíces y banqueros son mormones; casi todo el mundo aquí es mormón." Cuando Kerns se mudó a una casa con su esposa Staci y el hijo de ambos, los vecinos ya sabían que era la casa "NAMB." "Ellos supieron inmediatamente que no éramos mormones," dijo Kerns. Por una cosa: "no nos aparecimos en el centro de reunión el domingo." Los mormones asisten a los centros de reuniones (comparables a los servicios de la iglesia) con base en su residencia. Entre Logan y Provo, Kerns estima que hay cerca de 4.200 centros de reuniones o capillas. "Es muy mormón aquí, muchos nunca han conocido u oído de alguien que no sea mormón," dijo Kerns. Desafío de plantación de iglesias Los bautistas del sur son la denominación protestante más grande en Utah, pero la mayoría de las iglesias protestantes tienen de 50 a 100 personas. "Lo más difícil para una iglesia cristiana [en Utah] es que el promedio de la estadía en el cargo de los pastores es de 14 meses," dijo Kerns. Una clave del éxito, cree él, es mantenerse haciendo acto de presencia. Como misionero citadino de Envía Norteamérica: Salt Lake City, una de las 32 ciudades Envía Norteamérica, Kerns supervisa las iglesias nacientes en el área metropolitana. "La Convención Bautista de Utah-Idaho tiene la meta de para el 2020 duplicar el número de iglesias" en la convención de los dos estados, dijo Kerns. "Eso significa otras 150 iglesias; queremos ser un tercio de ese número, 50 nuevas iglesias para el 2020." Para el 2014, había 18 iglesias planta bautistas del sur activas a través de Envía Norteamérica, con 12 que habían empezado durante el año. Kerns pasa mucho de su tiempo instruyendo a los actuales plantadores de iglesias mientras evalúa y recluta a futuros plantadores de iglesias. El condado de Utah, al que Kerns llama la capital cultural del mormonismo y sede de la Universidad Brigham Young, recibe la mayor parte de su atención. Los retos culturales se traducen en retos logísticos. Mientras que la mayoría de las iglesias planta de las ciudades se pueden reunir en escuelas públicas, eso no sucede en Utah. Las iglesias nuevas gastan mucho dinero en alquiler, típicamente en locales comerciales. La Ofrenda de Resurrección Annie Armstrong (AAEO por sus siglas en inglés) y el Programa Cooperativo (PC) ayudan a las nuevas iglesias a hacerle frente a esos retos. "Ese dinero va directamente a nuestras nuevas iglesias para ayudarlas a alcanzar a la gente," dijo Kerns. "Sin el PC y la AAEO, no habría Envía Norteamérica: Salt Lake City. "No ha habido escasez de recursos cuando he pedido. Eso es debido a la generosidad de los bautistas del sur." Kerns estaba cerca a la permanencia en el cargo en el Seminario Southern cuando aceptó el llamado a dirigir Envía Norteamérica: Salt Lake City. Por medio de su investigación, Kerns ha establecido relaciones con muchos líderes mormones. "En los 18 años de hacer esto, solamente he visto a dos personas convertirse del mormonismo al cristianismo," dijo Kerns, quien señala que toma un promedio de dos a siete años para que un mormón se convierta, la mayoría está cerca a los siete años. "Estar alrededor de los líderes de la iglesia mormona para compartir mi fe con ellos guía todo lo que hago." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Presidentes de la CBS envían carta abierta a Obama by Por Shawn Hendricks Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- En una carta abierta, el presidente de la Convención Bautista del Sur, Ronnie Floyd, junto con el apoyo y las firmas de 16 expresidentes de la CBS, le pidió al presidente Obama "tomar las acciones necesarias ahora" en contra de los terroristas de ISIS. "Debido a que ISIS es una continua amenaza a la paz del mundo de una manera desconocida para nosotros desde los Nazis de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, humildemente le solicitamos que use la influencia y el poder de su distinguido puesto para tomar las acciones necesarias ahora en esta urgente hora para ponerle fin a estas atrocidades humanas," decía la carta del 1º de marzo. "El abuso, la deshumanización y el asesinato de niños, mujeres y hombres que están ocurriendo ante el mundo llaman a nuestro país a ir hacia adelante y ponerle fin a esto." La carta abierta llega como consecuencia de numerosos reportes de los asesinatos de ISIS que incluyen la decapitación de 21 egipcios -- aparentemente cristianos cópticos -- la muerte de un trabajador humanitario, la de un piloto jordano quemado vivo. E ISIS capturó a más de 200 asirios cristianos la semana pasada (23 de febrero), reportó CNN. Mujeres, niños y ancianos estaban entre los capturados durante un ataque de ISIS en pueblos cerca a Tal Tamer en el norte de Siria, de acuerdo al reporte. El presidente del Comité Ejecutivo de la CBS Frank S. Page dijo que frecuentemente se le pregunta acerca de la amenaza de ISIS. "La gente está asustada, la gente está preocupada. Necesitamos que [el presidente Obama] actúe y actúe decididamente," dijo. "Me uno a los otros presidentes de la CBS en apoyar el actual llamado a la acción de los presidentes [de la CBS]." Bryant Wright, expresidente de la CBS y pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Johnson Ferry, en Marietta, Georgia, describió la carta como "una petición al presidente para que tome un papel de liderazgo más fuerte" en contra de ISIS. "Será importante unirnos a Egipto y Jordania y a otros en esa parte del mundo para mostrar que esto no es solo en defensa de los cristianos sino que se trata de la libertad religiosa para todos," dijo Wright, quien está entre los ministros cristianos invitados a Washington D.C. esta semana para escuchar al primer ministro israelí Benjamín Netanyahu hablar en la conferencia al Comité estadounidense israelí de asuntos públicos el 2 de marzo. "...El gobierno ha sido ordenado por Dios para que use su fuerza, sea su fuerza militar, poder policial, lo que sea para defender a los ciudadanos y para mantener la justicia y castigar la maldad." James T. Draper, Jr., expresidente de la CBS, dijo que las naciones decentes en todo el mundo deberían estar indignadas ante las acciones barbáricas de ISIS que son una amenaza para todo el mundo. "No creo que EE.UU. pueda evitar tomar el liderazgo en esto," dijo. "Es quienes somos, y es una oportunidad para nosotros de tomar el liderazgo en algo que pudiera ser ampliamente aceptado por otras naciones." El expresidente de la CBS Bobby Welch señaló: "Aunque sí oramos por el intento de ganar el mundo para Cristo, también es nuestra responsabilidad dada por Dios hablar explícitamente y tomar medidas en oposición a los barbáricos asaltos de ISIS y de todas las contrapartes que piensan de la misma manera." Durante un reporte del 16 de febrero en la reunión semestral del Comité Ejecutivo de la CBS en Nashville, Floyd les dijo a los líderes bautistas del sur que ellos "debían hablar por aquellos que no podían expresarse por sí mismos." Los bautistas del sur "necesitan representar a los niños, mujeres y hombres que están siendo brutalizados y abusados y asesinados globalmente, todo en nombre de la religión," dijo Floyd durante su reporte al CE. "Necesitamos defender, como bautistas del sur, la libertad religiosa a nivel global." Él señaló que los bautistas del sur tampoco deben nunca transigir en su meta número uno de "penetrar y hacer retroceder la perdición en este mundo." Floyd instó a los miembros del CE a llamar a sus iglesias "a unirse en este valiente esfuerzo en profunda oración por los hombres, mujeres y niños que han sido abusados y asesinados de todas las formas posibles." En la carta abierta al presidente, Floyd le dijo a Obama que los bautistas del sur están orando por él. "Señor presidente, así como Ester encabezó la liberación de los judíos en su tiempo, creemos que usted también 'ha llegado al reino en una ocasión como esta,'" escribió. "A usted se le ha dado un momento histórico para dirigir y proteger a la gente y el principio de la libertad religiosa en el mundo. Estamos orando para que tenga sabiduría y coraje en esta hora." Otros presidentes anteriores de la CBS que firmaron la carta fueron Bailey E. Smith, Charles F. Stanley, Jerry Vines, Morris H. Chapman, H. Edwin Young, Sr., James B. Henry, Tom Elliff, Paige Patterson, James Merritt, Jack Graham, Johnny M. Hunt y Fred Luter. Floyd puso esta carta abierta en su blog: ronniefloyd.com. Su blog semanal también es publicado en su blog semanal en SBC.net en la página del presidente Page: http://www.sbc.net/presidentspage. Vea el texto completo de la carta abierta a continuación. 2 de marzo de 2015 Estimado señor presidente Obama: Debido a que ISIS es una continua amenaza a la paz del mundo de una manera desconocida para nosotros desde los Nazis de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, humildemente le solicitamos que use la influencia y el poder de su distinguido puesto para tomar las acciones necesarias ahora en esta urgente hora para ponerle fin a estas atrocidades humanas. El abuso, la deshumanización y el asesinato de niños, mujeres y hombres que están ocurriendo ante el mundo llaman a nuestro país a ir hacia adelante y ponerle fin a esto. Al hacer esto, por favor sepa que no solamente estamos orando por usted, sino que le aseguramos que tendrá el inequívoco apoyo de la vasta mayoría de la más grande, y algunos dicen la más multiétnica y multilingüe, denominación protestante de EE.UU. El mundo aplaudirá su coraje y compasión cuando usted defienda a los que las Escrituras llama "los más pequeño." Señor presidente, así como Ester encabezó la liberación de los judíos en su tiempo, creemos que usted también 'ha llegado al reino en una ocasión como esta. "A usted se le ha dado un momento histórico para dirigir y proteger a la gente y el principio de la libertad religiosa en el mundo. Estamos orando para que tenga sabiduría y coraje en esta hora. Estos expresidentes de nuestra Convención se unieron a mí, el actual presidente de la Convención Bautista del Sur, para hacerle a usted esta urgente súplica. Sinceramente y en oración, Ronnie Floyd, presidente Convención Bautista del Sur Bailey E. Smith, 1980-1982 James T. Draper, Jr., 1982-1984 Charles F. Stanley, 1984-1986 Jerry Vines, 1988-1990 Morris H. Chapman, 1990-1992 H. Edwin Young, Sr., 1992-1994 James B. Henry, 1994-1996 Tom Elliff, 1996-1998 Paige Patterson, 1998-2000 James Merritt, 2000-2002 Jack Graham, 2002-2004 Bobby Welch, 2004-2006 Frank S. Page, 2006-2008 Johnny M. Hunt, 2008-2010 Bryant Wright, 2010-2012 Fred Luter, 2012- 2014 --30-- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Proyecto de ley para reducir radicalmente la esclavitud gana rápidamente en el Senado by Por Tom Strode Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Un nuevo esfuerzo para ayudar a terminar la esclavitud y el tráfico humano a nivel mundial rápidamente ha ganado impulso en el Congreso. La Ley de Iniciativa para Terminar la Esclavitud Moderna recibió la aprobación del comité del Senado el 26 de febrero, solamente dos días después de que fuera presentada por el senador Bob Corker, republicano de Tennessee. El comité de relaciones extranjeras, el cual preside Corker, reenvió el proyecto con un voto unánime. La legislación, S. 553, establecería un esfuerzo centralizado para frustrar el tráfico humano y la esclavitud en un tiempo en el que un estimado de 27 millones de personas están esclavizadas mundialmente. Crearía una fundación sin fines de lucro en Washington, D.C., diseñada para usar los fondos del sector privado extranjero y federal para reducir la esclavitud en un medible 50 por ciento. Corker cree que el proyecto de ley "va a tener un efecto transformador en nuestro lidiar con la esclavitud moderna," dijo en una entrevista a CNN después del voto del comité. "Tenemos organizaciones sobresalientes que usan las mejores prácticas, y sin embargo no hemos tenido un esfuerzo central para lidiar con esto apropiadamente. "La gente está sacando ventaja de jóvenes, viejos, madres, hijas, padres e hijos," dijo Corker. "Y nosotros podemos hacer algo al respecto, y nos estamos alistando, y me complace que hoy estemos celebrando el comienzo de ese esfuerzo." Los bautistas del sur aplaudieron la propuesta. "La esclavitud y el tráfico son malvados hasta el tuétano y asaltan la dignidad de los seres humanos creados a la imagen de Dios," dijo Russell Moore, presidente de la Comisión de Libertad Religiosa y Ética (ERLC por sus siglas en inglés). "Al tomar el asunto, el senador Corker y aquellos junto a él están en el espíritu del gran líder cristiano y activista en contra de la esclavitud William Wilberforce," dijo Moore en una declaración escrita para Baptist Press. "Oro para que trabajemos juntos en terminar con este flagelo de la esclavitud y el tráfico humano en nuestro mundo." William Wilberforce dirigió las últimas y exitosas campañas legislativas en contra del tráfico de esclavos y la esclavitud como miembro del Parlamento Británico de 1780 a 1825. Raleigh Sadler, pastor y propugnador de la concienciación del tráfico humano en la ciudad de New York, describió la fortaleza de la medida como "su énfasis en la colaboración." "A través de la financiación de las agencias del gobierno y de las organizaciones sin fines de lucro que trabajan en las áreas del mundo mayormente afectadas, esta fundación buscará recursos para aquellos que están trabajando ya," le dijo Sadler a BP en comentarios escritos. La Misión de Justicia Internacional (IJM por sus siglas en inglés), la organización anti esclavitud más grande, encomió la legislación y pidió una aprobación rápida. El proyecto y los fondos acompañantes "establecen un nuevo estrado para que el liderazgo estadounidense combata la esclavitud," dijo Holly Burkhalter, vicepresidenta de relaciones gubernamentales de IJM, en una divulgación escrita. "No nos hemos estado involucrando en una pelea justa," ya que el gobierno estadounidense ha estado gastando "una ínfima parte" de sus esfuerzos en ayuda extranjera y contra la trata de personas mientras que los traficantes están obteniendo $150 billones en ganancias al año, dijo Burkhalter. "Eso va a cambiar." La legislación requeriría que la Fundación de la Iniciativa del Fin de la Esclavitud Moderna financiara programas que contribuyeran al rescate y la recuperación de las víctimas de la esclavitud, la prevención de la esclavitud, y el procesamiento y el castigo de los perpetradores. También establecería metas medibles y cortaría la esclavitud a la mitad en siete años entre "las poblaciones enfocadas." Los programas que no alcancen sus metas serán suspendidos o terminados. La meta de la fundación es recaudar $1.5 billón, que se desglosarían de esta manera: $251 millones del gobierno federal en ocho años; $500 millones de otros gobiernos; y $750 millones en fondos privados. El Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. categoriza la esclavitud -- la cual existe en EE.UU y en más de otros 160 países -- como tráfico sexual, tráfico sexual infantil, trabajos forzados, trabajo de servidumbre, servidumbre por deudas, servidumbre doméstica, trabajo forzado infantil o niños soldados. La nueva propuesta es importante para la iglesia local, le dijo Sadler a BP. "Primero, este proyecto apunta a traer justicia al oprimido manteniendo a las autoridades a cuentas por reducir el tráfico humano alrededor del mundo," dijo y añadió que esto "le pone el paso" al reporte anual del Departamento de Estado "equipando a aquellos en el trabajo en países que llenan los estándares mínimos" del reporte. "Segundo, podemos celebrar que este es un paso concreto hacia cuidar "a la viuda, al huérfano y al extranjero,' que son vulnerables al tráfico humano," dijo Sadler. "Por estas razones, desafío a la iglesia a orar por la implementación de esta legislación." Sadler, uno de los pastores maestros de la Iglesia Gallery de la ciudad de New York, es director de los ministerios de justicia de la Asociación Bautista Metropolitana de New York; él entrena iglesias y otras comunidades de fe para combatir el tráfico humano. También dirige Let My People Go (Deja ir a mi pueblo), una iniciativa para ayudar a los líderes a reconocer y tratar el asunto de la explotación en sus comunidades. Al endosar la nueva propuesta, Burkhalter de IJM instó al Congreso a no reducir los programas en contra de la esclavitud y el desarrollo que ya están siendo conducidos por la Oficina de Monitoreo y Combate del Tráfico de Personas del Departamento de Estado y por la Agencia para el Desarrollo Internacional de EE.UU. "No queremos ver [al gobierno federal] quitándole a Pedro para darle a Pablo," dijo ella. La ERLC ha sido un defensor líder de las políticas para combatir el tráfico humano desde que el movimiento para tratar el problema doméstico e internacional resultó en la primera ley en contra del tráfico humano en 2000. --30-- Tom Strode es el corresponsal en Washington para Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Nuevos misioneros se unen a la "imparable misión" de Dios by Por Marie Curtis Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday HOUSTON (BP) -- El único interés que tenía David Kizziah en la iglesia cuando era joven, era ir al gimnasio de Circlewood Baptist Church. Muchas veces él y sus amigos entraron sin permiso al gimnasio a jugar basquetbol sin que les descubrieran. Pero al ser descubiertos, el ministro de jóvenes les mostró gracia, algo que Kizziah no esperaba. Él les ofreció a Kizziah y a sus amigos una invitación abierta a venir a jugar basquetbol si también venían a la iglesia. "Eso fue lo que hicimos, y todos quedamos convencidos por el Espíritu Santo de que teníamos una necesidad espiritual de un Salvador," recuerda Kizziah sobre aquellos días en la iglesia de Tuscaloosa, Ala. Los viajes misioneros y un continuo crecimiento espiritual durante sus años en la universidad elevaron su nivel de consciencia sobre los grupos de personas aún no alcanzadas por el Evangelio. "Mi llamado misionero vino principalmente al ser bombardeado con el hecho bíblico de que Dios es un Dios misionero," dijo Kizziah. Explicó que comenzó a ver claramente en las Escrituras el deseo de Dios de ser alabado por todas las naciones. "Aquellos que ya han probado y visto la belleza de Cristo deben hacer todo lo que puedan para ya sea que envíen a otros o vayan ellos mismos a todos los que aún no han oído," dijo Kizziah. El 25 de febrero en Sagemont Church en Houston, David y su esposa Katie, quienes se conocieron cuando eran muy jóvenes en un viaje con International World Changers, fueron comisionados como misioneros de la Junta de Misiones Internacionales (IMB, por sus siglas en inglés). Desde la plataforma, la familia Kizziah dijo a la congregación, "Somos David y Katie y nuestras historias están conectadas al Autor de la Gran Historia y nos unimos a Él para extender el Evangelio entre los pueblos del África Subsahariana." Los Kizziah, junto con otros 23 candidatos que fueron comisionados, escucharon a David Platt, el presidente de la JMI, llamarlos a enfatizar la proclamación del Evangelio. "Eso es exactamente lo que estos hermanos y hermanas han sido enviados a hacer, a hablar del Evangelio por todo el mundo," dijo Platt. "Es lo que cada uno de nosotros que hemos puesto nuestra fe en Cristo tiene el espíritu para hacer--para hablar. Tenemos el poder del Espíritu de Dios para poder hablar palabras que causen un cambio eterno en los corazones de las personas." Entre los candidatos, nueve ya habían servido previamente con la JMI como "journeymen" o a través de International Service Corps. El grupo también incluyó a un doctor en medicina, un veterinario, un granjero, varios profesionales de los negocios y otros que ya servían en puestos ministeriales. Con base en el Libro de los Hechos, Platt dijo que esperaba animar a los nuevos misioneros, aunque estaba dirigiendo sus comentarios a aquellos en la congregación que creían que deben ser "súper cristianos" antes de ser usados por Dios, como lo eran Pedro y Pablo. Señalando que el Evangelio se dispersó en Judea y Samaria a través de creyentes anónimos, Platt describió que el movimiento en Hechos estaba formado por "gente ordinaria con poder extraordinario para predicar, orar, ofrendar y sufrir por la expansión del Evangelio hasta lo último de la tierra." Muchos de los misioneros lloraban mientras cada uno declaraba públicamente sus intenciones de proclamar el Evangelio entre los que aún no han sido alcanzados. Las palabras usadas no siempre son las mismas, pero el mensaje central quedó claro: "Iremos." Platt les aseguró que la gente iba a orar por ellos, especialmente en los momentos de sufrimiento, que seguramente tendrán. "Esta noche estamos orando por gracia para ustedes en el momento en que venga el valle o cuando venga ese problema, o venga esa tragedia--que en esos momentos se aferren a Cristo como su fuente de vida," dijo Platt. "Y será evidente ante las personas a su alrededor que Cristo es mejor que la vida misma." "Puede ser que nuestro sufrimiento sea inevitable, pero, hermanos y hermanas, subrayen lo siguiente: nuestra misión es imparable." -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Mi papá: cinco años ya de su partida by Por Octavio Esqueda Date: March 06, 2015 - Friday LA MIRADA, Calif. (BP) -- Hace ya cinco años que mi papá, Javier Esqueda, falleció inesperadamente. El gran vacío que nos dejó sigue y seguirá presente por el resto de nuestras vidas y es muy difícil resignarse a su ausencia. Cuando en conversaciones casuales sale el tema de mi papá me cuesta trabajo referirme a él en el pasado, pero estoy tristemente consciente que el presente y el futuro seguirán sin su presencia. Mi mamá habría celebrado 45 años de casada el pasado diciembre, mis dos hermanos habrían celebrado sus graduaciones de la universidad con su orgulloso papá, mis dos hijos se habrían gozado con su abuelito que estoy seguro los habría consentido muchísimo y yo tendría el apoyo y el oído total de un hombre que me amara incondicionalmente y me daría sus consejos totalmente desinteresados buscando siempre lo mejor para mí, pero todo esto no pudo ni podrá ser. La Biblia dice que la muerte es la consecuencia directa del pecado (Rom. 3:23) y siempre es una intrusa que se mete en nuestro camino y nos recuerda que la vida es corta y no refleja lo que tendría que ser en un mundo ideal y perfecto. Dios nos creó para vivir y disfrutar la vida. El término que refleja esta realidad es "Shalom" que significa plenitud, completa paz y bienestar. Por lo tanto, el pecado y su consecuencia directa, la muerte, son el reflejo mismo del vandalismo o pérdida de Shalom. Jesucristo es el príncipe de paz (Is. 9:6) y nos vino a dar vida abundante (Juan 10:10). Al morir en la cruz por nuestros pecados Jesús derrotó a la muerte. Sin embargo, la destrucción final del pecado y de la muerte aún está por venir (1 Cor. 15:26). Por lo tanto, a pesar de tener nuestros pecados perdonados a través del sacrificio de Jesús, los cristianos seguimos viviendo en un mundo en donde la muerte nos acecha y nos marca con la pérdida de nuestros seres queridos. Mi papá era cristiano y ahora disfruta al estar en la presencia del Señor (2 Cor. 5:8). De la misma manera, como cristiano también tengo la certeza que la separación no es para siempre y que un día estaré con él (1 Ts. 4:17). Sin embargo, en el presente el dolor de su ausencia es real y aunque de alguna manera pareciera disminuir con el tiempo, nunca se quita y siempre permanece adormilado esperando despertar al menor recuerdo. Todos los seres humanos nos dolemos por la muerte de un ser querido, pero los cristianos lo hacemos con la esperanza en la resurrección (1 Ts. 4:13). Así que, vivimos entre la esperanza y el dolor, entre los recuerdos del pasado y el gozo prometido en el futuro, pero con el dolor y la incertidumbre del presente. No importa que mi papá haya fallecido ya hace cinco años o que yo sea un adulto, soy y seguiré siendo un huérfano al igual que mis hermanos, mi mamá una viuda y mis hijos crecerán escuchando historias de un abuelo al que no conocieron al igual que lo hice yo. A través de esta experiencia he podido darme cuenta lo poco que estamos preparados para lidiar con la muerte a pesar de que siempre nos rodea. Cuando alguien pasa por una pena, la reacción natural es no acercarse porque "no sabemos qué decir". Es verdad, no hay nada que podamos decir que llene el vacío o aminore el dolor que ocasiona la pérdida de un ser querido. Sin embrago, la Biblia nos recuerda que debemos alegrarnos con los que se alegran y llorar con los que lloran (Rom. 12:15). Realmente no tenemos que decir nada sino solamente estar presentes y acompañarlos en su dolor. En una palabra, debemos mostrar "empatía". Esto significa participar en los sentimientos de otra persona y asimilarse a su estado de ánimo. En lenguaje coloquial se diría "ponerse en los zapatos del otro". Al identificarnos con los sentimientos de los que sufren realmente ayudamos y somos de gran apoyo. Desgraciadamente, por alguna razón pensamos que cuando alguien pasa por un trago amargo deberíamos animarlos minimizando el dolor o cambiando su perspectiva. A pesar de querer ayudar, lo que hacemos es invalidar los sentimientos de la otra persona y, sin quererlo, aumentamos su dolor. ¡La empatía es tan necesaria como difícil de encontrar! La muerte de mi papá me ha hecho más sensible al dolor ajeno y cuando escucho acerca de las enfermedades o muertes de los padres e hijos de mi amigos y compañeros de trabajo, no puedo sino llorar por dentro. Sé que puedo y debo mejorar muchísimo mi capacidad para mostrar empatía hacia los demás. De hecho, creo que todos podemos mejorar en esta área y de esta manera realmente confortar a los que sufren a nuestro alrededor que para ser sincero somos todos. Debajo de esa sonrisa que todos esbozan se encuentra un dolor que se sufre en silencio y que ruega por comprensión y apoyo. En los últimos cinco años la vida ha seguido su curso. Lo cotidiano camina con sus altas y bajas, con sus momentos de alegría y sus destellos de melancolía. Mi mamá y hermanos han aprendido a caminar sin mi papá, mis hijos a crecer sin saber lo que es tener un abuelo y yo a recordar y llorar por dentro cuando estoy consciente de lo mucho que extraño a mi papá. El tiempo no llena vacíos sino que solamente nos distrae para que no sean tan dolorosos y presentes como al principio. Si usted tiene el privilegio de estar cerca de sus padres no pierda la oportunidad para decirles que los ama. Si como yo, ha perdido por lo menos a uno, lo acompaño en su dolor mientras seguimos llorando con esperanza.