The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-03/23/2016 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EASTER: Hope today & every day by David Jeremiah Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- People who experience high levels of despair have a 20 percent greater occurrence of atherosclerosis than people who live with hope. That's the "same magnitude of increased risk that one sees in comparing a pack-a-day smoker to a non-smoker," according to the Journal of the American Heart Association. In other words, with hope we can be 20 percent less likely to suffer from narrowing of the arteries caused by plaque buildup on interior blood vessel walls (atherosclerosis). But hope in what? Proverbs tells us that, "A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones" (17:22). So, what do we do when the dark storm clouds roll in? And what about our final appointment with death? Will a sunny smile keep death at bay? No! If our hope can't see us through our darkest days, and through the valley of the shadow of death, it is not true hope. The disciples of Jesus Christ went through a period of despair. But their hope returned when the condition that caused their despair was reversed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Let's see why the resurrection is the only foundation for a life of hope today. The death of hope Imagine what the disciples felt the evening after Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb. Several women went to the tomb the next morning to anoint Jesus' body. But the tomb was empty. An angel told them Jesus had risen from the dead. They ran back to tell the disciples. Peter and John raced to the tomb and, indeed, it was empty. After discovering the empty tomb, they were still terribly discouraged and confused. What did it mean? "For as yet they did not know the Scripture that He must rise again from the dead" (John 10:9-10). Then the disciples went home. All their hopes for the future had been focused on the Savior. When He died, the disciples' dreams died. The rebirth of hope Only one thing brought life to the disciples' hopeless hearts -- meeting and communing personally with the risen Savior. Three days after the crucifixion, two disciples were walking dejectedly from Emmaus to Jerusalem when a stranger joined them. Breaking bread together later, they recognized Him -- Jesus was alive! They raced back to Jerusalem to tell the others. As the disciples listened to the two tell about seeing Jesus near Emmaus, He appeared in their midst. They thought He was a ghost! (Luke 24:37). As Jesus kept appearing to the disciples, their hope was rekindled and seeds were planted in their hearts for the future (John 21:1-25). When the future comes alive again, you know hope has been reborn. Within a few more days, the disciples received marching orders from Jesus for world evangelism. They received the Holy Spirit and boldly took a stand against the authorities who had crucified their Lord. Religion can't give the hope mankind needs, but the resurrection of the living Savior can. The life of hope After seeing the mighty Allies on D-Day, the world gained hope that the war would soon end. When Christ came out of the grave, the war against death was over. When fear of death is gone, the Christian needn't fear anything. And when fear is banished, hope is set free to embrace the future fearlessly. Jesus defeated the temptations of Satan. So can we if we are in Him (Matthew 4:1-11). When Christ died, was buried, and resurrected, so were we (Romans 6). The resurrection is the pivotal event of the Christian faith: "If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty" (1 Corinthians 15:14). If Jesus were still in His borrowed tomb, we'd be helpless and hopeless. But because of His resurrection, we have hope today and every day. When someone asks you for "a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15), tell them Jesus conquered the grave and promised that you will as well. Tell them that hope helps keep you alive. Health and heaven -- two resurrection-based reasons for having hope! -------------------------------------------------------------------- ANALYSIS: Brussels, terror & Easter by Erich Bridges Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday BRUSSELS, Belgium (BP) -- Once again, innocent blood stains the ground and fear fills the air in Europe. The March 22 airport and subway bombings in Brussels, claimed by the ISIS Islamic terror group, killed more than 30 people, wounded at least 170 -- and traumatized a region still reeling from the November massacre in Paris, multiple bombings in NATO member Turkey and warnings of more attacks to come. (Regular ISIS -- or Al Qaeda-inspired attacks continue to kill hundreds in the Middle East, Central and South Asia and Africa, with far less notice in Western media.) The still-unfolding refugee crisis created by the Syrian civil war is straining European unity. The 28-nation European Union (EU), of which Brussels is the unofficial capital, is struggling to maintain stability as its members question whether the concept of Europe as an interconnected economic and political entity will survive the "long war" with Islamic terrorism. Following the Brussels bombings, EU heads of state publicly vowed to fight terrorism with "all necessary means," claiming the latest tragedy "only strengthens our resolve to defend European values and tolerance from the attacks of the intolerant." But Europe's modern tradition of essentially open borders and multicultural societies may not survive the current challenges from outside -- and inside -- the continent. Back in the United States, meanwhile, police forces and federal agencies stepped up security at airports and transit hubs after the latest attacks. "In the wake of these attacks, we here in the U.S. and our allies across Europe must be on alert for possible copycat attackers who activate in the wake of these bombings," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D.-Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee. "[A]s we saw in San Bernardino, we are not immune from the threat at home, even if it is still more likely to come from home-grown radicals than ISIS fighters returning from Syria or Iraq." Some presidential candidates and other politicians already were calling for closed borders, stricter controls on immigrants and refugees, even temporary bans on all Muslims coming to the United States. After the Brussels attacks, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz proposed security "patrols" of Muslim neighborhoods in America. So the questions arise again, the questions we have been asking since 9/11: In an open society, what is the trade-off between liberty and security? When does "keep us free" yield to "keep us safe"? In an age of terror, will America's tradition of welcoming newcomers crumble in the face of fear? For followers of Christ, it's more important than ever to separate the sociopolitical dimension of these questions from the spiritual dimension. In order to survive and thrive, a nation state must defend itself from real threats to its security. That is one of the fundamental responsibilities of government. As American citizens, we all share that responsibility. As citizens of the kingdom of God, however, we also have higher duties. To love God with all our hearts and minds tops the list. To love others as ourselves comes next. To proclaim His salvation through Jesus Christ to all people and nations is our daily command. We can't obey it if we live in fear. Indeed, "fear not" is the most frequent directive in Scripture. "The most often repeated commandment in the Bible is 'Do not fear,'" writes "Blue Like Jazz" author Donald Miller. "It's in there over 200 times. That means a couple of things, if you think about it. It means we are going to be afraid, and it means we shouldn't let fear boss us around. Before I realized we were supposed to fight fear, I thought of fear as a subtle suggestion in our subconscious designed to keep us safe, or more important, keep us from getting humiliated. And I guess it serves that purpose. But fear isn't only a guide to keep us safe; it's also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life." And a disobedient life. We cannot love the Lord if we fear or hate the world, because God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. As we celebrate Easter, let's remember the world in which Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again. The Israel of His day groaned under the boot of imperial Rome, an invading enemy it hated and feared. The people cried out for deliverance. Many looked for a political Messiah, a king to crush Israel's foes and restore the glory of old. Who came unto them instead? A suffering servant, who told them to forgive their tormentors, to love their enemies, and to walk the second mile with their oppressors. After His resurrection, Jesus Christ commanded them not to hunker down in Israel but to go into all the world -- beginning with the dangerous, hostile, Roman-ruled world -- to proclaim the Gospel, to baptize and make disciples. We live in an age of terror. That is a given. It's unlikely to end anytime soon. How do we respond? In love, not fear, if we follow Christ. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Baptist disaster relief reaches toward the nations by Kentucky Today, Western Recorder & Baptist Press Staff Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The shantytowns of Cape Town, South Africa, could be among the initial disaster relief deployments for the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. In a partnership with the Kentucky Baptist Convention facilitated by the Baptist Global Response humanitarian organization, the Baptist union's disaster relief ministry is in the early stages of development, according to reports by the KBC Kentucky Today news site and KBC Western Recorder newsjournal. South Africa is among several countries where Baptist state convention disaster relief leaders have conducted training of local Baptists for responding to disasters such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Paul Chitwood, the Kentucky convention's executive director, noted, "As with KBC Disaster Relief, the disaster relief ministry built by our brothers and sisters in South Africa will help them show the love of Christ and also be a great platform for them to share the Gospel." Chitwood and KBC disaster relief director Coy Webb, along with BGR field strategist Jeff O'Loughlin, met with Baptist union leaders in Cape Town Feb. 28-March 4 regarding principles and issues for a ministry to deliver humanitarian and spiritual aid. They also visited recent disaster sites in the region and Webb provided training for several key leaders. "The potential impact of this new ministry to open doors in the country for the Gospel is immense," Webb said. In the shantytowns, for example, Webb said the makeshift houses situated tightly together in impoverished settlements are major fire hazards, while many other poor neighborhoods are at risk for flooding. Webb encouraged Baptist union leaders to initially focus on preparations for fire and flood scenarios and trauma care. "It would be far better to find gap areas right now in current disaster responses … and maybe begin with two or three ministries and allow the ministry to grow as more resources become available," Webb said, "rather than trying to do too much initially and becoming overwhelmed or perhaps not having adequate volunteers or resources to do things in an effective manner." Webb said the Baptist Union plans to start by responding to no more than three regional disasters, which commonly include village fires, floods and droughts. "I was impressed by the leadership and the gifted partners that God joined together" for the Baptist union's DR ministry, Webb said. The KBC and Baptist union are still working out details for their partnership. However, Chitwood said, it likely will involve disaster response workshops, for which the KBC will provide trainers and resource materials, and Webb said the KBC might send a team to work alongside the Baptist union during a disaster. "Our volunteers are very well organized, well-trained and have a lot of experience with this," Chitwood said. The Baptist Union of Southern Africa has grown to several hundred churches since its founding in 1877 by several English-speaking churches and a German-speaking church. The union has the will and resources "necessary for an effective disaster response organization," O'Loughlin said in an email. "They just needed to know how to put it all together." While in the region, Webb joined representatives of other Southern Baptist organizations in surveying drought conditions in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. "We saw massive crop failures in the mountain villages that will likely lead to 1.5 million people suffering from severe hunger," Webb said. More Baptist initiatives Various state conventions have provided disaster relief training to overseas Baptists, including a South Africa outreach in 2000 by North Carolina Baptist Men, who also provided DR training in Hungary in 2005 and 2007. Among their reports: -- Florida Baptists were providing disaster relief training for Haitian leaders even before the 2010 earthquake devastated the nation. For the island nation that experiences hurricanes, tropical storms and flooding every two to three years, disaster relief preparation became on-the-job training. Ministry directors employed by the Confraternite Missionaire Baptiste d'Haiti were trained in logistics and assessment after a hurricane struck in 2005, said Craig Culbreth, the Florida Baptist Convention's mission and ministry group catalyst. The leaders organized distribution of beans and rice to hungry families in flooded villages and began storing food in regions to facilitate, which became necessary after a hurricane struck again in 2007. When the 2010 earthquake hit, Haitian Baptist leaders were able assess and communicate urgent needs to Florida Baptist Disaster Relief, lessening the response time. In the weeks and months following the earthquake, the training was expanded to include pastors and church leaders regionally who were prepared in assessment, spiritual care and logistics. These Haitian Baptist leaders became the backbone of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts in the aftermath of quake, learning how to construct homes, meet spiritual needs and provide transportation of supplies, volunteers and equipment. Since 2010, three DR training sessions have been held. -- Oklahoma Baptists have included disaster relief training as part of a partnership with the Baptist convention in Mexico's Guerrero state. "They have taken the principles we taught them, and they respond to flooding and hurricanes," said Sam Porter, disaster relief director for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. "Plus they have developed a very good medical response team for when disasters hit along the Pacific Coast in that part of Mexico," Porter said in an email to Baptist Press. And when there are no disasters, they do monthly medical crusades for new church plants' communities "and treat an average of 400 people each week and see 100-150 accept Jesus Christ," Porter said. The Oklahoma Baptist Messenger newsjournal, in 2008, recounted visa problems that Porter and other volunteers had to overcome to relay training to Myanmar (Burma) Baptist leaders after Cyclone Nargis, which killed an estimated 10,000 people in a heavily Baptist region surrounding the capital of the south Asian country. Denied entry into Myanmar, the DR team conducted training in Thailand, providing a nine-page manual and a 90-minute session for a Burmese congregation in Bangkok and seven individuals from Myanmar. The manual covered such topics as sanitation, water and food distribution, housing and shelter, medical needs, and emotional and spiritual caregiving. "Our hope is that the Myanmar church will be much stronger by the time this relief effort ends," Porter said at the time. "This is a tremendous opportunity to see the Kingdom of God expand in this nation." -- Alabama Baptists provided disaster relief training in Guatemala in 2010 as part of the state convention's partnership with Baptists in the Central American country. Mel Johnson, disaster relief strategist and state missionary for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, recounted in an email, "Baptist leadership from across Guatemala traveled to Guatemala City for intensive planning and training to develop a disaster relief ministry based on the Cooperative Program model and spirit of the Southern Baptist disaster relief organization." In Puerto Rico in 2014, Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief responded to a request from the island's Baptists to train and develop a DR response ministry through local churches. "Alabama trainers provided hands-on training for chainsaw, cleanup recovery and mud-out ministry," Johnson said. "Alabama Baptists donated disaster relief response equipment and trained locals in how to service and maintain the equipment." "Local, national and international disaster relief efforts," Johnson noted, "reflect a deep commitment to Great Commission ministries and remain true to an Acts 1:8 model for missions." Richard Brunson, executive director of North Carolina Baptist Men, said international disaster relief training initiatives "have provided opportunities for us to not only minister and serve in the areas where we have provided training, but they have also opened the door for [other facets] of our existing ministry partnerships." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Boston church plants host Good Friday outreach by Diana Chandler Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday BOSTON (BP) -- Six Southern Baptist church plants will cohost an evangelistic Good Friday worship service in the public square of Boston, a North American Mission Board city of focus that is only about 3.2 percent evangelical Christian. NAMB Send City church planter Jared Kirk, pastor of Boston's Renewal Church, is spearheading the 7 p.m. March 25 outreach in Faneuil Hall, a centrally located government building, because of his passion to see the lost come to Christ. "Good Friday [Boston] is organized in particular to help reach the lost and Faneuil Hall is a historic location in the city," Kirk told Baptist Press. "We're small- and medium-sized churches. We thought if we combined our resources and our prayers, that we would have a better chance of sharing the Gospel with more people in the city." Joining with Renewal Church are Charles River, City on a Hill, Hub City, Redeemer and Redemption churches, which together attract between 700 and 800 worshippers each Sunday. Redeemer Church, which meets in Josiah Quincy Upper School, attracts about 60 each Sunday and baptized seven adults last year, Kirk said. "The churches that are cooperating have come from the relationships that have been formed from the Send church planters in the city," said Kirk, noting NAMB's Send City outreach to cities where the Gospel is not widely preached. "They're all Send church plants." Supporting them is Sevier Heights Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tenn., whose missions pastor David Powell is in Boston with nine other Sevier Heights members March 22-28 to help promote the event, and serve as hospitality hosts and decision counselors for those who come to Christ. Boston remains mostly unreached with the Gospel. Of the 4.9 million people in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton Metropolitan Statistical Area, 43 percent are unaffiliated with any church, according to 2010 numbers from the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA). While about 44 percent identify as Catholic, Kirk and others describe most of them as "post-Catholic." "They do not attend Mass. ... But when they check off the box on the demographic form, they check the box 'Catholic,'" Kirk noted. He described them as "a generation away from checking the box that's no religious preference or affiliation." Among others, 4.5 percent are mainline Protestants, according to the ARDA. To help reach the unchurched people there is why Sevier Heights Baptist Church pastor Hollie Miller is supporting Good Friday Boston. "Those young church planters, they're like Navy Seals," he told BP. "It's amazing what they do. Those guys … take their family up there and start from scratch. … A small apartment for a family up there is like $2,800 a month. It is just incredible and they're just out there working themselves to death." Miller plans to coordinate four mission trips to Boston this year, with the goal of planting a church there in 2017 with the support of other congregations in the U.S. He's excited to support evangelism in the city that has some 250,000 college students and attracts many young professionals. He's recruiting other churches to help him plant. "David [Powell] and I went up and just were overwhelmed with Boston and the tremendous need there," Miller said. "The influence that Boston has on America is just amazing." Kirk moved his family to Boston in 2013 and planted Renewal Church with the help of City on a Hill Church, which at that time was a three-year-old Southern Baptist church plant. "There [are] whole towns and neighborhoods that have no witness to the Gospel of any kind, not just Southern Baptist churches, but really of any kind," Kirk said. "We wanted to start a church that would start other churches throughout the city, and just be a part of that movement." The 115 Southern Baptist churches in Boston amount to one congregation for every 42,919 people in the city, according to NAMB's Send City website. "In Boston, we have a goal of planting 100 new churches by 2020," Kirk said. "We'll be at the point within five or 10 years where every single city or town has a Southern Baptist church plant." The Good Friday outreach hit a snag early in the six-month planning phase, Kirk noted, because of a concern over the use of Faneuil Hall, a government-supported facility. "It almost didn't happen because City Hall was concerned about the separation of church and state. Faneuil Hall is a publicly run facility," he said. "But the legal department of the Boston City Hall told them other religious institutions -- the Hare Krishnas -- have used it for instance, so they were required to let us use it. … We're glad that God went before us and solved that problem before we knew it was a major problem." Church counselors will meet the Saturday morning after the Good Friday service to connect new believers with one of the participating churches, or another nearby Southern Baptist church, hopefully in time for Easter services, Kirk said. "I'm hoping that this first year we have 400 or 500 people in attendance, but the real goal is for people to place their faith in Christ," Kirk said. "That's what I'm really most concerned about, not the overall number [in attendance]. I was praying this morning for 20 people to come forward to receive Christ for the first time; that would be huge for us." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Court ponders religious liberty in HHS mandate by Tom Strode Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court considered arguments Wednesday (March 23) that the federal government is intent on forcing Christian and other religious ministries to violate their consciences by accepting a rule that makes them complicit in abortion. Lawyers for the objecting institutions -- including some Southern Baptist-related entities -- and the Obama administration made their cases before the justices regarding the abortion/contraception mandate, a federal regulation issued to help implement the 2010 health-care reform law. The mandate requires employers to provide for their workers not only contraceptives but drugs and devices that can potentially cause abortions. Those who refuse to abide by the requirement face fines in the millions of dollars. GuideStone Financial Resources, the Southern Baptist Convention's health and financial benefits entity, and two of the ministries it serves, as well as three Baptist universities, are among the challengers to a mandate accommodation provided by the federal government to religious nonprofits. During the arguments, Paul Clement, representing those challenging the accommodation, told the justices the Little Sisters of the Poor -- a Roman Catholic order of nuns -- and others "face a dilemma." They can abide by their religious beliefs and pay millions of dollars of penalties or obey the government, he said. "My clients would love to be a conscientious objector, but the government insists they be a conscientious collaborator," Clement said. The seven consolidated cases accepted by the high court involve religious nonprofits that have lost at the appeals court level. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided an exemption to the mandate for churches and their auxiliaries but did not extend it to non-church-related, nonprofit organizations that object. HHS issued an accommodation for religious nonprofits, but many of those ministries or institutions have found it unacceptable. They contend it still makes them complicit in covering contraceptives and potentially abortion-causing drugs. HHS requires them to provide written notification they meet the requirements for an accommodation, which forces the nonprofit's insurer or a third-party administrator to provide contraceptive coverage. The federally approved contraceptives for which coverage is required include the intrauterine device (IUD) and such drugs as Plan B, the "morning-after" pill. Both the IUD and "morning-after" pill possess post-fertilization mechanisms that potentially can cause abortions by preventing implantation of tiny embryos. The rule also covers "ella," which -- in a fashion similar to the abortion drug RU 486 -- can even act after implantation to end the life of the child. In the oral arguments, Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general, told the court the ministries have no objection "to signing an opt-out form," but they do object to what amounts to an authorization form for coverage of abortion-causing and other contraceptives. Donald Verrilli, the current solicitor general, argued on behalf of the federal government the accommodation constitutes a "sensible balance" between religious freedom and the government's interest. The Supreme Court specifically is seeking to determine in the case if the accommodation violates the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which bars the federal government from substantially burdening free exercise of religion unless it can demonstrate it has a "compelling interest" and is using the "least restrictive means" to further that interest. The government does not concede the accommodation is a "substantial burden" on the nonprofits' religious liberty because the contraceptive coverage is provided by a third party, Verrilli told the justices. Chief Justice John Roberts, however, told Verrilli it seems accurate to him to describe the accommodation as a "hijacking" of the nonprofits' insurance plans. Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito sounded especially skeptical of the federal government's position, while the three female justices -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan -- led the challenges to the arguments by lawyers on behalf of the nonprofits. As has been the case since the mid-February death of conservative Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, the high court heard oral arguments with only eight members sitting. It appears the court could split 4-4. If so, the appeals court decisions would stand, leaving only the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals with a ruling in favor of the nonprofits' religious freedom rights. Lawyers for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Alliance Defending Freedom told Baptist Press outside the courtroom, however, even some of the liberal justices seemed to struggle with the government's position and might vote in support of the nonprofits. Three Southern Baptist entities -- the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the International Mission Board (IMB) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary -- and Southern's president, R. Albert Mohler Jr., filed a friend-of-the-court brief in January that urged the high court to rule the accommodation violates religious freedom. In a column published Wednesday in The Hill, ERLC President Russell Moore said of the case, "The government isn't really arguing that it has no other choice. The government instead is arguing that the ministries misunderstand their own faith; that they can participate in its complicated contraceptive delivery scheme without disobeying God." Moore wrote, "Let's hope the Court stands up for freedom and cooperation, not for government pressure and coercion." GuideStone is exempt from the mandate and accompanying fines, but it serves ministries that face massive penalties for failure to obey the rule. Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga., and Oklahoma City-based Reaching Souls International joined GuideStone in challenging the accommodation. Other Baptist institutions involved in appeals before the high court are Oklahoma Baptist University, East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University. GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said in a Tuesday news release, "The accommodation was unacceptable from its first reading. As many in Southern Baptist life rightly noted, this was nothing more than an accounting trick. The government claims this is an 'opt-out,' when actually, it is an 'opt-in,' in that the government seeks to use our plan." One of the arguments offered by Hawkins, Moore and others for rejecting the accommodation is the fact that more than one-third of Americans are not subject to the mandate. Several large corporations, the American military and cities such as New York are exempt from the requirement. The court is expected to issue its opinion before its term ends, which normally is in late June. The case is Zubik v. Burwell. -------------------------------------------------------------------- NFL, Apple object to Ga. religious liberty bill by David Roach Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday ATLANTA (BP) -- Georgia Baptists acknowledge the religious liberty bill passed by their state legislature isn't perfect. But they're urging their state's governor to sign it despite his hints of a veto and threats from the NFL that adopting the measure could disqualify Atlanta from hosting the Super Bowl. The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has been "trying to communicate to our pastors and churches the importance of making sure their members ... contact the governor by way of email, by way of letters, by way of phone contacts" to express their support for the Free Exercise Protection Act, said Mike Griffin, the Mission Board's public affairs representative. "We're seeing a lot of that now." Griffin, pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell, added Georgia Baptist leaders are encouraging prayer that Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, will sign the bill, which passed the legislature March 16 and combines elements of a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a First Amendment Defense Act and a Pastor Protection Act. Among other provisions, the bill would permit business owners to decline participation in same-sex weddings if doing so violates their sincerely held religious beliefs. The measure also would protect faith-based organizations that support traditional marriage from being denied government benefits because of their convictions, Griffin said. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, took issue with the legislation's final language, arguing it "waters down a religious freedom bill that had real force." Specifically, The Heritage Foundation's Ryan Anderson and Roger Severino wrote in an online commentary that "the bill provides Religious Freedom Restoration Act levels of protection for certain protected persons, but it explicitly says these protections cannot apply in cases of 'invidious discrimination.'" By leaving "invidious" undefined, the measure opens itself to anti-Christian interpretations by activists judges, Anderson and Severino argued. Additionally, the section protecting faith-based organizations from government discrimination covers only "churches, religious schools and 'integrated auxiliaries,'" Anderson and Severino wrote, leaving some religious organizations unprotected. The Heritage Foundation authors alleged the bill "provides no protection for bakers or florists or other similar wedding professionals." However, Griffin said it allows courts to give such individuals "injunctive relief" while not granting them standing to sue the government "for monetary damages." Potential veto Deal told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution enacting the religious liberty bill was "not on my agenda." The governor then noted his status as a Southern Baptist and a Mercer University graduate before offering a theological argument on tolerance. "We have a belief in forgiveness and that we do not have to discriminate unduly against anyone on the basis of our own religious beliefs," Deal said of Christians. "We are not jeopardized, in my opinion, by those who believe differently from us. We are not, in my opinion, put in jeopardy by virtue of those who might hold different beliefs or who may not even agree with what our Supreme Court said the law of the land is on the issue of same-sex marriage. I do not feel threatened by the fact that people who might choose same-sex marriages pursue that route." Deal said he personally believes in "traditional marriage" between a man and a woman, the AJC reported. Under state law, Deal has until May 3 to sign or veto the religious liberty bill. If he takes no action, it will become law automatically. Gerald Harris, editor of Georgia Baptists' Christian Index newsjournal, wrote in a March 10 editorial that Deal "is dead wrong to stand in the way of a religious liberty bill ... that will insure freedom for all people of faith." Responding to Deal's theological analysis, Harris argued God's love "must be balanced with His justice." "In our society," Harris wrote, "there are many good, well-meaning people whose characterization of God's love is a love that only exhorts but never exposes, restores but never rebukes, comforts but never confronts, consoles but never corrects. It is a love that has no foundation in truth, justice and righteousness. In order to truly love God, you must also hate sin, wickedness and unrighteousness. True love cannot function without hate." Super Bowl to be denied? Meanwhile, some businesses -- including the NFL, Coca Cola, Apple and Intel -- urged Deal to veto the religious liberty bill. The NFL suggested enacting the measure could remove Atlanta from contention to host the 2019 or 2020 Super Bowl, CBS News reported. Atlanta's professional sports franchises -- the Falcons, Braves and Hawks -- all have opposed the bill along with the NCAA, according to The Washington Post. State Sen. Greg Kirk, the bill's senate sponsor, told Baptist Press "the NFL needs to stick to football and let lawmakers make laws." Georgia is America's "number one place to do business" and has "done everything the NFL has asked," including exempting Super Bowl tickets from state sales tax and building a new stadium, said Kirk, a former Southern Baptist pastor. State Rep. Kevin Tanner, a House sponsor of the bill, told BP protecting religious liberty will not harm businesses. Georgia is "set up for businesses to operate and flourish here in the state," said Tanner, a Southern Baptist deacon. "Offering this protection to our citizens is not going to hurt the business community in any way, and they know that. ... This is an opportunity for publicity and for them to attract folks to the fact that they're diverse and they're open." Religious freedom 'critical' Georgia Baptist Convention President Thomas Hammond, pastor of First Baptist Church in Alpharetta, Ga., told BP it would be "disappointing ... for all Americans to lose any freedoms they have enjoyed for over 200 years simply because of the wishes of a very small and vocal minority." "It is difficult," Hammond said in written comments, "to realize how critical all freedoms are, including the freedom of religion, for our pursuit of happiness and the sustainability of our society until we lose them. Sadly, by then it would be too late." For Jerry Vines, a former Southern Baptist Convention president with a Georgia-based preaching ministry, the decision to protect religious liberty or bow to business leaders is a choice of spirituality versus materialism. "I pray our leaders in Georgia don't make the same tragic mistake Judas did, choosing the material over the spiritual, Satan over the Savior," Vines told BP. "Thirty pieces of silver bought Judas a ticket to Hell." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Recibe elogios la etiqueta de Kerry para ISIS by Tom Strode Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Los bautistas del sur y otros partidarios de la libertad religiosa elogiaron la declaración de la administración de Obama el jueves (17 de marzo) donde se denominó como genocidio a la campaña asesina del Estado Islámico en contra de los cristianos y de otras minorías. El anuncio dado por el Secretario de Estado John Kerry proveyó una resolución satisfactoria a lo que los preocupados observadores habían temido por cuatro meses sería una decisión perturbadora por parte de la administración. Los partidarios de la libertad religiosa instaron a Kerry y al Presidente Obama a dar marcha atrás al curso luego de haberse reportado a mediados de noviembre que el Departamento de Estado se preparaba para etiquetar como genocidio solamente la campaña del Estado Islámico en Irak y Siria en contra de la secta yazidí. En su anuncio del jueves por la mañana, Kerry dijo que según su opinión el Estado Islámico de Irak y Siria (ISIS), también conocido como Daesh, "es responsable por el genocidio en contra de grupos en áreas bajo su control, incluyendo a los yazidíes, los cristianos y los musulmanes chiitas. El Estado Islámico, dijo, "es genocida por su autoproclamación, su ideología y sus acciones -- en lo que dice, en lo que cree y en lo que hace. Daesh también es responsable por crímenes en contra de la humanidad y limpieza étnica dirigida hacia estos mismos grupos y en algunos casos en contra de los musulmanes suni, kurdos y otras minorías." Russell Moore, el líder bautista del sur en el tema de la libertad religiosa –quien peticionó ante la administración tres veces que no excluyera a los cristianos de la designación de genocidio -- expresó gratitud "ya que por fin esta administración está dispuesta a reconocer la campaña genocida de ISIS en contra de los cristianos yazidíes y muchas otra minorías étnicas y religiosas. Moore, presidente de la Comisión de Ética y Libertad Religiosa (ERLC, por sus siglas en inglés), describió la campaña genocida en Irak y Siria como "una urgente crisis de derechos humanos." "Millones, incluyendo a muchos de nuestros hermanos y hermanas, han experimentado las formas más brutales de la persecución, y culturas completas están al borde de la extinción en este momento," dijo en unos comentarios para Baptist Press. Travis Wussow, director de justicia y libertad religiosa internacionales en la oficina del Medio Oriente de la CELR, dijo a BP que la comisión junto con otras organizaciones "han estado trabajando en este asunto durante varios meses, y estamos agradecidos que la administración de Obama ha respondido a lo que ahora todos concordamos es un genocidio perpetrado por el llamado Estado Islámico." "Estamos agradecidos, por supuesto, por lo esto significa para nuestros hermanos y hermanas," dijo Wussow, "pero tenemos en cuenta también que esta declaración muestra que los Estados Unidos están del lado de todas las víctimas del genocidio, sin importar la etnicidad, la fe o credo." Ronnie Floyd, presidente de la Convención Bautista del Sur, también expresó su agradecimiento por la declaración y dijo que espera que "se puedan tomar acciones inmediatas para eliminar esta malvada persecución." Añadió que la comunidad internacional "necesita mantenerse firme y unida en esta hora por la causa de la dignidad humana y la libertad religiosa para toda la gente globalmente." Un tratado de las Naciones Unidas de 1948 define el genocidio como el asesinato y otros actos con la "intención de destruir, todo o en parte, un grupo nacional, étnico, racial o religioso." Kerry citó lo siguiente como algunos de los crímenes de ISIS en contra de los grupos minoritarios en esos dos países del Medio Oriente: --La ejecución de cristianos y la esclavitud sexual de mujeres y niñas cristianas. --La matanza de cientos de yazidíes y las violaciones y esclavitud sexual de miles de mujeres yazidíes. --La masacre de cientos de hombres turcomanos chiitas y shabaks, así como el secuestro y violación de mujeres turcomanas chiitas. Otras atrocidades de ISIS nombradas por los defensores de la libertad religiosas incluyen el asesinato de líderes de las iglesias, tortura, sepulcros masivos, y la destrucción de iglesias, monasterios y cementerios. ISIS "mata a los cristianos por ser cristianos, a los yazidíes por ser yazidíes, a los chiitas por ser chiitas," dijo Kerry a los reporteros en el Departamento de Estado. "Toda su cosmovisión está basada en la eliminación de todos aquellos que no se subscriban a su perversa ideología. "Un elemento del genocidio es el intento de destruir a un grupo étnico o religiosos, en parte o por completo. Sabemos que [ISIS] les ha dado a algunas de sus víctimas la oportunidad de elegir abandonar su fe o ser asesinados, y para muchos, es una decisión entre un tipo de muerte y otro tipo." La respuesta de los Estados Unidos ante el Estado Islámico debe ser en parte "destruirlo con la fuerza militar," pero otros esfuerzos también son importantes, dijo Kerry, citando más de $600 millones en ayuda durante los últimos dos años y medio para los iraquíes desplazados por ISIS. "Es importante nombrar estos crímenes," dijo Kerry. "Pero lo que es esencial es detenerlos. Eso requerirá unidad en este país y dentro de los países directamente involucrados." Los líderes de la libertad religiosa dijeron que debe continuar el apoyo y la protección de las minorías religiosas amenazadas por o sufriendo a manos del Estado Islámico. Moore dijo a BP, "Los cristianos evangélicos continuarán defendiendo y trabajando compasivamente por los refugiados y otros, y orando que nuestro país siempre defienda la libertad religiosa y la dignidad humana dondequiera que estén amenazadas." Douglas Napier de Allience Defending Freedom (ADF) llamó a la denominación de genocidio dada por Kerry "un importante primer paso en el proceso necesario para que los Estados Unidos, la ONU y la comunidad internacional detengan las matanzas en el Medio Oriente." Napier, consejero principal y director ejecutivo de ADF International, dijo en unos comentarios por escrito, que los Estados Unidos y los 146 países que forman parte del tratado sobre el genocidio en la ONU "tienen una obligación de hacer todo lo que puedan para ponerle fin a la matanza de gente inocente." El representante Jeff Fortenberry, (republicano-Nebraska), aplaudió la decisión de Kerry y expresó tener esperanzas que "levantará la consciencia internacional, terminará con el escándalo del silencio, y creará las precondiciones para la protección y reintegración de estas antiguas comunidades de fe en sus tierras ancestrales." La Cámara de Representantes aprobó unánimemente el 15 de marzo una resolución patrocinada por Fortenberry donde se llamó genocidio a la violencia del Estado Islámico en contra de las minorías religiosas. Moore estuvo entre los más de 110 líderes que firmaron una carta del 17 de febrero para el Presidente Obama instando a su administración a categorizar como genocidio las acciones de ISIS. Él escribió a Kerry a mediados de noviembre para instarlo a no hacer una distinción entre los diferentes grupos sufriendo a manos de la organización terrorista. A inicios de diciembre, Moore y R. Albert Mohler Jr., presidente de Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, figuraron entre los 30 líderes que firmaron la carta que llamaba a Kerry a prestar atención a la evidencia de que los cristianos son los blancos del genocidio y reunirse con los representantes de su coalición antes de emitir una decisión. El anuncio de Kerry se dio un día después de la fecha límite para tal reporte, establecida por el Congreso en una propuesta de ley de gastos diversos promulgada a mediados de diciembre. -------------------------------------------------------------------- IMB habla sobre el número de bautismos by Por David Roach Date: March 23, 2016 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- La disminución en el número de bautismos y de iglesias nuevas reportado por los misioneros de la Junta de Misiones Internacionales durante la década pasada refleja cambios en los métodos de reporte de datos y en las estrategias de misiones, no una falta de ministerio evangelizador. Esa es la conclusión del comunicado de prensa del 21 de marzo divulgado en respuesta a las observaciones de que los bautismos en el extranjero para el 2015 están en su nivel más bajo desde 1969 -- 54.762, de acuerdo al reporte de ministerio de la IMB 2016 al Comité Ejecutivo de la Convención Bautista del Sur, del nivel más alto de 609.968 reportado para el 2007. El presidente de la IMB, David Platt dijo que los cuestionamientos acerca del reporte 2016 de la entidad "son buenos y válidos." Enfatizó que la entidad de misiones internacionales de la CBS está "absolutamente comprometida a de modo práctico, exacto y bíblicamente fiel reportar a la CBS." Entre los factores que los líderes de IMB citaron como responsables de las disminuciones están: -- Una interrupción en la práctica de reportar los bautismos realizados por convenciones compañeras y otros ministerios "en los que el personal de IMB estaba involucrado menos directamente." -- El cambio hacia trabajar entre las etnias no alcanzadas, lo cual produjo menos resultados visibles inicialmente. -- La inhabilidad para reportar algunas de las estadísticas de 2015 debido "a la negación de visas y circunstancias familiares" que prohibió a los misioneros de IMB recoger en el lugar datos relacionados a varios "desplazamientos de los creyentes nacionales." El presidente del Comité Ejecutivo, Frank S. Page le dijo a Baptist Press en comentarios escritos: "Nos gozamos de todos los esfuerzos evangelizadores dondequiera. Al mismo tiempo, esta oficina ha estado animando a la IMB a evaluar su sistema de reportes para traer un mayor enfoque al trabajo directamente empoderado a través de las ofrendas de nuestro Programa Cooperativo. Estamos agradecidos con el doctor Platt y con su personal por caminar en esta dirección. Aunque los números inicialmente luzcan negativos y algunos puedan enfocarse en el aparente declive, la realidad es que estamos viendo una imagen más clara del impacto que nuestros misioneros están haciendo y estoy profundamente agradecido por esto." Entre aquellos que notan las disminuciones está Will Hall, editor de la publicación de noticias Mensaje Bautista de Louisiana. En un reportaje de noticias del 18 de marzo, Hall dijo que "la cifra de bautismos de 2016 representa el nivel más bajo reportado en 46 años." Hall también señaló una disminución en las "iglesias nuevas" reportado por la IMB de 13.824 en 2014 a 3.842 en 2015, de acuerdo al reporte del ministerio. Alguna explicación de la disminución estuvo incluida en el reporte del ministerio, el cual fue publicado en línea en febrero en www.sbc.net/cp/ministryreports/ y enviado vía correo electrónico a los miembros del CE, a los directores ejecutivos de las convenciones estatales bautistas, a los editores de periódicos estatales bautistas y a los líderes de las entidades de la CBS. La disminución en iglesias nuevas entre 2012 y 2013 y de nuevo entre 2014 y 2015 cada una fue "debido a un gran CPM [movimiento de plantación de iglesias por sus siglas en inglés] que ya no es reportado," de acuerdo a la pregunta 22 de 25 en el reporte -- una observación que Hall no señaló. No fue comentado en el reporte de Hall que hubo una respuesta a la subsecuente pregunta en el reporte de ministerio que establece: "IMB está comprometida a mirar los movimientos autóctonos dentro de cada etnia y centro urbano involucrados dentro de los equipos de plantación de iglesias. Cuando los equipos alcanzan el punto donde un movimiento está ocurriendo, les transfieren el trabajo a los líderes autóctonos y se van a etnias no alcanzadas que necesitan un equipo para iniciar el trabajo. "Cuando los equipos siguen adelante, IMB ya no cuenta las estadísticas de sus anteriores trabajos, y estas ya no son reportadas en el reporte estadístico anual," declaró la IMB. "Los años de 2012 y 2015 estuvieron caracterizados por tales cambios cuando los misioneros de IMB respondían a las necesidades de las etnias no alcanzadas en lugares muy difíciles. Dicho esto, los misioneros de IMB plantaron 3.842 iglesias el año pasado, y el número de iglesias bautistas en las etnias y en los segmentos urbanos creció a 41.172," declaró el reporte. Además, las anotaciones en los anuarios de la CBS parecen reflejar dos cambios separados en los datos que reportan métodos desde 2009, un hecho al que Hall aludió. En 2011, la IMB declaró: "Comenzando con este reporte [sobre las estadísticas de 2010], las cifras reportadas son por el trabajo relacionado al personal de IMB solamente, y ya no incluyen reportes relacionados con las convenciones y uniones compañeras." Consecuentemente, los bautismos reportados disminuyeron de 506.019 para el 2009 a 360.876 para el 2010. En 2014, la IMB señaló en su reporte para el 2013: "Los principales movimientos que se sostienen a sí mismos y que requieren guía y ayuda ocasional del personal de IMB han sido removidos de las estadísticas del reporte de este año, lo cual resulta en que algunas estadísticas son de alguna manera diferentes a periodos reportados anteriormente." Por consiguiente, el número de bautismos reportados declinó de 266.451 para el 2012 a 114.571 para el 2013. Platt dijo que "las complicaciones" y las aparentes "discrepancias" en las estadísticas de IMB demuestran "que necesitamos reevaluar nuestros actuales métodos de recopilar los datos del campo." "Esta es una de las muchas razones por las que hace meses comenzamos el proceso de reevaluar las medidas cuantitativas y cualitativas de nuestro trabajo alrededor del mundo," dijo Platt. "Este proceso de reevaluación está enfocado en definir términos, minimizar inconsistencias, incrementar la rendición de cuentas y asegurar la exactitud en nuestro reportar. Ansiamos la terminación de este proceso con una perspectiva hacia la implementación consistente de él en el futuro." Una realidad incuestionable reflejada en los reportes estadísticos de IMB, dijo Platt, es que "cada día Dios está usando a los miembros de las iglesias bautistas del sur que han sido enviados a las naciones a guiar a la gente a Cristo, a hacer discípulos, a plantar iglesias, a entrenar pastores y a entrenar misioneros." Page señaló: "Continuamos orando por nuestra Junta de Misiones Internacionales y su presidente, el doctor David Platt. Oramos que los días por venir vean muchos más bautismos, muchas más iglesias plantas y muchos más misioneros en el campo esparciendo las Buenas Nuevas de nuestro Señor Jesucristo a todo aquel que todavía no haya oído de él. Permanece el deseo de mi corazón que cada hombre, mujer, niño y niña en la faz de la tierra llegue a oír el evangelio del Señor Jesucristo."