
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/02/2008

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Rally supports Okla. rep. at center of gay comments stir
by Michael Foust
Date: April 02, 2008 - Wednesday

OKLAHOMA CITY (BP)--Hundreds rallied at the Oklahoma state capitol April 2 to show their support for Republican state Rep. Sally Kern, a Southern Baptist whose comments about homosexuality have drawn nationwide attention and even death treats.

The controversy began around March 7 when the Victory Fund, an organization dedicated to seeing homosexuals elected to public office at all levels, posted a video on YouTube with audio sound bytes of one of Kern's speeches where she stated her biblical views on homosexuality to about 20-30 Republicans. It has since been viewed more than 1 million times. 

Supporters chanted "Sally! Sally! Sally!" and speakers stood in front of a sign reading, "We Stand With Sally Kern." Nearly 2,000 were in attendance, according to one estimate.

"This is not about me," Kern said at the rally, which spilled over from the first floor rotunda to the building's second and third floors. She is the wife of Olivet Baptist Church pastor Steven Kern in Oklahoma City. "It's about the church having the right to speak out for the redeeming love of Jesus Christ Who died to set us all free from sin. The Lord gave me a verse I've been claiming. Philippians 1:12, 'I want you to know that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel.'"

In the YouTube speech at the center of attention, Kern, who represents a district in Oklahoma City, said that "according to God's Word" homosexuality is "not the right kind of lifestyle" and that "the homosexual agenda is destroying this nation." She warned about the advancement of homosexuality in the public schools and in the political realm and said homosexuality "has deadly consequences" and the lifespan of homosexuals "is shorter." In the quote that has drawn the most attention, Kern called homosexuality "the death knell for this county" and labeled it the nation's "biggest threat," "even more so than terrorism."

Despite an outcry of criticism, Kern hasn't backed down. She said she has received thousands of e-mails and phone calls, many if not most of them negative. On April 18 an estimated 300 homosexual activists and their supporters rallied outside the state capitol against her. Even Ellen DeGeneres, the comedian and an open lesbian, got in the mix by featuring Kern's comments on her TV talk show. DeGeneres made a phone call to Kern's office with the hopes of speaking with the representative, but Kern's voicemail was full.

More than 150 mostly negative videos have been posted on YouTube, and the original YouTube video now has nearly 10,000 comments.

The rally was held not only to support Kern but also to make it widely known that Kern's views on homosexuality and the Bible are commonly held by Christian conservatives.

"Sally Kern has been under a barrage of criticism from the homosexual lobbies and the media, so we are here to support her," Linda Caswell, Oklahoma state director for Concerned Women for America, told Baptist Press. Caswell attended the rally. "I actually read her whole speech a couple of days ago and it was nothing like the gay community reported. It was biblically grounded. She used the Word and was talking about how the homosexual lifestyle affects the family."

Kern said she's been called "lots of names" lately -- "some good, some not so good."

"Some of the good names have been courageous, brave and hero. I want you to know I have more trouble relating to the good names than the bad," she added, her voice breaking. "I know I'm a sinner, but I'm not courageous, brave or a hero. I'm just an earthen vessel, and an old clay pot."

The roughly three-minute video on YouTube makes it seem like it's an unedited clip, but it's not. In fact, it quotes only some 500 words from Kern's 4,000-word speech, according to a transcript on the website of the pro-family group Americans for Truth about Homosexuality. Among the quotes missing is one in which Kern says, "The book that I base my life upon is God's Word. And it says to love everybody and I try to love everybody."

The Thomas More Law Center is representing Kern in any legal matters regarding the situation.

"Radical homosexual groups have done all they could to intimidate her, yet she has not backed down," Richard Thompson, president of the law center, said in a news release. "She is truly a courageous Christian woman. And it's gratifying to see other Christian groups come to her aid."

The law center has posted on its website a sampling of the curse-filled e-mails sent to Kern, whose address is public. Among the more tame ones: "I heard what you said and you should be killed you stupid &#91;expletive&#93; &#91;expletive&#93;," "I sincerely hope you die a slow, horrible death due to breast cancer," "I sure hope and pray that you rot in hell," "I hope you get hit by a truck" and "Christianity is the cancer in our society and should be eliminated!"

Kern defended her remarks March 25 on "Messenger Radio," a program co-hosted by Baptist Messenger executive editor Ray E. Sanders and managing editor Bob Nigh. 

"I compared homosexuality to terrorism because &#91;homosexual activists&#93; want to destroy the traditional family and traditional marriage," Kern said. "That was the analogy that I was making. I was not in any way advocating that we need to go after these people &#91;physically&#93;. I was giving an example. I was making a point, using a metaphor if you will that ... this lifestyle, not the people, but the lifestyle is dangerous to this nation."

Kern told the program Christian freedom is at stake.

"I was just trying to make a point that the radical homosexual agenda is seeking to destroy the very foundation upon which this country has been built, and we need to wake up and stand up for our conservative values, yea our biblical values as Christians, or we will lose not only the freedom to express our own opinions, but we will lose the freedom to influence our children with our biblical lifestyles to pass on our values to them."

Matt Barber, Concerned Women for America's policy director for cultural issues, said Kern needs to know Christians support her.

"Millions of Americans proudly stand alongside Sally Kern and say, 'Thank you. Thank you for boldly standing your ground and for unapologetically defending Biblical Truth.' &#91;Homosexual activists&#93; intended to make an example of her," he said. "They have, but not in the way they had hoped. She has set an example for millions of believers around the world. Her courage and refusal to deviate from God's unequivocal condemnation of sexual immorality is serving to galvanize and embolden others. People say, 'Well Sally Kern wasn't intimidated, why should I be?'"
--30--
Michael Foust is an assistant editor for Baptist Press. With reporting by Bob Nigh, managing editor of the Baptist Messenger. The transcript of Kern's radio interview is available at www.baptistmessenger.com


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Huckabee reflects on 'Final Four' finish
by Trennis Henderson
Date: April 02, 2008 - Wednesday

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (BP)--Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, in a brief visit to his alma mater -- Ouachita Baptist University -- described some aspects of his presidential campaign as "just incredible fun."

Huckabee, who served 10 years as Arkansas' governor, went from a dark horse candidate to what he described as a "Final Four" finish in the race for the White House. Earning victories in eight primaries and caucuses, Huckabee withdrew from the race in early March after Arizona Sen. John McCain gained enough delegates to win the Republican nomination.

A 1975 graduate of Ouachita, Huckabee also has served as a Southern Baptist pastor, president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and chairman of the National Governors' Association.

Acknowledging that "the whole experience was, in many ways, surreal," Huckabee said the pace of a national presidential bid "is happening so fast that you don't have time to stop and absorb it or even take it in."

"At many times, I had to stop and remind myself that I was actually running for president of the United States," he said during his visit to Ouachita's campus in Arkadelphia, Ark, March 26. "The schedule was grueling and brutal.... It was early morning to late night and constantly being pushed and pulled -- almost treated like a property as opposed to a person."

Despite the hectic schedule under the glare of the national media spotlight, Huckabee emphasized that "there were a lot of special times" on the campaign trail, including guest appearances on "Saturday Night Live," "The Colbert Report," the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

"Doing Saturday Night Live was a real kick," Huckabee noted. "Another fun time was the Leno show.... I got to see there were some great people you get a chance to know in a casual way. All that was a lot of fun and it kind of made up for the days that were anything but fun."

Reflecting on the political impact of his presidential run, Huckabee said one result was the clear reminder that "ordinary people really can affect the process."

"For virtually a dime to the dollar of the other candidates, we took this campaign to the Final Four and most folks didn't think that could happen. I think it's a transformational kind of experience in politics," Huckabee said. "It was very important as a hallmark of the campaign -- and hopefully future campaigns -- that people will pay attention to the candidates and their message and not just their bank accounts."

Concerning his decision to seek the presidency, Huckabee said, "I deeply felt there was a need for someone, frankly, to be president who understood the real world where most Americans live. I think there is a disconnect with most people who have been in Washington for a good while."

As an example, he cited a Republican debate on the economy in which other candidates "were all singing the Republican song of a great economy." By contrast, he said he emphasized that "for people in the real world, the economy is not doing that well."

Taking a page from his campaign playbook, Huckabee detailed such economic concerns as rising fuel prices, education costs and "health care costs rising at twice the rate of which pay was rising. That meant people were working harder this year than they were last year and not getting ahead; in fact, slipping behind."

A key reason for many voters' concern over the economy is that "when the economy is prosperous, it has a trickle-down effect, but when the economy begins to go into a recession, it's a trickle-up effect," he explained. "It hits the people at the bottom first and the hardest because they have the least margin with which to deal."

Amid his increased influence in conservative Republican circles, Huckabee said one of his goals is to "continue to make the case that there can't be a separation between economic conservatism and social conservatism."

"The most basic form of government is self-government," he added. "Civil government is the result of the breakdown in self-government, family and community.... The degree to which those structures break down, you're going to have more civil government whether you want it or not."

Highlighting the need for individuals, businesses and communities to take greater responsibility for their actions if they want to reduce government involvement, he said, "I think that's missing out there in the discussion."

Giving a nod to Ouachita's influence on both his life and political career, Huckabee noted, "I've always said that the education I received here gave me a platform that I never had to be ashamed of or run from. I have held my own with people who had Harvard law degrees or MBAs from Harvard or Yale. I don't feel like I ever had to say, 'Gee, I don't belong up here.' Academically, Ouachita was as good of an education as I could have had."

Ouachita's Michael D. Huckabee School of Education was named in Huckabee's honor in 2005 in recognition of his statewide education reform initiatives as governor.

Huckabee, a former Ouachita trustee, said he believes that "the value of a liberal arts education is more pertinent today than it ever has been."

"I can't imagine a student not seeing the value of a liberal arts education today," he added. "The broader the background one has, I think the better prepared they are to get out there and make it in the real world."

Huckabee said another benefit of his education at Ouachita "was that it helped me come to deep convictions about principles that I believed in and not just what they were but why -- and the 'why' is more important than the 'what.'"

"A lot of people know what they believe; they don't know why," he pointed out. "They've never followed their beliefs to their logical conclusion.

"The best value that I had from Ouachita was an analytical education, an education that taught me to think critically and to question and to put my own convictions to the test," he said. "It was truly a challenging education and I value that a lot."

Looking to the future, Huckabee acknowledged, "I haven't really settled on 'Gosh, here's what I want to do when I grow up.' I think I will continue to be involved politically and also from a policy standpoint, helping people to get elected and keeping my own options open for the future.

"I want to affect the discussion of public policy as it relates to the bedrock issue of why individual morality and the structure of the family really does have an impact on the direction of civil government," he said. "And the respect for human life is fundamental and foundational to our culture."

Emphasizing that respect for life is not limited to the abortion issue, he said, "That's where people get messed up. It deals at the heart of whether or not we are, as our forefathers said, all equal. If there's intrinsic worth and value in each person, then one person is not more valuable than another or less valuable than another."

What about another run for the presidency in four or eight years? "I won't rule it out," Huckabee responded. "I mean I'm not making an announcement to say, 'Yeah, I'm going to.' The circumstances and everything, who knows what they're going to be? But it's not like I'm saying, 'Boy, I'll never do that again.' I won't rule that out."

Asked about the possibility of helping her husband conduct a future campaign for the Republican nomination, Huckabee's wife Janet, who also attended Ouachita, answered simply, "I'm with him. Whatever he does, I'm there.

"It was a very, very rewarding experience," she said of the campaign. "I wouldn't trade any of it."

Glancing at the former presidential candidate, she added, "I was very proud of what Mike did. He came from virtually nobody knowing who he was; as we say, he came from being an asterisk to second man standing.

"I've always known that if people got to know him, they'd love him," she said. "We just have to get a few more people to know him next time."
--30--
Trennis Henderson is vice president for communications at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.


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Sex trafficking of minors grows in U.S.
by Katherine Kipp
Date: April 02, 2008 - Wednesday

WASHINGTON (BP)--American children are becoming victims of human sex trafficking, according to statistics released by Shared Hope International.

"The figures we use say between 100,000 and 300,000 American children are at risk of trafficking," said Karrie Delaney, director of communications for the Vancouver, Wash.-based organization that seeks not only to prevent sex trafficking but to rescue and restore women and children trapped in it.

"At least 100,000 American children are trafficked each year," Delaney said.

Based on these numbers, domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) has become a serious problem in many locations across the United States. A fact sheet on the Shared Hope International (SHI) website reports age 12 as the average age of entry into illegal pornography and prostitution.

How are young girls lured into the trafficking business?

"Luring happens in a variety of ways," Delaney told Baptist Press. "In interviews with victims, we have had reports of girls being lured at 12 years old by a pimp or a trafficker by him approaching them at a mall or on the street. He is usually an older boy and buys her presents, making her believe he's her boyfriend.

"One girl got in the car with &#91;a pimp&#93; because she thought he was her boyfriend, and he drove her to another city, became violent and forced her into prostitution."

According to the SHI website, pimps can earn up to $632,000 per year by selling four young woman or children. Seventy-five percent of minors engaged in prostitution have a pimp, and most pimps have more than one minor working for them.

Many of these girls are taken off the street. The SHI website says a third of the 2.8 million children living on the streets are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

Since trafficking is such a hidden crime, however, it is difficult to manage an accurate count of how many girls are lured each year. Many girls do not realize they are being lured until it is too late, Delaney said.

Demand is a major cause of the rising trafficking business, Delaney and an awareness video on the SHI website point out.

"As long as there is a demand that fuels this market, there will be a supply," Delaney said. "We feel that since there is a growing demand, it is going to be a problem that grows as well. Across the United States, there is a culture of tolerance in the media really sexualizing children and making sex scenes the norm. Men often feel very entitled to buy sex."

Trafficking is not booming merely because of the illegal sex market but also with the help of the legal market and men who feel the need to buy sex.

"There is really no safe way of participating in the commercial sex industry," Delaney said. "&#91;T&#93;he legal market is really just a fine line between that and the illegal market that exploits children."

Statistics about the extent of the problem that may be surprising:

-- The sale of child pornography is a $3 billion annual industry in the U.S.

-- 55 percent of child pornography on the Internet comes from the U.S.

-- One in five pornographic images on the Internet is of a child.

-- One in five American youth who regularly use the Internet has been sexually solicited.

Despite such statistics, Christians can find ways to help prevent the trafficking industry from destroying more young American lives, Delaney said.

One way is to help make a nationwide change in the way Americans view these exploited children.

"Once someone is labeled a prostitute, in many cases, the way people view them changes," Delaney said. "In many cases, these girls are arrested and punished for the crime that is being committed against them."

In fact, 66 percent of minors arrested for prostitution in Las Vegas from 2004 to 2006 had been victims of sexual assault and familial molestation, the SHI website says.

"In the way of awareness in the Christian world, it is really going to start with changing our language first," Delaney said. "If communities can come together and provide appropriate resources and work with these kids when they are identified, the community can have the knowledge to know these children are being exploited and make future change."

Delaney suggested looking into foster-care families who have rooms to offer to children living on the streets and in abusive environments. By giving them a supportive and loving home, it moves them out of high-risk situations. With or without a room to offer these girls, spreading the awareness of this issue helps too.

"The more people that know, the more they are going to be able to take action that makes a difference in the lives of these children," Delaney said.

The website, www.sharedhope.org, also details the countries SHI has identified as in need of special examination, awareness and assistance. The United States is one of those countries.

With funding by the Department of Justice, SHI is conducting field assessments in 10 U.S. locations to identify DMST victims and the services available to these victims. The 10 sites are: Baton Rouge, La.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Clearwater, Fla.; Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; Independence, Mo.; Las Vegas; Salt Lake City; San Antonio; and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
--30--
Katherine Kipp is an intern with the Washington bureau of Baptist Press.


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Sens. urged to toughen sex trafficking bill
by Staff
Date: April 02, 2008 - Wednesday

WASHINGTON (BP)--Southern Baptist ethics leader Richard Land is part of a diverse coalition calling on United States senators to pass improved legislation to combat human trafficking.

Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, is one of 150 people -– from conservative Christians to liberal feminists -– who signed on to a letter by the National Black Leadership Roundtable urging senators to support legislation already passed by the House of Representatives. The House approved the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Act, H.R. 3887, in December with a 405-2 vote.

The legislation "will rescue millions of enslaved girls, women and children within our borders and throughout the world," according to the letter.

The bill's adoption "will allow the United States to combat modern-day slavery with an effectiveness comparable to 19th century efforts to end the chattel enslavement of Africans," the letter to members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees said. "The parallels between both efforts are made clear by the fact that African Americans and Latinos are those most victimized by domestic traffickers, and by the fact that today's traffickers inflict their harm on those who are most vulnerable: young people of color, often immigrants, often children, almost always women, almost always poor."

About 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year, according to the State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Office. This does not include millions of victims who are trafficked within their own national borders, the office says. About 80 percent of the transnational victims are females, and as much as 50 percent are minors. The data show the majority of those trafficked across international borders are victims of sexual exploitation.

The TIP Office has estimated as many as 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year.

In addition to Land, the ERLC's vice president for public policy and research, Barrett Duke, signed the letter.

Other signers included Gary Bauer, president of American Values; Janice Shaw Crouse of Concerned Women for America; feminist leader Gloria Steinem; Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women; Walter Fauntroy, president of the National Black Leadership Roundtable; Tony Campolo, professor emeritus at Eastern University; Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners; Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action; Rich Cizik, vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals; Sammy Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; John Miller, former director of the TIP Office; Patrick Trueman, former chief of the Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section; David Gushee, ethics professor at Mercer University; and actresses Anne Archer and Alyssa Milano.

The letter acknowledges that the signers "differ on many issues, often sharply," but are "implacably united by a resolve to end the abuses" of trafficking.

The House-approved bill, which reauthorizes and amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act passed in 2000, would make the following improvements, according to the March 20 letter:

-- It would make sure the law regards "proof of fraud, force, or coercion, and the use of minors by sex traffickers," as the bases not for conviction but for heightened punishment.

-- It would connect domestic with international trafficking in order to combat both more actively.

-- It would empower the TIP Office to influence other governments to act more aggressively against trafficking.
--30--
Compiled by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press.


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New resources broaden FAITH's outreach
by Polly House & Art Toalston
Date: April 02, 2008 - Wednesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A new generation of FAITH evangelism resources is being introduced by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Although FAITH has been a thriving strategy for 10 years, this year LifeWay is releasing new FAITH resources that are easier to use and more accessible to churches.

"The DNA of FAITH evangelism is still the same, but with new resources and training" while maintaining "the best of the previous FAITH resources," said Art Groomes, evangelism and discipleship specialist at LifeWay Christian Resources. "FAITH will continue to equip and mobilize believers in lifestyle evangelism, disciple-making and ministry." FAITH resources now can be used in Bible studies or other small group settings in addition to Sunday School classes, Groomes noted.

Churches no longer will be required to attend a FAITH clinic to receive training and purchase resources. Under the new strategy, state Baptist conventions, local Baptist associations, churches and individuals will work together to train people to share their faith with others.

"The state conventions, associations and FAITH training churches can train so many more people than we ever could," said Mike Smith, another of LifeWay's evangelism and discipleship specialists. LifeWay trained more than 8,000 churches in FAITH evangelism from 1998-2007.

Larry Gilmore, the Tennessee Baptist Convention's director of evangelism, said state conventions likely will partner with churches that successfully use FAITH in broadening FAITH training opportunities. "The churches that use FAITH best will be the most logical trainers," Gilmore said.

The new resources are being released in three stages:

-- "FAITH Evangelism 1," the introductory 12-week curriculum, or "semester" as it is called, is available now, replacing the existing 16-week "FAITH Basic: A Journey in FAITH."

Each session is designed to be more interactive and to use various approaches to learning, while participants' home studies will entail an emphasis on their daily walk with God.

The FAITH Evangelism 1 kit also provides a team leader orientation session for those who lead the three-member teams central to the FAITH strategy of leading people to faith in Christ, often through home visits.

-- "FAITH Evangelism 2," formerly "FAITH Advanced: Building Bridges through FAITH," will be available this summer, focusing on how to help new believers become disciples and on training FAITH participants to become team leaders.

-- "FAITH Evangelism 3," to be available in the fall, will provide online resources to help leaders utilize other discipleship resources, such as "Experiencing God," for additional 12-week FAITH semesters.

Groomes said other enhancements to the FAITH curriculum include a more conversational, flexible Gospel presentation which, for example, can be geared to address a postmodern outlook, while Smith described the new material as "stronger in encouraging people to share their faith every day, not just on the evenings they make FAITH visits."

"But one thing about FAITH that has not changed," Smith said, "is the reality that it's the power of the Gospel that changes people." 

The FAITH materials now will be available at LifeWay Christian Stores and through LifeWay's toll-free and online customer service.

Thom Thornton, director of evangelism and collegiate ministry for the Baptist Convention of Maryland-Delaware, said he encourages churches to choose an evangelism strategy and then implement it. "But, I teach FAITH because I think it's the best tool available," Thornton said.

The new FAITH resources can help churches adapt to the changes in their mission fields, Thornton also noted.

"Many 'country churches' here in Maryland are rapidly becoming city churches," Thornton said. "Land around churches that not long ago was farm land is now being developed and turned into huge subdivisions.... Every house, townhouse and condominium represents a household that needs to be reached. Churches will need an evangelism strategy to take on that task." 

Don Satterwhite, pastor of Middle River Baptist Church in Baltimore, where FAITH has been used since 2004, said he had found very little to motivate people to share their faith "until FAITH."

"One of the reasons I love FAITH is that it works," Satterwhite said. "At our church, every Sunday School department has a FAITH team and it has been our most effective work."
--30--
Polly House is a corporate communications specialist with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention; Art Toalston is editor of Baptist Press. For more information on FAITH evangelism and related training events, go to www.lifeway.com/evangelism or call Mike Smith at 615-251-2231. "FAITH Evangelism Equipper Training," special training for the new FAITH strategy, will be available Oct. 6-7 in Fairview Heights, Ill., and Oct. 27-28 in McLeansville, N.C. No fees will be charged for the conference or materials, with participants providing for their transportation, housing and food expenses.


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Tennessee Baptist Convention president reissues call for Union University offering
by Tim Ellsworth
Date: April 02, 2008 - Wednesday

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Tennessee Baptist Convention President Tom McCoy reiterated his request for a special offering April 6 in the state's churches to help Union University recover from a Feb. 5 tornado that caused an estimated $40 million in damage to the campus.

"What an amazing Christian impact this university has on young adults from Tennessee and around the world," McCoy said during a visit to Union's campus in Jackson, Tenn., March 25. "It's been 50 days since that tornado ripped through this campus, but Union has its greatest days ahead.

"During that dark night that the tornado struck this campus, Union was set back but not shut down," McCoy said. "Union was delayed but not derailed. Union will make a total and complete recovery."

That will happen, McCoy said, because of God's provision and because of the prayer and financial support from Baptists in Tennessee and elsewhere.

"Every loss of this magnitude has great expense that is not covered under insurance," McCoy said. "Does Union have insurance? Yes, they have excellent insurance. But there are always expenses above and beyond what insurance will cover. That's where we come in as Tennessee Baptists."

McCoy, pastor of Thompson Station Baptist Church, said his church will show a four-minute video provided by Union on April 6. McCoy will give a one-minute appeal and then the church will take an offering for Union. 

"It is a simple thing that every church can do," McCoy said. "It's not complicated. We're not asking you to take an entire service. We're simply asking you to prayerfully consider using Union's video, making a brief appeal and letting God work on the hearts of your good people in your good churches across our state." 

McCoy toured the campus less than 48 hours after the tornado's strike that wiped out nearly 70 percent of Union's student housing. Other buildings on campus also sustained heavy damage –- especially Jennings Hall, where the tornado ripped off much of the roof.

"As we walked through the mass destruction, I was awestruck at the damage," McCoy recalled. "The loss of the facilities was overwhelming, and yet God's protection of life was an amazing miracle."

McCoy said he hopes Tennessee Baptists will use the April 6 offering to "help touch and train young adults, in their minds and in their spirits, being educated here at Union. Help us help these students and this great university."
--30--
Tim Ellsworth is Union University's director of news and media relations. To view the video of McCoy's appeal, click  here.


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Two good DVDs and a great book
by Phil Boatwright
Date: April 02, 2008 - Wednesday

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP)--By now, most seeking G-rated movie fare for the family have seen "College Road Trip" or "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who."

I graded College Road Trip on a curve. Credit had to be given to the filmmaker's desire to make a clean comedy. Martin Lawrence in a G-rated movie? Points for that. But it was also a comedy where mugging, eye-rolling and a whole lot of sloppy slapstick passed for wit. If I were a betting man, I'd give odds that parents delighted in that movie mainly because they appreciated their little ones' reactions.  

Same goes for the big screen version of Horton Hears A Who. Though it had a great look, and certainly was family friendly, the whimsy of Dr. Seuss seemed missing. New dialogue had been added, the rhyming removed (mostly), and the metaphoric tale itself had been stretched just a little beyond its welcome. Neither of those Hollywood efforts is bad. They're just not great. So, let's spotlight some that are great.

First up, a DVD alternative to Horton Hears A Who -- another "Who." In 1970 the legendary Warner Bros. cartoonist Chuck Jones gave us an inspired TV adaptation of Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who. The plot/allegory concerns a sweet-natured elephant named Horton who hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Suspecting there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community that thinks he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to help. 

The remastered Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who DVD contains three bonus episodes from the best of Dr. Seuss, including "Butter Battle Book," "Daisy-Head Mayzie" and "Horton Hatches the Egg!" Also included: a kid-friendly sing-a-long music video and a 90-minute documentary on the life of Dr. Seuss.  

I played the main feature for my nephews and niece; each was captivated. And so were we adults. That's the magic of Dr. Seuss. He had something wonderful to teach or remind all of us and he knew how to do it in a melodious, almost hypnotic way:

"Through the high jungle tree tops, the news quickly spread:

"'He talks to a dust speck! He's out of his head!

"'Just look at him walk with that speck on the flower!'

"And Horton walked, worrying, almost an hour.

"'Should I put this speck down?' Horton thought with alarm.

"'If I do, these small persons may come to great harm.

"'I can't put it down. And I won't! After all

"'A person's a person. No matter how small.'"

Are you ever too old for that?

Also new to DVD April 29, Fox Home Entertainment releases "Moondance Alexander" (G). Inspired by a true story, the story focuses on a 12-year-old and the Pinto pony she befriends. Convinced that the horse has champion potential, she enters him in a jumping tournament otherwise reserved for thoroughbreds.  

OK, it's not in the league with "National Velvet," but the locations are beautiful, the story-telling is done with regard for family members of all ages (in other words, it's clean), and positive messages abound. The cast includes Kay Panabaker ("Summerland"), Don Johnson ("Miami Vice"), Lori Loughlin ("Full House") and Olympic skating silver medalist Sasha Cohen.

Now, for those who read, not just watch, here's a worthwhile book: Believing In Narnia: "A Kids Guide to Unlocking Secret Symbols of Faith in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia" by Natalie Gillespie (Thomas Nelson). Having written several books and many articles on the subject of Christian symbolism within the Narnia books, Gillespie has geared her latest project towards kids, while managing to also capture the attention of older readers. It's due out in early May, just in time for the second theatrical installment in the Narnia series, "Prince Caspian" (May 16). I've read it and believe it's well worth your time.

All of us, adults and kids alike, are bombarded by media messages that do little to nurture our spirits. These are three exceptions. I believe people will be enriched by their simplicity and artistry. Check 'em out.
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Phil Boatwright reviews films from a Christian perspective on previewonline.org.



