The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/08/2004 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Cultural buzz around 'Passion of The Christ' sheds light on unchanging meaning of Easter by Staff Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--More than any in recent history, this Easter season is especially filled with interest in the cross of Christ, and evangelicals must not allow a premium opportunity to pass by, several Southern Baptist professors noted. "The Passion of The Christ" has helped pique the interest of millions of otherwise apathetic Americans in regard to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and its implications for mankind. As Easter Sunday approaches, the professors noted that Christians have a responsibility to explain not just the death of their Savior but also His resurrection. Russell D. Moore, dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said it is important for Christians to remember that though Jesus is being given more press than usual, in many ways there is nothing different about this Easter. "The culture is facing the same questions that human beings have always faced," he said in written comments to Baptist Press. "Every unbeliever who will hear our Easter sermons is grappling with a guilty conscience and fear of death. "With this the case, Easter preaching is dangerous. There is always the temptation to turn the Gospel of the resurrection into the sermonic equivalent of a claymation morality tale -- with the empty tomb as the 'happy ending' of a tragic story." But the Bible makes clear the resurrection of Jesus is both good news and bad news, Moore said. The bad news for an unbelieving world system is that prideful men and women are now subject to the One whom God has proclaimed King of the entire creation. The Good News for believers is that the empty tomb was the world-shaking "Amen" of God to all the promises He has made. While preaching the Easter story, Moore added, Christians must not do so in a way that makes people feel sorry for Jesus. "The issue is not to create pity for Jesus for His sufferings," Moore said. "Instead, we must herald the triumph of Jesus over the condemnation of the world and the reign of death. We must shake ourselves from the annual familiarity of the Easter season and shout the truth that a hole in the ground in the Middle East is empty. And that's good news for death-deserving rebels like us." Rick Durst, vice president of academic affairs and professor of historical theology at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary near San Francisco, told Baptist Press that The Passion has put the meaning of Easter back on the front page of the world's attention, and the opportunity for believers is like what happened at the University of Hawaii several years ago. "Hawaii Baptist collegiate minister Jon Lathrop was standing outside the student commons listening to a street preacher enthusiastically calling students to repent and trust Christ," Durst recounted. "'I wonder if this is effective at all?' pondered Lathrop. Immediately, a student to his left asked, 'Do you think there is any truth to what he is saying?' Jon answered, 'Yes, I do think there is truth in what he is saying. Let's get some coffee and talk about it.' "This Easter, Baptists and believers alike should be attentive and answering to the many who are asking, 'Do you think there is any truth to the Mel Gibson movie?'" Durst said. Among other comments from professors: -- "Unfortunately, Easter has, in recent years, become increasingly secularized. Like Christmas, this holiday has been commercially standardized and serves as an occasion for more buying and selling," said Malcolm Yarnell, assistant dean for theological studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. "Fortunately, however, for many people, Easter 2004 is different. Rather than focusing on eggs and bunnies, Americans have had their minds turned toward the cross. "For some people, their interest in the Gospel is because God has used the movie, The Passion, to cryptically pronounce the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For others, God has used other means to introduce His grace.” Yarnell recounted that his neighbors across the street “have started attending [church] with us. Neither of our families has seen the movie. We have simply witnessed of Christ and tried to be good neighbors. Christians do not have to wait for a movie to share the Gospel." -- Chuck Quarles, associate professor of New Testament and Greek at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, recounted, "During a discussion about the Passion film, a local Jewish rabbi mused, 'I wish that the film had placed more emphasis on the resurrection. I have always respected Christianity as an Easter faith that looks beyond the cross to the empty tomb. It seems to me that the empty tomb is the real focal point of the Christian hope.'” Quarles said the rabbi’s words echo the message of another Jewish rabbi two millennia ago, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). “American filmgoers have a new appreciation of Jesus as a crucified victim,” Quarles said in his comments to Baptist Press. “We now have an unprecedented opportunity to present Christ as the Resurrected Victor." -- "This Easter, more than ever, we are reminded of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in our behalf. He died and was raised from the dead to give us life," said Octavio J. Esqueda, assistant professor of administration and foundations of education at Southwestern. "We live not just because He died, but for Him who lives. Jesus' death provided the direction we need for our lives as 2 Corinthians 5:15 declares, 'and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.'" -- Scott Swain, assistant professor of theology at SWBTS, said The Passion of The Christ “has sparked discussions in the media, the workplace and on the street corner concerning the reasons for and meaning of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. This Easter season is seeing a new cultural awareness about Christ and His mission, along with conflicting interpretations of His person and work. "But while some things have changed this Easter season, some will remain the same,” Swain said. “Those whose interest in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ goes beyond sensitivity to the cultural pulse beat will gather on Easter Sunday not to see moving pictures of Jim Caviezel but rather to hear the Good News of a risen Messiah proclaimed from Holy Writ. And, though they may not see Him, their living hope -- birthed by a risen Lord and illumined by the light of Scripture -- will once again abound with 'joy inexpressible and full of glory' (1 Peter 1:8)." -- "Once a person has seen The Passion, he will celebrate Easter with far more awareness of what crucifixion did to Jesus," said Thor Madsen, interim academic dean at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. "His suffering was unbearable, and yet the historical reality was far worse than an R-rated film could portray. The Passion also helps us to see why, according to Paul, the message of the cross was foolishness to those who are perishing. We would not guess that a crucified man could be the Lord of Glory. Pagans certainly did not do so in Paul's time, and they would not do so now if criminals were routinely crucified in our public places. But the Holy Spirit empowers us to see that the slain Lamb of God is worthy of all power and praise." --30-- Compiled by Erin Curry with reporting by Lawrence Smith, Jeff Jones, Brent Thompson & Gary Myers. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mo. judge clarifies ruling against convention over entities by Staff Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP)--A Missouri judge entered an order on April 7 refusing to reconsider his March 11 ruling against the Missouri Baptist Convention in its legal effort to return Missouri Baptist College to the convention along with four other breakaway entities. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Tom Brown also denied the convention’s motion to amend its current petition seeking a declaratory judgment that the breakaway entities violated their charters when trustees voted to become self-perpetuating instead of elected by the convention. Convention attorneys say the procedural issue of the MBC’s standing to bring suit will now go to the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City, while a new petition naming individual MBC messengers as the plaintiffs will be filed to permit the case to pick up where it was before March 11. “We respectfully disagree with the judge’s interpretation of our MBC constitution,” said Mike Whitehead, lead counsel for the convention. “Judge Brown was right a year ago when he allowed the churches and [convention’s] executive board to proceed as proper plaintiffs. We believe the Court of Appeals will uphold the original ruling, and will reverse this latest ruling. “This case is not about procedure, and standing, but about charter promises,” Whitehead noted. “In the Court of Appeals, or in the new petition, we will finally get to the issue that the defendants are trying so hard to avoid: Did the entity charters give their word that MBC would elect their trustees? Are those promises enforceable?” Brown ruled on March 11 that neither churches nor the MBC executive board have standing to file suit against Missouri Baptist College regarding the charter changes. He referred to language in the college charter as being insufficient to give the executive board standing. Brown’s March 11 ruling did not expressly include the four other entities –- the Word & Way newsjournal, Missouri Baptist Foundation, The Baptist Home and Windermere Baptist Conference Center. In his April 7 order, however, Brown expressly stated that the petition by the churches and MBC executive board was dismissed as to all five institutions. “It was important to have him say expressly what is the scope and basis for his ruling so it will be clear to the Court of Appeals,” Whitehead said. “We believe his March 11 order was not clear on its scope and basis, and his comments at the hearing on April 5 confirmed that. This case will continue in a higher court while the new petition is filed in the lower court.” Brown commented from the bench on April 5 that his March 11 order only applied to the college and not the other four entities. Defense attorneys told the judge they thought his order did apply to all defendants. Charles Hatfield, a former assistant Attorney General for Missouri and now a member of the Stinson, Morrison & Hecker law firm, argued for the convention along with Whitehead. The Stinson firm (formerly Stinson, Mag & Fizzell) was one of three law firms which wrote preliminary opinion letters for the convention in 2002. All three firms independently concluded that the five entities violated their charters and broke Missouri corporate law. Hatfield, whose office is in Jefferson City, has provided local assistance to the Kansas City-based legal team for the past several months. Hatfield reminded Brown about the 2003 case in his court, Asmus v. Capital Region Family Practice, in which the Western District Court of Appeals in Missouri ruled that Brown’s refusal to grant a motion to amend to substitute the proper party was an abuse of discretion and a reversible error. Brown, after hearing Hatfield’s presentation of the Asmus argument, acknowledged that he remembered the case as one he had handled. He recalled that the Court of Appeals told him he had to allow the amendment so he allowed the amendment in order for the lawsuit to proceed with the proper plaintiff. Clyde Farris, the St. Louis attorney who represents Missouri Baptist College, told Brown that he should not allow his March 11 order to be revised and that he could not permit an amendment. “They never had a right to bring this case,” Farris said. “Neither the churches nor the MBC executive board had standing to file the original lawsuit and they do not have standing to amend the petition.” Farris further argued that the judge had no jurisdiction to permit an amendment if there was no plaintiff before the court with standing. Brown’s April 7 order adopted Farris’ language and argument that the Asmus case did not require the judge to allow an amendment, if the judge provided a reason. In the April 7 order, Brown said the plaintiffs’ lacked a “beneficial interest” in the lawsuit. Whitehead and Hatfield argued in written briefs that the court always has jurisdiction to rule on procedural matters, even when a court has ruled that the plaintiff lacks standing. An amendment may add a party which has standing and “cure the deficiency” of lack of standing, so the court has power to grant an amendment even when the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the merits of a case. “We believe that an amended petition would have been more efficient and less expensive, but the defendants have persuaded this judge on this procedural point for today,” Whitehead said. “We have known from the beginning that, with a quarter of a billion dollars at issue, the entities would pay their army of lawyers many millions of dollars to try to avoid the heart of the case. But justice delayed will not be justice denied. We will be as persistent as the importunate widow in pleading with the judge until he gives us justice regarding the promises these entities made.” --30-- -------------------------------------------------------------------- When revival came, God placed passion in their lives by Ken Walker Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday EDITORS’ NOTE: The following four stories are part of a new series initiated by Baptist Press to explore and describe how individuals, churches, associations and conventions exhibit a passion for Christ and His Kingdom. BROWNWOOD, Texas (BP)--A spiritual wave that touched more than 100 college campuses has largely faded into the annals of history, but key participants in what became known as “the Brownwood revival” say it left a lasting impression. John Avant, former pastor of Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood, Texas -- where the revival originated -- said it stimulated his passion for missions. Previously, he had only been overseas once, but now travels abroad regularly. “I can’t explain why, but that seems to be one of the hallmarks of revival,” said Avant, now pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga. “When I went overseas I saw a passion for God I rarely see in the Western world, except when revival breaks out.” Rick Cavitt, minister to students at Coggin Avenue for the past 15 years, sees more students going to the mission field than when the revival broke out in 1995. They include 15 collegians who were among 66 church members who traveled to Mexico in mid-March. “Our students are a little different today,” Cavitt said of the long-term impact. “They’re wanting to be challenged more. If we said we needed 20 students to go to China, we’d have 20 students ready to go to China.” Cavitt also sees the revival’s influence living on through graduates now serving as pastors and missionaries, or teaching and leading teens to Christ through groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Other results are more subtle, Cavitt said, such as marriages on the verge of divorce getting healed, and diminished bickering and dissension among church members. “It brought a great humbling in my life,” Cavitt said. “I wouldn’t have considered myself a prideful person, but having an awareness of God’s Spirit brought a brokenness. Realizing who God was had a tremendous impact on my life.” The revival started on Jan. 22, 1995, when two college students from Howard Payne University came forward during a Sunday morning invitation at Coggin Avenue to confess sins. The service stretched into the afternoon as people flooded to the altar, confessing everything from lust and lack of prayer to pride and arrogance. Several days later, the scene repeated itself at Howard Payne, and the following week at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. As participants shared testimonies in other places, it sparked confession and repentance on campuses stretching from Massachusetts to Alabama to Illinois. Wanting to get rid of unwholesome influences, people brought pornography, alcohol, cigarettes and CDs and tapes to be destroyed. Chris Robeson, whose reading of Joel 2:12 touched off repentance at Coggin Avenue, confessed a more “mundane” sin -– lethargic and apathetic attitudes. Now a pastor in suburban Dallas, Robeson remembers how he had gotten so wrapped up in activities that he stopped being faithful to personal worship. Robeson recalled amazement at the level of confession that day and how quickly God set people free of bad habits when they admitted their problems. “I hope my life ... in some way perpetuates [the revival], that it causes others to say, ‘What could be if we cried out to God?’” said Robeson, pastor of Woodbridge Community Church in Wyle, Texas. “I hope in some way it does impact the way I lead and serve as a pastor.” Two academics who have since moved to other institutions say Brownwood still affects their actions and thoughts about God’s work. Former Southwestern Seminary President Ken Hemphill is now the national strategist for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis. He said his travels and writing on spiritual renewal emerged from the 1995 awakening. “I can see the dynamics of what God has led me to do at this next juncture of my life, coming out of that unique experience,” said Hemphill, who is now based in Nashville, Tenn. “There are spiritual moments where you lay down a marker and God began to move in a new direction and a new way.” As for personal impact, Hemphill said God renewed a more serious appetite for prayer. While he wasn’t prayerless, the former pastor said his friends wouldn’t have listed it as one of his outstanding characteristics. The other is a growing passion for God’s Kingdom, Hemphill said. Many people struggle with the fact that life is not about them or their accomplishments, but how much they invest in God’s Kingdom, he added. “I believe that final temptation of Jesus [by Satan] -- ‘If you would worship me this one time, I’ll give you all the kingdoms of the world’ –- is the temptation we all face,” Hemphill said. “That is, do I get up and go to work today because I want to advance the Kingdom of God ... or do I go to work because I need to advance my kingdom?” Alvin Reid also was directly affected by the revival: After hearing about it, he received an invitation from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson to join the faculty there. Though reluctant to leave Houston Baptist University, Reid said when he walked onto the North Carolina campus he sensed God saying, “This place is for you.” Since then, Reid has written or coauthored several books on revival, along with teaching an annual course on spiritual awakening. “That’s been a focus of my life,” Reid said. “I think the revival made it not just theory for me. It strengthened my resolve that the power of God cannot be left out if we are to impact America. [And] it showed me that youth play a vital role [in revival].” Participants believe there are continuing lessons for all Christians that emerged from Brownwood. For Reid, it starts with the truth that Christianity is a changed life, not just showing up for church on Sunday and going home. The revival also caused him to rethink the influence he has and how to use it more effectively. Reid said this led him to focus more attention on reaching the “radically unchurched” and on ministry to youth. Hemphill noted that if God’s children expect to experience revival, they have to be willing to suspend daily routines. He mentioned the first barrier after Avant’s chapel sermon at Southwestern, which touched off revival there, was the bell signaling the next class. Hemphill got up and urged students and faculty to stay if they sensed God leading them to remain. “It was a risk to say, ‘We’re going to suspend things as long as we need to in order to sense what God is doing,’” Hemphill said. “If something like that happened in a Sunday morning service today, the tendency would be: ‘It’s noon. What are we going to do now?’ Or if it happened in somebody’s home and God moved spontaneously while we expected to be doing something else.” Avant listed three key lessons: -- Recognize God’s presence every moment of every day: “People you meet at the gas station could be a life-changing moment.” -- Realize the power of humility and repentance in daily life. -- Remember the power of one person who is willing to be part of a praying remnant that helps bring revival. “None of these people knew their time on their knees was going to result in a great move of God,” Avant said of small prayer groups in Brownwood, some that met for years prior to 1995. “That can be significant beyond anything you do in life.” --30-- (BP) photos posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo titles: THE BROWNWOOD REVIVAL, JOHN AVANT, CHRIS ROBESON, ALVIN REID, KEN HEMPHILL and RICK CAVITT. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moral conditions, fervent prayer called sparks of revival by Ken Walker Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (BP)--One of the leaders from the Brownwood revival in 1995 believes the United States is ripe for another great spiritual awakening like those that have stirred America in the past. Pastor and author John Avant told Baptist Press his doctoral work and related studies of spiritual awakening have convinced him that three major historical signs are in place: -- The first is tremendous moral depravity, said Avant, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga. People might expect there would be a drawing closer to God prior to revival, but historically that isn’t the case, Avant said. “We’re there,” said the coauthor of “Revival!”, an account of the 1995 awakening that drew national attention. “Look at the battle over gay ‘marriage,’ which I told our church is by far a secondary issue in marriage today. “A bigger issue is heterosexual marriages divorcing. We want to give attention to the cultural battle about homosexual ‘marriage’ but in the midst of that we’ll lose sight of [this] fact: I don’t know anybody in my church that are homosexuals wanting to get married, but I know a whole lot [of members] that are divorcing.” -- The second is a growing remnant of Christians who are dedicated to prayer and calling out to God in desperation to see revival. In December 1994, the late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, gathered various church leaders together in Orlando to fast and pray and ask God to send revival in the new year, Avant said. About a month later, the revival broke out at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood, Texas. Other movements occurred in the mid-1990s, such as Promise Keepers rallies that drew hundreds of thousands of men to stadiums, Avant said. “Some of the phenomena died down but the remnant of strong leaders has remained,” the pastor said. “So we may not fill a football stadium as easy any more, but I think there are far more men who are praying for revival than there were prior to those days.” Another example is New Hope Baptist, which has a fulltime minister of prayer on staff. Two decades ago, Avant said, he would have wondered what such a pastor would do, but today there is a hunger for deeper prayer involvement. Avant seeks to underscore the vibrancy of faith in a new book, “The Passion Promise: Living a life only God can imagine,” released by Multnomah Publishers. -- The third factor is some form of precipitating event. Avant, who will speak in Wales this summer at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Welsh Revival, said the spiritual awakening in that nation developed into a worldwide movement. It touched America and dramatically affected the evangelical world, Avant said, including the call of Mordecai Ham to ministry. Ham is recognized for delivering the sermon that led to evangelist Billy Graham accepting Jesus as his Savior. Then, a financial collapse in 1857, followed by a businessmen’s prayer meeting in New York that spread across the nation, stirred revival just prior to the Civil War, Avant said. Likewise, desperate economic times, fear over renewed terrorist attacks and widespread interest in Jesus because of the film, “The Passion of The Christ,” could prove to be precipitating events, Avant said. “I think it’s completely possible,” the pastor said. “I think it’s the first time in my lifetime that these three elements are as clear as they are right now.” Still, that doesn’t mean he thinks spiritual renewal is guaranteed. Too often revival fails to come because God’s people don’t want it, said Avant, pointing to the “Jesus Movement” of the early 1970s that led to his conversion. First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C., opened its arms to him and other newcomers because they weren’t tied to old methods, he said, but too many other Southern Baptist churches missed it. “The Jesus Movement should have been a nationwide spiritual movement, but a majority of our churches weren’t interested in a bunch of hippies coming to their churches,” Avant said. “I think we’re in the greatest spiritual opportunity for evangelism today since the Jesus Movement.” Among the challenges facing a new sweep of revival are pride and disobedience, said Ken Hemphill, the national strategist for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis who experienced the Brownwood revival when he was president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Hemphill said many people like to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV). However, another version of the biblical promise in 1 Kings begins with the phrase if God’s people will “turn and confess the Lord’s name,” meaning that turning -– repentance -– precedes confession, Hemphill said. To confess God’s name does not mean a verbal confession, but conforming to the name that is within Christ’s followers, he said. When Israel didn’t experience God’s blessing, it meant the people were profaning God’s name and not living up to the standards of His character, Hemphill said. “The revival image for me now has changed,” Hemphill said. “There [must be] that repentance, that brokenness, spiritual poverty and getting beyond our pride to say, ‘It doesn’t matter, [we will do] whatever it takes.’” Hemphill’s book on the EKG movement, titled Empowering Kingdom Growth: The Heartbeat of God,” is slated for a June release by Broadman & Holman, the publishing division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Alvin Reid, an evangelism professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina, meanwhile noted that too many Christians, particularly Southern Baptists, have turned a movement into an institution. Formality in the way church is conducted inhibits revival, said Reid, who was a faculty member at Houston Baptist University in 1995. Without some significant changes, he doesn’t know if America will be prepared for spiritual awakening. “We are so focused on institutional things like getting people into our building, where the Book of Acts says 11 times [the church met] daily,” Reid said. “... We’ve lost the movement side of it.” Too many people have romanticized revival, forgetting that it comes at a high price, Reid also noted. Americans have pat sayings like, “The safest place to be is in the middle of God’s will” when being in the middle of God’s will can get you killed, Reid said. As an example, he mentioned the recent slayings of four Southern Baptist aid workers in Iraq. “Another big block to revival is we have it so easy,” Reid said. “The church in China is experiencing a great awakening and it’s growing incredibly because they have such a fist of oppression on them.” --30-- (BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: THE PASSION PROMISE. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘The Passion’ has ‘focused the world on the cross’ by Ken Walker Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (BP)--In the first month after its Feb. 25 release, “The Passion of The Christ” generated an estimated $305 million in domestic ticket sales and $32 million overseas, according to an industry website, boxofficemojo.com. What excites John Avant, though, isn’t the numbers of people going to see the movie but those who are winding up at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga., just south of Atlanta. Average attendance has risen by 12 percent in recent weeks, which Avant, the church’s pastor, attributes to the interest stimulated by the film. “A movie has the world focused on the cross,” Avant said. “We’re up 300 people over last year and a whole lot of that is people coming, seeking to know more [about Christ].” Such reports are becoming commonplace. For example: -- In eastern Pennsylvania, the owner of a Christian bookstore said he sees several new customers each day wanting Bibles after seeing the movie. Joe Hackman, the owner of Hackman’s Bible Bookstore in Whitehall, Pa., said he can tell when they don’t come from a church background, such as the customer who asked, “What’s a New Testament?” -- After learning a multiplex cinema in his area didn’t plan to screen the movie, a bookstore owner in New Boston, Ohio, persuaded 65 area churches to help sell tickets. The churches also helped pay for two half-page advertisements in the Portsmouth Times. Jeff Dunn, who runs Praises bookstore, said the effort resulted in the sale of 6,400 tickets in two weeks. Dunn also arranged for local pastors to present an evangelistic message after each showing, with eight professions of faith in Christ recorded the first week. “In my lifetime, this is the greatest evangelistic opportunity I’ve had to affect my community,” said Dunn, who formerly pastored an independent Baptist church. Alvin Reid, an evangelism professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said a seminary graduate who pastors Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, e-mailed him to say that 59 people had accepted Christ after the premiere. In addition, many students on Southeastern’s North Carolina campus have distributed flyers about the film door-to-door. They also have taken friends to see it, with some of them later praying to accept Christ. The most significant place in America for evangelism in late February and early March, Reid noted, was a movie theater, not a church building. Reid said he had recently studied the Book of Acts and noticed that the Apostle Paul left the synagogue in Ephesus because of Jewish opposition and went to the hall at Tryannus. Ultimately, Paul remained there for two years and all of Asia heard the Gospel. “So he went to a secular hall and got a much greater response,” Reid said. “We’re seeing in the ‘Passion of the Christ’ exactly what Paul saw in the New Testament.” Reid emphasized that church attendance is important, since the Book of Hebrews directs Christians to regularly meet with each other. However, the professor said too many believers have lost sight of the need to reason with others in the culture during their daily lives. “I think there’s a tremendous message in [the movie’s success] for the church,” Reid said. “It demonstrates to me we think so much about our local church on Sunday. But we ought to start thinking about evangelism outside the church building a little more.” Ken Hemphill, national strategist for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis, whose job includes frequent traveling, finds it easy to strike up conversations about the movie with strangers. He talked with a young man on a recent flight who had only seen advertisements and some film clips, but immediately wanted to know, “Do you think it’s anti-Semitic?” “If you think about it, you can bear witness,” Hemphill said. “I told him, ‘I didn’t see that. The impact it had on me was knowing it was my sin [that crucified Christ]. Jesus made that clear.’ “So I just talked through the Gospel at that point. He was very receptive. I think it could be a real trigger for an awakening in our own hearts and lives and a great evangelistic harvest.” Still, Avant has encountered negative comments that, for him, show that God’s people often may be the greatest opponents of revival. “I just did a radio show about The Passion and pointed out every time in history God begins to move the biggest block is God’s people,” he said. “The problem is in the church.” Among the skepticism Avant has heard expressed is that the film may violate the Second Commandment against worshiping idols. Too often, Avant said Christians try to put clamps on revival, isolate it or isolate themselves from it, as shown by this kind of reaction. “Every one of them ought to be jumping to the forefront to say, ‘How does the church join in what God is doing in bringing the cross of Christ to the center of attention in the world?’” the pastor said. “If instead, we begin debating on whether a picture on a movie screen is a graven image, I think God’s going to move on and find somebody who will join Him in what He’s doing.” Avant sees the “buzz” that has greeted The Passion as a historic opportunity. Twenty years from now, he doesn’t want to look back and wish he had spoken up about opportunities the movie presented the church instead of remaining silent as critics nitpicked. And Avant noted that he sees cause for optimism: “It seems to me there’s a far greater percentage of our churches who are in tune with the possibilities that are in front of us now,” he said. “So I’m hopeful.” --30-- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Revival may take root in today’s youth, prof says by Ken Walker Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP)--Alvin Reid has written multiple books, holds the Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a mentor to future pastors. Away from the office, though, the 44-year-old professor speaks frequently to youth groups and college students. He also plays a bass guitar in One Way Up, a lively praise band, along with his son, Josh, 15, and Josh’s best friend and a seminary student. The latter is part of the lasting impact of the 1995 Brownwood revival. Today, Reid is convinced that the church as a whole has underemphasized the role of youth in spiritual awakening. He explores that role more fully in his newly released book, “Raising the Bar: Ministry to Youth in the New Millennium” (Kregel Publications). “When I came to Southeastern [in the fall of 1995] I never dreamed that most of my preaching and writing would now be about youth ministry,” Reid said. “But I’m so convinced that this coming generation has the best promise. I’m very excited about young people and the potential they have. “Part of Raising the Bar is that teenagers are not children; they’re young adults and we ought to treat them that way. Not every teenager is ready to lead in worship. But if they are, why not let them? Why wait until they’re 20 or 25 if someone 15 can go win a medal at the Olympics?” While Reid has volunteered at church youth functions, he called his view largely that of a youth ministry outsider. From that perspective, Reid suggested it is time for less fun-and-games and more Bible teaching. In his book, he wrote that a refreshing wind is blowing among the youth of America. Those who study today’s generations have observed a shift among teens and pre-teens, Reid noted, recounting that a Florida youth pastor told him, “Student ministers are realizing that this generation of young people [is] not satisfied with the latest game or ice-breaker. They want real, honest biblical substance.” “Millennials,” or people born since 1982, have many distinct, positive characteristics, Reid said. Crediting Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of “Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation,” for most of 10 positive traits he has listed, Reid said of today’s young people: 1. They are optimistic. This is a contrast to the “busters” who preceded them. Reid referred to a recent survey in which nine of 10 millennials described themselves as happy, positive or confident. 2. They are cooperative team players. “I have personally noticed a remarkable change in youth groups in the past three years, particularly in their commitment to group activities, including evangelistic outreach. They are remarkably committed to missions projects and personal evangelism when sent out in teams.” 3. They are not distrustful and accept authority. One study of 12- to 14-year-olds found that the people they looked to the most for answers were their parents. Reid quoted researcher George Barna: “It is the rare teenager who believes he or she can lead a fulfilling life without receiving complete acceptance and support from his or her family.” 4. They are rule-followers. From 1995-2000, homicide, violent crime, abortion and teen pregnancy dropped at a faster rate than any previous period. Reid quoted one writer who said the 1990s witnessed rapid improvement in adolescent conduct. 5. They are watched over, not neglected. While broken homes abound, this generation’s parents show a greater concern for the well-being of their children than those immediately preceding them, Reid said. In the summer of 2002, he said child abductions received unprecedented attention not because such crimes are on the rise but because of national concern for children. 6. They are colorblind. If a church wants to exclude someone on the basis of color, in a few years they won’t have any youth left: “My son gets angry at the thought of a church that would have the audacity to exclude someone on the basis of the color of their skin,” Reid said. 7. They are bright. Reid said this generation understands technology better than his parents, recalling how his daughter was adept at handling CD-ROMs at the age of 4. “If they can learn chemistry in high school, they can learn theology at church,” Reid said. 8. They believe in the future. The idealism of the ’60s generation is seen in this group without so much of an anti-authority edge. The author mentioned a recent news report on the rising number of G-rated movies, citing youths’ influence on marketing. 9. They want to be challenged. While many decry public schools’ low academic standards, Reid said the level of expectation in most churches is just as low. As a contrast, he mentioned First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., where 180 youth meet at 7:15 a.m. on Sundays to sing or play in the youth choir and orchestra. When the pastor challenged students to dedicate a year to mission work after high school, 17 went to Argentina. 10. They are seeking genuine spirituality. Reid again cited Barna, who found in a survey that while two-thirds of teens are interested in a meaningful relationship with God, less than one-third are active in a church. “Obviously, youth ministry in America has not produced a generation of young people who are passionate about the church,” Reid said. “However, it is also an indictment on the state of the church in America.” Yet, Reid said he finds an optimistic sign for the future in a U.S. Census Bureau projection: In 2006 there will be more youth in America than at any time in our nation’s history. “I just think in the providence of God, our Lord knew that,” Reid said. “So that may be our hope.” --30-- (BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: RAISING THE BAR. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘The Passion’ is topic of 2-day seminary workshop by Philip Redmond Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--Never before have Christians experienced greater challenges and opposition simultaneously with unprecedented opportunities to reach the world for Christ. The Mel Gibson film, “The Passion of The Christ,” has generated much controversy, as a case in point, yet many Christians believe it has given them a window of opportunity they have never seen before and may never see again. To discuss the implication of the film as well as its effectiveness for evangelization, an April 2-3 workshop was held Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The workshop, which was open to the community, was led by seminary President R. Philip Roberts, who was joined by Bill Gordon of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board’s interfaith evangelism office, and four Midwestern professors: Alan Tomlinson, associate professor of New Testament and Greek; Mark DeVine, associate professor of theology; Stephen Andrews, professor of Old Testament, Hebrew and archaeology; and Thor Madsen, assistant professor of New Testament, ethics and philosophy. Topics discussed during the workshop included “The Jewish Background (Old Testament Atonement Themes);” “The Passion Narrative in the Four Gospels;” “The Historical Background of Roman Crucifixion;” “Theology: The Atonement and Its Significance;” “Apologetics: Evidence for the Resurrection” and “The Passion as an Evangelistic Tool.” The various presentations provided insight into why Jesus came to earth from heaven, who He was, what He accomplished, how He accomplished it, and what it means for people in today’s world. Addressing criticism about the violent nature of The Passion, Tomlinson pointed out “What we know about the crucifixion in the first century is that Mel Gibson’s movie was not even close to the violence and to the degradation of the body. The body was usually left to be torn to shreds by wild dogs, vultures, ravens.” Tomlinson added that the extent of the chastisement was left to the whim of the one executing the punishment. He said the film accurately portrayed the sadistic nature of the punishers. “Jesus would have been a bloody mess,” Tomlinson said. “You would not be able to recognize him. The severe beating he received would have left him half-dead even before he was nailed to the cross. He would have suffocated, and it would have happened very quickly, just as the Bible said.” Tomlinson added that thousands of flies likely would have been swarming around the dying body in crucifixion and even before death birds that would be feeding off the flesh. Tomlinson further explained that when the condemned were crucified, they were nailed to the cross stark naked. They did not wear loin cloths. Along with the cross’ condemnation, he said, came humiliation. Gordon addressed the topic of “Roman Catholic Mysticism and the Passion.” He noted that the film contains many Catholic elements that would not be readily apparent to many non-Catholic viewers. He said there were several aspects of the film that were influenced by “The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ,” an account by Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian nun who lived from 1774–1824. Regarding the film as a whole, Gordon said despite the theological questions it may raise, The Passion can be used as an evangelistic opportunity. Devine described the film as “comparatively more helpful for us than other movies because it doesn’t run from the objective views of the atonement found in Scripture.” --30-- Philip Redmond is a news writer with Midwestern Seminary. Audio of the The Passion conference presentations will be posted at the seminary’s website, www.mbts.edu, by April 14. Recorded copies of the sessions also are available by contacting Sherry Cooper via e-mail at scooper@mbts.edu. -------------------------------------------------------------------- On Easter, seeing the birth of a church in Central Asia by Staff Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Amjad* marked Easter morning by being baptized, then leading the first Lord's Supper he had ever attended. The young Uighur Christian's baptismal clothes were still damp when he stood to lead five other Uighur believers in a communion service in a home in Central Asia. Amjad has to rely on the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to guide the first steps of an emerging church among the largely unreached Muslim people group rather than base the worship service on the imported patterns of Western-style church, explained an International Mission Board worker who watched the service. "We had just studied 1 Corinthians where Paul talked about God's wisdom, power and the ability of the Holy Spirit to speak through us," the worker said. Amjad was nervous at first as he spoke to the other believers, the worker recalled. But as Amjad led in the Lord’s Supper, “I felt chills run through me," the worker said. "I was watching the birth of a Uighur church. This is when you realize it really is a privilege to be here and see all that God is doing." For Amjad, his first moments of nervousness were replaced with a sense of awe, the worker said. "The amazing thing to see was the Scriptures coming alive for him. I could tell he was seeing the promises God gave in the Scripture coming into being in his life. It was an amazing thing." This worker and others on the Uighur team have worked for more than 15 years to nurture a church movement in Central Asia. The work is led by Jonathan*, a strategy coordinator who has made it his life's goal to help bring the Gospel to the Uighurs. Jonathan works with other Great Commission Christian groups in his ministry to evangelize this unreached people group. "What Amjad experienced is what we have all been praying for," Jonathan said. "There is now an infant Uighur church, and praise God, it is starting to take hold of God's promises." --30-- *Names changed to protect believers. -------------------------------------------------------------------- IMB search committee nominates Gordon Fort for overseas VP by Staff Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--A successor to Avery Willis will be nominated by a search committee when International Mission Board trustees meet April 26-28 in Nashville, Tenn. R. Gordon Fort, regional leader for IMB work in the southern Africa region, will be recommended to the board to fill the position of vice president for overseas operations from which Willis retired in February. Fort, 48, is the son of emeritus Southern Baptist missionary physicians who served at Sanyati Baptist Hospital in Zimbabwe. He and his wife, the former Leigh Ann Harrison of Fort Worth, Texas, were appointed by the International Mission Board as missionaries to Botswana in 1985. He assumed responsibility for the work in Southern Africa in 1997. The nomination will come on the unanimous vote of a search committee composed of seven trustees, said IMB President Jerry Rankin. "Gordon possesses an outstanding profile of leadership skills with an emphasis on equipping and mentoring field leaders and spiritual nurture of missionary personnel," Rankin said. "His passion for the mission task and penetrating the lostness throughout our world, as well as his communication and preaching skills, will be an asset in representing the IMB. "He expresses a thorough understanding and support of the vision, values and strategies of the IMB and the conservative direction of the Southern Baptist Convention. His background and experience in Africa will give a valuable balance to senior leadership, and he has a solid commitment to leading our global task." Fort is a graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to missionary appointment, he served as pastor of Macedonia-Hix Baptist Church in Caldwell, Texas. He and his wife have four children, ages 10-17. Willis was vice president for overseas operations for 10 years during a career which included 25 years in missions. --30-- (BP) photo posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo title: GORDON FORT. -------------------------------------------------------------------- MARRIAGE DIGEST: Hatch signs on as amendment co-sponsor by Michael Foust Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Senator Orrin Hatch has signed on as a co-sponsor of the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment, signaling an important step forward in its passage. In recent weeks Hatch, R.-Utah, had floated the idea of passing an alternative amendment that would give individual states the right to define marriage however they wish -- essentially a constitutional version of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. That proposal, if passed and ratified, would result in a patchwork of marriage laws nationwide. In March, Hatch said there “may be other approaches that warrant our consideration,” according to Bloomberg news service. While it is not known if Hatch would still support such an amendment, his backing of the current version is significant if the Federal Marriage Amendment has any chance to pass the Senate. It needs 67 votes there, meaning that support from nearly all of the Senate’s 51 Republicans is essential. Hatch signed on as a co-sponsor April 7, bringing to 11 the number of Senate supporters. Only one of them, Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia, is a Democrat. The Federal Marriage Amendment, re-introduced with new language by Sen. Wayne Allard in March, reads: “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.” PROTEST IN OREGON -- Focus on the Family’s James Dobson led a rally of some 2,000 evangelical and pro-family supporters in Clackamas, Ore., April 5, opposing same-sex “marriage” and supporting an effort to amend the state’s constitution to protect the traditional definition of marriage. The Portland area remains the only locality in America issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, although they are doing it in violation of state law. “This is the Waterloo, this is the Gettysburg,” Dobson said, according to The Oregonian. “If lost, it will be like a mirror shattered. Once it’s broken, it will not be able to be repaired.” The rally was held at New Hope Community Church. Pro-family leaders in the state are organizing a petition drive in an attempt to put a marriage amendment on the ballot this fall. They have launched a website: www.defenseofmarriagecoalition.com. AND IN SAN FRAN. -- Some 1,000 Catholics held a rally in San Francisco April 3, protesting the city’s decision to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Archbishop William J. Levada helped lead the rally, the Associated Press reported. “Marriage is between a man and a woman,” one of the protesters, Madeleine Veneklase, said, according to the AP. “That’s how God made us and that’s the way to true happiness in a relationship." Last month, the California Supreme Court ordered a halt to the city’s issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. ORE. REPUBLICANS PRO-FAMILY -- The Oregon Republican Party has asked the state legislature to send a marriage amendment to voters, providing hope that there may be a second way to put an amendment on the ballot. Traditionalists in the state already are organizing a petition drive, with the goal of gaining 100,000 signatures by early July to force a vote this fall. The Oregon Republican Party’s resolution asks the legislature to tackle the issue in June, when legislators already are scheduled to meet in a special session relating to tax reform, The Oregonian reported. MASS. VOTERS SPLIT -- Massachusetts voters are split on their support for a compromise marriage amendment passed recently by state legislators, according to a new poll. Forty-seven percent of residents support the amendment, 47 oppose it, according to the University of Massachusetts poll. The amendment would ban same-sex “marriage” while legalizing civil unions. However, because of the state’s lengthy process for passing an amendment, it wouldn’t go before voters until 2006. It must pass in another legislative session before going to voters. The poll interviewed 463 people between March 30 and April 4. JESSE JACKSON, PART II -- Jesse Jackson rejects comparisons between the civil rights movement and the homosexual rights movement, but nevertheless opposes a proposed Massachusetts constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex “marriage” while legalizing civil unions. “We must measure human rights by one yardstick: Marry who you want to. And leave when you’re ready,” he told The Boston Globe. Speaking at Harvard in February, Jackson did not say whether he supported same-sex “marriage” but criticized civil rights-homosexual rights comparisons. He told The Boston Globe that such analogies are “a stretch.” MICHIGAN PETITION DRIVE -- Having failed in the state legislature, Michigan pro-family leaders are beginning a petition drive to put a constitutional marriage amendment before voters this fall. Leaders, who have organized into a group called Citizens for the Protection of Marriage, must collect some 317,000 signatures by mid-July, according to the Detroit Free Press. A March vote in the Michigan House fell short of the required two-thirds majority. Needing 73 votes, the bill received 65 in favor, 38 against. VIDEO GAMES, TOO? -- The issue of same-sex “marriage” apparently has made its way into the popular youth realm of video games. According to Armchairarcade.com, Atari’s role-playing game “The Temple of Elemental Evil” contains a scene where the player is offered the love of a male homosexual. The game is part of the Dungeons and Dragons series. The character, a pirate named Bertram, promises a “lifetime of love and happiness” if he is rescued, the review states. “The party can elect to take Bertram with them or, more likely, allow him to remain in Nulb where he will pleasantly pass the hours until the player finishes the game,” the review states. “He shows back up in the concluding scenes if the player rescued him. A portrait is displayed with two men embraced, and the narrator levelly explains that you and Bertram were married and lived, as they say, happily ever after.” --30-- For more information about the debate over same-sex "marriage," visit http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage -------------------------------------------------------------------- Baptist Press posts updated stories on same-sex ‘marriage’ by Staff Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Baptist Press has revised its special series of stories on same-sex “marriage,” bringing them up to date with events of recent weeks. The package, which includes more than 15 stories dealing with the various issues surrounding same-sex “marriage,” began in November shortly after the Massachusetts high court issued its controversial ruling. Since then, several significant events have taken place, including the mayor of San Francisco issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the Massachusetts legislature passing a compromise marriage amendment and President Bush and John Kerry coming down on opposing sides of a federal marriage amendment. The weekly series, along with the daily news stories about same-sex “marriage,” are available on the Internet at www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage. The series is titled “Marriage: One Man, One Woman.” “Baptist Press developed the series ‘Marriage: One Man, One Woman’ to inform and educate readers about the key issues involved in the national debate about same-sex ‘marriage,’” Baptist Press Executive Editor Will Hall said. “We now have updated these reports to include current information relating to each. We trust the updates will reinforce the value of these resources for those engaged in the effort to protect and nurture the biblical model of marriage in our country.” The series examines a host of issues, such as: -- Are civil rights comparable to homosexual rights? -- Are the two political parties divided on the issue? -- Does having a mom and a dad really make a difference for children? -- Will same-sex “marriage” legalization lead to polygamy? Including daily news stories, BP has published more than 100 stories on the issue of same-sex “marriage” since November. --30-- Visit BP's same-sex "marriage" collection at: http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: 10 years after Kurt Cobain’s death by Kelly Boggs Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday McMINNVILLE, Ore. (BP)--Ten years ago one of the poster boys of postmodernism died. Kurt Cobain, front man for the grunge band Nirvana, killed himself with a shotgun blast to the head. He was found dead at his Seattle home on April 8, 1994. He was only 27 years old. I find it ironic that Cobain took his life so near Easter, which fell on April 3 ten years ago. In fact, the time of his actual death may have been only a couple of days removed from Christianity’s most significant celebration. The resurrection of Christ and the hope it engenders stands in stark contrast with the pessimism postmodern philosophy produces. And make no mistake -- Cobain embodied the worst of postmodern thought. Born in 1967, Cobain was reared in the small logging town of Aberdeen, Wash. At age seven his parents divorced. It was an event that proved to be the turning point in young Kurt’s life. By his own account he never felt loved or secure again. In his suicide note Cobain wrote, “I have it good, very good, and I’m grateful, but since the age of seven, I’ve become hateful towards all humans in general.” After his parents split, Cobain became increasingly anti-social and withdrawn. His behavior became so difficult to handle that he was shuttled between family members and even was homeless for a short period. Around age eleven, Cobain was introduced to the punk rock sound of Britain’s Sex Pistols. Perhaps due to the trauma of childhood, he was drawn to the chaos and nihilism that saturated punk rock. As Cobain soaked up chaotic sounds and angry lyrics, the seeds for what would later be known as grunge music were planted. In 1986 Cobain formed Nirvana with two friends. The music they forged was characterized by strong guitar riffs and heavy drumming. It was a conscious rejection of the slick heavy metal of the time. Nirvana’s style flew in the face of convention. The band eschewed spandex and sexuality for flannel and postmodern musings. Nirvana’s second album, released in 1991 and titled “Nevermind,” proved to be a monster hit and propelled the band to stardom. Though it has been a decade since Cobain’s death, Nirvana continues to be popular, selling 1.4 million albums in 2002 and 754,000 in 2003. To listen to Nirvana is to have a crash course in postmodern thought. The music is erratic and the lyrics –- screamed -- seem almost nonsensical. The overriding themes in Cobain’s writing were a sense of self-loathing, frustration and hopelessness. However, because the songs are void of a specific message, each listener is free to discover his or her own meaning. Postmodern philosophy holds that absolute truth does not exist. Morality is relative and self-styled. Meaning is self-constructed. Individual experience becomes the ultimate in self-actualization. In the postmodern worldview the individual dominates and chaos is accepted. Taken to its logical conclusion, this philosophy is unstable, irrational, pessimistic, and results in hopelessness. Tragically, it is becoming the dominant worldview of our day. Excerpts from Cobain’s suicide note are telling. He wrote: “I haven’t felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now ... It simply isn’t fair to you or me. The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I’m having 100% fun ... Sometimes I feel as if I should have a punch-in time clock before I walk out on stage. I’ve tried everything within my power to appreciate it (and I do, God, believe me I do, but it’s not enough).” Mired in postmodern thought, Cobain was well acquainted with his own flaws and those of society. However, the salvation he sought through musical self-expression could not free him from the pessimism and hopelessness that are inherent in radical relativism. It is ironic that Kurt Cobain chose to take his life during a time that is so pregnant with hope. Jesus Christ died and rose again to set people free from selfish self-expression and the hopelessness it produces. The salvation Cobain was so desperate to experience is found only in Christ. Christianity stands in antithesis to postmodern philosophy. The absolute truth that is revealed in the Bible provides humanity with meaning and purpose. Easter’s empty tomb provides absolute hope. Postmodernism’s radical relativism provides absolute emptiness. Just ask Kurt Cobain. --30-- Kelly Boggs’ column appears each Friday in Baptist Press. He is pastor of the Portland-area Valley Baptist Church in McMinnville, Ore. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Contradictions of liberal moral philosophy by Mark Kelly Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Did you watch the three-hour Peter Jennings special on April 5 that explained why no intelligent, right-thinking person would think Jesus was anything more than a misguided do-gooder with political aspirations? Did you notice the part where the Apostle Paul was written off for his supposed “puritanical intolerance"? Maybe you knew ahead of time that the Jennings “documentary" wasn’t going to be worth the time, but I know you endured the constant barrage of media reports that disparaged Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ" as an anti-Semitic gore-fest -- even as it was leading a whole nation to phenomenal new depths of understanding about who Jesus was and what He endured for the sake of us all. There is a new desperation among liberals to convince themselves that the resurgence of common sense in America doesn’t threaten their position and influence in the society. At times, I listen in stupefied amazement at the preposterous criticisms leveled against conservatives in general and Christians in particular. It would be a tribute to the acting skills of liberal celebrities (movie stars, politicians, “news” reporters, etc.) that they can say what they do with a straight face -- except that they apparently believe every word of it. They seem totally oblivious to the contradiction between their criticisms and the beliefs that make one a liberal. Take, for example, an e-mail I received from someone I’ll call “Ted,” who wrote to criticize Christians for seeking to influence American culture and for sending missionaries to countries where other religions predominate. “Some people don’t want you manipulating their culture and preying on their emotionally weak members,” he said. “We don’t want you [expletive] with our society in the USA any more than the Iraqis or the Afghans want you trying to force your beliefs and social mores on them.” I'm always intrigued that liberals don't see the contradiction in their condemning Christians for trying to influence individuals and society toward what we believe is right and good. Every liberal I've ever met said moral absolutes don't exist. That means there are no moral rules that apply to everyone, everywhere, all the time. In general, they argue that values are relative. “What's right or wrong in one culture may not be right or wrong in another,” they say. “What’s right or wrong for one individual may not be right or wrong for another.” When they specifically reject Christian moral values, they say things like "That's just your opinion," "Christians shouldn't force their values on others" and "Christians shouldn't try to change other people's beliefs." Those are curious comments, coming from someone who says there aren't any standards of right or wrong that apply to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Try asking a liberal critic questions like these: "If each person has to decide what's right and wrong for himself, why do you insist that something that would be wrong for you also is wrong for me?" "If my moral values are just my opinion, aren't your values just opinion too? Why should your opinion be any better than mine?" "If no one should tell someone else that their beliefs are wrong, why are you telling me I'm wrong?" Don't expect any answers. There aren't any. The liberal denies moral absolutes, but in fact he believes very strongly that some things are absolutely wrong. Take, for example, his idea that Christians are wrong to try to change other people's religious beliefs. Is that wrong for everyone, everywhere, all the time? Is it possible it might ever be right for someone? Then that's a moral absolute -- something the liberal denies is real! Let's make the point more forcefully by asking a more serious question: What about the rape and murder of a child? Is that wrong for everyone, everywhere, all the time? Is it possible it might ever be right for someone to rape and murder a child? Then why isn't that a moral absolute? Two critical questions for a liberal, then, are: "If we both agree that there are some things that are right or wrong for everyone, everywhere, all the time -- what makes your absolutes true and mine false?" and "What can you give me, other than your opinion, to prove that what I'm doing is wrong?" The most serious problem America faces is that no one can explain how we can know what is true when it comes to religion and morals. Even Christians are hard pressed to explain how a pluralistic society with many different religions and worldviews can come to enough agreement about right and wrong to establish a just government and legal system. The liberal's moral philosophy suffers from a fundamental contradiction. He doesn't practice what he preaches. He can't explain why any value or action he despises is wrong for anyone else. He denies moral absolutes when it comes to godly values, but in fact he holds fast to his own moral absolutes. It's fuzzy thinking like this that is driving America deeper and deeper into social and moral chaos. It's on the basis of such nonsense that liberals think they will lead America into a new age of Enlightenment. Can you explain how a pluralistic society with many different religions and worldviews can come to enough agreement about right and wrong to establish a just government and legal system? If you can't, you ought to be concerned. --30-- Mark Kelly is the author of "Proof Beyond Reasonable Doubt: Why Christian truth is the only hope for just, free society," available only at www.kainospress.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Much too high a price by Charlie Warren Date: April 08, 2004 - Thursday LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP)--“Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Truly, all of us were there, because our sins nailed Him to the cross. But during the Easter season of 2004, many of us who have seen the movie, “The Passion of The Christ,” have visual images to reinforce the “old, old story of Jesus and His love.” We feel we stepped back into history and saw the whole thing. As believers, many of us grew up knowing the story. We have contemplated the cross and our suffering Savior many times. Yet Mel Gibson’s graphic portrayal of Christ’s passion has brought a visual element that carried us, our emotions nakedly exposed, to the cross. Reactions to the movie vary. One of my sons, Brad, said he kept reflecting on the fact that Jesus had the power to stop the whole thing at any time. Our Lord could have called an angelic army to protect Him in the garden. He could have stopped the series of examinations and unjust trials. He could have escaped the scourging or even healed His own wounds. He could have avoided the cross or come down from it alive and restored. He had that kind of power. But He didn’t. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7, NAS). He willingly walked the Via Dolorosa, the way to the cross, for me. He suffered and died for you. He paid the penalty for my sins and yours. In about 1982, in Brentwood Baptist Church of Brentwood, Tenn., a revival broke out. A scheduled “church revival” turned into a Holy Spirit-led movement of God. People were confessing sins and seeking forgiveness from people they had wronged. Evening services extended past 11 p.m. almost every night. It is the closest event I have ever witnessed to real spiritual awakening. One evening, a church member began to testify of how he felt so unworthy of what Christ had done for him. He confessed that he lived his daily life with little thought of the sacrifice Jesus made for him and offered little to God in return. Greg Nelson, a Christian songwriter/arranger/producer who was a member of the church, stood as the man concluded his testimony. Greg said he had been working on a song that expressed that same thought. The song was still in the developmental stages, but Greg went to the piano, and with great emotion began to sing, “You paid much too high a price for me: Your tears, Your blood, the pain, to have my soul just stirred at times, yet never truly changed. You deserve a fiery love that won’t ignore Your sacrifice, because You paid much too high a price.” Greg didn’t sing the song to those of us listening. He clearly sang it as a prayer to His Lord. This Easter, who among us cannot join him in the heart-felt expression of gratitude to Christ? --30— Charlie Warren is editor of the Arkansas Baptist News, newsjournal of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.