The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/13/2016 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Boot camp' links First Baptist & area churches by Todd Gray/Kentucky Western Recorder Date: April 13, 2016 - Wednesday MADISONVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- A county seat First Baptist Church and the local Baptist association have entered into a partnership to send pastors to "boot camp." "Revitalization Pastor's Bootcamp" is being hosted by First Baptist in Madisonville, Ky., and sponsored by the Little Bethel Baptist Association to help equip and encourage pastors to lead their churches into better days of ministry health and effectiveness. The monthly training event, based loosely on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, addresses 12 topics relevant to church revitalization, such as discovering current reality; repentance and prayer in the life of the leader; receiving God's vision; and dealing with conflict. Each session offers specific instruction by providing a speaker and related resources. Cost for the 12-month event is being shared by First Baptist and the 48-church association. In an interview, Stephen Seaford, transitional interim pastor of First Baptist, and Bill Egbert, director of missions for the Little Bethel Baptist Association, explained why they wanted to partner for the training initiative. Seaford said that as a transitional interim he wants to see First Baptist take a lead in ministering to pastors and churches in the area. The church has a great facility and resources that could be a blessing to the larger church community, he noted. He also wants to strengthen relationships between the church, the association and the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Egbert agreed that First Baptist is an excellent host church and that an effort for undergirding church leaders is needed. Egbert said he would like for pastors and churches to recognize the need for revitalization and put action plans in place. The first step toward revitalization, he said, entails discovering how things are in one's place of ministry, then taking steps to address issues that have emerged. Egbert said the leaders involved thus far "have loved it" and shown a desire to serve Jesus and to see their churches strengthened. And he feels the meetings have strengthened his relationship with pastors. Seaford would like for participants to see that revitalization indeed is possible and to realize that they are not alone in regard to ministry locally and with the state convention. Ministry can be a lonely occupation, Seaford said, and he hopes participants will recognize they are not in competition but in cooperation with each other and will encourage each other. For First Baptist, there has been a sense of satisfaction in serving other churches, Seaford said, noting that the congregation feels good about offering their facility, staff, resources and meal preparation to benefit others. Seaford said he has sought to help First Baptist realize that "our mission is bigger than us and that we can reach beyond our local church and minister to pastors and churches." -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: The renewal of spring by David Jeremiah Date: April 13, 2016 - Wednesday EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- In winter, trees lose their leaves, annuals die off completely, perennials die back and lose their color -- nature takes on an appearance of seeming fruitlessness. But then -- spring! Those "dead" seeds are coaxed into life by the warming soil. The seed has enough stored food to live on for a few days until its roots get established, and soon it's preparing for its annual purpose -- to bear fruit for the good of man and the glory of God. Our spiritual lives go through the winter-spring transition as well, but spiritual winters can be deceitful, making us think that the seed of our spiritual life has been dormant so long that there can be no rebirth. If you are in a winter season of life, trust God to do His work of renewal and re-creation in you. Keep in mind: Spring signals the renewal of God's purpose. God's purpose for our lives was expressed clearly by Jesus: "I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit..." (John 15:16). A seed endures the dormancy of winter in order to bear fruit in the spring and summer. If God allows you to go through a time of fruitlessness in the winter of your life, it is only to make you ready to come back and bear much fruit in the spring (John 15:5,8). The spiritual season of spring is a season of purpose and fruitfulness. Spring is a season of re-creation. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). God doesn't just do a new thing when we are saved and then leave us that way. He is constantly re-creating us, making us into new and different people in our journey toward Christlikeness (Romans 8:29). When we pass through a winter season, "old things have passed away." When spring appears in our lives, "all things have become new" again. Spring doesn't care how severe the winter was. Spring doesn't care how long the winter lasted; it is ready to burst forth after a month or a year of winter. The principle is expressed by Joel, the Old Testament prophet: "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, ... My great army which I sent among you" (Joel 2:25). The people of God had been in a winter season for years, yet God said He was prepared to make up those years: "You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you...." (Joel 2:26). There is no correlation between the length of winter and the robustness of spring. God's forgiveness, refreshment and re-creation are always fully available. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Spring utilizes stored strength. When moisture and warmth signal a seed that spring has arrived, the seed utilizes food stored within itself to jumpstart its growth. As soon as a root is established, new food is drawn from the soil to continue the nourishment. If you are a Christian in the middle of a winter season, you may feel completely powerless to trust God for the renewal of spring. But the Bible says there is life in you (Philippians 1:6), that you have the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) and that you have been called (1 Thessalonians 5:24). There is spiritual life in you if you know Jesus Christ. If the window of your soul is dark and wintry, don't despair. Tell God in prayer that you are ready for the renewal of spring. If you are already in a spring season of life, then drink in the abundant rains of His mercy and refreshment. Rejoice that "in Christ ... old things have passed away" and "all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Northwest conv. adds pastor search resource by Cameron Crabtree/Northwest Baptist Witness Date: April 13, 2016 - Wednesday VANCOUVER, Wash. (BP) -- The Northwest Baptist Convention has developed a new resource to help churches find a pastor when vacancies occur. "The biggest difference we can make in helping a church is in working together to ensure it makes good decisions in selecting a new pastor," said Randy Adams, executive director of the convention encompassing 480-plus churches in Oregon, Washington and northern Idaho. Clint Ashley, a special consultant for church leadership with the convention, developed the resource with input from Adams and Joe Flegal, NWBC evangelism and church health director. "There's a lot of good material out there, but some of it is cumbersome and too lengthy to help many search teams. This is a shorter, streamlined version of some of the more helpful items," Adams said of the new resource, titled "Guidance in the Pastor Search Journey." "When we learn of a pastoral vacancy, the church will receive a letter from me outlining ways we can help and suggest an initial contact person to learn about what the next steps might be," Adams said. In the past, the convention has assisted churches seeking resumes of potential candidates. That will continue, Adams said, but additional resources are often necessary. The steps range from developing a spiritual foundation for the process early on to ways for completing thorough background checks. "Leadership transitions are not easy, but they present a fresh opportunity to revisit God's mission for the church and rekindle a vision for impacting the community with the good news," Adams said. Contact information for the convention can be accessed at https://www.nwbaptist.org/contact-us. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Search committees & the challenges they face by Chuck Lawless Date: April 13, 2016 - Wednesday WAKE FOREST, N.C. -- I've worked with a number of pastor and staff search teams as they vet possible candidates for their open positions. These folks typically are God-seeking believers who want nothing but God's will to be done. Churches and their search committees face an array of challenges. Among them: 1. Making wise choices for committee members. Just because a person is viewed as a leader doesn't necessarily make him or her a good search team member. These ought to be godly, prayerful, trustworthy believers and good team members. 2. Consistent prayer. I've seen some committees that prayed a lot when their work started, a little during the actual search process, and a lot more once they'd narrowed their search to one person. Significant prayer is essential during the entire process. 3. Checking accuracy of resumes. You'd hope that all Christian candidates have only truth on their resume, but that's not always the case. 4. Doing background and credit checks. Again, I wish neither of these reviews was necessary, but we live in a fallen world. 5. Asking theological questions. I'm amazed by the number of candidates I know who are asked only one or two (or zero) questions about what they believe. A general, "Do you believe the Bible?" is not sufficient. And these questions should be asked early in the process; otherwise, if strong relationships have begun to develop, it's too easy to let debatable responses pass. 7. Checking references. While few people include negative references on their resume, you can still learn about a candidate from others. 8. Patience. In my experience, it's taking longer and longer to find pastors and staff members. The longer it takes, the likelier it is that the committee will want to settle. That's dangerous. 9. Being honest with the candidate. Most churches are not as healthy as search teams seem to think they are. Withholding significant information in the search process will only breed frustration later. 10. Spending ample time with the candidate. Sometimes this issue is the result of an overall faulty process, but the more time the search team spends with the candidate, the better. 11. Involving the candidate's family in the process. The candidate may become the church's leader, but he likely comes with a family. To ignore them in the process is to send the wrong signal to them from the beginning. 12. Keeping the church informed. The work of the committee is to be confidential, but the committee should still keep the congregation in the loop. At a minimum, they can then pray more pointedly. 13. Keeping the candidates informed. Even if the committee decides not to pursue a particular candidate, they still owe the candidate a response. Leaving people hanging is unkind. 14. Guarding against overreacting to the previous leader. If, for example, a church has had a positive experience with a leader, or a negative one, they must be careful in setting realistic expectations. 15. Expanding the search beyond those who've submitted a resume. God might be working in someone whose resume is not yet available. Committees that don't consider asking someone whose name has not been submitted might miss an opportunity. Calling a new spiritual leader is one of the most significant decisions a local congregation makes. I don't know any churches that take that process lightly, but I do know churches that don't do that process well. Don't be one of those churches. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Survey: Christians call 'payday loans' sinful by Bob Smietana Date: April 13, 2016 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Self-identified Christians in 30 states -- from Alabama to Wyoming -- say it's a sin to lend money to someone who can't afford to pay it back. Most want the government to protect consumers from loans with excessive interest. Still, 1 in 6 Christians has taken out a high-interest payday loan, while few of their fellow believers know how such loans work or look to the Bible for guidance about fair lending. Those are among the findings of a new online survey of Christians' views of payday lending from LifeWay Research. The Nashville-based research firm surveyed 1,000 self-identified Christians in 30 states, all of which have little or no regulation of payday loans. Most Christians find payday loans impractical and morally questionable, said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. Many seem unaware the Bible addresses lending practices. "Ask people if charging high interest is wrong, and they'll say yes," McConnell said. "They forget the Bible calls it 'usury' and condemns it as sinful." The survey, conducted Feb. 5-17, was sponsored by Faith for Just Lending, a national coalition of diverse and nonpartisan faith leaders opposed to predatory loans. Among the key findings: -- Christians are no strangers to payday loans. Overall, 17 percent of Christians have taken payday loans -- 20 percent of Protestants and 12 percent of Catholics. Half of African American Christians (49 percent) and a quarter of Hispanic Christians (24 percent) say they've taken out a payday loan. -- Most believe taking advantage of borrowers is sinful. But few say payday loans are immoral. Three-quarters (77 percent) of Christians say it's sinful to lend money in a way that harms the borrower financially. They also describe payday loans as "expensive" (62 percent), "harmful" (37 percent) and "predatory" (33 percent). Still, more Christians say such loans are "helpful" (16 percent) than "immoral" (11 percent). -- About half (55 percent) say the "maximum reasonable" annual percentage rate (APR) for loans should be 18 percent or less. That includes 37 percent who say APR should be capped at 12 percent interest or less and another 18 percent who want to see a cap at 18 percent interest. Five percent say interest should be capped at 36 percent. A typical two-week payday loan charges the equivalent of a 400 percent APR, according to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal government agency tasked with consumer protection in the financial sector. -- Few Christians see a connection between faith and fair lending. Nine percent say the Bible has the most influence on how they view lending practices. That's less than the news media (14 percent) but more than their church (1 percent). Politicians (1 percent) and national Christian leaders (less than 1 percent) have little influence on the issue of fair lending. Instead, Christians most likely rely on their personal experience with loans (28 percent) or haven't given much thought to the fairness of lending practices (23 percent). -- Most Christians believe the law should protect borrowers. Eighty-six percent agree when asked, "Do you believe laws or regulations should prohibit lending at excessive interest rates?" A similar number (94 percent) say lenders should only make loans with reasonable interest that can be repaid within the original loan period. According to the CFPB, 4 out of 5 payday loans are rolled over for an extended time. In the LifeWay Research survey, 85 percent of Christians underestimate how often such loans are repeated. -- Few Christians say their church has a plan to help those who turn to payday loans. Only 6 percent of Christians say their church offers "guidance or assistance related to payday loans." A third (34 percent) say their church offers no help. Six in 10 (61 percent) don't know. Protestants (7 percent) are more likely to say their church offers help than Catholics (2 percent). Those who have taken a payday loan are more likely to say their church offers help (10 percent) than those who haven't (5 percent.) -- Christians say churches should give counseling about payday loans. More than half (56 percent) want to see their church offer guidance to those with financial needs. And a quarter (27 percent) want churches to give gifts or loans to those in a financial crisis. But Christians are less interested in sermons about fair lending (17 percent) or advocacy (18 percent) for changes in laws or regulation. Some Christians are interested in sermons about biblical principles for fair lending. They include those with evangelical beliefs (31 percent), African Americans (24 percent) and those who go to church once or more a week (24 percent). Most Christians seem to want churches to offer a mixture of counseling and practical help. Eighty-three percent agree churches "should teach and model responsible stewardship, offering help to neighbors in times of crisis." But 17 percent disagree. The Scriptures insist the poor be treated in a just manner, said Barrett Duke, vice president for policy of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. That includes fair lending practices. "Payday loans with their exorbitant interest rates operate far outside of what is ethical or biblical," Duke said. Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, said payday loans offer short-term solutions but create longer-term problems. Such loans, he said, have a "devastating effect" on churches and communities. "A payday loan may look like an answer to prayer -- a way out of a financial crisis," Carey said. "But too often, payday or title loans lead to long-term indebtedness, making a small problem into a large problem." McConnell suggests churches can play a key role in helping those who are caught in a cycle of payday loans. After all, he said, there's likely someone in most churches who has taken out a payday loan in a time of crisis. "Anyone can encounter financial hardships," he said. "The question is whether the destitute are met with support or someone intent on profiting from their situation." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Archaeologists buttress early dating of OT books by David Roach Date: April 13, 2016 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- A study suggesting widespread literacy among ancient Hebrews before 600 B.C. has been dubbed "one more nail slammed in the coffin" of liberal theology's argument that Old Testament books could not have been written during the lives of David, Moses and other scriptural authors. The finding from a team of Israeli archaeologists and mathematicians counters notions that literacy was rare and isolated before the Jews' exile to Babylon. "There's plenty of evidence to suggest the Hebrews were writing," Daniel Warner, associate professor of Old Testament and archaeology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, told Baptist Press. "This solidifies it. It really puts a damper into the liberals who have hounded us that most of [the Old Testament] was developed during the intertestamental period or the Babylonian captivity. That's just one more nail slammed in the coffin." A team of scholars from Tel Aviv University wrote in an April 11 article for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that inscriptions from a military outpost in Arad in southern Israel suggest "the proliferation of literacy among the Judahite army ranks ca. 600 BCE." Based on mathematical algorithms and other analysis, the scholars determined at least six distinct writers from various ranks of Judah's military contributed to a series of 16 ink inscriptions on ceramic sherds. This finding -- combined with previous archaeological discoveries -- suggests a widespread "ability to communicate in writing" among all socioeconomic classes in ancient Israel, according to the article. "Widespread literacy," the article states, offers a "background for the composition of ambitious works such as the Book of Deuteronomy and the history of Ancient Israel in the Books of Joshua to Kings (known as the Deuteronomistic History), which formed the platform for Judahite ideology and theology." Stephen Andrews, professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said "the issue is literacy." "Prior to the discovery of the writings of the ancient Near East, liberals denied the Scriptures based on the lack of evidence of writing," Andrews told BP in written comments. "Since that time, some biblical scholars have subtly returned to that argument by suggesting that only a select handful or elite of the biblical culture could read or write. "The argument proposes that the theological writings of the Old Testament were too complex and sophisticated to be written by any other than the religious elite and only after the exile in Babylon. This article shows that writing was a common practice in Israel prior to the exile and refutes this argument. In fact, Judges 8:14 suggests that even a youth was able to write in the days of Gideon. Believers can believe the Bible when it says that 'Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord' (Exodus 24:4)," Andrews said. Even apart from the most recent archaeological findings, Andrews said, there is ample evidence of writing dating back to 3200 B.C. Evidence of "a true writing system ... capable of expressing complex ideas" dates to 2600 BC -- hundreds of years before the supposed time of Abraham. "It is no surprise then, that the Bible also refers to writing over 270 times," Andrews said, "because the ability to write was well-known and used throughout biblical times. The first case of writing is found in Exodus 17:14 when God commanded Moses to record on a scroll the Israelite defeat of the Amalekites. Archaeology clearly shows that writing was used before 600 B.C." Warner explained that evidence for "proto-Hebrew," precursor to the Hebrew language most Old Testament scholars study today, has not been dated prior to the 10th century B.C., following the times of Moses and David. That means some Old Testament authors likely wrote their original manuscripts in a language other than Hebrew. The Israelites brought that text into Hebrew as the language developed, he said. Gary Arbino, professor of archaeology and Old Testament interpretation at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, cautioned against making too much of the inscriptions from Arad. "The writing of some portions of Scripture -- by internal evidence of the biblical text -- is reasonably seen to have taken place prior to the exile," Arbino told BP in written comments. "I am not sure what the Arad research adds to the discussion, except perhaps that more levels of bureaucrats could read and write, and now we have concrete evidence of that." Dating biblical books can be a complex matter, Arbino said, with the "final form" of some books compiled after the exile even though much of their content was written before. That issue "is not addressed by the research" of Arad inscriptions. Still, Warner said, the study of Judahite inscriptions is part of the mounting evidence "that the Hebrews were capable of writing and, in fact, were probably pretty good at it."