The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/24/2018 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastor: School incident defused by God's intervention by Nicole Kalil/Florida Baptist Convention Date: April 24, 2018 - Tuesday OCALA, Fla. (BP) -- First Baptist Church was on the frontline ministering to students, faculty and staff after a gunman opened fire at nearby Forest High School in Ocala, Fla. One student was injured in the April 20 incident, which lasted only minutes. But the church's connection to the shooting goes beyond providing crisis ministry to students and their families -- their pastor's eldest daughter came face-to-face with the alleged gunman, Sky Bouche. Bouche told a local reporter after his arrest that it was the look of fear in the young woman's eyes that made him put his weapon down. Darren Gaddis, senior pastor of First Baptist Ocala, was on a mission trip in Central Asia when he heard about his daughter's experience and immediately began making arrangements to return home. He shared with the church Sunday morning that both of his children were close to disaster at Forest High School as his son was just one hallway away when the single gunshot rang out. "This would be a very different day if my God had not intervened on behalf of my children," an emotional Gaddis told the church. Monty Grant, pastor for business administration at the church, helped coordinate efforts to provide comfort and care in the hours it took for students to be bussed from the school to the church and reunited with their families. As one of the largest venues in the area, Grant said the church often is used to coordinate a disaster or emergency response. Because many First Baptist students attend Forest High, and considering the connection with the pastor's family, Grant said everyone, whether they had students at the school or not, was "drawn in." Grant was impressed with the willingness of church members to drop everything and start serving others, especially the students. "When our students got off the bus, they immediately jumped into action, doing the same things the adults in the room were doing," Grant added. Gary Townsend, Florida Baptist Convention catalyst for the north region of the state, expressed gratitude for the hard work and caring support church members showed the faculty, staff and families of Forest High, noting that God's hand of protection was apparent at the school and the church. The willingness to serve was pervasive throughout the entire community as businesses began calling to see how they could help. Grant noted that several area businesses sent food and water to the church to help keep people comfortable. Grant said that while everyone is understandably a bit on edge, there was a sense of normalcy among the Forest students he interacted with on Sunday. "We prayed specifically that there wouldn't be a spirit of fear and that they would be strong for their peers today," he said. "It was happening as early as yesterday." Grant said while he hopes the church doesn't get a lot of opportunities for the kind of ministry the community faced, "it was good to be in a place where we could be used by God that day." -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Missionary heroes by Doug Munton Date: April 24, 2018 - Tuesday O'FALLON, Ill. (BP) -- We need heroes. The true hero of our story, of course, should always be the Lord Jesus. No earthly hero can do what He did or give what He gave. But there is something to be said for the example of a fellow Christian who has followed the Lord in a way we can emulate. The apostle Paul said, "Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). He served the church of Corinth as an example of a sinner following the Savior. He was a model, an example -- a hero if you will -- for other Christians to follow. He reminded them to follow him only as he followed Jesus. But he showed them how it was done in the real world by a real sinner who was following a real Savior. Career missionaries serve as models for Christians back home. They might not like the tag "hero" but they serve as models and examples for the rest of us who follow Christ. We see their example of sacrifice and learn something of what it means to "die to self" amid the joys of a calling often tempered by loneliness, isolation and illness. We see what "take up your cross daily and follow Jesus" is all about. We learn from them. We "imitate them as they imitate Christ." Having missionary heroes doesn't mean we think they are perfect. Only Jesus is. It doesn't mean we don't know they have feet of clay like all the rest of us. It just means that we have seen people who followed Jesus even when it was hard. And we learn that we can follow Jesus through hard times as well. We learn that we can sacrifice, we can value the eternal over the earthly and we can be obedient to our Lord. They serve as models of the kind of heart we need as we follow the Lord wherever He leads us. We don't put missionary faces on bubble gum cards like we used to do with baseball players. Not many movies feature missionaries saving the day. But career missionaries ought to be a special kind of hero to us. We should honor them, pray for them and love them. We should tell their stories. We should follow their examples. Maybe you will never be called by God to serve as a career missionary far from family and home. But every missionary can serve as an example to you of how to follow Jesus where you are. Missionaries can be spiritual heroes who point you to the greatest hero -- the Lord Jesus who loves you and calls you to follow Him. Missionary heroes may not leap tall buildings in a single bound or be faster than speeding bullets. But they point us to the Ultimate Hero. And that is better than being more powerful than a locomotive any day! -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE STATES: La., Ala. and Ill. evangelism/missions news; 'It gets my blood pumping a little harder' by Staff Date: April 24, 2018 - Tuesday Today's From the States features items from: Baptist Message (Louisiana) The Alabama Baptist Illinois Baptist ********** La. seniors observe a 'youth movement' in baptisms By Brian Blackwell BASTROP, La. (Baptist Message) -- Wednesday she stepped inside Faith Baptist Church in Bastrop for a youth Bible study. Years of a strained relationship with her father combined with difficulties in school had taken its toll on Musgrove – until that June 2016 evening when she learned about the love Christ has for her. That night Musgrove turned over her troubles to God, declaring Jesus as Lord, and the following Sunday she was baptized. Musgrove now enjoys spending time with her father, and even hopes one day to attend college as she pursues her dream of becoming a surgeon. "Jesus has truly changed the way I see life," Musgrove said. "My home life has changed to the point that my dad is thrilled when I come inside the same room to hear me sometimes sing for the Lord. I am truly not the same girl that I was when I came to Faith Baptist Church two years ago." Older reaching younger Musgrove is one of 32 youth baptized since January 2016 at Faith Baptist, a church that has seen Christ move miraculously among its adult members, with an average age of 70, resulting in this effective outreach to youth. Pastor Bodie Spicer said the catalyst for the change occurred during a Morehouse Baptist Association crusade in January 2016. Many of the members in the congregation volunteered to serve as decision counselors, completing the training and then each night sharing Christ with those who came forward during the invitation. Church members Don and Francis Willard did not have any children in school, but the couple felt led to bring some of the unreached youth to the evangelistic outreach. Spicer said church members were transformed by the salvation experiences they were part of, but were especially moved by the youth who submitted their lives to Christ, including half of the eight young people who attended Bible study at the church Wednesday evenings. Now between 60 and 80 teens and their siblings attend Bible study each Wednesday evening because the adult members were inspired to reach the youth in the community, and, the four new teen believers in their youth group began to reach their friends. Spicer is amazed at the changes God has brought, with the church now ministering to teens not just from families in the congregation but to many young people in the community who struggle with addictions or come from troubled homes. The pastor also has been blessed by the upbeat attitude of his older members, who have taken on the challenge of assembling care packages, holding corporate prayer, and purchasing clothing and school supplies for the youth. Open arms ministry "We have kids who have been in terrible situations at home," Spicer said. "I didn't really know how my members would take to these kids, but they have been tremendous to welcome them with open arms. "We are excited about all the Lord has done and what He has planned for us in the future with the kids He has entrusted us with." Willard admits he did not expect the God-sized change that has taken place, but is thankful. Seeing young lives changed, he said, has made this labor of love worth every ounce of effort the adult members are putting forth. "We do what we can and love them," Willard said. "They've been told so many times they aren't loved. But we tell them that God loves them. "You beat your head against the wall and don't think you're doing any good one day, and then all of a sudden they walk up there and give their life to Jesus to remind us that this is worthwhile," he continued. "It gets my blood pumping a little harder to join Christ in stepping out in faith to reach these kids with His love. That's something they will have with them, no matter what life puts in front of them." More blessings ahead Faith Baptist members have been preparing to take part in an area youth evangelistic rally this week at the First Baptist Church in Bastrop. Casey Johnson, pastor of Bonita Road Baptist Church in Bastrop, will be the guest evangelist and Broken Vessels, a Christian band from DeRidder, will provide the special music. "Our church embraced what took place that [January 2016] night and developed a burning desire to continue reaching out to those who needed Christ," Spicer said. "The spirit in the church hasn't gone away and we're looking forward to what God will do with this youth crusade." --30-- This article appeared in the Baptist Message (baptistmessage.com), newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Brian Blackwell is a staff writer for the Baptist Message. ********** Ala. country church experiences remarkable growth By Grace Thornton WARRIOR, Ala. (The Alabama Baptist) -- Earl Goode said if he understood exactly how it was happening, he'd be happy to share it. "But I don't know why it's happening," he said. "It has to be God." Goode, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Warrior, in Alabama’s Sulphur Springs Baptist Association, has watched his country church grow to bursting at the seams over the past two years. "I'm an old school kind of guy," said Goode, who is in his mid-60s. "But somehow our ministry attracts younger to middle-age couples." His church, which he described as "traditional, but a little bit country traditional," has a southern gospel praise team and has its seats packed full every Sunday. It's got a building program underway, with more than $256,000 already raised. 'God is blessing them' Dan Nichols, director of missions for Sulphur Springs Baptist Association, said God "is just richly blessing" the church. "It seats about 130 or so, and most Sundays they can't bring the children over from Sunday School because there's no space for them," said Nichols, a member of Calvary Baptist. "[The Barna Group] research would tell you that age of the leader and the location would be two detriments to growth. But he is a good solid preacher and has encouraged those folks, and God is blessing them." The biggest growth is not in numbers, Goode said -- it's in spiritual depth. "I was out for 10 weeks (for health reasons), and the church didn't miss a beat -- it kept growing and functioning as a church ought to function. To try to explain what God is doing in the congregation is impossible. I just preach and believe that God is going to give the increase." He does something else, too -- he takes visitors to lunch. "If someone comes to visit a second time, my wife and I will take them out for a meal to get to know them," Goode said. "Many times when people visit a church like ours, they are looking for a place. They are looking for something. So we try to make ourselves available to answer their questions and see what it is they are looking for." Goode said he is a strong believer in personal evangelism. "I think a lot of the time we depend on the church facility and its programs to do the job," he said. "God is depending on us as Christians to be the message bearer. If we fail to do that, we're missing our calling." And members of Calvary Baptist are living that out. They consistently invite friends and family to come to church with them, he said. They've seen many people saved, including some out of drug and alcohol addiction. Taking care of each other And for many years, they have taken care of the people around them. When the pastor before Goode declined in health after 20 years serving the church, the congregation continued to pay his salary after he retired. Then after he passed away, they continued to provide housing and other needs for his widow. They've "loved on" Goode as well as he's faced major health issues in the past few months, he said. "This is a special church, as far as just being together. They want to help and try to be faithful to Scripture and dynamic in their faith," Goode said. "I wake up every morning grateful to get to be a part. --30-- This article appeared in The Alabama Baptist (thealabamabaptist.org), newsjournal of the Alabama Baptist Convention. Grace Thornton is a correspondent for The Alabama Baptist. ********** Ill. summit addresses Chicago's major need By Andrew Woodrow BROADVIEW, Ill. (Illinois Baptist) -- "Many of our churches are suffering in the area of leadership," said Steven Glover, IBSA's zone consultant in Chicago, describing a major need in the Windy City. Reversing that trend was at the heart of IBSA's first Illinois Leadership Summit in Chicagoland, held at Broadview Missionary Baptist Church March 23-24. "I'm excited having this conference in Chicago," Glover said. "We are gathering together to develop leaders. And that's key because we can use that here in Chicago." Nearly 70 percent of the state's 13 million people live in the Chicago metro area. But only 32 percent of its residents say they are actively involved in their Christian faith. And there is only one Southern Baptist church for every 34,000 people. "We once had a rich history of missions," said Phil Miglioratti, a Chicago native and IBSA prayer consultant. "But many of our congregations have suffered because their generations didn't pass on the Christian faith. So many churches are suffering through a lack of proper spiritual leaders." The Illinois Leadership Summit focused on pastoral leadership training through 20 breakout sessions and three general sessions led by Daniel Im, director of church multiplication for Lifeway Christian Resources. In each session, Im emphasized the need to make disciples and train leaders. "You can't achieve the vision God has for your church without two key elements: a discipleship pathway and a leadership pipeline," Im said. Despite the threat of snow, nearly 120 people attended the summit. Many who gathered at the conference were grateful for the chance to attend an event in their city. When asked how many in the audience had previously attended a Leadership Summit, fewer than 10 people raised their hands. The annual Illinois Leadership Summit and the Midwest Leadership Summit, held every three years, are traditionally hosted in Springfield. "Having the conference up north is more accessible for me," said Jeong Hun Lee, pastor of Korean Baptist Church in Schaumburg. "And I hope there will be more conferences like this in the Chicago area." Others commented on IBSA's partnership with churches in Chicago and how the summit could go a long way in promoting spiritual leaders because of its location in such a diverse city. "Partnership is important simply because the church is more effective," Miglioratti said, "And that's how it is when churches partner with IBSA. Churches are called to fulfill the Great Commission which is for all people -- all ethnicities. And Chicago is a great place to live out the Great Commission." --30-- This article appeared in the Illinois Baptist (ibonline.IBSA.org), newsjournal of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Andrew Woodrow is a multimedia journalist for the Illinois Baptist State Associaion. ********** EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. Except for minor style, security, formatting and grammatical changes, the items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fox News host urges communicators to live out faith by Timothy Cockes Date: April 24, 2018 - Tuesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Fox News host Shannon Bream spoke to fellow Christian communicators about the importance of living a daily testimony of faith. Bream spoke during the Baptist Communicators Association (BCA) workshop on April 20 in Washington, D.C. Although things may get difficult, she shared, it is important for Christians to hold to principles they believe in. "It's just a daily walk with being a witness and living out your faith in whatever you're doing, and there will be certain moments where we could compromise, but we have to take a stand in those moments," Bream said during April 18-21 event. The BCA workshop is an annual gathering of Southern Baptist media and communication workers that helps them connect, fellowship with one another, and hear from distinguished speakers. Some of this year's guests at the workshop included Kevin Smith, executive director for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware; Brian Autry, executive director for the SBC of Virginia; James A. Smith, vice president of communications for National Religious Broadcasters (NRB); and Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. During her presentation, Bream told the unlikely story of how she ended up working in media. "I never imagined being a business major at Liberty [University] and getting a law degree that I would end up working in media," Bream said. Bream began her career in law handling mostly sexual assault cases. While she enjoyed her work in law, Bream noted, she always felt like there was something more for her to be doing. A consistent passion for news and current events drove Bream to want to work in the newsroom. But Bream struggled to find an internship at a local station. Bream nevertheless was not deterred. "I tell students this all the time when they visit with me that it's all about persistence," she said, "and I was just going to keep going until I found one person to say yes to me." Eventually Bream was able to find a dean of a university in Florida to approve an independent study for her to work at the local ABC station while still working for a law firm. Bream said that she was known as the "grandma intern" at the station because she was 29 while everyone else was in their early 20s. Despite the uniqueness of her path into media work, Bream believed she had finally found what she was called to do. "The minute I was in the newsroom I was in heaven and I thought this is what I want to be doing and this is what I was passionate about," Bream said. Once her internship at the station was over, Bream decided to step down from her position at the law firm despite not having been officially offered a position with the station at that point. Bream eventually did start working for the station in a small role. For Bream, this entailed a lot of shadowing station reporters and a lot of learning on the job, which Bream said led to some embarrassing moments. A sudden change in management forced Bream to look for work elsewhere, and it seemed as if her career in media was in jeopardy. But it was during these challenging times that Bream said she learned some important lessons. "There is always learning in the pain and in the embarrassment," Bream said, "and it really taught me that in this business, you have to remain humble and you can't let it be your life.... When it becomes the idol in your life that's when you have a problem. Everything is very subjective and temporary in this business and you can't find your worth in it." Weekend work with a news crew to develop some resume tapes eventually led Bream to a job offer at a station in Charlotte, N.C. There, she worked for three years before joining an NBC affiliate in Washington. She later accepted a position to work for Fox to cover the Supreme Court, after they learned she had practiced law and worked in the nation's capital. Bream can now be seen on Fox News @ Night, which airs weeknights from 11 p.m. to midnight. She closed her presentation to Baptist communicators with some parting advice. "Work as hard as you can and prove yourself through sheer determination, but don't get burned out and don't violate your principles," Bream said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- GOP exodus raises questions about life, liberty by Tom Strode Date: April 24, 2018 - Tuesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- The record number of Republicans leaving Congress not only raises questions about control of the House of Representatives after November's elections but the fate of such issues as the sanctity of human life and religious freedom. When Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, 48, announced April 11 he would retire at the end of this term, his decision brought to 38 the number of GOP members who have said they will not run for re-election, according to the Pew Research Center. The Senate's April 19 confirmation of Rep. Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma increases that total to 39. More Republicans could still announce their retirements. In addition, the seats of two other GOP members who resigned this term will be filled by special election before November, Pew reported. The total of voluntary House Republican departures surpasses all others recorded by Vital Statistics of Congress since 1930, according to Pew. Meanwhile, 17 Democrats have announced they will not run for re-election, Pew reported. As a result, Republicans find themselves defending more than twice as many open seats as Democrats in a House where the GOP holds a 236-193 advantage, with six vacancies. In the Senate, Republicans hold a 51-47 edge over Democrats, but two independents caucus with the minority party. The Democrats are faced with defending 26 of the 35 seats contested this year, but four GOP members have resigned or announced their retirements while only one Democrat has left office. In addition, the Democratic Party also holds an advantage in congressional polling. The Real Clear Politics average of seven generic polls between April 6 and 17 favored Democrats by 5.5 points. The parties' platform planks -- and their legislative results to a lesser extent -- have long reflected a sharp divide on abortion and other sanctity of life issues. Democratic control of the House or both chambers would appear to be devastating for congressional efforts to protect unborn children and the conscience rights of health-care professionals who oppose abortion. On religious freedom, Republicans have led the way in seeking to protect the United States' first liberty and extend that freedom to other countries. Democrats, meanwhile, have increasingly favored sexual liberty over religious liberty in the showdown over same-sex marriage and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Some Southern Baptist advocates for the sanctity of human life and religious freedom observed it is not just the Democrats who need to improve their legislative action on these issues. "We are grateful for the leadership Speaker Ryan provided, especially as seen in his conviction for the vulnerable and the invisible," said Travis Wussow, vice president for public policy of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). "But as we learned through the lack of pro-life and religious liberty victories in the recent omnibus spending bill, governing takes more than just one voice. "The vulnerable lost out because politicians of both parties played politics with issues of human dignity," Wussow told Baptist Press in an email interview. Among the legislative proposals the ERLC urged Congress to include in the spending bill adopted in late March were freedom of conscience protections for health-care workers and the defunding of Planned Parenthood, the country's leading abortion provider. Those measures, as well as immigration reform, did not survive, however. Hunter Baker -- an associate professor of political science at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and 2016 candidate for the GOP nomination in Tennessee's Eighth District -- said both parties fall short on promoting religious freedom. He ran for Congress with the purpose of helping citizens think about protecting religious liberty. "Democrats seem to have largely concluded religious liberty is code for discrimination and prejudice," Baker said in an email interview with BP. "The Republican Party isn't sure where it stands. Christians in the party are up against the Chamber of Commerce influence in this regard. They'd rather we give up the culture war stuff entirely." Followers of Christ should hold both office holders and candidates accountable, Wussow said. "As Christians, we should engage our current representatives directly on the issues we care about, such as religious liberty and human dignity, at all times," he said. "We should be unafraid to evaluate and challenge any candidates to see where they stand on these important issues. "The Bible shows us who to care for, and that's everyone God cares for, including those who are too often invisible in the world around us." Baker told BP, "We should try to elect office holders who recognize religious liberty as a human right and a major constitutional value." He said, however, most of the action regarding religious freedom takes place currently in the executive branch. "Regulatory actions pose the greatest danger in the federal government," he said. "I think Trump's election provided a respite in that regard (if only because he doesn't necessarily share the secularist agenda), but it seems to me that most Christian ministries outside the strict confines of church buildings face some degree of risk almost all the time." On the life issue, a Republican loss of congressional control might not be a catastrophe, apart from Senate confirmation of judicial nominees, Baker said. "Most of the action on the life issue is at the state level, so if Congress were to change hands much of the agenda would be unaffected," he told BP. "However, the Supreme Court still matters for the end game. It is important to elect and retain senators who will confirm judges who recognize that the right to life should be respected in law." Politically, religious conservatives have had an important impact on the life issue, Baker said. "I think the greatest success of evangelicals and Catholics in politics has had to do with creating, growing and sustaining a strong pro-life movement," he said. "We haven't gotten what we wanted through the court, but the progress in terms of state laws and various reforms has been worthwhile." While the GOP has been known as the pro-life party over the last four decades, pro-life Democrats in the House have shrunk by about 90 percent in the last 30 years. Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) has been seeking to defend the sanctity of human life in the party and to elect pro-life candidates since its founding in 1999. DLFA has criticized the party's opposition to some of its own incumbents, urging it to adopt a "big tent" approach. "Democrats have an opportunity to take back the House in November," DLFA Executive Director Kristen Day said in a March 21 news release, "but the key to winning is a Big Tent approach of inclusion and support for candidates who represent the views of their districts." While sanctity of life and religious freedom are his top priorities, Baker cited two other issues he considers important for voters. "We need to elect people who will try to find a constructive path forward on immigration for our brothers and sisters in the human family under the fatherhood of God," he said. "And we need to see some Christian statesmen emerge, by which I mean leaders who will encourage all of us to engage in civic virtue and mutual respect." Jonathan Leeman -- author of a new book on faith and politics, as well as an elder of a Southern Baptist church -- had some suggestions for Southern Baptists as they consider this year's elections. He told BP in written comments: -- "First, remember you're commanded to render to Caesar what is Caesar's. In a democracy, that means you vote. This is a stewardship of authority God has given you, and you should not abdicate. -- "Second, vote for the candidate with the best record for treating people as made in God's image, whether unborn or born, minority or majority, old or young. -- "Third, remember that our hope does not depend on the outcome of these elections, even as we seek to love our neighbors and do justice by participating in them. Our hope is in Christ, and His victory is certain. We win! And the fact that our ultimate hopes lie elsewhere means we can afford to interact with those who vote differently with grace and charity. The outcomes might be favorable or unfavorable. Either way, our job as ambassadors of Christ's kingdom is fixed." Leeman's new book is "How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age." He is editorial director of the 9Marks ministry and an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church in Cheverly, Md. Wussow told BP the ERLC "will continue to press our government to care for the well-being of all people made in the image of God, especially those who are invisible, voiceless and vulnerable." -------------------------------------------------------------------- GQ's slam of the Bible 'sadly laughable' by David Roach Date: April 24, 2018 - Tuesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- GQ's inclusion of the Bible in a list of 21 overrated classic books has drawn expressions of pity for the popular men's magazine. "Our response as believers should not be defensiveness or outrage," said Union University Bible professor George Guthrie, "but pity for those who have never glimpsed even the smallest ray of beauty, the song of hope found in the Bible's wonderfully cohesive story." Last week, GQ's editors published a list of "21 books you don't have to read and 21 you should read instead," complied by "a group of un-boring writers." At no. 12 on the list, novelist Jesse Ball recommended scrapping the Bible in favor of Agota Kristof's novel "The Notebook." "The Holy Bible," Ball wrote, "is rated very highly by all the people who supposedly live by it but who in actuality have not read it. Those who have read it know there are some good parts, but overall it is certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced. It is repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned." "The Notebook" is preferable, Ball wrote, especially if readers like the "nasty bits" in Scripture. For spiritual edification, GQ's contributors recommended the 1927 novel "Death Comes for the Archbishop," which, when read, is "like having a spiritual experience," wrote novelist Claire Messud. Also nixed by GQ from the list of must-read books were J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," two titles by Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and by David McCullough's "John Adams." GQ's editors wrote in an introductory note to the list, "Not all the Great Books have aged well. Some are racist and some are sexist, but most are just really, really boring." Guthrie, author of several New Testament commentaries, recommended believers "take the GQ comments in context and with a very large grain of salt." "This is the same list that deems 'The Lord of the Rings' as 'barely readable' and David McCullough's historical pieces as the 'driest, boringest tomes you'll ever sludge through,'" Guthrie told Baptist Press in written comments. "To say that the Bible is 'repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned' is understandable coming from a secular person who has never read the Bible with an intent to hear, never studied even a small part, in all its complexity, to understand what is going on in its pages. "To collapse the majesty of the Psalms, or the counter-cultural, creative, sacrificial ministry of Jesus, or the bizarre but breathtaking vision of Revelation into a tag of 'foolish' or 'ill-intentioned' is sadly laughable," Guthrie said. A representative from the Museum of the Bible in Washington countered GQ's assessment of Scripture by noting numerous "stories of different cultures under different challenges that drew on the Bible for courage to bring forth a better society." "Let us note Bartolomé de las Casas," Museum of the Bible director of content Seth Pollinger, told BP, "a Dominican theologian in the sixteenth century that set out biblical and natural-law arguments about the inherent dignity and rights of the Native peoples of the New World to justify their resistance -- against European conquest. "Healthcare was significantly influenced by Florence Nightingale. Her commitment to nursing was profoundly affected by the Bible, a book she studied throughout her life. Isaac Newton is considered the greatest scientist of his age, perhaps of all time. He is renowned for his theories of motion and gravitation, which he believed were fully consistent with biblical teachings," Pollinger said in written comments. "We could also point to the Bible inspiring Gutenberg who printed the Bible as his first major book, Desmond Tutu in his opposition to Apartheid in South Africa, Martin Luther King in mobilizing the civil rights movement in the U.S., Elie Wiesel arguing for hope after the atrocities of the Holocaust, and St. Josephine Bakhita rescuing children in East Africa from sex trafficking," Pollinger said. Some seminary professors took to Twitter in response to GQ. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel Akin said the list of overrated classics "says more about GQ than the Word of God." Andreas Kostenberger, senior research professor of New Testament and biblical studies at Southeastern tweeted of GQ's editors and contributors, "God, open their eyes!" Relevant magazine echoed many of the criticisms voiced by others but added that GQ's "hot take does have one line that totally hits the nail on the head: 'The Holy Bible is rated very highly by all the people who supposedly live by it but who in actuality have not read it.'" Relevant quoted LifeWay Research's 2017 finding that "Americans have a positive view of the Bible," but "more than half of Americans have read little or none" of it. Still, according to a Facebook post by evangelist Franklin Graham, "The Bible is the best-selling and most widely distributed book in the world. Recent estimates put the number that have been distributed since 1815 at more than 5 billion copies -- and over 100 million are printed every year." "There's nothing more powerful, and there's nothing more needed by mankind than the Word of God," Graham said. "Maybe the GQ editors need to read it, again. The subject of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is Jesus Christ. And one day soon, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Toronto pastor's hope: God will use evil for good by Diana Chandler Date: April 24, 2018 - Tuesday TORONTO (BP) -- "Just steps away" from where a driver began a carnage that killed 10 and injured 15 on a pedestrian-friendly Toronto street, Willowdale Baptist Church pastor Bruce Jones is corralling a hurting community for prayer and hope. "As Joseph said at the end of Genesis [in the Bible], what you meant for evil, the Lord meant for good for the saving of many lives," Jones told Baptist Press ahead of a silent prayer vigil planned for 1:30 p.m. today (April 24) where the crime began. "I believe the same thing is occurring in this case, that what the evil one meant for harm, that God will turn into great good for His Kingdom. He's going to wake up people and call them back to a relationship with Himself." Jones can stand at his church in Toronto's North York district and see Olive Square, the site of a makeshift memorial where police say 25-year-old Alek Minassian started to weave on and off the sidewalk for a mile along Yonge Street, intentionally striking pedestrians. "It's something that shakes you," Jones told BP, "but at the same time one of the things I keep saying is God is sovereign, He's in control, and there's nothing that causes Him to wring His hands and say, 'Oh my goodness what am I going to do now?'" Willowdale Baptist Church, affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada and The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, worked with other churches to plan the prayer vigil at the memorial of sentiments handwritten on Bristol board and tacked to a 4-foot-high brick wall in small Oliver Square park. Handwritten messages in the many languages of culturally diverse Toronto express prayers and comforting thoughts, Jones said, amid a community he described as subdued, sad, shocked and amazed. "They might say our thoughts and prayers are with you, but they don't even really know how to pray," Jones said. "So that's one of the things that we are really wanting to offer in these days is a safe place for people to come, and [provide] people who are willing to pray with them [and] encourage them." The church will lead a prayerwalk through the Willowdale community today at 6 p.m. and will keep its doors open in the near future for individuals and first responders to pray and use bathrooms. "It's been very busy the last 18 hours or so, and we're thankful for the opportunity when things like this happen to help turn people's hearts toward the God who loves them," Jones said. "Even using passages like Psalm 42:11, which says, 'Why are you downcast oh my soul, why so disturbed within me. Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.' "We just want to be that light and that encouragement," Jones said, "that the Holy Spirit will then use to draw people's hearts toward Himself." Willowdale Baptist Church draws about 150 worshipers on Sundays, Jones said, and has about 230 members from about 25 different language groups. Jones encouraged Baptists to pray for Toronto and to perhaps consider the city for mission trips after first responders complete their tasks. "I think our most important work will be done in the weeks and months to come, once the news crews have left," said Jones, who pastored a church in a small rural Ontario community of 5,000 people for 18 years before coming to Willowdale two years ago. "There's a lot of people in this area who have no understanding of Christian things. It's going to be in the weeks and months to come when I think the greatest challenges, the greatest work will be done to turn people's hearts toward God." The crime police say Minassian committed is the worst mass murder in Canada since Marc Lepine killed 14 women at a Montreal engineering school in 1989, Bloomberg News reported. Police arrested Minassian shortly after the crime without accommodating his plea for police to shoot him in the head, according to news reports, and even as he pointed an object at a lone officer. No motive had been reported for Minassian's actions, and Canadian police had not termed the crime a terrorist attack. Southern Baptists' North American Mission Board lists Toronto as one of its Send cities for church planting and evangelism, with only one Canadian National Baptist Convention church for every 113,284 people. Among languages spoken, in addition to the official tongues of English and French, are Chinese dialects, Filipino and Arabic, NAMB said.