The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-05/18/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Platt: God's greatness compels us to go by Tess Rivers Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Monica Morley* grew up in a Muslim home. She had many spiritual questions as a child and young teen. For a time she attended a mosque, seeking answers from the religious leaders. "I wanted to know God and was curious about how sin can be forgiven," Morley said. "I did not find the answers I was looking for." Because education in her language was outlawed in her country at the time, Morley attended high school in secret and later began studying law at a local university. War ended her studies, however, and took her and her family to Europe, where they lived as refugees. There, Morley said, "I was befriended by a Christian girl who cared for me and my family." When she returned to her country after the war, Morley met a group of international Christian workers, including D'Angelo,* who would eventually become her husband. "D'Angelo shared the Gospel with me and helped me read and understand the Bible," Morley said. On May 13 at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., the Morleys were two of 34 candidates appointed as missionaries by International Mission Board trustees. "Because D'Angelo came to my country, I had the opportunity to hear the Gospel and believe in Jesus," Morley told the congregation. Together, the couple will share the Gospel in Central Asia. "Why are they doing this?" IMB President David Platt asked the congregation. He asked another new missionary couple, "Why are you taking seven kids to Zimbabwe?" He asked others, "Why are you going to this area or that area?" "Because we have an incomprehensibly glorious God," Platt said. Preaching from Isaiah 6, Platt offered four reasons why every Christian must say, "I will pray whatever You want me to pray; I will give whatever You want me to give; I will go wherever You want me to go:" Because we have an incomprehensibly glorious God, because we are a sinfully lost people, because we have a scandalously merciful Savior willing to die in our place and because we have an indescribably urgent mission. With nearly 2 billion people without access to the Gospel, Platt stressed the urgency of taking the Gospel to unreached people in hard places, regardless of the cost. Based on this urgency and with support of IMB trustees, Platt plans to open new pathways to send more missionaries to unreached people and places around the world. On May 13 IMB trustees approved streamlined guidelines for appointing new missionary personnel through the 170-year-old organization. "When you hear 'pathway,' think 'possibilities' -- all the possible ways that people in the pews of Southern Baptist churches might serve overseas: as doctors, teachers, accountants, lawyers, fitness instructors, rickshaw drivers, students, retirees," Platt told trustees during their meeting. The group of 34 new missionaries appointed May 13 included pastors and worship leaders as well as nurses, teachers, an actor, a farmer, an engineer and a software consultant. Ten previously served with IMB as journeymen or through International Service Corps. Many first sensed God's call to missions as children or teens. Through short-term trips, many already understand the cost of missionary service but are convinced the cost is worth it. Phil Metcalf was on a summer missions trip to Southeast Asia through his university's Baptist Collegiate Ministry when he first sensed God calling him to full-time missionary service. "We lived in tents and did a lot of evangelism and in-home Bible studies in remote villages," Metcalf said. "An IMB missionary taught me about God's heart for the nations and what it looks like to be committed to God's global purpose." Metcalf's wife Laura was 8 years old when missionaries spoke at her church. "I remember thinking 'I would like to help like that one day,'" she recalled. Over the years, God continued to refine her call. "Instead of thinking, 'I want to help people,' (God) has shown me that His desire is for the salvation of the nations ..." the young woman said. "My desire is to see Him glorified and to see others worship Him." Platt asked the congregation, "Is there anything greater to give your life to than this: Declaring the glory of this God among the nations?" "This Gospel beckons us to abandon plans and dreams and possessions and priorities and treasures and pleasures in this world," Platt declared, challenging members of the congregation, regardless of their age or stage in life, to "rise before this God and say, 'Here am I, send me.'" "This is basic, elemental Christianity," Platt said. "This is what it means to follow Christ." *Name changed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: What's on my heart about SBC by Ronnie Floyd Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. COLUMBUS, Ohio (BP) -- For 11 months, I have had one of the greatest privileges ever given to me by the Lord. Serving as president of the Southern Baptist Convention is one of the most humbling and overwhelming experiences in life and leadership. With each day, while my burden deepens, my hope exceedingly rises. What an incredible moment God has given to each of us to live at this time in human history. In light of that, I want to share a few things on my heart about our upcoming SBC annual meeting. Coming together Yes, coming together is on my heart. I pray we will come together in Columbus, Ohio, on June 16-17. I pray we will come together in unity. While our uniqueness and various perspectives express themselves at times, we do need to resolve: We will come together, stay together, and leave together as followers of our Lord in our Southern Baptist family. I pray we will come together in Columbus with great expectation. This expectation does not need to be in men or programs, but in the Lord Himself. He is doing some mighty things among us and I pray when we are together, He will do some mighty things in us. Come expecting God to meet with us powerfully and send us out extraordinarily. Loving one another Loving one another is on my heart. As a people who love the Bible so much, we also need to love one another. I have attended at least 31 of our last 35 national Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings. At times, loving one another did not always seem to exist. Now in the day of endless blogs, articles, emails and interviews, the tendency is to criticize more than love and to create suspicion more than trust. We need to fall in love with Jesus again. When we do, we will love one another. Jesus said, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35) Jesus said it is love that sets us apart from others. May this be said about us. Celebrating together God is doing some wonderful things through our churches in the work we do together as Southern Baptists. We need to celebrate together what the Lord is doing. Even in this critical time in our nation, more than ever, we need the joy of the Lord to be our strength. While sin is abounding in our nation, grace abounds even more. Yes, we need to celebrate together the great grace of our Lord.  Our sessions will be filled with some defining moments. Yet, God alone will create these moments we will never forget. These are moments that deserve our highest celebration together, offered to our Lord Jesus Christ.   -------------------------------------------------------------------- In Nepal, forgotten village receives food by Susie Rain Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday NEPAL (BP) -- The Nepali man pulled brick after brick off a pile of rubble that was once his home. He passed along anything that was salvageable to his children to set aside. Finally, down in a hole, he found what he was looking for -- their food storage. The splintered, dusty woven basket held their entire harvest of rice. Before the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, this basket brimmed with white grains. Today, he pulled out one handful of red-stained rice. "It might taste like dirt now, but we can still eat it," he said. "It will fill our stomachs." He excitedly instructed the children to help sift through the rubble to find more food -- garlic, onions, peppers and rice -- in the remains of their home. Their tedious labor stopped abruptly when they heard shouting up the hill. A neighbor yelled down for everyone to come quick. Someone had brought food! For days on end, the villagers took turns sitting on the edge of the main road trying to get help. From the road, you couldn't even see their collapsed village up on the mountainside. They watched as big trucks of relief supplies passed them by, headed to larger towns down the road. Hope of receiving any kind of help began to die little by little -- until two vehicles backed down a rocky path just wide enough for a small truck and stopped in an open area. Loaded in the truck beds sat more than 40 giant bags of rice, provided by the Baptist Global Response. A weathered grandmother excitedly clapped her hands as young men unloaded the 30-kilo bags. "The trucks kept passing us by, but not you," she said over and over to anyone who would listen. "Now we have food!" Finding 'impact' communities Baptist Global Response continues to find pockets of need in Nepal. Their goal is to find five or six "impact communities" -- like this village -- to work in long-term. These are communities that have been hit hard by two devastating earthquakes just 17 days apart. "These type of communities are away from the help of other organizations and meet the criteria which facilitates local church involvement and volunteer opportunities with our Southern Baptist partners," Jeff Palmer, BGR's executive director, said. So far, BGR and their local partners have distributed 2,275 bags of rice that benefited more than 11,000 people. They plan to continue in this initial relief phase of food distributions and providing temporary shelter until impact communities have been identified and moved past the "just surviving" stage. Francis Horton, who is coordinating the earthquake response for BGR, explained that this process is called "Disaster to Development." He estimated it might take anywhere from six to 12 months and will require the help of local believers and Southern Baptist partners. The Southern Baptist Disaster relief network is deploying two Rapid Assistance Teams to help with more distributions and clearing away some of the rubble. Their help will be welcomed in this village. Most of the mud-brick homes were totally destroyed. 'Slowly, we will get it done' From the spot where BGR distributed rice, the destruction is hard to see. You have to walk up a path to even get a glimpse. A group of children wanted to show her their homes to Claire Mullins,* a BGR partner in the Nepal earthquake relief effort. Mullins followed the children. As they rounded a corner, she stopped dead in her tracks. The site was overwhelming. In the piles of broken brick and wood, two windows still stood in their frame. No walls around them, much less a house. One girl pointed to the windows and said, "That's my house." She and a friend joined hands and skipped over the rubble that was once a house. Mullins slowly followed after them. The girls stopped and pointed to a mound or rubble -- the other girl's home. Then they turned to another friend, who had been following shyly behind the group. This girl pointed to her home, a half collapsed structure that looked as if the remains would come tumbling down at any moment. "That's where we found her," the oldest said, pointing to the shy girl, whose head was shaved and had a large contusion still soft to the touch. "She was buried in there and the whole village dug her out." One of their fathers walked past, hefting the big bag of rice BGR had delivered. He carried it down to a shelter he had fashioned in their bare cornfield. The girls skipped happily after him, eager to show Mullins their new home: a lean-to with three open sides. A tarp served as the roof. The back was the terrace wall of the mountainside field. Three families and their animals lived under it. Mullins asked how they plan to rebuild their house and plant fields at the same time. The girls looked to the man and shook their heads as he responded. "Slowly … slowly," the oldest girl translated. "Slowly, we will get it done." Volunteer requests are in process for teams to work with forgotten villages like this. Their needs are great. Most residents need to not only build temporary shelters for protection during monsoon season, but they also need to plant their crops. If they don't get the seeds in the ground, it could jeopardize food security for next year. *Name changed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Patterson to grads: follow Christ anywhere by Alex Sibley Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- After walking across the stage and receiving their degrees, alumni of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary are expected to be like Philip the apostle by bringing others to Jesus, President Paige Patterson told 183 undergraduate, master's and doctoral graduates May 8. "You are commissioned today to spend the rest of your life finding other people that need to know about the Lord Jesus Christ," Patterson said, preaching from John 1:43-51, the passage in which Philip follows Jesus then invites Nathaniel to do the same. "... There is nothing else as important as finding everybody you can and bringing them to Jesus." Successful ministers of God, Patterson said, should, at the end of their lives, be able to say, "I have followed Jesus into the most difficult places in life. I have followed Him when there was no appreciation of my ministry. I have followed Him, when necessary, into the most brutal places on earth to share a living Christ with a dying community. Wherever it is that our Lord has bidden me, I have followed Him." The greatest test of life, Patterson said, is whether a person follows Jesus. He said Christians must follow even when they do not understand why God is leading them in a particular direction. "Don't take issue with the Lord of glory," Patterson said. "If you have called Him 'Lord,' if He is your master, then you don't ask, you don't remonstrate with Him, you don't argue with Him; you simply say, 'Lord, you lead, and I will follow.'" Immediately after Jesus called Philip to follow Him, Philip told Nathaniel he had found the Messiah, a pattern Patterson said is instructive for believers today. Telling others about Jesus is "the next thing you want to do" after being saved, Patterson said. Noting how Nathaniel doubted Philip's testimony, Patterson said Philip demonstrated wisdom in his response by simply saying, "Come and see," rather than debating whether Jesus was the Messiah. "That's your answer [to every argument]," Patterson said. "You need to say to every person you can find, 'Come and see that this is a man who can change your life. Whatever you've done, whatever failures are present in your life, come and see that this is a man who takes you where you are, forgives your sin, makes you over again, presents you a new life and reconciles you to God. Come and see.' That is your message to a lost world." At the conclusion of his sermon, Patterson asked how many of the graduating students understood their assignment and, with God's help, were willing to commit themselves to it. All the students raised their hands, expressing their desire to follow Jesus and bring as many "Nathaniels" to Him as they can. Among those students was Joshua Clayton, who graduated from the College at Southwestern with a bachelor's degree in biblical studies. Clayton, who plans to pursue his master of divinity and doctor of philosophy at Southwestern, hopes someday to be a church planter who involves himself in the community through teaching. He says Southwestern is challenging him toward that end. "I call it 'challenging' because it's an environment that, in the classrooms and in churches and in your spiritual walk, you're surrounded by people who will push you," Clayton said. "And that's been awesome for me to be around, because it shows me where I want to be in a lot of areas in my life, and it also convicts me in the areas that I just never wanted to deal with. So that's been very helpful, because I have brothers and sisters that are around who are encouraging and loving in this challenging environment." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Lecrae's 'Unashamed' to be published by B&H by Staff Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Grammy Award winning hip-hop artist Lecrae has signed a book deal with B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources. Releasing in May 2016, the book will be titled "Unashamed" and will discuss details of his difficult past, including childhood abuse, struggles with drugs and alcoholism, bouts of depression, and a suicide attempt. The book will tell Lecrae's story of staying faithful in a world that is increasingly faithless. Throughout his journey, Lecrae has retained an unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and learned powerful lessons about what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a skeptical world. "As an artist, my ambition is to make honest music, and I feel the same way about writing this book," Lecrae said. "I want to be honest about where I've come from and what I've learned along the way. I want to influence culture, to help catalyze and inspire, and help other people find understanding. If they find some inspiration and some clarity for their own lives, as they follow my journey, then I will have succeeded." Jennifer Lyell, B&H trade book publisher, noted, "We are thrilled to partner with an artist of the creative caliber of Lecrae. His unique ability to communicate a message that gives hope and compels toward greater faithfulness will undoubtedly result in a game-changing book for individuals and ultimately for the broader culture." Lecrae is a Grammy Award winning hip-hop artist whose 2014 album, "Anomaly," debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, Rap, Digital, Christian, Gospel and Independent charts. His seven studio albums have sold more than 1.5 million copies. In 2014, Lecrae co-headlined the highest selling tour in America. He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song (2015) and Best Gospel Album (2013). He has also been nominated for 14 Dove Awards. In addition to earning accolades for his musical talent, Lecrae has gained wide recognition for maintaining strong commitment to his faith and values. In 2013, he helped launch a national initiative devoted to restoring America's commitment to fatherhood. He was also named the NFL Players Choice Performer during the 2013 Super Bowl XLVII weekend in recognition of his positive lyrics. Lecrae resides in Atlanta, Ga., with his wife and three children. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohler receives Meese religious liberty award by James A. Smith Sr. Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday WASHINGTON (BP) -- For his "significant efforts in publicly promoting and defending religious liberty," R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, received the 2015 Edwin Meese III Originalism and Religious Liberty Award from the Alliance Defending Freedom, May 15. "This award is presented to those who clearly demonstrate through their lives and callings a profound understanding and commitment to defending the original meaning of the United States Constitution and our liberty," said Alan Sears, ADF's president, CEO and general counsel. Speaking to Mohler, Sears said, "You've acted as an eloquent ambassador for evangelicals and as a tireless advocate for religious freedom for all," noting Mohler's commitment to religious liberty for all persons no matter their religious convictions. The award description said: "Alliance Defending Freedom honors Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. for his significant efforts in publicly promoting and defending religious liberty and a principled jurisprudence through the active advancement of constitutional originalism. Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s tireless efforts embody the enduring commitment to justice that is the hallmark of the American spirit, as personified by the Honorable Edwin Meese III, in whose name this award is given." Mohler attended the event held in suburban Washington, D.C., with his wife Mary for whom he expressed thanks. "I am deeply and always aware that I could not be here without the constant support and love of my wife Mary Mohler," he said. In brief remarks, Mohler said the "eclipse of religious liberty and the threat of a new Dark Age" is a "gathering storm," borrowing an expression Winston Churchill used to describe events in the 1930s that ultimately led to World War II. "We are not facing the same gathering storm, but we are now facing a battle that will determine the destiny of priceless freedoms and the very foundation of human rights and human dignity," he said. A "revolution in morality" is seeking to "subvert marriage," "redefine it," and "undermine an essential foundation of human dignity, flourishing and freedom," Mohler said. Citing recent remarks by the United States solicitor general before the Supreme Court during oral arguments on gay marriage, Mohler said "religious liberty is under direct threat" by "erotic liberty and personal autonomy." "These are days that will require courage, conviction and clarity of vision," he said. "We're in a fight for the most basic liberties God has given humanity, every single one of us, made in his image." Mohler said the "very freedom to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at stake, and thus so is the liberty of every American. … I am a Christian, and I believe that salvation is found in no other name than Jesus Christ and in no other Gospel, but I will fight for the religious liberty of all." The "danger of a new Dark Age" is "marked by the loss of liberty and the denial of human dignity," he said. "Thus, there is a battle to be joined and much work to be done. Together, may we be found faithful to these tasks. As one no less than Churchill would remind us, in every gathering storm there is a summons to action." During the ceremony, Meese, the nation's 75th attorney general who served under President Ronald Reagan, 1985-1988, praised Mohler for his work within the Southern Baptist Convention. Mohler "stood up" in defense of "sacred doctrines of the Bible" within the SBC, Meese said. The constitutional principle of originalism and religious liberty "go hand-in-hand," Meese said, "because unless we observe the original understanding of the Constitution as the founders gave it to us, we can be led down the wrong path" in which the Constitution is "perverted" to "lead our nation into ways that would be unbelievable to those who founded our country and did so much to give us the kinds of freedom we enjoy today." Meese said "religious liberty is under attack as never before" in America "in which so many forces are arrayed against preserving freedom of conscience and religious liberty." He added, "Never before in our history, I believe, has it been more important for people everywhere to stand up for principles of the Constitution and particularly the principles of the First Amendment of the Constitution, the first part of our Bill of Rights, and that is the protection of religious liberty." Concerning the Supreme Court's impending decision on gay marriage, Meese admitted it's not possible to know how the court will rule. Nevertheless, he said, "If they are following the Constitution, there is only one honest way in which they can come down, and that is to defend natural marriage." Also honored with the 2015 Meese Award was Cardinal Francis George, archbishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicago, who died in April. Receiving the honor on behalf of George was his longtime friend, William Murphy, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. Alliance Defending Freedom is a legal ministry that defends and advocates religious freedom and employs more than 200 staff with 2,500 allied attorneys in the United States and across the world, according to Sears. A broad array of religious leaders founded the organization in 1994 because they were alarmed at the "rapidly declining state of religious freedom of America," he said. Beginning in 2009 with Meese, past recipients of the Meese Award are federal judge Robert H. Bork, evangelical leader Chuck W. Colson, professor Robert P. George, former Congressman Frank Wolf, Archbishop Charles Chaput, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul D. Clement and former Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon. The Meese Award presentations were held in conjunction with a meeting of the Council for National Policy, an organization comprised of influential conservative leaders in business, government, politics, religion and academia. Mohler's remarks are available on his website, www.AlbertMohler.com.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- BP Ledger, May 18, 2015 by Staff Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger contains items from: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship World News Service InterVarsity enters leadership transition MADISON, Wis. (InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) -- We are deeply saddened to announce that InterVarsity President Alec Hill has been diagnosed with myelodysplasia, a cancer of the bone marrow, which requires rigorous treatment. As a result of this news, Alec will enter cancer treatment on June 10. The entire InterVarsity Christian Fellowship family laments and joins together in prayer for Alec's complete healing. The InterVarsity Board of Trustees will meet in early June, at which point an interim president will be appointed. Alec had originally planned to announce his departure from the president's role this November and then to stay in office until the selection of a new president in the spring of 2016. The Board has already formed a Discernment and Search Task Force to begin the process of finding a new president. InterVarsity is deeply thankful for Alec's 14 fruitful years of service. Through him, God has led us to a clarified vision and a more focused strategy to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and men and women sent into the world to serve God. Ron Williams, InterVarsity's Board Chair, expresses his appreciation: "Alec has played a key role in encouraging and shepherding us. And we pray that he will experience God's shepherding and grace as he faces the unexpected journey ahead. "Please join us in praying that God will bring him complete healing." Alec gives thanks for the community he has led since 2001: "I am so grateful for the truly remarkable people – trustees, vice presidents, staff, faculty, students and supporters - that I've had the honor to serve with. The Lord has blessed our campus mission in ways that I couldn't have imagined possible. I look to a future guided by His hand." InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA is a campus ministry now in its 74th year, with 949 chapters on 616 college and university campuses across the U.S. Because InterVarsity is today right in the middle of the process of moving our national office, this release has not yet been posted to our website but will be posted soon. ********** Christian small business owners under threat from gay activists By Jamie Dean ASHEVILLE, N.C. (World News Service) -- From a small print shop in Lexington, Ky., business owner Blaine Adamson embroiders slogans on hats, prints messages on T-shirts, and wonders if his Christian beliefs could cost him the company he's owned for over a decade. For the Lexington native who aspires to live quietly, a noisy crisis erupted three years ago. In March 2012, a representative from the local Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO) approached Adamson's company -- Hands On Originals -- about printing T-shirts promoting Lexington's annual gay pride festival. Adamson said no. "It was because of the message," he says. "Sexuality is clearly defined in Scripture between a married man and woman, and anything outside of that is something I just can't promote." It wasn't the first time Adamson had declined business. The printer -- whose business includes a "Christian outfitters" division for churches and other groups -- says he's turned down orders with vulgar slogans and images he found disrespectful (including a design of Jesus in a pirate's outfit). Orders promote messages, he says, "and we partake in that and we help speak that message as soon as the image is printed on the T-shirt." Adamson told the GLSO he couldn't print shirts with the gay pride logo because of his Christian beliefs. He offered a referral to another printer in town who would offer the same price. Three weeks later, the private exchange was public fodder. A GLSO board member filed a complaint against Hands On Originals with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission, saying Adamson discriminated against group members because of their sexual orientation. Local media ran the story, and a Facebook page called "Boycott Hands On Originals" drew 1,000 fans in two days. Critics flooded Adamson's phone lines, the mayor rebuked him, and nearly 60 protesters demonstrated against the company in a downtown park. One protester's sign declared: "I'm straight, not narrow." Adamson explained he had served gay clients in the past but simply didn't want to participate in a message of gay advocacy. Still, three of the company's biggest customers -- including the University of Kentucky (Adamson's alma mater) -- announced they wouldn't place new orders with the print shop until the complaint was resolved. Last October, the Lexington human rights commission ruled Adamson violated local anti-discrimination laws. Commissioners ordered the company not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and to undergo "diversity training." They also said GLSO was due compensation for its "economic loss, pain, embarrassment, and humiliation." (GLSO president Aaron Baker -- who had told a local paper he wanted "the entire community to be aware" of the case -- also acknowledged an Ohio-based company offered to print the group's $3,000 shirt order for free.) Adamson is appealing the ruling, and his attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) argue that his case -- like similar ones winding through courts across the country -- is at a crucial intersection between religious liberty and free speech. Adamson -- a husband and father of three -- says he's most concerned for the livelihood of his 32 full-time workers, including gay employees who have stayed with the company through the ordeal. "But the reality is I can't change my conscience, and I can't mold it to conform to society," he says. "God doesn't change, and His Scriptures don't change. So I'll hold the line." Holding the line isn't as easy as it used to be. A rash of high-profile lawsuits across the country against cake bakers, florists, and photographers declining to serve gay weddings has underscored some of the challenges for Christians and others navigating a swiftly changing social tide. But Adamson's case shows the waves aren't just churning against businesses involved with weddings. Any company or organization with religious objections to promoting or endorsing homosexuality could face similar dilemmas as legal demands for affirming homosexuality grow. The vicious backlash against an Indiana law aimed at protecting religious freedom showed corporate pressure and misinformed outcries could wither even conservative leaders caught in the deluge, and it raised an important question as the 2016 presidential contest began: How will candidates respond? Adamson recounted his saga the same day Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) launched his presidential bid in nearby Louisville. Despite the fever pitch over religious liberty just a few hours north, Paul didn't mention the issue in his campaign blitz, and his spokesman didn't return requests for comment. With 19 months left before the 2016 elections, candidates have plenty of time to articulate their ideas about religious liberty. But beyond broad discussions of the concept, the next president will continue to appoint agency heads and judicial posts critical to far-reaching decisions about freedom of religion and speech. Russell Moore of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention says it's important to begin watching how candidates handle religious liberty -- a dynamic he calls "the single most important issue in the 2016 presidential election." That's not because issues like budgets and security aren't critical, but because religious liberty is "foundational to what it means to be the American people," he says: "Any society that does not allow for religious freedom is a society that is giving the state a step toward ultimate power." In Indiana, state lawmakers weren't prepared for the tide to become a torrent. But when Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a law on March 26 designed to protect religious freedom, a national wave swept over the Midwestern state. Though the bill mirrored a federal law signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, and similar legislation in 19 other states, opponents conflated the Indiana law with enshrined discrimination against homosexuals and vilified its supporters as extremists. Dozens of major corporations from Apple to Angie's List condemned the law. The Disciples of Christ denomination voted to pull its 2017 convention from Indiana, and organizers of the gaming convention Gen Con threatened to move a conference that draws some 56,000 people to Indianapolis. Meanwhile, the bill didn't mention sexual orientation. Like other religious freedom laws (including federal legislation), the law said the government must provide a compelling reason to substantially burden religious exercise. It gives religious citizens a day in court, but it doesn't guarantee a favorable outcome. In recent years, such laws have been used to allow a Sikh woman to carry religious articles at work, a Native American boy to wear long hair at school, and a Christian ministry to continue serving ex-convicts. Still, The Indianapolis Star ran a black front page on its newspaper, with the stark demand: "FIX THIS NOW." For Pence, a longtime conservative leader, the pressure was crushing. Though the governor initially defended the law, he soon signed revised legislation to say providers couldn't use the law to deny services based on sexual orientation. Many social conservatives said the "fix" put religious liberty in more danger than it was before the original law passed. Pence's office declined to comment. So did some GOP hopefuls. While Sen. Rand Paul avoided the issue during the first days of his campaign, other potential candidates also treaded lightly. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker initially distanced himself from the debate in a press conference, but later told an interviewer protesters were overreacting. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended Pence as having "love in his heart for people," but didn't clarify what he thought about the law. Former Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina said she defended religious freedom, but also seemed to endorse gay marriage or civil unions. Others were more blunt. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he endorsed the original law. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said the substance of religious freedom laws hasn't changed: "What has changed is the anger, deception, and intolerance from those on the left who assault our religious liberties." Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he supported the original law, and noted similar legislation in Florida. But at a private fundraiser, Bush later said while he supports religious liberty "we shouldn't discriminate based on sexual orientation." Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) offered some clarity, saying religious citizens weren't asking to turn away gay customers from restaurants, but said they shouldn't be compelled to provide services "to a same-sex marriage that their faith teaches is wrong." On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted about the Indiana law, a law that's similar to the federal legislation her husband signed while president: "Sad this new Indiana law can happen in America today. We shouldn't discriminate against ppl bc of who they love #LGBT." Despite the backlash, some business owners are finding public support. One example: Memories Pizza in Indiana. The local pizza parlor temporarily closed after owners answered a reporter's question about whether they would cater a gay wedding. When the owners said no, social media harassment included a threat to burn down the restaurant. Supporters started an online fundraising campaign for the restaurant owners: They raised $842,000 in two days. Owner Kevin O'Connor said he would use the money to support churches, charitable causes, and the legal fund for Barronelle Stutzman -- a 70-year-old Washington florist facing a lawsuit over declining to provide flowers at a gay wedding for a customer she had served for over nine years. O'Connor said he still wouldn't cater a gay wedding because of his Christian beliefs, but the 61-year-old father of eight also added an invitation when he reopened the restaurant: Gay customers are welcome. As lawsuits wind through courts, initial decisions often fall to state or local civil rights commissions. In December 2013, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruled Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips was guilty of discrimination for refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding. (Phillips is appealing.) The same commission ruled differently when three Colorado bakeries refused to bake a cake for customer Bill Jack with messages including: "Homosexuality is a detestable sin" and "God loves sinners." Jack filed a discrimination complaint against one of the bakeries. Commissioners rejected it. (Jack says he thinks bakeries and other business owners should be allowed to refuse orders based on their consciences, but he says he tried the experiment to prove a point about inconsistent anti-discrimination laws.) Back in Lexington, Adamson says he isn't trying to prove a point, but follow his own conscience. He says he doesn't think the government should be able to compel citizens to speak messages, particularly ones they don't support. The Lexington human rights commission's ruling against him is legally binding, but defendants may appeal such rulings in local courts. Jim Campbell -- Adamson's attorney at ADF -- says that's cold comfort for small business owners like Adamson who spend years wading through commissions' investigations before they can appeal to a court. A judge heard Adamson's appeal in March, including his objection to the commission's order for the company to undergo "diversity training." Campbell says the only purpose for such training is to "re-educate or re-orient" Adamson's thinking: "They don't like the way he operates his business consistent with his faith, so they want to change the way he views things." Raymond Sexton -- head of the Lexington commission -- said religious freedom protections don't apply to Adamson because he owns a business, not a church or other religious organization. Adamson says he can't compartmentalize his Christian beliefs: "Part of your faith and worship is how you live your life -- it's everything you do." As tensions mount, Russell Moore of the ERLC says those trying to pressure evangelicals and others to change their thinking don't understand religious motivation: "that there are people in American life who really believe that they're going to give an account to an authority higher than the state." He also says Christians should emphasize that religious freedom and conscience protections are good for all citizens, not just one group, and that government attempts to change beliefs are dangerous for everyone. "The people who should be just as alarmed about this as conservative evangelicals are secular progressives," he says. "This is a use of state power that they will ultimately hate." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Inmates complete 1st seminary prison program in TX by Keith Collier/Southern Baptist TEXAN Date: May 18, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: Please see additional story featuring inmate's testimony below this article. ROSHARON, Texas (BP) -- Robed in caps and gowns over their white prison uniforms, 33 inmates in Texas' maximum security Darrington Prison Unit made history May 9 as they received bachelor's degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, becoming the inaugural graduating class of the state's first seminary prison program. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a former member of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, praised God for the commencement. "I'm overwhelmed at what God has done," Patrick said during the ceremony inside the prison chapel. "Only God could do this." Patrick and Sen. John Whitmire, current committee chair, were the legislative heads behind the creation of the program, which began in fall 2011. Each year since, a new class of 40 students has been added to the program with 114 currently enrolled. Looking at the graduates, most of whom will be deployed in groups of four or five to assist chaplains and minister in six other state prison units, Patrick called them "prison apostles." He charged them to "be models and examples of what Christ can do in [people's lives] if they will give their [lives] to him." This summer, approximately two-thirds of the graduates will be transferred to six maximum security facilities in Huntsville and Tennessee Colony, Texas to reproduce the ministries -- and the radical changes -- that have been witnessed in Darrington. The rest will remain at Darrington to mentor underclassmen in the program. In a May 7 press conference, Whitmire described the remarkable change in culture at the Darrington Unit over the past four years as a result of the program. "When we started this, (Darrington) was one of our toughest, problematic units, and I'm here today to announce that it's now one of our best." Whitmire, who has served in the Texas Senate for 30 years, recounted the history of the program during the graduation. "I have scores of programs that I've worked in," he said, citing drug and alcohol programs, procedures for pregnant female inmates and other major initiatives to clean up the prison system and rehabilitate inmates. "But … nothing is more impressive and moving than to be a part of this program. … I'm a better man, a better senator, and a better Christian because I'm here participating in this program." Whitmire said the seminary program demonstrates that Texas is "tough on crime" but also "smart on crime." He told graduates that he plans to use their success in changing prison culture to argue for changes in the state's guidelines regarding consideration of parole, which is largely based on the nature of the crime committed. "I know up to this point that you are demonstrating that you are a good risk for society," Whitmire told graduates. "You're going to leave here and minister at the other units and turn lives around and save lives from crimes. I'm going to make your case that in a few years, if you continue to turn people around and behave like I know you will, work with the wardens where you are sent, and are responsible for your families, I'm going to continue to work in Austin and say, 'Okay, the nature of the crime is important, but there are other factors. You've got to give my ministers the chance after they've saved souls in other prisons to save souls on the streets of Houston.'" Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDJC) Executive Director Brad Livingston challenged graduates to take what they have learned and apply it to the ministries they will have in prison. "What you've accomplished is extraordinary, but it's just the beginning. As you go out into these units, rely on each other, support each other, but rely ultimately on God. You will be an inspiration to others. You will allow God to work through you to reach hundreds and thousands of others," Livingston said. "Before you know it, you will have peers in every one of our units across the state. Imagine the profound impact that God will have through you and others that follow you. I couldn't be more proud of you." Just before graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson gave a final charge to "his children" from Micah 6:8. Patterson pointed to the graduates' academic achievements in the strenuous, 125-hour degree program and said their education could be a "stepping stone to greatness," but it would only be so if they were "agents of mercy … (who) walk humbly with God." "You have done a great deal to educate the mind," Patterson said, "but this program is a little different, isn't it? Because the program has not just been about the mind; it's been about the heart. And, oh, how you've done so unbelievably [well]. I thank God for every one of you today." Brandon Warren, who has served as the program's administrative assistant from its beginning in 2011, is also a Master of Divinity student at Southwestern's Houston campus. Warren is not unfamiliar with prison, having served eight years at a different facility before his release years ago. Like many of the men in the Darrington program, he found faith in Christ while in prison. Before serving at the Darrington program, he wrote theologically rich correspondence courses on basic Christian doctrines for use in prisons across the state. At Darrington, Warren oversees students' coursework, grades papers, assists professors and serves as a liaison between the school and the prison. As a way to honor the men in the Darrington program, with whom he has built strong friendships, Warren delayed his graduation from Southwestern and received permission to receive his master's degree at the prison graduation ceremony. As he walked across the stage, the chapel erupted in applause. Attended by state dignitaries, friends and family of the graduates, seminary faculty, and friends of the Heart of Texas Foundation, the graduation was a celebration of what many described as a miracle. The vision for such a program came from Grove Norwood, Heart of Texas Foundation executive director, after he experienced a similar program by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisiana's Angola Prison. He gained the support of Senators Patrick and Whitmire, who visited Angola to see if it could be reproduced in Texas. Norwood and the Heart of Texas Foundation have been the primary fundraisers of the privately funded program, which uses no tax payer dollars. The funds raised have gone to support educational materials, computers, books for the prison's seminary library and other program needs. Other major contributors to the budget have been Southwestern Seminary and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which initially gave a $116,200 grant in 2011 to provide library books, classroom furniture, technology, half of the ongoing costs for professors' salaries and travel expenses for the first two years. For more information on the Darrington seminary program, visit www.swbts.edu/darrington. Please see inmate's testimony below. *************** Having lost everything, inmate finds hope, ministry in the gospel By Keith Collier ROSHARON, Texas (BP) -- "My story is one of loss." This is how Roland Guerra, an inmate at the maximum security Darrington Prison Unit, describes his life before Christ. After making a series of poor, and criminal, decisions, he says he entered prison in a "really bad place." Although he had heard about God's goodness, Guerra felt his life experiences were telling a different story. He joined a Christian Bible study in prison in search for answers to his questions. "When I lost everything that was important to me, I became desperate … and had nowhere to turn," Guerra recalls. One day, he opened his Bible up and randomly selected the book of Job, which tells the story of a man who lost everything. "I was so intrigued by his story, how Job lost everything, and how the Lord rewarded his faithfulness," Guerra says. He was so drawn in by the book that he kept reading the Bible all the way through the book of Revelation and then started at the beginning in Genesis and read the rest of the Bible over the course of three months. While reading through the Gospel of Matthew one night, he got down on his knees in his cell and cried out to God to save him. His life was changed immediately, and he began witnessing and teaching the Bible to other inmates. Sometime later, Guerra was recommended by the prison chaplain to join the inaugural class of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's undergraduate program in biblical studies and was subsequently transferred to Darrington just before classes began. When Guerra entered the program, he committed himself to reading every word of his assignments. He has kept that commitment, excelling in his classes and holding one of the highest GPAs among the graduates. Recognizing an educated man is a tool for the Lord to use, he applies his schoolwork to the Bible studies he teaches and his counseling and mentoring of other inmates. "The seminary has showed us how to read the Bible; it's taught us doctrine; it's taught us the traditions and creeds; it's taught us how to counsel biblically, how to preach, how to teach," Guerra says. "We are equipped now to go out and serve." Guerra has earned a reputation as a mediator and pastor in the prison, which opened the door for him to be one of a few students who is allowed to "tier walk." Essentially, the warden has given them permission to go into parts of the prison such as solitary confinement, where they would otherwise be forbidden, to pray and read the Bible with some of the most troubled prisoners. "I feel like I'm a dispenser of hope," Guerra says. "God is using me to bring hope to these men who are locked up and isolated from the rest of [us]." As a result of the seminary program, Guerra says the atmosphere in the prison has changed. "It's not the same as when we first got here," he says. Guerra, who is serving a 30-year sentence, says he's seen a reduction in violence and stronger character development within the general population. Even better, he says, more inmates are talking about Jesus. Shortly after the seminary program started, one of the students started a ministry called Makarios, which comes from the Greek word meaning "blessed." Makarios groups gather throughout the unit each week for discipleship and evangelism. Guerra and other students hope to take this ministry model with them in the coming months as they're transferred to other maximum security prisons in Texas in groups of four to five to assist chaplains, minister and counsel in those units. "In prison, there are a multitude of theologies," Guerra says, noting that inmates often have pieced together their own belief system from a "hodgepodge" of religions. "That's why we want to preach the Gospel. We believe the Gospel is the answer to all of life's problems." Watch a video interview with Guerra at https://youtu.be/9_kiG3GJFVw. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP).