The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-05/21/2014 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Adrian Rogers, 'rising star of Memphis,' elected 35 years ago by David Roach Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Thousands of messengers had arrived in Houston to vote for Adrian Rogers in the presidential election at the 1979 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Some with limited resources had traveled hundreds of miles and were sleeping in tents in hopes of restoring their denomination to theological orthodoxy. There was just one problem: It was the night before the election and Rogers wasn't sure that God wanted him to be nominated. When he encountered fellow conservative leaders Paige Patterson and Jerry Vines in a hotel lobby, the three of them, along with Rogers' wife Joyce, went to pray about the matter in Rogers' room. After hours of seeking God's will, Joyce Rogers, feeling God's leading, signaled to her husband, and he said, "I will do it." The following afternoon, Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., was elected over five other candidates on the first ballot with 51 percent of the vote. The Conservative Resurgence had begun. Thirty-five years later, observers say Rogers, who died in 2005, was the pivotal leader in the SBC's struggle to make belief in the Bible's inerrancy a bedrock commitment of all convention entities -- a commitment that undergirds Southern Baptists' evangelistic outreach at home and abroad. Inerrancy is the doctrine that the Bible is completely free from error regarding theology, history, science and every other matter to which it speaks. The group who advocated inerrancy and elected Rogers labeled themselves "conservatives," a reference to theology more than political ideology. Opponents of the conservatives -- many of whom held orthodox beliefs but thought theological diversity should be tolerated in the SBC -- were called "moderates." Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, said he is excited to see a young generation of pastors who believe the Word of God and hold to a high degree of understanding of its authenticity. "I believe that this new reality is directly attributable to great men who stood strong for the Gospel and especially Dr. Adrian Rogers," he said. "His election 35 years ago signaled a grassroots movement that has changed our entire denominational mindset. Thank God for Dr. Adrian Rogers." 'Manning the pumps' Despite the last-minute decision to run, Rogers was motivated to serve the convention by events stretching back to his days as a student at Stetson University in Florida when he learned that some professors funded by the Cooperative Program questioned doctrines that most Southern Baptists regarded as foundational to the Christian faith. In one class taught by an ordained Baptist minister, Rogers "heard the great historic truths of the faith demeaned over and over," Joyce Rogers wrote in "Love Worth Finding," a biography of her husband. After class one day, Rogers gathered the courage to confront his professor and asked, "Sir, are you really saved?" In response the professor defined salvation as "that experience when a man escapes the consequences of a maladjustment to his fellow man" and said, "I don't know if there is a heaven or hell." Soon Rogers learned that the problem in Baptist life was not isolated to his university. By the mid-20th century, "the view that the Bible was not the Word of God had become common among professors at Southern Baptist seminaries," Baptist historian Gregory Wills wrote in "Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009." Wills explained that for much of the 20th century, seminary administrators tried to persuade the denomination that their professors were orthodox while at the same time trying to persuade professors to conceal their more objectionable views, revealing them only at strategic moments to sympathetic audiences. Southern Seminary professor Bill Hull, for example, was known to hide progressive views in book reviews on modern French or Belgian New Testament scholarship. "I often like to 'bury' such comments in material that will be read only by those who need to see it," Hull wrote in a 1966 letter to Southern Seminary President Duke McCall. Occasionally, however, Southern Baptists caught a glimpse of what seminaries were teaching. In 1961, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Ralph Elliott's "The Message of Genesis," published by the Baptist Sunday School Board, argued that some of the stories in Genesis were historically inaccurate, including the flood and the sacrifice of Isaac. Sixteen of the SBC's 28 state paper editors criticized the book, and the 1962 annual meeting in San Francisco adopted a motion expressing "abiding and unchanging objection to the dissemination of theological views in any of our seminaries which would undermine ... faith in the historical accuracy and doctrinal integrity of the Bible." Eventually Elliott was fired. But C.R. Daley, editor of Kentucky Baptists' Western Recorder journal, said there were many other seminary professors like him. If Elliot is "a heretic, then he is one of many," Daley said according to a 1983 Christianity Today article. "... Professors in all our seminaries know that Elliott is in the stream of thinking with most of them, and is more in the center than some." Rogers believed that some seminary administrators were being dishonest about what faculty members believed and that some faculty held views that were unacceptable to the Southern Baptists who funded them. The problem wasn't isolated to the seminaries. In 1969, the Sunday School Board published a commentary on Genesis by British scholar G. Henton Davies that claimed Genesis 1-11 was not historical and that Abraham was mistaken in his belief that God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. The 1970 SBC passed a motion calling for the book to be withdrawn and rewritten. Rogers believed that he faced a choice: leave the convention or lead a change. "Adrian considered leaving the denomination," Joyce Rogers wrote. "This would be a major step should he do so. It would require his leading his church to come out of the denomination or else resigning. But in his heart he believed something could and should be done. He used this analogy. The Southern Baptist Convention is a good old ship that has taken on much water and is slowly sinking. The choices seemed to be to abandon the ship or to man the pumps. He chose the latter and was ultimately blessed in 'manning the pumps' along with others." 'Rising star' of Memphis As Rogers was realizing the extent of the problem, other conservatives were realizing what to do about it. Paul Pressler, a judge in Houston, and William Powell, editor of the Southern Baptist Journal, deduced that the key to changing the convention was winning the presidency. The president appointed the Committee on Committees, which in turn nominated the Committee on Boards (now the Committee on Nominations). The Committee on Boards then nominated trustees of the SBC entities. Conservative trustees could change the entities. A president who appointed conservatives to the Committee on Committees would lead to conservative trustees in two years. A 10-year string of conservative presidents would lead to all the convention's trustee boards being controlled by proponents of inerrancy -- since only a percentage of trustee seats became vacant each year. Pressler banded with Patterson and others to translate the plan into action. Traveling the nation, they organized conservatives to elect a conservative president in 1979. Rogers, who had been nominated in 1976 against his will, was an obvious candidate for the job. But part of Pressler and Patterson's strategy was to keep Rogers away from their informal organization so he wouldn't be labelled a denominational troublemaker, hurting his chances at election. Potential presidential candidates like Rogers, Vines and Charles Stanley "were deliberately kept out of what was happening during the first five years of the controversy," Patterson said in a 1994 interview. "They were aware of it and knew of it but had nothing to do with it whatsoever. That was done on purpose because anybody who was a conceivable candidate for president we deliberately kept at arm's length." With the 1979 convention approaching, conservatives focused on Rogers. Opponents focused on him too, knowing the coming battle in the SBC would be contentious. Daley, a moderate, said in a lecture at Southern Seminary five years later, "Some of us saw the rising star out of Memphis named Adrian Rogers -- in my mind the most brilliant of his group, the one who poses the gravest threat to the Southern Baptist Convention. It was obvious that he was to be the king. It was obvious to some of us that he wasn't the kind of king we wanted." The man to lead Rogers arrived in Houston believing he shouldn't run. Before a Pastors' Conference session in which Rogers and W.A. Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, were to preach, Criswell told him, "Lad, you need to let us nominate you." Rogers replied, "Dr. Criswell, I don't believe that's what God wants me to do." Nonetheless, Criswell announced in his sermon, "We will have a great time here if for no other reason than to elect Adrian Rogers as our president" -- a remark that drew loud cheers. Despite Rogers' reluctance, messengers were already en route to Houston, planning to vote for him, some at great personal sacrifice. Among them was Sheldon Hale, then the 32-year-old pastor of Andrew Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Ky. With a small convention budget from his church, Hale along with his wife and three young children drove cross country to Houston and slept in a tent outside the city. Hale told Baptist Press that he knew other Southern Baptists who, like him, were concerned about the direction of the convention but didn't have money to stay in expensive hotels near the convention center. They either camped or stayed in cheap hotels far from the annual meeting so that they could cast a vote for Rogers. "I would do it again," Hale, now pastor of First Baptist Church in Silver Grove, Ky., near Cincinnati, said in an interview. "It was hard to travel with three little ones and be camped out. But not only did we enjoy the time with them and they got to experience the time at the convention, we felt like we were part of history." With history in the making, God began to change Rogers' mind. First, Bertha Smith, a longtime Southern Baptist missionary to China called him to say, "Brother Adrian, God wants you to do this." Then another missionary to China, Charles Culpepper, sent a message: "Tell Adrian that I have been with God, and he should allow his nomination." Adrian and Joyce Rogers had devised a system where she would say a number between one and 10 to indicate how confident she was that Adrian's nomination was God's will. The number never rose above five. Yet as Rogers, Vines and Patterson prayed on the eve of the election, Joyce Rogers held up 10 fingers -- and Adrian agreed. When Rogers was elected the next day, surprise was audible in the hall. Some messengers gasped. Others whooped and embraced. But Rogers, himself a bit surprised, had a sense of God's guidance and purpose. Following Rogers, an unbroken line of conservative presidencies -- including two more terms for Rogers between 1986 and 1988 -- helped the convention return to biblical orthodoxy in its entities. All agree that the turnaround was not the work of any one man. Still, even his opponents say there was something special about Rogers' election 35 years ago. Moderate church historian Walter Shurden, who was dean of Southern Seminary's school of theology in the early 1980s, viewed Rogers as the crucial figure in the SBC's conservative movement, which he called "fundamentalism." "I sincerely doubt ... that fundamentalism could have known its measure of success apart from Adrian Rogers," Shurden wrote. "... No other fundamentalist could rival him as preacher, debater, or intransigent believer. When the leadership of the fundamentalists met for their strategy sessions, the press releases often read, 'Adrian Rogers presided.' He was by far fundamentalists' most capable leader and moderates' most formidable opponent." SBC President Fred Luter called Rogers a "giant of the faith" and said he helped save the convention. "Thirty five years ago I was a brand-new Christian sharing the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ on the street corners of New Orleans, trying to transform the neighborhood I grew up in," Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, said. "At the same time Dr. Adrian Rogers was being elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, trying to transform an entire convention back to believing in the Bible as the true Word of God. "I shudder to think what our beloved convention would be if not for the courageous stand of Dr. Rogers, Dr. Patterson, Judge Pressler and so many others who stood up for God's Word at a very critical time. May we never forget what this giant of the faith did for the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Rogers was truly not only a gift to the SBC but also to the body of Christ." --30-- David Roach is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Christian music stars remember Adrian Rogers by Laura Erlanson Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The music program of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis has been a flagship among SBC churches for decades. So it may be no surprise that longtime Bellevue pastor Adrian Rogers had strong opinions about music. He knew what he liked. And he knew what he didn't. Christian rocker Eddie DeGarmo knows that all too well. DeGarmo, a Memphis native, first encountered Rogers in person in the gymnasium of Memphis-area Germantown High School in the spring of 1973. DeGarmo, only 18 years old and a new Christian, was invited to provide the music for a school assembly. Rogers was to be the guest speaker. When the band took the stage, Rogers was on the front row. DeGarmo, who had been attending nearby Germantown Baptist Church, had seen Rogers on TV and knew who he was. "I remember this very specifically," DeGarmo said in an interview with Baptist Press. "I walked up to the microphone, and I said, 'Let me tell you how Jesus changed my life.' That was all I said. I walked over to my synthesizer and I started making these crazy sound effects. And of course the sound man had it cranked up. It was loud. The kids were loving it. "I remember looking at Dr. Rogers on the front row and seeing the blood drain out of his face. He never mentioned it when he got up and spoke, and he did a great job. And we never spoke about that until ... years later." In the years that followed, DeGarmo and bandmate Dana Key formed the well-known Christian rock band DeGarmo & Key and became trailblazers in the contemporary Christian music world. Their music was controversial in many Christian circles, but controversy was never their intention. Before accepting Christ, they had made a name for themselves around Memphis as a dance band, and their conversions didn't change their desire to play music. "[It was] 1972 when I came to the Lord," DeGarmo, who is now a Christian music executive in Nashville, said. "And when we became believers, it was a little bit of a story around town. "We started playing music ... in the only style that we knew how to play music. It was never a concerted effort to be rebels.... It's just that's where we grew up. That was a very natural thing. So we just started singing about our conversion or our faith." Over the years, as DeGarmo & Key gained notoriety, especially in and around Memphis, DeGarmo would hear through the grapevine that Rogers didn't much care for their music. The two had several mutual friends in the city, including a few staff members at Bellevue. "[Rogers] would just say things like 'Not my style. [I'm] not real sure what kind of meaning it has,'" DeGarmo said. "[But] he was classy enough he never did it from the pulpit." The 'years later' meeting that allowed the two men to discuss their differences took place in the late 1980s when the Gaither Vocal Band, a Southern Gospel group, gave a concert at Bellevue Baptist Church. DeGarmo received a phone call the afternoon of the concert from Bill Gaither, legendary Gospel songwriter and leader of the Gaither Vocal Band. "Bill called me, and I just happened to be at home," DeGarmo said. "And he said, 'Hey what are you doing? Come have dinner.'" DeGarmo agreed and came to the church -- sporting his long hair and full rock & roll attire. He was met at the door and led down a long hallway into Rogers' office. "I was like 'OK, here we go,'" DeGarmo said, adding that he's always had great respect for Rogers. He recalls the meeting: "Bill said to Dr. Rogers -- he knew him on a first-name basis -- he said, 'Adrian this is Eddie. Eddie this is Adrian. I think you guys should meet each other and talk.'" And then Gaither turned around and walked out of the room. "So I sat down with all of my rock & roll clothes and hair and all that stuff," DeGarmo continued. "And I looked at Dr. Rogers, and I said, 'Well, I guess Bill thought we should meet each other.' "And he said, 'Well, tell me your story. You know, how did all this happen?' "And I said, 'Only on one condition. You have to tell me yours.' "He laughed and said 'That's a deal.' "We spent the next 45 minutes together telling each other about how we came to the Lord, how we got married ... just our story. And we kind of became friends after that.... Bill broke down the wall." The two men even discussed the day years prior when Rogers first heard DeGarmo's brand of music at a high school assembly. "[Rogers] said, 'Yeah, I kind of remember that. That was kind of different that day,'" DeGarmo recalled. "I said, 'Yeah it was. I was an 18-year-old kid. Probably wasn't thinking real clearly, but ... I was there for the kids.'" Gaither thinks his own role was not as pivotal as DeGarmo implies. "Part of our calling ... from the beginning is to try to bring people together," Gaither said in an interview with Baptist Press. "We come in different packages, but we're all lifting the same Christ. We just do it differently." Gaither confesses that he wasn't much of a fan of DeGarmo & Key's music either. "Stylistically, it was not music that got my attention," Gaither said. "It didn't mean it was bad. It just didn't get my attention. I come from the old four-part harmony days and quartets. "But I liked Eddie. And I loved his heart then and I love his heart today." Gaither remembers introducing the two men by saying to Rogers, "This is a good friend of mine. He loves the Lord. He does music a little differently. I'd like for you to get to know him." He laughed, saying he suspects Rogers was wondering, "Who is this long-haired hippie?" Gaither said Rogers had a "good spirit detector," and he knew the two would hit it off. "If I could've been a small part in the unity of believers, so be it," he said. "I think Eddie gives me more credit than I deserve." Gaither first met Rogers and his wife Joyce at Disneyland in California when the couple approached him to tell him how much they appreciated his music. He counted Rogers a good friend and said he and Joyce were some of his biggest supporters through the years. "There was no couple more dedicated to the cause of Christ and the Gospel," Gaither said. "His influence still goes on today." --30-- Laura Erlanson is operations coordinator for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: From Adrian Rogers to Millennials who count the cost by Andrew Walker Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- When Baptist conservatives elected Adrian Rogers as president of the Southern Baptist Convention (1979), I had not yet been born (1985). By the time the Conservative Resurgence had gained the upper hand, I was still watching Sesame Street. And in the mid-to-late '90s, when the seminaries were in tumult over conservative-moderate discord, I was playing junior high basketball, not mobilizing messengers to annual conventions in order to get "our guy" elected. I never knew, firsthand, the narrative that fundamentally defined an older generation of Southern Baptists -- the battles over inerrancy, the exclusivity of the Gospel and the role of women in church. But like a son who knows his family's history, I know our story. I've rummaged through our attics. As a graduate of a Southern Baptist college and seminary, a current doctoral student and now an employee of a convention entity, the stories of Patterson, Pressler and Mohler are cemented narratives within younger Southern Baptist DNA. As is often the case with high-stakes moments in history, the decision to forge a new identity often comes at a cost. When Luther battled corruption within the medieval Catholic Church, he did so under threat of ex-communication and death. When America's founders forged ahead with a new project in self-government, they did so cognizant of possible sacrifice of their "Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Truth is costly. Similarly, architects of the Conservative Resurgence paid a price for orthodoxy. Relationships were strained. Churches divided. Left and Right flanks took shape. But the biblical Gospel was worth something to these men -- worth dividing and even losing a denomination over. It wasn't just disputes over property and trustee alignments, it was a dispute about what the Gospel demands of its adherents. Today, a new generation of young and doctrinally conservative Christians face another identity-determining moment and decision: whether the cost of orthodoxy is worth the sacrifice of our credibility to a culture that grows more foreign to the cultural Christianity that all too conveniently propped it up. Every generation must "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." So I want to challenge a younger generation of Southern Baptists to count the cost of orthodoxy, of biblical faithfulness -- much like what a previous generation of Southern Baptists had to do. But I also want to challenge younger Southern Baptists to see the nourishing effects of orthodoxy. I want us to understand that guarding the sacred trust of orthodoxy requires vigilance, but that it also deposits joy and unity. So we must ask: What type of Christianity and denomination will we hand down to the next generation? Will we be advocates for a biblical Gospel that promises reconciliation by way of faith and repentance, or, will we peddle a flaccid anti-gospel that allows man to persist in his demise, a false gospel of self-fulfillment at the expense of a cross? Will we offer a superficial gospel, one that says "Peace, peace!" but where there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:13-14)? Cultural Christianity in America is dying. This is both good and bad. It is good in the sense that the fluff of nominalism will soon wither away. It is bad in the sense that culture will grow increasingly hostile to cultural institutions and natural truths that Christianity has had great influence and instruction on, such as marriage and freedom of conscience. While the numbers of self-identified Christians hasn't precipitously dropped, the cultural cache that Christianity once offered is drying up. So we must evaluate the cost of being Christian in a culture that is starting to look decidedly less so. Will Southern Baptists retain a commitment to biblical sexuality? Will we insist that marriage belongs to the Creator, and not to Caesar? Will we demonstrate theological courage and joyful endurance through coming trials or theological cowardliness when the cost of calling oneself a Christian is met with awkwardness? Is Jesus worth the cost of our prestige and our self-obsession with credentialing? Jesus said that He'll build His church, and that the elightened attitudes of American Millennials & Cultured Despisers shall not prevail against it. Do we believe this? For a new generation of Millennials, leaders and pastors, we must also maintain a proper sobriety about the consequences of doctrinal drift when the subtle heresies of liberalism and cultural approbation take root within. What has been passed down, we must continue to contend for -- and a watchful guard requires us to be wise from both outside and inside influences. While a subterranean and generational crisis over sexuality threatens progressive wings of Christianity, Southern Baptists remain committed to the Scripture's full and unapologetic authority on all issues, not the least of which is sexuality. We must remain so. And we must also remember that orthodoxy-to-heresy doesn't often go from zero-to-60. It creeps and lurks. Heresy comes in fits and starts, and through slow bleeds, and so we must be diligent in communicating sound doctrine regardless of where the cultural winds blow. We must also gladly recognize and assert that biblical orthodoxy is life-giving. It gives life to healthy debates. So today, healthy debate persists about the convention's coziness with Calvinism versus "traditionalist" understandings of salvation. But, in the least, we're all in one accord that Jesus' death is both penal and substitutionary. But unlike some wings of progressivism, Southern Baptist pastors aren't remotely interested in debating whether to sanction same-sex marriages. This is not said in a spirit of a Pharisee to a tax collector (Luke 18:9-14), but rather in an attitude of thankfulness for the preservation of sound doctrine within the household of God (2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Timothy 1:10-11, 4:6; Titus 1:9). Contrary to the caricatures, orthodoxy is what allows diversity to flourish within the Southern Baptist Convention. There's not uniformity in the sense of style, image and tone. What we are uniform on is a commitment to the Gospel. At today's seminaries, you can find a wide spectrum of people identifying as Southern Baptist: Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Caucasians, Reformed hipsters, tweed-wearing future academics and Southern culture aficionados. That's the future of the American church, and we're all there, centralized around one purpose: Jesus and His cross. Finally, in order to thrive denominationally, the Southern Baptist Convention must be known as a people whose commitment to orthodoxy is motivated by both love and humility. Humble orthodoxy. Nothing else will be the currency of our advance. As my mentor, Russell Moore, likes to say, Christians must be motivated by "convictional kindness." If we have orthodoxy but not love, we are but a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1) Southern Baptists aren't perfect. No one said they were, and God help us if we've ever been so deluded to think we are. But Southern Baptists are a people of the Bible, rooted in the Gospel and animated by a love to see people know Jesus Christ in life-transforming ways. --30-- Andrew Walker is director of policy studies for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and a doctoral student in Christian ethics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a member of Redemption City Church in Franklin, Tenn. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Korean pastor is 3rd SBC president nominee by Staff Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Dennis Manpoong Kim, pastor of Global Mission Church of Greater Washington in Silver Spring, Md., will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the June 10-11 SBC annual meeting in Baltimore, Texas pastor Dwight McKissic announced yesterday (May 20). "The SBC will not have to compromise integrity, leadership, sound doctrine, CP support, missions/evangelism/discipleship commitment, or any expectation of an SBC President by electing Dr. Kim. His leadership among Maryland Baptists is significant in how he has grown a strong, vibrant ministry outside of the South and he is equipped and uniquely positioned to lead the Southern Baptist Convention in growing in areas and among cultures where we have not traditionally had a strong impact," McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, wrote in an open letter to Southern Baptists stating his intention to nominate Kim. Kim, who has served as president of the Korean Council of Southern Baptist Churches in America, has pastored Global Mission Church for 23 years. Since March 2013, the congregation -- which has a predominantly Korean membership and is the largest church in the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware -- has reported more than 1,000 salvation decisions, the BCMD said in a news release. Kim is the third announced nominee for SBC president, joining Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd and Kentucky pastor Jared Moore. Kim is a member of the Pastors' Task Force on Evangelistic Impact and Declining Baptisms, a national task force convened by the North American Mission Board to address the continued decrease in baptisms among Southern Baptist churches. He also served on the SBC Resolutions Committee in 2012 and 2013. Following the historic presidency of Fred Luter, Kim would lead Southern Baptists "to continue our growing ministry to a rapidly diversifying America," McKissic, an African American, wrote. He noted that Kim is bilingual in Korean and English and has traveled to more than 40 countries to do ministry. Global Missions Church has produced more than 50 International Mission Board career missionaries, McKissic wrote, and has planted churches in Maryland, Virginia, Washington State, North Carolina and South Korea. "Either of the announced nominees for President, thus far, are fine men," McKissic wrote. "But, our Convention will be better served if Dr. Kim wins the election. By virtue of training, experience, missions travel, Kingdom expansion, cooperation, church development and discipleship ministries, Dr. Kim is by far the most qualified, announced candidate for the Office of President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Kim's church gave 4.5% of their church budget to the Cooperative Program last year, while engaged in local, state, national, and global missions as a church family." The full text of McKissic's letter on behalf of Kim is available at sbcvoices.com. In addition to serving at churches in South Korea and the U.S., Kim has taught courses at Southern, New Orleans and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminaries. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Korean institutions; a master of arts in theological studies with a concentration in pastoral counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, Mass.; a master of divinity from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky.; and a doctor of theology in pastoral psychology from Boston University in Boston, Mass. Kim is the author of "Pulpit Counseling," "Answer with the Bible!" and other books. He has translated more than 60 books from English to Korean. --30-- Compiled by David Roach, chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gay marriage now claims the Northeast by Tom Strode Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- A federal judge has legalized same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania, handing the increasingly successful campaign to redefine mankind's oldest institution a clean sweep of the northeast United States. Judge John Jones struck down the Pennsylvania legislature's 1996 laws that refused to recognize same-sex marriage. Jones, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, declined to block enforcement of his ruling Tuesday (May 20), enabling same-sex couples to begin applying for marriage licenses immediately. Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican opponent of same-sex marriage, has yet to announce if he will appeal the opinion. Jones' ruling followed by a day a similar ruling in Oregon, where a federal judge struck down a 2004 voter-approved amendment limiting marriage to a man and a woman. Judge Michael McShane also refused to stay enforcement of his decision. Oregon and Pennsylvania became the 18th and 19th states with legalized same-sex marriage in effect. Judges have invalidated gay marriage bans in another eight states -- Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Virginia -- since U.S. Supreme Court opinions in June of last year, but those rulings in the states have been stayed while under appeal, as reported by The Washington Post. Federal judges also have ruled same-sex marriages performed in other states should be recognized in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, The Post reported. The decisions in Pennsylvania and Oregon mean all the states in the Northeast, as well as those on the West Coast, have legalized same-sex marriage. Southern Baptist lead ethicist Russell D. Moore said May 20, "This is a story we see, it seems, every week these days. Another court imposes same-sex marriage on another state. We should continue to persuasively set forth the case for why we believe marriage isn't a creation of the state, to be redefined at will, but is instead an ordinance of God." Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, also said in a statement for Baptist Press, "Most of all, let's remember that the Sexual Revolution can't deliver on its promises. Let's be ready to offer a Gospel of power for those who will be disappointed by these empty claims of liberation." Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr., on his May 21 podcast "The Briefing," said the addition of Pennsylvania to the gay marriage column also means "that a majority of Americans now live in those states that have legal same-sex marriage." With the legal system rapidly endorsing gay marriage, Mohler also took note of the workplace, saying, "We need to face the fact that younger Christians in America are going to face a world that most of us as older adults have simply never had to face. They're going to routinely face -- for the entirety of their employment lives -- the reality that they can easily be on the wrong side of a cultural controversy that can cost them their jobs, harm them in terms of their professional prospects. ... "That's a new thing in this society, and we ought not to let it pass without very sober notice," Mohler said. In striking down Pennsylvania's marriage laws, Jones cited their violation of "equal protection" principles. He wrote in his opinion, "We are a better people than what these laws represent, and it is time to discard them into the ash heap of history." In addition to Pennsylvania, the Northeast states that have legalized same-sex marriage are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Delaware and Maryland, which are considered part of the Northeast by some, also have legalized marriage for same-sex couples. In addition to Oregon, the West Coast states with same-sex marriage are California and Washington. The other states with legal gay marriage are Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and New Mexico. The District of Columbia also has approved same-sex marriage. In a June 2013 decision that seemed to help open the way for the legalization of gay marriage in the states, the Supreme Court said the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violated "equal protection" under the Constitution by refusing to recognize gay marriages. The opinion meant same-sex couples gained access to employee, Social Security, tax and other benefits previously limited to heterosexual couples. In another other opinion last June, the justices ruled on a procedural question that had the effect of allowing to stand a federal judge's invalidation of a California amendment that prohibited same-sex marriage. The court, however, refused to say states cannot limit marriage to a man and a woman. --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Southwestern criticized for admitting Muslim by Gary K. Ledbetter/Southern Baptist Texan Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday FORT WORTH (BP) -- A Palestinian Muslim who assisted Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Gezer archaeological project in Israel was admitted to the school's Ph.D. in archaeology program, in an apparent exception to the seminary's admissions policy. Seminary President Paige Patterson told the Southern Baptist Texan on May 16 that the student enrolled at Southwestern last year because "he had no other options for Ph.D. work in his field" and because Patterson hoped to win him to saving faith. Patterson had admitted three other non-Christian students to schools he led over nearly four decades; all came to Christ during their tenure as students, he told the Texan in a phone interview. One, a former Syrian Orthodox priest, was saved during his second semester at Southwestern, after chapel, and has since married and become a professor at Baylor University. Patterson said he granted this most recent exception after taking counsel from other seminary administrators but that "the final decision was mine alone." "We required that the student would agree with our moral standards while a student at Southwestern. It was no problem for him," Patterson added. Seminary trustees were not advised prior to the exception being granted but were briefed on the situation in a letter sent from Patterson on May 16. Steven James, Southwestern trustee chairman and pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles, La., told the Texan on Monday that the trustee executive committee has a scheduled meeting in September and will "discuss this issue and will deal with it accordingly at that time." "That is the role and responsibility of the trustees," James said. "I have a concern, obviously, about the spiritual condition of the young man in question; we don't want to do anything to jeopardize that. And then from the executive committee meeting in September we will make any adjustments that need to be made." "If it needs to come to the full board, it will come to the full board," he added. James said he has not received any other information about the student's enrollment except what was contained in Patterson's letter and had not spoken with Patterson about it. Wade Burleson, an Oklahoma blogger and pastor who had disagreed with Southwestern's leadership on other occasions, brought the matter to light in a post dated May 16 and titled "Southwestern Baptist Islamic Theological Seminary and the Center for Cultural Engagement and Firing." Burleson, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Enid, Okla., mentioned in the blog post a recent and unrelated faculty dismissal, though without any details. Burleson later removed the last name of the Muslim student from his blog. In the letter to trustees, Patterson wrote of the student: "[He] is a peace loving man who worked several years with us at Tel Gezer. Finishing his M.A. in Archeology at a Jordanian university, he had few options if any in Israel or Jordan. He asked about our program. He agreed to abide by all our moral standards, which he has done. He is also open to professors and students. "Unfortunately, the story released is not really about [the student], about whom the author cares little as is indicated by placing him at risk. The author is constantly on my case along with his following and much frustrated that he has enjoyed so little success," Patterson wrote. Patterson also expressed concern for the student's perception of Christians because of the incident and also that trustees would be unfairly blamed for something "of which you are not guilty." "... I have made it clear to all that this was my decision. No one else should be blamed. I am answerable to the faculty, to the Board and to you for all that I do including this." Patterson closed his letter by asking the trustees to pray for the student, "that this will not turn him away from the Way." On the admission section of its website, the school says it "assumes the student has been identified as a prospective minister by announced intent, proven conduct in accordance with Christian standards set forth in the Bible, active church involvement, and unqualified approval from the church where they are currently members. Among the required credentials for graduate-level courses are "a mature Christian character," "evidence a desire for Christian ministry (shown through the application process)," "a record of active church service," and "promise of continued intellectual and spiritual growth." Also, "Applicants must demonstrate church membership and active church involvement to apply for admission to the seminary. Active membership and involvement in a local church is also required of all students for continued enrollment," the website says. Rabbi Herbert Waller of Louisville, Ky., earned a degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the years of moderate leadership, and the wife of Waller's successor "at one time had considered enrolling in Southern's doctoral program before the seminary's change in theological direction," according to an Oct. 26, 1999 story in Baptist Press. Prior to becoming Southwestern's eighth president in 2003, Patterson served as president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. from 1992-2003, and before that was president of Criswell College in Dallas for 17 years. --30-- Gary Ledbetter is editor-in-chief of the Southern Baptist Texan. Texan editor Jerry Pierce contributed to this report. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Bless the Lord,' Kelley tells NOBTS grads by Frank Michael McCormack Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley told the seminary's spring graduates that Psalm 103 comes to his mind as he prays for them, reminding him of God's blessing on their lives. "This is my prayer for you: That you will make an irrevocable act of faith and bless God all the days of your life," Kelley said. New Orleans Seminary celebrated a total of 268 graduates who received both graduate and undergraduate degrees. One graduate traveled from Cairo, Egypt, to receive a diploma. Mounir Sobhy Yacoub Malaty, pastor of First Baptist Church in Cairo, received a doctor of ministry degree. When Ji Eun Yoo received a doctor of philosophy degree, she and her husband became the first Korean couple to both earn Ph.D. degrees from New Orleans Seminary. Her husband earned his degree previously. Kelley focused on the first five verses of Psalm 103 in his commencement message May 17. Leavell College, the seminary's undergraduate program, held its commencement May 16. Kelley first pointed out what it means to "bless" the Lord. "When we talk about blessing the Lord, we are in effect giving Him our irrevocable faith ...," Kelley said, "that irrevocable faith that you're in the grip of an almighty God who will move heaven and earth to care for you and who will empower you for all He calls you to do." Psalm 103 also tells of "benefits" God offers to His followers that should move them to "bless the LORD." The first is that He "forgives all your iniquity." "Every mistake you've made, every stumble you've had, every disappointment, every frustration, every sin before God, every sin against your fellow people -- God takes all of our iniquity," Kelley said. "And what does he do with" iniquity? Referencing the psalmist's claim that God removes sin as far as the east is from the west, Kelley said, "It is completely, totally separated from you in a manner that can never be rejoined to your life. I call that a benefit." A second benefit is that God "heals all your diseases." Kelley said this benefit, obviously, can be divided into healing in the present and healing in eternity. "Some experience the miracle now. Some will wait until that day when Jesus Himself will wipe away every tear from your eyes and say, 'Lay that burden down,'" he said. Kelley reminded graduates that the Apostle Paul prayed repeatedly for God to remove his unnamed infirmity, yet God did not. "Paul's response was, 'Therefore I will glory in my weakness, because it is then that God makes me strong,'" Kelley said. God, thirdly, deserves blessing because He "redeems your life from the pit." Kelley compared contemporary disasters, hardships and challenges to the pit in Psalm 103:4. Whether economic challenges, disappointment, personal failure or loss, God has the power to lift His children from the pit, Kelley said. "There are no unchangeable circumstances for the child of God. There is no life that cannot be changed, there is no circumstance that cannot be redeemed," Kelley said. "He redeems our life from the pit." A fourth benefit puts a spin on a familiar scriptural image: the crown. "He crowns us with steadfast love and tender mercy -- now that's a crown!" Kelley said. "What a beautiful image of a God who pours out His love upon us and then uses His mercy to minister to us, always giving us what we do not deserve." Kelley contrasted that showering of God's mercy with the fair assessments students received from their seminary professors. "God does not treat us the way our faculty has treated you as our students," he said. "They gave you the grade you earned. God gives you mercy you do not deserve. Isn't it nice to know that mercy wins?" The last benefit found in Psalm 103 is that God "satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." "God does so much good in your life. He keeps you young," Kelley said. Kelley described his late mother's 90th birthday party as an illustration of youthful energy being renewed. "I watched my 90-year-old mother get younger before my eyes because of the joy and the goodness of that day," he said. "This is what God does. He does so much goodness in our lives that it keeps our souls young and fresh. Oh the gift of a young soul in an old life. That is what the gift of the goodness God does all our days." Some days are easier than others, Kelley admitted. But he challenged the graduates to bless God every day. --30-- Frank Michael McCormack writes for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Preach 'boldly,' SEBTS graduates exhorted by Ali Dixon Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) -- Ministers must take care to "preach the Gospel boldly" and not waste their lives, guest speaker Andy Davis told graduates at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's spring commencement. The 259 students receiving degrees represented 34 states and five countries. Graduates included 38 students receiving associate's and bachelor's degrees from The College at Southeastern, the seminary's undergraduate school, and 18 receiving a master of arts in intercultural studies from the college. "The world desperately needs radical transformation," Davis, pastor of First Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., said at the May 16 ceremony in Binkley Chapel. "The Lord has commanded us to proclaim the only message there is for the transformation of human souls." Davis' oldest daughter Jenny was among the graduates. "Look back at all you have done ... as an offering to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," Davis said. He called graduating students to have grateful hearts and give God all the glory for their accomplishment, looking ahead to a life of fruitful service. Davis earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. While working as an engineer, he earned his master of divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. In 1998, he graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a doctor of philosophy in church history. He is a visiting professor of historical theology at Southeastern. The world will oppose efforts to advance God's Kingdom, Davis warned. "America is changing before our very eyes. It is less comfortable with the Christian faith than ever before in its history," he said. Preaching from 1 Corinthians 3, Davis said, "every human being faces two great threats" -- losing their soul and wasting their life, adding that avoiding those pitfalls requires believers to build their lives on the foundation that Jesus Christ has laid, he said. "A foundation is something that is established and can't be moved," Davis said. "Every other foundation for life will be swept away by judgment." Davis asked those in the audience if they were saved. "Have you fled to the cross?" he said. "Repent and believe in Jesus." Davis said, "As you go forth in the world, preach the Gospel boldly. Jesus is the gold, silver and costly stones that we have to offer the world." Each day "begins as straw and you can spin it into gold," Davis said. "Put the eternal God onto display.... Graduating class of 2014, don't waste your life on wood, hay and straw." Mark Liederbach, vice president for student services and dean of students at Southeastern, honored the parents and spouses of graduates. To watch Davis' message online, visit multimedia.sebts.edu/. --30-- Ali Dixon is a news and information specialist at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC Credentials Committee named by Staff Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday BALTIMORE (BP) -- Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter has named members of the Credentials Committee for the June 10-11 Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Dan Eddington, director of missions for the Three Rivers Baptist Association in Illinois, will serve as chairman. Other committee members, listed by state, are: ALABAMA -- Cade Farris, First Baptist Church, Wedowee; Greg Hyche, First Baptist Church, Brent. FLORIDA -- Pat Mobley, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Pensacola. GEORGIA -- Tom Rush, Berean Baptist Church, Social Circle. KENTUCKY -- Donavon Burton, Beacon Hill Baptist Church, Somerset; Gregg Farrell, Crossland Community Church, Bowling Green; David Stokes, The Baptist Church at Andover, Lexington. LOUISIANA -- Gary Mack, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans. MISSOURI -- Bradley Graves, Calvary Church, Joplin; Thomas Johnston, Lexena Baptist Church, Liberty; Ben Kendall, Calvary Baptist Church, Republic; Malachi O'Brien, Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Harrisonville; Phillip Shuford, First Baptist Church Ozark, Nixa. NEW MEXICO -- Bruce Morrison, Church at the Butte, Elephant Butte. NORTH CAROLINA -- Michael Dickerson, First Baptist Church, Durham; Corey Smith, Grace Baptist Church, Wake Forest. TENNESSEE -- Van Richmond, New Life Church, Nashville. TEXAS -- Larry Craig, First Baptist Church Troup, Tyler; Johnny Derouen, Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Fort Worth; Donald Kim, The Village Church, Fort Worth; Evan Lenow, Birchman Baptist Church, Fort Worth; Waylan Owens, Birchman Baptist Church, Fort Worth. --30-- Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tellers Committee named for SBC by Staff Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday BALTIMORE (BP) -- Members of the Tellers Committee for the June 10-11 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Baltimore have been named by SBC President Fred Luter. Danny Decker, pastor of First Baptist Church, Warsaw, Mo., will serve as chairman. Other committee members, listed by state, are: ALASKA -- Ruby Stogsdill, First Baptist Church, Soldotna. GEORGIA -- Royce Hulett, Oakland Baptist Church, Hazlehurst. KENTUCKY -- C.J. Adkins, Westmoreland Baptist Church, Ashland; Erdie Carter, Glasgow Baptist Church, Glasgow; Richard Hardison, Great Crossing Baptist Church, Georgetown; Rickey Hatley, Beacon Hill Baptist Church, Somerset. LOUISIANA -- Jay Adkins, First Baptist Church, Westwego; James Bynum, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans; Aristide Marshall, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans. MISSOURI -- Doug Austin, Bethany Baptist Church, Cape Girardeau; Gregg Boll, Crane First Baptist Church, Lees Summit; Josh Hall, Selmore Baptist Church, Ozark; Steve Patterson, First Baptist Church, Webb City; Diann Patterson, First Baptist Church, Webb City. NEW MEXICO -- John Russo, First Baptist Church, Fort Sumner. NORTH CAROLINA -- Luke Lunceford, Perkinsville Baptist Church, Boone; Forrest Mills, Shiloh Baptist Church, Wake Forest; Allen Mustian, Central Baptist Church, Nolina; Teresa Ray, Durham Memorial Baptist Church, Durham; Scott Smith, The Summit Church, Wake Forest; Kevin York, Friendly Grove Baptist Church, West Jefferson. OKLAHOMA -- Rick Gettens, Mind of Christ, Lawton. WEST VIRGINIA -- Paul Harris, Abundant Hope Baptist Church, Barboursville. --30-- Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd VIEW: Civil Rights Act tore down walls, expanded reconciliation efforts by David Roach Date: May 21, 2014 - Wednesday EDITOR'S NOTE: 2nd VIEW is a key Baptist Press story that has been posted within the past several days. For a listing of additional key stories in Baptist Press in recent days, always take a look at the daily RECENT NEWS listing. Originally posted May 20, 2014 NASHVILLE (BP) -- When President Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark Civil Rights Act in 1964, it codified into law provisions that many Southern Baptists had a reputation for opposing -- bans on racial discrimination in public accommodations and government programs. But amid the opposition, there were pockets of Southern Baptists working for racial justice and equality. On the legislation's 50th anniversary, Baptist leaders are celebrating the fact that those pockets of activism have blossomed into a convention-wide emphasis on multiethnic cooperation to fulfill the Great Commission. "The Civil Rights Act helped tear down so many walls that racial prejudice had constructed between members of the human family," Frank S. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said. "My passion is to see every man, woman, boy and girl trust in Jesus Christ and become active members of one of our churches ... not because it is politically correct, but because every person matters to the Lord." Today more than 10,000 of the SBC's 46,000 churches are non-Anglo, comprised of a broad diversity of racial and ethnic members. About 15 percent of presidential appointments to committees were from non-Anglo ethnic and racial groups over the past two years, and nearly 100 members of racial and ethnic minority groups have served in SBC leadership positions. About 400 North American Mission Board missionaries identify themselves as non-Anglo. Approximately half of SBC church plants are classified as non-Anglo, and nearly 15 percent of churches registered to assist in the Send North America church planting emphasis are from various racial and ethnic subsets of American culture. All this led Page to call the SBC "one of the most ethnically diverse denominations in America." A divided convention Fifty years ago that wasn't the case. The SBC met in Atlantic City, N.J., in May, ahead of President Johnson's July 2 signing of the Civil Rights Act. At the annual meeting, the SBC's Christian Life Commission -- precursor to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission -- presented a recommendation that the convention pledge its support for civil rights legislation. When time came to vote on the recommendation, a pastor from Louisiana offered a substitute motion that didn't say anything about legislation. The substitute motion, in a standing vote by messengers, was declared defeated, but the convention took a ballot vote because the margin appeared slim. On the ballot vote, the substitute motion was adopted and the CLC's motion to support civil rights legislation was set aside. When the Civil Rights Act became law, at least three Baptist colleges refused to sign "assurances of compliance." But not all Southern Baptists were opposed to the new legislation. The month after the Civil Rights Act became law, the CLC held conferences at the Ridgecrest and Glorieta conference centers addressing "Christianity and Race Relations." Speakers were bold in their advocacy of integration, and attendance outnumbered that at any previous CLC conference. More than 3,000 attended the two conferences, with 1,500 copies of the addresses distributed among Southern Baptists. CLC executive secretary Foy Valentine believed his commission was in step with America's progressing attitudes about ethnic diversity. "The fact is that in 1964, there was a new wave of interest in civil rights matters," Valentine said in a 1976 interview. "The civil rights legislation came on strong with the help of Lyndon Johnson and was passed, and it was the most important move forward for blacks in a hundred years. The commission again was at the blue point of the flame, with regard for social concern, because there wasn't anybody else in Southern Baptist life that was doing much open talking about this subject of civil rights and race relations." Pockets of change There may have been more open talking than Valentine realized because some pastors and churches were beginning to embrace integration. In Louisville, Ky., an adjunct professor and a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary -- one white and one black -- decided to form an interracial ministry conference to meet monthly and discuss race relations in the city. The student, Emmanuel McCall who was black, and the adjunct professor, John Claypool who was white, each convened six pastors of his own race, and the group of 14 met for four months. McCall and Claypool then helped form the Louisville Baptist Interracial Pastors Conference, which met from 1962 to 1968 and included 800 ministers at its zenith. McCall told Baptist Press the group's efforts contributed to the relative calm in Louisville regarding racial issues. "Louisville went through that time without any racial conflict," McCall said. "Except there was one night when some guy who said he represented [civil rights leader] Stokely Carmichael gathered a group of people in the west end. From somewhere they came up with bricks, and they started a little bit of a riot. But it was the ministers' conference that said to the chief of police, 'We don't know this guy. Get him out of town. Arrest him or whatever.' And they did. So that was the only incident of any newsworthy note during that period." McCall went on to become the first African American on staff at any SBC entity, when he went to work for the Home Mission Board in 1968. Claypool pastored churches in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and Mississippi. Another member of the interracial pastors group, Carlisle Driggers, was pastoring Louisville's 23rd and Broadway Baptist Church in 1964. The congregation was ahead of its time in terms of racial inclusiveness and felt that the Civil Rights Act "substantiated" what it was seeking to do, Driggers told BP. "I thought it was way past time for America to have legislation like that," Driggers said. "I know that it caused a lot of reaction, a lot of folks unhappy about it. But at the same time, my own personal reaction was that I thought it was very much in order. It needed to be done, and I was grateful to be a citizen of America when that legislation was adopted." The law "supported what we were attempting to do at that time as a church," Driggers said. A white congregation, 23rd and Broadway decided to stay in its longtime location even though the community around it was changing racially and culturally, with many blacks moving into the neighborhood. The decision to stay included a commitment to reach everyone around the church regardless of race. The congregation ministered to hundreds of blacks during weekday programs for the community, and eventually 10 to 20 percent of its Sunday worshippers were African Americans. The church's outreach was so successful that the HMB appointed a missionary to work specifically with 23rd and Broadway -- the first time the board appointed a missionary to an individual church. Still, when a black worshipper, Brenda Owens, presented herself for membership in 1966, Driggers felt a bit nervous, not knowing how the congregation would react. He received her during the invitation and called for a vote on whether to accept her as a member. After a vote without opposition, a thankful Driggers bowed his head to lead the closing prayer. He says he'll never forget what he saw when he opened his eyes. "Our people, while I was praying, were getting up out of their seats, and they were lined up all the way from the front of the church to the back door -- lined up to come forward and speak to Brenda. It was a precious, precious moment," Driggers said. Driggers gained a reputation for his work in interracial ministry, so much so that First Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., brought him on staff in 1969 to help with a tumultuous integration process. He went on to become executive director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Some Southern Baptist institutions were also ahead of their times. All six SBC seminaries accepted black students well before 1964. Southern Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, both admitted black students in the 1940s, with Garland Offutt becoming the first black graduate of any SBC seminary in 1944 when Southern awarded him a master of theology. Martin Luther King Jr. preached in Southern Seminary chapel in 1961 to a warm reception by faculty and students -- despite objections from some Southern Baptists and eventually an apology from trustees for "any offense caused by the visit of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., to the campus of the Seminary." In 1965, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary students and faculty donated funds to help a student travel from the seminary's California campus to the civil rights march in Selma, Ala. The student body also sent pro-civil rights telegrams to King and Alabama Gov. George Wallace. At Southwestern, ethics professor T.B. Maston was a noted champion of civil rights. A changing convention Perhaps shocked into changing by the turmoil in America and perhaps convinced by the consistent appeals of leaders like Valentine and McCall, Southern Baptists broadly began to integrate and embrace interracial cooperation. In 1968, the convention adopted by a more than 2 to 1 margin a "Statement Concerning the Crisis in Our Nation," with messengers vowing to "personally accept every Christian as a brother beloved in the Lord and welcome to the fellowship of faith and worship every person irrespective of race or class." Many churches integrated in the 1960s and 1970s, and ethnic churches began to join the convention -- so much so that church growth expert C. Peter Wagner called the SBC the most diverse religious denomination in America in 1970. Racist elements persisted, but they dwindled to a small minority. In 1995, the convention adopted a resolution apologizing for its racist past, asking African Americans for forgiveness. In 2012, the SBC elected Fred Luter Jr. as its first black president. The vote "was a genuine, authentic move by this convention that says our doors are open," Luter said following his election. "And the only way [the world] can see that is not just putting up an African American president, but seeing other ethnic groups in other areas of this convention. Time will tell and I'll be a cheerleader promoting that." Preserving the gains Kelly Miller Smith Jr., an African American who has pastored National and Southern Baptist churches, told BP he believes Southern Baptists began cooperating with blacks in part because they realized how much Baptists of both races hold in common. In years past, Southern Baptists "were more concerned with the pigmentation of the skin, and they didn't realize that if they could get beyond what they see in terms of the skin, there are a lot of black Baptists who have very similar kinds of theological perspectives," Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill in Nashville, told BP. Smith added that despite their theological commonalities, white and black Baptists often differ in their social applications of the Gospel. Cooperative ministry in the future will depend on their ability to understand one another's perspectives on issues like poverty, discrimination, employment and healthcare, he said. Thankfully, black and white Baptists already have begun to cooperate in missions, evangelism, theological education and other areas. On the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Smith said it is important for Baptists to preserve the legacy of that legislation in America and continue to break down racial prejudice in the church. The "landmark legislation" of 1964, Smith said, was "only the beginning stages of things that would have to be further developed." --30-- David Roach is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).