The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-06/11/2013 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEDNESDAY SBC MEETING BLOG by Staff Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- Baptist Press is live blogging the SBC annual meeting in Houston. Up-to-the-minute updates can be read here, at our Twitter account (Twitter.com/BaptistPress), or Facebook account (Facebook.com/BaptistPress). Want more updates? Follow our SBC annual meeting feed at Twitter.com/SBCMeeting. A schedule of the Wednesday meeting can be found at http://sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc13/program/default.asp. Watch the SBC annual meeting live at http://sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc13/default.asp. All times Central Wednesday 4:53 p.m. -- The 2013 SBC annual meeting has been gaveled to a close. Next year's meeting will take place in Baltimore, Md. 4:48 p.m. -- Luter thanks Southern Baptists for re-electing him. He leads messengers saying in unison, three times, "Lord send a revival and let it begin with me." 4:47 p.m. -- Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel Akin delivered the Convention Sermon, preaching from Romans 15:14-24 and referencing the debate last year over the descriptor "Great Commission Baptists" and the close vote that ensued. Not giving an opinion on the issue, Akin said the real issue is not what Southern Baptists will be called, but if they "will we be Great Commission Baptists" More than half of the world has yet to hear the Gospel, Akin noted. Southern Baptists, Akin said, must not let "good things" get in the way of the "best thing." "And the most important thing is getting the Gospel to those who have never heard the name Jesus," he said. There are 7 billion people on the planet, Akin said, and 3.7 billion have inadequate access to the Gospel. Akin mentioned several areas where Southern Baptists can improve so that the world will hear about Christ. One area, he said, is participation on the mission field by men. In 2009, he said, the IMB's Journeyman Program had 331 women but only 126 men. In West Africa -- a dangerous location -- there were 48 women but only two men. Such statistics, Akin said, are dooming the Muslim world to hell. In Muslim countries, women are not culturally allowed to share the Gospel with a Muslim man. Akin called on Southern Baptists to pray that "God will raise up an army of Godly men." Akin recalled a conversation he had with former SBC President Adrian Rogers, who is deceased. Rogers told Akin that during the Conservative Resurgence, Southern Baptists had a common foe. But once it ended, they were accustomed to fighting and began fighting one another. Southern Baptists, Akin said, must unite to "fight the real enemy." "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered," Akin said. It is a "command." 3:47 p.m. -- An annual tradition -- the recognition of past SBC presidents and their spouses -- took place moments ago. Joyce Rogers, the widow of former president Adrian Rogers, was among those who appeared. 3:44 p.m. -- Following is the amended language of the Boy Scouts resolution passed earlier today: ON THE CHANGE OF MEMBERSHIP POLICY OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA WHEREAS, For more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has been a values-based boys organization designed to “prepare young people for a lifetime of character and leadership,” equipping them “to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law”; and WHEREAS, The Scout Oath contains language that is consistent with belief in God and biblical precepts that serve as the basis for Christian faith: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight”; and WHEREAS, The leadership of the Boy Scouts throughout its history has restricted from membership and leadership those persons who would affect the group’s ability to advocate its viewpoints in regard to belief in God and His moral precepts; and WHEREAS, In 1992, and again in 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted resolutions affirming the Boy Scouts in their stand that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations of the Scout Oath, encouraging the BSA “to maintain its historic commitments” (1992) and “to hold fast to its traditional ideals” (2000); and WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the constitutional right to freedom of association allows a private organization, as part of its “expressive message,” to exclude a person from membership when “the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group’s ability to advocate public or private viewpoints” and that allowing homosexuals as adult leaders would interfere with that message (Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale); and WHEREAS, In 2004, the Boy Scouts adopted a policy statement that said, in part, “Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed”; and WHEREAS, In 2012, an eleven-person committee appointed by the National Council of the Boy Scouts completed a two-year study and reported its unanimous decision that the Boy Scouts retain the current policy as outlined above; and WHEREAS, NBC News reported in breaking news on January 28, 2013, that the BSA executive leadership, in concert with certain members of the BSAboard of directors, was poised to change the Scouts’ historic policy at its February 4–5 board meeting the following week to allow avowed homosexuals into membership and leadership positions within the Boy Scouts of America; and WHEREAS, During the week between when news broke of this proposed policy change and the February board meeting, the Boy Scouts received an outpouring of feedback from Scouts, Scouting families, sponsoring organizations, and the American public; and WHEREAS, On February 6, 2013, the BSA board determined that, “due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a deliberate review of its membership policy”; and WHEREAS, The National Council of the Boy Scouts voted on May 23, 2013, to approve new membership guidelines that state, “no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone”; and WHEREAS, While those who embrace a biblical worldview are grateful that the leadership policy of the BSA remains unchanged, the executive leadership and certain members of the Boy Scouts board clearly signaled their desire to change both the membership and leadership policies of the BSA; and WHEREAS, This decision of the BSA is viewed by many homosexual activists as merely the first step in a process that will fundamentally change the BSA, putting the Scouts at odds with a consistent biblical worldview on matters of human sexuality; and WHEREAS, This decision has the potential to complicate basic understandings of male friendships, needlessly politicize human sexuality, and heighten sexual tensions within the Boy Scouts; and WHEREAS, Many Southern Baptist churches sponsor Boy Scout troops and many Southern Baptists are involved in Scouting; and WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message states that “Christians should oppose . . . all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography,” and Southern Baptists consistently have expressed their opposition to the normalization of homosexual behavior in American culture through more than a dozen resolutions over the past thirty years; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, express our continued opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership policy; and be it further RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude for the thousands of individuals within the Scouting family and the culture at large who expressed their opposition to the BSA executive leadership’s intent to change its membership and leadership policies in regard to homosexuality, leading to the compromise recommendation it presented to the BSA National Council; and be it further RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude to each voting member of the National Council who voted in opposition to the policy change for membership; and be it further RESOLVED, That we express our well-founded concern that the current executive leadership of the BSA, along with certain board members, may utilize this membership policy change as merely the first step toward future approval of homosexual leaders in the Scouts; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call on the Boy Scouts to remove from executive and board leadership those individuals who, earlier this year, sought to change both the membership and leadership policy of the Scouts without seeking input from the full range of the Scouting family; and be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm the right of all families and churches prayerfully to assess their continued relationship with the BSA, expressing our support for those churches and families that as a matter of conscience can no longer be part of the Scouting family; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage churches and families that remain in the Boy Scouts to seek to impact as many boys as possible with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ, to work toward the reversal of this new membership policy, and to advocate against any future change in leadership and membership policy that normalizes sexual conduct opposed to the biblical standard; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage churches that choose to sever ties with the Boy Scouts not to abandon their ministry to boys but consider expanding their Royal Ambassadors ministry, a distinctively Southern Baptist missions organization to develop godly young men; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we declare our love in Christ for all young people regardless of their perceived sexual orientation, praying that God will bring all youth into a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 3:39 p.m. -- SBC Executive Committee employee June Turner recognized at podium for 30 years of denominational service. She is retiring this year. 3:35 p.m. -- Messengers passed six resolutions moments ago (Nos. 7-12). Read how they read in the convention bulletin at http://static.coreapps.net/sbc2013am/dailies/1e0df643cb2264ab3590cbfe1494945a.pdf 3:25 p.m. -- The afternoon session is running about 10 minutes early. 3:13 p.m. -- 5,103 messengers have registered. 3::08 -- The afternoon session of the SBC annual meeting is under way. This is the final session. Among the highlights: resolutions report (3:25) and the convention sermon by Daniel Akin (4:25) 11:50 a.m. -- International Mission Board President Tom Elliff delivered his report, giving messengers an update on mission work throughout the world. In 2012, he said, there were 337,385 professions of faith in Christ through the work of IMB missionaries and 24,073 new church plants. Southern Baptists, he said, are making progress in reaching the world's 3,041 unengaged, unreached people groups (UUPG), with 133 people groups newly engaged by Southern Baptist just in 2012. A total of 1,837 SBC churches and entities are committed to reach an UUPG, he said. Even though the Gospel spreading throughout the world through IMB work, it could do much more if funds were available, Elliff said. The IMB's 2013 budget is $323 million, but it received far less than that in 2012 -- $96 million through the Cooperative Program and $149 million through the Lottie Moon offering. "It is imperative" that we learn what it means to give generously and sacrificially, Elliff said. "It's time to put our money where our mouth is," he said. Via Skype, messengers heard from an IMB worker who plants churches in South Asia. Because he serves in a closed country, his face was darkened. He said God's call on him was clear and that he gets lonely at times, but "God's word actively sustains me." Said Elliff, "This is the time of the greatest lostness in the history of the world. The lost of this world are eager to hear what you have to say." "Are we going to back down?" he asked. 10:54 a.m. -- The IMB report has begun, 25 minutes ahead of schedule. 10:50 a.m. -- Messengers approved a resolution on the Boy Scouts that expresses "opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership policy" to allow homosexual members. The resolution does not take a position as to whether churches should disassociate with the Scouts, but it does urge churches that do sever ties "not to abandon their ministry to boys but consider expanding their Royal Ambassadors ministry." Messengers overwhelmingly defeated an amendment that would have removed the language affirming the right of churches on the issue. 10:20 a.m. -- Messengers passed a resolution on mental illness, but only after overwhelmingly defeating an amendment that said Scripture is the "final authority" on all mental health issues. Another amendment that was overwhelmingly defeated said messengers "affirm Scripture as sufficient for counseling all phases of the human condition (2 Peter 1:3)" 10:05 a.m. -- Messengers passed an amended resolution "On Sexual Abuse of Children." A first amendment asks that SBC leaders and employees practice the highest level of discernment in affiliating with groups or individuals that possess "questionable" policies and practices in protecting children against sexual abuse. A second amendment asks that churches report "any accusation" of child sexual abuse. 9:40 a.m. -- Jim Wells re-elected registration secretary. Was unopposed. 9:39 a.m. -- The schedule is now running nearly an hour ahead of schedule. 9:27 a.m. -- Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. delivered his report, noting he was elected 20 years ago, in 1993. 9:01 am. -- Jared Moore elected second VP, receiving 451 votes to Don Cass' 223 votes. 8:59 a.m. -- John Yeats re-elected recording secretary. He was unopposed. 8:55 a.m. -- With the schedule running early, the Resolutions Committee report will be at about 10:25 a.m. and IMB report at about 10:55 a.m. 8:45 a.m. -- The morning session is running about 20 minutes early. New Orleans Seminary President Chuck Kelley is speaking at the moment. 8:25 a.m. -- Messengers are voting for SBC second vice president. Nominations: Jared Moore and Don Cass. It is a ballot vote, so the ballots must be counted before a winner is known. 8:20 a.m. -- Moments ago the Committee on Order of Business made the following recommendations on previously submitted motions: Referred to ERLC: -- Motion that persons speaking in an official SBC capacity refrain from speaking about immigration. Referred to EC: -- A motion that the Executive Committee form a study committee to evaluate the SBC Constitution & the "minimal" financial standards required to be an SBC church. -- A motion that the SBC Executive Committee's reserved seating be removed in future SBC meetings. The motion was made by a member of the Executive Committee. Ruled out of order, because it directed the ERLC take an action: -- Motion that the ERLC investigate the American Cancer Society's stance on stem cell research and issue a report. 8 a.m. -- The Wednesday morning session of the annual meeting is under way. Among the session's highlights: Resolutions Committee report (10:45 a.m.), IMB report (11:15 a.m.). 6:24 a.m. -- The Southern Baptist Convention's Resolutions Committee will recommend 12 resolutions to messengers this morning, including one on the Boy Scouts that expresses "opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership policy" to allow homosexual members. The resolution does not take a position as to whether churches should disassociate with the Scouts, but it does urge churches that do sever ties "not to abandon their ministry to boys but consider expanding their Royal Ambassadors ministry." Messengers also will consider a resolution on mental health, and child sexual abuse. Following is the full text of most of the resolutions: ON THE CHANGE OF MEMBERSHIP POLICY OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA WHEREAS, For more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has been a values-based boys organization designed to “prepare young people for a lifetime of character and leadership,” equipping them “to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law”; and WHEREAS, The Scout Oath contains language that is consistent with belief in God and biblical precepts that serve as the basis for Christian faith: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight”; and WHEREAS, The leadership of the Boy Scouts throughout its history has restricted from membership and leadership those persons who would affect the group’s ability to advocate its viewpoints in regard to belief in God and His moral precepts; and WHEREAS, In 1992, and again in 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted resolutions affirming the Boy Scouts in their stand that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations of the Scout Oath, encouraging the BSA “to maintain its historic commitments” (1992) and “to hold fast to its traditional ideals” (2000); and WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the constitutional right to freedom of association allows a private organization, as part of its “expressive message,” to exclude a person from membership when “the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group’s ability to advocate public or private viewpoints” and that allowing homosexuals as adult leaders would interfere with that message (Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale); and WHEREAS, In 2004, the Boy Scouts adopted a policy statement that said, in part, “Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed”; and WHEREAS, In 2012, an eleven-person committee appointed by the National Council of the Boy Scouts completed a two-year study and reported its unanimous decision that the Boy Scouts retain the current policy as outlined above; and WHEREAS, NBC News reported in breaking news on January 28, 2013, that the BSA executive leadership, in concert with certain members of the BSAboard of directors, was poised to change the Scouts’ historic policy at its February 4–5 board meeting the following week to allow avowed homosexuals into membership and leadership positions within the Boy Scouts of America; and WHEREAS, During the week between when news broke of this proposed policy change and the February board meeting, the Boy Scouts received an outpouring of feedback from Scouts, Scouting families, sponsoring organizations, and the American public; and WHEREAS, On February 6, 2013, the BSA board determined that, “due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a deliberate review of its membership policy”; and WHEREAS, The National Council of the Boy Scouts voted on May 23, 2013, to approve new membership guidelines that state, “no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone”; and WHEREAS, While those who embrace a biblical worldview are grateful that the leadership policy of the BSA remains unchanged, the executive leadership and certain members of the Boy Scouts board clearly signaled their desire to change both the membership and leadership policies of the BSA; and WHEREAS, This decision of the BSA is viewed by many homosexual activists as merely the first step in a process that will fundamentally change the BSA, putting the Scouts at odds with a consistent biblical worldview on matters of human sexuality; and WHEREAS, This decision has the potential to complicate basic understandings of male friendships, needlessly politicize human sexuality, and heighten sexual tensions within the Boy Scouts; and WHEREAS, Many Southern Baptist churches sponsor Boy Scout troops and many Southern Baptists are involved in Scouting; and WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message states that “Christians should oppose . . . all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography,” and Southern Baptists consistently have expressed their opposition to the normalization of homosexual behavior in American culture through more than a dozen resolutions over the past thirty years; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, express our continued opposition to and disappointment in the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership policy; and be it further RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude for the thousands of individuals within the Scouting family and the culture at large who expressed their opposition to the BSA executive leadership’s intent to change its membership and leadership policies in regard to homosexuality, leading to the compromise recommendation it presented to the BSA National Council; and be it further RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude to each voting member of the National Council who voted in opposition to the policy change for membership; and be it further RESOLVED, That we express our well-founded concern that the current executive leadership of the BSA, along with certain board members, may utilize this membership policy change as merely the first step toward future approval of homosexual leaders in the Scouts; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call on the Boy Scouts to remove from executive and board leadership those individuals who, earlier this year, sought to change both the membership and leadership policy of the Scouts without seeking input from the full range of the Scouting family; and be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm the right of all families and churches prayerfully to assess their continued relationship with the BSA, expressing our support for those churches and families that as a matter of conscience can no longer be part of the Scouting family; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage churches and families that choose to remain in relationship with the Boy Scouts to work toward the reversal of this new membership policy and to advocate against any future change in leadership and membership policy that normalizes sexual conduct opposed to the biblical standard; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage churches that choose to sever ties with the Boy Scouts not to abandon their ministry to boys but consider expanding their Royal Ambassadors ministry, a distinctively Southern Baptist missions organization to develop godly young men; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we declare our love in Christ for all young people regardless of their perceived sexual orientation, praying that God will bring all youth into a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ON MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS AND THE HEART OF GOD WHEREAS, God made all things perfectly good in design for His glory and the good of humanity (Genesis 1–2); and WHEREAS, Adam and Eve rebelled against Him, choosing their own way and the way of the Evil One, and consequently ushered sin and disorder into our world and the whole human race (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12–21; 8:22); and WHEREAS, As a consequence of this Fall, humanity is subjected to many kinds of mental health problems including autism spectrum disorders; intellectual disability; mental health conditions like schizophrenia, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, and eating disorders; and diseases of the aged such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease; and WHEREAS, God did not abandon fallen humanity but loved the world (John 3:16–17) and launched a plan of redemption—a restoration that is incomplete in this age but will be perfected in heaven (1 Peter 1:3–9); and WHEREAS, Those with mental health concerns, like all people, are crowned with honor and dignity, being made in the image and likeness of God (Psalm 8:4–6; James 3:9); and WHEREAS, Those with mental health concerns are disproportionately represented among the homeless and in our correctional systems, indicating a tragic neglect of these persons who are made in God’s image; and WHEREAS, Those who are struggling with mental health concerns often feel isolated, stigmatized, and rejected, sometimes resorting to self-destructive behaviors, including suicide; and WHEREAS, Suicide is a tragedy, leaving heartache, pain, and unanswered questions in its wake; and WHEREAS, Recent events in our nation and among God’s people have underscored the tragedy of mental health concerns and their devastating toll within our families, our churches, and our culture; and WHEREAS, Jesus Christ spent time with and healed some of the most marginalized members of the culture of His day; and WHEREAS, God has appointed His people to be the main representatives of His heart and values to the world; and WHEREAS, God has called us to share the Gospel of Christ with all people, including those suffering various mental health concerns; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, on June 11–12, 2013, affirm that those with mental health concerns are of immeasurable value to God; and be it further RESOLVED, That we commit to affirm, support, and share God’s love and redemption with those with mental health concerns; and be it further RESOLVED, That we oppose all stigmatization and prejudice against those who are suffering from mental health concerns; and be it further RESOLVED, That we support the wise use of medical intervention for mental health concerns when appropriate; and be it further RESOLVED, That we support research and treatment of mental health concerns when undertaken in a manner consistent with a biblical worldview; and be it further RESOLVED, That families who have lost a member to suicide deserve great care, concern, and compassion from Christians and their churches, including the assurance that those in Christ cannot be separated from the eternal love of God that is in Christ Jesus; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we call on all Southern Baptists and our churches to look for and create opportunities to love and minister to, and develop methods and resources to care for, those who struggle with mental health concerns and their families. ON SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN WHEREAS, The Bible is clear in its affirmation that children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3–5); and WHEREAS, The Lord Jesus demonstrated His love for children by encouraging them to follow Him, correcting those who hindered them, and condemning those who harmed them (Matthew 18:3–6; Mark 10:13–14); and WHEREAS, The sexual abuse of children remains an ever increasing criminal offense with more than 1.8 million reported victims of sexual abuse by more than 750,000 child abuse perpetrators identified in the United States alone; and WHEREAS, Tragically, instances of sexual abuse have been perpetrated within Southern Baptist congregations, churches of other denominations, and other Christian ministries; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, call upon Southern Baptists to stand with our Lord Jesus in loving and protecting children as He does; and be it further RESOLVED, That we remind all Southern Baptists of their legal and moral responsibility to report any child abuse to authorities in addition to implementing any appropriate church discipline or internal restoration processes; and be it further RESOLVED, That we likewise call upon all Southern Baptists to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in exposing and bringing to justice all perpetrators, sexual or otherwise, who criminally harm children placed in our trust; and be it further RESOLVED, That we strongly urge Southern Baptist churches to utilize background checks like those provided through LifeWay Christian Resources (www.lifeway.com/backgroundchecks), databases of sexual predators such as the US Department of Justice sex offender database linked at SBC.net (www.SBC.net/localchurches/ministryhelp.asp), or other relevant resources in screening all potential staff and volunteer workers, particularly those who minister to children and youth; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage pastors and church leaders to develop and implement sound policies and procedures to protect our children; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we urge all Southern Baptists to pray for children who are victims of abuse, to stand for their protection from abuse, and to support safe and healthy children’s ministries in our churches and communities. ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING WHEREAS, Human trafficking is criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited through the use of force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of involuntary subjection to labor or commercial sex acts (see Trafficking Victims Protection Acts of 2000 and 2013); and WHEREAS, The form of slavery known as human trafficking knows no borders and preys on victims of any age, race, gender, or nationality, involving an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 persons being transported from place to place each year into some form of forced labor, including about 17,500 persons who are trafficked into the United States each year; and WHEREAS, It is estimated that as many as twenty-seven million persons worldwide are now being held in some form of slavery, including commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, child labor, and forced organ harvesting, producing annual profits of over $32 billion; and WHEREAS, Human trafficking preys upon the poor and the most vulnerable members of a society, especially women and children, the overwhelming majority of whom are younger than twenty-four years old, and many who are young children; and WHEREAS, About 1.2 million children are trafficked every year, with two children being sold into slavery every minute; and WHEREAS, The irresponsible use of salacious explicit sexual material through various media is promulgated in cultures around the world, thus perpetuating demand for selfish sexual gratification, reducing the stigma of commercial sex, and creating a demand for sexual slavery; and WHEREAS, The Bible describes each individual as being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27), affirms the sanctity and dignity of all human life (Psalm 8:4–5), and calls upon believers to speak up for those who cannot defend themselves (Proverbs 31:8–9); now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, commit to pray for the victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation; and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge all Southern Baptists to educate themselves and others about the various expressions of modern-day slavery, how to prevent it, and how to minister to those who have been victimized by it; and be it further RESOLVED, That we commend the Southern Baptist churches and individuals who are already bringing healing and restoration to trafficking victims in the name of Jesus Christ; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to support agencies and ministries which help rescue and rehabilitate trafficking victims; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call upon Southern Baptists to support public policies at the local, state, national, and international level which combat human trafficking; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we affirm the important work of persons in law enforcement, education, medicine, counseling, and other professions who address human trafficking through their assigned responsibilities, pledging our prayerful support. ON TITHING, STEWARDSHIP, AND THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM WHEREAS, Biblical stewardship is a generous response of loving obedience that constitutes an essential part of our worship of God (2 Corinthians 9:6–7); and WHEREAS, Tithing predates the Law of Moses (Genesis 14:20; 28:22; Hebrews 7:2) and is affirmed in the Old Testament (Numbers 18: 21–24) as well as in the New Testament (Luke 11:42); and WHEREAS, The Scripture equates failure to tithe with robbing God (Malachi 3:8); and WHEREAS, Christ affirmed the tithe (Matthew 23:23); and WHEREAS, Proportional giving of at least a tithe is expected by God throughout Scripture (Numbers 18:21–24; 1 Corinthians 16:1–2; Hebrews 7:2); and WHEREAS, Tithing is essential for Kingdom work through the local church and ministries around the world (1 Corinthians 9:13–14); and WHEREAS, According to the Great Commission Task Force Report, Southern Baptists give just 2.5 percent of their annual income to the local church, demonstrating the need for Southern Baptists to teach and faithfully obey the biblical command to tithe; and WHEREAS, The current economic climate and other factors have resulted in financial challenges for many of our churches and mission entities; and WHEREAS, Faithful stewardship is a privilege and an honor for all Christians; and WHEREAS, The Cooperative Program is funded solely by tithes, offerings, and gifts through the churches; and WHEREAS, Cooperative Program giving from the churches has declined significantly from $548 million in 2007–2008 to $488 million in 2010–2011, reducing our support of missions and ministries by $60 million; and WHEREAS, Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, has challenged Southern Baptist churches to increase their Cooperative Program giving by at least 1 percent; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, exhort all Southern Baptists to tithe cheerfully to their local churches; and be it further RESOLVED, That Southern Baptists consider the role our stewardship plays in support of the Cooperative Program and Great Commission Giving, resulting in the support of missionaries and ministries at home and abroad; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we commend those who tithe faithfully in loving obedience to God. ON PRAYER FOR THE PRESIDENT AND OTHER POLITICAL LEADERS WHEREAS, Scripture teaches that God is sovereign over all nations of the earth (Psalm 93:1–2; 103:19; 113:4–5); and WHEREAS, God, in His permissive will, may allow political leaders, both in biblical times and the present day, to enact policies that are opposed to His revealed will (1 Kings 16:25, 30); and WHEREAS, It is in God’s power to prompt the hearts and minds of political authorities to His purposes and furnish wisdom and guidance in their decisions (Ezra 1:1–3; Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 3:26–30; 4:34–37); and WHEREAS, Government is appointed by God as His servant to encourage good and restrain evil to the end that all people are blessed and His people are enabled to live quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness and holiness (Romans 13:1–7; 1 Timothy 2:1–3; 1 Peter 2:14); and WHEREAS, God commands His people to respect the authority of political leaders and honor them (1 Peter 2:13–17); and WHEREAS, God commands His people to pray for their political leaders (1 Timothy 2:1–3); now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, urge the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention to pray confidently, regularly, and fervently for our President, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and all local, state, and national governmental leaders. ON VIOLATIONS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND ASSEMBLY IN THE UNITED STATES WHEREAS, God has granted religious freedom to humanity, even in matters of eternal significance (Genesis 2:16–17; Luke 13:34; Acts 4:19–21; 5:29; 17:16–34); and WHEREAS, Religious freedom is an indispensable human right and an essential component of a free society; and WHEREAS, Religious freedom by definition includes the freedom of the individual to live in accordance with his or her religiously informed values and beliefs as illustrated by Article 18 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”; and WHEREAS, The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees religious freedom for everyone under its jurisdiction, declaring that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”; and WHEREAS, Religious freedom must include the freedom of assembly based on religiously-informed beliefs and is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution; and WHEREAS, In deciding NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U.S. 449 (1958) the United States Supreme Court declared, “It is beyond debate that freedom to engage in association for the advancement of beliefs and ideas is an inseparable aspect of the ‘liberty’ assured by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which embraces freedom of speech”; and WHEREAS, In order to retain their official standing as a campus organization, Christian and other religious groups on some prominent college and university campuses are being required to allow into membership and leadership individuals who do not affirm the moral and religious convictions of the organizations; and WHEREAS, Some people of faith are being denied the right to operate their businesses in a manner consistent with their religiously informed beliefs, especially with regard to their convictions about homosexuality, resulting in loss of status, income, and livelihood; and WHEREAS, Some officials and municipalities have discriminated against constitutionally-protected religious activities in public housing, public schools, and other tax-supported spaces; and WHEREAS, Despite the long and honorable tradition of respect for religious freedom within the ranks of the United States armed services, many members of the United States military are experiencing heightened levels of animosity and hostility because of their faith; and WHEREAS, Chaplains in the United States military are growing increasingly concerned about their freedom to minister to America’s servicemen and women according to the dictates of their faith without fear of reprisal or intimidation; and WHEREAS, The federal government is denying the right of its citizens to exercise their religious freedom by its insistence that they provide in their employee healthcare plans for contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, express our gratitude for our God-granted religious freedom; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call on college administrators to respect the right of students to freedom of association and stop requiring religious student groups to accept as members or select as leaders those who do not share their core religiously-informed beliefs; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call upon the federal, state, and local governing authorities to hold any college or university accountable that discriminates on the basis of religion, violating students’ constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of religion and association; and be it further RESOLVED, That we implore the United States Department of Defense and each branch of the military to reaffirm their commitment to the freedom of all servicemen and women to conduct themselves in accordance with the dictates of their faith; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call on these same military organizations to respect and continue to uphold the right of their chaplains to minister freely according to the dictates of their faith; and be it further RESOLVED, That we ask these military entities to communicate consistently throughout every branch of the armed forces and to every person who provides instruction or guidance to our servicemen and women the right of all servicemen and women, and the chaplains who serve them, to conduct themselves in accordance with the dictates of their faith; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call on every branch of government to investigate all claims of First Amendment violations and to educate, discipline, or prosecute any who are involved in these violations; and be it further RESOLVED, That we call on the current administration to uphold the constitutional protections accorded people of faith to provide healthcare for their employees that is consistent with their core religious beliefs; and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge those who engage in defending the legal rights of people of faith to come to the aid of those who are facing discrimination for their faith by federal, state, and local governments, institutions, or individuals; and be it further RESOLVED, That we urge The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention to continue its faithful defense and advocacy of the God-given and constitutionally-guaranteed rights of freedom of religion and assembly; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we commit to stand with and pray for those in our nation and around the world who are persecuted for their faith. ON THE DANGER OF AGE DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTHCARE RATIONING WHEREAS, The Bible regards senior adults as persons deserving of honor and esteem (Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 16:31); and WHEREAS, Scripture affirms the sanctity of life for all persons, including senior adults, and regards all persons as bearers of God’s image (Genesis 1:26–28); and WHEREAS, There are credible reports that the elderly who are extremely sick are routinely neglected—and in some instances die prematurely—under the national healthcare systems in other countries; and WHEREAS, Some notable policy advocates have argued that healthcare for the elderly should be rationed in the United States; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, express our opposition to any public policy which might function to discriminate against the elderly in their access to quality healthcare; and be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage all Southern Baptists to honor our elders and seek ways to express our appreciation for senior adults; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to engage in ministry to senior adults, particularly those who are hospitalized, in nursing home facilities, and those who are homebound. ON AMERICA’S GROWING PRISON POPULATION WHEREAS, The rate of incarceration in the United States is among the highest of all nations; and WHEREAS, Prison populations in the United States have risen from approximately 100 prisoners per 100,000 in 1974 to a current number of about 750 per 100,000, resulting in an unprecedented percentage of adults behind bars; and WHEREAS, The cost of incarceration, averaging more than $30,000 per inmate per year, absorbs a significant percentage of governmental budgets at the federal, state, and local levels; and WHEREAS, The number of elderly inmates, whose healthcare costs are a growing part of the overall cost of incarceration, has increased dramatically due to longer sentences; and WHEREAS, Probation and parole systems, if utilized effectively, offer less expensive supervision, employ new monitoring techniques, reunite families, and actively work toward social reintegration of prisoners; and WHEREAS, Public revenues saved by lower incarceration rates could be applied to improve and expand parole, probation, and reintegration programs; and WHEREAS, Prolonged incarceration of nonviolent offenders, who make up roughly half of all inmates, frequently contributes to the disintegration of family structures, increases dependency on state aid, and reduces the economic viability of individuals, families, and communities, thus hindering their reintegration into society; and WHEREAS, Incarceration rates are at or near the highest levels in Southern states, as is the case, for instance, in Louisiana which now incarcerates one out of every eighty-six adults, the highest documented rate of incarceration in the world; and WHEREAS, Many people serving disproportionately long sentences for nonviolent offenses are routinely housed with hardened offenders; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013, declare our support and appreciation for all who work in the criminal justice system to protect our communities, often bearing heavy loads with limited resources; and be it further RESOLVED, That we express our support of legislative policies that seek to reduce high incarceration rates without jeopardizing public safety; and be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm that probation and parole may serve as a wise, just, and effective alternative to prolonged incarceration for certain nonviolent offenders; and be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm our prison chaplains, local church ministries, seminary educational initiatives, and other ministries that serve in prisons and youth detention centers and operate programs that seek to reintegrate prisoners into their communities, and reduce recidivism through moral and spiritual transformation; and be it finally RESOLVED, That we urge churches and other ministries to participate in programs that assist prisoners with reintegration into society, including transitional housing, vocational and drug rehabilitation, and family support, heeding the words of Jesus, “I was in prison, and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:36). Tuesday 8:42 p.m. -- The Tuesday evening session of the SBC annual meeting has concluded. 8:41 p.m. -- Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter delivered his presidential sermon tonight, preaching from John 13:34-35 on the topic of "It's time for revival." "The spiritual outlook of our country is at an all-time low," Luter said, mentioning a host of sins and social ills, such as shootings, robberies, the attack on marriage and the disregard for life. "The thing that truly bothers me," Luter said, is "what difference is the church making?" More specifically: "What difference are Southern Baptists making?" "How can we expect revival to happen?" Luter asked Referencing the text, Luter said three things must happen for revival to take place. Southern Baptists must have: -- A love for the Scriptures. One thing that has always impressed him about the SBC, he said, is that "we've always had a love for the Scriptures." "Nothing can be politically right if it is biblically wrong," he said to loud applause. -- A love for the Savior. "He did it [died and rose again] just for you and for me!" Luter shouted. "How can you not want to stand for Him?" He added, "You cannot have a genuine authentic love for the Savior and not have revival." -- A love for the saints (fellow Christians). "You want to know why there's so much darkness in this world?" he asked. "... Could it be because a lot of folks don't see us loving one another?" "If we want God to send revival, I dare you ... to start having a genuine, authentic love for each other. ... Do we have a genuine love for each other in this convention?" The love should be not just for those in "your circle." "I'm talking about all the saints of God," he said. "We will never see revival in the world until we first see revival in the church," he said to a chorus of "amens." Referencing falling baptism statistics, Luter said he believes the SBC can reverse the decline -- but not on the current course. "I believe we can do it, but we must come together as one," he said. Luter had the messengers say in unison at the conclusion of his sermon, "Lord, send a revival, and let it begin with me." 7:56 p.m. -- Luter has begun his convention sermon. Music went about 30 minutes over. 7:08 p.m. -- The evening session of the SBC annual meeting is under way with music. Fred Luter's presidential sermon at 7:20 is the only item on the schedule. 5:15 p.m. -- The afternoon session of the SBC annual meeting has concluded. Tonight at 7:20, Luter delivers his President's Sermon. It is part of a revival service. 5 p.m. -- LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom S. Rainer introduced to Southern Baptists MinistryGrid.com, a subscription-based, online leadership development platform that will have more than 1,000 videos on various topics, ranging from parking ministry to polity. It will launch in the fall. It is customizable and can have a church's own name on the site, Rainer said. Eric Geiger of LifeWay also told messengers about the new and improved Bible Studies for Life, launching this fall. Read more about it: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=40038 4:29 p.m. -- Several motions were made moments ago. Among them: -- Motion that the ERLC investigate the American Cancer Society's stance on stem cell research and issue a report. -- Motion that the SBC Executive Committee's reserved seating be removed in future SBC meetings. The motion was made by a member of the Executive Committee. 4:25 p.m. -- Luter allowed Ronnie Floyd to speak to his earlier motion regarding mental health. "We can no longer be silent about this issue," said Floyd, who said Southern Baptists must help stop the "stigmatization" of those with mental health issues. "It is time that the Southern Baptist Convention be on the frontline of the mental health issue," Floyd said. 4:03 p.m. -- Texas pastor Bart Barber elected SBC first vice president. He was unopposed. 4 p.m. -- Former Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land delivered his final report to messengers, telling them he has been re-reading several books lately, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letters From the Birmingham Jail." Referencing what King wrote, Land urged Southern Baptist churches not to be "thermometers" but to be "thermostats" that dictate the "temperature" in society. He also endorsed the anti-pornography "Join One Million Men" campaign. "It's time that we quit playing like ostriches, with our heads in the sand," Land said. New ERLC President Russell Moore told messengers, describing his view of the entity: "We are not a political action committee." The ERLC, he said, is "fiercely independent." "We are about the Gospel of Jesus Christ." During a time of questions from messengers, Land and Moore were asked if the ERLC would endorse the immigration bill in the Senate. "We're going to support principles," Moore responded. "We're not going to support" specific legislation. 3:04 p.m. -- SBC President Fred Luter re-elected for a second one-year term. He was unopposed, and he received a standing ovation after the ceremonial ballot was cast. 2:50 p.m. -- Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary President Jeff Iorg delivered the seminary's report, telling messengers the school recently had its 8,000th graduate. 2:40 p.m. -- Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President Frank Page delivered his afternoon report, highlighting the advisory committee on Calvinism that issued its report to Page in late May. Page said he is not a Calvinist but also is not "an anti-Calvinist," and he wanted both sides to come together for the Great Commission. "I didn't know if it would work," Page said. "But I continued to pray. ... I heard the prayers of God's people saying we need to come together." "The world is winning too many battles," he said, adding that if there ever was a time "we need each other, it is now." The goal was for both sides to talk to one another, not at one another or about one another. With members of the committee joining him on stage in a sign of unity, Page said, "God showed up." "We need to do it together," Page said of advancing the Great Commission. 2:10 p.m. -- A motion was made that the Executive Committee form a study committee to evaluate the SBC Constitution & the "minimal" financial standards required to be an SBC church. 2:04 p.m. -- The Committee on Order of Business recommended, and messengers approved, that the following motions be referred to the Executive Committee for consideration: -- request that EC publish theological position paper on 2011 NIV. -- request EC appoint task force to look into alternative or substitute programs for Boy Scouts. -- request that list of all convention-elected trustees be made available at SBC.net. -- that SBC withdraw fellowship from Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, Texas for its alleged ties to Planned Parenthood. The Committee on Order of Business recommended, and messengers approved, that the following motion be referred to the Executive Committee and to all SBC entities for consideration: -- that EC and bylaw 14 entities work to assist churches to minister to those suffering from mental health issues. 2 p.m. -- Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Jason Allen gave his first report to the convention as president. There were no questions from messengers. 1:51 p.m. -- SBC Second VP Dave Miller performed the president's duties for a few moments, introducing Texas pastor Terry Turner, who delivered the opening prayer. Miller also introduced the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary report. Luter is on stage and apparently will resume his duties shortly. 1:34 p.m. -- The Tuesday afternoon session of the SBC meeting has begun. 12:10 p.m. -- The Tuesday morning session has concluded. Tuesday afternoon session begins at 1:30 p.m. 12:01 p.m. -- North American Mission Board's Kevin Ezell presented the entity's report, saying that 1,084 new churches were planted in North America last year. "I can assure you we are counting in an accurate way," he said. The goal, Ezell said, is to plant churches in cities and in areas where Southern Baptists have less of a presence. He cited stats: Mississippi has one SBC church for every 1,385 people, Texas has one for every 3,351, New Jersey one for every 78,000, and Canada one for every 115,000. Missiologists, he said, say one evangelical church is needed for every 1,000 to 2,000 people. "We must go" to the cities, Ezell said, adding that 80 percent of the population lives in and around cities. NAMB has highlighted 32 cities it calls "Send Cities," Ezell said. There is a NAMB missionary, dubbed the "Send City Coordinator," for every Send City. The coordinator's job is to recruit church planters to that city. Additionally, Ezell said, there is a "Church Planting Catalyst" for every 1 million people in North America. The goal is to plan four churches among each 1 million people. The biblical model, he said, is churches planting churches -- healthy, evangelistic churches. "We need churches that plant churches that plant churches," he said. The NAMB report also highlighted the ministries of NAMB-endorsed chaplains and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. Sam Porter, head of disaster relief for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, appeared on stage, giving messengers an update on relief from the state. "We will not stop until every need is met in Oklahoma," Porter said. Ezell said SBC disaster relief helps areas for extended periods of time. For example, SBC DR, he said, is committed to assisting in the New York area for an additional two years following the destruction of Sandy. 11:35 a.m. -- During a time of questions from messengers, Ezell was asked if NAMB partners with the Acts 29 church planting network. "We plant Southern Baptist churches," Ezell said, adding that church planters are expected to endorse the Baptist Faith & Message and give to the Cooperative Program. "We don't ask what type of support networks they may be a part of or what conferences they go to," Ezell said. He asked: Are some church planters part of the Acts 29 network? "There would be some, sure," he said. Acts 29 also has undergone a change in leadership, he noted. 11:02: Hawkins was asked by a messenger about GuideStone's investments and whether GuideStone invests in companies that support the homosexual agenda and abortion industry. The messenger referenced a World Magazine article. Hawkins said GuideStone has a "sound investment policy" that has been in place for 20 years, and it does screen out certain companies. But he said "we're not going to have a company to invest in" if the company has to have a perfect record. He noted that Southern Baptists regularly stay at hotels that sell alcohol and adult movies and buy products at gas stations and stores that sell lottery tickets and products they oppose. "It's a very difficult world," Hawkins said. 10:35 a.m. -- GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins gave his report, saying that too much of current health costs are due to preventable diseases. GuideStone, he said, offers attendees at the SBC meeting a free wellness screening valued at $150. The screening, which includes a blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol check, takes place in the exhibit hall at the GuideStone exhibit. 10:17 a.m. -- R. Albert Mohler Jr. presented the SBC Historical Library and Archives report. The library is housed in Nashville at the SBC Building. Mohler said grants are available for students who desire to research at the library. More info: http://www.sbhla.org/sg_info.htm 10:12 a.m. -- Holly Tucker, former contestant on "The Voice" and a Baylor student, sang "How Great Thou Art." 9:58 a.m. -- EC President Frank Page presented resolution of appreciation to Richard Land, who was president of the SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty until his retirement in late May. "It has been an honor and blessing of a lifetime" to serve Southern Baptists, Land said moments after messengers gave him a standing ovation. "... I will thank my God upon every remembrance of you." His wife, Becky, joined him on stage. 9:35 a.m. -- The Executive Committee report emphasized Baptist campus ministries and church plants on college campuses, spotlighting the work of Keith and Paige Wieser at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. Southern Baptist giving through the Cooperative Program make such ministries possible, the Wiesers said. Said Page, "I have said before that one of the best kept secrets across our convention is the good work that takes place on college campuses across the country through Baptist Campus Ministry and college church planting." 9:03 a.m. -- Motions were made moments ago. Among them: -- request that EC publish theological position paper on 2011 NIV. -- request EC appoint task force to look into alternative or substitute programs for Boy Scouts. -- request that list of all convention-elected trustees be made available at SBC.net. -- that EC and bylaw 14 entities work to assist churches to minister to those suffering from mental health issues. -- that SBC withdraw fellowship from Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, Texas for its alleged ties to Planned Parenthood. 9:10 a.m. -- Executive Committee President Frank Page is giving the EC report. He said the EC asked for a "reduction in CP allocation, again." The percentage has fallen from 3.4 percent to 2.99 percent. Moments earlier, messengers approved the newest reduction in allocation. The extra funds will go to the International Mission Board. "We want more and more to go to reach the nations for Christ," Page said. 8:47 a.m. -- Motions are being made. 8:31 a.m. -- NAMB's Al Gilbert gives Crossover report, telling messengers there were 582 reported professions of faith. More than 4,100 Baptist volunteers. Crossover is annual evangelism event that precedes SBC annual meeting in host city. 8:22 a.m. -- Southwestern Seminary President Paige Patterson, wearing a black cowboy hat, welcomes messengers. "Share Jesus with somebody while you're here," he says. 8:12 a.m. -- The SBC annual meeting has been gaveled to order. SBC President Fred Luter used a gavel that has been used at SBC meetings every year since 1872. The gavel head is made from olive wood from the Mount of Olives in Israel. 8 a.m. -- Registration as of 8 a.m.: 4,130. 8 a.m. -- Worship through music has begun at the SBC, led by Charles Billingsley of Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, Va.). --30-- Blogging by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EC approves territorial change involving D.C. by Erin Roach Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention approved a recommendation at its June 10 meeting in Houston to designate the District of Columbia, Maryland and Delaware as a "defined territory" to determine eligibility for representation on SBC committees and entity boards. The recommendation, slated for consideration by convention messengers June 11, stems from expressed concerns that representatives on SBC entities and committees from the District of Columbia are being drawn from too few churches. A disproportionately high number of trustees and committee members from those few D.C. churches, some have said, creates "an impression that runs counter to the goal of broadening inclusion and board and committee involvement as widely as possible among Southern Baptists," according to background material given to EC members. Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington is an example of a church having an unusually high number of SBC trustees and committee members, the background material said, noting that in the past decade 40 of 65 District of Columbia representatives have been selected from that one church. "The District of Columbia Baptist Convention includes churches affiliated with other Baptist conventions and has a limited set of churches which would qualify to send messengers to the SBC annual meeting, and from which trustees can be nominated," the background material stated. "As a result, most of the trustees come from a few churches, the most predominant of which is Capitol Hill Baptist Church, thus creating the appearance of favoritism…." According to the recommendation, the change would not affect the present term of office to which any person has been elected or appointed prior to or in the convention's annual meeting in Houston. Also, the convention would approve the amendment of the charter of any entity necessitated by the change. The territory designation would require an amendment of SBC Bylaw 19, causing that sentence to read in part: "A Committee on Committees, composed of two (2) members from each qualified state or defined territory, shall be appointed by the president...." In other action, Executive Committee members elected by acclamation Atlanta-area pastor Ernest Easley of Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta to a second term as chairman. Mike Routt, pastor of Circle Drive Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., was re-elected vice chairman in a ballot vote with Ryan Pack, pastor of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C. Carol Yarber, a member of First Baptist Church in Malakoff, Texas, was elected secretary. The Executive Committee re-elected John Yeats, the convention's recording secretary, as chairman of the administrative committee; Chris Osborne of Texas as chairman of the business and finance committee; and Rodney Autry of Virginia as chairman of the Cooperative Program committee. The Executive Committee also: -- approved a request from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to borrow up to an additional $1.2 million to support upgrades to the campus steam heating system. -- received a Cooperative Program budget report from March 31 which shows $95,352,054 has been received through the second quarter of the fiscal year and represents a 2.47 percent decrease when compared to the same period last year. --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Calvinism team addresses question: What's next? by Michael Foust Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- Members of an advisory committee on Calvinism say that with their report now issued, the "next step" in cooperation and unity is up to individual Southern Baptists. Twelve of the 19 members of the committee appeared together Monday (June 10) in the exhibit hall's Cooperative Program booth, answering questions from messengers. The 3,200-word report, which urged Southern Baptists to "grant one another liberty" and "stand together" for the Great Commission, was unanimously approved and released in late May. "It's really up to all of you as to what happens with this," committee member Tammi Ledbetter told an audience gathered around the CP booth. "We can talk it to death, and I think we probably have. What matters is what you do with your life in the way you relate to other people. And every time you have a conversation about this document or you have a conversation about a fellow believer ... how you handle yourself will make the whole difference." A homemaker and member of Inglewood Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, Ledbetter said the hope is that both sides will put the focus "back on winning people to Jesus." Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and a committee member, agreed. "So much of this comes back to what Tammi said -- our own personal attitudes and dispositions," Akin said, adding that Southern Baptists need to be "men and women of honesty and integrity." "If we will pursue those types of agendas in the days ahead, I believe we can come together for the very purpose on which we fought the conservative resurgence -- that is, standing on an inerrant Bible to get the Gospel to every person on the planet." The advisory team -- not an official committee of the convention -- was assembled by Executive Committee President Frank Page in August 2012 to advise him on developing "a strategy whereby people of various theological persuasions can purposely work together in missions and evangelism." The committee was composed of Calvinists and non-Calvinists from different walks of life in the convention. "There has been a lot of talking about one another, and I decided it was time to talk to each other," Page said during the panel discussion, acknowledging he "had doubts" about whether the committee could come to an agreement on a report. "I am not naive. I know there are still differences," Page said. "There are people on this group that have strong wills, strong opinions. I am among that group. But I just want to see us work together so men, women, boys and girls can be won to Jesus." The writing committee consisted of Eric Hankins, pastor of First Baptist Church in Oxford, Miss., and R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Mohler is a Calvinist; Hankins is not. There were "several drafts" written before the final report was released, said Union University President David Dockery, the committee chair. "Everyone had an opportunity to participate in the final document," Dockery said. "Everyone had an opportunity to make suggestions." Hankins said he wants Southern Baptists to "grant one another liberty" and "cut out the meanness." "We sought to have something that would call all Southern Baptists together around the Gospel," Hankins said. "We sought to have something that would clearly express that there were real differences [while recognizing] we still want to partner together for the cause of Christ and the announcement of the Gospel all around the world. "We hoped to have a document that would ... return us to a time period that we were in not so long ago in which we shared theological differences, but the rhetoric wasn't so harsh," Hankins said. Said Mohler, referencing the year of the Southern Baptist Convention's formation, "If you go back to 1845, there were people like me in the room, and there were people like Eric Hankins in the room. And they wanted to be in the same room together, because they wanted to send missionaries together, and they wanted to do great things for the Great Commission together." Page said he sees a level of "anti-Calvinism" in the convention "that frightens me." On the flip side, he said, a Calvinist friend recently told him that the "extreme Calvinists" were driving the friend "crazy." There is "vitriol" on both sides, Page said. "It was my opinion that we need to deal with this because I think we've come to the point where trust is hitting a new low," Page said. "We need to act on this to say, 'We've co-existed for a long time, but it will only work when we do what we've said [we should do] -- talk to [one another], not at, not about.'" Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a committee member, said, going in, he wanted to see the document reflect the strong belief that both sides are responsible for and "involved in winning people to Christ." He also wanted it to urge "honesty" on the part of potential pastors for church leadership roles. The report met his goals, he said. "In this matter of the relative aspect of Calvinism -- how much or how little, how many points or how few -- all I say is just be honest. Be forthright, up front," Patterson said, speaking to those who submit resumes for church positions. "The document calls for that. All of us agree to that. We have tried to model that to the best of our ability." David Allen, dean of Southwestern's school of theology and a member of the committee, said that when discussing the subject of Calvinism, it's important that neither side "misrepresent one another's positions." "It's very important that we respect what someone says they believe and allow them to define what they say they believe," Allen said. Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and a committee member, said one way to have dialogue with "someone you disagree with" is to get together and "try to state things [you think] the other person agrees with you on." "You come around to having to understand what the other person says," Dever said. During a question-and-answer time, the panel was asked if both strands of theology can exist in the same church or whether a church needs to take a stand on one particular side. Steve Lemke, provost and director of the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, noted that both Calvinists and non-Calvinists teach at NOBTS. Lemke served on the committee. "There is a natural tendency for people who are likeminded to share together," Lemke said. "So probably the direction and interest and theology of the pastor is going to affect the sort of persons that join that church." But there are churches that have a "great deal" of theological diversity, Lemke added, and who have Calvinists and non-Calvinists among their staff and congregation. "I think it's possible [for both sides to exist] within the same fellowship," Lemke said. "That may cause some tensions. But I think it's a good thing within the body of Christ to be able to disagree without being disagreeable." Stephen Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., and a committee member, said the report "can really serve as a model for local churches" to "navigate through how we think about these issues and how we relate to one another." "We're not going to treat one another as though we have deficiencies or as though we are somehow less because we have this position or that position," Rummage said. --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastors talk leadership & preaching by Frank Michael McCormick & Bonnie Pritchett Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- Leadership and preaching -- two key facets of ministry -- garnered added attention at the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference via panel discussions during this year's gathering in Houston. Leadership "Leadership is embedded in the very definition of being a pastor," said Eric Geiger, vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources' church resource division, in a session moderated by Pastors' Conference President Gregg Matte, pastor of First Baptist Church in Houston and joined by Jack Graham, pastor of the Dallas-area Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, and Rodney Woo, senior pastor of the International Baptist Church in Singapore. Geiger said pastors who delegate leadership or fail to develop it do so at considerable risk. Effective shepherding and good leadership go together, he said, while also noting that God will hold pastors accountable for the well-being of their flock. Shepherding is not without the conflict and criticism that come with the role of leadership, and Geiger advised to keep it in perspective since the pastor serves the entire congregation, not just the one complaining. Woo was pastor of a declining Houston-area church and faced dissent as he worked to draw multi-ethnic neighbors into the once-Anglo congregation. When criticism arises, he said, take it in stride, consider the source, and filter the complaint through Scripture and godly lay leaders. But never discount it, Woo said, noting, "When the critics speak, listen." Woo said the most effective advice offered during the transition to a revived and ethnically diverse church came from a critic. The man -- a friend born and raised in East Texas, an area still struggling with racism -- suggested that Woo take the transition slowly. Doing so would help the church's remaining Anglo members acclimate to the changes taking place instead of prompting an exodus from a congregation they no longer identified with or recognized. Matte asked the pastors what spiritual disciplines best served them in their leadership roles. Woo said he was prompted by an otherwise boring seminary pastor to devote more time to reading Scripture. Since then he has committed to reading through the New Testament once a month. Graham said humility of character is essential, while attitudes of entitlement or entanglements in worldly affairs "make us unattractive as leaders." "You can't be a pastor without leadership," Graham said. Preaching Matte noted how when a church member talks of having a great pastor, he or she often has the pastor's preaching in mind. "We prepare our messages, then we give our messages, then we have to recover from our messages," said Matte, who was joined in the panel discussion by Tony Merida, lead pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, N.C., and associate professor of preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and president of 9Marks Ministries; and Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in Springdale, Ark. Matte asked the panelists how they prepare their messages. "I generally plan a few weeks ahead, just knowing where I'm going with the big idea," Merida said. "By Monday [prior to the sermon], I try to start with unanswered questions I have about the text. I try to work through the passage, identify a theme. By Monday or Tuesday, I know the big idea of the sermon." Merida said he writes a manuscript on Wednesday and Thursday, with editing on Friday and meditation on Saturday. Dever said he condenses the process for composing a specific sermon into two days. "The first day is exegesis," Dever said. "I want to have a sermon outline by the end of the first day. Second day, I'm writing it." Dever added that on Saturday night before preaching on Sunday, a small group meets at his house. He reads his sermon manuscript to them, receives feedback and makes changes accordingly. Floyd emphasized reading and meditating on the sermon texts throughout the days leading up to preaching it, while also having a concise system of sermon preparation. He said the first day he focuses on exegesis. The second day, he works to compose the sermon. "My goal is by Wednesday it's done," Floyd said. As a follow up, Matte asked each pastor if he writes and preaches from a manuscript or just an outline. "I prepare a manuscript," Merida said. "It helps me be precise with word choice." Floyd and Dever also compose manuscripts, but Dever said preaching from a manuscript isn't for everyone. "I use a manuscript myself, but so many young guys who use a manuscript that I see ... it's just too wooden," Dever said, cautioning later, "Manuscripts have a lot of advantages, but none of them matter if it's just deadly in the pulpit." Panelists also discussed the use of illustrations, specifically whether to use personal illustrations. Dever said he does not favor personal illustrations, especially from the senior pastor. "The temptation for me is to make the church kind of the 'Mark Show,' like 'Come get interested in my life,'" Dever said. "I think it's too easy to build a church carnally around a person." Merida concurred, saying he thinks less about illustration and more about application. "I'm real cautious about illustrations, because I really want the text to win," Floyd said. Matte said he likes illustrations, calling them modern-day parables, but he underscored the importance of not telling stories just for the sake of a laugh. Panelists also discussed the distinction between decisional preaching and public invitations. Matte said his church services still include a time for public "come forward" invitations. Floyd said his church does also, but he said bringing people to a point of decision is what's ultimately important. "I believe that all preaching, in my humble opinion, should lead to a decision," Floyd said. "Now I'm not saying it needs to lead to a decision down an aisle. I don't think that's the real point we want to stress today, even though I value the public invitation." Floyd said at his church he gives four different "calls," a Gospel call, a church membership call, a ministry and missions call, and a general call to respond to God. Dever said he makes a point to address non-Christians directly, calling them to repent of their sins and put their trust in Christ. "We never preach without an invitation in that sense, but I wouldn't associate it with a physical movement at the end of the service," Dever said. Matte asked Merida directly what mistakes he sees preachers making. Merida said he's concerned with preachers who favor topical preaching over expositional preaching. Too often, preachers use a text as a "diving board" rather than "swimming around it," Merida said. "I really think it reveals a lack of trust in the Bible," Merida said. Merida also called preachers to be Christ-centered in their exposition. "When I was in seminary, we heard a lot about preaching for life change," he said. "I just tell our guys, 'If you want to preach life-changing sermons, then make sure the Life Changer is at the heart of every sermon.'" Matte also asked the panelists on their average sermon length. Dever said he preaches about an hour. Floyd said 37 to 40 minutes. Merida responded 46 minutes, and Matte said he preaches about 35 minutes. "There is nothing in the Bible about longer sermons being holier," Dever added. "I think you can preach great long sermons and great short sermons. You can preach lousy long sermons and lousy short sermons." "I've preached both," Floyd said. Regarding their recovery after preaching, Matte, Floyd, Dever and Merida each shared what their Sunday afternoons and Mondays are like. Matte and Dever said they take part or all of Monday off, while Floyd said he is at the office first thing Monday. Merida said he intends to start taking a break on Mondays this year. All of them, though, emphasized guarding carefully their focused, personal time with their family. "I made a decision over 28 years ago that every Friday I was going to take off and spend with Jeana. Every Friday, I've done that for 28 years, with only a few exceptions," Floyd said of his time with his wife. "Pastors have to guard their time and their schedule." Floyd said both his marriage and his ministry are stronger because of that unwavering time commitment to his family. A third panel discussion at the Pastors' Conference addressed family and ministry with Matte and his wife Kelly; Bryant Wright, senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., and his wife, Anne; and Paul Jimenez, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., and his wife, Cheri (see separate Baptist Press June 10 article). --30-- Frank Michael McCormick is assistant director of public relations at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Bonnie Pritchett is a correspondent for the Southern Baptist TEXAN, newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastors & wives counsel family before ministry by Barbara Denman Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- A roundtable discussion on balancing family and ministry encouraged pastors to put their family foremost by focusing on calendaring, intentionality and the spiritual condition of their children. The panel -- part of the 2013 SBC Pastors' Conference June 10 in Houston -- featured Anne and Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga.; Cheri and Paul Jimenez, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C.; and Kelly and Gregg Matte, pastor of First Baptist Church of Houston. Matte served as president of the 2013 Pastors' Conference and Jimenez as vice president. Wright, SBC president from 2010-12, said balancing ministry and family begins with "our quiet time with the Lord, just because obviously we wouldn't last a month in ministry if we didn't have that time alone with God. But I think our kids need to see us having that time alone with God." The Wrights, parents of three adult boys, now with four grandchildren, admitted they were "failures" in family devotions, due to the age spread of their boys. They decided early to commit to spending one-on-one time with each child to pray, read Scripture and perhaps a Christian sports biography -- which became a "positive," they both said. Wright told how he set aside each Tuesday as his own "Sabbath," which he defined for ministers as "24 hours away from your regular job" to spend time with family. "Ministers are perhaps the worst offenders of ignoring the commandment on the Sabbath. We really live in sin so often and rationalize it that we are doing the will of God," he said. "The Sabbath allows us to have a family day." And it also is a "time of rejuvenation that you can pour into your family and stay away from work." Making this happen, Wright said, requires discipline. He places his wife's name each week on his calendar. The Mattes, who have two small children at home, said the biggest challenge for them is "schedule and focus," Gregg Matte said. "It's never all done as pastor. It's always I can't get it all done as pastor. So we have to be very clear about keeping the schedule conducive to our family." A second key challenge is focus, he said, adding that he struggles to be at home mentally. So he has established his home as a "no-phone zone," and refuses to look at messages until the children are in bed. Paul Jimenez said intentionality also must be a priority, or the home calendar will be swept away by the church calendar. The young family has made a commitment to have dinner together every night, Cheri Jimenez said. "We have had to give things up to maintain a peaceful attitude and way of life," including extracurricular activities in the belief that their children will "remember those times we spend at home." All three couples agreed that family should always "trump" ministry. "Always," Matte said. "The oddity is when ministry trumps family not when family trumps ministry. I want my kids to always feel like they were most important." Bryant Wright said 1 Timothy 5:8 will convict a pastor on the priority of family. That passage teaches that a man's lack of provision for his household denies the faith and renders that man no better than an infidel. Anne Wright said as her boys grew to be teenagers, her prayer life "hugely expanded." While she had been praying for her children's "protection," as they got older she began praying for their "provision and God's preparation" in her effort to raise godly men. At the suggestion of a spiritual mentor, she began praying Colossians 1:9-12 over her children, "encouraging them to know God's will, to be strengthened, to have wisdom, to walk in way worthy of having His name attached to the end of your name." At the end of the discussion, husbands and wives throughout the auditorium were urged to join hands and pray for their families. --30-- Barbara Denman is director of communications for the Florida Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Huckabee to pastors: 'Feed the sheep' by Norm Miller Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- Contrasting Tim Tebow with Jason Collins while citing the moral slide of American culture, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee addressed the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference June 10 in Houston. Huckabee, host of the weekend show "Huckabee" on the Fox News Channel, said the pastorate once was "a wonderful, respected position, but not anymore" because people have contempt for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite the climate, Christians must do as Jesus encouraged the apostle Peter in John 21, where Jesus asked that, if the apostle loved Him, then Peter would feed the sheep, or take care of others who were Christ followers. The single most important role for pastors is to feed and lead God's sheep, and be prepared to bleed for them, to make sacrifices for God's church, said Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor. "Jesus is talking about good food, biblical food," Huckabee noted, lamenting that "we are living in a time of biblical ignorance." "People who attend church, especially young people, have an extraordinary lack of biblical depth," he said. "According to recent surveys, the kids who grow up in our evangelical churches do not really know the biblical definition of marriage, and that really does concern me." "We need to be clear that, when holy matrimony is formed into an unholy pretzel, twisted into perversion -- and when the military and the Boy Scouts become test labs for social experiments -- we need to be very clear that, male and female, [God] created them," Huckabee said. Saying he is "constantly confronted" by people who say that Jesus was silent regarding marriage, Huckabee noted Matthew 19:5 where Jesus said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." "That seems pretty clear to me," he said. Citing veteran NBA center Jason Collins, who revealed his homosexuality on a sports website, Huckabee said the national media called Collins "a hero for announcing his sexual proclivities." Huckabee asked, where are the "accolades for Tim Tebow who announced that he follows Jesus? He was told to shut up." "It should concern us that we're living in a culture where a person announces a sexual preference and it's heroic" and another "announces he loves Jesus Christ, and he's told ... to keep that to yourself." "We need to understand what we're up against, and we've got to feed the sheep," Huckabee said. Pastors also must "lead the sheep," and that includes equipping and empowering church members to live Christ-like lives, Huckabee said. The biblical model of leadership is seen in biblical marriage, Huckabee said. The purpose of a father and mother is to create the next generation, and then train them to become the replacements who are no longer dependent upon their parents, but who can have and train children who are independent themselves. "Feed them, lead them. And then it's important that we're willing to bleed," Huckabee said, noting pastoral ministry requires personal sacrifice. "The toughest question of all is: Are we willing to pay a price? Are we willing to take a risk?" Clarifying that the hope of America is not in the next election, Huckabee said, "I would never suggest, ever, that you would turn your pulpit into some political podium. But I would urge that the pulpit would be a powerful, prophetic and purposeful punch in the gut to a culture that is ungodly and unholy." Huckabee then lamented abortion, where "every year more than a million babies lose their lives in what ought to be the safest place on earth in their mother's own womb. How can we be silent?" Abortion is not a political issue, but is one of "whether or not our civilization will survive as a nation that honors the God who created that precious life" or whether that life is "expendable, disposable." "This is an issue upon which our nation will stand or fall," he said, "and the pulpits of America must not be silent." Christians must have "broken hearts not just for the babies, but for the mothers who are often exploited and twisted and turned and forced and cajoled into having the abortion that deep down in their maternal souls they know they don't want to have." Regarding evangelicals' stance on social and moral issues, Huckabee said some in the Republican Party are saying "that maybe we need to dial it back a little bit when it comes to issues like the sanctity of life and the holiness of marriage, and maybe just ease off." The crowd erupted into sustained applause when Huckabee said, "Well, I've got a news flash for the GOP: I plan to take my last ride in life on a white horse, not on an elephant and not on a donkey. And I will stick with the Word of God. And if the party, any party, goes a different way, I stick with Jesus. I believe He is forever." Huckabee said that one of the most touching examples of one who demonstrated what Jesus meant by feeding and leading the sheep was a pastor whose wife, after 50 years of marriage, was stricken with Alzheimer's disease. For years, the husband was at his wife's side, feeding her every meal, every day, at the medical facility where she lived. In the latter stages of the disease, the wife was oblivious to her husband's presence and help. Only when the spoon touched her lips would the natural reflex take over and the wife would eat. The wife hadn't said the husband's name in more than a year. Despite offers of help from others so the husband could have a day off, his answer was, Huckabee said, "No, there is no day off. I committed to [my wife] over 50 years ago that I wouldn't leave her or forsake her." "The greatest mission in the world is the mission God has entrusted to you to feed, to lead, and to sacrifice, and if necessary, to bleed for those sheep to whom he has entrusted [to you]," Huckabee concluded. "It is an honor. It is a privilege. And God bless you for doing it." --30-- Norm Miller is director of communications and marketing for Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Luter sails to second term as SBC president by John Evans Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- Fred Luter, Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La., was re-elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Luter, whose historic election as president in 2012 was viewed as a milestone for the Southern Baptist Convention, won a second term unopposed as messengers delivered a standing ovation. Mark A. Croston Sr., pastor of East End Baptist Church in Suffolk, Va., nominated Luter for the office, calling him "the kind of guy we need on the scene." Croston recounted Luter's pastorate of Franklin Avenue Baptist beginning in 1986, when Luter took the helm of the struggling 65-member church and led its growth into a megachurch with thousands of members. "[They] called this young, fiery preacher to be their pastor because he preached boldly and lived holy," Croston said. Croston praised Luter as a man of dignity who has led the Southern Baptist Convention with distinction, lauding Luter's commitment to the inerrancy of the Bible, support of the Cooperative Program, and love of biblical marriage. "He is the husband of Elizabeth, the father of Chip and Kimberly, the pastor of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La.," Croston said, "and a believer that Jesus Christ still is the way, the truth and the life, and that no man comes to the Father but by Him." --30-- John Evans is a writer from Houston. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pastors' Conf. speakers exhort faithfulness by Staff Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- Pastors received encouragement and challenge to remain strong in ministry and to champion the Gospel during the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference June 9-10 in Houston. SBPC President Gregg Matte, pastor of Houston's First Baptist Church, invited speakers serving in churches from coast to coast and internationally. The annual two-day event concluded with a message from former Arkansas governor and current Fox News Channel host Mike Huckabee. (See separate Baptist Press story). Bruce Frank Bruce Frank, pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden, N.C., opened the conference on Sunday evening with a message on finishing well in ministry. Frank, who later was elected as SBPC president, preached from 2 Timothy 4:9-18, in which the apostle Paul is ministering to a young and struggling Timothy. Speaking from his experiences with ministry struggles, Frank said, "I understand that you are going through many trials, pastor, but what is going to matter 10 years from now? The important thing to remember is to both finish -- and finish well -- in your service to Christ and others." Noting that many clergy are burned out or stressed in their ministry, Frank reminded conference attendees always to be aware of the obvious obstacles and to confront them. "You are going to be lonely, tired, angry and impatient at times," Frank said. "I have a question for you, though: 'Is ministry still worship for you?' "From this passage in 2 Timothy, you see Paul fired up about his love for Jesus. So, are you in awe of Jesus and are you allowing God's message of salvation to change you daily? When Paul looks in the mirror, he sees not a pastor or a church planter, but who Christ is and what Christ has done in his life." Noting how this passage applies to pastors today, Frank said they, like Paul, must focus on both their ministry and their devotion to Christ. "Nobody will do ministry on behalf of you," Frank said. "God has called you to be servants for the church, and we should not expect to get any applause for this servitude. "And your relationship must remain preeminently focused on Jesus and then we can properly give credit where credit is due." John Bisagno John Bisagno, pastor emeritus at Houston's First Baptist Church, told pastors that, in the words of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, they are "built to last." He urged ministers to finish the task to which God has called them and for which He has equipped them. Many who enter the ministry do not last, Bisagno said. He said hundreds of ministers from various Christian denominations leave the ministry every month and that only a minority of seminary graduates will remain in the ministry eight years after graduation. "I know ministry can be a battle," Bisagno said. "Some win. Sadly, some lose." Those who quit the battle or find themselves disqualified, he said, subject America and the world to an ever-quickening spiritual decline -- a decline that he said has led Islam, Mormonism and the occult to become the first, second and third fastest growing religions in the United States, respectively. The decline of Christianity and the disappearance of those once committed to the ministry do not have to continue, Bisagno said. He offered four areas of focus: moral issues, money, people and a realistic understanding of success in ministry. As for moral issues, Bisagno told ministers to guard their eyes, love their wives and maintain correctly ordered priorities. Concerning money, he said to follow Matthew 6:33 in seeking first the Kingdom of the Lord before anything else. Specifically, he told them not to touch church money, to have no "shady" dealings with the church credit card, and never to discuss the amount of an honorarium or salary. Discussing people, Bisagno challenged pastors to be wary of the legalists, the faithless, the doubtful and the "self-appointed church bosses." He counseled pastors to remember their commonality, avoid their discouragement and not to respond combatively. Instead, listen closely and lead wisely, he said. Through it all ministers must finish the fight and finish it well, Bisagno said. "Go back to basic training," Bisagno said. "Go back to the Cross. Get some guts. Pay the price. Get with it. The ship is sinking. Get back in the battle. It's a day for heroes. It's a day for leaders. It's a day for change. It's a day for victory. God built you to last." Ed Stetzer Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, told pastors that Southern Baptist churches must reclaim salt-and-light ministries and churches. "Christians are called to be salt and light and to live in such a way that makes us distinct from the world but also impacts the world," Stetzer said. Stetzer, who also is lead pastor of Grace Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., explained the biblical concepts of salt and light and why they are important. Preaching from Matthew 5, Stetzer observed things about salt that he said would take churches and ministries to "a higher level." For the former, Stetzer claimed that salt "preserves," "creates thirst" and "needs to stay salty." Citing statistics that indicate a decline in total membership of the Southern Baptist Convention over a 50-year period and the lowest baptism rate since 1948, Stetzer warned pastors that the Southern Baptist Convention runs the risk of losing its saltiness. "What this convention needs to be about, what this day needs to be about is our people in God's church saying to King Jesus, 'Lord, our hearts are broken. Revive us, Jesus. Send us again on Your mission. Help us to live out as salt and light.'" Calling Matthew 5 the "most important sermon preached by the most important person," Stetzer said it presents light as the visible dimension of a faithful Christian life. "I believe there has never been a more important time for us to be salt and light in our lifetime than right now." Rodney Woo In an age of shifting demographics, churches must focus on uniting believers from different cultures into one family of God, said Rodney Woo, pastor of International Baptist Church in Singapore. During the Monday morning session, Woo pointed to the church at Rome in the books of Acts and Romans as such a model. "I believe that many of our churches are going to actually identify more with the church at Rome than almost any other church in the New Testament because of the shifting times in the United States, and especially among Southern Baptists," Woo said. Woo noted the demographic changes experienced by the church: It started with mostly Jews, who had returned after the filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The church then became entirely Gentile after Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome. Finally, after Claudius died and Jews began to return, the church settled into an uneasy ethnic split as majority Gentile/minority Jew. "We get some indicators from the apostle Paul that there were some elements of tension between the minority Jews and the majority Gentiles," Woo said. "The ones who used to be in charge now are no longer in charge." Woo reminded pastors that the present century has its own lines of demarcation, and for those in the minority status, who feel different and ostracized, those lines matter. "And so I want you to get into the skin of a person who may not be a majority, and they're coming to your church," Woo said. Paul did not ignore the real ethnic differences within the church, Woo said, but rather emphasized that there was no distinction in God's sight between Jew and Gentile, that all are one in Christ. "We as the recipients of the Gospel of God's grace, of the power of God -- God has called us to reach across lines," Woo said. "In the church at Rome, there was not a Jewish church and there was not a Gentile church. It was Christ's church." Matt Carter Matt Carter, pastor at Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas, challenged pastors to love their wives and family well. "We want to be known as men who are not only making an impact in our ministries," Carter said, "but we want to be known as great husbands and great fathers." Carter preached from Ephesians 5, emphasizing Jesus' love for the church. Using his own personal story as an example, he confessed that earlier in his ministry, if someone pulled back the veil on his life, it would be evident he was not a great husband. Several years ago, after Carter's wife said she did not feel pursued or cherished by him, he realized his passion for the church had eclipsed his primary call to love his wife. Carter said he turned to Ephesians 5 to seek guidance from God as he sought to win back the heart of his wife. Although familiar, He pointed out in Ephesians 5:23-25 that Jesus not only loved the church but He loved her first. "Find out, men, the way your wife receives love and then love her that way," Carter said, "and do it first regardless of what she's doing." Carter said he works hard to love his wife by being a "one-woman man." He never travels alone, has protective software on both his computer and phone, and has given access to his email, phone, social media and financial records over to his wife. Carter also encouraged pastors to lead first in the arena of conflict: "In the midst of conflict, you take the initiative to bring peace." Finally, Carter said that besides the Holy Spirit, God has called husbands to take an active part in their wives' sanctification. A husband should regularly ask his wife about her spiritual life and encourage her to utilize her spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. "I believe there are way too many wives out there that are widows spiritually," Carter said, "and we as pastors are ministering to everyone around us but her. "Who among us at our death would not desire for our wife to be able to write to our children and say, 'Oh, what a legacy my husband and your father has left'? By the grace of Jesus and by His power, let's live in such a way where they can say that." Greg Laurie Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., spoke from Acts 17 to challenge believers to be faithful in preaching the Gospel. "I came to the Lord through the preaching of the Gospel," Laurie said. "I'm as passionate about preaching the Gospel as I have ever been. I'll take it a step further: I'm more passionate." Laurie came to faith in Jesus Christ at age 17 when he heard the Gospel preached on his high school campus. Two years later, he began a Bible study of about 30 people that eventually grew into Harvest Christian Fellowship and more than 15,000 church members. At age 60, Laurie remains devoted to preaching the Gospel that transformed his life. More than 371,000 professions of faith have been recorded during Laurie's evangelistic Harvest Crusades. Laurie shared with Pastors' Conference attendees that the Gospel carried him through the darkest valleys, including his oldest son's death in 2008. "It tested my faith. If the Gospel did not come through for me in my hour of need, I would have given up preaching," Laurie said. "Everything we go through in life is preparation for something else. With the comfort God has given me, I want to comfort others. We should never waste our pain." Laurie urged pastors to preach biblical messages that do not overlook the cross and return of Christ. "Focus on Jesus Christ crucified and risen," Laurie said. "If you want your message to have authority, you have to speak of Him crucified." Although the Day of Judgment is one of the hardest things to preach, Laurie said, "to leave it out is not to declare the whole Gospel." Laurie reminded believers that the command is to preach and to share the Gospel, but the results are in God's hands. "One day, before we know it, we're going to stand before God," Laurie said. "When you stand before Jesus, He's not going to say, 'Well done, my good and successful servant.' He's going to say, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.' Our job is to be faithful to the end." Tim McKenzie Tim McKenzie, president and founder of On Every Word Ministries, brought a message from God's Word that was just that: God's Word. McKenzie put a twist on the most basic of sermons as he wove passages from both the Old and New Testaments in a 37-minute memorized recitation that drew from 19 books of the Bible. He began in Genesis, walking through the seven days of creation and jumping periodically to Romans 1 and other passages to view "His eternal power and divine nature." McKenzie paired each day of the creation account with a corresponding biblical truth about the God who lights the world, feeds the birds of the air and offers rest to the weary. "The earth was formless and empty," McKenzie quoted. "And darkness was over the surface of the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters and God said, 'Let there be light.' And there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. "And the people living in darkness have seen a great light," he continued. "On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. O send forth Your light and Your truth and let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, into the place that You dwell. "And Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path, and the unfolding of Thy words is light," McKenzie said. "This is the message that we heard from Jesus and declare to you: that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." Gary Rosberg Gary Rosberg, an author, radio host and marriage conference speaker, was scheduled to speak at Pastors' Conference, but medical reasons prevented him from speaking. Matte led the conference attendees in a time of prayer for Rosberg. New officers In addition to Frank's election as president, Clint Pressley, senior pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., was elected as vice president of the Pastors' Conference for 2014 and Alex Himaya, pastor of theChurch.at in Tulsa, Okla., as treasurer. --30-- Compiled by Keith Collier, with reporting by Michael McEwen, Sharayah Colter, Aaron Cline Hanbury, Jon Evans, Tim Sweetman, Melissa Lilley and Brian Koonce. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Marriage-ministry theme lifts pastors' wives by Sharayah Colter Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- Encouragement for the medley of marriage and ministry was relayed during the Pastors' Wives Conference June 10, part of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference prior to each year's SBC annual meeting. The three-hour session included keynote addresses from Barbara O'Chester and Jennie Allen, a panel discussion and a time of prayer and worship. "Marriage is not the joining of two worlds; it is the abandonment of two worlds and the forming of a brand-new world," O'Chester said, noting that the two sets of backgrounds, temperaments and spiritual gifts each spouse brings to a union can be one of life's greatest blessings. "You throw into this mix the challenge of the ministry and it's only by God's grace and mercy that any of us make it in marriage," said O'Chester, a New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary distinguished alumnus award recipient and wife of retired pastor Harold O'Chester. By God's grace and wisdom, though not without troubles and trials, a ministry marriage can thrive and exude the testimony of the Gospel that God intended, O'Chester said, describing how a woman controlled by the Holy Spirit, willing to forgive, eager to support, and committed to engaging in spiritual warfare can foster a successful marriage and therefore a more successful ministry. Jennie Allen, a Bible study author and wife of a former pastor, told the women to make themselves vulnerable enough to allow God to use them, even amid the certainty that hurts will come their way. Allen carried multiple milk crates on stage to represent the burdens she found herself bearing years ago, explaining that she finally came to the point that when she could no longer bear the burdens, she built a wall out of them and hid behind them. When her plan to hide left her unsatisfied and unfulfilled, she said God showed her what to do instead and how to advise other women. "He did not say, 'Just bust down the wall and tell them it's going to be OK,'" Allen said. "He said, 'Bust down the wall and tell them that I am better than any hiding, than any potential circumstance that could ever be given or worked out.' He said, 'Come out of hiding and I will be your Rock; I will be your Shield; I will protect you. I am better.'" A panel moderated by author and speaker Susie Hawkins, wife of GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins, fielded both pre-arranged questions and questions tweeted from attendees regarding marriage and ministry. Also on the panel were Suzanne Grigsby of Memphis, Tenn., daughter, wife and mother of three respective pastors; Kelly Matte of Houston, wife of 2013 Pastors' Conference President Greg Matte; and Karolyn Chapman of Winston-Salem, N.C., wife of "The Five Love Languages" author Gary Chapman. The four women discussed such topics as how to deal with criticism; how to maintain healthy boundaries; and how to respond to the tragically rising numbers of Christian men and women involved in pornography. Keeping with the ministry-marriage theme of the conference, Kathy Litton, a consultant for the North American Mission Board's (NAMB) ministry to pastors' wives, led the women in a 20-minute concerted prayer time specifically for their husbands and their marriages. She directed their prayer in areas of wisdom, forgiveness and strongholds. "[We pray that] God's glory would be made manifest in our marriages, not because we have perfect homes, not because we've got it all together, but so they can see the power of God working in our marriages." --30-- Sharayah Colter is a writer for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and correspondent for the Southern Baptist TEXAN, newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Over-representation on SBC boards addressed by Erin Roach & Michael Foust Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday HOUSTON (BP) -- During the Executive Committee report June 11, messengers adopted a recommendation to designate the District of Columbia, Maryland and Delaware as a "defined territory" to determine eligibility for representation on SBC committees and entity boards. The recommendation stems from expressed concerns that representatives on SBC entities and committees from the District of Columbia are being drawn from too few churches. A disproportionately high number of trustees and committee members from those few D.C. churches, some have said, creates "an impression that runs counter to the goal of broadening inclusion and board and committee involvement as widely as possible among Southern Baptists," according to background material given to Executive Committee members. According to the recommendation, the change will not affect the present term of office to which any person has been elected or appointed prior to or in the convention's annual meeting in Houston. Also, the convention approved the amendment of the charter of any entity necessitated by the change. In a related action, messengers approved an amendment of SBC Bylaw 19, causing that sentence to read in part: "A Committee on Committees, composed of two (2) members from each qualified state or defined territory, shall be appointed by the president...." According to SBC Bylaw 30, the number of cooperating Baptists in a defined territory must meet certain thresholds before Baptists in that territory qualify for representation on SBC boards and committees. By combining the District of Columbia with Maryland and Delaware as a "defined territory," the number of churches from which qualified SBC committee and board members can be selected becomes a larger set, helping meet the goal of broader inclusion. The SBC will continue to relate directly to the District of Columbia Baptist Convention as a cooperating state convention, as it does other state and regional conventions in areas of the country that do not qualify for representation on SBC boards and committees. GuideStone Financial Resources Messengers adopted amendments to the ministry statement of GuideStone Financial Resources, allowing the entity to offer its investment and insurance products and services to like-minded individuals. GuideStone will create two new affiliate companies that will be controlled by and will answer to GuideStone's trustees, much as its current affiliates do. The Dallas-based board, which provides retirement, insurance, property and casualty and investment opportunities to Southern Baptist churches, affiliated ministries and their employees, has served approved like-minded evangelical churches and organizations for nearly a decade. GuideStone also sponsors Mission:Dignity, a ministry that provides financial assistance for retired Southern Baptist ministers and their widows who need financial assistance in their declining years. Under the approved expansion of its ministry assignment, GuideStone will begin making its mutual funds, which garnered key finance industry awards last year, available to Southern Baptist church members and other eligible evangelical Christians sometime in 2014. GuideStone also is studying potential insurance products and services it could make available. After the Executive Committee meeting in February, GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins emphasized the motivation behind the request for a change in ministry assignment, stating that GuideStone is committed "to further enhance the financial security of the SBC pastor at the crossroads by producing additional economies of scale and helping to undergird the coming needs of our Mission:Dignity program fueled by a massive baby boomer generation who is retiring within the next 15 years.... "We are only requesting the opportunity to serve a larger audience because we firmly believe it will enhance our ability to serve our Southern Baptist pastors in a more cost-effective manner for the long-term," Hawkins said. Resolution of appreciation Messengers approved a resolution of appreciation for Richard Land, who has retired as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission after 25 years of service. As he presented a framed resolution to Land and his wife Rebekah, Frank Page, the Executive Committee's president, said, "Even though our nation is in trouble, I shudder to think where we would be without the ministry of Dr. Richard Land and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission." The resolution says Land and the ERLC staff "participated in thousands of meetings with congressmen, senators, congressional staff, and White House personnel throughout his tenure, advocating on behalf of Southern Baptists from a biblical perspective." Also during Land's tenure, the ERLC filed 62 amicus briefs with the Supreme Court and lower courts "championing religious freedom, basic human rights for all people, sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, the role and sanctity of biblical marriage, and addressing other issues such as education, fiscal policy, gambling, health care, homosexuality, and obscenity from a biblical perspective." The resolution also states that Land "worked tirelessly to effect racial reconciliation" in the Southern Baptist Convention and in American life, including as a principal architect of the SBC's 1995 resolution on racial reconciliation. Among his other accomplishments, the resolution states, Land "helped Southern Baptists take positive, proactive steps to minister to those ensnared in the homosexual lifestyle or by drug abuse." Other business Also in the business portions of the Executive Committee report, messengers: -- adopted a 2013-14 Cooperative Program allocation budget that directs $140 million to ministries through the convention's two missions entities, $41.4 million to theological education through six seminaries and $3.1 million to concerns about ethics and religious liberty. -- adopted a 2013-14 SBC operating budget that anticipates $7.2 million in income, with $5.7 million through the Cooperative Program. A total of $2.4 million is budgeted for SBC administration expenses and $4.8 million is allocated toward operating expenses for the Executive Committee. -- approved a request from the North American Mission Board that the maximum amount of the entity's contingency reserve fund be changed to an amount equal to six months of its operating budget. -- adopted the 2017-18 SBC calendar of activities. --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- WORLDVIEW: Declassify the Gospel by Erich Bridges Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Visit WorldView Conversation, the blog related to this column. RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- The scandals currently engulfing the IRS, the National Security Agency (NSA), the Justice Department and other government agencies have something in common: information. Who has certain information and for what purpose? How should they be able to obtain it? What should they know and when should they know it? And so on. "Big Data" offers enormous power to those with the resources to gather, analyze and use it, for good or ill. The challenge for free societies is to harness Big Data without allowing governments or corporations to become Big Brothers and manipulators. Secrecy is another common element in the latest scandals. Public officials at every level of government, regardless of political affiliation, seem to have a compulsive need to classify information -- regardless of its sensitivity. They're not the only offenders. Questionable secrecy is common in the business world. Bureaucrats and managers who regard knowledge as power withhold important information from underlings who need it to do their jobs. It only hurts the companies they work for, but it's almost impossible to eliminate. Why? Human nature. People love secrets. But there's a secrecy -- or silence, to put it more accurately -- that's much worse than the bureaucratic brand. It has potentially eternal consequences, and it's practiced consciously or unconsciously by many folks who claim to follow Christ. We have the most important information there is: Jesus is Lord and Savior of the world. But we don't tell others He is the way, the truth and the life. You can come up with any number of rationalizations. You aren't good at one-on-one evangelism. It's not your "gift." You're a sinner, so you don't have the right to tell somebody else what to believe or how to live. You aren't ready when the opportunity comes. The people you need to tell aren't ready to hear it. They don't want to hear it. They will reject you if you say something. Old-school evangelistic methods don't work anymore. Blah, blah, blah. I've used 'em all. Still do from time to time. These are excuses, not reasons. Yes, you need to live the Gospel in order to share it effectively. But that doesn't mean you wait until you have eliminated all sin from your life to tell others how to find forgiveness. That day will never come. The real reasons we don't tell everyone we know about the Good News of Jesus boil down to three: We're afraid of the reaction we might get, we don't care enough about others to tell them -- or we don't really believe Jesus is the only way to salvation. That last one is the heart of the matter. Unbelief and disobedience usually go hand in hand. Larry Alex Taunton, an author and commentator who directs the Fixed Point Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the public defense of Christianity, has debated many prominent atheists. In an excellent article for The Atlantic magazine, "Listening to Young Atheists: Lessons for a Stronger Christianity," Taunton reported on a project carried out by Fixed Point to interview members of college atheist organizations about their "journey to unbelief." Taunton expected the young nonbelievers to cite science, rationality, logic or the conflicting claims of major faiths as the sources of their rejection of religion in general and Christianity in particular. Many did so. But he was surprised by how many had grown up in church and left the fold -- not because they felt it was oppressive or fanatical, but because they found it superficial and disconnected from its biblical origins. "These students heard plenty of messages encouraging 'social justice,' community involvement, and 'being good,' but they seldom saw the relationship between that message, Jesus Christ, and the Bible," Taunton reports. "Listen to Stephanie, a student at Northwestern: 'The connection between Jesus and a person's life was not clear.' This is an incisive critique. She seems to have intuitively understood that the church does not exist simply to address social ills, but to proclaim the teachings of its founder, Jesus Christ, and their relevance to the world. Since Stephanie did not see that connection, she saw little incentive to stay." They also expressed respect for, if not agreement with, Christians who "unashamedly embraced biblical teaching." "I really can't consider a Christian a good, moral person if he isn't trying to convert me," stated Michael, a political science major at Dartmouth. According to Taunton, "This sentiment is not as unusual as you might think. It finds resonance in the well-publicized comments of Penn Jillette, the atheist illusionist and comedian: 'I don't respect [believers] who don't proselytize.... If you believe that there's a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward.... How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?'" Good question. Believers in many places are willing to put their lives on the line to tell others about the eternal truth they have found. We're hesitant to share it because it might make someone else (or us) uncomfortable. Our hesitance is hastening our own society's destruction -- and helps explain our halfhearted participation in taking the Gospel to all nations. If you don't have the compulsion to tell others that Jesus is Lord, do you really believe it yourself? --30-- Erich Bridges is IMB global correspondent and a columnist for Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Avoiding giving into sin by Candi Finch Date: June 11, 2013 - Tuesday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Can you think of the last time you gave in to something you know you shouldn't have? What causes you to lose heart, give up on doing good, and give into temptation even when you know it is wrong? Consider Galatians 6:9: "Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up." I love this verse because of the promise it offers: In God's time, the proper time, the harvest or the benefits of doing good will come. The results are not up to us; they are in God's hands. We are just called to be obedient. Paul was writing to a group of Christians, and he knew that they may be tempted to give up and stop being obedient to God. He was warning them against this temptation. I have spent some time the last couple of months meditating on what causes me to grow weary and to want to stop being obedient. Now when I say weary, I am not talking about being physically tired because of lack of sleep or something like that. The word Paul uses for "grow weary" in the Greek actually means "giving into evil." This is a kind of spiritual weariness that causes you to want to give up on doing good and give into sin. One source even suggests this word means "losing heart and becoming a coward" because you are essentially giving up on doing what you know is right. Ever been there? Me too. I know the good I am supposed to do, yet there are times I willingly choose to sin. That crushes and grieves me! I have become a coward because doing the good thing, doing the God thing, is too hard or the payoff isn't immediate enough. Or, frankly, sometimes my character is just plain weak. I remember a time when I thought it would just be easier to lie rather than face the consequences of my sin, just compounding sin upon sin. Paul understood this struggle, so he wasn't writing to the Galatians as someone who didn't understand the temptation or struggle. Paul faced his own struggle with doing good. In Romans 7:14-25 he talked about the spiritual battle that raged in his own life (and that rages in each of our lives), and he said in verse 19, "For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want." As I have been thinking about what has caused me to give into sin in the past, I have noticed several recurring patterns and symptoms. I have come up with a five-letter acrostic using the word "weary" to help us talk about those things that may cause you and me to be spiritually weary and tempted to give into evil: Weariness Here, I actually do mean physical weariness because the truth is that there are times when I am physically tired and give in to sin more easily. If I get worn out and don't take time for real rest, I find myself getting really impatient and short-tempered with people. Adequate sleep, along with eating properly and getting exercise, actually helps me in this. I also have found that real rest doesn't necessarily come from inactivity -- just vegging out on the couch for a couple hours in front of the TV doesn't usually solve my problem. In some cases, it makes it worse if I end up watching junk. Evangelism is lacking Our one purpose for remaining on this earth after we have been saved is to go and tell other people about how to be saved and how to live the Christian life (Matthew 28:19-20). When I am sharing my faith regularly, it has a positive, energizing impact on my walk with the Lord. However, the reverse is also true; when I am not sharing my faith regularly, this is often an indication of my own spiritual weakness and weariness. Actions replace time with God This is the top contributor to spiritual weariness in my life. Doing ministry is never a substitute for spending time alone with God, reading His Word. In fact, there are many instances in the Bible when people were going through the motions, yet their hearts were far from God (Isaiah 29:13; Hosea 6:6). If I consider those times when I have really struggled with sin (even while being actively involved in ministry), the one common denominator is that I was not regularly spending time in God's Word. Now, that doesn't mean that when I do spend time with the Lord, all my temptations cease. What happens, though, is that God's Word gives me strength to resist giving into evil (Psalm 119:11). God's Word turns me into a courageous conqueror over sin instead of a coward who loses heart and gives into sin (Romans 8:37). Relationships aren't refreshing We aren't supposed to live the Christian life as lone rangers, yet I have done this at times. I may surround myself with people who aren't encouraging me to run the race with endurance. I even may distance myself from my "iron sharpens iron" friends who keep me accountable. I avoid the very people who could help me not to grow weary! Over and over, Paul talked about how certain believers helped "refresh" him in his walk, literally reinvigorating him to keep doing good (Romans 15:32; 2 Timothy 1:16; Philemon 1:7). This doesn't mean you should only surround yourself with believers, of course, because we are called to evangelize the lost. But it does mean that you need people in your life who challenge you to keep doing good, even when it is hard. Yeast is influencing In Galatians 5:9, Paul used a baking illustration and warned the believers that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. He was specifically talking about the impact that wrong beliefs could have on their whole life. So, by yeast, I am referring to anything that influences or infects my life. Some yeast that has negatively influenced my own life has been taking in the world's influence through binging on TV or movies, my own wrong motives, wrong beliefs, and even unconfessed sin. When I have allowed any of those things in my life, it has caused me to grow weary. The Bible encourages us to lay aside those things which easily trip us up and cause us to sin, and instead fix our eyes on Jesus. The author of Hebrews says if we will do that, then we "will not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:1-3). What about you? Be honest with yourself. What causes you to grow spiritually weary? Are there patterns that need to change so you will not be tempted to give into evil? It is not enough for us to just identify destructive symptoms, habits or patterns; we must then do something about it. Let's not be those Christians who act like we have it all together while we silently wallow in our sin. Find someone who will hold you accountable and encourage you and build you up to continue to do the good you know you ought to do (Hebrews 3:13, 10:24). --30-- Candi Finch serves as assistant professor of theology in women's studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and is nearing the end of her Ph.D. studying systematic theology. This column first appeared at BiblicalWoman.org, a blog of Southwestern Seminary. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).