The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-06/28/2012 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Entity heads address messenger questions by Staff Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Messengers had opportunities to ask questions of the presidents of Southern Baptist entities during those entities' annual reports to the convention in New Orleans. Following are accounts of questions posed by messengers on the convention floor and responses by entity presidents. Not all entity presidents were asked questions. INTERNATIONAL MISSION BOARD Ron Wilson, a messenger from Wynnbrook Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga., asked two questions at the close of the International Mission Board report. "Trustees used to have to read 35 to 40 pages of information before they could vote on potential missionaries," Wilson said. "I've been told that they now only get four or five pages. So my question is, 'How can trustees know enough about the candidates to make an informed decision?'" Tom Elliff, the IMB's president, said he believes trustees know more about missionary candidates now than they did in the past. "Besides all the great volume of paperwork, it would be good for you to know that these trustee personnel committees are involved in Skype conversations as a committee, and what we call the 'green-sheet' process; they go through personal interviews ...," Elliff said. Elliff recounted one former candidate telling him at the convention, "I think they knew more about me than I did by the time they finished with me." "Our desire is to do everything we can to send out people that would be adequate -- no, not just adequate -- that would be excellent when it comes to sharing their faith on the field," Elliff said. Wilson's second question, "Is it true that we no longer have to have a seminary degree or two years of pastoral experience before we go as missionaries?" was referred to Clyde Meador, the mission board's executive vice president. "It has been many years since we removed a requirement for a seminary degree for every missionary going," Meador told messengers. "Nevertheless, you'll be interested to know that even though it is not required for most of our assignments, more than 50 percent, in fact about 61 percent, of career missionary personnel going to the field today do have a seminary degree -- the head of household does have a seminary degree before they go to the field." The IMB requires at least 20 hours of seminary education for all career personnel and 30 hours for those who will have full-time church planting and evangelism responsibilities, Meador said. "Added to that, we are now asking that each [wife] ... have at least 12 hours of specific theological education from one of our seminaries," Meador said. "This is a brand-new requirement for spouses. At the same time, we are seeking to determine whether we need again to look at greater educational requirements for our personnel. Let me say also that our personnel undergo and experience unusually fine orientation programs including theological education after they come with us, before they go to the field." LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN RESOURCES Thom S. Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, was asked to explain how the organization makes decisions about what books, videos and other products to sell. Rainer acknowledged "it's a difficult process because we sometimes make calls on products some people object to." He encouraged messengers to "trust the trustees." "Southern Baptists have elected trustees who love the Lord, the inerrant Scripture and the Southern Baptist Convention," Rainer said. "They hold us accountable.... I ask you, messengers, to trust the trustee system. How do we decide what we do? We trust the trustees." Another messenger asked Rainer, "Do we trust the trustees more than we trust the messengers?" He replied, "We trust the messengers to elect the trustees." MIDWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Following the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary report on Wednesday morning, two messengers voiced questions. The first, posed by Jay Gross, pastor of West Conroe Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas, was, "Recent articles released by the Baptist Press, the Associated Baptist Press, printed in a number of state papers ... have stated that Dr. Phil Roberts, the former president of Midwestern, was encouraged by the trustees to resign for reasons of misappropriation of funds and mismanagement. Yet I've been told by some that the audits of Midwestern during Dr. Roberts' tenure were all unqualified." Gross said a member of his church requested a copy of the audit from the school without response. He went on to state that donors and contributors to the Cooperative Program were entitled to review such audits, and he wanted to know when a copy of the audit might be provided for viewing. In response, Robin Hadaway, interim president of Midwestern, said an answer had previously been provided by himself and Anthony Allen, then-senior vice president of administration, that the audit summary would be presented in the convention's book of reports. "That was given and is for anyone to see," Hadaway said. He added that the audit also was given to the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee at its February meeting. "It was received," he said. Hadaway turned over personal questions about Roberts to Kevin Shrum, the seminary's trustee chairman. Shrum said there was a possibility that inaccuracies existed in some of the published stories, and the information "did not come from the Midwestern family." "We are sorry if there's been any misunderstanding as far as the credibility of anyone, but a lot of those reports in the press were not accurate at best," Shrum said. The second question was posed by Hollie Miller, a messenger from Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., who said, "One of our finest leaders in our convention has had his reputation severely damaged. There was even an article and his picture in Christianity Today destroying his reputation. Do we not owe him more than a simple, 'I'm sorry,'"? Hadaway responded, "Dr. Roberts is a friend of mine. He's a good man. We appreciate him, and he resigned.... As Dr. Shrum said, you can't believe everything you read in the press, especially outside our own Baptist family. We are proud of our seminary and our report today, and we would just hope that the friends of Midwestern would accept what Dr. Shrum and I have said today." NEW ORLEANS BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley was asked three questions as part of his report June 20. -- David Worley, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Greeneville, Tenn., asked Kelley to share with messengers about the seminary's ministry training program at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. "I can do that very succinctly: Wow!" Kelley said. Kelley shared how about 15 years ago a Baptist layman, Burl Cain, "took his faith to work" when he became warden of the Angola penitentiary, the largest maximum security prison in the country. Most inmates at Angola, Kelley said, will never leave the facility. "[Angola] had long been known as the bloodiest prison in America, famous all through the justice system for its violence and corruption," Kelley said. Cain asked the seminary to begin training inmates "to teach them how to be ministers there within Angola Prison," Kelley said. NOBTS now offers associate's and bachelor's degree training at Angola through the seminary's undergraduate program, Leavell College. The program has been so successful that Angola inmates are being deployed to other Louisiana prisons, similar programs have been started at prisons in Mississippi and Georgia, and a training program has been launched recently at Louisiana's women's prison. "What we have learned is that the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so great there is no human life Jesus cannot change," Kelley said. -- Tim Rogers, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Indian Trail, N.C., asked Kelley to elaborate on an address he has presented several times over the past three years titled "The New Methodists." The paper focused on the decline in baptisms and membership in Southern Baptist churches, connecting that to a decline in discipleship in Southern Baptist life. Unless something changes, the paper argues, Southern Baptists will soon become The New Methodists. "Until we recover processes in our churches that will teach our people to look and live like Jesus, we are not going to see a greater harvest in our evangelistic fruitfulness," Kelley said. Kelley's The New Methodists address is available online in print and video form at www.nobts.edu/president. Look for the "additional links" section at the bottom of the page. -- Peter Lumpkins from Cornerstone Baptist Chapel in Waco, Ga., asked if NOBTS has fully recovered from Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in August 2005, and what Southern Baptists can do to assist the seminary. Kelley thanked Southern Baptists for the support they have shown New Orleans Seminary and the Gulf Coast region since Katrina. "Southern Baptists turned our story from tragedy into a miracle," Kelley said, adding that visitors to the NOBTS campus would have no idea a storm devastated the area just seven years ago. The seminary, Kelley said, is still working to replace the 92 two bedroom apartments lost in the storm. Thus far, just 24 units have been replaced. Kelley also noted that the majority of the NOBTS student body since Katrina resides off campus. Regarding how Southern Baptists can continue to help the seminary, he said: "You can pray for us. You can give to us financially if the Lord lays that on your heart. Most importantly, you can support the Cooperative Program and help all of us out, not just New Orleans Baptist Seminary." NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD -- At the end of his report, North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell received a question from a messenger asking if all churches started with NAMB's assistance have a sponsoring church. "That is the goal," Ezell answered. Currently, not every church plant has a sponsoring church, but Ezell said that's what NAMB is striving for. "So we are going against Baptist polity in starting churches?" the messenger replied. Ezell noted that NAMB works in partnership with state conventions and local associations when starting churches and both entities are made up of churches. "We are not violating Baptist polity," Ezell said, adding that he thinks it is healthier for every church plant to be partnered with a sending church. --30-- Based on reports by Don Graham of the International Mission Board, Marty King of LifeWay Christian Resources, Pat Hudson of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Frank Michael McCormack of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Carol Pipes of the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Laos native receives WMU's O'Brien award by Kristin Easterling Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Laos native Mycie Vue of Brooklyn Park, Minn., has been named as this year's recipient of the Dellanna West O'Brien Award for Women's Leadership Development by WMU and the WMU Foundation. With the encouragement of her pastor, Vue, a member of First Hmong Baptist Church in St. Paul, discovered WMU in 1993 when she sought a way she and other women could serve God. Quickly seeing the value of Woman's Missionary Union to bring missions education and involvement to her own culture, Vue started WMU at First Hmong to teach women in her church that God has a purpose for their lives. Vue went on to establish Minnesota-Wisconsin Hmong WMU and served as its first executive director from 1995 to 2008. She now serves as president of Minnesota-Wisconsin WMU. "Mycie sparkles because she loves God, desires to serve Him and is committed to teaching others to love and serve Him as well," said Jeanne Wedekind, executive director of Minnesota-Wisconsin WMU who nominated Vue for the award, which was presented during the WMU Missions Celebration in New Orleans June 18. "She communicates well and you can [always] see others smiling when they talk with her," Wedekind said of Vue. In addition to Vue's service among Hmong women and WMU, she has served with the Minnesota-Wisconsin Southern Baptist disaster relief team since 2001, training other Hmong leaders for disaster relief and participating in several cleanup operations in the Minnesota-Wisconsin region. Vue is equipped in the feeding, childcare and mud-out units and as a unit director. During a response to a tornado in northern Minneapolis, Vue assisted Hmong residents by translating their needs to volunteers on the team. "I can always depend on her to assist our disaster relief ministry in whatever way she can to minister to disaster relief victims," said David Wedekind, director of disaster relief for Baptists in Minnesota. Vue works to develop other Hmong women's leadership skills through WMU training sessions and retreats. She also builds up the women through personal relationships to help them become better leaders. "Mycie's passion for the Lord and for missions is enthusiastic and infectious," said Leo Endel, executive director of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention, who was present to see Vue receive the award. "Her influence flows naturally from her passion for God and her compassion for people. She is a leader not because she desires to be but because people want to follow her." Tia Underbakke described Vue as her friend and mentor. "Mycie has been a great influence in my life as a leader," Underbakke said. "She supports my bold visions and ideas and encourages me to voice my opinions. She truly cares about my success and pushes me to be my best. She has opened so many doors for Hmong women, and I know my leadership in church is what it is because of her influence in my life." Vue and her family escaped from Laos when she was a child. After walking through the mountains for six weeks only at night, they crossed the Mekong River and lived in a refugee camp in Thailand until relocating to the United States. Vue accepted Christ as a young woman. She is married to Chou Vang, and they have four children. The family faithfully serves in their church. The Dellanna West O'Brien Award for Women's Leadership Development was established in 1999 upon O'Brien's retirement after 10 years as WMU executive director. O'Brien died in 2008 at age 75. The award recognizes Baptist women who demonstrate the ability to foster leadership in women and who display the potential to be leaders in the community and the world. The award is accompanied by a $2,000 grant to allow the recipient to continue her ministry to others. --30-- Kristin Easterling is an intern at WMU and a student at Auburn University. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Supreme Court upholds health care law, disappointing pro-lifers by Tom Strode Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday Read a Q&A on why pro-lifers oppose the law here. Read comments on the ruling from around the nation here WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has narrowly upheld the 2010 health-care law, dealing a disheartening setback to pro-life and religious liberty advocates who fervently oppose the controversial measure. With Chief Justice John Roberts casting the deciding vote in a 5-4 opinion, the high court Thursday (June 28) announced its support for what critics often label "Obamacare." Four associate justices -- Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito -- said in a dissenting opinion they would have struck down the entire law. Writing for the majority, Roberts said the "individual mandate," which requires almost all Americans to buy health insurance, is a valid exercise by Congress of its power to tax. Although Congress does not have the power under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution to require the purchase of health insurance, it does have the authority to tax those who do not have such coverage, the court said. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- in combination with subsequent federal rules -- not only has elicited widespread opposition because of the "individual mandate" but because of other provisions, such as its federal subsidies for abortion, an abortion/contraceptive mandate that critics say violates religious liberty and a requirement that insurance plans in state exchanges not disclose their abortion coverage until people are enrolled. The abortion-contraceptive mandate, which requires all plans to cover contraceptives and sterilizations as preventive services without cost to employees, has been in the spotlight of criticism since a federal rule to that effect was announced in January. The mandate includes coverage of contraceptives that can cause abortions of tiny embryos. The rule regarding that mandate has a religious exemption critics find woefully inadequate and has elicited ardent opposition from church groups and religious freedom advocates. The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and GuideStone Financial Resources have protested those provisions and others. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has led a charge against the abortion/contraceptive mandate and the failure to protect freedom of conscience and have been joined by pro-life and religious liberty organizations. Multiple lawsuits challenging the mandate have been filed in federal court. Southern Baptist leaders expressed deep disappointment with the opinion. "It is astonishing that the majority of the justices did not see the bill for what it really is: a blatant violation of the personal freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution and perhaps a mortal blow to the concept of federalism," ERLC President Richard Land said in a written statement. In addition to continuing to protest the "abortion/contraceptive mandate" and its insufficient religious exemption, Land said, "Greater government involvement in medical care also means that the sick, elderly and terminally ill will suffer." He suggested many patients will have to wait longer to receive treatment as the government determines how to allocate resources. "With its far-reaching effects," Land said, the health care law "will destroy much of what Americans hold dear." O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources, said in a written release, "As I told messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans last week, we will never allow this Administration, or any other, to tell us that we have to provide abortive drugs like morning-after pills. ... We will maintain our advocacy on behalf of ministers we are privileged to serve." The Supreme Court's decision quickly turned attention to the other two branches of government, especially the White House. The Republican leadership of the House of Representatives announced it would hold a vote July 11 to repeal the health care law. The House is likely to approve the proposal, but the Democrat-led Senate undoubtedly will reject it. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee for president in November's election, said in a written statement, "What the Court did not do on its last day in session, I will do on my first day if elected President of the United States. And that is I will act to repeal Obamacare. "Let's make clear that we understand what the Court did and did not do," he said. "What the Court did today was say that Obamacare does not violate the Constitution. What they did not do was say that Obamacare is good law or that it's good policy." President Obama said, "Whatever the politics, today's decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold it." The high court "upheld the principle that people who can afford health insurance should take the responsibility to buy health insurance," he said. Obama added he is "as confident as ever that when we look back five years from now or 10 years from now or 20 years from now, we'll be better off because we had the courage to pass this law and keep moving forward." Foes of the law undoubtedly grieved the fact Kennedy, the normal swing vote between the high court's liberal and conservative wings, agreed to invalidate the entire law, but Roberts, considered a staunch originalist when it comes to interpreting the Constitution, sided with the nominees of Presidents Clinton and Obama. In the court's opinion, Roberts explained why the majority decided Congress could not require the purchase of health insurance as part of its authority to regulate interstate commerce but accepted the Obama administration's legal argument that the "individual mandate" acts as a tax. As an alternative to its Commerce Clause argument, the administration contended the requirement that a person who refuses to buy insurance must make a payment to the Internal Revenue Service serves as a tax, Roberts said. That theory "makes going without insurance just another thing the Government taxes, like buying gasoline or earning income," Roberts wrote. "And if the mandate is in effect just a tax hike on certain taxpayers who do not have health insurance, it may be within Congress's constitutional power to tax." That may not be the "most natural interpretation of the mandate," but it is a "fairly possible one" under the high court's precedent and the law should be granted the "full measure of deference owed to federal statutes." In deferring to elected leaders, Roberts said for the majority, "It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices." Joining Roberts in the majority were Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. If the justices had invalidated the "individual mandate," they would have addressed whether any of the law could survive minus a provision that appeared so integral to its existence. The four dissenting justices charged the majority with saving a law Congress did not craft. "The Court regards its strained statutory interpretation as judicial modesty," they said in dissent. "It is not. It amounts instead to a vast judicial overreaching. It creates a debilitated, inoperable version of health-care regulation that Congress did not enact and the public does not expect. It makes enactment of sensible health-care regulation more difficult. . . ." The court did provide a restriction on the health care law, ruling the section expanding Medicaid is unconstitutional in its threat to take away states' current funding if they refuse to participate. GuideStone said the ruling has no immediate effect on the rates, benefits or eligibility of its health-plan participants. The benefits already have been established for 2013, and the rate-setting process for 2013 "is ongoing," according to GuideStone. --30-- Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Students 'prayer'-cache across New Orleans by Shannon Baker Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Students used GPS-enabled devices to "prayer"-cache from downtown New Orleans to the French Quarter and across the city as part of youth activities during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. The prayer thrust was based on "geocaching," a modern-day treasure hunting game in which players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches. Participants follow coordinates, leading them to explore their cities in a unique way. Connecting with the geocaching craze, Gayla Parker, Woman's Missionary Union executive director for Maryland/Delaware, said, "We thought, 'Why not take that idea and instead of geo-caching, we did "prayer"-caching?" Following an opening time of Bible study, worship and interaction with missionaries, around 75 teens gathered in teams to find GPS coordinates and other clues that led them from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, throughout the French Quarter and French Market, to the Baptist Friendship House, a community center and a transitional house for homeless women and children. When the students found a hidden "prayer"-cache, they read a Scripture and learned a specific way to pray for that part of New Orleans, such as human trafficking and exploitation, homelessness and spiritual lostness. Some of the locations also had bottles of water, which the students shared with passers-by while other students prayed. "We used this as a learning experience for the students to help them learn about some of the problems that come up and what the Scripture has to say about it," Parker said. Catherine Finch, 16, from Oklahoma, called the effort "eye-opening" because it challenged her to step out more in faith and to pray more for people. "We got to walk through downtown New Orleans and got to see how God needs to touch people's lives," said Colton Dunbar, 14, from Missouri. "We got to see the bad in the world and what we've got to change." Among other ministries during the SBC's Youth on Mission program for students in grades 7 through 12, teens also made cookies and prepared health kits for New Orleans' Global Maritime Ministries, prepared lunch and worked with children at the Friendship House and assisted in a block party with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's Mission Lab in a neighborhood near the campus. At the end of their two-day activities, the students wrote down all the ministries they experienced on a "gift" card, which they then offered at the cross of Jesus Christ. The closing ceremony was meant to leave a lasting impression, Parker said, "to encourage them to continuing serving like they've served here." --30-- Shannon Baker is national correspondent for BaptistLIFE, newsjournal of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Fred Luter & the SBC's moral arc by Richard Land Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- Several thousand Southern Baptist pastors, church workers, laymen and their wives, most of them elected representatives ("messengers") from their local churches, witnessed history being made June 19 in New Orleans. With overwhelming affirmation, sustained applause and no verbal opposition, Fred Luter Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was elected as the first African American president of the Southern Baptist Convention. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, paraphrasing the abolitionist Theodore Parker, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Those in attendance at the SBC's annual session witnessed a significant bend toward that justice. The Southern Baptist Convention was born in 1845 over the slavery controversy (the refusal of the national convention of Baptists to appoint a slaveholder as a missionary to Native Americans) and in large measure was defensive of Jim Crow and segregation through at least the middle of the 20th century. The convention has now gone from being virtually an all-white domination as late as 1970 to being one of the most ethnically diverse denominations. Nearly 19 percent of Southern Baptists are non-Anglo. Of the approximately 45,000 local congregations of Southern Baptists in the United States, more than 3,500 are now African American. Thousands of others are Hispanic-American, Asian-American and Native American. In fact, virtually all growth in Southern Baptist membership in the last decade has been ethnic. A tremendously significant step was taken at the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Southern Baptist Convention when, in 1995, the convention passed a resolution apologizing to African Americans for having supported slavery and racism and asked for the forgiveness of their African American brothers and sisters. The convention had passed numerous resolutions between 1946 and 1995 condemning racism, but had never accepted responsibility for its own participation in the evil of human bondage and racial discrimination. This apology led to a significant upsurge in African Americans feeling welcome in the Southern Baptist Convention. Fred Luter's election as president (not an honorific office, but a position of substantial power) is another giant step in the Southern Baptist Convention achieving its stated goal of having a membership that reflects the demographic makeup of the country. Millions of Southern Baptists of every ethnicity are praying that God will use them and their convention to lead the way to the fulfillment of Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a nation where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." --30-- Richard Land is president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. This article first appeared at The Washington Post's Guest Voices blog. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Bible storying' is key to reaching 2/3 of world by Don Graham & Barbara Denman Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to reach two-thirds of the world's population who "learn through stories or music, drama or poetry." "If you hand them a book to read, they either can't read it or they won't read it," IMB worker Annette Hall said of chronological Bible storying's impact in addressing WMU's Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting June 17-18 in New Orleans. Hall, who has worked for nearly 40 years with North African and Middle Eastern peoples, said chronological Bible storying also holds the key to evangelism in the U.S., with 50 percent of all Americans being functionally illiterate. One recent news report, for instance, indicated that 30 percent of children in the third grade in Richmond, Va., cannot read on their grade level, Hall said, noting that they most likely come from families of non-readers and never will be active readers. The process behind chronological Bible storying is simple, Hall said, explaining that she often uses a set of 20 individual stories that move listeners through the Bible from Genesis to the second coming of Christ. "We tell them the story, and then we have them learn the story, and then we process the story by asking some very simple questions," Hall said. "Because they've learned the story, and because we use the same simple questions every time, they can reproduce this and go out to tell other people. "We don't teach. We want people to get the point of the story from the story -- they need to discover it for themselves. If I tell them the answer, it goes into their heads but it doesn't go into their hearts." Storytelling should not be a new concept to Christians, Hall said, pointing out that Jesus often taught biblical truths through the use of stories now called parables. Life transformation is at the core of storytelling, Hall said. "We want it to enter and change the heart." Hall illustrated the storying process by sharing the Gospel account of Jesus sending a man's evil spirits into a herd of pigs. After telling the story first in simple terms, Hall assigned the group to be characters, and retold the story, with participants acting out the story. Then she asked simple questions to promote discussion of concepts in the story, such as "What did you like? What were you surprised by? What did you learn about God? What did you learn about man?" Asking probing questions to a group of oral communicators can easily spark an hour of conversation, Hall said, as oral communicators tend to devote time to discussion. Through such examination comes repetition and understanding, she said. Among the pointers she gave the workshop participants: -- study the words in the story and rephrase them in simple terms. -- break down concepts into short simple thoughts. -- do not change the meaning of God's Word or add to the Scripture. -- use the same name for God each time, to not confuse listeners. -- understand the culture because some terms may be offensive, especially in Muslim and Hindu cultures. -- consult several translations for alternate word choices. -- repeat before and after the story that this is a "true story from God's Word." Frances Woodward of Pearl, Miss., who attended a workshop led by Hall, said she planned to use the process with children and her grandchildren. "Children love to act out," Woodward said. But for her personally, she said, studying the passage to find its simple meaning "sharpened the facts for me." Hall assured the group that "everybody in here can learn to tell a good story." About 40 participants practiced and modeled the process during breakout sessions and crafted their own stories to share. In the general session, Hall shared a recent success story from a Bible storying training event last year in southern Asia. One of her colleagues, who helped with the training, met a young woman whose family had been radically changed. "The woman said, 'There were some people from my village who went to a training and they learned how to tell Bible stories. And they came and they told the story for me and my family. Now I am a believer and so is my family. All of us believe in Jesus,'" Hall recounted. She added that more than 20 people in that village have been baptized as a result of chronological Bible storying. "Chronological Bible storying is a powerful tool," Hall said. "God gave it to us. He gave us a book full of stories. And all we have to do is learn to use them." --30-- Don Graham is the International Mission Board's senior writer; Barbara Denman is the Florida Baptist Convention's director of communication. Chronological Bible storying expert Anita Hall is available to do training for churches and groups. She can be contacted through the International Mission Board at 1-800-999-3113 or www.imb.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Trafficking: 'Tricked, Trapped, Traded' by Don Graham Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Sandy Wisdom-Martin didn't realize what she was getting into when she stepped through the doorway of the Diamond Cabaret, a strip club in the St. Louis area. It was 10 years ago, during Southern Baptists' evangelistic Crossover outreach that precedes each year's Southern Baptist Convention. Wisdom-Martin was part of a Crossover team working to share Jesus with exotic dancers, a job "way outside" her comfort zone. The goal was simple: free these women from the exploitation and oppression of the sex industry through an encounter with Christ that would radically change their lives. Little did Wisdom-Martin know the experience would radically change her life as well. Today Wisdom-Martin, executive director/treasurer of Texas WMU, was tapped to lead a breakout session on human trafficking during WMU's Mission Celebration and Annual Meeting in New Orleans, June 17-18, in conjunction with the SBC annual meeting. The breakout, titled "Tricked, Trapped, Traded (Project HELP: Human Exploitation)," focused on raising awareness about human trafficking and giving WMU attendees practical steps they can take to join the fight. Project HELP is Woman's Missionary Union current initiative against human trafficking. "The issue of human trafficking is part of a larger worldwide issue of slavery," Wisdom-Martin told the breakout audience, explaining that human trafficking is generally divided into two categories: sex trafficking and labor trafficking. She introduced statistics from the anti-human trafficking website, www.freetheslaves.net, which reports there are 27 million slaves in the world today, the majority in India and African nations. Every year, thousands of slaves are trafficked into the United States, working in fields, homes, brothels and restaurants. The average cost of a human slave sold around the world is $90. "Many victims that are trafficked to the United States do not speak English so they can't communicate with service providers or law enforcement officials who might be able to help them," Wisdom-Martin said. A lack of public awareness also is a significant obstacle in the fight against human trafficking, particularly in the United States, Wisdom-Martin said. She has encountered many people, including Southern Baptists, who simply cannot believe human slavery is possible in today's world, especially in their state, city or community. But thanks to a growing chorus of anti-human trafficking organizations, websites and ministries, she is seeing the movement gain momentum in religious and secular circles. "It seems to be a watershed moment. People are hearing things in their community; they're seeing things in the news. It's becoming more familiar to them and they're wanting to engage," she said. "If you look in the Old Testament it talks about justice, justice, justice. And I see it as a justice issue. Do we want children enslaved? No. I think it's a problem we can do something about and God's love compels that we do something about it." That's exactly what Wisdom-Martin discovered 10 years ago at the Diamond Cabaret in East St. Louis. Half of the Crossover team remained in the strip club's parking lot to pray while the other half attempted to enter the club with gift bags for the dancers. To her surprise, Wisdom-Martin easily gained access, and was even welcomed to go backstage to the dancers' dressing room to deliver the gift bags. "We told them the story of salvation, that God loved them and God cared about them and had a plan for their lives," Wisdom-Martin said. "I saw my friend leaning over three naked girls praying for them while tears streamed down their faces. By the time I left I was so overcome by the experience, so overcome by emotion, that I could hardly make it out of the club." The dancers were so touched by the kindness of the Crossover volunteers that they placed the gift bags on stage with them while they performed. The bags were filled with lotion, candles and other "girly" presents -- as well as a Bible. "That [response] was so strange to me," Wisdom-Martin said. "It just seemed they were longing for somebody to connect with them, to care about them." Though none of the dancers at the Diamond Cabaret accepted Christ that day, Wisdom-Martin said they were obviously touched by the Crossover team's unconditional love. But, she said, there were five professions of faith that day at other strip clubs visited by Crossover teams. "There was a lot going through my heart and my mind. The lifestyles that these beautiful girls were trapped in, the miracle of us getting inside the club, the opportunity to witness and pray in strip clubs," Wisdom-Martin said. "Not to mention a profound sense of gratitude that God allowed me to have a part in the ministry. And all that exploded on me in the parking lot of the Diamond Cabaret." At the conclusion of the breakout session, Wisdom-Martin asked several women to stand to represent victims of human trafficking. WMU attendees gathered around each of the women and prayed for the victims as well as for the buyers and sellers. "If you take on human trafficking there will be struggles," Wisdom-Martin told the attendees. "Just start looking beneath the surface and you're going to start seeing stuff going on in your own community, but you have to open your eyes." --30-- Don Graham is the International Mission Board's senior writer. To learn more about fighting human trafficking through WMU's Project HELP, go to www.wmu.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q&A: Why pro-lifers oppose the health care law by Michael Foust Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday Read our overview on the ruling here. Read comments on the ruling from around the nation here WASHINGTON (BP) -- When the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Obama's health care law, it left untouched sections of the law that have concerned members of the pro-life and religious liberty communities for months. Although those sections often have been overshadowed by debates over the individual mandate, pro-life and religious liberty groups were raising their concerns even before the law passed Congress in 2010. Following are questions, and answers, about their concerns: -- Why do pro-life and religious liberty groups oppose the law? They have several concerns, although two have led the way. First, the health care law subsidizes, through federal tax dollars, insurance plans that cover abortion. Second, the law forces all insurance plans -- with only a few exceptions -- to cover contraceptives, including "emergency contraceptives" that can act after fertilization and cause chemical abortions. It's been dubbed the "contraceptive mandate," even though it impacts far more than basic contraceptives. -- Don't supporters of the law say federal dollars won't fund abortion? Yes. The controversy is not over direct funding but over the subsidization of insurance plans that cover abortion, which is a deviation from previous policy. Congress' own insurance plans, for instance, cannot cover abortion. Pro-life groups argue that, under the new law, Americans who previously did not have insurance coverage for abortion will now have it, thus putting the lives of more unborn babies at risk -- and with taxpayers subsidizing it all. In summary: Women who previously could not afford an abortion now might be able to afford one. -- What are the religious exemptions for the contraceptive mandate? They are narrow. Under the rules set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), churches are exempt from being required to cover contraceptives, including abortion-causing drugs, within their insurance plans. Other religious organizations, though, are not. That means that insurance plans offered by Christian schools and universities, faith-based hospitals, Christian relief and social service organizations, etc., must cover abortion-causing drugs, even though many of the organizations are morally opposed to such drugs. GuideStone Financial Resources and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention are just two of the many organizations saying the law violates religious liberty. To make matters worse: HHS rules require that contraceptives are to be offered at no cost -- in essence, free. -- Didn't President Obama announce a compromise that broadened the religious exemption to the contraceptive mandate? He did announce a compromise, although it did not ease the concerns of religious organizations. Under his compromise, insurance companies would be required to pay for and offer emergency contraceptives to the employees of a religious organization. Religious organizations called the compromise an "accounting gimmick" and said it doesn't change the fact that they would be paying for an insurance plan that covers a procedure -- chemical abortions -- to which they are opposed. Pro-lifers also say the law violates the religious liberty of pro-life business owners who are not part of a religious organization but who, nevertheless, oppose paying for such a plan. -- What happens now? Pro-life and religious liberty groups once again look to the courts. Even before the Supreme Court's ruling, about two dozen lawsuits had been filed in 15 states, seeking to overturn the abortion/contraceptive mandate. (The Supreme Court's ruling upholding the entire health care law dealt with several critical aspects of the law but did not deal directly with the constitutionality of the abortion/contraceptive mandate.) Legal groups have filed the suits in different districts and circuits, hoping to increase their chances of it eventually getting a Supreme Court hearing. Typically, if appeals courts rule differently on a significant matter, the nation's highest court is more likely to take the case. --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). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Friends, foes of health care ruling react by Staff Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday Read a Q&A on why pro-lifers oppose the law here. Read our overview story on the ruling here WASHINGTON (BP) -- Advocates and opponents of the 2010 health care law had plenty to say about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision affirming the measure's constitutionality. Here is a sampling of comments from both sides after the opinion was announced Thursday (June 28): -- Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Senate minority leader: "We pass plenty of terrible laws around here that the court finds constitutional. Constitutionality was never an argument to keep this law in place, and it's certainly not one you'll hear from Republicans in Congress. "There's only one way to truly 'fix' Obamacare, and that's a full repeal that clears the way for common-sense, step-by-step reforms that protect Americans' access to the care they need, from the doctor they choose, at a lower cost. And that's precisely what Republicans are committed to doing. "The American people weren't waiting on the Supreme Court to tell them whether they supported this law. That question was settled two and a half years ago. The more the American people have learned about this law, the less they've liked it." -- Nancy Pelosi, House of Representatives minority leader: "This decision is a victory for the American people. With this ruling, Americans will benefit from critical patient protections, lower costs for the middle class, more coverage for families, and greater accountability for the insurance industry. "In passing health reform, we made history for our nation and progress for the American people. We completed the unfinished business of our society and strengthened the character of our country. We ensured health care would be a right for all, not a privilege for the few. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed our progress and protected that right, securing a future of health and economic security for the middle class and for every American." -- David Stevens, chief executive officer of the Christian Medical Association: "This ruling sounds an alarm across the country to people with faith-based and pro-life convictions, to poor patients who depend on physicians with these values and to all patients who value choosing their own health care. "Who will stop U.S. Health and Human Services political appointees from forcing employers and individuals with faith-based convictions to subsidize abortion or life-ending contraceptives and imposing huge 'faith fines' on those of us who resist? What will stop this administration, with its radical pro-abortion agenda, from further undermining conscience rights and pursuing policies that effectively force out of medicine physicians with life-honoring convictions? Who will keep government panels from effectively denying physicians and patients choice about what are the most effective and appropriate medicines, surgeries and treatments?" -- Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice: "The high court missed an important opportunity to rein in a runaway federal government that's determined to interject itself into every aspect of the lives of Americans. By permitting the individual mandate to stand, the high court opened the door to permitting the federal government to take more control over the lives of Americans. "The decision to keep the health care law intact is problematic for our nation and the American people. The government-run, pro-abortion law may have survived constitutional scrutiny, but the focus now turns to November and the election." -- Steven Aden, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund: "ObamaCare treats American citizens like subjects. This administration has used health care law to become a dictator of conscience. The court's decision is alarming and deeply wrong. ObamaCare holds your health care hostage and offers no real choice. Either comply and abandon your religious freedom and conscience, or resist and be fined for your faith. All current ADF legal challenges to the Obama administration's abortion pill mandate will proceed, and we are confident that the Supreme Court will strike it down as unconstitutional." -- Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List: "From the outset, Obamacare is fundamentally flawed legislation because it makes American taxpayers complicit in the deaths of countless unborn children. Today's decision to uphold the individual mandate to force individuals to purchase health care plans that offend their conscience is incredibly disappointing. "Over the last four years, President Obama has revealed his loyalty to the abortion industry. At no time was this clearer than during the health care reform debate, when he fought tenaciously for the largest expansion of taxpayer funding of abortion on demand since Roe v. Wade." -- Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-choice America: "The Affordable Care Act marks the greatest advancement for women's health in a generation. ... The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the law is a tremendous victory for American women. "Gov. Romney and his anti-choice allies have fought tooth and nail to make it harder for women to get the health care they need. Attacking the health-care law in court was only one front in these politicians' War on Women." -- Alethea Smith-Withers, chair of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice board of directors: "The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice applauds the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act and its historic and life-saving advances in women's preventive health care. As people of faith committed to reproductive justice, we see this as an affirmation of our continuing struggle to expand access to reproductive health care and a victory over a health insurance system that is a moral disgrace. This decision opens wide the doors to a more compassionate and just society." -- Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life: The Supreme Court "failed to overturn an unconstitutional law that forcibly and unfairly intertwines all Americans and their hard-earned money with the abortion industry. . . . "The Affordable Care Act forces an abortion agenda on the American people unlike anything seen since Roe v. Wade. Despite clear and continuing public opposition, President Obama's healthcare law contains numerous anti-life provisions and mandates. Congress must repeal these provisions and ensure that any healthcare law respects life." --30- Compiled by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Colo. fires, Fla. floods stir DR preparations by Mickey Noah Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- As monster wildfires rage in Colorado and other Western states while Hurricane Debby leaves massive flooding behind in north Florida, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders are busy mapping responses in both parts of the country. "We're consulting with the state disaster relief leaders and developing a plan for how we can help," said Mickey Caison, SBDR team leader for the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta, Ga. "It will be a few days in Colorado before our DR folks will have access to the fire-affected areas. Once they gain access, they will determine how much and what kind of help they will need. Once the fires are out, we will support a cleanup operation." But according to news reports, the Waldo Canyon Fire -- still fueled by gusting winds -- is far from contained and has forced some 35,000 people from their homes in the 650,000-person Colorado Springs metro area. Only three miles from the Colorado Springs city limits, the fires also threatening the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Waldo Canyon fire -- which has destroyed at least 300 homes -- is only one of a dozen wildfires charring Colorado land. Tens of thousands of Coloradans remain homeless, forced by the fast-moving fires to evacuate their homes, yet unsure whether their homes will be there when they return. Colorado Springs Fire Chief Rich Brown called the wildfire a "monster" and said its flames were "not even remotely close to being contained." The fire has scorched more than 15,000 acres around the base of famed Pikes Peak. Sam Porter, disaster relief director for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, said his state's DR team is on standby to stage a major feeding response in the Colorado Springs area once the fires are out and entry is possible. "Our state DR leaders are building a team now so we can roll quickly when and if we get the call," Porter said. "It would require a major feeding unit and 40 volunteers to run it." Oklahoma Baptists have also been operating a laundry unit in Fort Collins but will move it to Colorado Springs when a new site is determined. Back in Florida, where historic flooding resulted from Hurricane Debby, Fritz Wilson, DR director for the state convention, said a response plan is being developed as the ground water from torrential rain -- as much as 25 inches in some areas -- begins to recede. "We will concentrate on the Live Oak area," Wilson said, adding that in his 16 years in Florida, he's never seen Live Oak -- county seat for Suwannee County with about 7,000 people -- flood. "It got 20 inches of rain in a 24-36 hour period. It'll be another week before the water is out because the area is flat and the water will have to go back down through the water table." Wilson said some 150-250 homes in Live Oak were affected by the flooding, requiring at least 40-50 mud-out jobs by Florida DR volunteers. Wilson said the Florida DR will request one of NAMB's new flood response trailers, which includes sprayers and pressure washers for doing mud-out. With Florida DR's Eddie Blackmon as the area commander, First Baptist Church in Live Oak will be the base of operations for the disaster relief teams. Some feeding also will be done, using the church's own kitchen. From NAMB's disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga., Caison, Wilson and NAMB staff members coordinate and manage Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responses to major disasters throughout North America via a partnership among NAMB and the SBC's 42 state conventions, most of which run their own state disaster relief programs with state convention-owned assets. Total SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the largest mobilizers of trained, credentialed disaster relief volunteers in the United States, including the Red Cross and Salvation Army. --30-- Mickey Noah writes for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLE STUDY: Sunday, July 1, 2012 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: June 28, 2012 - Thursday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curriculum and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies for Life curriculum. Bible Passage: John 16:5-15 Discussion Questions: How does a lack of faith in Christ lead to other sins? How can a sinful person become righteous or right with God? Food for Thought: A pastor told the story of a friend who had amassed some wealth over the years. This prominent businessman spoke at a luncheon at his church and announced his decision to donate a significant sum of money for an upcoming building project. That decision caused a rift between him and his children since the money would come from what the children believed should be theirs upon his passing. The man, however, who once found pleasure in the bottle, had experienced a transformation in Christ and given up drinking. His new faith in Jesus had turned his heart from the sin associated with alcohol and toward the peace of a new life in Christ. He now chose to share his wealth with the church so that as the church facilities grew, the church could offer more opportunities to others who might come to know Christ as he had. Bible Studies for Life is a life stage family of resources that addresses key issues in the lives of adults and students. Consisting of seven curriculum lines developed for various life and generational stages plus two others designed for deeper study, these resources focus on the same Bible passage each week. Information about the seven curriculum lines and more information can be found on the Internet at LifeWay.com/BibleStudiesforLife. Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool. --30-- Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).