The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-07/07/2016 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- New England church plants spark Gospel momentum by Kimber Ross/Baptist Convention of New England Date: July 07, 2016 - Thursday CASTLETON, Vt. (BP) -- Moving to New England had never crossed Branden Rogers' mind when he returned to his Mississippi hometown as a pastor after attending seminary. Then his brother moved to Burlington, Vt., for a short-term assignment as a nurse. Shocked at the difficulty his brother had in finding a Bible-believing evangelical church, Rogers' firsthand awareness of the lostness that exists outside the Bible Belt became a life-changing experience. "God planted a seed in our hearts to come to New England and begin planting a church in New England," Rogers said. By any measure, the six states that comprise New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) have some of the lowest percentages of religious believers -- including Southern Baptists, evangelical Christians and people who adhere to any religion -- in the United States.[1] While these statistics may seem discouraging, a surge in church planting is beginning to make a difference for individuals who are hearing the Gospel as well as for the Baptist Convention of New England. More than 115 of New England's Southern Baptist churches have been planted since 2010 -- a full one-third of the total Southern Baptist churches in the region -- and many more planters are in the process of initiating church plants. Unlikely church planters Alex Vargas, a fulltime head custodian at a school, never intended to become a church planter. He already had his hands full in prison ministry and teaching Sunday School at Iglesia Bautista Emanuel in West Hartford, Conn. But when Vargas was approached by North American Mission Board church planting catalyst Greg Torres about leading a Bible study for Quechuan immigrants from Ecuador in the nearby town of Waterbury, he agreed to take on this additional role in 2011. The group began meeting in a church basement and faced many initial challenges, including language differences (the Quechua are an indigenous people group who speak Spanish as a second language) as well as cultural differences (Vargas is originally from Puerto Rico) and religious context (most of the immigrants came from a nominal Catholic background). Vargas went through highs and lows, particularly in the first year, but continued to believe that God works in people's hearts "when you teach the Gospel ... that Christ is the only one." Little by little, as Vargas communicated biblical truth, people either committed their lives to Christ or left the group. Before long, Iglesia Cristiana Bautista Jesus de Nazaret was organized, which now runs around 75 in Saturday evening church services, including about 20 children and 15 young adults. "Patiently teach the Word," Vargas noted, "and the Word will ... bring us to the light of Christ." Buddha Rai, pastor of Grace United Church in Burlington, Vt., has seen the same principle at work. When Rai moved to New England from Nepal seven years ago, his family worshipped together at home because they didn't know any Christian believers. But as they became more connected, God gave them a vision for reaching their community -- starting at the airport. After learning through word of mouth or through a relationship with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program when new immigrants were scheduled to arrive from Nepal, Rai and other believers began waiting at the airport to welcome them and provide help. "We follow up with them and help them apply for citizenship and apply for different programs," Rai said. "If they don't have a ride, we help them with going to the hospital and shopping, things like that." Though many of the immigrants have been raised Hindu, the Nepalese Christians always make a point of telling them about Jesus' love and inviting them to meet for Bible study. "When we invite them, they come and they listen," Rai said. Now that Grace United Church has grown to a membership of about 125, more of their outreach takes place at church-sponsored cultural events and through individuals sharing the Gospel at work and through relationships in the community. And God is using this approach; last year, 29 people -- mostly adults -- were baptized as Grace United Church has become Burlington's third-largest evangelical church. "In the beginning we had a few people, but now we are growing up," Rai said. "We really believe that God is helping us to multiply, to [see people saved] who were not saved before." Relational discipleship Rogers also has seen the importance of relationships in sharing the Gospel, particularly in New England. After moving to Castleton, Vt., as a North American Mission Board church planter in May 2014, Rogers and his wife Hanna connected with members of Foundation Church, a two-year-old church plant in a nearby town, to organize a Backyard Bible Club as one of their early initiatives. Thirteen children attended the first sessions. "We would meet the adults in the parking lot, and the adults wouldn't even come inside," Rogers recounted. "We had workers ready to meet the children ... so other leaders would stay outside and talk to them." After some time, Rogers saw parents starting to warm up and become more receptive. As relationships developed, more people were willing to attend weekly Bible studies. Faith for Life Church began holding official services in October 2014 and has grown to a steady congregation of 40 in less than two years, baptizing 10 people last year alone. Meeting in a rented classroom at Castleton University, the church also has found connection opportunities among collegians. "I really believe that what God has done is all through relational disciple-making," said Rogers, who encourages church members to invest in the lives of people around them to look for opportunities for conversations about God and about church. New believers often are especially enthusiastic, such as one of Hanna's friends, a hairdresser who sometimes persuades people to attend church by offering them a free haircut. "It's amazing how many people have come ... just because of this lady," Rogers said. "We're definitely seeing the effects of one inviting one ... that's the refreshed vision God has given me this year -- each disciple making a disciple, at least one." Vision & cooperation The church that Vargas leads, Iglesia Cristiana Bautista Jesus de Nazaret, has a vision of reaching out to 50,000-plus Spanish-speakers in and around Waterbury. Additionally this summer, Vargas said their plans include feeding and ministering to the homeless and eventually having a Spanish-to-English translator because they "don't want to segregate to just one language." A desire to reach local communities, a common thread in most church plants, is making a difference across New England. Churches planted since 2010 baptized more than 700 people last year alone -- nearly 40 percent of the total for the Baptist Convention of New England -- with most being adult converts. Church plants, in fact, are a large part of the reason the BCNE has had record baptisms three years in a row. But this kind of work doesn't happen in a vacuum. Last year Iglesia Cristiana Bautista Jesus de Nazaret baptized nine people -- most of whom are adults now serving in leadership positions, giving Vargas an understanding of both the excitement and the challenge of leading a church almost completely composed of new believers. That's one of the reasons he led the church into cooperation with the New England convention and the local Baptist association. "Explaining to the church what the BCNE and WCBA [Western Connecticut Baptist Association] do for us -- the coaching, the training, the materials ... it took a little bit to understand, but they agreed," Vargas said. Being an active part of the denomination allows churches that may be new, small or rural to access resources and participate in leadership training that they would not be able to afford on their own. In addition, by giving through the Cooperative Program channel of missions support, every church has the opportunity to broaden their reach in local, national and international outreach. Rai was not familiar with Southern Baptists or the Baptist Convention of New England until he met Dan Pokhrel, a NAMB church planting catalyst who connected with Grace United Church and shared the BCNE vision of multiplying Christ-followers through partnering, equipping and encouraging. Believing that "it's good to join and have relationships with other churches," Rai led Grace United Church into cooperation with the BCNE and Cooperative Program giving. "We love giving things to people, and here in this case we thought that it is really beneficial to give.... If every church gives a few dollars, then together it will be more," Rai said. "We believe that a small investment in the Kingdom of God will multiply." And that investment is multiplying. In total, about four out of five new churches contribute to the Cooperative Program, providing more than 25 percent of BCNE Cooperative Program giving. Faith for Life is one of these churches. Whether in Mississippi or now in Vermont, Rogers has always led his churches in Cooperative Program giving. "I've seen the Cooperative Program at work, and I believe we can accomplish more together than individually trying to do missions. We'll be more effective," Rogers said. Just as he was able to move to Vermont to start Faith for Life Church with Cooperative Program assistance, Rogers likewise hopes to invest in other church plants. "I feel a sense of responsibility to give back because I am a NAMB church planter. I feel a sense of responsibility to help the next guy coming behind me," Rogers said. For Vargas, who received a one-time NAMB church planting grant, "Hopefully in time we'll be able to do the same -- plant churches in other places," he said. "God is so good. He guides us where we have to go." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Replica of Noah's Ark opens to public by Kristen Lowry/Kentucky Today Date: July 07, 2016 - Thursday WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (BP) -- Thousands of supporters and media descended on the rural town of Williamstown, Ky., earlier this week for the ribbon cutting of a life-sized replica of Noah's Ark. The Ark Encounter theme park opens to the public today (July 7). "If it floods again, will it float?" a reporter shouted out during a July 5 press conference as dark clouds rolled across the sky over the property off I-75. "I've had many people in the media ask me if it will float, and my answer is this: read the Bible," responded Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, the ministry that built the ark. His response brought cheers from the crowd. "After the flood, God said that there was a covenant between him and man and the animals as sealed by the rainbow that there would never be another flood like that one," Ham noted. "So, will the ark float? No, we didn't build it to float because there's never going to be another global flood." Based on dimensions given to Noah in the Bible, the ark stands at a staggering 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high -- believed to be the largest timber frame structure on the planet. Ham has been unapologetic about his real motive for building the structure. "I believe this is going to be one of the greatest Christian outreaches of this era in history," Ham said during the press conference before the ribbon cutting. Ham said he expects 2 million visitors the first year. "We built it as a reminder for people that the flood really happened and that God's Word really is true." Ham is a vocal supporter of young-earth creationism, which is the belief that the earth is about 6,000 years old. The life-sized ark is the centerpiece of the Ark Encounter theme park, which also features a petting zoo, restaurant and zip lines. Inside the ark, three decks are packed with exhibits. Visitors can see animatronic figures of Noah and his family, as well as cages containing detailed animal replicas, including dinosaurs, that Ham believes would have been present on the ark. Future exhibits could include a Tower of Babel and pre-flood city. Answers in Genesis also operates the Creation Museum in nearby Petersburg. Several government officials were on hand for the ceremonies, including Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton and Williamstown Mayor Richard Skinner. Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R.-Georgetown, said that the Ark Encounter provides a huge economic opportunity for the region. "This changes the dynamic of life in Grant county forever," Thayer said. "The economics are just an unbelievable windfall for this area. It's going to create a lot of jobs, tax revenue local and state and plus, most people in this region believe in this theology, so it's really a natural location for the Ark Encounter." "We want people to be born and raised here and stay in Kentucky to find jobs and raise their families and this will help that happen." A 2015 economic impact study conducted by Jerry Henry and Associates predicts that the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum will support the creation of around 20,000 jobs in the regional tourism industry over the first 10 years of operation of the Ark Encounter and bring about $4 billion of economic impact to the state of Kentucky. Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled the ark could receive a Kentucky sales tax incentive worth up to $18 million even while requiring employees to sign a statement of faith. The tourism incentive will allow the project to recover 25 percent of development costs through sales tax rebates. Ham defended the ruling again Tuesday, saying "it makes sense." "I can't think of Planned Parenthood employing someone like me in there," Ham said. "Or I can't think of the American Atheists wanting to employ me as the head of the American Atheists." Critics of the Ark Encounter say the attraction is anti-science, and that hiring practices of the ministry are discriminatory. But naysayers did not stop an estimated 7,000 believers from boarding the ark on Tuesday. Matt and Lindzi Demarcus from Covington, Ky., spent the afternoon exploring the ark exhibits with their two young daughters. The couple said they wanted to support the project in order to help spread the Gospel. "It's important for us to raise our children to know that everything in the Bible is true," Lindzi said. "We will definitely be back." -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: 'Must renounce all forms of religion' by John Yeats Date: July 07, 2016 - Thursday JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) -- In an area that once was in East Germany, the tour guide led our small group to the top of the Albrechtsburg Castle wall to look out over the incredible beauty of the Elbe River valley in southern Germany. While we stood looking over the wall, someone in the group asked the guide, "What was it like to live under communist rule?" Her answer surprised me because a secular worldview permeates today's German culture to such an extent that wide swaths of history are often ignored, especially if that chapter of history had anything to do with the awakened church in the 15th and 16th centuries. Remember John Huss and Count Zinzendorf are from the Elbe River valley. She began by saying how delighted she was to be a guide and to tell the history of her beautiful community. Then she began to share about her life living in a nation controlled by socialistic communism. As a young adult, she attended the state university and excelled in her engineering studies. After her degree, she was offered a position with a major engineering firm. There were no private firms, so she had an engineering position with a government-run company. As with any idealistic young adult about to embark on an occupational journey, she was thrilled about her potential. The very first day of her new job, they took her to the desk where she would work. It looked like every other desk in the large room, except her desk had nothing on top of it. She sat and oriented herself to her new environment. Then they brought a cart with all the computer equipment she would need to do her work. After all, what is an engineer without a computer? The supervisor placed a document in front of her to sign. She was astute enough to read it before signing. It was an agreement with the communist party to use the equipment. About halfway down the page was a statement that said, "Must renounce all forms of religion." She said, "I can't sign this. I cannot renounce my faith." When she said that, the supervisor took the document and wheeled off the cart with all the computer equipment. For four years, she came to the office every day to an empty desk and no work assigned to her. She drew her stipend from the government like everyone else, but she was not allowed by the government to use the computer equipment to do the work she was trained to do. Although communist countries often have a religious liberty statement in their governing documents, it is the government that decides how and when faith is to be expressed. Coercive governments often allow people of faith to worship in their church houses, but taking one's faith into everyday life is deemed inappropriate and foolish according to those who hold the reins of power. As I heard our guide recount her personal experience, my mind rewound to recent events in our nation where sincere people of faith face coercion by authorities to comply with the prevailing winds of political correctness. Part of being followers of Christ, however, means we must do our duty in our political context to be courageous and compassionate. These are days for convictional leadership in our churches, the halls of legislative bodies, and in the marketplace. If we fail to lead now, if we fail to do our duty, we give our loved ones over to a near-future coercive culture that is void of reason and moral sanity. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Court deals blow to Christian law school by J.C. Derrick/WORLD News Service Date: July 07, 2016 - Thursday ONTARIO, Canada (BP) -- The Ontario Court of Appeal on June 29 ruled that a provincial accrediting body can legally refuse to recognize Trinity Western University's proposed law school based solely on the school's marriage views. "This isn't just a loss for TWU," said university spokesperson Amy Robertson. "This is a loss for all Canadians. Freedom of conscience and religion is the first of the fundamental freedoms mentioned in the Charter [of Rights and Freedoms]." The Christian university plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. In April 2014 the Law Society of Upper Canada announced it would not accept graduates of TWU's proposed program, because it deemed discriminatory the school's community covenant that requires students to abstain from sexual activity outside marriage between a man and a woman. After TWU appealed the decision, last year a three-judge panel ruled against the school, even though the judges agreed a religious freedom violation had occurred. On Wednesday, the Ontario Court of Appeal also found the law society's decision violates TWU's religious freedom, but it too said the law society is within its rights to do so. "We are most disappointed that the court found the infringement to be justifiable," said Earl Phillips, executive director of TWU's proposed law school. TWU also has appeals pending in British Columbia and Nova Scotia, where law societies said they would not recognize graduates of the proposed law school. Several other provincial law societies have agreed to abide by the Federal Law Society of Canada's 2013 decision to approve the school. Based in British Columbia, TWU is a private liberal arts university attempting to start Canada's first Christian law school. Its roughly 4,000 students make it the largest Christian university in the country --leading some to call it the Wheaton College of Canada. TWU has six professional schools, and this is not the first time it has had to go to the Supreme Court of Canada to open one. In 2001 the country's high court -- in an 8-to-1 decision -- ruled the British Columbia College of Teachers could not withhold accreditation for TWU's teacher's education program. "Our teachers, nurses and business graduates in particular are sought after for their compassion, integrity, training and skill," Phillips said. "After we make our case in Canada's Supreme Court, I look forward to seeing the difference that graduates of TWU's School of Law will make." Many religious freedom advocates see TWU's case as a bellwether for religious freedom in North America. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, an intervener in support of TWU, said it was "deeply disappointed" in the decision that it said didn't recognize the "significant contributions" faith-based institutions make to the public good. Gerald Chipeur, an Alberta-based attorney who represents the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Canada, another intervener in the case, said based on oral arguments the June 29 decision did not surprise him. Chipeur is much more optimistic the Supreme Court of Canada will rule in TWU's favor. Former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- whose attorney general intervened on behalf of TWU at the trial court level -- appointed seven of the nine justices who sit on the high court. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, who presided over the 2001 TWU case, is one of the two justices Harper did not appoint. "The only way they could rule against us is to say they were wrong in 2001," Chipeur told WORLD News Service. "It's the same university, the same rules, the same province. It's hard to find a distinction." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Animated video spotlights CP's 'broad, sweeping reach' by Diana Chandler Date: July 07, 2016 - Thursday ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- The Cooperative Program's full reach likely won't be grasped until its supporters reach heaven and see the many nations and individuals who've benefitted from Southern Baptists' giving, Matt Tullos told Baptist Press. Tullos, associate director of Communications and Stewardship for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, said the LBC's latest animated video seeks to spotlight CP's reach, using a child's dream to tell the story. "It's hard for people to wrap their minds around just how practical it is," Tullos said of CP, "and so we decided we would put it in the voice of a child, just to show how simple the whole concept of the Cooperative Program is as well as kind of show what our work as Southern Baptists would be if it wasn't there." The video, "CP Turns Dreams into Real Life," features a girl who meets others in her dream who share how CP has helped them. "We originally intended it to be mainly for our events for children, and for youth, but it played so well with our adults," Tullos said. "We were really surprised that our adults really resonated with the video and it's been probably our most popular animation that we've done so far, as far as its response from people about it." The video gives practical insight into how CP donations are used, viewers have told Tullos, who points to such beneficiaries as a Louisiana children's home, college ministries, the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board in showcasing the CP's "broad, sweeping impact." Produced by Tullos and LBC Communications Director John Kyle, the video is the LBC's fourth animation regarding the CP. While some of the videos have focused specifically on Louisiana, the latest video is appropriate for use by all states, Tullos said. "I think even the state version we have is pretty applicable to everybody," Tullos said. "I just hope that God uses it in an amazing way, and that as many people who have an opportunity to use it will use it. That sure makes our job meaningful." Described as the CP Kids Rant, the video joins two CP Rant videos the LBC produced to communicate particularly with young pastors. Other LBC videos on the CP are an unanimated video, The Pledge, which encourages pastors to increase CP giving by specified percentages, and the related animated video, The Pledge Rant. The videos are purposefully multicultural, Tullos said. "We have such a broad scope of ethnic variety in our state," Tullos said, "and its actually one of the things that's a real priority this year for Louisiana Baptists, is that we want to promote churches ... looking more like heaven, because we know that's what heaven's going to look like, and so many times our churches are not that way. "I've heard one pastor say that the churches are the last bastion of segregation, which is really sad. So we're really making that a priority too." He encourages Southern Baptists to support the CP, using the hypothetical example of a young mother's impact through the CP. "Her ability to do ministry is probably limited by her children and by her time of life. But when she gives to the Cooperative Program, she's actually having an impact in scores of nations all over the world with our missions, our missionaries, and then she's on every college campus where our [Baptist Collegiate Ministries] are," Tullos said. "She's helping orphans in our children's home. She's helping plant churches.... Her impact as a young mother who's giving to the church -- and the church giving to the Cooperative Program -- is having an impact that she will never fully grasp until she gets to heaven and sees what her giving has done." Working together just "makes so much more sense" than working individually, he said. The latest video is available for free download on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/155009870. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: July 10, 2016 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: July 07, 2016 - Thursday NASHVILLE (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 curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum. Bible Passages: Matthew 7:13-27 Discussion Questions: What are some of the best choices you've made? When do we encounter wolves in sheep's clothing? How can we help one another continue to build on the right foundation? Food for thought: If you've ever tried to add oil or transmission fluid to your car without a funnel, you know the value of this little utensil. Funnels have the unique ability to gather material from a wide space and condense it into a specific, narrow location. Life can be like a funnel at times, and not in a good way. Our culture offers a huge amount of choices and opportunities that seem to provide fulfillment. Yet when we follow that path, we quickly find ourselves squeezed into a narrow, unfulfilling existence. Jesus taught that the way to true fulfillment is like an upside-down funnel. If we begin on a narrow path -- His path -- we'll soon discover a spacious life overflowing with joy, purpose and peace. How do we experience this kind of life? In Matthew 7, Jesus used gates to describe the way to approach life and God, and in verse 13 He told us to enter through "the narrow gate." As the One who makes it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins, Jesus Himself is the gate. He said: "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture" (John 10:9). The path that leads to God is narrow, not because it is difficult to become a Christian, but because you can get to Him only one way: through faith in Jesus. Matthew 7 dives into three choices we each face -- as well as the benefits we reap when we choose to follow Christ. -- Choose the path that leads to life in Christ. -- Choose to live in obedience and bear fruit for Christ. -- Choose to build your life on Christ and His teachings. The broad path comes with many easy options, but it quickly closes on us. The other path is narrow and well-defined, but it opens to a full and joyful life. Choosing to follow Christ won't always be easy, but it will always be worth it. Bible Studies for Life Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God's Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'I was born this way' countered by MBTS prof. by David Roach Date: July 07, 2016 - Thursday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Alan Branch has a friend whose brother explained his decision to embrace a homosexual lifestyle by stating, "I have a male body, but I have a female brain. That's why I'm attracted to men." Branch, professor of Christian ethics, classifies that pronouncement as a version of the increasingly common argument that homosexual acts are morally legitimate because homosexuality is "hard-wired into who [some people] are from birth." As Branch sees it, the argument has been articulated in settings as diverse as the halls of academia, the lyrics of pop singer Lady Gaga and casual family conversations. The need to equip Christians for countering that spurious notion is why Branch wrote his latest book "Born This Way? Homosexuality, Science, and the Scriptures," published by Weaver Book Company, basing the title on a Lady Gaga song. The book, which has drawn an endorsement from Midwestern President Jason Allen, seeks to help pastors and churches understand contemporary scientific research on homosexuality from a Christian worldview perspective while standing firm on the biblical teaching that homosexual behavior is a sin. "The prevalent claim 'I was born this way' is over-simplified and does not fit the evidence to date," Branch told Baptist Press in an email. "Biological and genetic factors have a contributing factor towards the development of a homosexual identity, but they are not completely determinative," he noted. "The big point is that homosexuality is not a trait like hair, skin or eye color. Establishing this basic fact will help in the articulation of a clear Christian ethical stance regarding the morality of homosexual behavior." Three key contributors to the misguided "I was born this way" argument, Branch writes, are: -- Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), who helped pioneer the idea some forms of homosexuality are innate; -- Twentieth-century sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, who popularized the falsehood that 10 percent of males are homosexual; and -- The American Psychiatric Association, which succumbed to political pressure in 1974 by removing homosexuality from its catalog of mental disorders in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual." An important tool for countering the argument that homosexuality is innate and therefore morally acceptable is the concept of "brain plasticity," Branch writes, the notion that brain structures and functions change in response to choices and activities. Like pornography use has been demonstrated to alter a male's response to women, repeatedly acting on homosexual desires may ingrain such desires in a person's brain, developing new neural pathways and making them feel "natural," he argues. Biological and genetic factors contribute to same-sex attraction, Branch writes, but do not predetermine how a person will respond to such attraction. Among his conclusions: -- "While prenatal hormones are essential for gender development in the womb and ... some real problems can develop when" hormones are not secreted correctly in a mother's womb, "the born-this-way argument that prenatal hormones unalterably fix same-sex attraction has not been proven." -- No definite link between brain structure and homosexuality has been demonstrated, but there have been "intriguing findings" regarding the differences between the brains of homosexuals and heterosexuals. -- Studies of identical twins suggest "a genetic contributing factor to homosexuality may be at work." -- "While there have been some intriguing discoveries regarding DNA and homosexuality, as of yet no evidence confirms a simplistic born-this-way argument." Even if a so-called "gay gene" were discovered, its presence would not uncontrollably compel a person to act on same-sex attraction. Rather than intimidating Christians, scientific research should help them develop a compassionate, pastoral response to those with same-sex attraction, Branch writes, noting the difficulty in most cases of completely eradicating homosexual temptation. "We must face the current data with honesty, but also with discernment. Movement on a continuum of orientation change is possible for some, but it is not as easy or as frequent as many of us evangelicals would wish. The majority of research clearly indicates an attempt to change sexual orientation is a daunting task and a rare occurrence," he writes. Yet those realities do not trump Scripture's insistence, Branch argues, that "it is possible for homosexual behavior to be something in which a person once participated in the past, but no longer does so" by virtue of God's saving and transforming grace. For some with same-sex attraction, following Christ will entail singleness and godly celibacy, he writes. For others, it will entail heterosexual marriage and combatting occasional same-sex temptations while yet others will marry a person of the opposite gender and be freed altogether from same-sex temptations. "Each of these options is consistent with Christian sexual ethics," he writes. Through every aspect of Christians' response to homosexuality, Branch argues, "serious debate" must not be "short-circuited by the vacuous claim, 'I was born this way.'"