
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-07/17/2015

DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP.
Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. 

Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission.


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B&H claims 20 awards from Christian Retailing
by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

NASHVILLE (BP) -- B&H Publishing Group dominated the 2015 Christian Retailing's Best Awards, bringing home more honors than any other publisher.

B&H at LifeWay Christian Resources claimed 20 awards, more than anyone has won in a single year since the awards program began in 2001. Winning products included Thom Rainer's "Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive" and other major releases such as "The Study Bible for Women," "The Big Picture Interactive Bible" for children, Beth Moore's "Portraits of Devotion," and Angie Smith's "Chasing God."

"I am so excited and so proud of B&H," said LifeWay President Thom S. Rainer. "They have come so far the last few years."

The awards demonstrate the success of B&H's new strategy of publishing fewer titles each year and focusing more intently on each release, said Jennifer Lyell, B&H Trade Book publisher. The shift began in 2012, and this year represents the first full year of the new strategy in releases, she said.

The awards were presented June 30 at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando. Those in the Christian products industry are asked to vote on nominated products, evaluating their ability to speak to people's hearts and evoke emotions; open people's minds to new ways of thinking; and encourage and affirm Christlike living.

"This particular award system is driven by the votes of those who are closest to the end consumer, working in retail stores, and reflects ministry impact seen by retailers," Lyell said. "We are so proud of our authors and their faithfulness, and encouraged by all of our internal and external partners that made this possible."

List of categories and B&H's winning products for 2015:

-- Children's Bibles: "The Big Picture Interactive Bible"

-- Devotional/study Bibles: "The Study Bible for Women"

-- General Bibles: "Holman Study Bible, NKJV," turquoise leather mother's edition

-- Bible reference/study books: "Exalting Jesus in Exodus (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary Series)," by Tony Merida

-- Children's fiction: "The Knight and the Firefly," by Tara McClary Reeves and Amanda Jenkins, illustrated by Daniel Fernandez

-- Children's nonfiction: "For Such a Time as This," by Angie Smith, illustrated by Breezy Brookshire

-- Christian living, practical life: "Chasing God," by Angie Smith

-- Christian living, spiritual growth: "Recovering Redemption," by Matt Chandler and Michael Snetzer

-- Church and culture: "Autopsy of a Deceased Church," by Thom S. Rainer

-- Devotionals: "Portraits of Devotion," by Beth Moore

-- Evangelism: "Truth Matters," by Andreas J. Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw

-- Contemporary fiction: "Moms' Night Out," by Tricia Goyer

-- Historical fiction: "Shadowed by Grace," by Cara Putman

-- Men's nonfiction: "Beat God to the Punch," by Eric Mason

-- Reformed: "The Underestimated Gospel," Jonathan Leeman, general editor

-- Relationships: "Raising a Princess," by John Croyle

-- Social issues: "The Insanity of Obedience," by Nik Ripken with Barry Stricker

-- Young adult nonfiction: "True Love Project," by Clayton and Sharie King

-- Backlist: "The Love Dare," by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick

-- Spanish DVD: "Historia de la Pascua"

Christian Retailing is a journal for Christian products for Christian and church bookstores.


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Syrian refugees long for happier Ramadan
by Jedediah Smith
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan (BP) -- For many who escaped from the violent civil war in Syria, this is their fifth Ramadan in a foreign country. Families in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan are going through a challenging time as they recall happier Ramadan holidays in Syria.

Ramadan, which ends today (July 17), is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. 
This season is often known for family gatherings when Muslims will prepare a table with abundant food and celebrate together as the sun sets. However, the civil war has taken away those happy moments for these Syrian refugees.  

Ahmad,* a 60-year-old Syrian man, misses the days when his family was together. He said with tears, "I was able to escape from Syria, but my daughter's family is still there." 

The civil war took away not only the joy of family celebrations, but also their cozy and secure homes. Seven years ago, Abu Badr* built a large house in his hometown with the money he made from more than a decade of hard work in Africa. But he had to flee Syria with empty hands when the civil war broke out, and now he lives in the dusty, windy conditions of Zaatari. 

The desert sun is merciless on the refugee tents in the camp, and the heat has been excessive during this summer Ramadan season. The refugees suffer through the heat without electrical power from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., which leaves them without fans or refrigerators during the hottest times of the day.

A 10-year-old refugee girl who came to buy two dollars' worth of green beans at a small grocery store was asked, "What do you eat during iftar &#91;the evening meal that breaks the fast after sunset&#93;?" She answered, "We can eat only boiled vegetables mixed with rice without any meat," and ran away. 

Syria was once called "the breadbasket of the Middle East," but Syrians in refugee camps now identify with hunger instead of abundance. They receive monthly food vouchers from the United Nations, but this assistance is not adequate for many refugee families. There are certainly no resources for enjoying the Ramadan feasts they remember from years past.

Pray for those who are going through this difficult time. Pray those who long for happy family moments, safe homes and abundant tables will have an even greater longing for a relationship with God. Pray they will have opportunities to hear the Gospel.

The International Mission Board is working to see families and lives restored through the transformative power of the Gospel message. For more information on how to offer relief to refugee families, go to imb.org, click "Give," then "Give strategically," and scroll down the page to the Syrian Crisis Response project. Or, learn about the Syrian crisis by taking this quiz.


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AT THE MOVIES: Change everywhere but at the feet of Jesus
by Phil Boatwright
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) -- I suspect that many nearing my age struggle with the fact that America is becoming unrecognizable.

I'll be 63 this year, which means I've seen lots of change during the past six decades:

-- the 1950s -- an unfairly maligned decade. While it's now portrayed as a restrictive, repressed time, it was in reality a brief moment when our nation's citizenry caught their breath and entered a new era of economic and social growth.

-- the 1960s, which went from "Ozzie and Harriet" to the "Age of Aquarius."

-- the '70s, during which "Star Wars" changed the world of movies.

-- the '80s, an undistinguishable period except for a president who instilled patriotism back into our national psyche.

-- the '90s, which paved the way for the 21st century, the millennium of incessant change.

America's escalated societal tamperings, be they social, political, economic or cultural, occur on a daily basis, causing a continual reevaluation of our values. Though some of the revisioning can seem good, people aren't paying much attention to that which affects not just their lives, but their afterlife. They're busy with T-ball games and other time-absorbing activities, unaware of the determined reprogramming of right as wrong and wrong as right in the world around them.

America had become a guardian of and beacon to the world, but now some political leaders, many social activists and the majority of Hollywood filmmakers are advancing the need for extreme reformation, as if the goal were to deconstruct our nation in order to create a new ideological one. 

"Well, America wasn't so great for this group or that group until change came," a fair argument goes. True, our hearts have opened to the rights and needs of all members of our society. But if we're going to reconstruct the foundation on which we build a civilization, needn't God be a part of the fix?

For those who still see the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, we are frustrated by this electronic, maxed-out, everything-is-changing period that ignores or denies mankind's spiritual component.

The fascination with all things electronic and an uncalculated worship of science and technology has, for many, replaced the need for God. We're becoming a land of Geekoids who look down all the time, failing to acknowledge passersby, as if those folks don't count because they aren't encoded in our Star Trek-like communication habits and devices. It's Orwellian in nature.

As for blind adherence to the physicists' theory that everything came into being not by a designer but by an unintended explosion of cosmic gas, the thesis goes undebated of an unplanned life-bringing explosion despite this troublesome query: As more universes are being "discovered," can they be satisfied with the explanation that one formative eruption created all the universes, or did each galaxy have its own big bang? Whatever the scientific defense, it takes faith to believe it.

Although we have been entertained, informed and inspired by Hollywood, many artists in that land of make-believe have aided secularists throughout the years, having left their DNA all over the concept of change.

Writer Paddy Chayefsky envisioned this utopian one-world order dominated by media in his 1976 film "Network": "And our children will live, Mr. Beale, to see that ... perfect world ... in which there's no war or famine, oppression or brutality. One vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock. All necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused."

The Bible speaks of how men will wander from the truth when they turn their backs on God (2 Timothy 4:3). And sure enough, movies often take us down a fantastical path that leads to nowhere, because their makers all too often disavow the existence of or the need for a Creator.

It's not totally Hollywood's fault that our once-Christian nation has taken a new route, but the entertainment mediums have given an unaccountable platform for those who seek truth (and change) everywhere but at the feet of Jesus. Each decade, newcomers to the entertainment community push the envelope when it comes to decency, responsibility and a redefining of moral standards. Moviemakers keep dumbing down and crudding up the culture, taking baby steps with each production, furthering us from social decorum and reverence for the Almighty. 

Somewhere along the way moviemakers (in general) quit incorporating biblical ideals that nourish the soul. Those seasoned ideals need to be rediscovered by this generation, for it isn't the iPhone that makes the world go 'round. A society cannot stand by God-forsaken laws, alone. 

"Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country," John F. Kennedy once famously said. These days, it is becoming vital to say: Don't just ask what Christ can do for you. Ask what you can do for Christ.

To find real change, politically, socially, spiritually, often you have to look back -- and up.


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Duggars' show cancelled, family helps documentary
by Diana Chandler
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

NASHVILLE (BP) -- TLC has officially canceled the Duggar reality show '19 Kids and Counting' nearly two months after news broke that the oldest Duggar son Josh had molested five girls including four of his sisters when he was a teenager.

"After thoughtful consideration, TLC and the Duggar family have decided to not move forward with 19 Kids and Counting," TLC said in a July 16 public statement. "The show will no longer appear on the air."

Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar expressed thanks to those who've assisted them during the show's nine-season run, and indicated the family would be featured in an upcoming TLC documentary on child sexual abuse, produced in partnership with RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

"We look forward to working with TLC on this upcoming special documentary and hope that it is an encouragement to many," the family wrote on its blog. "With God's grace and help, Josh, our daughters, and our entire family overcame a terrible situation, found healing and a way forward. We are so pleased with the wonderful adults they have all become.

"It is our prayer that the painful situation our family went through many years ago can point people toward faith in God and help others who also have lived through similar dark situations to find help, hope, and healing, as well."

RAINN will participate in the documentary in concert with the Darkness to Light campaign to end childhood sexual abuse.

"We are pleased to be partnering with TLC to fight child sexual abuse, and appreciate its efforts to spur a national dialogue about this issue. Child sexual abuse affects millions of families across the nation, and we all have a responsibility to work together to end it," RAINN said in a statement on its website rainn.org.

"As this multi-platform campaign moves ahead, we look forward to working closely with TLC and our partners at Darkness to Light, which does great work to train adults to recognize, prevent and react responsibly to child sexual abuse," RAINN said. "Together, we believe we can help families that have been affected by this terrible crime and make sure that parents and others have the knowledge and tools they need to help keep kids safe."

Jill (Duggar) Dillard, 24, and Jessa (Duggar) Seewald, 22, who have identified themselves publicly as two of their brother's victims, are scheduled to appear on the documentary alongside other victims of childhood sexual abuse, according to ABC news.

Dillard and Seewald are the only two victims that have been identified by name since InTouch Weekly published on May 21 a copy of an official Arkansas State Police report. The released report included the names of the perpetrator and victims obscured, revealing a teenager the magazine identified as Josh Duggar had confessed to authorities that he molested five underage girls when he was 14 and 15 years old. Four of the girls were identified as children of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. The other victim is a former babysitter, who also has not been identified.

Dillard and Seewald have said publicly they have forgiven Josh for his actions, and said he was never a child molester, but rather a curious boy going through puberty. Josh Duggar inappropriately touched them through their clothes, they said, while they were sleeping. The Duggars sent Josh to Arkansas for three months when he was 15, where he participated in an unlicensed Christian treatment program modeled around physical labor, and he later received professional counseling, as did other members of the family, the sisters said.

Josh Duggar, now 27 and the married father of three children, apologized in May for having acted "inexcusably" as a teenager, and resigned his position as a lobbyist with the Family Research Council (FRC) family values group. His wife Anna was due to deliver her fourth child on July 10.

The cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting was announced just 30 minutes after an online petition was created at SupportTheDuggars.com, urging TLC to revive the show that had been suspended since news of the molestations broke. The Duggar family blog encourages the public to sign the petition, although SupportTheDuggars.com says the petition is not endorsed by the family.

"As of this morning, '19 Kids and Counting' has been canceled. However, there is still time to show your support for the Duggars and to urge TLC to rethink its decision," reads a post on the petition site that was reposted on the Duggar blog. "Post a comment explaining why you want 19 Kids and Counting to remain on the air, and then head over to sign the petition."

The Duggars continue to praise God on the family blog.

"God's faithfulness and goodness to us, along with His abundant grace, have given us strength and joy even in the most difficult days," the Duggars wrote. "We have committed to Him that in all things -- difficulties or success, good times or bad -- we will purpose to bring Him honor by staying true to our faith and our family."


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Bible Study: July 19, 2015
by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

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: Jonah 1:1-5, 10

Discussion Question: What's a great way to catch your attention?

Food for Thought:

Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd is passionate that we -- as individuals, churches, and a denomination -- experience spiritual renewal and revival. We've been asleep for too long.

Rest is a good thing. Nothing refreshes like a good night's sleep. And who doesn't enjoy the occasional afternoon nap? But from another perspective, sleep can be dangerous.

It's dangerous to be spiritually asleep. Life has a way of lulling us to sleep spiritually. If we allow ourselves to settle into a spiritual snooze, after a while we simply die spiritually.

It's time to wake up! Our greatest need as believers is to experience a spiritual renewal from God, and we see that need through the Book of Jonah. We see a man -- a prophet no less! -- who got off course in his relationship with God. Jonah's move away from God's instruction wasn't subtle; he flatly refused to listen to God. But God got Jonah's attention in a most unexpected way.

God loves us and He acts to get our attention and draw us back to Himself.

<b>Bible Studies for Life</b>
Bible Studies for Life is a life-stage focused family of resources that addresses key issues in the lives of adults and students. Consisting of five curriculum lines developed for various life and generational stages plus two others designed for deeper study, all of these resources focus on the same Bible passage for each week. Information about the different Bible Studies for Life resources 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.


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EDITORIAL: Allí estás tú
by Fermin Whittaker
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

<i>NOTA DEL EDITOR: La columna First-Person (De primera mano) es parte de la edición de hoy de BP en español. Para ver historias adicionales, vaya a http://www.bpnews.net/espanol</i>

FRESNO, Calif. (BP) -- Era una mañana muy hermosa cuando salí a caminar. El sol comenzaba a salir y yo admiré la belleza de la creación de Dios en medio de una mañana refrescante, diferente a los usuales días calientes y áridos en Fresno. Me acercaba a mi destino cuando comencé a oír el piar de los pájaros. Pero a medida que me acercaba a casa aquel piar se iba convirtiendo en un cuarteto y  luego, inesperadamente, se organizó un coro. La belleza del momento me maravilló.

Mi sorpresa me abrumaba al pensar en la bondad de Dios y Su creación. Enseguida recordé el Salmo 118:24: "Este es el día que hizo Jehová; nos gozaremos y alegraremos en él". Ese día los pájaros me recordaron lo mucho que nuestro Padre Celestial se interesa en nosotros y la esperanza que Él ofrece por medio de Jesucristo, su Hijo.

La belleza y la serenidad del momento se quebrantaron al pensar en todas las cosas que están pasando en las vidas de personas que conozco. Estamos viviendo en un mundo cambiante y a veces estos cambios suceden a una velocidad espantosa. Las organizaciones a las que estoy asociado están cambiando sus énfasis de ministerio, los pastores que conozco se están trasladando a nuevos lugares de servicio y las familias con las cuales me relaciono se están mudando, no tan solo a otra casa, sino a un nuevo país y a una nueva cultura.

También recordé a otros que están viviendo en lugares donde les rodean la destrucción y la muerte, como por ejemplo Nepal. Pensé en los cristianos que viven en otros países donde bombardean sus casas de adoración y asesinan a los cristianos. Y recordé el acto sin sentido del joven en Carolina del Sur quién se sentó, escuchó la Palabra de Dios y luego asesinó a nueve personas que estaban en un grupo de estudio bíblico.

De inmediato mis pensamientos regresaron a Dios y Su bondad, gracias al coro de las aves que cantaban del "poder de Dios", lo cual me recordaron las palabras del conocido himno que en ese momento se oía tan real: "En la natura, buen Señor, la vida a todos das; doquier que miro alrededor allí presente estás".

Nuestro Dios siempre está presente y es nuestra esperanza para todo lo presente y lo por venir. Pensar acerca de la presencia de Dios en mi vida y ofrecer lo mismo a otros mediante Jesucristo, hace que mi corazón se llene de compasión por nuestro mundo y por todos los disturbios y dificultades que en este existen. A menudo se me hace difícil pensar en el dolor y los sufrimientos que estamos experimentando en este mundo, sin embargo, mi confianza está en nuestro inquebrantable Dios. Nuestra confianza debe continuar en Él. Otros pueden cambiar, pero nuestro compromiso debe permanecer firme: proclamar las Buenas Nuevas de Cristo Jesús a cada hombre, mujer, niño y niña en California y alrededor del mundo.

El Evangelio de Cristo Jesús debe reflejarse en el amor hacia los pecadores. No creo que este sea el momento para nuevas estrategias o evaluaciones, sino para "volverse a comprometer y buscar nuevas energías" para impartir la esperanza de Cristo y traer transformación espiritual a las vidas de aquellos que nos rodean.

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Tenn. Baptist injured in Chattanooga shooting 
by Lonnie Wilkey/Baptist and Reflector
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (BP) -- When Eric Stitts, pastor of Bayside Baptist Church, heard of the domestic terrorism attack on two military facilities in Chattanooga, Tenn., July 16, his first thought was disbelief.

Then he turned his attention and prayers to the many policemen in his church, located in nearby Harrison, who he knew would be called to the scene.

One of those officers (name has been asked to be withheld) was one of three people wounded during the incident which took the lives of four United States Marines. The shooter, Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Kuwait, was also killed.

"&#91;He&#93; is very faithful," Stitts said. "He loves his family and he takes his responsibility as a police officer very seriously."

Stitts noted the officer is a "man of integrity" and a member who is well respected in the church and community.

The Bayside pastor has been in contact with the officer's wife. "She told me the recovery process will be long but he is expected to make a full recovery," Stitts said.

Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher told television station WRCB the officer is "doing as well as can be expected after being shot by a brazen criminal like this."

The pastor said Bayside Baptist was open all day Friday (July 17) for people to come and pray. In addition, Stitts said the church service on July 19 would be devoted to prayer as well.

"We will be praying for &#91;the officer&#93; and his family and the families of the four Marines who were killed as well as the two others who were wounded and all those involved," he said. "We also are going to enter into a time of seeking the Lord and praying as a church family that the community will come together and seek the face of God," he said.

He noted he told his church two weeks ago following the same-sex marriage ruling by the United States Supreme Court that now is not a time to panic or to live in fear.

In light of what happened on July 16, those words still ring true, he said.

"We must walk in our faith more than ever before. We must trust in God who can raise the dead," Stitts said.

The most recent incident is another reminder "that we need spiritual renewal in our nation and that it must start within our churches," he said.

Steve Roper, Baptist Collegiate Ministry specialist on the campuses of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and Chattanooga State Community College, said the campuses and the community are in "a state of shock. Our community has never really experienced anything remotely like this," he said.

Roper said the Chattanooga State campus is near where one of the shootings on Thursday took place and the school was placed on lock down.

Because there are relatively few students on campus during the summer Roper said no special activities are planned for now.

Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Director Randy C. Davis said, "Baptists all over the state of Tennessee are praying for our friends in Chattanooga as they deal with the enormous grief caused by evil personified.

"We know all things work for God's glory and the good of those who follow Christ, even in great tragedy," Davis said.


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Planned Parenthood exec. offered help, better way
by David Roach
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

NASHVILLE (BP) -- A prolife advocate and former Planned Parenthood clinic director has written an open letter extending compassion to the Planned Parenthood executive caught on video discussing the sale of baby parts gained through abortion.

Meanwhile, the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America called charges that her organization has behaved illegally "outrageous." Prolife advocates appear divided regarding the likelihood that Planned Parenthood violated the law. Still, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Judiciary Committee have launched investigations of Planned Parenthood, as have five states -- Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, Georgia and Indiana.

Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director in Bryan, Texas, wrote in a July 14 open letter published by LifeSiteNews that she opposes abortion but also condemns "hate and vile comments about" Planned Parenthood executive Deborah Nucatola, the subject of the debated video. Nucatola is not "evil" but "misguided," Johnson wrote, telling the abortion provider of a better life to be found apart from Planned Parenthood.

"We care about you," Johnson wrote, referencing her nonprofit organization that seeks to help abortion clinic workers leave the industry. "We want you to find peace. We want you to find true happiness. We know that won't happen as long as you are involved in Planned Parenthood. We believe that your life matters. We believe that your life holds infinite value and worth. You matter to us. As hard as I fight to save unborn babies, I fight just as hard to save people like you from the grips of the abortion industry."

Johnson understands Nucatola's perspective, she wrote, because she "used to be just like" her -- a harvester of post-abortive baby parts. In Johnson's experience, consent was obtained from patients to harvest their babies' tissue, and most women consented "because we made it seem like that by donating, they were helping others" in supplying materials for researchers.

Johnson described the process she employed in her former life to harvest baby organs.

"All of the blood, body parts and extra tissue would be collected into a glass jar," Johnson wrote. "That glass jar would come to me in the POC (products of conception) lab through a 'pass through specimen cabinet.' I would take the jar to our sink, dump everything into a huge strainer, rinse out the jar and then rinse the blood out of the strainer. After I had a clean body, I would dump it into the glass baking dish that was sitting on top of an x-ray light box. I would put a little bit of water in the glass dish so that the body parts would float ... that made it easier for me to manipulate them."

Johnson said she understands Nucatola's apparently callous attitude toward dismembering children.

"After a grueling abortion day, we would all go out for margaritas and Mexican food. We would talk about the day and specific abortion cases. It wasn't gross to us. We honestly didn't think anything about it. We would plainly talk about harvesting fetal parts as if we were talking about harvesting a field of corn. That was our normal ... and we were proud to live in it. I get the humor. I get how something grotesque to others can seem ordinary," Johnson wrote.

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards defended America's largest abortion provider in a video posted online July 17.

"Recently, an organization that opposes safe and legal abortions used secretly-recorded and heavily-edited videos to make outrageous claims about programs that help women donate tissue for medical research," Richards said. "I want to be really clear: the allegation that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true."

Planned Parenthood's "top priority is the compassionate care that we provide," Richards said. She apologized for Nucatola's speaking "in a way that does not reflect that compassion." Nucatola's "tone and statements" are "unacceptable," Richards said.

Women who donate tissue from their aborted children promote "life-saving research" and "should be respected, not attacked," Richards said, listing Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases among the conditions researched and treated through use of fetal tissue.

Groups like CMP "have never been concerned with protecting the health and safety of women," Richards said.

Kristi Hamrick, a spokesperson for Americans United for Life, told Baptist Press it is "premature to say whether Planned Parenthood has broken the law." The abortion provider may have violated federal laws banning partial-birth abortion and profiting from the sale of human remains, she said, adding that state laws may have been violated as well.

"Not a single investigation has yet been completed," Hamrick said, "so it's premature to say what they'll find."

Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent letters to Richards and Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting information about Planned Parenthood. Writing to Lynch, Grassley said the CMP video "raise&#91;s&#93; questions about whether abortion providers are acting in full compliance with the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act."

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., took to the Senate floor, calling his colleagues to act in defense of the unborn.

Lankford lamented that a July 16 Senate committee hearing included "extensive conversation about the rights of orca whales" and "protracted conversation about horse slaughter and how horses would be humanely put down" but the Senate has not discussed Planned Parenthood's treatment of unborn babies.

"Why &#91;would&#93; this Congress ... spend time today debating horse slaughter and debating orca whales, but yet we've become so numb to children that the other debate doesn't seem to come up?" Lankford said July 16. "Maybe we need to start again as a nation, asking a basic question. If that's a child, and in our Declaration &#91;of Independence&#93; we said every person ... is endowed by our Creator &#91;with&#93; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, maybe we need to ask as a nation again, do we really believe that?"

Lankford, who is a Southern Baptist, added, "On a day that we passed an education bill, before we pat ourselves on the back saying how much we care about children, let's make sure we're dealing with a compassion for children at every age, not just at certain ages."

As of midday July 17, Lankford was the only senator to speak about the Planned Parenthood video on the senate floor.

At least 11 Republican 2016 presidential candidates have condemned the Planned Parenthood practices described in the controversial video published by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), a Baptist Press survey of media sources found. None of the Democratic presidential candidates have addressed the controversy, according to the Washington Free Beacon, which noted that Hillary Clinton has received nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from Planned Parenthood employees.

Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission said July 17 in its email newsletter "The Weekly" that Planned Parenthood's actions are "horrific" but "unbelievably" may be "protected by &#91;federal&#93; law." The ERLC did not evaluate state laws.

After offering an analysis of relevant federal law, the ERLC concluded, "This despicable practice of selling the body parts of aborted children is likely to be legal and an accepted, if not common practice, among abortion providers. The video should serve as a disturbing wake-up call for the pro-life community. We are justified in being outraged by the trafficking in human parts by Planned Parenthood and their justification of the practice and we should be outraged at the federal government that made it legal to traffic in the sale of aborted human flesh. What's more we should call on our legislators to act to both defund Planned Parenthood and to ban the sale of fetal tissue."


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Ruling leads to $26M settlement in NAMB case
by Art Toalston
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

BOZEMAN, Mont. (BP) -- A Montana judge's summary judgement ruling has led to a $26 million insurance settlement in a quadriplegic man's lawsuit against the North American Mission Board stemming from a 2009 auto accident.

Jeremy Vangsnes, who was 21 at the time of the July 2009 accident, was traveling with two of his brothers, Dan, then 24, and Ryan, 19, in an SUV driven by Scott Minear, 20.

The rollover crash, which left Jeremy Vangsnes paralyzed and with a brain injury, occurred on Interstate 90 near Belgrade, Mont.

The four men were based at Yellowstone National Park as part of a 10-week summer resort missions program of the North American Mission Board. The accident, at around 3:30 p.m. on July 21, 2009, occurred during a side trip to Glacier National Park for the Vangsneses to visit with an aunt, uncle and cousins.

The summary judgment ruling was issued by Judge Mike Salvagni of the 18th Judicial District for Gallatin County in Bozeman. The Associated Press on July 14 reported the ruling, which was filed on June 18.

In that ruling, the court found that it had been conclusively established that the driver of the SUV "was acting within the course and scope of his agency with NAMB at the time of the accident which caused Jeremy Vangsnes' injuries" and that, therefore, NAMB could be held vicariously liable for the acts of the driver.

According to the personal injury law firm Maya Murphy, P.C., representing the Vangsneses, the settlement will allow the family "to hire 24-hour skilled nursing care for Jeremy Vangsnes and to buy a house that is more handicapped-accessible."

Jeremy Vangsnes' brothers and Scott Minear were hospitalized after the accident with various injuries and were continuing their recovery, according to a Baptist Press news report on Aug. 20, 2009.

BP reported that the North American Mission Board had set up a fund for the Vangsnes and Minear families. The home church of the Vangsneses, First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C., also had established a special fund for the family. A fund also is accessible through the Caring Bridge website.

Mark and Kathy Vangsnes, Jeremy's parents, remain members of First Baptist in Spartanburg, a church spokesman told Baptist Press July 17.

The parents of Scott Minear, Frank and Tammy Minear, were members of an Atlanta-area Southern Baptist congregation, Crosspointe Community Church in Roswell, at the time of the accident. BP could not confirm July 17 where the family now resides.

The three Vangsnes brothers and Minear were among 17 student resort missionaries stationed at Yellowstone that summer.

Jeremy Vangsnes had finished his junior year at Coastal Carolina University in Conway and was a competitive runner there.

The elder Vangsnes said in the August 2009 Baptist Press story that support from Southern Baptists -– from their home church, First Baptist Spartanburg, to Baptists in Montana -- had been "unreal. Right now, we're staying with a local family only five minutes from Jeremy's facility. The Baptist body of Christ has just overwhelmed us. ... We believe that God is upholding and sustaining us, and the prayer going up for us is amazing."

Scott Minear's mother, Tammy, told BP at the time, "To even begin to describe the body of Christ at work during this is impossible.... We're awestruck. How quickly so many people from so many different avenues -- the Southern Baptist Convention, NAMB, local churches -- responded. Churches here are ministering to us with their presence, with food, drinks, places to stay.

"All the prayers have been so felt.... &#91;W&#93;e have been constantly aware of people praying for us. We feel like we're wrapped up not only in God's arms, but in the arms of people around the world, who are praying for us," Tammy Minear said.


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GuideStone pierde en mandato de aborto
by Por Tom Strode
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Recursos Financieros GuideStone y los ministerios que sirven deben cumplir con el mandato de anticoncepción y aborto de la administración Obama o pagar aplastantes multas, decretó una corte federal de apelaciones el martes (14 de julio).

Un panel de tres jueces de la Corte de Apelaciones del 10º Circuito en Denver declinó conceder un mandato judicial que bloqueara la implementación de la regla rechazando así los argumentos de GuideStone y de un número considerable de otras organizaciones religiosas sin fines de lucro que el controversial mandato y ajuste para tales entidades viola su libertad religiosa. El mandato requiere que los empleadores provean no solamente anticonceptivos a sus trabajadores sino drogas y dispositivos que potencialmente pueden causar abortos.

GuideStone -- la entidad de beneficios financieros y de salud de la Convención Bautista del Sur -- y sus abogados están considerando una apelación ante toda la Corte del 10º Circuito o ante la Corte Suprema de EE.UU., dijeron en un comunicado de prensa. 

La decisión es "un contratiempo" pero "no el resultado final," dijo el presidente de GuideStone O.S. Hawkins en una divulgación. 

"Esta es una decisión decepcionante, tanto para la libertad religiosa como para la santidad de la vida," dijo Hawkins. "Este es un día para que todos nosotros bombardeemos el Trono de la Gracia con peticiones a favor de un resultado favorable en la apelación, por fortaleza de determinación, por el nonato en este país y por todos nuestros líderes, muchos de los cuales le han dado la espalda a los principios fundadores de este país."

El presidente de la CBS, Ronnie Floyd se unió a Hawkins en el llamado a una determinación en oración.

"Esta decisión muestra la profunda necesidad para nosotros no solamente de orar, sino de más allá resolver juntos que iremos adelante sin descanso en apoyo a la libertad religiosa y a la santidad de la vida humana," dijo Floyd en comentarios para Baptist Press. "Quiera Dios darle al doctor O.S. Hawkins, a GuideStone, y a otros, la sabiduría y la fortaleza para hacer lo que es necesario para continuar en esta digna búsqueda."

El presidente del Comité Ejecutivo de la CBS Frank Page dijo: "Nos unimos al doctor O.S. Hawkins y a los directivos y personal de Guidestone para expresarles nuestro profundo desagrado por este fallo. Es un día triste cuando el gobierno rehúsa reconocer las sinceras creencias y conciencia del pueblo de Dios. Esto es un indicativo del alcance de nuestro sistema judicial el cual se ha conformado al siglo XXI. No nos daremos por vencidos en esta lucha." 

Russell Moore, presidente de la Comisión de Libertad Religiosa y Ética (ERLC por sus siglas en inglés), lo llamó un fallo decepcionante "que revela los instintos de un estado-establecido en la religión -- uno que busca usar la ley como un medio para apisonar la conciencia y apagar la oposición. Esta decisión fuerza una elección entre la obediencia a Dios y el cumplimiento con el estado regulador; debemos apoyar la conciencia."

La opinión del 10º Circuito llegó en tres casos combinados que incluían no solamente a GuideStone como un partido sino a dos escuelas bautistas del sur afiliadas -- Truett-McConnell College en Georgia y la Universidad Bautista de Oklahoma -- y a Pequeñas Hermanas del Pobre, una orden católica romana de monjas en Denver.

Aunque las cortes federales de apelación han reprobado las organizaciones sin fines de lucro que se oponen al mandato, la Corte Suprema ha bloqueado tales acciones por el panel de apelaciones seis veces consecutivas, de acuerdo al Fondo Becket por la Libertad Religiosa. En dos de esas órdenes este año, la corte alta invalidó los fallos de la corte de apelaciones y ordenó a los circuitos a reconsiderar sus decisiones a la luz de los fallos de los jueces en 2014 en apoyo a la libertad religiosa de las compañías de negocios en relación al mandato.

En junio de 2014, la Corte Suprema apoyó objeciones en contra del mandato de "sociedades anónimas," para compañías de negocios, como negocios propiedad de familias. Los jueces decretaron a favor de Hobby Lobby, la cadena detallista a nivel nacional propiedad de cristianos evangélicos y Conestoga Wood Specialties, una compañía de fabricación de gabinetes propiedad de menonitas pro vida. 

El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos (HHS por sus siglas en inglés) promulgó la regla en cuestión para ayudar a implementar la ley de cuidado de la salud de 2010. La regulación requiere cobertura de anticonceptivos federalmente aprobados, incluyendo el dispositivo intrauterino (DIU) y drogas tales como el Plan B, la "pastilla del día siguiente". Tanto el DIU como la "pastilla del día siguiente" poseen mecanismos post fertilización que potencialmente pueden causar abortos previniendo la implantación de los diminutos embriones. La regla también cubre "ella," que -- de un modo similar a la droga RU 486 -- puede actuar inclusive después de la implantación para terminar con la vida del niño.

HHS proveyó una excepción a la regla, la cual fue propuesta primero en agosto de 2011, a las iglesias y sus auxiliares pero no la extendió a las organizaciones sin fines de lucro relacionadas con la iglesia que objetan. Este decretó una adaptación para las organizaciones religiosas sin fines de lucro, pero muchos de esos ministerios o instituciones la han encontrado inaceptable.

En su última versión anunciada el 10 de julio, HSS finalizó una regla, similar a una ofrecida en agosto de 2014, que capacita a organizaciones religiosas sin fines de lucro a notificar a HHS por escrito sus objeciones religiosas. En respuesta, el gobierno federal le notificará a la aseguradora o a un tercero que es responsable de proveer a los empleados de la organización sin fines de lucro pagos para cubrir los servicios. 

Los defensores de la libertad religiosa y de la vida todavía encuentran la regla penosamente carente, contendiendo que es básicamente un truco de contaduría que vuelve las organizaciones religiosas en canales a través de los cuales la cobertura de anticonceptivos y drogas potencialmente causantes de abortos es provista.

En su dictamen del 14 de julio, el panel del 10º Circuito encontró inconvincente los argumentos de GuideStone y sus aliados de que la acomodación del HHS todavía los haría cómplices de proveer cobertura abortiva o anticonceptiva. 

"Tener que presentar una demanda o de otra manera registrar una objeción religiosa, aun si uno no está de acuerdo con el último objetivo de la ley en discusión, no solo carga sustancialmente el ejercicio religioso," escribió el juez Scott Matheson por el panel.

HHS ha hecho el optar por no participar del requisito "por lo menos tan fácil como obtener un permiso de desfile, llenar una simple fórmula de impuestos o registrarse para votar -- en otras palabras, una rutina, una breve responsabilidad administrativa," escribió Matheson. "Abstenerse les asegura que no tendrán parte en la provisión de la cobertura de los anticonceptivos, prohíbe &#91;a un tercero&#93; y a los emisores de seguros de salud compartir los costos de proveer cobertura con ellos, y requiere notificar a los empleados que no administran o financian servicios anticonceptivos."

Mark Rienzi, abogado principal de GuideStone y sus codemandantes, dijeron que la decisión del 10º Circuito "mantiene en vigor el ataque agresivo, discriminatorio e innecesario del gobierno al corazón de las creencias religiosas de los ministerios religiosos privados." 

"El gobierno no necesita encargarse del plan de beneficios de la iglesia para proveer drogas inductoras de abortos -- el más poderoso gobierno del mundo puede obviamente distribuir drogas sin apropiarse de las instituciones religiosas y de sus planes de salud," dijo Rienzi, asesor senior del Fondo Becket, en la divulgación de GuideStone.

El litigio marca la primera vez que GuideStone ha demandado al gobierno federal. Truett-McConnell College y Reaching Souls International -- ambos participantes de los planes de salud de GuideStone -- se unieron a la entidad de la CBS en su demanda. Truett-McConnell College en Cleveland, Georgia, está afiliado a la Convención Bautista de Georgia, y Reaching Souls es una organización de misiones con sede en Oklahoma City que entrena africanos para alcanzar a su propio continente con el evangelio de Cristo.

Otras tres entidades de la CBS -- la ERLC, la Junta Internaciones de Misiones y el Seminario Teológico Bautista del Sur –- presentaron un amicus curiae en apoyo a la petición de GuideStone de un mandato provisorio. GuideStone, con sede en Dallas, sirve no solamente a las iglesias sino a organizaciones misioneras, escuelas, hospitales y otros ministerios. Además de coberturas de seguros de salud y otros, GuideStone también ofrece retiro, administración de inversiones, cobertura de propiedad y accidentes, y otros servicios.

La firma legal de Dallas, Locke Lord LLP se unió al Fondo Becket en presentar la demanda a favor de GuideStone y sus codemandantes.

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La defensa de Planned Parenthood es infundada, dice CMP 
by Por Diana Chandler
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Planned Parenthood está confiando en la defensa de su dispensación de partes fetales abortadas a través de sus casi 70 clínicas en EE.UU. dijo un grupo vigilante médico sin fines de lucro que ha dirigido una investigación encubierta del proveedor de abortos.

El Centro para el Progreso Médico (CMP por sus siglas en inglés) divulgó una filmación el 14 de julio de la reunión de una ejecutiva de Planned Parenthood con un investigador de CMP que se hizo pasar por un comprador de partes fetales, en la que se discutieron los costos, procedimientos y regulaciones de la adquisición de una amplia variedad de restos fetales.

En su defensa, Planned Parenthood dijo que "dona" tejido fetal para investigación científica "con total y apropiado consentimiento de las pacientes y bajo los más altos estándares éticos y legales," y que "no hay beneficio financiero por la donación de tejidos ni para la paciente ni para Planned Parenthood."

Las alegaciones de Planned Parenthood de que obtienen el consentimiento de la paciente, de que no reciben ganancia monetaria y de que siguen la ley en su dispensación de tejido fetal abortado son todas falsas, dijo CMP a pocas horas de la declaración de Planned Parenthood.

"Planned Parenthood hace dos admisiones clave hoy: 1) partes fetales abortadas son recogidas en sus clínicas, y 2) dinero es intercambiado en conexión con esto. También dicen varias mentiras: 1) que obtienen consentimiento apropiado de las pacientes, 2) que Planned Parenthood no obtiene dinero de las partes del cuerpo, y 3) que todo es legal," dijo CMP en un comunicado de prensa publicado en centerformedicalprogress.org.

"Nada de esto es estándar a lo ancho del campo médico convencional," dijo CMP, "pero es estándar a lo ancho del campo abortivo inexplicable e insular."

Sin embargo, Planned Parenthood, en una declaración oficial hoy (15 de julio), mantuvo su decoro a la luz de crecientes alegaciones de líderes políticos y otros.

"Estas escandalosas pretensiones son simplemente falsas, pero eso no les importa a políticos con una antigua agenda política para prohibir los abortos y desfinanciar Planned Parenthood," dijo Eric Ferrero el vicepresidente de Comunicaciones de Planned Parenthood. "Mujeres y familias que hacen la decisión de donar el tejido fetal para investigaciones científicas salvavidas deben ser honradas, no atacadas ni humilladas.

"Nuestras prácticas y directrices médicas en esta área son claras, y hacemos este importante trabajo justo como cualquier otro proveedor de cuidado de la salud de alta calidad," dijo Ferrero, "con un completo y apropiado consentimiento de las pacientes, bajo los estándares éticos y legales más altos, y sin beneficio financiero para la paciente o para Planned Parenthood."

Russell Moore, presidente de la Comisión de Libertad Religiosa y Ética de la Convención Bautista del Sur, dijo que la práctica de Planned Parenthood es indefendible.

"El horror de esta historia debería ser chocante a las conciencias de todos los estadounidenses. Y la respuesta de Planned Parenthood a este video es tan escalofriante como poco convincente," dijo Moore en un comunicado de prensa el 15 de julio. "Seamos claros acerca de lo que está pasando; no es solamente que infantes, en el vientre de sus madres, están siendo privados de su vida, sino que sus cadáveres están siendo profanados por ganancia. Esto no es solamente homicida; es homicida de la manera más macabra imaginable.

"¿No es claro a estas alturas que estos no son proveedores del cuidado de la salud sino piratas y ladrones de tumbas de aquellos que no tienen tumba?" dijo Moore. "El Departamento de Justicia y el Congreso de EE.UU. deben emprender una extensa investigación de esto."

CMP publicó en su sitio web un enlace con un anuncio de StemExpress, LLC, que promueve hacer negocios con la compañía biomédica con sede en California como financieramente lucrativo. StemExpress suple células humanas, fluidos, sangre y tejidos a laboratorios de investigación.

"&#91;StemExpress&#93; anuncia cuatro veces diferentes el beneficio financiero que las clínicas Planned Parenthood pueden recibir de suplir tejido fetal, con las palabras: 'financieramente lucrativo,' 'ganancias financieras,' 'beneficio financiero para su clínica,' &#91;y&#93; 'crecimiento fiscal de su propia clínica,'" dijo CMP. "El anuncio lleva una refrendación de &#91;Mar Monte&#93; la doctora Dorothy Furgerson, directora médica de Planned Parenthood "

El anuncio cita a Furgerson, quien dirige clínicas en el centro de California y el norte de Nevada, que dijo: "Nuestra sociedad con StemExpress es beneficiosa de varias maneras. Primero, nos permite contribuir a la investigación salvavidas que está llevando adelante diagnósticos y cuidado médico. Segundo, StemExpress tiene una solución insertable que nos permite añadir clínicas adicionales rápidamente. Finalmente, me siento confiada de que el anonimato de nuestras pacientes está seguro a través de sus estrictos protocolos y prácticas."

Planned Parenthood en un comunicado de prensa del 14 de julio describió a CMP como "un grupo bien fundado establecido con el propósito de dañar la misión y el servicio de Planned Parenthood."

El representante de la Casa de EE.UU. John Boehner divulgó una declaración el 15 de julio que demanda una investigación de las prácticas de Planned Parenthood.

"Les he pedido a nuestros comités pertinentes examinar este asunto. También recurro al presidente Obama y a la secretaria de Servicios Humanos y de Salud, Sylvia Burwell para que denuncien, y paren estas prácticas macabras," dijo Boehner. "Cuando una organización monetiza a un niño nonato -- y con actitud arrogante lo describe en este horroroso video -- todos debemos actuar."

Moore requirió una investigación de Planned Parenthood en cartas a Boehner y al líder de la mayoría del senado Mitch McConnell el 14 de julio, y ha animado a continuar esfuerzos para prohibir el uso del dinero de los contribuyentes para financiar abortos.

"Si hemos aprendido algo de los horrores de Kermit Gosnell de los años pasados," escribió Moore, "seguramente hemos aprendido que las mujeres y los niños vulnerables deben ser protegidos de esta clase de ganancias abusivas."

En su comunicado de prensa, Moore también exhortó a los candidatos presidenciales a tratar las atrocidades mostradas en el video encubierto.

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Evangélicos: Las propuestas del Papa probablemente afecten a los pobres
by Por Tom Strode
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

ERROR: CLOSING BRACKET NOT FOUND

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Pujols de Todos Estrellas anclado por la fe
by Por Daniel Woodman
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

CINCINNATI (BP) -- Creció jugando a agarrar la pelota como cualquier otro chico, excepto que él usaba limas en vez de pelotas de béisbol y un cartón de leche en vez de guante. A menudo miraba a su papá jugar softbol y lo cargaba a la casa cuando se emborrachaba después de los juegos.

La vida en República Dominicana no era fácil para Albert Pujols, pero ahora el 10 veces Todos Estrellas se ha dado cuenta que Dios tenía un plan para él desde el principio.

"Dios me ha dado la habilidad de tener éxito en el juego de béisbol," escribió Pujols en un testimonio publicado en el sitio web de su fundación. "Pero el béisbol no es el fin; el béisbol es el medio por el cual mi esposa…y yo glorificamos a Dios. El béisbol es simplemente mi plataforma para elevar a Jesucristo, mi Señor y Salvador."

La vida temprana de Pujols, como lo dijo Joe Posnanski en Sports Illustrated en 2009, era la típica de un joven dominicano. Alrededor del 50 por ciento de los niños de la nación viven en la pobreza, de acuerdo a un estudio de 2013 publicado por el Fondo para los Niños de las Naciones Unidas.

Pujols y su familia se trasladaron a New York en 1996 en busca de un mejor futuro, pero la visión de EE.UU. de la familia se vio afectada cuando Pujols fue testigo de un tiroteo en una tienda de comestibles, lo que obligó a la familia a trasladarse a Independence, Missouri.

Luego de una corta temporada en el Colegio Comunitario Maple Woods en el área de Kansas City, Pujols hizo oficial su elegibilidad amateur para las Ligas Mayores de Béisbol de 1999. Él no estaba en el radar de muchos equipos como elegible, de acuerdo al cazatalentos de los Medias Rojas, Ernie Jacobs.

"La gente no estaba segura qué edad tendría el hombre. Se asumía que lo que él dijera era verdad, pero no tenía un gran cuerpo y su balanceo era un poco largo... Había un par de cazatalentos a quienes él les agradaba, que pensaban que él podría subir alto, pero había muchos que no," dijo Jacobs en un artículo del Boston Globe en 2006.

En medio de las dudas que rodeaban a Pujols que lo encaminaban a ser elegible, pudo contestar algunas de sus propias dudas. En noviembre de 1998, confió en Jesús como su Señor y Salvador justo meses antes de ser elegible.

La futura esposa de Pujols jugó un papel importante en su conversión.

"En la primavera de 1998, la que pronto sería mi esposa, Deidre, comenzó a compartir conmigo el amor de Jesús. El momento más emocionante fue cuando le pedí a Jesucristo que viniera a mi vida. Si no fuera por Jesús, no estaría donde estoy ahora y mi vida no tendría propósito," escribió Pujols en su testimonio.

Se casaron en el 2000 y juntos cuidaron a la niña de Deidre de otra relación, Isabella, quien nació con síndrome de Down. Isabella se volvió un símbolo de esperanza para los Pujols, que luego crearon la Fundación Familia Pujols para promover la concientización del síndrome de Down.

De camino a ser elegible como cristiano nacido de nuevo, Pujols fue seleccionado por los Cardenales de San Luis, en la 13ª ronda como el 402º seleccionado.

Después de nueve apariciones en Todos Estrellas -- más que cualquiera de los 401 jugadores seleccionados antes que él -- muchos analistas y fanáticos creyeron que Pujols vestiría el rojo de los Cardenales durante el resto de sus días como jugador. Sin embargo, eso no fue lo que pasó cuando dejó el San Luis en 2011 por los Ángeles de Los Ángeles.

Muchos criticaron la decisión de Pujols, y muchos fueron más allá al sugerir que su talento no era todo natural, incluyendo al excardenal Jack Clark, quien acusó a Pujols de usar esteroides.

"Sé a ciencia cierta que usaba &#91;esteroides&#93;. El entrenador que trabajaba con él, lo expulsó de la práctica de bateo, de Kansas City, que lo entrenaba cada día, básicamente me dijo que eso fue lo que hacía," dijo Clark en un programa de radio en 2013.

Pujols respondió a las acusaciones de Clark sosteniendo que su compromiso con Dios pasaría por encima de cualquier deseo de tomar esteroides.

"¿Por qué habría de hacerle eso a mi familia? ¿Por qué le haría algo así a Dios? ¿Por qué le haría algo así a mi equipo?" preguntó Pujols en ese momento, de acuerdo al St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Clark luego se retractó de su afirmación después de que el entrenador que él mencionó negó nunca haber hablado con Clark, reportó el New York Daily News.

La crítica a Pujols persistió cuando las lesiones plagaron sus primeros años con los Ángeles. Muchos medios lamentaban el declive de la superestrella, donde Fox Sports llamaba su tiempo en Los Angeles una "severa desilusión" y un "desastre."

Luego de la crítica, Pujols se encuentra en un punto familiar esta semana: el Juego de las Estrellas. A sus 15 años como veterano actualmente va camino de emparejar la producción que tuvo durante el florecimiento de su carrera.

Al hablar sobre la crítica que lo ha perseguido largamente, Pujols todavía apunta hacia su fe.

Pujols comenzará en primera base en el Juego de las Estrellas de esta noche (14 de julio) en el Great American Ball Park de Cincinnati.

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EDITORIAL: Allí estás tú
by Por Fermin Whittaker
Date: July 17, 2015 - Friday

FRESNO, Calif. (BP) -- Era una mañana muy hermosa cuando salí a caminar. El sol comenzaba a salir y yo admiré la belleza de la creación de Dios en medio de una mañana refrescante, diferente a los usuales días calientes y áridos en Fresno. Me acercaba a mi destino cuando comencé a oír el piar de los pájaros. Pero a medida que me acercaba a casa aquel piar se iba convirtiendo en un cuarteto y  luego, inesperadamente, se organizó un coro. La belleza del momento me maravilló.

Mi sorpresa me abrumaba al pensar en la bondad de Dios y Su creación. Enseguida recordé el Salmo 118:24: "Este es el día que hizo Jehová; nos gozaremos y alegraremos en él". Ese día los pájaros me recordaron lo mucho que nuestro Padre Celestial se interesa en nosotros y la esperanza que Él ofrece por medio de Jesucristo, su Hijo.

La belleza y la serenidad del momento se quebrantaron al pensar en todas las cosas que están pasando en las vidas de personas que conozco. Estamos viviendo en un mundo cambiante y a veces estos cambios suceden a una velocidad espantosa. Las organizaciones a las que estoy asociado están cambiando sus énfasis de ministerio, los pastores que conozco se están trasladando a nuevos lugares de servicio y las familias con las cuales me relaciono se están mudando, no tan solo a otra casa, sino a un nuevo país y a una nueva cultura.

También recordé a otros que están viviendo en lugares donde les rodean la destrucción y la muerte, como por ejemplo Nepal. Pensé en los cristianos que viven en otros países donde bombardean sus casas de adoración y asesinan a los cristianos. Y recordé el acto sin sentido del joven en Carolina del Sur quién se sentó, escuchó la Palabra de Dios y luego asesinó a nueve personas que estaban en un grupo de estudio bíblico.

De inmediato mis pensamientos regresaron a Dios y Su bondad, gracias al coro de las aves que cantaban del "poder de Dios", lo cual me recordaron las palabras del conocido himno que en ese momento se oía tan real: "En la natura, buen Señor, la vida a todos das; doquier que miro alrededor allí presente estás".

Nuestro Dios siempre está presente y es nuestra esperanza para todo lo presente y lo por venir. Pensar acerca de la presencia de Dios en mi vida y ofrecer lo mismo a otros mediante Jesucristo, hace que mi corazón se llene de compasión por nuestro mundo y por todos los disturbios y dificultades que en este existen. A menudo se me hace difícil pensar en el dolor y los sufrimientos que estamos experimentando en este mundo, sin embargo, mi confianza está en nuestro inquebrantable Dios. Nuestra confianza debe continuar en Él. Otros pueden cambiar, pero nuestro compromiso debe permanecer firme: proclamar las Buenas Nuevas de Cristo Jesús a cada hombre, mujer, niño y niña en California y alrededor del mundo.

El Evangelio de Cristo Jesús debe reflejarse en el amor hacia los pecadores. No creo que este sea el momento para nuevas estrategias o evaluaciones, sino para "volverse a comprometer y buscar nuevas energías" para impartir la esperanza de Cristo y traer transformación espiritual a las vidas de aquellos que nos rodean.


