The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-07/18/2016 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: The idol of ease by Melanie Lenow Date: July 18, 2016 - Monday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- It was finally the weekend after a busy week and an overall busy month. Early on Saturday was a pro-life event and I was debating whether to attend. In my heart, I feel strongly about this cause, but in my flesh I really wanted to sleep late. My flesh won out, and time after time I silenced my alarm. After all, I deserved a little rest, right? As it was nearing the "if I don't get up now, there is no way I can make it" time, my youngest daughter toddled into our room and snuggled in close. "That seals it," I thought. "I can't miss snuggling with this sleepy girl." The decision was made. Then, the sweet, little, cherub-faced girl next to me had an accident right in my bed. I was soaked. She was soaked. I wish I could say I handled it with grace and kindness, but I didn't. "I want to rest!" every part of my flesh cried out. But since I had to get up anyway, I decided to hurry and make it, after all, to the pro-life event. Never did I imagine what God would do in my heart at that event. He had placed some incredible ladies in the same place at the same time and, together, He used all of us for His great purposes over the next six months. Now, I look back and am so thankful for the little accident that pushed me out of my comfort and into God's plan. If many of us were honest, we would admit that we want the life of a believer to be easy. We want to live on a deserted island somewhere with those we love, far from the dangers of terror or sickness or convoluted political races. We might feel passionately about fighting for truth, but after a while our flesh takes root and we want to go back to our safe couches of ease. I believe this is the most common act of Satan in the life of Christians in our culture. We are lulled to sleep and blind to our own idol of ease and comfort. This idol can take on two different forms. The first is what I described in the experience above. I saw an action that needed to be taken, but I initially choose disobedience in the name of an easy weekend morning. The second form takes on the likeness of discontentment. We might be working hard right where God has called us. But in the back of our mind we hear the voice of pride or discontentment: "This is hard. I deserve a break. I didn't think life would be like this. Why does everyone else have...." And the seeds of spiritual whining continue. The apostle Paul, throughout the book of Acts, gives us a great example of how we should live to battle the idol of ease in our own lives. When we look to fulfill God's work and not our own desires, we slowly but surely break down the idol. For example, in Acts 16:23-34, Paul and Silas are miraculously freed from prison. If this were me, I would be tempted to run as fast as I could out of the jail to a safe haven. Instead of following fleshly desires of safety and comfort, Paul and Silas stayed in the jail and tended to the jailor who did not know Christ and was about to take his own life. They shared Jesus with him and eventually the jailor and the rest of his household became believers. While we know this to have a happy ending, Paul had no way of knowing that was how the jailor was going to respond. It was just as likely that Paul and Silas would be rearrested and treated cruelly as they had so many times before. However, Paul was faithful to share God's truth to that jailor. His job was to fulfill God's work, not provide for his own safety and comfort. The first step of dying to the idol of ease is a willing heart. God has not called most of us to extreme, dangerous situations every day. But He has called us to work diligently and faithfully in whatever job, location or season He has for us. When He calls you to rest, rest well. But in the meantime, work hard for the Lord, casting down any idol that stands in your way. Consider Paul's counsel: "… whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:23-24). "… and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all" (Philippians 2:17). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pokémon Go delivers evangelistic opportunities by Scott Barkley/The Christian Index Date: July 18, 2016 - Monday DULUTH, Ga. (BP) -- Kevin Smith and others noticed visitors in the parking lot of the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center. While none made it to the front door, it wasn’t for lack of hospitality from Georgia Baptist Mission Board staff. The visitors may have arrived for Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle or some other resident of the Pokémon universe. The Pokémon Go mobile game, released earlier this month, has introduced the tiny characters to a new generation of gamers, many of which may not have even been born when the first Pokémon games were released by Nintendo in 1996. The game has led players to the Pentagon, the White House and maybe even your church. (See Baptist Press story.) What's Pokémon Go? The Pokémon Go app works with Google Maps to determine where Pokémon (which means "pocket monsters" in Japanese) can be “caught.” Players ("trainers") meet at specified locations, called “gyms,” for their Pokémon to do battle. Evidently declared a gym by the game, the cross in front of the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center brought around a dozen or so trainers to the premises July 11. "Several people came after the building was closed and walked to the fountain," said Smith, a Georgia Baptist Mission Board state missionary in Employee Services who was alerted to the visitors by security Monday afternoon, July 11. The next morning Smith met with state missionaries Randy Mullinax and Larry Wynn, both in church revitalization and evangelism, to generate a witnessing strategy for co-workers. In addition, Smith added, bottled water and tracts were being left by the fountain. Catch them all ... An email by Mullinax July 12 to state missionaries alerted them to the opportunity at their workplace as well as their church: "... We are quickly organizing a group of folks to rotate through the area for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. Here's the opener: 'Looking for a real treasure? The greatest one is not virtual but real!' Stop by my desk and pick up a '3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide' if you want to brush up on your conversational evangelism. "We realize the concerns this may cause, but we also realize the evangelistic opportunity this presents. So let's demonstrate the love of God by being friendly and sharing the greatest news a person can hear. "Google Maps has also placed one on most every church ... so get ready!" A hurdle for state missionaries and church staff who should find themselves in the same position is that trainers aren't typically at a locale for too long when capturing a Pokémon. The catchphrase for Pokémon fans since its beginning -- "Catch them all!" -- points to collecting as many Pokémon as possible and is a goal Mullinax echoed from an evangelistic perspective. "The challenge is that [they] drive up to the fountain, click the app, [and] drive off," he said. "Sometimes they get out of their vehicle. Let's say a total of six come during business hours; they arrive at various times. It's going to be a very infrequent, simultaneous event, so we catch them as we can." Seeing the opportunity Mullinax related how J. Robert White, Georgia Baptist Mission Board executive director, noticed two young men on the grounds late after the building had closed. He approached them in a friendly manner and asked if they needed any help. The two said they were just admiring the area. White asked if they were there to play Pokémon Go. "They were surprised he was aware of the game," Mullinax said. "They had a great conversation where he asked them about their relationship with the Lord. One said he is currently attending new member classes at a church where he is hearing the Gospel." Mullinax added that he and others hadn’t been aware that "private" property such as office buildings and churches could be included. State missionaries are excited about the opportunity, he said, and pointed out that Scott Smith and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board evangelism team "is doing an awesome job of helping our staff and all Georgia Baptist churches become more aware of the ways technology can be used to reach more people with the Gospel." Josh, a college student from Lawrenceville, Ga., works at a nearby business. He came to the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center to find the "gym" geotagged near the cross and there struck up a conversation with state missionary Buck Burch of Cooperative Program giving and stewardship development. Josh asked Burch, "Are you a gamer too?" It turned out Josh was already a Christian and became excited about Pokémon Go becoming an evangelistic opportunity. "This is a great way to meet people," he said. "It's bringing people together in ways not like any other traditional video game. So people coming to places like churches can [also] talk about Jesus." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkey leader's social media counters military coup by Art Toalston Date: July 18, 2016 - Monday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Turkey's Islamist-leaning president, Tayyip Erdogan, survived a July 15 coup attempt by narrowly escaping a band of soldiers at a coastal resort and then launching "a counteroffensive that marshaled military might, technology and religion," as described by Wall Street Journal reporters. The coup attempt failed, leaving more than 250 people dead and 2,800 military personnel detained for questioning, as estimated by The Journal on July 17, while the BBC placed the number of overall detainees as climbing past 6,000. The coup attempt likely will strength Erdogan's grip on power in the nation of 75 million people. Though democratically elected as president in 2014, international religious liberty advocates have been wary of Erdogan since. As noted in the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's 2016 report: "The overall landscape for democracy and human rights in Turkey has deteriorated over the last several years. The government has increased restrictions on social media and cracked down on journalists and individuals or groups that criticize the government, especially President Erdogan." As stated by The Journal: "Instead of weakening Mr. Erdogan, the coup provided a rationale for him to crack down on the military and judiciary, the two strongest bastions of Turkish society with the power to check the president's political ambitions." President Obama affirmed Erdogan's leadership soon after the coup began. Turkey already had a distinct form of Islam prior to Erdogan, Joe Carter, a writer with the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, wrote at the ERLC website. "Although the majority of the population is comprised of Sunni Muslims, Turkey has been a secular, democratic constitutional republic since 1923," Carter wrote at the ERLC's website June 16. "Although Turkey's constitution provides for strict secularism, this secularism is maintained through state control of religious expression in a variety of ways. For instance, all imams, or Muslim religious leaders, are employed by Turkey's Ministry of Religious Affairs, which reports directly to the Prime Minister's office. Further, Turkish public education curriculum includes compulsory Islamic education." The U.S. religious freedom commission lists Turkey as a "Tier 2" country in which "religious freedom conditions do not rise to the statutory level that would mandate a [country of particular concern] designation but require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by governments." Apart from the coup attempt, Turkey's tensions include the flow of refugees from Islamic State terror into Turkey and into other countries neighboring Syria and Iraq. An estimated 2.7 million Syrian refugees currently are living in Turkey, according to The Journal. "Turkey is a member of NATO and has the second largest standing army in that treaty organization (the U.S. has the first)," Carter additionally noted. "The U.S. has an airbase in Incirlik, Turkey, with approximately 5,000 service members. This base has been a primary point of operations for the U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS)." The coup attempt, launched by a segment of the Turkish military, included a gun battle with Erdogan's security forces at the resort where the president was staying, F-16s attacking Turkey's parliament building and helicopters attacking the nation's intelligence headquarters, The Journal reported. After his escape, Erdogan was able to utilize text messaging nationwide to rally thousands into the streets while loudspeakers at mosques voiced late-night calls to action. "It was the first time in Turkey's history," according to The Journal, "that its citizens rose up to prevent a military coup." Turkey has weathered several military coups since the modern state was founded in 1923 which subsequently segued back to civilian governance. Carter described Turkey as situated on a peninsula in western Asia that "serves as crossroads between the continents of Europe and Asia." It is bordered by Syria and Iraq as well as Greece, Bulgaria and Georgia and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Black Sea to the north and the Aegean Sea to the west. From a biblical standpoint, Carter wrote, "Numerous areas now located in modern Turkey are mentioned in the Bible, including: Mt. Ararat (Genesis 8:1-5); Haran (Genesis 11:31); the lands of the Hittites (Genesis 15:19-21); Tarsus [the original home of Paul] (Acts 9:11); Iconium (Acts 13-16 and 2 Tim. 3:11); Galatia (Galatians); Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:14); and Ephesus (Ephesians)." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Baton Rouge shooting stirs nearby churches by Staff/Baptist Message Date: July 18, 2016 - Monday BATON ROUGE, La. (BP) -- Though heartbroken from Sunday's deadly attack on Baton Rouge law enforcement officers, the community has hope for the future through Christ, said the pastor of a church mere feet away from a police barricade of the incident, which left three law enforcement personnel dead and three others wounded. "In the midst of our sorrow there is hope that God will redeem even this for His good purpose," said Jeff Ginn, pastor of Istrouma Baptist Church. "What Satan intends to destroy and divide, God will use to unite." The Louisiana church was about to start its first morning service July 17 when Ginn learned a shooter had ambushed officers responding to a call nearby. They quickly changed the order of service, focusing on a time of prayer for the situation. A shooter later identified as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Mo., killed two officers with the Baton Rouge Police Department and an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's deputy before being shot by police, according to media reports. The murders occurred less than two weeks after two white police officers shot Alton Sterling, an African-American, in a Baton Rouge parking lot, inciting a wave of demonstrations that have led to more than 200 protestors being arrested, the Associated Press reported. Though Istrouma decided to hold both worship services as planned, Ginn said the atmosphere was very different than most Sundays. "There was an air of heaviness over the services," he said. "One of the points I made in my message was [that] Jesus had joy in spite of the sorrow He experienced. So we pressed on, remembering those who were suffering." The church staff is holding meetings to plan their response, Ginn said. Possible ministry opportunities may include hosting a blood drive, offering church facilities for the slain officers' funerals and placing messages of hope on an electronic billboard seen by motorists traveling on Interstate 12. If the church doesn't offer hope in this situation, Ginn said, it is unclear who will. "Hope rests in the Lord," Ginn said. "The church is the one who speaks His Word to the watching world. We have to be His voice in this moment." The deceased officers have been identified as Brad Garafola, 45, of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, Montrell Jackson, 32, and Matthew Gerald, 41, of the Baton Rouge Police Department. Jackson's child attended the daycare at Florida Boulevard Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. "Our hearts are heavy as we learn the loss of one of our daycare families. Our prayers and thoughts go out to their families and all involved," a Facebook post by the church daycare stated. Florida Boulevard Baptist is opening its worship center this week from noon to 12:45 p.m. daily for anyone wishing to pray for comfort, healing and peace. They will be joined by other churches hosting prayer gatherings throughout the week. Thomas Shepard, pastor of the Baton Rouge-area Church at Addis (La.), and members of the congregation spent Sunday afternoon ministering to the family of Matthew Gerald, whose nieces attended Vacation Bible School recently at the church. "I prayed with the sister-in-law," Shepard said. "We let her know we could meet with her sister [Gerald's wife] or their children to provide grief counseling and whatever else they might need." On Sunday, Shepherd urged church members to pray for local law enforcement. "After this morning's unfortunate events, I would like to call our people to prayer," Shepard said. "The officers affected in this tragedy are a lot closer to home than we expected. Some of our member officers were on the scene when several suspects were picked up in Addis for questioning in connection with the shooting." Unity 'across racial barriers' The day after Sterling was killed, 32-year-old Philando Castile, also an African-American, was fatally shot four times at point-blank range as he sat in his car during a traffic stop outside St. Paul, Minn., triggering additional protests nationwide. On July 7, five police were killed in Dallas by a suspect who apparently told officers he wanted to kill white people and was upset by recent police shootings. Information about Long's motive in killing Baton Rouge officers has not been released, but Lee Wesley, pastor of the predominantly African-American Community Bible Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, urged people to come together and find a way to break down racial barriers amid the streak of violence and racial tension. Wesley has made counseling available through the church for those who have experienced trauma related to the shootings of Sterling or the three law enforcement officials. He is planning a multiracial prayer vigil in the hope of unifying the community. "Our goal is to move forward to a spirit of oneness and unity," Wesley said. "We have a common enemy, and that enemy is Satan, who wants to tear us apart. We want the world to see us standing together on the Word of God and come together across racial barriers. We want to say all lives matter. Black lives matter, white lives matter, the life of an individual citizen matters, the life of a police officer matters." At First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, a predominately white congregation, pastor Oren Conner led the congregation to pray in its worship service Sunday for the families of the slain officers as well as Sterling's family, especially his wife Quinyetta and 15-year-old son Cameron. Conner called all believers to pray for Baton Rouge in a July 18 column posted on The Gospel Coalition website. "The God who saved us is the God who holds us together," Conner wrote. "There is much to do in Baton Rouge, and the churches in our city will be leaning on one another in the days to come. It feels like we've been punched in the gut again, and we need some time to catch our breath. But today, the people of Baton Rouge need your prayers as we groan for peace and plead with God to stir in our hearts a desire to be peacemakers in our broken city." Frank S. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, echoed the call for unity and called Americans to place their trust in Christ. "We are deeply saddened once more because of the brokenness of our nation," Page said. "Our hearts go out to the families of the brave police officers in Baton Rouge. This all points to the reality that without Christ, we have no hope. Legislation and education cannot remove the brokenness, but only Christ." Pastor Jay Avance of Baton Rouge-area First Baptist Church in Baker, La., posted on his Facebook page Sunday morning, "This is such a tragedy that has befallen our city. Please pray for the fallen officers' families, pray for our officers serving right now, and the pray for our officers' families because this is very hard on them as well. "Pray for our community, pray the Spirit of God will bring His peace over our city today," Avance continued. "Thank you Boys in Blue, may we Back the Badge and lift each on up in prayer, and thank you all for what you do for our community by keeping us safe, God Bless!" 'Flooded with emotions' Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins said the country is seeing events like the Baton Rouge shooting far too often. "Jesus reminds us that the thief, Satan himself, comes to steal, kill and destroy. Tragically we're seeing this play out before our eyes in ways we've never imagined," Hankins said. "However, Jesus concludes His response by stating He comes to give life. "In addition to showing compassion to those who are grieving and our unwavering support for those who serve us through law enforcement, we must be resolute in sharing the One who brings life and changes hearts. "I call on all Louisiana Baptists to join me in crying out to God for the victims and their families and sharing the life-giving message of Jesus. Our culture is looking for hope. Let's tell them where they can find it," Hankins said. LBC President Gevan Spinney said he is "flooded with emotions" as he thinks about the families of the fallen officers. "However, I sense an overwhelming peace when I think about Psalm 29:10, 'The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood. And the Lord sits as King forever,'" said Spinney, pastor of First Baptist Church in Haughton, La. "Then threaded through all of my emotions is a constant hope that God the Father will send a soul-stirring revival through His church as we fall to our knees and cry out to Him. My prayer is that through this chaos we will experience an awakening in this country. In all of our emotions let us not be confused, Jesus is our hope." Call to prayer First Baptist Church in Covington, La., across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, has scheduled a prayer service tonight (July 18) in its worship center. Associate pastor Jay Johnston, who serves as chair of the Louisiana Governor's Prayer Breakfast task force and as state coordinator for Louisiana National Day of Prayer, is calling churches across the state to hold similar gatherings. "The Bible reveals to us that God created us with a need for others. Jesus modeled this with His followers to reveal the truth that we need each other," Johnston said, adding, "Our state and cities are hurting and the recent shootings and killings in Baton Rouge have accelerated the hurt and brokenness of our community." Johnston recently challenged the people of First Baptist to read 1 Corinthians 13 each day for 45 days to learn what love is and then to practice it. He also encouraged them to tear up their metaphorical record book of wrongs. Johnston appealed to those without a relationship with Christ to trust Him as their Lord and Savior. "I hope you will take the challenge to call people to pray, to love God and each other," Johnston said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- First Amendment Defense Act gets a hearing by Evan Wilt/WORLD News Service Date: July 18, 2016 - Monday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Republicans and Democrats may agree on the need for religious liberty but not on the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). After stalling in Congress for more than a year, FADA had its first public hearing July 12 in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Introduced shortly before the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges, FADA prohibits federal government discrimination based on marriage beliefs -- including in tax treatment, accreditation and federal licensing. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that freedom of religion is a core American value in need of protection but have disagreed on what rights would actually be protected if FADA is enacted. "Some may suggest that FADA would give private businesses a license to violate anti-discrimination laws with impunity. This is just not so," said Sen. Mike Lee, R.-Utah, FADA's Senate sponsor. "The bill does not preempt, negate or alter any anti-discrimination measures or civil rights laws, state or federal." Rep. Raúl Labrador, R.-Idaho, who introduced the bill in the House, also insisted lawmakers have a gross misunderstanding of the extent and purpose of FADA. "We have gone through a painstaking time and effort to make sure this bill takes nothing away from any individual," Labrador said. "Freedom of religion is not only the right to believe in private but is also the right to publicly exercise religion without fear of government interference. … We live in an age where strident voices call for tolerance but only for individuals with whom they agree." Republicans invited former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran to the committee hearing to recount how he lost his job because of a self-published men's devotional book that contained a biblical view on marriage and sexuality. Cochran, who worked as a firefighter for 34 years, received a 30-day suspension once city officials found out about his book. Mayor Kasim Reed then fired Cochran in January 2015, claiming his beliefs caused a propensity toward hate, even though a review of his case failed to find any instances of discrimination. "A person does not have to compromise their conscience to work for the government, I've lived that way for the last 34 years," Cochran told World News Service. "It's only until recently, given the Supreme Court's decision on marriage, that there is this bold assertion that you don't get to say what you believe if it differs from the Supreme Court's decision. People are afraid to say what they believe about marriage because of what happened to me." Cochran said Atlanta's city council told him it's fine to have a set of beliefs, but government workers had to check their beliefs at the door. Rep. Jim Jordan, R.-Ohio, affirmed Cochran's stance. "That is exactly why we have the First Amendment -- you do not have to check your beliefs. That's what this country is about," Jordan said. "You have to check your beliefs at the door? Are you kidding me? That's why this bill is so important." FADA provides protections specifically against the federal government. In Cochran’s case, FADA would not have protected him against discrimination as an employee of the city of Atlanta. But it would have shielded him while he served as the U.S. fire administrator in 2009, something that Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, D.-N.J., noted, asking why he was at a hearing about a law that did not pertain to him. Katherine Franke, a professor at the Columbia School of Law, agreed with Republicans that what happened to Cochran was wrong, but said FADA is dangerous because it elevates one set of beliefs above another. "No reasonable scholar of the First Amendment would hold the view that religious liberty rights are always absolute," Franke said. "Our Constitution adamantly protects religious belief, but it does not absolutely protect every single act one takes in the service of that belief." Over the last few months, Labrador and Lee have revised FADA to address those concerns. The bill now not only protects individuals and institutions with traditional views but any sincerely held belief on marriage and sexuality. Labrador expressed disappointment with opponents of his bill, asserting they have not even read it for themselves. Lee agreed, saying FADA is narrowly focused and provides simple and common-sense protections. "What an individual or organization believes about marriage is not -- and should never be -- any of the government's business," Lee said. "And the First Amendment Defense Act simply ensures that this will always be true in America."