The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-07/25/2016 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- United Methodists elect first openly gay bishop by Ciera Horton/WORLD News Service Date: July 25, 2016 - Monday ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- The United Methodist Church's (UMC) Western Jurisdiction unanimously elected the denomination's first openly lesbian bishop on July 15, going against the UMC"s official stance on homosexuality. The Rev. Karen Oliveto's election follows long-term disputes within the 12.7 million-member UMC about homosexuality, furthering concerns of an impending church division. "This election raises significant concerns and questions of church polity and unity," Bishop Bruce Ough, president of the UMC Council of Bishops, said after the vote. Immediately following the Western Jurisdiction's election, the South Central Jurisdiction in Wichita, Kan., asked for the church's Judicial Council to review the decision. The leaders asked if electing a "self-avowed practicing homosexual" as a bishop was lawful under UMC doctrine. The election could now prompt review under church law. The UMC is the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States and has yet to change its official statement on sexuality. The UMC Book of Discipline from 2012 states, "The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church." Despite the official statement, the church itself is divided on the topic of same-sex marriage and ordination. Some fear a long-brewing church divide. "If the Western Jurisdiction wanted to push the church to the brink of schism, they could not have found a more certain way of doing so," said the Rev. Rob Renfroe, president of the Methodist magazine Good News. The Western Jurisdiction has a history of disobedience to church rules, according to the Institute on Religion and Democracy. "This is a fundamentally schismatic action of the Western Jurisdiction declaring it no longer wants to live in unity with the rest of our denomination," wrote John Lomperis, the institute"s UMC action director. "If [Oliveto] is no longer Methodist in belief, she would have more integrity to find another faith community, rather than breaking the promises she chose to make to us." United Methodist bishops are elected by five jurisdictional conferences, and any elder in good standing is eligible. Some argue sexual orientation should not disqualify someone from being in "good standing." Oliveto is a pastor at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, Calif. In 1964, Glide helped create the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, an organization intended to enlist religious leaders for LGBT advocacy. Oliveto has made headlines before for controversial behavior. In 2015, she made a statement she said was against Islamophobia by holding a sign saying, "We are all Muslims." She has also supported abortion, publicly criticized the ministry of the Apostle Paul, and long officiated same-sex marriages. Oliveto also was not the only openly gay minister nominated for a bishop's post in the UMC this year. Two others, the Rev. David Meredith and the Rev. Frank Wulf, were also nominated in early June in other jurisdictions. In recent years, many mainline Protestant denominations that once condemned same-sex wedding ceremonies and the ordination of gays have changed stances. The Presbyterian Church (USA), The Episcopal Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have all voted to allow LGBT pastors and same-sex weddings. Pressure to make the UMC alter its stance on same-sex marriage and ordination has increased since the Supreme Court"s landmark decision legalizing gay marriage last summer. After the Methodist global meeting in May, reports spread that the denomination might ultimately divide; the UMC has discussed separating from more conservative churches in Africa and Asia. Chris Ritter, pastor at Geneseo First United Methodist Church in Geneseo, Ill., wrote that everyone was to blame for the potential schism: "To frame what is happening as either a conservative takeover or a progressive temper-tantrum would be to both miss the point and wallow in the sort of self-indulgent blame-shifting that is so common in any divorce. … We leaders allowed the church to arrive at this place both by sins of commission and omission. In spite of some notable successes, we have poorly represented Jesus together." -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: They need an invitation by Ernest L. Easley Date: July 25, 2016 - Monday JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) -- Southern Baptists' decline in baptisms reached its 15th year in 2015, decreasing by more than 10,000 from 2014 data recorded by our churches through the Annual Church Profile. Although 295,212 people were baptized by our churches last year, there is cause for concern whether, albeit figuratively, the waters in our baptisteries are drying up. Here's a simple step for all of us: Let's get back to inviting people to come to Jesus. Jerry Vines, longtime Southern Baptist leader, recently said, "Invitation is at the heart of the Gospel. Those who respond to the 'Come' are to 'go' and invite others." Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes, "If you [the preacher] haven't invited, you haven't preached. If you haven't persuaded, you haven't preached. If you haven't begged, you haven't preached." He goes on to say, "to be a preacher is to be a pleader, a persuader, a beggar." The "invited" -- all who have been invited by God into saving faith -- are called to the "inviters." Jesus gave invitations. On several occasions, Paul "persuaded" people. Moses gave an invitation, after the golden calf was destroyed as he stood in the gate of the camp, saying, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me" (Exodus 32:26). So how should the public invitation be given today after the proclamation of the Gospel? Here are some things to keep in mind in improving our ability in giving a public invitation: -- Give the invitation consistently. The late Charles Spurgeon is reported to have said, "Before you conclude any message, make a beeline for the cross." You never know whom the Spirit of God has led to attend any given gathering. They need to hear the Gospel! And having heard it, they need the opportunity to respond. -- Give the invitation clearly. A clear invitation begins long before it's given. It begins in the study. In other words, the invitation must be prayed through and prepared for as much as the message itself. Longtime Baptist pastor and evangelistic John Bisagno said, "Too often the invitation is thought of as unimportant, something to be tacked on to the end of the sermon." If the message has three points, consider the invitation the fourth point and clearly plan it out. Never assume the hearers knows what to do. Explain what you're asking them to do. -- Give the invitation creatively. There is more than one way to give an invitation. In the book, "Preaching Evangelistically" by Al Fasol, Roy Fish, Steve Gaines and Ralph West, they mention several ways to give an invitation: "Invitation to come forward, card signing, counseling or inquiry rooms, lifting one's hand, praying where you are." I was in a worship gathering recently where the pastor asked those who would give their hearts to Jesus to simply stand and declare with their mouths, "I'm ready to go all in with Jesus," and 15 people stood and declared, "I'm ready to go all in with Jesus." They were invited to come forward and the pastor prayed over them and the decision counselors brought them to a room for follow up. -- Give the invitation confidently. If you don't believe it, they certainly won't either. As someone once said, "A fire must itself burn before it can give warmth to others." We are doing the Lord's business, therefore don't hesitate or apologize for it, just give it.  Remember that we have the authority of heaven behind us as we invite the lost to Christ. -- Give the invitation courteously.  The invitation should never embarrass the hearers but rather encourage them. The invitation is a time for truth, not tricks; declaring, not deceiving. Chuck Kelly, president of the New Orleans Theological Seminary, has said, "Worse than being lost is being lost without anyone looking for you." The invitation to come to Jesus should clearly tell the lost that someone is looking for them and that someone is Jesus. Southern Baptists, let's get back to inviting people to Jesus! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Severe injuries teach what's 'really important' by Redunda Noble Date: July 25, 2016 - Monday MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) -- Watching Laura Spradlin drain 3-pointers and block shots, it's hard believe a car crash nearly took her life. "I love that basketball is a game for tall people," said Spradlin, who has played since she was 5. At almost 6-foot-2, not being able to play basketball was torture. "I couldn't run for months because of my injuries," she said. "But I knew I needed to try my hardest because I really wanted to play again." Driving alone on her way to school, Spradlin was severely injured when her car collided with a pickup truck at a Memphis-area intersection Jan. 22, 2014. Despite doctors' low expectations, Spradlin aimed to stay positive amid the rigors of her recovery. "Rehab was my opportunity," she said. "Whenever they told me to walk for five minutes, I asked if I could walk a mile." News of the accident initially devastated her parents. "On the way to the hospital, we prayed for God to spare her life," said Mike Spradlin, president of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. "She was only 17 and I prayed she wouldn't be in a wheelchair the rest of her life." Though the idea of losing their only daughter and youngest of their three children was heart-wrenching, Spradlin's mother Lee Ann rejected fear that tried to set in. The Lord immediately reminded her "Laura was right with Him no matter what happened." Laura was in critical but stable condition when her parents first saw her. Strapped in a neck brace, her left eye was swollen shut. Still in a coma, she suffered from massive brain bleeding and a fracture in which part of her face had separated from her skull. Her front teeth had been knocked out; a carotid artery, the major blood vessel carrying blood to the brain, had been damaged; and shattered glass was embedded in her face. Other injuries included a severed leg tendon and dislocated elbow. "We knew things were pretty serious as soon as we saw her," Lee Ann said. After several bad reports, family members prepared for the worst. Laura's parents refused to leave her alone at Regional One Health in Memphis. They initially split shifts during the day, while family and friends stayed nights. Known as the MED to locals, the hospital is staffed by highly trained trauma specialists, though Mike Spradlin admitted, "We had only heard horror stories about the MED. What we found was the complete opposite. The doctors and nurses were wonderful. "It was like the whole city of Memphis was taking care of our daughter." Although on heavy medication, Laura turned a corner just four days after the accident. "Dad, I think I'm in the hospital," she said in a surprise early morning wake-up call that sent her parents racing to the hospital, anxious to see their daughter awake. In subsequent days and weeks, word spread of the accident. "So many people wanted to visit Laura and help us," Lee Ann Spradlin said. "We were overwhelmed by the support." Laura's aunt created a personal website to give updates. People around the world prayed and posted encouraging messages. Friends delivered hot meals and Spradlin's basketball team even collected money to help with expenses. "We are so grateful for the body of Christ," Lee Ann Spradlin said. "The family of God was there to help us with whatever we needed." Recovery was excruciating for Spradlin due to diet restrictions. "My jaw was wired shut and I had to drink all my food through a straw. I was always so hungry," she said. "They brought me cream of mushroom soup for breakfast. It was horrible." Rejecting sugary protein shakes and smoothies, she lost 32 pounds. "I was upset because they wanted me to drink all this sugar and I couldn't move around or work out," she said. Even when the nutritionist threatened to insert a feeding tube, Laura wouldn't concede. She wasn't satisfied until she could eat her mom's chicken tortellini soup. "It tasted so good and I finally felt full." Mood and memory changes added to Laura's challenges. Family members never knew if she would angrily lash out, cry uncontrollably or be joyful. In difficult moments when attempts to calm her failed, nurses had to restrain her. Her parents remained hopeful that her brain would recover. "I know it was hard for them," Laura said. "They had to keep repeating things to me because I wouldn't remember what happened the day before. I still have bad brain days," she said. "But compared to how they thought I would be, I'm so much better." After four weeks in the hospital, 11 surgeries and months of rehab, Spradlin returned to basketball with flair and vigor. She shocked everyone in her first game by shooting a 3-pointer. Her game, now bolstered by a six-day-a-week workout regimen, had changed -- and everyone could see it, especially intimidated opponents who don't think she can shoot because she's tall. Spradlin's most striking change is her relationship with Christ. "God taught me to trust Him more," she said, reflecting a joy in sharing her testimony. "When I was in the hospital, everything was taken away. I couldn't walk, or play the piano or play basketball." With no guarantee she would recover, Spradlin focused on the Lord. "He was all I needed to be happy and fulfilled," she said. "And once I got everything back, I realized I didn't need those things as much as I thought." This fall, Spradlin will be a power forward for Ouachita Baptist University's Lady Tigers in Arkadelphia, Ark., her spot on the team secured by an impressive tryout. Despite her achievement, Spradlin cautions young people against becoming fixated on sports, friends and their social lives. "We can make those things our god and push our spiritual life to the side," she said. "In the scope of things, your soul is what really matters. When I almost died, I learned what was really important." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Hell defended amid National Geographic's challenge by David Roach Date: July 25, 2016 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The doctrine of hell, claims an article in National Geographic, "isn't as popular as it used to be." But evangelist David Stockwell apparently hasn't received the memo. He has preached on hell at every single one of his evangelistic meetings through 45 years of fulltime evangelism and told Baptist Press he sees people respond "with conviction and a great desire to get right with God." Stockwell, president of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, is among evangelicals who defend the traditional doctrine of hell and dispute the notion that individuals who have not received Jesus as their Lord and Savior simply cease to exist when they die -- a belief known as annihilationism and defended by some scholars quoted in the National Geographic article. Other proponents of the traditional view -- like California pastor Ben Skaug and Boyce College professor Denny Burk -- dispute National Geographic's suggestions that annihilationism may soon become the dominant perspective and that belief in eternal conscious torment for the unrighteous has not always been the consensus view of Christians. 'Compelled to preach the truth' The National Geographic article, published May 13, reports that 58 percent of Americans believe in hell, down from 71 percent two decades ago. The article quotes seven contemporary and historical Christian figures who have defended annihilationism and four who support the traditional teaching on hell. In tandem with the article, the National Geographic Channel aired a documentary titled "Map of Hell," which explored the history of belief in the afterlife. In the article, writer Mark Strauss claims "it is difficult to know" where "most evangelicals stand on the issue of hell." He references "a conundrum that continues to tug at the conscience of some Christians, who find it difficult to reconcile the existence of a just, loving God with a doctrine that dooms billions of people to eternal punishment." For Stockwell, the greater "conundrum" is how a holy God can accept sinful humans as His children. "Eternal judgment in pain, agony and flames of hell are what we all truly deserve," Stockwell said. "But God ... who is rich in love and mercy, because of His great love for us, so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son" to pay "the penalty for our sin." Only those who do not receive this gift must suffer judgment in hell. The mandate to preach hell as a place of eternal conscious torment, Stockwell said, stems from Scripture passages like Jude 1:22-23 and the fact that "Jesus talked about hell twice as much as He talked about heaven." During Stockwell's ministry, messages that included discussion of hell have led people to Christ who went on to become International Mission Board missionaries and leaders at prominent churches among other paths. "If we really believe God and what He has said in His Word," Stockwell said in written comments, "then we would be compelled to preach the truth of what God has said: that those who die without Christ in their hearts will spend eternity in hell, forever and ever! We would realize that our friends and neighbors, members of our own families, people all around us are dying in sin, without Christ, and on their way to hell." Consensus on hell? Skaug, who is writing a doctoral dissertation on the doctrine of hell at Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention, noted that judgment of the wicked is commonly referenced in Scripture as an expression of God's justice. The Old Testament Minor Prophets spoke of "the day in which God would bring judgment to the wicked." In the New Testament, every book "speaks to or references God's judgment of the wicked," said Skaug, executive pastor of Los Angeles-area Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, Calif., and a former vice president at Gateway Seminary. "Since all judgment has been given over from the Father to the Son, hell is the place where Jesus Christ will sentence the wicked (John 5)," Skaug said. "It will be a place where they will face eternal fire (Matthew 18:6-9). This place is the very same place that has been prepared beforehand for Satan and his fallen angels (Matthew 25:31-46), where the worm does not die and the fire is not extinguished." Hell, he said, "is described as eternal destruction in 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10. In other words, it is the place where the omnipresent God is actively pouring out His perfect wrath on the wicked who have rejected Jesus Christ." Skaug questioned National Geographic's claim that "in its earliest years, Christianity didn't have a consensus on the nature of hell." The early church "did not have a unanimous understanding of the doctrine of hell," Skaug said, noting that the third-century theologian Origen believed postmortem punishment was only temporary. "However, to say the early church did not have a consensus on the doctrine of hell is another matter." Theologians like Tertullian in the second and third centuries and John Chrysostom in the fourth century believed in eternal conscious torment, and Augustine popularized that view in the fourth and fifth centuries, Skaug said. "From Augustine through the medieval period, the traditional doctrine of hell was considered standard orthodoxy," Skaug said, and it continued to prevail in the Reformation era. The Enlightenment of the 1700s saw some churches begin to depart from orthodoxy, yet "the conservative church maintain[ed] its hold on the traditional doctrine of hell." A matter of authority In the end, Skaug said, beliefs about hell are determined by an individual's view of Scripture. "Our job is not to judge the Scriptures to determine if they fit inside of our Westernized perspectives, but rather allow the Word of God to mold and shape our thinking so that our thoughts are closer to God's thoughts," he said. "If the Bible declares that hell is a real place, then evangelicals should not be embarrassed to proclaim the traditional doctrine of hell as truth." Burk, who contributed to the 2016 book "Four Views on Hell," made a similar observation, suggesting many theologians who reject the traditional doctrine of hell "tend to be drifting in other crucial areas of doctrine as well." "I do not claim this is true in every individual case," Burk, professor of biblical studies at Boyce, wrote in a blog post, "but it is true in many cases. What we believe about Hell is fundamentally a reflection of what we believe about God, His character, and His justice. Revisions in the doctrine of Hell, therefore, are often accompanied by other revisions that undermine orthodox evangelical faith." The National Geographic article, Burk wrote, uses a tactic common among annihilationists when it notes that Anglican author and pastor John Stott, who died in 2011, was an annihilationist. While expressing profound respect for Stott, Burk argued "he had a patently unbiblical view of Hell" which, because of Stott's "otherwise impeccable credentials," has "provided cover for others who have drifted away from the traditional view." Burk questioned a prediction attributed to theologian Preston Sprinkle by National Geographic that "even within conservative evangelical circles, the annihilation view of Hell will be the dominant view in 10 or 15 years." Burk responded, "It may very well be that belief in annihilationism is on the rise. But still, is it the 'dominant' view? Dominant among whom? Bible-believing Christians? Bible-believing Christians around the world? I don't think so. "In the entire 2,000-year history of the Christian church," he wrote, "the near consensus view has been the Eternal Conscious Torment view. The recent decline of that view in the West may simply be a sign of Christianity's decline in the West. I'm not convinced it's a sign the Christian church is undergoing some historic shift in its doctrine of Hell." Among Southern Baptists, seminary professors and other entity leaders must affirm the Baptist Faith and Message, which states in Article X on "last things," "The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord." -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Left Behind' author Tim LaHaye dies at 90 by David Roach Date: July 25, 2016 - Monday SAN DIEGO (BP) -- Tim LaHaye, author of the bestselling Left Behind novels who helped stir a national interest in end-times prophecy, died today (July 25) of a stroke. He was 90. In addition to his end-times novels, LaHaye was a pastor, evangelical leader and author of more than 60 other books with 14 million copies in print on topics ranging from family life and sexuality to secular humanism and God's will, according to an obituary from Tim LaHaye Ministries. The 16-book Left Behind series, co-authored with Jerry Jenkins, was released beginning in 1995 and sold more than 80 million copies, popularizing a stripe of end-times theology known as dispensational premillennialism or dispensationalism. Among other doctrines, dispensationalism teaches that Jesus' second coming will be preceded by a "rapture" of the church and a period of "tribulation" on earth. Following the second coming, Christ will reign with His people on earth for a thousand years -- the "millennium" -- before establishing a new heaven and new earth, according to dispensationalism. Other versions of end-times theology disagree on the timing of the rapture and the millennium relative to Christ's second coming. Paige Patterson, himself a dispensationalist and author of the volume on Revelation in B&H's New American Commentary series, told Baptist Press LaHaye "enriched my life." "News of the transfer of Tim LaHaye to his heavenly home is the record of a faithful servant of Christ inheriting the promise of our Lord," said Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "A long, full life of faithfulness to Jesus in the pastorate, in schools and in the public square highlight the way all of us should live. His example together with [his wife] Bev focus on the importance of biblical marriage and inspires us all. I will miss his low key but steel commitment to all that is holy." The initial "Left Behind" book twice was made into a movie, once in 2000 starring Kirk Cameron and once in 2014 starring Nicholas Cage. Barry Creamer, president of Criswell College in Dallas, noted LaHaye's advocacy of dispensationalism, part of the college's heritage, and expressed thankfulness for his founding of educational institutions like San Diego Christian College and two accredited Christian high schools. "Recognizing our debt to great leaders from previous generations, we are grateful to Dr. LaHaye for the fact that his advocacy for dispensationalism stemmed from his commitment to biblical inerrancy and a conservative hermeneutic, commitments reflected in Criswell College's own doctrinal statement and administrative practice," Creamer said in written comments. "While probably best known lately for his Left Behind series, Dr. LaHaye's roles as a pastor, as an organizer and connector for ministries, and as a founder and supporter of institutions of secondary and higher Christian education also tie him closely to the purpose and values of Criswell College and its founder, W.A. Criswell," Creamer said. LaHaye pastored churches in South Carolina and Minnesota prior to a 25-year pastorate at Scott Memorial Baptist Church in San Diego, one campus of which became Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif. David Jeremiah, a BP columnist and the church's current pastor, called LaHaye "one of the most godly men I have ever known." "Tim's ministry will continue for many years through the books he wrote, the organizations he founded and the people that he influenced," Jeremiah told Christianity Today. "But I will miss him when I look out from my pulpit next Sunday." In the 1970s, LaHaye encouraged the late Jerry Falwell Sr. to establish the Moral Majority to advocate traditional family values in the public square, according to Tim LaHaye Ministries. Falwell called the Left Behind series' impact "probably greater than any other book in modern times, outside the Bible," according to TIME. Beverly LaHaye, his wife of 69 years, founded Concerned Women for America in 1979, a conservative public policy advocacy organization for women. The LaHayes -- co-hosts of a radio show and later a TV program called "The LaHayes on Family" and co-authors of the 1976 book "The Act of Marriage" -- were dubbed "the Christian power couple" by TIME in 2005. Some Southern Baptist leaders paid tribute to LaHaye on Twitter. Among them, GuideStone Financial Resources President O.S. Hawkins tweeted, "Dr. Tim LaHaye has entered heaven today. 'How the mighty have fallen in the MIDST of the battle' 2 Sam 1:25. We are still in the battle!" Former Southern Baptist Convention President Jerry Vines tweeted, "Just read where Tim LaHaye passed away. He was 90. Great man and special friend. Well done, good and faithful servant." In addition to his wife, LaHaye is survived by four children, nine grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.