The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-09/18/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: A picture of the Savior by Russell D. Moore Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: On Global Hunger Sunday, Oct. 11, Southern Baptist congregations will address the hunger crisis across North America and around the world by receiving special offerings. Donations received are channeled through Global Hunger Relief, which uses 100 percent of each gift to meet hunger needs. NASHVILLE (BP) -- There's nothing quite as bleak as a city street the morning after Mardi Gras. The steam of the morning humidity rises silently over asphalt, riddled with forgotten doubloons, broken bottles, littered cigarettes, dried blood and vomit. For the partygoers who embrace the hedonism of the night before, dawn brings little besides a queasy stomach, a pounding hangover, and a throbbing conscience. For most Americans, this isn't a strange sight. Even for those of us who would pride ourselves on our "conservative" recreation, an instant connection between our appetite and satisfaction seems normal. We live in a culture of craving. Perhaps that is why many Americans, even Christians, seem confused or embarrassed when the conversation turns to hunger and extreme poverty. Perhaps we are less able to articulate what the Gospel says about those in desperate need of bread and water because we cannot imagine living in any other society than one with dollar menus and all-you-can-eat buffets. We may be in our own bed with our spouses the night of Mardi Gras, but that doesn't mean we aren't unwittingly conforming to the spirit of the culture. In our Western global culture, food is assumed. Disconnected from the agrarian and subsistence context that nearly every culture in history would have taken for granted, we more or less assume that the dinner on our tables just appeared there. That would have been a wild fantasy for the Israelite culture which our Lord knew. Bread wasn't a matter of buying "gluten free" or not; it was the basic engine of economic survival. Without a daily glean of wheat, death was certain. This is the kind of reality that still exists for many people around the world. If we as Christians don't feel the weight of our Lord's command to show compassion and mercy to those who need us, perhaps it is because we have unintentionally absorbed the consumerism of our culture. Writing to Timothy, the apostle Paul did not flatly condemn all wealth or tell rich Christians to renounce everything they had. Rather, he commanded that they put their trust not on their wealth but on God. How do Christians do that? They do that by being ready and eager to give to the poor and those in need (1 Timothy 6:17-19). By seeing their wealth not as something to which they alone are entitled but as something given to them ultimately by Christ, to be used for good works, Christians stand apart from the appetite-driven values of the world and display a picture of the Savior who left the throne of heaven and became poor for our sake. The church can take on the tyranny of the appetites not simply by pointing out what in our cultural milieu is inconsistent with the Gospel, but by presenting a positive alternative, a counterculture in which the transitory nature of moment self-satisfaction is transcended by a seeking first of the kingdom of God. This isn't easy. It's the act of crucifying "the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24). The temporary hunger we experience by resisting, through the Spirit, our immediate desires for more and more can cause us, like Jesus in the wilderness, to turn away from momentary satisfaction and toward the more permanent things of the kingdom. The cooperative initiative of Global Hunger Relief allows Southern Baptists to take aim at the critical hunger needs around the world. Thanks to the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program, all of the funds given to GHR go directly toward meeting real hunger needs -- whether chronic hunger, or hunger precipitated by disasters or urban food deserts, or hunger faced by women rescued from sex trafficking. This is a blessing from Christ that allows Southern Baptists to do real, tangible acts of mercy for the cause of the Gospel. Let's follow our Savior and empty ourselves of our "rights" and our appetites to live out our calling to be ambassadors of a King who promises feasts and treasure beyond any worldly imagination. Mardi Gras may only last for a night, but Easter lasts for eternity. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fla. Baptist Conv. to reduce staff by 47% by Barbara Denman/Florida Baptist Convention Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday LEESBURG, Fla. (BP) -- A reorganization of the Florida Baptist Convention staff that reduces the number of employees statewide by 47 percent -- from the 115 currently employed to 61 employees -- was approved by the State Board of Missions, Friday (Sept. 18) at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center. The reorganization and downsizing was the fulfillment of a promise made by Executive Director-Treasurer Tommy Green on May 29 after being elected to the post. He stressed the need to have a responsive, lean missions organization that is decentralized, regionalized and personalized. The downsizing will make it possible to send 51 percent of the proposed 2016 Cooperative Program Budget to the Southern Baptist Convention -- a nearly 10 percent increase -- and ultimately "put more missionary families on the field," he said. The new structure is comprised of five major program groups -- Executive Director-Treasurer Office, Next Generation, Regional Catalysts, Mission and Ministries, and Support Services -- reflecting an effort to streamline and decentralize the convention staff to more effectively provide ministry support to local churches and associations. The reorganization includes 28 board-elected (ministry) staff; and 33 administrative approved persons who serve as ministry assistants and support personnel. The 33-member support team includes 13 employees at Lake Yale Conference Center in Leesburg and a caretaker for the Blue Springs Conference Center in Marianna. Four new staff persons were elected to fill vacancies within the restructured organization. Jeffrey Singletary of Tampa and Wayne Briant of Sarasota were elected to serve as regional coordinators. Micah Ferguson of Brandon was elected as director of strategic initiatives and Billy Young of Brandon was elected as lead catalyst, Next Generation Ministries Group. Additionally, long-term employee Steve Baumgardner was promoted in a dual role as assistant executive director/Support Services director. The remaining staff members were reassigned to newly defined roles. The board approved an executive management group to be called the Leadership Team -- formerly known as the administrative staff -- to provide counsel and decision-making advice and perspective to the executive director. The Leadership Team will be composed of the executive director-treasurer, director of strategic initiatives, director of communications, lead catalyst of the Next Generation Ministries Group, the five regional catalysts, lead catalyst of the Missions and Ministries Group and the assistant executive director/director of Support Services. Personnel assigned to the Executive Director-Treasurer's Office are Green, executive director-treasurer; Ferguson, director of Strategic Initiatives; and Barbara Denman, director of communications. The Next Generation Ministries Group will be led by Young, lead catalyst; and include seven collegiate ministries campus ministers: Lance Beauchamp, Tallahassee area; Barry Sproles, Jacksonville area; Brad Crawford, Orlando area, Eddie Gilley, Gainesville area; Matt Wofford, Miami area; Rahul Agarwal, Tampa area; and Tony Olesky, Pensacola area. Regional catalysts will be assigned to minister to churches and reside within the five designated areas across the state. These are: Lewis Miller, West Florida; Glen Owens, Northeast Florida; Jeffery Singletary, Central Florida; Wayne Briant, Southwest Florida; and Al Fernandez, Southeast Florida. Five staff persons will serve in statewide catalyst and consultant roles: Emanuel Roque, multicultural Church/Leadership catalyst; Deris Coto, Hispanic Church catalyst; Patrick Coats, Black/Multicultural Church consultant; John Voltaire, Haitian Church consultant; and Terry Williams, Music/Worship consultant. All but Williams will reside in South Florida, the state's most ethnically diverse region. Craig Culbreth will lead the downsized Missions and Ministries Group, which now will be comprised of four ministry catalysts and their assignments: Marc Johnston, catalyst, Church and Community Ministries; Misael Castillo, catalyst, Migrant Ministries; Delton Beall, catalyst, Disaster Relief and Recovery; and Cindy Bradley, catalyst, Women's Missions and Ministries/Missions Education. The Support Services Group, which will be led by Baumgardner, includes Charles Staton, director, Accounting; Gary Townsend, director, Church-Staff Benefits/Stewardship; Don Sawyer, director, Convention Facilities/Lake Yale Conference Center; and Lonnie Wright, director, Information Support Services. Statewide, 22 Board-elected employees were identified to be released from Convention employment, including five who will retire and three who will remain in consultant roles. Additionally 29 administrative approved (support staff) persons were released from Convention employment. The Board eliminated 36 Board-elected staff positions, some of which were vacant, effective immediately. Green assured the board that the displaced persons were treated fairly and generously with their compensation package. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Conserving Gospel top priority, ERLC's Moore says by Tom Strode Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Conserving the Gospel is Russell Moore's primary goal in the year ahead, the Southern Baptist Convention's ethicist and religious freedom advocate told trustees in their annual meeting. During his report to the board of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Sept. 16, Moore -- the entity's president -- said his top priority in the next 12 months is "to set the course and set the tone for a Gospel conservatism that is anchored in the churches and addressing the outside world." To describe oneself as a conservative requires an explanation of what a person is conserving, Moore said. Southern Baptists and other evangelical Christians have the opportunity to "test everything and hold fast to that which is good," thereby practicing Gospel conservatism. Basing his comments on Galatians 1:11-2:14, Moore said the Gospel conservatism the ERLC should foster this coming year requires conserving: -- "Gospel authority; -- "Gospel community; -- "Gospel ministry." he most important arena for our mission is children's Sunday School." -- Russell Moore]If the ERLC and others fail to maintain the authority of the Word of God demonstrated by the apostle Paul to the churches in Galatia, "then we have nothing to say and nothing to do," Moore said. "We have to conserve a Gospel authority that is rooted in the fact that when the Bible speaks, God speaks. "We must be the people who are not ashamed of the Gospel and not ashamed of the Bible." Some revisionists are challenging biblical authority and adding a new apostolic authority on the issue of sexuality, he said. "This is not a question of interpretation," Moore said. "This is a question of apostolic authority." Like the false teachers in Galatia, these revisionists are saying the apostle Paul did not know what those in the 21st Century know about sexuality. "That is not an argument with a dead figure," he said. "The argument is with the Holy Spirit, who did know in the First Century everything that we now know about sexuality and more." To conserve Gospel authority, Christians have to be the people "to speak with gentleness and kindness to lost people on the outside and to speak with fierce ferocity to false teachers who are on the inside, and we often have done exactly the opposite," Moore told his audience. Christians need a "deep knowledge" of Scripture to thrive in this century, he said. The entity he leads will continue to work with the SBC's seminaries, including through its ERLC Academy, to help future pastors and missionaries to think biblically in evaluating cultural issues, Moore said. The ERLC must prepare Christians not only to live an entire lifetime but to train the next generation for the unknown threats of another lifetime, he told the board. The ERLC Academy was held for the first time in May as an intensive, two-day training in ethics. The ERLC's target audience is actually even younger, he said. "[T]he most important arena for our mission is children's Sunday School, preparing a new generation of children to be able to recognize the authority of the Word of God and to be able to apply the authority of the Word of God to their lives under the Lordship of Christ and to what is happening in the ecosystem around them," Moore said. Conserving Gospel community consists of building "alliances outside of our immediate tribe," equipping the next generation of Baptists and other evangelicals, and overcoming any ethnic divisions, he said. "We must see to it that the future of the SBC is not a bunch of old, angry white men who have around us a few people that are African American and Latino and Asian Americans," Moore told the trustees. "We must make sure that we are building the sort of connections where we are cultivating a new generation not to be ministered to -- as though they are on the periphery -- but to lead. That is an imperative that we have, and that is one of the great burdens I have." Conserving Gospel ministry calls for work on religious liberty, he said. "[T]he focus on our minds when we work on religious liberty is lost people," Moore said. "We need to be the people who are teaching our churches and our communities what it is to be separate from sin ... and yet never separate from sinners, and too often we've done exactly the reverse." Gospel ministry – which is based on the life, death and resurrection of Christ -- is action, he said. The Christian leaders in Jerusalem urged Paul to "remember the poor," something he eagerly desired to do, the apostle says in Galatians 2. "Poverty means a lack of power, means those who are marginalized and those who are victims," Moore told the trustees. Therefore, the ERLC works for the unborn, trafficked women, orphans, the disabled and the mentally ill, he said. "We ought not only to remember the poor," Moore said. "It ought to be the thing that we are eager to do." -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBC committee candidates sought by Ronnie Floyd by Art Toalston Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) -- Candidates to serve on committees pivotal to the Southern Baptist Convention are being sought by SBC President Ronnie Floyd. In addition to sending letters to SBC entity and state convention leaders, Floyd is broadening his call for candidates for several committees whose work is key to the SBC's annual meeting each year. In his letter, Floyd explained: "As SBC President, it is my privilege and responsibility to appoint two representatives from each qualified state or territory and the District of Columbia to serve on the SBC's Committee on Committees. This Committee is responsible for nominating the Committee on Nominations, which in turn nominates trustees to the boards of the various SBC entities. I am also responsible for naming the Tellers and Credentials Committees. These two Committees serve at the SBC annual meeting, counting votes and qualifying messengers, respectively. "Appointing these committees is a daunting challenge as you can imagine," Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, wrote, "and we need your help in identifying solid candidates to serve." Floyd, in comments to Baptist Press, noted, "As the trustees go, so go the entities; therefore, it is imperative we appoint trustees who have a heart to serve the churches and a vision to reach North America and the world. This process all begins with the appointment of the Committee on Committees by the president" which "nominates the Committee on Nominations, which in turn nominates the trustees of our Southern Baptist entities." The Committee on Committees, appointed by the SBC president, and the Committee on Nominations, elected by messengers, are at the heart of the selection process of pastors and laypeople as trustees of the SBC entities, such as the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board. Two other groups for which the SBC president is soliciting potential members -- the Credentials Committee and Tellers -- play important roles during the convention's two-day sessions. The Credentials Committee is responsible for addressing any registration uncertainty involving a messenger. Tellers are involved in any votes by messengers on motions and other business matters. Floyd also noted he is seeking candidates to serve on the Resolutions Committee, which frames proposed stances to messengers on missions and evangelism as well as important cultural issues. "My prayer," Floyd told Baptist Press, "is that God would give me the right people to appoint and they will take their role seriously. These are Kingdom moments; therefore, we need these men and women to rise to this occasion of providing strategic spiritual leadership." Floyd's letter set forth qualifications for committee candidates: "* Christ-like character, unquestionable integrity, and a commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture as the written Word of God and to reaching our world with the gospel of Christ. "* In accordance with SBC Bylaw 15(A), Committee on Committee appointees 'shall have been resident members for at least (3) years of Southern Baptist churches either geographically within the states or affiliated with the convention of the states from which they are appointed.' "* SBC Bylaw 15(C) precludes simultaneous service on more than one board or committee of the Convention by any person or that person's spouse unless specifically permitted by bylaw. You may not nominate to the Committee on Committees, the Tellers or Credentials committees any person who is currently serving (or whose spouse is serving) on any other SBC entity board, institution, commission, or committee. "* A faithful history of financial support of the Convention's missions and ministries, primarily through the Cooperative Program. "* A variety of age, gender, position, and ethnicity: men and women, church staff and laymen, and representatives from large and small churches." Floyd asked that names of candidates for these groups be forwarded to him by Nov. 1 in one of the following ways: email to the president's office at ronniep@crosschurch.com; fax to 479-756-7110; or mail, 1709 Johnson Road, Springdale, AR 72762. Floyd's appointment of the Committee on Committees entails two representatives from each of the 34 states or regions that qualify for representation according to SBC Bylaw 30. The Committee on Committees meets in conjunction with the SBC annual meeting to nominate an equal number of members to the Committee on Nominations, which meets the following March, with one church-related employee and one layperson serving from each state or defined territory. Floyd also is encouraging churches and pastors to provide the Committee on Nominations with recommendations when it begins its work later this fall. This committee nominates members of the Executive Committee; trustees for the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources, GuideStone Financial Resources and the six Southern Baptist seminaries; and members of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. The Committee on Nominations' recommendations are submitted to messengers at each SBC annual meeting for approval. For both the Credentials Committee and Tellers, the 2016 SBC annual meeting in St. Louis will entail new changes for registration and voting. The Credentials Committee will be involved in the expansion of messenger representation from local churches. Two messengers, rather than one messenger, now can register for the annual meeting from each cooperating church that contributes to convention causes during the preceding fiscal year. Additionally, the convention will recognize 10 additional messengers from a cooperating church under one of the following options: -- One additional messenger for each full percent of the church's undesignated receipts which the church contributed during the fiscal year preceding through the Cooperative Program, and/or through the convention's Executive Committee for convention causes, and/or to any convention entity. -- One additional messenger for each $6,000 the church contributes in the preceding year through the normative combination of the Cooperative Program, designated gifts through the Executive Committee for convention causes or to any SBC entity. The changes were adopted by messengers in June in Columbus, Ohio, completing a two-year approval process. Tellers, meanwhile, will be involved in the convention's first-ever use of electronic voting devices, which also was approved by messengers at June's SBC meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The change to the SBC's bylaws stipulates that electronic balloting protect "the integrity of the voting process" and provide for "messengers' votes to remain confidential." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Phyllis Bennett dies at 90 by BP Staff Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Phyllis Jean Metz Bennett, 90, died Sept. 6 in Winter Garden, Fla. She was the wife of the late Harold Bennett, president-treasurer of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee from 1979-92. "Phyllis strongly supported her husband's work, both in churches and in the denomination," according to information posted by a Nashville-area funeral home. "For 13 years Phyllis hosted and planned programs for the wives of the 78-member Executive Committee." Daughter Cynthia Bennett Howard lauded her mother during a 1992 retirement dinner for her parents. "I have seen you love and support Dad in all of his endeavors," Howard, then a missionary in Swaziland in southern Africa, said via video. "You have always made our house a special home." “Phyllis was a lovely and refined woman who was devoted to serving Christ faithfully, often at the side of her husband Harold,” said Morris H. Chapman, Harold Bennett’s successor as Executive Committee president. Phyllis Bennett “especially enjoyed hosting the wives of Executive Committee members when they came to their meetings. She made them feel right at home while, among other things, acquainting them with the work of the Executive Committee,” Chapman said. “She and Harold loved the Southern Baptist Convention and gave many years of their lives to serving Southern Baptists.” Before moving to Nashville, the Bennetts had lived in Jacksonville, Fla., where he had served as executive secretary-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention since 1967. They also had lived in Dallas when he worked for Baptist General Convention of Texas' missions division and in Atlanta when he worked in metropolitan missions for the then-Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board). The Bennetts also helped start two churches -- the former Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville and Deermeadows Baptist Church in Jacksonville. Phyllis Bennett, a native of Chicago, was a graduate of MacMurray College for Women in Jacksonville, Ill., and had been a schoolteacher in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kentucky, Texas and Florida until 1979 when the family moved to the Nashville area. For the past several years, Phyllis Bennett had lived at The Heritage in Brentwood, Tenn., and earlier this year moved to Winter Garden, Fla., to live near her daughter. Her funeral was Monday, Sept. 14, at First Baptist Church in Nashville, with burial at Woodlawn Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church, 108 7th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37203. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: Sept. 20, 2015 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: September 18, 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 Passage: Psalm 34:4-14 Discussion Questions: How would you define "the good life"? Food for Thought by Jonathan Falwell*: Who wouldn't want to experience "the good life?" One survey found that 33 percent of people described the good life as either the experience of pleasure or the lack of unpleasant experiences. Everything is pleasant and pleasurable; a life of contentment with all needs met. The night a thunderstorm shook our house was certainly an unpleasant experience for our 3-year-old son. A return to contentment came in the form of his father, that is to say, me. "Daddy, can I sleep in here tonight?" Many nights when he was afraid, he'd make this request and then place a sleeping bag on the floor next to our bed. Before my son would drift off to sleep, though, he would want me to hang my arm over the side of the bed. When I asked why, he said, "Just so I'll know you're there." Those nights with my son are a wonderful reminder of how God responds to our needs. David penned Psalm 34 because he knew this truth: whatever our needs -- physical, emotional or spiritual -- our Father in heaven responds and provides. God never has intended for us to navigate the challenges of life on our own. He wants to be by our side every step of the way. God has provided His Word as a light to illuminate every uncertain step in our lives (Psalm 119:105). And His desire is for us to be acutely aware of His presence all along the way. Life is full of uncertain and even treacherous moments that, without God's provision and presence, would rob us of every ounce of joy. But thankfully, God never leaves us alone. He provides what we need and with Him in our corner, we can with unshakeable courage and unspeakable joy face anything life throws our way. All of us want to find contentment in life, but culture has put its own spin on what that fulfillment should look like. The world bases contentment and happiness on how much money a person has, the type of car he drives, the square footage of his house, or a myriad of other unimportant things. Possessions can never deliver permanent happiness. While trappings of status may provide a temporary state of contentment, they will never give us what we truly desire and need. Why? Because we can only find joy and contentment in things that have eternal value. Abundance and contentment are found in Christ Jesus. It begins and ends with God Himself. God does not simply provide good things for us; He is the ultimate good. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). Prosperity doesn't bring hope or deliver joy; only God can fill our lives with such joy. "How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!" We taste God's goodness -- all that He provides for us -- when we take refuge in Him. Within the refuge of His presence, God has promised we "will not lack any good thing" (Psalm 34: 10). This promise is for all who "seek the LORD." This is not a blanket promise to fulfill all our wants and wishes, but God will provide everything we need. Whatever our needs, He is "is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). That's a pretty remarkable promise. There is no reason we need to travel the uncertain and dangerous roads of life alone and unassisted. God is on our side! He desires a close relationship with us. He wants us to be covered by His overwhelming love and grace. But it is up to us whether our relationship with Him becomes close. Respond to Him with fear, reverence and holy submission. Begin to experience His grace and provision in all its abundance! Bible Studies for Life 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 seven 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 seven curriculum lines and more information can be found on the Internet at LifeWay.com/BibleStudiesforLife. Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool. *Jonathan Falwell is pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., and son of the late Jerry Falwell. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sudan church wins court battle for property by Morning Star News and Baptist Press staff Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday KHARTOUM, Sudan (BP) -- A Christian church in Sudan has won a four-year court battle to prevent the Sudanese government from forcibly taking the church’s property and giving it to Muslim investors, Morning Star News has reported. The Administrative Court of Appeal ruled the Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments interfered with church matters when it appointed committees charged with turning over to Muslim investors the property of Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church in North Khartoum, Morning Star News reported Sept. 16. The Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) has been subject to arrests and demolition of its property during the lengthy attempted takeover. Two South Sudanese pastors had been jailed since December 2014 and January respectively, charged with capital crimes because they supported the congregation’s fight to retain its property. Yat Michael, 49, and 36-year-old Peter Yein Reith, both of whom have been released, could have been sentenced to death or whipping had they been convicted of the serious charges concocted against them by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). They were convicted of lesser charges on Aug. 5 and released on time served. They and their families have since relocated to a third country to protect them from Islamist retaliation. Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church and SPEC leaders told Morning Star News they consider the Aug. 31 court ruling a step in the right direction toward ending all attempts to hand over their property to Muslim investors. “Things are working well for us; thank God for all your prayers for the church,” said SPEC Treasurer George Adam. The Rev. Yahya Abdelrahim Nalu, a senior SPEC leader, described the ruling as a great victory for the church. Whether the government will try to appeal has remained unclear, though church leaders said the ruling was final. The ruling nullifies three committees the Islamist government imposed on the church. The seven-page decision described the actions of the Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowment as illegal and mere interference in SPEC affairs. “The ministry has no right to interfere into the matters of SPEC,” according to the ruling. The court cited the fact that SPEC has its own constitution and leadership structure to govern its activities, and that no entity should interfere in its internal affairs. Whether there would be reparations for demolitions that took place in the church compound based on government-secured court orders remained unclear. Riot police seized the property by force in February, and on Nov. 17-18, 2014, a bulldozer accompanied by security personnel and police knocked down a wall of the church and homes in the church compound. Christians formed a human barrier to face down further demolition attempts on Nov. 19-20, 2014. One of the homes destroyed in the compound belonged to Nile Theological College; a Christian doctor had rented it, and he lost all his belongings, sources said. The bulldozer, accompanied by NISS personnel and police, carried out the demolitions based on a court order demanding that church leaders surrender the premises to Muslim investors. The church committee of members that the Sudanese government interposed made a secret agreement with the investors to sell the church property as part of Sudan’s campaign to do away with Christianity in the country, church leaders told Morning Star News. Police in North Khartoum on Dec. 2, 2014 beat and arrested 38 Christians from the church, fined most of them and released them later that night. On Oct. 5, 2013, Sudan’s police and security forces broke through the church fence, beat Christians in the compound, arresting some of them and releasing them later that day. Harassment, arrests and persecution of Christians have intensified since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011, when President Omar al-Bashir vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia Islamic law and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language. The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced in April 2013 that no licenses would be granted for building new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population. Since 2012, Sudan has expelled foreign Christians and bulldozed church buildings on the pretext that they belonged to South Sudanese. Besides raiding Christian bookstores and arresting Christians, authorities threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who do not leave or cooperate with them in their effort to find other Christians. Due to its treatment of Christians and other human rights violations, Sudan has been designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. State Department since 1999, and in its 2015 report the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended the country remain on the list. Sudan ranked sixth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2015 World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians face most persecution, moving up from 11th place the previous year. -------------------------------------------------------------------- IMB transition team announced for missionary retirees by Marie Curtis Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday RICHMOND, Va.(BP) -- International Mission Board President David Platt has announced a transition team that will focus on the practical needs of missionaries who accept the voluntary retirement incentive recently offered to personnel who are at least 50 years of age with five years of service. The retirement incentive is the first phase to reduce IMB staff and field personnel by 600 to 800 people in response to revenue shortfalls. See related story. The goal of the plan, IMB leaders shared, is to offer as generous a voluntary retirement incentive as possible, while honoring years of service and providing a smooth transition for the personnel. "I know that this transition is not going to be easy, particularly for those who might be moving back to the U.S.," Platt told staff and missionaries during a Sept. 17 chapel service. "We want to help as much as possible with practical needs and leverage the entire SBC family to that end," he said. Clyde Meador, IMB's executive advisor to the president, is leading the transition team. "The team is definitely unified and has a great concern for missionaries," Meador said. "They have many, many ideas of ways to minister to our returning personnel." He noted most members of the team have significant field experience and have made the adjustment from international service to life in the U.S. Meador said Southern Baptists already are responding with offers of assistance. IMB has received offers of housing, employment opportunities, vehicles, counseling and other practical expressions of support from individuals, churches, associations, state conventions, WMU, seminaries and other partners. To best serve personnel during this time, Meador said he hopes the team will be able to connect individuals to the resources they most need. After missionaries indicate they are accepting the retirement incentive, the transition team will send them a detailed questionnaire regarding their expected needs, including housing, child education and other employment opportunities. The transition team will work to pair specific needs with the offers of assistance from Southern Baptists that the team is receiving. "As we all approach this opportunity to welcome and honor these faithful servants, I have no doubt Southern Baptists will respond in overwhelming ways we could never imagine," said Terri Willis, director of national relations for IMB and member of the transition team.     A statement from the team referenced that the greatest need is prayer: "We trust that our churches, above all else, will be praying for these individuals and their stateside families who will be welcoming them." Meador indicated the team will focus first on offering assistance to field personnel and then seek ways to assist staff, who accept the retirement incentive. To offer practical expressions of support, contact IMB's transition team at transitionteam@imb.org. See related story links at top of page. -------------------------------------------------------------------- At 94 with Alzheimer's, she remained a missionary by IMB Staff Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday CHIANG MAI, Thailand (BP) -- Evelyn Harthcock never met a stranger. She was "mama" to many; her Southern drawl, hospitality and deep love for people transcended language and culture. The 94-year-old emeritus IMB missionary died today (Sept. 18) after a battle with Alzheimer's. Although she officially retired from the IMB, she never "retired" as a missionary. Evelyn lived out her years ministering in Thailand until the day she died. Even in her illness, she sang hymn after hymn, causing doctors and nurses to ask her husband Gary for the meaning behind such peaceful songs. Evelyn and Gary Harthcock began their overseas adventures in 1985 after retiring from their jobs in North Carolina. They spent the next 30 years in six different countries -- Antigua, Liberia, Mongolia, Guyana, Cambodia and Thailand -- as Gospel bearers, teachers, agriculture experts and authors. "They were instrumental in leading many to a saving faith in Jesus Christ," colleague Phil Wardell* fondly remembered. "They were literally Jesus to so many of these families with whom they reached out in love, sharing of their personal resources to assist with their needs," Wardell said. The Harthcocks had no children of their own but they unofficially "adopted" sons and daughters hailing from several countries, including Guatemala, Germany, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Liberia and the U.S. When a young adult chose to follow Christ and faced abandonment or persecution from their families, Evelyn not only discipled these young believers but loved them with a mother's love. When Liu Yang Lhamo went through a trying time in her life, Evelyn was there for her "adoptive daughter." The Harthcocks exchanged daily emails with the young Tibetan to relay encouragement. "I love Gary and Evelyn, not only because they are my spiritual guide but also because [of] the spirit in their heart, in their behavior," Liu Yang said. "They would overcome every difficult[y] to serve God, no matter the bad weather, the misunderstanding [of] people, the disease they have at their old age. Prayer was a constant in Evelyn's life. She and Pam Rusher, a former IMB worker in Mongolia and the Harthcocks' friend of 22 years, formed the "spoon-licking club" encompassing the two women and their husbands. They met over breakfast to pray and ready themselves for the day's divine adventures. "Countless ones around the world are so blessed because you have remained faithful to the calling He placed upon you both and never considered retirement an option," Rusher wrote in a memorial note for Evelyn and her husband. "Heaven will account for the lives that will offer a deeply grateful, 'thanks for giving to the Lord -- I am a life that was, is, will be changed.'" During her years of service in Cambodia, Evelyn invested time and energy into Buddhist monks. She became a mother figure to them as well. They loved her so much that they allowed her to touch them, despite the fact that culture dictated women could do no such thing. "Evelyn's hugs and birthday cakes revealed His limitless love to some Buddhist monks that chose to de-robe and surrender their lives to Jesus as Savior and Lord," Rusher said. The Harthcocks moved to Thailand in 1999 in their late 70s and continued ministering and writing books – as well as and Bible lessons and tracts that have been translated into seven languages. Evelyn never missed an opportunity to give the "Easy English" language booklets they wrote that not only taught English but did so through the lens of the Gospel. A Southern Baptist dormitory for high school students in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is named after the Harthcocks. Evelyn was born in Colerain, N.C., on Oct. 18, 1920. She studied early childhood education at Meredith College in Raleigh and married Gary in 1946. She taught in public schools in North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio. She learned Braille and taught at the North Carolina School for the Blind in Raleigh. She also coordinated evening classes for pastors at Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Flat Rock, N.C. Evelyn's memorial service will be at Chiang Mai Ram hospital. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the International Mission Board and/or the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in her honor. Those wishing to post condolences can do so at her memorial website, http://www.forevermissed.com/evelyn-white-harthcock/#about. In addition to her husband who lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, she is survived by a sister, Jean Finch of Raleigh, N.C.; three nieces and one nephew; one great-nephew; a sister-in-law and two brothers-in-law; one foster daughter, two foster granddaughters; and two foster great-grandchildren. -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRUSTEES: Perkins, Packer honored by ERLC by Tom Strode Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The trustees of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission have voted to honor two well-known Christian leaders for their contributions during their more than eight decades of life. In its annual meeting Sept. 15-16 in Nashville, the ERLC board unanimously approved civil rights leader John Perkins for the John Leland Religious Liberty Award and theologian J.I. Packer for the Richard Land Distinguished Service Award. The commission presents the awards yearly to a person exhibiting a deep commitment to religious freedom and a person displaying excellent service to God's kingdom, respectively. The actions came during a meeting in the Southern Baptist Convention Building in which the ERLC trustees approved a budget increase of more than $500,000, elected new officers and received reports on the commission's activities and communications growth in the last year. From his native Mississippi, Perkins, 85, has spread the Gospel while serving the poor and seeking racial reconciliation. "This is somebody who has been fighting for religious liberty, religious freedom for 70 years," ERLC President Russell Moore told the trustees before the vote. "[He] has evangelized the country in a way I can't even imagine. And as he's done that, he's consistently spoken of the necessity of the people of God to speak to both righteousness and justice at the same time. As he was doing that, he was someone who ended up in jail in Mississippi back in the days of Jim Crow, beaten and yet never would allow himself to be driven into bitterness." Perkins, who has founded a Christian community development foundation and other ministries, remains "a voice crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' with freed people worshipping in churches and serving in communities freely, hand in hand, the dividing walls separating human hearts having tumbled," Moore wrote in a memo to trustees nominating the recipient. Packer, 89, the author of "Knowing God" and many other books, has defended Christian orthodoxy while helping make disciples. He now serves as a theology professor at Regent University in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has been "really courageous" regarding the departure from biblical authority in the Anglican Church while doing so "with biblical depth, theological integrity and with a gentle, loving, Christ-like spirit," Moore told trustees before the vote. Packer has defended the inerrancy of Scripture and biblical views on gender complementarity, marriage, the sanctity of human life and religious liberty, he said. "When his own denomination moved to sanction same-sex marriage, he protested that such a 'decision, taken in its context, falsifies the gospel of Christ, abandons the authority of Scripture, jeopardizes the salvation of fellow human beings, and betrays the church in its God-appointed role as the bastion and bulwark of divine truth,'" Moore told trustees in a memo. In other actions, the ERLC trustees approved unanimously: -- A 2015-16 operating budget of $4.08 million, compared to a $3.53 million budget in 2014-15. -- A slate of new officers: As chairman, Kenneth Barbic, a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., for the produce industry; as vice chairman, James Reamer, pastor of Renaissance Baptist Church in North Las Vegas, Nev.; and as secretary, Barry Creamer, president of Criswell College in Dallas. -- David Prince, pastor of preaching and vision at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky., as an interim trustee to fill a recent vacancy. -- A response to a motion at the 2015 SBC meeting from Alabama messenger Ben Chandler explaining the ERLC addresses moral issues through media, public policy advocacy and collaboration with other Southern Baptist entities. The ERLC staff reported on the continued, dramatic expansion in communications outreach during the last year. Among the indicators of this trend: -- Three million page views so far in 2015 across all platforms, compared to 1.25 million views during the same period in 2014. -- More than 120,000 likes and a reach of more than 10 million people for the ERLC Facebook page. -- More than 80,000 followers combined for the Twitter accounts of the ERLC, Moore and Canon and Culture, the entity's Christian thought podcast and blog channel. -- About 520,000 views of ERLC videos on YouTube. -- More than 20,000 subscribers to The Weekly, a new e-newsletter with links to the week's top news articles. -- More than 220 news media interviews with ERLC staff. The latest trustees meeting followed a year filled with ERLC events and initiatives, including: -- Two national conferences, one in October on the Gospel, homosexuality and marriage and one in August on the Gospel and politics. -- A second leadership summit, this one in March on the Gospel and racial reconciliation. -- An Equip Austin (Texas) event in July to ready churches after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage. -- A meeting in January cosponsored by the ERLC to prepare for the first Evangelicals for Life Conference in 2016 in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of the annual March for Life. -- A first ERLC Academy in May to train seminarians and church leaders to address ethical issues. -- A first Capitol Conversations in Washington, D.C., to bring together public policy and Christian leaders to discuss an important issue. The ERLC's public policy advocacy during the last year included various initiatives in defense of religious freedom, marriage, the sanctity of human life and human rights. The commission signed onto seven friend-of-the-court briefs with the Supreme Court and seven more with federal appeals courts. Two newly positioned staff members provided brief reports during the meeting: Steven Harris, director of advocacy in the ERLC's Washington office; and Travis Wussow, director of international justice and religious liberty at the ERLC's office in the Middle East. Wussow, who has been at his post less than two months, told Baptist Press the need for the ERLC's global advocacy has been demonstrated in just that amount of time. "Since I arrived in the Middle East, a photograph of a-three-year-old Syrian refugee who died trying to escape the conflict swept across the world, tens of thousands of 'migrants' are seeking to make their way to Europe and the Iran deal has been all but finalized," he said in written comments after the meeting. "Our brothers, sisters and fellow image-bearers in the Middle East need us to stand with them more today than two months ago." Moore also addressed trustees at a dinner Sept. 15 at the Johnny Cash Museum in downtown Nashville. He briefly commented on four songs sung by Cash and how they connect to the ERLC's mission. The museum "was a fitting venue for our dinner gathering since Cash's life identified him with sinners and with redemption," Moore said in written comments for BP. "He sang of the power of temptation but also of what it means to walk the line." Three trustees who were participating in their final meeting were honored: Chairman Chris Slaughter of West Virginia; vice chairman Kenda Bartlett, an at-large member from Texas; and Franklin Johnson of Washington state. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Amid Fed rate uncertainty, long-term view advised by Roy Hayhurst Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday DALLAS (BP) -- The Federal Open Market Committee's decision to leave the Federal Reserve's target Fed Funds range unchanged means continued uncertainty for institutional investors, but should mean little for long-term investors, according to analysts for GuideStone Financial Resources, the financial services arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. As reasoned by Fed decision-makers, the Sept. 17 decision to keep rates steady dealt primarily with the need for further improvement in the labor market as well as recent global economic news. The Fed Funds rate, which currently sits in a range between zero and 0.25, has not changed since 2008. Many experts this summer expected the Federal Reserve to vote to raise rates by a quarter point -- also known as 25 basis points -- at its September meeting. "Based on the rate outlook produced by Fed members, it seems that most still want to begin raising interest rates by the end of the year," David S. Spika, CFA, global investment strategist for GuideStone Capital Management, LLC, wrote in a commentary posted on GuideStone's www.guidestone.org website. "Their interest rate projections show that 13 of 17 policy makers see higher rates by the end of 2015. As a result, it looks like the Fed skipped the rate increase (Thursday) only to immediately put it back on the table for the next meeting," Spike said. "However, the Fed did lower its forecast for how quickly and how high the rate will rise in the coming years." Even as analysts parse every word in the Federal Reserve's statements and from Fed Chair Janet Yellen's press conference on Thursday, long-term investors should not focus on headlines that may cause short-term market fluctuations. "Retirement investors should focus on their long-term investment objectives and time horizon to retirement," GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said. "Impulsive decisions based on any one economic factor, even one as newsworthy and important as the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates, is generally not prudent," Hawkins said. "The performance of your account moving forward will be determined based on results of the financial markets in the future, not the past." Spika emphasized that the absolute level of the Fed Funds rate, along with the pace of future rate increases, are more important than the date of the initial hike, which could come in either the October or December 2015 Fed meeting or even in 2016. "[Thursday's] decision further extends the uncertainty that investors have been dealing with for several months," Spika said. "We believe at some point in the near future the rate hike cycle needs to begin in order for the Fed to retain its credibility with the markets and to remind investors that rates cannot stay at zero forever." -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Esperanza en la adversidad by Luis López Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday 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. HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- En los últimos días la crisis migratoria en la Unión Europea ha revelado ser probablemente el desafío más grande que la UE haya enfrentado desde su origen. La brutalidad y la compasión han sido exhibidas de diferentes maneras en la medida en que diferentes países responden a los miles de inmigrantes que llegan de Siria, el Medio Oriente, África y el sur de Asia. Muy particularmente, hemos visto a más de 4 millones de sirios escapar de la guerra civil que siguió al presidente Bashar Assad. Muchos han buscado refugio en países cercanos como Turquía, Líbano, Jordán, Irák y Egipto. Ahora miles de estos llegan a Europa. La Agencia de refugiados de las Naciones Unidas ha dado gran apoyo a las familias migrantes durante este tiempo. Sin embargo, esta ha declarado que ya no puede manejar más esta carga. Su plan de ayuda para este año no tiene ni siquiera la mitad de los recursos que necesita para funcionar. El programa de ayuda mundial de alimentos (World Food Programme) ya ha tenido que cortar su aporte a más de 1.5 millones de refugiados sirios en los últimos meses. Un funcionario del gobierno de los Estados Unidos declaró que "este fue el verano cuando el pueblo de Siria decidió que ya no había esperanza". ¿Será verdad esto? y ¿cómo saberlo? Bill Frelick, director del programa de refugiados y de vigilancia de los derechos humanos dice "siento que la gente de Siria se ha dado por vencida." He allí un pensamiento. Seguimos observando las imágenes conmovedoras de miles de refugiados cruzando fronteras en busca de ayuda. La foto del niño sirio, Aylan Kurdi, de 3 años quien murió ahogado en una playa turca ha despertado una ola de compasión alrededor del mundo. La foto del niño fallecido, boca abajo, en las orillas del mar nos ha estremecido y ha dado la vuelta al mundo. Ha revelado parte de la magnitud del problema y dominado las redes sociales suscitando una oleada de indignación y despertado diversas acciones de líderes gubernamentales. Mujeres dando a luz mientras cruzan la frontera, familias en embarcaciones precarias a punto del naufragio y padres cargando a hijos en sus brazos perseguidos por autoridades y/o ISIS han quedado grabadas en nuestra mente. Estas personas en busca de esperanza han definido lo que la historia probablemente registrará como El Gran Escape Sirio. No hay duda que el problema es complejo, requiere atención y solidaridad de muchas partes. La adversidad del pueblo sirio durante estos últimos 4 años de guerra ha sido inmensa. Dios tenga misericordia de esta nación. A veces vemos situaciones como estas y podemos preguntarnos " ¿cómo puede Dios permitir que esto suceda? No siempre entendemos por qué Dios permite que pasen algunas cosas. Me atrevo a afirmar que son muchas las veces que no comprendemos algunos sucesos debido a nuestra perspectiva tan limitada. La adversidad general de los pueblos también nos recuerda la adversidad individual. El infortunio y las calamidades personales que todos pasamos y que son parte de esta vida. El amor de Dios es más grande que la mente humana y que cualquier adversidad. Aunque no podemos dejar de experimentar dolor y hasta llorar por algunas cosas que nos quebrantan el corazón, debemos entender que la aflicción es parte de la vida. Siempre podemos confiar en el Dios de toda esperanza. Este es un Dios amoroso y que obra en el mundo de una forma poderosa. No podemos evitar el sufrimiento porque vivimos en un mundo caído y muchas veces este es la materia prima que Dios usa para transformarnos. Cuando consideramos a Aquél que sufrió injustamente, varón de dolores y quien entiende nuestras ansiedades nos damos cuenta del inmenso amor de Dios por todos. Mientras la sabiduría humana no puede ver una pequeña nube de esperanza en las tinieblas, la fe puede ver la gracia de Dios aun en medio de la noche. Soren Kierkegaard dijo " La fe ve mejor en la oscuridad". Y es que cuando la tormenta crece y la tempestad ruge con la fuerza impecable de los truenos y los relámpagos, es posible darse cuenta de lo que verdaderamente tenemos: un Dios poderoso en quien podemos confiar con esperanza. La naturaleza de este mundo no es capaz de darse cuenta de la bondad de Dios en medio del sufrimiento. Sin embargo, para el creyente el sufrimiento es parte del yugo que llevamos. Y su yugo es ligero porque Él prometió que sería nuestra fortaleza en tiempos de angustia. “Cuando pases por las aguas, yo estaré contigo; y si por los ríos, no te anegarán. Cuando pases por el fuego, no te quemarás, ni la llama arderá en ti." Isaías‬ 43:2‬. Esto produce humildad y mansedumbre en nuestra vida. Cristo dijo "aprended de mí que soy manso y humilde"(Mateo 11:29). La modestia de espíritu y la docilidad permiten ejercer el dominio propio. Cristo lo ejemplificó al pasar por este mundo. El mismo fue manso y humilde. El llevó una carga. Una carga mucho más pesada que cualquier otra. Más allá de la carrera que tuvo por delante, su enfoque estaba en ayudar a otros, sanar a los enfermos, servir al desesperado y salvar al que no tenía fuerzas. ¿Cómo ? ¿Por qué? Porque la fe ve mejor en la oscuridad y esta le permitía tener dominio propio. Fe es mirar a Dios en medio del sufrimiento. Es vaciarnos de nosotros mismos y ser lleno de Su esperanza. Es confiar que Él está presente en nuestros momentos más oscuros y nos recuerda que lo mejor está por venir. Algunos medios han reportado que miles de sirios están llegando al cristianismo en Europa. En Alemania específicamente, algunas iglesias han duplicado y triplicado su asistencia con migrantes convertidos y en busca de esperanza. ¿Podrá Dios usar esta crisis para avivar a su pueblo en el viejo continente? La fe ve mejor en la oscuridad. Dios, abre nuestros ojos. “Y el Dios de esperanza os llene de todo gozo y paz en el creer, para que abundéis en esperanza por el poder del Espíritu Santo.” Romanos‬ 15:13‬ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Marijuana claims from GOP debate evaluated by David Roach Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (BP) -- The second 2016 Republican presidential debate included more than eight minutes of discussion on marijuana policy, with candidates differing over recreational marijuana proposals but appearing to agree in their support of medical marijuana. "[M]any people on social media wanted us to ask about marijuana legalization," CNN moderator Jake Tapper told the candidates during the Sept. 16 event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Semi Valley, Calif. Following the debate, an ethicist, a legal scholar and a pharmacy professor, each from a Baptist institution, helped clarify aspects of the marijuana policies that were discussed. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul opened the discussion by criticizing the government for jailing poor marijuana users while allegedly not incarcerating upper-class users at a similar rate. "I personally think that [marijuana use] is a crime for which the only victim is the individual," Paul said. Calling for America “to take a different attitude,” Paul said he would like to see “more rehabilitation and less incarceration." Paul argued the 10th Amendment requires the federal government to defer to state marijuana laws -- even in Colorado, where recreational marijuana use is legal. Later Paul, a physician, argued for legalization of medical marijuana as well, saying enforcement of current federal law could lead to imprisonment of a parent who administers cannabis oil to a child with epilepsy. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush admitted to smoking marijuana 40 years ago and agreed with Paul that Colorado should be permitted to legalize recreational marijuana use. But he cited "a serious epidemic of drugs that goes well beyond marijuana" and noted a need for government action. Florida drug courts, for example, "give people a second chance," he said. "People's families are being torn apart," Bush said. "It is appropriate for the government to play a consistent role" and "provide more treatment, more prevention." Bush said he "did not oppose" a medical marijuana bill adopted by the Florida legislature but voted against medical marijuana as a private citizen when it appeared on a state ballot. The ballot measure contained "a huge loophole. It was the first step to getting to a Colorado place," he said. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he supports legalization of medical marijuana. He defended a previous claim that federal marijuana law should be enforced against recreational users -- including those in states that have legalized pot. Enforcement should not entail jailing "a nonviolent, non-dealing drug user" for a first offence, Christie said. Disagreeing with Paul, he said marijuana users are not the only victims of their crime. "Look at the decrease in productivity, look at the way people … move on to other drugs when they use marijuana as a gateway drug," Christie said. "It's not them that are the only victims. Their families are the victims too, their children are the victims too, and their employers are the victims also. And that's why I'll enforce the federal law while you can still put an emphasis on rehabilitation." Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said she has experienced the death of a child due to drug addiction. "I agree with states' rights," Fiorina said. "But we are misleading young people when we tell them that marijuana is just like having a beer. It's not." America needs "criminal justice reform," Fiorina said, "... but we need to tell young people the truth. Drug addiction is an epidemic." No other candidate participated in the marijuana discussion. Baptist reaction Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy and research at Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, applauded the attention drawn to marijuana policy but disagreed with some candidates' reluctance to enforce federal marijuana laws. "There are instances where federal government is supposed to let the states determine their laws," Duke told Baptist Press. "But we have plenty of other instances where federal law applies to all of the states regardless of what a particular state chooses to do. "I think it's certainly appropriate, considering the considerable damage marijuana and other illicit drugs are doing to people, for federal government to continue to play a role in national drug policy," Duke said, adding that nonviolent crimes can still be "significant." David Smolin, a constitutional law professor at Samford University's Cumberland School of Law, told BP the Supreme Court has decided federal laws trump state policies related to marijuana. "In the modern era of constitutional law, the Supreme Court has had an expansive view of federal legislative power under the commerce clause" in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, Smolin said in written comments. "The Supreme Court dealt with the issue Rand Paul raised in the 2005 case of Gonzales v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1 (2005), and ruled in favor of congressional power." Some observers may "think that the Supreme Court was wrong in its outcome," Smolin said. He added, "Not all states choose to legalize medical or recreational uses, and so ... the federal government plays a key role in recognizing legitimate medical uses" through the Food and Drug Administration and "needs to get this right." A Union University pharmacy professor told BP cannabis-based drugs are already legal in all 50 states with a prescription for HIV/AIDS patients and cancer patients suffering from chemotherapy-related nausea. Such drugs, sold under the label Marinol, can stimulate patients' appetites and calm their nausea, said Kim Jones, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Union. When Paul complained children with epilepsy cannot access cannabis oil, he likely was referencing the fact that Marinol is not approved for use by minors or patients suffering from conditions other than cancer or HIV/AIDS, Jones said. She disagrees for now with expanded cannabis legalization. "If there were sufficient evidence -- quality evidence in the right patient populations that demonstrated efficacy of [medical marijuana] and safety of the agent, I think it would be hard to argue against dispensing something that can improve quality of life for a young child with epilepsy or a cancer patient that's end of life," Jones said. However, "as it stands today, in my opinion, that evidence does not exist in sufficient quantity to make me feel comfortable that this is a drug that can actually do all those things," Jones said. Duke said "it's for the individual voter to decide" how much weight to give candidates' marijuana policies on Election Day. But he made a recommendation. "Considering how many lives have been destroyed through the use of marijuana and its gateway function to other drugs, the issue of drug abuse and marijuana should be a factor in people making decisions about who they're going to elect," Duke said. The 11 candidates discussed a range of other issues in the debate, including Planned Parenthood funding, foreign policy and immigration. An earlier debate featured four additional candidates. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Abejas 'asesinas', esfuerzos bautistas de alivio ayudan a campesinos by Ann Lovell Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: El domingo del hambre mundial, 11 de octubre, las congregaciones bautistas del sur dirigirán la atención a la crisis del hambre en toda Norte América y alrededor del mundo recibiendo ofrendas especiales. Las donaciones recibidas son canalizadas a través de Alivio al Hambre Global, que usa el 100 por ciento de las donaciones para llenar las necesidades del hambre. RUINAS DE COPÁN, Honduras (BP) -- El zumbido crece más fuerte a medida que el pequeño grupo sube la montaña hacia el enjambre de abejas. Vestidos con equipo de protección, el grupo se acerca cuidadosamente. Han oído las historias de estas abejas -- abejas "asesinas" africanizadas que se enjambran agresivamente y cuyo doloroso veneno puede dañar el tejido humano e inclusive lleva a falla renal y a la muerte. "Las abejas son un tipo de trabajo muy diferente. Algunas veces es divertido pero algunas veces es un poquito atemorizantes," dice Obando Velásquez, perito de extensión agrícola del Centro de Desarrollo Agrícola Chortí en Cabañas, Honduras. Los chortíes son una etnia maya que vive en el oeste de Honduras y el este de Guatemala. Velásquez -- cuyo trabajo es financiado por Respuesta Global Bautista, en parte con recursos provistos por Alivio al Hambre Global -- aprendió hace cerca de tres años que las abejas africanizadas pueden ser capturadas y colonizadas para producir miel. Ahora él les está enseñando a otros en el oeste de Honduras a hacer lo mismo como parte de un proyecto de sustento sostenible auspiciado por el Centro Chortí. Las abejas africanizadas -- introducidas primero en América Latina en los 1950 como parte de un experimento del genetista brasileño Warwick Kerr -- son un híbrido genético de las más dóciles abejas europeas y de las vigorosas abejas africanas que proliferan en los climas tropicales. Desde su introducción, dicen los biólogos, las abejas africanizadas se han ganado la reputación como una de las especies de abejas más invasivas de todos los tiempos. Para 1990, la población de abejas africanizadas había saturado Centro y Sud América, incluyendo Honduras y Guatemala. Hoy en día las abejas también están presentes en el sur y el sudoeste de los Estados Unidos. Las abejas africanizadas son una de las más agresivas especies. Atacan sin ser provocadas y responden más agresivamente a las perturbaciones -- como cuando se les roba miel -- que sus más dóciles primas europeas. Aun así, Velásquez y un amigo creyeron que el proyecto abeja podría ayudar a proveer un ingreso adicional a la subsistencia de los campesinos chortíes. "Pensamos que podría funcionar, y teníamos un lugar adecuado para empezar un proyecto con las abejas," dice Velásquez. "Así que empezamos con una caja y fuimos al bosque a buscar una colmena. Nos llevamos la colmena a la parcela y comenzamos a trabajar con ella. "Vimos que era muy interesante de evaluar, de poder estudiar la vida y las funciones de las abejas. Así que, empezamos con una, y luego fuimos a buscar más (colmenas) a los bosques, en parcelas alejadas." Velásquez aprendió que las abejas no solamente producen miel, la cual puede ser vendida, también polinizan las plantas, lo que ayuda a aumentar el rendimiento de los cultivos -- importantes beneficios para la subsistencia de los campesinos que luchan con la deforestación y la sequía. La noticia del experimento de las abejas y sus ventajas se esparció. En 2014, seis campesinos chortíes abordaron a Velásquez acerca de la posibilidad de ser enseñados a trabajar con las abejas. Entonces, ¿han picado las abejas a Velásquez? "Sí, ¡muchas veces!" dice Velásquez. "El año pasado nos atacaron. Me picaron 20 veces. ¡Veinte! "Fue un ataque muy fuerte para mí, pero así es la vida." Alivio al Hambre Global es un canal para ayudar a la gente debido a que el 100 por ciento de cada donación va directamente a llenar las necesidades relacionadas con el hambre. Nada se retiene para gastos generales porque los bautistas del sur ya han cubierto esos costos con sus contribuciones a través del Programa Cooperativo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Vigilia de oración por Abedini determinada globalmente para el 26/9 by Diana Chandler Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- La esposa del encarcelado pastor estadounidense Saeed Abedini está en un ayuno "Daniel" de 21 días y está organizando internacionalmente vigilias de oración para el 26 de septiembre, el tercer aniversario del encarcelamiento de su esposo en Irán por su fe cristiana. Naghmeh Abedini, ha pedido a los cristianos que oren por su esposo y por la iglesia perseguida, además está promoviendo una campaña a través de una carta para pedirle al secretario general de las Naciones Unidas Ban Ki-Moon que abogue por la liberación de Abedini cuando el presidente iraní Hassan Rouhani hable el 28 de septiembre en la asamblea general de la ONU en New York. Naghmeh Abedini asistirá al rally de oración por su esposo y otros cristianos perseguidos a la 7 p.m. el 28 de septiembre en Calvary Chapel en Old Bridge, New Jersey. Antes de las sesiones de la ONU que comenzaron el 15 de septiembre, ella se dirigió a más de 100 miembros de los parlamentos de 50 naciones que tuvieron una reunión sobre la libertad religiosa internacional en New York urgiendo a los legisladores a tomar acción en sus respectivos países para impulsar la liberación de su esposo. El encarcelamiento está haciendo mella en el pastor de 35 años, dijo hoy (16 de septiembre) su esposa en Facebook, pero hoy se sintió animado al saber de las vigilias de oración por parte de un miembro de la familia, el primer visitante que Irán le ha permitido tener en dos meses. "Se le iluminó la cara y se sintió animado al oír que tantos están orando por él. Lo alentó saber que una fecha que le trae tanto dolor se haya convertido en un día en el que los cristianos unidos oran por él y por la iglesia perseguida," escribió Naghmeh Abedini. "Me aseguré de que le dijeran que no me he dado por vencida en la lucha…por su liberación. Que a pesar de las fallas del gobierno, ninguno de nosotros se da por vencido. Que nos ponemos de rodillas en oración y ayuno por él cada día en preparación para la vigilia de oración. Yo sabía que durante las cortas visitas a la prisión él necesitaba saber que no ha sido olvidado." Abedini está sufriendo tanto física como emocionalmente lamentando la muerte de su abuela a cuyo funeral no pudo asistir, la muerte de un compañero de celda debido a falta tratamiento médico y la ausencia de su familia. "Las palizas y los ataque han dejado sentir sus efectos en Saeed y él tiene dolor constante cada día," escribió su esposa en Facebook. "Saber que sus hijos están creciendo sin él ha hecho el paso tanto más emotivo para él. Él siempre quería ser el papá que invirtiera en la vida de sus hijos cada día mientras crecían. Él era el más cuidadoso y protector de los dos y se preocupaba por todos y cada uno de los acontecimientos. "Saeed se da cuenta que tiene que renunciar a esas cosas que eran tan queridas para él en aras del evangelio y eso es lo que le da consuelo," dijo ella de su esposo. "Saeed se aferra a la esperanza de que un día estará reunido con nosotros de nuevo." Naghmeh Abedini continúa viviendo en su hogar en Boise, Idaho, con sus dos hijos, Rebekkah de 9 años y Jacob de 7 años. Las vigilias de oración están programadas en todos los 50 estados y cerca de 30 países extranjeros hasta la fecha, de acuerdo a la página de inscripción en el Proyecto Ser Oído del Centro Estadounidense para la Ley y la Justicia (beheardproject.com/prayer-vigil/saeed). Además de las vigilias individuales, hay disponibles cuatro oportunidades a nivel nacional a través de Facebook y teleconferencias, incluyendo una teleconferencia de oración de 24 horas en el 712-775-7035, a través del código de acceso 281207, de 9 p.m. el 26 de septiembre a 8 p.m. del 27 de septiembre hora del este, de acuerdo a Ser Oído. "Me siento guiada por el Señor para comenzar otros 21 días de oración y ayuno," dijo Naghmeh Abedini al anunciar la vigilia de oración en Facebook. "La oración y el ayuno serán del 6 de septiembre al 26 de septiembre," el día de las vigilias de oración y la fecha cuando Saeed fue encarcelado en Irán. Ella ha tenido vigilias de oración anuales por su esposo desde su arresto en 2012 cuando él visitaba la familia en Teherán. Él fue sentenciado el 27 de enero de 2013, a ocho años en prisión por acusaciones de amenazar la seguridad nacional al haber iniciado iglesias casa en Irán en años anteriores, y había estado bajo arresto domiciliario desde julio de 2012. "Estaré ayunando de comida apetitosa (Daniel 10:3 'No comí alimentos apetitosos; no probé carne ni bebí; ni me perfumé hasta que pasaron las tres semanas')," dijo Naghmeh Abedini. "Planeo abstenerme de café y chocolate. Ustedes son libres de abstenerse de alimentos, medios sociales, televisión o saltarse una comida o dos….el punto es pasar tiempo en oración." Ella está usando Hebreos 12:1, 2 como apoyo bíblico para el ayuno. "EL Señor me muestra que cuando oramos por Saeed y la iglesia perseguida y recordamos a los 'testigos,'" dijo, "el reavivamiento puede llegar a nuestra propia vida y a nuestro país." -------------------------------------------------------------------- La JMI anuncia los detalles del incentivo para la jubilación voluntaria by Anne Harman Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday RICHMOND, Va. (BP)—En la primera fase del plan de la Junta de Misiones Internacionales (IMB, por sus siglas en inglés) para abordar el déficit en sus ingresos, el liderazgo anunció los detalles de un incentivo para la jubilación voluntaria durante sus reuniones generales con el personal el jueves (10 sept.). La meta del plan, compartieron los líderes de la JMI, es ofrecer un incentivo tan generoso como sea posible para que los miembros del personal que voluntariamente elijan jubilarse, a la vez que se honren los años de servicio de aquellos que califiquen y ayudar a proveer una transición tranquila al dejar el puesto actual que éstos ocupan. La JMI ofrecerá el incentivo para la jubilación voluntaria a todos los miembros de su personal y a los misioneros de carrera, activos, que tengan mínimo 50 años de edad y hayan cumplido cinco o más años de servicio (hasta el 31 de diciembre, 2015). Para que una pareja misionera califique para recibir el incentivo, sólo uno de los cónyuges debe cumplir con los requisitos. “Nuestro deseo en todo esto es ser tan generosos como sea posible con tantas personas como sea posible,” dijo David Platt, presidente de la JMI. “Ya que estamos pidiendo a todos los miembros de la organización que oren y disciernan si el Señor les está llamando a un nuevo lugar de servicio en las misiones, sabemos que quienes están en sus 50, por ejemplo, van a hacer exactamente esto, orar. Y si el Señor les guía a hacer una transición, queremos proveer para ellos tan generosamente como sea posible.” “Queremos que esto [el incentivo para la jubilación voluntaria] sea una imagen de honra por sus años pasados de servicio en las misiones, así como de un futuro servicio en las misiones,” dijo Platt. “Confío que de la misma manera maravillosa que Dios ha usado a los hermanos y hermanas a través de la JMI en el pasado, Él planifica usarlos maravillosamente más allá de la JMI en el futuro, mucho más allá de lo que cualquiera de nosotros pueda pedir o imaginar.” Transiciones Sebastian Traeger, vicepresidente ejecutivo de la JMI, presentó los detalles específicos del plan, el cual incluye un paquete básico de jubilación, un bono incentivo completo que incluye consideraciones financieras y médicas, provisiones específicas para una transición tranquila, y beneficios adicionales más allá del alcance de un paquete estándar de jubilación. El personal que elija voluntariamente aceptar la iniciativa podrá hacerlo hasta el inicio de diciembre. Aquellos que hayan servido más de 15 años recibirán el estatus de “emérito” para honrar sus años de servicio. No todos los misioneros escogerán hacer su transición hacia los Estados Unidos. Algunos pueden escoger quedarse en el campo como voluntarios, a través de senderos alternativos o a través de otras opciones de empleo. “Si usted está en la situación donde quiere quedarse en el campo, por supuesto que queremos ayudarlo a hacer eso,” dijo Traeger a los misioneros, señalando que los misioneros que pasen a ser voluntarios podrán usar sus viviendas y vehículos hasta el final de enero del 2016. La JMI proveerá un equipo de transición para servir a cada persona que elija aceptar la iniciativa. Los misioneros recibirán un bono de transición para ayudarles con el ajuste. También, las iglesias locales, los seminarios y las convenciones estatales han contactado a la JMI ofreciendo ayuda a los misioneros que elijan hacer su transición a los Estados Unidos y se comprometen a orar por la JMI durante este tiempo de transición. La información del incentivo para la jubilación fue compartido en dos segmentos durante las reuniones generales: primero ante el personal misionero, que en su mayoría asistió a través de las vías de comunicación electrónicas; y después en persona y ante el personal en línea, que en su mayoría residen el Richmond, Virginia. Las dos reuniones permitieron que el liderazgo presentara los detalles específicos que se aplican a cada grupo. Originalmente, la iniciativa fue anunciada durante una reunión general el 27 de agosto cuando los líderes de la JMI expusieron un plan para abordar el déficit de ingresos y completar una reestructuración de la organización. Experimentados contra novatos Desde la junta del 27 de agosto, dijo Platt, se le ha preguntado en muchas ocasiones por qué la JMI le pide dejar el campo a los misioneros experimentados en vez de congelar (o disminuir) la cantidad de misioneros novatos que esperan ser enviados en los próximos dos años. Platt reportó, después de mucha oración y discusión, que el liderazgo llegó a la conclusión que su plan actual era la opción más viable en medio de una variedad de opciones no ideales. Específicamente señaló cuatro razones por las cuales la JMI no está congelando o sigue disminuyendo la cantidad de misioneros nuevos por ahora. Primero, “cada tipo de persona en la JMI es importante,” dijo Platt, incluyendo a los que sirven a largo y corto plazo, el personal de la oficina y los misioneros, el personal joven y el personal viejo, los nuevos misioneros y los experimentados. “Por esta razón, no quiero que ningún tipo de persona en la JMI abandone el servicio. Por eso quise lanzar el llamado a todas y cada una de las personas dentro de la JMI a que escribiera un cheque en blanco y se preguntara, ‘¿Será que el Señor me está guiando hacia una nueva fase de participación en las misiones?’” Platt reiteró que el incentivo para la jubilación era solamente la Fase 1 del plan del liderazgo para abordar el déficit de ingresos. La Fase 2 del plan es una oportunidad para que cualquier empleado de la JMI voluntariamente indique que Dios le está guiando hacia un nuevo lugar de participación en las misiones fuera de la JMI. En segundo lugar, el liderazgo de la JMI enfatizó que quieren que los pasos iniciales del plan sean voluntarios. “Quiero ser absolutamente claro: no le estamos pidiendo a la gente que abandone el campo,” dijo Platt. “Si alguien está floreciendo en el campo y siente que Dios le está guiando a quedarse en el campo, entonces tengo confianza en que se queden en el campo. Repito, creo que merece ser reiterado para hacerlo aún más claro: en estos pasos iniciales, no le estamos pidiendo a nadie que se vaya de la JMI. Al contrario, le estamos pidiendo a todos que oren para saber si el Señor les está guiando hacia un nuevo lugar de servicio en las misiones, y estamos proveyendo un camino para aquellos que voluntariamente dejen la JMI si sienten que el Señor los está guiando hacia esa decisión.” La naturaleza voluntaria del plan también se aplica a los nuevos misioneros de la JMI que ya se han comprometido a salir al campo en el 2015 y 2016. “No queríamos decirles a estos nuevos misioneros, ‘No tienen opciones,’” dijo Platt. “En vista de nuestro compromiso con ellos, queremos ofrecerles la misma decisión voluntaria que estamos dando a todos los demás.” En tercer lugar, el enviar a gente a través de la JMI “nace de una convicción de que los nuevos misioneros que serán enviados por las iglesias a través de la JMI es una parte fundamental, no negociable, de quienes somos y de lo que hacemos,” dijo Platt, señalando que si la JMI fuera a congelar el envío de misioneros, en tres años se quedarían sin aprendices o misioneros a corto plazo en el campo. “Además, en cuanto a la Convención Bautista del Sur, la JMI existe fundamentalmente para servir a las iglesias de la CBS al facilitar el envío de misioneros de esas mismas iglesias,” dijo Platt. “Entre menos gente enviemos, serviremos a menos iglesias. Entre menos iglesias sirvamos, descuidaremos más nuestro fundamento principal.” Históricamente, una baja en el envío de misioneros da como resultado una baja en la relación de la JMI con las iglesias de la CBS, dijo Platt. También señaló que de los aproximadamente 300 nuevos misioneros que la JMI ha decidido enviar en el 2015 y 2016, solamente 135 de ellos son misioneros a largo plazo. Esa cantidad es aproximadamente un tercio de los misioneros a largo plazo que la JMI enviaba hace una década. En cuarto lugar, recortar o congelar el envío de misioneros nuevos no abordaría la necesidad inmediata de la JMI de corregir su estructura de costos a largo plazo. La JMI debe llegar a un lugar de responsabilidad financiera a corto plazo y de sustentabilidad financiera a largo plazo, y no se resuelve el problema al simplemente congelar la cantidad de nuevos misioneros por los próximos dos años, dijo. Sin embargo, dijo, la JMI necesita hacer ajustes a la cantidad de nuevos misioneros que envíe en el futuro. “Yo preferiría no hacer tales ajustes, pero aquí es donde se me recuerda que yo preferiría no hacer ninguno de todos esos ajustes que estamos haciendo,” dijo Platt. “Mi preferencia es no dejar de enviar nuevos misioneros al campo, y mi preferencia es no ver que los misioneros ya existentes dejen el campo. Como lo he mencionado en diferentes puntos, el sendero que estamos caminando no es de ninguna manera el ideal, pero después de mucha oración y discusión, otros líderes y yo creemos que el sendero que estamos caminando es la mejor opción que tenemos en un océano de opciones no ideales que están a nuestra disposición.” La JMI seguirá actualizando sus anuncios, incluyendo una sección de preguntas frecuentes, disponible en línea en IMB.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ministerio de prisión de Angola celebra 20 años y nueva instalación by Marilyn Stewart Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday ANGOLA, Louisiana (BP) -- Al celebrar 20 años de colaboración que ha cambiado vidas y ha desplegado "misioneros," el Seminario Teológico Bautista New Orleans /Leavell College (NOBTS por sus siglas en inglés) ha dedicado una nueva instalación con salones expandidos de clase y un espacio para biblioteca en la Penitenciaria Estatal de Louisiana, Angola, Louisiana. La dedicación del 27 de agosto seguida de una ceremonia de graduación marcó el graduando 278º del programa. "Este ha sido el día más espectacular que hayamos tenido," dijo Burl Cain, director de la instalación correccional. "Tenemos un nuevo edificio de seminario; doblamos nuestra capacidad; y, eso significa, menos víctimas de crímenes violentos." El Centro Joan Horner, un edificio de poco más de 1.000 metros cuadrados con laboratorio de computación, dos salones de clase, un auditorio y una biblioteca, fue nombrado en memoria de la benefactora Joan Horner, fundadora de Premier Designs de Dallas, quien junto su esposo Andy Horner fueron durante largo tiempo patrocinadores del ministerio de Angola; un donador anónimo proveyó los fondos para la estructura. James LeBlanc, secretario del Departamento Correccional, repitió la correlación de Cain entre el éxito del programa y la caída a nivel nacional de infractores reincidentes dándole crédito al trabajo de los 35 "misioneros" de NOBTS, graduados que pidieron ser transferidos a otras prisiones de Louisiana para plantar nuevas iglesias dirigidas por reclusos. Jimmy Dukes, director del programa de prisiones de NOBTS, dijo que la nueva instalación ayudará a llenar una gran necesidad. "Otras prisiones e inclusive algunos alcaldes de parroquias de cárceles quieren tener a nuestros misioneros," dijo Dukes. "Para hacer eso, necesitamos reclutar más estudiantes y entrenar a más estudiantes." El programa ofrece el bachillerato en humanidades en ministerio cristiano y un certificado sin créditos. Dukes dijo que el nuevo espacio puede acomodar el doble de la actual matrícula y permite que comiencen los cursos de maestría. Chuck Kelley, presidente de NOBTS, miró hacia atrás al inicio del programa y señaló a Cain y a otros que soñaban que él pudiera prever su potencial. Cain, un exeducador, se acercó a los líderes de la Asociación Bautista Judson, ahora llamada Asociación Bautista de Greater Baton Rouge, y al liderazgo del seminario y les pidió que proveyeran servicios educativos a los encarcelados. "Ellos vieron lo que Dios vio," dijo Kelley. "Ellos vieron que Dios podía hacer un poderoso trabajo." John Hebert, director de misiones y ministerio de la Convención Bautista de Louisiana (LBC por sus siglas en inglés), les dijo a los graduandos que las 1.639 iglesias de la LBC los respaldaban apoyando el programa anualmente a través de la Ofrenda Misionera Estatal Georgia Barnette. El centro se sitúa junto a la capilla Tudy, la cual tienen 800 asientos, donde Kelley les recordó a los graduandos y a todo el recinto lleno que Dios tiene experiencia manejando problemas mayores a cualquiera que ellos enfrentan. "No importan las circunstancias, cuando Dios te mira, tu pasado y tus problemas, dijo, no hay nada nuevo bajo el sol para él que no conozca de primera mano. Dijo Kelley. Kelley les dijo a los graduandos que cuando los líderes del seminario se preguntaban cómo financiar el programa, "Dios dijo: 'Yo alimenté a 5.000 con la merienda de un niño.'" Y cuando la devastación del huracán Katrina demandó fuertemente todos los fondos disponibles, Kelley dijo que la respuesta de Dios fue: "Este programa es demasiado importante para detenerlo por una pequeña inundación. Si pude sacar a Noé y a su familia, puedo manejar esto.'" Kelley les recordó a los graduandos que estaban en el camino hacia vidas de "impacto, influencia y significado." Políticos de ambos lados están comenzando a reconocer que el encarcelamiento por sí mismo no es la respuesta y están viendo el impacto que el programa está haciendo, dijo LeBlanc. "Es impresionante lo que está sucediendo aquí." NOBTS/Leavell College ha activado programas también en el Instituto Correccional Louisiana para Mujeres, St. Gabriel, Louisiana; la Penitenciaria Estatal de Mississippi, Parchman, Mississippi; la Prisión Estatal Phillips, Buford, Georgia; y el Instituto Correccional Hardee, Bowling Green, Florida. William Hall, un recluso que habló a nombre de la clase de graduación, le dijo a la multitud que él sabía cómo era la prisión Angola cuando Cain llegó. La prisión era bien conocida por la violencia que hizo que la llamaran "la más sangrienta prisión de Estados Unidos." "El director Cain hizo algo que pocos hombres son capaces de hacer. Dejó a Dios entrar," dijo Hall. "¿No es asombroso lo que sucede cuando Jesús entra?" Miguel Kelley habló urgiendo a sus compañeros graduandos a tener los pies en la tierra y a mantener una íntima relación con Dios. En libertad condicional luego de cumplir 23 de los 44 años de sentencia, Miguel ahora trabaja como ejecutivo de cuenta en una firma en el centro de New Orleans. "Trabajen fuerte, con urgencia," dijo Miguel Kelley. "Busquen a Dios con hambre y sed." Luego de la graduación, los invitados visitaron el Centro Joan Horner y su nueva biblioteca, la Biblioteca Charles S. "Chuck" Kelley Jr. A nadie se le puede dar el mérito del impacto del programa, dijo Chuck Kelley. "Es más grande que eso." En la dedicación, Kelley compartió su sueño para el futuro del centro: $100.000 para iniciar el certificado a nivel de maestría en el ministerio de adoración o culto; una dotación de $1 millón para cubrir los costos de matrícula para todos los inscritos en los programas de prisión de Louisiana; y una dotación de $5 millones para establecer el Centro de Rehabilitación Moral para proveer una voz dentro de la conversación nacional de cómo reducir la población de la prisión y lograr una genuina rehabilitación. "Donde la prisión sea vista como una influencia positiva y un lugar de sana preparación para reentrar a la sociedad," dijo Kelley de la misión del programa, "no es solo educación, sino un cambio de corazón." -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Esperanza en la adversidad by Luis López Date: September 18, 2015 - Friday 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 HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- En los últimos días la crisis migratoria en la Unión Europea ha revelado ser probablemente el desafío más grande que la UE haya enfrentado desde su origen. La brutalidad y la compasión han sido exhibidas de diferentes maneras en la medida en que diferentes países responden a los miles de inmigrantes que llegan de Siria, el Medio Oriente, África y el sur de Asia. Muy particularmente, hemos visto a más de 4 millones de sirios escapar de la guerra civil que siguió al presidente Bashar Assad. Muchos han buscado refugio en países cercanos como Turquía, Líbano, Jordán, Irák y Egipto. Ahora miles de estos llegan a Europa. La Agencia de refugiados de las Naciones Unidas ha dado gran apoyo a las familias migrantes durante este tiempo. Sin embargo, esta ha declarado que ya no puede manejar más esta carga. Su plan de ayuda para este año no tiene ni siquiera la mitad de los recursos que necesita para funcionar. El programa de ayuda mundial de alimentos (World Food Programme) ya ha tenido que cortar su aporte a más de 1.5 millones de refugiados sirios en los últimos meses. Un funcionario del gobierno de los Estados Unidos declaró que "este fue el verano cuando el pueblo de Siria decidió que ya no había esperanza". ¿Será verdad esto? y ¿cómo saberlo? Bill Frelick, director del programa de refugiados y de vigilancia de los derechos humanos dice "siento que la gente de Siria se ha dado por vencida." He allí un pensamiento. Seguimos observando las imágenes conmovedoras de miles de refugiados cruzando fronteras en busca de ayuda. La foto del niño sirio, Aylan Kurdi, de 3 años quien murió ahogado en una playa turca ha despertado una ola de compasión alrededor del mundo. La foto del niño fallecido, boca abajo, en las orillas del mar nos ha estremecido y ha dado la vuelta al mundo. Ha revelado parte de la magnitud del problema y dominado las redes sociales suscitando una oleada de indignación y despertado diversas acciones de líderes gubernamentales. Mujeres dando a luz mientras cruzan la frontera, familias en embarcaciones precarias a punto del naufragio y padres cargando a hijos en sus brazos perseguidos por autoridades y/o ISIS han quedado grabadas en nuestra mente. Estas personas en busca de esperanza han definido lo que la historia probablemente registrará como El Gran Escape Sirio. No hay duda que el problema es complejo, requiere atención y solidaridad de muchas partes. La adversidad del pueblo sirio durante estos últimos 4 años de guerra ha sido inmensa. Dios tenga misericordia de esta nación. A veces vemos situaciones como estas y podemos preguntarnos " ¿cómo puede Dios permitir que esto suceda? No siempre entendemos por qué Dios permite que pasen algunas cosas. Me atrevo a afirmar que son muchas las veces que no comprendemos algunos sucesos debido a nuestra perspectiva tan limitada. La adversidad general de los pueblos también nos recuerda la adversidad individual. El infortunio y las calamidades personales que todos pasamos y que son parte de esta vida. El amor de Dios es más grande que la mente humana y que cualquier adversidad. Aunque no podemos dejar de experimentar dolor y hasta llorar por algunas cosas que nos quebrantan el corazón, debemos entender que la aflicción es parte de la vida. Siempre podemos confiar en el Dios de toda esperanza. Este es un Dios amoroso y que obra en el mundo de una forma poderosa. No podemos evitar el sufrimiento porque vivimos en un mundo caído y muchas veces este es la materia prima que Dios usa para transformarnos. Cuando consideramos a Aquél que sufrió injustamente, varón de dolores y quien entiende nuestras ansiedades nos damos cuenta del inmenso amor de Dios por todos. Mientras la sabiduría humana no puede ver una pequeña nube de esperanza en las tinieblas, la fe puede ver la gracia de Dios aun en medio de la noche. Soren Kierkegaard dijo " La fe ve mejor en la oscuridad". Y es que cuando la tormenta crece y la tempestad ruge con la fuerza impecable de los truenos y los relámpagos, es posible darse cuenta de lo que verdaderamente tenemos: un Dios poderoso en quien podemos confiar con esperanza. La naturaleza de este mundo no es capaz de darse cuenta de la bondad de Dios en medio del sufrimiento. Sin embargo, para el creyente el sufrimiento es parte del yugo que llevamos. Y su yugo es ligero porque Él prometió que sería nuestra fortaleza en tiempos de angustia. “Cuando pases por las aguas, yo estaré contigo; y si por los ríos, no te anegarán. Cuando pases por el fuego, no te quemarás, ni la llama arderá en ti." Isaías‬ 43:2‬. Esto produce humildad y mansedumbre en nuestra vida. Cristo dijo "aprended de mí que soy manso y humilde"(Mateo 11:29). La modestia de espíritu y la docilidad permiten ejercer el dominio propio. Cristo lo ejemplificó al pasar por este mundo. El mismo fue manso y humilde. El llevó una carga. Una carga mucho más pesada que cualquier otra. Más allá de la carrera que tuvo por delante, su enfoque estaba en ayudar a otros, sanar a los enfermos, servir al desesperado y salvar al que no tenía fuerzas. ¿Cómo ? ¿Por qué? Porque la fe ve mejor en la oscuridad y esta le permitía tener dominio propio. Fe es mirar a Dios en medio del sufrimiento. Es vaciarnos de nosotros mismos y ser lleno de Su esperanza. Es confiar que Él está presente en nuestros momentos más oscuros y nos recuerda que lo mejor está por venir. Algunos medios han reportado que miles de sirios están llegando al cristianismo en Europa. En Alemania específicamente, algunas iglesias han duplicado y triplicado su asistencia con migrantes convertidos y en busca de esperanza. ¿Podrá Dios usar esta crisis para avivar a su pueblo en el viejo continente? La fe ve mejor en la oscuridad. Dios, abre nuestros ojos. “Y el Dios de esperanza os llene de todo gozo y paz en el creer, para que abundéis en esperanza por el poder del Espíritu Santo.” Romanos‬ 15:13‬