
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/11/2005

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Bush pledges federal government will support, not dictate Gulf rebuilding efforts
by Staff
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

COVINGTON, La. (BP)--With a tool belt around his waist and a hard hat close by, President Bush said Oct. 11 that the federal government will not dictate terms for rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina but will support the key decisions made by local leaders.

“I don’t think Washington ought to dictate to New Orleans how to rebuild,” Bush said during an interview alongside his wife, Laura, on NBC’s “Today” show. The president, standing on a Habitat for Humanity building site in Covington, La., added that he told New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin that “we will support the plan that you develop.”

During his eighth visit to the coast since Katrina hit, Bush met with a group of local civic leaders chosen to lead rebuilding efforts in New Orleans in order to hear their concerns and ideas. The group, along with Nagin, dined with the president and first lady at the Italian-Creole restaurant Bacco in the French Quarter Oct. 10, according to The Washington Post.

Bush’s meal with local leaders was partly meant to display a sense of revival in the devastated city, and later he spent the night at the Windsor Court hotel as opposed to bunking on the USS Iwo Jima military ship as he did on his previous overnight trip to the region several weeks ago.

“I think we’ve seen the spirits change,” Bush said on NBC. “The storm hit and it was an overwhelming moment for a lot of people, and then they’re beginning to realize there’s hope. There’s a chance to rebuild lives, and a lot of people care about them. I’ve seen some infrastructure change -- debris has been cleared and roads are being rebuilt. It’s a remarkable spirit here in this part of the world. People have said, ‘We want to rebuild our lives,’ and they’ve realized a lot of people from around the country want to help them.”

Laura Bush expressed concern about the youngest victims of the hurricane continuing their education.

“I’m worried about the schools. I’m really interested in that,” she said. “But I’m also proud that so many people have gone to school -- so many parents have put their kids in school wherever they are, if they’re in Houston or Fort Worth or Baton Rouge, and I think that’s really important.”

The president countered questions that his trips to the region were photo opportunities in an effort to make up for what some say was a less than ideal government response in the immediate aftermath of Katrina.

“One of the things that I suggested was we keep the politics out of New Orleans and Mississippi as we all work together to rebuild these communities,” he said. “And we’ve got people here who volunteered their time from all over the country and they didn’t say, ‘I’m a Democrat and I’m going to work here’ or ‘I’m a Republican and I’m going to come and work here.’ They said, ‘I’m an American that wants to contribute.’

“And the reason why Laura and I are here is because we want to encourage other Americans to help somebody find shelter or help somebody find food or to continue to express the incredible compassion that the country saw when displaced persons moved from this part of the world to scatter around the country,” he added.

The first lady said the visit also was meant to express gratitude to those Americans who are reaching out to those in need.

“&#91;T&#93;his gives us a chance to thank the people who do this all the time, not just in a crisis situation, but who volunteer with Habitat in their towns wherever they are across the country,” Laura Bush said. “... It’s very American to step out and help.”

After leaving Covington, the president and first lady traveled to Pass Christian, Miss., to celebrate the reopening of Delisle Elementary School there, which Bush said was “a sign that out of the rubble in Mississippi is a spirit of rebuilding.”
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Luis Palau’s DC Festival draws 50,000 in nation’s capital
by Shannon Baker
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

WASHINGTON (BP)--With Luis Palau’s Oct. 8-9 “Great Music and Good News” DC Festival and the upcoming June 2006 Metro Maryland Franklin Graham Festival, Southern Baptists all along the I-95 corridor between Washington and Baltimore are joining efforts to reach their neighbors for Christ.

An estimated 50,000 people attended the DC Festival on the National Mall, sponsored by the Luis Palau Association and supported by 899 churches and 3,500-plus youth and adults who were trained in friendship evangelism during the buildup to the weekend.

The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware was intricately involved with the DC Festival from its inception, said Thom Thornton, BCMD consultant/specialist for evangelism and collegiate ministry.

“From early meetings ... up to and through the event, we have partnered with the Luis Palau organization to equip people for evangelism, engage churches to the opportunities of the festival, and reach our area for the cause of Christ.”

Several BCMD churches took advantage of the evangelism and counseling training events to participate as volunteers during the festival, which highlighted the best elements of today’s most popular music festivals (everything from contemporary music acts and exotic food stands to a full-blown, stand-alone extreme sports skate park).

Included on the festival’s main stage were contemporary Christian recording artists Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman, Cece Winans, TobyMac and Kirk Franklin and former Mexican soap opera actress and performer Yuri, among others.

In the festival’s “Sports Zone,” professional sports personalities, including Carlos Baerga and Nick Johnson of the Washington Nationals baseball team, Mark Simpson of the DC United soccer team, PGA golfer Bernhard Langer and former NFL player Steve Fitzhugh of the Denver Broncos, shared testimonies of their faith.

Ventriloquist Mark Thompson joined VeggieTales’ “Bob and Larry” in the children’s area, full of games and Gospel-minded activities for the children.

And some of the nation’s best skateboard and BMX athletes joined actor/filmmaker Stephen Baldwin in a Livin’ It Action sports stage, where pastor and pro-skater Jay Alabama spoke to standing-room-only crowds.

Each evening, despite torrential rains on the first day, Christian communicator and author Luis Palau shared messages of hope punctuated by personal testimonies of people he has met all over the world.

The Argentine-born evangelist, who has taken God’s message of love to an estimated 21 million people in 70 nations, reminded the overwhelmingly young festival crowd, “The truth will set you free. And if you are free, you are free indeed!” 

Pointing to God’s ability to help people be free from immoral temptations, loneliness and desperation, he shared his longing for the participants to say, “I found God on the National Mall.”

Festival organizers say there were 1,560 documented decisions to receive Christ or rededicate to Christ, bringing the total to 2,300-plus for the festival week, which included Operation Compassion, a ministry which mobilized area Christians to do community service in the public schools or to participate in a food drive, a family health fair and hurricane relief initiative.

Pastor Mark Johnson of Beltsville Baptist Church off the I-495 Beltway surrounding Washington served as a pastoral adviser for the event. He and six other members from his church participated in counseling training provided by the Palau organization.

“I thought the festival was a very innovative attempt at mass evangelism,” said Johnson, who marveled at Luis Palau’s effort to reach a new culture. “Palau knows that, except for a few select evangelists, the old model of stadium crusades doesn’t work very well.”

Johnson met with other pastors on Monday following the event to organize follow-up for those who responded to invitations to make a decision for Christ.

Peter Benson of First Baptist Church of Glen Arden in Landover, Md., volunteered as a counselor. Normally serving in the A/V media ministry at his church, Benson recently felt that he needed to be involved more in evangelism. He particularly enjoyed the training events held before the festival. Of teacher Alan Hotchkiss, he shared, “That short man did a tall job of making sharing the Gospel un-intimidating.”

Pastor Wayne Matthews of Marbury (Md.) Baptist Church volunteered in the children’s area, where he presented the Good News of Jesus Christ using color-coded salvation bracelets. After each presentation, Matthews invited the children to pray.

“You could tell that these children were sincerely praying innocent prayers,” he said tearfully. “The Lord showed me through these prayers that God is at work, even through the little people, preparing the next generation of those who will be doing the evangelizing in the future.”

BCMD Executive Director David Lee noted, “We may be on the brink of seeing one of the greatest movements of God in human history. The world has its eyes focused on the Baltimore-Washington corridor. A genuine awakening in this region of our world could spread quickly throughout this nation and to the uttermost parts of the world. That is why it is so critical to pray for God to move in power. We are already seeing God's hand at work in Baltimore. Doors are opening.”

Bob Simpson, BCMD director of communications, also noted the importance of ministry in the region. “The Baltimore/Washington metropolitan region is not unlike Rome in &#91;the Apostle&#93; Paul's day. All roads led to and from Rome. Washington, and the surrounding area, including Baltimore, is similar in that the heart and soul of the nation is represented here,” Simpson said.

“My desire is that the DC Festival awakens our area to the need and opportunities of evangelism,” Thornton agreed. “As John Avant, vice president for evangelism at the North American Mission Board, says, ‘It's time we make evangelism good news again.’

“I hope this fuels the interest in our churches, and we see over 200 BCMD churches participating in the Franklin Graham Metro-Maryland Festival in July 2006 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

“How exciting would it be to see the next awakening of God's power and grace emerge in our region from these dynamic festival events?”
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Record 7.3 million meals provided to Gulf hurricane victims
by Mickey Noah
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--An all-time record has been reached -- more than 7.3 million meals prepared to date for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita under the Southern Baptists’ mammoth disaster relief effort across the Gulf Coast.

Previously, the most meals prepared in a Southern Baptist Disaster Relief response was 2.5 million during Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Southern Baptists provide the third-largest disaster relief operation in the country behind the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army, with more than 30,000 trained volunteers on call for local, state and national emergencies.

But while the efforts of Southern Baptist feeding units are tapering off, the need for cleanup and recovery operations continues to grow, said Jim Burton, director of volunteer mobilization for the North American Mission Board.

“The number of damaged homes and churches is overwhelming,” Burton said. “Volunteers will be needed for years to assist in the long-term recovery efforts.”

Louisiana Baptists have identified more than 200 churches destroyed or severely damaged by the two hurricanes; 100 have been counted in Mississippi; 100 in Texas; and 60 in Alabama. In addition to these 460 churches, many more have been impacted by the hurricanes, and damage assessment is under way.

To assist the hurricane-ravaged churches, NAMB created “Adopt A Church.” The program thus far has registered pledges from 1,583 Southern Baptist churches to provide financial and other assistance over a 12-24-month period.

Burton said 41 out of 42 state conventions are active in the disaster relief effort, with more than 7,000 volunteers still working to provide meals, showers, childcare, communications and cleanup (chain saw teams) as part of recovery and restoration operations.   

At least 342 disaster relief units -– more than half the total number in the Southern Baptist disaster relief fleet of 600 -– have been activated in the wake of Katrina and Rita. Burton said 26 ministry sites and state units are operating in Louisiana; 25 in Texas; and nine in Mississippi.

A webcast briefing about Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts is available at www.namb.net. Disaster relief information is posted regularly at www.NAMB.net/dr.

Contributions to offset direct costs of the disaster relief response may be sent to state conventions, associations or churches responding to the effort or to the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Fund. Donations to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief may be made online at www.namb.net or by calling 1-888-571-5895. Contributions also can be mailed to the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, North American Mission Board, Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543.
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Mickey Noah is a writer with the North American Mission Board.


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Steeple remains seminary’s beacon for the Gospel in N.O.
by Gary D. Myers
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

NEW ORLEANS (BP)--Visible from miles away, the steeple of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s chapel has always been a symbol of hope in the city of New Orleans.

In 2002, when seminary administrators chose a new logo for the school, they chose the steeple as a symbol for the NOBTS. The symbol represents the seminary’s witness in the city and the world.

As seminary families returned to campus in the early morning hours Oct. 5-9, the steeple was the only light visible for miles and miles. This lone point of light shining in a sea of darkness represented the hope many have for the seminary and city -– a hope rooted in Jesus Christ.

“The steeple was the first thing we lit when power was restored,” NOBTS President Chuck Kelley said. “It really is a light in the midst of darkness.”

For Kelley, this one point of light represents the way God will use the seminary in the coming months -– as a leader in the redevelopment of New Orleans and the re-establishment of area churches. The seminary’s recovery and cleanup efforts, he said, are at least a month ahead of other areas flooded when the levees failed.

Other signs of hope awaited the students, faculty and staff members as they returned to reclaim their possessions. Cleanup crews cleared debris from campus even as seminary families moved out of their homes. At the end of each day, new progress could be seen. Large stacks of roofing materials were stockpiled throughout the campus awaiting repair workers. The initial repair work on many of the damaged roofs already had been completed.

Another sign of hope came each day at 10 a.m. during the campus return –- a brief chapel service on the steps of Leavell Chapel. Endel Lee, an NOBTS professor and a Navy chaplain serving with the Coast Guard in New Orleans, led the service.

“The place behind me, this is where we worship &#91;in chapel services Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the school year&#93; at 10 a.m.,” Lee said. “We stop everything and we come to this place to honor God. I thought in light of these circumstances &#91;we should&#93; first of all be thankful to God for showing His mercy.”

Lee led the small group that gathered each day in songs such as “Amazing Grace,” “He Is Lord,” and “I’ll Fly Away” before sharing a brief Bible reading and message. The service was a small act of resolve and recovery in the midst of difficult surroundings.

The Harsch family received a special blessing as they arrived to clean out their home on faculty row Oct. 5. Bizzie Bene, a campus security officer, met the family at their home to return their cat, Tanner.

“We had no idea if &#91;Tanner&#93; was dead or alive until today,” Jill Harsch said of the happy reunion.

When the Harsch family evacuated, they left their cat in the garage, expecting to return in a few days. Then the flood came and the family feared the worst for their family pet.

The family also praised God for the comfort and help they have received during the disaster.

“God has been very good to us,” Jill said. “He has been taking care of us, providing for us. Everything that’s back here is just stuff.”

For many, the return to campus also revealed deep feelings about the city and the seminary. Many expressed a desire to return to the city as soon the cleanup is complete. For these students, the events surrounding Katrina confirmed their call to the city. Many said they want to help shape the “new” New Orleans through Christian service and witness.

One student family expressed these sentiments as they finished cleaning their apartment and prepared to leave. “I miss my home,” the wife said. “This is where I want to be.”

Her husband was offered a fulltime pastoral ministry position in northern Louisiana. He declined the offer, but agreed to serve as the church’s interim pastor. The student made one thing very clear as he accepted the short-term work -– God has called him to New Orleans.
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Seminary’s former residents endure days of cleaning & moving
by Gary D. Myers
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

NEW ORLEANS (BP)--The first week in October was a week of emotional highs and lows for the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary family. Joy mingled with pain and loss. Tears mixed with laughter and hope.

During the long week, the seminary community reached two major milestones in efforts to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

On Oct. 3, NOBTS launched its reformatted classes for on-campus students. This new beginning was one step on the road to healing for the seminary. But the long road to healing also went through New Orleans. On Oct. 5, professors and staff members began returning to campus to sift through their belongings.

NOBTS President Chuck Kelley praised the strength of character he saw on campus during the five difficult days the campus was open. He said the attitude of those who lost everything was a testimony to deep faith Jesus Christ.

“These days are a time of grieving and loss for us all,” Kelley said. “But you could see and feel the foundation of faith undergirding the sorrow.”

Those who returned faced long, hard days of sorting, cleaning and moving their possessions out of New Orleans to storage units scattered across the Southeast. Along the streets lined with moving vans, seminary residents sat in front of tubs with water and bleach solution dipping their dishes and glass items and laying them out to dry. Others tried to salvage furniture by hosing pieces off with power washers.

“It’s as bad as we feared, but we are saving a few mementos,” said Ken Taylor, professor of urban missions. “Through all of this God has been faithful. We’ve felt His presence and His hand of comfort.”

The disaster was especially hard for Taylor who ministers in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods through his work as an urban missions professor. He also pastors Elysian Fields Baptist Church in the hard-hit Gentilly neighborhood. 

Taylor has driven through the neighborhoods where he served looking for any of the people he has shared his life with. He still doesn’t know the status of his church members. Not knowing about the people he cares about is as hard as the losses.

“We know these are just things,” he said, pointing to a small pile of rescued items on the sidewalk. “There will be brighter days. God is going to do a great work here, but today is hard.”

As Taylor’s wife, Sheila, walked through their home, she saw many treasured items in ruins. One of those losses was a large, framed photograph of her father. Sheila’s father died before she was born. Losing the photograph was difficult.

But Sheila did find a few treasures. A John Wayne figurine purchased for a dear friend was high and dry. Also safe was her son’s “Most Christian Athlete Award” plaque from Mississippi College. However, most of their possessions were lost.

The Taylors’ home, along with most first-floor dwellings on campus, was filled with black mold. The mold spread over the walls and to the ceilings in many apartments and homes. The smell was overwhelming -– unbearable without a surgical mask.

“It was worse than I thought it would be,” said Jennifer Tipper, an undergraduate student from Georgia. “There was mold all over the walls where it wasn’t even wet.”

During the worst of the flooding, Tipper’s first-floor dorm room in Carey Hall had about two feet of water. However, in the five weeks since the hurricane, mold flourished, climbing at least three feet above the water line. A sharp odor filled the small room.

The hardest loss for Tipper was a mission journal from her recent trip to a closed country. The journal, which she left on the floor by her bed, was soaked and moldy -– ruined.

With all the sadness of the day, Tipper enjoyed reuniting with the other students. She said the hardest part of the disaster was being away from her friends. Such reunions were common throughout the campus.

Neighbors visited, encouraged each other, prayed and passed out hugs during rest breaks. At the Manor Apartments, second-floor residents showed love for their neighbors in a tangible way -– they gave away some of their furniture and household items to those who had lost everything on the first floor. It was a scene repeated throughout campus.

As bad as the first floors of homes and apartments looked, the second floors stood in stark contrast. Many apartments on the upper floors looked the same as the day residents evacuated. However, these second-floor dwellings did have a strong odor as well. Other top-floor apartments received water damage -– and mold -– from roof damage caused by Katrina’s high winds.

Odd things happened during the flood. One child’s wagon floated over three blocks from his apartment. In some second-floor apartments, foul brown flood water backed up through the washing machine drains, leaving a surprise for those attempting to move their washers. Refrigerators and other heavy items floated around in flooded apartments and homes.

One of Audra Funderburk’s treasured items, a high school graduation scarf from her days as a missionary kid in Africa, was sealed in a ZipLock bag inside a plastic container. As the waters rose, the container floated and the scarf remained dry and mold-free.

For some residents, just getting to campus with a truck was a challenge. Rental trucks and trailers were hard to come by in parts of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Many rental fleets were decimated by the hurricane and resulting floods.

Rick Morton, assistant professor of Christian education ministry, borrowed a truck and trailer from friends in Birmingham, Ala. Before he made it very far, a tire blew out on the trailer. Twice the trailer unhitched as he and his wife drove to New Orleans. As he worked to fix the hitch problem, Morton cut his finger so severely that he needed stitches. On campus, he arrived to a flooded, moldy faculty home with little to salvage.

“I think I’m in shock,” Morton said. “Right now I don’t feel that much. It’s just overwhelming.”

After all he had been through, Morton was still able to smile, laugh and praise God. He joked that the trailer problems helped prepare him for the remainder of his trek’s challenges.

Disaster relief volunteers from the North American Mission Board and troops with the South Dakota National Guard helped seminary families with packing and moving. Men and women from the National Guard packed dishes in student apartments and carried boxes to waiting trucks. Disaster relief volunteers brought cold water, packed boxes and encouraged campus residents throughout the long days.

Members of the seminary family who did not live on campus also came to help. Mitch Hamilton, an NOBTS graduate and trustee from Colorado, helped seminary families move out each day. Faculty members who lived off-campus came to help their colleagues and students with their difficult task. President Kelley walked around campus praying with the hurting families.

To help with the emotional needs of the seminary family, volunteer counselors and chaplains also were on hand each day to encourage and pray with seminary families who were hurting. Several volunteers from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Rapid Response Team were among the counselors.

“We are down here trying to be God’s hands and feet and love on people,” said Alex Aaron, a BGEA Rapid Response Team member from Oklahoma City. “We get blessed in the middle of it.”

President Kelley warned that these five days would be the most difficult in the history of the seminary. He was right. But the return was an important step on the road to recovery. Many students left on a hopeful note, expressing their desire to return to campus after the cleanup is complete. 

“What helps Christians get through a time like this,” Kelley said, “is the certain knowledge that whenever God involves His children in a funeral, they know an invitation to a resurrection is in the mail.”
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In BBC interview, Yarnell discusses Miers & American religion
by Brent Thompson
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--The BBC interview was about President Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, but it wasn’t long before Malcolm Yarnell III was discussing American Christianity before a large European audience.

An assistant professor of systematic theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the seminary’s Center for Theological Research, Yarnell was a guest on the BBC-Northern Ireland radio program “Sunday Sequence” Oct. 9.

Noting that polls seem to indicate that Bush is losing support among American evangelicals, host William Crawley asked Yarnell to explain American evangelicals’ reaction to the nomination of Miers.

“There is a great deal of confusion right now among conservative evangelicals,” Yarnell said. “Harriet Miers does not seem to have a clear judicial record from which to judge how she might conduct herself on the bench.”

Yarnell said that Miers is evidently a “conservative evangelical herself,” but that there are accounts of her stands as a member of the Dallas City Council that cause evangelicals to be “a bit confused” about her positions on certain issues.

The other guest on the broadcast was Connie Lawn, an American freelance journalist who focuses on reporting from the White House. She said conservatives were “getting too excited” over the Miers nomination. Lawn opined that Miers gives every indication of being “against abortion &#91;and&#93; would vote against Roe vs. Wade if she had a chance.”

“This is a strategy nomination by President Bush,” Lawn said. “It is a choice that will be relatively easy to get through the Senate.”

Said Yarnell: “I have to say this for President Bush. I think pretty consistently he has been saying he would appoint a strict constructionist. He seems to have been following his word.... Our hope is that Harriet Miers, if she is confirmed to the court, will not turn out to be another David Souter ... who turned out to be one of the most liberal justices on the court.”

Crawley then turned the discussion toward recent reports that Bush had told Palestinian officials in 2003 that “the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were sanctioned directly by God.” 

Yarnell said he did not know whether or not President Bush made those remarks.

“If he said that, it would not surprise me, but it would not alarm me, either,” Yarnell said. 

Allowing for the possibility that Bush might have made the remarks, Yarnell placed them into the context of Christianity’s worldview.

“Evangelical Christians freely speak of their entire life being directed by God,” Yarnell said. “But that is coupled with the evangelical belief, in America, in the separation of church and state and a vigorous understanding of religious liberty. George Bush is not a theocrat. I do not believe he is on any type of religious crusade.”

Lawn concurred with Yarnell on that point and questioned why White House spokesman Scott McClellan felt a need to issue a denial that Bush had made the remarks.

“&#91;President Bush&#93; has used the term ‘mission,’ then he has used the term ‘crusade,’ but rolled back on the term ‘crusade’ because it is not a good word,” Lawn said. “I think &#91;McClellan&#93; would have been a lot more believable if he had just said, ‘Well, that’s the way President Bush talks and believes, and it is quite possible.’”

Yarnell said that unlike Americans, people in Europe and the Middle East view the word "crusade" in a military context.

“Among evangelical Americans ... there are the ideas of evangelical crusades or revivals that are not militant in any way,” Yarnell said, referring to Campus Crusade for Christ and Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusades. “&#91;Crusades&#93; just means evangelists asking people to trust Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and go to heaven. It is not about forcing other people.”

Reflecting on the interview, Yarnell said Americans should not be surprised that the media in other countries follow developments in America so closely.

“The world is very interested in what is going on in the United States,” he said. “Our economic, political and military hegemony makes us many friends and enemies throughout the world. The British take a special interest in our culture because of the long history we share.

Yarnell said he was pleased that he was able to give a concise statement of the Gospel, even in such a short interview.

“It is absolutely imperative that we take every conceivable opportunity to present the Gospel in whatever venue we find ourselves. Christ left us on this planet in order to make disciples by going, teaching and baptizing,” Yarnell said.
--30--
The interview can be accessed at www.bbc.co.uk/sundaysequence


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Post story highlights Southern student’s devotion to Gospel
by Jeff Robinson
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Peter Perl’s apprehension grew the minute he saw the roommate list for his trip to the Middle East.

For three weeks, the long-time newspaper journalist would be rooming with a Southern Baptist seminary student -– and he was uneasy. 

“What will it be like to live for three weeks with someone who might try to save my soul?” Perl, who works at The Washington Post, mused silently. 

“Will the student believe that people like me who do not trust in Christ alone for salvation will spend the afterlife in the flames of hell? Will he believe that the Bible is literally the Word of God?” 

Perl had numerous questions and concerns about his new temporary roommate. For 23 nights he bunked with Matthew Cates, a master of divinity student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and later admitted he had learned -- through the uncompromising but gracious witness of Cates -- one thing about Southern Baptists he had least suspected: Their desire to spread the grace of God in Christ is born out of a genuine love for people. 

Perl and Cates were fellow travelers on an annual summer trip called the Middle East Travel Seminar (METS), a pilgrimage to notable Middle Eastern sites. The group was an eclectic blend of 20 spiritual sojourners including conservative and liberal Protestant seminary students and practitioners of the Jewish faith. 

Perl wrote of his experience and detailed a budding relationship with Cates that flowered during the trip in a lengthy first-person article that ran in the Aug. 21 edition of the Washington Post under the headline “With God as their Witness.”

Cates, a Burlington, N.C., native, said he was pleased with the way Perl represented him in the article. Though Perl, a self-professed pluralist, considers the truth claims of Christianity to be too narrow and restrictive, he respected Cates’ unyielding, yet gracious, view that Scripture is the Christian’s infallible, sole fountain of knowledge and that faith in Jesus Christ is the only path to heaven.

“Peter was very gracious to me in the article,” said Cates.

Throughout the article, Perl describes his various discussions with Cates regarding the faith. He also shows Cates interacting as a Christian with other METS members. Overall, Perl depicts Cates as unwilling to bend on the truth claims of Christ, but gracious in his conversations with his fellow travelers. 

Individual group members volunteered to lead a devotional in the evening. Cates read passages from Romans 3 and 5. Perl describes how the devotional upset several members of the group, including a seminary student who told Cates that the exclusivity of Paul’s message, “did not give everyone a place to stand.”

Cates said his aim was to prayerfully and humbly present the Gospel -- and all of its claims to exclusivity -- without compromise. The aversion some group members displayed toward Paul’s message led Cates to write in his METS reflection paper, a requirement for each participant, “I hope that they are wrestling with you, God, and not just me."

Members of the group, Cates said, mirrored the postmodern culture in that they found the exclusive claims of the Gospel to be the most scandalous aspect of Christianity. Paul’s assertion of human depravity did not exactly resonate with the group either, he said.

“People have such negative thoughts about any kind of system that is not defined by their own wills,” Cates said. “They see anything not defined by themselves as restrictive. But I tried to get the point across that God is who we are accountable to and not just some earth-bound authority. 

One lesson Cates said both he and Perl seemed to learn during their time together was the reality of stereotype. Religions are often stereotyped in the mainstream media, and their most radical elements often gain the most attention, Cates said. 

Cates said Perl exhibited a desire to represent evangelical Christianity accurately, an approach Cates said he wants to take in interacting with and articulating the grace of God with those of other faiths. 

“My delight in the trip was being able to interact with people who hold positions that I don’t hear on a regular basis,” he said. 

“It is deceiving to think that &#91;evangelical Christianity&#93; is a popular view.... It is very strange to some people and there are stereotypes that go with it. Sometimes the stereotypes override what you really want to emphasize and we have to move beyond the stereotypes and talk honestly with each other.

“I think Peter realized that religion is often stereotyped and I think that is why he wanted to write the story. He did want to wrestle honestly with some of the issues having to do with evangelicalism.” 

The trip, Cates said, reminded him that Christians must be honest about the centrality of Christ and the authority of Scripture. 

“A lot of what I saw on the trip was just terminology and the casings of Christianity without Christ Himself,” he said. “But if I am going to be a Christian, He must be the very center of my conversation, of my worship, of my prayers. To take that out, you are left with something that is not Christian. 

“The importance of wrestling with Scripture itself was also brought home to me. With many people on the trip there was some talk about Scripture but it quickly came down to their own ideas and opinions about how God is and must be.... Ultimately, their own source of authority is themselves.”

Perl and others asked Cates some difficult questions regarding Christianity, and Cates said believers must welcome such questions because a truly biblical faith can withstand the closest scrutiny. His advice for interacting with a pluralistic postmodern culture that denies the existence of absolute truth? Show them you are a Christian by your love.

“Let them see that your heart really is to love each other,” he said. “I asked myself that question a lot, ‘Do I genuinely love the people on this trip and am I expressing that to them? Is it true that they will know I’m a Christian by my love?’ They must see that we love them.”

Perl’s article may be viewed in its entirety at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/16/AR2005081601226_pf.html.
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FIRST-PERSON: The Bible and capital punishment
by Jack Graham
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

PLANO, Texas (BP)--Several years ago, the state of Texas executed the first woman since the Civil War -- well-known murderer and death-row inmate Karla Fay Tucker. Surprising to many, the day Karla died, she was a radically changed, born-again Christian. But just 14 years prior to her death, she was as far away from a relationship with God as one could possibly be.

Many people remember the story of Karla Fay. She was a druggie who began smoking marijuana at age 8 and started using heroin by the age of 10. As a teenager, she sold her body as a prostitute in the streets. And she ultimately wound up brutally murdering two people with a pickax.

But soon after her arrest, incarceration and trial, Karla Fay professed her faith in Jesus. As a matter of fact, a Southern Baptist chaplain in Houston led her to faith in Christ. After her baptism, she became involved in Bible study, prayer and ministry. And every person who met and knew her after her conversion said she had changed.

News about Karla Fay’s execution was broadcast across the nation. Today, the issue of capital punishment continues to spark heated debates between people.

Each time a sensational execution such as Karla Fay’s occurs, the opponents hope to create a national revulsion suggesting that capital punishment is legalized murder. Yet others say that capital punishment is essential to maintain law and order in a civil society such as ours.

As Christians, we can’t make a decision based upon experience, emotions or public opinion polls. It simply can’t be decided apart from the authority of Scripture.

There is a clear distinction in Scripture between murder and capital punishment. God explicitly tells us that we must not take vengeance personally against another human being.

Romans 12:17-19 says, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

In Romans 13:1-2, God uses government and authority to repay those who have wronged another. In those verses, God commands us to submit to governing authorities because of their positional appointment by Him. And when we resist their discipline, we defy the laws of God. 

“For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Romans 13:3-4).

I don’t know how it could be any clearer than that. Human civil authority is ordained of Him. “He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21).

Even though Scripture spells it out for us, some people still wrestle with the topic of capital punishment. At the dawn of human history, God executed punishment over the entire earth with a massive flood that wiped out mankind. Genesis 9 was a new beginning for civilization and standards (see Genesis 9:6). 

Simply put, to murder someone defames and destroys the image of God, and disarms the power of God to work in that person’s life. And therefore, there is punishment a murderer must face. 

Our world has grown increasingly more violent because we have failed to quickly execute those who are guilty of capital crimes (see Ecclesiastes 8:11). This topic could be debated all day, but statistics show that while executions are increasing, murder is decreasing.

God doesn’t demand capital punishment only because it is a deterrent. Rather, the reason is simple justice, righteousness, and the right of a holy God to execute retribution through those He’s placed in authority.

Karla Fay Tucker came to Christ and I believe she is in His presence now. But there are too many 8 and 10-year-old Karla Fay’s running the streets of our country today. And it is our responsibility to try and reach them for Christ before it’s too late. 
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For more information on Jack Graham, visit www.jackgraham.org. The website contains Graham's sermons in audio and video format, as well as an online store with resources. Visitors also can sign up for “A Daily Word from Pastor Graham."


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FIRST-PERSON: Making evangelism good news again
by John Avant
Date: October 11, 2005 - Tuesday

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--It's been eight months now since I left the pastorate and came to be the vice-president for evangelization at the North American Mission Board. I did it because I sensed that God was beginning to do a new thing -- that Southern Baptists were ready to move into an evangelistic resurgence that could lead to the next Great Awakening in America and across the world. 

For these six months I have traveled across North America listening to our best leaders talk about the future. I have watched carefully to see what God seems to be doing. And I am thrilled to tell you that He is doing a lot! I am more optimistic about the future than I have been in a decade. Every sign says to me that Southern Baptists and the greater evangelical world are ready to move beyond methodological differences and theological non-essentials and engage our culture with the love and joy of Jesus! Evangelism is becoming good news again! Everywhere I go I hear the stories.

Here's an example -- and there are so many of them. Jean White does such a wonderful job working with our evangelism team at NAMB. She shared this story with me. Let it grip your heart.

Randy Bonner is a CCM missionary in Tennessee. During the summer his ministry provides construction work on houses that need repair. First Baptist Church of Gibson, Okla., has come to Tennessee several years in a row to assist Bonner's ministry, and was scheduled to come again the last week in July. 

A man by the name of Lonnie is a member of FBC Gibson and had come to Tennessee before, although he had been injured and lost both legs. Lonnie knew he could not get up on roofs or do construction, and told the pastor he felt like God was telling him to go. Lonnie felt God was telling him there was someone there to whom he needed to minister. But the group couldn’t figure out how Lonnie could be used, since the projects took so much mobility. Lonnie, though, was so convinced that God wanted him there that the group decided to take him.

The two homes that were assigned to the church both had a lot of needs. Living in one home was an older man and wife and their 27-year-old daughter. All of them had major medical disabilities. The father, Charles, had recently had heart surgery and was confined to bed. The family's air conditioner needed repairs, and it turns out Lonnie had worked on air conditioners for a living before his injury! The men in the group carried Lonnie up the stairs and put him back in his wheelchair. Lonnie went into the man’s bedroom to work on the window unit. The man was not a believer and was very bitter towards God. He blamed all the hardships of his family on God and didn’t even want to talk about God. 

While Lonnie was working on the air conditioner, he had the opportunity to tell Charles about his faith and how God had taken care of him during his accident. If there was one person that could share about hardships and how God is there for us even in the most difficult times, it was Lonnie. As Lonnie spent the day in Charles's room working on the air conditioning, he was able to interact and share his story and his testimony. At the end of their time together, Lonnie was leading Charles in the sinner’s prayer. 

The entire team had been praying for the encounter that had been taking place and was waiting in great suspense for Lonnie to be brought downstairs and out of the front door. Everyone was lined up waiting to hear what happened. Lonnie came out and gave a huge shout out for the Lord, which was followed by much jubilation and celebration of how God worked and used this man to make a difference for eternity in the life of one man.

Isn't that incredible? When is the last time you felt that joy? The uninhibited celebration of your soul that comes when you know you have been God's tool for eternity? Has it been too long? Then ask God for your own story. He won't say no to that prayer. And then open your eyes to those around you, open your arms to love and serve, and open your mouth to share His love -- simply and humbly. And you will find that people all around you are open. Then tell your story -- the mighty deeds of God -- to encourage someone else to be His witness, too. And you will help evangelism become good news again.
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John Avant is vice president for evangelization at the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board.



