The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/13/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Scientists: investigate climate change skeptics by WORLD News Service & Baptist Press staff Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Climate change is the focus of dueling calls for investigation in Washington. The controversy began Sept. 1, when a consortium of 20 climate scientists urged the Obama administration in a letter to investigate researchers who don't support man-made climate change theories. In response, Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, suggested this month that he may investigate a nonprofit science organization whose president was the lead signatory of the letter urging President Obama to use the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to investigate "corporations and other organizations that have knowingly deceived the American people about the risks of climate change." Congress enacted the RICO Act in 1970 to fight organized crime syndicates. Those found guilty of racketeering -- criminal activity designed to benefit an organization -- may face prison sentences of up to 20 years and seizure of financial assets. The Justice Department used the RICO Act in 1999 to successfully prosecute major tobacco companies. The Sept. 1 letter stated, "If corporations in the fossil fuel industry and their supporters are guilty of the misdeeds" alleged in books and journal articles by scientists who believe in human-induced climate change, "it is imperative that these misdeeds be stopped as soon as possible." The letter supported a proposal by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., to initiate a RICO investigation of fossil fuel corporations and their supporters. Whitehouse compared fossil fuel companies to those who promoted the tobacco industry and deceived the American public about the dangers of smoking. "The parallels between what the tobacco industry did and what the fossil fuel industry is doing now are striking," Whitehouse wrote in a Washington Post op-ed in May. The last paragraph of Whitehouse's op-ed, however, qualified his accusations. "To be clear," Whitehouse wrote, "I don't know whether the fossil fuel industry and its allies engaged in the same kind of racketeering activity as the tobacco industry. We don't have enough information to make that conclusion. Perhaps it's all smoke and no fire. But there's an awful lot of smoke." In their letter, the 20 scientists said investigation of researchers with whom they disagree could help the world "get on with the critically important business of finding effective ways to restabilize the Earth's climate, before even more lasting damage is done." Smith, R.-Texas, wrote an Oct. 1 letter to Jagadish Shukla, a climate scientist whose name appears first on the Sept. 1 letter, suggesting the Institute of Global Environment and Society (IGES) -- an organization directed by Shukla -- may have behaved improperly by playing a role calling for investigation of climate change skeptics. The Sept. 1 letter was posted on the IGES website and later removed, according to Smith's letter, which was posted online. "IGES appears to be almost fully funded by taxpayer money," Smith wrote, "while simultaneously participating in partisan political activity by requesting a RICO investigation of companies and organizations that disagree with the Obama administration on climate change. In fact, IGES has reportedly received $63 million from taxpayers since 2001, comprising over 98 percent of its total revenue during that time." Smith directed IGES to preserve "all e-mail, electronic documents, and data created since January 1, 2009, that can be reasonably anticipated to be subject to a request for production by the Committee." Calvin Beisner, founder of The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, said the call to investigate climate change skeptics represents a "direct attack on the rights to freedom of speech and the press guaranteed by the First Amendment" and is "horrifically bad for science." Vigorous debate is essential to the health of science, said Beisner, who has testified before Congress on the ethics and economics of climate policy. History includes many instances in which "overwhelming scientific consensus" was proved wrong. He pointed to 1 Thessalonians 5:21, where the Apostle Paul urged Christians to "test all things," as a good model for scientific assessment as well as spiritual analysis. "That's really the key to science, and it includes testing ideas for which people claim scientific consensus," Beisner said. "That testing can't happen without freedom to debate." Judith Curry, a Georgia Institute of Technology climatologist, believes actions like the scientists' letter and Whitehouse's proposal are intended to make pariahs out of scientists who are doing their job: critically evaluate evidence, publish their work in the scientific literature and work with policy makers to assess the impacts and unintended consequences of policy options. Curry wrote in a Fox News op-ed that she was investigated by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D.-Ariz., after she told Congress at a hearing that the "magnitude and impacts of expected warming could be less than generally believed." Neither Curry nor six other climate scientists investigated by Grijalva for challenging human-induced climate change theories were "found to have engaged in wrongdoing of any sort, yet there have been significant career consequences for some," she wrote. In a democracy, political opponents or scientists with a different view should not be prosecuted, Curry wrote. The demand to investigate those who disagree on scientific theories and public policy "represents a new low in the politicization of science," Curry wrote.  -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE STATES: Tenn. Evangelism/missions; North Carolina Church plant aims to reach sportsmen by Staff Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday This week's "From the States" features articles from: Baptist and Reflector; Biblical Recorder Layman comes to aid of fellow veterans By Lonnie Wilkey/Baptist and Reflector editor SHELBYVILLE,.Tenn. (BP) -- A few years ago Air Force veteran Robert Woolbright had to spend three days in intensive care at the Veterans Administration hospital in Murfreesboro. After being moved to his room, Woolbright discovered the room had no personal hygiene items such as toothpaste or shampoo. The only thing in the bathroom was a dispenser with liquid soap. Woolbright learned during his stay there that the hospital had only a certain allotment of hygiene items and if they were used up, the hospital staff had to wait on the next allotment. Woolbright called his wife who had gone home to rest and asked her to bring enough items for himself and the rest of his floor at the VA hospital. "The Lord put it on my heart to provide hygiene items," Woolbright said. And he has continued to do so for more than two years. Shortly after he began the ministry, Woolbright had a lot of donations, especially from local businesses as word spread of what he was doing. Over time, businesses cut back on what they were giving so Woolbright has picked up the slack with the help of members from New Bethel and others in the community. He said one church member told his story on her Facebook page and he has received support from people who read about it there. Woolbright takes the toiletries he collects each month to the VA hospital. He estimated that he took between $500-$800 worth of items last month. He noted that when he arrived the nurses showed him the closet where the items are stored. "The cupboard was bare. We filled them up," he said. He noted that the nurses on the floor are most appreciative of his ministry. In the past they would buy items themselves, he said. Woolbright said he has been told that others have done similar ministries for the veterans but his is the only one that has lasted over a period of time. He noted that the ministry is his way of showing his gratitude to the veterans for the service they gave their country. Jonathan Curry, pastor of New Bethel, praised Woolbright and his church for willing to go outside its four walls to meet a ministry need. Curry noted the Lord often "lays things on the hearts of people and they don't do them. The Lord laid this on his (Woolbright's) heart and he began to do it." Woolbright noted there are veterans all across the state as well as VA hospitals in other regions. He hopes other people will consider a similar ministry if a need exists in their area. In the meantime he has no plans to slow down his efforts. "It has not entered my mind to quit," Woolbright affirmed. For more information about the ministry contact him at 931-703-6984.  Lonnie Wilkey is the editor of the Baptist and Reflector. ********** Church plant aims to reach sportsmen By Mike Creswell, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Communications JOHNSON COUNTY, N.C. (BP) -- Tell Josh Williamson he pastors a redneck church and you won't hurt his feelings. He'll most likely grin and agree with you. But he's very serious when he explains The Refuge JoCo, a church in Johnston County where Williamson serves as pastor, is reaching people for Christ who could not be reached by traditional churches. The sign out front promises a "different place to worship." For now that is two units in a rural office park north of Benson, where the corporate neighbors are a roofing company, cable TV company and a firm that makes custom four-wheelers. Enter Refuge's modest set of rooms and you'll see three mounted deer head trophies and stuffed fish on the meeting room walls. "What about the duck decoys?" you may ask. Those are offering plates that double as table decorations. The "JoCo" that is part of the church name is shorthand for Johnston County, but also used to tag local culture, accent and outlook. The dress code could be called "relaxed sportsman." Williamson wears a camouflage shirt, shorts and flip-flops as he leads a Sunday night service, a recently added service to their normal Thursday night meeting schedule. Williamson explains that, when he talks about area residents who hunt and fish, he's not talking about people pursuing hobbies. "This area is known for its country folks and their hunting and fishing," Williamson says. "That's just a way of life here, as natural as you can get. But it's not just for fun. This is how people provide food for their family." A lot of the more traditional churches seem to have white-collar, business-type members who work in offices, he said. "But it just seems we don't have a place. Folks like us have been overlooked or left out," Williamson explained. As a test, in 2013 he and seven other like-minded people began holding Bible studies, appropriately enough, in a local archery shop. Soon about 40 people were attending each week and they outgrew the shop. So they moved into the office park and Refuge was off and running. The rooms do not have a baptistery. They baptize new believers in a nearby pond. Refuge members focus on all outdoor activities, especially hunting and fishing, as outreach channels. Members are part of a local softball/baseball ministry that gives Williamson another venue to preach at least twice a month. But sports-oriented does not mean old-fashioned. Williamson posts videos of his sermons and Bible studies online, where they attract upwards of 800 viewers each week. He has even heard from people in other states who love the emphasis of sharing the gospel through a sports emphasis. Williamson has talked with the pastor of a church in Montana focused on people who love the outdoors and said, "They're about 10 years ahead of where we hope to go. He has helped a lot with ministries that worked or failed." Williamson moved to Johnston County in 1996 so he could attend Campbell University. He loved the area so much he and his family stayed on after he earned a bachelor's degree in religion and Christian ministry. He and his wife Joy, a Johnston County native, have three children. Networking and partnering are important to Williamson. "That's the reason we have chosen to be part of the Johnston Baptist Association, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC) and to support the Southern Baptist Convention's two mission boards -- the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board," he said, highlighting the ministries Refuge supports through its Cooperative Program (CP) giving or directly through the Johnston Association. "We're big supporters of these, because we believe that we can do so much more together than we can by ourselves. Anybody can be a lone wolf, but if you don't have a support group, you're not going to be nearly as effective," Williamson said. Williamson is getting start-up support from the BSC Church Planting Team, which is in line with his approach to churches. North Carolina Baptists support new churches like Refuge through their financial support of missions through CP and the annual North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO). Each year, 28 percent of funds given to the NCMO go directly support the establishment of new congregations throughout North Carolina. "Our biggest focus is Christian discipleship. We don't want to build just one big church. We want to have discipled followers of Christ who will be ready and able to go out and help start new churches," Williamson said. Williamson thinks there are lots of sports-minded, rural folks like his way beyond Johnston County -- across North Carolina and beyond. He wants to reach every one of them. Michael D. Creswell is senior consultant for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. EDITOR'S NOTE: From the States, published each Tuesday by Baptist Press, relays news and feature stories from state Baptist papers and other publications on initiatives by Baptist churches, associations and state conventions in evangelism, church planting and Great Commission outreach, including partnership missions. Reports about churches, associations and state conventions responding to the International Mission Board's call to embrace the world's 3,800 unengaged, unreached people groups also are included in From the States, along with reports about church, associational and state convention initiatives in conjunction with the North American Mission Board's call to Southern Baptist churches to broaden their efforts in starting new churches and satellite campuses. The items appear in Baptist Press as originally published. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Woodlawn,' the movie: Great tool for evangelism by Ronnie Floyd Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) -- This coming Friday, the movie "Woodlawn" will be released nationwide. The Erwin Brothers, Jon and Andy, present this dynamic film. They are the filmmaking team behind movies like "October Baby" and "Mom's Night Out." Film speaks the language of our generation, and Woodlawn does so profoundly. Woodlawn is based on a true story about a school in Birmingham, Ala., named Woodlawn. This moving and inspirational film is based on the true story of how love and unity overcame hate and division in early 1970s Birmingham. The Woodlawn Colonels football team was a microcosm of the problems at the school and in the city, which erupted in cross burnings and riots. Then God showed up, almost the entire team came to Christ, and everything changed. One week ago, my wife Jeana and I went to a premiere of this movie in Dallas at Prestonwood Baptist Church. She stated, "This is the greatest Christian film I have ever seen other than the 'Passion of the Christ.'" There is nothing cheesy about this movie. It exhibits high quality acting and state-of-the art producing and filming. If you have not seen the trailer of this movie, please take time to watch it now at http://woodlawnmovie.com. This is our time Jon has become a very good friend. He heard about my passion for and vision to see another Great Awakening in America. Our hearts are united in knowing this is our time to see the next Great Awakening in our nation. I want to encourage each pastor and Christian leader to rent theaters and fill them with people of all ages to watch this movie. Encourage them to bring friends who are regular church attenders and those who have never attended a church before. Once the movie concludes, offer an opportunity for people to follow Jesus Christ. Here are a few examples of response from early previews: -- Memphis, Tenn.: 125 kids, half of those attending, made decisions for Christ after watching Woodlawn at an FCA event: "When I came up to close the night and give an invitation, we had at least half of the crowd stand and pray to receive Christ. It was the single biggest group and single biggest group of commitments I've ever seen at our FCA." – Pat Ford, FCA coach and chaplain. -- Huntsville, Ala: A dark theater was filled with the light of Christ: "After it was over, the coach gave me an opportunity to share the Gospel and I don't know how many of the kids got saved, it was amazing the number of kids that professed Christ tonight. The theater was completely dark, they would never turn the lights on, but WOW, the light of Christ was shining bright." -- Ken Burnett, FCA Huntsville. -- Los Angeles: Football teams are being sponsored to see the movie. Then this happened: "The theater manager saw what we were doing and offered 100 additional seats on him. He said, 'I don't believe in God, but I believe in what you are doing.' Tommy Draffen [FCA leader] witnessed to him right there and invited him to the movie event on the 17th." – Kevin Downes, producer/Woodlawn. Woodlawn has the potential to become a tool for you to use for personal and mass evangelism. Additionally, it could serve as a catalyst for a major movement of God in a school, team, workplace, family or a ministry. Cross Church is renting multiple theaters. Our desire is to fill the theaters with all ages and we will extend opportunities for people to come to Christ. Find a way to use this movie as a tool for evangelism. Nationwide simulcast on Wed., Oct. 14 You can participate in a free online event, a nationwide simulcast on Wednesday, Oct. 14, called Unify. Take the time now to register here -- http://live.woodlawnmovie.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com -- and plan to participate. I look forward to participating with Jack Graham, Greg Laurie, Tony Evans and Tony Perkins. The simulcast will subsequently air multiple times on TBN. Check your local listings or visit www.woodlawnmovie.com for details. I believe in this movie. Its message is so on target for America today. It can impact our generation. God can use it to call thousands into a saving relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. Flood the theaters beginning Friday and keep flooding them over the next several weeks. Encourage people to attend. Rent theaters. Extend opportunities for people to follow Jesus. Let the movement begin. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Yemeni refugees' ordeal said to be dismal at best by Brian Andrews Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday OBOCK, Djibouti (BP) -- Yemenis tend to be laid back, gentle and peaceful, says Shellby Voss,* a Christian worker in the Middle East. She noted many of them seem to pride themselves on Yemen being one of the few Arab countries that had a nonviolent Arab Spring. However, the Houthi rebels' takeover of much of the country has been disillusioning for many Yemenis. When the Houthis first seized the capital city, Sanaa, in September of last year, the Yemeni people were confident they would be able to pull themselves together as a nation. But now, a year later, the Houthis have also taken the port city of Aden, President Hadi has fled to Saudi Arabia, and peace talks in Geneva have produced no positive movement. Many Yemenis are losing hope the fighting will end any time soon. As the conflict carries on, more are looking to flee the violence. Djibouti is the most practical option for many refugees. Its borders remain open to them, and it has an airport for those with passports and money. Unfortunately, the sea provides the most reliable route to Djibouti, necessitating more than 13 hours on a barge. Shellby and her husband Greg* recently visited Djibouti's Obock refugee camp to see what immediate needs they could meet. They said conditions in the camp were dismal at best, with no electricity and little water. The refugees who lived near the front of the camp had a few foam mattresses, though not nearly enough for their large families. Rice and noodles had been distributed randomly, but most families had no fire or pots for cooking. Husbands and fathers often make the trip to Obock alone to see if they should bring their families. Most decide it's better to stay in Yemen. "Everybody I talked to at the camp said, 'We discovered this was not a place we wanted to bring our families.' So, they were waiting on a way to get back," Greg said. Shellby said, "They'd rather die in Yemen quick than in Obock slow." Shellby and Greg met one refugee who was doing everything he could to help other refugees as they came to the camp. At first he handed out bottles of water to newly arrived refugees. Now he helps them find their way around the city and locate apartments or hotels where they can stay. Before Shellby and Greg left Djibouti, they gave the man some funds to help his efforts. Over the next year, Shellby and Greg hope to find more ways to meet immediate needs of the refugees in Djibouti. Pray they will be able to effectively coordinate efforts to meet the physical needs of the Yemeni refugees and show them God's love. Pray -- Ask God to provide safe places for Yemeni refugees to go. -- Pray Yemeni refugees will know God's love as they flee their homes. -- Pray Christian workers Shellby and Greg will be able to help many Yemeni refugees make it through these difficult times. *Name changed. To help, the IMB asks those interested to complete the form here and type "for Yemeni refugee work" in the comments section. Baptist Global Response urges those who would like to contribute to BGR's relief efforts among Yemini refugees to click here. Complete the form and type "GR12374A02 - 2015 South Y Relief" in the Donation Note section. -------------------------------------------------------------------- More Canaanite evidence found by NOBTS dig team by Gary D. Myers Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday KARMEI YOSEF, Israel (BP) -- Added evidence that an ancient water system at Tel Gezer in Israel could be the product of Middle Bronze Age Canaanites living between the time of Abraham and the Israelite conquest was uncovered by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's archaeology team during a challenging dig season this summer. The Bible provides a tantalizing parallel to the Gezer system in the accounts of King David. In 2 Samuel 5:6-9, David's men utilized a "water shaft" to invade and conquer the fortress of Zion/Jerusalem. This rock-hewn system has been located in Jerusalem's "City of David" area. Visitors can walk the entire length of that Canaanite system. Based on all the available data, Dan Warner, co-director of the NOBTS Gezer dig, believes the City of David tunnel and the Gezer system are both products of the Middle Bronze Age. The Gezer water system excavation is a joint project of the Moskau Institute for Archaeology at NOBTS and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA). The dig is co-directed by Dan Warner, an NOBTS professor, and INPA chief archaeologist Tsvika Tsuk. Jim Parker, NOBTS professor and executive director of the Moskau Institute, and Dennis Cole, professor and chairman of the division of biblical studies, also provide leadership for the three-week dig season in May and June. Warner estimates that the Canaanites likely built the water system during the height of Gezer's prominence as a Canaanite city-state. Though this would place construction approximately 600-700 years before the Israelite conquest of Canaan, the water system can shed light on the Canaanite people and their culture -- a culture which plays a formidable role in the Old Testament. Canaanite Gezer is mentioned multiple times in the Israelite conquest narrative recorded in the Old Testament book of Joshua. The most notable mention occurs in Joshua 10:33. When Joshua and his men attacked Lachish, approximately 20 miles south of Gezer, the army of Gezer came to that city's aid. The Israelites defeated Lachish and the army of Gezer, killing King Horam of Gezer. Another important reference to Canaanite Gezer is connected to the Israelite failure to take the entire land that God had given them. In Joshua 16:10, the biblical author notes that the Israelites "did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer." And though the Israelites set aside Gezer as a "city of refuge," the Bible indicates that the Canaanites controlled Gezer until the time of Solomon when they were finally defeated by an Egyptian pharaoh (1 Kings 9:15-17). The Canaanites had experienced a time of cultural decline in the years before the conquest but were still a frightening foe with heavily fortified cities. The water system, along with the massive defensive walls and gate, illustrate an advanced society with great technical know-how, significant engineering skills and a desire to build things on a large scale, Warner said. The 2015 Gezer dig "The pottery retrieved from the system this past season appears to date either from the end of the Middle Bronze Age or the beginning of the Late Bronze Age," Warner said. "Either way, the system had to be dug before the pottery was deposited, giving the earliest possible date in the Middle Bronze Age." The massive rock-hewn water system was created with flint and bronze tools as early as 2000 B.C, Warner noted. Already the largest known of its type, evidence suggests the Gezer system may be one of the oldest. "We know of nothing this massive from the Middle Bronze Age anywhere in the Ancient Near East," Warner said. "This system fits well with other [Canaanite] features in close proximity: to the south the massive gate and stone tower and to the northeast the large standing stones." The ancient water system, which provided a water source inside the walls of Gezer, consists of at least three parts: a keyhole-shaped entrance, a long diagonal shaft and a basin to collect water which may extend into a cavern located just beyond the basin. The massive water system measures 12 feet wide and 24 feet high at its opening, stretching 130 feet into the ground at a 38-degree slope. For the past six years, a team of archaeologists and volunteers has been investigating the site in an effort to determine who constructed the ancient water system and when it was constructed. In previous years, the team encountered a highly concentrated area of Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 B.C.) pottery sherds. This discovery led the dig leaders and Eli Yanni, who serves as the dig's pottery expert, to speculate that the tunnel may have been used as a pottery dump after it was no longer used as water source. Why it ceased use as a water system remains a point of speculation. This year Yanni noticed a clear transition from Late Bronze Age pottery to Middle Bronze Age pottery dating between 1800 and 1500 B.C. under the "pottery dump." The pottery finds make a 2000 B.C. construction date more likely, Warner said. Gezer water system history In the Middle Bronze Age, Gezer grew from a small village into a heavily fortified city-state. The Canaanites built high stone walls, massive towers and a mud-brick gate system to protect the city. According to Warner, the city met a violent end, most likely at the hands of Pharaoh Thutmose III, who lists Gezer as a conquered city on the walls of the Karnack temple. King Solomon launched another construction boom in the Iron Age 1,000 years later. Solomon rebuilt and fortified Gezer and strengthened the defenses at Hazor, Jerusalem and Megiddo (1 Kings 9:15-17). Because of the dating of water systems at Hazor and Megiddo, many archaeologists argue that the Gezer water system was constructed after Solomon, during the reign of Ahab. When Irish archaeologist R.A.S. Macalister excavated the system from 1906-08, he attributed it to Middle Bronze Age Canaanites. However, his primitive archaeology methods along with persistent theories about the systems in Hazor and Megiddo led many to dismiss his claims about the Gezer system. Recent evidence suggests that the Megiddo system also is a product of Middle Bronze Age Canaanites, providing additional evidence for an early dating of the Gezer system. Shortly after Macalister's excavation at Gezer, a retaining wall collapsed and refilled the water system with dirt rocks and debris. It remained untouched for 102 years. During his dig, Macalister laid a "causeway" of stones across the muddy basin to reach the cavern. While the causeway helped Macalister's team reach the cavern, it also protected materials resting in the basin from contamination following the retaining wall's 1908 collapse. The NOBTS/INPA team discovered Macalister's causeway during the 2012 dig season. For the past four seasons, the team has been removing datable pottery samples from the area Macalister left untouched. Challenges & opportunities As the dig has progressed, the NOBTS/INPA team faced a series of challenges related to the eventual plan to open the system to visitors. Workers cleared the remaining dirt layer covering the ancient steps in the spring of this year. The dig team constructed a massive, 130-foot plywood ramp to avoid damaging the exposed steps as debris was pulled from the bottom using an industrial winch. Planning, acquiring material and construction of the ramp consumed the first week of the dig. Another challenge this year came in the form of water -- lots of it, which would not be unusual for a water system. During the second week of the dig, progress slowed when the team encountered deep water in the basin area. One morning the team removed approximately 140 gallons of water using large jugs. The rest of the season was spent digging in ankle- and knee-deep water. This season also brought new opportunities. The team received approval to dig in the storerooms located along the Canaanite wall near the mouth of the water system. It is Warner's contention that clearing the debris between the entrance to the water system and the Canaanite gate and fortifications walls should reveal a connection between the two features. This is based on the fact that the entrance to the gate is at the same level as the entrance to the water system. Yanni is overseeing this effort. Good progress was made, but the team is still at least a meter above the system entrance. How the Canaanites could build such a system remains a mystery. Many have attributed the system to outside influences such as the Minoans, Egyptians or Mesopotamians. But the Middle Bronze Age dating removes that option. Warner maintains the possibility that the Canaanites developed the technology. Next year's dig at Gezer will run from May 22 to June 10 and is open to volunteers. For information about Gezer or for details regarding participation in the 2016 dig, contact Dan Warner (dwarner@nobts.edu) or Dennis Cole (rdcole@nobts.edu) at NOBTS. Those interested in the master of arts degree program in biblical archaeology may contact Warner or Cole for more information. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Counseling homosexuals involves 'speaking truth in love' by Andrew J.W. Smith Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Please see additional feature on Rosaria Butterfield below this article. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (SBTS) -- Christian counselors should be able to speak lovingly and winsomely to people struggling with homosexual attraction, said evangelical leaders during a homosexuality conference at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The conference, titled "Homosexuality: Compassion, Care, and Counseling for Struggling People," was sponsored by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) on the seminary's campus in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 5-7. "The integrity of our message is at stake in this, brothers and sisters," said Heath Lambert, executive director of ACBC and associate professor of biblical counseling at Southern Seminary and Boyce College. "If we believe that the Bible teaches homosexuality to be a sin, and if we believe that Jesus Christ changes people, but we don't know how to help them, then ... we will make a mockery of the Word of God. If we don't know how to lay hold of the grace of Jesus, we will slander the Word of God and the grace of Jesus." Using Ephesians 4:15 as his text, Lambert said believers should pay close attention to the way Christ modeled "speaking the truth in love," because without Him they will speak truth without love. Any help Christians want to give should be motivated by genuine love for homosexuals, Lambert said, which does not apologize for biblical standards. The Bible has not changed, and neither should the convictions of believers, he said. "The thing that haunts me about the culture we live in ... is that our arguments don't change the mind of God," he said. "Where is the love, where is the grace when we make sinners comfy on the way to hell? What seems so loving now will turn into great pain in a lifetime." While some teach that behavior is sinful but desire may not be, Lambert said desire cannot be divorced from one's actions. "The Bible teaches behavior flows from desire. The Bible teaches that you are not a behavioristic machine who just flies on autopilot. The Bible teaches that you do what you do because you want what you want," he said. "If you do not repent at the level of desire, you will fail -- sooner or later -- at the level of behavior." Christian counselors should seek to minister to gay people, not merely convict them of sin by pointing to the Bible's ethical commands, Lambert said. Faithful Christian witness requires applying biblical teaching to motivate personal transformation by the Spirit's power, he said. "It is true that the Bible teaches homosexuality to be a sin, but there is more truth in your Bible than that," he said. "The Bible also teaches Jesus changes people. The Bible also teaches us how Jesus changes people." For people struggling with homosexual attraction, following Jesus involves deep, internal transformation into Christ's likeness, Lambert said, not just trading homosexuality for heterosexuality. "Biblical change is not heterosexuality. Biblical change is when your life looks like Jesus Christ," he said. "Every time you put off homosexual lust and put on righteousness and purity, that's called change. "When you say that you can't change that says more about what you think about Jesus than what you think about the sin of homosexuality. People can change because Jesus changes people." R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Seminary, walked through Romans 1:16-32, perhaps the most explicit text in the New Testament against homosexual behavior. "We have to go back to Romans chapter one because that really explains how this happened," Mohler said. "We are told here that there is no one who has excuse. Everyone -- to put it the way the Bible puts it -- everyone is without excuse. No one is going to be able to say, 'I did not know.' "No one's going to be able to say that I had no idea that I was a creature made by a creator." Biblical commands to condemn sin should not stop at homosexuality but include all forms of unrighteousness, Mohler said -- including matters of birth control, divorce, assisted sexual reproduction, and pre-marital cohabitation. Each of these, as they went unaddressed from American pulpits, weakened the foundation for biblical marriage and made possible the moral revolution the church now faces. "At every step we have to say that the church failed to be a prophetic voice to speak what needed to be spoken," said Mohler, whose new book, "We Cannot Be Silent," releases Oct. 27. "We failed in terms of church discipline. We failed in terms of biblical teaching from the pulpit. We failed in terms of speaking where we needed to speak." The church also has an obligation to speak into the lives of those struggling with homosexual feelings, he said. They cannot be expected to "figure it out" on their own, and there is no other message that can address their deepest needs. "There's only one way out and that's through the Gospel of Jesus Christ," Mohler said. Following Mohler's address, Lambert presented Mohler the ACBC award for Biblical Counseling Excellence. It was only the second time a non-ACBC member received the award. Sam Allberry, pastor at St. Mary's Church in Maidenhead, United Kingdom, discussed how Christians can find hope and joy when personal change is slow. Speaking from his own experience as a single pastor who continues to struggle with same-sex attraction, Allberry encouraged believers to delight in Jesus Christ in the midst of gradual change. "His Word doesn't need to just ricochet off our lives; it needs to abide in us, to remain in us," he said, appealing to Jesus' teaching about the vine and the branches in John 15. "His Word needs to find a permanent home in our hearts." Just as every branch is cut in order to remain in the vineyard, so every Christian must be pruned in order to remain in Christ, Allberry said. This pruning, though painful, is intended to make us more fruitful, he said. "When those divine cutters come into our life, the blades are very, very sharp. But we know that the person holding them is unfathomably good," he said. "The result is that we bear more fruit. "Friends, this is the change that matters. The Bible nowhere ... promises me that I will become just gradually more and more heterosexual as I go on in the Christian life. Nor does the Bible lift up marriage as being the goal of the Christian life. Marriage is not meant to fulfill us; marriage is meant to point to the thing that does fulfill us. No, the change the Bible does promise, the change that matters the most, is that we become more and more like Jesus." Remaining in Jesus includes remaining among the people of God, Allberry said, and Christians can only find full hope and joy in fellowship with community. "We need Christian family, we need Christian community, Christian encouragement, Christian accountability -- and through those things, there is great hope and joy to be found," he said. Also speaking at the conference were Rosaria Butterfield, author of "Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert" and "Openness Unhindered;" Stuart W. Scott, executive director of the One-Eighty Counseling and Education ministry and former associate professor of biblical counseling at Southern Seminary; and Robert Jones, assistant professor biblical counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. Scott outlined the path of genuine sexual purity, which emerges from genuine heart transformation, while Jones offered practical guidelines for counseling families broken by homosexual sin. Butterfield gave her testimony as a former lesbian college professor who converted to Christianity. In addition to six plenary sessions, the three-day conference included a preconference on transgenderism and 45 breakout sessions on various counseling matters. ACBC is an evangelical organization that has certified biblical counselors for nearly 40 years. Audio and video from the conference will soon be available on the ACBC website. Annie Corser contributed to the reporting of this story. ************************ Butterfield, former lesbian and LGBT activist, shares testimony By Andrew J.W. Smith LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- While many speakers during the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) conference were evangelical counselors or longtime pastors, Rosaria Butterfield offered a unique perspective on homosexuality. The conference, titled "Homosexuality: Compassion, Care, and Counseling for Struggling People" and held at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, featured the popular author and speaker's testimony during one of its plenary sessions, Oct. 6. Butterfield -- once a liberal, feminist, lesbian college professor at Syracuse University and now a pastor's wife -- offered the perspective of someone formerly a member of the gay lifestyle, but radically and supernaturally saved out of it through the ministry of a local pastor. In 1997, after Butterfield wrote a scathing article about a nearby Promise Keepers conference, a Presbyterian pastor in town sent her a letter challenging her presuppositions and inviting her to dinner at his home. After initially throwing it away, she dug it back out and agreed to visit him. Their interaction eventually grew into a friendly, and eventually redemptive, relationship. "I felt that when Ken [Smith] extended his hand to me in friendship, it was safe for me to close mine in his," she said. "I wasn't Ken's project; I was Ken's neighbor. This wasn't friendship evangelism; this was friendship." Through the consistent love and care from Pastor Ken Smith and his wife Floy, Butterfield was gradually exposed to a holy God who hated sin but extended love and grace to broken people, she said. The Smiths never explained the Gospel to her, nor did they invite her to church, but instead treated her as a friend and patiently encouraged her to read her Bible carefully. "I actually started to read the Bible like I was trained to read a book," she said. "I was a heathen reading the Bible. ... I read the way a glutton devours. And slowly and over time, the Bible started to take on a life and a meaning that startled me." Butterfield's regular exposure to Word of God slowly changed her, and even her friends within the gay community began to notice. Butterfield found the structure of Romans 1 particularly gripping, with its unflinching condemnation of sin and its close literary relationship with the Fall narrative in Genesis 3. "The two biblical frames, now -- one in Genesis and one in Romans -- stood out as bookends of my life," she said. "But not just my life … if the Bible is, as its internal testimony purports, an eternal frame relevant for and responding to the needs for all humanity, then Genesis 3 and Romans 1 stood out as the table of contents for what ails the world." After she had read through the Bible seven times, Butterfield continued to wrestle with it spiritually. When Smith preached a sermon on Jesus feeding the 5,000, he paused to emphasize Jesus' words to Peter and the disciples: "Do you still lack understanding?" "This startled me, because this was my question," said the former literature professor. "I realized that question was for me. Do I still lack understanding? Then I wondered who was speaking here: that old man behind the pulpit or the God-man from before the foundations of the world? There was something about the hermeneutic of preaching that completely disarmed me, and truth be told, it still does." It was through deep, heartfelt repentance that Butterfield began to experience new life. Though her life has changed significantly since her conversion, that fundamental reality never changes, she said. "Repentance is bittersweet business," she said. "Repentance is not just some conversion exercise; it is the posture of a Christian. Repentance is our daily fruit, our hourly washing, our minute-by-minute wake-up call, our reminder of God's creation, Jesus' blood, and the Holy Spirit's comfort. Repentance is the only no-shame solution to a renewed conscience, because it proves only the obvious: that God was right all along." Butterfield's talk was followed by an hour-long question and answer session with Heath Lambert, executive director of ACBC and associate professor of biblical counseling at Southern Seminary and Boyce College. Butterfield argued the moniker "gay Christian," when used to affirm that both a Christian identity and a homosexual identity are compatible, is unhelpful. "The problem with identifying as a gay Christian is that the Lord Jesus Christ wants our whole identity," she said. "And we are not to use any adjectival modifier to modify our identity as Christian, especially if that is not going to survive to the new Jerusalem. "Adjectives in terms of grammar are modifiers, their job is to tell me what kind of Christian you are. The problem with a term like 'gay Christian' is that it modifies Christian according to a category of the flesh." Butterfield has written two books, "Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert" and "Openness Unhindered." Audio and video from the conference will soon be available on the ACBC website. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fate of abortion clinics awaits high court by Tom Strode Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- The fate of multiple abortion clinics awaits the consideration of the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court will have the opportunity to decide this term, which opened Oct. 5, whether state governments may enact rules that result in shutting down most abortion clinics or even the only one remaining in the state. In addition to abortion, the justices also will consider such issues as the death penalty and affirmative action in their term, which will conclude early next summer. The Supreme Court has yet to decide whether it will review rulings by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on abortion regulations enacted by Mississippi and Texas, but the uncertainty is expected to end soon. The high court is likely to make a decision about whether to accept appeals of the lower-court decisions during its conference Nov. 6, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), told Baptist Press he is praying the justices will accept the cases and issue "a judgment consistent with life and human dignity." "The Supreme Court has an opportunity to defend the rights of millions of women and children against the predatory practices of the robber barons of the abortion industry," Moore said in written comments. "These cases go beyond typical left vs. right boundaries and speak to the need to protect our neighbors from greed and exploitation." Steven Aden, ADF senior counsel, is "more hopeful that the Supreme Court will take these abortion cases, or at least one of them, than I have been in a while," he told BP in an Oct. 12 phone interview. The justices' interest has been signaled by the fact they have scheduled the Mississippi case for conference seven times beginning in the spring, Aden said. Also, it's time for another ruling on abortion, he told BP. The high court has not issued an opinion on abortion since 2007, when it upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion. "[T]hat's the longest dry spell I'm aware of for the Supreme Court not to have taken an abortion case," said Aden, director of ADF's Center for Life Alliances. "So it's way overdue." The Mississippi law requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital in case a woman needs emergency hospitalization. That rule would result in the state's only remaining abortion facility, which is in Jackson, going out of business. The Texas law has the same type of requirement for abortion doctors but also mandates abortion clinics must meet the health and safety standards of other walk-in surgical centers. That law would reduce the number of abortion facilities in the state from what had been about 40 to fewer than 10. The Fifth Circuit Court agreed with a federal judge who ruled Mississippi's law constituted an "undue burden" on a woman's access to abortion because the last clinic in the state would have to close. The appeals court, however, upheld the Texas law. The Supreme Court blocked implementation of the Texas law while the appeal process continues. The high court established the "undue burden" standard on abortion in its 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey opinion, which permitted state regulations if they did not encumber women excessively. That ruling also reaffirmed the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide. The questions, Aden said, in the Mississippi case include: "Is it an automatic undue burden in violation of Casey for a state to apply health and safety regulations that leave no clinic standing? Or can Mississippi rely on the availability of nearby abortion facilities across state lines, like in Memphis; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; New Orleans; and say that women can access it there?" Another question, he told BP, "is whether Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey should be revisited by the Supreme Court." The delay on the Mississippi case appears to indicate justices are determined to consider it with the Texas one, Aden said, leading some observers to think it is possible "one or more members of the court would like to have an opportunity to go after the whole enchilada, if you will -- whether Roe and Casey are still viable or whether they should be overturned or revisited." A majority of the Supreme Court, Aden said, appears "open to reasonable and rational health and safety measures that protect women, because I think they recognize that a so-called right to access abortion has to be taken with or couched in the understanding that states have the responsibility and the constitutional authority to protect women citizens from unscrupulous medical providers." "I don't think you're going to see a case in which the Supreme Court elevates availability of abortion over state regulation for health and safety, because then that would be tantamount to the Supreme Court constitutionalizing back-alley abortion," he told BP. These "reasonable, common-sense measures" in Mississippi and Texas "apply to all other forms of outpatient surgery," Aden said. "I think for that reason the Supreme Court will approve [the laws]." The Weekly, the ERLC's regular news summary and commentary, reported in its Oct. 9 edition the Supreme Court will rule on other social issues this term: -- Capital punishment could be a topic in cases from Kansas involving sentencing requirements and jury instructions in a ruling by the state's high court to rescind some death sentences. In the last term, two Supreme Court justices wrote it is time to reconsider the constitutionality of the death penalty. The high court heard oral arguments in the cases Oct. 7. -- Affirmative action in college admissions will be considered when the justices hear oral arguments Dec. 9. The court will decide whether the University of Texas' race-sensitive policy for applicants is constitutional. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Competing offerings? by Bob Terry Date: October 13, 2015 - Tuesday BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Baptists have two financial focuses during October. Some people wonder if the two emphases compete with one another. October is Cooperative Program (CP) month. It is a time when churches are encouraged to celebrate the partnership between local churches, their state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The genius of churches working together to do missions, education and benevolent work from the local community to distant parts of the world is a gift from God. Oct. 11 was Global Hunger Sunday on the denominational calendar. The special emphasis also has been known as World Hunger Sunday. Many Baptist churches called attention to the curse of hunger in their states, the nation and world and encouraged members to make a special offering to help relieve those hunger needs. CP is important and so is the Global Hunger Relief offering. Each fulfills a special need but they do not duplicate what the other does. Years ago I was in Thailand at the request of the International Mission Board (IMB). Missionaries worked with refugees from Cambodia and Laos. Along with assisting families at refugee centers, they also practiced mercy at a detention center in Bangkok where people were locked in cages no larger than my office desk. In all cases the missionaries shared the Gospel, helped feed hungry people and built relationships for additional sharing.  More recently I was in refugee camps in Jordan where Baptist workers regularly provide assistance to displaced families. The workers did not do the work for the expressions of gratitude coming from recipients although they were abundant. Workers invested themselves in food distribution and other ministries to demonstrate the love of God for people who lived in a culture that knew little of Jesus Christ. In a New England state, I served food in a Baptist church that provided lunch to homeless and hungry people once a week. Again the pastor said feeding the hungry validated their ministry in Jesus’ name and opened doors of witness to individuals and the community. In each case the ministries in which I briefly participated resulted from both the CP and Global Hunger Relief (formerly the World Hunger Fund). CP made possible the service of missionaries in Thailand, Baptist workers in Jordan and a pastor in New England. Foundation for Baptist work CP provides the foundation of Baptist work. It pays salaries and makes sure there are missionaries, Baptist workers and church planters to address ministry needs like hunger relief. Resources for the particular ministry of hunger relief comes mostly from the hunger relief offering.  Without CP there would have been no one in Thailand, Jordan or New England to do the ministries. Without the Global Hunger Relief offering there would have been few dollars to assist the hungry. That makes both funding channels necessary. They do not compete with one another. They complement one another. Here in Alabama hunger is a special challenge. According to the latest study released by the Department of Agriculture, slightly more than 1 in 4 children (26.2 percent) live in a home with low or very low food security. That is a polite way of saying they live with hunger. One in 6 (16.8 percent) of all state residents live with hunger and about 1 in 8 (12 percent) of seniors face hunger. All averages are above the national norms.  Thankfully Alabama Baptists care. According to statistics provided by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, Alabama Baptist hunger relief funds helped feed 185,365 people in our state in 2014. The reports also indicate 2,338 professions of faith as a direct response to hunger ministries. As with all designated gifts, every dollar given goes directly to that ministry. A portion of the funds given through Alabama Baptist channels is earmarked for hunger relief projects in the state. SBC funds are divided 80 percent to international efforts and 20 percent to domestic programs. Readers may know that fighting hunger is one of my Gospel-driven passions. In addition to working in hunger relief, I continue to advocate for policies that prevent hunger. If Baptists can work for policies that prevent the sale of fetal body parts (and we should), then we can push for policies to curb or even eliminate hunger. That is why I will continue to support hunger relief efforts financially. I urge you to consider giving to fight hunger as well. But these gifts will not take the place of my CP support. As the SBC declared when adopting the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report, “The Cooperative Program remains the primary channel of missions giving.” CP undergirds all missions efforts, whether in Alabama, an underserved area of this nation or some foreign land. CP is more than missions. It is education. It is benevolent work. It is all Baptists do together. Experience has taught the value of supporting the total program of Southern Baptists through CP giving rather than having the various ministries compete with one another for all their funding. Strength in numbers When CP giving is strong, the foundation of Baptist work together is strong. When CP giving is weak, important parts of the foundation begin to crumble. This month I will give my tithe to my local church and a portion of that will be forwarded to causes beyond the church through CP. And I will write another check for Global Hunger Relief because I care about that cause and want it to have more support than possible through CP alone. That is the difference between cooperative giving and designated giving. Cooperative giving such as CP promotes all Baptists do together. Designated giving provides additional support for areas reflecting the passion of the giver. Both are important but they accomplish different purposes. That is why designated giving such as through the Global Hunger Relief offering and CP giving do not compete. Instead they complement one another.