The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/13/2016 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Dual citizenship & the ballot by Mark Ballard Date: October 13, 2016 - Thursday BENNINGTON, Vt. (BP) -- Every election cycle, certain concepts and buzzwords seem to resurface in the Christian community, such as "moral majority" and "values voter." It seems impossible to argue that a biblical "moral majority," silent or otherwise, exists in the United States today. A moral revolution has swept through our culture like Hurricane Matthew swept through Haiti. Our cultural collapse in Christian ethics and morals is reflected vividly in the major party candidates. The current election cycle has stretched the "values voter" principle beyond the breaking point. The question is no longer, "Which values are most important in inspiring me to vote for candidate 'A' rather than candidate 'B'?" The new question is, "Which candidate requires me to give up the fewest of my treasured values?" No candidate this year even claims to share our biblical values. As more and more ethical and moral failures come to light, both candidates are dismissive and self-justifying. Neither is repentant. We have less than a month to decide. Will you vote for Hillary or the Donald? Or the Green and Libertarian party candidates who will be on some state ballots? Will you write in a different name or will you simply stay home on Nov. 8? The reality of our dual citizenship can provide guidance. If you have received Jesus, trusting Him to take away your sins (John 1:12) and you are a citizen of the United States, you hold dual citizenship. First and foremost, you are a citizen of heaven. "Our citizenship is in heaven," Philippians 3:20 tells us; we are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth," we read in Hebrews 11:13. Like Abraham, we look forward to eternal life in a real "city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (11:10). Our primary allegiance and responsibility is to Jesus Christ, our King of Kings. Second, and significantly, we remain citizens of the United States with the constitutional privilege and responsibility to vote. For this small voice in the direction of our country, we can be grateful. Consider, then, 10 principles for reconciling our dual citizenship responsibilities. 1. Recognize the only hope for America is Jesus. Many believers tend to invest their hope in political candidates, but it is misplaced. Humans will inevitably fail. Disappointment may transition into depression and despair -- simply because we forget our only hope is Jesus. 2. Recognize that only the Gospel can redeem and transform lives. The primary responsibility of heaven's citizens is to spread the Gospel to every individual on earth. 3. Pray. Pray. Then pray some more. We say prayer changes things but act as if politics changes things. Believers must turn to the Father like never before. The times are desperate. Pray for a 2 Chronicles 7:14 spiritual awakening across our nation and our neighboring nations. It will solve the border problems far more quickly than any political solution. Pray for both major candidates to be radically transformed by the Gospel and make wise decisions that honor God. 4. Seek the Father's wisdom for your vote. Get on your face before God. Tell Him that all you have belongs to Him; submit your vote to His lordship. Ask Him to show you for whom to vote. Ask Him to guide fellow believers in the same way. 5. Do not defend sin. Sin cannot be justified, even if the sinner is your favored party's candidate. At the same time, we cannot expect sinners to act like believers. Speak the truth in love. Do not attack people, but do not justify their sinful behavior. 6. The sanctity of life is still an issue. Even though little is being said about the innocent blood of unborn babies, the sanctity of human life matters to our loving Father. Many years ago I made a personal commitment to the Lord that the sanctity of life would be the ultimate factor in my vote. 7. Know the difference between an endorsement and a vote. While a believer may not be able to endorse either candidate in good conscience, a believer can vote for one candidate for reasons beyond the candidate as the Lord leads. 8. Treat your brothers and sisters in Christ with love and respect. The world is watching how believers respond to one another. They read our Facebook and Twitter posts. When we attack each other over political issues, we damage our testimony. We can learn to debate issues thoughtfully without attacking personalities. 9. Religious liberty remains an issue. While I am a dual citizen, I'm also a Baptist. Historically, Baptists stood for religious liberty. According to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, we still do. It is Article 17. We believe that men and women, made in God's image, have been "endowed by our Creator with the inalienable rights of Life and Liberty." Paul encouraged Timothy to pray "for kings and all who are in authority," and that included the polytheistic Roman rulers. Notice why believers pray for our leaders. "That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. ... For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Timothy 2:2-3). 10. Supreme Court nominees are always at stake. A president is elected for four years. If reelected, he or she will serve a maximum of eight years. However, the next president's Supreme Court nominees will likely serve for multiple decades. It matters whether one will appoint "strict constitutionalists" or progressives who believe the Constitution is a "living document." As a dual citizen, I cannot endorse one of the 2016 presidential candidates. Neither is biblically moral. Neither holds biblical values. I do, however, plan to vote and use the principles of dual citizenship as my voter's guide. -------------------------------------------------------------------- In Asia, 163 volunteers aid front-line families by Sheila Allen Date: October 13, 2016 - Thursday EAST ASIA (BP) -- Warmth enveloped volunteers from the Northwest Baptist Convention in taking their first breaths at their destination in East Asia -- a reminder not only of the tropical climate but also the reception they received in joining hands for a worthy cause. Eighteen months earlier, Phil Wardell*, International Mission Board affinity leader for East Asia, had asked Northwest convention volunteers to staff an affinity group meeting in 2016, the first such gathering in seven years. The request shared potential service opportunities that included full-day programming for 450 children and youth, information technology support, medical care and security for the large conference. A year of prayer and planning preceded the journey of 163 Northwest Baptists halfway around the globe to give their time, resources and energy to serve 400 family units on the frontline of international Gospel efforts. A formal partnership between the Northwest Baptist Convention and the East Asia Affinity of the International Mission Board was established in 2014, opening doors to churches and individuals for connections throughout the continent of Asia. During the 10-day conference in late July and early August, volunteers worked more than 10 hours per day, the majority giving their time to children. Preschoolers and grade school children were treated to a morning of Vacation Bible School, with a choice of afternoon offerings that included puppetry, choir, swimming, missions activities and more. Volunteers from 32 Northwest Baptist churches were on the team, including eight people who joined the NWBC effort as solo members from smaller churches for an opportunity to experience international missions. Volunteers ranged in age from 13 to a sprinkling of those in their 70s. “This trip was above and beyond anything I could ever imagine,” said Carla Goss, who traveled with a team from New Hope Baptist Church in Creswell, Ore., and led children’s craft time. “The connections made with the missionaries and their children will forever be impressed on my heart.” Goss said she was “humbled by their appreciation and gratitude for everything they receive.” “I came wanting to encourage those who have given up their comfort to follow the Lord’s calling on their lives, and instead have been extremely blessed myself. I also connected with many volunteers from the Northwest as well and have experienced their overflowing love for the Lord and the lost.” For babies 24 months and under, a suite of five rooms was designated baby central during the conference, with Carmen Panter of McKenzie Road Baptist Church in Olympia, Wash., leading the childcare volunteer team. Many of the infants had never spent measurable time apart from their parents, so tender care was needed in the long hours during which volunteers ministered. A schedule of feeding, naps and playtime was recorded for parents, and countless hours were spent walking babies in carriers around long hotel hallways. “If you could have heard the comments from our missionaries, you would be so grateful,” said Randy Adams, the Northwest convention’s executive director. “One parent told me that his 4-year-old had not made much progress in learning to speak, following surgery for a cleft palate, but during these days his speech improved greatly because of all the interaction with so many English speakers. “Others were so thankful for the Scripture stories and Bible songs their kids were learning and repeating,” Adams said. “The gratitude from our missionaries was expressed daily and with deep sentiment. “When you consider that 163 of us traveled to Asia to minister to hundreds of missionaries and their children, I don’t think our minds could have conceived of a better or more consequential mission trip,” Adams added. “The days were long and our volunteers gave everything of themselves, all of their energy, all of their love and then gave some more. I know that we will never fully understand what this retreat meant to our field personnel, but the children were given a gift more profound that we will possibly understand this side of heaven.” Adams noted that few Southern Baptists have ever gotten “up close” to so many international missionary families. Northwest Baptists were privileged to experience some of the results of giving through the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Offering for international missions. “We demonstrated what cooperation looks like to our NWBC and the greater SBC family,” Adams said. Teenagers studied the book of James during the conference from Centrifuge curriculum for young people. Two off-campus outings made for special bonds among participants, many of whom were making college plans in the U.S. that would take them far from their parents in the near future. And, among other activities, the teens learned the finer points of dodgeball. A technology center was created for field personnel to drop off their laptop computers during the conference, where Northwest team members updated, debugged and prepared them for the months ahead when such services can be hard to find. A pediatrician and four nurses, meanwhile, provided daily care for illness and aches as well as annual physicals. “We arrived to work with people we did not know,” said John Lawless, who joined the team from First Baptist Church of Longview, Wash., and served alongside his wife Rita in a preschool class. “We leave with people we will never forget.” Jude Harper*, East Asia affinity operations director, said, “I cannot say enough how important the volunteers from 32 churches within the NWBC were.... We are so grateful for your support, and this meeting could not have happened without your sacrificial giving and time spent working the meeting. Thank you, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with you as we work together for the spread of the Gospel in East Asia and throughout the world.” *Names changed -------------------------------------------------------------------- Historian Michael Haykin elected to SBTS faculty by S. Craig Sanders Date: October 13, 2016 - Thursday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Trustees of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary unanimously approved the election of church historian Michael A.G. Haykin to the faculty during their Oct. 10 meeting at the Louisville, Ky., campus. Messengers also approved a response to a motion on SBC entities' media policies referred from the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in June. "The election of Michael Haykin brings to Southern Seminary's permanent faculty a scholar of world renown and a Christian of such wonderful heart," SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said. "He is not only a prolific author and scholar, he is also a man of deep conviction and a teacher who invests personally in his students." Haykin, professor of church history and biblical spirituality, has taught at Southern since 2008 and serves as director of the seminary's Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. Haykin, who holds bachelor's and doctoral degrees from the University of Toronto, has authored or contributed to dozens of books, including "Rediscovering the Church Fathers" and "8 Women of Faith." His election is effective Jan. 1, 2017. Trustees unanimously approved a response to a referral from the SBC annual meeting in St. Louis requesting "all SBC entities to consider examining their media policies and, if they do not have clearly defined guidelines, to consider establishing a policy that trustee meetings, including committee meetings, be open to news media." In its response, the board noted "Southern Seminary is committed to fully cooperating with news media representatives to keep Southern Baptists informed about the work they support through the Cooperative Program." The response clarified all plenary sessions are open to media, and seminary leadership "will do everything within their means to assist members of the media as they endeavor to provide accurate, complete, and fair reporting." In other business, trustees received positive reports of the seminary's financial position, including the recently concluded 2015-2016 budget year ending with over $4 million more in revenues than expenses. When asked if the surplus can relieve student debt, Mohler noted that trustee policy, in keeping with the SBC Business and Financial Plan, designates the money as reserves for the seminary's endowment. He explained that the seminary cooperates with no federal or state student loans and that any debt students incur is from pre-existing student loans or credit cards. "We do see debt as an enemy of the Great Commission so we are doing our best to keep that as low as possible," Mohler said, noting that seminary leaders recently had held a student summit teaching sound financial principles and other life lessons. Board committees reported on progress in the School of Theology, Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry, and Boyce College, as well as the committees on Institutional Advancement and Student Services. In particular, they noted continued growth in enrollment across all three schools and the recently launched Hispanic Initiatives as a positive sign of the seminary's efforts to increase minority enrollment. Trustees also received a report from their executive committee on the election of three new directors of the Southern Seminary Foundation: Darron Byrd of Terry, Miss.; Glenn Hedgspeth of Louisville, Ky.; and James Norman of Searcy, Ark. The next meeting of the seminary's trustees is scheduled for April 10, 2017, in Louisville. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: Oct. 16, 2016 by staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: October 13, 2016 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the YOU curriculum. Bible Passages: Proverbs 11:1, 4, 18, 24-26, 28. Discussion Questions: Why do you think God cares so much about how we handle our money? When have you been on the receiving end of generosity? How can you demonstrate generosity toward others? Food for Thought: If your life were cut up into a pie chart, it might be divided up into a lot of categories: work, home, church, friends and many others. And one piece of your pie would probably be money. That's okay. Money isn't evil. It's a necessary part of living each day on earth. But since it's a piece of your life, it's also something God cares about deeply because He cares about everything that makes up who you are. That's why the Bible has so much to say about money and why we will never be truly alive until we learn to handle money wisely. Many of Solomon's proverbs talk about using money wisely, and even Jesus used money stories to teach important lessons. But confusion over the topic continues today. Many, even in the church, think it's wrong to be wealthy. The truth is, God gives each person what he or she can faithfully handle. Through the years many godly people have done incredible work with the riches God has given them -- things no one else could have done. But they made sure their focus was on the Giver of the gifts, not the gifts themselves. We honor God through the money He's entrusted to us. That's the wise and righteous way to approach our money and the only way to avoid the emptiness that comes from using money unwisely. Solomon taught that wise use of our money and possessions means giving it back to God and using it according to His plans. In Proverbs 11, Solomon again affirmed that God stands against those who lack integrity, especially at the expense of others. He wrote that God finds dishonesty "detestable" (v. 1). He applied this basic principle to the area of money through the use of a contrasting parallel, starting with the negative aspect of dishonest gain and contrasting it with the benefits of financial honesty. We know people make money in one of two ways: honestly or dishonestly. And they spend money in two ways: wisely or unwisely. Solomon doesn't pull too many punches in telling believers exactly which choices they should be making. In a world that sometimes approves of cutting corners or "shrewd" business practices, believers serve as lights of integrity for God's glory. If we can get a handle on this money issue, God has promised to bless us, and so many other areas of our lives will fall into place. When we demonstrate wisdom by handling money honestly, we bring Him delight because we are doing things His way. Solomon went on to make two things incredibly clear in verse 4: a day of wrath is coming, and none of the riches we accumulate on earth will help us on that day. While money is an important trapping of this world, it means nothing when we enter the next. It can't guarantee a spot in heaven or provide eternal security. Righteousness is the only currency recognized in heaven! Remember that riches are here today and gone tomorrow. If God really owns everything -- and we manage His stuff for His honor -- then we have to see money differently than the world sees it. We should never waste our time and energy in an empty, unfulfilling chase for money. We've got to use all we have for God's glory. YOU Intentionally focused on urban and multicultural believers, YOU is biblically based with culturally relevant and affirming lessons to help people connect, grow, serve, and ultimately be engaged in impacting the world for Christ. This flexible, non-dated all-in-one quarterly resource offers weekly Bible study for leaders and learners, devotionals, and teaching plans, as well as articles on hot topics and missions. For additional online teaching resources, visit LifeWay.com/YOU. Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Chibok girls freed in Boko Haram prisoner swap by Diana Chandler Date: October 13, 2016 - Thursday ABUJA, Nigeria (BP) -- The Nigerian government has secured the release of 21 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram more than two years ago, a Nigerian government official announced on Twitter today (Oct. 13). The kidnapping saga is part of the continuing horrors in Nigeria caused by the terror group, with an estimated 25,000 people, including many Christians, killed by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria since 2009 in its attempts to establish strict Sharia law across the country. An estimated 2.6 million people have also been displaced in violence that has created a multifaceted humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, called by the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative and former Congressman Frank R. Wolf in July as the "gravest" in the world. Boko Haram released the 21 girls to the Nigerian Department of State Services, according to presidential spokesperson Mallam Garba Shehu who also tweeted, "The names of the released girls follows [sic] shortly." The girls who had been taken from the mostly Christian town of Chibok in April 2014 were released in exchange for four Boko Haram prisoners who were being held in the town of Banki in northeast Nigeria, an undisclosed source told the French news agency AFP. Negotiations were brokered by the Red Cross and the Swiss government, Shehu said in a series of tweets. About 200 of the kidnapped girls remain missing. "It is confirmed that 21 of the missing Chibok Girls have been released and are in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS. The release of the girls, in a limited number, is the outcome of negotiations between the administration and the Boko Haram … brokered by the International Red Cross and the Swiss government," Shehu tweeted just after 5 a.m. "The negotiations will continue." Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari "welcomes the release of the girls but cautioned Nigerians to be mindful of the fact that more than 30,000 fellow citizens ... were killed via terrorism," Shehu tweeted. The released girls were said to be resting, "with all of them very tired coming out of the process," Shehu said. The international group Bring Back Our Girls that has advocated for the girls release welcomed Shehu's report. "This wonderful development confirms what we have always known about the capacity of our goverment [sic] to rescue our #ChibokGirls," spokespersons for the group tweeted. "While awaiting further details, we take this opportunity to salute the work of our security services at the front lines -- the commitment, resilience and tireless efforts of our members of the Multi-national Joint Task Force and the civilian JTF. We also thank the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss government and all negotiators involved in securing the release." The advocacy group called for the government to make "the safety, security, and well-being of the other girls a high priority" and urged "the international community to continue to support our government's effort to rescue all other abducted Nigerians, so that parents, the Chibok community, the nation, and the world can finally put an end to this nightmare once and for all." As recently as Sept. 22, Buhari reiterated his willingness to negotiate the girls' release with "bonafide leaders" of Boko Haram, described as fractured, and invited the United Nations to serve as an intermediary. "The challenge is in getting credible and bonafide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with," Buhari said in a press release. "The split in the insurgent group is not helping matters. Government had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it became difficult to identify credible leaders. We will welcome intermediaries such as UN outfits to step in." Boko Haram has been identified as still under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, a jihadist at times reported dead and whom the Islamic State group claimed to have replaced on Aug. 3 with Abu Musab al-Barnawi. Dozens of girls said to be among those kidnapped from Chibok are shown in a video Boko Haram released Aug. 14 offering the girls in exchange for the release of imprisoned terrorists. An armed and masked Boko Haram member speaking on the video said some of the girls had been killed in airstrikes by the Nigerian military and 40 had been married, but he did not specify the number of girls who remained alive, the Associated Press reported. He identified Shekau as Boko Haram's leader. An earlier video surfaced in April that Boko Haram had given the Nigerian government in December 2015 as a "proof of life" footage of 15 of the Chibok girls and claiming all of the girls at that time were alive and well. In May, an escaped Chibok girl was rescued in the Sambisa Forest with a baby and an ex-Boko Haram member who claimed to be her husband. The Chibok ordeal began in April 2014 when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from the Chibok government boarding school. Nearly 60 of the girls managed to escape from the backs of trucks either during the kidnapping or shortly afterward as Boko Haram camped. Buhari declared a "technical" defeat of Boko Haram in December 2015, noting that the terrorists' attacks had been scaled back from territorial takeovers and were limited to suicide bombings. Boko Haram at its height had established caliphates in towns covering about 20,000 square miles in advance of the March 2015 Nigerian national elections, but a multinational military force managed to recapture the towns. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Kim's journey undergirds call for church planting by Gary D. Myers Date: October 13, 2016 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Paul Kim visited New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with two goals: promoting Asian-American involvement in the Southern Baptist Convention and encouraging students to consider church planting. Kim is working to spread SBC awareness and build Cooperative Program support among Asian-American Baptists as the Asian-American relations consultant with the SBC's Executive Committee -- one of many Baptist leaders working with Frank S. Page, EC president, in an effort to understand and appreciate the diverse ethnic landscape in the SBC. When Kim began his role with the EC, he made a commitment to visit each of the six SBC seminaries for an event he calls A2CP2 (short for Asian-American Cooperative Program and Church Planting). Much of the NOBTS A2CP2 was dedicated to church planting -- a ministry task Kim hopes each seminary student will consider. Kim, visiting NOBTS on Oct. 10, shared the inspirational story from his own church planting background. In 1981, he and his wife Becky launched Berkland Baptist Church in Berkeley, Calif. Their plan was to start a church to reach students at the University of California-Berkeley, one of the nation's most prestigious yet liberal universities. Many people told him the plan would not work, Kim recounted. Naysayers said that college students would not come to church consistently and they would not tithe. Kim trusted God's leadership and launched the church anyway. Early on the naysayers seemed right. Some Sundays the only people in attendance were Kim, his wife, his mother-in-law and the Kims' daughter, an infant at the time. Over time, Kim began to reach Berkeley students with the Gospel and the church started to grow. Many of the students who came to Christ also experienced a call to ministry. Shortly after the Tiananmen Square protests in China in 1989, Berkland launched its first church plant in Asia. While the church in California thrived, God called Kim to start a new church in Boston, Mass., in 1991. This time, the Kims would be ministering to students at prestigious universities like Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At Berkland Baptist Church in Boston, God continued to bless the Kims' work. As Berkland continued reaching college students, many of them likewise experienced a call to ministry. Ultimately, the two Berkland churches began to see church planting as a calling, as part of their DNA. The church ultimately planted numerous new churches in far-flung places such as China, the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Kim played a key role in discipling and raising up men from the church who left jobs as doctors, lawyers, professors and engineers and moved their families across the world to plant these new churches. One of the men discipled at Berkland, David Um, was called to pastor the church when Kim retired in 2011, while Kim continues to serve as pastor emeritus. Although the church has changed its name to Antioch Baptist Church, its church-planting DNA is still evident. Um, a trustee at NOBTS, also spoke at the event, sharing how God led him from the world of software engineering to ministry. The software company Um worked for charged $1 million per license and released a new version each year. Each new version rendered the previous version worthless. Um began to question whether he wanted to continue in such a business. "What am I living for?" Um said he asked at the time. "As I was going through this spiritual crisis, I realized that the Gospel was for me because I was such a sinner. So I repented and I became a Christian through that experience of my own wretchedness." For the first years of his Christian walk, Um had little discipleship. A friend invited him to the newly-established Berkland church in Boston, where he joined and received the discipleship training he so desperately needed. "People cared about my life and they were modeling for me what it means to answer, 'How am I going to live for Jesus?'" Um said. "From that point on the trajectory of my life changed." The discipleship efforts of Berkland helped Um submit to a call to ministry. He ultimately left the world of secular employment, went to seminary and became a pastor. During the meeting, Kim read from Acts 9, pointing out the calling of Saul, later renamed Paul. Like Paul, Christians today have been given the task of spreading the Gospel, he said. "God has called us to carry His name, the name above every name," Kim said. "We have the responsibility to do His work." As Paul "carried His name" on the missionary journeys, he planted churches, Kim said, encouraging NOBTS students to begin considering a call to church planting. Kim also encouraged those who will pastor established churches to consider sponsoring church planting. "Carrying the name of Jesus brings hardship," Kim said. "It is not easy, but it is a blessing." During his visit to NOBTS, Kim enlisted Abraham Lee, a leader in the NOBTS Korean Student Fellowship, to serve as the national Korean Student Council president for the six SBC seminaries for the coming academic year. The goal of Lee’s task will be to foster greater communication between the six Korean student fellowships. Plans include the development of blog to share seminary news, prayer requests and reports regarding evangelism, missions and church planting. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Asia Bibi appeal postponed amid tensions in Pakistan by Diana Chandler Date: October 13, 2016 - Thursday ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (BP) -- The final appeal of a death sentence for Asia Bibi, a Christian mother imprisoned more than seven years over a blasphemy allegation, has been postponed; Islamic protestors, meanwhile, renew calls for her execution. The appeal scheduled today (Oct. 13) for 51-year-old Aasiya Noreen, also known as Asia Bibi, was postponed after one of three justices set to hear the case recused himself, World Watch Monitor, a news service focused on global persecution of Christians, reported. Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman said he might be biased in his decision on the appeal, the news service reported, because he had heard all the details of a related case against Mumtaz Qadri, who was executed in February for killing one of Bibi's most outspoken supporters, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. Taseer had called for a presidential pardon for Bibi, accused of blasphemy in 2009 by Muslim coworkers in a dispute at a local water well. Bibi has been imprisoned more than seven years. Islamic clerics and protestors have called for Bibi's execution, regardless of the outcome of the legal case and have threatened to kill her even as she is imprisoned. Up to 3,000 policemen were deployed to Islamabad ahead of the appeal to keep peace, with 100 police in riot gear stationed outside the court, Morning Star News, another news service focusing on persecution issues, reported. Bibi was not allowed to attend the proceedings for her own safety, and a new court date was not immediately set. A senior government official told Morning Star anonymously that there is a bounty on Bibi's head of 50 million rupees ($471,000) and that Islamist groups were calling for her "swift execution." Bibi was sentenced to death by hanging in 2010 on charges of insulting the prophet Mohammad while working in a berry field as a day laborer in 2009, and the Lahore High Court upheld her conviction four years later. Her execution was temporarily suspended in July 2015. Bibi would be the first person to be hanged under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, The Telegraph reported. Still, 20 people charged with blasphemy in Pakistan have been murdered outside the justice system, the newspaper said, by vigilantes including prison guards. Others have gone into hiding. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which has collected nearly 480,000 signatures on a petition calling for Bibi's release, estimated many more than 20 -- in fact hundreds -- charged with blasphemy "have been killed extra-judicially by either violent mobs or drive-by shootings even after having been acquitted by the courts." The ACLJ requested prayer for a favorable outcome. Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul Mulook has said his client never received a fair trial and that the charges against her were based on a "personal vendetta." Bibi's family were the only Christians in her rural village, The Telegraph said, and seven of those who testified against her were not present at the scene of the supposed crime. Bibi's husband Ashiq Mashih and their five children have lived in hiding since she was sentenced to death, and police are guarding Mulook's home in Lahore due to threats against his life, The Telegraph reported. Her husband has expressed hope for her acquittal but had not told her of the Oct. 13 hearing date, he said, in efforts to avoid her disappointment in an unfavorable outcome. "In the prison where she lives alone, it is very dangerous to lose hope," Mashih told the Express Tribune. "She asks us to get things done fast, but we have done whatever we could do."