The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/16/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRUSTEES: God's hand on Golden Gate by Katherine Chute Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday PHOENIX (BP) -- The board of trustees of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, meeting Oct. 12-13 in Phoenix, expressed appreciation for the seminary's faculty, staff and students for their "efforts, endurance, prayers and amazing positive approach to the entire transition project." After adopting the resolution of appreciation, trustees erupted in spontaneous applause for the efforts of seminary personnel during the relocation effort. "They have displayed a remarkable spirit during this transition," vice chairman Larry Felkins said, "while moving one of the 10 largest seminaries in the world 400 miles across the state." Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Seminary, reported on the institution's progress and overall health during and despite the transition. A highlight was the news that the number of those enrolled in the seminary's core programs -- 777 students -- has remained the same since the announcement of the seminary's move to Ontario, Calif. "While we have worked hard to manage the transition, I cannot explain these results by those efforts," he said, "except to say it is God's hand on Golden Gate Seminary." Iorg told trustees that the spring would be a busy time as the seminary prepares to hire about 50 new employees and seven new faculty members -- an unprecedented opportunity in the institution's history. While the seminary will have about the same number of employees in the future as it has now, the deployment of those employees is changing significantly. "We will have many more employees in communications, technology and recruiting and fewer in facility-related roles," Iorg noted. In other action, trustees expressed thanks to Tom Hixson, who assumed his duties as vice president of business services in July 2015, and Gary Groat, now serving as vice president for strategic services and chief financial officer, for their leadership during the transition. "The seminary's financial performance is a blessing. It's a positive part of the overall transition," Stuart Smith, chair of the board's business services committee, said. "God has put His hand on this seminary." An audit of the seminary's finances revealed a clean audit with no material findings. The board elected Warren Haynes as director of the Contextualized Leadership Development Program. Haynes currently serves as director of missions for the Northwest Indiana Baptist Association. The seminary operates about 60 CLD centers in partnership with Baptist state conventions or associations. These centers operate in multiple languages for students with limited English skills and also serve people who do not otherwise have the educational background to enter the seminary's core academic programs. The fall 2016 board meeting was changed to Friday, Oct. 7, to allow trustees to attend grand opening events and the dedication of the new campus in Ontario, Calif., on Oct. 5-8. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: How's business? by David Jeremiah Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- What business are we in, and how's business? It is the business of the Christian church to go into the world and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all of Jesus' teachings and commands until He returns at the end of this age (Matthew 28:18-20). Fulfilling this mission leads to numerous sub-missions: education, evangelism, worship, world missions, social ministry and others. The challenge is always to stay focused on the central "business" of the church. How's business? What if, instead of going away for two weeks, a company president turned over the operation of the company to his leadership team for 20 years? That analogy parallels a parable Jesus spoke to His disciples about how He wanted them to carry on in His absence. In Luke 19:11-26, Jesus told a story of a man who left his servants in charge of his business while he went on a journey. He left them resources and instructions: They were to accomplish His objectives with the resources he left. When he returned, two of the three had been faithful while one had not. That one received the owner's great displeasure: What he had been given was taken away, so he was left with nothing. How's the church doing at fulfilling our Master's instructions, "Do business until I return"? How should we determine whether our actions and activities will result in accomplishing the Master's main mission, the discipling of the nations? I believe the Lord would be pleased to return and find us engaged in the following 10 activities comprising Christian discipleship, the fulfillment of the Great Commission. As you read this list, ask yourself, "How's business?" If it's anything less than what the Master would expect, then this is a call to action! 1. Refuse to neglect the church. Build up the body of Christ by joining and contributing to the life of a local congregation of believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). 2. Respond to life spiritually. Respond to life with the mind of Christ as revealed through the Word by the Holy Spirit. Life is a spiritual undertaking first and foremost (Colossians 3:1-4). 3. Relate to one another in love. Conduct all ministry with love, or it's all for nothing. Be known as a person of love (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). 4. Refrain from judging others. Judge yourself, not others. Settle your differences with humility and love, leaving judgment to God (1 Corinthians 4:5). 5. Recommit yourself to ministry. Ministering with and for Christ is a full-time calling. Christ is active in the world. Therefore every believer should be playing a part in His ministry (2 Timothy 4:1-2). 6. Reach the lost. Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. His disciples are to go into the world to continue that mission. We are to take the Gospel to all who will be saved (Jude 1:21-23). 7. Remain steadfast. Jesus Christ and His 12 apostles are models for us of the difficult steadfastness necessary to invade the enemy's territory with the Gospel message (James 5:7-8). 8. Renounce sin in your life. We cannot love God and mammon simultaneously. If you are serious about doing the Master's business, you will be serious about not sinning (1 John 2:28-29). 9. Restore the bereaved. We are engaged in a spiritual battle. And as in all combat, there will be casualties. Part of our mission is to extend Christ's love and compassion to those who grieve, for whatever reason (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 10. Remember the Lord's Table. During the Master's absence, we have spirit-to-Spirit meetings with Him as we gather around His communion table. There we remind ourselves of what He has done for us and what He has asked us to do for Him (1 Corinthians 11:26). How's business? Let this list serve as a call to action. Recommit yourself to the mission and purposes of God on earth in the absence of Christ the Master. Only then will we hear Him say when He returns, Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Église 21 launches to reach unchurched by K. Faith Morgan Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday MAGOG, Quebec (BP) -- By the numbers, the launch of Église 21 was a resounding success. In addition to the launch team of 80, 150 guests from the community attended the church's first official service. But the true success of the launch service can't be fully conveyed with numbers. Each of those 150 lives had a different story. Some were invited to the Sept. 27 service by friends. Some were curious to see the newly restored theater building where the church is housed. For one of those guests, the story began months ago. Coffee and community Church planter Dominic Chaussé used a local coffee shop in Magog, a resort town in Quebec, Canada, as his makeshift office for six months. "I would go use the Internet and drink coffee and work there, so the business owner knew who I was," he said. "He knew I was a pastor coming to work for a church here that was going to start, but that was about it. He didn't really want anything to do with church." Before the start of services, Église 21's core launch team began meeting together in missional communities. And like many church leaders, Chaussé often found himself competing with sports for the attention of his group. In the South, it's college football; in the Northeast, baseball is king; and in Quebec, it's hockey. "At one point in my missional community during hockey season, everyone in the home group was not really listening or involved in what we were doing because they were always checking their smartphones to see what the score was," Chaussé said. "I told the group, 'Look, if we're going to just look at hockey, why don't we go do it in the city and be in the midst of the people and celebrate with them." With all of the most popular local restaurants already packed with people watching the game, Chaussé called in a favor and asked the proprietor of the coffee shop to open for his group of 20. "He was like, 'If you have 20 people, of course I'll open,'" Chaussé said. "So he started opening, and we'd go there for every game. We would invite friends, so there were 30 or 40 people in his coffee shop watching the game every few days. That's when we built a relationship with the owner. He said, 'I'm surprised that you guys aren't weird. You're normal people. You're even fun.' "He became more and more open to the Gospel, and we began to see his character shaped by biblical principles even though Jesus is not his foundation and Savior yet," Chaussé said of his new friend. "That relationship grew and flourished, so when we were about to start services, I said, 'Hey man, do you want to come? Seriously, I'm inviting you.' He showed up with his girlfriend, and he was deeply moved. His fear was that his partner wouldn't like the church, and she really liked it, too. He shared with me how happy he was that since she liked it, he was going to be able to come back." Connecting to the culture Chaussé is hoping other unchurched people in Magog will connect with the message of the Gospel and community of Église 21 in the same way. "We intentionally studied our culture, and we wanted to do something that's as relevant as possible for a normal Quebecer," Chaussé said of the format of the new services. "We noticed that there are three times as many stand-up comic acts as there are concerts, so a Quebecer is more used to listening to someone talk than he is used to singing music and going to a concert. "One of the first things that we did is invert the normal way of doing things," Chaussé said. "We start with a sermon, and we end in worship, and people have really responded well to that so far. We tell people in the crowd that as children of God in the church, this is how we respond to God. We sing songs of praise to Him for what He's done and what He's continuing to do, but they should feel free to respond however they want and not feel obligated to do exactly as their neighbor. If you want to sit down and just contemplate, do that. If you want to stand up and lift your hands, you can do that. Feel free to be who you are in the presence of God. "We also offer free children's ministry even if people want to come and drop their kids off and go shopping. It's fine with us because we'll have the opportunity to impact their children." Chad Vandiver, the North American Mission Board's Send City Missionary in Montreal, has aided Chaussé in the launch and NAMB provided assistance through a loan to help the new church acquire their building. "Dominic did an incredible job connecting to the area and contextualizing the Gospel there," Vandiver said. "It was one of our biggest launches in Quebec so far, and they have already had a major impact. There's only one other evangelical church of about 20 in the area, so there's a huge need." Learn more about reaching Canada through church planting at www.namb.net/Canada. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Could 'Woodlawn' be 'catalyst' to awakening? by Myriah Snyder Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday DALLAS (BP) -- "Woodlawn," a movie about overcoming racial division through faith in Christ, could contribute to "the next spiritual awakening in the United States," Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd said during a simulcast to promote the film. Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, compared the potential effects of Woodlawn, which opens nationwide Oct. 16, to the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. "Tonight is more than just simply about a movie. Tonight is about a movement. A movement toward us seeing the next spiritual awakening in the United States," Floyd said Oct. 14 at the Unify simulcast broadcast from Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. "That movement began years ago in what was called the Jesus Movement, which literally became the Jesus Revolution. We pray that tonight will become the catalyst over the next several weeks to the next great Jesus Revolution in America." Woodlawn, which recounts the true story of spiritual awakening at a 1970s high school torn by racial tension in Birmingham, Ala., is produced and directed by Jon and Andy Erwin. The Erwin Brothers are also the makers of "October Baby" and "Mom's Night Out." The Erwin Brothers say their purpose in releasing Woodlawn is to harness the power of the digital age to spread the Gospel. Data indicates it could be possible to make a faith-based movie a blockbuster if Christians from different generations and backgrounds would unite for a Kingdom purpose, the brothers say. International Mission Board President David Platt said in a video aired at the simulcast, "I praise God for His grace and Jon and Andy Erwin, as I had the joy of pastoring these brothers and their families at the Church at Brook Hills [in Birmingham] and seeing their desire to use film and the gifts that God has so evidently given them and others to get the Gospel around the world." Platt said movie theaters in cities across the globe where missionaries are not welcome represent "avenues that are there for the spread of the Gospel to the nations." Woodlawn, Platt said, is helping to "maximize those avenues toward the end that the Gospel would be more accessible to millions upon millions of people and God would be glorified among more and more peoples." The movie highlights God's power and makes reference to the Jesus Revolution of the 1970s, including a call to salvation issued by one of the film's main characters, Hank (Sean Astin). "I'm asking you to stand up right now and make a decision to change, to forgive, to choose Jesus," Hank tells the Woodlawn football team. Another scene in the movie shows a stadium full of people holding candles, reminiscent of the Explo '72 event during the Jesus Revolution. "Look around you. We are not alone. This is what happens when God shows up," a speaker says to the racially diverse crowd. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said "the movie is a reminder that today's church leaders are in a very similar generation as the 60s and 70s." He continued, "But the fact is that the Jesus Movement changed them and it changed history. High school- and college-aged students were challenged to embrace Jesus and live counter to the culture. You know, Woodlawn really shows the choice that these young people and all of us have. It is a choice to live with a greater fear or reverence for God than for man. They had to turn their back on the ways of their day and embrace the truth of the Gospel of Christ." The simulcast featured other endorsements and testimonies as well as Prestonwood pastor Jack Graham interviewing one of the lead actors, Caleb Castille, about his call to be in the movie. "What a movie, what a story, and the story is true -- not only what happened in 1973 back home in Alabama, but what has happened in so many hearts and lives in this generation, my generation," Graham, 65, said. "We were a part of this Jesus Revolution. It rocked America," he continued. "The revolution that took place in the ‘60s and ‘70s was a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. We believe that God continues to work in the heart of His people who call out to Him. "I personally believe that you, the generation of today, can be the next great movement of God in this world. We desperately need it," Graham said before inviting those in attendance to commit their lives to Christ as Lord and Savior. Many appeared to respond. Floyd urged simulcast attendees to "embrace fully the vision" of Woodlawn's creators "because I'm convinced that God can do more in a moment than we could ever do in a lifetime." The simulcast will subsequently air multiple times on TBN. Check local listings or visit www.woodlawnmovie.com for details. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Alaska Baptists, at 70-year mark, give thanks by Karen L. Willoughby Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday PALMER, Alaska (BP) -- Constancy, change and unity all were part of the 70th annual meeting of the Alaska Baptist Convention, Sept. 28-30 at First Baptist Church in Palmer. Seventeen pastors were recognized for having between 15 and 28 years of ministry in Alaska, and Executive Director Mike Procter received a resolution of appreciation from Ashley Clayton of the SBC Executive Committee for Procter's 30 years in Alaska. Procter has announced he plans to retire May 1, 2016. "Serving these 30 years has been a tremendous blessing because of the many pastors typified by those who are being recognized in the [convention's] Book of Reports," Procter said. "Many of our pastors serve in very small, rural and out of the way places and they are the true heroes in Alaska Baptist life." With "Thanks be unto God" as the 70th annual meeting's theme, the convention looked back and forward to meeting needs in the United States' northernmost state. "God has laid on my heart that in our convention, Alaska Baptists need to get to the point where we can stand on our own two feet," Todd Burgess, president of the state convention and pastor of First Baptist Church in Eagle River, said in his report to messengers. "We need to remember that God will always provide the resources for the work that He initiates and has called us to do. "It is not NAMB's responsibility to reach Alaskans. It is ours," Burgess continued. "Nobody knows the difficulties and challenges faced in sharing Christ in our state better than those who live and minister here." The 100 Native villages without a Gospel witness remain a major focus of the Alaska convention, as do the people who speak one of the 100-plus non-English languages in the state. Bruce Strickland, Alaska's director of church plantings and missions, has moved from that role to become a NAMB-appointed church planting catalyst with Alaska ethnics. Alan Dial, Native church planting catalyst for the last five years, who retired this summer for health reasons, recounted to the convention "the formidable task of reaching the Native Alaskan population with the Gospel of our Savior" while based in the village of Tok. "We met and shared the Gospel with indigenous Alaskans, natives of Alaska, visitors, immigrants, military, tax evaders, a conspiracy theorist and a man who thought wearing a tin hat would keep 'them' from reading his mind," Dial said. "We have taught, preached, nailed, glued, sawed, held dying hands, cleaned fish, cleaned outhouses, fried moose liver, patched roofs, boiled bark, collected chaga and spruce needles, dragged boats, prayed on piers, in canneries, on boats, in homes, in trucks, on bridges, on the ice, on the water, in schools, in ambulances, in [hospital emergency rooms], in clinics and in the park." Budget & business Alaska's budget, revised last May by the convention's Executive Board as a result of an 18 percent increase in health insurance and other factors, was left unchanged from that revision during the annual meeting. The budget will be revisited during the Executive Board's meeting in November. The budget approved in May, at a 5 percent decrease from that voted on at the 2014 annual meeting, is $1,605,205, an $87,324 decrease from the original 2015 budget of $1,692,529, which was a 1 percent decrease from the 2014 budget. The carry-over revised 2015 budget anticipates $713,808 in Cooperative Program receipts from Alaska churches. This is the third year for Alaska to send 36 percent of its CP dollars to Southern Baptist Convention causes. In 2013 the CP allocation was 33 percent to global causes and 67 percent for missions and ministries in Alaska. "Being on the receiving end of mission support for years, we understand the value of the Cooperative Program," Procter said. "And, if approved in November at the Executive Board meeting, our 2016 budget will have 37 percent going to global missions and 63 percent for missions and ministries in Alaska." Funding from NAMB was budgeted at $807,464; LifeWay Christian Resources, $60,000. The budget includes no shared expenses. Burgess was re-elected to a second one-year term as president. Eric Ash, dean of Wayland Baptist University in Anchorage, was re-elected first vice-president. Eric Jones, pastor of New Birth Christian Church in Fairbanks, was elected second vice president. Judy Rice, a member at First Baptist Church of Anchorage, was reelected recording secretary. No resolutions were presented for a vote by the 109 messengers present from 35 churches. Total attendance at the annual meeting was 167, including 58 guests. The convention encompasses 119 congregations, which includes six new church plants this year, and a total of 17 plants receiving financial support. The 91 churches that filled out their Annual Church Profile reported 517 baptisms, with seven churches that baptized 20 or more. The 91 churches also reported 11,593 members, down 593 from last year. The only other business was in seven changes to the convention's constitution and bylaws to streamline processes and procedures. Messengers also heard reports from state convention entities. The Alaska Baptist Foundation reported $5.7 million in trust, with $72,000 in interest available to the funds it manages. The Alaska Baptist Family Services' name change is nearing completion after a two-year rebranding, reported Executive Director Lorie Morris. The entity now does business as Birchwood Behavioral Health to clarify its mission. "Rebranding will remove existing barriers that have prevented us from reaching unbelievers who need to know Jesus and are in desperate need of God's grace in their troubled lives," Morris reported. "Rebranding will be the vehicle to carry out the board's strategic plan to expand the scope of our services." The expansion includes services for adults in crisis, community-based Christian counseling, marriage counseling and parenting skills development. Burgess, in his message to the convention, asked, "Is it time to ask God for a new vision that will reach people for Christ in our villages as well as our cities? Is it time for change in our convention structure as organized in our current constitution and bylaws? "Is it time," Burgess continued, "to look at the possibility of our state staff operating out of the many empty rooms that exist in our churches, instead of the convention offices on O'Malley Road [in Anchorage]? These, as well as other issues, have arisen from my conversations with pastors and church members over the past year. All the traditions we have in Alaska are good and important as long as they don't hinder what the Lord wants us to do." A sense of unity again permeated the annual meeting this year and its fellowship gatherings at First Baptist Palmer. "Everybody loves the fellowship," said Debra Long, the convention's office manager/bookkeeper, who helped compile information for this report. "We have literally zero contention at the annual meeting. It's pretty uplifting." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Relationships drive prison ministry, NAAF told by Diana Chandler Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday PHILADELPHIA (BP) -- The number 10002648 is ingrained in the memory of Harold Dean Trulear. Whenever he preaches, he recites the number before stating his biblical text. "Because that was my number when I was incarcerated in George W. Hill Correctional Facility," Trulear often says in his outreach as national director of the Healing Communities Prison Ministry and Prisoner Reentry Project of Philadelphia. Trulear, a Morehouse School of Divinity associate professor and Baptist minister, equips Christian churches to build effective prison ministries. "The problem is … most of our prison ministries do outreach to prisons, and not to persons. And half the persons that we reach out to are somebody else's child, while we have mothers and fathers and grandparents that come to church every Sunday with incarcerated children that we've never dealt with," Trulear said at the National African American Fellowship (NAAF) Kingdom Symposium Sept. 29-30 at Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia. "What if we treated sick people and prisoners the same? They're in the same list in Matthew 25," he said. "If you get sick your whole church gets involved, right? Folks visit, folks send cards, they send flowers; the whole church is committed. [But] if you get locked up, you get three volunteers from somebody else's church." He encouraged the 75 pastors and guests at the symposium to build prison ministries based on relationships in addition to physical help. Not only do relationships that are built while citizens are incarcerated help them successfully re-enter society, but prisoners who are visited by pastors in particular have a lower recidivism rate, Trulear said, based on a study by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Most churches have members with incarcerated relatives, he said, pointing to the number of people imprisoned. In the U.S., 2.2 million adults are imprisoned. Among black males, one in nine between the ages of 20 and 34, or more than 10 percent, are in state and federal prisons. Factor in county jails, halfway houses and persons on parole or probation, the number of black males in that age group in the correctional system jumps to 33 percent, he said. "One out of three black men between the ages of 20 and 34 is currently under the supervision of some criminal justice system," he said. Churches can help reduce those numbers by changing the church culture to remove the stigma and shame of incarceration, and by discontinuing the use of terms that identify citizens by their past, such as "ex-con." "Juvenile" is also a term to be avoided, Trulear said, noting that we never use the term in reference to our own children or those we love. He described prisoners as human beings made in the image of God who must be respected as such. "We're trying to say to the church, 'The prisoner is as valuable as the sick person.' If we want to distance ourselves from the prison population, we have to distance ourselves from the Bible," he said, noting Jacob's son Joseph, the prophets Jeremiah and Daniel, John the Baptist, the apostles Peter and Paul, as well as those who escaped prosecution for criminal acts, including King David. Jesus was a prisoner when He died for the sins of humanity, Trulear said. In partnership with several Christian-based groups, the Healing Communities Prison Ministry and Prisoner Reentry Project provides training to churches and has been implemented at more than 20 sites nationally. The program was designed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Scripture mandates prison ministry, Trulear said, suggesting churches begin with outreach to incarcerated family and relatives of their own congregants. "We know the prison population. When I got locked up, I didn't want anybody to know that I was locked up. … Not only did I not want anyone to know I was locked up, I didn't want any brother in prison, in the jail, to know that I was a Christian, let alone that I used to be a pastor," said Trulear, who did not disclose the crime for which he was imprisoned. "And I was pretty good at keeping a secret, until a young man walked down … one day and he said, 'Pastor.' I said, 'Who are you?' "He said, 'I used to play the drums in your church.' I said I don't know you. And he [told] me his mother's name. His mother had been on my staff. I knew [her]," Trulear said. "Before I got off that [prison] block I met seven other guys whose mothers I had pastored. And your church is the same. We all have them, but the shame and the guilt keep us from doing anything." The likelihood of incarceration as a teenager or adult is directly related to the quality of education provided for children, Trulear said. "One of the things that I try to let people know is you can't just reduce the prison population without changing the whole of your society," he said. "You can't just let folk out of prison and there's no work; there's no space, there's nowhere to live, there's no one to love them. And you can't reduce the prison population without proper education for them." Churches must enable the reconciliation, restoration and healing of people who've been victimized by crime, he said. "We don't use the term 'crime victims' anymore; now it is 'crime survivors,'" he said. "If you continue to use the word 'victim,' a person will have a victim mentality, but they need to heal." Churches must become involved in advocacy programs that address the disparities in the delivery of justice in the U.S. based on demographics. For instance, he described the "three strikes and you're out" rule as an intentional bipartisan effort aimed at incarcerating black males. Suburbanites convicted of having two ounces of powder cocaine might receive a two-year prison sentence, while urbanites convicted of having the cheaper rock cocaine might get 15 years to life, he said. "It is a matter of social justice that more black and brown people are incarcerated, that more black and brown people are policed differently and get longer sentences. It's a matter of public policy," he said. "But guess what, you won't do anything about public policy unless you first start by … loving the people who are impacted by the policy." For instance, the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. was fueled by the mistreatment of Rosa Parks, a person, rather than the misapplication of law, Trulear said. Ministries must be driven by a love for people and a desire to build relationships, he noted, rather than simply feeding or clothing people. "It's attitudes, it's relationships, things we already do," he said. "You can serve somebody and not love them. You can serve somebody and not care about them." Trulear is ordained as an American Baptist minister, serves on the pastoral staff of Praise and Glory Tabernacle in Southwest Philadelphia, and is a fellow at the Center for Public Justice in Annapolis, Md. Healing Communities training resources are available for free download at www.healingcommunitiesusa.com under the "About" tab. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Doce Razones para decirle 'no' al Papa (se llame Francisco o de otra forma) by Gerardo Alfaro Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: La columna First-Person (De primera mano) es parte de la edición de hoy de BP en español. Para ver historias adicionales, vaya a bpnews.net/espanol. FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- "Porque se levantarán falsos Cristos, y falsos profetas, y harán grandes señales y prodigios, de tal manera que engañarán, si fuere posible, aun a los escogidos" (Mateo 24:24). 1. La Escritura es suprema palabra de Dios y no comparte la autoridad con nadie ni nada (se llame tradición, magisterios, concilios o papas). 2. Dios tiene una gloria que no comparte con nada ni con nadie (se llame iglesia, María, santos o papas). 3. No hay más que un mediador entre Dios y los hombres: Jesús hombre. Todo otro es un farsante (se llamen santos, María o papas). 4. El único vicario de Jesús es el Espíritu Santo, no ningún Pedro, Juan, Juan Pablo o Francisco. 5. El ser humano no puede colaborar con nada para su salvación. La salvación no se compra con buenas obras, o con obras religiosas. Nuestras obras por más buenas que sean son inmundicia delante de Dios si se ocupan para querer salvarnos. 6. La única obra que Dios acepta para salvación es que creamos en la BUENA OBRA de Jesús al morir por el pecador. El ser humano está muerto en sus pecados y no puede obrar nada para salvarse. Las buenas obras que Dios mira con agrado son aquellas que el humano hace no para salvarse, sino porque ya ha sido salvo. La salvación es algo que Dios regala al que pone su fe en Jesús y su obra (No en misas, rezos, santos, María o papas). 7. La iglesia es y será siempre sierva de la Palabra de Dios nunca señora o madre de ella. 8. La verdadera iglesia no está conformada por la curia y el magisterio romano. La verdadera iglesia son todos los creyentes en Cristo unidos en un solo cuerpo espiritual por el Espíritu Santo. 9. La verdadera misión de la iglesia no incluye el gobernar sobre el mundo en imitación de los gobiernos y naciones humanas. La verdadera misión de la iglesia es la proclamación y la vivencia de la salvación por gracia, siguiendo el patrón de comportamiento del Jesús bíblico y no el de los políticos seculares. 10. La verdadera iglesia de Jesús no lucra ni oprime moral, sexual o económicamente de los desvalidos. No se hace de oídos sordos del abusado, no impone votos de castidad que la Escritura no manda, no protege al depredador sexual. 11. La verdadera iglesia no vende la fe por la comodidad temporal. Tener buenas relaciones con el mundo aunque debe perseguirse con todos los medios cristianos disponibles, no debe imponerse por medio de olvidar la naturaleza única del Dios Trino y del verdadero mensaje del Evangelio de gracia. No podemos aceptar el falso ecumenismo interreligioso. 12. La verdadera iglesia debe decirle no a los gestos simbólicos que no tienen substancia. Ningún rito religioso o sacramento que pretenda humildad o busque popularidad humana deberá suplantar la verdadera y radical obediencia a Dios antes que a los hombres. Solo la gloria de Dios, solo Cristo, solo la Escritura, solo la gracia, solo la fe. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moore: Church must be confessional, 'conversionist' by Tom Strode Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Conservative Christians must be both faithfully distinctive and boldly persuasive in a future America, Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore told an audience in the nation's capital. To fulfill that responsibility, he stated that the church must rebuke prosperity gospel teachers. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, made the comments during an Oct. 14 lecture sponsored by the Institute on Religion and Democracy. IRD is a Christian alliance that seeks to reform the church's role in the public square and has been especially involved in promoting renewal in mainline Protestant denominations. The church must flee the temptation many churches in mainline denominations succumbed to when they began discarding the miracles essential to Christianity and died as a result, Moore told the audience. "Christianity always thrives the best when we have a distinctive word and a distinctive word that is rooted in a specific view of authority," he said, citing the church's witness as "one that brings respect simply because it is willing to bear witness to the truth." Religious conservatism should "be shaped by the Gospel" and "not attempt to hide the strangeness or distinctiveness of the Gospel," Moore said. "We should lean into that and be strange but not crazy." There exists a "temptation and pull to assume evangelical witness will be better equipped to reach 21st-century people if we do not have a distinctive message on sexuality or sexual ethics," he explained. "Nothing could be further from the truth. "We must have a distinctive word in terms of a claim to authority, and we must be willing to bear witness," Moore said. We must not only be a confessional people; "we must be a conversionist people, which means that if we truly believe that the Spirit of God is able to transform someone from sinner to saint, we will be the people who will not hesitate to speak the truth and to speak what often will be unpopular truths." To collaborate with others while remaining distinctive as the people of God requires the church to follow the New Testament model of addressing the world gently while speaking firmly to those destroying the church from within, he said. "[H]eretics and lunatics who are speaking for the church of Jesus Christ must be rebuked by those who are orthodox Christians and not claimed as though they were part of the people of God," Moore said during the question-and-answer session that followed his 32-minute lecture. "We have eternal matters that are resting on this." Followers of Christ should see Christianity not as primarily a political coalition but as "a redemptive mission with political implications," he said. "[T]hat means there are going to be those who agree with us on social and political issues who are nonetheless distorting the Gospel, and they need to be spoken to harshly to protect the flock," Moore told listeners. Currently, that is most often true with prosperity gospel teachers, he said. "The prosperity gospel is not just another form of Christianity," Moore said. "The prosperity gospel is the ancient Canaanite fertility cult that is being brought forward in religious guise." Sizable donations by some prosperity gospel teachers to Christian ministries and causes "often leads Christian ministers to forget our responsibilities to our flock and to the witness of the outside world," he said. "[W]e have exported this sort of heretical prosperity gospel all around the world and compromised our own witness as we have done so." Basing his remarks on the encounter between Jesus and Pilate in John 18, Moore said every generation of Christians should realize "our first allegiance is to the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ, and this Kingdom is being seen right now in the little communities of churches where the Kingdom is showcased." Conservative Christians -- especially younger ones -- must beware of the temptation to withdraw from the public square, he said. "We can assume that somehow we can retreat back into our institutions, not be engaged in the public arena and avoid then a kind of hyper politicization that we have often seen and thereby become even more politicized than generations before," Moore said. "We do not have the luxury of withdrawal. And it is easy to spiritualize such withdrawal." Moore's address was the fifth annual Diane Knippers Lecture, which seeks to provide a model for Christian social witness. The late president of IRD, Knippers passed away 10 years ago. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Playboy's nudity purge addressed by David Roach Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Playboy's decision to remove nude photos from the U.S. print edition of its magazine, pornography opponents say, in no way suggests the company is moving away from the objectification and exploitation of women. "This decision was not a moral one, it was purely business," said Charles Beeghley, a Missouri pastor whose proposal to the Southern Baptist Convention Resolutions Committee this summer eventuated in the convention's statement "on pornography and sexual purity." "It is their attempt to redesign a failing magazine and little more, and if selling nudity becomes profitable again, it will find its way again into the publications." Beeghley, pastor of Blue Summit Baptist Church in Kansas City, told Baptist Press in written comments, "The content may not have nude women, but it will still see women as objects of sex as well as sexual desire." In announcing the move away from full nudity, Playboy Enterprises CEO Scott Flanders told The New York Times naked pictures in a magazine are "just passé at this juncture" because on the Internet "you're now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free." Beginning in March, the magazine "will look more like" popular periodicals "that carry PG-13-type pictures," the Associated Press reported. International editions of the magazine will continue to carry nude photos though Playboy's website has been nude-free since August 2014, AP noted. The move away from full nudity online was followed by a 400 percent increase in monthly unique visitors to Playboy's website, according to AP. The company hopes similar results will follow for its print edition, which has decreased in circulation from 5.6 million in 1975 to some 800,000 today, according to The Times. The SBC resolution on pornography and sexual purity, adopted at the convention's June annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio, expressed "deep grief over the widespread devastation inflicted by the pornography industry" as well as commitment to "purity in thought, word, and deed." The resolution "commend[ed] the good news that Christ is fully able to deliver and restore those who have fallen in sexual sin who look to Him in faith and repentance." In contrast to the resolution's offer of hope, Beeghley said, Playboy is "not reducing the sexual content [of its publications] or desire to feed the sexual drive of young men." Russell Moore, president of Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, cited Playboy's move as further evidence that sexual sin ultimately is unfulfilling. "It shouldn't surprise us that a culture awash in graphic porn would find Playboy dull," Moore wrote in a blog post. "Those with experience counseling in this area have told us for years that pornography is fueled by novelty and the 'high' of the forbidden. What initially seems thrilling ultimately is mundane." Behind the futile search for satisfaction through sexual immorality, Moore said, is a deep-seated and often unrecognized longing for Christ. Individuals pursuing sexual immorality "can't articulate it, and they would be horrified to know it, but, behind all their sexual frenzy, they are looking for a glorious Messiah, Jesus, and His glorious bride, the church. And that's why you will never find an image naked enough to satisfy what you're looking for." Jay Dennis, the leader of Southern Baptists' anti-pornography campaign, told BP Americans generally lack fulfillment despite the culture's profession to have achieved Playboy's mission of "personal freedom and sexual liberty." "Where is the promise of bliss, happiness and nothing but pleasure for those who buy into the Playboy philosophy?" Dennis, co-sponsor of the Join One Million Men campaign, said in written comments. "... So this is what sexual liberty looks like? Not according to God. That Seventh Commandment, 'You shall not commit adultery' (which covers any kind of sexual sin), was placed there by a loving God who wanted to protect us and provide a way for real, even supernatural sexual freedom. "God is all for sexual freedom," Dennis said. "That's why He placed the boundaries of marriage around it. Whatever Playboy does or doesn't do won't change God's plan and promise." Launched at the 2013 SBC annual meeting in Houston, Join One Million Men is seeking commitments from 1 million men to live pornography-free lives. The ERLC and the Woman's Missionary Union sponsored the initiative along with Dennis, pastor of First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Fla. Join One Million Men is expanding its ministry to the Spanish-speaking world, Dennis said, and will soon publish a Christian leader's manual on pornography-related issues in Spanish. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. noted the "pervasive" nature of pornography "in the Internet age" and called Playboy "a victim of its own success." "The headlines announcing Playboy would no longer feature nude photographs of women looked like good news," Mohler wrote in an Internet commentary, "but the underlying story is horrifying in moral terms. Playboy did open the floodgates and pornography now pervades the entire culture." Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's "moral philosophy and its underlying theology are now mainstream in America," Mohler wrote. -------------------------------------------------------------------- En Honduras, ofrenda para el hambre ayuda a mayas agricultores de maíz by Ann Lovell Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday LAS MEDIAS DOS, Honduras (BP) -- Lucio, un agricultor chortí de 23 años, emerge del seto con machete en mano. Él ha estado cuidando el terreno en preparación para la siguiente temporada de siembra de maíz. En el pasado, la erosión de la tierra complicaba sus esfuerzos y hacía su finca menos productiva. "Labraba la tierra con azadón, [y] la tierra rodaba cuesta abajo cuando llovía," dijo Lucio. "Ahora hay mejoría con las barreras … porque la tierra que rueda para en las barreras. En el pasado, la gente no pensaba en eso … pero es una gran ayuda para la tierra." Las "barreras" son setos de legumbres que fijan el nitrógeno, un componente clave en la técnica agrícola llamada Tecnología para las tierras agrícolas en pendiente (SALT por sus siglas en inglés). Lucio aprendió la técnica cuando estudiaba en el Centro de Desarrollo Agrícola Chortí en Cabañas, Honduras, un centro sin fines de lucro que recibe una porción de su financiamiento de Alivio al Hambre Mundial y de Respuesta Global Bautista (BGR por sus siglas en inglés). Los bautistas del sur tienen la oportunidad de combatir el hambre a través de una ofrenda especial a Alivio al Hambre Mundial el domingo 11 de octubre. BGR, un ministerio bautista del sur de ayuda y desarrollo, usa el 100 por ciento de las ofrendas para que Alivio al Hambre Mundial llene las necesidades de hambre entre los chortíes y alrededor del mundo. Los chortíes son una etnia maya que vive en el oeste de Honduras y el este de Guatemala. Como líder comunitario, Lucio también está enseñando a otros en su pueblo sobre SALT -- que fue desarrollado primero en el sur de Filipinas para ayudar a los agricultores de subsistencia a mejorar el rendimiento de los cultivos y para darles a sus familias una mejor vida. "Traje fotos del proyecto, y les mostré las mejoras vistas [en el centro] antes de comenzar aquí," dijo Lucio. "Cuando comencé aquí … me preguntaron lo que hacía, si producía algo bueno para comer. Les dije que era para mantener la tierra y para proveer nutrientes que la tierra necesitaba." Con SALT, la salud del cultivo ha mejorado, lo que les provee a la familia de Lucio y a otros en la comunidad una mejor calidad de vida. El maíz ya no necesita fertilizante para crecer; los costos agrícolas se han reducido y la cosecha ha aumentado. Gracias a un silo provisto en parte a través de las ofrendas de Alivio al Hambre Mundial, Lucio también tiene una manera de almacenar el maíz. La temporada pasada, cosechó 545 kilos y vendió 270 kilos de maíz. Él solamente necesita 90 kilos para alimentar a su familia, y el silo le permite almacenar el resto para venderlo después. "Ya que hay tiempos en los que el valor del maíz sube, podemos almacenarlo cuando la cosecha es Buena … y venderlo cuando es el tiempo correcto," dijo Lucio. El joven padre de dos también toma muy en serio su trabajo como líder comunitario. "Estoy entrenando a un buen número de personas," dijo Lucio. "Como líder, debo informarle a la comunidad sobre los proyectos o las cosas que son de beneficio para la comunidad. … Algunos ya piensan que ha habido mejoría desde que comencé a liderar." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Floyd: Un despertar causaría una 'reinvención estratégica' by Art Toalston Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) – Fusionar la Junta de Misiones Internacionales (IMB) con la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas (NAMB) es una cuestión clave que los bautistas del sur deben abordar si llegara a su red de iglesias el despertar por el que tanto han orado. Ronnie Floyd, el presidente de la Convención Bautista del Sur, presentó esta situación en su discurso dentro del simposio sobre "La CBS y el Siglo XXI: Reflexión, Renovación y Compromiso Renovado" el 28 y 29 de septiembre en el Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, en Kansas City, Mo. "La renovación espiritual lleva hacia la reinvención estratégica," dijo Floyd en su discurso titulado "Encendiendo de Nuevo el Don de Dios: Renovación Espiritual, Renovación Estratégica y la Convención Bautista del Sur." "La estructura y los sistemas fluyen de la obra de Dios; no crean la obra de Dios," dijo Floyd, pastor principal de Cross Church en el noroeste de Arkansas, y quien fue uno de los siete conferencistas del simposio. "Yo no hablo como alguien que no entiende nuestra historia ni como un recién llegado haciendo preguntas que no son realmente relevantes," dijo Floyd, citando numerosas maneras en las que él mismo ha estado involucrado en la vida bautista del sur desde finales de la década de 1980. Algunas de las maneras en que se ha involucrado son: presidente del Comité Ejecutivo de la CBS, presidente de la Conferencia para Pastores y, más recientemente, presidente de la Fuerza de Trabajo sobre la Resurgencia de la Gran Comisión. "Aún así, siempre he sido una persona que nunca ha temido retarnos en lo que hacemos, por qué lo hacemos, e incluso en la manera que hemos seguido haciéndolo," dijo Floyd señalando, "no tenemos que demonizar a nadie que haga preguntas si tienen un espíritu correcto." Floyd presentó varias "preguntas desafiantes" que enfrentarán los bautistas del sur "mientras encendamos de nuevo el don de Dios y experimentemos momentos de renovación." "Yo propondré más preguntas más allá de mi propia opinión, incluso cuando no tenga un punto de vista sobre la mayoría de ellas," dijo Floyd. "La mayoría de estas preguntas ya las han escuchado, pero quizás algunas de ellas nunca han llegado hasta la esfera pública," continuó. "Creo que sería un acto negligente de mi parte que no comparta algunas de estas preguntas importantes para ser consideradas por esta generación de bautistas del sur, siendo que estoy abordando el tema que se me ha asignado." Algunas de las preguntas de Floyd son: --"¿Existimos para preservar nuestra marca, estructura y sistemas actuales, o existimos para avanzar en llevar el Evangelio juntos regionalmente, a nivel estatal, nacional e internacionalmente?" La Convención Bautista del Sur, fundada en 1845, pudiera dejarse llevar hacia un enfoque en estructuras, presupuestos y competencia de proyectos "en vez de mantener nuestro enfoque en nuestra misión de alcanzar al mundo," dijo Floyd. Si, con el tiempo, los bautistas del sur perdemos "nuestra identidad y nuestra razón de ser… esto conlleva a tener gente y líderes que nos dejen y se lleven su apoyo y visión a otros lugares y ministerios," dijo. --"Por la causa del avance del Evangelio, ¿deben convertirse en una sola agencia misionera -la Junta de Misiones Globales-, la Junta de Misiones Internacionales (IMB) y la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas (NAMB)?" Una razón por la cual nunca se ha creado una sola agencia misionera, dijo Floyd, nace de los roles específicos de la JMI y la JMN. Pero reflexionó sobre si estos dos roles son necesarios "dentro de la cultura global que experimentamos a diario y con la realidad de que hay etnociudades por todo el mundo… [C]on una mentalidad indudablemente global en la América de hoy, ¿sigue siendo ésta la estrategia correcta?" El futuro de las dos juntas misioneras de la CBS, dijo Floyd, involucrará una decisión sobre la mejor manera de "acelerar la misión de nuestras iglesias" para avanzar el Evangelio entre las etnicidades del mundo. --"¿Tienen futuro las convenciones estatales en la vida bautista del sur?" Se necesita tener "soldados en la zona de combate" para ayudar a las iglesias a cumplir su misión, dijo Floyd, sugiriendo que las convenciones estatales y las asociaciones locales bautistas tendrán relevancia al optimizar su misión para "servir a nuestras iglesias para que cumplan con la responsabilidad asignada por Dios de ir, bautizar y hacer discípulos de todas las naciones." Las convenciones estatales, las asociaciones y las entidades de la CBS, añadió, "deben encontrar una manera de ponerle fin a la duplicación y triplicación local, estatal y nacionalmente." --"¿Cómo financiaremos nuestra obra en el futuro, de la manera más efectiva?" Floyd señaló que el Programa Cooperativo de los bautistas del sur para el apoyo de las misiones y ministerio en cada estado y por todo el país y por el mundo fue fundado hace 90 años. "No creo que nuestros antecesores tenían miedo que las iglesias hicieran preguntas difíciles sobre nuestro futuro financiero y la obra del Evangelio que hacemos juntos," dijo. "Si ellos no se hubieran hecho esa pregunta… no habría un Programa Cooperativo hoy en día." Para fortalecer el Programa Cooperativo, Floyd lanzó un llamado para "renovar la enseñanza bíblica de la mayordomía en nuestro pueblo, llamándoles valientemente para que ofrenden el 10 por ciento en la iglesia"; para que las iglesias "den con más sacrificio que nunca a través de nuestro Programa Cooperativo cada año, comenzando lo antes posible"; y para que las convenciones estatales "consideren la opción de ir mitad y mitad [en su presupuesto, la mitad para la convención estatal y la otra mitad para la CBS] al fin del año 2020 o incluso antes." "Si hiciéramos estas cosas específicas simultáneamente… veríamos una explosión misionera estatal, nacional y mundial," dijo Floyd. "Debemos negarnos a perder financieramente lo que Dios nos ha dado bíblicamente y misioneramente." Floyd añadió un llamado para "una estrategia intencional para enlistar a otras iglesias en los Estados Unidos para que se unan a la convención" porque muchas iglesias "tienen la capacidad de que nos convirtamos en su casa." "Si están de acuerdo con nosotros bíblicamente al apegarse al Fe y Mensaje Bautistas 2000, están de acuerdo con nosotros misioneramente hablando, en la manera en que avanzamos el Evangelio regional, estatal, nacional e internacionalmente, y están de acuerdo con nosotros en la manera en que apoyamos nuestra obra financieramente y están dispuestos a unírsenos en esta gran tarea, entonces tenemos que abrirles las puertas," dijo Floyd. "Incluso sugeriría que publiquemos esta estrategia en el internet, creando una página titulada 'Únanse a la Convención Bautista del Sur' y ponemos un enlace en cada uno de nuestras convenciones y nuestras [páginas de internet] de la Convención Bautista del Sur," dijo Floyd. También sugirió que la convención estatal y las páginas de internet de la CBS "creen la opción de ofrendar en línea para el uso de nuestras iglesias… [porque vivimos] en este mundo en línea." --¿Hay algo nuevo que necesitamos crear hoy y en el futuro que ayude a nuestras iglesias en su misión de ir, bautizar y hacer discípulos a todas las naciones?" Los bautismos no deben obstaculizarse por el "¿cuánto va a costar?" si no enfocarse en "¿a quién alcanzarán?" dijo Floyd. "¿Qué tal si tuviéramos un elemento de compasión en nuestra convención que abarque todo lo que hacemos en el presente y todo lo que podemos hacer en el futuro, todo en una entidad?" preguntó esto con referencia a las entidades de ayuda en desastres, ayuda en hambrunas y otras entidades bautistas del sur. "Les propongo, que si se hace efectivamente, pudiera tener la capacidad a largo plazo de ser autosuficiente. ¿Por qué? Porque los bautistas están apoyando una parte de esto ahora a través de lo que ya estamos haciendo, y están ayudando a pagarlo a través de otros que no son ministerios bautistas. "Además, podría colocar nuestro poderoso mensaje del Evangelio en esta cultura sin Cristo que usualmente está abierta a apreciar ministerios de compasión," dijo Floyd. En su conclusión, Floyd señaló que los bautistas del sur dieron "justo más de $7 billones en la última década" a través del Programa Cooperativo y de las ofrendas anuales misioneras de la JMI y la JMN. "Sabiendo lo que sabemos sobre nuestro pasado y el presente, así como el contar con los recursos de las iglesias, la gente, la influencia, el alcance y los dólares," preguntó Floyd, "¿cómo podemos nivelarlo todo en pos del propósito del avance del Evangelio en una manera sin precedentes, y llegar a lugares donde el Evangelio nunca ha ido antes regional, estatal, nacional y globalmente?" -------------------------------------------------------------------- Destino de las clínicas de aborto está a la espera de los tribunales by Tom Strode Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- El destino de múltiples clínicas de aborto espera la consideración de la Corte Suprema de EE.UU. El tribunal superior tiene la oportunidad de decidir este término, el cual se abrió el 5 de octubre, si los gobiernos estatales pueden promulgar leyes que resultarían en el cierre de la mayoría de las clínicas de abortos o inclusive de la única que quede en el estado. Además del aborto, los jueces también van a considerar asuntos tales como la pena de muerte y la acción afirmativa en este término, que concluirá a inicios del próximo verano. La Corte Suprema todavía tiene que decidir si va a revisar los fallos de la Corte de Apelaciones del Quinto Circuito en New Orleans sobre regulaciones al aborto promulgadas en Mississippi y Texas, sin embargo la incertidumbre se espera que finalice pronto. El tribunal superior tiene probabilidades de hacer una decisión acerca de si acepta las apelaciones a las decisiones del tribunal inferior durante su conferencia el 6 de noviembre, de acuerdo a la Alianza de Defensa de la Libertad (ADF por sus siglas en inglés). Russell Moore, presidente de la Comisión de Libertad Religiosa y Ética (ERLC por sus siglas en inglés) de los bautistas del sur, le dijo a Baptist Press que está orando para que los jueces acepten los casos y emitan "un juicio consistente con la vida y la dignidad humana." "La Corte Suprema tiene una oportunidad de defender los derechos de millones de mujeres y niños en contra de las prácticas depredadoras de los ladrones capitalistas de la industria del aborto," dijo Moore en comentarios escritos. "Estos casos van más allá de los típicos límites de la derecha vs. la izquierda y hablan de la necesidad de proteger a nuestros prójimos de la avaricia y la explotación." Steven Aden, asesor de ADF, le dijo a BP en una entrevista telefónica el 12 de octubre: "Estoy más esperanzado de que la Corte Suprema tome estos casos de aborto, o por lo menos uno de ellos, de lo que he estado en un tiempo." El interés de los jueces ha sido señalado por el hecho de que han programado el caso de Mississippi para conferencia siete veces comenzando en la primavera, dijo Aden. También, es tiempo de otra sentencia sobre el aborto, le dijo a BP. El tribunal superior no ha pronunciado un dictamen sobre el aborto desde 2007, cuando mantuvo la prohibición al aborto por nacimiento parcial. "Este es el más largo período de sequía del que soy consciente en el que la Corte Suprema no ha tomado un caso de aborto," dijo Aden, director del Centro para las Alianzas de la Vida de ADF. "Así que está muy atrasado." La ley de Mississippi requiere que los doctores abortistas tengan privilegios de admisión en un hospital cercano en caso de que una mujer necesite una hospitalización de emergencia. Esa regla resultaría en que la única instalación abortiva que queda en el estado, la cual está en Jackson, salga del negocio. La ley de Texas tiene el mismo tipo de requisito para los doctores abortistas pero también obliga a las clínicas de abortos a que reúnan los estándares de salud y seguridad de los otros centros quirúrgicos ambulatorios. Esa ley reduce el número de instalaciones abortivas en el estado de lo que hubiera sido 40 a menos de 10. La Corte del Quinto Circuito estuvo de acuerdo con el juez federal que decretó que la ley de Mississippi constituía una "carga indebida" al acceso de la mujer al aborto porque la última clínica en el estado tendría que cerrar. La corte de apelaciones, sin embargo, mantuvo la ley de Texas. La Corte Suprema bloqueó la implementación de la ley de Texas mientras el proceso de apelación continúa. El tribunal superior estableció el estándar de la "carga indebida" sobre el aborto en su veredicto de 1992 de Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, el cual permitió regulaciones estatales si no ponían obstáculos excesivos a las mujeres. Ese fallo también reafirmó la decisión de 1973 Roe v. Wade, que legalizó el aborto a nivel nacional. Las preguntas, dijo Aden, en el caso de Mississippi incluyen: "¿Es una carga indebida automática en violación de Casey que un estado aplique regulaciones de salud y seguridad que lleven a que no queden clínicas? ¿O puede Mississippi confiar en la disponibilidad de instalaciones cercanas de abortos al otro lado de las fronteras, como en Memphis; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; New Orleans; y decir que las mujeres pueden tener acceso allá?" Otra pregunta, le dijo él a BP, "es si Roe vs. Wade y Planned Parenthood vs. Casey deben ser revisados por la Corte Suprema." El retraso en el caso de Mississippi parece indicar que los jueces están determinados a considerarlo con el de Texas, dijo Aden, lo que lleva a algunos observadores a pensar que es posible que "uno o más de los miembros de la corte quiera tener la oportunidad de ir por todo, sea que Roe y Casey todavía sean viables o si deben ser revocados o vueltos a tratar." Una mayoría de la Corte Suprema, dijo Aden, parece "abierta a medidas razonables y racionales de salud y seguridad que protejan a las mujeres, porque creo que reconocen que el so llamado derecho al acceso al aborto tiene que ser tomado o acomodado en el entendimiento de que los estados tienen la responsabilidad y la autoridad constitucional de proteger a las ciudadanas de proveedores médicos inescrupulosos." "No creo que se vaya a ver un caso en el cual la Corte Suprema eleve la disponibilidad del aborto sobre la regulación del estado de la salud y la seguridad, porque eso equivaldría a que la Corte Suprema constitucionalizara de nuevo el aborto clandestino," le dijo a BP. Estas "medidas razonables y de sentido común" en Mississippi y Texas "se aplicarían a todas las otras formas de cirugía ambulatoria," dijo Aden. "Creo que por esa razón la Corte Suprema aprobará [las leyes]." El Weekly, el comentario y resumen de noticias de la ERLC, reportó en su edición del 9 de octubre, que la Corte Suprema dictaminará en otros asuntos sociales en este término: -- El castigo capital podría ser un tema en casos de Kansas que involucran requerimientos de sentencias e instrucciones de jurado en un dictamen del tribunal superior del estado para rescindir algunas sentencias de muerte. En el último período, dos jueces de la Corte Suprema escribieron que es tiempo de reconsiderar la constitucionalidad de la pena de muerte. El tribunal superior escuchó argumentos orales sobre los casos el 7 de octubre. -- La acción afirmativa en las admisiones universitarias será considerada cuando los jueces oigan argumentos orales el 9 de diciembre. La corte decidirá si la política de sensibilidad racial de la Universidad para los solicitantes es constitucional. -------------------------------------------------------------------- De budista zen a plantador de iglesias by Keila Díaz/Florida Baptist Witness Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday MIAMI, Fla. (BP) -- Aldo León, quien se describe a sí mismo como un chico cubano-estadounidense-miamense, recientemente se trasladó de nuevo a Miami desde Los Ángeles para plantar la Iglesia Reconciliación Miami (Reconcile Church Miami) con el propósito de alcanzar a los perdidos en el sur del condado Dade. León, de 33 años, casado y padre de dos, no fue siempre tan apasionado por el evangelio. Dice que creció en un hogar que "no era nada religioso," y en la universidad tuvo profesores muy liberales que alimentaron su disgusto por la religión -- el cristianismo en particular. "Tomé cursos de justicia criminal, y el profesor atacaba a los cristianos, y me lo tragué todo," dijo León. Cuando estaba en sus 20s, León tuvo una novia -- ahora su esposa -- que era cristiana. Cada vez que ella lo invitaba a la iglesia o a hablar de Dios, dijo él, se peleaban. "Ese era el alcance de nuestras conversaciones acerca de religión," dijo. León se involucró en el boxeo y cuando entrenó y tomó más en serio el deporte, sus entrenadores le sugirieron que leyera sobre budismo zen porque algunos de sus aspectos podrían ser beneficiosos para su boxeo. "Yo quería ser un gran luchador, y de verdad me metí en esta religión," dijo León. Compró todos los libros, leyó todos los artículos, miró todos los videos y realmente profundizó en el budismo zen. En medio de sus estudios llegó a un capítulo que sugería que los occidentales se familiarizaran con Jesús; para los budistas, Jesús es otro ser iluminado. León tomó en sus manos el Nuevo Testamento para aprender de Jesús como lo sugería el libro. "No porque yo estuviera buscando al Jesús de la Biblia, sino al idolátrico Jesús del budismo," dijo. Todo cambió después de eso. "Algo me pasó que no he superado desde entonces," dijo León. "Comencé a creer Io que estaba escrito sobre Cristo. Fue muy extraño para mí porque realmente no estaba buscando a Jesús, pero él me encontró. "Un mes antes yo discutía con mi esposa y la arrancaba de su fe, y al siguiente me encuentro batallando para estar en las verdades bíblicas y morales." Todo eso sucedió en 2007. Después de completar su educación ministerial en el Master's Seminary en Los Ángeles, León regresó a Miami con el deseo de plantar una iglesia. "Sentía la necesidad de atacar áreas de gran necesidad [del evangelio] y de hacerlo con pasión," dijo. Conversaciones con Al Fernández, catalizador regional de la Convención Bautista de Florida y José Abella, pastor líder de la Iglesia Providence Road en Miami, confirmaron el llamado de Dios a León para plantar en Miami. La Iglesia Reconciliación Miami está programada para ser inaugurada en octubre. Gary Johnson, director de misiones de la Asociación Bautista de Miami, escuchó la historia de León durante una reunión de noticias de trabajo en julio. Él sintió que era una de esas historias que simplemente tenían que ser compartidas. Johnson, sin embargo, estaba más interesado en ver a León unirse a la Asociación Bautista de Miami -- como muchos otros pastores milenios están haciendo. León dijo que unirse a la Asociación Bautista de Miami tuvo sentido porque la plantación de iglesias no es algo que se pueda hacer solo. No solamente eso, sino ser parte de una asociación lo hace a él y a su iglesia parte de algo mucho más grande que ellos mismos, y eso es importante para él. León indicó que frecuentemente piensa en las similitudes entre la historia de su conversión y la del apóstol Pablo. Aunque el aspecto del budismo zen de su conversión es interesante, él dice que lo que realmente lo impulsa a compartir el evangelio es darse cuenta lo perdido que estaba antes y lo milagrosamente que fue salvado -- muy parecido a Pablo. "Nunca me he recuperado del hecho de que yo era una persona que estaba perdida y ahora soy salvo," dijo León. "Cuando converso con los perdidos, hay empatía y entendimiento del punto en el que están. "Algunos cristianos no saben cómo tener una conversación con una persona perdida, y pueden decir cosas impersonales pero realmente no conectan. Cuando los individuos [perdidos] preguntan y dicen las cosas difíciles que algunos individuos [perdidos] dicen, puedo responder a eso." -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Doce Razones para decirle NO al Papa (se llame Francisco o de otra forma) by Gerardo Alfaro Date: October 16, 2015 - Friday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- "Porque se levantarán falsos Cristos, y falsos profetas, y harán grandes señales y prodigios, de tal manera que engañarán, si fuere posible, aun a los escogidos" (Mateo 24:24). 1. La Escritura es suprema palabra de Dios y no comparte la autoridad con nadie ni nada (se llame tradición, magisterios, concilios o papas). 2. Dios tiene una gloria que no comparte con nada ni con nadie (se llame iglesia, María, santos o papas). 3. No hay más que un mediador entre Dios y los hombres: Jesús hombre. Todo otro es un farsante (se llamen santos, María o papas). 4. El único vicario de Jesús es el Espíritu Santo, no ningún Pedro, Juan, Juan Pablo o Francisco. 5. El ser humano no puede colaborar con nada para su salvación. La salvación no se compra con buenas obras, o con obras religiosas. Nuestras obras por más buenas que sean son inmundicia delante de Dios si se ocupan para querer salvarnos. 6. La única obra que Dios acepta para salvación es que creamos en la BUENA OBRA de Jesús al morir por el pecador. El ser humano está muerto en sus pecados y no puede obrar nada para salvarse. Las buenas obras que Dios mira con agrado son aquellas que el humano hace no para salvarse, sino porque ya ha sido salvo. La salvación es algo que Dios regala al que pone su fe en Jesús y su obra ( No en misas, rezos, santos, María o papas). 7. La iglesia es y será siempre sierva de la Palabra de Dios nunca señora o madre de ella. 8. La verdadera iglesia no está conformada por la curia y el magisterio romano. La verdadera iglesia son todos los creyentes en Cristo unidos en un solo cuerpo espiritual por el Espíritu Santo. 9. La verdadera misión de la iglesia no incluye el gobernar sobre el mundo en imitación de los gobiernos y naciones humanas. La verdadera misión de la iglesia es la proclamación y la vivencia de la salvación por gracia, siguiendo el patrón de comportamiento del Jesús bíblico y no el de los políticos seculares. 10. La verdadera iglesia de Jesús no lucra ni oprime moral, sexual o económicamente de los desvalidos. No se hace de oídos sordos del abusado, no impone votos de castidad que la Escritura no manda, no protege al depredador sexual. 11. La verdadera iglesia no vende la fe por la comodidad temporal. Tener buenas relaciones con el mundo aunque debe perseguirse con todos los medios cristianos disponibles, no debe imponerse por medio de olvidar la naturaleza única del Dios Trino y del verdadero mensaje del Evangelio de gracia. No podemos aceptar el falso ecumenismo interreligioso. 12. La verdadera iglesia debe decirle no a los gestos simbólicos que no tienen substancia. Ningún rito religioso o sacramento que pretenda humildad o busque popularidad humana deberá suplantar la verdadera y radical obediencia a Dios antes que a los hombres. Solo la gloria de Dios, solo Cristo, solo la Escritura, solo la gracia, solo la fe.