The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/29/2009 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Clinton opposes Islamic 'defamation of religions' push by Tom Strode Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday WASHINGTON (BP)--Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke forcefully against international efforts to adopt policies outlawing the defamation of religions while presenting the Obama administration's first report on global religious freedom. The State Department issued its annual assessment of the conditions for religious expression in 198 countries, the first such report since President Obama took office in January. The report, issued Oct. 26, demonstrates there have been both positive and negative trends in the last year, a State Department official told reporters. Clinton, in introducing the report, took the opportunity to express her disapproval of the defamation of religions movement. Led by the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the effort promotes the condemnation of messages that defame religions and can lead to violence. "[S]ome claim that the best way to protect the freedom of religion is to implement so-called anti-defamation policies that would restrict freedom of expression and the freedom of religion. I strongly disagree," Clinton said. "The United States will always seek to counter negative stereotypes of individuals based on their religion and will stand against discrimination and persecution. But an individual's ability to practice his or her religion has no bearing on others' freedom of speech," Clinton told reporters. "The protection of speech about religion is particularly important since persons of different faiths will inevitably hold divergent views on religious questions. These differences should be met with tolerance, not with the suppression of discourse." The American experience shows "the best antidote to intolerance is not the defamation of religions approach of banning and punishing offensive speech but, rather, a combination of robust legal protections against discrimination and hate crimes, proactive government outreach to minority religious groups and the vigorous defense of both freedom of religion and expression," Clinton said. The OIC may introduce a defamation of religions resolution at the United Nations any day, according to an Oct. 28 report by the American Center for Law and Justice. Such a resolution "stifles the religious freedoms of millions of Christians around the world," ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow said. It could encourage U.N. members to enact laws barring defamation of religions, empowering Islamic states that seek to ban the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus, he said. The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted in March a defamation of religions resolution with a plurality, not a majority, of its 47 members in support. The non-binding resolution, which cited only Islam as a specific target, urges countries to protect "against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred in general." If the U.N. were to make such language binding, "it would suck the life's blood out of religious freedom and freedom of speech in countries around the world," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, after the council's vote. "It must be vigorously opposed by all who love freedom and liberty." The positive trends noted in the new State Department report included the interfaith work initiated by some countries, said Michael Posner, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor. Among the negative trends, Posner said, are "blasphemy laws, tremendous interfaith tensions in many societies, ... more restrictions by government ministries on the right of religious groups to register, to receive funds.... We see that in a lot of the Central Asian republics ... greater control by government officials prohibiting free expression of religion, and particularly for non-majority religions." On questions about individual countries at the Oct. 26 news conference, Posner included the following assessments from the report: -- China is marked by "a number of very troubling developments," especially its treatment of Buddhist monks in Tibet. The "rapidly growing Christian community" under the communist regime is an encouragement, Posner said. "A percentage, but not a majority, are in ... churches recognized by the state. But somewhere between 50 and 90 million people practice Christianity in unrecognized churches that are not registered in many cases. And so what we're trying to do is encourage the Chinese government to recognize and allow people of faith, of various faiths, to practice." -- In Cuba, "marginal change" may be occurring, "but the overall picture is really grim," Posner said. "[T]here has been a gradual softening in terms of the ability of Christian, Catholic and other religious groups to operate in Cuba. But it's against that larger backdrop of a society that still denies human rights on a daily basis." -- In Saudi Arabia, religious liberty "remains a subject of great concern," Posner said. "People aren't allowed to openly practice their religion if they're not Muslim. There is still a religious police that interrupts people even in private settings.... [A]nd we have still the concerns about the textbooks which continue to be disseminated not only in Saudi Arabia but around the world ... which still contain things that we consider beyond the pale." The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a bipartisan panel that makes policy recommendations to the State Department and Congress, commended the department and its overseas diplomats for their work but called for action by the Obama administration. "To date, President Obama has raised religious freedom in his speeches abroad without those sentiments being translated into concrete policy actions, and our hope is that this report will be the administration's call to action," USCIRF Chairman Leonard Leo said in a written release. "This report can serve as a solid baseline for determining effective U.S. policy toward severe religious freedom violators. The report makes clear that the United States must do more to ensure reforms are made and implemented." USCIRF called on the State Department quickly to designate its "countries of particular concern," a classification reserved for the world's worst violators of religious liberty, and to enact policies to bring change under those regimes. The State Department will attempt to make those designations by January, Posner said. Eight countries -- Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan -- are now on the CPC list, designated by outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in January. In its annual report in May, USCIRF recommended that five other countries -- Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam -- be named CPCs. Though USCIRF makes recommendations for the CPC list, only the State Department gives countries that designation. Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J., a leading congressional voice for religious freedom and human rights internationally, urged Obama to select soon an ambassador at large for international religious freedom, saying a strong person in that position "would send a message to oppressors all over the world -- and their would-be victims -- that religious freedom continues to be a high priority in American foreign policy." Richard Land is one of USCIRF's nine commissioners. --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WorldCrafts changes distraught lives by Staff Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP)--Lives are being turned from darkness to light in more than 30 countries through WorldCrafts, an ongoing artisan ministry coordinated by Woman's Missionary Union. As the Christmas gift-giving season approaches, WMU encourages Southern Baptists to consider WorldCrafts, to support a ministry that has helped thousands of neglected women embrace fulfilling careers as artisans. "WorldCrafts is about more than social good. WorldCrafts is concerned with transformed lives, homes and communities," said Andrea Mullins, director of WorldCrafts. "With each and every gift purchase, you are helping artisans across the world escape poverty and discover a living hope." WorldCrafts pays artisans a fair price that covers not only their costs but also ensures sustainable production, Mullins, said. WMU encourages artisans to set prices that allow them to invest in the growth of their business. "We provide partial advance on payments to the artisans that allows them to hire more people and purchase the raw materials needed," Mullins said. "We are committed to our artisans for the long term to maintain certain levels of product orders, investing in product development for long-term planning as well as sustainable production practices. These standards guarantee impoverished families hope for a better life." In three vignettes this fall, WMU has featured three women whose lives that were changed through WorldCrafts, providing snapshots of the success of the artisan endeavors. WorldCrafts’ Set1Free campaign highlights various artisan groups working to end sexual exploitation and human trafficking among the world's poor. In India, women and children who live in poverty are at risk of being trapped in the country's sex trade industry, facing lives where they are denied some of the most basic freedoms. WMU featured Menaka, a woman who 30 years ago was a 13-year-old girl in a refugee camp, a victim of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Disgusted by the conditions of the camp, Menaka sought a better life by escaping to Calcutta, where she thought she could get a job as a housemaid. Instead of landing the job she expected, Menaka found herself sold to a brothel for $20. Her first customer drugged her and raped her as she tried again to escape. In 2001, after years in bondage, Menaka became one of the original 20 employees of an artisan business called Freeset, which is a WMU partner. Now Menaka sews high-quality jute bags, available for purchase through WorldCrafts. Freeset employs women on the basis of their need for freedom rather than the skills they have to offer. A woman must be in the sex trade or be the daughter of a woman in the trade to qualify for a job at the business, which is located in a red-light district. The women are trained, paid a fair wage, taught to read and write, and signed up for health insurance and a pension fund. WMU said a milestone for each employee is reached when she is able to sign her own name for her paycheck. A few years ago, Menaka journeyed home to find her mother, and the two were reunited. Now she wants to see as many women as possible set free from the bondage of prostitution, WMU said. Another story comes from Nepal, where Sara and Cara were teenagers working in a dance bar, being sexually exploited by the customers. Bimala, founder of an artisan business called Higher Ground, approached them two years ago and offered them the opportunity to trade that lifestyle in for training and salaried jobs making jewelry. Cara accepted the offer two weeks later and now follows Christ as a 19-year-old high school-educated artisan. Sara opted to remain at the dance bar and try to raise her infant son on the minimal wages she received. But recently she contacted Cara about joining her as an artisan, WMU said. Now 21, Sara is working at Higher Ground with a good salary and a scholarship for her son. She also is learning how to manage her time and money and care for her child. Her story, though, does include a period when she considered going back to the dance bar for more money. Higher Ground counseled her against that option but allowed her to choose whether to remain an artisan or return to her previous lifestyle. She decided to stay and has renounced her previous job. WMU also highlighted Jo, a woman in Thailand who recounted her story firsthand. She had a husband and children but sought a house in order to gain approval from her friends. She and her husband ran into overwhelming debt as they tried to construct the house, and he left to work abroad for three years. The geographical distance between the couple caused their marriage to deteriorate, and infidelity eventually wrecked both of their lives. Jo found herself in Thailand's sex industry, living with people who were hooked on drugs. She recounted walking along the beach looking for a Buddha idol to pray with because she had no hope left in life. As she was working in a bar in Bangkok, some people from an artisan business named The Well came in to tell her about the opportunities available to her. She quit her job at the bar and now makes traditional Thai textiles and jewelry. "I started following Jesus and repented from my past," Jo said. "God has changed me. The world forgot me, but now I have a new life with Jesus. I love to work with Him, study His words and pray to Him. Old Jo has died. I'm a new person. Thank God for His cleansing love. I would like to go back to my village and share Jesus with them." In order to support women like these, WMU encourages American women to help in four specific ways. First, host a WorldCrafts party featuring samples of artisans' goods as instructed on the WorldCrafts website, worldcraftsvillage.com. Also, pray for the artisans and consider donating to the endowment that helps make the ministry possible. Obviously, a fourth way to help is to shop. WMU recommends browsing through the items on the website or in the catalog (available by calling 1-800-968-7301) and remembering WorldCrafts for gift-giving occasions. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press staff writer Erin Roach. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SBTC meeting buoyed by evangelism by Tammi Reed Ledbetter Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday LUBBOCK, Texas (BP)--From start to finish, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention annual meeting demonstrated the results of inviting people to faith in Christ. The Oct. 26-27 sessions opened with the testimony of a teenager saved after a friend invited him to an SBTC-sponsored student evangelism conference last summer, and closed with 512 people, from youth to parents, professing faith in Christ and 68 others rededicating their lives stemming from the Gospel preaching and feats of strength of the weightlifters group Team Impact. Lubbock-area pastors and churches joined with the SBTC's evangelism department to focus the convention meeting on a citywide crusade event on Oct. 27, inviting Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt to speak in the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center theater while Team Impact amazed some 2,400 teenagers and children in the exhibit hall. Adults leaving the theater after hearing Hunt challenge Southern Baptists "to get back on track in evangelism" began to spontaneously applaud as they grasped the magnitude of hundreds of lives changed by the power of the Gospel in the hall opposite theirs. New converts received Bibles and local churches will contact them for further discipleship. Meeting for the second time in West Texas since the formation of the state convention in 1998, the headcount of 889 messengers and 423 registered guests expanded to nearly 3,700 as local residents responded to the invitations from area Southern Baptists. In his address to the convention, SBTC President Bob Pearle told the audience, "By standing firm and holding on to those distinctives that make Baptists who they are, we will continue to reach this world and not go the way of every other denomination." The SBTC has grown from the 128 churches that formed the convention in 1998 to a current total of 2,197. West Texans were elected to every SBTC office, including the new president, Byron McWilliams, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Odessa. Pat Anderson, a member of Keeler Baptist Church in Borger, was elected recording secretary by a vote of 132-108 over Becky Illingworth, a member of Community Baptist Church in Royse City. Kevin Ueckert, pastor of South Side Baptist Church in Abilene, was re-elected SBTC vice president. Messengers approved a 1.18 percent increase for next year's $24.8 million budget to be funded through the Cooperative Program contributions of local churches. "God's people have continued to give through the Cooperative Program so we can reach Texas and touch the world," said Dale Perry, SBTC executive board chairman and pastor of Friendly Baptist Church in Tyler. The unity SBTC churches find in "gospel ministry and voluntary cooperation" was underscored in a resolution affirming the Cooperative Program "as our unrestricted vehicle for funding missions." However, the convention stopped short of describing the Cooperative Program as "the distinctive that binds Southern Baptist churches," language offered in an amendment by messenger James Salles, pastor of West End Baptist Church in Beaumont, but defeated on a 146-118 ballot vote. In an additional amendment, Salles contended that SBC leaders who had minimized their CP participation undermine the cooperation between churches of all sizes and financial ability, but only a dozen or so messengers favored adding that sentiment to the resolution. The adopted resolution stated that the SBTC, since its inception, "has demonstrated a sacrificial commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission through commitment to the Cooperative Program." The SBTC continues to forward to the SBC more of the undesignated receipts from local churches than it keeps for in-state ministry, advancing 55 percent to support SBC missions and ministry around the world and across the nation. "In spite of the economic downturn, God has blessed and we have an abundance of resources for new church plants," stated Joe Davis, the SBTC’s chief financial officer, who reported a new record of $1,146,497 for the Reach Texas State Mission Offering. SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards, in his report to the convention, described the missional methodology of Jesus as decisional, intentional and even confrontational. While contextualization is sometimes necessary, Richards reminded, "We should not lose our distinctives in Christ and begin to worship at the altar of relevance.” In an apparent reference to the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force on which he serves, Richards said that whether structural changes occur in the SBC or not, "We must have a fresh movement of the Spirit of God in our personal lives and in our churches” before a Great Commission resurgence can occur. When considering a resolution on the sufficiency of Scripture that affirmed "nothing as sin unless it is forbidden explicitly or implicitly" in the Bible, messengers agreed to the recommendation of Houston messenger Paul Pressler, clarifying that "the consumption of alcoholic beverages is intrinsically wrong." "I would like it understood that this committee's recommendation will allow nobody to take this resolution and say this convention has in any way approved the consumption of alcoholic beverages," Pressler stated. While one messenger from Granbury spoke against the amendment, preferring "where Scripture speaks clearly, we'll speak clearly," all but a handful of messengers agreed to the change and the resolution passed as amended. Other resolutions encouraged a gospel-centered ministry, discipleship in every area of Christian life, prayer for the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force appointed by Hunt at last year's annual SBC annual meeting, and appreciation for the leadership and church of outgoing SBTC President Bob Pearle, pastor of Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth. The H. Paul Pressler Distinguished Service Award was presented to Lamar Cooper, interim president of Criswell College, recognizing his long tenure with the Dallas-based school as provost and professor of Old Testament and Hebrew. In presenting the award, Pressler noted Cooper's prior service to Southern Baptists as director of denominational relations at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, vice president for academic affairs at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and addressing the culture on moral issues. A motion seeking the SBTC's assistance for churches regarding changes to articles of incorporation was referred for consideration by the executive board. The effect on churches by the new Texas business organizational code is described on the SBTC website at sbtexas.com. Next year’s annual meeting will be Nov. 16-18 at the Corpus Christi Convention Center. --30-- Tammi Reed Ledbetter is news editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN (www.texanonline.net), newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CP EMPHASIS: Church ready as needs arise by Diana Chandler Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday EDITOR'S NOTE: In recognition of the SBC's October emphasis on the Cooperative Program, Baptist Press will provide readers with extra news and information detailing the scope and depth of the Cooperative Program and its impact for the Kingdom. Using vignettes and profiles of churches and individuals, as well as historical and ongoing accounts, our intent is to explain the Cooperative Program not just as a funding channel but as one of the critical ties that bind Southern Baptists in voluntary fellowship for cooperative ministries and missions. CROWNSVILLE, Md. (BP)--Pastor Russ Rathier keeps a world map on the wall of his study at South Shore Baptist Church, with push pins designating states and countries where the congregation is supporting missions. Pinpointed are Southeast Asia, Pakistan, the Ukraine and Nigeria abroad and various locations in America, not counting the countless missions initiatives supported through South Shores' commitment to reaching people through the Cooperative Program. Currently the congregation commits 17 percent of its undesignated offerings through CP. Not all of us are able to go somewhere, so we support through our tithing," Rathier said. "When we're asked to give, we give." Rathier said the church also supports missions by giving 5 percent of its offerings to the Baptist Association of Maryland/Delaware and love offerings to individuals engaged in missions endeavors. "We feel we continually get blessed by that," Rathier said. "God always meets our goal and exceeds it. God at times has almost doubled what we've set as a goal." Rathier, a retired U.S. Navy officer, was himself drawn to ministry while on a month-long mission trip to Nigeria in 1999, where he ministered to youth in a community for the blind. "That was the thing that God used to turn my life," he said. "I've been able to draw on that for years now." That mission experience led Rathier to spend the last eight years of his Navy career studying part-time to earn a seminary degree. South Shore is the first church where he is senior pastor. Rathier is leading the church to be ministry-driven, working as God leads. "God will send people here who need 'X' and we have people God has put it on their heart to give 'X,'" Rathier said. "God made us all different. He gave us different skill sets." In the year and a half Rathier has led South Shore, the church has taken the first missions trip in its 50-year history, a five-day youth trip to Louisville with the Kentucky Heartland Outreach at Campbellsville University. The youth renovated homes of the needy in Louisville, keeping schedules tight with work, worship services, Bible study and prayer. "I watched two of the youth completely give their life to Christ. They knew about Jesus, but I saw it click," Rathier said. "They realized how blessed they were." Not only that, but an adult chaperone on the trip was inspired to start a construction ministry in Crownsville. "He came back and started a construction program right here," Rather said, referring to the member as Rick and describing him as shy and preferring to work behind the scenes. The master electrician approached former clients and employers for money and/or materials and is using the donations to renovate homes and complete small construction projects for the needy in Anne Arundale County. In his first project, he built a storage shed for a young widow with two adolescent boys. "It's a shed that probably would cost about $4,000 if you went out and bought it," Rathier said. Rathier describes his congregation as "a very honest, country-loving sort of church" that loves to give. "We'll feed 100 people at the drop of a dime, just wrap our arms around people," he said. The Woman's Missionary Union runs a thrift shop in the church's former chapel and regularly donates prepared meals to a battered women's shelter. The church also operates a food pantry and will prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the women's shelter this year, Rathier said. The church's youth participated in a 30-hour famine to prepare to minister to the homeless. Under the leadership of youth pastor Caleb Horton, the group planned to fast from noon Friday, Oct. 24, through 6 p.m. the next day, sleep on the church grounds in a makeshift homeless community made of cardboard, and feed sandwiches to the homeless before ending the fast. The experience will allow youth "to feel those hunger pangs that our brothers and sisters are feeling every day," Rathier said. "Instead of criticizing people, look at where they are and try to realize how they feel." --30-- Diana Chandler is a freelance writer and member of Irish Channel Christian Fellowship in New Orleans. -------------------------------------------------------------------- UPDATED: Obama signs hate crimes act by Tom Strode Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday EDITOR'S NOTE: This updated story includes quotes from President Obama as well as additional information. WASHINGTON (BP)--The homosexual movement gained a barrier-breaking victory Oct. 28 when President Obama signed into law a measure extending hate-crimes protections to homosexuals and transgender people. The president's signature on the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act put into effect not only an annual bill for the U.S. military but enshrined into federal law the most significant legislative advance to date for homosexual activists. The new hate-crimes law is "the first major piece of civil rights legislation to protect" lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans and "a historic milestone in the inevitable march towards equality," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, America's largest gay-rights organization. The president reserved his remarks at the White House signing ceremony primarily for the focus of the bill, the Department of Defense's reauthorization, although he did comment briefly on the hate-crimes provision. Later in the day, however, he spoke at a special White House commemoration of the hate-crimes expansion. The measure's signing is "another step forward" on "the journey towards a more perfect union," Obama told supporters of the hate-crimes legislation. Speaking of the decade-plus effort to enact the proposal, the president said, "Time and again we've been reminded of the difficulty of building a nation in which we're all free to live and love as we see fit." The hate-crimes language in the new law adds "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," as well as disability, to the current categories -- such as race, religion and gender -- protected from hate crimes. "Sexual orientation" includes homosexuality and bisexuality, while "gender identity," or transgendered status, takes in transsexuals and cross-dressers. Advocates of freedom of religion and of speech, as well as of the biblical view of sexuality, expressed dismay at the development, even though they oppose violence against homosexuals. They fear the measure, combined with existing law, could expose to prosecution Christians and others who proclaim the Bible's teaching that homosexual behavior is sinful. For example, if a person commits a violent act based on a victim's "sexual orientation" after hearing biblical teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual behavior, the preacher or teacher could be open to a charge of inducing the person to commit the crime, some foes say. "I am disappointed that President Obama has signed the hate-crimes bill into law, but I am not surprised," said Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "The President has been clear, even before he was elected, that he intends to champion the homosexual agenda. This is merely one of a number of steps he will take in fulfilling that commitment. "It is my prayer that people of faith will not be deterred from sharing God's truth about homosexuality because of this law," Duke told Baptist Press. "Our nation needs that truth now more than ever." The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), an alliance of Christian lawyers who seek to protect religious liberty, said the hate-crimes expansion "is another nail in the coffin for the First Amendment." "All violent crimes are hate crimes, and all crime victims deserve equal justice," ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley said in a written statement. "This law is a grave threat to the First Amendment because it provides special penalties based on what people think, feel, or believe. "Bills of this sort are designed to forward a political agenda and silence critics, not combat actual crime," Stanley said. "The bottom line is that we do not need a law that creates second-class victims in America and that gives the government the opportunity to ignore the First Amendment." The final version of the bill approved by the Senate and House included language designed to protect freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion, but at least some religious liberties organizations do not consider the protections adequate. The new law is the first in what gay rights advocates hope will be a series of victories at the federal level. Other efforts by homosexual-rights organizations include: -- Passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would extend workplace protections to homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders. -- Repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which bars homosexuals from serving in the U.S. armed forces but also prohibits the military from investigating without just cause a member regarding his "sexual orientation." -- Reversal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing "same-sex marriages" and gives states the option to refuse to recognize such unions from another state. Obama signed the bill six days after the Senate voted 68-29 for the overall defense measure, which was used as a vehicle for the hate-crimes legislation even though it is not directly related to the controversial provision. The House of Representatives voted 281-146 on Oct. 8 for the same defense bill. The House voted 249-175 in April for hate-crimes expansion as a stand-alone bill. The Senate approved similar hate-crimes language as part of the defense authorization bill in July. The different versions of the defense legislation went to a conference committee made up of members of both chambers selected to negotiate a compromise. That committee reported the bill out with the hate-crimes language included. According to the hate-crimes language in the bill, it "applies to violent acts motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of a victim." Under the provision in the defense bill, people convicted of a hate crime would be subject to more prison time and penalties than people who commit a crime that falls outside the class of hate crimes. The law authorizes the attorney general to provide assistance to state and local officials in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. --30-- Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. With reporting by Michael Foust, assistant editor of Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Students speak for unborn in silence by Cindy Ortiz Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday WASHINGTON (BP)--Twenty thousand students worldwide recently took part in a silent protest against abortion for the sixth consecutive year. The Stand True ministry again sponsored the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, with students at more than 4,000 locations in 25 countries participating, said Bryan Kemper, president of the ministry. "We already know of at least 26 babies that were saved" as a result of the Oct. 20 day of silence, Kemper told Baptist Press. People involved in the event placed red duct tape over their mouths and wore red armbands to identify themselves as participants. They handed out fliers to explain their silent protest was an acknowledgment of all the innocent lives that will never have a voice because of the choice of abortion, according to the event website. Since abortion was legalized nationwide in 1973, it is estimated there have been more than 50 million abortions in the United States. The event website, www.silentday.org, explained the purpose of the protest: "Today we are silent, but by doing this we are being a voice for the one-third of our generation that will never have a voice. These victims are not only being silenced; they are being killed.... " Timmerie Millington, a California college student, put red duct tape on her mouth and wore a pro-life T-shirt that read "Apathy Denied." Millington was away from the campus on the day of the event this year, but that did not stop her from speaking out in silence. "Honestly, I have no problem speaking out against abortion. It's just something ... I hold an outward stance against," said Millington, a freshman at John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego and a third-year participant in the movement. Jennifer Rankin, a student in Canada, arrived at Wiarton High School with red duct tape on her mouth and handed out the materials to students who asked her what she was doing. Campus police escorted her to a school office to be isolated for the school day. The school principal said her protest was not allowed on campus, according to The Peterborough Examiner. Other students who participated in the event shared their stories on the website. One, Lina, said her high school principal did not allow her to wear duct tape on her mouth because of health issues, so she wore an H1N1 mask and put red duct tape over it with "LIFE" written on it. According to the website, there were participants at 3,981 schools, 321 home schools and 118 businesses and ministries worldwide this year. In addition, 1,105 took part who were not students. After being involved in the pro-life cause for 20 years, Kemper -- president of Stand True -- has become passionate about young people speaking out for their generation. The Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity has become much greater than the ministry imagined it would become, he said. A baby dies every 24 seconds because of abortion, said Millington, a spokesperson for Survivors, one of the event's co-sponsors. "I believe that we must participate; this is our call to do such a thing," she said. According to the event's website, there are already more than 100 schools registered for next year's event, which will be held Oct. 19. --30-- Cindy Ortiz, a junior at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., is attending the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities' Washington Journalism Center this semester and serving as an intern with Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Church aims to fill 1,200 shoe boxes by Staff Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday FLORISSANT, Mo. (BP)--With just 100 members, Parker Road Baptist Church consistently donated more than 1,000 shoe box gifts to Operation Christmas Child for each of the past three years. Parker Road is participating again this year, doing its part from Florissant, Mo., to help Samaritan's Purse reach a goal of 8 million gift-filled shoe boxes for children in 100-plus countries. The boxes, filled with toys, necessity items, school supplies, candy and handwritten notes of encouragement, are collected by the relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham and hand-delivered to children worldwide who are suffering because of natural disaster, disease, war, terrorism, famine and poverty. Parker Road already has packed and wrapped hundreds of shoe box gifts on the way to its goal of 1,200. Jim McCaughan, who leads the undertaking at Parker Road, noted "the joy it brings to hurting boys and girls." For many of the children, the love conveyed by the shoe box is the first gift they have ever received. McCaughan's personal commitment to Operation Christmas Child extends to shopping year-round for bargains to help the church pack as many shoe box gifts as possible. "We have folks at the church who pack shoe box gifts all year, and then a few days before Operation Christmas Child's National Collection Week [Nov. 16-23 for 2009], we get a bunch of people together and set up a shoe box assembly line," McCaughan said. "On that Sunday we have a dedication service -- and I'll tell you what, it's pretty impressive to see more than a thousand shoe boxes stacked up at the front of the church." The church has received thank you notes from kids in such faraway locations as India, Uganda, Kenya and the Republic of Georgia. The church also received an e-mail from someone who had visited a small church in an isolated village deep in Sudan where they saw a card that read, "We want you to know that we love you and Jesus loves you." It came from one of the shoe boxes signed Parker Road Baptist Church. --30-- This article first appeared in The Pathway (www.mbcpathway.com), newsjournal of the Missouri Baptist Convention. For more information on Operation Christmas Child, visit www.samaritanspurse.org or call 1-800-353-5949. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Same-sex attraction: Just a choice? by Bob Stith Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday EDITOR'S NOTE: This monthly column about the issue of homosexuality by various authors is a partnership between Baptist Press and the Southern Baptist Convention Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals. SOUTHLAKE, Texas (BP)--"It's just a choice," the respected pastor said to me confidently when I told him that God had led me to minister to people struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction. While I was surprised and saddened to hear this from an experienced pastor, it also reminded me of the great need among our churches to be informed about ways to minister effectively and redemptively to those who struggle with an attraction they neither chose nor understand. "It's just a choice." Few statements are more frustrating and painful for those who live with the reality of unwanted same-sex attraction. Many of them sit in our pews every Sunday. Some long to be able to talk about their struggle, but remarks such as this make them reluctant to open up. The comments can be damaging to their friends and family members, as well. They may hear this from a trusted leader, assume it is true, and pass it on to the struggler. They also are more inclined to keep their own pain private because they now believe their loved one has simply "chosen" to disregard their advice. There are also few things that can more negatively affect our credibility with a watching world than these words. Some readers may be irritated at this point. You may be thinking "Well, it is a choice. No one is forcing them to live that way." And therein lies the confusion. While sin is always a choice, our temptations are not. I've never been seriously tempted by alcohol -- even as a student in my pre-Christian days -- and I've always been extremely grateful for that. On the other hand, I can remember struggling with anger from my early years. I did not choose this particular battle. After becoming a Christian I occasionally talked to people I respected about it. The advice I got often amounted to, "The Bible says you shouldn't get angry." Which made me angry. Far too often, people who struggle with same-sex attraction have been given that kind of simplistic advice by well-meaning family and friends. As with me and my anger, they were never aware of how or why the attraction started. Many of the same-sex strugglers I've met through the years were sexually abused as children. Early on, their view of sexuality as a precious gift from God was marred. Confusion, guilt or outright threats often kept them from telling anyone. One man told of being molested as a young boy by leaders in the church where his father was pastor. He said he thought maybe there was a sign on him saying "molest me." Threats and fear kept him from telling anyone. I've talked to women who were sexually abused by trusted family members. Again, shame and guilt often kept them from going to their parents. Sadly, some did go to adults who either didn't believe them or chose simply to ignore the situation. Others have been victims of physical and verbal abuse. Young women who saw their mothers abused came to two conclusions: 1) It isn't safe to be a woman, so femininity must be rejected, and, 2) men aren't safe and can't be trusted in an intimate relationship. In one support group I led, there was a man who did not fit into any of these categories. He was a slender young man who was much more interested in the arts than he was in sports. Other students began to harass him and call him gay. He didn't think of himself that way and had never had homosexual temptations. But he began to wonder if his abusers were right. Eventually he decided to seek friendship in a gay bar. At the time I met him, he was a committed follower of Christ who still struggled to overcome the doubts brought on by his childhood antagonists. Many who go through childhood traumas will at some point be tempted to justify or explain wrong attitudes or actions because of those traumas. But over and over again, I've heard men and women say, "I didn't choose this struggle, but I did choose to act on the temptation." They are well aware that freedom requires them to honestly face their own guilt. But too often they first have to sort through the confusion brought about by well-meaning people who have told them, "It's a choice." These courageous people deserve more from us than "It's just a choice." They need and deserve understanding, conveyed by both words and body language. They need and deserve to experience the love of Jesus Christ through people who honestly face our own struggles in areas of temptation we did not choose. They need and deserve encouragement to look to and trust in Jesus, just like every Christ-follower. Think about the thing that tempts you most. Did you make a conscious decision to be tempted by it? If you confided this temptation to someone, I don't imagine you'd appreciate it if you were confidently dismissed with "It's just a choice." It's more complicated than that, isn't it? --30-- Bob Stith is the SBC's National Strategist for Gender Issues. For more information about the SBC's outreach to homosexuals or to contact Bob about a speaking engagement or interview, visit www.sbcthewayout.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CP EMPHASIS (First-Person, Steve Horn): Reaching the nations by Steve Horn Date: October 29, 2009 - Thursday LAFAYETTE, La. (BP)--Every October my already messy desk and busy calendar become a little more chaotic as I try to lead our church staff and budget planning team through formulating a new budget for the coming year. Even without this current economic downturn, budget preparation time is a difficult time. Regardless of the size of the church, every church could use just a little more. Herein begins my passion for the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program. How only one church in one corner of God's Kingdom could make the best decisions for the most effective Kingdom strategy is beyond my comprehension. But the Cooperative Program offers Southern Baptists a strategy to impact the evangelistic pattern given to us in the Great Commission. When a Southern Baptist church begins budget preparation, that church can know that there is a plan to be faithful to the Great Commission. God gave us, the church, our marching orders as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8. Do you see the progression? We are to start where we are, but we must eventually take the Gospel message to the ends of the earth. The greatest struggle of any church is to figure out this progression. There will be some who criticize by saying we spend too much money and effort on our own ministries and our own city. There will be others who criticize by saying we spend too much money on the nations when there is so much to do in our own city. Yet since the Scripture declares that we do both, we must have a plan to do both. How much should a church give to the Cooperative Program? The answer to this question is another benefit of the Cooperative Program. Each church gives as God directs. The Cooperative Program allows each church the benefit of independence but in the context of joining with other like-minded churches for maximum effectiveness. I have good friends who are missionaries with both the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board. I also have become acquainted with personnel from other Southern Baptist entities. At times I think about the sacrifices that some of these make compared to me and wonder how God could be pleased with what we do in the ease and comfort of Lafayette, La. Then, God reminds me of His call for me to be in Lafayette and His call for others to be in places like Uganda, Thailand, Alaska, and our six Southern Baptist Seminaries. That's part of God's plan for all the nations to know Him. Every church has a heartbeat. For some churches the heartbeat is size. They just want to be larger or, in some cases, smaller. For some churches, the heartbeat is music. For others, the heartbeat is service or some particular cause. If we want to be God's church, our heartbeat must be His heartbeat -- and His heartbeat is for the world to know Him. With today's technology, we live in the greatest time ever for cooperation to reach the nations. Now is not the time to shrink back in our efforts and financial resources to cooperatively do what we cannot do as one local church. Now is the time for more of our money than ever to be cooperatively used to reach the nations. --30-- Steve Horn has been senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Lafayette, La., since June 2005.