
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/31/2012

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FIRST-PERSON: What's a Christian to do with Halloween?
by Stephen Douglas Wilson
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

MAYFIELD, Ky. (BP) -- Halloween in some form or another has been around for a long time. What we call Halloween originated in two other autumn festivals -- the ethnic Celtic celebration of Samhain and the Christian All Saints Day.

The Celtic harvest festival of Samhain (Gaelic - perhaps "Summer's End") possessed multiple facets in Celtic folklore that celebrated harvest, the dead and even the Celtic new year. Samhain probably derived from an earlier pagan celebration. Following custom among early and medieval Christian churchmen, Christian leaders often placed their holidays near popular pagan celebrations to wean their converts away from the pagan festivals. Hence, Pope Gregory III moved All Saints Day from May 13 to Nov. 1. Although never stated in any source that Gregory's motive in the move was to counter the popular autumn festivals with pagan roots, his decision seemed to conform to previous practice.

All Saints Day, and its variants, All Hallows Mass and Hallowmas, never entirely disassociated itself in the popular imagination from the earlier association with pagan fall festivals and superstition. Much to the chagrin of church leaders of the medieval ages, popular observances preserved some of the older pagan features of the holiday, such as manifestations as autumn bonfires (from "bonefires"), maintaining links to the occult, folk magic and superstitions concerning the dead. These features were thought to be deployed most prominently on the evening before All Hallows -- therefore the modern name Halloween or "All Hallows Evening." The term itself originated in Scotland.

In addition, new customs evolved that had little direct connection to the church-sanctioned holiday of All Saints Day (or the later All Souls Day on Nov. 2). For instance, some burned candles or used lighted hollowed-out turnips ("jack-o-lanterns") to drive away the malevolent spirits of the dead on the eve of All Hallows. The custom of adults and children disguising themselves to fool these spirits and beg for food and coins on or near All Saints Day ("guising") emerged as the origin of "trick or treating." This popular custom of adults participating in guising even drew the negative comment of Shakespeare in his play "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" when the character Speed accuses his master of "puling &#91;whining or whimpering&#93; like a beggar at Hallowmas" (Act 2, Scene 1).

Not at all unlike many Baptist pastors today, both Roman Catholic and Protestant leaders of the Reformation era condemned the survival of pagan, occult and superstitious customs observed around All Saints Day and Halloween. Later, some Protestants eventually encouraged their people to observe instead a "Reformation Day" as a replacement for Halloween since Martin Luther started the Reformation on the eve of All Saints Day in 1517. This practice simply continued the long trend of supplanting questionable popular holidays with Christian observances.

In the early United States, some success in eradicating the pagan and occult practices associated with Halloween occurred. Many of the Christian groups who settled America like the Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers and Baptists refused to observe All Saints Day -- let alone Halloween.

Nevertheless, Halloween was rekindled as Celtic immigrants from Scotland and Ireland poured into the United States in the 1800s. They substituted the American pumpkin for the turnip to make their jack-o-lanterns; thus the most prominent decoration of the holiday became fixed in American culture.

Furthermore, as Irish politicians, policemen and fireman became dominant in the larger urban cities, they revived the old medieval custom of guising, but this time limited the practice to children. Reacting to their large Irish populations, big city mayors (often Irish themselves) of the 20th century declared an official "trick or treat" day usually on Halloween itself. Since many urban neighborhoods were thought unsafe for children, the Irish-dominated police and fire departments often provided Halloween costume parties or trick or treat stations at police precincts and fire stations. These and other Halloween customs among Scottish and Irish Americans quickly became accepted in mainstream American culture and even spread to rural areas of the South and West. By the mid-20th century Halloween was well on its way to joining Christmas in becoming the two top holiday events in the American cultural year.

Yet, even as most Americans, including its evangelical Christian community, found little harm in such Halloween customs as trick or treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, yard and home decorating or even costume parties for adults and children, a darker side of the holiday traced its genesis to the 1960s. The counterculture that emerged in that decade expressed some sympathy for genuine occult and pagan practices associated with the holiday. Groups that claimed pagan or satanic connections celebrated the holiday as their own. Real and exaggerated reports of trick or treat candy tampering (most reports usually turned out to be false) originated during this decade, and many parents questioned the wisdom of allowing their children to participate in civic-sponsored trick or treat observances. Although Halloween possessed a long history of largely harmless pranks, the 1960s witnessed outbreaks of "hell night" or the "devil's night" in some communities that took human life and millions of dollars in fire damage. This destructive phenomenon largely was identified with Detroit and other large cities. The introduction of "gore" into Halloween culture, costumes and makeup owed much to George Romero's 1968 film "The Night of the Living Dead."

By the early 1970s many Christians had soured on these features of the Halloween holiday and they began an internal discussion about the holiday, asking themselves, "What do we do with Halloween?"

Since the 1970s the evangelical Christian and Baptist community have answered this question with diverse responses. Some Christians overlook Halloween's excesses and allow their children and young people to participate in community and civic events, while other Christians have remained adamantly opposed to the holiday and renounce all features of the festival. Other Christian community leaders have used the time around Halloween to conduct "Hell Houses," "Operation Nightmare" and similar events. These are designed as evangelistic events with the purpose of revealing to young people the reality of hell and a life without Christ. Although these are provided with the best of intentions, Hell Houses remain controversial and even many Christians have lamented that evangelistic efforts like these may lead to questionable conversion results.

The most emergent contemporary response to Halloween in the evangelical Christian community is to provide a Christian alternative to the popular holiday. Under such names as "Fall Festival," "Holyween," etc., many churches now offer the church itself as the focal point for providing a Halloween alternative. These festivals may provide some or all of the following: "trunk or treat" or a trick or treat alternative for young children, a fall décor for the church, costume parties for both children and teens, fall-themed games and amusements, seasonal foods and refreshments, bonfires, and other related seasonal activities. Generally, these churches discourage costumes with occult, pagan or "gory" themes and they refrain from calling these events Halloween parties. In addition, these churches also offer prayer and devotion before their festivities and also pass out evangelistic tracts to visiting community members.

Pastors who favor this response believe that it is better to embrace this option rather than allowing their people to participate in the popular but largely secular Halloween activities of the general culture. Ironically, this approach mirrored historic and contemporary efforts by Roman Catholics and Protestants to provide alternatives for the unpleasant associations of the autumn holiday. It is doubtful that "Fall Festivals" will replace Halloween on the calendar, but the churches that provide these Halloween alternatives serve a useful function. Parents of children and teens like the idea of a safe and Christian-themed environment for their Halloween alternative.

However Christians respond to Halloween, two certainties remain: Halloween will survive and Christians, following a centuries-old tradition, will offer alternatives to the festival's worst features.
--30--
Stephen Douglas Wilson is dean emeritus and chair of the history department at Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Ky., and a member of the SBC Executive Committee. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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FIRST-PERSON: Why zombies matter
by Russell D. Moore
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Zombies are everywhere. Ever since the classic "Night of the Living Dead," the undead have shown up in movies. Zombies now are featured in top-rated cable TV shows, and in apocalyptic novels and survival guides. An entire genre has ignited around the concept of adding zombies to classic literature ("Pride and Prejudice with Zombies," etc.). But why are we drawn to these gruesome figures?

In the New York Times, columnist Amy Wilentz reminds us why zombies scare us, and why we can't help but watch through our clenched hands covering our eyes. The zombie myth is rooted in something quite real, and quite terrifying. The zombie stories emerged in a Caribbean context of brutal slavery. The zombie's horror is that he is, she writes, a slave forever. After all, if even death cannot free you, you can never be free.

That's exactly the point, and here's why it should matter to Christians.

Zombies are horrifying not simply because they're mean and aggressive. They are horrifying because they represent what ought to repulse us: the rotting decay of death. But they still walk. And, beyond that, they still crave. In their search for human brains, they are driven along by their appetites, though always under the sway of a slavemaster's will.

That's our story.

The biblical story of the Fall of humanity is one of a humanity that comes under the sway of death by obeying the appetite. God places a fiery sword around the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3 tells us, so that the primeval humans wouldn't eat of the Tree of Life and live forever. Why? It's because God didn't want to consign humanity to a never-ending existence of this kind of walking death. He sentences us to the curse of death so that, ultimately, we can be redeemed.

The Gospel tells us that, apart from Christ, we were walking in the flesh, that is slavishly obeying our biological impulses and appetites without the direction of the Spirit. As such, we were "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). But we weren't inert. We instead, though dead, "walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). We were walking dead slaves.

And, in our death, our appetites weren't silenced but instead drove us along. This walking death, the Apostle Paul writes, was driven along as we "carried out the desires of the body and the mind" (Ephesians 2:3).

Caribbean people could resonate with the horror of zombies because they knew what it was like to be enslaved by evil people, with no hope of escape. And maybe our culture pays attention to zombies because we know what it is like to be dead inside, but unable to find peace, unable to stop walking.

The Gospel doesn't just extend our lives forever into eternity. That's what we, left to ourselves, think we want. The rich young ruler asks Jesus how he can inherit eternal life, but Jesus points out that he wants to eternalize his present state rather than to be hidden in the life of Jesus Himself. That's a zombie walk, and Jesus loves us too much for that.

Jesus offers instead life, and that abundantly, as we eat of His flesh, drink of His blood, share in His triumph over the accusing slavemaster.

So let's have some sympathy for the zombies. And next time you see the trailer for a zombie film, or see the picture of a walking corpse on the cover of a novel, remember that that was your story once, too.
--30--
Russell D. Moore is dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column first appeared www.russellmoore.com). Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Baptists to see 'high-capacity' Sandy response in N.Y. & N.J.
by Joe Conway
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

HARRISBURG, Pa. (BP) -- Wind, flood, fire and snow have combined to displace thousands of residents in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and West Virginia. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are on their way to the hardest-hit areas in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, bringing help and hope in the midst of crisis.

<div style="float:left;margin:0 10px 5px 0;"><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/52498925?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="300" height="200" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></object></div>Southern Baptist church planter Wayne Burton in Jersey City, N.J., is among the millions living in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Burton and his wife Erin moved to the city several years ago to put down roots and begin planting a church.

As the storm approached, the Burtons prepared their apartment before evacuating to a nearby hotel. Returning home early Tuesday, they were met with extensive flooding that had reached into their apartment and destroyed most of their belongings.

"As Southern Baptist Disaster Relief we have a hope and a ministry" to come alongside the Burtons as they labor with Jersey City residents in the daunting recovery that lies ahead, Bruce Poss, DR coordinator for the North American Mission Board. Poss is the Southern Baptist liaison with the Federal Emergency Management Agency serving in Washington, D.C., for the response to Hurricane Sandy. "This is our time to do what God has commissioned us to do."

SBDR units from across the country were heading toward staging areas in New York and New Jersey Wednesday and assessments and requests for assistance were being made. One of the largest requests, for as many as 100,000 meals per day, has come from New York City.

"We are working with New York City, the American Red Cross and other partners to ramp up for a high capacity response," said Fritz Wilson, DR executive director for the North American Mission Board. "We have probably not had a single-event response request of this level since Hurricane Katrina."

Wilson likened the groundwork necessary to respond to the request to that of a church planter in a new area.

"Especially in a place like New York where we are plowing new ground, this is much like a church planter who moves into new community and must work to gain trust and become accepted," Wilson said.

"This response has been similar to any other, in that the first 72 hours are hectic, but things are working well," he said. "We've had some logistical challenges, particularly because of the size of the storm and the high population density, but we have teams serving and preparing to serve."

While one SBDR kitchen in Maryland finished its deployment there with the close of an American Red Cross shelter, as many as 10 other feeding units were on the road to be prepared to begin serving meals Thursday and Friday.

In addition to New York, units are responding to Newark and Hammonton N.J. Assessment is continuing for the Connecticut coast that also was hard hit.

In West Virginia, heavy snows have caused multiple roofs to collapse, particularly at higher elevations, state DR director Delton Beall reported. Beall said five people were confirmed dead in the state from the blizzard conditions and 200,000 homes were without power. Both state conventions in Virginia are responding to the needs in West Virginia.

SBDR volunteers serving from both affected and partnership responding state conventions include the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland-Delaware, Mississippi, New England, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania-South Jersey, South Carolina, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia.

NAMB President Kevin Ezell released a new video on the SBDR response to Hurricane Sandy on Wednesday. The video may be downloaded at namb.net/sandy_video.

From its disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga., NAMB coordinates Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through a partnership between NAMB and the SBC's 42 state conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs.

SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

Southern Baptists and others who want to donate to the disaster relief operations can contact their state conventions or go to NAMB's disaster relief fund via namb.net/disaster-relief-donations. Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for "Disaster Relief."
--30--
Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board.

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Baptist worker returns to a hurting New York
by Staff
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

NEW YORK CITY (BP) -- The death toll from Hurricane Sandy had risen to at least 50 people Wednesday as 6 million electric customers remained without power in the Northeast, crippled by damaged infrastructures and hazardous floodwater. Amid the devastation, Southern Baptists rallied to help.

George Russ, executive director of the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association, managed to return home to Long Island after being stranded in Florida when the storm hit. He flew into the former Islip Airport on Oct. 31 and saw "lots of trees down, power lines down all over the place" as he drove home.

"My house has power, which is a miracle. So &#91;extended family members are&#93; huddling over here all the time for showers and meals and all of that," Russ told Baptist Press. 

"We've heard from several pastors who are asking for help, for teams to come at different intervals so they can help some of their members clean out houses that have been damaged or pretty much destroyed. I've got several pastors on Long Island that need help with that," he said.

In the New York area, access to basic necessities, such as water, was growing difficult.

"Wherever a store opens, it's flooded with customers. You have to wait in line a long time for gas, milk, bread, eggs, stuff like that," Russ said.

"... It's still a little early in that it's the third day, but it's getting colder now. It's about 50, 48 degrees. As it gets colder or if they go longer without supplies, I think people do get a little bit frustrated," he said. "Waiting in line for an hour for a tank of gas, that's not what people are accustomed to."

Communication is challenging too, he said.

"A lot of people have their phones tied to their Internet and stuff, so if that's down -- and a lot of cell phone towers are down," he told Baptist Press. "I noticed when I drove home from the airport that my cell phone went in and out reception-wise. Usually I have no problems at all. So I think a lot of towers are down."

In an era when cell phone use is so common, people were unprepared for the difficulty in communicating after the storm.

"People are trying to share. They're huddling in apartments or they're coming over to people who do have access to the Internet or to cell phone reception and trying to get out as much information as they can," Russ said.

The hardships present opportunities to share God's love.

"We do have church members that are volunteering to help supply trucks unload supplies. Our disaster relief teams are going to be deployed tomorrow or Friday," Russ said. "At least two units will be here, and they're going to be working with our local churches to be the contact follow-up point for people as they receive this help. 

"One will be at Rutgers University, which is a major university in New Jersey, and the other one is waiting for a location to touch down and deploy either on Long Island or Staten Island," Russ said. "So our churches have been alerted to that and they can help with the food distribution. In those locations especially, they'll have an opportunity to share the Gospel with community residents."

The Metropolitan New York Baptist Association is set up to receive calls from across the country at 212-580-0655, Russ said. 

"If people want to call the office, we have people ready to at least get the names of churches that want to help in some way. We're in the process now of compiling a list of ways that people can help, and we'll try to match those needs with some of the resources that people are offering," he said.

Russ spoke with an Arabic pastor in Jersey City, for instance, whose car was underwater and would be a total loss. Graffiti Church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan had about five inches of water in the basement, Russ said, and they were having trouble getting the water out because there was no electrical power. Russ thought they had now secured a generator.

In Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker told CNN, "We are in a state of crisis all across this state." The governor there described the scene as "unthinkable." Hurricane Sandy was responsible for at least 108 deaths from Haiti to Canada -- 22 in New York City alone.

New York's massive subway system, which serves 5 million commuters each day, remained severely hampered Wednesday and was expected to stay offline for several more days, according to CNN.com. Bus service had resumed nearly a full schedule, and two of the area's three main airports were offering limited service.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York tweeted instructions to residents: "Clean and disinfect everything that got wet. Mud left from floodwaters can contain sewage and chemicals." Property damage and lost business along the East Coast was estimated to cost as much as $20 billion, CNN.com reported.

DISASTER RELIEF

Kenny Pritchett was among 16 members of Cross Central Church in Lexington, S.C., en route to use their chainsaws to clear the damage that superstorm Sandy left in New Jersey, but his focus wasn't only on the physical labor.

"It's just about being able to hug them and pray with them and share Jesus with them. You get a lot of opportunities to do that, more than people think," said Pritchett, a 48-year-old building contractor. "We have a lot of opportunities to share Christ, and we try to take everyone single one of them."

Pritchett was among 49 disaster relief volunteers the South Carolina Baptist Convention was sending to Hammonton, N.J., to help victims in that state. They were to be joined by a team of 75 volunteers from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and 32 from the Georgia Baptist Convention.

While Pritchett had participated in rebuilding projects, he was excited about his first disaster relief trip.

"It's not about the trees, or cutting trees. It's really not about the work, although we all enjoy the work. It's really just helping folks. They have a tremendous need," he told Baptist Press. Part of their ministry, he said, is to "listen to their story and just share, share Jesus with them."

"You can point them to a local church. Get them a meal. Get them some clothing. Get them a shower."

These are the services Southern Baptist volunteers from several states were preparing to provide to Sandy victims in New Jersey and New York.

North Carolina's Steve Reavis, overseeing Southern Baptist feeding operations in New Jersey, was coordinating teams to prepare up to 80,000 meals a day, beginning as early as Wednesday evening.

"Currently, we have a request from the Red Cross to &#91;serve&#93; 80,000 meals. That's what we're working on right now, trying to meet that need. That would be 40,000 at lunch and 40,000 at supper," Reavis said. "We're working in conjunction with the Red Cross and New Jersey Emergency Management to fulfill those needs."

Reavis had worked with officials to open feeding sites at Rutgers University and in Hammonton, N.J., and was working with the Red Cross to position another site in southern New Jersey.

"We have people lined up and people on alert and standby back in various states that are ready to come and serve us," Reavis said. "As far as putting out a plea for various people to come, I don't think we need that at this point in time."

Meanwhile, volunteers from the Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey, led by disaster relief director Karlene Campbell, were assisting with feeding operations in southern New Jersey.
--30--
Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Erin Roach and staff writer Diana Chandler. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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Chinese entity urges end to 'one-child' policy
by Tom Strode
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

WASHINGTON (BP) -- A Chinese government institute has recommended Beijing revoke its "one-child" policy that has forced abortion and sterilization upon millions of its citizens during the last three decades.

A Christian human rights advocate, however, says it is premature to conclude the communist regime will actually implement the proposal.

 will do that."</b>
-- Mark Shan]The recommendation -- offered by a think tank under the State Council, China's Cabinet -- called for phasing in termination of the coercive population control program, according to the Associated Press. The foundation recommended:

-- An immediate two-child policy in some provinces.

-- A national two-child policy by 2015.

-- An end to all birth limits by 2020.

China's population control program, which began officially in 1980, generally limits couples in urban areas to one child and those in rural areas to two, if the first is a girl. Parents in cities may have second babies if the husband and wife are both only children. Couples who violate the policy face the threat of large fines, job loss and imprisonment. 

The policy also has resulted in many accounts of authorities carrying out forced abortions -- even in the last three months of pregnancy -- and sterilizations. There also have been many reports of infanticide, especially of female babies. The policy has helped produce a dramatic gender imbalance because of the Chinese preference for sons.

While the recommendation from the China Development Research Foundation appears to be a hopeful breakthrough, the timing makes it predictable, said Mark Shan of United States-based ChinaAid. China's communist regime will begin its once-a-decade transition to new leadership Nov. 8.

"We're not surprised to see such news appear right now ... because this is the time we know the central government shift is happening," Shan told Baptist Press.

One camp within the Communist Party seeks reform while the other wants to defend traditional communist ideology, said Shan, news analyst for ChinaAid. If the reform wing can gain majority control, it likely would change the one-child policy because of the significance of the program's impact domestically and internationally, he said, noting that nearly all people inside and outside China condemn the policy.

"Of course it's real encouraging to see this kind of news leak out," Shan told BP. "I don't think we can say &#91;the government&#93; will do that."

Another observer of China seemed to be more optimistic. Such a public plan from government demographers is extraordinary, said Cai Young, who teaches sociology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, according to AP.

"That tells us at least that policy change is inevitable, it's coming," said Cai, a visiting scholar at Fudan University in Shanghai. "It's coming, but we cannot predict when exactly it will come."

The foundation issued the recommendation Oct. 26, saying declining economic growth and social problems -- including the gender imbalance and aging workforce -- in the world's most populous country have replaced population growth in significance, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

It is not the first call this year from within the Chinese government for reform of the one-child policy. In early July, government researchers and high-profile Chinese scholars urged in published statements that the population control program be revised.

In September, All Girls Allowed -- an American pro-life organization that focuses on China's one-child policy -- reported the government had put an end to forced abortion and sterilization. Women's Rights Without Frontiers and the Population Research Institute -- U.S.-based organizations that also combat China's coercive program -- said the report was premature and based on Chinese propaganda.

Several accounts this year of forced abortions in the last half of pregnancy have brought China's coercive program unwelcome attention and international condemnation. 
--30--
Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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'New Christian conservatism' described
by Craig Sanders
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Young people are propelling a "new Christian conservatism," Owen Strachan asserted in a lecture at the Family Research Council in Washington.

Strachan, of Boyce College, the undergraduate school of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, lectured on "The Sacrificial Witness of the Christian Moral Tradition" in the most recent Family Policy Lecture. Past speakers in the lecture series include Os Guinness and Eric Metaxas.

"The spirit of Wilberforce is on the move," said Strachan, assistant professor of theology and church history at the Louisville, Ky., campus. "This movement sees that love in its essence is not shorn of conviction, love is instead a summons to a joyful transformation. Now is the moment for a new Christian conservatism, or what we could call a new social witness."

The new Christian conservatism "grounds its identity in the preaching of the Gospel," Strachan said, "yet it cannot help but act on behalf of others."

Strachan, in his Oct. 24 lecture, pointed to the life and witness of German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was martyred in 1945 for his stand against the Nazi regime. Prior to his death, Bonhoeffer mourned the "moral equivocation" of his time and the silence of many Christians in the face of evil acts committed against helpless people.

In present-day America, the situation is comparable, Strachan said, noting, "Our conflict is not militaristic -- we are a nation divided by ideas, driven by beliefs."

America has shifted from Protestant ideals, with many Christians choosing to balk when handed hard issues, Strachan said. Instead, they bemoan how they are "tired of culture wars, for being known what we are against, not what we are for."

In response to the trend of Christians reshaping their beliefs toward cultural demands, Strachan asked, "How should we frame our public testimony?"

Citing examples throughout church history, Strachan noted the examples of the apostolic fathers and martyrs in the first few centuries of the Christian church. 

"In the midst of this world of opposition, Christians testified to the ethics created by the Gospel in the public square," Strachan said as he shared the stories of Blandina, a female slave tortured to death in the second century, and Justin Martyr, who sought the transformation of lives and culture.

The early Christian writing known as the Didache also condemns the culture's approval of abortion and pedophilia, Strachan said.

"The vital morality of the Christians stood out for what it represented: a call to salvation, a summons to a better world," he said of the Christian witness in the early church.

Compelled by the example of the early church martyrs, Augustine developed the theory of the wise judge in his "City of God," who brings "the ethics of the city of God into the city of man."

Strachan also observed the commitment of Puritan pastor Samuel Sewall and British abolitionist William Wilberforce, who fought against slavery to "help the marginalized, the voiceless."

"The Christian moral framework has changed the world over and over again," Strachan said.

Puritans like Jonathan Edwards and Samual Hopkins also helped build the "benevolent empire," which provided hospitals, opened orphanages and funded missions programs through its theological convictions.

In the 20th century, Strachan said men like Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. "electrified the conscience through their distinctive calls to an ethical way of life" and "paid the ultimate price for their Protestant convictions."

"We are the true culture; we are those who must speak up and create this culture in the fallen world," Strachan said. Describing what he called the "new Christian conservatism," he asserted that the movement, contrary to popular belief, is vibrant and youthful. 

"It is a movement born not of cynicism but of hope," Strachan said, noting the reaction against the softer Christianity which decries any conviction that leads to cultural opposition.

This movement is "built upon the framework of the Moral Majority," Strachan said, but claimed in contrast that the new way offers "a gracious voice" and a "focus on human flourishing."

Strachan acknowledged "that ultimate victory may only come when the curse is overturned," but urged Christians to pursue this better way of "sacrificial witness."

"Our call is not to capitulate; our call is to witness and, indeed, to sacrifice," Strachan said.

Strachan's full lecture is available online in both video and audio formats at the Family Research Council's website, http://www.frc.org/eventregistration/the-sacrificial-witness-of-the-christian-moral-tradition.
--30--
Craig Sanders is a writer for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.


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Polls: Md., Wash. could overturn gay marriage
by Staff
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

OLYMPIA, Wash. (BP) -- Gay marriage laws in Washington state and Maryland are in danger of being overturned by voters, according to new polls that were released after traditional groups went on the air with television ads warning of the consequences of marriage redefinition.

Both new polls show traditional groups making up significant ground in the span of a few weeks.

In Washington state, Referendum 74 to legalize gay marriage is too close to call, with supporters of R-74 leading 49-45 percent, according to an Elway Poll of 451 likely voters conducted Oct. 18-21. A month earlier, supporters led, 51-37 percent.

"Opposition to Referendum 74 has grown over the past month while support has stayed at virtually the same level since July," an analysis by Elway Poll said. 

In Maryland the vote on Question 6 -- which would legalize gay marriage if passed -- also is a dead heat, with 47 percent of likely voters opposing it and 46 percent favoring it. The survey of 801 likely voters was conducted Oct. 20-23 by OpinionWorks for the Baltimore Sun newspaper. A month earlier, supporters of gay marriage led, 49-39 percent.

Both states saw Democratic legislators and governors pass gay marriage laws this year, only to have citizens gather signatures to overturn them at the ballot. Neither law has taken effect.

Maine citizens also are deciding whether to legalize gay marriage through an initiative known as Question 1, although a poll hasn't been released there since ads went on the air. A Pan American SMS Group survey conducted in early October showed Question 1 winning, 55-39 percent, although an analysis by the polling group acknowledged that support in the poll likely was inflated. 

"People give an answer that may not in fact indicate what they plan to do because they don't want to appear biased," Patrick Murphy of Pan American SMS Group told the Bangor Daily News. 

In all three states, as well as in Minnesota where a constitutional marriage amendment is on the ballot, TV ads are urging citizens to protect the traditional definition of marriage.

One ad, tailored to each state, warns that gay marriage will be taught as normative in public schools. The 30-second ad features a couple, David and Tonia Parker, who live in Massachusetts where gay marriage is legal. 

"After Massachusetts redefined marriage, local schools taught it to children in second grade, including the school our son attended," David Parker says to the camera. "Courts ruled parents have no right to take their children out of class -- or to even be informed when this instruction was going to take place."

In the Maryland version of the ad, Tonia Parker then says: "If Question 6 passes, same-sex marriage could be taught in local Maryland schools, just as it was in Massachusetts. Don't make the same mistake and think that gay marriage won't affect you."

The Parkers' story is true. In 2006, two years after gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts, the teacher in their son's second-grade class read the students "King & King," a story about a prince who searches for a wife, only to choose another prince as his husband. The Parkers and another couple filed a lawsuit in federal court against the school, but a lower court ruled against them, asserting that "diversity is a hallmark of our nation" and that such diversity "includes differences in sexual orientation." An appeals court upheld the decision.

In other ads, voters are told gay marriage will negatively impact free speech and religious liberty, leading to threats, lawsuits and even the firing of people who support the traditional definition of marriage. One particular ad references three incidents: 1) the bullying of Chick-fil-A after its president supported the biblical definition of marriage was told by several politicians it wasn't welcome in their cities, 2) the firing of Damian Goddard, a Canadian sports anchor who was axed after announcing his opposition to gay marriage and 3) the legal case involving a husband and wife who own a Vermont bed and breakfast and were sued after a lesbian couple was denied usage of the property for a wedding reception.

Jim O'Reilly, one of the bed and breakfast owners, tells the camera, "A lesbian couple sued us for not supporting their gay wedding because of our Christian beliefs. We had to pay $30,000 and can no longer host any weddings at our inn."
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Compiled by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).

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Panel debates gay rights vs. religious liberty
by Anne Reiner
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Violence against homosexuals overseas should be opposed, but their rights should not take precedence over religious freedom, said a Southern Baptist church-state expert.   

"We certainly don't think people should be imprisoned or discriminated against because of their sexual orientation; we also don't think they should have special protections," Richard Land told Baptist Press. 

The United Nations community advocates that "whenever the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people collide with religious freedom rights, religious freedom rights must give way. And we fundamentally disagree with that," said Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Four panelists addressed the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) rights vs. religious rights in a Capitol Hill discussion Oct. 18. The topic presented to the panelists was whether the Obama administration's promotion of LGBT rights is given greater priority than its promotion of international religious freedom. All panelists agreed violence against LGBT persons and religious adherents is wrong, but some said they believe the Obama administration will go further by advocating the right of LGBT people abroad to marry and adopt -- at the expense of religious rights. On Tuesday (Oct. 30), Vice President Joseph Biden was talking to a voter when he called transgendered discrimination the "civil rights issue of our time," according to Politico.com.

"I believe the Obama administration, if it is elected &#91;again&#93;, will pursue the gay agenda far beyond the issue of violence," said panelist Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project in the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University. "They will advocate for gay marriage and gay adoption overseas, and it will continue to do what it has done today and that is diminish the role of religious freedom in our foreign policy."

President Obama in December 2011 issued a memorandum opposing violence and discrimination against homosexuals internationally. The memorandum required all U.S. government agencies abroad to oppose violence against gays and to submit an annual report detailing the work done to promote LGBT rights.
 
All panelists said the Obama administration is not doing enough to promote religious freedom. 

Land agreed, saying LGBT rights take precedence over religious rights among international organizations. "We were all pretty disappointed that the Clinton State Department and the president were not more vigorous in their defense of religious freedom," Land said, commenting on his service on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that ended earlier this year. 

LGBT rights should be supported in all countries, said James Kirchick, fellow at the Foundation of Defense of Democracies. Homosexuality is criminalized in 76 countries, and many gays are beaten or hung from cranes in the town square for their sexual preferences, he said during the panel discussion. 

"There is no inherent incompatibility, rather, between the promotion of religious freedom abroad, something that I believe to be a cornerstone of American foreign policy since the founding of this country, and promoting the basic rights of gay individuals," Kirchick said.  

Kirchick referred to the Global Equality Fund, launched by Secretary Clinton and the State Department in 2011. The fund provides about $3 million in support of programs advancing the LGBT agenda around the world. It specifically promotes equality, advocacy, protection and dialogue, according to the fund. Despite some religious groups' fears, this $3 million will not take away any noticeable amount of funds from the promotion of religious freedom abroad, Kirchick said. 

The Obama administration's support of LGBT rights goes beyond opposing violence, Austin Ruse said, agreeing with his fellow panelist Farr.

"Violence against homosexuals is not really the issue," said Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. "It is partially, but it's not fully.... When sexual orientation and gender identity become new categories of nondiscrimination in international law, it will include everything, not just prohibiting violence against homosexuals. It's everything. You say that it's not about homosexual marriage and adoption -- it most certainly is." 
 
Ruse gave examples of LGBT rights trumping religious freedom overseas:

-- Evangelical pastor Ake Green was prosecuted in a Swedish criminal court for preaching on the biblical view of homosexuality;

-- Italian parliamentarian Rocco Buttiglione was nominated to serve as European Union commissioner for justice. When he was asked if he agreed with the Catholic Church that homosexual acts are sinful, he said yes -- and was denied the post. 

The Obama administration recognizes the conflict between LGBT rights and religious freedom, but it errs on the side of LGBT rights, Farr said. 

This year the White House has removed religious freedom from the State Department's human rights report, a report that has existed for about 40 years, Farr said. Furthermore, while LGBT programs were being put in place during the early years of the Obama administration, a religious freedom ambassador was not appointed until two years into Obama's term, Farr said. 

The Obama administration "rejects religious freedom as a legitimate aspiration for foreign policy," Farr said. The best way to stop violence against LGBTs and religious groups is to promote religious freedom, which he described as a non-violent moral approach. 

"If you advance religious freedom in a vigorous way, you are certainly not advancing the right for violence against anyone, including a gay person, but you are advancing the right of religious individuals, or frankly anybody else, to make religious arguments in the public square against things like gay marriage and gay adoption," Farr said. 

All panelists agreed that while there are many differences between Americans on the issue of LGBT rights and religious freedom, it is important to find common ground in the fight against violence toward minorities abroad. 

"We should remember who the real enemies are here, and it's not other Americans. It's authoritarians overseas who will oppress gay people and religious people," Kirchick said.

The Common Sense Society sponsored the panel discussion, which was held at a House of Representatives office building. 
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Anne Reiner is an intern with the Washington bureau of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).


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BarlowGirl disbands for 'something new'
by Tiffany Owens/World on Campus
Date: October 31, 2012 - Wednesday

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Becca, Lauren and Alyssa Barlow crowded in front of a computer camera on Monday night (Oct. 29) to bid their fans a final farewell after 10 years of singing, touring and recording together as the sister-trio BarlowGirl.

Lauren, 27, explained in the live chat that the transition happened as they sat down to write a new album. As they prayed, she and her two sisters realized God "had something new" for them. 

"We asked God what to do.... God revealed He has something new for us but He hasn't told us what it is," Lauren said. "He told us BarlowGirl was done." 

The sisters admitted crying for weeks. It isn't something they ever expected to hear, Lauren and Alyssa, 30, said. They expected it to go on "forever."

There were no tears Monday night. The sisters cracked jokes, laughed and poked fun at each other while explaining their next steps. They have no concrete plans, but for now they're spending time traveling for fun, enjoying nature and waiting. They also debunked a few rumors, explaining that they aren't retiring because of disagreements or because they want to get married. 

Originally from Chicago, the Barlow sisters started out as backup singers for their father, Vince Barlow, who created children's worship CDs as part of his work as a youth pastor. As children, the sisters traveled with their father to local concerts and slowly started singing their own songs as part of the show. In 2000, they formed a band, with their father assuming role of band manager. 

In 2002, Alyssa and Lauren dropped out of college while Becca, 33, quit her job to take up a contract offer, but six months later it fell through. That disappointment inspired their hit song, "Never Alone." 

In 2003, they signed with Fervent Records, packed their bags and moved to Nashville. The following year, they released a self-titled album that sold more than 1 million copies. Their 2005 single, "I Need You to Love Me," held the top spot on Christian Radio and Retail Weekly's Christian CHR chart for 13 consecutive weeks.

The sisters toured internationally, using their musical platform to spread various messages -- among them, the importance of modesty, support for the pro-life cause as well as a more controversial message about not dating. On their website, the sisters explain how they chose to refrain from typical dating, expressing faith that God would bring them together with the right men at the right time. 

"In the meantime we are not hiding in a closet avoiding all males. We are still living our lives, just without the pressure of having to have a boyfriend," they noted on the website. 

The question about dating came up during Monday's live Internet stream. The sisters laughed, interrupted and finished each other's sentences while explaining their stance and encouraging fans to "not worry" about finding "the right guy," and instead to "find out who you are with &#91;God&#93;." They gave more advice in response to fan questions about a variety of topics: Don't worry about others' opinions; learn to be at peace in the moment, instead of worrying about the next season; and never dream small. 

They sang three songs acoustically for fans: "Never Alone," "Beautiful Ending" and "Come Alive." They also released the video for their final song, "Hope Will Lead Us On," which debuted on iTunes early Tuesday morning. 

"To give this up is not easy," Alyssa said toward the end of their chat with fans. "Music is our Isaac. We aren't giving &#91;music&#93; up, we're trying to be obedient. We serve the most amazing, kind, loving, generous God ... why would He let us down?" 
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Tiffany Owens writes for WORLD on Campus (www.worldoncampus.com), a collegiate-oriented website of WORLD magazine (www.worldmag.com). Used by permission.



