The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-10/31/2014 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Liele 1st Baptist missionary from America by Diana Chandler Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The only four Baptist pastors in Georgia at the dawn of the American Revolution were so impressed with the 15-year-old's testimony and gift of exhortation, they licensed him to preach. The older men were all wealthy white plantation owners, but the teenager was George Liele, an African enslaved by one of the pastors' friends. Liele became the first ordained black Baptist preacher in the 13 colonies and proceeded to plant a church in Savannah, Ga., before sailing to Jamaica as the first Baptist missionary, black or otherwise, from the New World. In the 2013 Mercer University Press book, "George Liele's Life and Legacy," the former slave is hailed as a brilliant peacemaker and unsung hero for the progress he made against odds and across racial and social boundaries. Many Baptist historians have heard Liele's name but few know his significance to the denomination, said Carlisle Driggers, executive director emeritus of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and one of 14 co-authors of the book. "George Liele was really and truly the first Baptist missionary; there's no way to get around it. Even before William Carey, or Lott Carey or any of those persons who are so celebrated in Baptist history, there was George Liele," Driggers told Baptist Press. "And George went out on his own. He was not funded by any missionary society or any group whatever." Driggers and others compare Liele to the Apostle Paul of the early Church. "[Liele] was a missionary if there ever was a missionary. Just like Paul, on his own, he went from place to place. Everywhere he went he preached the Gospel. They'd put him in jail; he'd get out, he'd start a church," Driggers said. "But everywhere George went or where his disciples went, they'd start churches." Southern Baptists formally recognized Liele's pioneering missions in a resolution at its 2012 annual meeting in New Orleans, on the occasion of the election of Fred Luter as the first African American president of the Southern Baptist Convention. The resolution celebrates Liele as the first overseas missionary from the U.S., noting that historiography has not always reflected the contribution of African American Baptists. Liele originally had the surname Sharp, after his owner Henry Sharp. Sharp's friend Matthew Moore, a pastor, had been teaching Liele the Holy Scripture, reading and writing, when area ministers realized they needed to ordain him, and did so in 1775, according to the book. Sharp freed Liele, who continued to minister in the area until Sharp was killed in the American Revolution and his sons tried to reenslave Liele. At that time, Liele adopted his birth surname of Liele, honoring his father, and in 1783 secured passage to Jamaica as an indentured servant of Col. Moses Kirkland, the commanding officer of British forces in Savannah, Ga. By then, Liele had a wife and four children who sailed with him. Liele is credited with founding the first black Baptist churches in Georgia and Jamaica, which continue today, and with training missionaries who took the Gospel to West Africa, where Liele's ancestors were born. "In Jamaica, he got there and the first thing he did, was gather up a whole group of folks at a racetrack in Kingston, Jamaica and preach to them, and the police showed up and locked him up," Driggers said. "They'd let him out; he'd go right back to preaching. They'd lock him up [again]." In Jamaica, the Church of England was the only congregation law allowed, unless the legislature granted special permission. "We don't know how many times he was in jail," Driggers said. "But during that process, in Jamaica, he worked out a respect on the part of the slave owners and the politicians. Over time, they began to respect him." Liele's life was one of precarious balance. He walked a fine line to serve the Lord, appease slave owners, plant a church and win lost souls to Christ. Liele had a reputation of being able to work with people who themselves had conflicting goals, Driggers said. "He got along well with anybody and everybody, black, white, young, old. He just had a way about him, winning people's confidence, and they would trust him," Driggers said. "Liele was a very astute man, there's no question about it. Theologically, very conservative. He was smart. And he had a reputation of being able to work with folks." Liele arrived in Jamaica about 10 years before William Carey preached his famous sermon which created the Baptist Missionary Society in Kettering, England. Liele's history attracted the attention of theologian and pastor David T. Shannon Sr., now deceased, who pulled together a team of 14 leaders to conduct research and write the book on Liele. Included were pastors, theologians, historians, authors, teachers, attorneys and a Liele descendant. Liele ushered in a new era for Jamaica, said Noel Leo Erskine, a book co-author, theologian and Jamaican native who grew up in the Ethiopian Baptist Church of Jamaica Liele founded. "This man was infatuated with preaching and baptizing. I think they should call him the baptizer," said Erskine, professor of theology and ethics at Emory University's Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. "He gets on the boat to sail to Jamaica. He jumps off the boat and he baptizes people and he jumps back on. And what a phenomenon that must have been for enslaved Africans, for the first time in their lives, to see a fellow African preaching the Gospel." Liele was first accused of preaching a liberation theology during his early imprisonments in Jamaica. "The word was his sermons were incendiary, they were stirring up the people. He preached on Romans 10:1, 'Brethren my heart's desire for Israel is they may be saved,' Erskine paraphrased. "And he went on to talk about Africans in Jamaica being like Israel in bondage and it was God's will for them to be freed, to be saved. And he ended up in jail ... serious jail, because they say his feet were in the stocks and he was chained ... really on death row." Anabaptist covenant Liele turned the tables by implementing an Anabaptist covenant that sought to appease slaveholders and slaves, and allowed Liele to continue a life of ministry. Erskine believes Liele brought with him from Georgia the document entitled "The Covenant of the Anabaptist Church, Begun in America, December 1777, and in Jamaica, December 1783." "And so he came up with this covenant to appease the planters and the legislature. And the covenant says clearly there is to be no shedding of blood, no quarrelling among you, no killing among you. Obey your master," Erskine said. "And he even came up with a bell. The bell would be rung to tell the masters what time they should send servants to church, and he would ring the bell after church and say it's time to expect your servants to come home." Liele's church was open to all, but slaves could only join with their owner's permission. While the covenant presented slavery as the norm, Erskine said the document was indicative of a survival tactic slaves and free blacks have employed during oppression. Slaves and other oppressed blacks often used a code language that communicated hopes of freedom, unbeknownst to others. Erskine references the traditional Negro spirituals "Steal Away to Jesus" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as examples. "The master heard that and thought, 'Oh those people are singing a great, nice song,' and they're talking about running away. 'Looked over Jordan, what did I see?' That's talking about going across the Ohio River [and on up] into Canada," Erskine said. "So the way the language was coded, the master was right there and not understanding. Or a slave person passing looking at the big house, 'Everybody talking about heaven ain't going there.' The codes I think were a crucial part of it." Yet, Liele's approach created tension among African Baptist worshippers in Jamaica, causing his church to split a number of times, Erskine said. "There was tension there because in his heart, Liele was a contextualist," Erskine said. "Liele would do what would work. In the end of the day, he wanted his church to survive and he wanted his people to be freed." Book co-author and retired Decatur, Ga., Presbyterian pastor Winston Lawson, a Jamaican native, calls the covenant "appeasement with a purpose." "So Liele's apparent conformist and cooperative strategy, assuring planters that he would not use church attendance or instruction as opportunities to plan revolts, derived, no doubt, from his belief that to have half a loaf is better than having no loaf at all," Lawson wrote in the chapter he authored. "No wonder he was well spoken of by most of the planter class, as historian W.J. Garner attests. In fact, Liele carried his appeasement strategy-with-a-purpose forward by enunciating the aforementioned covenant, not only as a strict religious guideline for members, but as an agreement of loyalty and cooperation with the Jamaican legislature." The legislators were planters and slaveholders, Lawson said, and had been accustomed to doing whatever they willed with the slaves they purchased. For instance, article 16 of the covenant condemned the breakup of families, which was a direct attack on plantation owners, who actively discouraged marriage and opposed the family unit among slaves in every conceivable way, Lawson said. The covenant also established a system of law and governance within the church for its members, which strategically bypassed the civil authorities, who are categorized as "the unjust" in articles 9 and 11. "It was also a rebuke to the plantation owners, a subtle rebuke," Lawson told Baptist Press, "because they would just do whatever they wanted to do, whether they were married to the enslaved people or not. It was a kind of underhanded compliment. Even when he was advocating marriage, he was also chastising those who were doing things outside of marriage as the norm for them." Liele was himself a slaveholder, evidenced by his last will and testament leaving his eight slaves to his widow Hannah, stipulating they were to be freed upon her death. Liele is believed to have died in 1825 or 1828, according to the book. Liele never accepted a salary from his church, but earned money through a business transporting ammunition from the naval base in Port Royal to Kingston. He also received monetary contributions from a church pastored by his friend John Rippon in London, England. Erskine attributes Liele's ownership of slaves to the influence of George Whitefield, remembered as Liele's favorite preacher. 'We're a little bit ashamed that he caused a little blot there," Erskine told Baptist Press. "But then ... I argue it this way, that they say that his favorite preacher, Liele's favorite preacher, was George Whitefield, and that he mimicked Whitefield in the way which he preached, with his gesticulations. "And Whitefield was one of the biggest slave owners in Georgia. [I argue] that it was not unusual, since he came out of Georgia, for preachers to have slaves. So he really didn't have any good role model [regarding slavery] … in terms of what it meant to be a Christian clergyman." "But it seems to me that if you're involved in that structure of slavery ... it comes in like capitalism today. Look at us Christians and how we relate to money," Erskine said of the temptation toward materialism and greed. "Look at our priorities. It seems to me … that if you come close to absolute evil, it messes you up. Even a lovely man like that, slavery ... affected him." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Pro-life measures on ballots in TN, ND by Staff Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Evangelical Christians and others are urging voters to approve constitutional amendments Nov. 4 in Tennessee and North Dakota aimed at protecting the lives of expectant mothers and their unborn children. In Tennessee, Amendment 1 would establish constitutional grounds for informed consent laws, mandatory waiting periods for abortions and requirements that second and third trimester abortions be performed in hospitals. The measure would effectively overturn a 2000 Tennessee Supreme Court decision that found the state constitution preserves access to abortion services and limits the legislature's ability to regulate them, the Tennessean in Nashville reported. In North Dakota, Measure 1 would declare the inalienable right to life at every stage of human development, preventing frequent attempts to declare that the state's constitution guarantees the right to an abortion, and protecting pro-life measures already enacted by the North Dakota Legislature. In neither state would the measures overturn Roe v. Wade, which declares a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. Tennessee "Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion," Tennessee's Amendment 1 states. "The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother." Already approved by the Tennessee legislature, Amendment 1 must not only be approved by a majority of voters, but must also receive more than half as many votes as are cast in the governor's race, as Tennessee law stipulates. Going into the election, polls indicate a slight majority of voters approve the measure. A Tennessee Right to Life poll found 53 percent of likely voters support for the amendment; while a Middle Tennessee State University poll indicates 39 percent approve the measure, compared to 32 percent who disapprove. Both polls have a 4 percent margin of error, and many voters remain undecided. Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector newsjournal of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, urged in an Oct. 31 blogpost that voters learn the facts of the measure to avoid being swayed by misinformation. "Don't listen to the misinformation and, in some cases, outright lies by those opposing the amendment. Amendment 1 does not take away a woman's right to choose and it has nothing to do with rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is at risk," Wilkey wrote. "What Amendment 1 does do is offer a means to provide for informed consent, a waiting period, and inspection of abortion facilities. States surrounding Tennessee already have these common sense restrictions in place. That is why we have become an 'abortion destination.' It is too easy to get an abortion in Tennessee and that needs to stop." Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., said Tennessee "is in danger of becoming the Mecca for abortion in the deep South, or even in the Mid-South" because its legal protections of abortion exceed those in neighboring states. "Some of the abortion clinics in Tennessee are glad to be destinations for those coming for abortions from other states," Mohler said in his daily podcast Oct. 1. "One abortion clinic in Nashville even offers discount coupons for those coming from out of state, a rather perverse demonstration of the business behind abortion. At present, the state of Tennessee has seven abortion clinics -- that's down from 16 in 2000, but still more than any of its neighboring states with the singular exception of North Carolina. "We're looking here at the fact that once again geography matters, and when it comes to abortion, geography can matter profoundly. But the citizens of Tennessee have an opportunity to make their geography matter differently than it does now...," Mohler said. Protestant and Catholic churches are among the amendment's strongest supporters, with 10 Tennessee denominations, including the Tennessee Baptist Convention, passing resolutions or making official statements in support of the measure. North Dakota "The inalienable right to life of every human being at every stage of development must be recognized and protected," reads the North Dakota measure, also known as the Human Life Amendment. The measure would protect laws already on the books that regulate abortions, ensuring women are given full disclosure of information prior to an abortion, allowing only licensed physicians with hospital admitting privileges to perform abortions, making sure parents are notified if their underage daughter seeks an abortion, and prohibiting partial birth abortions. The laws are threatened by a state judge's ruling that North Dakota's constitution contains an implicit right to abortion, ND Choose Life said, although that ruling is being reviewed by the state Supreme Court. Measure 1 is supported by more than 300 North Dakota churches and pastors, according to the ND Choose Life website, and would have no impact on end-of-life care, IVF procedures or care for women suffering a pregnancy emergency, as opponents of the amendment have erroneously claimed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Golden Gate relocation, name change moving ahead by Tyler Sanders Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday ONTARIO, Calif. (BP) -- Trustees of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary received reports concerning the relocation to Southern California and set new strategic goals for overall seminary operations during their Oct. 13-14 meeting in Ontario, Calif. President Jeff Iorg gave a progress report on the new primary campus building in Ontario, a city in Southern California's Inland Empire region east of Los Angeles. The Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process is nearing completion, with the purchase of the property to be final by early November, Iorg reported. The seminary has hired TR Design, an award-winning firm from Riverside, Calif., to design the new campus building's interior, Iorg announced. Construction on the hi-tech campus interior will begin in the spring. Additionally, Iorg said the seminary has taken the initial necessary steps to request the change to its proposed new name: Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention. The approval requires consecutive affirmations from the SBC during the next two annual meetings. In reviewing the reasons for the change, Iorg said, "We have had a growing sense that bearing a name so closely associated with an iconic landmark won't serve us well when our primary campus is in the Inland Empire. Since we have campuses throughout the West and students all over the world, we need a missional name that is not geographically tied to a state or region." The seminary's main campus currently is in the San Francisco Bay Area. Addressing upcoming personnel changes, Iorg said the seminary has "worked with a consulting firm to help us develop separation policies, future employment policies for current employees, new job descriptions for every staff position and a salary study that will help the seminary establish a new pay scale." Iorg shared several stories of the positive faculty and staff response to the plans. A major focus of the meeting was reviewing the seminary's Diamond Plan to coincide with its 75th anniversary, or "diamond" anniversary" in 2019-20. Iorg reported on the completion of eight strategic goals, first set in 2009. "We have completed the first five-year implementation cycle with remarkable results," he said. "Now, with the relocation pending, it's the perfect time to create the next set of five-year goals." Among the new goals adopted by trustees are the establishment of a new identity as Gateway Seminary, pending SBC approval; the completion of the new campus in Southern California and a new commuter campus in northern California; and the development of new strategies for recruiting, student services and marketing. Iorg also proposed formalizing faculty and staffing improvement plans in the next few years. Additionally, specific goals were set for annual fund giving and endowment growth. "With revenue from the land sale and competent future fundraising, we believe we can have a $100 million endowment by 2020," Iorg projected. One future goal highlights the need for training more pastors for churches in the West and around the world. "Golden Gate has always trained pastors," Iorg said, "but the coming crisis of a shortage of pastors means we must redouble our efforts in this area." The seminary will be making several changes, outlined as part of the strategic goal-setting process, to better prepare pastors for ministry today. This includes an ongoing evaluation of its master of divinity curriculum in light of current ministry challenges. The trustees also approved responses to two referrals from the 2014 SBC annual meeting. The first concerned biblical tithing and the second concerned online course fees. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gift to GGBTS: church planting scholarships by Tyler Sanders Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP) -- A family foundation has donated $850,000 for church planting scholarships through Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. "They believe in the Great Commission," President Jeff Iorg said, "and they want to see Gospel-preaching churches planted throughout the world. So they made a very generous gift to ensure that church planters are trained at Golden Gate Seminary." The new scholarship fund represents the third-largest single gift in the seminary's history. "The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, told me they want to see church planters trained at Golden Gate Seminary without worrying about the cost of tuition," Iorg said. "We are grateful for their Kingdom-minded generosity. "Beginning in the 2015 spring term, we will be awarding church planting scholarships to students who are currently working in a church plant, sense a call to planting a church, or want to serve on a church planting team," Iorg said. Iorg also noted that this gift, received earlier this fall, seems to indicate God's blessing the seminary's decision to sell its San Francisco-area Mill Valley campus and create a new primary campus in Southern California's Inland Empire region and a commuter campus in the Bay Area. "God is blessing us and confirming we are following His guidance," Iorg said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Utah/Idaho celebrates 50th anniversary by Karen L. Willoughby Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday LAYTON, Utah (BP) -- Recent rulings regarding same-sex marriage in Utah and Idaho were mentioned and a resolution was passed showing solidarity with Houston pastors against an attempt to subpoena their sermons, but for the most part the 2014 annual meeting of the Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Convention was about the past, present and future of the 50-year-old convention. Fifty-three congregations came together in 1964 to form the UISBC; today, more than 160 are part of the two-state convention. The UISBC's 50th anniversary was a celebration "Honoring our Past, Ministering in the Present, Looking to the Future." Baptists from the South were in Idaho from the mid-1880s. A place in the state today called "Gospel Hump" dates from when J.B. York, a Baptist minister from Arkansas, would climb on an old log to preach to miners, loggers and other passersby. The first church to connect to Southern Baptists, however, was First Baptist Church in Roosevelt in northeast Utah in 1944. Former pastor Lu Gillman spoke of being asked to serve on convention's nominating committee three years after the UISBC was formed. "It was a time when if you had blood and it was working, we wanted you to serve," Gilman said. Others brought up their memories of serving in the early days of Southern Baptists in their two states. In his report, Executive Director Rob Lee spoke of God's hand at work, such as the time a log truck broke in Salmon Valley, Idaho, which provided logs for a church building. Lee noted the nearly 40,000 baptisms in Utah and Idaho over the last 50 years and said, "We need to praise God for the little things, to notice what God is doing.... "We have not seen the movement of God so many have prayed for," Lee said. "We live in a land of 4.5 million people, and only 400,000 Christians." Utah/Idaho, a bastion of Latter-day Saints, is less than 1 percent evangelized. Don Ozuna spoke of present-day work among Hispanics in Idaho; Michael Waldrop spoke of the same among the unevangelized in St. George -- famous for being on the way to Las Vegas; and Biakkung Len spoke of work among Burmese in Utah. Len's grandfather was led to the Lord by famed missionary William Carey. In what was a surprise to his wife, Brigeda and Don Ozuna were called to the platform to renew their wedding vows during the annual meeting, since it also was their 50th anniversary. "My wife prayed for me, and that's why we're still married." He said a quick yes when asked by UISBC President Jim Panagoplos if he would love and honor his wife; Brigeda took time to tap her head mischievously before agreeing. The future of the Utah-Idaho convention lies in its "Vision 2020," enacted last year. It involves doubling the number of churches to 350 by 2020 and in having 1 percent of the state's citizens as members of those churches. It was during the second morning of the Oct. 21-22 UISBC annual meeting that mention was made of federal judges in the Ninth and Tenth Circuit District Courts overturning state-codified definitions of marriages as being one man and one woman. Russ Robinson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Provo, Utah, mentioned the nation's cultural collapse in the annual convention sermon. "Houston, we have a problem. Houston, you have a problem and we are going to share in this burden together," Robinson preached, with 1 Peter 1:3-9 as his scriptural reference point. "The reality is, Utah and Idaho, we have some problems as well," he added. "On Oct. 6, 2014, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hear an appeal from the state of Utah concerning [its] ban on same-sex marriage, thus upholding the legality of these unions," Robinson preached, "and just last week, Idaho, you faced the same except from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, thus rendering on Oct. 15 same-sex marriage, if you want to call it that, has been opened in your state." Messengers addressed the Houston controversy through their Resolution #1, stating: "Be it resolved that we, the messengers of the 50th annual meeting of the Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Convention stand firm in support of the five pastors being persecuted by the City of Houston." Resolution #2 dedicated the minutes of the 2014 annual meeting to longtime leader Herb Stoneman, who died in June. Resolution #3 was in appreciation to the host church -– Mountain View Baptist Church in Layton, Utah -- and thanking God for their ministry. Messengers approved a budget of $2,006,164 for the coming year, $36,000 less than the current year's $2,040,483 budget. The 2015 budget includes an anticipated $688,167 in Cooperative Program giving from Utah/Idaho churches; $1,163,730 in North American Mission Board support; $60,000 from LifeWay Christian Resources; and $94,267 from the York/Dillman State Missions Offering. The convention's Cooperative Program allocations remained at 25 percent for SBC national and international missions and ministries, with 75 percent for Utah/Idaho outreach and no shared expenses. In other business, five Utah congregations were accepted into full fellowship with the UISBC: Bear River Valley Baptist Church in Tremonton; Canyonlands Fellowship Church in Moab; Crossings Church in Spanish Fork; Lifestone Church in Riverton/Herriman; and Mountain View Baptist Fellowship in Milford. The convention's president and first and second vice presidents, respectively, were re-elected by acclamation: Jim Panagoplos, pastor of First Baptist Church in Roy, Utah; Clint Henry, pastor of Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho; and Russ Robinson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Provo, Utah, was re-elected by acclamation. Casey Grant, collegiate minister's wife and member of Central Valley, was elected recording secretary. Among reports from SBC entities, Send Salt Lake coordinator Travis Kerns represented the North American Mission Board. "Our number one priority is to push back lostness in the U.S. and Canada," Kerns said. "About 85 percent of the non-Christians in the United States are in 32 cities and Salt Lake City is the most non-Christian city in the U.S. And four out of the five most unreached metropolitan cities are in Utah: Logan, Salt Lake City, Provo/Orem and St. George. "In the last year, eight church plants in the Send Salt Lake area distributed 192 Bibles, engaged in more than 5,000 spiritual conversations and led 77 people to Christ who also were baptized," Kerns continued. "In the last two weeks, eight people were baptized at the Hispanic mission church at First West Valley City, and 13 were baptized at Lifestone Herriman." Renewed endeavors by the Utah-Idaho convention included preliminary plans for a pastors and wives retreat and a Feb. 5-6 evangelism conference, both for the first time in several years. New: a "Sharpening Iron" electronic network for pastors and the hiring of Philip Grant as collegiate network coordinator for ministry among the 200,000 college students in Utah and Idaho. Jeff Iorg, president of the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif., brought the keynote address, with Philippians 1 as his scriptural reference point. "It is the good that competes with the best," Iorg preached on the need to stay focused on the mission. The 2015 annual meeting is set for Oct. 20-21 at Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CALL TO PRAYER: Reveling in Christ; interceding to Christ by Dan Biser Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, has issued a call to prayer for revival and spiritual awakening for our churches, our nation and our world during 2014. Baptist Press will carry First-Person articles during the year encouraging Southern Baptists to pray in specific areas and for specific needs as we petition the Father for spiritual awakening. NASHVILLE (BP) -- In my Bible reading last week, I read through Song of Solomon (Canticles) and began reading Isaiah. So much is revealed in these pages that speaks to our current plight. Canticles 1:6, "They made me a keeper of the vineyards, [but] I have not kept my own vineyard." Is this true of you as we approach the final two months of the year? So busy with work, family and other responsibilities that you have fallen behind and forgotten the most important thing, to keep your soul before the Lord? How often do we tend to others and to life itself, and neglect the most important things. We know the Lord is neither happy nor pleased when we neglect the Bible, prayer, fellowship and intimacy with Him. Renew, confess and restore your walk even now and finish the year well. Canticles 3:4, "When I found the one I love, I held on to him and would not let him go." Here is the clinging passion of a soul that longs after Christ. Find Him, hold onto Him and never let go of Him, the One your soul loves. Reflect on all the ways that the circumstances of your life teach, remind and bring you close to Christ. Canticles 4:16, "Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden." Let the wind of the Spirit blow upon us and upon His church and renew us once again into a right relationship with Him. Let Christ come abide with us and we with Him, knowing full well the promise, "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). Canticles 5:10–16, Reveling in the beauty of God's Presence, reflect on His head, His eyes, His cheeks, His lips, His arms, His body, His legs, His countenance, and His mouth. Let us look unto Jesus and His full image and rejoice in the Lord and His beauty. Canticles 8:13–14, "Companions are listening for your voice -- let me hear you! Hurry to me, my love." Come quickly Lord and cause me to know You more fully. Let your radiant glory shine upon me from each and every page of your divine Word. Let me experience your divine presence each day. If time would only permit me to continue into the opening pages of Isaiah, continuing to revel in what God has revealed. Oh that my soul could pen it all! But allow me simply to share some updates and remind us of a few things to pray for in the coming months. Earthquakes Our world had a 7.0 earthquake this month, actually two within a week. Such cataclysms serve as reminders of the earth's pangs, longing for Christ's return and the ultimate consummation of all things (Romans 8:18-23). Same-sex marriage The United States Supreme Court refused to take up this issue, allowing a flood of circuit court rulings to stand, effectively ratifying judicial decisions that have reversed voter initiatives in many states. Failure of the church to intercede allows this and other evils to continue. Ebola Thousands are dead, mainly in West Africa. With more than 10,000 affected -- and a 70 percent death rate of those that contract the disease -- fears in the United States continue to swell over the few who have contracted it in our country. With thousands dying overseas, we have an imbalanced perception of God's heart over and for the nations. It seems the church seldom cares until it hits home. ISIS This radical Islamic group continues with its forward progression toward Baghdad and other cities. Thousands have been killed, tens of thousands displaced, and numerous acts of sin against women and children have been done by this well-armed, well-resourced extremist group. We must stand in prayer with our brothers and sisters. U.S. diseases In addition to Ebola, the Entero respiratory virus has affected numerous children across our nation and now Bubonic plague has been found in fleas, a major carrier of the disease, in Colorado and Arizona. Perhaps God is trying to get our attention? Economy The stock market experienced a wild ride in October, losing nearly 1,000 points, then rebounding to record highs. This volatility points to the uncertainty many people feel about their present and future circumstances. May we remember that God alone is our source of security. Houston mayor walks forward, then walks back The city's subpoenas issued for sermons and other communications from five Houston pastors was a direct assault on our religious liberty. This act is but the beginning of opening the door for what will come without the church's proper response. This brief review of the progression of evil can terrorize us, or it can serve as a rally cry to us. May these events prove a rallying point for the church to get serious about being serious. We must continue in prayer each day, celebrating who we are in Christ as we revel in His precious word, and interceding for what our world is (and is more rapidly becoming) without Christ. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Dia feo y de lloro by Gerardo A. Alfaro Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: La columna First-Person (De primera mano) es parte de la edición de hoy de BP en español. Para ver historias adicionales, vaya a http://www.bpnews.net/espanol FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Sí, sé que la Escritura dice que "este es el día que hizo el Señor... nos alegraremos." Lo que nunca se dice es que ese versículo tiene que ver con una cualidad del día al que el salmista se está refiriendo. No necesariamente se aplica a todos los días, y menos a éste. La misma Escritura nos dice que existen días que no quisieran vivirse como aquel de los que describe Salomón cuando dice que hay tiempo para "dejar de abrazar" o para "dispersar" o para "llorar," etc. Que existan esos días no quita que sean dolorosos, difíciles, feos. También recordamos esos días que Job y Jeremías quisieran nunca hubieran pasado, aunque hubieran sido los días en que ellos mismos nacieron. Y no porque los días en que nacieron fueran feos, sino porque los días que ahora viven lo son. De esos días quizá habla Juan, cuando llorando quisiera que el día de la ira del Cordero no venga sobre los habitantes del mundo pecaminoso.  Todo esto para decir que para muchos creyentes el sentirse triste no debería ser experiencia cristiana. Recuerdo alguna vez que queriendo dar el pésame a una muchacha de mi barrio, por la partida de su madre, me responde con aire de espiritualidad superior, que no tengo por qué sentirlo porque su mamá está en mejor lugar. Nada más estúpido. Sí Jesús lloró por Lázaro que acaba de morir y que estaba a momentos de resucitar, y si a Dios mismo le duele la muerte de sus santos (Salmo 116:15), no sé por qué no se debe llorar por la muerte de un amado. No sé por qué no llorar por las desgracias que le suceden al mundo, los sin sentidos de la vida misma, el mal ir de las cosas aun cuando se ha intentado todo. Que todas las cosas nos ayuden a bien, no significa que no duelan y que no nos causen frustración. Llora Jesús frente a Jerusalén, aunque será él mismo él que ha profetizado su destrucción. Llora y clama Jesús en la cruz aunque sabe que será resucitado. Gime la tierra aunque sabe que será liberada junto con la gloriosa libertad de los hijos de Dios (Ro. 8). Llora Pablo, aunque ha visto al Jesús resucitado, y aunque sabe del decreto soberano de Dios. Pero su pueblo le causa dolor constante (Ro. 9). Y qué más contaré, de aquellas almas que claman abajo del altar, aunque ya están fuera del cuerpo, y saben que Jesús triunfará al final, claman porque se apure cómo si incluso en su condición desencarnada les pesara el mal del mundo. Llora el santo que es perseguido, y los que no entienden porque las cosas no marchan justamente (Mateo 7).  Pues bien, que nadie se queje si hoy me duele el corazón por mi propia condición. Me duele no poder dejar de ser quién soy. Me duele no poder sentir todavía como Jesús enjuga mis lágrimas. Me duele que en muchas áreas no me parezco a Jesús. Me duele querer y no poder. Me duele poder y saber que no debo querer. Me duele saber que las cosas pueden ser diferentes y no son. Lloro por mí y por los demás. Lloro porque muchos pretenden, se engañan. Dicen celebrar cuando sólo hay que llorar. Lloro porque casi treinta años han pasado y no hay forma de cambiar. Lloro porque soy sensible y no sé si esto es malo o es bueno. Es bueno porque siento. Es malo porque lo que siento no me gusta. ¿Siento porque estoy vivo, o por qué estoy muerto? Sólo Jesús sabe. Sólo hay esperanza por Jesús. Pero la esperanza no se siente hoy. Hoy es un día feo porque aunque sé que arriba de las nubes existe el sol, hoy el sol no me calienta. Lloro y en medio de las lágrimas, como en un espejo empañado, diviso apenas y no claramente,  que el día de mañana reiré. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Houston subpoenas recall Vietnam for pastor by David Roach Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday HOUSTON (BP) -- Pastor Khanh Huynh nearly lost his life fleeing Vietnam in search of religious liberty. After being subpoenaed by the city of Houston for opposing the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, he wonders whether he will have to flee again to maintain that liberty. "The freedom of speech and freedom of religion is beginning to be invaded and violated," Huynh, pastor of Houston's Vietnamese Baptist Church, told Baptist Press. "I feel like this is a recurrence of what I knew and experienced in Vietnam ... Some days I wake up and I feel like, 'Do I have to take my family, my children to another country?' because this is what we fled Vietnam for." Huynh -- who immigrated to the U.S. from communist Vietnam in 1979 -- is one of five Houston pastors who were subpoenaed for sermons and other private correspondence regarding their opposition to the ordinance known as HERO among its supporters. The subpoenas were part of the city's effort to defend itself against a lawsuit challenging its disqualification of a petition drive to vote on the ordinance, which has added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to Houston's list of protected classifications such as race, religion, sex and disability. Mayor Annise Parker announced Oct. 29 that the subpoenas would be dropped, but on Oct. 31 Huynh said he had not received any official notice from the city or a court that they had been withdrawn. Huynh is scheduled to be one of the speakers at the "I Stand Sunday" simulcast Nov. 2 hosted by the Family Research Council and other partners. At a city council meeting and a separate meeting with Houston's city attorney, Huynh voiced his concern that the ordinance will violate the religious freedom of business owners and others who disagree with its expanded classifications. He also expressed concern that it will make women and children vulnerable to sexual predators by permitting people to use public restrooms of the gender they identify with rather than those of their natural gender. Huynh received his subpoena by certified mail at the church office and said he feels unfairly targeted since other pastors were more vocal in their opposition. "Maybe it's because I'm a minority [as is] the church, and they think that they can threaten me or retaliate and I'll have no way to fight back," Huynh, whose church cooperates with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, said. "But I'm so grateful that pastors and leaders in America have voiced an outcry and given help." Religious freedom "is what America shared with the rest of the world," and it must not be violated by any city, state or federal authority, Huynh said. He is willing to be jailed if necessary rather than turn over to the government documents expressing his religious views. It would not be the first time he has been arrested for acting on his Christian convictions. As a teenager in Vietnam, which fell to communist rule in 1975, he was arrested along with his pastor and other youth and children for participating in a Vacation Bible School. Authorities "paraded us though the town to make a statement for everybody in the town that that they would not tolerate or they would not accept Christianity in Vietnam," Huynh said. At age 19, he joined a group that fled Vietnam by boat and found its way to Malaysia. But Malaysian authorities were unwilling to accept refugees and towed Huynh's boat back out to sea. The Malaysian navy attempted to capsize the boat as they towed it and the vessel was badly damaged. Huynh and his fellow travelers then set a course for Indonesia, bailing water out of their boat the whole way. Many of the Vietnamese passengers died en route because they ran out of fresh water. About 20 minutes after the last surviving traveler disembarked in Indonesia, the boat sank. Huynh ended up in a squalid refugee camp for nine months, where he got his first taste of religious freedom. "For the first time after almost four years with the communists, we were able to sing without being afraid of people hearing us praising God," he said. "... The joy of freedom is amazing." By late 1979, Huynh was granted refugee status by the U.S. government and came to America, where he entered Christian ministry, married and started a family. America's religious liberty led him to kiss the ground at the Los Angeles International Airport in the early 1990s upon returning from a visit to Vietnam to see his parents. "The greatest phrase we heard from [U.S.] customs officials was 'welcome home,'" Huynh said. His fight to enter a country with religious liberty strengthened his resolve to battle Houston's subpoena of his religious speech, Huynh said. That resolve is shared by fellow subpoena recipient Magda Hermida of Magda Hermida Ministries, who experienced communist oppression in Cuba, Huynh said. In addition to Huynh and Hermida, the other subpoenaed ministers are Dave Welch, executive director of the Houston Area Pastor Council; Steve Riggle of Grace Community Church, where the I Stand Sunday rally will be hosted; and Hernan Castano of Rios de Aceite. Huynh said he draws encouragement from the pastors in Vietnam who leave home every day with a change of clothes in case they are imprisoned for their faith before returning home. He said he will never concede his liberty to speak and act according to his Christian convictions, and he is thankful that it doesn't look like he will have to be arrested again for doing so. "I'm willing to [go to jail], but I know that the Constitution of the United States of America is behind me," Huynh said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Subpoenas aside, religious liberty warnings remain by Staff Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday HOUSTON (BP) -- Though the threat of subpoena has been lifted against five Houston ministers, warnings continue of a broader threat to religious liberty -- warnings likely to abound in a Nov. 2 "I Stand Sunday" simulcast originating from Houston. "If we have a single person, or two, who have positions of authority who can take away the voting rights of a million, we no longer live in a constitutional republic," Dave Welch, one of the subpoenaed ministers, said on a local radio show Oct. 30. Welch was referring to a petition drive disqualified by city attorney Dave Feldman that would allow voters to repeal the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, called HERO among its supporters. The ordinance, adopted by the city council in May, provides civil rights protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Welch, executive director of the Houston Area Pastor Council, said no apology has been given by Mayor Annise Parker for the subpoenas. "They didn't make any effort to reach out to the five who had been subpoenaed and say, 'Oh, we're sorry. We shouldn't have done this,'" Welch said on the radio show. A lawsuit has been filed charging Feldman with violating the city charter by dismissing thousands of signatures on the repeal initiative -- signatures that already had been certified by city secretary Anna Russell. After enactment of the ordinance, opponents initiated the petition drive, submitting about 31,000 signatures -- among more than 50,000 collected and nearly 14,000 more than required to qualify for a referendum. Feldman, however, disqualified enough of the signatures to prevent a citywide vote. In response, HERO opponents filed suit, seeking to gain court approval for a referendum. A court hearing is scheduled for January. If the legal action against the city fails to produce a referendum vote on the ordinance, the city charter does not allow for a second petition. The law will go into effect. The subpoenas, as defended by Mayor Annise Parker and Feldman, were part of the city's legal preparations for the lawsuit. Parker, in an Oct. 29 news conference announcing the withdrawal of the subpoenas, acknowledged the legal maneuver was overly broad yet also "legal and valid and appropriate." "It is extremely important to me to protect our Equal Rights Ordinance," she Parker, a lesbian who has championed the ordinance. "I don't want to have a national debate about freedom of religion," Parker said, "when my whole purpose is to defend a strong and wonderful and appropriate city ordinance against local attack." Parker reversed course on the subpoenas after a storm of national protests and two meetings Oct. 28 with pastor delegations. The plaintiffs' attorney, Andy Taylor, called Parker's announcement a "head fake," the Houston Chronicle reported. Parker should drop the city's defense of the lawsuit and put the ordinance to a vote, Taylor said. "The truth is, she's using this litigation to try to squelch the voting rights of over a million well-intentioned voters here in the city of Houston," Taylor said. "It's very simple why we filed a lawsuit: Because they won't do what the city constitutional charter requires them to do." Gary Lebetter, editor in chief of the Southern Baptist TEXAN, noted in an editorial, "Houston's mayor is one of our current crop of liberal politicians who sincerely do not understand religious liberty. To these leaders, we have the freedom to worship in the privacy of our homes and church buildings, but our freedom to live as transformed people in our weekday life is more inconvenient to a pluralistic culture. Freedom of worship makes more sense to them than actual religious freedom. "It seems we have been Mirandized -- read our rights." Foes of the Houston ordinance have voiced concern that it will violate the religious freedom of business owners and others who disagree with the measure's expanded classifications. Also, opponents say it will make women and children vulnerable to sexual predators by permitting people to use public restrooms of the gender they identify with rather than those of their natural gender. Among the subpoenaed pastors is Khanh Huynh, senior pastor of Vietnamese Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation. See today's BP proile. The I Stand Sunday simulcast (http://istandsunday.com) is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Central time, originating from Grace Community Church, 14505 Gulf Freeway in Houston. Sponsored by the Family Research Council based in Washington, D.C., featured speakers will include Huynh; Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, now a Fox TV host; Ed Young, a former SBC president and longtime pastor of Houston's Second Baptist Church; "Duck Dynasty" personality Phil Robertson; and Fox News commentator Todd Starnes. Floyd, in an Oct. 29 statement to Baptist Press, said, "We look forward to holding high the necessity of religious liberty in our nation as well as the desperate need for revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moore: New HHS rules violate religious liberty by Tom Strode Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Obama administration's latest rules for its abortion/contraception mandate fail to resolve religious liberty concerns and should be scrapped, Southern Baptists' lead ethicist Russell D. Moore has told the federal government. The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission outlined his opposition to the new regulations in three pages of formal comments filed Oct. 27 with the Department of Labor. Moore's letter came in response to the eighth version of the rules since the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) first issued in August 2011 regulations requiring employers to provide for their workers not only contraceptives but drugs and devices that can potentially cause abortions. The latest rules in an ongoing controversy provide a new option for notification by non-profit religious organizations that object to the mandate. A non-profit may notify HHS in writing of its religious objection to providing coverage of all contraceptives or those that are potentially abortion-causing. In response, the federal government will notify the insurer or a third-party administrator it is responsible for providing employees of the non-profit with payments to cover the services. The new version no longer requires the non-profit to authorize the government to contact its insurer. While the ERLC is pleased HHS recognizes the conscience problems with the regulations, it is "deeply disappointed, however, that [HHS] still believes it should be the arbiter of the line between what constitutes protected religious activity and what does not," Moore wrote in his comments. The new option, or accommodation, in the rules does not eliminate the moral objection by religious organizations, he said. "Non-exempt religious organizations which object to providing abortifacients on moral and religious grounds are still the conduit by which employees receive the drugs and devices," Moore wrote. "Non-exempt organizations are unable to comply with the rules, and, at the same time, maintain fidelity to their religious beliefs," he said. "The new accommodation is merely a reshuffling of the paperwork and does not resolve the concerns of non-exempt religious organizations: their actions are ultimately providing abortifacients to their employees." The new rules are the most recent effort by the government to satisfy moral objections by employers with pro-life convictions while expanding contraceptive access as part of the controversial 2010 health-care law. The abortion/contraception mandate, which HHS issued as part of implementing the health-care measure, requires coverage of such drugs as Plan B and other "morning-after" pills that appear to possess a post-fertilization mechanism that can cause an abortion by preventing implantation of tiny embryos. The rule also covers "ella," which -- in a fashion similar to the abortion drug RU 486 -- can act even after implantation to end the life of a child. HHS provided an exemption to the mandate for churches and their auxiliaries but did not extend it to non-church-related, non-profit organizations that object. The result has been 102 federal lawsuits by nearly 320 parties, according to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has led the diverse effort challenging the mandate. The rules are not only deficient because of their breach of the First Amendment, Moore said, but because they: -- Defy the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a 1993 law which requires the federal government to have a compelling interest to burden religious exercise and to use the least restrictive means in doing so. -- Do not alter the mandate's effect, leaving the organization as "the trigger for setting in motion the provision of these objectionable items." -- Create tiers of protection for religious groups, favoring churches and affiliated organizations over other faith-based organizations. -- Disregard the stated intent of the White House and Congress, both of which said the law would not permit the use of taxpayer money for abortions. The latest rules "continue to show serious disregard for constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom," Moore wrote. "The new rules continue to run afoul of faith and conscience. They should be rejected altogether as offensive to faith and unworkable under the scrutiny of the First Amendment." The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) also objected to the rules in comments for the federal government. "The government should not force organizations to violate their religious convictions by providing abortion pills to their employees or students," ADF Senior Counsel Gregory Baylor said. "The administration has once again failed to extend its existing religious exemption to all organizations with sincere religious objections to the mandate. That would have been the best way of respecting freedom for everyone." The latest round of objections to the federal abortion/contraception mandate came while the state of California has gone so far as to require churches to cover elective abortions. The state informed insurance companies in August the California Constitution and a state law require coverage of abortion in group plans, according to WORLD News Service (WNS). Seven California churches filed a complaint with HHS, pointing to federal laws that bar funds for elective abortions or permit the federal government to withhold money from any state that does not protect conscience rights in health plans, WNS reported. "No state can blatantly ignore federal law and think that it should continue to receive taxpayer money," said Casey Mattox, senior counsel of ADF, which is co-representing the churches, according to WNS. In August, the administration also announced guidelines seeking comment on an accommodation for "closely held," for-profit companies, such as Hobby Lobby and other family owned businesses. The rules regarding "closely held" for-profits followed the Supreme Court's June opinion in favor of the religious liberty rights of Hobby Lobby and a family-owned Pennsylvania cabinet-making company. ADF filed comments criticizing the rules and urging their revision. The ERLC issued an analysis of the new HHS rules when they were announced in August. The analysis by Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy, and Andrew Walker, director of policy studies, may be accessed here. -------------------------------------------------------------------- LAS LOTERÍAS: El Club de los Millonarios de Monopolio by Por Barrett Duke Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Veintitrés estados y el Distrito de Columbia han desarrollado una nueva estrategia para desplumar a sus residentes: se llama el Club de los Millonarios de Monopolio. Cuando pensamos en un club, normalmente pensamos en algún tipo de reunión donde la gente logra algún fin en común. Este club, sin embargo, no lo es en lo absoluto. Es la más reciente y engañosa campaña de mercadotecnia para persuadir a la gente a que dé algo de su dinero a cambio de una promesa vacía de riquezas fáciles. Este reciente esfuerzo pluriestatal se une a otros, como Powerball y Mega Millones, que ya están siendo promovidos activamente por todo el país con una sola meta: llevarse el más dinero posible de manos de gente desesperada con el objetivo de financiar el barril sin fondo que es el gasto del gobierno. En total, 44 estados, más el Distrito de Columbia, ya tienen sus propias loterías. Encima de esto, estos estados participan en varias loterías multiestatales. Los estados las promueven como un medio para colectar dinero para varias necesidades, incluyendo los costos de la educación pública, las becas para la universidad y varias necesidades de infraestructura. Estas son causas nobles, pero de los casi $70 billones que se gastan en billetes de lotería anualmente, el monto de los premios y los costos administrativos consumen más de $45 billones de los recibos de la lotería. La redistribución de la riqueza Cuando llegaron las loterías a los estados en 1964, estaban limitadas a los estados individuales que las comenzaban. Esta errónea empresa inicial del gobierno como patrocinador de apuestas ha producido lo que ahora es un sistema masivo de redistribución de la riqueza, principalmente de los pobres hacia la clase media. Es un hecho establecido que los pobres gastan un porcentaje mayor de su ingreso en las loterías comparado con el de otros grupos y que las ganancias estatales de las loterías tienden a beneficiar a los grupos con ingresos mayores. Solamente piense en los estados que proveen becas universitarias a través de sus loterías nacionales. Mientras que los pobres gastan un porcentaje mayor de su ingreso en las loterías, más jóvenes de clase media reciben becas financiadas por la lotería ya que ellos son quienes más van a la universidad. Y ahora los estados tienen un club de "millonarios" de la lotería. Por lo menos los creadores de esta muy reciente forma de apuestas patrocinadas por la irresponsabilidad del gobierno ha sido honesta en cuanto a su mensaje de mercadotecnia para atraer a sus "clientes". Esta lotería no se está enmascarando como un poco de entretenimiento, tampoco se está vistiendo con un hábito de bienestar público, como el financiamiento de la educación, o ninguna de esas causas nobles. Es atractiva para la codicia de ganancias materiales y para escapar de la desesperación. El nombre del juego lo dice todo. Promete convertir al jugador en un millonario instantáneo. Él puede unirse al "club" de los ricos. Para algunos, el juego ofrece la oportunidad de tener todo lo que han querido si sólo compran un billete o, aún mejor, muchos billetes para así aumentar sus oportunidades de ganar. Para otros, el atractivo es la oportunidad de escapar de la desesperación causada por la pobreza. El bien común Nuestros gobiernos estatales están perdiendo de vista su objetivo, establecido por la Biblia, de servir al bien público (Romans 13:1-7). El mandato divino es recompensar el bien y castigar el mal. ¿Cómo es posible que sea algo bueno involucrarse en una estrategia masiva para beneficiarse de la desesperación y de la codicia y que en el proceso lastima a los más pobres de todos? Difícilmente suena como algo que Dios tenía en mente para el gobierno cuando le nombró como Su instrumento en la tierra para ayudar a la humanidad a cumplir su propósito. Al patrocinar las apuestas, nuestros gobiernos estatales han formado parte del problema que deben enfrentar sus ciudadanos, en vez de ser un compañero que les ayuda a florecer. Ya que los gobiernos han elegido este sendero para obtener ganancias fácilmente, sus ciudadanos están más empobrecidos. Después de todo, el juego está diseñado para que la mayoría de ellos pierdan. Es la única manera en que los estados, las tiendas y los operadores sacan su tajada. A fin de cuentas, el pobre, que se aferra a su billete como un boleto para salir de la pobreza, se siente más desesperado, mientras que el ambicioso, que imagina todo lo que va a comprar, se siente más resentido. Las apuestas patrocinadas por los gobiernos son una vergüenza nacional. Es una desgracia que tanta gente que elegimos al votar recurra a la naturaleza regresiva de las apuestas en vez de al arduo trabajo de promover y fortalecer el bienestar público a través de un gobierno responsable. Necesitamos que los líderes electos demuestren valentía, no astucia, para resolver los problemas. Es mi oración que pronto veamos por todo el país una oleada de ciudadanos responsables que se deshagan de este comportamiento depredador presente en nuestros gobiernos. Los ciudadanos se levantaron hace casi dos siglos para poner fin a la desgracia de las loterías. Al inicio del siglo XIX, muchos estaban tan disgustados por los malos manejos, la corrupción y el costo social que prohibieron las loterías en sus constituciones estatales. Esto puede suceder de nuevo. Que Dios nos ayude a que nuestros gobiernos regresen a Su diseño para el gobierno como servidores del bien. -------------------------------------------------------------------- El arresto de pastor iraní 'un golpe serio' by Por el personal/Morning Star News Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday ESTAMBUL, Turquía, (BP) -- En lo que fue considerado un esfuerzo para silenciar al líder de iglesia casa Behnam Irani, Irán ha sentenciado a otros dos líderes cristianos a seis años de prisión por su involucramiento en las iglesias casa, se han enterado los grupos de derechos. Irani, Abdolreza Ali-Haghnejad y Reza Rabbani, líderes de la Iglesia de Irán, fueron sentenciados el 19 de octubre por una "acción en contra de la seguridad nacional" y por "crear una red para derrocar el sistema" -- lo que los defensores de los derechos humanos dicen fue un comodín que abarca todos los términos que el gobierno islámico usa para eliminar a los cristianos y a los oponentes políticos que percibe como amenaza. La sentencia fue "un serio golpe" para la familia de Irani, el pastor líder del grupo, dijo un pastor que está en contacto directo con miembros de la familia de Irani. Cuando el veredicto se dictó, Irani ya estaba sirviendo una sentencia anterior de cinco años por su involucramiento en iglesias casa. La esposa de Irani, Kristina es resoluta en su fe y en su devoción a su esposo pero necesita oración, dijo el pastor, que no puede ser identificado por razones de seguridad. Irani no será elegible para ser puesto en libertad hasta el 2023, de acuerdo a Interés por el Medio Oriente (MEC por sus siglas en inglés). Como parte de sus sentencias, los tres cristianos serán transferidos de sus actuales ubicaciones a otras prisiones en áreas remotas del país, de acuerdo a los grupos de derechos humanos. Ali-Haghnejad y Rabbani han de ser transferidos en pocos días a la prisión Minab en una isla remota en el Golfo Pérsico. Irani ha de ser transferido a la prisión Zabol en la frontera con Afganistán. Hubo cierta confusión sin embargo, como cuándo Irani sería transferido. Algunos grupos de derechos humanos dijeron que el traslado tomaría lugar dentro de pocos días, pero otros dijeron que sería trasladado en algún momento en 2017, cuando su sentencia previa se complete. Los cargos fueron nivelados en contra de Irani en parte debido a que contactó a miembros de la familia y a otros a través de teléfonos móviles que habían pasado a hurtadillas en la prisión, dijo Rob Duncan, investigador de MEC que se especializa en Irán. La sentencia equivale a una forma de exilio para apartarlo de cualquier red de apoyo o de la familia, dijo Duncan. "Él verdaderamente estaba contactando a personas, y ellos básicamente quisieron alejarlo tanto como fuera posible de oportunidades de recibir visitas," dijo Duncan. Jason Demars, presidente de Ministerios Verdad Presente, un grupo evangélico que trabaja en Irán, estuvo de acuerdo con la valoración de Duncan. "Básicamente desean silenciarlos -- desean alejarlos a un lugar difícil de llegar, para que su familia no vaya," dijo. "Con nadie a la mano que sepa lo que está sucediendo, es fácil maltratarlos." Una vez que sea trasladado, la esposa de Irani tendrá que viajar dos días en bus para verlo. Demars dijo que hay otras preocupaciones acerca de la prisión seleccionada para Irani. "La prisión a la que Behnam va a ser trasladado está en la frontera con Pakistán y Afganistán, así que es un lugar que está lleno de narcotraficantes y contrabandistas que pasan opio al país a través de la frontera de Afganistán," dijo. "Es un lugar extremadamente peligroso." Los tres convertidos del islamismo habían sido acusados originalmente de "Mofsed-fel-arz" o "esparcir corrupción en la tierra," lo cual acarrea la pena de muerte. Pero esas imputaciones fueron reducidas el 2 de octubre, de acuerdo a MEC. Demars dijo que los cargos capitales fueron presentados y luego reducidos como parte de una táctica del gobierno iraní para evitar el escrutinio internacional por los seis años de sentencia que siguieron. "Los iraníes son ajedrecistas," dijo Demars. "Siempre están orgullosos de jugar ajedrez, así que creo que presentaron estos crímenes de alto nivel para hacer más digerible la sentencia de seis años, y también para probar el terreno en cómo la comunidad internacional respondería a este tipo de acusaciones." Los tres cristianos han experimentado conflicto por largo tiempo con el gobierno iraní debido a su fe. Irani, pastor líder de la iglesia en Karaj, fue primero arrestado en 2006 por evangelizar y realizar reuniones en iglesias casa. Fue liberado bajo fianza en enero de 2007. En febrero de 2008 una corte lo sentenció a cinco años de prisión pero inmediatamente suspendieron la sentencia, esencialmente dándole cinco años de libertad condicional. Irani continuó su trabajo y fue arrestado de nuevo el 14 de abril de 2010. Las autoridades lo acusaron de esparcir el cristianismo, asistir a reuniones de iglesia casa y cometer otros crímenes en contra de la "seguridad nacional." Fue liberado bajo fianza en junio de 2010. En enero de 2011, Irani fue declarado culpable y mandado a cumplir una condena de un año de prisión. Sin embargo, el 31 de mayo de 2011, cuando llegó para comenzar a cumplir su condena, fue informado que la suspensión de la sentencia de cinco años había sido revocada. Los oficiales iraníes allanaron la casa de Ali-Haghnejad el 5 de julio y lo arrestaron a él y a otros dos cristianos. Las autoridades también confiscaron materiales cristianos, incluyendo Biblias y una computadora. Ali-Haghnejad es líder del movimiento Iglesia de Irán en Karaj. Los otros dos arrestados en su casa cumplen ahora sentencias previamente ordenadas en corte. Al igual que Irani, Ali-Haghnejad tiene una larga historia de arrestos debido a su fe que data desde el 2006. Ha enfrentado numerosos cargos incluyendo acciones en contra de la seguridad nacional, blasfemia y, en 2011, una acusación de propaganda en contra del estado por beber vino de comunión. Poco se sabe de Rabbani, pastor asistente del grupo de la Iglesia de Irán en Karaj. Agentes de VEVAK, la agencia de seguridad interna de Irán, lo arrestaron el 5 de mayo. Luego fue trasladado a la prisión Gohardasht, también conocida como Rajai Shahr, donde fue torturado, dijeron los activistas de derechos humanos. Los activistas también reportaron que tres convertidos: Shahram Ghaedi, Heshmat Shafiei y Emad Haghi, fueron arrestados el 27 de septiembre durante un allanamiento a la casa de Ghaedi en Isfahan. Ghaedi, actor, es bien conocido por su representación de Jesús en la versión iraní de la película Jesús. De acuerdo a MEC, los tres hombres han sido llevados a la prisión Dastgerd. Los oficiales iraníes recientemente liberaron a tres cristianos arrestados durante los dos días de allanamientos en Ifshan que comenzó el 1º de septiembre. Moluk Darvishi, Hamidreza Borhani y su esposa Zainab Akbari fueron liberados a finales de septiembre, pero Mohammad Taslimi, líder de adoración, y Parsa Dadkhah permanecen detenidos en la prisión Dastgerd, de acuerdo a Cristianismo Solidario Mundial. La ubicación de Sepideh Morshedi, hermana de Moluk Darvishi, quien también fue arrestada en los allanamientos, continúa desconocida. Recientemente liberados bajo fianza estuvieron dos convertidos: Mehdi Vaziri, 28 años, diseñador gráfico, y Amir Kian, 27 años, músico. El 12 de agosto, oficiales de seguridad arrestaron a los dos en una iglesia casa en Teherán. Ellos habían sido mantenidos prisioneros en la prisión Ghezal-Hesar, en Karaj, de acuerdo a MEC. Los términos de su liberación son desconocidos. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Iglesias hispanas de Oklahoma anfitrionas de la Conferencia Estatal de Evangelismo by Por el personal/The Baptist Messenger Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) -- Miembros de las iglesias hispanas de Oklahoma se reunieron el 12 y 13 de septiembre en Ríos de Agua Viva, Oklahoma City, para celebrar la Conferencia Estatal Hispana de Evangelismo (CEHE). El énfasis de la conferencia fue "¡Abran los ojos y miren los campos sembrados! Ya la cosecha está madura," (Juan 4:35b). Alan Quigley, líder del equipo de alcance de la iglesia de la Convención General Bautista de Oklahoma (BGCO por sus siglas en inglés), dijo que más de 700 creyentes hispanos de todo el estado asistieron a la conferencia. "¡Qué gozo fue ser parte de la Conferencia Hispana de Evangelismo en Ríos de Agua Viva, Oklahoma City!" dijo. "Los miembros de la iglesia se ofrecieron voluntariamente y alistaron su iglesia para recibir a aquellos que llegaban. Su edificio estaba atestado a tal punto que solo había espacio de pie." Aquellos que asistieron fueron animados a buscar oportunidades de ministerio para llegar a la creciente comunidad hispana de Oklahoma. El pastor de Luisiana, Gonzalo Rodríguez fue uno de los oradores destacados y dio los principios básicos para que la iglesia sea fortalecida y efectiva en llegar a los demás. "La conferencia fue cuidadosamente planeada, y su tema creó conciencia y nos desafió," dijo Cesar García, pastor de Ríos de Agua Viva, Oklahoma City. "Los oradores trajeron inspiración a nuestro corazón para ser obedientes al mandato del Señor de ser testigos en el poder del Espíritu Santo. "La música fue de calidad y fue presentada con excelencia. Fue el complemento perfecto del enfoque de la conferencia. La música para la juventud fue escogida sabiamente, y estoy seguro que ellos también aceptaron la invitación de elevar sus ojos para ver los campos que están listos para la cosecha." Jesús Pacheco, especialista en evangelismo étnico de la BGCO fue elogiado por su liderazgo de la conferencia. "Jesús Pacheco hizo un gran trabajo en la planeación y el desarrollo del evento. Su actitud de servicio fue contagiosa, de manera que todo el equipo sirvió con dedicación y excelencia en cada aspecto de la ejecución del evento," dijo García. "Jesús ha estado trabajando con las iglesias hispanas para establecer un plan estratégico para alcanzar a todos los hispanos de Oklahoma," dijo Quigley. "El desafío de evangelizar fue muy claro, y la respuesta de las iglesias fue muy animadora." Las 10 iglesias con más bautismos fueron reconocidas, con un total de 153 personas bautizadas el año pasado. Las iglesias hispanas fueron desafiadas a bautizar a 500 para 2015, de acuerdo a la meta establecida por el grupo hispano de trabajo, y de bautizar a 3.000 personas para 2020. "Estoy orando con las iglesias hispanas de Oklahoma para alcanzar su meta de 500 bautismos en 2015," dijo Quigley. Marta Elisa Cáceres, directora de la Escuela de Liderazgo Robert Haskins, compartió un reporte del desglose de la sesión de mujeres que ella dirigió en la CEHE. "El tema fue 'Levanta tus ojos y mira,' basado en la historia de Naamán y la joven esclava que tenía la solución al problema de Naamán," dijo ella. "No solamente para el problema físico, sino para su problema espiritual también. Esta jovencita tuvo que levantar sus ojos para contemplar la necesidad del que en verdad era su enemigo. Eso no fue de ninguna importancia para ella porque ella vio la necesidad y decidió compartir las buenas nuevas aun con sus enemigos." Cáceres desafió a las mujeres que asistieron a la sesión a seguir el ejemplo de fidelidad a Dios de la joven al compartir su fe. "La respuesta fue sorprendente; todas en el salón hicieron la decisión de ir y levantar los ojos para encontrar dónde quería Dios que ellas fueran a compartir su testimonio con sus 'enemigos.'" Pacheco estuvo complacido con los resultados de la conferencia de dos días. Él compartió lo animado que estaba con la amplia gama de edad de los grupos que fueron representados y con la hospitalidad de Ríos de Agua Viva, Oklahoma City. "La CEHE es un evento familiar con ministerio provisto para niños, jóvenes y adultos," dijo Pacheco. "La gente disfrutó el compañerismo y el entrenamiento provistos. Ríos de Agua Viva es una excelente iglesia anfitriona, y su liderazgo trabajó muy duro para contribuir a hacer de la conferencia un éxito." -------------------------------------------------------------------- El comentario del papa sobre la evolución es 'frustrante' by Por David Roach Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Los comentarios del papa Francisco de que la evolución y la teoría de la gran explosión o big bang no están en conflicto con la doctrina cristiana han atraído una variedad de respuestas de comentaristas evangélicos, donde algunos dicen que él se ha alejado de las Escrituras y otros alegan que por lo menos presentó algunos puntos válidos. La idea de que algunas especies de creaturas vivientes evolucionaron en otras especies al cabo de millones de años "es absolutamente incompatible con el Génesis por varias razones," le dijo Terry Mortenson, conferencista a tiempo completo de Respuestas en Génesis, a Baptist Press. "El orden en el que Dios creó en Génesis 1 contradice el orden en el cual las creaturas supuestamente aparecieron en la historia evolucionista en muchos lugares." La afirmación del Génesis de que la tierra fue creada antes que el sol, la luna y las estrellas "va en contra del big bang, el cual es una explicación evolucionista del origen del cosmos," dijo Mortenson. Al dirigirse a la asamblea plenaria de la Academia Pontificia de Ciencias el 27 de octubre, el papa previno contra "imaginar que Dios sea un mago con una varita mágica capaz de hacerlo todo" de acuerdo a una traducción de su comentario hecho por el Servicio Religioso de Noticias (RNS por sus siglas en inglés). "Dios no es un ser divino o un mago, sino el Creador que trajo todo a la vida," dijo Francisco. "La evolución en la naturaleza no es inconsistente con la noción de la creación, debido a que la evolución requiere la creación de los seres que evolucionan." Francisco añadió de acuerdo al reporte de Reuters, "El big bang, que hoy en día se considera que es el origen del mundo, no contradice la creativa intervención de Dios. Por el contrario, la requiere." Mortenson rebatió -- contrario a la declaración de los proponentes del big bang de que la tierra tiene billones de años -- que la tierra tiene menos de 10.000 años y que las creaturas vivientes fueron creadas por un acto directo de Dios en vez de por un proceso evolucionista. "Génesis es muy enfático en enseñar que Dios sobrenaturalmente creó las primeras clases de plantas y animales y a los dos primeros seres humanos," dijo Mortenson, "y luego el texto es muy claro en decir que todas las subsiguientes plantas y animales y gente llegaron a través de esas creaturas creadas sobrenaturalmente a través de la procreación natural." Las observaciones de que la tierra tiene millones de años en vez de miles son impulsadas por ideologías más que por la ciencia, dijo Mortenson, porque los científicos que fechan los procedimientos asumen sin justificación empírica que ciertos proceso naturales -- como la descomposición de los isótopos radioactivos o la adición de sal a los océanos -- siempre han ocurrido al mismo ritmo. Si las observaciones del papa han sido traducidas fielmente en los reportes de prensa, estas demuestran "que él realmente no entiende los argumentos creacionistas," dijo Mortenson. Sin embargo, Bruce Gordon, profesor asociado de historia y filosofía de ciencia de la Universidad Bautista de Houston, estuvo de acuerdo con la alegación de Francisco de que el big bang requiere creer en Dios. El big bang postula que el universo tuvo un principio, y todo lo que empieza a existir tiene una causa, le dijo Gordon a BP en una entrevista vía correo electrónico. Así que el universo tuvo una causa, de acuerdo al big bang. "Una consideración sobre la naturaleza de esta causa revela que: (1) lógicamente antes de la creación debió haber sido eterna; (2) lógicamente antes de la creación debió haber sido inmaterial y (ya que no había espacio) no físicamente localizada; y (3) [debió haber sido] capaz de actuar para hacer existir un universo de espacio tiempo y masa energía que requiere considerable afinación para poder sostener la vida," dijo Gordon, quien también es investigador en el Instituto Discovery, con sede en el centro de estudios en Seattle que tiene un rol de liderazgo en el movimiento de diseño de inteligencia, el cual argumenta que el universo es el producto de la inteligencia en vez del azar. "El único candidato viable para una causa del universo es…un ser con habilidades y atributos divinos," dijo. "Podría haber" una "manera de entender la macroevolución [la idea de que algunas especies evolucionaron en otras] que sea consistente con Génesis," dijo Gordon. "Sin embargo, cuando la evidencia paleontológica, molecular biológica es considerada, la macroevolución es más probablemente falsa que verdadera." La idea postulada por los darwinistas de que los humanos evolucionaron "a través de un proceso que no fue dirigido a ningún nivel" es "profundamente inconsistente con el relato del Génesis de la creación y también profundamente inconsistente con lo que observamos que es biológicamente posible," dijo Gordon. R. Albert Mohler Jr., presidente del Seminario Teológico Bautista Southern dijo que las observaciones de Francisco son problemáticas en por lo menos dos maneras. Primero, parecen contradecir la doctrina cristiana de la creación ex nihilo, o "de la nada." La declaración del papa de que Dios no es un "mago" con una "varita mágica" parece implicar "que Dios el creador es de alguna manera en su acto de crear responsable ante leyes externas a sí mismo," dijo Mohler el 29 de octubre en su transmisión diaria vía ipod. "En el momento en el que alguien hace eso, realmente se aleja de la tradición cristiana. Se aleja de las muy claras declaraciones de las Escrituras." Segundo, Francisco -- y los dos papas predecesores a él -- aparentemente endosan una versión de la teoría evolucionista que afirma la creación especial de los humanos y de la existencia histórica de Adán y Eva. Pero "ninguna teoría aceptable de la evolución sostenida en ningún marco académico importante en el mundo hace esas concesiones," dijo Mohler. El catecismo de la iglesia católica afirma que "la raza humana se origina en dos hombres: Adán y Cristo" y que "debido a su origen común la raza humana forma una unidad, de 'un ancestro (Dios) hizo todas las naciones para que habitaran toda la tierra.'" La iglesia católica "públicamente dice que no hay conflicto entre la teoría de la evolución y el entendimiento bíblico y cristiano de la creación," dijo Mohler. "Pero ellos realmente redefinen los dos finales de la ecuación…Por eso es que se vuelve tan frustrante para los evangélicos cuando se nos dice que la iglesia católica romana dice que no hay conflicto." Mohler expresó sorpresa de que no haya habido más discusión sobre las declaraciones del papa de que "Dios no es un ser divino," de acuerdo a la traducción de RNS de su comentario. La declaración ha de haber sido mal reportada, dijo Mohler, y añadió que Francisco probablemente quiso decir que Dios no es una deidad impersonal. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: Dia feo y de lloro by Gerardo A. Alfaro Date: October 31, 2014 - Friday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Sí, sé que la Escritura dice que "este es el día que hizo el Señor... nos alegraremos." Lo que nunca se dice es que ese versículo tiene que ver con una cualidad del día al que el salmista se está refiriendo. No necesariamente se aplica a todos los días, y menos a éste. La misma Escritura nos dice que existen días que no quisieran vivirse como aquel de los que describe Salomón cuando dice que hay tiempo para "dejar de abrazar" o para "dispersar" o para "llorar," etc. Que existan esos días no quita que sean dolorosos, difíciles, feos. También recordamos esos días que Job y Jeremías quisieran nunca hubieran pasado, aunque hubieran sido los días en que ellos mismos nacieron. Y no porque los días en que nacieron fueran feos, sino porque los días que ahora viven lo son. De esos días quizá habla Juan, cuando llorando quisiera que el día de la ira del Cordero no venga sobre los habitantes del mundo pecaminoso.  Todo esto para decir que para muchos creyentes el sentirse triste no debería ser experiencia cristiana. Recuerdo alguna vez que queriendo dar el pésame a una muchacha de mi barrio, por la partida de su madre, me responde con aire de espiritualidad superior, que no tengo por qué sentirlo porque su mamá está en mejor lugar. Nada más estúpido. Sí Jesús lloró por Lázaro que acaba de morir y que estaba a momentos de resucitar, y si a Dios mismo le duele la muerte de sus santos (Salmo 116:15), no sé por qué no se debe llorar por la muerte de un amado. No sé por qué no llorar por las desgracias que le suceden al mundo, los sin sentidos de la vida misma, el mal ir de las cosas aun cuando se ha intentado todo. Que todas las cosas nos ayuden a bien, no significa que no duelan y que no nos causen frustración. Llora Jesús frente a Jerusalén, aunque será él mismo él que ha profetizado su destrucción. Llora y clama Jesús en la cruz aunque sabe que será resucitado. Gime la tierra aunque sabe que será liberada junto con la gloriosa libertad de los hijos de Dios (Ro. 8). Llora Pablo, aunque ha visto al Jesús resucitado, y aunque sabe del decreto soberano de Dios. Pero su pueblo le causa dolor constante (Ro. 9). Y qué más contaré, de aquellas almas que claman abajo del altar, aunque ya están fuera del cuerpo, y saben que Jesús triunfará al final, claman porque se apure cómo si incluso en su condición desencarnada les pesara el mal del mundo. Llora el santo que es perseguido, y los que no entienden porque las cosas no marchan justamente (Mateo 7).  Pues bien, que nadie se queje si hoy me duele el corazón por mi propia condición. Me duele no poder dejar de ser quién soy. Me duele no poder sentir todavía como Jesús enjuga mis lágrimas. Me duele que en muchas áreas no me parezco a Jesús. Me duele querer y no poder. Me duele poder y saber que no debo querer. Me duele saber que las cosas pueden ser diferentes y no son. Lloro por mí y por los demás. Lloro porque muchos pretenden, se engañan. Dicen celebrar cuando sólo hay que llorar. Lloro porque casi treinta años han pasado y no hay forma de cambiar. Lloro porque soy sensible y no sé si esto es malo o es bueno. Es bueno porque siento. Es malo porque lo que siento no me gusta. ¿Siento porque estoy vivo, o por qué estoy muerto? Sólo Jesús sabe. Sólo hay esperanza por Jesús. Pero la esperanza no se siente hoy. Hoy es un día feo porque aunque sé que arriba de las nubes existe el sol, hoy el sol no me calienta. Lloro y en medio de las lágrimas, como en un espejo empañado, diviso apenas y no claramente,  que el día de mañana reiré.