The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/03/2016 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Only Jesus can clear our name by Owen Strachan Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- It is no secret that American culture in 2016 is rife with hostility. The glittering technoculture that supposedly heralded a new era of transparence and good feelings has instead fostered new platforms like Instagram on which people trade ad hominem putdowns via words and emojis. What are Christians to think about our current moment? More urgently, how should we handle such invective when it comes our way? The stories of two public figures have made me think of late. They are an unlikely pairing: LeBron James and Alexander Hamilton. NBA rookie Ben Simmons shared with The New York Times recently that he has learned from LeBron not to respond to critics. "I've learned a lot just being around LeBron," Simmons said. "People say things about him all the time, but he would never say anything back. That's what I learned from him: Don't retaliate to articles or pieces or to things that are said about me." Maybe LeBron doesn't always follow this policy, but hearing about it took me aback. The amount of criticism that a megastar like James takes would boggle the mind of a normal person. His advice to a much younger athlete was, however, not to prove everybody wrong by one's words, but to take the hit, essentially. As Simmons said, "Don't retaliate." Other celebrities take a different approach. I recently finished Ron Chernow's excellent "Alexander Hamilton," the book that spawned the now-famous musical. Chernow's study of the architect of the American financial system shows that when it came to taking fire, Hamilton often shot back at his critics. He penned missives, newspaper pieces, and challenged numerous adversaries to affairs of honor, episodes that could easily lead to dueling -- literally, the two opponents shooting pistols at one another. This, in fact, is how Hamilton met his earthly end. Aaron Burr, grandson of Jonathan Edwards, killed Hamilton with one shot in 1804. Hamilton's beloved son Philip had died a few years before him in a duel, leaving an almost impossibly tragic stamp on the house of one of America's greatest statesmen. Christians today may not fight a duel, but many of us will not fail to find our honor besmirched, our name taken in vain. This is particularly true for leaders. The best way to raise opposition to one's views is to hold them publicly. Leadership in Christ's church, then, will mean weathering many storms, including many instances when one's character is impugned and one's doctrine is reproached. Too often, those who disagree with us will declare us guilty without a trial. Many of us will be grieved at the disagreements and criticism we must face in a fallen world. We will be tempted to lash out at those who seek to wound us. In this sense, we at a human level know very well what Alexander Hamilton felt as he tried, over and over again, to clear his name. Sometimes he acted rashly, but in other cases, his opponents spread malicious falsehood against him. Reading his story, such attacks troubled him greatly for as long as he lived. We understand why. But we also recognize that, in Christ, we are offered something better than a hot-take opportunity. By his blood, Jesus Christ makes us His own, adopting us into his Father's house, clearing our guilt and giving us a new name. In Christ, we no longer need to perform image maintenance and reputational management. The world may hate us, but if we are held secure by Jesus -- and every believer is (John 10:27) -- that is enough, fathoms more than enough, for us. This does not preclude any response to critics. At times, one must speak up. There are real falsehoods that deserve a response. But we will never be able to undo opposition in a total and final sense by our own strength. Important as it is for us to engage in select discussion, there simply is no ultimate vindication of ourselves we can accomplish. Only Jesus can clear our name. Only Jesus can overcome our enemies. Only Jesus can quiet hate, and destroy evil, and right every wrong ever done to His people (and every wrong we ourselves have done, sadly). We need this. Living in a sin-cursed world means that the wind is often in our faces. If we doubt this, we should engage a member of Christ's church who lives in a country without religious freedom and find out their perspective on the matter. Bare-knuckled opposition may be a new experience for many American Christians, but it is not a new experience for the global church, let alone the historic church. You can be the best athlete in the world, like LeBron James, and you will still draw unending criticism. You can be a key architect of American politics, and you will often be roasted, not celebrated (as Hamilton was). The same is true for every believer, impressive or not. Every person must reckon with an angry, divisive, tear-you-down world. The question before us is this: In such moments, will we allow insecurity and worldly fears to rule us? Is Jesus our reputation, the custodian of our image -- or are we? The good news is this: If Jesus is our all, we can take the heat, for we will soon gain the world. Somebody tell Instagram, because that is a truth worth creating an emoji over. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8-year-old tallies $7,000 for flood recovery by Brian Blackwell/Louisiana Baptist Message Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday BATON ROUGE, La. (BP) -- When 8-year-old Taylor Henry saw the devastation from flooding in south Louisiana, she wanted to do something. What she did not foresee is how her desire would turn into an effort that raised more than $7,000 for those affected by record flooding in August. Henry, her parents and grandparents journeyed to Baton Rouge where she presented a check during Woodlawn Baptist Church's Oct. 9 worship service. The youngster was all smiles as she handed over the donation, which will be used to purchase sheetrock to help rebuild houses and churches in the Baton Rouge area. "This was a really good experience for me and one of the most exciting things I've ever done," said Henry, whose family are members of Airline Baptist Church in Bossier City in the northern part of the state. "I felt horrible for how bad the flooding was but felt glad I got to help the flood victims physically in their homes and by raising money for them," she said. "The donation I brought may not be the biggest donation but it was able to save a couple of houses by buying materials. I really think God gave me this idea and He is the reason for it all." Henry began sewing fabric to make travel-size tissue holders several days after the flooding began, aiming to raise $1,000 -- but she far exceeded her goal, raising seven times that amount. News of her initiative spread quickly and orders arrived from the local Bossier City-Shreveport area as well California, West Virginia, Tennessee and even Canada. So many orders came in that family and friends volunteered to help her about two hours every day to assemble fabric squares into pouches for the tissue holders -- about 1,000 in all. Henry's mom Julia said her daughter's kindness toward others makes her a proud parent. "I can't explain the admiration I have for my little 8-year-old and her big heart," she said. "This project has been such an amazing experience. We were able to speak with people from all across the country who sent their prayers and donations to the flood victims in south Louisiana. It was heartwarming to see so many kindhearted individuals come together for a common cause." Woodlawn Baptist pastor Lewis Richerson commended Henry as a shining example of how obedience to God multiplies to help others. "You see what God did through a little third-grade child?" Richerson asked during the worship service about how Henry used her gifts and talents to advance the Kingdom of God. "Taylor, we want to say as a congregation thank you so very much for letting God work through you," the pastor continued. "And my prayer for you is that this will serve as an example in your life that you will never forget and you will continue to be a very generous young lady as you seek to serve the Lord in whatever He has you to do in life." Lemonade & birthday money Henry was not the only Louisiana youngster to raise money for disaster relief. Instead of playing X-Box or being bored, third-graders Hunter Schneider and Hunter Hayden capitalized on the sweltering heat by opening a lemonade stand for two weekends in September, raising $250. Schneider and Hayden both attend First Baptist Church in Haughton. Two other young men from the church, second-graders Wyatt English and Brody Beach, each gave money they received as birthday presents. Instead of buying things for themselves, they gave cash gifts they received, $500 combined. The money from all four boys was donated to a church which is rebuilding after receiving more than 2 feet of water in its sanctuary and 3 to 4 feet in other buildings. "We made a commitment as a church to partner with Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge to help them rebuild after the flood," said Gevan Spinney, pastor of First Baptist in Haughton and president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. "We have seen God's people selflessly give their time and money to this need. "The physical labor has to be done by adults and older youth. These young boys were not content with doing nothing, so they decided to do what they could do," Spinney said. "This is just another story of how Louisiana Baptists of all ages have come together to do what they could to help with this disaster." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Challenges keep D.C. church plant rooted in prayer by Mark Kelly Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday SILVER SPRING, Md. (BP) -- The entire refugee family huddled in terror in the back room of their Riverdale, Md., apartment. For hours, a piercing shriek had filled their home. As new arrivals from a developing nation, they had no idea the alarm was warning them about deadly fumes in the house. Finally, their neighbor, Eric So, was able to get into the apartment, where he found an unlit burner on the stove was spewing gas. A spark could have set off a horrible explosion. Even without a fire, the family soon would have been overcome by the fumes. Eric and his wife Lisa serve as local missionaries among Riverdale's refugee population on behalf of The Well Community Church in Silver Spring, Md., a four-year-old church plant sponsored by the North American Mission Board's Send Cities initiative, which seeks to strategically move churches and individuals into 32 of the largest population centers in North America. Helping refugees is a top priority for the congregation, says lead pastor Matt Klingler. "Two of our families have moved into the refugee community here in Riverdale," Klingler said. "They are meeting needs there every day. Things like teaching them to drive and helping them get their license, and English as a Second Language classes. We're doing some physical care with them. Giving out winter coats." A strategy of building relationships and serving their neighbors is gradually breaking up the hard soil in Silver Spring, which sits just outside the northern boundary of the United States capital. The upscale suburb of Washington, D.C., houses an eclectic mix of federal workers and refugees, white collar and blue collar neighborhoods, almost any ethnic group you have ever heard of -- and the multitude of religious traditions you would expect in such a diverse community. New Hampshire Avenue, a main artery down into the District of Columbia, looks like "Religion Row" -- home to a Cambodian Buddhist monastery, a Muslim community center and a Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral, with a Hindu temple nearby. More than 60 percent of residents, however, claim no religious faith. "If most people hear 'Christian,' they think 'right-wing fundamentalist' and 'We don't like you,'" Klingler said. The Well began as a Bible study in Klingler's home in 2012. The congregation has grown by about 40 people a year to reach a current level of more than 190 adults and as many as 60 children each week. Eight of their 29 baptisms came in 2015. "For the area, what God has been doing, it's been pretty neat growth," Klingler said. Plenty of challenges, however, face a congregation of 20-somethings in the high-pressure setting of the nation's capital. In addition to the animosity toward born-again Christianity, Klingler has had to adjust his expectations as he wrestles with the transience of urban professionals, the cost of living and the scarcity of meeting space. It's enough to drive a person to prayer. "In my own life, the intensity of planting a church here has brought me to my knees," Klingler said. "Relationship with Christ has been more and more integral to survival than it ever had been previously." And when the fledgling church took their needs to the Lord, He provided in great ways, Klingler added. "We had no idea what we were going to do for meeting space," he recalled. "We were praying and God gave us a free place to meet. Then I was telling another pastor in the area that we needed a worship leader. He said, 'Pray for one.' So I began praying more fervently, and God just dropped this guy in our lap. This fellow led worship with us one Sunday, then over the coming months decided to move his family into Silver Spring to be closer and lead worship as a volunteer for the church." Now the congregation holds its Sunday services in the heart of Silver Spring in a space leased from a Seventh-day Adventist congregation, which meets on Saturday. The church is structured through missional communities -- small groups that decide for themselves how to bring the Gospel to the people group they are trying to reach. In addition to refugees, service outreaches often focus on public schools, providing weekend food packs for kids and helping teachers who have little parental support for school activities. While progress comes slowly, the strategy of building relationships and serving others reflects The Well's mission: "Following Jesus together for the good of the world," Klingler said. "We want the Gospel to go out, and we also want to see the impacting results of the Gospel transforming the area in positive ways." The congregation's vision is to see churches planted all over the area north of the nation's capital. "There is a deep need for more Gospel-preaching churches in the area," Klingler said. "The Well is privileged to serve God in this area where the Gospel so desperately needs to be preached and more churches planted." Learn more about church planting and connecting with church plants in the D.C. area at www.namb.net/DC. To take your next step on mission, visit www.namb.net/SendMe. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE SEMINARIES: MBTS 'The Residency' Ph.D.; SBTS undergrad journal & degree in philosophy-politics-economics by SBC Seminary & BP Staff Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday Today's From the Seminaries focuses on new academic programs at: Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Midwestern launches 'The Residency' Ph.D. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- A new facet of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's doctoral program aims to provide the context of campus life for students to make immediate application of their academic training. Starting in the fall of 2017, "The Residency" will serve doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) students who have the freedom to pursue their degree within the community of Midwestern's campus in Kansas City, Mo. The Residency "complements and expands our current Ph.D. offerings," MBTS President Jason Allen said in a Nov. 1 announcement. "The program is limited to 25 students per year, and it affords students who can relocate to campus key offerings such as mentorship, community and experience." The Residency combines the best aspects of the American Ph.D. program and the traditional United Kingdom doctoral model by merging independent advanced theological research with cohort-based mentorship and oversight by adding regular, intensive engagement with faculty and other theological leaders within the everyday rhythm of the Midwestern's on-campus ministry culture. "In all, this experience will get them on a trajectory of study that qualifies them specifically for a future in theological education or Christian higher education," Allen said. Allen further noted that Ph.D. students participating in The Residency will be able to accomplish their degree in an expedited timeframe. "They are not working two jobs or three jobs, or even one fulltime job," Allen said, "but they are coming here with the expressed intent of moving through the Ph.D. program quickly and to be well-equipped along the way." Provost Jason Duesing noted that many students who applied or participated in the seminary's modular-based Ph.D. program often asked if attending in residence was an option. He said the answer has always been "Yes" but now The Residency enhances the existing program by providing on-ground opportunities for these students. One significant enhancement for students in The Residency is earning a graduate certificate in theological education as part of the program, Duesing said. The graduate certificate in theological higher education is a 12-hour certificate students earn as part of their studies, which formally signals the training they've received for teaching in institutions of higher learning. This includes classroom experience in lecturing and grading, administrative equipping and preparation for writing, publishing and other content-based resourcing that will give graduates of The Residency an advantage in consideration with academic employers. Stressing the program's emphasis on mentorship, Duesing noted, "The students in The Residency program will have opportunity for mentorship with a faculty member … to provide these students the things that a traditional Ph.D. program cannot teach you" -- things like "What is it like to serve as a faculty member? What do you have to think through in terms of accreditation? How do you structure reading, writing, research and teaching? How do you teach classes?" Duesing added that The Residency will fill in several gaps for Ph.D. students, as oftentimes Ph.D. studies don't go so far as to teach students how to manage and teach seminars and classes. Allen said The Residency students will attend the same seminars, follow the same curricular path and have the same tuition costs as non-residential Ph.D. students, but the format provides the benefits of personal interaction with faculty, administration, theological and pastoral leaders, and fellow students. "Campus life at Midwestern Seminary provides an exciting and gracious culture within which to pursue your studies in a way that is both academically rigorous and spiritually enriching," Allen said. In the area of community, Duesing said The Residency students will engage in weekly forums for a minimum of four semesters. During this time, they will meet with the president, provost and key faculty members for direct oversight and academic coaching. Then, once their first four semesters are complete, The Residency students will begin to serve as Ph.D. student mentors themselves. In addition, Allen said The Residency supplies an enculturated experience that better prepares doctoral students in the management and leadership skills and professorial aptitude necessary for service in academia. "The Residency will build our students' capabilities in the classroom and help them capitalize on Midwestern Seminary's high rate of placement of doctoral grads in teaching positions," Allen noted. Program requirements for the residency include meeting current enrollment standards. Additionally, prospective students must hold an accredited M.Div. or M.Div.-equivalency of at least 72 or more credit hours, have a minimum GPA of 3.4 and undergo a substantive interview with an MBTS faculty member. "We want to bring the very best this institution has to offer and funnel it toward these students who want to come and get a Ph.D. in an expedited timeframe, and with an understanding in their heart that they feel a calling to theological education or toward Christian higher education," Allen said. Applications are now being accepted for fall semester of 2017. To learn more about The Residency, visit www.mbts.edu/theresidency or contact Mindy Akright in Midwestern's doctoral office at makright@mbts.edu. ********** Boyce: new journal & philosophy, politics, economics degree LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Boyce College, under its new Augustine Honors Collegium, will publish the inaugural issue of an undergraduate research journal in June 2017 and is seeking submissions from college students. Boyce College also has announced a new degree to prepare students to apply a Christian worldview in the areas of politics, international justice and economic development. The bachelor of science in philosophy, politics and economics program will begin in fall 2017. Augustine Honors Collegium Matthew J. Hall, dean of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's undergraduate school, said the Augustine Honors Collegium will provide "an opportunity for students and faculty to dig in deeper into the history of ideas and the contours of a thick biblical worldview in a way that will have a lasting impact on their lives and vocations." The collegium's "Augustine Collegiate Review" will present interdisciplinary conversations across broad theological, cultural and philosophical topics from a Christian perspective and promote undergraduate research and writing. The journal will be published twice a year; each issue will feature several undergraduate student-written pieces from within and outside Boyce College, articles requested from active scholars, and a variety of book reviews from both students and scholars. "It's one thing to think clearly. It's another thing entirely to develop the skill to transfer thoughts to a coherent paragraph," Hall said. "The Augustine Collegiate Review takes the best of the old -- peer-reviewed scholarly publishing -- and fuses it with the best of the new -- digital publishing -- providing students with an opportunity to be directly engaged with some of the most pressing questions and issues of our day. This resource will not only benefit students, but the entire Boyce College community and beyond." The Augustine Honors Collegium, a selective academic program launched in August, encourages the development of academic writing, research and communication skills through an enhanced curriculum. Program leaders say it also fosters a community for students who desire a challenge beyond undergraduate requirements and provides opportunities for engaging the church and the world outside the confines of a classroom. All participants who graduate from the Augustine Honors Collegium will complete a research thesis to be presented to the academic community before graduation. Jonathan Arnold, director of the collegium and a two-time graduate of Oxford University, said the program is designed "to challenge students to think more deeply about the biggest questions facing Christians and to engage the rest of the world, including the broader academy, in those conversations. This type of education requires not only the ability to think critically but also the ability to communicate effectively." The Augustine Collegiate Review, meanwhile, will provide students "an opportunity to hold those conversations in a public setting while also allowing for undergraduates from other institutions to join in these conversations and to benefit from the time-honored, peer-review publishing process," said Arnold, assistant professor of Christian theology and church history. Students are invited to submit a paper for the inaugural issue of the Augustine Collegiate Review: An Undergraduate Research Journal." Papers should be written by undergraduate students only, 4,000 words in length, and related to the issue's theme: metaphysics and ontology considered from a broadly Christian perspective. All submitted papers will be subject to a double-blind review process. To be considered, students must email their submissions to Arnold, who is the journal's general editor, no later than Friday, March 31, 2017. No submissions will be considered after this date. Students must include the following information about their paper: educational credentials, a letter of endorsement from a faculty member at their university, paper title and a short summary of the proposed paper explaining its focus and argument. All papers should adhere to journal guidelines that can be accessed at boycecollege.com/the-augustine-honors-collegium. Philosophy, politics and economics degree The new bachelor of science in philosophy, politics and economics, as described by Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr., is "another great step in the maturity and growth of Boyce College" and "one of the most significant and timely majors we could offer at this time, especially to young people who are going to be prepared to apply the Christian worldview to every dimension of life and to some of the most pressing challenges of our day in economics and politics." The interdisciplinary degree, in addressing the mounting challenges facing Christians in a globalized society, will advocate for religious liberty, public justice, human flourishing and the need for a holistic ministry, according the program's website. "Our mission is to serve the church, equipping young men and women with an education grounded in biblical truth that will prepare them for global Kingdom service," said Matthew Hall, Boyce College's dean. "In an age that is so deeply confused about what it means to be made in the image of God and what makes for human flourishing, this degree program aims to send out graduates for service in the church, the public square and the marketplace who will make a difference for Christ." While the program can prepare future pastors to lead their churches in engaging the public square, students also can use the degree to work for missions organizations and nonprofit organizations that need executives and staff trained in economics and public policy analysis. The degree program includes 39 hours of studies in the philosophy, politics and economics major, which will be incorporated with 33 hours of biblical and theological studies courses and 12 hours of ministry studies courses. Bryan Baise, assistant professor of worldview and apologetics and program director for the new degree, said it will provide "a unique opportunity for Southern Baptists to study key ideas placed into an interdisciplinary context with a philosophical and theological mind." For more information on the degree and to apply, visit boycecollege.com/ppe. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa police shootings spark prayer, ministry by David Roach Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday DES MOINES, Iowa (BP) -- The murders of two Des Moines-area police officers have spurred Iowa Christians to prayer and action. Officer Justin Martin of the Urbandale (Iowa) Police Department and Sgt. Anthony Beminio of the Des Moines Police Department both were shot in their patrol vehicles in "ambush"-style attacks some two miles apart Wednesday (Nov. 2) shortly after 1 a.m., CNN reported. Police took suspect Scott Michael Greene into custody hours later. In response to the tragedy, pastors and other believers of various denominations gathered today (Nov. 3) at a local Lutheran church to pray and discuss the future of their community, Baptist Convention of Iowa (BCI) staff members told Baptist Press. Des Moines Police Department officials and other local leaders were among the attendees. At the BCI annual meeting in Des Moines Nov. 5, there will be "a dedicated prayer time for our law enforcement individuals and for our state and our country," BCI President Ken Livingston told BP. "When a tragedy of this magnitude hits close to home, I think it's important for us to make sure we share with our people and remind them to turn to God, who is our ultimate hope," said Livingston, pastor of First Grace Baptist Church in Sheffield, Iowa. "And we can pray for the law enforcement families and [members of] the community in general who are suffering and confused and maybe angry." John Shaull, a member of the BCI pastor/church support staff, told BP pastors in Des Moines all "seem to be aware of what's taken place" and are "encouraging their church families to be in prayer for the families of the officers as well as for our community's police departments." With two other Des Moines police officers killed in March by a drunk driver, a total of four local officers have died in the line of duty this year, Shaull said, noting other officers have been wounded in the line of duty. "I've been in the area probably for 30 years," Shaull said, "and I don't ever remember a time we've had that many officers that have been injured or killed while on duty." Todd Stiles, pastor of First Family Church in Des Moines-area Ankeny, Iowa, told BP the congregation's small groups "have been very active in ministering to each other" following the shootings, especially to two Des Moines police officers in the congregation. Wednesday night "the wife of one [officer was] just crying to another lady in her small group," Stiles said. A video posted today on the church's website and social media channels is intended to "help our church understand how to process things [and] what we can do," Stiles said, adding he hopes the video will reach the community through sharing on social media. Among Stiles' emphases for Des Moines residents are that Americans must develop a "submissive posture" before authority figures like police officers and that God's people must "mourn with those who mourn." "People are hurting," Stiles said, "and the Holy Spirit empowers us to hurt with people." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Irish court: Christian bakers must bake pro-gay cake by Kiley Crossland/WORLD News Service Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday BELFAST, Northern Ireland (BP) -- A Northern Ireland appeals court has upheld the conviction of a Christian-run bakery accused of discrimination for refusing to bake a cake supporting gay marriage. A ruling by a three-judge appeals panel has upheld a 2015 decision by a lower court finding Ashers Baking Company guilty of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. In 2014, the bakery declined a customer's request for a cake picturing Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie and the slogan "Support Gay Marriage." The customer, backed by Northern Ireland's Equality Commission, sued the bakery, a Belfast-based business with nine storefronts owned and run by the McArthur family. A county judge ruled against Ashers and fined the family £500 ($615). The McArthurs' appeal was turned down Oct. 24. While the business considers whether it will appeal again, this time to the U.K. Supreme Court, support is coming from unexpected quarters. In the wake of the decision, two major U.K. newspapers published editorials condemning the ruling and backing the bakery, both penned by openly gay men. "Discrimination against people should be illegal but not discrimination against ideas and opinions," LGBT rights activist Peter Tatchell wrote in The Independent. "This judgment opens a can of worms," Tatchell lamented. "It means that a Muslim printer could be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed and a Jewish printer could be required to publish a book that propagates Holocaust denial. … What the court has decided sets a dangerous, authoritarian precedent that is open to serious abuse." Commentator Neil Midgley, writing in The Telegraph, said he didn't want any business to discriminate against gay people. "I wish the McArthurs would abandon their silly religious views and bake cakes for everyone," Midgley wrote. "But freedom of religion must surely be respected alongside freedom of sexuality and, as a gay man, I vehemently support the Christian bakers' right not to bake pro-gay cakes." The appeals panel disagreed. Although the judges accepted the fact that Ashers previously served the customer, gay rights activist Gareth Lee, and that its employees did not know he was gay when they refused his order, the judges said Lee still received less favorable treatment based on his sexual orientation. The McArthurs say it is simply not true. "We have always said it: It was never about the customer, it was about the message," Daniel McArthur, managing director of the bakery, said outside the courthouse. "But now we're being told that we have to promote the message, even if it's against our conscience." McArthur also noted the message stands opposed to current law in Northern Ireland, where gay marriage is still illegal. The ruling undermines democratic freedom, religious freedom and free speech, McArthur said, noting, "If equality law means people can be punished for politely refusing to support other people's causes, then equality law needs to change." he said. But, according to Northern Ireland's lord chief justice, Sir Declan Morgan, reading from the opinion in court, "The fact that a baker provides a cake for a particular team or portrays witches on a Halloween cake does not indicate any support for either." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Biblical truth called key to strong family, revival by Diana Chandler Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The family is likened to a football team with the husband as the quarterback, God as the coach, and the wife as a supporting team member in an analogy used by Kentucky Pastor Joel Bowman Sr. in upholding biblical authority in the family and church. Bowman, founder of African Americans for Biblical Authority (AABA) and pastor of Temple of Faith Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., used that analogy in explaining his belief that strengthening families by building them as God intended is key to reviving the church. He and other pastors representing about 50 predominantly black churches in Kentucky pressed the point at the conference "Restoring the Black Family, Reviving the Black Church," held Oct. 29 at Forest Baptist Church. "God has called men to be spiritual leaders in the home and to partner with the wife in the raising of the children," the Southern Baptist pastor told Baptist Press, "and if the man is not taking that rightful place, there's no wonder that there's breakdown in the family. "That would be tantamount to trying to have a football team and there's no quarterback. It's not going to be very effective at all. To push that analogy further, Jesus is the coach. He is the One that ultimately calls the shots, but on the field, the husband and the father provides leadership, and executes the plays that are given by the coach. And the wife is there to support in that regard. As we have departed from that model of the family, we're seeing I think crime and all sorts of things to impact the family." AABA focuses on the African American community because most of the members of their churches are black, Bowman said, referencing the Apostle Paul's confirmation in Romans 10 of his heart's desire for Israel, his kindred, to be saved. The black family is not inferior to families in any other ethnicity or culture, he said. "I think that the restoration of our communities as well as the revival within our churches depends largely upon the strength of the family," he said. "To the extent our families are rooted in biblical principles, I think, to that extent we can see true restoration and revival. "That's not to discount other sociological factors," he said. "People certainly need access to jobs, and healthcare and all of that good stuff, but I think that ultimately when it comes to restoration, revival, you have to get back to the basics." Hosted by Southern Baptist pastor Nathaniel Bishop Jr. and supported by the Kentucky Baptist Convention, the conference featured 30-minute presentations followed by 20-minute panel discussions that included "Restoring the black family through biblical marriage," "Effective single parenting," "Reaching and keeping youth and young adults," "Reviving the black church through biblical truth," "Biblical church membership and discipline," and "Engaging our communities without compromising convictions." In addition to Bowman, who founded AABA in 2015, speakers included Bible Community Fellowship Baptist Church pastor C.J. Jordan and his wife Peggy, Watson Memorial Baptist Church pastor Toussaint Adams, New Breed Church Inc. pastor T.C. Taylor, and Centennial Olivet Baptist Church pastor Wilbur S. Browning Sr., all based in Louisville. Restoring the family and reviving the church is not an issue of personal piety alone, Bowman told BP, but is also an issue of social justice. African American families are challenged from within and from without with issues including racism, a societal redefinition of marriage and the devaluation of the father figure in American culture. "Racism is still very alive and well, and I think the unique struggle that the African American family has, even in a Christian context, is we're still having to deal with the vestiges of 400 years of racism in America," he said. "And so we are dealing with enemies both from within and from without. That's a precarious position in which the black family and the black church finds itself." Bowman applauded the Southern Baptist Convention for its ministry of racial reconciliation. "Those of us who consider ourselves evangelicals … are slowly embracing the fact that the issue of racism historically in our nation is a moral issue such like abortion is, and we have to see the whole of life being valuable, whether it's within the mother's womb or if it is a young black male walking the street, that all of life, the whole of life is valuable from conception to the crypt," Bowman said. "Those of us who purport to be evangelical, Bible believing Christians, we can no longer separate the issues of personal piety and social justice, as the Bible addresses all of that." In other actions at the conference, AABA presented pioneering academician T. Vaughn Walker with the AABA Legacy Award. Walker, who retired in May from the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has pastored since 1984 First Gethsemane Baptist Church in Louisville. He developed both master's and doctoral programs in black church leadership, and was the first African American in a regular professorship at a SBC-affiliated seminary. The conference was the second annual event sponsored by AABA, which Bowman described as a fellowship of likeminded African American pastors with a high view of Scripture who promote both the family and the church standing on the Bible as their foundation. The inaugural 2015 event, focused on Biblical Sexuality in the Black Church, drew about 400 participants. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: Nov. 6, 2016 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: November 03, 2016 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum. Bible Passages: Jeremiah 1:4-10 Discussion Questions: What are some of the obstacles to us having God's proclamation on our lips? What must we believe to be true about the Bible in order to live this out? Food for Thought: What an amazing thing to be able to say "Thus saith the Lord." Jeremiah was given the very word of God to speak throughout the land, and that word came with power. As Christians, we don't function in the same way the prophets did in the Old Testament; we don't have God telling us His message in private for us to declare in public. But God has not left us without a word. The Bible is the living, active and unchanging Word of God. God has not only commanded us to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth, He has also provided the message for us. Just as Jeremiah had the proclamation of God on his lips, so should we be so familiar with the Word of God that our language drips with it in regular conversation. But in order for that to happen, we must know the Word, and we must speak the Word. Never before has the Word of God been so accessible, and yet we are finding more and more that we are illiterate of what it actually says. We must, if we want to follow Jesus, be people of the Word. We must treat it with care, loving it, cherishing it, and committing it to memory. When we do, we will see that the Word of God finds its place in us, and having been established in us, it will naturally come out. We start with knowing God's Word, but then we must make the active choice to speak God's Word. Over time, choices like this become easier and easier, but we must make a start at it. We have to choose actively to speak the Word of God, even though it might not be well received and it might not be popular. God's Word trumps our opinions. It trumps our agenda. It trumps our priorities. When we make the choice to start proclaiming God's Word in the various arenas that He has given us to influence, we'll see the power of God work to transform our opinions, agenda and priorities for His glory. The Gospel Project The Gospel Project is a chronological, Christ-centered study for kids, students, and adults. The Bible is not a collection of stories. It is one story of God's plan to rescue His people from sin and death. It is the story of redemption, the gospel message of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at LifeWay.com/gospelproject Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.