
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/09/2009

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Pro-lifers win major victory in House
by Michael Foust
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

WASHINGTON (BP)--Pro-lifers won a major victory Saturday night when an amendment that would prohibit the health care bill from covering or funding abortion passed, 240-194.

The amendment passed minutes before the health care bill itself (H.R. 3962) passed, 220-215.

The fact that the amendment even received a vote seemed improbable just 24 hours earlier, but Democratic leaders saw that without winning a block of roughly 40 pro-life members of their own party, the overall health care bill had little chance of passage. Rep. Bart Stupak, D.-Mich., and the 40 members had been trying for weeks to get a floor vote on the amendment, which was narrowly defeated in committee. They threatened to try to prevent the bill from coming to the floor if their amendment wasn't considered.

It was a tough pill to swallow for pro-choice House members, many of whom had assumed the Stupak amendment wouldn't receive a vote because Democratic leaders -- including Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- opposed it. 

The amendment, sponsored by Stupak, prohibits the government-run public option from covering elective abortions and also prevents federal subsidies -- that is, subsidies given to lower-income people -- from paying for insurance plans that cover elective abortion.

The amendment received the votes of 176 Republicans and 64 Democrats. Opposing it were 194 Democrats, including Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

Tony Perkins, president of the pro-life Family Research Council, called the Nov. 7 vote a "pro-life milestone."

"This is one of the most significant pro-life votes since Roe v. Wade," Perkins said during a conference call following the vote. He said he still has reservations about the overall bill but is "very grateful" for the leadership of pro-life members of both parties.

Even so, Douglas Johnson, National Right to Life Committee legislative director, said "there is a long battle ahead."

Johnson charged that the Obama administration and congressional Democratic leaders had "spent months concealing and misrepresenting provisions &#91;of the legislation&#93; that would directly fund abortions" and "we know that the White House and pr-abortion congressional Democratic leaders will keep trying to enact government funding of abortion...."

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, also lauded the House abortion amendment but said passage of the overall bill "brings us one step closer to government-subsidized and eventually government-run health care in America. Having lived under socialized medicine in England for nearly three years, I can bear personal testimony to the fact that people will wait longer for care and will die sooner than they do under the present system. We need health care reform, but this isn’t it."

As the issue moves to the Senate, Land said the ERLC "will continue to press for health care more in keeping with the 15 principles laid out for health care reform which are available at our website &#91;www.erlc.com&#93;."

The Senate is working on its own version of the health care bill, and -- assuming it passes that chamber -- it will be merged with the House bill in conference. Abortion rights groups, including Planned Parenthood, pledged to try to kill the House abortion amendment before any bill goes to the president. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards applauded the members who voted against it and said the group "will work with those members to rectify this travesty."

Stupak, who voted for the overall bill, said his amendment simply applied the Hyde Amendment -- which is current law -- to the health care bill. The Hyde Amendment, which must be renewed yearly, prevents Medicaid from paying for elective abortions. It was first passed in the mid-1970s. Stupak said without his amendment, the health care bill would be a "direct assault" on the Hyde Amendment.

"I am not writing a new federal abortion policy," Stupak said on the floor. "I ask my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans alike: Let us stand together on principle of no public funding for abortion, no public funding for insurance policies that pay for abortion."

Opponents of the amendment argued that the bill as-written already prohibited federal funding of abortion. According to their argument, the bill covered abortion under the public option but did so by using the premium money received from enrollees. Pro-choicers did not consider that money federal money. Pro-lifer weren't convinced. 

"Every dollar in the public option is a federal dollar," Rep. Joe Pitts, R.-Pa., an amendment supporter, said during debate. "Let me be clear: If the government plan covers abortion, that amounts to federal funding of abortion. It's that simple."

Rep. Nita Lowey, D.-N.Y., called the amendment "reprehensible."

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R.-Wash., disagreed.

"If we're talking about health care reform for women and children, then protection for children should start at the moment their life begins," Rodgers said. 

Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J., said the bill -- without the amendment -- would increase the number of abortions. 

"If we truly don't want to see more abortions and we want to reduce them, don't fund it," Smith said. "... Millions of people are alive today because of the Hyde Amendment, because funding was not there to effectuate their demise. Vote for the Stupak-Pitts amendment. It will save lives."
--30--
Michael Foust is an assistant editor of Baptist Press. See how your representative voted on the Stupak amendment at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll884.xml. See how your representative voted on the overall bill at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll887.xml.


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Missionary activity could be restricted in Russia
by Staff
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

MOSCOW (BP)--New legislation being considered by Russian lawmakers could drastically restrict missions activity if made into law. Restrictions could include requiring missionaries and Russian Christians to obtain permission to engage in missionary activity and limiting its locations and participants, such as tourists and minors.

While the proposals are currently in the draft stages, language introduced by the Russian Ministry of Justice Oct. 12 indicates that if these laws are enacted they will greatly restrict religious freedom. 

Russian Baptist officials say they believe the new language primarily targets Roman Catholics and Protestants and believe it has already found favor with leaders of Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism -- Russia's four most prominent religions.

"Of course, when measures like this are talked about, we are always concerned and we should look at them with a measure of seriousness," said Ed Tarleton, a leader of IMB work in Russia. "Evangelicals have enjoyed days of openness and freedom, so when lawmakers start talking about language that is contrary to that, we become concerned."

The proposed changes include allowing only religious groups who have been registered in Russia for at least 15 years to apply for permission to engage in missionary activity. Foreigners in Russia on a temporary visa, such as a tourist visa, would be excluded from engaging in missionary work.

Russian Baptist leaders add that wording in the proposed legislation makes no distinction between professional missionaries and average believers. "Practically all believers will become susceptible to penal sanction," says Yuri Sipko, president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.

In addition, the new language indicates that missions activity will not be allowed in hospitals, orphanages or homes for invalids and the aging without the approval of government officials. Missionary activity would be prohibited on the grounds of government buildings. The proposed measures also take aim at minors, saying that Russian minors may not be present at religious activities or be given media materials without their parents' consent.

Over the past decade, Baptists in Russia, as well as other Protestants, have been involved with social work -- addressing the issues of drug and alcohol abuse. Sipko recently wrote, "Without missionary activities, drunkenness and the abuse of narcotics will only increase. If the state begins to destroy the social ministry of churches, it will be forced to build more prisons."

IMB missionary Andy Leiniger has been working with Russian Baptists in Siberia as they develop social ministry programs. "If these laws were to pass and be enforced, they would officially shut them &#91;the ministry centers&#93; down," Leiniger said. "But I think it would be very hard to unofficially stop the work that is being done when it comes to helping people get away from their addictions."

Baptist leaders are most concerned about the ambiguity of the language in the proposals. "Right now, it is like we are driving down the road and have speed limit and stop signs to tell us what we can and cannot do and police to enforce those specific rules," Tarleton said. "If these new proposals remain as ambiguous as they appear to be at this stage, it would be like changing everything to caution signs, and religious groups would constantly be evaluated by officials making judgment calls based on their interpretation of the new laws."

Tarleton and Russian Baptist leaders have urged the worldwide religious community to join them in prayer as Russian lawmakers consider the proposals, praying that language restricting missionary activity in Russia be excluded from new legislation, for Russian Baptist churches and leaders as they work with government officials, and for IMB missionaries serving in Russia as they continue to minister in these uncertain times.
--30--
Reported by Baptist Press international staff.

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Chaplains at Fort Hood face range of needs
by Jerry Pierce
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

FORT HOOD, Texas (BP)--Army chaplains working at Fort Hood have been in near perpetual motion since Thursday's deadly shootings, providing immediate support to the wounded at area hospitals and to first responders, emergency medical teams, victims' families and teams charged with notifying the families of the dead, Army Chaplain (Col.) Frank Jackson said.

"We support the notification officer and then support the families through pastoral care once the notification is made," said Jackson, a Southern Baptist-endorsed chaplain who, as the garrison chaplain, oversees all religious services and programs on the Army base.

Jackson said 55 chaplains, some from other bases, are at Fort Hood but are spread thin as families of victims arrive and as chaplains partner with behavioral health teams to help those who witnessed the tragedy in what Jackson termed "psychological first-aid meetings." Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is the alleged gunman who killed 14 people, including one pre-born baby, and wounded 29 others. 

"The chaplains are there to support those involved and to provide pastoral care as those persons require it," Jackson told the Southern Baptist TEXAN. "We have great chaplains who have done an amazing amount of work in the last four days in making sure that families and soldiers and support personnel and those involved in the incident are treated with dignity and respect and encouraged and bring some healing and reconciliation. That's what we do."

The chaplains also are heavily involved in the planning of a base memorial service planned for 2 p.m. EST Tuesday, with the president and first lady reportedly planning to attend.

Jackson said there was a mood of anticipation on the base Monday about Tuesday's memorial service, which he said would hopefully "give those involved a point of reference to look back to as a transition time in the grieving process. It should be very, very powerful.

"And then, the people who have been the caregivers at this point have gotten a little tired. And so we're trying to adjust schedules to make sure they are getting the rest cycle they need so that they can provide care when it needs to be provided later on down the road."

Jackson said Southern Baptists can pray that God would grant the chaplains the grace to continue the mission long term, and to identify people who need encouragement or who didn't process their grief adequately.

"You don't have this happen every day," Jackson said. "The old adage is true that you don't want to deal with feelings dead; deal with them alive."

Jackson said the motto of his office is found in the Apostle Paul's exhortations to "remain steadfast" and to "not grow weary on well doing." 

"We have to take care of one another so that we may take care of others," he said.
--30--
Jerry Pierce is managing editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN, newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.


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Fort Hood-area churches offer refuge
by Erin Roach
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

KILLEEN, Texas (BP)--A couple of Southern Baptist congregations near Fort Hood served as rallying places for the community and offered messages of hope Nov. 8 following a shooting on a military post that left 12 soldiers, one civilian and one pre-born baby dead and 29 others wounded.

"Yesterday we just tried to present a message of hope. We are people of hope because of the resurrection of Christ," said Ken Cavey, pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, located just three miles from the main gate of Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

"I approached it yesterday as this being a storm. When Jesus sent the disciples across the lake in Matthew 14, the storm came up suddenly. Not only did we address the storm of the Fort Hood situation, but there were some folks there that have storms in their marriage, storms in their finances. The storms will never end, but God has given us provision for how to operate within the storm," Cavey said.

Memorial Baptist, affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, was one of the first churches to respond to the tragedy, hosting a prayer vigil and a session addressing spiritual questions just a few hours after the shooting Nov. 5. The question people have asked most, Cavey said, is "Why would God let this happen?"

Cavey said about 75 percent of Memorial Baptist's active members are connected in some way to the military, and he estimated that 2 or 3 percent of those who attended the church on Sunday were first-time visitors who came because of the Fort Hood shooting.

Also on Sunday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry spoke at a community memorial service at First Baptist Church in Killeen, exhorting mourners to embrace their faith community during the trial. He reminded them that the tendency during tragedy is to recoil from fellowship with others, but the author of the Book of Hebrews says not to give up meeting together.

After the service, Cavey said, a Southern Baptist chaplain approached him to express gratitude for the support he and his colleagues are receiving from pastors and church members as the chaplains minister to soldiers and their families. 

As of Monday, the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was conscious and able to talk after being shot four times in the abdomen, according to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he remains in stable condition. 

The tragedy began Thursday when Hasan, an Army psychiatrist scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan, walked into a Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire, killing 13 people and injuring 29.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I.-Conn., said Sunday he would begin an investigation into what the Army should have known about Hasan before the shooting, the Associated Press reported. Among other reports, former classmates of Hasan complained to faculty about what they considered to be Hasan's anti-American views, including a presentation that justified suicide bombings as well as his remarks that Islamic law trumped the U.S. Constitution.

Meanwhile, Army Chief of Staff George Casey warned that speculation on Hasan's Islamic roots could "potentially heighten backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers."

Fox News reported that former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura visited Fort Hood in secret Friday night to console those who were wounded in the shooting, and President Obama and his wife Michelle were expected to arrive at Fort Hood Tuesday for a memorial service for those who were killed.

"I think as of tomorrow afternoon after the president finishes his memorial service, Fort Hood will somewhat go back to normal," Cavey said. "They're a resilient group. I just heard on the news this morning that the unit that suffered the greatest number of injuries and casualties is deploying as planned. That won't change.

"I think Wednesday morning the commanders and all of the folks from Fort Hood will get back to training because they have a mission. They're a resilient bunch of soldiers, and they'll get back to the mission and training for deployment coming up," Cavey said.

As chaplains and others seek to counsel those hit hardest by the tragedy, Cavey said he expects a major issue to be the jolt suffered to the idea that families and soldiers are secure on an Army post.

"Our troops always thought their families were safe back at home," Cavey said. "I think the chaplains are going to have to deal with some soldiers deploying that don't have that same security that everything is OK because that security was breached when the events happened on Fort Hood this week. That puts a new worry in the mind of a soldier."

Chaplains also continue to work with first responders who reached the crime scene when it was at its worst, Cavey said, and they need prayer as they help those workers cope with the trauma.

"I'd just ask Southern Baptists to keep praying for their chaplains who do a yeoman's task with our servicemen and women," he said. "Pray for them, and pray for those who are still recuperating and those who are caring for them."
--30--
Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press.


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Gov. urges community to mutual support
by Staff
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

KILLEEN, Texas (BP)--Texas Gov. Rick Perry called for mutual support among soldiers at Fort Hood and residents in Killeen, Texas, in his remarks to a community memorial service Sunday night at First Baptist Church.

Perry, who based his exhortation in the Bible, urged "a sincere compassion for one another" in the wake of an officer's shooting spree Nov. 5 that left 14 dead, including one pre-born child. "Keep an eye on each other, watch for those who are retreating into sadness, and reach into their lives with encouragement," the governor counseled.

The text of Perry's remarks follow:

The decision to serve one's country is not one easily made but it is, most often, in response to a calling that resonates in a person's core and persists, undeniable, until answered.

Throughout the course of human history, there has been a need for people of principle to leave behind the comforts of home to take up arms and place their lives between the menacing aggressor and the innocent.

The core values of our democracy were declared by an assembly of thoughtful patriots but they were secured by men of arms at Lexington and Concord, defended on the rolling hills of Gettysburg, and preserved in the chaos of Normandy and Bastogne.

In our lifetime, aggressors have risen and, by our hand, fallen in conflicts far from home. As Americans, we are most familiar with our sons and daughters in uniform heading to distant lands to engage a faceless foe in defense of life, liberty and democracy.

Sadly, this week, violence touched our community here in Texas and lives were lost or altered forever.

As the world looked on in shock and dismay, anguish at the senseless violence turned to admiration for the remarkable response of this close-knit community.

Fort Hood and the communities that surround it are connected by a shared belief in our nation's fundamental principles and united by a sincere compassion for one another.

That compassion has been strengthened over time as soldiers have journeyed from Fort Hood to the front lines. In their absence, their families make do, relying on one another for support and comfort, strengthening the bond of shared purpose.

It is that community spirit, that commitment to one another that transcends ethnicity, religious background or economic status that will carry us through this trial.

We cannot let outside voices sow dissension among our ranks or cast aspersions on an entire faith tradition because one adherent committed this monstrosity.

Now, more than ever, we need one another or that mutual support and encouragement that a better day is coming.

We must cling ever tighter to our faith and God's promises of a life everlasting.

In the tenth chapter of his letter to the Hebrews, Paul wrote, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Paul knew the nature of life's trials and persevered through more trouble than nearly any other biblical figure, yet still he clung to hope.

He knew that the love and encouragement of our brothers and sisters in faith are essential in the tough times.

He also knew that the best medicine for fear is to step outside of ourselves, and help others. So he continued writing: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

Over the past few days, we have seen so many good deeds, from soldiers carrying fellow soldiers to safety to people standing hours in line to give blood.

I encourage you to heal by serving and serving together as you encourage one another.

Paul also knew that the human tendency is to retreat into a defensive crouch when things are tough, to assume that no one understands and no one cares.

He knew that, too often, hurting people mistakenly believe that they're better off alone.

So he wrote these encouraging words:

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the day approaching."

So, in the days to come, continue to meet and spend time with your friends and loved ones, your coworkers and your fellow soldiers.

Keep an eye on each other, watch for those who are retreating into sadness, and reach into their lives with encouragement.

Because we know that day is approaching, when we'll gather in the heavenly realms together reunited with those who have gone before us, worshiping together in the radiance of God's love.

Until that time, we cast our burdens on Jesus because He cares for us and will comfort us along the way.

On behalf of more than 24 million Texans, I say this: We are deeply saddened by your loss. You are, daily, in our thoughts and we wish a speedy recovery for injured bodies and broken hearts.

May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Amen.
--30--
Compiled by Baptist Press staff.


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BERLIN WALL RETROSPECTIVE: The wall became a door
by Mark Edworthy
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--I clearly remember watching the evening news, spellbound as jubilant Berliners danced upon the Berlin Wall the night of Nov. 9, 1989. East Berliners were flowing through Brandenburg Gate, and a news correspondent asked the expectant crowd soon to board a train from East Berlin to West Berlin, "Who is responsible for this new day of freedom?" They began to chant: "Gorby! Gorby!" in honor of the Soviet premier, Mikhail Gorbachev.

I remember turning to my wife and saying, "They don't have a clue," and opening my Bible to read Revelation 3:8: "Behold I have put before you an open door which no one can shut...." (NASB). The sovereign Lord of the universe determined to open 12 time zones to a residential Christian witness 20 years ago this week. Indeed the world was changed!

Less than a year later, I traveled from a pastorate in northeast Texas to lead a small evangelistic campaign in northwest Poland in a public building. A Baptist taxi driver drove me to Berlin my second weekend to preach at the International Baptist Church. We drove through Checkpoint Charley the last night that it was manned with heavy security.

The next day I took a borrowed hammer and joined scores of people dismantling the wall. With every blow, I whispered a prayer that the Lord would likewise tear down the spiritual barriers prevalent in most of the countries located behind the Iron Curtain. Within six months, my wife and I would be the first missionaries appointed to Poland as Polish-language church planters, and we would see firsthand as the Lord began to make cracks in the impenetrable darkness.

Later that year, 1991, the International Mission Board set an immediate goal of appointing 130 career missionaries, 340 International Service Corps workers and more than 1,000 volunteers to the former Soviet Union. Led by George and Veda Rae Lozuk in Moscow, dozens were soon appointed and most of the "Iron Curtain countries" had been entered by the mid-1990s.

The early days were filled with optimism and greater openness, which led to substantial strides in starting new churches in many countries. The advance slowed with the awareness that the streets would not turn to gold and that economic and societal hardship would precede substantive steps forward.

Twenty years later, the new has become routine and "the old days" are discussed by the elderly playing chess in the public parks. Some of the former Warsaw Pact countries are now in the European Union. Many borders once patrolled by thousands are open to all drivers who are welcomed with attractive signs.

Although the Gospel has impacted the 12 time zones, black clouds are on the horizon. The Russian government is crafting extremely restrictive legislation, influenced by the favored Russian Orthodox Church, which would severely restrict the evangelistic work of evangelicals and virtually outlaw the work of international missionaries.

As we pray for the next 20 years, it is good to remember that He is still the one who opens a door that no one can shut.
--30--
Mark Edworthy serves as a global strategist for the International Mission Board's European peoples affinity group.


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BERLIN WALL RETROSPECTIVE: One down. One to go.
by Mark Coppenger
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

EVANSTON, Ill. (BP)--For my generation, the fall of the Berlin Wall was astonishing, even stupefying. We had lived our lives in the shadow of communism. In the two years before I was born, Winston Churchill had introduced "Iron Curtain" to our vocabulary and President Truman had announced a policy of "containment" to counter the Soviet threat.

When I was in junior high, we all got dog tags at school so that, in the event of a nuclear holocaust, authorities could identify our remains. One of my neighbors built a fallout shelter, and in my ninth-grade civics class, we sat breathless, listening to radio coverage of the Cuban missile crisis, wondering if the launch of Russian ICBMs was imminent.

Later, as a young infantry officer, I joined in map-based war games built around defensive stands at Germany's Fulda Gap. And later, I rode alongside captured Russian tracked vehicles as they descended on a U.S. armored unit in the desert hill country of California's Ft. Irwin. We were playing high tech-laser tag, preparing for battle with Warsaw Pact forces on the plains of Europe.

We Christians read of Brother Andrew's efforts to smuggle Bibles into Russia, of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's tortured life in the "Gulag Archipelago" and of Baptist pastor Georgi Vins' imprisonment. Menace was seemingly everywhere, not only in Russia and Eastern Europe, but also in client states spread throughout the world. Egypt's Nasser and India's Nehru had signed aid and arms pacts with Russia, and Russian missiles and fighter planes had attacked our pilots in Vietnam. We wondered if it would ever end, if not in our lifetimes, then some day.

And then it was over. Just like that. The house of cards collapsed.

Within a few short years, I found myself in situations I never dreamed of -- singing "Amazing Grace" with Russian evangelists inside the walls of the Kremlin; walking with Baptist pastors through Ceausescu's empty palace in Bucharest; preaching in community centers in the Russian cities of Ramenskoye and Istra; witnessing to Russian army officers in the Moscow subway.

In 1994, I interviewed several Southern Baptist prayer leaders -- Begg, Blackaby, Drumwright, Hunt and Willis -- for SBC LIFE. Just before we began, we were reflecting on the spiritual state of the world, and one of the group brought up the collapse of the Soviet Union and cracks in the shell of Chinese communism. Together, we marveled at this change of affairs, and then came a comment I'll never forget: To paraphrase, "There have been two powerful opponents to the open spread of the Gospel -- totalitarian communism and totalitarian Islam. One down. One to go."

This was spoken by a prayer leader, not a military strategist. No talk of invasion or economic sanction, but a word of praise for the omnipotent sovereignty of God and a prophetic word concerning the wages of contempt for Christ and His Kingdom.

So I cannot think of the fall of the Berlin Wall without considering the grievous totalitarian grip that Islam has on the lives of so many people around the world. Everywhere you turn, a new menace surfaces, whether in the streets of Mogadishu or in a service center at Fort Hood. When will it ever end? How could it?

We used to ask that question about the brutal division of Berlin.
--30--
Mark Coppenger is pastor of Evanston Baptist Church in Evanston, Ill., and professor of Christian apologetics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.


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BERLIN WALL RETROSPECTIVE: True freedom
by R. Philip Roberts
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP)--The memory is clear in my mind. I was standing looking at the Berlin Wall. It was a cold January night in 1977. Snow was everywhere, but the wall dominated the foreground of the landscape. Buildings behind the wall were dark with their windows bricked up and sealed. Spotlights lit up every square inch of open ground and guard towers were spaced strategically along the perimeter with at least three guards stationed in each one.

The number three was important because when guards were placed in trios and not paired, the possibilities of a bond being created between the three that would lead to defection were greatly lessened than when there were only two guards. It was an issue of calculated cynicism that marked all that the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (East Germany) did. For the first time in known history, a wall had actually been constructed designed to hold an entire nation captive.

My one dominating thought was, "Every American, in fact, every freedom-loving person, ought to see this sight. If they did, they would understand what a great gift, privilege and responsibility freedom is!" No one could be unmoved by this experience, and no one could leave untouched by the horrors of communism and totalitarianism. As a reminder of the event, I found a spot on the western side where I could pull out a small piece of concrete and a fallen piece of rusted barbwire as a reminder of a life-changing experience.  

Twelve years later as a pastor in Brussels, I traveled across East Germany in October 1989. I could sense the change in atmosphere from previous journeys there. Security at the border crossing was much more relaxed. The guards were less hostile and insulting as there seemed to be a sense of lessened tension all along our journey.

A few weeks later the incredible news broke on television that the Berlin Wall had been opened. East German friends were euphoric as they realized the taste of freedom of travel, speech and religion -- some of them for the first time. The wall had fallen, and a new day had come to the oppressed masses of the Warsaw Pact nations.

In the ensuing years, many improvements have come to much of Central and Eastern Europe, though not everyone, by any means, has gotten in on as much prosperity as they might have first hoped. Some "modified" forms of totalitarianism emerged in various countries and "Putinism" seems to dominate Russia's present and future.

The "fall of the Wall" remains, however, a most significant event as it signaled the end of the Cold War and the triumph of a sort for a freer Europe.

But Europe remains in crisis. It is a crisis as real and serious as the one it faced when the Red Army was squared off against the forces of NATO at the Fulda Gap. This crisis, however, is a moral and spiritual one. Much of Europe languishes with empty churches (now often museums), hostile attitudes toward Christian values, vapid hearts and souls of a growing non-Christian populace, and confusion about how to respond to the growth of Islam in its major cities. There is an oppression of soul and spirit among many Europeans that must be lifted for true freedom -- spiritual freedom -- to be obtained.

The good news of the Christian message is that another wall has fallen -- it is the wall of separation between a righteous and holy God and a fallen and sinful people. It is the wall that the Apostle Paul wrote of in Ephesians 2:14 -- "He is our peace, who made both groups &#91;Jew and Gentile&#93; one and tore down the dividing 'wall' of hostility."  Similarly, it is the barrier that "your iniquities have built ... between you and your God," according to the prophet Isaiah (cf.59:2). It is the wall that Christ alone can remove by His shed blood on the cross when people put their faith in Him.

Through this God-provided liberation, the hollowness of life without God is filled and individuals are made His children. Europeans will never know what true freedom is until they know the freedom that comes through Jesus Christ.
--30--
R. Philip Roberts is the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo. He pastored churches in Germany, England and Belgium for more than nine years during the 1970s and '80s. He also has served as a professor and dean of multiple Christian educational institutions in Belgium, Romania and Russia since 1985.


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Liberty students swing election, get lesson in democracy
by Michael Foust
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP)--If any Liberty University students wondered if their vote could make a difference on Election Day, they now know the answer.

With on-campus residents voting in a general election only for the second time following a change in state election law last year, students at the evangelical school helped swing the race for the Virginia House of Delegates' 23rd District -- and did so in dramatic fashion.

Democratic incumbent Shannon Valentine led Republican Scott Garrett by about 1,400 votes for much of Election Night in a race that both sides knew could come down to the wire. It appeared Valentine, the favorite, could be headed for a close win, but then the final precinct -- where Liberty students voted -- reported its numbers. Garrett carried that precinct by a margin of 1,600 votes (1,964 votes to 324), giving him a narrow 200-vote win (10,800 to 10,600). Valentine could have requested a recount but conceded.

Jerry Falwell Jr., chancellor of the school, estimates that 1,800 on-campus students voted. Liberty officials cancelled classes and encouraged students to go vote, and the school even provided free busses to the precinct from 6:50 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The ballot had prominent races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, but the Lynchburg-area media spotlighted the Liberty students. The Lynchburg News & Advance headline said: "LU students helped deliver election." It is not known how many off-campus students voted, but the last time Valentine ran, on-campus students couldn't vote. 

"It's just a great lesson for our students on the importance of representative democracy and the importance of participating, because it affects their pocketbook directly -- especially in an election like Tuesday, where the students' voting actually swung the election in the other direction," Falwell told Baptist Press. "It really hit home the power we all have as voters. It's a lifelong lesson for them that I think they'll never forget."

Until last year, on-campus Liberty students could not vote, which had a significant impact, being that about 60 percent of the university's students lived in dorms. Prior to the law change, local registrars in each college town made the decision as to the on-campus voting rule.

The students' sway on the local election upset some citizens, who said they shouldn't be able to vote because they live in Lynchburg for only a few years. Falwell, though, is unapologetic.

"For many years there were 23 college towns in the state of Virginia and only six did not allow dorm students to votes," Falwell said. "We happened to be in one of those six. But the Obama campaign and the ACLU fought last year to change those rules so that all dorm students could vote where they went to school. We finally were able to register dorm students, and it's been making a huge difference for Liberty because we were sort of the stepchild here locally. We were taxed heavily but not represented. Our students were hit with the highest taxes of any college town around. The school is required to build public roads for the city. Now, it's all changed."

Liberty called off classes because, unlike other schools in the state, it did not have its own precinct.

"The only way that it was practical for students to get to the polls was to ride buses and to cancel classes," Falwell said. "At least we can vote now, but hopefully the next step will be that we're treated like all the other colleges in the state and get our own precinct."

According to a Liberty news release, the school set a goal of registering 1,500 new voters this year, but surpassed that at 1,729.
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Michael Foust is an assistant editor of Baptist Press.


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Fla. Baptists to brave Ida winds & rain
by Staff
Date: November 09, 2009 - Monday

PENSACOLA, Fla. (BP)--When Hurricane Ida was downgraded to Tropical Storm Ida on Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center's announcement left residents of coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida a bit less wary.

Also among the relieved: attendees of the Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting in Pensacola, slated for Monday evening and Tuesday. The convention's pastors' conference was being held Monday morning and afternoon.

The storm is expected to make landfall Tuesday morning somewhere between Grand Isle, La., and Florida's Aucilla River southeast of Tallahassee, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of noon Monday, the storm was packing 70-mph winds.

Florida Baptist Convention officials decided Monday morning that the annual meeting will proceed as planned at Pensacola's Olive Baptist Church, the Florida Baptist Witness newsjournal reported on its www.gofbw.com website around noon Monday.

Barbara Denman, director of communications for the Florida Baptist Convention, told the Witness that convention officers had decided to proceed "full steam ahead," with no change in the scheduled agenda. Denman noted that most participants in the Nov. 9-10 annual meeting already were in Pensacola. Those who have not arrived may watch the annual meeting livestreamed at www.flbaptist.org.

The Louisiana Baptist Convention's annual meeting also is scheduled for Nov. 9-10, but it is being held in Shreveport in the northern part of the state. The Alabama Baptist Convention's annual meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17-18 in Huntsville. The Mississippi Baptist Convention's annual meeting was held Oct. 27-28 in Jackson.

In advance of Hurricane Ida, Bruce Poss, disaster relief coordinator for the North American Mission Board, said he has contacted the American Red Cross and state disaster relief coordinators in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, and they were all in a "wait and see" mode.

At the Florida convention coincidentally -- as part of a pre-convention Crossover evangelistic outreach -- a Florida feeding unit was on site and could be deployed if necessary.

Though Ida may have weakened, Poss said the storm has the possibility of becoming "a flooding event" wherever it makes landfall. According to the National Weather Service, the main threats of Ida will be heavy rainfall, strong winds and storm surge along the Gulf Coast.
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Compiled by Baptist Press staff.



