The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/09/2016 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: Staring at the persecuted church by Robert Jackson Date: November 09, 2016 - Wednesday SPARTANBURG, S.C. (BP) -- About 10 Indian pastors sat in front of me. I stared at them and they stared at me in a crowded, little room in northeastern India. In a few short days I would grow to love these men as I ministered to them physically (as a physician) and spiritually (through Bible teaching). Prompted by the leader of our trip, they shared their stories one by one of being persecuted by the Hindu majority. Suddenly, I realized I didn't deserve to be in that crowded, little room. I didn't deserve to rub shoulders with men who had been beaten, imprisoned and tortured for advancing the Kingdom of Christ. I wasn't reading about Paul and Silas. I wasn't reading about Peter and Stephen. I wasn't reading about medieval Christians being stretched on a rack. I was staring at the present-day persecuted church. The faces are real. Arrested and thrown in prison for three days, Durgesh knew this day would eventually come, taken from his home, leaving his wife and children weeping and afraid. The Indian authorities gave no explanation for his arrest, but as a Christian pastor and evangelist who had started 17 churches, Durgesh understood the reasons. He became a believer in Christ at age 17 when he saw the "JESUS" film in his small village in India. One exposure to the Gospel message was all it took. In his heart he knew the message about Jesus was true so he prayed to the one true God, rejecting the thousands of false gods worshipped by his family and friends and accepting Jesus as his personal Savior. He later completed a bachelor in theology degree before returning to plant churches in his village and many surrounding towns. He became quite adept at church planting. However, he happened to live close to a political leader in his village who became disturbed by his success in evangelism and church planting. This political leader complained to the authorities, who promptly arrested Durgesh on trumped-up charges. He spent three days in jail, but thankfully was not harmed. The Christian community ministered to his wife and children, as the church should do. On my mission trips to India, I have met many courageous pastors and laymen like Durgesh who have been brutalized, imprisoned or subsequently killed by family or authorities because of their Christian faith. It is not considered a crime in India for Hindu families to punish or kill family members who convert to Christianity. Official laws exist against such behavior, but no one enforces them at any level. I met one pastor whose father strangled him after he converted to Christianity as a teenager. Presumed dead, he was resuscitated later by his mother and hidden by Christian friends. Mentally confused, he could not speak for weeks, but he ultimately recovered fully and became a pastor and church planter. Although he tried, he has never been able to reconcile with his father. This type of story is not unique to India. The church -- our brothers and sisters in Christ -- experiences various forms of persecution daily all over the world. In America we live in relative peace and prosperity and are virtually unaware of persecution that faces our extended church family around the world. There is no excuse for being ignorant in this information age. They say that knowledge is power. Knowledge coupled with your prayers is real power. When I go to India and tell persecuted pastors that church people in America pray for them, it excites and encourages them. They light up with joy. Can they count on you? -------------------------------------------------------------------- After election: The Christian response by Steve Gaines Date: November 09, 2016 - Wednesday EDITOR'S NOTE: Steve Gaines is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church. See a second article by SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page below this article. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) -- Today Americans have a new president -- Donald J. Trump. As Christians, it is Scripturally incumbent upon us to pray for him and for all our political leaders (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-2). It is also mandatory for us to honor all people, even those with whom we disagree (cf. 1 Peter 2:17). If we disagree with someone's opinions, we must do so without attacking the person. There has been far too much inflammatory rhetoric coming from Christian leaders throughout this election. That kind of speech is divisive, ungodly, uncalled for, and sinful. May we heed Paul's warning when he said, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29). May we also sincerely pray the prayer of the Psalmist who said, "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3). Our nation's greatest need is for Christians to repent and return to Jesus. May we as Southern Baptists lead the way by praying like it matters, sharing Jesus like it matters, making disciples like it matters, giving like it matters, loving like it matters, and preaching the Gospel like it matters. These disciplines are things all followers of Jesus Christ should be able to agree on. My prayer is that Southern Baptists will lead the way for another Great Awakening among God's people in America and around the world. May we repent of our sins, walk in humility and love lost people enough to tell them what the Bible says about Jesus, seeking to win them to Him. May we be responsible and mature in our comments on social media posts, blogs and articles. The world is watching us. May they see Jesus in us. Great days can be ahead if the Lord blesses us. He only blesses people that pray. Let us pray until His face shines on us afresh and His presence fills to overflowing both us and all the brothers and sisters in our congregations. See additional article from Franks S. Page below. What now? By Frank S. Page NASHVILLE (BP) -- Americans went to bed, if they went to bed at all, stunned with the news of last night's election. The same Americans woke this morning, if they slept at all, stunned with the news of last night's election. We now await the elite to tell us what happened and why Americans voted as they did. I am not among that group. And few would ask my analysis. But, I'm going to give it anyway! Americans voted out of principle, but also out of pragmatism. This is the way it has always been. In a republic such as ours rarely, if ever, have believers been able to choose the perfect candidate. It was not so yesterday, and it will not be so in future elections. Millions of Baptists went to the polls and voted out of principles and also out of pragmatism. They wanted to vote for a candidate that might support cherished principles among believers. Ignoring the condescending verbiage from the moral elites, Baptists voted and voted in droves. You can listen to what the moral elites tell us, but Christians still make a difference! Southern Baptists have not gone by the wayside when it comes to exercising our civic responsibility and our belief that some things still matter. What happens now? We will pray for our new president. I pray every day for our current president and will do so for our new president as well. We must remember the words of I Timothy 2:1 which says, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." We will pray for our newly elected leader. We will pray for him to follow the paths of righteousness. We will encourage and speak into his life as best we can. Twice I have met him and shared with him that which I believe is important to evangelicals and Baptists in particular. I will continue to pray and encourage him: -- to keep his word to provide religious liberty for all religions. -- to protect the life of the unborn as well as the born. -- to encourage him to protect marriage as being between a man and a woman. -- to nominate Supreme Court judges who will protect the constitution and not input activist agendas. During my daily Bible reading, I read the book of Ezekiel, chapter 20. Verse 19 states, "I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgements, and do them." I post a verse every morning on Twitter and Facebook which I claim is my "favorite verse." I did so again this morning and shared Ezekiel 20:19. This was true yesterday and today. We will continue to remember who God is. We will continue to follow His way. Southern Baptists and evangelical Christians will continue to witness to the lost, minister to the hurting, shelter the dispossessed and displaced, be the first to react in times of national and local crisis, and continue to speak up for the way of the Lord! There are many who like to analyze and 'funeralize' those who have stood for righteousness. Whether in the majority or not, conservative, Southern Baptist Christians will continue to remember that the Lord is the Lord and we are to do what He tells us to do. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM THE SEMINARIES: MBTS $1M student center challenge grant; state senator highlights SWBTS prison program by SBC Seminary & BP Staff Date: November 09, 2016 - Wednesday In today's From the Seminaries: Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Foundation issues $1M challenge for MBTS student center By T. Patrick Hudson KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation of Tulsa, Okla., has issued a $1 million challenge grant to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary toward the construction of the Mathena Student Center. The total cost of the project is estimated at $12 million. The Mabee Foundation board issued the challenge grant opportunity following its Oct. 11 board meeting. The foundation's action is "truly a providential gift from God," MBTS President Jason Allen said. "The need for a campus student center has existed since Midwestern Seminary's inception in 1957, and the Mabee Foundation's generosity in this regard will enable us to realize what, up to this point, has only been a dream." The student center project will entail a 39,000-square-foot-building in the heart of the seminary's campus in Kansas City, Mo. The facility will include a fully-equipped gymnasium; exercise and aerobic areas; education and recreational spaces; a campus bookstore and resource center; a new cafeteria and café; seminar-style classrooms; offices for student services; campus events and select administrative staff; and commons areas to foster mentorship, discipleship and campus community. "The student center will complete the heart of campus and will sit beside Midwestern Seminary's chapel complex, to which the Mabee Foundation generously contributed," Allen said. "This new student center is the most urgent need before Midwestern Seminary, and it will position us to take the next step as one of North America's truly elite theological institutions. "The beneficiaries of the student center will be, first and foremost, the men and women on campus preparing for Christian ministry. Yet, the scope of impact is much greater than our students. It will serve their spouses, their families and the entire seminary community," he added. Midwestern already has raised more than $8.5 million toward the $12 million goal, which includes a $7 million dollar lead gift from the Mathena family of Oklahoma City and gifts from several other seminary supporters. To meet the provisions of Mabee challenge grant, the seminary must raise the remaining funds to complete the student center project by Oct. 11, 2017. "There is much work to be done to meet the provisions of the Mabee Foundation's challenge grant, and we are seeking friends to come alongside us to support this project," Allen said. "However, we are confident that with God's favor, the trust placed in us by this highly-respected organization will catapult us forward toward obtaining the funding goals for this vital construction project." According to its website, The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, Inc., is a private charitable foundation formed in 1948 by John E. Mabee and his wife Lottie E. Mabee. As stated in its charter, "the purposes of the Foundation are to aid Christian religious organizations, charitable organizations, institutions of higher learning, hospitals and other organizations of a general charitable nature." For more information about Midwestern's student center project, contact the seminary's institutional relations office at ir@mbts.edu or call 816- 414-3720. ********** Texas state senator recounts prison culture's transformation By Alex Sibley FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- With Texas State Sen. John Whitmire as Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's chapel speaker, SWBTS President Paige Patterson noted the "peculiar" situation of inviting a Democratic senator to campus. Patterson told the chapel audience, "I wanted you to have the opportunity to say 'thank you' to the man who has probably done as much as anybody else to make our baccalaureate in the maximum security unit at Darrington down south of Houston a reality." Whitmire "has worked and labored," Patterson said, "and he comes to everything that we do down there. It is absolutely amazing the response that he has from the prisoners, their love for him." Patterson then noted a second reason for Whitmire's Nov. 1 chapel invitation. "I wanted him to come here because I wanted him to see you," he said, employing a bit of humor. "He normally only sees the prisoners down at Darrington; I wanted him to have the opportunity to see the inmates here." Whitmire, who has served in the Texas Senate since 1983 and chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, recounted to the chapel audience the history of Southwestern's Darrington extension program. The idea grew from a visit by Whitmire and representatives from Southwestern to Angola prison in Louisiana where New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary offers a four-year bachelor's program in Christian ministry. During the visit, the group attended a Sunday evening worship service. Whitmire sat among the inmates, and his observations of their behavior led him to quickly write a note to the warden there. "Warden," the senator wrote, "I've never seen so many men serving a life sentence with a smile on their face." In subsequently talking and praying with the Southwestern representatives, Whitmire then concluded, "Let's take it to Texas." Southwestern's Darrington extension program, comprising a four-year bachelor's degree in biblical studies, was born out of this decision. The program began in 2011, and the first class of 33 inmates graduated in May 2015. More than 100 prisoners are currently enrolled. In addition to transforming the inmates and their families, Whitmire said the program has transformed state prison culture at large, noting that the enrollees are "trained to go to other prisons to minister to people who will be getting out sooner than these ministers." "The ministers are some tough gentlemen, but they've given their souls, their lives to the Lord, and they know that if they're not going to be free in this world, they're going to be free in the next world," Whitmire said. "They're making a tremendous difference and wouldn't be there without this seminary." Whitmire concluded by sharing his favorite passage of Scripture -- 1 John 4:20-21 -- which he called a "guiding light" for his life. These two verses explain that one who loves God must also love his brother, and that anyone who does not love his brother cannot love God. "You can use these Scriptures to change people's lives and, I think, judge your own life," Whitmire said. "I certainly use it in my own work. "How can I profess to love Jesus Christ as my Savior and then not reach and help an inmate, a homeless person, a student who may be having a particular challenge, my family members? Remember the Scripture, and reach out to your classmates, your family members, maybe a total stranger," the senator said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Marijuana legalization expands despite Ariz. stand by David Roach Date: November 09, 2016 - Wednesday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Eight of the nine states with marijuana-related ballot measures Nov. 8 expanded legalization of the drug. Of the five states to consider recreational marijuana legalization for adults, only Arizona rejected it. California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada all voted in favor of legalization. All four states to consider medical marijuana -- Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota -- voted either to legalize or expand its use. Montana approved medical marijuana in 2004, but the state legislature enacted limitations on its use five years ago. The other three states granted approval for the first time. "The medical marijuana Trojan horse continues to wreak its havoc across the nation," said Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "Everywhere medical marijuana makes its entrance, the effort to legalize it for recreational use soon follows. Every state that legalized recreational marijuana on Tuesday had previously legalized medical marijuana. "Now, [four] more states have dropped their guard and naively welcomed this deadly drug inside their borders under the mistaken belief that they are only helping to alleviate suffering," he said. Duke, executive director-elect of the Montana Southern Baptist Convention, told Baptist Press in written comments, "As marijuana continues its march to full legalization across the country, Christians must arm themselves with the truth about this deceptive drug so they don't succumb to its destructive power." Marijuana "exposes a person to multiple toxic compounds and serious personal negative repercussions," Duke said. "It puts the user at higher risk for cancer, psychosis, strokes, respiratory damage and heart attacks. It also interferes with work and relationships." Massachusetts pastor Neal Davidson, whose state approved recreational marijuana by a 54-46 margin according to the Boston Globe, called the outcome "a disappointing but not surprising result." The vote represents "just another normalized way of numbing the life pain that comes from being alienated from God," Davidson, pastor of Hope Chapel in Sterling, Mass., told BP in written comments. "Regretfully, it will also inevitably hurt families. If there is a silver lining, perhaps [legalization] will lessen the violence connected with the illegal drug trade." Davidson expressed hope the vote will "drive us to our knees in prayer." Among the results of other recreational marijuana votes: -- Arizona's rejection of legalization came by a 52-48 margin with 98 percent of precincts reporting, according to The New York Times. -- California became the most populous state to legalize recreational marijuana, approving a measure known as Proposition 64 by a 56-44 margin, according to the California secretary of state. -- Maine's approval came with 50.49 percent of the vote with 88 percent of precincts reporting, the Bangor Daily News reported. -- Nevada approved a legalization measure by a 54-46 margin, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Pastor Darrell Orman of Florida, where medical marijuana was legalized by a 71 percent vote according to the Associated Press, told BP he was "disappointed" with the result and thinks it is "naïve." Florida's legalization came via an amendment to the state constitution permitting patients with cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder and other specified conditions to use marijuana at a doctor's recommendation. Orman, pastor of First Baptist Church in Stuart, Fla., said FDA-approved drugs provide adequate relief for patients with the conditions specified in Florida's Amendment 2. Medical marijuana appears to be a "Trojan horse" intended to steer the state toward recreational pot legalization. "Look who advocates for medical marijuana," Orman said. "It is definitely the recreational drug culture because they know they can get the door open with that, and then things just continue." Scripture's warning against "sorcery," as in Galatians 5:20, Orman said, includes a warning against the use of mind-altering drugs because the Greek word translated "sorcery" (pharmakeia) refers to magic utilizing drugs or potions. Such drugs and potions often were intended to induce an altered state of mind in the ancient world. In addition to its warnings about mind-altering drugs, Scripture approves the responsible use of palliative drugs, as in Proverbs 3:6-7, and other medications, as in 1 Timothy 5:23. "The joy in Christ so surpasses" the happiness or relief afforded by drugs, Orman said. Among the results of other medical marijuana votes: -- Arkansas approved usage by patients with approved conditions by a 53-47 margin, The Times reported. -- Montana's medical marijuana expansion initiative received 57 percent of the vote, The Times reported. -- North Dakota approved medical marijuana by a 64-36 margin, AP reported. Duke expressed concern for the effect of marijuana legalization on children even though all four states to legalize recreational marijuana Tuesday did so only for adults 21 and older. "Our country is moving to a scary place when adults will no longer deny themselves in order to protect children from the dangers of a fallen world," Duke said. "... The states that legalize marijuana should not be surprised when they discover that more youth are using the drug. After all, it is difficult to convince youth that they cannot use something adults are free to use." Still, "marijuana's march to victory is not a given," Duke said. "... We must continue to educate people about marijuana's true nature in order to stop its advance. And in the meantime, every church and parent must increase their diligence to teach their children that marijuana is a destructive drug that corrupts body, mind and soul." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Physician-assisted suicide approved in Colorado by Diana Chandler Date: November 09, 2016 - Wednesday DENVER, Colo. (BP) -- Colorado voters overwhelmingly legalized physician-assisted suicide Nov. 8, joining five other states where similar laws already exist. The Colorado End of Life Options Act, on the ballot as Proposition 106, passed by a two-thirds margin, with 64.55 percent of voters, or 1,521,339 Coloradans approving the measure. Those who opposed it totaled 35.4 percent, or 835,355 voters, unofficial but complete returns reported by Colorado Secretary of State Wayne W. Williams show. Before the vote, assisted death in the state had been a crime of felony manslaughter. The new law gives adult patients access to "medical aid-in-dying medication." And it allows terminally ill patients with under six months to live, as diagnosed by at least two physicians, to self-administer drugs prescribed by a physician to induce "peaceful death," according to the law posted on the Colorado Legislature website. Patients choosing death must be at least 18 years old, must have the "mental capacity" to decide to end their life, and must not make such a request based on their age or disability, the law stipulates. The initiative was designed after Oregon's 1994 Death With Dignity Act, the first in the nation to legalize the practice, although its enforcement was delayed three years by a court injuction. California, Montana, Vermont and Washington also allow assisted death. Many Christians have opposed Colorado's measure, including Southern Baptists. Mark Edlund, executive director of the Colorado Baptist Convention (CBC), told Baptist Press he is grieved by the measure's passage. "As a Colorado native it grieves me to see Colorado continue its strong march to the liberal side of the political spectrum," he said today (Nov. 9). "Sadly our state receives national recognition for the legalization of marijuana, same-sex marriage, and legalization of abortion. Now we add to that physician-assisted suicide." Edlund encouraged churches to speak out strongly on the value of all human life, including the terminally ill and the unborn child. "The passage of Proposition 106 … gives license to physicians to play God when the very oath they take states, 'Above all, I must not play God,'" he said, referencing the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath. Edlund also referenced Job 1:22, which states, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord," and said he would consult with CBC Council of Past Presidents and Executive Board regarding any formal response to the "growing culture of death in our state." CBC President Mike Routt told Baptist Press before the election that the measure "devalues life and makes suicide a valid option, not just for the terminally ill, but also for others who suffer intense physical or psychological pain." He described suicide as a cultural crisis, especially in the military. Routt, senior pastor of Circle Drive Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said the measure "defies a theocentric view of life and embraces an anthropocentric one. In essence, the terminally ill patient makes the decision about his/her death, rather than recognizing God as the one who determines the end date of every human being." Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has called the perception of "death with dignity" on which the law stands, "a deeply destructive lie about the worth and value of human life. A humane culture laments death, rather than distributing it as a marketable good." Carrie Gordon Earll, Focus on the Family vice president of government and public policy, said the new law puts Colorado's "medically and socially vulnerable" citizens at greater risk. "Sadly, advocates for assisted suicide outspent opponents roughly five to one, leaving many voters with false impressions about doctor-prescribed death and unaware of the risks patients face in a profit-driven health care climate," Earll told Baptist Press after the measure passed. "Opponents of the measure, including Focus on the Family, shared stories of patients in other states who were denied treatment -- but offered suicide pills -- in the hope that voters would reject such a dangerous and fatally flawed proposal." Supporters of the measure had raised $5.7 million as of Oct. 31, buoyed by $4.5 million from the Compassion and Choices Action Network, Ballotpedia reported. This compared to only $2.7 for the opposition, with $1.6 million of that coming from the Archdiocese of Denver. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper supported the measure, as did 70 percent of voters in polls preceding the election. Another opponent of the act, Colorado Christian University vice president of public policy Jeff Hunt, said he would continue fighting to protect the elderly and those with disabilities. "The fight is not over," Hunt was quoted in the Denver Post today (Nov. 9). "We are deeply disappointed and concerned about Colorado legalizing doctor-assisted suicide." The full text of the Colorado law is on the Colorado secretary of state's website at sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/Initiatives/titleBoard/filings/2015-2016/145Final.pdf. Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention's 2015 annual meeting adopted a resolution affirming "the dignity and sanctity of human life at all stages of development, from conception to natural death." The resolution called on churches and Christians "to care for the elderly among us, to show them honor and dignity, and to prayerfully support and counsel those who are providing end-of-life care for the aged, the terminally ill, and the chronically infirmed." -------------------------------------------------------------------- With election over, prayer & grace urged by Tom Strode Date: November 09, 2016 - Wednesday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Donald Trump pulled off a startling victory with the support of four in five white voters who identified themselves as evangelical Christians, and Southern Baptist leaders called for prayer for the president-elect and grace toward others. Trump -- the billionaire, celebrity businessman -- completed his unexpected rise through the Republican Party and the American electorate to defeat Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton Tuesday (Nov. 8), surprising pollsters and most observers in the process. Though trailing in the popular vote, Trump surpassed the 270 votes needed in the Electoral College and held a 279-228 lead over the Democratic nominee as of 3 p.m. EST Wednesday (Nov. 9), according to The New York Times. The winner in three states -- Arizona, Michigan and New Hampshire -- had yet to be called. Republicans not only regained the White House, but they defended their majorities in both chambers of Congress. A division among Southern Baptists and other evangelicals marked the rancorous presidential campaign. In the weeks and months leading to the election, some made clear their intention to vote for Trump while others declared they could vote for neither Trump nor Clinton because of character and/or policy issues. Black and Hispanic evangelicals especially opposed Trump's candidacy. On Election Day, 81 percent of voters who identified themselves as "white evangelical or white born-again Christians" said in exit polls they chose Trump, The Times reported. Both candidates called for unity afterward. "Now it's time for America to bind the wounds of division," Trump said, according to The Times, after Clinton conceded early Wednesday. "It is time for us to come together as one united people. It's time." Trump described that as "so important" to him. Later Wednesday, Clinton said she hopes Trump becomes "a successful president for all Americans," The Times reported. "We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead," she said. Steve Gaines, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, cited the Bible to urge Christians to pray for Trump, as well as all other government leaders, and "to honor all people, even those with whom we disagree." "If we disagree with someone's opinions, we must do so without attacking the person," Gaines said in written comments for Baptist Press. "There has been far too much inflammatory rhetoric coming from Christian leaders throughout this election. That kind of speech is divisive, ungodly, uncalled for and sinful." Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis, said America's "greatest need is for Christians to repent and return to Jesus. May we as Southern Baptists lead the way by praying like it matters, sharing Jesus like it matters, making disciples like it matters, giving like it matters, loving like it matters and preaching the Gospel like it matters. These disciplines are things all followers of Jesus Christ should be able to agree on." Byron Day, president of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC, acknowledged the election "resulted in joy for some and disappointment for others. Now that the rhetoric and the finger-pointing is over, it is time for the nation to come together." Day, senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Laurel, Md., also urged Christians to follow the Bible's teaching to pray for and support the president-elect. In written remarks for BP, he encouraged "all Southern Baptists, regardless of political affiliation, to pray for the healing of our nation and for spiritual awakening. Southern Baptists must take the lead in healing a nation that is divided on many fronts. Jesus is the only answer to our nation of sin-sick souls." Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said in a Wednesday blog post, "Many of us have deep differences with our new president, and would have no matter which candidate had been elected, but we must pray that he will succeed in leading our country with wisdom and justice." The presidential election shows conservative evangelicals "are politically homeless," Moore said. In the movements that dominate both political parties, "moral concerns — certainly personal character and family stability questions — are marginalized. We now have a politics of sexual revolution across the board." Southern Baptists and other conservative evangelicals, he wrote, should "maintain a prophetic clarity that is willing to call to repentance everything that is unjust and anti-Christ, whether that is the abortion culture, the divorce culture, or the racism/nativism culture." In addition, "no matter what the racial and ethnic divisions in America, we can be churches that demonstrate and embody the reconciliation of the kingdom of God," Moore said. "We belong to each other because we belong to Christ." Fred Luter, who became the SBC's first African-American president in 2012, said, "As in any presidential election there are winners and losers. As Christians the right thing to do is congratulate the winners and console the losers. "We are also obligated to pray for the new president and do what we can to bring our nation together during this time of transition," he said in written remarks for BP. Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, said Southern Baptists will pray for Trump "to follow the paths of righteousness. We will encourage and speak into his life as best we can." Page said in a written statement he will continue to pray and encourage Trump: -- "To keep his word to provide religious liberty for all religions. -- "To protect the life of the unborn as well as the born. -- "To encourage him to protect marriage as being between a man and a woman. -- "To nominate Supreme Court judges who will protect the Constitution and not input activist agendas." "Southern Baptists and evangelical Christians will continue to witness to the lost, minister to the hurting, shelter the dispossessed and displaced, be the first to react in times of national and local crisis, and continue to speak up for the way of the Lord," Page said. J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area and a candidate for SBC president earlier this year, urged Christians to extend grace to each other. "Don't assume that fellow believers who voted for Trump did so because they are utterly insensitive to minority struggles or unconcerned about misogyny, xenophobia, or sexual assault," he wrote in a Wednesday blog post. "Many voted for Trump despite their disgust at those things, because they thought the things Clinton stood for were at least as dangerous to the country. "In the same way, don't assume that those who voted for Clinton (or didn't vote for either) are naïve about the threats to religious liberty or too cowardly to oppose abortion. Many believers were very aware of those things but just couldn't support a man who displayed the significant character failings of Trump. "Be humble and charitable enough to realize that many mature Christians came to different conclusions about what the right posture was, and give them the benefit of the doubt where you can," Greear said. "You don't have to agree with their conclusions, but in the church we can and must demonstrate a humility, forbearance, and civility usually absent from public discourse." Many Southern Baptists and other evangelicals opposed Clinton not only because of ethical problems that had plagued her but her policy positions, particularly her advocacy for unfettered abortion rights. Others refused to support Trump because of what they described as his autocratic inclinations, abusive rhetoric, immoral lifestyle and untrustworthiness on moral and religious liberty issues. Despite all the ethical, character and moral issues involved, economics and ethnic demographics proved "very decisive in this election," said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. "Our pre-election research showed that economics -- not religious belief -- was the most pressing concern driving the votes of those with evangelical beliefs. "We also found a clear divide along ethnic and political party lines among Americans with evangelical beliefs," McConnell said. "White Americans with evangelical beliefs favored Trump, as did Republicans with evangelical beliefs. African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans with evangelical beliefs favored Clinton, as did Democrats with evangelical beliefs. These divides are powerful in America today, and they are deeply entrenched in the church." Democrats had hopes during the campaign of sweeping the presidency as well as both houses of Congress, and it still appeared they could win the White House and Senate when Election Day arrived. The GOP, however, kept the Senate, leading 51-47 in seats as of 3 p.m. EST Wednesday (Nov. 9). Races in Louisiana and New Hampshire remained to be decided. In the House of Representatives, Republicans held a 239-193 advantage. The winners of three seats had yet to be determined. Three Southern Baptists in the Senate -- Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, John Boozman of Arkansas and James Lankford of Oklahoma -- won re-election as Republicans.