The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/17/2014 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Alaska Baptists surge in church planting by Tobin Perry Date: November 17, 2014 - Monday ANCHORAGE, Alaska (BP) -- Jason Storter had no interest in church when his wife Mariah asked him to join her at a new Anchorage church plant. An avowed atheist, Storter told Brent Williams, pastor of True North Church, he was only attending to make his wife happy. He said he'd be gone when football season started and didn't plan to get "duped by this Jesus-stuff." Williams didn't bat an eye, saying with a smile: "That's fine. Truth North is a place for you. It's a place for you to come and get your questions answered so your wife is happy and your life is happy." Over time, Storter's walls began coming down, and he and Williams started meeting for coffee. On one such occasion, Storter mentioned he needed to get his house painted and a couple of his friends had bailed on him. A thought came to Williams' mind: Could the mission team in town from a Texas Baptist church help Jason? A few hours later the mission team had stripped the paint off the house and was spending the afternoon getting to know Storter, who couldn't seem to understand why these people from Texas would help him and ask for nothing in return. "A couple of weeks later, after church, he rolled down his window and said, 'Brent, today I was duped by Jesus.' I said, 'What do you mean?' And he said, 'Jesus is my Savior,'" Williams recounted. Three years later, Storter is a life group leader at True North, serves in the church's children's ministry and has led others to faith in Christ. Only five years after Williams moved to Alaska from Texas to begin the work of church planting, True North averages around 300 in weekly attendance. Thanks to True North and a growing number of Alaska Baptist church plants, people far from God in the Land of the Midnight Sun are coming to faith in Christ. Prior to 2012, Alaska Baptists had planted, on average, one to two churches a year. Church planting in the state had slowed so much by 2011 that Mike Procter, the executive director of the Alaska Baptist Convention, told the North American Mission Board his state wouldn't need the $150,000 NAMB was providing Alaska for church planting the following year. NAMB then allocated the money elsewhere. By the following year, the situation had reversed. New church plants in the state were on the rise. Procter then asked for an additional $100,000 to fund the flurry of church planting requests coming in. NAMB sent the funds. Steve Bass, NAMB's West Region vice president, remarked, "Even though Southern Baptists have had this incredible interest [in church planting] in the urban centers, we've got Alaska, a rural state convention, that is nowhere near an urban center and God has blessed them in an incredible way." In 2012 and 2013, Alaska Baptists planted 19 churches. That blessing comes to a state with big spiritual needs. Only one in three Alaskans are claimed by any religious body, according to data from the Association of Religion Data Archives. The state has one evangelical church for every 1,070 people and one SBC church for every 7,101 residents, according to the NAMB's Center for Missional Research. Procter suggests the increase in church planting has been an answer to fervent prayer for God to send laborers. "We have a prayer strategy called 938, where every morning at 9:38 and every evening at 9:38 we encourage people to pray unto the Lord of the harvest for Him to bring laborers," Procter said of the prayer emphasis named after Matthew 9:38. "We've been doing that over the past few years and people have been sensing God's call to come and partner with us in Alaska." It hasn't just been outside laborers who have come to Alaska to start churches. Larry Macknicki, who has been in the state since the 1980s, is a former atheist with a stark conversion story from five years ago. Macknicki was in a low-paying computer programming job in 2011, trying to make sense of where God had him. As he did so, he began reflecting on the question, "What would Jesus do?" in relation to his work environment. "The answer was very, very obvious," Macknicki said. "Jesus would be reaching out to those He had placed around me and tending to their spiritual needs." Macknicki started In His Steps Community Fellowship in what he calls a "secular place at a secular time" to try to reach people like his co-workers with the Gospel. At the time, he didn't even see it as a church. "We don't have huge numbers of people coming in yet, but the people who are coming in are the people who are broken, who are spiritually [young] or just spiritually dead," said Macknicki, who also pastors a second church in nearby Wasilla. "In my congregations, God isn't moving in a mighty numbers kind-of-way, but in a mighty growth kind-of-way in the people He is bringing." Despite the increasing number of church plants in Alaska, Procter said the work isn't done. He points to the spiritual needs in the state's largest city as an example. "If every church was filled to capacity with current seating, we'd only have enough seats for 5 percent of our population in Anchorage," Procter said. "Send your best people to Alaska. Keep praying. Keep supporting the Cooperative Program," he said to Southern Baptists, whose gifts in their churches support national and international missions and ministry. Visit www.namb.net/mobilize-me to find out how God could use more Southern Baptists and their churches in Alaska. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: '50 Shades' & its best-kept secret by Katie McCoy Date: November 17, 2014 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: The movie version of "50 Shades of Grey" will open in theaters on Valentine's Day. Katie McCoy of BiblicalWoman.com provides counsel to women -- who are the fastest-growing consumers of pornography -- for attaining freedom from "the never-ending cycle of lust." FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- We used to blush about it. It was the kind of thing that women kept quiet about. It was personal -- too personal -- and not at all "ladylike." Now, all of that has changed. The "50 Shades of Grey" trilogy, a novice author's attempt at erotic fiction, is an international phenomenon, selling more than 40 million copies and becoming daytime TV talk show fodder. Yet the 50 Shades craze indicates an issue much deeper than the book itself: Women are dissatisfied; they still haven't found what they're looking for. Today, women are the fastest-growing consumers of pornography. One of every three visitors to adult websites is a woman, according to Pure Life Ministries. Twenty percent of women say they're addicted to pornography and 60 percent of Christian women say they have a significant struggle with lust. How have women spiraled into this addiction? Because the hidden things went unchecked. The private fantasies were not confronted. The same way that visual pornography is a distortion of God's design for male sexuality, mental pornography (i.e., fantasizing) is a distortion of God's design for female sexuality. Taking a mental vacation from your husband, casting yourself as the leading lady in a steamy movie scene or nurturing an intimate or sexual relationship in your imagination are all examples of what God calls lust. Enter online pornography and books like 50 Shades of Grey. Women thought it would spice up their marriages, ease the ache of chronic loneliness, fill the void of lost intimacy, mask resentment toward God over their singleness or just relieve their stress. But the temporary high of escaping into the forbidden wears off. It's just a matter of time before women will be searching for more. It's the book's best-kept secret -- it will never be enough. Women will still be dissatisfied. They still won't find what they're looking for. In the book "Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is)," Joshua Harris explains why this is: "Lust is always an unholy desire for the forbidden. Its goal is the very act of desiring. The result is that lust cannot be quenched. As soon as the object of lust is attained, lust wants something more. Even when you indulge in every kind of impurity, you're still filled with a continual lust. You won't be able to fantasize enough to quench lust." No matter how it's expressed, lust will not be satisfied until it has absolutely destroyed you -- your life, your relationships, your family. That's why the apostle Paul describes those who have indulged in impurity as having "a continual lust for more" (Ephesians 4:19). No matter how small, insignificant or innocent it may seem, lust will not -- cannot -- be contained. Proverbs 6:27 asks, "Can a [woman] carry fire next to [her] chest and [her] clothes not be burned?" It's pretty black and white: If Christ is not controlling your passions, your passions will control you. 1 Peter 2:11 says that our fleshly lusts actually "wage war against the soul." The result? Women have been given over to their own lust, worshipping the creation of their sexuality rather than its Creator. (Romans 1:24-25). Tragically, millions of women -- many of them genuine daughters of God -- are enslaved to their own desires, craving the very poison that's killing them, caught in a downward spiral of shame and addiction. Does any of this describe you? Here's the simple truth that lust doesn't want you to know: Only Jesus satisfies. He is the One you're looking for. We need an identity check If you're a follower of Jesus, you don't belong in the cycle of lust. Romans 6 says it this way: "How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" (verses 2-3). Our identity empowers our obedience: "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness" (verses 11-13). We live this out by believing God's Word over sin's deceptive lies. The next time you feel lured by lust, start changing the internal dialogue: "How can I stay here when I am dead to sin and alive to Christ?" (Romans 6:2,11). "What will this temptation ever bring me but shame?" (Romans 6:21). "I was set free to be free and by God's Spirit will not be enslaved again!" (Galatians 5:1). "Jesus is the One my soul thirsts for!" (Psalm 143:6). Identity check: Do you belong to Christ? Then you're called to walk by the Spirit of truth and put to death the deeds of the body, including lust (Romans 8:12-13). We can't willpower internal change. We can only depend on the Spirit of Christ as we choose to believe Him over everything else (Philippians 2:13). He is faithful. And no matter how far you've stumbled He wants you back (Jeremiah 3:6-7.) We need a reality check Every woman has trigger points -- circumstances that make her vulnerable to stumbling. They're different for different women. Sometimes it's a time of day, a season of the year or an overwhelming emotion like loneliness or frustration. Know your triggers. Ask the Lord to reveal them. Then set up boundaries and barriers to keep yourself from veering off the path of holiness. This requires serious self-discipline and lifelong vigilance (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). Reality check: What are your triggers? Are you ready to take drastic measures to overcome them? Here's a few suggestions: -- Set up filters on your computer. Software like Covenant Eyes tracks your online activity and emails a detailed report to another person. Ask a trusted friend to keep you accountable. Move the computer out of your room and into an open space where others can see the screen. -- Cut out the noise. I love chic-flics, but can we just own up to it and say that they leave us dissatisfied with our love lives (or lack thereof)? Discontent is Emotional Enemy No. 1 in the fight for authentic, soul-satisfying purity. Consider cutting out any and all secular media for 30 days. That includes movies and TV, music, magazines, all of it! Listen to music and read things that keep your mind directed toward Christ. I know it sounds "Polly Puritan" now, but that's because you've been wading on the shoreline instead of diving into an ocean of God's presence. I dare you to get lost in Him! -- Don't be alone for too long. If you're a single girl, consider finding a solid Christian roommate. Coming home to an empty apartment can be downright depressing, making the temptation to escape into lust all the more appealing. You were created for meaningful relationships with real people. Go cultivate them! -- Replace, Refuel, Renew. We can't just stop meditating on something wrong. We have to replace it with something right. Start with a few verses on note cards, like Psalm 84:11, 1 Peter 2:11, Romans 6:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 and Galatians 5:16-17. Tape them to your bathroom mirror, your car dashboard, your computer and your TV. Carry them in your purse. Let God's Word sink into and refuel your soul. Read and recite them several times a day. Don't let up. We have to constantly fill our minds with Scripture if we want to renew them. -- Burn the Books. Okay, so you don't have to burn them, but however you get rid of them, get rid of them. If they are on your Kindle, delete them. If they lead you to stumble, remove them from your home. And please don't give or sell them to others. Throw them away. -- Get connected with a counselor and helpful resources. You don't have to go on this journey alone. Perhaps you're pursuing the temporary fill of lust to mask a deeper wound or outrun a plaguing pain. Maybe you're realizing that you can't ignore the problem anymore. Would you let today be the day when you come out of the prison and turn to Jesus as Healer of your heart? Don't let the fear of vulnerability keep you shackled to a defeated enemy. You can be free from the never-ending cycle of lust. Only Jesus can satisfy your soul! He is the One you're looking for! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ala. Baptists affirm BF&M 2000 by Jennifer Davis Rash/Alabama Baptist Date: November 17, 2014 - Monday BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Budgetary adjustments, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and three contested state convention officer races captured headlines for the annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention at Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala., Nov. 11–12. The 941 messengers from 380 churches passed 13 resolutions and heard a variety of interpretations of the convention theme "SERVE": S -- Starting new churches, E -- Evangelizing the lost, R -- Revitalizing churches, V -- Volunteering to be on mission, and E -- Engaging the culture with the Gospel. Garnering the most attention was the surprise announcement by Samford University President Andrew Westmoreland that Samford was voluntarily requesting its portion of the state Cooperative Program (CP) budget be reduced by 50 percent -- about $2 million. Samford's current CP designation is $4,351,231. Much of the reduction -- which will be phased in -- will go to help Alabama Baptists reach the goal of dividing CP funds equally between state and national causes. The 2015 budget of $40.5 million is only $601,280 (1.5 percent) short of that goal. Part of the reduction may also go to other state convention work already strained by the downturn in financial support from cooperating churches. Westmoreland said, "We come to this meeting every year and we celebrate the great work God is doing. We hear compelling stories about what's happening in individual churches and what's happening with the gifts that come through the Cooperative Program (CP). We celebrate all of that and we are all grateful for all of it. Then we come to the hard reality that our gifts are not keeping up. It's hard to make the state convention budget every year. "I see this, you see it as well. ... No one came to me and said, 'You've got to do this' ... but as president of Samford I have to look at the same set of facts you look at as you examine the budget. I see the needs. We all see the needs. "While all of our ministries across the board have equal value, I have to admit as president of Samford that all of our ministries do not have equal access to resources," Westmoreland noted. "I can't in good faith look at this picture and leave these meetings year after year and say we got ours so the world's OK. I can't do that. "We have more important things to do in Alabama Baptist life than to get to the point where we worry and fight over who gets the [dollars]," he said. "I'm saying ... we want to be a part of being ahead of all of this and we want to help. "That is not to say that we do not have our needs," he added. "This is a step of faith that in some measure God will help us replenish that which we are relinquishing. ... In no way am I saying, 'just go on and don't worry about Samford' [saying] 'Samford will be fine.' We will be but it's because I have faith in God that Samford will be fine." Convention messengers responded with a standing ovation and lots of conversation, hugs and handshakes after the afternoon session wrapped. Budget Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) Executive Director Rick Lance responded to Westmoreland's report saying, "This is statesman-like servanthood of what it really means to be a partner in ministry." He noted the last three years of reduced CP funding for Samford have been initiated by the school to help the convention with equitable distribution of CP dollars. That reduction -- totaling $315,000 to date -- and the current move will help with budget changes going forward, Lance said. "As we look to the future, we are having to plan ... with precision to get budget and receipts in alignment," Lance said. "Samford's offer helps with what we voted to do two years ago with equitable distribution with the Southern Baptist Convention but more has to be done." Messengers approved the 2015 CP budget with 43.5 percent going to the Southern Baptist Convention, 46.5 percent going to Alabama Baptists and 10 percent in the shared ministry (between SBC and Alabama Baptists) category. The 2015 budget is a $500,000 decrease from the current year ($41 million). Any money coming in over the budget will be split 50–50 between SBC and Alabama Baptists. Messengers also approved five special offering goals: Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, $11.6 million; Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, $6.1 million; Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries, $2,814,700; World Hunger Offering, $800,000; and Disaster Relief Offering, $200,000. BF&M In the form of a motion, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 statement of faith also was approved by messengers "as an expression of our unity in doctrine and practice." The motion proposed by A.J. Smith, pastor of Bay Springs Baptist Church, Shelby, also recommends "the same to all of trustees elected by the Alabama Baptist State Convention." The vote was 85 to 90 percent in favor of it. State convention president John Killian spoke from the floor as a messenger in favor of the motion. "I'm … 100 percent for it," Killian, pastor of Maytown Baptist Church, said. As far as what this means for ABSC entities and their board of trustees, he said, "It only says we recommend. This is not getting into the internal affairs of our entities. It just says this is what we believe. "We are a convention of Southern Baptists. This is what Southern Baptists believe. If we are a convention of Southern Baptists then we should at least go on record and say this is what we believe." Ron Madison, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Huntsville, spoke against the motion. "I'm grateful for the history and heritage of Alabama Baptists. I'm grateful that over the years of turmoil and strife across the Southern Baptist Convention, Alabama Baptists have stood above and outside that fray," he said. "We have not needed to affirm formally or request that our entity trustees or anyone else affirm formally anything other than ... our only unassailable source of doctrine and truth and that is the infallible, inerrant word of God. "I don't know if I'm really speaking against the motion as much as I am asking the question, 'Why do we need something when we have made it all the way through the conflict and division that has characterized so many of our Deep South state conventions [while] all we've done is come closer and closer together?' "I don't believe in doing something just to say we've done something," Madison said. "I simply wonder why we need to do this and I'm not convinced that we need to do this." Smith told messengers, "We already affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 with our Cooperative Program giving and with the buying of LifeWay literature. We already technically affirm it but let's be clear [by passing this motion]." Smith said following the vote that the motion will help address "problems with doctrinal understandings in our church." It also will help as "we face cultural challenges that Christians have not faced since the third century," he said. "This is about how we are going to address a lost world with the Gospel of Christ and do it with one voice. The big task in our century is apologetics, defending the faith." Noting he used the precise wording he did "to make sure it would be clear of any parliamentary hurdles," Smith said, "I worded this very carefully to protect the liberty of the churches and also to respect the way we do things as Alabama Baptists and as a convention working with the State Board of Missions. "I did not do this because there is a problem in our convention but because there is a problem in our world -- how to speak with one voice," he explained. "This is not binding on churches," he said. "It is being recommended or suggested to the trustees of entities but it is not binding on entities." Elections For the first time in 16 years Alabama Baptists had contested elections in all three state convention officer slots. And it was the first time in 12 years there were two nominees for president. Travis Coleman Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church, Prattville, and outgoing first vice president, earned the president's role with 83.86 percent (478) of the 570 votes cast. Craig Carlisle, pastor of Twelfth Street Baptist Church, Rainbow City, near Gadsden, brought in 16.14 percent (92) of the votes. John Thweatt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Pell City, was elected first vice president with 51.05 percent (291) of the 570 votes. Jim Cooley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Birmingham, and outgoing second vice president, garnered 48.95 percent of the votes (279). Tim Cox, pastor of Liberty Baptist Church, Chelsea, and outgoing SBOM chairman, was elected second vice president with 56.99 percent (326) of the 572 votes. Dusty McLemore, pastor of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, Athens, received 43.01 percent (246) of the votes. Cox also delivered the convention sermon at the close of the annual meeting. Also reelected as recording secretary and statistical/registration secretary were Billie Davis and Bobby DuBois, both of the SBOM, respectively. Resolutions The 13 resolutions approved by messengers garnered some discussion and resulted in a few friendly amendments, but no significant debate nor changes took place. Following is a list of the resolutions messengers approved: -- on orphan care, that all Alabama Baptist individuals and churches care for orphans whether it be through foster care, adoption, giving, praying, advocacy, etc. -- on payday loans in Alabama, opposing these businesses and urging state legislators to pass legislation to regulate them. -- on science curriculum in Alabama public schools and universities, that religion be presented objectively in science curriculum in Alabama public schools and universities. -- on parental authority through local and state control of education, urging the governor and legislative leaders to repeal Common Core standards. -- on concerns related to illegal immigration, encouraging elected officials to develop a plan to address illegal immigration and encourage Alabama Baptists to demonstrate love and care for them. -- in support of the right of the state of Israel to exist and to pledge to pray for peace in the Middle East. -- in opposition to anti-Semitism and in support of the right of the Jewish community to fellowship without harassment. -- on religious freedom, that the rights of individuals, businesses, churches, civic organizations, etc., to express religious beliefs in speech and deed be upheld. -- in support of the Alabama Health Care Rights of Conscience Act that would ensure that medical professionals are not forced to participate in procedures that violate their religious views or moral conscience. -- on prison reform in Alabama, to advocate for addressing issues of prisoner abuse, to get involved in ministries in prisons and for at-risk teenagers. -- on appreciation for Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, and for all who contributed to organize the annual meeting. -- on the 125th anniversary of Alabama Woman's Missionary Union, commending WMU leaders and encouraging all churches to establish "vital WMU organizations." -- on commendation for CVS Health, for no longer selling tobacco in any form. The 2015 annual meeting will be held at Eastern Shore Baptist Church, Daphne, Nov. 17–18. Messengers voted for the convention preacher for the 2015 annual meeting to be Buddy Champion, pastor of First Baptist Church, Trussville, and the alternate preacher to be Henry Cox, pastor of Durant Chapel Baptist Church, Bay Minette. To read the full text of the resolutions, visit www.abscannualmeeting.org/resolutions/2014-resolutions/. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moore: pope voices 'strong' statement on marriage by Staff Date: November 17, 2014 - Monday VATICAN CITY (BP) -- Southern Baptists' lead ethicist has affirmed "a strong statement" by Pope Francis on traditional marriage during the pontiff's opening address at the Vatican colloquium on "the complementarity of man and woman in marriage." "Pope Francis made clear that male/female complementarity is essential to marriage, and that this cannot be redefined by ideology or by the state," Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told Baptist Press in written comments from the Vatican. "I am glad to hear such a strong statement on this, and on how an eclipse of marriage hurts the poor and the vulnerable." Moore and Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in the Los Angeles area, are the two American evangelicals scheduled to address the Nov. 17-19 Vatican gathering. The pope told 300 representatives of various world religions Nov. 17 that living in a home with a father and a mother is crucial to a child's wellbeing. "The family is the foundation of co-existence and a guarantee against social fragmentation," Francis said, according to a transcript of his address posted online by Vatican Radio. "Children have a right to grow up in a family with a father and a mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child's development and emotional maturity." Francis added that "the contribution of marriage to society is indispensable." "Complementarity" -- a term referencing the unique roles of men and women in a variety of contexts -- is "at the root of marriage and family," the pope said. "When we speak of complementarity between man and woman in this context, let us not confuse that term with the simplistic idea that all the roles and relations of the two sexes are fixed in a single, static pattern," the pope said. "Complementarity will take many forms as each man and woman brings his or her distinctive contributions to their marriage and to the formation of their children." Complementarity "is not just a good thing but it is also beautiful." Francis acknowledged that marriage is "in crisis" and said its decline has adverse effects on society. "We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment," Francis said. "This revolution in manners and morals has often flown the flag of freedom, but in fact it has brought spiritual and material devastation to countless human beings, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Evidence is mounting that the decline of the marriage culture is associated with increased poverty and a host of other social ills, disproportionately affecting women, children and the elderly. It is always they who suffer the most in this crisis." To protect marriage, it is "essential that we foster a new human ecology and advance it," Francis said. The pope's mention of "ecology" -- the study of living organisms and their environments -- referenced the fact that traditional family is the best environment for human flourishing. "Social environments, like natural environments, need protection," Francis said. "And although the human race has come to understand the need to address conditions that menace our natural environments, we have been slower to recognize that our fragile social environments are under threat as well." Younger generations in particular must "not give themselves over to the poisonous mentality of the temporary" and instead realize that "permanent commitment to solidarity, fidelity and fruitful love responds to the deepest longings of the human heart," Francis said. The pope closed his remarks by announcing that he will travel to Philadelphia in September for the Eighth World Meeting of Families. Other scheduled speakers this week at the Vatican marriage colloquium include: -- N.T. Wright, popular Christian author and professor at the University of St. Andrews. -- Charles Chaput, Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia. -- Jonathan Sacks, professor at both New York University and Yeshiva University and former chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the United Kingdom. Representatives of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism and the Sikh religion will also address the Vatican colloquium. The gathering comes at a time when marriage as a permanent union of only a man and a woman is threatened, especially in the United States: The percentage of American adults who have never married is at an all-time high; cohabitation and divorce are problems in the culture and the church; and judicial rulings have set the stage for same-sex marriage to be legal in 35 states, though the Supreme Court likely will take up the question of gay marriage following the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals' affirmation gay marriage bans in four states. In addition, the religious freedom of Americans who decline to provide their services for same-sex weddings based on their convictions increasingly is imperiled. -------------------------------------------------------------------- BP Ledger Monday, Nov. 17 by Staff Date: November 17, 2014 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger contains items from: World News Service Christian Newswire California Baptist University Gay couple files complaint against denomination, with pastor's approval By Daniel James Devine WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (World News Service) -- Two homosexuals who attend a United Methodist Church (UMC) in Winston-Salem, N.C., have lodged a complaint with Methodist officials against their pastor for not marrying them. Although same-sex marriage became legal in North Carolina last month, the UMC, like most Christian denominations, does not permit clergy to perform same-sex weddings or ceremonies. Green Street United Methodist Church announced the complaint against its senior pastor, Kelly Carpenter, during a press conference Nov. 12. The couple, Kenny Barner and Scott Chappell, say that by refusing to marry them, Carpenter is violating the UMC Book of Discipline's requirement for pastors to "perform the work of the ministry" and refrain from "gender discrimination." The couple's Oct. 30 complaint stated they had been "victimized by Reverend Carpenter's adherence to United Methodist Church rules," and that the denial of a church-ordained marriage had caused "great spiritual harm to us both." The move appears to be a coordinated effort by the couple and the pastor to challenge UMC rules. Barner and Chappell are active members of Green Street Church, and Chappell is listed on the church's website as executive director of one of the church's social service ministries. Barner is chair of the church's leadership council, according to United Methodist News Service. The church openly advertises its inclusion of "LGBTQ" members and has, since 2009, been part of the Reconciling Ministries Network, a group of activist UMC churches seeking to change church policy toward marriage and ordination of gays. Carpenter himself supports same-sex marriage. He told United Methodist News Service the complaint was "right on the money" and that he would have co-signed it if he could. UMC rules prevent him from conducting a gay marriage without the risk of discipline. In protest of church policy, Carpenter promised in March 2013 to refrain from performing a heterosexual marriage at the church until the UMC changes its position. "The national opinion and political culture is rapidly changing on the issue of gay marriage," Carpenter wrote at the time. "Our United Methodist denomination has failed to lead the way in this struggle for equality, and will once again have to catch up to the culture." Green Street Church has a Sunday attendance of around 190 people. It did not immediately return a request for comment. The complaint, under review by the church's regional conference, could exacerbate the contentious issue of same-sex marriage within the denomination. The UMC defrocked Pennsylvania Pastor Frank Schaefer last year for performing a same-sex ceremony, but reinstated him last month on a technicality. Last week, the UMC's Council of Bishops released a statement recognizing "the divisions that exist" between the church and some bishops regarding "human sexuality." Larry Goodpaster, the bishop of the Western North Carolina Conference, said in a statement that he had received the complaint and would review it according to the UMC's Book of Discipline. "This is now a personnel matter and will be done in confidentiality," he said. Under church rules, Goodpaster could dismiss the complaint or refer it to a church legal official for further consideration. "The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching," states the UMC's 2012 Book of Discipline. "Therefore, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church." The Book of Discipline adds: "Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches." The UMC could only change its stance on homosexuality through its General Conference, which next meets in Portland, Oregon, in 2016. North Carolina officials began handing out same-sex marriage licenses last month after a federal judge overturned the state's law defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Several magistrates—court-appointed officials authorized to perform marriages and various civil and criminal duties—have stepped down from their posts since then, citing a conflict between same-sex unions and their faith. ********** Child Evangelism Fellowship celebrates president's 25th anniversary WARRENTON, Mo. (Christian Newswire) -- This year marks the 25th anniversary of Mr. Reese Kauffman's tenure as president of Child Evangelism Fellowship, which under his leadership has become the largest Christian ministry to children in the world. Last year, CEF reached 15.6 million children around the globe with the Gospel. According to Mr. Bill Elgin, chairman of the International Board of Trustees for CEF, Mr. Kauffman came at a crucial time. "When Reese was installed as president of CEF, the ministry was in crisis. The buildings and equipment at International Headquarters were in a state of disrepair, morale was low and the lack of financial support seriously hindered the ministry to the children. Reese immediately provided vision and godly leadership that began to change the culture of CEF. This has resulted in improvements to the facilities, motivated leadership around the world, a rapid increase in the number of children being reached, and an aggressive vision for the future. It is safe to say there will be millions of souls in Heaven that may not have heard the Gospel if it were not for Reese's leadership these last 25 years." A self-effacing man, Mr. Kauffman gives all the credit for these accomplishments to the Lord first of all, to the CEF staff, workers and volunteers. "Our people are what make the difference," he says. The ministry has indeed expanded enormously over the past 25 years. Today CEF has ongoing daily ministries in 190 countries, more than double the number of countries it had in 1989. Currently there are over 4300 CEF Bible clubs for children, called Good News Clubs, in public elementary schools all over the United States and over 62,000 Good News Clubs worldwide. Every summer CEF reaches thousands of children through 5-Day clubs and its Good News Across America campaigns which target a different American city every year. Its published materials have reached children in every corner of the globe. For example, the CEF Wonder Book has been translated into 150 languages and millions of copies have been distributed all over the world. The Do You Wonder Why? booklet, designed to help children cope with tragedy, has been distributed by CEF to countless children after major natural or man-made tragedies, such as the September 11th bombings, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti and the tsunami in Japan. Mr. Kauffman who grew up in Indianapolis and now resides on Sanibel Island, Florida, built a successful manufacturing business in Indianapolis where he became involved in a local CEF committee in 1975. Later he served on the CEF International Board of Trustees. Then in 1989, he was asked to take on the leadership of the entire international ministry. He agreed to do it for one year, refused a salary, and left his business in order to take the reins of CEF full-time. He never left and has been a volunteer president ever since. "I am not a children's worker," says Mr. Kauffman, "I am a business man and I understand high volume, high output organizations. CEF is just that. When you realize that 85% of Christians in the world trust the Lord Jesus as Savior by the age of 15, and see the extraordinary work God does through our children's workers, you can see why CEF runs like a high output business." Asked about his future goals for CEF, Mr. Kauffman does not hesitate. "By 2017 we want to be in every nation in the world; we have seventeen to go. Ten of them are going to be tough but it won't be accomplished by a strategy, method or program. If it happens it will be done by God and His grace. Our motto is 'Every Child, Every Nation, Every Day.'" ********** Parker stepping down as CBU provost to join full-time teaching faculty RIVERSIDE, Calif. (California Baptist University) -- Dr. Jonathan K. Parker, California Baptist University provost and vice president for academic affairs, has announced he will leave the administrative post he has held since 2000 to teach fulltime on the CBU faculty. The move will be effective next summer. "The whole reason why I got into higher education to begin with was my passion for teaching, my passion for pedagogy, my passion for bringing new people into the profession of teaching," Parker said. "I purposely chose a more practically-oriented doctorate in education because at heart I have always been a practitioner." Parker holds the CBU faculty rank of professor of education and history. He said he became an administrator, first as a dean and later as a chief academic officer, because he realized he could have greater impact in higher education. And Parker said he was "fully on board" in 2003 when Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, announced a goal to increase enrollment to 8,080 students by the year 2020. "I thought, yes, absolutely this is what the institution needs to do," Parker recalled. "That number will really put CBU in a place that we can do the kinds of things that smaller schools can't do, particularly in the breadth and depth of academic programs that we can offer. I was excited to be part of the team to help make that happen. "Now that goal is within sight," Parker observed. "Also, we now have in place a really good system for identifying and bringing on board Christian faculty members who really get what it means to integrate faith and learning," he added. "I feel confident that this process will continue to work well without me in the position of provost." President Ellis said he was not expecting Parker's decision to step down as provost and vice president for academic affairs, but he supports Parker's move to full-time teaching at CBU. "For more than a decade Jonathan has made a significant contribution to CBU's growth, not only in its size but also in its reputation for academic excellence," Ellis said. "I am grateful for the strong support he has given to the vision of building 'a university committed to the Great Commission' at a critical time during the expansion of CBU's academic programs. "I am pleased that he wishes to pursue his passion for teaching fulltime as a member of the CBU faculty and I wish him every success in this new direction," he added. Ellis said Parker will continue in his administrative role through the end of the current fiscal year as a national search for his successor begins. Details of the search process are expected to be announced before the end of the current semester. --30-- -------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 women die in India sterilizations by Courtney Crandell/WORLD News Service Date: November 17, 2014 - Monday INDIA (BP) -- At least 13 women died in India and dozens became ill after undergoing sterilization procedures as a part of a nationwide population control program, government officials have acknowledged in news reports. Eighty-three women underwent the surgery Saturday, Nov. 8, at a hospital in the state of Chhattisgarh, one of the poorest in India. They were sent home that evening. By Wednesday, dozens had been taken to hospitals in Bilaspur, a city in Chhattisgarh. Twelve died, while several others were in critical condition. Officials believe toxic shock may have caused the deaths, possibly due to unsanitary surgical conditions or contaminated medicines, Reuters reported. "Preliminary reports show that the medicines administered were spurious and also the equipment used was rusted," Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi, a senior local governing official, told Reuters. Another woman died Monday, Nov. 10, and several others were hospitalized following additional sterilization operations also in Chhattisgarh, BBC News reported. The Chhattisgarh government flew in seven doctors from New Delhi overnight to help treat the women. It also suspended four government doctors, including the state's chief medical officer. "Whatever treatment is being provided to the victims is good," Dr. Anjan Trikha of the New Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Science, told reporters Wednesday (Nov. 12) in one of the Bilaspur hospitals. But Trikha declined to say anything else until the autopsies are released. Dr. R.K. Gupta and two assistants had performed 80 surgeries in less than six hours, Reuters reported. Each woman was paid up to $23 for the procedure. Chhattisgarh's chief medical officer, Dr. S.K. Mandal, said Nov. 8's conditions weren't unusual. Gupta worked in an abandoned private hospital and broke the 30 sterilizations-per-day limit. He blamed the medicine for the hospitalizations and deaths. Chhattisgarh's chief minister said the victims would receive $6,600 in compensation. The recent hospitalizations and deaths highlight India's high population growth and low-quality maternal care. The government's free sterilization program mostly serves poor women who receive $10-$20 for undergoing the procedure. For a country where 180 million people live on less than $1.25 per day, the compensation represents about a week's income. Some activists claim the incentive payments encourage health authorities to pressure their patients into sterilization surgery rather than other means of contraception. Following the deaths, Brinda Karat of the All India Democratic Women's Association called for the resignation of Chhattisgarh's health minister. "These women have become victims because of the target-based approach to population control," Karat said. India's government claims it stopped setting sterilization targets for women in the 1990s. About 37 percent of India's population has undergone sterilization operations, according to United Nations statistics. Government numbers show that about 4.6 million women were sterilized between 2011 and 2012. The government aimed to sterilize 165,000 women and 26,000 men in Chhattisgarh alone between 2013 and 2014, Reuters reported. India first introduced a family planning government program in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the prime minister instituted forced sterilizations for men who already fathered two children. Since then, few men undergo vasectomies; only about 1 percent of men choose the procedure. Poor maternal care coincides with India's booming population and the government's attempts to limit it. Two hundred out of every 100,000 women die from childbirth, compared to 37 for every 100,000 in China. India also has one of the highest infant mortality rates, with 63 out of every 1,000 newborns dying.