The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/19/2012 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Navy chaplains continue push for court injunction by Ken Walker Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: This story, posted 11/27/12, is a replacement for the original version that was posted 11/19/12. Key changes were made in the first four paragraphs. WASHINGTON (BP) -- Sixty-five chaplains alleging evangelicals have been discriminated against by the U.S. Navy are moving closer to a preliminary injunction in their case, even though many are nearing retirement age. In early November, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals overruled a lower court's denial last January of the chaplains' injunction request. The plaintiffs had hoped the injunction would delay promotion board hearings until their motion challenging the constitutionality of the Navy's chaplain promotion procedures could be argued in court. The appeals court ruling returned the case to a lower court for further action, with both sides to submit summaries of their pleadings and exhibits to federal District Court Judge Gladys Kessler by mid-December. Judge Kessler was assigned to the cases last April. The evangelical chaplains contend the Navy's chaplain promotion process allows and encourages denominational discrimination and has favored mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. "We believe our statistics show discrimination and favoritism in the process the Navy has used," said Tom Rush, pastor of Berea Baptist Church in Social Circle, Ga. "I'm pleased that we finally have a chance to tell our side of the story." Originating with a single lawsuit in late 1999, over the next seven years evangelicals from numerous denominations filed additional suits. The cases that weren't settled or otherwise resolved later were consolidated into one class action. Art Schulcz, an attorney in Vienna, Va., hopes the ruling finally will move his clients closer to an injunction -- and then a trial. "My hope is the court will look at our data and come to the conclusion that this system with its secret procedures allows all kinds of bias to enter into decisions," said Schulcz, a retired Army officer. "We're looking for a level playing field, where promotions are based on how effective a chaplain's ministry is and how he's done in the field. It's not that way now." The ruling does allow the plaintiffs to again press for a delay in the next promotion board meetings, tentatively scheduled for February. While the U.S. Department of Justice has a policy against commenting on pending litigation, it has denied that the Navy engages in discrimination. "With respect to the denominational preference theory, the Navy asserts that there is no factual basis for [plaintiffs'] claims that Navy chaplain promotion boards had discriminated against plaintiffs or would likely do so in the future," said a brief cited in the most recent ruling. "Relying on its own statistical expert, the Navy challenges the methodology employed by plaintiffs' expert and asserts that its 'own evidence establish[es] the absence of any religious discrimination by the promotion boards.'" In their ruling, the appeals judges said the district court made no factual findings to resolve the competing claims between the two sides. Schulcz said that is a primary reason it returned the case to district court. The evidence the evangelicals have submitted includes a pair of analyses by statistician Harald Leuba. Leuba said discrimination in the corps includes a pattern of candidates securing promotions more often when they come from the same denomination as the chief of chaplains. "There is a now a 40 year long statistical record of preference for denominations which have had a member rise to chief of chaplains," Leuba said in his most recent court statement. "[That is] to the permanent and long standing disadvantage of all the chaplains who have never had one of their members rise to that level of influence." The plaintiffs include 16 Southern Baptists. Some, like Rush, say winning on a matter of principle is the primary issue since they don't plan to return to active duty. Two years after leaving active duty in 1994, the Georgia pastor enlisted in the Air Force Reserves and secured two promotions before he retired from that branch of the military in 2005. "There are some [plaintiffs] who may have the opportunity to be promoted and serve, but what we're looking for is the Navy to do the right thing," said Rush, a member of the Georgia Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. "That is, change the system so that promotions for the chaplain corps are in the same way as promotions for all officers." Greg DeMarco, who retired in September as pastor of Fincastle Baptist Church in Waxhaw, N.C., said he would like to see the line officers have more input. "I have no thoughts of going back into the military. The fight has been going on so long that most of the guys are nearing retirement age. This is 15 years for me, and the fight was going five or six years before that," DeMarco said. Jim Weibling, who left active duty in 1994 and continued in the Naval Reserves until 2005, said the contested policies allow discrimination not only by denomination but also by race and gender. "To our disappointment, rather than change the contested policies, the Navy has worked to enact legislation that disallows public disclosure of illegal acts by board members and allows the discriminatory behavior to continue," Weibling said. A pastor for many years after leaving active duty, Weibling now works in property development in the Houston area. He said chaplains as well as all others who serve their country should be graded on performance. --30-- Ken Walker is a writer in Huntington, W.Va. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- BP Ledger, Nov. 19 edition by Staff Date: November 19, 2012 - 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: Bott Radio Network Campbellsville University Oklahoma Baptist University Bott Radio Network Celebrates 50th Anniversary OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (Christian Newswrire/Bott Radio Network) – Bott Radio Network -- a pioneer in the development of Christian talk radio -- marks its 50th anniversary this month in Bible teaching and Christian news and information. BRN started with one radio station in Kansas City in 1962, KCCV AM 1510. Today, BRN serves Kansas City at AM 760, 92.3 FM, 88.9 FM and in December a new Kansas City signal will be added at 101.5 FM. Nationwide, BRN has 91 stations reaching into 15 states with a combined coverage of over 50 million people. BRN can also be heard worldwide on various new media including satellite, Internet and mobile digital technology. BRN is headquartered in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kan. It all began in 1962, when founder Dick Bott and his wife Sherley purchased a radio station in Kansas City with the dream of establishing a full-time Christian radio voice to serve families with "quality Christian programming, all day ... every day." Dick Bott's broadcasting career has its origins in his ninth-grade class in Minneapolis, when his teacher assigned the class to give a report on a profession. Dick Bott picked radio broadcasting. His broadcast career began in 1952 in San Francisco, where he became the youngest general manager of any major market radio station. From there Dick and Sherley Bott went on to buy a radio station in Monterey, California in 1957. They began to think about starting a new station with a Christian format while working in Monterey. Both had grown up in Christian homes and wanted to establish an all-Christian radio station in a major metropolitan area. With their new purpose in mind, the Botts sold the Monterey station and began a search for a new station in a city with a population of one million or more people where they could realize their dream. The Botts found what they wanted in Kansas City, and in 1962 they packed their belongings and moved to Kansas City with four children and a dog. Utilizing many key radio format concepts honed on the West Coast, Bott Radio Network was born as "Kansas City's Christian Voice" on November 12, 1962. Bott Radio Network grew with the acquisition of a radio station in Oklahoma City in 1975. Stations serving Fort Wayne, Indiana; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Fresno/Modesto, California followed. Today, BRN broadcasts its format of Christian talk radio on 91 radio stations reaching into 15 states with a combined coverage of 50 million people. BRN also is heard nationwide on SkyAngel Channel 403, worldwide online at bottradionetwork.com and on mobile devices with free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android users. Bott Radio Network also connects with listeners on Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Bott Radio Network features award-winning Christian talk radio. Time magazine listed several of BRN's talk show hosts among the nation's 25 most influential evangelicals. The listing included Dr. James Dobson, a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame and host of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk; Dr. Richard Land of For Faith & Family -- President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; and attorney and judicial advocate Jay Sekulow, who hosts Jay Sekulow Live from Washington D.C. BRN also features Back to the Bible with Dr. Woodrow Kroll from Lincoln, Nebraska, as well as broadcasts by Billy Graham, Phyllis Schalfly, Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans, June Hunt, Charles Stanley and many other national Christian leaders. National program topics range from family and faith issues to live call-in shows about current events. In 2008, Bott Radio Network's founder, Dick Bott, was inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Hall of Fame. The NRB is the world's largest association of Christian communicators, with over 1,400 member organizations, and the Hall of Fame award is the highest honor the organization confers. Dick Bott continues to serve as BRN's chairman of the board. He is also one of the longest serving members of the Board of Directors of the National Religious Broadcasters association with headquarters near Washington, D.C. His son Rich, president/CEO of Bott Radio Network since 2010, grew up in Christian radio. While working at BRN as a teenager, he learned to appreciate the programming concepts and the importance of 'Quality' Christian Talk Radio that has made BRN unique in its service to a growing audience. After graduating college and earning his MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1981, Rich joined Bott Radio Network full-time. As executive vice president, he guided the development of BRN's format and oversaw much of the network's growth from 3 stations in 1981 to its present size of 91 stations, plus satellite, internet and new media. In addition to his service as president/CEO of BRN, Rich Bott also serves as chairman of National Religious Broadcasters. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of Life Issues Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Back to the Bible, Lincoln, Nebraska. And he serves on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee for the Council for National Policy, Washington, D.C. Looking to the future, Rich Bott expressed his vision, "God has blessed the proclamation of His Word to the hearts of millions of people through Bott Radio Network over the past 50 years and we are excited about the future. It is thrilling to harness the power of radio together with new digital technologies to touch even more hearts and lives with the power of the Gospel message and the timeless Truth of God's Word which is the same yesterday, today and forever!" The Botts are members of Lenexa Baptist Church in Lenexa, Kan., with satellite campuses in Missouri. The church is dually aligned with the Missouri and Kansas-Nebraska state conventions. ********** Campbellsville University students serve community in Repair Affair By Lucas Pennington, student news writer CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (Campbellsville University) -- A nail, a hammer and a heart. To help students learn about the Christian servant leadership at Campbellsville University, first-year students at Campbellsville University participate in Repair Affair, a service project organized by Kentucky Heartland Outreach building decks and wheelchair ramps, and repairing roofs for families in need. Jon Hansford, director of First Year Experience, said, "The Repair Affair is an amazing service-learning experience here at CU and a great start for our first-year students to transition into our diverse service community." Bethany Thomaston, a freshman from Auburn, Ky., said, "The Repair Affair showed me how great of a need there is for students to serve others in Taylor County and throughout Kentucky." Thomaston's group nailed down shingles for a roof. This was her first time doing such a project, and she learned how to physically nail down the shingle as she got on top of the house. She learned how important it is to have a good roof on a house. Her group worked on a house for an elderly woman whose house needed many repairs. The woman told the group how appreciative she was of the help. "It made me think about doing things for others," Thomaston said, and she is planning to go to Africa on a CU mission trip. She is going to Africa May 7-18, 2013 to spread the gospel and do service projects. Kelsey Best, a senior from Harrodsburg, Ky., and FIRST CLASS mentor, said, "The Repair Affair showed me how important servant leadership is to the people out in the community. It really opened my heart up for the people that we were able to help." Heather Hensley, client advocate for Kentucky Heartland Outreach and a 2007 graduate of Campbellsville University, said, "I have been told by several homeowners how wonderful it is to have the students come out and volunteer their time to help them. The students were really able to accomplish a lot during this year's Repair Affair. It makes a big difference in the lives of the people helped when they can see such selfless acts." Campbellsville University partners with Kentucky Heartland Outreach, an organization that seeks to provide safe, warm and dry homes to homeowners who could otherwise not afford such needed home repairs, to provide service projects for FIRST CLASS small groups to complete together as a class. Samantha Stevenson, a freshman from Elizabethtown, Ky., said, "The Repair Affair gave my class the opportunity to get to know each other outside of the classroom. We were able to come together for a greater purpose and grow together as servant leaders." Rachel DeCoursey, a freshman from Hopkinsville, Ky., said, "The Repair Affair was my first experience working with fellow freshmen and it showed me how giving my fellow classmates are." Tanner Royalty, a junior from Danville, Ky., and FIRST CLASS mentor, said, "I was able to see my FIRST CLASS students grow together while helping others. Repair Affair helps set the foundation for developing servant leaders." All freshmen at Campbellsville University participate in the Repair Affair, a FIRST CLASS small group project sponsored by Kentucky Heartland Outreach. Students take four hours out of a school day to repair a home for a family in need. Projects range from building a wheelchair ramp for homes that are not wheelchair friendly to putting on a new roof. Kentucky Heartland Outreach is a ministry affiliated with and founded by Campbellsville University. When Kentucky Heartland Outreach launched in 2000, Todd Parrish, a 2000 graduate of Campbellsville University, was appointed executive director and has served as the organization's only executive director since it began. For more information about Campbellsville University's FIRST CLASS or Repair Affair, contact Hansford at jmhansford@campbellsville.edu or call (270) 789-5371. For more information about Kentucky Heartland Outreach, visit khohome.org. ********** OBU Presents Hobbs Award to Robert Kellogg MOORE, Okla. (Oklahoma Baptist University) -- Oklahoma Baptist University presented the Herschel H. Hobbs Award for Distinguished Denominational Service, named in honor of a legendary Southern Baptist pastor and denominational statesman, to Robert Kellogg on Tuesday, Nov. 13, during the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma annual meeting in Moore, Okla. Kellogg, a 1984 OBU graduate who serves as president and CEO of the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma, received the award from Dr. David Whitlock, president of OBU. Kellogg has served in foundation leadership since 1993. The award is named to honor the noteworthy Southern Baptist denominational service of Dr. Herschel H. Hobbs, a prolific author, preacher and radio program host. Hobbs was pastor of the First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City from 1949-72. He died in 1995. "We are honored to present the Herschel H. Hobbs Award for Distinguished Denominational Service to Robert Kellogg for outstanding servant leadership to the churches of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and the Southern Baptist Convention," Whitlock said. Whitlock noted Kellogg has exemplified servant leadership not only to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, but also to the affiliates of the BGCO. "He has served in industry, on the staff of OBU, and in denominational service for the last 19 years," Whitlock said. "You may recognize him as the one who can recite by memory the Sermon on the Mount. Most of you will recognize him as the president and CEO of the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma. He manages more than $300 million in Foundation assets and faithfully manages with our utmost confidence the OBU endowment." Kellogg joined the Foundation as vice president of investments and computer information systems. He was promoted to senior vice president and then executive vice president and chief operating officer. On January 25, 2002, he was elected as the Foundation's fifth president. He received his bachelor of administration degree in computer and information sciences from OBU and a master of business administration from Amber University (formerly Abilene Christian College) in Garland, Texas. He was director of information systems and services at OBU from 1989-93 before joining the Foundation. He came to OBU from Texas Instruments of Dallas, where he worked in its marketing systems department. Kellogg has been responsible for leading the Foundation to a unique spending policy that provides beneficiary causes with a dependable, predictable flow of income. During his tenure he also has focused on improving the Foundation's budgeting process, computer technology, accounting and communications. He and his wife, Tonia, OBU's director of executive offices, attend Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, where he serves as a deacon. They have two daughters, Samantha and Andrea. --30-- Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Amid Israel & Gaza's bloody faceoff, prayer rises for 'bold' faith among Christians by Ava Thomas Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday ISRAEL (BP) -- The smoke trails of rockets make jagged cuts through the cloudless sky over Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Stephen Johnson*, a Christian worker among Palestinians, said he feels just as rough around the edges. After arriving in the West Bank on Nov. 16, he fell asleep but was awakened when a rocket hit near the house where he is staying. "We are fine -- a little jittery, but OK," he said. He's not the only one who's jittery -- phone calls to friends who are believers in Gaza Strip confirmed that. "They are all OK but very frightened," Johnson said. "They've been here many times before." The long history of conflict between Gaza and Israel has been marked in recent years by militants in Gaza firing hundreds of rockets into Israeli populations -- triggering severe retaliation by Israel. With the current fighting, it's dangerous to be in the street, and there's little movement outside. Grocery stores are empty. "People have bought up supplies in case the situation gets worse," Johnson said. And they pray that "worse" won't mean "closer." The Palestinian Ministry of Interior office, for example -- about 200 yards from where some of Johnson's friends live -- was hit by Israeli rockets. U.S. President Barack Obama said he supports Israel's right to defend itself and has called for Gaza to stop firing on Israel and work toward peace. "There's no country on earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders," Obama said at a press conference in Thailand during a Southeast Asian tour. Israel's "Iron Dome" defense shield intercepted some 250 rockets fired from Gaza in a three-day period, according to the Israeli army. Nearly 800 rockets have been fired since the beginning of the conflict. Tel Aviv has repeatedly been the target. Netanyahu said Israel is ready to expand its operation. News outlets report the strong possibility of a ground offensive. In Israel where Ben Martin* lives, people aren't as worried about rockets as they are about the possibility of others getting involved, such as Egypt or Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim group based in Lebanon. Egypt's president stated early in the conflict that it would not leave Gaza on its own. "The main concern is the secondary threat," said Martin, a Christian worker among Jews. "In these days, what do we do? We're told to be sober-minded so that we may be able to pray. "What we need is people who will pray for the believers in Israel and for the believers in Gaza to be bold to share in the midst of hard times," Martin said. One believer in Israel whom Martin knows has already had the chance to share with a family while he was taking cover with them as rockets approached. "We don't just sit with our hands folded -- we look for opportunities." Martin, Johnson and others in the region say there is a ready harvest among the Middle Eastern peoples. "Pray for safety" for believers caught in the crossfire, Johnson said, "but also that they would have opportunities to share the hope that they have. "As you watch the news, write down the names and places, then turn the TV off and pray the news," Johnson added. "It's not a political statement or a stand, but asking the God of heaven to invoke His will in the situation and to bring true and lasting peace. With that, He is well pleased." --30-- *Names changed. Ava Thomas is a writer/editor for the International Mission Board based in Europe. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRUSTEES: Global 'harvest' at hand, Elliff says by Laura Fielding Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (BP) -- Is the "unthinkable" about to happen? Are Southern Baptists about to miss one of the greatest harvests for Christ the world has seen? International Mission Board President Tom Elliff asked these questions in his report during IMB trustees' Nov. 15-16 meeting in Springfield, Mo. "This is harvest time, folks. … It is no time for us to be asleep in the harvest," he said, drawing from John 4:35, which says "the fields are white unto harvest" and Proverbs 10:5, "He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully". (NASB). The world "is filled with people who desperately need to hear the Gospel," Elliff continued, and IMB's assignment is to assist fellow Southern Baptists to bring the Light of the Gospel to the world. Despite this crucial need, Southern Baptists no longer are giving through the Cooperative Program (CP) as they used to give, Elliff said. CP has been in decline for the past five years. Elliff called this a "tragedy" because CP and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions are the two "lifelines" that support Southern Baptist missionaries. "We don't determine how many missionaries [are sent] -- Southern Baptists by their giving tell us how many people [they will] have on the field," Elliff said. "Now that's just the plain, unvarnished truth. "I don't want to be a son who acts shamefully. … Southern Baptists don't want to be sons and daughters who act shamefully, but we will be if we sleep in the harvest," Elliff continued. "You need to pray with me that God will stir among Southern Baptists. "When we think about the way doors have opened … in corners of this world that have been so dark and so closed for so many years, it is unthinkable … that Southern Baptists would not provide more missionaries, more laborers for the harvest," he said. Annual statistical report & UUPGs Evidence of the harvest work around the world was shown through highlights of the 2012 Annual Statistical Report (ASR) presented by Stuart Bell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Centerton, Ark., and IMB trustee chairman for the strategy committee. The ASR summarizes the work of Southern Baptist missionaries and their overseas ministry partners in 2011. More than 1.4 million people heard a Gospel witness; of those, more than 337,000 became believers. More than 266,000 people were baptized. Missionaries and local believers with whom they partner started 24,000 new churches. Gordon Fort, vice president for IMB's global strategy office, reported that there are currently 3,133 unengaged, unreached people groups (UUPGs) -- those with an evangelical Christian population of less than 2 percent and with no evangelical church-planting methodology currently under way among them. "We need to make up our mind that these last remaining unengaged, unreached people groups will have their witness before we die," Fort said. "When we get to heaven one day, we can say, 'Lord, we were there on that day when every language, every people, every tribe, every nation, were engaged with the Good News of Jesus Christ.' " 2013 budget Trustees approved IMB's 2013 budget of $323.8 million, of which $175 million is expected to come through this year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Blake Withers and Bill Milewski, chairman and vice chairman for IMB trustees' finance committee, presented details of the budget. It was "painfully difficult" to balance, said Withers, a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, Calif. Milewski, a member of First Baptist Church in Soldotna, Alaska, noted that the budget is down by a half million dollars from the past year and will become increasingly difficult to balance in the future. "We know that we're relying upon God to do this," Milewski said, "and as our president explained, if the Cooperative Program [giving] would increase and also the Lottie Moon … that's where it all lies. … We just ask that the Lord would move upon the heart of each and every individual. "We as Southern Baptists have no excuse, in my humble opinion, that we should not have a tremendous footprint on the mission field." Other business Trustees approved the election of Gordon Fort to the new position of senior vice president for prayer mobilization and training, effective immediately. A major part of Fort's new role will be leading the School of Prayer for All Nations initiative Elliff announced during the September trustee meeting. Fort was born in Sanyati, Zimbabwe, where his parents served as missionaries. He and his wife Leigh Ann were appointed missionaries to Botswana in 1985. He served in a leadership role for southern Africa from 1997 to 2004 when he joined the IMB home office staff as vice president of the office of overseas operations. In 2009, he became vice president of the office of global strategy. Trustees also approved John Brady, current affinity global strategy leader for northern Africa and the Mideast(NAME) peoples, to become the new vice president of office of global strategy, effective Jan. 15. Brady was born in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., and grew up in Guyana as the son of Southern Baptist missionaries. He and his wife Jenny were appointed by IMB in 1993 to serve in NAME. He served as strategy coordinator, strategy associate and regional leader before moving to his current position in 2009. Trustees also appointed 84 missionaries in a service Nov. 15 at Springfield's Second Baptist Church, raising the IMB missionary force to 4,908. The next IMB trustee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 26-27 in Las Vegas, with a missionary appointment Feb. 27 at Hope Baptist Church there. --30-- Laura Fielding is a writer for IMB. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- 84 new missionaries appointed by IMB by Tess Rivers Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (BP) -- A deer meat processor and a doctor. A nanny and a nurse. A soldier and a statistician. These are just a few of the jobs previously held by 84 men and women appointed by IMB trustees Nov. 15 at Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo. From as far away as Thailand and as near as the hills of Tennessee, the appointees shared testimonies of being called by God to a journey -- a journey to be the heart, hands and voice of Jesus to the nations. Prinna Puakpong was born in Thailand, where she was raised in a Buddhist home. Her journey led her first to Atlanta, Ga., and then to Chattanooga, Tenn., where she earned a master's in business administration with an emphasis in finance. Disillusioned by the stock market crash of 2000, Puakpong prayed that God would reveal Himself to her. "I prayed, 'God, I don't want to be confused anymore,'" Puakpong said. "'Please reveal Yourself to me in a way that I can understand.'" In a Bible study for international students in Chattanooga, Puakpong met Christians who showed her God's love, and the direction of her life changed. Now, more than 10 years later, her journey will take Puakpong and her husband, Jack Wattanawongsawang, to Japan to be the voice of Jesus among those who have not yet heard the Gospel. For pharmacist Sarah Smythe*, her journey entailed a series of personal challenges during her college years -- a time when she came to understand what it means not just to follow Jesus but to rely on Him. "I realized my need," Smythe said. "I needed to rely on God. I needed to be in community with His people and I needed to loosen my grip on academic excellence." During her first week in pharmacy school, Smythe knocked on the door of a stranger who had advertised a Bible study. Through that study, she developed a heart for the nations and she spent the next two summers working among Asian college students. Soon, she will return to East Asia with her husband Drew* and their two daughters to carry the Gospel to those who are hurting. For Hunter Wells*, who will serve in southern Asia, a job loss redirected his path. "I felt like I was being called to missions but I really enjoyed my job, and I was going to have a hard time leaving that comfort and security," the 37-year-old engineer said. "I asked God to take away my job if He wanted us to go." A couple of months later, Wells' department was outsourced. He used his severance pay and a tuition option to pursue seminary studies in preparation for him and his wife Eva* to help reach the lost in southern Asia. This appointment service brings the number of Southern Baptist missionaries serving around the world to 4,908. IMB President Tom Elliff challenged the audience to pray, "I will embrace whatever God is telling me about world missions" to reach the more than 3,100 unengaged, unreached people groups. However, "embracing" does not necessarily mean God is calling everyone to "go," Elliff said. "He may be calling you not to go but to let go," Elliff said. "Or to help go -- to pray for and support those who are going." Referencing the Great Commission task, Elliff underscored the itinerant nature of global evangelism and encouraged appointees to continue their journeys. "We do not go to settle down in countries and develop a lifestyle similar to the U.S.," Elliff said. "We go as pioneers, constantly pressing forward to the ends of the earth." --30— *Names changed. Tess Rivers is a writer with the International Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tyndale gets court win against abortion mandate by Michael Foust Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday WASHINGTON (BP) -- A federal court has handed a leading Bible publisher a major victory over the Obama administration's abortion/contraceptive mandate, preventing its enforcement against the publisher and ruling the company is likely to succeed as the case proceeds. A federal district court Friday (Nov. 16) issued a temporary injunction preventing the administration from requiring Tyndale House Publishers to cover contraceptives that can cause chemical abortions. The drugs often are called "emergency contraceptives" and can act after conception and implantation, and come under brand names such as Plan B and ella. Obeying the mandate would force Tyndale to violate its religious beliefs, the publisher argued through its attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Judge Reggie B. Walton agreed. "The contraceptive coverage mandate ... places the plaintiffs in the untenable position of choosing either to violate their religious beliefs by providing coverage of the contraceptives at issue or to subject their business to the continual risk of the imposition of enormous penalties for its noncompliance," Walton wrote. "... Government action that creates such a Hobson's choice for the plaintiffs amply shows that the contraceptive coverage mandate substantially burdens the plaintiffs' religious exercise." It is the third ruling this year against the mandate, which was implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services after President Obama signed the 2010 health care law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The law itself does not include the mandate language, although it does give the federal government the power to decide what should and should not be covered under the law. Churches and religious conventions are exempt from the mandate, but many religious organizations are not. Walton's ruling currently applies only to Tyndale but could have a much wider impact if Tyndale continues winning in court. Tyndale's new insurance plan year began Oct. 1 and it is self-insured -- meaning it would have been forced to pay for the controversial drugs. There is "undoubtedly" a "public interest in ensuring that the rights secured under the First Amendment" are protected, Walton ruled. He used most of his 38-page opinion to show how the mandate violates a 1993 law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Walton was nominated by President George W. Bush. Matt Bowman, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, applauded the judge's ruling. "Bible publishers should be free to do business according to the book that they publish," said Bowman, who took part in oral arguments before the judge. "The court has done the right thing in halting the mandate while our lawsuit moves forward. For the government to say that a Bible publisher is not religious is startling. It demonstrates how clearly the Obama administration is willing to disregard the Constitution's protection of religious freedom to achieve certain political purposes." Although the Supreme Court upheld the health care law this summer, it did not address the issues in the Tyndale case. There have been 40 suits filed seeking to overturn the mandate, according to a tally by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Tyndale -- which has 260 full-time employees -- functions as a thoroughly Christian organization, the ADF suit states. For instance: -- One of its corporate goals is to "honor God." -- It holds a weekly chapel service for employees. -- It opens business meetings with prayer. -- It sends employees on mission projects to support Christian mission organizations, paid for by the company. -- It contributes 10 percent of its profits each year to Christian organizations. -- Its trustees must affirm a statement of faith that proclaims, for instance, "there is one God, eternally existent in three persons." The mandate provides an exemption for churches and church-like bodies provided they are non-profit and meet all four of the following criteria: 1) "The inculcation of religious values is the purpose of the organization"; 2) "The organization primarily employs persons who share the religious tenets of the organization"; 3) "The organization serves primarily persons who share the religious tenets of the organization"; and 4) The organization is a church, an integrated auxiliary of a church, a convention or association of churches, or is an exclusively religious activity of a religious order, under Internal Revenue Code 6033(a)(1) and (a)(3)(A)." --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ariz. Baptists seek church renewal by Elizabeth Young Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday PHOENIX (BP) -- Messengers to the 84th annual meeting of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention heard a call to church renewal and unanimously conducted business in a single hour-and-a-half session. During the meeting at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, the 252 messengers elected three new officers by acclamation, adopted a 2013 Cooperative Program budget of $3,180,000 and heard a report from the search team charged with recommending a new state missionary (executive director). Prior to the business session and worship rally Nov. 9, Arizona Southern Baptists strolled through 30 booths in a mission fair presenting the ministries of the convention, along with other opportunities to be on mission. "It is my view that God would be honored if in 2013 we turn our hearts toward thoughts of church renewal," said Byron Banta, interim state missionary. Quoting the convention's motto of "Healthy Leaders Influence Healthy Churches to Evangelize and Plant Churches," Banta challenged messengers to "think about ways that we can be healthier churches for the glory of God." He presented two assumptions about church health. First, he said, "A church is responsible for its own health." Second, "Church health -- church renewal -- is like digging a posthole: it's not that complicated, but it is hard," he said. Church renewal, Banta said, entails turning to God, seeking His face and honoring Him with acts of obedience. "God wants what we say to Him and how we behave to be in concert," he said. Emphasizing the need for renewal, he said, "I believe there are hundreds of thousands of church members in the West who have unwittingly embraced American cultural religion that cuts the heart out of biblical Christianity." Banta quoted John Guillott, director of evangelism and missions for the Catalina Baptist Association in Tucson, who said in a meeting in another association, "If you want to be healthy, you need to do healthy things." One healthy thing for churches to do is to emphasize stewardship, Banta said. "If I were a pastor and I suspected that members of my church had been infected with a secular worldview," he said, "I might spend the better part of a year helping them figure out what God says about money." When secular people hear what God's Word says about money and resources, they are confronted with the lordship of Christ, he said, noting, "Once you learn to trust God with your money, it is easier to trust Him with all other areas of your life." Another healthy thing a church could do, Banta said, would be to develop a written evangelism and discipleship strategy. "It would challenge secular-minded people to understand and adopt God's purposes," he said. However, he cautioned, the goal is not to have a program to make your church grow. The point is "doing healthy things as a part of repentance and seeking God for His glory." Chad Garrison, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Lake Havasu City, was elected president by acclamation. In Garrison's 20 years as pastor of Calvary, the church has grown from an average attendance of under 100 to more than 1,000, said Bret Burnett, pastor of Mountain View Baptist Church in Tucson, in nominating Garrison. Calvary, which gives 19 percent to missions and gave almost $100,000 through the Cooperative Program last year, "is known in their city for being a church that loves the Lord and stands for the Lord and cares for their community," Burnett said. Also elected by acclamation were Randy Mullinax, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Tucson, as first vice president and Paul Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church in Chandler and associate professor at the Arizona Campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, as second vice president. The churches of all three officers rank in the top 20 churches in Cooperative Program giving in the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. Messengers adopted a $3,180,000 Cooperative Program budget and a $4,605,562 state convention operating budget for 2013. The Cooperative Program budget remains unchanged from 2012. The budget calls for 26.05 percent of Cooperative Program gifts to be forwarded to SBC causes, also unchanged from 2012. The Cooperative Program budget will be distributed as follows: SBC Cooperative Program, $828,390; Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, $1,913,911; Arizona Campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, $236,550; Arizona Baptist Children's Services, $125,456; and Baptist Senior Life Ministries, $75,693. Income sources in the ASBC operating budget beyond Cooperative Program giving by Arizona churches include $999,970 from the North American Mission Board, $118,800 in church gifts designated for Arizona ministries only, $54,996 from LifeWay Christian Resources, $20,000 in trust income designated for the Cooperative Program and $69,550 in other revenue. ASBC First Vice President Shaun Whitey, pastor of First Indian Baptist Church in Phoenix, presided during the meeting in the absence of President James Harms, pastor of First Baptist Church in Sierra Vista, who had back surgery recently. Joe Chan, pastor of Tucson Chinese Baptist Church in Tucson, and a member of the state missionary/executive director search team, presented Harms' written report from the search team. The search team met Oct. 19 and reviewed the presentation of a candidate who did not receive the required two-thirds affirmative vote of the Convention Council in September, Harms wrote. According to the ASBC constitution, a candidate must receive a two-thirds affirmative vote of both the Convention Council and ASBC messengers in annual or special session. The team also "evaluated the other candidates that had been previously interviewed by the team" and then "voted to begin the search again," he wrote. Recommendations and resumes are being received by email at ASBCsearchteam@gmail.com, and the team also will consider some recommendations received earlier, Harms wrote. The search team was appointed by Harms in May 2011 when Steve Bass resigned as ASBC state missionary to become the West Region vice president of the North American Mission Board. Members of the original eight-member search team will continue to serve, with the exception of Harms, who was on the team and served as chairman by virtue of his office. Newly elected ASBC President Chad Garrison now will serve as team chairman. Next year's annual meeting of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention will be Nov. 15 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Tucson. --30-- Elizabeth Young is director of communications for the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: 'I want to save my daughter' by Katie Fruge Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- What would you do if you had to choose between your life and your baby's life? I never really thought I would have to choose. Since college it was always just a hypothetical question to me. Up to that point in my life, I had even heard most pro-life supporters affirm that abortion is always wrong -- with the exception of the mother's life being in jeopardy. That exception had always troubled me. In college I decided that if I ever had to choose, I'd go with the baby and trust God. I never thought I'd actually have to make that choice. Fast forward four years and 25 weeks. The dark ultrasound room was quiet. My ultra-normal, 25-week pregnancy was falling to pieces before my eyes. When the doctor finally broke the silence, "Katie, we're concerned about your baby," my heart was crushed. My doctor explained that our sweet daughter's body was badly deformed. Our daughter had no left arm. She had no right leg. Her left leg was badly clubbed and her right arm seemed atrophied. The doctor feared Eve's brain and organs could not sustain her outside the womb. Instantly, my heart encountered shock, terror and sorrow like I have never known. They allowed my husband and me to have a moment alone to absorb the news before meeting privately with our doctor to discuss our options. My heart sunk further as I listened to the doctor's "medical opinion." She never said the word "abortion," but the suggestion had been made perfectly clear. It was posed with such delicate phrases: "My concern is to keep Katie as safe as possible. ... We need to think about what a delivery could mean for Katie." I could hardly listen; I was consumed with begging God to spare my daughter. Was my doctor really telling me my daughter wasn't worth saving? As soon as I realized her suggestion, I remembered that I had made this choice long ago. Suddenly, amidst my sorrow, I knew that God had been preparing me for this moment, in this doctor's office, for years. I suddenly found myself thankful as I unhesitatingly responded: "I want to save my daughter." My choice didn't make the coming days easier. I had limitless questions of every possible "why" and "how." I wasn't mad at God, but I was frustrated. I felt like David when he cried out to God, begging Him to come in and make sense of the mess. I experienced pain that is too deep for words. I know I am not the first, or unfortunately, the last woman to experience sorrow of this nature. It comes in all different shapes and sizes, but ultimately has the same root issue -- the effects of sin had corrupted something that was supposed to be beautiful. I received a lot of different advice and words of wisdom from many women during those days -- some good advice, some not so good. As I went through my own struggles, I couldn't help but realize that there were certain truths that applied not only to me, but to every woman who has experienced the pain of something beautiful being affected by a fallen world: -- I learned that I needed to allow grief. Too often, when Christian women hear of a crisis in someone’s life they actually ignore that it’s a crisis and essentially discourage grieving. It's well meaning, but unbiblical (Romans 12:15). Cry out to God, not to undermine or question His Sovereignty, but in order to understand His will. It's okay to be honest if you don't understand what He's doing. My daughter’s tragedy incapacitated me. No one was counseling me just to cry and grieve, but that’s all I could do -- cry out to the Lord (Romans 8:26). My intense grief and groanings for my daughter brought me to the deepest connection I’ve ever had with God. This newfound intimacy enabled me to be able to trust Him regardless of the storm (Psalm 34:18). . -- I learned to accept that while sin may cause evil, nothing my baby did was sinful. Neither the man of John 9 nor his parents had caused his blindness, although he was blind as a consequence of the Fall of Adam and Eve. This difference is so crucial! No one grieves the effects of sin for their children more than God the Father. Yet He worked through the Fall to transform us into His daughters and heirs of the promise (Romans 8:17). For me, that means I can weep guilt-free with my daughter when she cries because of her differences. It means I can confidently teach her that God is powerful enough to take any effect of the Fall and display His glorious work through it (John 9:3). -- I learned the importance of depending entirely on God's strength. Shortly after I delivered my daughter, I received a sweet note from a wise woman. She told me she would be praying for me as I discovered God's strength for my journey. I simply couldn't phrase it any better. Throughout the pregnancy my husband read Psalm 91 out loud to me. I started to visualize myself as a wounded and weak soldier, too tired to go on and ready for death but suddenly finding myself completely covered under God's impenetrable shelter. Nothing about me had changed; I was still weak and ready to die. The only thing that had changed was that Someone was protecting me from the continual onslaught. I wasn't being strong at all; I knew that for sure. Instead, I was learning to discover just how powerful God's strength is. When I realized how limited my strength was, I was able to fully learn what it means to hide in the cleft of the rock. There's no way I could have known in college the emotional and spiritual battle that choosing life would entail. But I'm incredibly thankful that God is sovereign and helped strengthen me for the challenge, years before I knew I needed it. We had a difficult pregnancy that entailed bi-weekly ultrasounds, lots of blood work, prayers and tears. After 37 weeks, our beautiful, healthy daughter was born. She is still missing two limbs, but her arm isn't atrophied at all. The children's hospital has been correcting her foot since she was four weeks old, and she just got her first prosthetic leg! She's also unbelievably cute and smart with eyes as blue as the ocean. I know we still have trials ahead of us. Eventually she will realize she's different and will weep because of it. My prayer is that she will persevere because of the same truths I have come to embrace. Our fallen world hurts, but God is more powerful and is a shelter like no other. --30-- Katie Fruge is pursuing a Ph.D. in systematic theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Follow her family's journey on their blog, www.babyevecatherine.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sandy meal count tops 1.2M; next: church partnerships by Joe Conway Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday EDISON, N.J. (BP) -- Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers deployed after Hurricane Sandy had prepared more than 1.2 million meals as of Monday (Nov. 19) in New York, New Jersey and, earlier, in West Virginia. As more power is restored to homes in the hardest-hit areas, SBDR leaders said the need will diminish for meal preparation by SBDR units deployed from numerous states. Volunteers also have reported 56 individuals who have made professions of faith in Christ as a result of SBDR ministry. On the horizon: The North American Mission Board will coordinate both church-to-church partnerships in the region and the mobilization of student volunteers for long-term ministry and service in the Northeast. "The church-to-church initiative in response to Sandy will be different in nature than that of the response to Hurricane Katrina," said Jerry Daniel, team leader for the North American Mission Board's LoveLoud emphasis. While the church partnerships fostered in the wake of Katrina focused in large part on the physical rebuild and repair of church infrastructure, the aftermath of Sandy will see a different ministry emphasis, Daniel said. "There was not a lot of damage to church facilities, so the church-to-church aspect of Sandy will focus on churches partnering with churches in the affected area to do work in the community," Daniel said. "This will provide the local churches a platform with their neighbors. The assistance given by partnering churches will allow for an increased bandwidth of ministry by local churches in the Northeast." Planning and logistics also continue for mobilizing college students to assist with cleanup operations over the winter break. Details for the volunteer opportunity for students and the church-to-church initiative will be available soon, Daniel said. In total, more than 1,200 SBDR volunteers from 34 states and Canada have responded to Sandy. Baptist convention volunteers have served from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas-Nebraska, Kentucky, Maryland/Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota/ Wisconsin, Mississippi, Missouri, New England, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania/South Jersey, Southern Baptists of Texas, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, Baptist General Association of Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah/Idaho and West Virginia. Also responding are volunteers from North Carolina Baptist Men and Texas Baptist Men. Terry Henderson, DR director for Texas Baptist Men, shared an email from an emergency worker who thanked SBDR volunteers for their service. The email read, in part: "I am an EMT on deployment to help with evacuations and emergency medical operations. I have been here for two weeks now under some very stressful and less than ideal conditions. Yesterday your disaster relief team arrived while we were out on a mission. Today they were serving us breakfast. I just wanted to say thank you. "All of us are exhausted, stressed and homesick and most of us have been living in our ambulances for the entire deployment. A nice home-cooked meal and smiling faces are a very welcomed sight. Also the hot showers and ability to do our laundry will not be overlooked either. Again I say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your arrival has made a very tough mission more bearable." From its disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga., NAMB coordinates Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through a partnership between NAMB and the SBC's 42 state conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs. SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Southern Baptists and others who want to donate to the disaster relief operations can contact their state conventions or contribute to NAMB's disaster relief fund via www.namb.net/disaster-relief-donations. Other ways to donate are to call 866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for "Disaster Relief." --30-- Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Longtime prof Marvin Tate dies at 87 by Aaron Cline Hanbury Date: November 19, 2012 - Monday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Marvin Embry Tate Jr., a longtime professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, died Nov. 16. He was 87. Tate was a professor of Old Testament interpretation at Southern Seminary from 1960 until 1995, and then a senior professor until 2003. Born May 2, 1925 in Hope, Ark., Tate grew up in Washington, Ark., where he attended Washington Elementary and High School. In 1944, he enrolled at Ouachita Baptist University, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1947. Tate then attended Southern Seminary, earning a divinity degree in 1952 and a doctorate in 1958. An Old Testament scholar, Tate's doctoral dissertation is "A Study of the Wise Men of Israel in Relation to the Prophets." While finishing his education, Tate served as the pastor of Goshen Baptist Church in Glen Dean, Ky., where he met and married Julia Moorman, one of 11 children in a Methodist family from Western Kentucky. Tate then served as pastor of a church in Tulsa, Okla., while he finished his dissertation. After Tate graduated, the couple moved to Texas, where he taught at Wayland Baptist College. He joined the Southern Seminary faculty in 1960. In 1965, Tate, who became known by students for his quick wit, signed the seminary Abstract of Principles, the signing of which is historically significant in the life of Southern Seminary. In 1992, Tate took an endowed position as the John R. Sampey Professor of Old Testament -- a chair he held until his retirement from full-time teaching in 1995. This chair, intended to preserve Old Testament scholarship at the seminary, is one of Southern Seminary's oldest and highest honored endowed professorships, held first by John R. Sampey from 1938 to 1943 and currently by Duane Garrett. Tate authored numerous books and articles, including two works in the Word Biblical Commentary series: "Psalms 51-100" and "Job." He and Southern colleague, Clyde T. Fransisco, published a translation of Exodus, and he helped with Hebrew translation for the New International Version of the Bible. Tate was also editor of "Review and Expositor," the seminary's academic journal now called "Southern Baptist Journal of Theology." Tate leaves behind his wife of 55 years and his five children, Sarah McCommon, Martha Kent, Betsey Tate, Andrew Tate and Virginia Phelps, and five grandchildren. A memorial service honoring Tate will take place Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Buechel Park Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., at 11 a.m. A public burial will follow at Cave Hill Cemetery. --30-- Aaron Cline Hanbury is manager of news and information at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).