The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-12/07/2012 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK OF PRAYER: Doctor's Rx for suffering centers on Jesus by Don Graham Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: This year's Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention is Dec. 2-9 with the theme of "BE His heart, His hands, His voice" from Matthew 16:24-25. Each year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions supplements Cooperative Program giving to support Southern Baptists' 5,000 international missionaries' initiatives in sharing the Gospel. This year's offering goal is $175 million. To find resources about the offering, go to www.imb.org/offering. CENTRAL ASIA (BP) -- Flies circle the sparsely equipped operating room in remote Central Asia. One lands on an instrument tray, strutting the length of a scalpel seconds before the previously sterile instrument slices beneath skin of Jalal Hossein*.
"Allah!" the 28-year-old mullah (Islamic teacher) moans through a haze of local anesthesia that has failed to kill the pain. The lead surgeon calls for more light, but three of the four bulbs in the operating room's lamp are burned out. Cutting-edge medicine it's not. But at the moment, the hospital -- and Hossein -- have at least one advantage: the man behind the scalpel is Dr. Doug Page*, one of the finest thoracic surgeons in the country. "Put that bad boy in there," Page coaches a national colleague who is attempting to insert a catheter into the protective sac surrounding Hossein's heart. These are teachable moments for Page, 56, a soft-spoken, Southern Baptist doctor who came to this rugged corner of Central Asia with his wife Alice* to be Jesus' heart, hands and voice among a people in desperate need of physical and spiritual healing. It's a brutal place to practice medicine, let alone share the Gospel. "There are so many walls here," Page says. "There are walls around every house and there are barriers between families. ... There's fighting between villages and tribes. This isn't just fisticuffs fighting -- this is blowing up homes, setting booby-trapped mines, children being maimed, crops being burned, livestock stolen. It's ruthless." During the past several years, Page has scrubbed in for hundreds of surgeries at the hospital. The facility, with 60-plus beds, is dirty and poorly equipped. But as the largest of only three hospitals in an area more than twice the size of the state of Georgia, it's also the best chance of good health care for more than 350,000 people who call this province home. That's roughly one doctor for every 15,000 individuals. Though those numbers are staggering, Page believes the need for the Gospel is even greater. Islam dominates the religious landscape. Estimates place the number of Christians here at fewer than 2,000, and most national believers are forced to keep their faith a secret. Hardship and risk Obedience to God's call hasn't come without sacrifice. By 7 a.m. the next day, Page is eager to begin morning rounds at the hospital. But first he swings by the office to check email. "Just another day in paradise," he jokes with his driver, Farooq*, as their SUV bounces violently across a series of Hula-Hoop-sized potholes -- a minor inconvenience compared with the overwhelming hardship of daily life here. The Pages live in a mud home with spotty electricity. Winters are especially harsh, with temperatures dropping below -20 F -- cold enough to coat the walls inside their house with ice. At the hospital, Page regularly treats patients for diseases rarely encountered in the U.S., such as typhoid fever, tuberculosis and dysentery. He has amputated limbs from landmine victims, removed handfuls of worms from patients' intestines and helped nurse malnourished children back from the brink of death -- all while patiently and persistently seeking God-given opportunities to bear witness for Christ. But cultural and political animosity toward the Gospel means those who share Jesus do so at great personal risk, including prison, kidnapping -- even murder. Vehicles must be checked for explosives; razor wire protects the walls around the Pages' home. "They're locked into a system of righteousness based on works. ... They have no hope of salvation. They have no understanding or sense of grace or forgiveness," Page says. "Famine, disease, injustice, abuse of women and children, human trafficking -- all of these things relate to that darkness. ... And they've been enslaved for hundreds and thousands of years like this. "It's a kingdom of darkness. I think Satan is very powerful here." Most of the town's few thousand residents survive as farmers or shepherds, but years of drought and conflict have withered harvests, dwindled herds and upended livelihoods. Less than 25 percent of the area's households have access to safe drinking water and fewer than 10 percent have adequate toilet facilities. More than 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line; one-third of all pre-school children are underweight. Mohammed is one of them. Just 18 months old and severely malnourished, he was brought to the hospital suffering from pneumonia and an infection in his right thigh. He winces in pain at the slightest touch, his squeaky cries broken only by a thick, wet cough. "I'm sorry," Page says softly as he listens to the boy's breathing. "Poor little guy's struggling. ... He may not make it." ‘What Jesus did’ The tone in Page's voice reveals a tender heart. Dealing with the hardness of life here takes its toll, he admits. But worse than a patient's death, he says, is witnessing their suffering -- especially that of women and children. "It's a culture of men," he explains. "The women are basically property." But even in the midst of overwhelming need, lives are being changed. Page regularly treats patients outside the hospital, free of charge to those who simply show up at his front gate. Alice works closely with a group of women she's befriended and runs a handicraft program to help them earn extra income. "This is what Jesus did when He was on earth. He healed people. He went out of His way to touch people, to feed people," Page says. "And He says that when we do these things, it's like we're doing them to Him." Page also has seen one person place his faith in Christ: a man nicknamed "Paul." Like his biblical namesake, Paul once verbally abused believers. Through months of heart-to-heart conversation, he eventually gave his life to Jesus. But those sorts of triumphs are few and far between. Given the stakes involved in becoming a believer, receptivity usually starts in small ways -- with a prayer. After lunch, Page strolls through the hospital's courtyard and passes little Mohammed, the malnourished 18-month-old, waiting in the sunshine with his grandmother for an X-ray. He stops and talks with the grandmother about Mohammed's condition, explaining the importance of the formula they've prescribed to fight his malnutrition. Then he seeks the grandmother's permission to ask for some extra "help." Page kneels in the dirt, holds Mohammed's tiny hand and prays aloud for the child in Jesus' name. Despite Page's prayers and the best care the hospital staff could offer, Mohammed died within a few days. "We're not indispensable to His plan," Page says, "but at least today if this little team that's here wasn't here, there wouldn't be any evangelical witness here. This place would be totally, totally dark. It's very dark, but there's one little, little, little candle light burning here. I feel very responsible to stay here and keep that burning for now." --30-- *Names changed. Don Graham is a senior writer at the International Mission Board. Southern Baptists' gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and through the Cooperative Program help Southern Baptist missionaries around the world share the Gospel. Gifts for the offering are received at Southern Baptist churches across the country or can be made online at www.imb.org/offering where there are resources for church leaders to promote the offering. Download related videos at www.imb.org/lmcovideo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK OF PRAYER: 'How on earth am I going to explain this to my wife?' by Don Graham Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: This year's Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention is Dec. 2-9 with the theme of "BE His heart, His hands, His voice" from Matthew 16:24-25. Each year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions supplements Cooperative Program giving to support Southern Baptists' 5,000 international missionaries' initiatives in sharing the Gospel. This year's offering goal is $175 million. To find resources about the offering, go to www.imb.org/offering. CENTRAL ASIA (BP) -- The first time Doug Page* set foot in the remote Central Asian town where he was sent to serve Christ, a single question echoed through his mind: "How on earth am I going to explain this to my wife?" The Southern Baptist doctor scanned the dozens of small, sand-colored dwellings that littered the surrounding hills. And very soon, Page and his wife would be living in one of the homes made of mud. "I remember getting off the little plane on a little dirt airstrip and being met by some locals in a pickup truck and driven up a hill," Page says. "No paved roads, just one hole in the ground after another ... weaving our way around donkeys and goats and sheep ... and thinking, 'Wow, this is a pretty rough place.' "I felt I could probably survive here, maybe live in a sleeping bag in a hole somewhere," he adds with a laugh. "But I wanted her to be comfortable and happy and be able to minister and live." "Her" is the love of his life, Alice*, his wife of nearly 30 years. They started dating during his freshman year in college, and though Alice swore she'd never marry a doctor or a preacher, she found herself with both. Page was glad he'd come alone for this first introduction to the couple's new home; he would use the scouting trip to prepare Alice for the primitive conditions they'd have to endure. It was a far cry from the simple but comfortable lifestyle they enjoyed back home in Mississippi. But despite his initial shock, Page says there was a "certain wildness" about this part of Central Asia that drew him in. The town lies in a shallow valley locked deep within the country's rugged interior. The lone highway connecting it to the outside world is plagued by bandits during warmer months and cut off by heavy snowfall that chokes mountain passes in winter. Charter flights are the only secure means of reaching the area. From the air, the town is a pallid oasis, a speck of life surrounded by desolate, sun-kissed mountains. Most of the few thousand residents here survive as farmers or shepherds, but years of drought and conflict have withered harvests, dwindled herds and decimated livelihoods. More than a third of the town's children are malnourished; life expectancy is less than 50 years. Adult literacy is under 20 percent. Electricity a bit 'overrated' Like most of their neighbors, the Pages live in a simple, mud house, which they have outfitted with a Western toilet, shower and kitchen sink. These "luxuries" aren't available during the region's glacial winters, however, since nighttime temperatures dip below -20 F and threaten to burst pipes. Electricity is spotty, available for only a few hours each night. Staying warm is especially difficult. Kerosene heaters provide a little respite from the cold, but some nights are so bitter that sheets of ice form on the walls inside the Page's home. "I put toothpaste and shampoo bottles in our bathroom and they just turned to ice.... I didn't know toothpaste could freeze," Page laughs. The couple have learned to stockpile food, fuel and firewood; they also must constantly sweep snow from the mud roof to avoid leaks or collapse. Even driving is a chore. Besides the challenge of navigating icy roads, the SUV's brakes freeze; a blowtorch is used to thaw them each morning. The learning curve was steep for the Pages, who have spent most of their lives in the southern United States weathering heat waves instead of blizzards. Survival techniques came by watching their neighbors. Alice learned to dry apples and tomatoes on the roof in the sun and preserve onions and potatoes by burying them in the yard. Doug stored up barrels of kerosene and salted slabs of beef. Trial and error also was a good tutor. During the Pages' first winter in town, their new cast-iron water heater burst because it hadn't been fully drained. "That first winter was pretty harsh," Page says. The couple's supervisor gave them the option to spend winter in the nation's capital, complete with full-time heat, running water and electricity. But the Pages turned the offer down because they knew winter was when the hospital would need Doug most. Despite difficult circumstances, the Pages have maintained a positive attitude. "I think electricity is a little bit overrated," Doug says with a grin. But the cold weather and poor infrastructure are only half the challenge. Security is always on his mind. Personal safety Sunlight glints off coils of silver razor wire snaking its way around the mud walls of the Pages' home. The protective barrier is a constant reminder of the risks Doug and Alice face simply by being here -- to say nothing of sharing the Gospel. Deportation, prison, kidnapping and murder are very real threats for Christian workers in Central Asia, even more so for the nationals with whom they partner. Bars cover the Pages' windows and a guard stands watch at their home 24/7. Doug's frisky, blue-eyed mutt, Cleo, adds another layer of protection, though the dog's playful nature means there's a chance she might just as well lick intruders as bite them. Trips to nearby villages outside the relative safety of the town are dangerous. But Page often puts himself in harm's way if a patient needs his help. Security was so tight during one out-of-town visit that Page was given an armed escort so he could safely use the bathroom. "When we drive around we pass people with AK-47s.... You'll hear something explode once in a while," he says. "[But] we're not paranoid. My wife and I don't sit around worrying about things that can happen." Page recalls waking one evening to the sound of bomb blasts rattling his bedroom window. "We just said a little prayer together and went back to sleep." It's not foolishness or arrogance, he says. Just a genuine trust in God's calling on their lives and the understanding that obedience to the Great Commission doesn't come with any guarantee of personal safety -- or without sacrifice and pain. Compelled by love Page admits there are moments when he questions what he's doing, whether he's actually making a difference among so much suffering. But it is during those periods of doubt that Page's calling keeps him on the field, a calling 30 years in the making. "I had a very strong sense as a teenager that God really wanted me to do something special. And it was very important to me to find out what that was," Page says. "I can remember being awake at night as a teenager, just praying and asking God to please show me what He wanted me to do with my life." The son of a Southern Baptist pastor, Page remembers that Sunday morning at church in Texas when he finally discovered what God's plan was. As his mother played piano during the invitation, Page walked the aisle and announced his decision to serve the Lord overseas as a doctor. He would be Jesus' heart, hands and voice to a people who didn't know Him, sharing love as Christ did -- preaching and healing. Page turned down an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and enrolled in a pre-med program at a nearby university. What he didn't yet understand was that God's timing would keep him stateside for the next 30 years -- teaching, maturing and preparing him for ministry -- before finally sending him overseas in 2003, at age 47, first to East Asia and then Central Asia. But Page's commitment to follow Christ goes beyond simple obedience. It's about a sense of urgency -- and love. "We honestly feel that we are not sacrificing much, that God has given us so much that we're thankful for. And that we're obligated, compelled because of our love for Him," Page says. "There are people here who are dying every day and lost for eternity. ... And I don't want to miss an opportunity that God puts before me to share with somebody. I pray that I'll be bold to do that." --30-- *Names changed. Don Graham is a senior writer with the International Mission Board. Southern Baptists' gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and through the Cooperative Program help Southern Baptist missionaries around the world share the Gospel. Gifts for the offering are received at Southern Baptist churches across the country or can be made online at www.imb.org/offering where there are resources for church leaders to promote the offering. Download related videos at www.imb.org/lmcovideo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK OF PRAYER: Lottie Moon 100 years on by Erich Bridges Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: This year's Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention is Dec. 2-9 with the theme of "BE His heart, His hands, His voice" from Matthew 16:24-25. Each year's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions supplements Cooperative Program giving to support Southern Baptists' 5,000 international missionaries' initiatives in sharing the Gospel. This year's offering goal is $175 million. To find resources about the offering, go to www.imb.org/offering. RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- She died on board a ship 100 years ago Christmas Eve -- sick, exhausted, brokenhearted over leaving her beloved Chinese friends in their time of suffering.
It was a bittersweet end to a long and fruitful life. But it wasn't the end of Lottie Moon's story. What is it about this woman that has inspired so many Southern Baptists, for so many years, to give their own lives and treasure to God's mission? Born into privilege on a pre-Civil War plantation in Virginia, rambunctious young Lottie received the best education money could buy. But the difference between the fine words she heard from adults and the realities of life troubled her. A young, unbelieving Lottie told classmates her middle initial, D, stood for "Devil." She pulled pranks, missed chapel and scoffed at religion. She was a brilliant scholar, however, and became one of the most educated women of her era. But knowledge alone couldn't satisfy her soul. She began a search for truth. Lottie's spiritual struggle came to a dramatic climax one night, sealing her commitment to serve God and others. She witnessed the ravages of the Civil War, which destroyed the old society she had known. Matured by the experience, but just as independent as ever, she boldly joined her sister, and they become two of the earliest female missionaries to China. Little did she know what lay ahead. 'I cannot be silent' Lottie arrived in North China in 1873, just as the last imperial dynasty was beginning to crumble. She struggled to learn the ways of Chinese culture as her sister suffered mental and emotional breakdowns. Despite bitter opposition from many Chinese -- and the bunker mentality of other missionaries -- Lottie was determined to take the message of God's love to the vast countryside. She went to the villages, often on her own. "Here I am working alone in a city of many thousand inhabitants," she wrote in one of her letters home. "It is grievous to think of these human souls going down to death without even one opportunity of hearing the name of Jesus. How many can I reach? The needs of these people press upon my soul, and I cannot be silent." She experienced isolation and loneliness. She had a chance to marry and return home. Her response: "God had first claim on my life, and since the two conflicted, there could be no question about the result." She persisted through war and famine because the Chinese needed to know her Lord. Disease, turmoil and lack of co-workers threatened to undo Lottie's work. But she gave herself completely to God, helping lay the foundation of what would become the modern Chinese church, one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world. She once wrote home to the Foreign Mission Board, "Please say to the [new] missionaries they are coming to a life of hardship, responsibility and constant self-denial." Lottie Moon died at age 72 -- ill and in declining health after she had made sacrifices for decades for her beloved Chinese. Who can relate to her today? Many Americans, particularly young people, have all the material things they want -- but it's not enough. In an aimless era, they crave direction and purpose. The more challenging the cause, the better. Her life speaks powerfully to a generation desperate for meaning and heroic role models. Thousands have followed Lottie's example during the century since her death -- going just as boldly, obediently, sacrificially. But not without Southern Baptists' gifts to support them. Giving has its own call to obedience and sacrifice. Lottie said it best 100 years ago: "How many there are ... who imagine that because Jesus paid it all, they need pay nothing, forgetting that the prime object of their salvation was that they should follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in bringing back a lost world to God." She followed to the end -- and changed history. Future generations of Southern Baptists can change it again. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions is named in her honor. Gifts to the offering and through Southern Baptists' year-round Cooperative Program help Baptist missionaries around the world share the Gospel. Gifts for the offering are received at Southern Baptist churches across the country or can be made online at www.imb.org/offering where there are resources for church leaders to promote the offering. Download related videos at www.imb.org/lmcovideo. --30-- Erich Bridges is the International Mission Board's global correspondent. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Landmark: Sup. Court to consider gay marriage by Staff Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- In a landmark move, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up two cases that could either lead to the legalization of gay marriage nationwide or affirm the rights of legislators and voters to protect traditional marriage. The court's action Dec. 7 means that sometime next year -- perhaps in March -- the court will hear oral arguments in the cases and hand down a decision by the end of June. The justices will consider the constitutionality of two laws. One is the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as being between a man and a woman. The other is California Proposition 8, a voter-approved constitutional amendment which defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Together, the cases pose a question at the core of the marriage debate: Under the U.S. Constitution can the federal government and the various states define marriage in the traditional sense, thus prohibiting the recognition of gay marriage and other non-traditional unions? Supporters of gay marriage say DOMA and Prop 8 violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. Nine states recognize gay marriage, and 30 have constitutional amendments defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The other 11 states define marriage in statutes as between a man and a woman. If the Supreme Court strikes down California Prop 8, then the 41 states that don't recognize gay marriage could be forced to do so. If it overturns DOMA, then the federal government will be forced to recognize the gay marriages of the nine states where it's legal, something it currently does not. Lower courts struck down DOMA and Prop 8 in the cases at issue. California voters passed Prop 8 in 2008 by a margin of 52-48. The amendment reads, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." It reversed a California Supreme Court ruling that had legalized gay marriage. "Every one of the numerous legal steps we have taken for the past four years has been in anticipation of this moment," Andy Pugno, general counsel for California's ProtectMarriage.com, said in a statement. ProtectMarriage.com is the organization behind Prop 8. "Arguing this case before the Supreme Court finally gives us a chance at a fair hearing, something that hasn't been afforded to the people since we began this fight. We are delighted that the nation's highest court will decide whether to uphold the will of more than seven million Californians who voted to preserve the unique definition of marriage as only between one man and one woman." The Defense of Marriage Act was passed by Congress in 1996 and signed by President Clinton. "Marriage between a man and a woman is a universal good that diverse cultures and faiths have honored throughout the history of Western Civilization," Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Jim Campbell said in a statement. ADF supports DOMA and Prop 8. "Marriage expresses the truth that men and women bring distinct, irreplaceable gifts to family life. The ProtectMarriage.com legal team looks forward to advocating before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the people's right to preserve this fundamental building block of civilization." --30-- Compiled by Michael Foust, 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). Read resources about the gay marriage debate: FIRST-PERSON (Daniel Akin): Is it true Jesus never addressed same-sex marriage? FIRST-PERSON (Glenn Stanton): Why not legalize gay 'marriage'? -------------------------------------------------------------------- NOBTS adds 8 Christian ed. certificates by Gary D. Myers Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's trustee executive board voted to approve eight new graduate certificates in Christian education disciplines during their Dec. 4 meeting. The new certificates will provide intense study in church administration, children's ministry, recreation and sports ministry, adult discipleship, church and community ministry, teaching, youth ministry and women's ministry. Seven of the eight certificates require 15 hours of study. The graduate certificate in youth ministry will require 17 hours of study. "This allows us to move forward in implementing a very important element of our program of providing Christian education training to the local church for those individuals who cannot or do not want to stop and come to seminary for full degree programs," said Bob Welch, chairman of NOBTS' division of Christian education. "This is a significant benefit for the local church and the local church pastor to bring to their staff and support personal." NOBTS will make the certificate courses available in a variety of delivery systems. In addition to traditional and hybrid main campus classes, they will be offered online and through week-long workshops. Ministers in these programs will be able to remain in their current church position to gain the skills needed for more effective ministry. The graduate certificates are aimed at meeting a growing need in local churches, Welch said, citing two trends in the local church that led the NOBTS faculty to develop the new programs. First, many churches today hire recent Christian college or Bible college graduates to run the education ministries of the church, such as youth and children's ministries. These new staffers have a general Christian foundation, Welch said, but often are missing the practical, focused training in the specific area they are serving. A second trend is the growing number of "second career" ministers, Welch said. Many churches are raising up leadership from the laity who experience a call to ministry later in life to be church administrators or women's ministry coordinators. These individuals have college degrees and have had successful careers outside the church but they lack formal ministry training. Welch believes the focused certificate programs will equip these ministers for effective ministry. "I believe [graduate certificates] are going to be an important part of what we do in the future," Welch said. NOBTS provost Steve Lemke noted that in the business world it is quite common for workers to get certification in a specialized area. "These Christian education certificates offer specialized training for persons who have giftedness for ministry and some experience but have no specific Christian training in the church staff position in which they are serving, whether it be church administrator, youth minister, children's minister, etc.," Lemke said. Lemke also noted that in some cases churches could be more vulnerable to lawsuits if staff members have no formal certification, particularly in areas dealing with children, youth or finances. "The larger issue, of course," Lemke said, "is that these staff members be trained to be as effective as possible in ministering to others in the name of Christ." Allen Jackson, professor of youth ministry and director of the Youth Ministry Institute at NOBTS, sees the new graduate certificate in youth ministry helping foster excellence youth ministry programs in local churches. "The basic competencies in youth ministry -- education, development, culture, ministry as part of a staff, volunteer ministry and discipleship -- are covered in the series of courses that make up the certificate," Jackson said. "The delivery system is convenient as well. All classes are offered on campus during the semester, on campus in our weekend format (Thursday-Saturday) and on the Internet." Donna Peavey, associate professor of Christian education at NOBTS, sees the new graduate certificate in children's ministry as a way to help churches better disciple children and equip parents for the challenges of the 21st century. "Students will take both required and elective courses on different aspects of children's ministry -- including children and faith, leadership and administration, special needs and crisis intervention," Peavey said, noting that the program will provide "both theological and practical skills that will enhance their ministry to children and families." NOBTS officials believe the certificates also may encourage some students to move toward a full Christian education degree. And with so many options available -- workshops, hybrids, online, extension centers -- the certificate courses can be transferable into a fully accredited degree, without necessarily relocating to New Orleans. For more information regarding the new graduate certificates, contact the Division of Christian Education at (504) 282-4455, ext. 8105, or visit the CE website at www.nobts.edu/christianeducation/default.html. --30-- Gary D. Myers is director of public relations for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ga. Baptists increase budget 3.7%, honor White by Joe Westbury Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (BP) -- Messengers to the Georgia Baptist Convention's annual meeting increased their budget, honored their executive director, J. Robert White, for two decades of service and emerged with a renewed commitment to reach their state and world for Christ. "My commission ... the Great Commission" was the theme for the 191st annual meeting at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins. The 1,128 messengers heard reports, approved a 2013 budget of $41,800,000, collected Buckets of Care for Hurricane Sandy victims in Manahawkin, N.J., and welcomed 50 new churches and missions. New Orleans pastor and Southern Baptist Convention president Fred Luter closed the meeting with a Great Commission sermon on "If the Gospel was enough to save you, why can't it save those on the streets?" The 2013 budget was an increase of 3.7 percent from last year's $40,300,000 adjusted budget. Last year messengers originally approved a $42.3 million budget for 2012, but the struggling economy immediately forced the convention to trim 6 percent, or nearly $1.7 million, and reduce staff in late January. That brought spending to levels not seen since 1998. The new budget reverses a trend of steady declines and is the first increase in four years. Even with the cuts in recent years, the newly approved budget retains the convention's long-established standing as a 50/50 percent split between Georgia and SBC Cooperative Program funding, executive director J. Robert White said. The budget is divided equally with 40.18 percent remaining in the state and 40.18 percent forwarded for national and international ministries, with the remaining 19.63 percent, known as "jointly funded ministries" or "shared ministry" also divided between state and national CP causes. President's message In his president's message, John Waters, pastor of First Baptist Church in Statesboro, said the heartbeat of Georgia Baptists "ought to be the Great Commission. The call is too clear, the need is too great, the time is too short for us to have a heartbeat for anything less than the Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus Christ." Waters called for all Georgia Baptists working together to carry on the work of the Great Commission. "Jesus didn't intend for just His disciples to do the Great Commission. He didn't intend for just me to do the Great Commission. Jesus intended for us to do the Great Commission together," Waters said. He encouraged messengers to "share a common heartbeat for missions and evangelism which is the very heartbeat of God. Let's set aside our differences and go forth with a single cause, single mission, single heartbeat." Cooperative Program Jeremy Morton, chairman of the Cooperative Program Allocation Study Committee appointed by the GBC Executive Committee, updated messengers on the group's findings. Morton, pastor of Cross Point Baptist Church in Perry, explained that after exhaustive interviews with SBC entity heads, the committees agreed to maintain the 50/50 percent funding split between state and national ministries. Morton also updated messengers on the move, hailed as groundbreaking by some, which updates the funding relationship between the state convention and church planters. The updated policy reflects current Cooperative Program percentage giving from churches and empowers church plants to make a personal commitment of their resources to missions rather than having a specific percentage dictated to them. In order to receive funds, church plants previously were required to give 10 percent to Southern Baptist missions causes through the Cooperative Program. But that average amount has been declining for several years and should no longer be considered the benchmark, committee members said. They are now challenged to give more than the average, which is currently at 5.01 percent. Morton said it was felt that the previous understanding created a double standard between existing churches and new church plants. He noted that in 1982 the average GBC church gave 9.7 percent through the Cooperative Program; 20 years later in 2002 that amount dropped to 6.8 percent. As of 2011 churches average only 5.01 percent. The new policy is expected to bring Georgia to the forefront of state conventions attracting church planters and will position it to gain the attention of some of the brightest planters in the denomination, Morton said. Recognition of 20 years White, as GBC executive director, was honored for 20 years of service to the state convention in a special recognition ceremony featuring video tributes from many across the denomination. White, who began his ministry in January 1993, was cited in a resolution for "demonstrating exemplary leadership, a passion for Jesus Christ, and a heart for lost souls" and for having "skillfully guided the missions and ministries of the Georgia Baptist Convention for two decades with executive leadership skills, a pastor's heart, and as a personal friend to pastors throughout the state of Georgia...." Under White's leadership, Georgia Baptists have given more than $800 million to missions through the Cooperative Program as a part of more than $1 billion given in total missions gifts. Churches have grown from 3,303 to 3,615 during his tenure, with 631,582 baptisms reported. White was joined on the platform by his extended family for the presentation of the resolution and a statement from the governor's office acknowledging his service. OFFICERS Statesboro First Baptist Church pastor John Waters was elected to a second one-year term as convention president, and Danny Henson of New Liberty Baptist Church in Ringgold was re-elected as recording secretary by acclamation. Rentz Baptist Church pastor Tom Vann and Freddie Rhodes, pastor of Westview Baptist Church in Hawkinsville, were elected as assistant recording secretaries by acclamation. Tom Hocutt, director of missions for Mallary Baptist Association in Albany, was elected first vice president with 549 votes; Michael Stovall, pastor of Ewing Road Baptist Church in Austell, was elected second vice president with 523 votes; Tom Rush, pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Social Circle, was elected third vice president with 485 votes; and Tony Christie, pastor of Sherwood Forest Baptist Church in Rome, was elected fourth vice president with 471 votes. Atlanta pastor Rusty Couch of Woodland Hills Baptist Church also was nominated but received 446 votes. Next year's annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention will be Nov. 11-12 at Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula. --30-- Joe Westbury is managing editor of The Christian Index in Georgia. The text of the resolution honoring J. Robert White for 20 years of service follows: WHEREAS, Dr. J. Robert White has served as executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention for the past twenty years, beginning his service in January 1993, demonstrating exemplary leadership, a passion for Jesus Christ, and a heart for lost souls; and WHEREAS, Dr. J. Robert White has skillfully guided the missions and ministries of the Georgia Baptist Convention for two decades with executive leadership skills, a pastor's heart, and as a personal friend to pastors throughout the state of Georgia, embodying the spiritual leadership of Psalm 78:72, which says, "he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands;" and WHEREAS, under the leadership of Dr. J. Robert White, Georgia Baptists have give more than $800 million to missions through the Cooperative Program as a part of more than $1 billion given in total missions gifts, which have enabled the Gospel to go forth, beginning at Jerusalem and extending to the uttermost (Acts 1:8); and WHEREAS, Dr. J. Robert White has led by personal example by participating in 35 mission trips, including work in Alaska, New York, California, Utah-Idaho, Chicago, Panama, Germany, Mexico, China, Canada, North Korea, South Korea, Moldova, France, India, and Russia; and WHEREAS, the number of Georgia Baptist churches has grown from 3,303 to 3,615, and Georgia Baptists have baptized 631,582 persons under his tenure; and WHEREAS, Dr. J. Robert White has faithfully preached the unsearchable riches of Christ in churches across this state, and is recognized as a leader in missions and evangelism across the entire Southern Baptist Convention. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the members of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention commend Dr. J. Robert White for his leadership, vision, and faithful service to the work of our state convention and the advancement of the Kingdom of God; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Dr. J. Robert White be acknowledged as one of God's choice servants, full of the Holy Spirit, compassionate for lost souls, a leader in God's Kingdom, a friend to pastors, and a man divinely chosen and prepared "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:4); and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that heartfelt and sincere congratulations be extended to Dr. J. Robert White for his twenty years of faithful service to Georgia Baptists, his unwavering commitment to God's Word, and his steadfast devotion to the cause of Christ, with the fitting commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servant." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ark. Baptists' budget to surpass $22M by Staff Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday CABOT, Ark. (BP) -- Messengers to the 159th Arkansas Baptist State Convention annual meeting approved a 2013 Cooperative Program budget of $22 million and honored Emil Turner in retiring as ASBC executive director in February. "NOW" was theme of the meeting at First Baptist Church in Cabot, where the convention's president, Greg Addison, serves as pastor. Addison was elected to a second term during the Oct. 30-31 sessions. The meeting was attended by 634 messengers, slightly down from the 687 messengers at the 2011 meeting in Little Rock and from the 761 messengers at the 2010 meeting in Jonesboro. In addition to Addison's re-election as convention president, Ken Jerome, interim pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, was re-elected as first vice president, as was second vice president Matt Pryor, pastor of First Baptist Church in Wooster. All three were unopposed. Messengers approved six resolutions, including recognition of Emil Turner. The ABSC executive director will retire in February after 16 years of service to Arkansas Baptists. The resolution, in part, noted: -- The Cooperative Program budget has increased during Turner's tenure from $16 million to $20 million. While "some state conventions have chosen to decrease their giving to the Cooperative Program, Dr. Turner has led Arkansas Baptists to a continuing increase toward Cooperative Program causes beyond Arkansas." -- The Arkansas convention has seen a per year average of 28 church starts with nine of them involving other ethnicities, "so that on any given Sunday Arkansas Southern Baptists are worshipping in nine different languages." Other resolutions included opposition to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act (which lost on the Nov. 6 ballot); support of the biblical definition of marriage and of Christian citizenship and civic participation; and gratitude and prayer for members of the armed forces. The full text of resolutions approved by the messengers is available at www.arkansasbaptist.org/2012 resolutions. Miscellaneous business included a motion by Brad Coble, a messenger from Calvary Baptist Church in Benton, asking the convention to recognize the late Roy Fish, retired professor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Fish died Sept. 10. "I thank God for his influence on my life," Coble told messengers. Addison asked messengers to approve the motion, which they did with a resounding "amen." Coble was then asked to pray. Other miscellaneous business included a motion to dedicate the 2012 Annual of the ABSC to Frank Shell and L.B. Jordan, both former pastors, associational missionaries and longtime leaders in Arkansas Baptist life who died this year. The ABSC budget of $22 million approved by messengers is slightly higher than the $21.4 million 2012 operating budget. It includes $9,395,389 (42.71 percent) for Southern Baptist Convention causes; $12,469,611 (56.68 percent) for missions and ministries in Arkansas; and $135,000 for shared SBC/ABSC ministries. The SBC portion includes an increase of $201,332 (0.2 percent) above this year's allocation, the first such increase in a five-year plan to increase the SBC portion by 1 percent. The convention is currently completing a similar five-year plan for 2008-12. Additionally, the 2013 CP budget will reflect the first year of the convention's revised budget formula approved by messengers at the 2011 annual meeting. The approved recommendations set forth in the formula -- which will be in effect for the 2013-17 budget years -- increase the percentage of funds (total receipts) forwarded to the SBC and divide state budget surpluses with the SBC. The convention's nominating committee report was approved with no challenges. The committee nominates people to serve on boards of ABSC entities and institutions. Gary Hollingsworth, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, was elected as president of the ABSC Executive Board, with Mike McCauley, pastor of Bella Vista Baptist Church in Bella Vista, elected as first vice president. The 2013 annual meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention will be Oct. 29-30 at Cross Church in Rogers. --30-- Reported by the staff of the Arkansas Baptist News. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tufts Univ. reinstates Christian ministry by Leigh Jones Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday MEDFORD, Mass. (BP) -- Student religious groups should not have to appoint leaders who do not share their beliefs, a student judiciary at Tufts University announced on Wednesday (Dec. 5). It was a big victory for a Christian group on campus that had lost official recognition in October. Like several other private colleges, Tufts has an "all comers" policy that requires official student organizations to be open to all students for both membership and leadership, regardless of beliefs. But in reviewing a discrimination complaint filed against Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF), the largest evangelical group on the Medford, Mass., campus, the Tufts Committee on Student Life decided unanimously the policy should not apply to leaders of religious groups. "It is reasonable to expect that leaders within individual [religious groups] be exemplars of that particular religion," the committee ruled. "Therefore, an 'all comers' policy for group leadership may not be appropriate for all [religious groups]." Under the new policy, religious groups must remain open to all students for membership but can use doctrinal statements when selecting leaders. Tufts Christian Fellowship lost it official recognition in October after members of the Tufts Coalition Against Religious Exclusion complained the group's leadership requirements violated the school's nondiscrimination policy. TCF members applauded the new policy in a statement released Thursday (Dec. 6): "We appreciate that the Committee on Student Life recognizes that faith-based groups may need the freedom to use faith-based criteria in its leadership selection in order to remain consistent with the mission and beliefs of their faiths. We also appreciate the Committee's desire to protect all students on campus by both affirming the nondiscrimination policy and defining its proper context and application for student religious groups." TCF will remain on suspension until the group submits a new application for recognition, which it intends to do immediately. The new policy requires the university chaplaincy to review applications for doctrinal justification for all departures from the nondiscrimination policy. Like other campus groups affiliated with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, TCF requires student leaders to affirm statements of faith that include adherence to sexual purity. InterVarsity chapters on dozens of campuses, both public and private, have faced challenges during the last few years to their teachings on homosexuality. Most public schools have affirmed the group's right to operate freely. But many private schools, which are not bound by constitutional protections for religious freedom, have adopted policies that restrict Christian groups' autonomy. Last year, Nashville's Vanderbilt University adopted an "all-comers" policy that forced 15 evangelical Christian groups to sever ties with the school. Leaders of campus ministries across the country feared other schools would follow Vanderbilt's lead. But Tufts adopted a position of true tolerance by protecting religious groups on campus, said Alec Hill, president of InterVarsity: "We urge other universities like Vanderbilt University to rethink their positions." --30-- Leigh Jones writes for WorldonCampus.com, where this story first appeared. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CULTURE DIGEST: Congresswoman to use Hindu text at swearing-in by Staff Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- As the U.S. Congress becomes increasingly diverse, the first Hindu House member will use the sacred Hindu text the Bhagavad Gita at her swearing-in ceremony next month. Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu elected to the U.S. Congress, representing Hawaii's second congressional district and she will be the first member of Congress to be sworn in with a Hindu text. With Gabbard's election, just over 42 percent of the U.S. House, or 184 members, will be non-Protestant, according to the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life. Protestants will comprise 57.2 percent, or 246 members. Other members in addition to Gabbard will be 134 Catholics, 22 Jewish representatives, eight Mormons, five Orthodox Christians, two Buddhists, two Muslims, eight whose religion is unspecified, one religiously unaffiliated and one Unitarian Universalist. Anju Bhargava, founder of Hindu American Seva Charities, told The Huffington Post that Gabbard's use of the text, also called the Gita, is symbolic of the growing religious diversity in Congress. "For Hindu Americans it is a historic moment.... It is a matter of pride that finally someone not only from our own faith, but someone who is a practicing Hindu, will be sworn in the Congress on one of the most sacred books," Bhargava said, according to The Post. "It is my hope ... that this swearing-in will be another learning opportunity for our country about Hindus and Gita. Another step towards bringing knowledge and values of Gita even more prominently to the American political landscape so that it becomes part of the everyday vocabulary in applying the moral principles in our political arena," Bhargava said. Gabbard has described the Bhagavad Gita, one of several Hindu texts, as her favorite, pointing out verses from chapter two defining the soul as pervading the entire body, indestructible and imperishable, and saying it cannot be "cut into pieces by any weapon, burned by fire, moistened by water nor withered by the wind." Incidentally, Gabbard replaces Mazie Hirono, a Buddhist who left her House seat in a successful run for the U.S. Senate. Hirono will be the only Buddhist in the U.S. Senate, which will include 53 Protestants, 27 Catholics, 10 Jewish officials, seven Mormons and two whose religion is unspecified, according to Pew. PLANNED PARENTHOOD AFFILIATE OBJECTS TO ABORTION REQUIREMENT -- A Planned Parenthood affiliate in New York state has made a break with the national organization over its abortion provision mandate. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has required its affiliates to include abortion services by next year. The board of directors of Planned Parenthood of South Central New York voted unanimously Nov. 26 to break away from PPFA, according to YNN, a local cable news channel. The new organization, renamed Family Planning of South Central New York, made the decision because abortions already are provided by other entities in the region, a spokeswoman told YNN. Its resources should be used for such services as family planning and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, an agency spokeswoman said. News about PPFA's abortion mandate broke in December 2010 when its affiliate in Corpus Christi, Texas, withdrew from the organization and changed its name. Pro-life leader Marjorie Dannenfelser criticized PPFA for its requirement. The mandate "is the ultimate evidence that Planned Parenthood's chief concern is making money off abortion -- not the health of vulnerable women and girls," said Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List. MINISTRY HELPS 38 WORKERS LEAVE ABORTION CLINICS -- A ministry started by a former Planned Parenthood center director is succeeding in helping abortion clinic workers leave the lethal industry. And Then There Were None (ATTWN) has helped 38 workers leave the abortion business, Abby Johnson said in a recent update for the organization's supporters, according to a Nov. 26 report by LifeSite News. Johnson started ATTWN after her departure from a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas. Her organization is helping five workers leave the same clinic in Atlanta, and three already have jobs, Johnson said in the update. It also has assisted three employees of a Houston clinic, she reported. "[W]hen a worker came to us from a late term abortion clinic in Houston, we were thrilled. But when she was able to reach out to two workers who were still inside the clinic ... and then was able to pull them out with our ministry's help ... we were beside ourselves," Johnson said, according to LifeSite News. Johnson worked at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan for eight years, serving as its director for more than two years. She left her position and became a pro-life advocate in 2009 shortly after witnessing the destruction of a 13-week-old unborn baby as part of an ultrasound-guided abortion she assisted in. MOTHER GIVES BIRTH 12 YEARS AFTER EGGS FROZEN -- An Argentinian mother has given birth to twins who were conceived from eggs frozen 12 years before, breaking the previous known record of seven years. Monica Zapotoczny, 45, of Buenos Aires gave birth to the non-identical twins, Mercedes and Guadalupe, in January, the Daily Mail reported Nov. 18. Her husband, Guillermo Husak, 44, and she tried once more last year to have a child after several unsuccessful efforts at in vitro fertilization. About 1,000 children in the world have been born from frozen eggs, but only 15 have been born in Great Britain during the last decade, the Daily Mail reported. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode and Diana Chandler 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). -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Is the culture at war with Christmas? by Russell D. Moore Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- Flipping through magazines on an airplane the other day, I found myself sighing with irritation. An advertisement for Budweiser was tagged with the headline, "Silent Nights are Overrated." A few minutes later, in a second magazine, I came across an ad for a high-end outdoor grill, which read: "Who says it's better to give than to receive?" My first reaction was one that I've critiqued in others, to take some sort of personal, or at least tribal, offense: "Would they advertise in Turkey during Ramadan with the line, 'Fasting is Overrated?' or by asking in India, 'Who says everything is one with the universe?'" I was missing the point -- and that matters. Every year about this time, there's a lot of hubbub about a so-called "war on Christmas." In some instances, there are legitimate questions of religious liberty involved and complicated church/state questions that we ought to be concerned about. More commonly, though, the outrage is directed toward the commercial marketplace, for replacing "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" and so on. As Christians, we ought to recognize that a militant pull toward what Richard John Neuhaus called a "naked public square" is bad for people of any and all religious traditions. But there's a difference between, for instance, standing against a school system penalizing a child for writing "Merry Christmas" on her "holiday card" and the kind of huffing and puffing we do when commercial marketers don't "get" our Christian commitments. I should have thought about the fact that the advertising agencies behind this beer company and this grill corporation are trying to sell products, not to offend constituencies. Taking shots at any group's religious beliefs isn't good economics, and that's just the point. I'm willing to bet whoever dreamed up these ad campaigns didn't "get" at all that they might be making fun of Jesus Christ. Madison Avenue probably didn't trace through that the song "Silent Night" is about the holy awe of the dawning Incarnation in Bethlehem. To them, it's just a Christmas song, part of the background music in our culture this time of year. Saying it's overrated probably didn't feel any more "insensitive" to these copywriters than making a joke about, say, decking the halls or reindeer games or Heat Miser and Cold Miser. And they probably never thought about the fact that the statement "It is better to give than to receive" is a quotation from Jesus (Acts 20:35). To them, it probably just seems like a Benjamin Franklin-style aphorism. It's the same kind of thing that happens when someone says "scarlet letter" without recognizing Hawthorne or "to be or not to be" while not knowing the difference between Hamlet and Shrek. We ought not to get outraged by all that, as though we were some protected class of victims. We ought to instead see the ways that our culture is less and less connected with the roots of basic knowledge about Christianity. Many, especially in the culture-making wing of American life, see Christmas in the same way they see Hanukkah. They know about Menorahs and dreidels, but not about the Maccabean fight. That ought not make us angry. It ought to instead give us an opportunity to understand how we look to our neighbors. They see us more in terms of our trivialities than in terms of the depths of meaning of Incarnation and blood atonement and the kingdom of Christ. They know something about "Silent Night," just as they know something about "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." What they don't recognize is the cosmos-shifting mystery of Immanuel as God with Us. All that means is that we need to spend more time lovingly engaging our neighbors with the sort of news that shocks angels and redirects stargazers and knocks sheep-herders to the ground. That it seems increasingly strange is all the better -- because it is strange. A gospel safe enough to sell beer and barbecue grills is a gospel too safe to make blessings flow, far as the curse is found. Christmas, then, isn't about a fight for our right to party. It's a reminder that we, like every generation before us, live in a "land of deep darkness" (Isaiah 9:2). The darkness isn't overcome by sarcasm or personal offense or retaliatory insults. The light of Bethlehem shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not, cannot, will not overcome it. And that's enough. --30-- Russell D. Moore is dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column first appeared www.russellmoore.com). Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Is society rejecting tobacco, but embracing pot? by Kelly Boggs Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- Pot-puffers in Washington state celebrated their new ability to smoke marijuana legally Thursday (Dec. 6). Colorado will join the Evergreen State and allow airheads to get Rocky Mountain high lawfully on Jan. 6. I find it quite ironic that while it seems society has grown more accepting of marijuana, it has at the same time ridiculed, scorned and even shamed those who smoke tobacco. The products have come to be viewed very differently. Tobacco is reviled for the havoc it wreaks on the body's respiratory system and its propensity to cause lung and other cancers -- as well as its link to heart disease. Marijuana is touted by many as being practically harmless to health and void of any negative consequences. Those who puff on cigarettes are viewed by many as flawed and weak in character -- especially those who smoke around children. Marijuana aficionados, on the other hand, are deemed to be progressive and open-minded. Perhaps the opponents of tobacco smoking would gladly outlaw all products related to the practice. However, having learned from Prohibition the futility in seeking to ban a product many desire, they have instead gone the route of demonizing those who smoke. The opposite has been true in reference to marijuana. For the last 50 years the popular culture has lionized the use of "pot" in song and film. "Grass" users during the past half century have, more times than not, been portrayed as hip and cool. The dangers of tobacco smoking are well documented. For those who smoke, as well as for those exposed to second-hand smoke, the health risks are very real. The use of tobacco -- even the smokeless varieties -- should be discouraged every way possible. The proponents of marijuana smoking have downplayed the negative consequences of smoking pot. However, a growing body of evidence is showing that marijuana smoking is just as unhealthy as cigarette smoking. The Internet site ScienceDaily contains a host of articles dealing with the negative effects of marijuana. One article called attention to a study titled, "A Comparison of Mainstream and Sidestream Marijuana and Tobacco Cigarette Smoke Produced Under Two Machine Smoking Conditions." According to ScienceDaily, the study found "that ammonia levels were 20 times higher in the marijuana smoke than in the tobacco smoke, while hydrogen, cyanide, nitric oxide and certain aromatic amines occurred at levels 3-5 times higher in the marijuana smoke." Some researchers suggest the toxic substances in marijuana smoke could damage DNA in much the same way tobacco smoke does and thus increase the risk of lung and other cancers. However, more research is needed before a cause and effect link can be substantiated. Another article at ScienceDaily highlighted a study titled "Bullous Lung Disease due to Marijuana" The report found that a condition which leads to destruction of lung tissue, bullous lung disease, occurs in marijuana smokers approximately 20 years earlier than tobacco smokers. According to ScienceDaily, the lead author of the study, Australian physician Matthew Naughton, said, "Marijuana is inhaled as extremely hot fumes to the peak of inspiration and held for as long as possible before slow exhalation. This predisposes to greater damage to the lungs and makes marijuana smokers more prone to bullous disease as compared to cigarette smokers." It seems that with marijuana smoking, as with cigarette smoking, smoke + lungs = bad. Beyond the health risks of inhaling marijuana smoke, there is the aspect of getting high that is absent with cigarette smoke. In fact, getting "stoned" is the main reason marijuana aficionados smoke pot. Frontline, a public affairs program distributed via the Public Broadcasting Service, has on its website a page that features "A Fact Sheet of the Effects of Marijuana" produced by the Partnership for a Drug Free America. The Frontline site lists following regarding marijuana use: "Impaired memory for recent events, difficulty concentrating, dreamlike states, impaired motor coordination, impaired driving and other psychomotor skills, slowed reaction time, impaired goal-directed mental activity, and altered peripheral vision are common associated effects." A study conducted in 2009 by Veterans Administration Healthcare/Yale University School of Medicine titled "The effect of cannabis compared with alcohol on driving," stated, "Cannabis [marijuana] and alcohol acutely impair several driving-related skills...." Drivers in Washington and Colorado now not only have to be aware of drunk drivers, but they also have to be concerned about drivers who are stoned. States don't need more impaired drivers behind the wheel. So two states, with perhaps more to follow, have embraced the recreational use of marijuana -- all the while cigarette smoking is vilified, even though both are fraught with health issues. In fact, when you add the "stoned" factor, it would seem that pot smoking has the potential for even more problems than tobacco inhalation. Maybe "ironic" isn't the right word. Perhaps "sad" or "tragic" would be more appropriate. --30-- Kelly Boggs is a weekly columnist for Baptist Press, director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention's office of public affairs, and editor of the Baptist Message, www.baptistmessage.com, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: El Regalo Eterno by Mike Gonzales Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: La columna First-Person (De primera mano) es parte de la edición de hoy de BP en español. Para ver historias adicionales, vaya a http://www.bpnews.net/espanol GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- Cuando hablamos de la salvación eterna, muchas personas no entienden lo que significan estas palabras. He oído muchas reacciones sobre este tema; muchos dicen: "Nadie puede saber con seguridad que uno va ir al cielo." Otros dicen: "Sólo Dios sabe si uno va a ir al cielo." La Palabra de Dios, la Biblia, nos dice con certeza que sí podemos obtener la salvación eterna y saber con seguridad estando en este mundo que estaremos en la presencia de Dios cuando muramos. Romanos 8:1 dice: "Ahora, pues, ninguna condenación hay para los que están en Cristo Jesús, los que no andan confirme la carne, sino conforme al Espíritu." Romanos 10:13 dice: "Porque todo aquel que invocare el nombre del Señor será salvo." Hechos 4:12 dice: "Y en ningún otro hay salvación porque no hay otro nombre bajo el cielo, dado a los hombres, en que podamos ser salvos." La salvación eterna empieza con el arrepentimiento. ¿Qué significa eso? El término bíblico de arrepentimiento significa "cambiar de mentalidad" o "cambiar de sentimientos" o "dar una media vuelta". Cuando hablamos de la salvación eterna estamos hablando de las buenas nuevas que Jesús nos dejó, cuando Él nació, vivió, murió, y resucitó para perdonar nuestros pecados. Pero antes de oír de las buenas nuevas tenemos que saber de las malas nuevas. Tenemos que reconocer que estamos bajo la condenación del pecado que tenemos en nuestras vidas. Ese pecado nos ha separado desde nuestro nacimiento de la presencia de Dios. Si no tratamos ese pecado, podemos ser personas muy religiosos o ser personas muy buenas; pero seguiremos siendo individuos absolutamente perdidos espiritualmente y sin la salvación eterna. Mateo 4:17 nos dice: "Desde entonces Jesús empezó a predicar y a decir: Arrepentíos, porque el reino de los cielos se ha acercado." La salvación eterna tiene su base en una transformación espiritual no en una reformación terrenal. El pecado trae separación, condenación y muerte eterna. Pero el arrepentimiento significa reconocer nuestro pecado, arrepentirnos de este y pedir el perdón de Dios y creer que Él tiene el poder para perdonarnos y darnos la salvación eterna. Entonces tendremos gozo, paz, y alegría en nuestras vidas aun en los momentos difíciles. Cuando aceptamos a Cristo en nuestros corazones, confesamos con nuestra boca nuestro pecado, y nos entregamos a Cristo totalmente; entonces Él se convierte en nuestro Salvador. Cristo dijo: "…Yo soy la resurrección y la vida; él que cree en mí, aunque esté muerto, vivirá." Juan 11:25 Este es el regalo más importante que podemos recibir al vivir en este mundo y se llama la salvación eterna, --30-- Dr. Mike Gonzales es director de los Ministerios Multiétnicos de la SBTC. -------------------------------------------------------------------- SEMANA DE ORACIÓN: La persecución refleja la autenticidad de la fe by Por Erich Bridges Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday NOTA DEL EDITOR: La Semana de Oración por las Misiones Internacionales de este año en la Convención Bautista del Sur es del 2 al 9 de diciembre con el tema "SER Su corazón, Sus manos, Su voz" de Mateo 16:24, 25. Cada año, la Ofrenda de Navidad Lottie Moon para las Misiones Internacionales complementa el dar del Programa Cooperativo para apoyar las iniciativas de compartir el evangelio de los más de 5.000 misioneros internacionales de los bautistas del sur. La meta de la ofrenda de este año es $175 millones. Para encontrar recursos acerca de la ofrenda, vaya a hispanos.imb.org/ofrenda. ÁFRICA DEL NORTE Y EL MEDIO ESTE (BP) -- Nik y Ruth Ripken* han servido en algunas de las más difíciles regiones de África. Ellos han conocido a creyentes que han sido martirizados por Cristo. Han hablado con cientos de cristianos que experimentan persecución en más de 70 países. Después de todo eso, han aprendido algo sobre la persecución. "La persona más perseguida es una persona perdida que no tiene acceso a Jesús," dice Nik. "Satanás quiere impedir que la gente oiga sobre Jesús; si él no puede hacer eso, quiere callarte, silenciar tu testimonio." La mayoría de los cristianos estadounidenses caen en la segunda categoría. No experimentan persecución porque no le hablan a nadie de Jesús. Sin embargo, la persecución de los verdaderos seguidores de Jesús ha sido normal desde los tiempos del Nuevo Testamento hasta el día presente. La causa No 1 -- cuando la gente llega a conocer a Jesús. La clave es cómo hacer que la persecución cuente para la Gloria de Dios, como lo hicieron los cristianos primitivos. Los Ripken aprendieron esa verdad de la manera dura. Ellos sirvieron en Sud África y Kenia después de sentir el llamado de Dios a inicios de los 1980s. Experimentaron el drama -- y el trauma -- de ministrar en medio de la segregación racial, las tensiones religiosas y tribales y otros desafíos. Sin embargo, nada los preparó para su siguiente lugar de servicio: Somalia. La abrumadora nación musulmana del este africano estaba destruida por la guerra civil, el caos y el peligro en los 1990s, como lo está hoy en día. "Alimentamos al hambriento. Vestimos al desnudo. Fuimos heridos de bala. Enterramos a un hijo de 16 años," relata Nik, refiriéndose a la muerte por un ataque de asma de su hijo en Kenia un domingo de resurrección. Y observaron sin poder hacer nada como casi 150 seguidores de Cristo en Somalia con trasfondo musulmán fueron martirizados. Cuatro de sus más cercanos amigos murieron en un solo y terrible día en 1994. El horror continuó, y los Ripken y otros obreros fueron sacados a la fuerza en 1998. Ellos no han podido regresar. Los Ripkes se dieron cuenta que muchos de estos mártires murieron no solamente por seguir a Cristo, sino por estar abiertamente identificados con agencias cristianas extranjeras. Así comenzó su esfuerzo de largo alcance para entender la naturaleza de la persecución y cómo Dios obra a través de ella. Tratar de parar en cada caso o "rescatar" a cada creyente que la experimente es entender mal la libertad religiosa, afirman ellos. "Necesitamos orar inteligentemente, no que aumente la persecución, sino que la gente de la tierra tenga acceso a Jesús -- todos ellos," explica Nik. "Cuando eso pase, la persecución va a ser una realidad. Algunas veces Dios necesita tener a José en la prisión del faraón con un propósito. Históricamente, la persecución es normal. En muchos lugares hoy en día, esta autentica la fe. Así que la persecución no es algo que usted busca o que huye de ella. La persecución solamente es. Es lo que usted haga de ella lo que cuenta." Ahora ubicados en África del Norte y el Medio Oriente, Nik y Ruth se especializan en entrenamiento e investigación para ayudar al cuerpo global de Cristo, incluyendo a los obreros de IMB y las iglesias bautistas del sur, a entender el testimonio efectivo del evangelio y la iniciación de iglesias en ambientes donde la persecución es la norma. Dondequiera que vayan en el mundo, se encuentran con musulmanes, hinduistas, budistas y otros hambrientos de saber de Dios. "Cada vez que enviamos a un misionero a través de la Ofrenda de Navidad Lottie Moon, estamos diciendo: 'No vamos a parar hasta que cada hombre, mujer, niño y niña sobre la tierra tengan acceso a Jesús,'" dice Nik. "Ser Su corazón, Sus manos y Su voz significa que estamos representando a Jesús en medio de todas las naciones." Las naciones están frecuentemente más cerca de lo que pensamos. Los inmigrantes que llegan a EE.UU. en estos días incluyen personas que son difíciles de alcanzar con el evangelio en sus países de origen. Aquí, pueden ser alcanzados al cruzar la calle. Pero usted tiene que cruzar la calle. "Dios nos está dando una segunda oportunidad. Nos está trayendo las naciones a nosotros," dice Nik. "Pero estamos huyendo de las naciones en nuestro medio. …Hasta que venzamos nuestro miedo, no acogeremos al perdido en medio nuestro. [A menudo] esas personas se sienten solas y asiladas. Salga de la iglesia. Vaya a sus hogares. Invítelas a su hogar. Compre donde ellas compran. Estamos en un país libre, y sin embargo no estamos ejerciendo nuestra libertad de testificar a las naciones en nuestro medio." Aún así, enfatiza Nik, los cristianos estadounidenses tienen la misma libertad espiritual en otros lugares -- aun en las más "cerradas," y represivas naciones sobre la tierra. "Satanás nos ha engañado," dice. "Testificar no se trata de libertad. No se trata de estar en un país libre. Testificar se trata de obediencia. ¿Tengo el coraje de sufrir las consecuencias de ejercer mi libertad para compartir a Jesús?" --30-- *Los nombres han sido cambiados. Erich Bridges es corresponsal global de IMB. Las ofrendas de los bautistas del sur a la Ofrenda de Navidad Lottie Moon para las misiones internacionales y a través del Programa Cooperativo ayudan a los misioneros bautistas del sur alrededor del mundo a compartir el evangelio. Los donativos para la ofrenda son recibidos en las iglesias bautistas del sur en todo el país o pueden ser hechas en línea en hispanos.imb.org/ofrenda donde hay recursos para que los líderes de iglesia promuevan la ofrenda. Descargue videos relacionados en hispanos.imb.org/ofrenda. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: La reforma migratoria no se trata de política by Por Barrett Duke Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP)—Los expertos en política en el país están hablando sobre el papel que jugó el voto latino en la elección presidencial. Claramente, los latinos favorecieron al Presidente Obama, más que al Gob. Romney. Sin duda, las posturas que tomó cada uno de los candidatos sobre la reforma migratoria fueron un factor para muchos latinos. Muchos de estos expertos en política están instando a los republicanos a cambiar su postura sobre los inmigrantes para ayudar con las políticas republicanas. Obviamente, les ayudaría un acercamiento más realista. Pero la reforma migratoria no debe tratarse solamente de política. Debe tratarse de la dignidad humana. La Comisión de Ética y Libertad Religiosa de la Convención Bautista del Sur apoya la reforma migratoria porque creemos que Dios espera que esta nación actúe de manera compasiva hacia aquellos que están viviendo pacíficamente entre nosotros, sean legales o no. Tomamos esta perspectiva de la Biblia. Cuando Dios les decía al pueblo de Israel cómo tratar a los inmigrantes en medio de ellos, les dijo, "Debes amarlo como a ti mismo" (Levítico 19:34). Si Dios pudo instruir a Su pueblo para que amen al inmigrante en medio de ellos, quienes no necesariamente compartían la fe de Su pueblo, seguramente espera lo mismo de nosotros. Durante 30 años nuestra nación literalmente se ha hecho de la vista gorda mientras millones de hispanos cruzaban nuestra frontera sur y otros millones provenientes de todas partes del mundo se quedaron más tiempo del que sus visas permitían. Cuando los empleos abundaban el gobierno estaba contento de que ayudaran a mantener andando el motor de la economía. Como respuesta ante nuestra actitud pasiva, hicieron sus vidas aquí. Pero ahora, estos hispanos, asiáticos, africanos, y otros que han pasado décadas aquí están construyendo sus vidas por sí mismo y criando a sus hijos entre nosotros, enfrentan la amenaza de la deportación, ya sea por la fuerza o debido a la falta de empleo. Aquellos de nosotros que estamos ofendidos porque estos hombres y mujeres voluntariamente quebrantaron nuestras leyes y continúan haciéndolo con documentos falsos de identidad, tienen el derecho de estar ofendidos. Debe haber un castigo para esto. Pero aquellos de nosotros que nos hacemos llamar cristianos, nuestra reacción ante ellos debería primero ser una de compasión, no de retribución. Estos hombres y mujeres son amados por Dios tanto como nosotros. También han sido creados a la imagen de Dios. También son personas por las que murió Cristo. Merecen algo mejor que lo que algunos de nosotros estamos intentando. Para muchos, las habilidades que aplican aquí ni siquiera serían útiles en sus países natales, los cuales dejaron hace años. Sacarlos sería consignarlos de seguro a vidas de pobreza extrema. Esta no es la respuesta cristiana para la gente necesitada. La Comisión de Ética y Libertad Religiosa apoya el plan de la reforma migratoria que asegure nuestras fronteras de una vez por todas, asegure la aplicación de la ley en las empresas que los contraten, y provea senderos hacia el estatus legal y/o la ciudadanía con la restitución y requisitos apropiados para aquellos que no tengan historial criminal. Tal plan demuestra el compromiso de nuestra nación con la aplicación de la ley y también con nuestro compromiso de dar la bienvenida al inmigrante. Estados Unidos es una nación de inmigrantes. Nuestra propia historia nos ha enseñado que el crisol que es Estados Unidos de América se ha fortalecido por la infusión de gente nueva. Les ayudamos y fin de cuentas ayudamos a nuestra nación al darles la bienvenida y ayudarles a alcanzar su potencial otorgado por Dios. Esta es la manera americana, y aún más importante, la manera cristiana. --30-- Barrett Duke es el vicepresidente para política pública e investigación en la Comisión de Ética y Libertad Religiosa de la Convención Bautista del Sur. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Se aplaude la postura de Obama en contra de las loterías by Por Diana Chandler Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Mientras ambos ganadores del sorteo Powerball se preparan para dividir el premio de $588 millones, emergen nuevas discusiones debido al punto de vista del presidente Obama sobre la lotería, calificándola como una "problemática" forma de "cobro de impuestos regresivo" dañino para los pobres. Durante una entrevista en "Chicago Tonight" como senador de Illinois, Obama expresó estar en contra de la lotería en ese estado, según está señalando una discusión en las bitácoras por internet. Particularmente, una entrada en la bitácora de Ed Stetzer, presidente de LifeWay Research, que provee un enlace a la entrevista hecha en el 2000. Las respuestas enviadas a la bitácora indican que el punto de vista de Obama concuerda con el de los bautistas del sur. "Yo argumentaría que si lo ves como un todo," dijo Obama en la entrevista, "en la mayoría de los estados en general esto tiende a ser una forma de cobro de impuestos regresivo, y no creo que sea la manera más justa para que nosotros tengamos ingresos en el estado. Lo que hemos aprendido de los estudios… es que se venden más boletos de lotería entre la clase trabajadora que todos los habitantes de Winnetka (Ill.) y en las áreas de mayor afluencia." Illinois instituyó su lotería estatal en 1974, vendiendo su primer boleto para ganar un premio de un millón de dólares tan sólo cinco meses después. "Una de las preocupaciones que tengo obviamente es que el número desproporcionado de personas que consistentemente compran boletos tiende a ser la clase de bajos ingresos y trabajadora que tienen menos dinero para gastar en esto," dijo Obama en una entrevista, disponible en YouTube. "Incluso si no son adictos a las apuestas, probablemente están gastando más dinero del que tienen. "Ahora, pudiéramos decir que este es su dólar para gastar en entretenimiento de la misma manera que alguien más se gasta su dólar de entretenimiento en un boleto para el cine," dijo Obama. "Pero creo que es algo problemático el hecho de que el estado sistemáticamente tenga en la mira a quienes sabemos son las personas de menores ingresos como un medio para ganar ingresos." Los estudios indican que se venden más boletos entre los individuos de la clase trabajadora que entre los más afluentes, dijo Obama. Stetzer dijo que concuerda con el punto de vista de Obama sobre la lotería. "Mientras que alguien va a ser rico esta semana, un montón de personas van a ser un poquito más pobres," dijo Stetzer. "No necesitamos otro 'impuesto sobre los pobres' y no necesitamos que el gobierno apoye y promueva tales esfuerzos." Stetzer hizo referencia a un estudio de Carnegie Mellon que señaló el "papel central de la pobreza en las decisiones de las personas que compran boletos de lotería." "Algunas personas pobres ven el jugar a la lotería como su mejor oportunidad para mejorar su situación financiera, aunque erróneamente," según se han citado a Emily Haisley, líder del estudio en el 2008 y luego a un estudiante doctoral de Carnegie Mellon. "La esperanza de salir de la pobreza anima a la gente a continuar comprando boletos, incluso si sus probabilidades de toparse con una ganancia inesperada que les cambie la vida sean imposiblemente escasas y comprar un boleto de lotería de hecho exagera la misma pobreza de la cual sus compradores esperan escapar." Las loterías estatales tienen una ganancia promedio de sólo 53 centavos por cada dólar que se gaste en boletos, según demuestran los estudios. El record de esta semana en el sorteo Powerball desató una cascada de compradores, alcanzando ventas de hasta 130,000 boletos por minuto. Uno de los boletos ganadores se vendió en Missouri y otro en Arizona. --30-- Diana Chandler es una escritora de Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- COMPENDIO CULTURA: Congresista va a usar texto hindú en la ceremonia de juramentación by Por el personal Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- A medida que el congreso estadounidense se vuelve cada vez más diverso, la primera miembro hinduista de la Casa usará el texto hinduista el Bhagavad Gita en su ceremonia de juramentación el próximo mes. Tulsi Gabbard es la primera hinduista elegida al congreso de EE.UU., y representa al segundo distrito del congreso de Hawái y será la primera miembro del Congreso que prestará juramento en un texto hinduista. Con la elección de Gabbard, justamente el 42 por ciento de la Cámara de Representantes de EE.UU., o sea 184 miembros, no será protestante, de acuerdo al Foro sobre Religión y Vida Pública del Centro de Investigación Pew. Los protestantes comprenderán el 57.2 por ciento, o sea 246 miembros. Otros miembros además de Gabbard serán 134 católicos, 22 judíos, ocho mormones, cinco cristianos ortodoxos, dos budistas, dos musulmanes. Ocho cuya religión no está especificada, uno religiosamente no afiliado y un universalista unitario. Anju Bhargava, fundadora de las Caridades Seva Hinduistas Estadounidenses, le dijo al Huffington Post que el uso del texto de Gabbard, también llamado el Gita, es simbólico en la creciente diversidad religiosa en el congreso. "Para los hinduistas estadounidenses este es un momento histórico… Es un asunto de orgullo que finalmente alguien no solamente de nuestra propia fe, sino alguien practicante del hinduismo, preste juramento en el Congreso en unos de los más sagrados libros," dijo Bhargava, de acuerdo al Post. "Es mi esperanza… que este juramento sea otra oportunidad de aprendizaje para nuestro país acerca de los hinduistas y el Gita. Otro paso hacia traer conocimiento y valores del Gita inclusive más prominentemente al panorama político estadounidense de manera que se vuelva parte del vocabulario diario al aplicar los principios morales en nuestra arena política," dijo Bhargava. Gabbard ha descrito el Bhagavad Gita, uno de varios textos hinduistas, como su favorito, y señala versos del capítulo dos que definen el alma penetrando a todo el cuerpo, indestructible e imperecedera, y diciendo que no puede ser "cortada en pedazos por ningún arma, quemada por el fuego, humedecida por el agua ni desvanecida por el viento." Dicho sea de paso, Gabbard reemplaza a Mazie Hirono, budista que dejó el escaño de la Casa por una exitosa candidatura al Senado de EE.UU. Hirono será la única persona budista en el Senado de EE.UU, el cual incluye 53 protestantes, 27 católicos, 10 oficiales judíos, siete mormones y dos cuya religión no está especificada, de acuerdo a Pew. BRITÁNICOS PONEN A BEBÉS EN VÍA MORTAL -- El protocolo británico de fin de la vida conocido como la Vía de Atención Liverpool (Liverpool Care Pathway) está siendo usado en las muertes de niños enfermos y recién nacidos deshabilitados. Los proveedores de atención de la salud supuestamente estaban usando la Vía solamente en adultos enfermos terminales y en ancianos, pero un artículo en el British Medical Journal mostró que también están privando de alimento, agua y medicina a niños, reportó el Daily Mail el 28 de noviembre. En el artículo de la publicación, un médico anónimo reportó que él había supervisado la muerte por inanición y deshidratación de 10 bebés en una unidad neonatal. Aunque los padres desean que sus hijos mueran rápidamente sin sufrir, esos deseos van en contra de su experiencia, escribió el doctor. "Los padres y los equipos de atención no están preparados para los algunas veces severos cambios que van a presenciar en la apariencia física del niño como sucede con la deshidratación severa," dijo acerca de un proceso que tiene un tiempo promedio de 10 días desde la suspensión de fluidos hasta la muerte. Aunque él trata de preparar a los padres de manera que no hagan una elección que lamenten, el doctor escribió: "Yo sé, mientras ellos no pueden saberlo, el sin igual horror de ser testigos de un niño que se vuelve más pequeño y se encoge…" Una enfermera de cuidados terminales pediátricos criticó el uso de Vía en los niños. "Los padres se sienten coaccionados, en un tiempo verdaderamente traumático, a aceptar que esto es correcto para su niño del que los doctores les han dicho que tiene solamente unos pocos días de vida," escribió Bernadette Lloyd en una carta al Departamento de Salud, de acuerdo al Daily Mail. "Es muy difícil predecir la muerte. He visto un número 'razonable' de niños que se han recuperado después de haber sido sacados de la vía." Ella también dijo: "También he visto a niños morir de una terrible sed debido a que los fluidos les han sido quitados hasta que mueran… Esta es eutanasia secreta." El especialista estadounidense en bioética Wesley Smith estuvo de acuerdo con Lloyd. "Usted observa: La manera en que las cosas están pasando en el [Reino Unido], la respuesta no será suspender la deshidratación, sino la inyección letal," escribió Smith en su blog. AFILIADA DE PLANNED PARENTHOOD OBJETA REQUISITO DE ABORTO -- Una afiliada de Planned Parenthood en el estado de New York se ha separado de la organización nacional debido a su mandato de provisión de aborto. La Federación de Planificación Familiar de América (PPFA por sus siglas en inglés) ha requerido a sus afiliadas incluir servicios de aborto para el próximo año. La junta de directivos de Planned Parenthood del Centro Sur de New York votó unánimemente el 26 de noviembre separarse de PPFA, de acuerdo a YNN, un canal local de noticias por cable. La nueva organización, renombrada Planificación Familiar del Centro Sur de Nueva York (Family Planning of South Central New York), tomó la decisión debido a que los abortos ya son provistos por otras entidades de la región, le dijo una vocera a YNN. Sus recursos deben ser usados en servicios como planificación familiar y pruebas de enfermedades de transmisión sexual, dijo una vocera de la agencia. Las noticias sobre la orden de abortos de PPFA surgieron en diciembre de 2010 cuando su afiliada en Corpus Christi, Texas, se retiró de la organización y cambió de nombre. La líder pro-vida Marjorie Dannenfelser criticó a PPFA por su requisito. El mandato "es la última evidencia de que el interés del jefe de Planned Parenthood es obtener dinero del aborto -- no la salud de las vulnerables mujeres y chicas," dijo Dannenfelser, presidenta de la Lista Susan B. Anthony. --30-- Compilado por Tom Strode, Erin Roach y Diana Chandler de Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: El Regalo Eterno by Por Mike Gonzales Date: December 07, 2012 - Friday GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP) -- Cuando hablamos de la salvación eterna, muchas personas no entienden lo que significan estas palabras. He oído muchas reacciones sobre este tema; muchos dicen: "Nadie puede saber con seguridad que uno va ir al cielo." Otros dicen: "Sólo Dios sabe si uno va a ir al cielo." La Palabra de Dios, la Biblia, nos dice con certeza que sí podemos obtener la salvación eterna y saber con seguridad estando en este mundo que estaremos en la presencia de Dios cuando muramos. Romanos 8:1 dice: "Ahora, pues, ninguna condenación hay para los que están en Cristo Jesús, los que no andan confirme la carne, sino conforme al Espíritu." Romanos 10:13 dice: "Porque todo aquel que invocare el nombre del Señor será salvo." Hechos 4:12 dice: "Y en ningún otro hay salvación porque no hay otro nombre bajo el cielo, dado a los hombres, en que podamos ser salvos." La salvación eterna empieza con el arrepentimiento. ¿Qué significa eso? El término bíblico de arrepentimiento significa "cambiar de mentalidad" o "cambiar de sentimientos" o "dar una media vuelta". Cuando hablamos de la salvación eterna estamos hablando de las buenas nuevas que Jesús nos dejó, cuando Él nació, vivió, murió, y resucitó para perdonar nuestros pecados. Pero antes de oír de las buenas nuevas tenemos que saber de las malas nuevas. Tenemos que reconocer que estamos bajo la condenación del pecado que tenemos en nuestras vidas. Ese pecado nos ha separado desde nuestro nacimiento de la presencia de Dios. Si no tratamos ese pecado, podemos ser personas muy religiosos o ser personas muy buenas; pero seguiremos siendo individuos absolutamente perdidos espiritualmente y sin la salvación eterna. Mateo 4:17 nos dice: "Desde entonces Jesús empezó a predicar y a decir: Arrepentíos, porque el reino de los cielos se ha acercado." La salvación eterna tiene su base en una transformación espiritual no en una reformación terrenal. El pecado trae separación, condenación y muerte eterna. Pero el arrepentimiento significa reconocer nuestro pecado, arrepentirnos de este y pedir el perdón de Dios y creer que Él tiene el poder para perdonarnos y darnos la salvación eterna. Entonces tendremos gozo, paz, y alegría en nuestras vidas aun en los momentos difíciles. Cuando aceptamos a Cristo en nuestros corazones, confesamos con nuestra boca nuestro pecado, y nos entregamos a Cristo totalmente; entonces Él se convierte en nuestro Salvador. Cristo dijo: "…Yo soy la resurrección y la vida; él que cree en mí, aunque esté muerto, vivirá." Juan 11:25 Este es el regalo más importante que podemos recibir al vivir en este mundo y se llama la salvación eterna, --30-- Dr. Mike Gonzales es director de los Ministerios Multiétnicos de la SBTC.