The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-12/14/2012 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Grieved' -- Conn. Baptists responding to shooting by Diana Chandler Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday NEWTOWN, Conn. (BP) -- Area Southern Baptists are preparing to provide any assistance that may be needed for families impacted by Friday morning's mass shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school, where at least 27 were killed, including 20 children. Bryan Sims, pastor of Southbury Baptist Church about 15 minutes from the school, said hours after the tragedy he was contacting members to see if any of them were directly impacted. A resident from the Newtown area has been visiting Southbury for a few months, Sims said. "We're all very grieved, definitely praying for those who are going through that down in Newtown. It's such a tragedy. It's one thing when it's adults, but when it's little children being killed, it's just hard to fathom," Sims said. "I've emailed everybody in the church and put it on our church Facebook page that ... I'm here to talk, pray if anybody needs to. I'm kind of gauging the response right now. I'm not sure if people want to come to the church or if they want to be with their families right now." Itamar Maciel, interim pastor of the Spanish-language-speaking All Nations Church, a Southern Baptist plant in nearby Danbury, said his church will sponsor a community prayer meeting Saturday at 7 p.m. in response to the tragedy. He said the children of his 100 members are likely enrolled in public schools in Danbury, rather than Sandy Hook Elementary, the scene of the mass shooting. The tragedy unfolded when one or two gunmen entered the school and began shooting. Police were still on the scene Friday afternoon (Dec. 14); the presumed shooter was dead inside the school with other victims. Sims said Southbury could itself use prayer to know the best way to respond to the tragedy. "We're just here to reach out to anybody we can," Sims said. Mark Angerosa, interim director of mission for the Western Connecticut Baptist Association, said he will work across denominational lines to access the need for assistance, even as the association is still responding to Connecticut's damage from October's Hurricane Sandy. "It's still very early to tell," Angerosa said. "There are some ... very large churches in that area. In the evangelical community in Connecticut, we tend to work across denominational lines where it's helpful. And we'll certainly see if we can get on board with anything they are doing in that area already." Angerosa said any outreach could be an extension of disaster relief already underway in response to Sandy. "We've just had some people in our association trained for disaster relief, through the Baptist Convention of New England, and we're gearing ourselves up to assist with the recovery from Hurricane Sandy, which is still a great need in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey," Angerosa said. "So it is very possible that we could take some with chaplaincy training and make them available to those in Newtown if they have need of such. ... It's been a very difficult few months with the hurricane and now this tragedy is just devastating." Lisa Siedlecki, director of communications for the mega five-campus Walnut Hill (nondenominational) Community Church, said many of the families in Newtown attend Walnut Hill's Danbury campus. The church had just held an emergency planning meeting in response to the tragedy when Baptist Press spoke with Siedlecki. "It hits home here. We have families there," Siedlecki said with tears. "But our families are, I think right now, all accounted for, which is good. There are a few we haven't heard about so we have pastors out there now. We've had pastors there since early this morning. We've got a team there now ministering to the families." Walnut Hill cancelled Friday's Christmas musical to hold instead a prayer service, she said. "We are opening our doors up to the community for prayer [Friday] tonight. We've also got pastors mobilized in our prayer room and chapel for people who ... need to come and be prayed for. We've engaged the counselors we work ... with, at a Christian counseling center ... in Danbury, which is kind of our hub town in our region." "What I can tell you is ... everybody is just devastated to the core," she said. "The people who live in Newtown come to our main campus that's been there for 30 years. Everybody's wrecked.... We can't begin to even predict what the long-term effect is going to be." Angerosa said he will continue to contact churches in the area to access how Southern Baptists can respond. "There's going to be an awful lot of personnel there, both Christian and secular. So the important thing I think is being able to find out what exactly the needs are," he said. "Right now ... they're in shock and the initial grieving process is going to be huge. It's going to be community-wide. Until we connect with some of the churches there and find out what their needs are, it's hard to know exactly what we can do." "I have found oftentimes people want to go immediately when they hear that there is a problem or tragedy or disaster," Angerosa said. "But sometimes it's good to take a step back, try to make connections with people and get a good feel for what's really happening before just rushing in." --30-- Diana Chandler is Baptist Press' staff writer. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- WRAP-UP: State conventions underscore church planting, ethnic diversity, moral issues by Tammi Reed Ledbetter Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Church planting and increased ethnic diversity were celebrated in many of the state Baptist conventions' annual meetings this fall. In California three congregations involved in reaching a different ethnic group were featured, including Chinese Baptists ministering on an Indian reservation, one Anglo church engaged in reaching Hispanics and another hosting six different congregations -- Afghani, African American, Arabic, Armenian, Hispanic and Korean. The many languages of churches in the Hawaii-Pacific Baptist Convention were highlighted as various people read Scripture in their native languages at each session. Nine ethnic groups in national attire sang "People Need the Lord" in their native language as they filed in carrying flags from their nations of origin. During worship at the Baptist Convention of Maryland-Delaware's annual meeting, groups from Burmese, Chinese, Haitian, Kenyan, Korean and Nepalese churches shared hymns and praise music in their native languages, and an international dinner featured American, Chinese, Haitian, Hispanic, Korean and Nepalese foods. Kansas-Nebraska Southern Baptists highlighted church planting opportunities in the region's growing Hispanic population. North Carolina Baptists witnessed the commissioning of 34 North American Mission Board missionaries being sent out to plant churches in some of the least evangelized areas of the country and Canada. Arizona Baptists toured a mission fair to discover new opportunities for ministry. Colorado Baptists heard of new coalitions of associations formed to strengthen church planting in an effort to reach a diverse population. Florida Baptists learned of 117 new church starts through an emphasis on church planting regionalization, one of six recommendations being implemented in line with the Great Commission Resurgence. Appreciation for NAMB Tribute was paid to the North American Mission Board in both Florida and Ohio. Florida Baptist Convention Executive Director John Sullivan praised NAMB's help in planting churches, calling the SBC entity "the best partner we have in the state of Florida." Ohio Baptists affirmed their partnership with NAMB, expressing gratitude for the mission board's response to concern voiced at last year's state convention meeting over the level of funding by the mission board. Messengers rejoiced over the designation of Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland as SEND North America cities for NAMB's national initiative to heighten church planting. Sinner's prayer Commendation of the "sinner's prayer" as "a biblically sound and spiritually significant component of the evangelistic task of the church" was supported through identical resolutions passed in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The resolution encourages "all Christians to enthusiastically and intentionally proclaim the Gospel to sinners everywhere, being prepared to give them the reason for the hope we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15), and being prepared to lead them to confess faith in Christ (Romans 10:9), including praying to receive Him as Savior and Lord (John 1:12)." The resolution, written by Eric Hankins, pastor of First Baptist Church in Oxford, Miss., had been submitted for consideration at the SBC annual meeting in June and was changed substantially by the Resolutions Committee. However, both resolutions observe that a "sinner's prayer is not an incantation that results in salvation merely by its recitation and should never be manipulatively employed or utilized apart from a clear articulation of the Gospel," citing Matthew 6:7, 15:7-9, and 28:18-20. Southern Baptists of Texas Convention passed a resolution on evangelism and missions calling for "a clear and complete gospel presentation" and the "invitation to repent of one's sins and to believe in Jesus Christ as the only way to receive God's salvation." Spiritual awakening An intentional focus on prayer and spiritual awakening was offered in Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Utah-Idaho. Louisiana Baptists completed a yearlong focus that featured 550 churches participating in a season of prayer, with parish-wide prayer meetings held in 64 locations. Tennessee Baptists approved a unified revival theme for 2013 encouraging solemn assembly and seasons of prayer, confession, repentance and reconciliation in churches. Resolutions related to evangelism and revival arose in several states, including a call by Dakota Baptists for a renewed commitment to personal soul-winning, prayer by New England Baptists for national leadership and revival for America based on the current state of declining morality across the nation. Northwest Baptists passed a resolution affirming a focus on gospel impact among local churches while North Carolina Baptists approved a resolution calling for the pursuit of holiness. Oklahoma Baptists embraced a call to fervent prayer and intercession for spiritual awakening as well as affirming Sunday School as a primary ministry for discipleship and evangelism. Biblical influence Messengers in several states challenged Southern Baptists to consider biblical values when exercising the right to vote. Baptist General Convention of Texas messengers encouraged "individual Texas Baptists to seek God's guidance in making their election decisions" and to be informed voters. Nevada Baptists noted a growing intolerance of Christian views and standards, urging that they hold fast to biblical standards, particularly in regard to the sanctity of life and marriage. Dakota and New Mexico Baptists also urged careful consideration of biblical values in regard to the election while Oklahoma Baptists called for prayer and encouragement for elected officials. Messengers in Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention spoke more directly to the issue of religious liberty, with Alaska Baptists commending Christians who uphold a biblical worldview, citing the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain led by Dan Cathy as an example. Southern Baptists of Texas Convention recognized Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Richard D. Land for his defense of religious liberty, the sanctity of life, racial reconciliation, a traditional definition of marriage and other moral stances during his 24-year tenure. Alabama Baptists supported a statewide pro-life coalition as well as human needs ministries accompanied by a strong gospel witness. Both Oklahoma and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention addressed the sanctity of life, supporting passage of personhood amendments. Arkansas Baptists specifically opposed a medical marijuana referendum which ultimately failed on the Nov. 6 ballot. Meeting after the election results were in, Michigan Baptists passed a resolution urging members to work as agents of reconciliation in a divided nation. Resolutions by South Carolina and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention declared support for the sovereignty of Israel to exist as a nation. Definition of marriage Opposition to same-sex marriage was expressed in Alabama, with messengers also calling on churches to deal compassionately with homosexuals, a concern expressed by Alaska and West Virginia Baptists as well. Louisiana Baptists objected to a LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) minor course of study being offered at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and also opposed attempts to legalize same-sex marriage by framing it as a civil rights issue. West Virginia Baptists also affirmed marriage as between one man and one woman in an "exclusive union delineated in Scripture," a view expressed this year by Oklahoma and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention messengers as well. Immigration and other topics Kentucky Baptists appealed for ministry to the state's growing foreign-born population, recognizing all men and women are "endowed with the image of God," condemning bigotry and encouraging repudiation of harassment or exclusion from human rights based on immigration status. Appreciation for the military once again was expressed in various state conventions, including resolutions in Arkansas, Northwest, Oklahoma and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Louisiana Baptists encouraged church members and churches to practice financial responsibility according to biblical principles, while Nevada Baptists recognized the struggles of church members in a challenging economic environment, pledging prayer "that their needs will be met and Kingdom work will flourish." Southern Baptists of Texas Convention passed a resolution affirming the Cooperative Program as "our unrestricted vehicle for funding missions." Other subjects addressed included affirmation by Illinois Baptists of belief in God's triune nature; support of South Carolina Baptists for governments to streamline adoption procedures while churches support and individuals commit to adoption; encouragement by Tennessee Baptists for ministers to meet for prayer and mutual encouragement; appreciation for ministry to college students by West Virginia Baptists; and a call from South Carolina Baptists for lawmakers to close loopholes that allow the sweepstakes gaming industry to "mirror the dark video poker industry." --30-- Tammi Reed Ledbetter is news editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN, newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- WRAP-UP: More states raise budgets & CP by Tammi Reed Ledbetter Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- More than half of the state Baptist conventions that participate in Southern Baptists' Cooperative Program approved increases for their 2013 budgets, reversing a five-year trend that peaked last year. Montana Southern Baptists increased Cooperative Program giving for the first time in its 11-year history, sending 23 percent to the SBC next year. "We recognize that we are a great mission field in Montana, but we strongly desire to be engaged beyond our churches and communities," Montana Southern Baptist Convention Executive Director Fred Hewett said. The CP increase was encouraged by a 5 percent increase in giving by Montana churches. After making dramatic cuts in their budget the past four years, Georgia Baptists had reduced spending to a level comparable to 1998. This year's $42.3 million budget marks the first increase. Mississippi Baptists passed a $32.3 million budget, the first time since 2009 that no decrease was made. Michigan Baptists ended a decade-long trend of dipping into restricted funds to make up for income shortfalls, with messengers applauding a return of $158,000 of the $320,000 to that account and passage of a budget increase. Alaska Baptists made the most extensive cuts, passing a $1.5 million budget that represents a 19 percent reduction from the current year, but managed to increase the CP portion forwarded to the SBC by 3 percent. Nevada Baptists cut their budget by 8 percent while increasing the SBC portion of CP receipts by half a percent. Greater efficiency and realignment of funding priorities have allowed more states to join the movement to send a greater portion of undesignated Cooperative Program receipts from local churches on to the Southern Baptist Convention to fund the work of the International Mission Board (IMB) and North American Mission Board (NAMB) as well as six SBC seminaries, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and SBC operations by the Executive Committee. Some states are dividing any state budget surplus equally with the SBC, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and, for the first year, Missouri. Two state conventions continue to surpass the 50/50 split -- the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention will continue to forward 55 percent to the SBC while retaining 45 percent for in-state missions and ministry. The Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia will forward 51 percent to the SBC while retaining 49 percent for in-state missions and ministry. Neither convention designates any shared ministry items before distributing CP funds. About a third of the state convention budgets take "shared ministry" allocations off the top for items that they identify as benefitting both the state convention and SBC before dividing what remains between in-state and SBC use. The items placed in that category vary from state to state, most often including retirement benefits paid for pastors and church staff members through GuideStone Financial Resources; Cooperative Program promotion; mission efforts previously funded or jointly funded by NAMB; and the expenses of the state Baptist paper. Among other items included in a few conventions are various personnel, property and technology expenses. New Mexico reported the greatest portion in the shared ministry category, setting aside 23.15 percent before allocating 65 percent of the state's remaining CP contributions for in-state use and 35 percent of the remainder for SBC missions and ministry. In Georgia, 19.63 percent of budget expenditures are considered shared ministry, with the remainder split 50/50 between the state convention and the SBC. Kentucky Baptists fast-tracked their move to an equal distribution of CP funds by increasing the shared ministries classification from 4 to 10 percent this year. Five other state conventions will employ this classification in 2013 -- Missouri, Baptist General Association of Virginia, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, Colorado and Alaska. Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director John Yeats said he is entering into this method with caution to include items flowing to the local church, amounting to 5 percent of the total budget. Church retirement benefits, it was noted, go to local ministers while a move toward free newspaper circulation will allow the Pathway to be distributed to the homes of readers. The portion of the total budget classified as shared ministry is 5 percent in the Baptist General Association of Virginia, 6.23 percent in Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, 8 percent in Colorado and 12.36 percent in Alaska. In the case of the Baptist General Association of Virginia which has three pre-set giving tracks and one a church can customize to fund SBC causes or those of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the portion allocated for shared ministries with SBC equals 5 percent of total BGAV contributions to NAMB. Kansas-Nebraska's reported shared ministry expenses of 18 percent, calculated as a percentage of the state's entire budget less shared ministry items, reflects 27.69 percent of the CP portion of the two-state convention's adopted budget. CP contributions comprise less than 30 percent of New England's total budget. Of their $709,419 goal in Cooperative Program receipts, the convention voted to allocate 25 percent of CP gifts to national and international SBC causes after a designation of $252,439 (35.53 percent) in shared ministry items. South Carolina's adopted budget includes a 2.05 percent priority item for IMB, with the remaining SBC portion of CP remaining unchanged at 41 percent. South Carolina Baptists' direct allocation to the International Mission Board will increase, adopted last year at $400,236, will move to $583,768 next year. Other state conventions reporting shared ministry expenses taken from the top of their budgets before allocating the remainder according to an approved split include Alabama (1.64 percent), Arkansas (0.61 percent), Illinois (10 percent), Michigan (20 percent), Oklahoma (13 percent) and Wyoming (8.4 percent). Alabama Baptists approved a plan to move toward a shared ministries model in 2014 with an amount not to exceed 10 percent of the base budget. (Some states round their percentages to whole numbers, some round to the tenths of a percent and others round to the hundredths of a percent.) State conventions raising the CP portion sent to the SBC include Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland/Delaware, Minnesota-Wisconsin, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New England, New York, North Carolina, Northwest, Pennsylvania/South Jersey, Tennessee, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia and West Virginia. Only Indiana Baptists chose to lower the out-of-state portion of CP, going from 38.5 to 37.5 percent as a one-year adjustment to the shift by NAMB toward increased funding for church planting efforts. Messenger requirements were considered in California where an attempt to allow seating based on CP giving rather than church membership failed. Dakota Baptists removed a requirement that churches be members of associations to seat messengers and changed the giving standard from quarterly to "regular." Iowa Baptists updated requirements for messengers to provide greater representation to smaller churches and those that give to the Cooperative Program and state missions offering, with final approval due next year. Kentucky Baptists approved a change requiring a church to have contributed through the Cooperative Program in the prior year in order to be represented at annual meetings with a range of 1 to 10 messengers based on resident membership. Some states chose to address which churches are considered cooperating, with California Baptists' Executive Board reporting only those that have contributed to the Cooperative Program and agree with the Baptist Faith & Message -- a move that qualifies 1,108 of the nearly 2,200 churches identifying themselves as members of the California Southern Baptist Convention. Missouri Baptists agreed to potentially reduce the total number of affiliated churches by 94 due to the lack of CP giving, with final notification being sent to those congregations. Baptist General Association of Virginia messengers upheld a committee's decision to end affiliation with a church which ordained a homosexual man to the ministry this fall. The Credentials Committee of Illinois Baptist State Assocation asked the convention president to appoint a study committee to determine whether the constitution gives adequate guidance to their work of considering new churches; messengers also recommended withdrawal of fellowship from eight churches considered non-cooperating. Nevada Baptists passed a new constitution and bylaws clarifying both affiliation and messenger requirements. The new documents stipulate that churches must contribute through the Cooperative Program and be in harmony with the BF&M. Task force reports were considered in a few states, addressing themes related to the Great Commission Resurgence endorsed by Southern Baptists in 2010. The FutureFocus report in Alabama addressed church planting; church revitalization; global missions; disaster relief; and Cooperative Program and stewardship development. Utah-Idaho Baptists approved the 2020 Vision report encouraging doubling the number of churches to 300 and reaching 1 percent of the population in the two states by the end of 2020. South Carolina Baptists approved bylaw changes that implemented recommendations adopted last year from the GCR Task Force, addressing trustee selection, adoption of BF&M as the convention's statement of faith, and ethnic diversity on the Committee on Committees and standing committees. A new 40-member task force will determine recommendations for the future focus of the state convention. In California, in addition to defining cooperating churches, the Focus 21 Task Force addressed communication and the process of electing an executive director. The task force also received messenger approval for California Baptist University to solicit funds directly from churches. A proposal redefining CBU global trustees to allow members from other evangelical churches failed. The Vision Task Force for the Baptist Convention of New York received approval of recommendations that address vision and effectiveness; cooperation and communication; constitution and bylaws; community and global impact; and church leadership matters. Tennessee Baptists approved the Vision 2021 Team proposals of a new vision statement and core values while affirming BF&M and a plan to move toward a 50/50 distribution of CP funds with the SBC by 2018-19. Wyoming Baptists received a report from the Future Study Group describing a future design, structure and decentralized staffing plan to encourage local support and ownership of strategy and ministry. Florida Baptists were told that the state convention is "on target" in implementing every one of the six GCR-related recommendations approved two years earlier. Iowa Baptists approved restructuring to utilize church "clusters" to support each other, work on common problems, pool resources, plant churches and further God's work in Iowa and beyond. --30-- Tammi Reed Ledbetter is news editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN, newsjournal of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gold medalist Gabby Douglas 'always' praying by Tim Ellsworth Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Olympic gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas writes in a new book about how her faith in God and the support of her family helped her stick with gymnastics when she felt like quitting. "Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith," published by Zondervan, tells the story of Douglas, 16, who became the first black gymnast to win the all-around competition when she took gold this summer in London. In an interview with Religion News Service, Douglas talked about the role her Christian faith plays in her life. "I don't know where I would be without it today," Douglas said. "I've always been praying for everything. And my mom always exposed me and my siblings to being a Christian and the Bible. I was watching back and looking at the [London] Olympics and my mouth is moving -- and that's me praying." Douglas' path to Olympic glory came with some significant trials along the way. She moved away from her Virginia home to Iowa for training almost two years before the 2012 Olympics. Being away from her family was difficult, and her homesickness almost made her give up the sport and move home. But Douglas' loved ones wouldn't let her quit. "My mom, my coach, my sister, my host family -- everyone told me to keep fighting, that the Olympics were right around the corner," Douglas recounted in an interview with Christianity Today. "And my brother John. He and I are so close in age, we are like two peas in a pod. He kept telling me to keep fighting and pushing along. A couple days later, I went back to the gym and was on fire. I was just determined to get back and give 100 percent." Douglas, whose gold medal in the women's all-around competition captured the attention of the nation, also won gold in the women's team competition in London. Her performance was one of the biggest stories during the 2012 Olympics. "God has given me this awesome talent to represent Him," she told Baptist Press in August. "Glory goes up to Him, and the blessings fall down on us." --30-- Tim Ellsworth is editor of BP Sports (www.BPSports.net) and director of media relations at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK OF PRAYER: Muslim women who choose Christ stay wary by Ava Thomas Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: This year's Dec. 2-9 Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention centered on 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. NORTHERN AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST (BP) -- Sadiqah* has heard many stories of what sometimes happens to people in her country who turn from Islam to Christ. She heard of some whose family tortured them with electricity and told them that's what it will feel like when they burn in hell. One young couple was burned to death, while a young woman was fatally poisoned by her family and another was forced into a marriage with a Muslim. One young man was put in a mental institution. This is what the climate was like when 26-year-old Sadiqah approached Christian worker Lisa Langworthy* in a McDonald's and asked how to know Jesus. "I went to a university where there were Christians, and when I heard the girls going to pray and read, I wanted to know what they were doing, but no one would tell me," Sadiqah said. "They're very afraid that someone might be from government security." When she saw Langworthy eating in the McDonald's where she worked, she had been waiting four years for someone to tell her who Jesus really is. "I felt something that made me know I wanted to talk to her, and when I did, I finally met the Messiah," Sadiqah said. "I see things differently now; I can tell you how it was before and what's changed. I want to tell many more people. If I tell my friends, it [faith in Christ] can grow like a tree." She has a small group of friends who have also accepted Jesus since she shared what she believes with them. In the country where they live, it's not easy. Renouncing Islam comes at a cost, she said. "Many Christians are afraid, so they leave. But we can't do that. We can't leave everyone here behind. We can change the darkness here," she said. Sadiqah still wears the head covering required of Muslim women because she feels it would draw too much attention if she stopped. When another young woman she'd heard about chose to follow Jesus, her mother cut the girl's hair short and scratched her arms so she would be forced to cover her head and wear sleeves. For most women in her country, the number one goal in life is to find a good man to marry, Sadiqah said. "But the ideas in men's head are really difficult, and I don't think that will change unless someone makes it right," she said. "There are so many examples. A small one is that if a man is riding by on a motorcycle, it's OK for him to slap a girl on the rear." But for the woman who makes the wrong move, it could mean death, Sadiqah said. "All eyes are on the woman here." Sometimes women do think differently than cultural traditions dictate, she said. "But when you see a girl with forward thoughts, it's always because of outside reasons; she's studied or traveled." Many young women like Sadiqah hoped things would change after the Arab Spring swept through their country last year, but that hasn't happened so far. "Most women don't have the ability or education to change things, or people are worried about looking shamed," she said. So, despite her passion for the plight of the women in her country, her greatest desire is that they and the men they marry come to know freedom in Christ. And she's starting with her own family. When the man who became Sadiqah's husband started pursuing her, she didn't tell him right away that she was a follower of Christ. She sent him anonymous emails for a while sharing the Gospel, then sent one of her Christian friends to talk with him. "When she spoke with him, he told her he wanted to believe and he asked if she could also tell me about it so that I would believe," Sadiqah said. "I knew then I could marry him." They've been married three years and are happy, she said. "But things are hard, too. He's afraid to tell people he's a Christian. I pray often that one day things will be different here." --30-- *Names changed. Ava Thomas is a writer/editor for the International Mission Board. A free prayer guide focusing on Muslim women is available from 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: Daughter endures mother's anger over faith in Christ by Ava Thomas Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday EDITOR'S NOTE: This year's Dec. 2-9 Week of Prayer for International Missions in the Southern Baptist Convention centered on 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. NORTHERN AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST (BP) -- Mahfuzah* thought no one knew she believed in Jesus until the day her mother beat her. "She said, 'Something is different about you. What is it?' I told her I was the same," Mahfuzah recounted. "But then she went to the fortune teller, and the fortune teller told her that I had become a follower of Jesus." So Mahfuzah's mother beat her. "I was surprised. She had never done that to me before," Mahfuzah said. "She said I had to come back to Islam, and I told her I can't." That was when Mahfuzah was a teenager 20 years ago. She says she still can't return to Islam. "My heart is all with Jesus, not with Islam anymore." Before she left Islam, Mahfuzah was riding in the car with her cousin and heard someone on the radio talking about the life of the Messiah and the cross. "I asked what in the world he was listening to, and he told me about how Jesus died," she said. "At that time, I was just a normal Muslim. I read the Quran and prayed. I thought he was crazy, but I wanted to know more." Mahfuzah's cousin encouraged her to read. "I read all the Gospels, and I saw that they were different and beautiful," she said. "The biggest difference was God's love." In the Gospels, Jesus said for all who are weary and heavy laden to come, and Mahfuzah counted herself among them. "I sat and cried a lot because of all the years I had gone without knowing these things," she said. She bought a small radio and with the volume low would hold it to her ear at night, pretending to be asleep. "From the radio, I learned how to pray and how to line my life up with God," Mahfuzah said. "My eyes were opened." But the beating she received was only the beginning of her troubles. "My mother wouldn't speak to me, and she wouldn't allow my sisters to speak to me. None of them would eat with me. I was unclean to them," she said. Mahfuzah's mother also kept Mahfuzah locked in her room and only let her out to go to school. When she found a job, her mother wouldn't let her take it. "This went on for three years," Mahfuzah said. "I prayed, 'God, I don't want to leave them. Please show me the solution.'" Mahfuzah then learned that the young man she had been interested in before she believed in Jesus also had accepted Christ. "We started praying about when to get married, but my mother caused problems. She didn't want us to get together," Mahfuzah said. "I felt like when I got married, I got out of the lion's mouth. I still call my family and try to talk to them but they are still unwilling to listen." Christian women have it hard in her country, Mahfuzah said. It's a male-dominated society, but women still have the honor of being the "keeper of Islam" for the family. Christian women don't even have that, she said. "There is much persecution," she said. Now Mahfuzah and her husband have a teenage son who's learning the hard way how to grow up as a Christ follower in a Muslim country. "He's not free to be open about who he is, not free to be himself," she said. "He's lived in eight different flats in his life because of problems with security. He doesn't get to have an extended family because of our faith. He goes to a school of all Muslims, but at home he is a Christian." One night, Mahfuzah heard him yelling into a tape recorder his name and who he really is, because he feels like most people he knows can't know everything about him. "It was like he had to tell someone," she said. "He is strong in his faith and in Jesus, but it is hard for him sometimes." Mahfuzah tells him God is everything he needs. "God was with us in the beginning, and He is with us today," she said. The family has had close calls, meetings with police and state security, threats and harassment from neighbors, Mahfuzah said. But the family still actively shares their faith with others. "Fear is ugly, and it will keep people from sharing," she said. "We aren't afraid." Lisa Langworthy*, a Christian worker who lives in the region, underscored that the spiritual needs of women in the region are deep, especially for the many who don't know Christ. "Even though their culture tells them they are of no value, we know that our heavenly Father knows each precious woman by name and loves her deeply. They so desperately need to know that the love and acceptance that their hearts long for won't be found in a better marriage, or by following religious rules more strictly, but only in the grace and love of Jesus Christ." Langworthy asked for believers to pray: -- that Muslim women will have the opportunity to hear of the God who deeply loves and values them. -- that many of these women will have a chance to hear and respond to the Gospel, whether through TV and radio broadcasts, print materials, national believers or foreign workers. -- that husbands and fathers will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. -- for workers and local believers as they seek to share the wonderful, life-giving love of Christ with these women. --30-- *Names changed. Ava Thomas is a writer/editor for the International Mission Board. A free prayer guide focusing on Muslim women is available from 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Obama: U.S. won't prosecute marijuana users by Staff Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Obama administration will not prosecute marijuana users in Washington and Colorado, the two states where voters recently approved ballot measures legalizing the recreational use of the drug. "We've got bigger fish to fry," President Obama told Barbara Walters of ABC News in a White House interview set to air Friday (Dec. 14). "It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it's legal," the president said. Though recreational marijuana use now is legal in two states, federal law still says use of the drug for any purpose is illegal. Obama told Walters he does not "at this point" support widespread legalization of marijuana, but he has noticed that public opinion on the issue is changing and realizes government resources for prosecuting users are thin, ABC News reported. "This is a tough problem, because Congress has not yet changed the law," Obama said. "I head up the executive branch; we're supposed to be carrying out laws. And so what we're going to need to have is a conversation about, How do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say it's legal?" Federally, marijuana is classified under the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule 1 narcotic whose cultivation, distribution, possession and use are criminal acts, ABC News noted. That puts it in the same category as heroin, LSD and "Ecstasy." After a speech in Boston Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder hinted at when he will announce a policy on the new state laws. "There is a tension between federal law and these state laws. I would expect the policy pronouncement that we're going to make will be done relatively soon," Holder said. At the president's request, Holder is examining the issues surrounding federal and state laws on marijuana. "There are a number of issues that have to be considered, among them the impact that drug usage has on young people, [and] we have treaty obligations with nations outside the United States," Holder said. Recently, Mexico's new president expressed regret that the United States would allow the recreational use of marijuana, which could have dire consequences for the war on drugs raging south of the border. The Drug Enforcement Agency has aggressively pursued medical marijuana dispensaries in California, one of 18 states where medical marijuana is legal, The Washington Post said. Federal officials in September raided several Los Angeles shops and sent warnings to others. But they're not targeting individual users. Also in the ABC News interview, Obama said, "At this point [in] Washington and Colorado, you've seen the voters speak on this issue. And, as it is, the federal government has a lot to do when it comes to criminal prosecutions." Marijuana officially became legal in Washington in early December and will become legal in Colorado in January. ABC News noted that Obama admitted in his 1995 memoir, "Dreams from My Father," that he smoked marijuana regularly with his high school friends. "There are a bunch of things I did that I regret when I was a kid," Obama told Walters. "My attitude is, substance abuse generally is not good for our kids, not good for our society. I want to discourage drug use." According to a report by CBS4 in Denver Dec. 13, marijuana use already is the most common addiction in teenagers at a drug and alcohol counseling center in Thornton, Colo., and the cases are expected to increase now that recreational marijuana is accepted. "Children are more likely to become dependent when they start use early, even if it's an advertant use," Angela Bornemann of Arapahoe House said. Sgt. Jim Gerhardt of the North Metro Drug Task Force in Denver told the CBS affiliate there is "plenty of evidence" that marijuana is harmful to children. "I can't even believe I have to say that," Gerhardt said. "We've seen children infant age that have been getting into this stuff and hospitalized, and this has been under medical marijuana. I can't imagine how bad it's going to get with full-blown legalization." Brownies laced with marijuana have been problematic recently, CBS4 reported. A teenage girl in Colorado Springs was hospitalized after she received and ate such a brownie from a 14-year-old boy who now faces a felony drug charge. Even if children don't know what they're eating, the effects of the drug are serious, Bornemann said. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Erin Roach. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- CULTURE DIGEST: Scalia defends interpretation of Constitution by Staff Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, speaking at Princeton University, said some of the most controversial questions in today's culture are among the easiest to solve according to the Constitution. At Princeton Dec. 10, a freshman from San Francisco identified himself as homosexual and asked Scalia why he equates banning sodomy with banning bestiality and murder. The student was referring to Scalia's dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down an anti-sodomy law, according to The Daily Princetonian. "If we cannot have moral feelings about homosexuality, can we have it against murder? Can we have it against these other things?" Scalia said during a question-and-answer time. During his lecture, Scalia, the longest-serving justice on the current court, took issue with people who view the Constitution as a "living document." "It isn't a living document. It's dead, dead, dead, dead," he said. People who contend the Constitution is changing often argue for a more flexible approach, Scalia said, but their goal is to set policy permanently. Scalia said he believes that focusing on the text and the original meaning of the Constitution is the best approach to protect the Constitution and democratic ideals, the Princetonian reported. His view, though, is rarely taught in law schools anymore, he said. "I don't know how we got to this stage," Scalia said, referring to the preponderance of living document adherents. "At the end of the road is the destruction of the Constitution," Scalia told the students. "Unless you give [the laws] the meaning of those who enacted them, you're destroying democracy." In comments at the American Enterprise Institute in October, Scalia said some supposedly hard questions are easy to answer by the Constitution. "The death penalty? Give me a break. It's easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state," Scalia said. Scalia's comments at Princeton came just days after the court agreed 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. EXPLORER STILL TRYING TO PROVE NOAHIC FLOOD -- The underwater explorer who found the wrecked Titanic continues to look for evidence consistent with the great Noahic flood, according to news reports. Robert Ballard, who has been trying for more than a decade to prove the flood and Noah's Ark, discussed his latest explorations in Turkey with ABC's Christiane Amanpour. "We went in there to look for the flood," Ballard said of his work in Turkey. "Not just a low moving, advancing rise of sea level, but a really big flood that then stayed.... The land that went under stayed under." ABC reported that Ballard, using advanced robotic technology, is able to explore events from nearly 12,000 ago, when much of the earth was covered in ice. Geologists theorize that the melting ice of that age would have surged through parts of the globe. Ballard's findings will be revealed in a two-part ABC News special "Back to the Beginning" on consecutive Fridays Dec. 21 and 28 at 9 p.m. Eastern. The special will retrace the Bible from Genesis to Jesus. Geologists say the rising Mediterranean Sea would have pushed a channel through what is now the Bosporus Strait, submerging the shoreline of the Black Sea in waters rushing about 200 times the volume of Niagara Falls and covering 100,000 square miles. As early as the 1990s, geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman gathered evidence of a flood in the Middle East region about 7,500 years ago, PBS has reported. Ballard found evidence in 1999 of a submerged ancient shoreline and in 2011 found a sunken vessel and one of its crew members in the Black Sea, according to ABC. Ballard has enjoyed success as an underwater explorer, having found not only the Titanic but the battleship Bismarck and a U.S. fleet lost off the coast of Guadalcanal in the Pacific, according to news reports. The Bible records Noah's flood in Genesis 7-8. OKLA. COURT REJECTS RU 486, ULTRASOUND LAWS -- The Oklahoma Supreme Court has struck down two laws, one prohibiting off-label use of abortion drugs and the other mandating that a woman receive an ultrasound before undergoing an abortion. The high court of one of the country's most conservative states upheld lower court rulings in its Dec. 4 invalidations of measures supported by pro-life advocates. The justices decided both laws violated Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that affirmed a legal right to abortion but said states could regulate the procedure within certain guidelines. Pro-life leaders said the Oklahoma Supreme Court misinterpreted the 1992 opinion. The court "ignores the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly determined that states have an interest in the outset of pregnancy in protecting maternal health, and that regulations aimed at such impose no constitutional violations," said Mailee Smith, staff counsel for Americans United for Life, in a blog post. Tony Lauinger, chairman of Oklahomans for Life, said, according to the Associated Press, "The ultrasound law does not prohibit abortion. It regulates abortion." Scott Pruitt, the state's attorney general, said he is considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, AP reported. The law restricting off-label use of abortion drugs required abortion providers to abide by the guidelines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It called for a doctor to examine a woman seeking an abortion before providing her with RU 486 or another drug. It also mandated such a drug be administered in a clinic. Some providers have instructed women to use RU 486 vaginally, though the FDA approved the drug only for use orally. At least 14 women have died in the United States after taking RU 486, and critics have blamed its "off-label" use in at least some of those cases. In October, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled an Ohio law regulating RU 486 is not "unconstitutionally vague," is not a violation of a "woman's right to bodily integrity" and does not act as an "undue burden" on a woman's right to abortion. PLANNED PARENTHOOD ELECTION SPENDING HIGHLY EFFECTIVE -- The country's No. 1 abortion provider received a great return on the money it spent in this year's election. An analysis by the Sunlight Foundation showed more than 98 percent of Planned Parenthood Action Fund's spending in election races produced the desired result, The Washington Post reported Dec. 5. That made Planned Parenthood No. 1 for effectiveness in the 2012 election cycle. Planned Parenthood, which spent about $15 million in this year's election, succeeded with a two-part approach, pollsters and strategists told The Post. It used Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's words against him, and it identified about 1 million women voters, mostly in swing states, who were especially open to its message. "Those were the women that we were going to relentlessly target over and over again between June and November," said Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood's executive vice president, The Post reported. Planned Parenthood used Romney's opposition to the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion and federal funding of Planned Parenthood to influence those voters. It was part of a dramatic shift by campaigns and outside groups, which spent $39 million on advertising related to abortion, according to The Post. "There was a huge increase in the number of spots in these issues 2012 versus 2008," said Ken Goldstein, president of the media tracking company Kantar Media, The Post reported. "Overall, the Democrats aired over six times as many spots on abortion as Republicans." Planned Parenthood and its affiliates received $487.4 million in government grants, contracts and reimbursements in 2009-10, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Its affiliates reported performing 329,445 abortions in 2010. BELGIUM FAILING TO CONTROL EUTHANASIA AFTER LEGALIZATION -- A lack of control marks euthanasia 10 years after it was legalized in Belgium, according to a new report. Reported cases of euthanasia in the European country have grown each year, escalating from 235 in 2003 to 1,133 in 2011, according to the report by the European Institute of Bioethics. The institute pointed to the following among the enforcement problems it found: -- The Commission for Control and Assessment has acknowledged from its first report its inability to oversee euthanasia cases effectively and has never referred one for prosecution. -- Nearly half of the 16 people on the commission are members or associates of Belgium's leading right-to-die organization. -- The commission has in essence "decided not to carry out its mission -- so central to the law -- of verifying the unbearable and unrelievable nature of the suffering." -- The health care provider performing euthanasia is required to obtain the drugs from a pharmacist, but family members of the person seeking death often do. These and other flaws have resulted in the "trivialization of euthanasia," according to the report. Bioethics commentator Wesley Smith said of the report, "Euthanasia activists always promise that the killing will be strictly controlled. That's the sales job. Once euthanasia/assisted suicide become legal and/or culturally accepted, all bets are off. Accept the ideology that killing is an acceptable answer to human suffering and the guidelines cease to matter." Belgium is one of three countries that have legalized euthanasia. The others are Luxembourg and The Netherlands. The latest report from The Netherlands showed 3,695 reports of euthanasia or assisted suicide in 2011, an increase of more than 550 from the previous year. Euthanasia deaths have grown by 1,575 in the last five years. FOR DEMOCRATS, ABORTION TRUMPS SENIORITY ON HOUSE COMMITTEE -- The senior Democrat on the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee will not lead her party on the panel for the first time in history. Abortion is one of the reasons. Rep. Nita Lowey of New York -- not Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio -- will become the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee in the next congressional session, Roll Call reported Dec. 4. The House Democratic Steering Committee voted 36-10 for Lowey instead of Kaptur to succeed Rep. Norm Dicks, the Washington congressman who is retiring. Kaptur has been a committee member for 22 years, but she had a couple of strikes against her, according to the Capitol Hill newspaper: "She is a consistent opponent of expanding abortion rights and in the past has had a rocky relationship with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D.-Calif." Timothy Carney, senior political columnist for The Washington Examiner, wrote, "This fits perfectly with what we already know about the Democratic Party: support for legal and subsidized abortion is nearly their only litmus test." Democrats normally name "the most vociferous defenders of legal abortion and Planned Parenthood subsidies" as leading fundraisers, Carney had written in 2011. "The Approps ranking member is supposed to be a top fundraiser. A pro-lifer like Kaptur can't play that role in today's Democratic Party," he said Dec. 5. Actually, Kaptur has not been a reliable pro-life vote in the House. In the last 10 years, her voting record by congressional session has varied from a low of 11 percent to a high of 57 percent, according to the National Right to Life Committee. Lowey, however, has received a score of zero every session during the last decade. JUDGE INVALIDATES N.C. 'CHOOSE LIFE' LICENSE PLATE -- North Carolina's "Choose Life" auto license plate is unconstitutional because it discriminates based on viewpoint, according to a Dec. 7 decision in federal court. Judge James Fox ruled in Raleigh the state's "Choose Life" plate is "viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment," the Associated Press reported. The North Carolina legislature approved the license plate in 2011 but refused to support creation of a "Respect Choice" plate. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a suit challenging the measure. Fox blocked sale of the "Choose Life" plate, which would benefit a pregnancy care ministry, while the lawsuit was under consideration. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode, Erin Roach 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: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' gets edited by Kelly Boggs Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- A Canadian anti-smoking activist, who is also a self-published author, has leapt into the Christmas wars by producing an updated version of the classic holiday poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (better known as "Twas The Night Before Christmas"). The new version edits out two lines that reference Santa Claus smoking a pipe. Pamela McColl of Vancouver, B.C., began selling her book this fall under the title "Twas The Night Before Christmas: Edited by Santa Claus." As the title implies, McColl has St. Nicholas himself editing out his smoking, because he has now, after 189 years (the poem was first published in 1823), finally kicked the tobacco habit. Though I know the origin of the jolly ol' elf is found in St. Nicholas, a 4th century Greek bishop who was known for his anonymous generosity, I still do not care much for the modern Santa. The main reason for my lack of good will is that popular culture allows him to upstage the birth of Jesus, the real reason for the season. I also do not like smoking in any shape, form or fashion. It is a nasty and unhealthy habit and should be discouraged. So why am I writing about someone who has edited a poem about Santa so as to portray him as stopping an unhealthy habit? I write because the sanitizing of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" reveals the inconsistency of the entertainment elite. In the mid-2000s, several companies were selling sanitized versions of movies, both current and past. The leading company at the time was CleanFlicks. The company would sell DVDs with objectionable content like foul language, violence and nudity removed. Along with the edited version the company would sell the original, unedited version of the film. The reason for selling the original along with the sanitized version was to comply with copyright law. The thought was that if a consumer could purchase an original version and then have it edited, the company would save them time and trouble and offer the edited product upfront along with the authorized version. Conservative consumers who wanted films free of filth bought the concept even though purchasing the original and edited versions together cost a little more. Companies like CleanFlicks, CleanFilms, Play It Clean Video and Family Flix did very well. Hollywood was a winner as well. People who would have never purchased movies rife with objectionable content now were a new source of revenue for filmmakers. Hollywood, however, was not pleased. It seems directors of the films fraught with gratuitous sex, nudity, profanity and violence did not like the idea of consumers choosing to not watch their perverted artistic expression. So the Directors Guild of America sued, and won. A federal court ruled in the summer of 2006 ruled that companies offering sanitized versions of movie releases on DVD must cease and desist production, sale and rentals of edited discs. Additionally, the judge ordered the companies to turn over all existing copies of their edited films to the studios' lawyers for destruction within five days of the ruling. The Directors Guild claimed the suit was about protecting the integrity of its members' original productions. "So we have a great passion about protecting our work, which is our signature and brand identification, against unauthorized editing," then-DGA President Michael Apted told Reuters news service. Apted's argument rings hollow when you understand that the DGA also is opposed to ClearPlay, a company that sells a DVD player that works with the original DVD to mute or skip over objectionable content. With ClearPlay, the original production is unaltered. Congress passed the 2005 Family Movie Act that protects ClearPlay and other software-based filtering companies. In its statement concerning the win against editing companies, the DGA indicated it "remained concerned about this exception to copyright protection" represented by ClearPlay. What does the Directors Guild lawsuit against companies that sanitized movies have to do with the editing of a classic holiday poem? In both instances you have the desire to remove offending material from an original work. One on one hand, the entertainment elites rallied to protect offensive content, in essence saying to consumers if you want to watch our films, you must take them unaltered, filth and all. On the other, an age-old classic removes an incident of smoking and a protest is, at best, nominal. While I understand that "A Visit From St. Nicholas" is in the public domain for copyright purposes, I wonder how its author, Clement Clarke Moore, would feel about his work being tampered with? When in doubt, perhaps we should assume he would want it untouched. It is a bit disconcerting when the tentacles of political correctness can even squeeze content from what is deemed a holiday classic; all the while the popular culture and the entertainment elite ignore the censorship. The politically correct are consistently inconsistent in the stands they take. --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: La navidad: la llegada del Príncipe de paz by Octavio Javier Esqueda Date: December 14, 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 LA MIRADA, Calif. (BP) -- "Al mundo paz nació Jesús" es el inicio de un popular villancico navideño que resume magistralmente esta temporada de fiesta por la llegada del Hijo de Dios entre nosotros. La navidad celebra el cumplimiento de la promesa de la venida del Príncipe de paz (Is. 9:6). La segunda persona de la trinidad se hizo hombre y habitó entre nosotros para después darnos vida a través de su sacrificio expiatorio en la cruz. Por lo tanto, la navidad es un acontecimiento digno de celebrarse. En medio de la desesperanza por las consecuencias trágicas del pecado, la llegada de Jesús es un bálsamo de esperanza y paz para todos. De hecho, a los pocos minutos del nacimiento de Jesús varios pastores recibieron las buenas noticias por medio de ángeles. Los ángeles al anunciar las buenas nuevas alababan a Dios y proclamaron: "¡Gloria a Dios en las alturas, Y en la tierra paz, buena voluntad para con los hombres!" (Luc. 2:14). El nacimiento de Jesús enfatiza la paz entre los hombres. Su llegada no vino a traer confusión sino paz. Otro conocido villancico resume el maravilloso acontecimiento con las palabras "noche de paz". La navidad es la celebración de la paz entre nosotros. Sin embargo, desgraciadamente, para muchos la navidad se ha convertido en una temporada de estrés y cansancio. He notado que muchas personas se afanan en estos días debido a tantas cosas que los distraen del verdadero significado de la navidad. Es triste ver que las fiestas y reuniones familiares y entre amigos, la obsesión por comprar regalos y tantas actividades que llenan las agendas no nos permiten apreciar el regalo de la paz que Jesús vino a ofrecernos. La navidad para muchos celebra todo y a todos menos al festejado y a la razón de la celebración. En otras palabras, lamentablemente muchos no relacionan los términos "paz" con "navidad" y de esta manera se pierden del regalo de Jesús por buscar agradar a todos menos a él. Sé por mi propia experiencia lo difícil que es mantener el enfoque navideño en Jesús y no dejarse arrastrar por el consumismo y las presiones sociales. Jesús nos da paz. Solamente en él podemos disfrutar la verdadera paz en medio de cualquier circunstancia (Juan 14:27; 16:33). La paz de Jesús debería ser prevalente en todo tiempo y especialmente en la temporada navideña. Una navidad estresada es totalmente contraria al propósito central de la navidad. En estas fechas es importante preguntarnos ¿qué necesito hacer o dejar de hacer para celebrar la llegada del Príncipe de paz en completa paz? No hay compromiso familiar o social más importante que Jesús. Ahora es un buen tiempo para enfocarnos en el que es realmente importante para que nos llene de su paz. Le deseo una feliz navidad y que "el Dios de paz sea con todos ustedes. Amén" (Rom. 15:33). --30-- Octavio Javier Esqueda es profesor en los programas doctorales en educación en Talbot School of Theology de la Universidad Biola en La Mirada, California. Es miembro de la iglesia bautista Green Hills en La Habra, California y ha tenido la oportunidad de enseñar en diferentes países, instituciones y niveles académicos. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2ª y 3ª generaciones de hispanos serán tema de conferencia by Por Tobin Perry Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- Aunque los bautistas del sur tienen una larga historia de llegar e iniciar iglesias entre los hispanos, el cambio demográfico requerirá una nueva estrategia, ha señalado un consejero en evangelismo de la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas. "La mayor parte del crecimiento en la población hispana procede de la segunda y tercera generaciones," dijo Joshua Del Risco, coordinador de evangelismo del alcance nacional el Plan de Dios para Compartir de la junta de misiones. "Eso presenta un nuevo set de retos debido a que si hay un área en la que batallamos para alcanzar como convención, es la segunda y tercera generaciones." Del Risco está entre los organizadores de la Conferencia Nacional Hispana de Movilización y Evangelismo, a celebrarse del 17 al 19 de enero en San Antonio, que se enfocará en retos clave en el alcance de hispanos. De acuerdo al reporte del Centro de Investigaciones Pew en 2009, 9 de cada 10 niños hispanos han nacido en EE.UU. -- y ese número estaba creciendo. En términos generales, las estadísticas del Censo EE.UU. muestran que los hispanos en el país crecieron a un ritmo cuatro veces más rápido que la población estadounidense entre 2000-2010. Históricamente, señaló Del Risco, los bautistas del sur han empezado más iglesias entre los hispanos nacidos fuera de EE.UU. El número de iglesias hispanas de la CBS creció más de un 65 por ciento entre 2000 y 2010, de acuerdo a las estadísticas del Perfil Anual de la Iglesia provisto por Recursos Cristianos LifeWay. Los que hace que alcanzar a la segunda y tercera generaciones hispanas sea un reto es tanto la lengua como la cultura, dijo Del Risco, quien llegó a EE.UU de Cuba cuando tenía 5 años. Muchos hispanos de la segunda y tercera generaciones no son fluidos en español, lo que hace el evangelio inaccesible en las iglesias de habla hispana. Desde el punto de vista de la cultura, muchos han crecido en hogares hispanos y con la cultura hispana pero se identifican mucho más que sus padres con la amplia cultura estadounidense, dijo Del Risco. "Muchos hispanos de segunda y tercera generaciones asistirán a las congregaciones anglo debido al asunto del idioma," dijo Del Risco. "Sin embargo, no encuentran la identidad cultural que andan buscando. Entonces visitarán de vez en cuando una congregación de habla hispana pero nunca se conectarán." Eloy Rodríguez, quien recientemente inició su tercera congregación hispana bautista del sur en Florida, subrayó otro reto mayor: la diversidad de los hispanos. Aunque muchos anglos piensan en los hispanos como un solo bloque, ellos proceden de muchas diferentes nacionalidades. "Somos muy diversos," dijo Rodríguez, quien nació en EE.UU. pero vivió desde que tenía un año hasta los 18 en la República Dominicana. "En cualquier lugar donde usted quiera iniciar una iglesia hispana, tiene que averiguar qué tipo de hispanos hay ahí. Cambia completamente cómo va a llegar a ellos -- sea que vengan de Centro América, el Caribe o Sud América. Son diferentes en sus identidades." Cada una de las tres iglesias que Rodríguez ha iniciado tenía una diferente composición de nacionalidades. Cerca de la mitad de los asistentes a su actual instalación, parte de Idlewild Baptist Church en Tampa, Florida, viene de Colombia. Del Risco dijo que la próxima Conferencia Nacional Hispana de Movilización y Evangelismo tratará estos y otros asuntos, y señaló que la conferencia se enfocará en ayudar a la primera generación de iglesias hispanas a entender y alcanzar a los hijos y a los nietos de sus miembros. La conferencia del 17 al 19 de enero también incluirá, junto con los grupos principales en idioma español, grupos en idioma inglés. Del Risco dijo que el grupo en inglés es principalmente para los líderes de iglesias hispanas que tratan de alcanzar a hispanos anglo hablantes ya sea en un ambiente multicultural o predominantemente hispano. Debido a que los contextos de ministerio de aquellos que sirven entre los hispanos de segunda y tercera generaciones son tan diferentes, Del Risco dijo que el contenido de la conferencia será diferente en los dos grupos. La conferencia incluirá sesiones tales como "Visión general de Envía Norteamérica," "Acrecentando una iglesia evangelizadora," "Iglesia casa modela iniciación de iglesias" e "Iglesias inician iglesias entrenadoras." "Es un enfoque en el Reino," dijo Del Risco. "Es el único de su clase con la diversidad de gente que asistirá. Nuestra esperanza es que ayude a los líderes hispanos a alcanzar a hispanos. Pero es más que solamente alcanzar hispanos. Creemos que los hispanos serán movilizados para alcanzar a otros en Norte América -- a pesar de la etnicidad -- y a la gente alrededor del mundo con el evangelio de Jesucristo." La conferencia se llevará a cabo en Parkhills Baptist Church en San Antonio en compañerismo con la Convención Bautista del Sur de Texas, la Convención Bautista General de Texas y la Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas. Para obtener información sobre la inscripción, haga clic en herewww.namb.net/nhemc. --30-- Tobin Perry escribe para la Junta de Misiones Norteamericanas. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ventana abierta para la reforma migratoria, dicen sus partidarios by Por Tom Strode Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Una ventana para que el gobierno federal promulgue una reforma migratoria "de pies a cabeza" está abierta por ahora, según dicen sus partidarios. Quienes apoyan una reforma completa del sistema migratorio de Estados Unidos expresaron nuevo optimismo en los recientes eventos en Washington. Instaron al Congreso y a la Casa Blanca a trabajar juntos rápidamente antes que se cierre esta ventana abierta. Hay una "ventana bastante angosta," dijo el 5 de diciembre Richard Land, un bautista del sur experto en ética, durante una reunión patrocinada por Human Rights First. Sus partidarios tienen hasta el inicio del 2014, cuando comienzan las primarias del Congreso, "para terminar esto antes que la política de las elecciones comiencen a entrometer su fea cabeza otra vez en este asunto," dijo. "El país está hambriento por ver un acuerdo bipartidista en este pueblo, y creo que este es un asunto que podemos lograr, y tenemos que hacerlo mientras tengamos este momento en las manos," dijo Land, presidente de la Comisión de Ética y Libertad Religiosa. En el mismo panel, la Rep. Zoe Lofgren, demócrata de California y quien ha servido nueve periodos, dijo a la audiencia, "Yo creo que tenemos la primera oportunidad real desde que he sido miembro del Congreso… y quisiera darlo por terminado para la Pascua." La inmigración es "un revoltijo de pies a cabeza, y necesitamos una reforma de pies a cabeza," dijo. "Creo que tenemos una oportunidad real en este punto para hacer una reforma migratoria de pies a cabeza." El optimismo llegó más de cinco años después del fracaso del último empujón de la reforma migratoria, a pesar de los esfuerzos del entonces Presidente George W. Bush. La elección en noviembre que demostró el aumento del poder electoral de los latinos, según sus partidarios, provee una razón significativa para un movimiento legislativo que aborde un problema añejo que ha dado como resultado unos 11 millones de inmigrantes ilegales o indocumentados en este país. Los llamados para un nuevo impulso que promulgue una reforma vinieron en medio de otros desarrollos esa misma semana, en la capital del país, y que dieron esperanza de éxito: -- El Senador Marco Rubio, republicado de Florida, dijo el 5 de diciembre "tengo muchas esperanzas de que podemos manejar el asunto de la inmigración integralmente" en los próximos dos años "en un paquete completo de propuestas de ley," reportó Político. -- En un discurso del 4 de diciembre, en Dallas, el ex presidente Bush solicitó "un espíritu benevolente" al aborda la inmigración, según el diario The Dallas Morning News. "América puede ser una sociedad que aplique la ley y una sociedad amistosa al mismo tiempo," dijo Bush, quien lamentó no haber empujado la reforma migratoria antes que la reforma al Seguro Social, después de ganar las elecciones en el 2004. -- Un nuevo estudio basado en datos del Buró del Censo de los EE UU hasta inicios del 2011 confirmó que la inmigración ilegal ha experimentado un declive sustancial en años recientes y que ya no hay una inmigración neta proveniente de México, según reportó Associated Press el 6 de diciembre. El sondeo mostró 11.1 millones de inmigrantes ilegales en el país, virtualmente la misma cantidad que en el 2009. En un panel de discusión de Human Rights First, Thomas (Mac) McLarty señaló tres factores de este asunto que han cambiado en los últimos años: (1) la protección en la frontera es mucho más seria y eficiente; (2) la última elección cambio el panorama político, produciendo una "llamada de alerta" para los republicanos en especial, y (3) mejoró la economía en México. McLarty, jefe de personal del Presidente Clinton y codirector de un grupo de trabajo sobre inmigración en el 2009 para el Concilio de Relaciones Exteriores, también expresó optimismo acerca del nuevo esfuerzo de reforma. "Todavía incluye mucha política, no hay duda alguna." Land dijo ante los participantes de la reunión que el Presidente Obama y los líderes de ambos partidos en el Congreso deben proveer un liderazgo real "para construir una coalición consciente y en el medio -- con los conservadores moderados en el Partido Republicano y los progresivos moderados en el Partido Demócrata quienes podrán detener a los radicales de la derecha y los radicales de la izquierda que intentarán sabotearlo." "[P]ara lograrlo, se requerirá una coalición disciplinada en el medio, lo cual creo representa al menos a dos tercios del país, en términos de sus actitudes ante este asunto," dijo. Los republicanos dijeron a los reporteros en una conferencia de prensa del 4 de diciembre que su partido necesitaba cambiar sus tácticas. Los conservadores y los republicanos "han estado hablando ante la multitud equivocada; nos hemos preocupado por la gente equivocada; hemos estado complaciendo a una pequeña minoría de nuestro partido," dijo Mark Shurtleff, el ministro de justicia de Utah. En la conferencia de prensa, los líderes evangélicos hispanos dijeron que la inmigración es un asunto bíblico, moral, y reconocieron que la política está involucrada. Señalaron la necesidad de cambio en los republicanos si esperan ganar votos entre los hispanos. Los sondeos de salida indicaron que sólo el 27 por ciento de los hispanos votaron por Mitt Romney, el candidato a presidente de los republicanos, quien durante las primarias había pedido que los inmigrantes ilegales se auto deportaran. Los encuestadores dijeron que el voto hispano movió a cuatro estados -Colorado, Florida, Nevada y Nuevo México- hacia la columna demócrata, dijo Luis Cortés, presidente de Esperanza. La iglesia evangélica hispana es conservadora, pero el voto hispano "se alejó de los valores sociales hacia los valores familiares" en la más reciente elección, dijo Cortés ante los reporteros. "Uno de cada cinco latinos conoce a alguien que ya ha sido deportado, y todos son miembros de nuestra familia, nuestros parientes lejanos. Así que votamos en contra de la auto deportación," dijo. Se espera que para el 2030 el electorado hispano se duplique, y como resultado probablemente Texas y Arizona serán los próximos estados que cambien de columna partidista, dijo Cortés. "Así que al final del día, lo que le queda al partido republicano es sobrevivir," dijo. Samuel Rodríguez, presidente de la National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, dijo que el partido republicano tiene una oportunidad de oro si actúa pronto en cuanto a la reforma migratoria. "Si aprueban esto en el 2013, [los republicanos] tendrán tres años para redimir la narrativa," entre los hispanos, dijo Rodríguez a los reporteros. "Si esperan hasta el final del juego, pudiera ser difícil en la próxima ronda." Ambos, Cortés y Rodríguez, también dicen que Obama debe mostrar su compromiso con la reforma. "El presidente prometió la reforma migratoria en el primer periodo. Y no sucedió," dijo Rodríguez. La administración de Obama anunció en junio una acción ejecutiva que permitirá de inmediato que los inmigrantes ilegales que hayan venido a los Estados Unidos siendo niños puedan solicitar ser liberados de la amenaza de la deportación y buscar una autorización para trabajar. "Hay escépticos en la comunidad hispana diciendo, '¿Fue eso un acto de conveniencia política o realmente está comprometido con eso en cuanto a que es un imperativo moral?' Ahora es cuando debe probar que no es un acto de conveniencia política si no que está comprometido por completo," dijo Rodríguez. "Así que ¿qué papel juega el presidente? Debe ser el vocero moral y nacional de una reforma migratoria integral." El 4 de diciembre, hubo una conferencia de prensa con líderes religiosos y de negocios, así como agentes del orden, donde asistieron más de 250 personas el primero de dos días de sesiones estratégicas. Land y otros líderes visitaron las oficinas del Congreso buscando apoyo para la legislación de la reforma. La coalición organizada por National Inmigration Forum citó tres puntos de consenso: El reconocimiento de la necesidad de la seguridad fronteriza y la seguridad en las comunidades; el establecimiento de un sendero justo hacia el estatus legal y la ciudadanía para los inmigrantes indocumentados; y la modernización de las leyes migratorias. El 13 de noviembre, Land se unió a otros nueve líderes de la Mesa Evangélica de la Inmigración para pedir a Obama y a los líderes del Senado y de la Cámara de Representantes que se reúnan con ellos a inicios del 2013 para discutir una solución bipartidista de este asunto controversial. --30-- Tom Strode es el jefe del buró en Washigton de Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Rubio comenta sobre la creación, la homosexualidad, el aborto by Por Erin Roach Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday WASHINGTON (BP) -- Marco Rubio, senador de Florida, abordó tres temas de vital importancia para los evangélicos durante un evento en Washington el 5 de diciembre. Ahí compartió sus puntos de vista sobre la edad de la Tierra, si la homosexualidad es pecado y el comienzo de la vida. En un desayuno ofrecido por Político, Rubio no se retractó de los comentarios que hizo ante [la revista] GQ el mes pasado, en los cuales dijo que la edad de la Tierra es "uno de los grandes misterios." "Puedo decirte lo que dice la historia registrada, puedo decirte lo que dice la Biblia, pero creo que esa es una disputa entre teólogos y creo que no tiene nada que ver con el producto interno bruto o el crecimiento de la economía en los Estados Unidos," dijo Rubio a GQ. El miércoles, Rubio dijo a Mike Allen, de Político, "la ciencia dice que tiene unos cuatro y medio billones de años, y mi fe enseña que eso no es inconsistente." Rubio es católico romano pero tiene fuerte lazos con Christ Fellowship, una congregación bautista del sur en Palmetto Bay, Florida. A menudo asiste a los servicios y escucha los podcasts de la iglesia. "De hecho, la respuesta que di intentaba probar el mismo punto que hace algunos años presentó el presidente, y es que no hay un debate científico sobre la edad de la Tierra," dijo Rubio, considerado como un fuerte contendiente para ser el candidato republicano nominado para presidente en el 2016. "Quiero decir, está establecido muy definitivamente que por lo menos tiene cuatro y medio billones de años… me refería al debate teológico, el cual es un debate muy sano," dijo Rubio en el desayuno. El senador cubano-americano añadió, "El debate teológico es, ¿Cómo reconcilias lo que la ciencia ha establecido definitivamente con lo que crees que enseña tu fe? Para mí, de hecho, no hay un conflicto en cuanto a la edad de la Tierra. Creo que en el principio Dios creó los cielos y la tierra, y creo que los avances científicos nos han dado más información sobre cuándo lo hizo y cómo lo hizo. "Pero aún así creo que Dios lo hizo, y así es como yo lo he reconciliado, y creo que es consistente con las enseñanzas de mi iglesia. Pero otras personas tienen un conflicto más profundo. Creo que en América debemos tener la libertad de enseñar a nuestros hijos lo que creemos," dijo Rubio. En la entrevista con GQ, Rubio dijo, "Creo que los padres deben poder enseñar a sus hijos lo que diga su fe, lo que diga la ciencia. Ya sea que la Tierra fue creada en siete días o siete eras, no estoy seguro que algún día podamos resolver eso." Rubio dijo a Político, "Entre más aprende la ciencia, más me convenzo que Dios es real." Cuando Allen preguntó al senador si él cree que la homosexualidad es pecado, Rubio, quien no apoya el matrimonio de parejas del mismo sexo, contestó, "Bueno, puedo decirte lo que enseña la fe, y la fe enseña que sí lo es." La Biblia enseña que la homosexualidad es un pecado, dijo Rubio, "pero también enseña que hay un montón más de pecados que no son menos pecaminosos. Por ejemplo, mentir es pecado. Enseña que faltar al respeto a tus padres es un pecado. Enseña que robar es un pecado. Enseña que envidiar a tu prójimo o lo que tenga es un pecado." "Así que no hay una sola persona en este salón que no sea culpable de pecado," explicó Rubio. "Así que yo no voy caminando apuntando al pecador en cuanto a eso… Como un político, puedo decirte que estoy informado por mi fe y mi fe me informa en la persona que yo soy—pero no como una manera de juzgar a otros." Sobre el tema del aborto, Rubio dijo que la vida comienza en la concepción. "Ojalá hubiera más personas en esta ciudad que estén comprometidos profundamente con la ciencia y la creencia en la ciencia no hiciera que ignoraran ese hecho científico," dijo Rubio. "Son bastante valientes en cuanto a la edad de la Tierra, pero ¿no quieren decir cuándo comienza la vida?" Un reto para el avance del partido republicano, Rubio dijo en el desayuno, es aplicar sus principios al siglo XXI. "Los aplicamos al siglo XX, pero ahora tenemos que aplicarlos al siglo XXI," dijo. También en la entrevista con GQ, Rubio dijo que el senador Jim DeMint, republicano de Carolina del Sur, es su mejor amigo, luego de su esposa. DeMint anunció el 6 de diciembre que renunciaba a ser el líder de Heritage Foundation, una organización a favor de la familia. --30-- Erin Roach es el editor asistente de Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- COMPENDIO CULTURA: Scalia defiende interpretación de la Constitución by Por el personal Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday NASHVILLE (BP) -- El juez de la Suprema Corte de EE.UU., Antonin Scalia, orador en la Universidad Princeton, dijo que la mayoría de las preguntas más controversiales en la cultura de hoy en día están entre las cosas más fáciles de resolver de acuerdo a la Constitución. En Princeton, el 10 de diciembre, un estudiante de primer año de San Francisco se identificó como homosexual y le preguntó a Scalia por qué él equipara la censura a la sodomía con la censura a la bestialidad y el asesinato. El estudiante se refería al disentimiento de Scalia en Lawrence contra Texas, que derogó la ley anti sodomía, de acuerdo al Daily Princetonian. "Si no podemos tener sentimientos acerca de la homosexualidad, ¿podemos tenerlos contra el asesinato? ¿Podemos tenerlos contra otras cosas?" dijo Scalia durante un tiempo de preguntas y respuestas. Durante su conferencia, Scalia, el juez que ha servido más tiempo en la corte existente, tomó el asunto con la gente que ve la Constitución como un "documento viviente." "No es un documento viviente. Está muerte, muerto, muerto, muerto," dijo. La gente que sostiene que la Constitución está cambiando a menudo argumenta a favor de un acercamiento más flexible, dijo Scalia, pero su meta es fijar una política permanentemente. Scalia dijo que cree que enfocarse en el texto y en el significado original de la Constitución es la mejor forma de proteger la constitución y los ideales democráticos, reportó el Princetonian. Su postura, no obstante, ya es raramente enseñada en las escuelas de leyes, dijo. "No sé cómo llegamos esta etapa," dijo Scalia, en referencia a la preponderancia de los adherentes del documento viviente. "Al final del camino está la destrucción de la Constitución," les dijo Scalia a los estudiantes. "A menos que les den [a las leyes] el significado de aquellos que la promulgaron, están destruyendo la democracia." En comentarios al American Enterprise Institute en octubre, Scalia dijo que algunas supuestamente preguntas difíciles son fáciles de responder por la Constitución. "¿La pena de muerte? Ay, ¡por favor! Es fácil. ¿El aborto? Totalmente fácil. Nadie nunca pensó que la Constitución prevenía restricciones sobre el aborto. ¿La sodomía homosexual? ¡Vamos! Durante 200 años fue un crimen en cada estado," dijo Scalia. Los comentarios de Scalia en Princeton llegaron justo días después de que la corte acordó tomar dos casos que podrían llevar ya sea a la legalización del matrimonio gay a nivel nacional o a afirmar los derechos de los legisladores y los votantes para proteger el matrimonio tradicional. EXPLORADOR TODAVÍA TRATA DE PROBAR EL DILUVIO EN TIEMPOS DE NOÉ -- El explorador submarino que encontró el naufragado Titanic continua buscando evidencia consistente con el gran diluvio del tiempo de Noé, de acuerdo a reportes de noticias. Robert Ballard, quien ha estado tratando por más de una década de probar el diluvio y el Arca de Noé, discutió sus últimas exploraciones en Turquía con Christiane Amanpour de ABC. "Fuimos ahí a buscar el diluvio," dijo Ballard sobre su trabajo en Turquía. "No solamente un movimiento bajo, un levantamiento anticipado del nivel del mar, sino realmente una gran inundación que entonces se quedó… La tierra que se sumergió quedó sumergida." ABC reportó que Ballard, usando una tecnología robótica avanzada, es capaz de explorar eventos de hace casi 12.000 años, cuando mucha de la tierra estaba cubierta por hielo. Los geólogos teorizan que el derretimiento del hielo de ese período ha surgido en partes del globo. Los descubrimientos de Ballard serán revelados en dos partes en un especial de ABC News "De vuelta al principio" en dos viernes consecutivos el 21 y el 28 de diciembre, a las 9 p.m. hora del este. El especial repasará la Biblia desde Génesis hasta Jesús. Los geólogos dicen que el levantamiento del mar Mediterráneo podría haber empujado un canal a través de lo que es ahora el estrecho del Bósforo, y sumergió la costa del mar Muerto en las aguas precipitando alrededor de 200 veces el volumen de las cataratas del Niágara y cubriendo 260.000 kilómetros cuadrados. Tan temprano como los 1990s, los geólogos William Ryan y Walter Pitman reunieron evidencia de una inundación en la región del Medio Oriente cerca de hace 7.500 años, ha reportado PBS. Ballard encontró evidencia en 1999 de una Antigua costa sumergida y en 2011 encontró un navío hundido y a uno de los miembros de la tripulación en el mar Negro, de acuerdo a ABC. Ballard ha disfrutado de éxito como explorador submarino, no solamente al haber encontrado el Titanic sino el buque de Guerra Bismarck y la flota estadounidense perdida en la costa de Guadalcanal en el Pacífico, de acuerdo a reporte de noticias. La Biblia registra el diluvio de Noé en Génesis 7, 8. EL GASTO DE PLANNED PARENTHOOD EN LA ELECCIÓN ALTAMENTE EFECTIVO -- El proveedor N0 1 de abortos recibió una gran devolución del dinero que gastó en la elección de este año. An analysis by the Sunlight Foundation showed more than 98 percent of Planned Parenthood Action Fund's spending in election races produced the desired result, The Washington Post reported Dec. 5. That made Planned Parenthood No. 1 for effectiveness in the 2012 election cycle. Planned Parenthood, which spent about $15 million in this year's election, succeeded with a two-part approach, pollsters and strategists told The Post. It used Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's words against him, and it identified about 1 million women voters, mostly in swing states, who were especially open to its message. "Those were the women that we were going to relentlessly target over and over again between June and November," said Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood's executive vice president, The Post reported. Planned Parenthood used Romney's opposition to the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion and federal funding of Planned Parenthood to influence those voters. It was part of a dramatic shift by campaigns and outside groups, which spent $39 million on advertising related to abortion, according to The Post. "There was a huge increase in the number of spots in these issues 2012 versus 2008," said Ken Goldstein, president of the media tracking company Kantar Media, The Post reported. "Overall, the Democrats aired over six times as many spots on abortion as Republicans." Planned Parenthood and its affiliates received $487.4 million in government grants, contracts and reimbursements in 2009-10, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Its affiliates reported performing 329,445 abortions in 2010. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode, Erin Roach and Diana Chandler of Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- EDITORIAL: La navidad: la llegada del Príncipe de paz by Por Octavio Javier Esqueda Date: December 14, 2012 - Friday LA MIRADA, Calif. (BP) -- "Al mundo paz nació Jesús" es el inicio de un popular villancico navideño que resume magistralmente esta temporada de fiesta por la llegada del Hijo de Dios entre nosotros. La navidad celebra el cumplimiento de la promesa de la venida del Príncipe de paz (Is. 9:6). La segunda persona de la trinidad se hizo hombre y habitó entre nosotros para después darnos vida a través de su sacrificio expiatorio en la cruz. Por lo tanto, la navidad es un acontecimiento digno de celebrarse. En medio de la desesperanza por las consecuencias trágicas del pecado, la llegada de Jesús es un bálsamo de esperanza y paz para todos. De hecho, a los pocos minutos del nacimiento de Jesús varios pastores recibieron las buenas noticias por medio de ángeles. Los ángeles al anunciar las buenas nuevas alababan a Dios y proclamaron: "¡Gloria a Dios en las alturas, Y en la tierra paz, buena voluntad para con los hombres!" (Luc. 2:14). El nacimiento de Jesús enfatiza la paz entre los hombres. Su llegada no vino a traer confusión sino paz. Otro conocido villancico resume el maravilloso acontecimiento con las palabras "noche de paz". La navidad es la celebración de la paz entre nosotros. Sin embargo, desgraciadamente, para muchos la navidad se ha convertido en una temporada de estrés y cansancio. He notado que muchas personas se afanan en estos días debido a tantas cosas que los distraen del verdadero significado de la navidad. Es triste ver que las fiestas y reuniones familiares y entre amigos, la obsesión por comprar regalos y tantas actividades que llenan las agendas no nos permiten apreciar el regalo de la paz que Jesús vino a ofrecernos. La navidad para muchos celebra todo y a todos menos al festejado y a la razón de la celebración. En otras palabras, lamentablemente muchos no relacionan los términos "paz" con "navidad" y de esta manera se pierden del regalo de Jesús por buscar agradar a todos menos a él. Sé por mi propia experiencia lo difícil que es mantener el enfoque navideño en Jesús y no dejarse arrastrar por el consumismo y las presiones sociales. Jesús nos da paz. Solamente en él podemos disfrutar la verdadera paz en medio de cualquier circunstancia (Juan 14:27; 16:33). La paz de Jesús debería ser prevalente en todo tiempo y especialmente en la temporada navideña. Una navidad estresada es totalmente contraria al propósito central de la navidad. En estas fechas es importante preguntarnos ¿qué necesito hacer o dejar de hacer para celebrar la llegada del Príncipe de paz en completa paz? No hay compromiso familiar o social más importante que Jesús. Ahora es un buen tiempo para enfocarnos en el que es realmente importante para que nos llene de su paz. Le deseo una feliz navidad y que "el Dios de paz sea con todos ustedes. Amén" (Rom. 15:33). --30-- Octavio Javier Esqueda es profesor en los programas doctorales en educación en Talbot School of Theology de la Universidad Biola en La Mirada, California. Es miembro de la iglesia bautista Green Hills en La Habra, California y ha tenido la oportunidad de enseñar en diferentes países, instituciones y niveles académicos.