The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-12/17/2012 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Funerals begin in Connecticut, Obama cites Bible, vows action; Luter points to God's house by Diana Chandler Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NEWTOWN, Conn. (BP) -- Funerals were held today (Dec. 17) for two of the 20 children shot to death last Friday in the presumed safety of a Newtown, Ct., elementary school. At nearby Southbury Baptist Church, pastor Bryan Sims met Monday with Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers drawn to the community to join in the daunting healing process. The church is serving as a base for Southern Baptist responders. The leaders encouraged Southern Baptists to pray for Newtown and suggested financial donations be sent to the Baptist Convention of New England's Victim Relief Fund. At Sunday's interfaith prayer vigil in Newtown, President Obama offered the assurance of 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1 in his remarks. "Scripture tells us: '... do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all,'" President Obama said at the vigil, quoting from the passage. "'So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.'" Friday in the town of 30,000, 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother at home, then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 20 children and six adults, before committing suicide. Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter said the mass murder should be a wake-up call. "What happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School could happen at any school in America. No town, city or state in America is exempt from the demonic attacks of the enemy," Luter said. "As president of the Southern Baptist Convention, I would like to call on Southern Baptists across America to do three things in the aftermath of this tragedy in Newtown, Ct." -- to pray for spiritual revival; share their faith; and be "lights in a dark world" and "salt in a salt-less society." "If revival is going to happen in America it is not going to happen because of who is in the White House, the governor's house, or the mayor's house; but revival will happen because of who is in God's house," said Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. "The Bible is very clear that if revival is going to happen in our nation, it MUST start with the people of God." Like so many pastors across the nation, Sims preached on the tragedy in his Sunday (Dec. 16) sermon. "I do trust that God will bring good out of this ... thing. For a God who created a universe out of nothing, nothing is impossible," Sims said. Sims is keeping the congregation updated through the church's Facebook page, telling of three Mississippians trained in trauma ministry who were en route to the church. "Along with [North American Mission Board disaster relief chaplaincy coordinator] Enio Aguero, they will use our church as a home base to coordinate efforts for ministry to Newtown and beyond," Sims wrote. "They will also help us develop a plan for the future ministry to the community." To support the outreach ministry, financial contributions can be sent to the Baptist Convention of New England's Victim Relief Fund, 87 Lincoln St., Northborough, MA 01532. As families grieve, Obama said the nation must do more to protect its children. "We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change," the president said at the Sunday vigil. "We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law -- no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. "But that can't be an excuse for inaction. Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson (Ariz.), and Aurora (Colo.), and Oak Creek (Wis.), and Newtown, and communities from Columbine (Colo.) to Blacksburg (Va.) before that -- then surely we have an obligation to try." Obama pledged quick action. "In the coming weeks, I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens -- from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators -- in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have?" Obama said. "We can't accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?" Obama asked. "Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?" --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). -------------------------------------------------------------------- At Sandy Hook, chaplains pray, offer hope by Joe Conway Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NEWTOWN, Conn. (BP) -- While Enio Aguero has ministered to families of service personnel killed in action, only God's grace could prepare him to comfort those who lost their children in the mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School. "As you can imagine, this is a difficult situation," Aguero said. "There is a long road to recovery for these families, and not only the families and first responders, but for all of Connecticut." Even so, Aguero said he can see God's hand at work. The national disaster relief chaplain coordinator for the North American Mission Board joined area chaplains, including four from the Baptist Convention of New England, in providing whatever comfort they could in the unimaginable circumstances in Newtown, Ct. NAMB President Kevin Ezell said he's thankful Aguero is available to help. "I know Enio wanted to do whatever he could to help and I am glad God gave him this opportunity," Ezell said. "I know I speak for all Southern Baptists when I say our prayers and thoughts are with the families and survivors in Newtown." On the day of the attack, Enio reported to the Sandy Hook volunteer firehouse. After quick introductions with law enforcement officials, he went to work. "I counseled several first responders. I was part of the death notification teams for the families of the victims of the school shooting," said Enio, who was accompanied by John Revell, a pastor and police chaplain from Stamford, Ct. "I am exhausted, but I am okay," Aguero said. "I am trying not to be an obstacle for what God is putting into place. He is opening doors for ministry. There will be needs for a long time here. After the funerals, there will be needs of the families and those who have responded." Aguero plans to remain in Newtown for several days to continue counseling. Bruce James, DR director for the Baptist Convention of New England, also expressed appreciation for Aguero's ministry. "We are grateful for how in God's providence He had DR chaplain Enio Aguero in New York [for Hurricane Sandy] and he deployed and began to minister at the Sandy Hook Emergency Response Center," James said. Four BCNE chaplains assisted Friday (Dec. 14) in 20 counseling sessions with first responders and families of the victims, Aguero said. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief has deployed a team of chaplains to Newtown who are trained to assist children in disasters. The Mississippi team of three, including a law enforcement chaplain, will work with area pastors and Aguero, ministering to children and parents. Southbury Baptist Church pastor Bryan Sims and his congregation, which meets less than 10 miles north of the school, are also reaching out to the community. Bryan Finch, an SBC chaplain and the command chaplain at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, will conduct a memorial service Wednesday for a U.S. Coast Guard member's niece, a Sandy Hook victim. --30-- Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Huckabee answers, 'Where was God?' by John Evans Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NEW YORK (BP) -- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took to his Saturday show on Fox News to answer the question of where God was during Friday's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct. Huckabee mostly was responding to backlash over comments he made the day of the shooting to Fox News host Neil Cavuto in response to that question. He had suggested that the removal of God from public schools was partly to blame. "... [W]e've made it a place where we do not want to talk about eternity, life, what responsibility means, accountability," Huckabee told Cavuto. "... [W]e're not just going to have to be accountable to the police ... but we stand one day before a holy God in judgment." On his Dec. 15 show, Huckabee pushed back at criticism that he was saying the massacre would not have happened if there was prayer in schools. "Well, I said nothing of the sort. It's far more than just taking prayer or Bible reading out of the schools," he said, going on to suggest that America casting out God from the public square has led to a culture where mass shootings take root. The full text of Huckabee's comments during his Saturday show follows: "Well, maybe it's simply the attempt to express our collective shock when we say we're trying to make sense of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. But we're not going to make sense, not from that which is totally disconnected from the cognitive capacity of any rational human being. The governor of Connecticut, Dan Malloy, got it right when he said, 'Evil has visited this community.' President Obama, in an emotional statement from the White House, spoke more as a parent than a politician, and he quoted the Bible to bring comfort to the nation. Churches were filled in Newtown, Ct., last night as candlelight vigils were held to grieve for the 27 innocent people killed and the countless lives of those shattered by a few seconds of crazed carnage. "On Friday, Neil Cavuto asked me, 'Where was God?' And I said that for 50 years we've systematically attempted to have God removed from our schools, our public activities, but then at the moment we have a calamity, we wonder where He was. Well, the predictable Left lit up the airwaves and blogosphere with a vile and vicious reaction and jumped to the conclusion that I said that if we had prayer in school, the shooting wouldn't have happened. Well, I said nothing of the sort. It's far more than just taking prayer or Bible reading out of the schools. It's the fact that people sue a city so we aren't confronted with a manger scene or a Christmas carol; that lawsuits are filed to remove a cross that's a memorial to fallen soldiers. Churches and Christian-owned businesses are told to surrender their values under the edict of government orders to provide tax-funded abortion pills. We carefully and intentionally stop saying things are sinful, and we call them disorders. Sometimes we even say they're normal. "And to get to where we have to abandon bedrock moral truths, then we are asked, 'Well, where was God?' And I respond that as I see it, we've escorted Him right out of our culture, and we've marched Him off the public square, and then we express our surprise that a culture without Him actually reflects what it's become. As soon as the tragedy unfolded, I think God did show up. He showed up in the lives of teachers who put their lives between a gunman and their students. He showed up in policemen who rushed into the school not knowing if they would be met with a barrage of bullets. He showed up in the form of hugs and tears for children, parents and teachers who had lived through the slaughter. He showed up at the overflow church services where people lit candles and prayed. And He showed up at the White House, where the president invoked His name and quoted from His Book. "And in a few days or weeks, we'll probably ask God to excuse Himself from view, and we will announce in our arrogant pride that we are now enlightened and educated and we have evolved beyond needing Him. And somebody's going to suggest that we pass a law to stop all this kind of thing. I might want to point out that we don't have to pass a new law. There's one that's been around a while that works if we teach it and observe it: 'Thou shalt not kill.' Well, there are about nine others, but to tell you about them would require bringing God back, and we know how unacceptable that might be." --30-- John Evans is a writer in Houston. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Collegians trek to N.Y. to tackle hurricane survivors' mud-out needs during winter break by Adam Miller Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NEW YORK, N.Y. (BP) -- Southern Baptist college students are spending their winter breaks making homes livable again for residents spending Christmas in dwellings damaged by superstorm Sandy. About 325 students are working with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts through Jan. 22 on Staten Island and in other affected areas. At least 27 groups of students will gut homes, haul debris and minister while living in a tent village at Staten Island's Zion Lutheran Church. "I love helping people," Florida collegian Patricia Lally said, "and telling them about Jesus." Lally, a student from Baptist College of Florida in Graceville, was part of an early-arriving group of students who built living quarters for subsequent groups and began mud-out efforts with Alabama disaster relief volunteers. This represents a new level of student involvement in SBDR efforts, laying a groundwork for the next generation of people involved in the critical ministry. Last year more than 300 Liberty University students worked in an SBDR response following Hurricane Irene in upstate New York. "College students have a strong desire to be involved in these types of opportunities," Fritz Wilson, NAMB's SBDR executive director, said. "And it's a way for us to invest in students and get them interested in disaster relief for the rest of their lives." Wilson also said the college students are providing a much-needed cadre of volunteers during the holidays. With service times lasting a week, students will fill a need left by traditional DR volunteers who have spent more than a month in the area. "Many of our regular volunteers who've been responding for over a month simply have used up a lot of their [vacation] time," Wilson said. "The college students are willing to say, 'I can carve out this week' during their winter breaks and still spend the holidays with their families." The unconventional approach of involving student groups shows how flexible DR teams have to be. Finding space to house students has required building a tent community in the side yard of Zion Lutheran. In addition, many of the groups will receive training shortly before or even during their journeys to the area. On-site, they will be guided by experienced SBDR mud-out leaders. "We've had to think through how to contextualize the standard DR training material for younger generations," Wilson said. The needs that exist after Sandy continue to grow as residents recover their belongings and resume their lives in the midst of still-visible devastation. The Baptist State Convention of New York and the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association provided significant help by locating areas of need and staging areas. But Wilson said logistical challenges and the difficulties of connecting with communities revealed how much work is left in the area for DR assistance. Through the collegiate SBDR work, Southern Baptists also are tapping into new opportunities for church planting and other ministry in metro New York City. "What the college students are doing in this case is providing us with a big presence in an area where, quite honestly, we haven't historically had a lot of Southern Baptist work," Wilson said. Since Sandy made landfall, SBDR volunteers have served 1.75 million meals, cleaned debris from nearly 900 homes and made 4,300-plus ministry contacts. Volunteers have shared the Gospel with some 775 people resulting in more than 80 professions of faith. But the long-term Gospel impact SBDR volunteers are having on New York will reveal itself in the weeks, months and years to come, leaders said. "The response of these student volunteers to the Northeast not only is building our ability to respond to disaster, but it's also building in these younger volunteers a greater understanding of mission work in North America," NAMB President Kevin Ezell said. From its disaster operations center in Alpharetta, Ga., NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through a partnership between NAMB and the Southern Baptist Convention's 42 state conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs. SBDR assets include 82,000 trained volunteers, including chaplains, and some 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Southern Baptists and others who want to donate to the disaster relief operations can contact their state conventions or contribute to NAMB's disaster relief fund here. Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for "Disaster Relief." --30-- Adam Miller writes for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Religious freedom for military being negotiated by Senate-House conference committee by Tom Strode Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday WASHINGTON (BP) -- A congressional conference committee is negotiating whether the federal government will protect the religious freedom of military chaplains and armed services members regarding homosexuality and same-sex "marriage." The panel of Senate and House of Representatives members is expected to finalize within days its report on the National Defense Authorization Act, which empowers spending for military activities in the next fiscal year. The version of the authorization bill approved this year by the House includes language protecting religious liberty and conscience rights, in addition to requiring compliance with the Defense of Marriage Act. The Senate-approved version does not contain such provisions. The Southern Baptist Convention's ethics entity is among the organizations urging the conference committee to include the House language in its final report, which must be approved by both chambers of Congress. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and others say the provisions are necessary because of actions taken the last two years under the Obama administration. In September 2011, the Pentagon announced two new policies, one authorizing homosexual "weddings" or ceremonies on Defense Department property and another permitting chaplains to participate in such events. The announcements came only 10 days after the official lifting of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the longstanding ban on open homosexuality in the military that was repealed by Congress and President Obama in late 2010. Critics say those Defense Department memos violated the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defines marriage federally as being only between a man and a woman. Shortly after the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT), the president announced his administration would no longer defend DOMA in court. The Pentagon's new policies threaten the religious liberty of chaplains and members of the armed services, President Richard Land of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) said in a Dec. 13 letter to a leading Republican. Many chaplains and service members "profess religious beliefs that prevent them from condoning or accepting some of the lifestyle choices and behaviors of those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community [LGBT]," Land told Arizona Sen. John McCain, the lead GOP member of the Armed Services Committee. "Yet there is growing evidence confirming that service members who hold these religious beliefs face discrimination and career penalties if they remain true to their consciences. Regrettably, the Pentagon's policies actively pressure these brave men and women to choose between serving their country and holding true to their deeply-held religious faith." The House-approved version incorporates language from the Military Religious Freedom Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R.-Kan. Sen. Roger Wicker, R.-Miss., has introduced a companion bill in his chamber. That language says neither a chaplain's refusal to perform a ceremony based on his faith nor a service member's beliefs regarding human sexuality shall provide the basis for "any adverse personnel action, discrimination, or denial of promotion, schooling, training, or assignment." In a May conference in Washington, representatives of military chaplains said DADT's repeal had produced stress for some chaplains and service members. An increasing intolerance toward religion appears to be a byproduct, said Douglas Carver, executive director of chaplaincy services for the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board (NAMB) and a retired Army Chief of Chaplains. "I can assure you that a tension exists in this area," Carver said. "For example, the Department of Defense no longer considers homosexuality a moral issue. It is an amoral issue. To them, it's a concern of human dignity, respect, discipline and professionalism. However, a number of our chaplains and troops believe that homosexuality is a moral issue." Carver added, "There is a growing concern over political correctness and how it may inhibit freedom of religious expression, especially while in uniform." NAMB-endorsed chaplains do not support same-sex "marriages" or civil unions, Carver reiterated in July. The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, which consists of more than 2,000 mostly evangelical Christian military chaplains, has said its members will not perform gay "weddings." The Roman Catholic Archdiocese for Military Service also has said its members will not officiate at such ceremonies. Land said in his letter to McCain, "In addition to the sizable Southern Baptist representation among the chaplaincy and the military at large, we stand alongside chaplains and service members of all faiths, and of no faith, to protect their freedoms of conscience and religious expression." In addition to their religious freedom concerns with the Defense authorization bill, social conservatives and other pro-life advocates also are opposed to an effort to weaken the ban on abortions using Defense Department funds or facilities. The lone exception in past Defense authorization measures has been for the life of the mother, but the latest Senate-passed version includes exceptions in cases of rape and incest. --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Christmas music enjoyed by 70% of Americans by Jon D. Wilke Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: See accompanying Baptist Press INSERT CODE/story listing the most popular Christmas songs downloaded or sold through LifeWayWorship.com. NASHVILLE (BP) -- Christmas music is nearly inescapable every December and most Americans enjoy it. According to a new LifeWay Research study, 70 percent of Americans enjoy hearing Christmas songs in December and 86 percent believe school choirs and bands should be allowed to perform religious Christmas music. However, in the November 2012 online survey of 1,191 Americans, one in five Americans (21 percent) said the prevalence of Christmas music in December is "overdone" while 7 percent find it "annoying." "When seemingly everyone does something," LifeWay Research director Scott McConnell commented, "it is sure to grate on someone's nerves. But 10 times as many people find Christmas music everywhere enjoyable than find it annoying." More than eight in 10 (83 percent) Americans who consider themselves to be a born-again, evangelical or fundamentalist Christian say they find the prevalence of Christmas music enjoyable compared to 59 percent of those who "never" attend religious services, according to the survey, which was released Dec. 17. Favorite types of music When it comes to which type of Christmas music Americans prefer, 67 percent say they enjoy listening to "both secular and religious Christmas songs." Eleven percent enjoy only "secular Christmas songs" as opposed to 6 percent who say they enjoy hearing only songs of a "religious" nature. One in 10 Americans say they prefer not to hear any Christmas music. Demographically, secular Christmas songs are more popular among Americans ages 18-29 and those who never attend religious worship services. Twenty-two percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are most likely to say they enjoy secular Christmas songs while also being the least likely (50 percent) of all age groups to say they enjoy both secular and religious Christmas songs. Americans who never attend religious services are least likely (45 percent) to enjoy both types of songs. Nineteen percent in this subgroup say they only enjoy secular Christmas songs in December. Americans 65 and over (81 percent) are the most likely to say they enjoy both types of Christmas songs. Seventy-six percent of Americans who self-identified as born-again, evangelical or fundamentalist also say they enjoy both types. McConnell said secular traditions and religious observances often overlap for Americans at Christmas, but they appear to be "comfortable with this blend when it comes to Christmas music. Many Christmas songs have long histories and are entrenched in December traditions." School choirs and bands One of the times the two types of music come together is during performances by public school choirs and bands. A large majority of Americans (86 percent) agree that public school choirs and bands should be allowed to perform religious Christmas music. Only 9 percent say religious Christmas music should not be performed by public school choirs and bands. Six percent said they don't know. Americans from the South (65 percent) are more likely to say religious Christmas music should be allowed as compared to those in the West (57 percent). Weekly attendees of religious services (76 percent) and Americans who call themselves a born-again, evangelical or fundamentalist Christian (88 percent) are more likely to strongly agree that religious Christmas music should be allowed. Age plays a factor with nearly three out of four Americans age 55 and over strongly agreeing as compared to 60 percent of those 30-44. The survey also shows men are less likely than women to strongly agree (57 percent to 66 percent) that public school choirs and bands should be allowed to perform religious Christmas music. Methodology: The survey, conducted Nov. 14-16, 2012, sampled an online panel representing the adult population of the United States. Responses were weighted by region, age, ethnicity, gender and education to reflect the population. The completed sample of 1,191 surveys provides a 95 percent confidence that the sampling error does not exceed plus or minus 2.9 percent. Margins of error are higher in subgroups. --30-- Jon D. Wilke is media relations manager for LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' atop LifeWay carols by Jon D. Wilke Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Every year, new Christmas songs are written and performed by popular artists from nearly every music genre, but inside churches, the classics still reign. The most popular Christmas songs downloaded or sold through LifeWayWorship.com are: 1. O Come, All Ye Faithful 2. Joy To The World! The Lord Is Come 3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 4. Angels We Have Heard On High 5. Christ Has Come 6. Silent Night, Holy Night 7. O Holy Night! 8. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 9. Go, Tell On The Mountain 10. The First Noel 11. Angels, From The Realms Of Glory 12. O Little Town Of Bethlehem 13. Away In A Manger 14. What Child Is This 15. Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy) Mike Harland, director of LifeWay Worship, said most Christmas carols go back to the 13th century. "Carols were primarily art songs in nature with spiritual or religious themes. As time went by, they became more about the nativity of Christ," Harland said. "The carols associated with Christmas tended to survive. By the 16th century, the Christmas carol was here to stay. Now, Harland said, there's "a certain nostalgia with these familiar classics." "People like to sing what they know, and especially at the holiday season it takes you back to places in your memory -- singing the same song as a child at Christmas. "Christmas is a singing season," Harland said. "It may be the most sung-about season of all. Almost everyone will sing during the Christmas season at one point or another, even if they don't normally sing at all. The familiarity of the songs is the main factor with this." --30-- Jon D. Wilke is media relations manager for LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Attorney: City laws against churches on rise by Michael Foust Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Cities increasingly are viewing churches as a financial drain, writing laws that make it difficult -- and expensive -- for congregations to build new properties, an Alliance Defending Freedom attorney said at a Conference on the Culture in Nashville. Kevin Theriot, senior counsel with ADF, said churches "are beneficial to society" but that governments don't always see it that way. "You would no more tax a church than you would tax a public park," Theriot said at the annual Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission conference in November. "Everybody uses the public park and understands it's good for society." Theriot took a broad view of religious liberty in American and listed five specific ways it is under attack: -- Discriminatory laws against churches. In New York City, the city's Department of Education issued a rule preventing churches from renting school buildings for use on Sundays -- even though the buildings are not in use. Other organizations, though, are allowed to meet. The law, Theriot said, is "singling out churches -- only churches -- for discrimination." ADF filed a lawsuit, and a lower court judge sided with the churches. But the city appealed. It eventually could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. If the appeals court rules against the churches and the Supreme Court doesn't get involved, "then you're going to see more schools in other communities around the country trying to exclude churches," Theriot said. -- Discriminatory zoning codes. "What's happening is [cities will] start enacting zoning codes and say, 'We want to reserve this area for economic development. We want to reserve this area for residential housing," Theriot said. "They'll say, 'We don't want any churches in residential areas because it doesn't blend in with the houses and causes too much traffic. ... We don't want them in the economic development areas because they don't pay property taxes and they don't generate income." Churches do generate income for the surrounding areas, Theriot said. "How many people go out to eat after church on Sunday or Wednesday?" he asked. "... Churches are finding themselves being zoned out of particular areas. And it's really a reflection of the fact that churches aren't valued as much as they used to be." ADF has filed suits and won on behalf of churches, he said. -- Discriminatory property taxes. Rockland, Maine, has a law, Theriot said, stating that a church's place of worship -- and only its place of worship -- is tax-exempt. "The church building is exempt, but not the parking lot ... and certainly not any building surrounding the church," he said. ADF has filed suit in state court against the law, which has "been on the books for quite some time." The case is Aldersgate United Methodist Church v. City of Rockland. -- The disruption of church services. In 2008, Bash Back! -- which describes itself as a group of "gay anarchists" -- secretly placed several of its members among the worshippers at a service of Mt. Hope Church in Michigan. During one moment in the service, members unfurled a pro-homosexuality banner from the balcony, began shouting religious slurs and tossed fliers into the crowd. Two female Bash Back! members also went to the front and kissed near the podium. ADF represented the church in filing suit against the group, using a pro-choice law -- the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) -- that has a little-noticed section protecting churches. It had never been used in court to defend a congregation, Theriot said. In 2011 a federal judge issued an order preventing the group from disrupting churches again. If they do so, they could be held in contempt of court and fined $10,000. -- Same-sex marriage. As gay marriage becomes more widespread, Theriot said, churches that open up their facilities to the public are beginning to ask: Are they going to be forced to allow a same-sex ceremony on their property? For one Methodist property in New Jersey, the answer apparently is yes. New Jersey courts have ruled that a beachfront property owned by United Methodists violated state non-discrimination laws when it refused to host a lesbian couple's civil union ceremony. New Jersey legalized civil unions in 2006. The couple made the request in 2007. Churches, Theriot said, should state very specifically in their bylaws what their beliefs are on marriage. "We recommend that they state it positively -- that the church believes that sex is only permissible within the confines of marriage and marriage is between one man and one woman," Theriot said. "They don't need to necessarily to put anything in there about homosexual behavior." --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen Mansfield: 're-engage the culture' by Diana Chandler & Erin Roach Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Christian evangelicals have a prime chance to influence the culture for moral change in the face of declining cultural values, author Stephen Mansfield said at a Conference on the Culture in Nashville. Mansfield offered hope and direction in reengaging a culture he described as "in the wrong arms," speaking on the role of faith in politics at the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's annual Conference on the Culture in November. "I'm not saying we're going to have a thoroughly Christian culture. But I do think the opportunity to impact lives and re-engage the culture in a different way is pretty huge," Mansfield told ethicists, pastors and other leaders in attendance. "We are definitely as a culture in the wrong arms. I'm not so much speaking of an individual, but cultural values." William Cutrer, M.D., a professor of Christian Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., also addressed the two-day gathering. ERLC annually sponsors the conference event to discuss scriptural responses to pressing moral and cultural issues of the day. Mansfield encouraged leaders to promote biblically based policies to address issues the Republican Party has overlooked and thereby disaffected certain population sectors, such as African Americans, Hispanics, immigrants and the poor. As an example, he mentioned Leviticus 19:15, which encourages fair treatment across economic lines. "We're going to have to address the categories that are of interest to people in the culture, and interestingly enough they're also categories that are of concern in Scripture," he said. "How do we articulate our values and certainly have an alliance with the political networks that we need to be a part of, but not limit ourselves?" Mansfield expressed optimism and hope. "I believe the Lord would not have brought us to this time, in our culture, in our history to such a time as this and then left us with the vision we have, the passion we have, the training we have, the hopes that we have and no avenues to see them fulfilled or expressed," Mansfield said. "However it looks, the Lord's at work and good things are happening ... that are embers that we can fan in the flame. The Lord is always doing more than you know." In the public square, Christians must present biblically based policies in non-religious language, he said. "In my environment in D.C., the suspicion of pastors, anybody with a camera, anybody with a mailing list, is pretty high. You show up as reverend so-and-so," he said, and you're not given a public platform. "The church and Kingdom are not the same thing. The church is a place to train. It's a place to experience the presence of Jesus ... but it's not meant to be the basis of all social action." Mansfield challenged leaders to change their understanding of key concepts. He defined religion as "ultimate concern," following the logic of the late philosopher Paul Tillich; culture as "religion externalized" and law as "codification of the value system" we have as a result of our culture. "Whatever a man is ultimately concerned with, whatever concern is his passion, his motivation, that's his religion, regardless of whether he has a [church] membership," Mansfield said. "This helps us identify idols in our own lives and helps us understand people we are dealing with." The biblical worldview Christian evangelicals embrace has little meaning in today's neo-pagan, postmodern culture, he said, and must be refashioned to appeal to millennials. Just as in ancient times, individuals today have a value system based on a hodgepodge of ideas and philosophies, Mansfield said. "People are interested in God. They have that ultimate concern, but it's not worked consistently in our lives," he said. "All of us in this room I assume are biblical worldview people. We see a linkage between declaring the Lordship of Jesus and the way that we think about every other thing. But we live in a post-modern age and that's not the way the current generation thinks. They don't think in terms of that linkage." Identifying himself as Native American, Mansfield said the African American community represents a major untapped resource for growth for the Republican Party. "The answer is ... to try to understand how the African Americans got there. They were enslaved by people who were thumping the Bible, for the most part. Almost everybody was making a biblical case for that [slavery] -- Mormons, Protestants, Roman Catholics," he said. "If your primary contact with an African American is to try to persuade them politically, you're not going to make it. They've got to see some other connection." African Americans making over $90,000 a year comprise one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the U.S., he said. "The African American community has not advanced primarily through government action," he said. "It's primarily advanced through very skilled African Americans who broke through." Mansfield said the cause of Christian evangelicals is broader than that of the Republican Party. "We have narrowed ourselves to the GOP platform because that's where we fit. That was the house we were in. We wanted to fit the contours of the house that had welcomed us and had articulated our values," he said. "But is could be that we narrowed ourselves too much." Cutrer speaks on embryo adoption/donation Cutrer, an obstetrician/gynecologist, led a discussion of bioethics pertaining mainly to a crisis in which about 500,000 frozen embryos with no plan for their future remain on record in the United States, England and Australia. "Are they human? They are certainly human in origin and left unchecked will be human in destination," Cutrer said of the embryos. "Are they persons? Are they humans with potential or potential humans? How you come down on that determines everything." Cutrer is not an advocate of freezing embryos, but he does support embryo adoption in cases where the frozen embryo already exists and is in essence an orphan. He acknowledged that even among Christians, opinions on frozen embryos vary. When he asked a group of 400 adoption lawyers whether the embryos were humans or genetic property, they considered them property, he said. "How you decide what that is determines a whole lot in terms of your thinking on beginning-of-life issues, end-of-life issues and all of these complex reproductive technologies that we currently have at our disposal," Cutrer said. "Can we do it? Should we do it? The 'can we do it' is the science. The 'should we do it' is the ethics." "If you decide that the embryo is a person, then you have several biblical approaches. The Good Samaritan parable in looking at the embryo as a neighbor and how one would deal with them; or the Do Unto Others, the Golden Rule," Cutrer said. "The orphan care is a measure of what true religion is about -- caring for widows and orphans. "These embryos, if you believe they are persons, have truly been abandoned by their parents," he said. "They are truly orphans. The adoption imagery, hopefully all of you love that because that's how we are part of the family of God. Clearly God is an advocate of adoption." --30-- Diana Chandler is Baptist Press' staff writer; Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Mental health & the Newtown tragedy by Shannon Royce Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday FALLS CHURCH, Va. (BP) -- The innocents of Newtown, Connecticut, 20 beautiful children, will never flower. We will never see the doctor, teacher or athlete who could have been. And six adults lost their lives seeking to protect them and their classmates. The loss is unimaginable. We grieve from a distance. The families and community grieve intimately. And then it begins. Those who would make political hay out of this tragedy now have an opportunity to press their perspective on such issues as gun control with new fervor. Over the weekend, however, I saw an article on the Internet, "Thinking the Unthinkable," by a mother dealing with mental health crisis in her home, struggling desperately to care for her son who is ill while also struggling with the ramifications for herself and her other children. "In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it's easy to talk about guns," the mother wrote. "... It's time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That's the only way our nation can ever truly heal." I agree with her that it is time. How many more tragedies must we have before we consider the issue of mental health in America? And closer to home, how many more tragedies must we endure before we consider the role of the church for families in mental health crisis? How should the church engage these issues -- not just after they happen but before they happen? What would Jesus do? We are His body. What should we do? We need to understand better what happens when a mental health challenge and evil meet, what happens when disability mingles with sin. We see the devastating results. We need to consider what we can do to prevent them from occurring. Mental health concerns are hidden disabilities that don't show any physical marker on the outside. There is no wheelchair, no assistance dog that might indicate that this is an individual who might require assistance or accommodation. Hidden disabilities cover the autism spectrum as well as encompassing those with mental health concerns such as bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and those with neurological concerns such as epilepsy or Tourette's. Each of these disabilities is deeply life-affecting for the individual and the family who loves him or her. For a more detailed understanding of these disabilities, visit ChosenFamilies.org. Clearly there are distinctions between those on the autism spectrum, those with mental health concerns and those with neurological disorders. But the thing they have in common is they each are hidden from obvious view. They tend to be misunderstood. We don't know how to respond to them. They make us uncomfortable. We tend to avoid that which makes us uncomfortable. We are busy. Our calendars are full. Full of good things. Important priorities. I am reminded of the man who fell into trouble as he went to Jericho. The church leaders who saw him did not throw a rock at him. They did not curse him. They took no deliberate action to harm him. They just walked past on the other side of the road. Jesus commended the man who stopped, took notice and got involved. He said the good Samaritan was our example of how to respond. We need to stop, take notice, and get involved. This is not about programs, though programs may be fine. This is about personal engagement. We are called as the body of Christ to engage the fallen and broken world with the grace and power of the Gospel of Christ. That includes those with mental health concerns. --30-- Shannon Royce is president of ChosenFamilies.org, a nonprofit organization for families living with hidden disabilities. She is an attorney, marathoner and cancer survivor who lives with her husband and two sons in the Washington, D.C. area. A Southern Baptist preacher's kid, Royce formerly worked with the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Rachel weeping for her children by R. Albert Mohler Jr. Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday NEWTOWN, Ct. (BP) -- The grief of parents and loved ones of the 20 children and six adults murdered in a school in Newtown, Ct., is beyond words. Yet, even in the face of such an unbearable tragedy, Christians must speak. We will have to speak in public about this evil, and we will have to speak in private about this horrible crime. How should Christians think and pray in the aftermath of such a colossal crime? We affirm the sinfulness of sin and the full reality of human evil First, we must recognize that this tragedy is just as evil, horrible and ugly as it appears. Christianity does not deny the reality and power of evil but instead calls evil by its necessary names -- murder, massacre, killing, homicide, slaughter. The closer we look at this tragedy, the more it will appear unfathomable and more grotesque than the human imagination can take in. What else can we say about the murder of children and their teachers? How can we understand the evil of killing little children one by one, forcing them to watch their little friends die and realizing that they were to be next? How can we bear this? Resisting our instinct toward a coping mechanism, we cannot accept the inevitable claims that this young murderer is to be understood as merely sick. His heinous acts will be dismissed and minimized by some as the result of psychiatric or psychological causation, or mitigated by cultural, economic, political or emotional factors. His crimes were sick beyond words, and he was undoubtedly unbalanced, but he pulled off a cold, calculated and premeditated crime, monstrous in its design and accomplishment. Christians know that this is the result of sin and the horrifying effects of The Fall. Every answer for this evil must affirm the reality and power of sin. The sinfulness of sin is never more clearly revealed than when we look into the heart of a crime like this and see the hatred toward God that precedes the murderous hatred the gunman poured out on his little victims. The 20th century forced us to see the ovens of the Nazi death camps, the killing fields of Cambodia, the inhumanity of the Soviet gulags and the failure of the world to stop such atrocities before they happened. We cannot talk of our times without reference to Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, Pol Pot and Charles Manson, Idi Amin and Ted Bundy. More recently, we see evil in the impassive faces of Osama bin Laden and Anders Behring Brevik. We will now add yet another name to the roll call of mass murderers. His will not be the last. Beyond this, the Christian must affirm the grace of moral restraint, knowing that the real question is not why some isolated persons commit such crimes but why such massacres are not more common. We must be thankful for the restraint of the law, operating on the human conscience. Such a crime serves to warn us that putting a curve in the law will inevitably produce a curve in the conscience. We must be thankful for the restraining grace of God that limits human evil and, rightly understood, keeps us all from killing each other. Christians call evil what it is, never deny its horror and power, and remain ever thankful that evil will not have its full sway, or the last word. We affirm the cross of Christ as the only adequate remedy for evil There is one and only one reason that evil does not have the last word, and that is the fact that evil, sin, death and the devil were defeated at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. There they were defeated conclusively, comprehensively and publicly. On the cross, Christ bore our sins, dying in our place, offering Himself freely as the perfect sacrifice for sin. The devil delighted in Christ's agony and death on the cross, realizing too late that Christ's substitutionary atonement spelled the devil's own defeat and utter destruction. Christ's victory over sin, evil and death was declared by the Father in raising Jesus from the dead. The resurrection of Christ is the ground of our hope and the assurance of the final and total victory of Christ over all powers, principalities and perpetrators. A tragedy like this cannot be answered with superficial and sentimental Christian emotivism or with glib dismissals of the enormity and transience of this crime. Such a tragedy calls for the most Gospel-centered Christian thinking, for the substance of biblical theology and the solace that only the full wealth of Christian conviction can provide. In the face of such horror, we are driven again and again to the cross and resurrection of Christ, knowing that the reconciling power of God in Christ is the only adequate answer to such a depraved and diabolical power. We acknowledge the necessity of justice, knowing that perfect justice awaits the Day of the Lord Charles Manson sits in a California prison, even now -- decades after his murderous crimes were committed. Ted Bundy was executed by the state of Florida for multiple murders but escaped both conviction and punishment for others he is suspected of having committed. Anders Behring Brevik shot and killed scores of young people in Norway, but he was sentenced to less than 30 years in prison. Adolf Hitler took his own life, robbing human courts of their justice, and Vladimir Lenin died of natural causes. The young murderer in Connecticut took his own life after murdering almost 30 people, most of them children. He will never face a human court, never have to face a human accuser, never stand convicted of his crimes and never know the justice of a human sentence. But even as human society was robbed of the satisfaction of that justice, it would never be enough. Even if executed for his crimes, he could die only once. Even if sentenced to multiple life sentences to prison, he could forfeit only one human lifespan. Human justice is necessary, but it is woefully incomplete. No human court can hand down an adequate sentence for such a crime, and no human judge can restore life to those who were murdered. Crimes such as these remind us that we yearn for the total satisfaction that will come only on the Day of the Lord, when all flesh will be judged by the only Judge who will rule with perfect righteousness and justice. On that day, the only escape will be refuge in Christ, for those who knew and confessed Him as Savior and Lord. On that day, those who are in Christ will know the promise that full justice and restoration will mean that every eye is dry and tears are nevermore. We grieve with those who grieve For now, even as we yearn for the Day of the Lord, we grieve with those who grieve. We sit with them and pray for them and acknowledge that their loss is truly unspeakable and that their tears are unspeakably true. We pray and look for openings for grace and the hope of the Gospel. We do our best to speak words of truth, love, grace and comfort. What of the eternal destiny of these sweet children? There is no specific text of Scripture that gives us a clear and direct answer. We must affirm with the Bible that we are conceived in sin and, as sons and daughters of Adam, will face eternal damnation unless we are found in Christ. So many of these little victims died before reaching any real knowledge of their own sinfulness and need for Christ. They, like those who die in infancy and those who suffer severe mental incapacitation, never really have the opportunity to know their need as sinners and the provision of Christ as Savior. They are in a categorically different position than that of the person of adult consciousness who never responds in faith to the message of the Gospel. In the book of Deuteronomy, God tells the adults among the children of Israel that, due to their sin and rebellion, they would not enter the land of promise. But the Lord then said this: "And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it," Deuteronomy 1:39. Many, if not all, of the little children who died in Newtown were so young that they certainly would be included among those who, like the little Israelites, "have no knowledge of good or evil." God is sovereign, and He was not surprised that these little ones died so soon. There is biblical precedent for believing that the Lord made provision for them in the atonement accomplished by Christ and that they are safe with Jesus. Rachel weeping for her children The prophet Jeremiah's reference to Rachel and her lost children is heartbreaking. "Thus says the LORD: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more'" (Jeremiah 31:15). Like Rachel, many parents, grandparents and loved ones are weeping inconsolably even now, refusing to be comforted for their children, because they are no more. This tragedy is compounded in emotional force by the fact that it comes in such close proximity to Christmas, but let us never forget that there was the mass murder of children in the Christmas story as well. King Herod's murderous decree that all baby boys under 2 years of age should be killed prompted Matthew to cite this very verse from Jeremiah. Rachel again was weeping for her children. But this is not where either Jeremiah or Matthew leaves us. By God's mercy, there is hope and the promise of full restoration in Christ. The Lord continued to speak through Jeremiah: Thus says the LORD: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country," Jeremiah 31:16-17. God, not the murderer, has the last word. For those in Christ, there is the promise of full restoration. Even in the face of such unmitigated horror, there is hope. --30-- R. Albert Mohler is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. A version of this column first appeared at his website, AlbertMohler.com. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- BP Ledger, Dec. 17 edition by Staff Date: December 17, 2012 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger will not be published Dec. 24 or Dec. 31. EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger contains items from: Open Doors USA Hardin-Simmons University Campbellsville University University of Mobile Joni and Friends North Korea: Christians Still Intensely Persecuted One Year After Leadership Change SANTA ANA, Calif. (Open Doors USA) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un allows women to wear pants in public, likes to see Mickey Mouse and his friends perform, and experiments with light agricultural reform, but he hasn't made any essential changes in the first year after his father Kim Jong-Il's death. In fact, he has been preoccupied with building his image and tightening security. He increased the number of spies in China who search for Christians and organizations helping North Korean refugees. The use of television, radio and cell phones by North Koreans has also been thoroughly investigated and Christians report no changes in their situation of being isolated from the outside world. 2012 must have been a busy year for North Korea's "propaganda department." The "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il announced three years ago that in 2012 North Korea would once again be a strong and prosperous country. He died on Dec. 17, 2011, and left the country to Kim Jong-Un, who most likely is in his late twenties. The regime tried to model its new leader after his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung. His appearance and his public speeches mirror North Korea's "eternal president." There are differences. Kim Jong-Un's attendance of performances with Disney figures, female musicians in miniskirts and an orchestra playing music from a Rocky movie were widely televised. However, the dream of a strong and prosperous nation is still far from reality. The number of trained North Korean spies in China is growing. They are searching for human rights activists and Christians helping North Korean refugees. Border patrols have been taken over by the National Security Agency, which put pressure on captured smugglers to disclose information about Christians helping defectors. In at least one region in North Korea, but possibly more, citizens are pressured to confess their crimes. A North Korean person told a reporter from DailyNK.com, "They are gathering people by factory, school and people's units and telling them to write letters confessing precisely what foreign media they have viewed. When they give you the paper they warn you, saying they know everything anyway so just write it down – when, where and what you saw, where and from whom you got it and your impression of it." Open Doors' Christian contacts inside North Korea have reported no changes in their circumstances, indicating there are no signs that Kim Jong-Un will improve freedom of religion in the communist country. In fact, some arrested Christians were tortured and then released in order to betray their brothers and sisters or to serve as bait. "This is extremely tragic," says a Open Doors co-worker involved in ministry among North Koreans. "It's so dangerous to help Christians who have been released by the government. Some have been tortured so severely they cannot walk anymore. Often we cannot help them because that would bring too much risk to us. We can pray for them. We know that Jesus will not leave them, nor forsake them." Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA media relations director, states: "Scrutiny of the estimated 200,000 to 400,000 brave underground Christians inside North Korea has increased during the last year. Of the estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people living under horrific conditions in prisons, there are 50,000 to 70,000 Christians. Also, many North Koreans are chronically malnourished and unemployed. "Christians who escape to China from North Korea are hunted down and expatriated to their country where they face prison and often death. Christian groups which help the refugees are also under more scrutiny. But we know that Christians living under the most brutal regime in the world will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas – most of them only in their hearts." Open Doors' focus has been to strengthen and support believers inside North Korea, which has topped the Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 worst persecutors of Christians for 10 years in a row. Open Doors' ministry in North Korea is carried out in secrecy under highly dangerous conditions. ********** An Invention that Changed the World; HSU Alum and Hall of Leaders Inductee Dies ABILENE, Texas (Hardin-Simmons University) -- To Willis Whitfield the idea seemed simple; to keep a research lab free of dust particles, why not let air be the janitor? Whitfield, the inventor of the clean room, would change the world of technology, electronics, hospitals, labs, and even NASA. The 1952 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University died November 12, 2012, at the age of 92 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Whitfield graduated with a B.S. in physics and mathematics. He went on to pursue graduate studies at George Washington University after accepting a position at the Naval Research Lab in Maryland from 1952 to 1954, where he supervised research on solid rocket fuels and motors. It was there that his innovative methodology caught the attention of Sandia Labs in New Mexico, one of the nation's most sensitive defense research centers. While at Sandia Labs, Whitfield was project leader for advanced development studies of microwave propagation measurements and contamination control /clean room development. It was there that the vision of the Laminar Flow Clean Room became a reality and the world and all of its future possibilities changed. His clean rooms blew air in from the ceiling and sucked it out from the floor. Filters scrubbed the air before it entered the room. Gravity helped particles exit. Such a simple concept, but no one had tried it before. Willis held three patents, two of which were the Laminar Clean Room and the Laminar Flow Bench. The third patent was a sludge irradiation device. His bit of engineering genius would open up the world of miniaturizing electronic and mechanical components with the introduction of contamination-free laboratories. Most modern electronic devices, from iPods to communications satellites use micro-electronics made possible by Whitfield. The emerging field of nanotechnology would not be possible without a particle-free environment and, likewise, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms continue to make extensive use of the technology that dropped the rate of surgical infection and allowed pharmaceutical manufacturers to guarantee a pure product. Peers were just as quick to recognize Willis for enabling entire new fields of research and product technology. Receiving numerous awards, Whitfield was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers with the Holley Medal in 1969, which put Whitfield in the company of such people as Henry Ford for the automobile, Edwin Land for the Polaroid Land camera, William Shockley for the transistor, and Elmer Sperry for the gyroscope. Also in his honor, Clean Room Magazine named Dr. Whitfield as its first Hall of Fame inductee, and the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology presents an annual Willis J. Whitfield Award for substantial contributions to the field of contamination control. Whitfield was recognized by both the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers and the Scottish Society of Contaminations Control for outstanding pioneering discoveries in clean room technology and outstanding contributions to economic development. Sandia Labs commissioned a statue of Whitfield, now a prominent feature of the courtyard of the new Microsystems and Engineering Science Applications Laboratory. Whitfield received an honorary doctorate in science degree from HSU in 1970, and in 2006 Whitfield was inducted into the HSU Hall of Leaders. Whitfield retired from Sandia Labs in 1984 after 30 years of service. He is survived by his wife, Belva, also an HSU graduate; son, Joe Ray and wife, Joy, of Portland, Oregon; son, James Donald of Albuquerque, New Mexico; a brother, Lawrence Whitfield; and sister, Amy Blackburn, both from Dallas, Texas. ********** Campbellsville University serves surrounding community with service valued at $1 million monetary value By Samantha Stevenson, student news writer CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (Campbellsville University) -- "Campbellsville University faculty, staff, coaches and students are providing community service as part of their call to be Christian servant leaders," Dr. Michael V. Carter, president, said, and the monetary value of this service totals over $1 million. "While the monetary value of the community service is estimated to be worth more than $1 million during the past year, the greater value is beyond human measure as we seek to change lives, impact the community and world for Christ, and give of ourselves in service to others in the name of Christ," he said. "I deeply appreciate the support of our community and region and truly hope that this is further evidence of our commitment to the community and world in which we live," Carter said. An estimated 70 percent of Campbellsville University faculty participated in some form of community service, contributing over 8,000 hours of service, averaging about 65 hours per employee. An estimated 2,236 students at Campbellsville University participate in community service, contributing over 48,500 hours of community service, averaging almost 22 hours per student. The students have contributed an estimated $857,507.60 to community service projects, according to Jon Hansford, director of the First Year Experience at Campbellsville University. The faculty of Campbellsville University has contributed an estimated $146,503.30 to community service projects. These two have a combined total of over $1,004,037.90. Campbellsville University faculty, staff, students and coaches participate in several community service projects each semester that greatly impact the campus community and the Campbellsville community. Every freshman at Campbellsville University is enrolled in the FIRST CLASS program, a program that helps students transition academically, socially and spiritually into the collegiate community. Freshmen are required to participate in two main service projects. Their first is Repair Affair, where students and staff members travel off campus to help a family in need. The Repair Affair involved 462 students along with 24 faculty and staff members and benefited 17 low-income homeowners with badly needed home repairs in 2012. Students in the university's First Year Experience class worked collaboratively with an affiliated ministry of Campbellsville University, Kentucky Heartland Outreach, to complete five building ramps and 12 decks, while contributing to a total of 3,005 hours of service. "Service to others always benefits more than those being served because it connects our head and heart together," Hansford said. "Our investment of time given to the improvement of our community continues to keep the door open to our diverse and yet common humanity," he said. "At Campbellsville University, we make every effort to ensure that we continue to provide opportunities for our students that make these connections a lifelong reality." This project improved over the past year by serving more than twice as many homeowners. The university works to improve the Repair Affair each year through detailed student evaluations, and staff reflections from the university and its community partner. This demonstrates the commitment each partner has to the sustainability of the program. Federal work-study, an AmeriCorps VISTA member and the grants that KHO receive support the Repair Affair. During the second semester at Campbellsville University, freshmen are enrolled in OR 110 FYS Part II: The Servant Leadership Project, but this class is specific to their declared major or field in which they are interested. During their second semester, freshmen students are responsible for creating and implementing a service project with their classmates. The Servant Leadership Project in 2011 consisted of 414 students and 40 faculty and staff members completing 1,950 hours of service to serve 20,800 members of the community. Services included: tutoring students in area schools, raising money and awareness about homelessness and human trafficking, cleaning up local parks, streams, and creeks, planting over 20 trees, providing 26 health screenings, serving in area nursing homes and two local clothes closets, creating PSAs to keep the environment clean and organizing an Earth Day program for over 50 elementary school students. The Servant Leadership Project introduces every first-year student to Campbellsville University's culture of servant leadership and prepares him or her for lifelong service of which Christ calls His children to do. Freshmen are not the only students who have the opportunity to serve others in the community. Members of Green Minds, a club at CU in which students who are interested in horticulture or who are passionate about the environment, also participate in community-improvement projects. In 2011, Green Minds completed a series of projects that involved 80 students and ten faculty and staff members who contributed 560 hours of service to benefit 500 individuals. Projects include: building seven community vegetable gardens, tutoring over 100 elementary students in environmental education and sustainability practices, creek-side trash clean ups, planting 150 trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers, and providing habitat improvement for the local ecosystem. Green Minds exemplifies the culture of servant leadership at Campbellsville University because of their effort to make the world a better place to live. Also, every single project implemented by Green Minds is initiated and completed by students. By doing this, the members of Green Minds exemplify the mission and values of Campbellsville University. For more information about service projects at Campbellsville University, contact Hansford at jmhansford@campbellsville.edu or (270) 789-5371. Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu. ********** University of Mobile Announces New Website MOBILE, Ala. (University of Mobile) -- The University of Mobile announces its new website at www.umobile.edu. The new site features easier navigation, dynamic photography of campus life and information about upcoming events. The site also includes quick ways to schedule a campus visit, post updates from alumni, keep up with championship athletics, and more. The update enhances opportunities for current and prospective students, parents, alumni, donors, sports fans and others to connect with the university. Other ways to keep informed online about the University of Mobile include Facebook at www.facebook.com/universityofmobile and Twitter at www.twitter.com/umobilenews. ********** Joni and Friends Television Broadcast on American Forces Network: Christian program provides inspiration and encouragement, highlights disability and bioethics issues AGOURA HILLS, Calif. (Joni and Friends) -- Over a million U.S. service members and their families assigned overseas will be able to watch Joni and Friends television programas it will begin broadcasting Jan. 17, 2013 on American Forces Network(AFN). Joni and Friends TV program will be broadcast to more than 175 countries and U.S. territories and will provide encouragement and Christ-centered messages of hope, love and grace. "We are grateful to God for this opportunity," Doug Mazza, Joni and Friends' president said. "AFN and those of us here at Joni and Friends are excited to see how God will work through the TV program to touch and bless U.S. service members." This 30-minute weekly program, hosted by Tada, highlights an unusually open and honest approach to tough questions about the goodness of God in a world shattered by pain and suffering. The TV series presents a dramatic and powerful look into the lives of real people who have endured, or are still living through, heart-wrenching trials. Tada and her guests put Scripture to the toughest of tests, showing why God is worth believing and how to trust Him in the worst of times. AFN provides 24-hours-a-day multiple television and radio services to military audiences in more than 175 countries and U.S. territories, and on board U.S. Navy ships. From its beginning in 1942, AFN has grown into a worldwide network, providing a "touch of home" to over a million service members and their families. AFN provides the best of all American television in a unique mix of programs seen stateside on broadcast networks of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CW, PBS and other major cable channels. Different AFN services are carefully designed to serve different audiences. In addition to AFN, the Joni and Friends television series is carried on CGNTV network throughout Korea, with carriage to China and Japan; on CNLTV Russian Network to Russian-speaking audiences throughout Europe and Asia; on ERF Medien to Germany and German-speaking countries in Europe; on the Australian Christian Channel to Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand; on United Christian Broadcasters, Ltd., to the United Kingdom; on Alfa Omega TV in Romania; Aradana Broadcasting to India; C-Channel to Korea; Family 7 TV to The Netherlands; Friends Forever TV to Jamaica and Guyana; Gospel Channel to Iceland; Patmos Foundation/Studio 24 to Finland; Shalom TV to India; and throughout Mexico and the Caribbean as well as the U.S. and Canada via Global Christian Network. Altogether, these international networks reach a nearly worldwide audience. Other U.S. outlets currently airing the program include: National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) on DirecTV; Cornerstone Network, based in Pittsburgh, with 70 affiliates; Legacy TV based in Odessa, Fla.; Liberty Channel based in Lynchburg, Va.; KGEB/GEB (Oral Roberts University) in Tulsa, Okla.; KJEO 32.4 (Manavision3) in Sanger, Calif.; KGSC 47 in Cheyenne, Wyo.; KNXT TV (Catholic Television) based in Fresno, Calif.; TCT Network with 45 affiliates throughout the U.S. and Canada; TLN (Total Living Network) based in Chicago, with 90 affiliates nationwide, including KTLN in San Francisco and KEEN in Las Vegas; The Dove TV in Medford, Ore.; WATC TV in Atlanta; WAZT TV in Woodstock, Va.; WLMB TV 40 in Toledo, Ohio; WVCY TV in Milwaukee; WTWV TV in Memphis, Tenn.; and WRXY TV, an affiliate of Christian Television Network, in Punta Gorda, Fla. For more than 30 years, Joni and Friends International Disability Center has worked to accelerate ministry to the disability community, offering a wide array of life-affirming ministries to people with disabilities around the world. Joni and Friends does this through the Christian Institute on Disability; the International Disability Center; international radio and television programs filled with inspirational stories; Wheels for the World, which every year sees thousands of individuals receive wheelchairs and the life-giving message of the Gospel, and Family Retreats, where families affected by disability learn they are not alone. --30--