
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-12/29/2005

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2005 IN REVIEW: Hurricane Katrina, Asian tsunami lead list of top stories of the year
by Will Hall
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Two natural disasters and the outpouring of support for their victims lead the list of top stories for 2005.

Baptist Press polled the editors of the paper or journal representing the 41 state and regional Baptist conventions, as well as the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists, asking each to identify 10 (combined) international and U.S. stories, five SBC stories and three state convention stories that stood out in 2005.

Editors could include their staffs in the polling, but could submit only a single input, with each state or regional response having equal weighting with the others. The poll was open-ended to avoid shaping the results, but the survey included a large compilation of headlines as an aid to memory.

The following lists are a composite view of the 21 editors who replied. A total vote for each item is provided in parentheses.

INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL NEWS

1. (21) HURRICANE KATRINA WREAKS HAVOC IN LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI AND ALABAMA; CANAL BREAKS CAUSE CATASTROPHIC FLOODING IN NEW ORLEANS. Katrina’s winds combined with hurricane-spawned tornadoes cut a swath of destruction deep into the South and a 30-foot storm surge washed away what the winds left behind. Collapsed levees let in flood waters that deluged 80 percent of New Orleans, which was largely built below sea level. Only a fraction of the 500,000 previous residents now live in New Orleans. The storm killed more than 1,300 and displaced another 1.5 million, mostly from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

On a scale not seen in recent U.S. history, individuals, schools and churches opened their doors to offer shelter, and charities began to deliver food and assistance at record levels to meet immediate survival needs. Private donations continue to accrue, topping $2.7 billion in the U.S.

2. (19) TSUNAMI BATTERS SOUTHEAST ASIA’S COASTS. Entering 2005, the world struggled to grasp the human tragedy wrought by the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami that struck the coastlines of 12 countries around the Indian Ocean. Scientists estimated waves reached 35-80 feet in most of the ravaged coastal regions, and that Banda Aceh, Indonesia, only 160 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the tsunami, experienced a 100-foot wave traveling at 350 mph. Now judged as the most destructive on record, the tsunami took the lives of nearly 300,000 and left homeless more than 5 million more. 

Only hours after the breaking news, rescue and relief efforts mobilized globally. Private gifts exceed more than $1.5 billion in the U.S., and governments worldwide pledged about $12 billion. Long-term recovery efforts continue as the start of a new year approaches.

&#91;TIE&#93;   3. (14) DEATH AND RETIREMENT CREATE SUPREME COURT CHANGES. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired in July, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist died in September. President Bush originally named 50-year-old John Roberts, who was serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, to replace O’Connor, but following Rehnquist’s death, Roberts was nominated and confirmed as chief justice.

Controversy embroiled Bush’s second nominee, Harriet Miers, for O’Connor’s seat. A trusted confidante of the president, she has been a highly successful lawyer who was the first female president of the Texas Bar Association. But, having no bench experience, she lacked a paper trail on key issues, raising suspicions of pro-lifers and pro-choicers. Facing uniform opposition, Miers withdrew her name from consideration.

Described as a constitutional constructionist, Samuel Alito, serving on the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, replaced Miers as Bush’s candidate and will begin nomination hearings in 2006.

&#91;TIE&#93;	3. (14) POPE JOHN PAUL II DIES, POPE BENEDICT XVI INSTALLED. Perhaps the leadership change with the most global reach accompanied the death of Pope John Paul II. Evangelicals do not recognize papal authority, but they respected this leader of an estimated 1 billion Catholics worldwide for his biblical stances on homosexuality, marriage and sanctity of life issues. He was recognized as a champion of democracy, advocate for the rights of the poor and proponent of peace. 

His successor, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, installed as Pope Benedict XVI, is considered as staunch a conservative on many of the issues important to evangelicals. However, evangelicals may be more cautious about Ratzinger because he is said to believe that Protestant faiths are “sects.”

&#91;TIE&#93;	5. (13) COURT ORDER LEADS TO TERRI SCHIAVO’S DEATH BY STARVATION AND DEHYDRATION. Terri Schiavo, the 41-year-old disabled woman at the center of a nationwide life-and-death debate, died March 31 in her Florida hospice -- nearly two weeks after her feeding tube was pulled.

Her case captured the nation's attention, as Congress and President Bush intervened in an attempt to save her life. But in the end, Schiavo's parents failed to convince federal courts to re-insert her feeding tube.

Schiavo's death by starvation and dehydration brought together both sides of the ideological spectrum. Her death also epitomized the division in America about dignity of life issues.

&#91;TIE&#93;	5. (13) IRAQ HOLDS HISTORIC VOTES. In 2005, a purple finger, evidence of casting a vote, became a symbol of Iraq’s movement toward democracy and against the bloody hands of terrorists.

Despite insurgents’ threats to wash the streets with “voters’ blood,” editorial criticisms that called for delay of the elections (The New York Times), and a boycott by many Sunnis, about 58 percent of eligible Iraqis turned out in January to elect a provisional parliament.

In October, voters again went to the polls, but this time to approve a draft constitution; participation increased to an estimated 63 percent.

December elections for the permanent parliament brought 10 million to the polls, or about 67 percent of registered Iraqis.

It is not clear whether true religious freedom is possible, but at the least, a democratic and stable Iraq could have a dramatic impact on the Middle East, where Israel is the only democracy.

7. (11) QUAKE CRUSHES KASHMIR, PAKISTAN. On Oct. 8, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake, centered about 65 miles northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan, killed more than 87,000 and destroyed the homes of up to 3.5 million others in northern Pakistan and the India-controlled area of Kashmir. 

Officials fear that a year of seemingly endless natural disasters and unprecedented need might lead to donor and volunteer fatigue, but even with ongoing recovery needs at home, some remaining from the hurricanes of 2004, Americans have given $50 million so far for immediate needs of earthquake victims. This amount trails giving to Katrina and tsunami relief efforts, but it is more generous than historic precedents. Most foreign disasters have prompted U.S. private donations of between $10 million to $25 million.

8. (9) AIDS CRISIS BUILDS IN AFRICA. According to U.N. statistics, nearly 29 million people in Africa have died from AIDS-related causes since 1981, when doctors first recognized the disease, including about 3.1 million deaths in Africa in 2004. AIDS has orphaned at least 13 million children, and officials expect the number to rise to perhaps 40 million by 2010.

New data shows that abstinence and faithfulness are far more effective against the epidemic than are condoms. Harvard researcher Edward Green attributed the dramatic reduction of AIDS in Uganda to the government’s campaign to promote abstinence and monogamy since 1991. In the decade that followed, rates of HIV infection peaked at 15 percent and fell to 5 percent.

&#91;TIE&#93;	9. (7) TERRORIST ATTACKS IN LONDON PARALYZE CITY, STARTLE WORLD. Invoking the name of the Prophet Mohammad, a terrorist group calling itself the "Secret Organization Group of Al Qaeda of Jihad in Europe" claimed responsibility for a series of bomb blasts that rocked London's transportation system at the height of rush hour July 7.

Near-simultaneous bomb blasts at four separate sites -- three in the city's subway system and one on a packed double-decker bus -- killed 56 and injured 700. The attacks came one day after London was chosen as the site of the 2012 Olympics and on the same day the Group of Eight summit began at the Gleneagles Hotel near Edinburgh, Scotland.

Four attempted bombings took place exactly two weeks after the deadly July 7 blasts, and again the bombs were spread out around the capital, three on underground trains and one on a bus; none of the devices exploded. Fifteen terrorists face charges, and officials are investigating Al Qaeda links. 

&#91;TIE&#93;	9. (7) SUPREME COURT SPLITS ON TWO CASES ABOUT TEN COMMANDMENTS. In June, the Supreme Court issued two 5-4 opinions, one invalidating a Ten Commandments display in Kentucky, the other upholding a monument of the Decalogue on the Texas capitol grounds.

The court ruled Ten Commandments displays in courthouses in Kentucky's McCreary and Pulaski counties violated the establishment clause, even though they were set among documents that included the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Magna Carta. The justices, however, decided a stand-alone, granite monument on the state capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, was constitutional.

The Supreme Court building contains carvings of Moses and the Ten Commandments both on the inside and outside.


SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION NEWS

1. (16) SOUTHERN BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF MINISTRIES EXTEND COMPASSION TO HURRICANE VICTIMS. Since August, Southern Baptists have prepared and served more than 13 million meals, including 90 percent of the meals at Red Cross disaster relief sites. Disaster relief units from 41 state or regional conventions responded with 9,000 volunteers who cooked, cleaned out mud, cut and removed downed trees, laundered clothes and provided shower services. Southern Baptists also gave or pledged more than $21 million to meet immediate survival needs of hurricane victims (100 percent going to aid those in need in the general public).

Southern Baptists also launched first-time disaster relief initiatives, including: Adopt-A-Church (matching healthy churches with damaged or destroyed ones); Houses of Hope (providing temporary shelter in church facilities for evacuees); and the Survivor Information Database (an online service for connecting Katrina evacuees with family and friends).

Above-budget Cooperative Program receipts for the fiscal year ending September 30, about $12.5 million, were re-directed specifically to aid Southern Baptists harmed by Katrina: one-half to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (to aid faculty and students recovering from losses and to help in rebuilding the campus); one-fourth to the three state conventions most affected by the hurricane (to keep ministers in the field and to assist churches in recovery); and one-fourth to the North American Mission Board (to support the extensive hurricane disaster relief operations).

Two entities, LifeWay Christian Resources (which does not receive Cooperative Program money) and the International Mission Board, tapped operating reserves to fund recovery projects, giving $6 million and $2.5 million, respectively. 

2. (14) KATRINA CAUSES WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION OF NOBTS CAMPUS. Some buildings were damaged significantly by winds and rain intrusion, but in general, they were structurally intact. Later, levee breaks caused flooding that isolated the buildings at the front of the campus, but these structures did not suffer flood damage. However, 100 percent of faculty housing flooded, and faculty who lived on campus (which was most of the faculty) lost nearly everything. Forty-five percent of student houses flooded, and those students lost nearly everything.

Estimates show New Orleans Seminary suffered between $5 million and $15 million in damage, not including lost revenue. Insurance covered restoration of facilities damaged directly by the waters, but not those facilities that escaped flooding and only suffered mold and mildew growth.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee approved a three-year freeze in the calculation of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's enrollment, allowing NOBTS’ 2003-04 enrollment figures to apply to Cooperative Program funding formulas for the next three budget years. Southern Baptists' six seminaries receive different levels of funding based on a rolling three-year average of their enrollment. The enrollment numbers are based on a formula known as "full-time equivalent" (FTE) enrollment. The stabilization will give NOBTS time to recover from enrollment losses related to Katrina.

The seminary temporarily moved its offices to Decatur, Ga., near Atlanta, but officials expect to be back in New Orleans for the fall 2006 schedule. The seminary is scheduled to open its campus to commuter students this spring.

3. (12) ADRIAN ROGERS, 3-TIME SBC PRESIDENT, GOES HOME. Adrian Rogers, retired pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis, Tenn., succumbed to pneumonia and died Nov. 15. He was mourned worldwide and honored as a pastor of pastors and champion of the faith. Rogers was a special figure in Southern Baptist life also for being the only SBC president in the modern era to be elected three times. His election in 1979 marked the beginning of what is commonly called the Conservative Resurgence, a movement in which Southern Baptists voted for conservative leaders in response to concerns about theological liberalism within the denomination's seminaries and entities.

Rogers chaired the committee that reviewed and revised the Baptist Faith and Message, Southern Baptists’ consensus of beliefs about the teachings of Scripture, to address current theological and cultural issues.

4. (10) “EVERYONE CAN” EVANGELISM INITIATIVE LAUNCHED. On Oct. 1, Southern Baptists launched a year-long evangelism emphasis with the goal of winning and baptizing one million new believers. The initiative follows a convention-wide build-up, including SBC President Bobby Welch’s 50-state tour in 2004, and the 2005 annual meeting that hit the evangelism theme repeatedly -- even hosting baptisms by local churches during business sessions. Some state conventions followed suit, using baptisms during their annual gatherings to emphasize evangelism.

The effort comes amid a 50-year plateau in baptisms among Southern Baptist churches.

Welch, pastor of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla., issued a call for all 1,183 Baptist associations across the nation to hold two “associational baptism rallies” during the emphasis as a means of promoting the effort among their churches.

5. (8) JIMMY DRAPER RETIRES FROM LIFEWAY, ONE OF KEY LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS ACROSS CONVENTION. Jimmy Draper, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, announced his intentions to retire in February 2006, the end of 15 years at the helm. A long-time SBC pastor, Draper was among the succession of conservative presidents Southern Baptists elected beginning in 1979.

Other key figures in the Conservative Resurgence also announced retirement plans for 2006 -- Jim Henry (elected president in 1994 and 1995) and Jerry Vines (elected president in 1988 and 1989). Both have been serving flagship SBC churches, Henry since 1977 at First Baptist Church in Orlando, Vines since 1982 at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville. These three retirements signal the coming generational change in leadership of the convention.


STATE OR REGION NEWS (as determined by each respective editor)

ALABAMA

-- Alabama Baptists’ unity seen in record giving and cooperation in ministry.

-- Samford University President Tom Corts retires, Andrew Westmoreland named successor. Peaceful transition reflects spirit of state convention.

ARKANSAS

-- Arkansas Baptists overwhelmingly respond to human needs caused by hurricanes: churches house and feed evacuees; 4,500 volunteers serve on disaster relief teams, preparing 1 million meals; 10 Arkansas Baptist camps open to house temporarily the displaced and attend to their physical and spiritual needs.

-- Kaye Miller, member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, elected national Woman’s Missionary Union president.

-- Messengers to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention's annual meeting take first step in granting agency status to the Baptist Assembly at Siloam Springs, freeing the encampment to raise money.

FLORIDA

-- Florida Baptists respond tirelessly and generously to second consecutive active hurricane season.

-- Effort to amend state constitution to protect marriage struggles to gather enough petitions to put on 2006 ballot.

-- Florida Baptist State Board of Missions approves new strategy to reach South Florida.

GEORGIA

-- Georgia Baptists vote to sever ties with Mercer University; convention and school officials agree to terms for peacefully dissolving the relationship

-- Georgia Baptist Convention sets ambitious goal of 50,000 baptisms for 2006.

-- Georgia Baptists welcome record 104 new churches in 2005. 

ILLINOIS

-- Wendell Lang resigns as executive director and is named pastor of West Jackson Baptist Church (Tenn.). Executive team charged to serve collectively as "interim executive director."

-- North American Mission Board’s Nate Adams nominated as new Illinois Baptist State Association executive director.

-- IBSA deploys record number of disaster relief volunteers.

IOWA

-- Baptist Convention of Iowa celebrates 50 years of Southern Baptist ministry in Iowa, 10 years as a convention.

-- Jenifer Barrentine, the state executive’s daughter, coordinates mission projects in Iowa despite debilitating Lou Gehrig’s disease and confinement to wheelchair.

-- Iowa Baptists reach out as never before, send record numbers with disaster relief teams.

KENTUCKY

-- Georgetown College officials and Kentucky Baptist Convention messengers adopt new relationship, with Georgetown electing its own trustees beginning in 2006 and the KBC phasing out Georgetown's $1.3 million annual Cooperative Program allocation over the next four years. 

-- Kentucky Baptist disaster relief leaders train more than 2,800 volunteers in response to hurricane relief needs. 

-- Kentucky Baptist Convention launches first year of five-year "Kentucky Baptists Connect" initiative focusing on evangelism, church growth and leader training.

LOUISIANA

-- Louisiana Baptists weather hurricanes despite immense damage to individuals and churches.

-- Trustees name Joe Aguillard eighth president of Louisiana College. 

-- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ends probation; Louisiana College remains fully accredited.

MARYLAND/DELAWARE

-- NAMB invites the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware to partner in strategic cities initiative for Baltimore.

-- Maryland/Delaware Baptists move forward with “Embrace Baltimore” initiative to evangelize city for Christ.

-- States’ Baptists respond overwhelmingly to tsunami and hurricane.

MINNESOTA-WISCONSIN

-- Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptists embrace Katrina evacuees relocated to Minneapolis and Milwaukee.

-- Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptists train record numbers of disaster volunteers, deploy to assist in ministries related to Asian tsunami and Gulf Coast hurricanes.

-- At MWBC annual Empower Conference, 21 youth accept God's call to serve as church planter, pastor or missionary.

MISSOURI

-- Legal battle continues between Missouri Baptist Convention and five breakaway agencies; assets of more than $240 million at stake.

-- Stem cell battle heats up as proposed 2006 ballot initiative would amend state constitution to protect destruction of embryos for stem cell research.

-- Southern Baptist Matt Blunt inaugurated as Missouri’s governor.

NEW MEXICO

-- New Mexico Baptist disaster relief volunteers multiply 10-fold over 2004 numbers.

-- Baptist Convention of New Mexico leader Claude Cone retires after 20 years.

-- Joseph Bunce nominated for BCNM executive director’s post. 

NORTH CAROLINA

-- Committee on nominations shows growing conservative influence; rejects candidates from churches with controversial ties.

-- Messengers defeat motion to reduce giving plan options; decide contributions to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship no longer count as Cooperative Program giving.

-- Executive director-treasurer resigns, conservatives move to replace interim initially hired by Baptist State Convention of North Carolina board of directors.

NORTHWEST

-- Northwest Baptists elect Gustavo Suárez as executive director.

-- Northwest Baptist Convention disaster relief ministries operate on six fronts at height of natural disasters.

-- Northwest associations launch aggressive church planting efforts.

OKLAHOMA

-- Oklahoma Baptists respond immediately, comprehensively to Katrina disaster.

-- Capital campaign for Falls Creek, a historic Baptist conference center, tops $20 million.

-- Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma breaks ground for new tabernacle at Falls Creek.

PENNSYLVANIA/NEW JERSEY

-- Intelligent Design debate wages in Dover, Pa.; federal judge rules I.D. may not be taught in Pa. public school science classes. 

-- Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey emphasizes evangelism during 35th annual meeting; local churches baptize new Christians at convention.

-- At annual meeting, missions extravaganza features food prepared by convention's ethnic churches; interactive games for adults and children alike, representing various ministries within the convention; and a meal provided by Pennsylvania/South Jersey disaster relief volunteers.

TENNESSEE

-- Belmont University’s move away from Tennessee Baptists raises controversy over ownership of campus.

-- World, Southern Baptists mourn the death of Tennessee’s Adrian Rogers.

-- Tennessee Baptist Convention celebrates 25th anniversary of partnership missions.

TEXAS (Southern Baptists of Texas Convention)

-- Southern Baptists of Texas Convention plays large role in Katrina disaster relief operations; coordinates feeding operations for hundreds of thousands of hurricane evacuees sent to Texas.

-- Hurricane Rita shifts disaster relief focus to East Texas.

-- Texas becomes 19th state to adopt a constitutional marriage amendment; measure passes overwhelmingly in off election year.

VIRGINIA (Baptist General Association of Virginia)

-- BGAV disaster relief teams respond to Katrina and Rita disasters in U.S.

-- Virginia Baptists respond to international disasters: tsunami in India and earthquake in Pakistan.

-- BGAV admitted as full member into Baptist World Alliance & BWA World Congress in Birmingham, England.
--30--
Participating state papers were: Alabama Baptist, Arkansas Baptist News, Baptist Horizon (Canada), Florida Baptist Witness, Christian Index (Ga.), Illinois Baptist, Iowa Baptist, Western Recorder (Ky.), Baptist Message (La.), BaptistLIFE (Md./Del.), Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist, Pathway (Mo.), Montana Baptist, Baptist New Mexican, Biblical Recorder (N.C.), Northwest Baptist Witness, Baptist Messenger (Okla.), Penn-Jersey Baptist, Baptist & Reflector (Tenn.), Southern Baptist TEXAN (SBTC), Religious Herald (Va.--BGAV).



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ANALYSIS: 2005 saw crisis, compassion, controversy & change
by Will Hall
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A confluence of world events, issues and personalities shaped the news of 2005, but no one theme emerged as conspicuously as that of meeting crisis with compassion.

CRISIS AND COMPASSION

Entering 2005, the world struggled to grasp the human tragedy wrought by the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami that struck the coastlines of 12 countries around the Indian Ocean. Waves reaching 35-100 feet wreaked havoc, taking the lives of nearly 300,000 and making homeless over 5 million more. 	

But this historic disaster was only the first of multiple storms and natural catastrophes to headline 2005. 

Hurricanes Dennis, Emily, Rita and Wilma swept through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico with varying force and impact on island nations, Mexico and the U.S. 

However, on Aug. 29, Katrina wreaked immense destruction in the U.S., particularly in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Winds combined with Katrina-spawned tornados cut a swath deep into the interior of the South and a 30-foot storm surge washed away what the winds left behind. Collapsed levees let in floodwaters that deluged 80 percent of New Orleans, which was largely built below sea level. Only a fraction of 500,000 previous residents now live in New Orleans. The storm killed more than 1,300 and displaced another 1.5 million, mostly from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

Adding to the bad news, during the height of hurricane season, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook northern Pakistan and the India-controlled area of Kashmir, killing 87,000 and destroying the homes of another 3.5 million.

These stories would be tragic if left at the details of destruction, but an overwhelming wave of compassion followed in the wake of each catastrophe. No outpouring of compassion could erase the enormous personal tragedy that occurred with each event, but the heartfelt kindness by so many to so many changed countless lives -- those who gave and those who received. In the U.S., in addition to volunteerism and gifts of goods, cash donations from private citizens exceed $2.7 billion, $1.5 billion and $50 million respectively for immediate relief to the victims of Katrina, the Asian tsunami and the earthquake in Pakistan and Kashmir.

WAR AND RUMORS OF WAR

While the compassionate response to world disasters figured prominently in 2005, news of combat, political controversies and social chaos captured the headlines throughout the year. 

Protests in America grabbed headlines, and as deaths of U.S. military personnel passed 2,000, some political voices in the U.S. called for immediate troop withdrawal. During the same time, Iraqis participated in three historic votes (electing a temporary parliament, approving a draft constitution and voting on a permanent government), giving hope to democracy -- which would be a first in the Arab world.

During a press conference Dec. 19, President Bush commented on what he saw as historic progress in a short time.

 “Think about what has happened in a brief period of time -- relatively brief,” he said. “I know with all the TV stations and stuff in America, two and a half years seems like an eternity. But in the march of history, it's not all that long. ... And it happened because the Iraqis want to live in a free society. And what's important about this election is that Iraq will become an ally in the war on terror, and Iraq will serve as a beacon for what is possible; a beacon of freedom in a part of the world that is desperate for freedom and liberty.”

But the war on terror was not confined to the Middle East. On July 7, London was terrorized by four synchronized bombings (three trains and one bus) that paralyzed the city and caused the world to pause and think about what might come next. More than 700 were injured and 52 victims died. A tape by the group claimed Al Qaeda ties.

Other world events involving Arabs caused similar tense anticipation of what might follow.				

On Aug. 15, Israeli troops began enforcement of a government decision to remove about 8,000 Jewish settlers from Gaza and four small West Bank settlements as part of Israel’s plan for peace.

Riots that began Oct. 27 among Muslim youth in Paris spread to Arab communities in other cities throughout France (which has the largest Muslim population in Europe) and also Germany, Belgium and Sweden. Sparked by the deaths of two Arab youths at the hands of police, mostly Muslim teen immigrants burned cars, trucks and businesses for three weeks.

Arab-on-Arab attacks increased within Iraq, with bombings aimed at Iraqi police, soldiers and politicians as well as schools, hospitals and even mosques. Al Qaeda-related, Muslim-on-Muslim terror was exported to Jordan, where three bomb-strapped men entered separate hotels in Amman and in coordination, detonated their explosives, killing themselves and 54 men, women and children (most of the victims at the hotels were Jordanians celebrating weddings). A female bomber with the group failed to detonate her explosives and was captured.

CROSSING SOCIAL BOUNDARIES

Some of the greatest upheaval worldwide was not caused by terrorists or anarchists, but by legislative actions and judicial rulings that redefined marriage as something other than a lifelong union between one man and one woman.

In April, Spain joined Belgium and the Netherlands in legalizing “gay marriage;” and during the summer Canada followed suit. On Dec. 1, South Africa's equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court gave parliament a year to fix a law that limits marriage to a pact between a man and a woman.

Great Britain legalized same-sex civil partnerships in December, joining other countries, such as Germany and Sweden, which grant same-sex couples at least some of the legal benefits of marriage.

In the United States, Texas passed a constitutional amendment in November that protects the traditional definition of marriage -- increasing to 19 the number of states with similar amendments. A marriage amendment has not failed at the ballot, passing with an average of 70 percent of the vote. At least nine states are considering placing amendments on the ballot in 2006, and some states already are looking ahead to 2008.

Conservatives view these constitutional amendments as a means of thwarting activist judges and legislatures bent on expanding special rights for homosexuals. A federal marriage amendment has been blocked from coming to a vote in the U.S. Senate.

TIMES OF CHANGE

Leadership change was a constant in 2005.

President Bush began his second term with a filibuster controversy surrounding his nominees to the federal appeals courts. A Senate compromise averted a showdown, and Justice O’Connor’s retirement announcement shifted attention to the Supreme Court. Bush originally named 50-year-old John Roberts, who was serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, to replace her, but with William Rehnquist’s death, Roberts was nominated and confirmed as chief justice.

Conservatives and liberals expressed concerns about Bush’s second nominee, White House counsel Harriet Miers, for O’Connor’s bench seat. She lacked a paper trail on key issues, and the void raised pro-life and pro-choice suspicions. Miers withdrew her name from consideration and Bush tapped Samuel Alito, who serves on the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

The faith of each of Bush’s picks has been central to the public discussion.

Perhaps the leadership change with the most global reach accompanied the death of Pope John Paul II. Evangelicals do not recognize papal authority, although they respected this leader of an estimated 1 billion Catholics worldwide for his biblical stances on homosexuality, marriage and sanctity of life issues. He was recognized as a champion of democracy, advocate for the rights of the poor and proponent of peace. 

His successor, German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, installed as Pope Benedict XVI, is considered a staunch conservative on many of the issues important to evangelicals. However, James Leo Garrett, distinguished professor of theology emeritus at Southwestern Seminary, offered some caution. "Evangelicals may be prone to celebrate Ratzinger’s orthodoxy on the Trinity, Christology, and no salvation outside Christ but will need to remember Ratzinger’s role in ‘Dominus Iesus’ in 2000, which said that Protestant and evangelical churches ‘are not Churches in the proper sense,’ a statement reckoned by some as a reversal of Vatican II, which implies &#91;Protestants and evangelicals are&#93; ‘sects.’”

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS: IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF THE WORLD

Leadership transitions also marked Southern Baptist life in 2005.

Three former Southern Baptist Convention presidents, each twice elected, announced their 2006 retirements: Jimmy Draper (elected president in 1982, 1983), president of LifeWay Christian Resources;  Jim Henry (elected 1994, 1995), pastor, First Baptist Church, Orlando, Fla.; and Jerry Vines (elected 1988, 1989), pastor, First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla. Southern Baptists elected the three during what is commonly called the Conservative Resurgence, a movement in which Southern Baptists voted for conservative leaders in response to evidence of theological liberalism within the denomination's seminaries and entities.

Adrian Rogers, retired pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis, Tenn., succumbed to pneumonia on Nov. 15 and died. He was mourned worldwide and honored as a pastor of pastors and champion of the faith. Rogers was a special figure in Southern Baptist life also for being the only SBC president in the modern era to be elected three times. His election in 1979 marked the beginning of the Conservative Resurgence.

Rogers chaired the committee that reviewed and revised the Baptist Faith and Message -- Southern Baptists' statement of beliefs -- to address current theological and cultural issues.

Rogers’ death and the retirements of Draper, Henry and Vines signal the coming generational change in leadership of the convention.

During the annual meeting, reporters in Nashville spotlighted messengers' decision to end the boycott against Disney, but the launch of the “Everyone Can” campaign to “Witness, Win and Baptize” one million in one year could be the action that defines the future of the convention. During the previous fall, SBC President Bobby Welch, pastor of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla., traveled to every U.S. state in an effort to build energy for the evangelism initiative. As part of the evangelism emphasis at the SBC gathering, local churches baptized eight people -- including a soldier who served in Iraq.

Southern Baptist disaster relief operations proved to be the most enduring SBC news item in 2005. Furthering a reputation for being first in and last out, Southern Baptists stepped up in record numbers to meet each arising need while maintaining comprehensive operations in areas still recovering from previous catastrophes -- some from 2004.

Volunteerism hallmarked disaster relief operations, but Southern Baptists also showed financial generosity. Southern Baptists’ faithful giving each Sunday raised receipts through the Cooperative Program for national causes 3.2 percent over the previous year, the 11th rise in 12 years, and simultaneously, they gave sacrificially, for example, spontaneously raising $16.8 million for tsunami victims and another $21.8 million for those impacted by Katrina.

LOOKING AT 2006

Faith certainly will remain an enduring issue in 2006. 

A federal judge ruled the week before Christmas 2005 against teaching Intelligent Design in a Pennsylvania school system. The issue pits evolutionists against scientists who question the validity of Darwin’s theories in explaining the complexity of life. The setback in Pennsylvania likely will not quell the controversy over the teaching of Intelligent Design in public schools. In Kansas, state education officials have adopted classroom standards that question the theory of evolution, while a federal appeals court in Georgia has heard arguments over whether the Cobb County school district can place evolution disclaimer stickers on biology textbooks.

Judicial nominations also figure to be a prominent topic in 2006, with Samuel Alito's Senate hearings scheduled to begin in January.

Also, the war in Iraq and that country’s experience with democracy will be watched closely, with special attention to signs of how religious freedom will be treated.

Sanctity of life issues -- particularly the stem cell debate -- will be major stories. The Senate is scheduled to debate a bill in the early part of the year that would greatly expand funding on embryonic stem cell research. (Current law allows funding only on embryonic stem cell lines that were already in existence prior to a Bush order on Aug. 9, 2001.) Social conservatives support adult stem cell research, although they oppose embryonic stem cell research on the grounds that it requires the destruction of the tiny human beings. Passage of the bill would force President Bush to make good on his promise to veto it.

On Dec. 20 Bush signed into law a bill to underwrite adult stem cell research on cord blood stem cells. It authorizes $79 million for work on the stem cells and establishes a network for doctors and patients to access in an effort to find matches.

Adult stem cell research has resulted in therapies for more than 65 ailments, including spinal cord injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia, heart damage and a variety of cancers. Embryonic stem cell research, on the other hand, has failed to produce any successful therapies in human beings and has been plagued by the development of tumors in lab animals.
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IMB, churches call Shin as Korean Baptist mobilizer
by Karen L. Willoughby
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

SEATTLE, Wash. (BP)--Gihwang Shin, a church-starting missionary to the 177 language groups in metropolitan Seattle, has been called by the International Mission Board -- and funded in partnership with Korean Southern Baptist churches –- to enlist Korean Southern Baptists to get involved in going, giving and praying for international missions.

During the five years Shin has been ethnic church-starting strategist in the Puget Sound Baptist Association, at least 30 churches have started in a variety of settings -- including cross-cultural, such as a Cantonese-speaking church that called a Korean to start a Mandarin-speaking church.

Shin’s responsibilities recently have become even more global in scope. The title of his new job at the IMB is mobilization strategist for Korean-American churches.

“We’re very excited to have an experienced church strategist assisting us with the mobilization of our Korean Southern Baptist churches,” said Jerry Daniel, leader of the IMB church and partner services group. “We’ve been experiencing an increased involvement of these churches in global missions over the last three years and have been looking for someone to nurture those relationships.”	

Korean churches across the Southern Baptist Convention have become increasingly strategic in their global focus, said David Gill, pastor of the Concord Korean Baptist Church in Martinez, Calif. Where Koreans once focused primarily on the needs of Koreans in the United States and abroad, today they’re reaching out globally to many people groups. And increasingly they’re doing it in partnership with the International Mission Board.

“We have 6.5 million Koreans in 172 countries,” said Gill, former second-vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention. “It is God’s providential will to spread so many Koreans in so many countries for world mission.”

Gill arranged a meeting last May that brought together 11 pastors of Korean Southern Baptist churches in the United States with IMB leaders and 11 pastors of Baptist churches in South Korea to discuss what they saw as God’s direction.

“We wanted to learn and discuss how Korean churches can work together with the IMB to reach out to other people groups in the world,” Gill said. “We have 213 (Korean) missionaries; we are aiming for 1,000 with God’s help. So Gihwang Shin will be a tremendous asset for this recruiting and mobilizing.”

During the meeting, the Korean pastors from the United States told IMB leaders their churches would cover a significant portion of the salary for five years if the mission board were to call a Korean to help Korean-American churches increase their global missions involvement. 

Gill became chairman of the search committee that quickly settled on Shin.

“He is very much a mission-minded man,” Gill said of Shin. “He knows Southern Baptist dynamics in working with Southern Baptists for a long time. He is bilingual -– Korean and English –- and he is very good at (using) the computer. People really like him, and I think that says a lot. He is very good at people skills.”

“This is a kind of giant step -– for Korean Baptist churches to work with the IMB with the same goal and same vision,” Shin said. “In the past, Korean churches had a focus on missions, and especially overseas, but they didn’t know how to do it in a cooperative way. They just did it by themselves.

“In the past two years they have seen more power and more fruit with the IMB and Cooperative Program. Many laymen are ready to go out and serve -– both in career and long-term (volunteer) missions.”

IMB President Jerry Rankin noted a growing interest on the part of Southern Baptist Korean churches to partner with the mission board.

“(SBC Korean churches) are catching the vision of cross-cultural witness to unreached people groups, and hundreds of their members are surrendering to missionary service,” Rankin said. “Gihwang Shin has been a key influence in helping to nurture our relationship with these churches and will be a great asset in training and equipping them for involvement in our Great Commission task.”

The International Mission Board has led at least 10 missions-awareness programs in Korean churches in recent years. At one of the first such meetings, conducted at Los Angeles’ Berendo Street Baptist Church in May 2003, more than 400 people accepted a call to career or long-term global missions involvement. In all, more than 800 Korean Baptists have made similar responses.

“This is a pretty amazing thing,” Shin said. “Now is the time to follow up.”

The calling of Shin flows out of an intentional IMB effort to better serve and lead Southern Baptists in being on mission to the ends of the earth, said Ken Winter, the board’s liaison with strategically involved Southern Baptist partner churches.

“Gihwang’s background and experience will be a tremendous resource to the churches as they respond to God’s activity to be on mission with Him,” Winter said. “And he will be a great asset to the IMB in helping us to better serve the churches.”

Shin, his wife, Hyesun Kim, and their three children moved in December to Richmond, Va., where the IMB is located.
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MARRIAGE DIGEST: Marriage amendment signature drive breaks record in Mass.; amendment faces opposition in Minn.
by Michael Foust
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A successful marriage amendment petition drive in Massachusetts smashed a 20-year-old record for the most signatures ever gathered on a ballot question.

Just before Christmas, Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin certified 123,356 signatures for the constitutional marriage amendment, which essentially would reverse the state court's 2003 ruling that legalized "gay marriage." The previous record of 110,645 was set in 1985 on a tax proposal, The Boston Globe reported Dec. 22.

The 123,356 certified signatures are fewer than the 147,000 that local election clerks had certified in early December, but nonetheless still impressive. The amendment needed only 65,825 signatures. 

Pro-family groups originally turned in 170,000 signatures. Invalid ones were tossed out.

"Considering that 170,000 signatures were collected mainly by volunteers in virtually all 351 cities and towns over a brief 60-day period, what the citizens of Massachusetts have done is nothing short of monumental,” Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said in a statement.

The amendment now must garner the support of at least 25 percent of state legislators in two consecutive sessions. If it does that, it would be placed before voters in 2008.

The legislature's first vote is expected in May, the Massachusetts Family Institute said.

Homosexual activists played down the petition drive's success. Arline Isaacson, co-chairwoman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, told the Globe that the petition drive was a "groundswell of fraud and deceit, not of voter insistence." She blamed paid signature gatherers for tricking voters into signing the petition.

Meanwhile, homosexual activists have launched a website with the name and address of every person who signed the petition. (The signatures are public information.) A letter to the editor in The Standard Times in New Bedford, Mass., championed the website: "Are your neighbors anti-gay bigots? Your relatives? Your elected officials? Your barber? How about your children's teachers? Find out."

Conservatives say the website amounts to intimidation. The Globe reported that Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, and his wife signed the petition, as did former House speaker Thomas M. Finneran, a Democrat.

AMENDMENT FACES OPPOSITION IN MINN. -- Supporters of a constitutional marriage amendment in Minnesota face a tall task in the state Senate, which saw two amendment opponents win in recent special elections, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

The amendment passed the House with ease in 2005 but failed to receive a vote in the Senate, which is controlled by the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). The two new senators are DFL members.

Conservatives have pressured Senate leaders to allow a vote on the issue. If it were to pass the Senate, it would go before voters.

"Will it come up? I'm sure the conservative Republicans will push the issue, but it's less likely that it finds its way to the ballot question in November now than it did last session," DFL Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson told Minnesota Public Radio.

Tom Prichard, president of the conservative Minnesota Family Council, told MPR the amendment would pass the Senate if given a vote.

A May Star Tribune showed that 51 percent of Minnesotans said the state needed a marriage amendment. Forty-six percent "agreed strongly."

NOT IN AUSTRALIA -- Great Britain may have legalized same-sex civil partnerships in December, but Australia won't -- at least, if Australian Prime Minister John Howard has a say.

Asked if he would like to see Australia adopt a similar law, Howard said, according to The Australian, "I would be opposed to it. I think marriage is for men and women. That's why we amended the Marriage Act (in 2004)."

But some members of Howard's Liberal Party say they support civil partnerships and will work to legalize them. Civil partnerships -- sometimes also called civil unions -- grant homosexual couples the legal benefits of marriage, without using the word "marriage."
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For more information about the national debate over "gay marriage," visit <a href="http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage">http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage</a>

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'Justice Sunday III' to spotlight courts on eve of Alito hearings
by Staff
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

PHILADELPHIA (BP)--One day before the Senate begins confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, conservatives will gather in Philadelphia for another "Justice Sunday," hoping to put the spotlight once again on socially liberal court rulings.

"Justice Sunday III: Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land" will take place Sunday, Jan. 8, at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and will be broadcast nationwide to other churches on Christian television and radio. It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET.

The broadcast will feature several speakers, including Focus on the Family's James Dobson and Sen. Rick Santorum, R.-Pa.

It is the third such broadcast within the past year. Last April, the first Justice Sunday was held amidst a Senate showdown over judicial filibusters. And last August, the second Justice Sunday was held on the eve of then-Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' confirmation hearings.

The rallies have served to inform and equip conservative Americans about the need to reform the federal courts, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court, which in the past four decades has legalized abortion, ordered the removal of Ten Commandments plaques and banned prayer in certain public settings. Conservatives fear the court eventually will take up a "gay marriage" case.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, noted that the broadcast's theme, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land," is engraved on the Liberty Bell, which is located in Philadelphia just a short distance from Independence Hall.

"We are appealing to pastors to become involved before militant atheists and their judicial activist allies sandblast those words from Leviticus from the bell itself," Perkins said in his daily FRC e-mail.

Alito's nomination has drawn praise from pro-family leaders. While FRC has not officially endorsed Alito, it has called for fair hearings. A statement from FRC said that in nominating Alito, President Bush "followed through with his promise to promote a strict constructionist."

In addition to Dobson and Santorum, other speakers scheduled to speak at the rally include Perkins; Herbert Lusk, pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church; Wellington Boone, bishop of The Father's House (Atlanta); Jerry Falwell, Liberty University; Alveda C. King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr. and founder of King for America.

Justice Sunday III is scheduled to be broadcast live on Sky Angel, American Family Radio and Bott Radio Network, and on tape-delay (10 p.m. ET) on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It also will be simulcast live over the Internet.

For more information, visit www.JusticeSunday.com.
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FIRST-PERSON: The best movies of 2005
by Phil Boatwright
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP)--Rather than focus on the artistic merits of possible Oscar contenders such as "Capote," "Walk the Line" and "Pride and Prejudice," I have selected films that uplifted me spiritually in my list of best movies of 2005.  

Now, beware, some of these choices contain language, violence or other objectionable material. I listed these films because I was entertained and moved by the spirituality they reflected. They are in no particular order.

-- "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."  

Where the recent Harry Potter was dark, muddled and stale, Narnia is vibrant, clear and fresh. And while adventures, not sermons, take center stage, most churchgoers will find that the story serves to open a rewarding dialogue between parent and child concerning the Christ-like symbolism found in the pivotal Aslan. The children learn life lessons, the film is pro-family and the spiritual insights are distinctly biblical.

Rated PG (Though the filmmakers avoid excessive brutality, this good vs. evil tale does include violence and a few jolting scenes; parents should attend with little ones in order to reassure).

-- "Cinderella Man."  

Russell Crowe stars in this inspiring take on the life of legendary athlete Jim Braddock. Ron Howard’s direction avoids a phony or maudlin execution. Rather, the involving and well-paced narrative evidences the director’s skill. Along with Howard’s desire to tell a great sports movie that spotlights a tenderness for family and marriage, his writers give this generation an insightful look at the tribulations people faced during the Great Depression.  

Rated PG-13 (profanity and obscenity spring up throughout, but I caught no misuse of God’s name by the lead, although other characters do use God's name in vain several times; intense boxing violence; the subject material of trials faced by Americans during the Great Depression may not be suitable for little ones).

-- "The Great Raid."  

Director John Dahl recreates the gritty reality-based exploit that liberated more than 500 U.S. prisoners of war on the Philippines in 1945. Yes, the brutality is difficult to watch, but so many gave up so much in order to end a cancer that threatened to destroy the soul of mankind. Their sacrifice should be depicted and therefore, remembered.

Rated R (three profanities, eight or so obscenities and a few minor expletives, but for a war film, the language is very mild; what’s more, there is a great deal of thoughtful dialogue and several moments that reveal men of faith and a reverence for God).

-- "Mad Hot Ballroom."

This is a light-hearted documentary concerning likeable New York 5th graders who are given a free course in dance as part of their school curriculum.  

Funny, insightful and completely engaging, these kids gain direction and confidence as they learn the merengue, tango and swing dance steps. There’s an innocent wisdom that generates from many of these kids. We also experience the pain of those who learn for the first time about disappointment (“But we did everything they told us to do”).  

Rated PG (a couple of conversations concern children having to be vigilant of sexual predators). 

-- "March of the Penguins." 

This is a fascinating documentary about penguins, raw nature and survival. It’s full of impressive, almost unworldly locations and amazing cinematography, and most importantly, it sends a powerful message concerning the importance of life. In a time when audiences are subjected to pro messages concerning euthanasia ("Million Dollar Baby," "The Sea Inside"), the need for abortion ("Vera Drake"), and desensitizing images of violence toward our fellow man (most films), here is a movie that reveals creatures in the wild sacrificing all in order to preserve life. 

Rated G.

-- "Smile."  

The story concerns a self-centered teen struggling with adolescent issues. Katie (Mika Boorem) is beginning to sense that there is more to life than what’s offered by her preferential world. When a favorite teacher presents an opportunity to get involved with a charitable group, she hastily agrees to travel to China as a volunteer, not realizing that this trip will change her life. 

Rated PG-13 (A mother discusses sexual matters with her teen daughter and supports her decision to get birth control pills.  There is a make-out scene, but the girl realizes that she is not ready for sex and puts an end to it. Though some may be concerned with this brief sexuality, the filmmakers felt the issue needed to be addressed and did it with discretion.)
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Phil Boatwright reviews films from a Christian perspective. For other reviews, visit his website at www.moviereporter.com.


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FIRST-PERSON: I am resolved. Are you?
by Peter Beck
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Another New Year is upon us. For many of us there have been too many and they have come too quickly. As Christians we understand the idea of new beginnings. In salvation God has given us new life and new hope. We know that we don’t have to wait until Jan. 1 for a second chance to get things right. By the grace of God, everything can be made right today, right now.

However, celebrating the New Year is a helpful exercise. It gives us an excuse to refocus our efforts, to redirect our thoughts, and to resolve the lingering weaknesses in our lives: to be more holy. To that end, many of us make New Year’s resolutions.

Many of my spiritual heroes made resolutions of their own.

Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan preacher, kept a diary. In that diary he wrote 70 resolutions, things that he resolved to do. Many of us would do well to emulate his resolve:

“Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory and to my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now or never so many myriads of ages hence.”

Another Puritan, Matthew Henry, had great resolve, as well:

“I do in the beginning of this New Year solemnly make a fresh surrender of myself, my whole self, body, soul, and spirit, to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, my Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, covenanting and promising, not in any strength of my own, for I am very weak, but in the strength of the grace of Jesus Christ, that I will endeavour this year to stand complete in the Will of God.”

What resolutions are you going to make this year? Lose weight? Find time? Break habits? Mend fences?

I would like to suggest a few things that we all should be resolved to do in the New Year:

1) Praise God for every new day (Psalm 118:24)

2) Read through the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

3) Pray daily for one another and the church (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

4) Share your faith with at least one new person each week (Romans 10:14)

May Matthew Henry’s New Year’s prayer be yours:

“Lord grant that this year I may be more holy, and walk more closely than ever in all holy conversation; I earnestly desire to be filled with thy holy thoughts, to be carried out in holy affections, determined by holy aims and intentions, and governed in all my words and actions by holy principles. O that a golden thread of holiness may run through the whole web of this year.”
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Peter Beck is pastor of Kenwood Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., and a Ph.D. student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, also located in Louisville.


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SBC to air TV ad during BCS games
by Staff
Date: December 29, 2005 - Thursday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The Southern Baptist Convention has produced a television infomercial that will run in targeted markets during prime college football bowl games over Jan. 2-4. 

The ad was developed by the SBC Executive Committee to highlight some of the national SBC ministries funded through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists' method of supporting missions and ministry efforts of state and regional conventions and the SBC. Using the emphasis, “Making a difference in Jesus’ name through our Cooperative Program,” the infomercial spotlights SBC efforts to minister to "the least of these" around the globe, according to Bob Rodgers, the vice president for Cooperative Program with the SBC Executive Committee.

"The effort is not a campaign to applaud what we do in the name of Jesus," he said. "However, it is an initiative to educate ourselves and others about what we achieve together as Southern Baptists in the name of Jesus that we could not without the Cooperative Program."

The television spots will show in Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond and Washington, D.C., mostly as part of the Fiesta Bowl extravaganza.

The Nashville spot will be aired as part of the Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl games, and Atlanta has both Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl spots. All others will appear during the Fiesta Bowl which airs beginning at 4:30 p.m., Jan. 2. Coverage of the Orange Bowl starts at 8 p.m. on Jan. 3, and of the Rose Bowl at 8 p.m., Jan. 4. All three bowl games will be televised by ABC; start times are referenced to Eastern Time.

The ad also debuts a website, <a href="http://www.CaringPeopleSBC.net">www.CaringPeopleSBC.net</a>, which provides more information about the featured Southern Baptist ministries.
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