Baptist Press Archive

Friday, March 20, 2009

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  • Senate panel OKs former abortion rights advocate
    by Staff, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP)--The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved March 19 a former official with a leading abortion rights organization to an influential post in the Department of Justice.

    "The fact that Ms. Johnsen worked for NARAL is a huge black mark against her judgment and exposes her bias."

    -- CWA's Wendy Wright

          The Democratic-controlled committee sent President Obama's nomination of Dawn Johnsen as head of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) to the full Senate with a party-line, 11-7 vote. As assistant attorney general in charge of the OLC, Johnson would provide "authoritative legal advice" to the president and all executive branch agencies, according to the Department of Justice.

          From 1988 to 1993, Johnsen served as legal director of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, now known as NARAL Pro-choice America. NARAL is one of the country's leading abortion rights advocacy organizations. Before her NARAL tenure, Johnsen worked in 1987-88 with the American Civil Liberties Union's Reproductive Freedom Project. She served at DOJ during President Clinton's administration from 1993 to 1998.

          "NARAL's obsession with abortion skews its legal positions, blinding it to the Constitution's equal protection for all human beings," Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said after Johnsen's nomination, according to LifeNews.com. "The fact that Ms. Johnsen worked for NARAL is a huge black mark against her judgment and exposes her bias.

          "Americans will not be able to trust that [the] Department of Justice's legal opinions or Obama's executive orders comply with the Constitution when the lead person for making that judgment is incapable of treating all human beings with respect," Wright said.

          The Judiciary Committee's forwarding of Johnsen's nomination came on the same day the full Senate confirmed Elena Kagan as solicitor general with a 61-31 vote, with all "nay" votes coming from Republicans. As solicitor general, Kagan will represent the U.S. government before the Supreme Court. Read More

  • Ala. town buoyed by family's love
    by Grace Thornton, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    SAMSON, Ala. (BP)--Alisha Lewis and her family may live an hour away from Samson, Ala., but the little town nevertheless is home. Read More

  • 89 new missionaries to go overseas
    by Emilee Brandon, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    Photo from IMB
    TAYLORS, S.C. (BP)--"We do not have lofty goals of world success," missionary Christine Moffett said. "Our desire is simply to live through Christ and to proclaim His message of grace and salvation." Read More

  • Ministry surpasses 20,000 professions
    by Charlie Warren, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP)--The Southern Baptist Mississippi River Ministry has reached a new milestone: More than 20,000 people have made professions of faith in Christ since the outreach began in 1992.

    MRM is a partnership between eight state conventions (Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee), the North American Mission Board and Woman's Missionary Union.

    In addition to 20,000-plus decisions for Christ, the Mississippi River Ministry has draw... Read More

  • Salvadorans headline music workshop
    by Brian Koonce, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP)--The former concert master and principal violinist with the El Salvador National Orchestra and two other musicians from the Central American country were the featured speakers at the Missouri Baptist Convention's Instrumental Workshop Feb. 27-28.

    Elmer Amaya, the former symphony musician, now is the music leader at Temple Cristiano in San Salvador.

    Joining Amaya for the workshop were his son Alex, a cellist, and Mauricio Solis, a violinist and luthier (someone ... Read More

  • Vt. committee passes 'gay marriage' bill
    by Michael Foust, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    MONTPELIER, Vt. (BP)--A Vermont state Senate committee unanimously passed a bill Friday to legalize "gay marriage," marking the first step in a legislative process that could make the Green Mountain State the third state in the nation to redefine marriage -- and the first one voluntarily to do so.

    The bill, S. 115, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, 5-0, and now heads to the full chamber, where it appears to have the votes to pass. The bill apparently has majority support in the House a... Read More

  • LIFE NEWS: Fetal harvesting in Britain?
    by Staff, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP)--A top British scientist has recommended research into the transplantation of kidneys and livers from aborted babies, prompting an outcry from pro-life advocates.

    Richard Gardner, an Oxford University stem cell specialist and an adviser to Britain's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, proposed studies using organs from aborted human beings. He made his comments at a biomedical conference, according to a March 11 report in the Daily Mail, a British newspaper.

    "... Read More

  • LIFE NEWS: Pro-life Dems criticize Obama
    by Staff, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP)--Democrats for Life of America has called the Obama administration's refusal to consult it on the March 9 executive order revoking a federal funds ban for most embryonic stem cell research "a cooling of our relations."

    Democrats for Life said it had an opportunity to express disagreement with the administration before Obama's Jan. 23 order rescinding the Mexico City Policy, which barred federal grants to organizations that promote or provide abortions overseas. But the organ... Read More

  • LIFE NEWS: Pope challenges Pelosi
    by Staff, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP)--Pope Benedict XVI challenged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D.-Calif., on her abortion-rights record when she visited the Vatican in mid-February.

    After the pope and Pelosi met for about 15 minutes, the Vatican released a brief statement, which noted in part:

    "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Cath... Read More

  • LIFE NEWS: County defunds P. Parenthood
    by Staff, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP)--Supervisors of Southern California's Orange County voted unanimously March 10 to suspend a $291,788 contract with Planned Parenthood, according to The Orange County Register.

    The grant was not for abortion services but for health outreach efforts, including comprehensive reproductive information for children and teenagers, the newspaper reported. The supervisors instructed a county health agency to line up another clinic to utilize the funds.

    "I believe money is fungib... Read More

  • An invitation to Louisville
    by Johnny M. Hunt, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    WOODSTOCK, Ga. (BP)--I would like to encourage all my fellow Southern Baptists to join me at our annual meeting June 23-24 ... Read More

  • The AIG hot potato
    by Kelly Boggs, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP)--"The buck stops here" was one of President Harry Truman's guiding principles. Read More

  • Salvadoreños dirigen un taller de música
    Por Brian Koonce, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP)--El concertista maestro y el violinista principal de la Orquesta Nacional de El Salvador, junto con otros dos músicos de este país centroamericano fueron los conferencistas principales en el Taller Musical de la Convención Bautista de Missouri el 27 y 28 de febrero.

          Elmer Amaya, quien anteriormente era un músico de orquesta, ahora es el líder de la música del Templo Cristiano en San Salvador.

          A Amaya lo acompañaron su hijo Alex, violonchelista, y Mauricio Solís, violinista y lutier (la persona que hace y repara instrumentos de cuerda), quienes también son miembros del Templo Cristiano.

          John Francis, el especialista en alabanza en la convención de Missouri, conoció a los tres músicos durante una serie de viajes a El Salvador en conjunción con la alianza que la convención de Missouri tiene con los bautistas salvadoreños.

          "Realmente me cautivaron con su música y su amor por Jesús," dijo Francis.

          El taller es un evento anual de entrenamiento para músicos de cualquier tipo; la reunión de este año subrayó el nuevo Himnario Bautista y su nuevo arreglo orquestal instrumento por instrumento aplicado a los himnos y coros antiguos y nuevos.

          "Aprendimos de ellos tanto como ellos aprendieron de nosotros," dijo Francis acerca de los músicos salvadoreños, "especialmente en términos de improvisación. Tienen mucha experiencia tocando música sin partituras." Read More

  • Preguntas frecuentes acerca de las células madres
    Por Michael Foust, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    WASHINGTON (BP)--La orden ejecutiva dada el 9 de marzo por el Presidente Obama expandirá dramáticamente el papel del gobierno en la investigación de las células madres embriónicas. A continuación presentamos una lista de las preguntas más frecuentes, con su debida respuesta, acerca de las células madres. Read More

  • '¿Qué si? enfoca la Conferencia de Pastores en la Gran Comisión
    Por Mark Kelly, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    MOBILE, Ala. (BP)--Ed Litton cree que en tiempos de cambios culturales sísmicos e incertidumbre económica, los bautistas del sur enfrentan tanto el peligro como la oportunidad. El peligro, dice, es que las iglesias se retraigan a un lugar seguro, mientras que la oportunidad es confiar en Dios y verlo moverse poderosamente para cambiar el corazón de la gente y transformar la sociedad. Read More

  • EDITORIAL: ¿Cristianismo casual?
    Por Óscar J. Fernández, posted Friday, March 20, 2009 (15 years ago)

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--¿Alguna vez alguien le ha dado una bofetada sin manos al decirle que asistir a la iglesia es una forma tonta de perder el tiempo? ¿Le ha dicho alguien que para adorar a Dios no hace falta ir a la iglesia? ¿Ha escuchado decir a alguien que él tiene su propia religión? Read More