Baptist Press Stories for Feb. 4 2013 --------------------------------------- Supreme Court, in upcoming marriage cases, urged not to 'disqualify' religious conviction http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39640 'So God made a farmer' Super Bowl ad inspires http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39641 In Madagascar, SWBTS sees responsiveness http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39642 CONVOCATIONS: SBTS, MBTS, SWBTS http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39643 FIRST-PERSON: Why Rosa Parks (still) matters http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39644 BP Ledger, Feb. 4 edition http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39645 --------------------------------------- Supreme Court, in upcoming marriage cases, urged not to 'disqualify' religious conviction By Tom Strode Feb. 4 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39640 WASHINGTON (BP) -- Support by religious citizens of laws affirming traditional marriage does not make those measures unconstitutional, the Southern Baptist Convention's ethics entity and other organizations have told the U.S. Supreme Court. In two friend-of-the-court briefs, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) joined the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and other religious groups in urging the high court to rule in favor of a federal law and a state amendment that define marriage as between a man and a woman. The briefs, filed Jan. 29, are in cases for which the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments March 26 and 27 and likely issue rulings before its summer adjournment. The Supreme Court's much-anticipated decisions in the cases could prove momentous in an ongoing, national debate -- resulting in either the legalization of same-sex marriage or the affirmation of laws protecting traditional marriage. The ERLC, NAE and others urged the court in one brief to overturn the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' invalidation of Proposition 8, a 2008 amendment approved by California voters that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. In the other brief, they called on the high court to reverse the Second Circuit's ruling against a section of the Defense of Marriage Act that also defines marriage in federal law as only a heterosexual union. ERLC President Richard Land said the briefs seek to "combat anti-religious discrimination." Such discriminatory treatment by courts "would seek to disqualify the votes of people of religious conviction or to say, 'If your vote was based on religious conviction, it's somehow disqualified from the debate,'" Land told Baptist Press. "That's anti-religious bigotry, and these briefs point that out and defend the right of people of religious conviction to be treated with equal value with those who don't have such convictions. Anything less is anti-religious bigotry by any other name." In their brief in the Prop 8 case, the ERLC and its allies contend the Ninth Circuit unjustly depicted the amendment as "a product of anti-gay animus," or hostility. Support for the proposition was based on "sincere beliefs in the value of traditional marriage for children, families, society, and our republican form of government," the brief says. "Only a demeaning view of religion and religious believers could dismiss our advocacy of Proposition 8 as ignorance, prejudice, or animus." The ERLC and the others say in the brief they "are united in condemning hatred and mistreatment of homosexuals." They believe "God calls us to love gays and lesbians" while defending traditional marriage, they say. Prop 8 "must be judged on its merits according to settled rules of laws -- not on a more demanding standard born of antipathy toward religion or religious believers," according to the brief. "That Proposition 8 was supported by some religious voters or is in harmony with some religious views is constitutionally irrelevant." Heightened scrutiny of a law by a court "because of its support by religious voters or its relation to religious beliefs would raise serious First Amendment concerns," the ERLC and the others argue. "Increased scrutiny could result in the disenfranchisement, or at least dilute the voice, of religious voters." The brief acknowledges Prop 8 "takes sides in the moral debate over same-sex marriage" but says such a value judgment cannot be escaped. "California's endorsement of traditional marriage as a policy preference does not transgress constitutional limits any more than the thoroughly moral judgments expressed in laws regulating obscenity ... or abortion ...," the brief says. In the DOMA brief, the ERLC and its allies contend using DOMA's adherence to "traditional moral and religious beliefs" would contradict previous Supreme Court rulings that do not permit government to treat religion and religious adherents as subversive. A "taproot of American citizenship would be damaged if votes cast by the religious -- or by their representatives when influenced by religious values -- were evaluated more critically by courts than other votes," the brief says. "DOMA is entitled to be judged on its merits according to settled rules of law -- not on a more demanding standard born of suspicion toward religion, religious believers, or their values." In addition to the ERLC and NAE, the other organizations signing onto the Prop 8 brief were the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Romanian-American Evangelical Alliance of North America and Truth in Action Ministries. The same organizations joined in the DOMA brief except for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations. If the Supreme Court agrees with the lower court's invalidation of Prop 8, the 41 states that do not recognize same-sex marriage could be forced to do so. If it agrees with overturning DOMA, the federal government would have to recognize gay marriages in the nine states where it is legal. The states that have legalized same-sex marriage are Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Washington and Vermont. Gay marriage also is legal in the District of Columbia. California voters approved Prop 8 after the state Supreme Court had legalized gay marriage earlier in 2008. Congress passed DOMA, and President Clinton signed it into law, in 1996. The Prop 8 case is Hollingsworth v. Perry, while the DOMA case is United States v. Windsor. Oral arguments in the Prop 8 case will be March 26, while they will be March 27 in the DOMA appeal. --30-- Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief of Baptist Press. With reporting by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- 'So God made a farmer' Super Bowl ad inspires By Erin Roach Feb. 4 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39641 NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- The late Paul Harvey's tribute "So God Made a Farmer" was given new life during Super Bowl XLVII Feb. 3, propelling a simple and somber Dodge Ram ad to the top of the popularity chart, past scantily-clad women and the usual commercial hype. The iconic radio broadcaster delivered his ode in 1978 at a Future Farmers of America convention, adding to the Genesis creation account by stating, "And on the eighth day, God looked down on His planned paradise and said, 'I need a caretaker.' So God made a farmer."
He went on to list the daily toils of the American farmer: "God said, 'I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.' So God made a farmer." The two-minute Dodge Ram ad, which aired in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, ranked third in the USA Today ad meter, just behind Anheuser-Busch and Tide. Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, tweeted that the Dodge Ram commercial was the best of the Super Bowl "and nobody was half-dressed." He later added, "After all is said and done with the #SuperBowl, I just want to be a farmer." Owen Strachan, executive director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, tweeted, "The commercial breaks show the polar Americas: one loving nobility & honor & country, the other loving lust & hedonism & self." Strachan later added, "Is it exaggerating to say that the RAM commercial has potentially restored some civic hope? I think not. We are not alone. Fight on." Dave Miller of the blog SBC Voices wrote, "Right after the Dodge Ram commercial about farmers, my Twitter feed lit up. For the people I follow, that commercial was the unquestioned winner of the night." Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, tweeted in regard to the ad, "Loved it!!!" Secular commentators also raved about the truck ad, with TIME magazine columnist James Poniewozik tweeting, "loved the Paul Harvey Ram ad in spite of myself. Almost Johnny Cash-like raw Americana wordpower." Chrysler said the Ram brand commissioned 10 noted photographers including one from National Geographic to take photos of American farmers and farm scenes for the commercial. The Ram brand has declared 2013 the Year of the Farmer, according to its website, ramtrucks.com. The website urges visitors to "Join the movement. Help the next generation of farmers. Support FFA." "From healthy food to reliable American jobs, farming is a vital part of the American way of life," ramtrucks.com states. "So for every view of our 'Farmer' video, the Ram brand will make a donation to FFA. Help us reach our goal of $1 million." Harvey's tribute to farmers ends, "It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed and breed and rake and disk and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk. "Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what dad does. So God made a farmer." Theologians have long referred to Adam, the first man, as the first farmer. Genesis 2:15 says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." --30-- Erin Roach is assistant editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- In Madagascar, SWBTS sees responsiveness By Benjamin Hawkins Feb. 4 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39642 FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- A previously unreached people group in southern Madagascar received the Gospel eagerly from a team of students and faculty from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, with 180 people professing faith in Christ. Heeding International Mission Board President Tom Elliff's call for Southern Baptists to "Embrace" the world's unreached, unengaged people groups, Southwestern Seminary has endeavored to reach the Antandroy of Madagascar for Christ. The Antandroy received their name -- literally, "People of the Thorns" -- from the cactus plants and thickets native to their homeland. The Southwestern team began by sharing the Gospel in the city of Toliara during the trip in late December and early January, focusing their efforts on two pockets of Antandroy people in the university and among "pousse-pousse" drivers (similar to rickshaw drivers in Southeast Asia). Among both groups, the Southwestern team saw God move. During the second week of their trip, the team journeyed into the heart of Antandroy territory, driving an average of 10 mph over a rough 300-mile dirt road that is impassible for much of the rainy season, which was just beginning. Along the way, they prayed for the villages they passed and shared the Gospel when possible. They finally arrived at their destination in the town of Ambovombe, which missionaries called the "Wild West" of Madagascar -- an appropriate place for a missions team from Texas, said Keith Eitel, dean of Southwestern's Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions. Ronnie*, a student in the College at Southwestern, saw proof of the Antandroys' readiness to hear and receive the Gospel while preaching the Gospel on the streets of Toliara, a city on Madagascar's southwest coast. When 20 men and women responded by professing faith in Christ, the new Antandroy believers immediately asked Ronnie to help them find a church where they could grow in the faith. Cody*, another student in the seminary's undergraduate college, recounted the responsiveness in villages surrounding Toliara when sharing the Gospel with IMB missionary and Southwestern Seminary graduate Adam Hailes as well as a pastor from the island. Hundreds of people would gather around the team to hear the message of Christ, and many of them professed faith and provided contact information for follow-up. "People would come up to us to talk about Christ," Cody said, adding that people's hearts were opened through prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit. "The missionaries said it had never been like that before, that the people had never been so open." Such an open embrace of the Gospel among the Antandroy "is an indication of the ripeness of the timing of God," Eitel said. While some Antandroy people have been touched by some form of Christianity, much of this is now mixed with pagan practices. The Antandroy have no Bible translations in their dialect, and less than 2 percent of the people are evangelical Christians. Moreover, until recently, no one has made any strategic efforts to embrace the Antandroy with the Gospel and plant churches among them. IMB missionaries with aid from Southwestern Seminary now are beginning to reach the Antandroy amid significant changes in their society, Eitel said. "There is a cultural shift that is happening," Eitel said. "And as the Antandroy are emerging out of the obscurity and the isolation that they've lived in, their culture is morphing -- by their own design. And what we're seeing is that, historically, where this has occurred elsewhere in Africa as people emerge into the modern and postmodern world, it is a ripe time for the introduction of the Christian faith because that gives them a global connection. It gives them a sense of enduring worldwide religious substance to their belief." Eitel told of a young Antandroy man who was "right in that transitional generation." While listening to a seminary student present the Gospel, the man showed cynicism even about the existence of God. So, after the student shared, Eitel approached the young Antandroy man. "I went up and sat down beside him," Eitel recounted, "put my arm around him, and I said, 'My friend, you are the first African I think I have ever met who is willing to say that he does not believe there is a God. I just wanted to meet you, because you're unusual. I've never known an African who doesn't believe there is something that he calls God." As their conversation progressed, Eitel asked the man why he doubted God's existence. "And then [the young man] said, 'I have nothing against your message or against you. May I really just tell you why I feel this way?'" Eitel said. Then, the man told Eitel how his younger brother had become an evangelical Christian and afterward he lost his sanity and died. "I've never gotten over that," the man said. "I have grieved over that." "So you think that is somehow God's fault," Eitel replied. Since the Antandroy man admitted that his younger brother had been joyful as a Christian, Eitel added, "There could be a thousand reasons your brother died.... Don't blame the God who gave him that joy for his loss of life. Instead, celebrate the redemption, and don't ignore that that same God wants to be in your heart." At this point in their conversation, Eitel noticed an older man who had been intently listening, and he asked him whether he would like to follow Christ. "He raised his hand and said, 'Yes, I do,'" Eitel recalled, adding that the man immediately surrendered his life to Christ. Then, the cynical Antandroy man prayed with Eitel and expressed interest in learning more. Art Savage, associate director for global mission engagement at Southwestern, also believes "the time is right" for taking the Gospel to the Antandroy. He recounted how, soon after leading a young man named Merci to Christ, a crowd of 20 to 30 people gathered around them. After sharing the Gospel with the group, Savage asked if anyone would like to step forward and follow Christ. Immediately, an elderly man in the back of the crowd pushed his way forward. "I will be the first," he said, raising his hand. "I want to follow Christ." Then another person called out, "I will be the second," and another one called out, "I will be the third." That day, dozens of Antandroy men and women professed faith in Christ. As another team prepares to return to Madagascar this spring, Southwesterners are praying that God will add to these numbers and continue to bring forth a harvest among the "People of the Thorns." In the meantime, Hailes and other missionaries to Madagascar have begun follow-up and discipleship efforts with those who made professions of faith. --30-- *Names withheld for security reasons. Benjamin Hawkins is senior newswriter for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas ([URL=http://www.swbts.edu/campusnews]www.swbts.edu/campusnews[/URL]). Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- CONVOCATIONS: SBTS, MBTS, SWBTS By Staff Feb. 4 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39643 NASHVILLE (BP) -- Convocations are among the ways Southern Baptist seminary communities gather together at the start of each spring and fall semester to continue holding forth their Kingdom aims. Reports from three seminary convocations follow. SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Mohler challenges students to pursue faithful obedience By Craig Sanders LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Neglecting personal discipleship for the purpose of seminary studies is nothing short of disobedience, Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said Jan. 29 in his 40th convocation since assuming Southern's presidency in 1993. Mohler delivered a sermon, "The Obedience of Faith," from Romans 16:25-27, the epistle's benediction. Noting the inspired mixture of doxology and benediction in the verses, Mohler explained "the mystery of Christian worship is that which glorifies God most pristinely, blesses us most powerfully." The doxological portion of that passage centers on God's exclusive ability to strengthen believers in faith. Mohler pointed out that, if not for this ability, there would be no one in attendance at Southern Seminary's Alumni Chapel. Mohler focused his message primarily on the apostle Paul's reference to "the obedience of faith," which he identifies as the intended result of "the command of the eternal God." "The command of the Gospel is the command to believe," Mohler said, noting how this command is contrary to cultural desires that faith remain merely an intellectual option. Lack of faith, however, is disobedience to God's command. On the other hand, "faith produces a life of obedience," Mohler said, referencing Eugene H. Peterson's illustration of faith as a "long obedience in the same direction." Mohler then challenged the perception that time in seminary is primarily a means of education, rather than spiritual edification. "One of the most dangerous things we could imagine is that the time we spend in a school like this would be an interregnum in terms of our Christian responsibility and discipleship," said Mohler, defining interregnum as a period of transition before full-time ministry that neglects wholehearted spiritual devotion. "Your time in seminary is not about what you come to know but who you come to be," he said, emphasizing that obedience is central to every area of life, including one's own personal relationships. Returning to the doxology in Paul's exhortation in Romans 16, Mohler reminded the chapel audience of the only means by which obedience can be accomplished. "Our obedience of faith is not because we are capable but because He is able," he said. "It is to the glory of the only wise God through Jesus Christ." Before his address, Mohler spoke briefly about the Abstract of Principles, the defining document in the seminary's history. He then introduced Heath B. Lambert, a member the seminary's Boyce College faculty since 2008, who signed the abstract, which contains the signatures of the institution's founders. Lambert is the third Boyce faculty member elected to tenure. Lambert also serves as executive director-elect of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors and is author of "Biblical Counseling After Adams" and co-author of "Counseling the Hard Cases." --30-- Craig Sanders is a writer for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. ********** MIDWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Allen emphasizes "indivisible union" between churches & seminaries By T. Patrick Hudson KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jason K. Allen preached his first convocation service as president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Allen, in his Jan. 29 message, noted that while the day was certainly one of pageantry, pomp and circumstance, such a service holds a much deeper significance. "All of the pageantry of a convocation service reasserts our fundamental beliefs; it restates our core values and convictions; it also reminds us that this is a day of consecration -- to rededicate ourselves to God's task and ask for God's blessings on students, staff and faculty," Allen said. Transitioning to his message, Allen spoke from Matthew 16:13-20 on the subject "For the Church: Theological Education and the Future of Midwestern Seminary." There is simply no way to think of the seminary and not think of the local church, he said; they are a co-mingled subject. "There should be an indivisible union of interconnectedness between the seminary and the church," Allen said, noting, "For the seminary to know its mission, it must first look to the church and the church's charter -- Matthew 16." Within the relationship between the seminaries and local churches, Allen said both institutions are currently in states of crises. Many seminaries in America are experiencing crises of funding, identity, mission and a lack of accountability to the church. At the same time, many local churches are experiencing stagnancy, weak leadership, shallow sermons, apathy and a lack of young men aspiring to the pastorate. Matthew 16, Allen said, depicts a similar scene to today's circumstances -- a seemingly insurmountable task, but one for which Christ gives His followers confidence that His church will be built, will persist, and that His people will not be without a remnant. The first major movement in this passage, Allen stated, is that the church will be built upon truth. In verse 16 when Peter declared, "You are the Son of the living God," a clear understanding of the truth of who Christ is revealed. For this understanding, Allen said Jesus praised Peter because He knew that this insight only came from divine revelation by the Holy Spirit. From this, Allen said the first way the seminary serves the church is by teaching the truth of Scripture. Speaking of the liberalism that has overtaken modern-day seminaries, he said this liberalism has occurred at the expense of the local church. A negative interpretation of Scripture, however, will not be a hallmark of Midwestern, Allen said. "We are a people who are committed to our confessional accountability to this denomination; we are committed to the local church, the pastorate, to training, encouraging and nurturing that call within our students." The second movement of the passage, Allen said, is that the church labors with confidence. Jesus said in verse 18, "I will build my church ... and the gates of hell will not overcome it." Allen said Christ's great concern is the building of His church; it is His top priority. Christ is going about this task by "calling out pastors, evangelists and teachers to labor in the building of His church," Allen said. "This is all for the building up of the body of Christ. "My job as president is to assemble a team of faculty, administrators and staff to create a culture on this campus that starts at the top and trickles down with a deep and abiding love to serve the church," Allen said. Their job, then, is then to train up students for the pastorate, mission field, evangelism, to teach or do other ministry -- to send them out and "watch Christ build His church through them and rejoice and relish His great work!" The third movement of the passage occurs in verse 19 and speaks to the purity of the church, which is key to understanding theological education. "As leaders of Midwestern, we have the responsibility to create an environment that trickles down that sense of holiness and purity for the church," Allen said. Allen, in concluding, offered several application points about Midwestern's commitment to the local church. "We will intentionally nurture a culture on campus that cherishes, loves, values and esteems the church. It is attitudinal and intentional," he said. Every decision, he said, will be made with the thought, "How does it serve the church?" Underscoring a robust commitment to the Great Commission and having a heart for revival in the church, Allen said, "This is a glorious task to which we have been called. "Everything we aspire to do is predicated upon the local church. That's my vision. I trust it's our vision." --30-- T. Patrick Hudson is director of communications at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Patterson starts sermon series on Isaiah at spring convocation By Keith Collier FORT WORTH, Texas -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary launched its spring semester with convocation in MacGorman Chapel Jan. 24. The chapel service also featured the first message in President Paige Patterson's annual spring sermon series. This year's series, titled "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow," will examine the life and writings of the prophet Isaiah. "I believe [Isaiah] is my favorite book in the Bible," Patterson said. "It's unbelievable that 700 years before Christ, a man would see with precision all of those events that would relate to the birth [of Christ], the sinless life, the ultimate judgment of God on the human family through His death on the cross, His resurrection, His ascension and ultimately His return. "Literally, Isaiah not only saw the time of Christ coming 700 years later," Patterson said, "but he more than any other prophet in the Old Testament looks across the years and sees the message of the reigning King on the millennial earth and tells us about that situation." Preaching from Isaiah 1:1-20, Patterson likened the spiritual apathy and pending judgment in Judah during Isaiah's time to the same condition in the United States today. Yet, as Isaiah 1:18-20 says, the Lord offers grace and forgiveness to those who turn to Him. Prior to his sermon, Patterson had all new students stand as he continued a tradition set in motion by Robert Naylor, the seminary's fifth president, more than 50 years ago. "It is my responsibility and great joy as president of the seminary," Patterson said, "to pronounce you officially 'Southwesterners' and to tell you that it is better to be dead than to ever dishonor that name. But it would be better to have never been born than to dishonor the name of Christ. So I charge you today as a Southwesterner to determine in your heart and mind and soul that you will serve the Lord and Him only, yielding to none of the temptations that are characteristic of our age, but that you will uphold the sweet name of Jesus and its ability to save wherever you go and wherever you serve." Two newly elected professors signed the seminary's book of confessional heritage, indicating their agreement to teach in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000: Christopher Teichler, associate professor of music theory and composition in the school of church music, and Michael Wilkinson, assistant professor of Bible in the College at Southwestern. Richard Serrano, president of the Baptist Theological Seminary of Venezuela, performed special music during the service. He played a cuatro guitar and sang in Spanish. To watch Patterson's opening sermon in his series on Isaiah, go to swbts.edu/chapelarchives. --30-- Keith Collier is director of news and information for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Why Rosa Parks (still) matters By Russell D. Moore Feb. 4 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39644 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- As the nation marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rosa Parks, we should avoid the temptation to see her as merely a historical figure, a heroine of the past. It would be easy to do so. After all, no city in America segregates its public transportation system by skin color, not even Montgomery, the capital of the old Confederacy, where Mrs. Parks famously refused to give up her seat to accommodate Jim Crow. Even so, Rosa Parks' example is about the future as much as the past. First of all, the memory of Rosa Parks ought to remind us that she didn't live in what we refer to as "the civil rights era," as though racial justice was achieved and can now be ignored. True, the awful state oppression against African-Americans, both north and south, was knocked down with legislative triumphs in areas of public accommodations, employment non-discrimination, and voting rights. Thank God. But racial reconciliation is never a finished project, at least not between Eden and Armageddon. Beyond that, Christians especially ought to reflect on what Rosa Parks' civil disobedience reminds us about our life together in society. When Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat, she was affirming an ancient truth of the reality of natural law. The bus boycott, sparked by her, was a revolt against an unjust law. Mrs. Parks, and the activists she motivated, never argued the law wasn't supported by the majority. They argued the law was wrong. As Martin Luther King Jr. also communicated in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," civil law rests on a broader foundation of a law that is written in the heart, a law that transcends human cultures and majoritarian whims. That natural law, embedded in the conscience, is the reason the power of the state, any state, is limited. Herod had some legitimate authority as ruler, but it was, as John the Baptist pointed out, "not lawful" that he should have another man's wife (Matthew 14:4). Caesar had the legitimate authority to wield the sword against evildoers, an authority the Scriptures affirmed (Romans 13:1-7), but he had no authority to dictate worship (Revelation 13:16-18). The temple leaders had a legitimate authority, an authority Jesus affirmed (Matthew 23:2-3), but they had no authority to forbid the preaching of the Gospel (Acts 4:18-20). The natural law stands above human law, and gives its legitimacy. The law maintains order precisely because it is not the arbitrary expression of a ruler or of a mob. The law must give an account to a more ultimate Lawgiver. That's why Jesus, in His famous discourse on Caesar's coin, distinguishes between duty that must be rendered to government and that which must be rendered to God. Rosa Parks' protest also affirms the persistence of natural rights. When she refused to give up her seat, deprived to her on the basis of her skin color, Mrs. Parks defied a law that based human dignity on some devilish idea of white supremacy. This idolatry was encoded in law and embedded in culture. White children were taught not to give a lady like Rosa Parks the recognition of the title "Mrs." or "Ma'am." And the legal code designated what water fountains she could use and where she could sit. Mrs. Parks, though, believed the old American creed that "all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." That Jeffersonian principle is grounded in a concept of dignity older than the Enlightenment, the concept of a common human race made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This is why God, the Bible says, "shows no partiality" (Deuteronomy 16:19; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). All human beings reflect His image, and are worthy of respect. And no human being is a god, with the power to exercise dominion over human nature itself. Human dignity isn't "purchased" by voting power, commercial wealth, sexual attractiveness, natural ability or anything else. Finally, Rosa Parks pointed to the sacrifice of neighbor-love. In refusing to give up her seat, Mrs. Parks wasn't struggling for her own position. She did so on behalf of millions of others, many yet unborn. There's a difference, in a truly Christian ethic, in fighting for our own prerogatives and in working for justice for others. Jesus calls us to give up the cloak, to walk the extra mile, to turn the cheek (Matthew 5:38-42). And yet, He also led the Apostle Paul to appeal to his rights as a Roman citizen not to be prosecuted for preaching the Gospel (Acts 16:37-39). Why? It was because the issue wasn't Paul's personal comfort but the advance of the church as a whole. Rosa Parks was a great heroine who deserves our honor. But let's not consign her to the museum. Her heroism still speaks, and points to some old, old truths that are needed in a new century. --30-- Russell D. Moore is dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column first appeared [URL=http://russellmoore.com]www.russellmoore.com[/URL]). Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- BP Ledger, Feb. 4 edition By Staff Feb. 4 2013 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=39645 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: Morning Star News Hardin-Simmons University Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Charleston Southern University Uptick Seen in Sudan's Purge of Foreign Christians NAIROBI, Kenya, (Morning Star News) -- Three South Sudanese took an airline flight out of Sudan tonight after authorities ordered them to leave the country because of their Christian activities -– the latest in a rash of expulsions as the Islamic regime rids the nation of Christianity, sources said. Dozens of foreign Christians have been ordered to leave the country in the past two months, and many others have fled to Kenya as authorities have stepped up pressure by denying visa renewals and by other means, the sources said. The three Christians ordered to leave the country on Monday (Jan. 28) had been jailed earlier this month. Sudan's Ministry of Interior, in conjunction with the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), ordered a South Sudanese couple, Anthony and Cecilia Jamu, and a pastor also from South Sudan, Ismail Bashir, to leave the country within 24 hours, sources said. Accused of aiding Sudanese churches, Cecilia Jamu was arrested when she was linked with an associate from Germany, Jasmin Neuman, who was deported on Jan. 7. For many years Neuman had cared for children in Omdurman (opposite Khartoum on the River Nile) who had taken refuge from conflict in Darfur. After Cecilia Jamu's arrest, her husband was also later jailed, leaving their children to be cared for by friends, the sources said. The government incarcerated Pastor Bashir also on Jan. 7 for his involvement with a Christian radio station owned by Sudmedia, they said. The government suspected the radio station had ties with a Korean pastor, Kang Bomjin, who along with his wife Sune Kang had been deported on Dec. 10 because of their Christian activities. Before his deportation, Bomjin owned a farm that Sudan's intelligence service confiscated, forcing him to sell his cows, sheep and other animals at throw-away prices, sources said. The pastor received no compensation for the land. Another foreign Christian, Ronald Ssemuwemba of Uganda, had been living on Bomjin's land. Also accused of engaging in Christian activities, Sudanese authorities early this month arrested and beat Ssemuwemba after linking him with Christian organizations – confiscating his passport, laptop and cell phone before ordering him to leave the country, sources said. Ssemuwemba, who had lived in Sudan for five years on a student visa, went into hiding with friends until he was found and deported on Jan. 5. "The Christian atmosphere in Sudan is alarming and frightening," said a Christian source in Khartoum. "This crackdown at the moment for foreigners who are suspected to be Christians in the country is alarming." The source, who like the others requested anonymity for security reasons, said the government is declining to renew visas of many foreigners suspected of being Christians. Sudan does not allow missionary visas, and those deported were in the country on tourist, work or humanitarian visas. Besides South Sudanese, many of the deported foreigners were from the United States, Europe or South Korea, sources said. The government of President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for crimes against humanity, has reportedly indicated that foreigners will find it more difficult to renew visas, and it has reiterated its policy that all arriving foreigners must register with the immigration department within 24 hours of arrival. A Kenya government source noted that many foreign church workers, especially Western Caucasians, have been leaving Sudan on short notice at a high rate, with most of those going initially to Kenya. Harassment, violence and arrests of Christians have reportedly intensified since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011, when Bashir vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language. South Sudanese have been ordered to leave the country following the new republic's secession, but thousands are reportedly stranded in the north due to loss of jobs, poverty, transportation limitations and ethnic and tribal conflict in South Sudan. South Sudanese Christians in Sudan have faced increased hostilities due to their ethnic origins – though thousands have little or no ties to South Sudan – and their faith. On Dec. 19, security forces arrested at least four staff members of Sudmedia, a non-profit company that produces Christian songs and films, and interrogated them because the manager, Nehemiah Lopai, is a South Sudanese national and a Christian. The staff members, whose identities were withheld for security reasons, were released the following day. Schools Shut Down Similarly, authorities in Khartoum have ordered the closure of two Christian-run schools, sources said. Security agents on Jan. 3 arrived at the Christian-run Aslan Education Center for English, arrested three staff members and interrogated them about evangelizing Muslims, sources said. At least two of them were beaten during interrogation and were warned not to reveal the incident to Western media or churches, sources said. The head of the center, whose identity was not disclosed, had already been arrested and deported to the United States on suspicion of undertaking Christian activities. All facilities and assets of the center, which provided English-language instruction to some 500 adults in Khartoum, were confiscated by security agents, including computers and laptops. Additionally, a primary school in Khartoum run by Aslan Associates, Nile Valley Academy, will close at the end of the academic year in April after the government found it was not teaching Islamic religion – long required by law of all schools in Sudan – and was not separating male and female students. Sources said NISS, in conjunction with the Ministry of General Education, made the determination to shutter the institution. Secession has brought other changes. Christians were surprised to find that Christmas was not officially observed as a public holiday in Sudan last month, and church leaders complained that government permission for a Yuletide "March for Jesus" was withdrawn one day after being granted. "They have denied us Christmas holiday this year for the first time since South Sudan separated in 2011," one source said. The source said government officials stated only that the situation in the country does not allow for such marches. "They banned the march in the last minute after all arrangements were met," the source added. --30-- c. 2013 Morning Star News. Used with permission. ********** Movie Maker Tells Students the Importance of Creative Courage ABLIENE, Texas (Hardin-Simmons University) -- Steve Taylor, director of the movie “Blue Like Jazz,” spoke to students at Hardin-Simmons University Jan. 22 in conjunction with a screening of the film in HSU's Logsdon Chapel. He calls the movie an example of an unlikely pairing of art and faith. Contrasting two paintings, one of a glowing chapel in the woods by Christian artist Thomas Kinkade, and Pablo Picasso's painting, Guernica, representing the horrors of war, Taylor said, "There is no truth in this painting," showing the embellished chapel. In contrast, he said, Picasso “is telling people a truth the world does not want to hear.” "That is where the art of courage comes in," Taylor said. Christians have to have the courage to tell the truth, he said. "The church has abdicated its role in shaping culture," he said. By doing so, "We are not showing the world the relevance of Jesus." In 2010, author Donald Miller, writer of the best-selling book, Blue Like Jazz, announced that after years of trying to raise money for the movie adaptation of his book, he and the film's co-creators, Taylor and cinematographer Ben Pearson, would put the project on hold. While it looked like the film would not sweep the country as the book had, Taylor told students about the groundswell of donations from a website that made the movie possible. Taylor told students in chapel that the money for the movie was raised in just 30 days with 4,500 donations on the website Kickstarter.com. The movie’s public funding illustrates a new generation of Christians who have the courage to tell the truth, who want to see Christians creating better art. "If Christians are negligent in telling the truth, our culture decays,” Taylor said. “The Bible tells us we have to be the salt and the light of the earth." The first disciples would have been intimately familiar with preservative function of salt. Without refrigeration, meat would quickly spoil and rot unless was packed in salt. Many Christians today think that Christianity means family friendly, Taylor said, noting, "A safe Bible for the family would be a much shorter book." The role of Christians is to counteract the world's corruption, like salt preserves against decay. "Use your God-given creativity to tell the truth. Creativity and courage will work to inspire the world. Know your Bible. 1 Corinthians tells us to know the mind of Christ. When you have that, you don't have to create Christian propaganda. The mind of Christ will flow naturally out of the work you do," Taylor said. ********** Southern Seminary aims for vision, innovation to Web-based education By Aaron Cline Hanbury LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- April 2012, Stanford University president John Hennessy told a writer from The New Yorker that “there’s a tsunami coming” regarding online education. It seems the evolution that occurred in newspapers and magazines is about to happen in higher education: reorientation centered around the Internet. The Babson Survey Research Group reports that from 2002 to 2010, the number of students enrolled in at least one online course increased by almost 300 percent. Far from slowing down, these numbers seem to indicate a growing demand for non-traditional education. Just recently, large and influential universities Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology invested millions of dollars in online courses and distance learning. Hennessy’s words may prove prophetic, not only as momentum grows for innovative educational models, but also as expectations among students shift from a desk-and-chalkboard education to a learning experience without geography. This shift is no less a reality among seminary-bound students. “We’re living in a world in which probably the majority of persons called by God to gospel ministry will not be able to relocate,” said Timothy Paul Jones, associate vice president for online learning at Southern Seminary. “Online education provides an opportunity for those students to receive the training they need for the ministry they’re called to do without having to move their families.” David Brooks, a columnist for The New York Times, suggests that this shift in education, like the digital revolution in print, will ultimately see the highest quality institutions capitalize on the opportunities it affords. “The early Web radically democratized culture,” he writes, “but now in the media and elsewhere you’re seeing a flight to quality. The best American colleges should be able to establish a magnetic authoritative presence online. My guess is it will be easier to be a terrible university on the wide-open Web, but it will also be possible for the most committed schools and students to be better than ever.” Better than ever is exactly what Jones and his team in the Office of Online Learning want to see from their new efforts in Internet-based education. According to Jones, who is also professor of leadership and church ministry, the seminary’s past and current Web presence fails to represent the quality that students expect. Moving forward, any online program at Southern Seminary must bear the excellence that marks the seminary’s on-campus experience. “We must be aggressive in the pursuit of excellence without losing sight of who we are and the charge that we have from the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Jones said. “We can’t lose sight of the unique, distinctive vision of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.” Jones says that excellent online education will provide students “no less than what they receive on campus.” This means online students should be mentored by faculty and build relationships with peers — perhaps though phone calls, online forums or Skype meetings. And each facet of the Web experience must be high quality: creative videos, user-friendly learning management systems, efficient and thorough feedback. But regardless of the quality and creativity, many educators and on-lookers like Brooks worry what a move away from desks and chalkboards could mean for genuine learning. “The most important and paradoxical fact shaping the future of online learning is this: A brain is not a computer,” he writes. “We are not blank hard drives waiting to be filled with data. People learn from people they love and remember the things that arouse emotion.” Earlier in his column, Brooks admits his hesitations: “Many of us view the coming change with trepidation. Will online learning diminish the face-to-face community that is the heart of the college experience? Will it elevate functional courses in business and marginalize subjects that are harder to digest in an online format, like philosophy? Will fast online browsing replace deep reading?” In an article this past October in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Rick Ostrander, provost of a Christian university, writes, “I see the potential to improve education with technology, but I worry about losing something in the process. … Is the true value of higher education in danger of being lost in our rush to digitize the experience?” Ostrander is not alone in his concern. Educators around the country emphasize the “personal element” of the educational experience, an element nearly impossible to replicate digitally. This concern does not escape Jones. “We recognize there are some things that can happen completely online, but we also recognize that there is a personal, face-to-face mentoring element of ministry training that cannot be replaced by an online component,” he said. Southern Seminary remains wholly committed to providing a full-orbed theological education. The school invests heavily in faculty members and the scholarship they produce. And a planned renovation project to structure the campus library illustrates the value that the seminary places on the physical, geographical nature of learning. The challenge for a 21st-century seminary like Southern is to integrate staple elements of the seminary experience — elements like personal accountability, vigorous debate and historical context — into degree programs relevant to an academic reorientation around the Internet. Jones looks to the letters of the apostle Paul as a framework for distance learning. Often Paul sends instruction to a congregation, but he always notes his plans to visit in person. “First of all, Paul recognizes clearly that content can be delivered well through a virtual means — for him it was letters, for us maybe it’s video,” Jones said. “But Paul also recognized that virtual presence cannot replace personal presence. I think that we need to take that framework to online education and recognize that some things we can do effectively digitally, but, at the same time, there is a need to train and shape men and women for ministry through personal interaction.” So in fall 2012, Southern Seminary began offering select courses in a new, more flexible format called hybrid-modular courses. This “flipped classroom” format provides course content outside the classroom, and then dedicates in-person sessions to discussion, collaboration and application projects. In a hybrid-modular course, students meet on campus in Louisville for six days at a time and earn up to 13 credit hours. Students arrive on a Wednesday afternoon and attend class meetings all day, each day through the following Wednesday, with the exception of Sunday. The current hybrid-modular format offers students four opportunities per academic year to enroll in a six-day unit. “The hybrid model has become one of our signatures,” Jones said. “We bring together online and face-to-face. With the hybrid-modular courses, students receive content delivery online, but then discuss, apply and interact with course material in an on-campus setting along with a faculty member and fellow students.” Combining these digital course elements with on-campus interaction forms degree programs as relevant as they are timeless. With Southern Seminary Online, students from Buenos Aires to Birmingham can earn roughly two thirds of a master’s degree online through faculty-taught and mentored courses. And, through hybrid-modular courses, distance students can complete the final third of a degree at Southern’s historic, 154-year-old campus, with the engagement and warm-blooded fellowship that characterize the seminary experience and make it irreplaceable. Rather than seeking shelter from the online tsunami that Hennessy predicted, Southern Seminary is facing shifts in higher education by preparing to meet the needs of the next generation of pastors, scholars, missionaries and church leaders while maintaining the identity of the institution and reinforcing its mission. --30-- Aaron Cline Hanbury is the managing editor of Southern Seminary Magazine. ********** Metz named new dean of CSU's school of education CHARLESTON, S.C. (Charleston Southern University) -- Dr. George W. Metz has been named the dean of the Charleston Southern University School of Education, effective June 1. Currently, Metz is a professor of education at Bluffton University in Ohio. During the interview process he had three occasions to meet with Charleston Southern students. "What impressed me the most was their warmth and sincerity," said Metz. When he met with education students in the graduate program, he said, "The young professionals were phenomenal." Metz said God's calling led him to accept the job. "CSU has warmly embraced me from the moment of my first contact," he said. "It is an inviting community." The location in Charleston didn't hurt either. "The position itself is a wonderful opportunity," said Metz. "There is a great tradition in the School of Education. I've been asked – and I've accepted – the challenge to move the School of Education forward. First and foremost, I want CSU to become the provider of choice for area school districts in hiring and in continuing professional development." Metz views teaching as a ministry. However, he said, "I don't like the word teacher. I like the word educator. It is a summary of a personal, professional calling. "Coming from the state of Ohio, which not only has a Department of Education but also a Board of Regents, I am familiar with the unending scrutiny education is under. Students need to be taught to do more than just teach," he said. Metz said it is also knowing expectations and regulations and preparing educators for the classroom. Dr. Jackie Fish, interim vice president for academic affairs, said, "Dr. Metz's expertise in a variety of administrative roles throughout his professional career is exactly what we need at CSU as we continue to grow our School of Education. I look forward to working with him and learning from him when he joins our faculty as dean of the School of Education." In addition to teaching, Metz has experience as an administrator, has coordinated the accreditation process for Bluffton University's education department, has served as the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, has worked in financial aid and recruitment at the technical college level and has been a teacher, athletic director and principal at the PK-12 level and published numerous journal articles. Metz holds a BA in history and political science from Western Maryland College, an MAEd in guidance and counseling from Frostburg State University and a PhD in higher education from the University of Toledo. --30-- -- End of story -- Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax: 615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net