Month: October 2004

RESOLUTION #2 – REGARDING APPRECIATION OF AND SUPPORT FOR OUR ARMED FORCES DURING THE WAR ON TERROR

WHEREAS, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention adopted Resolution four in 2001 addressing and condemning the attack on America by terrorists on September 11, 2001; and

Whereas, Resolution four affirmed our President, George W. Bush, for his courageous leadership during these days of national and international crisis along with the President’s leadership team in all branches of government; and

Whereas, Resolution four affirmed the leadership of both houses of Congress for their willingness to work together against a common foe; and

Whereas, Resolution four expressed ardent support for our servicemen and servicewomen who bravely defend freedom’s cause in our homeland and abroad; and

Whereas, our deep sense of support and our prayers continue even more fervently as the devotion and resolve of our armed forces are manifested in such a resolute and competent way under a myriad of circumstances that are presented on the varied fields of battle confronting our servicemen and servicewomen;

THEREFORE Be it resolved, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, affirm and ratify Resolution four passed by this Convention at the annual meeting in 2001 directed primarily to the terrorists’ attacks on America, September 11, 2001; and

Be it further resolved, that we commend our armed forces, beginning with our President as Commander-In-Chief, for a job well done and for staying the course now and in the future in the continuing fight against terrorism, a global scourge; and

Be it fINALLY resolved, that our armed forces be apprised in an appropriate way of this Convention’s gratitude for their sense of duty and for their service to our Country with honor in the greatest traditions of our armed forces, also giving assurance of our support and fervent prayers through the unfolding years.

RESOLUTION #3 – CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP

WHEREAS, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has historically encouraged Christian citizenship; and

WHEREAS, this is an important election year with many moral and ethical issues at stake; and

WHEREAS, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has founded and promoted the I VOTE VALUES campaign to encourage the public to understand the moral and ethical issues of our day (e.g. abortion, same-sex marriage, health care, faith-based initiatives) and be responsible, well-informed voters who vote their values;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, affirm the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention for this great and noble effort; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we will work to inform others of the moral and ethical debates of this year; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we will Vote Values and encourage as many as possible to be informed and mobilized to do the same.

RESOLUTION #5 – REGARDING THE SUDAN

WHEREAS, genocide is reportedly being attempted against Christians in the Sudan:

1. More than one million displaced; up to 50,000 killed; Arab militias accused of ethnic cleansing (Colin Powell speaking before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee);

2. May 22, 2003; Longochok and nine other villages in Eastern Upper Nile attacked by Sudanese forces; Homes burned; 59 killed; women and children taken captive; and Pastor Jacob Gadet Manyiel burned alive in his home. (Freedom Now News/Servant’s Heart); and

WHEREAS, Sudanese government policy is:

1. Forced conversion to Islam;

2. Churches closed, destroyed, and not allowed to rebuild;

3. Christian home groups considered a public disturbance and teachers arrested;

4. Open preaching prohibited and punishable by beating and a jail sentence; and

WHEREAS, the Sudanese government has ignored peace initiatives by the U.N.; and

WHEREAS, the Bible states that we should encourage our Christian brothers (1 Peter 2:17); and

WHEREAS, we are to pray for authorities that we may live a peaceful existence for the spreading of the gospel (1 Timothy 2:2);

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, object to violence against any person for religious reasons and we urge all nations to allow personal freedom regarding religion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that retaliation against Muslims is not acceptable Christian practice; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we object to the persecuting, killing, enslaving, and forced conversion of Christians by Muslims or others; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the SBTC urges the President of the United States, the U.S. government, and the United Nations to use whatever means necessary to bring these atrocities to an end; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we encourage believers in Texas pray, give, and support the Sudanese Christians in this time of suffering that God’s kingdom may grow.

RESOLUTION #7 – ON THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN

WHEREAS, the Lord through his Word (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Proverb 22:6) instructs parents to ensure the godly education of our children; and

WHEREAS, all matters of truth, including traditionally academic subjects, are subject to the lordship of Christ; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, commit ourselves to the teaching of our children; whether in public schools, private schools, home schools, or through our church’s education program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we will work toward the continued improvement of education for the sake of our communities and to the glory of God; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we commend and will prayerfully support Christian people who work to educate our young people in any context.

RESOLUTION #8 – EVANGELISM

WHEREAS, we believe the biblical mandate to share Jesus with every person in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth; and

WHEREAS, we believe Texas to be our Jerusalem and Judea; and

WHEREAS, we believe in equipping and assisting local churches in fulfilling the great commission; and

WHEREAS, the SBTC has a strategy to assist local churches to double their baptisms next year utilizing resources and training available through the ministry departments of our convention; and

WHEREAS, the SBTC will recognize churches who double their baptisms during a “Victory Celebration” at the Empower Evangelism Conference in 2006;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, encourage SBTC churches to double their baptisms in 2005 over 2004.

Legislating your circumstances

One of the most emotionally gripping moments of this year’s political debates came when VP candidates John Edwards and Dick Cheney discussed homosexual marriage-like unions. Mr. Cheney basically said that the President sets policy and he supports the President. Mr. Edwards took that opportunity to point out that the Cheneys’ daughter (who is working for the Bush/Cheney campaign) is a lesbian. Mr. Cheney thanked Mr. Edwards for some kind words and then said nothing more. It looked as though his family circumstances made him reticent on a crucial moral issue of the day.

A similar, and clearer, example of the phenomenon came up in the second presidential debate. Criticizing the Bush administrations “anti-science” stand against government funding of new embryonic stem cell lines for research?destroying human life in Mr. Bush’s opinion?John Kerry brought up the poignant examples of actors Christopher Reeves and Michael J. Fox. Mr. Reeves, who died a couple of days later, was paralyzed after falling off a horse. Mr. Fox suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Both men have lobbied for embryonic stem cell research in hopes of curing their ailments. The use of the example implies that sad circumstances should trump/change more timeless convictions.

It’s a moving but irrelevant argument. Human suffering is not an irrelevant fact. Pain is a fact that does not tell us what ought to be, though. It is not an argument for much beyond the fallen-ness of all creation. We should be moved to sympathy by the troubles of our neighbors. That is not the same thing as being moved off our values. Here, our heads must govern our hearts. If, in light of an event or reality, one finds his convictions to be inappropriate (wrong), it’s time to reform them; but that is not the same as changing them every time something tugs at our emotions. Our judgment of right and wrong should not be written in chalk.

One general principle of administration is that you should form values and policies before they are needed. You don’t, for example, form policies for using the church van after a wreck has occurred. At that point, your policy prevents no problem and appears to be aimed at the individual driving the van at the time of the wreck.

Personal values should be like that. An important role of family is to provide guidance and safety while children form their priorities. It is a sign of maturity when a young person has convictions adequate to address the unexpected issues we all face. A second sign is his ability to maintain those convictions when they are tested. Think of these priorities as a person’s constitution; amendment is an option but rarely used.

Can it be that way for politicians? It’s an honest question. When we look at the Reagan years we remember his firm stand against the global domination of Communism. Some histories waver between diminishing his role in defeating the Soviet Union and claiming he was too stubborn in his opposition to them. I remember protests against his policies that dwarf the anti-war protests of today. Humorists, columnists, “news” readers, and politicians spoke of President Reagan as a dangerous, bumbling, senile, war lover. He was at once the most beloved and hated president of our generation.

What made him, and makes President Bush, such a lightening rod except for the firmness of some of their convictions? John Kerry hinted at this in the first debate when he answered a question about Mr. Bush’s character by pointing out the dangers of being “too certain.” Mr. Kerry spoke of it again when he claimed that the Federal Marriage Amendment was an attempt by the President to use the Constitution to divide our nation. Is it the content of his convictions or is the fact that he sticks to any convictions that makes the President so controversial?

Obviously everyone has firm convictions about something, even if only that someone else’s beliefs are wrong. The test comes when your values are offensive to another person. The divide, and not just among politicians, seems to be between those mold their beliefs to fit the sensibilities of the largest group present and those who are certain, even if they must stand alone at times.

Circumstantial morality and appeals to sympathy appear to be more debating tactics than dialog. If we operate in the realm of the practical alone, every “what about this” can be answered with an “OK, but what about that.” We can always bring up a no win situation that another cannot answer without changing his tack. That’s why we should operate in the realm of true and false, or right and wrong, rather than works or doesn’t work.

The whole stem cell research argument is a good example of this. It is risky to say that we oppose embryonic stem cell research because adult stem cells show more promise. If a breakthrough reverses that practical argument, will we change our minds? I suspect not. We will only lose credibility when our convictions remain the same but our reasons change with the wind. Better to start with our primary reasons for opposing the destruction of human life. If life begins at conception (and if we consider that fact important), a human embryo is a human life begun. If that life is the property and prerogative of God, no “what ifs” are pertinent. No circumstances, however poignant, will compare with that belief.

A circumstantial ethic is no mercy to the suffering. What purports to be a kindness has resulted in a generation of women ravaged by legal abortion. So-called mercy in another place may devalue the sickly, the depressed, the old, until they are “helped” to die before their time. Will we add to our growing list the occasional, possible extension of one life at the expense of another? Unforeseen consequences follow every time we despise the truth of God.

As you read this, the presidential election is all but over. It is not my intent to say something big about presidential politics. This election has presented us several opportunities to hear how different worldviews apply to real time decision making. The debate must go on beyond the general election. We are a divided nation, and I’m not convinced that’s a bad thing or a new thing. So long as we judge truth and ascribe value in contradictory ways within our culture, the conflict is real.

I welcome the exchange. If we, God’s people at the very least, acknowledge the serious nature of the divide in our culture, that’s the first step in choosing our side. We’ve been on the sidelines too long.

We must demand our leaders tell us who they are and that they do according to the character they claim. I don’t want to know what a leader promises or hopes or regrets or even dislikes?all these things are open to revision for reasons beyond his power. I want to know who he is. And I want him to stick by that when things get tough. Then we can all rightly judge our leaders and vote based on clearer choices and yes, some certainty.

Together reaching Texas, world

It is hard to believe that we have just concluded the seventh annual meeting of our convention. God has blessed us. We have seen churches affiliate at an exponential rate, averaging about one church every two days for the last three years. Total gifts for missions and ministry will approach $30 million when we conclude 2004. The churches that have affiliated give with confidence in the integrity of the SBTC.

More than 200 new churches have been funded and assisted through SBTC. Hundreds of churches have been facilitated and literally millions of people have been impacted by those churches. All of this is possible because of you and your involvement. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is churches together reaching Texas and touching the world.

Cooperation is a hallmark of Southern Baptists. Article 14 of the Baptist Faith and Message sets out a plan for collaborative efforts. While each church is autonomous, most Southern Baptist churches choose to work with an association, a state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. These relationships are voluntary and desirable. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is churches together reaching Texas and touching the world.

The theme of this year’s annual meeting at Prestonwoodwas “Stronger Together.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 uses the object lesson of a sturdy rope to illustrate cooperation. The Lone Ranger Baptist is not a new phenomenon. “Doing our own thing” has been around a long time. We have learned better. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is churches together reaching Texas and touching the world.

Our core values have not changed in these seven years. We are still committed to theological agreement. We are keeping missions and evangelism the priority while servicing churches without building a large in-house staff. We continue to encourage churches to fund state, national and international ministry through the Cooperative Program. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention is churches together reaching Texas and touching the world.

Pray for revival. Pray for people to come to Jesus. Pray for our work together that we may truly reach Texas and touch the world.

Your servant in Christ,

Jim Richards

RESOLUTION #4 – REGARDING ACTIVIST JUDGES

WHEREAS, the Founding Fathers believed, as we do, that God created us with inalienable rights; and

WHEREAS, we claim and cling to, most especially, the constitutional right of religious liberty and the freedom of expression contained in the First Amendment to the Constitution; and

WHEREAS, ten landmark decisions have been handed down, beginning in 1962, including the Supreme Court restricting prayer in the public schools, through 2004; ruling that same-sex couples may marry under the laws of the state (in this case, Massachusetts); and also including Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court which gives a woman the right to kill her unborn baby for any reason; and

WHEREAS, these decisions are used as precedents upon which future decisions can be based and rationalized; and

WHEREAS, all states are required by Article IV, section 1 of the Constitution to render “full faith and credit” to the laws of all other states, except by act of Congress (e.g. Defense of Marriage Act, 1996); and

WHEREAS, these decisions are steadily eroding our First Amendment rights, and can overturn the will of the people where referendums have been passed by large majorities; striking down laws passed by the elected legislative bodies, both state and national; and attacking the Constitution itself; and

WHEREAS, these decisions result in sinful laws bringing God’s condemnation on our Republic for institutionalizing sin in this manner;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, do hereby reaffirm our conviction that our nation was founded and predicated on a fundamental commitment to individual religious liberty as stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask our Senators, both from Texas and other states, to confirm only judges who will not “legislate from the bench;” and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask the United States Senate to bring presidential judicial nominees to the floor for a vote; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we call upon the Congress of the United States to exercise its power, granted by the Constitution, to regulate and limit court jurisdiction, which power it has used repeatedly and the courts have accepted.

RESOLUTION #6 – REGARDING THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE: STEM CELL RESEARCH AND PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION

WHEREAS, all life is sacred from the point of conception (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16); and

WHEREAS, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has historically affirmed the sanctity of human life; and

WHEREAS, all human life is God’s prerogative and embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of a human life; and the practice of abortion is still far too common; and partial-birth abortions are still permitted by court order in certain states despite the law; and

WHEREAS, embryonic stem cell research has to this point produced no successful therapies for known diseases; and, therapeutic success, in any case, would not provide ethical justification for the destruction of human life; and

WHEREAS, adult stem cells have proven to be adaptable and useable for therapies now in over 70 diseases; and

WHEREAS, personal and corporate gains are being put ahead of the value of human life;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, will be well-informed citizens on these issues through the fine resources of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and others; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we stand firm in the fight for all human life and that we encourage all governmental officials within our sphere of influence to do the same; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we not only support The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act and those governmental officials who stand behind it, but that we urge them to go further to end all abortions.

Hispanic Initiative director hopes to meet challenge of growing Hispanic population

Mike Gonzales began work as director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Hispanic Initiative Sept. 1. In an interview with the TEXAN, Gonzales discussed his hopes for increased gospel work among Texas Hispanics as they become a larger demographic group in the state.

Q. You’ve only been on the job for a month. At this point, do you have some goals formulated for what you want the Hispanic Initiative to accomplish in its first five years or so?

A. One of the things that I want to see is the development and the implementation of the “education superhighway” for Hispanic pastors. We need to develop leaders, pastors who are trained to lead churches. And it’s important that our Hispanic pastors are equipped to lead these congregations. We’re right now formulating plans to partner with Southwestern Seminary, The Criswell College, Jacksonville College and possibly Houston Baptist University. These schools will likely provide courses for our Hispanic leaders to be better prepared to do ministry.

At the same time, we have at least three candidates for PhD’s at Southwestern who are Hispanic, and we hope to see at least 10 candidates by the end of 2005.

Also, I’ll be acting as the liaison for Hispanic work to the SBTC missions department in training church planters. I’ll be helping in formulating a strategy specifically for Hispanic pastors and certainly, I’ll be working very closely with Terry Coy (SBTC senior associate) and we’ll be hosting a yearly retreat where we can address Hispanic church planting issues and training for prospective Hispanic planters.

I also see the need in helping existing Hispanic churches. This is a tremendous need. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already talked with several Hispanic pastors and they see this as one of the priorities as well. Many of these churches need direction, they need resources, and they need a strategy for reaching the lost. Many of our Hispanic congregations desire to reach the lost in their communities but many also need to mature their congregations. This is an important issue, but many times the resources to do this are not available. They often don’t know how to tap into the resources or train their people to be better stewards–not only in money but stewards of time and other things.

Also, I would like to see more revival meetings in Hispanic churches. That’s one of my passions.

Another thing, I see the importance of producing materials in Spanish in helping these congregations train and disciple their members.

Also, we need to be sensitive to the generational gaps. When we deal with an Hispanic congregation, first and second generation, everything is done in Spanish. And when we look at the third and fourth generation Hispanics, they require more English and in some cases all English. So those are some of the things that we need to be aware of.

Q. How does Hispanic ministry differ in rural and urban settings?

A. You can have an Hispanic congregation in Dallas or Fort Worth or Houston or other metropolitan areas that have people from El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Peru and Colombia, and some Mexicans. And so it takes a special person to unite those people groups and make a strong congregation. Some of these congregations fail; others become frustrated if they do not have the right leader who understands the Hispanic culture. So that’s one of the things I want to do as Hispanic Initiative director, to help cultivate leaders who know how to lead well.

Q. Earlier, you mentioned revival meetings. That approach works well among Hispanics?

A. Yes, I see a need for revival meetings. We need for God to show up and help our Hispanic congregations in winning the lost. Many times our Hispanic congregations are small and they do not grow, they’re not reaching their communities. They need to be challenged, and they need to have a personal evangelism strategy.

On a slightly different note, many of these small congregations, which is the majority, they feel abandoned; they feel left out of the denominational loop. We need to help them to provide training on the field, help them find resources that can minister to their churches. Right now we have over 70 Hispanic congregations in our convention. Many of them are struggling over finances or leadership and having a sense of being isolated.

Q. What are some of the obstacles to gospel proclamation among Hispanics in Texas?

A. Especially in South Texas the Catholic influence is still very heavy. I just did a revival in Rio Grande City and we had many Catholics come visit the congregation. It was interesting. We had a luncheon every day at noon, and we had maybe 40 percent of the people who were Catholic. In fact, in yesterday’s service there were five and six people who told me they were Catholic but said they wanted to come, they wanted to hear the Word, they wanted to hear the message, and that they were inspired. And so that leads me to believe that people are very open at rhis particular time. But it does become a barrier because many people still have family ties. It’s hard for them to break away from tradition. The people who came, they came by themselves. They didn’t come with family—almost like a secret believer.

The other obstacle that comes to mind is the generational gap. Sometimes the parents speak only Spanish and the children are beginning to speak English because they go to school. So there’s a great need for a Spanish and English ministry.

Q. What challenges do you see in planting Hispanic congregations?

A. The training of leaders and orientating our church planters. They also have to be not only trained in winning the lost but also in working within the cultural dynamics they encounter. Hispanics, for example, tend to be more family oriented. We need to develop ideas that include more family activities, family ministry. For example, when a person is baptized, we need to make a big deal out of it, because when you baptize someone, that’s a big thing in the Hispanic culture. We need to have a special service.

When you present a baby, that’s an excellent opportunity of having a service presenting the baby and inviting all the grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins—they’ll come out of curiosity. So there’s a lot of little things we need to do to help church planters relate to the culture and to reach out to them.

Q. The Hispanic population is forecast to be the largest demographic group in Texas by 2020. How can predominantly Anglo churches change to meet the challenges of this culture shift?

A. That’s going to be another area of transition where our Anglo churches, especially down in South Texas and in the metropolitan areas, are going to have to be open to reaching Hispanic people in their communities, or of opening their doors. If not, they’re not going to survive. That’s happening in South Texas. Churches that are traditionally Anglo that are opening the doors to Hispanics, they’re surviving. The ones that want to stay English-speaking only and Anglo, they are not surviving. That will be an issue we’ll have to deal with.

As the community changes, the congregation must begin to reflect the community. That’s going to be a challenge.