KILLEEN?Many churches support American troops fighting overseas, but Skyline Baptist Church in Killeen is putting feet to their support through an innovative prayer ministry that is changing lives and hearts.

The church, located near Fort Hood, participates in an interdenominational prayer ministry called Pray FAST?an acronym for Pray For A Soldier Team. The program recruits local congregations to pray for soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan then assigns each willing “prayer warrior” three soldiers for whom to pray by name during their tour.

All soldiers deployed from Fort Hood are asked before heading overseas whether they would like someone to pray for them by name. Those who request prayer fill out cards with their personal information and prayer requests, and the information is passed along to their prayer warriors.

“Our church has a big heart for the military because we are very close to Fort Hood,” Skyline pastor Kenny Rawls said. “In fact, I would say that just by guesstimate, one-third of our active membership are active duty at Fort Hood. So we have a tremendous number of spouses who attend our church whose husbands are away fighting in Iraq or in Afghanistan.”

Such an intimate connection with the Army led naturally to fervent prayer for the troops.

“I feel very helpless as a civilian,” Rawls said. “We’re at war. What can we do? This is just one way that we as American citizens can get involved with this war.”

Many Skyline members know firsthand the benefits of prayer because fellow believers interceded for them when they were deployed overseas. One is Sgt. 1st Class Wally Northam.

He served three tours in Iraq and was on the prayer list at his mother’s church in Collinsville, Miss., each time. Church members would mail him cards expressing their prayer support, and Northam would look through them before he went on missions.

“You leave out of the gate everyday and you are constantly fearful,” he said. “You don’t want to put on a false front, but you can’t let your subordinates see that you’re scared or else they become scared and then nobody can actually perform when they have to. So what I found with these cards was that the more of them you read, the better you felt.

“So it kind of became an addicting feeling so that you weren’t just putting up a false front. You actually weren’t scared anymore, and your subordinates weren’t scared anymore. So they saw you confident and they were confident.”

When Northam’s fellow soldiers saw how prayer benefited him, they wanted people to pray for them too. The desire for prayer led to the platoon saying the Lord’s Prayer together before each mission.

In fact, a similar desire for prayer has spread throughout the military so that today, as many as 85 percent of all soldiers deployed from Fort Hood request a prayer partner.

“I would go so far as to say I don’t know if I would be alive if I didn’t [have people praying for me],” Northam said.

A RENEWED FAITH

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I’ve never quite got over my amazement when brother Christians cross major doctrinal boundaries in their search for a church home. One example I read of recently was a group of Episcopal nuns (who knew?) who hopped back across the Reformation River to become Roman Catholics. I guess if you want to be a nun you don’t have all that many options. While I understand their frustration with the doctrinal shenanigans of Episcopalians, and I do acknowledge that the river is pretty narrow at Episcopal Town, it’s still startling to imagine either their slight regard for their former doctrinal beliefs or their ignorance of their new ones.

Southern Baptists certainly have their own examples of this syndrome. Crawford Toy, a Southern Seminary Old Testament professor, was fired from his position at Southern in 1879 because he’d adopted a Darwinian hermeneutic of the book of Genesis and a skeptical interpretation of Old Testament prophecy. Professor Toy, by all accounts a brilliant scholar, ended his career at Harvard University, and as a Unitarian. Surely he could not have taught at Southern without at least claiming some allegiance to the doctrinal beliefs of Southern Baptists. Losing his job at Southern would understandably move him from our denomination. How could it move him to a church that denies the deity of Christ unless his doctrinal beliefs were never compatible with Southern Baptists?

We’ve all seen more contemporary examples in the aftermath of Southern Baptists’ 20th-century reformation. Several who claimed, while employed by Southern Baptists, to be centrist in our denomination ended up being right at home in the most liberal denominations of our day. It is hard to understand how they can lead a church or ministry within the Southern Baptist Convention at one point, and cheerfully affirm a shockingly different doctrinal view only a short time later. Can we say, with 1 John 2:19, that they were never “of us” denominationally?

On a smaller scale, most of us have acquaintances who leave our churches to join pedobaptist churches or those that teach that a redeemed person can become apostate. Sometimes they come back to Southern Baptists unaware that they’d ever crossed a doctrinal line.

Of course there is a difference between those who carefully consider the decision they’re making before changing denominations and those who are unaware that they are making a significant change. For one thing, the careful thinkers are actually converting and are unlikely to return to their former beliefs.

Truly, I’m not upset with people who change denominations or religions. It is often a good thing, a clarifying thing, when people visibly identify with others who share their faith and practice. At other times it is a revelation of just how loosely some of our church members are connected to the rest of us. The fact that we have all seen this happen should lead us to consider how we assimilate members.

First, we must own our own identity. I am not terribly worried about churches that call themselves “Community Church” or “Happy Church” or whatever. But if Happy Church (it’s a real church; I’ve been there) is also a Southern Baptist church, how is that conveyed to members? I’ve been a member of one church that slowly backed out of being called “Baptist.” In that church, our Sunday School class was full of fine and mature believers who had no idea that our church was Southern Baptist. Our Baptist identity was invisible in the budget, never mentioned from the pulpit, and no part of our missionary efforts. Denominational identity can also be neglected in nearly the same way by First Baptist Church of Anywhere, and I’ve seen that happen. People know that FBCA is “Baptist” but often have no slight idea of what that means. Regardless of name, church leadership must identify with and explain their church’s affiliations if that identity is to be of any use.

Second, we must make disciples of our members. An evangelistic church that is not investing heavily in developing mature believers is not a Great Commission church. If we believe that being a Baptist church is actually our best effort to apply biblical teaching to how we do church and missions, it’s worth teaching our people those biblical precepts with as much fervor as we promote attendance, worship, giving, or any other thing. The Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life reports that 55 percent of Evangelicals either don’t know (15 percent) or say that Mormons are Christians (40 percent). This may indicate a lack of knowledge about Mormonism, but likely also hints at a poor understanding of what Christians believe.

Within Christianity there is a common thought that denominations divide rather than clarify. Sadly, this is true when denominations o

Happy New Year! I pray God’s best for you, your family and your ministry in 2010. There is just something about Jan. 1 that makes it a good starting point for a new beginning.

Jesus made that possible for the believer when He paid the sin debt at the cross. His blood cleanses us from past, present and even future sins. All of our sins were future (chronologically) when Jesus gave Himself for us. Provided in redemption is a new start every day (1 John 1:7, 9). We don’t have to wait for the calendar to change to another year to have a new beginning.

Salvation begins at a once-in-time experience. Every person comes to Christ through repentance and faith (Acts 20:21). Repentance seems to be a lost doctrine in Christianity today. Holy Spirit conviction must come before a person can receive Jesus as Savior. Yet, conviction of sin is not conversion. A person must turn from sin or conversion cannot take place. This is repentance. I fear an easy believe-ism has filled our churches with people who genuinely have never been converted. True repentance is a full surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Repentance and belief are as inseparable as the two sides of a coin. Belief is a complete trust in the finished work of Christ for a righteous standing before God. Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross and His literal, bodily resurrection are more than facts. These facts present the living Christ as the One you must trust as Savior.

My new beginning started in April 1970. This allows me to have a new beginning every day. While heaven is secure because of His keeping power, I show my salvation by obedience to the truth. Daily when I sin, I find forgiveness through the same blood that gave me my new beginning almost 40 years ago. The grace of God is given in an incalculable amount to those who are saved.

This year, 2010, don’t make a bunch of resolutions that will disappear by the end of January. First, be sure that you have a living relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, pursue holiness. Holiness is what God wants from His people. Personal holiness is not keeping a long list of do’s and don’ts. It is knowing the will of God and doing it. Daily submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Find God’s will and direction for each day, month and the year. You will have a Happy New!

AUSTIN, Texas ? A coalition of pro-life groups in the Austin area are hoping to sway a county health board from renewing an agreement to use local property taxes to fund abortions.

For four years, the Travis County Health District has transferred property tax revenues to fund abortions at two Austin women’s clinics. Tonight, the nine-member health board is scheduled to hear public testimony in a special meeting about whether or not it should renew a contract earmarking $450,000 for the two abortion clinics and possibly a third clinic run by Planned Parenthood.

“No taxpayer should be forced to subsidize someone’s abortion,” said Jonathan Saenz, Austin-based legislative affairs director for the Free Market Foundation. “With the economy struggling and people concerned about losing their homes, they are wondering why their tax dollars are being used to pay for a procedure that is not necessary.

“Travis County is completely out of step with sound fiscal policy as well as laws preventing federal and state taxes from being used for abortion. Travis County is the only county in the state of Texas that uses its tax dollars to fund abortion.”

Saenz cited a CNN poll last month that showed 61 percent of Americans are against using tax dollars for abortion while 37 percent favor it. Federal law prohibits federal tax dollars to directly fund abortions, though Planned Parenthood, for example, receives millions in taxpayer money for its other services.

Whole Woman’s Health and the Austin Women’s Health Center are the two clinics that have received previous county funding. Saenz said he understands Planned Parenthood has requested part of the proposed $450,000.

“Our early impression is there is support for this [on the health district board], but there has been a lot of questioning from the public. We’ll see what happens tonight. We are encouraging people to stand with us at the meeting even if they choose not to speak.”

A signup for public comment was to begin at 5 p.m. at the Ned Granger Building, 304 W. 11th Street in downtown Austin. The meeting was scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

HOUSTON–“There are times when you simply have to speak out.” For Houston Baptist University President Robert B. Sloan Jr., that time is now.

He welcomed the opportunity to participate in a discussion last fall that brought together evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders to lay the groundwork for the recently released Manhattan Declaration addressing the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, and the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Sloan was one of a small group of religious leaders who met in Manhattan long into the night of Sept. 28 to review the earliest draft crafted by two Southern Baptists–Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries and a member of First Baptist Church in Naples, Fla., and Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, along with Princeton law professor Robert P. George, a Roman Catholic.

Among the eighteen Southern Baptists who signed the final document released last month after its completion Oct. 20 were James T. Draper of Southlake, a member of First Baptist Church of Euless, and Jack Graham of Plano, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, as well as Sloan.

Other notable Southern Baptist signers included Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Richard Land, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler, Southern theology dean Russell Moore, Kairos Journal managing editor and Illinois pastor Mark Coppenger, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel Akin, Beeson Divinity School President Timothy George, and Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries.

The 168 original signatories stated, “We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right–and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation–to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.”

In an interview with the TEXAN, Sloan said, “Those rights and those blessings are being eroded culturally. While public opinion seems to be moving somewhat more toward the side of life and traditional marriage, the Obama Administration and both houses of Congress are eliminating laws that protect life and making abortion far more accessible. I think it’s a critical time.”

Draper, a former Southern Baptist Convention president and president emeritus of LifeWay Christian Resources, had expressed similar frustration to some of his peers and was told about the effort initiated by Colson. “I was not present for any meetings, but had reached a point of feeling I had to do something to express my frustration with the lack of a unified voice among evangelicals in particular and patriotic Americans in general,” Draper related.

Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, said he rarely responds to the petitions or declarations that he is often asked to sign. “But the Manhattan Declaration was one that hits so squarely on the foundational beliefs that I hold so dear, that I couldn’t not sign it,” Graham stated.

To have such broad ecumenical participation in producing the document is very significant, Sloan said. Calling the statement “theologically very rich,” Sloan disagreed with the handful of critics such as California pastor and author John MacArthur, who said it lacks a clear presentation of the gospel and “muddles the lines of demarcation between authentic biblical Christianity and various apostate traditions.”

“I would challenge anyone to find a single statement in the document that is untrue or inaccurate,” Sloan responded. While participants differ in their ecclesiology and how the mystery of the atonement takes place through Christ, Sloan said, “It clearly makes reference to the fact that we treasure the gospel and it refers to the crucified and risen Lord.”

Draper noted that the Manhattan Statement is not primarily addressing doctrinal issues, a factor that made it possible for him to join the ecumenical effort. “I would not sign such a document with some of those who signed this document if it dealt with the essentials of our faith as it relates to sin, salvation, grace, eternity, etc. But I have for years stood with those with whom I had strong doctrinal disagreement to fight pornography, abortion and defend the family and the biblical view of marriage,” he reiterated.

“We cannot stand by and do nothing as religious organizations are asked to do what goes completely against their foundational beliefs and convictions,” Graham wrote in a Nov. 23 blog post.

He cited the section of the statement in which signatories refuse to comply with any edict that compels institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; bend to rules that force them to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth about morality and immorality and marriage and the family.

Draper added, “We are seeing every vestige of our freedom to preach the gospel being slowly stripped from us and our only hope to change that, in my judgment, is to speak with a unified voice.” Concerned that “there is no recognized leader” within the faith community, Draper said, “We have to stake out some ground and take our stand on it to begin to rebuild a cohesive movement of believers.”

Now retired from his 14-year tenure as LifeWay president, Draper enjoyed celebrating 25 years of ministry through a crisis pregnancy center begun by First Baptist Church of Euless, a congregation he led as pastor to establish a practical response to the needs of women contemplating abortion.

That effort rescued 19,000 babies and led thousands of women to profess faith in Christ. “This is a crucial issue in our day,” Draper reminded. “If a baby is not safe in its mother’s womb, then none of us is safe,” he added, recalling that over 50 million babies have been aborted since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nearly 36 years ago.

“Media and entertainment industries have carefully crafted their presentations to make those of us who are pro-life appear to be mean-spirited and violent,” Draper said. “This statement gave us the opportunity to state a clear position and do it without any hint of violence or meanness. I believe we have to build a consensus among believers on this issue.”

The convictions expressed in regard to religious liberty and unjust laws offer “no threat of violence or destructive behavior,” Draper added, “just a firm resolve that these are issues that we cannot compromise on. We are slowly being pushed to the place where we will have to suffer incarceration or engage in civil disobedience.”

He said the Manhattan Declaration offered him an opportunity to “embrace the spirit of Christ with biblical consistency to take my own personal stand in a day of compromise and political correctness.”

Sloan is further encouraged, he said, that the document opens the door to dialogue and discussion on “philosophical questions about the nature of the human person, whether sexual experience is merely instrumental or involves the total person, the nature of marriage and life, sources of authority, Scripture and reason, human nature, creation and so on.”

With much of the support of Obama’s presidential bid coming from college students and young people across the nation, the HBU president said the document “enables them to have a substantive view with which to question the administration’s policies on very specific issues.” Back home on the Houston campus, he found many faculty and students encouraged by the stand he took in addressing the sanctity of life, biblical marriage and religious liberty.

Draper asked, “Who else will fight for the nuclear family if we don’t? These are issues that are clearly biblical issues and cultural/political issues. We have to take a stand.”

By Dec. 4, the Manhattan Declaration had gained the support of 252,766 individuals. To read the list of original signatories, review answers to frequently asked questions and sign the declaration, visit manhattandeclaration.org. Instructions are given for linking to the document via Facebook and Twitter.