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Dallas judge reverses previous ruling, gives mother the OK to “transition” James Younger

In the ongoing legal battle between 8-year-old James Younger’s parents, a Dallas judge has awarded the boy’s mother, Dr. Anne Georgulas, sole decision-making power regarding her son’s health care and schooling.

Judge Mary Brown’s ruling effectively reverses a previous ruling that had established a joint managing conservatorship with James’ father, Jeffrey Younger.

Georgulas now has the authority to enroll James in school as a girl named “Luna” and have him undergo transgender medical procedures.

Although a formal hearing was scheduled for Aug. 11, Brown rendered her decision Aug. 10. No explanation was given as to why the judge issued the ruling without a hearing.

Younger has been ordered by the court to pay $250 an hour for trans-affirming counseling sessions, which he had previously objected to on grounds he was not permitted to help select his son’s counselors.

Younger is under a court-imposed gag order and is not permitted to speak to media, but some of his friends and supporters have set up a “Save James” Facebook page to bring awareness to the case.

According to Save James, counseling will cost Younger an estimated $5,000 a month, in addition to a $10,000 retainer required by the counselor.

The case received national attention last fall when a jury ruled 11-1 that Georgulas should have sole conservatorship over James and his twin brother, Jude.

#SaveJames and #SaveJamesYounger hashtags began going viral on social media, and prompted Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to comment on the case.

Cruz called the ruling “horrifying and tragic.”

“For a parent to subject such a young child to life-altering hormone blockers to medically transition their sex is nothing less than child abuse,” he posted on Twitter in October.

Last year, Judge Kim Cooks overturned that verdict, giving both parents equal say in James’ medical treatment. According to LifeSiteNews, Cooks “found that Georgulas was overly affirming in instances when James supposedly showed a desire to be a girl, including taking him to LGBTQ parades, buying him dresses and fake hair and enrolling him in kindergarten as a ‘girl’ named ‘Luna.’”

In response, Georgulas appealed, filing motions to have the decision overturned and Cooks recused from the case.

In December 2019, another hearing was held. Cooks was replaced with Judge Brown, who decided to uphold joint custody in January 2020.

The ruling was again appealed by Georgulas in July.

In light of Brown’s most recent ruling, James will most likely return to school as “Luna” despite the fact that he reportedly chose to attend school as a boy, under his given name, at the start of the school year last fall.

Save James says a special evidentiary hearing is scheduled for September, although a specific date and time has not yet been announced.

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared at Decision Magazine.

SBTC DR crews help Hurricane Hanna survivors in Rio Grande Valley: “This was God’s perfect timing”

PHARR  On Aug. 6, Pharr native Patty Reynolds, 90, said goodbye to her only remaining sibling, her sister Sally Mullins, 87, as Mullins succumbed to Parkinson’s disease. Reynolds, known by her nickname Petie, and her nephew were allowed inside the quiet room at a residential healthcare facility to spend the last 15 minutes of Sally’s life with her.

Sally’s death proved to be one more heartache for Reynolds, who had reluctantly left her home to ride out Hurricane Hanna with her granddaughter and family, only to return to find her yard strewn with downed trees and limbs following the E1 storm that struck the Rio Grande Valley in late July.

The first Atlantic hurricane of the 2020 season, Hanna hit Padre Island on July 25, moving into the Rio Grande Valley, inundating South Texas with more than 15 inches of rain in some communities and prompting severe flash flooding. The storm’s onslaught brought more suffering to a region still reeling from a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases.

Although the Rio Grande River did not rise as feared, residents grappled with power outages and were left dealing with the effects of wind and flood damage. 

Reynolds’ home of more than 50 years was unscathed, but her sizeable yard was full of debris.

Reynolds remembered when Hurricane Beulah flooded the home in 1967, leaving water several inches deep inside. Grateful that the damage from Hanna remained outdoors, she was still overwhelmed by its magnitude, Reynolds’ granddaughter Shannon McCoy told the TEXAN. 

McCoy, a former Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief ministry assistant who recently returned to live in the Valley, spoke with SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice, who encouraged her to fill out a request for assistance. 

A chainsaw and recovery team from First Baptist Melissa came to help Aug. 5. They worked steadily for two days to clear Reynolds’ yard, continuing as she left to visit her sister for the final time. 

When Reynolds returned from that heartbreaking experience, DR crew leader Jesse Hauptrief asked if she would like the volunteers to carve a cross out of the stump left from a massive hackberry tree split by the storm. 

Reynolds burst into tears.

“I said, how appropriate for today,” McCoy recalled. “This was God’s perfect timing. She can look at that cross from now on and know God was holding her and was aware of her broken heart.”

“Now I can look out there and I have comfort,” Reynolds told McCoy, who said the yard was her grandmother’s passion.

“She works in the yard every single day. That’s how she stays so young. To see that cross will give her hope,” McCoy said.  

McCoy admitted she was surprised at the impact the crews had, despite her experience in DR.

“I never was able to see things on this side of DR, and I am completely blown away,” McCoy wrote in a text message to Debra Britt, SBTC DR administrator on site in the Valley. “Truly God’s work is being done.”

McCoy’s experience helped her know where to find help for her grandmother, but RGV survivors are having no trouble contacting the SBTC DR for assistance through the toll-free number, 855.728.1374 (855.SBTC DRHelp) and the number for Spanish speakers: 956.448.4712.

Swift response to Hanna by SBTC DR crews

By Monday, July 27, SBTC DR crews manning quick response or QRU mobile kitchens were preparing meals by the hundreds for survivors at various sites in the Valley in cooperation with the Salvation Army.

By Aug. 3, recovery and chainsaw teams from First Melissa and First Baptist Pflugerville were on site or en route. A team from First Baptist Bellville will arrive over the weekend of Aug. 8, Britt said.

To date, crews have completed 59 jobs: many small, involving cutting up fallen trees or limbs and clearing debris. Jobs that don’t involve mud-out or tree work are being tackled by volunteers from McAllen’s Baptist Temple. Besides hosting the DR crews, the church has provided two Spanish-speaking volunteers to accompany assessors to jobs and translate for them.

So far the deployment has involved a combination of chainsaw and mud-out work, Britt said, adding that the mosquitoes have proved a challenge, although social distancing has not, with the Baptist Temple’s large youth building allowing for ample space to spread out.

“We are checking temperatures every day. We are wearing masks when we go out to meet with folks,” Britt said. “We are blessed to be able to help.”

From 27-30 SBTC DR volunteers are at work daily, Britt confirmed.

What Christ called us to

The Hanna deployment is the first for Mike Lawrence of Redwater, Texas. Recently retired from the U.S. Forest Service, Lawrence is no stranger to responding to emergencies. He has used this occasion to pray with survivors as a chaplain, accompany assessors to potential job sites and even lend a hand on work crews.

Lawrence was among the volunteers helping out at Reynolds’ home.

“[She] is elderly lady with a heart of gold who couldn’t do anything to take care of the overwhelming situation. We could help her do something she couldn’t do. We brought comfort in a time of loss,” Lawrence said, his voice cracking with emotion. 

“It’s a privilege to be here,” he added. “It’s really about loving others. What Christ called us to.”

Black Lives Matter? Embracing the proclamation or the organization

ATLANTA—“Black lives matter!” is a statement of proclamation—a declaration and a decree—emerging from centuries of anguish born of America’s history of injustices stemming from the African slave trade.

“Black Lives Matter” is also an organization—a body of people with a particular mission—emerging from the proclamation, following episodes of police brutality and vigilante killings of Black men. The proclamation existed before the organization. The message of the proclamation and the message of the organization are not the same.

There are many who embrace the proclamation, yet are not aligned with the message of the organization. In their hearts they are convicted that Black lives do matter, and they are advocates for change, but believe the organization’s message, methods and values are antithetical to redemption and reconciliation. There are also many who embrace the organization, not realizing its message, methods and values are divergent from those of the proclamation.

Choose whatever side you wish, but it is important to know and articulate the difference between the two.

The proclamation

The justification for slavery in America was rooted in the idea that Black lives do not matter. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation, the culture continued to dehumanize and oppress Blacks through mass incarceration, lynchings and making it impossible to achieve economic freedom was propagated in the ideology that black lives do not matter.

Racial injustice expanded through the creation of “Jim Crow” laws. Government-sanctioned violent acts were committed on non-violent protesters in marches, boycotts, lunch counter sit-ins, and even during African American worship services on Sunday. The brutal murders of Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and so many more were all rooted in one ideology: Black lives do not matter.

After the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it became illegal to discriminate in employment practices based on race, but many government agencies continued to deny Blacks equal employment opportunities.

My beloved profession, the American Fire Service, was one of the most resistant. Lawsuits were filed in many cities to force local governments to comply, creating affirmative action laws. As a rookie firefighter in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1981, I saw rampant racism and discrimination, which was rooted in the centuries-old ideology deeply ingrained in American culture, even the fire service, that Black lives do not matter.

In recent years, incidents of police brutality and vigilante killings of African Americans gave rise to the origin of the proclamation: “Black lives matter!”

The proclamation’s intent was not to suggest that other lives do not matter, but rather to declare that the historical, systemic and institutionalized wrongs that have persisted toward Blacks must come to an end. This proclamation erupted out of generations of humiliation and is expressed with utter frustration and righteous indignation. “Black lives matter!”

As an American patriot, I agree with those who profess “all lives matter.” “All lives matter!” is a proclamation established in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

However, the generational evidence of Black lives in America juxtaposed to the generational evidence of our white brothers and sisters is self-evident. All men have been created equal, but all men have not been treated equal. Black lives have been intentionally and systematically deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is from this constitutional and historical backdrop this righteous proclamation has been decreed. “Black lives matter!”

The organization

The message of the proclamation has been adopted as the name of an organization, “Black Lives Matter.”

By its own description, the organization “Black Lives Matter” has a message that subtracts from the fervent and righteous message of the proclamation. The message of the organization and the message of the proclamation are not the same. The message of the organization is about Black lives, but it is not inclusive of all matters contributing to the plight of Black people. The organization’s message also includes matters and methods not aligned with the proclamation.

The message of the organization is rooted in ideas that have redefined the original pure message of the proclamation. The organization values the ideologies of moral relativism and pluralism. There is no absolute truth. Truth is defined only by what supports the cause. Each person is an authority unto themselves.

There is no acknowledgement of the sovereign God, moral authority, or respect for civic authority, even if the authorities are Black. The authority and counsel of Black mayors, Black police officers, Black pastors and Black politicians don’t matter. The only authorities that matter are those who endorse the cause. Anyone who does not embrace the ideology is an enemy.

The propaganda of the organization asserts: to reject the organization is to reject the proclamation. Those who are true to the proclamation are being forced to embrace the ideology of the organization or face being “canceled.”

People are losing their livelihoods because they do not embrace the organization, even though they are committed to the proclamation. People who embrace the proclamation are afraid to say “Black lives matter” because they don’t want to be mistakenly identified with the organization.

Here’s the point: You do not have to affirm the organization to champion the cause of the proclamation. The proclamation “Black lives matter!” must be distinguished apart from the messaging, methods and values of the organization.

Distinguishing divergent messages

“Black lives matter!” as a proclamation is a clarion call to address centuries-long injustices and inequality leveled against the descendants of African slaves — roots of inequities that have run deep and wide for generations. The proclamation is a message that seeks to lift up a standard of justice and equity and to repair the breaches caused by racism that continue to foster deprivation in Black families and communities.

Though every person has a right to choose between the message of the proclamation and the message of the organization, it is vitally important for Christians to distinguish between the two.

  • The message of the proclamation is a message of non-violence and domestic tranquility. The message of the organization includes violence, lawlessness and autonomous zones achieved by any means necessary and a declaration of “No Justice. No Peace!”
  • The message behind the proclamation is one of reconciliation and conviction embraced by all people who have a heart for unity. The message behind the organization is one of retaliation and condemnation that segregates and divides, even people of color.
  • The message behind the proclamation is one of bipartisan transformation. The message behind the organization is one of political transaction.
  • The message of the proclamation extends beyond the just cause of addressing innocent Black lives taken by police brutality, vigilantes and unjust incarcerations. It also includes Black lives murdered by other Blacks, Black lives taken by abortion, and the Black lives of children abandoned by their fathers. The message of the organization does not include these dangers to Black lives which matter just as much. 

Call to action: Embrace the proclamation

Don’t be ashamed or afraid to stand against racial injustice. “Black lives matter!” in its original meaning resonates with all African Americans and has captured the hearts of many non-African Americans. Black lives should not be deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The just and righteous flames of the proclamation are sufficient to burn down the mountain of racism in the United States. Embrace the proclamation. It expresses what we have been crying for centuries. Black lives matter!

This column originally appeared in The Christian Index.

Kelvin Cochran is administrator of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta.

“You can’t cut against the grain of Creation,” seminary prof says on gender issues

The Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee of the SBTC held a virtual presentation on Tuesday, August 4, entitled “What Does the Bible Actually Say About Gender Identity?” Led by Andrew Walker, associate professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary in Louisville, the presentation was open to current members of the TERLC as well as lawmakers across the state.

Committee chairman Nathan Loudin, pastor of Millwood Baptist Church in Austin, opened by thanking the lawmakers who were present. “Having spent some time engaging and testifying with different issues at the Capitol, you find out really quickly the issues are complex, difficult and often very bipartisan,” he said. “We thank you for being there, for doing the wrestling for us and for serving our state and especially the Lord in this manner.” 

Gender issues have become increasingly polarizing in recent years, leading to significant religious liberty implications for churches, faith-based non-profits and Christian colleges and universities. 

“I came of age in my career right when marriage was undergoing its redefinition, and I remember that debate happening and thinking to myself that if we get marriage wrong as a society, we’re going to get society wrong,” Walker said. “Because you can’t tinker with these basic cornerstone institutions and expect society to flourish.

“We have moved to a time in which we have denatured ourselves, and what I mean by that is that we have made it impossible to concretely identify what is a man or what is a woman,” he said. “The problem with the trans or gender-identity movement is it makes having that stable concept—necessary for a stable, purposeful social order—it makes it impossible. 

“And so we find ourselves unable to identify what is a man or a woman based on anything other than mere choice or stereotype. We can’t go down this path very long, because it so cuts against the grain of Creation,” he added. “And you can’t go against the grain of Creation that long without nature striking back.”

Walker said that a correct approach to gender must be grounded in reality, giving five axioms regarding how God has constructed reality as the premise for the presentation. He made clear at the outset that while there can be many worldviews, there is only one reality.

“Christian reality is reality itself. And when we’re talking about gender issues, I don’t want us to see this from a sectarian perspective that is only persuasive and intelligible if we have Bible verses,” Walker said, “though we have Bible verses.

“Someone does not need to be a Christian in order to agree with the propositions about what a male and female really is, because what we believe about male and female is not exclusive only to a Christian epistemology—it’s exclusive to reality as it is.”

His five axioms build on each other from broad to narrow, and include that 1) God created, 2) God created humanity, 3) God created humanity in his image, 4) God created humanity male and female, and 5) God created male and female for one another.

“When we talk about gender I want us to see this as a creational issue, not just a Christian issue,” Walker said. “When we’re painting a portrait of what Christians believe, we believe what we do about created reality because God authors Creation.”

Walker went on to discuss the immutability of male and female complementarity based on anatomy, adding that just because a man or woman has surgery that will change his or her appearance, there exists no surgery that will change one’s chromosomal makeup.

“We want to hold out from Scripture that male and female complementarity are true to our nature, they are true to our bodies,” he said. “Our reproductive anatomy matters in constituting a definition of male and female.”

He also pointed out the change in language between what was once referred to as sex reassignment surgery but is now referred to as gender confirmation surgery, indicating how society has shifted in its views regarding the transgender movement.

Again and again, Walker pointed back to Scripture and creational reality as the basis for how Christians should respond to the transgender movement.

The specific challenges he brought up included public safety in bathrooms, women’s sports, feminism, parental rights, public education and tactics like coercion.

Walker brought up the example of author J.K. Rowling who, though a self-described trans-affirming individual, has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for her comments regarding the movement’s harmful effects on children.

“It’s not enough to stay silent. In order to be properly acceptable in mainstream culture, you now have to be drafted into the cause of believing and saying things that you may not actually think are true,” he said.

Walker also referenced the tension among various proponents within the LGBT community. 

“To be gay, lesbian or bisexual assumes there are stable concepts of what it means to be a male or a female,  “The transgender movement undercuts that because it says there is no such thing as concrete gender categories, all it is is a matter of caricature and stereotype. And so it does away with the stable concept of homosexuality.”

The presentation ended with a question-and-answer time in which the participants could directly engage Walker with specific questions.

“Fluid gender identity is the most extreme idea to come out of the sexual revolution so far,” SBTC executive director Jim Richards said after the event. “Dr. Walker literally wrote the book on the subject for Southern Baptists, and it was very beneficial for some of our leaders to reap the fruit of his research on biblical sexuality.”

SWBTS internationals’ COVID-19 food needs spur Birchman to action

FORT WORTH—When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Ruth* and her husband—both students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary—found themselves in a major bind.

Because the campus shut down to prevent coronavirus spread, they lost their jobs at the seminary. But as international students from East Asia, their F1 student visas restricted their ability to get jobs anywhere except the school they attend. They also were ineligible for U.S. government aid and inhibited from returning to either of their home countries because of travel restrictions.

Money was tight before, but now they had no source of income to buy food.

“The financial issue is just one part” of the problem, Ruth said. “Another part is that you have a lot of extra time not knowing what to do. So it’s easy to feel panic about the future.”

But in their moment of panic, Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth stepped in to help, providing a steady supply of groceries from the church’s Corners of the Field benevolence ministry. As Birchman realized how serious the plight of Southwestern international students had become, they expanded the ministry.

By the end of July, Birchman and a coalition of partner churches were meeting the food needs of some 30 international student families at Southwestern who found themselves without a source of income during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lane Prairie Baptist Church in Joshua, Harmony Baptist Church in Weatherford and Calvary Baptist Church in Gainesville have all partnered with Birchman to help meet the students’ needs.

“When we discovered the plight of these students, it really was a concern for us and broke our hearts,” Birchman pastor Bob Pearle said. “These students basically were stranded. A lot of the other students living in dorms could go home. These students couldn’t fly out to their country.”

According to U.S. government regulations, F1 visa holders cannot accept off-campus employment at any point during their first year of study. After that, off-campus employment is permitted if the work is related to their education or in response to extreme financial hardship. Still, official authorizations are required or students risk losing their visa status. The pandemic has left international students across America with food insecurity, according to media reports.

Southwestern has not been immune from those challenges. So Texas Southern Baptist churches began to wonder if the Southern Baptist network of cooperation could find a way to help international seminary students. Such help, they believed, was in keeping with the spirit of the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ unified channel for supporting missions and ministries.

The food assistance can “help some of our brothers and sisters in Christ and help the institution” care for its students, Pearle said. “That’s what the Cooperative Program is all about—helping each other.”

The feeding ministry is part of Birchman’s ongoing provision of food to needy families and individuals. But the ministry made international students a focus as their pandemic needs became evident. Corners of the Field delivers groceries to students every other Friday.

The deliveries fed 19 seminary families June 5, comprising 72 people. Two weeks later, the number had increased to 31 families with 102 people. By late July, the ministry had delivered about 175 boxes of food to Southwestern international students. The seminary families receiving assistance are from India, South Korea and China among other nations.

“They are in a pickle,” Corners of the Field director Laretta Smith said. “It’s hard to watch because I’m a momma … To see someone’s else’s child suffer and not know what to do, my heart just breaks.”

The international students are grateful for the food, she said, even though it can be difficult to ask for help.

“They are heroes,” Smith said. “They came to this country to learn how to serve God well.” Despite their hardship, “they are still the most gracious people. They are still loving people. They are not bitter at all.”

In addition to the partnering churches, Southwestern alumni have donated money for the ministry too. The food distribution will continue as long as the need persists, with special plans in the works for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Cameron Bowman, Birchman’s director of outreach, said “the decision to take on feeding students at Southwestern was easy.”

“These students moved to Fort Worth to study and prepare for God’s calling on their lives to take the gospel to the nations,” Bowman said. “Because of the pandemic, they have lost their jobs and are unable to feed their families. If we can help them stay to prepare for what God has next by simply taking them food, we at Birchman want to be a part of that.”

Ruth said she and her husband “are really grateful” for the food deliveries and feel “a sense of support” from Southern Baptists. Now she and her husband are attempting to pass the blessing along to others.

“From the food we receive, we see their generosity,” she said. “We always receive plenty of food—even more than we [need] so we can share with our neighbors.”

*Name changed to protect privacy

Editor’s Note: If you or your church would like to contribute through food or financial donations, contact Cameron Bowman, director of outreach at Birchman Baptist Church: 817-244-6590.

Michael Rhine Joins SBTF as Director of Church Lending

ARLINGTON—Bart McDonald, executive director the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation announced the hiring of Michael J. Rhine as director of church lending. Rhine comes to Texas after serving since 2002 as the director of church finance for the Florida Baptist Foundation. Before that he was the chief church finance consultant for the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. He began his work with the SBTF on July 20. 

“The addition of someone of Mike’s caliber and pedigree will be a great blessing to our affiliated churches and institutions that are searching for financing alternatives and counsel.  His experience, track record, and reputation in lending circles across the country made him the clear choice to fill this key position,” McDonald said of Rhine.

Rhine is a graduate of Ohio State University and served churches and financial institutions in Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia before joining coming to work for NAMB.  

Mike is married to Vicki for almost 32 years and they have four grown children and two grandchildren.

Speaking of the new opportunity, he said, “God has clearly spoken to me that Texas is where I am to serve him.  God has given me the opportunity to serve churches around the country during my time at NAMB and the Florida Baptist Foundation and I am excited to assist churches across Texas to obtain the facilities they need to reach their communities for Christ!”  

The Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation began providing direct loans to Texas churches in 2014 and to date has extended over $70 million of financing commitments to churches and Baptist institutions for the acquisition, renovation, and new construction of projects throughout the state. Go to sbtexasfoundation.com for more information. 

If you’ve got Jesus in your profile, don’t be nasty on your timeline

NASHVILLE (AP/RNS)—”Follower of Jesus.” A follower of Jesus myself, I normally like to see those words on someone’s Twitter profile. Lately, however, I’m reluctant to scroll down for fear that this same follower has cussed out a politician on the social media platform or tweeted nasty things at a person they disagree with.

How can people who claim Jesus as Lord act so mean?

First, we often think that because we are fighting for the right things—justice, truth, righteousness—that it doesn’t matter how we say what we say. The apostle Peter, no stranger to impulsive talk, has a tip for us. He urged first-century believers to “have an answer for everyone for the hope that lies within you” but to do this with “gentleness and kindness.” In other words, civility and courage are not enemies, but friends. The loudest person in the room or online is not necessarily the most courageous.

Second, we go off the rails online because we forget the humanity of the person on the other end of that tweet. That person we are calling out or punching at rhetorically is not a mere avatar to be crushed, but a person, made in the image of God. Those with whom we disagree are not the sum total of their opinions. James, Jesus’ brother and another leader in the first-century church, urges us to consider the imago dei of the other before we unleash a verbal assault.

Third, we often abandon kindness because politics has replaced religion as the primary driver of our discourse. We may have Jesus in the bio, but it’s the Republican or Democratic Party that is really in our hearts.

The collapse of religious institutions and the decline of church attendance have created a vacuum that politics is only too ready to fill. But politics makes for a disappointing god. It only takes and will never fully satisfy the longings of the heart.

How do we know we are worshiping at the altar of the 24/7 political cycle? When we make every argument a political one. When every aspect of life becomes read through a narrow ideological lens. When every criticism of our candidate is perceived as an attack on our hero. When we turn a blind eye to the misdeeds of leaders in our ideological camp.

As we muddle through the coming election season and a global pandemic that has divided Americans, Christians will be more tempted than ever to abandon civility.

Christians should engage in politics, but we should do so out of responsibility. Politics should be a way to love our neighbors, to use our voices and votes to shape the world in which our neighbors live. We should hold our party affiliations loosely, refusing to give temporal institutions a primacy and authority reserved for the Bible.

As members of God’s kingdom, we are indeed “strangers and exiles,” as Peter wrote. We should always sense a dissonance between our temporal, earthly allegiances and the kingdom of God. Temporal kingdoms and leaders will only disappoint us. Our faith should shape our politics rather than our politics shape our faith.

Kindness and civility shouldn’t be confused with a syrupy niceness that refuses to take a stand against injustice and for the vulnerable. The Bible is full of prophets who refused to be silent.

Yet, we should engage with humility, holding our ideas and our opinions loosely and not taking ourselves too seriously. We should start seeing folks on the other side of the aisle not as enemies to be vanquished, but as people who may have good ideas. We are not always right about everything all the time. It’s our own prejudices and biases, in fact, that lead us to believe the worst about our ideological opponents.

Instead, we should do as James instructed: be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. In an internet age, we might repurpose his words as: be quick to read the whole story, slow to post and slow to outrage.

That’s what we should commit to when we put Jesus in our bio, and it should be evident in the words we post on our timelines.

Digital detour a successful path for Jacksonville College

Known as “the biggest small town in Texas,” Jacksonville is situated on 14 square miles of rolling hills. Jacksonville College, founded in 1899 and the oldest two-year school in the state, keeps stride with current technology and offers quality general education courses.

The college’s online capabilities proved indispensable halfway through this spring semester. Like other higher education institutions across the country, Jacksonville College faced the COVID-19 shutdown, which made online remote learning crucial.

“It’s been wild. That’s an understatement, isn’t it?” said Vice President for Academics Marolyn Welch in a virtual trustee meeting May 16.
“Everything was rocking along really well until after spring break, and the news began to filter in that schools were not going to reconvene.”

“There was a bit of trepidation about how we would work it out,” she said of the initial stages, but noted the faculty went through fast-track training “with a resolve that we would finish the semester online through remote instruction, and we were able to finish successfully,” Welch said. “I am very proud of my faculty.”

Despite the virus’s ramifications, Jacksonville College transitioned smoothly to 100 percent online remote instruction. A major factor in the seamless adjustment was preparation. Welch said the college was already preparing through its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) called “Going the Distance with Distance Education.” Because of the QEP, the faculty adjusted well to moving courses online, Welch said.

The college’s QEP embodies the institution’s determination to “challenge minds and transform lives” through improving student success in online education courses. Successfully facilitating its QEP is integral to the college’s standing with its accrediting body.

As students nationwide struggled with the drastic academic adjustments the virus caused, Jacksonville College’s Teaching & Learning Center (TLC) extended its tutoring to 11 hours a day.

“The additional summer hours for online tutoring have allowed students to receive tutoring throughout the day and early evening, giving them extra time to get assistance to successfully complete their coursework,” said TLC director Jan Modisette.

“Four tutors are monitoring their computers from 8 a.m. through 7 p.m. weekdays, offering tutoring in all subjects and technical assistance for submitting assignments in addition to giving friendly smiles with encouragement to students who are often lonely during the pandemic,” Modisette added.

Based on future social distancing directives, plans for the fall semester could include hybrid classes, meaning face-to-face instruction combined with remote learning may be used to follow guidelines.

The college has established a COVID-19 task force that is studying what procedures to establish when students return to campus. The overarching protocol is to follow the recommendations from local and federal public health officials, Welch said.

“We anticipate the use of hand sanitizer, face masks and social distancing,” she said, “but the specifics are yet to be determined. We also have capped the number of students that can be seated in our classrooms, but that cap is flexible based on public health reports.”

Though the college already has a robust online instruction capability, this summer the college is developing an online proficiency rubric for all faculty who teach face-to-face classes, in case instruction is required to move 100 percent online this fall, Welch said. “No matter what happens, we will be ready to go fully online.” 

—Jacksonville College is a cooperating ministry with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

How to pray for missionaries displaced by COVID-19

COVID-19 has upended many plans. From vacations to graduations and everything in between, the global pandemic has left few events or lives intact. One group of people whom COVID-19 has profoundly impacted is missionaries. Many missionaries have had to shelter in place and quarantine in their host countries. Their lives were put on pause, and missionaries tried to find creative means to continue ministry. 

As more time passes, many missionaries find themselves unexpectedly back in their countries of origin. While many might assume “coming home” is nothing but fun, many, if not most, missionaries are standing in a now unfamiliar place without the blessing of goodbyes to friends or much time to pack. Many of these missionaries also had to make this return without knowing when, if ever, they would be able to return to their home and place of service. 

My family went through something similar when we had to leave the field abruptly due to health issues in our family. A quick return to the states helped us address our son’s health, but also took us away from a country and people whom we love. Having walked through similar circumstances, here is how I would suggest we pray for missionaries who have been unexpectedly displaced:

Pray that they feel the freedom to grieve.

Praying for someone to grieve might seem morbid, but being ripped out of your life and ministry is traumatic and hurtful. Pray that these missionaries would give themselves the freedom to feel and express their grief. 

It is easy to shut down emotions like grief in the name of moving on or “trusting the Lord.” Grief is not a denial of faith in the Lord; instead, expressing our grief to the Lord says that we acknowledge He is big enough to handle it. If we do not acknowledge our weakness, we rob ourselves the opportunity to see His strength. 

Pray for trusted listeners.

Returning missionaries often feel out of place in their home country. This home country is not really home anymore! The missionary is changed, and her old friends have changed. Everything is different. 

On top of this reverse culture shock, missionaries have already undergone trauma and pain — pandemics and forced relocations aside — that are hard to express to someone who has not walked in those shoes. Ask God to provide safe friends, church members, even counselors, who will listen, mourn with those who mourn, and point towards Christ — the incarnate One who shares in our sufferings. 

Pray for peace. 

Missionary life is uncertain by nature. However, the complete chaos caused by COVID-19 means many missionaries have no idea when they will be able to return to their place of service. Pray that the Lord would give them peace that passes understanding. Ask also that the Lord would make clear the next good works He has prepared for them. 

Pray for spiritual intimacy and growth. 

Unexpected changes often leave us open to stagnancy or aimlessness in our walks with the Lord. Removed from ministry that can give meaning and identity (and not always in healthy ways), missionaries can feel far from God’s presence. Ask that the Lord would fill these missionaries with knowledge of His steadfast love. Ask that this time would be the beginning of a deeper walk with the Lord. 

We know that the sudden displacement of missionaries did not surprise the Lord. Even where grief springs up, the Lord is at work. Missionaries being displaced does not mean disciples are not being made and churches are not starting. Many missionaries remain on the field.

Around the world, local churches and believers are faithfully meeting needs and sharing hope. Displaced missionaries and the Southern Baptists who sent them also find the peoples of the world all around us. In the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, for example, there are more than 400 people groups, of which more than 100 are unreached with the Gospel.  

As we pray for these missionaries, let’s also pray that the Lord would use us to make disciples of the nations around us. Also, consider asking if your church or association knows of any missionaries who have returned to your area. Consider writing them a note or dropping off a meal to let them know you are praying for them. 

As it is safe and permissible to do so, ask some of these missionaries to teach you about their people and go with them to share the Gospel with internationals. Let’s pray with our brothers and sisters and join them in making disciples of all peoples!

—Samuel Brittain, who previously served in South Asia, is associate director of the World Missions Center at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

SBTC DR provides meals for people affected by Hurricane Hanna in the Rio Grande Valley

McALLEN—Hurricane Hanna made landfall as a category 1 storm along the Texas Gulf Coast the evening of Saturday, July 25, adding another level of trauma to an area already suffering from a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. 

Before weakening and moving into Mexico, Hanna knocked out electricity in the Rio Grande Valley and spawned widespread flooding in Hidalgo County, necessitating at least 200 water rescues by mid-day Sunday, the Valley Monitor reported.

As rain continued Sunday, Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief volunteers Doug and Delpha Cates and Ronnie and Connie Roark brought two quick response feeding units to the Rio Grande Valley, one from the Top O’ Texas Baptist Association in Pampa and the other from Salem-Sayers Baptist in Adkins, near San Antonio.

As the crews traveled south in tandem down Highway 281, passing motorists spying the SBTC DR logos on the mobile kitchens signaled “thumbs up” and showed praying hands, Connie Roark told the TEXAN.

The Pampa unit set up operations Monday at Sendero Community Church in south McAllen. The church also provided volunteers and pastor David Ortega and his wife, Mari, hosted the Roarks and Cateses in their home.

From 1 to 6 p.m. Monday, storm victims, most still lacking electricity, drove through the church’s parking lot, receiving a total of 261 hot meals. Many came from nearby Pharr and learned of the meal outreach from flyers hastily typed and printed by the Ortegas and distributed by church members. 

“Our members went to Walmart in south McAllen and combed the areas where there was flooding,” Ortega said. 

At the church, Sendero members, SBTC DR volunteers, Ortega and a neighborhood family greeted people in their vehicles and talked with them as they waited in line to receive hot food. Survivors and volunteers alike were masked.

Volunteers not only asked drivers how many meals were needed, but also inquired about hurricane damages and offered to pray.

Connections despite barriers

Ronnie Roark noted that masks forced him to pay closer attention to each meal recipient.

“We all have to wear masks now. We look at people’s eyes much more. Their eyes will tell you. When they drive through you can tell,” Roark mused, describing one lady who “seemed about to tear up.”

When asked if she had a prayer request, the woman replied, “Yes,” her voice trembling. “I need a job,” she said before Connie Roark prayed with her.

“That’s the beauty of how we serve today, to actually visit with the folks,” Connie said. Despite barriers set up for physical distancing, rigid preparation and serving protocols and even temperature checks for volunteers, human and divine connections occur.

A single father named Rick phoned Ortega’s church cell number. Rick had just received a flyer, noted the church name, and wanted to verify that the meal offer was legitimate.

“Are you really giving out food?” he asked.

“Yes, we are,” Ortega answered as the man explained he had two small children and they lived in apartments that still lacked power. 

By the time Ortega, who had been surveying Edinburg neighborhoods hit by the storm, returned to the church shortly after the phone call, Rick was already there in line. Ortega talked with him, asking him how things were going spiritually.

“I’ve kind of strayed away,” Rick replied, adding that in June he had tested positive for COVID-19 and had quarantined five weeks. “I thought I was going to die,” he said. Then came the hurricane. “This is the second time the Lord is trying to get my attention,” he said.

Ortega talked to Rick about Christ, encouraged him to go to church and gave him a Bible, offering spiritual food in addition to physical sustenance. 

By the end of Monday, volunteers had made spiritual contacts or prayed with 86 individuals, Connie Roark said.

Among Monday’s helpers were Eric, Jeanne, Donovan and Natalie Fagan, Ortega’s neighbors. Eric, a veteran involved with area Wounded Warriors, also contacted group members about the meal distribution.

The Cateses will man the Top O’ Texas QRU kitchen through Wednesday, serving breakfast till noon and dinner from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, while the Roarks will set up the second QRU in the Mission area on Tuesday and minister there.

Meanwhile, SBTC DR volunteers Kyle Sadler and Ralph and Debra Britt headed to the Rio Grande Valley to assess the area and see if recovery teams are needed.

Call 855.SBTC DRHelp for assistance

More flooding may be on the way, SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice told DR task force members in a Zoom meeting on Monday, noting that although Hanna died out in Mexico, the watershed is draining toward the Rio Grande River and authorities are concerned flooding will occur downstream from Falcon Lake, possibly inundating an area from Rio Grande City to the Gulf of Mexico.

“We may still have river flooding in front of us, three to five days out. We can’t stand down yet because something may happen,” Stice said, confirming SBTC DR’s continued readiness.

As SBTC DR continues its response to Hurricane Hanna in the Rio Grande Valley, the Pampa QRU kitchen finished work at Sendero Community Church on July 19 and moved to provide feeding support to recovery operations at McAllen’s Baptist Temple. Seven SBTC DR volunteers also assisted the Salvation Army in food preparation at its central kitchen in McAllen from Thursday to Sunday before joining the support crew at Baptist Temple.

The QRU from Salem-Sayers set up at Sullivan City, where the Roarks prepared more than 500 lunches daily from Thursday to Sunday. They also served 500 dinners provided by the Salvation Army each day.

Assessments continue, joined by chaplains. A SBTC DR shower/laundry unit has been moved to the area to support volunteers. Clean up and recovery work began on Thursday, July 30, and a second recovery crew began work on Monday, August 3.

A SBTC DR phone number for Rio Grande Valley Spanish speakers needing food or assistance following Hurricane Hanna has been set up at 956.448.4712, manned by David Loyola. The other toll free number also remains active: 855.728.2374.