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ANSWERING
THE QUESTIONS JESUS ASKS BAPTIST
WORLD ALLIANCE: DRAWING A DIVERSE FAMILY TOGETHER BWA
NOT A NEW AIRLINE! CBF Responds to Baptist World Alliance Needs CHRISTIANS
NEED NOT CHECK THEIR BRAINS AT THE CHURCH DOOR CBF
SPRING ASSEMBLY REPORTS GENESIS
1: SCIENCE OR FICTION ? IS
GOD AN AMERICAN? LOUISIANA
COLLEGE: ARE THE PINE TREES DROOPING? LOUISIANA
COUPLE: THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST AMONG GYPSIES LYNN
HAWKINS ON CHURCH PLANTING A
MISSIONARY'S HEART OF
SAINTS AND SEA LEGS PARTNERS
IN HOPE ADVOCACY Beware the Prophet's Fury: The Isaiah Platform PARTNERS
IN HOPE: COMING FULL CIRCLE, A WALKING MIRACLE PARTNERS
IN HOPE In Prison and You Visited Me: The Gospel in Restorative Justice THE
PROBLEM OF THE OLD TESTAMENT REPORT
FROM YOUR LOUISIANA REPRESENTATIVE TO THE NATIONAL CBF COORDINATING COMMITTEE TWO
LOUISIANA TREASURES; DR. FRANK STAGG AND DR. MALCOLM TOLBERT WHY
LOUISIANA BAPTISTS NEED TO KNOW DR. VESTAL
ANSWERING
THE QUESTIONS JESUS ASKS: Reflections
on Partners in Hope
by Malcolm Tolbert As a
seminary professor I had the responsibility of giving my students periodic tests.
On the basis of the scores that students made on the tests given during the semester,
they would either pass or fail the course. Of course, it goes without saying that
they had to answer the questions that I asked. Often I gave the students a great
deal of guidance in preparation for the exam so that they could get the answers
ready for the questions they would be asked. They might have chosen to ignore
my guidance in getting ready for the test questions. They could have prepared
to answer questions other than the ones I put on the test, but those answers,
no matter how good, would have been unacceptable. Jesus
told us that we will have to pass a final exam. He also told us exactly what the
questions will be. One of the clearest passages we have in the Bible in this regard
is Matthew 25:31-46. The questions go like this: How many prisoners have you been
concerned about? How many sick people have you helped? How many naked people have
you clothed? How many hungry people have you fed? You donçt need a seminary
degree to understand that passage. As strange as it may seem, however, a great
many people apparently are getting answers ready for the wrong questions. For
example, they are attempting to phrase their confession of faith just right. Some
seem to be more concerned about their doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible
than they are about doing what the Bible clearly teaches us that Jesus wants us
to do. Indeed, I don't remember anywhere in the gospels where Jesus seems to be
excessively worried about the disciples' theology. He was more concerned that
they live loving lives, which means helping lives. Many people are concerned about
getting their theology straight who do very little or nothing about the poor.
Rigid orthodoxy keeps people from hearing what Jesus has to say in this century
as it did in the first century. If we are going to
do what Jesus so plainly told us to do, we are going to have to identify some
disadvantaged person or persons whom we can help. I can't do anything about all
the starving children in the world. Indeed, I often feel overwhelmed when I read
the statistics, especially those that tell us how many children in the world die
from malnutrition every day. I cannot help them all, but God does not expect me
to help them all. On the other hand, we can help some if we identify them. Of
course, people in need are found in every region of our country and in every city.
One of the places where you can encounter people in deep poverty is in the rural
areas of the deep south. One might say that there are more disadvantaged people
in a large city than in a given rural area. That may be true. On the other hand,
there are more organizations available to help the needy in the cities than there
are in the rural areas. Also, there are more resources available in the city than
in the rural regions. At their best, programs are developed
to direct our attention toward what is doable and to channel what we do for people
who are in need. The CBF has identified an area of our state where many people
live, children and adults, who lack so many of the things we take for granted,food,
clothing, medical care, adequate housing, you name it. They call the program through
which our efforts are directed the Partners in Hope Rural Poverty Initiative.
There are countless other places in the world toward which we could direct our
efforts, but we can't do them all. We need to reduce our ministry to a doable
size. That is what has been done in this program. Also, we recognize that our
neighbors are our special responsibility. If we don't accept the responsibility
for ministry to people in the rural areas of our state, we can hardly expect others
to do it. Let it be kept in mind that we are not talking so much about geography
but about people. The people who live in poverty in rural regions are people whom
God loves, many of them in need of our ministry. Jesus was concerned that his
followers love those whom God loves. He was concerned also that we do it in concrete
ways. You may be able to answer correctly many important questions
that bear on your relationship to God. Are you a faithful member of your Christian
community? Wonderful! Are you a good and responsible spouse and parent? Great!
Those, however, are not questions Jesus included in his parable about the final
exam. Have you clothed anybody lately? Have you fed a hungry person? Those are
the questions Jesus said that we would be faced with. One of the ways we can get
ready for that final exam is to be involved in the Partners in Hope Rural Poverty
Initiative. Dr.
Tolbert, retired seminary professor, missionary, pastor and New Testament scholar
was the featured speaker at the first annual Stagg-Tolbert Forum for Biblical
Studies held October 16, 2004 at Broadmoor Baptist Church, Baton Rouge Gearing
up to celebrate it's 100th anniversary in July 2005, the Baptist World
Alliance will draw such notables as Rick Warren,
author of The Purpose Driven Life
and the world's most famous Sunday School teacher, former US President, Nobel
Peace Prize recipient and human rights advocate, Jimmy Carter.
Yet just as important will be the lesser known and unknowns who will come from
around the world, for BWA draws from 211 Baptist unions representing some 110
million Baptists from every continent. As God used
Paul in the book of Acts to push the early disciples beyond the comfortable confines
of Jewish Christianity, the BWA might well serve as a divine tool to move some
Louisiana Baptists out of our often narrow vision. There are many more Baptist
bodies than the one or two we typically give our focus, and for that manner many
more Christians in our world than simply those called Baptist. A visit to the
BWA web site bwanet.org and link to its magazine Baptist World
will expand horizons, telling of good news in less familiar places and opening
you to the needs and concerns of other kinfolk in God's family, such as these:
- House churches in Cuba have dramatic growth, with places of worship now reaching
4,500, an increase in Baptists from 80,000 in 1995 to 200,000 today;
- Daughter
of SBC missionary Raquel Contreras becomes first woman to lead Evangelical Baptists
of Chile;
- Partnership is formed between German and South African Baptists;
- Azerbaijan
Christian community is overcoming religious intolerance and government surveillance
through amazing witness and preaching of former addict Sare Mirzoev, the first
Azheri speaking Baptist Christian;
In its nearly one hundred year history, BWA has had a long list of exceptional
leaders including E. Y. Mullins and
George W. Truett. Currently,
it is led by President Billy Kim, pastor and evangelist from Korea and Denton
Lotz, General Secretary. Lotz was a featured speaker in last summer's CBF General
Assembly in Birmingham. BWA lists among its tasks and
purposes the following: 1)
Unite, teach, empower Baptists worldwide 2)
Lead in evangelism 3)
Respond to people in need 4)
Defend human rights and religious freedom
Learning to get along and affirm fellow Christians (or Baptists) of different
stripes, culture, or political view has never been easy. Clarence Jordan once
joked in describing two of the original disciples: Matthew, the tax collector
(some called establishment traitor) and Simon the Zealot (violent political revolutionary).
Jordan quipped, "Jesus had to sleep in between those two boys at night so no one's
throat got slashed." Should we think Jesus' expectations for us in learning to
get along are any lower than what he had for those two? The BWA invites us to
look at the larger picture of God's work beyond local petty rivalries and across
all kinds of boundaries. How do our local concerns measure
against the need of Baptists ministering in communities of the starving who subsist
on less than a dollar a day or who daily risk their life by expressing their Christian
faith in a country where it has been declared illegal? As our
world becomes smaller, we can no longer say we did not know. BWA becomes a lens
on our world and an invitation to carry the whole Gospel, where bringing good
news involves meeting the hunger in one's belly as well as
one's heart. BWA
- NOT A NEW AIRLINE! CBF
Responds to Baptist World Alliance Needs by
Kyle Kelley "A lot of American Baptists
think that BWA is a new airline," joked Baptist World Alliance General Secretary
Denton Lotz as he spoke to a group at the CBF General Assembly in Birmingham.
He noted, "There is some confusion over who we are and what we do."
He emphasized a primary focus to provide a worldwide structure to demonstrate
unity on common goals such as pressing for religious liberty and strengthening
networks for evangelism and relief aid. BWA also provides a forum to dialog with
other faith groups around the world where Baptist beliefs about the centrality
of Jesus Christ can be put forward. He gave an example, "We didn't go there
(Cuba) to cozy up to Castro but to raise issues. And because we went, thousands
of Bibles were allowed into the country and now thousands of house churches are
meeting." Last year the SBC withdrew funding to the Baptist
World Alliance. CBF, other denominational groups, local churches and individuals
have responded to the need. At the CBF General Assembly alone, offerings and budget
pledges totaled over $87,000. The important work of Baptist World Alliance in
drawing together a world wide diverse Baptist family in united ministries will
continue. The General Secretary has responded to Louisiana CBF contributions with
an acknowledgment letter of appreciation. Louisiana CBF has now made giving to
BWA an annual line item in its budget. Further clarifying
the Alliance role Lotz explained, "BWA is not a church or a denomination,
we don't write doctrinal statements...that is what the 211 conventions and unions
[around the world] do." Given the diversity among Baptists, BWA does not
police doctrine but builds on commonalities. He cited differences: -
In Russian churches, believers generally don't hold to "once saved
always saved." -
The many Seventh Day Baptist groups don't worship on Sunday. -
In China, 40% of Baptist pastors are women. Just because
not all Baptists would support these issues or others is no reason we cannot work
together on the many areas we agree. Lotz also pointed to
the lessons we have to learn from our brothers and sisters in less favorable circumstances
than ourselves. It is exciting that CBF has stepped up its support and cooperative
work with BWA in Lotz's words, "not because Baptists in the Third World need
your money, but because you can learn from them how to experience First Century
Christianity." Source: Craig Bird, CBF Communications www.thefellowship.info
Dr.
Tolbert addresses Biblical Forum audience encouraging healthy faith and intellect by
Kyle Kelley Does science and faith collide in the Genesis
story? Is the Old Testament God far removed from the loving face revealed in Jesus?
These questions and others were addressed in the first annual Stagg-Tolbert Forum
for Biblical Studies held October 16 at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.
Dr. Malcolm Tolbert, retired Greek and New Testament professor, missionary, pastor
and one of the forum's namesakes, gave the inaugural address of the series. Now
80 years old, Tolbert noted that his "pipes are rusty" and his hearing
is not what it was once, but his mind remains sharp and his spirit generous. He
spoke with a scholar's brain and a pastor's heart. Christians
can welcome scientific advances and marvel at the complexity of God's creation.
Tolbert cited unimaginable recent advances in DNA research as chronicled in the
work of Spencer Wells and others. On the Astronomy front he pointed to an article
by scientist Robert Roy Britt that reports the recent photograph of a galaxy estimated
to be 13 billion light years away. "When you know that in one solar year
light travels approximately 5.88 trillion miles and you multiply that number by
13 billion, you get an idea of the immense distance the light has traveled. You
also realize that the image photographed shows the galaxy not as it may be today
but as it was 13 billion years ago." As amazing as these
discoveries are in answering some of the "how" questions of our mysterious
universe, they have little impact on "why" questions. "It is when
we come to deal with the ultimate meaning of life that scientists, whether they
accept this or not, have no advantage over the rest of us. When it comes to ultimate
meanings, all of us, geneticist and fisherman, anthropologist and illiterate,
are faced with the necessity of exercising an option." The faith option is
personal and is in a different realm than science. Faith is not just the theoretical,
but goes to the core of your reality,where you live your life. It was the option
Victor Frankl chose even in the midst of horror in a Nazi concentration camp. Tolbert
stated that Frankl realized he could chose how to react to his circumstances and
that his spirit could not be enslaved. Being responsible ("response able")
even in the worst of situations points to the idea of what it means for humans
to be in the image of God as the Genesis writer proclaims.
It is the realm of faith and meaning to which the Genesis writer speaks, not of
science and other modern constructs. Tolbert continues, "Divine inspiration,
whatever it may mean, does not enable the writers of scripture to rise above what
was generally known about their world and their place in it." Pre-modern
people including the writer of Genesis "believed the earth was flat and the
heavens were above the flat earth...His concept of the size of the world was very
narrow, and he was totally ignorant of the people that inhabited lands around
the globe. What he did know was very limited, very provincial, and very unscientific.
Although Paul's knowledge of the world, informed as it was by the Roman Empire,
was greater, the same may also be said of Paul and the writer of the first gospel,
as well as the authors of other books of the Bible." Just as modern scientific
knowledge does not displace the realm of faith, previous "primitive"
understandings of the universe cannot obscure the Reality underneath it all. These
truths transcend the historical context and knowledge of that day as well as our
own. A companion point to the understanding of the limits of
scientific knowledge, Tolbert states, is the humble recognition that our "knowledge"
in general (theological and otherwise) is insufficient to bring us to faith and
a meaningful life. "The ability of people to find genuine meaning in their
lives is not limited by their lack of knowledge...I have discovered, as you probably
have, that the people who seem to know God best and are closest to God are often
people whose education has been very limited. Their names come to me even as I
write this,my grandmother;...Mrs. Powers...Mrs. Jones [members of churches where
he was pastor]. They knew nothing beyond the King James Version of the Bible.
They knew nothing of the history of the Jews, nor could they answer the critical
introductory questions scholars raise...Their perspective was very similar to
that of the author of Genesis...They were totally innocent of any scientific knowledge...Intellectually
I knew a great deal more than they. They taught me so much, however, about faith,
love and generosity." The challenge for us modern Christians,
as good stewards, is to use to the fullest extent possible our God given intellectual
abilities to be able to engage a hurting world. We do that however recognizing
simple faith points to the deepest realities. Tolbert concludes, "The author
of Genesis was neither a scientist nor a historian. He was a person of faith who
had had an experience of God and wrote about his experience in ways that were
available to him. Hearing him speak through this book across thousands of years,
I have the deep feeling that we are brothers in the faith. I take my stand with
he author of Genesis and share the conviction that he expressed when he said,
"In the beginning God." Give me that, and I am happy to turn the investigation
of this universe over to the scientists. As they describe the emerging universe,
however, I am convinced that the shape it takes is the result of the presence
of God who is intimately involved in the process." In
understanding Scripture and coming to terms with the meaning of the Old Testament
in particular, we are given our best direction in the life and words of Jesus.
Tolbert looked at various examples of how Jesus interpreted the law and always
moved to the deeper reality behind the law. He cited another writer who stated
"I think the love of Jesus is the plumb line by which everything is to be
measured. And while laws may be more rigid, love is more demanding, for love insists
on motivation and goes between, around and way beyond all laws." Tolbert
affirms the New Testament witness that "God's ultimate revelation is Jesus.
His life and teachings provide the best perspective for interpreting both the
past and the future...Without the Old Testament and its contribution to the message
God has given to us we would be sorely handicapped. It can be the word of God
to us when we interpret everything it says about God in the light of the fuller
understanding of God given to us by Jesus." In addition
to Dr. Tolbert, the forum is named after another Louisiana treasure, the late
Dr. Frank Stagg who likewise had a passion for presenting the best in biblical
scholarship in a way that was accessible to the layperson. This annual series
is dedicated to their legacy. An endowment fund has been set up to permanently
underwrite the cost. Contributions can be sent to: CBF-LA Biblical Forum Fund,
PO Box 607, Ruston, LA 71273. Click
here to read or listen to the lectures. CBF-LA
SPRING ASSEMBLY REPORTS GENERAL
SESSIONS CBF-LA Assembly Celebrates
"Break-out Year"
Receives New Challenge from Dr. Vestal
"It has been a break-out year," stated CBF-LA treasurer Kenny Crump,
referring not only to the doubling of revenue over the past year but also the
increasing missional focus on which our state Fellowship has embarked. "This
feels right, I think we are moving in the right direction," remarked Rev.
Pam Williams, Past Moderator. She was commenting on proceedings full of energy,
activity, challenge and, as you would expect given the theme, brimming with hope. Heading
the list was the advancement of work on the new church start, with $15,000 seed
money designated, ($5,000 budgeted and $10,000 from reserves) and the target area
Madisonville announced. A timeline is now established to enlist support as we
look to a startup date set for January 1, 2006. This committee has been quite
active in doing their homework, with technical assistance in area research and
strategic planning from the national office. Additional items were also
approved or announced signifying the positive vision CBF-LA has developed:
"
Making Baptist World Alliance support a permanent part of the budget, renewing
last year's initial $1,000 line item to under gird this cooperative, global work
of evangelism, religious liberty, aid and justice work.
" Establishing
a Partnership with the Romany (Gypsy) work of Louisiana native CBF missionaries
Keith Holmes and Mary Van Rheenen. This collaboration will include a pledge of
prayer support, a $1,000 line item in the budget, and encouragement of other kinds
of support from individuals such as designated offerings, volunteer trips and
responding to tangible needs identified.
" Funding for launching of our
website cbfla.org (to premier April 25) to tell the Louisiana CBF story and foster
communication and prayer support among our growing membership.
" Allocating
$10,000 funding toward the goal of permanently endowing the Stagg-Tolbert Forum
for Biblical Studies so that excellence in Biblical scholarship is made available
to the lay person on an annual basis.
" Charlene Kelley, Moderator, announced
the Coordinating Council has appointed a committee to begin the process of hiring
CBF-LA's first full time employee to eventually fill the role of both Coordinator
and directing the Partners in Hope Rural Poverty Initiative. (See "Growth
and Transition" page 2) Worship, sharing and fellowship permeated the
gathering. Dr. Daniel Vestal and Rev. Bill Hoffman issued in the general sessions
heart felt challenges to live out our callings. In the small group "break
out" times on Saturday participants got a view of the diverse giftedness,
passions, and unique paths of service our members embody. That is something to
celebrate! FOLLOWING JESUS TOGETHER
IN A WORLD OF PAIN
Dan Vestal and Bill Hoffman address general
sessions on theme of bringing hope to hurting world. What do we do with
our pain? What do we do with the pain of the world? Where is our hope? Are we
ready to allow the Spirit to work through our brokenness? Dr. Daniel Vestal and
Rev. Bill Hoffman led participants through these issues in the three general sessions. Vestal
looked at the continuum of pain from the inconvenient, to the disorienting to
the catastrophic, noting pain is that thing which causes us to say, "oh,
no." Our willingness to embrace these questions in ourselves and others become
the "acid test" for Christian faith. Yet Hoffman lamented how often
the church and believers look away and ask instead "questions that reflect
our self-absorption, that reflect a pre-occupation with perpetuating a religious
institution or a religious life, spending a disproportionate amount of energy
and income in that matter, or questions that reflect a narrow mindedness, or questions
that are irrelevant, questions that even when we answer them satisfactorily or
effectively, no one cares, no one is listening, no one is tuned in." Vestal
cited Romans 8, where Paul tells us that "creation was subjected to frustration
…in hope" that it will one day be liberated. We participate with the
Spirit in groaning, waiting eagerly and patiently. As Vestal put it, "This
text…says there is a Spirit created groaning, the Spirit stirs in us in empathy
and sympathy for hurts that is holy and redemptive." Even when we don't know
how to pray this Spirit interprets our sighs and intercedes for us. As
our own pain is healed, we reach out for the healing of others. "God uses
this Spirit created pain to accomplish his purposes in the world." This "Spirit
inspired groaning" moves us to compassion for our neighbor, for the poor
in our Partners in Hope parishes and for the world beyond. Vestal directed us
to the needs. "There is suffering in this world that, literally, if you listen,
there is a groaning:"
" 1 billion people who live on less than $1
a day
" 2 billion people who live on less than $2 a day
" 8 million
who die each year from poverty (20,000 a day) too poor to eat and survive.
"
28 million people in sub-Sahara Africa infected with HIV Aids
" 25% of
the people in Zimbabwe infected with HIV, mainly women and children; 3800 funerals
a month there. One pastor told Vestal, he preached 8-10 funerals a week. Our
hope stated Vestal is that, "God is at work in our hurts and God is at work
even in the hurts of our world." Our personal pain may not be as catastrophic
as that of an Aids orphan, but our pain is important to God and is the starting
point for God to enter our brokenness and use us for His greater purposes. Vestal
stated this is also true for our fellowship. "God is at work in CBF. This
is a work of grace…We were born out of a bad situation, but God is a God
of grace…God takes bad and brings good out of it…We are a renewal movement,
I'm convinced …spiritual renewal, congregational renewal, mission renewal.
We are a renewal movement within the Baptist family." So we partner
with others: CBF now has over 160 partnerships with various Christian groups.
One of the most exciting is a new agreement with Buckner Benevolence of Dallas,
the largest benevolence organization in Baptist life in cooperation with the All
Aftica Baptist Fellowship to carry out a major initiative to at risk children-those
with HIV, malaria, the poor in Africa. It is a great privilege to partner with
others, but even greater to realize the amazing, divine call to partner with God
in the mission of Christ to "reconcile all things both in heaven and in earth."
It is God's mission, and God says I choose you, I want to include you in my mission.
"Partnering" said Vestal, is more than a word, "It is the
essence of the Gospel." God's work is much bigger than any of us, and "we
are more together than we are individually." Thus there is no place for competition
or feeling either superior or inferior to others in the Body of Christ. We should
celebrate diversity knowing that God uses diverse individuals and churches for
unique purposes. The issue then becomes: Are we going to be faithful and obedient?
Vestal concluded "Partners in Hope: What a blessed privilege, what a blessed
responsibility."
BREAKOUT SESSIONS New
Church Start Committee Members of the New Church Start Committee
shared with participants, highlights of their work to date, focusing in particular
on the need. In 2004, Lynn Hawkins enlisted the services of Phil Hester, CBF Associate
Coordinator Of Church Starts, to determine the best sites for a new CBF church
in Louisiana. St. Tammany Parish emerged as a site of strategic importance for
a number of reasons: Favorable Demographics:
" 5th Fastest Growing
Area in America
" Fastest Growing Parish in Louisiana
" 500 New
People Each Month
" Tripled Population In 30 Years
" Popular
Retirement Area
" Louisiana's Highest Per Capita Income
" Highest
per Capita College Graduates
" 40 Minutes From New Orleans
"
Premier Recreation - Tchefuncta River
" Superb Schools - "Top 100"
Nationally
" Excellent Medical Care
" Above National Testing
Norms
" Low Crime Rate The "Good Life"? Yet Many Are
The "Down and Up":
" Highest Number Of Suicides Of Any Parish
" High Divorce Rate
" Widespread Teen Drug Abuse
" High
Adult Alcohol Abuse
" Transiency And Mobility - Left Feeling Isolated
"I've
said 'Goodbye' so many times that now I don't even bother to say 'Hello.'"
"I go to that really big church because I can remain anonymous, just
slip in . and out and nobody notices."
"When people talk to me
about religion, I think of it as noise to be ignored."
"I do have
a vague desire for non-institutional spirituality, but how do I find . it?"
To Fill The Void: "Borrow. Spend. Buy. Waste. Want. More is better: To impress
neighbors you don't even like." You have made us for Yourself,
and our heart is restless until it rests in You. - Augustine Developing
a Marriage Ministry in Your Church In their breakout session,
Greg and Priscilla Hunt talked with participants about the basics of getting a
marriage ministry started in a church. They emphasized the importance of marriage
ministry because of the connection between healthy homes and healthy churches
and society. Counteracting the tendency to think that marriage ministry is for
troubled marriages only, they emphasized that marriage ministry is for all couples-those
married, engaged, new to marriage, experienced in marriage, those with special
relational needs, those with healthy marriages, church members, couples in the
community. The goal of all marriage ministries, whether elaborate or simple,
is balance. An effective marriage ministry will balance three components: relationship
education, peer support, and couple care. Rather than have only one marriage-related
event per year or one sermon series per year, the ministry should be continuous,
with one thing leading to another. To get started, first gain the full support
of pastor and other key leaders. Next, offer a kick-off event. Use the event to
attract marriage ministry leaders. Form a marriage ministry team and strategize
together. Keep recruiting and training leaders. Add marriage ministries as you
can. The Hunts provided a bibliography and other resource materials for all participants.
To get your own copy of these resources, contact the Hunts at priscillahunt@earthlink.net.
Grief:
Journeying Together
We are a community of wounded healers
stated Dr. Lee Weems in his break out session on ministry in times of grief. "Friends
walk with us in the dark." Each loss is different, but "every loss kicks
up old losses." Healers who know their wounds are most able to assist another.
"When one knows we accept their pain, sorrow, anger and hurt, then the sense
of abandonment and loneliness is lessened." Giving permission to have
confusing emotions, offering support, encouraging the telling of stories, not
running away or distancing ourselves--these are the tasks of the healer. As a
follower of the Man of Sorrows, we must gently reach out in practical ways, help
in the picking up of pieces and reintegrating into life and meaningful relationships.
Partners
in Hope - Rural Poverty Initiative
2004 Annual Report
*
530 volunteer units * 11 mission teams * 2,950 people served
* 150 professions
of faith * 110 baptisms 22 Partnering Churches:
Broadmoor, Baton Rouge
Bethel Baptist, Homer
Chinese Mission, FBC Shreveport Evergreen Baptist, Bernice
Ebeneezer
(Hispanic), Shreveport Emmanuel, Alexandria
FBC, Arcadia FBC, Bienville
FBC
Pineville FBC, Shreveport
FBC,Summerfield FBC, Winnsborro
Highland Outreach,
Shreveport Lakeview, New Orleans
Mt Lebanon, Gibsland Newellton Baptist, Newellton
Pineville
Park, Pineville Shreve City, Shreveport
Southern Hills, Shreveport St.Charles
Avenue, New Orleans
St. Joseph Baptist, St. Joseph University Baptist, Baton
Rouge
Rev. Steve Street, Coordinator for CBF Mississippi, facilitated
a break out session on Partners in Hope Rural Poverty Initiative, CBF's 20-year
commitment to the 20 poorest counties in the United States. He brought the perspective
of his work in Mississippi to the discussion of our efforts in Louisiana. Noting
the difficulty of the task he stated, "When we feel overwhelmed, we need
to revisit the why of our ministry--our motivation. Jesus taught us in Matthew
25 to love the neglected. 'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited
me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me' (Matthew 25:35-36). He continued,
"Why are we partnering with the people living in the 20 poorest
counties/parishes
in the United States? Because Jesus calls us there. How do we go about this ministry?
We love God and love people. As we love, the needs will become apparent. There
are organizations and individuals already doing a good work in these parishes
and counties. By establishing trusting relationships, partnerships can be forged
for ministry together. Many churches throughout the CBF movement are eager to
send mission teams but we need to provide them a framework of where to plug in."
The group affirmed again the importance of listening to those living in
the areas instead of rushing in with our perception of what they need. Make small
promises and keep them
Discipleship in Mark's Gospel
Clueless
in Galilee. "Don't you understand anything yet?" is a repeating theme
in Mark as the disciples routinely test Jesus' patience. Of all the gospel writers,
Mark is the harshest on the disciples. Dr.Winbery noted, "Mark uses the disciples
as foils over against what disciples should be." An early church father,
Papius in 135 AD, recorded that Mark wrote what Peter preached. Perhaps we see
reflected a humbled Peter who remembered Jesus calling them to a new and different
"way," and also remembered their slowness, blindness, fumbling and downright
pettiness. Accurate understandings of who Jesus is come not from the disciples,
but unexpected places: the Centerion (a foreigner), Mary as she anointed him with
perfume (a woman!), and even the demons as they are cast out. When Peter announces
Jesus is the Messiah, it is a clouded understanding, for only 3 verses later he
rebukes Jesus for saying he will suffer and die. What is most difficult
for the disciples (and often for us too) is the suffering. No one imagined a suffering
Messiah. Passages such as Isaiah 53 that described a suffering servant were viewed
as referring to the remnant of Israel. The Messiah would win, not lose. He would
be a glorious military victor casting out the Romans. The Good News for
us is that Jesus did not turn from his suffering and did not then (nor does he
now) give up on his disciples. Patiently, Jesus reminds us that to follow means
to continue to partake in his sufferings. Mark asks his readers through the centuries
and even today, "What kind of disciple are you going to be?"
GENESIS
1: SCIENCE OR FICTION? by Malcolm Tolbert
A significant question is raised in the title of this lecture. On the one hand,
an important issue is posed by the view about the inspiration of Scripture held
by many so-called fundamentalists. The ones to whom I am referring believe that
the Bible, all the Bible, including the first chapter of Genesis is literally
true. The Baptist Faith and Message declares, for example, that Scripture has
"truth without any mixture of error for its matter" and that "all
Scripture is true and trustworthy." [1]
On the other extreme, many people
believe that the book of Genesis is totally irrelevant to modern human existence,
that there is nothing in it that is pertinent to modern life, and that it was
written during a time of intellectual darkness by people who have nothing to say
to us moderns. This paper is an attempt to respond to those positions. Scientific
Advances In 1543 Copernicus on his death bed finished reading the
proofs of his masterpiece. [2] Published at about the time of his death, this
work initiated the scientific revolution that has been going on apace ever since.
His work sounded the death knell of Ptolemaic geocentric cosmology that had prevailed
for some 1400 years. Instead, as was argued by Copernicus, the cosmos was heliocentric.
According to an article in the Encyclopedia Britannica, the publication of Copernicus'
work "was the opening shot in a revolution whose consequences were greater
than those of any other intellectual event in the history of mankind." [3]
Copernicus' view of the cosmos was not accepted immediately. It encountered opposition
from two sources. First was the church that was inclined to reject anything that
did not agree with Scripture. The second was the scientific community that was
slow to give up the ideas that it had lived by.
A significant push
was given to Copernicus' ideas by the Italian mathematician, Galileo, (d. 1642
). One of his many claims to fame was that he was the first to study the planets
and stars through a telescope. He heard that such an instrument had been invented
and set about making one of his own. With the aid of the telescope he discovered
that there were many more stars in the skies than the naked eye could perceive.
Also, he was able to see planets that had hitherto been unknown. His main problem
with the ecclesiastical authorities, however, was his acceptance of Copernicus'
position about the heliocentric universe. He was instructed to teach that the
position was hypothetical. Does that sound familiar? When it was determined that
he failed to comply, he had to appear before the Inquisition that condemned him
as a heretic, and he was no longer allowed to teach. The Modern Situation
In recent years what Copernicus and Galileo set in motion has been proceeding
at a dizzying pace. Among other factors, the amazing reach of our modern telescopes
and the progress made in studying the DNA of humans and other organisms have brought
about an vastly expanded understanding of the cosmos and of the human occupants
of the planet earth.
Our scientific knowledge of the universe in which
we live has been literally exploding. For example, astronomers recently were able
to photograph what may be the most distant galaxy ever seen. [4] This galaxy is
estimated to have been 13 billion light years away! When you know that in one
solar year light travels approximately 5.88 trillion miles and you multiply that
number by 13 billion, you get an idea of the immense distance the light has traveled.
You also realize that the image photographed shows the galaxy not as it may be
today but as it was 13 billion years ago.
Astronomers believe that
this photograph has taken us back almost to the end of the age of darkness to
the moment of the hypothetical Big Bang that, according to the generally accepted
hypothesis, brought into being the well-lit universe with which we are acquainted.
According to their calculations the universe at the time represented by the photograph
was just 700 to 750 million years old. We now know that our galaxy is not alone
in the universe. There are billions of other galaxies out there about which scientists
are learning more about all the time.
The decoding of the human genome
has been another, very recent accomplishment of modern scientists. One of the
results is that, given broad enough samples, the history of the human race can
be traced. Just this year a geneticist, Spencer Wells, wrote a book entitled The
Journey of Man: a Genetic Odyssey. He traces the spread of the human race which
began somewhere in Africa to as it spread out to populate our planet. Based on
what is learned from the DNA, It is possible, also, to make a rough estimate of
the length of time humans have existed on this globe. People like us are estimated
to have been in existence between 100,000 and 200,000 years. In other words the
universe existed billions of years before the first humans became residents of
the earth. Is Genesis 1 Science? The examples given above
are only two of the many available to us. Those examples, however, give us all
the information we need to answer one of the questions I have raised. Is Genesis
1 science? The reply has to be an unqualified "No." The world was not
created around 6,000 years ago, as has been calculated from a literal interpretation
of the information given in Genesis. Also, according to scientific findings, our
Galaxy came into existence some 4 billion years ago, long after the story of the
universe had begun. Furthermore, human beings did not come into existence early
on in the creation story. Rather, we appeared very late in the history of this
universe of ours. The sun does not rise and set on us earthlings as was concluded
when humans based their judgment on what they saw with the unaided eye; rather,
the earth revolves around the sun. The earth is not flat with four corners with
the heavens above and the nether world beneath as is supposed throughout the books
of the Bible. [5]
We have to remember that all the people who wrote
the books of the
Bible lived in a pre-scientific age. In his comments on the
creation story of Genesis the Roman Catholic scholar, Cletus Wessels writes: "It
is not meant to tell us a scientific story, since the Hebrew people did not think
in modern scientific terms. The biblical story is not intended to give us a historically
accurate picture of the beginnings, since people in that era did not think in
terms of our sense of scientific history. Rather, they dealt with stories orally
passed on and reinterpreted in the light of the concerns of each generation and
the historical context of the people. The Jewish stories of creation were theological
poetry in the sense that they used theological language to teach each generation
the fundamental faith of the community and the relationship of God to the chosen
people." [6] All that, however true, still leaves unanswered the question:
Is Genesis relevant to our lives today? We now turn to deal with that issue. Viktor
Frankl
No doubt many of you here have heard of Viktor Frankl.
He became well known after he published his now famous volume, Man's Search for
Meaning. In this book he tells about his experiences while he, a Jew, was interned
in German concentration camps in which so many of Frankl's kinsmen and fellow
Jews lost their lives. His experience in the camps illuminated his understanding
of human existence and helped to inform his psychotherapeutic approach to human
problems called logotherapy.
While they were in the concentration
camps, the victims found themselves without any freedom whatsoever. Their guards
decided where they would sleep, what they would eat, what work they would do,
when they would go to bed at night, how much space they would have between their
cots, who would be selected for the gas chambers, and every other aspect of their
existence. In other words, their slavery was total.
Frankl noticed,
however, that there were differences among the people who were incarcerated with
him. The majority gave in to the apparent utter hopelessness of their situation.
They could see no light at all in their existence. Conversely, another group found
they had a very important freedom even in their slavery: they could choose how
they would react to their circumstances. Their spirits could not be enslaved.
They did not concentrate on their own misery as so many others did. Instead they
found meaning even in that remorselessly drab life, a meaning that transcended
their selfish concerns. They were the ones who comforted the despairing, who had
a smile for their comrades in slavery, who gave to the weakest among them the
last piece of bread they had. They were the ones who never sank into absolute
hopelessness. Frankl also observed that they were best equipped to survive the
horrors of the camps.
His conviction was that human beings are alike
in that they all have a basic need to find a meaning for their lives that transcends
themselves, something larger than they are. Often they, the victims of Lou Gehrig's
disease for example, cannot change the circumstances of their lives, but they
can have a much richer life if they can discern some meaning for themselves in
their situation. [7] Frankl contended that "man is not he who poses the question,
What is the meaning of life? But he who is asked this question, for it is life
itself that poses it to him. And man has to answer to life by answering for life;
he has to respond by being responsible; in other words, the response is necessarily
a response in action." [8] Logotherapy, the approach to psychotherapy developed
by Frankl, is directed toward helping people to decide what being responsible
means in their particular situation. In other words, he believed that human beings
possess an important freedom.
They may be helpless to change the immediate
circumstances of their lives, but they are free to choose the way they will respond
to them. Frankl said that it is this freedom to choose the option of being responsible
that distinguishes human beings from the rest of the animal world. Animals, with
whom we share so much, cannot reflect on the meaning of their lives, nor can they
make decisions about how they will respond to the various situations that they
face. They are programmed. Only humans can do that. Human beings are never so
enslaved physically that they are freed from the necessity of deciding what it
means to be responsible even in the worst of circumstances. It is this freedom
that one may refer to theologically as the image of God in humans. Frankl also
believed that many of the emotional disorders that afflict people, such as depression,
may be attributed to the lack of meaning in their lives.
More recently
Frankl, now deceased, wrote another volume called Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning.
As can be seen immediately, this title more clearly elevates the subject to a
religious level. One of the reasons that I was first attracted to Frankl's ideas
was that logotherapy makes room for religion. Frankl does teach that many people
find that their need to discover the ultimate meaning of their lives is satisfied
through their belief in God. He also believes that people can satisfy that need
in other values that transcend their personal, often selfish, concerns.
For
example some may discover that the meaning of life for them is found in love for
another person. Frankl talks about how he was helped in extremely difficult moments
by thinking about his wife, who, unknown to him, had lost her life in a concentration
camp. There are great humanitarians who have committed their lives to helping
unfortunate people and have found deep meaning for their lives in their service.
No matter what their background or the circumstances of their lives, Frankl believed
that human beings can rise above all the negative aspects of their existence.
They can discover meaning that makes life worthwhile even in the midst of suffering
like that inflicted in the Nazi concentration camps.
In this Frankl
stands worlds apart from Freud. In The Future of an Illusion Freud wrote that
"religion is the universal compulsive neurosis of mankind; like that of the
child it derives from the oedipal complex, from the relation to the father."
[9] To say, as Freud did, that religion is a compulsive neurosis puts him on the
opposite end of the spectrum from Frankl. In his view, the option of faith is
not one freely chosen by a person acting responsibly. We are the victims of our
past. As I understand it, Freudian psychotherapy is dedicated to unlocking those
closed doors of our past to enable us to come to grips with the influences of
the past that determine our existence in the present. The Failure of
Science I found the two examples of scientific advance that I presented
at the beginning of this paper to be very interesting and informative. They told
me more than I had known previously about our world and the people who live in
it. As is always the case, I was happy to learn more about this universe we inhabit.
The information, however, left unanswered questions that are more important to
me. It gives me nothing to live for. I know some more facts, important facts.
But there is nothing in those facts that will give me what I really need in order
to make my own life worth living.
I am willing to accept the big bang
hypothesis until a better one comes along. Nevertheless, once we reach the moment
of the Big Bang, which is as far as science can take us, as a human I have to
ask the question: "Is there anything that lies beyond that?" Am I to
conclude that the creation of the universe is simply the result of a chain of
fortuitous circumstances that functioned without any guidance at all? Has any
overarching purpose shaped its development through the millennia of its existence?
Am I, a human, no more important in the vast scheme of things than a rat or a
worm? Does this city in which I live have any more value than a hill of ants?
Does my life as an individual have any meaning at all? Or, to use a more modern
assessment, am I "nothing but a complex biochemical mechanism powered by
a combustion system which energizes computers with prodigious storage facilities
for retaining encoded information?" Am I to be plunged into despair because
I am confronted with a world in which there is so much evil, so much savagery
and so much chaos, and so little love and order because I find no meaning at all
in it?
It is when we come to deal with the ultimate meaning of life
that scientists, whether they accept this or not, have no advantage over the rest
of us. When it comes to ultimate meanings, all of us, geneticist and fisherman,
anthropologist and illiterate, are faced with the necessity of exercising an option.
No person can give the answer for another person. No one can prove that her/his
answer is the correct one. All have to make an intensely personal decision about
whether our lives have any meaning at all. If we conclude that they do, we have
to choose the meaning to which we commit ourselves. It is precisely here, in my
opinion, that Genesis and the other books of the Bible have something to say to
us. Two Important Considerations Before proceeding any further
I would like to make two points. The first is, I believe, of great importance.
Divine inspiration, whatever it may mean, does not enable the writers of scripture
to rise above what was generally known about their world and their place in it.
The writer of Genesis held the same cosmological, anthropological, and geological
views of the other people of his time. As was true of others of his [10] day,
he believed that the sun was moving across the sky and was totally ignorant of
the fact that the earth was rotating and that day and night were produced by this
rotation. He believed the earth was flat and the heavens were above that flat
earth. He knew nothing about the causes of diseases, nor did he know how to treat
them. His concept of the size of the universe was very narrow, and he was totally
ignorant of the people that inhabited lands around the globe. What he did know
was very limited, very provincial, and very unscientific. Although Paul's knowledge
of the world, informed as it was by the Roman Empire, was greater, the same may
also be said of him, the author of the first gospel, and all the others who produced
the books of the Bible.
The second point is also very important in
my opinion. The ability of people to find genuine meaning in their lives is not
limited by their lack of scientific knowledge. As Frankl has said, "People
are capable of finding meaning in their lives irrespective of gender, age, IQ,
educational background, character structure, environment, and most remarkably,
also irrespective of whether or not they are religious." [11] People who
have never attended school have as much capacity to discover meaning for their
own lives as do the best educated people in the world. I have discovered, as you
probably have, that the people who seem to know God best and are closest to God
are often people whose education has been very limited. Their names come to me
even as I write this-my grandmother; Mrs. Powers, a member of the first church
of which I was pastor; Mrs. Jones, a member of the second church I served. They
knew nothing beyond the King James Version of the Bible. They knew nothing of
the history of the Jews, nor could they answer the critical introductory questions
scholars raise about various books of the Bible. Their perspective was very similar
to that of the author of Genesis and the others who contributed writings to our
Bible. They were totally innocent of any scientific knowledge. Furthermore, they
were never troubled by the questions about the past raised by historical criticism.
Intellectually I knew a great deal more than they. They taught me so much, however,
about faith, love, and generosity.
There is no question but that the
author of Genesis had discovered an ultimate meaning for his life. That conviction
is expressed in the very first phrase of the book, "In the beginning God
. . . ." You will notice that, unlike the Greeks, he made no apparent attempt
to prove the existence of God. That was as it should be for all attempts to prove
that God exists, pace Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, are doomed to failure, as
are all attempts to prove that God does not exist. [12] When we talk about ultimate
meanings, we have moved into the realm of faith. The atheist and I can talk all
day long. She can give me her reasons for not being able to believe that God exists.
I can counter with my reasons for believing that God does exist. In the end, however,
if we are in touch with reality, we have to use verb "believe." She
can say that she does not believe because she cannot prove that her opinion is
right, and my only response is that I do believe. I also cannot prove that my
believe is correct. Ultimate meanings are always an expression of faith.
The
first person to declare that he/she believed God was there at the beginning of
this created universe had to take a leap of faith. To believe that the universe
has been shaped by God's involvement in it also requires a leap of faith. The
author of Genesis did not enjoy any advantage over me in that respect. If he did,
God has not played fair with me. The author of Hebrews said it right when he declared,
"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God."
No one has ever really uttered the phrase found at the beginning of Genesis on
the basis of irrefutable proof. That was true of the person who wrote Genesis,
and it is true of me. The Meaning of "God" The
author of Genesis went to the highest level to discover the ultimate meaning of
his life. He believed that there was meaning and purpose in his world, a belief
that was founded on his faith in the God who was there when it began. He also
believed that his own existence was a part of God's great design. In fact he believed
human life is the ultimate expression of God's creative work. People, he declared,
were created in the image of God.
In order to decide exactly how belief
in God affected his life, however, the author had to come to some conclusions
as to what he meant when he said, "God." What kind of God was he talking
about? The book of Genesis gives us some clues about the way the writer might
answer the question about the meaning of his life. First, and of great importance,
he believed that God had created human beings to be free. In giving humans this
freedom, God had taken an enormous risk. Human beings were forced to exercise
an option. One option could be to live their lives in relation to God. On the
other hand, they could choose to declare their independence from God, to push
out on their own and order their lives according to their own values, doing what
they chose to do. According to the story in Genesis three, humans chose the second
option. They declared themselves independent of God.
In the stories
about people who took the path of disobedience, Genesis illustrates vividly the
writer's belief that life apart from God was disastrous. He was also convinced,
however, that human sin had not driven God out of the created world. As seen in
the stories about Abraham, he understood that God was involved in dealing with
the alienation and hate that characterized the world that did not know God. It
was God's purpose to create a people who loved and served their Creator and were
committed to living in community, bound together by their relationship to God.
Conclusion The author of Genesis was neither a scientist
nor a historian. He was a person of faith who had had an experience of God and
wrote about his experience in ways that were available to him. Hearing him speak
through this book across thousands of years, I have the deep feeling that we are
brothers in the faith. I take my stand with the author of Genesis and share the
conviction that he expressed when he said, "In the beginning God." Give
me that, and I am happy to turn the investigation of this universe over to the
scientists. As they describe this emerging universe, however, I am convinced that
the shape it takes is the result of the presence of God who is intimately involved
in the process.
For some reason, I have always understood that faith
goes beyond facts and that facts cannot destroy faith. If what people call faith
can be destroyed by anything that science discovers, it is really an absurdity.
Faith is essential for us to find the ultimate meaning of our lives. This is because
ultimate meaning lies outside the realm of the provable.
I know that
there are many other honest, intelligent people, who simply cannot believe in
God. Sometimes this is because of their own personal experiences that have left
them with the conclusion that the evil with which they had been afflicted would
have been impossible if a good
God really existed. According to some studies,
one fourth of the people who had suffered through the holocaust could no longer
believe in God. I am aware that fundamentalist Christians would consign those
people to a future in hell because of their unbelief. I am convinced, however,
that the God I believe in understands the reason for their doubt and is more sympathetic
than many Christians.
Others cannot believe in God because of intellectual
difficulties. I have no doubt that Sartre is expressing what he understands to
be true when he takes the position that we are abandoned and strictly on our own
in this life. In this connection he wrote: "Man can will nothing unless he
has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone,
abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help,
with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the
one he forges for himself on this earth." [13] He believes that the only
option available to us is to face that realization with courage.
I
believe in God, knowing that I may be wrong. I don't think I am, but I cannot
prove that what I believe is true. That, however, simply means that my faith is
truly faith. Genuine faith can never rest on what can be proven. I know that two
plus two equal four. That has been proven. There can be no doubt about it. When
I accept that, I am not exercising faith. The same cannot be said about the conviction
that there is a good God whose eternal, overarching purpose has been at work in
the universe since its beginning. People can and do marshal evidence that leads
them to the opposite conclusion.
Furthermore, and this is very important,
I believe that the ultimate revelation of God to humankind is found in the person
of Jesus. My theology is based on the belief that God is Christlike. [14] This
means that I believe in a God of grace and love. Also, the only service that I
can render to God is to become an instrument of that love by serving my fellow
human beings in whatever way is open to me. That is where I find life's ultimate
meaning. Albert Schweitzer and I have different theological positions; nevertheless
I agree with him when he said, "The only ones among you who will really be
happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." [15] I do not agree
with the theology of Mother Theresa. In truth a discussion of our theological
differences would fill a book. [16] I could enumerate a host of issues where we
would disagree. She had the main thing right, however. She saw the face of Jesus
in the emaciated, hollow-eyed countenances of the multitude of abandoned, hopelessly
sick people to whom she ministered. She genuinely believed the statement of Jesus,
"As you did it to one of the least of these members of my family, you did
it to me." Many rational people in the world would have rejected the kind
of life she chose. They would argue that she wasted her time because the miserable
people to whom she gave herself faced a bleak, hopeless future. There is no question,
however, but that she found tremendous meaning in her life. People, like these,
who have found through their faith a purpose for their lives that transcends their
own selfish concerns discover that their lives are very much worth living. Their
lives have "ultimate meaning."
IS
GOD AN AMERICAN? by Dr. Gregory
L. Hunt In a message originally delivered July
4, Dr. Hunt speaks to our polarized "red state and blue state" nation.
He asks us to consider the meaning of our citizenship in two kingdoms.
The "Herod Party" and the "Pharisee Party"
had politics on their minds when they came to Jesus asking about that delicate
intersection between personal faith and public life. Phrasing their question with
a noose at either end, they waited for Jesus to hang himself with his response.
A straight answer of any kind was guaranteed to alienate half of his followers. "Tell
us what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" Twenty
centuries have elapsed since that day when Jesus matched wits with a strange coalition
of Roman loyalists and Rome's despisers. The question as put that day no longer
heats the blood but, rephrased for our day, it still flashes like a freshly-lit
match over gunpowder. Let's take a closer look at this encounter and Jesus words,
considering what applications we might discover for our lives as individuals,
as the people of God, and as citizens of the United States of America. First
let's do a little background work, so as to more fully appreciate the parallels
between the biblical context and our context today. For all the distance of time
and differences of culture, some common themes link then and now. For
one thing, a single unrivaled power dominated the political and military landscape
of the day,one "superpower," you might say. In the 1st Century, that
unrivaled power was the Roman Empire; today it's post-Cold-War U.S.A. Second,
a sense of manifest destiny prevailed. The people of the Roman Empire were saying,
"The gods are on our side." Today, in its singular form, the same claim
gets made frequently. Many insist that "God is on our side." You can
hear this claim with regularity in the locker rooms of America, where athletes
thank heaven for their latest victories. It's amazing how many teams God is rooting
for! A sense of manifest destiny prevails today, just as it did then. A
third parallel between then and now has to do with how "the powers that were"
counted on the endorsement of religious leadership. They knew that if they could
have the support of religious leaders, it would add to their base of power, their
strength, their influence. They spared no opportunity to connect with and use
religion for political gain. It's not an accident that in our day, in a parallel
universe, candidates for the presidency have themselves beamed in via satellite
to religious bodies gathered for their summer conventions. Politicians use such
occasions to signal their faith, thus strengthening their chances at the polls
in November. It is also true that as then, so now, they were
and are edgy times. Dangers lurked around every corner, just as they do today.
Consider, as we engage this text, that we live in the post-9/11 world. Terrorist
attacks on September 11, 2001 absolutely and forever altered the landscape of
civilization. In this world, where terrorism looms large, and in this world, where
those who thought they could deflate the spirit of American people have instead
propelled a new wave of patriotism, the conversation we're about to have with
Jesus is colored by both of those realities: the presence of terrorism and the
upsurge in patriotism. It is also true that in this edgy time we're in a war.
There are troops who are in harm's way. To add to the edgy
character of our time, we can acknowledge that religion is losing society's endorsement;
the latest sign being the debate over whether to remove the phrase "one nation
under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. Parenthetically, it was only introduced
in 1954, so it hasn't had an extremely long life. It is also
true in these edgy times, that we are going to have a presidential election this
fall. A lot is being said, and a lot is at stake for us all. Tally
up the parallels between then and now: one super power, the sense that God is
on our side, power plays between politics and religion, the edgy nature of the
time. All of these parallels heighten our interest in the question put to Jesus
and Jesus' reply. Now look at who put the question. Herod's
people and the Pharisee crowd came to ask this question. Consider who these two
parties were. Herod was the Jewish monarch in the region whose power depended
on Rome. To be Herod's person was to be a Roman Empire loyalist...a patriot, if
you will. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were purists who, in their desire
for purity, disliked all things gentile and were incensed that a gentile power
held sway in that holy land. They were anti-administration. They were opponents.
How odd that natural enemies would stand together on this occasion: Roman loyalists
and Rome's despisers. One thing and one thing alone bound them together in their
unholy compact: they shared an animosity toward Jesus. Together, they put the
question to him; and, as the writer of the story tells us, they put the question
to him to trip him up, to force him into an answer that would alienate at least
half the crowd. The question as they put it is this: "Should
we pay taxes to Caesar or not?" They were wondering: Will he jeopardize his
ministry through civil disobedience and end up in jail or will he wrap himself
in the flag - the flag of the Empire - and alienate opponents of the current administration?
Those were the alternatives they saw, and they waited eagerly for his response.
They thought they had him cornered. They thought they had come up with the perfect
question. "Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?" As
usual, they underestimated the man they had come to defeat. I
am absolutely persuaded that he wasn't just looking at the crowd in general, but
had his eyes on the Pharisees when he responded to their question with a question
of his own. He looked around and asked, "Any of your guys got spare change
in your pocket?" (That's not exactly how he put it, but that's the gist.)
One of the Pharisees reached into his pouch and pulled out a denarius, the coin
of the realm, and handed it to Jesus. Jesus held it up for a minute, and then
said, "Whose image do you see on this coin?" Of course, the answer to
Jesus' question was obvious. Dismissively, they responded, "The image on
the coin is Caesar's." Jesus now says, "Okay, you're
right. Then give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's! Give unto God the things
that are God's." That's his answer. In one sense, Jesus
is being ambiguous. In one sense he evades the question. They're amazed at his
answer and they quit asking questions. This is the last of the debates held in
the week in which Christ is ultimately crucified. But as he walks away scott free,
he doesn't really leave things completely ambiguous. Linger very long over Jesus'
answer, and you discover that by saying very little, he has said a lot. The
first thing he is saying is, "Don't be a hypocrite and condemn the very thing
on which your life depends. You count on the coin of the realm for your daily
life. How dare you pretend that you won't have anything to do with that realm!
You're already involved up to your eyebrows!" An application for our day
would be to say, "There is nothing sinful, there is nothing un-Christian,
about being a patriot." It is okay on this day to wear red, white and blue.
It is okay on this day to wave the flag. It is okay on this day to sing hymns
of joy to the freedom we enjoy because of our forbears and because of this experiment
in democracy that we are favored to enjoy. Not only is it okay--as citizens of
this realm we owe it to the realm to do our part in the equation. Stop
and consider all of the ways our daily lives depend on our civic, state, and federal
governments. The food you're going to eat today was inspected because of government
regulations and people who are paid by the government to see that it is good food
and not bad. If you were to get sick today, you would count on some of the support
that comes from this government to pay bills that would be astronomical and beyond
your reach otherwise. It doesn't matter where you turn or what you do, you cannot
move one square inch without feeling the impact of this culture and this government.
Do you want to drive from point A to point B? The roads that will take you there
exist because the government, through our taxes, underwrites the cost of them.
We could go on and on. We owe an allegiance to the realms of this world. "Give
unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's," Jesus says. Jesus
doesn't stop there. He goes on to say, "Give unto God the things that are
God's." We owe certain things to this realm, but we also owe certain things
to God. How about that for understatement? Not only do we
owe some allegiance to God; we owe first allegiance to God. God is Lord. God has
a kingdom claim. God has a prior claim. How does Jesus put it? "Seek first
the kingdom of God and all of these things shall be added to you." It is
not a matter of passing historical interest that our faith forebears were willing
to put their lives on the line to say that God was first. The original confession
of the Christian community was stated in a context where to make that confession
was to put one's job, one's family, and even one's life on the line. In a world
where Caesar demanded that it be said, "Caesar is Lord," the early followers
of Jesus Christ declared that "Jesus is Lord." Our primary allegiance
is to God. Consider this, as well. When Jesus says, "Give
unto God the things that are God's," he is affirming that God is Lord not
only of our nation, but of all nations. On this day when we raise the flag and
send up fireworks, we do so recognizing that God is for all of humanity, not just
for us. We resist the temptation to suggest that we have exclusive national rights
to God's favor. We acknowledge that he's not just on our side; he's for every
human being on the face of the earth. He loves us with an undying love. He loves
us whether we are American or European or African or Semitic. He loves us whether
we are black or white or pink or orange or purple. He loves us whatever language
we speak. He loves us in every culture in which we find ourselves. He seeks us
and He loves us. He is for us all. From the calling of Abraham
to the Great Commission, ours has been an international--a global--mission. Abraham
heard God say, "Through you shall all peoples across the face of the earth
be blessed." The followers of Jesus who met him on the mountaintop before
his ascension heard him say, "Go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing,
teaching, knowing that I am with you all the way." In Acts we have a version
that says, "You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria,
and to the uttermost parts of the earth." When Jesus says, "Give unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar's; give unto God the things that are God's,"
he is inviting us to declare that our first loyalty presses beyond all boundaries
to make its global appeal. We must forever fight the Christian
American temptation to slip across the pale from healthy patriotism to dangerous,
civil religion. What is civil religion? Civil religion is
what happens when religion and society,or to put it very specifically in our time,
when church and state,use each other to gain an unholy edge. It happens in all
kinds of ways, and it happens all the time. Civil religion is what you get when
the secular world wraps itself up in the symbols and rituals of faith to reinforce
its position, its popularity, and its power. Elected officials constantly seek
to do that. They love to show up in sanctuaries on Sunday mornings and parade
their faith. They love to get the endorsements of religious bodies.
Just this last week we got a phone call from somebody who asked us to do voter
registration during a special event, and they finally confessed that they were
Republicans, looking to do church voter registration where they would more likely
get Republicans registered to vote. I don't know about you, but I don't think
it's our business to advantage one political party over another. I don't know
about you, but I don't think you have to be a Republican to be a Christian. I
don't think you have to like George Bush to be a Christian. I don't think you
have to be a Democrat to believe in social justice. The fact of the matter is,
not only is God not American, but he's neither Republican nor Democrat. Nor is
he a Green Party partisan. When public officials use religious bodies to gain
a political edge, they step across the line into dangerous civil religion. Civil
religion also occurs when religion uses the power and authority of the state to
get its way. Consider, for instance, the current debate over the Pledge of Allegiance.
I gladly affirm that we are one nation under God. That's the truth, whether everyone
in our nation is willing to admit it or not. But what do we gain by fighting to
preserve that language? It comes across as little more than a desperate effort
to cling to the vestiges of power in an increasingly pluralistic society. When
civil religion absorbs and takes for its own use our genuine, authentic confessions
of faith, it steals the life out of them, it steals the vitality out of true confession.
It removes faith's bite. It becomes a kind of soft generic substitute for the
sharp witness of Jesus, who stood toe to toe with the powers that be and spoke
of a higher power still. We must resist the temptation, as people of faith, to
ask the government to advantage us in any way. This applies to prayer in public
schools, the posting of the Ten Commandments, the use of private school vouchers,
and others. All of those are simply little side issues against the central backdrop
of the Great Commission of Christ to bring transformation into people's lives.
The honest truth is, free societies have always been the most
effective context for the Gospel. We don't need assistance from the government
to carry the day when it comes to the Gospel of Christ. We don't have to use coercion.
We cannot coerce faith. We cannot coerce conscience. We need
to be careful about how we use the power of the state even to coerce behavior.
Some things are immoral according to Biblical faith that aren't illegal, and to
attempt to make them illegal will not change anything meaningfully. Joy Davidson,
C.S. Lewis' wife and a fine writer and thinker in her own right, once wrote, "Two
thousand years of failure haven't taught some reformers that you can't stop sin
by declaring it illegal. Two thousand years have not taught them that you can't
save a man's soul by force. You can only lose your own in the attempt." Here's
a great paradox to understand: When religion uses the power and authority of the
state to get its own way, it weakens rather than strengthens its position. The
failure to understand this paradox is one of the reasons the old world is indeed
a post-Christian world. The state church ends up in the pocket of the state and
loses its moral authority. It becomes toothless. As maddening as it may feel sometimes
to live in our pluralistic culture today, we're in a good environment, in an atmosphere
of freedom, to make our case. It's a case that, given the opportunity, still proves
powerfully compelling. Christ's gospel doesn't rest comfortably
in anybody's pocket: not in civil authority's pocket; not in any one nation's
pocket; not in any one political party's pocket; not in any one advocacy group's
pocket. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. None of these other authorities are lords
of the Gospel. Jesus is. Well, Jesus poses the question, "Whose
coin is this?" and in response to their question ("Taxes to Caesar or
not?") he gives us plenty to think about. Folks, let's be discriminating
citizens because, you see, we are citizens of two kingdoms: a kingdom of this
world, and,first and foremost,the kingdom of God. May He know our loyalty first
and best. And may we with that loyalty, have minds and hearts as big as the globe. LOUISIANA
COLLEGE: ARE THE PINE TREES DROOPING? -- by
Kyle Kelley Facing its worst crisis since the Great
Depression, the Baptist College in Pineville recently experienced the most contentious
selection of a new president in its history. SACS, its accrediting body, has placed
the school on probation due to"matters of governance and academic freedom."
Understandably, these events leave students troubled, alumni unhappy and donors
wary. Will L.C. find its way? I. Drinking the Milk of
a Nurturing Community I am a Louisiana College graduate
as were my sisters and father before me. Every little Kelley knew almost from
birth that LC was the next destination following high school. My father was one
of many "country preacher boys" who arrived on campus before the war,
in his words, "still wet behind the ears." He would tell you he could
not have conjugated a verb even if he knew what that word meant. Like most of
that era, he was the first in his family to attend college. The little Baptist
school set among those pine trees was a gentle introduction to higher learning,
and the nurturing of faith for the great world beyond his rural hometown of Saline.
As Louisiana College approaches it's Centennial, much as happened since 1906 when
the first student enrollment topped out at 19. Heroic struggles in the early years
kept the doors open, and only by great sacrifices on the part of many, did the
college survive the Depression. By 1940 the student body had grown into the 300's
or so. Old-timers say it was a small lively community where learning sometimes
happened, though perhaps not as frequently as the practical jokes. After hearing
these stories growing up, one alumni's child was sorely disappointed when he attended
LSU and found the Baton Rouge campus "boring" compared to the legendary
shenanigans at LC. The primary strength of Louisiana College
has always been the same. It is a caring family environment, informed by Christian
faith, that diligently nudges frequently reluctant learners to open themselves
to God's fascinating, complex and often bewildering world. Dr. Robert Lynn, president
during most of my years, knew every student by name and knew something of his
or her interests. Faculty members were generally well-prepared, involved with
students and pushed us to look beyond our limited horizons. Many students groaned
at mandatory chapel and the occasional bent towards legalism. Each generation
of LC students has its own example. In the 1930's, dating couples were sometimes
"busted" for illegally holding hands. Each era also had its few infected
with "anti-intellectualism" (as some Baptists can be prone) as if there
is a kind of glory in being ignorant. A healthy tension inevitably develops between
the goals of providing the highest quality education and its delivery in an authentic
Christian context. Not an environment for everyone--but for a sheltered, shy,
half-way bright, but undisciplined 17 year old who arrived in 1975, it was a good
fit. I was tuned in one day when Dr. Lynn led chapel using
the text of the greatest commandment, "You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, soul, mind ...".
After pausing on that third way, he took the entire time to explain what it meant
to love God with your mind. As he described it, learning is a great joy, but more
importantly it is a stewardship issue. We are to use well what God had given us.
He said God was the author of all truth and we should neither fear the truth nor
settle for second hand easy answers masquerading as the truth. Further, scientific
truth and theological truth come from the same Source. Dr. Cavanaugh so ably illustrated
this point in intro Biology class. He never referred to a note, yet his presentation
was seamless and filled with awe at the intricacies and mystery of creation. In
time it began to dawn on me that in human hands, truth can sometimes be slippery.
Yet it is the truth that sets us free. Loving God with our mind means making the
search for truth a life long pursuit and doing it with a heavy dose of humility.
The journey begins with asking the right questions. II.
Pearls Before Swine: Of Flatulence and Philosophizing
"Do you think Jesus would laugh at that story?" was the query raised
in British Literature. After a pregnant pause, students began to react in varied
ways. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a classic from the 14th century
that tells of varied pilgrims on the way to a holy site. Each story reflects the
views and life experiences of diverse travelers. Some are moral in tone. The Miller's
Tale is not. Its climatic scene is farcical, earthy, rollicking, impious and to
this then-18-year old, quite funny. The fact that "natural gas" is featured
was clearly an attraction. Perhaps college freshmen today are not so enamored
with bodily functions, but a number were on my freshmen wing. A few even performed
this trick with a lighter and ... uh... never mind. As a rule
my teachers were incredibly patient. They were dealt students with varying gifts,
liabilities, and motivations. There were the curious learners, as well as the
lazily dazed, for which learning was a near bottom priority. Not all the students
were religious and some were religious in the worst way. My dorm mother, whose
door was always open and whose heart showed a tender spot for homesick freshmen,
was astute in her observations. In a near whisper she spoke of one of her "preacher
boys" whom she loved nonetheless, "He's so heavenly minded, he's no
earthly good." At our best, this family of students and teachers each on
different paths, tolerated, listened to, learned from and challenged each other.
But what do you do with that question? Would Jesus frown or chuckle, fume or twinkle
in the eye at this "off color" story? Of course our response to such
a question reveals more about us than it does Jesus. Some students were offended,
others annoyed, a few intrigued, and others dozed on. It is not clear whether
this question from the prof was an act of courage (to risk getting us to think)
or an act of desperation (to stir us from our slumber.) As I recall, the question
made it back to the dorm for the late night bull session. Such sessions are among
my most exquisite memories. Among that little group of students no topic was off
limits, and as often as not, the discussion came through the prism of what does
this mean if I take Jesus seriously. Like any good teacher,
this English professor (long since departed from LC), resisted giving us the "answer."
He understood his role to be that of guide and facilitator, and that as young
adults, ultimately we were responsible for our own learning - responsible to ourselves
and, for those of us who were followers of The Way, responsible to God for how
we used our gifts. Once, there was a little boy who found
an emerging butterfly struggling mightily to escape from its cocoon. The child
took pity, reached down, and cut free the poor insect only to find a wobbly, anemic
creature too weak to ever fly. "Saving" the butterfly from its struggles
prevented it from gaining the strength it would have developed through the process
in order to fly and survive in the world. No metaphor could more clearly illustrate
the issue before Louisiana College today. Do we want a school that respects the
students in their unique curiosity and that expects maturity from them to address
adult issues (since it is the adult world that they now enter)? Or, do
we want to help them hide and withdraw into a false spiritual enclave where they
are too weak to enter the marketplace of ideas and the world's pain with an articulate
gospel word? Do we want professors to use their God given minds to soar freely
under the Lordship of Jesus to think in new ways and engage the world creatively?
Or, do we want their wings clipped, their provocative questions silenced, and
for them to be granted permission only to offer "second hand easy answers
masquerading as the truth?" III. Casting Out Fear ...And a Child Shall
Lead Louisiana
College has never been a large school and today even after a nearly 100 year history,
its total number of graduates is not much over 10,000. Are these numbers large
enough to make a difference? In the grand scheme of things does seeking to conserve
this tradition of open inquiry in Christian community matter that much? The largest
crowd (any of us could recall) assembled at a recent regional alumni meeting to
speak in the affirmative. It seems a crisis served to bring out the faithful.
Stories circulated among the group not only of what the school has meant to us,
but the difference its graduates have made. A contribution well out of proportion
to its size, LC has sent out a bevy of professionals to be salt and light in virtually
every field of endeavor. One alumnus noted that at one point, there were seven
School Superintendents who were LC graduates. So what
has gone wrong? At this alumni gathering, consensus emerged about trustees out
of control -- not all of them apparently, but a significant group that never sleeps
in its misguided zeal. Their self-appointed task is to narrowly re-shape the vision
of a Christian liberal arts college into an intolerant, "dumbed-down"
religion school. It is a by-product of a larger conflict of which we are all too
familiar and have long been weary. The cry of "I am more conservative than
you, more fundamental in my beliefs than you" has sent Baptists on a religious
arms race to the wacky. Pushed to its extreme, the result is trustees wanting
to ban books that have become modern classics and requirements that Christian
scholars submit their curriculum to censors. It is a lurch towards an academically
sterile and chilling environment where open discussion is suspect.
Just as disturbing is the "end justifies the means" mentality, in which
off campus power plays, rump sessions, and moving around established procedures
become the mode of operation that is just like ... well, the world. Yes, the same
world Jesus has called us to transform. What irony, we Baptists must rely again
on the "secular world" to get us in line and warn us to behave like
Christians or else. Only a few years ago one of our current trustees was found
guilty of libel against LC professors and settled out of court. That trustee continues
to lead the charge to disaster. Now we look to a "secular" accrediting
body to slap our trustees' hands for stifling academic freedom, and running roughshod
on established and orderly governance procedures (like a jerry rigged and ultimately
successful effort to install a woefully unqualified but well connected teacher
as the new president). The deeper issues however, point to
our fractured Christian community and our failure of faith, love and imagination.
Fear, not doubt is opposite of faith. We fear trusting one another and God with
our differences. We are called to unite under the banner of "Jesus is Lord,"
recognizing that God transcends our categories. St. Paul tells us perfect love
casts out fear. Our sad history as Baptists is that we love our dogmas much more
than we love Jesus, and certainly more than we love each other. We are much quicker
to err in love than in doctrine. Jesus' last recorded prayer near the end of the
Gospel of John is a tender plea that we, his followers would have (not perfect
doctrine but) a love for each other so compelling that the world will take notice.
In my years at LC, there were non-Christian students who came because of the school's
academic excellence and individualized attention. Some of these were changed forever
not because of our religious purity, clever arguments or ability to "shout
them down." It seems yielded, humble vessels willing to be real, honest,
and loving with fellow students became the instrument of choice the Potter used
to find those hearts in need. In the New Testament we see
a Jesus ready to laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep. We have
it on record of his great mercy to one caught in the most embarrassing of circumstances
with his gentle word, "Go and sin no more." His strongest words were
against the religiously self-assured, who had no need of a physician. It was always
people before agendas. Jesus has a way of surprising us and turning our world
upside down. Jesus will be faithful to call out the next generation, from those
"grown up children" who now attend LC. Will Louisiana Baptists be open
to that leading, to trust each other and give these students the best in mature,
authentic, Christian liberal arts education? Not by fear, not by overprotection,
not by clipping wings or snipping cocoons, but by faith and love would butterflies
soar. by
Kyle Kelley For Louisiana native Keith Holmes and his
wife Mary, ministry in a "world without borders" is literally true.
For eight years now, they have served as CBF missionaries to a people known for
nomadic movements that ignore national boundaries. The term "Gypsy,"
which came from the mistaken idea that this people group originated from "Egypt,"
is often now viewed as a derogatory name. "Romany" is preferred.
Their language, "Romani," does not refer to Rome or Romania but is based
on ancient Sanskrit which has allowed scholars to trace linguistic clues pointing
to Romany people and culture originating in Northwest India and Pakistan in the
10th century. Later migration took them to Persia, Turkey, then Europe
(getting as far as Paris by the 1400's) and finally to Australia and the Americas
in the 20th century. Along the way culture and language has sometimes
been lost. In spite of incredible hardships and persecution (see box) Romany stedfastly
cling to their language and ways. Language, in fact, is a
primary focus of the Holmes' ministry. It is a special challenge as centuries
of migration have created much diversity. Mary explains, "Romany people in
Europe speak over 20 different dialects and languages. Not one of these has an
authorized version of the entire Bible! Since many Romany cannot read or are more
moved by things that are spoken rather than written, we also work to develop other
media. We have found Scripture and Christian cassette tapes in several Romany
dialects and made these available to people working directly with those languages.
We record more tapes. We put Scripture videos (like the Jesus video based on Luke)
in Romany languages." The mission statement for CBF Global
Missions is "...to collaborate with churches and other groups to engage in
holistic missions and ministries with the most neglected people in a world without
borders." The Holmes' work perfectly mirrors that statement. They collaborate
with various groups committed to the Gospel. They share the love of Christ by
print and recording, preaching and VBS, and supporting special projects that focus
on physical, spiritual and emotional needs--that empower the Romany people and
transform families and communities. Given centuries of persecution, many Romany
are the "poorest of the poor." They have undergone serious deprivation
and some of the social problems that can accompany such conditions.
A special program that addresses such needs is Project Ruth of Providence Baptist
Church in Bucharest. What began in 1992 as a two afternoon a week tutoring and
day care outreach to poor families in the Gypsy community blossomed into something
much more. The church discovered many older children were illiterate and due to
nomadic lifestyle, prejudice or other barriers "were 3 or 4 years past the
age at which they should have started school and effectively already excluded
from the education system." When the church approached the authorities regarding
this need, the government was skeptical "since primary education is compulsory
in Romania and it was therefore believed that illiteracy did not exist."
With persistence, permission was finally granted to begin the school in 1994.
Project Ruth now reaches over 300 children and their families through the school
and satellite programs in other parts of Romania and Moldova. Additional services
now include meals, day center activities, medical help, hygiene support, laundry
facilities, and humanitarian aid. Its directors note, "Our services ensure
a primary education for poor children and help to keep them where they belong,in
the family." Development is a key concept of the Romany
ministry. This ranges from the Gypsy Smith School of Evangelism (an off-shoot
of Project Ruth) that trains and develops Romany pastors and church leaders--
to a new partnership with a Christian micro-economic development agency that will
help Romany families improve their lot. This agency offers training for farmers
and small entrepreneurs, provides loans, technical assistance and teaches business
ethics. All of these activities suggest working for the Kingdom, mimicking Jesus'
concern for the whole person. Missionaries report an openness
of the Romany to the Kingdom, this gospel, when it is communicated in their own
language and culture. As this group that has been adaptable for a millennia has
entered the modern age, their nomadic culture is slowly giving way to more permanent
residences. Even as they settle though, they continue to find themselves on the
fringes of society, still considered outcasts. You have the opportunity to be
a part of bringing Good News, to announce to Romany there is room at God's table
for them. Support this work with your prayers, go as a volunteer, or give to the
CBF Global Mission offering that others may serve.
|
ROMANY AT A GLANCE Population: 30 to
40 million (estimates vary a great deal because many Romany are not counted in
any census.) Religion: Tend to adopt predominant religion
where they live Language: Romani and/or languages of
countries where they live Locations: India (23.5 million);
large concentrations in the Balkans, central Europe, Russian and other former
republics of the USSR; smaller numbers in Western Europe, the Middle East, North
Africa and the Americas Persecution History: -
Ottoman Empire used them as slaves -
Enslaved in Europe, in parts of Romania as late as 1865 -
Frequently imported, nomadic pattern likely result of not being allowed
to settle -
Christian church hostile because they "practiced magic" -
Nazis exterminated a half million Romany, 80% of some tribes -
Today: Alarming trend of violence and discrimination noted in central and
eastern Europe; from citizenship restriction to mob violence, still a scapegoat
minority Cultural Characteristics: Steadfastness, creativity,
self-consciousness, love for freedom, . strong sense of group solidarity, exclusiveness,
holding of traditions as sacred Traditional Occupations:
Musicians, acrobats, fair and circus artists horse riders and . . . traders, fortune
tellers, peddlers and craftsmen Common Social Indicators:
High unemployment, illiteracy and death rates, frequently . . . among the poorest
of the poor | LYNN
HAWKINS ON CHURCH PLANTING Have
you ever been a charter member of a new church? They tell me that it's a feeling
like no other. You can have this kind of joy by helping CBF Louisiana start a
new church in our state. At the Louisiana CBF Spring
Assembly, March 11-12, the New Church
Start Committee of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana discussed the
opportunity to start a new church in the Madisonville, Mandeville, and Covington
area. There is a great need to proclaim Christ in that area because it is the
fastest growing area of our state. As the State CBF
Coordinator of Louisiana, I began talking with Phil Hester, the National CBF New
Church Start Coordinator, over three years ago. After discussions about a new
church start we met and looked at the Slidell area. That area looked promising,
but CBF Louisiana was not ready at that time to start a new church. About a year
ago Phil and I discussed the opportunity again and this time Phil promised to
do a marketing analysis of the Madisonville area. That major study was done last
summer and the New Church Start Committee had a meeting to study the results.
There have been follow-up meetings that have led to the committee's recommendation.
The committee is talking with a skilled minister about leading
this new church start. This would be our second major mission project and will
give us a missional flavor. Our participation in Partners in Hope has encouraged
and energized our Fellowship in Louisiana. Both of these
ministries deserve our finest commitment. Our giving to Partners in Hope has been
tremendous. Bill Hoffman has led this ministry for the last year and a half and
he challenged us to give to meet the needs of these people. Recently, Bill has
decided to follow his dream of working on his doctorate. We wish the best for
him and his ministry. Our Search Committee is looking into the possibility of
making that position a full time one. What can you do to
see that these two ministries continue to grow? First, every church that has given
this past year to CBF of Louisiana can look to see if it can increase its mission
giving this year to these causes. Your church might make this a major mission
commitment in Louisiana. This is missions at our back door. Second, individuals
can look to see if they can increase their giving. Perhaps you are looking for
a place to give your funds to a Christian cause. This new church start and Partners
in Hope deserve a serious look. Would you like to commit $100, $150, $200 a month
for three years to see this new church become a reality or to see us expand Partners
in Hope to a full-time position in Tensas and East Carroll? Send your gift or
a pledge to CBF of Louisiana, PO Box 607, Ruston, LA 71273. May God bless you
for helping us spread the Gospel. Your commitment will give our committees direction
for our budget. How do you
deal with overwhelming need? How do you discern the best use of limited resources
and yield to the Spirit's moving in being a redemptive presence? How do you explain
it to your children? Keith shares his struggle, passion, and hope in describing
an encounter with a Romany woman in Italy. We
saw her sitting outside the door to a church in Assisi. The thin woman in mismatched
clothes sat up a bit as we approached, waved a Polaroid of two toddlers at us,
and clearly asked, in Italian, for money for food. I shook my head and stepped
inside. The entire interior of the church was frescoed, each wall and the ceiling.
The floor was covered with an impressive mosaic. But during as we walked through
it, my daughters did not ask about the artwork. They wanted to know about the
woman begging on the steps. What was she doing? Why was she doing it? Why didn't
I give her any money?
The woman was the first Romany person I'd seen in Italy.
I knew, from experience elsewhere, that Romany consider Catholic holy places and
holy days as prime opportunities to beg. Christian Romany had advised against
giving to apparent beggars. There is no way to separate out the people in genuine
need from the ones who see this as one of several survival options. I did not
drop any coins in the woman's outstretched hands. I will devote all the necessary
time, energy, talent, and funds make her begging
unnecessary. Will you join
me? CBF-LA: The
Little Engine That Could by
Kyle Kelley "Now faith is the turning
of dreams into deeds; it is betting your life on the unseen realities." Thus
goes Clarence Jordan's rendering of Hebrews 11:1. What comes next in that chapter
is the roll call of saints. Now if there are any saints in CBF that God is using
to turn "dreams into deeds," I would submit they are only your ordinary
garden variety saint. We can be as muddleheaded as the next Baptist, yet God chooses
to use us. We have doubled our budget, excitement is building
over our new church start, Partners in Hope, and our growing mission focus. Perhaps
we're getting our sea legs. We are growing nationally and as a state fellowship.
But even with a twofold increase, yearly revenue falls under $100,000. Small potatoes?
And nationally, with a 16 million dollar budget and approximately 150 missionaries,
that remains only modest by Baptist standards. Yet "Baptist
standards" is not the yardstick that should concern us. What is our calling
from God? Dr. Vestal is convinced it is to be a minority movement of renewal within
the Baptist family. Still, the Kingdom is much bigger than our part in it. We
are to pray for God's kingdom to come on this earth as it is in heaven and speak
kindly of all members inside and out of the Baptist family, even the "strange
uncles" who may think we're a little weird as well. Vestal reminds us that
with our identity in Christ, there is no room for competition in this enterprise
and no room for feeling superior or inferior. God can use "little engines"
that seek to be faithful to "unseen realities" just fine. PARTNERS
IN HOPE -- ADVOCACY Beware
the Prophet's Fury: The Isaiah Platform by
Kyle Kelley Luke tells us when Jesus began his ministry
in Nazareth, he started by quoting Isaiah to show the kind of Messiah he was to
be. Jesus declared that the Spirit had anointed him to "preach good news
to the poor...proclaim freedom for the prisoners...sight for the blind, to release
the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (4:18-19 NIV). Jesus
purposefully aligned himself with the prophetic tradition and its legacy of stinging
indictments of both idolatry and neglect or misuse of the poor.
As a natural outgrowth of its work like the Tensas and East Carroll Partners
in Hope initiative, CBF is partnering with
a modern prophetic voice. Call to Renewal is the only national faith-based organization
addressing poverty-related public policy whose coalition includes Evangelicals,
Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Historic Black Churches, Peace Churches, and
Asian and Hispanic Churches. These co-laborers come from both sides of the political
and theological spectrum and from established as well as emergent churches.
"The Isaiah Platform" is their statement and covenant of unity to work
together to "ensure that overcoming poverty becomes a bi-partisan commitment
and a non-partisan cause, one that links religious values with economic justice,
moral behavior with political commitment." Recognizing that in a polarized
society, when political and social issues threaten to divide the church, these
leaders nevertheless cooperate around a central biblical imperative to uplift
those in poverty as a commitment that unites across theological and political
differences. They state, "Persistent and widespread poverty is for us a primary
religious and political issue. Thirty-five million people [in the US], including
twelve million children, living in poverty is morally unacceptable." Let
all Christians join the tradition of Isaiah in raising the public debate with
political leaders and hold them accountable to address three points:
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THREE POINTS OF ISAIAH PLATFORM | |
1. We recognize that budgets are moral documents that reflect
our values and priorities. All tax policies and spending proposals should be evaluated
with a publicly available analysis of how they assist people in overcoming poverty
and strengthening families and communities. | |
2. As a society we must commit to supporting all who work and
those unable to work by providing: a living family income, quality health care,
affordable housing, adequate nutrition, educational opportunities for their children,with
the goal of reducing the number of children in poverty by half in ten years. |
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3. We must commit to significantly reducing the number of people
worldwide who experience extreme poverty, in cooperation with other nations, through
a foreign policy that sees just trade, effective international aid, and reducing
the debt of impoverished nations as central to our national and global security. |
Additional information can be found at calltorenewal.com.
PARTNERS IN HOPE: COMING FULL CIRCLE,
A WALKING MIRACLE by
Ronney Joe Webb Meet James Bledsoe, former Shreveport
gang member, drug dealer and all around bad dude. In the mid 80's James was a
member of the notorious Bottom Boys. While selling drugs one night, he was involved
in a deal gone bad. An altercation erupted and shots rang out leaving James paralyzed
from the neck down and his assailant dead on the ground. After months in the hospital
and time in jail, James was left without hope, hanging out on his front porch
in a wheelchair. Enter Pastor Mel Brown of the Highland Center
Mission Church in Shreveport. "The pastor would come by all the time inviting
me to come with him to church." For a while James turned him down, but one
day said yes, and his life changed forever. James turned from a life of crime
and drugs to a life with Jesus Christ. He is even walking now, which he attributes
to God saving him. According to doctors, James should not be walking, but only
through the grace of God he can, and he lets everyone know why too.
James is now 39 years old with 5 kids. "I really love church and so does
my baby daughter...Church is not boring, it's fun. If the people would just come
they would see." James is active in the weekly brotherhood group that meets
at the mission. This group was formed to encourage the men of the community, and
help keep them committed to Christ. Joining other men from
the mission and Pastor Brown, James went this past summer to help with the Partners
in Hope basketball bash in Waterproof, the very place he had served time. Sadly
he noted, at the detention center there are still three of his "brothers." "You
have to want to change to change...God can change a person that wants to change,"
he explained. "You can't serve drugs and money, it will let you down, but
God won't let you down." James feels he is at the best
part of his life. Many thought he would be back in prison by now, but he states
God changed him and he can change others too. He notes, "Many folks call
Christians crazy--so be it. God has a purpose for us, everyone of us. He puts
people in our lives like Pastor Brown, you just have to listen to them."
God has blessed James and he wants to share that with others in his community.
Looking forward to a productive life, he wants to influence others for Christ.
His advice to others, "Stay praying and reading your Bible, that keeps you
faithful." When people ask James Bledsoe "what's up?" he responds:
"What's up, Jesus is what's up." Now that gets peoples' attention! : "In Prison and You Visited Me"
The Gospel in Restorative Justice
by Kyle Kelley
Louisiana Partner's In Hope Coordinator Bill Hoffman speaks
in amazed tones at the openness to the Gospel he has experienced in prison ministry
in Tensas and East Carroll. Not sure what to expect, he entered this work in hopefulness,
but with modest, if not cautious expectations. Though not an easy work, neither
is it a work he has tackled alone. He points to ministry efforts already in place
before Partners in Hope arrived. True to the Partners model, his efforts have
been to work along side, enhance and build on existing ministry activities. Further,
he has worked to do so with sensitivity to needs of inmates, building relationships
also with staff, and has been purposely low key in evangelistic efforts. This
"soft sell" approach, he reports, has been blessed with 110 baptisms
in 2004! . Though any minister would be thrilled with such numbers, he is quick
to add it is only part of the story. The larger picture comes with understanding
the foundations of the work. Hoffman consistently refers to this aspect of Partners
in Hope as a "Restorative Justice" ministry. So what is "Restorative
Justice?" In 2002, the Woman's Missionary Union launched an emphasis in this
area and came up with the following definition: "restorative justice involves
God's people in applying biblical principles of restoration to meet the needs
of victims, offenders, communities, and law enforcement and criminal justice professionals."
. . Our
current adversarial, retributive criminal justice system forgets the victim and
sets up a contest between the lawyers for the state and the defense attorney.
At best, the victim gets to sit in the courtroom and address the judge before
sentencing. At worst, the victim is ignored and re-victimized by the system which
calls itself "justice." Thus states a pamphlet produced
by the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (cited in italics), which has
also advocated for this new paradigm. Restorative justice provides a different
model...It emphasizes the harm done to the victim and places repairing that harm
in the center of concern. Restorative justice views crime as a violation of the
victim and the community, causing a tear in the fabric of society. It is this
tear which the public experiences and wants repaired. . . This is a non-partisan
issue. Faith groups across the spectrum as well as secular groups can and do support
Restorative Justice. For Christians though, there
are some compelling parallels to the Gospel. Reconciliation and changed lives
is at the heart of Jesus' message. In
biblical terms, crime disrupts "shalom" or the right relationships between individuals,
the community, and God. Restorative justice works to restore shalom by holding
the offender accountable to the victim for repairing the harm done by the crime.
It also gives the community a role to play in responding to the needs of both
the victim and the offender. . . .. . . Systems
and people often change slowly. Many, understandably, become overwhelmed with
such need and such pain. As people of the Kingdom, we are called to h |
