For the week of January 15, 2004
Louisiana gathering
The Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship has scheduled its annual
meeting for Jan. 17 at 9 a.m. at the Baptist Building in Alexandria. The gathering
is set to conclude with a luncheon, catered at a cost of about $10 per person.
Scheduled speaker is Jim Wagoner, agricultural missionary to Oaxaco, Mexico,
who will report on projects accomplished with $7,000 in funding from the state
fellowship. Fellowship members also plan to discuss future funding for the Oaxaco
missions effort and talk about the feasibility of a small number of members
to travel to Oaxaco in 2004. Members also will be informed on volunteer ministries
projects underway in the state. Those planning to attend are asked to contact
Tracey Ostrander at (800) 622-6549 or (318) 448-3402 or via e-mail
at tracey.ostrander@lbc.org.
Cooperative Program
Gifts through the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program totaled more than $13.5
million last month, an increase of more than $1.1 million (9.2 percent) from
the previous December. Three months into the conventions fiscal year,
overall gifts total $45.2 million, an increase of $2.9 million (6.9 percent)
from the same time last year. However, the total stands $311,067 (0.7 percent)
behind budget at this time. Meanwhile, designated giving totaled more than $4.2
million, an increase of $405,422 (10.6 percent) from the previous December.
For the year, designated giving totals more than $12.3 million, an increase
of $2.2 million (21.9 percent) from the same time last year.
Political numbers
Presidential candidates who support legalizing same-sex civil unions could
lose votes in the 2004 election, a new poll by National Public Radio shows.
The poll of 1,002 likely voters found President George Bush was favored over
an unnamed Democrat candidate by a margin of 46 percent to 42 percent. But those
numbers changed when voters were asked who they would support if Bush opposes
civil unions but the Democrat candidate supports them. In that scenario, Bush
wins 51 percent to 35 percent. Legal only in Vermont, civil unions give same-sex
couples many of the legal benefits of marriage without using the term “marriage.”
Pollster Bill McInturff said the numbers indicate same-sex marriages and civil
unions could be one of the top issues during the campaign. At this point, all
of the leading Democrat candidates support legalizing civil unions. Bush has
said he would leave the issue up to the states. In the poll, voters opposed
legalizing same-sex marriages by a margin of 56 percent to 30 percent. They
opposed legalizing civil unions by a margin of 49 percent to 42 percent. But
they split evenly at 45 percent to 45 percent when asked the same question in
another way – “Do you favor or oppose a law that would allow homosexual
couples to legally form civil unions, giving them the legal rights of married
couples in areas such as health insurance, inheritance, pension coverage and
hospital visiting privileges?”
What really matters
In a National Public Radio poll of 1,002 likely voters, persons ranked “moral
values” third on a list of issues that would be most important in deciding
their vote for United States president. Moral values tied for third with Social
Security and Medicare and education, each at 10 percent. The economy and jobs
ranked first at 26 percent, followed by terrorism and national security at 15
percent. Moral values ranked seventh (6 percent) when persons were asked to
list their second most important issue. Combining the two categories, moral
values ranked seventh at 15 percent.
LC book policy
All books and classroom materials submitted for use in the spring semester
by Louisiana College faculty have been approved, school leaders announced recently.
Approval of textbooks and materials have been a focal point since trustees changed
the approval process late last year. The old process gave complete control to
faculty members for selection of materials. The new process requires approval
of department heads and the vice president of academic affairs. In the first
test of the new policy, Vice President Ben Hawkins indicated he relied on the
opinion of faculty members and department heads in approving materials. He also
noted discussions were held on some sensitive materials. Materials approved
for the spring included a pair of books earlier ordered removed from bookstore
storage – “A Road Less Traveled” by Scott Peck and “A Lesson
Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines.
Afghan constitution
A council of regional and tribal leaders have given approval to a new Afghanistan
constitution with provisions intact that international human-rights activists
say fail to protect religious freedom. The new document reportedly retains several
sections on religious issues that raised concerns among religious-freedom experts
when an earlier draft was released in November. Essentially, the document gives
privilege to Islam. It sets up a government that mirrors the United States
system in structure – with a strong executive branch, a legislature and
an independent judiciary – but also declares Afghanistan an “Islamic
Republic.” The constitution names “the sacred religion of Islam”
as the official religion of the republic. It adds, “Followers of other
religions are free to perform their religious ceremonies in accordance with
the provisions of the law.” But the constitution does not contain any provision
separating mosque from state or explicitly ensuring equal rights among religions.
The document also insists that no law in Afghanistan “can be contrary to
the sacred religion of Islam and the values of this constitution.” Despite
the concerns , President George Bush praised the new constitution as a “historic
step forward.”
New Orleans Seminary
For the second year in a row, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated
a record December graduation. This years 178-member class marked the largest
December commencement in the schools 86-year history. Graduates included
those who received ministry certificates, undergraduate degrees, master degrees
and doctoral degrees. In addition to the record number of graduates, the seminary
also awarded its first master of arts in biblical studies degree and its first
doctor of educational ministry to a person focusing on womens ministry.
Also, 22 men from correctional institutions were recognized for completing certificates
through the seminarys Leavell College.
$1 Million for Lottie
Leaders at First Baptist Church of Dallas have announced congregational members
have given more than $1 million through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for
International Missions. The total is more than four times the churchs
gift last year and is twice as large as the biggest sum ever sent through Lottie
Moon to fund Southern Baptists work abroad. As of Dec. 28, the First Baptist
Church total stood at $1.16 million. The previous best for the offering was
just under $400,000. Last year, First Baptist Church gave $240,000, placing
it among the top 10 churches in giving. This year, the church set a goal of
$300,000. Even more impressive, the offering comes in the midst of a $44 million
building campaign. “Talk about being blown away and overwhelmed,”
Southern Baptist International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin said. “Its
more than I can even comment on. This is just awesome. I think it reflects the
heart that First Baptist Dallas has for missions.”
Prayer initiative
A new initiative has been launched in an effort to promote supportive prayer
among the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. “Churches Praying
for Churches” is designed to enable individuals and church prayer groups
to pray not only for their own churches but for every Southern Baptist church
during 2004. The campaign was launched Jan. 1 and already has received thousands
of responses, leaders report. To be a part of the prayer effort, persons or
groups may register online at www.sbc.net or by calling (888) 772-9372.
Registrants should provide their name, e-mail address and church identification
number, which may be found in the ChurchSearch database at www.sbc.net.
Each registrant will be assigned a personal volunteer identification number.
Registrants can commit to pray for one to five Southern Baptist churches each
week for 12 weeks, including lifting up specific requests presented by the sister
churches. The initiative also is designed to allow individual churches to submit
prayer requests. “What could be better than to pray for our sister churches
and their ministries, that God might bless them in a mighty way? …” SBC
Executive Committee President Morris Chapman said. “It could result in
the greatest blessing which God would ever pour out upon this convention.”
Human trafficking
President George Bush recently signed a law authorizing more than $200 million
to fight human trafficking in a renewed effort by the federal government to
battle such worldwide problems as forced prostitution. The Trafficking Victims
Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 funds efforts for the next two years
to prosecute criminals and to assist victims who have been forced into labor
or prostitution. The victims include both women and children. The law is a step
beyond the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Among other additions,
the new law allows victims of human trafficking to remain in the United States
while rebuilding their lives. “Nearly two centuries after the abolition
of the transatlantic slave trade, and more than a century after slavery was
officially ended, the trade in human beings for any purpose must not be allowed
to thrive in our time,” the president said.
SBC death
Southern Baptist leader Lewis Drummond died of a heart attack as a complication
from cancer treatment on Jan. 4. He was 77. Hailed by others as a denominational
statesman, Drummond was a former president at Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary. He was known as a scholar with a passion for evangelism and spiritual
awakening. At the time of his death, he was evangelism professor in residence
at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Ashville, N.C., and chancellor
of schools of evangelism for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Drummond
served at Southeastern from 1988-92. The Lewis A. Drummond Center for Great
Commission Studies remains at the seminary as a resource to missions workers
around the world. A prolific author, Drummonds books included biographies
of Billy Graham and Charles Haddon Spurgeon, as well as various volumes on evangelism.