For the week of December 2, 2004
Father-son missionaries
The Southern Baptist North American Mission Board experienced a first during
the recent commissioning of 88 missionaries – the appointment of a father
and son at the same time. Samuel and Rebecca Caballero of Colorado were commissioned
to serve as church planters in Denver. Son Fernando and his wife, Donna, were
named to Colorado as statewide missionaries for multiethnic church planting.
“Dad and I have always worked together since I was 13,” Fernando Caballero
said. “That’s when he first asked me to play the guitar for one of
the new churches he was starting.” The dual commissioning was the first
for the mission board, a spokesperson said. The new workers will join more than
5,100 North American Mission Board missionaries who serve in every state, province
and territory in the United States and Canada.
Absolute support
President George Bush “absolutely” will push for a marriage amendment
to the U.S. Constitution during his second term, said Karl Rove, the president’s
chief political adviser. An ongoing push is underway to pass an amendment that
would define marriage as only between a man and a woman. “We cannot allow
activist local elected officials to thumb their nose at 5,000 years of human
history and determine that marriage is something else,” Rove said following
the recent election. “If we want to have a hopeful and decent society,
we ought to aim for the ideal, and the ideal is that marriage ought to be, and
should be, a union of a man and a woman.”
Apologies for promo
ABC has apologized for airing an objectionable opening to Monday Night Football
on Nov. 15 after viewers complained it was yet another example of inappropriate
material broadcast during a national sporting event. The opening featured a
naked actress jumping into the arms of Terrell Owens, a receiver for the Philadelphia
Eagles who would be taking on the Dallas Cowboys in the featured game. “We
have heard from many of our viewers about last night’s Monday Night Football
opening segment, and we agree that the placement was inappropriate,” ABC
officials said in a released statement the day after the broadcast. “We
apologize,” ABC said in a statement the next day. The NFL and the Eagles
agreed that the spot was unnecessary.
Oklahoma Baptists
Oklahoma Baptists made history when messengers to the annual meeting of the
Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma elected a woman to one of its three top
offices. Marty Odom of Oklahoma City was elected second vice president without
opposition.
Virginia Baptists
Messengers to the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s annual meeting
elected the group’s first African-American officer. Virginia Baptist pastor
Mark Croston was chosen as second vice president. Messengers also approved a
proposal that altered one of the state’s giving options to increase the
percentage funding of the Baptist World Alliance in 2005 and reduce the percentage
going to the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. In addition, they
approved a motion to apply for full membership in the alliance. The Southern
Baptist Convention voted to withdraw from Baptist World Alliance earlier this
year, leaving the Virginia association as the group’s single-largest funding
entity.
Tennessee Baptists
Messengers to the recent Tennessee Baptist Convention voted to investigate
the biblical views taught in their three affiliated Baptist colleges. Messengers
asked an Executive Board committee to investigate what is taught at Carson-Newman
College in Jefferson City, Belmont University in Nashville and Union University
in Jackson. The action came in response to an allegation from a Carson-Newman
student, who told messengers some of the college’s professors teach viewpoints
contrary to conservative views about the Bible. During a 90-minute discussion,
messengers debated if Carson-Newman teaches that the Bible is inspired and authoritative
and that the Christian message of salvation is unique and exclusive. A motion
to investigate the teachings at Carson-Newman was expanded to include the other
two convention schools. An amendment stipulates the investigation should be
done in conjunction with the schools’ trustees. Still, some critics voice
fear the investigation could usurp the role of trustees.
Alabama Baptists
Messengers to the recent Alabama Baptist Convention turned down an attempt
to divert $30,000 from the Southern Baptist Convention to the Baptist World
Alliance. Last June, the Southern Baptist Convention withdrew its membership
and $300,000 in funding from the Baptist World Alliance, an international organization
representing 211 Baptist bodies. Southern Baptist leaders said the alliance
harbored theological liberalism, a charge denied by those within the organization.
At their meeting, an Alabama Baptist messenger moved to re-route money from
the SBC Executive Committee to the alliance. Only one person spoke in favor
of the motion – and messengers rejected it on a show-of-hands vote.
Faith and values effort
Jerry Falwell has announced plans to “resurrect” his Moral Majority
with a new name in order to turn conservative momentum from the recent national
elections into an “evangelical revolution.” The Southern Baptist pastor
and political activist announced the formation of the Faith and Values Coalition
in an effort to build on the national momentum of the Nov. 2 elections and urge
evangelicals to continue to “vote Christian.” Falwell described the
new coalition as “a 21st century resurrection of the Moral Majority,”
founded by Falwell in 1979. “At that time, God burdened my heart to mobilize
religious conservatives around a pro-life, pro-family, strong national defense
and pro-Israel platform, …” Falwell said. “And I distinctively feel
that burden again. Our nation simply cannot continue as we know it if we allow
out-of-control lawmakers and radical judges … to alter the moral foundations
of America.” The Faith and Values Coalition will pursue three goals –
passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment banning same-sex marriages; confirmation
of “pro-life, strict constructionist” judges to the U.S. Supreme Court
and the federal bench; and election of another conservative president in 2008.
Texas Baptists
Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas gave initial approval
to the convention’s most significant reorganization in almost five decades
and elected its first non-Anglo president. Messengers easily approved the first
reading of constitutional amendments designed to streamline the convention’s
structure and make it more accessible. They also elected Albert Reyes without
opposition. He is the first non-Anglo president of the convention and serves
as president of Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio. Messengers
also sidestepped controversy regarding leadership at Baylor University when
convention President Ken Hall ruled a motion to escrow some $2.5 million in
annual funds for the school was out of order. Hall said the proposed motion
“falls far short of celebrating God’s love.” Messengers voted
overwhelmingly to affirm his ruling. Baylor has been mired in an in-house feud.
A divided board has defeated several efforts to fire school President Robert
Sloan.
Same-sex marriages
Galvanized by results on Election Day, legislators and pro-family groups in
at least seven additional states say they will push for constitutional amendments
banning same-sex marriages in the coming months. On Nov. 2, constitutional bans
were approved in 11 states. Now, conservatives and traditionalists in Alabama,
Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia say they will work
for passage of an amendment in their respective states in the coming year. Three
additional states – Massachusetts, Tennessee and Wisconsin – passed
amendments in the last legislative session and must pass them once more before
sending them to voters. Most of the new amendments would go on the ballot in
2006, although at least one could be decided in 2005. Already, 17 states have
marriage amendments. By 2006, that number could top 25 – half of the states.