Month: October 2021

Missouri church wins settlement in case over COVID restrictions

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (BP) – Eighteen months after raising objections to restrictions related to COVID-19, Abundant Life Baptist Church reached a settlement Oct. 18 to the tune of $146,750 with the Jackson County, Mo., legislature.

Government leaders voted in favor of the settlement in exchange for the church dropping its lawsuit that claimed the county’s measures amounted to discrimination. Abundant Life, which sees weekly attendance in excess of 4,500 across three campuses, was placed in a group during the lockdown that restricted gatherings to no more than 10 people.

“Abundant Life always asked to be treated by the same rules as similar, secular activities,” attorney Jonathan Whitehead, who is also a member of the church, told Baptist Press. “Abundant Life complied with orders requiring everyone to stay home in March 2020. But Jackson County ‘reopened’ by calling big-box stores essential, while limiting any worship gathering to 10 people.

“At one point, it asked churches to get permission to meet. After trying to work with county officials, Abundant Life decided to ask a court to decide what the law required.”

The decision is the latest in a series of rulings favoring churches when it comes to COVID restrictions. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of churches and those wanting to attend religious services in New York as well as Colorado and New Jersey. In February, California leaders were told they couldn’t ban indoor church services. The Court followed that up in April, siding with Californians who wanted to worship unimpeded in their homes.

Jackson County legislators told the Kansas City Star that the 6-2 decision to settle came in light of the outcome to those earlier court cases. The county no longer restricts gatherings.

“I think that is a result of churches like Abundant Life standing up,” Whitehead said. “While churches support government efforts to improve public health, that burden can’t fall unfairly on religious worshippers, no matter their faith.”

In addition to Abundant Life dropping its lawsuit, the county also agreed that in the future, health restrictions “would be no more onerous on churches than secular gatherings.”

As churches experience the winning streak for the right to gather, Whitehead points to the ongoing debate over vaccines.

“Baptists have long called for government to accomplish what it needs, where it can, while minimizing burdens on religious conscience,” he said. “There will be many opportunities to stand up for that principle in the near future.

“Even though many Baptists are convinced the vaccine is safe and ethically acceptable, sincere religious objections should continue to be respected.”

32 conversions catalyze new work in ‘Nazareth of Europe’

Lamar Schubert* entered a house in the Moldovan countryside and found a grandmother who was exhausted from dealing with her unruly granddaughter. She was raising the teen alone and said she was a “handful.”

When the granddaughter came in, Schubert shared the Gospel with her. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Why have I never heard this?” The grandmother began to weep, and they wrapped their arms around each other and prayed to receive Jesus.

They asked for someone to come back and teach them more about following Christ.

Schubert, a missionary leader in Eastern Europe, said occasions like this were unheard of in Moldova – a tiny, land-locked country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine. As one of Europe’s newest and poorest countries, it doesn’t demand a lot of attention. In fact, Schubert used to refer to the country as the “Nazareth of Europe,” thinking that nothing good would come from there. Boy, was he wrong, he confessed.

On his first trip to Moldova, Schubert helped train pastors in evangelism. During that training, he and other leaders modeled entering a new village and going door to door to share Christ. Schubert admits he wasn’t expecting much. He and his wife, Audrey*, have been church planters in Europe for 10 years, and they’ve learned how long it can take to see fruit.

“After so many years of doing this type of ministry in Europe, where you see maybe one out of 100 people respond to the message, my expectations were low,” Schubert said. “But, in spite of my lack of faith, God had prepared a harvest.”

In just two-and-a-half days of sharing, 32 people came to Christ.

“I didn’t take Jesus at His word. The field was ripe unto harvest and people were ready to hear and respond,” Schubert said, referring to John 4:35.

Schubert wasn’t the only one who was blown away. The pastor he was training, Mihai, wasn’t expecting such openness either. Eight people in one village repented and began following Jesus.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Mihai said. “I am not sure what I’m going to do with all of these people.”

Although that’s a good problem to have, it is a problem. For that reason, Lamar and Audrey will hold a second training this fall that focuses on discipleship, church formation, and helping Moldovan pastors develop skills for training their own people.

God prepares the workers for the harvest

The obvious movement of God in this tiny country sparked a desire in Schubert to see IMB workers on the ground help facilitate further training and discipleship.

Moldova has 2.8 million people and 622 Baptist churches, making it one of the most reached countries in Europe. But this trip led Schubert to believe that having an IMB worker there, even for just a short time, could help in mentoring and training pastors to lead the Indigenous work.

As only God could orchestrate, just one day after the trip, Schubert got a phone call from a former IMB colleague, now a pastor, who had a couple in his church that wanted to move to Europe to plant churches for a couple of years. He wanted to know if Schubert knew of any immediate needs.

A week later, another American couple called Schubert and said that God was moving them to go and live in Moldova for a couple of years to continue helping the church grow. Both families will be moving to Moldova to serve with IMB by March 2022.

COVID-19 conversions

All of this is happening during Europe’s prayer, fasting and bold Gospel-sharing emphasis this fall. IMB leaders believe God has been at work, and now is the time to reap a harvest.

“I’m convinced that COVID has changed the soil, changed the culture, and changed the context where we work,” Schubert said. “People are perhaps more ready to hear than we are to share.”

As an example, Schubert shared about one village where the opposition against the Baptist church is strong. The local pastor, Victor, had been beaten nearly to death by members of the Orthodox church – the Moldovan state church.

Schubert and Pastor Victor expected only hostile receptions, but they started knocking on doors anyway. Although the first two houses turned him away, the third one was a different story.

As Schubert spoke to the woman in the house about the hope that changed his life, she began weeping and said, “This is the only hope for me and my family, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Schubert said, “it is.”

Schubert is excited to see God work so evidently, and that gives him renewed anticipation of what God will do in the months to come. He asks for prayer as he and his colleagues step out in faith and expect the unexpected.

Please pray for Lamar and Audrey as they go to Moldova for the second training. Pray for many pastors to come and for them to catch a vision of reaching their country and beyond with the Gospel. Pray for the new believers in Moldova and for the pastors who will be discipling them. Pray for fertile soil. Pray for the two new couples who are preparing to move to Moldova in March.

*Names changed for security

Cross City Church aims to connect generations with latest project

EULESS – The future is now.

What began as a vision for anticipated church growth and increasing opportunities to minister in the community will take a significant step forward when Cross City Church unveils a 64,000-square-foot building that will serve as a multi-purpose, multi-generational ministry space early next month.

The $22 million facility will serve as the church’s new center of activities and learning for kids in grades 1-6 as well as students in grades 7-12. It will also include a multi-use commons space. The new construction, known as the “Generations Project,” features a full-service coffee shop, a large indoor playground, a separate play area for preschool kids, a 144-square-foot LED video display, three new elevators, and campus-wide improvements benefitting people of all ages.

The Generations Project is part of a larger vision that involves much more than facilities. Pastor John Meador said the church is focused on connecting people from every generation and encouraging “healthy homes” by teaching children, equipping parents, and empowering grandparents.

“(This project) is all about connecting past generations and standing on the shoulders of the leaders that have gone before us in order to reach future generations,” Meador said in a video update on the project. “We are now in that generation that allows us to set the groundwork, the framework, for reaching future generations for Christ until he comes back.”

The new area for 7-12 grade students, known as “The City,” includes a basketball court, café, and two levels of indoor and outdoor space that can accommodate a variety of activities. A new state-of-the-art auditorium (to be shared by students and the Cross City International congregation) seats more than 300 and connects via video to the existing 3,000-seat auditorium and the 600-seat chapel.

Kids in grades 1-6 will enjoy three new large group gathering rooms and two gaming lobbies on two secure floors. The custom indoor playground, available to the public during posted hours, has three levels and will accommodate over 100 children. Church leaders believe the coffee shop and multiple play areas will make Cross City a popular weekday destination.

A grand opening celebration is scheduled for November 7, beginning with a worship celebration in the main Worship Center auditorium at 9:30 a.m. The official opening of the facility will occur at 10:45 a.m. with a balloon drop, followed by tours, refreshments, giveaways, food trucks, and more. Guests are welcome to stay and enjoy the Dallas Cowboys game on the new large LED screen.

During the service, the church will recognize the Ingram family for its tenure at Cross City. Dwain Ingram joined the church in 1968 with his family. Presently, his son David, granddaughter Amanda, and great-grandchildren Emerson and Bennett faithfully attend with their families. These four generations from ages 3 to 91 represent the commitment of the people of Cross City Church and serve as inspiration for the project.

Pruitt to young leaders: Preach the Bible, dump self-help ‘white noise’

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – In the face of a challenging, changing culture, young people often wrestle with how to process the pressures that face them as they grow up. Church youth leaders often are the ones there to help students apply the Bible and the gospel to the issues they encounter.

Shane Pruitt, national next gen director at the North American Mission Board (NAMB), and Clayton King, teaching pastor at NewSpring Church in Anderson, S.C., created the Youth Leader Coaching Network (YLCN) in 2020 out of a desire to equip those leaders as they minister to the next generation.

“Students are hungry for answers to the biggest questions, and they are searching for hope,” Pruitt said. “We started this network as a way to connect with and encourage people across the nation who are doing whatever it takes to reach the next generation with the hope of the gospel.”

The YLCN offers two, three-month semesters each year—one in the fall and one in the spring. Space in each cohort is limited, but there is no cost to join. There are three, virtual calls that take place once a month followed by an in-person gathering in Alpharetta.

On October 18-19, NAMB wrapped up the 2021 fall semester of the YLCN with the gathering of nearly 200 youth pastors and other leaders that featured talks from Pruitt, King and a host of others who served as coaches during the two-day event.

Sessions included discussion about what King, Pruitt and their wives had learned in ministry, about recruiting adult volunteers, some of the must haves in ministry and tips for sermon or teaching preparation.

In the lesson on teaching or sermon preparation, Pruitt and King both emphasized the need for utilizing text-driven sermons or lessons—whether preaching to the entire student ministry or teaching a small group of 10thgrade girls.

“You need to learn how to preach,” King said. “You need to learn how to open up the Bible and teach a passage of Scripture.”

Most student leaders ask the question about how to cut through the constant barrage of information that most students encounter in their day-to-day lives, and Pruitt emphasized how preaching and teaching the Bible stands out.

“If all they hear at your church is a bunch of self-help talk with some Bible verses thrown in, that’s white noise to Gen Z,” Pruitt said. “Self-help is what they hear everywhere they go. So, how do we cut through the noise? Preach the Bible. Teach the Bible. That’s something they won’t hear anywhere else.”

Participants in the YLCN ranged from pastors leading ministries of hundreds of students to bivociational leaders serving dozens of youth and students. Being a part of the network not only allowed them to connect with some well-known leaders but also to network with fellow pastors and ministry leaders from across the nation.

“One of the greatest takeaways of the youth leader network was how ministry should come out of an overflow of our relationship and our time with Jesus,” Nathan McCoy, next generation pastor at Peavine Baptist Church in Rock Spring, Ga. “It truly is about abiding in Christ. Without Him, we can do nothing, and that’s been a great takeaway for me.”

Wil Moore, lead student pastor at Longhollow Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., praised the intentionality of those leading the YLCN and described how it has provided the encouragement he needs to be intentional in his own ministry.

“One of the things I’ve regretted was not allowing people to be intentional in my life because of my pride,” said Moore. “What I love about the intentionality from Shane and Clayton and the others who are leading is they care about your soul. They care about longevity. They care about you being a gospel influencer to the generation that we are investing in now.”

Youth leaders looking to sign up or learn more about the Youth Leader Coaching Network can do so at YouthLeaderCoachingNetwork.com. Paul Worcester, NAMB’s national collegiate evangelism director, is in the process of developing a similar network for collegiate leaders as well.

Here’s why the church still matters

I’ve never seen the idea of the church so marginalized in all my lifetime. The secular world mocks the church and the Christian world devalues the church. The local church is seen, even by believers, as unnecessary and antiquated and optional.

You can kind of understand the issues perhaps. After all, churches are filled with imperfect people. Churches often have a well-earned reputation for being argumentative. They frequently get sidetracked by secondary issues. They sometimes lose sight of their purpose. Critics can accurately point out all the problems, failures and imperfections of the church.

But, with all of that said, the church still matters. There is great inherent value in the work of the local church. There is value and purpose and potential in this institution. Here are three reasons why the church still matters.

God made the church

If the church were man’s idea, we might rightfully ignore it. But it isn’t. God formed the church, and He did it for His own reasons. He knew that the church would be made up of imperfect people. He knew every pastor and every small group leader would be “frail as dust and feeble as frail,” as the hymn says. But He formed it anyway. We ought not easily turn our backs on something God created.

And, I note that God’s Word admonishes us that we ought not be in the habit of “neglecting to gather together” according to Hebrews. This isn’t the word of your pastor or your grandmother. God is the one who calls us to gather. God’s command is reason enough to connect with an imperfect church filled with imperfect people.

We might not understand why God formed the church, but we can’t escape the fact that He did. We may not see the value of the local church, but God apparently can. We need to remember this important truth: the church is a God idea.

We need each other

I don’t think every Christian believes that. I think many believe they can be just fine on their own – no need for fellowship or accountability or encouragement from other believers. But the longer I live, the more I see the importance of other believers in my life.

Don’t underestimate the enemy. He loves to divide and conquer. He wants you to be spiritually isolated. He knows the Bible says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). He tells you that you don’t need anyone else because he wants you to be vulnerable and ineffective.

But, the Spirit of the Living God reminds you of the value of other believers. We disciple others and are discipled by others. We benefit from the wisdom and zeal and encouragement that comes from worshiping and learning with others. Never have believers needed each other as we do now!

We are stronger together

I had a friend who lost his little finger in an accident. He told me how amazed he was at how much grip strength he lost just from that tiny digit.

The church is described as the body of Christ. We all have different gifts and backgrounds and personalities and perspectives. But we function best when we work together. We are stronger in missions, evangelism, discipleship and worship when we are connected.

The church separated is weak and ineffective. The church connected is powerful beyond the sum of her parts. The church can prevail against the very gates of hell. You will benefit from others and others will benefit from you. You need the church and the church needs you.

Don’t underestimate the importance of a healthy connection to a local church. God will use this institution made up of imperfect sinners who have found the perfect Savior to impact you and your world. Find a church, plug in fully and participate actively.

The church still matters.

Doug Munton is senior pastor of First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, Ill.

This article was originally published in The Illinois Baptist.

Texas church honors retiring pastor with missions gift to IMB

As John McCullough commenced 52 years in ministry, the last 15 bivocationally at Berea Baptist Church in Big Spring, Texas, his church donated $30,000 to the IMB and $27,000 to Send Relief in his honor.

Berea Baptist has always been passionate about missions, giving over 15% of their undesignated receipts to missions work locally, statewide, nationally and globally. But when the church of around 25 members realized they had too much space for their mostly aging congregation, and a local church needed the facilities, they chose to sell and rent space at Crossroads Baptist Association’s offices for Berea Baptist to continue meeting.

Instead of putting all the profits into savings, they donated a substantial portion of those funds to various ministry and mission work in honor of their retiring pastor, who is an IMB trustee

McCullough, who also served as the associational missionary for Crossroads Baptist Association, retired from that position in April. While he’d moved 380 miles across the state, he has been making the drive weekly to continue pastoring the congregation. Sunday, Sept. 26 was his last Sunday before he retired from Berea Baptist.

During McCullough’s time as trustee, he’s been especially passionate about the work God is doing in Southeast Asia, his area of focus as a trustee. He’s been on trips to the region, and seen his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson accompany him and catch the same vision.

“We wanted to do what we could do there, knowing that there’s an incredible move of God in [that part] of the world,” McCullough shared. “We wanted to make that an emphasis.”

The IMB donation will go toward ongoing mission projects in Southeast Asia. The Send Relief donation will go to water well projects and other humanitarian aid work.

“When one of our board members, Pastor John McCullough, casually mentioned that he had a check to pass along to the IMB from his church, I had no idea of the significance of that gift,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood, “not only in terms of its amount but also in what it symbolized of a church family that wanted to honor its retiring pastor and steward its remaining resources well for the kingdom.”

Chitwood added, “When I heard the story, I was not only blessed by it, but I wanted others to hear it. I thank God for this incredibly generous act and know it will inspire others toward greater generosity.”

This was a fitting way to honor McCullough’s retirement, Bobby Scoggin, Berea Baptist’s trustee/treasurer, said.

“Bro. John’s been a big blessing in my life,” Scoggin said. “I was saved under Bro. John. He’s been my pastor since I was saved.” The donation was in line with the direction McCullough has led the church – to have a heart for the nations.

Because of generous gifts from churches like Berea Baptist Church, last year, IMB workers across the globe engaged 247 people groups, 769,494 individuals heard the gospel, 86,587 people were baptized, 18,380 new churches were planted, 127,155 pastors received training, and 144,322 people professed faith in Christ.

This article originally appeared on IMB.

Haiti gang seeks $1M each for kidnapped US missionaries

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A gang that kidnapped 17 members of a U.S.-based missionary group is demanding $1 million ransom per person, although authorities are not clear whether that includes the five children being held, a top Haitian official told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The official, who wasn’t authorized to speak to the press, said someone from the 400 Mawozo gang called a ministry leader shortly after kidnapping the missionaries on Saturday and demanded the ransom. A person in contact with the organization, Christian Aid Ministries, also confirmed the $1 million per person demand, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. That source spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

The ages of the adults being held captive range from 18 to 48, while the children are 8 months, 3 years, 6 years, 13 years and 15 years, according to a statement from the organization on Tuesday. Sixteen of the abductees are Americans and one Canadian.

“This group of workers has been committed to minister throughout poverty-stricken Haiti,” the Ohio-based ministry said, adding that the missionaries were most recently working on a rebuilding project to help those who lost their homes in the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck on Aug. 14.

The group was returning from visiting an orphanage when they were abducted, the organization said.

A recent wave of kidnappings prompted a protest strike that shuttered businesses, schools and public transportation starting Monday in a new blow to Haiti’s anemic economy. Unions and other groups vowed to continue the shutdown indefinitely as an ongoing fuel shortage worsened, with businesses blaming gangs for blocking roads and gas distribution terminals.

On Tuesday, hundreds of motorcycles zoomed through the streets of Port-au-Prince as the drivers yelled, “If there’s no fuel, we’re going to burn it all down!”

One protest took place near the prime minister’s residence, where police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd that demanded fuel.

In Washington, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that “the FBI is a part of a coordinated U.S. government effort to get the U.S. citizens involved to safety,” with the American Embassy in Port au Prince coordinating with local officials and families of those seized.

“Kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include US citizens. We know these groups target U.S. citizens who they assume have the resources and finances to pay ransoms, even if that is not the case,” she added, noting that the government has urged citizens not to visit Haiti.

She confirmed it is U.S. policy not to negotiate with those holding hostages, but declined to describe details of the operation.

The kidnapping was the largest reported of its kind in recent years, with Haitian gangs growing more brazen and abductions spiking as the country tries to recover from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and the earthquake that hit southern Haiti and killed more than 2,200 people.

“We are calling on authorities to take action,” said Jean-Louis Abaki, a moto taxi driver who joined the strike Monday to decry killings and kidnappings in the hemisphere’s poorest nation.

With the usually chaotic streets of Haiti’s capital quiet and largely empty, Abaki said that if Prime Minister Ariel Henry and National Police Chief Léon Charles want to stay in power, “they have to give the population a chance at security.”

Haitian police told The Associated Press that the abduction was carried out by the 400 Mawozo gang, which has a long record of killings, kidnappings and extortion. In April, a man who claimed to be the gang’s leader told a radio station that it was responsible for abducting five priests, two nuns and three relatives of one of the priests that month. They were later released.

At least 328 kidnappings were reported to Haiti’s National Police in the first eight months of 2021, compared with a total of 234 for all of 2020, said a report last month by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.

Gangs have been accused of kidnapping schoolchildren, doctors, police officers, bus passengers and others as they grow more powerful and demand ransoms ranging from a couple hundred dollars to millions of dollars.

Ned Price, the U.S. State Department’s spokesman, said U.S. officials have been in constant contact with Haiti’s National Police, the missionary group and the victims’ relatives.

“This is something that we have treated with the utmost priority since Saturday,” he said, adding that officials are doing “all we can to seek a quick resolution to this.”

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the rise in gang violence has affected relief efforts in Haiti. He said the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator reported that “violence, looting, road blockades and the persistent presence of armed gangs all pose obstacles to humanitarian access. The situation is further complicated by very serious fuel shortages and the reduced supply of goods.”

Dujarric said that Haiti’s government should redouble efforts to reform and strengthen the police department to address public safety and that all crimes must be investigated.

Christian Aid Ministries said the kidnapped group included six women, six men and five children. A sign on the door at the organization’s headquarters in Berlin, Ohio, said it was closed due to the kidnapping situation.

Among those kidnapped were four children and one of their parents from a Michigan family, their pastor told The Detroit News. The youngest from the family is under 10, said minister Ron Marks, who declined to identify them. They arrived in Haiti earlier this month, he said.

A pair of traveling Christians stopped by the organization’s headquarters Monday with two young children to drop off packages for impoverished nations. Tirtzah Rarick, originally of California, said she and a friend prayed on Sunday with those who had relatives among the abductees.

“Even though it’s painful and it provokes us to tears that our friends and relatives, our dear brothers and sisters, are suffering right now in a very real physical, mental and emotional way, it is comforting to us that we can bring these heavy burdens to the God that we worship,” she said.

News of the kidnappings spread swiftly in and around Holmes County, Ohio, hub of one of the nation’s largest populations of Amish and conservative Mennonites, said Marcus Yoder, executive director of the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in nearby Millersburg, Ohio.

Christian Aid Ministries is supported by conservative Mennonite, Amish and related groups in the Anabaptist tradition.

The organization was founded in the early 1980s and began working in Haiti later that decade, said Steven Nolt, professor of history and Anabaptist studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. The group has year-round mission staff in Haiti and several countries, he said, and it ships religious, school and medical supplies throughout the world.

Conservative Anabaptists, while disagreeing over technology and other issues, share traditions such as modest, plain clothing, separation from mainstream society, closely disciplined congregations and a belief in nonresistance to violence.

The Amish and Mennonite communities in Holmes County have a close connection with missionary organizations serving Haiti.

Every September at the Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction, handmade furniture, quilts, firewood and tools are sold, and barbecue chicken and Haitian beans and rice are dished up. The event typically brings in about $600,000 that is split between 18 missionary groups, said Aaron Miller, one of the organizers.

From The Associated Press. May not be republished. Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico and Smith from Pittsburgh. Associated Press journalists Matías Delacroix and Pierre-Richard Luxama in Port-au-Prince, Eric Tucker and Matthew Lee in Washington, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Julie Carr Smyth in Berlin, Ohio, contributed to this report.

ERLC to Senate: Restore pro-life provisions

WASHINGTON (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity called on U.S. Senate leaders Tuesday (Oct. 19) to restore long-standing, pro-life policies excluded from newly released spending bills.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) sent a letter expressing its opposition to the absence of the Hyde Amendment and other pro-life protections in the nine remaining spending measures for fiscal year 2022 unveiled Monday (Oct. 18).

Messengers to the SBC’s annual meeting in June approved a resolution that denounced any attempt to rescind the Hyde Amendment and urged the retention of all pro-life “riders,” which must be approved each year in spending bills. It is estimated the Hyde Amendment, which has barred federal funds in Medicaid and other programs from paying for abortions in every year since 1976, has saved the lives of about 2½ million unborn children.

“We have grave concerns about the appropriations bills the Senate released that strip all pro-life protections, including the lifesaving Hyde Amendment,” said Chelsea Sobolik, the ERLC’s director of public policy, in written comments.

“The ERLC strongly urges the Senate to reinstate this and other lifesaving provisions in order to protect precious preborn babies and defend the consciences of Americans.”

After Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Appropriations Committee, released the remaining spending bills, the lead Republican member of the committee, Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, criticized their partisan nature. The spending proposals “are filled with poison pills” and have removed “important legacy riders” on such issues as abortion, Shelby said in a written release.

In the ERLC letter, acting ERLC President Brent Leatherwood said, “[W]e strongly object to tax dollars being used for what we believe to be a great moral wrong. These amendments save lives and protect American consciences.”

Leatherwood told Senate leaders the removal of pro-life protections is “unacceptable in the minds of countless constituents who do not want a dime of their resources supporting the abortion industry in any way, shape, or form.”

He also noted the measures prevent organizations “that do not adhere to the ever-shifting notions of sexual orientation and gender identity ideology” from receiving funds from the Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to removing the Hyde Amendment, the bills, Shelby said in a news release, also exclude the:

Weldon Amendment, which has barred since 2004 funding for government programs that discriminate against health care individuals or institutions that object to abortion.
Dornan Amendment, which was first adopted in 1988 and has barred in most of the years since federal and congressionally approved local funds from paying for abortions in the District of Columbia.
Smith Amendment, which has barred in nearly every year since 1984 federal employee health plans from paying for abortions.

Also included in the spending legislation, Shelby said, are measures that:

Codify revocation of what is commonly known as the Mexico City Policy, which bars organizations from receiving federal funds unless they agree not to perform or promote abortions internationally.
Mandate recipients of Title X family planning funds provide drugs, counseling and referrals for abortion and increases funding for the program by 75 percent.
Cripple the Kemp-Kasten Amendment, a 1985 measure that bans overseas family planning money from going to any organization that is involved in a program of forced abortion or sterilization.
Expand funding by $22.5 million to the United Nations Population Fund, which has been linked to support of a Chinese population-control program that includes coercive abortions and sterilizations.

The ERLC has urged retention in spending legislation of the Hyde Amendment and other pro-life “riders” in multiple letters this year to the Democratic-controlled Congress. The commission, which has worked for a comprehensive ban on federal funding of abortion, included the protection of pro-life “riders” in spending legislation as one of its priorities in its 2021 Public Policy Agenda.

The 100-seat Senate is evenly divided by party, and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has given hope to pro-lifers by declaring his support for the Hyde Amendment. In July, the House of Representatives approved spending bills that removed the Hyde Amendment and other pro-life measures.

While Hyde has received backing from a significant percentage of pro-choice advocates in the past, Democratic opposition to the amendment has grown in recent years. President Biden supported the amendment during his 36 years in the U.S. Senate, but he reversed his position in 2019 while running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Hyde Amendment has saved the lives of more than 2.4 million unborn children since its inception, according to an estimate in July 2020 by Michael New, veteran researcher and associate scholar of the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute.

The ERLC’s letter went to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as well as Leahy and Shelby.

Review: Hawkins book takes deep dive on two legendary Texas Baptists

O.S. Hawkins has found a good story to tell, and he tells it eagerly. In the Name of God is the tale of two pastors, two churches and the mythology that rose up around them. George W. Truett and J. Frank Norris pastored the largest churches in the world in the early 20th century—First Baptist Dallas and First Baptist Fort Worth.

Though there were some similarities in their stories, the men were a study in contrasts. Both men were pragmatic in significant ways; Truett was more subtle in his efforts to impact Southern Baptists beyond his church. Truett also worked from within the convention; Norris was very much the outsider and gadfly for the latter half of his ministry.

Hawkins is particularly engaged in telling this story. He is a native of Fort Worth whose father was saved under Norris’ ministry. He was called to ministry in a church heavily influenced by the membership that scattered from First Fort Worth after the death of their legendary pastor. Hawkins also pastored First Baptist Dallas and preached a memorable sermon at W.A. Criswell’s funeral. The author also seems to enjoy twisting the tails of those who know a little and assume a lot about the two giants among earlier Texas Southern Baptists.

Without stealing any more of Hawkins’ thunder, two things struck me as I read this engaging book. First, men are more complex than the myths that grow up around them. The most popular Baptist histories draw Truett as larger, and more perfect, than life. Though brilliant, sincere and godly in his ministry, the pastor in Dallas was capable of being petty and manipulative when provoked. Though combative and sensational, Norris was more effective, compassionate and honest than those same histories acknowledge. This book straightens some of that mythology without scorning either legendary pastor.

Second, a great man’s legacy is often different than he dreams. Truett was a builder, Hawkins says, and as such supported the status quo for its own sake when controversary arose. This bore sweet and bitter fruit even decades after his death. Norris lost most of the denominational battles he fought but was vindicated in some ways by the success of the Southern Baptist Conservative Resurgence he did not live to see.

Most readers will be surprised to know of the innovations that began in the Fort Worth megachurch. The originality and evangelistic power of Norris’ ministry was a revelation to me. The pathos of Truett’s darkest personal moment, though known to me, is explained to have a deep impact on his later ministry. You likely know that both men were involved in deadly shootings. Hawkins’ book explains both of those more clearly than I have previously heard.

The story of Baptists in Texas is full of colorful characters and has filled books in efforts to tell the story and its modern outgrowth. This story is of the transition between the second generation of significant leaders, dominated by B.H. Carroll, and the third generation, the framers of what Baptists would be for the next century—men like L.R. Scarborough, and yes, George W. Truett and J. Frank Norris. Scarborough and Truett are rightly known for some of the important infrastructure they provided for the generation to come. Norris, true to his view of the denomination he saw from the outside, left his most significant marks on the churches that make up our Baptist fellowship.

If you know a little about Truett and Norris, you’ll learn something you haven’t heard and maybe understand something you’ve misunderstood. I found In the Name of God an enjoyable way to learn more about two men who made a difference for good in our Southern Baptist Convention. (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 213 pages, $29.99)

Ministries ponder future after Haitian kidnappings

PORT-AU-PRINCE (BP) – Even the 2019 kidnapping and torture of two team members, the 2015 kidnapping and brutal beating of his wife Laurie and the 2018 murder of a base manager did not sway medical missionary David Vanderpool to close shop in Haiti.

But the escalating violence, including the weekend kidnapping of 17 Christian missionaries east of Port-au-Prince by a gang identified as the 400 Mawozo, threatens to end Vanderpool’s work there as the cofounder of LiveBeyond, a Gospel, medical and humanitarian group on the island since 2013.

“This episode is just the most recent in many, many, many hundreds of episodes that have been going on since the United Nations left in 2017. We’ve taken pretty stringent security precautions because we’ve been attacked ourselves many times,” Vanderpool said today (Oct. 18). “The problem is, this really represents an escalation, kidnapping this many Americans at one time is a departure from what they’ve done in the past.”

Southern Baptist missionary Roland Norris, who partners with the Georgia Baptist Convention, keeps a small staff of Haitian ministry workers on the island, but hasn’t led stateside mission groups there since 2019 as a Look to the Nations missionary with his wife Mary.

While Norris is stateside, a small staff of seven Haitians in Haiti provides supplies to families displaced by the August earthquake, works with a group of nine pastors to minister at an orphanage, and leads Vacation Bible Schools and similar ministry outreaches.

“The whole time that we were there, I’d always told our staff … there may be one day that we may not be able to come back,” Norris said. “And I said but now you have been trained for the same mission that we’ve been doing together all this time. Through that, praise the Lord, we’ve been able to train disciples to continue carrying on what we were doing by bringing in short-term teams.”

Keny Felix, a Haitian American pastor who has helped mobilize Christians, humanitarian and government groups to minister to Haitian migrants in the U.S., said the escalating violence underscores the plight of Haitian migrants.

“Unfortunately, the abduction of our brothers and sisters definitely shows the great instability that exists in Haiti as we speak, and the complete disregard for human life, including religious workers who are in the country trying to aide those in need,” said Felix, senior pastor of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, Fla. “We’ve seen this over the past few weeks with the killing of a deacon in Port-au-Prince and the abduction of another minister a few Sundays ago. The situation in Haiti is quite dire.”

The 17 missionaries kidnapped included 16 U.S. nationals and a Canadian working for Christian Aid Ministries, among them five children, who were taken while visiting an orphanage. The Ohio-based group provides a worldwide ministry outreach for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist groups, according to its website.

Conditions have deteriorated since the UN pulled peacekeeping forces out of Haiti in 2017, with violence escalating since the July murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moise and the August earthquake, both of which further shredded the economy.

Kidnappings and murders have increased 300 percent in the past month, Vanderpool said, with numerous gangs operating with heavy weaponry including machine guns. Thousands are being kidnapped.

“Haiti unfortunately is in complete chaos, and unless there’s some kind of foreign intervention, I don’t see that Haiti is going to survive this particular problem,” Vanderpool said. “It would just be complete anarchy, which is pretty much what we have now.”

Norris looks forward to a day when U.S. mission groups can return to Haiti in relative safety.

“Right now, with the civil and political unrest, and the kidnapping,” Norris said, “I would recommend that those that are there continue to be there, but work safely, as safely as possible. But we haven’t been able to take any others since then (February 2019). … My hopes are that things will settle down and we can start taking teams again.”

Prayer is the main weapon keeping missionaries safe now in Haiti, Norris said, as well as restrictions in travel and visibility.

“We as Americans, we stand out everywhere we go because of the color of our skin,” Norris said. “People can point to us a lot quicker than they can a Haitian staff member.”

The greatest tragedy Vanderpool sees is that children and the poor will suffer the most, not getting the education, food and medical care only available through volunteer missions.

“We need prayers. The answer to this is the love of Jesus Christ. He’s in control. The enemy is definitely exerting its power down here,” Vanderpool said, “but the power of Jesus is definitely what is needed here, and when that happens peace will reign.”