Associated Baptist Press - 11/25/2008

Associated Baptist Press
November 25, 2008 · (08-115)

David Wilkinson, Executive Director
Robert Marus, Acting Managing Editor/Washington Bureau Chief
Bob Allen, Senior Writer

In this issue
Global downturn necessitates redoubling of U.S. anti-poverty efforts, report says (807 words)
Central Seminary launches capital campaign (515 words)
Christian children's service groups unite to expand ministry reach (451 words)
Historical Anabaptist writings to be available online (438 words)
Opinion: Discipline as a form of care (850 words)

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Global downturn necessitates redoubling of U.S. anti-poverty efforts, report says
By Robert Marus

WASHINGTON (ABP) -- The global financial crisis makes it even more urgent that the United States not only take care of its own economy, but also redouble efforts to aid the world's poorest, according to a new report and several development experts.

The 2009 edition of the Christian anti-poverty group Bread for the World's annual hunger report was released at a Nov. 24 press conference in Washington. It calls for the government to streamline international development efforts through renewed focus and a series of reforms -- despite, and because of, the international economic downturn.

"At a time like this, we ought to use our foreign assistance effectively, and we ought to distribute more of our aid to struggling families around the world who are trying to overcome hunger and poverty," said Bread for the World President David Beckmann. "This crisis has been a huge setback in the world's progress against hunger, poverty and disease."

Beckmann said massive increases in the cost of basic food items in many places around the globe have driven approximately 100 million more people into extreme poverty in the last two years. The report estimates 75 million more people are malnourished than two years ago.

Beckmann said the U.S. should not use its own economic woes as a reason to cut back on foreign aid.

"As Americans gather around their Thanksgiving tables this year, we still have a lot to be thankful for," Beckmann told reporters. "And it would just be wrong for us to be so preoccupied with our own problems that we forget the nearly billion people in the world who do not get enough to eat."

The report calls for several reforms in the way U.S. development and aid work is conducted, including:

-- Elevating development and poverty reduction "as specific goals in U.S. foreign policy, distinguished from political, military and security goals, with distinct and secure funding."

-- Coordinating development assistance with recipient nations "to meet their long-term development goals and focus on outcomes with measurable goals and objectives."

-- Maintaining civilian leadership in U.S. development-assistance efforts, with the U.S. military's role "limited to its operational strengths in logistics and stabilization."

-- Creating one "effective, streamlined agency" to channel all U.S. development assistance, now spread across 12 Cabinet departments and dozens of federal agencies and offices.

"We need to have a consolidated agency that is separate from AID," said Peter McPherson, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, referring to the U.S. Agency for International Development. McPherson was the agency's administrator during the Reagan administration.

"President-elect Obama seems to be receptive to these ideas, and a number of people on the Hill seem to be receptive as well," McPherson added. "But our community, broadly speaking, has to be engaged or otherwise this will slip off the table."

The speakers expressed optimism that Obama's likely choices for foreign-aid-related Cabinet positions -- including former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) as secretary of state -- would be positive for international development.

Beckmann noted that Obama was the lead sponsor of the Global Poverty Act in the Senate, and that Clinton and other high-level Obama lieutenants -- including Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner and Vice-President-elect Joe Biden -- have track records of support for global development assistance.

Other experts agreed cautioned that it is important not only to increase assistance funding -- the U.S. spends a far smaller percentage of its gross domestic product on aid than other industrialized nations -- but also to make aid better targeted and more efficient.

"The Bush administration has increased assistance to Africa and foreign assistance in general, but I think what we want to talk about is the effectiveness of our foreign assistance in terms of development and growth," said Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services.

Beckmann said polls show that the majority of voters want to increase the aid the U.S. provides to the world's poor.

"Their main motive is humanitarian," he said. "People know that people on the other side of the world are desperately poor, and so that if Americans think that they can really help they are willing to help."

Beckmann said another motive is national security, because American know after 9/11 that misery in far-off places can breed terrorism at home.

Beckmann said the food and economic crises will only increase instability in the world if not addressed properly. "We've seen economic progress in many poor countries -- and then suddenly a disappointment," he said. "That's an explosive situation."

Several Baptist organizations -- the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Baptist World Aid -- co-sponsored the report along with several other Christian denominational and parachurch groups. The report includes a Bible study guide for church groups to use in exploring what Scripture has to say about hunger and caring for the poor.

Robert Marus is acting managing editor and Washington bureau chief of Associated Baptist Press.

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Central Seminary launches capital campaign
By Bob Allen

SHAWNEE, Kan. (ABP) -- Directors of Central Baptist Theological Seminary have signed off on an $8 million capital campaign to upgrade the school's new campus and build its endowment.

Meeting Nov. 13-14, Central's board of directors gave official approval to a campaign titled "Cultivating Excellence" and a site plan for 10 acres of property in Shawnee, Kan., purchased by the seminary in July 2006.

The seminary sold its previous 84-year-old campus in 2005 to reduce maintenance costs that were eating into endowment funds. That year also saw a workforce reduction in faculty and staff prompted by longstanding financial concerns.

The board lifted its declaration of financial exigency in November 2007. At their November meeting this year, board members indicated that they glimpsed brighter days ahead for the seminary.

"This is the most exciting new horizon at Central that I have experienced," board chairperson Phil Love said. "We sensed God's presence as we identified shared values for the design planning process. Now, we are moving forward prayerfully as we seek to match the development of the campus to the seminary's mission."

A recent property analysis estimated that the value of the seminary's property had increased 35 percent in a little more than two years, from $3.1 million to $4.2 million. The site offers opportunities for future development, both for the seminary and economic and commercial development, further brightening prospects for long-term asset growth.

In July Central received its largest gift in history -- $2.2 million from a St. Louis area church that disbanded and sold its property to a developer and desired to donate a portion of the proceeds toward the preparation of ministers through Central Seminary.

About half of the goal of the capital campaign -- $4.1 million -- has already been donated or pledged.

The fund-raising campaign focuses on three areas. The first is renovation of the current building to upgrade classroom space and offices and to create a state-of-the-art theological library with resources related to congregational health and an area focused on global Christianity.

The second includes a new stand-alone chapel to be used for worship both by the seminary community and a new church plant, The Journey Church, which meets on campus. Wallace Smith, former associate minister at First Baptist Church in Indianapolis for more than 10 years, moved with his family to Shawnee earlier this year to start the church, which is supported by both American Baptist Churches of the Central Region and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Finally, the campaign seeks to build the seminary's endowment.

"We sense the presence and leadership of the Spirit of God as we move towards these new horizons," said Molly Marshall, who took over as president of Central Seminary Jan. 1, 2005. "The board recognizes the renewal Central is experiencing and commended faculty, staff and students for their investment of commitment and energy."

Along with its main campus in the Kansas City area, Central also has centers in Milwaukee and in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Founded in 1901, the seminary is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, U.S.A., and in full support of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press

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Christian children's service groups unite to expand ministry reach
By Bob Allen

DALLAS (ABP) -- Dallas-based Buckner Children and Family Services announced Nov. 21 it will affiliate starting Jan. 1 with Dillon International, Inc., a Christian non-profit agency in Tulsa, Okla., that specializes in international adoption services.

Leaders said the arrangement, which gives Dillon International responsibility for managing adoption programs for both organizations, will expand the ministry reach of both groups.

"This immediately doubles our capacity for placing children and offers the potential of exponential expansion and growth," Buckner Children & Family Services President Albert Reyes said.

The affiliation opens five new countries to Buckner, which has placed more than 4,000 children in homes since its first adoption in 1884 and began international adoptions in 1995. It also expands the reach of Dillon International, which currently has adoption and humanitarian ministries in South Korea, China, India, Haiti and Vietnam into Ethiopia and Russia.

"Jerry and I have had close ties to this wonderful Christian organization for many years, and their global ministry is very compatible with ours," said Deniese Dillon, who co-founded Dillon International with her husband in 1972. Originally started to meet the needs of homeless Korean orphans, Dillon has placed more than 5,500 children from developing countries with families in the United States.

Ken Hall, president and CEO of Buckner International, said joining forces "marries Dillon's outstanding reputation in the international adoption field with Bucker International's global reputation for humanitarian aid work among orphans and at-risk children."

"Together, we will be able to serve children and families in so many ways," Hall said.

The agreement, approved unanimously Friday by Buckner trustees after an earlier unanimous vote by the Dillon board, places all Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services international and domestic adoption programs under the Dillon brand. It is not a merger, however. Buckner will continue to oversee adoptions by Dillon. Buckner's other ministries are not affected, and no change is anticipated in the size of Buckner's staff.

An FAQ section on the Dillon website said adoption services will operate under the Dillon name, because the organization operates in seven states and has widespread brand recognition nationally in the field of international adoptions. Buckner will be the parent organization, but Dillon will be the primary name for adoption services starting Jan. 1.

Dillon will continue to be headquartered in Tulsa and maintain its regional offices in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

Reyes said he is "thrilled" about the affiliation. "There is no more respected name among Christian adoption agencies than Dillon International," he said. "They are internationally known for their ability to serve families and the heart with which they do it. By working together, we will now be able to help more Christian families to build their family through the miracle of adoption."

Buckner spokesperson Russ Dilday called it "a major move in the Christian adoption world."

Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.

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Historic Anabaptist writings to be available online
By Bob Allen

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (ABP) -- Writings of Balthasar Hubmaier, one of the most well known and respected Anabaptist theologians of the Reformation, will soon be available for online research, thanks to a project of European Baptist scholars.

The Institute of Baptist and Anabaptist Studies at International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic, and the German Baptist Seminary in Berlin recently announced that photographic reproductions of all of Hubmaier's surviving works would be scanned into digital images and made available on the Internet.

IBTS Rector Keith Jones called it a long-term project likely to take six months to a year to digitize the more than 30 short and long pamphlets that together amount to about 800 images.

The only Anabaptist theologian to complete theological studies leading to a doctor's degree, Hubmaier is credited with winning many converts to the movement through his preaching and writing.

Original 16th-century prints of his writings are scattered throughout libraries all over Europe. Few copies survived 500 years of history that included systematic suppression of the Anabaptist movement during the 16th and 17th centuries and the destruction of World War II. Photographic images of the originals were produced in the 1930s by an initiative of the Baptist World Alliance.

The scholars expect the digital edition to generate enthusiasm among Anabaptist and Baptist historians and hope it will give new impetus to research on Hubmaier and early Anabaptists.

Born about 1480 near Augsburg, Germany, Hubmaier became a Protestant influenced by writings of Martin Luther. He is best known for a public debate with Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli over infant baptism in 1525.

He was baptized on Easter in 1525 as an adherent of a movement nicknamed "Anabaptists" -- or rebaptizers -- by its opponents. Attempts to suppress the movement by persecution -- which included death by drowning in a cruel parody of its beliefs -- backfired, as those killed were considered martyrs by their followers.

Imprisoned and tortured in Zurich, Hubmaier fled to Moravia, where he founded an influential Anabaptist congregation in Nikolsburg in 1526.

He produced more tracts -- 18 in one year --- than any other Anabaptist theologian. Most dealt with believer's baptism.

Arrested by Roman Catholic authorities, tortured and tried for heresy, he was burned at the stake in Vienna March 10, 1528. Three days later his wife was drowned in the Danube.

Hubmaier is not considered a major influence on modern Anabaptist heirs like the Mennonites, in large part because he was not an absolute pacifist, but he is held in high esteem among many Baptists for his views on baptism, free will and the separation of church and state.

Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.

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Opinion: Discipline as a form of care
By Beth Newman

(ABP) -- Not too long ago, someone shared with me an instance of attempted church discipline. A pastor, on his own initiative, had approached a church member who had left her family to pursue a relationship with her "soulmate." The pastor was informed in no uncertain terms that this private matter was no business of his or of the church.

I must admit to admiring the pastor's sense of his duty, but the story left me wondering whether church discipline has any place within the lives of the people called Baptists. It seems to fly in the face of much that we hold dear, such as the freedom of the individual conscience, not to mention the "priesthood of all believers."

More generally, most of us are instinctively hesitant to stand in judgment over one another. At least one Bible verse that is quoted by Christian and non-believer alike is "Judge not, that you be not judged," (Matt. 7:1). Furthermore, if "church discipline" conjures any sort of picture for a lot of us, it would be that of Hawthorne's Hester Prynne, the scarlet letter "A" emblazoned across her bosom, shunned by all around her.

From this perspective, church discipline seems to go hand-in-hand with self-righteousness. "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matt. 7:2)

Many of our Baptist ancestors, however, appeared to have no such qualms. Rather, they saw church discipline as ultimately redemptive. A Summary of Church Discipline, adopted in 1773 by the Charleston (S.C.) Baptist Association (later published in Wilmington, N.C. and Richmond, Va.), provides a particularly vivid example.

A pertinent section of the summary is titled, "Of Church Censures," and discusses three levels of church discipline: rebuke, suspension and excommunication. The rebuke is for a lesser offense: for example, when someone "exposes to others the infirmities of a brother." An example of an action calling for suspension would be when a congregant is a busy "tattler and backbiter," or "when he broaches unsound, heretical principles." And excommunication (done in phases) is reserved for "notorious and atrocious crimes."

The point of excommunication is restoration. All censures "must be administered in love and tenderness." If an offender, "even of the highest rank," gives clear evidence of evangelical repentance, then he or she should "by no means be excommunicated."

Such discipline no doubt sounds harsh to us, but this is due to the contemporary tendency to see discipline primarily as negative. Such a perspective blinds us to the fact that we are being disciplined every day of our lives. My children, for example -- especially when they watch TV -- are being trained to want the latest video games or to desire to look like the actresses on their favorite shows. This is not only true of children. Adults are trained to avoid "wasting time," or to see politics as essentially what the government does.

The question is not whether we are being disciplined, but how.

For this reason, I find it fascinating that A Summary of Church Discipline begins with the discipline of worship. The authors make the obvious (but, today, often-forgotten) claim that we do not gather ourselves. Rather, "Christ gathers to himself a people from among all nations." The church is not a voluntary organization, but a called people.

Further, the authors state a gospel church is "not national, but congregational." What separates church discipline from state discipline is, first of all, the determination to worship Christ in all things. The failure to separate church from state stems from idolatry. This is why A Summary can claim that the church is wider than the state, since worship joins the congregation with "the catholic or universal church, [which] considered collectively, forms one complete and glorious body...."

According to A Summary, the discipline of worship begins before members gather, with fasting (we are not told for how long). Worship proper opens with prayer, followed by a sermon, a time of testimony and inquiry (into the work of grace in the congregants' lives, their "soundness of doctrine," the "goodness of their lives"). The worshipers then subscribe to a written covenant "consistent to the Word of God." The service culminates with participation in the Lord's Supper.

James Leo Garrett Jr., in his introduction to a modern reprint of this treatise, relates the desire for a committed, disciplined Baptist church to other renewal movements within the church universal: Roman Catholic monastic communities, and (more recently) the Iona Community in the United Kingdom, the Taizé Community in France and the Church of the Savior in Washington, D.C.

Discipline presupposes a community that is both caring and committed. One might, for example, consider a so-called "intervention" where it is an act of love to confront someone with the consequences of his behavior. This is done not merely to "save" the individual from himself, but to ensure the well-being of the family. The absence of discipline does not speak of a broad-mindedness or generosity of the spirit. It is about an abandonment of responsibility and the failure of love.

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-- Beth Newman is professor of theology and ethics at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.