Associated Baptist Press
January 8, 2009 · (09-3)
David Wilkinson, Executive Director
Robert Marus, Managing Editor/Washington Bureau Chief
Bob Allen, Senior Writer
In this issue
Rick Warren says domestic violence is no excuse for divorce (794 words)
Baptist groups send aid to Gaza victims (667 words)
CBF worker's ministry provides refuge for teens in tough Miami neighborhood (689 words)
Opinion: Holy longings (793 words)
Rick Warren says domestic violence is no excuse for divorce
By Bob Allen (794 words)
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (ABP) -- Rick Warren, the Southern Baptist megachurch pastor chosen to offer the invocation at President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration, says the Bible does not permit a woman to divorce a spouse who is abusing her.
In audio clips on his Saddleback Church website, the Purpose Driven Life author says the Bible condones divorce for only two reasons -- adultery and abandonment.
"I wish there were a third in Scripture, having been involved as a pastor with situations of abuse," Warren said. "There is something in me that wishes there were a Bible verse that says, 'If they abuse you in this-and-such kind of way, then you have a right to leave them.'"
Warren said his church's counseling ministry advises separation and counseling instead of divorce in abusive marriages, because it's the only path toward healing. "There's an abusive cycle that's been set up," he said. "Separation combined with counseling has been proven to provide healing in people's lives."
Warren said there's nothing in the Bible that says a spouse must tolerate abuse. "There's nowhere in the Bible that says it's an attitude of submission to let somebody abuse you," he said. "That is not submission. So we recommend very strongly separation."
He defined what he meant by physical abuse.
"When I say physical abuse, I mean literally somebody is beating you regularly," he said. "I don't mean they grab you once. I mean they've made a habit of beating you regularly. You need to separate in that situation, because that's the only thing that's going to solve that."
Obama's invitation to Warren has been criticized from the left because of his opposition to gay marriage and from the right for giving the president-elect credibility with religious conservatives.
But recently his views on domestic violence caught the attention of Because It Matters, a blog by a lifelong Baptist and abuse survivor who uses the pseudonym Danni Moss to give anonymity to her children, family and former in-laws.
Moss said Warren's commentary "expresses a distinct lack of understanding about the nature, heart and spiritual roots of abuse."
"I think he believes he is doing right and doesn't realize his ignorance or how much he is hurting people, so this is offered without personal judgment," she said. "But I also believe categorically that it is dangerous."
A women's-rights blog called The New Agenda called Warren's views "alarming," especially in light of recent statistics showing a 42 percent rise in reports of domestic violence from 2005 to 2007.
"Warren's views give abusive spouses one more tool to control their victims: the Bible," the blog said. The New Agenda said Warren's teaching "undermines the resolve of women who are debating ending an abusive marriage" and "omits mention of contacting the police, seeking medical attention or obtaining legal assistance to secure orders of protection for yourself and your children."
Warren said God does not hold people accountable if they were divorced before they became a believer in Christ.
"Of course not," he said. "You didn't know. He doesn't hold us accountable for what we don't know."
On the other hand, he continued: "Some of you were divorced after you became a believer, and as you look back on it now you say, 'I told myself it was for a right reason, but now I realize it was more my selfishness than anything else.' You have the maturity to admit that."
Warren also fielded a question about whether a Christian spouse should remain in a "miserable" marriage.
"God sees you as one, and the Bible says they become one, and so the answer, the Bible answer, is yes," Warren said.
"I often say to people when they're facing this decision, really, you're choosing your pain in this moment, because it's going to be painful either way," he said. "If you stay in the marriage there is the opportunity for reconciliation and for the loss of pain, but there is going to be short-term pain on the way there. There's no way to not have pain."
Warren said there is an "immediate feeling of freedom" after a divorce -- but in the long run, "there is lifelong pain in divorce."
"Does God expect me just to live with this pain?" he asked. "No, I think he expects us to ask him for wisdom to do the things that would cause the pain to begin to be solved. He says we're one and as Christians, as believers, the Bible says a husband is to sacrifice for his wife and the wife is to respect her husband."
"So if that's not happening," he said, "I think you have not only the right but also the responsibility to keep pushing for that, to not just settle for the pain."
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
Baptist groups send aid to Gaza victims
By Bob Allen (667 words)
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) -- A three-member medical team from Hungarian Baptist Aid is in Egypt, helping both Palestinians and Israelis affected by the current Gaza crisis.
Baptist World Aid, the relief-and-development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, gave an initial grant of $10,000 for medical treatment of people who have fled the fighting, in its 13th day as of press time Jan. 8. Other planned relief projects include counseling and relief programs in the heavily bombed Israeli city of Sderot, said BWAid Director Paul Montacute.
The BWAid Rescue24 team, operated by Hungarian Baptist Aid, arrived in Cairo Dec. 31. The team expects to relocate to the Egyptian city of El Arish, about 25 miles from the Gaza border.
After receiving permission from Egyptian authorities Jan. 1, the team visited Palestinians recovering in Cairo's Nasser Hospital.
"I played on the street when suddenly bombs began to fall," said 13-year-old Attala Abid, who has a severely injured leg. He was one of 79 injured Palestinians who managed to get through the Egyptian-Palestinian border at Rafah as of Jan. 1.
The doctors, who are also qualified as anesthesiologists, took part in a skull operation. In addition to meeting medical needs of Palestinians, the group also is looking to give Israeli children opportunities to dwell in Hungary as guests of the organization.
Church World Service, a cooperative ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican communions affiliated with the World Council of Churches, launched an emergency response including humanitarian relief, protection for refugees displaced by attacks and an appeal for donations from the United States.
The group also mobilized its Speak Out advocacy program to urge members of Congress to seek an immediate cease-fire, address the humanitarian situation and renew talks aimed at achieving a "durable peace" between Israel and Palestine.
Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, a Church World Service member, called on both sides in the conflict to "break this cycle of ongoing violence" and urged the United States "to join with other nations in a new mediating role in the search for a just and lasting peace in the area."
"The issues that continually roil this region are complex and they shall never be resolved through armed force," Medley said in a press statement. "The welfare of each is linked to the welfare of the other.... Only sustained diplomatic efforts which acknowledge the human rights of the other can provide the possibility of peace."
BMS World Mission -- British Baptists' global-missions arm -- gave $10,000 to local partner Bethlehem Bible College, which is caring for some students from Gaza who had to leave their homes due to difficulty even prior to the current humanitarian crisis.
Gordon McBain, BMS World Mission regional secretary for the Middle East and North Africa, described the situation in Gaza and the south of Israel as "dreadful" and called on Christians to pray for an end to the violence.
"I believe that as Christians there is much that we can do to help alleviate the suffering that has become an everyday event," he said.
Last year BMS World Mission formalized partnerships with Baptist groups in both Israel and Palestine. "These are groups who are trying to bring about change through peaceful methods rather than through bombs and tanks," McBain said. "Christians there are using the power of prayer, dialogue and social care to change things for the better."
Bader Mansour, secretary of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel, said Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel want to show grief and solidarity with fellow Palestinians suffering in Gaza, while also abiding by the law. Most Israelis strongly support the attack on Gaza.
"It is very hard being an Arab in Israel these days with the polarization and the very different attitude of Arabs and Jews toward the war," Mansour said. "Please pray for the light of Christ to shine on the Palestinians and Israelis. Both need Christ badly."
Donations to the Gaza crisis relief effort may be made to the Baptist World Aid Emergency Response Fund.
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
CBF worker's ministry provides refuge for teens in tough Miami neighborhood
By Carla Wynn Davis (689 words)
MIAMI (ABP) -- When the other youth are leaving Touching Miami with Love's ministry center, Kevin often lingers to talk with Christy Craddock, one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's field personnel serving at this CBF-supported urban ministry.
Over several months they've talked about life and how painful it's been for this 12-year-old, whose mother died and whose father is in prison for killing her.
In an art class, Kevin drew a picture of a flower blooming from pieces of a broken heart. Craddock asked him what the picture meant. He said that even out of sadness and pain, something beautiful can grow.
In the Miami neighborhood of Overtown, one of the poorest areas in Florida, youth flock the Touching Miami with Love (TML) after-school program for its activities and to spend time with adults, such as Craddock, who care about them. It's a bright spot in lives surrounded by drugs, crime and violence. Many of the teens live in substandard housing and attend failing public schools with high dropout rates. Yet they come to TML for something different.
"I am seeing young people make choices to follow Christ," said Craddock, a native of Lexington, Ky. "They are choosing not to get caught up in the crime, violence, drug dealing, and promiscuity around them. Instead, they are choosing to open their hearts up to God and to allow God to mold their lives."
Teens aren't the only ones molded by this life-changing ministry. During a summer serving at TML in 2001, Craddock felt God calling her to ministry and social work. After earning degrees in both fields from Baylor University, including CBF partner Truett Theological Seminary, Craddock returned to TML in 2007 to serve through CBF in a two-year assignment.
As the ministry's director of youth programs, Craddock is able to live her call to work with at-risk urban youth.
"God has given me a heart to reach out to and care for teens struggling amid difficult circumstances," she said. "As I have built relationships with the youth over this past year, I am beginning to see several of the youth truly open up and share their lives with me."
Their stories reveal the challenges many Overtown teenagers face. Their family was robbed and needs help. Their family is homeless and living in a shelter. Drug dealers ask them to make deliveries.
Two girls recently came to Craddock with news that their friend had been shot and killed. She talked with them about the emotions of losing a friend, and at the end of the conversation they prayed.
"After the girls left my office, I thought to myself, 'This is why I moved to Miami,'" Craddock said. "'I moved here to be with young people as they deal with life's struggles. I don't have all the answers and I can't fix their problems. But, I can offer them love, encouragement, and I can share with them that there is a God who knows their struggles and who longs to heal their hurts.'"
As vital as the youth ministry is, it couldn't happen without support from CBF partner churches that sponsor the after-school program, special events, field trips and more. University Baptist Church in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables and Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Beaver Dam, Ky., have been significant supporters. But there's always need and room for more churches to become involved, whether it's mentoring youth or hosting special events or field trips.
"Our youth need adult role models who can pour into their lives," said Craddock.
Through CBF's Offering for Global Missions, TML receives funding for several staff members, including Craddock. Without financial gifts to the offering, which support many CBF field personnel, Craddock would be unable to live in Miami and serve among youth whose lives can be so significantly influenced through the presence of Christ.
"Without the funds from the Offering for Global Missions, I would not be able to spend my days working with youth in Overtown," Craddock said. "It is an honor for me to work with [these] young people. Even in the midst of sadness and despair, truly something beautiful can grow."
Carla Wynn Davis is a writer for CBF Communications.
Opinion: Holy longings
By David Gushee (793 words)
(ABP) -- For both professional and personal reasons, I am returning this year to an engagement with the best Christian theological reflection that I can find.
Professionally, I am attempting to seed the ground for the completion of a long-delayed book on the sacredness of human life. I also want to read with my students here at McAfee School of Theology in some of these great theological works.
Personally, I feel the need for a time of refreshment after three years spent mainly in bitter fights over Christian political engagement on such issues as climate change and human rights.
Inevitably, I will continue to be engaged with such issues and with the broader question of how America's Christian people ought to approach the public square. I have reasons for hope that -- at least on some issues many of us have been pursuing, such as the government's treatment of terror detainees -- positive change will soon be coming. While working toward these goals, though, I need to return to the sources of the faith that has motivated me to pursue them.
Here the personal and the professional converge. I believe that what Christians need right now more than anything else is not another day spent reading the newspaper, trolling the Web, or watching the latest political news. I think we need a deeper engagement with Scripture and with our ancient theological resources -- for only that kind of return to the sources can draw us nearer to God and prepare us to say a public word that is something other than merely ephemeral, reactive, ideological, or partisan.
To that end, I want to tell you about an extraordinary ancient-postmodern book that I am reading. It is A Theology of Public Life, by Christian theologian Charles Mathewes, a youngish scholar who teaches at the University of Virginia. It is a new day when an Augustinian scholar like Mathewes can do this kind of robustly orthodox and theological kind of work at a place like Virginia, long a deeply secular university.
Reading A Theology of Public Life is like drinking theology from a fire hydrant. It is so much more thirst-quenching than what passes for theological reflection in most Christian circles that it really ought to be named something different. Probably this space will find me revisiting this book every now and again reflecting on key insights.
Today I will linger just a bit over Mathewes' treatment of the concept of human longing.
Following Augustine's lead, Mathewes argues that human life involves a "pilgrimage of our affections" in which we learn how to cultivate the proper disposition toward God, others, self, and the world. Discerning what that disposition should look like involves a prior reading of reality, of the situation facing humans in the world.
Augustine argued that human beings are characterized by their desires, or longings. These longings are rooted in our "persistent lacks," says Mathewes -- those aspects of our being that always ache for a fulfillment beyond ourselves.
Augustine, of course, became famous for writing that this basic human restlessness could only be fulfilled in God. But even the extent of that fulfillment possible here in this broken world leaves us longing for a future consummation of all things in which at last we and all the world find wholeness and rest rather than fragments and failure and further longing. Only God can and will bring about that consummation.
The ancient Stoic philosophers, and certain others, have taught that the urgency and pain of unfulfilled longing is so intense that the better part of wisdom is to seek to self-cauterize all longing. But Augustine called for us to continue longing while cultivating patience, endurance, and watchful waiting as those longings remain mainly out of reach. He reminds Christians not to fall prey to idols, which are essentially ways humans come up with to try to satisfy or distract ourselves from our ultimate longings. He said that "the whole life of a good Christian is a holy longing."
This longing -- for God, God's reign, Christ's return, the triumph of good over evil -- keeps us from complacency or a premature sense of satisfaction with a self and world whose brokenness must never be accepted.
No human good or human achievement is ever complete, final or perfect. Every human person or project that we hope will meet our longings always comes up short. Recognition of these hard truths enables us not to deify any politician or party, or overload a spouse with impossible expectations, or think that another trip to the mall will finally bring us the happiness we seek. Such apparently esoteric theological insights are actually essential to a proper Christian posture to such this-worldly pursuits as marriage, business, and politics.
-- David Gushee is distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University.
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