In the Witness this week

Published March 13, 2008

Iowa Missionaries face gangs in inner-city Des Moines Fort Myers native says neighborhood is both 'great' & 'horrible' Published March 13, 2008: DES MOINES, Iowa (NAMB)—Iowa conjures up images of a Midwestern state of green cornfields, big-time pig and dairy farming, small towns and the fictional setting for wonderful movies like "The Music Man" and "Field of Dreams."
Southern Baptists 6.7 percent of population Population’s protestant majority declining, report says Published March 13, 2008: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Southern Baptists make up nearly 7 percent of the United States adult population, according to a new Pew study that also shows evangelicals outnumbering mainline church members and Catholics.
Florida Baptist leaders evaluate Pew Forum report BARBARA DENMAN Florida Baptist Convention Published March 13, 2008: JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—A widespread study of the American religious landscape conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life should serve as a wake up call for Florida Baptist congregations, said three Florida Baptist Convention church growth specialists.

Opinion

An apology long past due JAMES A. SMITH SR. Executive Editor: An abhorrent part of Florida and American history has never been the subject of a formal apology from the Sunshine State, but an effort is underway in the Legislature to change that and it’s one that deserves the support of all Floridians—especially Florida Baptists.

America’s changing religious landscape R. ALBERT MOHLER JR. www.albertmohler.com: A massive new study of the American religious landscape reveals big changes and powerful trends shaping the future. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life surveyed 35,000 Americans in one of the largest research projects yet undertaken.
What no one had told Sarah about smoking and nicotine addiction MARK KELLY Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission: Sarah took a nervous drag on the cigarette. Everyone laughed when she choked on the smoke—an embarrassment for the 14-year-old. “Hey, it’s my first time,” she said. The second drag went better. And the third. Within moments she was feeling the “buzz.”
Ben Stein on Darwinism: The Imperialism of biology? BEN STEIN www.expelledthemovie.com: It would be taken for granted by any serious historian that any ideology or worldview would partake of the culture in which it grew up and would also be largely influenced by the personality of the writer of the theory.
Prayer in the whirlwind: Building a more perfect Union CHARLES COLSON Breakpoint: Heather Martin, a junior at Union University, was trying to climb into a bathtub for safety when the E4 tornado hit the Union campus in Jackson, Tennessee. It was 7:02 P.M. on February 5. “It sounded like a thousand trains,” she said, describing the funnel cloud that ripped through the school, causing massive damage to all but one campus building.

Florida Baptist leaders evaluate Pew Forum report BARBARA DENMAN Florida Baptist Convention: JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—A widespread study of the American religious landscape conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life should serve as a wake up call for Florida Baptist congregations, said three Florida Baptist Convention church growth specialists.
Annual missions conference has new name, broader focus: JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—Missions opportunities and growth in service for both men and women will be the focus of the 2008 SonShine missions conference April 3-5.
Florida Baptists respond after March 7 tornados in north part of state
National Bivocationals to meet in Graceville
Miami’s Urban Impact Al Fernandez earns NAMB church planting award: ATLANTA, Ga. (NAMB)—Al Fernandez, a church planting missionary in Florida, was one of four church planting missionaries honored during the North American Mission Board’s 2008 Church Planting Missionary/National Missionary Forum in Atlanta, Feb. 27- March 1.

Southern Baptists 6.7 percent of population Population’s protestant majority declining, report says: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Southern Baptists make up nearly 7 percent of the United States adult population, according to a new Pew study that also shows evangelicals outnumbering mainline church members and Catholics.
Obama: Sermon on the Mount supports gay civil unions: NELSONVILLE, Ohio (BP)—Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama defended his belief in same-sex civil unions March 2 by referencing Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and then implicitly criticizing those who view Romans as a binding teaching on homosexuality.
Judge rules no state funds at Baptist Univ.: WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. (BP)—A Baptist university in southeastern Kentucky should not receive $12 million in state funds to launch a new pharmacy school, a circuit court judge in that state has ruled.
‘No right to homeschool,’ California court says ‘If the courts don’t protect parents’ rights then, as elected officials, we will,’ says California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger: LOS ANGELES (BP)—In a decision that has alarmed the homeschooling community nationwide, a California appeals court has ruled parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children and that those parents who do must be credentialed teachers.

Miami Heat’s Wade builds homes in New Orleans: NEW ORLEANS (BP)—When the NBA came to New Orleans for the All-Star break, thousands of eager recovery volunteers came as well.
Dover church breaking cycle of poverty through education in Nicaraguan village of El Tanque: DOVER (FBW)—In a small Nicaraguan village where the streets have no names, a group from First Baptist Church in Dover did their part to divert the cyclical nature of poverty by giving 54 children scholarships to attend school Jan. 23.

Churches look at ways to care for the aged & their caregivers: FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)—Seminary professor Terri Stovall wants churches to “understand the current trends of the aging population that will balloon over the next 50 years, to examine what Scripture says to seniors, families and the church, and to [offer] practical ways to meet the needs associated with the elderly.”

Iowa Missionaries face gangs in inner-city Des Moines Fort Myers native says neighborhood is both 'great' & 'horrible': DES MOINES, Iowa (NAMB)—Iowa conjures up images of a Midwestern state of green cornfields, big-time pig and dairy farming, small towns and the fictional setting for wonderful movies like "The Music Man" and "Field of Dreams."

Divine promise gives hope author says: NASHVILLE, Tenn., (LCR)—The words “accident” and “trauma” take Robert Morgan back to the toughest night of his pastoral career. He recalls the hospital tubes, wires, machines and a waiting room full of teenagers and parents.

March 23: Living 3:16—Alive with Power Ephesians 1:18-21; 2:4-9; 3:16-21: Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.
March 30: Living 3:16—With Passion for Jesus Revelation 1:9-13, 17-18; 3:14-22: Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

March 23: Celebrating the Resurrection John 20:1-9; 15-18; 1 Cor. 15:3-6; 1 Cor. 15:2—22: Mark Rathel is professor of theology at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.
March 30: The Path of Spiritual Renewal Genesis 34-35: Mark Rathel is professor of theology at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

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