Willy Rice Withdraws His Name From Consideration for SBC President

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April 7, 2022

Florida pastor Willy Rice has announced that he will not accept a nomination for president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Rice, who pastors Calvary Church in Clearwater, had come under fire after he revealed that his church knowingly installed a deacon who had “committed a sexual sin that could also be described as abusive.”

In a statement released to Twitter on Wednesday, Rice said, “I am hereby withdrawing my name as a candidate for the SBC Presidency this summer. The last few days have been very difficult and I’ve found myself in an untenable position of watching people I love in a church I love done immeasurable harm simply because my name was being considered for this office.”

“My calling is to my local church, my family and to the mission field God has given me. I wish to return my time and attention to those things,” the statement went on to say, with Rice adding that he hopes “another candidate will emerge whose ministry has been characterized by leading in the local church with a passion for the Great Commission.”

Rice had been an early favorite for the role until April 1, when he released a video statement regarding the deacon at his church with a history of sexually predatory behavior. The deacon had been a high school teacher and coach and had an inappropriate sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student in 2005. No criminal charges were filed.

In his statement, Rice emphasized that the deacon’s sexual misconduct had happened prior to his coming to Calvary Church and that the deacon had shown “genuine fruits of a repentant life” over several years of being at Calvary before taking on the role of deacon. Rice also emphasized that the deacon had never been allowed to serve in ministries involving children or students, and the church has now asked the deacon to step down.

“We’ve learned a great deal about what should be categorized as abusive behavior, and we grieve that we did not recognize some of these things sooner and apologize for our lack of compassion or concern for the victim,” Rice said regarding the church’s previous decision to ordain the deacon.

In the days that followed, a number of influential SBC pastors and church leaders called upon Rice to withdraw from the race for SBC president.

“I am profoundly grateful to the many people who encouraged me and supported me over the last few weeks,” Rice said in the statement announcing his withdrawal from consideration. “Your kindness was far more than I deserve and I regret that I cannot fulfill your hopes for me to serve as SBC President.”

“Willy, you are a good man,” said Land Center director Daniel Darling in response to the statement. “I hate that you had to endure this. Praying for you and your church.”

Texas Pastor Bart Barber Announced As Candidate for SBC President

By

Jonathan Howe

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April 7, 2022

Bart Barber — Original photo courtesy of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

FARMERSVILLE, Texas (BP) – Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference president Matt Henslee announced his intention to nominate Texas pastor Bart Barber for the office of SBC president at the upcoming SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, June 14-15, 2022.

Barber becomes the fourth announced candidate for the office this year but only the third candidate who will be considered by messengers for the position. Florida pastor Willy Rice was announced as a candidate last month but withdrew his candidacy Wednesday (April 6). Other announced candidates include Florida pastor Tom Ascol and Robin Hadaway, senior professor of missions at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Pastor of First Baptist Church, Farmersville, Barber will also serve as the chairman of the Committee on Resolutions at the June meeting – a position he was appointed to by current SBC President Ed Litton who opted not to seek a second term.

“Barber is what Southern Baptists are when they are at their best,” Henslee told Baptist Press in a statement. “As a church, First Baptist Farmersville gives generously through the Cooperative Program and directly supports missionaries and church planters. As a pastor, Barber is actively involved in the local association, state convention, and the national level of the Southern Baptist Convention. He preaches the Word faithfully, reaches the lost passionately, and truly believes Baptists are at their best when they are working together to advance the kingdom.

“Whether I was starting in ministry about 10 miles from him or pastoring churches 600 miles from him, Bart has been a phone call away for counsel or help as I navigated the ups and downs of ministry. Now as his associational missionary and fellow pastor, I have a front-row seat to a man who loves his family well, shepherds his church with care, and still finds time to encourage pastors and promote unity in our Convention.”

In addition to his leadership of the Committee on Resolutions this year, Barber served on the committee in 2021, preached at the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2017, served as first vice president of the SBC from 2013 through 2014, served on the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention executive board from 2008 through 2014 (including serving as chairman and vice chairman), served as a trustee for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 2009 through 2019 and served on the SBC Committee on Committees in 2008. He also previously taught as an adjunct professor at SWBTS from 2006 through 2009.

Gunned Down Seminary Dean Was Trying To Walk to Safety, Friend Says

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Diana Chandler

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April 7, 2022

BUCHA, Ukraine (BP) – Evangelical seminary dean Vitaliy Vinogradov was fleeing Russian occupation of Bucha, attempting to walk 10 miles to safety in Kyiv, when Russian forces killed him and left his body on a local street, a close friend and ministry associate told Baptist Press.

Vinogradov had been missing since March 6 when he left his Bucha home attempting to walk to the office of All Together!, a Christian pro-family ministry in Ukraine where he served as a board member, said All Together! leader Ruslan Kukharchuk.

“It was really dangerous, at the beginning of March, because from the first of March, Bucha was totally occupied by Russian soldiers,” Kukharchuk said. “And almost all people who were trying to escape the city, to go out of city, was under a risk, because Russian soldiers did not allow anybody to move, even just to walk.

“On March 4, Vitaliy called me. He (was) leaving Bucha. He asked, if he were able … if he could walk from Bucha to Kyiv … about 10 miles … to move to our office to stay there, because it was really dangerous to stay in Bucha, which was already occupied by Russian troops,” Kukharchuk told Baptist Press days after Vitaliy’s body was found.

Vinogradov had limited options of walking to Kyiv or finding a car, because he had no personal transportation. He chose to walk, last communicating with friends as he left his home March 6.

“As we understand for now, and as he explained to us before, he was walking to Kyiv to our office to stay there during this occupation period of Bucha,” Kukharchuk said. “But unfortunately during this walk to Kyiv, he was killed and he was shot.”

All Together! had reported him missing March 10 after a lengthy search. Ukraine law enforcement officials found Vinogradov’s body April 1 after Ukraine’s military forced Russia out of the tri-city area of Bucha, Irpin and Gostomil near Kyiv.

His body lay on the street beside that of fellow believer and friend Oleg Grishchenko. Their bodies were among hundreds of tortured bodies found on roads, in parks and in hastily dug mass graves in the tri-city area, Kukharchuk said. The latest official count was 410 civilian casualties.

“This is just typical genocide. They just kill people who live in Ukraine, who are Ukrainian citizens … just because they are Ukrainian people,” Kukharchuk said, urging the foreign community to trust Ukrainians’ revelation that this is indeed genocide. “There is no other reason. When they see a man walking outside, they can just kill him. There is no explanation for that.

“It’s totally impossible to find any reason to explain what is happening right now. It’s a total evil spirit which moves the Russian troops which try to occupy Ukraine, an absolutely peaceful country. We pray for God’s mercy to stop this bloody process.”

Gateway Seminary Graduate’s Journey From Prison to Pastorate

By

Timothy Cockes

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April 7, 2022

Kelvin Aikens Gateway Seminary — Kelvin Aikens (right), pastor of the South Campus of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, shares his testimony in a chapel service at Gateway Seminary. Jeff Iorg (left) is Gateway president and also a member of Aikens' church (photo via Baptist Press).

ONTARIO (Calif.) – For Gateway Seminary graduate Kelvin Aikens, the journey to becoming a pastor involved running an elaborate drug operation, serving two separate multi-year prison sentences and receiving God’s overwhelming grace.

A 2016 graduate of Gateway with a Doctor of Ministry degree, Aikens is now the pastor of the South Campus of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Ontario, Calif. He shared much of his story during a recent chapel service at Gateway.

His miraculous journey includes turning to Christ in prison and eventually surrendering to a call to ministry many years later.

Before his first prison sentence, Aikens was involved with an operation in the ‘70s and ‘80s that produced and distributed illegal drugs, including PCP. There was so much money involved with the operation that Aikens said he began burying money in his mother’s backyard because he “didn’t know what to do with it.”

Aikens was eventually caught, arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. Upon his release, his plan was to continue to sell drugs under a lower profile while helping his wife in her real estate career.

Eventually, both Aikens and his younger brother were found out and arrested on drug-related charges. This time, he received an eight-year sentence.

Before moving to different permanent prison locations, Aikens and his younger brother stayed in the same local county jail.

The first day of their time in prison, Aikens describes the scene of his brother lying on the floor crying and repenting to God. His brother had become a Christian during his first prison sentence, but had severely backslidden after his release and once again went the wrong direction in life.

“Initially I was shocked because I’d never seen him like this,” Aikens told Baptist Press.

“Eventually I found myself on the floor with him, and I accepted Christ right in that moment. I was telling people in prison I was happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I had a peace above peace and a joy above joy.”

The two brothers spent their few months in the county jail reading and studying the Bible for eight to 10 hours a day.

Even the guards noticed the peace within the two, and would move the brothers around to other cells that were causing trouble in the jail.

“Before you know it everybody in the cell was studying the Bible with us,” Aikens said. “They moved us at least three times, and for those months that was one of the richest times for us.

“When I read the Bible before it was like a book, but when I would read the Bible after accepting Christ during my second time in prison, it was like the Holy Spirit had opened up my heart to receive what the Word had. During that time God really healed me up.”

After his release from his second stint in prison, Aikens encountered what he referred to as his most difficult time period. He had trouble finding a job because he lacked real work experience. A church friend helped him find a job as a contract worker at a hospital.

Aikens worked hard in various jobs and began going to school. He eventually earned a bachelor’s degree and got a better job. He received nine promotions over the next 10 years.

First Pope, Now US Churches Face Boarding-School Reckoning

By

Peter Smith

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April 7, 2022

As Native Americans cautiously welcome Pope Francis’ historic apology for abuses at Catholic-run boarding schools for Indigenous children in Canada, U.S. churches are bracing for an unprecedented reckoning with their own legacies of operating such schools.

Church schools are likely to feature prominently in a report from the U.S. Department of the Interior, led by the first-ever Native American cabinet secretary, Deb Haaland, due to be released later this month. The report, prompted by last year’s discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential school sites in Canada, will focus on the loss of life and the enduring traumas the U.S. system inflicted on Indigenous children from the 19th to mid-20th centuries.

From Episcopalians to Quakers to Catholic dioceses in Oklahoma, faith groups have either started or intensified efforts in the past year to research and atone for their prior roles in the boarding school system, which Native children were forced to attend — cutting them off from their families, tribes and traditions.

While the pontiff’s April 1 apology was addressed to Indigenous groups from Canada, people were listening south of the border.

“An apology is the best way to start any conversation,” said Roy Callison, a Catholic deacon and Cherokee Nation member helping coordinate the Oklahoma Catholic Native Schools Project, which includes listening sessions for those affected by the boarding school legacy. “That’s the first step to trying to get healing.”

In his meeting with Canada’s Indigenous delegations, Francis asked forgiveness “for the role that a number of Catholics … had in all these things that wounded you, in the abuses you suffered and in the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values.”

Francis “did something really important, which is name the importance of being indignant at this history,” said Maka Black Elk, executive director of truth and healing for Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

That history “is shameful, and it is not something we should accept,” said Black Elk, who is Oglala Lakota.

Red Cloud, affiliated with the Catholic Jesuit order, was for generations a boarding school for Lakota children. It’s now a day school incorporating Lakota leadership, language and traditions. Black Elk is guiding a reckoning process that includes archival research and hearing the stories of former students.

Canada underwent a much-publicized Truth and Reconciliation process in recent years. The issue gained unprecedented attention last year after a researcher using ground-penetrating radar reported finding about 200 unmarked probable burial sites at a former school in British Columbia.

That discovery, followed by others across Canada, prompted Haaland to commission her department’s report.

“This history in the United States has not been addressed in the same way it has been addressed in Canada,” Black Elk said. The Interior report “will be an important first step about the work that needs to happen in this country.”

Church leaders are getting ready. The report “will likely bring to light some very troubling information,” said a letter circulated last fall to members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from two colleagues who chaired committees related to the issue. The letter urged bishops to build relationships with local Indigenous communities and engage “in a real and honest dialogue about reactions to the report and what steps are needed to go forward together.”

Conditions varied at boarding schools in the United States, with some described as unsafe, unsanitary and scenes of physical or sexual abuse. Other former students recall their school years as positive times of learning, friendship and extracurricular activities.

Indigenous groups note that even the better schools were part of a project to assimilate children into a predominately white, Christian society and break down their tribal identities, customs and languages — what many Indigenous groups call a cultural genocide.

“The very process of boarding schools is violent and damaging,” said Bryan Rindfleisch, an expert in Native American history at Marquette University who is helping Catholics in Oklahoma research their school legacy.

More Than $90 Million Missing From AME Pension Funds, Claim Class-Action Lawsuits

By

Bob Smietana

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April 7, 2022

AME pension — The African Methodist Episcopal Church's annuity investment department location in Memphis, Tennessee. Image courtesy of Google Maps

(RNS) — Retired African Methodist Episcopal Church pastors have filed at least three federal class-action lawsuits alleging the church mishandled tens of millions of dollars in pension funds.

Last month, AME leaders stopped making payments to retirees after discovering alleged financial irregularities in the church’s pension fund.

According to a lawsuit filed in the Southern Division of the United States District Court of Maryland, the former leader of the church’s Department of Retirement Services “invested Plan assets in imprudent, extraordinarily risky investments that ultimately lost nearly $100 million of Plan participants’ retirement savings.”

Church officials allegedly gave sole authority over the pension fund to the former head of retirement services for the AME with little or no oversight, according to the lawsuit. That led to investments in the purchase of Florida land, a loan to a solar panel installer and investment “in a now non-existent capital venture outlet.”

The lawsuit alleges church officials have admitted the pension plan — which was valued at $126 million in June 2021 — has lost at least $90 million and that “no one connected with the Church” knew where the money had gone, except for the former head of retirement services.

The suit was filed on behalf of the Rev. Cedric Alexander, a retired pastor from Maryland, and names the former head of retirement services, the trustees of the retirement fund, the AME and its bishops, among others. Alexander is one of thousands of retired clergy and church workers affected by the pension plan crisis.

William Alvarado Rivera. Photo via AARP Foundation

“As a result of the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s gross financial mishandling, nearly 5,000 pastors, church elders, and other employees find themselves contemplating a future without the retirement funds they were depending on,” said William Alvarado Rivera, senior vice president of litigation at AARP Foundation, which is helping represent Alexander, in a statement this week.

In an interview, Rivera said the AARP Foundation has long been concerned about church pension plans, as many of them are not covered by federal legislation known as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, which covers most pension plans in the United States. The foundation is currently suing a Catholic diocese in New York over its pension plan.

Rivera said the focus of the lawsuit is the well-being of AME church retirees, many of whom rely on their church pension to pay their bills.

“Our focus is very much on making sure that the pension and retirement plan beneficiaries are made whole,” he said.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in Tennessee and Virginia.

In an update published in late March, AME church officials said they became aware of problems with the church pension plan after a leadership transition in 2021 revealed “possible financial irregularities.”

The God of Surprises

By

Melissa Edgington

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April 7, 2022

Here I sit again, on my couch, writing in a little series of starts and stops. As I type, a tiny brown-eyed three month old sleeps at my elbow. The noisy breathing that she was born with became the soundtrack of my life when we took her in three weeks ago; in fact, dotted among the many kid activities scribbled onto my calendar are doctors’ appointments for this little one who isn’t big enough to even begin registering on the growth charts yet. She is a charming baby, mesmerizing most everyone who meets her with her big smiles and her love of conversation. When she starts talking one of these days, I predict she will fill the empty air with all kinds of observations and ideas. She’s a social baby. She’s too precious to even really describe with mere words.

I find myself playing a surprising role in her life. Surprising may not be the word: shocking feels more accurate. Three weeks ago, the two of us had no idea the other existed. I was in an interesting place in my life—that place where kids get older and life suddenly feels strangely easy. Motherhood shifts and changes, and moms have no choice but to ride each wave of change as it comes, accepting all of the phases, adjusting to new ways of relating to our kids, relating to our husbands, relating to the world. I was in a comfortable place.

I learned that this little one’s mother was going to prison on a Tuesday night at 10:30. By the next evening we had a baby living under our roof for the first time in almost ten years. This is the kind of adventure that sort of tumbles into your world without warning, and I wondered if I could remember how this goes, if the skills I had honed with my own children would come back to me. Surprise: they did. I feel like I’m 27 year old me, waking up at night with an infant, interpreting the cries, changing the diapers, making the bottles. Only I’m 44 year old me with a 17 year old and gray hair. And that is quite a different story.

One of my favorite things about knowing the Lord is the way He surprises me. I don’t know if we often think about God as surprising. We think of Him as mysterious maybe, somewhat enigmatic. But the truth is that the element of surprise is one of God’s specialties. In this moment of my life I feel like I can begin to identify with Moses at the burning bush (“Surprise, Moses! I choose you!”), Paul on the Damascus Road (“Surprise, Paul! I choose you!”), or Abraham standing under a blanket of stars (“Surprise, Abraham! I choose you!”). But maybe I most identify with Sarah in that moment when she was almost 100 and God said, “Surprise, Sarah! You’re getting a baby!” Do you remember what she did when she heard that? She laughed. She laughed out loud at such a notion. Then she denied laughing, but we all know she did, because that’s what you do sometimes when you are over the hill and God hands you a newborn. Trust me. It is.

How Dangerous Is Your Money?

By

Paul David Tripp

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April 7, 2022

Money will either bless you or curse you.

It can be a rescuing blessing in the hands of your Savior. Your desires for and use of money can reveal what is ruling your heart (see James 4:1–3, Deuteronomy 15:10).

Money can also be an invitation to experience blessing by being a blessing. Generosity allows us to respond to others’ physical needs, and as we do, participate in activities that are literally of eternal consequence (see Acts 20:35, Malachi 3:10).

But money can also be spiritually dangerous and should be handled with extreme caution. Here are four reasons why:

1. Money can cause you to forget God. Physical neediness prompts us to cry out to God for help, and in so doing, we remember that we’re spiritually needy. A pastor of a church in an extremely affluent community told me that since his people can spend their way into or out of just about anything, it’s hard for them to think of themselves as spiritually destitute.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

2. Money can change the way you think about you and cause you to look down on others. What’s the difference between a billionaire and a person in poverty? God made both in his image, both are sinners in need of redemption (which cash can’t purchase), and both are reliant upon God for daily breath and sustenance.

So why do those with money often look down on those without? There are too many answers for us to consider here, but generally speaking, money can redefine your identity outside of Christ and stimulate a prideful prejudice that lurks somewhere in the heart of every sinner.

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. (Proverbs 16:8)

3. Money can weaken your resolve to fight temptation. For years, a friend told me that he prided himself on being committed to a simple, God-honoring lifestyle. Then he stumbled into a small fortune, and it quickly revealed that he wasn’t satisfied in God’s glory alone; he was living “content” because he couldn’t afford anything more!

Money can be dangerous because it removes a restraint—affordability. Most of us can’t afford to pursue every desire that pops into our hearts. It’s typically not because we have such a strong commitment to fight temptation and choose instead to live for the Kingdom of God.

Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9)

4. Money can finance your allegiance to the kingdom of self. There is no neutrality when it comes to your finances; what you are doing is worship. I have rarely misused money because I was ignorant or without a budget. No, I dishonored the Lord with my wallet because, at that particular moment, I didn’t care what God or anyone else said. I wanted what I wanted, and if I had the resources to chase it, I did.

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

Now, it must be stated that there is no teaching in Scripture that would lead us to believe that poor people are better off spiritually than others. The Bible also emphasizes the tremendous good that can be done with accumulated wealth.

But in our daily experience with money, the Word of God alerts us to the many dangers that it poses. Our only defense is the powerful grace of the Redeemer. He comes and lives inside of us so that when desire within meets temptation without, we will have just what we need to fight the battle.

God bless,

Paul Tripp

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. When was the last time you asked God for provision or healing for a physical need or ailment? How can this prompt you to cry out to God regarding your spiritual poverty and sickness?

2. Is there someone (or a group of people) you look down on now, regardless of financial reason. What does this prejudice reveal about your spiritual pride?

3. What about this person (or group of people) makes you look down on them? How are you more like them than unlike them?

4. Regardless of your financial position, what rabbit trail of selfish desires have you gone down recently? How did Christ face similar temptation and defeat it on your behalf?

5. How can you steward the money God has entrusted to you—no matter how much—to serve him this week? Get specific in the ways that you can connect financially with the move of the Kingdom of God.

This article originally appeared here on PaulTripp.com.

Controversial, Anti-Gay AZ Pastor and Family Victims of False Shooting Call

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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April 6, 2022

Tempe, Arizona’s Faithful Word Baptist Church’s pastor Steven Anderson claims he was a victim of a false shooting call known as “swatting” this past Sunday.

Anderson started Faithful Word Baptist Church in 2005, a New Testament church of about 300 members aiming to reach the Phoenix area with the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to the church’s website, worshipers should not “expect anything contemporary or liberal. We are an old-fashioned, independent, fundamental, King James Bible only, soul-winning Baptist church.”

Police arrived at Anderson’s house, where it was reported that nine of his eleven children along with his wife were present, after a 9-1-1 call claimed there were multiple bodies at the house resulting from a shooting.

The prank potentially could have resulted in officers shooting one or more of the family members due the nature of the emergency call. Police were shouting at the Anderson family to come out with their hands up while banging on their front door.

Anderson shared that he thought it was his son joking until the pastor heard them say, “Steve, this is the police. The Phoenix police.”

If the person who called in the fake shooting was caught, a “swatting” offense only carries a misdemeanor charge for a first time offender.

A 12 News report shared that Anderson isn’t well perceived by the community due to his anti-homosexual preaching and showed a clip of a sermon where he said, “All homos are pedophiles,” and “No homos will ever be allowed in this church as long as I’m the pastor here.”

Anderson has racked up many viral videos on YouTube for his preaching antics, one of which he called a church member an “idiot” during a church service and kicked him out.

The church is also listed as a hate group on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Hate Map,” along with Alliance Defending Freedom.

In 2014, approximately 100 people peacefully protested outside the church a couple of weeks after Anderson told his congregation, “We can have an AIDS-free world by Christmas” if all gay people were executed. A video of the sermon has sense been removed by YouTube for violating their terms of service.

Chicago Church Is ‘Fasting From Whiteness’ During the Season of Lent

By

Jessica Mouser

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April 6, 2022

A Chicago church is making headlines for its decision to fast from “whiteness” during the season of Lent. First United Church of Oak Park in Oak Park, Ill., says its goal during Lent is to pursue unity in the body of Christ.

“For Lent this year, First United is doing a mix of ‘giving something up’ and ‘taking something on,’” says a post on the church’s website.

In our worship services throughout Lent, we will not be using any music or liturgy written or composed by white people. Our music will be drawn from the African American spirituals tradition, from South African freedom songs, from Native American traditions, and many, many more.

For Lent, it is our prayer that in our spiritual disciplines we may grow as Christians, united in the body of Christ with people of all ages, nations, races, and origins.

Chicago Church Gives Up ‘Whiteness’

First United Church is an affirming church that describes itself as “an open community united in love and justice.” During the Sunday service on April 3, First United Church’s pastor, Rev. John Edgerton, who is white, noted that the church was continuing the “spiritual practice that we are calling ‘fasting from whiteness.’”

Edgerton said, “Now, of course, I am not someone who can change my skin or change the way that my presence as a white person allows me to walk through this nation with much ease. But during this season of Lent, what we are doing is we are choosing to place at the very center of the worship life of this church the voices of Black people, indigenous people and other people of color.”

One of the ways the Chicago church did this during the first Sunday service of Lent on March 6 was by featuring a story for children on the life of congressman John Lewis, a key figure in the civil rights movement. Edgerton’s sermon that morning touched on race as well, focusing on the portion of Genesis 9 that describes Noah getting drunk and passing out naked.

Noah’s son Ham sees his father and tells his brothers, Shem and Japheth, who refuse to look at their father’s nakedness and instead cover him. When Noah wakes, he curses Ham’s son Canaan, saying, “The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” White Christians have at times used this passage to promote the “Curse of Ham” theory, justifying the subjugation and enslavement of Black people.

First Trans ELCA Bishop Facing Calls for Removal Over Allegations of Racism, Bullying

By

Dale Chamberlain

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April 6, 2022

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Fresno, Calif., is calling for the removal of Bishop Megan Rohrer, the first openly trans minister to be ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in light of allegations of racism and manipulative behavior while serving as a pastor, as well as bishop.

Rohrer oversees nearly 200 congregations in Northern California and northern Nevada. Rohrer also has an active YouTube presence, posting weekly prayers and interviews with authors and activists.

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church said that while Rohrer’s being the first transgender bishop to serve in the ELCA “should be cause for great celebration,” Rohrer’s actions are “an embarrassment to the LGBTQIA+ members” of the church, which reports having a membership consisting of more than 50 percent LGBTQIA+ individuals.

In a resolution addressed to “Presiding Bishop of the Church, Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, the Conference of Bishops, and other appropriate bodies within the Church,” Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church alleged that while pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco, Calif., Rohrer circumvented the congregation’s constitution and bylaws, thereby “disenfranchising long-time members.”

According to the resolution, Rohrer allegedly created a new category of voting members in order to pad congregational votes in important decisions, even making four and five-year-old children full voting members of the church. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church went on to sue Rohrer.

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church further alleges that while serving as bishop, Rohrer “‘ecclesiastically lynched’ Pastor Nelson Rabell-Gonzalez of Misión Latina Luterana by defaming his character, questioning his mental stability, painting him as an out of control [person of color] pastor, and denying him due process to defend himself and confront his accusers.”

Misión Latina Luterana is a Spanish-language ministry associated with Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church.

The resolution stated that most of Rabell-Gonzalez’s accusers came from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lodi, Calif., a congregation from which he had allegedly been ousted for his anti-racism work in Lodi. Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church further argued that Rohrer purposely chose the date to fire Rabell to inflict emotional harm—the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an important celebration for Misión Latina Luterana.

In light of these allegations, should Rohrer not be removed, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church has resolved to stop participating in any Synod meetings, activities, or assemblies and will begin the process of severing its relationship with the ELCA should Rohrer be allowed to continue serving as bishop without any disciplinary action. The church is also demanding that Rabell-Gonzalez be reinstated and awarded back pay.

Vatican’s Former Financial Watchdog Said He Had No Oversight of London Realty Deal

By

Claire Giangrave

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April 6, 2022

René Brülhart — René Brülhart talks to the media during a briefing to present the Vatican financial oversight report, at the Vatican, April 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Facing accusations that he failed to prevent a catastrophic real estate deal that prosecutors say cost the Catholic Church $384 million, the former chief of the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency told a judicial tribunal on Tuesday (April 5) that he is innocent.

“I am firmly convinced I have not committed any crime,” said René Brülhart, adding that he “was offended” by the charges against him claiming that he “brought advantage to people I don’t even know.”

Brülhart was president of ASIF, the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority at the Vatican, from 2014 until he resigned in November 2019. He is among 10 defendants at a trial surrounding the purchase of prime real estate in London’s Chelsea district.

The scandal surrounding the Vatican’s real estate deal has brought attention to the role of real estate agents in high-stakes transactions. While it is not yet clear whether any real estate agents were involved in the controversial deal, the case underscores the importance of due diligence and transparency in all real estate transactions. As the trial unfolds, many are calling for greater oversight of the real estate industry to prevent similar scandals from occurring in the future. Ultimately, the outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for the way real estate deals are conducted both within and outside the Vatican.

In 2014, the Vatican’s influential Secretariat of State bought a $219 million minority stake in a fund belonging to Italian financier Raffaele Mincione that owned an apartment complex in Chelsea. The investment quickly proved a money loser for the Vatican due to unexpected legal fees and the discovery of a $120 million debt on the property.

Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Vatican’s sostituto, the equivalent of chief of staff to the powerful secretary of state, attempted to take full ownership of the company soon after being appointed in 2019, only to enter another unfavorable deal with the entrepreneur Gianluigi Torzi that cost the church another $17 million to exit.

Vatican prosecutors have charged Torzi with fraud, extortion and money laundering, and Mincione with fraud, embezzlement and money laundering. Brülhart is charged with abuse of office.

Vatican prosecutors believe Brülhart, responsible during his Vatican tenure for preventing money laundering, should have stopped the deal. But the 47-year-old Swiss lawyer told judges that his agency, then known as AIF, was not commissioned to oversee deals made by the Secretariat of State, saying its main focus was the Institute for Religious Works, known as the Vatican bank.

Brülhart said he held meetings on the London deal with Peña Parra, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Pope Francis. “I always confronted my superiors with transparency,” he said.

Brülhart also said that despite suggesting to the Secretariat of State that it avoid dealing with Torzi, “the Secretariat of State wished to proceed in any case, meaning that they wanted to conclude the deal with Torzi despite the risks that had been presented by the legal team in London” that assisted the secretariat in the deal.

Vatican prosecutors countered that Brülhart served as a financial consultant for the Secretariat of State, even while serving at AIF. Brülhart, repeating that his agency had no oversight over the Secretariat of State, said that when Francis appointed him to his position, the pope was fully aware of Brülhart’s other roles at the Vatican.

Baptist Leaders Grieve Colorado Abortion Rights Law

By

Tom Strode

-

April 6, 2022

abortion — James McNellis from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

DENVER, Colo. (BP)—State and national leaders among Southern Baptists responded with dismay to a new Colorado law that codifies the right to abortion and called for Christians to advocate for unborn children.

Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Monday (April 4) the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which guarantees the decision to abort an unborn child is a “fundamental right” in Colorado. It also says “a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights” under Colorado law and prohibits state and local governments – and any other “public entity” – from interfering with a woman’s right to an abortion.

Some opponents of the measure contend it goes so far as to legalize infanticide of newly born children.

Enactment of the Colorado law is the latest state action on the issue in efforts by both abortion-rights and pro-life advocates to prepare for a pending decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. That ruling could reverse the justices’ nearly 50-year-old opinion that legalized abortion throughout the country.

Mike Proud, executive director of the Colorado Baptist General Convention, said Polis’ signing of the legislation was “incredibly heartbreaking.”

“In a time when we hear politicians speaking voluminously about the imperative to view all lives as valuable, regardless of positions, backgrounds, or preferences, many of those same leaders are inconsistent with their own rhetoric,” Proud told Baptist Press in written comments.

“The Scriptures communicate the heart of God as truly giving value to human life, ALL human life,” he said. “As God’s people, we must fervently pray to the Father for Gospel transformation in the hearts of our leaders, and we must take up the cause of giving a voice to the voiceless.”

Southern Baptist public policy specialist Chelsea Sobolik said, “By taking this action, Colorado is proving that not only does the Supreme Court need to overrule the precedents set in [previous opinions], but it should take the next step to affirm a right to life for our most vulnerable neighbors.

“This Colorado law puts preborn lives and American consciences in jeopardy,” said Sobolik, director of public policy for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), in written remarks for BP. “Christians must continue to be on the forefront of caring for vulnerable women and children, and upholding the dignity and worth of every single person.”

The new law’s language has prompted warnings it would enable the withholding of medical care for a baby who survives an abortion or even allow the euthanization of a newborn.

In a March 24 editorial, The Colorado Springs Gazette urged Polis to veto the bill, saying it would establish “the country’s most radically anti-child, anti-minority law.” The law bars the government from restricting a person’s “reproductive health care,” which it defines to include “postnatal” care, The Gazette said.

“A ‘postnatal’ human is a newborn child – a full-fledged person with rights,” The Gazette editorial said. “The bill expressly forbids legal protection for newborns.”

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision by this summer on a Mississippi law that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks’ gestation. Many pro-life and abortion-rights advocates believe the justices are likely not only to uphold the law but to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion that legalized the procedure nationwide. Such a ruling by the Supreme Court would return abortion policy to the states.

For Russian Priest Protesting Ukraine Invasion, a Mixture of Defiance and Concern

By

Jack Jenkins

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April 6, 2022

(RNS) — The Rev. Ioann Burdin, rector of Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Church in the Russian village of Nikolskoye, offered a simple explanation for why he spoke out last month against his country’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I don’t consider it possible to remain silent on this situation,” he said in an interview, speaking through a translator. “It wasn’t about politics,” he added. “It was about the Bible. … If I remain silent, I’m not a priest.”

It was an unassuming statement with far-reaching implications for a Russian Orthodox priest who made international headlines last month after Russian authorities fined him for his dissent. His actions were a break from the norm: Russian Orthodox leaders typically closely align their ideology, at least in public, with the Kremlin’s.

Burdin outlined his reasons for criticizing the war to Lew Nescott Jr., an independent journalist who covers religion and politics. Nescott provided Religion News Service with recordings and transcripts of his interviews with Burdin, some of which were conducted through a translator. Burdin also gave RNS permission to edit his responses for clarity.

Burdin said his first public pushback to Russia’s invasion came in an open letter he published online on Feb. 25, shortly after the war began. The priest said the goal of the letter, which he described as “anti-war,” was to condemn the invasion of Ukraine as a “real war” and a “Russian invasion” — phrases that depart from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s insistence it be described as a “special military operation.”

The priest said the letter, which was signed by Burdin and another cleric, insisted “blood is not only a curse to the killers” but “also to those who kept silent” or “didn’t protest.”

The Rev. John Burdin, center, ministers to individuals away from his church. Video screen grab via CurrentTime.tv

“The duty of all Christians is not to support the power in this … aggressive war,” Burdin said in an interview. “We don’t have to repeat mistakes of those Christians who supported the German government when they invaded Poland many years ago,” he said in an apparent reference to the beginning of World War II — when Russia also invaded Poland.

The priest said the letter triggered debate online, although his local superior initially respected his right to his own opinion.

Burdin’s declarations contrasted with the preaching of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Kirill is widely seen as having endorsed the war and laid the spiritual groundwork to justify it, suggesting in a recent homily the invasion is part of a larger “metaphysical” conflict between Russia and Western nations whose agenda is to promote, the prelate said, “gay parades.”

Even so, a vocal group of dissenting Russian Orthodox priests in Ukraine and elsewhere have stopped commemorating Kirill’s name during their worship services. More than 280 Russian Orthodox priests from different parts of the world — including Burdin, in Russia — also signed on to an open letter in early March calling for “the cessation of the fratricidal war” against Ukraine.

Around the same time, Burdin delivered a short address during a worship service on “Forgiveness Sunday” decrying Russia’s actions.

“I told my parishioners that Russians and Ukrainians are two parts of one church,” said Burdin, who later noted he was born and educated in the Ukrainian city of Odessa. “For a Russian Orthodox priest like me, it’s like civil war.”

Evangelical Seminary Dean Found Dead on Streets of Ukraine

By

Diana Chandler

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April 6, 2022

KYIV, Ukraine (BP) – The dean of a small evangelical seminary in Kyiv is among more than 400 civilians found dead on the streets in and around the capital city, the seminary confirmed early April 4 on Facebook.

“Vitaly Volodymyrovich Vinogradov our dear brother, Christian leader, employee and a wonderful person, was found dead in Bucha,” posted Kim Bien Bum, principal of Kiev Slavic Evangelical Seminary (KSES) and pastor of Christ’s Blessing Church. “There are no words to express all the heartache. We will all miss him dearly on this earth, but we are glad that his life goes on forever. … He will be greatly missed.”

After Ukraine pushed back Russian forces nearly 40 days into Russia’s invasion, news images were released showing lifeless bodies of men, women and children strewn on the streets of Kyiv and surrounding communities, including Bucha, with the latest death count at 410.

Widespread outcry over the civilian deaths followed, including a video message from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary graduate Yarsolav “Slavik” Pyzh, president of Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary (UBTS) in Lviv.

“For us as a nation, it’s a very difficult time. Seeing what other human beings could do to innocent civilians, women and children, and elderly people,” Pyzh said in the video, “is uncomprehendable [sic]. And days will go before we will learn how to live with this reality. We will not be able to understand it or accept this reality, but we will have to learn how to live with that reality.”

Pyzh was not a close acquaintance of Vinogradov, whose seminary is about 350 miles east of Lviv, but the UBTS staff “are all very upset and we think it’s a loss for Ukraine,” Pyzh emailed Baptist Press April 5.

The UBTS video shows several images of those killed in Russia’s attack, some of the bodies with hands tied behind their backs, red nail polish on a feminine and lifeless hand, legs buckled, a blanket over the remains of a head, yet another man struck down on the sidewalk, his bag of potatoes spilled at his side.

“And I know the time will come when the whole idea of forgiveness will have to sink into our minds, but now we’re not in that period. Now we are in the stage of living through this evil,” Pyzh said.

He pleads in the video for viewers to share the horrific images as evidence of war atrocities.

Ted Esler: Why Church Leaders Must Not Ignore Our ‘Innovation Crisis’

By

Jessica Mouser

-

April 6, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Ted Esler: Why Church Leaders Must Not Ignore Our ‘Innovation Crisis’

Dr. Ted Esler is the president of Missio Nexus, an association of agencies and churches representing over 30,000 Great Commission workers worldwide. He was a church planter in Sarajevo, Bosnia, during the 1990s, and he is the author of “Overwhelming Minority,” the story of his family’s ministry there. Ted’s new book is “The Innovation Crisis: Creating Disruptive Influence in the Ministry You Lead.”

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Dr. Ted Esler

► Listen on Apple
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Key Questions for Dr. Ted Esler

-Why does the average church leader need to feel like he or she is an innovator?

-What could it look like for church leaders to pursue innovation?

-How do you help people to think through what to innovate and what not to innovate since the truths of our faith are unchanging?

-What are some consequences fo the church if we don’t address the innovation crisis?

Key Quotes From Dr. Ted Esler

“‘Innovation’ is either the creation of something new or the mixing of existing components to create something new. And in the ministry context, there are so many different areas to innovate in.”

“The biggest innovations are not in the tech arena. They’re sociological, they’re about ideas, etc. So when I’m talking about innovation in ministry, it can cover a wide range of different areas in which we’re leading in ministry.”

“Jesus, the founder of our faith, our Lord, was incredibly innovative, not just in the message, but also in how he delivered that message and how he related it to other people. That continues to be the challenge of our day in ministry when it comes to innovation.”

“My view is there is not enough innovation happening in the church right now.”

“When COVID hit and all of a sudden we can no longer meet the way we’ve been meeting for centuries. I was expecting that we were going to see new forms of connecting, new forms of communicating. Instead, what happened at most churches is the same thing that was happening on Sunday morning continued to happen in an empty building with a video camera.”

The Importance of Discipleship in Children’s Ministry

By

Dale Hudson

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April 6, 2022

If we are going to see kids follow Jesus for a lifetime, we must help them become growing, passionate and intentional disciples. According to Barna, here are the current commitment levels among the generations.

Boomers (Ages 58 to 76)

53% not involved in any type of discipleship
28% are being discipled
5% only discipling others
14% in discipleship community

Gen X (Ages 42-57)

41% not involved in any type of discipleship
27% are being discipled
5% only discipling others
27% in discipleship community

Millennials (Ages 25-41)

23% not involved in any type of discipleship
27% are being discipled
6% only discipling others
44% in discipleship community

Gen Z (Ages 9-24)

39% not involved in any type of discipleship
3% are being discipled
6% only discipling others
44% in discipleship community

Without being intentionally discipled, today’s kids will grow up and will not know how to defend their faith much less know the key doctrines that the Bible rests upon.

Did you know that 24% of Gen Z says our teaching is too shallow?

They want to be discipled.

They want to know why they believe what they believe.

It’s time we move beyond the fluff and engage kids in learning how to defend their faith.

If we are going to effectively disciple kids, then we must…

Have disciple makers ready. Discipleship happens through relationships. If you are going to make discipleship a top priority in your ministry, then you have to have volunteers ready to invest in and pour into the children. You can’t disciple kids when you are in a room with 30 kids and 2 volunteers. It will turn into crowd control. Work hard to build your volunteer team so you can have a discipler ready for every group of 6-8 kids.

Teach Bible apologetics. A big part of discipleship is helping kids know why they believe what they believe. I have an apologetics series that can help you prepare kids to defend their faith. It is being used by hundreds of churches and is available for you at this link. I also have another apologetics series that will be released within the next month.

Palm Sunday Object Lesson: The Rocks Cry Out

By

Tina Houser

-

April 6, 2022

Use this Palm Sunday object lesson: The Rocks Cry Out to help kids learn that they can praise Jesus!

Luke 19:40 “And He answered and said, ‘I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!’”

An often-overlooked part of the Palm Sunday story is when the Pharisees approached Jesus. They insisted that Jesus reprimand the people from expressing their praises for Him as He enters Jerusalem. It’s almost as though the praises that nature wanted to sing out were being vented through the voices of the people. If those people were forbidden to praise the Son of God, then the rocks would absolutely burst as their praises built up.

Here’s an idea that’s not included in Easter-rific! It will give an idea of what you’ll find in this collection.

Science Experiment

You’ll need to gather …
hydrogen peroxide (20 vol.)
rocks
clear vase
liquid dish soap
packet of yeast
warm water
custard dish
funnel
food coloring (optional)

Pour ¾ cup of hydrogen peroxide in the vase. (Optional: put 10 drops of food coloring in the peroxide.) Then add three squirts of the liquid dish soap (about 3 T.) Swirl this around in the vase to mix it thoroughly. Carefully, place some clean rocks in the bottom of a clear vase, just enough to cover the bottom. In a custard cup, place 3 T. of warm water and the packet of yeast. Stir to dissolve and let sit for one minute.

In the meantime, ask the children to tell you things that the rocks might cry out if people did not praise Jesus. What would burst from them? What would their praises be? The rocks in our vase are about to burst forth with their praises!

Now pour the yeast mixture into the vase. (If the vase has a small opening, you’ll want to use the funnel; otherwise, just pour the yeast in.) Step back and watch the praises flow!

If you’d like your own copy of Easter-rific! please call 765.271.7055. The books are $15 plus $3 S&H (credit card or check). Get a start on your Easter preparation now!

https://churchleaders.com/children/322238-37-free-bible-lessons-for-kids.html

Why We’re Not Equipping Others for Ministry

By

Eric Geiger

-

April 6, 2022

The biblical model for local church ministry is not that pastors would “do ministry” but that they should be “equipping others for ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Sadly, many churches do not recognize or act on the assignment God has given pastors. For example, peruse the typical job descriptions churches give for their pastors. In many churches, you will likely find little emphasis on equipping people for ministry. According to the job descriptions, programs will be run and budgets will be managed but people may or may not be developed.

While some pastors neglect equipping for several reasons, some churches insist that pastors “do ministry” rather than equipping people for ministry. Three reasons stand out:

Why We’re Not Equipping Others for Ministry

1. Ignorance

This is not to say that churches are filled with ignorant people but that many churches are filled with people who are ignorant of the biblical approach to ministry. People are often ignorant of the biblical approach to ministry because in many ways it feels so counterintuitive.

“So our church hires pastors not to do ministry?”

“Let me get this straight. We are going to pay pastors to train us to do their jobs?”

But God’s kingdom often feels very counterintuitive. Such is life in the upside-down kingdom of God where the last are first, the weak are strong, and the poor in spirit inherit the kingdom.

Clearly people within our churches need teaching and reminding that they are priests, that as Jesus was crucified, the veil of separation was torn and we are all able to enter His presence. Ministry retained by the professionals is a deep contradiction of this glorious truth. Martin Luther reminds us, “Let everyone who knows himself to be Christian be assured of this and apply it to himself—we are all priests and there is no difference between us.”

2. Comfort

I am the only one in my family or my wife’s family who is a pastor, which means at every family and holiday gathering, I am the one asked to pray before the meal. Our families know I am not the only one in the room who can pray, not the only one with the Spirit of God, not the only one whom the Lord hears. But it’s just easy to ask the preacher.

Notorious Superstar Wrestler Gets Emotional Sharing How His Wife Helped Restore His Relationship With Jesus

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

April 5, 2022

Mark Calaway is one of the most notorious World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc (WWE) wrestlers in the history of the professional wrestling promotion. For thirty years, Calaway has been known to fans as The Undertaker.

The night before WrestleMania 38, the 57-year-old Calaway addressed thousands of screaming fans in Dallas’ American Airlines Center during his WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

“Tonight I am going to take you behind the curtain to meet the man under the black hat,” he said.

An emotional Calaway gave what some have called the greatest WWE Hall of Fame induction speech ever. The thousands in attendance thanked their beloved WWE superstar with a standing ovation and a serenade of “Thank You Taker,” “Undertaker,” and “You Deserve It” chants for over five minutes.

During Calaway’s nearly 45-minute speech, he thanked the fans, his parents, fellow wrestlers, and WWE management while imparting what he called three “mental signature moves” he lives by—in the hopes that one or all three would be a help someone in the audience.

Calaway told the crowd perception is reality, that respect and loyalty go a long way, and to never be content. But most powerful moment came when he talked about his family and the impact his wife had on his relationship with Jesus.

The father of four talked about his 9-year-old daughter who was in attendance, sitting next to her mother, Michelle McCool. “Sweet Kaia Faith,” the large, tenderhearted wrestler said, “you are blessed with so many gifts. You have a beautiful heart, a love of God, athleticism, humor—I asked her what she wanted me to tell the world about you? Without skipping a beat she goes, ‘I don’t care what the world thinks about me, daddy.’”

Calaway looked at his daughter and called her “baby girl” while telling her that he hopes that never changes, because “you’re perfect just the way you are.”

“To my beautiful wife, Michelle,” Calaway said as he held back tears, “she is my rock. She is the foundation our family is built on. You made me want to be a better man and a husband just when I’m near you.”

McCool is also a former WWE wrestler. When she first joined the organization, she wanted nothing to do with The Undertaker. “There [were] two people she didn’t want to meet,” Calaway said. “Kane and The Undertaker. I think with Kane, it was because he is so big and scary. Now me on the other hand—I think it was the long hair, the tattoos, and somewhat bad reputation. She would come to find out that Kane was probably the nicest man that she’s ever met, and she married me.” Calaway joked that after a long, exhausting chase, she “finally had to say yes.”

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Chicago Church Gives Up ‘Whiteness’

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Dr. Ted Esler

Key Questions for Dr. Ted Esler

Key Quotes From Dr. Ted Esler

Boomers (Ages 58 to 76)

Gen X (Ages 42-57)

Millennials (Ages 25-41)

Gen Z (Ages 9-24)

Why We’re Not Equipping Others for Ministry

1. Ignorance

2. Comfort

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