obamacare causes church to close day care

February 24, 2015 • ISSUE 44
Evangelism initiative challenges
churches to reach 1 million
homes with gospel
by 2018
OBAMACARE CAUSES
CHURCH TO CLOSE DAY CARE
PARENTING THROUGH
THE LIBYAN MASSACRE
Gary Ledbetter
Fundamentalism
and Orthodoxy
W
hen the Muslim terrorist
organization Islamic State killed
21 Egyptian Christians last week,
many Americans didn’t know
how to talk about the victims or
their murderers. Some dodged the religious
predilections of ISIS and others even the
pertinent religious identity of the Egyptians.
Then, of all places, the Atlantic published an
article that helpfully described the religious
context of this barbarian death cult. I heard
an interview with the writer, and he further
described the theological specifics of ISIS’
beliefs. A Muslim imam on the panel explained
that few Muslims were actually as “literalist” as
ISIS in their Koranic interpretations. He seemed
to consider ISIS to be “fundamentalist” in a bad
sense of that word.
My first thought was to sympathize.
I’ve heard all kinds of weirdness called
Christianity by those who neither understand
nor love Christians. Just think of the
endless confusion in the media during the
presidential run of Mitt Romney a couple
of years ago. Mormons call themselves
“Christian” and may think themselves to be
that, but many of us consider their use of
the term unorthodox—referring to someone
other than the only begotten, fully divine
son of God. In that conversation, we were the
fundamentalists because we were insisting on
a plainly biblical description of Christianity.
Moderate and liberal Christians were more
likely to see Mr. Romney’s Mormonism to
be just another road up the same mountain
we’re all climbing. No wonder those who
had only a second-hand familiarity with
Christianity and Mormonism found it
confusing.
The confusion related to Mormonism
is between orthodox Christianity and a
Christian heresy. Christian heresy can be best
understood as an extra-biblical belief about
the nature of our triune God. If you believe
that Jesus was a man but not God, or a spirit but not flesh,
you believe a heresy that denies John 1:1-14. It’s tedious to
outsiders who want to understand it in a sound bite, but we’re
simply insisting on the definition of Christianity derived
from God’s Word. The angst in the voice of the “modernist”
Muslim cleric on the radio interview came from the other
side, though. He was the one who was interpreting the Koran
by culture, in contrast to the more “literalist” view of ISIS.
Yes, this makes it even more confusing for those who
talk about our faith from the outside to understand it. We
Baptists insist on a more literal interpretation of our holy
book, but we do not approve of those who commit murder
based on their more literal interpretation of the Koran.
Post 9/11, “fundamentalist” has been used as a flail against
conservative pro-life and pro-family Christians by the
ignorant or malicious who portray us as similar to Al Qaeda.
All “fundamentalists” are said to be equally dangerous
because those of some religions are murderous. Read major
news magazines from 2001-2002 and see if I’m exaggerating.
Let me break it down for you. Orthodox Muslim doctrine
is different from orthodox Christian doctrine, and orthodox
Mormon doctrine is different from both. It should stand to
reason that the “fundamentalist” branches of those religions
will be as different as their holy books and their doctrine. We
will do different things because of these distinct teachings.
Mormons do good works trying to win favor with God;
Muslims highlight a different set of disciplines they hope will
please Allah; and Christians preach a gospel of grace rather
than works. Those who strain to emphasize the similarities
between fundamentalists of all faiths are agenda-driven
or ignorant. The liberal branches of those religions teach
doctrines that are still distinct but much less so as they are
lived out, by the way. That is one reason why everyone who
is not Christian or Muslim or Mormon very much prefers a
more moderate practice of those religions—it more closely
resembles the way non-religious people talk and behave.
We shouldn’t be surprised that other religions worship
other gods or that non-believers are confused by the
differences—their deepest need is not doctrinal but spiritual.
At the same time we must be alert to our culture’s tendency
to blend the doctrines of all religions into a gray, tasteless,
useless goo. It is the difference between Christianity and
other religions (which are actually very similar in their
pursuit of works righteousness) that is offensive, a stone of
stumbling. We are not Christian if we give up the exclusivity
of salvation in Christ (John 14:6), the divinity of Christ (John
10:30, Titus 2:13) or the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians
15:17), and yet these things make us hateful to ISIS, Mormons,
non-religious popular culture and even some Christianist
liberals. Call it “fundamentalism” or “orthodoxy,” but this is
the same gospel once for all delivered to the saints and repreached to the benefit of millions for thousands of years.
CONTENTS
Evangelism initiative challenges
churches to reach 1 million
homes with gospel by 2018
ISSUE
#44
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention
Evangelism Director Nathan Lorick believes
Texas churches are poised to see the most
comprehensive statewide evangelism
effort in the history of the Lone Star State.
Through the recently launched “One in a
Million” evangelism initiative Lorick hopes
SBTC churches—large and small—will
embrace the vision of reaching 1 million
homes over the next three years.
06
Houston LGBT ordinance
verdict leaves both sides
claiming victory
In a verdict Feb. 13, a Houston jury ruled 10-2 in
the lawsuit against the city and administrators
for their summary dismissal of a petition brought
by a coalition of pastors and civic leaders
opposed to the city’s Equal Rights Ordinance.
The jury found nearly 2,500 forgeries among
the 54,000 voter signatures but dismissed the
city’s allegations of fraud. No definitive winner
was revealed by the verdict, which will not be
finalized until 152nd District Court Judge Robert
Schaffer issues his judgment.
West Texas church experiences
‘gospel revolution’
Calling it “a sweet movement of God,” no
other explanation makes sense to Byron
McWilliams when asked to explain the
number of people taking a stand for Christ
as the invitation is being offered at First
Baptist Church of Odessa. After seeing more
than 100 people make professions of faith
during their Christmas celebration services,
100 more stood to profess Christ over the
course of four Sunday morning services in
January and early February.
08
TEXAN Magazine is e-published twice monthly by the Southern Baptists of
Texas Convention, 4500 State Highway 360, Grapevine, TX 76099-1988.
Jim Richards, Executive Director
Gary Ledbetter, Editor
Keith Collier, Managing Editor
Sharayah Colter, Staff Writer
Russell Lightner, Design & Layout
Gayla Sullivan, Subscriptions
Contributing Writers
Tammi Ledbetter, Nathan Lino, Erin Roach,
Bonnie Pritchett
To contact the TEXAN, visit texanonline.net/contact or call toll free 877.953.7282 (SBTC).
sbtexan
texanonline.net
12
Obamacare causes Longview
church to close day care
19
A Longview church is closing the day care
center it has operated for more than 30 years
in response to requirements imposed by the
Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act
(also known as “Obamacare”). Mobberly Baptist
Church said in a statement on its website, Feb.
12, that closing the day care “comes with much
sorrow” and follows months of Mobberly staff
“praying, researching and discussing the issue.”
C O L U M N : Parenting through
the Libyan Massacre
21
Northeast Houston Baptist Church Pastor
Nathan Lino shares how he talked to his
children about the religiously fueled execution
of 21 Christians in Libya by ISIS. Lino offers
advice on how parents can disciple their
children in light of a world rife with evil brutality
and Christian martyrdom.
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B R I E F LY
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I N T E R N AT I O N A L
21 CHRISTIAN MARTYRS:
‘WITH THEIR BLOOD, THEY ARE
UNIFYING EGYPT’
Earlier in the day, jihadists released a
video of the beheading of 21 Coptic
Christians. Following President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi’s declaration of a week
of mourning, the channel switched
to images of the orange-clad victims,
walking to their death on the shores
of Tripoli.
Late Sunday night, Feb 15, at a quiet
curbside café in Cairo, customers put
down their tea and backgammon.
They sat riveted, watching Egypt’s
president pledge retaliation against
the Islamic State in Libya.
Read the story here.
NIGERIA DIVIDED OVER
POSTPONED ELECTIONS
The six-week postponement of
presidential elections in Nigeria could
achieve fairness by allowing perhaps
millions of citizens displaced by Boko
Haram violence to vote, Nigeria relations
expert Adeniyi Ojutiku told Baptist Press.
While Boko Haram has successfully
overtaken areas of northeastern Nigeria,
the African Union international security
forces strengthened by Cameroon, Chad
and Niger could overcome Boko Haram
within the six-week period, said Ojutiku,
+
BLASPHEMY ACQUITTALS
DENIED TO PAKISTANI
CHRISTIANS
a Southern Baptist in Raleigh, N.C., who
leads the Lift Up Now grassroots outreach
to his Nigerian homeland.
Read the story here.
Pakistan’s Punjab province
has excluded Christians from
a list of people accused of
blaspheming Islam whose cases
will be expedited for acquittal,
according to the Morning Star
News service dedicated to
persecution issues.
Read the story here.
C H R I S T I A N I T Y
LENGTH OF CREATION DAYS
DEBATED
An article by a popular evangelical
blogger arguing that the six “days”
of creation in Genesis were not literal
24-hour periods has prompted discussion among Christians about the earth’s
age and whether orthodoxy necessarily
entails believing in a young earth.
Justin Taylor, senior vice president
and publisher for books at Crossway,
posted a blog article Jan. 28 arguing that
there are “biblical reasons to doubt the
creation days were 24-hour periods.” The
article, which was shared on Facebook
15,000 times during its first two weeks
online, also noted famous people from
church history who did not believe Genesis describes six 24-hour days.
Read the story here.
2 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
HALF OF PASTORS BELIEVE
FAITH WILL BECOME
ONLINE-ONLY EXPERIENCE
AMERICA’S LARGEST CHRISTIAN
BOOKSTORE CHAIN FILES FOR
BANKRUPTCY
Forty-seven
percent of
Protestant
pastors agree
that at least
some people
will experience their faith exclusively through the
Internet within the coming decade,
according to a recent Barna survey. Is
the prospect a problem? Theologically
no, according to the nearly 9 out of 10
pastors (87%) who told the Barna Group
it is “theologically acceptable” to seek
“faith assistance” or “religious experiences” online.
Family Christian Stores (FCS) has filed
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Yet
the ministry assured customers yesterday
that it “does not expect” to close any of
its more than 250 stores or lay off any of
its approximately 4,000 employees.
With 266 stores in 36 states, FCS is the
nation’s largest chain of Christian stores
as measured by locations, not sales. (For
comparison, LifeWay Christian Resources
has 185 stores in 29 states.) In 2014, FCS
generated $216 million in gross revenues, notes Randall G. Reese at Chapter
11 Cases.
Read the story here.
Read the story here.
—Briefly section compiled from Baptist Press, other news sources and staff reports
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B R I E F LY
N AT I O N A L
MORE ALA. COUNTIES OK
GAY MARRIAGE
FORMER ATL. FIRE CHIEF SUES
CITY, MAYOR
Following a week of tumult in
Alabama concerning gay marriage,
most of the state’s counties are
now issuing marriage licenses to
same-sex couples. But the chief
justice of Alabama’s Supreme
Court continues to argue that state
judges who issue marriage licenses
are not bound by the federal court
ruling that declared Alabama’s gay
marriage ban unconstitutional.
Americans are guaranteed the freedom
to live without fear [of] being fired
because of their beliefs
and their thoughts,” said
David Cortman, senior
counsel for Alliance
Defending Freedom,
explaining the lawsuit
ADF filed on behalf of
dismissed Atlanta Fire
Chief Kelvin Cochran.
“... In America a religious test cannot be
used to fire a public servant,” Cortman
said Feb. 18 in a press conference
moments after the lawsuit was filed at the
state capitol.
The federal civil rights lawsuit against
the city of Atlanta and Mayor Kasim
Reed is necessary “in order to protect
not only [Cochran’s] Constitutional rights,
but everyone else’s Constitutional rights
of free speech and the free exercise of
religion,” Cortman said.
Read the story here.
ABORTION SURVIVOR
ADDRESSES 24TH ANNUAL
ROSE DAY
Hundreds of sanctity of life
supporters participated in the 24th
annual Rose Day at the Oklahoma
state capitol, distributing roses
to the governor, lieutenant
governor and state senators and
representatives.
After giving red roses to elected
officials during the morning of
Feb. 4 as a symbol of their pro-life
views, abortion survivor Melissa
Ohden, founder of the Abortion
Survivors’ Network, spoke to
the capacity crowd in the house
chamber and overflow audience in
the state chamber.
Read the story here.
S U R V E Y
1 IN 3 AMERICANS WORRY
ABOUT SHARIA LAW
As President Obama seeks to
ramp up military action against
the terrorist group known as
ISIS, Americans remain uneasy
over the place of Islam in the
United States and in the world, a
LifeWay Research survey shows.
Read the story here.
‘FIFTY SHADES’ RECORDBREAKING OPENING WEEKEND
SHOULD GRIEVE CHRISTIANS,
SAY LEADERS
Record-breaking sales for the
R-rated film Fifty Shades of Grey on
its opening weekend should grieve
Christians and encourage pastors to
persevere in promoting God’s Word,
Southern Baptists and others told
Baptist Press.
The movie based on the best-selling
book trilogy broke the box office record
by more than 50 percent for Valentine’s
Day viewings, bringing in $36.7 million
in sales for the popular date night and
more than $85 million over the ThursdaySunday weekend sales, according to the
Box Office Mojo movie reporting service.
Internationally, the R-rated movie earned
$158 million, Box Office Mojo reported.
John Mark Yeats, associate professor of
church history at Midwestern College of
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,
told Baptist Press the numbers confirm
“the ongoing pornification of the U.S. and
the West.”
“From a ministry standpoint, this should
confirm the startling rise of pornography
consumption amongst both men and
women, if those details were in question
at all,” he said. “Historically, we need to be
attentive to the close parallels between
our age and that of the early church.
Read the story here.
TEXAS SUPREME COURT ISSUES
STAY AGAINST SAME-SEX
MARRIAGES
The Texas Supreme Court issued an
emergency order Thursday blocking gay
couples from obtaining marriage licenses
after a lesbian couple wed earlier in
the day in Austin, but the order doesn’t
invalidate the marriage of the two women.
Read the story here.
More than a third (37 percent)
say they are worried about
Sharia law—an Islamic legal and
moral code—being applied in
America.
One in 4 (27 percent) believe
the terrorist group ISIS reflects
the true nature of Islam, while 4
in 10 (43 percent) believe Islam
can create a peaceful society.
Read the story here.
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 3
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B R I E F LY
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S O U T H E R N
B A P T I S T
SBC MESSENGERS TO VOTE ON GOLDEN GATE SEMINARY NAME CHANGE, NAMB MINISTRY
AMENDMENT, USE OF ELECTRONIC VOTING AT ANNUAL MEETING IN JUNE
Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary will become Gateway
Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention if messengers to the
next two SBC annual meetings approve a Feb. 17 recommendation of
the convention’s Executive Committee.
The EC also approved for recommendation to the June 16-17 SBC
annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio:
u a proposed amendment to the North American Mission Board’s
ministry statement to include planting churches overseas in agreedupon instances with the International Mission Board
u SBC bylaw amendments for the potential use of electronic voting
devices in the convention hall and to establish a quorum on all SBC
business matters as those present at the time of a vote.
Read Golden Gate renaming and electronic voting story here.
Read NAMB ministry amendment story here.
ERLC’S AGENDA
INCLUDES
RELIGIOUS
LIBERTY, LIFE
Measures to protect
religious freedom and
the sanctity of human
life top the 2015
legislative agenda for
the Southern Baptist
Convention’s public
policy entity.
The Ethics &
Religious Liberty
Commission (ERLC)
unveiled Feb. 11 its
goals for the new
congressional session.
Unlike last year,
the new Congress
will be controlled
by one party, the
Republicans. The
change from a divided
Congress occurred in
November, when the
GOP won control of
the Senate.
NEW D.C. LAWS VIOLATE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, LEADERS SAY
The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has joined other religious,
pro-life and pro-family organizations in urging Congress to reject new District of Columbia
laws they say violate their First Amendment rights.
The ERLC and its allies, which all have offices in D.C., said the two measures are
“unprecedented assaults” on their organizations. The laws “violate the freedom of religion,
freedom of speech, and freedom of association protected by the First Amendment and
other federal law,” they said.
The organizations took issue with the laws in Feb. 5 letters to the Senate and House of
Representatives. They asked congressional members to rescind the measures during the
period they have to review laws approved by the government of the country’s capital.
Congress has 30 legislative days to disapprove the bills after the D.C. Council forwards
them to the Senate and House.
Read the story here.
ALA. MINISTER BACKS GAY MARRIAGE ‘ENTHUSIASTICALLY’
Following a federal court’s legalization of same-sex marriage in Alabama, a volunteer
minister at a Southern Baptist church has begun performing gay weddings.
Ellin Jimmerson, minister to the community at Weatherly Heights Baptist Church in
Huntsville, has performed at least one same-sex wedding ceremony since gay marriage
became legal, the church confirmed to Baptist Press. But Jimmerson has not performed
a gay wedding at the church’s facility. Madison County, where Huntsville is located, was
among the counties to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Feb. 9.
Read the story here.
Read the story here.
4 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 5
Evangelism initiative
challenges churches
to reach 1 million homes
with gospel by 2018
BY KEITH COLLIER
L O N E
POPULATION OF TEXAS:
S T A R
26.5 million
NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS:
LOSTNESS:
L O S T N E S S
8.9 million
68.49% (NEARLY 7 OUT OF 10 TEXANS)
APPROXIMATELY 18.1 MILLION
6 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention
Evangelism Director Nathan Lorick believes
Texas churches are poised to see the most
comprehensive statewide evangelism effort
in the history of the Lone Star State.
Through the recently launched “One in a
Million” evangelism initiative Lorick hopes
SBTC churches—large and small—will
embrace the vision of reaching one million
homes over the next three years.
“The One in a Million campaign is about a
strategic approach to bringing our coalition
of 2,500 churches together in one sacred
effort to share the gospel in one million
homes,” Lorick said.
To accomplish such an ambitious task,
the SBTC will sponsor two-day regional
trainings where pastors and local
church members will learn the personal
evangelism method “Can We Talk?,” which
was developed by John Meador, pastor of
First Baptist Church in Euless. Meador’s
church has seen an explosion of people
coming to faith in Christ as a result of
implementing the strategy in 2014.
After being trained, participants will put
their newly learned evangelism strategies
into action as they go out and share the
gospel. They will also develop a plan to
train other church members and reach
their communities for Christ after they
return home.
Registration for the trainings will be $150
per person. Any staff member or church
R E G I O N A L
u March 20-21 • Rock Hill Baptist Church, Brownsboro
u April 26-27 • First Baptist Church, Euless
u May 15-16 • Tabernacle Baptist Church, Ennis
u Aug. 21-22 • Lakeside Baptist Church, Canton
u Sept. 18-19 • First Baptist Church Odessa
u Sept. 27-28 • First Baptist Church, Euless
member can attend the trainings, but the
SBTC will supplement $100 for senior pastors
of SBTC churches, reducing their cost to $50.
Lorick believes the One in a Million strategy
“has the potential to be the most effective
strategic evangelism effort in the history
of Texas.”
Recent census data estimates nearly 9
million households in the state, yielding a
population of 26.5 million or greater. Studies
show that nearly 7 out of 10 Texans do not
have a personal relationship with Christ,
which tallies to more than 18 million people.
Still, Lorick says, faithful prayer and
intentional evangelism could produce an
abundant spiritual harvest if workers are
willing to labor in the fields. He has already
seen it happening in churches across the state.
“We are attempting something that is
impossible without God’s favor upon it,” he
said. “Imagine what Texas would look like
if we joined together to charge the gates of
hell with the good news of Jesus Christ. This
can only be done by intentional evangelism.
“However, we must have pastors willing to
be trained, to train their churches and to give
their people a platform to share the gospel.
“I am asking our churches to seize this
moment. Let us join together in one focused
effort to penetrate the darkness with the
gospel and see Texas changed forever.”
For more information, including registration
information for regional trainings, visit
sbtexas.com/oneinamillion.
T R A I N I N G S
u Oct. 23-24 • First Baptist Church, Euless
u Nov. 20-21 • West Conroe Baptist, Conroe
u Dec. 6-7 • First Baptist Church, Euless
Registration: $150 per person
$50 for senior pastors of SBTC churches
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 7
WEST TEXAS
CHURCH
EXPERIENCES
‘GOSPEL
REVOLUTION’
8 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
100 PEOPLE MAKE
PROFESSIONS OF
FAITH OVER COURSE
OF A MONTH
By Tammi Ledbetter
ODESSA
alling it “a sweet movement of
God,” no other explanation makes
sense to Byron McWilliams when
asked to explain the number of
people taking a stand for Christ as
the invitation is being offered at
First Baptist Church of Odessa.
McWilliams was in the
audience in Baltimore last
June to hear fellow pastor John
Meador of Euless preach at the
annual meeting of the Southern
Baptist Convention. Meador
challenged pastors to get a plan
to share the gospel and lead
their people to a field in their
own communities where it
needs to be sown.
That’s when McWilliams
decided to attend training
in Euless to learn how to
implement the evangelistic
strategy “Can We Talk?” that
Meador had been using in his
own church to train 300 people
in 24 weeks to share their faith.
“That first night I went out,
and God allowed me to lead a
woman by the name of Felicia
to the Lord, and the next night I
led Emberto,” McWilliams told
the TEXAN.
“I called my music ministers
and said, ‘We’re fixing to do our
Christmas celebration, and I’ve
got our invitation.”
With more than 1,000 people
attending over the course of
four performances, McWilliams
opened each program by setting
up the stories of Felicia and
Roberto and then came back to
share the commitments they
made and give an invitation for
people to respond.
3FBC Odessa Pastor Byron McWilliams baptizes Brittany Thisted during a Sunday morning worship
service. Thisted’s sisters, Tiffany and Stephanie, were also baptized.
“We had 104 people saved at the
Christmas celebration and that’s kind
of where it started,” McWilliams said.
Then, during the first weeks of
January, McWilliams joined Meador
in India to lead two conferences
for pastors and preach throughout
villages in remote areas. Both men
decided to take the outline from
“Can We Talk?” and share it in every
preaching context.
“When it was time for a response
I asked them to stand,” McWilliams
explained. “I watched men and
women broken by their sin and the
gospel stand up and come to Christ.”
At times he found himself trying
to talk them out of their decisions,
uncertain as to whether they
understood.
“Three different times I said, ‘If you
don’t understand, just sit down,’ but
they didn’t. They refused to sit down
because they knew exactly what they
were doing. An interpreter told me
they realized they were renouncing
their Hindu gods and goddesses and
turning totally to Jesus.”
When Meador presented the outline
at the pastors’ conference in India, he
was convinced an invitation should
be offered. Twenty-six of the pastors
stood and 34 wives professed faith in
Christ, McWilliams recalled.
“They were standing in front of
all their peers saying Jesus Christ is
Lord of their lives. We didn’t say if
you want to be saved come talk to
me on the side and we’ll deal with it
privately, No, if you want to be saved
stand up for Jesus Christ right now.
It doesn’t matter who is around you.
Pride does not enter into it.”
On the day after he returned from
India, McWilliams shared with his
congregation the images of the people
he had met and told their stories of
turning from idolatry to embrace the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 9
“The greatest power
on the face of the
earth—whether
you’re in Odessa,
Texas, or anywhere
in India—is the
gospel of Jesus
Christ. I don’t see
revival coming
unless we have a
gospel revolution.
Let’s not just pray
about it. Let’s do it.”
—BYRON MCWILLIAMS,
PASTOR OF FIRST BAPTIST
CHURCH OF ODESSA.
5FBC Odessa Pastor Byron McWilliams explains
the gospel during a Sunday morning service.
More than 100 people have made professions of
faith during services in the past month.
He shared the same outline
from “Can We Talk?” with the
acronym for gospel to refer to G
for God’s character revealed in
his grace, mercy and justice; O
for the offense of sin before God;
S for the sufficiency of Christ in
saving anyone; P for the need for
a personal response; E for the
eternal urgency; and L for life
transformation.
“That’s what we taught to
the pastors, so I came back and
preached that same thing to my
church very simply,” McWilliams
said.
“I felt the Holy Spirit saying,
‘Give an invitation like you did in
India.’” Instead of the usual pattern
10 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
of inviting people to come and talk
privately with a minister, McWilliams
told those who needed Jesus in their
lives to stand. One by one they rose
until 51 people were standing.
A week later he asked the
congregation to recite each point
represented in the acronym,
and together they recalled all a
person needs to know to present
the message of the gospel. Once
again, the pastor asked those who
recognized their need for Jesus
to stand publicly and another 20
people responded. The following
Sunday another 20 stood up at the
close of the service, and then nine
the week after that.
“It’s an incredibly simple gospel
presentation that anyone can do,”
McWilliams said. “It called on them
to stand and they did.”
McWilliams has challenged every
member of the church to go through
training to practice sharing the “Can
We Talk?” outline.
“The staff of this church cannot
win Odessa to Christ,” he told the
congregation. “Why would you
not want to share what is most
important to God with somebody
else?” he asked.
More than 75 people are
participating in the first training
opportunity this year. Thirty
of them are divided into 10
teams that follow up on visitors.
The rest stay behind fervently
praying for those who are
sharing the gospel.
“The greatest power on the face
of the earth—whether you’re in
Odessa, Texas, or anywhere in
India—is the gospel of Jesus Christ,”
McWilliams said. “I don’t see revival
coming unless we have a gospel
revolution. Let’s not just pray about
it. Let’s do it.”
ONCE
ADDICTED
TO DRUGS,
OIL FIELD
SUPPLIER
N O W S TA N D S
FOR CHRIST
acob Derington
knows what it
means to have a
life transformed
by the gospel.
“I had always believed in God, but
I never had a true relationship with
him,” he told the TEXAN.
After accepting an athletic
scholarship to Boise State University,
Derington injured his back and
returned home to Odessa. Soon, he
was addicted to painkillers and began
abusing alcohol.
“A lot of my friends ended up in
prison, some died and others were
using drugs, too,” Derington said.
After he heard a gospel
presentation and invitation at First
Baptist Church of Odessa, Derington
was one of many who stood to show
they wanted to receive salvation in
Christ. He was determined to let God
work in his life.
“The only thing that got me
through was gaining a relationship
with God and just letting him work
in my life instead of being so selfish,”
Derington said.
Every Sunday since making that
commitment public, the 30-yearold oil field supplier has brought
someone with him who needs to hear
the same life-changing message.
“I want to give them a chance at
eternal life and a relationship with
God,” he said.
“I had to cut loose a lot of my socalled friends. But now I’ve found
true friends and family at my
church.”
“The only
thing that got
me through
was gaining a
relationship
with God and
just letting
him work in
my life instead
of being so
selfish.”
—JACOB DERINGTON
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 11
HOUSTON JURY VERDICT
LEAVES BOTH SIDES CLAIMING
VICTORY IN LGBT EQUAL RIGHTS
ORDINANCE LAWSUIT
By Bonnie Pritchett
n a verdict Feb. 13, a Houston jury ruled
10-2 in the lawsuit against the city
and administrators for their summary
dismissal of a petition brought by a
coalition of pastors and civic leaders
opposed to the city’s Equal Rights Ordinance.
The jury found nearly 2,500 forgeries among
the 54,000 voter signatures but dismissed the
city’s allegations of fraud.
No definitive winner was revealed by the
verdict, which will not be finalized until 152nd
District Court Judge Robert Schaffer issues his
judgment. Schaffer was out of town and did
not preside over the reading of the verdict,
and plans to deliver a verdict soon.
Following the verdict, lead defense
attorney Geoffrey Harrison was quick to
claim the verdict as a win for the defense and
12 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
Mayor Annise Parker, who championed the
ordinance as a “personal” issue. Defendants
in the lawsuit are Parker, former Houston City
Attorney David Feldman, City Secretary Anna
Russell and the City of Houston.
“If the court’s ruling follows the jury’s
verdict this will be a complete and total
vindication for the city,” Harrison told
reporters following the verdict. “And the
petition, which we declared failed back in
August, will indeed be found, judicially, to
have failed as well.”
But Andy Taylor, lead attorney for
the plaintiffs, said once Schaffer—and
subsequent appellate courts—apply the law
and legal precedent, any still-disqualified
voter signatures could be ruled valid,
breathing new life into the referendum.
“We are very excited the jury
vindicated us and found no fraud,”
Taylor said, following Harrison’s
remarks. “This jury was asked
by this mayor to indict these
hardworking citizens—these
volunteer circulators—on the basis
that they committed fraud. The jury
found 13 out of 13 times no fraud
was committed.”
Lead attorneys indicated the case
will be appealed when Schaffer’s
ruling finalizes the jury’s work. The
case would then go to the First or
Fourteenth District Court of Appeals
in Houston. Taylor said he will ask
the court for an expedited process in
order to get the referendum on the
November ballot should his clients
prevail in court.
Opening arguments and testimony
for Woodfill v Parker began Jan.
27 and lasted seven days, with
deliberations lasting an additional
five days. Juror Patsy Jenkins said
the panel had a good working
relationship and established criteria
for answering each of the six
questions with the 154 subsets. Their
careful review produced a wide range
of findings, which left observers
unable to discern their significance
at first glance.
Although charged with answering
questions related to fraud, forgery,
circulator identity and circulator
oath validation requirements,
jurors were not asked to render
judgment on the ramifications of
the city’s actions.
“We felt the people were not heard
… the true and genuine were not
heard,” Jenkins said. Thousands
of registered Houston voters
signed the petition in anticipation
of a November 2014 vote on the
ordinance, but their signatures
were dismissed for a host or reasons
Plaintiffs’ attorney Andy Taylor brings pastors up to speed on the proceedings in the Woodfill v
Parker case. Several pastors joined a faithful contingent of plaintiffs’s supporters in anticipation of
a verdict.
As others make their way from the courthouse following the Woodfill v Parker verdict, pastors
linger to pray. Vietnamese Baptist Church pastor Khan Huynh (center), one of the pastors subpoenaed by the city during the lawsuit’s investigation, leads in prayer. Photo by Bonnie Pritchett
including the work of some
unscrupulous circulators.
Jurors heard arguments over
the definitions of “signature”
and “subscribe” as they related
to the city’s dismissal of all but
3,905 of the 54,000 signatures
on a petition to repeal the Equal
Rights Ordinance passed last
May, which included sexual
orientation and gender identity
as protected classifications.
Those taking the witness stand
included Feldman, Parker,
pastors, church employees and
petition circulators. Plaintiffs
argued the city used a subjective
standard for dismissing voter
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 13
signatures while defense
attorneys charged the
petition was riddled with
fraud and forgeries and,
ultimately, did not comply
with city code.
The lawsuit’s three
plaintiffs included Jared
Woodfill, former chairman
of the Harris County
Republican Party, and
F.M. Williams and Max
Miller, African-American
pastors and community
leaders. They represented
the racially and politically
diverse coalition of church
and civic leaders who
fought for almost a year
to halt the passage and
implementation of the
Equal Rights Ordinance.
The plaintiffs’ first
witness, Dave Welch,
executive director of the
Houston Area Pastors
Council, testified for more
than five hours, mostly
on cross examination by
Harrison, one of more
than a dozen private and
municipal attorney’s
providing the defense.
Welch testified that he
drafted the referendum
petition page drawing the
format from an example
given on a website linked to
the official City of Houston
website. But in doing so he
eliminated what appeared
to be an errant line in the
form.
That line, defense
said, was essential to the
form’s compliance with
the Houston City Charter.
Without it there was no place
Mayor Annise Parker takes the stand Feb. 2, called as an adverse witness by the plaintiffs. Having placed pages
filled with thousands of disqualified voter signatures before the mayor, Plaintiffs’ attorney Andy Taylor questions her about the definition of “signature.” PHOTO BY BONNIE PRITCHETT
for petition circulators to sign the
oath, or affidavit, at the bottom of the
page. No signature; no oath; no valid
petition pages, they argued.
But Taylor said the online affidavit
did have a place for the circulator
to write their names. And since the
oaths were witnessed and validated
by notary publics—a representative
of the State of Texas—the circulators’
signatures should be accepted as
presented on the form.
Initial dismissal of the voter
signatures in August was based on
illegibility, printing of circulator
signatures versus cursive, and
the identity of the circulators,
among other issues. The dismissal
gave petition organizers—calling
themselves the No UNequal Rights
Coalition—only 15,249 of the 17,269
necessary signatures to force a
second vote on the ordinance by city
council.
The coalition sued, and the
signature line became the main
14 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
point of contention for the
defense during the course of the
investigation and trial. By Jan. 26, the
day of jury selection, the number of
valid signatures had shrunk to 3,905.
The jury, with the exception of
Jenkins and a second juror, ruled in
the city’s favor when analyzing the
petition pages of 98 circulators. They
blamed Welch, who created the form,
for not checking other resources to
ensure the accuracy of the document.
But they also faulted the city for its
publication of a petition form that
lacked a definitive signature line.
Throughout the trial Taylor claimed
Parker and Feldman (who resigned
in December) spent more time and
resources trying to disqualify voter
signatures than seeking signature
confirmation. African-American
plaintiffs and their supporters, many
of whom worked in the civil rights
movement, claimed the situation
seemed all too familiar. The rights of
the voters had been quashed.
But Harrison repeatedly said
the issue was about the rule of law
and compliance with the Houston
City Charter.
“Thousands of signatures on this
petition are not just highly suspect
but clearly not genuine and show
evidence of forgery and fraud,”
Harrison said.
Parker, whom the plaintiffs’
attorney called as an “adverse
witness.” concurred and
challenged Taylor’s analysis of
the signatures.
“There are lots of different ways
to analyze the petition,” Parker
said from the stand Feb. 2. But, she
continued, “it doesn’t matter if you
miss [the goal] by 2,000 signatures
or two. The law is the law.”
“But if someone doesn’t get
counted,” Taylor countered,”it
might matter to them—a lot.”
When plaintiffs rested their case
later that day, the defense called
former city attorney Feldman as
their first witness. He told the jury
he did not initially press the issue
of the petition format that would
eventually nullify the vast majority
of voter signatures because the
referendum had failed. It wasn’t
until the lawsuit was filed that city
attorneys began scrutinizing the
affidavit portion of the form with
its missing signature line.
“[The referendum process] was
designed to keep people from
signing as someone they weren’t,”
Feldman said in defending his
actions.
Seeking to illustrate their
allegations of forgery and fraud
the defense called a handwriting
expert, Janet Masson, to cull
through the petition pages. Her
review revealed about 2,355
“irregularities” throughout the
5,199 pages of signatures. The jury
counted those “irregularities”
among the forgeries.
But Taylor said the city’s
validation standard was
inconsistent throughout the
investigation and, therefore,
unjust. He held the defense to
the city’s December analysis of
signatures documented as a “final”
count. According to that analysis
there were 15,972 valid signatures,
just 1,297 shy of the requisite
number for the referendum.
“These aren’t signatures.
These are people trying
to validate their right to
petition the government.”
—ATTORNEY ANDY TAYLOR
But the defense consistently
argued the “final” count had a
footnote stating more pages could
be invalidated.
Taylor accused the city of
moving the goals, making
compliance with the rules
impossible. He told jurors they
were the plaintiffs’ only recourse
in the fight against city hall.
He illustrated the point during
closing arguments by tossing
file after file of the thousands
of invalidated signature pages
onto the floor. With each bundle
of pages, Taylor said, “You don’t
count. You don’t count. They
don’t count.”
“These aren’t signatures,” he told
the jurors. “These are people trying
to validate their right to petition
the government.”
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 15
BY SHARAYAH COLTER
16 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
A Criswell College
mission team saw
840 people living in
East African slums
accept Christ as
savior early this year
when they traveled
to Kenya to plant
churches, encourage
national pastors and
share the gospel door
to door, Dec. 29 Jan. 9.
The group of eight students led by
Bobby Worthington, associate professor
of missions and evangelism, and Kevin
Warstler, associate professor of Hebrew
and Old Testament, ministered in both the
Kabira and Kangemi slums on the outskirts
of Nairobi, where hundreds of thousands
of people dwell in tightly packed and
poverty-ridden villages. The team, together
with national pastors and local leadership,
launched one new church plant in Kabira
and one in Kangemi. The local pastors are
now following up and visiting with those
who made public professions of faith.
Worthington, who hopes to return with
another team later in the year, described
the trip and the spiritual harvest as
“incredible.”
“The students weren’t expecting to see
that big of a response,” Worthington said.
“It was really encouraging because …
people were saved the first day. There was
an openness there.”
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 17
Worthington explained the
“openness,” saying that while
door-to-door evangelism may have
declined in America with many
residents unwilling to hear the
gospel on their front porches, the
Kenyans listen eagerly to what
Americans have come to say. As
they talk, Worthington said, the
groups grow with others stopping
in to listen and to ask questions.
During the trip, Worthington had
the opportunity to share with the
chief of the Kangemi slum.
“I got to tell him my story of
how I came to Christ and how I
surrendered to the ministry and
preaching the gospel and how
Christ has transformed my life,”
Worthington said.
The chief listened and paid
special attention to Worthington
saying that Christ could make
him a “new chief, a better chief.”
The chief said he would need
to seriously consider what the
professor was saying. Meanwhile,
18 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
the chief’s assistant had been
listening in to the conversation.
When Worthington left, he
followed him outside and asked to
talk more about Jesus.
“He accepted Christ right outside
of the chief’s door,” Worthington
said.
In addition to sharing the gospel
in the streets and alleyways of the
slums and even at the public sewer
trenches, the group conducted
a pastors’ college for 33 national
pastors and leaders. The two
professors and student Richmond
Goolsby taught the leaders in
biblical exposition, preaching,
survey of the Pentateuch and
evangelism. Goolsby, who will
graduate with a bachelor’s degree
from Criswell this spring, served
as an integral connection between
the Texas team and the Kenyan
people because of his ministry,
Gateway East Africa, which helped
facilitate the trip and fund the
pastors’ attendance in the college.
“Criswell College has
a heart for missions,
and that can be seen
in short-term mission
trips like this.”
—BOBBY WORTHINGTON
Goolsby also serves as the director
of missions for the North Texas
Baptist Association.
Worthington said the trip revealed
a “harvest field’ in Africa where
he prays and plans to return to
continue sharing about Christ. The
people there, he said, are open and
ready to listen. Criswell students
and faculty are ready to go.
“Criswell College has a heart for
missions, and that can be seen
in short-term mission trips like
this, and it can result in career
missionaries, because we’ve seen it
in the past with students who have
gone on these trips and who are now
on the field,” Worthington said.
Obamacare causes Longview
church to close day care
By Erin Roach
LONGVIEW
A Longview church is closing the day care
center it has operated for more than 30 years in
response to requirements imposed by the Obama
administration’s Affordable Care Act (also known
as “Obamacare”).
Mobberly Baptist Church said in a statement
on its website, Feb. 12, that closing the day care
“comes with much sorrow” and follows months
of Mobberly staff “praying, researching and
discussing the issue.”
Under the health care law, employers that meet
a certain employee count threshold must provide
full-time workers with comprehensive health
insurance. Although the number of full-time
Mobberly Child Development Center workers falls
below the threshold, the day care is part of the
church and the federal government includes church
staff and day care workers when accounting for the
total number of employees.
So the day care, which serves newborns through age
5, will close March 13.
Church leaders spent considerable time praying
and evaluating options. In order to comply with the
new regulations and keep the day care open, leaders
determined there were four main options.
The Child Development Center could increase tuition
to cover the cost of additional insurance, but they
realized the increase would mean most of the families
that currently send children to the center would no
longer be able to afford the service. Also, Mobblery’s
day care would not remain comparably priced to local
day care centers that do not exceed the ACA threshold.
Another option was to separate the Child
Development Center from the church as its own
corporation in order to reduce the total number
of employees. The church consulted two nonprofit
attorneys, according to the statement, who advised
against that option for several reasons, including a
loss of property tax exemption, loss of control and the
possibility of the Internal Revenue Service ignoring
the restructuring.
A third option, the church said, was to reduce the
number of teachers and classrooms at the day care, but
teacher/student ratios are subject to state regulations,
and “the past historical quality of the CDC was built
around the teacher/student ratios used.”
The fourth option cited by leaders was to reduce
the number of full-time Child Development Center
teachers.
“Utilizing primarily part-time teachers has been
tried by CDC leadership in the past and has led to
instability and higher staff turnover,” Mobberly’s
statement said. “We are aware of one other large day
care operation that attempted to utilize only part-time
teachers recently, and they have now changed their
philosophy and hired multiple full-time teachers.”
Gregg Zackary, Mobberly’s senior associate pastor,
told the TEXAN the Child Development Center operates
under its own budget and its own leadership.
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 19
“The church does have a Child
Development Center committee
that oversees it in terms of big
picture, and because of that link
we do have some control,” Zackary
said. “But it has its own director; it
pays its own salaries; it pays most
of its expenses.”
Workers at the center care for
about 120 full-time students and
about 40 after-school students.
The church provides space for the
day care and does not charge for
utilities or cleaning, Zackary said,
“But in terms of their supplies and
their workers and any insurance, it
operates on its own budget.”
Zackary said his survey of other
day care centers in Longview
led him to believe Mobberly is
not unique to not provide health
insurance for employees. However,
20 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015
those centers are not affected
because they do not exceed the
total employee threshold.
The decision to close the day
care has caused displeasure
among parents who have placed
children there.
“They’ve expressed their sadness
because their kids got excellent
care,” Zackary said, “and they’re
disappointed that the Child
Development Center has to close.”
Most families already have been
able to find alternative care for
their children, Zackary said.
The closure also has affected the
center’s workers, including some
who have served there for 20 years
or more.
“We’re very saddened that
they’re impacted,” Zackary said.
“We have been able to work
through the Child Development
Center’s budget to provide
severance for those workers based
on their tenure and their pay rate
to help ease the transition for them
as they look for new jobs.”
Many of the workers already
have been hired at other centers,
Zackary said.
Though Mobberly Baptist is
losing its influence on countless
young lives, Zackary said the
main mission of the church—to
lead people to a life-changing
relationship with Jesus Christ—has
not changed.
“This doesn’t impede us from
continuing to fulfill our mission
in many different ways,” he
said. “Our goal is to continue the
mission the Lord has given his
church.”
Nathan Lino
Parenting through
the Libyan Massacre
3. I told our four children what happened. I did not give them
more than they are ready for. They are already well aware of
ISIS, as we have discussed the group many times. I told our kids
that 21 members of ISIS marched 21 of our brothers onto a beach
and beheaded them simply for being Christians. Then, I used an
iPad to show them two images: the one of our brothers in orange
jumpsuits being marched onto the beach by Muslims dressed in
black and the one of our brothers kneeling down in front of their
executioners while the one man in camo addressed the camera.
4. Here are the talking points we are working through with them
(not all in one sitting):
The Lord told us it would be this way, so do not panic (Matthew
10:16-25).
T
he pictures have gone viral; 21
brothers in Christ with hands tied
behind their backs, marched onto a
beach by 21 members of the Islamic
State, made to kneel down before their
executioners, who at some point shoved
the martyrs onto the sand chest down,
knelt on their backs, pulled back their
heads with one hand and cut off their
heads with the other. The waves of the
Mediterranean Sea lapped up on the sand,
collecting the blood of the martyrs.
This is reality in the world in which
our children are growing up. How should
Christian parents disciple their children in
light of this? I can share with you what my
wife, Nicole, and I are doing.
1. Parents need wisdom from the Holy
Spirit to discern how to talk to their
children about these matters. Not all
children are in the same place in their
readiness to discuss these things. A wise
parent does not give their children more
than they are ready for. If you have not
already been bringing your children
along in reality and you have been
shielding them from knowing of the
evil in the world, this might not be the
current event with which to begin. Before
you read further, you should know that
we talk regularly with our children about
evil in this world; we did not begin with
this particular current event.
2. We discussed this over supper with
our four children together. In the culture
of our home, supper is the setting for
meaningful family discussion.
The Lord told us not to fear those who can kill the body but not the
soul (Matthew 10:26-33).
These brothers are martyrs of the faith, and Daddy and Mommy
admire them so much: they refused to be disloyal to Christ in order
to save their own lives. They loved Christ more than their own lives
(Luke 14:26). They are heroes (Hebrews 11:38, Revelation 6:9-11).
Daddy and mommy pray ISIS is brought to justice for these
ongoing murders (Romans 13:1-7).
Daddy and mommy do not hate the members of ISIS, or we are
hypocrites. Instead, we pray for the members of ISIS to become
Christians and be in heaven with all of us one day (Matthew
5:43-48). You see, daddy and mommy are redeemed by Christ for
committing mass murder and are still learning by the grace of
God to stop being serial killers (Matthew 5:21-22).
What happened in Libya is what happened to Stephen in Acts
6:8–7:60. ISIS is stoning and beheading Christians; Stephen was
stoned for being a Christian. Most of the disciples were martyred
for the faith.
The greatest martyr was Christ himself. Our Lord was crucified
for the Christian faith. If that is what happened to him, what
should we expect will happen to us if we follow him and his
teaching? (Matthew 10:24-25).
It is very important that Christian parents in luxurious American
safety raise our children with an understanding of the reality of the
world. It is an extreme luxury that my small children have never
heard a bomb explode, seen or heard a real gunfight, or seen a house
in our neighborhood burned down as an act of vengeance. In many
countries around the world, my 10-year-old son would already have
to be an expert rifleman in order to protect our family and home.
It is unhealthy and in my opinion a detriment to the development
of my children to grow up oblivious to the reality of the world. My
children are in the next generation of the church responsible for
reaching this world with the gospel. They need to understand the
world they are charged to reach. We as parents only have 18-20
years to train them to think like Christ; that is, to train them to have
the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5).
—Nathan Lino is the pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church.
FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXANONLINE.NET 21
22 TEXANONLINE.NET FEBRUARY 24, 2015