
Mohler on CNN: Islam at odds with West
America is not at war with Islam, Al Mohler said on CNN April 7, but Americans are uneasy with having Muslim countries as allies because Muslims and Westerners hold radically different definitions of a good society. Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., appeared with host Roland Martin in a new CNN segment called “Test of Faith” along with Muslim reformer Irshad Manji and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. “I think President Obama rightly said that the United States is not at war with Islam – I think that is a very helpful clarification,” Mohler said. “But you can’t take Islam out of the whole civilizational struggle we are in, not only in the war on terror, but frankly, going back for centuries, coming up with a definition of what a good civilization would look like and how a society ought to be arranged. There are significant differences between the classical Muslim answer to that question and the Western answer to that question.”
Specialists monitoring aftermath in Italy
Southern Baptist disaster relief specialists are monitoring the situation in L’Aquila, Italy, after an April 6 earthquake killed at least 207 people and left 100,000 homeless. Baptist Global Response, an international relief and development organization, has categorized the response as a Level 2 emergency, meaning that any Southern Baptist response most likely will occur through local Italian partners trained in specific disaster relief techniques. “Italy has a long history of earthquakes, and the government there has responded very well to the situation,” said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response. “The situation is under control and they are not seeking additional help. We will, however, continue to monitor the situation and will mobilize Southern Baptist disaster relief teams if that becomes necessary.”
CP down 3.72% from ’08; off ’09 budget by 2.17%
Year-to-date contributions through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program are 3.72 percent below the same time frame last year, but 2.17 percent off budget for 2009. As of March 31, the year-to-date total of $100,625,646 for Cooperative Program missions is $3,887,846 below the $104,513,493 received at the end of March 2008. For the first six months of the fiscal year, the SBC Cooperative Program allocation budget year-to-date total of $100,625,646 is 97.83 percent (or 2.17 percent off) of the $102,858,417 budgeted to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. The SBC operates on an Oct. 1-Sept. 30 fiscal year.
DR teams feed 5,000 during Fargo flooding
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief feeding teams from the Iowa and Minnesota/Wisconsin state conventions prepared some 5,000 hot meals in Fargo, N.D., in support of the American Red Cross and Salvation Army during the recent Red River flooding. Some 175,000 metro residents of twin cities Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., were relieved when the Red River – which parts the two towns, flowing south to north – crested at nearly 41 feet, lower than the 43-foot level expected.
Jimmy & Retia Dukes seriously injured
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary professor Jimmy Dukes and his wife Retia were struck by a vehicle Friday evening, April 3, as they crossed the street from the seminary’s main campus in New Orleans to the school’s Providence Guest House. Both received multiple injuries. The family is posting updates on the CaringBridge Web site. Updates are found in the journal section at www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimmyandretiadukes.
Graham’s grandson to succeed D. James Kennedy
Tullian Tchividjian, a 36-year-old grandson of Billy Graham, has been chosen as the successor to D. James Kennedy, founder and longtime pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who died in 2007. “His hair is spiky, his beard sometimes scruffy, his skin tan,” an Associated Press article said of Tchividjian’s contrast to Kennedy. “He offers a classic prodigal son story of youthful forays into drugs, then his return to the fold. He has said he wants people to know what Christians are for as much as what they are against, and has rejected the idea that politics is the most important way to change the country.”
‘Pistol Pete’s’ faith gets new spotlight
“Pistol Pete” Maravich is remembered by most sports fans for his floppy socks, shaggy hair, showmanship and unprecedented scoring records. But Maravich, who died of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 40, no doubt would want to be remembered more for something else – his Christian faith. By his own admission, the “Pistol” spent most of his life idolizing basketball, but in his final years, he accepted Christ and wasn’t shy about telling everyone. Maravich’s faith is back in the spotlight with the release of an inspirational edition of the popular 1991 movie “The Pistol” (rated G), which tells the story of Maravich’s exploits as a boy. The DVD is available at LifeWay and other Christian stores.