Fish, Ham inducted into Evangelists’ Hall of Faith
SOUTHERN BAPTIST EVANGELISM professor Roy Fish and legendary revivalist Mordecai Ham were inducted into the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists’ Hall of Faith June 12 during the organization’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Fish, known for igniting a passion for evangelism in pastors for more than 40 years, is distinguished professor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. Ham (1878-1961) is known for leading thousands to Christ in the early 20th century – perhaps most notably, in 1934, a young Billy Graham. The Hall of Faith, housed in a meeting room at the North American Mission Board offices in Alpharetta, Ga., was established by COSBE in 2008 and dedicated in January.
Internet domain for porn closer to reality
THE .XXX INTERNET domain for pornography is a major step closer to becoming a reality after an authoritative body announced in June its approval of the proposal. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees the creation of Web addresses, reversed course after a decade of denying the request and voted to allow the application for the domain to move forward. Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land described the decision as “a bad idea that will have damaging and far-reaching consequences. Instead of restricting pornography to a zone of such .xxx-labeled sites, it will expand the amount of pornography available on the Internet and further pollute our nation’s psyche with the spiritual toxic waste that is pornography,” said Land, president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
‘Son of Hamas,’ now a Christian, granted asylum
MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF, the eldest son of a prominent Hamas leader and author of a globally circulated book recounting his conversion to Christianity, has been granted asylum in the United States by an immigration judge. An attorney for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told the judge the government was dropping its objections to Yousef’s request for asylum. The surprise decision came after a storm of public criticism over Homeland Security’s announced intention to deport Yousef back to his West Bank homeland – making him almost certain to be killed by Hamas, supporters said. In a 2008 Baptist Press article, Yousef said he became disillusioned with Hamas’ lack of morality and integrity after he was incarcerated at age 18 for his leadership in a Hamas youth organization. Yousef became a Christian and was secretly baptized in 2005 at a beach near Tel Aviv. He publicly announced his faith in Christ in 2008.
Majority of Americans in multi-housing lost
THE STATISTICS are staggering: About 57 percent of all people in North America reside in multi-housing – apartments, expensive high-rises, mobile home parks and condominiums. An estimated 95 percent of them are lost without Christ. “Multi-housing is an arena most Southern Baptists don’t know how to get their arms around,” said Richard Harris, interim North American Mission Board president, in welcoming 15 of the most experienced leaders in multi-housing church planting and evangelism to NAMB for a two-day summit. “You folks are all about a great need and task. Seventy-five percent of the 343 million people in North America – about 258 million – are lost, and most of them live in urban multi-housing areas. That’s where the multitudes are. You have a passion and a heart for it or you wouldn’t be here,” Harris said. “If we could impact multi-housing, we could change the landscape of lostness in North America.”
Joni gets ‘positive prognosis’ after surgery
JONI EARECKSON TADA has a positive prognosis after breast cancer surgery June 28, according to her physician. “Joni’s cancer was determined to be Stage 2,” Dr. Geoffrey Drew reported, according to an A. Larry Ross Communications news release. “[W]hile some lymph nodes were affected and Joni will need chemotherapy to follow up this surgery, this is a highly survivable cancer and we anticipate a positive prognosis,” Drew said. Tada, a quadriplegic, is an internationally known advocate for the disabled, founder and chief executive officer of Joni and Friends International Disability, and an artist and author.
James Dobson starts another radio show
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, has announced plans to launch a new radio show with his son in March, saying he cannot watch the world continue a moral decline without offering guidance. Dobson, 73, is severing ties with Focus at the end of February after 33 years of leadership. That decision, he said, was essential for passing along the leadership of the ministry to a younger generation. As he announced his new radio venture in a Facebook post in December, Dobson said the 30-minute daily program, to be called “James Dobson on the Family,” will deal with marriage, child rearing, family finances, medical and psychological concerns, national issues, the sanctity of human life, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Barna surveys those absent from church
A recent Barna Group survey found that three out of five U.S. adults who don’t attend church are self-described Christians. A total of 28 percent of the U.S. adult population said they had not attended church in the past six months. Americans identifying themselves as Christian make up the overwhelming majority, 83 percent, according to Barna. Other polls vary slightly. Another Barna finding from past studies showed that almost four in 10 (37 percent) of unchurched Americans don’t attend services because of painful experiences with the church or people in the church.