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	<title>First Baptist Church of Perryville</title>
	<link>http://www.perryville.org</link>
	<description>Explanation and application of biblical truth surfaced from the study of the Old and New Testaments provided by the teaching ministry of the First Baptist Church of Perryville, Maryland, Dr. John M. Gauger, pastor.</description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:16:47 +0000</pubDate>
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		<copyright>&#xA9;Dr. John Gauger </copyright>
		<managingEditor>pastor@perryville.org (Dr. John Gauger)</managingEditor>
		<webMaster>pastor@perryville.org</webMaster>
		<category>Christianity</category>
		<ttl>1440</ttl>
		<itunes:keywords>perryville, gauger, Bible, sermon, teaching, baptist, Christian, study</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>First Baptist Church of Perryville.  Teaching by Dr. John Gauger.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Explanation and application of biblical truth surfaced from the study of the Old and New Testaments provided by the teaching ministry of the First Baptist Church of Perryville, Maryland, Dr. John M. Gauger, pastor.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>Dr. John Gauger</itunes:author>
		<itunes:category text="Religion &amp; Spirituality">
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<itunes:category text="Religion &amp; Spirituality"/>
<itunes:category text="Religion &amp; Spirituality">
  <itunes:category text="Spirituality"/>
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		<itunes:owner>
			<itunes:name>Dr. John Gauger</itunes:name>
			<itunes:email>pastor@perryville.org</itunes:email>
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			<title>First Baptist Church of Perryville</title>
			<link>http://www.perryville.org</link>
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		<title>The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1423</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1423#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:16:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1423</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ A wave of concern over fundraising practices in the non-profit sector prompted Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield to challenge evangelical leaders in 1977.1 An evangelical himself, he warned that Congress might pass legislation regulating the affairs of Christian ministries unless they found a way to police themselves with a Christian Better Business Bureau.2
In response, in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ A wave of concern over fundraising practices in the non-profit sector prompted Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield to challenge evangelical leaders in 1977.1 An evangelical himself, he warned that Congress might pass legislation regulating the affairs of Christian ministries unless they found a way to police themselves with a Christian Better Business Bureau.2
In response, in 1979, a group of believers founded the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.3 Charter members included Campus Crusade for Christ, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Dallas Theological Seminary.
The ECFA holds members to seven standards of responsible stewardship: doctrinal orthodoxy; a board of directors with financial oversight; an annual audit; policies ensuring adherence to tax-exempt purposes; financial disclosure; conflict-of-interest avoidance; and ethical fundraising practices.4 In addition, some members are selected each year for on-site visits to verify their compliance with ECFA standards.5 To date, more than 2,300 organizations and their subsidiaries have joined the council, whose website declares, The ECFA seal is tangible evidence to donors that ECFA member organizations adhere to the highest standards of financial integrity and Christian ethics.6
As an ECFA member, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) publishes its financial records each year and demonstrates the type of economic transparency necessary in all ministries. One can easily discover that the BGEA spends 87% of its $116 million budget on evangelistic outreach and has $301 million in net assets.7
In contrast, the abuses of some ministries remind us why Senator Hatfield called for the ECFAs existence. A televangelist, for example, bought a $20 million jet, claiming he would use it only to spread the gospel. Yet the jet made questionable rounds to some of the worlds hottest vacation spots while faithful donors sent their money to support Christian work.8
More recently, another minister was sued for stealing a plan to profit from religious text messages. He allegedly earns $50 million per year from $5.99 subscriptions to the service.9 A man is claiming that the minister used his idea for the Word on the Go texting service after they developed it together.
Of course, while such embarrassing behavior by large ministries gets media attention, much of the financial irregularity in the Church occurs in the pew, where those who call themselves Christian refuse to be stewards of their own resources, all of which belong to God. In their giving and purchasing patterns, they betray their calling and confession that Jesus is Lord. Nevertheless, the EFCA plays a vital role in preserving the kingdoms witness on earth.
Both the transparency of ECFA members and the obfuscation of less honorable ministries recall the need for every Christian organization to live out the Apostle Pauls words in 2 Corinthians 8:21, for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lords sight but also in the sight of man. The greatest scandal is not the abuses of a few bad ministers but the widespread need for the ECFA in the first place. Unless the Church maintains financial integrity, it cannot speak prophetically on vital matters of money and finance.
That is why the First Baptist Church of Perryville took steps two decades ago to update standard, but antiquated practices, to have the highest level of financial accountability. All offerings are counted by teams of three who must each sign their own form identifying the checks, bills, and change in the offering. All three sheets must agree exactly. The financial secretary tracks the giving. The treasurer only disperses checks, never touching funds. There is a yearly audit by a team experienced with accounting. Use of funds is supervised by a stewardship committee. The whole process was designed specifically for our church by the vice-president of a large Maryland bank. We firmly believe that people who represent the Living God must exhibit the highest level of fiscal responsibility and transparency.



Footnotes:

1 Randall Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, rev. ed. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2004), s. v. Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

2 ECFA History, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Website, http://www.ecfa.org/Content/GeneralBackground.aspx (accessed August 13, 2009).

3 Ibid.

4 Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Website, http://www.ecfa.org/Content/7Standards.aspx (accessed August 13, 2009).

5 ECFA History.

6 Ibid.

7 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Website, http://www.ecfa.org/MemberProfile.aspx?ID=4764 (accessed August 13, 2009).

8 Brett Shipp, Jet Flight Records Spur Copeland Ministry Questions, WFAA-TV Website, February 28, 2007, http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/bshipp/stories/wfaa070228_mo_churchjet.87be631.html (accessed August 13, 2009).

9 Lawsuit Says Evangelist Stole Idea, United Press International Website, June 26, 2009, http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/26/Lawsuit-says-evangelist-stole-idea/UPI-16631245990573/ (accessed August 13, 2009).



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		<item>
		<title>The ACLU’s Perversion of the Establishment Clause</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1383</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1383#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:53:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1383</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ In the wake of the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Breen Elementary School in Rocklin, California, posted the words, God Bless America, on the sign out front. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) objected that this was a hurtful, divisive message and demanded it be removed, claiming that the sign violated the California [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ In the wake of the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Breen Elementary School in Rocklin, California, posted the words, God Bless America, on the sign out front. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) objected that this was a hurtful, divisive message and demanded it be removed, claiming that the sign violated the California and U.S. constitutions.1 What is to be made of this group?
It claims a commitment to defending the Bill of Rights, being the guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.2 In reality though, the ACLU badly misinterprets the documents it claims to defend"especially the Establishment Clause in the Bill of Rights, which says, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.3
According to the ACLU, that means government must forbid religious expressions of any kind in state-sponsored venues.4 Such a view helps explain why the organization attempted to deny a Rhode Island middle school the right to ask a rabbi to say a prayer at graduation (cf. Lee v. Weisman);5 opposed several Connecticut high schools plans to hold their graduation ceremonies at a nearby church;6 and deemed unconstitutional a California veterans memorial adorned by a cross.7
However, that extreme interpretation of the Establishment Clause strays from the Founding Fathers intentions. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson, who often is credited with inventing the separation of Church and state, attended a worship service held every week in the Capitol Rotunda while he was president, even ordering the Marine Band to come accompany the singing of hymns.8 He also used government funding for clergy salaries in Indian mission schools, supported including the word God in the national motto, and granted land to Christian schools.9 Similarly, George Washington said in his first Thanksgiving proclamation as president, [I]t is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits and humbly to implore his protection and favor.10 Clearly, these framers of Americas founding documents did not share the ACLUs view of the governments relation to religion.
In contrast to the ACLU, a group called the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) appears to understand the Establishment Clause rightly. According to the ACLJ, [T]he First Amendment does not impose an amorphous separation of church and state standard but rather prohibits the establishment of an official church and similar coercive action. The Establishment Clause imposes no affirmative duty upon the government to suppress private religious expression.11
In fact, the Supreme Court has affirmed repeatedly that the Establishment Clause does not permit government hostility toward religion.12 Thus, Justice Sandra Day OConnor wrote, Given the values that the Establishment Clause was meant to serve, . . . [the] government can, in a discrete category of cases, acknowledge or refer to the divine without offending the Constitution.13 So, on firm constitutional grounds, the ACLJ often opposes the ACLU in Establishment Clause cases.
Sadly, the Establishment Clause has become little more than a prop that the ACLU uses in attempt to legitimize its agenda, when in reality, it is undermining the very Constitution it claims to uphold.

Footnotes:

1 ACLJ Offers to Defend Any School That Displays God Bless America, ACLJ Website, http://www.aclj.org/news/Read.aspx?ID=317 (accessed June 29, 2010).

2 Guardians of Freedom, ACLU Website, http://www.aclu.org/about/faqs/21419res20051115.html (accessed June 29, 2010).

3 Amendment 1, United States Constitution Website, http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am1 (accessed June 29, 2010).

4 Religion &amp; Belief, ACLU Website, http://www.aclu.org/religion-belief (accessed June 29, 2010).

5 505 U.S. 577 (1992).

6 Connecticut Schools Plan to Hold Graduations in Church Is Ruled Unconstitutional, ACLU Website, May 31, 2010, http://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/connecticut-schools-plan-hold-graduations-church-ruled-unconstitutional (accessed June 29, 2010).

7 Robyn Shepherd, Mojave Cross: The Fight Goes On, ACLU Website, April 29, 2010, http://www.aclu.org/blog/religion-belief/mojave-cross-fight-goes (accessed June 29, 2010).

8 D. James Kennedy, What They Believed: The Faith of Washington, Jefferson &amp; Lincoln (Fort Lauderdale, FL: Coral Ridge Ministries, 2003), 39-40.

9 Ibid., 43-44.

10 Ibid., 25.

11 Letter from Jay Alan Sekulow to Walter G. Howard, ACLJ Website, November 13, 2006, http://www.aclj.org/media/pdf/CAPledgePDF.pdf (accessed June 29, 2010).

12 See Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of the Univ. of Virginia, 515 U.S. 819 (1995); Lambs Chapel, 508 U.S. at 395; Widmar v. Vincent, 454 U.S. 263 (1981). The ACLJ acknowledges this reality. See Letter from Sekulow to Howard.

13 Letter from Sekulow to Howard.

Adopted from Kairos Journal
First Baptist Church of Perryville is located across from the Principio Heath Center on Rt. 40, 1 and 1/2 miles east of Rt. 222.

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		<item>
		<title>What’s a Dad to Do?</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1429</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1429#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:27:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1429</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
Hebrews 12:7 (ESV)
When the film Rebel without a Cause came out in 1955, it touched a nerve. Warner Brothers advertised it as a challenging drama of todays juvenile violence. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
Hebrews 12:7 (ESV)
When the film Rebel without a Cause came out in 1955, it touched a nerve. Warner Brothers advertised it as a challenging drama of todays juvenile violence. It featured three rising young actors"James Dean (as Jim), Natalie Wood (as Judy), and Sal Mineo (as Plato)"each portraying troubled teens responding to their fathers insufficiencies. Jims father was spineless, Judys, cruelly strict, while Platos father was absent. World War II reminded America of the importance of a fathers presence, but Americans spent the next decade"with dramas like Rebel without a Cause and comedies like Ozzie and Harriet"asking the question, Whats a dad to do? We still suffer as a culture for lack of understanding the role of a faithful father.
Hebrews 12 was not written as a prescription for earthly fathers, as much as its wisdom might apply to them. Rather, it was an exhortation to suffering Christians to cling to their heavenly Father. The author of the epistle pointed out that the trials, hardships, and difficulties Christians experience should sometimes be understood as an expression of Gods discipline"discipline that is ultimately for the believers spiritual welfare.
Sadly, when English speakers hear the word discipline, punishment most often comes to mind. But the Greek word can mean, more broadly, guidance for proper living. Biblically speaking, then, discipline is often as much about tender formation as it is about firm correction. When believers suffer for bearing the name of Christ, they need not conclude God has abandoned them or that He is punishing them for some wrong done"far from it! Trials only affirm that God is forging fidelity in the recesses of their hearts. Or, as the author of Hebrews put it, even though for the moment all discipline seems painful, it eventually yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (v. 11). In other words, the fruits of discipline form faithful Christians!
Like any loving father, God uses the means of both formative and corrective discipline to help Christians more fully reflect the character of Jesus. Sanctification, the process whereby God brings his children to spiritual maturity, is a sometimes painful experience. Mature Christians come to recognize that the trials and difficulties they experience are not evidence of Gods arbitrariness, anger, or absenteeism. Instead, they understand that every trial is a manifestation of His love. Those He loves, He disciplines (v. 6).
Whats a dad to do? Dads dare to discipline. As a faithful Father, the Lord disciplines His children through many and various trials, tests, and corrections. The reality of the Christian life is that discipline is a part of discipleship. Helping individuals and congregations understand the shaping role of discipline is a crucial component of biblical preaching and teaching. Perceptive pastoral care and counseling can assist Christians to see the events in their lives as palpable evidences of the Fathers love and turn whining into gratitude and fickleness into faithfulness. In the process, those who understand the discipline of the Lord might even one day become better parents themselves!
article adopted from Kairos Journal
First Baptist Church of Perryville is located one and a half miles east of Rt. 222 across from the Principio Health Center.

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		<item>
		<title>Three &#8216;Evangelical Lies&#8217; About Reaching Muslims</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1413</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1413#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:08:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1413</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Karim* grew up in an Arab Christian family in a Middle Eastern country " part of the 1 percent of Christians among the 99 percent Muslims, as he describes it.
When youre part of a tiny, historically persecuted minority, you tend to keep your head down and your mouth closed. You also tend to believe [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Karim* grew up in an Arab Christian family in a Middle Eastern country " part of the 1 percent of Christians among the 99 percent Muslims, as he describes it.
When youre part of a tiny, historically persecuted minority, you tend to keep your head down and your mouth closed. You also tend to believe what your elders tell you about the majority, whether its true or not. Karim did " for a time.
Now an evangelical pastor in the Middle East, Karim fervently believes the Christians of the region are responsible for reaching the 99 percent. But too many still accept three evangelical lies that prevent them from sharing Jesus with their Muslim neighbors:
* A spirit of fear. Most Christians are afraid to go and reach Muslims because of fear, Karim declares. We [Christians] say, They will kill us. They will kill our family, our children.
* Muslims wont believe. Many, many Christians say that Muslims will not follow Christ " ever. End of story.
* Christians lack the resources to evangelize Muslims. We say we dont have the money, Karim says. This is another lie, because if I have the heart to reach Muslims, I can go out and reach 1,000 people and share Christ with them. Maybe I need $5 to put gas in my car. If I go walking, I dont need any money at all.
But it took Karim a long time to reject the lies.
As a young man he wandered in the spiritual wilderness. He worked in a nightclub (I was a big sinner, he confesses). Weary of cultural Christianity, he even converted to Islam for several years. When he returned to Christ with his whole heart, a Muslim friend quickly noticed the change in his life.
I was so excited about what happened to me, so the first thing I did was to share it with one of my best friends, Karim recounts. He said, Karim, if Jesus did that in your life, I want to follow Him. I said, No, no, no. You see, the fear is there inside us. He said, But I want to follow Christ as you did because it is very good. I said, OK, think about it, and we can talk tomorrow. The next morning at 8:30 he came to me and said, I decided to give my life to Jesus and to follow Him with no conditions.
A second friend believed, and a third, and a fourth. All were Muslims. Not all decided to follow Christ as quickly as the first, but Karim could no longer deny Muslims wanted the priceless gift he had to share.
He began to sense what a Saudi friend later put into words: We Muslims are beloved people, but we are cheated " cheated out of knowing about the One who loves them because other followers of Christ are too timid or indifferent to tell them about Him.
You know the difference between leading a Christian-background person to Christ or a Muslim? Karim asks. The first is like a tree planted in your backyard, and in six months you start to get fruit. But to lead a Muslim to Christ, you are digging in a mine. You may spend years, but what you find there is not fruit. It is diamonds!
What keeps him digging? Every day he hears about " or personally witnesses " a Muslim coming to Christ.
This is the fuel Im getting from the Lord.
http://worldviewconversation.blogspot.com/2010/07/three-evangelical-lies-about-reaching.html
Listen to an audio version at http://media1.imbresources.org/files/113/11355/11355-62029.mp3
First Baptist Church is located at 4800 W. Pulaski Hwy. Perryville, MD.


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		<title>Brothers accused of &#8216;blasphemy&#8217; slain in Pakistan</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1411</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1411#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:05:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1411</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ FAISALABAD, Pakistan (BP)&#8211;Two Pakistani brothers accused of &#8220;blaspheming&#8221; Islam&#8217;s prophet Muhammad were gunned down by suspected Islamic extremists on July 19 in Faisalabad, the country&#8217;s third-largest city.
The brothers, Rashid and Sajid Emmanuel, both Christians, were arrested July 10 for allegedly distributing a pamphlet with &#8220;disrespectful material&#8221; about Muhammad, according to a BBC report on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ FAISALABAD, Pakistan (BP)&#8211;Two Pakistani brothers accused of &#8220;blaspheming&#8221; Islam&#8217;s prophet Muhammad were gunned down by suspected Islamic extremists on July 19 in Faisalabad, the country&#8217;s third-largest city.
The brothers, Rashid and Sajid Emmanuel, both Christians, were arrested July 10 for allegedly distributing a pamphlet with &#8220;disrespectful material&#8221; about Muhammad, according to a BBC report on July 20.
Rashid Emmanuel was the leader of United Ministries Pakistan; its website was not operative on July 21. One source on the Internet described United Ministries Pakistan as encompassing several churches, a school and orphanage, a women&#8217;s program and other initiatives.
Emmanuel, on a Web profile page, had stated, &#8220;We are a group of believers, committed and dedicated to preaching the Word of God and have been helping the poor and downtrodden people of this area for the past 5 years.&#8221; According to a UPI report, the ministry was located in the Waris Pura slum, encompassing about 100,000 people in the Faisalabad metro area of 5.4 million people.
Emmanuel&#8217;s brother Sajid was described in news reports as a graduate student and one of the ministry&#8217;s leaders.
There are conflicting reports whether the brothers were gunned down prior to or after a hearing on the blasphemy charge and whether they were killed inside the courtroom or outside the courthouse. A police official also was critically injured in gunfire leveled by as many as five gunmen, all of whom escaped.
According to the Compass Direct News Service, the gunmen shot the Emmanuels five days after handwriting experts notified police that signatures on materials denigrating Muhammad did not match those of the brothers.
As recounted by Compass, &#8220;Expected to be exonerated soon, the two leaders of United Ministries Pakistan were being led in handcuffs back to jail under police custody when they were shot at 2:17 p.m., Christians present said.&#8221; The UPI reported, meanwhile, that the brothers were killed prior to their hearing on the blasphemy charges.
Compass reported that Sajid Emmanuel died at the scene of a gunshot to his heart; Rashid Enmmanuel, who was shot in the chest, died later.
The brothers&#8217; murders sparked clashes involving ethnic Christians in the Waris Pura slum, police and Muslims, the UPI reported.
After the Emmanuels were arrested on July 10, several hundred demonstrators marched to the Waris Pura slum voicing demands that the brothers be executed, the BBC reported.
Concerning the blasphemy charges, the BBC quoted Atif Jameel, a spokesman for the Pakistan Minorities Democratic Foundation, as stating: &#8220;No one in his right mind would issue a derogatory pamphlet against the Prophet and put his name and address on it.&#8221;
Jameel added: &#8220;This appears to be a conspiracy against peace and religious harmony in Faisalabad.&#8221;
According to the BBC, no one has been executed under Pakistan&#8217;s blasphemy law, although &#8220;about 10 accused have been murdered before the completion of their trial, according to a BBC Urdu correspondent in Lahore. Dozens more are living in exile to avoid punishment under the legislation.&#8221;
According to Compass Direct, &#8220;The last known Christian to die as a result of a false blasphemy charge was Robert Danish on Sept. 15, 2009. The 22-year-old Christian was allegedly tortured to death while in custody in Sialkot on a charge of blaspheming the Quran. Local authorities claimed he committed suicide.&#8221;
Compass reported that the charge against Danish &#8220;led to calls from mosque loudspeakers to punish Christians, prompting an Islamic mob to attack a church building in Jathikai village [Danish&#8217;s hometown] on Sept. 11 and the beating of several of the 30 families forced to flee their homes.&#8221;
On July 5, Compass also noted, a Christian husband and wife and son-in-law fled their home in the Lahore area after being accused of blaspheming the Quran. A mob of some 2,000 Muslims tried to burn their house, according to Compass, citing local Christian sources.
Rashid Emmanuel was 32; conflicting reports listed Sajid Emmanuel&#8217;s age as 24, 26 or 30.
Human rights and minority organizations in Pakistan have called for seven days of mourning for the Emmanuel brothers, UPI reported.
&#8211;30&#8211;
Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston.
First Baptist Church of Perryville is located one and a half miles east of Rt. 222.

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		<title>The Courage to Be Bored Kids and Video Screens</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1409</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1409#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1409</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ by Mark Earley.
If I asked you what your teenage children are doing right now, you might not know. But the New York Times and the Kaiser Family Foundation have a pretty good idea.
According to a recent Kaiser study, if your teenager is awake and isnt in school, he or she is staring at a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ by Mark Earley.
If I asked you what your teenage children are doing right now, you might not know. But the New York Times and the Kaiser Family Foundation have a pretty good idea.
According to a recent Kaiser study, if your teenager is awake and isnt in school, he or she is staring at a screen, a smart-phone, a computer, or watching television. The authors claimed to have been shocked by the results.
Kaisers researchers interviewed more than 2,000 kids between the ages of eight and eighteen. They found that, on average, the participants in the study spent seven and one-half hours a day using these devices! Whats more, that figure understates the amount of time American kids devote to consuming media and other related activities.
For instance, it does not include time spent actually talking on these smart-phones or sending and receiving messages. That adds another one-and-a-half hours to the total. When you add time spent doing several media-related things at once, that is multi-tasking, American kids spend the equivalent of eleven hours a day tethered to an electronic device.
The authors were stunned because they believed that media consumption among kids had already maxed out when they last measured it in 2005. What didnt take into account, either then or now, is what drives the heavy usage: dread of being bored.
As one 14-year-old told the Times, I feel like my days would be boring without my smart phone. Its not only him. As New Testament scholar Ben Witherington recently wrote, smart-phones are seen as the cure for boredom.
This boredom is in most cases&#8230;the state of mind of those who lack imagination and therefore require all kinds of stimuli to prevent them from losing interest in things, and even in life. Thats why people, adults as well as kids, are constantly fiddling with their cellphone. The alternative to all this fiddling is being alone with your own thoughts, which terrifies people used to the constant stimulation provided by our media-saturated culture.
Happily, parents can help their kids to avoid this trap. The Kaiser study found that parents can make rules limiting this kind of mindless media consumption and that their children will follow them. It wont be easy but, then again, swimming against the cultural tide never is.
Speaking of swimming against the tide, even more important than rules and limits is teaching our children that we dont need constant stimulation. On the contrary, being quiet and still is an essential part of the Christian life. We are told be still so that we may learn who God is. God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice.
Neuroscientists tell us that many, if not most, of our most creative and productive moments come when we step back from all the stimulation and let our minds be free. In other words, what many people call boredom is good for us in ways that the constantly-stimulated cant begin to imagine.
Were not talking about letting our minds wander just anywhere. What were told to do is invest our life in a relationship with Christ. In His word, in prayer, and in meditation. Unplugging and stepping back for some time alone with God is yet another reason for us to unplug our kids and ourselves and risk being bored. For all the right reasons.
 Get links to further information on today&#8217;s topic (http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/14920)

First Baptist Church of Perryville is located at 4800 West Pulaski Hwy., Perryville, MD. One and a half miles east of Rt. 222.

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		<title>Marriage As Therapy or Covenant?</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1401</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1401#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:14:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1401</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Worldview Matters
Last week, another prominent couple made headlines by announcing the end of their marriage. It was former vice president Al Gore and his wife. I know both of them and always thought they were a perfect couple.
I am disappointed for them and saddened. Indeed, that seems to be the overwhelming reaction from the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Worldview Matters
Last week, another prominent couple made headlines by announcing the end of their marriage. It was former vice president Al Gore and his wife. I know both of them and always thought they were a perfect couple.
I am disappointed for them and saddened. Indeed, that seems to be the overwhelming reaction from the public and the media. Many, who saw the Gores as an ideal, loving couple who enjoyed and endured the ups and downs of public life together, wondered aloud if the Gores couldnt keep going after 40 years, who can?
Well, that depends, as does so much, on your worldview. And a perfect case in point is an article from last Fridays New York Times entitled, What Brain Scans Tell Us About Marriage. Author Tara Parker-Pope reported on recent research into the neuroscience of happy marriages. She cites one study in which 17 madly-in-love couples underwent a brain scan. When an individual was shown a picture of his or her spouse &#8212; ta-da! &#8212; the scan showed activity in that part of the brain associated with romance. In older couples, Parker-Pope writes, researchers spotted something extra: parts of the brain associated with deep attachment were also activated.
The researcher, Dr. Bianca Acevedo explained, They have the feelings of euphoria, but also the feelings of calm and security that we feel when were attached to somebody. Dr Acevedo added, I think its wonderful news.
And I do, too. Parker-Pope, after highlighting the key to a happy marriage, asks two questions that highlighted for me exactly why marriages today are crumbling. One, how much does your partner provide a source of exciting experiences? And two, how much has knowing your partner made you a better person?
What do these two questions have in common? They are the epitome of the postmodern, therapeutic worldview &#8212; the worldview that asks one and only one question: Whats In It For Me? Thus Parker-Pope can end her article on a happy postmodern note, quoting a Wharton School Economist: The Gores had 40 years of marriage . . . The fact that they both can look forward and see a promising future by not being married [is] a celebration about how much optimism they have for the rest of their lives.
Well, I cannot put such a happy face on divorce, nor do I mean to single out the Gores for criticism. Far from it, because I know all too well the pain divorce creates. But I cant stop from noticing how far our culture has drifted from the faith that founded it. Even 40 years ago, marriage was seen as a covenant, a sacrament in some traditions"a promise before God between a man and a woman to be faithful to one another until death did them part. Not seeking the good for ones self, but the good of the other.
But in our therapeutic culture, as Parker-Popes questions illuminate so brilliantly, this has been turned 180 degrees. Marriage is now just another path, or obstacle, to self-fulfillment. Please dont tell me worldviews dont matter. Or that they cant shape a culture. Weve gone in 40 years from the Christian belief in a lifelong commitment to seeing divorce as the start of a promising future. Please.
 Get links to further information on today&#8217;s topic (http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/14634)
First Baptist Church of Perryville is located across from Pincipio Health Center.

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		<title>Environmentalism Done Right</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1399</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1399#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:08:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1399</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
And the LORD God planted [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. . . . The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Genesis 1:26; 2:8, 15 (ESV)
Christians should be the people standing at the vanguard of the environmental movement. They are, after all, a people whose Holy Book begins with a dazzling account of a created order lovingly made and ends not only with a new heaven, but also with a pristine planet earth. In between, the Bible portrays man as both a lord and a gardener"a trustee who carefully watches over that which God has made.
The Bible says human beings are created in the image of God. Far more than just being a mere jumble of mans capacities (i.e., rational, relational, and moral), the image of God conveys something fundamental about human identity"that man represents Gods rule on the earth. It is an idea that cultures in the Ancient Near Eastern embraced when they viewed their king as a substitute for their god. For example, the Egyptians called their king a living statue of a god and worshipped him for this very reason. As the one created in the image of God, man, therefore, is a king. Human beings are set in Creation as Gods image"His representatives"to rule over it as His vice-regents and to point the world to Gods ultimate reign. They are to have dominion over it and subdue it (v. 28), but never autonomously. Whatever authority man enjoys as king over creation is strictly derivative; he is responsible to God the High King, and as such is expected to rule by nurturing, developing, and caring for creation, just as God Himself does.1
The picture of such a nurturing vice-regent is further developed in Genesis 2. Adam, the reader learns, is to be a gardener. Any notion that the dominion language of chapter 1 implies exploitation is diffused with the imagery of the first human being tending attentively to plants and animals. Clearly, the man was special, set apart from the rest of the creation. Yet Edens teeming biome (complex biotic community) was in every way his home"a unique place in which Adam was an integral part.
With this background in mind, supporters of environmental causes should not be surprised when they find Christians around the table as fellow advocates protecting the natural order. They will find that adherents to the Bibles message possess a balanced view on the issues as people who understand that humanitys role toward the earth is both that of king and gardener. The former role tells believers that as a creation, the earth is to be ruled over and developed. The latter carries with it the imperative to nurture and maintain natural resources as a responsible steward.


Footnotes:

1 See on this Bruce Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 65-66.

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article adopted from Kairos Journal
First Baptist Church is located in Perryville on Rt. 40, 1 and 1/2 miles east of Rt. 222.

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		<title>McMansions and the American Family</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1397</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1397#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:03:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>featured</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1397</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Michael Frisby lives in a McMansion. His home, nestled in Fulton, Maryland (between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore), sits three stories high, boasts 11,000 square feet, and includes amenities such as a wine cellar, a bedroom larger than most apartments, a music room, a gym, and a sauna. He has achieved his dream: I always [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Michael Frisby lives in a McMansion. His home, nestled in Fulton, Maryland (between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore), sits three stories high, boasts 11,000 square feet, and includes amenities such as a wine cellar, a bedroom larger than most apartments, a music room, a gym, and a sauna. He has achieved his dream: I always wanted a house big enough that my kids could be in their room screaming, and my wife could be in a room screaming, and I could be somewhere else and not hear any of them.1
Burgeoning home size is not limited to those with the means to purchase McMansions, however. The average family home in 2004 was 2,349 square feet. In 1974, it was 1,695 square feet.2 That is a growth of almost 40 percent. Kitchens have doubled in size, and bedrooms have grown from an average of 9 feet by 10 feet to 12 by 12. All of this while the average family size has declined from 3.1 to 2.6 people.3
Why have houses grown by 40 percent in 30 years and more than doubled since the 1950s?4 Undoubtedly, multiple issues come into play. Some people cite context, explaining that wealth creates a frame of reference for what is normal and needed. For instance, a modest home in America would be considered a mansion if placed in an African village.5 Also, if parents want to raise their children in a certain environment"in a reputable school district, for example"they may have to purchase a large home because that is all that is available in the district. Because of these and other factors, scholars such as Robert Frank of Cornell University insist that growing home size is deeper than just keeping up with the Joneses.6 In fact, it may point to a desire to establish a self-defined heaven on earth; the way homes are built communicates what people think is important and how they think they can achieve a good life.7
These trends often have unintended consequences for families. Since the growth in average home size does not at all reflect a growth in family size, the result is more house for less people. As Frisby noted above, a large house means that family members can easily isolate themselves. John Stilgoe, a Harvard professor, sees a problem: The big house represents the atomizing of the American family.8 Not surprisingly, 90% of college freshmen have never shared a bedroom before moving in with their roommates.9
These big houses are also being filled with more and more luxury items. Builder Pat Trunzo takes pride in several of the large homes he has built. The biggest was more than 30,000 square feet and included 21 bathrooms. He observes, One of the crazy things they did was [decide] that the kids needed a little flat-screen TV in their bathroom.10
Not only does the larger size enable people to avoid each other in the home, the cost of the home often leads to two problems. First, the need for extra income can pull one or both parents into more and more work, removing them even further from their children. Second, buying more luxury than a family can afford can lead to financial crisis when the mortgage simply cannot be paid. As evidenced in the U.S., these housing decisions can have a huge negative impact on a national economy.
While owning nice things such as a large house is not a sin in itself, Christians must be brutally honest about both hidden motives and unintended consequences. The fact that the average home size is growing is not wrong, but it can stem from a desire to create heaven on earth or to get away from God-given responsibilities (such as children). Indeed, it may lead to the unintended consequence of the breakdown of family relationships. Such relationships are vital to the Christian family life"whether that life is lived in a McMansion or in a small village house in Africa.

Footnotes:

1 Margot Adler, Behind the Ever-Expanding American Dream House, National Public Radio Website, July 4, 2006, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5525283 (accessed June 3, 2010).

2 Americas Homes Get Bigger and Better, ABC News Website, December 27, 2005, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Moms/story?id=1445039 (accessed June 3, 2010).

3 Ibid.

4 Adler.

5 Ibid.

6 Ibid.

7 For more discussion on the relation of architecture and religion, see Philip Bess, Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architecture, Urbanism, and the Sacred (Wilmington, DE: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2006).

8 Adler.

9 Sharing a Dorm with a Total Stranger, Just Colleges Website, http://www.justcolleges.com/college/coll_dormroom.htm (accessed June 3, 2010).

10 Adler.

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article adopted from Kairos Journal
First Baptist Church of Perryville, 4800 W. Pulaski Hwy., Perryville, MD


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		<item>
		<title>Fellowship Lunch</title>
		<link>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1437</link>
		<comments>http://www.perryville.org/?p=1437#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:04:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>terri</dc:creator>
		
	<category>upcoming</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.perryville.org/?p=1437</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sunday, October 17, following the morning worship service, the fellowship team will provide a Warm-Up Lunch. Soup and sandwich will be provided. Please bring a dessert to share. Questions? See Mitzie Curry.

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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Sunday, October 17, following the morning worship service, the fellowship team will provide a Warm-Up Lunch. Soup and sandwich will be provided. Please bring a dessert to share. Questions? See Mitzie Curry.

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