Batting Down Rumors About TransMin

Although this was posted some time ago (see the tag on the end) it might be good to review and to, as Dr. Salico says, to, "set the record straight."

Setting the Record Straight

Dr. Dale V. Salico

False reports are being circulated about Transformation Ministries, bringing confusion to pastors and congregations. Numerous pastors have reported the allegations being made against this ministry. My only purpose in responding to these false reports is to set the record straight.

False Statement #1: “Transformation Ministries is financially weak and cannot offer significant services to churches.”

The Facts: In the past seventeen months God has blessed Transformation Ministries financially beyond anything we have seen in the past decade. Because of God’s grace and the generosity of the Lord’s people, we are now in the strongest financial position we have been for the past fifteen years!

• In the past month we have hired two new administrative staff members.

• After years of deferred maintenance, because of a special gift we have re-roofed and painted our office building. More repairs and improvements are being scheduled to make the Church Resource Center more user friendly.

• We have upgraded our publications.

• Significant improvements are being made at all three of our camps.

• In the first four months of 2007, financial support for Transformation Ministries budgeted ministries has exceeded 2006 giving by 19%!

While we need the continued faithful support of congregations and our financial partners, this ministry is growing, not shrinking!

False Statement #2: “If your church stays with Transformation Ministries, they will want your property and 30% of your church’s income.”

The Facts: Transformation Ministries will not ask any church to surrender the ownership of its property to this Ministry. The Board of Directors of Transformation Ministries is working through our property files and, on a case-by-case basis, offering to eliminate or change old loans and property agreements. The final decision about property arrangements between individual churches and Transformation Ministries will be made by the churches.

Transformation Ministries does not ask for a certain percentage of a church’s income. In the Covenant of Transformation Ministries Churches, congregations state, “We will give a ‘faith share’ to support this mission.” A “faith share” is defined as follows: “By agreeing to give a ‘faith share’ to support our mission together, congregations are saying that they will support this ministry at a significant level.”

False Statement #3: “If your church is a member of Transformation Ministries, there will be no emergency assistance available for your pastor or pastoral family.”

The Facts: The churches of Transformation Ministries have contributed over $25,000.00 to a “Pastors Emergency Fund.” Combined with other donations, the Transformation Ministries Pastor’s Emergency Fund now has a balance of over $100,000.00! A team of pastors has been appointed to oversee the Emergency Fund ministry. Already, several pastoral families have received assistance.

False Statement #4: “Two hundred churches in the Pacific Southwest are standing firmly with the ABC.”

The Facts: While many Transformation Ministries churches have withdrawn from the ABC, the majority of churches have not yet notified the ABC regarding their intentions. Many will eventually withdraw. Others will be members both of the ABC and Transformation Ministries. In the first week of April, churches received the final printed Covenant of Transformation Ministries Churches. We are receiving signed Covenants almost every day at the Church Resource Center in Covina. [Ed.: see the current data at www.transmin.org.)

If you have heard other confusing or troubling reports about Transformation Ministries, please communicate them to us so we can bring clarification. Rumors and misinformation not only cause confusion, they can lead to disconnect. Every congregation is important in this movement of churches. Our goal is for every congregation to be stronger because of its relationship with every other congregation.

Transformation Ministries provides a robust connection between churches, not a marriage of convenience or a phantom relationship. Built on a solid foundation of Biblical convictions and core values, Transformation Ministries strengthens churches now, and prepares them to withstand the intensifying storms blowing out of a post-Christian culture that are assaulting Christianity.

God is blessing this movement of churches, under-girding its ministry and expanding its influence.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2-3

05/29/07

The War on Christianity in Laos

From Religion Today, August 17, 2007. I have a special interest in the church in Laos due to...reasons that cannot be published here.

Laotian Government Efforts to 'Eliminate Christianity'

Elizabeth Kendal

August 17, 2007

AUSTRALIA -- A Presbyterian missionary first brought the gospel to Buddhist, animist Laos in 1885. Whilst the ethnic Lao were resistant, the ethnic minorities were not. Thanks to Gospel radio and indigenous missionaries, the 20^th century saw revivals amongst the Hmong and the Khmu which sometimes involved whole villages turning to Christ. During the second Indochina war the Hmong, who live in the hills that straddle northern Vietnam and Laos, joined with the American forces against the Communists. But by April 1975 the Americans had been driven out and the Communists had won. This left the Hmong in a dire situation as an ethnic and growing religious minority under vengeful Communist regimes. According to Operation World, some 90 percent of all the Laos Christian leadership were forced to flee the Communist advances, reprisals, purges and persecution of 1975.

The Laos government, still one of the world's most severe abusers of religious liberty, has explicitly declared its intention to 'eliminate Christianity.' The government not only severely persecutes Christians, it is also pursuing a genocidal war against the restive Hmong, using military means which include gross barbarity, chemical weapons ('yellow rain') and starvation. (See note and links below).

In early June, ten people were arrested in California, USA, and charged with plotting a coup to overthrow the Laos government. The ringleaders of the alleged plot were Harrison Jack (60), a former US Army Ranger who led covert operations and worked with Hmong fighters during the Vietnam War, and Gen. Vang Pao (77), a prominent member of the Hmong community who emigrated to the US in the 1970s. The BBC reports that Vang Pao, as a Laotian general, led CIA-backed forces against Communist guerrillas before they seized power in 1975. According to the BBC the group is said to have spent millions of dollars on weapons and explosives.

The events in the US have triggered a major persecution against Christian Hmong in Laos, where it is assumed the Christians have US links. Compass Direct (CD) reported on August 7 that Lao government soldiers and police had killed at least 13 Hmong Christians in the previous month and that some 200 members of a 1900-strong Laos Evangelical Church in Ban Sai Jarern (north-western Laos) were imprisoned. One source told CD that police are shooting on sight Christians they are searching for intensively in rice fields and mountains. Vietnamese police and soldiers have crossed into Laos seeking Vietnamese Hmong.

The authorities are accusing the churches of being linked to Gen. Vang Pao and that the pastors are preparing their congregations to participate in the coup. The churches however flatly deny the charges and maintain that they are good, loyal, law-abiding citizens. Exploiting the situation, Communist village officials and committee members and other anti-Christian elements are agitating for a purge of Christians. Numerous church leaders have been seized. Police are pursuing others who are on the run.

On top of this, the Thai Prime Minister announced on August 6 that Thailand would return some 8000 ethnic Hmong refugees to Laos despite their claims they face persecution in their homeland. World leaders generally are indifferent to what they know is happening in Laos, which will apply for membership in the World Trade Organisation in 2008.

Please Pray Specifically for God to...

• protect and sustain his Church amidst this terrible persecution, especially the Christian leaders - so vital for the Church - who are being specifically targeted by the authorities.
• speak comfort and love to the hearts of the Christian believers amongst the traumatised Hmong fleeing through the jungle or who are refugees in Thailand, so that they will not lose faith or hope; may he draw them to prayer and deliver them from their enemies. 'From the Lord comes deliverance.' (Psalm 3:8 NIV)
• turn the hearts of world leaders from indifference to indignation that leads to action (Proverbs 21:1).
• pour out his Spirit mightily on the majority Lao people, emboldening the Lao Church and opening Lao hearts to receive the gospel.

Note and Links

Rebecca Sommer, a German-born New York-based filmmaker and human rights activist, has produced a film 'Hunted Like Animals' that shockingly exposes the severe trauma of the Hmong.

'Hunted Like Animals' may be purchased as a DVD or watched as Quicktime clips from Rebecca Sommer's site
http://www.rebeccasommer.org/documentaries/Hmong/index.php or as a series of YouTube clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmSWXk1nFRc&mode=related&search .

Elizabeth Kendal is the Principal Researcher and Writer for the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA RLC) www.worldevangelical.org/rlc.html. This article was initially written for the WEA RLP(Religious Liberty Prayer) mailing list. Elizabeth can be contacted by e-mail at rl-research@crossnet.org.au.

The Pursuit of Happiness

A brief break from missions postings. This is the monthly column I write for Temple City Life, our local Chamber of Commerce publication.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Lately I've been thinking a lot about happiness. What is happiness? How do you get it? How do you keep it?

A few months ago, my wife Lynann and I saw the DVD of “The Pursuit of Happyness” with Will Smith. (The misspelling is intentional and is part of the story.) It's the inspiring story of Chris Gardner, a man who broke through barriers of race and poverty by dogged hard work to become a stockbroker with E.F. Hutton in San Francisco.

No one could doubt that when Gardner “made it” he was a lot happier than when he and his son was sleeping in a shelter—or a locked public bathroom, or even a BART train running all night.

At the same time, his material success is no guarantee of real happiness. Name ten celebrities, chances are that nine are miserable. Happiness cannot be guaranteed via a bank account.

So what is happiness? As Dallas Willard, professor of philosophy at UCLA points out, every great thinker must give his account of “the good life”--we might say, the happy life. Jesus of Nazareth is no exception. His description of the good—the happy—life is called The Sermon on the Mount.

He turned the pursuit of happiness upside down. He launched His explanation of the Good Life with a series of statements we've come to call the Beatitudes. Here they are in The Message translation:

“You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.” (Gospel of Matthew 5:3-10)

Until Jesus, everyone assumed that real blessedness (which is just an inch away from the meaning of real happiness) meant freedom from insecurity, the accumulation of things, self-confidence and triumph over circumstances. Jesus' vision is very different: He says that real blessedness/happiness is found when we are entirely centered in God.

So for Jesus (and in the rest of the Bible for that matter) happiness can be defined as a loving, joyful contentment in God and in God's Kingdom. For example, in Isaiah 26:3, we read, “You [God] will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Perfect peace—real happiness—is found in a heart that is fully set upon God—His love, character, deeds and purposes.

In Philippians 4:12-13, Paul echoes this theme of perfect peace through a whole-hearted love and focus and commitment to God: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

The pursuit of happiness: I know where real happiness is to be found. It is in a vital, real, loving, worshipful, delightful, joyful connection of my life to God through Jesus. Are you happy too?

Some Thoughts on World Missions, Part Two: An Historical Road Not Taken

Many years ago, I recall J. Christy Wilson saying, “Islam is the unpaid debt of the church. If we had been faithful and evangelized the Arabian Peninsula, think how differently history would have gone.”

With that in mind, let’s imagine a different timeline, where Islam never even came into being…

BY THE LATE third century, Nabatean missionaries had brought the gospel as far south as modern Yemen, the ancient Kingdom of Sheba. Most of the Arab tribes in the Hejaz region were at least partially evangelized. In the early seventh century a self-styled prophet named Muhammad arose briefly, a cult of radical monotheism and bloodshed (jihad), but his movement died out within a generation of his death.

Arab missionaries fanned out to the south and east, establishing churches as far away as India and even Indonesia and as far south as portions of East Africa. The Parthian Empire embraced Christianity as its state religion in 759 and the Parthian Orthodox Church became the driving agent in the evangelization of central Asia and portions of Southeast Asia. Parthian missionaries established a missions presence in China by 1050 and in Japan and Korea by 1300.

Catholic missionaries arrived in India and China often to find that they had proceeded by Arabs and Parthians. When the Reformation arrived in Europe in the 16th century, Arab evangelization of Africa and Parthian evangelization of India, China and the east continued unabated. Unfortunately nationalistic ambitions and an abortive war of conquest of Arabs by the Parthians slowed this process. Internal forces and Mongol invaders brought an end to the Parthian empire. However, in a manner similar to the Goths and Rome, the Mongols had at least been partially evangelized by Nestorian monks.

By the early 18th century, the Eastern Reformation swept through both the Arab Christian and Parthian-Mongol Christian world. So-called Eastern Protestantism was initially slow to resume missions work, but by the mid-19th century began to vigorously evangelize Africa, India, China and even as far away as some South Seas islands in the Pacific….

Some Thoughts on World Missions, Part One

Earlier this summer, I took the class that was developed by the US Center for World Missions called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Years ago I wanted to take the class but told myself that the best place to take it would be at the US Center in Pasadena, but how would I ever do that.

Then, in 1999, God plopped me down eight miles from the USCWM.

One of the things that amazed me most was that I was the only Senior Pastor taking Perspectives course! Not only that, I was the third oldest person there!

So why did I take the class?

Well, I have been a “missions enthusiast” for years. It’s not like this was all new to me. I was mentored by the late J. Christy Wilson, Jr. back when I was at Gordon-Conwell in the early 80s. I’ve led the charge for missions giving and missions going. I even have the first edition of the big “Perspectives” reader!

I came to reenergize a personal commitment. It never hurts!

I came for “fresh ammunition” to teach and make the case for world missions.

I came because the key staff person at our church for missions has moved on (to become Dean of Students at San Diego Christian College). His approach was very much centered on missions trips (to the Navajo reservation, to Thailand and to Tijuana). I have the suspicion that that approach has run its course; we need a new approach and a fresh start.

I came because at this stage of life I am more and more concerned about passing things on. I want to be certified to coordinate the course.

I came because of a new era in our church connections. Our church was formerly part of the American Baptist Churches USA. Our region (formerly the ABC of the Pacific Southwest) voted last year to separate from the nation body. It’s now called Transformation Ministries. One reason I’m here is a burden to help steer TransMin in a new direction when it comes to missions. We are doing like most TransMin churches—continuing to support connections with ABC missionaries we have strong ties to (such as Mike Mann in Thailand). But eventually “something has to give.”

I came to network with people with a common vision, and to establish ties with the missions community here at the USCWM complex.

In this Biblical phase of the course, I found myself in 99% agreement with the interpretations emphases made by the speakers—and have often made them myself. One conviction that caught me early was that if missionaries are to be the “pathfinders” in world evangelization, what are US based pastors called to be? The world “pacesetters” comes to mind. I realized it’s been quite a while since I’ve been on the field (six years ago, in Mexico, and only briefly) and much longer since I lead a mission trip (1991 in the Dominican Republic).

I think we need a new policy, starting with me: all full time ministry staff must go to an international mission setting every two years, minimum. Such a policy will make it clear: this is a PRIORITY, the ultimate priority: making Christ known to all peoples.

Still Answering the Same Questions

A letter from a couple who moved away a number of years ago including the question--just what is this Transformation Ministries? Is FBC Temple City still an American Baptist Church? This was my email answer:

Dear (Mr.) and (Mrs):

K. A., our office manager, shared your letter with me. Thank you for your donation. We are delighted to send you The Tower [our newsletter]. If you wish, The Tower can now be sent to you via email.

Regarding Transformation Ministries, TransMin is the continuation of the Southern California Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Churches of thePacific Southwest. In April, 2006, delegates at a specially called meeting of ABCPSW voted by a 4 to 1 margin to disaffiliate from American Baptist Churches USA. Our church supported that decision (by a 6 to 1 margin), so as of Nov. 1, 2006, we were no longer affiliatedwith the ABCUSA.

This decision was not made lightly. Valley Forge for years has pursued a policy of compromise with the world in matters of moral values, all done in the name of "soul liberty." We along with the region came to the conclusion that that constituted an inversion of values, and that Biblical authority must hold a higher place in our values than soul liberty.

We are free to more boldly proclaim Christ--and Christ alone, not a denomiantion! We remain a cooperative church--now, through TransMin, and through the National Association of Evangelicals. May God bless you,

Dr. Glenn Layne

Senior Pastor

First Baptist Church of Temple City

PS: Seeing the monstrosity of meeting with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in DC in June, I am more than ever convinced this was the right move.

Making History

Some the function of a blog is just to be a tugboat to bring out wonderful things from elsewhere. This is from www.historymakers.info and was mirrored on You Tube:

On the Left, Pennings is Right

The New Baptist Covenant meeting set for next January has decided that same-sex affirming outfits like the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America that they cannot become affiliates of the North American Baptist Fellowship. Therefore, they cannot be official participants in the event.

First of all, it's been known to many that the Baptist Peace Fellowship and AWAB are overlapping, interlocking organizations (you could throw the Roger Williams Fellowship in there too). They are all devoted to a view of Christianity that is in essence anti-nominian (under the cover of being anti-legalistic). New Testament Christianity is as recognizable in their midst about as much as at a Papal enclave.

When the news of the exclusion hit, Ken Pennings of AWAB thereupon threw a fit, and for once I agree with him. Excluding the BPF and AWAB only makes sense as a strategic move, not one moved by principle.

“This is not a rejection of either organization or the people in those organization[s],” wrote Alan Stanford, general secretary of the NABF, in an e-mail alerting leaders of the two groups to NABF’s decision. “It is a recognition that we can not hold together the large coalition of Baptists needed to create a new Baptist voice in North America and address the issue of sexual orientation at the same time. We ask for your forbearance and understanding.”

...Although the Baptist Peace Fellowship and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists will not be official participants in the celebration, individual members and participating churches of both groups will. Both Pennings and Evelyn Hanneman, the Peace Fellowship’s interim director, noted that the vast majority of their partner congregations are affiliated with national denominational groups that are member bodies of the NABF and BWA.

“In fact, three Baptist Peace Fellowship members are part of a planning committee” for the celebration, Hanneman said. “So, they’re interested in keeping us off the table for our stance on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues, and yet we’re already at the table in some ways.”

(Source: http://www.baptiststandard.com/postnuke/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=6630)

Trouble is, I can't fit a piece of paper between the core beliefs of the leaders of the New Baptist Covenant people and the AWAB/Peace Fellowship people. Pennings is right: the Covenant gang should own up to their far theo-left views. And Baptists who regard Biblical authority as central should have nothing to do with this transparent, politically-motivated gathering.

Only God Brings Us Out

An American Baptist Pastor thanking God for taking her OUT of homosexuality bondage? Interesting...I wonder what those AWABers think. Thanks with a tip of the hat to Glenn Wade for bringing this item to my attention...

Venus Magazine - Cover Story

Only God!

Reported by Charlene E. Cothran
Images by Kristen Swartz

There is nothing new under the sun. I’m pretty sure that gay folks have been around since shortly after the beginning of time. But what I’m just realizing is that God has been DELIVERING gay folks for just as long! For such a time as this, He has called out, sanctified and planted some incredibly powerful and wonderful people. One such person is the Rev. Carla Thomas Royster, founder and pastor of Blessed Redeemer Church in Burlington, NJ. An educator in one of New Jersey’s finest school districts, Royster also holds a Master of Divinity which prepared her for the work given her by divine appointment.

The 6’ 4” former college basketball star immediately strikes you as a no-nonsense disciplinarian. Then she smiles and her love for God and people fill the room.

A seven year pastor to a growing congregation, Royster enjoys a sterling reputation both locally and throughout the Northeast via the American Baptist association of churches where she is often featured as a speaker. She and husband Mark are raising two beautiful boys. With all going so well, why would she bother to expose herself to a congregation who knew nothing of her previous life as a lesbian in a tell-all book? “To set people free,” says Royster who withheld her original manuscript for nearly five years. “I finally obeyed God.”

VENUS: The book title describes your testimonial experience as a 'struggle' with a lesbian spirit. In this age of sexual liberty explain the word 'struggle' as it pertains to your experience. Was the 'struggle' between choosing gay/straight or heaven/hell or happy/unhappy, purpose/no purpose?

ROYSTER: The struggle was the traditional struggle between the Spirit and the flesh, for all that my flesh desired and fed, was immediately convicted by my spirit. It was a struggle with my inner self and my outer self. That Is why I heavily identify with Apostle Paul's testimony found in Romans 7: 18-20 "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good, I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."

VENUS: Your writing style works incredibly well. It dances between the 'THEN' [in a lesbian's voice] and the 'NOW' [in the voice of an experienced pastor who has been delivered from being lesbian] Why was it important to separate these voices?

ROYSTER: God Bless You. The separation of the voices is empowering for me, for it is symbolic of Gods delivering power in my life. For years I was so entangled in my inner and outer life (that is: the Carla that I was within, and the Carla that I presented to other people) that even I could not predict what would trigger my lesbian desires. When I began to get into my Word and seek clarity in prayer, I found that one of my most powerful strongholds was the inability to separate my lesbian voice, from my delivered voice. I was ashamed, and worried about allowing that voice to speak in my delivered life, because whenever it had spoken in the past, it would initiate a hostile take-over. But today I write in two voices, one that reflectively reminds me of my life before Christ, and one that humbly basks in the knowledge of Gods delivering presence in my life today. I feel like Paul who wrote: I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 3:13-14

VENUS: When and how did you begin to recognize God calling you out of homosexuality?

ROYSTER: I began to sense God calling me out of a variety of things as soon as I truly began to get into His presence. By that I mean studying His Word for myself, praying, meditating, fasting, tithing (giving my time talent treasure to the work of the kingdom). In short, the call from homosexuality came for me as soon as I ceased to be conformed to this world, but decided to be transformed by the renewing of my mind in Christ Jesus. Romans 12:2

VENUS: When and how did you begin to answer your call into the ministry and pastoral calling?

ROYSTER: I knew that God had blessed me with spiritual gifts from childhood...but being unchurched, I did not understand what that meant, or how they would ever be translated into something that would be a blessing to anyone, even myself. Romans 11:29 says: the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. I did not understand this until I was deeper in God's Word. I interpret it as meaning that our gifts can be used or abused (abnormally used). For instance, a gift of prophecy can be used in fortunetelling, witchcraft, or palm-reading (same gift -different uses) My call was always upon me, I was the captain, president, or spokesperson for every club, team organization I ever joined, the gift and the call to leadership, discernment and exhortation was just being abused for the first 20 or 30 years, but now the gifts are being multiplied for His Good! Once I grasped all that I could alone, and in Bible study, I applied for and was accepted into a Masters Program at a local seminary, and from there I was anchored in my passion for His Word....and as I began to minister, sing, preach, teach and lead worship, His anointing began to unfold....and next came my graduation, examination, ordination, calling to plant churches, and the pastorate. Thank God for grace!!

VENUS: What were your initial fears regarding publishing this book? Have those fears proven right or wrong?

ROYSTER: My initial fear was that the publishing of my book would hurt and expose those that I loved and cherish the most. I held it in complete manuscript form for over 5 years, until God sent a prophet into our midst to liberate my heart, mind, soul and spirit in ways I never imagined. Our family, like many other African-American families is immersed in secrecy, and we tend to be closed especially as it relates to pain, and suffering, –although our pain has constantly and generationally expressed itself in passive-aggressive ways that I have found to be far more destructive than just dealing with it out front. So for me, my greatest fear was that my truth would trespass on the territory of those who had not yet embraced their own truths.

Yes, my fears were proven right, because even though my self-exposure has helped thousands of others gain deliverance in areas that sometimes involve sexuality, but often did not, many pivotal people in my life have not yet read the book, and I respect the fact that everyone is not ready for this level of disclosure.

VENUS: What stands out as the most adverse reaction to your coming out story?

ROYSTER: The uncensored, descriptive, unapologetic, raw, nature of my testimony has caused more concerns than anything else. I find that people say "we want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" but the whole TRUTH is wanted in a way that is palatable, and easy to digest or it is not wanted at all. People in and out of my religious circles are not prepared to hear that "my first love was a woman," or that "I had an abortion", or that "I was abused", because it is not comfortable. It is almost as if some people want me to go back and live my life over, so that it can be easier for them to digest, but I can't change the past...and if it is difficult to read, try having to live it! So my answer to those who are offended is "I am sorry if my testimony offends you...but It is what it is." The other concern is that many people want to argue with me, about whether I was ever lesbian, while others feel obligated to say to me, I knew you were gay!! But God has me in a place of peace so I do not argue or debate, I just respond by telling them that "the half hasn't even been told"..and "my testimony is what it is."

VENUS: What has been the most supportive or positive reaction or outcome?

ROYSTER: My husband and my first and only heterosexual girlfriends, and my church have been 100% supportive. I did not bring it up to them until I was about to publish and their love, and support for me has not changed. Struggling with what I call my lesbian spirit has also been my husband’s struggle, because when I struggle so does he, because we are one in the spirit. I was concerned that my congregation would ask me to sit down or kick me out, or that my denomination would call me into counsel. But God always knows what He is doing because the release of my book has served to deepen my relationships on every level...and I love and Thank God for each and every relationship He has deepened.

Also I have been blessed to meet wonderful, courageous, Holy Ghost filled women like you, Sister Cothran. It is so wonderful to be able to talk to someone without having to over-explain and fill in the blanks. I 've had some very negative expressions shared with me over the months with people calling me "a liar," "homophobic" and the like...and I am okay with feedback that is negative and positive, because it is in our differences of opinion, and experience ...where the dialogue lies. But I have also heard testimonies, offered counsel, and prayed for people, as I have been blessed to witness the deliverance of the Lord manifested in a variety of ways.

The greatest positive is that I would not have been a part of a conversation that has deepened my understanding, my relationships and my faith, unless I had first allowed "my truth to set me free" (John 8:32) and a portion of my truth can be found in: Only God Brings Us Out Of The Closet: An Uncensored Testimony of One Woman's Struggle With Life and a Lesbian Spirit. www.onlygodbringsusout.org

The Real Civil War in the Mideast

It is often asserted that the conflict in Iraq is actually a civil war (an assertion which I believe to be factually inaccurate). The real civil war in the Mideast is among the Palestinians, with Fatah in control of the West Bank and Hamas in control of Gaza. Here's an angle you won't here about from the MSM (mainstream media): Gaza and the gospel.

Christians express concerns over their future in Gaza

Public Christian Library run by the Gaza Baptist Church

Gaza (MNN) -- Christians in the Gaza Strip expressed concern about their future after Islamic militants of Hamas took control of the Palestinian territory.

Open Doors' Carl Moeller says Hamas' takeover brought weeks of violence to an end. But having Hamas in charge may not necessarily be a good thing. The social and economic infrastructure has totally broken down. "Hamas will rule in Gaza, and if that's the case, Gaza will be cut off from any aid from the outside world. We know that there are also Christians locked into that same place, there in Gaza. We're praying for them, and we are asking the Christian community to provide resources."

The international embargo and boycott has worsened, and Gaza border crossings have been sealed, preventing supplies from reaching Gaza's 1.5 million residents, 80 percent of whom live under the poverty line.

Militants have reportedly been targeting everything that is against their view of Islam. Several sources with Open Doors have confirmed the firm grip of fear created by Muslims militants over the society. They say that especially believers from a Muslim background are afraid to be discovered and killed by militant forces. Not many have the courage to have contact with other Christians. Fear is trying to creep in everywhere.

Moeller says there's a few hundred evangelical believers trapped in Gaza. These people are caught in the crossfire, without supplies, unable to leave, but determined to share the hope of Christ. "They're caught between radical Islam on the one side and Israel on the other, and they're trying to follow after the Lord's admonition to be peacemakers in the middle of that violent place."

Pray that the political tension will cease and that a government will be established that enables the whole church to prosper.

Random Thoughts

A few random thoughts....

FAREWELL this week to one of the church's great ladies, Ruth Bell Graham. I urge everyone to read his bio here. Also read here.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, but I asked for it. As mentioned in an earlier blog, I'm taking the Perspectives course at the US Center for World Mission. In a class of 46, 43 are younger than me, and I feel like my years and training (under the late J. Christy Wilson, Jr.) give me an unfair advantage.

I have the first edition of the HUGE (about 1000 pages) Perspectives book, and it's interesting to see how how it's changed. In a word the course has become "Piperized"--that is, the direct and indirect influence of John Piper has changed the course--mostly to the good.

DR. DAVID SCHOLER. I read the LA Times story about David Scholer via Dennis McFadden's blog . Dennis knows Dr. Scholer from his time as Interim Pastor of FBC Pasadena; I knew him as a seminary professor at Gordon-Conwell. (I had the very last class he taught at GCTS; we was packing his formidable library each night and gave us a blow by blow account of the process.) Be sure to read the Times story.

A Father's Day Message

When Fathers Pray: The Ultimate In Homeland Security
June 17, 2007

Here’s a moment every father can relate to, from a dad named Scott Taylor. He writes,

A few years ago on a lazy Saturday morning my son Philip, then 5, invited himself into my bed. After about 5 minutes of intense tickling, wrestling and laughing, we collapsed together on the now coverless, pillowless bed. It was just a few seconds later that he raised his head from my chest, looked into my eyes, and said, "Dad, your the bestest Daddy in the whole wide world." And then, before I even had a chance to sample this precious morsel of parental affirmation he added, as he lay back down beside me, "And you’re a buggar-head!"

Here are some words that most dads have said at some time or another to their children.

This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.

Quiet. I’m watching the ball game.

Don’t forget to check the oil.

Bring back all the change

Who changed touched the thermostat?

Where is the remote control?

Do I look like I’m made out of money?

If you don’t quit, that I’m going to call your mother.

If you don’t tell mom neither will I.

Just wait till you have kids of your own.

Another son wrote home to his dad. He said, "Dear Dad, Please let me hear from you more often, even if it’s only a five or a ten."

Did you hear about the children who begged their parents for a hamster and after the usual fervent vows that they alone would care for it, they got one. They named it Danny. Two months later, when mom found herself responsible for cleaning and feeding the creature, she located a prospective new home for it. The children took the news of Danny’s imminent departure quite well, though one of them remarked, “He’s been around here a long time—we’ll miss him.” “Yes,” mom replied, “But he’s too much work for one person, and since I’m that one person, I say he goes.” Another child offered, “Well, maybe if he wouldn’t eat so much and wouldn’t be so messy, we could keep him.” But mom was firm. “Its time to take Danny to his new home now,” she insisted. “Go and get his cage.” With one voice and in tearful outrage the children shouted, “Danny? We thought you said, ‘Daddy’!”

Many dads have abandoned their calling from God, and many wonder if we even need dads. Maybe we can just get rid of dad, like a messy hamster. This morning I want to take on that attitude. I want all dads to both understand and embrace what God has placed them here to do.

In summer, 2001, the term homeland security had no meaning whatsoever. But that changed on 911.Not long after 911 President Bush created a new cabinet position for homeland security. America has an enemy – an enemy the for the most part remains hidden in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Homeland security is not cheap. The bill this year is nearly 40 billion dollars. When the homeland is threatened it is time for the leaders to step up to the plate. It is time for them to protect their people – it is time for them to use the best resources that they have at their disposal.

If you have your Bible, turn to 2 Chronicles 20. I want us to read a passage that will show us what a leader of Israel did when his homeland was threatened. I want us to see what, the most powerful resource we have to protect our homeland, is.2 Chronicles 20:5-9

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said: "O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.'

What did Jehoshaphat do when his homeland was threatened? He prayed!

Prayer is - coming into the presence of God; it is entering the throne room of the KING of kings and LORD of lords; it is communicating with the creator of the world; it is bringing our questions to the one who has the answers; it is connecting our lives with the ALL knowing, ALL present – and ALL powerful KING of kings… Prayer is coming near to God…

I love what Moses told the people in Deuteronomy 4:7; “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way our Lord is near us whenever we pray to him?”Prayer can do anything, because prayer is partnering with God, and as Jesus tells us, “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Prayer can do anything but we have to ask! When the church prays, things happens, wonderful things…

When the church prays:

We become united

We receive divine guidance in important kingdom decisions

We unleash the power of God

The word of God comes alive

People get saved

And when the church prays – the church prays more…

I want us to think about a different homeland that needs security. I want you to think about an enemy that has declared war on the church and on your home. An enemy that scripture says is like a lion just want for the right moment and the right person to attack. An enemy who like, America’s enemy is usually unseen and hidden… An enemy that has great power and will stop at nothing less then totally destroying us. America is not the first homeland to be threatened…

God has always had a homeland security plan. A major component of the plan is Fathers—men, and not just any kind of men. They are praying men. Men who are spiritual leaders, real spiritual warriors.

E.M. Bounds in talking about the great leaders of the past like Paul says:

“They were leaders for God because they were mighty in prayer. They were not leaders because of brilliancy in thought, nor because of the exhaustless resources, their magnificent culture, or their natural endowment; but they were leaders because by the power of prayer, they command the power of God…”

Do our homes need protection? Do our kids face any dangers?Are there forces out there that seek to hurt our spouses?To destroy them?To lead them astray?To steal away – their innocence? Purity? Self worth? Hope? Value? Future? Freedom?

I want to look at three praying dads of the Bible. It is my pray the we can learn something from them… About both, protecting our homes… and praying for our kids…

Prayer is battle – to pray is to go to war. To pray is to ask Almighty God to engage His heavenly army.The things that these dads brought to God – on behalf of their kids, are the same things that we need to bring before God on behalf of our kids.

Job’s Lesson: Pray For Their Purity

From Job we learn that we should pray for the purity of our kids…

Read: Job 1:1-5“There was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.”

These are good qualities for us to have as well. These are qualities of a righteous man that helps our prayers to be powerful and effective.

“He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned seven thousand sheep, 3,00 camels, 500 teams of oxen and 500 female donkeys, and he employed many servants. He was in fact, the richest person in that entire area. Every year when Job’s sons had birthdays, they invited their brothers and sisters to join them for a celebration. On these occasions they would get together to get and drink. When these celebrations ended and sometimes they lasted several days – Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular practice.”Note that he sought to “purify his children.” He got up “early in the morning” to do this. And this was his “regular practice.”

All of these are principles we can take and make a part of our lives today.Is their reason to be concerned about the purity of our kids? On a daily basis our kids face an unrelenting onslaught of temptation, through music, television, movies, the Internet and their peers. Like Job – on a regular basis we need to rise up early each morning. Every morning we need to pray that God will protect their purity; that he will keep images and people that would steal that purity away… If our kids our in a relationship we need to pray that it will be pure in the eyes of God. We need to pray that our kids will desire to keep their purity and realize that it is Satan who is trying to steal it away. We need to pray that God will surround then with other kids who also desire purity.And we need to pray that they understand that there is always forgiveness if they fail from God and from us.

If you made a regular practice of praying for the purity of your kids, do you think it would make a difference? James 5:16 reminds us that “The pray of a righteous man is power and effective.” Of course it makes a difference!

Abraham’s Lesson: Pray For Their Future Spouse

The next dad that I want to look at is Abraham. Abraham teaches us to pray or our son and our daughter’s future spouse. In Genesis chapter 24 we see Abraham who at the time was a very old man, doing something that is an awesome example for dads today. Abraham was living in a pretty bad neighborhood and he did not want his son Isaac to marry any of the women there because they were not godly. So he prayed that God would find a wife for Isaac far away from there, back at his hometown. Abraham knew that there, there would be a godly woman for his son. And not only did Abraham pray about this, he also sent a servant there to bring back a wife for Isaac. It’s a beautiful story – God answered that prayer and Isaac and Rebekah are married.

Do you pray for the your son’s future wife? For you daughters future husband? Do think that this is a prayer worth praying? We need to pray that our kids will marry godly people. We need to pray that they have a strong and unyielding desire to marry someone who loves Jesus and His Church. Someone who believes the truth of the Bible. We need to pray that they will marry people that will ‘complete’ them. That will help them become, all that God desires them to be. That will love them with God’s kind of love.We also need to pray for their future husband or wife – that God protects them, protects their purity, protects them from all harm, that they are growing each day in the knowledge of and love for God.

Parents are you praying for your children’s future spouse? Will you start to pray this prayer on a regular basis? Do you think that it would make a difference?And, like Abraham are you, will you – take whatever steps you can to make sure that they do?

David’s Lesson: Pray For Their Desire To Obey God

The next dad I want to look at is David – and in 1 Chronicles 29; David is very old and he prays for His son Solomon…

Look at vs. 19: “Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, decrees and principles, and to build this Temple, for which I have made all these preparations.” We need to pray that our children will have a strong, a consuming desire to obey all the commands of God… and to be actively involved in building His church and advancing God’s kingdom.Why? Because their obedience is how Jesus said they show their love for him…Why? Because God’s word will light their path and led them on the road to true life…Why? Because obeying God’s word will keep them from all the things that happens when they don’t…Why? Because obeying God’s word will make them successful and joyful in life…

Consider what God told Joshua in Joshua 1:9:

“Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. Study the book of the law continually. Mediate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Do you believe that praying for you son and daughters to have a wholehearted desire to obey all of God’s word – would make any difference? Do you think that’s an investment that will come back to bless you?

Bill Cosby wrote, "Now that my father is a grandfather he just can’t wait to give money to my kids. But when I was a kid and I asked him for 50 cents, he would tell me the story of his life. How he got up at 5 AM and walked 23 miles to milk 90 cows. And the farmer for whom he worked had no bucket, so he had to squirt the milk into his little hand and then walk 8 miles to the nearest can. All for 5 cents. The result was...I never got my 50 cents.”"But now he tells my children every time he comes into the house, ‘Well, let’s see how much money old Granddad has for his wonderful grandkids.’ And the minute they take money out of his hands I call them over to me and I take it away from them. BECAUSE THAT IS MY MONEY."

Dads, I don’t know about taking the change that grandpa wants to give your kids. But I do know that praying for your kids will change them, and change their future and will bless you and

your family forever. That I do know.
PRAYER
END

A Day at the US Center for World Missions

Today was Day One for me at the US Center for World Missions in Pasadena. I'm taking the famous "Perspectives" course at the USCWM, which is about 8 miles from my church. I'll be blogging some of what we're doing over the next three weeks. For today, let my refer to these links: www.uscwm.org and www.perspectives.org.

One of our assignments involves designing a missions strategy for a Middle Eastern people group. While this information can be gleaned from a web search, I will not use the specific name on the blog for security interests.

Watch this space for further news...

HOW WUDE!

This is my July column for Temple City Life, the local news monthly I write for.

HOW WUDE!

One of the least endearing (translation: too much like a Saturday morning cartoon) characters in the Star Wars epic is Jar Jar Binks, who seems a cross between a vaudeville comic and a tall frog. Jar Jar's verbal ticks includes the inability to pronounce words with the letter R. So at one point he protests the bad behavior of another by indignantly saying, “How wude!”

I was thinking about rudeness recently because of an experience I had—setting up our daughter at college in central Florida. We spent several days there in May and one night over dinner I asked her what her impression of Florida was. “A lot like California,” she said. “Only less rude.”

It was undeniable. People smiled and waved more. They waved you through when making a turn. Sales people in stores were more helpful. I wonder why?

Some people would say, well, that's just the way Southerners are. And there's something to that. Some of the nicest people in the world are from the South. But why aren't people from Boston or Minnesota also known as nice? How did that happen?

As I said, I was thinking about this and realized that big urban areas tend to encourage rudeness. Los Angeles County has the same population as Michigan in a fraction of the area. In a densely populated area, the chances of meeting the same person at random is fairly low. So we can indulge our worse nature with a fairly low chance of having to pay for it sometime down the road.

Go to the other extreme: a small town of a few thousand in Kentucky or Idaho. Chronic rudeness gets you a community-wide reputation pretty quickly. There really are few secrets in small towns, and that's a good thing. That kind of transparency encourages us to good behavior.

Bill Cosby likes to remind us that when he was growing up, even in his Philadelphia neighborhood, that if he misbehaved in the street, there was always an adult nearby who could say, “Boy, I know where you like and I know your parents.” That accountability encourages the best from us.

So, sorry to say, I had the same impression my daughter did about Winter Park, Florida. People were just nicer. And it did remind me of California: palm trees, warm weather, and a salsa-flavored population. But they were just nicer.

So how do we import some Florida niceness to Temple City? I have three simple suggestions: look around, be accountable and look up.

By look around, I mean just because we live with so many people and maybe we can get away with rudeness doesn't mean we ought to. The Golden Rule applies despite any population trend. “Treat other people the way you want to be treated” is always applicable.

By be accountable, I mean the fact that a lot of rudeness loses its grip when we have a community that we will have to face. We have a lot of distinct ethnic segments in Temple City, and its easy to hide within our segment and in effect ignore people with limited English skills, or, if we're part of the immigrant community, it's also easy to stick with “our own” and pretty much ignore the native-born people. To both, I say, “How wude!” It's rude to ignore someone—just as rude as being mean or short-tempered.

As a Christian pastor, one of the transforming things I've seen again and again is a person who's led a relatively isolated life who comes into the church. Over the course of months, it's fascinating—and delightful—to watch them change and connect up with others on a level they never dreamed possible. Part of that connection is a discovery of the positive power of accountability.

Finally, look up. There's an old story—from the South, “I reckon”--about a father and son team of thieves. The father decided to make off with some melons at harvest time and posted his ten-year-old as his look-out. When he had his sack full, he asked the boy, “Anyone to the north?” The answer: “No, pa.” “South?” “No, pa.” “East?” “No, pa.” “West?” “No, pa.” “OK” says the dad. “Let's go.” The boy answered, “You forgot one direction. Up. And ma says God sees us.”

Sure, you could get away with being rude. You can get away with a lot—if you only care about the points of the compass. Look up as well. Don't be “wude”; nice never hurt anybody, did it?

It Wasn't Falwell. It Was Francis Schaeffer

From The Huffington Post to The Weekly Standard, articles have appeared (some downright evil, some irenic) about the legacy of the late Jerry Falwell and his impact on the American scene--especially on the electorate.

First, a disclaimer: Falwell and I weren't on the same page when it came to separatism, eschatology and charisma. But he was far more than the cardboard cut-out that he's been made out to be. His faith was real, deep and strong. He had a passion for the lost and a special place in his heart for alcoholics. Very early on, Thomas Road Baptist established a home for alcoholic men.

But it wasn't Jerry Falwell who established the movement that the Moral Majority expressed. It was Francis Schaeffer. It was Schaeffer's writings and films (How Then Shall We Live? [1976] and Whatever Happened to the Human Race? [1980]) which inspired a generation of students and believers to re-engage in the political process.

Falwell's strain of social involvement was rooted in early 20th century fundamentalist pietism which regarded socio-political engagement as useless at best and harmful to the gospel at worse. Schaeffer's background was in the Reformed tradition which emphasized, in the tradition of William Wilberforce and Abraham Kuyper, the supremacy of Christ over all areas of life.

Falwell's success in mobilizing millions of American believers to engage in the social and political issues of the 1980s and beyond was inconceivable apart from Schaeffer--who died in twenty-three years ago, in 1984.

The Week They Lost It

The past week may be noted as The Week They Lost It, as in lost control of their words. Who are they?

First nominee is Christopher Hitchens who lost it commenting on the death of Jerry Falwell. (see YouTube video below:)




His comments are utterly indefensible even for his point of view. He lost it.

Second, if accounts are to be trusted, Sen John McCain lost it when confronted on the McCain-Kennedy Immigration bill, hurling unprintable words at some fellow-senators dissented from the bill. His pursuit of the presidency is over.


Third, former President Jimmy Carter lost it. He called the Bush Administration "the worst in history."

The Carter-Clinton effort to bring Baptists together for a image-scrubbing event in early 2008 seems more and more incredulous and more and more politically motivated.

Secure Your Homeland!

Ask people what concerns them most on day-to-day; it’s not global terrorism, the economy or the price of gasoline. It’s their marriage and family. In our bones we feel that home should be a sanctuary, a place of peace. At the same time, I imagine most readers of this column could count on two hands the number of people they know where marriage eating them alive and home is chaos. And maybe YOU’RE on that list.

So what’s to be done? Are there “winning strategies” that can be applied to secure the home front? Over the last several months, I’ve been working with two men I greatly admire on something we call HOMELAND SECURITY. (I seem to recall that there’s a government agency with the same name!) We’re putting on a three-night seminar deigned to enable YOU to secure your own personal homeland with timeless and timely strategies that WORK.

Did you know that the average American marriage starting out today has about 41-43% chance of ending in divorce? But research reveals that committed Christian couples—those who regularly attend church and apply themselves to their faith—divorce at a rate 35% lower than “secular” couples (that is, they profess no adherence to any faith)! Clearly, there’s something different. There are life principles that change outcomes! Now here’s a stunning statistic: nominal Christians, who seldom or never attend church but who profess faith, actually have slightly higher divorce rates than “secular” couples!

The seminar is from June 10-12. June 10 from 6-8 PM, I will lead session one. I’ll start with “Biblical Foundations of Marriage.” This is a study into the God-designed origins of marriage that will fascinate and surprise you, and give you a whole new view of marriage. In the second hour, we’ll build on that in “Don’t Survive, Thrive! Making Marriage Work.” I guarantee that you’ll hear some of the most practical things you’ve ever heard on marriage. We’ll spend of lot of time on the God-designed differences in men and women, how husband and wife are designed to complete the inner needs of the other and other great keys like The Tingle Principle.

On Monday and Tuesday nights, June 11 and 12, we welcome two great expert guests. Since those are work nights, the schedule shifts to 7 to 9 PM. On Monday we have Steve Robbins of RobbinsNest Ministries. How do children develop a heart that loves God? Steve will lead us in “The Spiritual Formation of Children.” Last year Steve has published his first book, Transforming Beliefs and is working on a new book about the Sermon on the Mount. He will share his insights as a dad and as a director of a ministry that specializes in deepening people’s experience of God. I’ve been fascinated to hear how Steve and his wife Ruth Ann have worked to form a heart for God in the lives of their children. If you’re a parent or a grandparent or if you work with children, you won’t want to miss this.

On Tuesday night, we welcome Richard Rupp. Rick is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a frequent speaker at men's conferences and retreats. He has also taught on Men's Issues as an adjunct professor at Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. He is co-author of a new book, What Wives Wish their Husbands Knew about Sex: A Guide for Christian Men. Rick’s specialty is gender identity. In a world in which gender identity is confusing and chaotic, Rick brings sanity back into focus. He’ll be speaking on “Raising Your Sons to be Men and Your Daughters to be Women.” Remember that on Monday and Tuesday nights, we’ll go from 7 to 9 PM.

This all takes place on the campus of First Baptist Church in Temple City, June 10-12. You can register by calling (626) 286-3125 or by email at glenn@templecitybaptist.org. All you have to do is register. This is so important that we’re not charging for this seminar. We want as many people as possible to come and benefit from this. I’ll see you there!

More on Herod's Tomb

Ehud Netzer displays one of the finds from Herod’s tomb. Photo by Ulrich Sahm.

Adapted from the BAR website, read more about the Herod tomb discovery:

Herod Tomb Update

May 10, 2007

“Ehud Netzer is 100 per cent certain he’s found King Herod’s tomb,” BAR editor Hershel Shanks told us from Jerusalem. He was among the first reporters to visit Herodium with excavator Ehud Netzer the day after Netzer announced that he had located the tomb inside the northeast slope of the volcano-shaped site. Netzer, of Hebrew University, first began his excavations at Herodium 35 years ago.

Located about 8 miles south of Jerusalem, Herodium is a striking structure built by Herod to house a fortress and palaces. At the base of the mountain, Herod built a small city, called Lower Herodium, and many scholars had believed that his tomb was somewhere at the base. Others, Shanks told us, had suggested that Herod’s tomb was in one of the towers at the top of the mountain, the only one of the four towers that had been sealed off in ancient times.

“The tomb is quite far down the slope,” Shanks said. From the base, a processional course featuring fancy architecture leads up the slope. Netzer and his team found a 10-meter-square (about 32 by 32 feet) podium. “Netzer hypothesizes that the podium supported a mausoleum,” Shanks continued, adding that Netzer had found fragments of both the mausoleum and a sarcophagus that had been inside it. “The sarcophagus was vengefully destroyed about 70 years after Herod’s death by members of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome” according to Netzer, Shanks said.

Netzer recognizes that because he did not find an inscription with Herod’s name not all scholars will accept his conclusion that this is indeed the tomb of ancient Judea’s at-times mad king. Netzer had hoped to publish a technical article on his findings, but when he realized that the story would soon come out in the media, he decided to hold a press conference to lay out his finds and his conclusions.

Shanks noted that when Netzer does publish his scientific article, some scholars may take issue with his conclusions. But Shanks gives great weight to Netzer’s theory. “Ehud Netzer has been living with Herod the Great for 50 years, so he feels the man. He also brings an architect’s eye to his work,” Shanks said. “If anyone understands Herod, it’s Ehud Netzer.”

Since our news account about the find (see below), Hebrew University has posted two reports on the web; they can be found here: http://www.hunews.huji.ac.il/articles.asp?cat=6&artID=773 and here:

http://archaeology.huji.ac.il/news/newfound.asp

Some very nice pictures of Professor Netzer and the site can be viewed here.The German publication Spiegel also has some very good photos at:

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,5538,21444,00.html

And less than a day after the announcement of the find, the possible political ramifications for Israeli-Palestinian conflict entered into the picture: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050800280.html

Herod’s Tomb Found

May 8, 2007

Thirty-five years after he first began excavating the site of Herodium, archaeologist Ehud Netzer, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has finally found what he’s been looking for—the tomb of Herod the Great, the murderous king who ruled Judea on behalf of Rome from 37 to 4 B.C.

The tomb turned out to be on the northeast slope of the manmade, volcano-shaped mountain of Herodium, about 8 miles south of Jerusalem. The builder of many grand projects throughout his kingdom—Caesarea, Masada, the expanded Temple Mount in Jerusalem—Herod constructed Herodium on a vast scale, with complexes inside the mountain and also a small city at the base, called Lower Herodium.

Herod seems to have originally intended his tomb to be inside a mausoleum in Lower Herodium but changed his mind later life and decided to be interred inside the mountain itself. At the top of the mountain Herod had built a fortress, a mountain and a monument; the tomb itself was approached by a monumental staircase about 21-feet wide.

Herod’s ornate sarcophagus, however, had been smashed in ancient times, likely by participants of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (67-70 A.D.)—a reflection of how widely hated Herod was by his subjects, who saw him as a cruel puppet of Rome.

BAR published an extensive overview of Herodium by Netzer himself; click here to read it.

To see Hebrew University’s announcement of the discovery, click here.

A press report from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz can be read at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/856808.html.

A selection of photos can be found at Yahoo.

Ha'aretz Reports on Herodion Discovery

More on what I reported earlier. I have always seen this spelled Herodion, Ha'Aretz spells it Herodium, let's call the whole thing off. (Lame Cole Porter reference.)

Hebrew University: Herod's tomb and grave found at Herodium

By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Staff

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced Monday night that it has uncovered the grave and tomb of King Herod, who ruled Judea for the Roman empire from circa 37 BCE. According to a press release from the Hebrew University, the news of the archeological find at Herodium was to be announced Tuesday morning at a special news conference, and was to be kept secret until then, but the discovery by Haaretz of the story had led to the premature announcement.

The tomb was discovered by Hebrew University Professor Ehud Netzer, who is considered one of the leading experts on King Herod. Netzer has conducted archeological digs at Herodium since 1972 in an attempt to locate the grave and tomb.

The discovery solves one of Israel's greatest archeological mysteries. Additional details will be made available at the Tuesday press conference. The majority of researchers had believed that Herod was in fact buried at Herodium, based on the writings of the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, but multiple excavations at the site failed to locate the grave.

Netzer's successful dig focused on a different part of the site than previous excavations, between the upper part of Herodium and the site's two palaces.

Herodium, a fortified palace built by Herod some 12 kilometers south of Jerusalem, was destroyed by the Romans in 71 CE. Herod, whose father and grandfather converted to Judaism, was appointed governor of Galilee at the age of 25 and was made "King of the Jews" by the Roman senate in approximately 40 BCE. He remained king for around 34 years.

Herod, also known as Herod the Great, is credited with expanding the Second Temple and building Caesarea, Masada, and many other monumental construction projects. He died in the year 4 BCE in Jericho after a long illness.

Herod decided to construct his tomb at Herodium because the site played a role in two dramatic events in his life. In the year 43 BCE, when Herod was still governor of the Galilee, he was forced to flee Jerusalem along with his family after his enemies the Parthians laid siege to the city. His mother's chariot flipped over near Herodium, and Herod became hysterical until he realized she was only lightly wounded. A short while later, the Parthians caught up to Herod and his entourage, although Herod and his men emerged victorious in the ensuing battle.

At Herodium, Herod built one of the largest monarchical complexes in the Roman Empire, which served as a residential palace, a sanctuary, an administrative center and a mausoleum. Herod first built an artificial cone-shaped hill that could be seen from Jerusalem, on which he constructed a fortified palace surrounded by watchtowers that he used solely in wartime. At the base of the hill, he built an additional palace, which was the size of a small town and known as "Lower Herodium." The palace included many buildings, fancy gardens, pools, stables, and storage areas. Herod spared no expense in an attempt to turn the site into a regional gem, bringing water from Solomon's Pools and special soil to allow his gardens to blossom in the heart of the desert.

Following Herod's death, his son and heir Archilaus continued to reside and Herodium. After Judea became a Roman province, the site served as a center for Roman prefects.

With the outbreak of the Great Revolt, Herodium was seized by the rebels, but then handed over without resistance to the Romans following the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Fifty years later, Herodium was also used by the rebels during the Bar Kokhva revolt, but was abandoned thereafter.

In the 5th century CE, the site was settled by Byzantine monks, and then served as a leper colony before being finally abandoned in the 7th century CE.The first archeological dig at the site, between the years 1956 and 1962, was conducted by a Franciscan monk and revealed most of the currently-known remains. Israel began excavations at the site in 1972, several years after its capture during the Six-Day War.

Has the Tomb of Herod Been Found?

The location of Herod's tomb is one of the great mysteries of Biblical-era archaeology. The Herodion has long been suspected as the location. I will endeavor to find more detailed accounts of this find and post them here.

The Herodion towered in the distance (a few miles to the southeast) over Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth. It must have seemed an intimidating presence on the horizon. Here the tyrant perished and the King of Kings was born in its shadows...

Archaeologist finds tomb of King Herod
By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - An Israeli archaeologist has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Hebrew University said late Monday.

The tomb is at a site called Herodium, a flattened hilltop in the Judean Desert, clearly visible from southern Jerusalem. Herod built a palace on the hill, and researchers discovered his burial site there, the university said.

The university had hoped to keep the find a secret until Tuesday, when it planned a news conference to disclose the find in detail, but the Haaretz newspaper found out about the discovery and published an article on its Web site.

Herod became the ruler of the Holy Land under the Romans around 74 B.C. The wall he built around the Old City of Jerusalem still stands, and he also ordered big construction projects in Caesaria, Jericho, the hilltop fortress of Massada and other sites.

It has long been assumed Herod was buried at Herodium, but decades of excavations had failed to turn up the site. The 1st century historian Josephus Flavius described the tomb and Herod's funeral procession.

Haaretz said the tomb was found by archaeologist Ehud Netzer, a Hebrew University professor who has been working at Herodium since 1972. The paper said the tomb was in a previously unexplored area between the two palaces Herod built on the site. Herod died in 4 B.C. in Jericho.

Herodium was one of the last strong points held by Jewish rebels fighting against the Romans, and it was conquered and destroyed by Roman troops in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem.