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http://www.thecharlottepost.com
CJje Cljarlotte ^ost
THURSDAY APRIL 22, 2004
8B
RELIGION
Ready for
His return
I Thessalonians
4:13-18
The foiondation of the New
Testament’s teaching on
Christ’s return is God’s faith
fulness. As things stand, sin
and evil are still rampant in
the world. Will God abandon
his people to this situation?
God answers this question
with an unqualified no.
When Jesus returns, he will
bring the final defeat of evil.
He will reverse the effects of
sin, including death. All of his
people, living and dead, will
be reunited with him and will
remain with him forever.
Assurance of God’s Promise
(vv.13,14)
13. Brothers, we do not
want you to be ignorant
about those who fall asleep or
to grieve like the rest of men
who have no hope.
In Paul’s day, it is common
to refer to death politely as
sleep. This figure of speech is
suggested by the similarity in
appearance between sleeping
people and dead bodies. It
does not imply that the dead
have no consciousness
beyond the grave, what some
call “sleep soul.” Paul will
make clear in verse 14 and in
other passages. (2 Corinthi
ans 5:1-10; Philippians 1:20-
23).
Paul’s remark about grief
must be carefully under
stood. He does not criticize
the Thessalonians Christians
for the natural sadness that
they feel over the death of fel
low Christians (cf Philippi-
ans 2:27). Rather, their grief
is not to be like that of the
pagans, who have no hope of
ever seeing their deceased,
loved ones again. A Christ
ian’s grief is tempered by the
assurance that God will
reunite them.
14. We believe that Jesus
died and rose again and so we
believe that God will bring
with Jesus those who have
fallen asleep in him.
The foundation of this hope
is Jesus’ own resurrection. By
raising Jesus from the dead,
God began to fulfill his
promise to raise his people
from the dead as well (Isaiah
26:16-19). Jesus’ resurrection
therefore can be seen as a
guarantee that God will com
plete his promise by raising
all of his people (1 Corinthi
ans 15:20-23).
Furthermore, Paul says,
Christ’s resurrection means
the defeat of death. It gives
us the assurance that he will
bring the dead in Christ with
him when he returns. Chris
tians who die are with Christ
in Heaven and will continue
to be with him when he
returns.
Pastor Rudolph McKissick Jr.
& The Word And Worship
Mass Choir
What A Time
Troy Sneed, producer
Emtro Gospel Records
“What A Tune” may not be
the best title for this CD by
the Word & Worship Mass
Choir, although it is the best
song. There’s not enough
oomph happening.
Please see WHAT/7B
Ordered steps
for bishop-elect
Jinwright to be consecrated to Episcopacy Tuesday
u ■!
V U‘
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris.hodges@thecharlotiepost.coin
f
.."1.
V
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS II
The Rev. Anthony Jinwright, pastor at Greater Saiem Church in Charlotte, will be
consecrated as a bishop by the Episcopal Church Tuesday.
For 23 years, the Rev.
Anthony Jinwright has been
led to save souls in Charlotte.
And his passion for the word
of God hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Jinwright, Greater Salem
Church’s pastor, will be
installed as a bishop Tuesday
at the Charlotte Convention
Center. The ceremony is
scheduled to begin at-7 p.m.
The event is free and open to
the public.
Being installed as bishop by
the Pastors Consortium does
n’t happen every day, nor is it
an honor Jinwright takes
lightly.
“The spirit of the Lord ele
vated me to this office and
man is recognizing it and
making it public,” he said.
Jinwright said he’s humbly
grateful about becoming a
bishop and doing it the right
way.
‘You have so many people
who have the title bishop,” he
said. ‘You have someone who
starts preaching and then
weeks later, they’re a bishop.”
Jinwright said he believes
God is raising men and
women to the level of bishop
to restore legitimacy to the
office.
Jinwright has never been
one to seek a higher office,
according to those who know
him. To become a bishop,
other bishops must recognize
the pastor, then invite the
prospect to go through the
necessary training. Then
there is also a yearlong inves
tigation into the prospect’s
background.
Jinwright had the qualifica
tions. He has earned several
degrees including: bachelor of
religious education from Trin
ity Bible College, master of
ministry from Trinity Theo-
Please see JINWRIGHT/6B
Do Christians need yet another Bihle written
in English? Southern Baptists believe so
By Richard Ostling
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Is this Bible necessary?
That is the question, as the Holman
Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
enters the cluttered and competitive
market for English translations.
The HCSB is a $10 million project of
the Southern Baptist Convention’s pub
lishing arm. (The New Ifestament por
tion appeared in 2000.)
Holman says things change so quickly
that new Bibles are continually needed,
calling this "the first major English-lan
guage translation in more than 30
years.” That’s a surprising fib. Among
the versions appearing within the past
30 years, the HCBS’s main competitors
may be these two, similarly pitched to
the huge evangelical Protestant audi
ence:
• New International Version (NTV,
Zondervan, 1978), an evangelical best
seller.
• English Standard Version (ESV,
Crossway, 2001), a slight reworking of
the 1952 Revised Standard Version
(itself a reworking of the stfll-popular
King James Version), with “corrections”
and updating (no more “thees” and
“thous”).
Other options include the simplified
New Living Translation (Tyndale, 1996)
and Good News Bible (American Bible
Society, 1976).
The HCSB, ESV and NIV all claim to
be accurate yet readable, and were
translated by large teams of conserva
tive scholars. The NTV group was com
mitted to “the authority and infallibihty
of the Bible” and the ESV translators to
“the truth of God’s Word and to historic
Christian orthodoxy.”
The HCSB says its people uphold
strict “bibhcal inerrancy,” signifying the
Scriptures are totally free of errors in
historical details as well as doctrine,
morality and spiritual guidance.
One HCSB distinction is militant
rejection of gender-inclusive language,
to “safeguard the Scriptures from
trends toward cultural plurahsm, politi
cal correctness and drifting theology.”
That’s a pre-emptive strike against a
competitor due next year: an “inclusive”
recasting of the NTV called Today’s New
International Version. Its New Tfesta-
ment section, issued in 2002, was sav
aged by conservative Southern Baptists
and other sticklers on this issue but
endorsed by prominent evangelicals.
Despite the HCSB’s denominational
sponsorship, only half its translators
were Baptists and their version isn’t
particularly baptistic. But there’s a
Southern Baptist Convention scruple
See ANOTHEFV6B
New
Hope’s
outreach
to teens
By Cheris F. Hcxdges
cheris.hodges@thecharlottepost.com
A godly home - and church
- can best sway young people
from trouble.
At New Hope Missionary
Baptist Church on
Hawthorne Lane, church
administrator Patsy Felton,
said it takes everyone to save
the youth.
“We’re taking the church
outside the walls,” she said.
“We want to be a presence in
the community, someone the
kids can come to answer
questions.”
Recent arrests of teenagers
for fighting at Eastland MaU
and the Charlotte trans
portation center uptown has
people looking at options to
give youth other social out
lets. Churches are looking
into ways to reach out to
those teens, who may not be
active in the church.
Felton said ministers at
New Hope are working on
several projects to reach out
to young people, which will
be up and running by May.
“When you are present in
the community, you can
draw people into the
church,” Felton said. Howev
er, she said she feels that
youth who get into trouble
need more than just a
church service to show them
the right way.
“The church has a role, but
it starts with the family,” she
said. “We have to start teach
ing parents God’s will for the
family.”
Felton said when teens
have a foundation with God;
it is easier for them to stand
up to peer pressme and stay
out of trouble.
Charlotte-area teens have
been in the spotlight this
year. Police and security
forces were called to Concord
Mills after young people
were involved in a distur
bance at the premier of the
movie ‘You Got Served.
Then there was the melee at
Eastland Mall. A scuffle was
reported at the transporta
tion center earlier this
month, where one teen was
arrested. Another teen was
arrested at Eastland MaU
after a gun fell out of his
pocket in front of an off-duty
police officer.
Felton said activities at the
church aUows young people
to make friends with other
like minded people and
receive the message of God.
Felton said the church
plans to start a youth church
service, that will not only
offer teens a contemporary
church service, but will also
have activities for teens and
children, that include trips
to the maU, skating rinks,
and other events.
But Felton stresses that
having parents who are
involved in the church is
paramount to keeping chil
dren out of situations like
those at Eastland Mall.
Church News
April 22-24
Transfiguration Ministries
wiU hold “Rise, Shine For the
Light Has Come” at 2707 Lit
tle Rock Road at 7 p.m.
April 23-25
Manna Bread of Hfe Min
istries wiU host “Empowered
Women for the Gospel - We’re
Not Gonna Play the Game
Anymore.” at 2815 Clyde
Drive-aL7-:30-p.m. 1
Saturday and at 4 p.m. Sim-
day.
April 24
Women of Real Destiny will
host “FulfiU Your Destiny” at
2707 Little Rock Road at 9
a.m.
Tenth pastoral anniversary
honoring the Rev. Bobby D. tor’sAidAnniversaiyatSp.m.
Hope Missionary Baptist
Church wiU be held at the
HUton Charlotte at Universi
ty Place, 8629 JM Keynes
Drive.
April 25
New Zion Missionary Bap
tist Church wUl hold its Pas-
• District III Ushers Day
program wiU be held at 4
p.m. at Saint Luke Mission
ary Baptist Church at 1600
Norris Avenue.
April 23-24
“Living the Gospel: An Eco
nomic Justice Workshop” wftl
be held at St. Paul Baptist
Church, 1401 North Allen St.
May 1
West Asheville Baptist
Church and White Dove
Chapel are co-sponsoring an
evening with Michael Combs.
Admission is $10 and a can
food donation.
Please see CHURCH/6B