EPISCOPAL DENOMINATION TRYING TO TAKE PROPERTY FROM CONGREGATIONS THAT ARE LEAVING. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The Episcopal Church in America is going to court in an attempt to seize the property and financial assets of congregations that are leaving in protest against its modernism and immorality. Earlier this year a group of conservative Episcopalians formed the Anglican Mission in America (AMIA), and roughly 20 congregations and 35 clergymen have joined the new group. Charles Murphy III, one of the two bishops aligned with the group, said the issue is the authority of the Scripture, warning that modernistic Episcopal church leaders are ãcalling into question the person of Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture.ä The AMIA hopes to have as many as 80 congregations within a few months.

THE PRESIDENT OF HONDURAS IS DECIDING WHETHER TO SIGN LAW REQUIRING BIBLE READING IN SCHOOLS. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The president of Honduras is deciding whether to sign a law requiring schools to begin every day with ten minutes of Bible reading. The law, passed by the Congress in September, has caused a fierce debate. Evangelical and Baptist leaders support the bill, while Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant leaders generally oppose it.

EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS WORKING TOGETHER IN PHILADELPHIA. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - One hundred Evangelical and Catholic leaders in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have issued a document calling upon Christians to ãcooperate in turning society away from relativism, individualism, and abandonment of transcendent moral truth.ä Ron Sider of Evangelicals for Social Action is a key player in this endeavor. The document is titled Cooperating for the Common Good. Like all ecumenical ventures, the document ignores the Bibleâs command to separate from false doctrine (Romans 16:17, etc.).

SUPREME COURT REFUSES TO STAY JUDGMENT AGAINST CHURCH. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has refused to stay a federal judgeâs order demanding that the Indianapolis Baptist Temple give up its property to satisfy a $6 million tax penalty. The church has until November 14 to vacate the property.

LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY HAS CATHOLIC PRESIDENT. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Capital University of Columbus, Ohio, is operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but it has a Roman Catholic president. Only 20% of the students are Lutheran. This illustrates the successful influence of the ecumenical movement in erasing denominational distinctives. The mainline Protestant and Baptist groups are rapidly losing all semblance of their doctrinal heritage and are merging, at the grassroots level, into a ãone world church.ä

HINDU OPENS PRAYER FOR U.S. CONGRESS. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - For the first time ever, a Hindu priest (Venkatachalapathi Samuldrala) offered the opening prayer before a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate on September 14.

HOMOSEXUALS GETTING ãMARRIEDä IN VERMONT. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - More than 600 homosexual couples have already taken advantage of the new law in Vermont which allows single-sex ãmarriages.ä

CATHOLICS WANT TO DELETE SCRIPTURES THAT TEACH SUBMISSION OF WIFE TO HUSBAND. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The Catholic bishops of Ireland have appealed to the Vatican to delete passages from Scripture readings that are ãanti-woman.ä These include Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18; and 1 Timothy 2:11-15. When the Catholic bishops in America urged something similar in 1991, Rome offered optional editions of the readings for Ephesians and Colossians which omit the disliked passages.

APOSTATE UNITED METHODIST BISHOP. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Another radical liberal has replaced Melvin G. Talbert, the retired United Methodist bishop over California and Nevada (What In the World!). Talbertâs replacement, Beverly Shamana, adopted her unusual name to resemble the word Îshamanâ after her divorce in 1979. Shamana calls God a ãshe,ä and in her spare time she makes gourd figures that ãconnect me to the ancient past, the faraway past, the pre-Christian past as well as into the future.ä Like Talbert, Shamana supports full acceptance of homosexuality: ãI certainly am in favor of the full sexuality that God has given us. I don't draw the line between how people express their sexualityä (AFA Journal, Oct. 2000).

PAGANS INCREASING ON U.S. CAMPUSES. Friday News Notes, November 10, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - According to an article in the Boston Globe, Paganism is increasing in popularity on U.S. college campuses. Many students are willing to identify themselves as witches and are starting to come out of what pagans call the ãbroom closet.ä More than 100 Pagan groups have formed on campuses in the U.S., Australia, and Britain. Paganism is a catch-all term to describe those who believe in Wicca, ancient European idolatry, goddess worship, etc.