The following is another installment of the Friday Church News Notes:

ARAFAT CLAIMS ALL OF JERUSALEM. Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - On October 6, Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat signed into law a resolution proclaiming the entire city of Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state (Arutz-Sheva Israel National News Service, Oct. 7). The Palestinians do not have the title deed to the land of Israel or to the city of Jerusalem. That belongs to Israel and particularly to Israel's Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will establish His capital there upon His return (Zech. 14). Until then, there will be no Middle East peace plan that will work, except for a brief interlude when the Antichrist will deceive the nations with his lying program.

AMERICA: A NATION OF BIBLE IGNORAMUSES. Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Thanks to apostasy and compromise in the churches over the past 50 years, America has become a nation of Bible ignoramuses. A new survey by the Barna Research Group finds that though 9 out of 10 adults own at least one Bible and 8 out of 10 consider themselves to be Christian, the beliefs of most Americans conflict with the Bible. 59% of Americans surveyed believe Satan is a mere symbol of evil. Almost half of Americans believe Jesus sinned while on earth. Half believe that salvation is earned by good works. 74% believe that when people are born they are neither good nor evil. 51% believe that prayers to the dead can "have a positive effect in a person's life." A majority of Americans believe that the Bible, the Koran, and the Book of Moran all contain "different expressions of the same truths." Shallow preaching and shallow soul winning will not solve this deep problem.

INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE AT VALPARAISO. Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - On September 11, an interfaith prayer service was conducted in the chapel of Valparaiso University, which is associated with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (Christian News, Sept. 23, 2002). The service was attended by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders. The order of worship stated, "We share a common vision for a world in which murder and hatred in the name of religion must be no more." This demonstrates the apostasy of Valparaiso. There can be no common vision between Bible-believing Christians and pagan religions because we worship a different god and have an entirely different vision of the future. The God of the Bible claims to be the only true God, the Father of Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world, who said that only those who are born again through faith in Him will see heaven (John 3). As for our vision of the future, the Bible prophesies that evil will increase and an international false religion will prevail briefly at the end of the age, followed by the return of Jesus Christ to rule with a rod of iron. Until Christ returns, there will be no peace on this earth. "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" (1 Thess. 5:3).

MORALLY DEGRADING COUNTRY MUSIC. Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Jeff Royal of Florida rightly observes, "Some Christians view country music as a safe alternative to rock; but I think it is more dangerous, because of the family image many within country try to portray." A recent example of the moral degradation of country music is Andy Griggs' song "How Cool Is That?" Note the lyrics: "She's the last girl I thought I'd ever see here./ But there stands the preacher's daughter holdin' a beer./ A tattoo of an angel on the small of her back./ Huh, how cool is that?/ She probably don't remember me, it's been a long, long time./ About then, she turned around and kinda stared at me and smiled./ She said: 'I had the hots for you in Sunday school class.'/ Now, tell me how cool.... is that?/ How cool is a hot summer night, When the stars line up and everything feels just right?/ How cool is it, knowing inside, That I'm the one she's lookin' at with that look in her eye?"

FALWELL SAYS MOHAMMED WAS A TERRORIST. Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Jerry Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, said recently in an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" that Mohammed, the founder of Islam, was a violent man and a terrorist. The statement has resulted in outrage and protests from Muslims around the world. United Press International observed that "in most of the 57 Muslim nations across the world, newspapers prominently reported Falwell's remarks; some also wrote commentary pieces and editorials, urging the minister to apologize." Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called Falwell a "bigot." Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, said: "The Rev. Jerry Falwell has once again demonstrated his intolerance by his outrageous charge about the Prophet Mohammed. He owes an apology to the millions of good people who follow the Muslim faith." Mr. Foxman is confused. Speaking the truth in love is not an act of intolerance and is not outrageous. What is outrageous is the attempt by the Anti-Defamation League and various Muslim leaders to restrict Falwell's constitutional right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Freedom of religion does not mean I am free to practice my religion only as the members of another religion would like me to practice it, and freedom of speech does not mean I have the right to say only that which other people would like to hear.

SIX PROTESTANTS DENIED VISAS TO RUSSIA. Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Six Protestant missionaries to Russia have been denied visas and all of their attempts to have the decision overturned have failed thus far (Keston News Service, Oct. 4, 2002). Five of these have worked for the last few years in the city of Kostroma, about 230 miles northeast of Moscow, some of them with the Association of Evangelical Churches in Russia. Swedish missionary Leo Martensson was expelled from Russia on September 11. His appeal to a regional court on September 25 was rejected "without giving any reason."

DOBSON AND COLSON'S MEETING WITH THE POPE. Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The following is from Foundation magazine, Jan.-Feb. 2001: "James Dobson and Charles Colson, two of the world's most renowned Evangelical leaders, recently participated [in December 2000] in a three-day conference at the Vatican and met briefly with Pope John Paul II. Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, and Colson, president of Prison Fellowship, joined other business executives and Catholic politicians, scholars and lawyers at the meeting which addressed the world economy's impact on families. The Colorado Springs Gazette noted that the personal meeting between the pope, Colson and Dobson was a 'special moment' because Evangelicals and Catholics have disagreed with one another for centuries concerning the role and infallibility of the pope. The Gazette stated, 'The significance was not lost on Colson who, according to one conference participant, noted that there would have been a time when he would not have been invited and he would not have come' (Gazette, 12-9-00). The newspaper article added that Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics have become closer in recent years as a result of ecumenical dialogue and common political and social causes such as the importance of the family. One conference participant, Robert Sirico, a Catholic priest and president of the Acton Institute, said that Vatican officials 'could not recall a similar meeting involving such high-level evangelical Protestants taking place at the Vatican.' Sirico said, 'This kind of communication, this kind of dialogue, it's not an attempt to negotiate the truth, but to approach it together in a bond of fraternal love.' He added, 'Part of the thing is to get over the hump of knowing each other. I think that's what's beginning to happen here.' According to the Gazette, the Catholic News Service reported that Dobson praised the Catholic church for its efforts to protect the family and said that while he has some theological differences with the Roman Catholic Church, he often agrees more with the Roman Catholic Church than with other Evangelicals on issues such as abortion, premarital sex and homosexuality."