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

NEW ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY SAYS "FAITHFUL" HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS NOT FORBIDDEN BY SCRIPTURE. Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The newly ordained Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said in a recent interview that "faithful" homosexual relationships do not necessarily conflict with the Bible. In an interview with BBC television on December 1, the day before his ordination as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Williams implied that those who see homosexuality as wrong in all cases are not reading the Bible intelligently. He then said, "My own personal conclusion is that I can see a case for acknowledging faithful same sex relationships" and "that what at first sight seems absolutely straightforward when you look in the Bible ... when you look a bit harder, may not be." Williams replaced the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey.

CHURCH TIGHTENS MUSIC STANDARDS. Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - In these days of widespread compromise, it is refreshing to see a church going in a different direction. Recently I received the following from a music director in a fundamental Baptist church in Kansas: "I've been the music director at ---- now for five years. In that time, we've had to tighten restrictions on our music considerably in order to maintain godly, conservative standards. We allow no soundtracks containing drums, and strongly encourage all of our musicians to use live accompaniment instead of 'canned' music. We've compiled a packet for all musicians to read, outlining the purpose of a godly music ministry, as well as putting in black and white the rules and standards for our music. Included in the packet is a covenant that each musician must sign before they can be a part of our music ministry. I have begun personally screening all specials before they are presented to insure that the music, as well as the message, is wholesome, conservative, and godly. I've even had to go so far as to dismiss one of our musicians from having part in our music ministry because of her refusal to abide by the standards set up." Amen and amen.

NEW LAW PROTECTING HOMOSEXUALS IN PENNSYLVANIA. Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The following is from WorldNetDaily for Nov. 28, 2002: "Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed legislation that gives homosexuals specific, statewide legal protection for the first time, prompting some to predict that pastors in the state will now be targeted for preaching against the 'gay' lifestyle. The bill, which passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 118 to 79, adds 'ancestry, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity' to the state's Ethnic Intimidation law, which already raises the grade of crimes motivated by hatred against victims because of their race, color, religion or national origin. Opponents worry the law could be enforced too liberally to include, among other things, preachers quoting passages from the Bible against homosexual activity. William Devlin, of the Urban Family Council, sees it the same way. 'This bill is so broad, that if you have an attender at your church who feels offended or intimidated by what is said from the pulpit, you and your church leadership will be receiving certified letters inviting you to either a deposition or a court appearance,' he said. Devlin also tells WorldNetDaily he finds it curious the bill was promoted by conservative Republicans."

PRESIDENT BUSH REPUDIATES NEGATIVE STATEMENTS ABOUT ISLAM. Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - President Bush recently repudiated statements by some Christian leaders who have warned of the violent, anti-Jewish nature of Islam. Bush said, "Some of the comments that have been uttered about Islam do not reflect the sentiments of my government or the sentiments of most Americans. Islam, as practiced by the vast majority of people, is a peaceful religion, a religion that respects others" (CNSNews, Nov. 15). Bush also said, "Ours is a country based upon tolerance." The President was referring to recent statements by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, among others. Robertson said, "Adolf Hitler was bad, but what the Muslims want to do to the Jews is worse." Falwell said that Mohammed was "a violent man, a man of war." Both men were correct in their historical assessment of Islam, and the fact that not all Muslims are violent does not discount these well-documented statements. Robertson also said, "We must distinguish between the origin of the religion and those who adhere to it in the United States, who are indeed peaceful. To say that most of the adherents in America to the Islamic religion are peaceful, is absolutely correct." It is a fearful thing to hear the President of the United States make such a statement. He appears to be confused about what this country is founded upon. The Amendments of the U.S. Constitution do not say anything about tolerance. Instead, they guarantee freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We do not agree with many things that Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell teach, but we unequivocally support their right to speak out on religious matters as they see fit, regardless of how "intolerant" their words might appear to some people. Secretary of State Colin Powell was even stronger in his condemnation of the aforementioned statements. He said, "This kind of hatred must be rejected. This kind of language must be spoken out against." Powell is deeply confused in his use of the term "hatred." It is not hatred to speak the truth in love. If a Christian does not have the freedom to preach against error, he does not have freedom at all.

MOTHER TERESA'S 50 YEARS OF DOUBTS. Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - In diaries scheduled to be published this month in Italy, the late Mother Teresa described terrible, nagging doubts that plagued her mind for the last 50 years of her life. The Italian newspaper Il Messeggero said, "The real Mother Teresa was one who for one year had visions and who for the next 50 had doubts -- until her death." In 1958 she wrote, "My smile is a great cloak that hides a multitude of pains." In another letter she said: "The damned of hell suffer eternal punishment because they experiment with the loss of God. In my own soul, I feel the terrible pain of this loss. I feel that God does not want me, that God is not God and that he does not really exist." The Bible says that the true believer in Jesus Christ has eternal life as a gift of God and that it is not of works but of faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible gives the true believer a blessed know-so salvation (1 John 5:11-13). The believer's hope is not an uncertain thing but is "an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast" (Heb. 6:18-19). Mother Teresa, on the other hand, put her faith in Rome's false sacramental gospel that can never give assurance, because it is a mixture of faith and works.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL PROPOSES DANGEROUS NEW LAW. Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The following is from SermonAudio.com for Nov. 10, 2002: "The Council of Europe has adopted a measure that would criminalize Internet hate speech, including hyperlinks to pages that contain offensive content. The provision, which was passed by the council's decision-making body (the Committee of Ministers), updates the European Convention on Cybercrime. Specifically, the amendment bans 'any written material, any image or any other representation of ideas or theories, which advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any individual or group of individuals, based on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion if used as pretext for any of these factors.'" The measure calls for international cooperation in investigating and prosecuting persons who distribute material falling under this definition. The problem is that the wording is so vague that it could allow persecution of Christians who preach the Bible and condemn false teaching. Spain recently passed legislation authorizing judges not only to shut down Spanish Internet sites but also to block access to U.S. web pages that are considered harmful.

SEPARATION AND GRACE OF HEART. Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2002 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The following is from Calvary Contender for December 2002: "A grand difficulty is to combine a spirit of intense separation with a spirit of grace, gentleness, and forbearance: 'to maintain a narrow circle with a wide heart.' This is hard. As the strict and uncompromised maintenance of truth tends to narrow the circle around us, we shall require added grace to keep the heart wide and the affections warm. If we contend for truth otherwise than in grace, we shall only yield an imbalanced and unattractive testimony. On the other hand, if we try to exhibit grace at the expense of truth, it will at last prove to be only the manifestation of a popular liberality at God's expensea worthless thing! [Adapted] In holding fast to our position, we must seek to maintain a Christ-honoring disposition."