The following is another installment of the Friday Church News Notes designed especially for use in churches. It is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. For instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.

PRESIDENT BUSH AGAIN PRAISES ISLAM. Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - President George Bush claims to be a born again Christian, but his frequent praise for the false religion of Islam is contrary to the Bible that he professes to believe. In his remarks to a group of Muslim leaders at the White House on October 28, President Bush spoke of the “Holy Koran” and described it as “God’s word.” He said, “Islam is a religion that brings hope and comfort.” In reality, it offers a false hope that brings eternal destruction. President Bush allowed a Muslim cleric to lead him in prayer, even though he should know that prayers are not accepted by Almighty God except through Jesus Christ, the very Jesus Christ that is denied by Islam. From a political viewpoint, George Bush, Jr., is many times better than the alternative that we were presented with in presidential election of 2000, but he is doing a dangerous thing by promoting the idea that Islam is a peaceful, godly religion and by decrying those who are exposing Islam for what it is. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

NEW POLL FINDS THAT MAJORITY OF AMERICANS CONSIDER IMMORAL BEHAVIOR ACCEPTABLE. Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A new poll by Barna Research finds that 60% of Americans consider gambling, cohabitation, and sexual fantasizing “morally acceptable.” And nearly 50% consider it morally acceptable to have an abortion or to have sex with someone outside of wedlock. In spite of all of the “church growth” and the attempt to make Christianity more acceptable to the non-churched, American continues on a moral freefall. Those identifying themselves as atheists and agnostics “found nine of the ten behaviors morally legitimate.”

BEWARE OF PHILIP YANCY AND CHRISTIANITY TODAY. Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Christianity Today, with its blatant New Evangelical philosophy, is a very dangerous Christian publication. This was evident in the October 2003 issue. In the article “Holy Sex,” popular author Philip Yancy said, “In one sense, we are never more Godlike than in the act of sex.” Where does the Bible support such a view? It does not, of course. This is an unscriptural philosophy that is more akin to Tantric Hinduism than to biblical Christianity. Yancy spoke casually of viewing pornography and of giving himself over to illicit lusts. He did not refer to these actions from an attitude of deep remorse and repentance nor did he describe them as sinful and wicked. He spoke of them, rather, in psychological terms such as “the disconnect technique of sex.”

MOTHER ORDERED NOT TO EXPOSE HER CHILD TO “HOMOPHOBIC” RELIGIOUS TEACHING. Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from Agape Press, November 5: “A Colorado mother has been ordered by a trial court not to expose her child to ‘homophobic’ religious upbringing or training, but her attorneys are saying the court has gone too far. Recently the mother was granted a legal separation, and she and her former partner -- a practicing homosexual -- were awarded joint parenting responsibilities for their daughter. ... In its ruling, the court said the mother -- who is a Christian -- must ensure that there is nothing in the religious upbringing or teaching that the minor child is exposed to that would discriminate against homosexuals. Mat Staver, president of the Liberty Counsel, has filed a lawsuit with the Colorado Court of Appeals on the Christian mother’s behalf. He says in all his years of practice, he has never encountered a case like this one. The attorney notes that in this particular situation, the ex-partner is living a homosexual lifestyle, has no parental rights over this child, has no adoptive rights over this child, and yet, he says, ‘the judge allowed for this homosexual to have visitation, and also has instructed the actual mother -- our client -- not to tell her own daughter ... anything religious pertaining to homosexuality.’ Staver says his team is arguing that the warning to the mother ‘has clearly gone beyond the permissible boundaries of courts -- that this ruling interferes with her constitutionally guaranteed right to free exercise of religion and her rights as a parent to be able to direct the upbringing and teaching of her own child.’“

ANOTHER CCM GROUP PROCLAIMS THEIR NON-OFFENSIVE, ECUMENICAL PHILOSOPHY. Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - One of the underlying philosophies of Contemporary Christian Music is to present a non-offensive, non-judgmental message. You can see this in the lyrics of most CCM songs, and it comes up from time to time in interviews. A recent example is an interview with punk rock group Relient K that appeared at the Christrock.com web site. Matt T said, “We ... try to make it so that we are not offending any body. We don’t really try to shove anything down people’s throats too much...” This is contrary to what we see in the New Testament Scripture. The truth has always offended those who are rebellious, and the prophets of old, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles did not try to soften the truth so as to avoid offence. This is why they were so unpopular. Relient K also preaches the ecumenical philosophy that we should not make an issue of or divide over doctrine. Their song “Down in Flames” promotes this idea. Dave of Kelient K said: “People sometimes pick, a lot of the times it is between various denominations or anything like that. There’s always going to be differences but it comes to a point where we need to say what we agree on all the main points and we’ve got these little differences and we need to put these aside and get together as Christians. And realise were all on the same side, stop beating each other down and start beating the devil down.” That sounds reasonable to many today, but it is contrary to the Word of God. Paul instructed Timothy to allow “NO other doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3). Paul further instructed Timothy to keep all of the doctrine “without spot” (1 Tim. 6:13-14). That is the most narrow view of doctrinal purity one could possibly have. We know that not all doctrine is of equal importance (Matt. 23:23), but nowhere does the New Testament tell us that some biblical doctrine is of such little significance that one can ignore it for the sake of unity.

A WIRED WORLD. Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The world is being linked together by cell phone and internet technology. An estimated 1.7 billion people will own a mobile phone within the next few years. In South Korea, three fourths of the people already own cell phones. Even “third world” nations like Nepal boast a rapidly growing number of “mobiles.” An article on fourth generation cell phone technology (which is under development now) in the Korea Herald for Oct. 29 observed, “Once this project is complete, it will finally be possible to provide any service to any body at any time and anywhere.” The antichrist will doubtless make use of technology for his own evil purposes when that time comes, but until then Bible-believing people need to use information and communication technology for God’s service and glory. I have used computer technology in our ministry since 1982, and since 1993 we have preached the Word of God to tens of thousands of people via the Internet.

METHODISTS AND ANGLICANS MOVE CLOSER TO UNITY IN ENGLAND. Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Church of England and the Methodist Church of Great Britain signed a covenant on November 1 pledging themselves to closer unity. The Methodist Church branched out of the Anglican Church in the 18th century. The covenant commits the two denominations “as a priority, to work to overcome the remaining obstacles to the organic unity” and to share work and worship where practicable (ENI, Nov. 3, 2003). The two denominations share an apostate liberal perspective that is drawing them together.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH ORDAINS FIRST HOMOSEXUAL BISHOP Friday Church News Notes, November 7, 2003 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org, http://www.wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The liberal Episcopal Church in America ordained the first openly homosexual bishop on November 2. V. Gene Robinson was ordained as the bishop of New Hampshire. The ordination was performed by Frank Griswold, the “presiding bishop” of the Episcopal Church, and he stifled those who attempted to protest the ordination. For example, when an Episcopal pastor from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, attempted to describe homosexuality as unnatural, he was cut off. About 36 Episcopal bishops have said that they will not recognize the action. In 1986, Robinson divorced his wife and announced his homosexuality. He has lived with his “male partner” for 13 years.