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.

HINDU ORGANIZATION CALLS WAY OF LIFE LITERATURE AND MANY OTHER CHRISTIAN WEB SITES “HATE SITES” (Friday Church News Notes, April 20, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Hindu American Foundation is abusing the English language by publishing a list of alleged “hate sites” on the Internet. The report, Hyperlink to Hinduphobia, lists 37 groups that it calls “extremist organizations with hate against Hindus and Hinduism,” claiming that these are “websites devoted to fomenting hatred and violence against particular religious and ethnic groups.” The list includes the Southern Baptist Convention, Christian Answers Network, Cutting Edge Ministries, Christian Broadcasting Network, Mission Frontiers, and Gospel for Asia. Way of Life Literature is included in the list because of an article entitled “Hinduism’s Pagan Practices” which “portrays the religion in demonic terms ... [saying that] the Beatles and other rock and rollers were in direct communion with demons when they popularized Hinduism to the hippy generation in the 1960s.” The Hindu American Foundation is urging Internet providers to ban the web sites on its list, but they need to learn that preaching the truth of the Bible is not hate. In fact, nothing is more loving. If Hinduism is true, it really doesn’t matter what you believe, because there are countless gods and goddesses and eventually you will pass through enough transmigrations of the soul to come out at the right place. But if the Jesus Christ of the Bible is true it makes all of the difference in the world what you believe, and those who preach Christ as the only Lord and Saviour and warn of false religions and false gospels are mankind’s best and most compassionate (though misunderstood) friends. If the Hindu American Foundation is really concerned about hate and violence, it needs to publish a list of Hindu organizations and individuals in India who are almost daily committing acts of violence against Christians. We recommend that it top that list with the Hindus who burned alive missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in 1999. The Hindu organization Bajrang Dal was implicated in that horrible murder and that organization is still committing violent acts against Christians in India. I will be waiting eagerly for the publication of that list by the American Hindu Foundation. In the meantime, anyone that does a web search for India and Persecution will find plenty of evidence of real hate crimes.

AL GORE’S GLOBAL WARMING ROCK & ROLL BASH (Friday Church News Notes, April 20, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Al Gore is one of the organizers of Live Earth, a series of rock concerts that are scheduled to be performed on all seven continents “to highlight climate change.” Those on the program include Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beastie Boys, and other morally filthy artists. In her recent Confessions tour, Madonna wore a crown of thorns and was “crucified” on a cross. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ shows are “a mixture of sex, energy, frenzied mayhem” (Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven, p. 152). Their bassist likes to perform in the nude. Many of their lyrics are too vile to quote. Lead singer Anthony Kiedis was convicted of indecent exposure and sexual battery in 1990. He had a serious drug addiction. Guitarist John Ficanti dropped out of the band and almost died of heroin abuse. Jack Irons was addicted to heroin. Founding member Hillel Slovak died in 1988 at age 26 of a heroin overdose. Time magazine called the Beastie Boys “rock’s degenerate darlings.” Their music and concerts are filled with vile profanity. Newsweek says, “Among other things, the Boys lustily exclaim the joys of girls, gunplay and getting high--a frosty brew and angel dust are the drugs of choice in their lyrics” (Feb. 2, 1987, p. 70). It is the moral filth that is being spewed forth from the rock & roll scene that is the real danger to the world as opposed to environmental disaster. Al Gore said, “We hope Live Earth will launch a global campaign, giving a critical mass of people around the world the tools they need to help solve the climate crisis” (Christianity Today, April 10, 2007). Gore claims to be a Christian and was a member of a Southern Baptist church when he served as Vice President under Bill Clinton, but the man certainly doesn’t believe the Bible. If he did, he would be spending his time and wealth to warn the world of the fiery judgment to come rather than the fantasy of global warming.

DRAWING YOUTH TO CHRIST WITH THE WORLD (Friday Church News Notes, April 20, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A very strange philosophy predominates in evangelical youth ministries today, which is that it is legitimate to draw youth to Christ with the world. This is the philosophy of Teen Mania, the sponsor of BattleCry, a movement to “take back the youth generation for Christ.” BattleCry is promoting massive youth rallies in various cities in America. The next is scheduled for April 20-21 in Detroit. Teen Mania founder Ron Luce said: “We connect with teens through culturally-relevant rallies that include top artists, edgy messages, eye-popping images, even pyrotechnics--but we deliver a radically different, counter-culture message” (“Over 30,000 Teens Ready to Overturn Culture War,” Christian Post, April 13, 2007). One of the rock groups scheduled for Detroit is P.O.D. (Payable On Death) whose members are festooned with tattoos and piercings and wear long dreadlocks in direct disobedience to God’s Word. The band claims they play concerts at Ozzyfest and perform with wicked secular groups such as Korn and record on a secular label “to be heard by the lost people.” In fact, P.O.D.’s platinum-selling album The Fundamental Elements of Southtown doesn’t even mention the name of Jesus Christ, let alone give a clear presentation of the gospel. It is confusion to draw youth to Christ by means of the world. What people are won by they are won to. These misled young people are not being won to the holy Christ of the Bible. They are being won to a worldly Jesus who hangs out with them and parties with them and loves rock music and doesn’t care how they look as long as the “heart is right.” This is NOT biblical Christianity. The apostle Paul did not try to reach the people of his generation through “culturally-relevant” means. He didn’t contract one of Rome’s top bands to attract a crowd. He very simply and boldly preached the gospel and did not corrupt the ministry by surrounding it with the things of the world. In fact, there is not one example in the Bible of music being used as a vehicle for evangelism. See Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 11:7, 15; Ephesians 5:11; Philippians 2:15; 1 Timothy 2:9-10; Titus 2:11-15; James 1:27; 4:4; 1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:2; 1 John 2:15-17. For more on P.O.D. see http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/pod.html.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH LOSES ITS PROPERTY (Friday Church News Notes, April 20, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Redeemer Anglican Church of Jacksonville, Florida, has lost its property because of a lawsuit filed against it by the liberal Episcopal Church in America. The church voted in January to leave the denomination over the issues of theological liberalism and homosexuality. John Howard, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, ignored a call from the Archbishop of Canterbury to suspend litigation over property. It takes conviction and courage to walk away from a denominational structure, and conviction and courage are sorely lacking in Christianity today. We would urge these Episcopalians to use this occasion to take many other steps, going all of the way back to the biblical pattern for the church, to a regenerate church membership, to believer’s baptism by immersion, to the Lord’s Supper as a simple memorial meal, to the autonomous assembly, to the simple office of pastor/elder/bishop, to the priesthood of the believers, to church discipline.

VIRGINIA TECH AND DR. HENRY MORRIS (Friday Church News Notes, April 20, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is by Pastor Matt Furse of Bible Believers Baptist Church, Custer, South Dakota <bbbc@goldenwest.net> -- “Today, Virginia Tech is in the news for all the wrong reasons. This is a well-known engineering school in Blacksburg, Virginia. I suppose many will blame this tragedy on ‘guns’ (as if a gun can be either good or bad). Truth is, if one of the ‘good guys’ had carried a gun, they could have stopped the bad guy(s)! But that’s another issue. This story struck me because of another angle. I’ve always admired Dr. Henry Morris, who died and went to Heaven last year at 88 years of age. He was Christian and he was a scientist. He wrote many books proving that the Bible is scientifically correct and that evolution does not hold the answers to the origin of life. Dr. Morris was the founder of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) in El Cajon, California (http://www.icr.org). Did you know that years ago Henry Morris was a Professor at Virginia Tech? He held a degree in Hydraulic Engineering and taught in the Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. He even wrote a textbook on the subject that was used for years. During his career there, he began a Bible study that eventually grew into the College Baptist Church of Blacksburg, Virginia. He used his degree in Hydraulic Engineering to study the Genesis account of Noah’s Flood. He wanted to understand the power of water and what it could do. While a professor at Virginia Tech, he co-authored (with John Whitcomb) The Genesis Flood. Henry Morris had an exceptional record as a professor at the college, and the Dean of Virginia Tech (at that time) was in favor of the book. But a new Dean took over (Dean Wooster) and he was not in favor of Henry Morris’ view of the young age of the earth and a Biblical, world-wide flood, so Dean Wooster began to make things difficult for Dr. Morris. With his good record, he kept his job and continued to teach; however, as time went on God was not welcome on the campus of Virginia Tech, and since Henry Morris believed in God and the Bible he began to feel unwelcome, as well. In 1970 Dr. Morris moved to California and eventually started his own school, ICR, which is still going strong today. While at the same time, the Engineering Department of Virginia Tech lost a man of great moral influence.”

UNITED METHODISTS AND EPISCOPALIANS MOVING CLOSER IN UNITY (Friday Church News Notes, April 20, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church USA continue to move closer together in ecumenical unity. The denominations have been conducting official dialogues since 2002, and in 2006 the Episcopalians voted to enter into Eucharistic Sharing with the Methodists as a step toward full communion. This allows the two liberal denominations to share communion together. Recently a new study guide called “Make Us One with Christ” was published to foster further unity. The Bible asks the rhetorical question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3), and the answer is no. The United Methodists and Episcopalians are walking together because they are likeminded in theological liberalism and unbelief. As early as 1968 a widely publicized scientific survey by Jeffrey Hadden, published by the Washington University, showed that about 60% of Methodist clergy did not believe in the virgin birth and at least 50% did not believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ. That was almost 40 years ago, and things have only gotten worse. The Episcopalians are in the same unbelieving boat. In 1991 Episcopal Bishop John Spong said in his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: “Am I suggesting that these stories of the virgin birth are not literally true? The answer is a simple and direct ‘Yes.’ Of course these narratives are not literally true. Stars do not wander, angels do not sing, virgins do not give birth, magi do not travel to a distant land to present gifts to a baby, and shepherds do not go in search of a newborn savior.”