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RICK WARREN RAILS AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISTS, AGAIN (Friday Church News Notes, May 25, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Rick Warren of Purpose Driven Life fame has railed against fundamentalist Christians yet again. At a three-day summit on adoption in Colorado Springs Warren said: “We’ve got some people who only focus on moral purity and couldn’t care less about the poor, the sick, the uneducated. And they haven’t done zip for those people.” He said that too often Christians these days are defined by a “big mouth” (“Christian Groups Launch Massive Adoption Campaign, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2007). Warren mentioned James 1:27, which says pure religion is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. What he failed to acknowledge is that pure religion, according to the same verse, is also to keep oneself unspotted from the world. That describes a very strict type of separation from the world, and the Bible just as plainly teaches that we are to separate from and renounce doctrinal error (Rom. 16:17; 2 Tim. 3:5; 4:1-4, etc.); yet Warren viciously denounces those who are attempting to obey these biblical injunctions, calling them big mouths. Biblical Christianity involves showing compassion to the needy as well as strict standards of holiness and truth, not to mention evangelism and the Great Commission, and that is what Biblicists are have been doing since the first century. I have written more than 30 articles warning about Rick Warren’s error and compromise, so I obviously have a “big mouth” by his definition, but my wife and I adopted a special-needs child when she was three years old and have dedicated almost two decades of our lives to one of the world’s poorest mission fields and have given away thousands of dollars to the poor. In his interview on Larry King Live on December 2, 2006, Warren slanderously likened biblical fundamentalists to Muslim extremists and atheistic secularists. He has also said that Christian fundamentalism will be “one of the big enemies of the 21st century” (“The Purpose-Driven Pastor,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 8, 2006). The book “Transitioning: Leading Your Church through Change” by Dan Southerland, which Warren recommends and which is sold on Warren’s web site, calls the pastor who resists the Purpose Driven movement “Sanballat” (from the book of Nehemiah) and a “leader from hell” (pp. 115, 116).  Beware of Rick Warren. He is the blind leading the blind.

BIBLE CALLED INDECENT BY SOME HONG KONG RESIDENTS (Friday Church News Notes, May 25, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - More than 2,000 residents of Hong Kong have asked the government’s Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA) to classify the Bible as “obscene” for its sexual and violent content (“Bible under Fire,” Christian Post, May 16, 2007). That would have made it illegal for minors under 18 to purchase it and would have caused it to be wrapped with a warning notice. The complaints, which were probably sparked by a Chinese language web site that urged readers to contact the TELA, refer to acts of violence, rape, incest, and cannibalism in the Bible. In its statement on the issue the licensing authority responded that the Bible “had not violated standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable members of the community.” This brouhaha is ridiculous, of course. Though the Holy Bible refers to acts of rape and incest, it does so only to warn against sin and it never does so in a prurient manner. No one has ever been morally tempted by reading the Bible. In fact, it has been said that the Bible will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from the Bible. Anyone who considers the Bible indecent has only his own indecent, truth-rejecting mind to blame. “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9).

NEWT GINGRICH SPEAKS AT LIBERTY UNIVERSITY’S GRADUATION (Friday Church News Notes, May 25, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Newt Gingrich, former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker, delivered the speech at Liberty University’s graduation service on May 19, 2007. Gingrich’s invitation, which was extended before Jerry Falwell died earlier this month, is further evidence of the deep spiritual compromise that encompassed Falwell’s ministry in his latter decades. Gingrich is a brilliant politician and historian, but he should not be the speaker at an alleged Bible-believing college. His testimony of salvation is very weak. He told James Dobson, “In terms of my own life, let me say that I was raised initially as a Lutheran and I ended up converting and becoming a Southern Baptist when I was in graduate school at Saint Charles Avenue Baptist Church with Dr. Avery Lee, who was just a great, great preacher and moral leader” (“Newt has ‘sought God’s forgiveness,’” WorldNetDaily, March 8, 2007). To convert from Lutheran to Southern Baptist is not a biblical testimony of salvation. I wrote to Gingrich’s organization and asked for his testimony, but I received no reply. In his commencement address at Liberty University Gingrich did not even mention salvation in Jesus Christ, and in his commencement address at the University of Mary Washington on May 13, 2007, Gingrich urged the graduates to follow “five basic rules of life” -- “dream big, work hard, learn daily, enjoy life and be true to themselves.” The idea of being “true to yourself” is not scriptural, and he neglected the most important “rule” of all, which is to be born again and to fear God and make Jesus Christ the Lord of one’s life. Gingrich is twice divorced and thrice married and has had affairs both during and outside of wedlock (“Newt Gingrich,” Wikipedia). He supports some homosexual rights (though not homosexual “marriage”). When Gingrich was asked by John Loftus what he thinks about homosexuality, he replied that though he believes that the Bible calls it an abomination he doesn’t “want to be judgmental about others” and is “not prepared to render judgment to individuals” (“Interview with Newt Gingrich,” http://www.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=331). Gingrich also told Loftus that he does not think that being homosexual says anything negative about a person’s character and that “there are many good and kind and decent people who may also be homosexuals.” Gingrich actively supported a homosexual congressional candidate in Wisconsin, praising him for ‘courage’ in running for office, and he opposed an attempt in the House of Representatives to censure homosexual congressman Barney Frank for criminal conduct, including letting a homosexual prostitution ring be run out of his home (The New American, Dec. 1994). Gingrich is a member of the racist NAACP (Ibid.), and he is one of the top lobbyists for the alcohol industry (The Fundamentalist Digest, Jan.-Feb. 1993). Falwell’s downward slide began with his entanglement with politics and the formation of the Moral Majority in the 1970s. The Bible warns that “evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33), but Dr. Falwell ignored that to his detriment and to that of those who have been influenced by him. In the 1960s Falwell said, “Nowhere are we commissioned to reform the externals. We are not told to wage wars against bootleggers, liquor stores, gamblers, murderers, prostitutes, racketeers, prejudiced persons or institutions, or any other existing evil as such. I feel that we need to get off the streets and back into the pulpits and into our prayer rooms” (“TV Evangelist Jerry Falwell Dies at 73,” USA Today, May 15, 2007). He was right in that statement, but in the late 1970s Falwell made a 180 degree turn and founded the Moral Majority. By 1986 Falwell stated that Catholics made up the largest constituency (30%) in the Moral Majority (Christianity Today, February 21, 1986). For more on Falwell’s compromise see http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/falwellandrome.htm.

500 CHURCHES AND 67 DENOMINATIONS PARTICIPATE IN FRANKLIN GRAHAM NORFOLK FESTIVAL (Friday Church News Notes, May 25, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - More than 500 churches representing 67 denominations are participating in the Franklin Graham evangelistic “festival” in Norfolk, Virginia, May 18-20 (“Franklin Graham Brings Soul Festival to Virginia,” Christian Post, May 18). The Graham organization refused to give us a list of the churches and denominations, but there are NOT that many churches and denominations in the Norfolk area that are sound in doctrine and practice. In the past, Billy Graham has often included Roman Catholic churches in his crusades and has turned the names of tens of thousands of seekers over to Roman Catholic dioceses for “follow up,” and Franklin Graham has praised his father’s ecumenical approach. Franklin told the Indianapolis Star that his father’s longstanding ecumenical alliance with the Catholic Church “was one of the smartest things his father ever did.” He said: “In the early years, up in Boston, the Catholic church got behind my father’s crusade. That was a first. It took back many Protestants. They didn’t know how to handle it. But it set the example. ‘If Billy Graham is willing to work with everybody, then maybe we should too’” (“Keeping it simple, safe keeps Graham on high,” The Indianapolis Star, Thurs., June 3, 1999). Franklin is correct in understanding that his father broke ground in his ecumenical endeavors, but he did so in disobedience to Scripture and it has brought great confusion to the cause of Christ. A Catholic archbishop was present at the media launch for Franklin Graham’s 1998 crusade in Australia. Denominations involved in that crusade included Anglican, Catholic, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Lutheran and Uniting. That moral reprobate and habitual liar Bill Clinton, who supports the “right” of a woman to murder her unborn child, is scheduled to speak at Franklin Graham’s Norfolk festival. The worldly rock & roll will be supplied by Three63, Third Day, Nicole Mullen, and Charlie Daniels Band, among others. It is never right to do wrong in order to do right, and doing wrong will not stand at Christ’s judgment seat no matter how much “good” we think we are accomplishing.

NEW BOOK “DRESSING FOR THE LORD” (Friday Church News Notes, May 25, 2007, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - We are pleased to announce the publication of a new book entitled Dressing for the Lord. One reader said: “I finished reading ‘Dressing for the Lord’ this morning, and Sir, you have hit the nail right on the head! This is the best and most comprehensive work I’ve ever seen on the dress issue; praise God! The book is super and really needs to be read by Christian men and women the world over.” To lay a solid Bible foundation for modesty, we give a careful exegesis of about 25 key Bible passages from Genesis to 1 John, and from these Scriptures we develop Bible principles that can be applied to any nation or culture. The chapter titles include “The Origin of Clothing, “Clothing Is a Language,” “The Captains of the Fashion Industry,” “Isn’t This Basically the Man’s Problem?” “Bible Guidelines for Clothing,” “A Study on Biblical Modesty,” “Worldliness and the Christian’s Dress,” “Pants and the Christian Woman,” “Pushing the Edge on Dress Standards,” Questions Answered on the Issue of Christian Dress,” “Testimonies from Christian Women on the Issue of Modest Dress,” “Survey of Men on the Subject of Women’s Dress,” and “Sources for Ready-made Modest Clothing.” The section on “QUESTIONS ANSWERED” deals with 36 common challenges, such as “Since God looks on the heart, why be so concerned about appearance?” “Men are going to sin anyway.” “Shouldn’t we just teach the Bible and let the Holy Spirit deal with this issue?” “I believe dress standards produce pride and hypocrisy.” “Should women only wear drab sack dresses?” “I wear pants because there are many things I can’t do in a dress.” “I only wear feminine pants.” “Wearing dresses is old-fashioned and we should not be weird.” “Those who preach against pants on women are legalistic.” “What about the issue of modesty in other cultures?” “What about tattoos and piercings?” The book is 203 pages and is $9.95 plus postage. It can be ordered by phone, fax, e-mail, or post. Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143 (toll free), fbns@wayoflife.org (e-mail). If ordering from Canada contact Bethel Baptist Church, 4212 Campbell St. N., London, Ont. N6P1A6, 1-866-295-4143 (toll free), 519-652-0056 (fax).