Dec 2008
December 26, 2008 Volume 9, Issue 52
26/12/08 11:41
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.
Download and Print Friday News with Full Graphics for your church in PDF format: http://wayoflife.worthyofpraise.org/fridaynews/pdf/2008/20081226.pdf
RICK WARREN TO GIVE THE INVOCATION AT OBAMA’S INAUGURAL (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Southern Baptist pastor Rick Warren has agreed to give the invocation at Barack Obama’s inaugural swearing-in ceremony on January 20. Warren said, “The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders. I am honored by this opportunity to pray God’s blessing on the office of the President and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America’s leaders during this critical time in our nation’s history” (Christiannewswire.com, Dec. 18, 2008). While the Bible does admonish believers to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4), it also forbids them to yoke together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). It is one thing to pray for our nation privately and in our churches; it is quite another to appear at a wicked man’s inaugural and pray for God’s blessing on him. It is impossible to imagine the apostle Paul appearing in an inaugural ceremony for a pagan Caesar, but that is equivalent to what Warren is doing. Instead of calling Obama to repentance, Warren is going to appear with him and smile with him and pray for God’s blessing on him, a man who supports the unrestricted murder of unborn children and the “marriage” of homosexuals. “And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD” (2 Chronicles 19:2).
DUTCH LEGISLATOR SAYS “THERE IS NO MODERATE ISLAM” (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Speaking at a conference on jihad in Jerusalem, Dutch legislator Geert Wilders said that “as the terrorist attacks in Mumbai proved, there’s no moderate Islam,” and it is time for the West to realize it is “in a conflict with the Muslim faith at large” (“There Is No Moderate Islam,” Haaretz.com, Dec. 15, 2008). David Bukay of the Haifa University agreed, saying that “moderate Islam” does not exist and that the Koran could not be reformed or modernized. Because of publishing a short movie consisting of Muslim hate sermons and gory images of terrorist attacks, Wilders has received death threats and must be accompanied by bodyguards.
GERMAN GOVERNMENT DROPS CHARGES AGAINST HOMESCHOOLING FAMILY (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Homeschoolers Win,” WorldNetDaily, Dec. 11, 2008: “Authorities are dropping criminal child-neglect charges pending against a German mother and father who could have faced up to two years in jail and loss of custody for homeschooling five of their children, according to a report from the International Human Rights Group. Spokesman Joel Thornton said his group, which has been working on the case involving the Brause family from Zittau, Germany, heard from local counsel about the government’s decision. ‘We received word from our German counsel in this case, Johannes Hildebrandt, that the court and the prosecutor are dropping the charges against Mr. and Mrs. Brause. This means they no longer face up to two years in prison and the potential loss of their children. The decision of German officials is a huge victory for this family and for homeschool families in Germany,’ Thornton told WND. ... The case involved custody of Rosine, Jotham, Kurt-Simon, Lovis and Ernst Brause. Thornton said the announcement came after the court received a detailed psychiatric report that there is no psychological harm to the children from homeschooling. The report also stated that the children have not been harmed, which is evidenced by their exit exams from high school, he said. ... ‘This is a huge victory for homeschool families in Germany. It means that government officials must be more careful when bringing criminal charges against home school families.’ ... Thornton said the Brause family members are Christians and the parents homeschool for reasons of parental responsibility before God and the law. ... Just a few days ago, the Homeschool Legal Defense Association said it was helping a family with an unusual, first-of-its-kind application: political asylum in the United States from Germany’s oppressive homeschooling laws. The Uwe and Hannelore Romeike family fled their native Bissingen, Germany, to escape persecution under a Nazi-era law requiring all children to attend public school to avoid ‘the emergence of parallel societies based on separate philosophical convictions’ that could be taught by parents at home.”
MUTILATED CHRISTIAN GIRL FORGIVES ATTACKERS (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from WorldNetDaily, Dec. 16, 2008: “Hindu extremists may have burned a 10-year-old Christian girl's face, inflicted shrapnel wounds on 40 percent of her body and forced her family to hide in a forest and flee to a refugee camp in Orissa, India, but her plight hasn’t shaken her faith and thankfulness to God this season. ... Nayak’s face was severely mutilated after Hindu extremists bombed the home where she was staying on Aug. 26. They broke into the house and burned it while Nayak and her siblings hid in a small bathroom. Before exiting the home, they left a bomb in a dresser, according to the report. While the little girl surveyed the destruction, the bomb detonated and burned her face. The explosion also lodged shrapnel into her face, hands and back. ... Nayak spent 45 days recovering in the hospital. Despite all her troubles, she is cheerful and giving thanks to God for healing her. ... The Hindu attackers have vowed to launch another widespread assault on Christians during Christmas. ... Hindus have offered money, food and alcohol to anyone who murders Christians and destroys their homes--especially pastors. Thousands of homes and churches have been destroyed, and Christians have been forced to flee the violence. Many have been doused with kerosene and torched after refusing to renounce their Christian faith. ... Nonetheless, Nayak urges India's Christians to forgive their Hindu attackers. ‘[W]e forgive the Hindu radicals who attacked us, who burned our homes,’ she told Asia News. ‘They were out of their minds, they do not know the love of Jesus. For this reason, I now want to study so that when I am older I can tell everyone how much Jesus loves us. This is my future.’”
GOD’S THOUGHTS VS. MAN’S (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8). Consider some of the ways that this is true. As for beauty, man thinks it is glorious, but God says it is vain (Proverbs 31:30). As for riches, man thinks they are greatly to be desired and praised, but God says the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10) and “riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away” (Proverbs 23:5). As for men of high degree, man thinks they are impressive, but God says “men of high degree are a lie” (Psalm 62:9). As for the prosperity of the wicked, man thinks it is desirable and fascinating, but God says it is foolish and casts men into destruction (Psalm 73:18). As for trouble, man thinks it is a nuisance, but God says it brings men to repentance (Psa. 119:67, 71) and spiritual growth (Romans 5-5). As for military might, man trusts in it, but God says safety is of the Lord (Proverbs 21:31). As for poverty, man thinks it is to be avoided at all costs, but God says it can be better than riches (Proverbs 15:16-17; 19:1; James 2:5). As for children, man thinks they are a burden, but God says children are a heritage from the Lord and happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them (Psalm 127). As for evolutionary theory, man thinks it is brilliant science, but God says it is the vain babblings of science falsely so called (1 Timothy 6:20). As for foolish laughter and filthy jesting, man thinks it is fun and cool, but God says it is vanity (Ecc. 7:5-6) and brings His wrath (Ephesians 5:4-6). As for self-promotion and self-praise, man thinks it is wise, but God says, “whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12), and, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth” (Proverbs 27:2). As for the pride of life, man thinks it is commendable, but God says it is of the devil and will pass away (1 Timothy 3:6; 1 John 2:15-17). As for religious harmony, man thinks it is expedient, but God says Christ has no part with Belial (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). As for human nature, man thinks it is basically good, but God says there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Romans 3:12). As for religion, man thinks all religions have some truth and lead to the same God, but God says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto the father but by Him (John 14:6). As for hell, man thinks that it is a religious myth, but God says it is the destiny of every man that dies without Christ (John 3:36). The wise man will align his thinking with God’s by humbling himself before His sovereignty and studying His Word. “... for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).
CHARISMATIC MAGAZINE PREDICTS MIRACLES WILL BLUR DOCTRINAL DIVISIONS (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Charisma magazine for December 2001 ran an article titled “What Is God Doing in the Earth Today?” which contained predictions for the coming days. The author, David Shibley, hastened to say that the predictions “are not prophecies” but are what he senses “deep in his spirit.” The charismatic prophecy crowd has been proven wrong so many times, that it has started trying to cover its tracks. Be that as it may, following is one of Shibley’s predictions: “MIRACLES WILL BLUR DOCTRINAL DIVISIONS. BY THE END OF THE DECADE THIS MAY BE A MOOT ISSUE, WITH THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIANS ENDORSING AND EXPERIENCING PRESENT-DAY SIGNS AND WONDERS.” This statement reminds us of the extreme danger of the charismatic movement. Where does the Bible say that God is pleased with the blurring of doctrinal divisions? To the contrary, God commands His people to be exceedingly strict about doctrine. Paul instructed Timothy to allow “NO other doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3). Timothy was to teach sound apostolic doctrine to faithful men who were to teach “the same” doctrine to other men until Jesus comes (2 Tim. 2:2). Thus, the blurring of doctrinal divisions actually displeases God. This confused ecumenical generation thinks God wrote many different and contradicting Bibles and that He is pleased with a variety of conflicting doctrines, but it is wrong on both counts. By the way, Shibley is probably correct in his prediction. The charismatic ecumenical, judge-not philosophy and the charismatic music and the charismatic experiences are sweeping through every denomination. It is influencing, if not actually taking over, everything in its path. One of the biggest problems among churches even in remote places like Nepal is the ecumenical-charismatic movement with its heretical notions and weird experiences. As for “present-day signs and wonders,” they are bogus. When the New Testament speaks of signs and wonders in the context of the last hours of this age, it speaks of deceiving signs and “lying wonders” (Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:8-11; Rev. 13:13-14). And that is precisely what I have witnessed when attending major charismatic conferences through the years.
BEE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from Creation Moments, http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcript.php?t=2196: “Honeybees like to keep their hives at a constant 95° F and their way of doing it is quite ingenious. When the weather is cold, bees collect at the centre of the hive where they generate extra heat by increasing their metabolisms through rapid breathing. Other bees position themselves around the sides of the hive to serve as insulation. If it remains cool outside, the bees at the warm centre of the hive rotate with the bees at the cooler walls of the hive. If the weather gets too warm, some of the bees act as fans, circulating outside air into the hive. If this does not provide enough cooling, other bees leave the hive to bring water back that will be spread on the hive walls by other bees. Now the fanning of the other bees will actually cause the walls of the hive to cool by evaporation of the water. The intelligence we see at every level of the creation offers strong evidence against the claim that intelligence is a product of evolution. Intelligence is a gift of the Creator to His creatures!”
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalms 23:1-6).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14)
Download and Print Friday News with Full Graphics for your church in PDF format: http://wayoflife.worthyofpraise.org/fridaynews/pdf/2008/20081226.pdf
RICK WARREN TO GIVE THE INVOCATION AT OBAMA’S INAUGURAL (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Southern Baptist pastor Rick Warren has agreed to give the invocation at Barack Obama’s inaugural swearing-in ceremony on January 20. Warren said, “The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders. I am honored by this opportunity to pray God’s blessing on the office of the President and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America’s leaders during this critical time in our nation’s history” (Christiannewswire.com, Dec. 18, 2008). While the Bible does admonish believers to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4), it also forbids them to yoke together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). It is one thing to pray for our nation privately and in our churches; it is quite another to appear at a wicked man’s inaugural and pray for God’s blessing on him. It is impossible to imagine the apostle Paul appearing in an inaugural ceremony for a pagan Caesar, but that is equivalent to what Warren is doing. Instead of calling Obama to repentance, Warren is going to appear with him and smile with him and pray for God’s blessing on him, a man who supports the unrestricted murder of unborn children and the “marriage” of homosexuals. “And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD” (2 Chronicles 19:2).
DUTCH LEGISLATOR SAYS “THERE IS NO MODERATE ISLAM” (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Speaking at a conference on jihad in Jerusalem, Dutch legislator Geert Wilders said that “as the terrorist attacks in Mumbai proved, there’s no moderate Islam,” and it is time for the West to realize it is “in a conflict with the Muslim faith at large” (“There Is No Moderate Islam,” Haaretz.com, Dec. 15, 2008). David Bukay of the Haifa University agreed, saying that “moderate Islam” does not exist and that the Koran could not be reformed or modernized. Because of publishing a short movie consisting of Muslim hate sermons and gory images of terrorist attacks, Wilders has received death threats and must be accompanied by bodyguards.
GERMAN GOVERNMENT DROPS CHARGES AGAINST HOMESCHOOLING FAMILY (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Homeschoolers Win,” WorldNetDaily, Dec. 11, 2008: “Authorities are dropping criminal child-neglect charges pending against a German mother and father who could have faced up to two years in jail and loss of custody for homeschooling five of their children, according to a report from the International Human Rights Group. Spokesman Joel Thornton said his group, which has been working on the case involving the Brause family from Zittau, Germany, heard from local counsel about the government’s decision. ‘We received word from our German counsel in this case, Johannes Hildebrandt, that the court and the prosecutor are dropping the charges against Mr. and Mrs. Brause. This means they no longer face up to two years in prison and the potential loss of their children. The decision of German officials is a huge victory for this family and for homeschool families in Germany,’ Thornton told WND. ... The case involved custody of Rosine, Jotham, Kurt-Simon, Lovis and Ernst Brause. Thornton said the announcement came after the court received a detailed psychiatric report that there is no psychological harm to the children from homeschooling. The report also stated that the children have not been harmed, which is evidenced by their exit exams from high school, he said. ... ‘This is a huge victory for homeschool families in Germany. It means that government officials must be more careful when bringing criminal charges against home school families.’ ... Thornton said the Brause family members are Christians and the parents homeschool for reasons of parental responsibility before God and the law. ... Just a few days ago, the Homeschool Legal Defense Association said it was helping a family with an unusual, first-of-its-kind application: political asylum in the United States from Germany’s oppressive homeschooling laws. The Uwe and Hannelore Romeike family fled their native Bissingen, Germany, to escape persecution under a Nazi-era law requiring all children to attend public school to avoid ‘the emergence of parallel societies based on separate philosophical convictions’ that could be taught by parents at home.”
MUTILATED CHRISTIAN GIRL FORGIVES ATTACKERS (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from WorldNetDaily, Dec. 16, 2008: “Hindu extremists may have burned a 10-year-old Christian girl's face, inflicted shrapnel wounds on 40 percent of her body and forced her family to hide in a forest and flee to a refugee camp in Orissa, India, but her plight hasn’t shaken her faith and thankfulness to God this season. ... Nayak’s face was severely mutilated after Hindu extremists bombed the home where she was staying on Aug. 26. They broke into the house and burned it while Nayak and her siblings hid in a small bathroom. Before exiting the home, they left a bomb in a dresser, according to the report. While the little girl surveyed the destruction, the bomb detonated and burned her face. The explosion also lodged shrapnel into her face, hands and back. ... Nayak spent 45 days recovering in the hospital. Despite all her troubles, she is cheerful and giving thanks to God for healing her. ... The Hindu attackers have vowed to launch another widespread assault on Christians during Christmas. ... Hindus have offered money, food and alcohol to anyone who murders Christians and destroys their homes--especially pastors. Thousands of homes and churches have been destroyed, and Christians have been forced to flee the violence. Many have been doused with kerosene and torched after refusing to renounce their Christian faith. ... Nonetheless, Nayak urges India's Christians to forgive their Hindu attackers. ‘[W]e forgive the Hindu radicals who attacked us, who burned our homes,’ she told Asia News. ‘They were out of their minds, they do not know the love of Jesus. For this reason, I now want to study so that when I am older I can tell everyone how much Jesus loves us. This is my future.’”
GOD’S THOUGHTS VS. MAN’S (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8). Consider some of the ways that this is true. As for beauty, man thinks it is glorious, but God says it is vain (Proverbs 31:30). As for riches, man thinks they are greatly to be desired and praised, but God says the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10) and “riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away” (Proverbs 23:5). As for men of high degree, man thinks they are impressive, but God says “men of high degree are a lie” (Psalm 62:9). As for the prosperity of the wicked, man thinks it is desirable and fascinating, but God says it is foolish and casts men into destruction (Psalm 73:18). As for trouble, man thinks it is a nuisance, but God says it brings men to repentance (Psa. 119:67, 71) and spiritual growth (Romans 5-5). As for military might, man trusts in it, but God says safety is of the Lord (Proverbs 21:31). As for poverty, man thinks it is to be avoided at all costs, but God says it can be better than riches (Proverbs 15:16-17; 19:1; James 2:5). As for children, man thinks they are a burden, but God says children are a heritage from the Lord and happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them (Psalm 127). As for evolutionary theory, man thinks it is brilliant science, but God says it is the vain babblings of science falsely so called (1 Timothy 6:20). As for foolish laughter and filthy jesting, man thinks it is fun and cool, but God says it is vanity (Ecc. 7:5-6) and brings His wrath (Ephesians 5:4-6). As for self-promotion and self-praise, man thinks it is wise, but God says, “whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12), and, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth” (Proverbs 27:2). As for the pride of life, man thinks it is commendable, but God says it is of the devil and will pass away (1 Timothy 3:6; 1 John 2:15-17). As for religious harmony, man thinks it is expedient, but God says Christ has no part with Belial (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). As for human nature, man thinks it is basically good, but God says there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Romans 3:12). As for religion, man thinks all religions have some truth and lead to the same God, but God says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto the father but by Him (John 14:6). As for hell, man thinks that it is a religious myth, but God says it is the destiny of every man that dies without Christ (John 3:36). The wise man will align his thinking with God’s by humbling himself before His sovereignty and studying His Word. “... for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).
CHARISMATIC MAGAZINE PREDICTS MIRACLES WILL BLUR DOCTRINAL DIVISIONS (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Charisma magazine for December 2001 ran an article titled “What Is God Doing in the Earth Today?” which contained predictions for the coming days. The author, David Shibley, hastened to say that the predictions “are not prophecies” but are what he senses “deep in his spirit.” The charismatic prophecy crowd has been proven wrong so many times, that it has started trying to cover its tracks. Be that as it may, following is one of Shibley’s predictions: “MIRACLES WILL BLUR DOCTRINAL DIVISIONS. BY THE END OF THE DECADE THIS MAY BE A MOOT ISSUE, WITH THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIANS ENDORSING AND EXPERIENCING PRESENT-DAY SIGNS AND WONDERS.” This statement reminds us of the extreme danger of the charismatic movement. Where does the Bible say that God is pleased with the blurring of doctrinal divisions? To the contrary, God commands His people to be exceedingly strict about doctrine. Paul instructed Timothy to allow “NO other doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3). Timothy was to teach sound apostolic doctrine to faithful men who were to teach “the same” doctrine to other men until Jesus comes (2 Tim. 2:2). Thus, the blurring of doctrinal divisions actually displeases God. This confused ecumenical generation thinks God wrote many different and contradicting Bibles and that He is pleased with a variety of conflicting doctrines, but it is wrong on both counts. By the way, Shibley is probably correct in his prediction. The charismatic ecumenical, judge-not philosophy and the charismatic music and the charismatic experiences are sweeping through every denomination. It is influencing, if not actually taking over, everything in its path. One of the biggest problems among churches even in remote places like Nepal is the ecumenical-charismatic movement with its heretical notions and weird experiences. As for “present-day signs and wonders,” they are bogus. When the New Testament speaks of signs and wonders in the context of the last hours of this age, it speaks of deceiving signs and “lying wonders” (Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:8-11; Rev. 13:13-14). And that is precisely what I have witnessed when attending major charismatic conferences through the years.
BEE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from Creation Moments, http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcript.php?t=2196: “Honeybees like to keep their hives at a constant 95° F and their way of doing it is quite ingenious. When the weather is cold, bees collect at the centre of the hive where they generate extra heat by increasing their metabolisms through rapid breathing. Other bees position themselves around the sides of the hive to serve as insulation. If it remains cool outside, the bees at the warm centre of the hive rotate with the bees at the cooler walls of the hive. If the weather gets too warm, some of the bees act as fans, circulating outside air into the hive. If this does not provide enough cooling, other bees leave the hive to bring water back that will be spread on the hive walls by other bees. Now the fanning of the other bees will actually cause the walls of the hive to cool by evaporation of the water. The intelligence we see at every level of the creation offers strong evidence against the claim that intelligence is a product of evolution. Intelligence is a gift of the Creator to His creatures!”
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD (Friday Church News Notes, December 26, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalms 23:1-6).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14)
December 19, 2008, Volume 9, Issue 51
19/12/08 11:41
FRIDAY CHURCH NEWS NOTES December 19, 2008, Volume 9, Issue 51
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. For instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.
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PRESIDENT BUSH SAYS HE PRAYS TO SAME GOD AS ADHERENTS OF OTHER RELIGIONS (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In an interview with ABC’s Nightline program on December 8, President George W. Bush said that he prays to the same God as those with different religious beliefs. “I don’t think God is a narrow concept. I think it’s a broad concept. I just happen to believe the way to God is through Christ, and others have different avenues toward God, and I believe we pray to the same Almighty” (“Bush Talks of Belief in God,” AP, Dec. 8, 2008). Bush said that he doesn’t believe that creation and evolution are contradictory. “I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don’t think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution.” When asked if the Bible is literally true, Bush replied, “No, I’m not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament, for example ... the important lesson is ‘God sent a son.’” His personal testimony of salvation is exceedingly weak. He said, “It is hard for me to justify or prove the mystery of the Almighty in my life. All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit drinking shortly thereafter and I asked for help.” I like President Bush and will be sad to see him leave office (particularly in light of the man who is taking his place). Sadly, though, the President’s Christianity is unscriptural and it is representative of that which predominates in America. This is the foundational problem with the nation and lies at the heart of all of her great ills.
AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Lord Jesus likened the days preceding His return to the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37), and the Bible says that those days were characterized by great violence. “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). The earth today is also filled with violence. Wicked, demon-possessed men are on a rampage, even murdering little children like Caylee Anthony, the three-year-old Florida girl that has been missing for six months and has been the focus of many news reports. Between 1976 and 1994 roughly 37,000 children were murdered in America alone. What is the cause of this world’s great troubles? The Bible says that the problem lies in man’s heart. It is not his environment or his lack of self-esteem or his poverty. It is his fallen heart. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). This is why the United Nations will never bring peace to the earth. It cannot change man’s heart. UN workers can’t even change their own wicked hearts. Only Jesus Christ can change a man from the inside out. There is peace today for those who trust Him, and there will be peace on earth when He returns to establish His righteous government with its headquarters in Jerusalem.
AMERICAN BLACKLISTED FROM CHINA FOR ATTEMPTING TO BRING IN BIBLES (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Patrick Klein, founder of Vision Beyond Borders, has been blacklisted from China for attempting to bring Bibles into the country in August during the Summer Olympics. When he and three others tried to bring 300 Bibles into the country, they were detained at the airport and eventually kicked out. Klein debunks the idea that there are plenty of Bibles in China today. He says: “It just amazes me that I’ve been blacklisted just because I brought Bibles into the country. For a country that says they have freedom of religion, that is not freedom of religion. Everybody’s going to China to print Bibles because it’s so much cheaper--labor costs and production costs. So people are printing a lot of Bibles inside China. And China is giving the impression to the world that they’re printing tons and tons of Bibles, but they’re not for mainland China. From our sources, everything we’re hearing, they cannot get Bibles. Last I saw, there’s a 20-year wait. In the cities, there’s a great need, but there’s an even great need in the villages, and people are not able to get them in the villages at all. Some are available in the cities, but not in the quantity that they need” (“China Black Lists American,” mnnonline.org, Nov. 21, 2008).
CHINA: THE EMPIRE OF LIES (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “The Empire of Lies” by Guy Sorman, City Journal, May 2, 2007: “The Western press is full of stories these days on China’s arrival as a superpower, some even heralding, or warning, that the future may belong to her. Western political and business delegations stream into Beijing, confident of China’s economy, which continues to grow rapidly. ... But China’s success is, at least in part, a mirage. True, 200 million of her subjects, fortunate to be working for an expanding global market, increasingly enjoy a middle-class standard of living. The remaining 1 billion, however, remain among the poorest and most exploited people in the world, lacking even minimal rights and public services. ... I’ve been to many Chinese villages, and everywhere I have encountered the peasantry’s feelings of helplessness and anger when dealing with the Communist authorities. ... Villagers often told me that it wasn’t the local Party secretary whom they most hated but rather the family-planning agents. To ensure the proper implementation of China’s single-child policy (in some provinces, the limit is two children, if the first is a girl), the agents keep close watch on childbearing women, often subjecting them to horrific violence. In 2005, a family-planning squad targeted the city of Linyi and its surrounding rural area, in the Shandong Province, because the population had far exceeded the Party’s child quota. The agents kidnapped 17,000 women, forcing abortions on those who were pregnant--in some cases, immersing seven- to eight-month-old fetuses in boiling water--and sterilizing those who weren’t. The agents tortured the Linyi men until they revealed the hiding places of their daughters and wives. This nightmarish episode, admitted to by the Beijing government, would have gone unnoticed if not for yet another text message sent to a Hong Kong journalist, which ultimately led to the American press’s picking up the story.”
TEN COMMANDMENT BOOGIE (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The worldliness that dominates contemporary Christian music today is evident in the song “Ten Commandment Boogie” by Go Fish. It is even more frightful to realize that this Christian rock group targets children. Following is an excerpt from the lyrics to this ridiculous, unholy song. “It’s the ten commandment boogie, gonna dance until I die/ Ten commandment boogie, you can do so it so can I/ If you follow it through, you’ll be amazed what you can do/ So get your groove on with us tonight We’ll do the ten commandment boogie, the boogie, the ten commandment boogie. ... Number one - no other God but the One who is true/ Don’t worship any other, that’s commandment two./ Number three - use the name of God only with respect/ Number Four - on Sunday take a rest...” My friends, there is no respect for God and His holy Law in this amazingly trite song. Children are not being taught to fear God. They are being taught to take His holy things lightly and make a silly little dance out of an event that was designed to bring fear to man’s heart and make him realize that he is a wicked sinner before a thrice holy God, that he is on his way to an eternal fiery hell, and to make him understand that he desperately needs a Saviour! The Ten Commandment Boogie is more reflective of what rebellious Israel did around the Golden Calf while Moses was on the Mount receiving the Ten Commandments. Israel “got their groove on” that day! By the way, the sabbath was not on Sunday! “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16).
THE WORSE KIND OF FUNDAMENTALISM (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Newsweek magazine claims that resorting to biblical authority is “the worse kind of fundamentalism.” This was stated in Jon Meacham’s “From the Editor’s Desk,” Newsweek, December 6, 2008. It accompanied a cover story that made the ridiculous claim that the Bible supports homosexual “marriage.” Meacham said: “No matter what one thinks about gay rights--for, against or somewhere in between--this conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism. Given the history of the making of the Scriptures and the millennia of critical attention scholars and others have given to the stories and injunctions that come to us in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt--it is unserious, and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition.” In fact, after a millennia of critical attacks on the Bible, the critics have proven nothing except their own bias and spiritual blindness. The Bible says that man is a fallen sinner, and that is something that can be observed within one’s own heart and in the world at large. It also says that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who died to make atonement for man’s sin. That is the central message of the Bible, and the individual who rejects that message has no ability to judge the rest of the Bible properly. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
RUSSIA TARGETING CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES FOR “LIQUIDATION” (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Faith Under Fire,” WorldNetDaily, Dec. 11, 2008: “Dozens of Christian organizations that have been providing social services, ministry and other help inside Russia are being targeted for ‘liquidation’ by the nation’s Ministry of Justice, according to a new report. The information comes in a newsletter from a leader with an American Christian organization, Youth With A Mission, who reported he found a declaration recently on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing the pending ‘liquidation’ of 56 religious organizations. ... ‘[A]t least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations,’ the newsletter said. ‘These include the humanitarian World Vision and Youth with a Mission. At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and three regional districts of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.’ ... The leader continued, ‘The situation in Russia has continued to worsen this past year as the new visa law went into effect. This limits missionaries to three-month stays after which they need to leave for three months then reapply for a new expensive three-month visa. This has made it especially difficult on families and many have been forced to leave. This has affected every mission.’”
BEWARE OF THE ROCK & ROLL FASHION INDUSTRY (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Much of the fashion industry for the past 50 years has been driven by the lascivious rock & roll scene. Rock music has given us the Elvis look, the surfer look, the heavy metal look, the punk look, the goth look, and the Britney Spears look, to name a few. The latter came into stardom in 1998 when she was 16, appealing to adolescent girls as young as eight years old. She popularized tight and extremely low-cut blouses, midriff-baring shirts, super-short dresses, and low-rider jeans, yet she claims that she is not responsible for her influence and that her performances are harmless fantasy. In an article in USA Today, August 24, 2001, titled “Britney to little-girl wannabes: ‘It’s up to Parents,’” she is quoted as saying, “It’s up to the parents to explain that [clothing and morality issues] to their children. I really don’t like to be considered a role model.” Whether she likes it or not, morality is everyone’s responsibility before Almighty God. Every person will be held accountable for his or her actions and influence. There is a judgment both for the saved and for the unsaved. Who is responsible for the moral climate of a nation? Every single individual. Entertainment personalities are responsible. Parents are responsible. Young people are responsible. School administrators and teachers are responsible. Pastors are responsible. Sunday School teachers are responsible. The sad fact is that multitudes of professing Christians allow the immodest fashion industry to set their clothing standards, and the average pastor and teacher is strangely silent on the issue.
I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service list. To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE ADDRESSES go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. For instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.
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Download and Print Friday News (Full Graphical Edition) for your church in
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http://wayoflife.worthyofpraise.org/fridaynews/pdf/2008/20081219.pdf
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PRESIDENT BUSH SAYS HE PRAYS TO SAME GOD AS ADHERENTS OF OTHER RELIGIONS (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In an interview with ABC’s Nightline program on December 8, President George W. Bush said that he prays to the same God as those with different religious beliefs. “I don’t think God is a narrow concept. I think it’s a broad concept. I just happen to believe the way to God is through Christ, and others have different avenues toward God, and I believe we pray to the same Almighty” (“Bush Talks of Belief in God,” AP, Dec. 8, 2008). Bush said that he doesn’t believe that creation and evolution are contradictory. “I think the creation of the world is so mysterious it requires something as large as an almighty and I don’t think it's incompatible with the scientific proof that there is evolution.” When asked if the Bible is literally true, Bush replied, “No, I’m not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament, for example ... the important lesson is ‘God sent a son.’” His personal testimony of salvation is exceedingly weak. He said, “It is hard for me to justify or prove the mystery of the Almighty in my life. All I can just tell you is that I got back into religion and I quit drinking shortly thereafter and I asked for help.” I like President Bush and will be sad to see him leave office (particularly in light of the man who is taking his place). Sadly, though, the President’s Christianity is unscriptural and it is representative of that which predominates in America. This is the foundational problem with the nation and lies at the heart of all of her great ills.
AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Lord Jesus likened the days preceding His return to the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37), and the Bible says that those days were characterized by great violence. “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). The earth today is also filled with violence. Wicked, demon-possessed men are on a rampage, even murdering little children like Caylee Anthony, the three-year-old Florida girl that has been missing for six months and has been the focus of many news reports. Between 1976 and 1994 roughly 37,000 children were murdered in America alone. What is the cause of this world’s great troubles? The Bible says that the problem lies in man’s heart. It is not his environment or his lack of self-esteem or his poverty. It is his fallen heart. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). This is why the United Nations will never bring peace to the earth. It cannot change man’s heart. UN workers can’t even change their own wicked hearts. Only Jesus Christ can change a man from the inside out. There is peace today for those who trust Him, and there will be peace on earth when He returns to establish His righteous government with its headquarters in Jerusalem.
AMERICAN BLACKLISTED FROM CHINA FOR ATTEMPTING TO BRING IN BIBLES (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Patrick Klein, founder of Vision Beyond Borders, has been blacklisted from China for attempting to bring Bibles into the country in August during the Summer Olympics. When he and three others tried to bring 300 Bibles into the country, they were detained at the airport and eventually kicked out. Klein debunks the idea that there are plenty of Bibles in China today. He says: “It just amazes me that I’ve been blacklisted just because I brought Bibles into the country. For a country that says they have freedom of religion, that is not freedom of religion. Everybody’s going to China to print Bibles because it’s so much cheaper--labor costs and production costs. So people are printing a lot of Bibles inside China. And China is giving the impression to the world that they’re printing tons and tons of Bibles, but they’re not for mainland China. From our sources, everything we’re hearing, they cannot get Bibles. Last I saw, there’s a 20-year wait. In the cities, there’s a great need, but there’s an even great need in the villages, and people are not able to get them in the villages at all. Some are available in the cities, but not in the quantity that they need” (“China Black Lists American,” mnnonline.org, Nov. 21, 2008).
CHINA: THE EMPIRE OF LIES (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “The Empire of Lies” by Guy Sorman, City Journal, May 2, 2007: “The Western press is full of stories these days on China’s arrival as a superpower, some even heralding, or warning, that the future may belong to her. Western political and business delegations stream into Beijing, confident of China’s economy, which continues to grow rapidly. ... But China’s success is, at least in part, a mirage. True, 200 million of her subjects, fortunate to be working for an expanding global market, increasingly enjoy a middle-class standard of living. The remaining 1 billion, however, remain among the poorest and most exploited people in the world, lacking even minimal rights and public services. ... I’ve been to many Chinese villages, and everywhere I have encountered the peasantry’s feelings of helplessness and anger when dealing with the Communist authorities. ... Villagers often told me that it wasn’t the local Party secretary whom they most hated but rather the family-planning agents. To ensure the proper implementation of China’s single-child policy (in some provinces, the limit is two children, if the first is a girl), the agents keep close watch on childbearing women, often subjecting them to horrific violence. In 2005, a family-planning squad targeted the city of Linyi and its surrounding rural area, in the Shandong Province, because the population had far exceeded the Party’s child quota. The agents kidnapped 17,000 women, forcing abortions on those who were pregnant--in some cases, immersing seven- to eight-month-old fetuses in boiling water--and sterilizing those who weren’t. The agents tortured the Linyi men until they revealed the hiding places of their daughters and wives. This nightmarish episode, admitted to by the Beijing government, would have gone unnoticed if not for yet another text message sent to a Hong Kong journalist, which ultimately led to the American press’s picking up the story.”
TEN COMMANDMENT BOOGIE (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The worldliness that dominates contemporary Christian music today is evident in the song “Ten Commandment Boogie” by Go Fish. It is even more frightful to realize that this Christian rock group targets children. Following is an excerpt from the lyrics to this ridiculous, unholy song. “It’s the ten commandment boogie, gonna dance until I die/ Ten commandment boogie, you can do so it so can I/ If you follow it through, you’ll be amazed what you can do/ So get your groove on with us tonight We’ll do the ten commandment boogie, the boogie, the ten commandment boogie. ... Number one - no other God but the One who is true/ Don’t worship any other, that’s commandment two./ Number three - use the name of God only with respect/ Number Four - on Sunday take a rest...” My friends, there is no respect for God and His holy Law in this amazingly trite song. Children are not being taught to fear God. They are being taught to take His holy things lightly and make a silly little dance out of an event that was designed to bring fear to man’s heart and make him realize that he is a wicked sinner before a thrice holy God, that he is on his way to an eternal fiery hell, and to make him understand that he desperately needs a Saviour! The Ten Commandment Boogie is more reflective of what rebellious Israel did around the Golden Calf while Moses was on the Mount receiving the Ten Commandments. Israel “got their groove on” that day! By the way, the sabbath was not on Sunday! “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16).
THE WORSE KIND OF FUNDAMENTALISM (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Newsweek magazine claims that resorting to biblical authority is “the worse kind of fundamentalism.” This was stated in Jon Meacham’s “From the Editor’s Desk,” Newsweek, December 6, 2008. It accompanied a cover story that made the ridiculous claim that the Bible supports homosexual “marriage.” Meacham said: “No matter what one thinks about gay rights--for, against or somewhere in between--this conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism. Given the history of the making of the Scriptures and the millennia of critical attention scholars and others have given to the stories and injunctions that come to us in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt--it is unserious, and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition.” In fact, after a millennia of critical attacks on the Bible, the critics have proven nothing except their own bias and spiritual blindness. The Bible says that man is a fallen sinner, and that is something that can be observed within one’s own heart and in the world at large. It also says that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who died to make atonement for man’s sin. That is the central message of the Bible, and the individual who rejects that message has no ability to judge the rest of the Bible properly. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
RUSSIA TARGETING CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES FOR “LIQUIDATION” (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Faith Under Fire,” WorldNetDaily, Dec. 11, 2008: “Dozens of Christian organizations that have been providing social services, ministry and other help inside Russia are being targeted for ‘liquidation’ by the nation’s Ministry of Justice, according to a new report. The information comes in a newsletter from a leader with an American Christian organization, Youth With A Mission, who reported he found a declaration recently on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing the pending ‘liquidation’ of 56 religious organizations. ... ‘[A]t least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations,’ the newsletter said. ‘These include the humanitarian World Vision and Youth with a Mission. At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and three regional districts of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.’ ... The leader continued, ‘The situation in Russia has continued to worsen this past year as the new visa law went into effect. This limits missionaries to three-month stays after which they need to leave for three months then reapply for a new expensive three-month visa. This has made it especially difficult on families and many have been forced to leave. This has affected every mission.’”
BEWARE OF THE ROCK & ROLL FASHION INDUSTRY (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Much of the fashion industry for the past 50 years has been driven by the lascivious rock & roll scene. Rock music has given us the Elvis look, the surfer look, the heavy metal look, the punk look, the goth look, and the Britney Spears look, to name a few. The latter came into stardom in 1998 when she was 16, appealing to adolescent girls as young as eight years old. She popularized tight and extremely low-cut blouses, midriff-baring shirts, super-short dresses, and low-rider jeans, yet she claims that she is not responsible for her influence and that her performances are harmless fantasy. In an article in USA Today, August 24, 2001, titled “Britney to little-girl wannabes: ‘It’s up to Parents,’” she is quoted as saying, “It’s up to the parents to explain that [clothing and morality issues] to their children. I really don’t like to be considered a role model.” Whether she likes it or not, morality is everyone’s responsibility before Almighty God. Every person will be held accountable for his or her actions and influence. There is a judgment both for the saved and for the unsaved. Who is responsible for the moral climate of a nation? Every single individual. Entertainment personalities are responsible. Parents are responsible. Young people are responsible. School administrators and teachers are responsible. Pastors are responsible. Sunday School teachers are responsible. The sad fact is that multitudes of professing Christians allow the immodest fashion industry to set their clothing standards, and the average pastor and teacher is strangely silent on the issue.
I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD (Friday Church News Notes, December 19, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service list. To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE ADDRESSES go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.
December 12, 2008 Volume 9, Issue 50
12/12/08 12:44
FRIDAY CHURCH NEWS NOTES December 12, 2008 Volume 9, Issue 50
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.
Download and Print Friday News with Full Graphics for your church in PDF format: http://wayoflife.worthyofpraise.org/fridaynews/pdf/2008/20081212.pdf
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY SAYS ANTI-CATHOLIC SPEECH IS UNCHARITABLE AND HARMFUL TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The spiritually-dangerous nature of Focus on the Family (FOF) was evident in a reply that was given to a Christian who wrote to them about having Anne Rice, the Roman Catholic author of occultic horror novels, on the Focus radio program. In a reply dated December 3, 2008, Timothy Masters wrote the following for Focus on the Family: “Your quotations from the canons of the Council of Trent, though perfectly legitimate as regards the theological aspects of this issue, fail to take account of the fact that, from a strictly evangelical perspective, a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is an intensely personal and individual matter. In the final analysis, it’s not a question of church membership or doctrinal orientation. ... It’s arguable that many individual Roman Catholics--Anne Rice included--have a very real and lively faith in the Lord Jesus. ... It’s worth adding that anti-Catholic sentiments like those you’ve expressed are more than just uncharitable and un-Christlike. They’re also harmful to the richness of your own Christian experience. ... To dismiss the Roman Catholic Church wholesale is to obliterate the first fifteen centuries of Christian history. It’s to deprive ourselves of the contributions of such great leaders and thinkers as ... Francis of Assisi, and Thomas Aquinas. You may be willing to throw treasures like these out the window, but we aren’t.” CONCLUSION FROM BRO. CLOUD: This statement reflects gross ignorance both of the Bible and of church history. The Bible plainly teaches that it is impossible to be saved apart from the one true gospel of the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:8-9). Since the Roman Catholic Church teaches a false gospel of sacramentalism (e.g., the Council of Trent, which has never been rescinded, cursed those who say that salvation is by God’s grace alone), it is impossible to be saved if one believes what Rome teaches. The Bible warns of false christs, false gospels, and false spirits (2 Corinthians 11:1-4). Rome’s christ is a consecrated wafer. Its gospel is the sacraments. Its spirit is one that leads men to pray to a mythical Mary. As for Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas, they worshipped Rome’s false christ, held to its false gospel, and followed its false spirit. Focus on the Family may be willing to follow in their footsteps, but we thank God for the light He has shined into our formerly-darkened hearts to give us the spiritual wisdom to follow the path of truth rather than that of popular error. We don’t reject the first 1,500 years of church history, but the New Testament prophesies two streams of “churches,” the false and the true, and we thank God that He has shown us the difference.
BEWARE OF “TWILIGHT SAGA” (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is adapted from the report “Occultic Twilight Movie Praised by Christian Groups” by Caryl Matrisciana: The Twilight Saga is a series of novels by Stephenie Meyer describing an illicit romance between a teenage girl and a vampire. The four books have sold more than 17 million copies, been translated into 20 languages, and spun off a new movie that grossed $70 million in its first week. Twilight has become a pop culture phenomenon hotter than Pottermania, promoting midnight release parties and vampire proms, obsessed fans called Twi-hards, and spawning more than 350 fan sites online that claim more than 100 million hits. The series is about a sophomore teenage girl named Bella who moves to a new town and falls in love with a handsome vampire named Edward. Though 108 years old, he appears to be 17. The story is about their intoxicating infatuation for each other and the consequences of a lustful vampire/mortal romance. Edward is a member of a “coven” of vampire family members that are depicted as “good.” The shocker is that many Christians are attracted to this spiritually dysfunctional romance and are attempting to give Christian applications to its demonic premise. No matter how resplendent the “vampire” is portrayed in mythology and fiction, in Scripture blood drinking and creatures of darkness are judged as despicable by God. Distortion of the purpose of blood is a satanic mockery of God’s intent for the sacredness blood represents. Scripture teaches, “Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life...” (Deut. 12:23) and in the shedding of blood is the remission of sins. Meyer “received” the story of Twilight in a dream on June 2, 2003. The vision compelled her to start writing the story immediately. She says she had an additional dream after Twilight was finished when her vampire character Edward came to speak to her. Her latest novel, The Host, is about demon possession. The Twilight books and movie have been recommended by the Christian Stay at Home Moms website, Focus on the Family’s Plugged In Online, ChristianityTodayMovies.com, and Campus Life’s Ignite Your Faith Christian teen magazine.
DIRECT LINK BETWEEN ABORTION AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “New Study Shows Direct Link,” LifeNews.com, Nov. 28, 2008: “A new research study featuring numerous controls and a national data set finds a link between abortion and psychiatric disorders. The study refutes the report the American Psychiatric Association released in August claiming abortion causes no mental health issues for women. The research team found induced abortions result in increased risks for a myriad of mental health problems ranging from anxiety to depression to substance abuse disorders. The number of cases of mental health issues rose by as much as 17 percent in women having abortions compared to those who didn’t have one and the risks of each particular mental health problem rose as much as 145% for post-abortive women. ... Dr. Priscilla Coleman, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University, led the research team that conducted the study. Together with Catherine Coyle of Edgewood College, researcher Martha Shuping and psychologist Dr. Vincent Rue, they published their results online today at the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The researchers found women who had abortions, compared with those who didn’t had a 120% risk for alcohol abuse, with or without dependence, a 145% increased risk of alcohol dependence, 79% increased risk of drug abuse with or without dependence and a 126% increase in the risk of drug dependence. For mood disorders, the experience of an abortion increased risk of developing bipolar disorder by 167%, major depression without hierarchy by 45% and major depression with hierarchy by 48%.” The Bible says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
EXPERTS RECOMMEND DITCHING THE TELEVISION (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A new secular study concludes that heavy exposure to the pop media through television, Internet, video and MP3 players is harmful to children. The study, which analyzed 173 research papers, found that the vast majority agree that heavy exposure “increases the risk of harm, including obesity, smoking, sex, drug and alcohol use, attention problems and poor grades” (“Report: Mass Media Harms Kids,” USA Today, Dec. 1, 2008). The USA Today article said that “experts” advise parents to “consider ditching cable or TV altogether,” to not allow children to have computers, TVs or other media in their bedrooms, to not rely on the rating systems, and to set limits on how media devices are used. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6), and, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
RICK WARREN SAYS TRY JESUS FOR 60 DAYS (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from A Little Leaven, Dec. 4, 2008: “Rick Warren’s December 3, 2008 appearance on Hannity and Colmes was a mixed bag. We’ll give Warren props for not caving in on the issue of Jesus being the only way. But, once again Warren stoops to new lows in his quest to remove the offense of the cross by asking Alan Colmes to give Jesus a 60 day trial and ‘see if he won’t change your life.’ Warren, like a bad used car salesman is trying to sell the gospel via bullet point benefits. Once again Warren skirts the issue of man’s sin and rebellion against God and he doesn’t call men to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ but instead asks non-believers to ‘give Jesus a 60 day trial,’ claiming that ‘if Jesus doesn't change your life then you can get your money back.’ Is there a way for us to have a recall on Rick Warren? We want a different representative. We want one who is not ashamed of the Gospel and will boldly condemn men’s sins, call men to repentance and placard Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. Warren’s seeker-sensitive, mushy, non-offensive approach to ‘selling’ Christianity is truly embarrassing.”
EMERGING CHURCH LEADER VOWS TO PROSELYTIZE OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Nothing has made me more conscious of the vicious battle that is raging for the very life and soul of Bible-believing churches than my research into the emergent church. It is frightful, because so many are falling into the devil’s trap and so many more will doubtless fall in the coming days. Emerging church leaders have the objective of proselytizing our children and grandchildren. In his 2008 book Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices, Brian McLaren describes his plan to infiltrate churches and Christian institutions that are currently rejecting the emerging church. He says: “But over time, what they reject will find or create safe space outside their borders and become a resource so that many if not most of the grandchildren of today’s fundamentalists will learn and grow and move on from the misguided battles of their forebears [Biblicist Christians]” (p. 133). McLaren is saying that emerging church teachers will infiltrate Biblicist churches from without through “resources” such as books, videos, and web sites. That is exactly how New Evangelicalism has so deeply infiltrated fundamentalist and independent Baptist churches over the past two decades and it is doubtless how the more radical emerging church doctrines will infiltrate over the coming decades. It is more imperative than ever that pastors train their people to discern the error of these heresies and that they exhort them to avoid the writings of false teachers. It is imperative that fundamentalist Bible Colleges and Institutes prepare their students to resist this tide of error. Too often it can be said of Bible-believing churches today what was said of Israel of old, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). The average member of a fundamentalist Bible-believing church is not equipped to deal effectively with the spiritual dangers that lurk on the shelves of the typical Christian bookstore and on the airwaves of the typical Christian radio station. The average church member receives little practical warning from his pastors and teachers and has no interest in building a library of material that can help protect him from spiritual dangers. If this situation is not rectified, the Brian McLarens of this world will doubtless devour many of our children and grandchildren. (For more about the emerging church see our new book What Is the Emerging Church, which is available from Way of Life Literature.)
THE WOODPECKER’S AMAZING TONGUE (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from Creation Moments, http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcript.php?t=2205: “The beautiful creation in which we live is not only filled with testimonies to the wisdom of God, it is also filled with special designs that deny the possibility of mindless evolution. Consider the woodpecker. Its tongue can stretch from three to five times its normal length in order to fish bugs out of trees. Of all places, that tongue is rooted in its right nostril. Going backwards, the tongue splits into two parts, wraps around its head between its skull and the skin, passes on either side of the neck bones and then comes up through its lower jaw and exits through the beak. This gives the woodpecker a long enough tongue that will stretch far enough to do an effective job of pest control on bug-infested trees! Now how could that happen by blind evolutionary chance?”
WITH THEE IS THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light” (Psalms 36:7-9).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14)
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.
Download and Print Friday News with Full Graphics for your church in PDF format: http://wayoflife.worthyofpraise.org/fridaynews/pdf/2008/20081212.pdf
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY SAYS ANTI-CATHOLIC SPEECH IS UNCHARITABLE AND HARMFUL TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The spiritually-dangerous nature of Focus on the Family (FOF) was evident in a reply that was given to a Christian who wrote to them about having Anne Rice, the Roman Catholic author of occultic horror novels, on the Focus radio program. In a reply dated December 3, 2008, Timothy Masters wrote the following for Focus on the Family: “Your quotations from the canons of the Council of Trent, though perfectly legitimate as regards the theological aspects of this issue, fail to take account of the fact that, from a strictly evangelical perspective, a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is an intensely personal and individual matter. In the final analysis, it’s not a question of church membership or doctrinal orientation. ... It’s arguable that many individual Roman Catholics--Anne Rice included--have a very real and lively faith in the Lord Jesus. ... It’s worth adding that anti-Catholic sentiments like those you’ve expressed are more than just uncharitable and un-Christlike. They’re also harmful to the richness of your own Christian experience. ... To dismiss the Roman Catholic Church wholesale is to obliterate the first fifteen centuries of Christian history. It’s to deprive ourselves of the contributions of such great leaders and thinkers as ... Francis of Assisi, and Thomas Aquinas. You may be willing to throw treasures like these out the window, but we aren’t.” CONCLUSION FROM BRO. CLOUD: This statement reflects gross ignorance both of the Bible and of church history. The Bible plainly teaches that it is impossible to be saved apart from the one true gospel of the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:8-9). Since the Roman Catholic Church teaches a false gospel of sacramentalism (e.g., the Council of Trent, which has never been rescinded, cursed those who say that salvation is by God’s grace alone), it is impossible to be saved if one believes what Rome teaches. The Bible warns of false christs, false gospels, and false spirits (2 Corinthians 11:1-4). Rome’s christ is a consecrated wafer. Its gospel is the sacraments. Its spirit is one that leads men to pray to a mythical Mary. As for Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas, they worshipped Rome’s false christ, held to its false gospel, and followed its false spirit. Focus on the Family may be willing to follow in their footsteps, but we thank God for the light He has shined into our formerly-darkened hearts to give us the spiritual wisdom to follow the path of truth rather than that of popular error. We don’t reject the first 1,500 years of church history, but the New Testament prophesies two streams of “churches,” the false and the true, and we thank God that He has shown us the difference.
BEWARE OF “TWILIGHT SAGA” (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is adapted from the report “Occultic Twilight Movie Praised by Christian Groups” by Caryl Matrisciana: The Twilight Saga is a series of novels by Stephenie Meyer describing an illicit romance between a teenage girl and a vampire. The four books have sold more than 17 million copies, been translated into 20 languages, and spun off a new movie that grossed $70 million in its first week. Twilight has become a pop culture phenomenon hotter than Pottermania, promoting midnight release parties and vampire proms, obsessed fans called Twi-hards, and spawning more than 350 fan sites online that claim more than 100 million hits. The series is about a sophomore teenage girl named Bella who moves to a new town and falls in love with a handsome vampire named Edward. Though 108 years old, he appears to be 17. The story is about their intoxicating infatuation for each other and the consequences of a lustful vampire/mortal romance. Edward is a member of a “coven” of vampire family members that are depicted as “good.” The shocker is that many Christians are attracted to this spiritually dysfunctional romance and are attempting to give Christian applications to its demonic premise. No matter how resplendent the “vampire” is portrayed in mythology and fiction, in Scripture blood drinking and creatures of darkness are judged as despicable by God. Distortion of the purpose of blood is a satanic mockery of God’s intent for the sacredness blood represents. Scripture teaches, “Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life...” (Deut. 12:23) and in the shedding of blood is the remission of sins. Meyer “received” the story of Twilight in a dream on June 2, 2003. The vision compelled her to start writing the story immediately. She says she had an additional dream after Twilight was finished when her vampire character Edward came to speak to her. Her latest novel, The Host, is about demon possession. The Twilight books and movie have been recommended by the Christian Stay at Home Moms website, Focus on the Family’s Plugged In Online, ChristianityTodayMovies.com, and Campus Life’s Ignite Your Faith Christian teen magazine.
DIRECT LINK BETWEEN ABORTION AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “New Study Shows Direct Link,” LifeNews.com, Nov. 28, 2008: “A new research study featuring numerous controls and a national data set finds a link between abortion and psychiatric disorders. The study refutes the report the American Psychiatric Association released in August claiming abortion causes no mental health issues for women. The research team found induced abortions result in increased risks for a myriad of mental health problems ranging from anxiety to depression to substance abuse disorders. The number of cases of mental health issues rose by as much as 17 percent in women having abortions compared to those who didn’t have one and the risks of each particular mental health problem rose as much as 145% for post-abortive women. ... Dr. Priscilla Coleman, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University, led the research team that conducted the study. Together with Catherine Coyle of Edgewood College, researcher Martha Shuping and psychologist Dr. Vincent Rue, they published their results online today at the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The researchers found women who had abortions, compared with those who didn’t had a 120% risk for alcohol abuse, with or without dependence, a 145% increased risk of alcohol dependence, 79% increased risk of drug abuse with or without dependence and a 126% increase in the risk of drug dependence. For mood disorders, the experience of an abortion increased risk of developing bipolar disorder by 167%, major depression without hierarchy by 45% and major depression with hierarchy by 48%.” The Bible says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
EXPERTS RECOMMEND DITCHING THE TELEVISION (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A new secular study concludes that heavy exposure to the pop media through television, Internet, video and MP3 players is harmful to children. The study, which analyzed 173 research papers, found that the vast majority agree that heavy exposure “increases the risk of harm, including obesity, smoking, sex, drug and alcohol use, attention problems and poor grades” (“Report: Mass Media Harms Kids,” USA Today, Dec. 1, 2008). The USA Today article said that “experts” advise parents to “consider ditching cable or TV altogether,” to not allow children to have computers, TVs or other media in their bedrooms, to not rely on the rating systems, and to set limits on how media devices are used. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6), and, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
RICK WARREN SAYS TRY JESUS FOR 60 DAYS (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from A Little Leaven, Dec. 4, 2008: “Rick Warren’s December 3, 2008 appearance on Hannity and Colmes was a mixed bag. We’ll give Warren props for not caving in on the issue of Jesus being the only way. But, once again Warren stoops to new lows in his quest to remove the offense of the cross by asking Alan Colmes to give Jesus a 60 day trial and ‘see if he won’t change your life.’ Warren, like a bad used car salesman is trying to sell the gospel via bullet point benefits. Once again Warren skirts the issue of man’s sin and rebellion against God and he doesn’t call men to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ but instead asks non-believers to ‘give Jesus a 60 day trial,’ claiming that ‘if Jesus doesn't change your life then you can get your money back.’ Is there a way for us to have a recall on Rick Warren? We want a different representative. We want one who is not ashamed of the Gospel and will boldly condemn men’s sins, call men to repentance and placard Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. Warren’s seeker-sensitive, mushy, non-offensive approach to ‘selling’ Christianity is truly embarrassing.”
EMERGING CHURCH LEADER VOWS TO PROSELYTIZE OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Nothing has made me more conscious of the vicious battle that is raging for the very life and soul of Bible-believing churches than my research into the emergent church. It is frightful, because so many are falling into the devil’s trap and so many more will doubtless fall in the coming days. Emerging church leaders have the objective of proselytizing our children and grandchildren. In his 2008 book Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices, Brian McLaren describes his plan to infiltrate churches and Christian institutions that are currently rejecting the emerging church. He says: “But over time, what they reject will find or create safe space outside their borders and become a resource so that many if not most of the grandchildren of today’s fundamentalists will learn and grow and move on from the misguided battles of their forebears [Biblicist Christians]” (p. 133). McLaren is saying that emerging church teachers will infiltrate Biblicist churches from without through “resources” such as books, videos, and web sites. That is exactly how New Evangelicalism has so deeply infiltrated fundamentalist and independent Baptist churches over the past two decades and it is doubtless how the more radical emerging church doctrines will infiltrate over the coming decades. It is more imperative than ever that pastors train their people to discern the error of these heresies and that they exhort them to avoid the writings of false teachers. It is imperative that fundamentalist Bible Colleges and Institutes prepare their students to resist this tide of error. Too often it can be said of Bible-believing churches today what was said of Israel of old, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). The average member of a fundamentalist Bible-believing church is not equipped to deal effectively with the spiritual dangers that lurk on the shelves of the typical Christian bookstore and on the airwaves of the typical Christian radio station. The average church member receives little practical warning from his pastors and teachers and has no interest in building a library of material that can help protect him from spiritual dangers. If this situation is not rectified, the Brian McLarens of this world will doubtless devour many of our children and grandchildren. (For more about the emerging church see our new book What Is the Emerging Church, which is available from Way of Life Literature.)
THE WOODPECKER’S AMAZING TONGUE (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from Creation Moments, http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcript.php?t=2205: “The beautiful creation in which we live is not only filled with testimonies to the wisdom of God, it is also filled with special designs that deny the possibility of mindless evolution. Consider the woodpecker. Its tongue can stretch from three to five times its normal length in order to fish bugs out of trees. Of all places, that tongue is rooted in its right nostril. Going backwards, the tongue splits into two parts, wraps around its head between its skull and the skin, passes on either side of the neck bones and then comes up through its lower jaw and exits through the beak. This gives the woodpecker a long enough tongue that will stretch far enough to do an effective job of pest control on bug-infested trees! Now how could that happen by blind evolutionary chance?”
WITH THEE IS THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE (Friday Church News Notes, December 12, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light” (Psalms 36:7-9).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14)
05/12/08 14:11
A WORD OF WARNING ABOUT LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN STORES (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In light of the material they carry, it is not surprising that the Southern Baptist-owned Baptist Book Stores dropped the name Baptist and switched to LifeWay Christian Stores. A few years ago I visited the LifeWay store in north Oklahoma City in search of biographies of Baptists. There was a paucity of Baptist biographies but many of Protestants, Modernists, New Evangelicals, and Romanists. The Lifeway bookstores are filled to the brim with psychology, self-help, self-esteem, romance novels, ecumenical and charismatic literature, undependable Bible versions, and all sorts of “Christian” rock music. On a visit to a Lifeway store in Huntsville, Alabama, a few weeks ago I found that they had many titles by emerging church authors, including Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis), John Eldredge (Wild at Heart), Dallas Willard (The Divine Conspiracy), Brennan Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospel), Erwin McManus (The Barbarian Way), Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz), and Shane Claiborne (The Irresistible Revolution). Lifeway will stand accountable before God for polluting the minds and hearts of their customers with unscriptural material and for refusing to carry sound material from fundamentalist Bible-based publishers that they could and should be stocking but which they refuse to stock because it is “controversial.” (For information on the danger of the Emerging Church see What Is the Emerging Church, available from Way of Life Literature.)
BRITISH WOMEN MURDERING THEIR UNBORN BABIES AT RECORD RATES (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Britain’s abortion rate is the highest in Western Europe and is set to bypass that of the U.S. within 10 years if trends continue (“Abortion Rates Rocket to Record High,” Daily Mail, Nov. 28, 2008). The number of abortions has risen almost annually since the practice was legalized in 1967, exceeding 200,000 last year. Abortion is legal in England and Wales on unborn babies up to the sixth month of pregnancy. Pro-lifers warn that abortion has become a form of contraception. According to figures for 2006, nearly 60,000 abortions were repeats and 4,000 women have had four or more.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SELF-DECEPTION (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - An extensive survey of U.S. high school students found that though they are admitted liars and cheaters, they think of themselves as morally upright. The study by the Josephson Institute involved nearly 30,000 students in 100 randomly selected high schools. Sixty-four percent admitted to cheating on tests. Thirty-five percent of boys admitted to stealing from stores. Yet 93 percent of the students said they are satisfied with their personal ethics (“Students Lie, Cheat, Steal, but Say They’re Good,” Christian Post, Dec. 1, 2008). The statistics are not surprising, seeing that young people are typically steeped in humanism and the rock & roll culture where morality is relative, self-esteem is paramount, and the fear of God is nonexistent. It is a generation that is described perfectly in the ancient book of Proverbs. “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men” (Proverbs 30:11-14).
CHRISTIAN LEADERS PROMOTING THE SHACK (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - William Young’s dangerous novel “The Shack” has been endorsed by CCM artist Michael W. Smith, Eugene Peterson (author of The Message), Mark Batterson (senior pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C.), and Gayle Erwin of Calvary Chapel, among many others. The gross error of this book was exposed in the report “The Shack: Father-goddess Rising,” Lighthouse Trails Research, April 23, 2008. Following is an excerpt: “With themes of overcoming loss, working through anger, and restored relationship between man and God, Young’s novel has excited many. ... Yet, in the midst of such enthusiasm, does The Shack glorify Jesus Christ--or contradict the Bible with a false image of the Lord our God? The novel’s main character, Mack Philips, has lost his daughter. She has been murdered, her bloodied dress found in an isolated shack. Four years later Mack receives an invitation from God to spend time with the Trinity in the very shack where the dress was found. Nowhere in the Bible do Father, Son, and Holy Spirit simultaneously assume physical forms on earth. The Shack, however, portrays Jesus as a carpenter, the Holy Spirit as an Asian woman, and God the Father as a large black woman named ... Papa. ... At one point the book’s version of Jesus praises the fictional Father-goddess, exclaiming, ‘Isn’t she great?’ Contrariwise, in the entire Bible there is not one single reference to Father, Son, or Holy Spirit--or to any of His angels--as female. ... There is an apparent dismissal of the importance of Scripture, which is reflected in slippery theology found throughout the novel. Young writes, ‘Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that guilt edges?’ ... The Father-goddess of The Shack, it seems, is never about guilt or punishment. She benignly informs Mack, ‘I don’t need to punish people for sin.’ ... An excellent writer, Young plays to emotion and touches on legitimate hurts and concerns. The author excels at imbuing his deity with attributes of love, forgiveness, and mercy, and this is what many people have responded to. Increasingly in novels and movies the Lord is blithely used as one of the characters and given words from the mouth of man.”
GROSS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHRISTIANS BY ALBERTA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Human Rights Commission: ‘Kill the Christian’ Lyrics OK, but Criticize Homosexuality? No Way,” LifeSiteNews, Nov. 3, 2008: “Blogger, lawyer and democratic activist Ezra Levant has revealed that Alberta Human Rights Commissioner Lori Andreachuk, who in a ruling earlier this year ordered a Christian pastor to publish a renunciation of his Christian views in the local newspaper, in 2003 dismissed a complaint against a rock music group who used lyrics in one of their recordings that urged listeners to ‘kill the Christian.’ Andreachuk dismissed the case saying that Christians are not ‘vulnerable’ enough and the group in question not a ‘credible’ threat.’ Levant is calling foul, however. Bluntly calling Andreachuk an ‘anti-Christian bigot’ he points to the ruling by the same commissioner against Rev. Stephen Boissoin, who was ordered to pay heavy fines and publish an apology and renunciation of his religious views. ... The 2003 case was that of ‘Quintin Johnson vs. Music World.’ Johnson, the complainant, was browsing for CDs at a Music World shop in Red Deer, Alberta, and found an album from the group Deicide containing a track called ‘Kill the Christian.’ Song lyrics began, ‘Kill The Christian/You are the one we despise/Day in day out your words compromise lies/I will love watching you die.’ ... As a Christian, Alberta resident Quintin Johnson brought a complaint against the store saying he had been discriminated against. Lori Andreachuk, however, while agreeing that the ‘content and tone’ of the lyrics ‘appear on the face of them to be discriminatory,’ concluded that Christians had nothing to complain about. ‘There is very little vulnerability of the target group,’ Andreachuk wrote. The rock group, she wrote, ‘lacks credibility and has a small circulation.’ ... Levant said the Alberta HRC’s dismissal of the music store case was a brazen case of a double standard, in which only Christians and social conservatives can be guilty of ‘discrimination’ but attacks on Christians by others are acceptable.”
BEWARE OF PROFANE MUSIC (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following important observations by Pastor Danny Sweatt, Berean Baptist Church, Snellville, Georgia, are excerpted from the article “Putting the Pieces Together,” which is located on the web at http://www.smsrecordings.com/ -- “[We need to be concerned] not only about the songs themselves but the associations of the songs. As I was speaking in Miami last fall, one of the laymen in the church gave me a perfect illustration of this concept. He said, ‘Suppose I am having a dinner party at my home. I go to the local plumbing supply store and buy a brand new commode--never been used. I scrub it, disinfect it, and then fill it with punch for my guests. I doubt that there would be much enthusiasm for the drink.’ The problem is, one does not expect to find wholesome drink in a toilet. Neither can one divorce music from its origins. The word profane is defined by Webster as ‘not concerned with religion, secular, not hallowed, irreverent, showing disregard or contempt for spiritual things.’ Ezekiel the prophet was sent to Israel at a time when she was totally assimilated into heathen culture, much like many Christians of today. The people had adopted heathen values and lifestyles, and were by all outward appearances no different than those around them. ‘Her priests have violated my law, and have PROFANED my holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and the PROFANE, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean’ (Ezek. 22:26). Modern rock of various sorts and degrees in its origins and its normal uses obviously matches the definition of profane. When it is brought into our churches and called holy by sincere people, then that which is actually profane is seen as appropriate. Once that line is crossed, other attendant evils must also be evaluated in a different light also. On and on it goes until discernment is impossible.”
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF LOWERING STANDARDS (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In a 2001 newsletter, the late evangelist Gordon Sears asked the question, “Why should a Christian change anything in his or her life UNLESS it is for the better?” and then listed the downward spiral of rejecting strong moral standards. “(1) When the standard of MUSIC in a church is lowered . . . then the standard of DRESS is also lowered. (2) When the standard of DRESS is lowered . . . then the standard of CONDUCT is also lowered. (3) When the standard of CONDUCT is lowered . . . the sense of value in God’s TRUTH is lowered. (4) When the standard of God’s TRUTH is lowered . . . then we have SPIRITUAL ANARCHY!” This describes the path that many fundamental Baptist churches are taking, and the acceptance of contemporary music is an integral part of the satanic, fleshly process.
THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from Creation Moments, http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcript.php?t=2258: “In showing how the Creator is intimately involved with His creation, Jesus said that the very hairs of each of our heads are numbered by Him. No detail is too small to escape His attention; no change misses His careful and loving eye. The hair that you see is nothing more than dead protein produced by the cells of the hair follicle anchored inside the layers of the skin. The total number of hair follicles in an adult is about 5 million, with only about 100,000 on the scalp. Each hair grows out of one follicle for about three to five years. Then the hair is shed and the follicle rests for about three months before starting to grow hair again. So you see, even once you know how many hairs are on your head, it’s no easy job to keep track of their changing number. The average scalp hair grows about one inch every two or three months. This means that each day your head is growing the equivalent of one 100 foot long hair--that’s nearly seven miles per year! Yes, it’s true; the Creator cares so much about you that He knows from moment to moment how many hairs are on your head. He has not created our world and then left us to drift through space and life all alone. He has even expressed His love and purpose for you in the words of the Bible. Take a look today at what Scripture says about His Son, who loved you so much that He even gave His life for you!”
CAUGHT UP TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR (Friday Church News Notes, December 5, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14)