Mistake in Last Week's Friday Church News Notes
August 9, 2009 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
In the last week’s Friday Church News Notes I inadvertently used the KJV2000 instead of the King James Bible. Prior to writing that issue of the Friday News I was checking some verses in the KJV2000 in Swordsearcher and forgot to reset it. I am surprised that I didn’t catch it in proofing, but when you have used the KJV daily for as long as I have (a little shy of four decades), you tend to see its wording in your mind even if you are reading something else, and that is what happened here. Following is the corrected edition.
FRIDAY CHURCH NEWS NOTES - CORRECTED
August 7, 2009, Volume 10, Issue 32
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 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.
REVEREND IKE, APOSTATE BAPTIST PREACHER, DIES (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Frederick Eikerenkoetter II, better known as Reverend Ike, died on July 28 at age 74. He founded the United Church Science of Living Institute headquartered in New York City and built a multi-million dollar empire through his unabashed prosperity message, which he called “positive self-image psychology,” “Science of Living,” or “Thinkonomics.” At the height of his success in the 1970s, he reached an audience of 2.5 million (“Reverend Ike,” New York Times, July 29, 2009). In the 1980s someone sent us a video cassette of one of Reverend Ike’s television programs, and it was truly amazing. That particular program featured a fire walker, and after the man demonstrated his ability, Reverend Ike excitedly proclaimed, “This man walks on fire; Jesus walked on water; Reverend Ike walks on MONEY!!!!!” At the end of the program he had his son manning the phone while he flipped a coin that had “good luck” inscribed on one side and “blessing” on the other. As he flipped the coin he urged his listeners to call in with their donations so they could be blessed, saying, “You can’t lose with the stuff I use!” The saddest part about Reverend Ike is that his father was a Baptist pastor and he was his father’s assistant in his teenage years. Somewhere along the way, though, he rejected the biblical gospel of salvation through the blood of Christ and he rejected the path of self-sacrificial Christian service, “finding the traditional Christian message constricting,” and determined to make it big with his own twist on the prosperity gospel. He succeeded in becoming wealthy, but as Jesus said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). (Much of Reverend Ike’s doctrine appears to have been adapted from Norman Vincent Peale. See “Norman Vincent Peale: The Apostle of Self-Esteem” at the Way of Life web site and the book The New Age Tower of Babel, available from Way of Life.)
JEWS IN AMERICA INCREASINGLY IRRELIGIOUS (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - According to a new survey, 35% of Jews in America identify themselves as nonreligious or secular, an increase of 15% since 1990 (“Jews Drift from Faith,” The Washington Times, Aug. 5, 2009). In contrast, only 6% of Americans in general identify themselves as nonreligious. Since the 1970s the percentage of Jews marrying non-Jews has risen dramatically, from 13% to 50%. If it were not for Bible prophecy, one would assume that the Jewish people would eventually die out. In fact, they should have died out long ago! This is the only group of people that has survived with a national identity and language after being scattered throughout the world for thousands of years. There is only one reason for this, and that reason is God. Over 3,400 years ago, before Israel entered her Promised Land, God described her entire history before it happened! This prophecy is in the book of Deuteronomy. In chapter 28 verses 15-67, God warned that if Israel disobeyed His Law she would be removed from the land and scattered throughout the world. “And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind” (Deuteronomy 28:64-65). The prophecy does not end there. God promised to restore Israel to her land and bless her. “That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. ... And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers” (Deuteronomy 30:3, 5). This began to be fulfilled when Israel announced her statehood in 1948, but she remains spiritually dead. During the Great Tribulation described in many biblical prophecies, the remnant of Israel will repent of her disobedience and unbelief and will be restored.
CHINA’S COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WILL NOT BACK DOWN ON ITS ONE-CHILD POLICY (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Following recent reports that some couples are being urged to have two children in China’s largest city, Shanghai, the communist government has publicly reiterated its intention to enforce its draconian “one-child” policy “as a means of controlling births for decades to come” (“China Says,” CNSNews, July 30, 2009). The one-child policy was initiated in 1979 and has resulted in the murder of millions of unborn babies. There are forced abortions, involuntary sterilizations, and if an “illegal” baby someone slips through the ruthless system, the parents are fined many times the average per capita income. Apparently this doesn’t happen often. An estimated 97% of parents in Shanghai have only one child. The reported annual abortion rate in China is 13 million, but that does not include unreported abortions and medication-induced abortions (10 million abortion-inducing pills are sold annually). In spite of its boasting, the Chinese government must come to terms with its rapidly aging population. By 2020, a whopping 34% of the population will be over 60 years old, and the pressure on the social security system will be immense. It has been estimated that even by 2015 China will have 200 million people over 60. Of course, the government could solve this problem by a euthanasia program. Those who kill unborn babies and think that they have the power of God over people’s lives would doubtless not blanch at killing old people.
CANADA’S PARLIAMENT PONDERS LEGAL EUTHANASIA (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from OneNewsNow, August 5, 2009: “Canada’s Parliament is considering a bill to legalize euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide. Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition tells OneNewsNow it is being treated as a very serious issue in Canada. ‘And on top of it now, the Quebec College of Physicians, they have now suggested that they are looking at asking Canada to legalize euthanasia also,’ he explains. He suggests that when a group of doctors is recommending euthanasia, it is cause for concern. ... Schadenberg expects the vote to be a cliff hanger.” (For more on this subject see “Do We Have the Right to Die” at the Way of Life web site.)
HOMOSEXUALS NOMINATED FOR OFFICE OF BISHOP IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A homosexual and a lesbian are among the six nominees for the office of bishop in the Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, California. John Kirkley of San Francisco and Mary Glasspoll of Baltimore, who were nominated on August 2, will face election in December, when two of the six nominees will be chosen. J. Bruno, bishop of the Los Angeles diocese, said, “I affirm each and every one of these candidates, and I am pleased with the wide diversity they offer this diocese” (“Gay, Lesbian Priests among Bishop Nominees,” Los Angeles Times, Aug. 3, 2009). Not to be left out in the race to discard God’s Word, the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota has also nominated a lesbian to its list of three candidates for bishop. Jude said, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was necessary for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into licentiousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:3-4).
PROMISE KEEPERS STILL CALLING FOR UNITY (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Bill McCartney, who founded Promise Keepers 20 years ago, is trying to revive the organization from the slow death it has been dying over the past decade. McCartney resigned in 2003, but he came back on board this year, and in early August the Promise Keepers stadium event in Boulder, Colorado, drew 10,000. McCartney claims that he has “received a clarion call from God to relaunch this ministry” (“Promise Keepers Returns,” Christian Post, Aug. 3, 2009), and he is still pushing “the unity of the church.” In Boulder, McCartney prayed, “Lord, you’re not coming back for a divided church. You’re coming back for a church where everybody’s hearts are knit together.” This ignores the Bible’s own prophecies about the course of the church age. The apostles warned that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). The course of the church age is that of increasing apostasy. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). It is impossible to be faithful to the truth of God’s Word while at the same time creating a unity of all professing Christians in these apostate times. The Lord Jesus asked, “... when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). The biblical answer is “not much”!
OBAMA’S SCIENCE ADVISER ENDORSED GIVING TREES LEGAL STANDING TO SUE IN COURT (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from CNSNews.com, July 30, 2009: “Since the 1970s, some radical environmentalists have argued that trees have legal rights and should be allowed to go to court to protect those rights. The idea has been endorsed by John P. Holdren, the man who now advises President Barack Obama on science and technology issues. Giving ‘natural objects’ -- like trees -- standing to sue in a court of law would have a ‘most salubrious’ effect on the environment. ... Holdren, who is the new director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and President Obama’s top science advisor, made the comments in the 1977 book ‘Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment’ [which he co-wrote with Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich].”
SEPARATION AND CHILD TRAINING (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from Training Your Children to Turn out Right, an excellent book by David Sorenson (Northstar Ministries, 1820 W. Morgan St., Duluth, MN 55811, 218-726-0209, www.northstarministries.com, dhs.northstar@charter.net) -- “The closer the Christian family gets to the world, the greater the chances are of the world getting your children. You are playing with fire, and the worst losers will be your children. You see, the world is the devil’s system. It may be defined as the society and culture of the ungodly. ... Many Christian parents may claim to distance themselves from the world, but they still like to flirt with the things that are in the world. The things in the world are the bait that Satan uses to catch your children. Beware! ... For years, I dutifully accepted the principle of separation in a perfunctory fashion. I knew the Bible taught we were supposed to be holy. Growing up in a fundamental Baptist pastor’s home, I knew all of the standard ‘can’t do this and can’t do that’s, ‘cuz they’re worldly.’ However, little by little the Lord opened my eyes to the practicality and love of God in the principle of separation. When I became a parent, I became aware of a whole new spectrum--how practical the principle of separation was in rearing my children. ... In Deuteronomy 5:29 Jehovah God spoke directly through Moses to Israel. ‘O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!’ I began to understand that the principles and commandments in God’s Word for His people were not just arbitrary ‘Thou shalt nots.’ They were for our good and particularly the good of our children” (Training Your Children to Turn Out Right, 1995, pp. 91, 94).
BIASED MEDIA (Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “A Harley rider is passing the zoo, when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A New York Times reporter has watched the whole event. The reporter says, ‘Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I saw a man do in my whole life.’ The biker replies, ‘Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as it felt right.’ The reporter said, ‘Well, I’m a journalist from the New York Times, and tomorrow’s paper will have this story on the front page.... So, what do you do for a living and what is your political affiliation?’ The biker replies, ‘I’m a U.S. Marine and a Republican.’ The following morning blazoned on the front page of the New York Times are the words, U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH.”
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 mailing list. To SUBSCRIBE, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/wayoflife/subscribe.html. TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE ADDRESSES, go to the very bottom of any email received from us and click "Manage My Subscription." Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.
