For a pictorial study of West Coast’s contemporary fruit, including video of the contemporary services and music, see the PowerPoint “Lancaster’s Role in the Downgrade” in the Satanic Attack on Sacred Music series at the PowerPoints section of www.wayoflife.org. --
The last 20 years has witnessed a great change among fundamental Baptist churches, and music is usually involved in the changes.
Since the 1980s, warnings have been given about the role of contemporary music in the departure of a church from a biblical foundation, but the warnings have been widely ignored.
Victor Sears, editor, Baptist Bible Tribune, 1981 - “[Contemporary music] is THE NEW TROJAN HORSE MOVE OF MODERNISM TO DEADEN.. see full report
The last 20 years has witnessed a great change among fundamental Baptist churches, and music is usually involved in the changes.
Since the 1980s, warnings have been given about the role of contemporary music in the departure of a church from a biblical foundation, but the warnings have been widely ignored.
Victor Sears, editor, Baptist Bible Tribune, 1981 - “[Contemporary music] is THE NEW TROJAN HORSE MOVE OF MODERNISM TO DEADEN.. see full report
Rome Forbids the Bible
July 7, 2026
For 600 years the Roman Catholic Church attempted to keep the Bible out of the hands of the people.
- The Council of Toulouse, 1229, decreed that “the laymen” (non-priests) could not possess the books of the Old and New Testament “in the vulgar tongue.” The declaration of this official council was repeatedly cited by subsequent popes and councils.
- The Council of Trent, in 1546, claimed that the indiscriminate distribution of the Scriptures caused more evil than good and forbade the people to possess the Bible without a written license, which was almost never given. Booksellers were forbidden to sell any Bibles except to people who possessed a license.
- Wherever Rome held power, the people did not haveaccess to the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church did not produce a Bible.. see full report
July 7, 2026
For 600 years the Roman Catholic Church attempted to keep the Bible out of the hands of the people.
- The Council of Toulouse, 1229, decreed that “the laymen” (non-priests) could not possess the books of the Old and New Testament “in the vulgar tongue.” The declaration of this official council was repeatedly cited by subsequent popes and councils.
- The Council of Trent, in 1546, claimed that the indiscriminate distribution of the Scriptures caused more evil than good and forbade the people to possess the Bible without a written license, which was almost never given. Booksellers were forbidden to sell any Bibles except to people who possessed a license.
- Wherever Rome held power, the people did not haveaccess to the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church did not produce a Bible.. see full report
Friday Church News Notes
July 3, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 27
A CLIMATE MODEL THAT WORKS (Friday Church News Notes, July 3, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - What the man-made climate change theory has always missed is God’s role in the climate by designing the earth to be self-balancing. This was discovered in the 1990s as “the Constructal Law.” Note its description in the following excerpt from “A Climate Model,” Powerline Blog, June 21, 2026: “The standard climate models that show skyrocketing temperatures in response to increases in atmospheric CO2 are well known to be wrong, as their predictions grossly exceed the amount of warming that is actually observed. But what can replace them? Willis Eschenbach has a fascinating post at Watts Up With That about a new, dynamic model. I will excerpt briefly, but you should check out the.. see full report
July 3, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 27
A CLIMATE MODEL THAT WORKS (Friday Church News Notes, July 3, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - What the man-made climate change theory has always missed is God’s role in the climate by designing the earth to be self-balancing. This was discovered in the 1990s as “the Constructal Law.” Note its description in the following excerpt from “A Climate Model,” Powerline Blog, June 21, 2026: “The standard climate models that show skyrocketing temperatures in response to increases in atmospheric CO2 are well known to be wrong, as their predictions grossly exceed the amount of warming that is actually observed. But what can replace them? Willis Eschenbach has a fascinating post at Watts Up With That about a new, dynamic model. I will excerpt briefly, but you should check out the.. see full report
Beware of Tony Campolo
Enlarged July 2, 2026 (first published March 5, 2008)
Tony Campolo (1935-2024) was a popular “evangelical” speaker and author. He was professor emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University and an ordained minister in the liberal American Baptist Convention. He served as an associate pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, whereas his wife attends Central Baptist Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania. In an interview with me at the New Baptist Covenant Celebration in Atlanta in January 2008, he confirmed that he and his wife attended different churches.
Campolo was associated with the emerging church. For example, he co-authored Adventures in Missing the Point with ultra liberal emergent author Brian McLaren. McLaren also endorsed Campolo’s book Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face (2004).
Campolo was a master entertainer. No doubt about it... see full report
Enlarged July 2, 2026 (first published March 5, 2008)
Tony Campolo (1935-2024) was a popular “evangelical” speaker and author. He was professor emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University and an ordained minister in the liberal American Baptist Convention. He served as an associate pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, whereas his wife attends Central Baptist Church in Wayne, Pennsylvania. In an interview with me at the New Baptist Covenant Celebration in Atlanta in January 2008, he confirmed that he and his wife attended different churches.
Campolo was associated with the emerging church. For example, he co-authored Adventures in Missing the Point with ultra liberal emergent author Brian McLaren. McLaren also endorsed Campolo’s book Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face (2004).
Campolo was a master entertainer. No doubt about it... see full report
Silence vs. The Silence
July 1, 2026 (first published September 15, 2011)
For more on this, see the book CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM: A POWERFUL ECUMENICAL BOND, which is available as a free eBook from www.wayoflife.org.
There is a vast difference between biblical contemplation and the contemplative prayer that is sweeping through evangelicalism. It is the difference between “silence” and “the silence.”
In biblical contemplation, silence refers simply to a quiet place in which the soul can effectively seek the Lord. In Scripture it is called seeking the Lord (Psalm 105:3; Isaiah 55:6), waiting on the Lord (Psalm 69:6), meditating on the Lord (Psalm 104:34), meditating on God’s Word (Psalm 1:2).
In these times, when most of us use computers and smart phones and our waking hours are filled to the brim with distracting busyness, it is important to have daily.. see full report
July 1, 2026 (first published September 15, 2011)
For more on this, see the book CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM: A POWERFUL ECUMENICAL BOND, which is available as a free eBook from www.wayoflife.org.
There is a vast difference between biblical contemplation and the contemplative prayer that is sweeping through evangelicalism. It is the difference between “silence” and “the silence.”
In biblical contemplation, silence refers simply to a quiet place in which the soul can effectively seek the Lord. In Scripture it is called seeking the Lord (Psalm 105:3; Isaiah 55:6), waiting on the Lord (Psalm 69:6), meditating on the Lord (Psalm 104:34), meditating on God’s Word (Psalm 1:2).
In these times, when most of us use computers and smart phones and our waking hours are filled to the brim with distracting busyness, it is important to have daily.. see full report
First Televised Rock Worship Service
June 30, 2026 (first published November 14, 2023) The first televised rock worship service, a half-century ago, had all of the earmarks of Christian Music today and all of the loud warning signs for wise, Bible-believing Christians and churches.
The date was April 27, 1969, the year I entered theU.S. Army. The band was The Mind Garage; the broadcaster was ABC (American Broadcasting Corporation); the forum was Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Bowery, Manhattan. The event was called “14th Electric Mass.” It was seen by thousands of people in the United States and was rerun annually into the 1980s (classicchristianrockzine. com). Consider the earmarks of this.. see full report
June 30, 2026 (first published November 14, 2023) The first televised rock worship service, a half-century ago, had all of the earmarks of Christian Music today and all of the loud warning signs for wise, Bible-believing Christians and churches.
The date was April 27, 1969, the year I entered theU.S. Army. The band was The Mind Garage; the broadcaster was ABC (American Broadcasting Corporation); the forum was Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Bowery, Manhattan. The event was called “14th Electric Mass.” It was seen by thousands of people in the United States and was rerun annually into the 1980s (classicchristianrockzine. com). Consider the earmarks of this.. see full report
Red Heifer in Shiloh
Friday Church News Notes
June 26, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 26
THE ENDLESS SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT RED HEIFER (Friday Church News Notes, June 26, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke” (Numbers 19:2). The Jews who are preparing for the Third Temple are on an endless search for the perfect red heifer from which they can create the water of purification. The search is endless only because they are following rabbinical tradition rather than the Word of God. According to their tradition, without spot or blemish means not one mis-colored hair, not the tiniest.. see full report
June 26, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 26
THE ENDLESS SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT RED HEIFER (Friday Church News Notes, June 26, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke” (Numbers 19:2). The Jews who are preparing for the Third Temple are on an endless search for the perfect red heifer from which they can create the water of purification. The search is endless only because they are following rabbinical tradition rather than the Word of God. According to their tradition, without spot or blemish means not one mis-colored hair, not the tiniest.. see full report
Hymns - “Before the Throne of God Above” Charitie Bancroft
June 25, 2026 (first published December 21, 2023)
June 25, 2026 (first published December 21, 2023)
Charitie Bancroft (1841-1923) was the daughter of Pastor Sidney Smith of Drumragh, County Tyrone, Ireland. She married Arthur Bancroft of Scotland in 1869. “Her hymns have appeared in periodicals, Lyra Britannica, Bishop Ryle's Spiritual Songs, and other collections, and also as leaflets.” She is sometimes known by her maiden name Charitie Lees Smith (Lees was her mother’s last name) and the name of her second marriage, Charitie de Cheney or de Chenez. Like practically all of the best hymnodists, she suffered much. She was twice widowed. A collection of her hymns was published in Within the Veil in 1867. “Before the Throne of God Above” was published in Spurgeon’s Our Own Hymn Book in 1866. It has been published in 55 other.. see full report
The Importance of Tests in Biblical Education
June 24, 2026
Way of Life currently offers 40 Bible courses. See the “Courses” section of www.wayoflife.org.
We have observed that many churches use the Way of Life Bible college courses without the review questions and tests.
That is a much weaker method of education. People are naturally lazy mentally. This is why Proverbs warns so fervently about the sluggard. We are all sluggards by nature. Typically, what does a child do when he is not supervised? Nothing! He just goofs around.
We must learn how to study effectively, and we must continue to learn this at an ever-higher level.
Testing is a lot more work for the teacher and the students, but it is well worth it.
We have found this to be essential for our own... see full report;
June 24, 2026
Way of Life currently offers 40 Bible courses. See the “Courses” section of www.wayoflife.org.
We have observed that many churches use the Way of Life Bible college courses without the review questions and tests.
That is a much weaker method of education. People are naturally lazy mentally. This is why Proverbs warns so fervently about the sluggard. We are all sluggards by nature. Typically, what does a child do when he is not supervised? Nothing! He just goofs around.
We must learn how to study effectively, and we must continue to learn this at an ever-higher level.
Testing is a lot more work for the teacher and the students, but it is well worth it.
We have found this to be essential for our own... see full report;
God’s Omnipotence and Sovereignty
June 23, 2026
The following is excerpted from The Doctrine Which Ye Have Learned, available at the Courses section of www.wayoflife.org -
God’s omnipotence refers to His almighty power and His rule over all.
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Ge. 17:1).
June 23, 2026
The following is excerpted from The Doctrine Which Ye Have Learned, available at the Courses section of www.wayoflife.org -
God’s omnipotence refers to His almighty power and His rule over all.
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Ge. 17:1).
“for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted” (Ps. 47:9).
“But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation” (Jer. 10:10).
“I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto.. see full report;
1992–1996 EU poster based on Pieter Bruegel's famous painting of the Tower of Babel.
Friday Church News Notes
June 19, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 25
THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION (Friday Church News Notes, June 19, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Roman Empire has continued in many forms, as prophesied by Daniel, who said it would continue to the time of the Antichrist. The ten toes of the feet of the image in Daniel 2 represent 10 rulers that will be associated with the rise of the Antichrist. Compare Daniel 7:7-8. The Roman Empire has existed in the east in the Byzantine Empire headquartered in Constantinople, in the Holy Roman Empire founded by Charlemagne in AD 800, in Napoleon’s (1769-1821) empire, in Adolph Hitler’s (1889-1945) Third Reich, and in the Tsarist Russian empire (Tsar means Caesar). The Roman Empire continues to exist in the unified European nations. In 1957, six nations signed the Treaty of Rome, pledging unity (France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg.. see full report
June 19, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 25
THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION (Friday Church News Notes, June 19, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Roman Empire has continued in many forms, as prophesied by Daniel, who said it would continue to the time of the Antichrist. The ten toes of the feet of the image in Daniel 2 represent 10 rulers that will be associated with the rise of the Antichrist. Compare Daniel 7:7-8. The Roman Empire has existed in the east in the Byzantine Empire headquartered in Constantinople, in the Holy Roman Empire founded by Charlemagne in AD 800, in Napoleon’s (1769-1821) empire, in Adolph Hitler’s (1889-1945) Third Reich, and in the Tsarist Russian empire (Tsar means Caesar). The Roman Empire continues to exist in the unified European nations. In 1957, six nations signed the Treaty of Rome, pledging unity (France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg.. see full report
Please Beware of Evangelical Scholarship and “Fundamentalists” Who Love It
June 18, 2026
Recently we published “Joshua Barzon, Another Fundamental Baptist Voice for the Modern Versions,” Jan. 7, 2026, www.wayoflife.org.
We warned about independent Baptists such as Bryan Samms and Joshua Barzon who are promoting the modern Bible versions on the basis of insufficient knowledge of the issue.
A missionary in Mexico wrote to disagree with this report, and in trying to refute my position that 17th century biblical scholarship as represented by the Authorized Version translators was superior to evangelical biblical scholarship today. He said,
“I view this statement [‘By the early 17th century, knowledge of biblical languages was at an apex’] as false. While a higher percentage of people knew Latin and Greek, that was Attic Greek, and Koine was still viewed as a ‘spiritual language’ invented by.. see full report
June 18, 2026
Recently we published “Joshua Barzon, Another Fundamental Baptist Voice for the Modern Versions,” Jan. 7, 2026, www.wayoflife.org.
We warned about independent Baptists such as Bryan Samms and Joshua Barzon who are promoting the modern Bible versions on the basis of insufficient knowledge of the issue.
A missionary in Mexico wrote to disagree with this report, and in trying to refute my position that 17th century biblical scholarship as represented by the Authorized Version translators was superior to evangelical biblical scholarship today. He said,
“I view this statement [‘By the early 17th century, knowledge of biblical languages was at an apex’] as false. While a higher percentage of people knew Latin and Greek, that was Attic Greek, and Koine was still viewed as a ‘spiritual language’ invented by.. see full report
The Prophet Daniel in the Babylonian Records
June 17, 2026
The following is excerpted from Bill Cooper’s The Authenticity of the Book of Daniel (2012). [See full report for more on Bill Cooper.]
In his official capacities, Daniel would have been known under his new name in its uncorrupted form, Belshazzar, and that is how we find him referred to in the official records. Which means, of course, that in the course of time there came to be two men in Babylon who went by the name of Belshazzar. Daniel was one, and the other was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar who was later to be made regent under his father Nabonidus (Nabu-na’idu). The royal Belshazzar wasn’t even born or thought of when Daniel began his captivity, so there was no awkwardness in Daniel bearing the same name as a royal heir. That heir did not yet exist.
But do the Babylonian records themselves really speak of two Belshazzars? They certainly do, and they also differentiate.. see full report
June 17, 2026
The following is excerpted from Bill Cooper’s The Authenticity of the Book of Daniel (2012). [See full report for more on Bill Cooper.]
In his official capacities, Daniel would have been known under his new name in its uncorrupted form, Belshazzar, and that is how we find him referred to in the official records. Which means, of course, that in the course of time there came to be two men in Babylon who went by the name of Belshazzar. Daniel was one, and the other was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar who was later to be made regent under his father Nabonidus (Nabu-na’idu). The royal Belshazzar wasn’t even born or thought of when Daniel began his captivity, so there was no awkwardness in Daniel bearing the same name as a royal heir. That heir did not yet exist.
But do the Babylonian records themselves really speak of two Belshazzars? They certainly do, and they also differentiate.. see full report
John Rippon - Pioneering Baptist
Enlarged June 16, 2026 (first published December 8, 2020)
The following is excerpted from Transforming Congregational Singing in the 21st Century, available in the Books section of www.wayoflife.org --
John Rippon (1751-1836) pastored the church at Carter Lane for 63 years (1773 to 1836). In 1833, the church moved to New Park Street.
This was during the reigns of GeorgeIII (1760-1811), George IV (1820-1830), and William IV (1830-1837). The American War of Independence was fought (1776-1783). The French Revolution lasted from 1787-1799. The modern missionary movement was launched, with William Carey becoming England’s first missionary in 1792 and Adoniram Judson America’s first foreign missionary in 1816. In 1800, the United Kingdom was created by the merger of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1803, America made the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon, the 828,000 square miles nearly doubling the size of the new nation. In 1804, the British & Foreign Bible Society launched the global Bible society movement. In 1806, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark completed their survey of the American West.. see full report
Enlarged June 16, 2026 (first published December 8, 2020)
The following is excerpted from Transforming Congregational Singing in the 21st Century, available in the Books section of www.wayoflife.org --
John Rippon (1751-1836) pastored the church at Carter Lane for 63 years (1773 to 1836). In 1833, the church moved to New Park Street.
This was during the reigns of GeorgeIII (1760-1811), George IV (1820-1830), and William IV (1830-1837). The American War of Independence was fought (1776-1783). The French Revolution lasted from 1787-1799. The modern missionary movement was launched, with William Carey becoming England’s first missionary in 1792 and Adoniram Judson America’s first foreign missionary in 1816. In 1800, the United Kingdom was created by the merger of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1803, America made the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon, the 828,000 square miles nearly doubling the size of the new nation. In 1804, the British & Foreign Bible Society launched the global Bible society movement. In 1806, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark completed their survey of the American West.. see full report
Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci
Friday Church News Notes
June 12, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 24
TURKISH PRESIDENT CALLS ON ALLAH TO DESTROY ZIONIST ISRAEL (Friday Church News Notes, June 12, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Turkey wants Jerusalem,” Israel365News, June 9, 2026: “When Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi declared last week that Jerusalem would one day return to Turkish sovereignty, ‘just as in the past,’ he was speaking as a senior official of a NATO member state, at a ruling party conference, invoking the name of Allah and the example of his president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Ottoman Empire, he promised the crowd, is not finished with Jerusalem. Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded directly. ‘The corrupt Ottoman Empire is gone. Forever. Jerusalem DC (David’s capital) shall remain the.. see full report
June 12, 2026, Volume 27, Issue 24
TURKISH PRESIDENT CALLS ON ALLAH TO DESTROY ZIONIST ISRAEL (Friday Church News Notes, June 12, 2026, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Turkey wants Jerusalem,” Israel365News, June 9, 2026: “When Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi declared last week that Jerusalem would one day return to Turkish sovereignty, ‘just as in the past,’ he was speaking as a senior official of a NATO member state, at a ruling party conference, invoking the name of Allah and the example of his president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Ottoman Empire, he promised the crowd, is not finished with Jerusalem. Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded directly. ‘The corrupt Ottoman Empire is gone. Forever. Jerusalem DC (David’s capital) shall remain the.. see full report
Evidence of Systemic Racism in America
Enlarged June 11, 2026 (first published December 8, 2020)
Black Lives Matter and others claim that there is “systemic racism” in America. Indeed, the evidence can be seen everywhere. Consider some examples:
America liberated all black slaves in 1865, and the federal government under a Republican majority set out to empower blacks with the same civil rights enjoyed by others.
The Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery passed with the support of 100% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats. This shows that a large number of white people in America cared for the rights of black people and wanted to help them. A great many whites gave their lives for this cause, both before, during, and after the war.
In 1866, Republicans in Congress passed the.. see full report
Enlarged June 11, 2026 (first published December 8, 2020)
Black Lives Matter and others claim that there is “systemic racism” in America. Indeed, the evidence can be seen everywhere. Consider some examples:
America liberated all black slaves in 1865, and the federal government under a Republican majority set out to empower blacks with the same civil rights enjoyed by others.
The Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery passed with the support of 100% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats. This shows that a large number of white people in America cared for the rights of black people and wanted to help them. A great many whites gave their lives for this cause, both before, during, and after the war.
In 1866, Republicans in Congress passed the.. see full report
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