Friday Church News Notes
Volume 20, Issue 8 - February 22, 2019
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, though this does not imply an endorsement.
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
HEAD OF CHURCH OF ENGLAND SAYS HE SPEAKS IN TONGUES EVERY DAY (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, says that he speaks in “tongues” every day. In a recent interview with the Christian radio station Premier, he said, “In my own prayer life, and as part of my daily discipline, I pray in tongues every day--not as an occasional thing, but as part of daily prayer. It’s not something to make a great song and dance about. Given it’s usually extremely early in the morning it’s not usually an immensely ecstatic moment” (BBC News, Jan. 21, 2019). The “archbishop” is also open to receiving words of knowledge and prophecies. He claims that he was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and began speaking in tongues at age 19. That was at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), one of the largest and most prestigious Church of England parishes. It is located at the heart of Knightsbridge, London’s most exclusive shopping district, just down the street from Harrods department store. It was at Holy Trinity that the “laughing revival” was birthed in England in 1994. Nicky Gumbel, a priest at Holy Trinity, had an experience “like massive electricity going through” his body. In a meeting Gumbel was leading, a man lay on the floor with his feet in the air and started laughing like a hyena. (This information is from material published by Holy Trinity Brompton that I picked up on a research visit there in 1997.) In an interview with Charles Moore in 2013, Welby said it isn’t necessary to have a personal conversion experience to be a Christian. “There is an incredible range of ways in which the Spirit works. It doesn’t matter how you get there” (Welby interview with Charles Moore, The Daily Telegraph, Jul. 12, 2013). Welby practices Roman Catholic contemplative prayers. His “spiritual director” is a Roman Catholic priest who has taught him to engage in “the adoration of the Eucharist,” which is the worship of the consecrated host of the mass, and the methodology of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits (The Daily Telegraph, Jul. 12, 2013). When asked if “gay sex is sinful,” Welby said, “I don’t do blanket condemnation and I haven’t got a good answer to that question” (“Justin Welby unable to give ‘straight answer,’” The Guardian, Oct. 2, 2017). In conclusion, I have a word of knowledge for Archbishop Welby that is based solidly on the Bible’s teaching: “You are the head of an apostate institution which is not a New Testament church; your ‘tongues’ are gibberish; your contemplative mysticism is demonic; and there is only one way of salvation, which is through a born again conversion experience by repentance toward God and faith in the once-for-all sacrificial blood atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
MARIJUANA NOT EFFECTUAL FOR PAIN RELIEF (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence,” Walter Williams, DailyWire.com, Feb. 16, 2019: “Alex Berenson is a graduate of Yale University, with degrees in history and economics. He delivered a speech last month at Hillsdale College’s Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C., on the hidden dangers of marijuana use. He told his audience, ‘Almost everything that you think you know about the health effects of cannabis, almost everything that advocates and the media have told you for a generation, is wrong.’ The active ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Marijuana is most commonly prescribed for pain, but it's rarely tested against other pain relief drugs, such as ibuprofen. Last July, a large four-year study of Australian patients with chronic pain showed that cannabis use was associated with greater pain over time. Marijuana, like alcohol, is too weak as a painkiller for people with terminal cancer. They need opiates. Berenson said, ‘Even cannabis advocates, like Rob Kampia, who co-founded the Marijuana Policy Project ... acknowledge that they have always viewed medical marijuana laws mostly as a way to protect recreational users.’ Marijuana legalization advocates sometimes argue that its use reduces opiate use. That is untrue. Berenson said, ‘The United States and Canada, which are the countries that have the most opioid use, also have by far the worst problem with ... cannabis.’ Marijuana carries not only a devastating physical health risk but also mental health dangers. A 2017 National Academy of Medicine study found that ‘cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses; the higher the use, the greater the risk. ... Regular cannabis use is likely to increase the risk for developing social anxiety disorder.’ Also, a paper in the American Journal of Psychiatry last year showed that people who used cannabis in 2001 were almost three times as likely to use opiates three years later, even after adjusting for other potential risks. Something else that’s not given much attention is that cannabis today is much more potent than it was in the 1970s, when most marijuana contained less than 2 percent THC. Today marijuana routinely contains 20 to 25 percent THC, as a result of sophisticated farming and cloning techniques. As such, it produces a stronger and quicker high. Berenson said that the difference between yesterday’s marijuana and today’s is like the difference between ‘near beer and a martini.’ Berenson cited several studies and other findings showing a relationship between marijuana use and violence and crime.”
DISNEY HOLDING A “GAY PRIDE” PARADE FOR FIRST TIME (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Disney Holding,” The Daily Wire, Jan. 30, 2019: “The Walt Disney Company is embracing LGBT pride month for the first time ever and hosting a gay pride parade in its Disneyland Paris park in France. The massive corporation has been moving toward a more liberal approach to sexual identity over the last decade, but the ‘Magical Pride’ parade, set to take place on June 1, 2019, is the first time the Disney Parks have openly embraced and endorsed the shift. The event will take place right at the beginning of global pride month--June--and will feature a ‘Magical March of Diversity Parade,’ reportedly involving DJs, live music performances, and themed photo opportunities for visitors to the Disneyland Paris park, according to Queerty. Gay pride events in Disney Parks are not new. The ‘Magical Pride’ celebration has been an "unofficial" event at Disneyland Paris since 2014. Disney parks located in the United States--Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California--have both hosted unofficial LGBT events including ‘Gay Days,’ an unofficial weekend celebration for gay couples and same sex parents. The first Gay Days celebration took place in the mid-to-late 2000s. ... Disney has been inching closer to a cultural shift over the last decade, slowly incorporating openly LGBT characters into its television shows and animated features (including an LGBT background character in Frozen). The upcoming Disney live action film, Jungle Cruise, based on the Disney parks attraction of the same name, will feature the first openly gay character in a Disney live action feature.”
IRANIAN AIR CHIEF SAYS IRAN READY FOR WAR THAT WILL DESTROY ISRAEL (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In the latest example of Iran’s undying hatred of Israel, the head of Iran’s air force says that his country is ready to destroy the Jewish nation. Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh said, “We’re ready for the decisive war that will bring about Israel’s disappearance. Our armed forces are prepared for the day when Israel will be destroyed” (“Iranian air chief,” The Times of India, Jan. 21, 2019). This statement was made after Israel targeted Iranian weapons storehouses, intelligence facilities and a training camp in Syria. A day earlier, Iran had targeted the Mt. Hermon ski facility in Israel with a rocket, which was destroyed by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. In July 2018, the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards boasted that the “Islamic army in Syria” in the Golan Heights was awaiting orders to eradicate the “evil regime” of Israel (“Top Iranian general,” The Times of Israel, Jul. 9, 2018). He said that “the Zionist regime constitutes a threat … to the entire Islamic world.” In 2016, Ahmad Karimpour, senior advisor to the elite al-Quds force, boasted, “If the Supreme Leader’s orders [are] to be executed, with the abilities and the equipment at our disposal, we will raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes” (“Iranian Commander,” The Times of Israel, May 22, 2016). In March 2016, Iran tested ballistic missiles emblazoned with the words “Israel must be wiped off the map.” Last year, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tweeted that Israel “will not see the next 25 years.” This is delusional, for the Bible says that Israel cannot be destroyed and that land is her God-given land. Her judgments at God’s hand during the “times of the Gentiles” as prophesied in Deuteronomy 28 will be completed during the reign of the Antichrist, the conversion prophesied in Deuteronomy 30:6 will occur, and a truly spiritual Israel will be at the heart of Christ’s kingdom. Israel is back in the land, and this is an exciting thing for Bible believers, but she is far from “circumcised in heart” at this time.
CICADA RACKET IS DESIGNED (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from Creation Moments, Jan. 31, 2019: “While the call of the cicada sounds like raucous chaos to us, researchers have only just learned that these amazing creatures have a complicated system of communication. Cicada beetles live underground for 13 to 17 years before emerging to live a few brief weeks to sing and mate before they die. Immature cicadas feed off the fluids flowing through tree roots. One acre of ground can have as many as 400 pounds of immature cicadas beneath its surface. Once out of the ground, cicadas molt into their final adult form and, after a few days, are ready to begin mating. At this point, they have only four to six weeks to mate before they die. Males begin their call to find a suitable female. The male’s rasping call ends by slurring into a lower pitch. Then he listens. If a female is interested, she will make a click with her wings. The male responds and after several successful conversations, the male changes his style. If the female responds to this change with more clicks, the female will allow him to mate. Eggs are laid in the twigs. After they hatch, the hatchlings fall to the ground and begin burrowing to start the life cycle again. While the racket made by cicadas sounds like random noise to us, it is a complex communication system that follows set rules. Complex systems of communication can only be the product of an intelligent Designer, the very Creator God Who is revealed in the Bible. Ref: Science News, 6/24/00, pp. 408‑410, ‘Cicada Subtleties.’”
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).
MARIJUANA NOT EFFECTUAL FOR PAIN RELIEF (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence,” Walter Williams, DailyWire.com, Feb. 16, 2019: “Alex Berenson is a graduate of Yale University, with degrees in history and economics. He delivered a speech last month at Hillsdale College’s Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C., on the hidden dangers of marijuana use. He told his audience, ‘Almost everything that you think you know about the health effects of cannabis, almost everything that advocates and the media have told you for a generation, is wrong.’ The active ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Marijuana is most commonly prescribed for pain, but it's rarely tested against other pain relief drugs, such as ibuprofen. Last July, a large four-year study of Australian patients with chronic pain showed that cannabis use was associated with greater pain over time. Marijuana, like alcohol, is too weak as a painkiller for people with terminal cancer. They need opiates. Berenson said, ‘Even cannabis advocates, like Rob Kampia, who co-founded the Marijuana Policy Project ... acknowledge that they have always viewed medical marijuana laws mostly as a way to protect recreational users.’ Marijuana legalization advocates sometimes argue that its use reduces opiate use. That is untrue. Berenson said, ‘The United States and Canada, which are the countries that have the most opioid use, also have by far the worst problem with ... cannabis.’ Marijuana carries not only a devastating physical health risk but also mental health dangers. A 2017 National Academy of Medicine study found that ‘cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses; the higher the use, the greater the risk. ... Regular cannabis use is likely to increase the risk for developing social anxiety disorder.’ Also, a paper in the American Journal of Psychiatry last year showed that people who used cannabis in 2001 were almost three times as likely to use opiates three years later, even after adjusting for other potential risks. Something else that’s not given much attention is that cannabis today is much more potent than it was in the 1970s, when most marijuana contained less than 2 percent THC. Today marijuana routinely contains 20 to 25 percent THC, as a result of sophisticated farming and cloning techniques. As such, it produces a stronger and quicker high. Berenson said that the difference between yesterday’s marijuana and today’s is like the difference between ‘near beer and a martini.’ Berenson cited several studies and other findings showing a relationship between marijuana use and violence and crime.”
DISNEY HOLDING A “GAY PRIDE” PARADE FOR FIRST TIME (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Disney Holding,” The Daily Wire, Jan. 30, 2019: “The Walt Disney Company is embracing LGBT pride month for the first time ever and hosting a gay pride parade in its Disneyland Paris park in France. The massive corporation has been moving toward a more liberal approach to sexual identity over the last decade, but the ‘Magical Pride’ parade, set to take place on June 1, 2019, is the first time the Disney Parks have openly embraced and endorsed the shift. The event will take place right at the beginning of global pride month--June--and will feature a ‘Magical March of Diversity Parade,’ reportedly involving DJs, live music performances, and themed photo opportunities for visitors to the Disneyland Paris park, according to Queerty. Gay pride events in Disney Parks are not new. The ‘Magical Pride’ celebration has been an "unofficial" event at Disneyland Paris since 2014. Disney parks located in the United States--Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland in Anaheim, California--have both hosted unofficial LGBT events including ‘Gay Days,’ an unofficial weekend celebration for gay couples and same sex parents. The first Gay Days celebration took place in the mid-to-late 2000s. ... Disney has been inching closer to a cultural shift over the last decade, slowly incorporating openly LGBT characters into its television shows and animated features (including an LGBT background character in Frozen). The upcoming Disney live action film, Jungle Cruise, based on the Disney parks attraction of the same name, will feature the first openly gay character in a Disney live action feature.”
IRANIAN AIR CHIEF SAYS IRAN READY FOR WAR THAT WILL DESTROY ISRAEL (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In the latest example of Iran’s undying hatred of Israel, the head of Iran’s air force says that his country is ready to destroy the Jewish nation. Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh said, “We’re ready for the decisive war that will bring about Israel’s disappearance. Our armed forces are prepared for the day when Israel will be destroyed” (“Iranian air chief,” The Times of India, Jan. 21, 2019). This statement was made after Israel targeted Iranian weapons storehouses, intelligence facilities and a training camp in Syria. A day earlier, Iran had targeted the Mt. Hermon ski facility in Israel with a rocket, which was destroyed by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. In July 2018, the deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards boasted that the “Islamic army in Syria” in the Golan Heights was awaiting orders to eradicate the “evil regime” of Israel (“Top Iranian general,” The Times of Israel, Jul. 9, 2018). He said that “the Zionist regime constitutes a threat … to the entire Islamic world.” In 2016, Ahmad Karimpour, senior advisor to the elite al-Quds force, boasted, “If the Supreme Leader’s orders [are] to be executed, with the abilities and the equipment at our disposal, we will raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes” (“Iranian Commander,” The Times of Israel, May 22, 2016). In March 2016, Iran tested ballistic missiles emblazoned with the words “Israel must be wiped off the map.” Last year, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tweeted that Israel “will not see the next 25 years.” This is delusional, for the Bible says that Israel cannot be destroyed and that land is her God-given land. Her judgments at God’s hand during the “times of the Gentiles” as prophesied in Deuteronomy 28 will be completed during the reign of the Antichrist, the conversion prophesied in Deuteronomy 30:6 will occur, and a truly spiritual Israel will be at the heart of Christ’s kingdom. Israel is back in the land, and this is an exciting thing for Bible believers, but she is far from “circumcised in heart” at this time.
CICADA RACKET IS DESIGNED (Friday Church News Notes, February 22, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from Creation Moments, Jan. 31, 2019: “While the call of the cicada sounds like raucous chaos to us, researchers have only just learned that these amazing creatures have a complicated system of communication. Cicada beetles live underground for 13 to 17 years before emerging to live a few brief weeks to sing and mate before they die. Immature cicadas feed off the fluids flowing through tree roots. One acre of ground can have as many as 400 pounds of immature cicadas beneath its surface. Once out of the ground, cicadas molt into their final adult form and, after a few days, are ready to begin mating. At this point, they have only four to six weeks to mate before they die. Males begin their call to find a suitable female. The male’s rasping call ends by slurring into a lower pitch. Then he listens. If a female is interested, she will make a click with her wings. The male responds and after several successful conversations, the male changes his style. If the female responds to this change with more clicks, the female will allow him to mate. Eggs are laid in the twigs. After they hatch, the hatchlings fall to the ground and begin burrowing to start the life cycle again. While the racket made by cicadas sounds like random noise to us, it is a complex communication system that follows set rules. Complex systems of communication can only be the product of an intelligent Designer, the very Creator God Who is revealed in the Bible. Ref: Science News, 6/24/00, pp. 408‑410, ‘Cicada Subtleties.’”
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).
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Distributed by Way of Life Literature., publisher of Bible Study Materials and reports for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY (REPORTS AND FRIDAY NEWS) IS NOT DEVOTIONAL. IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR.
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
The Way of Life Literature preaching and publishing ministry is based at Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. A mail stop is maintained in Port Huron, Michigan.
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