Friday Church News Notes
Volume 20, Issue 49 - December 6, 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.
RESPONSES TO “BOB JONES UNIVERSITY’S PLUNGE INTO NEW REFORMED CALVINISM” (Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Following are a couple of the responses to the report in last week’s Friday Church News Notes: RESPONSE # 1 - “I am a 1977 BJU grad. I am EXTREMELY upset I am forced to realize that BJU is now a New Evangelical school, having become so without a peep from Dr. Bob Jones the third, as far as I know. Two or three years ago I checked out the website of a man who was scheduled to preach in Bible Conference. On the link for his church's youth group, one can hear hard rock music. Not wimpy ‘soft rock’ but HARD rock. No pastor treating his church kids to hard rock should even be allowed close to the BJU pulpit, much less preach from it. I complained to President Petitt, who responded with a ‘I see nothing wrong with it’ response. No surprise, since he is actually in the video. Please note on the school’s website, the link for ‘Approved Greenville Churches’ lists not only Second Presbyterian Church (PCA) but also the Southern Baptist Church directly across the street from the school, White Oak Baptist, pastored by Dr. Lonnie Polson, a member of the BJU faculty and Dept. Head. I predict after the death of 80-year-old Bob Jones III, they will change the name of the school.” RESPONSE # 2 - “Bob Jones has been hemorrhaging students over the past 20 years. They have basically lost their independent Baptist constituency. IBC pastors are nervous not only about their position on the Bible, but also their growing affinity to reformed/covenant theology. Northland went down a similar route. (They were known as the BJ of the Midwest in their heyday.) So now BJ is reaching out to their Presbyterian friends to try and rebuild the school. I doubt if that will work. The Presbyterians have their own network of colleges. But when colleges lose constituencies, their enrollment drops. When that happens, their finances drop. When that happens, they begin to make desperate moves to stay afloat. We are witnessing that at Bob Jones as we speak. I watched the same thing at Northland and Pillsbury, not to mention Tennessee Temple University, Clearwater, and Calvary Seminary. Other places like Central Seminary and Detroit Seminary are barely hanging on and are now more evangelical than fundamentalist. (Incidentally all of these places have been a part of the Bob Jones Network, not to mention groups like the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship. But the common thread in all these places has been the embrace of scholarship--one of the tenets of New Evangelicalism--which has led them to embrace critical-text Bibles and then flirting with reformed theology and CCM. They either all have failed or are in the process of failing including the FBF. Of course, true focus on evangelism fades inversely as elitist scholarship attitudes increase. How sad!”
THE DARK SIDE OF THE SMARTPHONE BECOMING CLEAR TO SECULAR SOCIETY (Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial and unhealthy,” The Globe and Mail, Apr. 10, 2018: In the winter of 1906, the year San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake and SOS became the international distress signal, Britain’s Punch magazine published a dark joke about the future of technology. Under the headline, ‘Forecasts for 1907,’ a black and white cartoon showed a well-dressed Edwardian couple sitting in a London park. The man and woman are turned away from each other, antennae protruding from their hats. In their laps are little black boxes, spitting out ticker tape. A caption reads: ‘These two figures are not communicating with one another. The lady is receiving an amatory message, and the gentleman some racing results.’ The cartoonist was going for broad humour, but today the image looks prophetic. A century after it was published, Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone. Today, thanks to him, we can sit in parks and not only receive amatory messages and racing results, but summon all the world’s knowledge with a few taps of our thumbs, listen to virtually every song ever recorded and communicate instantaneously with everyone we know. More than two billion people around the world, including three-quarters of Canadians, now have this magic at their fingertips--and it’s changing the way we do countless things, from taking photos to summoning taxis. But smartphones have also changed us--changed our natures in elemental ways, reshaping the way we think and interact. For all their many conveniences, it is here, in the way they have changed not just industries or habits but people themselves, that the joke of the cartoon has started to show its dark side. The evidence for this goes beyond the carping of Luddites. It's there, cold and hard, in a growing body of research by psychiatrists, neuroscientists, marketers and public health experts. What these people say--and what their research shows--is that smartphones are causing real damage to our minds and relationships, measurable in seconds shaved off the average attention span, reduced brain power, declines in work-life balance and hours less of family time. ... Ten years into the smartphone experiment, we may be reaching a tipping point. Buoyed by mounting evidence and a growing chorus of tech-world jeremiahs, smartphone users are beginning to recognize the downside of the convenient little mini-computer we keep pressed against our thigh or cradled in our palm, not to mention buzzing on our bedside table while we sleep.”
BEWARE OF MEDITATION COLORING BOOKS (Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - I received the following question from a reader: “Our children have been receiving coloring books and coloring pages from relatives and friends at church which we’re not sure about. Some have told us they’re great for relieving headaches and just fun to do. Abeka has also put coloring pages with this type of theme in the 3rd grade Arithmetic Test books. They used to have an animal or some cute picture to color after speed drills were completed, but now they’ve switched to these objects and patterns. We started researching these types of coloring books and are alarmed to see the association with meditation and Buddhism. While the pages themselves may or may not be evil, they definitely lead down a wrong path. We’ve discarded any books or pages. Because of your location and knowledge of cultures in the east, we were wondering if you know any details about these coloring pages.” REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD: This is the first I have heard about coloring books using mandalas, but the mandala is strictly pagan in origin and purpose. They are used in Hinduism and Buddhism, and especially in Tibetan Buddhism, which is highly occultic. Tibetan Buddhism uses mandalas (circle) as symbols of the enlightened mind (nirvana) and the path to it. (In Hinduism, yantra is a similar concept.) There are endless forms and interpretations. “The mandala represents in visual form the core essence of the Vajrayana teachings.” One popular mandala is the Five Buddhas, representing the various paths to enlightenment. The mandala is a meditation tool. The practitioner meditates “to the point of saturation, such that the image of the mandala becomes fully internalised in even the minutest detail and can then be summoned and contemplated at will as a clear and vivid visualized image.” “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).
TAROT CARD FOLLY (Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Tarot Card Resurgence,” Al Perrotta, The Stream, Oct. 28, 2019: “We’re experiencing a burst in popularity of tarot cards. The New York Times in 2017 celebrated ‘Tarot is Trending.’ The Guardian promoted it as a form of therapy in 2018. One writer said she counted 550 tarot apps in the Apple Store before giving up. An Amazon search of ‘tarot cards’ renders 10,000 results. ... Before giving my life fully to Christ, I was a tarot card fanboy. I loved having readings. I bought about half a dozen different decks. I had a shelf full of books. I studied tarot cards harder than I’d studied any subject in school. ... that gets us to tarot’s dirty little secret ... First, you learn the basic meaning of each card. Then you learn each card’s alternative meanings. Then you learn that the meaning, positive or negative, depends on whether the card is right side up or upside down. And then you learn that the meaning also depends on its relative position to the cards next to it. In other words, a ‘negative’ card in the past can actually be ‘good’ if the card next to it indicates a change for the better. And vice versa. Wait, there’s more. Then you learn that an isolated part of imagery itself might contain a meaning tucked within it. Take the card commonly called ‘The Chariot.’ See the wheels? In a specific reading, the Chariot itself could have to do with your car. Could have to do with travel. If the card is upside down, it could mean beware the wheels coming off a project or relationship. The black and white sphinx-like creatures? Could refer to an issue that is clear black-and-white. The red symbol between them that looks like a top could mean that even though the choice is black and white, your head is spinning like a top trying to decide the issue. It could also refer to the unity of different things — both sphinxes, just different colors. Even though the decision seems black and white, it really isn’t. ... Are you getting the idea? If not, let me put it to you very simply. Any card at any time can mean anything. And if something can mean anything, it means nothing. ... Even if the cards could tell you something about the future, they don’t give you the power to change the future. This is why we must hold to the God who made Himself known. ‘Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).”
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).
BEWARE OF MEDITATION COLORING BOOKS (Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - I received the following question from a reader: “Our children have been receiving coloring books and coloring pages from relatives and friends at church which we’re not sure about. Some have told us they’re great for relieving headaches and just fun to do. Abeka has also put coloring pages with this type of theme in the 3rd grade Arithmetic Test books. They used to have an animal or some cute picture to color after speed drills were completed, but now they’ve switched to these objects and patterns. We started researching these types of coloring books and are alarmed to see the association with meditation and Buddhism. While the pages themselves may or may not be evil, they definitely lead down a wrong path. We’ve discarded any books or pages. Because of your location and knowledge of cultures in the east, we were wondering if you know any details about these coloring pages.” REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD: This is the first I have heard about coloring books using mandalas, but the mandala is strictly pagan in origin and purpose. They are used in Hinduism and Buddhism, and especially in Tibetan Buddhism, which is highly occultic. Tibetan Buddhism uses mandalas (circle) as symbols of the enlightened mind (nirvana) and the path to it. (In Hinduism, yantra is a similar concept.) There are endless forms and interpretations. “The mandala represents in visual form the core essence of the Vajrayana teachings.” One popular mandala is the Five Buddhas, representing the various paths to enlightenment. The mandala is a meditation tool. The practitioner meditates “to the point of saturation, such that the image of the mandala becomes fully internalised in even the minutest detail and can then be summoned and contemplated at will as a clear and vivid visualized image.” “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).
TAROT CARD FOLLY (Friday Church News Notes, December 6, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Tarot Card Resurgence,” Al Perrotta, The Stream, Oct. 28, 2019: “We’re experiencing a burst in popularity of tarot cards. The New York Times in 2017 celebrated ‘Tarot is Trending.’ The Guardian promoted it as a form of therapy in 2018. One writer said she counted 550 tarot apps in the Apple Store before giving up. An Amazon search of ‘tarot cards’ renders 10,000 results. ... Before giving my life fully to Christ, I was a tarot card fanboy. I loved having readings. I bought about half a dozen different decks. I had a shelf full of books. I studied tarot cards harder than I’d studied any subject in school. ... that gets us to tarot’s dirty little secret ... First, you learn the basic meaning of each card. Then you learn each card’s alternative meanings. Then you learn that the meaning, positive or negative, depends on whether the card is right side up or upside down. And then you learn that the meaning also depends on its relative position to the cards next to it. In other words, a ‘negative’ card in the past can actually be ‘good’ if the card next to it indicates a change for the better. And vice versa. Wait, there’s more. Then you learn that an isolated part of imagery itself might contain a meaning tucked within it. Take the card commonly called ‘The Chariot.’ See the wheels? In a specific reading, the Chariot itself could have to do with your car. Could have to do with travel. If the card is upside down, it could mean beware the wheels coming off a project or relationship. The black and white sphinx-like creatures? Could refer to an issue that is clear black-and-white. The red symbol between them that looks like a top could mean that even though the choice is black and white, your head is spinning like a top trying to decide the issue. It could also refer to the unity of different things — both sphinxes, just different colors. Even though the decision seems black and white, it really isn’t. ... Are you getting the idea? If not, let me put it to you very simply. Any card at any time can mean anything. And if something can mean anything, it means nothing. ... Even if the cards could tell you something about the future, they don’t give you the power to change the future. This is why we must hold to the God who made Himself known. ‘Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).”
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).
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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.
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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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