Friday Church News Notes
Volume 21, Issue 35 - August 28, 2020
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.
California Governor Gavin Newsom
CALIFORNIA WAGING WAR ON CHURCHES (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - If you want to know the future of America if Democrats are ever in full control, just take a look at California, where the Democrats control the governorship, both houses of the legislature, every statewide office, and the leadership of major cities. (When one party controls the office of governor, the state House, and the state Senate, that is called a trifecta. Currently, there are 21 Republican trifectas and 15 Democrat trifectas.) For example, their mindless commitment to Green Energy has resulted in third-world type brownouts across the state this summer. Their homosexual rights agenda has silenced free speech. Their clueless homeless policies have trashed formerly beautiful cities. Their public schools are removing the names of the nation’s Founding Fathers and brainwashing children in Marxist doctrine. That’s a very short list. Oh yes, and they are using the coronavirus situation to attack churches. I believe they will back off eventually and leave the churches alone for now, but only because (humanly speaking) they don’t have full power. The following is excerpted from “California’s All-Out War on Church Worship Intensifies,” PJ Media, Aug. 24, 2020: “California Governor Gavin Newsom and county leaders are escalating the state’s war on church worship services, dragging pastors into court and demanding thousands of dollars in fines for illegally singing and holding indoor worship services. ... The state is armed with Newsom’s no-worship order and subpoenas. ... Liberty Counsel’s Founder Mat Staver says Newsom’s worship ban is clearly unconstitutional. ‘The same governor who encourages mass protests, bans all worship and is now fining churches for their right to assemble and worship. The same governor who says the church can meet for secular services, bans the church from having religious worship. This unconstitutional hostility against religious worship must end.’ Newsom has issued a rule against singing and chanting--even in worship in private homes. Then, he outlawed church worship. ... The pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Ventura County, Rob McCoy, was in court on Friday and fined $3,000 for holding three socially distanced worship services each Sunday on August 9th and 16th. ... McCoy was ready to go to jail on Sunday if need be. Senator Ted Cruz sent a supportive tweet, letting California leaders know he’s watching. ‘Thx for standing up for the flock and We the People! The bullies won’t win. We are with you, Pastor.’ In Santa Clara, county officers sent in agents to spy on North Valley Baptist Church, according to documents the county gave to the court. That church has been fined $10,000 for illegally singing in two worship services. Singing. ... In Los Angeles County on Monday, megachurch Pastor John McArthur of Grace Community Church went to court for a fourth time to fight the governor’s ban on worship. [The county is seeking $20,000 in damages. On August 25, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff refused the county’s request to grant a temporary restraining order against the church’s services.] McArthur issued a declaration on Monday, saying it’s clear that the County thinks it’s OK to let ‘congregants to gather to worship the Lord in parking lots, in parks, or perhaps beaches--but never in any church. From Grace Community Church’s perspective, this is nonsensical, and we view it as a direct ban on engaging in the worship which our faith requires.’” The previous report did not mention Harvest Church of Pasadena, Calif. “Last week, Pasadena’s chief assistant city prosecutor sent Harvest Church Pastor Che Ahn a letter, threatening fines and up to one year in jail for anyone who attends a future service. [The letter, dated Aug. 13, reads:] ‘This letter is to remind you that violations of these orders are criminal in nature. Each day in violation is a separate violation and carries with it a potential punishment of up to one year in jail and a fine for each violation. ... Any violations in the future will subject your church, owners, administrators, operators, staff, and parishioners to the above-mentioned criminal penalties as well as the potential closure of your Church.’ ... Liberty Counsel founder and Chairman Mat Staver says, ‘These actions of the City of Pasadena and Gov. Gavin Newsom are akin to repressive foreign regimes, not America where the First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion’” (“Pasadena Threatens Church,” Christian Headlines, Aug. 20, 2020).
FACEBOOK CRACKS DOWN ON ANTIFA AND QANON (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Facebook has taken down Antifa and affiliated anarchist groups. “Facebook explicitly sought to disrupt Antifa’s operations and said it restricted 1,400 hashtags related to the militant leftists and tore down 520 pages and 160 ads. Facebook’s crackdown on Antifa is a harbinger of things to come, as the company said it has begun changing its policies to more aggressively go after militia groups supporting violent protests. ... Facebook’s policy shift takes aim at the radical organizations’ funding, their ability to attract new followers, and the visibility of their content. ... By publicizing its actions against Antifa, Facebook has called attention to its more aggressive content moderation approach as affecting all political ideologies” (“Facebook cracks down,” The Washington Times, Aug. 20, 2020). At the same time, Facebook has “removed 790 QANON groups and imposed restrictions on an additional 1,950 QAnon groups on its platform and 10,000 accounts on Instagram.” QAnon is a hodgepodge of conspiracy theories based on enigmatic reports published by an anonymous person known as “Q” who allegedly has access to ultra top-secret information. There is no evidence that “Q” is anyone other than some goofball with too much time on his hands having a lark, but QAnon believers see Q’s publications as “breadcrumbs” of evidence for their enlightenment. There are fragments of truth, of course, as in all such things, but largely it is a will-o’-the-wisp world of inscrutable poetry, numerology, secret signals, etc. An example of a Q message is this: “Think SC vote to confirm (coming). No Name action. Every dog has its day. Enjoy the show.” It is as murky and meaningless as a Nostradamus prophecy. QAnon is an Alice Wonderland in which nothing is solid, nothing is sure, nothing means what it seems to mean. The main theme is that presidents before Trump were part of a cabal of “deep-state” international evil operators who control America and the world (the media, politicians, Hollywood), operating death squads and pedophile rings and a great many other secret things. Trump was chosen by military generals to run for president to destroy this cabal, which he will supposedly do in a purge called “The Storm” (in which tens of thousands of deep state operatives, including Hilly Clinton, will be arrested and subjected to military tribunals, etc.). Trump supposedly flashes secret signals to QAnon insiders. One of the theories is that John. R. Kennedy, Jr., and his wife faked their own plane crash deaths and went undercover to work with Trump. QAnon is associated with a hodgepodge of conspiracies pertaining to Covid-19, 9-11, UFOs, 5G technology and mind control, etc. It is as nutty as a fruitcake. While a lot of people are attracted to such things and are true believers, a lot of the followers are doubtless just entertaining themselves like “Q” is. To any Q followers in Bible-believing churches, we would say, you don’t need Q; you have the infallible Word of God! Stop wasting your time chasing will-o’-the-wisp in a rabbit hole and become a serious Bible student and disciple of Jesus Christ. And to Facebook and other social media companies, we would say, by all means ban violent speech and pornography and pedophilia and such things, but you should not be censors of speech that is legal under law. Allegedly nutty or not, it should be none of your business. Liberals and leftists, et al, have plenty of their own fake news and conspiratorial nuttiness. Do you want someone censoring your free speech?
THE U.S. BILL OF RIGHTS DO NOT GRANT FREEDOM FOR SUBVERSIVE SPEECH AND ACTION (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Dennis v. United States, ruled that Eugene Dennis, General Secretary of the Communist Party USA, did not have a First Amendment right to free speech if his goal was to overthrow the Constitution. President Dwight Eisenhower agreed: “The Bill of Rights contains no grant of privilege for a group of people to destroy the Bill of Rights. A group--like the Communist conspiracy--dedicated to the ultimate destruction of all civil liberties, cannot be allowed to claim civil liberties as its privileged sanctuary from which to carry on subversion of the Government” (“Eisenhower on Communism,” Time magazine, Oct. 13, 1952).
TRUMP THE “MOST PRO-GAY PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY” (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Grenell: ‘Trump Is Most Pro-Gay President,” CNSNews.com, Aug. 21, 2020: “In a video distributed by the Log Cabin Republicans, former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell states that Trump is the ‘most pro-gay president in American history.’ In a Twitter response to the video, Trump declared, ‘My great honor!!!’ Grenell, who is gay, served as the U.S. ambassador to Germany (2018-20) and as Acting Director of National Intelligence (2/20/20 - 5/26/20) under President Trump. Log Cabin Republicans ‘is the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies,’ according to its website. In the video, Grenell, among other things, states, ‘I know firsthand that President Trump is the strongest ally that gay Americans have ever had in the White House. Donald Trump is the first president in American history to be pro-gay marriage from his first day in office.’”
BLACK LIVES MATTER CHURCH BURNED DOWN BY BLACK LIVES MATTER RIOTERS (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Black Lives Matter Church,” Reformation Charlotte, Aug. 24, 2020: “A church that celebrated the Black Lives Matter movement has been burnt to the ground by, well, Black Lives Matter rioters. After the shooting of another black man in Wisconsin last night--an incident that, unsurprisingly, we have very little details on at this point--rioters took to the streets of Kenosha to receive their ‘reparations’ by looting stores, burning down buildings, and creating, once again, complete and total chaos in the streets. And in order for them to receive justice, they have to destroy anything and everything in their path--and that included one church that celebrated Black Lives Matter. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, ‘A little after 3 a.m., the fire had spread to the Bradford Community Church, the marquee of which had read Black Lives Matter before being incinerated.’”
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).
FACEBOOK CRACKS DOWN ON ANTIFA AND QANON (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Facebook has taken down Antifa and affiliated anarchist groups. “Facebook explicitly sought to disrupt Antifa’s operations and said it restricted 1,400 hashtags related to the militant leftists and tore down 520 pages and 160 ads. Facebook’s crackdown on Antifa is a harbinger of things to come, as the company said it has begun changing its policies to more aggressively go after militia groups supporting violent protests. ... Facebook’s policy shift takes aim at the radical organizations’ funding, their ability to attract new followers, and the visibility of their content. ... By publicizing its actions against Antifa, Facebook has called attention to its more aggressive content moderation approach as affecting all political ideologies” (“Facebook cracks down,” The Washington Times, Aug. 20, 2020). At the same time, Facebook has “removed 790 QANON groups and imposed restrictions on an additional 1,950 QAnon groups on its platform and 10,000 accounts on Instagram.” QAnon is a hodgepodge of conspiracy theories based on enigmatic reports published by an anonymous person known as “Q” who allegedly has access to ultra top-secret information. There is no evidence that “Q” is anyone other than some goofball with too much time on his hands having a lark, but QAnon believers see Q’s publications as “breadcrumbs” of evidence for their enlightenment. There are fragments of truth, of course, as in all such things, but largely it is a will-o’-the-wisp world of inscrutable poetry, numerology, secret signals, etc. An example of a Q message is this: “Think SC vote to confirm (coming). No Name action. Every dog has its day. Enjoy the show.” It is as murky and meaningless as a Nostradamus prophecy. QAnon is an Alice Wonderland in which nothing is solid, nothing is sure, nothing means what it seems to mean. The main theme is that presidents before Trump were part of a cabal of “deep-state” international evil operators who control America and the world (the media, politicians, Hollywood), operating death squads and pedophile rings and a great many other secret things. Trump was chosen by military generals to run for president to destroy this cabal, which he will supposedly do in a purge called “The Storm” (in which tens of thousands of deep state operatives, including Hilly Clinton, will be arrested and subjected to military tribunals, etc.). Trump supposedly flashes secret signals to QAnon insiders. One of the theories is that John. R. Kennedy, Jr., and his wife faked their own plane crash deaths and went undercover to work with Trump. QAnon is associated with a hodgepodge of conspiracies pertaining to Covid-19, 9-11, UFOs, 5G technology and mind control, etc. It is as nutty as a fruitcake. While a lot of people are attracted to such things and are true believers, a lot of the followers are doubtless just entertaining themselves like “Q” is. To any Q followers in Bible-believing churches, we would say, you don’t need Q; you have the infallible Word of God! Stop wasting your time chasing will-o’-the-wisp in a rabbit hole and become a serious Bible student and disciple of Jesus Christ. And to Facebook and other social media companies, we would say, by all means ban violent speech and pornography and pedophilia and such things, but you should not be censors of speech that is legal under law. Allegedly nutty or not, it should be none of your business. Liberals and leftists, et al, have plenty of their own fake news and conspiratorial nuttiness. Do you want someone censoring your free speech?
THE U.S. BILL OF RIGHTS DO NOT GRANT FREEDOM FOR SUBVERSIVE SPEECH AND ACTION (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In 1950, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Dennis v. United States, ruled that Eugene Dennis, General Secretary of the Communist Party USA, did not have a First Amendment right to free speech if his goal was to overthrow the Constitution. President Dwight Eisenhower agreed: “The Bill of Rights contains no grant of privilege for a group of people to destroy the Bill of Rights. A group--like the Communist conspiracy--dedicated to the ultimate destruction of all civil liberties, cannot be allowed to claim civil liberties as its privileged sanctuary from which to carry on subversion of the Government” (“Eisenhower on Communism,” Time magazine, Oct. 13, 1952).
TRUMP THE “MOST PRO-GAY PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY” (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Grenell: ‘Trump Is Most Pro-Gay President,” CNSNews.com, Aug. 21, 2020: “In a video distributed by the Log Cabin Republicans, former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell states that Trump is the ‘most pro-gay president in American history.’ In a Twitter response to the video, Trump declared, ‘My great honor!!!’ Grenell, who is gay, served as the U.S. ambassador to Germany (2018-20) and as Acting Director of National Intelligence (2/20/20 - 5/26/20) under President Trump. Log Cabin Republicans ‘is the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies,’ according to its website. In the video, Grenell, among other things, states, ‘I know firsthand that President Trump is the strongest ally that gay Americans have ever had in the White House. Donald Trump is the first president in American history to be pro-gay marriage from his first day in office.’”
BLACK LIVES MATTER CHURCH BURNED DOWN BY BLACK LIVES MATTER RIOTERS (Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2020, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Black Lives Matter Church,” Reformation Charlotte, Aug. 24, 2020: “A church that celebrated the Black Lives Matter movement has been burnt to the ground by, well, Black Lives Matter rioters. After the shooting of another black man in Wisconsin last night--an incident that, unsurprisingly, we have very little details on at this point--rioters took to the streets of Kenosha to receive their ‘reparations’ by looting stores, burning down buildings, and creating, once again, complete and total chaos in the streets. And in order for them to receive justice, they have to destroy anything and everything in their path--and that included one church that celebrated Black Lives Matter. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, ‘A little after 3 a.m., the fire had spread to the Bradford Community Church, the marquee of which had read Black Lives Matter before being incinerated.’”
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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