Friday Church News Notes
Volume 22, Issue 12 - March 19, 2021
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.
MARVEL COMICS OCCULT GARBAGE DEVOURED BY CHURCH KIDS (Friday Church News Notes, March 5, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - This week I was informed of the following Facebook post: “I keep seeing ads for the Marvel series WandaVision and have heard about a bunch of young people who are watching it. These stories are based on demonic material that is not suitable for Christian kids. It is straight up demonic/witchcraft material. If, as a Christian, you can be entertained by demonism and witchcraft, you really need to do some self-examination.” When I inquired further about this, the author (an Independent Baptist) replied, “Yes, definitely a lot of church kids watching that and all of that Marvel comic stuff.” This is a reference to occult comics, books, and videos produced by Marvel Comics. A fictional book called Darkhold, also known as The Book of Sins, is the focus of a Marvel Comic book series, the Marvel television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Runways, and the live-action miniseries WandaVision (2021). The author of Darkhold is supposed to be Chthon, “a demonic Elder God who was Earth’s first practitioner of black magic.” Pages of Darkhold are said to be scattered across the earth and can summon massive dark powers. Darkhold mythology is filled with wizards, sorcerers, incantations, spell casting, curses, demons, vampires, werewolves, zombies, necromancy, super powers, magic healing, astral projection, teleporting, dimension travel, “high evolution,” deceit, theft, torture, murder, not to speak of nakedness. One character even sacrifices her soul to Chthon. Another popular Marvel Comic occult character is Scarlet Witch. Appearing in Marvel comics since 1964, her superhuman traits are a product of magic and scientific experimentation. She is a member of the Avengers superhero team. By magic, she impregnated herself and bore twin sons, Wiccan and Speed. Between 2015 and 2017, Scarlet Witch was featured in her own comic series. She also appears in Marvel animated films, television series, arcade and video games, including Captain America. She is the main character in WandaVision and is scheduled to appear in the forthcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). There is nothing innocent about this. Church youth who are involved with the occult and do not repent in sincere and open repentance should be put under discipline. Their salvation should be deeply questioned. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). It is impossible to imagine the apostle Paul ignoring such a gross spiritual wickedness in the house of God. Where are the pastors? Where are the teachers? Where are the parents? Where are the grandparents? A friend commented on this as follows: “Most IFB pastors don’t even know this stuff is going on or are watching it themselves.” Why should an institution countenancing such things have the audacity to call itself a New Testament church? What good is it to be a “King James” church, so called, when we grossly ignore the King James Bible? Do they really only care about some warm bodies filling the pews and some tithes in the offering plate? Are they that apostate? Here are just three passages of the KJV that speak directly to this issue: Deuteronomy 18:10-12--“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.” Ephesians 5:11-15--“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18--“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 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.”
168 YEARS OF FEMALE ORDINATION (Friday Church News Notes, March 19, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In 1853, the United Church of Christ became the first U.S. denomination to ordain a woman for congregational leadership. Antoinette Brown Blackwell, a prominent suffragette, was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in South Butler, New York. A “Rev.” Luther Lee preached the ordination message from Galatians 3:28--“there is neither male nor female ... in Christ Jesus” (“Women’s History Month,” The Christian Post, Mar. 7, 2021). He conveniently overlooked God’s clear commandment in 1 Timothy 2:12. In 1875, Pauline Martindale was ordained an elder in the Methodist Protestant Church. In 1888, the Disciples of Christ ordained Clara Babcock as a pastor. In 1889, Ella Niswonger was the first woman ordained by the United Brethren Church. The Assemblies of God ordained women from its inception in 1914, and in 2018 elected Donna Barrett as its first female general secretary. In 1956, the Presbyterian Church USA ordained its first female “clergyperson,” Margaret Towner. The United Methodist Church, which was formed in 1968, granted “full clergy rights” for women from its inception. In 1970, the newly formed Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches voted to allow female ordination. In 1976, the Episcopal Church approved the ordination of women. Two years earlier, the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, an Episcopal church, had ordained 11 women in defiance of denominational law. Charles Willie, who preached at the service, declared that “it is a Christian duty to disobey unjust laws” (“11 Women Ordained,” New York Times, July 30, 1974). He was wrong. It is a Christian duty “to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), but God stands against female ordination. The apostle Paul stated, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:12). Female ordination is end-time apostasy.
SNAPCHAT A TRANSGENDER PROPAGANDA MACHINE (Friday Church News Notes, March 19, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Snapchat,” Conservative Review, Feb. 27, 2021: “The number of transgender Gen Zers is about 10 times higher than that of their parents in Generation X. In a tweet Wednesday, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh pointed out that the uptick in gender-dysphoric children is not a ‘natural or organic development.’ It is the result of popular culture and our corrupt school system ‘actively recruit[ing] children into the LGBT ranks.’ Walsh is absolutely right, and Snapchat is the transgender lobby’s greatest ally for indoctrinating and recruiting young people. A 2020 study found Snapchat is the most popular social media among U.S. teens (TikTok is a close second). Snapchat’s content is short-lived and always disappearing, so parents have no way of keeping tabs on what their kids are seeing. It tends to fly under the radar because older conservatives give more attention to Twitter and Facebook, but because Snapchat is dominated by young people, it is arguably the most influential and dangerous app. ... LGBT content is very prevalent on Snapchat, and transgender content is specially common. .. One of the biggest promoters of transgenderism is the Snapchat series ‘My Extraordinary Family.’ The latest episode is titled ‘Twin Sisters Become Twin Brothers.’ ... Other episodes include, ‘Parents Won’t Gender Their Kids’ and ‘I Helped My Dad Transition Into A Woman.’ ... Degrading and undermining masculinity is a common theme on Snapchat. ‘Drag My Dad’ is an MTV Snapchat series featuring ‘Bob the drag queen,’ who ‘is bringing families together by taking your typical macho, goofy dad and transforming him into the ultimate drag fantasy.’ ... GENDER TRANSITIONING IS A GROWING MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY AND THE RADICAL LEFT AND THEIR CORPORATE LOBBYISTS WANT TO CONTINUE CAPITALIZING ON IT. Just like other Big Tech giants have decided to partner with the corporate media and Democratic Party, so has Snapchat.” “For the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
THE ORCHID THAT CAPTURES WORKERS (Friday Church News Notes, March 19, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from creationmoments.com, January 5, 2021: “The relatively rare bucket orchid, Coryanthes, behaves almost like an animal at pollination time. This remarkable ability is essential to its survival. Coryanthes has a steep-sided flower. Two glands extend over the center of the ‘bucket’ and secrete a clear fluid into the flower after it opens. Just above the pool of fluid inside the bucket, a tunnel opens to the outside of the bucket. At the end of the tunnel are the flower’s pollen and stigma. When it opens, the flower sends out a strong, sweet odor that can attract male bees from over five miles away. The male bees collect a waxy material on the flower’s surface that they later use in mating rituals. As the number of bees collecting this substance off the flower’s surface increases, so does the likelihood that in the excitement one of them will fall into the pool below. When this happens, the sticky fluid makes it impossible for the bee to make its out of the ‘top’ of the bucket-shaped flower. However, the tunnel provides an easy exit. But as the bee nears the tunnel’s end, the flower drops down a projection from the tunnel’s ceiling, holding the bee for about ten minutes before freeing him. While the bee is held, the flower glues two packets of pollen to the bee. If it should happen that the bee already has pollen packets, this activity delivers the pollen to the stigma, and pollination is complete. The Coryanthes orchid not only shows us the Creator, but it shows us how unlimited His creativity and imagination are.”
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).
168 YEARS OF FEMALE ORDINATION (Friday Church News Notes, March 19, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In 1853, the United Church of Christ became the first U.S. denomination to ordain a woman for congregational leadership. Antoinette Brown Blackwell, a prominent suffragette, was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in South Butler, New York. A “Rev.” Luther Lee preached the ordination message from Galatians 3:28--“there is neither male nor female ... in Christ Jesus” (“Women’s History Month,” The Christian Post, Mar. 7, 2021). He conveniently overlooked God’s clear commandment in 1 Timothy 2:12. In 1875, Pauline Martindale was ordained an elder in the Methodist Protestant Church. In 1888, the Disciples of Christ ordained Clara Babcock as a pastor. In 1889, Ella Niswonger was the first woman ordained by the United Brethren Church. The Assemblies of God ordained women from its inception in 1914, and in 2018 elected Donna Barrett as its first female general secretary. In 1956, the Presbyterian Church USA ordained its first female “clergyperson,” Margaret Towner. The United Methodist Church, which was formed in 1968, granted “full clergy rights” for women from its inception. In 1970, the newly formed Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches voted to allow female ordination. In 1976, the Episcopal Church approved the ordination of women. Two years earlier, the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, an Episcopal church, had ordained 11 women in defiance of denominational law. Charles Willie, who preached at the service, declared that “it is a Christian duty to disobey unjust laws” (“11 Women Ordained,” New York Times, July 30, 1974). He was wrong. It is a Christian duty “to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), but God stands against female ordination. The apostle Paul stated, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:12). Female ordination is end-time apostasy.
SNAPCHAT A TRANSGENDER PROPAGANDA MACHINE (Friday Church News Notes, March 19, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Snapchat,” Conservative Review, Feb. 27, 2021: “The number of transgender Gen Zers is about 10 times higher than that of their parents in Generation X. In a tweet Wednesday, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh pointed out that the uptick in gender-dysphoric children is not a ‘natural or organic development.’ It is the result of popular culture and our corrupt school system ‘actively recruit[ing] children into the LGBT ranks.’ Walsh is absolutely right, and Snapchat is the transgender lobby’s greatest ally for indoctrinating and recruiting young people. A 2020 study found Snapchat is the most popular social media among U.S. teens (TikTok is a close second). Snapchat’s content is short-lived and always disappearing, so parents have no way of keeping tabs on what their kids are seeing. It tends to fly under the radar because older conservatives give more attention to Twitter and Facebook, but because Snapchat is dominated by young people, it is arguably the most influential and dangerous app. ... LGBT content is very prevalent on Snapchat, and transgender content is specially common. .. One of the biggest promoters of transgenderism is the Snapchat series ‘My Extraordinary Family.’ The latest episode is titled ‘Twin Sisters Become Twin Brothers.’ ... Other episodes include, ‘Parents Won’t Gender Their Kids’ and ‘I Helped My Dad Transition Into A Woman.’ ... Degrading and undermining masculinity is a common theme on Snapchat. ‘Drag My Dad’ is an MTV Snapchat series featuring ‘Bob the drag queen,’ who ‘is bringing families together by taking your typical macho, goofy dad and transforming him into the ultimate drag fantasy.’ ... GENDER TRANSITIONING IS A GROWING MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY AND THE RADICAL LEFT AND THEIR CORPORATE LOBBYISTS WANT TO CONTINUE CAPITALIZING ON IT. Just like other Big Tech giants have decided to partner with the corporate media and Democratic Party, so has Snapchat.” “For the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).
THE ORCHID THAT CAPTURES WORKERS (Friday Church News Notes, March 19, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from creationmoments.com, January 5, 2021: “The relatively rare bucket orchid, Coryanthes, behaves almost like an animal at pollination time. This remarkable ability is essential to its survival. Coryanthes has a steep-sided flower. Two glands extend over the center of the ‘bucket’ and secrete a clear fluid into the flower after it opens. Just above the pool of fluid inside the bucket, a tunnel opens to the outside of the bucket. At the end of the tunnel are the flower’s pollen and stigma. When it opens, the flower sends out a strong, sweet odor that can attract male bees from over five miles away. The male bees collect a waxy material on the flower’s surface that they later use in mating rituals. As the number of bees collecting this substance off the flower’s surface increases, so does the likelihood that in the excitement one of them will fall into the pool below. When this happens, the sticky fluid makes it impossible for the bee to make its out of the ‘top’ of the bucket-shaped flower. However, the tunnel provides an easy exit. But as the bee nears the tunnel’s end, the flower drops down a projection from the tunnel’s ceiling, holding the bee for about ten minutes before freeing him. While the bee is held, the flower glues two packets of pollen to the bee. If it should happen that the bee already has pollen packets, this activity delivers the pollen to the stigma, and pollination is complete. The Coryanthes orchid not only shows us the Creator, but it shows us how unlimited His creativity and imagination are.”
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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