Friday Church News Notes
Volume 22, Issue 19 - May 7, 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.
Päivi Räsänen
CHRISTIAN MP IN FINLAND FACING PRISON FOR TWEETING BIBLE VERSES ON MARRIAGE (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Christian MP,” Christian Post, May 1, 2021: “A Christian member of the Finnish Parliament is facing six years imprisonment for allegedly committing three crimes, including ‘hate speech,’ for sharing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality on social media, on television and in a pamphlet. The country’s chief prosecutor has brought three criminal charges against Finnish Member of Parliament and former Minister of the Interior, Päivi Räsänen, according to the Austria-based Christian legal group ADF International. The politician, who is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and former chair of the Christian Democrats, has been under police investigation since June 2019 for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a 2004 pamphlet, for comments made on a 2018 TV show, and a tweet directed at her church leadership. A medical doctor, mother of five and grandmother of six, Räsänen now faces two years in prison for each alleged crime, the group said. ... A Member of Parliament since 1995, Räsänen said, ‘[I will] defend my right to confess my faith so that no one else would be deprived of their right to freedom of religion and speech.’ She said she holds on to ‘the view that my expressions are legal and they should not be censored.’ ‘I will not back down from my views. I will not be intimidated into hiding my faith. The more Christians keep silent on controversial themes, the narrower the space for freedom of speech gets,’ she said.”
MARKING DOWN STUDENTS FOR SPELLING MISTAKES IS “ELITIST,” SAYS UNIVERSITY (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Marking down students,” London Telegraph, Apr. 11, 2021: “As part of efforts to ‘decolonise’ the curriculum and ensure ‘equity of opportunity’ between all students regardless of their background, professors and lecturers at Hull University have been advised against insisting on good written English in all circumstances. It is one of a number of universities to have adopted ‘inclusive’ marking policies, which cite fairness and equality between students as a reason why lecturers should be prepared to overlook spelling and grammar mistakes. ... Worcester University also has a policy on how to assess students ‘inclusively’ which asks lecturers to focus marking on ‘how well the student has communicated their understanding’ of the subject rather than on spelling, grammar and punctuation where they are not central to the assessment criteria. The policy says it is ‘fairer’ to concentrate on the quality of students’ ideas and knowledge rather than their spelling and grammar. This was because some students are from ‘diverse backgrounds’ so may be at a ‘disadvantage from the outset.’ The University of the Arts London tells academics to ‘actively accept spelling, grammar or other language mistakes’ as long as they do not ‘significantly impede communication.’” CONCLUSION: Spelling and grammar are designed to improve communication, not hinder it. These schools are not helping their students; they are putting them at a distinct disadvantage. I am glad that I was required to take remedial English grammar in first year Bible college. I had attended mediocre public schools and had not taken education seriously until I was 23 years old. The remedial English grammar course was just what I needed to get up to speed in my communication skills, and I have built on that foundation ever since. Students who aren’t capable of learning proper English should not be in university. I don’t think this stupidity will go very far, because most students who pay for higher education want a real education. But then again, stupid can go pretty far in this present world.
EXCELLENT NEW HYMNAL (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs is an excellent new hymnal. It has nearly 1,000 songs covering more than eight centuries of hymnody. The songs are arranged according to the timeline of Scripture, from eternity past to eternity future. It contains more than 7,000 Scripture references and 450 historical sketches about hymns and their writers and other interesting and educational comments. There are a great many rare old hymns, including ones by Benjamin Beddome (36), Dawson Burns (8), Benjamin Cleavland (4), William Cushing (5), Samuel Deacon (9), David Denham (9), John Fawcett (9), Benjamin Francis (5), Benjamin Keach (9), Thomas Kelly (24), John Leland (5), Samuel Medley (17), Lelian Morris (4), John Needham (18), Johnson Oatman, Jr. (5), John Rippon (6), John Ryland (6), Samuel Stennett (9), and Joseph Swain (6), to mention a few. The hymnal restores all of the lyrics that have been dropped in other hymnals, such as the full seven stanzas of “How Firm a Foundation” and the three stanzas that Baptist pastor John Rippon added to “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” The tune name and meter are given for each selection, thus allowing the songs to be sung by different tunes. For example, “Give Me Jesus” and “Face to Face” are both in 8.7.8.7 meter, so the tunes can be interchanged. (The first number is the number of syllables in the first line of the song, and the second number is the number of syllables in the second line, etc.) “Amazing Grace,” “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place,” and “Lead Me to Calvary” are 8.6.8.6. (called common meter) and can be interchanged. By the use of meter, known tunes can be used for unknown songs. This is facilitated by the hymnal’s complete tune and metrical indexes. For example, Benjamin Keach’s largely unknown hymns (died 1704) are mostly in the 8.6.8.6. meter so they can be sung to tunes such as “Lead Me to Calvary,” even though they also have their own unique tunes. The songs contain notations indicating music dynamics (e.g., pp - very soft, ff - very loud, and rall - gradually slower) and intro marks to assist musicians. The spiritual depth of the selections is great. There is nothing contemporary here, nothing frivolous like so many of the Stamps-Baxter songs, very few of the more shallow revivalist songs. This hymnal is a much needed treasure trove for serious, biblical congregational singing. The publisher is Melody Publications, www.melodypublications.com.
CANCELLED SCIENCE: WHAT SOME ATHEISTS DON’T WANT YOU TO HEAR (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Cancelled Science: What Some Atheists Don’t Want You to Hear is the title to Dr. Eric Hedin’s new book documenting the Darwinian cancel culture. In 2013, Hedin was attacked by biologist Jerry Coyne and the Freedom From Religion Foundation for having the audacity to include some Intelligent Design materials as recommended reading in his honors seminary course entitled Boundaries of Science. The material was not creationist, and it was not even required reading, but the very whiff of a possibility of “divine intelligence” entering a university science classroom was enough to set Coyne and company into a censorship frenzy. They nonsensically accused Dr. Hedin of proselytizing and teaching Christianity based on “anonymous complaints found on RateMyProfessor.com, which has no verification for whether a reviewer actually took a professor’s courses or not.” This was in spite of the fact that Hedin’s actual students had no complaint. Typical was the following comment: “I’m an agnostic and I find absolutely nothing wrong with his teachings ... as far as intelligent and thought-provoking discussions go, it is one of the most INNOVATIVE classes I have had during my time at Ball State. ... There is nothing wrong with this class, and I would recommend it to anyone, no matter what their religious beliefs are.” Free Science reported, “Violating its own procedures, BSU appointed a special ad hoc committee stacked with hostile faculty to investigate Hedin. Despite receiving a petition signed by more than 7,000 people urging BSU to defend Hedin’s academic freedom, the university ultimately cancelled Hedin’s course” (“Investigated, Silenced, Course Canceled,” Free Science.today). Ball State acted against its own Faculty Personnel Handbook, which states, “Academic freedom and freedom of expression include but are not limited to the expression of ideas, philosophies, or religious beliefs, however controversial, in classroom or other academic settings.” Possibly because of widespread outcry against the cancelling of Hedin’s course, he kept his job and earned tenure in 2016. It is ridiculous that evolutionary atheists like Jerry Coyne care one way or the other about creationism and intelligent design. If they are right, nothing has any ultimate meaning. They are nothing going nowhere for no purpose to no end. That is their own professed philosophy, but they don’t live like they really believe it. Stories of a few other scientists who have been censored and blacklisted can be found here -
https://freescience.today/stories/
HOW MANY SMELLS CAN YOU SMELL (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, Mar. 31, 2015: “Psalm 45:8: ‘All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.’ Until recently it was commonly thought that humans can smell approximately 10,000 different odors. But that's no longer thought to be true. So how many different odors can that nose in the middle of your face detect? Scientists at Rockefeller University in New York set out to test the idea of 10,000 different odors. The number dates back to 1927, but it was never scientifically investigated. So they asked 26 people to identify a scent from three samples containing 128 molecules--two that were the same and one that was different. From this, they were able to tell how many different scents the average person would be able to distinguish if they were presented with all the possible mixtures that could be made from the 128 molecules. So what was the official number? One trillion different odors--and even this, they say, is most likely an underestimate! Now, why would our Creator endow us with such an amazing sense of smell? Could He have been showing us how much He loves us? After all, the sense of smell enables us to appreciate the delightful aroma of flowers and food. In fact, we couldn’t enjoy the food we eat if it weren’t for our ability to smell. Our sense of smell is one example of what is called God’s common grace. He has given this gift to everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. But only believers can appreciate this as a gift from God and not an evolutionary accident of nature.”
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).
MARKING DOWN STUDENTS FOR SPELLING MISTAKES IS “ELITIST,” SAYS UNIVERSITY (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Marking down students,” London Telegraph, Apr. 11, 2021: “As part of efforts to ‘decolonise’ the curriculum and ensure ‘equity of opportunity’ between all students regardless of their background, professors and lecturers at Hull University have been advised against insisting on good written English in all circumstances. It is one of a number of universities to have adopted ‘inclusive’ marking policies, which cite fairness and equality between students as a reason why lecturers should be prepared to overlook spelling and grammar mistakes. ... Worcester University also has a policy on how to assess students ‘inclusively’ which asks lecturers to focus marking on ‘how well the student has communicated their understanding’ of the subject rather than on spelling, grammar and punctuation where they are not central to the assessment criteria. The policy says it is ‘fairer’ to concentrate on the quality of students’ ideas and knowledge rather than their spelling and grammar. This was because some students are from ‘diverse backgrounds’ so may be at a ‘disadvantage from the outset.’ The University of the Arts London tells academics to ‘actively accept spelling, grammar or other language mistakes’ as long as they do not ‘significantly impede communication.’” CONCLUSION: Spelling and grammar are designed to improve communication, not hinder it. These schools are not helping their students; they are putting them at a distinct disadvantage. I am glad that I was required to take remedial English grammar in first year Bible college. I had attended mediocre public schools and had not taken education seriously until I was 23 years old. The remedial English grammar course was just what I needed to get up to speed in my communication skills, and I have built on that foundation ever since. Students who aren’t capable of learning proper English should not be in university. I don’t think this stupidity will go very far, because most students who pay for higher education want a real education. But then again, stupid can go pretty far in this present world.
EXCELLENT NEW HYMNAL (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs is an excellent new hymnal. It has nearly 1,000 songs covering more than eight centuries of hymnody. The songs are arranged according to the timeline of Scripture, from eternity past to eternity future. It contains more than 7,000 Scripture references and 450 historical sketches about hymns and their writers and other interesting and educational comments. There are a great many rare old hymns, including ones by Benjamin Beddome (36), Dawson Burns (8), Benjamin Cleavland (4), William Cushing (5), Samuel Deacon (9), David Denham (9), John Fawcett (9), Benjamin Francis (5), Benjamin Keach (9), Thomas Kelly (24), John Leland (5), Samuel Medley (17), Lelian Morris (4), John Needham (18), Johnson Oatman, Jr. (5), John Rippon (6), John Ryland (6), Samuel Stennett (9), and Joseph Swain (6), to mention a few. The hymnal restores all of the lyrics that have been dropped in other hymnals, such as the full seven stanzas of “How Firm a Foundation” and the three stanzas that Baptist pastor John Rippon added to “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” The tune name and meter are given for each selection, thus allowing the songs to be sung by different tunes. For example, “Give Me Jesus” and “Face to Face” are both in 8.7.8.7 meter, so the tunes can be interchanged. (The first number is the number of syllables in the first line of the song, and the second number is the number of syllables in the second line, etc.) “Amazing Grace,” “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place,” and “Lead Me to Calvary” are 8.6.8.6. (called common meter) and can be interchanged. By the use of meter, known tunes can be used for unknown songs. This is facilitated by the hymnal’s complete tune and metrical indexes. For example, Benjamin Keach’s largely unknown hymns (died 1704) are mostly in the 8.6.8.6. meter so they can be sung to tunes such as “Lead Me to Calvary,” even though they also have their own unique tunes. The songs contain notations indicating music dynamics (e.g., pp - very soft, ff - very loud, and rall - gradually slower) and intro marks to assist musicians. The spiritual depth of the selections is great. There is nothing contemporary here, nothing frivolous like so many of the Stamps-Baxter songs, very few of the more shallow revivalist songs. This hymnal is a much needed treasure trove for serious, biblical congregational singing. The publisher is Melody Publications, www.melodypublications.com.
CANCELLED SCIENCE: WHAT SOME ATHEISTS DON’T WANT YOU TO HEAR (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Cancelled Science: What Some Atheists Don’t Want You to Hear is the title to Dr. Eric Hedin’s new book documenting the Darwinian cancel culture. In 2013, Hedin was attacked by biologist Jerry Coyne and the Freedom From Religion Foundation for having the audacity to include some Intelligent Design materials as recommended reading in his honors seminary course entitled Boundaries of Science. The material was not creationist, and it was not even required reading, but the very whiff of a possibility of “divine intelligence” entering a university science classroom was enough to set Coyne and company into a censorship frenzy. They nonsensically accused Dr. Hedin of proselytizing and teaching Christianity based on “anonymous complaints found on RateMyProfessor.com, which has no verification for whether a reviewer actually took a professor’s courses or not.” This was in spite of the fact that Hedin’s actual students had no complaint. Typical was the following comment: “I’m an agnostic and I find absolutely nothing wrong with his teachings ... as far as intelligent and thought-provoking discussions go, it is one of the most INNOVATIVE classes I have had during my time at Ball State. ... There is nothing wrong with this class, and I would recommend it to anyone, no matter what their religious beliefs are.” Free Science reported, “Violating its own procedures, BSU appointed a special ad hoc committee stacked with hostile faculty to investigate Hedin. Despite receiving a petition signed by more than 7,000 people urging BSU to defend Hedin’s academic freedom, the university ultimately cancelled Hedin’s course” (“Investigated, Silenced, Course Canceled,” Free Science.today). Ball State acted against its own Faculty Personnel Handbook, which states, “Academic freedom and freedom of expression include but are not limited to the expression of ideas, philosophies, or religious beliefs, however controversial, in classroom or other academic settings.” Possibly because of widespread outcry against the cancelling of Hedin’s course, he kept his job and earned tenure in 2016. It is ridiculous that evolutionary atheists like Jerry Coyne care one way or the other about creationism and intelligent design. If they are right, nothing has any ultimate meaning. They are nothing going nowhere for no purpose to no end. That is their own professed philosophy, but they don’t live like they really believe it. Stories of a few other scientists who have been censored and blacklisted can be found here -
https://freescience.today/stories/
HOW MANY SMELLS CAN YOU SMELL (Friday Church News Notes, May 7, 2021, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, Mar. 31, 2015: “Psalm 45:8: ‘All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.’ Until recently it was commonly thought that humans can smell approximately 10,000 different odors. But that's no longer thought to be true. So how many different odors can that nose in the middle of your face detect? Scientists at Rockefeller University in New York set out to test the idea of 10,000 different odors. The number dates back to 1927, but it was never scientifically investigated. So they asked 26 people to identify a scent from three samples containing 128 molecules--two that were the same and one that was different. From this, they were able to tell how many different scents the average person would be able to distinguish if they were presented with all the possible mixtures that could be made from the 128 molecules. So what was the official number? One trillion different odors--and even this, they say, is most likely an underestimate! Now, why would our Creator endow us with such an amazing sense of smell? Could He have been showing us how much He loves us? After all, the sense of smell enables us to appreciate the delightful aroma of flowers and food. In fact, we couldn’t enjoy the food we eat if it weren’t for our ability to smell. Our sense of smell is one example of what is called God’s common grace. He has given this gift to everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. But only believers can appreciate this as a gift from God and not an evolutionary accident of nature.”
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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