Friday Church News Notes
Volume 22, Issue 28 - July 9, 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.
Anthony Fauci
FAUCI IS HUMANIST OF THE YEAR (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Anthony Fauci has been selected by the American Humanist Association as the 2021 Humanist of the Year. The award by the American Humanist Association is for “community leaders whose lives and contributions to society exemplify the values of humanism.” Eighty-year-old Fauci has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and is chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden. He has played a prominent role in the Covid pandemic, urging lockdowns, masking, vaccinations, and downplaying China’s roll in the virus. He is infamous for the public admission that he deceived the American people in order to promote his vaccination program. He said, “When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent … Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80, 85.” So he admitted that he was fudging the “science” in order “to manipulate people into behaving how he wants (The Federalist, Dec. 28, 2020). Of course, Humanists are bound by no settled moral laws, so lying is no problem. The Humanist Manifestos promote atheism, evolution, science as god, self-determination, moral relativism, globalism, and socialism. The Humanist Manifesto of 1933 stated, “Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created. Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process. Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected. ... We are convinced that the time has passed for theism ... Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the realization of the world of his dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement.” Signatories included John Dewey, who had a massive influence on American education. The Second Humanist Manifesto (1973) claimed that “faith in a prayer-hearing God is an unproved and outmoded faith,” and called the religious teaching of salvation “harmful, diverting people with false hopes of heaven hereafter.” Signed by 120 influential men and women, including Isaac Asimov, Francis Crick, and B.F. Skinner, it called for the right to birth control, divorce, abortion, and suicide and the establishment of global laws and courts. The Humanist Manifesto of 2003, signed by 21 Nobel laureates, said, “We aim for our fullest possible development and animate our lives with a deep sense of purpose ... Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. Humanists find that science is the best method for determining this knowledge as well as for solving problems and developing beneficial technologies. ... Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change. ... Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. ... The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone.” Humanism makes man his own god and exalts man’s puny mind as the chief authority. It is inherently illogical, on one hand claiming that man is the product of blind, non-guided, non-intelligent evolutionary processes, while on the other hand claiming that man has dignity and purpose. If man is a product of naturalistic evolution, then he came from nothing, is nothing, and is going nowhere. The arrogance and willful skepticism of Humanism is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy and therefore proves the Bible to be true! “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water” (2 Peter 3:3-5). In this 2,000-year-old prophecy we see the major characteristics of Humanism: Scoffing at the Bible, denying biblical creationism, living after their own lusts, rejection of supernatural prophecy, and willful ignorance (a great many humanists don’t have even a bare working knowledge of the Bible they scorn). By the way, Humanists do not believe in freedom of speech and are at the forefront of the draconian cancel culture. When atheist Richard Dawkins tweeted in April 2021 the mere possibility that transsexuals aren’t really what they claim, the American Humanist Association withdrew his 1996 Humanist of the Year award, claiming that Dawkins’ “latest statement implies that the identities of transgender individuals are fraudulent.” Dawkins merely tweeted, “Some men choose to identify as women, and some women choose to identify as men. You will be vilified if you deny that they literally are what they identify as.” His Humanist pals proved him right.
BAPTIST CHURCH ORDAINS TRANSGENDER PASTOR (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Baptist church ordains,” The Christian Post, June 16, 2021: “An Indiana congregation affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has ordained who is believed to be the first confirmed transgender pastor in the denomination’s history. Laura Bethany Buchleiter, a trans-identified individual who identifies as female, was ordained at University Baptist Church of Bloomington in a ceremony held last month. ... [Buchleiter said,] ‘I re-entered Baptist culture through Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, at a time when they were discerning their status as an open and affirming church. It was there that the call to serve the Church was revived.’ ... [T]heological conservatives such a Texas Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, have argued that transgender ideology is inherently incompatible with Christianity. ‘It’s not that confusing,’ said Jeffress in a 2016 sermon. ‘In Matthew 19:4, God’s Words are applicable. The Bible says, God made them from the beginning male and female, not male, female and question mark. God has determined how many sexes there are--there are two, not three. ... Gender identity confusion should not be exploited by social activists like those in the [President Barack] Obama administration who want to deny the God-given distinction between the sexes. This is a rebellion against God’s plan.’”
NEW STUDY SHOWS ONLY TINY PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS HAVE A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Top 10 Most Seductive Unbiblical Ideas Embraced by Americans,” Cultural Research Center, June 22, 2021: “The American public flaunts its free will in many ways, not the least of which is by embracing a number of seductive--but decidedly unbiblical beliefs--as part of their worldview. According to new analysis of data from the American Worldview Inventory 2021 from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, the ‘Top 10’ most prevalent ‘seductive unbiblical ideas’ embraced by American adults include: the spiritually inclusive idea that ‘having faith matters more than what faith you have’ (62%); all faiths are of equal value (62%); belief in ‘karma’ (57%); the dismissal of absolute truth (67%); the idea that people are ‘basically good’ (69%); sexual relations apart from marriage are morally acceptable (68%). ... The AWVI 2021 shows that even the 6% of adults who have a biblical worldview harbor many of these counter-biblical ideas as part of their personal philosophy of life. ... [M]illions of Americans have moved away from believing that the Bible contains relevant and reliable moral absolutes for their lives.”
TOZER’S WISDOM ABOUT PREACHERS AND POLITICS (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from A.W. Tozer, Tozer Speaks, vol. 1: “After more than forty years of experience, I am prepared to say that I have never heard or read anything of a political nature, by a preacher, that was any good. When a man of God speaks as a prophet, his message is freighted with wisdom and power. When he speaks for a party, God withdraws His power and lets His servant speak without wisdom. As a prophet, he may call to judgment kings and presidents. Let him obey God and stay by his commission, and he will be God’s voice to all men and all parties. Let him seek to identify his prophetic office with politics, or place his power at the disposal of a party, and he violates his office and confuses his own face. Then he speaks as a discredited prophet, and not all his pretensions to omniscience can disguise the babel in his voice! Preachers have been known to go all-out for some newly-come politician because he spoke ‘respectfully of God.’ Later events made them wish they had ... allowed their man to prove his piety before they fastened themselves on his coattail. Christ is not a member of any political party. He stands outside of and above every party. His kingdom was not of this world.”
A MASTER OF DISGUISE (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, June 24, 2021: “Many plants and animals disguise themselves as something they are not in the hope of protecting themselves. However, a true master of disguise must have many disguises. The tiger swallowtail offers no less than three disguises as it grows through its various stages toward adulthood. The newly hatched larva looks for all the world like a bird dropping. This appearance makes the larva of no interest to birds that might otherwise eat it. Three molts later the caterpillar has turned green to match the leaves on which it feeds. In case he is spotted by some birds looking for a nice fat caterpillar for lunch, the caterpillar also has two large spots on its head that look like the eyes of a snake. Birds who are interested in caterpillars usually try to stay as far from snakes as possible. Finally, in the pupal stage, the tiger swallowtail has again radically altered its appearance. The pupa now looks like nothing more than just another broken twig on a tree trunk. The immature tiger swallowtail’s bag of disguises reflects a great deal of knowledge about the behavior of those creatures that threaten it. Each of its three disguises uses a different method to fool those birds that would be interested in the larva. Each disguise has the same specific goal. This master of disguise is no accident of biology. Our Creator’s purpose in making Himself evident in the creation is ultimately aimed at bringing each of us into a relationship with Himself. That relationship is based on the forgiveness of our sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. Author: Paul A. Bartz. Ref: ‘A one-bug virtuoso starring in three roles,’ National Geographic, Mar. 1980. p. 402.”
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).
BAPTIST CHURCH ORDAINS TRANSGENDER PASTOR (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Baptist church ordains,” The Christian Post, June 16, 2021: “An Indiana congregation affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has ordained who is believed to be the first confirmed transgender pastor in the denomination’s history. Laura Bethany Buchleiter, a trans-identified individual who identifies as female, was ordained at University Baptist Church of Bloomington in a ceremony held last month. ... [Buchleiter said,] ‘I re-entered Baptist culture through Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, at a time when they were discerning their status as an open and affirming church. It was there that the call to serve the Church was revived.’ ... [T]heological conservatives such a Texas Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, have argued that transgender ideology is inherently incompatible with Christianity. ‘It’s not that confusing,’ said Jeffress in a 2016 sermon. ‘In Matthew 19:4, God’s Words are applicable. The Bible says, God made them from the beginning male and female, not male, female and question mark. God has determined how many sexes there are--there are two, not three. ... Gender identity confusion should not be exploited by social activists like those in the [President Barack] Obama administration who want to deny the God-given distinction between the sexes. This is a rebellion against God’s plan.’”
NEW STUDY SHOWS ONLY TINY PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS HAVE A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Top 10 Most Seductive Unbiblical Ideas Embraced by Americans,” Cultural Research Center, June 22, 2021: “The American public flaunts its free will in many ways, not the least of which is by embracing a number of seductive--but decidedly unbiblical beliefs--as part of their worldview. According to new analysis of data from the American Worldview Inventory 2021 from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, the ‘Top 10’ most prevalent ‘seductive unbiblical ideas’ embraced by American adults include: the spiritually inclusive idea that ‘having faith matters more than what faith you have’ (62%); all faiths are of equal value (62%); belief in ‘karma’ (57%); the dismissal of absolute truth (67%); the idea that people are ‘basically good’ (69%); sexual relations apart from marriage are morally acceptable (68%). ... The AWVI 2021 shows that even the 6% of adults who have a biblical worldview harbor many of these counter-biblical ideas as part of their personal philosophy of life. ... [M]illions of Americans have moved away from believing that the Bible contains relevant and reliable moral absolutes for their lives.”
TOZER’S WISDOM ABOUT PREACHERS AND POLITICS (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from A.W. Tozer, Tozer Speaks, vol. 1: “After more than forty years of experience, I am prepared to say that I have never heard or read anything of a political nature, by a preacher, that was any good. When a man of God speaks as a prophet, his message is freighted with wisdom and power. When he speaks for a party, God withdraws His power and lets His servant speak without wisdom. As a prophet, he may call to judgment kings and presidents. Let him obey God and stay by his commission, and he will be God’s voice to all men and all parties. Let him seek to identify his prophetic office with politics, or place his power at the disposal of a party, and he violates his office and confuses his own face. Then he speaks as a discredited prophet, and not all his pretensions to omniscience can disguise the babel in his voice! Preachers have been known to go all-out for some newly-come politician because he spoke ‘respectfully of God.’ Later events made them wish they had ... allowed their man to prove his piety before they fastened themselves on his coattail. Christ is not a member of any political party. He stands outside of and above every party. His kingdom was not of this world.”
A MASTER OF DISGUISE (Friday Church News Notes, July 9, 2021, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, June 24, 2021: “Many plants and animals disguise themselves as something they are not in the hope of protecting themselves. However, a true master of disguise must have many disguises. The tiger swallowtail offers no less than three disguises as it grows through its various stages toward adulthood. The newly hatched larva looks for all the world like a bird dropping. This appearance makes the larva of no interest to birds that might otherwise eat it. Three molts later the caterpillar has turned green to match the leaves on which it feeds. In case he is spotted by some birds looking for a nice fat caterpillar for lunch, the caterpillar also has two large spots on its head that look like the eyes of a snake. Birds who are interested in caterpillars usually try to stay as far from snakes as possible. Finally, in the pupal stage, the tiger swallowtail has again radically altered its appearance. The pupa now looks like nothing more than just another broken twig on a tree trunk. The immature tiger swallowtail’s bag of disguises reflects a great deal of knowledge about the behavior of those creatures that threaten it. Each of its three disguises uses a different method to fool those birds that would be interested in the larva. Each disguise has the same specific goal. This master of disguise is no accident of biology. Our Creator’s purpose in making Himself evident in the creation is ultimately aimed at bringing each of us into a relationship with Himself. That relationship is based on the forgiveness of our sin through His Son, Jesus Christ. Author: Paul A. Bartz. Ref: ‘A one-bug virtuoso starring in three roles,’ National Geographic, Mar. 1980. p. 402.”
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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