Friday Church News Notes
Volume 23, Issue 8 - February 25, 2022
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.
Premier Doug Ford
ONTARIO PREMIER CALLS FOR MOVING ON FROM COVID AND RESPECT TO “DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOMS AND LIBERTIES” (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Premier Doug Ford’s public statement against further mandates and for liberty will probably make it more difficult going forward for Prime Minister Trudeau to continue his tirade against law-abiding citizens who simply want their constitutional liberties to be restored and his pretense that the truckers and their supporters are non-patriotic rabble-rousers. The following is excerpted from “Doug Ford says Ontario is moving on from Covid-19,” CTVNews, Feb. 15, 2022: “Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he strongly discouraged the idea of any new COVID-19 restrictions or retooling of the vaccine passport system after next month, saying the public is ‘done with this,’ alluding to his doubts about the efficacy of third doses and the rift vaccination has caused within his own family. Yesterday, Ford and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore announced an end to capacity limits in most indoor settings this week and the dismantling of the vaccine passport system on March 1. ... ‘We are done with it,’ Ford said of limits to public activity. ‘Let’s just start moving on, cautiously. The world’s done with it, let’s just move forward.’ ... ‘We also know that it doesn’t matter if you have one shot or 10 shots, you can still catch COVID-19,’ he said. ... He said the public needed to respect the beliefs of those who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. ‘There’s rebel rousers, and there are just hard-working people that just don’t believe in it, and that’s their choice. This is about democracy and freedoms and liberties. I hate as a government telling anyone what to do, we just have to get out of this and move forward and protect the jobs.’ He said the vaccination question has ruined personal relationships and divided the province. ‘I’ve never seen this province and this country so divided. It’s affected friendships, it’s affected coworkers, it’s affected families.’”
THOUSANDS SIGN PRAYER PLEDGE FOR FINNISH MP ON TRIAL FOR BIBLICAL VIEWS ON MARRIAGE (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “14K sign prayer pledge,” The Christian Post, Feb. 16, 2022: “Pastor Andrew Brunson [who has faced prison for his faith in Turkey] delivered a letter of support to Päivi Räsänen, a Finnish Member of Parliament facing prosecution for her role in creating a pamphlet promoting the biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality. Brunson delivered the letter, crafted by the Family Research Council and signed by 14,341 people, to Räsänen Monday, as closing arguments took place in her trial for allegedly violating hate speech laws. ... The prosecutor general is making the case that Räsänen engaged in hate speech by creating a pamphlet [quoting the Bible], sending out a tweet criticizing the leadership of the Finnish Lutheran Church for supporting LGBT Pride Month, and sharing her beliefs about homosexuality in a 2019 appearance on a radio show. ... Specifically, the indictment accused them of ‘incitement of hatred against a group which falls under the section of war crimes and crimes against humanity.’ ... Alliance Defending Freedom International sent out a series of tweets summarizing the closing arguments in the trial, which took place Monday. The prosecution insisted that ‘the Bible cannot overrule Finnish law,’ slammed her comments about homosexuality as ‘degrading,’ and maintained that describing homosexuality as a ‘sin’ can have a ‘harmful’ effect. Arguing for the defense, Lorcan Price of ADF International told the court that ‘this prosecution for hate speech has turned into a theological trial of what Christian beliefs can and cannot be expressed in Finland.’ Price added, ‘It is incredible this trial is happening in a modern European Country and not in a religious theocracy.’ If convicted, Räsänen could face up to two years in prison and a fine. ... ADF International Executive Director Paul Coleman warned, ‘Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of democracy. The Finnish Prosecutor General’s decision to bring these charges against Dr. Räsänen creates a culture of fear and censorship. If committed civil servants like Paivi Räsänen are criminally charged for voicing their deeply held beliefs, it creates a chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely.’”
PRESIDENT BIDEN APPOINTS DRAG QUEEN AS A DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Biden’s New Energy Department Pick,” PJMedia, Feb. 10, 2022: “Sam Brinton (‘they/them’), had some ‘pretty BIG news’ for his friends and followers on LinkedIn recently: ‘I have accepted the offer to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy for the Department of Energy. In this role I’ll be doing what I always dreamed of doing, leading the effort to solve the nation’s nuclear waste challenges.’ Brinton also noted proudly that he would ‘even be (to my knowledge) the first gender fluid person in federal government leadership.’ He is much more than that. He is, to the best of my knowledge, the first drag queen and the first person to discuss his affinity for sex with animals to hold an office of the public trust. ... [Brinton’s] drag queen persona, [is] ‘Sister Ray Dee O’Active,’ in which guise he says: ‘I am the slutty one. And the nerdy one. #sexynerd.’ He has also combined his life’s preoccupations in previous government work, according to the bio he provided to the ‘LGBTQ Religious Archives Network’: ‘Sam has worn his stilettos to Congress to advise legislators about nuclear policy and to the White House where he advised President Obama and Michelle Obama on LGBT issues.’”
RAPPER DEATH STYLE (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - On December 19, 2021, Darrell Caldwell (aka Drakeo the Ruler) was stabbed to death at age 28 during a rap concert headlined by Snoop Dogg. Draeko’s most popular album was Cold Devil. He was incarcerated multiple times on a variety of charges and recorded a song in jail. This is merely the latest in a long, long line of hip-hop related violent deaths. On July 11, 31-year-old Chicago rapper KTS (Londre Sylvester) was shot 64 times outside the Cook County Jail after being released on bail for a felony charge of illegal gun possession and resisting police. KTS stands for “Kill To Survive,” and the rapper had a target symbol tattooed on his neck. Rap/hip-hop is aggressive music, in its lyrics, in its sound, and in the attitude of the rappers, and it is not surprising that it has produced great violence. It is so morally filthy that a large percentage of the lyrics cannot be quoted, practically none of the videos can be shown in decent company, and it screams rebellion and insubordination. Probably no other one influence has so defiled black culture. It is doubtless a major contributor to inner city violence, juvenile delinquency, and the destructive phenomenon of absentee fathers. In the report “Rapper Hip-Hop Deathstyle” at the Way of Life web site we list a sampling of the violence that has enveloped the rappers themselves, and that is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the deaths that have occurred in the culture created by the music. “The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).
PENTECOSTAL NURSE WINS SETTLEMENT AFTER REFUSING TO WEAR SCRUB PANTS (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Pentecostal Nurse,” Religion News Service, Feb. 3, 2022: “Tennessee-based health care provider will pay $75,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit involving an Apostolic Pentecostal nurse who wanted to wear a ‘scrub skirt’ to work. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the company denied the nurse’s right to religious accommodation. Wellpath LLC hired Christian nurse Malinda Babineaux in 2019 to provide health services at Central Texas Correctional Facility in San Antonio. After accepting the Texas job offer, Babineaux informed the company’s human resources team that her religious beliefs required her to wear a scrub skirt, rather than traditional scrub pants, to work in accordance with modesty codes. The company declined to accommodate her request and rescinded her job offer. According to the lawsuit, Babineaux had previously worn scrub skirts in other nursing positions. Scrub skirts, while rarely seen in American hospitals, are preferred by some religious women, typically for modesty reasons. ... The EEOC filed a lawsuit in September 2020 on behalf of Babineaux, citing a violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits religious discrimination. The settlement requires Wellpath LLC to provide the nurse with $75,000 for back pay and compensatory damages. Wellpath also agreed to inform employees of their rights and to provide anti-discrimination training that includes matters related to religious dress and grooming.”
DANCING BEES (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, December 8, 2021: “Bees depend on a good memory of their surroundings to make the thousands of trips necessary to keep their hive in operation. Each day a single bee must make trips to hundreds of flowers, some as far as a mile from the hive. Scientists have long wondered how the tiny bee can remember what may be dozens of square miles of territory. When a bee finds a good source of nectar, she returns to the hive and does a dance for the other bees. This dance tells them where a new find is located. Researchers have studied this in detail and can now interpret these dances. Researchers from Princeton University tricked a bee into dancing out a location that turned out to be in the middle of a nearby lake. After receiving the message, the other members of the hive simply ignored their fellow worker. She kept dancing, but no one would believe her. Only later, when the dance clearly said that the flowers were on the opposite side of the lake, did the other bees pay attention and check out the flowers. Researchers are now wondering whether bees keep a mental map of their surroundings. How else could they tell when someone gives them a false location? Evolutionary researchers are trying to figure out how such an ‘evolutionarily simple’ creature as the bee could be so intelligent. However, the Bible makes clear that intelligence is not related to evolution. It is the gift of an all-wise Creator. Author: Paul A. Bartz. Ref: Horton, Elizabeth, ‘Bees as mapmakers,’ Science Digest, Sept. 1983, p. 90.”
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).
THOUSANDS SIGN PRAYER PLEDGE FOR FINNISH MP ON TRIAL FOR BIBLICAL VIEWS ON MARRIAGE (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “14K sign prayer pledge,” The Christian Post, Feb. 16, 2022: “Pastor Andrew Brunson [who has faced prison for his faith in Turkey] delivered a letter of support to Päivi Räsänen, a Finnish Member of Parliament facing prosecution for her role in creating a pamphlet promoting the biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality. Brunson delivered the letter, crafted by the Family Research Council and signed by 14,341 people, to Räsänen Monday, as closing arguments took place in her trial for allegedly violating hate speech laws. ... The prosecutor general is making the case that Räsänen engaged in hate speech by creating a pamphlet [quoting the Bible], sending out a tweet criticizing the leadership of the Finnish Lutheran Church for supporting LGBT Pride Month, and sharing her beliefs about homosexuality in a 2019 appearance on a radio show. ... Specifically, the indictment accused them of ‘incitement of hatred against a group which falls under the section of war crimes and crimes against humanity.’ ... Alliance Defending Freedom International sent out a series of tweets summarizing the closing arguments in the trial, which took place Monday. The prosecution insisted that ‘the Bible cannot overrule Finnish law,’ slammed her comments about homosexuality as ‘degrading,’ and maintained that describing homosexuality as a ‘sin’ can have a ‘harmful’ effect. Arguing for the defense, Lorcan Price of ADF International told the court that ‘this prosecution for hate speech has turned into a theological trial of what Christian beliefs can and cannot be expressed in Finland.’ Price added, ‘It is incredible this trial is happening in a modern European Country and not in a religious theocracy.’ If convicted, Räsänen could face up to two years in prison and a fine. ... ADF International Executive Director Paul Coleman warned, ‘Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of democracy. The Finnish Prosecutor General’s decision to bring these charges against Dr. Räsänen creates a culture of fear and censorship. If committed civil servants like Paivi Räsänen are criminally charged for voicing their deeply held beliefs, it creates a chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely.’”
PRESIDENT BIDEN APPOINTS DRAG QUEEN AS A DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Biden’s New Energy Department Pick,” PJMedia, Feb. 10, 2022: “Sam Brinton (‘they/them’), had some ‘pretty BIG news’ for his friends and followers on LinkedIn recently: ‘I have accepted the offer to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy for the Department of Energy. In this role I’ll be doing what I always dreamed of doing, leading the effort to solve the nation’s nuclear waste challenges.’ Brinton also noted proudly that he would ‘even be (to my knowledge) the first gender fluid person in federal government leadership.’ He is much more than that. He is, to the best of my knowledge, the first drag queen and the first person to discuss his affinity for sex with animals to hold an office of the public trust. ... [Brinton’s] drag queen persona, [is] ‘Sister Ray Dee O’Active,’ in which guise he says: ‘I am the slutty one. And the nerdy one. #sexynerd.’ He has also combined his life’s preoccupations in previous government work, according to the bio he provided to the ‘LGBTQ Religious Archives Network’: ‘Sam has worn his stilettos to Congress to advise legislators about nuclear policy and to the White House where he advised President Obama and Michelle Obama on LGBT issues.’”
RAPPER DEATH STYLE (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - On December 19, 2021, Darrell Caldwell (aka Drakeo the Ruler) was stabbed to death at age 28 during a rap concert headlined by Snoop Dogg. Draeko’s most popular album was Cold Devil. He was incarcerated multiple times on a variety of charges and recorded a song in jail. This is merely the latest in a long, long line of hip-hop related violent deaths. On July 11, 31-year-old Chicago rapper KTS (Londre Sylvester) was shot 64 times outside the Cook County Jail after being released on bail for a felony charge of illegal gun possession and resisting police. KTS stands for “Kill To Survive,” and the rapper had a target symbol tattooed on his neck. Rap/hip-hop is aggressive music, in its lyrics, in its sound, and in the attitude of the rappers, and it is not surprising that it has produced great violence. It is so morally filthy that a large percentage of the lyrics cannot be quoted, practically none of the videos can be shown in decent company, and it screams rebellion and insubordination. Probably no other one influence has so defiled black culture. It is doubtless a major contributor to inner city violence, juvenile delinquency, and the destructive phenomenon of absentee fathers. In the report “Rapper Hip-Hop Deathstyle” at the Way of Life web site we list a sampling of the violence that has enveloped the rappers themselves, and that is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the deaths that have occurred in the culture created by the music. “The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).
PENTECOSTAL NURSE WINS SETTLEMENT AFTER REFUSING TO WEAR SCRUB PANTS (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Pentecostal Nurse,” Religion News Service, Feb. 3, 2022: “Tennessee-based health care provider will pay $75,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit involving an Apostolic Pentecostal nurse who wanted to wear a ‘scrub skirt’ to work. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the company denied the nurse’s right to religious accommodation. Wellpath LLC hired Christian nurse Malinda Babineaux in 2019 to provide health services at Central Texas Correctional Facility in San Antonio. After accepting the Texas job offer, Babineaux informed the company’s human resources team that her religious beliefs required her to wear a scrub skirt, rather than traditional scrub pants, to work in accordance with modesty codes. The company declined to accommodate her request and rescinded her job offer. According to the lawsuit, Babineaux had previously worn scrub skirts in other nursing positions. Scrub skirts, while rarely seen in American hospitals, are preferred by some religious women, typically for modesty reasons. ... The EEOC filed a lawsuit in September 2020 on behalf of Babineaux, citing a violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits religious discrimination. The settlement requires Wellpath LLC to provide the nurse with $75,000 for back pay and compensatory damages. Wellpath also agreed to inform employees of their rights and to provide anti-discrimination training that includes matters related to religious dress and grooming.”
DANCING BEES (Friday Church News Notes, February 25, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, December 8, 2021: “Bees depend on a good memory of their surroundings to make the thousands of trips necessary to keep their hive in operation. Each day a single bee must make trips to hundreds of flowers, some as far as a mile from the hive. Scientists have long wondered how the tiny bee can remember what may be dozens of square miles of territory. When a bee finds a good source of nectar, she returns to the hive and does a dance for the other bees. This dance tells them where a new find is located. Researchers have studied this in detail and can now interpret these dances. Researchers from Princeton University tricked a bee into dancing out a location that turned out to be in the middle of a nearby lake. After receiving the message, the other members of the hive simply ignored their fellow worker. She kept dancing, but no one would believe her. Only later, when the dance clearly said that the flowers were on the opposite side of the lake, did the other bees pay attention and check out the flowers. Researchers are now wondering whether bees keep a mental map of their surroundings. How else could they tell when someone gives them a false location? Evolutionary researchers are trying to figure out how such an ‘evolutionarily simple’ creature as the bee could be so intelligent. However, the Bible makes clear that intelligence is not related to evolution. It is the gift of an all-wise Creator. Author: Paul A. Bartz. Ref: Horton, Elizabeth, ‘Bees as mapmakers,’ Science Digest, Sept. 1983, p. 90.”
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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