Friday Church News Notes
Volume 23, Issue 36 - September 9, 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.
EUTHANASIA’S SLIPPERY SLOPE IN CANADA (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Euthanasia for ‘Mature’ Minors,” Breakpoint, Aug. 31, 2022: “In 2016, Canada legalized euthanasia through the euphemistically titled Medical Aid in Dying (or MAiD). Since passing, the number of Canadians who either ‘enthusiastically’ or ‘cautiously’ support the practice has risen slightly from 75% to 80%. The response from communities representing those with disabilities, however, has remained consistently opposed. Their fears, that Canada’s end-of-life policies would prove to be only the cliff edge of a moral abyss, have proven to be largely accurate. As Maria Cheng of the Associated Press has reported, Canada ‘arguably has the most permissive euthanasia rules [in the world.]’ Just last year, over 10,000 lives were legally taken, an increase of a third from the year before. Patients can request aid in dying without informing family members and for any reason, including, beginning in 2023, mental health issues and not just physical suffering. Doctors, as well as nurse practitioners, can raise the topic of euthanasia with any patient and are not required to first exhaust all other treatment options. ... Next year, euthanasia will likely be extended to so-called ‘mature’ minors. At a time when so many efforts are being made toward suicide prevention among teenagers, they will be taught that death is an acceptable way out of mental anguish. ... Cheng wrote, ‘Some disabled Canadians have decided to be killed in the face of mounting bills. .… Other disabled people say the easy availability of euthanasia has led to unsettling and sometimes frightening discussions.’ The worst impact of this slope Canada is sliding down could be a perversion of the word ‘care.’ For example, one Canadian armed forces veteran was outraged after a healthcare worker raised the possibility of assisted death as a ‘treatment’ option for his PTSD. Alan Nichols was a 61-year-old man who was hospitalized in 2019 over fears he might be suicidal. ‘Within a month,’ Cheng described, ‘Nichols submitted a request to be euthanized and he was killed, despite concerns raised by his family and a nurse practitioner.’ The only physical health condition listed on Nichol’s form of consent was hearing loss. According to his brother Gary, ‘Alan was basically put to death.’ Stories like these are shocking, but we can’t say we were not warned by nearly every disability group in Canada, observers from the UN, and even the American Medical Association. When it comes to euthanasia and doctor-assisted death, abuses and loopholes are not anomalies. They are inevitabilities of a system that operates from a cheapened view of human value and a redefined understanding of healthcare.”
COURT BLOCKS BIDEN RULE THAT WOULD FORCE CHRISTIAN DOCTORS TO PERFORM GENDER-AFFIRMING SURGERIES (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Major Victory,” Christian Headlines, Aug. 30, 2022: “A federal appeals court delivered a major victory to religious liberty advocates Friday by ruling that the Biden administration cannot force religious doctors and hospitals to perform abortions and gender-affirming procedures under Obamacare. The issue was the much-debated ‘Section 1557’ of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability by medical professionals. The Biden Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--like that of the Obama administration--interprets Section 1557 to also prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Further, Biden’s HHS says discrimination on the basis of sex encompasses ‘pregnancy termination’--that is, abortion. But the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday sided with a coalition of religious groups, including the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) and the Franciscan Alliance. The case is Franciscan Alliance v. Becerra. The appeals court, in a 3-0 decision, affirmed a lower court decision that had permanently blocked the Biden rule. The case dates back to 2016 and has seen multiple stages, with the Trump administration dropping the Obama rule. The Biden administration then mostly reinstated the Obama rule. The judges noted that the Biden rule would ‘require that hospitals perform gender-reassignment surgeries and abortions.’ Critics have dubbed the rule the ‘transgender mandate.’ ... ‘This ruling is a major victory for conscience rights and compassionate medical care in America,’ said Joseph Davis, an attorney at Becket [the legal organization that battled the Biden rule in court]. ‘Doctors cannot do their jobs and comply with the Hippocratic Oath if the government requires them to perform harmful, irreversible procedures against their conscience and medical expertise.’”
IS COVID OVER? (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from John Hinderaker, PowerLine.com, Aug 16, 2022: “Has it gone away, not to return, or will it be back soon in another wave and perhaps another variant? This screen shot comes from the CDC web site. It shows total deaths in the US, from all causes, by week. Over the last five or six months, total fatalities have essentially tracked with the historic demographic record, so that Covid has contributed little or nothing to total mortality. ... A year ago, looking at the same chart, I thought Covid seemed to be on the way out. That conclusion was premature. So how is this year different? I don’t think it is; not much, anyway. At this point, Covid is pretty much the common cold. My wife caught it a couple of weeks ago, and I caught it from her. In our experience, it was not a particularly severe cold, but it hung on and didn’t want to go away. It was similar to H1N1, which I caught 10 or 12 years ago, whenever that was. Just as the common cold or influenza didn’t strike for a couple of years and then disappear, Covid likely will be a permanent part of our landscape. I am no biologist, but I suspect that Covid has taken over some portion of the biological niche that colds and flu have long occupied. Over the years, it may become less severe, although Omicron is already pretty benign. ... we should be prepared for the likelihood that, just as in 2020 and 2021, the fall will bring an increase in Covid cases and Covid mortality. If that happens, as I think it likely will, it is crucial that we not give in to repressive forces: we must not close our children’s schools, we must not shut down businesses and churches, and, as important as anything, we must not resurrect the idiotic mask mandates that have scarred our culture and our children’s development for the last two years. Covid is not over as a disease–with a few exceptions, diseases are rarely ‘over’–but it is vitally important that Covid be over as a justification for totalitarian policies and disruptions in our way of life.”
COMMENTARY FROM SCRIPTURE ON THE 2020 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In these evil times, God’s people need to be immersed in Scripture and have a biblical mindset. The issue is not mainstream media vs. conservative media. The issue is the Bible vs. all of man’s media. Consider the Bible’s commentary on the 2020 election: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:20-21). “... the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32). “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11). “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD” (Pr. 16:33). “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me” (Jeremiah 27:5). “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Psalm 62:11). “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:5-7). “For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1). The following is Charles Bridges’ commentary on Proverbs 8:16--“By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” “By me kings reign; not only by my permission, but by my appointment. They bear my name. They are stamped with my authority (Ex. 22:28; Ps. 82:6; Joh. 10:35). Proud anarchy disputes the prerogative, and traces the authority to the people ... Scripture politics lay down the offensive truth--‘There is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.’ They are ministers of God, not servants of the people (Ro. 13:1-6). Government in all its administrations--kings, princes, nobles, judges--is a Divinely-consecrated ordinance. Every kingdom is a province of the universal empire of the ‘King of kings’” (Exposition of the Book of Proverbs, 1846).
COURT BLOCKS BIDEN RULE THAT WOULD FORCE CHRISTIAN DOCTORS TO PERFORM GENDER-AFFIRMING SURGERIES (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Major Victory,” Christian Headlines, Aug. 30, 2022: “A federal appeals court delivered a major victory to religious liberty advocates Friday by ruling that the Biden administration cannot force religious doctors and hospitals to perform abortions and gender-affirming procedures under Obamacare. The issue was the much-debated ‘Section 1557’ of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability by medical professionals. The Biden Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--like that of the Obama administration--interprets Section 1557 to also prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Further, Biden’s HHS says discrimination on the basis of sex encompasses ‘pregnancy termination’--that is, abortion. But the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday sided with a coalition of religious groups, including the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA) and the Franciscan Alliance. The case is Franciscan Alliance v. Becerra. The appeals court, in a 3-0 decision, affirmed a lower court decision that had permanently blocked the Biden rule. The case dates back to 2016 and has seen multiple stages, with the Trump administration dropping the Obama rule. The Biden administration then mostly reinstated the Obama rule. The judges noted that the Biden rule would ‘require that hospitals perform gender-reassignment surgeries and abortions.’ Critics have dubbed the rule the ‘transgender mandate.’ ... ‘This ruling is a major victory for conscience rights and compassionate medical care in America,’ said Joseph Davis, an attorney at Becket [the legal organization that battled the Biden rule in court]. ‘Doctors cannot do their jobs and comply with the Hippocratic Oath if the government requires them to perform harmful, irreversible procedures against their conscience and medical expertise.’”
IS COVID OVER? (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from John Hinderaker, PowerLine.com, Aug 16, 2022: “Has it gone away, not to return, or will it be back soon in another wave and perhaps another variant? This screen shot comes from the CDC web site. It shows total deaths in the US, from all causes, by week. Over the last five or six months, total fatalities have essentially tracked with the historic demographic record, so that Covid has contributed little or nothing to total mortality. ... A year ago, looking at the same chart, I thought Covid seemed to be on the way out. That conclusion was premature. So how is this year different? I don’t think it is; not much, anyway. At this point, Covid is pretty much the common cold. My wife caught it a couple of weeks ago, and I caught it from her. In our experience, it was not a particularly severe cold, but it hung on and didn’t want to go away. It was similar to H1N1, which I caught 10 or 12 years ago, whenever that was. Just as the common cold or influenza didn’t strike for a couple of years and then disappear, Covid likely will be a permanent part of our landscape. I am no biologist, but I suspect that Covid has taken over some portion of the biological niche that colds and flu have long occupied. Over the years, it may become less severe, although Omicron is already pretty benign. ... we should be prepared for the likelihood that, just as in 2020 and 2021, the fall will bring an increase in Covid cases and Covid mortality. If that happens, as I think it likely will, it is crucial that we not give in to repressive forces: we must not close our children’s schools, we must not shut down businesses and churches, and, as important as anything, we must not resurrect the idiotic mask mandates that have scarred our culture and our children’s development for the last two years. Covid is not over as a disease–with a few exceptions, diseases are rarely ‘over’–but it is vitally important that Covid be over as a justification for totalitarian policies and disruptions in our way of life.”
COMMENTARY FROM SCRIPTURE ON THE 2020 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In these evil times, God’s people need to be immersed in Scripture and have a biblical mindset. The issue is not mainstream media vs. conservative media. The issue is the Bible vs. all of man’s media. Consider the Bible’s commentary on the 2020 election: “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:20-21). “... the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32). “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11). “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD” (Pr. 16:33). “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me” (Jeremiah 27:5). “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” (Psalm 62:11). “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:5-7). “For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1). The following is Charles Bridges’ commentary on Proverbs 8:16--“By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” “By me kings reign; not only by my permission, but by my appointment. They bear my name. They are stamped with my authority (Ex. 22:28; Ps. 82:6; Joh. 10:35). Proud anarchy disputes the prerogative, and traces the authority to the people ... Scripture politics lay down the offensive truth--‘There is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God.’ They are ministers of God, not servants of the people (Ro. 13:1-6). Government in all its administrations--kings, princes, nobles, judges--is a Divinely-consecrated ordinance. Every kingdom is a province of the universal empire of the ‘King of kings’” (Exposition of the Book of Proverbs, 1846).
THE HUNGRY LEAF (Friday Church News Notes, September 9, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from creationmoments.com, February 19, 2021: “It’s a warm day on the Amazon River. A small fish swims near the surface, looking among the natural floating river debris for some food. As he looks among the occasional leaf or twig in the water, he sees no danger. At the same time, one of the floating ‘leaves’ is waiting for the little fish to move just a bit closer. Then, without warning, the floating ‘leaf’ comes to life, grabs the fish and eats it! What the little fish thought was simply another floating leaf was actually another fish. The Amazonian leaf fish is carefully designed not only to look like a leaf, but to act like one as well. It has a flat body, very much like a leaf. A black line runs the length of its body, giving the appearance of the midrib of a leaf. A fleshy growth in its lower jaw looks like a leaf stem. Beyond looking like a leaf, the leaf fish also acts like a leaf. It lies still in the water, drifting with the current. To hide its identity further, it draws its fins close to its body, removing any last hint that it is indeed a hungry fish looking for lunch. The leaf fish combines deceptive coloring, appearance and behavior into one design so that it, too, can make its living. In this, the leaf fish shows that the Creator makes nothing without also designing a special purpose for that creature. According to the Bible, the same can be said even more emphatically for each human being He has made. Your Creator has a special purpose for you, too, and it begins with His plan of salvation for you through His Son, Jesus Christ. Author: Paul A. Bartz. Ref: Hanson, Jeanne K., and Deane Morrison. ‘The wonderful weird of flora and fauna,’ Star Tribune First Sunday, Dec. 2, 1990. p. 17.”
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).
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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