Friday Church News Notes
Volume 23, Issue 50 - December 16, 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.
Amy Grant
AMY GRANT HONORED BY THE WORLD (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Amy Grant, called the “queen of Christian pop,” was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors at a gala event on December 4. It was the first time that this “top cultural distinction was given to a contemporary Christian musician” (Religion News Service, Dec. 5, 2022). Also awarded were actor George Clooney, singer Gladys Knight, composer Tania León, and the rock band U2. All wore rainbow banners to show their support for homosexual rights. Grant has been a ground breaker in dissolving the biblical wall of separation between the flesh and Spirit, the world and Christ, in Christian music. She was the first “crossover Christian musician” to have a No. 1 hit on the secular music charts in 1986 (“Next Time I Fall”). In 1985, she said, “I’m trying to look sexy to sell a record” (Rolling Stone, June 6, 1985, p. 10). A few years later she said, “Christians can be sexy. What I’m doing is a good thing” (People, July 15, 1991). But clothing is a moral language. The Bible speaks of “the attire of an harlot” (Pr. 7:10). Grant has also been at the forefront of tearing down doctrinal walls of separation that God’s Word requires. In 1997, Grant joined Roman Catholic Kathy Troccoli and 40 other CCM artists to record Love One Another, a song preaching an ecumenical, one-world church theme. In April 2015, Amy joined with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Roman Catholic Matt Maher, Sanctus Real, and others for a Unity concern at Eastern Michigan University. In March 1999, Grant filed for divorce from Gary Chapman, her husband of 16 years, and in March 2000, married Vance Gill, who traded his wife, Janis Oliver, for Amy. In typical CCM fashion, Grant lashed out at those who judged this as wrong. Grant has promoted yoga, Roman Catholic contemplative prayer, and homosexual rights. In 2021, she said, “I was invited to a table where someone said ‘don’t be afraid, you’re loved.’ … Gay. Straight. It does not matter. It doesn’t matter how we behave. It doesn’t matter how we’re wired” (“CCM Icon Amy Grant,” Relevant Magazine, July 12, 2021). “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26).
FEDERAL COURT RULES BIDEN ADMIN CAN’T FORCE DOCTORS TO PERFORM GENDER MUTILATION SURGERIES (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from LifeSiteNews, Dec. 10, 2022: “A federal court ruled Friday that doctors and hospitals cannot be forced to perform gender mutilating surgeries, echoing a similar recent court ruling in a striking win for religious freedom. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Catholic groups’ free exercise of religion in refusing to perform or insure so-called ‘gender transition’ procedures, citing a prior district court ruling in the same case which found that ‘intrusion upon the Catholic Plaintiffs’ exercise of religion is sufficient to show irreparable harm.’ ... Becket Law Senior Counsel Luke Goodrich remarked Friday, ‘Today’s ruling protects patients, aligns with current medical research, and ensures doctors aren’t forced to violate their religious beliefs and medical judgment. This is a victory for common-sense, conscience, and sound medical judgment. Gender-transition procedures not only go against many healthcare professionals’ religious beliefs, but can be deeply harmful to patients.’ Indeed, many medical experts are decrying gender ‘transition’ mutilation surgeries and cross-sex hormones as unsafe and even as ‘child abuse.’ For example, the Florida Department of Health has noted there is ‘a lack of conclusive evidence’ for ‘gender transitioning’ and ‘the potential for long-term, irreversible effects,’ and noted that systematic reviews on hormonal interventions ‘show a trend of low-quality evidence, small sample sizes, and medium to high risk of bias.’ Detransitioners are also increasingly speaking out about their deep regrets over their attempts to ‘switch’ their sex and its physically and psychologically harmful consequences.”
MAKER OF POPULAR DOLLS PROMOTES TRANSSEXUALISM TO LITTLE GIRLS (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “American Girl Book Angers Parents,” Christian Headlines, Dec. 9, 2022: “A colorful new American Girl book marketed to girls as young as 10 has sparked a backlash among parents for its promotion of transgenderism ... A Smart Girl’s Guide: Body Image Book, which American Girl says is appropriate for children ages 10 and up, supposedly tells readers what ‘every girl needs to learn to live comfortably in her own skin’ ... With colorful, kid-like illustrations, the book tells girls that the ‘way you show your gender to the world through clothes and behaviors is your gender expression. Your gender expression can be feminine, masculine, or somewhere in between--and it might change! Maybe you’ll experiment with bright dresses and long, feminine hairstyles,’ the book says. ‘Or you might try baggy shorts, plaid shirts, and a buzzed haircut. Your gender expression should make you feel at home in your body.’ The book then explores transgenderism. ‘While gender expression is what you show on the outside, gender identity is how you feel on the inside--a girl, a boy, or someone who doesn’t fit into either category. ... Some people don’t feel like a girl or a boy inside--which is totally OK! People in this group are usually called nonbinary and might use a pronoun like they instead of he or she.’ The American Girls book also promotes puberty blockers. ‘If you haven’t gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body’s changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity,’ the book says.” [“The book also tells these young, impressionable girls to seek these treatments without parental consent. ‘If you don’t have an adult you trust, there are organizations across the country that can help you. Turn to the resources on page 95 for more information.’”]
14 STATES NOW ABORTION FREE (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Abortion Businesses Close Down,” LifeNews, Nov. 15, 2022: “Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey on June 24, 2022, the landscape of abortion in the U.S. has dramatically changed. According to a survey of all abortion facilities nationwide conducted by Operation Rescue in October and November, there are currently 683 abortion facilities/businesses operating in 36 states and the District of Columbia. This represents the lowest number of abortion facilities in the U.S. in nearly five decades. In 1991, there were 2,176 abortion facilities in the U.S. Since that time, the number of abortion facilities has decreased a remarkable 68 percent. There can be no doubt that the Pro-Life movement is winning the long battle to end abortion. There are, as of this writing, 14 states that are considered Abortion-Free. Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. While abortions are still legal in North Dakota, there are currently no abortionists operating in that state. The survey found that 88 abortion facilities closed or halted all abortions.”
SCHOOL REMOVES NAME OF BEN CARSON (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The super-woke Detroit School Board voted in November to change the name of the Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine. This is because of Carson’s association with Donald Trump administration as Housing and Urban Development Secretary. Board member LaMar Lemmons said that having Carson’s name on the school was “synonymous with having Trump’s name on our school in blackface” (“Detroit School Board Votes,” Essence, Oct. 23, 2022). So Dr. Carson isn’t really black and doesn’t have a mind of his own; he’s just a “blackface” for white people’s policies. Mr. Lemmons and his school board friends won’t allow black people to have opinions different from theirs, and if they dare to do so, they are slandered. In response, 56 men and women of all colors who have worked for Dr. Carson have spoken up against this tyranny, saying: “Dr. Ben Carson was born into poverty in Detroit and raised by a single mother. He grew up attending Detroit public school, and his mother worked multiple jobs to provide for him and his brother, Curtis. Although things were tough, his mother instilled in him and his brother the values of hard work, perseverance and faith. ... Thanks to these values that his mother worked so hard to instill, Dr. Carson earned a full scholarship to Yale. After his time at Yale, he went to the University of Michigan School of Medicine, and then on to Johns Hopkins University for their neurosurgery program. After residency, Dr. Carson returned to Johns Hopkins and served as the director of pediatric neurosurgery and led a 70-surgeon team to conduct the first successful separation of twins conjoined at the back of the head. This famed procedure thrust him into the national spotlight as one of the highest-profile surgeons in the world, particularly due to his specialty in pediatric neurosurgery. ... In today’s culture plagued by anger, violence and division, Dr. Carson is exactly the sort of man we should highlight for our children. In an age where honor and virtue are increasingly scorned, he stands as an example for our future generations to look up to.”
YOUR 20-WATT BRAIN (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com: “Picture in your mind the sight and sounds of popcorn popping. As you picture the popping becoming more frantic as the popper fills up, do you begin to smell the popcorn? That’s part of the wonder of the brain. The brain can not only store words and ideas, but sights, sounds and even smells. The average person’s memory is able to retain about 100 billion bits of information the information found in 500 sets of encyclopedias. But, to use computer language, the brain is not only a place where information is stored, it is also an information processor. Yet it only weighs a little less than four pounds and uses about 20 watts of energy. Our most sophisticated modern computers don’t even begin to approach such efficiency. Research has shown that the more you use part of your brain, the larger that part becomes--just like building muscles. And if you don’t use part of your brain, it starts shrinking. Few of us have developed our ability to memorize things to any great extent. But to show what can be done, in May of 1974 a Burmese man recited, from memory, 16,000 pages from a Buddhist religious text! What are you doing with that marvelous organ, the brain, that your Creator gave to you? How much of His Word have you stored in your memory as a treasure which can never be taken away?”
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).
FEDERAL COURT RULES BIDEN ADMIN CAN’T FORCE DOCTORS TO PERFORM GENDER MUTILATION SURGERIES (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from LifeSiteNews, Dec. 10, 2022: “A federal court ruled Friday that doctors and hospitals cannot be forced to perform gender mutilating surgeries, echoing a similar recent court ruling in a striking win for religious freedom. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Catholic groups’ free exercise of religion in refusing to perform or insure so-called ‘gender transition’ procedures, citing a prior district court ruling in the same case which found that ‘intrusion upon the Catholic Plaintiffs’ exercise of religion is sufficient to show irreparable harm.’ ... Becket Law Senior Counsel Luke Goodrich remarked Friday, ‘Today’s ruling protects patients, aligns with current medical research, and ensures doctors aren’t forced to violate their religious beliefs and medical judgment. This is a victory for common-sense, conscience, and sound medical judgment. Gender-transition procedures not only go against many healthcare professionals’ religious beliefs, but can be deeply harmful to patients.’ Indeed, many medical experts are decrying gender ‘transition’ mutilation surgeries and cross-sex hormones as unsafe and even as ‘child abuse.’ For example, the Florida Department of Health has noted there is ‘a lack of conclusive evidence’ for ‘gender transitioning’ and ‘the potential for long-term, irreversible effects,’ and noted that systematic reviews on hormonal interventions ‘show a trend of low-quality evidence, small sample sizes, and medium to high risk of bias.’ Detransitioners are also increasingly speaking out about their deep regrets over their attempts to ‘switch’ their sex and its physically and psychologically harmful consequences.”
MAKER OF POPULAR DOLLS PROMOTES TRANSSEXUALISM TO LITTLE GIRLS (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “American Girl Book Angers Parents,” Christian Headlines, Dec. 9, 2022: “A colorful new American Girl book marketed to girls as young as 10 has sparked a backlash among parents for its promotion of transgenderism ... A Smart Girl’s Guide: Body Image Book, which American Girl says is appropriate for children ages 10 and up, supposedly tells readers what ‘every girl needs to learn to live comfortably in her own skin’ ... With colorful, kid-like illustrations, the book tells girls that the ‘way you show your gender to the world through clothes and behaviors is your gender expression. Your gender expression can be feminine, masculine, or somewhere in between--and it might change! Maybe you’ll experiment with bright dresses and long, feminine hairstyles,’ the book says. ‘Or you might try baggy shorts, plaid shirts, and a buzzed haircut. Your gender expression should make you feel at home in your body.’ The book then explores transgenderism. ‘While gender expression is what you show on the outside, gender identity is how you feel on the inside--a girl, a boy, or someone who doesn’t fit into either category. ... Some people don’t feel like a girl or a boy inside--which is totally OK! People in this group are usually called nonbinary and might use a pronoun like they instead of he or she.’ The American Girls book also promotes puberty blockers. ‘If you haven’t gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body’s changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity,’ the book says.” [“The book also tells these young, impressionable girls to seek these treatments without parental consent. ‘If you don’t have an adult you trust, there are organizations across the country that can help you. Turn to the resources on page 95 for more information.’”]
14 STATES NOW ABORTION FREE (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Abortion Businesses Close Down,” LifeNews, Nov. 15, 2022: “Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey on June 24, 2022, the landscape of abortion in the U.S. has dramatically changed. According to a survey of all abortion facilities nationwide conducted by Operation Rescue in October and November, there are currently 683 abortion facilities/businesses operating in 36 states and the District of Columbia. This represents the lowest number of abortion facilities in the U.S. in nearly five decades. In 1991, there were 2,176 abortion facilities in the U.S. Since that time, the number of abortion facilities has decreased a remarkable 68 percent. There can be no doubt that the Pro-Life movement is winning the long battle to end abortion. There are, as of this writing, 14 states that are considered Abortion-Free. Those states include Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. While abortions are still legal in North Dakota, there are currently no abortionists operating in that state. The survey found that 88 abortion facilities closed or halted all abortions.”
SCHOOL REMOVES NAME OF BEN CARSON (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The super-woke Detroit School Board voted in November to change the name of the Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine. This is because of Carson’s association with Donald Trump administration as Housing and Urban Development Secretary. Board member LaMar Lemmons said that having Carson’s name on the school was “synonymous with having Trump’s name on our school in blackface” (“Detroit School Board Votes,” Essence, Oct. 23, 2022). So Dr. Carson isn’t really black and doesn’t have a mind of his own; he’s just a “blackface” for white people’s policies. Mr. Lemmons and his school board friends won’t allow black people to have opinions different from theirs, and if they dare to do so, they are slandered. In response, 56 men and women of all colors who have worked for Dr. Carson have spoken up against this tyranny, saying: “Dr. Ben Carson was born into poverty in Detroit and raised by a single mother. He grew up attending Detroit public school, and his mother worked multiple jobs to provide for him and his brother, Curtis. Although things were tough, his mother instilled in him and his brother the values of hard work, perseverance and faith. ... Thanks to these values that his mother worked so hard to instill, Dr. Carson earned a full scholarship to Yale. After his time at Yale, he went to the University of Michigan School of Medicine, and then on to Johns Hopkins University for their neurosurgery program. After residency, Dr. Carson returned to Johns Hopkins and served as the director of pediatric neurosurgery and led a 70-surgeon team to conduct the first successful separation of twins conjoined at the back of the head. This famed procedure thrust him into the national spotlight as one of the highest-profile surgeons in the world, particularly due to his specialty in pediatric neurosurgery. ... In today’s culture plagued by anger, violence and division, Dr. Carson is exactly the sort of man we should highlight for our children. In an age where honor and virtue are increasingly scorned, he stands as an example for our future generations to look up to.”
YOUR 20-WATT BRAIN (Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2022, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com: “Picture in your mind the sight and sounds of popcorn popping. As you picture the popping becoming more frantic as the popper fills up, do you begin to smell the popcorn? That’s part of the wonder of the brain. The brain can not only store words and ideas, but sights, sounds and even smells. The average person’s memory is able to retain about 100 billion bits of information the information found in 500 sets of encyclopedias. But, to use computer language, the brain is not only a place where information is stored, it is also an information processor. Yet it only weighs a little less than four pounds and uses about 20 watts of energy. Our most sophisticated modern computers don’t even begin to approach such efficiency. Research has shown that the more you use part of your brain, the larger that part becomes--just like building muscles. And if you don’t use part of your brain, it starts shrinking. Few of us have developed our ability to memorize things to any great extent. But to show what can be done, in May of 1974 a Burmese man recited, from memory, 16,000 pages from a Buddhist religious text! What are you doing with that marvelous organ, the brain, that your Creator gave to you? How much of His Word have you stored in your memory as a treasure which can never be taken away?”
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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