Friday Church News Notes
March 22, 2024 - Volume 25, Issue 12
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.
PORNOGRAPHY LEAVENING SOCIETY WITH VIOLENCE, DESTROYING PROPER MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY (Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - There is no end to the moral corruption of fallen human nature. It is a bottomless pit of evil. Man’s heart is “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Christ said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:20-22). Yet it is also true that man can guard the heart so that the inherent evil is kept under control. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee” (Proverbs 4:23-25). Note the two-fold emphasis on controlling what the eyes see. In all of human history, nothing has amplified man’s corrupt nature more than the ready availability of pornography via the internet. It is polluting society in every way at every level. It tends to quickly degrade from “normal” sexuality to perversions of every sort and particularly to violence. The following is excerpted from Jonathon Van Maren, “Is Violent Porn Making Girls Identify as Transgender,” The European Conservative, Feb. 7, 2024: “Porn addiction is now ubiquitous among young people, and a generation has grown up with their view of sexuality shaped by the extreme and violent content found on major porn sites such as Pornhub. An increasingly toxic sexual environment in which sexual violence has been normalized has been the result. ... Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner of England, recently warned that porn-inspired sexual violence is on the rise even among children. ‘I will never forget the girl who told me about her first kiss with her boyfriend, aged 12, who strangled her,’ de Souza reported. ‘He had seen it in pornography and thought it was normal.’ He wasn’t wrong. A new UK report indicates that ‘nearly half of all girls aged 16 to 21 say they’ve had a partner expect sex to involve physical aggression such as slapping and choking.’ The normalization of sexual violence is the culture-wide consequence of men and boys imagining themselves as the aggressor in millions upon millions of porn scenes. ... Girls and boys are now coming of age in a dating landscape shaped primarily by pornography. Sexual violence has become normative not just for adults copycatting digital porn and sexual entertainment such as Fifty Shades of Gray, but for minors and children as well. Much of the sexual violence that occurs in our society is now simply a part of the way men and women--and boys and girls--treat each other, and most of this behavior takes place in the ever-growing grey zone between consent, crime, and coercion. ... I’ve been speaking on the issue of pornography, primarily to students, for over a decade, and I can attest to the fact that many girls are terrified of what they see in pornography. In the videos they encounter, women are virtually always subjected to grotesque maltreatment and even torture. As this pervasive digital rape culture has bled into their reality, it makes sense that some girls would react to these new sexual expectations by rejecting the female identity. Indeed, it is significant that a growing number of girls are embracing androgyny and identifying as ‘non-binary’--many do not necessarily want to transition into boys, they simply do not want to be girls.” CONCLUSION: It is essential in this wicked day that Christian parents and church leaders wake up and protect their children and youth from the deadly trap that is only a mouse-click or a screen swipe away. We recommend the book and Bible course Keeping the Kids in the Social Media Age.
CANADIANS FINALLY FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE TRANS AGENDA (Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2024, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Canadians Finally Fight Back,” Thebridgehead.ca, Mar. 4, 2024: “For the better part of a decade, Canada remained one of the only Western countries where gender ideology remained entirely unquestioned, promoted as state dogma by the Trudeau government, and passively accepted by conservative politicians skittish about social issues. ... Last June, that began to change. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs announced that going forward, children under 16 seeking to change their gender at school by switching names and pronouns would first need to get their parents’ permission. Many Canadians had been unaware that over the past several years, it has become standard policy in the public school system to hide such information from parents by default, even though parental permission is required for matters as trivial as dispensing Tylenol. LGBT activists accused Higgs of violating LGBT ‘human rights,’ but Higgs refused to back down. Polling highlighted the popularity of the policy. As it turns out, claiming that Canadian parents pose a danger to their kids is not politically persuasive. Higgs’ move attracted the attention of other premiers, and on August 22, Saskatchewan announced an almost identical policy mandating that parental consent must be acquired before students are ‘socially transitioned’ before the age of 16. Again, the political allies of the LGBT movement--including Saskatchewan’s ‘Advocate for Children and Youth,’ Lisa Broda--claimed that involving Canadian parents in life-changing decisions about their children is dangerous. Premier Scott Moe, following Higgs’ lead, defended the policy, highlighting a poll that proved broad public support: ‘A new poll from [the] Angus Reid Institute shows strong support in Saskatchewan and across Canada for Parental Inclusion and Consent in education with 86% in Saskatchewan supporting some level of notification for parents when children want to change their gender identity in school. Just 10% agree with the NDP position that parents should not be informed.’ ... Ontario’s education minister Stephen Lecce hosted a press conference on August 28, announcing that it is the view of the Ford government that ‘parents must be fully involved and fully aware of what’s happening in the life of their children.’ Overnight, ‘parental rights’ went from a political no-go zone to a popular campaign point—and all it took was one premier having the guts to make the move. ... on January 31, Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta, announced a raft of new policies going substantially further than any other premier. From the Alberta government’s website: ‘All gender reassignment surgeries for minors aged 17 and under will be prohibited. - The use of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the purpose of gender reassignment or affirmation will not be permitted for children aged 15 and under, except for those who have already commenced treatment. ... - Parents must be notified and opt in to any instance when a teacher provides formal instruction on subject matter involving gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality. - Parents must consent for their child aged 15 and under to alter their name or pronouns used by school teachers, administration, and other educational staff.’ ... The LGBT movement and their progressive political allies promptly went nuts. ... Political scientist Dave Snow analyzed the coverage of Saskatchewan’s policy by the CBC, Canada’s taxpayer-funded state broadcaster, and found that headlines were leading and biased, with 37% of them containing ‘attributed criticism’ and not a single one of 38 articles containing ‘attributed praise of the policy.’ So-called ‘experts’ were handpicked to criticize parental rights. Snow’s conclusion: ‘The CBC prioritizes allyship over objectivity.’ The Toronto Star was even less subtle, publishing an op-ed titled ‘It’s a privilege, not a right, to know your kid’s gender identity.’”
A WARNING ABOUT HOW FACEBOOK IS HARMING CHURCHES (Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2024, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “Most people in our circles do not have the discernment, discretion or courage to stand against things that are wrong. For instance, when someone leaves a good church and goes down a worldly or wicked road, many people continue to remain friends with them and ‘Like’ everything they do. They will approve of things on Facebook that their church and pastor plainly stand against including immodest attire, worldly activities, wrong relationships, wrong marriages, rebellion against church, bad doctrine…you name it. They hear these things preached against on Sunday, but Monday morning they approve of them on Facebook. They will not clearly and plainly separate from folks who are going in a direction that contradicts the doctrine of their own church. This encourages the one who is doing wrong, weakens those who would stand against that behavior, and signals to others that these wrong activities are okay. In doing this, they seem to care more about the feelings of rebels than they do the feelings and concerns of a pastor who loves and cares for them. From that standpoint, I believe that Facebook has done untold damage to churches. I have friends in independent, fundamental churches around the world and I have observed that this takes place everywhere.”
A CAGE OF LIGHT (Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, Mar. 7, 2024: “Ask any evolutionist, and he will tell you that the Venus Flower Basket is one of the least-evolved animals. This animal is actually a sponge that is made up of a colony of creatures, and it does some amazing things. The Venus Flower Basket builds a basket-like skeleton made up of glass-like silica covered only by a thin layer of cells. The intricate internal structure of this skeleton is reinforced to provide the greatest strength using the least amount of material. The resulting skeleton turns out to be a fiber optic network whose sophistication has been compared to modern fiber optics used for telecommunications networks. Symbiotic luminescent microorganisms make a home inside the base of the sponge, sending their light throughout the Flower Basket’s fiber optic skeleton. The Flower Basket traps shrimp inside this skeleton, where they spend their entire lives. The food they drop feeds those luminescent microorganisms at the bottom of the basket. The purpose of the light pulses is to attract prey to feed the shrimp, who, in turn, feed the source of the light pulses! All of this is even more impressive, given the fact that the Flower Basket has no nervous system whatsoever. That this beautiful creature with no nervous system is designed and works in such an intricate manner is a powerful testimony to our Creator, the only One Who could design this. Ref: Discover, 8/05, pp. 42-47, George M. Whitesides, ‘Illuminated Life.’”
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).
CANADIANS FINALLY FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE TRANS AGENDA (Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2024, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Canadians Finally Fight Back,” Thebridgehead.ca, Mar. 4, 2024: “For the better part of a decade, Canada remained one of the only Western countries where gender ideology remained entirely unquestioned, promoted as state dogma by the Trudeau government, and passively accepted by conservative politicians skittish about social issues. ... Last June, that began to change. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs announced that going forward, children under 16 seeking to change their gender at school by switching names and pronouns would first need to get their parents’ permission. Many Canadians had been unaware that over the past several years, it has become standard policy in the public school system to hide such information from parents by default, even though parental permission is required for matters as trivial as dispensing Tylenol. LGBT activists accused Higgs of violating LGBT ‘human rights,’ but Higgs refused to back down. Polling highlighted the popularity of the policy. As it turns out, claiming that Canadian parents pose a danger to their kids is not politically persuasive. Higgs’ move attracted the attention of other premiers, and on August 22, Saskatchewan announced an almost identical policy mandating that parental consent must be acquired before students are ‘socially transitioned’ before the age of 16. Again, the political allies of the LGBT movement--including Saskatchewan’s ‘Advocate for Children and Youth,’ Lisa Broda--claimed that involving Canadian parents in life-changing decisions about their children is dangerous. Premier Scott Moe, following Higgs’ lead, defended the policy, highlighting a poll that proved broad public support: ‘A new poll from [the] Angus Reid Institute shows strong support in Saskatchewan and across Canada for Parental Inclusion and Consent in education with 86% in Saskatchewan supporting some level of notification for parents when children want to change their gender identity in school. Just 10% agree with the NDP position that parents should not be informed.’ ... Ontario’s education minister Stephen Lecce hosted a press conference on August 28, announcing that it is the view of the Ford government that ‘parents must be fully involved and fully aware of what’s happening in the life of their children.’ Overnight, ‘parental rights’ went from a political no-go zone to a popular campaign point—and all it took was one premier having the guts to make the move. ... on January 31, Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta, announced a raft of new policies going substantially further than any other premier. From the Alberta government’s website: ‘All gender reassignment surgeries for minors aged 17 and under will be prohibited. - The use of puberty blockers and hormone therapies for the purpose of gender reassignment or affirmation will not be permitted for children aged 15 and under, except for those who have already commenced treatment. ... - Parents must be notified and opt in to any instance when a teacher provides formal instruction on subject matter involving gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality. - Parents must consent for their child aged 15 and under to alter their name or pronouns used by school teachers, administration, and other educational staff.’ ... The LGBT movement and their progressive political allies promptly went nuts. ... Political scientist Dave Snow analyzed the coverage of Saskatchewan’s policy by the CBC, Canada’s taxpayer-funded state broadcaster, and found that headlines were leading and biased, with 37% of them containing ‘attributed criticism’ and not a single one of 38 articles containing ‘attributed praise of the policy.’ So-called ‘experts’ were handpicked to criticize parental rights. Snow’s conclusion: ‘The CBC prioritizes allyship over objectivity.’ The Toronto Star was even less subtle, publishing an op-ed titled ‘It’s a privilege, not a right, to know your kid’s gender identity.’”
A WARNING ABOUT HOW FACEBOOK IS HARMING CHURCHES (Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2024, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “Most people in our circles do not have the discernment, discretion or courage to stand against things that are wrong. For instance, when someone leaves a good church and goes down a worldly or wicked road, many people continue to remain friends with them and ‘Like’ everything they do. They will approve of things on Facebook that their church and pastor plainly stand against including immodest attire, worldly activities, wrong relationships, wrong marriages, rebellion against church, bad doctrine…you name it. They hear these things preached against on Sunday, but Monday morning they approve of them on Facebook. They will not clearly and plainly separate from folks who are going in a direction that contradicts the doctrine of their own church. This encourages the one who is doing wrong, weakens those who would stand against that behavior, and signals to others that these wrong activities are okay. In doing this, they seem to care more about the feelings of rebels than they do the feelings and concerns of a pastor who loves and cares for them. From that standpoint, I believe that Facebook has done untold damage to churches. I have friends in independent, fundamental churches around the world and I have observed that this takes place everywhere.”
A CAGE OF LIGHT (Friday Church News Notes, March 22, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, Mar. 7, 2024: “Ask any evolutionist, and he will tell you that the Venus Flower Basket is one of the least-evolved animals. This animal is actually a sponge that is made up of a colony of creatures, and it does some amazing things. The Venus Flower Basket builds a basket-like skeleton made up of glass-like silica covered only by a thin layer of cells. The intricate internal structure of this skeleton is reinforced to provide the greatest strength using the least amount of material. The resulting skeleton turns out to be a fiber optic network whose sophistication has been compared to modern fiber optics used for telecommunications networks. Symbiotic luminescent microorganisms make a home inside the base of the sponge, sending their light throughout the Flower Basket’s fiber optic skeleton. The Flower Basket traps shrimp inside this skeleton, where they spend their entire lives. The food they drop feeds those luminescent microorganisms at the bottom of the basket. The purpose of the light pulses is to attract prey to feed the shrimp, who, in turn, feed the source of the light pulses! All of this is even more impressive, given the fact that the Flower Basket has no nervous system whatsoever. That this beautiful creature with no nervous system is designed and works in such an intricate manner is a powerful testimony to our Creator, the only One Who could design this. Ref: Discover, 8/05, pp. 42-47, George M. Whitesides, ‘Illuminated Life.’”
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).
_____
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.
Way of Life Literature - www.wayoflife.org
copyright 2018 - Way of Life Literature
