Friday Church News Notes
June 7, 2024 - Volume 25, Issue 23
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.
DISPENSATIONAL INTERPRETATION OF PROPHECY DECLINING (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - According to the book Christian Zionism in the Twenty-First Century (2023, Bumin and Inbari), the dispensational view of prophecy is declining among evangelicals and with it the support of the state of Israel. “The number of young Evangelicals in the United States who support Israel and view it as crucial to the End Times is declining as they increasingly move toward amillennial and postmillennial eschatology, according to a recent study” (“Support for Israel, dispensationalism declines among younger Evangelicals,” The Christian Post, May 29, 2024). The book is based in part on surveys conducted in 2018, 2020, and 2021. According to these, support for Israel declined from 67.9% in 2018 to 33.6% in 2021. One major reason for this dramatic decline is the rapid spread of Reformed theology and the amillennial or postmillennial positions that typically accompany it. The same thing is happening among “young fundamentalists.” In 2005, a survey of “Young Fundamentalists’ Beliefs and Personal Life” was published by Jason Janz, Dave Burggraff, and Jerry Thacker. This was not a scientific survey, but it is the only one of any kind that has been taken in the 21st century. It was largely a survey of graduates of Bob Jones University (29% of respondents), Maranatha Baptist Bible College (22%), and Northland Baptist Bible College (21%). Following are some of the results: 58% hold a Calvinist view of sovereign election, with another 8% unsure on the issue; 13% either believe in annihilation or believe that hell is not a literal place and eternal in duration; 14% hold either to the amillennial (8%) or postmillennial (5%) views; about 30% said “a militant contention for the faith” is not part of their definition of fundamentalism; 46% agreed that “John Piper’s ministry has been a help to me”; only 14% agreed with this statement: “There is danger in much of the contemporary music today, and fundamentalists need to continue to hold the line.” Do not forget, reader, that this survey was taken 20 years ago, and an educated guess would conclude that those percentages have increased.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH’S DESCENT INTO THE UTTER DEPTHS OF APOSTASY (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - As the poster child of end-time apostasy, it would be hard to beat the Episcopal Church in America, though a great many denominations are running neck and neck. The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the “mother church” of which is the Church of England. Apostasy is a major prophecy of the New Testament faith. It is summarized in 2 Timothy 3-4. It is a Christianity that has a form of godliness, but denies the power thereof (2 Ti. 3:5), that being supernatural salvation and the infallible Scriptures, among other things. Apostasy is a Christianity that turns its ears from the truth and will not endure sound doctrine, but loves teachers who promote a Christianity that allows adherents to live after their own lusts and pursue fables (2 Ti. 4:3-4). Apostasy is also described in 2 Peter 2 as led by covetous false teachers who bring in damnable heresies, including heresies pertaining to Christ Himself, and who live perniciously, and “by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (2 Pe. 2:1-3). The Episcopal Church is certainly all of that. In 1960, Episcopalian Bishop James Pike said the doctrine of the Trinity is “outdated, incomprehensible and nonessential” (The Christian Century, Dec. 21, 1960). In 1967, after heresy charges were brought against Bishop Pike, the Episcopal Church adopted a resolution declaring that all heresy was out of date. Episcopalian “theologians” such as Marcus Borg were prominent members of the Jesus Seminar, which concluded that Jesus spoke only about 20% of the things attributed to him in the New Testament and that the Jesus described in the Bible is largely fiction: he wasn’t born of a virgin, didn’t walk on the water, didn’t die for man’s sins, and didn’t rise from the dead. In a 1993 survey of nearly 20,000 Episcopalians, seventy percent believed “faithful Christians can be sexually active gays and lesbians” (Christian News, Nov. 1, 1993). In 1998, Episcopalian Bishop Spong said, “I would choose to loathe rather than to worship a deity who required the sacrifice of his son” (Christianity Today, June 15, 1998), and in 2000, Spong said, “I do not believe that human beings are born evil and that only those who come to God through the ‘blood of Jesus’ will be saved” (The Washington Times, Sept. 12, 2021). In April 2003, Episcopalian Bishop Charles Bennison said that Jesus Christ was a sinner (Worthy News, April 14, 2003). In 2006, the newly elected presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori referred to “our mother Jesus” (Douglas LeBlanc, “Two Minds in One Episcopal Body,” Christian Research Journal, vol. 29, no. 5, 2006). In May 2024, the Episcopal Church rolled out its new shield or logo with multiple homosexual flags promoting every sort of moral perversion. “It incorporates elements of the traditional Pride flag as well as the Progress Pride flag and Philadelphia Pride flag.” The prophet Peter specifically mentions Sodom and Gomorrah and “the filthy conversation of the wicked” in his description of end-time apostasy (2 Peter 3:6). If the Bible is just a book, how did 1st century Peter know these things about 21st century Christianity?
THE BENEFITS OF HAND WRITING (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning,” National Public Radio, May 11, 2024: “The laborious process of tracing out our thoughts, letter by letter, on the page is becoming a relic of the past in our screen-dominated world, where text messages and thumb-typed grocery lists have replaced handwritten letters and sticky notes. Electronic keyboards offer obvious efficiency benefits that have undoubtedly boosted our productivity ... To keep up, many schools are introducing computers as early as preschool, meaning some kids may learn the basics of typing before writing by hand. But giving up this slower, more tactile way of expressing ourselves may come at a significant cost, according to a growing body of research that’s uncovering the surprising cognitive benefits of taking pen to paper, or even stylus to iPad--for both children and adults. In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material. ‘There’s actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand,’ says Ramesh Balasubramaniam, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced. ‘It has important cognitive benefits.’ ... handwriting, it turns out, requires a lot more fine-tuned coordination between the motor and visual systems. This seems to more deeply engage the brain in ways that support learning. ‘Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of,’ says Marieke Longcamp, a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université. ... A study published in January found that when students write by hand, brain areas involved in motor and visual information processing ‘sync up’ with areas crucial to memory formation, firing at frequencies associated with learning. ‘We don’t see that [synchronized activity] in typewriting at all,’ says Audrey van der Meer, a psychologist and study co-author at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She suggests that writing by hand is a neurobiologically richer process ... Ditching handwriting instruction could mean that those skills don’t get developed as well, which could impair kids’ ability to learn down the road. ‘If young children are not receiving any handwriting training, which is very good brain stimulation, then their brains simply won’t reach their full potential,’ says van der Meer.”
DEMON SLAYER ANIME MOVIES WILDLY POPULAR IN JAPAN (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Demon Slayer is a series of anime movies that are wildly popular in Japan. The third installment, Kimetsu no yaiba (To the Hashira Training) appeared this year. The first film (Mugen Train, 2020), was the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, with a revenue of over 40 million yen ($260 million) (“How the anime Demon Slayer films are driving pop religion in Japan,” Religion News Service, May 14, 2024). Demon Slayer borrows from pagan religion, spirit worship, asceticism, and demon lore. It encourages a life built on the utter emptiness of fantasy. The hero of the series, Tanjiro Kamado, is a youth on a mythical quest to defeat demons that are feeding on humans. The story began as a manga comic in 2016. In Asia, the manga culture has captured the imaginations of multitudes of young people. (Manga is Japanese; in Korea it is manhwa, and in China it is manhua.) Anime refers to the animation of manga as television programs and movies. It has been said that one cannot understand modern Japan “without understanding the role that manga plays in the society.” Manga comics come in a wide variety of genre: romance, superhero, superheroine, science fiction, etc., and manga is popular for a large segment of society, including children, students, businessmen, and housewives. Manga stories often mix real world scenes with alien worlds. The characters are normal people with shadow lives via superpowers or robot or alien friends. There is a lot of witchcraft (such as soul migration) and a lot of sexual content, including homosexuality. It has been described as a “pop cultural obsession.” A large portion of society east and west is addicted to fantasy, and it can be understood how this will facilitate the rise of the Antichrist.
FILL THE CHILDREN’S MINDS WITH SCRIPTURE (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (De. 6:6-7). “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7). “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Ps. 119:130). “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Ro. 10:17). “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Ti. 3:15). Of one of his daughters, Pastor Kerry Allen says, “I began a program of memorizing salvation Scriptures with her, and rewarding her for her efforts. In less than one month, with numbers of these same Scriptures at work in her heart, she fell under deep conviction of sin. ... Don’t wait until they are teens, you will have lost them by then! ... start memorizing with them as soon as they are able to speak, surely not later than three to four years old. ... begin reading the verses to your child as soon as they are born. They will hear each verse dozens of times before you even begin memorizing, and that is a great way to begin the process from the very earliest days. Sow the Seed of the Word of God faithfully and consistently every day, and wondrous things will occur!” (Allen, How Can I Except Some Man Guide Me?). Pastor Allen has published 150 salvation verses that can be used for a Scripture memorization program for children and has posted it on the web for free download. See the following link: How Can I Except Some Man Guide Me? This can also be purchased in print from Bethel Baptist Printing, 4212 Campbell St. N., London, Ont. N6P 1A6, 519-652-2619.
OLD BAPTISTS AND REGENERATE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The churches established by American Baptist missionaries in the 19th century, beginning with Adoniram Judson’s work in Burma in 1813, were exceedingly careful about receiving members. Following is a description of how the Karens were prepared for baptism in about 1831 by missionary William Boardman: “Three days were devoted to the examination of the candidates who presented themselves for baptism. Eighteen of them were accepted. ... Aided by Mr. Mason and the native Christians who were present, he examined them in the history of their Christian experience, and in the doctrines of the gospel” (William Gammell, A History of American Baptist Missions, pp. 101, 102).
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).
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH’S DESCENT INTO THE UTTER DEPTHS OF APOSTASY (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - As the poster child of end-time apostasy, it would be hard to beat the Episcopal Church in America, though a great many denominations are running neck and neck. The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the “mother church” of which is the Church of England. Apostasy is a major prophecy of the New Testament faith. It is summarized in 2 Timothy 3-4. It is a Christianity that has a form of godliness, but denies the power thereof (2 Ti. 3:5), that being supernatural salvation and the infallible Scriptures, among other things. Apostasy is a Christianity that turns its ears from the truth and will not endure sound doctrine, but loves teachers who promote a Christianity that allows adherents to live after their own lusts and pursue fables (2 Ti. 4:3-4). Apostasy is also described in 2 Peter 2 as led by covetous false teachers who bring in damnable heresies, including heresies pertaining to Christ Himself, and who live perniciously, and “by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (2 Pe. 2:1-3). The Episcopal Church is certainly all of that. In 1960, Episcopalian Bishop James Pike said the doctrine of the Trinity is “outdated, incomprehensible and nonessential” (The Christian Century, Dec. 21, 1960). In 1967, after heresy charges were brought against Bishop Pike, the Episcopal Church adopted a resolution declaring that all heresy was out of date. Episcopalian “theologians” such as Marcus Borg were prominent members of the Jesus Seminar, which concluded that Jesus spoke only about 20% of the things attributed to him in the New Testament and that the Jesus described in the Bible is largely fiction: he wasn’t born of a virgin, didn’t walk on the water, didn’t die for man’s sins, and didn’t rise from the dead. In a 1993 survey of nearly 20,000 Episcopalians, seventy percent believed “faithful Christians can be sexually active gays and lesbians” (Christian News, Nov. 1, 1993). In 1998, Episcopalian Bishop Spong said, “I would choose to loathe rather than to worship a deity who required the sacrifice of his son” (Christianity Today, June 15, 1998), and in 2000, Spong said, “I do not believe that human beings are born evil and that only those who come to God through the ‘blood of Jesus’ will be saved” (The Washington Times, Sept. 12, 2021). In April 2003, Episcopalian Bishop Charles Bennison said that Jesus Christ was a sinner (Worthy News, April 14, 2003). In 2006, the newly elected presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori referred to “our mother Jesus” (Douglas LeBlanc, “Two Minds in One Episcopal Body,” Christian Research Journal, vol. 29, no. 5, 2006). In May 2024, the Episcopal Church rolled out its new shield or logo with multiple homosexual flags promoting every sort of moral perversion. “It incorporates elements of the traditional Pride flag as well as the Progress Pride flag and Philadelphia Pride flag.” The prophet Peter specifically mentions Sodom and Gomorrah and “the filthy conversation of the wicked” in his description of end-time apostasy (2 Peter 3:6). If the Bible is just a book, how did 1st century Peter know these things about 21st century Christianity?
THE BENEFITS OF HAND WRITING (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning,” National Public Radio, May 11, 2024: “The laborious process of tracing out our thoughts, letter by letter, on the page is becoming a relic of the past in our screen-dominated world, where text messages and thumb-typed grocery lists have replaced handwritten letters and sticky notes. Electronic keyboards offer obvious efficiency benefits that have undoubtedly boosted our productivity ... To keep up, many schools are introducing computers as early as preschool, meaning some kids may learn the basics of typing before writing by hand. But giving up this slower, more tactile way of expressing ourselves may come at a significant cost, according to a growing body of research that’s uncovering the surprising cognitive benefits of taking pen to paper, or even stylus to iPad--for both children and adults. In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material. ‘There’s actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand,’ says Ramesh Balasubramaniam, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced. ‘It has important cognitive benefits.’ ... handwriting, it turns out, requires a lot more fine-tuned coordination between the motor and visual systems. This seems to more deeply engage the brain in ways that support learning. ‘Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of,’ says Marieke Longcamp, a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université. ... A study published in January found that when students write by hand, brain areas involved in motor and visual information processing ‘sync up’ with areas crucial to memory formation, firing at frequencies associated with learning. ‘We don’t see that [synchronized activity] in typewriting at all,’ says Audrey van der Meer, a psychologist and study co-author at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She suggests that writing by hand is a neurobiologically richer process ... Ditching handwriting instruction could mean that those skills don’t get developed as well, which could impair kids’ ability to learn down the road. ‘If young children are not receiving any handwriting training, which is very good brain stimulation, then their brains simply won’t reach their full potential,’ says van der Meer.”
DEMON SLAYER ANIME MOVIES WILDLY POPULAR IN JAPAN (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Demon Slayer is a series of anime movies that are wildly popular in Japan. The third installment, Kimetsu no yaiba (To the Hashira Training) appeared this year. The first film (Mugen Train, 2020), was the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, with a revenue of over 40 million yen ($260 million) (“How the anime Demon Slayer films are driving pop religion in Japan,” Religion News Service, May 14, 2024). Demon Slayer borrows from pagan religion, spirit worship, asceticism, and demon lore. It encourages a life built on the utter emptiness of fantasy. The hero of the series, Tanjiro Kamado, is a youth on a mythical quest to defeat demons that are feeding on humans. The story began as a manga comic in 2016. In Asia, the manga culture has captured the imaginations of multitudes of young people. (Manga is Japanese; in Korea it is manhwa, and in China it is manhua.) Anime refers to the animation of manga as television programs and movies. It has been said that one cannot understand modern Japan “without understanding the role that manga plays in the society.” Manga comics come in a wide variety of genre: romance, superhero, superheroine, science fiction, etc., and manga is popular for a large segment of society, including children, students, businessmen, and housewives. Manga stories often mix real world scenes with alien worlds. The characters are normal people with shadow lives via superpowers or robot or alien friends. There is a lot of witchcraft (such as soul migration) and a lot of sexual content, including homosexuality. It has been described as a “pop cultural obsession.” A large portion of society east and west is addicted to fantasy, and it can be understood how this will facilitate the rise of the Antichrist.
FILL THE CHILDREN’S MINDS WITH SCRIPTURE (Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (De. 6:6-7). “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7). “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Ps. 119:130). “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Ro. 10:17). “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Ti. 3:15). Of one of his daughters, Pastor Kerry Allen says, “I began a program of memorizing salvation Scriptures with her, and rewarding her for her efforts. In less than one month, with numbers of these same Scriptures at work in her heart, she fell under deep conviction of sin. ... Don’t wait until they are teens, you will have lost them by then! ... start memorizing with them as soon as they are able to speak, surely not later than three to four years old. ... begin reading the verses to your child as soon as they are born. They will hear each verse dozens of times before you even begin memorizing, and that is a great way to begin the process from the very earliest days. Sow the Seed of the Word of God faithfully and consistently every day, and wondrous things will occur!” (Allen, How Can I Except Some Man Guide Me?). Pastor Allen has published 150 salvation verses that can be used for a Scripture memorization program for children and has posted it on the web for free download. See the following link: How Can I Except Some Man Guide Me? This can also be purchased in print from Bethel Baptist Printing, 4212 Campbell St. N., London, Ont. N6P 1A6, 519-652-2619.
OLD BAPTISTS AND REGENERATE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Friday Church News Notes, June 7, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The churches established by American Baptist missionaries in the 19th century, beginning with Adoniram Judson’s work in Burma in 1813, were exceedingly careful about receiving members. Following is a description of how the Karens were prepared for baptism in about 1831 by missionary William Boardman: “Three days were devoted to the examination of the candidates who presented themselves for baptism. Eighteen of them were accepted. ... Aided by Mr. Mason and the native Christians who were present, he examined them in the history of their Christian experience, and in the doctrines of the gospel” (William Gammell, A History of American Baptist Missions, pp. 101, 102).
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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