WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES
Pastor Dale Morgan
April 22, 2007.
The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use in churches.
*HINDU ORGANIZATION CALLS MANY
CHRISTIAN WEB SITES “HATE SITES”*
The Hindu American Foundation is abusing the English language by
publishing a
list of alleged “hate sites” on the Internet. The report, Hyperlink
to Hinduphobia, lists 37 groups that it calls “extremist
organizations with hate against Hindus and Hinduism,” claiming that
these are “websites devoted to fomenting hatred and violence against
particular religious and ethnic groups.” The list includes the
Southern Baptist Convention, Christian Answers Network, Cutting Edge
Ministries, Christian Broadcasting Network, Mission Frontiers, and
Gospel for Asia. Way of Life Literature is included in the list
because of an article entitled “Hinduism’s Pagan Practices” which
“portrays the religion in demonic terms ... [saying that] the Beatles
and other rock and rollers were in direct communion with demons when
they popularized Hinduism to the hippy generation in the 1960s.” The
Hindu American Foundation is urging Internet providers to ban the web
sites on its list, but they need to learn that preaching the truth of
the Bible is not hate. In fact, nothing is more loving. If Hinduism
is true, it really doesn’t matter what you believe, because there are
countless gods and goddesses and eventually you will pass through
enough transmigrations of the soul to come out at the right place.
But if the Jesus Christ of the Bible is true it makes all of the
difference in the world what you believe, and those who preach Christ
as the only Lord and Saviour and warn of false religions and false
gospels are mankind’s best and most compassionate (though
misunderstood) friends. If the Hindu American Foundation is really
concerned about hate and violence, it needs to publish a list of
Hindu organizations and individuals in India who are almost daily
committing acts of violence against Christians. We recommend that it
top that list with the Hindus who burned alive missionary Graham
Staines and his two sons in 1999. The Hindu organization Bajrang Dal
was implicated in that horrible murder and that organization is still
committing violent acts against Christians in India. I will be
waiting eagerly for the publication of that list by the American
Hindu Foundation. In the meantime, anyone that does a web search for
India and Persecution will find plenty of evidence of real hate crimes.
*
AL GORE’S GLOBAL WARMING ROCK & ROLL BASH *
Al Gore is one of the organizers of Live Earth, a series of rock
concerts that are scheduled to be performed on all seven continents
“to highlight climate change.” Those on the program include Madonna,
Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beastie Boys, and other morally filthy
artists. In her recent Confessions tour, Madonna wore a crown of
thorns and was “crucified” on a cross. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’
shows are “a mixture of sex, energy, frenzied mayhem” (Rock ‘n’ Roll
Heaven, p. 152). Their bassist likes to perform in the nude. Many of
their lyrics are too vile to quote. Lead singer Anthony Kiedis was
convicted of indecent exposure and sexual battery in 1990. He had a
serious drug addiction. Guitarist John Ficanti dropped out of the
band and almost died of heroin abuse. Jack Irons was addicted to
heroin. Founding member Hillel Slovak died in 1988 at age 26 of a
heroin overdose. Time magazine called the Beastie Boys “rock’s
degenerate darlings.” Their music and concerts are filled with vile
profanity. Newsweek says, “Among other things, the Boys lustily
exclaim the joys of girls, gunplay and getting high--a frosty brew
and angel dust are the drugs of choice in their lyrics” (Feb. 2,
1987, p. 70). It is the moral filth that is being spewed forth from
the rock & roll scene that is the real danger to the world as opposed
to environmental disaster. Al Gore said, “We hope Live Earth will
launch a global campaign, giving a critical mass of people around the
world the tools they need to help solve the climate
crisis” (Christianity Today, April 10, 2007). Gore claims to be a
Christian and was a member of a Southern Baptist church when he
served as Vice President under Bill Clinton, but the man certainly
doesn’t believe the Bible. If he did, he would be spending his time
and wealth to warn the world of the fiery judgment to come rather
than the fantasy of global warming.
*DRAWING YOUTH TO CHRIST WITH THE WORLD *
A very strange philosophy predominates in evangelical youth
ministries today, which is that it is legitimate to draw youth to
Christ with the world. This is the philosophy of Teen Mania, the
sponsor of BattleCry, a movement to “take back the youth generation
for Christ.” BattleCry is promoting massive youth rallies in various
cities in America. The next is scheduled for April 20-21 in Detroit.
Teen Mania founder Ron Luce said: “We connect with teens through
culturally-relevant rallies that include top artists, edgy messages,
eye-popping images, even pyrotechnics--but we deliver a radically
different, counter-culture message” (“Over 30,000 Teens Ready to
Overturn Culture War,” Christian Post, April 13, 2007). One of the
rock groups scheduled for Detroit is P.O.D. (Payable On Death) whose
members are festooned with tattoos and piercings and wear long
dreadlocks in direct disobedience to God’s Word. The band claims they
play concerts at Ozzyfest and perform with wicked secular groups such
as Korn and record on a secular label “to be heard by the lost
people.” In fact, P.O.D.’s platinum-selling album The Fundamental
Elements of Southtown doesn’t even mention the name of Jesus Christ,
let alone give a clear presentation of the gospel. It is confusion to
draw youth to Christ by means of the world. What people are won by
they are won to. These misled young people are not being won to the
holy Christ of the Bible. They are being won to a worldly Jesus who
hangs out with them and parties with them and loves rock music and
doesn’t care how they look as long as the “heart is right.” This is
NOT biblical Christianity. The apostle Paul did not try to reach the
people of his generation through “culturally-relevant” means. He
didn’t contract one of Rome’s top bands to attract a crowd. He very
simply and boldly preached the gospel and did not corrupt the
ministry by surrounding it with the things of the world. In fact,
there is not one example in the Bible of music being used as a
vehicle for evangelism. See Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 11:7, 15;
Ephesians 5:11; Philippians 2:15; 1 Timothy 2:9-10; Titus 2:11-15;
James 1:27; 4:4; 1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:2; 1 John 2:15-17.
*
ANGLICAN/EPISCOPAL CHURCH LOSES ITS PROPERTY*
The Redeemer Anglican Church of Jacksonville, Florida, has lost its
property because of a lawsuit filed against it by the liberal
Episcopal Church in America. The church voted in January to leave the
denomination over the issues of theological liberalism and
homosexuality. John Howard, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of
Florida, ignored a call from the Archbishop of Canterbury to suspend
litigation over property. It takes conviction and courage to walk
away from a denominational structure, and conviction and courage are
sorely lacking in Christianity today. We would urge these
Episcopalians to use this occasion to take many other steps, going
all of the way back to the biblical pattern for the church, to a
regenerate church membership, to believer’s baptism by immersion, to
the Lord’s Supper as a simple memorial meal, to the autonomous
assembly, to the simple office of pastor/elder/bishop, to the
priesthood of the believers, to church discipline.
*VIRGINIA TECH AND DR. HENRY MORRIS *
The following is by Pastor Matt Furse of Bible Believers Baptist Church,
Custer, South Dakota <bb...@goldenwest.net> -- “Today, Virginia Tech
is in the news for all the wrong reasons. This is a well-known
engineering school in Blacksburg, Virginia. I suppose many will blame
this tragedy on ‘guns’ (as if a gun can be either good or bad). Truth
is, if one of the ‘good guys’ had carried a gun, they could have
stopped the bad guy(s)! But that’s another issue. This story struck
me because of another angle. I’ve always admired Dr. Henry Morris,
who died and went to Heaven last year at 88 years of age. He was
Christian and he was a scientist. He wrote many books proving that
the Bible is scientifically correct and that evolution does not hold
the answers to the origin of life. Dr. Morris was the founder of the
Institute for Creation Research (ICR) in El Cajon, California
(www.icr.org). Did you know that years ago Henry Morris was a
Professor at Virginia Tech? He held a degree in Hydraulic Engineering
and taught in the Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. He even
wrote a textbook on the subject that was used for years. During his
career there, he began a Bible study that eventually grew into the
College Baptist Church of Blacksburg, Virginia. He used his degree in
Hydraulic Engineering to study the Genesis account of Noah’s Flood.
He wanted to understand the power of water and what it could do.
While a professor at Virginia Tech, he co-authored (with John
Whitcomb) The Genesis Flood. Henry Morris had an exceptional record
as a professor at the college, and the Dean of Virginia Tech (at that
time) was in favor of the book. But a new Dean took over (Dean
Wooster) and he was not in favor of Henry Morris’ view of the young
age of the earth and a Biblical, world-wide flood, so Dean Wooster
began to make things difficult for Dr. Morris. With his good record,
he kept his job and continued to teach; however, as time went on God
was not welcome on the campus of Virginia Tech, and since Henry
Morris believed in God and the Bible he began to feel unwelcome, as
well. In 1970 Dr. Morris moved to California and eventually started
his own school, ICR, which is still going strong today. While at the
same time, the Engineering Department of Virginia Tech lost a man of
great moral influence.”
*
UNITED METHODISTS AND EPISCOPALIANS MOVING CLOSER IN UNITY *
The United Methodist Church and
the Episcopal Church USA continue to move closer together in
ecumenical unity. The denominations have been conducting official
dialogues since 2002, and in 2006 the Episcopalians voted to enter
into Eucharistic Sharing with the Methodists as a step toward full
communion. This allows the two liberal denominations to share
communion together. Recently a new study guide called “Make Us One
with Christ” was published to foster further unity. The Bible asks
the rhetorical question, “Can two walk together, except they be
agreed?” (Amos 3:3), and the answer is no. The United Methodists and
Episcopalians are walking together because they are likeminded in
theological liberalism and unbelief. As early as 1968 a widely
publicized scientific survey by Jeffrey Hadden, published by the
Washington University, showed that about 60% of Methodist clergy did
not believe in the virgin birth and at least 50% did not believe in
the bodily resurrection of Christ. That was almost 40 years ago, and
things have only gotten worse. The Episcopalians are in the same
unbelieving boat. In 1991 Episcopal Bishop John Spong said in his
book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: “Am I suggesting that
these stories of the virgin birth are not literally true? The answer
is a simple and direct ‘Yes.’ Of course these narratives are not
literally true. Stars do not wander, angels do not sing, virgins do
not give birth, magi do not travel to a distant land to present gifts
to a baby, and shepherds do not go in search of a newborn savior.”
CONCLUSION: Friends in Christ, do not be discouraged by any of this.
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. These things
remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the
coming of the Lord. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you
living for Christ day by day? “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).