WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES
Pastor Dale Morgan
April 01, 2007
The following is another installment of the Weekly Church News Notes
designed especially for use in churches.
*ANGLICAN HYPOCRISY *
The bishops of the Episcopal Church in America have rejected the
ultimatum that was issued to it recently by the bishops of the worldwide
Anglican Communion. The Episcopalian bishops said that "all God's
children, including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal
participants" of the church ("Anglican Head: Episcopal Rejection of
Ultimatum Discouraging," AP, March 22, 2007). It is therefore obvious
that they are not inclined to accept the recent demand that the
Episcopal Church promise not to ordain another homosexual or authorize a
prayer service for homosexual couples. While it might sound like the
Anglican Church at large is more conservative than its branch in the
U.S., this is not true. There is great hypocrisy in this matter by the
Church of England and most other wings of the worldwide Anglican
Communion because it is shot through and through with the same
theological liberalism and immorality that characterizes the Episcopal
Church in America. In 1953 Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple, in
his book Nature and God, said, "... there is no such thing as revealed
truth." In 1961 Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey said, "...
heaven is not a place for Christians only. ... I expect to see many
present day atheists there" (London Daily Mail, Oct. 2, 1961). In
November 1980 Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa said, "It may
be that Jesus was an illegitimate son" (Cape Times, Oct. 24, 1980). In
1982 Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie said he was an agnostic as
to why Jesus suffered on the cross (Sunday Times Weekly Review, London,
April 11, 1982). I was in London at the time and found this statement in
the newspaper while I was eating breakfast. In 1984 David Jenkins,
Anglican Bishop of Durham, described Christ's resurrection as "a
conjuring trick with bones" (St. Louis Post Dispatch, Oct. 28, 1984). In
1984 the Associated Press reported that only 20 of 31 Church of England
bishops polled insisted that Christians must accept Jesus as both God
and man. In 1986 Anglican Bishop David Jenkins got a standing ovation
from the general synod of the Church of England when he defended his
doubts about the virgin birth and bodily resurrection of Christ
(Associated Press, July 7, 1986). In 1994 it was reported by the London
Sunday Times (July 31) that at least 100 Anglican priests are atheists
who do not believe in "an external, supernatural God." In 2002 Richard
Harries, Anglican Bishop of Oxford, said Christians should pray to "God
the Mother" (The Times, Nov. 3, 2002). I could continue with other
examples from our files, but I believe I have proven the point. We could
also show that acceptance of unrepentant homosexuals is rife throughout
Anglicanism. For the worldwide Anglican Communion to lecture the
Episcopal Church in America about liberalism and its resultant
immorality is gross hypocrisy. They have no conviction about or love for
the truth; they are only playing politics. End-time apostasy is in full
bloom.
*CATHOLIC SCHOOL BANS PUPILS FROM MYSPACE *
St. Hugo of the Hills Catholic School in suburban Detroit has banned its
students from posting on MySpace ("Catholic School Bans," Detroit News,
March 22, 2007). The school plans to monitor the site for student
activity, and those who disobey the ban risk suspension. The school's
objective is to "keep the students safe." The Oakland County Sheriff
said the decision is a good one because "it eliminates the biggest
factor, which is peer pressure." It is a wise thing to ban young people
from MySpace, but parents need to understand that there are many other
serious dangers on the Internet and there are also other social
networking sites where young people congregate and encourage one another
in worldly activities. Our article "My Space or God's?" can be viewed
online at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/myspace-or-gods.html."
*STREET PREACHER JAILED FOR NOT OBTAINING A LICENSE *
Street preacher Billy Ball was arrested and jailed on March 24 after
receiving repeated citations for preaching without a license from the
city of Hendersonville, North Carolina. He was charged with "use of
sidewalks and streets for sermon" in violation of the city's public
demonstrations' ordinance that requires permission from the police chief
("Law-testing Street Preaching Lands in Jail," Times-News,
Hendersonville, March 24, 2007). The ordinance states: "No person shall
deliver a sermon, lecture, address or discourse ... on the streets,
alleys, sidewalks, public squares or any public grounds of the city
without having first obtained the written permission of the chief of
police." Ball, a 46-year-old preacher, rightly protests that his
Constitutional liberties are being violated by this ordinance
restricting free speech and the free exercise of religion in public
places. One thing that Police Chief Donnie Parks seems to object to is
Balls' display of a sign that reads: "Three gay rights: AIDS, hell,
salvation." Parks said it is wrong to use "any terminology that is
inflammatory to the general public, such as making reference to sexual
orientation or race in offensive terms or a derogatory nature" ("Street
Preacher Vows to Bring More Protesters to Challenge Law," Times-News,
March 23). I would not personally hold up such a sign, because that is
not the way I practice evangelism; but it is not wrong and Ball
certainly has the right to free speech and to the free, unrestricted
exercise of his religion. We pray that the courts will rule
constitutionally on this matter as opposed to ruling by the whim of
Political Correctness.
*
THE UNITED NATIONS' ANTI-ISRAEL STANCE *
"The United Nations has spent one-third of its time either deliberating
and arguing about or denouncing Israel because of its hold upon
Jerusalem. ... More than sixty thousand individual votes have been cast
in the UN against Israel. ... The United Nations has consistently taken
the side of the Arabs against Israel, making the creation of the State
of Israel by the UN in 1947--something the UN would not do today--all
the more miraculous in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The UN is
adamantly opposed to Israel and everything she does--and is thus defiant
of the God of Israel and His pledge to restore His people fully to the
land He gave them 'from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the
river Euphrates' (Genesis 15:18). From 1967 through 1989, out of 865
resolutions in the Security Council and General Assembly of the UN, 526
were against Israel. The last anti-Arab vote was fifty-eights ago, in
1947. Not once has the UN reprimanded those who have without
provocation, beginning in 1948, waged five wars against Israel with the
openly declared intention of annihilating her. Nor have the terrorists
ever been condemned by the UN. In November 2003, Israel introduced its
first request for a resolution since 1976, asking for a prohibition
against Arab terrorists who deliberately target Israeli women and
children. Its [exceedingly reasonable] request was rejected and the UN
instead adopted a resolution demanding protection of Palestinian
children from Israel. ... Israel has been a member of the United Nations
for more than fifty years. Yet she is not allowed to take her two-year
turn as one of the ten rotating nations (joining the five permanent
ones) on the UN Security Council. Of the 191 current members, 190,
including the worst terrorist nations, are allowed to take their turns
on the Security Council--but not Israel" (Dave Hunt, Judgment Day, 2005,
pp. 7, 16, 17, 43). "There are more than one billion Muslims represented
at the United Nations; is it any wonder that three of the four members
of the Quartet represent the majority of the Muslim world?" (Michael
Evans, Beyond Iraq, 2003, p. 49).
*
RISQUE BIBLE MAGAZINE IN SWEDEN *
The Old Testament has been published in Sweden in a magazine format
featuring "a seductive cover rivaling contemporary fashion magazines"
(Christian Post, March 25, 2007). Called "Bible Illuminated, Gamla
Testament: The Book," it was designed by former Swedish advertiser Dag
Soderberg. Though "not particularly religious," Soderberg says he wants
too make the Bible more accessible to people who "have issues" with it
and that it might be a way that people "can have a Bible on their table
without causing too much panic." He says the Bible is useful for moral
and ethical guidance and that the slick magazine design fits people's
reading habits. "They prefer a text that is journalistically laid out:
split into articles, with headlines, quote boxes, pictures and captions.
This way they can more easily pick the parts they're interested in
reading." It is thus the "Pick and Choose Bible" for the Me Generation.
It features provocative images such as "a sensuous kiss" and "a topless
male model emerging from the ocean." The Bible is not a book to be
played with in a worldly fashion like this. To put the Bible into such a
context is confusion. It is to mix Christ with Belial, truth with error,
righteousness with unrighteousness. "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom
which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming
fire" (Hebrews 12:29-29).
*SCIENTISTS CREATE SHEEP THAT IS 15% HUMAN *
Scientists working with the University of Nevada in the U.S. have
created the world's first human-sheep chimera, which has the body of a
sheep and part-human organs. The sheep have 15% human cells and 85%
animal. The inventors say their goal is to make genetic designer sheep
with organs that can be transplanted into humans ("Now Scientists Create
a Sheep that's 15% Human," Sunday Mail, London, March 24, 2007). The
process involves injecting adult human stem cells derived from bone
marrow cells into a sheep's fetus. The cells move into the circulatory
system and are distributed to all of the animal's organs. Professor
Esmail Zanjani says he has already created a sheep liver with a large
proportion of human cells. Two institutions in England have also applied
to their government for permission to start work on chimeras. Dr.
Patrick Dixon, an international lecturer on biological trends, warned:
"Many silent viruses could create a biological nightmare in humans.
Mutant animal viruses are a real threat, as we have seen with HIV."
Dolly, the sheep that in 1996 was the first cloned mammal, had to be put
to death in 2003 at only about half of the typical sheep's life
expectancy because of premature aging and advanced disease. Alan Colman,
one of the scientists involved in the original cloning project in
Scotland, warned, "I think it highlights more than ever the foolishness
of those who want to legalize (human) reproductive cloning. In the case
of humans, it would be scandalous to go ahead given our knowledge about
the long-term affects of cloning" (AP, Singapore, Feb. 15, 2003). It
would be scandalous under any terms, because man, not being God, does
not have the authority to manipulate human life in that manner. The
questions pertaining to the soul and spirit of man are too grave to
ignore. Further, animals and humans are entirely different creations.
Man is not an animal, but is made in the image of God. This is a crucial
fact that the scientists working on these projects do not recognize.
Therefore they are working in the dark. The push for this type of thing
is man's fear of death and his desire to put it off as long as possible.
In Jesus Christ the desperate fear of death is gone, because the
believer knows that Christ overcame death at His resurrection and we
have eternal life in Him. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).
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).