WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES
Pastor Dale Morgan
March 11, 2007.
The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use
in churches.
*
CALVARY CHAPEL'S UNMITIGATED LOVE FOR ROCK & ROLL *
The Calvary Chapel fellowship of
churches founded the Jesus People movement in the
1970s, which birthed the rock & roll Christian
philosophy. The movement began when California
hippies began to "come to Christ" through the
ministry of Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel in Costa
Mesa. While rejecting the gross immorality and
drug abuse associated with the hippy movement,
they kept their long hair and rock & roll. The
Jesus People founded the Contemporary Christian
Music movement and popularized the philosophy
that music is neutral and that sensual party
music can be used for the worship of a holy God.
Today there are more than 1,000 Calvary Chapels,
and they are still at the heart of the CCM
movement. For example, Calvary Chapel Redmond
(Washington) is pastored by Michael Bloodgood,
founder of the CCM rock band Bloodgood. In a
biographical sketch at the church's web site,
Bloodgood mentions the Beatles at least 13 times
in the most favorable manner, with not a hint of
warning. He lists the Beatles as one of his
favorite bands and one of the bands that
influenced him the most (together with such
morally vile bands as Nirvana, Aerosmith, Led
Zeppelin, and Dio). He lists watching the Beatles
on the Ed Sullivan Show as one of his favorite
childhood memories. Collecting Beatles
memorabilia is one of his favorite interests, and
"The Word" from the Beatles Rubber Soul album is
the song he would most like to cover. There is no
excuse for this type of thing on the part of a
man who claims to love the Lord, a pastor, no
less. The Bible plainly states that you cannot
love Christ and the devil at the same time. "Ye
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world
is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). "Ye cannot
drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils:
ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and
of the table of devils" (1 Corinthians 10:21).
*
CHURCH WITH THE ROMANTIC NIGHTCLUB FEEL *
The West Ridge Community Church
in Elgin, Illinois, was described by a secular
newspaper as the "house of worship" with "a
nightclub feel" ("Church Playing It Cool,"
Chicago Sun Times, March 4). This nine-year-old
contemporary church recently moved into a new
facility that was built to look like a nightclub,
the House of Blues in particular. It features a
"dimly lit sanctuary in the shape of a piano,
flanked by cafe tables, couches, and comfy
chairs." The music, which is a vital aspect of
the contemporary worship experience, is described
as "everything from tribal rhythms on Irish
bodhrans to U2-ish sounding praise songs." The
church is not only described as nightclubish but
also as romantic. "And throughout the service,
the flickering light from a couple of dozen
pillar candles on the stage and tiny tea lights
on the cafe tables gave the sanctuary an almost
romantic feel." A true New Testament church does
not imitate the world, nor does it seek to make
sinners comfortable by means of worldly music and
a toned down message. The apostle Paul said that
if a church is doing right and prophesying
(preaching) boldly and biblically, sinners will
be convicted of their sin (1 Corinthians
14:24-25). "And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans
12:2).
*ANOTHER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE FILES BANKRUPTCY *
The Roman Catholic diocese of San
Diego, California, filed for bankruptcy
protection from the 150 sexual abuse lawsuits
that have been filed against it. Previous
bankruptcy filings were made by the Catholic
diocese of Davenport, Iowa, in October 2006, the
diocese of Tucson, Arizona, and Portland, Oregon,
in 2004. The total number of accusations of sex
abuse since 1950 is 12,000 ("Abuse Cost
Churches," Boston Globe, March 31, 2006), and the
cost has exceeded $1.2 billion. A conservative
Catholic organization documented this wretched
business in the fall/winter 2002 issue of the
magazine Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, observing: "Š
the overwhelming majority of sexual abuse cases
in the Catholic Church--about 90%--involve
homosexual priests preying on teenage boys. The
major media and the U.S. culture at large want to
deny or spin the homosexual factor out of the
scandal." We would also comment that the judicial
system in America is nearly as corrupt as the
child-abusing Catholic priests. If a "minister"
is guilty of a heinous crime, he should be held
liable and should pay for his crime, and if a
fellow "clergyman" is found to have contributed
to the crime by trying to cover it up, then he,
too, should be made to pay. But an entire group
of churches should not be bankrupted by greedy
lawyers as the present system unjustly allows.
The American judicial system is no longer about
justice for those who have been wronged; it is
about money, which it drains from every victim
that falls into its uncaring clutches.
*
PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE STUDENTS ON MYSPACE *
This week I was informed that
there are groups on MySpace for current and
former members of Pensacola Christian College.
The content of these sites is shocking for a
Bible believing Christian. A co-worker and I
spent a few minutes one evening examining some of
these. The pictures are indecent. The music is
raunchy. The overall atmosphere is that of a very
worldly party. Consider one anonymous example.
The owner of this particular MySpace site within
a Pensacola grouping has a fish symbol and a
"Jesus is Lord" statement and quotes a daily
Bible verse, but she also posts indecent
pictures, lists herself by her astrological sign,
has links to unwholesome movies, and features
rock & roll music. This is an attempt to love the
world and Christ, too, which is impossible. It is
probable that students at other fundamentalist
schools are also on MySpace, but it is Pensacola
that we are focusing on here. If you have a
student there it would be wise to check closely
on this matter. Our article "My Space or God's?"
can be viewed online at
http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/myspace-or-gods.html.
*
STUDY CONFIRMS OUR WARNING THAT YOUTH TODAY ARE
MORE NARCISSISTIC*
The following is excerpted from "Study: College Students More
Narcissistic," The Associated Press, February 26:
"Today's college students are more narcissistic
and self-centered than their predecessors,
according to a comprehensive new study by five
psychologists who worry that the trend could be
harmful to personal relationships and American
society. 'We need to stop endlessly repeating
"You're special" and having children repeat that
back,' said the study's lead author, Professor
Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. 'Kids
are self-centered enough already.' Twenge and her
colleagues, in findings to be presented at a
workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation
gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college
students nationwide who completed an evaluation
called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory
between 1982 and 2006. The standardized
inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses
to such statements as 'If I ruled the world, it
would be a better place,' 'I think I am a special
person' and 'I can live my life any way I want
to.' The researchers describe their study as the
largest ever of its type and say students' NPI
scores have risen steadily since the current test
was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said,
two-thirds of the students had above-average
scores, 30 percent more than in 1982. ... Twenge,
the author of 'Generation Me: Why Today's Young
Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled
-- and More Miserable Than Ever Before,' said
narcissists tend to lack empathy, react
aggressively to criticism and favor
self-promotion over helping others. The
researchers traced the phenomenon back to what
they called the 'self-esteem movement' that
emerged in the 1980s, asserting that the effort
to build self-confidence had gone too far. ...
Current technology fuels the increase in
narcissism,' Twenge said. 'By its very name,
MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does
YouTube.' ... [The study's co-author W. Keith]
Campbell said the narcissism upsurge seemed so
pronounced that he was unsure if there were
obvious remedies. ''Permissiveness seems to be a
component,' he said. 'A potential antidote would
be more authoritative parenting. Less indulgence
might be called for.'"
*A PURE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP *
The following is from The Constitution of the Church by Davis
Huckabee: "So long as the churches fail to
preserve a pure membership, so long as they
refuse to purge out the obvious leaven, so long
as they fail to seek to reconcile those who may
have been excluded, there is little hope for any
improvement in the condition of the churches, and
good reason to expect the churches to move in the
opposite direction."
*
TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF A TRIAL IS TO
DESTROY ITS OBJECT *
Every book of the Scripture is an essential part of the divine
revelation that makes up the complete Bible, and
each book has its own powerful message. The book
of Job is no exception. It deals with the subject
of why the godly suffer. It is important to note
that Job did not know the reason for his
affliction and it was essential that he not know.
"The fact is, Job was not meant to know the
explanation of his trial; and on this simple fact
everything hangs. If Job had known, there would
have been no place for faith; and the man could
never have come forth as gold purified in the
fire. We are meant to understand that there are
some things which God cannot reveal to us at
present, inasmuch as the very revealing of them
would thwart His purposes for our good" (J.
Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book). Alfred
Edersheim rightly observed: "We cannot understand
the meaning of many trials; God does not explain
them. To explain a trial would be to destroy its
object, which is that of calling forth simple
faith and implicit obedience. If we knew why the
Lord sent us this or that trial, it would thereby
cease to be a trial either of faith or of
patience."
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).
Pastor Dale Morgan
March 18, 2007.
The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use in churches.
*POPE BENEDICT UPHOLDS PRIESTLY CELIBACY AND THE BAN ON COMMUNION FOR
THE DIVORCED *
On March 13 Pope Benedict XVI reiterated the Roman Catholic Church's
stance on
priestly celibacy and its ban on Communion for divorced Catholics. In
a 131-page document entitled "Sacramentum Caritatis" ("Sacrament of
Charity") the Pope said: "Priestly celibacy lived with maturity, joy
and dedication is an immense blessing for the Church and for society
itself." In fact, the unscriptural doctrine of enforced celibacy has
resulted in unspeakable and widespread immorality. The Bible says,
"But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to
marry than to burn" (1 Cor. 7:2). Marriage, in fact, seems to be a
requirement for pastors and deacons (1 Timothy 3:2, 12). The Roman
Catholic Church in America has spent more than a billion dollars in
satisfying lawsuits that stem from the immorality of its priests. In
the 19th century former priest Charles Chiniquy exposed some of the
immorality of the priesthood in his book "The Priest, the Woman, and
the Confessional." In his recent document the Pope also upheld the
Catholic Church's doctrine that forbids a divorced Catholic to
partake in the Mass. The Pope urged divorced Catholics to refrain
from the marriage bed so they can receive the Eucharist, saying, "The
Church encourages these members of the faithful to commit themselves
to living their relationship ... as friends, as brother and sister."
This is just as unscriptural as the doctrine of priestly celibacy.
The Bible nowhere says that the marriage of divorced people is not a
real marriage and nowhere demands that married people abstain from
the conjugal relationship. Paul said: "Defraud ye not one the other,
except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to
fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not
for your incontinency" (1 Corinthians 7:5).
*PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE STUDENTS ON MYSPACE REVISITED *
In the March 9 issue of the
Weekly Church News Notes we reported on young people on MySpace who
identify themselves as affiliated with Pensacola Christian College
(PCC). In considering this matter further based on feedback we have
received, we want to revisit this with the following comments. The
first point I want to make is that there are not a lot of current
Pensacola students on MySpace, at least as identifying themselves as
such. The young people who identify themselves on MySpace as
affiliated with Pensacola are mostly former students, it turns out,
and the school tries to keep its students away from this forum. One
current student made the following four points in an e-mail: "1. PCC
students do not have access to MySpace on campus. 2. The Intranet is
in place so students cannot access MySpace. The Intranet is a
specially designed access to certain websites of which MySpace is
inaccessible. 3. The students on MySpace have been dismissed from
school. 4. PCC does not take MySpace postings by their students
lightly. The matter is dealt with swiftly and carefully." I am glad
that this is the case and commend the school for taking these steps.
My second point is a warning that this problem not limited to
MySpace. Even though Pensacola tries to police MySpace sites among
current students, this does not mean that they are not on it through
an alias or that they are not on other social networking sites. A
friend wrote to say: "I could send you a link to a current Pensacola
student who is on Facebook and whose site talks about the rock music
(secular and CCM) that she enjoys. (She listens to Green Day. Look
Green Day up if you want to know what this PCC student likes to
listen to.) [Because of the warnings against MySpace] they just go to
other sites. I know for a fact it is going on. I think your warning
is valid. Two young people who just graduated from PCC last year are
on MySpace talking about the hard rock music they have learned to
love. Those who are still in school there are not going to broadcast
their affiliation with the school and run the risk of getting kicked
out. That doesn't mean they are not on MySpace. You just have to know
how to look to find them. The kids at our church are very creative at
being on MySpace under aliases, etc., to keep from being detected."
My third point is that the fact that there are a large number of
former Pensacola students on MySpace is a serious cause for concern.
One pastor found more than 200 MySpace sites representing former PCC
students, and that is only those that openly identify themselves as
such. Though this does not necessarily reflect on PCC itself, it is a
cause for great alarm since the young people and families and
churches they represent are fundamentalist in nature. My final point
is that this is a problem that certainly is not limited to PCC
students. It is a problem in fundamental Baptist churches across the
land. A friend from a strong IB church wrote: "I have seen enough
from my own church to know that kids from good churches are out there
[on MySpace] in droves." That is a sad and fearful testimony of the
worldliness that is rampant in independent Baptist circles today. Our
article "My Space or God's?" can be viewed online at
http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/myspace-or-gods.html."
*
ANGLICAN/EPISCOPAL PAGANISM *
Recently I watched a DVD of the investiture and installation service of
Katharine Jefferts-Schori as the presiding bishop of the Anglican/Episcopal
Church in America. This took place on November 4-5, 2006, when she
became the first female to occupy this position. Her entrance
processional featured Native Americans chanting and drumming. The
Indians had incense and eagle feathers that they used to consecrate
the altar. There were also Buddhists in the procession. This fits
Jefferts-Schori's universalist doctrine. A few days before her
installation she said: "If we insist we know the one way to God,
we've put God in a very small box" ("ECUSA's Incoming Leader,"
AgapePress, Nov. 2, 2006). In fact, we don't know anything about God
for certain except that which He has revealed in the Scriptures, and
He has plainly stated that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.
During her installation, Jefferts Schori wore a rainbow colored hat
and robe. This is the color of the homosexual movement, of which she
is supportive. She does not believe the Bible condemns "committed"
homosexual relationships and claims that sexual orientation is "not a
choice" but is "a piece of how one is created" (AgapePress, Nov. 2,
2006). During a strange "baptism" ceremony the choir sang "wade in
the water" in a jazz style while Jefferts-Schori walked down the isle
sprinkling water on the crowd. Before this "baptism" she prayed,
"Sanctify this water so that those who are baptized shall be cleansed
from sin and born again." Jefferts-Schori says the job of the church
is to bring healing to the world ("Episcopal Head Shifts Focus,"
Christian Post, Nov. 13, 2006). Speaking at the denomination's
Executive Council meeting on November 12, she said this healing will
come through such things as halting the spread of AIDS, eradicating
poverty, achieving universal education, promoting gender equality,
and fighting environmental problems. She observed that these are the
same objectives identified by the United Nations as Millennium
Development Goals. It is no surprise to see the Episcopal Church
adopting the goals of the United Nations, since it is one in spirit
with this pagan one-world organization. "This know also, that in the
last days perilous times shall come. ... Having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Timothy 3:1,
5).
*CANADIAN ANGLICANS RESOLVE TO BLESS HOMOSEXUAL "UNIONS" *
On March 11, the Council of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of
Canada agreed on a resolution
stating that "the blessing of same-sex unions is consistent with the
core doctrine of the Anglican Church of Canada" ("Anglicans Promote
Same-sex Blessings," The China Post, Taipei, March 14, 2007). The
resolution will be submitted to the denomination's General Synod in
June. Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, who is the head of this apostate
denomination, supports the resolution. The worldwide Anglican
Communion had asked the Anglican Church of Canada to put a moratorium
on blessing homosexual unions, but the request was ignored. In 1998
Anglican Church of Canada bishop Michael Ingham said Jesus is not the
only way of salvation in his book "Mansions of the Spirit: The Gospel
in a Multi-Faith World." In an interview with ENI News Service, May
28, 1998, Ingham urged Christians "to recognise the grace of God and
the presence of the Holy Spirit in the other great religious
traditions of the world so that we may overcome our historic
divisions and antipathies, and work together for world peace." In May
2003 Ingham gave permission for six of his parishes in Vancouver,
British Columbia, to perform ceremonies to bless homosexual
relationships. In December of that year Ingham ordered the closure of
Holy Cross church in Abbotsford, B.C., because it had refused to
submit to his authority in this matter. In 1986 the Anglican Church
of Canada joined the United Church of Canada in publishing a new
hymnbook that contained prayers to Mary as the "Glorious Mother" and
a song entitled "Lord of the Dance" that offered thanks for "the
sacrament of sex."
*U.S. COURT OF APPEALS RULES AGAINST CHRISTIAN FREEDOM OF SPEECH *
In an amazing (but not surprising) ruling this month, the very liberal
9th Circuit Court of
Appeals in America concluded that words such as "marriage" and
"family values" constitute hate speech that could frighten homosexual
employees. The ruling restricts the right of free speech of Christian
employers of the city of Oakland, California, arguing that "public
employees are permitted to curtail employee speech as long as their
legitimate administrative interests outweigh the employee's interest
in freedom of speech" ("9th Circuit Endorses Censoring Christians,"
WorldNetDaily, March 8, 2007). The ruling was against two Oakland
city employees who attempted to organize the "Good News Employee
Association" as a forum for "people of Faith to express their views
on the contemporary issues of the day with respect for the Natural
Family, Marriage and Family values." This was in response to the
continual assault of homosexual propaganda by Oakland's Gay-Straight
Employees Alliance (GSEA), which is supported by the city. The GSEA
is allowed to attack the Bible and to describe Christians as hateful
in e-mails that are widely disseminated and on the city's bulletin
board, but when some employees attempted to counter this propaganda
they were ordered to cease and desist and their statement in favor of
Family, Marriage and Family Values, which they had posted to the
bulletin board, was deemed "homophobic" and a form of
"sexual-orientation-based harassment." As we have often warned, when
homosexuals are given their "rights," Bible-believing Christians lose
theirs. The Pro-Family Law Center, which is defending the plaintiffs,
has vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court.
*TO CONDONE TRUTH MIXED WITH ERROR IS TO BE UNFAITHFUL TO GOD *
The statement was made by the
preacher, pastor, and commentator Harry Ironside (1876-1951) --
"Error is like leaven of which we read, 'A little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump.' Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error,
except that it is more innocent looking and, therefore, more
dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or any
truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation.
To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word and
treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died. Exposing error
is most unpopular work, but from every true standpoint it is
worthwhile work. To our Savior, it means that He receives from us,
His blood-bought ones, the loyalty that is His due. To ourselves, if
we consider 'the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
of Egypt,' it ensures future reward, a thousand-fold. And to souls
'caught in the snare of the fowler'--how many of them God only
knows--it may mean light and life, abundant and everlasting."