`WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

`WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES

February 26, 2010

By Davis Cloud FBIS

The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use in churches

HOMEOPATHY FOUND TO BE A DUBIOUS PRACTICE

A British parliamentary panel has determined that homeopathy is “scientifically implausible” and no better than placebos such as sugar pills (Reuters, from The Bangkok Post, Feb. 23, 2010). The Science and Technology committee said that homeopathic products are not real medicines and should not be paid for by the National Health Service. This is an accurate observation. In fact, homeopathy is associated with occultic principles. Homeopathy was developed in the 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). His book Organon of the Art of Healing remains the foundational text in the field. One biographer says, “The reverence for Eastern thought was not just Hahnemann’s personal hobby, but rather the fundamental philosophy behind the preparation of homeopathic remedies” (Samuel Pfeifer, Healing at Any Price, 1988, p. 68). At the heart of homeopathy is the Hindu concept that there is a vital force or life energy that permeates all things (Homeopathy: Heart and Soul, p. 19). Homeopathic remedies are thought to “act upon the Vital Force to restore balance within the body.” Physically speaking, homeopathic remedies are so highly diluted that they are nothing more than water. Homeopathic doctor Keith Souter admits that a typical solution is “unlikely to have even a single molecule of the original compound left.” The diluted solution is allegedly effective because it has undergone a process known as dynamization or potentialization, which makes it possible to contract and retain a hidden power in the liquid. Hahnemann “believed that spiritual reality was more important than material reality” and “came to regard the ‘spiritual essence’ of a drug as more important than its physical substance” (The Hidden Agenda, p. 99).

A WARNING ABOUT “HOLISTIC MEDICINE”

 In response to our reports on homeopathy and other New Age health care practices I received the following testimony: “I have also, unfortunately, seen a significant amount of influence in favor of occultic and quackish ‘holistic’ remedies in some independent Baptist churches, and I have noticed that they are usually promoted by the women while the men who are supposed to protect them (1 Timothy 2:14), though they are not pushing the occultic ‘medicine,’ either do not even know what their women are into or are simply passive about it. I know one fundamental Baptist evangelist who, while he holds meetings, has his wife promote unscientific remedies in special meetings for ladies. They were influential in getting another lady who had a very easily curable form of cancer not to get surgery and chemo but to try ‘alternatives,’ some of which were occultic and none of which had any factual basis, and now cancer has spread through her whole body.  Another woman I know promotes worthless supplement products and attacks legitimate medicine by an organization that is fraudulent (the Body Wise Corporation) and whose sole ‘scientist’ and ‘researcher’ is a homeopath who makes money from what the organization sells. This woman has tried to bypass me and influence my wife, something I did not appreciate (so I contacted the husband of the woman, since he is responsible for her). I can think of numbers of other fundamental Baptist women that are leading and passing along occult and quack remedies while men are failing in their responsibility to discern and protect their families. This ought not to be so.”

BENNY HINN’S WIFE FILES FOR DIVORCE

 - On February 18 The Los Angeles Times reported that the wife of Pentecostal evangelist Benny Hinn has filed for divorce. This is the latest in a long list of scandals associated with the Pentecostal movement, which claims to have a corner on the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit but which has actually been a stronghold of extremism and heresy since its inception at the turn of the 20th century. Just since 2000, three high profile Pentecostal-Charismatic preachers have admitted to homosexuality (Ted Haggard, Roberts Liardon, and Paul Cain) and six have divorced (Clarence McClendon, Juanita Bynum, Thomas Weeks, Randy and Paula White, and Todd Bentley). (For more on this see our book The Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements.)

CHURCH OF ENGLAND DECLARES EVOLUTION COMPATIBLE WITH FAITH

 The governing body of the Church of England recently approved a motion stating that evolution is compatible with the Christian faith. The motion was introduced by Peter Capon, who urged Christians to “take scientific evidence seriously and avoid prejudging science for theological reasons (Christian Post, Feb. 12, 2010). This is further evidence of the utter spiritual bankruptcy of the Church of England. The resolution coincided with Evolution Weekend, during which more than 850 “churches” celebrated Darwinism. This five-year-old movement is the brainchild of Michael Zimmerman, professor of biology at Butler University in Indianapolis, who says that “people can accept all that modern science has learned while retaining their faith.” This is true in regard to a vague religious faith but it is not true in regard to the Bible, which plainly teaches that the world was created by an Almighty God in six literal days. Modern science has been at war with Jesus Christ and His holy Word since the nineteenth century and has sought to replace the teaching of divine creation with naturalistic principles. The problem is not genuine science but “science falsely so called.” Darwinian evolution has purported to be scientific, when in fact it is a blind religious faith that lacks even a fragment of indisputable evidence.

ELTON JOHN SAYS JESUS WAS A HOMOSEXUAL

 In a recent interview popular rock star Elton John said, “I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems” (“Elton John: There’s A Lot of Hate in the World,” Parade, Feb. 17, 2010). This reflects the wicked, anti-Bible attitude that permeates the rock & roll industry. Their morality is relativism and their god is self expression.  “It’s your thing; do what you want to do.” The music is designed to fit this philosophy.

HATE CRIMES HARBINGER?

 The following is excerpted from OneNewsNow, Feb. 10, 2010: “The mayor of Lancaster, California, has apologized for pro-Christian comments he made recently before a group of pastors. Mayor R. Rex Parris said in his address that Lancaster was ‘growing a Christian community,’ and after controversy developed he issued an apology. City Councilwoman Sherry Marquez posted on Facebook comments about a Muslim honor killing on the East Coast, thought better about it, and pulled the comments an hour and a half later. She has also apologized. The Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force responded and heard from community residents Monday night. Task Force chairman Darren Parker tells OneNewsNow that hate crimes charges against Parris and Marquez will not be sought. ... Parker said the apologies were helpful. But the Council on American-Islamic Relations has filed a federal complaint against both parties. Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute complains that the case demonstrates that hate-crimes laws chill free speech. ‘With the hate-crimes bill in place, this is probably just one example of many to come of attempts to try to silence people of faith,’ says the attorney. ‘And that’s why we must aggressively correct this and make sure these individuals and their rights are protected against this kind of outrageous intimidation and silencing.’”

QUEBEC POLICY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA

 The following is excerpted from WorldNetDaily, Jan. 17, 2010: “Quebec Attorney General Kathleen Weil, announcing new policy with Laurent McCutcheon, president of Foundation Emergence, a Quebec homosexual advocacy group. Opponents of ‘hate crimes’ legislation, who have frequently pointed to Canada as an example of how such laws are used to increasingly suppress moral objections to homosexuality, now have more fuel for their fire in the form of the ‘Quebec Policy Against Homophobia.’ The policy, released last month by Quebec’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Kathleen Weil, assigns the government the task of eliminating all forms of ‘homophobia’ and ‘heterosexism’--including the belief that homosexuality is immoral--from society as a whole. The text and specifics of the policy are steeped in vague bureaucratic language about ‘coordination’ and ‘synergy,’ but the goal is spelled out clearly: to enlist the government to normalize homosexuality in society and to quell common criticisms levied against ‘sexual minorities,’ a term the policy uses to inclusively describe ‘lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals and transgenders.’ ‘An inclusive society such as ours must take the necessary steps to combat homophobic attitudes and behavior patterns and move towards full acceptance of sexual diversity,’ states the Premier of Quebec Jean Charest in a letter that serves as the policy's introduction. ‘The policy sets out the government’s goal of removing all the obstacles to full recognition of the social equality of the sexual minorities, at all levels of society.’ The policy further defines the heterosexism that must be stomped out as ‘affirmation of heterosexuality as a social norm or the highest form of sexual orientation.’”

THE WASP NEST THAT DEFIES EVOLUTION

 The Darwinian theory of evolution can’t explain how the wasp could have come into existence. We could consider its eyes, its amazing flying and landing ability, its folding wings (on some models), and many other things, but let’s consider one wasp’s reproductive cycle. This is the Eumenes amedei, which is a small black and yellow wasp-like insect of southern Europe and northern Africa. The females build small domed nests about the size of a cherry in which they deposit their eggs, one egg per structure. The masonry houses are composed of tiny pebbles mixed with a mortar made from dust mixed with the female’s spittle. She selects each pebble with care, testing it with her mandibles for weight and hardness and size. She also prefers more attractive pieces of stone such as shiny quartz. She skillfully forms the circular nest pebble by pebble, wielding them together with the strong, waterproof, quick-setting mortar. The eggs are suspended from the roof of the little house by a tiny thread, and before sealing the nest with a cement plug, the female stocks it with food in the form of caterpillars. To keep them from escaping or harming the egg, she paralyzes them with a sting that keeps them in an animated state long enough for the grubs to hatch. She also determines how many caterpillars to put in each nest, five for the male-bearing eggs and ten for the female-bearing. How she could possibly know the sex of her offspring before they born is a mystery for evolutionists, of course, but she never makes a mistake. When the grub emerges from the egg, it devours its eggshell then spins itself a tiny silken sheath in which it hangs with its head down. It lowers itself down to feed from the still-living caterpillars until it is time to break out of the nest.

LIBERAL BIBLE SCHOLARS PROVEN WRONG AGAIN    

The following is excerpted from LiveScience.com, Jan. 15, 2010: “Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing--an inscription dating from the 10th century B.C., during the period of King David’s reign. The breakthrough could mean that portions of the Bible were written centuries earlier than previously thought. ... Until now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century B.C., because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further. But the newly deciphered Hebrew text is about four centuries older, scientists announced this month. ‘It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research,’ said Gershon Galil, a professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, who deciphered the ancient text. BCE stands for ‘before common era,’ and is equivalent to B.C., or before Christ. The writing was discovered more than a year ago on a pottery shard dug up during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, near Israel’s Elah valley. The excavations were carried out by archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.” Liberal Bible scholars have been proven wrong time and again. For example, they once denied the existence of the city of Ur, but that was before the ancient city with its magnificent library was excavated!

CONCLUSION: The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use in churches. 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).