WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES
Pastor Dale Morgan
February 18, 2007.
The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use in churches .
*
THE WORLDLINESS OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC*
That there is no separation from the world in
Contemporary Christian Music in general is evident on every hand. CCM
"artists" listen to secular rock and even record it. A recent example
is Switchfoot's cover of Beyonce's hit "Crazy in Love" in a new music
video. This "faith-based" band just released its third album, which
is at the top of the contemporary "charts." Note some of the lyrics
to "Crazy in Love" -- "I look and stare so deep in your eyes,/ I
touch on you more and more every time,/ When you leave I'm begging
you not to go,/ Call your name two or three times in a row." What
type of example is that for unmarried Christians? Wise parents teach
their young people to avoid touching members of the opposite sex
until marriage, because touching is powerful and leads quickly to
immoral actions. A 60-year-old friend told me recently that he
plainly remembers the first time he merely touched a girl's hand when
he was a young teenager, and it was "like fire." Given the carnal
nature that we inherited from Adam, it is indeed like fire, and, "Can
a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned"
(Proverbs 6:27)? Beware of Contemporary Christian Music. It is the
blind leading the blind.
*RUSSIA SUPPLYING ARMS TO ISRAEL'S ENEMIES *
That Russia supplies arms and military expertise to
Israel's enemies is an interesting fact in light of Bible prophecy.
Ezekiel prophesied that when Russia attacks Israel during the Great
Tribulation she will be joined by Persia (modern-day Iran), among
others (Ezekiel 38:1-5). Russia will be "a guard" to her allies
(Ezek. 38:7), meaning she will be the chief military power in the
alliance. In light of this it is of more than passing interest that
Russia is supplying Iran with military technology, both nuclear and
non-nuclear. Earlier this month Russia sold advanced anti-aircraft
missiles to Iran. Russia also maintains military listening posts
manned by its own officers along the Syrian border with Israel and
supplies information on Israeli Defense Forces movements to Israel's
enemies ("Russia Tracking IDF Movements," Jerusalem Post, Jan. 26,
2007). Before Ezekiel prophesied of the attack upon Israel from the
great power to the north, he prophesied that Israel would be
regathered and restored to her land in two stages (Ezekiel 37). She
will first come together in a spiritually lifeless state (Ezek.
37:7-14). Since 1948 Israel has been back in her land and has existed
again as a nation, but she is spiritually dead and continues to
reject her Messiah. Until she repents she will have nothing but
heartache and trouble and confusion, and she will be a curse to the
world instead of a blessing.
*
600 CHURCHES PARTICIPATE IN EVOLUTION SUNDAY *
Nearly 600 churches participated in the second annual
Evolution Sunday in America on February 11, the day before Charles
Darwin's birthday. These churches claim that Darwinian evolution is
compatible with Christianity and the Bible, though they admit that
you can't take the Bible literally if you want to be an evolutionist.
Tom Boyd, an emeritus professor of philosophy and religious studies
and an ordained Presbyterian minister, says that you can "believe
that God is the creator and accept evolutionary theory" as long as
you don't "take the Bible as an inerrant historical text" ("Churches
Gear up for Evolution Sunday," Cushing Daily Citizen, Cushing, Okla.,
Feb. 2). Though the Bible is not a science textbook, when it touches
on scientific matters it is perfectly accurate, and this cannot be
said for any other ancient book. The late scientist Henry Morris
demonstrated the amazing scientific accuracy of the Bible's oldest
book, the book of Job, which was written more than 3,500 years ago.
Job, for example, says that light has a way and darkness has a place
(Job 38:19). "That is, light is not to be located in a certain place
or situation. Light is traveling! It dwells in a 'way,' always on the
way to someplace else. It is always moving. When light stops, there
is darkness. Thus, darkness is static, staying in place; but light is
dynamic, dwelling in a way" (Morris, The Remarkable Record of Job).
*
DARWIN'S COLD SHUDDER*
Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, grew up in a
Christian home, but
it was a Christianity tainted by the unbelief of Unitarianism. Inside
the Unitarian Church on High Street in Shrewsbury, England, is a
plaque that says: "To the memory of Charles Robert Darwin, author of
'The Origin of the Species,' born in Shrewsbury, February 12, 1809,
in early life a member of and a constant worshipper in this church."
Charles Darwin's mother, Susannah, was a Unitarian, and Charles was
educated for a short period at a school operated by the Unitarian
minister George Case. Charles Darwin's wife, Emma Wedgwood, was also
a Unitarian. A biographer of Darwin speaks of "the vein of skepticism
in the Darwin family" (John Wehler, Charles Darwin: Growing up in
Shewsbury 1809-25). Thus, Darwinism was a product of end-time
theological apostasy, and he is a sad example of where even the
smallest amount of doubt in the Bible can lead. Though he promulgated
his theories on evolution through his writings and lectures and
though he became more openly and thoroughly opposed to the Bible as
his life advanced, he still had doubts. He once wrote: "Often a cold
shudder has run through me, and I have asked myself whether I may
have not devoted myself to a phantasy" (Darwin's Life and Letters,
vol. 2, p. 229). It is impossible to calculate the evil influence
that Darwin's theory has had upon society. If evolution is true, the
Bible is a fairy tale and there is no meaning to life, man is a mere
animal and when he is dead he is dead and Lennon was right to dream
that there is no heaven or hell, so live as you very well please. The
theory of evolution teaches men not to fear God, yea, that there is
no God to fear, and modern society reflects this attitude. It is
evident in the fashion industry, in the entertainment industry, in
public education, in commerce, in powerless churches, you name it. My
friends, Darwin was wrong, dead wrong, and he did well to shudder,
because the Bible's is true. "In the beginning God created the heaven
and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of
life, to depart from the snares of death" (Proverbs 14:27).
*
VIOLENCE INCREASES AGAINST JEWS IN FRANCE *
Violence against Jews is on the rise in France. The
following is excerpted from The Berean Call Daily for January 26: "In
2003 a poll found that 25% of Jews living in France were actively
considering emigration, citing a growing Anti-Semitism as their
motive. Consider the following recent comments from a Jew living in
France. 'In Lyon, a car was rammed into a synagogue and set on fire.
In Montpellier, the Jewish religious center was firebombed; so were
synagogues in Strasbourg and Marseilles; so was a Jewish school in
Creteil--all recently. A Jewish sports club in Toulouse was attacked
with Molotov cocktails, and on the statue of Alfred Dreyfus in Paris
the words 'Dirty Jew' were painted. In Bondy, 15 men beat up members
of a Jewish football team with sticks and metal bars. The bus that
takes Jewish children to school in Aubervilliers has been attacked
three times in the last 14 months. According to the Police,
metropolitan Paris has seen 10 to 12 anti-Jewish incidents PER DAY in
the past 30 days. A gunman opened fire on a kosher butcher's shop
(and, of course, the butcher) in Toulouse, France; a Jewish couple in
their 20s were beaten up by five men in Villeurbanne, France. The
woman was pregnant. A Jewish school was broken into and vandalized in
Sarcelles, France. This was just in the past week."
*
COUNTRY BAND WITH CHRISTIAN ALBUM *
The country music band Alabama is publishing its second "cross over"
Christian album entitled "Songs of Inspiration II" in March. Alabama
is one of the most popular country bands of all time, with 32 No. 1
Billboard singles. In 1999 it was recognized as the "Country Group of
the 20th Century" by the Recording Industry Association of America.
As we have documented many times, country music today is morally
filthy, and Alabama's music is no exception. Consider, for example,
the lyrics to their song "Feels So Right" -- "Lying here beside you,
I hear the echos of your sighs./ Promise me you'll stay with me and
keep me warm tonight./ ... Mmmm, Mmmm, feels so right. Feels so
right." We could give other examples of the lascivious nature of
Alabama's music, which has helped corrupt the moral climate of this
generation. It is confusion to think that one can sing acceptable
praises to God while living in open defiance to God's Word. No amount
of sincerity and emotional earnestness and talk of "grace" can make
up for a lack of repentance and the absence of the fear of God. "For
ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as
children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness
and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the
Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:8-11).
*GOD CAN BE LIMITED?*
"Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of
Israel"
(Psalm 78:41). According to Calvinism, if man can resist God or
thwart His purposes then God is no longer a Sovereign God and man
must be Sovereign. Thus they claim that it is impossible that man
could accept or reject God's salvation. But the fact is that the
Bible says man does resist and reject God, and this has been going on
since the earliest days of his history. Adam rejected God's Word.
Cain rejected it. Noah's generation rejected it. The men gathered at
the Tower of Babel rejected it. When the Psalmist recounts the
experience of Israel in the wilderness, he describes them as "a
stubborn and rebellious generation" (Psa. 78:8) who "refused to walk
in his law" (Psa. 78:10). The Psalmist then makes this amazing
statement: "THEY LIMITED THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL" (Psa. 78:41).
According to Calvinist thinking, this is not possible and if it were
possible it would mean that God is not sovereign, but it is obvious
that Calvinism is wrong on both counts. For God to make man in His
own image with a will and an ability to make real choices and for God
to allow man to exercise his will even in the matter of receiving
salvation does not make God any less sovereign than had He created a
robot. And it will not do to allow that man can resist God in some
things but not in the matter salvation. If man can resist and reject
and limit God in any way and God can still be God, then God can still
be God if He offers salvation to all and some receive it and some
reject it, as the Bible so plainly says. "And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"
(Rev. 22:17).
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
*February 25, 2007
The following is another installment of the Weekly Church News Notes
designed especially for use in churches.
*
BRUCE METZGER DIES *
Bruce Metzger, one of the most prominent textual critics of the 20th
century, died on February 14 at age 93. Metzger, a professor at the
liberal Princeton Theological Seminary for 46 years, was one of the
editors of the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament. Metzger was a
radical ecumenist. He was at the forefront of producing "the Ecumenical
Edition" of the Revised Standard Version in 1973 and personally
presented a copy to Pope Paul VI. Metzger also presented a Bible to Pope
John Paul II. Metzger was rationalistic in his approach to the Bible's
text. Like most of the fathers of textual criticism, Metzger did not
believe in the divine preservation of the Scripture. In fact, he claimed
that it is possible that we do not have sufficient manuscript evidence
to recover the original text, because the manuscripts that exist might
not represent the text of the early churches. "... the disquieting
possibility remains that the evidence available to us today may, in
certain cases, be totally unrepresentative of the distribution of
readings in the early church" (Metzger, Text and Interpretation: Studies
in the New Testament Presented to Matthew Black, 1979, p. 188).
Metzger's denial of the infallible inspiration of Scripture was evident
in the notes to the New Oxford Annotated Bible RSV, which he co-edited
with Herbert May. According to these notes the Pentateuch is "a matrix
of myth, legend, and history"; Job is an "ancient folktale"; and Jonah
is a "popular legend."
*ROCK MUSIC INDUSTRY INCAPABLE OF TAMING THE MONSTER IT HAS CREATED *
The rock music industry is vainly attempting to tame the monster it
created. For half a century rock & roll has been teaching the individual
that he is free to do what he wants "any old time." The rock philosophy
is narcissistic. It is all about me, and it is a fulfillment of Bible
prophecy: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves..." (2 Timothy 3:1-2).
Today the selfish rock & roll monster is eating its own. The pop music
industry has lost millions of dollars in income in recent years from
illegal downloads of copyrighted music. Now MTV and other rock music
television networks are losing money from the illegal free sharing of
video clips on the internet. Recently Viacom, the parent company of MTV,
demanded that YouTube pull all of its copyrighted video clips. Users
download more than 70 million video clips per day from YouTube, which is
owned by Google. Google makes money through advertising income based on
the massive number of hits to the site, even though the music videos are
owned by musicians and producers who do not receive any income from
their labor. Those clips are posted by people who ignore copyright laws,
because they think they can do what they want any old time.
*
SWISS HIGH COURT ALLOWS EUTHANISIA FOR MENTALLY ILL *
Switzerland's high court has ruled that doctors may help mentally ill
patients kill themselves. According to the February 2 ruling, a doctor
can prescribe sodium-pentobarbital for a mentally ill patient who has a
"death wish based on an autonomous decision which takes all
circumstances into account." The doctors are required to make a
distinction "between a death wish which is an expression of a curable,
psychiatric disorder and which requires treatment, and (a death wish)
which is based on a person of sound judgment's own well-considered and
permanent decision, which must be respected" ("Swiss High Court Ruling
Opens Possibility of Assisted Suicide for Mentally Ill," Associated
Press, Feb. 2, 2007). This statement by a court of brilliant but deluded
individuals creates more questions than answers. How can a person who is
mentally ill be judged "a person of sound judgment" and be deemed
capable of making life and death decisions? How can a doctor, a mere
fallible human being, make such an incredibly complicated determination,
being unable to know the patient's very heart and soul? How can the
field of psychology, which has demonstrated an astonishing level of
fallibility, provide the tools demanded by this decision? Further, such
a decision intrudes into God's domain. Jesus Christ is the One who has
the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18). This generation has bought into
John Lennon's lie that there is no hell and thus nothing to fear beyond
death itself.
*
THE DANGERS OF MARIJUANA *
An article warning of the dangers of marijuana appeared in the February
6 issue of USA Today. Entitled "Caution: Marijuana May Not Be Lesser
Evil," the article described the possibility that marijuana use can
break down inhibitions to harder drugs. This is exactly what marijuana
did for me when I began using it as a soldier in Vietnam in 1970.
Following is an excerpt from that article: "Yasmin Hurd, professor of
psychiatry, pharmacology and biological chemistry at the Mount Sinai
School of Medicine in New York, says: 'All of the studies clearly show
the earlier someone starts taking marijuana, the greater their
vulnerability to addiction disorders and psychiatric disorders. I'm so
shocked still that so many parents are not considering enough the
dangers of early drug use.' Marijuana use by adolescents in the USA
declined slightly from 2005 to 2006, but it's still more common than it
was 15 years ago ... In 2006, 11.7% of eighth-graders said they had used
marijuana during the past year, compared with 6.2% of eighth-graders in
1991. Among 12th-graders, 31.5% said they had used marijuana in the
previous year; in 1991, 23.9% said they had. ... Research shows
marijuana users are significantly less satisfied with the quality of
their lives than non-users. ... Rachel Kinsey, who started smoking
marijuana at 15, says that if she had to do it all over again she never
would have started smoking marijuana. 'You never know where it's going
to lead you. You don't know that you're not going to become an addict,
so it's not worth the risk.'"
*
MADONNA WANTS TO BE LIKE JESUS AND LENNON *
Rock star Madonna says she wants to be like Jesus and John Lennon.
Speaking of the controversy surrounding her "Confessions" tour, in which
she wore a crown of thorns and was "crucified" on a cross, Madonna said,
"For me we all need to be Jesus in our time. Jesus' message was to love
your neighbor as yourself. I hope that people got that message"
("Madonna," Christian Post, Feb. 16, 2007). In the same interview with
Sirius Satellite radio, the confused rock singer also said she also
wants to be like Gandhi and John Lennon. This reflects the "both-and"
philosophy of the rock & roll age, but it is impossible to believe the
Jesus Christ of the Bible and John Lennon at the same time, because they
taught conflicting messages. Jesus Christ taught that hell is a real
place of fiery torment, while Lennon taught that it is a myth. They
cannot both be right. "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is
better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go
into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Jesus Christ, Mark 9:43-44).
*SOME SOUTHERN BAPTISTS CALL FOR HONESTY AND BIBLICAL REALITY IN CHURCH
MEMBER STATISTICS *
Some Southern Baptists are calling for honesty and biblical reality in
church member statistics. The denomination claims to have more than 16
million members, and that is impressive, unless you look carefully at
church member statistics. It is typical for Southern Baptist churches to
report terrifically bloated membership numbers. It is not uncommon for a
church that has 500 members on the roll to have 50 people attending a
Wednesday night service. A survey taken a few years ago found that of
the 16 million "members," only 6 million (37%) attend Sunday morning
services and only 2 million (10%) participate in anything else. At the
Baptist Identity II conference at Union University this month, professor
Gregory Thornbury said, "There should not be people on our membership
rolls who never come to church, show no discernable evidence of
conversion or holiness, and who are not currently participating in a
local body of believers" ("Baptists Denominationally Disillusioned,"
Christian Post, Feb. 19, 2007). To that we say, Amen. Thomas Ascol,
pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Coral Gables, Florida, plans to
introduce a resolution at this year's convention "to ensure integrity in
church membership." One of the Baptist principles is a regenerate church
membership. This is what we see in the New Testament. Those who joined
the first church at Jerusalem were those that "gladly received" the
gospel and were baptized and "continued stedfastly in the apostles'
doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts
2:41-42). They were saved people who gave evidence of their salvation.
It is not only the Southern Baptist Convention that needs to take a
fresh look at the doctrine of regenerate church membership; many
independent Baptist churches also have bloated membership rolls that
contain the names of people who give no evidence of the new birth.
*THE GLOBAL WARMING TALIBAN *
The following is an excerpt from an Op/Ed piece by James Spann, who has
worked in the field of meteorology for nearly 30 years. It is entitled
"The Weather Channel Mess" and was published January 18, 2007: "Well,
well. Some 'climate expert' on The Weather Channel wants to take away
AMS certification from those of us who believe the recent 'global
warming' is a natural process. So much for 'tolerance,' huh? I have been
in operational meteorology since 1978, and I know dozens and dozens of
broadcast meteorologists all over the country. Our big job: look at a
large volume of raw data and come up with a public weather forecast for
the next seven days. I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys
into the man-made global warming hype. I know there must be a few out
there, but I can't find them. Here are the basic facts you need to know:
First, billions of dollars of grant money is flowing into the pockets of
those on the man-made global warming bandwagon. No man-made global
warming, the money dries up. This is big money, make no mistake about
it. Always follow the money trail and it tells a story. Even the lady at
The Weather Channel probably gets paid good money for a prime time show
on climate change. No man-made global warming, no show, and no salary.
Nothing wrong with making money at all, but when money becomes the
motivation for a scientific conclusion, then we have a problem. For
many, global warming is a big cash grab. Second, the climate of this
planet has been changing since God put the planet here. It will always
change, and the warming in the last 10 years is not much different than
the warming we saw in the 1930s and other decades."