-WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES
Pastor Dale Morgan
June 7, 2008,.
The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use in churches.
*GIRLS' FASHIONS AND DOLLS *
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will
not depart
from it" (Proverbs 22:6). This verse reminds us that training in
modest attire best begins in childhood. The best time to teach a girl
how to dress modestly is when she is a toddler. When she reaches
teenage years she will be habituated to dressing in a feminine and
modest manner and will not feel strange wearing a nice dress. Of
course, the key is not merely dressing a child properly but teaching
her why she is dressed that way, instilling in her biblical
principles of modesty throughout her childhood, and praying that she
will be saved and take these principles to heart because she wants to
please the Lord. BEWARE OF THE GIRLS' FASHION INDUSTRY. It is seeking
to sexualize children from very early ages. The following warning is
very timely: "It was a hot summer's day in 2002 when I decided to buy
sandals for our 4- and 6-year-old daughters. I never anticipated our
retail excursion would prove to be so educational. ... But after
going to eleven different stores I still couldn't find anything even
remotely suitable. Why? Because every pair of sandals I found--every
single pair--had high heels. High heels for a 4-year-old? ...
Apparently, girls' sandals aren't meant for running and jumping and
playing. They're meant to make little girls look like tarts. ... It
amazes me that 40 years after the sexual revolution that was supposed
to 'free' women from the 'oppression' of men, we find ourselves
teaching our daughters that their only worth is in looking slutty.
Boys don't respect girls anymore because girls don't require and
demand it. And it all starts by buying 4-year-olds high-heeled
sandals and Bratz dolls. ... I've heard some parents say they can't
stop pre-sexualization because kids will learn it in school or from
peers. ... Hogwash. It's parents who are permitting inappropriate
clothing, toys, posters and music into their homes" ("Sexy Six Year
Olds," WorldNetDaily, May 31, 2008). IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT FOR
PARENTS TO BEWARE OF THE TOY INDUSTRY. When our kids were growing up
we never allowed Barbie Dolls or any other such thing in our house.
Now there are Bratz Dolls (franchised by MGM) and a slew of other
sexualized children's toys. The following timely warning is from a
concerned grandmother: "I attend a fundamental church but have
noticed that some parents don't seem to have any qualms about
allowing their young daughters to play with Barbie dolls. And even
Polly Pocket dolls are becoming more immodest in their clothing. Also
the accessories for both Barbie and Polly Pocket dolls promote a
worldly look and a worldly lifestyle. ... I believe that these kinds
of dolls are too immodest for girls of any age to play with, much
less little girls around the ages of 4 and 5. They definitely promote
the wrong message and wrong focus in a young girl's life."
*
THOUSANDS OF EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS NOW CHILDLESS, THANKS TO CHINA'S
ONE-CHILD POLICY *
Thousands of children are among the dead from the earthquake that struck
central
China last month, and most of the parents of those children are now
childless, the victims of the communist government's one-child
policy. Many other parents have been left with a child that is
crippled for life. "In Sichuan where the deadly force of nature
killed thousands of children, the tragedy is amplified by the
limitations imposed by the state policy. ... In response, the Chinese
government announced that families that have lost a child are
eligible to obtain a certificate granting permission for them to have
another child (Antoaneta Bezlova, "Quake Shakes One-child Policy,"
The Himalayan Times, May 30, 2008). The giving of children is God's
domain, and no government has the right to play God. "Lo, children
are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward"
(Psalm 127:3).
*PREACHERS THREATENED BY POLICE FOR PREACHING IN ISLAMIC AREA IN
ENGLAND
*
The following is excerpted from
"Christian Preachers Face Arrest in Birmingham," London Telegraph,
June 1, 2008: "A police community support officer ordered two
Christian preachers to stop handing out gospel leaflets in a
predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham. Evangelists Arthur
Cunningham and Jospeh Abraham say they were threatened with arrest
for committing a 'hate crime' and were told they risked being beaten
up if they returned. The incident will fuel fears that 'no-go areas'
for Christians are emerging in British towns and cities, as the Rt
Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, claimed in The Sunday
Telegraph this year. ... The preachers, both ministers in Birmingham,
were handing out leaflets on Alum Rock Road in February when they
started talking to four Asian youths. A police community support
officer (PCSO) interrupted the conversation and began questioning the
ministers about their beliefs. 'He said we were in a Muslim area and
were not allowed to spread our Christian message. He said we were
committing a hate crime by telling the youths to leave Islam and said
that he was going to take us to the police station.' ... The
ministers claim he also advised them not to return to the area. As he
walked away, the PCSO said: 'You have been warned. If you come back
here and get beaten up, well, you have been warned.'"
*TONY BLAIR WANTS TO BUILD NEW WORLD THROUGH INTERFAITH HARMONY *
Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, has launched a new
organization to help build a better
world. It is called the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, and one of its
tools is promoting interfaith harmony. Blair, who joined the Roman
Catholic Church last December, says: "In an era of globalization,
there is nothing more important than getting people of different
faiths and cultures to understand each other better and live in peace
and mutual respect; and to give faith itself its proper place in the
future. ... By stressing the values of respect, justice and
compassion which the great religions hold in common, he believes
faith can help unite the world and shape its direction for the
better" (Christian Post, May 30, 2008). Blair warns about religious
people who are divisive, which would apply not only to Islamic
terrorists but also to Bible-believing Christians who preach an
exclusive faith through Jesus Christ. In the minds of New Agers, one
of the greatest obstacles to world harmony is the Bible and those who
take it seriously, and hate crimes laws are shaping up as an
excellent tool to silence them.
*
WEATHER SCIENTISTS CAN'T PREDICT HURRICANES *
The Associated Press reports that hurricane forecasts
are "a lot like Groundhog Day--and the results are worth just about
as much" ("Hurricane Season Outlooks of Little Use," AP, June 1,
2008). In 2005 the forecast was for 8 hurricanes but in fact there
were 15. In 2006 the forecast was for 9 but the actual number was 5.
The question I have is this: If scientists can't forecast major
weather patterns five months ahead how can they forecast global
warming patterns years ahead? They cannot. Their "computer models"
can't factor in every variable for the simple reason that they don't
know every variable.
*
GOSPEL OF JUDAS PROJECT MISLEADING *
The following is excerpted from "Gospel of Judas Project May Have Misled
Millions," Baptist Press, May 29, 2008: "More than two years after
National Geographic released a book and aired a documentary about the
gospel of Judas asserting that the biblical traitor really was a
hero, an increasing number of scholars are now casting doubts on the
controversial claim. The latest criticism comes in the most recent
issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education's magazine The Chronicle
Review, where a lengthy 5,000-word story tells how the National
Geographic project has divided longtime scholarly friends and
co-workers, with dissenters saying the National Geographic team --
led by Marvin Meyer, a professor of religious studies at Chapman
University--mistranslated the gospel of Judas so badly that it ended
up saying the opposite of what a proper translation would have
rendered. ... For instance, instead of Jesus saying to Judas, 'O 13th
spirit, why do you try so hard' -- as National Geographic had it
saying -- it should instead have read, 'O 13th demon, why do you try
so hard?' ... One passage, according to National Geographic, says
Judas 'would ascend to the holy generation.' Instead, it should
include a negative and say he would not ascend to the holy
generation. Another passage, according to National Geographic, says
Judas was 'set apart for the holy generation.' It should, though, say
'from.' Both sides of the debate agree that the events in the gospel
of Judas did not literally take place and are instead fiction, the
magazine said."
*MARINE REMOVED FROM DUTY FOR DISTRIBUTING BIBLE COINS *
A U.S. Marine in Iraq was removed from duty for
distributing coins imprinted with Bible verses at a military
checkpoint. One had the question, "Where will you spend eternity?" on
one side and John 3:16 on the other. Col. James Welsh, chief of staff
of the Multi-National Force in Iraq said: "This has our full
attention. We deeply value our relationship with the local citizens
and share their concerns over this serious incident" ("Marine
Removed," CNN, May 29, 2008). Col. Bill Buckner added, "Regulations
prohibit members of the coalition force from proselytizing any
religion, faith or practices. Our troops are trained on those
guidelines before they deploy." That sounds like an unconstitutional
regulation. While a soldier should keep his mind on his work when he
is on duty, there should be no regulations preventing evangelism on
his own time. Middle Eastern nations don't hesitate to pour billions
of dollars into building mosques in America and making every effort
to win American citizens to Islam.
*
THE LION OF TRUTH *
The following
is by Pastor Buddy Smith of Malenda, Queensland, Australia
<smil...@bigpond.net.au>: "Spurgeon once told of preaching in the
dark when the gaslights in the Tabernacle failed. During the last
hymn as he read over his sermon notes, he said, 'from across the page
a text leaped upon him like a lion from a thicket.' So obvious were
its truths, so pointed its message and so clear were the points of
its outline that he took it to be the leading of the Lord that he
should change his sermon and preach from the lionlike text. No sooner
had he begun to speak than the lights in the auditorium went out, but
he had no need of sermon notes. He knew the text by memory and the
outline was fresh in his thoughts, so he calmed the people and
preached with great power. In the dark. It is that saying of his that
keeps coming back to me, 'a text leaped upon me like a lion from a
thicket!' And I wonder how long has it been since I fell under the
onslaught of a mighty text, torn limb from limb, rent in pieces by
the ferocity of truth, helpless in its jaws? Not recently, I fear. In
fact, I almost despair of seeing that blessed crushing of my stubborn
will, of my hardened heart, that breaking of my arrogant pride any
more. It is not that God has lost His power or that His Word is
impotent. My world has conditioned me to avoid all thickets where
lions may lurk. It has taught me that brokenness is a strange and
foreign experience. I have learned from the experts how to bend
slightly if the Lord puts enough pressure on me, but brokenness is
thought to be out of date and politically incorrect. Let us hark back
to the Spurgeon's description of a text 'leaping upon us like a lion
from a thicket.' Do you ever have that happen to you? Some of my dear
preacher brethren have recently been used of the Lord to convict my
heart of carelessness in the reading of the Word. I cannot boast of
victory, but I can give thanks for some small progress, and one thing
that is happening is that I am more often being mauled by the Lion of
Truth. I suspect that the man who lays aside the armour of self will
and pride and begins prowling among the thickets of Scripture will
find many hungry lions there. May they leap upon us as they did upon
Spurgeon!"
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).