ANDRAE CROUCH SERVES TWO MASTERS?—Andrae Crouch was soul-gospel artist of the year in the 1970s. Then in 1982 he was arrested on drug charges (he "explained" this away). He has appeared on many TV variety shows, including Johnny Carson and Saturday Night Live. But he is also popular in CCM circles. The 8/13 World says of his new album: The songs "mix reggae, calypso, and African rhythms respectively...." The article said: "In the nine years since his last album, Mr. Crouch and his choir have popped up on everything from albums by Michael Jackson and Madonna to the soundtrack of The Lion King....[T]he Crouch choir provided vocals for Madonna's song, 'Like a Prayer'...."

DISNEY IS DANGEROUS—An estimated 10 million people visit Disney World every year (only 4 million visit Grand Canyon). The 9/94 Moody has a mild warning against Disney World. For many years we have warned against Disney's alarming shift in values (see 1/1/90, 2/15/91, 7/1/94 CCs). Disney's Touchtone Films has produced raunchy "adult" movies. Disney has helped promote the homosexual agenda, and occultic practices. Its latest box-office hit, The Lion King, features violence and tribal magic, and has "pantheistic elements" in its music (7/2 World). Be warned, be wise, beware!

U.S. LOBBIED TO FORCE ABORTION ON WORLD—Concerning the recent U.N. population-control conference in Cairo, a 9/19 U.S. News article said: "In March, a State Department 'action cable' instructed all U.S. embassies to tell their host governments: 'The U.S. believes that access to safe, legal and voluntary abortion is a fundamental right of all women....' Since abortion is a fundamental right nowhere outside North America, this amounted to an attempt to impose the ideological structure of Roe v. Wade on the rest of the world." A Guatemalan government minister said: "If I don't go along on abortion, there goes all my aid money." Someone else asked: "Is the U.S. trying to impose American feminist ideology on a resistant Third World?" (9/10 World). A major theme of the conference's draft plan was that giving women equality is the best way to slow population growth. Really, the "overpopulation" problem is a myth. The "world, during its least populous eras, suffered most from hunger and famine."(9/5 New Amer.). Socialistic statist controls is the problem.

BOBGANS HAVE A NEW BOOK—For years Martin and Deidre Bobgan have warned against psychotherapies and their underlying psychologies and those who have psychologized the faith. Now, in a new book, Against Biblical Counseling: For The Bible, they criticize popular "biblical counselors" of our day who propose biblical counseling as an alternative to psychological counseling. Send $12 (postpaid) for this much-needed book to EastGate Publishers, 4137 Primavera Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93110

TBN AT HOME IN ROME—Paul and Jan Crouch's Trinity Broadcasting Network is now on the air in Rome. Their 9/94 paper says: "Praise the Lord! Pope John Paul II can now see, not only many of the TBN programs, but also, some of the special Catholic programs and guests that appear quite often. We will send the special coverage we did of the Pope's recent visit to Denver - Plus great programs with Fr. Rick Thomas, Fr. Ralph DeOrio, who has a great healing ministry, as well as our regular program, ALIVE, hosted by Fr. Michael Manning. Jan will want to show her heart's desire meeting with Mother Teresa and...a new series with Fr. Ricardo Castellanos, our wonderful Spirit-filled brother in Miami who moves and operates in the precious gifts of the Spirit! Wow! The body of Christ IS coming TOGETHER as we all move closer to Jesus!" Charismatics are deceiving, and being deceived.

ELLUL DIES AT 82—Liberal French theologian Jacques Ellul died May 19 at his home in Pessac, France. He had praised Karl Marx, and allowed for the option of a "Christian socialism and broad Christianity without a clear conversion experience."(5/88 BB). As a universalist, he said: "It is unthinkable that there should exist a place of suffering of torment of the damnation of evil.... Being love, God cannot send to Hell the creation He loved so much that He gave His only Son for it." (10/22/93 Sword). He said, "All are saved, but only those who hear the Gospel know it."

PERSONAL UPDATE—Corrective therapy for the CC editor's broken left leg is winding down and it is winding up an inch or two shorter than the right leg. I was promoted from a walker to a cane in early August and am now walking (limping) some without either. There is still a spot and some minor clutter in my left eye which slightly hampers my vision. My 80-year-old mother went to be with the Lord Sept. 1, after an earlier severe stroke. She had had several "mini" strokes in recent years. My boyhood family of five was reduced to four in June 1993 when my father died, to three May 1994 when my sister died, and is now down to two. I spoke at Mom's funeral (in Miss.) and gave a lengthy gospel presentation. Pray that this will bear fruit among unsaved relatives and friends.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST WOMAN PROF RESIGNS UNDER FIRE—Molly Marshall, the first woman to teach theology at an SBC seminary, has resigned her tenured post at Southern Seminary effective Dec. 31. She would have faced a formal dismissal process had she not resigned (8/30 Ind. Bapt.). The charges would have centered on her "failure to relate constructively" to the SBC, and alleged deviation from seminary positions on such issues as atonement, universalism, God, the Bible and women preachers (8/27 HT). She was popular with students, but some had complained that her teaching fell outside the parameters of the Seminary's statement of faith (Abstract of Principles).

DALLAS PROF PRAISES BARTH—Dallas Seminary Assistant Prof. of New Testament studies Daniel B. Wallace, a "former" charismatic, writes in the 9/12 Christianity Today: "One of the chief legacies Karl Barth left behind was his strong Christocentric focus. It is a shame that too many of us have reacted so strongly to Barth, for in our zeal to show the deficiencies of his doctrine of Scripture, we have become bibliolaters....Barth and Calvin share a warmth, a piety, a devotion, an awe in the presence of God that is lacking in too many theological tomes generated from our circles." Barth was a modernist, the founding father of Neo-orthodoxy.

TO WHERE HAS TASSELL LED THE GARBC?—Dr. Paul Tassell, in his final report as the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches National Representative, said he has fought a good fight and is still a faithful fundamentalist. We sympathize with his battle against Parkinson's disease which caused his untimely resignation. The 9/94 Baptist Bulletin carried several letters (tributes). Dr. Warren Wiersbe's was of special interest. He said Tassell was "an ideal 'bridge builder' at a time when that's what the GARBC needed the most." We agree with the "bridge builder" label, but disagree with the rest. We believe that what the GARBC has needed more than a bridge builder was a leader who would hold the line against compromise, one who would not invite ecumenicals like Wiersbe to speak at its convention as Wiersbe is scheduled to do next June. [Lehman Strauss and Wendell Kempton(ABWE) spoke at this year's convention, and the 9/94 BB has a big ad promoting a meeting where John MacArthur is a main speaker!] Tassell says he is still a pre-trib dispensationalist and still opposes the charismatic movement. He lists this as evidence that he has "kept the faith" and "not faltered." But, as in the past (2/15/89 CC), he does not warn against possibly the deadliest of all isms, new evangelicalism. Tassell has praised new evangelicals and has led the GARBC further from its historic separatist stance. [For more evidence of this, send $4.95 to: Bethel Baptist Press, 754 E. Rockhill Rd., Sellersville, PA 18960 for the book, "Whatever Happened to the GARBC...?"]

FOSTER DRAWS MATERIAL FROM CATHOLIC MYSTICS—Richard Foster, founder and president of Renovare (see 2/1 CC), has a Quaker heritage. The Spring 1994 Mainstream (England) comments on Foster's book, entitled Prayer, thusly: "[Foster] draws his material from the Catholic mystics, quoting sources such as Julian of Norwich, Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Madame Guyon and...Teresa of Avila. He even draws from St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits..." Denver Seminary (CBA) professors, meeting with Dave Hunt in 1990, admitted to possibly being overzealous in promoting books by Foster and other mysticism advocates. (9/15/90 CC).

MacARTHUR STILL WELCOMED BY IFCA, GARBC LEADERS—Popular author and speaker Dr. John MacArthur has caused considerable confusion and division in fundamental and evangelical circles in recent years, primarily by his unscriptural/confusing teachings on Christ's blood and eternal sonship and on justification/sanctification doctrines. His stance on separation is that of a new evangelical. Rick Miesel has a 25-page documented report detailing the dangerous psychological teachings of MacArthur and others affiliated with the Master's Fellowship (send $2 to: BDM, P.O. Box 6154, Bloomington, IN 47407). Yet, a full-page ad for MacArthur's Master's Seminary appears in each issue of the IFCA's Voice magazine. MacArthur almost five years ago met with and praised a leader of the official registered church in Russia. (6/1/90 CC). IFCA's National Executive Director Dr. Richard Gregory in the 5-6/94 Voice said: "Recently Dr. MacArthur, Dr. Mayhue, and I met with the presidents of Evangelical Baptist Union in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus...." Several GARBC leaders speak at conferences with Dr. MacArthur.

DR. BOB JONES III TO SPEAK AT ACCC MEETING—The American Council of Christian Churches' 53rd Annual Convention is Oct. 25-27 at Chadds Ford Baptist Church, Chadds Ford, Pa. The theme is, "The Sword and Trowel in Strategic Times." Dr. E. Allen Griffith, ACCC president, will give the keynote address. Other speakers include Rev. Mark Franklin, Drs. John McKnight, Tom Wolfe, Howard Carlson, and Bob Jones III. Panel discussions will feature Drs. L. Duane Brown, Jim Fields, Richard Harris, Morris McDonald, et al. Executive committees of both the World Council of Biblical Churches and the ACCC will meet. Dr. Ralph G. Colas is Exec. Secretary of the ACCC and the WCBC. Rev. David Natale is host pastor.

SOME MISUSE MATT. 18 TO SILENCE 'CONTENDERS'—Why is it that when a "fundamentalist" leader is to speak on a new-evangelical platform, he doesn't seem to mind at all if the new evangelicals publicize the matter in their papers. But, on the other hand, if a fundamentalist paper informs fundamentalists of the scheduled event, he goes ballistic. Just to merely report the engagement can bring a charge of, "You attacked me," or, "You should have followed the Matt. 18:15-17 procedure." But this passage deals with personal offenses, not compromise. And, besides, whose church would you take it to? We do sometimes need to call first, especially when necessary to verify facts. Comments by Jay Adams may help here (see 9/1/92 CC): "Some think that if one Christian differs with the writings or public statements of another Christian on a point of doctrine [e.g., separation], without rancor or any problem between them as persons, he is wrong for stating the differences publicly before going privately to the brother with whom he disagrees. That is a misconception. First of all, there is no unreconciled condition between them; they simply differ. Secondly, therefore, there is no matter of church discipline involved. Thirdly, even if this were a matter of discipline, the first party wrote or spoke publicly--he put it before the church or the world; he did not speak privately. For that reason it is as appropriate for the second brother to write or speak as publicly as the first did in refuting what he thinks is a wrong [action, or] interpretation of the Scriptures and which, therefore, he believes may hurt the church if he doesn't." The propagation of error, and compromising fellowships, require a public warning to the unwary.

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