ISLAMIC RADICALISM THREAT—Muslim extremists demand a jihad, or holy war, against all who oppose them. Most of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims reject such fanaticism, but the radicals have scored ominous victories in the past 16 years (1/95 R.Digest). Iran fell to them in 1979, Sudan a decade later, and now Algeria and Egypt are threatened. The death penalty for renouncing Islam has been reinstated in Sudan. Algerian groups, aided by Sudanese-trained terrorists, have ordered Westerners out of Algeria and killed those who haven't obeyed. At least 10,000 have been killed in the past two years. The U.S. Muslim population is now about 5 million, with 300,000 in the Chicago area. Muslim writings contradict Bible doctrines, deny the Trinity, and deny that Jesus was crucified.

POVERTY IS NOT THE PROBLEM—Consider the period from 1830 to 1950, including the Great Depression, when many more Americans were poor: Illegitimacy rates went down to an all-time low of 4 to 6 percent, where they stayed for 150 years. Alcohol consumption in the U.S. was cut in half. Sunday schools began, and by the end of the 19th century, about two-thirds of young Americans attended. People became more courteous, and basic morals improved (10/24 CT). People were much poorer then than now, so don't blame our besetting problems of today on poverty--blame politics, immorality, and spiritual declension.

UNDESERVED 'GUILT TRIP' FOR WEST—When we see extreme poverty and starvation, it is often due to a socialist government and false religion (Romanism, Hinduism, etc.). Despite perhaps unprecedented generosity from the West, redistributionist liberals try to make us feel guilty by saying 20 percent of the world's population uses 80 percent of the world's resources. But, as a 10/3 Chr. Today writer said, this implies that the world's resources are things found lying around, which a certain group of people has appropriated for its own use. Whereas, resources are created: the truth is more nearly that 20 percent of the world's population creates 80 percent of the world's resources.

SEARS PROMOTES NEW AGE?—Dave Hunt (12/94 Berean Call) says Sears, Roebuck & Co. has become a major promoter of New Age ideas. He quotes the 10/94 first edition of "The Women's Newsletter from SEARS" which tells how to consult "the therapist within." You relax, visualize, and meet your inner adviser. This is the basic technique for contacting spirit guides(demons).

HOMELESS BY CHOICE?—"Compassion fatigue" is leading to a crackdown on aggressive begging and panhandling in big cities. A sociology professor who spent several months posing as a homeless man said most people are homeless by choice. He said, "But it's not like they made a choice to be homeless--it was a matter of choosing one thing over another throughout their lives. Often they chose the path of least resistance. They chose not to sober up and go to work, or not fight their addiction." (11/12 World). The $2 billion New York has spent to help the homeless has done nothing to reduce their ranks. The NY Times has reverted back to calling them "bums." The 12/10 World said: "In Los Angeles, 90 percent of the people who seek assistance from the L.A. Mission are addicted to drugs or alcohol." Christians need a "tough love" balance between compassion and firmness.

JONI'S FRIENDS—Joni Eareckson Tada is founder of Joni & Friends, a ministry to bring the church and disabled people together. She grew up a Reformed Episcopalian but now attends Dr. John MacArthur's Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA. She sometimes speaks for Campus Crusade, Focus on the Family, and Billy Graham (Fall '94 Projector). She participated in "Canada's biggest prayer rally" Oct. 1 along with charismatic David Mainse and CCM singer Steve Green (12/94 Charisma). In the 3/93 Moody Monthly, she said: "My new healed body will be my gift from God for a job well done while I was here on earth."

GRAHAM YOUTH RALLY IN ATLANTA—Billy Graham's recent five-day Georgia Dome crusade featured such big names as Jimmy Carter, Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King, Joseph Lowery, Robert Schuller, Charles Stanley, and Greg Laurie. But the biggest attraction was a Saturday night "Jamming in the Dome" youth rally that drew 78,000 people (12/12 C. Today). It featured two hip-hop religious rock groups: DC Talk rappers (with roots in Jerry Falwell's Liberty University), and Take 6 (Seventh-Day Adventists!). Andrae Crouch performed. The BGEA ran frequent "MTV-style" commercials on six Atlanta TV stations.

GRAHAM TO SPEAK AT SBC—Southern Baptist President Jim Henry has announced that Billy Graham will speak at the June 1995 convention in Atlanta (12/6 Indiana Bapt.). Graham has been a member of First Baptist Church-Dallas, since June 1953. The SBC's Southern Seminary in Louisville recently named its evangelism, missions and church growth center after Graham. Who says So. Baptists are now Fundamentalists?

HANDFORD'S CHURCH TAKES NEW-EVANGELICAL STANCE—Dr. Walt Handford's Southside Baptist Church in Greenville, SC has long been on a toboggan slide to New Evangelicalism. This has been evident in the speakers, the associations, and the CCM (contemporary Christian music). The 11/94 Southsider mentions a new "seeker service" to be taught by Pastor Handford and Don Preston. Preston was recently licensed by Southside, and is "fulltime with Campus Crusade for Christ." Campus Crusade is headed by Bill Bright and is very ecumenical and pro-Catholic/charismatic. As far as we know Handford is still welcomed to speak at Southwide Baptist Fellowship meetings.

TIM LEE YOUTH MEETINGS TO FEATURE SBC'S RING—Dr. Tim Lee has scheduled three Youth Alive conferences for the summer of 1995. They are set for Charlotte, Chattanooga, and Dallas. Other speakers include David Ring, Lee's pastor Gary Coleman, and Johnny Pope. Coleman, Pope, and Lee are frequent Southwide Baptist Fellowship conference speakers. Ring is a Southern Baptist who frequently pulpit-shares with Lee and Dr. Jerry Falwell, and sometimes speaks on charismatic platforms (e.g., see 10/15/94 CC).

FALWELL PARTICIPATES IN ECUMENICAL MEETINGS—Jewish and Religious Right leaders dialogued over a kosher lunch in Washington Nov. 29 and agreed to a cease-fire in their war of words. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein organized the meeting. Dr. Jerry Falwell participated and called it "a very, very positive day," and said it was "a beginning of a beginning." (12/12 C. News). He spoke at a Moonie front group meeting last July (11/15 CC), and has often been linked with Catholics (7/1/93 CC) and has praised their pope.

BLOESCH REJECTS INERRANCY—Dr. Donald Bloesch is Emeritus Professor of Theology at the Univ. of Dubuque Theol. Seminary (PCUSA-sponsored). He is an acclaimed scholar, author, and theologian (UCC). He is highly praised by Presby. Church-USA and United Church of Christ conservatives. In his latest book, Holy Scripture: Revelation, Inspiration, and Interpretation published by InterVarsity, he insists that the Bible contains errors (12/5 C.News). A reviewer says Bloesch does not present the classic doctrine of Scripture, but rather the neo-orthodox "evangelical" doctrine of Scripture, in tune more with Barth, Brunner, and modern historical critics. Yet the 3/88 Moody Monthly praised Bloesch as "an evangelical leader you should know" (5/1/88 CC).

RUCKMAN'S EXTREMISM EXPOSED—O Timothy editor David Cloud believes Peter Ruckman has done more damage to the cause of the King James Bible than many of its detractors. Why? "Because his strange ideas, his multiple divorces, his angry spirit, his arrogancy, his Alexandrian cult mentality, his extremism regarding the KJV being advanced revelation, tend to cause men to reject the entire issue." Cloud says Ruckman's teaching has also caused many unnecessary divisions and problems in churches. Cloud is a strong defender of the KJV and says one of the clearest reasons to reject the modern versions is that they flow from the end-time apostasy traced to German rationalism. His 16-page discussion of Ruckmanism and Bible versions is in the Volume 11, Issue 11 of his O Timothy Magazine (1218 N. Harns Road, Oak Harbor, WA 98277).

CEV ELIMINATES BIBLE DOCTRINES—The Contemporary English Version New Testament was issued by the American Bible Society in 1991. A complete CEV "Bible" is due in 1995. A four-member team's translation was subject to review and adjustments by a panel of about 100 Protestant and Roman Catholic specialists (5/11/91 H.T.). On page two of the introduction, the publishers declare: "Traditional translations use words such as justification, righteousness, redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, atonement, salvation, sanctification and repentance. ALL THESE WORDS ARE ABSENT FROM THE Contemporary English Version." (Nov./Dec.'94 Fund. Digest). The word grace is not used in the CEV. Beware of unreliable modern versions and paraphrases!

JIM BAKKER FREE, MAY JOIN DAUGHTER—PTL televangelist Jim Bakker served nearly five years in prison for bilking thousands of followers out of at least $1,000 in return for his promise that they could stay at his Christian theme park four nights a year for their lifetime. The hotels could never accommodate all the donors. The scheme brought $158 million into Bakker's ministry, and he spent $3.7 million of it on expensive homes, jewelry, cars and vacations. His daughter, Tammy Sue Chapman, recently hinted to supporters of her singing ministry that her father may join her in the pulpit. His wife of 30 years divorced him and married his friend Roe Messner, the chief builder at Heritage, USA.

FAITH TO FEATURE WALVOORD & RYRIE—With deep regret and sincere sadness of heart we must confess that our praise of Faith Baptist Bible College/Seminary of Ankeny, Iowa in the 4/1 CC was apparently premature or excessive. We based this in large part on its Board's encouragingly strong reaffirmation of Faith's historic position which included secondary separation. But we now see that this GARBC-approved school has scheduled former Dallas Seminary President Dr. John Walvoord and former Dallas Prof. Dr. Charles Ryrie, both of whom are noted scholars and authors, to speak at Faith in Jan./Feb. Their influence and associations have clearly positioned them in a new evangelical direction the past two decades (see 5/1/90 Ryrie CC article).

YFC MEETING FEATURES CATHOLICS, CAMPOLO—Youth for Christ hosted two Super Conferences last summer called DC'94 and LA'94. Listed speakers included: Josh McDowell, Buster Soaries, and Tony Campolo. YFC "networked" with the "True Love Waits" campaign, begun by Southern Baptists. The DC '94 conference involved 26 denominations and youth organizations, "including So. Baptists, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Catholics, and Campus Crusade for Christ."

WARNING TO YOUNG FUNDAMENTALISTS—Baptist World Mission Exec. Director Dr. Fred Moritz has the following advice in his new book (see 9/15 CC) for young separatists: "A dangerous tendency on the part of younger separatists today is to look at the weaknesses of the older generation and abandon or moderate the position they took because of these weaknesses. The present generation of preachers needs to realize that it too will leave a record of imperfection in its service for Christ. The shortcomings of former leaders do not justify forsaking or weakening the biblical position for which they fought. Men must be as militant as Jude, Paul, Peter, and John in the ministry of the Word. The Bible teaches militancy. Indeed the younger man today will not want to emulate whatever flaws are apparent in a leader. He should adopt the attitude which Paul asked his followers to adopt when he said, 'Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.' The current generation should imitate the godliness of the past generation while not forsaking separation because of the human weaknesses of those leaders."

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