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THE HIGH COST OF GAMBLING—The gambling
industry, including
state-run
lotteries, has grown into a 48-state, $500 billion industry. Louisiana
has between 78,000 and 125,700 "problem" gamblers. The cost to society
of each of these is as high as $50,000, when "soft" sums such as lost
income,
the cost of related crime, and prosecution costs are added. In
Mississippi,
more money is spent gambling than in making taxable retail purchases:
$29.7
billion was bet, compared to $27.6 billion that was spent in 1994
(10/21
World). In the first 16 years of legalized gambling in Atlantic
City, the police budget tripled. Crime caused property values to
plummet.
Casino gambling is a magnet for street criminals. Experts say the cost
to society of gambling is between $2 and $5 for every dollar in taxes
that
the industry brings in, and that we will soon begin to see some states
reversing themselves and passing bans on gambling.
DISTINCTION DEMANDED IN WORSHIP MUSIC—Lenny Seidel says
"Nashville-ization"
of contemporary church music is taking advantage of the buying trends
of
the contemporary evangelical community (10/95 Voice). He says
"there
is no precedent in church music history to justify what we are hearing
today; that is, the rebellious music of a perverted society linked with
biblical truth. It is not effective because the message and music do
not
match, and music is as much a language as printed words. It is
disingenuous
to suggest that the contemporary writers of pop lyrics which depict a
rebellious
society would use our historical church music to convey their perverted
lifestyle. Consequently, a lost generation will not be influenced with
imitation, but by something totally different."
P&G RUMORS PERSIST—Proctor & Gamble has answered
about
200,000 calls and letters about rumors over the past 15 years linking
it
to satanism. The rumors claim that P&G's president spoke in support
of satanism on a TV talk show, and that P&G's trademark was a
satanic
symbol (9/5 HT). P&G has removed its moon-and-stars trademark, but
the rumor comes back every few years. Recently, P&G filed its 15th
defamation lawsuit. It, like five others before it, involves a
distributor
for P&G rival Amway Corp. It accuses Randy Haugen, of Utah, of
using
Amway's voice mail system to spread the devil-worship rumor to other
Amway
distributors.
PK INFO—O Timothy editor David Cloud devoted over 10 big
pages
in the latest issue to Promise Keepers, including some correspondence
with
pastors sympathetic with PK. O Timothy is $20/ yr., 1219 N. Harns Rd.,
Oak Harbor, WA 98277.
GOD'S NAME PROFANED ON PRIME-TIME TV—The 10/ 21 World
says the pornographic Showgirls movie and the NEA's blasphemous
art crudities are not the ultimate problem. It said: "The problem
instead
lies in the acceptance by millions of Christians of prime-time programs
full of double entendres, of PG movies loaded with the blasphemous use
of God's name, and with the just-this-side-of-pornographic videos
brought
by the armloads into our homes...[W]e tend to tolerate an entertainer's
using God's name profanely more than we will a long list of sexual or
excremental
four-letter words...."
THE GREAT GOD ENTERTAINMENT—The 10/95 Voice quotes
A. W. Tozer thusly: "For centuries the Church stood solidly against
every
form of worldly entertainment recognizing it for what it was--a device
for wasting time...But of late she...appears to have decided that if
she
cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces
[and use] his power. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of
millions
of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly
entertainment
for so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is...rapidly
crowding
out the serious things of God. Many churches today have become little
more
than poor theaters where fifth-rate 'producers' peddle their shoddy
wares
with the approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text
in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dare raise his voice
against it."
CHRISTIAN COALITION'S CATHOLIC ARM— Maureen Roselli is the
new Exec. Dir. of the Catholic Alliance of the Christian Coalition. The
Christian Coalition is concerned that it is still not perceived as a
like-minded
group by many in the Catholic community. Roselli's job will be to
change
that perception. The Catholic arm is but the latest effort to attract
Catholics.
DERSTINE LEADERS FALSIFIED REPORTS—The 9/11 Christianity
Today said: "For seven years, Gerald Derstine of Gospel Crusade,
Inc.,
in Bradenton, Fla., inspired his followers with sensational accounts of
miracles, mass conversions, and subsequent martyrdoms among Arab
Muslims
in Israel and the West Bank. His supporters responded generously,
contributing
$2.8 million in 1994 alone...But in March, one of Derstine's Arab
ministry
leaders confessed, in the face of mounting evidence, that the reports
were
fabrications...In 1988, Derstine began circulating accounts...that
thousands
of Muslims were converting in the wake of healings, signs, and
wonders...Recent
visits...confirmed a pattern of misrepresentation and staging of
events..."
CAMPOLO STILL DEFENDS HOMOSEXUALS—Eastern College (Amer.
Baptist)
sociologist Tony Campolo's wife Peggy promotes homosexual weddings, and
his pastor performs them (9/26/94 C.News). The 10/ 23 Chr.
Today
in reviewing his new book refers to "the ambiguity that has haunted his
thought over the years", and says he is reflective of the Religious
Left.
It adds: "Tony is a Mario Cuomo when it comes to what he calls the 'hot
issues.' Conceding that homosexuality is 'contrary to what is normative
in nature,' he then argues that churches have the right to receive
homosexuals
into full communion and even ordain them to the ministry. Whether he
means
repentant or proud homosexuals is not clear, either; when he refers to
'the kind of homosexual acts that the Bible forbids,' does he intend to
suggest there are some homosexual acts that the Bible does not forbid?
The same evasiveness characterizes his discussion of abortion."
ACCC RESOLUTION: CONTINUED COMPROMISE OF AWANA—"We are
deeply
saddened that Awana Clubs International--for many years appreciated,
approved,
and supported by Bible-believing churches...--has recently changed its
position regarding its relationship to churches within the National
Council
of Churches (the liberal, apostate organization of the ecumenical
movement,
USA). It appears that in recent years Awana's policy of not chartering
NCC-member churches was not being practiced, even though its own
position
papers clearly [stated that] 'the Awana charter is not available to:
churches
affiliated with denominations that are members of the NCC/WCC.' [Its]
policy
has now been changed to read that the Awana charters are not available
to churches that are 'supportive of the NCC.'...[T]his reveals the
attempt
of Awana to grow at the expense of truth, while deceitfully implying
that
one can be affiliated with apostasy without being supportive of
it...The
American Council of Christian Churches...at its 54th Annual Convention
[St. Louis, Oct. 24-26] urges all Bible-believing churches and pastors
to express...to the Awana leadership their dissatisfaction with Awana's
compromise and to request that remedial action be taken by the Awana
Board
to correct this problem by returning its stated policy to its original
wording and insisting that its practice live up to its policy...We
repudiate...
the idea that...churches can be affiliated with the NCC without
partaking
of its evil deeds."
HINN'S HEALINGS CHALLENGED—Personal Freedom Outreach (St.
Louis) says faith healer Benny Hinn's version of mass healings at an
Ontario
hospital in 1976 is more fiction than fact (10/ 23 C.Today).
Hinn
describes the healings in his new book, Welcome, Holy Spirit.
But
the summer issue of PFO's quarterly journal labels Hinn's "wildly
embellished
account" a "tall tale." Hinn's book claims that he and other clergy
anointed
patients in a Catholic hospital with oil and they began to receive
instant
healing. He said "you could feel God's spirit all over the building.
Within
a few minutes the hospital looked almost like it had been hit by an
earthquake.
People...up and down the hallways and in the rooms." But a hospital
statement
says "No such events have ever occurred [here]" and said Hinn's claims
are "outlandish." Chr. Research Institute president Hank Hanegraaff and
Evang. James Robison took Hinn to task in the 8/16/93 CT for his
teaching
of the word-of-faith doctrine (positive confession, prosperity gospel,
and divine right-to-be-healed), warning Hinn that if he did not change
his ministry it eventually would fail due to false teachings.
ACCC RESOLUTION: ETERNAL SONSHIP AND THE IFCA—"....The
Independent
Fundamental Churches of America's leadership, while professing to
adhere
to its excellent doctrinal statement [on eternal Sonship], has allowed
departure...[It] keeps Dr. John MacArthur on its membership roles, even
though in his published writings and public tapes he has clearly and
consistently
denied the eternal Sonship of Christ, teaching instead that Christ
became
the Son of God at the time of the Incarnation....The IFCA leadership
defied
rightness and logic by concluding that the denial of eternal Sonship is
not out of harmony with the IFCA doctrinal statement. This decision
resulted
in some IFCA men withdrawing their membership from the IFCA, based on
the
fact that the organization no longer officially takes its own doctrinal
statement seriously. The American Council of Christian Churches,
meeting
at its 54th Annual Convention in St. Louis, MO, Oct. 24-26, 1995, gives
its hearty commendation to those IFCA regionals, pastors and delegates
who took such a stand against the IFCA's doctrinal compromise and who
were
valiant for the truth of Christ's eternal Sonship in these difficult
days
of doctrinal decline....[This] is a vital doctrine that must not be
compromised."
[The IFCA also promotes John MacArthur in its Voice magazine.]
DR. BELL SEES DANGER WITHIN FUNDAMENTALISM—FBF President
Dr.
Rod Bell in the latest Frontline says: "...I see a great danger
in Fundamentalists losing 'the fire in their belly.' In many of our
ranks,
some seemingly express the passive attitude, 'We don't want to contend
and fight for the great fundamentals of the faith.' Many
Fundamentalists
see that expression as a growing concern and believe that, for the most
part, we are losing our militancy...[It] is frightening to see the
position
of neutrality taking priority. We have reached a period in
battle--which
some call the Cold War period-- that was caused by a letdown in the
fight
against the compromise of truth. That 'comfort zone' does not have many
warriors, simply because, if you are not contending, you are
compromising...
[E]very generation of Fundamentalists must have a 'fire built under
them.'
I don't know what kind of fire it will take to get some Fundamentalists
to wake up before they lose it all... Many times there is the
affirmation
of a Fundamentalist--but the attitude of a New Evangelical...[We]
maintain
a position by fighting for it. If we maintain a proper relationship
with
our Lord, we will fight for His truth..."
E.L. BYNUM NOT A FOUNDER OF SBF—In our "Dr. Harold
Sightler
Passes" 11/1 article Dr. Dollar apparently mistakenly listed "E.L.
Bynum"
as a founder of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship. Pastor Bynum says he
was not one of the founders and has never attended an SBF meeting.
Pastor
Bynum is editor of the Plains Baptist Challenger
($5/yr.),
and has other books/tracts available: P.O. Box 3100, Lubbock, TX 79452.
ACCC NEW OFFICERS—Dr. Ralph Colas remains at the helm of
the
American Council (and of the World Council of Biblical Churches) as
Exec.
Secretary, Dr. Richard Harris is the new ACCC president (replacing Dr.
Allen Griffith), Rev. Mark Franklin is V-P, Rev. Ronnie Fieker is
Secretary,
and Bill Worrilow remains as Treasurer. Dr. Jim Fields is chairman of
the
WCBC. Next year's annual meeting is at Lebanon, Pa.
CC editor drove over 3,000 miles last mo. & is way behind
in answering mail. Please be patient!
Send comments to ccemail2015@gmail.com
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