DOBSON APPOINTED BY DOLE TO WELFARE PANEL—Dr. James Dobson was appointed by Sen. Bob Dole in December to the newly formed 15-member Presidential Commission on Child and Family Welfare. It will study and make recommendations on the placement of children, child custody, access and visitation, and domestic issues such as family relations and abuse. Dobson promotes self-esteem, is an ecumenical, but is pro-life. He is founder and president of Focus on the Family, and may serve well in this new post. He earlier served on Attorney General Edwin Meese's Commission on Pornography (1985-87) where he and the others "spent 14 months evaluating violent, degrading and disgusting material [hard-core pornography, etc.]." [See 5/15/87 CC for how unwise, dangerous, and unscriptural this was.]

SENSITIVITY TRAINING DANGERS—Sensitivity Training is a form of brainwashing, used by the communists and refined and renamed for U.S. users, beginning about 1946. It goes by many different deceptive names ("Group Dynamics," "Basic Encounter," etc.), and is spreading like wildfire. It involves group confession where the individual's problems become the problems of the group which in turn tries to find a solution. Nude encounter groups are increasingly used. Marathon sessions are often used to break down "inhibitions" and encourage participants to express "their true feelings" under the stress of physical fatigue and lack of sleep. Social change agents want to make Sensitivity Training mandatory in all public schools. [Most of this info came from an article in the Sep-Oct Foundation]

CAMPOLO, PERKINS: EVANGELICAL CHURCH MOST RACIST—The 10/94 Moody Monthly had statements from Tony Campolo and John Perkins promoting social action [they both have earlier promoted something close akin to socialism and the old liberal "social gospel"], and blaming evangelicals for racism. Campolo said: "...Any sociological study that you make on racism will indicate that the more fundamentalist-evangelical people tend to be, the more racist their attitudes will tend to be." Perkins was more blunt: "The evangelical church is the most racist institution of all the churches; the more evangelical you get, the more racist the church becomes." These remarks indicate that, in the eyes of these two, it is more important to meet social needs than evangelistic/spiritual ones. If you put priority on souls but neglect social needs you're racist, but not vice versa. Perkins was a featured speaker at Moody Founder's Week this month.

FULLER PROF WILLIAM PANNELL WARNS OF RACE WARS—William Panel is professor of preaching and practical theology and dean of chapel at the School of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. His 1993 book, The Coming Race Wars, is endorsed by Tony Campolo, John Perkins, Robert Seiple, and Jay Kesler, and has comments by Denver Seminary Chancellor Dr. Vernon Grounds. In "explaining" the 1992 L.A. riots, Pannell at times seemed to excuse the black Americans who participated. He says many good things but the book clearly lacks balance, and overstresses race problems. He praised Spike Lee, liberation theologian Gustavo Gutierrez, and "Marxist" M. L. King, and said: "Minister Farrakhan speaks too much truth to be totally ignored by anyone." Pannell referred to "the demons of capitalism," and said "a theology that does not liberate is no theology at all." In a 2/15/85 Christianity Today article, Pannell seemed to favor Marxism.

BOBGAN BOOK AD 'CENSORED' BY IFCA—Martin and Deidre Bobgan sent ads for their Promise Keepers Warning Package and new book, Against Biblical Counseling: For the Bible to the IFCA's Voice but were turned down (as they also were at GARBC's Baptist Bulletin). IFCA's Mat'l Exec. Dir. Dr. Richard Gregory told them the book was "too radical and reactionary." A main principle of the book is: "Any person who can be used by the Holy Spirit to lead another to salvation or along the way of sanctification is competent to be used by God to give wise counsel without needing specialized biblical counseling training." Gregory disagrees and said, "We support what John MacArthur is doing [in the biblical counseling program at The Master's College]."

STOWELL SPEAKS WITH CHARISMATICS, ECUMENICALS—Moody Bible Institute President Dr. Joseph Stowell and MBI Chancellor Dr. George Sweeting are both listed on Dr. Billy Graham's 1995 Program Guide as speakers at the Billy Graham Training Center in N.C. (1/15 CC). Stowell also spoke at an SBC-related event in Orlando last June. The 1/95 Charisma advertises Hosanna Celebration'95 sponsored by the Grace Brethren Church (Columbus, OH, May 3-6) which features Stowell as a speaker. Other artists/speakers include: Dino, Cynthia Clawson, Geoff Moore, Dave Busby, Ken Poure, and Ken Ham. Dino was the pianist for divorced charismatic healer and TV evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman. A promotional brochure says of Stowell: "In 1987 after pastoring churches for 16 years, Dr. Stowell became president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Those attending Promise Keepers Indianapolis and the National Religious Broadcasters conference in 1994 can attest to his powerful speaking ability." The NRB and PK are hodgepodges of ecumenicals, charismatics, and new evangelicals.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AT MOODY—A three-hour Nationally Televised Concert of Prayer on the National Day of Prayer (NDOP) will originate May 4 from Moody Memorial Church (Chicago) and include the following participants: Campus Crusade's Bill Bright, Jack Hayford, Fuller Prof. C. Peter Wagner, Luis Palau, Moody Pastor Erwin Lutzer, MBI Pres. Joe Stowell, U. Methodist Pastor Terry Teykl, Multnomah Bible College Pres. Joe Aldrich, Assembly of God Gen. Supt. Thomas Trask, EFCA Pres. Paul Cedar, NAE & C&MA Pres. David Rambo, Women's Aglow Pres. Bobbye Byerly, TEDS Pres. Ken Meyer, Joni, Evelyn Christenson, and John Perkins. Shirley Dobson is chairman of the NDOP. The Exec. Committee of the Nat'l Religious Broadcasters officially endorsed the broadcast and will promote it. It saddens us to see MBI join in such an ecumenical program. There should be a National Day of Mourning at MBI--to mourn its loss to New Evangelicalism!

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."

PRAY FOR DR. PICKERING—Dr. Ernest Pickering, Deputation Director of Baptist World Mission, last month underwent serious surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his sinus cavity. Last fall his wife Yvonne was diagnosed with lymphomia, and is presently undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Please pray for them. The Pickerings are members of our church. Two of his books were reviewed in the 9/1 and 11/1/94 CCs.

THEONOMISTS NO LONGER WELCOME IN PCA?—The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) began in 1973, as a split from the liberal Presbyterian Church in the U.S. In 1986, it joined the middle-of-the-road, new-evangelical National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Its 1979 General Assembly ruled that theonomy was a legitimate, though minority view. Theonomy is post-millennial and is sometimes called "Christian Reconstructionism." Its unscriptural goal is the "re-Christianizing" of America. Now, a Proposed Statement of Identity for the PCA, recently mailed to every teaching elder, specifically denies theonomy as a legitimate position within the PCA (1/95 Chalc.Rpt), calling it divisive.

NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST—The 13th Annual National Christian Prayer Breakfast, to "pray for the Peace of Jerusalem," is set for Feb. 13 at the Opryland Hotel, Nashville. It is held in conjunction with the NRB convention. This year's theme is "Building Bridges in the Middle East." The list of sponsors, participants, and invited program personalities includes: Vice Pres. Al Gore, NRB Pres. Brandt Gustavson, Tenn. Gov. Don Sundquist, Israeli Ambassador Lamar Rabinovich, Jordan Ambassador Dr. Fayaz Tarawneh, and Drs. E.V. Hill, Adrian Rogers, and Elwood McQuaid.

THAT IRREVERENT STROBEL BOOK—A new book by Lee Strobel entitled What Jesus Would Say takes an irreverent humorous approach to what Jesus might say to modern-day celebrities such as Madonna, Murphy Brown, or Pres. Clinton. Strobel is a minister at Bill Hybels' Willow Creek Community Church--a high-tech, entertainment-oriented mega-church in suburban Chicago. Jokes are made about what Jesus would say to David Letterman, such as, "Sorry--Johnny gets the 11:30 slot in eternity." (9/94 Ev.Meth.). Pastor Jeff Dollar says: "The Christ promoted in Strobel's book is not the Christ of the Bible."

YOHANNAN BOOK ON MISSIONS—K. P. Yohannan is the founder of Gospel for Asia, which supports 7,000 native missionaries in ten Asian countries. His book, Revolution in World Missions (8/93 edition), was distributed at the 3/94 NAE convention in Dallas. In this book he says a lot of good things, and presents a case for sending Western money (without accountability) to support native missionaries. The foreword is by David and Karen Mains. Yohannan is a Criswell Bible College graduate. He implicitly/explicitly praises or approvingly quotes charismatics/new-evangelicals/mystics such as the following: Watchman Nee, Mains, Peter Wagner, C.S. Lewis, Bob Walker, Keith/Melody Green, and organizations such as YWAM, World Vision, FCA, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and O.M. Lester Roloff supported him. Yohannan says: "We are not eager to spread any one particular denominational or doctrinal position." (p258) He says: "God desires equity between His people on a worldwide basis. That is why the early church had no poverty." (p108) He mentions exorcisms, and said: "As I prayed and fasted, God revealed Himself to me in a vision...the Lord spoke to me."

UPCOMING EVENTS—This Editor hopes to attend the following meetings this year and report to our readers. NRB'95 (Nashville, Feb.), NAE'95 (Louisville, March), ACCC Exec. Committee (CBC-Huntsville, April), Fund. Bap. Fellowship (Greenville, June), Ind. Bap. Fell. of N. Amer. (Seattle, June), ACCC Convention (St. Louis, Oct.). Also, will possibly attend: NCC, Tim Lee, Tenn. Temple, Southwide Bapt. Fell., and Sword meetings. Will have Press Credentials for some of these.

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