UN PACT ON CHILD RIGHTS IS DANGEROUS—Pres. Clinton wants the U.S. to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and may send this treaty to the Senate any day now. It would give the UN control over a vast portion of the domestic policy of the U.S. regarding families, parents, and children. No amendments or reservations can salvage the treaty. To insure State and UN control over their development, all children must be immediately registered after birth (10/1/93 CC). Article 14 says children have a legal right to object to all religious training, and may assert their right against parental objection to participate in occult, Muslim, or Buddhist worship services. Several other dangerous "rights" are listed.

CATHOLICS CONSIDER FUNDAMENTALISM A CULT?—A Roman Catholic pamphlet entitled, "A Pastoral Statement For Catholics On Biblical Fundamentalism," is a warning from Catholic Bishops to Catholics "who may be attracted to Biblical Fundamentalism without realizing its serious weaknesses." It criticizes Fundamentalists for "rigid doctrinal and ideological positions", and for interpreting the Bible to be literally true. It says: "We do not look upon the Bible as an authority for science or history." And: "The gospel comes to us through the Spirit-guided Tradition of the [Catholic] Church and the inspired books....The Church produced the New Testament, not vice versa." It said Fundamentalists "try to find in the Bible all the direct answers for living....We look to both the Church's official teaching (or magisterium) AND [our emphasis] Scripture for guidance in addressing life's problems." The pamphlet emphasizes the necessity of the seven sacraments, the "veneration of the Blessed Mother", etc.

TILTON, WIMBER UPDATE—Televangelist Robert Tilton, who divorced his wife in 1993, recently married Evangelist Leigh Valentine. She will now serve as associate minister at his charismatic church. * * * Vineyard Churches founder John Wimber, who recovered from a serious bout with cancer last year, is now recovering from a mild stroke he suffered Jan. 10 (3/95 Charisma).

NRB'S OFFICIAL REASON FOR NOT INVITING CLINTON—"In recent years, it has been the decision of the National Religious Broadcasting leadership to invite the President of the U.S. to address the annual convention. This has always been a nonpartisan choice...However, for the 1995 convention...the NRB executive committee [decided not to extend an invitation]. During a White House briefing with Baptist leaders and religion journalists in Oct., Pres. Clinton again reiterated his position on the issues of abortion and homosexuality by claiming the Bible is 'ambiguous' about them...We are admonished to pray for those in authority...[but] we cannot give a platform to a leader who so aggressively supports and puts forth policies and positions that are blatantly contrary to scriptural views."

JAY GARY LINKS EVANGELICALS TO GLOBAL NEW AGERS—Big plans are afoot for celebrating the year 2000, making it a World Year of Thanksgiving, global ecumenism, etc. Jay Gary who has been active for many years in evangelical circles (Campus Crusade, Lausanne, etc.) in 1991 launched BEGIN or Celebration 2000, a network that appears to provide a link between global spiritualists like Robert Muller and evangelical Christians (2/95 Signal). Muller, a former UN assistant Secretary-General, calls himself a Catholic but is basically a New Age Hindu Catholic. Gary calls Muller a "Key Person" for BEGIN. Gary speaks approvingly of many radical apostates and New Agers in his Star of 2000 book, and is a member of the UN. Yet his book is endorsed by new-evangelicals such as Campus Crusade's Bill Bright, NRB's Brandt Gustavson, and EFCA's Paul Cedar. He wants to give a global birthday party in the year 2000 as a gift to Christ, but this "christ" is a counterfeit.

'SURVIVAL FOODS' KEEP US FROM BEING A CULT?—U. S. Attorney General Janet Reno says (2/10 Sword): "A cultist is one who has a strong belief in the Bible and the second coming of Christ; who frequently attends Bible studies; who has a high level of financial giving to a Christian cause; who homeschools their children; who have [sic] accumulated survival foods and have [sic] a strong belief in the second amendment; and who distrusts big government."

TEDS TO BECOME TIU—Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, a noted new-evangelical school in Deerfield, IL, has changed its name to Trinity Internat'l University. The new name also encompasses Trinity College in Deerfield and Miami.

LAST LINE OF Pg. 1 OMITTED FROM SOME 3/1 CC's: of God's moral law, and hatred of God Himself.

BAPTIST-CATHOLIC DIALOGUE—Last June 16, the Southern Baptist Convention endorsed a theological dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. Pursuant to this SBC resolution to improve SBC relations with Catholics, seven U.S. Catholic mission leaders visited the SBC Foreign Mission Board home office in Richmond Feb. 2-3 and met with FMB officials. An FMB executive director said: "It was a mutual dialogue and fellowship with no expected outcome." The official Catholic liaison, who attends SBC Executive Committee and other SBC meetings said: "We all see ourselves as disciples of Jesus doing His mission..." Two SBC leaders signed the ecumenical 1994 Evangelicals and Catholics Together agreement. Drs. Jerry Falwell and Tim Lee try to convince followers that the new SBC conservatives are fundamentalists. They build bridges to them even as they steadily move toward the ecumenical movement. But fundamentalists cannot meet with Romanist leaders for mutual dialogue and "fellowship." We are commanded to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Eph. 5:11).

GOTHARD PROPHESIES AT ECUMENICAL MEETING—Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright fasted 40 days last summer during which he received a "prophecy from God" that a mighty revival is coming. He then issued a call for hundreds of liberals, charismatics, and new-evangelicals to gather in Orlando Dec. 5-7 to fast and pray for revival. (11/15 CC). The 3/95 Charisma quotes various attendees. Pro-Catholic Charles Colson sees denominationalism as the biggest barrier to prison outreach. Carlton Pearson said lack of church racial integration hinders revival. Bright embraced him and asked forgiveness for white abuses and prejudices of the past. Charisma continues: "Then Bill Gothard said he felt impressed to share what he believed was a prophetic directive: 'God is going to use African Americans to bring revival to America.'" Charismatics have long claimed to have extra-biblical revelations and "prophetic words" from God.

COMBS, RAWLINGS NOW WITH FALWELL—Dr. Jerry Falwell in his 3/95 National Liberty Journal announced that Jim Combs is retiring as editor of the Baptist Bible Tribune effective May 31 to become Editor-in-Chief of NLJ. Former Baptist Bible Fellowship president Dr. John Rawlings recently joined Liberty University's Center for Ministry Training and to work with the NLJ. The NLJ had a sermon by Dr. Lee Roberson. An article promoted Billy Graham's "Global Mission" crusade and praised his "remarkable career."

FALWELL INVITES PROMISE KEEPERS TO LIBERTY—Over 10,000 men will overflow Liberty University's Vines Center for a Promise Keepers rally March 25 (3/95 NLJ). Dr. Adrian Rogers (SBC) is a speaker. The ecumenical Promise Keepers expects 500,000 to 600,000 to attend its 13 coast-to-coast conferences scheduled for 1995. Liberty University's Board of Trustees include at least six Southern Baptists and Dr. Tim Lee.

BBF CHURCH FEATURES TIM LaHAYE—A half-page ad in the 12/94 Bapt. Bible Tribune promoted a 1/95 prophecy conference at Cherry Street Baptist Church in Springfield, MO, featuring well-known ecumenical Dr. Tim LaHaye and Tribune Editor James Combs as speakers (1/95 O Timothy).

NRB REPORT AVAILABLE—A very detailed report by Dr. Ralph Colas of the recent National Religious Broadcasters meeting is available for $2.00 from: ACCC, P.O. Box 19, Wallingford, PA 19086.

IFCA SPEAKER PRAISED GRAHAM MEETING—Speakers for the Independent Fundamental Churches of America's (IFCA) annual convention in June at Colorado Springs are Rev. Larry Moyer and Rev. Tom Mahairas. Moyer is a Dallas Seminary adjunct teacher who returned from Billy Graham's Amsterdam'86 conference with lavish praise for that ecumenical meeting. He recalled "the indescribable feeling" of singing "To God Be The Glory" with the other 8,000 evangelists from 174 nations, saying: "It was the closest I will come--before heaven--to experiencing Phil. 2:10-11..." (1/1/87 CC). Mahairas helped form the New York Gospel Outreach which hosted a Fish '87 outreach to teens, of which Dr. Jerry Falwell's 6/87 Fundamentalist Journal said: "This year's speakers include: Jerry Falwell, Joe Stowell, Ed Dobson...Tom Mahairas, and others." The IFCA seems to be at home with the compromising Dallas, Moody, and John MacArthur crowd.

GRAHAM'S WORLD CRUSADE—Dr. Billy Graham's three-day "Global Mission" March 16-18 in Puerto Rico is touted as the largest evangelistic outreach in the history of the Christian church. Via 30 satellites, it reaches 165 countries in 80 languages. Some are equating this with the evangelization of the world, and suggest that it presages Christ's return. The workers' conference features fellow ecumenicals Luis Palau, Billy Kim, and Ravi Zacharias. NRB President Brandt Gustavson last month said "We're thrilled with the upcoming Billy Graham conference."

CHARISMATIC 'GIGGLING FOR GOD'—The "laughing revival" ministry of South African evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne is spreading like wild fire into the charismatic mainstream. (See 9/1 CC). It has been endorsed/promoted by Charisma magazine, TBN's Paul & Jan Crouch, Oral Roberts, John Wimber, Pat Robertson, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, and many other charismatics. "Worshippers" are zapped, fall backwards, lie on the floor for hours, shaking as if plugged into an electric current, overcome by laughing, weeping, groaning, mass faintings, and such bizarre noise-making that has been described as a "cross between a jungle and a farmyard." (2/95 Charisma). Yet charismatics call it "revival", and say it is from God. Some critics, however, say the beastly sounds (barking, roaring) and other weird happenings are evidence of demonic activity. [Some taped excerpts we have heard sounded very bizarre!] Most of the 500 John Wimber "signs and wonders" Vineyard churches in the U.S. have embraced the falling, weeping and laughing. Meanwhile, this fanatical phenomenon is going strong in Toronto ("The Toronto Blessing", it's called), London, Boston, Florida, Australia, and other places around the globe.

WCC PROMOTES DEMOTED LUNDY—Top Presbyterian Church(USA) official Mary Ann Lundy was ousted in June 1994 for her role in the radical feminist Re-Imagining conference. But the World Council of Churches has approved her appointment as deputy general secretary of the WCC.

UREY RESIGNS FROM CALVARY BIBLE COLLEGE—Dr. Donald A. Urey resigned in January as President of Calvary Bible College/Seminary, Kansas City, citing his inability to solve long-standing financial needs. He moves to a pastorate in Michigan March 1. Dr. Warren Bathke is interim President. Calvary has had various weak-on-separation and ecumenical speakers in recent years (Wiersbe, MacArthur, Cocoris, Hendricks, Lutzer, and Criswell). It seems to have a special affinity for the IFCA and Dallas Seminary.

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