UNITED NATIONS: TOOL OF ANTICHRIST—San Francisco's Grace Cathedral hosted an interfaith celebration of the United Nations'50th anniversary June 25 where an assembly of "United Religions" was proposed (6/24 HT). Meanwhile, UN Sec'y General Boutros-Ghali is begging for "bigger bucks" from the U.S. so the UN can be involved in "all the world's problems." He says "We have moved from 5,000 blue helmets to 60,000 blue helmets!" (6/26 USN&WR). High-level one-worlders and perpetrators of a UN "new world order" who seek to overthrow our Constitution and erect a dictatorship have illegally transferred American troops to UN command.

P.A.W. LEADER DIES OF AIDS—Arthur Kropp, 37, president of People for the American Way died June 12 from complications from AIDS (6/19 CN). He is survived by his companion, Chris Bobowski. P.A.W. is a liberal religious and civil rights advocacy group founded in 1980 by liberal TV producer Norman Lear to battle Moral Majority and other conservative religious groups over abortion, censorship, and church/state separation.

DOLES LEAVE CLINTONS'LIBERAL CHURCH—Cal Thomas says: "Most Sundays President and Mrs. Clinton attend Washington's Foundry Methodist Church." The pastor is a liberal. (6/95 Nat'l Liberty Jrnl.). Also, Sen. and Mrs. Dole were members there, but now no longer attend there, considering the minister "too liberal" (5/22 USN & WR).

ISLAM IS HOSTILE TO CHRISTIANS—Under Islamic law, no criticism of Islam is allowed. There is no freedom of or from religion in Muslim countries. Islam is the greatest hindrance to the spread of the gospel in the world today. Muslim governments prohibit Christians from meeting together and kill those who convert Muslims. They deny entrance to Christian missionaries from other countries (5/95 Christian Aid). The 10/94 Charisma said: "Eight Muslim nations are among the 10 most severe persecutors of Christians." Yet Muslims in our country demand and enjoy freedom to promote their false religion.

SOME AMERICAN HEROES—A recent issue of Sports Marketing Newsletter reported that a survey by Sponsorship Research's Mike Kellner polled 1,240 adults last March asking people to name the athletes they admire most. Michael Jordan (HIV positive) was No. 1. Tonya Harding (convicted conspirator) was No. 2. O. J. Simpson, being tried on two murder counts, ranked No. 3. And Mike Tyson (convicted rapist) was No. 4. (7/95 VoiceInTheW.). It is shocking that entertainers are such idols, and an indictment of our values that these names even made the list.

ECT A LITTLE DIVISIVE—The 1994 Evangelicals and Catholics Together document, the brainchild of Charles Colson and Catholic theologian Richard John Neuhaus, has produced what it was designed to overcome: division. It was signed by 20 evangelical and 20 Catholic leaders to rally Catholics and Protestants around common Christian beliefs and socio-moral concerns, like opposition to abortion and homosexuality. But it glossed over key doctrinal differences for the sake of unity on the social issues. Some of the new-evangelical signers have been pressured by their denominations to remove their names from the ECT document. R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John Ankerberg, and D. James Kennedy continue to denounce ECT while stating respect for Colson, J.I. Packer, Bill Bright, and other ECT signers (7/95 Charisma). Dallas Seminary has reservations about ECT but said it will "maintain fellowship with those Evangelicals who did sign the document."(6/15 CC). ECT should produce division. True gospel proclaimers cannot unite with false gospel adherents in a spiritual endeavor, and those guilty of this are not worthy of "respect" or "fellowship," but are to be scripturally rebuked.

SCAM INVOLVEMENT JITTERS—Focus on the Family says it "broke even" in New Era's double-your-money "Ponzi" scheme (see 6/15 CC). MBI says it didn't lose anything. Others are nervously trying to explain their involvement to donors.

CHRISTEN IS GARBC'S NEW CHIEF—Soon after Dr. Paul Tassell stepped down last year as National Representative of the General Assoc. of Regular Baptist Churches, he gave Search Committee Chairman Bill Rudd a long list of reasons why he felt Dr. Richard Christen should succeed him at this post. At its annual meeting in Toledo last month, with Dr. Warren Wiersbe the main speaker (see 4/15, 6/1 CCs), indeed Christen was elected by a 75.2 percent vote to be the new National Rep. A two-thirds majority was required. Dr. Mark Jackson has served as interim Nat'l Rep and will stay during the transition. Three new churches were added to the GARBC and 17 exited, leaving the total at 1,458 churches. In a recent "Vision Statement," Christen said "We must allow for differences in drawing the lines of secondary separation...We must shape a positive outlook and image..." Prior to his election, he told the gathering: "Instead of a two-foot thick wall around our GARBC, lets build a sturdy picket fence around us." This is amazing, but sad! Just how much protection and safety does a picket fence provide? Nehemiah built a WALL! Sadly, we see no signs that the GARBC will reverse its present downward course.

VAN IMPE PROMOTES WHAT HE ONCE DENOUNCED—The Mar-Apr Foundation says: "Dr. Jack Van Impe, a former fundamentalist, completely reversed his separatist position several years ago and wrote a book Heart Disease in Christ's Body in which he explained his new agenda. In the past, he was greatly used of the Lord as an evangelist, and thousands came to Christ through his ministry. However, since he determined to practice a much wider fellowship than the Scriptures allow, his spiritual discernment has deteriorated to the place where he now praises the pope and joins hands with new evangelicals and charismatics who are moving rapidly toward Rome..."

'LAUGHING REVIVAL' AT ASBURY COLLEGE?—Vineyard pastor Randy Clark spoke at a "Light the Fire Again" conference at Asbury College (Wilmore, KY) last February. This conference grew out of Pentecostal evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne's last two camp meetings in Louisville. (7/95 Charisma). Howard-Browne and Clark have been associated with the charismatic Toronto Blessing "Holy Laughter" movement which has been characterized by mass laughter, ecstatic trance, loss of physical control, barking, roaring, grunting, moaning, alleged prophetic utterances and claims of physical and emotional healings (5/95 Berean Call). Asbury is a Methodist school which has featured and praised liberals, and whose new Seminary president is a member of the Roman Catholic-Methodist International Dialogue Commission (see 6/15/94 CC). The Spring 1995 Asbury Herald provides ample evidence of Asbury's ongoing ecumenical agenda.

SBC REPORT—The Southern Baptist Convention threw itself a 150th birthday party at its annual meeting in Atlanta in June. Total membership is now at 15.6 million. It is the denomination of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Newt Gingrich, Jesse Helms, Jimmy Carter, and Billy Graham. The 39,000 SBC churches include about 1,900 black congregations. It passed a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for its 19th century embrace of slavery and its more recent resistance to the civil rights movement. A main agenda item was the restructuring of the SBC from 19 agencies into 12. Jim Henry was re-elected SBC president without opposition. Billy Graham was the final speaker, June 22. John MacArthur spoke at the June 18-19 Pastor's Conference.

McCUNE REVIEWS McLACHLAN 'FUNDAMENTALISM' BOOK—Dr. Rolland McCune (Pres., Detroit Baptist Seminary) in his Spring'95 Sentinel paper reviews Central Seminary president Dr. Douglas McLachlan's Reclaiming Authentic Fundamentalism book. After crediting McLachlan with offering many good insights and saying some needed things about the shortcomings of Fundamentalism, McCune says: "There are some concerns, questions, and suggestions that should be raised. The tone of the book comes across as decidedly negative for the most part, almost anti-Fundamentalist at times. It bears the marks of frustration and reaction. One would think that Fundamentalism today has been led into a wasteland of spiritual declension and practical ineffectiveness. It would have been better to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of past leaders than to imply they were a cadre of name-seeking ladder-climbers. It would also seem to be more appropriate to call for some in-house self-corrective measures than to cast Fundamentalism into an 'us-them' configuration that could easily facilitate a breakaway mentality...."

DR. ARNO WENIGER SR. WITH THE LORD—We received word at press time that Dr. Arno Q. Weniger Sr. died Saturday July 1 at age 87. He had been a founder of San Francisco Theol. Seminary, pastor of Hamilton Square Baptist Church for 35 years (until 1976), President of the Conservative Baptist Association, served on four Seminary Boards, and retired four years ago as Administrator of the Lucerne Christian Conference Center (Calif.). Dr. Weniger was from a family of famous fundamentalists, a family of seven children, all of whom entered Christian work except one brother. His brother, Dr. G. Archer Weniger was Editor of "The Blu-Print" until his death in 1982. His son, Dr. Arno "Bud" Weniger Jr. is Pres. of Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, Wis. Dr. Weniger was a prolific writer and active to the end. He was our friend. We last saw him last month at the FBF conference in Greenville. We carried several articles from his good writings in recent years. The latest he sent us, in late May, was entitled, "Significant Changes Taking Place."

FALWELL PROMOTES SO. BAPTISTS—SBC churches have ordained over 1,000 women, but some were drummed out of local associations. The SBC is a member of the liberal Baptist World Alliance. It is the denomination of Billy Graham, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter. Yet Jerry Falwell and Tim Lee try to convince followers that SBC conservatives (who are yoked with liberals) are fundamentalists. Falwell's Super Conference again this year is loaded with SBC speakers.

IBF/NA RESOLUTION ON PROMISE KEEPERS—The Independent Baptist Fellowship of No. America in Annual Conference in Seattle last month adopted the following resolution (an adapted excerpt): Promise Keepers' official sounding Doctrinal Statement is crafted so that those with theological and ecclesiastical persuasions of belief and non-belief including Catholics, Mormons, Charismatics and New Evangelicals may and do participate. A PK goal is to have representative involvement in local churches throughout North America. PK leaders, speakers and participants hold a multitude of unbiblical doctrines.

BEST QUOTE FROM SBC MEETING—"When a denomination begins to consider doctrine divisive, theology troublesome, and convictions inconvenient, consider that denomination on its way to a well-deserved death." (R. Albert Mohler)

ECT A LITTLE DIVISIVE—The 1994 Evangelicals and Catholics Together document, the brainchild of Charles Colson and Catholic theologian Richard John Neuhaus, has produced what it was designed to overcome: division. It was signed by 20 evangelical and 20 Catholic leaders to rally Catholics and Protestants around common Christian beliefs and socio-moral concerns, like opposition to abortion and homosexuality. But it glossed over key doctrinal differences for the sake of unity on the social issues. Some of the new-evangelical signers have been pressured by their denominations to remove their names from the ECT document. R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John Ankerberg, and D. James Kennedy continue to denounce ECT while stating respect for Colson, J.I. Packer, Bill Bright, and other ECT signers (7/95 Charisma). Dallas Seminary has reservations about ECT but said it will "maintain fellowship with those Evangelicals who did sign the document."(6/15 CC). ECT should produce division. True gospel proclaimers cannot unite with false gospel adherents in a spiritual endeavor, and those guilty of this are not worthy of "respect" or "fellowship," but are to be scripturally rebuked.

HOW SOUTHERN BAPTISTS VIEW THE BIBLE—In a recent survey about half the Southern Baptists said, "The Bible is the inspired word of God. It contains no errors, but some verses are to be taken symbolically rather than literally." Over a third said, "The Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally word-for-word." Another 11 percent said, "The Bible is the inspired word of God, but it may contain historical and scientific errors." (6/18 Atlanta Jrnl). What an unequally-yoked hodgepodge!

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