QUEEN TO ATTEND CATHOLIC SERVICE—For the first time since 1688, a reigning English monarch will attend a Roman Catholic worship service when Queen Elizabeth II visits Westminster Cathedral in Nov. for a vespers service led by Cardinal Basil Hume (7/22 HT). Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey (an ecumenical charismatic) and other Protestant and Orthodox leaders will participate in the prayer service.

NewsNotes—Gregory Waybright succeeds Kenneth Meyer as pres. of the Evangelical Free Church-affiliated Trinity Int'l University, Deerfield, Ill., and the Miami campus. *** An evangelical group in the liberal Disciples of Christ has reached a formal pastoral training agreement with Denver Seminary (CBA). *** Norma McCorvey, whose suit as "Jane Roe" led to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision granting abortion rights, was baptized by the head of Operation Rescue last month. *** Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has called for 1 million African-American men to march in Washington Oct. 16, and for other blacks to honor that "holy day" by staying away from their jobs, schools and shopping malls.

UN'S ANTI-FAMILY WOMEN'S CONFERENCE—No country on earth has abused and oppressed more women than China, with its forced abortion policy and its "one child per family" law (8/95 J. Dobson ltr.). Yet the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women convenes in Beijing, China Aug. 30-Sept. 15. It represents the most radical, atheistic and antifamily crusade in history. It is sad that First Lady Hillary Clinton is honorary chairwoman and plans to lead the U.S. delegation. High on the U.S. list of agenda items is securing an international right for women to abort unborn children. A Guatemalan delegate says feminist delegates want "gender" to include at least five categories of sexual orientation: male/female heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual (8/14 CT). These dangerous and sweeping social changes harm rather than enhance the rights of women.

CHINA: VAMPIRE GANGS, FETAL CANNIBALISM—Clean blood and donors are rare in Red China today, so "vampire gangs" kidnap dozens of street urchins and young workers, forcibly bleed them several times a week, and sell their blood to hospitals (7/16 HT). Human fetuses have begun to appear on the menus of Chinese restaurants as a delicacy and health tonic (8/95 Dobson ltr.). Doctors take them home to eat. In terms of nutrition, a fetus would be a good source of protein, fats and minerals (8/95 Light). Eating aborted fetuses is barbaric and shows what happens when a culture devalues human life.

ROCK BANDS AT DANCE HALL FOR TEENS—Hundreds of teens pack The Where-House near Tulsa whenever its doors are open. They hear the gospel, and some dance--even slam dancing to pulsating music is allowed--and they behave the way most young people do at rock concerts, says the 8/95 Charisma. Though "their musical styles sound the same as their loud secular counterparts, their lyrics set them apart." But the article goes on to say: "Often the music is so loud the words are indistinguishable." There you have it. Lyrics distinguish this from secular rock, but the music is often so loud you can't hear the lyrics! So, no distinction. They say the "message" still gets through. But, how, and what message? Mixing of such "music" with the "gospel" is perverting a generation of young people.

MURDER EXCUSED, NOT PUNISHED, TODAY—Her parents were divorced in 1977. Her father committed suicide a month later. She was molested by her step-father at age 15. After a promiscuous lifestyle, she rushed to marriage seven months before her son Michael's birth. Then came her husband's alleged infidelities, and her own admitted bed-hopping. Then, rejected by a boyfriend who didn't like kids, Susan Smith murdered her two sons. A juror explained the jury's reasoning in refusing to sentence her to death: "We all felt like Susan was really a disturbed person. Giving her the death penalty wouldn't serve justice." (8/19 World). We now excuse those who murder. God says: "He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death." He holds us accountable to hold murderers to account--before the Law, during the Law, and after the Law. No excuses will do. (See Gen. 9:6, Ex. 21:12, Eccl. 8:11, Rom. 13:1-4).

SOUTH AFRICA IS WORLD'S MOST MURDEROUS COUNTRY—What happens when a country installs a godless communist government, and abolishes the death penalty? The 8/21 USN & WR said South Africa is the "most murderous country in the world." Almost one million women are raped every year (6/26 C.News). Its health services have slipped from one of the best in the world to banana republic status. Southern Africa is now the world's fastest-growing AIDS region (8/7 C.N.).

3 NEW NEWSLETTERS—1) Alabama Discernment Ministries Newsl. , P.O. Box 3104, Florence AL 35630. Wanda Riner, editor. Monthly, free-will offering. Covers topics like: PK, Laughing Revival, New World Order. 2) Voice of Vigilance, PO Box 1935, Southern Pines, NC 28387, Jim Ollis, ed., monthly, $5/year. Current issues. 3) The Proclaimer, PO Box 54, Los Alamitos, CA 90720, Dale Parkes, ed., donation, various topics. This one's not so new.

BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE MEETING—The very liberal Baptist World Alliance meets every five years. At its 17th World Congress Aug. 1-6 in Argentina, it viewed videotaped messages from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and evangelist Billy Graham. It presented Carter its first human rights award and approved a resolution of appreciation for Graham. Speakers included "conservative" Southern Baptist Sunday School Board President James T. Draper and American Baptist Churches V-P Beverly Scott, and Bernice King (MLK's daughter). There was a festive atmosphere, with music beats including the Samba. Baptists worldwide number over 40 million. Nilson Fanini of Brazil was elected president. (8/15 Indiana Bapt.). Its theme emphasized that "only Jesus can create true unity in diversity which transcends theology...." Biblical unity must be BASED ON theology and cannot transcend it. The ecumenical BWA was long a tool of the Soviet government and its KGB clergy. A 1990 BWA officer was a charismatic, and a 1990 BWA Congress speaker said it was love that caused the first-century church to flourish, "not purity of doctrine...not perfection of morals and manners, not scriptural inerrancy." (11/15/90 CC). The SBC and liberal ABC are major members and financial supporters of the apostate BWA.

MacARTHUR DISPUTES BRIGHT ON ECT CLARIFICATION—Campus Crusade's Bill Bright comments on the Evangelicals and Catholics Together clarification meeting: "We (Bright, Colson, Packer) met with them (MacArthur, Ankerberg, Sproule, Kennedy) on Jan. 19, 1995. There is no doubt the presence of the Lord was there. He guided our dialog. I was deeply impressed by the loving spirit within these leaders... (God's) marvelous grace provided a unanimous accord that we would not have the signers to repudiate the ECT but would allow us to issue a clarifying statement..." (8/95 C.E.C.). But John MacArthur disputes this, and says: "Bill Bright's explanation to people is less than accurate and is a grief to me. In our Jan. meeting, all (the clarification document) did was to confuse the issue...The battle is heating up...."

NEW LUTHERAN HEAD IS AN ECUMENICAL—Luther College president Rev. H. George Anderson succeeds Bishop Herbert Chilstrom as presiding bishop of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (8/20 HT). The 5.2-million-member ELCA was formed in 1988 with the merger of three liberal Lutheran bodies. Anderson has been a leading figure in the ecumenical movement serving as co-chairman of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue from 1979 to 1990. At a news conference, he said he is still trying to figure out his own position on issues such as the ordination of homosexuals and whether same-sex relationships are part of God's plan. God's Word clearly prohibits these, so what is there to "figure out?" A recent survey found that 80 percent of ELCA clergy say that the Bible has historical and factual errors (3/13 Chr.News).

LYLE SCHALLER PRAISES HOMOSEXUAL GROUPS?—The pro-homosexual Evangelicals Concerned's Summer 1995 Record says: "Lyle Schaller, author of 45 books on Christian ministry, says that most religious bodies in America 'are organized around religious law' but that groups of lesbians and gay Christians are 'clearly organized around God's grace.'" "Gay groups" are superior to "most religious bodies?" Schaller is a United Methodist minister and a church growth researcher with the Yokefellow Institute in Indiana (founded by liberal Quaker Elton Trueblood).

MARSDEN'S UNBIBLICAL STANCE—Concerning the ordination of women in the Christian Reformed Church, Reformed historian George Marsden writes: "Nobody accepts every part of Scripture as equally binding....The New Testament is not intended to provide us with a systematic set of church laws to be followed rigidly in every era and in every culture. If it were meant to be law for all ages, then we're all in trouble, because nobody but a few sectarians try to follow it exactly." He concludes: "The Bible's own principles invite adjustment to cultural circumstances on matters that do not threaten the heart of the gospel." The pro-homosexual Evangelicals Concerned's 8/95 Record quoted this as "helpful in approaching the Bible and homosexual issues." Theistic evolutionist Marsden testified in a court of law on behalf of the ACLU against fellow Christians in the Arkansas creationist case, per Frank Schaeffer.

CALVARY BIBLE COLLEGE HAS CCM CONCERTS—Calvary Bible College/Seminary of Kansas City has scheduled several Contemporary Christian Music concerts for 1995, including: Steve Green, Wayne Watson, Mark Lowry, and Christine Wyrtzen. It has featured New Evangelicals as speakers in recent years. NAE-related Dave Breese, Pres. of Christian Destiny, is the annual President's Dinner speaker Oct. 5. Grace Seminary Prof. John Davis was the May 6 Commencement speaker.

DO WE PLEASE MEN, OR PLEASE GOD?—It is far easier to stand true to Christ in the face of jeers and opposition from atheists than to resist the seemingly sincere persuasions of fellow Christians who urge one to "be positive" and to avoid offending others in order to be "more effective for Christ." There is little difficulty rejecting an obviously false gospel. It is not so easy, however, to "earnestly contend for the faith" against errors which are clothed in teaching that contains much that is Biblical--and especially when it is supported by highly esteemed Christian leaders whose lives have evidenced much good fruit. Who can resist the praise of men and the temptation to be well-liked....But John 12:43 warns: "For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." [8/95 Berean Call, adapted].

SINFUL SILENCE—In such groups as Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition where Catholics, Mormons, humanists and others work together Christians must remain silent about that which is eternal in order to devote themselves to good causes which are only temporal. (8/95 Berean Call). But a silent watchman is more dangerous than no watchman because people feel a sense of security if they know a watchman is on the job 24 hours a day (6/95 Foundation). Some Christians misunderstand when we warn of "minor compromises" of popular Christian leaders who are "doing much good." But Rev. John Ashbrook rightly says: "The most dangerous deviation is the one closest to your own position." God called the pastors of Judah "blind watchmen" and said "they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (Isa. 56:10). He did not accuse them of false doctrine, only of sleeping when they should have been warning His people.

A LETTER FROM AWANA states that its procedure of chartering churches hasn't changed. It says: "The requirement of church doctrinal agreement verified by the signature of the pastor continues identical to previous years." The copy we were recently sent by a New Jersey pastor had omitted the pastor signature line (see 8/1 CC).

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