LIFE ON MARS?—Some scientists think there may have been life on Mars over 3.6 billion years ago, resulting from a rock blasting off Mars some 16 million years ago. This fairy tale is a frantic effort to prove evolution without God, and seems the celestial equivalent to an Elvis sighting. Dr. John Morris asks: "How does anyone know what Martian rocks are made of?...Are the dates correct? Radio-isotope dating methods are notoriously unreliable. Could a cometary impact send rocks out into space, overcoming Mars' gravitational pull? Could organic chemicals have resisted vaporization for 16 million years in a total vacuum...? Are the 'fossils' really fossils? They are extremely tiny, 'about 1/1000 the diameter of a human hair...'" We will wait until scientists prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" to a society that declared O. J. Simpson innocent, that such microscopic objects denote life on Mars. Super claims require super proof!

FALWELL CONDEMNS 'SCARE TACTICS' OF NCC—Jerry Falwell, reacting to a National Council of Churches' false report about his ministry, said: "We don't need a dinosaur like the NCC, with its steadily declining church membership, romping around like a big bully, threatening evangelical churches that are flourishing. They are extreme hypocrites who don't mind liberal churches helping liberal politicians like Jesse Jackson and Bill Clinton, but immediately cry 'foul' when conservative churches speak out in defense of...issues of moral importance that might run counter to the views of their favorite candidates." (9/5 Berea Bap.Bnr.). He urged churches not to be intimidated by the NCC or IRS. "Churches have every legal right to address political issues, conduct voter registration on-site, and encourage members to vote..."

PRAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS—SBC leader Richard Land says (Salt, Vol. 6, #3): "Approximately 100 million Christians have been martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ this century, thus making the 20th century the bloodiest in Christian history. More Christians have been murdered for their faith in this century than the previous 19 centuries combined. More people have died for their faith in this century than [all] those who have perished in all this century's wars....Islamic...radicals persecute, torture and kill Christians. In Cuba, Laos, N. Korea, Red China and Vietnam, remnant Communist regimes viciously persecute Christians. Some governments viciously...torture and imprison [them...or] tacitly 'allow' marauding outlaw mobs to beat and kill Christians and burn their homes and houses of worship. In Sudan, 300,000 Christians have been murdered since 1982...."

TEEN DRUG USE SOARING—The world is more awash in drug use than ever. Our government seems to have "surrendered" in the drug war. Its recent annual survey showed drug use among youths aged 12 to 17 had more than doubled since 1992. Marijuana use rose 37 percent in one year for that age group, and cocaine use jumped 166 percent.

ARMSTRONG CULT NOW EVANGELICAL?—We recently (3/1 CC) reported that some well-known new-evangelical leaders were saying the Herbert W. Armstrong Worldwide Church of God cult's new leaders were heading it toward orthodoxy and should be accepted as brothers. But O Timothy editor David Cloud warns that: "If the leaders of the WCG want to obey the Word of God, let them disband their unscriptural organization and exhort their members to get saved...and to join sound churches. By attempting to reform an unscriptural organization which has such a wretched and apostate history, the leaders of the WCG are creating tremendous confusion."

MICHAEL CARD TO PERFORM AT BBF CHURCH—The historic Temple Baptist Church (Detroit) is the "patriarchal" church of the Baptist Bible College (Springfield) and has been pastored by J. Frank Norris, G. B. Vick, Truman Dollar, and now by Rev. Bradley Powell. Jack Van Impe has in recent years been a member. It is now helping sponsor the Detroit 1996 Fall Concert series featuring several CCM performers, including Michael Card (Oct. 4). The concerts will be held in Temple's worship facility, according to Michigan pastor Carroll Turbeville. Card, "the Christian music industry's resident theologian," has produced a joint album with a leading Roman Catholic musician, John Michael Talbot. BJU's What In The World! paper quotes the 7/96 CCM magazine thusly: "Brother to Brother glows with a warm and joyous ecumenism." Card says: "Doing this project has enabled us to become real friends....And along the way, the denominational lines have become really meaningless to me, and to John, too." Other BBF churches (e.g., Jerry Falwell's) in the past two decades have sadly featured CCM groups and ecumenicals.

PRAY FOR DR. PICKERING—Dr. Ernest Pickering, Deputation Director of Baptist World Mission, still travels and preaches but lost sight in his left eye in July while teaching in Russia. His left optic nerve was damaged due to extensive radiation in treatment of head/sinuses cancer in 1982 and 1995. Vision in his right eye is deteriorating. Dr. Pickering's new book Dispensationalism: Mining the Riches of God's Word is available for $1 (plus postage) from him at: BWM, P.O. Box 1463, Decatur, AL 35601.

GARBC PASTOR IN ECUMENICAL SERVICE—GARBC pastor Rev. Greg Baum, First Baptist Church of Monroe, Iowa is listed as "preacher" for a community church service, Aug. 11 at City Park (8/ 9 Knox. Jrnl.-Express). Others participating in the service: Rev. Karen Merrill, pastor U. Methodist Church, Rev. Larry Gander, U. Presbyterian Church and Dr. Robert Frank, Re-organized Latter Day Saints. A First Baptist Church trio was to sing. While the RLDS is not Mormon, it claims Joseph Smith as its first president, and all its prophet-presidents since 1860 were his direct descendants. It endorses his Inspired Version of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants. (The Evangel). A 1984 "revelation" allows women to be ordained to the priesthood. Why would a GARBC pastor participate in a "community church service" with heretics/apostates?

WARE SPEAKS IN GARBC AND LIBERAL DENOM PULPITS—Dr. Charles Ware is president of Baptist Bible College of Indianapolis, and serves on the board of ABWE and Manna Bible Institute in Philadelphia. He was a main speaker at the GARBC's annual conference and YouthFest in June at Lakeland, Fla. He has served as an urban and ethnic writer for Awana and Regular Baptist Press (5/4 H.Times). He spoke at Huntsville Baptist Institute's Commencement in May. HBI is affiliated with the National Primitive Baptist Convention and has had U. Methodist, Presbyterian, and Seventh-day Adventist teachers. Ware's Sep-Oct itinerary in Reconciliation lists a U. Methodist Church, a Reformed church, an ABWE Board Meeting, and NY State GARBC Conference.

SAD SIGNS GARBC NOT SEPARATIST—Where is the discipline or denunciation of the following examples of blatant compromise: (1) Council of Eighteen chairman Bill Rudd's church (and others) participating in Promise Keepers (8/1 CC); (2) Council of Eighteen member Bill Goode in annual NANC conference with John MacArthur (9/ 7 World); (3) Non-separatist speakers at GARBC annual meetings in recent years (Wiersbe, Ware, e.g.) [This year Back To The Bible's Woodrow Kroll, Word of Life regional director Ric Garland, and Charles Ware were speakers]; (4) When Grand Rapids Seminary has "facilitators" such as T. Oden (prof. at liberal Methodist Drew University), Middleton and Walsh the latter two of whom new-evangelical Carl F. H. Henry expressed concern over their possible liberal/neo-orthodox writings (see 6/1 CC). Many other examples could be given of new-evangelicalism in some GARBC-approved schools and mission agencies. Dr. Marion Reynolds (5-6/96 Foundation) said of the GARBC June meeting resolutions: "[T]hey give no call to biblical separation from error. Resolutions concerning the dangers of Promise Keepers, charismatic heresies and new-evangelical delusion, Roman Catholicism, and a reaffirmation of Bible separation would certainly have been in order and would have been consistent with the kind of resolutions the GARBC made in former years. The softening of the GARBC stand on separation is noticeable and sad indeed."

HESTENES RESIGNS AT EASTERN—Ordained Presbyterian (USA) minister Roberta Hestenes has resigned as president of Eastern College (St. Davids, PA) to become senior pastor of the 2,200-member Solana Beach (Cal.) Presbyterian Church.

PAUL LEVIN WITH THE LORD—Evang. Paul Levin died Sept. 7 at age 81. He spoke at Bill Rice Ranch youth camps for about 35 years, and on "Bible Tract Echoes" since 1957. His successor as pres. of Bible Tracts, Inc. is Rev. Ralph Blake.

KANTZER'S DANGEROUS VIEWS ON CATHOLICISM—Kenneth Kantzer has a Ph.D. from Harvard, has taught at Wheaton and Trinity, and is a former editor of Christianity Today. He says: "I do not for a moment deny the Christianity of any true Roman Catholic. Many Roman Catholics are certainly evangelicals. We share the faith of the Apostles's Creed and the seven ecumenical councils of the ancient church. We need each other in our battles against secularism and materialism. Yet there are crucial differences..." (9/16 CT). Kantzer praised the Pope and referred to him as "the successor of St. Peter" in a 9/ 6/85 CT editorial. He said Catholic charismatics have become true evangelicals and called for continued dialogue with Catholics (5/1/89 CC - see 9/1 CC concerning "saved" RCs). He has pragmatically embraced women's ordination.

CATHOLIC 'SALVATION'—Dr. Ernest Pickering writes in Frontline (Vol. 6, #6): "Salvation by grace to a Roman Catholic is salvation through sacramental grace--the application of God's grace through the official sacraments of the Roman Catholic church...'[S]alvation by grace' means something entirely different to the instructed RC than it does to the Bible-believer. For Catholics, God's grace must flow through appointed church channels....Baptism is looked upon as a working of 'grace' and is required for salvation....[Catholics teach that transubstantiation] transforms the wafer into the literal, physical body and blood of Christ.... This sacrifice of the Mass is a part of 'the work of our redemption.'...The Catholic church has always erred in its confusion of justification and sanctification....The image, created by some evangelical leaders, of a RC church that is loyal to the great fundamental doctrines of Scripture is simply not factual...."

JACK DEERE'S ODYSSEY WITHIN CHARISMATISM—Dr. Jack Deere's growing interest in charismatic ministry and his close ties to John Wimber (of Vineyard "signs and wonders" movement) led to his dismissal from Dallas Seminary in 1987. He left Wimber's Vineyard pastoral staff in 1992 to pursue speaking (with James Robison, Paul Cain, et al.) and writing. Now, an 8/24 Dallas Morn. News article says he wants to help Christians who crave intimacy with God. He says "People are sick and tired of sermons. They're sick of religion. But they're hungry for a word from God." Note that he said they're hungry for "a word," not "the" Word! He also believes in tongues and healings. Dr. Donald Campbell, now president emeritus of Dallas Seminary and succeeded by Chuck Swindoll, said Dallas has been non-charismatic since its founding in 1924, but said: "There is a place in evangelical Christianity for charismatic theology and practice." WHERE is this "place" for charismatic heresy?

FUNDAMENTALISTS WERE TOO GENTLEMENLY—Rev. Bob Whitmore is completing research for an upcoming book on FBF history. He says: "It has been interesting to learn that some of our perceptions about our spiritual forefathers are inaccurate. For example, rather than being unnecessarily harsh, early fundamentalists were often too gentlemenly to press the fight against the liberals. And it was the liberals who engaged in name-calling, often shouting down fundamentalists at the Northern Baptist conventions with catcalls of scorn and derision. Neither were the New Evangelicals kind, for in the Conservative Baptist movement they used the same tactics against the conservatives that the liberals had used during the struggles in the NBC."

Send comments to ccemail2015@gmail.com