AMERICAN BAPTISTS & WOMEN PASTORS—Mary Mild is the new director for American Baptist Personnel Services. In an interview in the ABC's Fall 1996 WATCHword she bemoans the fact that only five percent of American Baptist pastors are women. She says: "It's my strong belief that every church should have two pastors--one woman and one man...." She cites progress in the area of ABC women in leadership: "In 1975, there were no women area ministers. Now there are around 20. There were no women regional executive ministers; now there are four. There were about 100 women pastors; now there are over 300....". The ABC is a member of the NCC/WCC.

CANADA HEALTH CARE WOES—Canada's largest province, Ontario, is locked in bitter dispute with doctors over health-care funding. Hospitals across Canada are closing, and the public health-care system is in crisis (10/19 H.Times). Doctors are emigrating across the U.S. border for higher salaries, others threaten to stop taking new patients, and Ontario is arranging for pregnant women to get medical care in the U.S. Governments usually make a mess of health care.

LIBERAL LEADS PBS—For years, Public Broadcasting has been a tool of the liberal media elite. Now, in September, self-proclaimed liberal Alan Sagner was elected its new chairman. He was a founding member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee which reportedly supported Castro's revolution and its membership included Lee Harvey Oswald (11/96 NLJ). Clinton close friend Diane Blair is the new PB vice-chairman. Her husband is chief counsel for Tyson Foods. The outgoing chairman says PB will become more politicized.

ACCC REPORT—The American Council of Christian Churches met in its 55th annual convention Oct. 22-24 in Lebanon, PA. Conference theme was, "A Ministry That Pleases The Lord.". Nine resolutions were passed on such subjects as: Roman Catholicism, The "Toronto Blessing," Contemporary Christian Music, "ComPROMISE KEEPERS," and Same-Sex Marriages. Good sermons were by such speakers as Rev. John Ashbrook, Dr. Arno "Bud" Weniger, Dr. Frank McClelland, and ACCC Pres. Dr. Richard Harris. Eric Kooy spoke and shared the ministry of Christian Legal Defense. Two informative panels discussed Discernment and A.D. 2000. ACCC Exec. Sec'y Dr. Ralph Colas plans to continue covering and reporting on important conferences. The ACCC serves a vital role in our day. The NCC is steeped in apostasy and liberal theology and seeks to build a one-world church. The middle-of-the-road NAE, born in compromise, repudiates Biblical separation and becomes ever the more ecumenical, and cozy with charismatics. For a copy of resolutions, or reports on Promise Keepers or other meetings, write: ACCC, PO Box 19, Wallingford, PA 19086.

CEF REVISITED—A Child Evangelism Fellowship leader questioned certain portions of the 8/15 CC article where we quoted from a new book by Rev. Michael McCubbins, Sedition in Missions. [CEF discussion was only one page of this 133-page book.]. In response, Rev. McCubbins has revised the portion we quoted as follows: "Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in the U.S. was infiltrated by Charismatics quite a few years ago....In 1988 the conservatives wrote a 28-page document defining the reasons for their split with CEF.. It was called the Document of Crucial Concerns. In this document they stated what they believed to be their differences with CEF. The conservatives took a stand on the Security of the Believer, and the leadership did not. The conservatives actively opposed the inclusion of the Charismatic workers, but the leadership did not. The conservatives held to salvation by faith, and opposed the social gospel. The conservatives were opposed to ties being created with the National Council of Churches and Billy Graham. There appears to be no requirement in CEF that its workers be members of a local church." We do not question the motives of sincere Christians who serve with CEF, and some of the above may not be true in certain regions. But our documentation spanning two decades indicates CEF is weak on separation, and has associated with New Evangelicals and liberal churches. In recent years, it has been termed "a maze of confusion," and in "decline for many years." There were inconsistencies between its stated policy and actual practice.

GRAHAM: 'OTHER PATHS TO GOD'?—In a recent interview, Billy Graham declared that he is a Democrat, and seemed to give credence to idol-worshipers. The 10/20 Parade said: "Graham has been noted for his willingness to work with leaders of different religions. 'Each time a President has asked me to lead the Inaugural prayer, I have argued that I should not do it alone, that leaders of other religions should be there too,' he said... 'We are all brothers and sisters in our hearts,' he stressed.".. He said, "[A]s an American, I respect other paths to God...." But there is only ONE God, and only ONE path to Him (1Tim. 2:5, Jn. 14:6). Demanding equal time for idolatry is scriptural treason.

FALWELL NOW A SOUTHERN BAPTIST—Dr. Jerry Falwell announced last month he has become a Southern Baptist. He thus now is officially and directly yoked with unbelievers in a new way. Over the years he has swapped pulpits with SBC leaders and spoken at SB meetings. Several SB leaders are trustees of Falwell's Liberty University, and former SBC president Jerry Vines is chairman of LU's board. When he and protégé Tim Lee spoke at a 1993 SB "Building Bridges" conference in Maryland, Falwell said: "I would say we're a couple of years away...but I don't think there's any question that we're heading toward some major mergers that will probably surprise a lot of people." (12/15/93 CC). So, with the "bridge" in place, he now just crosses over it. (On other occasions he has denied he would join the SBC.). Falwell and other SBC "conservatives" are linked with: apostates in the Baptist World Alliance, liberals in SBC schools and agencies, thousands of SBC pastors who are Masons, hundreds of SBC women clergy, and with ecumenicals such as Graham and Colson. The tragedy is compounded if he influences some BBF, Southwide Baptist Fellowship, and other independent churches to follow him into the SBC. Dr. Falwell has caused untold confusion and harm within fundamentalism for two decades by claiming to be a Fundamentalist when his ecumenical practices clearly revealed he was not.

BE NICE TO EVIL-DOERS?—"At times one hesitates to reprove or admonish evil-doers, either because one seeks a more favorable moment or fears his rebuke might make them worse, and further, discourage weak brethren....In such circumstances forbearance is not prompted by selfish considerations but by well advised charity. What is reprehensible, however, is that while leading good lives themselves and abhorring those of wicked men, some, fearing to offend, shut their eyes to evil deeds instead of condemning them and pointing out their malice...." (Augustine, 10/28 Christianity Today)

CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT NOT OF GOD—The Charismatic Movement today acts as the essential catalyst to bring an ecumenical convergence of the main branches of "Christianity"--Roman Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Pentecostals, Orthodox, etc. Dennis Costella (7-8/96 Foundation) says: "Yes, the Charismatic Movement and all associated with it is tremendous in size, wealth and influence, but by no means does that mean it is of God. How do we know? Its scorn for the primacy of sound doctrine, its emphasis on fleshly experience, its acceptance of several gospels that are by definition mutually exclusive, its rejection of biblical truth concerning the Lord's return, and its predilection for mixing truth with error--all these things and more mark this movement as being under God's curse, not His blessing...."

COLSON AT PK-MEMPHIS—Prison Fellowship founder/chairman Charles Colson was a main speaker at the Promise Keepers conference in Memphis. His topic was: "The Unity of the Body: Brothers United in Christ." He warned of the government's encroachment on the freedom of Bible-believing Christians. He also said "Shame on us when we're divided," and said division is our sin today. He said that when we're not one, we are working against God and there's no evangelism. He said we need to reach across denominational lines, that whatever your denomination, you belong to Jesus. If Catholic, etc., we belong to each other, he said. He said some people even say Mother Teresa's not a Christian. Then for "proof" he said: "That 90-pound lady had the courage at the National Prayer Breakfast [last Spring] to say to Pres. Clinton that the greatest sin today is abortion." [paraphrased] Colson said: "I'm proud Mother Teresa is my sister in Christ." But the 10/96 Berean Call mentioned her Roman Catholic belief that personal suffering helps to earn one's salvation, and her view that each person must believe in whatever "God" is in their mind. Colson, a Southern Baptist, co-authored (with a RC priest) the notorious ECT document and was a recipient of the ignoble 1993 Templeton Prize.

SMEDES & NEFF PRAISE ISLAMIC 'SCHOLARS'—Bill Moyers, an apostate preacher-turned-journalist, has assembled an untidy Bible study group for public television to discuss meanings of Genesis Bible stories. The group includes evangelicals, liberals, Muslims, Jews, and a gnostic or two. Christianity Today Exec. Editor David Neff 10/28 CT) said "...in the discussions...common ground is discovered and allies emerge in unexpected places. Lewis Smedes [Fuller Seminary] said he was amazed at the wonderful definition of grace made by Islamic legal scholar Azizah al-Hibri.. 'The relationship with God is not a relationship with an all-powerful patriarch, but with Someone Who loves us and has mercy on us and talks to us,' she said.. 'Every single chapter in the Qur'an begins with the words God is all-merciful.'" Neff said he found himself cheering Islamic scholar Hossein Nasr as he insisted that tensions between biblical themes did not void their being the word of God.

GRAHAM'S UNSCRIPTURAL MEANS, UNSCRIPTURAL GOAL—Does the end justify the means? Dr. Billy Graham apparently thinks so. He uses the "language of the lost," rock music, to reach the lost Generation-X. He says "The so-called 'X Generation' seems lost...It's as if they speak a different language....I've found that music is an interpreter for me with them. We include their [rock] music, not always with their lyrics but their tempo in our work. It makes a big difference." (10/20 Parade). A mostly teenage crowd of 88,000 came to hear "Christian rockers" dc Talk and Michael W. Smith at Graham's Charlotte crusade last month (10/28 CT). Other Graham regulars--Charlie Daniels, Johnny Cash, Joni, and the Gaither Vocal Band--also performed. So Graham uses rock music to evangelize, then uses evangelism to promote the ecumenical movement. The 7-8/96 Foundation quoted him as saying at Amsterdam '86, when asked how so many different groups could come together for ecumenical evangelism: "Evangelism is about the only word we can unite on...Our methods would be different, and there would be debates over even the message sometimes. But there is no debate over the fact that we need to evangelize...I think there is an ecumenicity here that cannot [be gotten] under any other umbrella."

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