VOL. XIV  NO. 22  NEWS & VIEWS, NOTES & QUOTES, TO WARN & INFORM   November 15, 1997

FARRAKHAN'S 'CHRIST' IS TOO SMALL—Nation of Islam cult leader Louis Farrakhan claims to be Allah, Jesus and the Messiah all rolled into one, but he is a false christ (R. Morey, 8/5/96 Chr. News). He recently told Christians (10/17 Hunts. Times): "Go to your Bible, Where does it say Jesus wanted you to be a Christian? You can't find it. Christ is a man of yesterday. He cannot guide you in 1997."

'ANGEL' GIVES DEVILISH ADVICE—Can anything good, come out of Hollywood? NBC's Touched by an Angel was highly touted to portray religion and faith positively. But alas! In one episode when a man asked what he must do to be saved, the angel's advice was that when you are at the limit where you've gone as far as you can toward God, pray to him to close the gap and reach you... .Gary P. Baumler comments thusly (10/27 Chr. News): "A man asks how to get to heaven, and we hear nothing about God's Son, Jesus Christ, who alone is the way. The man didn't have to pray that God would close the gap between him and God. He had to learn that Jesus already closed the gap."

RUSSIA'S NEW ANTI-RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LAW Russia's new statute vaguely allows some Christian groups, but to receive full official rights, they have to prove they existed in Russia for at least 15 years; that is, they must have been approved by the now defunct Communist regime. The favored Russian Orthodox Church complained to a recent World Council of Churches gathering that missionaries arriving in Russia had a combined budget of $150 million a year, which it claimed was five times the budget of the ROC (10/25 World). Local officials, most all of whom are "former" Communists, have quickly begun applying the new law (10/26 HT). Some fear the 15-year rule will allow local authorities to confiscate property or demand bribes.

STEVE HILL'S TESTIMONY-Evang. Steve Hill, who has led the 29-month "revival" at the Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, gave his testimony of salvation to ABC-TV's 20/20, Oct. 9. He had been arrested for drug sales and car theft about 13 times, but a "change" came at 21 when a Lutheran minister prayed for him. Hill said, "I didn't believe in God, but he said, 'Say the name Jesus.' So out of desperation I looked up at the ceiling... and said, 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.' I just began to say that name. And a power came through my body, and in... seconds, it was like I was brand new. I'm not using the needle [nor]drinking whiskey anymore. I'm not depending on a six-pack of beer [nor] smoking pot anymore. I don't need pornography anymore. He's changed my life."(E-mail, David Cloud, Fund. Baptist News Svc., 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277). Hill may be sincere, but there is no mention of the Gospel (1Cor. 15:1-4) wherein is the power (Rom. 1:16) to save.

FUNDAMENTALISTS A PROBLEM FOR UR—At the 1996 United Religions Initiative meeting, Catholic/occultist Robert Muller said: "Peace will be impossible without the taming of fundamentalism through a United Religions that professes faithfulness only to the global spirituality and to the health of the planet." At a July World Conference on Religion and Peace (Melbourne, Australia) Cardinal Frances Arinze asked: "What are we going to do with the people in the world who are willing to die for their faith?" The conference saw the one cardinal sin of any religion as being absolutism. A religious ethic which will override all religious dogmas and doctrines is now in place globally. It is only a short step to forced compliance with this Global Ethic. [Most of above info came from the 54-page, Oct. Christian Conscience, P.O.Box 17346, Des Moines, IA 50317]

PORNOGRAPHY FUNDS CRIME—Pornography is the third largest source of revenue for organized crime in the U.S., exceeded only by illegal drugs and gambling. In 1960, hard-core pornography was a $5 to $10 million industry in the U.S. Today, it is an $8.5 to $10 billion a year industry.

SELF-ESTEEM NOT IMPORTANT?—Schuller, Dobson, take note! Family psychologist John Rosemond says: "I don't believe that the concept of self-esteem is helpful to an understanding of the needs of children... nor necessarily healthy." [10/19 H.Times] He said it derives from the work of the late psychologist Abraham Maslow. Rosemond said children should learn to esteem others [Phil. 3:2], beginning with their parents. Second, he says, children need to learn to feel guilt, remorse and shame when appropriate - to feel bad about themselves when they misbehave, etc.

NEW ERA FOUNDER GETS 12 YEARS—John Bennett was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Sept. for running what may be the biggest charity scam in U.S. history (see 3/1 CC). His pyramid scheme took $354 million from some 500 clients, including nearly 200 evangelical organizations.

PK BOOKLET—Dr. Jim Fields attended the June 6-7 Promise Keepers meeting in Knoxville, and has written an 18-page booklet, A Bird's Eye View of a Promise Keepers Rally, describing what he witnessed. He focuses on behavior modification, sensitivity training, and psychological aspects of the rally. Get this booklet from: Cedar View Tracts, P.O. Box 143, Kingsport, TN 37662. Suggested price: $2 postpaid.

GORE PRAISES PERVERSITY?—Homosexuals say Vice Pres. Al Gore "is a real friend to the gay and lesbian community" (10/17 HT). He recently endorsed the "Ellen" coming out episode and said it forced millions of Americans "to look at sexual orientation in a more favorable light."

SO. BAPTIST & SDA CHURCHES JOIN IN A UNITY SERVICE—A 10/29 fax from the Minister of Music at Highlands Baptist Church [So.Bapt.] had this invitation: "We have a unique opportunity to make an impact on our community with the Gospel. The Madison Baptist Association Churches, Oakwood Seventh Day Adventist, First Missionary Baptist, and the Highlands Baptist Chinese Mission have combined their efforts to bring a special repeat performance [4/1 CC] of 'Make Us One.' ... It is a celebration of the unity of the body of Christ... ." First, we would ask, whose "gospel" will be used "to make an impact"? Baptist and Adventist gospels are not the same, so one of them is wrong and comes under the double curse of Galatians 1:6,9. Second, true "unity" of the Bible is based on truth and doctrines of God's Word. Amos 3:3 asks, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" God's Word commands us to separate from false cults (2 John 10) and unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14-17).

WIERSBE, MacARTHUR TO SPEAK AT BIG MEETING WITH SO.BAPTISTS- Warren Wiersbe, John MacArthur, and Jerry Falwell join W.A. Criswell, Adrian Rogers, Paige Patterson, O.S. Hawkins, and John Phillips as speakers for a Jan. 30 - Feb. 3 Pastors' School & Bible Conference at First Baptist Church, Jacksonville. Homer Lindsay and Jerry Vines are co-pastors of FBC. Wiersbe, a professor at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary (GARBC), speaks at Billy Graham Training Center conferences.

SBF MEETING REPORT—We attended a one-day segment of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship, meeting this year (and next) at the Highland Park Baptist Church (TTU) in Chattanooga. We heard sermons by Drs. Bradley Price (who invites Southern Baptists, Tim Lee, etc. to his Northside Baptist Church pulpit in Charlotte), Lou Rossi, and Tom Farrell, attended the business session, and part of a panel discussion. The Resolutions Committee chaired by Sword of the Lord editor Dr. Shelton Smith presented some very good resolutions with strong warnings against Disney, Promise Keepers, etc. There were many good exhibitors, though a few (Word of Life, ABWE, Source of Light, AWANA, e.g.) in recent years have "exhibited" disappointing associations with new evangelicals. The panel, overall, was good on the Promise Keepers issue. Some host-pastor comments on PK, to us, seemed a little weak (even mild praise, and that if you keep men busy soul winning, etc., they won't have time for PK), but he had reservations especially against the ecumenical aspects.

SBF RESOLUTION EXCERPTS—We affirm our stand as fundamentalists (not evangelicals), separatists (not ecumenists), and independent (not Convention) Baptists. We affirm our rejection of the modern charismatic movement including their tongues, their prayer languages, their laughing revivals, their slain-in-the-spirit fiascoes, and their merchandising of healing. We attest our firm belief that the Southern Baptist Convention is still tainted with compromise, liberalism, and ecumenism despite the recent resurgence of conservatism, and we urge Bible-believing, serious-minded folks to come out of it... .We affirm our intent to cry out against the moral depravity of abortion on demand, homosexuality, Hollywood, the national media, the humanism schools, and the corrupt political scene of our time.

E.V. HILL SUPPORTS LYONS—Rev. E.V. Hill, who is praised by Dr. Jerry Falwell and other evangelicals, is a chief supporter of disgraced National Baptist Convention president Rev. Henry Lyons. Press reports show that Lyons is an adulterer, liar, and thief (10/6 CN). Hill has been a popular Promise Keepers speaker (also at Moody, Dallas, and Liberty), and sits on the boards of the NBC-USA and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

KAY ARTHUR'S POPULAR ECUMENICAL MINISTRY Precept Ministries' Kay Arthur, a dynamic Bible teacher/ preacher, speaks in many ecumenical, new-evangelical, and charismatic forums (see 1/1 CC). Her 11/97 speaking schedule lists her as a Dec.31 speaker for Campus Crusade, and for Bill Bright's Fasting & Prayer Conference in Dallas, Nov. 12-14. Her staff members have spoken in United Methodist and Southern Baptist churches this year. Dorie Van Stone, was listed in Precept's September schedule as a Sept. speaker at "The 700 Club," Bellevue Baptist (Memphis), and the Rocky Mountain Association of Regular Baptist Churches. We were disappointed to see Arthur and Life Action - Campus Crusade's Nancy Leigh DeMoss as scheduled speakers for the Oct. Joyful Woman Jubilee at Highland Park Baptist, Chattanooga.

SBC CANCELS SUPPORT OF RECONCILIATION '97 Official Southern Baptist Convention involvement in the ecumenical Reconciliation '97 was withdrawn on the advice of William Streich, an incoming board member of the SBC's new North American Mission Board (10/27 Chr.Today). Streich expressed concern in a memo that "Southern Baptists [by involvement in Reconciliation '97] are giving credibility to the teaching of the apostate Catholic church by its association with it in Coventry."

SBF RESOLUTION ON PK—The para-church group known as Promise Keepers, while professing to promote moral and marital integrity among men, is in fact promoting the unscriptural, dangerous, and ecumenical approach of eliminating Bible doctrines, thereby yoking believers with unbelievers, false teachers, and false prophets, including those who promote another gospel which is not a Gospel and weakening men's loyalty to the institution supported by Scripture and founded by the Saviour - the local church. And whereas the activities and emphasis of this group is contrary to the efforts of Bible-believing pastors who would train men to obey and please God, be it resolved that the Southwide Baptist Fellowship will continue to oppose this ecumenical approach which will certainly be a part of the development of a one-world church which will be used by the Antichrist.

HOLD RIGHT POSITION WITH RIGHT DISPOSITION The 9/97 Evangelical Methodist had these good words from the late Dr. M.H. Reynolds, Jr.: "... But it is important to remember that the failure of fallible men to properly represent any Biblical position in no way negates the believer's responsibility to hold to that position. Likewise, we should never lose sight of the fact that those who really do 'speak the truth in love' are most often the very ones who are accused of being 'unloving.' The apostle Paul referred to just such a situation when he wrote, "Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?"

ACCC RESOLUTIONS— The American Council of Christian Churches at its 56th Annual Convention in Kingsport, TN, Oct. 21-23, passed resolutions regarding: The Challenge to Biblical Authority (convention theme), Promise Keepers, Persecution of Christians Around the World, World Council of Churches, United Religions Initiative (URI), Partial-Birth Abortion, Shamelessness of Our Nation Concerning Sin, Reaffirmation of Biblical Separation, and The Place of the ACCC in Today's Religious World. Most of these are one page in length. Available from: ACCC, P.O. Box 5455, Bethlehem, PA 18015. Send offering to cover postage and paper costs.

ACCC HONORS CC EDITOR—The American Council of Christian Churches presented its Contender of the Year award to this editor at its annual convention last month - along with a small binder of congratulatory letters from some fundamentalist leaders. What a surprise!

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