VOL. XIV NO. 23 NEWS & VIEWS, NOTES & QUOTES, TO WARN & INFORM December 1, 1997
VOL. XIV NO. 23 NEWS & VIEWS, NOTES & QUOTES, TO WARN & INFORM December 1, 1997
| FREEMASONRY A RELIGIOUS CULT—The
11/97 Charisma
said:
"Beneath Freemasonry's deceptive veil, there is more than just happy
Shriners who stage parades and raise money for children's hospitals.
The mysteries taught in Masonic lodges today are rooted in the pagan
mystery religions of ancient Egypt, Greece and Mesopotamia. They stem
from a bizarre spirituality involving fertility cults and sun god
worship - forms of idolatry that have surfaced in every culture on
earth and that are specifically condemned in the Bible... .Masonic
teaching involves the worship of false gods." Some denominations say
the Masonic lodge is incompatible with the Christian faith. But So.
Baptist physician James Holly said (2/1/94 CC) the SBC has
become the first Christian denom that "essentially blesses" the Masonic
lodge. Of the 3.5 million Masons in the U.S., 1.3 million are SBs
(6/1/93 CC). And 14 percent of SB pastors and 18 percent of
deacon chairs are Masons. GUNS CAUSE VIOLENCE?—A public health model names guns as the cause of the disease of violence, but the truth is that those who passively submit to a criminal's demands are twice as likely to be injured as those who use a firearm to resist such. A study shows that 2.5 million people a year use a gun for a defensive purpose (11/16 HT). Twenty years of research show that Americans use guns for self-defense in far greater numbers than criminals use guns to commit crimes. Prohibitions on handguns and tough gun-licensing systems are ineffective. Case in point, a Florida headline: "Muggers target foreign tourists who don't have guns." The dirty little secret about handgun control is that it ignores the growing body of criminal-justice evidence. READY FOR SMART CARDS?—Long popular in Europe, smart cards are set to take off here perhaps in 1998. The 11/97 Visionwatch says this powerful system is called Project L.U.C.I.D., and is an I.D. card with a microchip which can store millions of bytes of information (2,000 pages), including your photo, fingerprint, DNA genotype, criminal and financial history. Perils lurk in such a universal I.D. Card system. The 10/27 USN & WR said a high-profile test of consumer acceptance of smart cards as a substitute for cash is already underway in Manhattan. IS YOUR FAMILY SAFE FROM 'THE GRASPERS'? is the title of a new 60-pg. book by Peggy Cuddy. Dr. Shirley Correll comments (on back cover): "A revolution is taking place in America which will change our families for all time. It shifts the ultimate control of children from the family to the state. Peggy Cuddy has done a wonderful job of warning American parents of this unprecedented grab ["grasp"] for power over our children... " Order from: Florida Pro Family Forum, P.O. Box 1059, Highland City, FL 33846, $5 pp. CLINTON GREETED AT 'GAY' GATHERING—Pres. Clinton was greeted last month by a standing ovation as he became the first sitting president to publicly address a "gay" and lesbian civil rights organization. He also became the first to nominate an openly homosexual as ambassador (to Luxembourg). He recently pledged to name five homosexuals to top White House posts and chose a lesbian activist to be in charge of White House operations (10/20 Chr.News). Homosexuals applauded Clinton for appointing over 100 open "gays" and lesbians to positions in his administration (11/8 H. Times). Before Clinton, there had been no openly homosexual senior administration officials. CHURCH OF SATAN FOUNDER DIES—Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan in 1966 in San Francisco and author of The Satanic Bible, died Oct. 29 at age 67. THE END OF 'CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY'—That's the title of a new book by Martin & Deidre Bobgan. They say there is no "Christian psychology," that the Bible is sufficient to deal with all problems of living. We quote: "Professional psychotherapy with its underlying psychologies is questionable at best, detrimental at worst, and a spiritual counterfeit at least." It's the only form of treatment, they say, which at least to some extent, appears to create the illness it treats, and that much of the $24 billion mental health industry is little more than a national consumer fraud - but Christian therapists will resist the demise of their income from this. Get this 290-page book for $11, from EastGate Pub., 4137 Primavera Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93110 PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION NEVER NECESSARY—For the second time in 18 months, Pres. Clinton vetoed the Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act because it had no exception to protect the "health" of the mother. But over 400 doctors including former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop have said the procedure "is never medically necessary to protect a mother's health... " (10/28 Indiana Bapt.) The procedure banned by the bill involves the delivery of an intact baby feet first until only the head is left in the birth canal. At this point, how could jamming scissors into the back of a baby's head be required for the "health" of the mother? HERPES EPIDEMIC AMONG WOMEN—Today, 45 million Americans over age 12 carry the herpes simplex type 2 virus - about 1 in 5 (11/10 USN & WR). Women generally are more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases, so their numbers climb even higher. One in five white women is infected, versus one in seven white men. One in two black women has the virus, compared with one in three black men. Meanwhile, over half the world's 23 million HIV-infected people live in Africa (11/9 H. Times). GARBC LEADER BLASTS 'TABLOIDS'—General Association of Regular Baptist Churches' National Representative Dr. John R. Greening in his Nov. Baptist Bulletin column launched a broadside attack against Christian "tabloids," likening them to the Princess Diana paparazzi. Intended or not, it smacked of a subtle smear of many who try to faithfully warn and inform Christians of compromising and apostate men and movements of our day. Greening's "broad brush" approach was confusing (his "targets" were not clearly identified), and he seemed to dub all exposers of compromise as "tabloids." If "respectable" magazines (GARBC's Baptist Bulletin, and IFCA's Voice, e.g.) were doing what they in part were founded to do in warning and informing believers of Christian leaders' sinful compromises, "tabloids" would be less needed. Where are the warnings in the Baptist Bulletin of some GARBC (and entities) leaders supporting Promise Keepers, and pulpit-sharing with ecumenicals such as Drs. Warren Wiersbe and Joe Stowell? Greening seems to criticize the reporting of "someone speaking here or appearing there." Reporting of where leaders, who have long been in new-evangelical orbit, speak is necessitated by their basic dishonesty/deception in continuing to pose as Fundamentalists. Where and with whom a leader speaks is an important indicator of his position. Yes, we are to "speak the truth in love," but we are also to "exhort one another." We are disappointed in Dr. Greening's article (it seemed like something a New Evangelical would write!), and expected better from him. We forgive a child for being afraid of the dark, but the real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light/truth. FUNDAMENTALISTS NO LONGER WARN OF WCC?—Dr. Rembert Byrd Carter, in an 11/13 e-mail to ACCC exec. secretary Dr. Ralph Colas, wrote: "I have just read your recent report of the WCC [World Council of Churches] Central Committee meeting in Geneva and been reminded again how few are following this important matter of ecumenism any more. It used to be taught AND REFUTED in our circles. Now, there are very few preachers who ever mention these matters. Seminaries and colleges do not think it a very relevant issue. Other courses are far more important (they say)." NAE ECUMENISM INCREASES—National Association of Evangelicals president Dr. Don Argue, along with a Muslim leader, addressed the National Council of Churches' annual meeting, Nov. 1996 (see 12/15/96 CC). The NAE has voted to accept the Worldwide Church of God as a member. We now see the NAE involved in a "Christian Roundtable II" meeting with 37 religious leaders - ranging from NCC liberal denominations to National Conference of Catholic Bishops - in "odd alliance" cooperation to fight poverty (11/13 Ala. Baptist). FBF'S FRONTLINE RELOCATES TO GREENVILLE—Per a News Release last month, Frontline magazine - the journal of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship - has moved from Schaumburg, Illinois to South Carolina. Dr. John C. Vaughn, FBF Executive Director and pastor of Faith Baptist Church (500 W. Lee Rd., Taylors, SC) has replaced FBF V-P Dr. Frank Bumpus as Frontline Editor. FBF Research Secretary Bob Whitmore (864/292-2439) succeeds Mike Moreau as Managing Editor. Drs. Mark Minnick and Layton Talbert are Contributing Editors. FBF Pres. Dr. Rod Bell continues as Frontline's Publisher. VAN IMPE ARTICLE—The Evangelical Methodist is running a series of articles by Dr. M.H. Reynolds, Jr. on Dr. Jack Van Impe's Downward Slide (praise of the Pope, etc.). It's editor is Dr. Jim Fields, who exposes New Evangelicalism and other evils of our day. Get it for $10/yr. from: 1736 Whiteford Rd., Darlington, MD 21034. DR. BOB JONES JR.'S HOMEGOING—Dr. Bob Jones Jr., age 86 and Chancellor of Bob Jones University, passed away Nov. 12, 1997 after a brief battle with cancer. He was the author of 15 books and plays, including Cornbread and Caviar and Wine of Morning (a feature-length film). The funeral was Nov. 17, on the BJU campus, with Dr. Bob Jones III bringing the message. Prayers were by Drs. Bob Wood and Bruce McAllister. Speakers representing various groups included: Dr. Rod Bell, Dr. J.B. Williams, S.C. Governor David Beasley, Dr. Victor Sadaka, and Dr. Ian Paisley. For two decades, Drs. Jones and Paisley organized several World Congresses on Fundamentalism. We attended three of them, the last being in London, 1990. Dr. Jones was plain spoken and sometimes controversial, but is considered by many as one of the great pulpiteers of this century. He was greatly loved and will be missed by most fundamentalists worldwide. He was a friend of this ministry, and an encourager of this editor. GRAHAM'S STATEMENT ON DR. JONES' DEATH—"The death of Dr. Bob Jones, Jr. is a great loss to the fundamentalist wing of the Christian Church. He was a remarkable man who could have been a great film star had he chosen so. But just as Moses chose to serve God rather than to be a leader of ancient Egypt, Dr. Jones chose to follow Christ and help his father build a great university. He was a longtime personal friend and... when I was a student there for a few months he was my professor in history. Several of my associates are graduates of BJU, and all of us will miss his friendship and leadership. He made it clear that he did not agree with me on many things, but it never affected my love and respect for him. He is now in Heaven with his father and mother and the thousands of people who were touched by his ministry. It is my prayer that God will bless Bob Jones III, and the ongoing ministry of Bob Jones University." PK 1998 PLANS: GOING GLOBAL; INVITE WOMEN PASTORS; SUPPORT PASTOR ONLY IF HE SUPPORTS PK—Promise Keepers calls for men to support their pastor and church, but we have heard of cases where this only holds true IF the pastor is a PK supporter! PK plans 37 stadium gatherings during the next two years without charge - nine of them will be exclusively for pastors, both male and female (11/17 C.Today). These nine will be one-day regional pastors' conferences in early 1998. At the invitation of well-known ecumenical Far Eastern Broadcasting Co. president Billy Kim and other religious leaders, PK president Randy Phillips visited Korea in late Oct. to explore possibly setting up a PK movement there. PK earlier announced intentions to go global. Moody Broadcasting Net beamed full coverage of the recent Washington, DC rally to over 600 radio stations (10/18 World). Moody Pres. Joe Stowell spoke at this ecumenical event, as he also did at the NAE'96 convention. SO. BAPTISTS INCONSISTENT ON PK—Prominent Southern Baptist conservatives seek in some degree to maintain or erect walls between themselves and the Bible-doubting CBF liberals in the SBC. But, by supporting Promise Keepers (e.g., about 1,800 from Adrian Rogers' church attended Memphis '96 PK rally), they are supporting PK's effort to tear down denominational walls (between liberal denoms, Catholics, charismatics, etc.)! GRAHAM ARTICLE—John Ballentine has available a long article (from David Cloud) from the 10/20 Christian News, entitled "Graham Believes Men Can Be Saved Apart From Name of Christ." This transcript by Dr. Robert E. Kofahl of a May 31 interview of Billy Graham by Robert Schuller, appeared in the May-June Foundation (see 10/15 CC). Get a copy for $1.00 postpaid from Rev. Ballentine at: 5552 1st Ave. So., Minneapolis MN 55419. Send comments to ccemail2015@gmail.com |