VOL. XV  NO. 17  NEWS & VIEWS, NOTES & QUOTES, TO WARN & INFORM   September 1, 1998

DEATH TO INFANTS & ELDERLY—Australian ethicist Peter Singer says the disabled and the unwanted should be killed. Not just passive euthanasia, but active, eugenic euthanasia for infants, the sick, and the elderly - everyone whose "life is not worth living." (8/8 World). In the U.S., Singer is joining the faculty of Princeton University that once included Jonathan Edwards and J.Gresham Machen!

EUTHANASIA, HUMANISM CONFUSION—Radical Catholic theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether says: "We need to seek the most compassionate way of weeding out people. Our current pro-life movement is really killing people through disease and poverty." (8/15 World). She blames Christianity for environmental and social woes. Humanism has failed. It used to deify Man, calling him the measure of all things. But now Man is dismissed as sexist and morally inferior to animals and worth nothing. Just try to find "compassionate" ways to weed out the weak!

MARY PRIMARY TO SOME CATHOLICS—The quotes below are from the Summer'98 Fatima Crusader (published by Catholics): "The Immaculate Conception is the first step in our salvation." "...God has decreed that souls are to be saved by devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Obviously those souls must first believe in the Immaculate Heart of Mary as an object of faith..." "Mary is the surest and easiest means for uniting all persons with Christ..." The 8/98 Charisma lists four official dogmas Catholics adhere to about Mary: 1) Mary is the "mother of God" 2) Mary remained a virgin all her life 3) Mary was born without sin 4) Mary didn't die but was assumed into heaven. The Bible does not teach Mariolatry. It presents her as blessed, but a sinner who needed a Savior (Lk. 1:47).

MORE WOMEN PREACHERS—The Aug. 10 USN & WR says "Women are admitted to the ministry in about 80 Christian denominations and to the rabbinate in Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Judaism. They account for a third of all students in seminary programs." Leadership by women is becoming more and more prevalent, even in Southern Baptist churches. The largest church in the world is in Korea, pastored by David Yonggi Cho, a charismatic, and women make up two-thirds of the 700 pastors who help guide this megachurch (10/94 Charisma). What the Bible says seems to no longer matter.

DOBSON HIRES FORMER HOMOSEXUALS—Focus on the Family has hired two former practicing homosexuals to work in its public policy department as key players to counter homosexual activism (8/13 Ala. Baptist). One was hired for her "media know-how, and the other is board chairman of Exodus Int'l, an "ex-gay Christian ministry."

WHY KIDS KILL—The introduction of television in the 1950s resulted in a doubling of the homicide rate. After the Jonesboro shootings, high school students reacted with laughter when told of the shootings at the middle school. A similar reaction happens all the time in movie theaters when there is bloody violence (8/10 C. Today). Young people laugh and cheer and keep right on eating popcorn and drinking pop. We have raised a generation of barbarians who have learned to associate violence with pleasure, as the Romans did when Christians were butchered in the Colosseum. Gory media violence presented as entertainment (TV, video games, etc.) destroys the violence immune system and conditions kids to derive pleasure from violence.

ISLAM IS GROWING FAST IN U.S.—Five to 6 million strong, Muslims in America outnumber Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Mormons, and are more numerous than Quakers, Unitarians, Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian Scientists, combined (7/20 USN & WR). Over half the respondents in a recent Roper poll described Islam as inherently anti-American, anti-Western, or supportive of terrorism. Some Muslims deceptively say their Allah is the same as the Christian's God. But this has been shown to be untrue (see 5/1/92 CC).

MORMONISM'S CELESTIAL LOTTERY—Mormonism founder Joseph Smith's claim that the LDS Church is the only true church (and that all others were an abomination) rests solely upon his credibility as a prophet and upon his integrity as a man. Today over 10 million Mormon faithful are playing celestial lottery with their very souls (Sum.'98 Inner Circle). Either Smith was, indeed, a prophet and the Mormon Church is the only true church, or he was a deceiver of millions and his church is as false as he is.

LARRY CRABB'S GOSPEL—That's the title of a new 210-page book by Martin & Deidre Bobgan ($11, Psycho- Heresy Awareness Ministries, 4137 Primavera Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93110). In spite of Crabb's 1995 Moody Pastor's Conference talk and Christianity Today interview, the Bobgans show that he still supports his past books, his psychologized model of "biblical counseling," counseling for pay, and the unbiblical American Association of Christian Counselors. He continues to integrate psychotherapy and its underlying psychologies with the Bible. He attempts to make psychological counseling better by adding the Bible, and Christianity better by adding psychology. The Bobgans say: "While some of Crabb's goals for believers may appear admirable, his doctrines and vision for the church are psychotherapeutically bound." In his integration model, Christian sanctification involves deep probing into the unconscious and necessity of a counselor to expose its contents.

GRAHAM'S QUEBEC CRUSADE UNITES ENGLISH PROTESTANTS, FRENCH CATHOLICS - Christianity Today for Aug. 10 stated: "...[In] the months preceding the June 25-28 Billy Graham mission to the [Ottawa] region, an area of about one million people, the barriers between Catholic and Protestant - and to an extent, between French and English - began to dissipate. Out of the 470 area churches that supported the campaign, 60 were Catholic. The Catholic involvement was the most significant of any Graham evangelistic crusade ever." CT reported that some new converts wound up in a Catholic church. The largest crowd came the night of the [rock] concert, featuring Jars of Clay and Michael W. Smith.

CHRIST-DENIER BORG SPOKE AT SBC CHURCH—In February, Jesus Seminar leader Marcus Borg spoke for three days at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte - a So. Baptist Church (8/6 e-mail, David Cloud, FBIS, 1701 Harns Rd., Oak Harbor, WA 98277). Borg, an Episcopalian, denies doctrines of Christ (e.g., the bodily resurrection of Christ), as does other Bible-doubting scholars of the so-called Jesus Seminar (see 5/1/96 CC) which met several times in recent years and voted that Jesus only said about 18 percent of what is attributed to him in the Bible.

PAKISTAN UPC SYNOD WITHDRAWS FROM ICCC—Emanuel Nasir, International Council of Christian Churches V-P, sent a letter "To the ICCC Executives, Head of Churches, Fellow Christians and friends" stating: "Let it be known that as of August 1, 1998, the Synod of the United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan withdraws from the [ICCC] and stands alone in witness and missions." Seven reasons were listed, one of which disputed the ICCC's claim of having 700+ denominations. Dr. Carl McIntire is the ICCC's president and a founder.

PANNENBERG'S SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY—A review of Wolfhart Pannenberg's Systematic Theology, Volume 3, in the 8/10 Chr. Today, states: "Throughout this work Pannenberg engages in dialogue with Roman Catholicism and tries to build bridges wherever he can... He is willing to make a place for apostolic succession and papal leadership among Christians. He entertains the possibility that the Petrine office of the bishop of Rome could become 'a visible sign of the unity of the whole church to the degree that by theological reinterpretation and practical restructuring the office is subordinated to the primacy of the gospel.'" Some evangelicals fear that this widely acclaimed theologian's views could lead to a new sacramentalism that would subordinate the Word to the sacraments. We documented his liberalism concerning doctrines of Christ, the Bible, etc. in the April 15, 1995 CC.

NEW REPORT ON NRB 98—ACCC executive secretary Dr. Ralph Colas has a report on his coverage of the National Religious Broadcasters convention earlier this year. He lists speakers (Charles Stanley, Tim LaHaye, RC William Bennett, Chuck Swindoll, Toronto Blessing's Pastor John Arnot, Charismatic bishop Carlton Pearson, e.g.), others involved (Shirley Dobson, John Hagee, e.g.), awards (Moody Bible Institute, e.g.), musicians (Amy Grant, Carman, Michael Card, e.g.), and much more. Get the complete report from: ACCC, P.O. Box 5455, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (send offering). [ACCC needs funds for Dr. Colas to attend the World Council of Churches' once-each-seven-years full meeting in Zimbabwe in Dec.]

THE NEW DEFINED KJBThe Defined King James Bible (Bible For Today, 900 Park Ave., Collingswood, NJ 08108) has no changes in the KJV text, but a few hundred KJV words whose meaning has changed are listed at the bottom of each page with current definitions. D.A. Waite Jr. is the main compiler of the due-by-December TDKJB.

DR.WENIGER RESIGNS AT MARANATHA—Maranatha Baptist Bible College [Watertown, Wis.] regretfully announces the resignation of its president, Dr. Arno Q. Weniger Jr. The reasons for the resignation are personal, but Dr. Weniger has anticipated retirement for the past few years and had begun a search process for a successor which the Board of Trustees will continue. The Board expresses full confidence in his Christian character, integrity, and personal fidelity. In the 15 years under Dr. Weniger's leadership, the college saw construction of the Cedarholm Memorial Library and Resource Center, new dorms, a student center, expansion of the gymnasium, renovation of the campus, and over 60 percent growth in enrollment. Over 1,100 graduates have entered the ministry and other Christian service vocations. Thousands of pastors and churches have been influenced through his life and ministry as a pastor, national Christian education leader, and college president. Dr. Weniger and his late father (of the famous Weniger family of fundamentalists) were longtime friends of the Calvary Contender ministry. We pray that God will continue to bless Maranatha and Dr. Weniger as he relocates to St. Germain, Wis.

LEIGHTON FORD CONFUSED ABOUT THE GOSPEL—Evang. Leighton Ford declared that individuals "should preach the gospel," but they shouldn't "be so negative as to refuse to endorse or work with those who belong to a group that proclaims a different gospel."(8/98 Fund. Digest) Did he get this ecumenical idea from his brother-in-law Billy Graham? He didn't get it from the Bible (Gal. 1:9).

CRISWELL CHURCH HAS DANCING, ROCK CONCERT, IN NEW YOUTH 'MINISTRY' - Southern Baptist patriarch Dr. W. A. Criswell is pastor-emeritus of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas. We grieved to see an article in the 8/1 Dallas Morning News picturing young people slam-dancing the night away July 25 during a Hard-Core-a-Thon concert that kicked off a new youth ministry, Cadence. It said: "The stately Spurgeon Harris Building, part of First Baptist Church of Dallas, seemed to shake" from the hardcore concert, "complete with slam dancing, thundering guitars and Christian piety." The July-Aug. Fundamentalist Digest reports a sad new trend toward dancing - often featuring worldly sensual CCM/rock music and immodest apparel - in charismatic and new-evangelical circles and is also beginning to infiltrate some professing fundamentalist ministries.

SWINDOLL TO START NEW CHURCH—Dallas Seminary president Dr. Chuck Swindoll has announced that he is organizing a new interdenominational church, Stonebriar Community Church, on a 60-acre cornfield in Frisco, TX (7/25 Dallas Morn. News). It is expected to grow quickly to megachurch status. He will continue his radio program and his role as seminary president.

PK UPDATE—Promise Keepers is asking for funds and for men to bring their wives and children to state capitals for two-hour rallies planned for Jan. 1, 2000 (6/15 Chr. News). Randy Phillips, head of PK's operations in Denver, says: "Beginning in 1999, Promise Keepers will move beyond hosting massive regional rallies to working in partnership with local groups to support smaller citywide events (8/13 Ala. Bapt.). The difference is filling arenas or civic auditoriums rather than 60,000-seat stadiums.

FALWELL $200 MILLION WORLD HEADQUARTERS—Dr. Jerry Falwell plans to relocate Thomas Road Baptist Church and 20 other ministries to a 1,400-acre site on Liberty Mountain. Phase I of the Jerry Falwell Ministries world headquarters is set for completion before Christmas 1999 and includes a new 12,000-seat sanctuary (largest in America), adjacent to Liberty University.

Send comments to ccemail2015@gmail.com

Calvary Contender Home Page