PERSECUTION IN COLOMBIA—Since 1995, around 50 pastors have been murdered in Colombia—25 evangelical pastors murdered in the past six months allegedly by guerrillas, and some 300 evangelical churches have been forced to close (10/4 Chr. Today). The 10/2 World gives lower figures and says Colombian evangelicals are under attack by both guerrillas and paramilitary forces, but that news of attacks on churchgoers is overshadowed by drug war headlines.

HALLOWEEN & ATS—Dr. Bill Jackson of Christians Evangelizing Catholics in an e-mail last month quoted from a letter from the American Tract Society: "…So when we minister in Christ's name on Halloween, we are reclaiming the Christian roots of this holiday." Jackson comments: "This is just another in a series of evangelical surrenders to Roman Catholicism. Anyone with a knowledge of the history of Halloween knows it is basically a Roman Catholic holiday, and that what the Catholics failed to include was generously supplied by the Druids."

BAD BOY BOONE—Pat Boone is at it again. He had a recent heavy-metal album, and now his next one is rhythm and blues rock. An unabashed tongues-speaking charismatic, he was expelled long ago from the Church of Christ (10/4 CT). He's been an elder in Jack Hayford's Foursquare Gospel church for the past 20 years But even Fuller Seminary president Richard Mouw said: "Pat Boone's leather-and-tattoos masquerade was not unforgivable, but neither was it a harmless spoof." He called the heavy-metal culture's "flaunting of promiscuity and satanic imagery" deeply repulsive and blasphemous.

IS ALPHA COURSE BIBLICAL?—The controversial popular Alpha Course presents a weak guiltless gospel and a feeble Christ (4/1 CC). A 5/99 Evang. Times article says half of the lesson on Spirit-filling is on speaking in tongues. The Holy Spirit's biblical role is to glorify Christ, but in the charismatic Alpha Course the Holy Spirit eclipses Christ (5/99 Austr. Beacon). In overall emphasis, Christ is displaced by the Holy Spirit as the center of attention.

WILKERSON BLASTS WORD-FAITH PREACHERS—David Wilkerson blasted fellow charismatics' prosperity doctrines, "holy laughter," and the flamboyance of Benny Hinn in an April 11 sermon to his 7,000-member Times Square Church. He told members to burn books written by any propagators of these doctrines, and to stay away from evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne's Good News NY crusade (10/99 Charisma). He leveled blasphemy charges at Kenneth Copeland's prosperity doctrines.

DAVID RICE & BIBLE STUDENT MOVEMENT—In September big ads appeared in our local paper for a "Bible Prophecy Seminar," sponsored by Huntsville Bible Students at a Holiday Inn. We tried to learn more about it by calling a listed number, but got evasive answers ("we're nondenominational," etc.). Per a flyer, the speaker was David Rice, who "has served the San Diego Bible Students for 25 years as an elected minister and Bible teacher." Watchman Fellowship wasn't familiar with any of this, but after checking on the Internet, said Rice and SDBS were an offshoot of Jehovah's Witnesses. We pursued this and got some of their literature that stated they were non-trinitarian. Satan is so very subtle. Be warned, be wise, beware!

BOTH POPES CAN'T BE INFALLIBLE—Pope John Paul II recently rejected the reality of hell being a literal physical place of eternal torment (10/15 CC). But Pope Paul VI in the 1970s termed hell a reality and reminded people of the "terrible truth of a possible eternal punishment called Hell, about which Christ minced no words." Canadian Revivalist editor Dr. Frank McClelland comments: "It is obvious that there is a world of difference between Paul VI's view of hell and that of the present pope." Will the real infallible pope please stand?

PP'S SEX ED INCREASES ABORTIONS—Planned Parenthood sex education programs can directly contribute to the number of abortions (Heartlink). PP tells teens to be "responsible." Then it defines responsibility as "using birth control when you have sex to avoid getting pregnant and, if you do get pregnant, having an abortion." Those who engage in sexual activity provide millions of dollars to PP. Chastity provides none. PP thus uses its sex ed programs to increase its customer base and sees abstinence education as a threat to its income and survival.

THE DISCERNER is an interdenominational heresy-exposing quarterly. The 28-page Jul-Aug-Sep edition had such timely topics as Witchcraft in U.S. Military, New Age Influences on Catholic Church, and cult of Oneness Pentecostalism. To subscribe ($4/year), call 1-800/562-9153.

SDA HELPED SPONSOR F. GRAHAM CRUSADE?—Ted Olsen (10/4 Chr. Today) said "The largest Protestant denomination [in Jamaica] is the Seventh-day Adventist Church." It has nearly 500 congregations in Jamaica. One of Jamaica's biggest problems is said to be disunity among churches. But the Celebrate Jesus '99 crusade there in March, with Franklin Graham as the main speaker, was sponsored by all of Jamaica's umbrella organizations: the WEF evangelicals (JAE), the liberals (JCC), Full Gospel churches (JAFG), the Church of God in Jamaica, the Jamaican Pentecostal Union, and the Seventh-day Adventists. So, put it all together and you have new evangelicals, charismatics, liberals and cultists all united in a hodgepodge of ecumenical evangelism. [Jamaican missionary Joe McKnight phoned the main SDA body there and it denied crusade involvement. Bro. McKnight said it would not surprise him if several SDA churches took part in the Graham meetings without Conference sanction. CT writer Ted Olsen (by phone) thinks he got the SDA involvement information from the Graham camp, but would check and call me. He never did.]

FALWELL LENDS A HAND TO HABITAT—Habitat For Humanity has built 26,000 homes for poor people in the U.S. and over 45,000 worldwide. HFH founder Millard Fuller is a former missionary with the most liberal United Church of Christ. His "theology of the hammer" has a global religion goal (6/15/98 CC). In the 6/14 C. Today he says: "Here's what Christianity is about. Let us get together and build houses for [people living in squalor] so they'll have a good place to live, and you'll see the kingdom." He said Jerry Falwell's church is "building a house every year, and they take up the Christmas offering for HFH." Fundamentalist Digest editor Dr. Don Jasmin rightly concludes: "HFH is rooted in ecumenism, centered in ecologism, and slanted toward socialism."

HICKEY'S UNSCRIPTURAL TEACHINGS—Charismatic healing evangelist Marilyn Hickey says it is always God's will to heal and God does not chasten us by sickness, disease or poverty (5/15/91 CC). At recent meetings in Pakistan, where anyone trying to convert Muslims faces imprisonment or death, Hickey said the key to avoiding offense there is to not talk about conversion. She believes one day God will transform Islamic nations (e.g., Pakistan) into Christian societies (10/99 Charisma). "Pakistan is not going to be a goat nation. It's going to be a sheep nation."

KHOO'S NEW BOOK ON SEPARATION—Dr. Jeffrey Khoo has a new book titled BIBLICAL SEPARATION: Doctrine of Church Purification and Preservation which traces this command through various Old Testament books and New Testament ones. He then gives its theological basis and practice. He notes the inroads made by false "isms" today, such as: Modernism, Ecumenism, Neo-evangelicalism, and Charismatism, and the need for separation from these. Get this good 120-page refresher course book from: FEBC Bookroom, 9A Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063, $6.00 postpaid. Net: www.lifebebc.com

NEW PAMPHLET ON GRAHAM, NCC/WCC/ECT—A new 8-page pamphlet entitled Dr. Billy Graham, The WCC & NCC and Evangelicals and Roman Catholics Together is available from Bible Believers News Service, 702 Hastings Dr., Harrisburg, PA 17109. Suggest you send $1.

MILES STANFORD'S HOME-GOING—George Zeller and others notified us of the September 21 home-going of Miles J. Stanford at age 85. A prolific writer, two of his main topics were dispensationalism and spiritual growth. His best-known book was The Green Letters. He sent us several Position Papers on various men and movements.

LIGHTHOUSE MOVEMENT IS HUGE!—Small prayer groups from over 200,000 local churches and 300 national ministries believe they can reach every person in America with prayer, friendship, and a video depicting Jesus' life by the end of December 2000. Ministries range from Jerry Falwell's, SBC, Moody Church, Ravi Zacharias, and Kay Arthur, to Crystal Cathedral, Willow Creek, and the Episcopal Church (10/4 CT). Mission America's Paul Cedar is chair. Other key organizers were Bill Bright and Billy Graham. The Lighthouse Movement is coordinated by AD2000's Mission America, Harvest Evangelism (Ed Silvoso), and the World Prayer Center (Peter Wagner and Chuck Pierce). This ecumenical coalition predicts 3 million lighthouses by the end of next year. Prayer is much needed today, but any attempt at common doctrine (which is vital—see Amos 3:3—for uniting in corporate prayer and fellowship) would split this conglomeration asunder. Ecumenical coalitions such as this could be laying the groundwork for the "evangelical" wing of the United Religions, the world church of the Antichrist.

CAMPUS CRUSADE'S NEW CAMPUS—Campus Crusade is moving into a $45 million 285-acre home base for its expanding ministries. Founded in 1951 by Bill Bright, it is now the world's largest new evangelical organization. The new facility will be at Lake Hart in Orlando. CC now has over 20,514 full-time staffers and over 663,000 volunteers in 68 ministries in 181 countries (10/6 Religion Today). Bright won the $1.1 million notorious Templeton Prize in 1996 and donated it to his Fasting & Prayer ministry. His New Life 2000's goal is to help lead at least a billion people to become Christians by year 2000's end and to help plant a million churches of all denominations. Charismatics and Catholics are warmly embraced by Bright, who signed the 1994 ECT.

GRAHAM AT HARVARD PRAISES DALAI LAMA—When Dr. Billy Graham spoke at Harvard last month at the behest of its homosexual Chaplain Peter Gomes, he maintained that the way to God is through Jesus Christ but expressed tolerance for other religions (10/2 H. Times). He lauded the Buddhist Dalai Lama for his peace efforts and emphasized the similarities between the Christian and Islamic scriptures. This is a serious, grievous error.

SCHULLER AGAIN FEATURES CATHOLICS, LIBERALS—The Robert H. Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership, Jan. 24-27, at his Crystal Cathedral, includes the following speakers (10/4 CT): Tony Campolo, Bill Hybels, Luis Palau, John Maxwell, William Bennett (RC), "Father" Michael Moynhan, Roberta Hestenes (a senior pastor), Kent Hunter, Bishop Charles Blake (COGIC), H.B. London (Focus on the Family), Bishop T. Garrott Benjamin Jr., Juan Carlos Ortiz, and Bishop Sundo Kim.

HOW-TO-DO-IT SEMINARS A WASTE OF TIME?—A preacher who had been to countless "How-to-do-it" seminars wrote: "I've been to Hyles' pastor's school, where I learned to preach against long hair. MacArthur's Shepherd's Conference, where I learned about Elder rule…John Maxwell's Leadership Seminar, where I learned to exalt me. Bill Gothard's Pastor's Seminar, where I learned just how unimportant the local church is; Narramore's conference, where I learned to pull myself up by my own bootstraps. Financial seminars, where I learned how to fleece the flock ('you'll never get all their money'); Bus seminars, soul-winning seminars, church growth seminars, ad infinitum, ad nauseam." He listed motivational books he had read, and said: "I have found most were a waste of time and money!" [This from Dr. R. L. Hymers' new book, Preaching to a Dying Nation, free to pastors, $7 others, PO Box 15308, Los Angeles, CA 90015.]

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