'GAYS' BOAST OF NEW POWER—Homosexuals now control Hollywood and the engines of the entire American entertainment industry—film and television, music and theater—says their main magazine the Advocate. It gloats over the recent Oscar sweeps and other triumphs in the fields of religion, pornography, and public schools (4/10 C. News). The Advocate leaves the impression America's new homosexual power elite has harnessed the communications media to ridicule, belittle, intimidate, and demonize middle-class marriage and family life. It celebrates homosexuals' ability to use the entertainment industry to homosexualize the culture and shape the minds of millions of American middle-class youth to accept homosexuality.

HOW CULTS DISTORT, DENY THE RESURRECTION—Jehovah's Witnesses say Jesus' body was disintegrated in the tomb and he was raised a spirit being, Michael the Archangel. Mormons say Jesus was raised not as God but as a descendant of God, the Father. They say he did not ascend to heaven but went to the Americas where he preached the Mormon gospel to Jewish tribes that had relocated there some six centuries earlier. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church says Jesus failed in his mission, being murdered on the cross. He now lives as a spirit man in the spirit world and must one day return again to complete his mission. Christian Science says the "human" Jesus is not eternal while the Christ is the divine ideal. At the ascension Jesus disappeared while Christ continues to exist. The resurrection is therefore nothing more than spiritualization of thought. [Watchman Fellowship Update]

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION ON THE INCREASE—It is estimated that 200 million Christians worldwide now suffer persecution and discrimination for their faith and that 150,000 are killed each year for being Christians (5-6/00 Moody). Most of the top 20 persecuting nations are Muslim (e.g., Sudan where almost 2 million were killed in the civil war there) or communist (e.g., Red China). Saudi Arabia, the world's most restrictive Islamic state, forbids any non-Muslim worship meetings and no Christian religious literature may enter the country.

SCOUT RULING POTENTIAL DANGER FOR CHURCHES—The NJ Supreme Court said the Boy Scouts of America could not exclude homosexual men as scoutmasters. It ruled that the Scouts are a "public accommodation," subject to NJ's anti-discrimination statute. This definition of "public" could later include other non-profits and churches, forcing them to hire practicing homosexuals as staff members (4/24 CT). The Mormon Church said it would withdraw its 400,000 boys from the Scouts if the U.S. Supreme Court forces them to accept openly "gay" scoutmasters, It said the Scouting movement as now constituted would cease to exist. (4/28 Religion Today). Mormons sponsor 30,000 Scouting units in their facilities, more than any other group. United Methodists sponsor 424,000 Scouts, the Catholic Church sponsors 355,000.

THE HAPPY HUNTERS ARE RELIGIOUS CROOKS?—Charles and Frances Hunter, "The Happy Hunters," conduct charismatic "Healing Explosions" and teach that everyone has the power to heal themselves, but they can't heal themselves (see 4/15/91 CC). In their 4/00 Opportunity Letter they write: "During the month of April we are going to lay hands on every check that comes in and we are going to break the spirit of poverty on anyone who needs that spirit of poverty broken. We are believing that within a very short period of time you will experience unexpected cash! We are asking you…to stretch your faith further than you have stretched it in a long time and believe what it says in Luke 6:38, 'For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing.'" They say your "seed" money will multiply. This is all so unscriptural, yet these "charlatans" are promoted by many charismatics, e.g., Charisma magazine.

POPE VISITS HOLY LAND—Pope John Paul promotes an anti-scriptural universalism and failed to clearly proclaim the saving Gospel on his recent Holy Land Pilgrimage. Christian News Editor Herman Otten said: "Muslims, Jews, and the Pope are in error when they insist that Muslims, Jews, and Christians all worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God of these patriarchs is the Holy Trinity, the only God who exists." They trusted in the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity), not works, for salvation.

CHECK OUR NEW WEB SITE & SEARCH FEATURE!—We are grateful to Richard Vizzuti (Canada) for a major redesign of our Web site, and for providing us a search engine capability. Richard Hall did some "fine tuning" and got all this up and running at our Web site. Visit us at: <http://home.hiwaay.net/~contendr> (Bro. Vizzuti's Web site is: <www.geocities.com/raptureapologetics/>).

GOTHARD GETS ARMSTRONG TEXAS PROPERTY—Hobby Lobby has bought the beautiful 2,200-acre ghost town near Big Sandy, Texas that once was part of flamboyant cultist Herbert W. Armstrong's (and son Garner Ted's) Worldwide Church of God empire and called Ambassador University. HL will lease the campus to Bill Gothard, president of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, who has bought all the property in the buildings. Initially it will be used for an orphanage and vocational school. Gothard runs about 50 character-building programs including ALERT which responds to natural disasters worldwide (4/2 Dallas Morn. News). This program will move from Mich. to Tex. Gothard said "We are not promoting a religion. Our whole purpose is to build communities and leaders." He claims to be a fundamentalist, but many have exposed and documented his flawed teachings and ecumenical associations. (See 4/1/97 CC).

SBC LEADER A CHARISMATIC?—Today, Pentecostals or charismatics (nearly synonymous) number 523 million adherents worldwide. Regent University dean and historian Vinson Synan says arm-waving Promise Keepers meetings look like Pentecostal rallies. He says Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey is a charismatic (4/17 Chr. News), and: "The head of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board [now NAMB], Jerry Rankin, is a known charismatic [see 7/15/93 & 2/15/96 CCs]. Most of the [SB] missionaries are charismatic or they couldn't make it on the mission field." This may be hard to prove [and 61% of Ga. SBC messengers (11/99) voted to withdraw fellowship from member churches that "engage in non-biblical charismatic worship practices that are divisive and disruptive"(4/24 CT)], but there is no denying that charismatics are indeed making huge inroads worldwide, and that their influence is being strongly felt in the SBC.

MOHLER DEBATES CATHOLIC EXPERT—Southern Baptist Seminary Pres. Albert Mohler had this to say on the Mar. 22 Larry King Live TV show: "As an evangelical, I believe that the Roman Church is a false church and it teaches a false gospel. Indeed, I believe that the pope himself holds a false and unbiblical office." Other guests included Donald Carson (TEDS), "Father" Gregory Coiro of the LA Archdiocese, "Father" William Byron of Georgetown U., and Rabbi Harold Kushner. Coiro and Byron said someone who didn't believe in Christ could be saved if they lived a good life. Mohler disagreed and said the Catholic Church represents a false gospel of works rather than grace (4/3 Chr. News). He said the larger problem he has with Pope John Paul in particular is that he has redefined Christianity and the gospel. "He has actually embraced all monotheists, both Jews and followers of Islam as long as they're sincere…."

WHAT WILL F. GRAHAM PREACH?—Concerning the Franklin Graham's April 28-30 Festival in Lubbock, TX, the Plains Baptist Challenger Editor E.L. Bynum asks: "What will Graham preach"? He cannot preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ because it would offend most of the mixture of apostasy, idolatry and compromise. He can't preach against idolatry because idolaters (Catholics, e.g.) are in charge of the meeting. He can't expose the charismatic religion for the counterfeit it is, since they also are in charge of the meeting. He can't expose modernism, liberalism and rank unbelief in the vast number of Protestant NCC churches supporting the Festival. He can't fully preach the gospel of salvation because the supporting churches can't agree on the gospel, or how to be saved. He can't preach against rock music, because one of the big draws will be the rock musicians and rock music. It's doubtful he will say anything against the sin of homosexuality. … [Adapted, 4/00 PBC]

TUTU TO ADDRESS 45,000 LUTHERAN YOUTH—Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a radical liberal and socialist who rejects Christian doctrines, is to address the Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America this summer in St. Louis (4/24 Chr. News). He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, and wants churches to ordain homosexuals. He claims to hate capitalism, and has said "I think the West, for my part can go to Hell." Yet he spoke at the 1998 Baptist World Alliance meeting (the SBC is a major member of the apostate BWA), the 1999 NCC meeting, and a WCC meeting in Atlanta Dec. 1999.

MICH. CHURCH LEAVES GARBC—Calvary Baptist Church of Grayling, Mich. voted unanimously last month to exit the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. Pastor Dr. Robert J. Barnett explains: "My roots are GARBC, most of my spiritual heroes were GARBC…. We didn't leave them. They left us." He cited problems at GARBC-approved Grand Rapids. He said: "We still support the position on Bible separation so eloquently presented by the late Dr. Robert T. Ketchum in his last Bible Conference address at GR." He added: "The Neo-evangelicalism Dr. Ketchum [warned] us about is no longer considered the enemy. There are still many good men and churches in the GARBC, but their voices are being increasingly censored and ignored. I fear the GARBC is in an irreversible drift in a dangerous and disastrous direction." He repeated that in reality he and his church never left the GARBC, the GARBC left them. "We just obeyed God's command to 'Withdraw thyself!'"

STEVE HILL LEAVES PENSACOLA 'REVIVAL'—Evangelist Steve Hill announced March 22 that he will move his ministry, probably to the Dallas area. He has led the "Pensacola Outpouring" at the Brownsville Assembly of God for the past five years (5/00 Charisma). Brownsville services will continue, but Pastor John Kilpatrick and music pastor Lindell Cooley will shift from Awake America crusades to citywide prayer crusades.

DENVER SEMINARY'S FOCAL POINT ARTICLE PROMOTES ECUMENISM—Denver Seminary is part of the Conservative Baptist Association which is a member of the NAE which now allows their churches to be dually aligned with the NCC which is a member of the WCC! Any link with the apostate NCC/WCC violates biblical separation commands. Dr. Leith Anderson is the interim president of Denver. Dr. Peter Menconi writes in DS's Spr. 2000 Focal Point: "….Unfortunately, most churches have been ineffective at making the Body of Christ seamless in their own city or town, let alone in the world. One of the greatest hindrances to the infectious spread of the Gospel…has been the division of Christians along socio-economic, denominational and racial/ethnic lines. Conversely, one of the greatest witnesses to an unbelieving world will be the unity of Christians no matter what their hue or shade, their portfolio or lack thereof, or their theological quirks…." He, in essence, is downplaying doctrine! The way many evangelicals are working in ecumenical unity with charismatics, liberals, and Roman Catholics—and considering them part of the Body of Christ—is a grievous disgrace in our day.

'HOW NOT TO SHARE YOUR FAITH'—A 5/00 Charisma article lists eight ways of how NOT to share your faith. It says "Don't ask people, 'Are you a Christian?', or 'Are you born again?'" And "Don't use Christian jargon." It says terms like "saved," "washed in the blood," or "sanctified" can be a real turnoff. We agree that using big theological words to impress is wrong, but we must be careful not to "water down the gospel" or try to improve on, or avoid, the use of biblical terminology.

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