VOL. XVIII  NO. 20  NEWS & VIEWS, NOTES & QUOTES, TO WARN & INFORM   October 15, 2001

CRONKITE EXPLODES OVER FALWELL REMARK—Walter Cronkite unleashed a very harsh attack on religious broadcasters Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, terming Falwell's remarks on the 700 Club about the Sept. 11 terror attack “abominable.” He implied their God and the bombers' might be the same (TV Guide). Even though Falwell apologized (mainly for not stressing the terrorists' blame) for blaming the devastation on pagans, abortionists, homosexuals, ACLU, etc., the “tolerant” liberal free speech lobby could not tolerate this and came down very hard on him. Actually, in divine “retribution” God has even allowed more-evil enemy nations to chasten His erring people (see Habakkuk). Cronkite in a 1998 fundraising letter for The Interfaith Alliance (its national board has Unitarian, Catholic, NCC, and other liberals), revealed his extreme left-wing bias against Falwell, the Christian Coalition, etc. This “most trusted man in America” said: “I work very hard at being a Christian.”

T.D. JAKES IS TIME'S 'BEST PREACHER'?Time magazine (9/17) has named Dallas' Bishop T.D. Jakes “America's Best Preacher.” But it says he lives in a $1.7 million pillared mansion and claims Jesus must have been rich to support His disciples (9/17 Chr. News). Jesus said he was not rich. Norm Geisler said Jakes promotes the “old, old heresy” of modalism which denies the Trinity.

SINGER SAYS IT MAY BE OK TO KILL AN INFANT—Princeton University's animal rights radical Peter Singer believes parents should be able to euthanize severely disabled infants less than a month old (10/4 H. Times). He said “Killing a defective infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Sometimes it is not wrong at all.”

LEGACY OF HOMOSEXUALITY—The homosexual lifestyle is an unhealthy, unnatural, and unwise choice. It has cost the Roman Catholic Church hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits against homosexual priests. It is a danger to schools, and is a public health hazard. AIDS is more prevalent among homosexuals than for heterosexuals in the U.S. The life expectancy of “gay” and bisexual men is as much as 20 years less than for all men (10/1 Christian News). Homosexuality is a life of pain, is unnatural (homosexuals won't have children), and is something parents don't want for their kids.

GOOD TEENS EAT WITH PARENTS—In proclaiming Family Day 2001, Pres. Bush cited a Columbia University study that said teens who eat dinner with their family are 20 percent less likely to smoke, booze, or do drugs (USN&WR). Skip the meat loaf and fish sticks and teens are 61 percent more likely to engage in those activities.

ABORTIONS CONTINUE—Children murdered through abortions in Russia now exceed live births (10/1 CN). Women in China, South Korea, and wealthy parts of India increasingly abort female fetuses. Over 40 million babies have been aborted in the U.S. since 1973. A mother's womb has become the most dangerous place on earth.

POPE SAYS MUSLIMS WORSHIP SAME GOD AS CHRISTIANS—Pope John Paul II has said for years that Jews, Muslims and other non-Christians worship the same God Christians worship. But Muslims and the others deny the deity of Christ and other key doctrines. Last month the Pope called for Christians and Muslims to unite and said: “…I invite both Christians and Muslims to raise an intense prayer to the One, Almighty God whose children we all are….” He said the Catholic Church has nothing but respect for “authentic Islam.” The Pope does not believe Christianity is the only saving faith and that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven (10/1 Christian News). He even said last December that unbelievers will be saved if they live a just life (1/1/01 CC).

NAME ONE MUSLIM NATION WITH FREEDOM!—Most of the following are excerpts from the 10/6 World. What country of the world is the “beautiful religion” of Islam practiced in a way that might prompt one to want to move there for the rest of one's life? Muslim nations have severe restrictions, especially on women. Islam and Christianity are mutually exclusive—both claim to be the only right way to God. Shiite Muslims are more radical than the Sunnis, but in all Islamic nations, none welcome people of other faiths in the way our nation welcomes Muslims. It seems unwise to enlist terrorist-sponsoring nations as “allies” in the war on terrorism. We grieve when our president visits a mosque and praises Islam. We are a nation “under God,” not “gods.” Pray that our president will trust the only true and living God for guidance and protection during these uncertain days.

NATIONAL CATHEDRAL PRAYER MEETING—We were unable to see the official State prayer meeting on TV (in its entirety) but read several reports and quotes. Leading the meeting were Episcopalians, Roman Catholic Cardinal, Methodists, a Muslim cleric, a rabbi, and Billy Graham. A Methodist minister from Houston offered his prayer to the “God of Abraham and Mohammed, and the Father of Jesus Christ.” (9/24 C. News) John Robbins' report was titled, “A Nation of Idolaters.” If there could be a “positive” spin on such a disgraceful gathering, it would be one reader's interesting e-mail observation: “Today for the first time in history, one man (Graham) spoke the Gospel to the entire world at the same time.”

R.T. KENDALL EMBRACES 'TORONTO BLESSING'—G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945), pastor of London's famed Westminster Chapel, called the Pentecostal movement “the last vomit of Satan.” (7/15/88 CC) Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who served five years under Morgan and became solo minister from 1943 to 1968, said baptism of the Holy Spirit was a post-conversion experience (7/15/92 CC). Charismatic “prophet” Paul Cain joined Westminster in 1992. Dr. R.T. Kendall, “highly respected in evangelical and charismatic circles,” has been Westminster Chapel's senior pastor for the past 25 years. He writes in the Toronto Blessing's Spread the Fire magazine: “So when I first heard about the Toronto Blessing, I was skeptical. If you had put me under a lie detector, when I first heard about it, I would have told you that it was 'not of God.' But a number of things have happened to change my mind. The first was seeing a close friend of mine, a reformed Baptist minister who had never heard of Toronto and is by nature very cynical, fall to the floor the first time he received prayer….” Kendall adds: “A few years ago I was sitting with Paul Cain in our family room and he prophesied these words: 'the last shall be first.'…I knew in a flash that Westminster Chapel would be the last church in London to embrace the Toronto Blessing, but that one day we would take our place. It turned out to be exactly that way. We were in fact the very last church in London to accept this phenomenon.” G. C. Morgan would grieve to see such a tragic legacy.

ADRIAN ROGERS, "GREAT BRIDGE BUILDER."—Early this year, Southern Baptist pastor and dynamic preacher Adrian Rogers commemorated 15 years of television ministry on the charismatic Trinity Broadcast Network. Rogers' Love Worth Finding program is very popular. The TBN Web site has a photo of Rogers shaking hands with Paul Crouch, head of TBN. Crouch said, "We salute Dr. Rogers, and honor our friend and brother! He is truly one of the great bridge builders in the Body of Christ." Crouch has promoted practically every weird and unscriptural Charismatic doctrine and practice, including Word-faith, healing in the atonement, gibberish "tongues," spirit slaying, holy laughter, and prosperity giving. The problem with the conservative Southern Baptist preachers such as Rogers is that they ignore and neglect the hard things of the Christian ministry, such as marking and avoiding false teachers. Instead of shaking Crouch's hand and giving the viewers the impression that he supports this man, Rogers should be lifting his voice to plainly warn his listeners of Crouch's dangerous heresies. Dr. Rogers does give warnings, but they are vague and non-specific. That is not the example given to us by the faithful Apostle Paul. He didn't hesitate to name the names of false teachers and compromisers. (David W. Cloud, 9/21/01, Fund. Baptist Information Svc., P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org)

PEDERSON IS NEW NRB PRESIDENT—National Religious Broadcasters Chairman Wayne Pederson is the new NRB president and chief operating officer. He succeeds Dr. E. Brandt Gustavson, who died of cancer in May. Pederson, currently executive vice president at Northwestern Radio in St. Paul, Minn., will begin with NRB part-time Oct 1, then will relocate to Manassas, Va., to begin full-time work by Jan. 1. The 54-year-old has spent his entire career in Christian broadcasting, earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and broadcasting from the University of Minnesota, then later earned a master of theology from Free Lutheran Theological Seminary in Minneapolis. The NRB is an ecumenical association of more than 1,400 religious communicators. It promotes standards of excellence, integrity and accountability, and provides networking opportunities for its members.

DR. BILL BRIGHT WORKS WITH CHARISMATICS, CATHOLICS—The 10/01 Charisma says Bill Bright is a bridge-builder who considers healing evangelist Benny Hinn “a dear friend.” It says there was a time, though, when controversy over charismatic gifts cut to the heart of Bright's ministry and home. “As the Jesus Movement touched colleges…during the 1970s, Campus Crusade introduced a policy that banned staff from speaking in tongues or advocating its practice. When Bright's son, Zac, experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the clash of views caused him to leave the ministry and the family home.” They reconciled before long and Campus rescinded its “hard-line” stand, but still precludes tongues in public meetings. Bright says he's a Presbyterian, yet: “I work with everybody who loves Jesus, whether they be charismatic or Catholic, Orthodox or mainliner.” He adds: “I'm a classical Christian…I'm not an evangelical. I'm not a fundamentalist. I'm not Orthodox. I'm just a follower of Jesus in the traditional New Testament sense.” Charisma says “In many parts of the world, Campus workers labor closely with charismatic…believers.”

CWA NAMES NEW PRESIDENT—Beverly LaHaye, founder and chairman of Concerned Women for America (CWA), recently announced the appointment of Sandy Rios as president. Rios is a Chicago radio talk show host, musician and singer and mother of two grown children, one of whom is severely disabled. Rios says she has a heart for those often overlooked in the cultural battle for the soul of America. "Mrs. LaHaye…taught us a lesson in founding CWA to show that the radical feminists do not speak for mainstream American women….Young people and minorities can and must have a voice in promoting the effective Bible-based values we share. I want to help Mrs. LaHaye reach out to make sure those voices are heard too." Rios will relocate to metropolitan Washington and begin with CWA on October 15. CWA is the nation's largest public policy women's organization. It is conservative, pro-life, but ecumenical.

NEW EVANGELICALISM—The New Evangelicalism is a theological and moral compromise of the deadliest sort. It is an insidious attack upon the Word of God. No more subtle menace has confronted the church of Christ since the Protestant Reformation….It is deadly for several reasons. First, because it originated not outside evangelical circles as an attack from without but within these circles as a form of theological erosion. Second, because it is in some instances championed by men who for years have been known as Bible-believing evangelicals. Some of these men indeed were once defenders of the faith. They have gained the confidence of a multitude who will be slow to believe that their views have changed and who may be led to follow them in their compromises. Third, because it is not a clearly defined system of alien theology which Bible-believers may refute point by point. Discernment is needed to detect its insidious nature. Fourth, because it emphasizes love at the expense of doctrine and stresses societal aspects of the gospel. Orthodox believers who oppose its false teaching run the risk of being regarded as unloving or anti-social….Fifth, because it courts and caters to the theological intelligentsia of the liberal camp and implies that those who do not share its views are unenlightened. Pastors who have had little formal academic training may find this frustrating. Sixth, because many Christians are being brainwashed by its false but appealing views. As the result, a doctrinal and ethical letdown is discernible in many areas of church life. Seventh, because the camel's nose of the New Evangelicalism is already in the Christian tent. The camel is pushing hard to get its entire body in. [This article is by Dr. Charles Woodbridge, 10/01 Gospel Standard.]

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