'CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN' AN OXYMORON—Is a Roman Catholic truly a Christian or should the combination of the words "Roman Catholic Christian" be considered an oxymoron? Webster defines an oxymoron as "a combination of contradictory words." So if we define "Christian" as one who believes the Gospel and a "Roman Catholic" as one who believes the official teachings and traditions of Roman Catholicism, we must conclude that a "Roman Catholic Christian" is indeed an oxymoron. It is utterly impossible to believe two opposing views simultaneously. [From a tract by Mike Gendron who goes on to show that "Biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism stand in opposition to one another as shown by the following contrasts…." Get this excellent tract, and use it to evangelize Catholics, from: P.O. Box 940871, Plano, TX 75094, or e-mail: ptg@pro-gospel.org]

THE AUDACITY OF MEXICO'S FOX—Mexican Pres. Vicente Fox spoke in Milwaukee July 17 to 2,300 people sponsored by a Hispanic-U.S. group. Attacking "current immigration policies," he demanded "an integrated Mexican-U.S. labor market." Fox demanded that U.S. laws be rewritten [for] open borders between the U.S. and Mexico, that we give illegal aliens U.S. driver's licenses (even though they can't read road signs and don't have insurance), and that we give Mexican illegals university education and other taxpayer-paid benefits. He demanded that we exempt Mexico from limits on immigration. He called for full legalization of illegal aliens. Fox also demanded that the U.S. increase foreign aid to Mexico. He didn't offer us anything in return except poor, uneducated, unemployed workers who can't find jobs in Mexico's corrupt socialist economy. [8/15 Eagle Forum]

ABC TO DO PUFF SERIES ON HOMOSEXUALS?—Disney-owned ABC will run a full week of Nightline programs this fall focusing on homosexuals. USA Today reports Ted Koppel will start the series with a profile of the nation's only homosexual retirement community in Fla. The series will apparently try to portray homosexuals as living normal lives, attending church, bowling, and facing stress at work (WITW). This is part of the ongoing effort to cast sinful homosexuality in a favorable light.

RESPONSES TO SURVEY ON ALCOHOL—The Aug. 3 Sword of the Lord reported the responses to a survey on various issues including alcohol: "Tax on alcohol should go up to equal or exceed that on cigarettes." "No alcohol [should be] served in the White House." "Alcohol sold at gas stations is just stupid." "There should be a crackdown on alcohol—advertisement, sale and use!"….

THE RAPID DECAY IN SACRED MUSIC—Only a true believer who has repented of his sins and received the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior will be able to distinguish between music of the world and music that is worthy of worship. The unsaved person is not able to know right from wrong when it comes to spiritual matters because he does not have the dwelling of the Holy Spirit within. We cannot place blame upon the young or babes in Christ. The tragedy today is that churches throughout our nation have made it so easy for people to become members that memberships are loaded with unconverted people whose lives have never been changed. These people are often found on the church music committees and make decisions as to the choice in music. They are of the world and therefore cannot discern between spiritual light and darkness. Even if they should happen to be excellent musicians, they still cannot begin to comprehend what Bible separation is all about. Though they may be intelligent, highly educated people, they cannot understand why contemporary music (for the most part) is of the world and not of God. "For the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). [The above is an excerpt from a new book by Dr. Gordon Sears & Sons. He wrote other books exposing the "evils" of CCM in churches (available from songfest@cbpu.com or P.O. Box 182, Coldwater, MI 49036). He went to be with the Lord July 31. We are told that Dr. Alfred Smith was called home in August. These two music greats will be missed.]

NOTE: A line in the 6/1 CC "Illegal Aliens" article should have read: "Most illegals are Catholic, and seem oriented toward and tend to become liberal Democrats."

ARCHBISHOP LEAVES WIFE FOR CATHOLICISM—A Zambian archbishop was married May 27 to a South Korean doctor in a mass ceremony by Sun Myung Moon. The Vatican has now released a letter which states that the archbishop renounces ties to Moon, his wife (now on a hunger strike), and recommits himself to the Catholic Church as the pope's "humble and obedient servant."

LEROY JENKINS, 'FAITH HEALER'—Flamboyant faith-healer evangelist Leroy Jenkins was convicted of arson conspiracy in 1979, but his Healing Waters Cathedral (Delaware, Ohio) is now an enterprise with nationwide TV broadcasts and sales of "healing water." The thrice-married evangelist is said to combine "a little bit of Jesus, and a little bit of Elvis." His Las Vegas controversial marriage last Jan. 12 (later annulled), 16 days after his 71-year-old bride's husband died, drew charges from her family that Jenkins wanted her fortune of about $4 million (8/4 Huntsville Times). Aw, surely not!

ECKSTEIN BUILDS BRIDGES - CHRISTIANS, JEWS—Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein is president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. He was recently invited to air a weekly half-hour worldwide broadcast on TBN (Paul/Jan Crouch's Trinity Broadcasting Network) – the first time in history that a Jew will have an ongoing slot on the charismatic station. His vision is that Christians and Jews can dialogue and fellowship with each other on issues of common concern. But 1 John 1:7 & 2 Cor. 6:14 forbid such fellowship. A Religion Today article says "the identity of the Messiah remains the core dividing point." It was thus when Jesus was on earth. John 7:43 says "So there was a division among the people because of him." Eckstein says Jews have a special covenant with God that does not require the Christian concept of salvation (9/15/98 CC). He likes Jerry Falwell's position of not having a "special targeted ministry toward the Jewish people." But we must lovingly "target" all those outside Christ for the Gospel and not play word games with serious matters.

DIALOGUE FORGES AN UNBIBLICAL UNITY—Today we witness an unprecedented capitulation to Romanism by new evangelicals on a deceptive slippery slope fraught with danger. The May-June Foundation warned: "While both Roman Catholics and those with whom they dialogue tend to twist terms and definitions and play semantic word games in an attempt to forge unbiblical unity, faithful believers must refuse to dialogue or unite with those who preach a false gospel. All who embrace false doctrine possess the spirit of antichrist, and this spirit of ecumenicity is prevalent in the world today. God's Word clearly commands us to 'have no fellowship,' 'avoid' and 'withdraw' from those who teach false doctrine (Rom. 16-17, Eph. 5:11) and from those brethren who disobediently unite with such false teachers (2Thes. 3:6, 14-15). Dialogue, consensus or conciliatory diversity is not an option!" The false premise in dialogue is that we can scripturally work together in unity if we can overcome doctrinal differences.

FUNDAMENTALISTS ARE CULTS IN SOME PLACES—C.E.C. Pres. Bill Jackson wrote us in an 8/15 e-mail: "You and others have been remarking about the loss of freedom for Fundamentalists in France. Today I read the 8/19 Our Sunday Visitor (RC) and see a headline: 'Signs of renewed life in the Church in France? A century after the French kicked the Catholic religious orders out of the country, a rebirth is taking place.' Do you think there is a connection?" I don't know. It looks suspicious. There well could be. Russian Orthodox, Catholics, and others in many places in the world today consider fundamentalists, evangelicals, and Pentecostals as "sects," or "cults" and lump them all together with the real cults.

CASHING IN WITH JABEZ AND CHARISMATICS—Bruce Wilkinson is listed as a speaker at the next NRB meeting. His Prayer of Jabez has sold over 11 million copies and made him popular with charismatics (see 8/15 CC). A large ad in the Houston Chronicle has him speaking at the huge Lakewood Church (charismatic) there, charging $15/individual, $25/couple. The ad says "You will learn to release God's favor and power in your life."

PUBLIC ERROR MUST BE CORRECTED PUBLICLY—Dave Hunt answers a reader's question thusly (8/01 The Berean Call): "…It is not a matter of pointing out 'faults,' but of correcting unbiblical doctrine and behavior. Publicly taught doctrinal error must be corrected publicly for the benefit of those who have been misled thereby. In fact, correction should be a major goal of any teaching from God's Word. Paul tells Timothy that the purpose of Scripture is 'for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness' (2 Tim. 3:16). Indeed, the major part of the 22 epistles involves correction! It is impossible to teach sound doctrine and to instruct in righteousness without warning concerning what is false. Thus Paul declares that to 'preach the word' one must 'reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine' (2 Tim. 4:2). And reproof and correction are incomplete without specifically identifying the offenders. How many of today's popular Christian leaders are being true to God's Word in this regard? Could that be a major missing element in today's church, explaining at least in part why so many 'will not endure sound doctrine'?…"

CONGRATULATIONS, BWM!—Baptist World Mission marks its 40^th anniversary, Sept. 15. The Fundamental Baptist Fellowship at its recent meeting, in a resolution, recalled the close fellowship the two organizations have enjoyed over the years. The FBF, at the urging of the CBA of Colorado, convened a meeting in 1961 at Marquette Manor Baptist Church, on Chicago's South Side, calling Drs. Ed Nelson, Wayne VanGelderen, Sr. of the CBA (Colo.), and Drs. Monroe Parker, Ernest Pickering, and Richard V. Clearwaters (Minn.). By early 1962, a constitution was drafted, a board elected, and George Mensik appointed as the first missionary. There has been no organic relationship between the FBF and BWM, but they share the same roots and are blessed by a fraternal relationship. BWM Executive Director Dr. Fred J. Moritz is a member of both boards [and also a member of our Calvary Baptist Church!]. BWM (P.O. Box 2149, Decatur, Ala. 35602), now has over 300 missionaries in 49 countries, planting churches worldwide.

PERSONAL NOTE REGARDING CC EDITOR—I was diagnosed June 5 as having definite symptoms of early stage Parkinson's disease. In my case, these include: minor hand tremor and handwriting problem at times; a stooped, head-down, shoulders-drooped stance; slowed speech and thinking; rigidity; and slight occasional tremor in right leg. The neurologist said there are two schools of thought concerning when to start medication. I am opting for the time being to delay starting this, since there is a possibility of losing its effectiveness later when I might need it most. PD is not contagious, but there is no cure. Current plans are, with the Lord's enablement, to keep going with the CC at the regular pace of 24 issues a year. I am hopelessly behind on filing, however (files have become huge piles!), and on other things, and so I may combine the twice-monthly issues into one from time to time, but I hope to have at least 20 issues/year for the foreseeable future. I covet your prayers for all this. Our times are in His hands, Maranatha! [Billy Graham, the Pope, Janet Reno, Michael J. Fox, Mohammed Ali, Johnny Cash, Dr. Paul Tassell, and Dr. E. R. Jordan have PD.]

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