VOL. XIX  NO. 11      NEWS & VIEWS, NOTES & QUOTES, TO WARN & INFORM        August 2002

TAXPAYERS MUST PAY FOR CYBERPORN IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES—A federal court recently ruled that a Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), requiring Web filters at public libraries, is unconstitutional (6/15 World).The three-judge panel said legislatures cannot force public libraries to install software that blocks sexually explicit sites from their public computers. This forces taxpayers to pay for people to view public pornography in public libraries. What next?

MASONRY & SOUTHERN BAPTISTS—Messengers at the recent Southern Baptist Convention rejected voting on a resolution describing Freemasonry as incompatible with Christianity. An estimated 500,000 to 1.3 million Southern Baptists, including an estimated 15 percent of SBC pastors and 18 percent of SBC deacons, are members of the Masonic Lodge (6/24 Chr. News). Masons are not a harmless fraternity but indeed a dangerous religion. Its own books say it is a religion. It teaches that Jesus is not God and that a person must work his way to heaven. (See 12/1/97 & 2/1/02 CC s.)

SAUDIS 'WORST RELIGIOUS FREEDOM VIOLATORS'—Saudi Arabia tops the list of religious freedom violators. It is a charter member of the United Nations, yet it brazenly ignores the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which asserts the right to profess, propagate and change faith (7/8 C. Today). Pakistan, another of our allies in the war on terror, keeps terrorizing non-Muslims and imprisoning Christians.

DR. FALWELL, IS HAGEE NO LONGER A HERETIC?—We have a copy of Jerry Falwell's May 6, 1994 The Liberty Flame (now defunct?), with the front page headline "John Hagee: Heretic?" We now see the same John Hagee pictured and listed on page 2 of Jerry Falwell's July 2002 National Liberty Journal to bring a Patriotic Message for Falwell's Independence Day Celebration (July 3). Is Hagee no longer a heretic, as the 1994 article quoted Paige Patterson and newspapers as suggesting? The main problem was Hagee's "Two Covenant" belief (see 6/15/94 CC ). If he no longer believes it, or was misquoted, he should explain his belief. The 1994 article said in 1975 Hagee resigned as pastor of a charismatic church saying his marriage was over and he had become "immoral" in personal conduct. He became pastor of Cornerstone Church (San Antonio) and remarried in 1975. His Web site July 2002 listed a "Cornerstone Fourth of July Campmeeting featuring "Pastor Hagee and his guests, Bishop T.D. Jakes, John Maxwell, Jesse Duplantis…." Jakes and Duplantis are charismatics. Jakes was recently accused of being a "Oneness Pentecostal," which denies the Trinity.

BENEDICTS OPEN FOR MEETINGS—Willard and Donna Benedict have just completed a ministry in church planting and are open to minister in Bible/mission conferences. Reach them at: 9442 SE 174
th Loop, Summerfield, FL 34491-6457.

NEW BOOK ON BILL GOTHARD —Ron Hensel and Don and Joy Veinot have authored a new book, A Matter of Principles , endorsed by leading Evangelical leaders. It gives the background and cultural setting for an in-depth analysis of Bill Gothard's teachings. Hensel is completing a Master's degree at Wheaton; the Veinots are staff researchers and writers for Midwest Outreach Journal. Gothard is president of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. They acknowledge his sincerity and cite his phenomenal popularity. But they charge him with many "strange" and inconsistent teachings and practices—his "chain of command" authority structure teaching, his courtship views, his twisting and misuse of Scripture, taking things out of context, etc. The "strange" teachings include: necessity of circumcision for Christians, arranged marriages and a ritual that engages a daughter to her father until marriage, an unscriptural "chain of command" authority system, belief that no one should ever go against parental counsel, no matter how old the child or wicked the parents—and even when they tell us to perform actions we believe to be contrary to God's will (unless it's against the direct command of God), teaches that loneliness is sin that must be repented of, embraces the Galatian error on sanctification, says grace as unmerited favor is a faulty definition (says "grace is merited by a person's humility."). He says grace for salvation is not merited, but cites Noah, Moses and Gideon as OT examples of those who found grace and "possessed qualities that merited God's favor." The authors discuss Gothard's "cover up" of a 1980 sex scandal involving his brother Steve (IBLP v-p) who "confessed to deception and fornication with several women." Far from being a Fundamentalist screed, the book is endorsed by many (and mostly) New Evangelicals. Including: Two SBC seminary professors, a Dallas Seminary professor, and Dr. Jay Adams. We have carried several articles in past years warning about some of Gothard's dangerous doctrines and practices (e.g., 4/1/97 CC ). The 383-page book can be ordered from: Midwest Christian Outreach, PO Box 455, Lombard, IL 60148, Phone 630/627-9028,
www.midwestoutreach.org . Price is $15.99 +. p&h.

ALCOHOL'S IMPACT ON CAMPUS—A deeply ingrained culture has developed on U.S. college campuses that promotes the drinking of alcoholic beverages, with thousands of deaths, injuries, sexual assaults and health problems, per a new report (6/10 Chr. News). Another study revealed a significant increase in binge drinking at schools for women.

DID JESUS SIN?—Barna Research Group says a quarter of Americans feel strongly that Jesus sinned when he lived on earth. "Feel strongly" is the trouble. Many today let feelings take precedence over doctrines of the Word of God. To suggest that Jesus may have committed sins when He lived on earth is blasphemy. If He sinned, He couldn't be our Savior.

FALWELL & CHARISMATICS
—Dr. Jerry Falwell has a long history of working with charismatics, dating back to Moral Majority and PTL days. Charismatic leader Stephen Strang, publisher of the movement's main magazine (Charisma), paid a 1997 bridge-building visit to Falwell and came away praising his openness to charismatics (see 10/15/97 CC). Falwell has platform-shared and participated with several charismatics, such as at the 1996 Washington for Jesus Rally with Rock Church pastor John Gimenez. (6/15/96 CC). He featured Jim Cymbala and his Brooklyn Tabernacle choir at his Super Conference '99. Cymbala is reportedly a charismatic, and indeed runs in those circles (see 9/15/99 & 2/1/01 CCs). Falwell also paid tribute to and praised "false prophet" Benny Hinn (8/15/00, 4/1/00, & 12/15/99 CCs). Falwell announced in his 7/02 National Liberty Journal that John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio is a July 3 featured speaker at Falwell's church. Hagee is a dynamic preacher against the moral sins of our day but is solidly linked to the charismatic movement. He has pulpit-shared with Hinn and Oral Roberts, and received an honorary degree from ORU. Falwell had a long article in his 5/6/94 Liberty Flame titled "John Hagee: Heretic?" (see 6/15/94 CC).

DAVE WYRTZEN MINISTERS AT GRAHAM CENTER—Dave Wyrtzen is offended that a May 21 Chr. Today article linked his father (Word of Life founder) Jack Wyrtzen with Carl McIntire and Bob Jones, Jr. in labeling Billy Graham a liberal (7/8 Chr. Today). He said his father "deeply respected the biblical purity of Billy's lifelong gospel message and remained personal friends" with Graham. [Note: We would question the "biblical purity" of Graham's gospel.] Wyrtzen went on to say: "Jack did not consider Billy his enemy, and with my brother Don, I look forward to ministering this summer at the Billy Graham Training Center." Note how unscriptural and fraught with danger Dave's last sentence is: "Dad's legacy taught us that 'friendship' and 'the communion of saints' were far more important than separatism and jealous controversy." What a sad legacy, this deprecation of the biblical doctrine of separation!

THE CULT OF JABEZ is the title of a new 118-page book by Steve Hopkins. He makes the case that the loud clamor of prayers by millions in the wealthiest nation, making personal demands that God "bless me, bless ME a lot, etc.," are drowning out prayers of suffering believers. Hopkins says: "All across the world believers in Christ are suffering in need of the basic necessities for daily survival. Yet while they are being persecuted and martyred for their faith in Jesus, millions of professing Christians in America and Europe covet a life of perpetual ease, and plenty." He quotes extensively from Bruce Wilkinson's three Jabez books and says the recitation of words or prayers ("vain repetitions," "incantations") is "the cornerstone of the occultic teachings of witchcraft and sorcery." You can get Hopkins' book from: COJ Book Offer, Bethel Press, Box 777, Burnet, TX 78611. Price is $12 (including s&h). Ten or more rate is $5.39 each.

FBF RESOLUTION ON NEW EVANGELICALISM IN FUNDAMENTALISM—Realizing that significant numbers of professing Fundamentalists continue to drift into New Evangelicalism, we grieve over this departure from Biblical separation and call for an unwavering commitment to a bold, militant defense of truth. As Fundamentalists, we must be willing to point out error and deal with it honestly, and when necessary, to separate from New Evangelicalism posing as Fundamentalism. We reaffirm our beliefs and practices concerning ecclesiastical and personal separation, and resolve to model Biblical love, intellectual honesty, diligent study, Scriptural preaching, appropriate debate, Holy Spirit dependence, joyful endurance, pure character, and gentleness of spirit, but deplore and forsake hypocrisy, unapproachableness, rashness, reactionism, contentiousness, and unteachableness.

GRAHAM DOESN'T WARN LAMB OF WOLVES—Billy Graham, quoted in 5-6 Foundation from 10/10/99 St. Louis Dispatch: "I am not a pastor of a church. That's not my responsibility. My responsibility is to preach the Gospel to everyone and let them choose their own church, whether it is Catholic or Protestant or Orthodox or whatever it is. And to me that's between an individual and a church and God."

IBFNA RESOLUTION: RESPONDING TO COMPROMISE IN THE GARBC—WHEREAS, the Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America (IBFNA) exists to lead the cause for Biblical Separation and this leadership requires both teaching the truth and warning against compromise (Col. 1:28), and WHEREAS, continuing compromise is evident in many of the churches affiliated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC) and its partnering schools and agencies, and WHEREAS, symptomatic of this compromise is the appointment of Dr. William Brown, currently the president of new-evangelical Bryan College (Dayton, TN) as the next president of Cedarville University, and WHEREAS, this appointment continues the theological decline Cedarville University has pursued for many years under the leadership of its retiring president, Dr. Paul Dixon, as demonstrated by the speakers in its chapel pulpit, the lack of separatist teaching in its classrooms, the rapid descent into worldliness in its most recent jazz festival, and the discarding of its former musical and theological standards, and WHEREAS, the GARBC is cooperating with the theological compromise of Cedarville University, the site of the 2oo2 Annual Conference, through its partnering relationship, and WHEREAS, partnering has proved no better than the approval system but has only served to deflect criticism of the GARBC, and WHEREAS, we recognize that there are several of our fundamentalist brethren who remain in the GARBC, BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we, the members of the IBFNA meeting in Annual Conference in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, June 25-27, 2002, do affirm that affiliation with the GARBC is inconsistent with the Biblical Doctrine of Separation that has been the very purpose of the IBFNA from its inception. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we encourage all of our fundamentalist brethren to withdraw from the GARBC and that they rally together with the IBFNA in raising high the standard carried by the separatist founders of the GARBC. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that we instruct the Editor of the IBFNA Review to provide Pastors and church members with current information about the compromise in the GARBC so that the IBFNA continues to follow the example of Dr. Robert T. Ketcham, Dr. Paul R. Jackson, and other past leaders of the GARBC, who challenged the compromises of their day and defended Biblical Separation in official GARBC publications.

NEW BOOK ON HOLY LAND—Dr. Stewart Custer served many years as chairman of the Division of Bible at BJU and currently pastors Trinity Bible Church at Greer, SC. He and his wife have led numerous tours of the Holy Land. He has a fabulous big book, Stones of Witness—an extraordinary collection of photos of Holy Land sights (best we've ever seen!) with an artfully-weaved concise text. You can order this 236-page book and CD from Janella Murry, BJU Press. Phone: 864/242-5100, Ext. 4350. E-mail: jmurry@bjup.com

IBFNA CONFERENCE REPORT—The 12th Annual Family Bible Conference of the Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America took place June 25-27 at Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The preaching, music, and fellowship were good (see June CC for list of speakers). Officers elected to new two-year terms were: Jeff Bailey is the new Moderator, succeeding Dr. Clay Nuttall; Dan Brown is the new IBFNA Secretary; and Tom Hamilton is Treasurer. Dave Reinhardt is the new Editor of The Review, succeeding Paul Gustine. Next year's meeting is tentatively set for Norwich, Conn.

IBFNA HONORS CC EDITOR—The Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America presented its Watchman Award to this editor at its annual convention June 27. A plaque with the Ezek. 3:17 verse had this notation: "For His Contributions to Our Fellowship and the Cause of Fundamentalism as Editor of the Calvary Contender." What an undeserved surprise!

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