VOL. XIX  NO. 12     NEWS & VIEWS, NOTES & QUOTES, TO WARN & INFORM    September 2002

SWEDEN'S 'HATE SPEECH' LAW—Swedish lawmakers have given initial approval to a law that could have a chilling effect on preaching against active homosexuality (8/5 CT). Sweden's parliament passed a bill criminalizing “hate speech” against homosexuals. A final reading is set for this fall.

DANGERS IN CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES—David Cloud has a video by this title [Way of Life, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866/295-4143 (toll free)] of a message where he lists seven “dangers” (books and authors), and gives supporting evidence for dangerous philosophies of positivism, ecumenicism, anti-fundamentalism, charismatism, church growth, psychology, and miscellaneous heresies and heretics. Surging sales have made the evangelical and charismatic book market go mainstream. Secular publishers are buying up some Christian companies, so books now more than ever, need to be screened for doctrinal purity. Linda Hoff, manager of the Maranatha Christian bookstore in Cleveland says (6/29 Houston Chronicle): “Every time a Christian company is bought by a secular company we cringe because you don't know what is going to come out of them next.”

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS UNMASKED—Dr. Cathy Burns has released a new expanded edition of her 1991 book by this title (see 5/15/92 CC). She has mainly added more on the occult foundations of AA, and a new chapter on how Rockefeller and his friends helped finance and promote AA. This well-documented book gives a surprising glimpse into the lives of AA's co-founders, a look at the Twelve Steps, and an assessment of how effective its program really is. It presents many facts about alcoholism and its effect on the body, and gives a message of hope and deliverance. You may order this book from: Sharing, 212 E. Seventh St., Mt.. Carmel, PA 17851. Retail price is $11.95 + $1.75 postage.

WARNING ON CCM—David Cloud has a 2-hour video tape which gives a timely warning on the inroads made by Contemporary Christian Music into fundamental churches. This takes various forms and he shows excerpts of these from conferences he has attended, etc. CCM is a controversial subject today but its corruption cannot be written off as a “preference” difference. To find out how to receive the video, or a huge book on CCM—or to subscribe to Bro. Cloud's O Timothy magazine—contact him at 866/295-4143 (toll free), or fbns@wayoflife.org, or http://wayoflife.org/~dcloud .

CONFUSED COLLEGIANS—Per a recent survey: 37% of all college students said they would be “likely to try to evade the draft;” 71% disagree with the statement that U.S. values are superior to those of other nations; 79% do not believe western culture is superior to Arab culture; 61% say they generally have a favorable opinion of Islam; and that 57% believe the policies of the U.S. are “at least somewhat responsible” for the September 11 terrorist attacks. (July/August 2002 World).

AMY GRANT RETURNS—Recently divorced-and-remarried “Christian” rock star Amy Grant is back with not one but two albums—one aimed at reviving old hymns, the other at the pop market. She began her career as a CCM singer but crossed over into secular rock, throwing the CCM industry into an identity crisis (2/1/99 CC). She grew up in Nashville, the daughter of a surgeon. Her family belonged to a Church of Christ (“works salvation”) church. A 6/15 Houston Chronicle article notes: “Looking back at the hundreds of church services she attended as a child, Christian music star Amy Grant can't recall one sermon. It's the music that got to her.” Music can be a strong power for good or evil. CCM/rock today is having a corrupting power and influence in many fundamentalist churches which ignore it at their peril.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD USES TAXPAYER FUNDS—Planned Parenthood is America's largest aborter of unborn babies. Its 128 affiliates operate 875 clinics in 48 states and DC. It is now trying to bring sex education programs and abortion counseling into churches, calling its programs “faith-based initiatives” (7/27 World). PP uses taxpayer dollars not only to kill unborn babies, but also to cover up the sexual abuse of minor children. Life Dynamics, via undercover phone calls to all PP clinics, found that about 8 in 10 PP workers who agreed on tape to conceal evidence of child sex abuse (8/10 World). School districts are now being warned of potential legal liability if they refer minor children to PP.

VOUCHER RULING A BIG PLUM FOR CATHOLICS—The Supreme Court in a Cleveland case recently ruled that tuition vouchers are constitutional. This is a big financial windfall for the Roman Catholic parochial school system. Bob Ross says (7/8 Chr. News) that this means “most of the voucher money will go into the coffers of schools under the operational control of unmarried priests, nuns and their superiors, many of whom have been publicly implicated in recent months and years with pedophilia and homosexuality.”

I.R.A. APOLOGIZES—The Irish Republican Army has apologized for killing hundreds of civilians in its three-decade-long reign of terror. Some Protestant groups have also perpetrated violence, but the most violence by far has come from the IRA. The Providence Journal (8/7 HT) says: “The IRA has often been a murderous organization and well peopled with thugs, thieves and other criminals.” The PJ also mentioned the IRA's links to foreign terror groups.

'PENSACOLA OUTPOURING' BUILDING BURNED—Lightning struck the roof of the 2,200-seat Brownsville Assembly of God church on July 4, setting it ablaze and causing an estimated $1 million in damage (7/27 World). This was a center for the “laughing revival” in recent years, where people were “slain in the Spirit,” laying on the floor for hours, and other weird charismatic happenings took place. (See 10/15/98 CC).

CBF WANTS TO JOIN BWA, SBC OBJECTS—The liberal Baptist World Alliance is the international umbrella entity of Baptists. Founded in 1905, it represents over 200 Baptist unions and conventions that include about 44.5 million baptized believers and 110 million worshipers in 193,000 Baptist churches. The Southern Baptist Convention, a founding member of the BWA, is its largest member body with 16 million church members. It also funds about 20 percent of BWA's $2.1 million annual budget. (7/18 Ala. Baptist) The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, established in 1991, is a liberal breakaway group from the SBC. The 11-year conflict arose again recently at a BWA meeting in Spain, over SBC's opposition to CBF's application for BWA membership.

MORE CBF LIBERALISM—The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a breakaway organization of moderates and liberals. Last year, a CBF auxiliary partner ministry featured a breakfast rife with stridently feminist God language and had songs and prayers to “Mother God.” (See 9/15/01 CC.) This year's meeting in Fort Worth was marked by allegations of plagiarism by CBF Resource Coordinator Reba Cobb of a 1970s-era sermon from a book said to be “a full-orbed defense of the far left of American religious feminism.” This source of her speech contained lesbian and erotic writings (7/8 Chr. News). CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal wants dialogue with Muslims and said the CBF is committed to interfaith dialogue (7/11 Ala.Bapt.). The national CBF elected a Missouri woman, Cynthia Holmes, as moderator-elect.

RECENT NEW COLLEGE LEADERS—Dr. William E. Brown, president of Bryan College since 1992, is to succeed Dr. Paul Dixon as president of Cedarville University (GARBC partner) in early 2003. *** Dr. George D. Youstra recently announced his retirement as president of Clearwater Christian College and Dr. Richard A. Stratton is the new president-elect. *** Dr. Matt Olson succeeds Dr. Les Ollila as president of Northland Baptist Bible College. *** Dr. Tim Jordan became Chancellor of Calvary Baptist Seminary and is succeeded as President by Dr. David Burggraff. *** Dr. David Bouler was elected President of Tennessee Temple University succeeding Dr. Roger Stiles who became V-P. (Dr. Barkev Trachian is Temple Baptist Seminary President.)

SPONG'S 'NEW CHRISTIANITY'—Former Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong denies the Trinity, Christ's deity and resurrection, and many other tenets of historical Christianity. He now proposes a “new Christianity” which must be able to “incorporate all of our reality. It must be able to allow God and Satan to come together in each of us….It must unite Christ with Antichrist, Jesus with Judas, male with female, heterosexual with homosexual” (7-8 World).

DE HAAN SUCCUMBS TO PARKINSON'S—Richard W. De Haan, former head of RBC Ministries and creator in 1968 of the weekly Day of Discovery TV program, died in July. He was 79 and suffered from Parkinson's disease. He took over his family's broadcast ministry when his father, well-known Bible teacher M.R. De Haan, died in 1965. He was the voice of the daily “Radio Bible Class” for over 30 years until his retirement in 1985 (8/10 World). He attended Wheaton and Calvin colleges and Northern Baptist Seminary and generally continued the scriptural teaching of his father. We have disagreed with their teaching that Jesus could have sinned, and have long been concerned about the drift toward New Evangelicalism. Liberals and New Evangelicals were sometimes quoted in Our Daily Bread devotional booklets.

FORMER CT EDITOR KENNETH KANTZER DIES—Dr. Kenneth Kantzer, 85, died June 20. He had a Ph.D. from Harvard, taught at Wheaton and Trinity, and was editor of the new-evangelical Christianity Today from 1978 to 1982. He praised the Pope and referred to him as “the successor of St. Peter” in the 9/6/85 CT. He said of hell: “But when Jesus spoke of flames…these are most likely figurative warnings.”

WHITHER TENNESSEE TEMPLE UNIVERSITY?—We would like to be able to sincerely recommend Tennessee Temple Schools (and Temple Baptist Seminary). After all, it's only a little over 100 miles from us (closer than any other such “evangelical” entity), and we have found their professors (the ones we've met through the years) to be nice folks. So, what's the problem? It's one that few ever mention anymore—the doctrine of Biblical separation! Routinely and habitually, year after year, TTU/TBS invites speakers identified, in varying degrees, as being in the New Evangelical camp. Some are reputed to be ecumenicals. Listed speakers in recent years include the following: Drs. Warren Wiersbe, Stephen Olford (So. Baptist), Mark Senter (Trinity Int'l U.), Walter Kaiser (Gordon-Conwell Sem.), Tom Mahairas, Kenn Gangel (Dallas/Toccoa), Eugene Merrill (DTS?), and Gary Habermas (Liberty U., defender of Shroud of Turin hoax). Trinity, Gordon-Conwell, Dallas, and Liberty have all for years taken a New Evangelical stance. TTU Pres. Dr. David Bouler was listed to speak at Word of Life and WOL's Dr. Joe Jordan was to speak at TTU last month. (See 8/02 CC for the “legacy” WOL founder Jack Wyrtzen left on separation.) We know of no one who is perfect on this issue, but should it not grieve all of us when this Bible doctrine is so ignored?

PASTORS, CHURCHES MUST TEACH DOCTRINE—A doctrineless people will soon become a directionless people. They have no anchorage and no sense of direction. They are without guidance…A doctrineless people is a spineless people. They have no great convictions to put strength into their characters. They have no principles for which to fight. They do not know what the controversy means. They have no criteria nor canons for evaluation. They do not sense the dangers or the issues involved. Therefore, they are supine and soft and easily succumb. (April 2002, Baptist Banner)

'SILENT' EVANGELICALS ARE USED BY WCC COMMITTEES—Thomas Oden, Drew University professor and executive editor of Christianity Today, pleads for unity in the August 5 CT and says the growing half of the world church is not liberal, but evangelical, charismatic, and Pentecostal. He writes: “A few evangelicals appear on WCC committees, but these are typically 'safe' evangelicals who will not offer substantive critique of the Geneva office [of WCC], and whose attendance makes the WCC appear to be evangelically acceptable.” Oden says this won't work. “Not until the WCC receives centrist evangelicals as equal partners can there be constructive engagement.” Why do evangelicals want to be “unequally yoked” with the apostate world religion of the leftist WCC? God's Word commands separation.

'EQUALLY PARTNERED' OR 'UNEQUALLY YOKED'?—Thomas Oden, executive editor of Christianity Today, wants the liberal World Council of Churches to “receive” the World Evangelical Alliance as an “equal partner” (or vice versa). He says: “Some in the WEA would love to see [it] lurch in more liberal directions in environmental and government regulatory policy, while some in the WCC would like to see more biblical and classical Christian teaching.” The Global Christian Forum appears to look beyond the WCC to include evangelicals, Pentecostals, Roman Catholics and the Orthodox (8/5 CT). Oden says: “Oddly, there is more conversation between evangelicals and Catholics than between liberal and evangelical Protestants.” He laments the divisions that ecumenism has caused and continues to reinforce.

DISCIPLES OF MCINTIRE is the title of a new book by Dr. Timothy Tow. He relates how he became Dr. Carl McIntire's disciple and gives some history of the WCC/ICCC and the Bible Presbyterian Church in Singapore, etc. He has an interesting closing chapter on “McIntire's Maxims.” Some may disagree with the few pages devoted to “Christian Sabbath,” KJB, Scofieldism, etc. Get this 131-page book from Far Eastern Bible College, Email: febc@pacific.net.sg, or visit the Web site at: http://www.lifefebc.com

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