Judge Can Bypass Parents For Abortion Permission - It is called a "judicial bypass." The corrupt arteries of the heart of government has given a new route for teenage pregnancy. Parents of a girl under age 18 must be notified before an abortion can be performed. The only condition that can be otherwise is when a "judge gives her request preference over other pending matters." (LAJ, 12/7/99) There is another judgment that takes precedence over this matter. (Exo. 21:22,23) -WWM

Is Pokemon Only A New Craze? - Pokemon has been on the rampage in Japan for over two years. It has now hit the Nintendo oriented USA with force. Card trading web sites abound and young people set for hours before their computer monitors playing and trading. Anything that captivates such attention is certain to rob young minds from being available to teaching from God, parents, school. "A San Diego law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Nintendo, with plaintiffs, mainly parents, claiming Pokemon promotes an illegal form of gambling." (Baptist Press, 11/19/99) Some ungodly politician will surely jump on this as a means of raising revenue as with lottery gambling. "Pokemon: The First Movie" has netted $34.2 million. (Christianity Today Online) The above law firm will soon hear from the ACLU about first amendment rights. Remember when dominoes and playing cards were not permitted in many homes? -WWM

President Should Follow Own Advice - President Clinton's visit to Kosovo met with little enthusiasm from the suffering Albanians. They obviously could not see that "he felt their pain." His words were "Teach your children that life is more than the terrible things" that happened to them. (LAJ, 11/24/99) What Bill Clinton and other leaders have taught our nation's children doesn't parallel biblical advice. (See Plains Baptist Challenger, 6/99) -WWM

NOW Opposes `Choose Life' License - A license plate with crayon drawing of two children and the message "Choose Life" has Florida state approval. (Tallahassee, FL Press Release) Lynda Bell, president of Florida Right to Life, is pleased. The National Organization for Women has said it will go to court and try to block the tag's release. (LAJ, 11/24/99) They would be enraged to drive behind a vehicle with a license plate protecting babies from murder. -WWM

Here's To Your Health - But not to your spiritual health. "As little as a single glass of wine or beer per week" can reduce a man's risk of stroke," a study reported. (LAJ, 11/18/99) No clue was given about who made the study. Here is where you can study the truth about this matter. (Prov. 20:1) "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Those who use "It's a proven fact" need to learn the difference between fact and fiction. (See also Hab. 2:15,16) -WWM

Parents Believe Children Can Learn At Nude Beach - Only one nude beach in Texas is not bragging ground. There should be none. Bob and Christine Morton say "taking their children to a nude beach is a way to pass along their naturist belief..." (LAJ, 11/12/99) Travis County (TX) officials said the "government-maintained nude park is a potential breeding ground for sexual predators." (Emp. mine) Although many may rush to nude beaches today, Adam and Eve rushed to the bushes when they knew they were naked. (Gen. 3:7,8) Too much flesh is revealed by fashion designers and too many carnal Christians rush to buy the latest and most revealing garments available. Why would any man want his wife or daughter to be lusted after because of skimpy attire? (Matt. 5:28) -WWM

SBC Asked To Stay Out Of Chicago - The Southern Bapt. Conv. has been attacked by liberal religious leaders in Chicago. The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago want to keep the SBC missionary conference out of their town. Their reasoning is it "would spark violence against Jews, Hindus, and Muslims" and could contribute to a "climate conducive to hate crimes." (World, 12/11/99) If the SBC really seek to bring sinners to Christ it will indeed stir up Chicago. Nothing new about the true Gospel of Christ having this effect. (Acts 17:6) "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also..." -WWM

Homosexual's New Law - The Denver City Council last week voted to create a registry for unmarried, including homosexual couples. Assistant city attorney, John Eckhardt, drafted the bill. Although no legal rights were connected to the bill, Councilwoman Happy Haynes said, "What's important about this is a recognition of our humanity." (World, 12/11/99) Homosexual's humanity is not the issue, their sin is the problem. -WWM

First Black Gay Doll Hits Market - The newest gay doll named `Tyson' is black and has raised resentment from boxer Mike Tyson. This surely stimulates a dilemma for GLAAD, the ACLU, and other similar groups. The going rate for the newest 12 inch out of the closet figurine is about $50. (LAJ,11/8/99) Of course the `limited' is as much as $80. Remember when dolls were for little girls whose main goal was to be a mother and when boys finally grew up and noticed that little girls had grown up as well? Today's crumbling society will not survive until our national problem, homosexuality, is recognized as SIN! - WWM

Clinton Administration Condemns Playboy? - Last week the Clinton administration challenged Playboy, TV, and other cable porn channels to clean up or clear out. A law that only requires cable companies to scramble porn shows during the day is to be reviewed by the Supreme Court. As per usual Playboy calls it a First Amendment violation. (World, 12/11/99) Sexually explicit adult programming is available on cable TV to children with only a flip of the dial. So were the lies, excuses, and flagrant acts of the President's immoral involvement. -WWM

Honesty Prerequisite To Public Service - Those who laud the present White House leadership as "the president of the century" should evaluate him with past presidents. "Unless a man is honest, we have no right to keep him in public life; it matters not how brilliant his capacity. ...The weakling and the coward cannot be saved by honesty alone; but without honesty, the brave and able man is merely a civic wild beast who should be hunted down by every lover of righteousness. No man who is corrupt, no man who condones corruption in others, can possibly do his duty by the community..." -Theodore Roosevelt. (The Federalist, 1/4/00) - WWM

Truth: A Concept Many Cannot Embrace - The sad plight in America today matches Judges 17:6 "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." No king (leader) without honorable principles, commendable practices, and biblical precepts can lead a nation to freedom. As a consequence of dishonest leadership void of truth nations crumble from within. "Many Americans are intimidated by the very concept of truth. It seems frightfully exclusionary (which it is). When truth is applied to religion, you can almost see beads of sweat breaking out on secular brows." --Don Feder. If any people are to be free and continue in that state the instruction of Christ Jesus must be followed. "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31,32) God and His Word, the only hope for continued freedom in America, or any nation, has been reckoned unconstitutional. What a sad day when the ACLU has more influence in policy making than the Word of God. - WWM

Children With No Spiritual Guidance - Children ordinarily grow up to be what they are taught to be during childhood. TVs as baby sitters are rapidly developing a society void of consideration of others. Violence and promiscuity is their daily debauched diet. The words of Linda Bowles in the Federalist, 12/17/99, "The words from our pulpits are weak and worldly, and those from our philosophers are garbled and earth-bound. We have abandoned our children to daily, deadly doses of amorality and vulgarity pumped up and glorified by television sitcoms and the movies. We have given up our children to labor-bossed government schools, where God is persona non grata and any word of Him is censored." - WWM

American Presidents Differ In Spiritual Persuasions - Abraham Lincoln said, "The Bible is the best Gift God has ever given to man." (Baptist Press, 12/30/99) Therein is recorded the Gift of Jesus Christ as the Savior of lost humanity, and through Him the gift of eternal life. (John 3:16; 10:28) Pres. Ronald Reagan declared 1983 the "Year of the Bible." Pres. Bill Clinton proclaimed June 1999 as "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month." (6/28 C. News via Calvary Contender) - WWM

Apostate Named Among Top Five Preachers - The non-denominational magazine, "Preaching," has listed Harry Emerson Fosdick as one of the top five preachers of the century. (Baptist Press, 12/28/99) Fosdick was ordained a Baptist minister in 1903 at the age of 25. He was noted for liberal views yet taught practical theology at Union Theological Seminary while pastor of Park Avenue Bapt. Church, NYC. (Compton's Encyclopedia Online) He later was pastor of the nonsectarian Riverside Church, NYC. He shares the top five spotlight with Billy Graham. Graham, in his early ministry, said, "We do not condone or have fellowship with any form of modernism. Dr. Fosdick's position is well known as that of an extreme modernist." (See tract: G-603- "Why We Cannot Support The Billy Graham Crusade," by E. L. Bynum.) Graham's crusades today have modernistic tendencies outstripped only by the world's music and entertainment. Franklin Graham's "festivals" promise even more modernistic activity. - WWM

Graham Never Targets Muslims/Jews - "I normally defend my denomination. I'm loyal to it," said Billy Graham on Fox News Program 1/2/00. "But I have never targeted Muslims. I have never targeted Jews." (Baptist Press, 1/10/00) Graham is not following the example of Christ. "He came to his own and his own received him not." (John 1:11) Nor has Graham followed the example of Paul. (See Rom. 1:16) He is good at targeting the world by worldly music and pop singers. He is better at trying to speak their language than the language of the Bible.-WWM

Y2K Doomsayers Disappointed - The predicted Y2K apocalypse was a gold mine for some but a financial burden to taxpayers. An estimated $100 billion was spent in preparation for the bug that didn't fly. "Ironically, the biggest shutdown of Millennium Eve in Seattle was a huge private fireworks display held by Microsoft CEO Bill Gates that reduced freeway traffic to a standstill." (World on the Web, 1/15/00) Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind series claimed that Y2K disasters would make "it possible for the Antichrist or his emissaries to dominate the world commercially..." (Ibid) Other Christian(?) doomsday writers are feverishly backpedaling. That is the reason they are so red in the face.-WWM

Abortion Not A Contraceptive - In a Larry King interview, presidential candidate George Bush said, "...abortion is not a contraceptive; we should not have abortions on demand; that partial-birth abortion is dealing with a live child." (World, 1/15/00) The article by Marvin Olasky stated that "...a Connecticut jury in 1821 sentenced the man who caused the abortion to two years in prison." This jury would have dealt differently with Roe vs. Wade. If this was the case today more cities would have a shot at hosting a prison site.-WWM

Blacks Commit `Hate Crimes' Too - Black professor and columnist Walter Williams is a bold and savvy conservative. Last August he wrote a "politically incorrect" article by the above title. He quoted statistics from a Dept. of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey on interracial crime: In 1994, there were about 1,700,000 interracial crimes, of which 1,276,030 involved whites and blacks. In 90 percent of the cases, a white was the victim and a black was the perpetrator, while in 10 percent of the cases it was the reverse (8/18/99 H. Times). Another NCVS finding is that of the 2,025,464 violent crimes committed by blacks in 1994, 1,140,670 were against whites slightly over 56 percent. Whites committed 5,114,692 violent crimes; 135,360, or 2.6 percent were against blacks. Williams noted that in 1997, percentage-wise, blacks were twice as likely to commit so-called hate crimes. Race cannot justify criminal violence. Calvary Contender (Hereafter CC)

Graham Worries Heaven May Be Wrong Place For Him - In a Jan. 2 Fox News interview, Tony Snow asked Billy Graham: "When you get to Heaven, who's going to speak first, you or God? Graham replied: "When I get there, I'm sure that Jesus is going to say that he will welcome me. But I think that he's going to say: `Well done, our good and faithful servant.' Or he may say: `You're in the wrong place'." SNOW: "You really worry that you may be told you're in the wrong place? GRAHAM: Yes, because I have not I'm not a righteous man. People put me up on a pedestal that I don't belong in my personal life. And they think that I'm better than I am. I'm not the good man that people think I am. Newspapers and magazines and television have made me out to be a saint. I'm not. I'm not a Mother Teresa. And I feel that very much." The basis of getting to Heaven is muddled in this interview, and is manward instead of Godward. Earlier in the interview, Graham's testimony of salvation made no mention of the Gospel, but was about knowing Christ in his heart, and a big change.-CC

Pope Is Graham's `Man Of The Century' - Evang. Billy Graham said in a recent interview that he would pick Pope John Paul II as the man of the century (12/20 Religion Today). He said the Pope "has brought the greatest impact of any pope in the last 200 years. I admire his courage, determination, intellectual abilities, and his understanding of Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox differences, and the attempt at some form of reconciliation."- CC

Public School Effort Promotes `Gay' Life - Activist groups, led by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), teamed with at least 10 mainstream public-education organizations to send a pro-homosexuality pamphlet to the nation's 15,000 public-school districts (1/1 World). The 11-page "factsheet" is authored by unionists, gay activists, and educators. The booklet repeatedly tells school officials homosexuality is normal and healthy, and that any contrary messages place students at risk of physical and emotional harm.-CC

Campus Crusade's Ecumenical Tribute To Jesus - The Jesus Film Project is a ministry of Campus Crusade. Paul Eshleman is its Director, and his letters often report miraculous visions and dreams in foreign lands. But his 12/6 newsletter also reported "A Millennial Tribute to Jesus" global broadcast and an all-out effort to enlist world-famous celebrities to record a "tribute to Jesus." A wide variety of mostly liberals and ecumenicals were featured for 18 minutes of the 2-hour "JESUS" film special to break down resistance to the broadcast. Included were: Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Andy Young, Billy Graham, Pope John Paul II, Jesse Jackson, and presidents of India, Nigeria, Ecuador, and Uganda. How can the ungodly give honor and tribute to Jesus?-CC

`No Saved Roman Catholics' - An article by the late Alex Dunlap (1/00 Gospel Standard) states: "It is just as impossible to be a saved Roman Catholic as it is to be a saved Buddhist, a saved Mormon, a saved Jehovah's Witness, a saved Atheist,a saved Muslim, a saved Humanist, a saved Communist,a saved Unitarian,a saved Devil-worshiper, a saved Hindu. To say a Roman Catholic is saved in spite of the teachings of his church is nonsense.[The justification by faith alone] doctrine has been declared anathema, accursed; and all who hold it are condemned to damnation by the Council of Trent of the Roman Catholic Church." [See 12/1 CC] This holds true today, and has never been reversed. It cannot be reversed since the RCC claims to be the authoritative voice of God and therefore declares its doctrines can never be changed. Thus the basis for salvation is condemned by the Roman Catholic Church. [Dunlap says some savedchildren, e.g.are IN the RCC but are NOT Roman Catholics.]-CC

Pope Says Christians & Muslims Have Same God - Pope John Paul II spoke about religious dialog with Islam in his general audience on May 5th (6/7 Chr. News): "We Christians joyfully recognize the religious values we have in common with Islam. Today I would like to repeat what I said some years ago in Casablanca. `We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings His creatures to their perfection'" Islam's god is not the God of the Bible. The pope may believe in that god, but Christians believe in the Triune God of the Biblethe only God that exists. - CC

Graham Rock Festival - As we reported in the April 15 CC, Franklin Graham does not use his father's word "crusade" but uses the secular seeker-sensitive word "festival" for his meetings. His recent festival at the University of Alabama drew 50,000. The 5/13 Ala. Baptist listed some CCM performers, and said "contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman had the young people rocking and singing on the coliseum floor." - CC

Modern Church Goers Seek Entertainment - Today's church-going crowds are not seeking churches for their theology as much as for their facilities, programs for their families, and entertainment. They are looking for a combination of the YMCA and a religious rock concert (5/10 Chr. News). Sadly, many mega-church fun seekers give correct doctrine and holy living low priority. -CC

Marriage Statistics Misleading - The idea that 50 percent of American marriages are doomed to divorce is a specious piece of statistical nonsense. The 11/ 27 World said this legend began when the Census Bureau one year reported that there were 2.4 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces. Someone did the math without calculating the 54 million marriages already in existence. - (Calvary Contender hereafter CC)

Drug War Gets Worse - Mass graves of enemies of the drug cartel were discovered last month near Juarez. Mexican drug gangs still operate with impunity along the border. Since the mid `90s, jumbo jets ferry multi-ton shipments of drugs to the border (12/13 USN&WR). Mexico is the primary corridor for all drugs entering the U.S., accounting for about 70% of the flow. It is frustrating but predictable that corrupt police officers are involved with Mafia leaders in kidnapping and killing people. - CC

Global Gun Control - The U.S. anti-gun lobby will not be content until only criminals have access to guns. The UN is seeking to mandate a three-stage global disarmament plan. Just as domestic gun control does not mean the total elimination of all firearms, neither does global disarmament mean the total elimination of all armies and weapons (11/22 New Amer.). With both, what is really being proposed is the transfer of control over all weapons to an all-powerful central police-state government. - CC

Is It `Book Burning' To Not Subsidize Filthy `Art'? - The Brooklyn Museum hosts an exhibit that has a painting purportedly of the Virgin Mary, adorned with clumps of elephant dung. Some supporters of this publicly funded anti-religious display say that yanking the taxpayer subsidy is like burning books. But book burning may violate the book owner's liberty, whereas abstaining from subsidizing art violates no one's liberty (12/6 Chr. News). Artists and museums have no constitutional right to taxpayers' money. If the painting only featured Mary, without the grossly offensive "adornments," would there be a clamor for taxpayer subsidies, or would that be government funding religion? - CC

Abortion A Necessary Evil? - While many Americans see legalized abortion as an evil, they see it as necessarya key tactic of pro-abortionists. But this myth explains why 49 percent may believe that abortion is "murder" without translating this into social or political mobilization. Middle Americans agree there are too many abortions (5/24 CT). But the myth of abortion as a necessary evil has serious implications for public debate, and it means that pro-lifers have won the essential debate that the unborn is a human being and not mere tissue. - CC

Islam & Violence - Islamic scholars agree it is the sacred duty of every Muslim in every age to wage jihad (holy war) whenever possible to force the entire world to submit to Islam. There are over 100 verses in the Koran about fighting and killing in that quest. A Libyan cabinet minister explained, "Violence is the Muslim's most positive form of prayer."Islamic countries are dictatorships, led by ruthless murderers and international terrorists such as Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Libya's Kaddafi and Syria's Assad. In the name of Allah they imprison, torture and kill tens of thousands of their own citizens and train and finance worldwide terrorism. [Berean Call] - CC

Dalai Lama's `God-Free Religion' - Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama was the keynote speaker at the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions (12/15 CC). His message of spirituality without a deity is now said to be "the perfect way to satisfy the spiritual hunger of people living in a scientific and secular age" (12/6 C T). Buddhism, which has 358 million followers world-wide, is non-theistic. A Buddhist teacher says, "Now it's becoming the in thing to be spiritual. It's more cool, modern, and progressive to be spiritual. But without God." - CC

Falwell Tones Down His `Gay' Rhetoric - In an unprecedented event, Jerry Falwell recently made an about-face in his war of words with homosexuals and hosted 200 evangelical leaders and 200 homosexual activists at his Thomas Road Baptist Church. Homosexual leader Mel White said: "What we have here is a great moment for our countrygays and Falwell worshiping together." Falwell still believes homosexuality is a sin, but was careful not to offend his visitors during his sermon (10/25 HT). The 11/1 Time quoted Falwell: "If we are to have a real Christian witness to millions of gay and lesbian people," he saysabandoning such terms as "homosexual deviants""we have to use our language carefully." The Bible's language for "gays" is "sodomites." - CC

How Could MacArthur Sign IFCA Doctrinal Statement? - Since Dr. John MacArthur recently changed his position on the eternal Sonship of Christ [see 10/1 CC], the CC editor called his office and asked how he could sign the IFCA's "eternal Sonship" doctrinal statement all those years when he strongly denied this doctrine. We received a helpful reply (12/1 e-mail) from his personal secretary who pointed out that IFCA Executive Board president Richard Gregory was aware of the difference in view and allowed him to sign it. She added: "John has mentioned in a letter to someone else that the statement on sonship in the IFCA doctrine is simply that Christ is the eternal Son of God without any explanation." She said: "Even people who believe in an incarnational sonship, such as he used to, could affirm the statement that He is the eternal Son of God [with] qualification. Therefore, signing it was not a problem for the board or for John." MacArthur doesn't think his teaching created the rift in the IFCA but blames it on "divisive" people. George Zeller observes: "1) I know the men MacArthur is referring to, and these men are not divisive. It was never their desire to bring about a division in the IFCA. Their only desire was to defend and uphold the IFCA doctrinal statement and not to broaden its meaning so as to allow for contrary views. These men were not the ones who caused the rift. It was MacArthur's "incarnational Sonship" teachings that triggered the controversy and the whole problem could have been easily solved from the beginning if the IFCA leadership had simply enforced its own doctrinal statement. 2) The IFCA doctrinal statement simply says Christ is the eternal Son of God without any explanation because we believe exactly what these words mean.Such a clear statement of doctrine does not need explanation. The words mean what they say. MacArthur once taught the following: `The Bible nowhere says that Christ is the eternal Son.' This denial of eternal Sonship is also very clear and needs no explanation. 3) The problem that we have had with MacArthur is his affirmation of our doctrinal statement `with qualification.' [In essence he said:] `I affirm that Christ is the eternal Son of God with the qualification that He did not become the Son of God until Bethlehem.' But what if someone said, e.g., `I affirm the full deity of Christ with the qualification that I don't really believe He is God!' If the IFCA allows for such qualifications, then any person holding any deviant or heretical view could sign the IFCA statement!" - CC

NRB 2000 - The National Religious Broadcasters' 57th Annual Convention & Exposition is set for Anaheim, Ca., Feb. 5-8. Speakers include ecumenicals such as Billy Kim (newly-nominated President of the apostate Baptist World Alliance), Pat Robertson, Jack Hayford, Tony Evans, Cal Thomas, and Jill Briscoe. Campus Crusade sponsors its usual Public Policy Breakfast. Music will feature Michael W. Smith, Kathy Troccoli, Chris Smith, and the Ralph Carmichael Big Band. Exhibitors include Catholics. - CC

NCC A Sinking Ship? - The National Council of Churches threw a $750,000 party for its 50th anniversary in Nov. It faces the worst financial and management crisis in history, and has begun radical restructuring (see 12/1 CC). Over the last 50 years, most NCC member bodies have suffered a dramatic loss in membership. It made headlines by coming to the defense of radicals such as the communist anarchist Angela Davis, supporting the treasonous Panama Canal giveaway, opposing the Vietnam war, and promoting the "inclusive language" for both human beings and God (12/4 World). It is high time to pull the plug and give the liberal NCC the burial it deserves. - CC

Hayford Moves From Pastor To Seminary - Prominent charismatic pastor, author, and songwriter Jack Hayford moves from senior pastor to founding pastor of The Church on the Way (Calif.) and becomes president of The King's Seminary. His Foursquare Gospel Church has had Pat Boone as an elder for the past twenty years. - CC

Dixon To Speak At SBC Seminary - A Cedarville College publication notes that its president, Dr. Paul Dixon, will be at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Southern Baptist) March 28 at Wake Forest, NC. Southeastern's president, Dr. Paige Patterson, gave a chapel message at Cedarville (a GARBC-approved school) and spoke to its board of trustees April 7 (7/1 CC). - CC

Dangers Of Ecumenical Unity - The call for ecumenical unity and interfaith dialogue and relationships is becoming increasingly common as the world prepares to embrace a one-world religious system as prophesied in the Scriptures. No longer are Orthodox Protestants, Catholics and Anglicans pushing for a unified mega-church or global denomination, but rather, they are striving for unity through tolerance and consensus on key issues and doctrines. Rev. 17 describes the apostate one-world church to be formed as well as God's judgment on such a monstrosity. Believers today must be aware of the dangers of ecumenical unity and separate from that which will one day be judged by God. To be "blameless" at Christ's appearing, every believer must be separate from unbelief and compromise and separated unto Him. [Foundation] - CC

Tragic End For Atheist O'Hair. Police say Madalyn Murray O'Hair and a son and adopted daughter were robbed and killed by three ex-cons, including her former business manager; their bodies were cut up and buried in barrels at a remote Texas location (1/8 World). The FBI and police haven't found the bodies but found her diaries and other writings that portrayed a sad, lonely woman. "I hope I live my life in such a manner that when I die, someone careseven if it is only my dogs. I think I want some human being somewhere to weep for me." The three, and $500,000, disappeared in 1995.-CC

Clinton Honors Muslim False Prophet's Call For Peace - President Bill Clinton, a member in good standing of a Southern Baptist Convention Church, offered Ramadan greetings on the White House Web site (1/1/00 World). He said: "As the followers of Islam celebrate the revelation of God's word to Muhammad, we join you in honoring his call for harmony and peace."-CC

No Evidence For Evolution - Creationists have won hundreds of formal scientific debates with evolutionists precisely because they have produced scientific evidence supporting the creation model of origins while their evolutionist opponents are unable to present any proof of evolution. Evolution has never been observed to occur in the present, the ubiquitous absence of transitional structures in the fossil record indicates that it never occurred in the past, the universal law of increasing entropyshows that it probably could never occur at all (Dr. Henry Morris, 1/00 Acts & Facts). No one has ever documented a single example of macroevolution.-CC

Catholic-Lutheran Unity - Representatives of the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation (liberal Lutherans) met Oct. 31 to sign their ambiguous Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (see 12/1 CC). But the Roman church continues to affirm the heresies that were made official church dogma in the 16th century Council of Trent. Since Rome claims its infallible dogmas are "irreformable," agreement could only mean that the Protestant partners no longer believe what their forebears believed or necessitated (1/1 World). Catholics teach a works (different) gospel (Gal. 1:6-9), that grace and Christ's righteousness are infused into believers and that a person has to actually BE righteous for God to count him as righteous. And Pope John Paul II, hailed as a great Christian pastor by evangelicals like Billy Graham and Charles Colson, recently declared the millennial year as a "jubilee," complete with the issuing of indulgences (for time off in purgatory). Do not be misled: Rome has not changed one whit on things that really matter!-CC

Blackaby's Dangerous Teachings - Christian News has a long article evaluating aberrant teachings of Southern Baptist prayer and spiritual awakening leader Henry Blackaby. He is co-author of the best-selling Experiencing God book and audio series (see 5/15/97 CC). Blackaby believes that God speaks directly to individuals today and that it can be a normal experience for all Christians. The article concludes: "Based on Blackaby's low view of Scripture, his flirtation with neo-orthodoxy and his incorrect presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians must reject this emotional fad as heresy. In an earlier long review of Blackaby's EG, Pastor Gary Gilley in the 5-6/97 BDM Letter said Blackaby's teachings are "a dangerous mixture of Biblical truth with mysticism, neo-orthodoxy, and good old-fashioned misuse of Scripture."-CC

Pragmatism In The 20th Century Church - A 12/99 Voice article states: "Much of the church.has substituted programs for prayer, personalities for power, entertainment for genuine worship, prosperity for purity and organizational unity for fidelity to an unadulterated Gospel.Pragmatism has so overtaken the thinking of the people of God that enlarging the numbers in the church is regarded as the criterion of blessing and whatever it takes to accomplish this end is justified. Thus we have great emphasis on removing anything that will hinder this process of attempting to include people in the family of God. A Christian is redefined as `Anyone believing in Jesus.' Definitions of justification are carefully crafted so that Roman Catholics are not excluded from the effort to bring the church together. Understanding of holiness is adjusted so that lifestyle does not indict one as being out of harmony with an acceptable Christian life. The common cause of `Reaching the World for Christ' becomes the foundation of the church's unity in spite of the doctrinal differences in essential theological areas."-CC

Conerstone's Relaxed Rules - Cornerstone College (Grand Rapids) has its first national basketball championship. An AP article (1/1 H. Times) from an interview with Coach Kim Elders stated: "But it's not all straight and narrow at Cornerstone. Cheerleaders wear short skirts, unlike those at some other Christian schools. And some of the male basketball players wear earrings, something that Elders says is OK although he wouldn't wear one." Elders said: "We're not nearly as legalistic as we used to be." Cornerstone and GRBS are still GARBC approved schools and feature new evangelical speakers.-CC

MBI's Stowell Speaks On New Evangelical Platforms - Moody Bible Institute President Joseph Stowell's Sept.-Feb. speaking itinerary includes (Moody Alumni magazine): Promise Keepers, Bill Hybel's Willow Creek Community Church, Billy Graham's The Cove, NRB, Dallas Seminary, Word of Life, Cedarville College (GARBC-approved), and Louisiana Baptist Convention. By quiet progression, Stowell erects an ecumenical legacy.-CC

Master's Mission, Master's College Link - The Master's Mission (Robbinsville, NC) is a "Prewrath" mission. Marv Rosenthal, and others, have gone with this group. Bob Van Kampen funds this and other Prewrath ministries. These are Reformed theologians, as is Dr. John MacArthur. MacArthur and Paul Teasdale (Exec. Dir. of MM) serve on both the MM and MacArthur's Master's College boards. Roger Best (former GARBC), a Prewrath convert, also served on the MC board (see 6/1/96 CC). Dr. Clay Nuttall (Piedmont Baptist College), who provided the above information and verified with Master's Mission that MacArthur is still listed on its board, asks: "How could anyone who says they believe in the `any moment return' officially link up with Prewrath?"-CC

SBC Church Faces Ouster Over Homosexuality - Oakhurst Baptist Church (Decatur, Ga.) will become the first congregation removed from the Georgia Baptist Convention in its 177-year history if the GBC approves an exec. comm. recommendation at its Nov. 15 meeting. Oakhurst is "a welcoming and affirming place [where] lesbian/gay Christians are embraced as full members."-CC

N.O.W. Is Worse Now Than Ever - The 1999 National Conference of the National Organization of Women drew only about 800 attendees, a low turnout for a group that claims half-a-million members. NOW clings to a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian stance on the left-wing fringe of radical feminism. The 7/24 World cover story stated: "While it's well known that NOW embraces lesbianism, few realize that the organization is awash in a Romans 1:26 subculture. At the Beverly Hilton [NOW conference], female couples held hands in the ballroom..." - CC

PBS Criticized For Airing Pro-Gay Film - The pro-homosexual film, It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School is a slick propaganda production meant to instruct public school teachers how to teach childrenas young as elementary agethat "gay is O.K." (7/99 AFA Jrnl.) PBS's decision to air this has met with controversy. - CC

President Says Impeachment Was No Shame - President Clinton in a recent White House interview by Dan Rather said he does not see his impeachment vote as "some great badge of shame" and said he felt "honored" that it gave him a chance to defend the Constitution! He said he never thought about resigning, "I just, I prayed about it." (4/1 H. Times) Even after receiving the best [or worst?] counsel liberals/religionists (Schuller, Hybels, Wogaman, Campolo) could give, Jeremiah 6:15 was/is needed: "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall...." - CC

Boxer Holyfield, a Hinn Donor, to Divorce - Champion boxer Evander Holyfield, admitting he fathered two more children out of wedlock during marriage, has filed for divorce from wife Janice (4/5 C. News). He is hailed by charismatics as a Spirit-filled born again Christian who was supposed to have been healed by Benny Hinn, a leading charismatic, and has donated big bucks to Hinn. -CC