Society Loses When Government Controls Guns. It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed, a program costing the government more than $500 million dollars. And now the results are in: Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent; Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent; Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent). In the state of Victoria, homicides with firearms are up 300 percent. Figures over the previous 25 years show a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms (changed drastically in the past 12 months). There has been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the elderly. Australian politicians are on the spot and at a loss to explain how no improvement in "safety" has been observed after such monumental effort and expense was successfully expended in "ridding society of guns." Bet you won't see this data on the evening news or hear your governor or members of the state Assembly disseminating this information. It's time to state it plainly: Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws only affect the law abiding citizens. Take note, Californians and other Americans, before it's too late! (Submitted by Capt. Dan Bridges, USCG)Baptist Information Service

Are We Subjects or Citizens? In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Germany established gun control in 1938, and from 1939 to 1945, 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated. China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million "educated" people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th century because of gun control: 56 million. The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, ask him or her, "When do you want to be rounded up and exterminated?" With guns, we are citizens. Without them, we are subjects. Baptist Information Service

Sodomite "Churches" Embraced by Ecumenicalism. "A gay-oriented denomination has been admitted into membership by church councils in four states. The Colorado Council of Churches became the fourth such group to admit the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. The others are in North Carolina, Hawaii, and California." Religion Today, May 15, 2000

Daughter Returning to Momma Whore. "Catholics and Anglicans are holding important reunion talks in Canada. Roman Catholic and Anglican churches are hoping a meeting this week will help bring them closer together after centuries of feuding. Twenty-six bishops from around the world are taking part in the conference near Toronto. The two churches have a lot in common, but differ on the ordination of women and married clergy. The biggest area of disagreement is the authority of the pope." Religion Today, May 18, 2000

BaptistHistorian is Pro-Homosexual. An oft-quoted Baptist (SBC) historian has become an advocate for the admission of homosexuals into Wake Forest University's divinity school, which is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. "I'll die on this floor of non-discriminatory admissions," said Bill Leonard, dean of the Wake Forest divinity school, defending the school's admission of a lesbian student in its inaugural class last fall. Leonard's statements came in response to a question asked during a meeting of so-called "mainstream" Baptists April 25 in Atlanta. Baptist Press

Judge Permits Homosexual Club at Public School. "A gay-straight club in Orange, California will meet on school grounds for the first time this week after a federal judge overruled the school board's refusal to sanction the club. Students at El Modena High had argued that their free speech rights were violated and that they were discriminated against because the school permitted other extracurricular clubs to meet. .... The number of gay and lesbian clubs in U.S. high schools has grown dramatically, from fewer than 100 to more than 600 in the last two years." Sword of the Lord, April 28, 2000

Homosexual Activists Plan Civil Disobedience at Orlando Meeting. Homosexual activists angered by the Southern Baptist Convention's belief that the Bible teaches homosexuality is a sin are planning to protest the SBC's annual meeting scheduled for June 13-14 at the Orange County Convention Center. Soulforce, a national network of homosexual activists, has announced its intention to converge a national protest against the SBC during the Orlando convention. The group's Internet website encourages homosexuals to make preparations to be arrested during a planned civil disobedience on June 14. Baptist Press

Supreme Court Rules in Favor to Permit The Bleeding of Pornography Into Homes. Monday, May 22, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Communications Decency Act requiring cable operators to block out adult programming or show it only from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. In February 1996, Playboy filed suit against section 505 stating it violated their First Amendment rights. Section 505 required that channels devoted to adult programming block out the signal completely or limit the channel to hours when children were unlikely to be watching. The section was intended to address the problem of "signal bleed," which occurs when channels are not adequately scrambled. Fuzzy images can be seen or the audio portion comes through to those subscribers who do not want the channel. Tony Lynn, president of the Playboy Entertainment Group said, "Now that we've got the shackles off, we're going to have the ability to do business with our consumers when they want to see us." Traditional Values Coalition

Same-sex Unions Now Legal in The Presbyterian Church. On May 24 the courts of the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ruled that ministers may conduct "holy union" ceremonies for same- sex couples. The church has stated that "holy unions" should not be confused with marriages which are prohibited by the Church's Book of Order. According to "The New York Times," this case was brought before the Church's highest court in 1998 after two men were united in a Presbyterian church in Dobbs Ferry, New York. On June 24, the Presbyterian Church's General Assembly is scheduled to meet in Long Beach, California. During that meeting three regions of the church plan to propose a constitutional ban on "Holy Union" ceremonies. Traditional Values Coalition

Spanking Banned in South Africa. "On August 4, the High Court in Port Elizabeth upheld a ban on the use of spanking in private Christian schools. Rejecting arguments from the book of Proverbs which requires spanking, the judge said, `After a few thousand years of development of civilization, the guidelines to parents found in certain biblical passages are no longer appropriate nor do they form part of Christian religious doctrine.'" Frontline, March/April 2000

Problems in Mormon Country. "Mormon media ad campaigns promise better lives, yet in Utah, where 70 percent of the population and 95 percent of legislators are Mormon, suicide rates are surpassed only by Nevada among the elderly and only by Minnesota among youth. Four hundred locations in Salt Lake County openly sell drugs. The murder rate for children is five times higher than the national average. Fifty percent of Utah's births are to teen girls, and seven out of ten are illegitimate. Salt Lake County's divorce rate is almost 50 percent higher than the national average. Baptist Bulletin, November, 1999 from (Frontline, March/April 2000)

The Danger of Living Together Unmarried. Living together before marriage is more likely to end in disappointment than fulfillment, secular researchers are finding. A survey of recent studies shows that couples who live together have more conflict and less satisfaction with their relationships than married couples do, and their eventual marriages often are less stable and more likely to end in divorce, The Christian Science Monitor said. The studies also show that fathers who cohabit are less likely to be involved with their children once the relationship ends than are fathers who were married to the mothers of their children. ...Conclusions by a number of researchers have been "sobering for me, and for a lot of others in this field," said William Doherty, director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Doherty, who reviewed the research for the federal government, said he used to think cohabiting was a good way for people to find out whether they would be compatible marriage partners, but now hopes his own adult children do not live together before marriage. Religion Today,11, 2000

Jane Fonda Promotes Abortion. Some months ago we wrote an article about the reported conversion of Jane Fonda. At that time, we said that we would have to wait and see if there was a real change in her thinking. I believed that if she had really been saved, there were be manifested her change of views. I believe that if she is ever converted to Christ, she will apologize for her radical views and actions of the past. She betrayed our armed forces while they were fighting in Vietnam. Evidence is now coming out that she has not abandoned her promotion of liberal causes, such as abortion. It was reported in Religion Today (April 8, 2000), she was speaking out for the liberal abortion advocates. Fonda was the keynote speaker at the annual dinner sponsored by Utahns for Choice in Salt Lake City on April 4. At this meeting she said that those who are against abortion are "hypocrites" because they allegedly "have so much concern for the egg while it's growing inside a woman, but so little concern for the child once it's born?" This is absolute nonsense, of course. At great personal sacrifice many, many people who zealously oppose abortion also care for unwed mothers, adopt unwanted children, and in countless other ways demonstrate their love and compassion toward children. Jane Fonda "congratulated Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt for vetoing a bill that would have allowed only abstinence as a method of birth control to be taught in classrooms." She and the governor apparently want the children to be taught the myth of "safe sex." Those who promote this myth commonly ignore the moral, spiritual, and eternal consequences of sexual relationships. The only "safe sex" before Almighty God is marital sex. "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Hebrew 13:4). God will also judge the murderers of unborn babies.

Falwell in SBC And Serving Their Cause. One of the mega-churches is 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., where Jerry Falwell is senior pastor. The church will be sponsoring a mission congregation in Chicago's northern suburbs. "Church planting is the heartbeat of most of the Southern Baptist Convention churches I fellowship with," Falwell told the Biblical Recorder, a news journal for North Carolina Baptists. "Frankly, it's the only hope we have for our nation in the 21st century." Thomas Road first affiliated with the SBC in 1997 through its financial support of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia state convention, although it maintains relationships with independent Baptist groups. Thomas Road plans to give at least $100,000 to the Cooperative Program this year the first year such gifts have come from the church's budget rather than designated contributions. Baptist Press (ELB comments: For years we tried to warn Independent Baptists of the danger of Jerry Falwell. He has had a long history of compromise, and has led many pastors and churches down the road of compromise. Now he is in the SBC and is influencing Independent Baptists to consider the same action. Although he is allied with the more conservative wing of the SBC, he is still a dangerous man to follow.)

STARTLING STATISTICS
"Number of physicians in the U.S. 700,000
Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year 120,000
Accidental deaths per physician 0.171
Number of gun owners in the U.S. 80,000,000
Number of accidental gun deaths per year (all age groups) 1,500
Accidental deaths per gun owner 0.0000188
Therefore, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners."
(Benton County News Tribune, November 17, 1999)

Warning from a Voice of the Past. "The pulpit and pew have succumbed. Mammon rules in the house of God. Worldly amusements, unrebuked, reign in the place of prayer. The `Kingdom Idea' [postmillennialism] has broken down the wall of separation...We must stand aloof...Oh, who, mid the march of apostasy, will pay the price for sounding forth a note of warning! R. E. Neighbour (1872-1945)

"Reducing the Risk" Program Ignores Abstinence. The Illinois State Board of Education has recently implemented the "Reducing the Risk" program as part of its Sex Education courses. The program which requires ninth and tenth graders to shop for condoms and visit family planning clinics with boyfriends or girlfriends is funded by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Illinois law requires the emphasis on abstinence as an accepted "norm." Opponents of the program argue that abstinence is not being taught as an acceptable option. This particular curricula is one of five "Programs that Work" which has been approved by the CDC. Traditional Values Coalition

Billy Graham is in Nashville for evangelistic rallies June 1-4 at the new 65,000-seat Adelphia Coliseum. More than 575 churches representing 48 denominations are sponsoring the event. ...Some of the best-known recording artists in Christian music will perform, including the Bill Gaither Vocal Band, Steven Curtis Chapman, Point of Grace, Ricky Skaggs, the Charlie Daniels Band, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Jars of Clay, Kirk Franklin, dcTalk, CeCe Winans, and Michael W. Smith. Religion Today (ELB: Billy and Franklin Graham continue to use the contemporary Christian (?) musicians and their worldly music. Some of the singers and entertainers listed above are little more than honky-tonk entertainers. Say goodbye to truth.)

Dead Ducklings Demand Discipline - Some unbalanced person entered the fenced yard of an Oklahoma City woman and killed three pet ducklings. Such an act requires deranged thinking. If the person is apprehended they will receive up to 5 years in prison and a large fine. Ducks must be more highly esteemed in the eyes of the U.S. government and the president than innocent babies. A bill banning partial-birth abortion has been vetoed by President Clinton several times. Yet no one involved in the murder of innocent children has been apprehended. Father, forgive us of our sins and the sins of our fathers. (Dan. 9:16) - (W. W. Mosley, hereafter WWM)

Baptist Univ. Cheerleaders Win With Judges - Hardin-Simmons Univ. (Abilene, TX) come out on top as the nation's "top Christian cheerleading team" in the nation. (Baptist Press, 5/1/00). What about cheerleading at sports events could possibly adorn the name "Christian." The connotation of the word, cheerleading, directs the mind to meager clothing and muscled catchers performing acrobatics that arouse less than Christian thoughts and feelings. This activity demands less than modest apparel. (1 Tim. 2:9) -WWM

Stanley's Divorce Doesn't Hinder Pastorate - Charles Stanley will remain as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Atlanta although his divorce from his wife was made final May 11.. (Lubbock A-J, 5/28/00) Stanley is past president of the SBC. The congregation stood and applauded at the announcement. The unwritten policy of FBC was not to "allow divorced men to serve as deacons or ministers." Stanley had said to his congregation in 1995, "...if my wife divorces me, I would resign immediately." Many cast biblical tradition aside when it gets in the way of human desires. Sin, like darkness, is easily adjusted to. When error takes on the family name it suddenly becomes more acceptable. -WWM

Homosexuals Demand First Amendment Rights - Dr. Laura Schlessinger, syndicated TV/radio talk hostess, has committed the unpardonable sin according to the pro-gay crowd. Since her statement on TV that homosexual relations are "unnatural," "gay groups are outraged." (Boston Herald, 5/28/00) They claim "her exercise of First Amendment rights is hate speech comparable to racism or anti-Semitism." Gays would also like to discredit God's view about their depraved activities. "God gave them up," is the final word against those who do that "which is against nature," (Rom. 1:26). -WWM

"Experiencing God" Set To Music - Henry Blackaby's "Experiencing God" study premiered as a musical April 26. SBC's LifeWay Christian Resources acquired permission from Blackaby to write and produce the musical. (Baptist Press, 5/3/00) "The 70-minute work features original songs, along with some classic hymns, praise choruses and contemporary Christian songs made popular by current artists." This is another attempt to make "Christianity" appealing to the natural man. Praise choruses and CCM made popular by "current artists," many of whom primarily perform in worldly settings, will never bring glory to God. "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) -WWM

Saddleback A Textbook Mega-Church - But what text-book? Rick Warren, founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Community Church, "...dressed down in khakis and a black knit shirt" for weekend services recently. Pre-service "jazzy Latino" music played as "SCC bleachers" filled up. (Baptist Press, 5/3/00) "A 13-piece band rocked into their opening hymn." The words of the hymn(?) reeks with expressions very similar to the music of the world. One phrase, "These are the things you must do, and my grace will see you through...It's all about love. Hey!," makes God's grace only available by works. Many churches are reading the same textbook: dress down, entertain, eat, and chant choruses. -WWM

Saddleback's Claimed Membership - SBC's Saddleback Community Church claims almost 52,000 "active attenders listed on the church computer rolls." (Baptist Press, 5/3/00) "But the story of Saddleback is not a story of numbers," said pastor Rick Warren. Since the pastor is to "feed the flock"..."which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers," (1 Pet. 5:2; Acts 20:28) he must have a feedlot three and one half times larger than the United Spirit Arena, Lubbock, TX which seats only 15,000. Of course if it is not "a story of numbers" someone could have miscounted. David got into deep trouble with God when he numbered Israel. (2 Sam. 24) -WWM