BGCT Cuts Support To Conservative Seminaries - The Baptist General Convention of Texas is the largest state convention in the country. Although a vote to discontinue all support from the Southern Baptist Convention failed, the BGCT voted to reduce their support to conservative seminaries to the tune of $5 million. (Dallas Morning News, 10/31/00) Dr. Bill Leonard, a historian of Baptist and head of the moderate Wake Forest Univ., said this is the most significant schism in the Southern Baptist life since the convention was formed in 1945. The BGCT have change their rules to open leadership roles to representatives of out-of-state churches. This is sure to move the Texas convention closer to formulating another national convention. - W.W. Mosley, hereafter WWM.)

It's The Gay Uncle Tom's Cabin? -David Garrick, gay priest, has written a play to express his belief that marriage and fidelity ought to be encouraged for gays and lesbians, just as they are for straight couples. (LA Times, 11/4/00) He refers to his play as the gay Uncle Tom's Cabin. He defends gay love and marriage as normal based on recent psychological research which says, Church leaders need to revisit the gay issue from the point of view of psychology. The American Psychiatric Assn. removed homosexuality from its official list of diseases in 1973. God has never agreed with the psychological bearing of the mind of sinful man. God expresses beyond doubt how He looks upon sensual same-sex relationships. He calls it an abomination in Lev. 20:13. His says it is unnatural and offensive in Romans 1:26,27. True believers "have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." (Heb. 4:14) Jesus, our High Priest, takes this position opposed to David Garrick's exposition on the matter. I firmly agree with Jesus the Son of God who is the believer's High Priest who is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. -WWM

United Methodists Black Clergywomen - Black Clergywomen of the UMC have as their goal the election of new bishops from their ranks. (Kansas City Star, 10/27/00) Leontine Kelly was the first black clergywoman elected to the office of bishop by UMC in 1984, and the last since that date, according to the article. Now three other black clergywomen have been selected as bishops within UMC ranks. Southern Baptist began the practice of ordaining women to the pastorate as early as 1964, Addie Davis being the first. Davis served as minister of Watts Street Church, Durham, NC. (Baptist Standard, 8/24/94, pg. 4) This practice is accepted in many SBC churches in the face of conservatives who oppose such. -WWM

Presbyterian Pastor On Carpet For Allowing Woman To Speak - In 1998 the Rev. John Wood allowed a woman on his church staff to speak on her view of ministry at two Sunday night services. A visitor from another congregation reported him to church authorities. (Religion, 10/27/00) The Presbyterian Church in America is a conservative denomination and forbids women to preach. This group is not to be confused with the Presbyterian Church (USA), which welcomes female women to preach. Pastor Wood argued that the woman on his church staff was not preaching because she was not an ordained minister. The Apostle Paul said by inspiration from God that women were not permitted to speak in the church and it was a shame if they did. (1 Cor 14:34,35) This is the Lord's word on this matter, not my interpretation. -WWM

Malcolm X Candidate For Sainthood In Episcopal Church - St. Gregorys Episcopal Church in San Francisco is in the process of creating a mural in the church rotunda portraying clergy selected saints. (Belief.net 6/9/2000) Among the 350 names submitted by church members as candidates for sainthood is Malcolm X. Malcolm X was murdered in 1965 and at that time labeled "the angriest black man in America. Robert Schuller might agree with these Episcopalian church members in their selection. He very likely was close to the family as he was a speaker at the funeral services of Malcolm Xs widow in 1997. (Calvary Contender, 8/97) -WWM

Witchcraft At Work - Many feel it is much ado about nothing when disapproval is voiced against Halloween promotions and participation. Under the guise of Harvest Festivals, churches have concocted programs for this time of the year for the youth with keeping them off the street as their excuse. I suppose the time is far past when a parent simply made the decision when the children could and could not go out. Generally it is the adults who are interested in such activities for the children. Halloween with all its ghost, goblins, and demands is only the mimicking of a greater tragedy...witchcraft. In Mexico City two bodies were uncovered, one believed to be the body of a 13 year-old boy. (LAJ, 11/5/00) Their deaths are believed to be the result of witchcraft. Halloween is only the preparation of young minds to be lured into the Wicca religion of witchcraft. If you are in doubt that this is possible, The Federalist, (5/28/99) reported that Chaplains have been appointed to oversee the pagan ceremonies of witchcraft at five U.S.A. military bases. A Pentagon spokesman says that at least 100 witches are in the Wicca coven at Fort Hood in Texas. -WWM

Hindu Priest Leads Congress In Prayer...Who Is Next? - Under the guise of having respect toward other religious beliefs, the religion columnist of the Lubbock A-J has defended permitting an Hindu priest offering a prayer to begin the Sept. 14th legislative day in the U.S. House of Representatives. (LAJ, 11/5/00) It seems to matter little or nothing at all that the reason America has survived at all is because of the Christian faith of our founders and their successors. Hinduism does not serve the same God as Christians nor is their savior the same as our Savior. If this is acceptable, even to a Baptist reporter, in the name of religious tolerance and respect, will she also be as tolerant when the leader of the Wicca religion enters the halls of congress? I pray God will awake to righteousness those who are called by His name. More could be said about this and likely will be. -WWM

Hinduism's Supreme Being - Hindus believe in one all-pervasive Supreme being who is creator. Yet the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution. By the law of cause and effect, each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds. That the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas or destinies have been resolved and liberation from the cycle of rebirth is attained. That all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice non-injury. That no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of Gods pure love and light, deserving tolerance and understanding. The Hindu book of guidance must have deleted this verse: (Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Maybe this is where the religion editor of the Lubbock A-J got her idea about religious respect & tolerance. Thousands of Christians have been put to death for holding on to their faith in Jesus Christ in Hindu dominated nations. -WWM

Indiana Woman's Opposition To Ordaining Women Draws Fire - Heather King, an Indiana woman originally from Texas, has led the charge opposing the ordination of women to the pastorate. Columnist Dave Wakefield kindly challenges Mrs. Kings position by saying, "No one is qualified to minister because of their gender, and by the same token no one should be prevented because of it." (Belief.net, 7/14/00) Mr. Wakefield says, ...the historic role of women as mothers and/or nurturers surely qualifies them for the mission. He used Jesus' statement in Mark 10:45 to fortify his belief. It would be good for him to also read the qualification for pastors in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:7-9, where only husband, man, his, and he are used. None of these could possibly refer to a woman. -WWM

Bishop Sheen Considered For Sainthood - Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, a prime-time TV star of the 1950s, may become a candidate for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal John J. O'Connor has given permission for a friar at St. Felix Friary in Yonkers to begin a study of the life of Bishop Sheen as the first step in the long process of canonization. (Belief.net, 6/9/00) Billy Graham would surely be among the first to endorse Bishop Sheen as a candidate for sainthood. In an interview by Robert Schuller he said, "...I lost a very dear friend" (at Sheens death) and "...and we have the support of the Catholic Church almost everywhere we go." Much of this was obviously because of Bishop Sheen's influence. Dr. Graham has received honors from Roman Catholic circles, including an honorary degree from a Catholic college. (Plains Bapt. Challenger, 9/99) -WWM

Campolo & Experimentation Religion - Tony Campolo, associate pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church, an African-American congregation in West Philadelphia, professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern College in St. Davids, Pa., and one of Pres. Clinton's spiritual advisors, has came to town. Campolo was at First Methodist in Lubbock as a part of Religion Roundtable 2000, sponsored by The LAJ. He said, "...the time of experimentation is at hand," trying to find out what would best enable people to worship in a way that is meaningful to them. (LAJ, 10/26/00) Experimenting with religion is popular today but it is not found in the inspired Scripture. The word "know" is found 27 times in the book of 1 John alone, primarily referring to the knowledge of the believer's security in Christ Jesus. Of course Campolo is speaking of experimentation with other religions. This has caused the spiritual death, and some times physical death, to many who pursued this far beyond the point of no return. It could be the two dead bodies found recently near Mexico City were experimenting with the Wicca religion or were just plain victims of that wicked religion. -WWM

Netherlands Passes Gay Marriage Bill & Expands Prostitution - Dutch lawmakers Sept. 12 gave homosexual couples the right to marriage and all the trappings, including adoption and divorce. Approval by the upper house is considered a formality. and the law should go into effect early next year (9/28 Ala. Baptist). Denmark was the first to allow this. The semi-socialist Netherlands also expanded its legalized prostitution (already on open shameful display) to include full-fledged brothels (10/14 World). The Dutch sex industry generates billions of dollars each year and draws millions of visitors. - (Calvary Contender, hereafter CC)

Harry Potter Lures Kids To Witchcraft - Witchcraft, wizardry, and other forms of spiritism are condemned in Dt. 18:9-12. But the popular Harry Potter series of occult entertainment has fueled a rapidly growing interest in witchcraft among children who crave the power and magic of Harry's wizardly ways (10/2 Chr. News). It is dangerously naive to assume that witchcraft is merely harmless literary fantasy. A 10/23 Christianity Today letter stated that the Lord's name was taken in vain in these books, and cited the use of profanity and a vulgarism. The letter-writer found nothing of redeeming value in the books and predicted that each new installment will get darker and darker. - CC

Halloween & Witchcraft - Halloween involves demons, witches, and the occult. Though many have linked witchcraft with Satan worship and sorcery, most contemporary witches follow a nature-oriented, polytheistic belief system built around the worship of the Great Mother Goddess (10/23 C. Today). There is no such thing as a GOOD witch. And Halloween is pagan in origin and practice. It is religious (Satan's holy day) but not Christian! - CC

Christians Oppose Rights For `Gays' - "Americans, by a vast majority, do not want homosexuals to live under the fear of physical threat but they also believe that avowed, active homosexuals are not the role models they want to lead their virtue-building institutions. Homosexual activists and their sympathetic journalists should recognize that tolerance does not require endorsement of a cultural blank check." Bible-believing Christians know homosexuality and adultery are sins and they oppose any special privileges for either. - CC

Disney Deteriorates - Walt Disney Company under CEO Michael Eisner has become increasingly perverse. It retains foul-mouthed, openly satanic and drug culture bands on its record labels; is the largest stockholder of porn distributor Viewer's Choice, the pay-per-view cable company; produces unsavory and anti-family movies through its Miramax subsidiary, etc. (10/23 New Amer.) This is but the tip of the rotten iceberg. -CC

Muslim Mobs Burn Churches In Indonesia - Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous state, with the largest Muslim population of any country. Over 100 churches have been burned and thousands killed in Muslim-Christian violence since June (10/7 World). Horror stories abound. Christian villages are burned and uprooted. Muslims fear that with the number of Christians growing, Christians are trying to Christianize Indonesia. -CC

Gore `And Inclusivist Modernist' - A 10/23 Christianity Today article says V-P Al Gore's mosaic of rational spirituality "gives him the profile of an inclusive modernist." His 1992 book (see 10/1 CC) was criticized for being a compendium of New Age religion, buttressed by universalism and pantheism. Gore blasts Western civilization as "deeply dysfunctional." In his prescription for change, he draws on Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, and Baha'i texts, along with Native American prayers to the Great Spirit. He waxes nostalgic about "a single earth goddess" who benevolently reigned in the hearts of prehistoric humans. He gave a sermon in 1992 at the notoriously liberal Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. His pronouncement that "God is not separate from the earth" brought a storm of protest (10/23 CT). -CC

Liberals Favor Homosexuals Over Scouts - The Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote affirmed the right of the Boy Scouts as a private association to exclude avowed homosexuals from leadership (10/23 CT). So homosexual activists have mounted an aggressive campaign to apply economic pressure on United Way and other BSA donors to withhold money from the Scouts. News stories in the New York Times referred to the Scouts as "almost anti-American" and "something akin to a hate group" for refusing to allow homosexuals to become scoutmasters (10/23 USN&WR). You would think for all of the bashing by liberal media that the Scouts were some communist or subversive group. Though we are not comfortable with the fact that the Mormon Church sponsors almost three times as many Scout groups as the second-ranked religious sponsor, the United Methodist Church, we feel strongly that such a private organization should be entitled to determine its own membership and leadership. -CC