(Editor's Note: In our New & Views column we quote from many different sources. Please understand that this does not necessarily mean that we approve of the publications from which we quote.)

Gender Integration Leads To Temptation--Our military today is consumed with sex. Scandals are rampant. Female soldiers eat, sleep, and train with men in nearly every venue of military life. Chaplains even share barracks with female clergy in training exercises (6/7 World). Sinful natures guarantee that such gender integration will produce temptation and transgressions. Yet, the newest trend in school-age socializing involves coed fifth-grade birthday party sleep overs, and parents renting hotel rooms for high-schoolers after the prom. --CC

Child-sex Tourism--Pedophiles travel to Asia to have sex with children. The World Tourism Organization estimates that a million children under 16 work there as prostitutes about 100,000 in the Philippines alone (World.)

Sex On TV American TV keeps offering a steady diet of sitcom sex, gratuitous gore and proliferating profanity. A plethora of programs pander to viewers' base instincts, especially the real-people tabloid video shows. And 94% of TV sex is among people who aren't married to each other, which tells children that sex isn't only for marriage. (World)

More Muslims than Anglicans in England? Surveys show that England's practicing Muslim adult population is growing by 30,000 individuals annually while the Sunday attendance for the Church of England drops by 14,000 each year (6/2 C. News). If those trends continue, there will be 760,000 practicing Muslim adults in England in 2002, compared to 756,000 Sunday church-going Anglicans. Prince Charles, a New Ager and the ceremonial head of the Anglican Church, urges closer links with the Muslim faith. He says "only Islam can save contemporary civilization from its present crisis...." (6/16 Huntsville Times). Roman Catholic Cardinal Basil Hume attended a recent service in Canterbury Cathedral. He and Anglican Archbishop Carey work for unity of all Christian churches. --CC

Falwell & Flynt: Pastor & Porn King--Dr. Jerry Falwell last month visited Larry Flynt for coffee and a friendly chat in his Beverly Hills office. Falwell had unsuccessfully sued "sleeze merchant" Flynt over a 1983 smutty Hustler magazine cartoon which suggested he had sex with his mother. But at the meeting, they acted like long-lost pen pals, per the 6/11 L. A. Times. Falwell praised Flynt: "He is a warm-hearted, very talented and very generous person whom I believe has much to offer the world." Hardly the language of Spurgeon, or Paul to a "child of the devil" and "enemy of all righteousness" (Acts 13:10)! --CC

Lesbian Heads UCC Women's Ministries--Rev. Loey Powell, the lesbian pastor of a small church in Tallahassee, Fla., has been appointed as Executive of the Coordinating Center for Women, which oversees the United Church of Christ's ministry to women and provides resources for women's fellowships in local churches (5/26 Christian News). The UCC is the only major Protestant denomination to permit the ordination of homosexuals. --CC

One-third of Episcopal Priests Gay? A homosexual lay delegate at an Episcopal convention said 33 per cent of Episcopal priests are lesbian or gay (2/24 Chr. News). He said: "They have lied to their bishop, they have lied to their congregations, and they have lied to themselves." He said, "They have had to lie to answer the call to the priesthood." --CC

Palau Speaks at SBC Meeting Evangelist Luis Palau was listed as a June 19 speaker at the Southern Baptist Convention's Dallas meeting. He is a Promise Keepers promoter and speaker and is often referred to as "the Billy Graham of Latin America." Evang. David Ring who often speaks on Jerry Falwell, Tim Lee and other pseudo-fundamentalist platforms was a listed June 17 speaker at the SBC meeting. The SBC June 15-16 Pastors' Conference speakers included Campus Crusade founder/president Bill Bright, John Maxwell, Wellington Boone, and Rick Warren. Maxwell and Warren recently spoke for liberal Robert Schuller (6/15 CC), and Boone is a Promise Keepers speaker. Life Action's Nancy DeMoss spoke at a Ladies meeting at the Pastor's Conference. --CC

Female Meeting Draws 30,000-- Nearly 30,000 women assembled in the Rose Bowl May 16-17 for "Chosen women: Daughters of the King," the largest women-only stadium rally since the Promise Keepers men's movement began six years ago (6/16 Chr. Today). Women of all ages sang, danced, did the wave, blew bubbles, batted beach balls, prayed and applauded the all-female slate of speakers. Chosen Women is led by its founder, Susan Kimes. Speakers included: Jill Briscoe, Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter), Elisabeth Elliot, and Bunny Wilson. Other PK counterpart groups have held smaller rallies around the nation. Eastern College psychology professor Mary Stewart Van Lecowen says these PK-like groups should not tackle the same issues as PK: "Women don't need a wake-up call." --CC

Wallis Revitalizes Social Activism Some have described radical Sojourners editor Jim Wallis as Jane Fonda's male clone. He was pro-Viet Cong (communists) during the Vietnam War. He passes for an evangelical and heads the Call to Renewal which recently convened "A Christian Roundtable on Poverty and Welfare Reform." The 6/16 Christianity Today reported: "Wallis...has been transformed from an antiwar and social justice activist to a coalition builder who is reaching out to people as diverse as Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, and Ralph Reed, exec. director of the Christian Coalition." CC

Whither Religious Freedom In Hong Kong?--We can look at Red China and see what likely lies in store for Hong Kongand maybe sooner than some think. In China, 350 million people live in poverty, per the World Bank. No communist country can support itself for long. The U.S., flooded with Chinese slave-labor goods, keeps granting China Most Favored Nation (MFN) trade status, even though its human rights record is atrocious. Forced abortions, raids of house churches, and detention and torture of religious leaders continue. Christians who fail to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party and its Communist run church organizations risk imprisonment. Up to 30 per cent of Hong Kong's middle-aged and older pastors left earlier, fearing the worst, but some have since returned. Thousands of Chinese PLA troops that crushed dissenters at Tiananmen Square in 1989, have already arrived in Hong Kong. Red China will kill its own citizens again if its leaders ever feel threatened. But some New Evangelicals (e.g., at Wheaton College, and Billy Graham's son Ned) favor the MFN trade status for Communist China (7/5 World). Evangelist Luis Palau believes China will tolerate Christianity in Hong Kong, and said (7/97 Charisma): "There is a hope that the Lord is in the changeover to China...." CC

Salvation Army Bows To `Gay' Agenda? San Francisco's pro-homosexual politicians are using taxpayer dollars to punish institutions that do not toe the "gay rights" line (7-8/97 Chr. American). They recently tried to pull $65,000 in federal funds from the local branch of the Salvation Army after an official was quoted as saying that "homosexuality...presents a serious threat to the integrity, quality and solidarity of society as a whole." Supervisors voted to restore the funds after the Salvation Army chapter promised it would not discriminate against homosexuals. The Salvation Army also agreed to launch pro-gay sensitivity training for its staff, work to hire more homosexuals, and review its policy on homosexuality. The Salvation Army is a member of the NAE (11/15/90 CC).

Presbyterians Compromise On Gays In Pulpit--The Presbyterian Church (USA), internally fractured over the role of homosexuals in the ministry, voted in June to tone down Amendment B ("fidelity and chastity" rule) which would have barred non-celibate gays from the ministry.

Catholic Involvement In PK-Promise Keepers is going global and is developing relationships with men's groups in 40 countries. At a four-day PK Hispanic/Latino leadership summit in April, some Latinos opposed formal involvement of Catholics in PK. A Miami pastor said Hispanic Baptist pastors there have vowed not to participate in any event where Catholics are in leadership roles. Killings of evangelicals by Catholics in Chiapas, Mexico are a sore issue for many Latino Protestants. The 6/16 Christianity Today said: "This makes PK's recent appointment of Catholic Michael Timmis of Detroit to its board problematic." PK chief Bill McCartney, who was raised Catholic and now attends a Vineyard church, says Catholics are welcome if they can abide by PK's "Seven Promises," mission statement, and statement of faith. CC

Van Impe Wrong To Say Catholics Saved--Pastor Perry Rockwood (7/97 Gospel Std.) says: "When listening to such preachers as Jack Van Impe, one would think the Roman Catholic Church has changed for the better. It is still the same anti-Bible church leading millions to hell. Can Catholics be saved? Of course they can. But if they are saved they must leave the Roman Catholic Church for no Christian can pray to Mary; no Christian can partake of the Mass, for Christ died once for all; and no Christian can go to a priest to ask forgiveness of sins.... [But] it is not popular today to point out that Van Impe is wrong in saying the Pope is a Christian and that Roman Catholics belong to the family of God." Saved Catholics will repudiate and separate from Romanism's false teachings.

Young British Approve Sex Outside Wedlock--A survey of 3,000 youths in Britain, ages 16 to 18, found: Most all atheists/agnostics see nothing wrong for couples in long-term relationships to have sex outside marriage; 85 percent of Catholics and 80 percent of Anglicans felt the same (6/21 H. Times). On homosexuality, 60 percent of Anglicans and 63 percent of Catholics do not believe sexual activity between male homosexuals is always morally wrong. Half of atheists and 30 percent of Anglicans/Catholics surveyed said there are situations where adultery is morally right. The Bible says adultery and homosexuality are sins.

Angels Used To Raise Funds For Jesus Film? Paul Eshleman is Director of Campus Crusade's JESUS film project. In a letter from him received last month he said angels carried their five vehicles across barriers of terrain in Mozambique, and would-be robbers of their equipment in Thailand "were startled by two brilliant white beings...eight feet tall and brandish[ing] flaming swords." He said "Our Lord intervened with His holy angels. Will you intervene with your prayers and gift?" CC

PK Chief Has Advice On Racism, Confession--Promise Keepers founder and CEO Bill McCartney at the May 30 PK meeting in Birmingham had this to say: "...What we need to do is go into our community and cross colors. Listen to what I'm saying now. Do you know that when we cross colors we get stretched...we get completed. We are not here to compete, we are here to complete each other. If you're a white guy and you don't have close and intimate relationships with men of color, you're being cheated. If you're a man of color and you don't have white men in your life, you're not getting everything. It's when we come together that we make a difference, not only in our life but in our community..." In the closing invitation, he said: "Men there's two things you have to do tonight. One is you must find another man and confess your sin to him before you leave the stadium. Find another man and speak out of your heart and tell him your sin [immorality, etc.]. Ask Almighty God together to cleanse you. And then the second thing: If you're in a bad relationship...call her on the phone and break the relationship...Set yourself clean, set yourself free...Let the Spirit of God do the cleansing tonight. Men, Almighty God is preparing us. We are going to stand up and take this nation for Jesus Christ. We can do it by being clean. Amen? Let's give the Lord a cheer, men [standing applause]." Host Thomas Hill then said: "Turn to your brother and confess...I believe we can imagine this rain as the blood of Jesus that is sweeping over us and cleansing us from all unrighteousness...The Bible says to confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed." --CC (ELB: What gross unscriptural words. This is false religion to the fullest extent).

David Ring Speaks For Charismatics Southern Baptist evangelist David Ring who spoke at the June SBC meeting, often shares pulpits with Drs. Jerry Falwell and Tim Leeand this is, sad to say, sometimes in prominent Southwide Baptist Fellowship pulpits (e.g., see 6/1/97 & 6/15/96 CCs). We now see Ring listed as a speaker at Cecil Todd's Revival Fires conference, August 15-17, at Branson, Mo.'s Grand Palace (7/97 Charis ma). Other speakers include the disgraced Bob Harrington and charismatics such as Pat Robertson and James Robison. --CC

Women's Ordination Foes Cost Anglicans $25 Million--Under legislation passed by the Church of England shortly before the first women priests were ordained in 1994, clerics who resign their ministry because of their conscientious objection to women priests receive a three-year stipend (5/19 Chr. News). Church officials say it will cost over $25 million to -compensate these departing clergy by 2006 when the agreement ends.

Campolo In Australia--The 3/97 Australian Beacon said of Eastern College prof Tony Campolo: "...He is a well known admirer of Roman Catholic `Mother Teresa' as well as promoting many immoral situations. Neither he nor his wife agree with the Biblical standards on homosexuality. He is quite favorable to the New Age movement, witness his book `How to Rescue the Earth Without Worshiping Nature'....He is a keen supporter of President and Hillary Clinton. Now we find him at `Festival '97' which is `Victorian Churches working together to make an impact'. One must ask, what kind of impact can such a man have? Clearly the impact will be to turn churches more fully into the social gospel camp."

Haggard: Charismatics Headed For Main Street--Ted Haggard, pastor of a large charismatic church in Colorado Springs, comments on which way the charismatic revival movement is headed (7/97 Charisma). He says: "We're headed toward a refreshed, faith-filled, empowered church. All of us today are enjoying the benefits of past renewals. God created a whirlwind of renewal at Azusa Street and gave people the gift of tongues. He created outrage when He used Oral Roberts to help the church understand that God wants us healed. And we've all seen the raised eyebrows when He used Kenneth Hagin to emphasize that we need to have faith in the Bible. Now these ideas are so closely woven into the fabric of the body of Christ that very few people are confused about the gifts of the Spirit, healing or the integrity of God's Word. These renewals ended up on Main Street." Today's Main Streets are slums! Haggard is a graduate of Oral Roberts University and is on the board of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).

Bob Harrington Preaching Again--Flamboyant jokester Bob Harrington, "Chaplain of Bourbon Street," is back to "preaching" again. He spoke at Jerry Falwell's church last year (7/15/96 CC), and "preached a laugh-riot revival" at Eudora, Miss. early this year. The 4/11 Tyler Morn. Telegraph said: "Harrington's nearly two-decades-old marriage to Zonnya [his second wife?] is over now [and] he lives in an apartment in New Orleans." The 7/97 Charisma lists him as a speaker, along with charismatics such as Pat Robertson and James Robison, at a Cecil Todd Revival Fires conference in Branson, Mo. in August. CC

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