English Methodist Pray to God Their Mother. Just this past week I heard a news report on radio, that revealed that the Methodist in England can pray to "our Father or Mother in heaven." What an example of blasphemy. ELB

Schuller Punished - Televangelist Robert Schuller pleaded innocent to an assault charge of "shoving a male flight attendant" (see 8/15 CC). Prosecutors will drop those charges if he completes six months of federal supervision. He agrees to this and to pay a fine of $1,100 to the FAA. CC

Denver Seminary, CBA, Cults - Denver Seminary is a member of the Conservative Baptist Association which is a member of the NAE (National Association of Evangelicals). Both Denver and CBA have become increasingly ecumenical, and strongly new-evangelical (e.g., see 9/1/91 CC). But more recently both seem to have a weak stance concerning cults. Denver has promoted books by Quaker "mystic/New Ager" Richard Foster, and its Focal Point (Sum.'97) said of new professor of Old Testament Dr. Richard Hess that he is a member of the Catholic Biblical Association. A book by Conservative Baptist minister Richard Allen Farmer was published by Seventh-day Adventists (9-10/96 Fund. Digest). Farmer is listed as a major participant at a Church Development Conference on "Waging Spiritual Warfare" Nov. 9-10 in Dallas, along with John MacArthur, Tony Evans, and Howard Hendricks (7-8/97 Fund. Digest). These are sad signs of a growing apostasy! CC

GARBC Report - David Gower replaces Vernon Miller as editor of the Baptist Bulletin. The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches at its recent annual meeting in Grand Rapids reported a loss of 24 churches over the past year with 10 new ones joining - a net loss of 14. Next year's meeting will be at Lancaster, PA. The GARBC-approved schools and agencies are exercising ever greater control over the churches. Cedarville College and Cornerstone/Grand Rapids are very new-evangelical. Some other GARBC entities lag not too far behind. Rick Miesel cites "psychoheresy" inroads at Cedarville, and says "many, many GARBC churches are supporters of Promise Keepers" [notwithstanding, the resolution against PK]. ABWE hardly qualifies as separatist-fundamentalist. Fundamentalist Digest editor Dr. Don Jasmin comments on the GARBC's "Ecumenical Problem" thusly: "Dr. Bill Rudd has served as chairman of the GARBC's Council of 18, probably the most powerful and influential position in the GARBC. Rudd also serves as the chairman of the Cedarville College Board of Trustees. Rudd sent his men to a recent PK conference with his blessing. Rudd also promotes CCM music..." CC

Mormon Missionaries Allowed To Call Home Twice A Year. The Mormon Church has forbidden its missionaries to use email and faxes to stay in touch with family and friends back home. The new policy broadens already stringent guidelines for the missionaries, who are allowed to phone home only on Christmas and Mother's Day and are not permitted to write letters more than once a week, news reports said. The policy is an effort to keep missionaries, who are typically between 19 and 22 years old, focused on their work during their two years of service. Constant contact could make a missionary homesick, church spokesman Dan Rascon said, according to CNET news. Bonnie Carter of Orem, Utah, whose son Andrew is a missionary in Sweden, called the change "a cruel move," the Associated Press said. There have been times when she and her husband have needed to communicate with Andrew about urgent matters, she said.

Presbyterians Reach Final Place of Apostasy "New York Presbyterian ministers is blessing homosexual unions. The Presbytery of the Hudson River voted 107 to 35 to allow ministers to perform ceremonies for same-sex couples." (Religion Today, 2-1-99)

College Students Polled. More college freshmen oppose abortion, drink less, and are less likely to have casual sex. The 33rd annual American Freshman Survey questioned 275,811 students at 469 schools. The survey is done by the University of California at Los Angeles and the American Council on Education, The Washington Times said. Student drinking is less common, with 51.6% saying that they drink beer, down from 52.7% in 1998. About 55% said they drink wine or liquor, a 12% decrease from 1987. ...Support for legal abortion among freshmen has decreased 14% since 1990, to 50.9%. "As students become more aware of what abortion is, they know it's not about freedom of choice but about one person's right to live," E.J. Suh, spokesman for Collegians Activated to Liberate Life, said. ...Only 39.6% of students agreed that it's acceptable to have sex with a person they've known for only a short period of time; 51.9% agreed with that phrase in 1987. About 82% said they attend religious services, but only about one-third said they regularly pray or meditate.

Is The National Prayer Breakfast Christian? Yassar Arafat's invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast is causing protests. The Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, and Family Research Council said the leader of the Palestinian Authority should not be allowed to attend, citing his terrorist activities. Arafat has declined such invitations in the past, but has indicated he will attend the Feb. 4 meeting. Invitations also went out to Syrian President Hafez el-Assad and high-ranking officials in the Sudanese regime, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem said. "It is an ill-informed bad decision to invite a known terrorist and murderer of Jews and Christians, and Americans, to participate in a public exercise of faith here in the nation's capital," the Christian Coalition's Jeffrey Taylor said. Religion Today 1-27-99

Burning Bibles in Cuba. Just a short while after the Pope visited Cuba, thousands of Bibles were burned as being subversive. Of course this is something that Communists and Catholics have done for a long time. The following is taken from Religion Today of 2-9-99. "Thousands of Bibles were burned by military troops in Cuba last week, Voice of the Martyrs said. Garbage containers in Arrollo Naranjo, a suburb of Havana near a military base, were used to burn the books, the Oklahoma-based group said. A witness at the scene quoted a soldier at the fire as saying the Bibles were being burned because "they are subversive." The Bibles were reportedly sent by organizations outside Cuba because they had the title Cuba Para Cristo, meaning Cuba for Christ."