FRIDAY CHURCH NEWS NOTES
May 3, 2013, VOLUME 14, ISSUE 18
The Friday Church News Notes is
designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life
Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise
stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from
a wide variety of sources, but this does not imply an endorsement. For
instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing
addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.
PRESIDENT OBAMA PRAISES PLANNED PARENTHOOD (Friday Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - On April 26, President Barack Obama praised Planned Parenthood in a 12 minute speech. CNSNews observed that this was “enough time for 7.6 abortions to take place at Planned Parenthood clinics,” since they perform an average of one abortion every 94 seconds. The first sitting president to address Planned Parenthood, Obama said the organization is necessary so that a woman can have “a choice” and can maintain control over her own body, but in reality the choice a woman makes at Planned Parenthood clinics typically involves not her “own body,” but that of a separate person: the innocent baby in her womb.
Obama failed to mention the fact that no
woman is forced to conceive a baby. America has never had a more
pro-abortion president. When he was a senator in Illinois, Obama
staunchly and repeatedly opposed the “Born Alive Infant Protection Act”
which would have ensured that if a baby was born during a botched
abortion, the baby would be saved. He has also supports “partial birth
abortion,” a procedure whereby a living baby’s head is pulled out of the
womb and its brain suctioned out before the dead body is birthed (“Why
Is Obama’s Evil in Rick Warren’s Pulpit?” WorldNetDaily, Nov. 17, 2006).
Obama mentioned Planned Parenthood’s
beginning in New York City, but he failed to say that it originated with
Margaret Sangar’s eugenics program to stem the growth of undesirables
such as blacks and poor European immigrants. Her slogan was “more
children from the fit; less from the unfit--that is the chief issue of
birth control” (Diane Paul, Controlling Human Heredity, 1995, p.
20). “She repeatedly referred to the lower classes and the unfit as
‘human waste’ not worthy of assistance, and proudly quoted the extreme
eugenic view that human ‘weeds’ should be ‘exterminated.’ ... In her
1922 book, Pivot of Civilization, Sanger ... included an
introduction by famous British novelist and eugenicist H. G. Wells, who
said, ‘... we cannot make the social life and the world-peace we are
determined to make, with the ill-bred, ill-trained swarms of inferior
citizens that you inflict upon us’” (Edwin Black, War Against the Weak, pp. 127, 129, 130).
In addition to birth control and
abortion, Sanger advocated infanticide and euthanasia. Calling large
families “immoral,” she said, “The most merciful thing that the large
family does to one of its infant members is to kill it” (Sanger, Woman and the New Race, chapter 5). (For more on this see “Eugenics and Darwin” at www.wayoflife.org.)
ABORTION RIGHTS INSANITY
(Friday Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org,
fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - There is a deep spiritual blindness
surrounding the abortion-rights movement. Consider, for example, the
move to have anti-abortion laws equated with the torture of women. The
United Nations has published a report claiming that nations that fail to
allow legalized abortion are allowing the “torture and ill treatment”
of women (“UN Report,” Life News, March 8, 2013).
The
UN report is based on a 2010 report by the Center for Reproductive
Rights, which stated: “In recent years, the Center for Reproductive
Rights and other civil society organizations have extensively documented
the ways in which abuses of women’s sexual and reproductive rights rise
to the level of torture or CIDT [Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading
Punishment] and have advocated for recognition of the severity of these
violations.” In reality, it is the unborn baby that is being tortured
and treated with extreme cruelty and inhumanity. God’s Word says, “Woe
unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for
light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for
bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).
POPE FOR A NEW WORLD (Friday
Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org,
866-295-4143) - “Pope for a New World” is the title of a special 2013
edition of Time magazine. The focus is on Pope Francis and
whether or not he will be a dramatic change agent in the Catholic
Church. The authors of the report call for “profound structural reform,”
such as restructuring the Roman Curia, opening the priesthood and other
leadership positions to women, abolishing mandatory “celibacy” of
priests, allowing divorced and remarried people to take the consecrated
wafer of the mass, and relaxing the institution’s position against
homosexual “love.”
Since
the 1960s and the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church has
become more “evangelical” while evangelicals have become more Romanized
or as least more sympathetic to Rome. It is not difficult to see how
this fits into the formation of a “one world church.” Some of the most
powerful elements of ecumenism are the charismatic movement,
contemporary worship music, and contemplative prayer.
A MAGAZINE THAT IS NOT OUTSPOKEN IS A LITERARY NUISANCE (Friday
Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org,
866-295-4143) -The following words by Charles Spurgeon are from The Sword & Trowel,
1870: “This Magazine has not been conducted in a timid, crouching
spirit, neither have we pandered to popular tastes. Some of our articles
have brought down upon us upbraidings which we have borne without
regret. Our reviews, when we have felt conscientiously bound to censure,
have cost us many a postal lecture. We are not, however, penitent; we
have nothing to retract, but doubt not that we shall sin again; we would
not needlessly irritate, but we will not be silent in the presence of
error, neither will we bespatter with flattery where honesty demands
denunciation.
A magazine which is not outspoken, and is destitute of principle, is a literary nuisance. We use the trowel wherever we can to aid every good cause, but we have a sword also
and mean to use it. We expect to receive blows, and therefore when we
do we are not overwhelmed with dismay. Christ’s truth is too dear to us
for us to flinch from its defense. In the widespread defection which is
now so sadly apparent in certain quarters, we see not only signs of
coming struggles, but calls to duty, stern and arduous, from which only
cowards will desire to be excused. The ancient faith, assailed by foes
on all hands, must not lack for champions.”
NEW LANGUAGE FOR FOR A NEW AGE (Friday
Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org,
866-295-4143) - The movement to promote “gender-neutral” language and
thinking has entered a new stage in Washington state with the final
piece of a six-year effort to re-write state laws. Thousands of pages of
legislation have been modified to reflect gender-neutrality.
“fisherman” is now “fisher”; “freshman” is now “first-year student”;
“journeyman plumber” is now “journey-level plumber”; “penmanship” is now
“handwriting”; “signalman” is now “signal operator” (“Washington state
removes gender bias,” Reuters, Apr. 23, 2013).
Reuters
reports that 10 other states have passed “gender-neutral” legislation
and at least 9 others are considering it. Brietbart calls this a “war on
the English language,” but it is much more than that. Liz Watson, a
senior adviser of the National Women’s Law Center, says, “Words matter.
This is important for changing hearts and minds.” Indeed, this is a
dramatic feat of social engineering to prepare “global citizens” for the
New Age. By the way, we wonder why nothing has been done about those
dastardly words “woMAN” and “feMALE.”
CALIFORNIA’S BATHROOM BILL MOVING AHEAD
(Friday Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org
fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In April 2013 the California
Assembly Education Committee approved a bill that would mandate schools
to allow boys to use girls’ restrooms and vice versa if they identify with the opposite gender (“California ‘Bathroom Bill’ Mandating Schools to Allow Boys in Girls’ Restrooms,” Christian News,
Apr. 18, 2013). “AB 1266, also known as the ‘Bathroom Bill,’ would
serve as an amendment to the Education Code and would require all
schools in the state to comply with its mandates.
‘A
pupil shall be permitted to participate in [sexual] segregated school
programs, activities, and facilities, including athletic teams and
competitions, consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective
of the gender listed on the pupil’s records,’ the legislation reads. It
was approved to move forward in the legislature by a vote of 5-2 on
Wednesday. It will likely now advance to the full Assembly, House and
Senate for consideration. ‘We were heavily outnumbered by transgender
folk, transgender activists, the ACLU and teacher’s unions,’ Matthew
McReynolds, staff attorney with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI),
told Christian News Network of the hearing that took place prior to the
vote.”
CLINTON OMITS “CREATOR” IN CITING DECLARATION (Friday
Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org,
866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Bill Clinton Omits,”
CNSNews.com, Apr. 22, 2013: “In accepting the “Advocate of Change” award
at the GLAAD Media Awards on Sunday, former Democratic President Bill
Clinton invoked the Declaration of Independence as confirming support
for homosexuals as being ‘endowed with certain rights’ but omitted the
words ‘their Creator’ as the source of those rights.
The
Declaration of Independence says, ‘We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ (GLAAD was formerly known
as Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.) In his remarks,
Clinton said he felt GLAAD staff, board, and supporters should have
received the award ‘because they are the real agents of change.’ ...
Clinton said his daughter Chelsea ‘and her gay friends and her wonderful
husband have modeled to me the way we all ought to treat each other
without regard to our sexual orientation.’ ... Drew Barrymore hosted the
event, with Hollywood celebrities as presenters, including Jennifer
Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Betty White and Leonardo DiCaprio.”
WHERE DO JEWS LIVE? (Friday
Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org,
866-295-4143) - Though Jews are still scattered all over the world, they
are congregated largely in two countries now. Eighty percent of the
Jews live either in America or Israel, divided roughly equally between
the two countries. Eleven other nations have a Jewish population of
50,000 or more. Tel Aviv, with 2.5 million Jews, is the world’s largest
Jewish city, followed by New York, with 1.9 million.
AN AMAZING FROG (Friday Church News Notes, May 3, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from Creation Moments,
April 18, 2013: “A rare Australian aquatic frog has one of the most
amazing systems for rearing its young to be found in the animal kingdom.
If any other creature tried the same method, the result would be fatal
to its young. The frog is a species of Australian frog so rare that it
only has a Latin name. Once the eggs are laid and fertilized, the female
swallows the eggs. Sometimes she waits until they begin to develop.
However, once the young are in her stomach, she forgoes eating for eight
weeks. After eight weeks, the young, developed frogs emerge from her
mouth. Why aren’t the young frogs digested in the mother’s stomach?
Once
the offspring are in her stomach, they begin to release fine threads of
chemicals from their mouths. Among these chemicals is one that causes
the mother’s stomach to stop manufacturing acid. In other words, the
tiny young frogs change the mother’s stomach from an organ for digestion
into a comfortable, protected nursery. Scientists were amazed at the
frog’s system since no other creature in nature is able to do this.”
CONCLUSION:
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is
published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information
Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud.
Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously
does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be
discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat.
16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News
Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for
the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living
for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to
awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed.
The
night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk
honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the
lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who
personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service
mailing list. To SUBSCRIBE, go to
http://www.wayoflife.org/wayoflife/subscribe.html. TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR
CHANGE ADDRESSES, go to the very bottom of any email received from us
and click "Manage My Subscription." Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box
610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.
WAY OF LIFE LITERATURE SHARING POLICY: Much
of our material is available for free, such as the hundreds of articles
at the Way of Life web site. Other items we sell to help fund our
expensive literature, video, and foreign church planting ministry. Way
of Life’s content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable.
Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O
Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks.
You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share
them with friends and family, but they cannot be posted to web sites.
You are also welcome to use excerpts from the articles in your own
writings, in sermons, in church bulletins, etc. All we ask is that you
give proper credit.
Things we do not want copied and
distributed freely are items like the Fundamental Baptist Digital
Library, print edition of our books, PDFs and other electronic editions
of the books that we sell, the eVideos that we sell, etc. The items have
taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we
need the income from sales to help fund the ministry. We trust that your
Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. “For the
scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the
corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward” (1 Timothy 5:18).
...
...
...
