March-April 1998 News Archives
Distributed via e-mail by CNV News Service. . These articles may be used in any manner to the glory of God, and as an aid in the discernment of the times January 1998 [Andy Neckar, CNV News Service, PO Box J, Hico, TX 76457]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. Christian singer stirs up industry with campaign for change
2. UMC Joins Hands With Hollywood & Roman Catholic School
3. UMC "Reconciling Board" In Full Communion With Homosexuals
4. UMC to dialogue with Mormons
5. Economic Justice & Salvation Go Hand In Hand?
6. Billy Graham Forgives
7. Computer Software Helps Sinners Repent
8. Easter Week Symbols
9. False Religions VS False Religions
10. Muscle Flexing to Bring People to Jesus
11. PK Back In The Money
12. Roman Catholic Church Teaches Sexual Orientation Is Not Freely Chosen
13. Roman Catholics and Buddhists Together
14. Wounded Heroes or Lost Sinners?
15. The Roman Catholic Church Has Changed You Say?
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Christian singer stirs up industry with campaign for change
(02/21/98 By Christopher Ave / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News)Contemporary Christian music has lost its soul, says one of the genre's veterans.
Steve Camp, a singer and songwriter who released his first album 20 years ago, has sounded a clarion call for repentance and reform in the $1 billion-per-year industry.On a 4-foot poster mailed to nearly 6,000 music industry officials and followers - and soon to be distributed nationwide by the tens of thousands - Mr. Camp complains that Christian music "yodels of a Christ-less, watered-down, pabulum-based, positive alternative, aura-fluff, cream of wheat, mush-kind-of-syrupy, God-as-my-girlfriend kind of thing."
And Mr. Camp is not stopping there. He said that within a month he'll announce plans for a new record label that promises to produce only songs with lyrics fully supported by Scripture, give away CDs to Christian ministries and sponsor concerts that resemble church revivals.
"We cannot vacillate," he said during a recent interview. "We have to move through the fog of our society with absolute clarity, or we might find ourselves crashing into the iceberg on a spiritual Titanic."
Division in the Christian music industry has been developing for years, observers say, as artists have gained exposure on secular radio and in nonreligious retail stores.
"I think definitely it was inevitable for this perspective to come out," said Lindy Warren, managing editor of The CCM Update, an industry publication. "I think there's a lot more visibility of the industry's issues among the public than ever before because of this."
And Mr. Camp is not alone in his views, Ms. Warren said. "I think Steve has a ton of supporters," though more in Christian radio and retail outlets than within the Christian recording industry, she said.
Of course, criticism of an industry that by some standards is enjoying unprecedented success has also raised hackles.
"I think Steve needs to concentrate on his own life and not worry so much about everyone else's," said Carman, a singer and songwriter who, like Mr. Camp, has been releasing records for 20 years.
[Editor] Yeah, that is exactly what I expected of Carman. This Carman would tell Christ the same thing if Christ were to criticize his antichrist music.
Led by longtime crossover performers such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith as well as newer acts dc Talk, Jars of Clay and Audio Adrenaline, contemporary Christian music is reaching more people than ever, its defenders say.
If Christian music were limited to exclusively Christian outlets, Carman contends, "We would lose a whole generation."
One veteran Christian music publicist suggested that Mr. Camp may be acting, at least partially, out of a frustration with the stagnation of his own career. Mr. Camp last released an album four years ago. He left the Warner Alliance label in 1995.
[Editor] Folks, I guess I act out of frustration too. My secular career stagnated some time ago. The last time I brought home a check of "any kind" was a lot longer than four years ago.
"It's a little easier to talk that way when you're not being embraced by the industry," said the publicist, who requested anonymity. "I don't see him doing anything of much consequence apart from his criticisms".
Mr. Camp, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., the center of contemporary Christian music, realizes he has offended many friends in the industry.
"I've received threats saying, 'If you keep on, we'll bury you,' " he said. "I could have committed adultery with somebody and gotten better press. I could have released a bland crossover record with Shaun Cassidy-type lyrics and gotten a better reception than this poster got."
Mr. Camp's poster contains 107 theses modeled after Martin Luther's list that sparked the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Mr. Camp said he released it after six years of study and 47 days of fasting and prayer. He sent out copies on Oct. 31, Reformation Day.
"I just didn't one weekend go to the office and say, 'Let's take on a whole city as a matter of marketing strategy,' as some people have said I've done," he said.
Citing the Bible for each of his theses, Mr. Camp argues that music created by Christians amounts to a ministry and should glorify God by proclaiming God's word precisely. Contemporary Christian music "has committed a spiritual adultery in joining itself with the wayward world," a reference to secular companies' ownership of Christian music labels such as Word, Sparrow and Star Song.
Today, he said, he hears a kind of Christian music very different from what he heard during the industry's formative years in the 1970s. The newer music, he said, doesn't have much Christ.
"I remember the days when people actually sang about the Lord and weren't ashamed of it," he said. "Now it's simply marketing technique. It's simply money."
He said other artists have told him privately that record labels have pressured them to leave words such as "Jesus," "God" and "sin" out of their songs.
Mr. Camp believes that if current trends continue, Christian music will become indistinguishable from secular music.
"The lines have become so blurred that [Christian] artists are taking past secular hits and saying these songs represent Christ because they sing them," he said. "That's absolutely ludicrous. It's like singing 'Hey Jude' and saying it's about that little epistle" in the New Testament.
"When an artist takes an old song like the Edgar Winter hit 'Free Ride' - and does a very poor rewrite of it - and it turns out to be the Number 3 song [on a Christian rock chart], that doesn't justify it. That song is not about the Lord; it's about a one-night stand between a man and a woman."
The lead singer of the Christian group that re-recorded the song, Audio Adrenaline, said he believes that God often works through non-Christians, including songwriters and record-company executives.
"I think God can use people, even a person who doesn't even know God, in a way to bring glory to himself," said Mark Stuart. "I think God's in control of what's happening, and I see fruit of Christian music continuing to grow."
At Audio Adrenaline concerts, Mr. Stuart said, band members share their testimony and talk about God. The group even offers an "invitation" to receive Christ, similar to those at evangelical church services. The band's first headline tour appeared Thursday at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas.
"On this tour, we're seeing kids come to Christ every night, we're seeing walls come down between generations," Mr. Stuart said. "You cannot be ashamed at the music, or embarrassed, but at the same time you can be sure they will hear the good news of Jesus Christ at the show."
Mr. Stuart does see much good in Mr. Camp's campaign. "I personally think there does need to be a reformation, not just in music but in Christianity itself," he said. "I think it's cool he's challenging people to become more in tune with what God wants."
Other observers agree with some of Mr. Camp's critique but disagree with his conclusions.
William D. Romanowski, professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College, a Christian institution in Grand Rapids, Mich., said he applauds Mr. Camp for raising important issues. In an essay for a forthcoming book, Religion and Popular Culture in America, Dr. Romanowski writes that the Christian music industry tries "to serve both God and mammon."
"The fusion of business and religious values and purposes still plagues the CCM industry. It remains something that people in the industry apparently have yet to understand, or at least publicly acknowledge," he writes.
But during an interview, Dr. Romanowski said he disagrees with Mr. Camp.
"The psalmist says the earth and everything in it belongs to God. You don't have to justify doing art or music," he said. "Music can do a lot of different things beyond evangelism."
"It's actually a very demeaning view of God's creation, that music, which God created, is somehow not worthy of our participation."
[Editor] God created reproductive members for man and woman too, but how we use these members can be very demeaning. The homosexual idea of using these members are not worthy of our participation.
Mr. Camp's condemnation of the spiritual-secular dichotomy of Christian music may not be embraced by the industry. But it has certainly caught its attention, says Ms. Warren of The CCM Update.
"I can't tell you how many requests I've had for that poster," she said. "I don't know that necessarily means all these people [agree]. I do think he's causing people to think. You know what? That's what Luther did. And that's great."
[Editor} Folks, I don’t know "anything" about this Steve Camp but what I read in this article. But if Steve’s intentions are what he claims, I say, MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS THIS MAN. I KNOW the perception he has of Christian music matches mine perfectly.
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UMC Joins Hands With Hollywood & Roman Catholic School
DAYTON, Ohio –- A United Methodist group has put a new twist on connectionalism by joining hands with a Hollywood actor and a Roman Catholic high school in what amounts to a chain reaction of ecumenical work.Actor Martin Sheen, a Roman Catholic activist, is doing the voice-over work for a key presentation at the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries' upcoming national convention. The event is set for March 12-15 in Chicago. This is the first time the group has ever worked with a Roman Catholic high school, Hoban said. The school preferred not to be named. ( United Methodist News Service 3/3/98)
[Editor] Connectionism-- Connected to pagan churches, connected to the world, connected to celebrities, but separated from God. Folks, the United Methodist as a Denomination is a false Christian denomination, and if there be any God fearing churches that remain in this abomination before God, they will soon fall because they cling to denominationalism rather that fundamentalism.
The UMC denomination is a mockery to true Christianity. You may get me wrong, but God is not mocked. (Gal 6:7)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------UMC "Reconciling Board" In Full Communion With Homosexuals
The eight-member national board of directors for the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF) of the United Methodist Church has designated itself a "reconciling board."With such a designation, it joins a network of United Methodist congregations, campus ministries, and other units of the denomination which "publicly welcome the full participation of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation." CEF includes more than 1,000 members, most of whom are pastors and Christian education leaders in local congregations. The organization has 50 local chapters and sponsors national conferences. (United Methodist News Service 2/27/98)
[Editor] You know, the Holy Spirit of God speaking through the Apostle Paul calls some members of Christ’s Church saints that "once were" abusers of themselves with mankind. (1 Cor 6:9-11) Be not deceived, such Methodistism shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven.
By the way! Christ’s Church consists of "repentant" sinners. I wonder whose church welcomes unrepentant sinners? Let me Sat-an contemplate on that for awhile.
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UMC to dialogue with Mormons
An elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) joined United Methodists in Salt Lake City Feb. 20-22 for the first formal dialogue between the two denominations.The Rev. Doug Slaughter, pastor of Community United Methodist Church in Ogden, Utah, said the dialogue was organized through the Utah-Wyoming subdistrict of the United Methodist Rocky Mountain Conference.
He noted that pastors in that area face "a constant series of questions about how different aspects of church life, as seen from the United Methodist perspective, relate to the LDS Church." (United Methodist News Service 2/27/98)
[Editor] While the UMC dialogues with the Mormons, God’s people witness the gospel of Christ to them. Christians should consider witnessing the gospel of Christ to the UMC too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Economic Justice & Salvation Go Hand In Hand?
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches, which represents 210 Presbyterian, Reformed, United and Congregational churches, is preparing to take action to ensure that its members give greater respect to the principle of "economic justice."The Rev. Milan Opocensky, World Alliance of Reformed Churches' general secretary, told Ecumenical News International Feb. 12 that churches and their members must be made to understand that their "salvation is at stake" if they refuse to reject unjust economic structures.
While mainstream churches around the world have paid more and more attention in recent decades to the ethics of international economics and finance, Dr.
Opocensky said the alliance was the first international church body to say that these issues were an integral part of the Christian faith.
Furthermore, he suggested that WARC might elevate respect for economic justice by its churches to a condition of membership.( 2/25/98 Ecumenical News International)
[Editor] I begin now to understand why these churches call themselves reformed. They have changed from the gospel of Christ to the gospel of man. They now claim that the " Social Gospel of Economic Justice is the power of man unto salvation unto everyone that participates".
You know, I don’t feel sorrow for them. These people know the true gospel of Christ, but have rejected it. They have neglected the salvation bought by Jesus Christ the Son of God. They cannot escape. (Heb 2:3) They are ordained unto condemnation, (Jude 1:4)
---------------------------------------------------------------------Billy Graham Forgives
Billy Graham would forgive Bill Clinton if the president was found to be guilty of having sex with a former White House intern and lying about it. In an interview with NBC's Katie Couric, aired on the Today show March 5, the evangelist said Clinton, 51, has "such a tremendous personality that I think the ladies just go wild over him..""I forgive him...because I know the frailty of human nature, and especially a strong, vigorous young man like he is." Graham, who has been a personal friend to nine presidents, said pressures faced by presidents may lead some to "temptation." Presidents have had shortcomings "and yet they are considered great presidents," Graham said. (Excerpts from "Religion Today" 3/6/98)
[Editor] Remember the article I sent out on 2/25/98 "When Forgiveness is a Sin"? Remember how the article said that "young Christians" like to forgive others who have not repented because it makes them "feel good about themselves"?
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. (KJV)
You see the word "repent"? You know, I don’t believe it’s there for nothing,. But I guess Billy Graham does. You remember how the article referred to "young" Christians? Well-it’s because the "old" Christians like Graham was their example.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Computer Software Helps Sinners Repent
Polish Roman Catholics can now outline charts of their sins with a new computer program designed to help them confess their sins. It is based on the prayer book and affords 104 searching questions to help users catalog their fight against sin and recount the statistics, Gazeta Wyborcza daily newspaper reported under the headline: "I sincerely repent. Enter." Sins are listed under Biblical commandments and according to their importance, with a questionnaire asking whether they have been committed or not. Author Andrzej Urbanski had the idea when his son was preparing for first communion. He pressed on, even though the boy's response was "Daddy, you have some strange ideas." Sinners need not fear their darkest secrets getting out, as files with intimate data are protected by password. (Reuters)[Editor] I remember when I was a Roman Catholic, and I used to enter the confessional to recite my sins to the priest. I had to list "all" the sins I committed since my last confession and how many times each one. The priest must use rational judgment, you know. I mean--how can the Roman Catholic priest know what proper penance to assign unless he knows how habitual a sinner you really are. They haven’t claimed the power to read your heart –yet.
I came across a hilarious short story about Bill Gates and his company Microsoft buying the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church as an investment. It speaks of computer programs that enable the busy Catholic to download grace from heaven on the computer while one attends to business at hand.. I don’t think of it as that funny anymore.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Easter Week Symbols
Evangelical churches are beginning to incorporate rituals in services to commemorate the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. Some evangelicals are celebrating Lent and Holy Week with observances once left to Catholic and Orthodox traditions, according to The Dallas Morning News.Holy Week observances such as shrouding the cross from Good Friday until Easter Sunday and Maundy Thursday services are finding a place in the churches. "A lot of Baptists are saying, 'We need to...bring more of the senses into worship,' " said Gary Parker of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Others are using symbols to help them understand the importance of their beliefs. "If Christians don't use the symbols of their faith, people will look for symbols in the secular culture," said Brad Creed of Truett Seminary at Baylor University. (Religion Today 4/7/98)
[Editor] The REAL Christian symbol of REAL faith is the Christian manifesting the gifts of the Spirit. Those looking for symbols in the church or "wherever" they can find them are NOT Christian people.
Let me repeat that. THEY ARE NOT CHRISTIAN PEOPLE. I had all these symbols when I was a practicing Roman Catholic. I left this to become a Christian. I didn’t search for this as a Christian. Folks—the "whole world" and "it’s churches" are going home to Rome, a little at a time.
These people do not want to receive "Christ in their hearts, by faith". They want to receive Him "in their stomachs, literally". Very soon "professing" Christians will not want to repent before God whom they "cannot" see. They will want to obtain pardon from a human representative of God whom they "can" see. "Professing" Christians want a religion they can "see" and "experience". The Roman Church can offer them all of this. They have their God, the Pope. They have their confessor, the priest. The have their Jesus, the communion host. They have their liturgy (ritual) and images and pomp and sacrificial altars. They can "participate" in their salvation. The people want "hands on" religion. They want to be "involved" in their salvation. A free gift is just to humbling. They want to see the sights, smell the aroma, feel the touch, and sense the experience of their religion. Faith is just to boring.
The UMC has been observing the Roman Catholic "Holy Week" rituals for some time now. Even the Baptist’s are beginning to fall by the wayside. Lord have mercy on us.
I am torn between two desires. I would love for my children to live a good and godly life on this earth with a loving spouse and loving children. But then again I am getting sick and tired of all this falling away, and I want Jesus to come soon. (Php 1:23)
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False Religions VS False Religions
Officials in the Venev district of Tula, Russia that is about 100 miles south of Moscow has forbidden religious groups to meet in public buildings. The reason for this action is that a Baptist church and a Seventh Day Adventist congregation both rented the same building on different days and have quarreled with each other. Adventists have publicly criticized denominations that observe the Sabbath on Sunday and disagreed with Baptists over useRussian officials met with four Orthodox priests but did not speak with any Protestant ministers before making the decision. The priests are opposed to the presence of Protestant groups and have published articles in the local newspaper calling Baptists "enemies of the Russian people,"
[Editor] There is no mention of the Orthodox priests denouncing the Adventists. I guess "false" religions do not bother other "false" religions. There is no threat of genuine salvation offered to the Russian people by the Adventists, so-"no harm done".
By the way, Baptists do not observe a Sabbath. The first day of the week is NOT a Sabbath observance. The Old Testament law is done away for "real" Christians. (Heb 8:13) We are not under the law. (Rom 6:14) We are not required to worship any certain place (John 4:20-24) or on any certain day. (Rom 14:5-6) Christians are commanded to "fellowship" with each other, (Heb 10:25) and the day "chosen", not "commanded", is the first day of the week.
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Muscle Flexing to Bring People to Jesus
Bending steel bars, breaking concrete blocks and performing other spectacular demonstrates of strength is ONE substitute for the gospel of Christ.This all started about 20 years ago when John Jacobs, a former student of Oral Roberts University went to lead Bible study at a prison. He couldn’t draw a crowd so he decided to "strut his stuff" as a weightlifter. He could break a pair of steel handcuffs and inflate a hot-water bottle with his breath until it exploded.
The prisoners went wild over the stunts, and everyone who attended dedicated his life to Jesus, and "The Power Team" was founded.
That’s pretty good, huh? 100% conversion rate? NO WAY. The people may want the "power" God can give, but they wouldn’t want the "meek and humble" Jesus that I have. See, if people need "something else" besides the gospel of Christ to convert them, they are converted to that "something else" not Jesus Christ. They are converted by "awesome strength" in which there is no salvation. Only the "gospel of Christ" is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth… (Rom 1:16).
Think about that you skeptics. I know there are such on the subscriber list because I hear from them each time I "hit home" with my comments.
"This is for unchurched people," says Keith McBroom, minister of music at First Baptist Church of Pleasant Grove, Ala. where the Power Team led a five-day crusade earlier this month. "They’re drawn to it. It’s so different from what people expect of the church…
Yeah folks, the church is no longer the CHURCH.
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PK Back In The Money
Promise Keepers' 345 salaried employees were laid off March 31, but learned April 9 they had been recalled after an outpouring of financial contributions from supporters.
"There were over 70,000 letters that came in to Promise Keepers in March with donations totaling over $4 million," said Steve Ruppe, director of public affairs for the evangelical men's ministry. "We know that a couple of those were relatively large donations…. The majority were around $100 or so."
Ruppe said a few of the large donations exceeded $10,000 and came from churches or other institutions. Their aim is to attract more men -- Christian and non-Christian -- to eventsRuppe said the influx in donations was influenced in part by appeals for help from two prominent evangelical ministries -- Campus Crusade for Christ and Focus on the Family.
[Editor] All this money—going to ungodly ministries. How sad it is to hear of Christians giving money to further the cause of Satan’s "One World Religion". I know not all that support Promise Keepers are Christian, as PK is a hodgepodge of "religion" not "Christianity".
The gospel of Christ is not preached at Promise Keepers rallies. PK does not claim to be a gospel outreach. It is what it claims, a movement to exhort men to be better men. ( better church members, husbands, fathers, etc.) Their aim is to attract men—Christian and non-Christian—to events. PROMISE KEEPERS WANTS TO MORALISE MEN, NOT SAVE THEM.
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Roman Catholic Church Teaches Sexual Orientation Is Not Freely Chosen
(Excerpts from The Ft. Worth Star Telegram 7/17/98)The Rev. David Garri, an openly homosexual Catholic priest recently resigned his position of assistant professor of communication and theater at Notre Dame, a university that has come to symbolize the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.
One of the reasons for Garrick’s resignation is his claim that his nameplate was removed from the confessional. "I felt that I had a strong moral reason for resigning in protest…" he said.
The Rev. John Jenkins, religious superior for the Holy Cross order at Notre Dame, insists Garrick was never discriminated against because of his sexual orientation, which Garrick announced in an April 1996 letter in the school newspaper.As a private university, Notre Dame has no obligation to include homosexuals in its nondiscrimination policy or do anything that would conflict with church teaching. The Catholic church has stood firm to its teaching that homosexual activity is morally wrong even though sexual orientation is not freely chosen.
That is why the university should have embraced Garrick, rather than shut him out, said John Blandford, a doctoral student and former co-chair of the student group "Gays and Lesbians at Notre Dame and St. Mary's College".
"David, in a sense, should be the poster child for the university because he embodies church teaching, which is acknowledging orientation but living a chaste life," Blandford said. "That's basically the sum and substance of church teaching. What's interesting is the university couldn't even handle his orientation.""The track record of the leadership is very poor. But the awakening consciousness of the students and faculty is wonderful. Inspiring," Garrick said. "I believe it will help Notre Dame, the Notre Dame that I know and love, to speak the truth about gay people.
[Editor] This is what I believe is gonna happen folks. The Roman Church will soon determine that, as she already teaches sexual orientation is not a free choice, then—if not a choice, it must be ordained of God. Now—if ordained of God it must NOT be sin. This is how the world will be conditioned to accept the anti-christ who will not regard the desire of women. (Dan 11:37)
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Roman Catholics and Buddhists Together
VIS 4/21/98)Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter- religious Dialogue delivered a message titled "Christians and Buddhists: Together in Hope," on occasion of Vesakh, the annual Buddhist feast, which commemorates important events in the life of Buddha.
Cardinal Arinze said, "Buddhists and Christians who are committed to contemplative life through their respective monastic disciplines have engaged in encounter where in-depth dialogue is possible."
Cardinal Arinze continues by saying, "For us Christians, the new life is to be sought and found only in Jesus Christ." "Hope rescues us from discouragement. We are enabled to begin anew by perceiving around us numerous 'signs of hope': the growing solidarity among people in our time, especially with the poor and destitute, the desire for justice and peace, voluntary service, the return of the search for transcendence, and awareness of human dignity and of the rights which flow from it, attention to the environment, etc."
The message concludes with "We Christians and Buddhists, embarked on our respective spiritual paths, can work together to give increased hope to humanity. Yet first we must accept our differences and show each other mutual respect and true love."
[Editor] I have determined exactly what this Cardinal Arinze is telling the world in this message.
1. He is saying that the Roman Catholic possesses a works belief much in common with the Buddhist belief, NOT a Christian belief. Both the Roman Catholic and the Buddhist cling to a monastic life system of serving at altars located in temples to their god. This is their "common ground".
2. Yes, the Roman Church "can" grow in solidarity (togetherness) with the Buddhist because they "both" have a hope for the poor and destitute. They "both" have the desire for justice and peace, voluntary service, the return of the search for transcendence, (holiness) and awareness of human dignity and of the rights which flow from it, attention to the environment, etc." They "both" have hope for these "worldly" goals.
3. As the Roman Church and Buddhist embark on their respective spiritual paths, (paths which both lead to God it is claimed) accepting their differences and showing each other mutual respect and true love, they attain to the same condemnation. (Luke 23:40) They both have no fear of God. Budda and Mary maybe, but not God. They are condemned already because of John 3:18.
One World Spirituality is being ushered in and the Whore of Rev. 17 is the forerunner. As John the Baptist was the forerunner to Christ, so is the Roman Catholic Church the forerunner to the anti-Christ. As the forerunner to Christ had to decrease (John 3:30) so the forerunner to the anti-Christ will be decreased. (destroyed) (Rev. 17:16) This will be the best imitation Satan can do. He has to imitate all that Christ did. That’s all he knows to do. Could Rev. 13:3 be referring to an imitation of Christ’s resurrection? We Christians who know this in advance, who could expose and oppose him, will be raptured by this time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wounded Heroes or Lost Sinners?
(excerpted and adapted from Religion Today, 3/25/98)
Article paragraphs in quotation ""The church's ‘wounded heroes"’-- pastors who have stumbled -- often feel worthless, squeezed by responsibilities, and even abandoned by God. Now they are beginning to find help".
"’Wounded Heroes’ retreats combine clinical and Scriptural counseling for pastors and their wives. They were begun this year by Freddie Gage, a former Southern Baptist evangelist who spend time in a psychiatric hospital. for depression and anxiety."
Ministers in all denominations wrestle with personal problems that are common in American society, such as depression, marriage and family discord, and obsessions with pornography or infidelity. A Leadership Journal report last year found that a third of pastors feel physical stress and 41% emotional stress at least once a week because of their work.
[Editor] Ministers who struggle with pornography or infidelity are no more than lost sinners who need the mercy of God as "all" lost sinners do.. And the ONLY way to receive this mercy is to repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21) Physician, "save thyself" before you attempt to save others.]
"Many pastors leave their ministries or get fired each year. Long pastorates are increasingly uncommon, researcher George Barna found. Only 6% of pastors have been as his or her current church for more than 20 years, he found. Among Southern Baptists, 6,000 pastors leave their ministries each year, including 225 who are fired each month."
[Editor] This figure amounts to about 15% of the Southern Baptist pastors who either leave or get fired from their ministries each year. There is one word that will cover this dilemma. Instability.
The faith "once delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3) is in a state of instability, folks. It is withering on the vine and will soon fade away. Jesus won’t find a "heaping, helping" of faith when He comes.
The "elect" are getting ready for His imminent coming. They are awake and seriously and earnestly contending for the faith.(Jude 1:3) They are holding fast the form of sound words. (2 Timothy 1:13) until Jesus comes. (Rev 2:25)
The "world" is getting ready for His imminent coming. The people are falling away and making ready the imminent appearance of the Anti-Christ. (2 Thess 2:3)]
"Participants are asked to completely forgive and love those who offended them. One pastor said that every week during his sermon, when he gives the invitation for people to come to Christ, he wants to come forward and get on his knees himself, but is afraid to do so".
[Editor] Isn’t man’s pride "always" the reason man will not come to Christ? In this case it is pride, the fear of what others may think. The pastor may be humbled if he should publicly repent. Folks—this is a no-no in the case of many arrogant preachers who desire to have the preeminence among the people.]
"’I'm launching a crusade,’ asking God and his fellow Christians to ‘replace the word 'stigma' with 'mercy,' Gage said."
[Editor] This fellow Gage. I wonder about him. I am so grateful that I don’t have to rely on sinful man to ask God for mercy. The God I worship has no stigma toward repentant sinners, only mercy. Making a statement that man ask God to replace-- that is "change" his attributes is heathenish.
It is not only the pastors who are falling away from God The churches and the members in those churches are submitting to Satan’s tactics. The people, the churches, and the leadership of the people and churches are falling in line behind the Pied Piper of Deception.]
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The Roman Catholic Church Has Changed You Say?
In a message on March 20, Pope John Paul II recalled that the Sacrament of Penance forgives personal sins committed since Baptism: "above all mortal sins, then venial sins.""Obviously the faithful who approach the Sacrament of Penance also desire the remission of the temporal (temporary) punishment as a result of sin," that is to say an indulgence. (a remission of punishment still due for a sin after the guilt has been forgiven) "In this regard, we should remember the truth of our faith concerning purgatory where in the next life remaining sins are atoned for." (Vatican Information Service. 3/21/98)
[Editor] You know how the Protestants are speaking so highly of the Pope, Mother Teresa and the Roman Church in general nowadays? Many are saying that the Vatican has changed. She has even apologized for the mute stance she held during the Jewish Holocaust. Many are saying that the Roman Church is doing what the Reformers failed to do. The Vatican is reforming, or "Christianizing" herself. The whole world, it seems, is heading home to Rome.
But, folks, there are those who have never been united with this false church to begin with. Through the Vaudois, Albigenses, Waldenses and other early evangelicals, and the Bibles they preserved, God’s True Teachings were always preached and believed on by His Remnant of Believers. For 1,000 years before the Reformation, there were always groups of evangelical Christians outside the Catholic Church, "millions" of whom were slaughtered for obeying Scripture instead of Rome.
Yeah, folks, while the "world" goes home to Rome, God’s children (true believers) will be going home to their God and Savior.
Since "all" sin is breaking the commandments of God and to break only one is to be guilty of breaking them all, why bother which sin to forgive first? Does it matter for which particular sin one suffers in hell for? Is man "still" to be obsessed with pride in hell? "Hey, man, I’m here for eternity for only venial sin, what are you in for"? Sound about right?
You know, if I cannot trust Christ to forgive "all" my sin and pay the "full" penalty, as He said He did, can I trust him in that He paid a partial penalty? There is "so much wrong" in the teachings of the Roman Church I cannot even attempt to briefly cover them all. But I can say this in regards to the article submitted.
If there is a temporal (temporary) punishment for sin after the guilt has been forgiven, how can a just God justify punishing a guiltless man? What Christ failed to do and God refuses to do, the Roman Church claims she "can" and "will" do for "her" people. Since this "church" can, and is willing to do for her people more that God can do for His people, she teaches the world to place their salvation in the safekeeping of their church.
The Roman Church claims that she can "remit" the temporal punishment for one’s sins, that Christ "couldn’t" do and God "will not" do. SHE CAN GRANT YOU AN INDULGENCE.
The "New Rules for Partial Indulgences" goes on to list 20 Norms of indulgence gaining regulations. (Vatican Council II, General Editor Austin Flannery. The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents. 1988 Revised Edition. pages. 75-79)
This book can be purchased at any Catholic bookstore
Norm # 17-To obtain a "partial indulgence" (imperfect- incomplete) a Catholic must use with devotion an object of piety (crucifix, cross, rosary, scapular, (image of cloth) or metal (image of metal) after is has been duly blessed by any priest.(Vatican Council II, Flannery.)
But if the object of piety has been blessed by the Pope or any bishop, the faithful who use it with devotion can also gain a "plenary indulgence" (full-abosulute) on the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, provided they make a profession of faith using any approved formula. (Vatican Council II. Flannery)
See how powerful the blessings of the Pope or a bishop is? WOW!
Norm # 2 states that an indulgence is partial or plenary as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin. Folks, why couldn’t Christ have accomplished that. I’ll tell you why. The Roman Catholic Christ is NOT the Christ of the Bible.
Norm # 3 states that partial as well as plenary indulgences can always be applied to the dead by way of prayer.
Folks, what Christ couldn’t accomplish by prayer and sacrifice the faithful Catholic can accomplish for himself "and" others (the dead even) by taking advantage of the "treasury of grace" the Roman Church possesses.
You see. It is claimed that Christ saved us from the eternal fire of hell (lake of fire) but He couldn’t save us from the temporal fire of hell. (Purgatory) Roman Catholics have to atone for their own sins in the fires of Purgatory. (a temporary hell)
One question before I go. Do you some of you still think the Roman Church is so hot? I say not as hot as she’s gonna be.