December 2006 / January 2007

Dear ones,

After much deliberation and prayer, the Board has decided that, instead of a Spring Retreat, we will have a Believers' Retreat Reunion at Kentucky Dam Village in October 2007, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our very first Believers' Retreat in October 1977. Rather than a retreat as we have known them for the past 30 years, we plan simply to enjoy a "Retreaters' Family Reunion" for all who care to join us. So set aside the dates of 12-14 October 2007 for an old-fashioned, blessed time of fellowship and praising the Lord. Further details will be announced in upcoming newsletters.

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WEB SITE We are adding two new features to our Web site that I believe will bless you. By the time you are reading this, the home page will feature cartoons by Joe McCormick and editorials by Richard Corbeil. The Hurricane Katrina material will be archived, but still available. Each week, we plan to publish a new cartoon by Joe, and a new editorial by Richard. One important thing will NOT change: as before, the news by Agape Press will remain at the bottom of the home page, updated automatically each day at noon. Joe McCormick of Pinson, Tenn., needs no introduction to most of you. He is our artist friend who has done all the art work on all of our books, plus the prints of the POW and the baptism of Jesus. He and his wife Beverly have made many missions to Haiti, Honduras and Chile, and are members of our Retreat Board. Each of his cartoons is based on an accompanying passage of Scripture. Many of Joe's cartoons have been published in his book, "Toon-Ups for the Soul," of which hundreds of copies have been sent free to our servicemen in Iraq. Richard Corbeil and his wife of 52 years, Marilyn, live in Apopka, Florida, where his columns have appeared in the Apopka Chief for the past 17 years. He is the rare combination of Massachusetts native, Harvard graduate, and conservative, uncompromising Christian. He brings to his writing an incisive mind, the wisdom of long experience, a vast store of knowledge and-always-a sound, scriptural perspective. Many of his columns have been published in his book, "The Compleat Clintonpaedia, ['Lest We Forget']." His book consists of his coverage of the Clinton presidency, as he puts it, "from the first campaign to the final looting of Air Force One on W's inauguration day."

A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE? When the Democrats take control of Congress in January, radical black congressman, Charley Rangel (D-N.Y.), will become chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. This powerful committee writes tax bills and controls federal funding. In mid-November he wrote in an article in the New York Times, "Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?" This very public statement not only gives cause to wonder about federal funding for at least the next two years, but eloquently illustrates that the restraints of "political correctness" apply only to conservatives, not to arrogant liberal democrats. (NYT/WLOX-TV, et al)

THE DECLINE OF THE CHRISTIAN COALITION Like the traditional Christian denominations, other Christian organizations seem to demonstrate the Law of Entropy (that is, things, left to themselves, don't get better-they get worse). An example is the Christian Coalition of America. The Georgia Christian Coalition is the latest state affiliate to leave the national organization. In recent weeks, affiliates from Iowa, Ohio and Alabama have done the same. The dissenting state affiliates charge the national organization with abandoning such causes as abortion, pornography and gambling, taking up instead such causes as minimum wage laws and the environment. This formerly vital and effective organization is suffering the same disintegration as the traditional denominations, and for the very same reason: abandonment of its core beliefs and values. (AP/ANS)

THE WAGES OF SIN In case you haven't heard, Congressmen are extremely well paid, and they have a great retirement plan. Openly homosexual Massachusetts congressman Gerry Studds, who when being officially rebuked by the House of Representatives for seducing a 17-year-old page, turned his back on his fellow congressmen in contempt, died in October. Retired from Congress since 1997, his retirement pay was $114,000 a year. His long-time homosexual "partner" is challenging the new Defense of Marriage Act and claiming to inherit Studds' retirement pay. (FOF, Wickipedia, et al)

MORE SELF-DESTRUCTION IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH USA While the Episcopal Church, USA, continues to lose entire congregations over the ordination of homosexual priests and consecration of an openly homosexual bishop, the newly installed Presiding Bishop of the denomination has made the problems still worse. "How could she?" one might ask. The answer: by denying the divinity of Christ and rejecting His claim to be the only way to redemption. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori has already stirred the Episcopal controversy by supporting the ordination of homosexuals and homosexual "marriage." Now she has said, in an Associated Press story, that "If we insist that we know the one way to God" we are wrong. Referring to the statement in Colossians 2:9 that "in Him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," she stated that she doesn't believe that any "one person can have the fullness of truth in him or herself." What she is revealing in that statement is that she considers Jesus to have been merely human-not divine. As a result of her becoming Presiding Bishop of the denomination, eight entire dioceses have applied to the Archbishop of Canterbury to be removed from under her authority. Her response was to say, nicely of course, that if they don't approve of her leadership they should leave the denomination.

BLAMING THE BIBLE'S GOD FOR DOMESTIC ABUSE Speaking of the Archbishop of Canterbury, he made news in October by endorsing a Church of England report that the portrayal of God in the Bible as being male is a root cause of the abuse of women by their husbands. Although liberal, revisionist theologians have referred to God as "She" or "He-She" in recent times, the Bible clearly refers to Him in the male gender. The Bible's representation of God as "He," and its presentation of the husband's authority in the home are at the root, they claim, of the attitude of male dominance and, therefore, spousal abuse. Their response is, as always, when the clear teachings of the Bible are challenging, simply to dismiss them. (London Daily Mail, WND

BUT THERE IS REALLY ONLY ONE ISSUE As the organized Church is torn apart over doctrinal issues such as ordination of homosexuals, homosexual "marriage," the virgin birth, and the divinity of Christ, we should remember that these are not really issues. These are merely symptoms, and entirely predictable ones, flowing from the one central issue: whether or not the Bible is the Word of God, inspired, and the only rule of faith and practice. For more than a century, theologians have cast doubt on the validity of the Bible, picking and choosing which parts they will accept. The result is that those who control the "old line" denominations, and those who teach in their theological seminaries, have built their beliefs and careers on the shifting sands of conventional wisdom and current theories, while rejecting the unchanging Word of God. The result, along with confusion and spiritual impotence, is that in terms of doctrine, "anything goes." (AP/ANS/FOF) The same, of course, is true among religious Jews. A "Torah rabbi" is one who believes that the Old Testament Scriptures are the Word of God, and they are a small minority. Most religious Jews follow the human teachings of their favorite rabbi. Many of the most conservative, fundamentalist Jews (the ultra-orthodox Hasidim), believe that the late Rabbi Schneerson of Brooklyn was the Messiah, dancing around his picture and addressing him as "our Lord" and "our Messiah." And they do this in spite of the plain statements in the Bible that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, of a virgin, suffer an atoning death, and rise from the dead. How could they be so deceived? Because they do not study the Bible; instead, they base their beliefs on the occult Caballah (and so, incidentally, do many Hollywood celebrities, including Madonna), and the teachings of their favorite rabbis. (IMG) So, when we read and hear of these conflicts over doctrinal issues, we should remember that they are only the symptoms of the one, central issue: whether or not the Bible is true.

THE MORNING-AFTER PILL FAILS TO REDUCE ABORTIONS In late August the Food and Drug Administration approved the so-called "morning after" pill for over-the-counter (non-prescription) sale. What the pill, also called "Plan B," does, is to cause a very early stage abortion. One of the arguments for approval of the pill was that it would reduce the number of later abortions, done by surgery. This argument ignored a 20-year study of abortions in England, beginning in 1984 when the "morning after" pill was legalized. Rather than reducing the number of surgical abortions, their numbers increased-from 136,388 in 1984 to 185,400 in 2004. (FOF/PWB/BP)

ABORTION AND RISK OF DEATH This isn't a new story, but it is a new chapter in an old story. According to a 13-year study in Finland, in the year following an abortion, death from suicide, accidents and homicide is 248 percent higher for women who had abortions than for women who gave birth to their babies. The suicide rate alone among women who aborted their babies was 6 times the suicide rate for women who gave birth. The study, reported in the European Journal of Public Health, is in agreement with a number of previous such studies. A similar study of 173,000 California women over a period of eight years found that the suicide rate was significantly higher after abortion, and that women were 62 percent more likely to die as a result of the abortion itself than were those who gave birth. (WND, LifeSiteNews.com)

THE MARRIOTTS AND HOTEL PORNOGRAPHY Pornography in hotel/motel rooms is a growing problem, poisoning minds and contributing to family breakups and sexual violence. It is also big business-very big. In-room porn generates 60-80 percent of all in-room revenues, including food, drink and pay-per-view movies and athletic events. Is this true just in across-the-tracks, sleezy motels? Oh, no! Two of the leading peddlers of this poison are the Hilton and Marriott chains. In case you don't know it, the Marriott brothers are Mormons-and not just nominal Mormons; they are Temple Mormons, right down to their magic underwear, with the Masonic symbols. Are they ashamed of this porn peddling? Not at all. A spokesman for Marriott, dismissing moral and cultural considerations, calls it "a business matter…a revenue stream." (PWB/AP/San Diego Union)

FINDING PORN-FREE HOTELS There are hotels and motels where one need not fear to turn on the TV, especially with children in the room. A good way to find them, when planning a trip, is to go to the Web site, www.CleanHotels.com.

ANOTHER FAMILY-FRIENDLY WEB SITE The number of sexual predators among us is growing. In many places, they must register as sex offenders, but that doesn't help the rest of us unless we know about it. Now there is a Web site that will locate all such offenders in your community. It is www.familywatchdog.us When you enter the Web site you can enter your address and a map will appear, locating every known sex offender in your neighborhood or community. I have tried this, and it is true. With thanks to our good friends Bill and Libby Prince in Ocean Springs, Miss. SEND A

FREE ELECTRONIC CARD TO A SERVICEMAN You can send a free "Thank you" card to a serviceman in Iraq or Afghanistan, electronically, by going to the Web site www.LetsSayThanks.com. There are many cards from which to choose, all with the themes of patriotism and gratitude, and all drawn by children. Each card has the first name, age and home town of the child. You just choose the card you prefer, and Xerox will do the rest. I have done this. With thanks to our good friend Ginny Linn, in Palm Beach Shores, Fla.

TEENS FEEDING ON VIOLENCE GET VIOLENT A study done at Wake Forest School of Medicine and published in the August Journal of Pediatrics found that teens who watch wrestling on TV are more likely to start fights (including with dates), carry guns and other weapons, and to use drugs and alcohol. Today's TV wrestling features not only an overdose of hostile language, but male violence against women, hearing women referred to in vulgar, derogatory terms, and insane violence, with unrealistic outcomes. The wrestlers are only pretending, and are well-trained athletes, yet they still are sometimes injured. The things they pretend to do to one another, in real life, would frequently result in disability or death; yet children watching, try to do them to others, and sometimes with fatal results. I hope the researchers weren't surprised; their findings were completely predictable. Do your children watch this poison? (BP/Journal of Pediatrics)

HOMOSEXUAL-FRIENDLY COMPANIES Each year, the Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest and richest of the homosexual pressure groups, grades major companies on their support of the homosexual agenda. Firms are graded from 0 to 100. This year's report lists a record 101 firms that received a perfect score of 100; these include American Airlines, American Express, Apple Computers, AT&T, Best Buy, Dell, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Kraft, Microsoft, Nike, Pepsico, Sears Roebuck, Sprint, and Walgreen.

TIME'S LIST OF 100 HEROES In May, Time Magazine presented its list of 2005's top 100 "men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming our world." (They actually listed 109, but who's counting?) With 109 possibilities, Time could only find two (2) Christian leaders: the Pope and Archbishop Akinola of Nigeria. Even Billy Graham, whom the secular world loves, failed to make the list. Who did make the list? We don't have space to list them all, but included were the Dixie Chicks, shock jock Howard Stern, lesbian Ellen DeGeneres, Hillary Clinton, Katie Couric and Al Gore. Without doubt, the number one story of 2005 was Hurricane Katrina, and the leaders of the 2 agencies that plunged immediately and courageously into the chaos and dangers with help were the Salvation Army and Baptist Disaster Relief forces. Neither got a mention; but then, how could their contributions be compared to those of the Dixie Chicks and Howard Stern? (Time/ANS/W)

THE PROUD AND THE HUMBLE In many ways King David was what is called "a type of Christ." This means that in the person and life of David, God was revealing things that would someday be true of Jesus, the Christ. One such way in which David foreshadowed the Christ to come is seen in comparison with his vain son, Absalom. Absalom became very proud, affecting manners of great grandeur. He moved about Jerusalem in grand chariots, escorted by horsemen and preceded by liveried footmen, announcing his presence. In contrast King David, his father, rode humbly and quietly about Jerusalem on a mule. One thousand years later Jesus, when entering Jerusalem in triumph, came not in a chariot, or on a prancing warhorse, preceded by footmen, but on a lowly jackass, preceded by children. AN IGNORANT

ELECTORATE IS A DANGEROUS THING An ignorant electorate is a dangerous thing, for a people which is ignorant of its heritage and its history is easily deceived and manipulated by evil, self-serving leaders on the inside, and ambitious enemies from the outside. Jefferson made it clear at the birth of our nation that an informed electorate is essential to national survival. It is no secret that in recent generations our public schools have failed to teach our history and godly heritage, emphasizing rather, global government and humanism. History is no longer taught; in its place our schools require "Social Studies" (whatever that is). English is no longer taught; in its place our children are offered something called "Language" (we wouldn't want to imply that English is more important to us than any other language). A recent Zogby poll is revealing. Mr. Zogby found that 7 of 10 Americans can name the Three Stooges, but only 40 percent can name the three branches of our government. Only 14 percent could name either of the epic poems of the Greek writer Homer; but 60 percent could name Homer's son, Bart, in TV's The Simpsons." (Zogby/FOF)

OUR GODLY HERITAGE "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." (President John Adams, 11 Oct. 1798) WORLDVIEW AND HOPELESSNESS Any worldview that tries to explain the Universe's existence apart from its Creator God is inadequate and ultimately deadly. Without God as loving, all-knowing Creator, life has no meaning apart from pleasure and survival, and man has no hope. Because our children in public schools are indoctrinated with godless Darwinian education, they believe that they are merely products of chance chemical reactions. Rather than being the creations of God, who has made them in His image and has a wonderful, unlimited plan for their lives, children are taught that there is no God, and that they are the chance products of primordial slime. They come to believe that they are of no more value than a spotted owl or an alley cat, and probably of less value than a whale or porpoise. At best, they are taught that they are merely the most advanced form of animal life, descended from apes. Could this be the reason that some of them behave and kill like animals and then, in hopelessness, kill themselves?

LIFE EXPECTANCY INCREASES According to the Center for Health Statistics, the average life expectancy in the U.S. continues to climb, reaching a new high of 77.6 years. One factor in the increase is a reduction in deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke. ( PWB)

OUR CHRISTIAN HERITAGE "Knowing that 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain, ' with fervent supplications for His favor, to His overruling providence I commit with humble but fearless confidence my own fate and the future destinies of my country." (President John Quincy Adams, inaugural address, 4 March 1825)

MILESTONES Died 13 Oct - Eddie Belt, longtime Christian friend, Marion, Ky. More than 30 year ago, he and the late Bruce Guess invited me to speak in their church. It was my very first such experience and, although none of us realized it at the time, it was the beginning of my teaching ministry. 2 Nov - Vern Ogden, Christian friend, after a long and courageous battle, in Fort Myers, Fla. He is survived by his wife, Sheila.

A FINAL WORD Treasure and use each day as if it were your last, and never give up hope; God has a limitless supply of new beginnings, and He makes beautiful things out of broken pieces. You are precious,

 

(Sources: AFAJ-American Family Journal; AFRN-American Family Radio News; ANS-Agape News Service; AP-Associated Press; BBC-British Broadcasting Corp.; BP-Break Point; BPr-Baptist Press; C-Charisma; CBN-Christian Broadcasting Network; CR-Congressional Record; CSN-Calvary Satellite Network; DR-Drudge Report; EP-Evangelical Press; Fox (Fox News); FOF-Focus on the Family; FRC-Family Research Council; GN-Good News Magazine; HC-History Channel; IMG-Israel My Glory; JP-Jerusalem Post; LAT-L.A. Times; Mil-Military Magazine; NR-National Review; NewsMax.com (NM); NW-Newsweek; NYP-New York Post; NYT-New York Times; PBS-Public Broadcast System; PWB-Pastors' Weekly Briefing; RTLB-Right to Life Education Foundation Bulletin; RTLGC-Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati; USAT-USA Today; USNWR-U.S. News and World Report; VOM-Voice of Martyrs; WM-World Magazine; WP-Wikipedia; WND-World Net Daily; WT-Washington Times; WW-Washington Watch.)