August/September 2004

Dear ones,

You are invited to the Fall Believers' Retreat at Kentucky Dam Village State Park. The dates are 8-10 October, and information about the retreat is on Page 4. I hope to see you there; and now, there is much to share....

THE COST OF SPEAKING THE TRUTH
As our culture unravels and staggers into the post-Christian era, our freedom can no longer be taken for granted; and that includes our freedom to declare and share the truth of Scripture. In July a Swedish court sentenced Ake Green, a Pentecostal pastor, to prison for offending homosexuals in a sermon from his pulpit. Pastor Green's "crime"? He merely stated the Bible's clear teachings on the subject. This will soon be happening also in Canada, and, if something isn't done to reverse the trend, it will be happening here. (WND)

AND IN FRANCE, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IS A FELONY
Brigitte Bardot, beautiful French movie star of recent times, has been convicted of a felony for speaking the truth; this is her third such conviction. Her "crime"? She wrote a book in which she laments the "Islamization" of France; Islam, she says, is increasingly dominant in formerly Christian France, with mosques outnumbering churches. In her book, Un Cri dans le Silence [A Cry in the Silence], she also laments the homosexual movement, the public schools (which she calls "centers of depravity"), and French immigration policies which fail to restrain immigration, and even give aid to illegal aliens. Hooray for Brigitte Bardot!

SAME-SEX "MARRIAGE" MANDATORY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Civil commissioners (the public officials who perform non-Church weddings) in British Columbia have been ordered either to perform same-sex "marriages," or resign their positions. (PWB)

SAD NEWS: "GAY DAYS" AT DOLLYWOOD
Dollywood is a theme park in the Gatlinburg, Tenn. area - sort of a country music version of Disneyland; it belongs to country singer Dolly Parton (thus the name). It is advertised as a family-friendly place where you can bring your children for safe, wholesome entertainment. Well, you can scratch that off your list of safe places, and add it to the list of theme parks which host annual homosexual blowouts called "gay days," as has been the case with Disney World for some time. (ANS/PWB)

APOSTASY FLOWS DOWNHILL
As I have previously pointed out, there is just one real issue in the Church today. The Church is embroiled in ongoing conflict over such things as sodomy, abortion, "inclusiveness," qualifications for leaders, the mission of the Church, and adherence to historic creeds. But these issues are really just symptoms, outgrowths of the one fundamental issue, and that one issue is the validity of the Bible. Is what it says true? If the answer is "yes," then there is nothing to discuss about these areas of conflict - they were settled a very long time ago. But, as Hamlet observed about dreams and death, "Ah, there's the rub," for congregations tend to reflect what their pastors believe and preach (or don't believe and preach); and. according to a recent poll by the Barna Group (Christian pollsters), a full 1/2 of American pastors do NOT hold a biblical worldview. And, since apostasy flows downhill, it is easy to see that these unbelieving pastors are merely a natural result of the unbelief being taught in most seminaries today. The denominational group with the highest percentage of pastors with a biblical worldview is Southern Baptist at 71 percent. Now, while you Southern Baptists may congratulate yourselves on being the winners, you should be sobered by the knowledge that nearly 1/3 of you have a pastor who doesn't believe the Bible. The lowest group is United Methodist at a dismal 27 percent; you Methodists have only 1 chance in 4 that your pastor is a Bible believer.

AN OUTRAGEOUS NEW "BIBLE"
One of the most troubling manifestations of the abandonment of the Bible as the unchanging Word of God is the growing number of "modern" versions of the Bible. All versions published since the King James Bible of 1611 omit significant portions of the manuscripts (mostly in the New Testament), and make word substitutions which weaken the basis for the divinity of Christ. One of the most recent new versions is "The Message," an extremely loose paraphrase depended on heavily by Rick Warren in his popular book, "The Purpose-Driven Life." Now, however, there has appeared the worst one by far: it is titled "Good as New."

This abomination, according to the London Times, written by former Baptist minister John Henson, trivializes almost everything in a real Bible, and flatly contradicts core Bible teachings on sex and morality. This outrageous travesty is published by the "One" organization, a group of far-left ministers and others committed to social action, environtmentalism, and denial of unchanging, absolute truth. Their humanistic social gospel is combined with a kind of "I'm OK, you're OK" religious universalism in which the supreme virtue is tolerance (of course, they are viciously intolerant of all of us who disagree with them). In this perversion, Mary Magdalene becomes "Maggie," Peter becomes "Rocky" and Christ's title "Son of Man" becomes "the Complete Person."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican churches of the World and pastor to the British royal family, endorses this trash. He praises Henson for eliminating "the stale, the technical...exclusive words and policies" of previous translations. He has said of it, "...we have here a vehicle for thinking and worshipping that is fully earthed...." I'll say! Here are a few examples:

1) King James Version (KJV): "And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. And there came a voice from Heaven saying, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mk 1:10,11);

Good as New (GAN): "As he was climbing up the bank again, the sun shone through a gap in the clouds. At the same time a pigeon flew down and perched on him. Jesus took this as a sign that God's spirit was with him. A voice from overhead was heard saying, 'That's my boy! You're doing fine.'"

2) KJV: "It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband." (I Cor 7:1,2);

GAN: "Some of you think the best way to cope with sex is for men and women to keep right away from each other. That is more likely to lead to sexual offences. My advice is for everyone to have a regular partner."
If this doesn't offend you, or at least, trouble you, there is something wrong with your perception, or with your world-view.

A FAITHFUL, COURAGEOUS BISHOP
It is refreshing and encouraging to see a Church leader who is faithful to the truth of the Bible. Bishop Raymond Burke, as Bishop of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Diocese, decreed that politicians who support abortion may not receive communion until they "publicly renounce" abortion. Bishop Burke is now Catholic Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, an area with many abortion-supporting politicians. This should be interesting. (PWB)

DO YOU WATCH MOVIES?
I am not a movie person. I view almost all contemporary movies as pathogenic, riddled with filthy language, explicit, illicit, sex and unnecessary violence. I am probably unusual, but the last movie I walked into a theater and watched was Mel Gibson's "Passion of Christ"; the one before that was "Chariots of Fire" about 25 years ago. Although I enjoy the old classics on TV, in my opinion most movies today are, at best, an expensive means of programming our brains with moral poison. More and more openly, the Hollywood establishment is aggressively, passionately, anti-Christian, viewing you and me as the enemy; the recent release, "Saved," is a perfect example. It is a movie about young Christians, yet there is not one positive Christian character. The leading character (actress Jena Malone), has intercourse with a boy (to "save" him from the homosexual lifestyle - now, there's a seduction line I never heard before!), gets pregnant, and then is cruelly ostracized by the others in her Christian school. Meanwhile, her mother is having an adulterous affair with the married principal of the Christian school; and, in a school play, the crucifixion of Christ is lampooned in a sexual way. I think you get the idea. Do you pay to see such movies? Do you allow your children to see them? If so, why? (ANS/BP)

THE U.S. DELEGATION TO THE U.N. NOW FIGHTS ABORTION
Amidst so much dismal news, you will be encouraged to know that President Bush completely replaced all the pro-abortion delegates appointed to the UN by Bill Clinton, so that the US delegation has become a defender of the unborn, and a major opponent of the pro-death, anti-family policies of the UN. (RTLGC)

NRLC ENDORSES PRESIDENT BUSH
The National Right to Life Committee has endorsed President Bush for reelection, pointing out the "very extreme pro-abortion" records of both John Kerry and his VP choice, John Edwards. John Kerry has not only opposed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, but he also fought against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which protects pregnant women, and the babies they are carrying, against violence. Kerry has also promised that if elected he will only appoint Supreme Court justices who support abortion. (RTLGC)

KERRY SELECTS A RADICAL MARXIST AS RELIGIOUS ADVISOR
John Kerry has selected as his religious advisor Mara Vanderslice, a radical Marxist. Like Kerry himself, in the '60s and '70s, she participated in the most radical and violent pro-Communist, anti-American activities, including efforts to shut down Washington, DC and Seattle. According to William Donahue of the Catholic League, she has also made speeches at rallies of Act Up, the radical homosexual group. (ANS)

PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND THE GIRL SCOUTS
According to Kathy Cloninger, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Girl Scouts has a working relationship with Planned Parenthood, the nation's leader in babies killed by abortion. Planned Parenthood, founded by anti-Christian racist Margaret Sanger, not only operates a huge network of abortion clinics, but also actively promotes ungodly sex education programs (for the GSA) which promote sexual experimentation and promiscuity, and lead to what pro-life activist Jim Sedlak calls, "a contraceptive and abortion mentality." If you have a daughter in Girl Scouts, I urge you to investigate your local council's policies and sex education programs. (ANS)

NO MORE MEDALLIONS: TOO MUCH BIBLE
Since 1996, a non-profit group called "Fallen Friend" has been sending, as a gift, a bronze medallion, enclosed in a black case and velvet pouch, to the families of those members of the armed forces killed in action, and of policemen who are killed in line of duty. Names and addresses of next-of-kin are provided by the military branches and police departments, and recipient families are given the opportunity to decline the medallion in advance. On the obverse of the medallion is an image of the Liberty Bell, with "Liberty Rings for All Nations " and "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." On the reverse is "John 15:13," the name of the one killed, and "A Fallen Friend." It is a nice gesture, and for 8 years they have been appreciated by grieving survivors. Ah, but now someone has complained, and the Army will no longer participate. Why? That reference to the words of Jesus about "Greater love hath no man than this..." are just too much Bible. All the other services continue to participate. (WND)

NO ROOM FOR GOD IN THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL?
On the Pacific side of the World War II Memorial, there are engraved the words of Roosevelt's famous "day of infamy" speech - well - almost all the words. The actual speech ended with the declaration that "...we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God." On the monument, however, the quotation is incomplete: the words, "so help us God," are omitted. (with thanks to Marine veteran Steve Krasowski)

PCUSA INSTALLS A RADICAL LEADER
The already-radically anti-scriptural Presbyterian Church USA has selected Rick Ufford-Chase as Moderator (the equivalent of president - the top leader and spokesman of the denomination). Ufford-Chase is a leader in the radical group, "More Light Presbyterians," and he campaigns to do away with the official PCUSA ordination standard that church officers "live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." He also campaigns to nullify a church law, which prevents the ordination of self-avowed, practicing homosexuals. (AP/ANS)

"SON OF SAM," IS A CHRISTIAN
God is not willing that any should perish, and salvation is promised to all who truly repent and desire it. Still, it is shocking, and even offensive to some, when a notoriously evil person is forgiven and taken into the family of God. Such is the case with David Berkowitz, the serial killer who once called himself "Son of Sam." Scott Welch of Focus on the Family interviewed Berkowitz, whom he now calls "Son of Hope," and says that he believes the conversion is real. Why should we be anything but glad? After all, there was rejoicing in Heaven when Berkowitz was born again; hey, God would forgive and save Saddam Hussein if he would truly repent and ask. (ANS)

OUR REMARKABLE BIBLE -AND THE OTHER "HOLY BOOKS"
Did you know that, of all the "holy books" of the World's religions, our Bible is the only one that contains predictive prophecy? That's right - among all those other so-called holy books (the Koran, the Hindu Vedas, the Book of Mormon, etc), there is not a single one that contains prophecy. Our supernatural Holy Bible, on the other hand, is more than 1/2 prophecy, and not one word of the portions already fulfilled has been wrong.

A POINT TO PONDER
The sinless Son of God became a man, so that sinful men might become the sons of God.

WHAT IS PATRIOTISM?
In this day of irrational political correctness, when children in most public schools are denied a real knowledge of American history and are indoctrinated with the virtues of globalism as "citizens of the World," patriotism is becoming a dirty word. Increasingly, a patriot is defined as an unenlightened, flag-waving Neanderthal who just doesn't understand; he is viewed as one who hasn't caught the vision of citizenship in the global village, doesn't revere the UN, and probably doesn't listen to National Public Radio. Patriots, according to this view, are backward-looking obstacles to progress and a menace to World peace (globalists see patriotism as the cause of all wars).
But what is the literal meaning of the word? "Patriot" is derived from the Latin word, "patrius," which means "belonging to one's father, or to one's land" (from "pater," meaning "father"); more precisely, we base the English word on the Latin "patriota" which means "one who loves his native land." I think everyone should love his native land, and think that his is the best of them all.

By extension, a patriot is not only one who loves his native land, but is also willing to sacrifice in order to defend it. It is to the sacrificial service of American patriots from 1775 to 1783 that we owe our freedom; and, since that time, our freedom has been preserved by the sacrifices of patriots, both in and out of uniform. So I proudly declare that I am a patriot, an American patriot; and I will never surrender my American identity to become a citizen of the New World Order under that pale blue UN flag (or any other such flag).

THE DEATH OF REASON
Speaking of patriotism, our friend Bill Opferman of Trenton, N.J., is a dedicated patriot and a man of action. His county government is all liberal Democrat, anti-gun, influenced more by left-wing, globalist values, than by patriotism. Bill and his friends had to push hard to get the county to finally approve a D-Day memorial service to honor the 60th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, but they finally succeeded. When the day finally came, Bill arrived for the festivities, bringing with him an 86-year-old veteran of the landing, a Sherman tank crewman. Bill also brought his M-1 rifle (unloaded, of course), so that his friend and the other old veterans being honored that day might be able to see, and hold again, the rifle that they had carried ashore on that terrible day in 1944. But the gun-hating, liberal county officials became hysterical at the sight of the old M-1, called the police, and Bill was forced to leave with his rifle. Only 2 of the old veterans were able to touch the rifle with which they had fought their way, from the beach at Normandy to Berlin, before the police removed the "offensive object."

AARP REACHES A NEW LOW
One of many national organizations whose leadership and policies are out of step with their membership is AARP (the American Association of Retired People). This extremely wealthy and powerful organization presents itself as a benevolent advocacy group that looks out for the welfare of old people; in reality, they spend $millions each year lobbying for anti-family, pro-socialist, and other causes generally embraced by the political left, that often have nothing to do with welfare of the elderly. They publish a slick, full-color magazine; one section is a question-and-answer feature. A concerned reader wrote recently to say that her husband was involved in the use of pornography, and asked for advice. The columnist's reply was that pornography is healthy, that she should affirm her husband's porn use, and suggested that she join him in it. (ANS)

A RAY OF HOPE FOR DECENCY
Thanks to President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft, pressure has been put on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which oversees radio and TV broadcasting, to enforce obscenity laws, which were ignored by the Clintons for 8 years. Violators are being prosecuted now, and in congress there is a move to vastly increase fines for violations. Until now the maximum fines have been so low that broadcasters ignored them as just part of the price of doing business. Now, however, the Senate has voted a huge increase in fines, up to $275,000 per incident; in the House version, the maximum fine is $500,000 per incident, very serious money. This is sending shock waves among the networks and the "shock jock" world of deliberately obscene broadcasters such as Howard Stern. For the first time in a long time, there is real hope for a reversal in the downward slide of decency in broadcasting. (ANS)

THE GIFT OF HOPE
Have you ever considered the importance of hope in the ways of God? Hope, faith, and love, the scriptures tell us, are the three things that will last beyond this earthly existence (I Cor.13:13) But have you ever noticed how hope is inextricably woven into the other two? Faith is the substance of things hoped for; and love hopes all things. If you've ever struggled with discouragement you know without any lengthy discussion why hope is so important. But have you thanked the Lord for it lately? He gives it to us in large or small doses daily, and where would we be without it? Where would we be without the knowledge that no matter what we face, He'll be with us, the knowledge that every second in our world of time offers us a new start? And, where would we be without our knowledge that one day He will make all things new and wipe away all tears? Thanks be to God for His gift of hope. (Joe and Sally Mahoney)

MILESTONES
Born 7 June - Macy Ann Martin, at 7 pounds, 7 ounces, to Lisa and Alan Martin, members of our Retreat Board, in Milan, Tenn.

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,

Tom C. McKenney