MOSQUES, MOSQUES EVERYWHERE (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The number of Islamic mosques in the West is exploding. There are 1699 in England, 1625 in France, 1220 in America, 163 in Germany (with 184 new ones planned), 80 in Canada. Sixty percent of the mosques in America opened in the last 20 years. There are nine mosques in Orlando, Florida, the home of Disneyworld. In July 2008 the largest mosque in Canada opened for business in Calgary, Alberta. The $15 million mosque, called House of Divine Light, seats 1,500 and has 48,000 square feet of space. Prime Minister Steven Harper graced the opening. More people in Britain now attend mosques than the Church of England. In America the number of attendees has increased 75% in five years. The mosques are often built with funds from Islamic nations in the Middle East and are frequently sympathetic to terrorism. Some are terrorist training centers. In September 2008 The Times of London reported that “almost half of Britain’s mosques are under the control of a hardline Islamic sect whose leading preacher loathes Western values and has called on Muslims to ‘shed blood’ for Allah.” The word mosque (Arabic masjid) means “the place where men prostrate before Allah,” but a mosque is not just a religious meeting place. It is an Islamic outpost, a show of power, a sign of territorial expansion. Ursula Spuler-Stegemann, a religious scholar at Germany’s University of Marburg, says, “Where you can hear the call of the minaret, from a certain Muslim perspective, that’s Islamic ground” (“Domes and Minarets,” Spiegel, July 16, 2008). In 1997 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said, “The minarets are our lances, the domes our helmets, the believers our army.” One Islamic group, Jamaat Ahmadiyya, which is building mosques throughout the world, says: “We will continue to build mosques to see the victory of Islam and the unity of mankind,” then quotes the Quran, “That He may cause it to prevail over all other religions” (Nasim Rehmatullah, “Building of Mosques Worldwide, a speech delivered at Jalsa Salana in the United States, June 2001).

COUNTRY MUSIC CONFUSION (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - We have warned many times about the moral danger of country music, and the reason is that so many of God’s people listen to this trash. Alan Jackson is a popular country music singer who published a CD of hymns called “Precious Memories.” Now he has come out with a trashy song called “Good Time.” The lyrics are about someone who has worked all week and is now ready to party down at some raunchy honky tonk. “Pig in the ground, beer on ice/ Just like ole Hank taught us about/ Singin' along, Bocephus songs/ Rowdy friends all night long/ Good time Lord, we’re having a good time/ ... Shot of Tequila, beer on tap/ Sweet southern woman set on my lap...” Beware of country music. It is of the world, the flesh, and the devil, but its thin veneer of “God and country” makes it palatable to some backslidden Christians. “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

WAS JOHN LENNON A FAN OF CHRIST? (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In 1969 John Lennon told a reporter that he was a fan of Jesus Christ. On July 13, 2008, BBC Radio aired the long-lost interview between John Lennon and Ken Seymour of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Referring to statement he had made in 1966, that Christianity would vanish and the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, Lennon said in the 1969 interview: “It’s just an expression meaning the Beatles seem to me to have more influence over youth than Christ. Now I wasn’t saying that was a good idea, 'cos I’m one of Christ’s biggest fans.” Lennon also said that the Beatles were always on the side of Christ. This, of course, is patent nonsense. The Beatles were opposed to everything Jesus Christ stands for, including absolute truth, salvation only through the Cross, holiness, and gospel preaching. In 1965 Lennon had published A Spaniard in the Works, calling Jesus Christ many wicked things that we refuse to repeat and blaspheming the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In 1970 Lennon sang: “I don’t believe in Bible. I don’t believe in Jesus. I just believe in me, Yoko and me, that’s reality” (“God”). In 1971 he sang: “Imagine there’s no heaven … No hell below us, above us only sky … no religion too/ You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one/ I hope some day you’ll join us, and the world will live as one” (“Imagine”). In 1977 Lennon corresponded with Oral Roberts and the 700 Club and told some friends that he was a born again Christian, but Yoko Ono soon talked him out of it and got him back on the path of occultism. In the unpublished song “You Saved My Soul,” Lennon boasted how that Yoko had saved him from falling for Christianity. The mythical Lennon was a “free soul,” but in reality he was a pathetic slave. Having rejected the true freedom found in Jesus Christ he was a slave to that cruel taskmaster the devil. At one point Lennon told John Green, his occult advisor, that he “felt like a hollow temple filled with many spirits, each one passing through me, each inhabiting me for a little time and then leaving to be replaced by another” (Steve Turner, The Gospel According to the Beatles). Lennon “couldn’t travel anywhere without advice from a directionalist, do deals with anyone without knowing their star sign, or make plans for the future without consulting the I Ching” (Turner). As we have documented elsewhere, many contemporary Christian musicians are fans of the Beatles, but the Beatles were definitely not fans of the Christ of the Bible.

UNITED NATIONS TRIES TO STOP THE EXECUTION OF A MURDERER IN TEXAS (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The pompous United Nations, which thinks that it knows what is best for all nations, is trying to stop the execution of a multiple murderer in Texas. Last week the UN’s World Court demanded that the execution of Jose Medellin and four other Mexicans who committed murders in Texas be halted. The office of Texas governor Rick Perry wisely replied: “The world court has no standing in Texas, and Texas is not bound by a ruling or edict from a foreign court. It is easy to get caught up in discussions of international law and justice and treaties. It’s very important to remember that these individuals are on death row for killing our citizens” (“Texas Still Intends to Execute Killer,” Houston Chronicle, July 17, 2008). Medellin was part of a gang that brutally raped and murdered two teenage girls. The idea that convicted murderers do not get justice in American courts is patently ridiculous. In fact, the appeal system, paid by taxpayer money, is ludicrous in its extent. Medellin is scheduled to be put to death on August 5, but he committed the horrible crimes 15 years ago. Under present U.S. law the UN has no power to do anything more than protest, but this could change quickly. The UN wants to destroy national sovereignty and impose its own will on nations. If the democrats gain control of the U.S. presidency and congress in November, it is likely that they will turn over more of America’s sovereignty to UN control and American citizens will be subject to its whims.

BETH MOORE ON THE CONTEMPLATIVE BANDWAGON (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Beth Moore, a Southern Baptist who is influential with a broad spectrum of evangelical women, has jumped on the contemplative bandwagon, joining Richard Foster and others on the Be Still DVD, which was published in April 2008. Shortly after it was released she issued a retraction of sorts, but she soon retracted her retraction. In a statement published on May 26, 2008, Moore’s Living Proof Ministries said: “We believe that once you view the Be Still video you will agree that there is no problem with its expression of Truth.” To the contrary, the very fact that it features Richard Foster is a serious problem! Lighthouse Trails issued the following discerning warning: “In the DVD, there are countless enticements, references and comments that clearly show its affinity with contemplative spirituality. For instance, Richard Foster says that anyone can practice contemplative prayer and become a ‘portable sanctuary’ for God. This panentheistic view of God is very typical for contemplatives. ... The underlying theme of the Be Still DVD is that we cannot truly know God or be intimate with Him without contemplative prayer and the state of silence that it produces. While the DVD is vague and lacking in actual instruction on word or phrase repetition (which lies at the heart of contemplative prayer), it is really quite misleading. What they don’t tell you in the DVD is that this state of stillness or silence is, for the most part, achieved through some method such as mantra-like meditation. THE PURPOSE OF THE DVD, IN ESSENCE, IS NOT TO INSTRUCT YOU IN CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER BUT RATHER TO MAKE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY HUNGRY FOR IT. The DVD even promises that practicing the silence will heal your family problems. ... THIS PROJECT IS AN INFOMERCIAL FOR CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE, and because of the huge advertising campaign that Fox Home Entertainment has launched, contemplative prayer could be potentially introduced into millions of homes around the world’ (http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/bethmoorethumbsup.htm). If Moore truly wants to disassociate herself from the contemplative movement, that would be a simple matter. Let her issue a statement renouncing Richard Foster and his Roman Catholic contemplative friends and unscriptural practices. But don’t hold your breath, dear readers! In her book When Godly People Do Ungodly Things (2002), Moore recommends Roman Catholics Brother Lawrence and Brennan Manning.

UNITED METHODISTS SUPPORT HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - United Methodist regional assemblies in California have declared their support for the state Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned a ban on same-sex marriage. They urged pastors and congregations to “welcome, embrace and provide spiritual nurture” for homosexual couples (“Pastors Defy United Methodist Officials,” Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2008). The denomination’s Book of Discipline says the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching and forbids pastors to conduct homosexual weddings, but many are disobeying. UM pastors in many cities have already conducted same-sex “weddings” and 82 retired pastors have signed a resolution offering to perform such weddings on behalf of pastors who feel they can’t do so themselves. This is not surprising from a liberal denomination. Men and women who do not respect and obey the Bible as the infallible Word of God have no compunction to disobey and disrespect any other book.

CATHOLIC PRIEST MURDERED BY HINDUS IN NEPAL (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from Voice of Martyrs News & Prayer Update for July 18: “On July 1, Johnson Prakash Moyalan, a Roman Catholic priest from India, was killed by armed extremists in eastern Nepal. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts, ‘At approximately 1:00 a.m., the men broke into a building belonging to the Don Bosco Mission in the town of Sirsiya. They locked up the assistant priest and shot Moyalan in the stomach and chest. Reports also indicated that a bomb was detonated on the premises. The attackers left pamphlets on the scene identifying themselves as members of the Nepal Defense Army, a terrorist group that wants Hinduism restored as the state religion.’” The Maoists won a majority in the recent general elections and the king, who was worshipped by Hindus as a god, was kicked out of the palace.

PAGAN MYSTICISM PERMEATING PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Friday Church News Notes, July 25, 2008, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Pagan mysticism has been infiltrating public schools in North America since the 1970s. Mindfulness training, which is akin to Buddhism, is the latest twist. The following is excerpted from “In the Classroom, a New Focus on Quieting the Mind,” New York Times, June 16, 2007: “As summer looms, students at dozens of schools across the country are trying hard to be in the present moment. This is what is known as mindfulness training, in which stress-reducing techniques drawn from Buddhist meditation are wedged between reading and spelling tests. Mindfulness, while common in hospitals, corporations, professional sports and even prisons, is relatively new in the education of squirming children. But a small but growing number of schools in places like Oakland and Lancaster, Pa., are slowly embracing the concept--as they did yoga five years ago--and institutions, like the psychology department at Stanford University and the Mindfulness Awareness Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, are trying to measure the effects. During a five-week pilot program at Piedmont Avenue Elementary, Miss Megan, the ‘mindful’ coach, visited every classroom twice a week, leading 15 minute sessions on how to have ‘gentle breaths and still bodies.’ The sound of the Tibetan bowl reverberated at the start and finish of each lesson. ... Susan Kaiser Greenland, the founder of the InnerKids Foundation, which trains schoolchildren and teachers in the Los Angeles area, calls mindfulness ‘the new ABC’s--learning and leading a balanced life.’ ... Asked their reactions to the sounds of the singing bowl, Yvette Solito, a third grader, wrote that it made her feel ‘calm, like something on Oprah.’ Her classmate Corey Jackson wrote that ‘it feels like when a bird cracks open its shell.’”