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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] Christian Observer Highlights for February 2012

[2] San Diego, California, Biotech Firm Using Kidney Cells from Electively Aborted Babies to Develop New Food Sweeteners PepsiCo, Nestles and Kraft Foods Division Cadbury Adams LLC

[3] Evangelical Reformed Church of Angola Conference Urges Women to Use Condoms to Prevent HIV/AIDS and to Get Blood Tests

[4] Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, Appoints the Rev. Reddit Andrews as Assistant Professor of Practical Theology

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[1] Christian Observer Highlights for February 2012

New articles in the Christian Observer for January 2012 include:

– Our Nation’s Present Moral Situation – An editorial from the Christian Observer  of 10 October 1951, when Harry S. Truman was U.S. president, the U.S. Senate had recently released a report on organized crime and its ties to government officials, more than eighty West Point cadets had been expelled for cheating, and the sacred and secular press was calling for moral reform; and,

– The Cheating in Our Public Schools – by Christian Observer Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro – The outcome of rampant cheating in schools by students, teachers, and administrators;

Plus, regular features including weekly Sabbath School Lessons and Westminster Shorter Catechism lessons by Christian Observer Assistant Editor Dr. Robert LaMay, and Daily Devotionals by T.M. Moore, dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe.

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+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 20110, christianobserver@christianobserver.org

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[2] San Diego, California, Biotech Firm Using Kidney Cells from Electively Aborted Babies to Develop New Food Sweeteners PepsiCo, Nestles and Kraft Foods Division Cadbury Adams LLC

San Diego, California, biotech firm Senomyx is using kidney cells from electively aborted babies in the development of sweet food additives for companies such as PepsiCo, Nestles, and Kraft Foods Division Cadbury Adams LLC. The food companies pay Senomyx to develop the food additives, then continue to pay royalties on the products sold.

Oklahoma Senator Ralph Shortey recently introduced a bill to ban food products developed using aborted fetal material from being sold in Oklahoma. The mainstream media responded with a barrage of articles feigning disbelief and personally attacking Senator Shortey.

Children of God for Life has mounted a worldwide boycott of PepsiCo products after PepsiCo owned up to sponsoring Senomyx research using kidney cells from aborted babies. Thirty U.S.-based pro-life groups have joined in the boycott.

Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director of Children of God for Life, commented:

PepsiCo has the ability to request that Senomyx use one of the morally acceptable cell lines available…Unlike Campbell Soup who listened to the public and severed ties with Senomyx, PepsiCo has referred to the research as the “gold standard” for the industry; they have openly misled the public and created a public relations nightmare for themselves!…We stand firmly and proudly behind Senator Shortey who had the courage to step forward and protect the people of his State who have a right to know about these products. Shame on those in the mainstream media who never bothered to check the facts before they began assaulting his good name.

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+ Children of God for Life, 4613 Barfield Crescent Road,  Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37128, 615 898-1070, info@cogforlife.org

+ Senomyx, Inc., 4767 Nexus Centre Drive, San Diego, California 92121, 858-646-8300, Fax: 858-404-0752, info@senomyx.com

+ PepsiCo, Inc., 700 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, New York 10577, 914-253-2000, Contact Page

+ Kraft Foods Inc., Three Lakes Drive, Northfield, Illinois 60093, 847-646-4538, news@kraft.com

+ Nestlé USA Headquarters, 800 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, California 91203, 818-549-7131, Fax: 818-549-5884, laurie.macdonald@us.nestle.com

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[3] Evangelical Reformed Church of Angola Conference Urges Women to Use Condoms to Prevent HIV/AIDS and to Get Blood Tests

A 29 January 2012 Angola Press Agency article titled “Women Urged to Use Condoms to Prevent HIV Contamination” reports that the Evangelical Reformed Church of Angola recently held a workshop for empowering rural women at the denomination’s Luanda, Angola, headquarters titled “The Social Responsibility of the Church, Fight Against AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases,” where Maria Antonio of Angola’s Health Ministry told the assembled women to use condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to voluntarily submit to blood tests to determine their “serological state.”

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+ Angola Press Agency, Contact Page

+ Evangelical Reformed Church of Angola, Rua Rainha Ginga 75; Andar 4, Apartment 1, 2 e 16, Caixa Postal 2594 C, Luanda, Angola, 244-222-39-4586, Fax: 244-222-39-4586,  iera_cdg@yahoo.com.br

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[4] Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, Appoints the Rev. Reddit Andrews as Assistant Professor of Practical Theology

The Reformed Theological Seminary Board of Trustees announced 30 January 2012 that the Rev. Reddit Andrews, senior pastor of Soaring Oaks Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church in America) in Elk Grove, California, has been appointed to the faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, (RTS Jackson) as assistant professor of practical theology.

Mr. Andrews has a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Trinity International University, and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. As a student, Andrews founded Coram Deo, a student fellowship that ministered to halfway houses, rescue missions, and prisons throughout South Florida.

Mr. Andrews will begin at RTS Jackson on 1 June 2012, focusing on homiletics, but additionally teaching other courses in the practical theology department.

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+ Reformed Theological Seminary – Jackson, 5422 Clinton Boulevard, Jackson, Mississippi 39209, 601-923-1600, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org

+ Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2065 Half Day Road, Deerfield, Illinois 60015, 800-345-8337, tedsadm@tiu.edu

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] USA Christian Ministries President Pastor Steven Andrew Says “Voting for Mormon Romney is Betraying Jesus Christ”

[2] Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians Introduced in Orlando, Florida, Conference with Representatives from 500 PCUSA Congregations

[3] Occupy Wall Street Protesters Hosted by New York City Churches Steal Baptismal Font Lid from Manhattan PCUSA Church and Urinate on Cross at Brooklyn United Methodist Church

[4] Boko Harem Muslim Terrorists in Nigeria Explode Car Bombs Killing 256

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[1] USA Christian Ministries President Pastor Steven Andrew Says “Voting for Mormon Romney is Betraying Jesus Christ”

USA Christian Ministries President Pastor Steven Andrew believes that Christians who vote for Mitt Romney betray Jesus Christ, saying:

“Obviously Mitt Romney is deceived. Do you want someone deceived by the Mormon cult in the White House?… Many people know that Mormons teach heresies like Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer. But do people know voting for Romney will bring God’s judgment (2 Chronicles 19:2)?… Voting for Romney or Obama who do not follow God causes the economy to decline and removes Christian freedoms (Deuteronomy 28, Leviticus 26)…. If you love Jesus Christ, you won’t vote for Mormon Romney.”

Pastor Andrew writes about Mormonism:

1) Mormons Deny God –  Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Godhead. Mormons teach Jesus Christ is the spirit brother of Lucifer, a created being. The Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Mormons use non-Biblical books. God alone is God. Mormons teach men become Gods and God was once a man.

2) Mormons Preach a Different Gospel – Paul, the apostle, warns, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9). The book of Mormon was given by an angel.

3) Mormons Hide the Cross – The Holy Bible says, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Mormons do not display the cross.

4) Mormons Have Occult Practice – Christians trust in Jesus Christ to protect them, and God’s Word gives Christians power over sin. Mormons think “magic” underwear with markings helps them.

5) Mormons are Anti-Christian – Jesus Christ said, whoever believes in Him will be saved (John 3:16). Mormons deny the real Jesus Christ. They are exclusive and teach that Christians are apostate.

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+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ USA Christian Ministries,  2059 Camden Avenue #280, San Jose, California 95124, Contact Page

+ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150, 801-240-2640, Contact Page

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[2] Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians Introduced in Orlando, Florida, Conference with Representatives from 500 PCUSA Congregations

A 20 January 2012 Gant Daily article by Kris Alingod titled “Group Leaves Presbyterian Church to Form ‘Reformed’ Denomination” reports that representatives of 500 Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) churches met the week of 16 January 2012 in Orlando, Florida, for the introduction of the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO), a breakaway denomination from the PCUSA for congregations disaffected with the PCUSA bureaucracy and the decision in 2011 to drop the Fidelity and Chastity Amendment from the PCUSA Constitution, thus allowing the ordination of homosexuals.

PCUSA congregations desiring membership in the ECO will need to be formally  dismissed from the PCUSA, and congregations that remain in the PCUSA can  choose from several forms of associate membership.

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+ Gant Media LLC, 219 South 2nd Street, Post Office Box 746, Clearfield, Pennsylvania 16830, 814-765-5256, Fax: 814-765-5631, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

+ Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, 8134 New LaGrange Road, Suite 227, Louisville, Kentucky 40222, 502-425-4630, email@fellowship-pres.org

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[3] Occupy Wall Street Protesters Hosted by New York City Churches Steal Baptismal Font Lid from Manhattan PCUSA Church and Urinate on Cross at Brooklyn United Methodist Church

A 22 January 2012 New York Post article by Candice M. Giove titled “‘God’-Awful OWS Mob Steals Sacred Item from Church” reports that Occupy Wall Street protesters camping in New York City churches stole a brass baptismal font lid from the West-Park Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Manhattan, and urinated on a cross at the Park Slope United Methodist Church in Brooklyn. The baptismal font’s brass bowl insert, which had contained “Holy water — straight from the River Jordan” had been poured into the 800 lb. baptismal font base’s bowl, and was later recovered in another part of the church building.

West-Park pastor the Rev. Robert Brashear announced to the protestors that they had two weeks to vacate the church, and said of the protestor’s actions: “It was like [urinating] on the ninety-nine percent.” Brashear’s US$2400 Apple MacBook went missing from his office three weeks prior to the baptismal font lid theft. Brashear recalled how no such problems occurred in the 1980’s when the church extended help to drug addicts saying: “Not even crackheads messed with [the baptismal font]”.

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+ New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, 800-552-7678, aaquilina@nypost.com

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

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[4] Boko Harem Muslim Terrorists in Nigeria Explode Car Bombs Killing 256

Mission Network News reported 24 January 2012 that Boko Haram Muslim terrorists in Kano State, Nigeria, set off numerous car bombs on 21 January 2012 that killed 256 people.

Voice of the Martyrs USA spokesman Todd Nettleton said that although the group has mainly confined their activities to northeastern Nigeria, many fear extremist elements within the sect may try to escalate the crisis throughout the country – “not only government of Nigeria targets, but international targets, as well. They have basically declared war on law and order in Nigeria, and anybody who represents law and order, they are willing to attack as they continue these calls that Nigeria should be an Islamic nation and should follow Sharia law.”

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+ Mission Network News, 1159 East Beltline Avenue Northeast, Grand Rapids,  Michigan 49525, 616-942-1500, Fax: 616-942-7328, Contact Page

+ Voice of the Martyrs USA, Post Office Box 443, Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74005, 877-337-0302, Contact Page

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] Ligon Duncan Elected To Regular Faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary

[2] Indiana Issues Specialty Automobile License Plate for Homosexual, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender Teen Recruitment and Support Center

[3] Kuwaiti Prince Professes Faith in Jesus Christ

[4] Blogger Reports that the Design for the King Abdullah International Gardens in Saudi Arabia Bears an Uncanny Resemblance to the Flight 93 – 9 September 2001 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania

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[1] Ligon Duncan Elected To Regular Faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary

Reformed Theological Seminary announced 13 January 2012 that the Rev. Dr. J. Ligon Duncan, III, has been elected as a regular member of the faculty and appointed as the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, beginning 1 January 2012.

Dr. Duncan will continue as the senior minister of First Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church in America) of Jackson, Mississippi, a position he has held since 1996, and will reduce his national speaking engagements as he assumes a larger teaching load at the seminary.

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+ Reformed Theological Seminary, 2101 Carmel Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28226, 704-366-5066, Fax: 704-366-9295

+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org

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[2] Indiana Issues Specialty Automobile License Plate for Homosexual, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender Teen Recruitment and Support Center

Indiana has become the first state to issue a pro-homosexual specialty automobile license plate, raising funds to help the Indiana Youth Group, a homosexual, bi-sexual, and transgender teen recruitment and support center.

Micah Clark, Executive Director of the American Family Association of Indiana, stated:

“You have to question what the BMV [Bureau of Motor Vehicles] was thinking when they approved a license plate for a group which recruits teens into the homosexual lifestyle. Since health risks do not seem to matter, what is to prevent a cigar club from now getting a license plate from the BMV?

“State agencies should be neutral in the politically charged culture war especially the promotion of homosexuality among minors. It is very disappointing that Indiana is the first state in the nation to have a license plate celebrating youth involved in homosexual behaviors.”

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+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ American Family Association of Indiana, Post Office Box 40307, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240, 317-257-7221

+ Indiana Youth Group, Post Office Box 20716, Indianapolis, Indiana 46220,  317-541-8726, Fax: 317-545-8594, iyg@indianayouthgroup.org

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[3] Kuwaiti Prince Professes Faith in Jesus Christ

The Christian Arabic television station Al-haqiqa recently broadcast an audio file attributed to Kuwaiti Prince Abdollah Al-sabah, a Kuwaiti royal family member, where the prince professed faith in Jesus Christ saying:

“First of all, I totally agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of this audio file, then I’ll go into the presence of Jesus Christ and be with him for all eternity.

“I’m satisfied with whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me to the right way.”

Al-haqiqa also said that the prince recently denounced his Islamic faith and became a Christian.

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+ Mohabit News, info@mohabatnews.com

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[4] Blogger Reports that the Design for the King Abdullah International Gardens in Saudi Arabia Bears an Uncanny Resemblance to the Flight 93 – 9 September 2001 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania

The Urban Infidel blogger reported 17 January 2011 that the design for the planned King Abdullah International Gardens in Saudi Arabia Bears an uncanny resemblance to the Flight 93 – 9 September 2001 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which purportedly honors the heroes of Flight 93 who forced the hijackers of the airplane to crash the airplane into a field in southwestern Pennsylvania before the plane could be crashed into a building such as the White House or the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC.

The Flight 93 National Memorial is in the shape of a Muslim crescent and star, a symbol of Muslim empire since the 12^th century, the central point of which points to the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

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+ Urban Infidel, nosubmission_nyc@yahoo.com

+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] Civilization Coming Unglued? – The Most Important Question Facing Us in 2012 is More Than an Election

[2] Sabbath-Breaking on Scotland’s Isle of Skye Decried by Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Presbytery of Skye and Lochcarron

[3] Nigeria’s Boko Haram, a.k.a. Nigerian Taliban Threatens Christians

[4] al-Shabaab Terrorists in Somalia Publically Whip Christian Woman Taken into Custody in November 2011

[5] FBI Arrests Muslim Naturalized American Citizen for Planning Terrorist Attacks on Tampa, Florida

[6] Americans United for Separation of Church and State Hail Federal Court Decision Overturning Oklahoma Constitutional Amendment Approved by Seventy Percent of Voters Barring Islamic Sharia Law Being Used in Oklahoma Courts

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[1] Civilization Coming Unglued? – The Most Important Question Facing Us in 2012 is More Than an Election

Commentary by Dr. Michael A. Milton

The most important question of the coming year is not “who will be the next occupant of the White House?” The single most important matter before us all is a monumental question of value. It is a question that may be stated, “Will the Western world embrace the very thing that holds it together. Or will it continue the denial of the obvious and seal its inevitable decline?” Let me explain.

In historiography – the study of history – professional historians are often torn between what is called “lower history” and “higher history.” Higher history aims to chronicle the past through grand events such as “kings and queens” and wars and treaties. Lower history, however, traces the record of mankind through often unseen events, underlying popular philosophies and, often, obvious facts. Thinking about lower history, British historian, Dr. Niall Ferguson, has drawn our attention to a lower historical fact that, as he proposes in his latest and most exceptional (if not unsettling) work, Civilization: The West and the Rest (Penguin Press, 2011).

Ignoring political-correctness in favor of the obvious, Ferguson appeals to his readers to see that the remarkable civilization called the West is just so because of what he refers to as “six killer apps” (using a computer metaphor). These apps are fundamental common commitments—a worldview, if you will—which has brought about the greatest advances in human history and the greatest opportunities for men to live free, happy lives. These “killer apps,” according to Niall Ferguson, are “competition, science, property rights, medicine, the consumer society, and the work ethic” (p. 13)– specifically, the Protestant work ethic that came as a result of this reformation in the 16th century. Ferguson describes this sixth application of Western civilization as “the glue of the dynamic” (p. 13) that allows the other features to work. Yet Ferguson also observes that, “the Protestant ethic of thrift that one seemed so central to the Western project has all but vanished.” (p. 17)

Where did that Protestant work ethic come from? Niall Ferguson admits that before the Protestant Reformation (and the counter-reformation that influenced the Roman Catholic Church), freedom and that which we call Western Civilization were hardly free and barely civilized. The Greco-Roman democratic systems the West inherited were not enough. It took a surge of biblical truths dispersed into every area of life. Those truths were precisely what Martin Luther recovered and what John Calvin taught. The Protestant work ethic came out of their teachings, based on the Scriptures, and were galvanized in the popular conscience of their time and afterwards gave rise to the other five “apps” that Ferguson cites, and, indeed, “activated” them. The “activation code” that unlocked Western Civilization was nothing less than the Gospel of Jesus Christ applied from the Bible to every aspect of cultural life. In short, the gospel opened up a new world of opportunity for mankind. This was the “operating system,” according to Ferguson, that nations embraced and thereby became “Western civilization.”

The question is now, “will the Western world disavow the very worldview – the glue, the Protestant work ethic, the Reformation truth–that activated the ‘software’ that generated Western civilization, and that brought so much life, liberty, and happiness? Or will we foolishly ignore it in the name of a secular substitute that is powerless to re-boot the system?” No one will deny that (still using the computer metaphor) there is a giant “Error Message” on the screen of Western civilization. Something has malfunctioned and every other application is either no longer operational or running too sluggish to be productive.

Ferguson helps us to see what is going on is not the absence of a “higher historical” figure to fix us, but a “lower historical” faith to free us: the faith of the Bible and of the Redeemer it presents: Jesus Christ. Ferguson ends his excellent treatise by declaring, “today…the biggest threat to Western civilization is posed not by other civilizations, but by our own pusillanimity–and by the historical ignorance that feeds it.”(p. 325)

To ignore that one “killer app” called the Reformation is to sink deeper into debt, fall farther into moral calamity, and witness our great institutions slide faster into the abyss of history.

The greatest challenge before us in 2012 is not merely to choose an individual in America who will become president and expose this ignorance and lead us back to the truth, but to recover what Churchill called for, “a large majority of mankind united together to defend” the truth that got us where we are today. We have every hope that since it has been done before, it can be done again. Let’s pray so. Our civilization depends upon it.

– Michael Anthony Milton (Ph.D., University of Wales) serves as the chancellor/CEO elect of Reformed Theological Seminary (one of the largest accredited seminaries in the country), a U.S. Army chaplain (instructing at the Armed Forces Chaplain School) and the James M. Baird Jr. chair of pastoral theology at RTS/Charlotte. He is an author, songwriter, singer, ordained minister, former pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., and he previously served as the president of RTS/Charlotte. Dr. Milton also hosts a national Bible teaching television program, Faith For Living, reaching 70,000,000 potential households through DirecTV, Legacy TV network, YouTube and iTunes. It is also available as a free app in the Android and iPhone markets. The Faith For Living radio program is broadcast on several stations in the southeast. For 16 years he served in the business world and has also served as a top-secret Navy linguist.

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+ Reformed Theological Seminary, 2101 Carmel Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28226, 704-366-5066, Fax: 704-366-9295

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[2] Sabbath-Breaking on Scotland’s Isle of Skye Decried by Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Presbytery of Skye and Lochcarron

The 3 January 2012 Stornoway Gazette published a 29 December 2011 letter from

Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) minister the Rev. Richard Ross on behalf of the Presbytery of Skye and Lochcarron concerning an advertisement for a dance scheduled for Sunday, 1 January 2012, at the Skye Gathering Hall in Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland, expressing concern “…that the Christian Sabbath is being desecrated in such a cavalier way without regard to the religious convictions held by many in our community.”

Mr. Ross continues:

“The Presbytery in reaffirming its biblical opposition to this event taking place, adopted a motion stating its great disappointment that a dance was to be held in Skye Gathering Hall, Portree, on the Christian Sabbath, January 1, 2012.

“It was agreed that the Presbytery condemn this unwarranted and unbiblical practice of Sabbath desecration.

“It was further moved and agreed that it notes with immense disquiet the disregard for the Christian Sabbath day within its bounds.

“It recommends that all avenues be pursued to remind our fellow-man of their responsibilities relating to the observance of the Fourth Commandment and it encourages the Lord’s people to take a stand for His truth in these days.

“The Presbytery seeks the re-establishment of the Lord’s Day Observance Society within its bounds.

“The Presbytery further deplores Sabbath desecration within the visible church even in matters relating to the arrangement of pulpit supply for the Sabbath services.

“It further reminds all its own ministers and interim-moderators that the use of public transport (perceived as commercial transport) is not to be used on the Sabbath, even in the provision of Church services.”

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+ Stornoway Gazette, 10 Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS12XE, Scotland, 01851-702-687,  newsdesk@stornowaygazette.co.uk

+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, principalclerk@fccontinuing.org

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[3] Nigeria’s Boko Haram, a.k.a. Nigerian Taliban Threatens Christians

A 3 January 2012 ASSIST News article by Elizabeth Kendal titled “Nigeria: Boko Haram Threatens Christians: The Battle for Nigeria Heats Up” reports that in northern Nigeria where the population is half Christian and half Muslim, the terrorist group Boko Haram, also known as the ‘Nigerian Taliban’, is demanding the complete Islamisation of all Nigeria, and on 2 January 2012 issued a statement that southern Christians living in northern Nigeria, particularly those in the north-eastern states of Borno and Yobe, had three days to leave or face further violence.

On 25 December 2011, Christmas Day, Boko Haram bombed two churches, one on the outskirts of the federal capital Abuja and one in Jos. A car bomb that exploded in the car park of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, Nigeria, killed at least forty-two , most incinerated by the massive fireball that consumed seventeen vehicles, and seriously wounded dozens of other people.

In June 2010, Boko Haram formalized ties with al-Qaeda, which has long sought strategic depth in sub-Saharan Africa and a foothold in Nigeria. Since then, Boko Haram has been sending militants to Somalia for military training under al-Shabaab and has been escalating its terror campaign.

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+ Assist USA, Post Office Box 609, Lake Forest, California 92609, 949-380-1558,  danjuma1@aol.com

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[4] al-Shabaab Terrorists in Somalia Publically Whip Christian Woman Taken into Custody in November 2011

A 10 January 2012 Compass Direct News Service report titled “Somali Convert from Islam Whipped in Public” reports that on 22 December 2011, Sofia Osman, a Somali convert from Islam to Christianity, received a public whipping of forty lashes upon her release from custody after being taken into custody by al-Shabaab militants in November 2011.

After being whipped until she was bleeding and unconscious, Ms. Osman was taken away by her family. Hundreds of cheering spectators watched the whipping.

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+ Compass Direct News Service, Post Office Box 27250, Santa Ana, California 92799, 949-862-0304, Fax: 949-752-6536, info@compassdirect.org

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[5] FBI Arrests Muslim Naturalized American Citizen for Planning Terrorist Attacks on Tampa, Florida

A 10 January 2012 American Vision News article titled “FBI Stings Islamic Terrorist in FL Bomb Plot” reports that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on 9 January 2012 arrested Sami Osmakac, a Muslim naturalized U.S. citizen from the former Yugoslavia, for asking an undercover agent to help him obtain an AK-47 assault rifle, Uzi submachine guns, explosives for as many as three car bombs, and an explosive suicide bomber belt in order to carry terrorist attacks in Tampa, Florida.

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+ American Vision, Post Office Box 220, Powder Springs, Georgia 30127, 770-222-7266, Fax: 770-222-7269, mail@AmericanVision.org

+ Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover Building, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20535, 202-324-3000

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[6] Americans United for Separation of Church and State Hail Federal Court Decision Overturning Oklahoma Constitutional Amendment Approved by Seventy Percent of Voters Barring Islamic Sharia Law Being Used in Oklahoma Courts

Americans United for Separation of Church and State on 10 January 2012 hailed a 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against an Oklahoma constitutional amendment that bars Islamic Sharia law from being used in Oklahoma state courts.

United Church of Christ minister the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said: “This amendment is divisive, unnecessary and dangerous. I’m glad to see it go.”

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+ Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 518 C Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-466-3234, Fax: 202-466-2587, americansunited@au.org

+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org

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Presbyterians Week

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[1] Christian Observer Highlights for January 2012

New articles in the Christian Observer for January 2012 include:

– Gunfire in the Bluff – by Penny Smith – Northminster Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPCNA) of Suwanee, Georgia, sends several people into downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday afternoons to minister to inner city residents. The 4 December 2011 Bible study came to a premature halt when bullets began flying…;

– The Integrated Church and Vision Forum – by David Cloud – a critique of Vision Forum Ministries and aspects of Calvinist theology by a fundamentalist, dispensationalist, independent Baptist minister and publisher; and,

– The Divisive Twists to Teach Perversion in the Classrooms – by Christian Observer Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro – how the change in the public schools from teaching sound biblical principles to pagan, human-centered values where perversion is openly taught and encouraged has led students to inappropriate eating or sleeping habits, inabilities to concentrate, abrupt changes in their personalities, impulsiveness, inability to concentrate on academic work, decline in grades, absenteeism, loss or lack of positive friendships, abuse of alcohol and drugs, and increased involvement in homosexual behavior, on to increased cases of suicide in the school age population;

Plus, regular features including weekly Sabbath School Lessons and Westminster Shorter Catechismlessons by Christian Observer Assistant Editor Dr. Robert LaMay, and Daily Devotionals by T.M. Moore, dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe.

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+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 24450, christianobserver@christianobserver.org

[Editor’s Note – The 4 January 2012 Presbyterians Week is a day late and several articles short due to the editor’s currently too-busy schedule.]

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] Death of Francis Nigel Lee

[2] Northern Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Issues 22 December 2011 Statement

[3] Vatican Calls for One-World Government

[4] Reformed Church in Hungary Asked by Fidesz Party Leader to Determine Global Religious Communities to be Recognized by Hungary

[5] The Christian Pundit Continues to Write on the Discussions about Creation and Hermeneutics

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[1] Death of Francis Nigel Lee

The Reverend Barrister Professor Doctor Francis Nigel Lee died 23 December 2011 after a long struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Dr. Lee’s daughter Johanna Lee wrote of her father’s passing:

“It is with great sadness, that I need to inform you all on behalf of my family, of the passing of my father, Francis Nigel Lee. Dad died peacefully on Friday morning after a prolonged struggle with Motor Neuron Disease. Although the disease gradually robbed him of his speech, mobility and ability to write, he conducted himself with dignity and grace to the end. When I took him to a neurology appointment in October, he was already wheelchair-bound. The panel of specialists sympathised with his condition and remarked that it would be natural for him to be angry or hope for a less devastating diagnosis.  He calmly replied, “Whether I die in two years or two months, is in God’s hands. My hope is in the next life.” On December 5th, Dad celebrated his 77th Birthday.  Two days later marked my parents’ 48th Wedding Anniversary. My mother, Nellie, who was his full-time career during his illness, was at his bedside when he died.  Her resilience and selfless commitment to Dad’s needs were inspirational. Thank you to all who have expressed their concern for his health and well-being in recent months.  His suffering is over now.”

Nordskog Publishing wrote of Dr Lee:

“The world has lost a giant of a Christian man with the death of the Reverend Barrister Professor Doctor Francis Nigel Lee. At 7:50 am, Friday, Anno Domini 23rd December 2011 (Australian Eastern Standard Time), his Lord took Nigel Lee peacefully in glory to His presence. The Christian world will dearly miss this husband, father, passionately Calvinistic Christian, ponderously accomplished theologian, eminent gentleman, and devoted friend. Francis Nigel Lee dearly loved His Triune Savior and Lord, always treating of theology in due relational terms upon the mystery of the Holy Trinity.”

“….In accomplishment, Dr. Lee was an Advocate or Barrister (alias a Trial Lawyer) of the Supreme Court of South Africa before becoming a Minister and pastor to congregations of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in Mississippi and Florida. He served as Professor of Philosophy at Shelton College in New Jersey; Scholar in Residence at the Christian Studies Center in Memphis, Tennessee; and Academic Dean of Graham Bible College in Bristol, Tennessee. Then for twenty years, Dr. Lee served as Professor of Theology and Church History at the Queensland Presbyterian Theological College, Brisbane, Australia, lately emeritus. Dr. Lee was Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Fellowship Scholar (1964-1966). His letters include Ph.D., Th.D., D.Phil., D.Min., D.Ed., LL.D., Dr. Sac. Th., D.Jur., D.Litt., D.C.L., D.Hum.”

A funeral for Dr. Lee will be held 30 December 2011 at 10:00 a.m. at the Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery Chapel, Graham Road, Bridgeman Downs, Australia.

Dr. Lee is survived by his wife Nellie and his two daughters Johanna and Anna-Marie.

Matthew 25:23 – “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

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+ Nordskog Publishing, 4562 Westinghouse Street, Suite E, Ventura, California 93003, 805-642-2070, Fax: 805-642-1862, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org

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[2] Northern Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Issues 22 December 2011 Statement

“The Northern Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) hold that any proposals to permit “marriage” of homosexuals and lesbians amount to a direct attack on the teaching of the Bible and a repudiation of Scotland’s Christian heritage.

“Presbytery notes that a United Christian Witness took take place outside the Scottish Parliament on 8th December 2011 to oppose legalisation of homosexual and lesbian “marriage.” Presbytery further notes that Rev. James Gracie, Minister of the Edinburgh congregation of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), had been invited to take part in the Call Kaye programme on Radio Scotland earlier that day and that in his contributions on the programme Mr. Gracie gave a clear exposition of the Biblical teaching regarding marriage.

“Presbytery understands that complaints regarding some of what Mr. Gracie said on the radio have been made to the Police and to the BBC. The Northern Presbytery support the United Christian Witness as an appropriate means of witnessing to unequivocal Biblical teaching regarding marriage and fully support Rev. James Gracie in his clear exposition of Christian marriage as taught in the Bible.”

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+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, principalclerk@fccontinuing.org

+ United Christian Witness & Protest Against Same-Sex Marriage

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[3] Vatican Calls for One-World Government

(Friday Church News Notes, December 23, 2011, www.wayoflife.org bns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “The Vatican and the New World Order,” Herescope, Nov. 17, 2011: “The Bible paints quite a clear picture of the major events that precede the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. While many of the smaller details may be difficult to interpret, the major events concerning the world’s religious, economic and political future are evident in Revelation, chapters 13, 17 and 18. … Those informed regarding world affairs will recognize there exists an ever-increasing number of influential leaders who have begun to promote the idea of a global economy. The most significant of these is the G20 which in recent years has made several statements advocating such an economy. But the most startling statements were recently made in a 41 page ‘note’ by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, published in several languages on October 24, 2011. Speaking for Pope Ratzinger, the Council’s document is filled with legal verbiage and complicated language, but is an amazing document to read. It is amazing because almost word-for-word, it bears upon the prophecies of Revelation 13, 17 and 18, and places Rome at the center of the prophetic drama! … the second half of the note calls for a single world government (point 3) and for a single world financial system (point 4)! Had we not read and studied the document, we would not have believed the statements made in it. … The document quotes several recent Popes to show how support for a single world ruler is very much part of the precedent and philosophy of Rome. For instance, John XXIII (1881-1963) ‘… also expressed the hope that one day a true world political authority would be created.’ … The document continues to state that today this teaching (of a single world government) is ‘even more vital and worthy of urgent implementation.’ … The document speaks about the need for all nations to be part of this system and that none should be excluded: ‘… the world Authority should consistently involve all peoples…’ Revelation 13:7 says: ‘And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.’ The note says that policies must be binding on all and that the Authority should have ‘universal jurisdiction.’ … In the fourth section that deals with a global economy they say there is a need for ‘… the commitment to create some form of global monetary management’ and ‘one can see an emerging requirement for a body that will carry out the functions of a kind of central world bank that regulates the flow and system of monetary exchanges…’ They then speak of the need for such a world economy to be under the control of the world government. … In this document, the Vatican pledges its commitment for planetary financial control, calling for the fulfillment of Revelation 13 to the letter!”

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+ Way of Life, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org

+ The Vatican, Città del Vaticano, Rome, Italy, 39-6-69-88-35-11, Fax: 39-6-69-88-54-47, Contact Page

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[4] Reformed Church in Hungary Asked by Fidesz Party Leader to Determine Global Religious Communities to be Recognized by Hungary

A 22 December 2011 Politics.hu article titled “Leading Hungarian Protestant Churches Push for Official Recognition in Hungary of All “Global” Religions” reports that on 19 December 2011, Hungary’s constitutional court ruled that the recent law restricting what religious organizations are recognized by the government was unconstitutional. Fidesz parliamentary party leader Janos Lazar had announced on 16 December that the restrictive law would be repealed, revised, then reintroduced for a vote before the end of 2011.

Both the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) and the Hungarian Lutheran Church had asked Mr. Lazar to add more church organizations to the fourteen churches approved in the unconstitutional law. A 21 December 2011 RCH statement said that the revised law to be considered in 2012 should “recognise the church status of all global religions and religious communities that have demonstrated that their teachings promote values and their social services benefit the community both in a narrower and wider sense.”

The 14 December 2011 Presbyterians Week article “[3] Reformed Church in Hungary General Secretary Supports New  Religious Repression Laws” reported that the RCH had previously enthusiastically supported the unconstitutional law.

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+ Politics.hu, 36-30-370-3561, editors@politics.hu

+ Reformed Church in Hungary, MRE Zsinata1146 Budapest, Abonyi u. 21., Hungary, 30-3361-666, info@reformatus.hu

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[5] The Christian Pundit Continues to Write on the Discussions about Creation and Hermeneutics

The Christian Pundit has published two additional articles contributing to recent discussions about creation and hermeneutics:

– Defining Adam and Eve on The Christian Pundit; and,

– Polity, Power and Politics in The Aquila Report

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+ The Christian Pundit, William.VanDoodewaard@puritanseminary.org

+ The Aquila Report, c/o Metokos Press, 211 Main Street, Suite 108, Narrows, Virginia 24124, 540-726-8223, operations@theaquilareport.com

+ Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, 2965 Leonard Street Northeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525, 616-977-0599, Fax: 616-285-3246, info@puritanseminary.org

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] Death of Denise Sproul, Wife of the Rev. Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr.

[2] Free Smart Phone App for Westminster Shorter Catechism Available from Reformed Theological Seminary

[3] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Says Religious Beliefs Should Not Be Allowed To Stand in the Way of Homosexual Rights

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[1] Death of Denise Sproul, Wife of the Rev. Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr.

Denise Elizabeth Sproul, 46, wife of the Rev. Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. and mother of their eight children, died 18 December 2011 from the effects of leukemia. A memorial service was held today at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Andrews Church (Presbyterian Church in America) in Sanford, Florida. The Sproul family requests that any donations be made to the Denise Sproul Memorial Scholarship Fund at Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida.

Dr. Sproul Jr. wrote of his departed spouse: “Denise, enjoying the blessed vision of our God and Father, is at home with the Lord. Cancer no longer afflicts her, and every tear has been dried away. The Queen of Orlando [Florida] casts her crown at her Savior’s feet, and together, they dance.”

Doug Phillips wrote the evening of 18 December: “And this is what I feel compelled to say: Tonight, stop and take a really good look at your spouse. Next, look at each of your children. Look really, really long and hard. Take a moment and thank God for every whisper of a moment that God has given you with them. Thank God for the little kisses offered, the stories told, the tickles dispensed, the games played, the readings shared, the silent moments cherished, the victories experienced, the losses endured, the kind words presented , the songs sung, the glances exchanged. These moments not only count for eternity, but they will be remembered for the next billion years after you leave this minuscule moment in time called “life.” Every moment with your loved one matters. Someday they or you will be gone. Every conversation matters. Every kind deed in the name of Christ matters. It all matters.”

Mrs. Tim Bayly wrote 18 December: “The path of the just is as the shining light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Proverbs 4:18 — “Tim and I rejoice that Denise Sproul, wife of R.C. Sproul Jr., has entered the full light of glory. But our spirits weep for our brother, R.C. Jr., in the loss of his beloved wife, and for Denise and RC’s eight children whose mother lost her battle with leukemia in winning eternity this morning. May God gird them up in faith in the hours and days ahead.”

Douglas Wilson wrote 18 December:

“…the apostle Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). The grief and sadness is all on this side of that divide, and most certainly not on the other side.

“Christians certainly grieve, but it is the kind of grief you see in airports, when someone you love is going to be separated from you . . . but only for a time. This is in stark contrast to what the apostle Paul describes as being “without God and without hope in the world” (Eph. 2:12). The phrase “without God” is rendered from just one word — atheoi. Godlessness is hopelessness.

“So pray for the Sprouls, and thank God for the resurrection of the dead. It is no more unbelievable that we shall live again than that we were given the gift of life the first time. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”

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+ Ligonier Ministries, 400 Technology Park, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, 407-333-4244, Fax: 407-333-4233

+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org

+ Baldwin-Fairchild Cemeteries and Funeral Homes, 301 Northeast Ivanhoe Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32804, 407-898-8111, Contact Page

+ Vision Forum, 4719 Blanco Rd., San Antonio, Texas 78212, 866-440-0022, Fax: 210-340-8577, Contact Page

+ Bayly Blog

+ Blog and Ma Blog

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[2] Free Smart Phone App for Westminster Shorter Catechism Available from Reformed Theological Seminary

Reformed Theological Seminary has made available a free iPhone app titled “Westminster Shorter Catechism in 90 Days”, available on the Apple Computer website.

The app is a flashcard application that coaches the student through a ninety day personalized memorization program.

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+ Reformed Theological Seminary, 2101 Carmel Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28226, 704-366-5066, Fax: 704-366-9295

+ Apple, 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California 95014, 408-996-1010

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[3] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Says Religious Beliefs Should Not Be Allowed To Stand in the Way of Homosexual Rights

(Friday Church News Notes, December 16, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Hillary Clinton,” CNSNews.com, Dec. 7, 2011: “Religious beliefs and cultural values do not justify the failure to uphold the human rights of homosexuals, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday. ‘Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs,’ Clinton said. Her speech at the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations and its Human Rights Council (HRC) was delivered ahead of Human Rights Day on December 10, the anniversary of the U.N.’s adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. … President Obama [signed] earlier in the day of a memorandum which the White House called the ‘first-ever U.S. government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad.’ … Republican presidential candidates Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Sen. Rick Santorum both criticized the administration’s LGBT announcements. ‘Promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers’ money,’ Perry said in a statement, adding that the policy was ‘just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country.’ ‘Obviously the administration is promoting their particular agenda in this country, and now they feel its their obligation to promote those values not just in the military, not just in our society, but now around the world with taxpayer dollars,’ CNN quoted Santorum as telling reporters in Iowa.”

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+ Way of Life, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] Inexpensive December Birthday Gift Ideas for Particular Presbyterians

[2] Catonsville [Maryland] Presbyterians Church (PCUSA) Provides Continuing Support for Hospital in the Congo

[3] Reformed Church in Hungary General Secretary Supports New  Religious Repression Laws

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[1] Inexpensive December Birthday Gift Ideas for Particular Presbyterians

Today is the 20^th anniversary of the 18^th anniversary of the 18^th birthday of the editor, and the indeterminate anniversary of the editor developing the Egyptian River Problem, i.e. duh-Nile. As there are several other birthdays celebrated in December, the editor wants to make Presbyterians Week readers aware of several items that have crossed the editor’s desk that might make the perfect inexpensive gift for that picky Presbyterian on your birthday gift list:

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1)    Refuge: Selections From The Book of Psalms for Worship CD – from Crown & Covenant Publications – Seventeen psalm selections from The Book of Psalms for Worship, recorded by a choir from the Syracuse Reformed Presbyterian Church. Includes Psalms 3B, 27A, 30B, 34B, 42D, 48A, 51C, 68A, 73B, 76B, 84C, 130B, 123A, 107C, 134A, 140A, and 149A.

The quality of the individual and ensemble singing, along with the musical arrangements and harmonization would justify one travelling to Syracuse, New York, just to hear the choir. Add to this the inspired texts of a selection of psalms that call upon God for refuge in times of trouble, and you have true worship music of the highest caliber.

US$15.00 plus shipping

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+ Crown & Covenant Publications, 7408 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-241-0436, info@crownandcovenant.com

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2)    Alleged – a new movie based on the Scopes Monkey Trail of 1925 – starring Brian Dennehy as Clarence Darrow and Fred Thompson as William Jennings Bryan – Alleged is an entertaining, educational, and family-friendly movie centered around the battle between the Genesis account of creation and Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory, and the Dayton, Tennessee, show trial of 1925 that captured the world’s attention. Several subplots dealing with the eugenics movement in the 1920’s, worldly pressure to spin the truth for personal gain, and how these factors and the Scopes Trial influence the romance and courtship of two young newspaper reporters demonstrate some of the practical consequences of Darwinian theory and worldly compromise. There is much here for parents to use in teaching about early-twentieth-century history and the questions of ethics and morality explored in the film.

The editor’s one concern about the movie is that pre-air-conditioner Dayton, Tennessee, in the summer of 1925 probably did not have the pleasant temperatures and low humidity so apparent in the movie. Sweaty clothing, lots of insects, and copious quantities of paper fans with tongue depressor handles would have made the movie more climatically, ecologically, and culturally correct, but probably would have drawn attention away from much more important matters.

US$15.99 (DVD) US$16.99 (Blue Ray) plus tax and shipping

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+ Alleged, www.allegedthemovie.com

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3)    The Confessional Presbyterian – The 7^th issue of this scholarly and always  interesting journal for the discussion of Presbyterian doctrine and practice has been published for 2011, and issues one through six, published 2005-2010, are also available. Each issue provides hours of thought-provoking and informative reading for anyone interested in the history, doctrine, and practice of confessional Presbyterianism.

US$18.00 in 2011, US$25 in 2012 and beyond, US$25 Institutional and Foreign, post paid (Issue 7)

US$75, US$125 Institutional and Foreign, post paid (Issues 1-7)

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+ The Confessional Presbyterian, Post Office Box 141084, Dallas, Texas 75214

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[2] Catonsville [Maryland] Presbyterians Church (PCUSA) Provides Continuing Support for Hospital in the Congo

A 7 December 2011 article by Penny Riordan in CatonsvillePatch titled “Catonsville Presbyterian Church Has Impact in Congo” reports that the Catonsville Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) (CPC) in Catonsville, Maryland, began contributing to a hospital in the Congo through IMA World Health (IMAWH) by purchasing an electric generator. The hospital then needed fuel to run the generator, so CPC sent funds to buy fuel. Prior to these donations, the doctors had to work by flashlight after dark. CPC’s most recent donation to IMAWH will purchase medical equipment for a cervical cancer screening program in Tanzania.

CPC was attracted to IMAWH as a conduit for their donations due to IMAWH being named number five of Forbes magazine’s 2010 ten most efficient charities.

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+ CatonsvillePatch, Contact Page

+ IMA World Health, 500 Main Street – Building Old Main, New Windsor, Maryland 21776, 410-635-8720, Fax: 410-635-8726, imainfo@imaworldhealth.org

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

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[3] Reformed Church in Hungary General Secretary Supports New  Religious Repression Laws

A 7 December 2011 Huffington Post article by Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, titled “Hungary Threatens Religious Liberty” reports on the new “Law on the Right to Freedom of Conscience and Religion, and on Churches, Religions, and Religious Community” in Hungary that officially recognizes only fourteen of the 362 religious organizations registered under the prior law from 1990, and places onerous requirements on other organizations applying for official recognition.

The Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) is one of the fourteen religious organizations that retained official recognition under the new law. RCH General Secretary Zoltan Tarr, is a strong proponent of the new law, and is quoted as saying: “We wanted a new law to make it more difficult to establish churches here — and we’re happy the present government has now done something. We’re very much for freedom of worship and believe everyone should have the right to practice their religion. But this law represents a positive step, since it excludes quite a few communities which don’t legitimately qualify as churches.”

Among the religious organizations dropped under the new law are the Methodists, Pentecostals, Adventists, Reform Jews, the Salvation Army, Jehovah’s Witnesses,  and Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu congregations.

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+ Huffington Post, 560 Broadway, New York, New York 10012, 212-245-7844, info@huffingtonpost.com

+ Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington DC 20001, 202-842-0200,  Fax: 202-842-3490, Contact Page

+ Reformed Church in Hungary, MRE Zsinata1146 Budapest, Abonyi u. 21., Hungary, 30-3361-666, info@reformatus.hu

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] New Christian Observer Articles for December 2011

[2] Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Says Scottish Government in Danger of Bringing Divine Judgement Upon Scotland

[3] Church of Scotland Rejects Homosexual Marriage Legalization – For Now

[4] U.S. Senate Approves Bill that Legalizes Sodomy and Bestiality in U.S. Military

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[1] New Christian Observer Articles for December 2011

New articles in the Christian Observer for December 2011 include:

– Should Cornerstone Ministries Investments Have Existed? – Part Three – by Bob Wildrick – conclusion of a three-part series exploring The role of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) Stated Clerk and Administrative Committee, 1993-1994, in the establishment of the Presbyterian Investors Fund (PIF) and Cornerstone Ministries Investments (CMI);

– Book Review – Jesus of Nazareth: His Life, Times, and Teaching – by Rob Roy McGregor; and,

– American Education for Anarchy – by Christian Observer Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro – the American educational system’s fostering of “the wilderness of anarchy spreading across our land.”;

Plus, regular features including weekly Sabbath School Lessons and Westminster Shorter Catechism lessons by Christian Observer Assistant Editor Dr. Robert LaMay, and Daily Devotionals by T.M. Moore, dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe.

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+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 24450, christianobserver@christianobserver.org

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[2] Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Says Scottish Government in Danger of Bringing Divine Judgement Upon Scotland

2 December 2011

“Statement on Same-Sex Marriage

“The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), through its Public Questions, Religion & Morals Committee, has submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s Consultation on the Registration of Civil Partnerships and Same Sex Marriage. The Committee feel that this subject is of such importance that it warrants a further statement which in addition to being sent to the Government is being made public.

“We wish to state that in contributing to the consultation we do not condone it. To seek approval for legislation favouring a lifestyle clearly condemned in the Word of God is irresponsible; it indicates a Government which has forgotten its calling as the servant of God (Romans 13:4) and a nation which though in covenant with God has badly lost its way.

“The Government is proposing to redefine marriage to suit a vocal and aggressive minority. Yet marriage was not invented by man but appointed by God, who made us male and female. It is designed for one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31), providing mutual help, enabling procreation and preventing promiscuity. As a divine institution marriage is above legislation: no government has any business in attempting to re-write it. Instead the Government should protect and promote it as God gave it to us, recognising it to be at the very heart of a healthy society as has been the case in Scotland for centuries.

“We are of the view that what is being contemplated represents a further step in a scheme to ‘normalise’ homosexuality. First homosexual activity was legalised, then a law preventing local authorities from promoting homosexuality was repealed, next civil partnerships were introduced for same-sex couples and now the intention is to permit same-sex ‘marriages’. For some the process will not be complete until every trace of our traditional, God-given values has been removed.

“Behind the proposed change in the law is the Government’s commitment to ‘equality’. We submit that there can be no equality between heterosexual marriage based on a natural attraction and homosexual unions based on what the Bible terms “vile affections” (Romans 1:26). Moreover if ‘equality’is everything then why should the Government stop at same-sex marriage? What about incestuous and polygamous marriage? The logic being followed means that it will be difficult to withstand calls to legalise these too. This is the result when governments mistakenly adopt a secular or morally-neutral approach to such matters.

“We respectfully point out that moral matters are not to be decided by popular or parliamentary majorities but by the unchanging law of God. The Holy Scriptures are the only authoritative rule of faith and life and they declare all homosexual conduct to be sinful. “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22) Making same-sex unions equivalent to marriage mocks the God who made marriage honourable and a symbol of the union between Christ and His bride the church (Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:32). Such unions will not bring happiness to those involved but sorrow and shame. We do not say this out of hatred but in love to our fellow men and with a regard for the truth, which we should all have an interest in.

“Marriage ought to be about more than just the fulfilment of personal sexual desire. Same-sex marriage would result in unions where there is either no husband or no wife and where any children would have either no father or no mother. The complementary roles of loving headship and loving submission operating in traditional marriage for the mutual benefit of the couple and the good of the family would not be possible. To establish such a perverse arrangement in law could only destabilise our society and harm some of its most vulnerable members. The First Minister has pledged to do all that he can to make Scotland a better nation but the consequences for any country carrying out this experiment are frightening. Indeed history suggests that they could be fatal.

“We are concerned about the possible repercussions for our religious and civil liberties if same-sex marriages are made lawful. From recent precedent we believe that the Government will enforce the acceptance of these unions as normal through the education system and in public bodies generally and that those who in conscience disagree will be penalised. Any safeguards in the legislation will not prevent complaints against those who speak out. The police will investigate and the courts will be involved.

“If the Government attempts to coerce the church into accepting same-sex marriage in any way, shape or form then by the grace of God it will meet with strong resistance. The Free Church (Continuing) requires her officebearers to uphold the doctrine and discipline of God’s Word and expects her people to submit to the same. The Bible teaches unambiguously that sodomy is a sin worthy of divine punishment which needs to be repented of (Genesis 19:4-7, 12-14, 23-25; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). This we are bound to preach, come what may. It also teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Head of the church and is to be obeyed before men (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 7:23; Acts 4:18-20). This we are bound to practice, come what may. Thus we will never solemnise, bless, celebrate, register or otherwise approve same-sex marriages or civil partnerships.

“We hereby call upon the Government to cease from a move which would further erode our nation’s Christian heritage, won for us at great cost by the Protestant Reformation and secured to us by the Treaty of Union.

“We hereby warn the Government that if it continues on its present course then the prospect is increasing moral disorder, family breakdown, disrespect for authority, conflict between church and state and divine judgment upon our land.

“We hereby request a meeting with representatives of the Government to take this matter further. Meanwhile we pray that the Lord in His mercy will so guide those who handle our nation’s affairs “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2).”

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+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, principalclerk@fccontinuing.org

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[3] Church of Scotland Rejects Homosexual Marriage Legalization – For Now

The Church of Scotland (COS) in a 1 December 2011 response to the Scottish Government has come out against proposals to legalize homosexual marriage, saying: “The Government’s proposal fundamentally changes marriage as it is understood in our country and our culture – that it is a relationship between one man and one woman. In common with the historic position of the Christian Church, the Church of Scotland has always viewed marriage as being between one man and one woman. Scriptural references to marriage, whether literal or metaphorical, all operate under this understanding. To redefine marriage to include same-sex marriage may have significant and, as yet, inadequately considered repercussions for our country, for the well-being of families, communities and individuals.”

A 3 December 2011 article by Duncan Hamilton in The Scotsman reports that on 2 December 2011, the Rev. Ian Galloway, convener of the COS’s Church and Society Council, said the COS General Assembly might come to a different conclusion, saying: “We have a commission looking at some of these questions that will report in 2013. The one thing that I contend is that the government’s consultation process has come in the middle of a process that the Church of Scotland is already engaged in among its membership looking at these issues.”

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+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN, Scotland, 0131-225-5722

+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AS, Scotland, 131-620-8620

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[4] U.S. Senate Approves Bill that Legalizes Sodomy and Bestiality in U.S. Military

A 3 December 2011 CNSNews.com article by Pete Winn titled “U.S. Senate Approves Bill that Legalizes Sodomy and Bestiality in U.S. Military” reports that on 1 December 2011 the U.S. Senate voted 93-7 to approve a defense authorization bill that includes a provision repealing Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which makes it illegal to engage in both sodomy with humans and sex with animals.

[“And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Daniel 5:25 - ed.]

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+ CNSNews.com, 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 877-267-6397, newsdesk@cnsnews.com

+ United States Senate, Washington DC 20510, 202-224-3121, ahazen@aoc.gov

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Presbyterians Week Headlines

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[1] ARP Pastor Charles W. Bradley Dies Thanksgiving Day 2011

[2] Preaching on the Plains: Reminiscences Published by Lulu.com

[3] The Christian Pundit on “Hermeneutics and Awkward Science”

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[1] ARP Pastor Charles W. Bradley Dies Thanksgiving Day 2011

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) pastor Charles W. Bradley, 55, died on Thanksgiving Day, 24 November 2011, after suffering a heart attack at the manse of  Hopewell ARP Church in Culleoka, Tennessee, where Mr. Bradley had pastored for the past twenty years. Mr. Bradley additionally pastored the Union Grove Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Colombia, Tennessee, for many years.  Pastor Bradley was a member of the Tennessee-Alabama Presbytery of the ARP Church, and was presently serving as Stated Clerk of the presbytery and as a member of the ARP Church’s Executive Board of the General Synod.

A funeral service was conducted 28 November 2011 at the Hopewell ARP Church. Pastor Bradley is survived by his wife of thirty-six years, Sandra Fisher Bradley, daughter, Clair M. (Lance) Shroades of Fairbanks, Alaska; three sons, Brandon J. Bradley of Marietta, Georgia, Colin Matthew (Belinda) Bradley of Summertown, Tennessee, and Benjamin Clarence Bradley of Culleoka, Tennessee; nine grandchildren, one sister, a half-sister, and a half-brother.

Pastor Bradley’s obituary described him as “…a man who had a fervent desire to know God and know of God. As a result, he not only possessed a sincere love for God, he also lived his life with a deep love for his family and the family of God. He had a remarkable journey that resulted in Christian faith and that ultimately led him to a call into the ministry…. He loved theology, sought understanding of faith through the Reformed tradition and impacted many lives as he challenged those whose lives he touched to grow deeper into their faith in Christ Jesus.”

One of the speakers at Pastor Bradley’s funeral was a ruling elder who had interviewed the pastor twenty years ago before he was called to the Hopewell pulpit. The elder said that the Hopewell congregation had previously fallen to just a faithful few members, and that God used Pastor Bradley to preach biblical truth and gradually the Hopewell church grew to presently include about eighteen families including extended families, a few families with ten or more children, and some single adults.

The editor knew Pastor Bradley only as an Internet acquaintance and Facebook “friend”, and several years ago God providentially brought a great blessing to the Christian Observer when two members of Hopewell ARP Church agreed to became editors. Pastor Bradley’s deep faith has significantly influenced the lives of these two editors, and presumably the rest of the Hopewell congregation. The editor joins Pastor Bradley’s family and congregation in grieving the loss of their beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and pastor, and in rejoicing that another good and faithful servant is in the presence of the Lord.

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+ Oaks & Nichols Inc., Funeral Directors, 320 West Seventh Street, Colombia, Tennessee 38401, 931-388-4711, oakesandnichols@bellsouth.net

+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729

+ Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 8207 Traditional Place, Cordova, Tennessee 38016, 901-276-4572, Fax: 901-272-3913

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[2] Preaching on the Plains: Reminiscences Published by Lulu.com

Preaching on the Plains: Reminiscences, by one of the founders of the Presbyterian Church of America in 1936 and the  Bible Presbyterian Church (BPC) in 1938, the Rev. David K. Myers, has been published by Lulu.com and is available in paperback for US$10.82 plus shipping.

Myers’ son the Rev. David T. Myers writes:

“[F]or any who are interesting in the history of the early days of the BPC, especially up in the Plains states of Montana, South and North Dakota. Dad was a church planter, an evangelist complete with sawdust tent revivals, an Army chaplain  from WW2 through the Korean War, a seminary professor (Faith from 1956 – 64 –  Any one who graduated from Faith in those years would remember him.) and a pastor.   He was one of a handful of Presbyterian ministers who was censured by deposition in 1936 from the Presbyterian Church USA (Yellowstone Presbytery in Montana) for his support of the [Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions] in 1933.

“It features his experiences at Wheaton College in the 1920′s and Princeton in 1927 – 29. He had sat under J. Gresham Machen, Robert Dick Wilson, Casper Wister Hodge (grandson of Charles H.), Geerhardus Vos, and the like “famous” names. He tells of his experiences of having to prepare his sermon while drunken cowboys still shot their pistols into the air on Saturday night. It tells of one of his “members” who had killed an entire farm family only to meet frontier justice and swing from the end of a rope over the railroad trestle! That happened just after Dad had led him to a profession of faith in the town jail.    Probably not many of our present day pastors have had to experience that!!!

“Over all, it is a testament of divine grace, of the Holy Spirit’s work in a man who was yielded completely to Him, doing His work in the Great Depression days of our country, and up to the mid to late 80′s of the last century.”

Lulu.com provides a passage from the book:

“For some 32 years I have been absent from the northern Plains area which I call ‘My Country.’ I have had periods of great loneliness for it. I can fancy still the shouts and sounds of gunfire of riders, exuberant horsemen, rushing through the street on Saturday nights on ‘Silk Stocking Avenue’ in Fairview, Montana, firing into the air. I can feel the pressure of a quick crush with my car into the huge snow drifts in the wake of blizzard seasons; the warm hospitality of the Plains people. I remember the joyful shouts of little children in Vacation Bible Schools; the young lad who joyfully received Christ, then said just before he succumbed from tubercular meningitis, ‘I go to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ And I remember the exhausting nights after full days of preaching five or six times a Lord’s Day, the many miles traversed; but all, all forgotten in the joy of seeing souls saved at points in a far flung parish. However, it is all ending in gladness!”

For more information, please see http://PreachingOnThePlains.wordpress.com, or  http://Lulu.com.

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+ Lulu, 10930 Raven Ridge Road #107, Raleigh, North Carolina 27614, 919-676-6222

+ Bible Presbyterian Church

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[3] The Christian Pundit on “Hermeneutics and Awkward Science”

Associate Reformed Presbyterian pastor  and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary professor the Rev. Dr. William VanDoodewaard on 29 November 2011 published “Hermeneutics and Awkward Science” on his The Christian Pundit blog.

The article is a continuation of responses to discussions on hermeneutics and the creation/evolution debate in light of Peter Enns’ recent presentation to a group of New York area Presbyterian Church in America pastors. In “Hermeneutics and Awkward Science,” VanDoodewaard responds to the 16 November 2011 The Aquila Report article “ANE and Creation One More Time, with a Concluding Plea” by Erskine Theological Seminary professor Dr. William B. Evans.

VanDoodewaard responds to Evans’ article, in summary saying: “My issue is not with having “a place” for extra-biblical data in the interpretive process…. I would argue that in the specific case of the interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2, including the account of the origins of Adam and Eve, the issue encountered in alternative readings is a hermeneutically unwarranted accommodation of the text to the priority and primacy of extra-biblical data, rather than simply giving “a place”.

The article can be accessed at:

http://thechristianpundit.org/2011/11/29/hermeneutics-and-awkward-science/

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+ The Christian Pundit, William.VanDoodewaard@puritanseminary.org

+ The Aquila Report, c/o Metokos Press, 211 Main Street, Suite 108,  Narrows, Virginia 24124, 540-726-8223, operations@theaquilareport.com

+ Erskine Theological Seminary, Post Office Box 668, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 800-770-6936

+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729

+ Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, 2965 Leonard Street Northeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525, 616-977-0599, Fax: 616-285-3246, info@puritanseminary.org

+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org

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