28 October 2015
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“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
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“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
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Presbyterians Week Headlines
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[4] United Church of Canada and United Church of Christ Formalize Full Communion
[5] New Articles from Professor Robert Gagnon
[6] Reformed Books Online Includes Fifty-Two Whole Bible Commentaries
[7] ARPTalk 119 – The October Meeting of the Erskine Board: Not Much Has Changed!
[8] News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell
[9] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining
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Is this the end of Christian civilization? No! What is happening to our culture? We have been witnessing a massive moral and spiritual decline even during our lifetime. Is this the end of America? Are we perhaps even witnessing the downfall of the Christian West? Is this the end of Christian civilization? Many Christians are helpless and hopeless in light of the decline of Christianity in our country and doomsday-preachers work non-stop to capitalize on this crisis while the most important questions are being neglected: Isn’t there any hope? Can we do anything to reverse this trend? This is what this conference is about. There is hope and there is much we can do to further the Kingdom even in the light of such fierce opposition. Christ’s claim is on the whole world and He will succeed. Come with your family and be encouraged!
Conference speakers include Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore (subject to judicial calendar availability), the Rev. Dr. Joe Morecraft, the Rev. Dr. Sacha Walicord, Col. John Eidsmoe, Historian Bill Potter, Chuck Michaelis, and Barry Sheets.
Some of the topics to be addressed are:
“Righteousness Exalts a Nation: The State of the Judiciary in the United States”
“The Roots of Western Civilization”
“The Rise and Fall of Western Civilization”
“The Future of Western Civilization and the Crown Rights of King Jesus”
“The Decline of Europe and Lessons for America”
“Education and the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ”
“Christian Response to Civil Tyranny”
The conference venue is the American Village located just south of Birmingham in Montevallo, Alabama.
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+ Landmark Events, Post Office Box 1762, Columbia, Tennessee 38402, Contact Page
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A 25 October 2015 Premier article by Hannah Tooley titled “Free Church of Scotland against Sexuality Lessons for Young Pupils” reports that Free Church of Scotland Moderator the Rev. David Robertson has spoken against Scottish Parliament proposals to make mandatory LBGTI sexuality lessons for school children as young as five.
Robertson said:
“At the outset we restate our view that no pupils should be bullied in school for their beliefs and for the pursuit of a particular lifestyle and morality.
“We do not believe that insisting that all pupils should be subject to a particular sexual ethic, irrespective of the beliefs and desires of their parents is either the only way or the best and most obvious way of tackling this problem.
“Human rights legislation says that ‘the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions’.
“The petitioner’s demand for statutory teaching of such topics without provision for parents and pupils who disagree is in direct conflict with this legislation.
“If granted the results would inevitably and evidently involve the promotion of a lifestyle which we view as contrary to God’s good plan for us.”
“We believe that the real object of the petition is to indoctrinate school pupils with one particular perspective on moral and sexual ethics and one which is contrary to mainstream Christianity.
“We believe this is a Trojan horse to impose an ideological perspective on all pupils, whether they want it or not.
“Naturally ‘equal opportunity to achieve’ is something the Free Church of Scotland supports, but we disagree that the only way to achieve this is to make LGBTI+ teaching mandatory.
“It also begs the question; what about the rights of those students who would feel excluded by this teaching?
“The petitioner’s demand for statutory teaching of such topics without provision for parents and pupils who disagree, since they would evidently involve the promotion of a lifestyle which we view as contrary to God’s good plan for us, breaches the human rights of Bible-believing Christians in Scotland.”
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+ Premier, 22 Chapter Street, London SW1P 4NP, England, Contact Page
+ Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LS, 0131-226-5286, Fax: 0131-220-0597, catherine@freechurchofscotland.org.uk
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Austin’s Antiquarian Books is offering a copy of “The Psalms And Hymns of The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America” Philadelphia: Mentz & Rovoudt, 1850. Hardcover. 24mo; pp. 859, index; full gilt ruled pebbled brown morocco, spine lettered in gilt, all edges gilt;. Very good.. for US$65 plus shipping.
Information is available at:
http://www.austinsbooks.com/details.php?record=15954&mv_source=abaa
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+ Austin’s Antiquarian Books, 123 West Main Street, Wilmington, Vermont 05363, 802-464-8438, mail@austinsbooks.com
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[4] United Church of Canada and United Church of Christ Formalize Full Communion
A 27 October 2015 Ecumenical News article titled “United Church of Canada and United Church of Christ Formalize Full Communion” reports that the United Church of Christ and the United Church of Canada have both formalized a full communion agreement in a 17 October 2015 worship service at St. Andrew’s United Church, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
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+ Ecumenical News, 475 Riverside Drive Suite 810, New York, New York 10115, 212-870-3290, info@ecumenicalnews.com
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
+ United Church of Canada, 3250 Bloor Street West, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M8X 2Y4, Canada, 416-231-5931, Fax: 416-231-3103, info@united-church.ca
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[5] New Articles from Professor Robert Gagnon
How Should Christians Respond to the Transgender Phenomenon?
God’s Design for Human Sexual Behavior – Pt 1
God’s Design for Human Sexual Behavior – Pt 2
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+ Robert A.J Gagnon, rgagnon@pts.edu
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[6] Reformed Books Online Includes Fifty-Two Whole Bible Commentaries
http://reformedbooksonline.com/commentaries/whole-bible-commentaries/
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[7] ARPTalk 119 – The October Meeting of the Erskine Board: Not Much Has Changed!
Since Mr. Ron Vigus assumed the chairmanship of the Erskine board, the meeting of the board is a one-day affair on Thursday, instead of a two-day undertaking. Accordingly, the Erskine board met last Thursday, October 22, in Due West, for the scheduled October meeting.
The meeting may be described in the following manner and under the following headings:
President Kooistra believes football will save Erskine.
In spite of the news of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (with about 19,000 students and the tax funding of the the state of Alabama) canceling its football program because of budgetary constraints, President Kooistra desires to initiate a football program for little Erskine with barely 600 students. Ignoring the fact there is no infrastructure for football — no coaching staff, no funding, and no stadium in which to play — the dreams of former President Randy Ruble, alum and former board member Richard Taylor, and Erskine Vice President for Athletics Mark Peeler are being resurrected — again. In the words Aslan, ”All get what they want in the end. They do not always like it” (The Magician’s Nephew).
Christian students no longer complain of intimidation; now, they speak of not feeling safe.
It was reported that, in order to deal with disciplinary problems in the dorms this fall, it was necessary to call the police for help on a number of occasions. Not surprisingly, a number of Christian students complained that they do not feel safe. Wow! This will not help in recruiting Christian students to a Christian college! What an indictment of a Christian college!
President Kooistra claims that students go to Erskine to play sports, and then they meet God.
I wonder: (1) did President Kooistra make this statement before or after it was reported that the police had been called to deal with disturbances in the dorms? (2) did President Kooistra make this statement before or after it was reported that Christian students did not feel safe? and, (3) when President Kooistra made his statement, did he explain how the mission of Erskine as a Christian liberal arts college was being implemented by turning Erskine into an athletic camp for marginal athletes and, with Erskine’s low retention rate of 63%, many marginal students? The sum of the matter may be expressed in these words: since Randy Ruble’s presidency, the members of the administration are totally committed to an athletics-based admission’s policy, and they do not know how to do otherwise. They look at nearly-failed Newberry University, with (as it was reported to me by a Newberry grad) nearly 200 students recruited for football, and see this as the model for success, while ignoring the fact that Newberry is also deep in the waters of financial trouble.
The audit portends a financial crisis.
In one of FDR’s “fireside chats” in the 1930s, he is reported to have intoned: “Four years ago when I became President of the United States, we were drowning in the waters of a great depression. Today, four years later, we are still drowning; but we have learned to breathe under water.” Well, that is the story being told at Erskine — they have learned to breathe under water financially. Another year of financial woes has come and gone and the story is an expectation of another year of financial woes. At this point, there are voices expressing uncertainty of and disappoint with Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations Greg Haselden. Indeed, these financial woes have occurred on his watch of 15 years. Board members are asking: “Is it time for a new CFO?” One must ask: is President Kooistra listening to his board?
Obviously, the situation at Erskine is status quo, which means, the same old mess we have been in for years has not changed. Yes, of course, there is improvement here and there; however, the improvement is still a dollar short and a day late. As baseball’s philosopher Yogi Berra coined it, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”
The financial outlook is grim. For example: (1) the budget was balanced by reclassifying restricted funds as unrestricted, transferring the monies to the ledger, and showing the transferred monies as receipts; (2) in spite of an Annual Fund drive of 1.7 million dollars, a million dollars more than was raised and received was withdrawn from the endowment which is now only about 37.8 million dollars; (3) a $10.35 million “balloon” bond note from the Carson days comes due in about 6 years, which is being serviced at about $350,000 a year in interest, which has been refinanced once already, and, with Erskine’s financial instability, it may not be re-financeable.
When SACS meets in early December, everyone in the administration expects that Erskine will not be removed from “probation.” Fingers are crossed that SACS will not impose a higher penalty against Erskine, for the Erskine administration has yet to demonstrate that they can operate Erskine (as directed by SACS) with only a 5% draw on the endowment and balance the budget without financial manipulation. Actually, the folks at Erskine will admit that the endowment is 11 million dollars under water, and some note that the endowment is actually about 19 million dollars under water. Whichever, it is a lot of money!
At this time, it is simply ludicrous to talk about resurrecting a football program. For example: (1) the cost for outfitting a football team is $200,000, and financially that is “a bridge too far” (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/09/how-much-does-it-cost-to-outfit-a-college-football-team-just-about-200k/1#.Vi1ux7w-acw); (2) “In [Division II] football, schools are allowed to award up to 36 “equivalencies” or full grants, but of course the rosters in football are much larger than 36 players,” but Erskine has no financial room to do this (http://www.ncaa.org/about/division-ii-partial-scholarship-model); (3) by my count, at least 6 to 8 coaches will be needed, and there are no funds for these coaches; (4) are the folks at Erskine really serious about using the football field at Dixie High School? and (5) are the members of the administration prepared to deal with the academic and disciplinary challenges that come with a football team? And, by the way, with regard to the students the police were called in to control, what was done with them? That is, did their bad behavior warrant consequences? Furthermore, can anyone remember why the decision was made in 1954 to disband the football program? Did it have something to do with financial stability? In the words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Erskine’s niche has been “Christian” and “liberal arts.” The dream of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church has been for Erskine to be “the outstanding private Christian liberal arts college in the Southeast.” The “Christian” part is now words on paper of a promise never realized, the liberal arts part is also words on paper remembering a better day, and the dream of General Synod has vanished like sunbeams on a cloudy day. Scholastically, Erskine no longer pursues excellence. In this freshman class, no applicant had scores so low that he/she was denied entrance. Only 15% (about 33 students) of this year’s freshmen class (about 220 students) were in the top 10% of their high school class, while 32% (about 70 students) of this year’s freshmen were in the bottom half of their high school class. An analysis of the bottom 25% (about 55 students) of the Freshman class reflects an average SAT score of 900, and the administration acknowledges that about 60 students are on the “watch” list academically (but there is no plan in place at this time to help those students, and, with no plan in place, it is now too late to help those students so that they do not become a statistical loss). Indeed, a diminutive 63% retention rate is not indicative of a successful and thriving academic community.
The report coming out the Seminary Committee is disheartening. Faculty morale is very low. M.Div. students are hard to find. Salaries have been cut by a third, and, even if they were cut by half, that would not balance the budget. Recruiting hard, the folks at the seminary are expecting about 40 new D.Min. students in January; however, the MEDCOM numbers are expected to be down. The only bright spot is the Columbia campus, and its light is like a blinking star in a far and distant galaxy. With Vice President of the Seminary Chris Wisdom out with mononucleosis, the Seminary Committee meeting was uneventful. With the Due West campus isolated in the middle of Nowhere, South Carolina, expect to see the further marginalization, if not the closing, of the Due West campus. The Due West campus is simply not viable.
After a full year as president, President Kooistra complains to the board (and anyone who will listen) that he is old and tired and so stressed out by his job. Is he saying the job is beyond him? Well, he began his presidency with that chant. Last year at the meeting of the Anderson Chapter of the Alumni Association (and his feet were barely wet from the job), he was complaining of how the job was difficult, stressful, and beyond his old talents. Well, I am 70 and disabled (legally blind), and President Kooistra is only a couple of years older than I am and not disabled. That sort of passive-aggressive whining does not dignify him before his board or anyone else. As many are saying, “It’s getting old!” Indeed, President Kooistra wanted his job, he pursued his job, he was warned about the challenges of his job, and now he informs everyone that he expects to keep his job until 2019. The truth is that the only way to get the job from him is to pry it out of his cold, dead hands. Indeed, if the job is deleterious to his health, his resignation will be accepted forthwith. However, his sort of passive-aggressive behavior is power manipulation and intimidation — and, of course, some on the board have been intimidated by it. Without careful reflection, some on the board have missed the obvious: after a year of President Kooistra’s watch, he has run a million dollar deficit.
At this point, let me close with these words from Yogi Berra for President Kooistra: “I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?” The fact is that President Kooistra has not generated the resources Erskine needs. Where is the fat Rolodex of PCA donors that many of us who supported him for president were told that he had? Where are these new donors who were supposed to embrace Erskine with their dollars? It seems the only strategy he has is more ATHLETIC PROGRAMS.
Is there a bright spot? If openness to talk about the mess and the dangers that the mess portents, then there is a bright spot.
Well, not much at Erskine has changed. If memory serves, I remember these words from not-Saint Bill Crenshaw: “the downward spiral continues!”
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+ ARPTalk Blog, 864-882-6337, wilson6114@bellsouth.net
+ Erskine College and Theological Seminary, 2 Washington Street, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 864-379-2131, Fax: 864-379-2167, jguyette@erskine.edu
+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729
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[8] News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell
— New Video Catches Planned Parenthood Abortionist Describing Harvesting Baby’s Brains
— Abortion Clinic Owner Caught on Video: Burning Aborted Babies for Energy Is ‘A Great Idea’
— Planned Parenthood Abortionist: “We Pull Out” the Baby’s Heart after the Abortion. “It’s Cute”
— Christian Families Left to Starve amid Government Attacks on Protestants in Mexico
— Abortion Clinic Advertises a “Spa-Like Experience” for Women Killing Their Unborn Babies
— Actress Martha Plimpton Promotes New Campaign of Women Bragging About Their Abortions
— Undercover Video: Abortionist Says ‘Killing’ Is ‘The Most Important Thing I Could Do with My Life’
— Canadian Law Professor Happy That Supreme Court Imposed Euthanasia on Canada
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+ LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, 888-678-6008, Contact Page
+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com
+ Girls Just Wanna Have Guns, Contact Page
+ Zionica
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[9] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining
— Obama Administration Is Establishing a New Homeland Security Program That Will Monitor Christians
— Christian Hating Southern Poverty Law Center to Advise Obama Justice Department on Violent Extremism
— Shock as It’s Revealed Chick-Fil-A Is Sponsoring a ‘Christian’ LGBT Film Festival
— Divorced Canadian Homosexual Couple Now Want Their Own Kids with Third Man
— Christianity Today Recommends the Pope
— France’s Top Weatherman Suspended for Questioning Global Warming
— Women Will Likely Have to Register for the Draft, U.S. Army Secretary Says
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+ The D.C. Clothesline, dean.garrison.99@gmail.com
+ WND, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, #351, Washington DC 20006, Contact Page
+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page
+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch
+ The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org
+ Monster Worldwide, Inc., 133 Boston Post Road, Weston, Massachusetts 02493, 978-461-8000, Fax: 978-461-8100, Contact Page
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— Panic as Muslim Migrants March through Hannover and Claim Germany for Allah
— Muslim Migrants Warn Germans Their Days Are Numbered
— Illinois: Two Muslim Truck Drivers Awarded $240,000 for Refusing to Deliver Alcohol
— Sharia Toronto: Cabbies Turning Away Passengers with Seeing-Eye Dogs
— Muslims Celebrate the Day of Ashura with Demonic Bloodletting Ceremonies
— Islamic State Attacks Dramatically Increase after over a Year of U.S. Airstrikes
— Democrat U.S. Senator Durbin Calls on the Administration to Accept 100,000 Muslim Migrants
— ISIS Gang Loots German Churches to Fund Caliphate
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+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page
+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com
+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch
+ Clarion Project, Inc., 255 West 36th Street #800, New York, New York 10018, 646-308-1230, info@ClarionProject.org
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