25 January 2012

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[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.


+ 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


[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.


+ 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


[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]”.


+ 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


[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.”


+ 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

18 January 2012

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[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.


+ 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


[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.”


+ 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


[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.


+ Mohabit News, info@mohabatnews.com


[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.


+ Urban Infidel, nosubmission_nyc@yahoo.com

+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com

11 January 2012

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[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.


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


[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.”


+ 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


[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.


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


[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.


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


[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.


+ 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


[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.”


+ 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

4 January 2012

Presbyterians Week

[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 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

[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.]