25 June 2014

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] From the Christian Observer, vol. 64, no. 26 (1 July 1885) - Death of Mrs. Flavia B. Converse [23 December 1804-26 June 1885], Widow of Publisher the Late Rev. Amasa Converse, D.D.

[2] Articles Concerning the 221^st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Held 14-21 June 2014 in Detroit, Michigan

[3] Introducing the Newly Revised Chaplain Corps Journal

---

[1] From the Christian Observer, vol. 64, no. 26 (1 July 1885) - Death of Mrs. Flavia B. Converse [23 December 1804-26 June 1885], Widow of Publisher the Late Rev. Amasa Converse, D.D.

By the Rev. T. D. Witherspoon

The shadow of a great bereavement has fallen not only upon the Editors of this journal, but also upon all its patrons and friends. On the morning of Friday last, the 20th inst., there was called from the fellowship and service of the Church on earth to the closer fellowship and higher service of the Church in heaven the venerable Christian woman whose name appears above, widow of the late Rev. Amasa Converse, D.D., (who was for forty-six years the editor of the Christian Observer,) and mother of the subsequent, and present editors.

Whilst these brethren of the editorial staff sit amidst the shadows that have gathered about their dwellings, and tenderly review the memories of a life that has been fraught with so much blessing to them, it may not be inappropriate for me, as the endeared pastor of the deceased, to take up the pen that lies draped and unused upon their desk, and pay a brief, but heartfelt tribute to the memory of one to whom the Observer owes so much of its past triumph over obstacles, and its present influences and success.

Mrs. Flavia B. Converse was the daughter of Mr. David Booth, and was born at Longmeadow, four miles south of Springfield, Mass. on the 23d of December, 1804. She was reared in the Congregational church under the ministry of Dr. Richard S. Storrs and Dr. Dickinson, both of blessed memory; and at the early age of thirteen years made confession of Christ, and was admitted to the communion of the church. Upon the completion of her education, she went to Brunswick county, Virginia, to teach a family school, and there was married to Rev. Amasa Converse, on the 16th of December, 1828. Her early married life was spent in Richmond, Virginia, her first home being where the Spottswood Hotel afterwards stood, and where the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad offices are now located. Here she assisted her husband in the publication of the Family Visitor, afterwards the Southern Relgious Telegraph.

She found her husband embarked in a new and doubtful experiment. People had not yet learned the value of a religious paper. All the materials were costly, and the presses rude. Mail connections were irregular, and postage high. The subscription list was consequently small, and the income very limited. But she threw herself with all her characteristic energy and address into the work of assisting her husband. Her cultivated pen prepared contributions for the paper. Her quick eye assisted in the proof-reading, and her taste exercised itself in judicious selections for its columns; whilst her prudent and economical management of the household made the small present income sufficient until better days should come. Through all the changes that came over the paper; when in 1839 it was removed to Philadelphia, and in union with the Observer of that city, became the Christian Observer; during the subsequent years, when as the organ of conservatism in that city, it was riding the rough waves of a radicalism that threatened to engulf it; when, in consequence of the inauguration of a sectional war, it became necessary to remove to Richmond, Va., and begin anew, with only a limited portion of the subscription list; and when, at the close of the war, amidst the general depression and gloom at the South, with empty treasury and shrunken subscription list, the husband again (with the aid of one of his sons) undertook to regain for the paper the vantage ground it had so often lost, her spirit never flagged, and her courage never failed. Her ready counsel and her cheerful aid through all these times of trial were essential elements of the Observer's success.

The death of her husband in 1872 did not terminate her connection with the Observer. Retaining a part ownership, she continued to aid in its management, with her counsels, and most valuable suggestions as to its contents. Even down to her last illness (for her faculties remained unimpaired to the hour of her death), she took a deep interest in its conduct, and joined heartily and helpfully in plans for its welfare; so that up to the present time its editors have been under constant obligation to .......

. . . . Converse is a personal, as well as public loss. For fifty-seven years, through her lamented husband, through her ownership and supervision of the paper after his death, and through her sons, some of whom took up his work and carry it on, and all of whom owe their efficiency, in great measure, to the training to which she devoted the best energies of her life, she has exerted an influence upon the religious journalism of the land, such as few women have attained. And yet it has all be done with such true womanly modesty and unobstrusiveness that few have realized the power of the soft hand that was constantly upon the lever of the press.

On Monday afternoon at four o'clock her funeral was held from the First Presbyterian church, of which she had been, during her residence in Louisville, a devoted and honored member. The pastor was assisted in the service by Dr. Hemphill, of the Second church, Rev. J. H. Morrison, of Portland Avenue church, and Rev. S. W. Blain, the aged and long endeared friend of the deceased. All four of the sons and the daughters were present, and none who witnessed it can ever forget the impressiveness of the scene, as the form of the venerable mother in Israel was brought into the house of God, followed by four sons whom she had lived to see for many years in the ministry of the word.

Thus has passed away from amongst us one of the true saints of God. She needs no canonization by the Church on earth, for a higher than human voice has said to her, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." And to-day, in this editorial sanctum, upon whose doorknob is the crepe, as my heart goes out in sympathy to these dear brethren in their grief, I seem to hear a voice amid the stillness saying to me, as to the inspired Apostle of old, "Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them."
T. D. Witherspoon.

[excerpted from The Christian Observer, 1 July 1885.]

Text provided by Wayne Sparkman, director of the PCA Historical Center.


+ PCA Historical Center, 12330 Conway Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63141, 314-469-9077, archivist@pcahistory.org

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


[2] Articles Concerning the 221^st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Held 14-21 June 2014 in Detroit, Michigan

-- It's Time To Leave the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

-- Presbyterians Redefine Marriage

-- Presbyterian Lay Committee Board of Directors Repudiates Action of PCUSA General Assembly

-- Presbyterians Back Anti-Israel Divestment

-- American Presbyterian Church to Divest from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions Claiming They Profit from the Israeli Occupation of Palestine

-- Presbyterian Church USA Defeats Motion to Care for Babies Born Alive after Abortion


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

+ GOPUSA, Contact Page

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

+ Institute on Religion and Democracy, 1023 15th Street Northwest, Suite 601, Washington DC 20005-2601, 202-682-4131, Fax: 202-682-4136, info@theird.org

+ Presbyterian Lay Committee, Post Office Box 2210, Lenoir, North Carolina 28645, 828-758-8716, Fax: 828-758-0920, laymanletters@layman.org

+ New York Times, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018, 212- 556-1234, executive-editor@nytimes.com

+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com


[3] Introducing the Newly Revised Chaplain Corps Journal

By the Rev. Dr. Michael A. Milton

I was honored when my friend and my supervisor in my Army chaplaincy, Chaplain (Colonel) Peter Sniffin, US Army, Deputy Commandant, US Army Chaplain Center and School, whom I have known for many years (we first met in Heidelberg, Germany when our paths crossed at the HQ of Seventh Army Europe), invited me to be a part of the Chaplain Corps Journal. I had written for the Journal before, but had not had the pleasure of being part of the editorial team.

The Chaplain Corps Journal aims to “Produce a professional journal in order to cultivate learning communities across the Army Chaplain Corps.”
This week, under CH Sniffin’s considerable skills as Managing Editor, we released the Spring-Summer issue. The Journal is housed, digitally, at the Command and Research Library (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) and is available to everyone. I have provided a special short link here for you to copy and share with others:

http://tinyurl.com/ChaplainCorpJournal-2014-1

I want to draw our readers’ attention to an outstanding peer-reviewed article by Chaplain (Colonel) Ken Bush, US Army, Retired. Chaplain Bush was previously the Director of Training for the US Army Chaplain School and is a PCA Minister (as is Pete Sniffin). I consider Dr. Bush, who holds a graduate degree in ethics from Duke, among several other prestigious degrees and honors, to be one of the top ethicists and theological educators in America. I believe his contribution on “Moral Leadership in a Post-Everything Culture” is an outstanding article that merits special attention. I found myself thanking the Lord for the wisdom of his insights. The Abstract from the Journal gives a brief summary:

“This is a peer reviewed article. The author isolates the moral crises facing the United States military and offers five possible areas of common ground for Moral Leadership Training in addition to the thoughtful presentation of a transcendent Faith Story that brings hope for the hopeless.”

There are other solid articles and some excellent book reviews, as well. I found CH (LTC) Brian Crane’s review of Mission at Nuremberg: An American Army Chaplain and the Trial of the Nazis led me to read the book and learn a new chapter in that fascinating story.

I hope you will read online or download your copy of the Chaplain Corps Journal and share it with others. We who are endorsed (to serve as Army and other sister service chaplains) in the Presbyterian and Reformed Joint Commission are thankful to be able to minister together with dedicated chaplains of other faiths, traditions and convictions to exercise our First Amendment rights in serving soldiers and their families and carrying out the mission of the Chief of Chaplains. In doing so we are granted the privilege to minister the Lord of Lords to those who come to us for our help.

For that we give thanks to God.

Dr. Michael A. Milton is the founder and President of Faith for Living, Inc., an outreach ministry advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people possible through every means available so that there will be a multitude of souls safe in the arms of Jesus when He comes again.

+ Faith for Living, Inc.

18 January 2014

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] ARP Synod Elects the Rev. Jamie Hunt Moderator-Elect

[2] ARP Synod Votes for the Ecclesiastical Bureaucrat’s “Chameleon of Unctuous Etiquette” in Lieu of Matthew 18, the ARP Book of Discipline, and Parliamentary Procedure

[3] Syrian Christian Convert from Islam Suing First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma for Breaking Secrecy Promise Leading to Arrest and Torture in Syria

[4] Presbyterian and Reformed Churches: A Global History by James E. McGoldrick Available in Kindle Format and Hardback from Amazon

[5] A Christian View of Men and Things by Gordon Clark Available in eBook Format from The Trinity Foundation

---

[1] ARP Synod Elects the Rev. Jamie Hunt Moderator-Elect

The 2014 Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP), meeting at the Bonclarken assembly grounds in Flat Rock, North Carolina, on 11 June 2014 elected the Rev. Jamie Hunt Moderator-elect.

Jamie Hunt has been the pastor of Coddle Creek ARP Church in Mooresville, North Carolina for thirty-three years, and is scheduled to retire in early July 2014. He said of his election:

“I will give it all I have got. I believe the future of the church is as bright as the promise of God.”


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


[2] ARP Synod Votes for the Ecclesiastical Bureaucrat’s “Chameleon of Unctuous Etiquette” in Lieu of Matthew 18, the ARP Book of Discipline, and Parliamentary Procedure

The ARPTalk Blog has reached the milestone of 100 published articles with the 16 June 2014 “ARPTalk 100 – Analysis of the 2014 General Synod: We Do Not Know What We Are Doing, and We Are Doing It Well!” by editor the Rev. Dr. Charles (Chuck) W. Wilson. Dr. Wilson and his ARPTalk Blog for the past several years have often been a lone voice “crying out in the wilderness” against unbiblical practices within the ARP Synod, Erskine College and Theological Seminary, and several ARP presbyteries.

Sadly, Dr. Wilson’s 100^th ARPTalk Blog article summarizing the recent meeting of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church General Synod includes a dispassionate account of the attempt to silence Dr. Wilson through the church courts without the benefit of biblical precepts, the ARP Book of Discipline, nor parliamentary procedure. The following is the section of the subject article describing the nefarious scheme:

-----

Complaint from Catawba Presbytery

Unidentified members (ministers? and/or elders?) have complained to Catawba’s Minister and His Work Commission about “the derogatory manner in which” they were “and continue to be, referred to in ARPTalk.” However, ignoring Matthew 18.15-17, in over a year, these individuals have NOT approached the Editor of ARPTalk to address their grievances with him. In over a year, no one in Catawba Presbytery has communicated or attempted to communicate with the Editor of ARPTalk by mouth face-to-face, by mouth via telephone, by letter, by e-mail, by Facebook, by telegraph, or by smoke signals. The only attempts at communications were made by the Editor of ARPTalk. Folks would not answer the phone or return phone calls. When reached, the response of the chairman of the Minister and His Work was he could not inform the Editor what the derogatory remarks were, where they could be found, or who complained, and he also firmly stated he could not talk about the matter.

Catawba’s Minister and Work Commission was commissioned by Catawba Presbytery in March to, “in the spirit of Matthew 18.15-17,” have a conversation with Second Presbytery’s Minister and His Work Committee about their concerns. When the matter was brought before Second Presbytery’s Executive Committee, the committee advised Second Presbytery’s Minister and His Work Committee not to meet with Catawba’s Minister and His Work Commission, lest Second Presbytery’s Minister and His Work Committee become embroiled in an abortive process that runs afoul of the required procedures. In a nutshell, the response of Second Presbytery’s Executive Committee was that it seemed Catawba’s Minister and His Work Commission was beginning the process of bringing formal charges against the Editor of ARPTalk, and, in their reply, they outlined the process in the Book of Discipline for the members of Catawba’s Minister and His Work Commission and informed them that there is no “spirit of Matthew 18.15-17,” only the letter of Matthew 18.15-17 – and the letter had not been followed.

The response of the members of Catawba’s Minister and His Work Commission was to file a “complaint” against Second Presbytery, asking General Synod to assume “original jurisdiction” over the matter. BUT OF WHAT IS GENERAL SYNOD TO ASSUME JURISDICTION? No one has spoken to the Editor of ARPTalk. No charge has been filed. No trial has been adjudicated, and there is no decision to be appealed. No one has been willing to openly and publicly file a complaint. As one member of Second Presbytery’s Executive Committee said: “What’s wrong with these people? Someone’s feelings have been hurt. They don’t know how to man-up! Someone wants someone else to do his dirty work for him! If they have a problem with Chuck, let them say so in the open. Chuck has no problem speaking in the open. What happened to freedom of speech?”

Astoundingly, the matter was not ruled out of order by the Moderator of General Synod when the Parliamentarian stated it was out of order. Astoundingly, even with the reading of the protocols of the Book of Discipline, and even with the chairman of the committee to revise the Book of Discipline, who probably has more knowledge of the current Book of Discipline than anyone alive, asking members of the General Synod to vote NO on the complaint, General Synod voted to sustain the complaint and sent the matter to the Ecclesiastical Commission on Judiciary Affairs. At this point, with all due respect, it is my humble opinion that General Synod has become the ecclesiastical equivalent of the Obama Administration. Have we descended to a level of tyranny where we ignore the Standards by which we are governed, due process is abrogated, and the chameleon of unctuous etiquette is embraced as a driving principle?

Hopefully, the members of the Ecclesiastical Commission on Judiciary Affairs can read. Hopefully, someone remembers the importance of the critic – no matter how obnoxious one may think he is. The protection of the most despised critic is our guarantee against the tyranny of whim and protects us from repeating the misery of the last 40 years when no one was willing to speak out against the darkness of unfaithfulness and heresy at Erskine. Even the infidel Voltaire understood this when he wrote, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

For your reading, a copy of the response of Second Presbytery to Catawba Presbytery is attached below.


April 16, 2014

Guy H. Smith
Stated Clerk/Administrator
Catawba Presbytery
3055 Baird Road
Clover, SC 29610

Dear Mr. Smith:

We have received your letter of March 28, 2014, with its report on allegations presented by the Rev. John Rogers regarding “the derogatory manner in which some members of our Presbytery have been and are being referred to in ARP Talk.” In addition, we note that the Minister and His Work Commission of Catawba Presbytery was “granted Commission status to act in behalf of Presbytery until the matter referred to by Mr. Rogers is completed.”

On the basis of this communication from the Clerk of Catawba Presbytery, the Executive Committee of Second Presbytery has determined that this matter must now be deemed a discipline case and that allegations of personal offense by a member of Second Presbytery were publicly aired in Catawba Presbytery at its Spring meeting. The Executive Committee of Second Presbytery also recognizes that representatives of Second Presbytery must carefully follow the requirements of the Book of Discipline in order that that the interests of all parties are protected and the work of the church is done decently and in order.

Relevant portions of the Book of Discipline (hereafter BoD) include:

Offenses are either personal or general, private or public but all offenses, being sins against God, are grounds for discipline. A personal offense is a violation of the law of God in the way of wrong done to some particular person or persons, including one’s own self. A general offense is a violation of the law of God not directed against any particular person. Private offenses are those known only to an individual or, at most, to a few persons. Public offenses are those which are generally known. (BoD, II.A.2)

When a personal offense has been committed, whether the offense is public or private in nature, the injured party shall use the means prescribed by our Lord for bringing the offender to a recognition of his wrong and shall exhaust every effort to effect a reconciliation. (BoD, IV.1)

Whenever any charge of offense is referred to a church court for decision, the court shall, before even hearing the charge, determine whether every reasonable and appropriate effort has been made to settle the matter in a more private way. (BoD, IV.A.2)

Prosecution for the alleged offense should begin as soon as possible, but it must begin within one year from the time of the alleged commission of the offense or from the date it is reported to the court of jurisdiction. (BoD, V.A.13)

Preliminary investigation of this matter by the Executive Committee of Second Presbytery suggests that:

1. The steps “prescribed by our Lord” have apparently not been followed by members of Catawba Presbytery, and,

2. The hearing of this matter by Catawba Presbytery has likely involved members of that Presbytery in significant and even actionable irregularity, and finally,

3. Were representatives of Second Presbytery to meet with the Minister and His Work Commission of Catawba Presbytery such action would involve and entangle members of Second Presbytery in Catawba Presbytery’s irregularity, and make them potentially liable to discipline as well.

For these reasons, the Executive Committee of Second Presbytery has advised the Minister and His Work Committee of Second Presbytery that a meeting with the Minister and His Work Commission of Catawba Presbytery is not appropriate at this time. Moreover, such a meeting should not take place unless and until the Catawba Commission provides appropriate evidence that its Presbytery has followed the provisions of the Book of Discipline, and that the matter would be properly before Second Presbytery.

Yours in Christ,

Calvin Draffin,
Stated Clerk

-----

The editor’s level of contempt for the actions of those in the ARP who hatched this scheme and went along with it is best left undescribed at this time.

To those teaching elders and ruling elders cooperating in this endeavor, I remind you that you will sooner than you think answer to God for your actions and motivations, and you will be held to a higher standard due to the godly responsibilities entrusted to you. I additionally commend to you the words of Joseph Welch in 1954:

“Have you no sense of decency?”

+ ARPTalk Blog, 864-882-6337, wilson6114@bellsouth.net

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


[3] Syrian Christian Convert from Islam Suing First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma for Breaking Secrecy Promise Leading to Arrest and Torture in Syria

“John Doe”, pseudonym for a Syrian, former-Muslim immigrant who has lived most of his adult life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is suing in the District Court of Tulsa County the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa and co-pastor the Rev. James D. Miller, Ph.D. for breaching the promise that was made to Mr. Doe to keep secret Mr. Doe’s conversion to Christianity and subsequent baptism.

Mr. Doe alleges that soon after his conversion and baptism, on 2 January 2013 he flew to Damascus, Syria. On 6 January 2013, the church published on its website an announcement of Mr. Doe’s baptism along with his name, then refused Mr. Doe’s request that the church remove the announcement until April 2014. In mid-January in Syria, Mr. Doe was kidnapped, bound, blindfolded, and told he would be executed, by radical Muslims who did not believe his claim to them not to have converted to Christianity.

For several days, Mr. Doe was bound, beaten, and tortured by being kept in an electrified metal drum. The captors several times would take Doe out to be tortured and tell him that he was to be beheaded. On one of these outings, Doe noticed several cameras set up to record his beheading, and he was able to escape the ropes that tied his hands, grab one of the captors’ guns, shoot the captors, and escape.

One of the captors was Doe’s paternal uncle who Doe killed with his gunfire. Doe is now wanted for murder by the Syrian authorities. Mr. Doe managed to escape from Syria and return to the United States, where he has received repeated death threats and faces being killed by radical Muslims in the United States. Mr. Doe suffered numerous injuries during his capture and torture, and suffered property losses in Syria where he is now unable to return.

Mr. Doe claims relief for negligence, breach of contract, and outrage against the defendants, and asks damages of at least US$75,000, additional punitive damages, and attorney’s fees and costs.


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

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


[4] Presbyterian and Reformed Churches: A Global History by James E. McGoldrick Available in Kindle Format and Hardback from Amazon

Presbyterian and Reformed Churches: A Global History by James E. McGoldrick is available from Amazon.com in Kindle format for US$9.99 and in hardbound for US$29.17:

http://www.amazon.com/Presbyterian-Reformed-Churches-Global-History-ebook/dp/B00KQ1XDOS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401806688&sr=1-1&keywords=presbyterian+and+reformed+churches

In 1905, Westminster Press published History of the Presbyterian Churches of the World by church historian Richard Clark Reed (1851–1925). Reed’s book, intended as a textbook for college and seminary students, covered the history of churches that subscribed to Presbyterian polity from the New Testament era to the beginning of the twentieth century. Based on Reed’s original work as well as an unpublished manuscript by Presbyterian historian Thomas Hugh Spence Jr. (1899–1986), Presbyterian and Reformed Churches: A Global History picks up the story of Presbyterian and Reformed churches where the earlier works left off.

In this volume, James McGoldrick revises and updates Reed’s and Spence’s original, historically relevant works, continuing the survey to the 21st century.

Each chapter traces the history of Presbyterian and Reformed churches in individual nations and regions around the globe. The author covers the major events, leaders, and institutions influencing Presbyterian and Reformed church history in a readable style that is ideally suited for classroom study as well as for independent reading. A list of suggested additional readings concludes each chapter.


+ Amazon.com, Inc., Post Office Box 81226, Seattle, Washington 98108


[5] A Christian View of Men and Things by Gordon Clark Available in eBook Format from The Trinity Foundation

A Christian View of Men and Things by Gordon Clark is now available for download in eBook format for US$5.00 from The Trinity Foundation at:

http://www.trinitylectures.org/christian-view-of-men-and-things-the-works-of-gordon-haddon-clark-volume-book-p-211.html


+ The Trinity Foundation, Post Office Box 68, Unicoi, Tennessee 37692, 423-743-0199, Fax: 423-743-2005, tjtrinityfound@aol.com

11 June 2014

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Correction

[2] Irish Pastor Under “Hate Crime” Investigation for Sunday Sermon against Islam

[3] Former Bergdahl Pastor Responds to Taliban Release of Bowe Bergdahl

[4] Commemorating Treaty of Trianon on Day of National Unity

[5] Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America Synods Meet Jointly for First Time in 150 Years

[6] Westminster Seminary Announces Retirement of Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology Dr. Douglas Green on 1 October 2015

---

[1] Correction

Article “[5] Another Belfast, Northern Ireland Presbyterian Pastor Speaks Out against Islam” in the 4 June 2014 Presbyterians Week stated that the Rev. James McConnell, senior pastor of Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI). In fact, McConnell is pastor of a charismatic church that practices believer’s baptism.

The editor made an erroneous assumption about McConnell after PCI moderator the Rev. Dr. Rob Craig criticized McConnell’s 25 May 2014 sermon where McConnell described Islam as “heathen” and “satanic,” and said that “a new evil had arisen” and “there are cells of Muslims right throughout Britain.”

The editor asks the readers’ forgiveness for this error, and suggests to Dr. Craig that there may be an appropriate corollary regarding this situation to the apocryphal fable about the doctor who fell into a well where the moral was: “Mind the sick, and leave the well alone.”


+ Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Church House, Belfast BT1 6DW, Northern Ireland, 028-9032-2284, Fax: 028-9041-7301, Info@PresbyterianIreland.org


[2] Irish Pastor Under “Hate Crime” Investigation for Sunday Sermon against Islam

The following is excerpted from “Irish Pastor under Investigation,” Christian News Network, May 31, 2014: “A seventy-five-year-old Irish preacher was subjected to a police probe after he condemned Islam in a sermon and was accused of ‘hate mongering.’ James McConnell, pastor of the Whitewell Metropolitan Church in North Belfast, Ireland, discussed the religion of Islam during an evening sermon on Sunday, May 18th. During the sermon, McConnell denounced Islam and said the contrast between it and Christianity is stark. ‘The God we worship and serve this evening is not Allah,’ he proclaimed, according to a video of his sermon. ‘The Muslim god--Allah--is a heathen deity. Allah is a cruel deity. Allah is a demon deity.’ McConnell then criticized the ‘foolish’ British government for attempting to appease Muslims financially, saying Islam is ‘a doctrine spawned in hell.’ He also noted that Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith by the ‘fanatical worshipers’ of Allah. According to the Belfast Telegraph, McConnell’s remarks were inspired by the current plight of Meriam Ibrahim--a professing Orthodox Christian woman in Sudan. As previously reported, Ibrahim was sentenced to hang after she was convicted of apostasy for refusing to deny her faith and convert to Islam. Following McConnell’s May 18th sermon, the Police Service of Northern Ireland investigated the preacher for allegations of hate crime. Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described the preacher’s comments as ‘hate mongering’ and said the anti-Muslim statements ‘must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.’ ... Others have supported McConnell through social media. ‘What Pastor McConnell said is simply the correct Christian standpoint, accurately reflecting the Biblical evaluation of good and evil,’ one commenter noted. ‘Sometimes the cold truth is what is needed,’ another wrote. ‘If it does not exalt the name of Jesus then it is spawned in hell. Continue to stand for the gospel and shame on any man of God who turns on another for speaking truth.’

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


[3] Former Bergdahl Pastor Responds to Taliban Release of Bowe Bergdahl

“I wrote an email recently which is being shared, with my permission. A number of people have said that it disappeared from their walls - I think that may be because someone up the "share" chain changed their setting from public to private? At any rate, here's the email. Feel free to share. I really don't have the desire (or the time from my responsibilities here) to engage in a lot of discussion. I hope folks will understand my desire to say something very narrow - Bob and Jani profess faith in Christ. Here's the email . . .

“I appreciate your asking about the Bergdahls. I’ve really been saddened about how the Christian community is jumping all over this. Here’s the deal . . .

“I pastored the Bergdahl family in 2003, prior to going to Uganda. We were very close, and remained so throughout my time in Uganda (I just found out this evening that apparently I’m referenced in some important Rolling Stone article from 2012).

“Bowe was a young man with all the dangers of home-schooling – a brilliant and inquisitive mind, a crisp thinker, and someone who had never really been exposed to evil in the world. He was wanting to determine whether the Christian faith was his own, or his parents’ and was doing a lot of exploring of ideas – never drugs or alcohol, but trying to be an outdoors/Renaissance type figure. We’ve stayed in close contact with Bob and Jani, especially since Bowe’s capture. Since we moved here to Northern Virginia, Bob and Jani have stayed in our home on a couple of occasions, and I’ve spoken on the phone with Bob once a month or so.

“Bob felt (with some justification) that the U.S. government was not going to engage with diplomatic efforts and so decided to try to free his son himself. He learned Pashtun and developed a lot of contacts in the Middle East. The Qatar connection is one that either originated with Bob or, at the very least, became very personally connected to Bob. Bob has, for quite some time, been saying that the closure of Guantanamo is integrally connected to the release of his son.

“Whatever one thinks of Bob’s political views, I can attest to both he and Jani’s unwavering commitment to Christ and trust in him. I’ve prayed with both of them regularly. They both have been through a torture mill that I cannot begin to comprehend – five years of a living death. It has affected their health, both physically and mentally, as Bob has been completely obsessed with tracking down any possible communication avenue to get his son home. There are a number of things I would disagree with Bob on in terms of political statements, but at the end of the day, I think this whole mess is a WHOLE lot more complicated than a thirty-second sound bite can explore – the very existence of Gitmo attests to the complicated nature from the very beginning, and it’s only gotten worse over the years.

“To the foundational issue: Bob and Jani both have regularly confessed their dependence upon Christ and rest in him – the most recent being Bob’s conversation with me about a month ago. They are broken people who need prayer, love, and compassion. I personally intend to run as hard as I can in the opposite direction of judging his words in the moment of his crucible – I would HATE to have that standard applied to my moments of stress, which have never reached anything approaching his intensity and duration!

“Feel free to forward this and use it as widely as you like.”

Yours in Christ,
Phil Proctor
Pastor, Sterling Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Sterlingopc.org

P.S. - as of thirty minutes ago, still Christians!

[Editor’s Note: Christianity Today published an interview with the Rev. Phil Proctor on 6 June 2014 titled “Former Bergdahl Pastor Calls for Mercy for 'Prodigal Son' Bowe”.


+ The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), 607 North Easton Road, Building E, Box P, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090, 215-830-0900, Fax: 215-830-0350

+ Christianity Today International, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, 630-260-6200, Fax: 630-260-0114, mwhite@christianitytoday.com


[4] Commemorating Treaty of Trianon on Day of National Unity

Hungary observed the Day of National Unity on 4 June, commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, under which two-thirds of Hungary's territory was ceded to neighbouring countries.

The Hungarian nation can be proud of having survived the Trianon Treaty of Peace of 4 June 1920, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén said on Wednesday, the Day of National Unity. 4 June is a day of mourning and remembrance, and a historical lesson at the same time, he stated. It is a day of mourning, because the Treaty of Trianon was the nation’s greatest
tragedy following the division of historical Hungary in 1541, he added.

In the evening, a gala event took place entitled “Vital tradition – Our heritage in the Carpathian Basin”. Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog addressed the event, pointing out that what happened on 4 June 1920 should always be remembered. He recalled that thanks to the “Without Borders” programme, 40 thousand teachers and students from Hungary and
abroad will have the opportunity to travel this year to the neighbouring countries, building relations between the Hungarian communities around the world.

Addressing a commemoration in Budapest, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Zsolt Németh talked about providing support to Transcarpathia's Hungarian community to assure their dual citizenship, the use of their mother tongue and their representation in Ukraine's parliament.

Zsuzsanna Répás, Deputy State Secretary for Hungarian communities abroad, stated that 4 June marks the day when members of the Hungarian community in the Carpathian Basin declare responsibility towards one another. (Prime Minister's Office)

+ Hungary


[5] Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America Synods Meet Jointly for First Time in 150 Years

A 6 June 2014 Holland Sentinel article titled “Synods Meet Jointly for First Time in 150 Years” reports that the General Synods of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) and the Reformed Church in America (RCA) will open jointly for the first time in 150 years on 12 June 2014 at Third Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa. The two denominations will host separate business meetings.

Preaching at the opening service is the Rev. Denise Kingdom-Grier, pastor of Maple Avenue Ministries, a union church in Holland, Michigan that belongs to both the CRCNA and the RCA.

An official session of the two denominations will be held 14 June 2014 where the delegates will consider a resolution seen as a step towards the possible reunification of the two denominations.


+ Holland Sentinel, 54 West 8th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423, 616-546-4200, Fax: 616-393-6710, peter.esser@hollandsentinel.com

+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org


[6] Reformed Church in China Closed by Government with Pastor Arrested

A 4 June 2014 World Magazine article titled “June Crackdown” reports that Chinese police on the evening of 1 June 2014 arrested Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Reformed Church in Chengdu, China, and another church member was bludgeoned by police for passing out pro-life brochures. Pastor Wang preached earlier that day to his congregation of around 200 about Christian persecution, where he told them that Stephen faced it, Western missionaries to China faced it, and he and his congregation may have to as well.

Police rearrested Pastor Wang on the morning of 4 June 2014 as his church planned to hold a meeting to pray over China. Congregants said the police then shut off power to the office building where the church meets and posted signs that it was under maintenance. Church leaders then emailed congregants, asking them to pray in their small groups instead, as police likely are watching the church building.


+ World Magazine, 85 Tunnel Road, Suite 12, Asheville, North Carolina 28805, 828-232-5415, Fax: 828-253-1556, mailbag@worldmag.com


[6] Westminster Seminary Announces Retirement of Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology Dr. Douglas Green on 1 October 2015

The Board of Trustees and administration of [Westminster Theological Seminary] wish to announce the retirement of Dr. Douglas J. Green, Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology, beginning October 1, 2015.

Dr. Green’s honorable retirement follows a recent decision by the Trustees.

In December 2009 the Board of Trustees accepted Dr. Douglas Green’s endorsement of the “Affirmations and Denials” and regarded his written statement “as containing acceptable clarifications and allowable exceptions”. However, at the November 2013 meeting of the Board the previous 2009 action was amended. Dr. Green’s response to Section IV of the “Affirmations and Denials” is no longer acceptable. The Board of Trustees regards the particular hermeneutical method of the New Testament use of the Old Testament included in Dr. Green’s response to be inconsistent with the Seminary’s confessional standards.

While Dr. Green respectfully disagrees with this decision of the Board, he acknowledges the governing authority of the Trustees to lead Westminster in fulfilling the institution’s mission as a confessional Reformed seminary.

We thank Dr. Green for twenty-two years of exemplary service as a member of the faculty. His contributions to the life of the seminary and especially his devotion to the students demonstrate his exceptional commitment as a teacher and mentor.

We wish Dr. Green well in his future endeavors to serve the Lord.

What is the background to the announcement of Dr. Green’s retirement?

In September 2008, the Board of Trustees adopted a document entitled “Affirmations and Denials Regarding Recent Issues,” which contains fifty-two affirmations and denials that address various theological and hermeneutical issues. In May 2009, in response to questions raised by Dr. Green concerning the “Affirmations and Denials,” the Board appointed a committee to examine his exceptions to that document. After being examined by that committee, in August 2009 Dr. Green submitted a written statement concerning the “Affirmations and Denials.” In December 2009, by a vote of 18-0, the Board adopted the committee’s recommendation to approve his statement “as containing acceptable clarifications and allowable exceptions.”

In November 2013, the Board reviewed and amended its 2009 decision concerning Dr. Green’s statement on the “Affirmations and Denials,” specifically with reference to his comments on Section IV (“Original Meaning and NT Meaning of OT Texts”). With respect to this section of Dr. Green’s 2009 statement, the Board concluded that he had expressed agreement with a “christotelic” hermeneutical method that severs the organic link between the Old Testament and the New Testament and that in the Board’s determination this view is inconsistent with the teaching of Scripture found in the Westminster Standards.

After the Board’s November 2013 decision, in the context of a potential further investigation of his hermeneutical approach, Dr. Green was given the opportunity to modify his 2009 statement and to revise and republish his 2010 article on Psalm 23. Dr. Green declined to make these modifications. Subsequently, he and the Seminary have reached an amicable agreement which will allow him to retire honorably at the end of September 2015.


+ Westminster Theological Seminary, 2960 West Church Road, Glenside, Pennsylvania 19038, 215-887-5511, Fax: 215-887-5404, communications@wts.edu

4 June 2014

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] New Christian Observer Articles for June 2014

[2] University Reformed Church of Lansing, Michigan Votes to Leave Reformed Church in America, to Affiliate with the Presbyterian Church in America

[3] Exiting First Presbyterian Church of Oostburg, Wisconsin Balks at Paying PCUSA US$500,000 for Church Property

[4] Fellowship of Presbyterians and Presbyterians for Renewal Plan Merger That Would Offer a New Home to Evangelicals

[5] Another Belfast, Northern Ireland Presbyterian Pastor Speaks Out against Islam

[6] News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

[7] Articles from LifesiteNews.com

[8] The Thinning Blue Line

[9] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

[10] The Religion of Peace

---

[1] New Christian Observer Articles for June 2014

New Christian Observer articles for June 2014 include:

-- A Plea for the Most Literal Rendering of the “Faith of Jesus” Genitives - by Christian Observer Contributing Editor David Brand - Part twenty-seven in a continuing series examining the effects upon the church of the change in meaning of the Greek word pistis from faith to faithfulness by the English Revised Version Committee that began meeting in February 1870;

-- Progressive Condemnation of the Sin of “Racism” in Public Education - by Christian Observer Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro - how the term “racism” has become a straw man set up to excuse the failures in contemporary public education;

-- Teen Talk: And Baby Makes Two - by Christian Observer Associate Editor Dr. Chuck Baynard – pastoral advice to a teenage girl who found herself pregnant;

Plus Daily Devotionals by T.M. Moore, dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe.


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


[2] University Reformed Church of Lansing, Michigan Votes to Leave Reformed Church in America, to Affiliate with the Presbyterian Church in America

A 27 May 2014 The Aquila Report article by Kevin DeYoung titled “University Reformed Church Votes to Leave RCA, to Affiliate with PCA” reports that University Reformed Church (Reformed Church in America (RCA)) of East Lansing, Michigan, in a unanimous (14-0) vote of the consistory and a 282-9 vote of the congregation will file a petition with the Classis of South Grand Rapids to leave the RCA and become affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America.

The article author, who is senior pastor, wrote the following:

“From the adoption of the Belhar Confession, to the removal of the conscience clauses related to women’s ordination, to the growing acceptance of homosexual practice in the denomination, we believe the RCA has changed significantly in the last several years. The denomination has moved away from churches like ours. Our request is that we may be able to move too.”


+ The Aquila Report, c/o Reformed Churchmen Publications, Inc., Post Office Box 1164, Erie, Colorado 80516, daquila@theaquilareport.com

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org

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


[3] Exiting First Presbyterian Church of Oostburg, Wisconsin Balks at Paying PCUSA US$500,000 for Church Property

A 2 June 2014 The Christian Post article by Michael Gryboski titled “Congregation Still Negotiating with Presbyterian Church (USA) on Appraised Half-Million Dollar Property” reports that First Presbyterian Church of Oostburg, Wisconsin is ending its affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), but is balking at paying the US$500,000 being demanded by the PCUSA’s Presbytery of Milwaukee for the congregation to be able to keep its church property.


+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street Northwest, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734, info@christianpost.com

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

+ Presbytery of Milwaukee, 6767 West Greenfield Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214, 414-292-2740, Fax: 414-292-2750, office@pbymilwaukee.org


[4] Fellowship of Presbyterians and Presbyterians for Renewal Plan Merger That Would Offer a New Home to Evangelicals

By Leslie Scanlon – The Presbyterian Outlook

The Fellowship of Presbyterians is parting ways structurally with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians and is joining with Presbyterians for Renewal to work with “gospel-centered” congregations and individuals in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

In a joint statement released May 30, the Fellowship and Presbyterians for Renewal (PFR) announced that they are launching a “new movement” called the Fellowship Community, hoping to “nurture and connect gospel-centered PC(USA) congregations and expand relationships with our counterparts in other mainline traditions.”

The idea is to create a spiritual and theological home for evangelical pastors, leaders and congregations remaining in the PC(USA) ― “an environment of encouragement and joy that promotes gospel-centered discipleship and mission,” one of the documents states.

The Fellowship and Presbyterians for Renewal plan to work together at the 221st General Assembly, which starts in Detroit on June 14, and to fully merge their organizations by Jan. 1, 2015.

The statement also says that “the new Fellowship Community will be ending our corporate connection with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. We will, however, continue to nurture relationships through common values, the Essential Tenets ― a way of articulating our confessional faith created by theologians in the PC(USA) and ECO, Mission Affinity Groups, and other relational opportunities.”

The Fellowship and ECO still will co-sponsor a joint “From Consumerism to Community” national gathering Aug. 18-20 in Dallas, where “an ecumenical conversation group will be commissioned to explore the ways our new community can intersect with our counterparts in other denominations,” according to the statement.

In an accompanying document, leaders of the Fellowship Community describe themselves as “apprentices of Jesus” who are “beginning in the PC(USA) and reaching out in every direction, irrespective of denominations and labels, to welcome, challenge, befriend and embrace anyone who seeks to grow in joyful obedience to our Redeemer and in service to the world he is redeeming.”

That document also states that “the Fellowship Community is not a club, or an agency, or another association to join ― it is not designed to rescue institutions or advocate ideologies. The goal of the Fellowship Community is to create and sustain a movement within the Church that will replicate itself in a thousand different locations and give contemporary disciples the community we so desperately need as we love and serve Jesus Christ and embrace the mission to which God has called us.”

There’s also acknowledgment of the pain some Presbyterians have felt as evangelical churches have left the PC(USA) for ECO and other denominations.

“Departure from the PC(USA) will not be getting easier,” the document states. “Even the process of discernment may cause more harm than good in many congregations. The Fellowship Community is not a waiting room for departure. It is a community for those God has called to prosper where they are (Jeremiah 29).”

The Fellowship of Presbyterians and ECO both took root after a group of Presbyterian pastors published a White Paper in February 2011 declaring the PC(USA) to be “deathly ill” and inviting Presbyterians to seek a new approach.

In January 2012, the Fellowship convened a Covenanting Conference, and in April 2012 ECO began accepting member congregations. More than 100 churches, including some of the denomination’s largest, have left the PC(USA) for ECO over the last two years.

From the beginning, the organizers made it clear there was room under the Fellowship umbrella both for those planning to stay in the PC(USA) and for those who did plan to leave, or were trying to discern what path to take.

The ties between the Fellowship and PFR also have been close — with Paul Detterman serving for roughly three years now as executive director of both groups. Now, the Fellowship is executing a structural shift — ending its formal connection to ECO and aligning with the PFR to form the new Fellowship Community, while continuing to nurture ministry commitments and relationships among evangelicals across all of those boundaries.

Language in the documents hints at the sense of dislocation many evangelicals in the PC(USA) have felt in recent years, as the denomination has permitted gays and lesbians in committed relationships to be ordained and is on the cusp of taking another vote on whether to allow Presbyterian ministers to perform same-gender marriages.

The documents refer to the importance of “authentic community” ― a multicultural community “where we can truly belong” and where there’s humility, mutual accountability and a recognition of radical change in the world and the institutional church.

“Our current denominational structures are becoming a thing of the past — and so are ministries designed to work with them,” one of the documents states. “Yet the mission field of the former mainline church — including liturgy and holy mystery — is where many are turning in their search for answers to significant questions of life and faith. The gospel has those answers. We are committed to sharing gospel truth in love.”

Among the elements of the new Fellowship Community:

- Pastors would participate in a “defined and structured ‘order’ with clear expectations and accountability for a rule of life, and participation in a Pastor Covenant Group which nurtures that order.”

- Sessions would participate in a Mission Affinity Group with the same expectations.

- Congregations would provide “substantial support through both prayer and financial resources.”

- All who participate would be expected to understand the Fellowship’s essential tenets “as a reliable guide to identifying and explaining the core teachings of our confessional heritage.”

- The Fellowship would offer gathering and retreats to support alternative approaches to ministry.

The Fellowship also would involve “reaching out” as an ecumenical expression.

“Imagine an organization totally unencumbered by the day-to-day details of denominations; either creating them, “renewing” them, or providing hospice care for them — connecting the great minds and hearts of pastors, theologians, spiritual directors, and missional leaders across traditions, building on their vision and dreams, addressing their needs, and helping bring their ideas to fruition,” the document states.

It describes a “disciple-making network whose roots are in the former mainline world.”

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

+ The Presbyterian Outlook, 1 North 5th Street, Suite 500, Richmond, Virginia 23219, 800-446-6008, Fax: 804-353-6369, info@pres-outlook.org

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

+ The Fellowship of Presbyterians, email@fellowship-pres.org

+ Presbyterians for Renewal, 8134 New LaGrange Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40222, 502-425-4630, 502-423-8329


[5] Another Belfast, Northern Ireland Presbyterian Pastor Speaks Out against Islam

A 2 June 2014 Belfast Telegraph article by Rebecca Black titled “Preacher at Ian Paisley's Former Church Denounces Islam as a 'Wicked Religion'” reports that two weeks after Presbyterian Church in Ireland pastor the Rev. James McConnell came under fire for speaking out against Islam in a Sunday sermon, Free Presbyterian Church in Ulster the Rev. Ian Brown in a recent Sunday service came to McConnell’s defense, calling McConnell a ‘prophet’ and describing Islam as a "violent intolerant wicked religion".

Brown preached:

"Now the allies and sympathisers of Islam are up on their hind legs; what we can call that secularist Taliban who dominate our medium, they are sharpening their literary sabres and they are swinging for him, their attempt at their own version of a verbal hanging with a couple of blistering attacks which were passed off as interviews on the Nolan radio and television shows."

"People in the west need to know that the image of Islam as a violent intolerant wicked religion is in fact true and growing more so every day.”

"[Islam] is violent, it is religion that was born out of violence.”

Brown additionally turned his attention to Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness’s condemnation of McConnell’s sermon, saying:

“Is it not hugely ironic that one of [McConnell’s] loudest critics is Martin McGuinness, of IRA/Sinn Fein, who now has the nerve to stand up and present himself... whenever the terrorists organisation, of which he was a part, murdered people in this city, such as the young academic Edgar Graham.”

"They were judge, jury and executioner in this country, so this is so sweet coming from a leader of a band of murderous thugs who rode to political power on the back of a campaign of terror which left hundreds murdered and thousands injured."


+ Belfast Telegraph, 124-144 Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EB, Northern Ireland, 028-9026-4000, writeback@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

+ Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Church House, Belfast BT1 6DW, Northern Ireland, 028-9032-2284, Fax: 028-9041-7301, Info@PresbyterianIreland.org

+ Free Presbyterian Church in Ulster, info@freepres.org


[6] News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

-- Pro-Abortion Vandal Hangs “Aborted Baby Jesus Dolls” throughout Hobby Lobby Store

-- Pro-Lifers Shocked That Britain Allows Midwives to Do Abortions

-- Skeletons of 800 Babies Found in Mass Septic Tank Grave near Former Home of Unwed Mothers in Tuam, Ireland

-- Dallas, Texas Judge Orders Hospital to Reinstate Abortionist’s Admitting Privileges One Day after Botched Abortion

-- 300 Violations Found at Virginia Abortion Clinics and Governor McAuliffe Wants to Reverse Health Standards

-- Euthanasia Activists Pushing Starvation as “Death with Dignity”

-- Belgium: Euthanasia Deaths Skyrocket as Doctors Now Kill Five People Every Day


+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com

+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street Northwest, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734, info@christianpost.com

+ LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, 888-678-6008, Contact Page


[7] Articles from LifesiteNews.com

Articles from the past week from LifesiteNews.com:

-- Denver, Colorado Christian Baker Must Make ‘Wedding’ Bakes for Gay Couples, Court Rules

-- U.S. Taxpayers to Fund Sex Change Operations for Seniors through Medicare

-- Relationship Problems, Not Family Rejection, Leading Cause of Higher Gay Suicides: Study

-- China Still Targeting and Murdering Religious Minorities for Illegal Organ ‘Donations’: Expert

-- More Than 130 Pro-Life Candidates Elected in Ireland after ‘Vote Pro-Life’ Drive


+ LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, Virginia 22630, 888-678-6008, Contact Page


[8] The Thinning Blue Line

-- Atlanta, Georgia Baby Seriously Injured When SWAT Team Throws Stun Grenade in Crib during No Knock Raid

-- Round Rock, Texas Officers Fatally Shoot Family’s Dog after Responding to Home’s Alarm System

-- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Dad Goes To Jail for Four-Year-Old Daughter’s Drawing of a Gun

-- Loma Linda, California U.S. Veterans Administration Hospital Police Brutally Knock Veteran to the Floor, Killing Him

-- Minneapolis, Minnesota Police Used Taser on Pregnant Woman

-- Austin, Texas Police Arrest and Charge Man for DUI after Testing Negative on Breath and Blood Tests

-- Oregon Cops Arrest Nine-Year Old Girl, Book Her in Adult Jail

-- Cleveland, Ohio Cop Stands on Hood of Car, Fires Fifteen Rounds through Window, Kills Two Unarmed People

-- West Sacramento, California Cop Shoots an Unarmed Man in his Own Home, Then Lies about It

-- Key West, Florida Police Attempt to Cremate Man Who Died While in Custody


+ CBS Houston, 24 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1900, Houston, Texas 77046, 713 881-5100, ryan.mccredden@cbsradio.com

+ The Liberty Crier

+ The Free Patriot

+ The Free Thought Project, contact@thefreethoughtproject.com

+ The Anti-Media, Contact Page

+ Prepper Chimp, Contact Page

+ Jonathan Turley


[9] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

Articles from the past week regarding kings and rulers setting themselves against the LORD and against his anointed:

-- Obama Preps Drones and Troops for War against American Citizens

-- U.S. Secret Service Requests Software to Track Social Media Trends, Detect Sarcasm

-- U.S. Federal Government Plans to Seize Financial Records of U.S. Mortgage Borrowers

-- New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission Agent Seizes Car of Volunteer Driving Cancer Patients to Hospitals for Free

-- It's Time for the Men of Houston to Occupy the Women's Bathrooms

-- The Three Step Plan by the LGBT Mafia to Destroy the Christian Church

-- U.S. National Park Service Initiative Seeks to ‘Celebrate and Interpret LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] Heritage’

-- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Review Board Rules Medicare Must Pay for Transgender Surgeries

-- Obama Issues Proclamation Declaring June as LGBT Pride Month

-- Tennessee to Roll Out ‘No Refusal’ Blood-Draw DUI Checkpoints

-- Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Minnesota Arrested For Gathering Signatures


+ YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, California 94066, 650-253-0000, Fax: 650-253-0001, press@youtube.com

+ CBS DC, 4200 Parliament Place, Suite 300, Lanham, Maryland 20706, 301-306-0991, Fax: 301-731-0431

+ Ben Swann, Contact Page

+ AgainstCronyCapitalism.org, Contact Page

+ Godfather Politics, 457 Nathan Dean Boulevard, Dallas, Georgia 30132

+ Christian News Network, Post Office Box 30000, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, Contact Page

+ GOPUSA, Contact Page

+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+ Police State USA


[10] The Religion of Peace

Articles from the past week about the religion of peace:

-- Nigeria Tops Christian Persecution Violence List

-- Obama’s Still Arming and Training Al Qaeda

-- Ugandan Pastor Attacked by Muslims Has a Message for America

-- Nigerian Capital Has Banned ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ Protests

-- Rochester, New York: Muslim Charged with Plotting Jihad Murder of U.S. Troops and Shi’ites in Western New York

-- Nigeria: Islamic Jihadists Murder Dozens with Bombs near School and Beer Halls

-- Islamists Torch Christians' Shops in South Egypt

-- Meriam Ibrahim Will Not be Freed, Attorneys Appeal Execution to International Court

-- Muslim Woman Beats Nine-Year-Old Oakland, California Girl at School with Hammer

-- ‘Islamophobia’ Thought Crimes at University of California Berkeley

-- Syria: Islamic Jihadists Murder 102-Year-Old Alawite and His Family

-- Israel to Permanently Deploy Nuclear-Armed Submarines off Iran Coast

-- U.K.: Muslim Doctor Struck Off Medical Register for Helping Arrange Female Genital Mutilation

-- Deadly Muslim Attack on Catholic Church in Central African Republic, at Least Thirty Dead, Including the Priest

-- Obama Broke Law by Refusing to Notify Congress in Gitmo Prisoner Swap

-- Renewed Fighting in Mali Revives Christian Anxieties

-- Syria's ISIS Crucifying Opponents, Justifying Horror with Quran Passages

-- Florida: Would-Be Jihad Mass Murderer Allowed Not to Stand When Judge Enters Court; Demands Taxpayer-Funded Islamic Clothing

-- U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan Mainly Hit Homes and Schools

-- Somalia: Islamic Jihadists Murder Thirty-Nine in Raid on Village

-- Under Sharia, the Maldives Set To Impose the Death Penalty On Ten-Year-Old Children


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

+ Western Center for Journalism, 42104 North Venture Drive, Suite B-122, Anthem, Arizona 85086, 202-370-6366, Contact Page

+ YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, California 94066, 650-253-0000, Fax: 650-253-0001, press@youtube.com

+ RELEVANT Media Group, 900 North Orange Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789, 407-660-1411, Fax: 407-401-9100, feedback@relevantmagazine.com

+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch

+ Assyrian International News Agency (Nineveh Software Corporation, 2317 West Farwell, Chicago, Illinois 60645, 773-575-5863, Fax: 773-761-8534)

+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com

+ The Free Patriot

+ FrontPage Magazine, Post Office Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, California 91499, Contact Page

+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com

+ World Watch Monitor, Contact Page

+ Middle East Forum, 1500 Walnut Street, Suite 1050, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, info@meforum.org

+ Ben Swann, Contact Page