Wednesday, July 20, 2016

20 July 2016




“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]

“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]


Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Editorial – 2016 Republican Convention Blasphemy

[2] Counter Jihad Article Says PCUSA Susceptible to Islamist Agenda

[3] Due to Increasing Number of Member Churches, Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians to Split Presbytery of the Northeast into Three Presbyteries

---

[Clarification]
Last Week’s (13 July 2006) article “[3] United Reformed Church Votes to Allow Homosexual Marriage” concerned the United Reformed Church with its headquarters in London, England, and not the United Reformed Churches in North America nor any other similarly-named denomination.


+ United Reformed Church, Church House, 86 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9RT, England, 020-7916-2020, Fax: 020-7916-2021, urc@urc.org.uk

+ United Reformed Churches in North America, c/o the Rev. Bradd Nymeyer, 227 1st Avenue Southeast, Sioux Center, Iowa 51250, 712-722-1965, statedclerk@urcna.org


[1] Editorial – 2016 Republican Convention Blasphemy

The Republican Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on 19 July 2016 toward the end of the evening session had a "Muslims for Trump" representative lead the delegates in prayer to whatever he called "god," probably "Allah," and in the name of their prophet. Many of the "Christians" in the crowd prayed along.

The Covenanters, rightly in the editor’s opinion, condemn the U.S. founding fathers for making "We the People" the final arbitrator instead of the true triune God. Trump by his Muslim proxy last evening went that much farther by ending the day of his nomination for president by invoking the "blessing" on his campaign and our nation by one of the most damaging, violent, perverted, and murderous manifestations of the prince of this world.

We are witnessing a modern application of God's granting to his people a king as in I Samuel 8, made worse by the overt calling upon Satan as supreme being:

1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. 22 So the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.”


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


[2] Counter Jihad Article Says PCUSA Susceptible to Islamist Agenda

A 12 July 2016 Counter Jihad article by Bruce Cornibe titled “Liberal Christian Denominations Susceptible to Islamist Agenda” begins by stating:

“A withering Presbyterian Church USA grows perversely more leftist and more Islamist at the same time.”

The article says that “…Muslim Brotherhood affiliated organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)” use leftist groups like the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) to promote ‘interfaith dialogue’ which is actually a means of da’wah (advocating Islam). It describes how the co-founder of the Muslim Educational Trust, Wajdi Said, preached at the 222nd PCUSA General Assembly and said a prayer that included:

“Allah bless us and bless our families and bless our Lord. Lead us on the straight path — the path of all the prophets: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.”

Bruce Cornibe concludes the article:

“The type of social justice activism these churches are giving into are not only leading to their decline in membership rates.  It is also causing them to support jihadist forces that despise both their Christian faith and their left wing political stances.  PCUSA needs to re-evaluate the direction its organization is heading before it’s too late.”


+ Counter Jihad

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


[3] Due to Increasing Number of Member Churches, Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians to Split Presbytery of the Northeast into Three Presbyteries

A 12 July 2016 The Christian Post article by Michael Gryboski titled “Fast-Growing Conservative Presbyterian Denomination Is 'Ready to Multiply,' Says ECO Synod Executive reports that the Presbytery of the Northeast of the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO) is preparing to split into three presbyteries due to the increasing number of formerly Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) churches that have left the PCUSA for the ECO.


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

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

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