Religion out of medicine, a new message for Ontario doctors

Ontario physicians could be stripped of their right to exercise religious or moral conscience if a new set of guidelines is accepted by their regulating body next month, critics say. See the story here:

"Religion out of medicine, a new message for Ontario doctors"

Missionary Families Sue Banana Company

Colombian rebels killed five missionaries, aided by Chiquita, families say.

News item from www.christianitytoday.com

The Wall Street Journal reported that the families of five missionaries are suing Chiquita. The missionaries were killed by Colombian guerrilla fighters. The suit comes after the company paid a $25 million fine when it admitted to paying money to the FARC, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the state department.

The protection money was "motivated to protect the lives of our employees and their families," company spokesman Ed Loyd said. "We are contesting the suits vigorously and believe we have a strong defense."

The missionaries were members of the New Tribes Mission, which has had its own controversy over whether or not to pay money to terrorist groups.

Canadian court sides with breakaway parishes

TORONTO (RNS) A Canadian court has ruled in favor of two conservative congregations that broke away from the Anglican Church of Canada, stating they have exclusive use of their church buildings -- at least for now.

A judge in Hamilton, Ontario, granted the interim order on Friday (Feb. 29) that allows the two breakaway churches to hold Sunday services without having to share the facilities with members who wish to remain with the national church.

The decision means that at least until next Sunday (March 9), services at St. George's church in Lowville and St. Hilda's in Oakville are under the auspices of the Anglican Network in Canada, a traditionalist group.

The breakaway group opposes the decision last November by the Niagara diocese to adopt the so-called local option that allows clergy "whose conscience permits" to bless gay marriages.

To date, 10 Canadian parishes have voted to join the Anglican Network, and an additional 15 have placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the conservative Anglican Province of the Southern Cone in South America.

Soon after the two Ontario churches voted on Feb. 17 to join the network, the Diocese of Niagara threatened legal action to retain the property, and demanded that the rebel congregations share the buildings with those congregants who sided with the national church. The diocese envisioned separate services.

"It seems to us only fair and equitable that the diocese be able to have access," diocese lawyer John Page told the court. "Can't Christians and Anglicans share? We're prepared to share. We're not asserting any entitlements."

But Judge James Ramsay likened the idea of sharing a church to a divorcing couple being forced to share the matrimonial home. The two sides return to court on March 20 to sort out a longer-term arrangement, but it's expected to be some time before the matter is resolved.
-- Ron Csillag

A Reply to John MacArthur's 2007 Shepherd's Conference Lecture on Self-Respecting Calvinists and Premillennialism

“John MacArthur on Calvinism, Dispensationalism, Israel and Hermeneutics: A Few Comments”

by Kim Riddlebarger @http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com

In April 2007, I made my way through Dr. MacArthur’s controversial lecture, “Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Premillennialist” (given at the Shepherd’s Conference at Grace Community Church, on March 7, 2007). The lecture can be ordered here (Click here: MacArthur: Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist is a Premillennialist « Faith by Hearing).

Regrettably, I am just now getting around to completing my response–my day job kept getting in the way. Better late than never, perhaps?

As we have come to expect of him, Dr. MacArthur spoke with great passion, covered much ground quickly, and had a great deal to say. No question, Dr. MacArthur commands authority. One can easily see why Dr. MacArthur is so widely-respected. When it comes to the gospel, he’s on the side of the angels. When it comes to eschatology, however, I must beg to differ.

As a Reformed amillennarian (who was raised a dispensationalist) I had a powerful gut-level reaction to Dr. MacArthur’s lecture. While this lecture was well-received by the friendly and largely dispensational home court audience to whom it was delivered, surely Dr. MacArthur knew that his words would amount to picking a fight with those Reformed amillennarians who may have been present. This was not the playful jab that conference speakers often take at one another at such events. No, this was a warning of sorts–a shot fired across the bow.

My take is that this was MacArthur’s attempt to go from being on defense to switching over to offense. Despite the self-assurance with which the lecture was delivered, in many ways, the lecture seemed like a rather desperate attempt to stem the rising tide of interest in Reformed amillennialism in the Reformed-evangelical conference circuit, where many are now openly rejecting MacArthur’s beloved dispensationalism. At least that’s how it seemed to me.

As I worked my way through the specific points raised by Dr. MacArthur, it was very hard not to become exasperated. The lecture seemed out of place at such a conference and would have been a much better fit at a conference devoted to dispensational eschatology. At least the audience would have known what was coming in advance.

More to the point, “Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Premillennialist” was a rather strident attack upon something that I as a Reformed amillennarian don’t believe. In fact, it was hard to recognize my own position as Dr. MacArthur made his case. Sadly, this was clearly an attack upon something that Dr. MacArthur truly believes that Reformed amillennarians believe. The same circumstance was true, no doubt, for those historic premillennarians, who likewise embrace Calvinism and arrived at the “Shepherd’s Conference” only to be told that in order to be consistent to Scripture and God's sovereignty, they too must embrace MacArthur’s dispensationalism in addition to being premillennial.

That Dr. MacArthur is a premillennial dispensationalist comes as no surprise. He has every right to state and defend his position, especially before his home church. But I am sure that many in the audience gathered for the Shepherd’s Conference were taken aback by the fact that he picked this particular forum--especially when a number of Reformed amillennarians were present and when several well-known amillenarians were invited to speak at the conference–to make the point that unless you adopt the dispensational hermeneutic you are unable to understand much of the Bible (certainly the eschatological portions).

With a rather striking measure of audacity, Dr. MacArthur went on to argue that unless you are a dispensationalist, you cannot be a “consistent Calvinist.” Under such circumstances, it is no wonder that as soon as live-blogger Tim Challies posted his initial report about MacArthur’s lecture, emails began to fly and the blogosphere went nuts! “Did you hear what MacArthur said about Calvinism?” “Did you hear what MacArthur said about amillennialism?” “Did you hear what he said about Calvin?” Thankfully, things have now calmed down a bit and we can look at these matters more objectively.

To read the rest of this response, Click here: Riddleblog - A Reply to John MacArthur

Health and Wealth "Gospel" in Africa

CT has a long article on the disturbing trend. Excerpt:

Similar scenes unfold every day in countless venues throughout sub-Saharan Africa, where prosperity-tinged Pentecostalism is growing faster not just than other strands of Christianity, but than all religious groups, including Islam. Of Africa's 890 million people, 147 million are now "renewalists" (a term that includes both Pentecostals and charismatics), according to a 2006 Pew Forum on Religion and Public life study. They make up more than a fourth of Nigeria's population, more than a third of South Africa's, and a whopping 56 percent of Kenya's. . . .

. . . In its 2006 survey, Pew asked participants if God would "grant material prosperity to all believers who have enough faith." Eighty-five percent of Kenyan Pentecostals, 90 percent of South African Pentecostals, and 95 percent of Nigerian Pentecostals said yes. Similarly, when Pew asked if religious faith was "very important to economic success," about 9 out of 10 Kenyan, Nigerian, and South African renewalists said it was.

AGE OF PROTECTION bill PASSED by pARLIAMENTARY Committee

THE EFC UPDATE - 2007.04.24 Together for influence, impact and identity The Justice Committee of the House of Commons passed Bill C-22 (Age of Protection), as amended, on April 19. If passed into law, Bill C-22 will make it illegal for anyone five years or older than a 14 or 15- year old youth to engage in sexual activity with that teen, unless the two are married. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) made presentations to the Committee and was present at every hearing on this Bill. Bill C-22 now goes to the House for Report Stage and Third Reading.

Bad Karma!

By Kim Riddlebarger @ http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com

For some reason, this picture (and news story--Click here: Buddhist monks clash in Cambodia amid anti-Vietnam protest ) cracked me up--Buddhist monks duking it out with each other in Cambodia. This monk looks like he knows a thing or two about throwing a punch!

But the Buddhists are not alone. Here's a recent story about two people stabbed during a fight between priests and nuns in a convent on the island of Cyprus. Unfortunately, there were no pictures (Click here: Two stabbed and two arrested in convent fracas - Yahoo! News).

Yes, ours is a fallen race! The vows undertaken by those in religious orders don't do much to control human sin. In fact, I'll bet they just make things worse . . .

Oops! Techie wipes out $38 billion fund

Keystroke mistake deletes data for Alaska’s oil-funded account

JUNEAU, Alaska - Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing an account worth $38 billion.

That’s what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account — one of Alaska residents’ biggest perks — and mistakenly reformatted the backup drive, as well.

There was still hope, until the department discovered its third line of defense, backup tapes, were unreadable.

“Nobody panicked, but we instantly went into planning for the worst-case scenario,” said Permanent Fund Dividend Division Director Amy Skow. The computer foul-up last July would end up costing the department more than $200,000.

Over the next few days, as the department, the division and consultants from Microsoft Corp. and Dell Inc. labored to retrieve the data, it became obvious the worst-case scenario was at hand.

Nine months worth of information concerning the yearly payout from the Alaska Permanent Fund was gone: some 800,000 electronic images that had been painstakingly scanned into the system months earlier, the 2006 paper applications that people had either mailed in or filed over the counter, and supporting documentation such as birth certificates and proof of residence.

And the only backup was the paperwork itself — stored in more than 300 cardboard boxes.

“We had to bring that paper back to the scanning room, and send it through again, and quality control it, and then you have to have a way to link that paper to that person’s file,” Skow said.

Half a dozen seasonal workers came back to assist the regular division staff, and about 70 people working overtime and weekends re-entered all the lost data by the end of August.

“They were just ready, willing and able to chip in and, in fact, we needed all of them to chip in to get all the paperwork rescanned in a timely manner so that we could meet our obligations to the public,” Skow said.

Last October and November, the department met its obligation to the public. A majority of the estimated 600,000 payments for last year’s $1,106.96 individual dividends went out on schedule, including those for 28,000 applicants who were still under review when the computer disaster struck.

Former Revenue Commissioner Bill Corbus said no one was ever blamed for the incident.

“Everybody felt very bad about it and we all learned a lesson. There was no witch hunt,” Corbus said.

According to department staff, they now have a proven and regularly tested backup and restore procedure.

The department is asking lawmakers to approve a supplemental budget request for $220,700 to cover the excess costs incurred during the six-week recovery effort, including about $128,400 in overtime and $71,800 for computer consultants.

The money would come from the permanent fund earnings, the money earmarked for the dividends. That means recipients could find their next check docked by about 37 cents.

Yes, I See That Hand . . .

by Kim Riddlebarger @http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com

Jeffrey Dahmer was a brutal killer and deserved life in prison, if not the death penalty.

Supposedly, Jeffrey Dahmer become a Christian while in prison, and his pastor actually felt that he had the gifts to become an effective evangelist before his death at the hands of another inmate. Click here: Would serial killer Dahmer have been an evangelist? | US News | Reuters.com

This raises a number of interesting and troubling questions. No doubt the grace of God can reach even Jeffrey Dahmer. But Jeffrey Dahmer as an evangelist? That's a tough one. The pastor who baptized Dahmer is writing a book about Dahmer's 1994 conversion. How objective is the author? And if Dahmer actually became a Christian (and it would be wonderful if he did) what would repentance look like in the case of a man who killed 17 boys, raped many more, and cannibalistically consumed many of them? What would the families of his victims think?

And then there's the added problem of Christopher Scarver, who killed Dahmer in prison because he claimed "God told him to." Makes you wonder about providence . . .

This whole thing raises a lot of interesting questions. There's certainly no question that even a Jeffrey Dahmer is not beyond the reach of God's grace--the merits of Christ are no doubt sufficient to justify the vilest sinner. Let's hope this was not just another jail house conversion with the goal of more prison privileges, or crass a ploy to sell some books.

But the cynic in me says that Dahmer sure would have an interesting testimony!

Brian Flemming on Blasphemy Challenge (Fox News)

The most underreported stories of 2006

WND readers, editors compile annual 'Operation Spike' list

The controversial movement to merge the U.S., Mexico and Canada into what critics call a "North American Union" – in the face of what is already a massive, national illegal immigration and border security crisis – tops the list of the 10 most "spiked" or underreported stories of the last year, according to an annual WND survey.


At the end of each year, news organizations typically present their retrospective replays of what they consider to have been the top news stories in the previous 12 months.


WND's editors, however, have long considered it far more newsworthy to publicize the most important unreported or underreported news events of the year – to highlight perhaps for one last time major news stories that were undeservedly "spiked" by the establishment press.


WND Editor and CEO Joseph Farah has sponsored "Operation Spike" every year since 1988, and since founding WorldNetDaily in May 1997, he has continued the annual tradition.


Here, with our readers' help, are WorldNetDaily editors' picks for the 10 most underreported stories of 2006:

1. Plans under way for North American Union:

While most Americans consider their nation's unsecured borders and the resulting flood of illegal immigrants to be among the country's most dire problems, the U.S. government – inexplicably – is engaged in progressively de-emphasizing those borders while integrating the U.S., Mexico and Canada into a North American "superstate."

Although most in the media regard the notion of a merger agenda as sheer conspiracy theory, an increasing number of high-level voices – including congressmen like Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul, and newsmen like CNN's Lou Dobbs who calls the government's actions on this issue "unconscionable" and "Orwellian" – are sounding the alarm over recent moves in the direction of a de facto North American Union.

For example, confirmation has surfaced that the U.S. government will indeed provide full Social Security benefits to Mexicans – which critics predict will bankrupt the already-shaky system. And a report by the powerful Council on Foreign Relations, regarded by many as something of a "shadow government," has called for a massive transfer of wealth from the U.S. to Mexico and the establishment of a "security perimeter" around North America – rather than securing America's borders with Mexico and Canada.

WND tells the whole story, as it's never been told before (including the possibility of a new North American currency, the "amero") in the January 2007 edition of its acclaimed Whistleblower magazine, titled "PREMEDITATED MERGER: How our leaders are stealthily transforming the U.S.A. into the North American Union."

3. Female teachers sexually preying on their students:

In one of the most sensational stories of the year, WND documented dozens of cases of female teachers having sex with their underage students – both male and female.

Prosecutors dropped charges against teacher Debra Lafave who had sex with a 14-year-old

Although local media covered individual cases, most of the national media – with the exception of WND – ignored the startling epidemic. One exception was Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, which had WND Executive Editor Joe Kovacs on to discuss the phenomenon.

WND even devoted an entire issue of Whistleblower magazine to the subject, in an investigative report titled "PREDATORS." And WND Managing Editor David Kupelian delved in-depth into the reasons why the teacher-sex abuse scandal may eclipse even the Catholic Church's clergy sex-scandal.


4. Mideast terror leaders favor Democrats:

Recently, al-Qaida's No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, spilled the beans about which U.S. political party the Islamic terrorists prefer to be running the show here in America – the Democrats. Addressing the Democrats, he said: "… you aren't the ones who won the midterm elections, nor are the Republicans the ones who lost. Rather, the Mujahideen – the Muslim Ummah’s vanguard in Afghanistan and Iraq – are the ones who won, and the American forces and their Crusader allies are the ones who lost."

Although it was obvious the terrorists would prefer the Democrats, especially in light of their willingness to "cut and run" in Iraq, WND alone among the major media actually canvassed key terror leaders before November's midterm election to see what their preferences were.

"Of course Americans should vote Democrat," Jihad Jaara, a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group and the infamous leader of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, told WND.

"This is why American Muslims will support the Democrats, because there is an atmosphere in America that encourages those who want to withdraw from Iraq. It is time that the American people support those who want to take them out of this Iraqi mud," said Jaara, speaking to WND from exile in Ireland, where he was sent as part of an internationally brokered deal that ended the church siege.

Muhammad Saadi, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank town of Jenin, said the Democrats' talk of withdrawal from Iraq makes him feel "proud."

"As Arabs and Muslims we feel proud of this talk," he told WND. "Very proud from the great successes of the Iraqi resistance. This success that brought the big superpower of the world to discuss a possible withdrawal."

Abu Abdullah, a leader of Hamas' military wing in the Gaza Strip, said the policy of withdrawal "proves the strategy of the resistance is the right strategy against the occupation."

While the terror leaders each independently urged American citizens to vote for Democratic candidates, not all believed the Democrats would actually carry out a withdrawal from Iraq.

Abu Abdullah commented that once Democrats are in power "the question is whether such a courageous leadership can [withdraw]. I am afraid that even after the American people will elect those who promise to leave Iraq, the U.S. will not do so. I tell the American people vote for withdrawal. Abandon Israel if you want to save America. Now will this happen? I do not believe it."


5. Manipulated war photos by major news outlets:

Once again, in 2006 the blogging world played a vital truth-telling role, this time during the month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah. Even though Israel was attacked by Hezbollah – which daily fired rockets and mortars into Israel, killing and terrorizing civilians – world opinion turned strangely against Israel, as its incursion into Lebanon went on day after day. Widely published photographs by the world's major international news services conveyed the horror of Israel's "disproportionate response" to Hezbollah's murderous attacks on Israeli men, women and children.

Some of the photos, however, were fraudulent – or, as one blogger dubbed the practice, examples of "fauxtography."

Connecting the dots, WND columnist Michelle Malkin surveyed the journalistic carnage:

It's the story that the journalistic elite would rather just go away. In the aftermath of Reuters' admission that one of its photographers, Adnan Hajj, had manipulated two war images from Lebanon after bloggers smoked out his crude Photoshop alterations, and all 920 of his Reuters photos were pulled, evidence of far more troubling photo staging and media deception in the Middle East continues to pour in.
After citing other galling examples, Malkin noted: "Not all photographers overseas have their heads in the sand. Last week, Middle East-based photographer Bryan Denton, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, revealed on the professional photography website Light Stalkers that he had observed routine staging of photos – and even corpse-digging – by Lebanese stringers:

"[I] have been witness to the daily practice of directed shots, one case where a group of wire photogs were choreographing the unearthing of bodies, directing emergency workers here and there, asking them to position bodies just so, even remove bodies that have already been put in graves so that they can photograph them in people[']s arms."
Malkin also quotes CNN's Anderson Cooper, who "revealed the routine mechanics of Hezbollywood propaganda tours last week":

"I was in Beirut, and they took me on this sort of guided tour of the Hezbollah-controlled territories in southern Lebanon that were heavily bombed ... they clearly want the story of civilian casualties out. That is their – what they're heavily pushing, to the point where on this tour I was on, they were just making stuff up. They had six ambulances lined up in a row and said, OK, you know, they brought reporters there, they said you can talk to the ambulance drivers. And then one by one, they told the ambulances to turn on their sirens and to zoom off, and people taking that picture would be reporting, I guess, the idea that these ambulances were zooming off to treat civilian casualties, when in fact, these ambulances were literally going back and forth down the street just for people to take pictures of them."


6. New revelation showing that contrary to his claims, Sandy Berger deliberately hid classified documents:

The bizarre spectacle of Bill Clinton's National Security Adviser Sandy Berger receiving only a slap on the wrist for stealing classified documents and stuffing them in his clothes rated as one of the top 10 spiked stories for 2005. But a recent development in the case caused the story to shoot up the charts of the 2006 "spike" list as well.

After it was first reported in July 2004, the criminal investigation of Berger – accused of pocketing highly classified terrorism documents prior to the Sept. 11 Commission hearings – virtually disappeared from the media.

But just this month, it turns out that Berger – then one of the America's most trusted national security officials – was hiding classified documents under a construction trailer.

As WND Editor Joseph Farah reports:

We learn that his first "cover story" was that he might have inadvertently thrown the papers in the trash.
We learn he admitted retrieving the documents he stashed under the construction trailer and brought them to his office.

We learn the reason he was not confronted earlier – and that law enforcement authorities were not notified – was because of Berger's high-level position in the Clinton White House.

And let's remember what Sandy Burglar was doing rummaging through classified materials in the National Archives. He was on assignment for former President Clinton, to help prepare him for upcoming testimony before the 9/11 commission as well as to prepare himself for impending testimony before the Senate and House intelligence committees.

Specifically, he was reviewing National Security Council documents about Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and Sudan. Now, as you might recall, if you have a very good memory, the Clinton administration was offered bin Laden's head on a platter by the Sudanese government – an offer spurned by the White House.

The 9/11 commission was investigating the mistakes that led to the biggest attack on American soil in history.

Why was the punishment for this high-profile security breach so minimal, and so underreported? Berger plea-bargained a criminal sentence on the charge of unlawfully removing and retaining classified documents. He got no prison time, was fined $50,000, was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and was barred from access to classified material for three years.

Berger commands speaking fees of about $50,000. So, even if he indeed paid his own fine, he could do so with one speech. Also, the restriction on Berger's access to classified material ends in 2009 – making him eligible to be back in a sensitive position should his party win the White House in 2008.


7. Iran leader's apocalyptic end-times vision:

While most of the reporting and analysis of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N. focused on what he had to say about the West and specifically the U.S., his chilling closing remarks were lost on most listeners – and apparently all reporters as well.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The last two paragraphs of his remarks revealed once again his steadfast and driving conviction, as reported in WND, that a messianic figure known as the "Mahdi" to Muslims is poised to reveal himself after an apocalyptic holocaust on Earth that leaves most of the world's population dead.

"I emphatically declare that today's world, more than ever before, longs for just and righteous people with love for all humanity; and above all longs for the perfect righteous human being and the real savior who has been promised to all peoples and who will establish justice, peace and brotherhood on the planet," Ahmadinejad said at the U.N. "Oh, Almighty God, all men and women are your creatures and you have ordained their guidance and salvation. Bestow upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the perfect human being promised to all by you, and make us among his followers and among those who strive for his return and his cause."

With Iran on the verge of producing nuclear weapons and already in possession of sophisticated medium-range missiles, mystical pre-occupation with the coming of a Shiite Islamic messiah is of particular concern because of Iran's potential for triggering the kind of global conflagration Ahmadinejad envisions will set the stage for the end of the world.

Ahmadinejad is on record as stating he believes he is to have a personal role in ushering in the age of the Mahdi. In a Nov. 16, 2005, speech in Tehran, he said he sees his main mission in life as to "pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance."

According to Shiites, the 12th imam disappeared as a child in the year 941. When he returns, they believe, he will reign on earth for seven years, before bringing about a final judgment and the end of the world.

Ahmadinejad is urging Iranians to prepare for the coming of the Mahdi by turning the country into a mighty and advanced Islamic society and by avoiding the corruption and excesses of the West.

All Iran is buzzing about the Mahdi, the 12th imam and the role Iran and Ahmadinejad are playing in his anticipated return. There's a new messiah hotline. There are news agencies especially devoted to the latest developments.

Ahmadinejad and others in Iran are deadly serious about the imminent return of the 12th imam, who will prompt a global battle between good and evil (with striking parallels to biblical accounts of "Armageddon"). Some interpretations of the events that precede his coming include a war that wipes out most of the world's population.


9. Mega-pastor Rick Warren praising Syria:

Like Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Middle East nations, Syria is well-known for persecuting Christians, and is officially acknowledged as such by everyone from private groups like Christian Freedom International to the U.S. government.

"For Christians, one of the core tenets is the ability to share your faith, but in Syria that can lead to arrest (and) persecution," CFI President Jim Jacobson told WND. "We list Syria as one of the top … countries where Christians are facing real persecution."

If you convert from Islam to Christianity, he added, "you're disowned by your family, [and] if the local mosque issues a death threat, no one is going to do anything about it, you'll just end up dead. Nothing is done, no police action, that's just understood. If you convert you'd better leave the country."

For those who already are Christian, the government allows them to practice their religion – but within harsh and restrictive guidelines. A Christian is not allowed to proselytize – ever. And churches that want to hold an extra service must get a government permit. Sermons are routinely monitored, as is church fundraising.

The status of Christianity in Syria reached the headlines recently as Pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life," visited there and was quoted by Syrian media describing it as a "moderate" nation.

Warren also said in a video that was posted briefly on the Internet that Syria is a "moderate" nation, although the video was pulled when he was asked about the comment, and he has denied making those recordings.

According to SANA, the Syrian government news service, Warren said "many Americans don't realize that both Christianity and Judaism are legal in Syria. In addition, the government provides free electricity and water to all churches; allows pastors to purchase a car tax-free (a tax break not given to Muslim imams); appoints pastors as Christian judges to handle Christian cases; and allows Christians to create their own civil law instead of having to follow Muslim law."

In a series of widely read columns, WND Editor Joseph Farah publicly confronted Warren on his public defense of Syria as a moderate nation friendly to Christians, as well as numerous contradictions and apparent falsehoods in Warren's defense of his actions while in Syria and after.

source

Time Magazine: Best Photos of 2006

Time: Best Photos of 2006

CIA Reveals Christmas Terror Plot Against the Chunnel

Jason Burke in Paris
Sunday December 24, 2006
The Observer

The Channel tunnel has been targeted by a group of Islamic militant terrorists aiming to cause maximum carnage during the holiday season, according to French and American secret services.

The plan, which the French DGSE foreign intelligence service became aware of earlier this year, is revealed in a secret report to the French government on threat levels. The report, dated December 19, indicates that the tip-off came from the American CIA. British and French intelligence agencies have run a series of checks of the security system protecting the 31-mile tunnel but the threat level, the DGSE warns, remains high. British security services remain on high alert throughout the holiday period.

According to the French sources, the plan was put together in Pakistan and is being directed from there. The plotters are believed to be Western Europeans, possibly Britons of Pakistani descent. The DGSE say that levels of 'chatter', the constant communication that takes place between militants, has not been so high since 2001. Last week Sir Ian Blair, the head of the Metropolitan Police, described 'the threat of another terrorist attempt' as 'ever present' adding that 'Christmas is a period when that might happen'.

'It is a far graver threat in terms of civilians than either the Cold War or the Second World War,' he said. 'It's a much graver threat than that posed by Irish Republican terrorism.'

American security sources told The Observer that the threat was 'sky high'.

The news of the threat to the Channel Tunnel comes as Eurostar trains transport record numbers of passengers heading home for Christmas and as fog continues to affect flights to and from the continent.

More than 8 million passengers travelled on Eurostar trains last year. Staff on the line went on strike earlier this year in protest at what they said were lax security arrangements.

'A successful attack on such an installation would be almost as spectacular as September 11', said one terrorist expert. 'Al-Qaeda and those they inspire are trying everything from low-level strikes to major attacks on critical infrastructure.'

The DGSE report also mentions an al-Qaeda project for a 'wave of attacks in an unidentified European country planned and run from Syria and Iraq'. The period of highest risk is said to be from September 2006 to April 2007.

The detail in which the attacks have been planned in Pakistan will worry British counter-terrorist services. The UK is in a particularly vulnerable position as a result of its close alliance with America, its physical accessibility compared with the US, and its large Muslim minority, many of whom have links with Pakistan.

Osama bin Laden and other key senior al-Qaeda leaders are thought to be based in the tribal territories along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. There is believed to be a steady stream of British militants making their way to the newly reconstituted al-Qaeda bases in the region. More than 400,000 British citizens travel to Pakistan every year. Though the vast majority are visiting family or friends, some have exploited the ease of travel for darker reasons: at least two of the 7/7 bombers spent time in the south-west Asian state.

Last week news reports in America detailed a squad of a dozen English-speaking militants, nine of whom are said to be British who, having sought out the al-Qaeda bases, have now been trained to a high level in terrorist tactics. The group is known as the English Brothers because of their shared language. Apart from the nine Britons, the squad is made up of an Australian and two Norwegians. It was reported that Bin Laden and other militant leaders hope they will lead a new wave of terror attacks on the continent.

Eliza Manningham-Buller, director-general of MI5, recently disclosed that UK intelligence services are monitoring more than 200 networks and 1,600 individuals in Britain. She said that her investigators had identified nearly 30 plots 'that often have links back to al-Qaeda in Pakistan, and through those links al-Qaeda gives guidance and training to its largely British foot soldiers here'.

Special report
Terrorism threat to UK

Useful links
UK resilience - Civil Contingencies Secretariat
Full text: the law lords' ruling on the detention of foreign terror suspects (December 2004)
Islamic Human Rights Commission
Liberty human rights organisation
Metropolitan police - counter terrorism section
MI5
Ministry of Defence
Red Cross

Need to Send a Message After the Rapture?

By Kim Riddlebarger @ http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/

So, you go in the Rapture. You've left careful instructions about how to feed your pets (assuming that they don't go in the Rapture too) and how to water your plants. You have even left witness magnets on your fridge for those who didn't believe you. But, you are still thinking, "is there any way to get messages to those you love who are left behind?"

Well, now there is. According to the enterprising creators of the Post-Rapture Post (two atheist computer scientists) . . .

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"Do you know someone who is in danger of being `left behind' because of a sinful life? Imagine if you could write a letter to a friend or loved one after the Great Day of Reckoning. Maybe a message to your family telling them to trust in God, and that everything will be okay. Perhaps you would leave instructions to care for your pets after your departure. It could be that your message is the light that opens a sinner's eyes to the Glory of God and allows them entrance to Heaven during the trials before the Second Coming. This is where the Post-Rapture Post comes in.

Just write your letter and it will be hand-delivered immediately following the exodus of the pure from the Earth. But you must be thinking to yourself, `How can the letters be delivered after the Rapture?' The answer is simple. The creators of this site are Atheists. That's right, we don't believe in God. How else would we be able to deliver your correspondence after the Rapture?"

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If you want to sign up, here's the link Click here: The Post-Rapture Post - Send Messages to Loved Ones!

The Pope’s Folly

Observations from Darrell Brookers @ http://drbrooker.net/

This just came across the newswire….

Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) — Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff in history to turn toward the Muslim holy city of Mecca and pray, a surprise gesture of reconciliation toward the Islamic world he offended when he linked Muslims to violence.

After leaving the mosque, the pope turned to the Islamic religious leaders who were accompanying him and said, “Thank you for this moment of prayer.”

This is an outright denial of Jesus Christ. As it (horrifically) says in the official Roman Catechism:

#841 - “The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. ‘The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.’[LG 16; cf. NA 3.]”

There is no common ground between Christians and those who deny Jesus Christ. Merely acknowledging some unknown or imagined creator does not save. These poor people are to be evangelized, not appeased and affirmed in their unbelief. The position Rome holds on Islam is antithetical to the Scriptures teaching on salvation; that it is found in no other name under heaven, but Christ’s.

My initial reaction was to feel pity for the Muslims and anger towards the Papacy. I think it proper to pity them both for the same reason.

He Is There and He Is Not Silent

posted by Kirk M. Wellum @ http://redeemingthetime.blogspot.com/

Recently a friend of mine sent me to a video of a "Clown Eucharist" held at Trinity Church in New York City. That's right... you read it correctly... a Clown Eucharist! It is one of those videos that you have to see to believe! If you ever needed proof of the pathetic state of Christianity in the West and a demonstration of why proponents of Islam believe that Christianity is bankrupt; look no further, this is it. Although there are many things that could be said about this sad performance in this post I want to focus on just one element.

At the very beginning of the "service" we are told that "mime and sign rather than speech are going to be used because this allows us to visually participate in worship in a profound and intentional way that does not rely on spoken language". Unfortunately, this is not that unusual. Today there is a growing aversion to words in many difference circles. This in spite of the fact that the climax of redemptive history involves the very word of God himself becoming flesh and revealing the Father to us by speaking to us in human language. His incarnation is then joined to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the apostles to that they are able to understand and communicate the truth of God to us, and this is tied to the giving of the Spirit to the New Covenant community so that the law of God is written on our hearts.

Christianity without words is impossible. It is theologically absurd because the biblical God is a talking God who reveals himself by means of words. The gospel is not a mime or a sign! It is a declaration of the good news of God. It tells us who he is and who we are and our great need of a Savior. God has not left us to wander in the dark. Nor has he merely acted without explanation. He has spoken and he has given us the task of going into all the world and telling what he has done. He tells us to give attention to the reading of Scripture, to teach others to observe everything that he has commanded us and to preach the word in season and out of season. We must not miss the fact that according to the apostle Paul faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God!

If the church has lost its voice, it is because it has wandered from the truth as it is in Christ. We are not called to play games and leave people to fill in the blanks for themselves. We are called to rightly divide the word of truth and to pass on to others what has been entrusted to us at great cost. Revival will never come as a result of mime. But it will be found where and when the Holy Spirit blesses his own word so that it comes home with power to the human heart as it did on the Day of Pentecost which ushered in the New Covenant era. Different forms of artistic expression may be used to communicate the gospel message at some level, but none come close to the foolishness of the message preached by the heralds of God. May God have mercy on us so that "clown eucharists" do not become the next fad of the church. Let us pray that he will not send us the worst kind of famine: a famine of hearing the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11).

Flannelgraph-asbestos suits snag churches

TUSCALOOSA — When pastor Dave Reynolds got a call from the Flannelgraph-Asbestos Abatement Center, "my ministry flashed before my eyes," he says. His church, Living Way Center, was targeted in a class-action lawsuit against churches that used asbestos-based flannelgraphs from China.

"We had flannelgraphs in every Sunday school room. How was I to know they contained asbestos?" says Reynolds, who is now assistant manager at a Staples store in Tennessee. The lawsuit forced Living Way and dozens of churches to pay millions to a victims fund.

Flannelgraph felts made in China contain "as much asbestos as some buildings," says a U.S. government report. Kid Crafts Inc., the top importer of church flannelgraph sets, admitted recently that countless millions of asbestos-based felts remain in widespread use.

"Until 1979 asbestos was cheap and legal, so we could give more of our profits to missions," says Kid Craft founder Kelvin Mitchell, whose flannelgraph empire is crumbling. He is accused of importing asbestos-based felts through 1998.

Nick Dewey, 43, of Richmond, Va., began coughing up blood five years ago. Doctors finally traced it to his childhood flannelgraph exposure at a church in Wichita.

"I used to pull the fibers off and waft them on the wind before the lesson," Dewey recalls. "I know I'm not alone."

In the face of the gathering storm lawyers see a class-action bonanza. Meanwhile, churches are scrambling to toss flannelgraph sets and settle claims quietly.

"Was it worth it to use flannelgraphs? No," says one pastor. "I wish we'd stuck with puppets."

Canada Post employees walk off the job refusing to deliver what "they say is anti-homosexual hate literature"

Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun

Sixty postal workers at the Commercial Drive postal station walked off the job temporarily Thursday and refused to handle a 28-page brochure that they say is anti-homosexual hate literature.

Canada Post spokeswoman Lillian Au says the unaddressed ad mail meets the corporation's guidelines and that the item will be delivered to Vancouver homes Friday and Monday.

"We don't have specific guidelines for hate literature," Au said. "It was approved by the corporation and was not deemed sexually explicit or obscene."

"We don't have the right to censor the mail. It is not our place to do that. We have to deliver that particular piece of mail. We are bound by the Charter of Rights, which guarantees freedom of religious expression."

Union local president Ken Mooney says that he has received assurances from Canada Post managers that Canadian Union of Postal Workers members will not be asked to deliver the brochure.

"I won't be surprised if managers take it out, but it won't be the letter carriers," Mooney said.

Not so, says Au.

"It is scheduled to be delivered. It will be delivered," Au said. "It is business as usual. That piece of mail is scheduled to go out."

The corporation has until Monday to deliver the brochure under contract with their client. That contract does not include placing the item in an envelope, she said.

The booklet was produced by the Fundamental Baptist Mission of Waterford, Ont., and is headlined The plague of this 21st Century: the consequences of the sin of homosexuality (AIDS).

In a lengthy text with headings such as "Homosexuality is Unhealthy" and "The High Cost of Low Living" the booklet describes the host of ills it says are brought about by homosexuals and homosexual behaviour. In the tract, homosexuals are blamed for the AIDS epidemic, thousands of orphans in developing nations, increases in sex crimes such as rape and contributing to the death of nations.

Employees complained to the union Wednesday about the content of the brochure, complaining that the content is homophobic, said Mooney.

"To most people in that station it was extremely offensive," he said.

"This document blames homosexuals for the AIDS crisis. It's in very, very questionable taste."

Mooney claims management officials threatened disciplinary action Thursday morning against employees who refused to deliver the brochure and that's when workers decided to leave the workplace to discuss the issue. They returned to work a few minutes later.

"All of the employees walked out and all of them are of the same opinion: They don't want to hand this type of literature to their customers," Mooney said.

Every postal facility in Vancouver has the corporation's human rights policy prohibiting discrimination by sexual orientation posted on the wall, Mooney said.

rshore@png.canwest.com

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WHAT YOU CANNOT MAIL

Canada Post has specific guidelines relating to content that is deemed unacceptable. Any person using the mail for the delivery of any one of the following items commits an offence:

- Articles that are obscene, indecent, immoral or scurrilous.

- Any information relating to bookmaking, pool-setting, betting or waging.

- Articles relating to unlawful lottery schemes.

- Any article relating to schemes to deceive or defraud the public.

- Articles or special messages sent to any person with the intention to obtain money under false pretenses.

Source: www.canadapost.ca

Cars, Cup Holders, & Complaining

An odd survey of church news from around the web.

Chrysler has announced it will be showcasing their new cars and SUVs at mega-churches in a strategy to reach more African-American consumers. Chevy used a similar marketing ploy back in 2002 with their trucks. Remember “Chevrolet presents the Come Together and Worship Tour”? What’s next, Hyundais at Korean Presbyterian churches? Hybrids at Episcopal churches? BMWs at Joel Osteen’s church?

In other news, Eagle Brook Church in Lino Lakes, Minnesota has designed their new auditorium with theater-style cup holders. "Coffee is such a part of our church culture," director of operations Scott Anderson said. "If they're gonna bring it in, they need a place to put it. It was a logistical decision." However, not everyone is excited about the new convenience. Anderson admits that to some in the local press “it doesn’t seem very spiritual.”

Finally, Rev. Will Bowen of Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, has challenged his congregation to go 21 days without complaining. To help overcome the urge to whine, Bowman has given out 230 purple elastic wristbands. If you complain, the band is switched to the other wrist and you try again. After two months, and to no one's surprise, only one person at the church has achieved the goal—Rev. Bowman.

How to Pray for the Dawson College Shooting

By Paul W. Martin

(On Sept. 13th) around noon a goth-dressed gunman named Kimveer Gill walked into the commons area of Dawson College in downtown Montreal and began shooting people with his Beretta CX4 Storm semi-automatic rifle. He died approximately three minutes later in a shoot-out with police officers.

One young woman has died, and several others are being kept alive with critical injuries. Another 15 or so have non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
How should a Christian pray about a tragedy like this?

1. With thanksgiving. We can thank God for His common grace that restrains this type of tragedy from occurring every day. We can also thank Him for mercy on the many students in the area Gill began his gruesome act. Police officers “just happened” to be on the scene responding to another incident and were able to intervene amazingly fast. We can also thank the Lord that He is able to take something as tragic as this and work it for the good of His people that are directly affected (Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”).

2. With sorrow for sin. Gill is a picture of what is resident in all of our hearts. His actions betray what we do every time we speak an angry word or call someone a demeaning name (Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”). We ought to agree with God that we are all sinners in need of a Saviour.

3. With hope for the lost. God works through means in saving His people, therefore it is good to pray that many students will be faced with the despair of life apart from God and then flee to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

4. With mercy for the afflicted. Love only wishes well on others, so our prayers ought to be asking God to have mercy on these poor 16-20 year olds that have endured a shocking crisis.

5. With an eye on heaven. Remembering that this world is scarred by sin and our only hope for a perfect society is with the Lord. (Romans 5:2b “...we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

6. With an eye on hell. Remembering that Gill’s actions are the delight of our enemy and that the eternal suffering for sin will be infinitely worse than September 13^th in Montreal.

7. With an eye on the cross. Remembering that Christ died in the place of men who have sinned like Gill. We ought to let the heinousness of his crime remind us and help us feel the heinousness of our sin before a Holy God – and then praise Him for a love that bought us, recalling the infinite price that was paid.