Australian Independent Baptist Newsletter

www.Bennett.BibleForToday.org

February, 2006

Dr. David C. Bennett, Editor (DCB)

PO Box 1241 - Dubbo - NSW 2830

Phone/Fax 02-6884-2846

Email: Bennett@BibleForToday.org

Permission is given to forward material contained in the AIB Newsletter.

Purpose: To inform and warn God's people of religious, social, and political events in today's world.

Agape Press 23 January 2006 END OF THE SPEAR (Edited by DCB) "In its debut weekend in theaters, the missionary drama End of the Spear has made it into the box office top ten."

Editor’s Comment: Firstly Jesus didn’t say to entertain His sheep but to "…Feed my sheep" John 21:16. Secondly the success of this film shouldn’t be a surprise. Jerry Falwell and other evangelicals promoted the film in spite of the fact that one of the main actors is a homosexual activist. Go to http://www.bennett.biblefortoday.org/Articles/churches.htm to read my article on this film and the homosexual, Chad Allen.

National Council of Churches USA 24 January 2006 CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF FAITH AND ORDER (Edited by DCB) This article may be viewed at: http://www.ncccusa.org/ news/060106faocelebration.html "The Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches USA will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary July 19-23, 2007, by returning to Oberlin, Ohio, for a conference entitled, ‘On Being Christian Together: The Faith and Order Experience in the United States.’ Oberlin is a site of deep significance for the Faith and Order Commission of the NCC, which traces its beginning to a 1957 Oberlin conference…" The Roman Catholic commissioner, Rev. Ernest Falardeau said, "The first Oberlin conference brought together some of the outstanding ecumenical pioneers of the day and set a direction for the future. Many churches were represented at that conference, but some were not. The gathering in 2007 promises to bring together some of those silent voices. Catholics, in particular, will be pleased to have a number of official delegates in place of the two ‘observers’ present in 1957."

Editor’s Comment: July 19-23, 2007 will be a good time for all Bible believing churches around the Elyria and Oberlin, Ohio area to begin planning tract distribution to reach this NCC mixed multitude. It may also interest you that Charles Finney served as President of Oberlin College from 1851 to 1866 and continued to be involved with the students until his death in 1875.

Keloland.com 22 January 2006 SD LEGISLATURE TO CONSIDER ABORTION BAN (Edited by DCB) "In the next six weeks, South Dakota lawmakers will decide whether to make abortion a crime. A bill that would ban abortion in the state will be introduced within the next two days. The bill will be called the Woman's Health and Life Protection Act. It will ban abortion, but won't prosecute a doctor who performs one to save a woman's life."

Editor’s Comment: Sad is it not, that laws must be passed to protect the lives of the unborn! One would think they would already be protected! www.thechurchreport.com/content/view/823/32/-

50 MOST INFLUENTIAL CHRISTIANS IN AMERICA 17 January 2006 (Edited by DCB) "The Church Report is pleased to announce this year’s list of The 50 Most Influential Christians in America." There were "…over 150,000 nominations. Each of the people on this list is most deserving of this recognition. As with all types of lists, there are those who are not on the list…simply because we did not have enough space to publish a list of the 100 most influential." The top fifty in order were T. D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Paul Crouch, Joyce Meyer, George W. Bush, James C. Dobson, Chuck Colson, Luis Palau, William Franklin Graham, Iii, Andy Stanley, Anne Graham Lotz, Joni Eareckson Tada, Chuck Swindoll, Max Lucado, Bishop Eddie L. Long, Robert H. Schuller, George Barna, Jack W. Hayford, Charles F. Stanley, Jay Alan Sekulow, John Piper, Rob Bell, Tommy Barnett, John C. Maxwell, Jim Towey, Paul Crouch Jr., Benny Hinn, John C. Hagee, Leonard Sweet, Ted Haggard, Marcus Lamb, James Kennedy, Creflo A. Dollar, Paula White, Rod Parsley, Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr., Sean Hannity, Bruce H. Wilkinson, Brian Mclaren, Erwin Mcmanus, Pope Benedict Xvi, Beth Moore, Rick Santorum, Cardinal Theodore Mccarrick, John Vaughan, Frank Sommerville, and Phil Mcgraw host of the ‘Dr. Phil’ show.

Editor’s Comment: What a mixed bag, New Evangelicals, Roman Catholics, Pseudo-Baptists, Charismatics, apostates and psycho-heretics. http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana. org/en1/benedict_XVI_itv2.asp

INTERVIEW OF THE HOLY FATHER TO THE POLISH TELEVISION : "BENEDICT XVI REMEMBERS JOHN PAUL II" – (Edited by DCB) "Thank you, Holy Father, for granting us this brief interview on the occasion of the Pope’s Day, which is being celebrated in Poland."

Q. In your opinion, Holy Father, what are the most significant moments of the Pontificate of John Paul II?

A. "Above all, the importance of the Bishop of Rome has increased immensely. Despite the differences and despite their non-recognition of the Successor of Peter, all Christians have recognized that he is the spokesman of Christianity." "He was the spokesman of the great values of humanity for non Christians and other religions too."

Q. Holy Father, finally a very personal question: do you continue to feel the presence of John Paul II, and if you do, in what way?

A. "The Pope is always close to me through his writings: I hear him and I see him speaking, so I can keep up a continuous dialogue with him. He is always speaking to me through his writings." "This nearness to him isn’t limited to words and texts, because behind the texts I hear the Pope himself. A man who goes to the Lord doesn’t disappear: I believe that someone who goes to the Lord comes even closer to us…" "I am near the Pope and now he helps me to be near the Lord and I try to enter this atmosphere of prayer, of love for our Lord, for Our Lady and I entrust myself to his prayers."

Editor’s Comment: Spurgeon said that "Popery is contrary to Christ’s Gospel, and is the Antichrist, and we ought to pray against it. It should be the daily prayer of every believer that Antichrist might be hurled like a millstone into the flood and for Christ, because it wounds Christ, because it robs Christ of His glory, because it puts sacramental efficacy in the place of His atonement, and lifts a piece of bread into the place of the Saviour, and a few drops of water into the place of the Holy Ghost, and puts a mere fallible man like ourselves up as the vicar of Christ on earth; if we pray against it, because it is against Him, we shall love the persons though we hate their errors: we shall love their souls though we loath and detest their dogmas, and so the breath of our prayers will be sweetened, because we turn our faces towards Christ when we pray."

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=
2005-12-23T152520Z_01_ARM355495_RTRUKOC_0_UK-POPE-BRITAIN.xml

BRITAIN SENDS CATHOLIC AS HOLY SEE AMBASSADOR 23 December 2005 (Edited by DCB) Links between Britain and Rome were restored in 1914 after a 350 year split. In 1982 this was raised to full diplomatic status with the ambassadors over the past 23 years being member of the Church of England. But now Francis Campbell "The first Roman Catholic to be appointed British ambassador to the Vatican for 400 years presented his credentials to Pope Benedict…and stressed the importance of inter-religious dialogue." Campbell had previously served as an adviser to Tony Blair until he went to work for Amnesty International. In his welcome to the new British Ambassador the Pope agreed that the goal was "…full visible unity among Christians".

Editor’s Comment: In his sermon A SOLEMN WARNING FOR ALL CHURCHES Spurgeon said "A new age this, when falsehood and truth can kiss each other! New times these when fire and water can become friendly! Glorious times these when there is an alliance between hell and heaven, falsehood and error are linked hand in hand; "all we are brethren," is the cry now, though God knows, we are of vastly different families. Ah! now, who cares for truth except a few narrowminded bigots as they are called."

The Times 12 January 2006 JUDAS THE MISUNDERSTOOD - VATICAN MOVES TO CLEAR REVILED DISCIPLE'S NAME (Edited by DCB) "JUDAS ISCARIOT, the disciple who betrayed Jesus with a kiss, is to be given a makeover by Vatican scholars. The proposed ‘rehabilitation’ of the man who was paid 30 pieces of silver to identify Jesus to Roman soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane, comes on the ground that he was not deliberately evil, but was just ‘fulfilling his part in God's plan’." A campaign by "Monsignor Walter Brandmuller, head of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science, is aimed at persuading believers to look kindly at a man reviled for 2,000 years." All of this coincides "…with plans to publish the alleged Gospel of Judas for the first time in English, German and French. Though not written by Judas, it is said to reflect the belief among early Christians - now gaining ground in the Vatican - that in betraying Christ Judas was fulfilling a divine mission, which led to the arrest and Crucifixion of Jesus and hence to man's salvation."

Editor’s Comment: In his sermon THE BETRAYAL Spurgeon said concerning Judas Iscariot that "The Evil One had taken entire possession of the apostate’s heart, and, like the swine possessed of devils, he ran violently downwards towards destruction." This seems to be the case with these men as well.

Because of Calvary,