Australian Independent Baptist Newsletter

www.Bennett.BibleForToday.org

OCTOBER, 2004

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.

Music plays a big part in the services of most contemporary churches. Baptist Press published the article MUSIC INDUSTRY EXEC NOTES IMPACT OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC in which John Styll, president of Nashville-based CCM Communications said "It has become known: do contemporary worship and your church will grow; resist and die, or at least stagnate." He went on to say that "What contemporary Christian music has done is make the worship experience more relevant and therefore more meaningful to a new generation." But he said "...the danger is, contemporary music is very performance-oriented. The line between worship and entertainment can very easily get blurred. Music in worship should draw our attention toward God, but contemporary music often draws attention to itself." Music and not the preaching draws the crowds and those churches in the Saddleback and Willow Creek tradition use it to their advantage. But are we seeing a spiritual or carnal product from this music? Contemporary music has broken down the denominational and doctrinal walls. For example, recently on the web site of Point of Grace Church, Waukee, Iowa was the advertising for an upcoming appearance of Allison Durham Speer. I discovered on her web site that her schedule is an ecumenical stew:

SEPTEMBER 2004 19 Bellevue Baptist Church Cordova, TN OCTOBER 17 Point Of Grace Church, Waukee, IA

FEBRUARY 2005 19 America's Keswick Whiting, NJ

MARCH 2005 13 First Nazarene Church Winter Park, FL

APRIL 2005 03 Scottsville United Methodist Scottsville, KY

MAY 2005 13-22 Word of Life Ministries Schroon Lake, NY

JULY 2005 06 Full Gospel Church Halifax B3L 1P8, NS

Editor’s Comment: Spurgeon said "In vain will the epistles be searched to find any trace of the 'gospel of amusement'. Their message is, ‘Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them... Don't touch their filthy things...’ Anything approaching amusement is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon."

Des Moines Register 18 September 'GOD WANTS YOU TO AWAKEN THE HERO IN YOU' (Edited by DCB) "Thousands of men flock to Promise Keepers rally in D.M. hoping to renew their faith, build spiritual connections." Nearly 10,000 men, teens, and seniors met at Des Moines, Iowa’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium for the Promise Keepers "UPRISING: The Revolution of a Man's Soul." "Throughout the evening, the men reveled in their Christianity, at times cheering as if their favorite football team had scored a winning touchdown." "Later, the men became a powerful chorus behind the Newsboys, a Christian rock group, by singing, ‘Blessed be your name, O Lord, blessed be your name,’ and clapping on the downbeat." Reggie Dabbs, pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Fort Myers, was the emcee, and had the those attending chanting, "I want to be a man of honor, I want to be a nobler man, I want to be a generous man." The theme "Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul" comes from a book with the same name written by Erwin McManus. McManus said it was all about helping men know "how to tap into the dreams God has for them."

Editor’s Comment: Ezekiel 34:8 "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock." "Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin." C. H. Spurgeon

ISLAM IN AUSTRALIA: From the Australian Federal Government’s web site: (Edited by DCB) "The most recent Australian Census in 2001 revealed a remarkable rate of growth in Australia's Muslim population. The Census listed 281,576 Australian Muslims, an increase of some 40 per cent in five years, while the Australian population as a whole only grew by 5.7 per cent in the same period. And these figures may be very conservative. Some recent estimates suggest Australian Muslims now number more than 300,000. Significantly, more than one-third of Australian Muslims are born in Australia. Today there are approximately 100 mosques in Australia, mainly in New South Wales and Victoria."

Editor’s Comment: In spite of the atrocities being done by Muslims, those of the Islamic faith are a mission field. Mark 16: 15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

NCC of Australia Web site: James Haire, President of the National Council of Churches in Australia recently said "Many of the churches have agreed to recognise baptism officiated in each other's churches, and they have adopted a Common Baptismal Certificate to signify that agreement. Why, then, can we not administer baptism together in a joint service of baptism? He affirmed that there is no theological reason for not doing so, and said it could be a significant next step in demonstrating our unity in Christ as we travel the journey towards a more complete communion with one another." Editor’s Comment: The Roman Catholic Church is one of the sixteen members of the NCC of Australia. Again drawing from Spurgeon, he said "That I might not stultify my testimony I have cut myself clear of those who err from the faith, and even from those who associate with them."