Taize Growing in Popularity
TAIZE GROWING IN POPULARITY
Updated March 24, 2008 (first published August 3, 2000) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) –
Taize (pronounced teh-zay) is an ecumenical monastic religious community that was formed in southeastern France in 1940 by Roger Schutz, a Swiss Protestant pastor who went by the name of “Brother Roger” and who led the community until his death in 2005. The new leader is “Brother Alois,” a Roman Catholic from Germany.
The community’s goal is to work for world peace and ecumenical unity.
Today the Taize monastic order includes more than 100 allegedly “celibate brothers” from different countries and denominations, including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed. Some of these live communally in Taize, while others live in various other parts of the world. They practice Catholic and Orthodox forms of contemplative spirituality, such as silence, centering prayer, and meditating on icons.
History of the English Bible - Wycliffe
Updated March 19, 2005 (first published March 17, 2005) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The early history of the English Bible is one of the most fascinating chapters of church history and reads almost like a novel. The average English-speaking Christian today knows little about this glorious heritage, and it is crucial that each generation be re-instructed.
It will be seen that the King James Bible is not merely another translation. Its heritage and the manner in which it was produced are unique in the history of Bible translation.
This history begins with John Wycliffe (1324-1384). The Scripture portions most commonly found among English people before Wycliffe were Anglo Saxon and French.
WYCLIFFE’S TIMES
In Wycliffe’s day Rome ruled England and Europe with an iron fist.
One hundred years earlier, Pope Innocent III had humbled King John of England. The king had done things that displeased the pope, so the pope excommunicated him and issued a decree declaring that he was no longer the king and releasing the people of England from obeying him. The pope further ordered King Philip of France to organize an army and navy to overthrow John, which Philip began to do with great zeal, eager to conquer England for himself.
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Mother Teresa's False Hope
Updated March 17, 2008 (first published September 5, 2007) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The August 23, 2007 issue of Time magazine featured a lengthy review of a new book documenting Mother Teresa’s long night of the soul. The book, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, the Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta, contains heretofore unpublished statements made by the nun to her Catholic confessors and superiors over a period of more 66 years, but the focus is from 1948, when she founded the Missionaries of Charity organization, until 1997, when she died. It is edited by Brian Kolodiejchuk, the Postulator for Mother Teresa’s canonization.
In March 1953 she wrote to her confessor: “... there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead. It has been like this more or less from the time I started ‘the work.’”
Over the years she had many confessors, and she continually referred to her spiritual condition as “my darkness” and to Jesus as “the Absent One.”
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Beware of Hyper Dispensationalism
Updated and enlarged March 12, 2008 (Updated July 10, 2003; first published February 7, 2002) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) –
The following is an excerpt from our book “How to Study the Bible.” For more about Dispensationalism, see the article “Study the Bible Dispensationally.”
“Hyper-dispensationalism” is characterized by making a sharp division between the ministry of Christ and that of the Apostles, and of further dividing Paul’s teaching from that of Peter and the other apostles. Some of the well-known teachers of hyper- or ultra-dispensationalism are E.W. Bullinger, Cornelius Stam, J.C. O’Hair, Charles Welch, Otis Sellers, A.E. Knoch, and Charles Baker. There are many varieties of hyper-dispensationalism, but the following are some of the characteristics:
(1) The four Gospels are entirely Jewish and contain no direct teaching for the churches. Yet, the writer of Hebrews said that the same gospel of salvation that was preached by the apostles was preached by Christ (Heb. 2:3-4). Though we know that Christ presented Himself to the Jewish nation and we do understand that there are differences between the gospels and the epistles, yet in Hebrews 2 we do not see a sharp delineation between the gospel preached by Christ and that preached by the apostles who followed. In fact, the Gospel of John presents exactly the same gospel as that preached by Paul. Further, 1 Timothy 6:3 shows that Christ spoke directly to the church age.
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Vision and Voice
March 12, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The following is by Pastor Buddy Smith of Malanda, Queensland, Australia
One of the old Scottish theologians said, “A prophet is a man who sees what others cannot see, and so he says what others cannot say!”
Vision and Voice! These are the marks that show us who are God's prophets! I doubt if we could describe a real preacher much better than that. God’s men are those whose eyes and mouths are open. God shows them His perspective on their world so that they can preach to their peers.
Enoch's eyes were opened by his faith and God showed him the return of Christ, so he preached it (Jude 14-15)! Noah was given the vision of God's judgment on a sin crazed world and became a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). Moses beheld the Lord’s lesser glory and came down from the mount to deliver the Law of God (Exodus 33 & 34). Nehemiah wept and mourned and fasted and prayed over the remnant in Jerusalem until God gave him the vision of rebuilding the walls. Once he had the vision, he shared it with others and the wall was built in 52 days.
Who Art Thou That Judgest Another Man's Servant?
Updated March 11, 2008 (first published June 10, 1997) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The following is from the book JUDGE NOT! IS IT LEGALISM TO JUDGE SIN AND ERROR? This book is a reply to 21 of the most common charges that are brought against a fundamentalist Bible approach to Christianity. These are the challenges that every fundamentalist Bible-believing Christian must learn to deal with, because there is no part of the world so remote that the believers there will not be confronted with this thinking. This very practical material would make a good series of study for Sunday Schools at the Junior High level or above or for Youth meetings or Bible Institutes. The sections of the book are as follows: The Bible Says We Should Not Judge; Love is Nonjudgmental and Tolerant; Being Strict about Biblical Issues is Legalism; Fundamentalists Are Pharisees; Jesus Told Us Not to Forbid Others; Why Don’t You Follow Matthew 18? We Should Heed Gamaliel’s Advice; We Should Leave the Tares until the Harvest; We Should Not Touch the Lord’s Anointed; If We Don’t Stand Together We Will Hang Separately; The Christian Army Shoots Its Own Wounded; God Does Not Look on the External Appearance; We Will Be in Heaven Together; The Christian Life Should Be Liberty and Fun; We Should Be All Things to All Men; Denominational Divisions Should Be Erased; It is Not Possible to Know That Your Doctrine Is Right; Loving Jesus Is All that Is Important; Fundamentalism Is a Belief in the Five Fundamentals; We Should Limit Our Message to Broaden Our Fellowship; We Should Be Balanced. 108 pages. $4.50, available from Way of Life Literature via phone or the newly redesigned online catalog: 866-295-4143, http://wayoflife.org
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The following are some of the key passages on judging that are widely abused today:
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A Review of Rick Warren's “The Purpose Driven Life”
Updated and enlarged March 10, 2008 (first published April 3, 2007) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The book “The Purpose Drive Life” by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in southern California has sold more than 18 million copies.
Saddleback is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, but Warren’s “Purpose Driven” philosophy has spread to most denominations.
Called by Christianity Today “America’s most influential pastor,” Warren’s influence is vast. It reaches into every sphere of Christianity in our day, from Catholicism to Mormonism to liberal Protestantism to evangelicalism to fundamentalist Bible and Baptist churches.
Many independent Baptist churches are being influenced by Warren’s teaching. For example, Warren conducted a Purpose Driven Super-Conference in October 2003 at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia (Falwell affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Bible Fellowship). Simultaneously, Warren’s 40 Days of Purpose campaign was shown by telecast in more than 4,000 churches, including independence Baptist.
The Spirit vs The Letter
March 6, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
According to the ecumenical crowd, this verse teaches that believers are not obligated to pay attention to the letter or details of God’s Word and to the literal meaning of Scripture, because such a position kills. It is the “spirit” of the Scripture that matters, they say, referring to a loose, tolerant position. They use the verse to defend their philosophy that we should not be too strict about doctrine and practice.
In fact, 2 Corinthians 3 has nothing to do with the interpretation of Scripture and gives no support to the idea that the details of the Bible should not be taken seriously.
In this passage, Paul shows the dramatic contrast between the Law of Moses and the New Testament faith, between the Old Covenant and the New. He is talking about the law that was “written in stones” (verse 7). That is obviously the Law of Moses that was given on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 31:18). That Old Covenant was a “ministration of death” (verse 7) and a “ministration of condemnation” (verse 9) because it required perfect obedience from sinful men who are unable to give it and it demanded death for every infraction (Galatians 3:10-12). The purpose of the Law of Moses was not to save men but to show them their sinful, lost condition before a holy God and point the way to Christ. Compare Romans 3:19-24 and Galatians 3:24-26.
A Window on the World
March 4, 2008 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
The following is by Pastor Buddy Smith, Malanda, Queensland
Churches ought to have windows. That makes sense, doesn't it? But we are not thinking here about the windows in the buildings that we use for our meetings. We are thinking of the windows in the real churches, the assemblies of people that belong to the Lord. The gatherings of the saints need windows.
Of all the legitimate uses for windows, surely one of the most important is the view they give us on the world outside. With our Bibles in our hands and a prayer on our lips we can look outside our fellowships and not only see the world we live in, but actually see through it. Our perspective is a biblical perspective and our eyesight is sharpened through prayer and meditation on the Word of God.
Everyone of us looks out on our world without realising it. We do it when we read the newspaper, or catch the news on the wireless. We do it when we subscribe to an email news service. We do it when we read the Biblical Fundamentalist.
