Category Archives: Take Heed Ministries

News From The Front – March 2007

Dear praying friends,

The quotation that I gave in our December newsletter from the article at the front of our gift Study Bible provoked some very favourable feedback and also stirred memories of some lines that tell of how God’s Word is like an anvil that over the centuries has resisted the hammers of error. These lines, written by someone unknown [but not to God] go as follows –

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door and heard the anvil ring the vesper chime: Then looking in, I saw upon the floor old hammers, worn with beating years of time. “How many anvils have you had,” said I, “to wear and batter all these hammers so?” “Just one,” said he, and then, with twinkling eye, “the anvil wears the hammers out, you know.” And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s word, for ages sceptic blows have beat upon; Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard, the anvil is unharmed . . . the hammer’s gone. One friend also shared these lines from the front of her father’s Bible – Prove all things by the Word of God….all ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all opinions, all practices — prove all by the Word of God. Measure all by the measure of the Bible. Test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which can abide the fire of the Bible receive, hold, believe and obey. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate and cast away.

If professing Christians were more knowledgeable of ‘the anvil’ and used it to “prove all things” there would a lot less need for the cry of ‘Take Heed’ to go up. But the need is still there and so we do value your love and support of us.

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The ‘testimony’ of Tony Campolo

tony-compolo

I am indebted to my good friend, Roger Oakland, of ‘Understand the Times’ for the following very illuminating commentary on portions of a book authored by Tony Campolo entitled ‘Letters to a young evangelical’. Herewith is Roger’s commentary and I will add some final thought at its conclusion.

Tony Campolo is professor emeritus of sociology of Eastern University in St. David’s, Pennsylvania. He is founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education and the author of many books. He is a well-known conference speaker who is noted for his agenda to liberalize evangelical Christianity in order to make it acceptable for the twenty-first century. One of his recent books is titled Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians are Afraid to Face. On the back cover, the following statement is made:

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Deluded Dawkins

In the latter part of 2006 one of the best selling books, worldwide, was ’The God Delusion’ by Professor Richard Dawkins. On his official website we read – ”Richard Dawkins is the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, a position he has held since 1995…With rigor and wit, Richard Dawkins examines God in all his forms…The God Delusion makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong, but potentially deadly”.

A review of the book in the Daily Telegraph of 8 October 2006 by Kenan Malik, entitled ‘Why I don’t believe in Richard Dawkins’ stated “Dawkins is Britain’s most famous atheist and in The God Delusion he gives eloquent vent to his uncompromising views…Dawkins’s polemic against the need for religion is compelling, even if the arguments are not particularly new…So great is his loathing for religion that it sometimes overwhelms his reasoned argument…Part of the problem is Dawkins’s view that religion is not so much a set of beliefs as a mental illness. And moreover, a mental illness to which evolution has made the human mind particularly susceptible”.

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Whose ‘Evolutionary Feathers’ have been Ruffled?

It was recently drawn to my attention by a Christian friend that I was ‘listed’ on the ‘WHO IS WHO’ page of a website dedicated to promoting Darwinian Evolution and to refuting Biblical creation. I went to the website in question and downloaded the following about the organisation.

  • About the British Centre for Science Education
  • What is the BCSE?

The British Centre for Science Education is a single issue pressure group dedicated solely to keeping creationism and intelligent design out of the science classroom in publicly-funded schools in the United Kingdom.

  • Who is behind the BCSE?

BCSE is a co-operative, with a formal constitution, of like-minded people. It is run by a committee elected by its members

The seven committee members at present are:

  • Michael Brass, Interim Chairman,
  • Roger Stanyard, Interim Spokesman
  • Ian Lowe, Interim IT Manager
  • Alan Bellis, General Advisor
  • Brian Jordan, Scientific Advisor
  • Timothy Chase, General Advisor
  • John Germain, Interim Membership Secretary

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The Vineyard Movement and The ‘Toronto Blessing’

Dear friends of ‘Take Heed’,

In recent months ‘The Vineyard Movement’ has been increasing its influence and representation in various parts of Northern Ireland and a number of folks have expressed concern to me about this.

Back in the mid 1990’s when I was talking publicly about the so-called ‘Toronto Blessing’ a recording of my talk was made in Randalstown.

In the first 18 minutes of that talk I mentioned the ‘Vineyard’ connection with the ‘Toronto Blessing’ and detailed the doctrinal problems associated with the founder of the Vineyard Movement, the late John Wimber.

If you click on the following Link you will be able to view that portion of my talk and hopefully it will still prove helpful in the light of the worrying increase in Vineyard representation in the Province.

  • Your servant for Christ
  • Cecil Andrews

Should you wish to obtain a DVD of the full talk that I gave on this subject in Randalstown it can be purchased from us at a price of £6.00 that includes p&p.

The DVD to request is – ‘Toronto – The Facts’.

ROCKY BALBOA: A “CHRISTIAN BOXER”?

It’s getting ridiculous. Mel Gibson’s Roman Catholic splatter-movie, The Passion of the Christ, set the ball rolling in recent times, and now we are seeing one movie after another being churned out with a supposedly “Christian” theme, or at the very least supposedly “Christian” undertones. The latest to hit the screens – believe it or not! – is Rocky Balboa, described as “the final round in the award-winning Rocky franchise.”

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News From The Front – December 2006

Dear praying friends,

Paul wrote “ the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” [2 Timothy 4:3] and you will read clear examples of that prophecy coming to pass in our day. Whether ‘they’ be ‘trendy-photographers’ at a ‘Christian’ youth event, or ‘church-growth experts’ and ‘innovative philosophers’ or ‘gospel-denying’ supposedly ‘Christian’ TV presenters or ‘ecumenical-evangelists’ or ‘religiously-misguided’ politicians, ‘they’ all share one thing in common, an ignorance of Biblical, Christian “doctrine”. During this past summer, Margaret and I received the gift of a signed Study Bible and in an article at the front entitled ‘How We Got The Bible’, the closing section, ‘The Bible’, reads as follows – ‘This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here heaven is open and the gates of hell are disclosed. Christ is the grand subject, our good its design and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul and a river of pleasure. It is given to you here in this life and will be opened at the judgment and is established forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour and condemn all who trifle with its contents’. May we all truly treasure it in 2007 [DV].

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TREVOR MORROW – ‘REFORMED’ – BUT ‘LIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY’

I recently obtained a copy of the speaking schedule for a series of meetings to be held in Belfast on Tuesday nights over the winter months [October 2006 – March 2007]. The theme of all the meetings will be ‘TRUTH’.

For the sake of ‘TRUTH’ I feel it is vital therefore to highlight my concerns about one speaker in particular [although there are several others who ‘ring a few alarm bells’ also]. The speaker in question is former Presbyterian Moderator, Trevor Morrow. The title for this article is taken from the promotional leaflet for these meetings, which in Trevor Morrow’s case reads as follows –

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Erwin McManus at CFC

Earlier this year [2006] Pastor Gary Gilley was our invited guest to speak at a series of meetings on the subject – ‘Today’s Church is Changing: What On Earth is Emerging?’ During his talk Pastor Gilley looked at what have come to be known as the ‘Purpose Driven’ and ‘Emergent’ Church Movements.

When addressing the topic of the ‘Emerging Church’ he listed a number of ‘churches’ that would be identified with this grouping and one went under the name of ‘Mosaic’ and is pastored by Erwin McManus.

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News From The Front – September 2006

Dear praying friends,

It is always a matter of great sadness and regret in coming to the realisation that individuals or organisations that were in former times a source of much spiritual blessing have now chosen a path of compromise and so there must be a parting of the ways, a separation, in obedience to God’s Word. The first and last articles in this newsletter represent just such matters of sadness and regret for both Margaret and I myself personally. We would ask you to join with us in praying that God, by the convicting work of His Holy Spirit, might draw both the individual and the organisation to ‘the straight and narrow’ and that they would depart from the broad, but no doubt popular road of compromise.

Earlier this year during the ministry visit of Gary Gilley, we were alerted to the unscriptural, gospel-denying views of American, Brian McLaren, regarded by many as ‘the God-Father’ of what is known as ‘The Emerging Church’. Mr McLaren has been invited by the large youth gathering known as ‘Summer Madness’ to be one of their speakers in June 2007 [DV]. I hope to write further on this in due course but meantime, if you have any influence where ‘Summer Madness’ is concerned, please encourage them to rescind the invite to Mr McLaren. Thank you for all your ongoing encouragement and support.

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