No Guts in America
If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. I wouldn't be offended when they prayed to their gods. It wouldn't bother me one bit. If it did bother me, I don’t imagine they would stop praying as they always have just to keep me from being hurt. Yet in the United States of America where Christian churches outnumber all others combined, better than 200-to-1 we can’t pray before a football game or at a high school graduation. What is the difference? They’ve got more guts and convictions than we do. Period.
--Editor.
Here’s Johnny..
Abundant Life Ministries, a Pentecostal church in Largo, Florida, affiliated with the Church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee, redesigned its Wednesday evening service this past June by copying the late night TV “Tonight Show” format . The church show opens "with a monologue and some lighthearted banter with his co-host, followed by a top 10 list with some religious connection (for example, Reasons Why God Made Eve)"
(Charisma News Service, Dec. 2, 2003). Everything about the church service is given the look and feel of the Letterman Show, including a live band and a cameraman. Pastor Rodney McKinley claims that church attendance has tripled since he adopted the “Late Show” format. Clearly the pastor has never read Romans 12:2, "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” What is wild is how this "church" is being lifted up as a cutting edge example because “crowds” are being drawn and attendances are up. God knows we all want to see our churches grow and our buildings full. It is a sad day in any religious group when have to copy the world to get a crowd. Trumpet reader, take note of this: Preaching and hymn singing went out a while ago in this group. It was replaced with casual dress, contemporary music, and feel-good teaching and dramas. That isn’t working anymore. Now it’s the Tonight Show. Who knows what’ll be next.
--Editor.
Great Thoughts
If I have been able to see farther than others, it was
because I stood on the shoulders of giants..."
- Sir Isaac Newton
The Classic Symptom That A Believer Has Yielded To Temptation Is Discouragement.
A man dies as often as he loses his friends. -- Francis Bacon
Christian literature, to be accepted and approved by the so called spiritual leaders of our times, must follow very closely the same train of thought, a kind of "party line" from which it is scarcely safe to depart. A half-century of this in America has made us smug and content. We imitate each other with slavish devotion. Our most strenuous efforts are put forth to try to say the same thing that everyone around us is saying--and yet to find an excuse for saying it, some little safe variation on the approved theme or, if no more, at least a new illustration. -- A. W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God.
News & Announcements
Trumpet Banquet 2004
Make plans now to attend the 52nd Annual Trumpet Banquet on Friday, February 6th, 2004. The afternoon services will begin at 2:00 PM followed by a wonderful banquet meal followed by our evening services which will begin at 7:00 PM. As we announced this past March, we will Not have the meeting on Monday as we have always done, the meeting has been moved to Friday to accommodate the number of people who are traveling to be at the meeting. Mark these dates on your calendar now. This year’s line-up of preachers is one of the best we’ve ever had. You will not want to miss this meeting. For more information or details please call 864-984-4277.
Baptist Bible Trumpet Subscriptions
Subscriptions to the Baptist Bible Trumpet are available for both the printed and the Electronic versions.
For an annual donation of only $10 you can received the Trumpet in your mail box monthly. To subscribe to the full on-line version you need only donate $7 annually. Quite a bargain!
Here on the website the most recent issues are available to only subscribers. After a few months past issues are made available to all visitors.
We have set up a convenient subscription form here on the new web site ( The new site was donated - $0 - not paid for with subscription fees. )
