The following articles are compiled by:

Leo Wong

Leo@WatchmenWatching.com

Writings show Rev. Martin Luther King as a liberal Christian, rejecting the Bible’s literalism

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

January 16, 2007 -- Many of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most formative writings and sermons -- some dating to when King was a precocious 19-year-old seminary student in 1948 -- languished for decades in a battered, cardboard box.

The collection includes documents from 1948 to 1963 -- the years covered by the book -- and "gets us closer to King's true identity" because they shed new light on how he viewed the Bible, Carson said.

"King used to say, 'People think of me as a civil rights leader, but fundamentally, I'm a Baptist preacher,' " said Carson, editor of "Advocate of the Social Gospel," which is based on the newly disclosed writings and is the sixth book produced by the King Papers Project.

The texts are triggering a discussion about how much King's rejection of a literal reading of the Bible shaped his social activism.

King was not a conformist Christian. He not only eschewed literalism, he was a strident critic of how the Christian church perpetuated injustices such as slavery and segregation.

"Too often has the church talked about a future good 'over yonder,' totally forgetting the present evil over here," King wrote in 1952 to Coretta Scott, his future wife.

Within a decade, King would lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott to protest legal segregation and numerous marches for voting rights. He returned repeatedly to the idea that true Christianity is practiced through the work for social justice.

"Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and not concerned about the city government that damns the soul, the economic conditions that corrupt the soul, the slum conditions, the social evils that cripple the soul, is a dry, dead, do-nothing religion in need of new blood," King preached in 1962 to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

It wasn't known until these papers were released how consistently King had been developing the social gospel. Nor was the extent to which King rejected a biblical literalism.

King didn't believe the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale was true, for example, or that John the Baptist actually met Jesus, according to texts detailed in the King papers book. King once referred to the Bible as "mythological" and also doubted whether Jesus was born to a virgin, Carson said.

For some literalists, King's belief that not every word of the Bible is true would mean he was not a Christian -- even though many others would say no other 20th century figure more effectively used Christianity to shape society.

Comments:   A Baptist minister who rejected the literal interpretation of the Bible including the virgin birth of Jesus Christ?  That sure casts some serious doubts whether that person is a true born again believer.  If Jesus was born as a result of the sexual union of a sinful man with a sinful woman, then He can’t be your Savior or mine.  The New Testament clearly stated it was the Holy Spirit who placed the baby Jesus inside the virgin Mary.  Sadly and tragically for Martin Luther King, he departed from God’s Word.  Mr. King’s life was cut short by an assassin’s bullet, probably before he had a change of mind about the literalism of the Bible.

Without a doubt, King’s writings will inspire many other blacks to emulate him in his unbelief of the Bible.  Liberal ministers such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are just two such people who admired Mr. King.  King’s fixation with the social gospel, however commendable if that’s what the Lord Jesus had intended for Christians to focus their ministries here on Earth, ensnared him.  The Bible says that it is paramount that we put first things first, i.e. get right with God by repenting of our sins and avail ourselves of Jesus Christ as the only Savior of sinners.  Then, we’re to preach the Gospel to every creature and make disciples of them.  Our entire life is to please God/Jesus, not to help eradicate poverty and diseases, stem racial strifes, enter the political arena, etc.  We’re pilgrims and ambassador for Christ; Earth is not our home, the new Jerusalem is.  We’re to render to Caesar the things are Caesar’s and render to God the things that are God’s.  Jesus even said the poor we will have always.  Unfortunately, many people listen to Satan’s lies about social justice and cleaning up this world (which in essence belongs to him as a result of Adam’s downfall).

It should be noted that both Mr. King and Rick Warren started out as Baptist ministers who stopped preaching the Good News and detoured sharply into the social gospel.  In Mr. Warren’s case, he is promoting his P.E.A.C.E. plan and New Reformation platforms.  Mr. Warren, too, is eyeing the political stage.  The parallelism between these men is striking.  1 Timothy 4:[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

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Evangelical leaders join scientists to fight global warming  

Source: boston.com

January 16, 2007 -- Leading scientists and evangelical Christian leaders have agreed to put aside passionate differences over the origin of life and work together to curb global warming.

Representatives met recently in Georgia and agreed on the need for action. Details are to be unveiled in Washington on Wednesday.

"Whether God created the Earth in a millisecond or whether it evolved over billions of years, the issue we agree on is that it needs to be cared for today," said Rich Cizik, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents 45,000 churches.

Comments:  In this day and age of compromise, this news article is yet an example of Christians aligning themselves with the unsaved for a seemingly worthy cause, i.e. the saving of planet Earth.  Global warming is not a confirmed fact; yes, Earth’s temperature is rising due to man’s burning of fossil fuels which emit carbon dioxide creating a greenhouse effect, but volcanoes spewing ash into the atmosphere among other naturally occurring actions are also contributors to global warming.  Besides, why get so concerned?  It’s because the earth dwellers, i.e. those who are vesting their lives in the present don’t want their grandkids to suffer in a polluted hothouse.  This world is all that they’ll have.  Many don’t believe there’s an afterlife.  Mother Earth, i.e. Gaia, is where all their dreams and hopes lie.  The tree huggers of this world can’t conceive leaving their earthly paradise behind.

For the Christians who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible, they know that coming up next is the 7-year Tribulation Period which will see natural and God induced disasters the magnitude this planet has never before experienced.  If you think a couple of degrees C temperature rise in Earth’s Oceans is alarming, the Tribulation Period judgments by God will make today’s concerns seem puny by comparison.  God will make the sun scorch the earth and waterways.  Whole mountain ranges will be moved out of position.  The polluted air will create Los Angeles smog conditions in every major city and town around the globe.  With all this in mind, why would the National Association of Evangelicals expend time, money and effort to tag team with unbelievers in correcting Earth‘s natural occurrences when in the short term, God will undo everything?  Seems like being counterproductive and not believing God at His Word.  Where’s the fulfillment of Christ’s commission instead?  The Devil has again sidetracked God’s agenda for the Christians.  2 Corinthians 6:[14] Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

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First, tags for animals; will people be next?  

Source: BusinessWeek.com

January 16, 2007 -- Under the federally supported National Animal Identification System (NAIS), digital tags are expected to be affixed to the U.S.'s 40 million farm animals to enable regulators to track and respond quickly to disease, bioterrorism, and other calamities. Opponents have many fears about this plan, among them that it could be the forerunner of a similar system for humans. The theory, circulated in blogs, goes like this: You test it on the animals first, demonstrating the viability of the radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) to monitor each and every animal's movements and health history from birth to death, and then move on to people.

Well, all you conspiracy buffs, let me introduce you to Kevin McGrath and Scott Silverman.

McGrath heads a small, growing company that makes RFID chips for animals…and people.

Silverman heads a second company that sells the rice-size people chips, which are the only ones with Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval, for implantation in an individual's right biceps. They carry an identity marker that would be linked to medical records. His goal is to create "the first RFID company for people."

Comments:  In the cosmetic and disease research sectors, animals are first tested for adverse reactions and effectiveness of the experimental agent/drug and once the scientists are satisfied the animals have positively taken to it, then voluntary human subjects are tested next. Finally, the cosmetic and drug are approved by federal regulators and released to pharmaceutical manufacturers for marketing, sales and distribution.