Islam claims to respect Jesus Christ as a true prophet of God. In the Koran in Sura 2:136 we read “Say: We believe in Allah and (in) that which had been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Ibrahim [Abraham] and Ismail [Ishmael] and Ishaq [Isaac] and Yaqoub [Jacob] and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Musa [Moses] and Isa [Jesus], and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit”.
Category Archives: Take Heed Ministries
News From The Front – March 2008
Dear praying friends,
In Pharaoh’s Egypt false ‘fertility gods’ were worshipped, and God’s people were oppressed. God revealed His anger through plagues that impacted adversely upon the environment, upon animal life, upon the food-chain, upon people’s health, upon climatic conditions and upon family life. In our day western ‘Christian’ nations are feeding the world’s lust for all manner of gut-wrenching pornographic material with Hollywood, USA being a leading player. These nations are also warmly welcoming false gods. In Iowa USA, at the end of January, Mohammed Khan, the imam of the Islamic Centre of Des Moines, led the opening prayer in the Iowa legislature at the request of Iowa State Representative Ako Abdul-Samad, who has questionable associations with Islamic extremists. In his four-minute prayer before the Iowa legislative session, Khan made a plea for “victory over those who disbelieve” and “protection from the Great Satan”. Reflecting on the plagues of Egypt can we not see similar ‘plagues’ being visited on the world of our day. In Egypt these were a precursor to the great deliverance and exodus of God’s people. God answered the prayers of His people [see Exodus 3:7-8]. We thank you for your continuing love and support and ask you to join with us in the prayer of Revelation 22:20 “Even so, come Lord Jesus”.
Should Mary be declared co-redemptrix?
One of the items posted by the Roman Catholic Zenit News Agency for Monday 11 February 2008 read as follows –
Cardinals Hoping for a 5th Marian Dogma
To Declare Mary as Mother of Humanity
ROME, FEBRUARY. 11, 2008 (Zenit.org) –
Five cardinals have sent a letter inviting prelates worldwide to join them in petitioning Benedict XVI to declare a fifth Marian dogma they said would “proclaim the full Christian truth about Mary.” The text, released last week, includes the petition that asks the Pope to proclaim Mary as “the Spiritual Mother of All Humanity, the co-redemptrix with Jesus the redeemer, mediatrix of all graces with Jesus the one mediator, and advocate with Jesus Christ on behalf of the human race.”
The petition states: “We believe the time opportune for a solemn definition of clarification regarding the constant teaching of the Church concerning the Mother of the Redeemer and her unique cooperation in the work of Redemption, as well as her subsequent roles in the distribution of grace and intercession for the human family.”
The text adds that the move would be “the ultimate expression of doctrinal clarity at the service of our Christian and non-Christian brothers and sisters who are not in communion with Rome”… The statement added, “This initiative also intends to start an in-depth worldwide dialogue on Mary’s role in salvation for our time”… Cardinal Aponte Martínez, one of the cardinal co-patrons said: “I believe the time is now for the papal definition of the relationship of the Mother of Jesus to the each one of us, her earthly children, in her roles as co-redemptrix, mediatrix of all graces and advocate.”
Back in 1998 there were similar Roman Catholic groundswells of opinion to have the then Pope John Paul II issue the very same dogmatic declaration. I was invited to participate in a Channel 5 “Crossfire” televised debate on the subject with a Jesuit Priest, Richard Foley who was very much in favour of the idea.
You can view this debate on You Tube [28 minutes] on the links below.
Should Mary be declared co-redemptrix? – Part One
Should Mary be declared co-redemptrix? – Part Two
Cecil Andrews – ‘Take Heed’ Ministries – 12 February 2008
An open fax to Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Dear Mr Williams,
By your pronouncements on Shari’a law you have added to the growing list of anti-Christian views that you have espoused in public and you have proved once more that you are “not fit for purpose”. The mark of one who truly knows and loves the only true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is obedience to His law [John 14:15]. God has summarised His law very neatly in 10 Commandments [Exodus 20:3-17]. How does Islam ‘stack up’ against these?
‘THE CULT’ that is ‘CHRISTIAN SCIENCE’
The religious affairs page of the Saturday edition of the Belfast Telegraph is comprised mostly of two large items – [1] the ‘musings’ of their religious affairs correspondent, Alf McCreary and [2] a ‘Thought For The Weekend’ given by one of a panel of 4 writers. The rest of the space on the page is then filled up with short items submitted to the paper by various religious groups and churches. In Saturday 2nd February 2008 one of those shorter items read as follows –
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, has announced the launch of http://www.christian-science.com
The public will hear first-hand accounts of people who are living Christian Science and how their prayers have healed them and others. Tom Black, of the Christian Science board of directors said “People hear about Christian Science relying on prayer for healing, but what does that really mean? It is good to know that people who rely on the web for information have a place where they can hear about Christian Science healing directly from those who have experienced it.” The Church also wants the website to clear up some common misconceptions about Christian Science, underlining the fact that it is a Christian, Bible-based religion, AND NOT A CULT, and that Christian Science is not Scientology.
The ‘peaceful’ face of Islam
According to a report in the Daily Mail of Friday 18 January 2008, British government ministers ‘have adopted a new language for declarations on Islamic terrorism. In future fanatics will be referred to as “pursuing anti-Islamic activity”. Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith said that extremists were behaving contrary to their faith, rather than acting in the name of Islam…In one passage she said “As so many Muslims in the UK and across the world have pointed out, there is nothing Islamic about plotting murder, pain and grief. Indeed if anything these things are anti-Islamic…In her speech Miss Smith said extremists who use the internet to radicalise young children would be pursued in the same way as paedophiles [let’s hope they’re more alert than the South Yorkshire police for it was reported on Wednesday of this week – ‘A paedophile named on a list of the UK’s “most wanted” was arrested but later released after police failed to recognise him. South Yorkshire Police officers only realised who Joshua Karney was after he was fined for being drunk and released. Karney, 30, is one of five of the UK’s most wanted sex offenders after going missing from Lancashire in 2005’]…Mosques will be helped to root out extremism with Imams encouraged to learn English’.
Mother Teresa – a lost soul? – Richard Bennett
In many countries, Gonhxa Agnes Bojaxhiu, better known as the highly esteemed Mother Teresa, is being presented as a role model. Since many people now accept the notion that all religions are legitimate ways to God, for them Mother Teresa is currently one of the best standards. She believed that all people can go to heaven by way of their own religious beliefs. People rationalize that if good deeds made Mother Teresa acceptable to God, some good deeds in their own lives will help secure their confidence that they, too, will one day reach heaven. Mother Teresa can easily become a reputable, across-the-board role model for those who hold these kinds of assumptions. Moreover, people are very reluctant to state anything against a person so recognized for an extraordinarily devoted life full of many good deeds. Consequently, examination of her life and her message can be a very sensitive issue. Mother Teresa’s life and message, however, must be measured against what our Lord Jesus Christ has said in His written Word, particularly because she finished her life spiritually bankrupt, as she from her early life on admitted to walking in spiritual darkness.[1] This repeated admission must be acknowledged for what it is in the light of Bible truth.
News From The Front – December 2007
Dear praying friends,
As each year passes it seems that as a ministry we are regularly confronted by the next BIG ‘Evangelical Initiative’ that we are told is assuredly going to change the spiritual landscape and sweep hundreds or even thousands into the Kingdom of God. In recent years I can think back on local initiatives like ‘Power to change’ and ‘Kingdom Come’ and then nationally and globally there has been and still is all the hype about ‘The Passion Movie’ and ‘The Alpha Course’. Rev William Smylie, General director of Slavic Gospel Association in his editorial for their April-June 2007 newsletter wrote about ‘The Importance of Little Things’ and said ‘In general people are switched on by BIG things…In the area of mega churches there are those who will travel half-way around the world to see if they could copy the same method…BIG projects whether they are humanitarian or of a spiritual nature grip many and move them to get on board…The Christian is called to be faithful in the little things…The Christian life is about how we perform ALL the time…Our Lord Jesus Christ is our great example of faithfulness in the simple duties of life…In this issue we are covering…many areas where God’s servants are being faithful in the little things’. In this issue I will once more be sharing concerns about an upcoming BIG initiative called HOPE 2008 and sadly once more BIG does not equal FAITHFUL. As 2008 unfolds may we be ever ready to give a faithful answer for the hope that is in us [1 Peter 3:15].
Willow Creek connection to the foul-mouthed ‘Jersey Boys’
In a recent email [1st November 2007] from the ministry of Lighthouse Trails they identified some results from a survey carried out by the leaders of the Willow Creek Community Church [Senior Pastor – Bill Hybels]. Herewith are some extracts from that email –
The headlines on a Townhall.com article this week certainly catch the attention…The article talks about a survey Willow Creek performed and the findings of the survey. Townhall columnist Bob Burney explains:
Willow Creek has released the results of a multi-year study on the effectiveness of their programs and philosophy of ministry. The study’s findings are in a new book titled Reveal: Where Are You? co-authored by Cally Parkinson and Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Hybels himself called the findings “earth shaking,” “ground breaking” and “mind blowing.” And no wonder: it seems that the “experts” were wrong. The report reveals that most of what they have been doing for these many years and what they have taught millions of others to do is not producing solid disciples of Jesus Christ. Numbers yes, but not disciples. It gets worse. Hybels laments: “Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into, thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much…”
‘BBC Trust’ complicit in Islamic misinformation
In this article I will be sharing with you exchanges that took place between myself and the BBC following a complaint lodged by me with them in July 2006. My complaint related to a ‘Pause for Thought’ contribution on the Wogan programme [hosted on the day in question by Johnny Walker] by a Muslim spokesman called Faris Badawi. Before coming to the exchanges I want to ‘set the tone’ for everything that follows by firstly quoting a short item written by an Australian called Paul Christopher that is located on this website – http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/3518