The following news items have recently appeared in several sources, chronicling the accelerating advance of ecumenism, the drive to unity needed to establish the end-time, apostate, world church.

Islam Getting Positive Treatment in Public Schools
The battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation is illustrated by a school assignment given to students in several California public schools. As part of a world history course at Royal Oak Intermediate School in Covina, California, students were offered extra credit for fasting during Islam's holy month, Ramadan.

A letter was sent home to parents asking permission for the child to participate. The letter stated the purpose of the assignment was to "promote a greater understanding and empathy towards the Muslim religion."

In the Byron school district in Northern California, parents and fellow teachers found that the state-approved history text being used in a social studies class contained a very positive portrayal of Islam while the treatment of Christianity in history was brief and negative.

The teacher in the class was having the students memorize numerous verses from the Koran, learn Islamic proverbs along with the Five Pillars of Faith. Students were to pretend they were Muslims, wear Muslim clothing to school, stage Jihad in a dice game and pick out a Muslim name for themselves, according to Assist News Service.

Mary Goddess Now Not Just for Catholics
Catholic leaders in Latino communities such as Los Angeles, and parts of Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas are rejoicing that many non-Catholic churches are including worship of the Virgin of Guadalupe in their services. The December 12, 2003 Los Angeles Times reports that Lutheran and Episcopal churches are including celebrations honoring the idol, including her in some of their liturgies. The reporters found that, "Since 1997, a Lutheran liturgical planning book began to suggest ways to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec 12."

The LA Times article stated that the celebration of the December 12 feast day of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" is bigger than Christmas or Easter in some Catholic parishes.

This march to worship the Roman Mary goddess is just part of a world campaign to unify all religions. The present pope has conducted several ceremonies dedicating the Americas and Europe and the whole world to this goddess. All of the major world religions have a form of mother goddess in their worship system so the image resonates in a way that ecumenicists hope will unify all world religions into the final apostasy.

Fatima to Become Center for All Religions
"The religions of the future will be a general converging of religions in a universal Christ that will satisfy all." This statement was not made by some aspiring new-ager at an obscure coven meeting. The setting was the famous Roman Catholic shrine at Fatima, Portugal. The speaker, Jesuit theologian priest Jacques Dupuis addressing an international congress attended by Hindu, Muslim, Jewish orthodox, Buddhist and African pagan delegates.

Millions of pilgrims visit the Fatima shrine each year where the Virgin Mary goddess appeared to three children nearly 100 years ago. Delegates to the annual "Vatican and UN inspired" gathering were told that the shrine was to be revamped.

The shrines rector, Monsignor Luciano Guerra, stated: "The future of Fatima, or the adoration of God and His mother at this holy Shrine, must pass through the creation of a shrine where different religions can mingle."

One delegate told the congress that "...already in the Far East, millions of Hindus are getting 'positive vibrations' from visiting Marian shrines without endangering their faith." Others spoke of the fact that Muhammad had a daughter named "Fatima."

Dupuis argued that the other "religious traditions" were part of God's plan and "the Holy Spirit is operating and present in Buddhist, Hindu, and other sacred writings" and shared in the "same mystery of salvation. In the end it is hoped that the Christian will be a better Christian and each Hindu a better Hindu."

An official statement was issued calling for a "non-proselytizing approach by all religions" using dialogue to build bridges and tear down "walls of centuries of hate." Delegates were urged to admit that "contradictions exist between creeds but to concentrate on what unites them as opposed to what separates them."

"Evangelical" Seminary Plans to Prohibit Soul Winning Muslims for Two Year Project.
Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California is working on a government funded project to develop a common "code of ethics" to be used by both Christian and Muslim community leaders.

Supposedly this effort would attempt to lessen the "tensions" with Muslims that were "aggravated" by Jerry Falwell stating that Muhammad was a terrorist and by former Southern Baptist Convention president Jerry Vines calling him a "demon-possessed pedophile."

The Associated Press explains that "Fuller's proposed code of ethics would bar the making of offensive statements about either faith, affirm a mutual belief in one God and prohibit proselytizing over the two-year span of the peace project."

This is a sad use of tax dollars. But, more tragic is a betrayal of the biblical foundations of this "evangelical" school. How can they join with another religion that denies that Jesus is God, whose deity is a detached, impersonal, capricious, bloodthirsty tyrant, compared to the loving Jehovah of the Bible? The God of the Bible and Allah of Koran are so contradictory that to "affirm a mutual belief in one God" is the rankest blasphemy.

And, how can they agree to give up "proselytizing" (read soul winning) the precious Muslims stuck in this system of idol worship frozen in a 7th century world view?

May God have mercy on the 4000 deluded students who attend this "seminary" expecting to be taught about the Living Truth!

President Bush Also Deceived About Allah
In an article on the opinion page of the LA times, author Jack Miles quotes President George W. Bush as stating "innocently" that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. The remark was made by Bush during his recent trip to Britain.

Miles observes that this remark has "scandalized" some of Bush's "evangelical fans" such as Southern Baptist theologian Richard Land. Land responds that "when President Bush concludes that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, he is simply mistaken."

It is, indeed, unfortunate that the first outspokenly Christian president that we have had in years is either "innocently" ignorant of the facts or, more darkly, playing politics with what he knows to be false.

In any event, the truth must be told. Chick Publications is committed to doing this with the publication of tracts like Allah Had No Son, The Pilgrimage, and The Skylighter

The Bible is clear that anyone who is deceived by a false religion needs to be introduced to Jesus who is the only way to the God of the Bible. They must be told that He is THE God, and there is no other.

We must raise our voices loud and clear that ecumenism is the road to apostasy and damnation of the souls of all who are so deceived.