The World Council of Churches (WCC) came into formal existence in Amsterdam 60 years ago. Delegates of 147 churches from 44 countries gathered then to give birth to this ecumenical (one world) organization. Sixty years later the WCC claims they have 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million in over 110 countries. The WCC works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church, the World Evangelical Alliance, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, along with Rissho. Kosei-kai, a lay Buddhist organization.

At the very beginning of this strategic meeting, Ms. Christina Bier of Germany used the metaphor of an "ecumenical river" to describe the WCC. She portrayed this religious body as a "clear and expanding stream" since its birth some 60 years earlier. But in actuality, August 1948 was when deadly spiritual poison was poured into that stream, and it has spread to pollute any and all semblance of biblical truth.

Moving from 1948 to 20 years later, in 1968 in Uppsala, Sweden, the motto chosen was "All Things New." The purpose, they declared, was "to awaken Christ who sleeps in the night of all religions of the world." (Note the word "all" is non-restrictive.)

Then bring in what took place 24 years later as the WCC met for their Assembly in Canberra, Australia. At this major meeting the WCC delegates passed through the smoke of burning leaves as a pagan cleansing rite. The following day two painted loin-clothed Aborigines danced across the platform. Dr. Hyung Kyun Chung in Canberra invoked spirits of the dead and exhorted the 4,000 present to read the Bible "from the perspective of birds, water, air, trees and to think like a mountain." The polluted stream continued to expand!

Again in 1998 at the WCC Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa, this same Korean theologian, Dr. Hyung Kyun Chung, who now teaches at Union Theological Seminary in New York, responded to a question regarding John 14:6, that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, by telling those present that "Jesus was mistaken!"

The 9th Assembly, in 2006, was moved to South America. At Porto Alegra, Brazil, it was very evident this was a polluted stream as it included Liberals, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Hindus, Moslems, Buddhists and radical speakers like Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Tutu used the occasion to thank the WCC for providing funds years before so that his followers could purchase weapons. This enabled the revolutionaries to do battle with their political leaders. Yet Tutu had received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts!  The WCC leaders continue to defend using church funds to buy guns!

At Geneva in 2008, the WCC Central Committee celebrated the 60^th Anniversary by using the theme "We Intend To Stay Together." However, at the very first morning "Prayer Session" Methodist Bishop Sally Dyck, from the U.S.A., used strong language in describing the division within the ranks of the WCC. She went so far as to say, "It breaks Christ's heart that some of you cannot accept my baptism, ordination and consecration in the United Methodist Church. As a result the body of Christ is broken by us along with the scandal of our own divisions." She then asked, "What right do we have to speak when we do not demonstrate being one with each other?"

Her remarks created a silence among the several hundred who then walked out of the "Prayer Session" and moved over to the Plenary Sessions. The first major speaker was Dr. Walter Altman, the Moderator and also president of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil. He remarked that while the WCC was receiving two church bodies into membership at this meeting "non-ecumenical churches and movements are spreading and growing."  He admitted, "Some suggest the ecumenical movement has failed and that it is dying. We need to adopt a ‘holistic' approach that is affirmed even by Evangelical and Pentecostal churches which are not yet members of the WCC." His entire address was really an appeal using the theme as he said, "We intend to stay together, so what we need is perseverance in seeking the unity."

In his major address, WCC General Secretary, Dr. Sam Kobia, emphasized the WCC must major on poverty, environmental destruction, increasing violence and the HIV and AIDS crisis. While expressing his appreciation to some degree of Evangelicals and Pentecostals, he also issued a caution because, according to Kobia, "Evangelicals and Pentecostals fail to accept Orthodox and Roman Catholics as equal partners. Because of this the growth of these two groups is not due to new conversions. They practice proselytism and go so far as to even target Assembly of God churches in search of new members. In fact there is growing discontent with North American dominance among Evangelicals and Pentecostals in Latin America, Asia and Africa."

Referring to the Roman Catholic Church, Kobia was grateful that "there are signs that the Roman Catholic Church is acknowledging the role the WCC is playing bringing those in who are beyond its own constituency. Unity, common witness and service are the three basic building blocks of the WCC's DNA."

Praising the Global Christian Forum (GCF), Dr. Kobia said, "The GCF provides an opportunity to move beyond the enmity that prevailed in the past between ‘Ecumenicals', ‘Evangelicals' or ‘Pentecostals' and traditional churches." (The GCF held one of its meetings on the campus of Fuller Theological Seminary in California!)

Members of the press were notified in advance that Dr. Kobia might be dismissed because of unhappiness with his leadership, along with receiving a degree from a "degree mill" in Vienna. (He did return the degree, but many thought he should have known better than to have accepted it in the first place.)

It did happen as was foretold and Dr. Kobia's contract was not renewed. Immediately a search committee was formed, led by an African woman clergy; three youth, eight women and four Orthodox also were elected. (Only one person from the U.S.A. was chosen and it was Bishop Sally Dyck, the United Methodist Bishop who had spoken at the first "Prayer Session.")

A special service was held on Sunday at Geneva's St. Pierre Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Church. The main speaker was the "spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox," His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. He acknowledged there had been "turbulent times" in the WCC, but now there was "a new generation to promote the three pillars of unity, witness, and service." As everyone exited the church, they received a small flower pot containing a candle "as symbols that we are carrying the seed of peace and also the light of Christ which illuminates the world."

The Joint Working Group (JWG) which brings the Roman Catholic Church leaders and the WCC leaders into sessions of consultation, fellowship and building trust had a meeting in Rome, January 20-27, 2008. In the report given at Geneva, the members shared the need of mutual recognition of baptism and more ecumenical emphasis on youth. JWG will meet again in May and this time in Geneva.

At a Press Conference with the Archbishop of Kenya and Rev. John Thomas, president of the United Church of Christ (UCC) (USA), the subject of the "Eucharist" was discussed. The Archbishop declared the Orthodox had no intention of changing their practice that those who participate must be people who accept "Transubstantiation" (the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of our Lord). A press member reminded him that Bishop Sally Dyck complained about that when speaking at the first "Prayer Session." The Archbishop said that even so, the Orthodox were NOT going to change. Immediately John Thomas, president of the United Church of Christ sitting next to him, declared, "That does not mean we in other church bodies cannot change to embrace the Orthodox teaching regarding the Eucharist!"

Observations by this reporter:

1. The WCC since 1948 has had the goal to build a visible one-world church. They attempt to weld together apostate Catholics and Protestants with compromising Evangelicals, Pentecostals and even other world religions. The leaders are wolves in sheep's clothing and it was certainly evident in Geneva when they paused at a Memorial Service to honor the late George Vandervelde, who had been a leader of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) which represents 400 million evangelicals around the world. (The WEA includes the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) as an active member). Vandervelde had started the World Evangelical Alliance's Ecumenical Issues Taskforce and served as secretary of the WEA's dialogue with the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Dr. Vandervelde also taught at Wycliffe College and the Institute of Christian Studies.
   
2. God's Word clearly commands us in I Timothy 6:12 to "FIGHT the good fight of faith" and we are told to "earnestly CONTEND for the faith" in Jude 3. A fundamentalist not only BELIEVES the truth of God's Word, but is also willing to obediently BATTLE the forces of darkness and Satan which oppose that truth. 
   
3. The poisonous stream of religious error as held and taught for 60 years by the leaders of the WCC has swept multitudes into its fold and therefore must be exposed.

"To the law and the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20)

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