BLAIRS FIRST TRIP AS ENVOY

Floods swamp central Britain, thousands flee
Total chaos, says one evacuee, cars floating past and even goldfish
Stephen Hird / Reuters

MSNBC News Services JULY 23,07
LONDON - Emergency workers battled rising waters Monday to rescue people trapped by floods that swallowed large swaths of central Britain. Roads were submerged, and tens of thousands of people were left without electricity and drinking water.Among the hardest hit was the medieval market town of Tewkesbury, 110 miles northwest of London, where the cathedral and a few blocks of nearby houses stood like an atoll amid a vast stretch of muddy water.It was just devastation — total chaos, cars floating past, rubbish, all kinds, said John King, a 68-year-old retired firefighter from Tewkesbury who said the flood sounded like a train. "You just can't stop water of that power.He said he saw goldfish swimming in his driveway.

Torrential rains have plagued Britain over the past month — nearly 5 inches fell in some areas on Friday alone — and more downpours were expected until at least Tuesday. Officials warned that the western section of the River Thames — some 80 miles from London — was on the verge of bursting its banks.London itself is protected from flooding in the east by the Thames Barrier, the world's largest moveable flood defense. The barrier closes to seal off part of the upper Thames from the sea. To the west, London is protected by several flood defense measures including the Jubilee River, a 7-mile-long flood diversion channel.People look at me and say I look fine, but inside I'm all churned up, said Sylvia Williams, a 69-year-old widow who was among about 50 elderly people evacuated to a stadium from a retirement community overlooking the River Ock on the outskirts of Oxford.The stadium was stocked with blankets, food and bedding for up to 1,500 people.

The Thames water levels in Oxford were expected to peak at midnight, which could make flooding worse in areas, Britain's Environment Agency said.The agency warned water levels could rise to a critical level, and issued nine severe flood warnings across the country.Cars were submerged and streets turned into canals in flood affected areas. Thousands were forced to leave their homes and businesses.Insurers estimate claims for flood damage from this round of flooding and an earlier round in June could top $4 billion.

350,000 homes see water cut off

The Severn Trent Water company said at least 350,000 homes in Gloucestershire would be without water after flood waters shut down a water treatment plant.The last time Britain saw similar flooding was in 1947, according to the Environment Agency.No deaths have been reported.Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced increased funding for flood and coastal defenses across the country during a tour of the flooded Gloucestershire region, in the west of England.Much of Britain's infrastructure dates back to Victorian times.

It is pretty clear that some of the 19th century structures and infrastructure and where they were sited is something we will have to review, said Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister less than a month ago.The monsoon-like rainfall over the past month has severely affected transport and threatened water supplies.In Gloucestershire, some 70,000 people were left without clean drinking water as a result of flooding at water treatment plants and rainwater seeping into treated supplies. Tens of thousands more were at risk of losing fresh water supplies.Some residents lined up for free water at local grocery stores. Others waited for water trucks to distribute water.More than 100 Royal Navy sailors were helping build flood defenses with sandbags and trying to improve the drainage by wading into the water and lifting the manhole covers.More than 2,000 people spent Sunday night in emergency shelters and the Royal Air Force and coast guard helicopters were called in over the weekend to airlift hundreds to safety in one of Britain's largest peacetime rescue operations.

Putin expects quick end to mini-crisis

MOSCOW, July 20 (UPI) -- Russia President Vladimir Putin predicted relations with Britain will develop normally in spite of recent expulsions of diplomats. Putin's tone Thursday night in his first public statement on the diplomatic crisis was far milder than that used by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The British ambassador, Anthony Brenton, was told abruptly that four embassy staff members had 10 days to get out of Russia, the Times of London reported. Russia also banned British officials from visiting and said it won't cooperate in anti-terrorism efforts.

I think that Russian-British relations will develop normally, Putin said in The Times article. On both the Russian side and the British side we are interested in the development of these relations. I'm sure we will overcome this mini-crisis.The crisis stems from the killing of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent living in London who was poisoned with polonium. Russia has refused to extradite the suspect identified by Scotland Yard, Andrei Lugovoy, also a former KGB officer. Britain responded by expelling Russian diplomats.

MK HaNegbi Stops Short of Calling for War on Hamas
by Hillel Fendel (JULY 22,07 INN)

Two years after Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza, the Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee says war, or something near it, is inevitable.
MK Tzachi HaNegbi (Kadima), a former Public Security Minister, was responding to the words of a widely-quoted senior IDF officer who said that Hamas has become a small army with strong military capabilities. HaNegbi stopped short of calling upon Israel to attack Hamas, but merely said that it was an inevitable development. It's just a matter of time, he said. It will occur sooner or later, either as an Israeli initiative, or following a deterioration of the situation unwanted by both sides.

Hamas Army Growing

The quoted senior officer said on Thursday that Hamas had advanced a generation of late in its military capabilities. He told reporters that the Hamas army now numbers 13,000 fighters, and that it had imported 20 tons of explosives through the Rafiah crossing in the past several weeks. The Hamas arsenal contains Strella shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, which are liable to make air actions difficult, as well as the best weapons there are, the officer said.Nationalist Members of Knesset warned the 2005 Sharon-Mofaz-Olmert government that removing the IDF from the Rafiah crossing would lead to a mass influx of arms into Gaza, but the warnings went unheeded.

The officer said that at least 400 Hamas fighters had left Gaza via Rafiah for training in Iran in recent weeks. On the other hand, since Hamas took over Gaza six weeks ago, Israeli forces had carried out some 50 actions to prevent terrorists from entering Israel; 110 terrorists were killed in these actions, 198 were wounded, and 766 were arrested, including 47 on the wanted list.MK HaNegbi, who has also served as Minister of Justice, Health and the Environment, said that Hamas's strengthening is no secret. He noted that the relative quiet being maintained by Hamas against Israel is designed only to serve its own interests, in order that Israel not respond in kind. He said that Hamas is using this period to train and arm, though he noted that the IDF is also preparing and studying the mistakes it made last year in Lebanon.

Eygpt Ignoring Obligations

HaNegbi said that Egypt has no interest in fulfilling its obligations to prevent smuggling from the Sinai into Gaza via Rafiah, despite the agreement it signed with Israel to this effect when Israel withdrew. Some fears have been raised that war with Hamas could exact heavy IDF casualties and many Kassam rockets at the Negev. Despite the dangers inherent in delayed action against the Hamas military build-up, at least one high-placed military officer says that the most he can recommend at present is an intense attack on various Hamas headquarters and top officials.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Friday that he cannot promise that Israel's border with Gaza will not soon look like Israel's border with Lebanon prior to last summer's war. Despite this, he has no intention of ordering a major ground assault in Gaza. It is felt that the shadow of the Winograd Commission, expected to release a scathing report criticizing Olmert's haste in going to war last year, is a factor in Olmert's hesitation to take the offensive.On Sunday morning, IDF forces shot and killed two Hamas terrorists near a former Jewish community in the northern Gaza Strip. The terrorists were approaching the security border fence and were carrying grenades and guns.

Iran and Syria Forge Military Alliance Against Common Enemies
by Alex Traiman (JULY 22,07 INN)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad held a joint press conference in Damascus Thursday confirming the formation of a new regional military alliance.The enemies of this region should drop their plans to strike the interests of this region, for these enemies will burn by the fire of the people, Ahmadinejad stated. Both countries are united in a frontier facing common enemies to the region.Ahmadinejad warned the unnamed enemies to abandon their hostile plans, stating, Syria and Iran are aspiring for this summer to be hot by virtue of the victories that will be attained by the peoples of the region... and the enemies of the peoples of the region are on their way to perdition and defeat.

As part of the new military alliance, the London-based Arabic paper A-Sharq al-Aussat states, Iran will fund over $1 billion in new defense equipment for Syria including: 400 Russian tanks, 8 Mikoyan helicopters, 8 Sukhoi fighter jets, 18 MiG-31s, Iranian armoured vehicles and tanks, and Chinese C-801/802 missiles.Israel is reportedly skeptical about the deal, though sources say the very meeting itself is of great concern and shows that Assad is not interested in peace.Ahmadinejad reportedly also pledged to help Syria overthrow Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and to aid in the restoration of pro-Syrian influence within the Lebanese parliament. In addition, Iran will fund Syrian research towards the respective establishment and improvement of nuclear and biological weapons programs.

In return, Syria has reportedly pledged not to enter into any diplomatic negotiations with Israel. Tehran will also be permitted to keep Iranian warplanes stationed in Syria.While in Damascus, the two heads of state also reportedly met with Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

History Repeats Itself

Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said the military alliance forged between Iran and Syria is reminiscent of the pacts that were signed on the eve of the Six Day and Yom Kippur wars.The Iranian decision will lead to the launching of an attack on Israel from Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, Eldad stated.
For some reason, the government of Israel chooses to ignore not only intelligence information, but even information that is published for all to see, he added.

Olmert Still Prepared to Negotiate

In an interview with Channel 10 Saturday night, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Kadima) said that Israel was still prepared to negotiate with Syria and abandon the Golan Heights. I don't know what will be at the end of negotiations with Syria. Of course we will have to make concessions, but can I make commitments even before the beginning of negotiations and promise that I will withdraw from the entire Golan Heights? Previously, Syria demanded that Israel commit to a complete withdrawal from the Golan Heights as a precondition to opening talks with Jerusalem.In a separate interview Thursday, when asked how Nasrallah was able to sneak into a meeting between Ahmadinejad and Assad, Olmert responded, No reply I could give would sound the way I'd want it to.

Strategic Alliance Minister: Form Unity Government

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) called for Olmert and Opposition Leader Benyamin Netanyahu (Likud) to form a unity government to deal with the growing Iranian-Syrian threat.The strengthening of the relationship between Assad and Ahmadinejad demands that Israel reorganize its political and military preparations, said Lieberman. The Iranian threat remains outside of politics, and therefore I call on the Prime Minister and the head of the opposition to reconsider forming a national emergency government.

Olmert Reiterates Stance to Give Away Judea and Samaria
by Alex Traiman (JULY 22,07 INN)

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated his belief that Israel needs to withdraw from the biblical Jewish provinces of Judea and Samaria.Speaking at a gathering of farmers in the Jezreel Valley, Olmert maintained that Israel would have to make tough decisions with regard to territorial compromise.According to the Prime Minister, anyone who thinks Israel can continue to hold onto the provinces captured in the defensive Six Day War of 1967 is living in a dream.Everyone understands that the State of Israel can't exist without a guarantee of a Jewish majority, Olmert added.

Although many in Israel believe the question of Jewish majority to be a fundamental problem, recent research suggests otherwise. A major demographic study published in 2005 by Bennett Zimmerman, Roberta Seid and Michael L. Wise revealed that the status of a Jewish majority between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea is much more stable than previously reported, with Jews representing at least 60 percent of the total population.The data further suggests that the numbers of Arabs living in Judea and Samaria (commonly referred to as the West Bank) in particular have been grossly overstated.Olmert added in his address that any territorial compromise to giveaway all or parts of Judea and Samaria would not occur unilaterally—as was the withdrawal from Gaza 2005—but rather through a negotiated solution with the Palestinian Authority.

The statements came on the eve following Olmert's release of 255 convicted terrorists serving terms in Israeli prisons, back into the general population of Judea and Samaria, a move which drew the criticism of many throughout the country. Olmert did not demand any information on the whereabouts of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for the release of the terrorists, but rather said that letting the terrorists out of jail was a goodwill gesture.

According to the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria, there are over 260,000 tax paying Jewish residents living in the region. When including the outlying neighborhoods of Jerusalem, the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria reaches close to half a million.The provinces of Judea and Samaria are also home to many of Judaism's holiest cities including Hevron, Shechem, Beit El, Beit Lechem, and Shiloh. Each of these cities (and others) play key roles in Jewish History as chronicled by the Jewish Bible.On Saturday, Olmert stated his intention to run for a second term as chairman of the Kadima party, despite numerous calls for his resignation, allegations of criminal activity, and public approval ratings in single digits.

Israel, Syria boost military presence along border
Escalating moves from both sides amid war warnings from Damascus' officials
July 23, 200 - By Aaron Klein - WorldNetDaily.com

GOLAN HEIGHTS – Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its army on high alert and – for the first time in 30 years – has opened a strategic border road to civilian traffic in a move some Israeli security officials worry could help facilitate guerilla attacks against Golani Jewish communities. The escalating military moves on both sides come as a top official from Syrian President Bashar Assad's Baath party warned in an interview if Israel doesn't vacate the strategic Golan Heights by August or September, Syrian guerrillas will launch resistance operations against the Golan's Jewish communities. The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on Israeli population centers captured by Israel after Syria twice used the territory to attack the Jewish state.

A tour of the Golan Heights yesterday found multiple Israeli army positions local residents and soldiers stationed here say were established within the past few weeks. More tanks have been patrolling the area, with several tanks setting up shop in strategic positions looking down on Syria. Makeshift military outposts have been erected and Golan checkpoints fortified. Several old Israeli Defense Forces military installations in the Golan were reopened the last two months. According to local soldiers, the installations have been largely unused since the 1980s. In several Golan positions near the Syrian border, IDF tractors cleared the way in recent weeks so that tanks can amass in the area if needed, said soldiers stationed here. On the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, multiple moves have been made Israeli security officials say are concerning.

The security officials confirmed the stepped-up military presence of Syrian troops deployed near the Syrian side of the Golan Heights with strengthened forces after carrying out increased training the past few months. The security officials said Syria recently increased production of rockets and acquired missiles capable of hitting central Israeli population centers. Last month, Syria removed a series of military checkpoints blocking off a main Damascus-Golan road to the border town of Quneitra, opening the road to civilian traffic for the first time since the 1967 Six Day War. The road, visible from the Israeli side of the border, remained open to civilians yesterday with no presence of the Syrian military. Syrian road leading to Golan now open for civilian traffic (WND photo)

At a ceremony at which the road was reopened for civilians, Quneitra's governor, Nawaf al-Faris, a member of Assad's Baath party, gave a speech explaining resistance works to restore land. The resistance is the guarantee to restore land, rights and facing challenges and pressures to which the Arab nation is exposed, al-Faris stated, according to Syria's SANA news agency. Israeli security officials say they are concerned the road can be used by militants seeking to attack the border area. One tank yesterday was positioned on a hilltop directly facing the road. Speaking to WND on condition of anonymity, a top Baath official said a new purported guerrilla group called the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights has been training and is ready to attacks against Jewish communities in the Golan in August or September.

The official said the Quneitra road is one of many routes in which the Committees can infiltrate the Golan. In an interview last week, the Baath official warned Syria was preparing for war: More and more of our units have undergone intensive trainings starting at 6 a.m. and finishing late into the evening. If the need arises, we are ready for a war, said the official. The official said Syria learned from the Hezbollah experience last summer and we can have hundreds of missiles hitting Tel Aviv that will overwhelm Israel's anti-missile batteries.He claimed Syria has proof Israel is also readying for a war. We hear about special Israeli trainings to take Damascus. We see that Israel is re-establishing bases of the Israeli army in the Golan that are unusual and not needed except for war. We believe the Israeli government has an interest in confronting Syria to rehabilitate its image of losing to Hezbollah, he said.

He said Syrian war preparations are so specific, the Syrian government has given its officials and top contacts alternative phone numbers to key government ministries in case the Damascus phone system is knocked out during an Israeli aerial bombardment.

He warned Syria may launch eminent resistance.

Syria passed repeated messages to the U.S. that we demand the return of the Golan either through negotiations or through war. If the Golan is not in our hands by August or September, we will be poised to launch resistance, including raids and attacks against Jewish positions (in the Golan Heights)," the Baath official said.

Israel: Syrian war preparations serious

Israeli security officials confirmed Syria has been strengthening its forces and noted the movement of Syrian Scud missiles near the border with Israel. The Syrian army has improved its fortifications, according to the Israeli security officials, and has received modern, Russian-made anti-tank missiles similar to the missiles that devastated Israeli tanks during the last Lebanon war, causing the highest number of Israeli troop casualties during the 34 days of military confrontations. Syria also received from Russia advanced anti-aircraft missiles. The security officials said any conflict with Syria could degenerate into a larger war involving Hezbollah along Israel's northern border and Palestinian terror groups launching attacks from Gaza in the south and the West Bank toward the center of Israel.

The officials noted Syria stepped up the pace of weapons, including rockets, being shipped from the Syrian border to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia. The security officials said the greatest threats Syria poses to the Jewish state are the country's missiles and rockets. They noted Syria recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles, which have a range of about 250 miles, covering most Israeli territory. The officials said the Syrian missile test was coordinated with Iran and is believed to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the missiles had. In addition to longer-range Scuds, Syria is in possession of shorter-range missiles such as 220 millimeter and 305 millimeter rockets, some of which have been passed on to Hezbollah.

Israel also has information Syria recently acquired and deployed Chinese-made C-802 missiles, which were successfully used against the Israeli navy during Israel's war against Hezbollah one year ago. The missiles were passed to Syria by Iran, Israeli security officials told WND. Israeli security officials said Syria is indeed preparing for a summer war. But they said there was an argument within the Israeli intelligence community whether the military buildup is for an attack or is meant by Syria to pressure Israel into vacating the Golan Heights. Some officials said Syria estimates the U.S. or Israel will attack Iran, and Syria will be drawn into a larger military confrontation by opening up a front against northern Israel. Also, the officials said, Syria may believe Israel will attack first and its preparations are defensive in nature. The Israeli army is not taking any chances. The Israel Defense Forces last month reportedly carried out a mock attack on a Syrian village during a major exercise in the Negev. The Israeli soldiers besieged and occupied the village, designed to be similar to towns on the Syrian side of the Golan. Similar war exercises were carried out in Israel the past few months, including a mock attack on Damascus.

According to security officials, recent U.S. intelligence estimates also predict a strong possibility of war between Israel and Syria in the coming months.

Ahmadinejad: It's going to be a hot summer

The reports of preparations for possible confrontations also come as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned during a rare visit to Syria last week that this summer will be hot and will bring defeat for the region's enemies.We hope that the hot weather of this summer would coincide with similar victories for the region's peoples, and with consequent defeat for the region‘s enemies, Ahmadinejad said, standing alongside Assad. Ahmadinejad claimed unspecified enemies of the region have plans to attack the interests of this region. He urges those enemies to abandon their war plans or they would be burned by the wrath of the region's peoples.
He described Syrian-Iranian relations as amicable, excellent and extremely deep, stating the two countries have common stands on regional issues and face common enemies.

Blair on First Trip As Mideast Envoy
Jul 23 08:28 AM US/Eastern
By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM (AP) - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday kicked off his first visit to the Middle East as the international community's new envoy to the region, hoping to add new momentum to fledgling peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. The newly appointed envoy for the Quartet of Mideast mediators—the United States, European Union, U.N. and Russia—arrived in Israel for his first visit in the new post. During the two-day visit, Blair planned to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other top officials.

Blair arrives at a promising time. The Palestinian uprising has fizzled and Israel says it's ready to work with the new Palestinian leadership after seven years of stalemate. But limits on Blair's responsibilities—he has no authority to negotiate a final peace deal—have already raised questions about his ability to forge a breakthrough, and Israeli and Palestinian officials played down expectations for the visit. Blair touched down in Tel Aviv in a white, unmarked private jet and immediate exited Ben Gurion International Airport in a heavily guarded motorcade through the Gate of Shalom terminal. He traveled to the upscale King David Hotel in Jerusalem, where he was met by a horde of photographers. Blair made no comment as he pushed through the crowd into an elevator.

Blair arrived from neighboring Jordan, where he met with Foreign Minister Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib. Jordanian officials said Blair listened to Jordan's perspective on restarting the Mideast peace process. Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab countries that have made peace with Israel. The visit comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.
President Bush called last week for an international peace conference on the Middle East in the autumn. On Wednesday, the Jordanian foreign minister and his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, are due in Israel to formally present an Arab peace initiative that envisions full Arab recognition of Israel in return for lands the Jewish state captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Israeli and Palestinian officials have welcomed the involvement of Blair, who brings a high-profile and well-respected figure to Mideast diplomacy. He is known for his powers of persuasion and track record in forging Northern Ireland's peace accord.
But in his new job, Blair has been given a relatively limited assignment: to prepare the ground for a Palestinian state by encouraging reform, economic development and institution-building. There is no mention of trying to help broker a final peace deal, a role the United States appears reluctant to cede. Such constraints could quickly turn Blair into the latest of a long succession of well- meaning, yet ultimately ineffective mediators. Ahead of the visit, Israeli and Palestinian officials acknowledged Blair's limitations and said a final peace deal could only come through direct talks.

What I do with the Israelis, what the Israelis do with me, is the main ingredient, said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. The decisions required for peace are not going to come from the envoys.Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the media, said expectations were low for Blair's first visit. They said the talks would be introductory, and they did not expect major pressure from him. A word of caution also came from James Wolfensohn, Blair's predecessor as envoy of the diplomatic Quartet. In 2005, Wolfensohn, a former World Bank president, was asked to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after Israel's pullout from the area. Wolfensohn accomplished less than he hoped and saw the last of his achievements—creating a gateway to the world for fenced-in Gazans—unravel after the Islamic militant Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza last month.

Wolfensohn told the Israeli daily Haaretz that while he made some mistakes, his main problem was lack of authority. The U.S. dominates the Quartet, he noted. There was never a desire on the part of the Americans to give up control of the (peace) negotiations,Haaretz quoted him as saying. Even in his limited role, Blair will have to confine his work to the West Bank, since the international community continues to shun Hamas, now in control of Gaza. Following the Hamas takeover, Abbas formed a new moderate government in the West Bank. Chances of transforming the West Bank are perhaps better than any time since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in 2000, following failed peace talks.

The violence, which left nearly 4,400 Palestinians and more than 1,100 Israelis dead, blocked any progress in peacemaking, but the uprising has run out of steam.
Hamas, responsible for scores of deadly attacks, is largely contained behind Gaza's border fences and on the defensive in the West Bank, while scores of gunmen from Abbas' Fatah movement have surrendered their weapons in exchange for an Israeli amnesty. In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Blair could not ignore Hamas, which swept Palestinian parliamentary elections last year. It will lead to nothing but failure, he said.

Abbas' government is eager to resume negotiations on a final peace deal, but Israel says it's too soon. Israel is willing to talk about general outlines of an agreement, but argues that negotiations can only begin once Abbas has disarmed militants and restored order in areas under his control.

Southern Baptist seminary leader: Evangelicals must assert the marks of a true church Allie Martin - OneNewsNow.com - July 21, 2007

It’s a debate as old as Martin Luther himself. Who is the true Christian church?

The debate gained new life earlier this month when, in a document released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope Benedict XVI said Christian communities outside Catholicism were not full churches. The 16-page document described Christian Orthodox churches as true churches, but said they suffered from a wound since they do not recognize the primacy of the pope.In response, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Albert Mohler, says evangelicals must proclaim, without apology, that any church, which defines itself in terms of the papacy, is not the true church. In his daily Internet blog, Mohler writes that he was not surprised at the statement issued by the papacy. He says the pope's statement actually provides Evangelicals an opportunity to defend the gospel. And Mohler also states that both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals alike should realize this issue is worthy of division.

He also says Evangelicals should be concerned that Catholics are in spiritual danger for submission to the papacy. Drawing from church history, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president and radio host says the same issue was a defining issue of the Reformation. Mohler says that both Reformers and Roman Catholics staked their claim to be the true church, pointing out that Martin Luther and John Calvin both asserted that the first mark of a true Church is the ministry of the Word and the preaching of the gospel -- and not submission to a pope or other earthly authority.American Family News Network.