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"GAY-AFFIRMING" PASTOR JAY BAKKER TO SPEAK FOR ELCA GATHERING

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

by Ken Silva
Apprising Ministries

Not knowing how much time we have left Apprising Ministries is doing what we can to warn the Body of Christ of a very threatening same-sex storm growing; one which is rapidly picking up speed through the embrace of corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism within the alleged "Protestant" sectors of the visible church, and this growing and angry stormâ€”right now approaching hurricane force--is currently just slightly off the coast of the mainstream evangelical community. A case in point is Megan Rohrer, "the first openly transgender Lutheran pastor ordained in the United States."

You may also recall that we've shown you e.g. in Emerging Church: "Gay Affirming Pastor" Jay Bakker On A Mission From God where Emerging Church aka Emergent Church, now morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC), pastor Jay Bakker feels God has now changed His mind about homosexuality, which is the unrepentant practice of sexual immorality with a member of the same sex:

"The more I follow grace, the more I'm drawn to him [God], the more I'm willing to stand up for people being persecuted," said Bakker. "It sounds so churchy, but I felt like God spoke to my heart and said '[homosexuality] is not a sin.'"

Those who've read the AM post Oxymoronic 'Homosexual Christians' Focus Of Barna Report will know that both Bakker and Emergent Village were doing all they could to get people to support an exhortation from MelWhite, the openly gay "Christian" co-founder of Soulforce--a militantly pro-homosexual group--to sign a petition "to expand Civil Rights Act to include GLBT people." Well, it sounds so pastoral, but I felt like Jesus spoke to my heart and said warn the church that these people all know each other. Click here to read this entire article.

Related:

Son of PTL Jim Bakker Says Gay Marriage OK; Resonates With Contemplative Spirituality

They like Jesus But Not the Church--A Closer Look at Dan Kimball's Book

Trinity Western University Professor Promotes Tantric-like Spirituality - Serious Implications for Christianity

This article or excerpt was posted on July 3, 2009@ 4:02 pm.

From:

Rick Warren speaking to Islamic group with terror ties

Category: * Purpose Driven Movement
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

Chad Groening
OneNewsNow

The leader of a Messianic Jewish ministry is questioning the decision of mega-church pastor Rick Warren to address a Muslim group, which has terrorist connections, during its annual convention over the Fourth of July weekend in Washington, DC.

Jan Markell, the founder of Olive Tree Ministries, is concerned that the high-profile pastor will not use the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ with Muslims. Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in California, has agreed to appear at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and be part of its main session, discussing the convention's theme: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." ISNA was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case in 2007.

Warren's involvement with ISNA follows the Muslim organization's attempt to build partnerships with people of other faiths, including the Union of Reform Judaism and the American Baptist Churches. Markell does not expect Warren to share the gospel during his address.

"Why go to a Muslim outfit and not share your faith and not tell them the truth? If he's just going to come and tell them they can have a wonderful and happy life, why go? I don't understand any purpose," she admits.

And Markell says there is another reason why Warren should stay away from the Islamic Society of North America.

"The group that he is visiting has ties to terror; there's simply no two ways about it," she notes. "It has ties to terror and has ties to CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations."Click here to read this entire article.

For more information on the Purpose Driven movement and the new spirituality, read A "Wonderful" Deception by Warren Smith, released by Lighthouse Trails on July 2, 2009.

This article or excerpt was posted on July 2, 2009@ 2:38 am.

From:

Christian Leaders Giving Mysticism to Our Youth

Category: * Contemplative
Source: Ray Yungen

The cover of the July/August 1999 issue of Group Magazine, a leading resource magazine for Christian youth leaders, featured a teenage girl, eyes shut, doing contemplative prayer. The article, "Ancient-Future Youth Ministry" begins by declaring:

It's Sunday just after 5 p.m.... Seven adults are sitting around a "Christ-candle" in the youth room. There is no talking, no laughter. For 10 minutes, the only noise is the sound of their breathing ... now it's 7 p.m.--one hour into the night's youth group gathering. There are 18 senior highers and five adults sitting in a candlelit sanctuary. A gold cross stands on a table.... They're chanting the "Jesus Prayer," an ancient meditative practice.1

The article discusses two Christian organizations, Youth Specialties and San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian Church, USA), which teamed together in 1996 to develop an approach to youth ministry that incorporates contemplative practices.2 Mark Yaconelli, son of the former director of Youth Specialties, the late Mike Yaconelli, was hired to direct the project, which was called the Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project. The article is very open to the fact that sacred word repetition was at the heart of this project. These two organizations sponsored the project in sixteen churches of various denominations. The article reveals that, in all sixteen test congregations, middle school and senior high youth "were eager to learn contemplative spiritual practices."3 One of the church's associate pastors even went so far as to say, "We shouldn't be surprised it's working so well. It's kind of a no-brainer. If you make the space, the spirit will come."4 According to the project's mission statement, this model will soon be "made immediately available to youth ministries nationwide."5

Just how widespread did this become? In 1997, the Project received a grant from the Lilly Endowment to test a "spiritual formation model." Furthermore:

Youth ministry leaders were trained to meet regularly for faith sharing, contemplative prayer, and communal discernment ... communities were then encouraged to begin forming young people in contemplative understanding through silence, solitude, and a variety of contemplative exercises....

Spiritual formation tracks, based on the experience of the Project, were implemented at youth ministry conventions and conferences.... National news services such as the Wall Street Journal, Knight Rider News Service, CBS radio and ABC World News Tonight all ran stories on various aspects of the Project.6

Since this project began, Youth Specialties has become a driving force, having a major impact upon evangelical youth work throughout North America, hosting several annual events including the National Youth Workers Convention, the CORE, and the National Pastors Convention [now run by Zondervan]....

Mike Yaconelli's attraction to and acceptance of contemplative prayer was very similar to the story of Sue Monk Kidd. In his book, Dangerous Wonder, Yaconelli relates how lost he had felt after twenty-five years of ministry. In his "desperation," he picked up a book by Henri Nouwen (In the Name of Jesus) [the same book Kay and Rick Warren recommend] and said he heard the "voice of Jesus ... hiding in the pages of Henri's book" and found himself wanting "to start listening again to the voice of Jesus."7
In Nouwen's book, we can find the method that led to Yaconelli's claim to a newfound voice of Jesus:

Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen again and again to the voice of love and to find there the wisdom and courage to address whatever issue presents itself to them ... For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.8

Nouwen believed that wisdom and courage were found in that place of silence, when in reality they are found in Godâ€™s Word. Yaconelli took Nouwenâ€™s admonition to heart and began promoting that prayer method through his own organization.

If this mystical paradigm shift comes to complete fruition, what will the Christian of the future be like? If Christians develop into the spiritual likeness of Henri Nouwen, we will find them meditating with Buddhists as Nouwen did--which he called "dialogue of the heart."9 We will also find them listening to tapes on the seven chakras10 (which Reiki is based on) as Nouwen did, and above all we will find them wanting to help people "claim his or her own way to God"11 (universalism) as Nouwen did. Nouwen wrote that his solitude and the solitude of his Buddhist friends would "greet each other and support each other."12 In this one statement lies the fundamental flaw of the contemplative prayer movement--spiritual adultery.

Buddhism proclaims there is nothing outside of yourself needed for salvation. One Buddhist teacher wrote, "The Buddhist approach states that what is ultimately required for human fulfillment is a perfection of being that is found in who we already are."35 A Christian is one who looks to Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, so to honor the Buddhist approach is to deny the One who gave Himself for us. It is logically impossible to claim Christianity and Buddhism as both being true, because each promotes an opposite basis for salvation. Jesus said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9). You cannot love and follow the teachings of both Buddha and Jesus--for in reality the choice is either trusting in a self-deity or trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The only way Nouwen's contemplative prayer could support the Buddhist view is if it shares the same mysticism ... I believe the facts speak for themselves. Once this becomes clear, it is easy to see also that this is the same mysticism many seek to emblazon on the heart of evangelical Christianity.

The question may arise--how can credible Christian organizations justify and condone meditative practices that clearly resemble Eastern meditation? As pointed out earlier in [A Time of Departing], Christian terminology surrounds these practices. It only takes a few popular Christian leaders with national profiles to embrace a teaching that sounds Christian to bring about big changes in the church. Moreover, we have many trusting Christians who do not use the Scriptures to test the claims of others. Building an entire prayer method around an out-of-context verse or two is presumptuous, at best. Now more than ever, it is critical that Christians devote themselves to serious Bible study and discernment regarding this issue.

Notes:

1. Mark Yaconelli, "Ancient Future Youth Ministry" (Group Magazine, July/August 1999, http://www.ymsp.org/resources /ancient_future_article.html), pp. 33-34.
2. The Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project (history page, http://www.ymsp.org/about/history.html, accessed 1/2006).
3. Mark Yaconelli, "Ancient Future Youth Ministry," p. 39.
4. Ibid., p. 39
5. Ibid.
6. The Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project
7. Michael Yaconelli, Dangerous Wonder (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2003, revised edition), p. 16.
8. Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, pp. 6, 31-32.
9. Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey, p.20.
10. Ibid., p. 20.
11. Ibid., p. 51.
12. Ibid., p. 20.
13. Reginald A. Ray, "Understanding Buddhism: Religion Without God" (Shambhala Sun Magazine, July 2001, http://www.shambhalasun.com/Archives/Columnists/Ray/july_01.htm), p. 25.

(Excerpt from chapter 9, A Time of Departing, 2nd edition)

This article or excerpt was posted on July 1, 2009@ 1:27 pm.

From: http://www.lighthousetrails.com/atimeofdeparting.htm

A Purpose Driven Spirituality Does Not Help Michael Jackson

Category: * Defending the Faith
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

Guest Opinion
by Ray Gano
Prophezine Ministries

"Share The Cross, For Hell Waits Upon Them"
This week has been amazing; we have seen four well known celebrities die.

Ed McMahon
Farrah Fawcett
Michael Jackson
Billy Mays
But the one who is taking most of the airplay is Michael Jackson, the king of pop.

I have been reading a lot of articles about Michael, and out of that I realized something.... I believe Michael was a saddened miserable soul seeking to fill a hole he did not know how to fill.

Last night I came across an article by David Pack [on the Purpose-Driven Connection website]. For those of you who do not know who David Pack is, he is the music director of Saddleback Church, the very same church that world famous author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren leads...

If you have not read this article, you can read it here: Michael Jackson, Jesus, and Me - My story of Christian fellowship with the King of Pop By David Pack [Purpose Driven Connection]

What upset me is that in and among all smoking, joking and bottles of wine, David writes...

"During that special evening, I felt the need to share my faith with him, to let him know that another Christian artist was sitting next to him. So when he whispered, "How can I ever thank you for this wonderful night?" I said, "Michael, I didn't put this together, God did!" He said, "Oh yes, I believe that with all of my heart."

I told him I was a Christian, and he said he was, too. We talked about the first Christian song we'd both heard as children: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong." With the dinner party loudly going on around us, we both quietly leaned in and sang the song, smiling like choirboys. "Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me." Then we gave each other a short embrace.

I knew at that moment that this sweet-spirited young genius was going to find his eternal peace in heaven.

So based on singing a children's gospel song and a couple of words about God putting the dinner together this man is able to claim...

... one of the greatest artists of our time is now moon-walking along the gold paved roads of heaven, where streets have no name, with a broad smile on his face, and a band of angels welcoming him home.

I am dumbfounded, but more than that I am angry.

Odds are very good that Michael Jackson is burning in hell.

Now before you call me a heretic and think that I am judging the heart of Michael Jackson, I am not.

Click here to read this entire article.

This article or excerpt was posted on June 30, 2009@ 3:40 pm.

From:

Should Pastors Warn Their Congregations About Contemplative Spirituality?

Category: * The New (False) Spirituality
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Lighthouse Trails believes that contemplative spirituality must be addressed head on. Recently, we were contacted by a pastor who told us he did not see the reason to focus on these "negative" aspects (such as contemplative and emerging). He wanted to know why we did what we did.

We believe the Bible instructs believers to specifically warn about spiritual deceptions, which means naming names and identifying the deception for what it is. Right now, contemplative mysticism is making its way into virtually every denomination and evangelical group. Does that mean that every church in those groups or denominations has been influenced? No. There are churches who have rightly warned their congregations and together have made the decision that this new spirituality will not be part of their church life. But there are many churches that are ignoring this deception, saying that it is not necessary to talk about it. This is baffling to us.

If pastors don't want to talk about these things on Sunday mornings, then the least they can do for their people is hold special meetings that address the contemplative/emerging issues and allow the well-informed to teach the less-informed.

As our newsletter and website have been showing for several years, mystical spirituality has gained a foothold in much of Christianity today. In 1992, Newsweek magazine did a cover story called "Talking to God," which informed its readers that this spiritual practice had gained significant momentum in church life. The article stated:

"[S]ilence, appropriate body posture and, above all, emptying the mind through repetition of prayer-have been the practices of mystics in all the great world religions. And they form the basis on which most modern spiritual directors guide those who want to draw closer to God." (Newsweek, 1/6/92)

Newsweek was reporting on this over fifteen years ago. You can imagine the impact contemplative has had since then.

If the beloved apostle Paul saw the need to warn the flock and exhort Christian "overseers," then how is it that many of today's Christian pastors and leaders do not seem to have the same concerns?

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." Acts 20:28-31

This article or excerpt was posted on June 29, 2009@ 4:05 pm.

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Another Popular Christian Leader , Tim Keller, Takes Church into Contemplative

Category: * Contemplative
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

Tim Keller, senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, in New York City, is a popular Christian pastor and speaker. The June 2009 Christianity Today cover story is about Tim Keller. The cover article, "How Tim Keller Found Manhattan," talks about Keller's 5000+, 3-location church and their vision to help Manhattan. Since Keller began his ministry in Manhattan, police records show that certain aggravated crimes have dropped substantially. Of Keller and his wife, the CT article states:

Tim always preaches with a non-Christian audience in mind, not merely avoiding offense, but exploring the text to find its good news for unbelievers as well as believers. The church emphasizes excellence in music and art, to the point of paying their musicians well. And it calls people to love and bless the city.

According to the article, Redeemer has helped to plant 65 churches. But with all these seemingly high recognitions and while Keller has become a sought after speaker at Christian conferences, (such as Willow Creek's Leadership Summit 2009 and the Gospel Coalition (with D.A. Carson, John Piper and Erwin Lutzer), Keller's church, Redeemer Presbyterian, is bringing contemplative spirituality to their congregants.

This past Spring, under the church's School of Gospel Foundations program, one of Redeemer's staff, Susan Castillo, introduced centering prayer and a number of other contemplative practices and beliefs through "The Way of the Monk" day-long workshop. The description for one of the three classes reads:

In this session, we will focus on Centering Prayer, an age-old practice of authentic Christian meditation. We will cover history, technique, obstacles, and how to overcome them. We will also devote ample time to actual practice and Q &A. We will learn how to properly prepare by grounding ourselves in God's Word. As a prelude, we will consider the purpose, power, and biblical precedent for silence, solitude, and contemplative practice.

The other two classes that day were "Prayer Rope" and "The Divine Office/ Liturgy of the Hours," both of which have the contemplative essence. According to Keller's church website:

[Castillo] "wholly espouses Reformed Presbyterian theology while continuing to embrace her 'inner monk.' Sometimes referred to as 'The Retreat Lady,' she has been fleeing to monasteries to 'honeymoon with Jesus' for over ten years.

The "inner monk" is another term for "inner self." On the Way of the Monk website, it describes the inner self as such:

The awakened inner Self now goes in search of the Supreme Self. This is the purpose of monastic life. It is a search, a diligent search for higher consciousness, which culminates in discovering the 'eternal relation' that exists between the reality in you and the reality behind all creation [classic Hinduism]. (You have emptied yourself of yourself so that yourself settles totally into the self.)

Redeemer Presbyterian's Way of the Monk workshop is not an isolated incident at their church. On the website, there are several other indications: an article on meditation written by contemplative advocate and spiritual director Jan Johnson who talks in the article about lectio divina and Ignatius exercises.1 Ray Yungen discusses Johnson's contemplative viewpoint in A Time of Departing:

Jan Johnson in her book, When the Soul Listens: Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer, is a perfect example of an evangelical Christian who endorses and promotes this practice. She leaves no doubt about what this type of prayer entails:
Contemplative prayer, in its simplest form, is a prayer in which you still your thoughts and emotions and focus on God Himself. This puts you in a better state to be aware of God's presence, and it makes you better able to hear God's voice, correcting, guiding, and directing you.
Johnson's explanation of the initial stages of contemplative prayer leaves no doubt that "stilling" your thoughts means only one thing; she explains:
In the beginning, it is usual to feel nothing but a cloud of unknowing.... If you're a person who has relied on yourself a great deal to know what's going on, this unknowing will be unnerving.
(ATOD, 2nd ed., p. 82)

This cloud of unknowing is from a book written by an anonymous monk centuries ago called The Cloud of Unknowing, a primer on mantra-type meditation.

Another instructive article on the Redeemer site called "Lectio Divina - "Divine Reading" is written by staunch contemplative proponent David Benner, author of Sacred Companions.2 And under leadership on their church website, Redeemer recommends Henri Nouwen's book, In the Name of Jesus, where Nouwen says that Christian leaders must move from the "moral to the mystical."3

In The Cloud of Unknowing, it states: "Take just a little word, of one syllable rather than of two ... With this word you are to strike down every kind of thought under the cloud of forgetting." In The Cloud of Unknowing, as with other contemplative authors, it says that this form of prayer will unite the soul with God. That is said because it is believed by mystics that God and man are one and that God dwells in all humanity and all creation--and through meditation, man comes to this realization that he cannot see without meditation. Thus, the fruit, if you will, of contemplative prayer is interspirituality and panentheism.

And herein lies the problem. As an increasing number of proclaiming Christian leaders and pastors move their followers toward this mystical spirituality wherein a word or phrase is repeated until a state of silence is reached (or that place of unknowing) or the breath is focused upon to gain the same results as the repeated word or phrase, the question must be asked and answered, is this a legitimate form of biblical meditation, or is it no different than transcendental meditation and Hinduism (with Christian spray paint) where the soul is said to be brought into unity with the Divine? We hope and pray that discerning Christians will study this matter and come to realize contemplative spirituality is a doctrine of demons (I Timothy 4:1), leading practitioners away from the true Gospel and toward an earthly deceptive gospel that says man is God.

If Tim Keller's church continues to incorporate the way of the mystic, they will, in time, absorb the essence of mysticism if that hasn't already even happened.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 2:36 pm.

From:

Kabbalah Mysticism Examined in Light of God's Genuine Precepts

Category: *The Role of Meditation Source: Miscellaneous News Source

by S.E. Ray
Eternal Path Ministries

Kabbalah means "to receive" or "to accept." It is believed that when Moses brought the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai he also brought with him oral law, or Kabbalah. People who know this secret oral tradition claim to know the true meaning of the Torah, which has hidden messages. Therefore, the main principles of Kabbalah are a belief in the divinity of the Torah and that by studying the Torah you can understand the creation of the world.

Qabalah (modern "cultic" spelling, also known as Hermetic Qabalah), Kabbalah (traditional Jewish spelling), Cabala (Christian spelling) are all acceptable spellings and merely transliterations of the word in Hebrew. Isaac the Blind is considered the Father of Kabbalah traced back to the first century A.D. The first Kabbalistic ideas emerged in ancient times as an attempt by the Merkabah mystics to reach what they called the "higher throne" of God.

The movements sacred texts include the: Torah or the Five Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), Sepher Yetzirah or the Book of Formation (c. first century A.D.), Bahir (12th Century), Sepher ha Zohar or the Book of Splendour by Moses de Leon of Spain (late 13th century), Key of Solomon (Middle Ages). This text is considered part of the magical aspect of Qabalah, which is not accepted by mainstream Kabbalists.

In a today's "me centered" society, people are seeking their inner-self by means of various paths of mysticism. They desire self-awareness, a spiritual consciousness by every method possible. Kabbalists believe that much of the world is unexplainable to humans who exist in one level of consciousness. Therefore, they seek to enter other levels of spirituality by detailed study of the Torah. Kabbalists believe the answers to all human perplexities can be found in this most sacred work, but the answers are hidden within a complex network of codes and symbols. Not only is the Torah all-encompassing, it is also dynamic, meaning God continues to create. Click here to read this entire article.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 1:25 pm.

From:

A "WONDERFUL" DECEPTION - New Book by Warren Smith

Category: * Publishing NEWS
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

A Wonderful Deception by Warren Smith Warren Smith's new book, A "Wonderful" Deception will be released this week. Below is a brief description. A chapter by chapter synopsis will be available in a few days.

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?--Jeremiah 5:30-31

A "Wonderful" Deception
by Warren Smith
Summer 2009 Release

The further New Age implications of the emerging Purpose Driven movement

Five years after writing Deceived on Purpose: the New Age Implications of the Purpose Driven Church, former New Age follower Warren Smith continues to reveal how Christian leaders--wittingly or unwittingly--are leading the church into a spiritual trap. And while biblical prophecy is being minimized and explained away, a an unexpecting powerful spiritual deception is being used to prepare the world--and the church--to accept a New Spirituality and a false New Age Christ. This book explains how all the puzzle pieces are in place for the "strong delusion" described in 2 Thessalonians. A "Wonderful" Deception pierces right into the heart of this deception while preparing believers in Jesus Christ to effectively stand against it.

*How a "broad way" Christianity is deceiving many in the church
*How Rick Warren continues to align himself with New Age sympathizers
*How attempts have been made to discredit critics of the Purpose Driven movement
*How the best-selling novel, The Shack, fits into the "wonderful" deception
*Ten scriptural reasons not to be connected with the Purpose Driven movement

Book Information:
Lighthouse Trails Publishing
Softbound, 232 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-9824881-0-2
Retail: $14.95
Quantity Discounts Available
To order. (All backorders will be shipped by July 3rd, 2009).

This article or excerpt was posted on June 28, 2009@ 10:14 pm.

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Chicago school to march in Gay Pride Parade

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

Rex W. Huppke
Tribune reporter
Chicago-Sun Tribune

The black metal fence in front of Nettelhorst Elementary School is obscured by thousands of strips of dyed fabric -- yellows giving way to greens, then blues, purples and reds -- each one tied on by the small hands of a student.

The ruffled, waist-high rainbow is a symbol of the school's solidarity with its east Lakeview community, and a sign hanging by the gate trumpets that Nettelhorst this year "will be the first Chicago public school to march in the city's gay pride parade."

"We believe family means everybody," the sign reads.

Amy Goodman agrees with that. She'll be in the parade at noon Sunday with her husband, towing their 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter in a wagon bedecked in rainbows.Click here to read this entire article.

This article or excerpt was posted on June 26, 2009@ 4:56 pm.

From:

Youth Specialties Promises Big Changes But Reality Proves Otherwise

Category: * Emerging (Merging) Church
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

According to a June 23rdChristianity Today article titled, "Less Edgy Conferences," the Zondervan-owned organization Youth Specialties is going to make "dramatic shifts" this fall at their National Youth Workers Conventions. The CT article, which is based on a pod-cast by Youth Specialties president, Mark Oestreicher, suggests that these changes being brought about could be because of financial difficulties within and criticism against this emerging church organization. The article says that the biggest change is that the expected 3000+ attendees at the tri-city event can "expect keynote speakers to address fewer hot-button issues from the main stage than in years past."

Organizers hope to build a "more unifying" gathering, the CT article states, that will draw a broader scope of attendees, from "Catholic" to mainline Protestant to "conservative evangelicals" with the hope of focusing more on what these groups have in "common," which the article says is "the gospel of Jesus Christ." Youth Specialties president (who took over after founder Mike Yaconelli was killed in a car accident a few years ago) says: "Whether you're a liberal [Methodist] or Presbyterian or some other denomination like that, or whether you come from a Southern Baptist church or an independent Bible church, those are things we can stack hands on." In Oestreicher's podcast announcement (which prompted the CT article), he says that "the shift that we are trying to bring this year is rather than to say instead of focusing on acknowledging that we all have differences ... let's kind of go toward a kingdom of God theological perspective."

This "kingdom of God theological perspective" is the same "perspective" that Lighthouse Trails discussed in our article on Mike Erre's book, Death by Church. Erre, who recently spoke at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa to thousands of youth, lays out a manifesto of the "kingdom of God" perspective in his book with elements such as panentheism (God in all things), universalism (all of creation being saved), kingdom-now theology, etc. This IS the very perspective that Youth Specialties has been promoting for many years.

The article admits that past conferences have focused on "challeng[ing] audiences and offer[ing] fresh, even controversial, theological perspectives," but "in recent years, Youth Specialties has faced a backlash from certain segments of its constituency, Oestreicher acknowledged."

Last year, for example, one featured speaker was Andrew Marin, president and founder of the Marin Foundation, a nonprofit that builds bridges between the religious and gay communities. Marin's appearance hit a nerve with some, but not all, conservatives, and probably prompted Youth Specialties' decision to "play it safe" at the upcoming conventions.

What the article does not mention is that Marin Foundation is an advocacy group for the homosexual lifestyle and integrating this lifestyle into "the body of Christ."2The article states that Marin Foundation will be participating at this year's event as well in workshops.

The CT article emphasizes that Oestreicher "remains committed to 'pushing the envelope'":

"There's definitely an opportunity to engage in discussions around topics," he said. "It's not like we're trying to make this a vanilla event that is lowering the bar to the least common denominator so that we can all agree on everything and create some kind of false utopia."

Basically, what we have described is the essence of the CT article. And now for the rest of the story:

The Christianity Today article has left much to be desired in understanding what is taking place here. The first thing that comes to our minds when reading this article are the words of the esotericist Alice Bailey (who coined the term New Age) when she said that the day would come when it would be vital for those who are seeking to bring about the new spirituality (the Age of Aquarius) would have to infiltrate the Christian church, leaving the outer layers intact (so as not to cause alarm), while working vigorously to change the structure from the inside. Then later these outer wrappings could be eliminated as well. Those who are familiar with the history and the mission of Youth Specialties and the emerging church, as a whole, will understand that these "dramatic shifts" being presented by Youth Specialties are put in place because criticism and challenge (by Bible-believing ministries) have revealed to many the anti-biblical approach of this and other similar groups. While appealing to Christian youth and youth workers, such groups have, whether wittingly or unwittingly, deceived many and led countless young people toward an emerging, mystical spirituality. They have inadvertently put the faith of exposed young people at risk.

So while this effort to draw the more conservative circles of Christianity in is taking place, the theological underpinnings will remain the same. The CT article admits, "I don't see a big ideological shift here. I see a business plan in action."

What are those ideologies that aren't changing? First let's take a look at the history of Youth Specialties. In Faith Undone, in a section titled "Shaping the Minds of Our Youth," Oakland talks about the beginning days of Youth Specialties in the late 1960s and how within a few years the organization had won the attention of Christian publishing house, Zondervan. Mike Yaconelli and Wayne Rice (the founders of Youth Specialties) "wanted to change the way youth ministry was viewed and approached." Over the next thirty years, the two companies published over 500 resources for youth workers. In 1984, Zondervan signed a co-publishing deal with Youth Specialties, and worth noting, in 1988, Rupert Murdoch's multi-billion dollar corporation purchased Zondervan (which of course later became Rick Warren's publisher).

Twelve years after the 1988 purchase, Youth Specialties partnered with the liberal/mystical-promoting San Francisco Theological Seminary. The two organizations resonated with each other: YS had already begun hooking up with Emergent (from Leadership Network at the time). Oakland states: "Sharing many of the same spiritual affinities as Emergent, Youth Specialties hoped to help take the movement to the next level with more books, more conferences, and more growth" (Faith Undone, pp. 35-36).

Youth Specialties has sought after that "next level" with the help of some of the most contemplative and emerging type figures and mystical practices and exercises. The books published through the YS/Zondervan partnership have equally advocated such a spirituality time and time again.

We would like to issue this alert, especially to those conservative Christians that YS will be hoping to connect with. While the outer layers may be changed to look more "Christian," there is no indication that YS is changing its ideologies or spiritual approaches. But there is every reason for us to believe that the faith of the youth workers attending the YS National Youth Workers event will be at as much risk as ever. Remember, spiritual deception looks very much like the right thing. But it is anything but that.

Lighthouse Trails first reported on Youth Specialties over four years ago. We hope our reports have had some kind of impact in helping believers become more informed of the new spirituality. This new mystical spirituality, which of course really isn't new, will ultimately lead adherents away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and toward "another gospel" and "another Jesus" (II Corinthians 11:14).

This year's National Youth Worker's Convention is going to bring the same genre of spiritual figures and opportunities as in the past. The line-up includes the following emerging/contemplative speakers: Dan Kimball, Mark Oestreicher, Duffy Robbins, Jim Burns, Scot McKnight, Don Miller, and Tony Campolo (all of which you can read about on the research site), as well as Anthony Marin of the Marin Foundation. So while YS organizers are stating that there is going to more focus on the gospel and less on controversial issues, they are including speakers (like Tony Campolo), who advocate mystical practices and emerging spirituality (see link below). Duffy Robbins and his wife Maggie are the authors of Enjoy the Silence, a book sold by YS and one that promotes contemplative prayer practices (e.g. lectio divina). Incidentally, Maggie Robbins, who was trained at the Kairos School of Spiritual Formation, will be teaching a workshop based on that book. Another workshop to be held is called "Creating Sacred Spaces" taught by contemplative advocate Lilly Lewin (please check out her website). In addition to the event's speakers and their mystical propensities, on the current Youth Specialties website store, they are still selling an array of highly contemplative/emerging books, such as Tony Jones' book, The Sacred Way, where he devotes entire chapters to subjects such as centering prayer, the "prayer of the heart" (contemplative), and The Cloud of Unknowing (pp. 71-72). With all of this, and even more, coming out of Youth Specialties, this hardly seems like "dramatic shifts." For those who are skeptical, spend some time on the conference website and research some of the other speakers. We believe you will find that the majority are those in the contemplative and/or emerging camp. So while Youth Specialties has made the announcement that they are going to be more "gospel" focused, the reality of what is going to take place is entirely different. And yet most people who read the Christianity Today article will think things are changing for the good at Youth Specialties, and they will never know the truth.

In Oestricher's podcast, he mentions the Independent fundamentalist denomination as one he is hoping will be part of the new shift at Youth Specialties. This is one denomination that has not had much infiltration by the emerging movement as of yet. But by the looks of it, they are going to be wooed by the movement as have other evangelical organizations such as Calvary Chapel, Southern Baptist, Church of the Nazarene, Christian Missionary Alliance, Foursquare, Assemblies of God etc. The adversary of our Lord (and the Bride of Christ) means business--he is out to get our youth. May the Lord give believers wisdom and understanding regarding this deception. While his tactics will become more obscure as his plans are exposed, as believers, let us not be ignorant of his devices.

Related:

Youth Specialties Shifts Convention Approach to Avoid Controversy

More from YS on the changes

This article or excerpt was posted on June 25, 2009@ 11:34 pm.

From:

SIGNS OF THE TIMES: FIRST THE BAD NEWS, THEN THE GOOD

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

Where's hope to be found when cynicism, paranoia, fear, mistrust, blame, greed and spiritual deception dominate?...

By Debra Rae
NewsWithViews.com

"Where's the Hope in 2009?"

Jesus told His disciples that the close of the age would be distinguished by signs, one of which is "abounding iniquity." Arguably, childlike innocence is more a relic of the past than it is the norm. For good reason folks seldom leave keys in unattended cars, or bedroom windows wide open while sleeping.

Sadly, it would take eight Vietnams to fill as many graves as have been packed by Americans killed by fellow citizens. Crime originates from every rung of society. Daily, misdeeds of powerful politicians and self-serving corporate executives demonstrate our "losing the sense of shame that once accompanied the act of theft, private or public" (Lawrence W. Reed, "Ideas on Liberty," THE FREEMAN 2008).

Although cynicism abounds, understandably so, those who hope in the Lord remain "of good courage" and "strengthened in heart" (Psalms 31:24).Click here to read this entire article.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 1:25 pm.

From:

Richard Foster's Celebration of Deception

Category: * Contemplative
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

by Bob DeWaay
Twin City Fellowship

In February 2008, Christianity Today ran a glowing cover story about Evangelicalism's recent embrace of medieval Roman Catholic mysticism entitled The Future lies in the Past.1 The article traced the beginning of the movement as follows: "The movement seems to have exploded in a 24-month period in 1977-1978, which saw the publication of Richard Foster's bestselling Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth and Robert Webber's Common Roots: A Call to Evangelical Maturity."2

The article views Foster as one who continues to guide the movement: "From Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and living practicing monks and nuns, they [those going back to Roman Catholic mysticism] must learn both the strengths and the limits of the historical ascetic disciplines."3 So Foster was instrumental in starting a movement that is still growing 30-plus years later.

The irony about this particular CIC regarding Foster's 1978 book is that in 1978 I myself was living in a Christian community committed to practicing much of what he promotes in Celebration of Discipline (even though we had not learned it from him directly). So I am not criticizing a practice about which I know nothing (or one in which I have no experience). I am criticizing a practice I foolishly allowed to deceive me for a significant portion of my early Christian life. When it comes to being deceived by mysticism, I have had abundant involvement. The only way I escaped it was through discovering and adopting the Reformation principle of sola scriptura.

In this article I will show that Foster's "journey inward" is unbiblical and dangerous. I will show that most of the spiritual disciplines that he calls "means of grace" are no means of grace at allâ€”but a means of putting oneself under spiritual deception. Click here to read this entire article.

Related:

Richard Foster's Legacy Endures - Christian Leaders Help to Make it So

More research material on Foster's spirituality.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 8:34 am.

From:

WorldNetDaily: Child molester's dream come true

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

by WorldNetDaily

Two recent government actions, one legislative and one judicial, have called into question our society's willingness to protect its youngest and most vulnerable members.

A hate crimes bill (H.R. 1913 and S. 909), dubbed by critics the "Pedophile Protection Act," has already passed the House and is up for vote in the Senate. The bill earned its unofficial name when Democrats rejected an amendment to exclude pedophiles from legal protection. No doubt this legislation serves as a precursor to onerous hate speech legislation in the future.

On the judicial front, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in a divorce case that two minor children must be forced to mingle against their will with their homosexual father's "gay" and lesbian friends during visitation. Claiming the children of Eric and Sandy Mongerson will not suffer harm from this contact, Justice Robert Benham overturned an earlier lower court ruling protecting the children from exposure to "overnight company with a member of the opposite sex, or with any person deemed to be a paramour, unrelated by blood or marriage, in the presence of a child."

Beth Littrell, an attorney for the pro-homosexual group Lambda Legal, said, "The court has done the right thing today by focusing on the needs of the children instead of perpetuating stigma on the basis of sexual orientation."

An AP report said the mother's attorney, Lance McMillian, "claimed the father subjected the children to an 'array of violent, sexual, abusive and wholly inappropriate conduct' during a trip to Arkansas and contended the father was in a series of affairs with other men while still married."

During the trial the two oldest children expressed fear for the safety of their younger siblings due to their homosexual father's violent outbursts. One of the girls told of finding a magazine with naked men while visiting her father.

So much for "justice" and the assertion that children's needs are a priority. Click here to read this entire article.

Related:

Hate Crimes Bill Passes House - Christian Leaders Partly to Blame

The New (Age) Department of Peace

Ted Haggard Story Will Raise Serious Questions For All

Homosexuality and the New Age

This article or excerpt was posted on June 23, 2009@ 11:22 am.

From:

Why Perilous Times Are Now in Overdrive

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Olive Tree Views

You may think that headline is a strong statement so let me defend it. We have now entered the most serious "perilous times" (II Timothy 3:1) in history. President Obama's speech in Cairo was a total surrender to Islam and a drastic turn against one of our best allies, Israel.

Because of this one-two punch, America and the rest of the world will never be what it once was. Why? Because Obama is the acknowledged leader of the free world as all American presidents are. And he sent the world of Islam a dramatic message that America wants to be their friend and that America respects Islam -- even though they continue to be at war with us.

In his speech in early June in Cairo, there was not a single word about Islam's well-known and checkered past of conquering by the sword. There was no reference to the indoctrination by Islam of her youth to steer them toward violence. There was no reference to the fact that Islamic suicide bombers are blowing themselves up around the world and beheading innocent people. No mention of the "honor killings" against family members who prove to be an embarrassment. And he gave a pass for Muslims to keep stoning their women for various offenses. He also signaled the world that we could go back to a 9/10 mentality.

As Bill Koenig states in his weekly e-newsletter, "Obama complimented them (Islam) for their religion. Both moderates and radicals heard the speech through the lens of Islam and, they will use it for their benefit to further their religion throughout the world." The speech sent a message to the world that Islam should be respected even though as he was speaking, radicals were likely planning evil deeds.

The president stated that Israel has no business attacking Iran. This stretches credulity when you think about it. Who do we think we are to dictate policy that involves Israel's survival? But this foreign policy statement signaled to the radical Islamic world that they need not fear America! It also emboldened North Korea to continue its escalation of nuclear weapons and to ignore all the West's warnings, as we're now paper tigers. So while America fiddles, these evil powers are planning a full-scale nuclear showdown with the West perhaps sooner than we imagine.

It was clear from the Cairo speech that America has taken a new direction with one of its best allies, Israel. The president would rather focus on his Islamic-friendly agenda. Israel is obviously an inconvenience and, again, shouldn't even think about striking Iran who wants her to be history just as Hitler did.

He then showed his disconnect with reality by equating Holocaust horror with Palestinian rights and alleged mistreatment. He did not chastise the corrupt Palestinian leadership as the root of Palestinian suffering. Click here for links, references, and to read this entire article. Courtesy of Kjos Ministries

This article or excerpt was posted on June 22, 2009@ 2:48 am.

From: http://www.olivetreeviews.org

New YouTube: Ray Yungen on Contemplative Prayer: Part 1

Category: * Contemplative
Source: Ray Yungen

Part 1 of a 2 part preview. This is a 10 minute clip of the second DVD in the "New Face of Mystical Spirituality" series - Contemplative Prayer. Ray Yungen presents the framework of the contemplative prayer life from the desert fathers and explains how many of today's Christian leaders are endorsing this same method in today's generation. Did they find something to benefit the body of Christ, or unlock dangerous occult practices of the past? For more information on The New Face of Mystical Spirituality series, visit: Lighthouse Trails Publishing.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 1:33 am.

From: http://www.lighthousetrails.com/atimeofdeparting.htm

The Emerging Lie

Category: * Emerging (Merging) Church
Source: Linda Harvey (Mission America)

Related:

Hate Crimes Bill Passes House - Christian Leaders Partly to Blame

Spiritual Politics

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 1:24 am.

From: http://www.missionamerica.com/

Obama Unveils "United We Serve"

Category: * Signs of the Times
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

LTRP Note: The following is a follow-up to previous articles (see links below) Lighthouse Trails has posted regarding possible mandatory service enforced by the new administration and the support of such efforts by Christian leaders like Rick Warren.

NATIONAL SERVICE - In a video message released on Wednesday, President Obama unveiled United We Serve - a sustained effort to expand the size and impact of volunteer efforts in addressing tough challenges facing the nation.

The initiative, which will be led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, officially kicks off on June 22, during the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, and runs for 81 days through a new National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11.

To make it easy to get involved, the President is urging Americans to visit the Corporation's web site, http://www.Serve.gov - where visitors can search for local volunteer opportunities, recruit volunteers by posting their organization's projects, or get ideas for creating their own projects with friends, families, and neighbors. Click here to read this entire article.

Related Stories:

Is This Our Future: Mandatory Community Service, a Three-Legged Purpose Driven Plan, and a Brave New World? by Kjos Ministries

Rick Warren, Readers Digest Join Forces for New Publication

Welcome to the New Era of Global Civility and Civic Common Ground by Herescope

The New (Age) Department of Peace

This article or excerpt was posted on June 20, 2009@ 9:39 pm.

From:

Mysticism on the March Again -- Mantra-Based Book Offered to Calvary Chapel Pastors

Category: * Contemplative
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails

At the recent Calvary Chapel Senior Pastors Conference in Murrieta, California, attending pastors were each given gift bags that contained an assortment of books, teaching CDs, and other items. At least some of the bags contained a copy of a book written by David Timms, a professor at Hope International University who puts an emphasis on spiritual formation and teaches a course in lectio divina.1 Timms' book, titled Living the Lord's Prayer, is one that strongly promotes contemplative spirituality and includes favorable mention of the use of mantras as well as reference to panentheistic mystic Thomas Merton.

The publisher of the book, Bethany House Publishers, says Living the Lord's Prayer "examines the Lord's prayer as a simple but profound framework for the journey toward Christian maturity" (copyright page). This "maturity" is described in the introduction of the book (titled "The Lord's Prayer and Spiritual Formation") as spiritual formation. Rick Warren recognized this connection between "maturity" and "spiritual formation" in his own book, The Purpose Driven Church, when he stated that the "Spiritual Formation Movement" (ala Richard Foster and Dallas Willard) would develop "believers to full maturity" through "spiritual disciplines" (p. 126). When contemplative teachers say "maturity," they mean that Christians who want to go deeper with God or develop more intimacy must implement the practice of contemplative prayer (i.e., they must go into the silence where all distractions are removed and where they can hear the voice of God). Thus, the prerequisite for "maturity" is not merely being born-again and having Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) as our Lord and Savior but is more so putting aside doctrines, as Thomas Merton encouraged (see note below) and entering the mystical realm through contemplative prayer practices. Ray Yungen offers some interesting insights:

In a booklet put out by Saddleback Church on spiritual maturity, the following quote by Henri Nouwen is listed:
Solitude begins with a time and place for God, and Him alone. If we really believe not only that God exists, but that He is actively present in our lives--healing, teaching, and guiding--we need to set aside a time and space to give Him our undivided attention.2
When we understand what Nouwen really means by "time and space" given to God we can also see the emptiness and deception of his spirituality. In his recent biography of Nouwen, God's Beloved, Michael O' Laughlin says:
Some new elements began to emerge in Nouwen's thinking when he discovered Thomas Merton. Merton opened up for Henri an enticing vista of the world of contemplation and a way of seeing not only God but also the world through new eyes.... If ever there was a time when Henri Nouwen wished to enter the realm of the spiritual masters or dedicate himself to a higher spiritual path, it was when he fell under the spell of Cistercian monasticism and the writings of Thomas Merton.3 (from A Time of Departing, pp. 192-193)

In the book by David Timms that was passed out to Calvary Chapel pastors, Timms is not shy about showing his unsurpassing admiration for such mystics and their spirituality. Of Thomas Merton, he fondly identifies Merton as "one of the most influential Roman Catholic authors of the twentieth century" and "an acclaimed spiritual author" (p. 225). Timms uses Merton and Henri Nouwen as examples of those who helped others develop "intimacy" with God through their writings (p. 18). "If we summarize these saints of the past [Merton and Nouwen], we develop quite a catalog of pathways [to intimacy with God]," Timms states. "We draw nearer to God through: ... Spiritual disciplines of silence ... Meditative prayer" (p. 18). In a section Timms titles "A Mantra," he encourages the use of a "repeated word or phrase." He footnotes this section, saying:

Many people associate the term with Hinduism or New Age practices. However, the idea of a repeated word or phrase has a long and meaningful history in the church. For a helpful discussion, see John Main (Word into Silence). (p. 226)

John Main (a Catholic mystic) is most known for the "way of the mantra." Richard Foster recognized the eastern influence of Main's spirituality when he said: "Dom John Main understood well the value of both silence and solitude ... Main rediscovered meditation while living in the Far East." (Spiritual Classics, p. 155). India-raised Caryl Matrisciana, in her compelling book Out of India, says this of John Main:

Main "rediscovered meditation" from his Hindu guru, Swami Satyananda from whom he "recognized the practice of the mantra" and came to use it in prayer sessions three times a day. Main died in 1982, but he left a "legacy" known as the way of the mantra, and many have been influenced by his beliefs (OIA, p. 177)

For David Timms to recommend readers to turn to John Main can leave no doubt as to Timms' conviction that mantra-style meditation is a legitimate form of prayer for the Christian. Even emerging church leader Tony Jones, on page 215 of his book The Sacred Way makes the unmistakably clear statement that "Benedictine monk John Main combined Christian teaching with Hindu meditation to form a mantra-type meditation."

Timm's book is filled with many other references to those who promote this type of spirituality: St. John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila (see Castles in the Sand for information on Teresa of Avila), Madame Jeanne Guyon, Bernard of Clairvaux, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Sienna, David Benner (author of Sacred Companions), Parker Palmer, and Dallas Willard.

There may be some reading this article who do not understand the true nature of mantra meditation and why it isn't compatible with biblical Christianity. The following quotes will clarify the dynamics behind mantra usage:

"When one enters the deeper layers of contemplative prayer one sooner or later experiences the void, the emptiness, the nothingness ... the profound mystical silence ... an absence of thought."--William Johnson (Letters to Contemplatives, p. 7)

"[S]ilence, appropriate body posture and, above all, emptying the mind through repetition of prayer--have been the practices of mystics in all the great world religions. And they form the basis on which most modern spiritual directors guide those who want to draw closer to God."--Newsweek ("Talking to God" 1/6/92)

"A form of Christian meditation [contemplative], its practitioners are trained to focus on an inner symbol that quiets the mind.... When practitioners become skilled at this method of meditation, they undergo a deep trance state similar to auto-hypnosis."--Jacquelyn Small (Awakening in Time, p. 261)

"[T]he first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer..... [C]ontemplative spirituality tends to emphasize the need for a change in consciousness ... we must come to see reality differently.... Choose a single, sacred word ... repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, and often."--Brennan Manning (Signature of Jesus, pp. 212, 216, 218) (quotes from A Time of Departing)

This is the spirituality of which David Timms resonates with. For Calvary Chapel to hand Living the Lord's Prayer out in pastors' gift bags is an indication that the Calvary Chapel organization is being impacted by proponents of contemplative spirituality, as are most other evangelical denominations and organizations today. Calvary Chapel Distribution (the resource arm of Calvary Chapel) added Living the Lord's Prayer to their store website in March of 2009 and is currently selling the book to Calvary Chapel pastors and leaders. 1

What will happen to the Christian of the future if this move toward the mystical continues? Will Karl Rahner be right when he says the Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will be nothing at all? Ray Yungen expresses his concern for the Christian of the future:

Evangelical Christianity is now being invited, perhaps even catapulted into seeing God with these new eyes of contemplative prayer. And so the question must be asked, is Thomas Merton's silence, Henri Nouwen's space, and Richard Foster's contemplative prayer the way in which we can know and be close to God? Or is this actually a spiritual belief system that is contrary to the true message that the Bible so absolutely defines--that there is only one way to God and that is through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the Cross obtained our full salvation?

If indeed my concerns for the future actually come to fruition, then we will truly enter a time of departing....

[However] there is hope for the Christian of the future. In Christ, we do have a sure hope, and we have His promise in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell will not prevail against us. Yes, there will be a time of departing as the Bible predicts, and we can be sure an apostate church will help usher in the "man of sin" at the appointed time, but there will also be the Bride who makes herself ready for the Lord's return.(ATOD, p. 193)

While many pastors, like Calvary Chapel's Chuck and Paul Smith, have tried to stand against the new mystical spirituality, a new generation of pastors are having a major influence and taking many Christians right into the contemplative camp. These younger pastors have often been trained at contemplative/emerging-promoting colleges (ones like Biola University and Wheaton College) and have come to believe that their ancient/future way of spirituality is the right path to follow. And often, because many of the evangelical churches' more established pastors have not maintained a steady habit of learning about, warning against, and standing against spiritual deception, they don't even recognize what the newer trained pastors are presenting to the body of Christ.

The Bible tells us not to be ignorant of the devices of the devil (II Corinthians 2:11). While no believer wants to have to think about such devices, we are instructed to understand them, identify them, and warn about them. A case in point, the fact that Rick Warren is rarely criticized or challenged by mainstream Christian leaders, and yet is one of the biggest and most influential advocates of contemplative emerging spirituality, speaks volumes to the condition of most Christian leaders and pastors today. Thomas Merton would be rejoicing today to know that David Timms book is being offered to Calvary Chapel pastors. But remember what that same Thomas Merton said about contemplative experiences: "Isn't it a pity that people are going into LSD to have spiritual experiences, when we have a tradition in the Church [contemplative prayer] which no one knows anything about?"4 Merton was likening the contemplative experience to a drug trip. He further indicates the culmination of practicing this altered state of consciousness (which makes one feel one with the universe, one with God, in short a part of God Himself) when he states:

It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race ... now I realize what we all are.... If only they [people] could all see themselves as they really are ... I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.... At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusions, a point of pure truth.... This little point ... is the pure glory of God in us. It is in everybody.5

Is this really the message that Christian pastors want to convey to their congregations?

Notes:
2. Henri Nouwen, cited in Saddleback training book, Soul Construction: SolitudeTool (Lake Forest, CA: Saddleback Church, 2003), p. 12.
3. Michael O' Laughlin, God's Beloved (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004), p. 178.
4. Click here for source to Merton quote.
5. Taken from chapter 3 A Time of Departing, quoting Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (Garden City, NY: Doubleday Publishers, 1989), pp. 157-158.

Note on Merton and doctrine: Ray Yungen documents correspondence Merton had with a Sufi master. The two were discussing fana (eastern mysticism). Merton asked the Sufi leader what the Muslim view of salvation was. The Sufi answered that Islam "does not subscribe to the doctrine of atonement or the theory of redemption." Merton replied:

"Personally, in matters where dogmatic beliefs [doctrines] differ, I think that controversy is of little value because it takes us away from the spiritual realities into the realm of words and ideas ... in words there are apt to be infinite complexities and subtleties which are beyond resolution.... But much more important is the sharing of the experience of divine light, ... It is here that the area of fruitful dialogue exists between Christianity and Islam." (Rob Baker and Gray Henry, Editors, Merton and Sufism (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 1999), p. 110.

Those who study contemplative spirituality from a critical point of view come to understand this is pure contemplative spirituality - doctrine stands in the way of unity and oneness; mysticism eradicates that problem. (from A Time of Departing, 2nd ed. pp. 59-60.)

More information on the Calvary Chapel situation, click here.
This article or excerpt was posted on @ 8:59 pm.

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Islamic Society convention lands appearance from Rick Warren

Category: * Purpose Driven Movement
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

INDYSTAR - The Indiana-based Islamic Society of North America will be holding its annual convention -- the largest yearly gathering of Muslims on the continent -- in Washington, D.C. over the Fourth of July weekend.

And while convention leaders are holding out hope that President Barack Obama might make the convention his latest stop in his outreach to the Muslim world, the convention has landed another pretty big fish as a featured speaker.

Purpose-Driven pastor Rick Warren has agreed to appear at the convention and be part of its main session discussing the convention's theme -- "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Joining Warren for the session is ISNA President Ingrid Mattson and noted Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf.

Warren's scheduled visit to the convention follows ISNA leader Sayyid Syeed's appearance last December at Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on Public Health. Warren was unavailable this week to comment about the appearance. Click here to read this entire news story.

Related Information:

Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Brian McLaren and other Contemplative/Emerging Leaders Invite Muslims to Love God, Neighbors Together

This article or excerpt was posted on June 19, 2009@ 10:34 pm.

From:

Christianity Today Promoting Classic Contemplative Book

Category: * Contemplative
Source: Miscellaneous News Source

from Christian Research Network

With a link right off their main website this morning to its Christian History site Christianity Today, "a magazine of evangelical conviction," continues leading the way back into the dark ages as they present this ode to a classic of corrupt contemplative spirituality The Cloud of Unknowing, which begins:

Sometime during the last half of the 14th century, somewhere in England's East Midland area, some anonymous Carthusian monk (or priest) created one of the most enduring how-to books on prayer--The Cloud of Unknowing. His intentional anonymity illustrates his main message: Christ must become more visible as his followers grow kinder and humbler. Anonymous wants readers "sincere in their intentions to follow Christ" in love.

Click here to read more.

This article or excerpt was posted on @ 1:05 pm.

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some things you should know about this blog ...

This is the non- interactive blog of Lighthouse Trails Research Project. Articles exposing the dangers and the truth about the "new spirituality" coming through contemplative spirituality.

definition: contemplative spirituality - a belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology; the premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all).