Posts Tagged ‘Roman Catholicism’

Dear Friends in the Lord Jesus Christ: 

I have only recently subscribed to your newsletter. A breath of fresh air!

Although raised Roman Catholic, I was saved by the grace of God at age 15, that was almost 40 years ago.

I have been living in Europe for the last 25 years. Here we are geographically closer to Rome and still remember the persecutions of recent and not so recent eras. Conservative Christians (the few there are in postmodern Europe) still see and recognize the dangers of Catholicism, which shows its true face more “honestly” on this side of the pond.

I will just tell you about one anecdote … I happened to be in Lisbon in May 2010 for a professional conference. My daughter and I arrived the day the pope was visiting but my event was not to start until around 7 pm. We had plenty of time and were curious about all the crowds, we got the metro and walked toward the harbor where a large square had been set up for the mass. Of course, there were several on the platform singing soft contemporary-style Christian music and streams of people, young and old, pouring out of the metro and moving toward the square … We saw thousands and thousands of people; lots of banners, t-shirts and sun visors, all with a picture of the pope or similar image. In all the banners, we only saw the word “God” 3 times and the word “Jesus” only 1 time! I think I didn’t see a single Bible verse. I wondered how a mere man could accept such adulation; how could the people be blinded to the fact that they were giving glory to a mere man? There were outdoor advertising banners all over the city… “”My father taught me to love”

“My father taught me to believe” “My father taught me to hope” and more of the same, obviously all referring to the pope, as far as I could tell. I was astonished again that a mere man could be accepting glory for this. I look at this and can’t believe that anything like “Bible-believing Christians” could fall for the deception that Catholics believe the same as the Bible teaches.

“Lena”

Related:

Eucharistic Adoration and the Emerging Church 

The Road to Rome: The New Evangelization Plan to Win Back “the Lost Brethren”

Nanci is a First Nations Canadian Cree woman who is the daughter and granddaughter of medicine men. Growing up, her life was filled with the practices and mystical experiences brought on from Native Spirituality. Today, as a born-again Christian, Nanci warns of these dangers as she sees many of her Native American Christian brothers and sisters incorporating Native Spirituality into their spiritual lives and also sees many non-Native Christians incorporating Native Spirituality into their own lives. A deep love for both Native Americans and non-Natives is what motivated Nanci to write Muddy Waters. It is also what has motivated Lighthouse Trails to publish the book. We would never want to give the impression that we or Nanci have any animosity toward Native Americans. On the contrary, we are very aware and deeply grieved about the injustices and cruel and prejudiced treatment that Native Americans have received in the past and sometimes still do.

By Nanci Des Gerlaise
(author of Muddy Waters)

“Two Sources of Power But Only One Source of Truth”

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. (Hebrews 13:9)

Many Native Americans believe that because a power lies within their spirituality or that because it is ancestral and traditional, it is right and true. But assuming that the mere presence of spiritual power means it is good can be very dangerous. The Bible is full of warnings about the subtlety and dangers of demonic powers and deception.1

Instead of believing that anything spiritually powerful is good, we rather must ask: What is the actual source of this power? Does it really connect its practitioners with a trustworthy spiritual realm? Does it originate from the one true and living God whose only Son came in the flesh and died on the Cross for our sins? Does it deliver what it promises? Or do we actually get something else? Something false and deceitful? Jesus’ first reply when asked about the signs of His return was to watch out that we are not deceived. And 1 Thessalonians 5:21–22 warns us to, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

We need to test all things and see if their claims hold up in the light of truth.

Throughout the ages, an epic battle has raged between two sources of power: God’s and Satan’s. However, they are not in any way equal. The Eternal God created Satan and granted him limited power for a season. That battle has not ceased or desisted by any stretch of the imagination, but in our time, it has grown far more subtle, powerful, and widespread.

Second Corinthians 11:14-15 warns us that Satan is “transformed into an angel of light,” and his “ministers” (demons) are “transformed as the ministers of righteousness.” Thus, it is absolutely imperative that we are able to discern true from false and genuine from counterfeit.

Why do we need discernment? some may ask. First of all, if we are Christians, born of the Holy Spirit through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, God will judge our works and hold us accountable for decisions we make and how we live our lives.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (1 Corinthians 3:11–13)

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

On the other hand, those of you who are not born-again Christians should be very sober-minded about your eternal destination. If you do not accept His free gift of salvation and believe in Him to be your Savior and Lord, you will spend eternity in darkness where there is no good thing.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)

It’s easy in this age of do-it-yourself cafeteria-style religion to become confused and to miss the truth. For instance, some professing Christians actually call Jesus Christ a shaman (a witch doctor) and the gifts of the Holy Spirit a form of shamanism or witchcraft.

This blasphemous view reveals a flagrant lack of understanding of the true character of Christ and His holiness and the true character of the devil and evil.

Still others professing to be Christians say that the works we do save us and get us into Heaven. Roman Catholicism, for instance, teaches this unbiblical doctrine (justification by works), and its influence is also widespread among Native Americans.

As a child, I used to attend a Roman Catholic Church. I loved hearing about Jesus and being chosen to help lead the hymns, but I didn’t realize they were teaching me a false gospel and telling me about the wrong Jesus. The Bible says:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

The ungodly mixture of occultism and works, as a means to obtain spiritual power, has existed for centuries among the Native peoples. Back in the 1800s and the early 1900s, the Canadian government subjected them to residential schools to “Christianize” these “pagan people” by forcing Catholicism down their throats.

They never “Christianized” the Native people, but left them with a bitter taste in their mouths. As a result, they are generally quite angry towards religion, which is understandable. This is not the love, forgiveness, or new life that the real Lord Jesus Christ gives to people. When I read the words below from Revelation 18:4–5, I knew they were speaking to me about renouncing all aspects of this false gospel:

And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not any of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Second Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving. Those who are spiritually blind cannot know true freedom or new life in Christ.

But whether we are believers or unbelievers, we have this in common: We have the same enemy, Satan. The devil hates mankind because he hates anything that is created in God’s image, and he will do everything possible to hinder and destroy us, even while promising to bless us.

The great difference is that Christians have been born again and have been delivered from Satan’s realm by the atoning death of Jesus Christ. They never again have to be subject to the devil’s power. That’s why it is so incredibly tragic when they fail to recognize when they are partakers in the works of darkness despite how the Bible continually urges them to test everything.

On the other hand, the unbeliever walks in darkness and has no real escape from Satan’s realm and power unless he or she calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. God longs to deliver the unbeliever from Satan’s grasp:

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)

There is hope for the unbeliever for Romans 10:13 tells us: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (taken from Muddy Waters, pp. 62-64)

Notes:

1. See 2 Corinthians 11:3; 13–15; 1 John 4:1–3; Acts 20:29; Revelation 13:11–14.

NOTE: The following debate took place in May, between fellow defender of the faith, Cecil Andrews of Take Heed Ministries in Northern Ireland and Catholic priest, Keith McMillian. The debate is hosted by another contender, Doug Harris of ReachOut Trust in the UK.

Related Articles:

The Missionary Goal of the Catholic Church

The “Mary Connection” to the Eucharistic (False) Christ

Eucharistic Adoration and the Emerging Church

By Roger Oakland

While I am sometimes accused of being a “Catholic-basher,” this is not my desire, nor my intention. I have a number of Roman Catholic acquaintances, and I care for them very much. I also have a number of Evangelical and Protestant acquaintances, and I care about them equally as well. However, in both cases, if a true understanding of the Gospel according to the Scriptures is not present in their lives, then their views will not be biblical—it won’t matter what they call themselves. For the record, my desire is to follow Jesus Christ and His Word and no man, no matter who he is. Likewise, I desire my acquaintances to do the same. It is love, not hate, that motivates me to share the Gospel with them, for there is only one Gospel that truly saves.

Here is the view I promote. Saving faith hinges entirely on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not on an affiliation with a church body. To be born again is to die to the old life of living for self and sin and to be reborn of the Spirit of God when one acknowledges his inability to save himself but rather trusts in Christ alone and His death on the Cross to purchase our salvation.

Many Catholics do not realize that official Catholic teaching does not recognize the biblical Gospel of salvation by grace alone but adds to it the appendage of our merit and participation in the sacraments. By the same token, many Protestants do not realize the biblical faith that martyrs (the disciples, the reformers, etc.) lived and died for. Our hope of an eternal home in Heaven rests in Christ and Christ alone and is offered to all, who in child-like faith, receive Him.

I am not certain when I first realized that the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the Jesuits, were the root force behind the coming one-world religion. If I were pressed to come up with an original time, it would be difficult. Coming to this realization was more of a process for me. The Bible foretells the coming of the Harlot. G.S. McLean always instilled in me that the harlot was apostate Christianity. This I still believe is the proper definition.

Through writing New Wine and the Babylonian Vine, I could see that the final one-world religion will be a mix of all religions for the cause of peace. This will include a revival of ancient Babylonianism that will be rooted in the worship of creation, based on Darwinian evolution that is rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism. . . .

[I]t became increasingly apparent to me the role that the Roman Catholic “Mary” and the Roman Catholic “Jesus” will play in the final delusion to prepare the world for the Antichrist. . . . .

It was about 2000, the year before Bryce [my son] died, that I came across Pope John Paul’s agenda to promote the “New Evangelization.” This is an organized agenda to point the “faithful” and the “separated brethren” to realize that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. This program, coupled with so-called apparitions from a woman claiming to be “Mary” the mother of Jesus, seems to be the impetus behind the coming one-world religion for peace that would be headquartered in Rome. . . .

I had already come to the conclusion that there is a Jesuit plan to bring the separated brethren back to the “Mother of all Churches” in other ways, particularly their “dove” (signs and wonders) plan.

Following my miraculous come-back to ministry after Bryce died, I not only finished New Wine and the Babylonian Vine but started writing the outline and then the book Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization to continue the warning during 2004. While I was writing this book, Mel Gibson suddenly became a Calvary Chapel-proclaimed saint with his Passion of the Christ. Chuck Smith viewed a portion of the film before it was released and endorsed the film. The Calvary Chapel movement jumped on the bandwagon. As would be expected, they followed “Pastor Chuck’s” leading. There were few voices against the movie. Understand The Times was one of those voices who dared speak up.

While I don’t intend to name the pastors who called me to task over my position on The Passion, let me say there were many who wanted me to keep silent. Support for the ministry of UTT dwindled. There are pastors who even part ways to this day over my stand. Mel Gibson’s Hollywood film with the Eucharistic Jesus and the evangelism that it contained became a sacred cow for Calvary Chapel. If someone spoke against it, he came under zealous attack, as if speaking against Mel Gibson’s movie was speaking against Jesus Christ Himself.

Nevertheless, the book was completed. Jim Tetlow helped me by writing an appendix, which explains that a wafer is a wafer and not literally Jesus’ flesh under the “appearance of bread” and that the Roman Catholic view of transubstantiation is not scriptural.

The book also warns about the coming lying signs and wonders that will occur associated with false appearances of the Eucharistic Jesus that are already underway. Coupled together with further lying signs and wonders, there will be appearances of an apparitional woman claiming to be “Mary” the mother of Jesus. We predicted that lying signs and wonders would impress Muslims because they have a special love for Mary—there is an entire chapter on Mary in the Koran. Most people don’t realize that.

In June of 2005, Paul Smith recommended that Another Jesus: The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization be given out to the Calvary pastors at the annual senior pastors conference at Murrieta. As UTT did with New Wine and the Babylonian Vine, the books were donated through Calvary Distribution and handed out. In the back of the book is a commentary called “Passion Evangelism” that exposes Mel Gibson’s plan to win the world to the Eucharistic Christ.

By many accounts, the conference was deemed to be a watershed. A panel discussion one afternoon about Calvary basics ended up in a free-for-all. Greg Laurie led the way with Bob Coy in stand-up comedy. Things got serious when Greg Laurie chastised pastors for not participating in Harvest Crusades just because of his desire to be linked with Purpose Driven globalist pastor, Rick Warren. The only pastor who seemed to be in favor of studying the Bible instead of someone’s book was Mike Macintosh.

Many pastors left the meeting with a heavy heart. Mine was so heavy I decided to pack up my book table one afternoon and stay at my hotel. Later that evening while at the hotel, my cell phone started to ring. The messages were all the same sentiment: “You cannot believe what just happened!” one pastor from South Carolina cried out.

“This is heresy!” said another in an excited voice.

“What has happened to Calvary? Have we been seduced by the Jesuits?” asked another who called me. All this commotion was because Calvary Chapel pastor Jon Corson, who was to perform the communion service at the end of the meeting, turned it into a Eucharistic-style service.

After the conference, I wrote a letter from my heart to Chuck Smith. I expressed my deep love for him and for Calvary Chapel but also told him of my strong concerns. Here is some of what I said in that letter:

It is with a heavy heart that I must communicate to you that over the past several years, because of many firsthand encounters and experiences in various places with numerous Calvary Chapel pastors, that I have observed a change in the Calvary Chapel movement that deeply concerns me. Perhaps some of my concerns have filtered back to you through others. Until writing this letter, I have not formally contacted you with these concerns. I regret now that I have waited so long. After leaving the Pastors Conference in Murrieta this past week, I laid awake several nights contemplating what I should do or say. This letter is the result.

I explained to Chuck that while I knew there were Calvary Chapel churches that were staying true to God’s Word, there were many that were being influenced by another gospel. I gave him six points where serious error could be found. I want to list them here because every Christian denomination is being affected in these areas to one degree or another:

Ecumenical and unbiblical teachings are being endorsed for the cause of unity and church growth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is being disguised to make it less offensive and more acceptable.

Churches that once taught the Bible faithfully verse by verse preparing the flock for the imminent return of Jesus Christ, now are looking for ways to make their services more seeker-friendly and are less concerned about the prophetic signs we are living in the last days.

Pastors and churches that once believed church growth was dependent on feeding the sheep and equipping the saved to share the Gospel, now promote humanistic means to draw in the masses based on a consumer style of evangelism focused on “finding out what people want” to “get them in the door.”
Churches once led by pastors committed to biblical truth, now are employing experts who use worldly principles borrowed from secular corporations with material goals for success. Rather than following Jesus and His Word, pastors and church leaders are looking to successful men and their methods so they can become part of a movement that is based on principles foreign to the Scriptures.

When church leaders promoting strategies to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth by humanistic methods are challenged by concerned believers warning about the dangers, the leaders label these believers as divisive. Contending for the faith is no longer considered biblical. A person taking a position for biblical truth is now accused of being critical of what others believe.

Bible-believing pastors who once taught the Bible are now looking for ways to attract people to their congregations by providing extra-biblical experiences [e.g. contemplative] and an atmosphere that includes candles, icons, incense, and the introduction of Roman Catholic sacraments. When concerned observers suggest this appears to be leading to a partnership with Roman Catholicism, they are considered to be negative opponents of the “new thing” God is doing to reach our generation.

I told Chuck that it was apparent to some that we are at another crossroads in church history, a fork in the road. I asked him if pastors were going to stand up and make their voices known if they have concerns about the direction current trends are leading. I reminded him, “While some say, don’t be negative—just be known for what you believe, not what you are against—the Old Testament prophets were outspoken when followers of God strayed away from the truths of God and never allowed the sheep to feel comfortable in their sin.”

Before coming to the 2005 Murrieta Conference, I had spoken at another conference in Tempe, Arizona called “Upon This Rock.” The theme of the conference was examining the claims of the Roman Catholic faith to see if they are biblically sound, and what role they play in the establishment of apostasy and the one-world religion that the Bible calls the Harlot.

This was the first time I had spoken publicly on “The Emerging Church.” By now, it had become apparent to me that the emerging church, an attempt to reach the postmodern generation by the present-day church, was another deceptive “road to Rome.”

During this conference in Phoenix, I gave actual examples of how Calvary Chapel was being drawn into the darkness from what once had been a position of light. While there were a few voices that were warning about this, they were in the wilderness and felt very much alone. They were also considered to be the crackpots, the ones causing division—and the ones who needed to be “marked” and disfellowshiped.

By now, I had enough ministry under my belt to know when the writing is on the wall. The writing in this case was very clear. I had stepped over the line. Consistent with my nature and my calling, I was not able to sit down and keep silent. My resistance was met with nasty e-mails, phone messages, and innuendos coming from people and places that I will refrain from mentioning.

For me, this was like adding fuel to a burning fire. It seemed the Lord was impressing upon me to start putting together an outline for a book. By the fall, I received an invitation to speak at a well-known conference in Dallas, Texas where I was asked to share the evidence that Bible-believing Christianity was under attack by apostates masquerading as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The outline for that presentation would become the outline for a book that I would call Faith Undone: the emerging church—a new reformation or an end time deception. . . .  I completed the book, and in August of 2007, a small grassroots publishing house called Lighthouse Trails Publishing released the book.

Immediately, a firestorm was created. A copy of the book had been given to Chuck Smith; he in turn read several pages of the book from the pulpit on a Wednesday night study, but did not mention the source. Whether or not he was trying to protect me from the “wolves” in Calvary Chapel, I suppose I will never know. One of my friends, who is a pastor in Minnesota, heard Chuck’s message and announced on the Calvary pastors’ private web forum that Faith Undone should be read and discussed because Chuck Smith had quoted from it. This caused quite a stir on that forum. Of course, those for the emerging church were not for me. One responded that he had read the footnotes of Faith Undone, and that was all he needed to know that Roger Oakland was a heretic. . . .

Over the next few months, it became apparent that my days at “Big Calvary” were numbered. And why not? I had written several letters to Chuck Smith and Paul Smith (whom I had become close friends with). Paul told me that whenever he delivered some of these letters, Chuck would either say “Roger is too negative,” or he would just roll his eyes. I wondered if this was because of pressure he was receiving from members of his own family involved with the Peter Drucker agenda to influence Calvary Chapel. Whatever the case, apparently Chuck did not want to intervene and take sides. . . .

My efforts to counter the counter reformation by Rome led me to discover that my own fellowship of churches was not only being influenced by the very thing I was trying to expose and warn against, but some within the movement were working to discredit and harm me and the ministry of Understand The Times because I was trying to expose the error. This is an example of how Satan can lead astray Christian organizations once used by God without those in charge seeming to be aware. If they were aware, surely they would have done something about it. . . .

Satan certainly is clever in his tactics. He hates the light.

(Excerpt from Let There Be Light by Roger Oakland, from chapter 20)

On March 26, 2012, Reformed pastor John Armstrong and Catholic Cardinal George of Chicago will come together at Wheaton College for “A Conversation on Unity in Christ’s Mission.” The flyer you see to the left reads: “An evening of dialogue exploring the common ground and current challenges that face Catholics and evangelical Protestants in Christian faith and mission.” The event came about last summer when Armstrong met with Cardinal George and asked him,  ”Would you join me in a public venue to further discuss this idea of missional-ecumenism?” The Cardinal agreed, and thus the “Conversation” at Wheaton in March.

A little background to our concerns: On July 23, 2007, Lighthouse Trails wrote an article titled, “John Armstrong ‘Enjoys’ Emergent Village Experience ‘Immensely.’” The article relayed that Armstrong had once read the unpublished manuscript of A Time of Departing and given Ray Yungen a hearty endorsement of the book.  He told Ray at that time, in 2001, that he might even be able to get Harvest House to publish the book if Ray would remove chapter 6 of the book (the chapter on the “End of the Age”). Ray decided not to remove that chapter, and a year later, Lighthouse Trails was birthed and published the book. Our 2007 article explained our surprise that John Armstrong had begun to resonate with the emerging church, so much so that he called Tony Jones’ contemplative mystical promoting book The Sacred Way “excellent.”1

We found it astonishing that someone who had said a few years earlier that Ray Yungen was right-on in his deductions of contemplative prayer and found A Time of Departing to be exceptional could now be calling Jones’  book “excellent” and making statements to indicate he felt a spiritual comradeship with emerging church figures.  It made no sense.

Fast forward to 2012 and the “Conversation on Unity” to be held at Wheaton College this spring. As Lighthouse Trails has documented for several years, the emerging church and the contemplative prayer movement are roads to Rome (i.e., a path for evangelicals and Protestants to unite with the Catholic Church). We cannot say whether John Armstrong has himself practiced contemplative prayer, which is an eastern-style meditation prayer method. But we believe that Armstrong’s resonance in 2007 with emerging contemplative mystics was connected to Armstrong’s desire to find “common ground” with the Catholic church.

Lest you think that we are being too quick to determine that Armstrong is on the road to Rome, consider this: On his personal blog, earlier in January 2012, Armstrong wrote the following:

There is a long history behind the worldwide call to prayer for Christian unity but I became acutely aware of the history of this call at the Center for Unity in Rome last March. Then in June . . . I visited the grave site of Fr. Paul Wattson, the man who launched this global week of prayer for Christian unity. As deeply interested as I am in this subject I am pleased to share news today from the Vatican Information Service of January 18. The Pope’s comments provide a gracious reminder of our common duty to the whole of Christ’s Church, not just our own communion or fellowship. 2

Armstrong then posted an article from the Vatican news, which in part stated:

Ecumenism, as defined by Vatican Council II and Blessed John Paul II, is “the responsibility of the entire Church and of all the baptised, who must augment the partial communion that already exists among Christians until achieving full communion in truth and charity. Praying for unity . . . must then be an integral part of the prayer life of all Christians, in all times and places, especially when people from different traditions come together to work for victory in Christ over sin, evil, injustice and the violation of human dignity.”3

This article is referring to the New Evangelization of the Eucharistic Christ that Roger Oakland documents in Another Jesus. This is a zealous effort by the Roman Catholic Church to “win back the lost brethren” to the “Mother Church.”

Why is that such a big deal that we, as Bible believing Christians, should pay attention to this? Because the “Eucharistic Christ” of the New Evangelization program is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible, and the “gospel” it brings is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Rather it is a false gospel that will mislead followers away from the only means of salvation, which is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and justifies a man by faith alone.

John Armstrong  and a host of other evangelical figures who are following suit must not realize what they are doing. They should recall that many of those martyred by the Catholic Church were martyred because they would not say that Jesus was in a wafer, nor would they adhere to a works-based gospel. What would those martyrs say today if they could address evangelical/Protestant pastors and leaders who are marching off to Rome? Is this not a slap in the face to those who died, making their torturous, violent deaths of less avail? Though no less in God’s eyes, it makes those deaths less in man’s eyes. For what reason did they die, some will now ask? To stand against the doctrines of the Catholic church? But surely this is nothing worth dying for, and in fact perhaps it is something worth living for, they will mistakenly say.

To understand more about the New Evangelization plan for the “lost brethren,” we are posting here the entire chapter 6 of Roger Oakland’s book, Another Jesus. We hope you will take time to study this issue through the lens of Scripture. We believe if you do you will see why ecumenical “Conversations” to find common ground with Roman Catholicism will bring no good fruit for the furtherance of the Gospel.

Related Articles:

James Robison: The Lord wants Protestants and Catholics to unite as one

October 2011 “Note” by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council Shows Vatican Move Toward the New World Order

U.S. Catholic Church prepares to accept Episcopalians

This is part 2 of our 2011 Year in Review. These are our top 10 out-of-house news stories written by various secular and Christian sources in 2011. They have been posted for informational purposes and not necessarily as an endorsement of that news agency.

1. ONENEWSNOW: ‘Mysticism’ infecting Nazarene beliefs . . . and more of the story

2. WORLDNETDAILY: Efforts to Eliminate “Stigma” Against Pedophilia and Call it “Normal” Are Underway

3. GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE: Green Bay Catholic Priest David Ricken leads Mass at Lifefest Before Joint Worship with Greg Laurie

4. ASSOCIATED PRESS: Obama tells Israel: Go back to 1967 borders

5. GEORGETOWN TIMES: Teen Challenge Founder, David Wilkerson, Killed in TX Car Crash

6. ASSOCIATED PRESS: First Time Ever: United Nations Passes Resolution on Homosexual Rights 

7. ASSOCIATED PRESS: Vatican wants reform of world financial system, creation of authority to manage world economy 

8. EXAMINER: Todd Bentley of Lakeland Revival, Florida Outpouring publicly endorsed by Bill Johnson (Bethel)

9. WALL STREET JOURNAL: “[T]housands of schools across the country . . . are adding programs that teach children to do [Yoga] exercises.”

10. CSN NEWS: House Passes Law Against Abortion Funding; ‘Taking of Innocent Life is Not Health Care,’ Says Congressman

By Sue at Suze Blog

James Robinson sounds like the new spokesperson for Catholicism on his TV broadcast show Life Today. Robinson praised Fox News Contributor Fr. Jonathan Morris, claiming the Lord was upon him and we should listen to him.

Robinson says everything that comes out of Fr. Morris’ mouth is consistent with the word of God and the heart of God.

He said: “I wish that most protestant preachers had the same sensitivity, discernment and gift of communication that you have, don’t you agree (audience)?” The audience claps in agreement. Fr. Morris states that Protestants and Catholics need to work together no matter what anyone says.

Take a listen to this clip:

Let’s take a look a Fr. Morris. He regularly appears on TV interviews on Fox, CNN and other networks as a Catholic spokesperson. I find it interesting that Fox news needs a Catholic spokesperson in the first place, given that the majority of the Christian population in the USA is Protestant. Click here to continue reading.

Related:

SPECIAL REPORT: The Jesuit Agenda and the Evangelical/Protestant Church

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

While surfing the yahoo news this morning, I came across this article. As a former Catholic, it blew my socks off. I remember, as a child, when the Mass was changed to English so the parishioners would be able to participate more fully. Now, it seems, the language is changing. What I find interesting is that it is reverting back to the mystical, poetic language, even the Latin….it seems to me that even the Catholic Church is heading back to Rome. I wonder what Dave and Roger Oakland think about this. My spirit tells me that time is getting shorter……

God bless you always,
Keep looking up,
H.

“New Mass translation launches in American parishes”

CLAYTON, N.C. (AP) — English-speaking Roman Catholics who have regularly attended Mass for years found themselves in an unfamiliar position Sunday, needing printed cards or sheets of paper to follow along with a ritual many have known since childhood.

“I don’t think I said it the right way once,” said Matthew Hoover, who attends St. Ann Catholic Church in Clayton, a growing town on the edge of the Raleigh suburbs. “I kept forgetting, and saying the old words.”

The Mass itself — the central ritual of the Catholic faith — hasn’t changed, but the English translation has, in the largest shakeup to the everyday faith of believers since the upheavals that followed the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. A years-long process of revision and negotiation led to an updated version of the Roman Missal, the text of prayers and instructions for celebrating Mass, which originally was written in Latin. The new translation was rolled out across the English-speaking Catholic world on Sunday after months of preparation. Click here to continue reading.

LTRP Note: Point of interest, Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola of New York’s Park Avenue (mentioned in 6th paragraph of the article) offers “Faith Formation” (i.e., Spiritual Formation) via Stations of the Cross, Spiritual Direction, and other contemplative practices. Under Centering Prayer on the church website, instructions are given to repeat a word or phrase (mantra) for 20 or 30 minutes.