Coming From the Lighthouse

              Printer Friendly Version (click here)         January 12, 2009

In This Issue -

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary May Be Heading into Troubled Contemplative Waters

Contemplative Sightings - And Why We Should Be Concerned

Christians Under the Influence of Another Spirit

Henry Kissinger Urges Obama to Build "New World Order"

I Found God in Soviet Russia

Warren and Obama Walk Hand in Hand

Ravi Zacharias Ministries Defends Henri Nouwen's Beliefs

Publishing News

Choosing the Right Book

 

2008 YEAR IN REVIEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who participated in our first survey, we want to thank you for taking the time to do so. We sent it out to 9900 people, and so far nearly 2500 have responded. We will post some of the results later in February as you may find them interesting and useful.

A Special Note: Lighthouse Trails has been sending out e-newsletters since late 2004.1 We began with monthly newsletters, then switched to twice a month, and eventually weekly newsletters.  We have been very grateful to have this opportunity to serve you in this capacity. We are, however, going to change the schedule of the newsletters (for the time being) back to once a month. The reason for this change is because, while there is a continued and intense growth of contemplative/emerging taking place in Christianity today, not to mention the significant strides forward happening with global and interspiritual issues, Lighthouse Trails is a very small ministry, and because of the vast amount of information and news that is occurring is struggling to keep up with maintaining the weekly newsletter, the research site, the news blog, and the publishing arm. 

During this time of fewer newsletters, we will continue posting relevant articles on our daily blog; in addition, we will send out vital messages to you via email as they occur. So while you will only be getting one newsletter a month, you may still hear from us a few times a month with headline news that can't wait for the newsletter.

For those who have relied on weekly updates, please do remember to visit our blog throughout the month. There are currently over 1300 articles posted, with a search engine that can help you locate specific topics. In addition, there are over 20,000 external links on our research site, also with a search engine as well as a topical index. And don't forget that we have a links page that lists many other like-minded ministries, all whom are working to defend the faith in these perilous times.

We appreciate those of you who have given us feedback over the years through emails, guestbook entries, phone calls, and letters to the editor. We hope you will continue doing so. In the meantime, Lighthouse Trails will still be working hard tracking the news and presenting well-documented information in the form of articles and books to you as long as we are able, by the grace of God.

So many of you have worked hard, as well, to stand for truth. You have truly been our inspiration. May the Lord sustain all those who love His Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeing the salvation of souls through Him.

 

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary May Be Heading into Troubled Contemplative Waters

The Christian Post (see article below) is reporting on the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's new Ph.D. program for "spirituality." Don Whitney, senior associate dean of Southern's School of Theology, will play a significant role in this new program. Lighthouse Trails has had concerns in the past about statements Whitney has made about contemplative pioneer mystic Richard Foster. Whitney acknowledges Foster's influence when he says: "Perhaps the most influential book on spirituality in the twentieth century is Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline, but he also states that Foster has "done much good," a statement Lighthouse Trails strongly refutes.

While Whitney does presently reject Foster's mystical propensities, he is not issuing stern warnings about the teachings of Richard Foster and the detrimental affect his writings have had on the Christian church. Although Whitney seems to see Foster's mysticism as a negative, he still identifies Foster as an overall positive influence. However, such a mindset has paved the way for Foster's spiritual formation to become an integral part of Christianity today, and perhaps one of the main reasons that contemplative spirituality has taken hold to some degree in nearly every denomination. Foster's spirituality should be warned against, not in any way exalted.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary may be heading into troubled waters. For example, in a STBS article written by STBS Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology Eric Johnson, Johnson writes:

[W]e must consider how to help people access God in more of his beauty for therapeutic purposes. For this we need to consider those spiritual disciplines that have been used for centuries for such purposes: prayer; spiritual reading (lectio divina [brackets in original]), especially the Bible, but also good devotional literature; meditation (or contemplation); and worship. 1 (p. 10)

In that same article, Johnson recommends readers turn to Bernard of Clairvaux and Julian of Norwich for further study on spirituality. Both Bernard and Julian were mystics. Thomas Merton, a Buddhist-sympathizer and mystic, said of Julian of Norwich: "There can be no doubt that Julian is the greatest of the English mystics." 2 Johnson also favorably references John Ortberg, Larry Crabb, and Thomas of Aquinas, all with strong mystical propensities. Either Eric Johnson does not have an understanding of the true nature of mysticism, or he is sympathetic to it. Either way, his contemplative sympathies are pointing students to the mystics. What is sadly ironic about this is that Don Whitney condemns Foster for pointing people to mystical writers, but right in Whitney's own school, this is exactly what Eric Johnson has done! 3  And in Whitney's own book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (1991 edition), he instructs readers in lectio divina (choosing a word or phrase - pp. 34, 52), not to mention makes reference to Foster and Willard nearly two dozen times total in his book.

According to the report below, SBTS' new Ph.D. program will focus on "spiritual formation" and "spiritual disciplines." Spiritual formation, by its very nature, and according to its very pioneers (Foster and Willard) IS contemplative. Even Rick Warren acknowledges Foster and co-contemplative Willard as founders of the spiritual formation movement in his book, The Purpose Driven Church (p. 126).

Will the new spirituality program at SBTS include Larry Crabb's affinity to contemplative prayer? Or Julian of Norwich's pantheistic views? Will lectio divina (where a word or phrase is focused upon) be added to the syllabus'? Or Richard Foster's "school of contemplative prayer," (which will be the same as Thomas Merton's contemplative prayer)? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure, SBTS is flirting with contemplative spirituality, and if they are not careful, those flirtations may lead to the seducing spirits that Scripture warns about. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (I Timothy 4:1).

 Aaron J. Leichman
out-of-house
Christian Post

"Baptist Seminary to Become First Protestant School to Offer Ph.D. in Spirituality" 

 The flagship seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention plans to become the first Protestant institution in the United States to offer a Ph.D. in spirituality, according to an announcement this week.

And the men behind the new program say Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's introduction of the new degree this month comes at a key time.

"Spirituality is one of the fastest-growing areas of theological education,"  noted Donald Whitney, senior associate dean of Southern's School of Theology and director of the Center for Biblical Spirituality, according to the news service of the Louisville, Ky. based seminary.

Michael A.G. Haykin, prominent church historian and author of The God Who Draws Near: An Introduction to Biblical Spirituality, meanwhile said a heightened interest in spirituality in the culture and the current fascination with piety among evangelicals makes a Ph.D. program in biblical spirituality particularly timely and important.

"The cultural interest in spirituality, though not in religion, compels evangelicals to think seriously about this area," he told SBTS's Towers Online before noting the "massive changes afoot in our culture."...

The doctor of ministry program in biblical spirituality focuses on spiritual formation with seminars on topics including spiritual disciplines, spiritual warfare, evangelism and discipleship, mentoring, and spiritual awakenings. Click here to read this entire article by Christian Post.

Contemplative Sightings - And Why We Should Be Concerned

For seven years, Lighthouse Trails has been writing about and reporting on contemplative spirituality and how it has entered the Christian church. When we first began, with the publication of A Time of Departing, and then with ongoing research, we soon became aware that contemplative was much more widespread than what we had initially suspected. It wasn't just mainline Orthodox that was affected--it was also evangelical; even some of the most traditionally conservative were getting involved.

Today, in spite of the efforts of several good ministries, contemplative spirituality is moving full speed ahead. For those who understand the dangerous spiritual deception that goes along with this belief system, that will be unsettling to hear.

Knowing that the roots of contemplative lead ultimately to interspirituality, universalism, and panentheism (all of which negate the Gospel of Jesus Christ) should make any Bible believing Christian want to flee any notion of it. It has been the hope of Lighthouse Trails that if the true nature of contemplative was widely exposed, then many Christian leaders, pastors, and authors in churches, ministries, and organizations would at the very least turn away from showing any support or promotion of contemplative practices and the teachers of this mystical movement. It was also our hope that not only would these Christian leaders steer clear of any promotion of contemplative but that some would even publicly denounce contemplative spirituality and begin to warn the body of Christ about it.

Sad to say, there have been very few public warnings or denouncements of contemplative by leading pastors, leaders, and authors in the Christian world. And, to make matters worse, not only have there been virtually no warnings by popular and well-known leaders, many of them have actually promoted contemplative spirituality, either by promoting the practices themselves or by promoting key figures in the movement. Below are some examples that should cause concern.

Please understand, in listing these ministries, we are not trying to discredit them, but rather we are trying to bring to light a dark and occultic spirituality that has embedded itself within much of Christianity. Some have said that Lighthouse Trails is on a witch hunt, given we name so many. But the fact that we do name so many proves that we are not out to hurt or belittle individuals but rather to expose something that has affected these individuals and their many followers. If we thought for a moment that contemplative spirituality was just a minor doctrinal issue, we would not pursue this cause. But we believe that mysticism is the vehicle through which the world will eventually follow a false Christ. New Agers themselves admit that mysticism is the ground where all is one. Contemplatives admit this too.

These named below are Christian figures who have publicly promoted either mystics themselves or the mystical practices. If you are connected with any of these ministries, we hope you will contact them and ask them to reconsider their positions on contemplative.

RANDY ALCORN: On Alcorn's website, under My Favorite Non-Fiction Books, he includes Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. Foster is the leading evangelical-type pioneer of contemplative spirituality (also known as the spiritual formation movement) and is considered to be a key player in the emerging church movement. 1 Alcorn has been a trusted name in Christian fiction.

Lighthouse Trails contacted Alcorn's ministry and spoke with his assistant, who told us she spoke on Alcorn's behalf when she said they saw nothing wrong with contemplative practices. She did agree to accept a copy of A Time of Departing and Faith Undone , which we have now sent, but said Randy Alcorn would likely not have time to read it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: On January 12, 2009, Randy Alcorn's assistant contacted Lighthouse Trails and said that Randy has agreed to remove the recommendation to Foster. He did ask, however, that the following message be relayed to us: "[Randy] doesn't believe in painting a broad brush over certain authors when we don't agree with them in every area. For example, he has read three of Dallas Willard's books, and while he doesn't agree with him in certain areas, for the most part he found them to be very Christ-centered and biblical. So he strongly disagrees with the negative references to Willard in the books you sent."  Alcorn's assistant said she "looked through" the books we sent, but did not say whether Alcorn saw them or not. We hope he will find time to read A Time of Departing some day. P.S. A second contact from Randy Alcorn's assistant to Lighthouse Trails on January 12th was made. We have been asked to post the following statement by Randy Alcorn:

"I do not give an overall endorsement for contemplative practices. There are many false and dangerous contemplative practices so it all depends on the context and what one is contemplating on. I do believe in meditating on Scripture and on our Lord, as this is explicitly commanded and commended." -- Randy Alcorn, 1/12/09

 
OUR COMMENT:  For anyone who has any doubts as to whether Dallas Willard embraces mystical spirituality, please note that he wrote the foreword to Ruth Haley Barton's book, Invitation to Silence and Solitude, in which Barton encourages eastern-style (repeating a word or phrase) meditation. Barton was trained at the interspiritual, panentheistic Shalem Institute in Washington DC, and today trains pastors and leaders in contemplative spirituality at her Transformation Center. As for Dallas Willard, he has shown strong and clear affinity with those who teach eastern-style meditation.

2ND COMMENT: We appreciate Randy Alcorn's concern about "dangerous contemplative practices." However, it is very typical for people to say that contemplative practices can be OK "depend[ing] on the context" and "what one is contemplating on."  Lighthouse Trails believes that even if the intent is to focus on Jesus and the Bible, there is never a time when the repeating of a word or phrase is safe ... or biblical.

BILL RITCHIE, CROSSROADS CHURCH: Ritchie is pastor of a large Calvary Chapel church in Washington state. The church has begun what is called the "2009 Scripture Meditation Program." In the January 4th Sunday bulletin, there was an explanation of the new program, giving a description of lectio divina where a passage of Scripture is isolated leading eventually to the isolation of a small phrase or a single word. This word or phrase is then "meditated" upon. This is classic lectio divina, a contemplative practice that is often a gateway to "deeper" meditation. (See an article on this please.) Note: Someone attending Crossroads contacted Lighthouse Trails about the bulletin; we then read the bulletin ourselves when it was posted online last week and confirmed what we were told. In view of the fact that Bill Ritchie calls The Shack (a book with New Age implications) "one of the most remarkable books I've read in years" and is introducing his large congregation to lectio divina, we believe our warning is warranted. 2


PATRICK HENRY COLLEGE: A faculty member at Patrick Henry College contacted Lighthouse Trails and said the school was no longer promoting Spiritual Formation. Prior to the current president, spiritual formation groups had been formed, in which books by contemplative authors were being studied. Those groups have been disbanded. However, we told the faculty member that a journal article on their website about labyrinths was showing too much favor toward labyrinths and would mislead readers/students into thinking the practice was acceptable by school administration. A weak disclaimer at the top of the article is inadequate in issuing a warning. The 2001 article by Kenneth Harper will most likely be read by many as it is easily accessed through the Online Global Journal of Classic Theology.

The PHC article rightfully identifies Dr. Lauren Artress as the one largely responsible for the present popularity of labyrinths. The article says that it was Artress' "vivacious and winsome personality" that has played a role in the labyrinth explosion. What the article does not say though is that Artress believes the labyrinth is for the "transformation of human personality" and can accomplish a "shift in consciousness" 3 (see p. 68, Faith Undone). It also does not warn readers that Artress' pastoral overseer is the "Reverend" Alan Jones at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. Jones has been addressed in many Lighthouse Trails articles because of his book Reimagining Christianity, in which he says the doctrine of the Cross is a vile doctrine (p. 168).

While Harper's article does give some "cautionary notes" about the labyrinth, he "urges careful consideration of the labyrinth, and recommends its use in a Christian context." This is to say that if the intent is right, then the means is acceptable. But this is faulty reasoning and can lead to spiritual deception. For those concerned about Patrick Henry's insistence on leaving this article on their site, please read the article in full and draw your own conclusions.

AWANA: AWANA continues to sell and promote the book, Perspectives on Children's Spiritual Formation nearly one year after our report "Will Awana Recall Contemplative-Promoting Book?." In this report, we show that the AWANA authors of the book (two AWANA executives), while giving some general (and too vague) caution to contemplative spirituality, confuse readers when they call Richard Foster's book, Streams of Living Water an excellent overview of certain spiritual traditions, including contemplative. This is the book where Foster quotes panentheist Thomas Kelly as saying "within all" there is a "Divine Center" (p. 23). Basically, the two AWANA executives caution against contemplative if it is the ONLY spiritual tradition used but admit they believe it is ONE of the acceptable traditions.

CHUCK BALDWIN: In Baldwin's "Recommended Reading for 2009" Baldwin does something interesting. He not only lists Madame Guyon as someone he "strongly" recommends and whose writings are "fantastic," but he challenges those who would suggest she is a mystic. Thus, we feel we must list his recommendation as well. We emailed Baldwin this past week and offered him a copy of A Time of Departing but have not yet heard back.

A particular statement made by Guyon is very indicative of what contemplatives believe, and quoting it here can give a good example of the nature of mysticism. Guyon stated: "May I hasten to say that the kind of prayer I am speaking of is not a prayer that comes from your mind. It is a prayer that begins in the heart.... Prayer that comes out of the heart is not interrupted by thinking!" 4

This prayer of the heart that contemplatives such as Richard Foster teach is a "prayer" that eliminates distractions (thoughts) through meditative practices such as lectio divina, centering, etc. If a word or phrase is repeated or the breath focused upon, a type of self-hypnosis is achieved and the mind is rendered to a neutral state (the alpha state). But no where in Scripture are we instructed to produce a mystical state in order to hear God's voice. On the contrary, divination (seeking to contact the spirit world through self-induced mystical means)is strictly warned against.

Keep in mind that the "fruit" of practicing contemplative prayer is a change in spiritual outlook. That change comes in the form of believing that God is in all things. All the "great" mystics have believed this. It is the heart of Satan's lie because if he can convince man that he is divine, then he can convince him he needs no Savior.

In a small obscure booklet Lighthouse Trails was given, written by Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis titled Life out of Death: A Brief Summary of Madame Guyon's "Spiritual Torrents," the last section of the book, after laying out the various stages of contemplative spirituality, is called "God All in All." Here Mrs. Penn-Lewis tells readers that this "Divine Union" is the outcome of Guyon's "contemplative prayer." Penn-Lewis states: "Here all is God; God is everywhere, and in all things." The Appendix following examines in further detail the "God in all."

Penn-Lewis' book was published in 1896. Several decades later, Thomas Merton echoed Guyon's belief that God was in all things.

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. (Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, 1989 edition, pp. 157-158)


And if Merton was right, then God the Father made a terrible mistake by sending His Son to die for our sins and to be a mediator between God and man (the only mediator) because there would be no need of it. Mystics believe this, which is why so many of them reject the Atonement.

What we have listed here are just a few examples of how contemplative continues to have its influence on Christianity. If we listed them all, this article would be the size of a large book. Please pray for these and other groups who are, to one degree or another, looking favorably upon the contemplative way; pray that eyes will be opened and a return to true biblical faith and practice will occur.

 

 Christians Under the Influence of Another Spirit

by Warren Smith

The apostle Paul went to great lengths to warn the Corinthians not to be deceived by a "Jesus" that wasn't Jesus Christ the Son of God, a spirit that wasn't the Holy Spirit and a gospel that was not the true biblical Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Throughout the New Testament, believers are continually warned not to be deceived by spiritual teachings and experiences that are not from God. Jesus Christ specifically warned his disciples that spiritual deception would be a sign of the end (Matthew 24:3-4).

Today it is very sad to see so many believers falling under the influence of the same spirit that influenced me when I was in the "new age." This spirit says that it is a time for "breakthroughs" and for the fulfillment of our "destiny"; that there is something "new" and exciting in the wind. This teaching claims that we are in the midst of a great "transition" that will result in a "paradigm shift," and that through "new revelation" and "personal experience" God is in the process of taking the church to a "new dimension" and to a whole "new level." Many Christian leaders these days are so sure that what they are hearing and experiencing is from God, they are rarely testing the spirits, or even considering the possibility that they are being deceived.

The first century Bereans tested their leaders and tested their teachings as they "searched the scriptures daily" to see "whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers were always subject to God's holy Word. "New revelation" never nullified nor superseded scripture. The Bereans were not impressed by supernatural power and spiritual experiences that had not been tested by the Word of God. They did not depend on signs and wonders and miracles. They depended on the authority and reliability and trustworthiness of Scripture:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Paul taught that if he or anyone else preached any other gospel--"new revelation" or otherwise--that person should be completely disregarded (Galatians 1:8). The Bible warns over and over again that we should not allow ourselves to be influenced or intimidated by teachings that originate not from God but from the spirit world and from the hearts of men. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1). "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:7).

What had been called "new age" is now being presented as "new gospel." These "new gospel" teachings are not new and have actually been around for centuries in one form or another. Whether it was ancient gnosticism, the occultic teachings of Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) and Alice A. Bailey (1880-1949), or the present day "new gospel" channelings, the bottom line has always been the same--everyone is a part of God.

According to the "new gospel," Christ is not a person. It is an office. The "new gospel" teaches that while Jesus of Nazareth occupied the office during His active ministry, He no longer holds that same position. Today the office of "Christ" is occupied by someone else. And this "someone else" is presently in the process of establishing contact with humanity.

This "Christ" intimates that he is already in the world awaiting mankind's call. "Concerned" that humanity is in peril and facing possible extinction, this "Christ" explains that his "new gospel" will unify the world's major religions and bring peace to the world. He has communicated these "new gospel" teachings to his designated teachers, who in turn are now conveying these same teachings to the rest of the world.

This "reinvented" Christ of the "new gospel" teaches that all of humanity is the body of Christ. He, as the "Christ," is the head. This "Christ" states humanity's dilemma is that we have forgotten who we are. We are not "sinners" separate from God. We are all part of the one body of Christ and the one body of God. Salvation does not come by grace from accepting Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Rather it is achieved--when we accept ourselves as Christ and when we accept ourselves as God.

The "new gospel" teaches that when humanity collectively accepts and experiences itself as being a part of Christ and a part of God, we not only save ourselves, we save our world. The "Christ" of the "new gospel" warns that the hour is late. Peace must come. He will help. He has a plan. But everyone must play their part.

With "new revelation," often accompanied by direct personal spiritual experience, people are being taught that because they are a part of God they are actually "at-one" with God and all creation. This "new gospel" teaches when people have what is described as their "God potential" or "Christ within" supernaturally "activated," they actually experience themselves as a part of the "one body" of God which is all mankind. As these same people unite and join together in remembering and experiencing their "oneness" with God and with each other, they feel they are doing the "work" that is necessary to prepare the way for Christ's return. (from Reinventing Jesus Christ, by Warren Smith)

 

Henry Kissinger Urges Obama to Build "New World Order"

William F. Jasper
(out of house writer)
The New American

According to Henry Kissinger, the various political and economic crises currently conflicting the world offer President-elect Barack Obama an opportunity to create a "new world order." That's what the former Secretary of State told CNBC's Mark Haines in a January 5 interview from the busy floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

"What do you think the most important thing is for Barack Obama?" Haines asked. "... If you had to say, this is going to be the country, or the conflict, or the place that will define the Obama administration, what would it be?" Kissinger replied: "The President-elect is coming into office at a moment when there are upheavals in many part of the world simultaneously. You have India-Pakistan. You have, ah, a jihadist movement."

"But," continued Kissinger, "he can give new impetus to American foreign policy ... I think that his task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period, when really a 'new world order' can be created. It's a great opportunity. It isn't such a crisis." Click here to read this entire article.

Click here for WorldNet Daily's report on this story.

Related Information:
Obama Foreshadows New Spirituality

 

 

I Found God in Soviet Russia

By John Noble
Published by St. Martin's Press, New York, 1959

A Mission to Fulfill

During the decade I spent in communist prisons and labor camps I saw many terrible things. I also saw some glorious ones, things more heartening than any other news I bring out of the Soviet Union.... I found God for myself through personal conversion and, even more significantly for the world at large, I met many others who had had a similar experience. I discovered that the Christian religion is surviving communist persecution in East Germany and in Soviet Russia itself.

I found that secret worship services were held and converts won for Christ even in Vorkuta itself, one of the slave-labor camps in the Soviet Arctic.

Having learned to speak and understand Russian, I found myself in close contact with Russian engineers and workers, and realized that there is deep interest in the Christian religion among both groups. In spite of their forty-year exposure to official atheism, or perhaps because of it, they hunger for the spiritual values they have been denied. This evidence I am able to bring back to the free world, and through it the glorious tidings of a faith that cannot be killed.

I have seen Christianity under the most terrible persecution it has suffered since the days of Nero, and I have seen abundant proof that faith in Christ, the Saviour, is still alive in Russia today in the very places where the Communists have tried hardest to stamp it out, the concentration camps. It is triumphant testimony I have to give concerning the Church behind Barbed Wire, and I am convinced it was God's will that I be a member of that persecuted Church for several years in order to testify that God is with it and is sustaining it.

The fact that I survived all I had been exposed to, and was enabled to return to America in good health, before the drastic sentence imposed by a Moscow court had run its full course, is proof to me that God was with me, that there was a purpose in my survival which, as I look back upon the successive phases of my prison experiences, seems nothing less than miraculous. I thank God from the bottom of my heart for His mercy. Click here to read more of this story, courtesy of Kjos Ministries.

 

Warren and Obama Walk Hand in Hand

by Paul Proctor
News With Views

American Family Association's news editor, Ed Vitagliano, ended 2008 with a curious column at their affiliated OneNewsNow.com website titled, Praying for the new president, where he chastised WorldNetDaily.com's founder and editor Joseph Farah for taking Pastor Rick Warren to task for accepting President-elect Barack Obama's invitation to lead the invocation at his upcoming inauguration.

In Farah's open letter to Rick Warren, published at WND, he wrote: "I'm sure you would not want to invoke God's blessing on the inauguration of a figure like Adolf Hitler, whose rise to power brought the destruction of millions of lives."

Calling it a "non sequitur," Vitagliano countered Farah in his article, saying: "Just because one prays for Adolph Hitler does not mean the prayer is meant to 'invoke God's blessing.' One could, conceivably, pray for Hitler's conversion, or for God to prevent the man from carrying out his wicked plans."

Yeah, but at a Nazi Party rally?

Sure, if they wanted to incite a riot.

Unless Vitagliano is expecting Pastor Warren to publicly pray for Obama's conversion at the inauguration, or that God would thwart his "wicked plans," Ed's argument is the one containing a non sequitur.Click here to read this entire article.

 

Ravi Zacharias Ministries Defends Henri Nouwen's Beliefs

LTRP Note: The letter spoken of in this posting was also sent to LTRP with the Zacharias letterhead.

by Ingrid Schlueter
Slice of Laodicea

Margaret Manning at Ravi Zacharias Ministries identifies as part of Ravi's Speaking Team and an Associate Writer for the ministry. Yesterday, a reader sent me a copy of a letter sent out over her signature that is downright shocking. The letter was in response to a listener to Ravi's show who was concerned after hearing Ravi refer to Universalist and quasi-Buddhist, Henri Nouwen, as one of the "greatest Christian saints." Click here to read more and also for contact information for Ravi Zacharias and Margaret Manning.

Also see our reports:

Crystal Cathedral Postpones Rethink 2009 - Ravi Zacharias and Dan Kimball Will Have to Wait Until 2010

Ravi Zacharias Ministries Points to Nouwen, Merton, and Foster

 

 

 
 

Featured Resources

  
     

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). Common terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many others.

Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contemplative spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement.