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Emergent
Leaders? Paving the Way to Apostasy
Some
say that some emerging church leaders
(like Dan Kimball and Mark Driscoll)
are not part of the Emergent movement
and that the terms Emergent and
emerging church mean two different
things. However, according to one
of the strongest catalysts for the
emerging church movement, Zondervan
Publishing, Kimball and Driscoll
are indeed part of the "Emergent
movement." Zondervan describes
its 2007 book, Listening to the
Beliefs of Emerging Churches
as: "Five of the emergent
movement's most prominent leaders
debate their views on Scripture,
Christ, atonement, and more."
Those five are Dan Kimball, Mark
Driscoll, John Burke, Karen Ward
and Doug Pagitt. Be that as it may,
emergent and emerging are just words,
but those who adhere to either of
the concepts are going in the same
direction, and as we stated in our
article, Emerging
Church Confusion: What Does it Really
Mean?, emergent leaders are
feeding the emerging church movement
and making it what it is and will
become.
Incidentally, in Zondervan's book,
Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging
Churches, Robert Webber, the
editor of the book, says that "traditionalists
have been out of touch with cultural
changes, and the contemporaries
who have become so thoroughly enmeshed
with and catechized by culture are
out of touch with the traditions.
This reality has created what seems
to be an unalterable division between
devoted Christians" (p. 213).
This is a scary statement, and here
is why: In Dan Kimball's book, They
Like Jesus But Not the Church,
he makes it clear that "traditionalists"
are those who take the Bible literally.
Webber says those kind of Christians
are out of touch with today's culture
(in other words they don't wear
hip looking eye glasses or wear
slicked back hair or drink beer
at the pubs with gays, or cuss in
public). That makes them abnormal
and oblivious to the world around
them according to Kimball. Webber
would like to see the two types
of Christians (those literalists
who believe everything the Bible
says and those emergents) come together.
He states: "What are we to
do? Should we encourage the split?
Or is there a new direction for
us all? ... What will it take to
create an Ancient-Future faith (Webber's
name for the emerging church)?"
(p. 213) He goes on and tells the
solution: "First, an Ancient-Future
faith calls us to return to our
ancient roots in the first centuries
of the church." He explains
that these "ancient roots"
include "spiritual formation"
(contemplative mysticism) and he
says that while there have been
reforms throughout history (such
as the Reformation), we do not need
to be divided over them (he includes
Catholicism) and says we are "connected
to the same family. This ecumenical
conviction is central to an Ancient-Future
Vision" (p. 214).
Dan Kimball and Robert Webber have
laid out what will be a persuasive
argument to many who have not really
taken a close look at what these
emergent leaders are proposing,
but take heed, if this "ecumenical
conviction" comes to pass then
evangelical Christians will all
be practicing mantra meditation,
walking through labyrinths, practicing
lectio divina and doing the sign
of the Cross ... and it will have
far greater implications and results
than just thick glasses, slicked
back hair and sitting in pubs sipping
beer. It will be disastrous for
those who have yet to hear the true
gospel message of Jesus Christ,
which can save their souls.
In emerging church leader, Scot
McKnight's book, The Real Mary:
Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace
the Mother of Jesus, McKnight
says that Protestant Christians
are the only Christians who do not
honor Mary. He recommends that Protestant
churches all practice an "Honor
Mary Day" (p. 144), saying
she "leads us to a Jesus who
brings redemption ... To listen
to Mary is to hear the message of
Jesus' death and resurrection as
a mega-event whereby God established
a new kind of power, a new kind
of family, and a new kind of kingdom"
(p. 145). McKnight describes this
great event as a time when the world
will come together and worship Mary.
Today, Christendom has become filled
with leaders who have lost their
way. If Christian leaders like David
Jeremiah and Josh McDowell, who
are now promoting emerging leaders,
continue in their present direction,
they will be responsible for countless
lives losing their chances for hearing
the true gospel, and these leaders
will be helping pave the way for
an interspiritual, mystical, apostate
religion. |
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Evangelical
Free Church of America (EFCA) Going
Contemplative?
The
Evangelical Free Church of America
(EFCA) appears to be heading right
into the contemplative camp. Trinity
International University, the EFCA's
American university, has
partnered with the very contemplative/emerging
Spiritual Formation Forum. In the
recent
EFCA newsletter , they announced
the upcoming Spiritual Formation
event called the Midwest Regional
Spiritual Formation Forum (taking
place in June). According to the
newsletter, "the theme of the
event is 'Spiritual Formation and
the Mission of the Church,' and
addresses two profoundly connected
themes: the yearning for a deeper
and richer personal inward journey
with God, and our calling to address
the urgent and dire needs of this
world. EFCA Pastors and leaders
living in the Midwest are encouraged
to take advantage of this regional
seminar."
Unfortunately, EFCA Pastors and
leaders are going to get a hearty
dose of contemplative spirituality
when they attend this conference.
Two of the speakers are Scot McKnight
and Bruce Demarest while one of
the other partners of the event
is Richard Foster (Renovare). Demarest
was one
of the contributors to Foster's
Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible1
and is Professor of Christian Theology
and Spiritual Formation at Denver
Seminary. He is a major proponent
for contemplative spirituality.
Scot McKnight (author of The
Real Mary) is a catalyst for
helping to fold Protestantism into
Catholicism and calls for all Protestant
churches to set aside a special
day to "honor Mary." 2
McKnight is a professor of Religious
Studies at North Park University,
Chicago, Illinois and the author
of over twenty books. He considers
himself a spokesman for the emerging
church movement.
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BOOK ALERT:
Keri Wyatt Kent's Listen
Keri Wyatt Kent's book, Listen:
Finding God in the Story of
Your Life, is a book that
is going to ultimately affect
more than just adults. The
book is a primer in contemplative
spirituality, and backing
the book is Elisa Morgan,
president and CEO of MOPS
International (Mothers of
Preschoolers). So not only
will moms be influenced (because
they will listen to the recommendation
of MOPS), but they in turn
will influence their children.
Thus contemplative spirituality
is already making inroads
into the youngest generation
of Christians - preschoolers.
To begin with, Wyatt Kent's
book is filled with quotes
and references by a literal
who's who of the contemplative/mystical
world. Some of these personalities
include Richard Foster, Henri
Nouwen, Dallas Willard, John
Ortberg, Anne Lamott, Rick
Warren and Ruth Haley Barton,
all of whom have contemplative
proclivities. Wyatt Kent has
also included references by
some with New Age affinities
like Sue Monk Kidd (worships
the goddess within) and M.
Scott Peck. Information about
any of these listed above
can be found on the Lighthouse
Trails Research site.
What does Wyatt Kent (a member
of Willow Creek) have to say
about contemplative prayer
and the silence? Well, she
starts the book out by quoting
contemplative proponent Jan
Johnson who says that "many
people believe God no longer
speaks to us today" (p.
4). Johnson, in her own book
When the Soul Listens says:
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.(p. 16)
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. (p. 120)
It is clear that Wyatt Kent shares such sympathies with Johnson.
She explains her reasoning
for wanting this kind of prayer:
"[M]any of us have a
one-sided relationship with
God. We talk much more than
we listen. Something's missing.
I want to learn how to listen
to God (p. 5). She says she
is "learning that certain
practices have been helpful
in enhancing and strengthening"
her conversations with God
(p. 6). Later, Wyatt Kent
quotes Julia Cameron from
her book, The Artist's
Way (p. 59). In Cameron's
book, she talks about the
"spiritual path to higher
creativity." Wyatt Kent
says she feels "a deep
desire to provide encouragement,
as Cameron does in her book,
to fledgling creative types
who may not have received
it elsewhere" (pp. 59,
60). To gain some insight
into the spirituality of Julia
Cameron, read this interview
on Shambhala
Sun . If Cameron's "creativity"
becomes an integral part of
the lives of mothers of preschoolers,
what will be the results?
In Wyatt Kent's chapter called
"Listening in Silence,"
she clearly displays her affinity
with mystical prayer.... "Because
if you let silence in, doing
so will change your life,"
she says. She goes on: "Many
people meditate simply by
being quiet and thinking of
nothing or simply focusing
on a word, such as peace"(p.
118)." She quotes Richard
Foster as saying: "Silence
is one of the deepest Disciplines
of the Spirit simply because
it puts the stopper on all
self- justification"
(p. 117). What Foster means
is it puts the stopper on
all thought (i.e., putting
the mind in neutral). Wyatt
Kent insists that Jesus Himself
"modeled these practices,
and his followers have been
using them as tools for creating
space to listen to God"
(p. 119). Wyatt Kent tells
readers (through a quote by
John Ortberg) that "Meditation
is not meant to be esoteric
or spooky or reserved for
gurus reciting mantras in
the lotus position. It merely
implies sustained attention.
It is built around this simple
principle: "What the
mind repeats, it retains"
(p. 147).
For those who understand this
language of turning off thoughts,
creating space, repeating
words and phrases, you will
also understand how tragic
it is that an organization
like MOPS is going in this
direction.
See also:
Christianity
Today Article Promotes
Mystical Practices
Wyatt
Kent's book, The Garden
of the Soul
Ancient
Wisdom for Babies |
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The Pope:
Waiting for the "Separated
Brethren" to Come Home
The
following article confirms that
Pope Benedict XVI is dedicated to
carrying on the New Evangelization
program, as was his predecessor
Pope John Paul II. For those who
believe that Roman Catholicism has
changed and is no longer Roman Catholicism,
this article should put that myth
to rest. What is important here
is that according to the pope, there
is no unity with Rome unless the
"separated brethren" come
home to Rome.
Further, note the pope's emphasis
on "perpetual Eucharistic adoration"
as part of his new "apostolic
exhortation." As more and more
of the faithful spend time in "adoring"
the "Roman Catholic Eucharistic
Christ" that is "present"
in the host (following transubstantiation)
and contained in the monstrance
and placed on display, there will
be more and more false appearances
of Jesus, as the Jesus of the Bible
warned would happen in the last
days (Matthew 24: 23-24, 26). This
is when the "New Evangelization
Program" becomes very effective.
Click
here to read this entire article.
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Josh McDowell
Responds About Dan Kimball Endorsement
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Last
week, we received an email
from a woman who emailed Josh
McDowell about his endorsement
of Dan Kimball's book, They
Love Jesus But Not the Church
(please see our
book review). With permission,
we have posted the response
our reader received:
Fran,
I have received Josh's comment
concerning his endorsement
of Dan Kimball's book, They
Like Jesus But Not the Church.
Josh said that Dan is a
dear friend and one who
understands youth in way
that many do not. Whether
you agree with the emergent
church or not, the book
is excellent concerning
youth and youth culture
and how to address the issues.
He feels that many would
benefit from reading the
book, because the more we
understand the youth problem,
the healthier the body of
Christ will be.
We would suggest you read our documented book review on Kimball's
book (see link above) to gain
some further insight as to
whether "many would benefit
from reading the book"
and whether Kimball's book
would help make a "healthier"
body of Christ. In our estimation,
this book is going to spiritually
hurt young people who are
seeking for truth. We are
sorry that Josh McDowell and
other Christian leaders don't
see this.
See also:
Emerging
Church Confusion: What Does
it Really Mean?
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Understanding
Transubstantiation (The Eucharist)
LTRP
Note: Because of the current emphasis
being put on the Eucharist by many
contemplative/emerging leaders within
the evangelical/Protestant camp,
we believe this article by former
Catholic nun, Mary Ann Collins,
is important:
Transubstantiation is the doctrine
that if a validly ordained Catholic
priest consecrates bread and wine,
then Jesus Christ is literally present
-- body, blood, soul, and divinity
-- in every crumb of consecrated
bread and every drop of consecrated
wine. This is the official doctrine
of the Catholic Church. It is clearly
stated in the "Catechism of
the Catholic Church."
Catholics call this "the Eucharist"
or "holy communion." They
speak about the "real presence"
of Christ in the bread and wine.
Things relating to it are called
"eucharistic." A consecrated
communion wafer is called a "host."
Hosts that are left over after Mass
are kept in a tabernacle, (a large,
ornate container that can be locked).
When hosts are in the tabernacle,
a candle is lit. This enables Catholics
to know that consecrated hosts are
inside, so they can kneel and pray
in front of the tabernacle as a
form of eucharistic devotion. The
tabernacle also protects the hosts
by making it difficult to steal
them.
When I was a Catholic, I sometimes
attended special services called
"Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament."
A large consecrated host was put
in a monstrance. (This is a large,
ornate, metal container, in the
basic shape of a daisy with a stem,
plus a base so that it can stand
up.) The monstrance looked like
it was made of gold. It had a circular
chamber in the middle which held
a large, round host. The front of
the chamber was glass, so you could
see the host. Visually it looked
like gold rays were coming out of
the host.
The priest put the monstrance on
the altar. We worshiped the host,
believing that it was Jesus. Click
here to read more. |
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Book Reviews
The
following links are to some excellent
book reviews by various ministries:
Reviews by Deception in the Church
Book
Reviews by Gary Gilley
Book
Reviews by Media Spotlight (Al
Dager)
Book
Reviews by Kevin Reeves
This list is taken from our Helpful
Resources page on our research
site. |
The Powers
Behind The Alpha Course
By Bayith Ministries
It's
1942; the middle of the Second
World War. You're a combatant,
but you have been permitted to
take a short break in neutral
Switzerland ...
You're sitting in a park, minding
your own business, when a man
you don't know walks over with
a drink in his hand and offers
it to you. There's a world war
going on, and secret agents operate
in that part of Europe , so you
are naturally on your guard. You
study the man's demeanor. While
doing so, you also politely quiz
him about his motives and about
the contents of the glass. He
interrupts you and, in a rather
impatient tone, declares that
the checks you are performing
are irrelevant and that the only
sensible test of the brew is for
you to drink it and see what happens.
Who among us would be silly enough
to fall for such a proposition?
The drink could be a poison that
kills you instantly. Worse, its
toxin might be slow- acting, thereby
deceiving those folks around you
into trying it themselves. Worse
still, its slow-acting toxin might
be present alongside some beneficial
ingredients, or even just a mild
hallucinogen, in which case its
initial effects might well seem
helpful. And if one of its ingredients
also made it addictive...
Again, who in their right mind
would make the apparent effects
of the above drink the sensible
test of it? If the concoction
were lethal, one or more people
would have to die according to
the above approach, yet this is
exactly what certain individuals
today are insisting God has made
the test of any new movements
being touted in the professing
Church. Fruit is the test of a
person (in other words, does the
person exhibit the fruit of the
Spirit as per Galatians 5:22 -23?)
but, for the reason spelt out
above, fruit cannot be the God-given
test of a move or movement. Click
here to read this entire report.
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CONFERENCE
ALERT: BC Mennonite Brethren Heading
Toward Contemplative? This
coming May, the THE BRITISH COLUMBIA
CONFERENCE OF MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCHES
will be presenting the MB
Pastors & Spouses Retreat 2007,
which will feature Pete
Scazzero. Scazzero is the author
of the 2006 book, Emotionally Healthy
Spirituality, which is described
as "a groundbreaking work on
the integration of emotional health
and contemplative spirituality
in our discipleship and formation
in Christ."
As we reported last November (see
report), Scazzero is a proponent
of contemplative prayer and promotes
several mystics and panentheists in
his book.
According to the BC Conference of
Mennonite Brethren website, their
vision is "that every person
in the Province of BC will have contact
with a committed Christ follower who
loves them." Unfortunately, if
these "Christ" followers
are adhering to the teachings of Scazzero
and those he promotes (like Meister
Eckhart, Tilden Edwards, and Basil
Pennington), it may not be the Jesus
Christ of the Bible that the people
of British Columbia will be introduced
to. We pray and hope that the BC Mennonite
Brethren will reconsider the consequences
of contemplative spirituality and
turn away from the direction they
appear to be heading.
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March 2007
Marks 5 Year Anniversary for
Lighthouse Trails
March
marks the end of the 5th year for
Lighthouse Trails Publishing. As
many of you already know, we began
this ministry/company after reading
a manuscript by Ray Yungen, which
later became our first release,
A Time of Departing.
We want to take this opportunity
to thank those who have emailed,
written or called over the past
five years to encourage and uplift
us. We hope we have been able to
do the same to many of you. God
bless you and keep you in the shadow
of His wings.
For more information
about how we began, click here.
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Publishing
News - Hot of the Press - The Other
Side of the River
The Other Side of the River by Alaskan author Kevin Reeves, is
off the press and is now available.
The book is the true story of a
young man's spiritual plunge into
a movement called "the River,"
which claims to be spreading the
kingdom of God through signs and
wonders. Sometimes referred to as
the River revival, the Third Wave
or the Latter Rain, this movement
is marked by bizarre manifestations,
false prophecies, and esoteric revelations.
Warnings of divine retribution keep
many adherents in bondage, afraid
to speak out or even question those
things they are taught and are witness
to. For Kevin Reeves, the determination
to rescue his family came to the
forefront. Even if the cost was
high and even if he had to stand
alone, his journey back into the
freedom and simplicity of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ would be worth the
price. Click
here for more details. |
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