Coming From the Lighthouse

September 10, 2007

In This Issue -

SPECIAL REPORT: SBC 'List of Colleges and Universities' Contains Schools Promoting Yoga/New Age

Moody Bible Institute - President Praises Contemplative Dallas Willard

Talk to Your Bookstores About Lighthouse Trails

Deeds, Creeds, and Mother Teresa's Despair

Hostile Sentiment Toward "End-Time" Believing Christians Increasing

Hindu Council Attacks "Illegal" Church Ban on Yoga

A True Story of Survival in the Holocaust

Contemplative Opponents "Worse for American than the Taliban"...

Vicar Bans "Un-Christian" Ban on Yoga for Toddlers

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Coming to Your Church?

Printer Friendly Version

It has come to our attention that some Internet Service Providers and some filtering companies (such as Integrity) are at times blocking Lighthouse Trails Research Project website from their patrons. Because we deal with the New Age (i.e., occultism) and also subjects like pornography, child abuse, and homosexuality, some of these companies have blocked our site and our blog. If you feel that your ISP or filtering company is blocking LTRP sometimes, please call or write to them and tell them we are a Christian organization and promote biblical values.

 by Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service

During the preparation of this article, Christian Research Service (CRS) contacted SBC officials and asked specific questions pertaining to the schools listed on the SBC's "List of Colleges and Universities" at http://www.sbc.net/colleges.asp. As of this writing, the list contains 52 schools.

Unfortunately, almost half of the schools listed are promoting Yoga and other forms of the New Age Movement, such as Reiki, Feng Shui, Labyrinth, Tai Chi, Yoga for kids, and student field trips to "an ashram and worship with Tibetan Buddhist monks."

CRS also called the SBC headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, and spoke to an SBC Executive Committee official concerning the Cooperative Program, and what part it plays in the support and sponsorship of the schools. The official explained that,
* The SBC does not have or support any colleges.
* The colleges and universities listed on the SBC website are directly connected to the corresponding state Baptist conventions. 1

* The colleges and universities don't receive any cooperative program funds from the SBC's National Convention.
When asked if there are certain criteria or guidelines the schools must meet prior to being considered for support or sponsorship, the SBC official explained that each state convention votes whether or not to officially align with the college or university, and that typically there has to be a Baptist connection.

While the colleges and universities do not receive Cooperative Program funding from the SBC's National Convention, they do receive funding from the SBC's state conventions. According to SBC officials, the funds are primarily designated for endowments and student scholarships, and may be used for building additions and projects.

Briefly, the colleges and universities listed on the SBC's website receive financial funding from the SBC state conventions--by way of tithes and offerings Southern Baptists give through their local SBC churches--through the Cooperative Program, which states in part that,

"Churches in your state work together through your state convention to support a wide array of ministries and missions including: evangelism efforts, children's homes, volunteer missions, missions education, new churches, colleges and universities, collegiate ministries, camps, and much more"(2.

According to the SBC's website, since 1845 the SBC "has grown to over 16 million members who worship in more than 42,000 churches in the United States" (3 ). Thus, over the years, untold millions of dollars--if not billions--has made its way from the collection plate to support the various efforts outlined in the SBC's Cooperative Program, including colleges and universities.

And colleges and universities, whether Christian or secular--have the potential to strengthen or weaken, sharpen or dull young adults, whose sensitive minds are spiritually ripe for cultivation.

Concerning schools and colleges, the SBC's May 1939 "Resolution on Christian Education" states in part:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Baptists throughout the South be urged to acquaint themselves with the abundant educational opportunities afforded in our Baptist schools and colleges and to assist in turning Baptist students to them that the future for Christian education and Christian democracy, even Christian civilization itself, may be guarded with jealous care (4
.
Guarded with jealous care. How powerful the words. As Christians, are we not charged with the responsibility to jealously guard fellow Christians with the same care as the Apostle Paul demonstrated?

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2).

In his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, Paul admonished them to jealously guard themselves and their body of believers, defend and protect that which had been entrusted to them: the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears (Acts 20:28-31).

Christian parent, as you review the following list of colleges and universities, ask yourself this question: Is the spiritual welfare of my son or daughter being guarded with jealous care? To see the documentation on the SBC list of Colleges/Universities that are promoting Yoga and the New Age, click here.

Moody Bible Institute - President Praises Contemplative Dallas Willard

In a 2005 interview, Moody Bible Institute president Dr. Easley said the following about contemplative proponent Dallas Willard:

"I have read all these books about spiritual life. Are any of you Dallas Willard fans? The Divine Conspiracy and Spirit of the Disciplines - one of the top 10 books I've read in the last 10 years. Excellent book - hard to read but excellent book."

Perhaps Dr. Easley is not aware that goddess worshipper Sue Monk Kidd's endorsement is on the back cover of Spirit of the Disciplines, and perhaps he is not aware that Willard favorably quotes Thomas Merton in that book and recommends Henri Nouwen and the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius on his own website.1 Perhaps Dr. Easley does not realize that the spirituality Willard resonates with (that of Merton and Monk Kidd) is panentheistic (God is in all things) and promotes eastern mysticism. Willard also sits on the Allelon advisory board with Richard Foster, Leonard Sweet, and Brian McLaren, all of whom share his mystical proclivities.2

Moody Bible Institute has been the subject of recent reports (see below) because they are showing strong signs that they may be heading down the contemplative path. This upsets some people that an institution of such a good long standing reputation would be accused of such a thing, but one must ask, Why is Moody promoting contemplatives such as Keri Wyatt Kent, Henri Nouwen, Larry Crabb, Gary Thomas, and Dallas Willard?3 And this is not just a one time fluke promotion - the incidents of promotion are increasing.

It would be natural for Moody to defend itself in the midst of these reports and deny that this is happening ... but wouldn't it be much more profitable if the professors and staff at Moody made a firm decision that Moody and contemplative spirituality do not mix.

For a related story and further documentation, please see: Young Christian Woman Withdraws from Moody Bible Institute Because of Contemplative Promotion

Talk to Your Bookstores About Lighthouse Trails

There is one thing you will find in most Christian bookstores today - that is plenty of books on Purpose Driven, emerging church, contemplative spirituality, and mystical practices. What you will NOT find are books addressing these belief systems from a critical and challenging viewpoint. Thus, most people walking into Christian bookstores across North America and in the Western world will be heavily bombarded by mysticism, spiritual formation, and non and/or anti biblical techniques on how to live the Christian life.

Lighthouse Trails Publishing is a small publisher - its influence cannot compare to that of Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, Baker Books, InterVarsity Press, NavPress and a number of other large Christian publishing houses. But we have spent the last five years working day and night to give the church a number of books that present well-documented arguments against these popular belief systems and approaches. We have also developed several ways that people can have access to our books. One of those ways is through a national distributor who supplies SpringArbor (i.e. Ingram) and other large outlets. This means that most of our titles sit in the SpringArbor/Ingram warehouses, and any bookstore in North America can order our titles and technically get them within two days. While we receive a very small percentage (35%) of the sale when we sell through this distributor network, we have done this so that our books can be easily purchased without added shipping costs to the retail customer.

In spite of our efforts, many customers have contacted us and told us that when they try to order our books from local bookstores, they are told the books are not available, or they are not in print, or there are no such books in existence - all the while the books sit in warehouses ready to ship. We do not have an explanation for why this happens so often. But we would like you to know that the books are there.

While most Christian bookstores will not voluntarily carry books from a publisher like Lighthouse Trails, if you would like to see some of our titles in your local stores, please talk to the store managers or book buyers and ask them to carry these books. If they have trouble ordering the books directly from Ingram or SpringArbor, have them contact our distributor (STL-Distribution) directly, who promises to ship books within 24 hours and gives an excellent wholesale discount to bookstores.

Thank you and God bless you,

Editors
Lighthouse Trails Publishing

P.S. For those who do not wish to get their books through walk-in bookstores, the books are available through several ministry bookstores as well as through our own site.

Some of those ministry bookstores include:

Anabaptist Bookstore

The Berean Call

Cutting Edge Ministries

MacGregor Ministries (Canada)

Reach Out Trust (UK)

Sword Publishers

Understand the Times (Canada)

Deeds, Creeds, and Mother Teresa's Despair

 

"We all belong to the same family. Hindus, Muslims and all peoples are our brothers and sisters. They too are the children of God." Mother Teresa, Words to Love By

"We are supposed to preach without preaching not by words, but by our example, by our actions." Mother Teresa

"The first Reformation... was about creeds; this one's going to be about our deeds. The first one divided the church; this time it will unify the church." Rick Warren

"What do I labor for? If there be no God - there can be no soul - if there is no Soul then Jesus -You also are not true." One of Teresa's many agonizing prayers.

Hostile Sentiment Toward "End-Time" Believing Christians Increasing

by Roger Oakland

If you haven't already noticed, anti-Christian sentiment is growing toward those who believe in a biblical last days/Book of Revelation scenario prior to Christ's return. A 2005 article titled "Lutheran leader calls for an ecumenical council to address growing biblical fundamentalism" should help convince you. The article shows not only this growing resentment towards Bible-believing Christians but also the interspiritual path this change in attitude is taking:

"The leader of the nation's largest Lutheran denomination has called for a global Christian council to address an "identity crisis" on how churches interpret and understand the Bible. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ... called for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches to come together to combat a fundamentalist-millenialist-apocalypticist reading of Scripture."1

Hanson's request for a group to monitor and expose anti-ecumenists who take the Bible literally carries some weight! His message contains other statements showing his concern about Bible literalists--particularly those who take Bible prophecy seriously and see Israel and the Middle East crisis as an end-times sign post. The article continues:

"[M]ainline churches traditionally are uneasy with literal readings of Scripture, particularly in fundamentalist churches, regarding the end of the world and political unrest in the Middle East. In addition, mainline churches have been divided over what the Bible says about hot-button issues such as homosexuality and women's ordination."2

Bishop Hanson believes that a global ecumenical group made up of Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans is the answer to the crisis he sees. Hanson calls this effort a "ministry of reconciliation," that will "result of Christ breaking down the dividing walls," and "reconcil[ing] the whole creation to God's self."3 But Hanson says that those who believe in a biblical end times and a literal Bible interpretation are counterproductive to and holding back the cause of Christ, which he suggests is to unite all of creation and produce a planetary utopia.

Incredibly, Hanson would like to reverse the outcome of the first reformation, join hands with the Catholic Church, and embrace the Eucharistic Jesus in order to bring about an ecumenical unity and the kingdom of God here on earth. He explains:

"How do we as LWF [Lutheran World Federation] member churches continue to express our commitment to Eucharistic hospitality and sharing with the Roman Catholic Church without minimizing the theological issues that remain? Will 2017 and the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation provide an opportunity for shared reflection with the Roman Catholics on our contributions and commitment to the unity of Christ's church and to the work for justice and peace in all the earth."4

In this goal to bring about the kingdom of God on earth through an ecumenical, inter-faith movement, Reverend Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, believes that those who adhere to an apocalyptic end-time scenario (with a focus on Israel) are spreading "heresy." He says they "pretend to love the Jewish people" but are "actually anti-Jewish" with teachings that are "racist." He has requested that Lutherans "alert all Christians everywhere to its dangers and false teachings."5

As I mentioned earlier in [Faith Undone], Rick Warren tells his followers that the details of Christ's return are none of our business. Tony Campolo says Christians that focus on end-time scenarios have been the cause of "extremely detrimental" consequences. One thing you will notice in the writings of most emerging church leaders is an absence of discussion on a catastrophic apocalyptic atmosphere before Christ's literal return to earth. What you will see though is lots of discussion about establishing the kingdom now and never mind thinking about life after our earthly deaths. Brian McLaren gives an example:

"The church has been preoccupied with the question, "What happens to your soul after you die?" As if the reason for Jesus coming can be summed up in, "Jesus is trying to help get more souls into heaven, as opposed to hell, after they die." I just think a fair reading of the Gospels blows that out of the water. I don't think that the entire message and life of Jesus can be boiled down to that bottom line."6

In an interview on Planet Preterist website, McLaren discusses his dilemma over eschatological-thinking believers:

"I didn't start with any interest in rethinking eschatology ... I think many of us are in this kind of rethinking process--some starting from the beginning part by rethinking, perhaps, the relation of faith and science in relation to evolution and young-earth creationism ... some starting from the middle, as they re-examine what the gospel of the kingdom of God is supposed to mean, or the idea of integral or holistic mission ... and some starting from the end, re-examining eschatology....

"Sometimes I think that people who are thoroughly indoctrinated and habituated into this kind of system will not be able to break free from it without experiencing both psychological and social dislocation and disorientation." (emphasis added)7

McLaren also says that such Christians are really going to hurt our world. He continues:

"An eschatology of abandonment, which is how I would characterize certain streams of the left-behind approach, has disastrous social consequences... Any project geared toward improving the world long term is seen as unfaithful, since we're supposed to assume that the world is getting worse and worse."8

In the interview, McLaren is asked what he thinks about a "preterist book"* that was being released. McLaren states:

"A lot is at stake in these conversations--and very literally, the lives of thousands of people hang in the balance because if the dominant religious group in the country with the most weapons of mass destruction embraces an eschatology that legitimates escalating violence ... well, I hate to think about it."9

In essence, McLaren is saying if you believe the Book of Revelation and Matthew 24 are yet to take place, you are a dangerous psychological misfit and are assumed to have no compassion for the suffering, no concerns for the environment or the world in which we live, and have the potential to blow up the world with "weapons of mass destruction." If McLaren was talking about big governments and political parties, that would be one thing, but he is clear--he is referring to Christians who believe what the Bible says about the last days.

In an article written by Rick Warren, "What Do You Do When Your Church Hits a Plateau?" Warren told pastors and church leaders not to be discouraged about slow change in their churches. He told them it would take time ... and in many cases, it would take these resisters either leaving the church or simply dying. Warren exhorts:

"If your church has been plateaued for six months, it might take six months to get it going again. If it's been plateaued a year, it might take a year. If it's been plateaued for 20 years, you've got to set in for the duration! I'm saying some people are going to have to die or leave. Moses had to wander around the desert for 40 years while God killed off a million people before he let them go into the Promised Land. That may be brutally blunt, but it's true. There may be people in your church who love God sincerely, but who will never, ever change."10

By making statements like this, Rick Warren marginalizes those who won't go along with the new reformation that he is hoping for. While Warren doesn't say that people should kill them, he does say that God may have to end their lives, just like when "God killed off a million people before he let them go into the Promised Land."

One of the tools Rick Warren uses to help churches make the transformation into the new paradigm is a book called Transitioning: Leading Your Church Through Change. Written by Dan Southerland, a Saddleback pastor and the director of Church Transitions Inc., an organization that "trains pastors and church leaders to effectively manage major transitions,"11 Southerland states in a chapter titled "Dealing with Opposition":

"We have experienced two major sources of criticism during our transitions. The first is Christians from more traditional backgrounds.... Not all of our traditional backgrounded Christians have been critical--just the ornery ones. Our second source of criticism is traditional church pastors. Again, not all traditional church pastors--just the meaner ones."12

Southerland tells readers that "some folks are going to get very angry." He likens these opposers to "leader[s] from hell." He says:

"If you have read Nehemiah recently, you will remember that Sanballat is Nehemiah's greatest critic and number one enemy. Let me put it plainer than that. Sanballat is a leader from hell.... We all have some Sanballats in our churches. This is the guy who opposes whatever you propose.... You cannot call this guy a leader from hell to his face--but you could call him Sanballat."13

The concept of get with the program, change, or die is very common in New Age and emerging circles as well--those who don't get on board (or ride the wave as Leonard Sweet puts it), will have to die. Listen to the words of New Age activist Barbara Marx Hubbard. She states:

"Christ-consciousness and Christ-abilities are the natural inheritance of every human being on Earth. When the word of this hope has reached the nations, the end of this phase of evolution shall come. All will know their choice. All will be required to choose.... All who choose not to evolve will die off."14

This sounds much like Leonard Sweet when he says, "Reinvent yourself for the 21st century or die. Some would rather die than change."15

It is quite ironic that one of the biggest complaints by New Agers and emerging church proponents alike is the black and white, either/or mindset of their critics, but in actuality, this is what they are doing themselves--telling believers to "reinvent or die." (This is an excerpt from Faith Undone, pp. 200-206.)

Notes:

1. Kevin Eckstrom, "Lutheran leader calls for an ecumenical council to address growing biblical fundamentalism" (Religious News Service, August 11, 2005).
2. Ibid.
3. Bishop Mark S. Hanson, Lutheran World Federation President and presiding Bishop of the ELCA, "The Church: Called to a Ministry of Reconciliation," Address to the LWF Council in Jerusalem (Lutheran World, September 2005, http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/2005-Council/President_Address-2005_EN.pdf), p. 1.
4. Ibid., p. 8.
5. "Younan: Christian Zionism is heresy" (The Lutheran, March 2003, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3942/is_200303/ai_n9221870). Note: According to one online encyclopedia, Christian Zionism is defined as: a belief among some Christians that the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, is in accordance with Biblical prophecy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian _ Zionism).
6. Brian McLaren cited on "PBS Special on the Emerging Church" (Religion and Ethics Weekly, July 15, 2005, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week846/cover.html), part 2.
7. Interview by Planet Preterist with Brian McLaren (http://planet prete rist.com/news-2774.html).
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Rick Warren, "What Do You Do When Your Church Hits a Plateau?" (Rick Warren June 16, 2006 e-newsletter, Issue 263, http://www .pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=263& artide=4533&expand=1).
11. From Church Transitions website: http://www.church transitio ns.com/about_cti.htm.
12. Dan Southerland, Transitioning (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, First Zondervan Edition, 2000), p. 116.
13. Ibid., p. 115.
14. Mike Oppenheimer, "The Plan" (Let Us Reason ministries, citing Barbara Marx Hubbard, Happy Birthday Planet Earth, Ocean Tree Books, 1986), p. 17, http://www.letusreason.org/NAM20.htm).
15. Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), p. 75.

Hindu Council Attacks "Illegal" Church Ban on Yoga

Christian Today - UK
by Daniel Blake

The Hindu Council UK (HCUK), the largest national network of Hindu organisations within the UK, is considering whether a ban on yoga classes at St James' Church and the Silver Street Baptist Church in Taunton, Somerset, may breach the Equality Act 2006.

Lawyers for HCUK are exploring whether comments made by both The Reverend Tim Jones, Vicar of St James' and The Reverend Simon Farrar of the Silver Street Baptist Church that yoga is a "sham," a "false philosophy" and "unchristian" may indicate they have acted contrary to the 'Religion and Belief' section of the Act, specifically those parts relating to discrimination in providing goods, facilities and services. Click here to read this entire article.

LTRP Note: The following is an excerpt from Lighthouse Trails book, Trapped in Hitler's Hell. It is the true story of Anita Dittman, who after WWII came to live in America and at 80 still speaks to groups about her experiences. She is a Jewish Christian believer. Her story is highly inspirational, much like Corrie ten Boom's, which while taking place during one of the most horrific times in human history, radiates with her deep love for Jesus Christ. This book is filled with history and faith, and we believe should be read by every Christian family. Leo Hohmann (former editor of the Messianic Times) says this of the book:

"Will sweep you into 1930s Germany and back with your faith intact ... carries a stark message for today's Western Christian ... will refocus your priorities and recharge your spiritual life."

TRAPPED IN HITLER'S HELL

I was a first-grader in Breslau, Germany, at the time. It was 1933, and the Nazi fires were only kindling sparks. In time, they would erupt into a holocaust in which millions would be consumed by its hate, its lies, and its unfounded prejudices. Already I couldn't come home after school without suffering a stoning or a beating. Particularly the little German boys, swollen with Aryan pride and propaganda that told them to stamp out inferiors, delighted in ganging up on me. And this was just the beginning of what would be a twelve-year nightmare--twelve years of waiting for a knock on the door from the Gestapo; for a loved one to be dragged away by the hair or the beard to points unknown; for a boxcar ride, to be jammed in with hundreds of frightened, weeping people on their way to a death camp; or for a merciful bullet to end it all.

Among those unfortunate Jews, I was to be one of the few with a real home. I would come to know Jesus who was to offer peace in the midst of the turmoil. After all, wasn't He the Prince of Peace?

My mother, Hilde, was one of thirteen children born into an Orthodox Jewish home in Germany. Since they were a pitifully poor family, they could not afford to send Mother to a Jewish school. Public schools always taught religion, so Mother, along with other poor Jewish children, had to hear about Jesus of Nazareth. The name of Jesus was an offense to most Jews. Under the banner of the cross, millions of Jews had died throughout history. Yet something within Mother was awakened whenever she read about Jesus in her textbooks. She couldn't deny the tug at her heart as she studied His life, while Judaism left a spiritual vacuum this Man from Galilee beckoned to fill. She did not dare utter her curiosity aloud, yet she found herself saying quietly, "Maybe Jesus is the God I've been looking for."

But at nineteen she, like so many other searching young people, gave in to the lure of a cult: theosophy, which is similar to Hinduism and teaches reincarnation. Christ was placed on the same level as Buddha and Muhammad, and she could worship a multitude of equal gods. She renounced her Judaism and ran from Jesus. But the day was fast approaching when Mother would call upon the name of Yeshua ("Jesus") for mercy, protection, deliverance, and, most important of all, salvation.

Father was an Aryan German and a devout atheist. He was active in Germany's Social Democratic Party, Hitler's arch rival, and served as editor of The Volkswacht, an anti-Nazi newspaper in the city of Breslau.... But the Nazis forced Father's newspaper to close down, putting all the employees out of work. Father was forced to train new Nazi personnel so the paper could crank out propaganda in Breslau and its surrounding province, perhaps Germany's largest stronghold of swastika supporters.

At the same time, they put unbearable pressure on Father to leave Mother, my sister, and me, for the Nazis discouraged any relations between Germans and Jews. Many intermarriages were dissolved or annulled by the state. It was considered a grave abomination to pollute the German race by marrying Jews.

Father left us in 1933 to flee the Nazis, who were hunting all members of the Social Democratic Party. We went on welfare and had to move into a tiny, one-room apartment not far from our townhouse. But we were grateful, for though our quarters were cramped, the apartment was relatively clean and in a decent section of Breslau. Yet hardships were ever-present and growing. We had no money for anything but rent and a meager amount for food--the equivalent of about twenty cents per meal. My precious ballet lessons, which had been my only real escape in Nazi Germany, had to stop. When I danced, I danced away all cares and fears. I slipped into a make-believe world filled with all the normal delights of a six-year-old and felt totally free and fulfilled....

Adolf Hitler came to power because the confused and senile President Hindenburg permitted it. In the early 1930s, Germany was in the throes of the economic depression that had begun on Wall Street in October 1929. The depression's effects had been felt in Germany almost immediately; by 1933 nearly one third of the country was unemployed.

During the 1930 elections, the Nazis made the most noise because they were violently anti-communist and had the backing of wealthy German industrialists. Scoring giant gains in the Reichstag, Germany's legislative assembly, their representation jumped from twelve to one hundred and seven.

By 1932, the Nazis had become even stronger as they rallied around the leadership of Adolf Hitler. With his staff, Hitler traveled to every village and hamlet to gain votes, his unemployment bandwagon gaining so much support that the Nazis more than doubled their parliament seats.

Then Hitler was offered the German vice-chancellorship peacefully and legally. He refused. He wanted nothing short of the chancellorship, which would give him power almost equal to Hindenburg-s. Later in 1932, he was offered the full chancellorship, with limited conditions. Again he held out, protesting the conditions.

By then Germany's streets were loud with riots and political fights. Brown-shirted Nazis fought all opponents--particularly left-wing ones--openly in the streets as well as in dark alleys.

Finally in January of 1933 Hitler was made the chancellor of a coalition government; Hindenburg, nearly eighty-five and no longer able to read, remained president. A torchlight parade was held on January 30th. A new era of history had opened--the era of the Third Reich. German democracy was dead. But with nearly six million unemployed, Germany had only a lukewarm devotion to democracy anyway.

The Nazi appeal contained a lot of idealism. The idea of living in a strong, virile country appealed to everyone, particularly the young. Everyone was wide open to the propaganda that assured relief from depression, inflation, and other tremendous hardships, and Nazism promised a near-welfare state.

Hitler was totally underrated by his opponents. The Communist and Social Democratic parties felt sure his incompetence would quickly be revealed and that the Nazis would topple with little impact. Hardly anyone expected the Third Reich to burn its swastika across Europe's landscape....

Hitler swore he would never leave the chancellory in his lifetime. To insure this, he immediately enrolled a bodyguard of forty thousand men. A particularly sadistic group of men who were a law unto themselves, this organization was called Schutzstaffel (literally, "protective rank")--abbreviated to SS.... Both Hitler and his SS men wanted a law to do without the law, and they soon had it.
The Gestapo were all members of the SS. Their duties were similar to those of the SS, and they were equally corrupt and power hungry. They all moved ahead by force, taking over government buildings, hoisting the swastika flag everywhere, and arresting any government official who opposed Hitler. President Hindenburg went along with everything except the persecution of the Jews. He even signed a decree in 1933, which freed all Nazis from prisons.

Every Nazi opponent or suspicious individual would be exterminated or driven out of the country. The lucky ones made it to safety, though they were few. Everything associated with the Jews would be the brunt of a particularly vicious attack, starting slowly in 1933 and culminating in an attempt at genocide or race annihilation. Hitler even had the Reichstag building burned to the ground in 1933 because it reminded him of a synagogue. In the spring, a boycott was ordered against Jewish businesses and professions to force them to pay large indemnities to maintain their bare existence.

That same year, an unfamiliar term gained prominence in the world's language of despair: concentration camp. At first crude, primitive, and poorly run, in time they would become shrewdly run businesses that housed millions of Jews, Christians, and political opponents, as well as all the sick, insane, and elderly--including Germans. Hitler thought these groups were threatening the purity of the Aryan race. The camps were to become Mother's and my home. Only by hanging tightly to Jesus' hand would our journey into hell be bearable.

It was difficult for me as a child to understand Hitler, this demagogue whose picture was everywhere--in our classroom, on street banners, and, later, even defiling church altars. Each morning my teacher, Fraulein (Miss) Kinzel, would pray toward the picture of Hitler. Her words still ring in my ears: "Dear God, protect our dear leader. Make him strong. Let us all learn to love him. May he have many years of glorious reign." All of us had to fold our hands and bow our heads. Then we had to raise our arm in the proper Heil Hitler manner and sing the German national anthem with great gusto. Failure to follow this nationalistic ritual meant a beating or being turned over to the Gestapo. Whenever I met Fraulein Kinzel I gave her the Nazi salute and muffled some words, but I never really uttered an official Heil Hitler.

Our little radio was our most precious possession, for it kept us one step ahead of the plans of the Gestapo and Hitler. Mother awakened us unusually early one hot, sticky August morning in 1934.

"Anita! Hella!" she exclaimed with fear in her voice. "President Hindenburg has died. It is not good. He was against the persecution of the Jews!"

Sleepily we sat up in bed and gazed at Mother. Though Hella was only eleven and I was only seven, Mother talked to us like adults. She assumed we understood the ramifications of Nazi Germany; and perhaps God did give us understanding far beyond our years.

"You must take every precaution," Mother continued. "Keep to yourselves and never utter anything against the Nazis. Don't trust anyone. Do you hear?" We nodded our understanding.

Mother paced our tiny one-room apartment. "All Hitler talks about is the pure German race; it is an obsession with him. He screams and his face is contorted with violence and emotion. Everywhere the crowds roar their approval, but he looks at them with contempt."

Legally there should have been an election for a new president. But Hitler was not in the mood for an election, so he simply abolished the title and the office of the presidency, appointing himself Der Fuhrer, "The Leader." He also named himself commander-in-chief of the army. However, the German people were invited to register their approval of his actions. Nearly 88 percent of the population said they were pleased, and then Hitler was in complete control.

That winter most of our non-Jewish friends told us they could no longer associate with us. A few would visit us bravely in the middle of the night. I overheard one dear friend of Mother's saying, "Hilde, you know we still love you. You must understand. We oppose the Nazis, but they are threatening our lives if we are kind to the Jews. You'll have to break it to Anita that our little Gunther can no longer play with her. I know how disappointed she will be."

Mother knew too. Even the midnight visits of friends bringing baskets of food to compensate for our pitiful rations couldn't compensate for the loss of my friendship with Gunther.

My teacher was still Fraulein Kinzel, who continued to make school unbearable. She openly hated me for not being a member of the Hitler Youth, and she delighted in hitting me with a ruler on the back of my head or hands. Teachers were allowed to spank children who were a discipline problem or who didn't keep up with assignments. She made full use of those rights with me, always exaggerating my failures.
Three times a week our class went to another room for religion studies where I could learn more about Jesus. It was a breath of fresh spring air in a howling blizzard of disappointments. Jesus began occupying more and more of my thoughts and attention. I learned that His life was a paradox and His death wasn't final. He taught that by dying we really live, and by giving away we gain. Years later I would hear Him called "the hound of heaven." Indeed, it seemed as if He was following me in a loving and protecting way, not for selfish reasons, but because He wanted to give me a gift....

Soon Gestapo agents dressed in plain clothes visited the church services.... We had heard that one of the leading Protestant churchmen in Germany was heading a movement to harmonize Christianity with Nazi beliefs, including anti-Semitism, to the extent of leaving the Old Testament out of Christian teachings because of its Jewishness. Pastor Hornig said the new Nazi church would be called the German Christian Church. Some German Protestant pastors would sell out to it, but most refused and then helped to organize the Confessional Evangelical Church, which would continue to preach the whole Bible, including the gospel of Jesus and the important role of the Jewish people in God's eternal plan. It also would oppose having Hitler's picture placed on church altars....

Mother was becoming more and more silent, for she seemed to have a barometer within her that sensed impending danger. Some might have flippantly called her a prophet of doom, but actually, she was realistic and nearly always right.... (from chapter 1 of Trapped in Hitler's Hell by Anita Dittman as told to Jan Markell)
Anita Today

Contemplative Opponents "Worse for American than the Taliban"

Last week, Lighthouse Trails received the following letter from a Wheaton College graduate. Wheaton has become a strong proponent of contemplative spirituality, which explains how a graduate could come away with the following beliefs:

The Letter
I myself am a graduate of Wheaton College.

Your criticism of focusing on breathing is, quite simply, ridiculous and you are doing a disservice to the cause of Christianity.

Certainly, one is following the example of Christ when they sit and breathe -- "be still"; to know God's presence certainly involves sitting still and allow your thoughts/your ego/your self-importance to be of no importance, even for five minutes. This is to die to one's self, as Paul, a follower of Christ advocated.

But instead, you seem to have a need to villify a fellow Christian for the primary reason that he doesn't talk and think like the American-culture Christianity you advocate. It is not a sin to compare and contrast the universality of human experience. After all, God is not an American. And God existed long before America. And, believe it or not, God will continue to exist long after America is no more. It is, however, a sin to believe you have a lock on Christianity -- while God is of absolute Truths, it is shameful and sinful to believe you have a corner on the market of Truth.

Shame on you. Your website is a push for hatred and intolerance of fellow Christians. Is your drive to criticize sitting still because of a need to find a demon behind every rock?

I strongly encourage you to consider what prayer is, if not sitting still and breathing. You do know there is more to prayer than the ego-based petition prayer of asking God for one thing after another. Certainly there is more often occasion to give thanks, such as thanking God that all of your daily needs will be met.

C'mon, help yourself -- let go of whatever anger it is that compels you to hate Christians that don't think or talk like you do -- a follower of Christ is more often tolerant than not. Still, like Christ, I consider your website comparable to the moneychangers in the Temple, and have strongly beaten you with criticism.

It is my hope that you would re-focus your anger to compassion. I have been challenged by your website to practice compassionate meditation daily; fundamentalist intolerance is anti-democracy, and is worse for America than the Taliban. (end of letter)

It is the desire of Lighthouse Trails to speak the truth in love regarding contemplative spirituality. We have offered to send this person a complimentary copy of A Time of Departing. For more information on Wheaton's contemplative proclivities, click here.

For a list of colleges that do NOT have spiritual formation programs, see here.

Vicar Bans "Un-Christian" Ban on Yoga for Toddlers

Times Online - UK
Simon de Bruxelles

A children's exercise class has been banned from two church halls because it is teaching yoga. The group has been turned away by vicars who described yoga as a sham and un-Christian.

Louise Woodcock, 41, who was looking for a new home for her Yum Yum Yoga class for toddlers was turned away by the Silver Street Baptist Church and St James's Anglican Church in Taunton, Somerset.

Miss Woodcock says that the ban is ridiculous as the classes simply involve music and movement with no religious content. She said: "I couldn't believe it when they suddenly said I couldn't have the hall any more because yoga is against their Christian ethos. It's crazy because we're talking about kids pretending to be animals and doing exercise routines to rhymes....

The Rev Tim Jones, vicar of St James's, said: "Any alternative philosophies