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HOME                         March 9, 2010
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Brian McLaren’s New Book, A New Kind of Christianity – Assaulting Truth with a Vengeance

by John Lanagan
(free-lance writer and researcher)

In Brian McLaren’s latest book, A New Kind of Christianity, the reader is cordially invited to join the author in a heretical assault upon God and the Bible. Indeed, as McLaren enthusiastically demonstrates, it is not possible to attack one without attacking the other.

Acknowledging the work of fellow emergent travelers such as Phyllis Tickle, Tony Jones, and Doug Pagitt, McLaren tells us “something is trying to be born among those of us who follow Jesus Christ.” (pg.13) In fact, writes McLaren, “what is trying to be born today echoes the Great Reformation in many ways.” (pg.257)

But does McLaren’s paradigm vision really echo the Great Reformation? From the Reformation came the freedom of Sola Scriptura—the Word of God alone. The chains of a false religion were cast off. From the Reformation came men and women who were willing to die for the right to believe and proclaim Truth.

What does McLaren’s “reformation” offer? An errant eschatology. A New Age “christ.” The ascent of homospirituality into the temple. (2 Kings 23: 7) All made possible, of course, through creative misinterpretation of God’s Word. The author has brought us his Great Deformation, a theology that plays to the flesh even while being portrayed as a spiritual journey.

One of the major themes in A New Kind of Christianity, homosexuality, cleverly defines Christians who speak out against the homosexual lifestyle as suffering from “fundasexuality.” (Pg.174-5) However, you are only a “fundasexualist” if you speak out loudly against this sin.

McLaren decrees, “The term does not apply to the quiet, pious, respectful fundamentalism of straightforward, sincere people, but rather to the organizing, angry, dominating fundamentalism that declares war on those who differ.” (pg. 174-5)

In other words, when it comes to homosexuality, a good Christian is a silent Christian.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)

As my wife and I have both repented of this particular sin, it is difficult to comprehend Brian McLaren’s smiley-faced rebellion. But make no mistake: McLaren and others are being used to facilitate homospirituality, which may even assume an elevated, even sacred, status.

Ridiculous? Simply look to the Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. This is just the beginning. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Like Doug Pagitt, Brian McLaren believes Christians are trapped in a “Greco-Roman” understanding of the faith. “Now the god of this Greco-Roman version of the biblical story bears a strange similarity in many ways to Zeus,” he tells us, which “is a far different deity from the Jewish Elohim of Genesis 1…” (pg. 42)

Yet, no matter what name his god is given, you will not find this redesigned deity in the Old or New Testament. The only way to promote the existence of this “god” is to radically change biblical interpretation—which is exactly what the author spends much time and many pages seeking to accomplish. “There will be no new kind of Christian faith without a new approach to the Bible,” he opines, “because we’ve gotten ourselves into a mess with the Bible.” (Pg. 67-68)

In his chapter, ‘What is the Overarching Storyline of the Bible?’ McLaren notes he and others have “dared to tweak” the content of the Word of God. “We might question conventional theories of atonement or the nature and population of hell or whether concepts like original sin or total depravity might need to be modified.” (pg. 35)

McLaren does indeed “modify.” He modifies with a vengeance. Thus this emergent “Jesus” was never sent by the Father to die in our place for our sins. There is no substitutionary atonement. There is no original sin.

The Bible tells us, “I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes.” (Psalm 119: 145)

McLaren believes traditional understanding of the Word of God has made Christians a nasty, dominant bunch. We apparently have difficulty with religious pluralism because of this flawed understanding. On top of that, Christians “currently control most of the world’s wealth, consume most of the world’s resources, produce most of the world’s waste, and sell and use most of the world’s weapons.” (Pg.215)

As in his other books, in A New Kind of Christianity McLaren exhibits his ability and talent to write well and draw readers with his conversational tone, seemingly measured, with humorous comments sprinkled in here and there. He gives the impression of allowing much room to disagree with him. He invites us on a journey, which he portrays as part of the natural “evolution” of Christianity.

“The old paradigm falls away behind us like a point of departure, and we are won over to new possibilities, caught up in a new way of seeing, looking toward a new and wide horizon.” (Pg.30) But since the author does not comprehend the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:14), what practices does he engage in to gain wisdom and knowledge?

Interestingly, McLaren identifies himself as a “contemplative/reflexive.” (pg. 226) He writes, “In the tradition of Julian of Norwich and St. Teresa of Avila and all the other mystics, we can learn to render ourselves vulnerable to the “favors of God”—those indescribable experiences that mock our dualisms and so saturate our imagination with abundance that they transcend our ability to convey joy and wonder. In the tradition of St. John of the Cross, we can learn to survive and derive benefits from the soul’s dark night.” (pg. 227) Like most leading figures in the emergent movement, McLaren advocates contemplative spirituality.

A New Kind of Christianity will serve as a lure for Bible-illiterate Christians. For believers who know the Word of God, McLaren’s heresy will sadden and astound. His book is aimed at the young, and at people who have perhaps grown up in households with little or no faith. It is aimed at the unsaved and the uncertain. It is for the disappointed and disenchanted, and for people who simply know no better. If you have a gripe against God or His people, this book will lick your wounds. But what this book will not do is provide any measure of godly hope and biblical virtue.

Related Articles:

Brian McLaren’s Hope for the Future – The Minds of Your Grandchildren

BOOK REVIEW: Brian McLaren’s New Book: Finding Our Way Again

EMERGENT MANIFESTO: Emerging Church Comes Out of the Closet

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The "Wonderful" Deception of the Purpose Driven Paradigm

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

LTRP Note: The following is an excerpt from Warren B. Smith’s new book, A “Wonderful” Deception. The book begins with a recap of Smith’s earlier book, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose Driven Church. Because more and more churches everyday are deciding to adopt the "Purpose Driven," paradigm, this material is vital to understand. Please feel free to print and distribute this posting. If you would like it in a printable PDF with preface, introduction and endnotes, click here.

by Warren B. Smith
“Deceived on Purpose”
(from chapter 1 of A “Wonderful” Deception)

I was working as a hospice social worker on the California coast in the late summer of 2003 when I first read Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life. Having been formerly involved in the New Age movement, I immediately recognized some serious New Age implications to Warren’s Purpose Driven movement. Feeling compelled to warn the church about the spiritual confusion that could result from some of his teachings, I resigned my hospice job to write Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose Driven Church. The book was published in August of 2004.

In Deceived on Purpose, while I did not describe Rick Warren or his Purpose Driven Church as “New Age,” I did point out the many New Age implications regarding his teachings and the danger those teachings posed for the church.

Because Saddleback apologists have misrepresented these warnings and because my concerns have grown significantly since I wrote Deceived on Purpose, I have written this follow-up book. To lay a proper foundation for A “Wonderful” Deception, I will briefly summarize some of the basic concerns I expressed in Deceived on Purpose. I will recap these in the remainder of this first chapter.

Ten Basic Concerns

1) Rick Warren Cites New Age Leader
In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren introduces his main themes of “hope” and “purpose.” Inexplicably, Warren chooses to introduce “hope” and “purpose” in his book by citing Dr. Bernie Siegel—a veteran New Age leader who claims to have a spirit-guide named George.1 Somehow, readers of The Purpose Driven Life are expected to believe that God inspired Warren to introduce the themes of hope and purpose by referencing the “wisdom” of Bernie Siegel, an author and leader in the New Age movement. But the Bible warns that this kind of worldly wisdom is not from God and can confuse and stumble believers, and completely mislead unbelievers:

This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. (James 3:15)

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. (Romans 14:13)

2) Rick Warren Sends Confusing New Age Message: “God is in everything”
Out of the fifteen different Bible versions Rick Warren uses in The Purpose Driven Life, he chooses to cite Ephesians 4:6 from a new translation that erroneously conveys the panentheistic New Age teaching that God is “in” everything. According to New Age leaders, this teaching is foundational to the New Age/New Spirituality.2 Yet of these fifteen Bible versions Warren uses in his book, he chooses the New Century Version that has potentially misled millions of Purpose Driven readers to believe this key New Age doctrine that God is “in” everything. Regarding God, Warren writes:

The Bible says, “He rules everything and is everywhere and is in everything”3

The New Century Version quoted by Rick Warren verbalizes what A Course in Miracles and my other New Age books taught me years ago—that God is “in” everyone and everything. This completely misrepresents what the apostle Paul is saying in Ephesians 4:6. In Deceived on Purpose, I explain:

In this Scripture Paul is not writing to the world at large. The book of Ephesians is Paul’s letter to the Church of Ephesus and to the faithful followers of Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 1:1 he makes it clear that he is writing to “the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.”

According to properly translated Scripture, God is not “in” everyone and everything, and God’s Holy Spirit only indwells those who truly accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (John 14:15-17; Acts 5:32). In Deceived on Purpose, I wrote:

Because the Church of Ephesus was composed of believers who had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, God had sent His Holy Spirit to them. Therefore, as a result of their conversion God’s Holy Spirit resided in them all. Thus, Paul is only addressing the believers of Ephesus and the “faithful in Christ Jesus” when he stated that God is “above all, and through all, and in you all.” He was not saying that God is present in unbelievers. He was not saying that God is “in” everyone and “in” everything. That is what the New Age teaches.4

It is vital to understand the difference in renderings of Ephesians 4:6. Compare the New Century Version that Rick Warren quotes with the King James Bible:

He rules everything and is everywhere and is in everything. (NCV)

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (KJV)

3) Rick Warren and The Message
In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren cites Eugene Peterson’s The Message more than any other Bible version. The Message is laden with its own set of questionable New Age implications. In the first chapter of The Purpose Driven Life, five of the six Scriptures Warren cites come from The Message. Warren states that The Message is a Bible “paraphrase,” yet he frequently writes, “the Bible says” when quoting from The Message.5

One of the many examples of the New Age implications of The Message is seen in Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing of the Lord’s Prayer. Where most translations read “in earth, as it is in heaven,” Peterson inserts the occult/New Age phrase “as above, so below.” The significance of this mystical occult saying is seen clearly in As Above, So Below, a book published in 1992 by the editors of New Age Journal. Chief editor Ronald S. Miller describes how the occult/magical saying “as above, so below” conveys the “fundamental truth about the universe”—the teaching that “we are all one” because God is “immanent” or “within” everyone and everything. Miller writes:

Thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, the great master alchemist Hermes Trismegistus, believed to be a contemporary of the Hebrew prophet Abraham, proclaimed this fundamental truth about the universe: “As above, so below; as below, so above.” This maxim implies that the transcendent God beyond the physical universe and the immanent God within ourselves are one. Heaven and Earth, spirit and matter, the invisible and the visible worlds form a unity to which we are intimately linked.6

Miller continues describing the meaning of “as above, so below” by quoting Sufi scholar Reshad Field:

“‘As above, so below’ means that the two worlds are instantaneously seen to be one when we realize our essential unity with God. . . . The One and the many, time and eternity, are all One.”7 (ellipsis in original)

In 2004 when I searched “as above, so below” on the Internet, the first entry listed further defined this “key” New Age term:

This phrase comes from the beginning of The Emerald Tablet and embraces the entire system of traditional and modern magic which was inscribed upon the tablet in cryptic wording by Hermes Trismegistus. The significance of this phrase is that it is believed to hold the key to all mysteries. All systems of magic are claimed to function by this formula. “‘That which is above is the same as that which is below’ . . . The universe is the same as God, God is the same as man.”8

Most of the references, either on websites or in books and magazines containing the phrase “as above, so below” describe the term as having the same occult/mystical/New Age/esoteric/magical sources. One website states:

This ancient phrase, “As above, so below” describes the Oneness of All That Is.9

In Deceived on Purpose, I discuss my concerns over Rick Warren placing such great emphasis on Eugene Peterson’s The Message. When I looked up Ephesians 4:6 in The Message, Peterson’s paraphrase (like the New Century Version) also definitely lends itself to the New Age interpretation that God is present “in” everyone. In The Message, Peterson introduces his readers—with no parenthetical warnings or explanations—to the concept of ‘Oneness’:

You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.10

The “as above, so below” God “in” everything “Oneness” message of Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase The Message sounds strikingly similar to the same “as above, so below” God “in” everything “Oneness” message of the New Age/New Spirituality. Such a teaching is contrary to what the Bible teaches. We are only “one” in Christ Jesus when we repent of our sins and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Galatians 3:26-28 states:

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

4) The Purpose Driven Life’s Distorted View of Bible Prophecy
In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren strongly discourages the study of prophecy. He states that “in essence” Jesus told his disciples: “The details of my return are none of your business.”11 Contrary to what Warren writes, in Jesus’ discussion on the Mount of Olives, He tells His disciples that an understanding of the details of His return is very important. He provides much needed prophetic information so that His followers will not be deceived about the details of His return at the end of time. In Deceived on Purpose, I explain:

He warns that there will be false teachers and false teachings that will try to confuse the details of His return. He provides the prophetic detail because He didn’t want His disciples, or any of us, mistaking Antichrist’s arrival for His own return. He initiates His lengthy prophetic discourse by saying, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” He ends His discussion by warning them to “watch” and “be ready.”12

As someone who has come out of New Age teachings, I find it very disturbing that Rick Warren writes that the details of Jesus’ return are none of our business. In Deceived on Purpose, I talk about the role that these details had in my own eventual conversion:

Understanding the events surrounding His return was critical to understanding how badly I had been deceived by my New Age teachings. I had learned from reading the Bible that there is a false Christ on the horizon and that for a number of years I had unknowingly been one of his followers. Because the Bible’s clear authoritative teachings about the real Jesus and His true return had been brought to my attention, I was able to see how deceived I was. By understanding that there is a false Christ trying to counterfeit the true Christ’s return, I was able to renounce the false Christ I had been following and commit my life to the true Jesus Christ.13

5) Rick Warren and John Marks Templeton
Rick Warren unwittingly lent himself to the “purposes” of New Age sympathizer John Marks Templeton, as shown in Deceived on Purpose:

Even as I write, [New Age leader] Neale Donald Walsch’s New Age colleague Wayne Dyer is teaching the principles of the New Spirituality to an unsuspecting American public on a 3-hour PBS television special. His subject? The power of intention and purpose. While Dyer was cleverly presenting the New Spirituality by talking about the power of “purpose,” Rick Warren was judging a “Power of Purpose” essay contest for the New Age-based Templeton Foundation. John Templeton—with his strong New Age and metaphysical leanings—believes in a “shared divinity between God and humanity.”14

I pointed out that the late Templeton had been featured on the cover of Robert Schuller’s Possibilities magazine and was described as “my wonderful role model” by Neale Donald Walsch.

6) Robert Schuller’s Influence on Rick Warren
I discovered that Rick Warren had been greatly influenced by Robert Schuller and that he frequently used unattributed material from Schuller’s writings. In promoting his 2004 Robert H. Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership, Schuller stated that Warren was a graduate of his Institute.15 Furthermore, on an April 4, 2004 Hour of Power television broadcast, Schuller described how Warren had come to his Institute for Successful Church Leadership “time after time.”16 And Rick Warren’s wife, Kay, was quoted in a 2002 Christianity Today article saying that Schuller “had a profound influence on Rick.”17

In reading Schuller’s past writings, it soon became apparent that Schuller had indeed greatly influenced Rick Warren’s ministry and that Warren often used Schuller’s material without any attribution to Schuller.

One of the many examples where Warren emulates Schuller’s material can be seen in the following comparison of their writings. In his 1982 book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, Robert Schuller writes:

Our very survival “as a species depends on hope. And without hope we will lose the faith that we can cope.”18

Twenty years later in his 2002 book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren writes:

Hope is as essential to your life as air and water. You need hope to cope.19

Another example of how Rick Warren mirrors Robert Schuller is found in Warren’s 1995 book The Purpose Driven Church. He concludes his book by writing:

Accept the challenge of becoming a purpose-driven church! The greatest churches in history are yet to be built.20

Rick Warren’s statement is almost a direct quote from Schuller’s 1986 book Your Church Has A Fantastic Future!, which quotes a pastor saying:

Ten years ago, I heard Dr. Robert Schuller say at his leadership conference, “The greatest churches in the world are yet to be built!”21

These are just two of many other examples I found where Rick Warren uses unattributed material from Schuller’s writings and teachings. In Deceived on Purpose, I wrote:

The more I read Robert Schuller, the more I was shocked at how so many of Rick Warren’s thoughts, ideas, references, words, terms, phrases, and quotes in The Purpose Driven Life seemed to be directly inspired by Schuller’s writings and teachings.22

7) Rick Warren and Robert Schuller’s “New Reformation” & “God’s Dream”
Rick Warren’s proposed “New Reformation” and his “God’s Dream” Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan are strikingly similar to Robert Schuller’s proposed “New Reformation” and his “God’s Dream” plan “to redeem society.” The only real difference between their basic plans is that Schuller proposed his “New Reformation” and “God’s Dream” plan twenty years previous to Warren. In his 1982 book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, Schuller called for a “New Reformation” in the church.23 To accomplish this New Reformation he frequently invoked the metaphor “God’s Dream” to describe God’s “great plan to redeem society.”24 Twenty years later, Warren was also calling for a “New Reformation” in the church.25 To accomplish his proposed New Reformation, Warren also invoked the “God’s Dream” metaphor that Schuller had used over two decades earlier to describe his New Reformation and his “plan.”26 Warren described his new reformational P.E.A.C.E. Plan as “God’s Dream For You—And The World!,”27 which also happens to resemble the PEACE Plan proposed by Neale Donald Walsch.

In Deceived on Purpose, I wrote:

Following Schuller’s forty-year commitment to his church, Rick Warren made a forty-year commitment to the Saddleback community. He “grew” his mega-church by faithfully implementing all that he had learned from Schuller. . . . Now Schuller’s concept of “God’s Dream” was being used to inspire millions of Christians to get behind his [Warren’s] 5-Step P.E.A.C.E. Plan to “change the world”—a 5-Step P.E.A.C.E. Plan that, on paper, bore an eerie resemblance to the 5-Step PEACE Plan proposed by Neale Donald Walsch and his New Age “God.”28

8) New Age Embraces Schuller’s New Reformation
In Neale Donald Walsch’s 2002 book, The New Revelations, Walsch and his New Age “God” praise Robert Schuller’s ministry and laud Schuller’s call for a New Reformation. Walsch describes how he and his “God” are also calling for a “New Reformation.” In fact, they commend Schuller and believe that Schuller’s New Reformation can merge with their plan to help bridge the divide between the Christian church and the teachings of the New Age/New Spirituality. They also present their New Reformation in the form of a 5-Step PEACE Plan29 that is similarly put forth in the form of an acronym—much like Rick Warren’s 5-Step P.E.A.C.E. Plan.30 In The New Revelations: A Conversation with God, Walsch, in a conversation with his “God,” states:

Rev. Robert H. Schuller, the American Christian minister who founded the famous Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, said twenty years ago in his book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation that what is needed is a second reformation within the Church, to move it away from its message of fear and guilt, retribution, and damnation, and toward a theology of self-esteem.31

Walsch quotes Schuller as saying that the “church” is “failing at the deepest level to generate within human beings that quality of personality that can result in the kinds of persons that would make our world a safe and sane society.”32 Walsch continues his conversation with “God” about Robert Schuller:

Dr. Schuller went on to suggest that “sincere Christians and church-persons can find a theological launching point of universal agreement if they can agree on the universal right and uncompromising need of every person to be treated with great respect simply because he or she is a human being!”33

Walsch then calls Schuller an “extraordinary minister” and quotes him again as saying:

“As a Christian, a theologian, and a churchman within the Reformed tradition, I must believe that it is possible for the church to exist even though it may be in serious error in substance, strategy, style or spirit.”34

Walsch adds:

But, he [Schuller] said, ultimately “theologians must have their international, universal, transcreedal, transcultural, transracial standard.”35

Walsch’s “God” answers Walsch:

Rev. Schuller was profoundly astute in his observations and incredibly courageous in making them public. I hope he is proud of himself!

I suggest that such an international, universal, transcreedal, transcultural, transracial standard for theology is the statement: “We Are All One. Ours is not a better way, ours is merely another way.”

This can be the gospel of a New Spirituality. It can be a kind of spirituality that gives people back to themselves.36

I do not believe it is just coincidence that Neale Donald Walsch—like Robert Schuller and Rick Warren—is also calling for a New Reformation. Nor do I believe it is a coincidence that Walsch and his “God” identify with Schuller and suggest Schuller’s New Reformation as a prototype for their PEACE Plan. Nor do I believe it is a coincidence that Warren has also used Schuller’s New Reformation as the prototype for his P.E.A.C.E. Plan and that both the New Age and Warren have devised 5-Step PEACE Plans to encourage their mutual calls for a New Reformation.
Other New Age leaders, like Bernie Siegel and Gerald Jampolsky also praise Robert Schuller and endorse his writings and teachings.37 Jampolsky and Schuller have mutually endorsed each other’s books.38 In his book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, Schuller favorably cites Jampolsky and praises the New Age leader for his “profound theology.”39 Yet it is Jampolsky who first introduced me to the teachings of A Course in Miracles when I was in the New Age movement. I would later discover to my amazement that A Course in Miracle groups were meeting on the grounds of Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral back in 1985.40 I would also learn that Schuller has had an ongoing relationship with his “dear friend” Gerald Jampolsky from the early 1980s up through the present day.41 And it is not surprising that Bernie Siegel—the New Age leader Rick Warren cites in The Purpose Driven Life—had been a long-time member of the Board of Advisors for Jampolsky’s A Course in Miracles-based New Age Attitudinal Healing Centers.42

9) The Implications of Schuller’s Influence on Rick Warren
It became evident to me that Rick Warren was incorporating Robert Schuller’s plans and teachings into the Evangelical church. Whether it is “God’s Dream,” God “in” everything, the “New Reformation,” or something else, the non-referenced writings and teachings of Robert Schuller have been gradually introduced into the Evangelical church through Rick Warren. In Deceived on Purpose, I wrote:

[I]t seemed that one of Rick Warren’s unstated purposes was to mainstream Robert Schuller’s teachings into the more traditional “Bible-based” wing of the Church. Many believers who seem to trust Rick Warren, ironically, do not trust Robert Schuller. Rick Warren’s “magic” seems to be able to make the teachings of Robert Schuller palatable to believers who would have otherwise never accepted these same teachings had they come directly from Schuller himself.43

Recognizing the overwhelming influence that Robert Schuller has had on Rick Warren and thousands of other pastors, I explain in Deceived on Purpose that “The Purpose Driven Church campaign to enlist every man, woman and child into its ranks to ‘do’ the P.E.A.C.E. Plan and to ‘do’ God’s Dream did not have its origins at Saddleback Church or in the singly inspired mind of Rick Warren.”44 The spiritual foundation of the Purpose Driven movement can be found in the writings and teachings of Schuller’s fifty-year ministry. While Warren and other Christian leaders and organizations “forge new Purpose-Driven alliances around the world, the real architect of this seemingly unsinkable Purpose-Driven ship sits quietly in his office at the Crystal Cathedral.”45

I found it very ironic that while evangelical pastors were studying and speaking at Schuller’s Institute for Successful Church Leadership, A Course in Miracles groups were also meeting in Crystal Cathedral classrooms. Apparently, these pastors “thought that Schuller knew what he was doing because he had a big ‘successful’ church, and they wanted one, too.”46

10) A Serious Concern—A Sober Warning
I concluded Deceived on Purpose by stressing that it is not too late for Rick Warren to recognize how he has been influenced by Robert Schuller and by New Age teachings that are taking the church into the New Spirituality. I wrote:

He [Warren] could open many people’s eyes if he started to expose the differences between biblical Christianity and the deceptive teachings of the New Age and its New Spirituality.47

However, I presented a sober warning regarding Rick Warren and other Christian leaders who remain in denial about the very real threat of this pervasive spiritual deception that will seriously endanger many who are trusting in their judgment. I explained:

Sadly, if Rick Warren and other Christian leaders fall for New Age schemes and devices rather than exposing them, they will take countless numbers of sincere people down with them. It will be the blind leading the blind, as they fall further and further into the deceptive ditch of the New Age and its New Spirituality. Undiscerning Christians, who think they are on “the narrow way” preparing the way for Jesus Christ, may discover too late that they had actually been on “the broad way” preparing the way for Antichrist. It is not too late to warn everyone, but it must be done soon before the deception advances any further.48

It’s Not About Rick Warren
When Deceived on Purpose was published in August 2004, I knew the book would be controversial. The New Age implications I had discussed—particularly in regard to Robert Schuller’s influence on Rick Warren—had not to my knowledge been raised before. As I stated in Deceived on Purpose, my concerns were not personal issues (Matthew 18) between Rick Warren and myself. Because Warren’s book was in the public arena and had been sold and distributed to millions of people, I was approaching Warren and his readers in that same public arena. I wrote my comments respectfully and backed them with Scripture and primary source material. In his previous book The Purpose Driven Church, Warren had written, “I try to learn from critics.”49 Therefore, I hoped he would seriously consider the New Age implications I had brought out regarding his Purpose Driven movement. Would he begin to see what the New Age was really doing? Would he make some adjustments in the way he was presenting things? Would he recognize the necessity to protect the church from the New Age/New Spirituality?

Ultimately, Deceived on Purpose wasn’t about Rick Warren. It was about the schemes of our spiritual adversary—an adversary that the Bible refers to as Satan and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). It was about how this adversary uses undiscerning church leaders like Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, and others to further his cunningly devised New Age/New Spirituality. But would Warren and his Saddleback staff recognize how they were being used? And what would be their response—if any—to my book? After Deceived on Purpose was released, it didn’t take long to get my answers.

(This is chapter 1 of A “Wonderful” Deception. For preface, introduction, chapter 1 and endnotes in a printable format, click here.

Related Information:

More on the Purpose Driven Paradigm and Rick Warren’s “New Reformation

Other chapters online from A “Wonderful” Deception

 

 

America - Sliding Down the Communitarian Slope

By Berit Kjos
Kjos Ministries

Remember the Communitarian THREE-LEGGED STOOL: A mandatory partnership between the public sector (government), private sector (business), and social sector (community, churches, schools, etc.) — managed through Global Standards and laws established by national and international governments. This Communitarian system is fast leading the masses into a web of control involving food, health care (mental as well as physical), beliefs, values, education, lifestyles, business, etc.

It’s not quite Communism.

It’s certainly not American Capitalism!

It is (blow the trumpets) Communitarianism! The Third Way! And it changes everything, just as our president promised.

Daniel Henninger illustrates this new system well in his recent Wall Street Journal article titled “Obama’s Business Buyout”:

“It made perfect sense for President Obama to speak yesterday to the Business Roundtable. Businesses big and small could use a pep talk just now…. But instead of giving a speech about reviving business confidence in the economy, Mr. Obama gave a speech about reviving business confidence in him.

“The evening before this speech, Mr. Obama held a small White House dinner for some CEOs from household-name corporations, such as AT&T, Xerox, State Farm, Verizon, PepsiCo and GE. The reason for a linen-tablecloth dinner followed by a big speech to really big business is the White House has concluded it is wrongly seen as anti-business.

“I agree. This White House is pro-business. In fact, it’s so pro-business it’s proposing a virtual merger with the private sector. Ladies and gentlemen of the business community, meet your new partner—Uncle Sam.

“Under the terms of the proposed deal, the White House will drive the locomotive of the American economy and U.S. business will ride in the passenger cars. You’re being told to get over it.”[1]

No longer will American freedom, initiative, incentive and common sense inspire new ideas, build new companies, multiply jobs and reward hard work. As President Obama (an Alinsky disciple and a former member of the Marxist “New Party”) explained,

“For the better part of three decades, a disproportionate share of the nation’s wealth has been accumulated by the wealthy. Technological advances and growing global competition, while transforming whole industries—and birthing new ones—has accentuated the trend toward rising inequality.”

“I take this to mean,” wrote Mr. Henniger, “that while the tax and economic policies of the past four presidencies worked for the economy—birthing whole industries—it was bad for society as Mr. Obama understands it.”[1]

That’s scary. While Mr. Obama assured his listeners that this new policy is not a “government takeover,” he has something even worse in mind. It could even “work” in a twisted sort of way. The government may own GM, but it won’t own everything. Instead, it will control, tax and manipulate everything. That means it can crush or strengthen any company at will. It’s far easier to give the commands when it’s free from the responsibilities of actual ownership. Click here to continue reading.

Missionary or Missional - The Emerging Church "on a Mission from God"

by Bob DeWaay

Missionary or Missional?
For hundreds, if not thousands, of years Christians have used the term “missionary” to describe one who goes out to preach the gospel to an unsaved world headed toward judgment—repentance for the forgiveness of sin found in the death and resurrection of Christ. The mission of the missionary was to proclaim the absolute truth of the gospel—a fact proven by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The gospel is “good news” because it provides condemned sinners with a certain escape from God’s wrath.

Missional means zealous—about what ?
Emergent’s word “missional” does not convey this meaning. “Missional” sounds like “missionary” except that the “mission” is undefined. Emergent leaders disagree among themselves concerning the definition of their “mission,” but the mission they tend to embrace is to improve society now. They borrow much from Catholic liberation theologians and liberalism itself—that Christianity’s mission is to make the world a tangible paradise immediately. Outside of bettering society, the missional concept has no content; it specifically denies a mission of proclaiming an escape from God’s coming wrath. For Emergent, “The journey is the reward,” and the journey will certainly end well for all—without exception.

According to Emergent thinking, being missional means following the journey wherever it leads as long as it corrects society’s evils. In their view, missional is more like the opposite of apathy; it is zeal to right the wrongs of society. Because the eschatological end of the journey is assured for everyone, the path the journey takes doesn’t matter much. One mission to fight social evil is as good as another; what matters most is that we are missional together.

“Escape from Coming Wrath” or a “Certain Future of Hope”
The content of the gospel (that God has offered a path to escape His coming wrath) is the core issue to a missionary but irrelevant to one who is missional. To the missionary, those who repent and believe the gospel are reconciled to God and enter His kingdom. That message is unimportant, or at least not central, to one who is missional. Why? Because to the Emergent there is no impending judgment and if we do something nice on our journey nothing more is needed. To them, a focus on the content of the message is a distraction at best and harmful at worst.

(Excerpted from Bob DeWaay’s book, The Emergent Church, pp. 31-32)

Related Article:

The New Look of Christian Missions by Roger Oakland

Courageous Missionary Woman in Africa Warns Pastors About Spiritual Deception Coming From America

LTRP Note: This week, we received the following note from an American missionary woman who is serving in Africa. This woman works with an African pastor and his wife and children. Together, they travel to various villages to train pastors and to warn them about the spiritual deception that is coming out of America, specifically the emerging church, the Purpose Driven movement, and contemplative spirituality. While we cannot reveal the identity of this woman, for safety’s sake, we ask you to pray for her and for this pastor and his family who are speaking up and defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

Can you believe that some of the pastors here in _____ made the trip to ______ (5+hours) to a seminar held by a group from the U.S. (The church transformation project). The teachings sounded great from the reports that I was given; however, some little “phrases” and “words” just did not sound “right,” so I checked it all out on the computer and lo and behold I discovered they are well into contemplative prayer, and they have dominion theology. They were highly recommending the teachings of Mike Bickle (IHOP). So, right away, I knew there was something that was not right.

After checking everything out, I called the pastors to come to my home, and we had a good discussion. Of course, nothing had been said at that particular meeting they had attended, but after my research into the “bottom line” of what they were aiming for, I showed the pastors what I had found. Having already shown them the dangers of the contemplative prayer and emergent church doctrines and that of dominionism, the pastors could quickly see what was happening and want nothing else to do with this group. I was so proud of the pastors!! All that I have learned from your site has already proven to be very positive in combating the “evil of the day.” God bless you. Here, we will continue to Contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints!!

The pastors now want me to teach them how to browse the Internet so they can check these people/groups out for themselves in case I am not around to help them (remember I am __ yrs. young!!). I have cautioned them I will teach them but they are never to go looking for “donors”!! They are to trust in God alone.

Just wanted to share this little current event with you. Keep up the good work at Lighthouse Trails!! Alice B. (Not real name)

 Rob Bell and Shane Hipps Teaching Mysticism

by Ken Silva
Apprising Ministries

…and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Romans 8:8-9, NASB)

Mysticism Is Opposed To Sola Scriptura

Should you be a regular reader of Apprising Ministries you will know that an alleged “greatness” within man is a very common theme of the delusion people eventually receive through prolonged practice of meditation in altered states of consciousness i.e. transcendental meditation. Professing Christians who are involved in this corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), such as Rob Bell or Emerging Church mentor and Quaker mystic Richard Foster, will often speak of this type of “wordless” Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP) as going into “the silence.”

Since my ministry involves apologetics and Comparative Religion I’ve been studying the subject of meditation in various religions and traditions for years now. At its humanistic heart is the false belief that those who practice meditation will eventually progress into a higher form of consciousness, which is commonly referred to as “transformation” or “enlightenment.” In a recent AM article For Brian McLaren And Marcus Borg Being “Born Again” Is Reaching “Enlightenment” you’ll even see “Progessive Christian” scholar Marcus Borg teaching that Buddha himself reached transformation and was born again.”

And there’s one thing that all mystics e.g. in the Living Spiritual Teachers Project have in common, whether they be of the Christian persuasion like Borg and Brian McLaren, or if they be of the New Age variety, such as Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson. They will eventually begin to go on and on about these supposed “great enlightened ones,” who are the mystics of meditation in each of the religious traditions. As an exact case in point consider the following from Rob Bell’s sermon I will say it again, and again, and again last October:

It’s interesting how many traditions (pause) When you read the great enlightened ones; meditation, centering prayer, reflection—in every tradition you can find the mystics—and what’s always at the heart of the spiritual lives, the everyday lives of the great ones was always a period of time.

Whether it’s prayers, chanting, meditation, reflection, study—whatever you call it—what is it essentially; it’s taking time to breathe. Because when you’ve been breathing, (slight pause) in a proper sort of way, you’re far better equipped to handle what life throws your way. (5:41-6:23)

I’ve said elsewhere that if one doesn’t recognize here that Bell is praising “the mystics” for their supposedly superior spiritual insight and understanding, which is actually a new form of Gnosticism, I personally believe it’s simply because they just do not wish to see. Bell has just stated in the clearest terms possible that these “enlightened ones”—who’re not just Christians but from “many” religious “traditions” as well—are thought to ”great” because they “breathe.” This is classic mystic-speak by Bell for the practice of CCP i.e. the centering prayer/meditation ”at the heart of” their “spiritual lives”; there’s absolutely no way around it. Click here to read this entire article.

Related Articles:

Book Review: Rob Bell’s Drops Like Stars

Why Rick Warren Should Not Tell Rob Bell: “Just wanted to encourage you to ignore critics.”

Everything is Not Spiritual

See also the new DVD series, Exposing the Quantum Lie, with Warren B. Smith and Bob DeWaay addressing the emerging church including Rob Bell.

The Avatar Gospel

“After reading dozens and dozens of comments by young people enamored with the theology in Avatar, it is apparent that its false gospel is finding fertile soil worldwide as it introduces and attracts millions of moviegoers to shamanism.” Dave Hunt

by The Berean Call

Movies are today’s most popular means of influencing cultures on a worldwide scale. They have been effective in that way for the greater part of a century. They are, and always have been, teaching machines.

Although most people regard them as simply escapist fare or a mode of entertainment, they nevertheless always teach something. That fact became shockingly clear to me in my pre-Christian days when I was in Iran as a screenwriter on a Hollywood production. The time was just prior to the overthrow of the Shah in 1979. The revolution was literally ignited by Muslim clerics who had ordered their followers to set fire to movie theaters (packed with audiences). It was a protest against the teaching and influence of Western culture contained in the films, particularly the immorality and degenerate conduct displayed. With obviously less drastic reactions and consequences, no place seems to be out of the reach of the influence of movies no matter where one travels these days.

That is certainly true of one of the most expensive films to date, the quarter-of-a-billion-dollar production of Avatar, which has already grossed 2 billion dollars. No film thus far has matched its stunning production value in creating a fantastic world of computer-generated characters that seamlessly match and interact with the physical actors and the world we know. Believability is the “do or die” quality of every movie of any kind, and Avatar makes believers of all but the most critical film goers–few of whom could complain that this extraordinary production did not give them their money’s worth.

My objective in writing this article is not to complain about the movie production (I paid the matinee, senior-citizen price, so I hardly felt cheated) but rather to give my view of the theology communicated in Avatar. We at TBC have received questions from concerned parents who aren’t sure the film would be appropriate for their young teens to see and want to know how to discuss the movie’s content with them. Avatar’s theology is my primary concern.

First of all, it shouldn’t be surprising that the beliefs of most people are not derived from Sunday school or church teaching but rather religious ideas they pick up from a wide variety of sources as they go through life. Prior to being born again and becoming a biblical Christian, for example, I had received a great deal of religious instruction, growing up Catholic, to which I added all kinds of contrary spiritual ideas, from reincarnation to the denial of hell to the universal salvation of everyone. I’ve had conversations with those who claim to hold the Bible as their only source of faith and practice yet who also hold ideas they have gleaned from Oprah Winfrey or some of her New Age guests. Humanity in general seems to be a magnet for all kinds of beliefs about God, and this would include not only the very religious but the agnostic and the atheist as well. Click here to continue reading.

 

Walk to Emmaus - A Walk to Contemplative Spirituality

The Walk to Emmaus is a program put on by Upper Room Ministries. Upper Room promotes Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality), and if you want to understand the dynamics of Walk to Emmaus, then understanding the spirituality of Upper Room will help you.

“The Walk to Emmaus is an adaptation of the Roman Catholic Cursillo Movement, which originated in Spain in 1949.” from the Walk to Emmaus website

Walk to Emmaus is widely spread. It is estimated that over half a million persons have experienced a Walk to Emmaus weekend and today the Movement counts more than 300 communities distributed all over the United States as well as all over the world.1

Mantra Meditation is promoted at Upper Room Ministries also:

“Mantra — The word comes from Sanskrit. Its two-syllabus mean: man or mind and tra or deliverance. A mantra is sound vibration that is intended to deliver the mind from distractions and a focus on the material world. A mantra is repeated like a chant and has a spiritual effect associated with the physical vibration. A mantra can be as simple as one syllable ‘OM’ or as more complicated such as, ‘OM SRI RAM JAI RAM JAI JAI RAM’.” From the Upper Room website

“The Walk to Emmaus is an adaptation of the Roman Catholic Cursillo Movement, which originated in Spain in 1949.”2

Tres Dias is an offshoot of the Cursillo Movement and should be avoided as well.

List of places that do Walk to Emmaus

The Walk to Emmaus (The Upper Room) website

Upper Room and Lectio Divina

Chrysalis Walk to Emmaus

Book Alert: Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson

Former Lesbian, Lisa Miller – Friends Say They Support Her Decision to Go into Hiding with Daughter

Note: See related articles on this ongoing story below video.

ABC News
Lynchburg, VA
– Friends of Lisa Miller say they don’t know where she and her seven-year-old daughter are, but they say they support her decision to leave.

A Vermont court ordered Miller’s ex-partner Janet Jenkins custody of their daughter in May, and now it’s been six months since Miller’s friends say they’ve had any contact with her.

The case has drawn national attention and has strong ties to Lynchburg. Liberty Counsel is working on filing an appeal to the latest court order, which included handing over Isabella.

Her friends say they understand why she decided to go into hiding. Miller’s friends here may have had the last known contact with mother and daughter.

It was January 1 when Linda Wall said she knew for sure her friend Miller and her seven-year-old daughter Isabella had gone into hiding.

“Unbeknowing to any of us… she was doing something behind the scene,” Wall said.

Wall has known the mother and daughter since 2004. She had been getting involved as a conservative Christian activist and a self described “former homosexual.” Click here to continue reading this story.
Click here to see video footage.

Related Stories:

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of Woman Forced to Share Daughter with Lesbian Ex-Partner

Vermont Judge Threatens Mother in Hiding With Arrest

Today is World AIDS Day – I Am Free From Homosexuality While Homosexual Activists Continue To Glorify The Sin That is Leading Cause of AIDS in U. S.

Warren B. Smith and Ray Yungen 2010 Speaking Schedule

Below is a partial speaking schedule for Lighthouse Trails authors Warren B. Smith and Ray Yungen for 2010. If you live near any of these areas, we hope you will get the chance to attend. All these events are offered free of charge. If you are interested in having Warren or Ray (or both) speak to your group, call us at 503/873-9092, or email at editors@lighthousetrails.com.

March 18-21
Red River Bible & Prophecy Conference
Warren B. Smith, Jacob Prasch, David Hocking, Carl Teichrib, John Higgins

Presented by: Cornerstone Baptist Church & Crossroads Christian Fellowship
Held at: Courtyard Marriot Moorhead
1080 28th Avenue South
Moorhead, MN 56560
701-232-5869 or 701-371-2416 (conference contact)
No Cost. Free will offering.

April 23 (7pm-10pm), April 24 (9am-10pm)
Last Days Bible Conference

Warren B. Smith, James McCarthy, Rob Lindsted
Held at: Monterey Park Evangelical Free Church
3125 Catalina Blvd NE
Calgary, Alberta
(403) 948-5401
No cost. Free will offering

April 30-May 1


Discerning the Times Conference
Warren B. Smith, Rob Lindsted, John Plantz, Dave Dunn, Steve Herzig
Ramada Inn
806 Idylwyld Drive North, DIEFENBAKER ROOM
Saskatoon, Sask.
1-306-371-6877 (conference contact)
No cost. Free will offering.

May 29th (9:30-4:00)
Gold Country Calvary Chapel
Warren B. Smith, Ray Yungen, Johanna Michaelsen
13026 LaBarr Meadows Rd
Grass Valley, CA 95949
530-274-2108
No cost. Free will offering.

July 25th (8:30 and 10:30)
Candlelight Fellowship

Warren B. Smith

5725 N. Pioneer Drive
Coeur d' Alene, Idaho
208-772-7755
No cost.

August 12-14
Pastors and Leaders Conference
Warren B. Smith, Xavier Reis

500 South Lee Ave
Olathe, KS 66061
Phone: (913) 829-9306

FREE THINGS FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS

1. FREE PRINT NEWSLETTER: Starting January 2010, From the Lighthouse print newsletter will be mailed to those requesting it. If you would like to request the newsletter, please fill out our Newsletter Request Form.

2. FREE CATALOG: Fill out our short form to receive a free catalog. Click here to access form.

3. FREE E-NEWSLETTER: Sign up to receive our free e-newsletter, delivered to your email box 3-4 times a month.

4. FREE SAMPLE CHAPTERS: Check out our free sample chapters of many of our books.

5. FREE SHIPPING OFFERS: Lighthouse Trails has a growing number of FREE SHIPPING offers on our books, DVDS, and CDs.

6. FREE ONLINE E-BOOKS: Lighthouse Trails currently has two free e-books. We also hope to soon be offering some of our titles as Kindle books (digital books to be read on Kindle machines) for low prices. We hope that in offering these digital versions of our books, readers will have the chance to see the quality of our workmanship before purchasing print versions. Click here to see our available e-books.

Women's Weekend Conference in Oregon Will Feature Lighthouse Trails Author - Caryl Matrisciana

NOTE: This women's conference is now sold out.

Lighthouse Trails author, Caryl Matrisciana (Out of India), will be the guest speaker at a women's weekend conference in Oregon this coming April. The conference will be held at the Christian Renewal Center, a beautiful 40 acres of creeks, evergreens, and lodges, nestled in the Cascade foothills near the Silver Falls State Park.

Caryl's topic for the weekend will be "Finding Truth In a Confusing World." Born and raised in India, Caryl saw first hand the effects that Hinduism had on the people of that nation. After leaving India as a young adult, Caryl became involved in the counter culture, only to find that elements of Hinduism and the New Age were very much the same.


The weekend conference begins on Friday, April 16th with dinner at 6:30 and goes until after lunch on Sunday, the 18th. The suggested donation per person is $85, which includes 2 nights and 6 meals. A $25 deposit will hold a spot for you. Registration forms are online at: http://www.christianrenewalcenter.org/retreatform.htm. Or you may call 503/873-6743 and register by phone. Please let them know that you heard about this through Lighthouse Trails.

Spots will fill quickly for this special weekend, so if you are interested and able, sign up soon. This is a great opportunity for solid teaching, fellowship, and time in the Word and prayer. Plus the Silver Falls State Park, just a couple miles away, is the home of the greatest concentration of water falls in North America.

Click here to see photos of CRC's facilities and grounds.

If you are flying in for this event, you can call CRC to arrange for someone to pick you up.


Lighthouse Trails Research Project | P.O. Box 958 | Silverton | OR | 97381