LTRP Note: The following has a link to an interview Ingrid Schlueter had last week with Mare Danielsen. This is the second interview Ingrid has done in the last two weeks of vital importance. The first was with Sarah Leslie addressing dominionism in the church and in politics. Please listen to both of these important interviews.

From Ingrid Schlueter at VCY America:

Each summer, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, hosts the “Lifest”Christian music festival. This festival, which is expecting as many as 70,000 in attendance, has put Jim Wallis on the docket of speakers for July 9th.

Wallis’ upcoming appearance at Lifest proves that he is an individual who continues to secure his position as the leading voice of the political arm of the emergent New Spirituality movement.

Those who recognize his name probably know him through his 40 year relationship with the “Sojourners” organization. As an establishment liberal, he weaves his brand of social justice into the Bible, all the while blaming Wall Street for the ills of American society and calling for state-sponsored redistribution of wealth. Click here to listen to an interview between Ingrid Schlueter and Mare Danielsen regarding the beliefs of Lifest speaker Jim Wallis.

Related:

Sojourners Founder Jim Wallis’ Revolutionary Anti-Christian “Gospel” (and Will Christian Leaders Stand with Wallis?)

ON CREATION 2010 – “Contemporary Christian Music Sways Youth to Worldly Lifestyles, Doctrinal Confusion and New Age Spirituality”

The following news story is for informational and research purposes and is not necessarily an endorsement of this view.

 By Robert Barnes
Washington Post

SAN FRANCISCO — A landmark federal trial that could lead to a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry ended Wednesday with competing views about the traditional role of marriage and whether the battle represented the latest frontier of the nation’s civil rights struggle.

Last week, we received an email from a Lighthouse Trails reader who had purchased a copy of Castles in the Sand from Amazon. The customer received the notice below from Amazon telling them that since they liked Castles in the Sand, they might also like Henri Nouwen’s book, Spiritual formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit. We want to issue this warning that Henri Nouwen was a proponent of contemplative mysticism, the kind that Castles in the Sand so clearly warns against. At the end of Nouwen’s life, after years of following the mystical path, in the last book he wrote, he said these words:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who has purchased or rated Castles in the Sand  by Carolyn A. Greene, you might like to know that Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit will be released on June 29, 2010.

From Back Cover: Henri Nouwen, the world-renowned spiritual guide and counselor, understood the spiritual life as a journey of faith and transformation that is deepened by accountability, community, and relationships. Though he counseled many people during his lifetime, his principles of spiritual direction and formation were never written down. Two of Nouwen’s longtime students, Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, have taken his famous course in spiritual direction and supplemented it with his unpublished writings to create the definitive series on Nouwen’s thoughts on the Christian life. The first book in the series, Spiritual Direction, introduced readers to the core concepts of Nouwen’s approach to the spiritual life. Book two, Spiritual Formation, showcases Nouwen’s life-long effort to re-construct the five classical stages of spiritual development as movements in the journey of faith. The five classical stages are these: 1. Awakening (our desire) 2. Purgation (purifying our passions) 3. Illumination (of God) 4. Dark Night (of the Soul) 5. Unification (with God) Readings, stories, questions for personal reflection, and guided journal inquiry as articulated by Nouwen will provide readers with an experience in spiritual formation with the well-known author, priest, and guide. The third and final book in the series, Spiritual Discernment, is planned to release in 2012 .

LTRP Note: The following is an excerpt from Carolyn A. Greene’s novel, Castles in the Sand, based on the true story of contemplative spirituality in the church today. A growing number of Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities are incorporating this mystical spiritual formation into classes and chapel programs. This excerpt takes place during a lecture by the very contemplative professor, Ms. Jasmine. For those who are skeptical about this, check out our growing list of “contemplative colleges.

From Castles in the Sand: The Lecture -

Winter Term 2008

“Please keep your questions for the end of the lecture,” Ms. Jasmine announced. “Instead of boring you today, I will use the last part of our class time for your inquiries regarding your marks.” She pulled a thick stack of papers from her briefcase and put them on the desk. She nodded disapprovingly at Tessa, who was ten minutes late again. Tessa could already tell the room was going to feel much too warm. Her cheeks and nose were still rosy from her brisk morning walk as she sat down in the front row of the lecture hall beside Elise. She pushed up her sleeves, pulled off her knit hat, and shook the melting snowflakes onto the floor.

Ms. Jasmine removed her glasses, glanced at the clock on the wall, and walked to the white board. Her black high-heeled shiny boots were the kind that clicked loudly with each step she took. She picked up a marker and began her lecture. Tessa admired her black pants and bright pink tailored jacket with oversized buttons that only someone like Ms. Jasmine could get away with. It seemed that anything she wore made her look elegant, even that bright pink lipstick.

“That’s gotta be Bombshell Blonde hot pink lipstick by Gigi,” Elise leaned over and whispered to Tessa. “I have that one, but it looks totally dumb on me. Maybe if I get a psychology degree like she has, I can afford to look like that someday.”

Tessa was …  wondering whether she received a good mark on her paper.

“After today’s lecture, I will hand back your papers. You have all worked very hard, and I’m pleased to say a few of you have done excellent research. In fact, several of you have earned such high marks you are being considered for a special, brand-new scholarship which will be announced in the spring.”

Tessa had indeed done her research for this paper on prayer. It had been an enormous challenge trying to work with a chatty roommate nearby. If it hadn’t been for earplugs and her favorite quiet spot in the library, she could not have accomplished what she had. Tessa had never applied herself so completely to any assignment, but because she liked Ms. Jasmine, she had put a lot of effort into this class. Even so, she thought if anyone in this class deserved a scholarship, it was Elise. Elise did everything well, putting more effort into studying than Tessa had energy for, and always achieved her goals for the difficult assignments she tackled.

“I’d also like to mention that we had a great turnout two nights ago for the outdoor prayer walk, in spite of the snow. Wasn’t it lovely? Thank you Elise and Tessa for helping organize the evening.”

Ms. Jasmine allowed a few minutes of chatter while she turned and wrote something on the board. It was a time line of the current era, something she often drew during her lectures, although it wasn’t too likely anyone could make out the title, as usual.

“Can you read that?” whispered Tessa.

“No,” Elise answered, “typical doctor’s handwriting. It’s just another one of her time lines.”

“All right, students,” Ms. Jasmine said loudly, drawing a vertical line at the sixteenth-century mark as she waited for the noise to stop. “Let’s talk about controversy and the test of time. As you know, some of the early Christians who were contemporaries were known to disagree on many things. Two, for example, are St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, yet their writings are considered to be the greatest of all mystical theology. Even St. Teresa’s advisors couldn’t agree on whether her experiences were from God or from the devil. Some thought her visions were the work of the Holy Spirit, and others remained convinced that her visitations were illusions of Satan. But in the end, the truth came out. Today we see how valuable her writings and experiences are for the church. So in spite of these controversies, the works of many of these misunderstood saints have stood the test of time and are still in print today. You all, of course, know that St. Teresa is a personal favorite of mine.”

She turned and made an “x” on the board at the 1970 mark on her time line. “Case in point . . . some of you may have read in your research that not too long ago, St. Teresa was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul the VI. She was the first woman to be named as a Doctor by the Roman Catholic Church. By the way, ladies, be glad you live in modern times. It took Teresa of Avila several hundred years to get her doctorate. It only took me eight.”

As Ms. Jasmine waited for the chuckles and giggles to finish, a girl wearing thick glasses near the front of the room, whom Teresa only knew by first name, gingerly raised her hand.

“Yes, Nicky,” responded Ms. Jasmine.

“Um, one book I read said something odd,” began the girl timidly, her cheeks flushed. “It mentioned that mystics like St. Teresa had erotic experiences during their spiritual peaks. Can you comment on that?”

“Yes, thank you for that excellent question,” Ms. Jasmine answered in her usual professional manner. “We can all learn from a fairly new view within psychology and holistic health that an erotic component can be integrated into the mystical ecstasy, which brings about a whole new level of union with the divine. Take for example St. Teresa’s experience of ecstasy with the angel that is so beautifully captured in the statue by Gianlorenzo Bernini. Of course, you can imagine that critics opposing mysticism would have an even tougher time accepting this as a superior level of intimacy. I guess it all depends on what one believes. Those of us who understand the mystical state as a state where God is encountered would welcome this deeper dimension of spirituality.”

Tessa felt more than a little embarrassed to think about what Ms. Jasmine was implying. She slid down slowly in her chair and looked straight ahead, not wanting to hear anymore about that. It just didn’t sound right. They had all read the same book, but she didn’t have the courage to ask such a question in front of all the guys. She didn’t really want to know the answer, anyway.

“And let me add this,” continued Ms. Jasmine. “While I personally do not see the need, there are some contemplative practitioners who offer ‘warning,’ saying that this kind of prayer is not for the inexperienced novice.” Ms. Jasmine made quotation marks with her fingers as she said the word in a mocking tone.

Teresa’s ears perked up. A warning? Ever since the retreat she’d been having very good success talking to Jesus during her journaling times, and had even written about it on the student blog. She vaguely remembered seeing that warning in some book she had read. The author had advocated praying a prayer of protection before praying with your imagination, but she had completely ignored it. Now, a brief cold wave of fear passed over her, but she refused to consider it and quickly put it out of her mind. How could she fear the gentle Jesus she met on the beach, and the warm presence she’d experienced only a few nights ago in the prayer labyrinth?

“One well-known contemplative author writes,” Ms. Jasmine continued, “that you must offer a prayer of protection to God, lest you come in contact with demons.”
Half the class snickered when Ms. Jasmine overemphasized the last word in a low scary tone, especially a group of guys in the back row. “Thomas, you always have novel ideas. Could you tell the class what you and your friends find so amusing?”

“Uh-huh. That is so paranoid. I mean, if you pray to Jesus, He’s not going to send a demon. That’s just stupid.”

“Exactly right, thank you Thomas. Many of us . . . many of those who have been practicing these methods of silence and contemplation for years also disagree with that statement. Contemplative prayer is not dangerous, and it is for everyone. The Bible says to ‘be still and know that I am God.’ If we don’t silence our minds, how else will we hear Him in our busy lives, amid the constant barrage of noise from televisions, CD players, and a myriad of other electronic gadgets? In order to really know God, you have got to have an inner stillness.”

No sooner had Ms. Jasmine finished her sentence, than the ring tone of a cell phone chimed from someone’s bag, throwing everyone in the lecture hall into fits of laughter.

“Thank you Amanda. That was perfect timing. The point is, one will hear different views on the subject of listening prayer, but one must always go back to the tried and true, the experiences of the early church fathers and mothers, to whom we owe so much. Why else would their writings still be in print to this day if God did not want us to learn from them? Why would they be given doctorates by the church, even years later, if what they practiced and taught was not from God? Isn’t that what you meant, Thomas?”

Thomas nodded his head and leaned back in his chair grinning, proud to have Ms. Jasmine’s approval.

“Now, let me ask how many of you are going home for Christmas?” Almost everyone raised a hand. Ms. Jasmine twirled her marker back and forth between her fingers. Her long pink nails made a rhythmic clacking noise on the pen. Tessa couldn’t help but think it was to the same beat as, “Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh . . .”

How Tessa had wanted to go home for Christmas and see Sassy and of course, Gran and Gramps too, but the roads were bad with a blizzard in the forecast, and a plane ticket was out of the question. Besides, she’d had a sore throat and thought it best to stay in Flat Plains and catch up on her assignments. She hadn’t been feeling well these last few weeks and could use some peace and quiet, especially if her roommate was going to be away. There were other students staying in her dorm who couldn’t afford to travel either, so Sonya had invited them all to spend Christmas Day with her family, who lived only forty miles away in what was rumored to be a very big mansion. When Elise told Tessa that Sonya’s home was as big as a castle, that it had many guest rooms filled with tapestries and antiques from Europe, she immediately accepted Sonya’s invitation. How could a girl with a weakness for castles miss an opportunity like this?

“Class, can I be honest with you?” Ms. Jasmine asked, a very serious look on her face as the room grew quiet. “When you go home, your families and friends may view you in a different light now that you’ve learned new things in this class. For example, if they notice you practicing your daily lectio divina readings, they may try to persuade you that the old-fashioned religious ideas they learned are the only right ones. This may even spark controversy within some of your relationships. But remember, the ancient disciplines you have learned were around long before they were. Fundamental Christians who have grown up with a certain narrow brand of religion can’t help it—they just don’t know any better. If they don’t understand, teach them to listen, as you have learned. Remind them that even Jesus retreated to places of solitude and silence to find union with the Father. Tell them that this is why Christmas has come, that the light may be found in each one of us!”

Tessa glanced at Elise. She was closing her eyes and smiling. Ms. Jasmine is right. Gran and Gramps really are old-fashioned and narrow-minded in many of their views. Better to spend the holidays here with some of her friends in a modern-day castle.

“I’m sure you are all anxious to get going before the snow gets too deep, but as you leave, come to my desk and pick up your marked papers. I’ll stay for half an hour to answer your questions. For those who need to go, have a peaceful and divine Christmas! And be careful if you are driving. It’s a blizzard out there!

(To read other sample chapters from this and other Lighthouse Trails books, click here.)

Castles in the Sand by Carolyn A. Greene, 2009

By Paul Proctor
NewsWithViews.com

Can it be stopped?

My wife and I took a rare trip to the coast last weekend hoping to enjoy a salty breeze, a sunny beach and some fresh seafood while it’s still available, affordable and edible. There are, of course, many conflicting news reports and photos of tarred beaches, toxic fumes and dead or dying sea life in and around the Gulf of Mexico; but we ended up on the Atlantic Coast instead.

As we walked along a crowded beach on Hilton Head, I couldn’t help but wonder if we’d ever see and experience such things again. After the reported failures of BP to stop the grossly understated flow of oil into the Gulf from the well site of Deepwater Horizon and the chilling possibility that reported “plumes” would eventually reach ocean currents that could carry them eastward around the Florida peninsula and up the east coast, I must admit, at times I felt more like a watchman on duty than a traveler on holiday.

After returning home someone sent me the link to a startling YouTube video interview about the Gulf disaster featuring Lindsey Williams, a Baptist missionary, author, lecturer and expert on oil-related matters who served for many years in an executive capacity as chaplain for the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. He wrote an eye-opening book about it all a few years back entitled, The Energy Non-Crisis. If what he has to say is true, America is heading for an unimaginable catastrophe.

This wasn’t my first encounter with the good reverend having heard him interviewed about his days in Alaska some years ago on Dr. Stanley Monteith’s Radio Liberty broadcast – a program I’ve been a guest on several times myself that originates out of Monterrey Bay, California. So, I was already familiar with Williams, his above-named book, and those, like Dr. Stan, who consider him to be a very credible source of information.

After listening to his interview on Alex Jones’ show – I searched out some other Lindsey Williams interviews on YouTube, finding one from Dr. Stan’s show posted last January.

Having lived for three years with those who control the world – “the elite,” as Williams calls them – he said he knows their mindset – that “they are part of the occult.” He went on to cite some dire predictions for 2010 in his Radio Liberty interview from an 87 year old former CEO who, according to Williams, “knows everything that goes on behind closed doors” and was “not in good health” – a man who told him: “Chaplain, I’m too old to care…just go tell it all…tell the world…everybody needs to know it.”

Williams is quick to point out he is in no way a prophet – that his information comes directly from industry insiders and that he only shares what they allow him to go public with – saying, “everything they have said has come to pass exactly like I was told at the time that it would happen.”

Among the more unsettling predictions, Williams said gasoline will hit six to seven dollars a gallon here in America as the value of the dollar plummets by 30 to 50 percent this year making the day to day necessities, like food and water, unaffordable – and that by 2012 our currency will be dead.  Click here to continue reading.

by John Lanagan
My Word Like Fire Ministries

“The controversial best selling novel The Shack by William Paul Young has just reached another milestone: As of May 2, it has spent 100 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list with more than 50 weeks at No. 1. It has also been on Publishers Weekly and USA Today bestseller lists for the same period of time.” (Christian News Northwest June 2010)

The world loves The Shack. Many within the Body of Christ have also embraced this book, despite its anti-Biblical theology. The author is amiable, well spoken, and a tireless promoter.

But the book needs little help to keep selling. Indeed, it is not a publishing phenomena, but a spiritual phenomena. The fact that the Father-goddess character could be so easily accepted by Christian leaders is simply an indicator of where we are heading. Think about it: What would the Apostle Paul have said if men crept into churches and presented God the Father like this?

But, in fairness, the author of The Shack didn’t creep anywhere–churches wooed him, sought him, eagerly invited him to speak. Click here to continue reading.

More on The Shack, click here.

To read the continuing online fiction story, "Attack of the Evange-hellicals by John Lanagan," click here. New installments almost every day. Click here to read John's testimony.

“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 5:31

by John Lanagan
My Word Like Fire

In the novel, The Shack, the “Jesus” says of “God,” “Isn’t she great?” (pg.88)

Actually–theologically–she’s a horror.

With all the controversy still raging around this novel, with the author’s admission that he does not believe the Father punished Christ on the cross for our sins, a demonic goal has been accomplished: Goddess worship has entered the church.

This may seem like a wild exaggeration.

Yet, as Professor Mary Kassian has noted, the liberal, mainstream church introduced “Christa,” a “female” version of the Lord decades ago. There has been a significant change since that liberal, limited attempt of the 1980s–that is, the Body of Christ as a whole is far more amenable to errant theology. No denomination has entirely rejected the lure of The Shack.

According to Kassian,

 The Shack contains terribly wrong concepts about God. Plain and simple. If you think it doesn’t, then you’re well on your way to accepting the image of the Christa on the cross. In a few years, you’ll be hanging her up in your church. I don’t think I’m overstating the case. In my book I’ve carefully documented the way it happened in mainline churches. The arguments used to justify their feminist Christa are the same ones The Shack uses to justify its feminized version of God. In essence, there’s no difference between the artistic image of a feminized Jesus (a.k.a. “Sophia”) hanging on a cross and the artistic image of a feminized Aunt Jemima Papa god in a book. If the latter doesn’t offend you, then the former really shouldn’t. (Re-Imagining God In The Shack by Mary Kassian)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

There are three objectives in spreading The Shack theology among God’s people: The introduction of goddess worship; the introduction of a false “christ;” and a denial of the purpose of the cross. Click here to continue reading.

On June 22, 2010, Lighthouse Trails launched its first interactive online forum and message board. Please take a moment to check it out. We are still working on adding many more topics, but it is ready to go for those who would like to register. The forum is free, and we hope many will find it beneficial. It's a chance to meet others who are contending for the faith and also an opportunity to discuss some of the vital topics affecting Christians and the world today. Click here to visit the Lighthouse Trails Forum.

The second issue of the Lighthouse Trails print newsletter went to press last week. If you are on the print newsletter mailing list, you should be getting it before the end of the month. If you would like to be added to this 32-page newsletter, please email us at newsletter@lighthousetrails.com. You may read our first issue by clicking here. This is a free publication.

Lighthouse Trails has signed contracts with three new authors. First, John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire Ministries will be writing a Lighthouse Trails novel (to be our second novel following our debut novel, Castles in the Sand) that will be based on the mystical/contemplative/homospirituality that has come into the church. For a sampling of John’s writing, check out an online fiction story he is currently writing for his website with new installments nearly every day. John is a former homosexual, who now serves the Lord with his wife. Second, we have signed a contract with United Kingdom author and researcher Dusty Peterson. Dusty and his colleague Elizabeth McDonald have written extensively on the truth behind the Alpha Course. The booklet we have contracted with Dusty is of a very sensitive nature: child molestation in the church and how to keep it from happening in yours. Child sex abuse has become rampant throughout the world, but it should not be happening in Christian churches. This booklet will not only tell the stories that will break your hearts, but it will offer some practical suggestions and help on how to protect the children in your churches. Lighthouse Trails’ motto is “bringing light to areas of darkness.” This is one area to which we feel highly privileged to bring light. We currently carry Laughter Calls Me by Catherine Brown and The Kinsey Syndrome (DVD -by Addulam Films) on this topic.

Last, but not least, we have signed a contract with long-standing journalist and researcher/author Berit Kjos of Kjos Ministries. We will be updating and revising her book, Your Child and the New Age. This will be a special handbook for parents that will help them understand the barrage of New Ageism their children and teens are receiving from their schools and other venues (even some youth groups and Christian schools now thanks to contemplative spirituality). The revised edition that we are publishing will offer many practical ideas with Scriptural backup to help parents help their children and teens.

We do not have release dates for these new publishing projects yet, but as soon as we do we will let Lighthouse Trails readers know. We hope to be releasing our own edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs in July or August this year.

Please join us in prayer as we ask the Lord to provide for the continued resources to publish such books and DVDs. Publishing and marketing books and DVDs is very expensive – and when the products are as controversial as ours are, it makes for a very challenging ministry.