LTRP Note: For over a decade, Lighthouse Trails has been issuing warnings regarding the Church of the Nazarene’s embracing of contemplative and emergent teachings (i.e., Spiritual Formation). We have focused largely on the numerous Nazarene universities that have been training future Nazarene pastors with these unbiblical teachings. In 2004, our editors spoke with Dr. Jim … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: Since the inception of Lighthouse Trails in 2002, we have been researching and warning about what is happening in today’s Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities. The letter below from Manny Silva (co-founder of Concerned Nazarenes) (posted with his permission) illustrates the great dilemma in which many Christian parents find themselves today, and it … [Read more…]
In 2013, we posted an article titled “What’s Up with Lilly Endowment – Funding Pastoral Sabbaticals with a Contemplative Agenda.” Below is a copy of that article (with excerpts from a related 2007 article). In it, it provides a link to the list of churches whose pastors were “winners” of the 2012 Lilly Endowment grants. … [Read more…]
For nearly 18 years, Lighthouse Trails has been reporting on the slide that evangelical colleges, universities, and seminaries have been taking into the contemplative/emergent/ecumenical river. It would be great if we could say there’s been a real turn around and things at these colleges are getting better. It would be great if we could say … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: The following letter to the editor is posted with permission. It is written by a graduate student of a Christian university. We find the professor’s remarks to this student provocative, especially considering what we discovered after reading the professor’s post. Please see our comments after the two posts below. Dear Lighthouse Trails: I … [Read more…]
By Roger Oakland You may not have heard the term before, but contextual theology is a prominent message from the emerging church. In his book, Models of Contextual Theology(1992), Stephen B. Bevans defines contextual theology as: . . . a way of doing theology in which one takes into account: the spirit and message of … [Read more…]
In an article titled “How Evangelicals Became Over-Committed to the Bible and What Can Be Done About It,” Biola University professor J.P. Moreland says that evangelical Christians are too committed to the Bible. He states: “In the actual practices of the Evangelical community in North America, there is an over-commitment to Scripture in a way that is … [Read more…]
By Manny Silva of Concerned Nazarenes “I am deepening in the mystical forms of prayer.” (Dan Boone) Thanks to the undiscerning “leadership” of President Dan Boone, Trevecca Nazarene students will have the opportunity to go on a mystical ride. Once again, it time for the “Spiritual Formation” retreat at the Gethsemani monastery in Kentucky, spiritual … [Read more…]
Over the past decade, while most evangelical colleges, seminaries, and universities have allowed the influence of the Spiritual Formation movement into their schools to one degree or another, not all of them had gone so far as to create a Master’s Degree program in Spiritual Formation. In fact, ten years ago, there weren’t that many … [Read more…]
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has come under public heat because it recently announced they were giving an ultimatum to employees who saw nothing wrong with same-sex (homosexual) marriage. In a Charisma magazine article (we are not endorsing Charisma), the author states: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is one of the leading campus ministries, and its publishing arm, InterVarsity … [Read more…]
Spring 2016 is almost here, which means parents will be diligently helping their college-age children search for Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities for enrollment for this coming fall. As many of you know, Lighthouse Trails has been researching Christian colleges for 14 years. Three years ago, we published a report called An Epidemic of Apostasy, … [Read more…]
To Lighthouse Trails: Well, here we go again! I was surprised, though not shocked, to see Dr. Wood, our General Superintendent, endorsing “The Son of God,” in one of the videos you mentioned in your latest e-newsletter. Dr. Wood is showing a greater propensity toward ecumenism. When I first learned of his appearance at BYU, … [Read more…]
July 2013 Update on Colorado Christian University: On July 10th, our office received a call from a concerned parent whose child attends Colorado Christian University. She saw that most of the links on our 2009 Letter to the Editor (see below) regarding CCCU were no longer working. We have been able to fix a few of … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: The following is written by one of the directors of Concerned Nazarenes, a group of Nazarenes who has been issuing warning to Nazarene leaders and church members about contemplative/emerging spirituality and how it is affecting their denomination. This article is a plea to the Nazarene leaders who are going to be meeting at the … [Read more…]
QUESTION: IS THE NAZARENE CHURCH STILL PROMOTING THE EMERGING CHURCH AND CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY? SIDE ONE: “Our General Leaders have taken a very clear stand concerning the emergent church.” – Nazarene District Superintendent SIDE TWO: “I grew up a Roman Catholic and later became an Anglican priest (it was the closest I could get to being … [Read more…]
(NON) Multnomah University Teaches Lectio Divina in Chapel Throughout 2012 (SOUTHERN BAPTIST) Inquiring About California Baptist University – Answer Not Good (BAPTIST) Campbell University in North Carolina Added to Contemplative College List (PRESBYTERIAN) What About Montreat College in North Carolina? (AMERICAN BAPTIST) Eastern University to Add Labyrinth With Grant From Calvin Institute (REFORMED) Reformed Theological … [Read more…]
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun is a primer on contemplative mysticism, bursting with contemplative meditation instruction along with references and quotes by some of the movement’s most prolific mystics on the scene today. It’s a book one might expect to find on the shelves of a Catholic monastery, a New Age … [Read more…]
On Saturday morning, Lighthouse Trails received an e-mail from a concerned parent whose child is attending Olivet Nazarene University. The parent told us that Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline is part of a required Freshman course. We have also discovered that Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality) is integrated in various aspects of the school … [Read more…]
From 10 years of research at Lighthouse Trails Research Project, we have found the following fifty organizations to have had a significant role in bringing contemplative spirituality into the evangelical/Protestant church. If you do not know or understand the implications of this, we urge you to educate yourself as soon as possible. Note: We have … [Read more…]
This is part 2 of our 2011 Year in Review. These are our top 10 out-of-house news stories written by various secular and Christian sources in 2011. They have been posted for informational purposes and not necessarily as an endorsement of that news agency. 1. ONENEWSNOW: ‘Mysticism’ infecting Nazarene beliefs . . . and more … [Read more…]
On April 14th, OneNewsNow, an affiliate of American Family Association, released a small article titled “‘Mysticism’ infecting Nazarene beliefs.” The article brought attention to Manny Silva of Stand for Truth Ministries. Silva has been active in trying to warn Nazarenes about the infiltration of contemplative/emerging spirituality into the Nazarene denomination. While Lighthouse Trails is glad to … [Read more…]
by Reformed Nazarene The Emergent Church Movement is a serious problem for the Christian church. It threatens practically all Christians regardless of denomination. I’ve been a Nazarene all my life, but if you are reading this and are anything but Nazarene, it probably makes no difference. Whether you are Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Calvary Chapel, … [Read more…]
by Manny Silva Concerned Nazarenes Disturbing trends continue to develop in our denomination. Recently, I sent out a prayer request for a pastor and his church that decided to leave the Nazarene denomination, rather than stay and bow to emergent ideology and priorities. Soon, I will be posting some information regarding those who have been … [Read more…]
by Sandy Simpson Deception in the Church Ministries The Emerging Church (EC) and New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) have many things in common, which has been proved again and again by the cooperation and even mentorship across the lines of EC and NAR. These types of “Ladies Home Journal” surveys that are supposed to teach you … [Read more…]
The following pertains to our January 25 article, Buddhist/Universalist Sympathizer Woos Nazarene Students at NNU. NNU’s president, Dr. David Alexander, has issued the following response to an undisclosed number of concerned Nazarenes. We are posting this and also our comments and documentation about his response (see our commentary below Dr. Alexander’s response). From Dr. Alexander: Greetings from … [Read more…]
Below is a link to a video* of a lecture that took place at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho, one of the Nazarene Universities that is strongly promoting the contemplative/emerging spirituality. The lecture, presented by NNU Thomas Oord and College of Idaho, Denny Clark, was taught by Dr. Jay McDaniel, a self-proclaimed “Christian” Buddhist universalist sympathizer who is said to be highly influenced by … [Read more…]
by Philip Gray Free-Lance Writer “Training Today’s Leaders for Tomorrow’s Churches” is the motto for New Church Specialties, a Christian consulting organization that largely reaches Nazarenes. But New Church Specialties and the affiliated New Church University (where pastors and leaders are mentored and trained) are a conduit for the new spirituality, and their G12 Master’s … [Read more…]
In November 2004, Lighthouse Trails issued its first alert to readers on Christian colleges that are promoting contemplative spirituality. The four colleges listed in that alert were San Fransisco Theological Seminary, Biola University, Bethel University, and Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. Since then, numerous other alerts have been issued. What has become all too painfully … [Read more…]
Point Loma has hopped on the contemplative/emergent bandwagon, and one student and his family are very concerned. Lighthouse Trails has been contacted by a parent who told us her son attends Point Loma Nazarene University in California. Fortunately, for this woman’s son, he recognizes the spiritual deception that is taking place at Point Loma, but … [Read more…]
Contemplative spirituality has been coming into the Nazarene denomination for some time through their seminaries and universities. But this summer, the mystical-based spirituality will be taking a giant step into the Nazarene Church at large. The Nazarene Theological Seminary will be presenting a contemplative retreat to pastors and leaders from around the world who … [Read more…]
