contemplative prayer

Letter to the Editor: Liberty University Taking Students on “Spiritual Journey” With Contemplative/Emergent Leader Richard Foster

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LTRJ Note: For 18 years, Lighthouse Trails has been warning about the contemplative prayer movement and its role in creating an “emergent” “progressive” church. Part of our investigative research scope has included Christian universities and seminaries, a majority of which now promote contemplative spirituality. Liberty University, one of the largest Christian universities in the U.S., … [Read more…]

Booklet Highlight: Is Your Church Doing “Spiritual Formation”? (Important Reasons Why They Shouldn’t)

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By Lighthouse Trails Editors Is your church involved in a Spiritual Formation program? If so, you might want to ask the question, what exactly is Spiritual Formation? It’s a fair question, and one that, if not asked, could end up surprising you when your church changes in ways you never imagined. A Christianity Today article states: “Spiritual … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: Be Still DVD with Beth Moore Advocates “Urgent Need to Lower Your Breathing Rate”

Dear Lighthouse Trails: I bought and gave the Be Still DVD to my last pastor prior to moving out of state. My husband and I had become horrified at the Beth Moore’s women’s gatherings that were being promoted at our church.  I was already very familiar with Beth Moore’s stance on contemplative prayer.  This gentleman, … [Read more…]

Contemplative Prayer – Does Our Intent to Find Jesus Justify the Method?

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 [I]f you were to jump off a cliff with the intent to fly saying the word “fly, fly, fly” as you jump off and someone else jumped off the same cliff with the intent to hit the bottom saying “fall, fall, fall” as he jumps off, in either case both will hit the bottom. – Ray … [Read more…]

Bad Counsel to a Christian Girl at a Contemplative College

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LTRP Note: The following is a chapter from Castles in the Sand, a Lighthouse Trails novel based on true facts, exposing the dangers of contemplative spirituality. The story is about a young Christian college girl who is introduced to mysticism through her spiritual formation professor. In the following chapter, Tessa, troubled by some of the strange symptoms … [Read more…]

Warning: Zondervan Introduces Its First-Ever Film, Nine: The Enneagram Documentary— to Release in Theaters Fall 2020

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LTRP Note: The news release below regarding the Christian publisher, Zondervan, is posted for informational and research purposes. Lighthouse Trails warned about the Enneagram in our booklet, The Enneagram—An Enlightening Tool or an Enticing Deception? (written by Lois Putnam), which we released last Fall. Obviously, when one of the largest evangelical publishers releases a film … [Read more…]

Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias Dies at 74

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LTRP Note: The following news story is posted for informational and research purposes. At various times over the years, Lighthouse Trails challenged the ministry of Ravi Zacharias regarding its promotion of contemplative spirituality and contemplative figures such as Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen. At one point, a LT reader was able to personally hand Ravi … [Read more…]

Is Christianity Missing Out on Something Vital? Contemplatives Say “Yes”

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By Ray Yungen Contemplative advocates propose that something vital and important is missing from the church for centuries. The insinuation is that Christians have been lacking something necessary for their spiritual vitality; but that would mean the Holy Spirit has not been fully effective for hundreds of years and only now the secret key has … [Read more…]

The Goal of Contemplatives: Changing the Consciousness of Humanity – One Contemplative Prayer After the Next

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By Ray Yungen Two authors from Great Britain portrayed a stunningly clear picture of New Age spirituality. They explained: [T]he keynote of it appears to be a movement for synthesis derived from an understanding of the underlying unity behind all things and the sense of oneness that this brings. This oneness of all life is … [Read more…]

Emergent Manifesto of Hope Despair Revisited—How It Has Affected Today’s Church

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In 2007, Lighthouse Trails wrote a book review on a book titled Emergent Manifesto of Hope. Today, thirteen years later, we are seeing the “fruit” of the emergent church (that, incidentally, was spawned by leaders like Rick Warren, Bob Buford, and Bill Hybels as is documented in Faith Undone by Roger Oakland). The so-called fruit … [Read more…]

LECTIO DIVINA – What it is, What it is not, and Should Christians Practice it?

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There’s a lot of talk about it today; umpteen books are published and more are on the way about lectio divina; and an increasing number of evangelical/Protestant figures are writing about it, endorsing it, and teaching it. Some people think lectio divina simply means to read a passage of Scripture slowly (or “praying the Scriptures”) … [Read more…]

Lighthouse Trails 2019 Year-in-Review – Final Part – Top 10 In-House Articles by LT Editors

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See Part 1 of Year in Review: Top 10 Letters to the Editor. See Part 2 of Year in Review: Top 10 Out-of-House News Stories. See Part 3 of Year in Review: Top 10 Articles by LT Authors. The final Part of the Lighthouse Trails 2019 Year in Review are the top 10 articles written … [Read more…]

GC2 Conference on Mental Health Includes “Spiritual Formation” Teachers Rick Warren and Ruth Haley Barton

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On December 12, 2019, Christianity Today posted an article by “new” Christianity pastor Ed Stetzer, giving a recap of the GC2 Summit that took place on December 6th. The article, titled “Lies Pastors Believe, Part One,” states: Two months of planning for our GC2 Summit on Facing Hard Truths & Challenges in Pastoral Ministry couldn’t … [Read more…]

A Word About Salvation Versus “the Contemplative Way”

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By Ray Yungen Knowing Jesus Christ is not merely religion or spirituality but is rather a personal relationship with Him. Romans 10:2 speaks of those who have a “zeal for God but not according to knowledge.” Many contemplative writers describe a spiritual despondency they suffer before turning to mystical prayer as a remedy, and consequently … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor From Dallas Theological Seminary Student—DTS Does Advocate for Contemplative Spirituality

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To Lighthouse Trails: The relationship Dallas Theological Seminary has with contemplative spirituality has been debated on Lighthouse Trails, and defended by DTS. As a current student, I can confirm some departments and professors do advocate explicitly for the contemplative brand of spirituality.  The school requires four semesters of spiritual formation. Students must engage with the … [Read more…]

Beyond a Doubt: Contemplative Prayer EQUALS New Age Meditation

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By Ray Yungen Before writing my book, A Time of Departing, I made sure I could prove, beyond a doubt, that contemplative prayer had not only slipped into the Christian faith, but also prove it is an integral part of the New Age movement. In fact, New Agers see contemplative prayer as one of their … [Read more…]

New Booklet: The Enneagram—An Enlightening Tool or an Enticing Deception?

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NEW BOOKLET: The Enneagram—An Enlightening Tool or an Enticing Deception? by Lois Putnam and the Editors at Lighthouse Trails is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 18 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are available. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or for your own … [Read more…]

Remembering Ray Yungen and Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer

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Three years ago today author and researcher Ray Yungen passed away at the age of 64. As regular Lighthouse Trails readers know, it was through Ray’s work that Lighthouse Trails began nearly 18 years ago. Interestingly, on the eve of this 3rd anniversary of Ray’s departure, we read an e-mail notice we received this week … [Read more…]

Video: Mike Oppenheimer and Ray Yungen on Mysticism and God’s Word

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Mike Oppenheimer and Ray Yungen discuss mysticism and the emgerging church movement in comparison to God’s Word.

Wycliffe, YWAM, & Other Evangelical Groups to Take Part in Roman Catholic-Endorsed Global Event in 2020

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This week, we received a letter to the editor that alerted us to plans for a “2020 Global Year of the Bible.” As you read the information below, please keep in mind, Lighthouse Trails does not oppose the idea that “billions” of people in the world could potentially read the Bible. Of course not! The … [Read more…]

The New Age: “All the world’s great spiritual traditions and paths.”

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Note: Ray Yungen’s explanation of what “New Age” shows why Lighthouse Trails says the New Age has infiltrated Christianity. When we realize that mystical meditation is at the heart of the New Age as well as at the heart of contemplative spirituality, we then realize they are one in the same. While the term “New Age” has … [Read more…]

10 Things to Ponder—Pathways to Apostasy

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LTRP Note: The links in the following article provide further information on each topic listed. By Roger Oakland While I am certain there are many more, the following ten trends provide a good overview of what is taking place in the church today: Ecumenical unity at any cost, yet completely void of any connection to … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: The Catholic Catechism and Contemplative Prayer

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Contemplative prayer is hearing the word of God … Contemplative prayer is silence.—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994 edition, p. 652 LTRP Note: Since 2002, Lighthouse Trails has continued to issue warnings about contemplative prayer. We began our warnings after meeting Ray Yungen in the year 2000 and examining his extensive research. One of the … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: Interest in Contemplative Catholic Monasteries Increasing

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The contemplative response is not a luxury or an added extra [for the Carmelite]; it is at the very core of how we see life and cope with the challenges and pressures of what we call our postmodern world. Perhaps this is what Karl Rahner meant when he said, a generation ago: “The Christian of … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: Continuing Concern About Moody Bible Institute

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LTRP Note: When we received the following note this past week from a reader, we were reminded again about Moody Bible Institute and some of its professors. Moody, which claims to be a Bible-based learning institution, has an obligation to its donors and students to not veer from biblical truth and to make sure the … [Read more…]

Neglecting to Test the Spirits—A Tragedy of Enormous Proportions

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If there is one thing we don’t hear much about from today’s Christian leaders and pastors, it is the importance of testing the spirits. The idea comes from the Bible in 1 John 4:1, which states: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets … [Read more…]

IHOP-KC’s Mike Bickle: “There’s no biblical definition for contemplative prayer”

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By John LanaganThe Word Like Fire “It has been with great dismay that I have watched one Christian leader after another succumb to the appeal of contemplative spirituality,” states Ray Yungen in A Time of Departing. (pg.184) Some, like IHOP leader Mike Bickle, have been involved with contemplative prayer for decades. During the Passionate Pursuit … [Read more…]

Celebrating the Atonement and the Resurrection While Promoting Contemplative – A Profound Contradiction

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In 1922, liberal pastor and theologian Harry Emerson Fosdick stated the following words in his sermon titled “Will the Fundamentalists Win?”: “It is interesting to note where the Fundamentalists are driving in their stakes to mark out the deadline of doctrine around the church, across which no one is to pass except on terms of … [Read more…]

Preparing for Perilous Times and Finding God’s Peace in the Midst of Them

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Preparing for Perilous Times and Finding God’s Peace in the Midst of Them By David Dombrowski For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12) Over the … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: Does Lighthouse Trails Hate Catholics?

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Dear Lighthouse Trails: I am in a quandary. I have read quite a few of your booklets on line about the New Age, specifically Yoga. I have also made a substantial purchase because you are right on as far as these subjects go. I am confused as to why you seem to hate Catholics when … [Read more…]