By Larry DeBruyn
Guarding His Flock Ministries

A Biblical & Theological Refutation of Wm. Paul Young’s book, “Lies We Believe About God” (First in a series.)

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
—The Apostle Peter, 2 Peter 2:1

Introduction
As promoted by the best-selling religious allegory The Shack, a non-Christian worldview is playing around with the mind and soul of evangelicalism even to questioning of salvation’s meaning. With the release of the movie by the same name, The Shack’s verbal images are now being visualized. Contemporaneously and capitalizing upon the publicity generated by the movie, yet another book by Wm. Paul Young has hit the market, Lies We Believe About God. [1] What Young covertly taught by allegory and metaphor in The Shack he now overtly teaches in Lies—teachings among others, regarding God, humanity, love, and salvation. Reportedly, Young admitted that, “The Shack is theology.” And then added, “But it is a theology wrapped in a story.” [2] Now in Lies We Believe About God, the shrouded “story” plays a more minor role as Wm. Paul Young openly states his theology. Young continues to exert a compelling presence among mainstream evangelicals through his interviews, books and release of the movie, The Shack. Leaders Pat Robertson and James Robison have praised the movie. [3] Featuring the book’s author, the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) has recently aired a weekly program Restoring The Shack. [4] To continue reading and for endnotes, click here.

Also by Larry DeBruyn:

The Present of “His Presence” (and Should We Practice “His Presence”?)

Lighthouse Trails has now sent out its 4th letter since early 2016 to over 130 prominent Christian leaders. Along with the letter, we included a copy of the booklet we publish, The Shack and Its New Age Leaven plus a news brief we released recently. Both the booklet and the news brief are written by former New Age follower Warren B. Smith. Here is the letter we wrote to the leaders introducing the material:

Dear Christian Leader:

Please find enclosed one of our booklets titled The Shack and Its New Age Leaven by Lighthouse Trails author Warren B. Smith along with a short news brief we released on March 9th. As you probably know, The Shack movie came out this month, which no doubt will bring renewed interest in the book, The Shack. When you read this booklet and the news brief, we hope you will understand our sense of urgency given that many Christian leaders and pastors are now endorsing The Shack. In William Paul Young’s newest book, Lies We Believe About God, he once again openly rejects biblical tenets of the Christian faith.

We hope you will read and prayerfully consider the content of both the booklet and the news brief.

Sincerely in Christ,

The Editors at
Lighthouse Trails Publishing, Inc.

The letters and booklets were mailed out from our office in Montana on March 13th. You can read the news brief we included by clicking here. And here is the link to the content of the booklet we sent.

Since we began sending out letters and booklets to Christian leaders in early 2016, we have received the following responses:

Short letters of thanks from the ministry offices of: Chuck Missler, Nancy DeMoss, Tony Evans, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Beth Moore

Notes of thanks personally signed by Tim Tebow, Kay Arthur, George Wood (Assemblies of God General Superintendent)

A letter of thanks via e-mail from Ben Kinchlow’s ministry manager (Kinchlow is the founder of Americans for Israel and former 700 Club host)

An e-email from the office of Chuck Swindoll telling us to stop sending booklets (we have since removed his name from our list).

It is our hope and prayer that many of the leaders on our list will take a few moments to read the material we sent out on The Shack.

If you would like us to add the name of a leader to our Christian leaders list, please send the name and mailing address to us at: editors@lighthousetrails.com. Because of time restraints, we will not be able to add a name without an address. Plus, because we cannot send out these letters and booklets to every pastor in the country, we ask that you only submit names of pastors and/or church leaders who have written at least one book (you can check Amazon) thus moving him or her into a place of influence throughout the church at large.

We wish we could send booklets to every Christian pastor in North America. However, here is an idea given to us from one of our readers for anyone who feels compelled to reach the pastors in his or her denomination and/or state: Last month, a woman contacted us from Mississippi who learned that we were sending out booklets to Christian leaders and pastors. She said she was burdened for Southern Baptist pastors in her state and asked us to put together a mailing of two booklets and a letter and mail it to every Southern Baptist pastor in Mississippi.  Our reader paid for the list (which we purchased for her), the booklets, the postage, and our labor. At her request, we sent each pastor a copy of 10 Scriptural Reasons Jesus Calling is a Dangerous Book by Warren B. Smith and 5 Things You Should Know About Contemplative Prayer by Ray Yungen. If you have a group you would like us to reach in this manner, please contact our office.

If you would like to view and/or print a list of the Christian leaders we are currently sending booklets and short letters to 3-4 times a year, click here. Perhaps you would like to pray for these men and women who, in total, influence millions and millions of people throughout the world. Incidentally, just because a name is on this list does not necessarily mean that leader is in deception. We have included a wide assortment of names in this list. There are many pastors and Christian leaders who may not be part of the deception but, for various reasons, are not aware of what is happening in the church today.

In March of this year, Lighthouse Trails sent out a letter and a booklet to over 130 Christian leaders. We told our readers about this on February 25th in an article titled “Lighthouse Trails Publishing to Make Contact with Over 100 Christian Leaders to Warn About Jesus Calling.” The booklet we sent was Warren B. Smith’s new booklet 10 Scriptural Reasons Jesus Calling is a Dangerous Book.

bigstockphoto.com

You may be wondering what kind of response we received from this first mailing. Let us say up front, we are not doing this booklet campaign because we expect to receive a big response. We are doing it because we are compelled to do all we can to warn believers, including leaders and pastors. We also believe that the leaders need to be held responsible for remaining silent on vital issues that are affecting so many people. As for response, we have received three responses. Here they are:

1. Koinonia Institute (Chuck Missler): Dear Friends in Christ: Thank you for your taking the time to write to us here at Koinonia House. As much as Chuck would love to reply to all the mail he gets, it is just not physically possible anymore. Chuck is in New Zealand, establishing a new ministry outreach. Thank you for sending Chuck this important book. We will make sure he receive it when he returns back to the United States. May the Lord bless you as you seek His truth. Koinonia House Staff
2. Living Proof Ministries: I know Beth will be so encouraged to receive the gift you sent her. Thank you for spurring us on to love and good works! In His grace, LPM Staff
3. CBN (Pat Robertson): Click here to view.

In our March article to our readers, we said we hoped to send out a new letter and booklet pack to these leaders every two or three months. Now, we are ready to send out a second letter and two booklets. The booklets we have chosen are Ray Yungen’s 5 Things You Should Know About Contemplative Prayer and Roger Oakland’s Rick Warren’s Dangerous Ecumenical Pathway to Rome. Here below is the cover letter we are including:

Dear Christian Leader:

We are sending you two booklets pertaining to two very vital issues affecting the evangelical Christian church today.

Five Things You Should Know About Contemplative Prayer explains in a concise manner the dangers of the contemplative prayer movement, which is currently being introduced into a large percentage of Christian seminaries and colleges.

Rick Warren’s Dangerous Ecumenical Pathway to Rome is not a character-bashing assault but is rather a carefully documented and biblically sound examination. While the booklet focuses primarily on Rick Warren because he is a major influence in the church today, the situation explained in the booklet is becoming more commonplace than most realize.

We hope you will read and prayerfully consider the messages in these two booklets.

Sincerely in Christ,

The Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Below is the current list of over 130 Christian leaders who will be receiving letters and booklets every two or three months:

NOTE: We are not saying that all of these leaders are in deception. But we do believe they all would benefit from reading the material we are sending.

At the end of every year, Lighthouse Trails presents its YEAR IN REVIEW. Over the next few days, we will post a number of different categories with our top most important stories from each category. Our first category this year is our “Top 10 Out-of-House News Stories.”

This is an opportunity to read important articles and news stories, which you may not have had the chance to read earlier in the year when they were first released. Note: Because we are a research ministry, we often post articles for research and informational purposes from outside news sources, but this is not necessarily an endorsement of these particular sources. As we always recommend, use discernment and godly wisdom when visiting any website.

(Numbered in order of date posted—newest at top.)

TOP 10 OUT-OF-HOUSE NEWS STORIES COVERED BY LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS

1. The Daily Beast Writes Feature Article About Jesus Calling – Asks Questions Christian Leaders Ignore and Remain Silent On—The Daily Beast

2. Bill Gothard Resigns from Institute in Basic Life Principles Under Allegations of Sexual Abuse—Recovering Grace

3. World Vision to Hire Homosexual “Married” Couples—NBC News

4. Black Pastors: Comparing Homosexuality to Civil Rights Fight is ‘Distortion’ of History—Christian News Network

5. The End of Evangelical Support for Israel? The Jewish State’s International Standing—Middle East Quarterly

6. Sad News – Courageous and Fireproof Filmmakers Include Contemplatives Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer in New Film on Prayer—CCM

7. Seattle Megachurch Mars Hill Dissolves 2 Weeks After Founder Mark Driscoll Resigns—Associated Press

8. Pat Robertson Blasts Ken Ham’s Young Earth Beliefs: ‘Let’s Not Make a Joke of Ourselves’—Christian News Network

9. Southern Baptists, Openly ‘Gay Christians’ Break Bread at Conference—Wall Street Journal

10. Russell Moore, Rick Warren to Join ‘Pope Francis’ With Muslims, Buddhists for Interfaith Conference—Christian News Network

 LTRP Note: For those who have not watched Roger Oakland’s Searching for the Truth on Origins DVD lecture series, we highly encourage you to do so. Roger Oakland, a former evolutionist, looks at the evolution/creation and young earth/old earth debate in a most compelling, convincing, and documented manner. Roger’s easy to understand speaking style, his humility and genuine concern for people, coupled with the incredible information he provides makes this series absolutely essential.

Underneath the article below, we have posted a few video clips from this lecture series. For your children and grandchildren’s sakes, please make sure they understand the Scriptures, the science, and the evidence behind the evolution/creation debate. This is no laughing matter. As we have clearly documented over the years, the connection between evolutionary thinking and the New Age/new spirituality is remarkable, and the influence evolutionary thinking has had on our society is astounding.

By Heather Clark
Christian News Network

In providing his feedback on Tuesday’s debate between Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis and Bill Nye ‘the Science Guy,’ televangelist Pat Robertson went off on a two-minute monologue on Wednesday about why he holds to the opinion that Christians need to get over their young earth beliefs.

Speaking on his daily broadcast of the 700 Club, Robertson focused on the calculations and analysis of Bishop James Ussher, the Church of Ireland Archbishop and scholar who once dated the world as being 6,000 years old.

“Let’s face it,” he said. “There was a bishop in the Middle Ages there—1800′s or something—who added up the dates listed in Genesis and he came up with [a calculation that] the world had been around for 6,000 years. There ain’t no way that’s possible.” Click here to read more.

To order Searching for the Truth on Origins DVD lecture series, click here.

To order Searching for the Truth on Origins DVD lecture series, click here.

Related Material:

Pew Forum: 2/3 of American’s Believe in Evolution – (No Wonder the Country is Going Downhill So Fast)

Creation or the Creator – Who Will You Serve?

Creation vs. Evolution: “Fossil Fish”

Groundbreaking Genetic Discoveries Challenge Ape to Human Evolutionary Theory

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

I have been learning so much from your research. I am so thankful for all your work in exposing the things that are entering the church and deceiving people. My friend had received a monthly newsletter from CBN, which we both have been having questions about anyway, but she still gets their newsletters and reads them now with open eyes to see if anything might be off track in any way. In the most recent letter, Pat Robertson was quoting Brother Lawrence, from his book Practicing The Presence of God, which of course sent up a red flag, so I decided to go to CBN’s website and look at their on line book store. There was book after book by emergent/contemplative authors. I just wanted to share with you yet another Christian man/organization that seems to be falling into this apostasy. All of this is so sad and disheartening!  S.H.

LTRP Note: Lighthouse Trails contacted the sales department at CBN online bookstore today. We learned that their store is using the Innovative database, but the person we spoke with told us that CBN has a filter and they can filter out any names they want. Thus, there are good customization methods available for CBN (for instance they have filtered out Brian McLaren). We have listed some of the authors that are currently being carried by CBN below. These names each have strong propensities toward contemplative mystical prayer:

Rob Bell (there are about 46 items by Rob Bell including Velvet Elvis and Sex God. Love Wins was on the store site before we called the sales department; however, after our call, Love Wins was removed, and we received an e-mail from a customer service personnel telling us it had been removed. We have offered the person who e-mailed a complimentary copy of A Time of Departing and Faith Undone to help better explain our concerns.)

Thomas Merton

Henri Nouwen

Jan Johnson

Tricia Rhodes

Richard Foster

Dallas Willard

Brennan Manning

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s Spiritual Discipline Handbook where several New Age mystics are promoted

Mary Anne McPherson Oliver’s Conjugal Spirituality (on tantric sex)

Gary Thomas (including Sacred Pathways where Thomas instructs readers to repeat a word for 20 minutes)

Pete Scazzero

Leonard Sweet

Dan Kimball (including They Like Jesus But Not the Church and Sacred Spaces)

Lauren Winner (Girl Meets God)

Tony Campolo

Mark Driscoll

Also on the CBN store are:

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (as well as God Calling, which is the inspiration for Jesus Calling)

Books about Yoga including The Yoga Journal and Daily Yoga Meditation

Books about Contemplative Prayer, including Contemplative Ethics by Paulist Press (a Catholic publishing house)

Several books about labyrinths, including The Labyrinth and the Enneagram: Circling Into Prayer

18 books about lectio divina

Book by Marcus Borg and Joan Chittister (Borg denies such doctrines as the Virgin Birth and the deity of Jesus Christ)

For those who wish to contact CBN, below is contact information from their webstore site:

Office hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday
For Domestic Calls: 866-526-7173
For International Callers: 336-854-5570

Email Addresses:
product@thinkinnovative.com
 suggestions@thinkinnovative.com

Mailing address:
Innovative, Inc.
Attention: Customer Service
4280 Piedmont Parkway, Suite 105
Greensboro, NC 27410

By Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson took a tiny television station in southeast Virginia and turned it into a global network that helped him launch a presidential bid and become one of the nation’s most influential conservative Christians. But as the televangelist’s network turns 50 on Saturday, he says he’s getting out of the political endorsement game.

Robertson’s decision marks a significant departure for the founder of the Christian Coalition, who was once a central figure in Republican politics. Robertson, 81, was frequently sought out by GOP candidates hoping to curry favor with religious conservatives. His news-and-talk show on the Christian Broadcasting Network, the “700 Club,” is viewed by about 1 million people in the U.S. each day.

“I’ve personally backed off from direct political involvement,” Robertson said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press this week. “I’ve been there, done that. The truth of the matter is politics is not going to change our world. It’s really not going to make that much of a difference.”

Robertson’s influence has waned in recent years as he gave up control of the Christian Coalition and made a series of comments that many people considered bizarre or offensive.  Click here to continue reading.