Dear Lighthouse Trails,
I am writing this as a warning to people who are looking for a church. It is extremely important to thoroughly investigate the church before you start attending. Check their website and every link. I learned this lesson the hard way after moving to a new city and began attending a church that some good friends were involved with. This church is in a small, growing town in Montana. I didn’t question their choice, but I did search the church website for what it believed and found nothing alarming.
I attended this church for a little over 18 months and became a volunteer in a position of responsibility. I became friendly with some of the staff pastors and administrators. These were lovely people who I came to care about very much. One day I was sitting at a desk in the church waiting for something to do when I decided to again check out the church website. This time I saw some new links, one of which was book recommendations. I’m always interested in books, so I clicked on the link and what I found was shocking. They were introducing a new book that they were going to use for their men’s Bible study which was beginning in the fall. The name of this book was Crash the Chatterbox: Hearing God’s Voice Above All Others by Steven Furtick.
Other books were also recommended, all of which were written by men (like Richard Foster) who I knew to be New Age sympathizers and proponents. To say that I was shocked and saddened would be an understatement.
After praying about this for a couple of weeks, I knew I had to speak up and inquire as to why these books were recommended. I spent days writing and praying over a letter that I intended to send to one of the pastors I had come to know and respect. I wrote it as humbly and respectfully as I could, listing several reasons why Steven Furtick’s book should not be used, one of which is his belief in modalism. I asked them to please reconsider using this book for the men’s Bible study.
Several days after delivering the letter I received a call from a staff pastor. He is an excellent pastor who listened carefully as I presented my concerns. I also called out Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline that they were recommending. I explained that he is a prominent New Age and contemplative prayer proponent. However, when the pastor told me that he had that book and had read it and found nothing wrong with it, I gave up. I realized at that point there was no spiritual discernment. I told him I would bring him some information on contemplative prayer, and the next day I took him a copy of Ray Yungen’s book A Time of Departing and another booklet on contemplative prayer.
A link on the same page as the book recommendations took me to a place with suggestions on meditation and the “silence.” I recognized the language as contemplative prayer.
After this conversation, I knew I would have to leave. It broke my heart, but I could no longer support this church. With hope, I continued to check the website for a couple of months after delivering the books, but nothing had changed.
I finally found a small but growing nondenominational church that was teaching the Word.
The people of God are in need of godly discernment more than ever in these times in which we live.
In Christ,
CB
(photo from istockphoto.com; used with permission)
Thank you so much for all of the research and labour you put into your work. I first came across your ministry a few years ago, when researching Paul Young’s book, ‘The Shack’. When so many were okay with it, your exposure opened my eyes to even greater deception operating in the Body of Christ. Your recent letter to the editor motivated me to send you this article I commented on, on my fb page, about ‘Evangelical Fellowship Of Canada’, representing 48 evangelical denominations in Canada, and over 2 million Christians, putting an article in their flagship magazine, “Faith Today’ composed of 4 contributors discussing the value of ‘spiritual directors’, and contemplative prayer, including a paragraph by the editor, in the margin, quoting Richard Foster. Here’s the link to my post. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0eZtwANgr2zbM6Ph7oaD2ANJXpNry9doynRz7ASRop4tcE8KjghuKTVjpTezYfq4tl&id=100079971644329
Thank you for this disclosing article as all true believers need to be awakened to satan’s devices within the church. We know of no true church in our area of Idaho. Fortunately, one of my sisters attends a perceptive church in Oregon.
This satanic wildness has been present for decades and both my husband and I were persecuted for teaching the Bible in so-called Bible churches. I taught ladies and my husband taught men and women. One time, we were informed that only the pastor was allowed to teach the Bible. Leadership preferred silliness taught in Sunday school classes as one class reenacted the television show “Home Improvement” with a sexy gal in short shorts representing the sensual character.
It’s the same here in Canada. The “Big Tent” of Evangelicalism has been “purchased” by the big tent of false teaching and heresy. The 30,000 denominations that have “evolved” since the Reformation, reflect certain inconsistencies in accepting every jot and tittle in God’s Word. The current rush to ‘ecumenical compromise’ at the expense of proper interpretation of Scripture adds to the divisions, confusion, and increased heresies. Furthermore, the super-structures of denominational leadership create obstacles for local preachers, teachers, and boards to “rightly divide the Word of Truth” necessary to – ‘Learn to Discern’. (2nd Timothy 2:14-16) …… Big salaries, bonuses, health insurance, retirement benefits, and more tithing – as under the law, are major incentives for compromise by the ‘local’ body of Christ.
How many preachers or adult Bible study leaders have tried to understand what ‘The Mystery” Grace Gospel entails – versus the “Kingdom Gospel” to the circumcision? (Ephesians 3:8-9)….and what is this reference to Paul – as the “Apostle of the Gentiles”? (hint: A new dispensation of the mystery)….. (Colossians 1:23-28)
Point: Everything in God’s Word is ‘FOR’ us – but not everything is ‘TO’ us. (The reformation was incomplete)
Point: Read Matthew…. and then Galatians, Colossians, or Ephesians.
Sadly here in UK it’s almost impossible to find a church that isn’t infected with the New Apostolic Reformation, Word of Faith doctrine, contemplative prayer, or all of them. Give up trying to find a “church”. Meet with like-minded people in your homes and devote yourselves to prayer, worship, Bible study and fellowship, as the early church did. That is true church.
Jesus said it would be like this with heirlings and wolves in sheep’s clothing. I have attended and served CCMV over 42 years but slowly over the last few years the progressive Emergent teachings of Willard & Foster have spread like leaven with those who hold to their Spiritual Formation becoming prideful and arrogant. Closed to correction or instruction.
As we see this spreading and read the reports from those of us that experience it, we are reminded of Paul’s warning of the perilous times of the last days in 2 Timothy 3: 12-14.
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
Thank you for posting the letter.
We must always remember to stay true to God’s Word and keep our eyes on Jesus. His Word is settled and will come to pass. Titus 2:13
I though I had finally found a church – I do like the pastor, he preaches the Word but the Sunday school class has a teacher that reads lots of NAR stuff and likes Copeland and others. I tried to talk to the teacher but seemed to be attacked by her husband. I talked to the pastor, he doesn’t agree with everything the teacher believes but he doesn’t know about NAR teaching. Now there is so much tension I will probably have to leave. So hard to find a church.
My wife and I in 19 years of wonderful marriage have had to leave 4 churches because of Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Eugene Peterson, Henry Nouwen, and Timothy Keller “studies,” Adult Coloring Books and Harry Potter (yes, even that). When we first attended these churches they seemed to be fine but as time went on “new” things were introduced. I used Lighthouse Trails booklets at different times to show how none of what they were doing was Scriptural. In one case an “Elder” asked me if I was one of those “fundamentals.” I replied “I guess I am.” In each case we were treated with disdain and told “we don’t see anything wrong with it,” or similar responses. Obviously we could not stay in these churches. We moved from Pennsylvania to Sebring, FL to attend Maranatha Baptist Church in Maranatha Village. The Pastoral Staff here is outstanding and it is very unlikely that this church will fail for as long as I am alive (78).
No one in my immediate family has a place to worship at present. My son addressed the pastor of a church he had attended about their new course, or whatever, in Lectio Divina.
He brought his concern to the pastor, of course to zero result.
It is tough out there.
I was going to a church I liked, then the pastors wife took over the church as pastor and started teaching yoga and things got weird, they even had a middle eastern Hindu man come and preach. I got a word on judgement I felt was from God, and shared it with the pastor and some leaders and I was rebuked. I had a vision where I saw the floor open up like a earthquake and the church and people fell into it. It was scary and I left the church. After I left I heard the church was thrown out of the sanctuary, they were renting.
This very thing is happening at our beloved church Calvary Chapel Mission Viejo in Southern California. Over 40+ people have left, I was the Children’s Director for 2 years and found out what the pastor & his wife were in to. She’s actually taking courses to become a Spiritual Director. So sad. It has split the church, families & friends. Our founding pastors are trying to help keep us “refugees” together and we are going by our current Bylaws in hopes of removing the pastor. It’s been exhausting. My husband and I are currently attending Calvary South OC in San Clemente, John Randall is the pastor and very much against Spiritual Formation, Direction, Contemplative Prayer, etc and teaches verse by verse expository teaching. We are blessed. Pray for our former church… those who’ve left still meet together every other week for prayer, Bible Study and fellowship, hoping to be able to return to their beloved church. Thank you for your articles. They are a blessing.
Darla
I have yet to find a church in which the pastoral staff takes these concerns seriously.
If the truth be known, the [2 Thessalonians 2:3] apostacy is in full court press mode and has been for quite a while. This became obvious to me about 12 years ago when I discovered the Lighthouse Trails website and started reading the books offered and receive the monthly newsletter. The apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers, and by extension all believers in the age of grace, that “God…may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened” (1:17-18).
LT has been and is a crucial ministry especially in these end times as the birth pains are rapidly intensifying.