Hello Lighthouse Trails:
I am grateful to God for using you and your website to open my eyes on so many spiritual war fronts.
The reason I am writing this e-mail is because I am looking for a list of Christian higher education establishments that have signed on with the woke movement.
I recently applied to a “Christian” college (College of Bbiblical Studies [CBS], Houston) after first pre-checking the name of the institution against your list of Christian colleges that promote spiritual formation.
I thought I was safe since it was not on the list, but boy was I wrong! I recently watched a DVD titled Enemies Within the Church, and I was struck when they noted that woke “Christian” colleges and seminaries focused heavily on philosophy and worldviews rather than Scripture. I was dumbfounded when I heard this because one of the required classes I had signed up for at CBS seemed to be heavily focused on philosophy and worldviews.
This greatly concerned me, so I dug a little deeper and found that one of the professors teaching at CBS actually wrote the book Woke Church. His bio is located in the link below:
[https://content.enemieswithinthechurch.com/wokepedia_article/eric-mason/]
I had already been suspicious about the college due to a number of things that didn’t seem right (e.g., my academic advisor had given me a list of devotionals she liked and among them was the book Jesus Calling.)
Needless to say, I have since withdrawn from CBS.
I am writing this e-mail in the hope that you have compiled a list of Christian colleges and universities identifying which establishments have compromised with the woke movement.
In Christ
S.M.
LTRP Editor’s Note:
After doing our own research as well as examining the information sent by S. M., we have added this school to our Contemplative College list (a list we have been adding to for nearly two decades).
In answer to this person’s question as to whether we have a compiled list of schools that have begun to integrate “wokeism” (e.g., cultural Marxism) into their schools, we have not. However, typically, as a rule of thumb, if a college or seminary has been promoting “spiritual formation” (i.e., contemplative spirituality), there is a strong likelihood they are also promoting “progressive” (e.g., wokeism, emergent) ideologies as well because spiritual formation leads to emergent progressive thinking. This is the link that, unfortunately, many Christians do not realize exists. As we have explained for many years now, contemplative spirituality (a belief system rooted in the New Age) was the “energy” that gave the emerging church its umph. That emerging/emergent church is what is now called the “progressive” woke church. A church doesn’t become “woke” overnight; it happens with an incremental slide into apostasy.
For readers who want to understand the detrimental effects of contemplative spirituality, please read Ray Yungen’s book A Time of Departing. If you cannot afford to buy this book, e-mail us, and we will send you a free copy. Also, read Mary Danielsen’s “S is for Social Justice: The Language of Today’s Cultural Revolution.”
Finding a Christian college, university, or seminary that is biblical has become increasingly difficult. It’s a dilemma that many Lighthouse Trails readers have encountered, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. If you know of a higher education school that is maintaining a biblical stance, please let us know. If it passes the scrutiny of our research team, we will let our readers know about it.
(photo from bigstockphoto.com; design by LT)
Finding this sight gave me heart new found hope in solid biblical teaching. I have been part of a solid christian movement for 30 years but have been alarmed by the infiltration of liberal and spiritual formation teachings. Most alarming is that leaders do not seem to be overly concerned of its presence and our so busy with ministry that practicing the spiritual principles of being a shepherd, watchmen or alert is missing. Some feel “it will pass” or just take “the meat off the bones” because “some of the teachings are helpful.” I was told by an “elder” that it is my “perspective” about spiritual formation and did not seem eager, like a Berean, to check out what I was warning them about could be true. One even quoted a mystic to me without knowing they quoted one. They loved how peaceful these teachings made them feel. I truly believe these teachings are “deceiving spirits.” I’ve seen men and woman I have learned from my entire life be completely entralled with it. They even have a look in their eyes, like a trance, in which they seem to have found something “new” in the scriptures to be excited about or new higher teaching. My heart breaks but I also believe “the righteous are as bold as a lion” and to see your sight and to read Yungen’s book gave me courage, insight and I have lovingly confronted leaders everywhere I go. I am sharing these resources and I believe the holy spirit is giving me the words to say in a clear fashion and even debate a few leaders. They had nothing to say afterwards because God’s solid truth will always outshine and be solid and clear. Thank you for making us aware of these dangers as I have family and children in these ministries and I am also teaching and training them so that they can also stay awake and alert. Do not be captivated by these teachings. I am learning that everywhere you turn these teachings are there luring unsuspecting Christians away from the solid word.
Ted,
Thank you for your comments. From what we can see, this is a brand new or fairly new course at West Coast Baptist College. Very troubling to see. First, we need to get a textbook list. We found the 2020 textbook list on their site but not the current one. We can tell you this, we have never seen a school that had Spiritual Formation courses that didn’t ultimately lead to and promote the mystics. This is worth investigating. If the school’s top leadership is somehow not aware of what is taking place (but like you said, unlikely), then an “early” warning could potentially stop this. We’ve thus far, in 22 years, only seen this happen once when we alerted Patrick Henry College, and they actually stopped their Spiritual Formation activities. That was many years ago. Unfortunately that school is now delving into SF as well.
In response to the above comment by Elizabeth Bennett about West Coast Baptist College:
In the 2023-2024 West Coast Baptist College Catalog, both the Master’s Biblical Studies Concentration and the Master’s Christian Education Concentration require the PT 512 “Spiritual Fomation and Discipleship” Course. (See https://wcbc.edu/sites/default/files/2023-2024-wcbc-catalog.pdf catalog page 116. Accessed: 04/07/2024)
It also appears that this class is required as one of the Master’s Degree Core Classes. (See: https://wcbc.edu/sites/default/files/2023-2024-wcbc-catalog.pdf catalog page 161. Accessed: 04/07/2024)
It is also on the Online Class Schedule for 2024 Summer Master’s Terms A (5/13-6/29) and B (7/1-8/17): PT 512 Spiritual Formation and Discipleship… Dr. Jim Schettler (See: https://wcbc.edu/academics/terms/667/schedule/online Accessed: 04/07/2024)
Woke or not, Spiritual Formation IS NOW THERE!
I doubt that this course was accidentally named. It seems highly unlikely that given the academic notoriety of Spiritual Formation, that men with the educational standing of Paul Chappell and Jim Schettler are ignorant of what “Spiritual Formation” really is. Some schools might be tempted to title a class “Spiritual Formation and Discipleship” just to obtain acceptance (and/or accreditation) in the greater academic community without technically buckling to them. I can hardly believe that a “Christian” school would be so disingenuous as to use “Spiritual Formation” in the class title if it did not teach traditional “Spiritual Formation” Fundamentals.
I also know a young assitant pastor that graduated from WCBC who seems to have more than mild leanings toward many traditional Spiritual Formation practices (Disciplines) and concepts. I realize this sample size is not large enough to make a consequential conclusion.
Is having a class named “Spiritual Formation and Discipleship” taught at a school enough to earn a spot on the “Christian Colleges that Promote Spiritual Formation” List?
In response to the above comment by Elizabeth Bennett about West Coast Baptist College:
In the 2023-2024 West Coast Baptist College Catalog, both the Master’s Biblical Studies Concentration and the Master’s Christian Education Concentration require the PT 512 “Spiritual Fomation and Discipleship” Course. (See https://wcbc.edu/sites/default/files/2023-2024-wcbc-catalog.pdf catalog page 116. Accessed: 04/07/2024)
It also appears that this class is also required as one of the Master’s Degree Core Classes. (See:
https://wcbc.edu/sites/default/files/2023-2024-wcbc-catalog.pdf catalog page 161. Accessed: 04/07/2024)
It is also on the Online Class Schedule for 2024 Summer Master’s Terms A (5/13-6/29) and B (7/1-8/17): PT 512 Spiritual Formation and Discipleship… Dr. Jim Schettler (See: https://wcbc.edu/academics/terms/667/schedule/online Accessed: 04/07/2024)
Woke or not, Spiritual Formation IS NOW THERE!
I doubt that this course was accidentally named. It seems highly unlikely that given the academic notoriety of Spiritual Formation, that men with the educational standing of Paul Chappell and Jim Schettler are ignorant of what “Spiritual Formation” really is. Some schools might be tempted to title a class “Spiritual Formation and Discipleship” just to obtain acceptance (and/or accreditation) in the greater academic community without technically buckling to them. I can hardly believe that a “Christian” school would be so disingenuous as to use “Spiritual Formation” in the class title if it did not teach traditional “Spiritual Formation” Fundamentals.
I also know a young assitant pastor that graduated from WCBC who seems to have more than mild leanings toward many traditional Spiritual Formation practices (Disciplines) and concepts. I realize this sample size is not large enough to make a consequential conclusion.
Is having a class named “Spiritual Formation and Discipleship” taught at a school enough to earn a spot on the “Christian Colleges that Promote Spiritual Formation” List?
These “woke” colleges have been infiltrated by jesuits disguised themselves as born again believers to do exactly what is taking place.
Philosophy and worldview are exactly what roman catholic seminary students study to become priests and Charles Chiniquy wrote all about this in his book, “50 years in the Church of Rome”. He was a French Canadian jesuit trained to bring catholic immigrants into the united states (Indiana – look at the history of the founding of the university of Notre Dame) to change the voting outcome of elections.
He became a born again follower of Christ and wrote his testimony down about what the catholic church trained him to do then (early 1800’s) and still is now through the jesuit order. Find and watch the testimony of former jesuit Alberto Rivera and how he explains the exact same thing. Their whole purpose was to infiltrate biblical Christianity believers and start to introduce false doctrine and anti-biblical philosophy, worldview and social justice issues.
All the major universities in the US are controlled by jesuits and have been for decades, they run the educations systems, the entertainment industry and many other areas of government for the purpose of bringing one world government about under religious control of the pope which they are just about to bring about with all the world issues and us dollar being devalued out of existence. It’s only a short matter of time.
Thank you for the article. I pray more followers wake up to the truth of why this is happening the way it is.
The grace, mercy and peach of our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied to you.
Joe
Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary is still faithful as far as I know. Also Bible Baptist College of Pennsylvania is good, but it’s been a bit since I have heard anything about it.
But I believe that Grace University in Omaha Nebraska is defunct and has been so for a few years already. You might check into that.
Thanks for your work.
Sattler College in Boston is a great one. The president is Dean Taylor, author of the book, “A Change of Allegiance.”
Chafer.edu – a college Dr. Andy Woods administers.
Dr. Woods is pastor and Bible teacher at Sugarland Bible Church in Sugarland Texas. I think Chafer.edu is just for training people going into the ministry.
Dr. Andy Woods, President of Chafer college in Sugarland, Texas! Faithful and fantastic!!!
You may want to check out Millar College of the Bible in Pambrun, Saskatchewan, Canada. One of the few left in Canada. They also have campuses in British Columbia and Manitoba. https://www.millarcollege.ca/pambrun
Crown college in Knoxville, TN, and Pensacola Christian are the only good ones I know of. I’ve heard Maranatha in Wisconsin may be good. Bob Jones is a disaster.
I’d go to Crown if I was 18.
West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, CA is also a Bible-based college. There is no woke or spiritual formation there. I know because many of our teachers attended.
Pensacola Christian college. Is a good solid Bible based college check it out one of the few left
My son attended Pensecola Christian College this year and so far we have been impressed with their Biblical focus and standards. No government money. no requirement for spiritual formation or suspicious psychological or worldview studies. Very pleased with the wisdom of staff and students