Letter to the Editor Reminds Us of Paul’s Words: “Am I Therefore Become Your Enemy, Because I Tell You the Truth?”

Dear Lighthouse Trails,

I am so very grateful for Lighthouse Trails. You are exposing lies that are deceiving people. You love people by telling them the truth regardless of whether they accept it or not. In Galatians 4:16, Paul said, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”

I too was deceived for 33 years. One day, someone asked me to read the Bible. I began to read it but had so many questions because what I had studied in the Catechism of the Catholic Church was not the same as what I was reading in the Bible. The six ways of salvation I had learned nullified Jesus Christ as the only way (John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”)

In Joshua 24:15, it says that we have a choice to serve God or man. I chose God and came out from among them (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Concerning your article about Jonathan Roumie (of The Chosen) and his personal interactions with Padre Pio, the article I have sent you exposes Pio and who he really was. Interesting!

In Christ,

Tina

LTRP Comments: We appreciate Tina’s mention of Galatians 4:16 when Paul asked the Galatian believers the profound question, Am I your enemy for telling you the truth? Many times, over the years, Lighthouse Trails has been accused of being hateful because of our warnings about various Christian leaders and teachings. But we have always maintained that we are motivated by love, not by hate. We also know many of our readers have experienced this same kind of misrepresentation by others, merely for trying to speak the truth and warn loved ones of spiritual dangers.

We are reminded of a short piece LT author and researcher Ray Yungen wrote in 2009 titled “Is Lighthouse Trails ‘Haters?’ He wrote this in response to comments made to a large crowd of young people at the Calvary Chapel youth event called “Movement 2009” where emergent figure Mike Erre (author of Death by Church) was the featured speaker. It was actually this event that was the catalyst for Paul Smith (brother of Chuck Smith) to be fired because of his efforts to keep Mike Erre and the emergent church out of Calvary Chapel.

Here below is Ray Yungen’s piece, “Is Lighthouse Trails Haters?”—

Recently, at a large Christian youth event, Lighthouse Trails was indirectly referred to as “haters” because of our articles and books exposing the emerging church movement. We realize that many people think ministries like Lighthouse Trails are mean-spirited, hateful and derive pleasure from causing trouble for others.

On the contrary, what motivates and drives Lighthouse Trails is a sense of duty to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see that being the issue at stake.

Right now, there is a struggle going on for what the church of the future will look like. Karl Rahner once said the Christian of the future will be a mystic or he or she will not exist at all. The question must be asked (and answered): Is this really a good thing? Will mysticism lead to a Christianity that is more vibrant and in harmony with the will of God?

When one looks at the writings of those such as Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, etc., one finds that this mysticism is rooted firmly in a spiritual understanding more in-tune with Buddhism and Hinduism that with the writings of the apostles in the Bible.

Thomas Merton said:

“It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, … now I realize what we all are…. If only they [people] could all see themselves as they really are … I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other…. At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusions, a point of pure truth…. This little point … is the pure glory of God in us. It is in everybody.” (A Time of Departing, p. 59)

This is identical to what is called in New Age spirituality, the higher self. Over the last few decades there has been an ever-increasing number of individuals in Christianity that draw on and promote persons such as Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen. The mission at Lighthouse Trails is to point out that if the church goes in the same mystical direction as these individuals, it will ultimately embrace the spiritual perceptions such as the one just stated. If that sounds implausible, take a look at the spiritual life of Sue Monk Kidd (author of The Secret Life of Bees).

Monk Kidd was at one time a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher. But after she was introduced to the writings of Thomas Merton, she branched out and began embracing contemplative practices and her spirituality dramatically changed. Eventually, it led her to say that God dwells in everything, even excrement and graffiti.

At Lighthouse Trails, we are not motivated by hate for people but rather by love and concern. We believe, with everything in us, that man’s only hope lies in Jesus Christ and the free gift of salvation offered to those who believe and accept it. And we also believe that contemplative/emerging spirituality leads man away from that Gospel not toward it. This is why we do what we do.

Ray Yungen