* TOP ARTICLE IN THIS CATEGORY FOR 2010:
1/Rick Warren’s “Apologetics” Weekend Should Apologize for Representing “Another Gospel” Eight years after the release of The Purpose Driven Life and numerous efforts by discerning Christian believers to warn others of this movement, the Saddleback Apologetics Weekend unveils more clearly than ever the spiritual direction toward which the evangelical church is racing . . .
2/Letter to Charles Stanley: Is In Touch Getting Out-of-Touch With the True Gospel? A few years ago, we spoke with one of Stanley’s top assistants, with the hope that he would ask Charles Stanley to read A Time of Departing and/or Faith Undone, which we sent to the assistant for Dr. Stanley. We never heard whether he read the books, but seeing Anne Lamott and Sara Miles names in his current issue of In Touch is very disheartening. Why won’t Christian leaders bring themselves up to speed on these matters and begin warning rather than abetting?
3/Christian Leaders Remain Silent on Warning of Apostasy in the Church – Attempt to Discredit Contenders of the Faith As the organized Christian church and church leaders continue in their plunge toward apostasy, turning their heads and ignoring the truth, all the while attempting to discredit those who are trying to warn, more and more people are being pulled into this tidal wave of deception. When Lighthouse Trails wrote a press release in 2005 showing that Rick Warren was planning on using New Age sympathizer Ken Blanchard to help implement his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan and train leaders, attempts were made to discredit Lighthouse Trails.
4/Author/Lecturer Roger Oakland Says Good-bye to Calvary Chapel Roger Oakland, author, lecturer, missionary is saying farewell to a 29-year relationship with Calvary Chapel. It began for Roger in 1977 when he went from being an evolutionist biology professor at a Canadian university to becoming a born-again, Bible-believing Christian. His life had been turned right side up by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Roger zealously became a servant of the Lord. In contrast to his years teaching evolution, in 1991, he spoke on national Russian television to a potential audience of over 200 million people and shared the Gospel.
5/Is BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) Heading in the Contemplative Direction? Recently, a number of BSF supporters/participants contacted Lighthouse Trails with concerns that the organization may be becoming influenced by contemplative sources, most likely unbeknownst to many or most of BSF board of directors and Bible Study teachers. In the May 2010 issue of the BSF magazine, a book list includes three contemplative proponents: contemplative pioneer Dallas Willard, emerging proponent Dan Allender, and Pastor Timothy Keller of Redeemed Presbyterian in New York.
6/Jim Wallis Points to Lighthouse Trails – Defends Position of Sojourners The questions many may be asking, what DOES Jim Wallis believe in and stand for, and should he be representing biblical Christianity and standing on platforms with evangelical speakers, addressing Christian youth whose parents believe their kids are attending a “Christian” event with Bible-believing speakers? In other words, do Wallis’ beliefs line up with the main message in the Bible, which is the Cross and atonement of Jesus Christ, the foundation of true Christianity.
7/Christianity Today Treats Contemplative Controversy as Legitimate Issue in Cover Story About Beth Moore In the August 2010 cover story of Christianity Today, the magazine has brought out two things that the major Christian media has thus far ignored – one, that Beth Moore, described as “the most popular Bible teacher in America” by CT is a proponent of contemplative prayer, and two, that there is a debate over whether contemplative meditation is of Eastern religious origin or not. This Lighthouse Trails special report will look at both of these facets, Beth Moore’s contemplative propensities (incidentally, she is noted in CT for influencing “millions” of women) and the vital question as to whether contemplative prayer is indeed rooted in Eastern mysticism.
8/Richard Foster’s Renovare Turns to Panentheist Mystic Richard Rohr and Emerging Darling Phyllis Tickle For New Book Project In an email sent out by Richard Foster’s Renovare organization this week, it was announced that Renovare is working together with HarperOne publishers on a booklet titled 25 Books Every Christian Should Read: A Guide to the Essential Devotional Classics.The email sent out asks readers to visit the Renovare website and fill in a form stating which 5 books they “think are foundational and all Christians should read.”
9/Concern Expressed Over Voice of the Martyrs Article on Mystic Madame Jeanne Guyon In the November 2010 Voice of the Martyrs magazine, there is a feature “Christian Martyrs” article on 17th century mystic, Madame Jeanne Guyon. Lighthouse Trails contacted Voice of the Martyrs last week to discuss their article and to remind them that they had brought some attention to themselves in 2009 when they promoted emerging futurist Erwin McManus’ book, The Barbarian Way, and Eugene Peterson’s The Message paraphrase.
10/Brian McLaren and Richard Foster’s Editorial Team Agree with Lighthouse Trails – Contemplative Prayer and Eastern Mysticism Are Same Thing The headline in this article may seem preposterous – Brian McLaren and two other contemplative prayer proponents (Richard Rohr and Phyllis Tickle) agreeing with what Lighthouse Trails has been trying to say for eight years now? That the same contemplative prayer which is advocated by mainstream Christian leaders (Beth Moore, Chuck Swindoll, Rick Warren, Focus on the Family, etc) is the very same thing as eastern mysticism (i.e., Hinduism/Buddhism). How can we say such a statement?
