Thomas Nelson Goes Forward with "The Voice"
- A "Bible" Project by Emergents |
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According
to a February 11th article in Christian
Today, "New Bible
Project for Young Generation Launched",
Thomas Nelson's 2006 "Bible" project called The Voice is going full speed ahead.
The project, announced
by TN last spring, is a "re-telling
of the Bible that consists of creative
voices from historians to poets, storytellers
to songwriters," and is for young people
who are "searching for new ways to explore
the Bible, or who are seeking to read
it for the first time." The project will
be a combination of books, music CDs,
artwork and an interactive website. With
the largest Christian publisher backing
the project, there is little doubt that The Voice will reach countless
young people and have a significant impact
in many lives.
Unfortunately, the project turns out to
be an emerging church creation, thus the
foundation of it is marred from the beginning.
Because mysticism, New Age ideology, and
a return to Rome, are the building
blocks of the emerging
church, The Voice is going
to be a spiritually dangerous conduit
for adherents. Some of the emergent leaders
involved in the project are Chris Seay
(project founder), Brian McLaren, Lauren
Winner, Leonard
Sweet, and Blue
Like Jazz author, Donald Miller.
In last year's press release by Thomas
Nelson, Erwin McManus was also listed.
This month's new release (the third book
in the project) is called The Voice
of Matthew, written by emergent/contemplative
Lauren Winner (Girl Meets God and Mudhouse
Sabbath).
Chris Seay, the founder of The Voice,
is pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston,
Texas. A mission statement on the website illustrates the theology of the emerging
church:
We
believe that the Gospel impacts every
area of a person's life and culture.
We reject unfounded categories that
divide the world into uniquely sacred
or purely secular. God is redeeming
all of creation through Jesus.
We believe that the church exists for
the world and not for herself - she
is to introduce and usher in the Kingdom
of God into every part of this world.
Saying
that all of creation (e.g., all humanity)
is redeemed is in direct opposition of
the teachings of Jesus who said "strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it" (Matthew 7:14). And the belief
that the church will usher in the
Kingdom of God as opposed to Jesus Christ
ushering it in with his literal return
to the earth is indicative of the contemplative/emerging
mindset. (It is also classic dominionism.)
The contemplative affinities of the contributors
of The Voice will assure that mysticism
will be an integral part of this project.
This new version of the Bible has
the potential to lead thousands, and possibly
millions, of young people away from the
words of Jesus Christ who said:
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that entereth
not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber. But he
that entereth in by the door is the
shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter
openeth; and the sheep hear his voice:
and he calleth his own sheep by name,
and leadeth them out. And when he putteth
forth his own sheep, he goeth before
them, and the sheep follow him: for
they know his voice. (John 10: 1-4)
We
contend that The Voice is not the
voice of the Good Shepherd, nor is it
the Word of God that says:
He
that hath the Son hath life; and he
that hath not the Son of God hath not
life. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the
Son of God; that ye may know that ye
have eternal life, and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God." (I John
5:12-13)
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Liberty University Uses Contemplative/Emergent
Textbooks |
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The
conservative Liberty University, a ministry
of Jerry Falwell, is using contemplative/emergent
books in their courses
as textbooks.
Concerns
began a few years ago when Falwell was
a guest speaker at the National Pastors
Convention. At the time, the convention
was presented by the contemplative/emergent
Youth Specialties. Lighthouse Trails
contacted Falwell's ministry to warn
about the nature of the convention,
but we were told that Falwell "would
never attend something that wasn't of
God." Then last year, Falwell wrote
an endorsement for The Papa Prayer by Larry Crabb. In our article, "Trusted
Evangelical Leaders Endorse The Papa
Prayer by Larry Crabb!," Crabb's
affinity for contemplative spirituality
is illustrated through quotes he makes
in his book such as:
I've
practiced centering prayer. I've contemplatively
prayed. I've prayed liturgically....I've
benefited from each, and I still do.
In ways you'll see, elements of each
style are still with me (The Papa
Prayer, p.9).
Crabb
is also part of the Spiritual Formation
Forum, a conduit for contemplative. So
when Falwell endorsed his book, concerns
grew. Of that book, Falwell states:
Larry
Crabb unlocks the key to genuine prayer,
personal surrender, and a life-changing
relationship with the living God. His
insight about the state of the church
and the needs of our hearts is right
on target. Don't miss his soul-searching
appeal in The Papa Prayer. Get
it ... read it ... live it!
Unfortunately,
Crabb's "insight" leads followers right
into the spiritual arms of Richard Foster,
Thomas Merton and a host of other contemplatives
who believe that divinity is within reach
of all human beings through the practice
of contemplative prayer (being born-again
is not a pre- requisite -- the actual
belief is that humanity already has divinity
but just has to realize it).
Now, Falwell's Liberty University is bringing
contemplative into the classroom. For
example, in Dr. David Wheeler's Foundations
in Youth Ministry II, Wheeler uses
Mark Yaconelli's book, Contemplative
Youth Ministry. Yaconelli,
the son of the late Mike Yaconelli (founder
of Youth Specialties), is a strong advocate
for contemplative. On Mark Yaconelli's
website, under Practices
and Processes, Yaconelli lays out
some "guidelines" for centering prayer
and recommends Thomas Keating and Basil
Pennington, both of whom promote panentheism
(God is in all things and people). In
another course by Dr. Wheeler, he is using a
book by Doug Fields (Saddleback Youth
Pastor).
In another Liberty course, Evangelism
997, professor David Earley is using
(for textbooks) books by Erwin McManus,
Thom Rainer, Andy Stanley, and Rick Warren.
It is the hope that Liberty University
and Jerry Falwell will take a close look
at the very real dangers of the contemplative
prayer movement and take into consideration
that no person and no institution is above
becoming victim to spiritual deception,
and we should listen to the words of the
apostle Peter when he said: "Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8). |
Barbara Marx Hubbard Joins with "The Secret"
Beckwith |
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Some
of you may have viewed the February
8th Oprah show, where she featured a
DVD called The Secret (see our
recent article: The
Secret: "A New Era for Humankind").
On February 23rd, Michael Beckwith (from The Secret) is teaming up with
staunch New Ager Barbara
Marx Hubbard in a program which
will highlight Marx Hubbard's new documentary, HUMANITY
ASCENDING: A New Way Through Together.
For those who still may have doubts
as to the true nature of The Secret,
this should dispel those. The Secret shares spiritual affinities with
Marx Hubbard, who believes that a time
is coming to the earth where all human
beings (the ones left after her Selection
Process takes place) will realize their
divinity within. Unfortunately, such
a time will not look kindly on those
who say Jesus Christ is God and is the
only way of salvation.
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AFA's Family Resource Center Continues to
Promote Emerging Church Authors and
Books |
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NOTE: In the spring of 2007, AFA closed down the resource center that contained pro-contemplative/emergent books and authors. Below is a record of events that took place.
by
Paul Proctor, News With Views
Actions
speak louder than words
On January 15, 2007, Tim Wildmon, President
of the American Family Association,
made the following statement concerning
the Contemplative Prayer and Emerging
Church movements, and AFA's online bookstore:
As
president of the American Family Association
I am stating, for the record, that we
do not endorse the contemplative prayer
movement or the so-called emerging church
movement. AFA has an on-line bookstore
that is computer generated and run by
an outside company that services other
Christian ministries as well. I have
personally asked this company to block
the words 'contemplative prayer' and
'emerging church' as subjects to search
on our bookstore. In addition, we have
also blocked certain authors. Tim
Wildmon's response to his critics,
emp. added).
As
of this writing (February 7, 2007), it
has been 23 days
since Wildmon's statement. Yet, AFA's
Family Resource Center continues to promote
the following Emerging Church authors
and their books:
AFA's
American Family Resource Center
Jay Bakker
Ruth Haley Barton
Rob Bell
John Burke
Spencer Burke
Tony Campolo
Steve Chalke
Mark Driscoll
Michael Frost
Eddie Gibbs
Pete Greig
Stanley Grenz
Alan Hirsch
Laurie Beth Jones
Tony Jones
Dan Kimball
Brian McLaren
Erwin McManus
Donald Miller
Mark Oestreicher
Chris Seay
Leonard Sweet
Dave Travis
Robert Webber
Lauren Winner
Mark Yaconelli
Mike Yaconelli
Youth Specialties
(LTPC note: There are many times more
than this list of authors of AFA that
fall into the contemplative camp. For
information on the teachings of the above
names authors, click
here and do a search.) In the same
response to his critics, Wildmon also
stated:
The
only people who come to our website
looking for books on contemplative prayer
or the emerging church -- because AFA
doesn't promote these movements -- are
people who are trying to see if they
can find some 'dirt' on AFA and then
put out misleading reports on their
websites'" (Tim
Wildmon's response to his critics.)
But
were these reports about AFA's bookstore
really "misleading"? The answer to that
is easy to find; it is within the cyber-shelves
of AFA's online bookstore.
And
further, by these, my son, be admonished:
of making many books there is no end;
and much study is a weariness of the
flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of
the whole matter: Fear God, and keep
his commandments: for this is the whole
duty of man.For God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether
it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:12-14)
Click
here to see this report in its entirety.
Related Information:
1. CONTEMPLATIVE
SPIRITUALITY - THE LATEST 'CHRISTIAN'
CRAZE
2. AFA
related articles
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Leonard Sweet Speaks at Baylor University |
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Note: Because much of Christendom, including
Christian bookstores, seminaries, and
organizations are embracing Leonard
Sweet's teachings, we believe a warning
is justified. Please go to our research
on the teachings of Leonard
Sweet after reading the article
below. This article is by an outside
news source.
By Hannah Elliott
Associated Baptist Press News
WACO, Texas (ABP) -- Deal with it, get
over it or get help. That's Leonard
Sweet's mantra when it comes to understanding
Christianity's fluid role in the postmodern
world.
The Christian church is in the midst
of a "perfect storm," Sweet told a crowd
of 150 at Baylor University's George
W. Truett Theological Seminary Feb.
5. Such stormy weather is manifested
in, among other things, postmodernism
-- the worldview that questions modern
assumptions about certainty and progress.
Modernism gave Christians a preferred
status as "chaplain" to the culture.
But Christians in the West can no longer
expect to have that "home- court advantage,"
he said.
What's more, he said, the church can't
change the fact that culture has rejected
traditional institutions. So it must
change from the inside out.
And, he added, it does no good to complain
about it.
"I think God is defragging and rebooting
the church," Sweet said, alluding to
computer terminology for reconfiguring
and restarting a system. "I think what
he is doing is he is getting us back
to the original operating system of
Christianity." Click
here to read this entire article.
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CMA (Christian Management Association) Goes
Contemplative |
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CMA
(Christian Management Association) was
founded in 1976 and represents "today's
most recognized and influential Christian
organizations and growing churches."
According to their website, CMA "members
can focus more of their attention on
their mission and impacting the world
for Jesus Christ." Dr. Jerry White,
CMA Chairman
of the Board is President Emeritus
of The Navigators.
It is unfortunate to report that CMA
is promoting contemplative/emerging
spirituality. In their recommended books
section, they include several contemplative/emerging
authors: Ken Blanchard, Bill Hybels,
Leonard Sweet, Dan Allender, and Daniel
Goleman (author of The Meditative
Mind). Goleman, a staunch proponent
of mantra meditation, sees meditation
as a common ground between all the world's
religions, and his book is a type of
manual on the basics of mysticism. For
Goleman to be on a list of recommended
books on a Christian ministry website
is quite disturbing.
On March 12-15, CMA will be presenting
their 30th
Annual Conference in Palm Springs.
Speakers include Priscilla Shirer (Be
Still DVD), Henry Cloud (Be Still DVD),
Lee Strobel, Alistair Begg, and Patsy
Clairmont. Workshops will include Spiritual
Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality)
and other workshop speakers include
Nancy Ortberg (wife of contemplative
John Ortberg), and Phyllis Hendry (President
Lead Like Jesus) (see topical
index for more information on Be Still
and these other topics).
Articles in CMA magazine back up the
association's affinity with contemplative.
One article called "The Soul of a Leader"
(you have to sign in to read their articles),
talks about being intimately connected
to God through spiritual disciplines
and recommends Richard Foster, emergent
Tony Jones, and Dallas Willard as authors
to read.
Perhaps Chairman of the Board, Jerry
White (of the Navigators) is not aware
of what is being promoted at CMA. But
we hope the organization will reconsider
the direction they are going in and
turn away from the un-biblical teachings
of contemplative spirituality.
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Is yoga compatible with evangelical Christianity? |
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by
Reach Out Trust (UK)
In
these notes we are not asking if those
who practice Yoga are nice people. Nor
are we asking if they are genuine, nor
even if Yoga works. We are asking, what
are the roots of Yoga and are they compatible
with evangelical Christianity?
There are many varieties of Yoga, which
date back to the origin of the practice
hundreds of years ago. However, much
of what we experience in Britain has
been 'westernized' or 'christianized'
to make it more palatable. What we see
and experience today are the 'branches'
but surely they cannot be removed from
the roots? The power of Yoga comes from
its roots and just what are they?
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Last Days Bible Conference with Ray Yungen |
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Ray
Yungen will be speaking at the Last
Days Bible Conference in Calgary,
Alberta this coming April. If you live
in that area, we hope you can make it
to hear him talk about contemplative
spirituality.
Ray Yungen, author, speaker and research
analyst has studied religious movements
and the contemplative prayer movement
for more than twenty years. He is the
author of A Time of Departing and For Many Shall Come in My Name.
His exuberance for life and his love
for Jesus Christ and for people are
evident in his writing. Mr. Yungen resides
in Salem, Oregon.
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Publishing News |
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The Other Side of the River
- Ready for Ordering - Street Date: March
21, 2007
A
compelling and deeply personal account
of a young man's spiritual plunge into
a movement called "the River," which
claims to be spreading the kingdom of
God through signs and wonders. Sometimes
referred to as the River revival, the
Third Wave or the Latter Rain, this
movement is marked by bizarre manifestations,
false prophecies and esoteric revelations.
Warnings of divine retribution keep
many adherents in bondage, afraid to
speak out or even question those things
they are taught and are witness to.
For Kevin Reeves, the determination
to rescue his family came to the forefront.
Even if the cost was high and even if
he had to stand alone, his journey back
into the freedom and simplicity of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ would be worth
the price.
Topics this book addresses:
Word Faith movement
Holy Laughter
"Slain" in the Spirit practice
Emphasis on humanity of Jesus over His
Deity
Gifts & Calling for the unbeliever?
Experience versus Scripture
Repetitive chanting & singing
Paradigm shift
Questionable worship practices
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