Coming From the Lighthouse

Newsletter

Printer Friendly Version (click here) March 4, 2008

In This Issue -

The Moses Code - Taking the Next Step Toward a World Wide Awakening

Obama Foreshadows Coming Spirituality

Christian Post Says Mark Driscoll "Ditches" Emergent but Evidence Proves Otherwise

Oprah's Latest New Age Book Pick Sells at Record Pace

Baptist Press Reports: Obama: If elected I will use the bully pulpit for gay causes

Mount Vernon Nazarene University Bringing Contemplative/Emergent Speakers

More medical schools teaching spirituality in medicine

Non-Emergent Christian Camp for Kids Looking for Summer Counselors

Publishing News

Newsletter in Print - Coming Soon

 

 

 

The Moses Code - Taking the Next Step Toward a World Wide Awakening

The Moses Code On April 5th, The Moses Code film will be released in a "unique synchronized worldwide opening" 1, just a few weeks after this week's release of the book with the same title. The book and film will most likely become best sellers with expected promotion by Oprah Winfrey and others of influence. The book/film is following the release of last year's The Secret, which has remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 59 weeks. The Secret, also a book/film, was highly promoted by Oprah and carries a similar-type message. In essence, both projects focus on humanity being divine and having the ability to alter our personal lives and ultimately alter the world in which we live through hidden mysteries that the projects supposedly reveal.

The publisher of The Moses Code details the theme of the project:

Is it possible that nearly 3,500 years ago, Moses was given the secret for attracting everything you've ever desired? The Moses Code was first used to create some of the greatest miracles in the history of the world, but then it was hidden away, and only the highest initiates were allowed to practice it. In this book, James F. Twyman reveals the Code for the first time, showing how it can be used to create miracles in your life . . . and in the world. By practicing the principles presented within these pages, you'll discover how you can integrate the most powerful manifestation tool in the history of the world into your own life.

The Moses Code is a kind of sequel or next step to The Secret that focused on the Law of Attraction, which, if practiced faithfully, promises to help one obtain his or her hopes and dreams. The Secret tells readers and viewers how this is possible: "You are God in a physical body ... You are all power ... You are all intelligence ... You are the creator"( p. 164). Incidentally, the author of The Secret, Rhonda Byrne, thanks a group of spirit guides called Abraham for "their inspirational teachings" (p. xv).

Now, The Moses Code takes followers further along the metaphysical road:

You may have been told that this Law is all about "getting" the things you want--things that you think will make your life more satisfying. But what if that's just the first step, and cracking the Moses Code depends more on what you're willing to "give" rather than "get." That would mean that you have the power to create miracles in your life right now! It would also mean that you have the ability, even the responsibility, to use that power for more than just attracting money, a better car, or the perfect relationship. You're here to use the power of Divinity itself to create a world based on the laws of compassion and peace. That's the task that lies before us.

In a YouTube trailer preview of The Moses Code, viewers are instructed to say to themselves I AM statements to help affirm their own divinity and power. In one segment, a man says, "I am the way, I am the truth, I am the light [life]."

Lighthouse Trails spoke with a Moses Code staff member on March 3rd and was told that the film "was re-edited in a significant way" which led "to re-edit the trailer as well." The new trailer (which can be seen on the Moses Code website) is much different than the original one. Dropping from over 5 minutes to 1:41 minutes, the new trailer omits the I AM statements as well as any mention of some of the New Agers who are involved with the project (such as Neale Donald Walsch). In fact, the new trailer focuses mostly on the Old Testament Moses and could lead some to believe this is a Christian film about the patriarch, Moses. However, as can be seen on the Moses Code website, there is a who's who of the New Age involved with this effort.

In The Secret, many New Age "teachers" were part of the project including Neale Donald Walsch, Michael Beckwith, Jack Canfield, and John Gray (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus). The Moses Code project has a far more extensive line up of New Age presenters including Neale Donald Walsch, Andrew Harvey, Cheryl Richardson, James van Praagh, Debbie Ford, Michael Beckwith, and a number of others who are dedicated to the New Age vision for the world.

The Moses Code trailer explains that on April 6th, hundreds of thousands of people are going to have the opportunity to come together in small groups around the world to "radiate this peace and use this technology [the Moses Code] focusing on the Middle East." On the Moses Code website it explains why this is being done: "It is clear to most people by now that when large groups of people gather together for a single, focused reason, miracles happen."

Those who have studied New Age philosophy know that New Agers believe that when a critical mass (said to be based on a physics law) comes together in meditation, the rest of humanity will be drawn in (through a kind of spiritual magnetization), and in this oneness, the earth will be healed. The prerequisite for this to happen is a global, mass meditation by people who believe they are divine and co-creators in the universe.

The Moses Code says that mysticism is the avenue through which we enter a "frequency" that draws us into a sacred space called God, and this frequency can be entered by turning to the I AM field which "helps initiate and enhance sacred experiences.... the potential is promising, particularly with regard to assisting the I AM THAT I AM breathing exercises ... developed for the Moses Code." In an interview with Moses Code author James Twyman, Twyman says that this process was originally called the Maharishi Effect which began with Transcendental Meditation practitioners.

It appears that with the mass success of The Secret, a new threshold had been crossed with the public's acceptance of metaphysical practices and philosophies. What the Moses Code is designed for is to take this acceptance to a new level. The people behind these projects know that they have a narrow window of opportunity to saturate Western society before people become bored or skeptical. Everywhere one looks these days one finds people turning to the mystical and supernatural for the answers to their problems. One prominent Rabbi, who writes on current social conditions, has written that 40% of middle aged men and 33% of middle aged women suffer from various degrees of depression. 2 What better appeal would seem attractive to these millions of people than being able to change their circumstances in a quick and timely fashion. This is what books like The Secret and The Moses Code are offering, and the biblical gospel is seen by these millions as outdated and irrelevant. Our job as Christians is to proclaim the opposite, and in so doing preserve the only message that offers eternal life through Jesus Christ to those who receive Him by faith.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. I Timothy 4:1

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. I Corinthians 1: 18

Database of news and research on The Secret

More Information:
Interview with The Moses Code author James Twyman

Obama Foreshadows Coming Spirituality

Barack Obama, the Senator who may become the next president of the United States, says (in an exclusive article in United Church News), that the teachings of the UCC (United Church of Christ), of which he is a member (Trinity United Church of Christ), are "foundation stones for his political work." Just what are those "teachings" comprised of? On Trinity's website (Obama's personal home church), on a page promoting Yoga, the following statement is highlighted:

Within each [of]us is the seed of Divinity. Each Soul is divine. I bow to the divinity in us all!

This is the spirituality of Thomas Merton, who believed that divinity was in all humans and in all creation. That is why Merton stated:

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. (from A Time of Departing, quoting Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander -1989 edition, 157-158)

The United Church of Christ is an ultra liberal Christian denomination that has focused on social justice and making the world into a better place. But in the process of their all encompassing view that anything positive is spiritually sound, many leaders within this group have embraced or incorporated the teachings and practices of occultism and eastern religion. One such individual is Bruce Epperly, a United Church of Christ pastor, who wrote a book called Reiki Healing Touch and the Way of Jesus, in which Epperly says: We can utilize the practice of Reiki to transform families, relationships, meetings, and institutions." Reiki is drawn from Tibetan Buddhism and incorporates spirit guides and psychic powers. It is very probable that Obama has been exposed to things such as yoga or reiki.

Global Peace
Rick Warren and Barack Obama share views on global peace and world-wide unification. Obama, who was a speaker at the "Pentecost 2006: Building a Covenant for a New America" conference, used "the speech as a call for continued dialogue and bridge-building between religious conservatives and progressives." This "bridge-building" is the same kind of talk Rick Warren uses when he is discussing his "new reformation" that will include all religions, in which he states that he will do "whatever it takes" and work with anyone at all to accomplish this new reformation in his lifetime.

In Obama's address at Pentecost 2006, he talked about the "connection between religion and politics." This is what Rick Warren talks about with his "three-legged stool" philosophy that government, religion and business have to work together if global peace is ever going to happen. In light of the popularity of both these men, and given the possibility that Rick Warren could potentially be "the President's pastor," their views on global peace should not be overlooked.

New Age Peace
Marianne Williamson (Oprah's featured author for A Course in Miracles) shares this same vision, as do other prominent New Age leaders. One of those who has worked closely with Williamson is Barbara Marx Hubbard, who shares this interspiritual, panentheistic vision for the world. But Marx Hubbard does not conceal her belief that those who oppose this "great awakening" of mankind will be a deficit and a hindrance:

Christ-consciousness and Christ-abilities are the natural inheritance of every human being on Earth. When the word of this hope has reached the nations, the end of this phase of evolution shall come. All will know their choice. All will be required to choose..... All who choose not to evolve will die off; their souls will begin again within a different planetary system which will serve as kindergarten for the transition from self-centered to whole-centered being. The kindergarten class of Earth will be over. Humankind's collective power is too great to be inherited by self-centered, infantile people." (from The Plan, quoting Barbara Marx Hubbard Happy birthday Planet Earth p.17)

Divinity in all? Not according to the Bible. But since the Garden of Eden when the serpent (the devil) told Eve "ye shall be as gods" (Genesis 3:5), and when Lucifer (Isaiah 14) said he would be like the "Most High," there has been a New Age philosophy that declares man is equal to God and God is in him without faith. The following scriptures (among so many others) testify of the contrast between God and man.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.(John 3:16)

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4: 12

Right now, the majority of leading Christian organizations from Focus on the Family to Awanas to YWAM to our seminaries, colleges, publishing houses, and denominations are to one degree or another either opening up to or actually promoting contemplative spirituality. Given the fact that Thomas Merton's beliefs are the foundation of contemplative, isn't it time Christian leaders who truly love the Lord and His Word, begin to speak up and warn their people about this devastating spirituality that is quickly overtaking our world but should not be overtaking the church. The Bible says faith comes by hearing the Word of God, but asks: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). But if the leaders, teachers, and preachers are all preaching a different gospel (a mystical, panentheistic one), then how shall the lost hear and be saved?

For related information:



How Barack's Winning the Evangelicals

Dissenters at Rick Warren's Church - shown the door over OBAMA

Exclusive: UCC member Sen. Barack Obama discusses faith and politics

 

Christian Post Says Mark Driscoll "Ditches" Emergent but Evidence Proves Otherwise

The Christian Post has released an article titled "Mars Hill Pastor Ditches 'Emerging' Label for Jesus." However, in a January 11th article by Lighthouse Trails Mark Driscoll Rejects McLaren But Embraces Contemplative, Mark Driscoll's rejection of Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt is questioned because of Driscoll's continued promotion of contemplative/emerging spirituality, a belief system that is grounded in mysticism. Below is a reposting of this article:

"Mark Driscoll Rejects McLaren But Embraces Contemplative"

Since last Fall, when Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church, denounced some of the teachings of emerging church leaders Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt at the Convergence Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, his talk has been the topic of many discussions across North America. People feel that such a denouncement by someone who had a role in start up of the emerging church is very noteworthy. (1)

However, while Driscoll has placed himself in what he considers a more conservative and a biblical form of the emerging church, evidence shows that when it comes to the driving force behind the emerging church - mysticism - Driscoll embraces the same spiritual technology as McLaren and Pagitt.

A "Recommended Reading List" on Driscoll's website shows that Driscoll resonates with contemplative and emerging church leaders who teach and adhere to eastern-style meditation. Click here to read this entire article.

 

Oprah's Latest New Age Book Pick Sells at Record Pace

 Eckhart Tolle's 'A New Earth' Is Winfrey's Hottest Pick Yet

by Associated Press

Even for an Oprah Winfrey book pick, ''A New Earth'' has been a sensation.

About 3.5 million copies of Eckhart Tolle's spiritual self-help guide have been shipped since Winfrey, host of ''The Oprah Winfrey Show,'' announced her selection four weeks ago.

The book has topped the best-seller list on Amazon.com virtually from the moment Winfrey's choice was revealed, and it is the fastest-selling pick ever at Barnes & Noble Inc., according to a statement issued Thursday by Winfrey. Click here to read this entire article.

 

Baptist Press Reports: Obama: If elected I will use the bully pulpit for gay causes

Michael Foust
Baptist Press

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama sought the support of voters in the homosexual community Feb. 28, telling them in a letter that if elected president he would work to pass laws important to that constituency and would use the "bully pulpit" to urge states to grant same-sex couples the legal benefits of marriage.

The 770-word letter was posted on a section of Obama's campaign website devoted to homosexual issues. He and Hillary Clinton have worked for months to get the votes of the homosexual community, even appearing in August at a historic Democratic presidential forum devoted solely to homosexual issues.

In the letter, Obama touted his past record on such issues and said he would continue that record if elected. He used the acronym LGBT -- which stands for "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender" -- six times. Click here to read this entire article.

Related News:

Obama Foreshadows Coming Spirituality

Spiritual Politics

The Spirituality of Rick Warren and Barack Obama

 

Mount Vernon Nazarene University Bringing Contemplative/Emergent Speakers

On March 4th, Mount Vernon Nazarene University will bring Walter Brueggemann (Professor Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary) to speak as part of their year long Lecture/Artist series. (1) Brueggemann is a proponent of contemplative/emergent spirituality as are other speakers that have been brought to MVNU in the past. Two weeks ago, the university invited Shane Claiborne to speak after he was disinvited by Cedarville University because of Claiborne's emerging spirituality proclivities. 2 In Brueggemann's case, he could be considered a pioneer of the emerging church, someone who has been promoting the new spirituality for a long time.

Many people may not be familiar with Brueggemann, but his influence has been strong within the contemplative/emergent camp. One of the projects he participated in was Richard Foster's Renovare Spiritual Formation Study Bible, in which Brueggemann was one of the editors. The Renovare "Bible" focuses on Richard Foster's six disciplines (from his book Streams of Living Waters), one of which is the contemplative practice. Among the other editors of Foster's book are Catholics, universalists, and contemplatives; in addition, there are quotes by many mystics of the past.

Perhaps one of the more telling indicators of Brueggemann's spiritual affinities is his endorsement of Alan Jones book Reimagining Christianity. In Jones' book, he calls the doctrine of the Cross a vile doctrine, yet Brueggeman says of the book (on the back cover): "His vision of faith and ministry for the time to come will be a gift for many readers." 3 A few quotes from Jones' book, however, will show that Reimagining Christianity is not a gift, at least not for those searching for biblical truth:

The Church's fixation on the death of Jesus as the universal saving act must end, and the place of the cross must be reimagined in Christian faith. Why? Because of the cult of suffering and the vindictive God behind it. p. 132

The other thread of just criticism addresses the suggestion implicit in the cross that Jesus' sacrifice was to appease an angry god. Penal substitution [the Cross] was the name of this vile doctrine. p. 168

The image of the child Jesus sitting on the Buddha's lap appeals to me and captures the spirit of this book. It is an image of the Kingdom. "The Kingdom" is a sort of shorthand signifying an inclusive community of faith, love and justice. p. 12

Christianity as a set of beliefs doesn't work for me. At the same time, I acknowledge the need for ritual and celebration in my life and find fulfillment and joy in many traditional practices. I light candles and ask for the prayers of the saints.... These disciplines ... do not require me to believe literally in angels and the Virgin Birth. p. 31

Later Jones suggests that the doctrine of the Cross is a myth made up by man. (p. 133) It should be painfully clear to biblical Christians that someone who is endorsing Alan Jones should not be speaking to Christian university students at all, and Mount Vernon University will be putting their students in harm's way by bringing Brueggemann. We cannot help but wonder why the leaders of the Nazarene denomination are allowing this to happen.

A revealing critique of Brueggeman's beliefs states the following:

With the facet of interpretation, Brueggemann argues that the Bible requires and insists upon "human interpretation that is inescapably subjective, necessarily provisional, and as [we] are living witnesses, inevitably disputatious." Beyond the baseline of main claims or affirmations of Apostolic faith, we must attach only "tentative authority" to interpretations on almost all questions.

This is perhaps the crux of the matter - Brueggemann, along with many other contemplative/emerging leaders, considers the validity and reliability of the Bible "subjective," "provisional," and "disputatious."

Brueggemann is no stranger to emerging spirituality. In his 1993 book, Texts Under Negotiation: The Bible and Postmodern Imagination, he lays the foundation of current emerging thinking to some degree. In fact, emerging leader Tony Jones' new release, The New Christians, has some resemblance to Brueggemann's 1993 book. Brueggemann explains what he means when he calls the Bible "compost." He says: "I use it [the term compost] to suggest that the Bible itself i not the actual place of new growth ... it does not tell us about the specificity of our life (pp. 61-62). For Brueggemann, "imagination" means that the interpretations of the Bible and its doctrines are up for grabs and cannot be set in concrete. And like so many of the other emerging pioneers (such as Leith Anderson - see page 28, 55 of Faith Undone), Brueggemann emphasizes the importance of our experience to interpret God's word. Experience molds the Word as opposed to the other way around. Basically, Brueggemann proposes that since our world is always changing, our interpretation of Scripture should always be changing too. Thus, the term "imagination."

Another pro-emerging speaker at Mount Vernon was Dr. Christian Scharen, who spoke in September (on staff at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture). He is the author of a U2Eucharist-type book titled One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God which he touted when he came to MVNU. He is also a signer of (in Yale's own words) "the recent historic open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world. 'A Common Word Between Us and You' identifies some core common ground between Christianity and Islam." 4 Another MVNU speaker that falls in the emerging camp was Eddie Gibbs, (see pp. 181-185, Faith Undone)

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is doing a disservice to students who are paying them for a Christian and biblical education. We hope that MVNU students can see this and request the president and administration of the school to reverse its present course.

For Further Research:

A look at Walter Brueggemann on biblical authority

Nazarene Superintendent Praises "A Time of Departing" But Denomination's Schools Sinking into Contemplative

 

More medical schools teaching spirituality in medicine

By Bonnie Booth
AM News
The newspaper for America's Physicians

Christina M. Puchalski, MD, was a bit of a pioneer when she created a spirituality and health course in 1992 at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

The course, offered as an elective, covered spiritual practices, including meditation, as well as topics such as humor and alternative medicine.

When Dr. Puchalski first began teaching her course, 2% of medical schools offered course work in spirituality. By 2004, the figure was 67%.

Now 100 of the approximately 150 U.S. medical schools offer some variation of spirituality-in-medicine course work. And 75 of those 100 require their students to take at least one course on the topic.

Dr. Puchalski can take some credit for the change. She and a colleague developed a program in spirituality and health at the National Institute for Healthcare Research. Funding by the John Templeton Foundation -- an organization that makes grants to research projects -- has given medical schools the opportunity to develop a spirituality curriculum of their own. Click here to read this entire article.

Related News:

Doctor Confirms Meditation Explosion

US News & World Report: Alternative Medicine Goes Mainstream

Global Peace and Harmony by Ray Yungen

 

Non-Emergent Christian Camp for Kids Looking for Summer Counselors

Good Tidings Bible Camp, located in the Catskill Mountains of upper state New York,  is a Christian Bible camp that has determined to stay true to the gospel message of Jesus Christ and does not incorporate contemplative or emerging spirituality into its programs or camp life. Every summer, Good Tidings brings in teens from New York city for two-week-long camp sessions. Many of the youth attending have never been outside the city before. The camp provides many activities such as horseback riding, hiking, swimming, and much more, as well as evangelistic teaching from the word of God.

 

*** Good Tidings is looking for college-age counselors for this summer's camps, which will go from the end of June through August. If you are interested in finding out more about being a camp counselor this summer, please contact Good Tidings program director, Brianna Morgan at: bri_morgan@hotmail.com.

 

See our list of other Christian camps that do not promote contemplative/ emerging spirituality.

 

Publishing News

NEW - Lighthouse Trails released four new books in 2007: Faith Undone, For Many Shall Come in My Name, The Other Side of the River, and Another Jesus. In addition, we now have a DVD/CD of Anita Dittman telling her Holocaust experience to a live audience. This is one story you will want your family to hear.

 

Special Note: Lighthouse Trails bookstore is carrying the retail edition of Deceived on Purpose and The Light That Was Dark, both by former New Age follower, Warren Smith. Wholesale orders for these two books can be ordered through Bookmasters.

THREE WAYS TO ORDER DIRECTLY FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS PUBLISHING:

2. Toll Free Order Line: 866/876-3910

Quantity Discounts: 40% off retail for orders of 10 or more copies, 50% off for international orders of 10 or more copies

We ship both retail and wholesale orders within 24 hours of receiving order.

BOOKSTORES AND OUTLETS for small retail orders: Lighthouse Trails books are also available to order from most bookstores (online and walk-in). If your local bookstore isn't carrying one of our titles, you can ask them to order it  for you. While you may have to wait longer to receive your order, the advantage of ordering through bookstores is that you will have no shipping charges.

SAMPLE CHAPTERS OF LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS BOOKS:

Lighthouse Trails Publishing now has sample chapters available online for most of the books we publish. We believe you will find each of these books to be well-written, carefully documented, and worthwhile. Click here to read some of the chapters.

Note: Lighthouse Trails is a Christian publishing company. While we hope you will read the books we have published, we also provide extensive research, documentation, and news on our Research site, blog, and newsletter. We pray that the books as well as the online research will be a blessing to the body of Christ and a witness to those who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

 

Newsletter in Print - Coming Soon

If you would like to receive the Coming from the Lighthouse newsletter in print form by mail, please send an email to newsletter@lighthousetrails.com. Be sure and include your mailing address in the email. We will be issuing a printed newsletter several times a year for those who prefer that over the email edition or for some reason need both.

 Both email and printed editions will be free.

 

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