Lighthouse Trails Research Project - Exposing Contemplative Spirituality

Lighthouse Trails is a Christian publishing company. While we hope you will read the books we have published, we also provide extensive free 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.

What is Contemplative Spirituality?

definition: contemplative spirituality: a belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology; the premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all).

spiritual formation: a movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contemplative spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement.

How Widespread Has Spiritual Formation Become? Read our list of ministries that are promoting it. Please pray for the leaders of these groups that their eyes may be opened.

Myanmar Update

For the latest updates on Understand the Times orphanages in Myanmar where the recent cyclone hit, please visit Understand the Times website.

Dear Deb,

We at Lighthouse Trails are dedicated to defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe the Bible presents this message in a clear and understandable manner.

Emerging church leaders say that the Gospel is so obscure that people today cannot really understand it, so it is the task of the emerging church to come up with a redefined Gospel that makes sense.

Some of the things the emerging church is redefining are the Trinity, the virgin birth, and above all, the idea of an atonement which is considered to be an archaic and barbaric man-made idea. Even the concept of sin needs to be re-evaluated--this being based on the belief that divinity lies within every human being.

But what did the Old Testament prophet Isaiah have to say about the good news from God (the Gospel)?

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. . . . And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." (Isaiah 35:5,8)

When it comes to the Gospel and the essentials of Christian doctrine, the Bible is not only clear but also repetitive in presenting God's plan of salvation. Four Gospels and numerous epistles all state the same message as does the Old Testament--all speaking of the sinfulness of man and the need for atonement through a Redeemer.

And yet, many of today's spiritual figures are saying that traditional Christianity cannot be understood; and therefore it needs to be altered to meet the intellects and needs of this generation. Now, while it is no surprise that the fundamentals of the faith are under attack (as has always been), it is more than disturbing that these attacks are now coming from within. Many who purport to be Christian are saying everything must change.

What is especially shocking about all this is that New Age occultist Alice Bailey predicted that a new messiah would come on the scene who would bring peace and healing to the earth. She further stated that the preparations for the appearance of this pseudo-Christ would come not around the church but rather through the church. In her view, the Christian church will have within its leadership forerunners (or John the Baptists) for this future world figure. She called this the "rejuvenation of the churches":

"The Christian church in its many branches can serve as a St. John the Baptist, as a voice crying in the wilderness [for the New Age], and as a nucleus through which world illumination may be accomplished." (E.H. p. 150)

Jude, in his very short epistle, writes: ". . . it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). We have therefore, as believers, not only a privilege but an obligation to defend the Christian faith.

For this reason, we at Lighthouse Trails have endeavored to publish books, articles, and reports that expose false doctrine and the seemingly benign New Age teachings that have crept into the church, unbeknownst to many.

We have watched in reverent fear of God how often it is the educated, the learned, and the theologians who succumb to deception; and we humbly recognize we must place ourselves at God's mercy instead of depending on our own understanding to keep on the narrow path of truth.

"Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:3-6)

Book Review: Brian McLaren's New Book: Finding Our Way Again

McLaren's Future - Your Grandchildren

Brian McLaren's newest book,Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices, is the first in a series of eight books by Thomas Nelson publishers. The General Editor of the series, which is titled The Ancient Practices Series, is emerging church proponent Phyllis Tickle. Other authors in the series include Dan Allender, Scot McKnight, Diana Butler Bass and Joan Chittister.

In Finding Our Way Again, McLaren thanks several contemplatives like Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Joan Chittister. He also says he is "indebted" to Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis and recognizes Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones for teaching him contemplative practices. It is not surprising that McLaren thanks these listed teachers - McLaren has been in the emergent camp from the beginning of its inception, and where there is emerging, there is contemplative.

McLaren tells a story in which he met Buddhist sympathizer Peter Senge at a Christian conference for pastors. Senge asks the pastors: "[W]hy are books on Buddhism so popular, and not books on Christianity?" Senge then tells the pastors it is because "Buddhism presents itself as a way of life, and Christianity presents itself as a system of belief. So I would want to get Christian ministers thinking about how to rediscover their own faith as a way of life." Translated, this emulates what a Hindu monk, Dr. Bramachari, told Thomas Merton once, that mysticism (ancient practices) could be found within the Christian tradition (the desert fathers).

What Senge meant was that a Christian did not have to become a Buddhist to enjoy the mystical experience but just "rediscover" that this mysticism is within the Christian faith (through contemplative spirituality). This is essentially the thesis of McLaren's book, and with this mystical ideology, McLaren interjects the usual emerging church condemnation on Christians who adhere too closely to biblical doctrine and the return of Christ.

In regard to Christian doctrine, McLaren states: "[W]e need to move beyond our deadlock, our polarization, our binary, either/or thinking regarding faith and reason, religion and science, matter and spirit ... We need a fusion of the sacred and the secular" (pp. 4-5). As do other emerging philosophers (such as Tony Campolo and Rick Warren), McLaren pairs fundamentalism with the adjectives: "fearful, manic, violent, apocalyptic" saying that its followers are "well armed, dangerous, and in the mood for an apocalypse." (p. 5). This resonates with Rick Warren who said that Christian fundamentalists (he describes those as ones who adhere to the five fundamentals of the faith 1) are this new century's enemy (and put them in the same category as Islamic terrorists.2

McLaren says there are three groups we must avoid: "militarist scientific secularism, pushy religious fundamentalism, and mushy amorphous spirituality" [which he calls "new age"]. He offers a fourth "creative" alternative, one that needs to "derive strength from the old religious traditions" (i.e., mysticism ), a "fresh alternative ... [that] seeks to bring ancient spiritual practices to bear on the emerging world" (p. 6).

McLaren understands the outcome of mysticism, which is interspirituality and man awakening to his own divinity. Thus, he explains that these ancient practices (spiritual formation) are for people of different faiths and that these "practices are actions within our power that help us narrow the gap" (p. 14). They are "ways of becoming awake and staying awake to God" (p. 18).

McLaren twists Scripture by suggesting that the Old Testament priest Melchizedek was of a different religion than Abraham, and Abraham used a mystical practice to connect with Melchizedek. Thus McLaren draws this conclusion: "[W]e discover practices for our own faith in an encounter with someone of another faith" (p. 25). This is what occultists believe. Occultist Aldous Huxley said that mysticism is the "highest common factor" that "links the world's religious traditions" and leads man to recognize the divinity within all things (see As Above, So Below, p. 2). Spiritual director Tilden Edwards backed up this comment by stating that this "mystical stream [contemplative] is the Western bridge to far eastern spirituality (see Spiritual Friend). Tony Campolo, in his book Speaking My Mind suggests that it is mysticism that unites Christianity with Islam (pp. 149-150).

The interfaith theme is threaded through Finding Our Way Again. In one section, McLaren says that even Christian communion is something to be shared with people of all faiths (in particularly with the Jewish faith and Islam); he states that this "sacred meal" is a celebration of "inclusion" and "reconciliation" (p. 26). This makes a mockery of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who told believers to do this in remembrance of Him, acknowledging His atonement for sin - a mockery because the beliefs of other religions reject Christ as being God and the slain Lamb who could take away sin.

As do other emerging/contemplative teachers, McLaren believes in a literal global kingdom of God on earth before Christ returns that will incorporate all the world's religions and all creation, a "world yet to be born" that "desperately" needs "these spiritual practices." He also relates: "[T]hese practices" have "enlivened the three Abrahamic faiths" (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and should not be "allowed to go extinct" (p. 29).

There is a piece of the puzzle in the book as to where the emerging church is really heading. In view of the fact that prominent Christian figures like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels continue to promote emerging church leaders (e.g. Leonard Sweet was a recent speaker at Saddleback and McLaren himself recently at Willow Creek) with millions of people around the world being significantly influenced by them, it is essential that we know where the emerging church is going. In chapter four of Finding Our Way Again, McLaren, in referring to his "spiritual formation," admits he has gleaned from various religious traditions (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc). Then he makes reference to a woman named Anne Lamott when she says, "I am at heart a Jesus person" (p. 31). Lamott is a perfect example of someone who "likes Jesus" but rejects biblical Christianity. Lamott illustrates this by her recent back cover endorsement of the best-selling book, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert's book is heavily promoted by Oprah and has been at the top of the New York Times best-seller list for over a year. Gilbert was a disillusioned young woman who traveled to an India ashram where she learned to meditate and find oneness with God. During her time at the ashram, Gilbert had a meditative experience where she says "the scales fell from my eyes and the openings of the universe were shown to me." Her book is a virtual primer on New Age thinking. Of the book, Lamott says: "This is a wonderful book, brilliant and personal, rich in spiritual insight." The reason McLaren resonates with Lamott is because the New Age and the emerging church (or what we now call the merging church) are going in the same direction - to help man awaken to his inner divinity through mysticism. When McLaren states in this chapter that he learned from Hinduism, what else could he have learned than this?

Like so many others in the emerging camp, McLaren shows a disdain for Christianity, saying that "a person can be a follower of the way of Jesus without affiliating with the Christian religion (p. 33) (please see our report "Christian or Christ-follower." One emerging leader says that Christianity actually hijacked truth. McLaren takes this reasoning a step further and says, "Jesus wasn't a Christian" (p. 34). But McLaren certainly isn't the only one in the merging church that talks like this. Erwin McManus (unfortunately promoted by David Jeremiah) says it is his "goal to destroy Christianity as a world religion" and also: "Some people are upset with me because it sounds like I'm anti-Christian. I think they might be right."

Finding Our Way Again emulates McLaren's previous writings on atonement, on Jesus being the only way to God and salvation, on the return of Christ and on the last days. The difference with this book is that the emphasis is on how we can attain to this awakened state - through mystical practices. One chapter is devoted primarily to these contemplative exercises, but the entire book is seeping with its core message - "reconciliation with God, one another, and all creation in a global community" (p. 42).

While we at Lighthouse Trails read this entire book, it would be repetitive to write about each chapter. The theme is as we have described above, and McLaren spends page after page trying to prove his points. He condemns traditional Christianity to dangerous and fearful, he applauds efforts to reconcile all religions together, he rejects any thoughts that Christ's kingdom is only for the born-again, and he upholds a New Age kingdom in which man is in union with God (regardless of beliefs). He embraces mysticism wholeheartedly and in fact believes the world cannot be healed without it.

But something in McLaren's book has given this writer a motivation to continue with the work we do at Lighthouse Trails as long as we have breath. In McLaren's chapter titled "Moving On," he gives a detailed analysis of how the emerging church is God's answer to a stifled, fearful Christian church. He explains that this merging church must infiltrate the "institutions that rejected it," adding that "conservative Protestants have repeated their Catholic sibling's earlier mistakes (referring to the Catholic church's one time rejection of Galileo). Then he says: "But over time, what they reject will find or create safe space outside their borders and become a resource so that many if not most of the grandchildren of today's fundamentalists will learn and grow and move on from the misguided battles of their forebears [biblical believers]" (p. 133). You see, McLaren and his emerging church fellows (Pagitt, Sweet, Warren, et.al) want to change the minds of our children and grandchildren. That is why Rick Warren once said that the older traditional ones will have to leave or die because they won't change, thus the emphasis in the emerging church on the youth.

What's alarming is that McLaren's vision of infiltration is working. And he knows it. Listen: "At the center, safe space happens. A learning community forms. New possibilities emerge. A new day dawns. If the guardians of our fragmented religious institutions forbid their members to meet in the center, the members will not be able to comply. They will simply go undercover and arrange secret liaisons ... Eventually, the shared resources, vitality, and new possibilities that unfold ... will penetrate and reinvigorate ... Trying to stop [this] ... is a losing game ... against the plot line of God's universe."

In the last chapter of McLaren's book, "Theosis (via Unitiva)," he sums up his calling by stating that "The purpose of the via purgativa [the practices] is to prepare us for the via illuminativa [the awakening], and the purpose of the via illuminativa is to prepare us for the via unitiva [all is one], the union of our nature with the nature of God" (pp. 171-172). He calls God "fire" and says, "We join God in being fire ... Before the beginning ... God was All, and All was God" (p. 175). This is the exact same message that Eckhart Tolle and Oprah are propagating. But while many Christians are now condemning Tolle's message, they don't realize that the very same message is permeating their very own churches. For those readers who care about the spiritual future of their children and grandchildren, it is vital they understand the meaning of McLaren's spirituality in particular and the emerging/contemplative movement in general. We believe this is an extremely compelling motivation and should prompt us as believers to defend the faith and the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Kundalini Energy (the effects of Soaking Prayer)

LTRP Note: With the rising interest in Todd Bentley's "revival" and his use of soaking prayer, we post the following warning about soaking prayer (i.e., Kundalini energy).

"Kundalini Energy (the effects of Soaking Prayer)"
by Ray Yungen

Many Christians might have great difficulty accepting the assessment that what is termed Christian mysticism is, in truth, not Christian at all. They might feel this rejection is spawned by a heresy hunting mentality that completely ignores the love and devotion to God that also accompanies the mystical life. To those who are still skeptical, I suggest examining the writings of Philip St. Romain, who wrote a book about his journey into contemplative prayer called Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality. This title is revealing because kundalini is a Hindu term for the mystical power or force that underlies Hindu spirituality. In Hinduism it is commonly referred to as the serpent power.

St. Romain, a substance abuse counselor and devout Catholic lay minister, began his journey while practicing contemplative prayer or resting in the still point, as he called it. What happened to him following this practice should bear the utmost scrutiny from the evangelical community--especially from its leadership. The future course of evangelical Christianity rests on whether St. Romain's path is just a fluke or if it is the norm for contemplative spirituality.

Having rejected mental prayer as "unproductive,"(1) he embraced the prayer form that switches off the mind, creating what he described as a mental passivity. What he encountered next underscores my concern with sobering clarity:

Then came the lights! The gold swirls that I had noted on occasion began to intensify, forming themselves into patterns that both intrigued and captivated me ... There were always four or five of these; as soon as one would fade, another would appear, even brighter and more intense ... They came through complete passivity and only after I had been in the silence for a while.(2)

After this, St. Romain began to sense "wise sayings" coming into his mind and felt he was "receiving messages from another."(3) He also had physical developments occur during his periods in the silence. He would feel "prickly sensations" on the top of his head and at times it would "fizzle with energy." This sensation would go on for days.

The culmination of St. Romain's mystical excursion was predictable--when you do Christian yoga or Christian Zen you end up with Christian samadhi as did he. He proclaimed:

No longer is there any sense of alienation, for the Ground that flows throughout my being is identical with the Reality of all creation. It seems that the mystics of all the world's religions know something of this. (4)

St. Romain, logically, passed on to the next stage with:

[T]he significance of this work, perhaps, lies in its potential to contribute to the dialogue between Christianity and Eastern forms of mysticism such as are promoted in what is called New Age spirituality.(5)

Many people believe St. Romain is a devout Christian. He claims he loves Jesus, believes in salvation, and is a member in good standing within his church. What changed though were his sensibilities. He says:

I cannot make any decisions for myself without the approbation of the inner adviser, whose voice speaks so clearly in times of need ... there is a distinct sense of an inner eye of some kind "seeing" with my two sense eyes.(6)

St. Romain would probably be astounded that somebody would question his claims to finding truth because of the positive nature of his mysticism. But is this "inner adviser" St. Romain has connected with really God? This is a fair question to ask especially when this prayer method has now spread within a broad spectrum of Christianity.

This practice has already spread extensively throughout the Roman Catholic and Protestant mainline churches. And it has now crossed over and is manifesting itself in conservative denominations as well--ones that have traditionally stood against the New Age. Just as a tidal wave of practical mystics has hit secular society, so it has also in the religious world.

St. Romain makes one observation in his book that I take very seriously. Like his secular practical mystic brethren, he has a strong sense of mission and destiny. He predicts:

Could it be that those who make the journey to the True Self are, in some ways, demonstrating what lies in store for the entire race? What a magnificent world that would be--for the majority of people to be living out of the True Self state. Such a world cannot come, however, unless hundreds of thousands of people experience the regression of the Ego in the service of transcendence [meditation], and then restructure the culture to accommodate similar growth for millions of others. I believe we are only now beginning to recognize this task.(7)

A book titled Metaphysical Primer: A Guide to Understanding Metaphysics outlines the basic laws and principles of the New Age movement. First and foremost is the following principle: You are one with the Deity, as is all of humanity. Everything is one with everything else. All that is on Earth is an expression of the One Deity and is permeated with Its energies.(8) St. Romain's statement was, "[T]he Ground [God] that flows throughout my being is identical with the Reality of all creation."(9) The two views are identical!

St. Romain came to this view through standard contemplative prayer, not Zen, not yoga but a Christian form of these practices. The lights were also a reoccurring phenomenon as one contemplative author suggested:

Christian literature makes reference to many episodes that parallel the experiences of those going a yogic way. Saint Anthony, one of the first desert mystics, frequently encountered strange and sometimes terrifying psychophysical forces while at prayer.(10)

Unfortunately, this experience was not confined to St. Anthony alone. This has been the common progression into mystical awareness throughout the centuries, which also means many now entering the contemplative path will follow suit. This is not just empty conjecture. One mystical trainer wrote:

[T]he classical experience of enlightenment as described by Buddhist monks, Hindu gurus, Christian mystics, Aboriginal shamans, Sufi sheiks and Hebrew kabalists is characterized by two universal elements: radiant light and an experience of oneness with creation.(11)

Without the mystical connection there can be no oneness. The second always follows the first. Here lies the heart of occultism.

This issue is clearly a serious one to contend with. Many individuals, using terms for themselves like spiritual director, are showing up more and more in the evangelical church. Many of them teach the message of mystical prayer.

Footnotes
1. Philip St. Romain, Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality, Crossroad Pub. Co., 1995, p. 20-21.
2. Ibid., pp. 22-23.
3. Ibid., pp. 28-29.
4. Ibid., p. 107.
5. Ibid., pp. 48-49.
6. Ibid., p. 39.
7. Ibid., pp. 75-76.
8. Deborah Hughes and Jane Robertson-Boudreaux, Metaphysical Primer, Metagnosis Pub., 1991, p. 27.
9. St. Romain, Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality, op. cit., p. 107.
10. Willigis Jager, Contemplation: A Christian Path, p. 72.
11. Michael J. Gelb, The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook, Dell Publishing, New York, NY, 1999, p. 142.

This article is an excerpt from A Time of Departing by Ray Yungen.

Related Information:

"I Just Had a Vision" by Kevin Reeves

Todd Bentley and Contemplative Prayer

Emergent Road Show Receives Sponsorship from Major Organizations

Three "of the most outspoken" leaders of the emerging church (Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and Mark Scandrette) will be going on a national road tour this summer and are receiving sponsorship from several large organizations. Some of those sponsors are Christianbook.com, Jossey-Bass, Compassion International, International Bible Society, and Zondervan.

The three men will hit 32 cities with their message of "a 21st century gospel." Pagitt states they are taking their "invitation of hope and good news to people around the country. . . preaching a fresh way of life and faith--one that is in rhythm with the life of God." Unfortunately, this "fresh way" consists of a message that contradicts the gospel message of the Bible.

Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is an advocate of Christian yoga. In his book, Church Re-Imagined, Pagitt devotes most of one chapter to the subject, speaking of it in a most favorable manner, giving specific instruction and encouraging the practice.

Mark Scandrette, a contributing author of An Emergent Manifesto of Hope (edited by Jones and Pagitt), believes that all things are interconnected--his writing emulates Leonard Sweet's Theory of Everything, in which a new kingdom is arising, one that will bring all humanity and all creation into unity with God. Scandrette refers to this as "integrative theology" (p. 27 of the Manifesto). For more information on integrative or integral theology, see the work of Buddhist proponent Ken Wilber (but please view this site with caution and discernment, and it is not for young eyes).

In Tony Jones' recent book, The New Christians, he makes it clear that he does not see the Bible as an authority on truth and says that "theology" cannot be set in concrete or pinned down. In his book and in others he has authored, he resonates with mysticism, an earmark of emerging spirituality.

As Roger Oakland points out in Faith Undone, the emerging church movement was birthed with significant financial backing--and now, based on the sponsors of the Jones/Pagitt/Scandrette road tour, it looks like nothing has changed, and the merging-together-with-all-faiths movement will continue on its course of deception.

Understand the Times Myanmar Relief Update from Roger Oakland

by Roger Oakland

Below is a letter from Elisha [from Myanmar orphanage project] that I received a few days ago that describes some details of the disaster in Myanmar. Philip, Elisha, Mang and Ingam are documenting the needs in their areas and are waiting for Tom who is waiting for his visa.

I am amazed by the funds that have been donated from various sources - over $30,000. Moriel Ministries, In The Days and Berean Call have helped out tremendously to get the word out. The generosity of people has been incredible. The amount that has been donated from Europe from people who know the ministry of UTT has been a wonderful blessing.

Pray that we will be able to get these resources into the hands of our people who will be able to administer this assistance along with hope in Jesus. All funds will be accounted for as we are keeping a record of who gets what and will follow up in the future as relationships are established. We have had a number of gospel promoting tools donated to us that we will also be taking over - God Story, Good Test in Burmese, etc.

As you can understand, the inflation has impacted our existing programs in Myanmar. We will need to adjust and support our people's needs first and then help them to help others.

This will be an ongoing project that will continue into the future as the Lord provides through His people.

Sincerely in Christ,

Roger Oakland

Dear Roger,

As I told you before to investigate personally the worst place, I began my journey to Bokalay on Saturday 9;00 AM and arrived there at 4:00PM and coming back yesterday. Right after getting there, I walked around the town till the night fall and it was really terrible.

I have tracts distribution, asking their family and neighborhood situations at the same time sharing the Gospel and offering some charity gifts to the real needy the best I could. And by the grace of God, I met two elders at night who came from the village where a great disaster took place.

Their explanation and sharing of the situation gave me an idea to help and share the Gospel at once. They gave me the exact list of their village lost or met destruction. Only from their own village out of 554 in population and 87 family, 27 died 7 Monks out of them. 372 acre rice fields are destroyed. Plough engine for their field 25, 114 buffalo, 269 Pig, 350 Chicken, Duck 2000 and 80% of their houses including Basic Education school.

They can not give the exact number of death in the whole district of Bokalay but they guess that it will not be less then 60000. According to their explanation, Bokalay district is divided into 78 township or areas and generally there are 20-30 villages and 20000 - 40000 population in one township or area and in the worst township more than 20% are disappeared.

Before I went there, I did not give more regard than outskirt people of Yangon but after seeing the situation with my own eyes, it took my heart deeply to give more concern of them. Of course, there are many humanitarian aids goes but more of their helps will recover only for their temporary needs not for what they have lost. So, it will be a very great privilege for us to reach them with the Gospel if we have long-term project to help those in needs.

I don't how far we may be able to help them, we are here waiting for Tom's coming with prayer to work for those people.

In Jesus
Elisha

For regular updates, go to: Understand the Times

Rick Warren Launches Coalition to Combat Five "Global Giants'

LTRP Note: The following out-of-house article is for informational and research purposes only and not an endorsement.

"Rick Warren Launches Coalition to Combat Five 'Global Giants'"
By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post

LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Megachurch pastor Rick Warren recently launched a global coalition of pastors, business leaders and other institutions that aims to tackle what he deems as the most pervasive problems in the world today.

Warren went public with the initiative at the end of the three-day Purpose Driven Network Summit last week hosted by his home church, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

The P.E.A.C.E. Coalition will be an international alliance of churches, businesses, ministries, universities, and other institutions who will work together to address five "Global Giants" that affect billions of people worldwide: spiritual emptiness, lack of servant leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases, and illiteracy.

The acronym for the plan is based on the five actions Jesus modeled: Promote reconciliation; Equip servant leaders; Assist the poor; Care for the sick; and Educate the next generation. Click here to read this entire article.

Rick Warren Plays "Catch Me if You Can" While Promoting Mysticism

Deepak Chopra Comments on Evangelical Manifesto

Evangelical Manifesto will have far reaching effects and will further marginalize traditional Bible believing Christians.

Calling the new Evangelical Manifesto "conciliatory," New Age leader and author Deepak Chopra says in a Washington Post commentary that "the writers quickly declare that their purpose is 'not to attack or exclude.'" He sees the Manifesto as a type of spiritual handshake by these numbered evangelicals who signed the document last week, who he says, want to stop being so "intolerant." "If you want to save the planet, it helps not to attack the bulk of humanity that worships a different God," Deepak says. "To redefine the evangelical movement, it takes two parties, one to offer the new definition, the other to accept it." Chopra finds this move by these more tolerant evangelicals admirable, but he says that the fundamentalists (those against abortion and homosexual practice) "will irrationally dominate their agenda."

Chopra is a prominent proponent of mantra meditation and believes that the christ-consciousness (God) is in everyone. This is why he finds the traditional Christian "intolerant," because he believes that God is separate from humanity, that God is holy and man is sinful, and that it is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that this sin can be atoned for. The fact that Chopra finds the Evangelical Manifesto to be hopeful is not a good sign for evangelical Christianity. In his commentary, Chopra says that "any attempt at reconciliation is welcome." But the New Age "reconciliation" does not mean living peacefully with people of different faiths - it means being willing to lay aside the belief that there is only one way to God, (specifically Jesus Christ). Ultimately, this line of thinking concludes that all paths lead to God, and we can be reconciled to God through any faith. The reason this reconciliation can take place is because every human being already has a christ-consciousness or Divinity within him and its just a matter of realizing this. Based on Chopra's teachings, he would not favor biblical reconciliation to God, which is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to read the commentary by Deekpak Chopra.

"An Evangelical Manifesto" Released

Church Leaders Gone Astray - Things Done in Secret

Nicodemus Leaders

"He Who Came to Jesus By Night"
By Anton Bosch
Just as the Jews of Jesus' day had departed from the true faith and were following their own traditions and inventions, rather than the Word of God, so many churches and denominations today have left, or are departing from, the true faith. They substitute this with a religion of their own traditions and imaginations. And just as in Jesus' day there are still some spiritual leaders in churches who are exactly like Nicodemus, Joseph and Peter. They know the Truth but will not speak out for fear of what others will say, or because they fear the loss of their status, position or income.

These modern Nicodemuses will approach those who stand for the Truth under cover of darkness and, just like Nicodemus, recognize, acknowledge and support the Truth. But they will not take an open stand for Truth -- and against error -- for fear of the consequences. Almost every assembly and every denomination has its share of people like this, who will hide in the crowd while the Truth is denied, sold and crucified. While they know the Truth, they choose to remain secret agents, feeding information to those who are waging the battle, but they themselves prefer to operate at night, under cover of darkness. Click here to read this entire article.

Warren Smith, Ray Yungen Speaking at Calvary Chapel Conferences this Summer

#1 Warren Smith, author of Deceived on Purpose and The Light That Was Dark, will be a featured speaker at the 2008 Senior Pastors Conference in Murietta, California this coming June. This conference is the annual pastors conference for Calvary Chapel Senior pastors.

#2 Warren Smith will join Ray Yungen, author of A Time of Departing and For Many Shall Come in My Name, for the Pastors and Leaders Conference in Johnson County, Kansas on August 7th. The theme of this conference will be "The Shepherd and the Watchmen."

Both Smith and Yungen have written extensively on the New Age/New Spirituality, documenting how it is coming into the church through various avenues such as Purpose Driven, the emerging church, spiritual formation, and more.

Launching: A Time of Departing Ministries

With the fast spread of contemplative/emerging spirituality taking place today, Ray Yungen has recently decided to enter full-time ministry. We are pleased to announce the beginning of A Time of Departing Ministries. Because of the wealth of information Ray has, after nearly 25 years of research and writing, Ray is compelled to get this information to as many as he can.

If you would like to have Ray speak to your group, please call us at 503/873-9092 to arrange the details. Ray will speak to both large and small groups, college and high school students, at seminars and conferences and in people's homes. He charges no fee, but we ask each group to pay for his lodging and food during his stay, and honorarium offerings can be given to his ministry for his support.

Ray's exuberance for life and his love for Jesus Christ and for people are evident in both his writing and his speaking.

A Time of Departing Ministries website

Ray's Itinerary

Publishing News

See our Falling Sparrow series.

Click here for more publishing news.

THREE WAYS TO ORDER DIRECTLY FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS PUBLISHING:

1. Online Store

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

3. Mail/Fax Printable Order Form

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.

BOOKSTORES MAY ORDER DIRECTLY FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS OR FROM INGRAM OR SPRINGARBOR.

LIBRARIES MAY ORDER DIRECTLY FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS OR FROM BAKER & TAYLOR.

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.

* * * *

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 newsletters@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.

Book Spotlights

These two important books expose the truth about contemplative spirituality, spiritual formation, and the new age.
A Time of Departing and For Many Shall Come in My Name

HOLOCAUST: LEST WE FORGET
A true story that will change your life and challenge your faith ..

"Will sweep you into 1930s Germany and back with your faith intact ... [Trapped in Hitler's Hell] carries a stark message for today's Western Christian ... will refocus your priorities and recharge your spiritual life."-Leo Hohmann, Read entire review at The Messianic Times Trapped in Hitler's Hell

See all books and DVDs on the Holocaust

The Other Side of the River by Alaskan Kevin Reeves

When mystical experiences and strange doctrines overtake his church, one man risks all to find the truth ... a true story. Read more about this important book.

Find out the truth about the emerging church and the avenues through which it is entering Christianity.

Faith Undone by Roger Oakland

Find out more about the book that tells it like it is.