Coming From the Lighthouse

                                        Printer Friendly Version (click here) June 16, 2008

In This Issue -

Saddleback IS a Contemplative Church

Does God Sanction Mystical Experiences?

Mike Bickle (IHOP) & Mike Huckabee Team Up for "The Call" Revival Conference

Is Rick Warren Promoting Contemplative Prayer?

Is Todd Bentley Walking in the Footsteps of Mystics and Seers?

Obama Has Closed-Door Meeting with Evangelical Leaders

LifeWay Says: Read with Discernment...

Book Review: Faith Undone

Announcing Summer 2008 Book Release

Publishing News

Newsletter in Print - Coming Soon

Book Spotlights

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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Saddleback IS a Contemplative Church

As Lighthouse Trails has reported many times in the past, Rick Warren (pastor of Saddleback Church) has been promoting the spiritual formation (i.e., contemplative prayer) movement for many years. This report will show that Saddleback Church is directly recommending numerous contemplative materials to those under their influence through "spiritual formation" and what they term "maturity."

First of all, it is important to understand what the contemplative means by "maturity." In Rick Warren's first book, The Purpose Driven Church, he said he saw spiritual formation as God's way of bringing "believers to full maturity." He named Richard Foster and Dallas Willard as being key players in that process and said that the spiritual formation movement had a "valid message for the church" and gave "the body of Christ a wake-up call" (pp. 126-127). Because Warren equates spiritual maturity with Richard Foster, it is logical for us to examine what Foster thinks about this subject.

In 1994, research analyst Ray Yungen attended a seminar in Salem, Oregon where Richard Foster was speaking. Yungen had been researching the New Age and mystical meditation for several years and had become familiar with the spiritual dynamics of the Desert Fathers and the panentheistic views of Thomas Merton. Listen to him explain what happened at this seminar with Richard Foster:

Foster seemed charming, winsome, and gifted in speech. His oratorical skills reminded me of a Shakespearean actor on stage. His program mixed serious oratory, music, and humor in just the right doses. However, his message conveyed that today's Christians suffer from spiritual stagnation, and consequently need something more. The following are a few [of his] examples:

* There is a hunger ...
* We have become barren within ...
* We are floundering ...
* People are trying rather than training.

Foster alluded to a remedy for this problem with such statements as:

* We need a way of moving forward ...
* We need a plan to implement the Great Commission ...
* We need a simple mechanism ...
* This might be new or frightening, but you are being drawn.

After the seminar ended, curious about what he meant by these statements, I approached Foster and politely asked him, "What do you think of the current Catholic contemplative prayer movement?" [this is back in 1994 before contemplative spirituality entered the mainstream church]. He appeared visibly uncomfortable with the question, and at first seemed evasive and vague....

[H]e said, "My critics don't understand there is this tradition within Christianity that goes back centuries." He then said something that has echoed in my mind ever since that day. He emphatically stated, "Well, Thomas Merton tried to awaken God's people!" I realized then Foster had waded deep into Merton's belief system. (A Time of Departing, pp. 76-77)

When Foster told Yungen that Merton tried to awaken God's people, Yungen knew what that meant. Merton believed that there was one essential ingredient missing from Christianity--that is mysticism. Merton knew that if Christians would practice mysticism they would experience the awakening that he had experienced and thus came to believe that God dwells in every human heart.

We should make no mistake about it, Richard Foster believes that it is through contemplative prayer that one can enter into spiritual maturity. That is why in his book Celebration of Discipline he implores his readers: "We should all without shame enroll in the school of contemplative prayer" (p. 13, 1978 ed.). And in his book, Spiritual Classics he talks about the "spiritual disciplines" that help us move toward this "spiritual maturity" (p. xi).

Where does Saddleback stand when it comes to Foster's spiritual formation and spiritual maturity? According to their
Spiritual Growth Center under the "maturity" section -- they are on the same page. Regarding the books they list, they state:

This website is designed to recommend the best resources for your spiritual growth. We've poured over hundreds of books, articles, and websites, interviewed numerous staff members, and studied our own book shelves in order to narrow the list of suggestions to what we think are really the best of the best. Whether they're the profound words of a well worn classic or the latest thoughts from today's best loved teachers, we hope these resources will help you go deeper and grow stronger in your walk with Christ.

If this is a true statement, then Saddleback has got a serious problem because a high percentage of the books they consider "the best of the best" are books written by those with strong contemplative (i.e., mystical) propensities. Here is a list of some of them. We have provided links to more information about each of these authors:

John Ortberg

Erwin McManus

J. P. Moreland

Dallas Willard

Brennan Manning (two titles)

Henri Nouwen (several titles)

Philip Yancey

John Eldredge

Gary Thomas

Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline and Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home)

Bill Hybels

Brother Lawrence

Larry Crabb

Lance Witt

Max Lucado

H.B. London (Focus on the Family)

Erik Reese

Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz and Searching For God Knows What)

Eugene Peterson

Michael Casey (Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina)

With many of these names, Saddleback is carrying two or three or sometimes four titles by the same author. This list of authors represents a large number of the books that are being recommended by Saddleback's Spiritual Growth Center. This means that contemplative spirituality is not just hanging on the fringe edges of Saddleback Church, but it is an integral part of it. This inadvertently will spill over into the Purpose Driven network (which according to Rick Warren has over 500,000 churches), and could potentially influence tens of millions of people around the world: if the average church in the PDL network is even just 250 people, this equals over 125 million. The results could be staggering.

One of the authors in the Saddleback Spiritual Growth Center that we did not list above is Adele Ahlberg Calhoun author of Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (the one Saddleback is recommending). The book is promoting mantra meditation, giving detailed instructions on several types of contemplative practices. In addition, the author quotes from many New Age sympathizers and New Age contemplatives. In Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Ahlberg Calhoun encourages the use of centering prayer, breath prayers, contemplative prayer, labyrinths, palms-up, palms-down exercises, and recommends for further reading a who's who of mystics. One of those she lists is Tilden Edwards (p. 62). Edwards, the founder of the Shalem Prayer Institute, said that contemplative prayer is the bridge between Christianity and Eastern religion. 1 The Shalem center is a hub of New Age spirituality with an emphasis on the divinity in all. In her book, Ahlberg Calhoun also calls Basil Pennington one of her "spiritual tutor[s]." It was Pennington who stated:

We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and "capture" it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible.

By turning to Ahlberg Calhoun, along with the other contemplative authors, Saddleback is promoting methods of prayer that will bring spiritually tragic results in the long run to those who embrace these non-biblical approaches to God. Rick Warren, wittingly or unwittingly, has placed his church and many others in the sphere of Karl Rahner, the mystic who said "The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all."2

Notes:

2. Karl Rahner, Theological Investigations, Concern for the Church, translated Edward Quinn (New York: Crossroad, 1981), p. 149.

Does God Sanction Mystical Experiences?

by Ray Yungen

For many years during my research, I would come across the term contemplative prayer. Immediately I would dismiss any thought that it had a New Age connotation because I thought it meant to ponder while praying--which would be the logical association with that term. But in the New Age disciplines, things are not always what they seem to be to untrained ears. What contemplative prayer actually entails is described very clearly by the following writer:

When one enters the deeper layers of contemplative prayer one sooner or later experiences the void, the emptiness, the nothingness ... the profound mystical silence ... an absence of thought.1

To my dismay, I discovered this "mystical silence" is accomplished by the same methods used by New Agers to achieve their silence--the mantra and the breath! Contemplative prayer is the repetition of what is referred to as a prayer word or sacred word until one reaches a state where the soul, rather than the mind, contemplates God. Contemplative prayer teacher and Zen master Willigis Jager brought this out when he postulated:

Do not reflect on the meaning of the word; thinking and reflecting must cease, as all mystical writers insist. Simply "sound" the word silently, letting go of all feelings and thoughts.2

...One of the most well-known writings on the subject is the classic 14th century treatise, The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an anonymous author. It is essentially a manual on contemplative prayer inviting a beginner to:

Take just a little word, of one syllable rather than of two.  With this word you are to strike down every kind of thought under the cloud of forgetting.3

The premise here is that in order to really know God, mysticism must be practiced--the mind has to be shut down or turned off so that the cloud of unknowing where the presence of God awaits can be experienced....

So the question we as Christians must ask ourselves is, "Why not? Why shouldn't we incorporate this mystical prayer practice into our lives?" The answer to this is actually found in Scripture.

While certain instances in the Bible describe mystical experiences, I see no evidence anywhere of God sanctioning man-initiated mysticism. Legitimate mystical experiences were always initiated by God to certain individuals for certain revelations and was never based on a method for the altering of consciousness. In Acts 11:5, Peter fell into a trance while in prayer. But it was God, not Peter, who initiated the trance and facilitated it.

By definition, a mystic, on the other hand, is someone who uses rote methods in an attempt to tap into their inner divinity. Those who use these methods put themselves into a trance state outside of God's sanction or protection and thus engage in an extremely dangerous approach. Besides, nowhere in the Bible are such mystical practices prescribed. For instance, the Lord, for the purpose of teaching people a respect for His holiness and His plans, instated certain ceremonies for His people (especially in the Old Testament). Nonetheless, Scripture contains no reference in which God promoted mystical practices. The gifts of the Spirit spoken of in the New Testament were supernatural in nature but did not fall within the confines of mysticism. God bestowed spiritual gifts without the Christian practicing a method beforehand to get God's response.

Proponents of contemplative prayer would respond with, What about Psalms 46:10? "Be still and know that I am God." This verse is often used by those promoting contemplative prayer. On the surface, this argument can seem valid, but once the meaning of "still" is examined, any contemplative connection is expelled. The Hebrew meaning of the word is to slacken, cease, or abate. In other words, the context is to slow down and trust God rather than get in a dither over things. Relax and watch God work.... This isn't talking about going into some altered state of consciousness!

It should also be pointed out that being born again, in and of itself, is mystical. But it is a direct act of God, initiated by Him--the Holy Spirit has regenerated the once-dead spirit of man into a living spirit through Christ. Yet, we notice that even in this most significant of experiences when one is "passed from death into life" (John 5:24), God accomplishes this without placing the individual in an altered state of consciousness.

We can take this a step further by looking at the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts, chapter 2 where those present were "all filled with the Holy Spirit" (vs. 4). Notice that they were "all with one accord in one place" (vs. 1) when the Holy Spirit descended on them. From the context of the chapter, it is safe to assume this was a lively gathering of believers engaged in intelligent conversation. Then, when those present began to speak in other tongues, it was not an episode of mindless babbling or vain repetition as in a mantra. Rather it was an event of coherent speech significant enough to draw a crowd who exclaimed, "we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God" (vs. 11). Other observers who suspected they were in an altered state of consciousness said, "They are full of new wine" (vs. 13). Notice that Peter was quick to correct this group in asserting that they were all fully conscious. Would it not then stand to reason that their minds were not in any kind of altered state? Next, Peter delivered one of the most carefully articulated speeches recorded in Scripture. This was certainly not a group of men in a trance.

So, through the lens of perhaps the two most meaningful mystical experiences recorded in the New Testament (i.e., being born again and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost), an altered state of consciousness was never sought after nor was it achieved. In fact, a complete search of both Old and New Testaments reveals there were only two types of experiences sanctioned by God where the recipient is not fully awake--namely dreams and visions--and in each case the experience is initiated by God. Conversely, every instance of a self-induced trance recorded in Scripture is adamantly condemned by God as we see summarized in the following verses:

When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. (Deuteronomy 18:9-11)

An examination of the Hebrew meanings of the terms used in the above verses shows that much of what is being spoken of is the invoking of spells. And a spell, used in this context, refers to a trance. In other words, when God induces a trance it is in the form of a dream or a vision. When man induces a trance, it is in the form of a spell or hypnosis.
And remember, nowhere in the Bible is the silence equated with the "power of God," but the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18) most certainly is!

Notes:
1.William Johnston, Letters to Contemplatives, op. cit., p. 13.
2.Willigis Jager, Contemplation: A Christian Path (Triumph Books, 1994), p. 31.
3.Ken Kaisch, Finding God, cited from The Cloud of Unknowing, p. 223

 

Mike Bickle (IHOP) & Mike Huckabee Team Up for "The Call" Revival Conference

By Roger Beach
Guest Writer

Mike Bickle (IHOP), a major player in the Apostles/Prophet movement and a proponent of Contemplative Prayer will be sharing a platform with Mike Huckabee and others at an upcoming event presented by
TheCall, an organization that states on its website it is "divinely initiated."

Mike Huckabee will join Lou Engle, Bill McCartney, Ron Luce (also a proponent of contemplative), Harry Jackson, Larry Stockstill, and Tony Perkins for a PASTORS AND LEADERS GATHERING on August 14-15, preceding TheCall DC to be held August 16 in Washington D.C.

In addition, there will be a FORERUNNER GATHERING August 14-15 and the speakers include Lou Engle, Mike Bickle, Ron Luce, Misty Edwards, and Eddie James. Bickle is one of TheCall's National Board members, as is James Goll, another proponent of contemplative spirituality. In an article in Charisma magazine titled "Be Still and Know," Goll states:

I have found that the most direct road to greater intimacy with God has come through the practice or discipline of an almost lost art in the fast-paced church of today--something called contemplative prayer.

In the article, Goll references Richard Foster's book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. This is the book where Foster encourages the use of breath prayers saying: "You must bind the mind with one thought" (meaning repeating a word or phrase over and over again to still the mind - as Rick Warren also recommends in The Purpose Driven Life (pp. 88-89).

TheCall DC is to be a massive day of fasting and prayer for revival in the U.S. It will be preceded by Blow the Trumpet Sunday June 29 where churches will be asked to play a video promoting the TheCall.

Following this is the National Pre-Call Rally on July 18 featuring live streaming video on DirecTV and at www.God.TV.

There will also be a series of PreCall rallies in Winterville NC, Myrtle Beach SC, Miami FL, and Orlando FL during July.

On their website, TheCall has listed their values. First is "THE CALL WILL BE NAMELESS AND FACELESS" with the following statement:

God clearly directed TheCall Board not to advertise the names and faces of those speaking, praying, or leading worship at TheCall gatherings. Although national leaders and musicians will be involved, the focus is not on personalities but on Jesus and His purposes.

The Board was clearly directed not to advertise the name and faces of those speaking? That is difficult to believe. Why does the flyer that came in the mail list all the speakers? Why does TheCall website list the names of the 80 men and women on the Advisory Board? Why does the website have videos of proponents endorsing TheCall?

THE CALL IS A GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT The Call does not oppose godly advertising and marketing (we do have state and city coordinators for national gatherings); however, the primary vehicle for mobilizing people to gather for TheCall gatherings is word of mouth.

The Call gathering is word of mouth? This is also hard to believe. With regional PreCall rallies, live streaming video on DirecTV and www.God.TV, and flyers in the mail this is more than a word of mouth movement.

The list of values on the website seem to contradict much of the other information provided. TheCall makes another interesting statement about values:

The Call supports and endorses all Christian organizations that espouse its values: These values include Unity, Transformation, and Impartation. [1]

We have all seen the new functional definition of Unity. It is a man-made unity where even doctrine must be sacrificed for relationship.

Transformation has become a code word for Contemplative Prayer, in which one comes into the immediate (unmediated) presence of God and is thereby silently transformed by the power of God with no cognitive effort by the person "praying."

Impartation as defined by Mike Bickle is the transferring of "the anointing" of God from one person to another by the laying on of hands which imparts spiritual gifts. On his website, Bickle shows more of what he means when he states: "Everybody is called to live in the contemplative lifestyle. Everyone! Everyone! Everyone! That's one of the great strongholds we have to overcome." 1 And just so there is no mistake about what Bickle means by "the contemplative lifestyle," also on his website is an article titled "Contemplative Prayer," where instructions on meditative practices are given.

Now the question must be asked, with Mike Huckabee joining up with so many who are in the contemplative camp at TheCall, does he adhere to their mystical propensities?

Endnote
[1]THE CALL HAS DEFINITIVE VALUES The Call supports and endorses all Christian organizations that espouse its values:
* Worship
* Unity
* Prayer
* Fasting
* Follow Up
* Transformation
* Repentance
* Reconciliation
* Impartation
* Equipping
* Revival
* Revolution

 

Is Rick Warren Promoting Contemplative Prayer?

Is Rick Warren promoting contemplative spirituality (i.e.,spiritual formation)? We believe the answer to that is a wholehearted "yes." The first clue came many years ago in Warren's first book, The Purpose Driven Church, where he said that the Spiritual Formation movement had a "vital message for the church," and has "given the body of Christ a wake up call" (p. 127). Since then, a continued promotion of contemplative prayer has taken place through Rick Warren's ministries.

In an article written by Saddleback pastor, Lance Witt, titled "Enjoying God's Presence in Solitude," Witt says we are "designed to enjoy the presence of God, but that's easier said than done." In the article, Witt uses Thomas Merton as an example of someone who knew about solitude. But Merton's solitude was connected to his Buddhist sympathies. Merton likened contemplative prayer to an LSD trip.

Witt finishes his article with:

The goal of solitude is not so much to unplug from my crazy world, as it is to change frequencies so that I can hear the Father. Richard Foster has said, "Solitude doesn't give us the power to win the rat race, but to ignore it altogether."

What does Witt mean by "changing frequencies"? Several years ago, Lighthouse Trails spoke with Lance Witt, via email, and asked him if the kind of contemplative prayer he taught was a practice in which words or phrases are repeated over and over. He told us that it was indeed this type of prayer he taught. This "changing frequencies" is contemplative language and means going into an Alpha state of mind (an altered state of consciousness) in order to stop distractions. It's like putting the mind in neutral. Contemplatives believe this is how they can hear the voice of God.

In light of Witt's statement to us and his article, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to know that Rick Warren has promoted a book called Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas. In Ray Yungen's 2nd edition of A Time of Departing, Yungen brings this out. He quotes Warren who says of Thomas' book: "Gary has spoken at Saddleback, and I think highly of his work ... he tells them [readers] how they can make the most of their spiritual journeys. He places an emphasis on practical spiritual exercises" (see pg.151 ATOD, 2nd ed.). Yungen then quotes from Thomas' book:

It is particularly difficult to describe this type of prayer in writing, as it is best taught in person. In general however, centering prayer works like this: Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing. (p. 152 ATOD, 2nd ed.)

It is through this twenty minute long repetition that frequencies can be changed.

This promotion of contemplative by Rick Warren is just another example of a long line of promotions of contemplative spirituality that have come through Purpose Driven. Ray Yungen wrote an entire chapter on this matter. By the time you finish reading that chapter, we think you will be convinced beyond doubt that Rick Warren is an advocate for the very spirituality that Thomas Merton claimed made him feel deeply impregnated with Sufism (Islamic mysticism). The following is another excerpt from A Time of Departing:

The question you may be asking right now is, "Why is Rick Warren included in a book that is covering New Age interspirituality and exposing the dangers of contemplative prayer? Are you saying that Rick Warren is heading in that direction too? Not America's pastor! Surely not." If that were the case, we'd hear about it from Christian leaders. Right? ... If indeed Rick Warren is promoting contemplative prayer, as I believe he is, this guarantees that contemplative prayer will be promoted on an enormous scale. Through Rick Warren, Richard Foster's vision could enter fully into mainstream evangelicalism both in North America and around the world; and with the unprecedented following and support Warren has gained, we could be heading towards a crisis in the church that might possibly lead to the falling away that the Apostle Paul warns about (pp. 142-143, ATOD, 2nd ed.).

Like a volcanic mountain that has simmered silently in the background for years, building pressure and waiting to explode, so too is contemplative spirituality. As many of you have already witnessed, this mystical, dangerous belief system is now everywhere, even in the teachings and ministries of "America's pastor," who is influencing millions of people around the world.

New Agers believe that the world will be unified and brought to peace through a majority of people practicing meditation. What surprise they must be experiencing now to see so many from the Christian faith join ranks and leave behind a solid, Bible-based faith in Jesus Christ and exchange it for this new age/new spirituality.

To read "America's Pastor," chapter 8 of A Time of Departing, click here.

 

Is Todd Bentley Walking in the Footsteps of Mystics and Seers?

by Wolf Tracks (by a sheep who weeps)

Is Todd Bentley actually receiving revelations from God, or is there something more to his visions of angels and messages from heaven? For example, what about his vision of Sadhu Sundar Singh? Read the following and decide if these things are biblical.

To begin with, does this vision line up with what the Bible teaches?

DEATH OF A PHILOSOPHER
The soul of a German philosopher entered into the world of spirits and saw from afar the incomparable glory of the spiritual world, and the boundless happiness of its people.
Click here to read more.

 

Obama Has Closed-Door Meeting with Evangelical Leaders

According to various news reports, on Tuesday, June 10th, Barack Obama met in a Chicago "undisclosed downtown location" with "30 religious leaders from around the nation." (Fox News). The Fox News report said this is "part of an ongoing dialogue" Obama hopes to continue with the "faith community." Because some of those in attendance did not want to be seen in public talking to Obama (because some of them do not support him at this time), most of the identities were kept secret. But according to Britain's Telegraph News, one of those in attendance was a representative for Franklin Graham, the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.1 The representative said he found Senator "impressive" and "warm."

According to the Telegraph report, Obama is set to launch the Joshua Generation Project, "an initiative that will include household gatherings, blogs and concerts, to attract young evangelicals and Catholics ahead of November's US presidential election." A correspondent for Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) said:

[T]he presence of several conservative figures at the meeting was a "really big deal", adding it "may be a signal that Obama's campaign is ready to break down the traditional wall of separation between conservatives and liberals when it comes to religious talk."

The Telegraph said that while Obama is aware that his support of gay marriage and abortion will keep some conservatives from voting for him, he hopes his efforts will "help defuse the cultural conflict" in America. The article states that many Evangelicals consider abortion and gay marriage "non-negotiable issues," but says that view is changing as people find "whole of life" more important, naming climate as one of those issues that is taking precedence.


Related News:

New PAC Seeks to Court Christians for Obama

Spiritual Politics by Warren Smith

Barack Obama: "[W]e can create a Kingdom right here on Earth."

The Spirituality of Barack Obama and Rick Warren

Meditation: The heartbeat of a new kind of politics

 

LifeWay Says: Read with Discernment

by Paul Proctor

News with Views 


Many of today's Christian bookstores, like the countless crowd-pleasing churches and ministries out there, unequally yoked themselves long ago to gurus, groups, businesses and organizations that do not share their values and convictions.

At the bottom of the LifeWay Christian Stores website, there are a couple of hyperlinked subjects that need to be addressed. One is titled: Read With Discernment and the other is Third-Party Distribution - the latter of which contains a press release from Mark Scott, LifeWay Christian Stores' vice president - a message that was posted as a result of some problematic publications they were found to be offering for sale early last year.

You see, on January 26th, 2007, I wrote an article for NewsWithViews.com titled Beware of Christian Bookstore Hypocrisy in response to Southern Baptist criticism, via The Baptist Press, that Wal-Mart was "offering book selections that cater to the gay and lesbian crowd" - all while the SBC's own LifeWay Christian Stores was unwittingly offering pro-homosexual books through its online outlet.
Click here to read this entire article and for links and more information.

More on Christian bookstores:

Exposing the Darkness of Online Christian Bookstores

Can LifeWay Stores Really Change Direction?

 

Book Review: Faith Undone

by Robert J. Perry

BC, Canada

I highly recommend Roger Oakland's book, Faith Undone. In it he reveals how the roots of the emerging church movement started in the 1950s and he follows the movement through to the modern-day.
 
He documents how the Emerging Church movement is linked to the Purpose-Driven and the Seeker-Friendly movements and how the emerging  church leaders are openly endorsing a new reformation--a reformation based heavily on mysticism.
 
At a glance that sounds too unlikely to believe. Isn't the emerging church just a harmless way to get young people to attend church by  darkening rooms and lighting candles?
 
Not so. Oakland meticulously documents the clear doctrines of the movement and its leaders by quoting their books, writings and  speeches, and he compares those beliefs to the Word of God to see  whether it's indeed a new reformation that's needed, or whether we're  being lead into an end-time deception.
 
A must read, with 25-pages of thorough endnote documentation.

 

Announcing Summer 2008 Book Release: Things We Couldn't Say

Lighthouse Trails Presents:

Things We Couldn't Say by Diet Eman - August 2008

This is the true story of Diet Eman, a young Christian woman who joined the Christian resistance movement in the Netherlands during WWII. Together with her fiancé and other Dutch men and women, "Group Hein" risked their lives to save the lives of Jews who were in danger of becoming victims of Hitler's "final solution."

Things We Couldn't Say is an endearing and moving love story that occurs in the midst of extreme danger and often unbearable circumstances and loss. Before the war ends, Eman, her fiancé, and several in their group are arrested and sent to concentration camps - many of them lose their own lives.

This story will help us remember a time in history that should not be forgotten and will inspire us to live more courageously and stand for what is right, doing so by the power and grace of God. Things We Couldn't Say is a powerful illustration of II Corinthians 12:9, which states: "And he [the Lord] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."


Things We Couldn't Say
ISBN 978-0-9791315-7-8
Retail $14.95, 352 pages
August 2008
PRE-ORDER TODAY

 

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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

 

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, especially now in light of the Todd Bentley "revival" in Florida.

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.

 

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