In This Issue -

Contemplative/Emerging in the News (These articles promote cp/ec.)

Christianity Today: No More Mr. Nice Group (John Ortberg)

As one Christian leader after the next succumbs to the deception of contemplative spirituality (i.e., spiritual formation), we mourn to think about so many who follow these leaders blindly. Some day, the Christian leaders will be held responsible by the Lord for what they are doing. We pray those leaders who truly know Him will turn away from contemplative spirituality and return to the purity of the Gospel. The words of the prophet Jeremiah are sobering and thought-provoking for these days in which we live:

Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. (Jeremiah 12:10-11)

In the midst of this present deception, there are also pastors who are standing firm in the truth of the Word. May God bless and protect these courageous and faithful ones. Let us remember to hold them up in prayer.

Emerging Church - A Move of God or a Well-Funded Enterprise?

The name keeps popping up - Lilly Endowment . Huge amounts of money being given in the form of grants to proponents of the emerging church. As Roger Oakland documents in his book, Faith Undone, Lilly gave $691,000 to the Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project (Mark Yaconelli) in 2001. Lilly had funded the beginning of that project in 1997 as well. Lilly also funded Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice, another emerging-type project with Diane Butler Bass . 1 New Age sympathizer Parker Palmer (friend and inspiration to emerging leader, Len Sweet) also enjoyed the benefits of Lilly Endowment grants.2

In an article titled "Social Change and Communitarian Systems," it explains:

The Lilly Endowment "a private foundation...that supports community development, education and religion," has also helped fund the [Peter] Drucker Foundation. But more recently, it has shown its support for Baptist leadership and pastoral training. Strangely enough, the two -- Drucker's communitarian vision for the "social sector" and seminary training in community-building -- fit together....

This grant [$300,000] makes all the more sense in light of a new partnership between Golden Gate Seminary and Saddleback Church. The Baptist seminary will build a new branch on the Saddleback campus to train church leaders to use the digital data tracking technology needed to meet and monitor community needs around the world.3

In 1999, the now emerging/contemplative-promoting Bethel Seminary received $1.5 million from Lilly Endowment in a project created to identify "the next generation of Christian leaders."4 Now, according to an article by emergent Tony Jones, in a more recent grant called Faithful Practices, Jones reaped benefits from Lilly.5

And the money just keeps coming in. While many think that the emerging church must be a move of God because of its success and popularity, big funding could have a lot to do with it.

Some of the participants of the Faithful Practices project include Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and Karen Ward. All four are part of the emergent church and the shift toward the new spirituality that rejects biblical Christianity. Pagitt and Jones are the editors of the new release, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope; McLaren and Ward are contributing writers for the book. That book is reviewed in "Emergent Manifesto: Emerging Church Coming Out of the Closet" and also in Faith Undone. The Manifesto clearly shows the pantheistic/universalist/New Age element of the emerging church. But while the message of the emerging church is anything but biblical, with a little financial help from its friends, it doesn't look like the emerging church is going to disappear anytime soon.

Lately, some emergent leaders have been posting articles on the Internet, complaining about their critics. Erwin McManus wrote a recent article titled, "Emerging Angle" where he referred to critics' analyses as "violent attacks" and likens them to war violence. Dan Kimball, in a recent blog posting, calls emerging critics "little barking poodles" (showing a photo of a growling poodle with sharp fangs).6 And it is no secret that Rick Warren has done everything from accuse Lighthouse Trails of breaking into Saddleback's server (telling us Federal agents are investigating us)7 to calling fundamentalist Christians a big enemy of the 21st century and likening them to Islamic terrorists.

What is ironic is that most of the critics of the emerging church are small, obscure ministries that have virtually no extra funding and operate on their mere love for the truth and the Gospel message. What's more, emerging leaders outnumber their critics, have the support of mass media (both Christian and secular), and are published by the biggest Christian (and secular) publishing companies.

But in spite of the contrast between emergents (and their funding and support) and Bible-believing critics (and their lack of funding and support), critics have become a sore spot to emerging leaders to the point where they refer to us as "barking poodles," enemies of society, and violent. Is it possible God is using the foolish things of the world to confound the wise? Is it possible that things are not always as they seem?

The critics of the emerging church are no great thing - we could be gone tomorrow, but that does not matter because what is a great thing is the God who has sent His Son as an atonement for sin (something often rejected by the emerging church), and offers salvation freely to those who receive Christ by faith through His grace. That is a great thing, and that is worth defending ... and it is a message that can never be snuffed out. No amount of funding can destroy God's truth.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 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? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written,

How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:9-17)

Related Stories:

Emerging Church Leaders Say, Don't Criticize Us

Corrie ten Boom Would Be Shocked!

Most Christians have heard of Corrie ten Boom's book, The Hiding Place. It is the true story of a Christian family in Holland during WWII. The ten Boom's loved Jesus and His Word. When Hitler began persecuting and murdering the Jews, this courageous family started hiding Jews in their old store-front home. Eventually, they were caught, arrested, and sent to a concentration camp, where most of them died. Corrie survived the Holocaust and told the story in The Hiding Place (also made into a movie).

Baker Publishing owns the rights to the book and recently came out with a 35th Anniversary edition. Lighthouse Trails was excited to see a new edition and decided to carry the book for its readers. When the first order arrived, we were dismayed to see three endorsements on the back cover of this edition. Those names were Philip Yancey, Jack Hayford, and Joyce Meyer. Yancey and Hayford are promoters of contemplative spirituality. It is disheartening to see Baker Publishing connect these two men who promote an anti-biblical belief system with Corrie ten Boom, who stood for truth and was an inspiration to believers. If she was here today, we believe she would be shocked to see this.

For us, we were not shocked because Baker Publishing has stopped standing for truth. Recently, they formed a publishing partnership with Emergent Village (the main representative website for the emerging church). The name of the new venture is Emersion, and a book called An Emergent Manifesto of Hope is one of its releases. You can read about that book in our article, "Emergent Manifesto: Emerging church coming out of the closet" and also in Faith Undone.

In the 35th Anniversary edition of The Hiding Place, Brother Andrew wrote the introduction. Andrew, also from Holland, is best known for his book God's Smuggler, which tells of his mission to smuggle Bible's into restricted countries. We think if Brother Andrew realized the spiritual dangers of contemplative spirituality, he would protest to Baker Publishing about his and Corrie's names being connected with Philip Yancey and Jack Hayford. Contemplative spirituality goes against everything that martyred and persecuted Christians have stood for, which was the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray that Baker Publishing will remove these endorsements from The Hiding Place. After all, the book is a classic and does not need to be endorsed by anyone.

For more information:

Info on Jack Hayford: Evangelical Leaders Promote New Age and Eastern Style Meditation

Information on Philip Yancey

For the movie and a different edition of The Hiding Place, click here.

Obama Wows Iowa Meditators

From an outside news source:
by Ben Smith
The Politico

FAIRFIELD, Iowa - Sen. Barack Obama drew his heartiest welcome of a two-day swing through Iowa in the state's capital of inner peace.

To the frustration of the cameramen in the Fairfield town square, Obama delivered his remarks facing east, with the setting sun behind him blotting out their shots.

But here, there's a power even higher than the television networks: Obama had positioned himself in alignment with the rotation of the earth, in accordance with the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose followers moved en masse to this small Iowa city more than 30 years ago. Click here to read the rest of this article from an outside source.

Related News:

The Spirituality of Barack Obama and Rick Warren

Meditation: The Heartbeat of a New Kind of Politics

Churchless Christianity - The New Way of Doing Missions

by Roger Oakland
(from Faith Undone)

In an article titled "Christ-Followers in India Flourishing Outside the Church," the following statement is made regarding the research of Herbert Hoefer, author of Churchless Christianity:

In striking research undertaken in the mid-eighties and published in 1991, Herbert E. Hoefer found that the people of Madras City are far closer to historic Christianity than the populace of any cities in the western Christian world could ever claim to be. Yet these are not Christians, but rather Hindus and Muslims. In their midst is a significant number of true believers in Christ who openly confess to faith in fundamental Biblical doctrines, yet remain outside the institutional church.

The article expands this idea that one does not need to become a Christian or to change his religious practices; he just needs to add Jesus to his spiritual equation:

However, some might argue that this [the "smothering embrace of Hinduism"] is the danger with the ishta devata strategy I am proposing. It will lead not to an indigenous Christianity but to a Christianized Hinduism. Perhaps more accurately we should say a Christ-ized Hinduism. I would suggest that really both are the same, and therefore we should not worry about it. We do not want to change the culture or the religious genius of India. We simply want to bring Christ and His Gospel into the center of it.

Herbert Hoefer's research is quite interesting. His idea that rather than "changing or rejecting" the Hindu and Muslim culture missionaries should be "Christ-izing" it. He says there are thousands of believers in India whom he refers to as "non-baptized believers." Reasons for the believers not becoming baptized vary, but usually it is because they will suffer financial or social loss and status. Hoefer admits that these non-baptized believers are not Christians, and usually they do not choose to call themselves that. In many of his examples, these non-baptized believers continue practicing their religious rituals so as not to draw suspicion or ridicule from family and friends. Hoefer explains one story:

[There is] a young man of lower caste who earns his livelihood by playing the drum at Hindu festivals and functions. "All this is what I must do," he said, "but my faith is in Christ. Outside I am a Hindu, but inside I am a Christian."

Another family of the Nayar caste consisted of a wife, her husband and one son. Hoefer describes their situation:

[H]er husband and son have been believers in Christ for eight years. They both had studied in Christian schools and learned of Christ. The husband's father had a vision of Christ, and one brother also is a non-baptised believer. The husband does not join his wife in coming to Church, but he occasionally joins her for the big public meetings. They do not have family devotions, but worship Jesus along with the Hindu gods in their home. Their approach to the Hindu festivals is to carry them out but to think of God, not Jesus specifically.

I am not here to judge whether these non-baptized believers are truly born again. That is for the Lord to decide. My concern lies with the way missions is changing and how the Gospel is being presented. To say that someone does not have to leave their pagan religion behind, and in fact they don't have to even stop calling themselves Hindu or Muslim, is not presenting the teachings of the Bible.

And the apostle Paul, who ended up dying for his faith, exhorted believers to be willing to give up all for the sake of having Christ:

I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

The implications of this new missiology are serious and, what's more very unbiblical.... [Mike] Oppenheimer states:

Can a Christian now call himself a Muslim? The word Muslim is made up of two words, Islam and Mu. Muslim does not just mean submission; it means submission to the God Allah; not the Lord Jesus Christ or Yahweh. Can a Muslim be called a Christian and walk with Allah? This seems to make no doctrinal or practical sense, unless they change the names and the meaning. This only brings confusion. Why do this when you can introduce Yahweh as the true God without any baggage and shuffling around in names, nature or descriptions? The answer is that you may not see the same results. This is what this is all about isn't it, results; pragmatism, the end justifies the means.

In a book by Oppenheimer and Sandy Simpson titled Idolatry in Their Hearts, they show how widespread this new missiology has become. Listen to some of the comments made by a few new missiology proponents:

New Light embodiment means to be "in connection" and "information" with other faiths.... One can be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ without denying the flickers of the sacred in followers of Yahweh, or Kali, or Krishna."-Leonard Sweet

I happen to know people who are followers of Christ in other religions.-Rick Warren

I see no contradiction between Buddhism and Christianity.... I intend to become as good a Buddhist as I can.-Thomas Merton

Allah is not another God... we worship the same God.... The same God! The very same God we worship in Christ is the God the Jews-and the Muslims-worship.-Peter Kreeft

Oppenheimer and Simpson ... ask the question, "Can one be a Hindu or a Muslim and follow Jesus?" They explain why the answer is no:

One cannot be in relationship with Jesus within the confines of a false religion. One must leave his or her religion to follow Jesus, not just add Him on....

This broadens Jesus' statement of the road being narrow into a wide, all encompassing concept. What is concerning is that these same kinds of statements are also made by those who are New Agers that hold a universal view. [New Ager] Alice Bailey said, "I would point out that when I use the phrase 'followers of the Christ' I refer to all those who love their fellowmen, irrespective of creed or religion."

With Rick Warren saying your religion should have no bearing on your spiritual life, Erwin McManus saying he would like to destroy Christianity, and missionary societies telling new converts they can have Jesus without Christianity (or baptism), the results could be devastating and will very likely undo the tireless efforts of many dedicated missionaries around the world. These Bible-believing missionaries have risked their lives and given up comforts and ease to travel around the world sharing the good news that becoming a Christian (having Jesus Christ come into your heart and life) is the way to eternal life. Now, right behind them, come emerging church missionaries who say Christianity is a terrible religion, and Christians are out to lunch-so just become a Christ-follower, and you don't even have to tell anyone about it. In fact, you can still live like you always have.

To the many who have suffered persecution and martyrdom over the centuries for being Christians and being courageous enough to call themselves that, we now must believe they suffered and died unnecessarily-after all, they did not need to confess Jesus as the only way. And they didn't need to renounce their pagan religions. We also find that the following words of Jesus do not fit into this emerging church paradigm:

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)

There is a powerful story in the Book of Acts, in which the apostle Paul had been arrested for preaching the Gospel. He was brought before King Agrippa and given the opportunity to share his testimony of how he became a Christian. He told Agrippa that the Lord had commissioned him to preach the Gospel and:

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)

Agrippa continued listening and then said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian (vs. 28)." Paul answered him:

I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. (vs. 29)

If Paul had been following the emerging mentality, he would have told Agrippa, "No need to become a Christian. You can remain just as you are; keep all your rituals and practices, just say you like Jesus." In actuality, if Paul had been practicing emerging spirituality, he wouldn't have been arrested in the first place. He would not have stood out, would not have preached boldly and without reservation, and he would not have called himself a Christian, which eventually became a death sentence for Paul and countless others. (for references and further information, see pp. 176-181, Faith Undone)

The Beatles, Yoga Power, and Aleister Crowley

by Caryl Matrisciana

Forty years ago, in June 1967, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released. It was considered The Beatles magnum opus album, nominated number one in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and the first rock album to win Grammy Awards for album of the year and best contemporary album. It was recorded at London's Abbey Road studio over 129-day period, the band's eighth album, and described by a critic as "a decisive moment in the history of western civilization."

Not only are many contemporary musicians marking the Beatles' 40th anniversary of Sgt Pepper's album by recording their own versions of songs from the album but also Las Vegas, in compliance with George Harrison's dying wish for one more creative collaboration from the Beatles, celebrates with the opening of the first year of the hottest Cirque du Soleil extravaganza, "LOVE" exploring the British Fab Four's music.

Playing at The Mirage Hotel, opening night included the unveiling of two portraits (now permanently displayed there) of deceased Beatles John Lennon (the "Smart Beatle" who was murdered by a crazed fan outside his NYC apartment in 1980) and George Harrison (the "Quiet Beatle" who died of cancer in 2001). The remaining Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, with spouses Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison and various friends and family, including George's son, Dhani, enjoyed the Las Vegas premiere.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame boasts, "The impact of the Beatles upon popular music cannot be overstated; they revolutionized the music industry and touched the lives of all who heard them in deep and fundamental ways." Click here to read the rest of this article.

Book Review: Test Drive Your Faith

Test Drive Your Faith

LTRP Note: The following is a July 10th book review of Lighthouse Trails book, Laughter Calls Me.

"The bookstores and the media are filled with images of the Christian life...how God has a wonderful plan for your life, how to have your best life now and how to reposition yourself for full prosperity and real success regardless of title or status.

"Well, here's a book that will give your understanding of successful faith a reality check. Laughter Calls Me details a young woman's life from her hitchhiking days to being abandoned with four small children." Click here to read the rest of this review by Watcher's Lamp.

Publishing News

Lighthouse Trails Publishing's 2nd spring release, For Many Shall Come in My Name by Ray Yungen is now here.

* * * *

Most people believe the New Age has been long gone from our society, and if practiced at all now it is only by unconventional fringe types. For Many Shall Come in My Name reveals this is not the case. In fact, quite the opposite has occurred. The New Age movement (a term not normally used by its proponents) has permeated virtually all aspects of our society. This "Ancient Wisdom" spirituality can be quite readily encountered in the following fields: Business, Education, Health, Self-Help, Religion, and Arts & Entertainment. This book examines them all.

Discusses the following:

1. The Age of Aquarius and its meaning in today's world
2. New Age practices like Reiki and yoga
3. Harry Potter and real witchcraft
4. The law of attraction and Oprah
5. Present day New Age prophets
6. Yoga in the public schools
7. Tantric sexuality and its spiritual risks
8. The Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism)
9. Wicca and its growing appeal
10. The occultic explanation of the Holocaust
11. Interspirituality and the coming false Messiah
12. The New Age as a force in politics
13. New Age hostility toward the church
14. The New Age in light of biblical prophecy

For more information on this book, click here.

* * * *

For information on our 1st spring release, The Other Side of the River, click here.

COMING IN AUGUST:

Another Jesus and Faith Undone, both by evangelist/missionary Roger Oakland.

Don't miss these two important books.

FAITH UNDONE HAS GONE TO PRESS!

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.

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 the books we publish...

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.

Some of the topics this book addresses:

Word Faith movement

Holy Laughter

"Slain" in the Spirit practice

Emphasis on humanity of Jesus over Deity

Gifts & Calling for the unbeliever?

Experience versus Scripture

Repetitive chanting & singing

Paradigm shift

Understanding true worship