In This Issue -

What's Sex Got to Do With It?...

One Year Later - Focus on the Family Still Promoting Contemplative

On Evangelicals and Interfaith Cooperation: An Interview with Tony Campolo

Pastors' Wives Conference - Speakers Favor Contemplative Authors

Exposing the Darkness of Online Christian Bookstores

Evangelist to Africa Speaks Out Against Rick Warren's "Big Mouth" Comments

Chuck Colson Says the Evangelical Movement Growing UP

Head of Evangelical Group Converts to Catholicism

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What's Sex Got to Do With It?

Tantra is the name of the ancient Hindu sacred texts that contain certain rituals and secrets. Some deal with taking the energies brought forth in meditation through the chakras and combining them with love-making to enhance sexual experiences.

Once completely off-limits to the masses of humanity, tantra, like all other New Age methodologies, is now starting to gain increasing popularity. A google search on the Internet shows 6,600,000 entries for the word tantra! This union of sexuality and Eastern spirituality is a perfect example to illustrate just how much the New Age has permeated our society as it has affected even the most intimate areas of people's lives.

The potential to impact a very great number of people, especially men, was brought out in an article by a sex worker who incorporates "Tantric Bodywork" into her services. She paints a very sad portrait of the dynamics of the "enormous sex industry" in which millions of stressed and unhappy men seek out "erotic release" from women who are just as unhappy and stressed as their clients. She observes that there is a "culturally rampant phenomenon that spouses are disconnected from each other."

To remedy this tragic interplay of exploitation, she has turned to Tantric Union to give her clients what she feels is not just sex but "union with the divine." After she read a book called Women of the Light: The New Sacred Prostitute, she turned her erotic business
into a "temple." Of this temple, she says it is:

...dedicated to being a haven of the sacred, a home for the embodiment of spirit, filled with altars, sacred objects, plants, art, dreamy sensual music, blissful scents. My space is home to Quan Yin [a Buddhist goddess], crystals blessed by the Entities of John of God [a Brazilian spirit channeler].

Now the "multitudes of men" who come to her get much more than they bargained for. In the past, wives and girlfriends needed only to worry about sexually transmitted diseases from cheating husbands and boyfriends, but now their men may instead bring home spiritual entities!

Most readers might think that tantra is something exceedingly obscure that would never attract average people. But the movie industry thinks otherwise. In a 2003 movie, Hollywood Homicide (starring Harrison Ford, one of the industry's leading men), viewers were presented with a brief snippet of tantric sex in one scene where fellow police officers opened the locker of Ford's rookie detective partner and out falls a book (which the camera focuses on) about tantra, revealing the side-kick's spiritual/sexual affinities (incidentally, he also teaches yoga in the film). (For Many Shall Come in My Name, 2nd ed., pp. 115-116)

... show that sexual liberation and Tantra are vital parts of the Divine Mother's plan for the birth of a new humanity, since they make possible a profound and ecstatic contact with what Andrew calls Divine Eros - a tender passionate dynamic love-connection. True Tantric sexuality gives its' practitioners access to extraordinary and unified energies which will form the base of a commitment to Sacred Activism.

One Year Later - Focus on the Family Still Promoting Contemplative

  One year ago, Lighthouse Trails contacted Focus on the Family to share concerns about their promotion of contemplative author Gary Thomas in a FOF magazine. Shortly after, we received a letter from Mr. Tim Masters of the FOF Office of the Chairman, which stated:

[We] found nothing within the pages of Sacred Parenting [by Gary Thomas] that contradicts the Christian faith or Dr. Dobson's philosophy ... we are not in a position to address the contents of Mr. Thomas's other writings ... but this much we can tell you: there is and always has been a strong tradition of contemplative prayer in the Christian church that has nothing to do with mantras and Eastern meditation. To confuse the two, as you have done, is to jump to an unwarranted conclusion based on a misunderstanding of certain features they appear to share in common

In our May 10, 2006 newsletter, we responded to Focus on the Family's defense of contemplative prayer stating:

In light of Master's apparent conviction that the two camps (Christian and Eastern contemplative) are distinct and unrelated, it is important to note here that Tilden Edwards, the founder of the largest and most influential contemplative school in the US, would disagree that the two are indeed different. Edwards revealed that contemplative prayer is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality in his book, Spiritual Friend (of which Richard Foster endorsed, calling it an excellent spiritual book).

While FOF states they are "not in a position to address" Gary Thomas' other books (which clearly promote contemplative), the book that FOF does promote, Sacred Parenting, devotes an entire chapter to contemplative spirituality, calling it the "active discipline" of "true listening," and saying it is the way we can "seize heaven and invite God's presence into our lives" (pp. 58-59). In that chapter, Thomas names two people who had a major impact in his prayer life: contemplative/mystic Teresa of Avila and Frank Buchman, initiator of Moral Re-Armament, now called Initiatives of Change, an inter-faith organization working towards globalization. Buchman was a controversial figure, partly due to his 1930s public statements showing admiration for Adolph Hitler. And according to cult expert Dave Hunt, Buchman was involved in both mysticism and the occult:

MRA founder Frank Buchman ... embraced new revelations through occult guidance [and]helped to set the stage for the New Age movement.... He inspired thousands on all continents to meditate ... decades before Maharishi Mahesh Yogi left India. (Hunt, Adaptation of Occult Invasion, 1998)

Gary Thomas devoted three entire pages to Buchman in Sacred Parenting. All things considered, this book hardly seems like it will be a "tremendous help and a great inspiration to those moms and dads who choose to take advantage of its message." On the contrary.

The question must be asked, when Masters states that "there is and always has been a strong tradition of contemplative prayer in the Christian church that has nothing to do with mantras and Eastern meditation," which authors have or do teach contemplative prayer excluding the mantra and Eastern-like meditation? Richard Foster, whom Focus on the Family now promotes? Gary Thomas? Thomas Merton? Brennan Manning? Henri Nouwen? (All of whom can be found on FOF websites and all of whom teach mantra-style meditation)

We must also ask, can Focus on the Family rightfully disregard the contents of Gary Thomas' other writings, writings in which he tells readers to repeat a word or phrase for 20 minutes until the "word becomes part of you." Did the Apostle Paul, or the Psalmist or Jesus Christ ever give such instructions? Of course not. Gary Thomas' website clearly promotes practices such as lectio divina and centering prayer all the while encouraging visitors to read the works of Thomas Merton and Basil Pennington, both of whom wholeheartedly and without reservation embraced Eastern mysticism. Incidentally, Thomas teaches Spiritual Formation at Western Seminary. By promoting one of Thomas' books, FOF is directly promoting contemplative prayer.

Focus on the Family has entered into an unbiblical territory that can spiritually harm many people, including children. It is our prayer that Dr. Dobson and other Christian leaders will look at the facts fairly before proceeding any further down this path.

At the time Focus on the Family wrote to us, they said that they could not speak for Gary Thomas' other writings, just Sacred Parenting. However, it has come to our attention that they are now spotlighting Thomas' book, Sacred Pathways (mentioned above), which promotes mantric-style prayer. An article on FOF's TrueU.org website is written by Gary Thomas called Sacred Pathways, named for the book. The article has a link to Thomas' own website, in which he lists a number of "Christian Classics" by several contemplative mystics.1

It looks like Focus on the Family is holding to their views on contemplative. One year later, in addition to continuing to promote Gary Thomas, they are still promoting Richard Foster in their Spiritual Formation series by H.B. London2, Dallas Willard and Henri Nouwen (and the silence)3, lectio divina4, and Thomas Merton5. And earlier this year, an article on From the Lighthouse blog titled "Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey - Promoting Contemplative?" showed more evidence of the contemplative proclivities of Focus on the Family.

On Evangelicals and Interfaith Cooperation: An Interview with Tony Campolo

The following excerpts from an interview between interfaith gurus Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne reveal the spirituality that is foundational in the emerging church movement. The two men's use of Christian terminology (and even Christian ideas) will convince some readers that nothing is amiss, but please consider the following thoughts:

While Campolo says he believes that Jesus is the only Savior, he does not believe it is necessary to be a Christian nor should we try to convert people of other faiths:

I think there are Muslim brothers and sisters who are willing to say, "You live up to the truth as you understand it. I will live up to the truth as I understand it, and we will leave it up to God on judgment day

Campolo believes that conversion to Christianity or receiving Jesus Christ as your only Lord, Savior, and God are not prerequisites for salvation. He makes it clear that there are many paths to God. If Campolo believed there was a hell, set aside for those who reject Jesus Christ as God, he would not say:

We [human beings] don't come to God in the same manner. And each of us makes exclusivist claims, and we have to recognize that. We cannot allow our theologies to separate us.

Campolo acknowledges that people have theological differences but he also believes there is one common ground where we can be unified -- that common ground is mysticism. Campolo states:

All of a sudden in the hour of suffering there is a commonality. And that's where we meet. It's in mystical spirituality and in communal mutuality that's where we come together....

Perhaps one of the best things we can do is stop talking with our mouths and cross the chasm between us with our lives. Maybe we will even find a mystical union of the Spirit ....

In a mystical relationship with God, there is a coming together of people where theology is left behind and in this spirituality they found a commonality....

In other words if we are looking for common ground, can we find it in mystical spirituality, even if we cannot theologically agree, Can we pray together in such a way that we connect with a God that transcends our theological differences?

Campolo, like Rick Warren, believes that certain Christians are going to cause a problem for the interspiritual process. He states: "There is going to be one segment of evangelicalism, just like there is one segment in Islam that is not going to be interested in dialogue." And like Rick Warren also stated, Campolo likens these troublesome Christians to Islamic fundamentalists (terrorists). But one has to really question where Campolo is getting his information when he says the following:

We don't have to give up trying to convert each other. What we have to do is show respect to one another. And to speak to each other with a sense that even if people don't convert, they are God's people, God loves them, and we do not make the judgment of who is going to heaven and who is going to hell.

I think that what we all have to do is leave judgment up to God. The Muslim community is very evangelistic, however what Muslims will not do is condemn Jews and Christians to Hell if in fact they do not accept Islam.

These are not true statements. From the sounds of this interview, Campolo doesn't know the Bible or the Koran very well at all. But he reveals a lot when he says:

And that makes for a safer world, when we remove the layers that separate us from seeing the sacredness in every person, the image of God in them.

In other words, the world becomes safe and tolerable when we come to understand that God is in everyone, and if God is in everyone then there is no need to convert or to preach the Gospel. But if Campolo is right, then the Bible is wrong and Jesus was wrong when He said:

And it came to pass, as he [Jesus] was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:18-26)

Also see: Shane Claiborne and The New Monastics

Pastors' Wives Conference - Speakers Favor Contemplative Authors

The Eighth Annual First Lady Conference will take place on June 7-9 in Dallas, Texas, and attendees should be on the look out for contemplative themes. Two of the speakers, Kay Warren (wife of Rick Warren) and Priscilla Shirer, have contemplative sympathies. Lois Evans, wife of Pastor Tony Evans, will be hosting the conference. 1

A news article on the event explains that this year's theme for the conference is "Devotion Not Commotion." Priscilla Shirer talks about getting rid of this "commotion" (or distractions, in other words) in last year's Be Still DVD, which is an infomercial for contemplative prayer. The DVD that Shirer participated in also features contemplative advocates Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline), Katherine Brown-Saltzman (a UCLA professional who uses guided imagery and meditation with her patients), Buddhist sympathizer Peter Kreeft, and Beth Moore (who later admitted she was in favor of contemplative spirituality2).

In the Be Still DVD, Priscilla Shirer explains how she now views prayer:

Most of my prayer time is filled up with what I'm saying to Him, as opposed to just being quiet and actually giving him an opportunity to speak to me. And of course I've thought about hearing the voice of God all my life, and I've thought about wanting to hear Him, but it never occurred to me that I needed to consciously go into His presence with my mouth closed, giving Him an opportunity to get a word in edgewise. And so I've just begun in my prayer life over the past year of my life to make a conscious effort to be in a time of prayer, and yes, to speak to Him, but to consciously say, okay, I'm done talking now, because I'm just gonna sit here in the stillness and wait to see what it is that you want to say to me.

To understand what Shirer means by "stillness" and "go into His presence," a look at contemplative teachers she resonates with is vital. On her website (now in an archived file), Shirer recommends several contemplative mystics such as Calvin Miller (Into the Depths of God), Madame Guyon, Brother Lawrence (who danced violently like a madman when he went into contemplative states), Richard Foster, and Jan Johnson (When the Heart Waits). These authors have all played significant roles in the advancement of contemplative spirituality within Christianity. While Shirer gives a disclaimer that she may not agree with everything these authors write, she does not warn her readers about the main thesis of these author's books - contemplative mysticism - but says they will encourage and challenge you. That's like giving a child a handful of jelly beans, with 80% being poisonous red ones and 20% other colors, and saying, "They might not all be good for you, but I'm not going to tell you which ones are harmful so enjoy." This kind of disclaimer means nothing except to say, "Hey don't blame me if you get hurt." In March of 2006, Shirer participated in the CCN Be Still project with contemplatives Dallas Willard and Richard Foster.

Kay Warren, another speaker for the upcoming women's conference, also resonates with contemplative prayer. Listen as Ray Yungen explains:

The pastors.com website [Rick Warren's site] is saturated with favorable comments, endorsements, and promotions of many contemplatives. On two separate occasions on the website, Warren makes reference to a book his wife, Kay, recommends:

My wife, Kay, recommends this book: "It's a short book, but it hits at the heart of the minister. It mentions the struggles common to those of us in ministry: the temptation to be relevant, spectacular and powerful. I highlighted almost every word!"

The book Kay Warren recommends is In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen. Nouwen devotes an entire chapter of that book to contemplative prayer saying:

Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen to the voice of love ... For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.

Anyone who knows something about the Warrens' background should not be surprised by their promotion of Nouwen. Rick Warren is a graduate of the Robert H. Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership. Schuller himself emphasized the impact that Nouwen had on his school:

All of our students have to watch and listen to Henri Nouwen. I keep interrupting and stopping the video machine, telling them to notice how he uses his hands, to look at the twinkle in his eye, to see how he connects his eye with the eye of the listener, to be aware of the words he uses all positives, no negatives.

The Warrens took Schuller's word for it with regard to Henri Nouwen. It's no wonder: the Warren's were greatly impacted by Schuller, according to a Christianity Today article, which quotes Kay Warren as saying, "He [Schuller] had a profound influence on Rick." (from A Time of Departing, 2nd ed., pp.154-155)

Toward the end of Henri Nouwen's life, after many years of adhering to the contemplative way, Nouwen said the following:

Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.(From Sabbatical Journey, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Ed.)

And it is for this very reason that we continue to warn about contemplative spirituality. Those who practice this mantric-style prayer and embrace the belief system behind it often end up with panentheistic viewpoints -- going into the "stillness" changes the way one looks at God and the Gospel. Just this week, a man called us who had this exact thing happen to him. He said he was a Christian, but over time, through meditation, he began to change his views on truth and become "enlightened" (much like Sue Monk Kidd when she started reading Thomas Merton). Now, this man believes that all things are one, that God is in all things, and that while Jesus Christ has a christ-consciousness, he is not the only one who does; Gandhi, Buddha, etc. also share this virtue. This man who called us said that the world is coming into a place where all will be enlightened through a critical mass, and when I asked him about the role meditation will play in this, he acknowledged it's significance. He also said something that is noteworthy: "Most Christians have no idea what the New Age movement is all about." Unfortunately, he himself has become a victim to it and is immersed in its deception.

If women attending the Eighth Annual First Lady Conference are introduced to Henri Nouwen, Richard Foster, Brother Lawrence and other mystics, these women could potentially be put in harm's way, and their spiritual lives may be at risk. We pray and hope that Kay Warren and Priscilla Shirer will not recommend or make favorable references to contemplative teachers. On the contrary, we hope they will issue a solid warning against contemplative spirituality. 

Evangelist to Africa Speaks Out Against Rick Warren's "Big Mouth" Comments

LTRP Note: Loren Davis and his wife have been evangelists to Africa for many years. A year and a half ago we reported that Davis was warning Christians in Africa about Rick Warren's Purpose Driven plans for Africa. After Davis read our article a few days ago, Rick Warren Condemns Christians ... Again, Davis made the following comments:

Davis: I understand Rick Warren includes me with the "big mouths" who he says "haven't done zip." Perhaps he considers contending for sound Bible doctrine being "a big mouth."

To set the record straight, since 2000 my wife and I have built 178 churches in unreached villages and brought the gospel and pastors to those villages. Most of these churches we have built are also being used as pre-schools or regular schools. We have provided water tanks connected to many of our churches to provide water for many villages and have brought untold truckloads of maize to hungry villagers. Many of these tribes where we have built churches were very violent and involved in rustling and raiding against their neighboring tribes as a way of life. We have been told by different government leaders, that since we have come in building churches and bringing the Gospel that peace has come to these villages. There are few raids anymore. We have recently preached a crusade in a Muslim city where many thousands attended and a great number of Muslims came to Malawi. I guess he considers all these Muslims coming to Christ as "zip."

Rick Warren said regarding Rwanda, that he is going to transform the churches into centers for feeding the poor, education and providing medical facilities. Well, we are not against those things and do many of those things ourselves. But the fact is, the primary purpose of the church is not humanitarianism. The church's main purpose is to provide a place where people can find Christ; prepare people for where they will spend eternity; and to be taught the truths of the Bible.

If Rick Warren and his friends want to go full time into humanitarian work, that's fine. Let he and his friends work full time for the U.N. with whom they already associate with; but don't, in the name of humanitarianism, turn the churches away from their main purpose of being spiritual institutions and transform them into social institutions. Loren Davis
www.lorendavis.com

For related information:

Race for Africa by Loren Davis

Armed Men Hijack Car of African Evangelist

Bruce Wilkinson (Prayer of Jabez) Quits Africa

Chuck Colson Says the Evangelical Movement Growing UP

 LTRP Note: In thisNew York Times article, Chuck Colson says that the evangelical movement is growing up. With the heavy infiltration of mysticism and New Age thought into the evangelical church, it is anything but growing up.

New York Times
By MICHAEL LUO and LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Emphasis Shifts for New Breed of Evangelicals

The evangelical Christian movement, which has been pivotal in reshaping the country's political landscape since the 1980s, has shifted in potentially momentous ways in recent years, broadening its agenda and exposing new fissures.

The death of the Rev. Jerry Falwell last week highlighted the fact that many of the movement's fiery old guard who helped lead conservative Christians into the embrace of the Republican Party are aging and slowly receding from the scene. In their stead, a new generation of leaders who have mostly avoided the openly partisan and confrontational approach of their forebears have become increasingly influential.

Typified by megachurch pastors like the Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif., and the Rev. Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago, the new breed of evangelical leaders - often to the dismay of those who came before them - are more likely to speak out about more liberal causes like AIDS, Darfur, poverty and global warming than controversial social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. Click here to read the rest of this news article.

Trading Truth for Solidarity

 by Berit Kjos

It's no secret that the today's world system is driven by a vision of global solidarity and spiritual pluralism. We don't know God's precise schedule, but He warned us long ago to prepare for a time of "falling away," when people with "itching ears" would trade truth for myth and reject the "sound doctrine" needed to guard against deception. Do those signs describe our times?

Exposing the dark forces behind this spiritual revolution, Tamara Hartzell quotes occultist Alice Bailey, whose main source of "insight" was her spirit guide, Djwhal Khul:

"The day is dawning when all religions will be regarded as emanating from one great spiritual source; all will be seen as unitedly providing the one root out of which the universal world religion will inevitably emerge. Then there will be neither Christian nor heathen, neither Jew nor Gentile, but simply one great body of believers, gathered out of all the current religions. They will accept the same truths, not as theological concepts but as essential to spiritual living... Such a world religion is no idle dream but something which is definitely forming today."

That prediction was dictated by Bailey's demonic mentor in 1947, before the telltale signs of social transformation were noticeable. But the next three decades brought radical changes. Humanistic psychology, multicultural education, the dialectic process, and countless other transformational schemes had been sown and began to bear fruit through institutions and "educational laboratories" across America. Together with data tracking technology, they evolved into increasingly sophisticated programs for manipulating minds, changing values, and undermining Biblical truth.

Seminaries along with universities embraced the new way of thinking, and soon the revolution swept through churches as well. Postmodernism rejected the truth and values that had shaped America -- and pluralism is replacing them. The unthinkable is becoming the norm!

Hostility toward unbending Biblical Christianity is rising fast, exposing today's double-minded guides who bend the truth to please people and broaden their influence. Ponder these statements by three trusted models of Christian leadership. Are they teaching God's Truth -- or promoting a more popular postmodern distortion? Click here to read this entire article.

See also:

Reinventing Jesus Christ by Warren Smith

 Head of Evangelical Group Converts to Catholicism

Ethics Daily
by Bob Allen

A controversial Baylor University professor has resigned as president of the Evangelical Theological Society, after receiving full communion in the Roman Catholic Church.

Francis Beckwith, associate professor of church-state studies at the Baptist-affiliated university in Waco, Texas, reported in a blog that he and his wife decided in late March to become Catholic.

Baptized as a Presbyterian, she must complete the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults before receiving sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation.

Because he received the sacraments as a child, all Beckwith had to do was go to confession, request forgiveness for his sins, ask to be received back into the Church and receive absolution. Beckwith said he "received the sacrament of Confession" April 28 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Waco, and a day later was publicly received back into the Catholic Church. Click here to read the rest of this news article.
* * * *
For related information:
1. To read the testimonies of 50 former priests, read Far >From Rome, Near to God, by former Catholic priest, Richard Bennett.
2. For information on the Catholic connection to contemplative spirituality and the New Age, click here.
3. Also see: The Catholic Chronicles by the late Keith Green

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