Lighthouse Trails Research Project - Exposing Contemplative Spirituality

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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.

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Contemplative/emerging spirituality is on the rise. And unfortunately, Christian leaders are helping to make this a reality. Popular and often trusted Christian speakers are sharing platforms with those who strongly promote un-biblical spiritual persuasions, and when they are challenged for doing so, they say it must be done in order to further the Gospel insisting that these differences are minor and insignificant. Other trusted leaders are placing their endorsements on the books of contemplative/emerging figures, and when challenged, they simply flash their educational credentials and ignore the concerns.

Slowly (and sometimes not so slowly), these Christian leaders are changing. Putting financial security, popularity, fear of loss, and personal pride above doing what is right without compromise, they have begun to take on the characteristics of those they have endorsed, promoted, and stood next to.

Where once many of them preached the unadulterated Word of God, now they speak of community, unity, mystical experience, and a kingdom they call God's that in actuality is a kingdom of this world. They say the Gospel cannot be effective unless everyone is willing to work together, and when they say everyone, they mean everyone.

In contrast, the apostle Paul preached the Gospel to all who would listen, but when it came to false doctrines, he made it very clear where he stood. If these leaders continue on their present path, the day may soon come when such a blending and weakening has occurred that the gospel they preach will be no different than the gospel of this world, which is no gospel at all.

* * * * * * * * *

The apostle Paul:

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Galatians 1: 8-10)

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. (II Timothy 4:2-3)

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." (II Corinthians 6:17)

"God's Dream" - What Does is Really Mean?

by Herescope and Warren Smith

LTRP Note: "God's Dream." It's a term now heard frequently among popular Christian figures, emerging church leaders, and New Age teachers as well. What does "God's Dream" mean, and are there similarities in how each of these groups interprets its meaning? While on the surface, "God's Dream" may seem noble and good, an underlying theme of "God's Dream" refers to the healing of the world but through means that do not line up with biblical truth.

The essence of "God's Dream," as taught in New Age circles, is a healing of the world that requires unity among all religions (all of which can lead to God) and ultimately man acknowledging his own divinity (an understanding man comes to through mystical practices). While Christian figures using this term may not present "God's Dream" in such a manner, they nevertheless teach about the healing of the world, the importance of unification, and the necessity of mystical practices (i.e., contemplative spirituality) to reach "God's Dream." In the emerging church, this is taken to an even further degree closer to that of the New Age/New Spirituality interpretation. And with these popular Christian figures (who talk about "God's Dream") promoting the emerging church movement, the New Age "Dream" for the world may very well occur sooner than we realize. We believe this could be what the Bible refers to as the mystery of iniquity (II Thessalonians 2:7).

The following article (which starts off with two quotes about "God's Dream") offers some sobering insights that should not be ignored:

God's Dream? A KINGDOM BUILDING DREAM
by Herescope and Warren Smith

TheCall DC - God Has a Dream
Forty years ago this year, Martin Luther King sounded a prophetic trumpet to the nation. Echoing the ancient cry uttered by Moses to the oppressive Pharaoh of Egypt, Martin Luther King and 250,000 Black Americans cried out "let my people go" in peaceful defiance of the oppressive edicts and Jim Crow Laws of morally eroded governmental leaders and a culture of systemic racism. Gathering at the mall in Washington D.C the sound was born of "I have a dream" and that same sound still resonates today. Today the sound is being carried across the pulpits of the pews of America, extending from the senatorial chambers of Washington D.C. to the movie industry of Hollywood. It is the sound of another great movement on the horizon, a prayer and justice movement crying out for God's dreams to be fulfilled in a generation.(Lou Engle)

Become a Mobilizer for TheCall DC, August 16, 2008
Join us on the National Mall in Washington DC on August 16, 2008 for a massive gathering of united generations desperate for revival and real change in our nation. More than an event, TheCall is a fast, not a festival. Come and be a part of the cultural reformation. There are moments in history when a door for massive change opens. Great revolutions for good or evil occur in the vacuum created by these openings. It is in these moments that key men and women - sometimes entire generations - risk everything to become the hinge of history. That pivotal point determines which way the door will swing. (from TheCall.com)

This Washington, D.C. Mall event described above is connected with the rise of patriotic Dominionism, described in the previous post. The organizers of this event have been working for several decades to create a youth movement that could fulfill their expectations for a "New Breed" and could function as a "Joel's Army." To recruit young people for their "boot camps" and prayer "furnaces", these men have invoked patriotic fervor over the abortion issue especially, and morality generally.

This theme of "God's Dream," or some variation of the phrase, has increasingly become the metaphor of choice for the radical transformation of evangelical Christianity. Brian McLaren has used the term frequently, most recently in his book Everything Must Change, in which he explains it in terms of a new eschatology of "God's dreams actually coming true down here" (p. 4) and "God's dreams coming true for this earth" (p. 21) Click here for links, citations, and to read this entire article.

For more understanding on "God's Dream," read Deceived on Purpose and Reinventing Jesus Christ by Warren Smith

Tracking Contemplative Prayer and the Emerging Church Through Book Reviews

Below is a list (with links) of some of the books Lighthouse Trails has reviewed.

Brian McLaren: Finding Our Way Again

Tony Jones: The New Christians

J.P. Moreland: Kingdom Triangle

Marjorie Thompson: Soul Feast

Dan Kimball: They Like Jesus, But Not the Church

NavPress: Chicken Soup for the Soul Bible

Ken Boa: Conformed to His Image

The Cloud of Unknowing

Thomas Kelly: A Testament of Devotion

Mark Yaconelli: Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of Jesus with your Students

Rob Bell: Velvet Elvis

Erwin McManus: The Barbarian Way

Jones/Pagitt: An Emergent Manifesto of Hope

Herbert Hoefer: Churchless Christianity (review by Roger Oakland)

* * * * * * * *

The following links provide some excellent book reviews by various ministries:

Reviews by Deception in the Church

Book Reviews by Gary Gilley

Book Reviews by Media Spotlight (Al Dager)

Book Reviews by Kevin Reeves

* * * * * * * *

Related Articles:

Christian Publishers Keep Publishing Contemplative Books

Books With Contemplative and/or Emerging Elements

Oprah's Guest - Another New Age Author: Christiane Northrup

On July 16th, Dr. Christiane Northrup was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Northrup is the author of several books, including The Wisdom of Menopause (a New York Times best seller). Viewers may not be aware that Northrup is a proponent of New Age spirituality. On her website, under Health and Energy Centers, she lists the seven chakra energy centers that New Agers believe inhabit the body. The chakras are the basis for Hindu energy healing such as Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, the Oneness Blessing, etc. The seventh chakra is said to be the one that connects one to his or her Divinity.

Northrup's print newsletter is published by Hay House, a leading New Age publishing house that releases some of the top New Age/New Spirituality authors today including Marianne Williamson, Wayne Dyer, Suze Orman, Sylvia Browne, and many others. Hay House is one of "the fastest-growing self-help and transformational publishers in the world" today.1

Interestingly, on Christiane Northrup's website, she lists her "Credentials," one of which includes Bernie Siegel, where Northrup shared the presidency of the American Holistic Medical Association with Siegel for two years. In Warren Smith's critique of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life (where Rick Warren referenced Siegel favorably), Smith says of Siegel:

Siegel has become a leading New Age author and spokesperson. Providing "hope" by fusing modern day medicine with New Age teachings and practices, Siegel has introduced New Age concepts into the professional medical community and to cancer patients everywhere.... In his books and workshops he encourages people to do guided meditations and visualizations--just as he once did--to initiate contact with their own personal spirit guides.(from Deceived on Purpose , chapter 5)

Essentially, Christiane Northrup is on the same page spiritually as Bernie Siegel.

Furthermore, many Christian women buy Northrup's books because they see her title "Doctor" and the word "menopause" and think they are getting something scientific. But even in her book, there is a chapter on spirituality which identifies the New Age concept of the higher self as being the spirituality to alleviate menopausal anxiety.

On Northrup's site, she also lists her "Favorite Charities." One of these is the Girl Scouts of the USA (please see our recent article, The New Age Comes to the Girl Scouts).

Oprah has given a green light to her viewers to embrace Christiane Northrup and her spirituality, and thus to a spirituality that rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ and teaches that man is divine. Once again, Oprah is shown to be evangelizing for the New Age movement.

Understanding the Often Quoted Peter Kreeft

by Roger Oakland

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy at Boston College and a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences and is the author of over forty books dealing with spirituality, apologetics and philosophy.1 Kreeft, once a Dutch Reformed Protestant, converted to Catholicism and is considered by many to be a leader in the area of Christian apologetics, even by Protestants.

One of Kreeft's books is Ecumenical Jihad. The back cover of this book lists a number of endorsements by well-known evangelical leaders. For example:

Peter Kreeft is one of the premier apologists in America today, witty, incisive and powerful. On the front lines in today's culture war, Kreeft is one of our most valiant intellectual warriors.2--Chuck Colson

This racy little book opens up a far-reaching theme. With entertaining insight Kreeft looks into the attitudes, alliances and strategies that today's state of affairs requires of believers. Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox alike need to ponder Peter Kreeft's vision of things--preferably in discussion together. What if he is right?3--J. I. Packer

To understand Kreeft's spiritual journey, it is helpful to examine a number of testimonial statements he made in Ecumenical Jihad. Regarding the role that the Eucharist played in his conversion to Catholicism, he writes:

In my pilgrimage from Dutch Reformed Calvinism to Roman Catholicism, the one Catholic dogma that most drew me in was the Eucharist.4

Now, as a strong promoter of the Catholic Church, Kreeft believes the teaching of transubstantiation and the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist has potential for winning other Protestants back to the Mother of All Churches. Although he recognizes the Catholic Church's view on the Sacrament of the Eucharist was instrumental in bringing about division between Protestants and Catholics in the past, he believes the Eucharist has the potential to now be an evangelistic tool in bringing back the separated brethren to Catholicism. As he states in his book:

No Catholic dogma is so distinctive and so apparently anti-ecumenical as the dogma of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Yet this dogma may be the greatest cause of ecumenism and eventual reunion.5

Predicting that future ecumenism will be fostered by the very factors that once brought about division, Kreeft continues:

I found that this doctrine, which seemed to repel and divide, at the same time attracted and united. The same with Mary: she--who is a point of division between Catholics and Protestants--she may bring the churches together again and heal the tears in her Son's visible body on earth, she, the very one who seems to divide Catholics from Protestants. The most distinctive Catholic doctrines, especially those concerning the Eucharist and Mary, may prove to be the most unifying and attracting ones.6

Finally, Kreeft expresses his heartfelt concern for those Protestants who still refuse to accept the Catholic teaching of the Real Presence of Christ in a wafer. He writes:

When I think how much my Protestant brothers and sisters are missing in not having Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist; when I kneel before the Eucharist and realize I am as truly in Christ's presence as the apostles were but that my Protestant brothers and sisters don't know that, don't believe that--I at first feel a terrible gap between myself and them. What a tremendous thing they are missing!7

As there is even now a move by many Protestant/evangelicals toward Catholicism and the Eucharistic adoration, Kreeft's longing to see them enter in may be fulfilled. (from chapter 9, Another Jesus)

Notes:
1. See http://www.peterkreeft.com/about.htm.
2. Peter Kreeft, Ecumenical Jihad (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 1996), back cover, endorsement by Chuck Colson.
3. Ibid., endorsement by J. I. Packer.
4. Ibid., p. 145.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid., p. 158.
7. Ibid., p. 159.

Definition:
Transubstantiation: "The word officially approved by the Council of Trent to express the changing of the entire substance of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. After the Consecration only the appearances, or "accidents" (color, taste, smell, quantity, etc.) of bread and wine remain." from Catholic author Joan Carroll Cruz (taken from Another Jesus, chapter 3)

The Real Presence in the Eucharist: Thomas a Kempis & the Imitation of Christ

by Just the Book

The Imitation of Christ, first published anonymously, in Latin, ca. 1418, is a short manual of devotion, named for the title of the first of four books. TIOC was heavily influenced by the mystic goal of oneness with God and the Modern devotion of Gerard Groote and the Brothers of the Common Life....

A couple sources claim that The Imitation of Christ is second to the Bible in being widely read. The Imitation of Christ is praised by Protestants and Roman Catholics; the Jesuits give it an official place among their "exercises;" and it is in full conformity with the Catholic faith both of the time it was written and with the Catholic faith today.

The teaching in The Imitation of Christ is 180-out (the complete opposite) of what is taught in God's Word. TIOC with its major wresting of scripture, is a very contemplative book, focused on suffering, doing good works to appease God and be holy, guilt trips from the Voice of Christ who was unkind and demanding to the Disciple, and references a number of Roman Catholic doctrines such as purgatory, as well as other unbiblical thinking.

But mostly, TIOC promotes the actual eating of Jesus' body in the Eucharist (in a very sensual manner, alluding to a physical marriage relationship to God) as the way to be holy and become Jesus (have oneness/union/divinity with god). Click here for links and to read this entire article.

Read also:

Part 1: The "Real Presence" in the Eucharist: Eating Jesus - his real body and real blood

Part 2: The "Real Presence" in the Eucharist: Worshipping the Sun God (the host in the monstrance)

Part 3: The "Real Presence" in the Eucharist: Eucharist as Union or On Becoming Deity

Also read: "The Imitation of Christ: Thomas a Kempis - A Mystic?"

Tony Blair Urges Faiths to Unite for Anti-Malaria Campaign

by Roger Oakland

The following video clip of Tony Blair promoting his newly formed Faith Foundation with the purpose of working together with all faiths in order to eradicate malaria is a must view for anyone concerned about the road towards a one world religion.

Also, while viewing this clip, you will see a startling similarity to Pastor Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan and his objective to work together with all faiths to attack AIDS. As a note of interest, Rick Warren is a member of the Tony Blair's advisory board for the Faith Foundation. Click here to view video and read more.

Related:
Global Spirituality - Tony Blair, Global Banking, UNESCO, Yale and the EU

"Yoga Makes Headway in Business Schools"

Out of house article
by Andrea Castillo
Business Week

Walk through the halls of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business during the school year, and along with students cramming facts for macroeconomics and operating strategy you may encounter some students stretching their bodies and doing something really unusual for business school students: relaxing.

They're members of Chicago's yoga club, a student group founded earlier this year by two GSB students and which last term attracted 15 to 35 regular attendees to classes in the school's Harper Center. The classes are "time to shut your brain off," says Jody Kirchner, one of the group's founders.

The Chicago GSB yoga classes reflect a growing popularity of yoga in the U.S., with about 16 million Americans engaging in the practice, according to statistics released by Yoga Journal. The publication said $5.7 billion is spent annually on yoga classes and products, nearly twice as much as four years ago. Click here to read this entire news story from Business Week.

For Lighthouse Trails research on Yoga,click here.

Ray Yungen Coming to 8 Cities This Summer

Lighthouse Trails author, Ray Yungen, will be visiting 8 cities this August, sharing his information about contemplative spirituality, the New Age movement, the emerging church, and the impact these belief systems are having on the church and our society. These seminars will all be free of charge and are open to the public. Below are the dates and locations. If you live near any of these cities, we hope you will get the chance to attend one of these meetings. For updated information on Ray's itinerary and for more information on the meetings below, visit his website at: A Time of Departing Ministries

1. Piqua, Ohio (near Dayton/Milwaukee)

Piqua Church of the Nazarene, July 27

2. Indianapolis, Indiana

Franklin Road Baptist Church, August 2-3

3. Johnson County, Kansas (near Kansas City) with Warren Smith

Johnson County Calvary Chapel, August 7-9

4. Clarinda, Iowa with Warren Smith

Calvary Chapel of Clarinda, August 10 (call for more information)

5. Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Cedarburg Cultural Center, August 16

6. Hartland, Wisconsin

Lake Country Bible Church, August 17

7. St. Louis Park, Minnesota

Twin City Fellowship, August 23

* Ray will be wrapping up his August trip in Winkler, Manitoba. If you live near there, email or call us for information if you would like to attend one of the meetings there.

Ray will be in California during the month of October. He will be speaking in Redding, San Diego, Lodi, and other cities. If you have a group that would like to have Ray speak, please let us know.

Summer/Fall 2008 Catalog

The Summer/Fall 2008 Catalog is now available. We hope you will find our selection of books and DVDs helpful and relevant.

If you are a Lighthouse Trails customer, you will be receiving a copy of the catalog via U.S. mail this week. If you have never ordered from us before and would like to have a copy of the catalog sent to your home, please send your name and mailing address to: catalog@lighthousetrails.com. Please write "catalog" in the subject area of your email to us.

Summer 2008 Book Release: Things We Couldn't Say Has Gone to Press

Our Upcoming Release, Things We Couldn't Say, Has Gone to Press! Order your copy today and receive it By August 15th.

Lighthouse Trails Presents:

Things We Couldn't Say by Diet Eman - August 10, 2008 - a true and gripping story!

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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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.