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| The Mother of the Secret |
By Roger Oakland In my research for Understand The Times, I have read a myriad of books and articles dealing with current events. From time to time, I come across information that opens up new avenues of research that sheds light into the darkness. Such information is important to my calling to warn people about the deception that is taking place around the world in the name of Christ in the days in which we live. Jesus warned us about Last Days spiritual deception that would take place before He returned to planet earth. When asked by His disciples what events would indicate His second coming was near, He responded with a number of answers. Without question, His most urgent warning was centered on the fact that many would be deceived by many in His name.[1] Thomas Petrisko’s book, Mother of the Secret: From Eucharistic Miracles to Marian Apparitions – heaven has sought to illuminate and defend what was once the Church’s greatest secret [2]gives Bible believers a serious glimpse of the kind of deception that Jesus was warning about. This entire book is focused on Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. It is written with the idea that signs and wonders associated with the “presence of Jesus” in the Eucharist and the appearances of his mother Mary happening worldwide are fundamental to understanding true Christianity. |
| Pastor jailed for refusing to testify in Vermont child custody case |
LTRP Note: This is a story that Lighthouse Trails has been following for 3 years since January 2010. This latest story on Lisa and Isabella Miller, the mother and child in hiding for the child’s protection, is another example of how low America has dropped in her morality. Now a federal court has jailed a pastor who refuses to help them learn about the mother and child’s whereabouts. To get the history of this story, check out our links below this article. Pastor Miller (not related to Lisa Miller) was placed in jail a few days ago to await sentencing in March. 
Pastor Miller and his family Mike Donoghue A federal judge has ordered a Virginia pastor jailed for at least one week after he refused to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the circumstances surrounding a mother who fled the country with her daughter while in a custody battle with her former civil-union partner. The Rev. Kenneth Miller said his religious beliefs demanded that he not testify against any other people who might have been involved in helping the woman and child disappear. U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions III was reluctant to order Miller held and gave him several chances to change his mind. “We can’t function as a criminal justice system without the grand jury,” Sessions said. “I appreciate your faithfulness to your religion and your moral beliefs, and perhaps there is an inherent conflict here.” Click here to continue reading. Chronicle of Lighthouse Trails Coverage on the Lisa/Isabella Miller Situation: January 2010: Lesbian-Turned-Christian Mom Fails to Give Up Child to Ex-Partner January 2010: Lesbian ‘mother’ case presents constitutional issue January 2010: Vermont Judge Threatens Mother in Hiding With Arrest March 2010: Former Lesbian, Lisa Miller – Friends Say They Support Her Decision to Go into Hiding with Daughter February 2012: ‘I promised God that if he would save my baby, I would leave the homosexual lifestyle’ September 2012: Amish Man Convicted For Helping Ex-Homosexual Protect Her Daughter
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NOTE:THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE NEW PRINT LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH JOURNAL HAS BEEN MAILED OUT TO ALL OUR NEW SUBSCRIBERS. This subscription-based journal can be used in addition to this free e-newsletter you are getting (this e-newsletter will continue to be sent out 2-3 times a month via e-mail at no charge). (view 1st issue) Note: The new subscription-based print journal can be ordered at any time during the year. Your subscription (which will entitle you to a full twelve months of journals-6 issues) will start when you subscribe. Click here to read more information or to sign up. When you sign up, you will receive the most current issue of the journal at the time you subscribe. Click here to subscribe now.
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| Yoga for Children is Exploding Across North America! | ||||||||||||||||
Yoga for children is exploding! Children are being introduced to it everywhere you turn. All you have to do CANADA Edmonton, AB: The Family That Cobras Together Victoria, BC: "Yoga for Kids and Families" Winnipeg, MB: Prairie Roots Yoga for Kids and the Whole Family! Saskatoon, SK: Yoga for Kids 6-8 Years Old Ontario: Rainbow Kids Yoga USA Camarillo, California: Youngsters, moms share benefits from yoga New Jersey: Yoga offered for developmentally disabled students Nationwide: National Yoga-Recess-Day Brings Mind/Body Fitness to Children Cincinnati, OH: OMYA Studio incorporates music into yoga classes for kids, adults Reading, PA: YogiDance program teaches youngsters ages 3 to 12 that exercise can be fun Philadelphia, PA: Preschoolers, the youngest yogis Oceanside, CA: Yoga for Kids and Parents Event Nationwide: Yoga for kids: How to get your Zen on with your whole family Nationwide (by Disney): Toddler Yoga: YES Juneau, AK: Various "Yoga for Kids" events Boston, MA: Yoga for Babies Cleveland, OH: New club helps students unwind Coon Rapids, MN: Hundreds from community learn value of living well San Antonio, TX: Yoga for children classes Orleans, MA: Yoga part of Orleans Elementary's healthy living focus Portland, OR: Yoga for kids and families: Options are increasing in Portland area Kirkland, WA: Yoga for kids Boulder, CO: Yoga for Kids and Teens Oakland County, MI: Happy Yoga Classes for Children Virginia Beach, VA: Yoga Classes for kids To understand the significance of this explosion in meditation, read Warren B. Smith's book, False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care? Also read Mike Oppenheimer's article: "Christian Yoga, A Great Compromise." Also see this news clip from ABC's Good Morning America: "More Yoga Practitioners are Pint-Sized". This is NOT a Lighthouse Trails sponsored video, and we have no control over any advertisements shown by ABC on this clip. |
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| They Call It “Bibliolatry” (Bible Worship)- But Could it Be a Contemplative Smoke Screen? | ||||||||||||||||
In a article titled ”How Evangelicals Became Over-Committed to the Bible and What Can Be Done About It,” Biola University professor J.P. Moreland says that evangelical Christians are too committed to the Bible. He states:
While Moreland gives examples such as non-charismatics who steer clear of any and all venues such as “impressions, dreams, visions, prophetic words, words of knowledge and wisdom,” there may be more behind his statements than meets the eye. This idea of “bibliolatry” (the idolizing of the Bible) did not originate with Moreland. Contemplative Brennan Manning (who gets many of his ideas from mystics like Thomas Merton and William Shannon (Silence on Fire), once said this:
Without checking the further inferences of such statements, some may agree with Manning and Moreland solely on the idea that we should not worship a leather-bound book but rather the One of whom the book is about. But few “over-committed” Bible-believing Christians would argue with that. Christians who believe the Bible is the actual inspired word of God know that the Bible is not God Himself, but it is the Jesus Christ proclaimed in that Bible who is to be worshiped. But they also know that within the pages of the Bible are the holy words, ideas, and truths of God. So for Moreland and Manning to suggest that these types of Christians don’t really worship God but rather pages in a book is a misrepresentation of Bible-believing Christians. Scot McKnight is another who uses this term, bibliolatry. In his book A Community Called Atonement, McKnight says, “I begin with the rubble called bibliolatry, the tendency for some Christians to ascribe too much to the Bible” (p. 143). Emerging spirituality figure Walter Brueggemann uses the term in his book Theology of the Old Testament (p. 574). There may be a logical reason why these men condemn those who adhere to the Bible too strongly. All have something in common - they all promote contemplative spirituality. And, as we have shown time and again, those who embrace the contemplative spiritual outlook, often shift their focus from the moral (doctrine) to the mystical as Henri Nouwen suggested in his book In the Name of Jesus:
In Moreland’s book, The Lost Virtue of Happiness, he talks about rediscovering important spiritual principles that have been lost. In Faith Undone, Roger Oakland cites this book in explaining the problem of mysticism:
To be sure, the worship of any leather-bound book would be unscriptural and idolatrous, but we have never known or heard of a single case where a Christian advocates or practices Bible worship. As far as that goes, we have known countless Christians who respect (revere) the Bible as being the inspired Word of God; now if that were a point deserving criticism and condemnation, then we would necessarily need to place the apostle Paul under such scrutiny for having said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Was Paul a Bible worshiper? We know he was not. We also know that he never instructed anyone to repeat words or phrases from the Bible over and over for the purpose of achieving a “silence” (i.e., a mind-altering state). Such a practice is not taught anywhere in Scripture; hence, we propose that it is just such a practice that is a misuse of Scripture. Is it mere coincidence that in virtually every case where someone uses the “bibliolatry” argument, that person also promotes contemplative prayer, a practice that cannot be supported through Scripture? And by downplaying scriptural authority, cannot the contemplative viewpoint be easier to promote within Christianity? One last case in point about “bibliolatry” comes from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho (NNU) where Dr. Jay McDaniel was invited to speak. McDaniel is a self-proclaimed “Christian” Buddhist sympathizer. When asked by a student at the lecture whether he believed that Jesus was “the way, the truth, and the life,” McDaniel stated that if Jesus had meant to say that He himself was the way, the truth, and the life, it would have been egocentric and arrogant of Jesus – He only meant to point people in the right direction – letting go of ego and grasping love. McDaniel stated also that Buddhist mindfulness (eastern meditation) is just as truth filled as doctrine and theology. He said there was an overemphasis in the church on doctrine calling it bibliolatry (idol worship of the Bible). (source) (click here to watch video of McDaniel lecture) There is an attack on the Word of God. That’s no new thing–secular humanists, New Agers, and philosophers have attacked the Bible for centuries. But this attack of which we speak comes from within the ranks of Christianity out of the halls of highly respected universities and off the presses of successful Christian publishers, and it is being carried forth by those who gain access into the hearts of men and women through their use of contemplative spirituality. What can we make of this idea of “bibliolatry”? The following statement offers some valid insight regarding this idea that Christians put too much emphasis on the Bible:
In summary, we find it rather odd that in a time in history when many churches are hardly even opening the Bible, that Bible-believing Christians would be accused of focusing too much on the Bible. Our continual plea to all Christians is to be diligent in their study of the Scriptures and to be as the Bereans who "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). We should also note that Jesus never corrected people for studying the Scriptures but rather for their lack of understanding them. Paul nailed it on the head when he said, "Study to show thyself approved unto God . . . rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Could this accusation of "bibliolatry" be nothing more than a smoke screen to further the contemplative agenda? To understand more about the contemplative idea of moving from the moral (doctrine) to the mystical, read chapter 4, section 1 of Faith Undone, “Experience over doctrine” and chapter 3 pages 61-64 (about Nouwen) of A Time of Departing. |
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| New Lighthouse Trails Booklet Tract: LECTIO DIVINA-What it is, What it is not, and Should Christians Practice it? | ||||||||||||||||
LECTIO DIVINA-What it is, What it is not, and Should Christians Practice it? written by the editors at Lighthouse Trails is one of the new Lighthouse Trails Print Booklet Tracts and is an easy to understand explanation of the practice of lectio divina, a practice that is becoming increasing popular in evangelical/Protestant circles today. The booklet is 16 pages long and sells for $1.50 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. This is a great way to tell others about lectio divina and answer the question, should Christians practice it. Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of LECTIO DIVINA-What it is, What it is not, and Should Christians Practice it?, click here. There are also two bonus sections in the booklet: 1) “Some places you will find lectio divina “(listing over 30 Christian authors who are promoting lectio divina); 2) Is There Really a Different Way of Reading the Word of God? (see this section below) New Lighthouse Trails Booklet Tract: “LECTIO DIVINA-What it is, What it is not, and Should Christians Practice it?”
There are said to be four steps in lectio divina. These four steps are:
Catholic priest and contemplative mysticism pioneer Thomas Keating explains what lectio divina is not in an article he has written titled “The Classical Monastic Practice of Lectio Divina.” He explains that lectio divina is not traditional Bible study, not reading the Scriptures for understanding and edification, and not praying the Scriptures (though praying the Scriptures can be a form of lectio divina when a word or phrase is taken from the Scriptures to focus on for the purpose of going into “God’s presence”).2 Keating says that lectio divina is an introduction into the more intense practices—contemplative prayer and centering prayer. While some people think lectio divina is just reading Scripture slowly (and what’s wrong with that), it is the focusing on and repeating a word or small phrase to facilitate going into the “silence” that is the real danger. There is certainly nothing wrong with reading Scripture carefully and thoughtfully. Thoughtfully, we say. In eastern-style meditation (and in contemplative prayer) thoughts are the enemy. Eastern-style mystic Anthony De Mello describes this problem with thoughts in his book Sadhana: A Way to God:
Spiritual director Jan Johnson in her book, When the Soul Listens: Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer also believes that thoughts get in the way, and the mind must be stilled:
Mark Yaconelli, author of Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of Jesus, has this to say about lectio divina. Keep in mind that Yaconelli’s materials are used in evangelical/Protestant settings (e.g., colleges, seminaries, youth groups):
Research analyst Ray Yungen explains this silence that contemplative mystics seek:
With lectio divina, the word or phrase one repeats eventually can lose its meaning, and this repetitive sound can start to put the practitioner into an altered mind state. Yungen tells us that:
Yungen exhorts believers that: “the goal of prayer should not be to bind the mind with a word or phrase in order to induce a mystical trance but rather to use the mind to glory in the grace of God. This was the apostle Paul’s counsel to the various churches: ‘Study to shew thyself approved’ (2 Tim. 2:15) and ‘we pray always’ (2 Thessalonians 1:11) as in talking to God with both heart and mind.”10 In order to help those you care about stay clear of contemplative spirituality and spiritual deception, it is important for you to understand how lectio divina plays a significant role in leading people toward full blown meditative practices. And we propose that this “presence” that is reached during the “silent” altered states of consciousness from saying a word or phrase over and over (or focusing on the breath or an object) is not God’s presence. God has instructed us in the Bible not to perform “special kinds of process[es]” or “formula[s],”11 as Thomas Keating calls lectio divina, to induce mystical experiences (see Deuteronomy 18:9-11); thus, we believe ample warning about lectio divina is warranted. In conclusion, lectio divina is a bridge to eastern-style meditation. If indeed, this is true, then it will lead Christians away from the message of the Cross and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and thus Christians should not practice lectio divina. Do you know where practices such as lectio divina took Thomas Keating in his spirituality? When you read the statement by him below, you can see the answer to this:
Notes: BONUS SECTION Q & A QUESTION: I live in South Africa and even here, the Dutch Reformed church is doing the contemplative route. Some writers have even written some books on the subject in which they actually encourage their members to explore that route! I put an enquiry to one of the blokes on this subject and he explained as follows: In the years after Christ ascended to heaven, there were actually two ways of reading the Bible . . . The school of Antioch read it as a historic/grammatical narrative and the school of Alexandria took the more ‘spiritual’ route of reading. Both ways are/were apparently valid. The Antioch model ensured that God’s Word was read with intellectual integrity and the Alexandrian model ensured that it was read as God’s Word (i.e. meditative and contemplative reading). From the 12th century onwards, universities then created a platform on which the Word could be challenged or critiqued which led to the questioning of the “Godly Dimensions” thereof . . . lectio divina was then neglected; and by now starting the lectio divina method, the idea is to reclaim the ‘Godly Dimensions” of the Word!!” Question? How could we as children of God ever have missed this (tongue in cheek), and is there really a different way of reading the Word? God’s Word is His Word, and we read it as it stands, right, with recognition of the metaphors that [are] used? (maybe I am missing something). Your comments on this will be appreciated, since people just accept this and follow it as if it is fine! If one does challenge them on this, he or she is [said to be] in the wilderness and should wake up and smell the roses [they say] . . . ANSWER: The contemplative prayer (i.e., spiritual formation) movement has found its way into virtually every Christian denomination throughout the world. In your question, you ask, “how could we as children of God ever have missed this . . . ?” That’s a good question. If lectio divina and other contemplative practices were so utterly vital to sustain our relationship with Christ (some Christian leaders state we must have the “stillness” to really know God), how is it that nowhere in the Bible is there any indication at all that we are to use God’s word as a tool to go into a state of silence to reach “‘Godly dimensions’ of the Word.” If indeed such practices were vital for the Christian believer, surely Jesus Christ or the apostles (especially the apostle Paul) would have explicitly instructed us on this. In Ephesians 2, we are told that the “saints” (i.e., “the household of God”) are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone,” and that it is through Christ that we become a “holy temple in the Lord . . . for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (vs. 19-22). But the contemplative prayer movement says we must draw from the ancient Catholic mystics and desert fathers in order for us to become all that Christ desires for us. Basically, the foundation that was laid out in Scripture (which is the Gospel) with Christ as the chief corner stone (the sacrificial Lamb for our salvation) was not enough, but the foundation of the ancient mystics is laid down instead. As Ray Yungen points out, one mysticism proponent admits that the practices these earliest monks drew from were so strongly similar “to those of their Hindu and Buddhist renunciate brethren several kingdoms to the East” that “the meditative techniques they adopted for finding their God suggest either a borrowing from the East or a spontaneous rediscovery”1 With lectio divina (as with other contemplative practices), the Word of God is used as a tool to perform a ritual that will bring on a mystical experience. We contend that it is a misuse of Scripture where God’s word is actually used in a way contrary to God’s intent and purposes. A word or phrase from a passage of Scripture is turned into a mantra-like practice, where it is repeated over and over. No longer do the words have the meaning intended by the authors (the apostles and prophets inspired by the Holy Spirit) but rather an experience to “feel” closer to God is sought. The contemplative says we must seek after a “deeper” relationship with God. But for the born-again believer who has been united with Christ through faith by His grace and “sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30), a method or ritual is not needed to draw near to the Lord for He is already in our hearts established and “we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and being in the body of Christ is all that is necessary to fulfill your relationship needs for God. There is no esoteric tradition that will give you more of the Holy Spirit. In answer to the question, no, we as believers did not miss anything. Contemplatives such as Richard Foster say that Christians are missing something, that our lives are empty and lacking in vitality, and thus we need, they say, these meditation techniques. But if we truly do have a relationship with Jesus Christ, if we have allowed Him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, then He promises to live in our hearts and commune with us. Surely, if we needed to repeat words and phrases over and over in order to have that fellowship with Christ, He would, at some point, have told us in His Word and laid out these contemplative instructions. But rather, the Word tells us that His “grace and peace” have been given to us “through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” and that His “divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” and that through “exceeding great and precious promises” we can be “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4). The biblical way to draw near to God is one in which we acknowledge the work has already been done at the Cross and is offered to “whosoever believeth,” with a free and clear invitation of communion with God, a communion that is ours for the asking. The contemplative way to “draw near to God” is riddled with man’s efforts, mystical eastern practices, altered states of consciousness, an eventual change in attitude toward the atonement, an exaltation of man (as having divinity), and a growing view that the Bible is more of a ritualistic tool and a poetic piece of literature rather than an authority (unchanging, solid, and trustworthy) for our spiritual lives. Just look at the views of the emerging church (which is propelled by contemplative prayer) to see the “fruit” of contemplative spirituality. Or consider what the occult prophetess Alice Bailey said:
Or the words of Thomas Merton’s biographer and advocate, William Shannon:
Simply put, what these quotes reveal is that these “dimensions” of God are not really dimensions of God at all, but pathways to the mystical occult practices and teachings of the East. Ironically, lectio divina will lead practitioners away from the very thing it claims to embrace: the Word of God. When we use the Bible, let us use it in the way it is intended. As Paul succinctly puts it, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Now, if one would like to use the Word of God as a “tool,” the Bible offers its own suggestions:
By its own claims, the Bible is useful for gaining understanding and receiving instruction, but never is it offered as a hypnotic tool or as a mind-altering device. Now, while lectio divina is promoted as a devotional technique, the methods employed ultimately lead one to the “silence.” Thus, as believers, let us reject this practice, and let us cling to and “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). Notes: To order copies of LECTIO DIVINA-What it is, What it is not, and Should Christians Practice it?, click here.
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FREE BIBLE VERSE TEA SAMPLES WITH EVERY ORDER! In March of 2002, we began Lighthouse Trails as a publishing company. Later, in 2004, we added Lighthouse Trails Research Project and this newsletter as a way to get free information out to those who were reading our books. As a way to say thank you to our readers and customers of our catalog and online store, we are offering, indefinitely, to our U.S.A. customers a $5 flat rate shipping on all orders (you can choose a lesser rate for smaller orders). When you get to the third step at check out, just choose the FLAT RATE shipping option. Click here to enter store. FREE BIBLE VERSE TEA SAMPLES WITH EVERY ORDER! |
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