HOME                  February 11, 2013

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What is Next for Rick Warren?

By Roger Oakland
Understand the Times International

He is commonly known as “America’s Pastor.” One of his books, The Purpose Driven Life, has been listed as one of the most widely distributed books ever published. Pastors from around the world follow his every move. He has become the leading voice with regard to church-growth methodology. The past several decades show that Rick Warren has always been at the leading edge of innovative and creative ideas for both evangelical and non-evangelical communities.

Being purpose driven is the phrase that has been coined to explain how to be motivated and make a difference in the world and the church. Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan is designed to work together to solve global problems with global solutions by uniting global religions to work together for the cause of good. His Daniel weight loss program that he promotes uses ideas from New Age gurus thus giving a facelift to what it once meant to be an evangelical Bible-believing Christian.

Furthermore, those who have resisted the agenda authored by Warren to re-shape Christianity for the twenty-first century are often told to get with the program, make the transition, or find another place to fellowship. The Purpose Driven Peace Plan has taken what was once evangelical Christianity by storm. The only question that remains to be answered is what will be the next level of indoctrination that will comply with Warren’s agenda to influence the world and the church? Click here to continue reading.

Related Article:
SPECIAL REPORT: RICK WARREN RETAINS UNBIBLICAL POSITION IN NEW 2012 EDITION OF THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE

Also see: Weekly News in Review with Understand the Times

 

 

Christian Colleges That DO NOT Have Spiritual Formation Programs

Disclaimer: These colleges are listed, not necessarily as an endorsement or recommendation, but rather to show schools that do not have Spiritual Formation programs, nor do we know of any promotion of contemplative prayer or the emerging church within each of these schools. They also do not promote Purpose Driven materials, which are a catalyst for contemplative spirituality. Before sending your student to any of the schools listed below, please check out other criteria at the school that will influence your student. Here is our list of schools that ARE promoting these things.

Updated: February 10, 2013

Appalachian Bible College (West Virginia)

Atlanta Baptist College (Georgia)

Berean Bible Institute (Wisconsin)

Bob Jones University (South Carolina)

Boston Baptist College (Massachusetts)

College of the Open Bible & Theological Seminary (Online)

Cornerstone Bible Institute (South Dakota)

Faith Baptist Bible College & Seminary (Iowa)

Heartland Baptist Bible College ( Oklahoma)

His Hill Bible School and Camp (Texas)

International Baptist College (Arizona)

Internet Bible Institute (online)

Liberty Baptist College (Georgia) (see Atlanta B. C.)

Millar College (Sask, CA)

Pensacola Christian College (Florida)

Special Note: If your student is not yet aware of what the New Age movement really is, you should ask them to read For Many Shall Come in My Name and/or Castles in the Sand. The information in these books is vital and will prepare young people and adults alike to recognize dangerous and non-biblical practices and beliefs that are being introduced into countless Christian schools and into the Christian church at large.

 

What is Next for Rick Warren?
Christian Colleges That DO NOT Have Spiritual Formation Programs
Letter to the Editor: Saddened that Indian Bible College in Arizona Has Implemented Spiritual Formation – Lighthouse Trails Shares Concerns
Who Shapes Our Conscience and defines RIGHT or WRONG in today’s corrupt culture?
Boy Scouts Delay Decision on Homosexual Leaders
Spiritual Research Network Offers “Master List” of Books to Watch Out For
Letter to the Editor: National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Classes Offering Mindful Meditation – Many Christians Attending
Letter to Muddy Waters Author: “Have worked and lived among Canada’s First Nations and Inuit peoples for a number of years”
Christian Baker Under Fire for Refusing Wedding Cake for Lesbian Couple
NEW PRINT LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH JOURNAL - CHECK OUT BULK RATES (view 1st issue)
“Evangelical Catholicism” – The Catholic Church’s Step-Up on Winning the “Lost Brethren”
Book endorsing ‘two-mom’ homosexual household back on shelves
New Lighthouse Trails PRINT BOOKLET TRACT: My Journey Out of Catholicism
FLAT RATE U.S. SHIPPING AND HISTORY OF LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS
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Free Things From Lighthouse Trails
Letter to the Editor: Saddened that Indian Bible College in Arizona Has Implemented Spiritual Formation – Lighthouse Trails Shares Concerns
LTRP Note: Sadly, after receiving this letter and after doing our own research, we have learned that Indian Bible College of Flagstaff, Arizona (the only non-denominational Bible college for Natives) is integrating Spiritual Formation into their college. We hope IBC leadership will read Nanci Des Gerlaise’s book, Muddy Waters, and turn away from the direction they are heading. If we didn’t believe that this is a serious matter, we would not post this information. However, we know that the “fruit” of contemplative spirituality (i.e., Spiritual Formation) is panentheism and interspirituality, both of which negate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please read the following carefully. Please also read our special note below this letter.

To Lighthouse Trails:

The list on your website of colleges that promote “Spiritual Formation” is heartbreaking. As the well is poisoned, so the entire flock is made sick, it seems. The following example describes what takes place as the graduates of these institutions begin to have an influence. A personal perspective:

From May 20__ until May of 20__, my wife and I lived in Flagstaff, Arizona. While there, we were members of a small, conservative local church, which has a very good mission support and outreach focus. This church supports Indian Bible College (IBC), a very small institution whose mission it is to train indigenous Christians for ministry. There is a great deal of interaction between the two organizations . . . students serving ministry assignments etc. So far, so good.

[One] elder [of our church] leads a “men’s breakfast” study group. We had done some very good book studies by Ryrie and others, and then a book by Dallas Willard titled Revolution of Character was introduced. I was not very familiar with Willard’s work, but the endorsement by Brian McLaren sounded the alarm in my mind. After reading the book, I became very concerned. Sadly, my concern was shared by only one other man in the group. We tried several times to direct attention to some of the more obvious “garbage” in the book, and even the pastor admitted some concern, but ultimately said there was enough good there to warrant its use. (The pastor, an older man, is a good teacher, but does not use any electronic communication and thus seems unaware of much of the discussion surrounding Emergent/Contemplative/Spiritual Formation heresies.)

It occurred to me to look at where Indian Bible College was in terms of “spiritual formation.” There I found the answer! The college president since 2008 is Dr. Jason Koppen who received his master’s degree from Multnomah Seminary and his doctorate from Western Seminary. Effective in 2010, and whether enrolled in the one year, two year, or four year program, all students are now required to take formal “Spiritual Formation” instruction. The spiritual formation “method” is promoted vigorously throughout campus life and teaching [see links below].

The influence (of this teaching) on the elder at our church is unmistakable, and the roll-down to the local body is likewise obvious. Though we no longer live in Flagstaff , we are hearing that the errors continue to multiply with even more outrageous reading recommendations. I fear the structure and direction of this local body has been altered and not for the good. Similarly, IBC has a board made up of mostly elderly men who, like our former pastor, are simply not in touch with what is happening in the church today. They are being led along a path that leads directly into error and seem to have no clue what is at the end. This grieves me greatly!

I do appreciate what you and others (The Berean Call, for example) are doing to awaken believers to what is going on. Continue to sound the alarm and speak the Truth!

God Bless you.
(Don – not real name)

PS – Please visit www.indianbible.org to verify class schedules/titles. I think IBC ought to be on your list, even though they are very small.

Information from Lighthouse Trails, showing our concerns for Indian Bible College’s move into Spiritual Formation:

1) Jason Koppen, IBC’s president since 2009, wrote his dissertation thesis titled: “Native spiritual formation design : a strategy and process for students at the Indian Bible College.” While this document does not appear to be available to the public, we have concerns about what this “spiritual formation design” for IBC students is. Koppen received his B.S. at George Fox University, his M.S. at Multnomah University, and his doctorate at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. All three of these schools have integrated contemplative spirituality into their schools. Thus, we have strong concerns about Koppen’s “strategy and process” to bring spiritual formation to IBC students. We hope supporters and leaders of Indian Bible College will ask Koppen to let them read his dissertation thesis and find out exactly what this “spiritual formation design” entails. On Koppen’s Facebook page, he lists two of Gary Thomas’ books as favorites. Thomas is a contemplative proponent. In Thomas’ book Sacred Pathways, he tells readers to repeat a word for 20 minutes, and in his book Sacred Marriage (one of the ones on Koppen’s FB), he references tantric sex author Mary Anne McPherson Oliver (Conjugal Spirituality) a dozen times. We can only hope that Koppen doesn’t introduce IBC to Gary Thomas’ books. (Update: Since posting this article on our blog on 2/10/13, our reader who wrote the letter above has confirmed to us that IBC has, at least in one class, used Gary Thomas’ book, Sacred Marriage).

1a) Evidence that Indian Bible College is using Jason’s dissertation material on Spiritual Formation: “October 30th we celebrated with Jason Koppen (president of the school) as he presented his doctoral dissertation to the general public. His dissertation is the culmination of 9 years of work. We are already using his material in our Spiritual Formation sessions. His final draft will be turned in tomorrow, Lord willing.” (source)

2) Bachelor of Biblical Studies Requirements – This is the current listing on their website, even though it says 2010. Includes Spiritual Formation I-VIII (8 courses in Spiritual Formation)

3) Associate of Biblical Studies Requirements – Includes Spiritual Formation I-IV (4 courses in Spiritual Formation)

3) Certificate of Biblical Studies Requirements - Includes Spiritual Formation I-II (2 courses in Spiritual Formation)

4) 2012 Fall Kickoff Kampout - “the students and staff were engaged in intensive time together as Spiritual Formation groups, exploring spiritual disciplines and spiritual pathways”

Special Note: On the Indian Bible College website, in a document titled, “A Biblical Position by Native Leaders on Native Spirituality,” it states the following: “God will not share His glory with anything in creation. To do so is idolatry. To combine elements of Native religion and biblical truth is syncretism. We must renounce and avoid any form of idolatry and syncretism, because they are forbidden in Scripture. . . . By syncretism, we refer specifically to the subtle attempt to integrate Biblical truth and faith in Christ with non-biblical Native religious beliefs, practices, and forms. The result is an adulteration of biblical truth and the birth of “another gospel (Gal 1: 6-9).” If Spiritual Formation is allowed to remain in Indian Bible College, they will have to retract this statement because contemplative spirituality (i.e., spiritual formation) not only bears similarities to Native Spirituality but it too is syncretistic being a blending of Eastern-style meditation and biblical truth that negates the Gospel in favor of a panentheistic and interspiritual view of God.

At Lighthouse Trails, we care very much for Native American and First Nations people. That is why we published Muddy Waters. And that’s why we started an entire new category titled Native Spirituality on our publishing website. We want to get this information out.

Just as it would be wrong to encourage Christian Native Americans to continue in “non-biblical Native religious beliefs” as IBC’s statement says, it would be equally wrong to introduce them to an adulterated form of Christianity (i.e., contemplative spirituality/Spiritual Formation). If you share our concerns about Indian Bible College, we urge you to contact members of the Board of Directors at Indian Bible College and ask them to investigate this matter. Lighthouse Trails will be sending complimentary copies of Muddy Waters and A Time of Departing (and an offer to read Faith Undone too if any request it) to all the board members this coming week with the hopes they will realize that bringing Spiritual Formation into the college will be doing a grave disservice to students at Indian Bible College.

Board of Directors of Indian Bible College
Mike Ezell Mike Ezell, Chairman Director, Valley Counseling Center Pastor, Black Mountain City Community Church, Phoenix, AZ
photo coming soon Robert Dayzie, Vice Chairman Gray Mountain Bible Church, Pastor Gray Mountain, AZ
david   Patterson David Patterson, Treasurer American Missionary Fellowship, Missionary Flagstaff, AZ
Roy   Anderson Roy Anderson, Secretary Retired Director, Pocket Testament League Missionary, Latin Evangelical Outreach Congress, AZ
Jerry   Yonnie Jerry Yonnie Southwest Field Director, UIM International Sanders, Arizona
Don   Fredericks Don Fredericks UIM International, Director Emeritus Glendale, AZ
Willie   Tsosie Willie Tsosie Kaibeto Baptist Church, Pastor Kaibeto, AZ

Articles by Nanci Des Gerlaise:

Two Sources of Power But Only One Source of Truth

Dream Catchers – Those Popular Spidery “Sacred Hoops”

Native Spirituality “Renewal” Emerges

The Dangers of Sweat Lodge Ceremonies

The Merging of Native Spirituality and the Emerging Church . . . for the “Healing” of the Nations?

 

Who Shapes Our Conscience and defines RIGHT or WRONG in today’s corrupt culture?

By Berit Kjos
KJos Ministries

What determines our values in today’s fast-changing world? Who imprints its values on our conscience? Do parents? Teachers? The Media? Or our omnipotent God?

It depends! In former times, the Christian conscience played a leading role in American schools and families. Parents who trusted God treasured His Word and taught it to their children. With His Word imprinted on their conscience, they would know whom to follow when faced with a challenge.

We live in a new era! The Bible-trained conscience has largely been replaced by contrary guidelines that twist, scorn or deny God’s truth. Some still point to a conscience, but most people redefine it to match today’s cultural values and personal inclinations. These examples illustrate the diversity:

    • Social Conscience:“Our conscience is not the vessel of eternal verities [Biblical truth]. It grows with our social life, and a new social condition means a radical change in conscience.”[2] Walter Lippmann
  • National Conscience: “Our concept of governing is…a concept deeply rooted in a set of beliefs firmly etched in the national conscience…”[3] Barbara Jordan
  • Bypassing the Conscience:“No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”[4] Ingmar Bergman
  • Mocking the Conscience: “What a man calls his ‘conscience’ is merely the mental action that follows a sentimental reaction after too much wine or love.”[5] Helen Rowland
  • Cultural Conscience:(Christian or not):”The conscience of children is formed by the influences that surround them….”[6] Jean Paul Richter

Click here to continue reading and for footnote material.

BOY SCOUTS DELAY DECISION ON HOMOSEXUAL LEADERS

Fox News

Some religious groups say they are encouraged by the Boy Scouts announcement that delays a decision to allow [homosexual] people to serve as scout leaders.

Boy Scout leaders were going to decide whether to allow [homosexuals] to serve as Scout Leaders. They were possibly going to leave it up to individual troops, but now they say they’re going to push off their decision until May – they need more time.

(Oldham) “We’re grateful that, at this point, it looks like that there has been a response on the part of the board members to the prayers that we’ve offered to the Lord.”

That’s Roger Oldham with the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. Many [homosexual] people find this delay devastating, and call a ban on [homosexuals] serving as Scout Leaders discriminatory. Oldham disagrees. Click here to continue reading.

Related Article:

LTRP Note: Less than a year after the “Boy Scouts reaffirm ban on homosexuals despite relentless protest campaigns,” the organization will be deciding soon on whether to lift that ban. In the video below, the President of the United States says that homosexuals should be able to have access to Boy Scouts and to every walk of life.

By Jeff Mason
Reuters

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Sunday encouraged the Boy Scouts of America to end its ban on gay members and leaders, days before the group is expected to vote on the controversial and long-standing rule.

In an interview with CBS, anchor Scott Pelley asked the president if he believed scouting should be open to gays.

“Yes,” Obama said simply.

Asked to elaborate, Obama – who last year said he supports the right of same-sex couples to marry – said gays and lesbians should be able to participate in “every institution” that others can.

“My attitude is … that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life,” he said. Click here to continue reading.

If you cannot view this video below, click here.

Related News:

America in Crisis: Boy Scouts of America May Drop Ban on Homosexuals As Boy Scout Leaders

November 2012: UPS Says No to Boy Scouts, Yes to Gay Groups

July 2012: Boy Scouts reaffirm ban on homosexuals despite relentless protest campaigns

Spiritual Research Network Offers “Master List” of Books to Watch Out For

By Chris Lawson
Spiritual Research Network

Far too many Christians these days are buying, reading, recommending, selling, lending, promoting and involving themselves with books and authors that either teach or give full endorsement to unbiblical teachings and activities.

This is because far too many Christians do not “Test all things, hold fast what is good” (1 Thes. 5:21). The types of books we are referring to are:

Contemplative Spirituality, Cultic, Emerging Church, Heretical, Homosexual, Lesbian, New Age, Pro-Gay, Purpose Driven, Transgendered, and Word-Faith Authors and Books Advertised and Promoted within [MANY] Online and Walk-in Christian Bookstores Worldwide.

Our intention in posting the ‘Master List of Authors and Books Not Recommended’ is not to tell Christians they can’t read books, do research, or think for themselves, but rather, to warn people about aberrant, heretical and even occult teachings and practices inside and out of the church.

If you recognize an author, book, ministry, etc., on this list we encourage you to do your own research and to test what you find in light of sound Biblical theology. This is what Christian research ministries and pastors have done in order to faithfully warn the flock of God against deception.

The ‘Master List of Authors and Books Not Recommended’ is basically a concise warning list and it is the fruit of countless thousands of hours of tiring research. In our own research library, we have over 3,000 books, research and journal articles, magazines, etc. We quote from many of these books/authors in order to expose their false teachings. Many of these book/authors are found on The ‘Master List of Authors and Books Not Recommended.’

It is also important to note that there are many other balanced Christian research ministries and churches that are exposing the deceptions of the authors/books on this list. The list is not compiled by just a few “lone-star loose cannon apologetic ministries”, but rather, it has been added to over time by many Christians from around the world.

Lastly, our motivation for linking to this list is not to malign, pick on, make fun of, slander or speak ill of any fellow human being. Our motivation is to lovingly exhort people to use discernment in regards to these books, authors and ministries. The list is “updated regularly, and will be of great use to bookstore affiliates, customers, distributors, employees, managers, owners, publishers and vendors of both online and walk-in Christian bookstores…”

It is our prayer that you will be spared from unbiblical teachings and practices that could lead you away from the biblical Jesus Christ and the biblical Gospel.

Chris Lawson
Spiritual Research Network

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MASTER LIST.
Letter to the Editor: National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Classes Offering Mindful Meditation – Many Christians Attending

LTRP Note: Prior to posting this Letter to the Editor, we checked out the NAMI website and discovered the promotion of Yoga, Reiki, and many other New Age type meditation practices. This organization offers classes to many groups: teens, children, veterans, etc. Another example of how mysticism has become widespread and how even many Christians are not recognizing it.

Hello Lighthouse Trails:

I always enjoy your articles and wanted to add that mysticism is indeed everywhere. I recently dropped out of a class [called Peer to Peer], which NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offered, because a large part of the class centered on mindfulness, a Buddhist practice. I found there was no way that I could escape this, especially since half of the class claimed to be Christian, even one of the facilitators.

My antennae went up the moment I heard it mentioned in the first class- we did not do it in that class. It was a promise for ‘later’ and I researched it. I hoped that I could defer my way out but no, they make you participate whether you want to or not. This is a very ‘PC’ organization so I cannot decide if I am or am not surprised at this. I probably should not be.

Thank you for your wonderful articles. They are a light to help guide in this dark world. (Of course the real light being Jesus and the Bible!) I appreciate the work that discernment ministries are doing. Please know that I keep you all in prayer, as financial support is often not in my reach.

Best Regards,

___________

Letter to Muddy Waters Author: “Have worked and lived among Canada’s First Nations and Inuit peoples for a number of years”

To Nanci Des Gerlaise (Lighthouse Trails author of Muddy Waters) from a Lighthouse Trails Reader
[excerpts used with permission from writer and author]

Just a little note to express my thankfulness to you for writing Muddy Waters. I praise God for the grace He provided you in courageously writing and publishing this book.

My husband and I are caucasian but have worked and lived among Canada’s First Nations and Inuit peoples for a number of years. We knew that Native Spirituality was being practiced, but we knew nothing about it. The children among the Inuit would sometimes tell “secrets” that were rather alarming, and as a Christian, I understood they were speaking about demonic activity. I remember feeling scared, overwhelmed, and inadequate to share the Gospel with the kids who would talk. As medical workers, we saw first hand the effects of Native Spirituality (drug overdoses, abuse, suicide attempts, mental illness etc.) but didn’t understand the root of these effects. Instead, we attributed such behaviour to their tragic history with the government and church (which is definitely an aspect of the suffering, but not the root of it). Ignorantly, we attended drum dancing ceremonies and one smudge ceremony. I thank you for bringing to our attention what these ceremonies really are – we have prayed and taken time to renounce any ties that may have been formed by our presence at these ceremonies. . . .

I wish so much we could sit and have coffee (or tea or whatever). I have so many questions to ask about sharing the Gospel with First Nations and Inuit peoples – especially since I am white. I personally must remember that Jesus is not “a white man’s religion” and stop assuming that this is how He will be viewed. He has purchased victory for every person who calls out to Him. He is what every person needs for salvation and reconciliation to God. . . .

I praise God for the work you have done and are doing. My husband and I have witnessed the tremendous need for the Gospel to be brought to Canada’s arctic. At this point we can only surrender our lives to Him as vessels for His work and trust His direction, preparation, and ability.

Thank you again. God bless you.

Joyfully HIS, _______________

 

Christian Baker Under Fire for Refusing Wedding Cake for Lesbian Couple

By Leonardo Blair
Christian Post

A Gresham, Ore., baker is now facing fire and praise from both advocates and opponents of same-sex relationships, and an investigation from the Oregon Attorney General’s Office after he refused to make a cake for a lesbian wedding citing his Christian faith . . .

“I apologized for wasting their time and said we don’t do same-sex marriages,” Klein told KATU in an on-camera interview. “(I)honestly did not mean to hurt anybody, didn’t mean to make anybody upset, (it’s) just something I believe in very strongly,” he said. . . .

The Oregon Equality Act of 2007 prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which covers businesses such as Klein’s. But the baker told KATU that he also has a right under the First Amendment to practice his faith. Click here to read more.

 

NEW PRINT LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH JOURNAL - RECEIVE 12 MONTHS (6 ISSUES) OF OUR PRINT JOURNAL - ALSO CHECK OUT BULK RATES

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 click here 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.

Order Bulk Subscriptions and Save: If you would like to order more than one subscription (minimum: 5 subscriptions), the cost is $9.55 per subscription (6 issues/12 months), plus whatever it costs to ship the bulk journals to one address. Bulk rates are just for when the entire batch is going to one address. Call 866/876-3910 or e-mail sales@lighthousetrails.com for a quote on bulk subscription shipping costs.

For various addresses, just order single subscriptions.

 

“Evangelical Catholicism” – The Catholic Church’s Step-Up on Winning the “Lost Brethren”

Commentary from Understand the Times regarding article below on the Catholic Church’s Step-up of “New Evangelization” Program

UTT- It is important that Bible believing Christians understand the true meaning of “Evangelical Catholicism,” also known as the New Evangelization Program. The Roman Catholic agenda is to win the world to the Eucharistic Jesus in order to set up the “Kingdom of God” on earth. The Eucharistic Jesus requires a Roman Catholic priest and the process of transubstantiation. This “Jesus”, which actually is nothing more than a wafer, is placed into a monstrance (container) and worshipped and adored. This whole process will play a significant role in setting up a One World Religion in the name of Christ that prepares the way for the antichrist.

“George Weigel says New Evangelization is future of Catholicism”
By Adelaide Darling
Global Catholic Network

As the Catholic Church works to shape the culture in the 21st century, her members must embrace reality while fearlessly proclaiming the truth, said author George Weigel.

“It is the same Church, the same Faith and above all the same Lord,” emphasized Weigel, a noted Catholic commentator and biographer of Pope John Paul II.

However, he explained, “the Evangelical Catholicism of the third millennium” will live out its fidelity “in a distinctive way.”

Weigel spoke on Feb. 5 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. His lecture, hosted by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, coincided with the release of his new book, “Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church.”

He explained that the deeply cultural Catholicism that emerged during the Counter-Reformation supported the evangelization of the New World, an intellectual counterbalance to the Enlightenment and opposition to the totalitarian political movements of the 20th century. Click here to read more.

LTRP Note: Roger Oakland discusses the New Evangelization program of the Catholic Church in his book Another Jesus. Below is a link to chapter six of that book:

Chapter six of Another Jesus by Roger Oakland, “The New Evangelization.”

Book endorsing ‘two-mom’ homosexual household back on shelves

Michael F. HaverlucIn Our Mothers' House (book cover)
OneNewsNow.com

After being sued late last year by the American Civil Liberties Union to put the book In Our Mothers’ House back on the library shelves of Utah public elementary schools, the Davis School District caved in to the legal pressure and settled with the homosexual advocacy group to make the book readily available to young students in the school.

District attorneys agreed to put the controversial book back on the shelves despite parents’ objections, not to mention a state statute prohibiting instructional materials containing “advocacy of homosexuality.” Shortly after conceding last month, this agreement was put into action, as Assistant Superintendent Pamela Park sent the order for elementary school librarians to place the controversial book back on the shelves in several district libraries. Click here to continue reading.

New Lighthouse Trails PRINT BOOKLET TRACT: My Journey Out of Catholicism

My Journey Out of Catholicism, written by Lighthouse Trails chief editor, David Dombrowski, is one of the new Lighthouse Trails Print Booklet Tracts and is a testimonial tract. The booklet is 16 pages long and sells for $1.50 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. This booklet can be used as an evangelistic tool. Below is the content of the booklet. The book also contains a bonus section written by Roger Oakland called “Call Upon the True Jesus.” To order copies of My Journey Out of Catholicism, click here.

My Journey Out of Catholicism
by David Dombrowski

Over the years, I have encountered many Christians who wonder, “What’s wrong with being Catholic? After all, they believe in the Cross; they believe Jesus is the Son of God. It can’t be all that bad.” If you are a Christian who has wondered about these things, this special testimonial report is for you.

I was born and raised as a Roman Catholic, so I am writing of things I know about and lived with for over thirty years. From my earliest childhood, I had a hunger and a thirst for God. I largely attribute this to my mother who instilled in me the love and reverence for God that she had. Born and raised in Poland, she grew up Catholic, but when she was about thirteen years old, while kneeling in a chapel alone, she invited Jesus Christ into her heart to be Lord of her life. Just prior to this, she had lost both of her parents to mushroom poisoning. Jesus filled a void in her life that carried her through many difficult years. Years later, she shared with me that this must have been her born-again experience, though in the Catholic church she had not heard of such terminology; altar calls and making decisions to receive Christ were totally alien to her experience.

The fact is that there has never been a place in the Catholic church for evangelistic crusades and personal decisions because every child raised Catholic is brought up with the belief that he is automatically “Christian” because he was baptized as an infant. In years past, many Anabaptists were burned at the stake because they recognized the fallacy and false assurance associated with infant baptism.

I guess I could accurately say that my mother had a personal relationship with the Lord, not because of Catholicism but in spite of it. As in her case, few Catholics even realize or understand what Catholicism really teaches and how the actual doctrines and teachings are polar opposites to biblical Christianity. Yes, the Catholic Church does teach morals, as do most religions, but when it comes to salvation, the actual teachings hinder and prevent the lost from finding The Way.

As a little boy, I had a very firm belief in God, and I knew that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the Cross for my sins. I grew up as a religious boy, but my consciousness of sin and my sense of guilt never escaped me. As I grew to adolescence and then adulthood, the realization of my own sinfulness haunted me all the more. I can still remember one snowy night in winter in Portland, Oregon when I was nineteen; although it was nearly midnight, I decided to go for a walk. The moonlit snow enabled me to see my way clearly, and looking up at the stars that night somehow made me feel in touch with God. I still remember saying out loud to God at that moment, “God, I believe if I were to die tonight, I would go to Hell; and if that is going to change, you’re going to have to do something.” This was one of those rare moments where I was completely honest with God and addressed Him in a manner other than the rote, memorized prayer I was taught in the Catholic church.

I suppose if one thing can be said for Catholicism, it can help foster a sense of guilt in a practicing Catholic. My church life consisted of confessing my sins to a priest on a weekly basis, then receiving “absolution” only to come back the following week riddled with sin and guilt again. I think few Catholics and even fewer Protestants actually know or understand the Catholic way of “salvation,” yet it is still printed in the Baltimore Catechism that we are saved by our participation in the sacraments. Central to Catholicism, in fact its very focal point, is the sacrament of the Eucharist where it is believed that bread and wine are literally transformed into the body and blood of Jesus. The implications of this belief, although unbiblical, may seem innocent enough until one realizes that this practice is without question the very heart and core of the Catholic “gospel.” In other words, your participation of this sacrament is what saves you. The point is that your salvation depends on something you do. It gives you a temporary and false sense of assurance until you sin again. In fact, according to Catholic teaching, one can never be assured of one’s own salvation. To have such assurance is to be guilty of the sin of pride. And looking back on it now, such a conclusion makes perfect sense because if our salvation were based on our performance (i.e., participation in the sacraments), we would have something to boast about. So logically from that point of view, if we don’t acknowledge or recognize our salvation, at least in theory we can be humble about it. But Paul saw the error in all this fallacious thinking when he penned the words:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

For the Catholic, the concept of salvation by grace through faith alone is nearly impossible to receive because rooted in the heart of man (and virtually all religions) is the idea that we must earn our way to heaven. Now that Catholics are beginning to read their Bibles, they will sometimes quote other Bible passages, especially from James, to prove that we are, after all, still saved by works. Little do they realize that James was trying to explain what biblical faith really is. It is not an intellectual ascent but a full trust and commitment to our Savior that expresses itself in the way we live. If James were trying to say that our good works justify us, he would not have used the story of Abraham, Isaac, and the altar to make his point. Surely, Abraham was a man of unusual faith, but he did not pretend that he could find salvation through his own goodness, nor was his attempt to sacrifice Isaac on the altar an expression of goodness but rather of his faith in God alone.

In my case, growing up as a Catholic, I had virtually no knowledge of the Scriptures because we were never encouraged to read the Bible on our own lest we should come up with our own interpretations. And here is the crux of the matter: Christians often make the mistake of thinking that because Catholics believe in Jesus and the Cross, everything is O.K. But the reality is that as a Catholic, I knew that Jesus had atoned for my sins on the Cross but that redemption was not freely available to me. In some way, I had to earn my right to the Cross. This belief of mine was rooted to the very core of my being from participating in thousands of Masses where Jesus is re-crucified for my sins again and again. This deep heart-felt belief of mine that fostered my ongoing guilt was unfortunately not misconstrued but one hundred percent Catholic and totally in line with Catholic teaching. Salvation was, therefore, something attainable but always uncertain and out of reach. It is no wonder that the highly acclaimed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who spent her life ministering sacrificially to the poor and sick in India, spent her final hours in serious doubts of her own salvation.

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God . . . For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11,12,14)

I was now twenty years old and had completed my second year of college. I had feared the Viet Nam draft because I heard they were now drafting college students into the military, but now that I was twenty, I felt secure that I need not fear the lottery any longer. But then, I received my draft notice in the summer of ‘72. I saw this as God’s judgment on me, but little did I know at the time that God was answering what I had said to Him on that starry night a few months earlier.

My time in the Army brought a drastic change to my life. It was the first time I was away from home. It also was my first experience in getting to know other people on a deeper level as I lived and worked with them. For the first time in my life, I met Christians who shared with me the Gospel. One of them even gave me a New Testament, which I did read as I had made the decision that I would use my time in the military to seek for and hopefully find God.

In contrast, having been sent to Germany, I witnessed the selfish and destructive lifestyle of most of the soldiers. In my unit, the majority of them got high on drugs at every opportunity. And drunkenness and prostitution was widespread too. But, I was known as the straight guy. In fact, I was so disgusted by what I saw happening around me that I determined not to have one taste of alcohol while I was there. Some of the soldiers mocked me, though I tried to be amiable and live at peace with them. I still remember one soldier blowing marijuana smoke in my face because I would not get high with them.

But all the while, I knew that my heart was unclean, and I saw in these soldiers a reflection of the dirt in my own life and knew that I was headed toward moral destruction. This made me all the more anxious to find the victory and peace I was witnessing in the lives of the Christians. It was at this very low point of my life that I realized again, like on that night beneath the stars, that without God’s intervention, my life would go to ruins. Up until now, I thought I had the power to change myself, but I now realized I was continuing on a spiritual decline. I picked up a Gospel tract that one of my sergeants had given me and found that salvation is within easy reach of anyone who will acknowledge his own sinfulness and inability to save himself. The hard part was getting to the place of recognizing my need of a Savior. And the Catholic gospel of justification by grace through works had hindered me from finding Christ for years.

I should caution you that if you were to approach the average practicing Catholic with this article, they would either tell you that I was mistaught Catholic doctrine as a youth or things have changed since Vatican II. However, the truth is literally staring us in the face when we realize that the Catholic priest performs an unbiblical ritual in the Eucharist, and Catholic doctrine still says that our participation in this is what saves us. In fact, if you were to take the Eucharist out of the Catholic Mass, you would no longer have the Mass. And if you took the Mass out of Catholicism, you would no longer have the Catholic church, and no priest can deny this.

Some may say, well perhaps the Catholic church is right about the doctrine of Transubstantiation. Maybe the communion wafer and the wine literally do become the body and blood of Jesus—under false appearances of course. But if this were true, then Jesus would necessarily have been lying to his disciples when He told them He had been using a figure of speech; rather than using the earthly term “flesh” in the literal sense, He used the term to express spiritual truth.

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63—Italics mine)

But let’s just suppose for a moment that Jesus had answered his disciples in another way when they began to murmur, “this is a hard saying; who can hear it?” Let’s just suppose Jesus answered their confusion by saying, “Oh yes, I really meant it literally. Eating my flesh is profitable and will give you spiritual life.” Given this scenario, would the Catholic church be right in the celebration of the Mass, where Christ is re-crucified daily on an altar? The answer is no because we would still be speaking of another gospel than the one each of the apostles preached. And this is the one key point I want to get across in this article: Our justification is by grace through faith alone, not by our participation in a ritual. Being born of the Spirit is what gives us life—eternal life. By the way, Nicodemus was also troubled when Jesus said to him, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). He could not understand how anyone could come out of his mother’s womb twice. Jesus was always speaking of spiritual things, using earthly terms and parables to express His meaning, but man, being carnal, always misunderstood His meaning, and so it is today.

My time in the service ended shortly after I read that tract and received the Lord in full trust to be my Savior. In fact, I found the Lord about two months before I left the service. God had wrought a miracle in my life in just two years, and I came out of the Army a new man—thanks to God, of course. God also opened my understanding of the Scriptures, but I did not know where to find fellowship. Then, I found out about Catholic charismatic meetings in my area. It seems that a goodly number of Catholics had found the Lord at the tail end of the Jesus movement, and these meetings provided a place for fellowship. I still remember a discussion we had as to whether or not we should leave the Catholic church. The consensus was that we should stay so as to be a light to those who are still lost. For this reason, I remained in the Catholic church for a number of years. Finally, as my life was more and more transformed by the Word of God, I realized that staying was not accomplishing my hope of being a light to Catholics, and the best witness I could provide was to leave. While I do not judge those who stayed for the benefit of the lost, I want to point out a serious fallacy in this thinking because the Catholic church is non-reformable. As I alluded to before, the sacrament of the Eucharist is another gospel, but to do away with it would be to do away with the whole structure of the Mass, and the Catholic church would then cease to exist. I feel very sorry for those believing Catholics who decided to stay; it must be very difficult for them and awkward for them not to feel like hypocrites.

At the tail end of my stay in the Catholic church, I joined an evangelical Christian community. From the day I found the Lord, I was always intrigued by Acts chapter 4, where the first Christians “were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in common” (Acts 4:32). The whole idea of community seemed like a piece of heaven on earth. I joined the community with the determination to make it work, even if the task was difficult. And difficult it turned out to be. Oddly, when I became a Christian, I was soon identified by other believers as having a gift of discernment, but now in this community it seemed that the opposite became the rule for the day: if something bothered me, the leaders said it was because I was fighting against God. I remember testing out this attitude one day when our community took a few days vacation trip. Somehow, our vehicles got separated, and sitting across from the driver, I said in jest, “I think maybe we should turn left.” His immediate reply was, “Okay then, I’m going to turn right.” Although done in humor, this incident was a true reflection of the attitude the members of the community had toward me.

Then, the day came when some of the leaders announced that they were considering becoming Catholic—this was a decision they were making not just for themselves but for all of us. When I joined the community, it was non-denominational though its roots were in a Baptist church. It had begun as a recovery ministry for young people who had forsaken drugs and alcohol or just needed a place to live. The fact that these leaders were now entertaining thoughts about Catholicism came as a great disturbance to me, but not as a total surprise. I had witnessed over the years how some of the members seemed somewhat intrigued with the Catholic church and with Catholic mystics like Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton. I remember one Christmas Eve when three of the women decided they were going to attend midnight Mass. I overheard them the next day talking about how enjoyable an experience it had been.

But the meeting where the leaders announced their move toward Catholicism was anything but enjoyable for me. It was like watching a mutiny in one of those old pirate movies but without the violence. The senior elder of the community strongly opposed our becoming Catholic by saying that it did not represent who we were. But there were too many others who had already decided they wanted to move in this direction. The senior elder was immediately removed from the community as a “discipline,” but as time proved itself, he never came back. The community very quickly spiraled into the web of Catholicism.

I remember the night a Catholic priest was invited to speak to the community about Catholicism. This priest was recognized as a leader in the renewal movement of the Pacific Northwest. On that night, he proclaimed a great number of things. Here are some of the key points he shared with us:

What is Ecumenism? The Protestants do not know what ecumenism actually means to the Catholic church. They think it means that the Protestants and Catholics can have fellowship together as co-equals. What it actually means is that the Protestants will eventually be reabsorbed into the Catholic church.

Protestant pastors have no power when they do a communion service. They only go through the motions but nothing really happens. Only the Catholic priest has the power and authority to perform a communion service.

Protestants are the lost brethren because they have rebelled against (forsaken) the one true church.

A good Muslim, a good Hindu, and a good Buddhist are saved. They have more hope of getting into heaven than the Protestants.

The Protestants have a false notion of evangelism. As I have just told you, people of other religions are already saved. But the Protestants need to return to the Catholic church.

Hearing these things that night helped me realize that the Catholic church, as an institution, is much worse than I had allowed myself to believe. Although hearing these things was not actually new to me, it did surprise me that a leader in a renewal movement, where Catholics and Protestants mingled together, had such a low regard for the Protestants and a whole different agenda.

And perhaps what was even more surprising was that these sincere Christians, whom I had loved, lived with, and worked with side by side for over six years did not challenge this priest with his heretical beliefs that night.

The community was moving full steam ahead toward becoming Catholic, but there were some practical issues that had to be dealt with. For example, the leaders of the community had made a covenant to stay together for life, but the senior elder was no longer with them. They brought this problem to this Catholic priest who had a ready answer. He told them that he had the God-given power to dissolve the covenant. He explained that becoming Catholic superseded anything else. Then there was the matter of what to do with me. They thought if they sent me to talk to this priest one-on-one, he could persuade me to return to the “mother church.” But when it became apparent that I was not turning back, I was told that I must leave.

Other things happened in that community. Things got really hot at times; there were fights between members. Eventually two marriages broke up where in both cases, the husband left the community, but the wife and children stayed behind to become Catholic. One of these husbands later confessed to me that when I was removed from the community he thought God was removing me because I was not a part of God’s special remnant. But after he was kicked out, he realized that what was once a loving Christian community had become a cult.

Not long after I was removed, the community became fully Catholic. They remain so today.

As I am writing these things, I am amazed to think how quickly the years have gone by. These events that seem like yesterday began over twenty-five years ago. And through all these years, I have never publically shared the story about the community. But there is a reason why I felt compelled to share it now. When the community was deciding to become Catholic, they were very excited because they felt that they were pioneers in going back to the mother church. They felt confident that many others would eventually follow their example. Today, I see that this is beginning to happen in large numbers. The community shared with some of their friends that they had grown spiritually as far as the Protestant church could take them, and if they were going to grow anymore, they would have to become Catholic. It is the same thing that is happening today. Many Protestant leaders are now standing up and proclaiming that we need to glean from the teachings and practices of the Catholic church. Particularly appealing to them is contemplative prayer or mysticism and the spiritual disciplines. There is no doubt in my mind that contemplative spirituality is a bridge, bringing Protestants “back” to the Catholic church. The emerging church movement is equally a bridge toward Catholicism, and the Purpose Driven movement has had a role in this as well.

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