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A Public School Transgender Agenda Alert: A Wake Up Call for Christians |
For whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 10:6)
Perhaps, you’ve heard of the Sacramento, California charter school Rocklin Academy where a kindergarten teacher read the transgender picture book I Am Jazz, and who, after reading it, presented a little boy to the class as now being a little girl. You can imagine how perplexing and unsettling this incident was to these little ones, as well as to their uninformed parents.
Recently, a board meeting at the school caused a huge confrontation between upset parents and a defensive teacher and school board. In the end, the board boldly asserted that topics dealing with “gay, lesbian and transgender issues” are open for discussion at Rocklin, and that parents may not always be notified before such discussions occur. The board also maintained that opting out of these discussions promotes a “discriminatory environment … prohibited by law.”
With this incident in mind here are some questions: What exactly is in this innocuous looking picture book I Am Jazz? Who are its authors? What organizations are supporting this book? How should Christian parents, and teachers respond? Will you be an upstander or a bystander? To answer these questions and more, here is a brief review of the book, the so-called “essential tool for parents and teachers.”
I Am Jazz-- Co-Author Jessica Herthel
Jessica Herthel, its co-author, is a Broward County, Florida mom of three, and an all-out advocate of the transgender agenda. Herthel, having met Jazz's mom at a community function, soon formed a friendship with her and her little boy who became "a trans girl" renamed "Jazz." Herthel then went on to co-write the book, along with Jazz, telling what it is like to be a trans kid.
As a result of writing I Am Jazz Herthel has become a recognized LGBTQ advocate on many fronts. It began with her volunteering for the Florida Broward County Schools (sixth largest district in the USA) where soon she was designing inclusive lesson plans, and purchasing diverse books for elementary classrooms. Later, she became the primary content editor of "Broward County's LGBTQ Critical Support Guide" presented to all district administrators in 2014. After, Herthel worked as the Education Director at the Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which is a nonprofit that shares the culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and the role they play in society.
Beyond Florida Herthel travels nationwide spreading the trans kids agenda using I Am Jazz as a jumping off point. This message has taken her to such diverse places as: Mt. Horeb Public Library, Mt. Horeb, WI (The Mt. Horeb School System refused to allow her to read I Am Jazz in a public school setting so it was read in the public library.); Temple Bat Yahm, New Port Beach, CA (This is a welcoming Jewish congregation for all including the LGBT community.); and The Human Rights Campaign "Time to Thrive" Conference in Dallas, TX. (HRC partnered with the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association to reach out to LBGTQ Youth).
http://jessicaherthel.com/
It must be noted the Human Rights Campaign considers Jazz Jennings their foundation "Youth Ambassador." Coming this December 7, 2017 HRC is sponsoring an "I Am Jazz: School and Community Readings" all over the nation at many venues. Besides, HRC has a web site www.welcomingschools.org with lesson plans to aid in creating LBGTQ-inclusive schools. Its "Top 10 Books for a Welcoming School" includes I Am Jazz and an accompanying lesson. Readers, I would urge you, to click on this site to view this invasive school agenda--while it gives the appearance of being about safe schools and stopping bullying, much of the its materials are about other causes.
https://www.hrc.org/resources/i-am-jazz-a-guide-for-parents-educators-and-community-advocates
I Am Jazz--Its Transgender Agenda
I Am Jazz ( Ages 4-8) is "a picture book lure," based on the actual life experiences of Jazz Jennings
designed to be read to preschool through grade three introducing them to transgender ideas. Herthel begins by presenting Jazz as a "girl" whose favorite color is pink, and who likes girly things like drawing, dancing, and putting on make up. Most of all Jazz is mesmerized by "mermaids."
Now, Jazz's best friends are Casey and Samantha with whom Jazz plays dress up in high heels and princess gowns. They also do fun things like turning cart wheels, or jumping on trampolines. However, as a "sad-faced Jazz" says, "But, I'm not exactly like Samantha and Casey."
To explain, there's a page of kids' drawings showing a very unhappy Jazz. Below this, Herthel unleashes these troubling sentences: "I have a girl brain, but a boy body. This is called transgender. I was born this way."
Herthel records Jazz's transition saga as a two year old boy starting with Jazz's mom saying he was a good boy, and him correcting her as he retorted, "No Mama. Good GIRL!" Herthel also writes, "At first my family was confused. They'd always thought of me as a boy."
The next pages show Jazz's brothers and sister. His brothers comment that his dress up antics are "girls stuff;" while his sister comments that his girl thoughts, dreams, and ambitions made him "a funny kid."
Whenever, he went out, the text continues, his parents had him wear his "boy clothes" which made him mad! One then hears this startling thought, "Pretending I was a boy felt like telling a lie." Talk about confusion. Just imagine a child's puzzlement to this thought.
Then came "an amazing day" when all was changed for his parents took him to a doctor who asked many questions. There, says the text, he heard the word "transgender" for the first time.* Listeners, at this point, have heard the term "transgender twice," and are now told this revelation was part of "an amazing day."
* His parents heard the words: "Gender Dysphoria."
That night, relates Jazz, for the first time his parents told him to "Be who you are." This caused
him to smile and smile as he went to bed dressed in a girl's nightgown. Do what you want, and whatever makes you happy is the sense one gets here, making one think of Judges 17:6 that reads, "... every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
The book fast forwards to Jazz at school. Here, like Jazz's family, his friends and teachers were "confused." Upset with his teacher, Jazz found it hard to have to use the boy's bathroom, and be on the boy's teams. Jazz longs to be with Casey and Samantha. Finally, the teachers change their minds allowing Jazz to use the girl's rest room and to play sports with the girls.
At this point Jazz shares how mean some of the children are. "This," says Jazz, "makes me feel crummy." Here of course, the teacher would stop and talk about not bullying, or making fun of someone who is different. The listeners are made to take sides with Jazz for "being different like this is special!" To end, a beaming Jazz declares, "I am having fun. I am proud. I am Jazz."
https://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Jazz-Jessica-Herthel/dp/0803741073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508285502&sr=8-1&keywords=i+am+jazz+book
Click here to continue reading.
*Photo from bigstockphoto; used with permission.
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Lighthouse Trails Sends Out 6th Letter to 160 Christian Leaders |
On October 23rd, Lighthouse Trails sent out the 6th letter plus two booklets to 160 influential Christian leaders in the evangelical camp. We began mailing out short letters and Lighthouse Trails booklets in February 2016 to a list that started with 100 names. To learn more about this project, click here to read the first letter we sent out. To see our current list in PDF, click here. Not all the names in the list are those in deception. This list has a variety of persuasions within the evangelical camp. We are compelled to send each of these people specific information on various important issues that are basically not being addressed in the church today. If you have a name and mailing address of an influential pastor, author, or leader whom you would like us to add to our list, you can e-mail that to editors@lighthousetrails.com and we will include him or her on the next mailing. We must have a good mailing address (only U.S. addresses at this time) to add a name to the list. If you print the leaders list, please consider praying that some of these individuals may understand the urgency of our warning. Below is the letter we included in this week’s mailing. Our next mailing will take place in early 2018:
Dear Christian Leader:
Please find enclosed two of our published booklets that we hope you will find useful in your ministry.
A new missiology that removes focus from the biblical Gospel message and replaces it with a “religiously correct,” “culturally relevant” way of doing missions is having a major impact on many mission efforts in the church today. In Roger Oakland’s booklet that we are sending you, The New Missiology: Doing Missions Without the Gospel, he presents examples of how this is happening. This emergent missiology will do more harm than good to Christian missions and bringing people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
We are also including Shack Theology: Universalism, TBN, Oprah, and the New Age, written by former New Age follower, Warren B. Smith. The Shack is one of the most popular books among Christians today. Most do not see it as theological but rather merely a heart-tugging novel. Yet, The Shack is theological but is not biblically sound. Rather, it introduces some of the most blatant New Age ideas and subtly draws readers away from biblical truth.
Thank you for taking the time to study these matters.
In service for Christ,
The Editors at Lighthouse Trails Publishing
P.O. Box 908
Eureka, MT 59917
The List of Leaders We Are Reaching Out To
(Not all of the names in the list are those in deception. This list has a variety of persuasions within the evangelical camp. We are compelled to send each of these people specific information on various important issues that are basically not being addressed in the church today.)
*photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission.
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Letter to the Editor: New Booklet Teaches Discernment Is For All Believers – Even Women and the “Uneducated” |
Dear Lighthouse Trails Editors:
I just read your article “Sound the Trumpet” and wanted to thank you for your paragraph confronting those men in point who seem to have a corner on discernment, bulleting women of “sharp tongue” trumping their scriptural knowledge. The understanding I get is that compared to them most of us who belong to the Savior are a type of second-class members which despite the Truth (here named orthodoxy) is not far from the Roman Catholic hierarchy as in “We can’t trust the masses with Scripture.” It’s more about the light in His Words available for all of us to study, not about one’s status or gender. Indeed, He gives us teachers/shepherds to explain to and lead us, to warn us, but we have the same set-apart Spirit [the Holy Spirit]. We are not without discernment just because we are women or because we haven’t written books on things like “Justification.” These two men may not have actually meant the accusation in such a disdainful way, but this is surely a mindset of the “divinely educated,” with all due respect to the biblically learned.
Now, to the subject of your article, your teaching is that all of us come into maturity about what our Savior, the Head, does not want us to be ignorant of. Thank you for doing the exact work of teaching us we can and we must discern for ourselves, just as our Savior and the apostle Paul said.
Janet
Related Material:
Three Vital Questions to Navigating Discernment by Ironside and Proctor
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While Protestants Commemorate Reformation This Month, Papal Persecution Regarding the Eucharist Often Ignored |
By Philip Gray
(Freelance writer and defender of the faith)
Pope Francis during a Mass, holding up the wafer that is said to have the presence of Jesus in it after transubstantiation
October 31, 2017 is being commemorated by many Protestant groups as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Many groups are using the occasion to suggest that there is no need for a Protestant Reformation any longer, and Protestants and Catholics can and should now unify, if not in name, then at least in mission and faith. Ecumenical events are taking place across the globe to supposedly celebrate the Reformation, but in reality, many of these are efforts to break down the walls that divide Protestanism and Catholicism. The Catholic Church insists there is no need for a Reformation any more because the Catholic Church, it says, is now in agreement doctrinally with Protestanism in many areas. While the motive by the Catholic Church of making such claims is highly questionable (e.g., to ultimately win back the “lost brethren” to the “Mother Church”), there is one area (and it is perhaps the most significant of all because it has to do with salvation) that the Catholic Church does not and will not ever claim to be the same, and that is in the Eucharist (i.e., the sacraments, the Mass). For if there was no Eucharist and Mass, there would be no Catholic Church. If you do not understand what the Catholic Eucharist is, then be sure to read some of the material* by Lighthouse Trails regarding this. In a nutshell, the Eucharist is the practice and belief that the real presence of Jesus is in the communion wafer (an event the Catholic Church refers to as Transubstantiation that can only be performed by a Catholic priest), which is to be consumed by the sinner in order for his sins to be forgiven. It is, in essence, a recrucifying of Christ as if Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was not sufficient (which is contrary to Scripture that talks about the “finished” work on the Cross.”
One thing that is not being brought up in many of these Reformation events this year is the many people who died at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church for refusing to believe in the Eucharistic Christ. In honor of those who were martyred because they would not bow the knee to a false gospel, below are posted the stories of two martyrs who died at the hands of the Catholic Church because they refused to take the Mass and believe that Jesus Christ was in a wafer. These are direct quotes from the Lighthouse Trails edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs:
Martyrdom of William Hunter (martyred at 19 years old in 1555)
William Hunter had been trained in the doctrines of the Reformation from his earliest youth, being descended from religious parents who carefully instructed him in the principles of true religion. When Hunter was but nineteen years of age he refused to receive the communion at Mass and was brought before the bishop.
Bonner caused William to be brought into a chamber where he began to reason with him, promising him security and pardon if he would recant. Nay, he would have been content if he would have gone only to receive communion and to confession, but William would not do so for all the world.
Upon this the bishop commanded his men to put William in the stocks in his gate house, where he sat two days and nights with a crust of brown bread and a cup of water only, which he did not touch.
At the two days’ end, the bishop came to him and finding him steadfast in the faith, sent him to the convict prison and commanded the keeper to lay upon him as many irons as he could bear. He continued in prison three quarters of a year, during which time he had been before the bishop five times.
Then the bishop, calling William, asked him if he would recant and finding he was unchangeable, pronounced sentence upon him that he should go from that place to Newgate for a time, and thence to Brentwood, there to be burned.
About a month afterward, William was sent down to Brentwood where he was to be executed. On coming to the stake, he knelt down and read the Fifty-first Psalm, until he came to these words, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
William now cast his Psalter into his brother’s hand, who said, “William, think on the holy passion of Christ and be not afraid of death.” “Behold,” answered William, “I am not afraid.” Then he lifted up his hands to heaven, and said, “Lord, Lord, Lord, receive my spirit;”and casting down his head again into the smothering smoke, he yielded up his life for the truth, sealing it with his blood to the praise of God.
Mrs. Joyce Lewes (died 1557)
This lady was the wife of Mr. T. Lewes of Manchester. She had received the Romish religion as true, until the burning of that pious martyr Mr. Saunders at Coventry. Understanding that his death arose from a refusal to receive the Mass, she began to inquire into the ground of his refusal and her conscience, as it began to be enlightened, became restless and alarmed. In this inquietude she resorted to Mr. John Glover, who lived near, and requested that he would unfold those rich sources of gospel knowledge he possessed, particularly upon the subject of transubstantiation. He easily succeeded in convincing her that the tomfoolery of popery and the Mass were at variance with God’s most holy Word, and honestly reproved her for following too much the vanities of a wicked world. It was to her indeed a word in season, for she soon became weary of her former sinful life and resolved to abandon the Mass and idolatrous worship. Though compelled by her husband’s violence to go to church, her contempt of the holy water and other ceremonies was so manifest that she was accused before the bishop for despising the Sacraments.
A citation addressed to her immediately followed, which was given to Mr. Lewes, who, in a fit of passion, held a dagger to the throat of the officer and made him eat it, after which he caused him to drink it down and then sent him away. But for this the bishop summoned Mr. Lewes before him as well as his wife; the former readily submitted, but the latter resolutely affirmed that in refusing holy water, she neither offended God nor any part of His laws. She was sent home for a month, her husband being bound for her appearance, during which time Mr. Glover impressed upon her the necessity of doing what she did, not from self-vanity but for the honor and glory of God.
Mr. Glover and others earnestly exhorted Lewes to forfeit the money he was bound in rather than subject his wife to certain death; but he was deaf to the voice of humanity and delivered her over to the bishop, who soon found sufficient cause to consign her to a loathsome prison, whence she was several times brought for examination. At the last time the bishop reasoned with her upon the fitness of her coming to Mass and receiving as sacred the Sacrament and sacramentals of the Holy Ghost. “If these things were in the Word of God,” said Mrs. Lewes, “I would with all my heart receive, believe, and esteem them.” The bishop, with the most ignorant and impious effrontery, replied, “If you will believe no more than what is warranted by Scriptures, you are in a state of damnation!” Astonished at such a declaration, this worthy sufferer ably rejoined that his words were as impure as they were profane.
After condemnation she lay a twelvemonth in prison, the sheriff not being willing to put her to death in his time. When her death warrant came from London, she sent for some friends whom she consulted in what manner her death might be more glorious to the name of God and injurious to the cause of God’s enemies. Smilingly, she said: “As for death, I think lightly of it. When I know that I shall behold the amiable countenance of Christ my dear Saviour, the ugly face of death does not much trouble me.” The evening before she suffered, two priests were anxious to visit her, but she refused both their confession and absolution when she could hold a better communication with the High Priest of souls. About three o’clock in the morning, Satan began to shoot his fiery darts by putting into her mind to doubt whether she was chosen to eternal life, and Christ died for her. Her friends readily pointed out to her those consolatory passages of Scripture which comfort the fainting heart and point to the Redeemer who takes away the sins of the world.
About eight o’clock the sheriff announced to her that she had but an hour to live. She was at first cast down, but this soon passed away, and she thanked God that her life was about to be devoted to His service. The sheriff granted permission for two friends to accompany her to the stake—an indulgence for which he was afterward severely handled. Mr. Reniger and Mr. Bernher led her to the place of execution; because of its far distance, her great weakness, and the press of the people, she nearly fainted. Three times she prayed fervently that God would deliver the land from popery and the idolatrous Mass; and the people for the most part, as well as the sheriff, said Amen.
When she had prayed, she took the cup, (which had been filled with water to refresh her,) and said, “I drink to all them that unfeignedly love the gospel of Christ and wish for the abolition of popery.” Her friends and a great many women of the place drank with her, for which most of them afterward were enjoined penance.
When chained to the stake her countenance was cheerful and the roses of her cheeks were not abated. Her hands were extended towards heaven until the fire rendered them powerless, when her soul was received into the arms of the Creator. The duration of her agony was but short; as the under-sheriff, at the request of her friends, had prepared such excellent fuel that she was in a few minutes overwhelmed with smoke and flame. The case of this lady drew a tear of pity from everyone who had a heart not callous to humanity.
(These two stories are taken from the Lighthouse Trails edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, which is an unaltered version from John Foxe’s account. See note below about the LT edition.)
Publisher’s Note from the LT edition: Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was first published five hundred years ago. Today, there are many editions of this book available. When Lighthouse Trails decided to start offering this book to our readers, we began our search for a suitable edition. Much to our dismay, we discovered that many of the current editions were compromised in one form or another. For example, in one edition by a Christian publisher, front page endorsements included the names of those who promote contemplative spirituality and/or the emerging church. When one realizes that contemplative/emerging spirituality embraces some of the very same beliefs that Foxe’s martyrs opposed to the point of suffering cruel persecution and death, it is most troubling and misleading to see these names in the cover of an edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
In another edition we reviewed, the book was among a special set of “Christian classics.” We were once again perplexed to see that some of the other books in that series were written by contemplative mystics.
And yet another edition, published by a secular publisher, advertised mystical and occult practices on the back cover.
Finally, after an unsuccessful search, Lighthouse Trails decided to publish our own edition of this truly incredible and unforgettable account.
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3: 17
*You do not have to buy material from Lighthouse Trails to gain information on these topics as there are many many articles on this blog that can be read and even printed and shared with friends and family. |
“Why Millennials Are Ditching Religion for Witchcraft and Astrology” |
LTRP Note: The following news story is posted for informational and research purposes and not as an endorsement of the source or the content. It is also a reminder that young people today desperately need to hear the true biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ.
By Kari Paul
Marketwatch
When Coco Layne, a Brooklyn-based producer, meets someone new these days, the first question that comes up in conversation isn’t “Where do you live?” or “What do you do?” but “What’s your sign?”
“So many millennials read their horoscopes every day and believe them,” Layne, who is involved in a number of nonreligious spiritual practices, said. “It is a good reference point to identify and place people in the world.”
Interest in spirituality has been booming in recent years while interest in religion plummets, especially among millennials. The majority of Americans now believe it is not necessary to believe in God to have good morals, a study from Pew Research Center released Wednesday found. The percentage of people between the ages of 18 and 29 who “never doubt existence of God” fell from 81% in 2007 to 67% in 2012. Click here to continue reading.
Related Information:
10 Vital Things Parents Can Do to Help Children Keep Their Faith |
True Revival in the Midst of Persecution by a Pastor Who Went to Prison For His Faith |
Photo: A guard tower in a USSR prison camp
By Georgi P. Vins
(Pastor in USSR who spent 8 years in Soviet prison camps for his faith | Author of The Gospel in Bonds)
Revival
At the beginning of the 1960s, the Lord sent a spiritual revival among the Evangelical Baptists1 of the Soviet Union. The revival preceded a great assault from the atheistic authorities. Soviet newspapers and magazines spewed an endless flow of articles against believers and the Christian faith, against the Bible and God. Radio, television, and movies were used for anti-religious propaganda. Believers were fired from their jobs, and Christian young people were kept out of educational institutions.
In 1960, the Soviet leader, head of the Communist party, Nikita Khrushchev, announced a twenty-year program of definitively creating communism in the Soviet Union. By 1980, there was not to be a single Christian left, nor one church. All citizens of the USSR would have to become atheists and confess only Communist ideology.
In Evangelical Baptist churches, sermons on salvation were forbidden, and children under the age of sixteen were not to be permitted to be present at church services. As a primary measure, it was also forbidden to baptize young people under the age of thirty. This decision of the leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was enforced by the KGB, the police, and other authorities.
A communion and worship service in the persecuted church in 1984 in Kiev, Ukraine (taken from The Gospel in Bonds; from the personal collection of Georgi Vins’ daughter, Natasha Velichkin; used with permission)
Unfortunately, some of the ministers of Evangelical Baptist churches, fearing persecution, accepted these ungodly decrees as the basis for their ministry and actively began to implement them in the church. The churches were going through great testings. Many thousands of believers raised their voices in fervent prayer to the Lord for help and deliverance. The Lord heard those prayers and answered His people, as it is written in His Word: “It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law” (Psalm 119:126).
A spiritual awakening began. New churches started to take shape, and groups of believers who refused to compromise with atheism proclaimed the Word of God as the absolute authority in all matters of faith and life. Young people and children attended newly formed congregations whose worship services often took place in crowded private homes or in forests. These meetings were subject to cruel disruption by the KGB and police, with the police beating up believers, and throwing them out of the meeting houses into the snow. Bulldozers were sometimes used to destroy the places where the meetings took place.
The atheistic authorities went to believers’ work places with threats of arrests and trials. But no one could stop the revival, because the Word of God says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:35-37).
By 1966, several hundred independent fundamental Baptist churches had formed. Sixty to seventy percent of the membership of these churches were young people between the ages of fifteen and thirty. The hearts of believers burned with great love toward God, courage, and selflessness in ministry. My poem “Revival” was written in January of 1966, and five months later, in May of 1966, I was arrested in Moscow for taking part in the revival.
Revival
My Savior! How I love Your precious call
To slaves of unbelief, by sin defeated.
You long to bless and have each one delight
In all the joys of our eternal promise.
My Jesus! Mighty is Your matchless love,
Your hands are full of tenderness and kindness,
As constantly You lift to life anew
The sons of earth, to save them from destruction.
Our brethren You have visited once more
With Your pure flame of heaven-sent revival!
For exploits and for suff’ring You inspired
To stand for truth and infinite salvation.
When I behold the vibrant Christian youth
With glowing faces, joyous and exultant,
Their gladness like a boundless ocean’s tide,
Burst forth in ever glorious songs of triumph. . . .
And when I listen to a youthful soul
For the first time, his heart to God uplifting:
Scarce breathing then I reverently pray,
While in my thoughts the sufferers recalling. . . .
I know that not in vain their blood was spilt!
They did not bear the pain and grief for nothing.
For now I see our youth’s pure, fervent love
Their hands stretched out to Christ in supplication.
For the revival burning in our church
And for our youth rejoicing in the Savior—
We may, without misgivings or dismay,
Lay down our very lives in distant prisons.
January 1, 1966
Kiev
Other Articles by Georgi Vins:
“Truth is Invincible!”—Even in a Communist Prison Camp
Story from the Gulags—The Great Escape Tunnel
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Letter to the Editor: I Was A Cultural “Christian” But Was Not Born Again |
To Lighthouse Trails:
. . . having a form of godliness but denying the power there of.
I was a cultural Christian, and I was baptized in the Baptist church that I was raised in. I was not born again. Sadly, it was departing from the faith; however, God used my evil for good. I was convinced that I was a Christian until I was convicted of my sin by the Holy Spirit. No one was present in my living room except the two of us. I was driven to my knees in repentance and pleading for a Savior.
I could have just as easily kept attending and kept up the appearance of acting like a Christian. I fear for the millions in this boat who are represented in Matthew 7: 21-23.
This explains why so many self-identified Christians, even evangelicals, believe so many false doctrines.
This explains why so many churches embrace humanism in sheep’s clothing. They would rather do good deeds to be seen of men than witness and make disciples.
This explains the currently trending missional wave.
This explains the eagerness to embrace the contemplative movement. They do not have the Holy Spirit so they embrace the counterfeit spirit instead.
T. Miller
LTRP Note: If you are reading this account above and believe you too may only be a cultural Christian and not a born-again Christian, we would be happy to send you a free booklet on salvation. Please e-mail us at editors@lighthousetrails.com. Your name and address will remain confidential.
Related Article:
What Does It Mean to Repent and Be Saved? by Harry Ironside |
Churches Going Contemplative with Diana Butler Bass’ Book, “Christianity For the Rest of Us” |
A Lighthouse Trails reader sent us an article this week from a Pacific Northwest newspaper* describing how members of a local church are changing the way they practice church and view Christianity, doing away with their traditional church methods and embracing what they call a “contemplative approach.” The article states that they were inspired, in part, to go in this direction from reading Diana Butler Bass’ book Christianity for the Rest of Us.
It’s no wonder a church would head in the contemplative direction if congregants are turning to Butler Bass for spiritual nourishment. You may recall a Lighthouse Trails article in November of 2015 about Diana Butler Bass titled “New Spirituality Teacher Says ‘The Jig is Up’ to Those Who Believe in ‘the Blood of the Lamb.'” Bass is a contemplative proponent, and like so many of her contemplative constituents who wander into the contemplative prayer world, her views toward the Cross and the atonement have become outright hostile; and those who adhere to the “blood of the lamb” and who cling to the old rugged Cross are seen as an enemy and hindrance to world peace and “restoration.”
Christianity for the Rest of Us is filled with the ideologies of contemplatives, emergents, and socialist-like figures such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Eddie Gibbs, Marcus Borg, Joan Chittister, Parker Palmer, and her “friend” Brian McLaren. A prevailing theme in the book is “sitting in silence,” meditation, and contemplation. She says things like:
People need silence to find their way back to interior wisdom. They need a recovery of the contemplative arts of “thinking, meditating, ruminating.” (Kindle Locations 1789-1790).
True knowledge of the self, of love and meaning, comes only in silence. (Kindle Locations 1795-1796).
If this and other churches continue following the same path as Diana Butler Bass, they may also begin to embrace her view that “the jig is up” to those who believe in the “blood of the lamb.” Below is the article we wrote in 2015. If your church is reading books by authors such as Diana Butler Bass, please urge them to reconsider what they are doing.
New Spirituality Teacher Says “The Jig is Up” to Those Who Believe in “the Blood of the Lamb”
Every now and then something come along that presents our case in such a succinct and obvious way that we are compelled to share it with our readers with the hope it will leave no question as to how serious the present situation is with regard to Christianity in the Western world. Religious author Diana Butler Bass, who was one of the speakers at the [2015] Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City, has written a book titled Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. In it, she makes the stunning statement:
Conventional, comforting Christianity has failed. It does not work. For the churches that insist on preaching it, the jig is up. We cannot go back, and we should not want to. . . . In earlier American awakenings, preachers extolled “old-time religion” as the answer to questions about God, morality, and existence. This awakening is different . . . it is not about sawdust trails, mortification of sin [putting to death the old man], and being washed in the blood of the Lamb [the preaching of the Cross – emphasis ours]. The awakening going on around us is not an evangelical revival; it is not returning to the faith of our fathers or re-creating our grandparents church. Instead, it is a Great Returning to ancient understandings of the human quest for the divine. (pp. 36, 99).
Contrast this with 2 Corinthians 5: 18-21, which states:
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
It could not be any more clear what’s at stake here. The term “the jig is up” is a slang term that has the connotation of someone being caught at doing something wrong. It has an intrinsically militant tone that is more or less saying “you’re not going to get away with this any longer.” By Butler Bass saying “the jig is up,” there is an underlying implication of a mounting consensus that backs up that statement, such as what Ray Yungen and others we know recently witnessed at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, where 14,000 people attended and where a clear animosity toward biblical Christians was prevalent.
Inside Diana Butler Bass’ book that so openly rejects the Cross and the atonement are the following glowing endorsements of people you have probably heard of:
She’s spot-on prophetic, compelling, and most important, hopeful. —Rob Bell, author of Love Wins
Join her in rebuilding religion from the bottom up!—Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation and author of Falling Upward
She has a good nose to sniff out crappy religion, but she also has the eyes to see new life budding from the compost of Christendom. Shane Claiborne, mentored by Tony Campolo
Diana Butler Bass has a keen eye for what is happening in the Christian world these days— so keen, she is able to see through the bad news for the good news that is emerging. Parker Palmer
Bass as one of our foremost commentators on twenty-first century Christianity.—Marcus Borg
I expect (and hope) that this will be the must-read ‘church book’ for every Christian leader— clergy and lay— for years to come.” —Brian D. McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity and Naked Spirituality
We hope our readers will pass this information onto to many they know and pray it may jolt quite a number of people out of complacency or even skepticism into the realization that what we’ve been reporting on these past nearly 14 years is actually occurring.
What Butler Bass refers to as the “ancient understandings of the human quest for the divine” is what the apostle Paul called the mystery of iniquity. This is where man is deceived by familiar spirits (demons) into believing that man is God.
And when it comes to the preaching of the Cross, Diana Butler Bass, Marcus Borg, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, and Shane Claiborne are wrong. On the contrary to what they believe, the preaching of the Cross DOES work. People ARE reconciled to God when they are washed in the blood of the lamb. In other words, they’re not just wrong, they are terribly tragically wrong.
And they [the saints of Jesus Christ] overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11)
*Note: Because our reader is hoping to reach out to this church with some information, we are not naming the church or the city. |
Lighthouse Trails Announces New Book Release - Simple Answers by Ray Yungen |
Lighthouse Trails Publishing is pleased to announce the release of Ray Yungen’s new book, Simple Answers: Understanding the Catholic Faith (An Evangelical Primer). Ray Yungen was the pioneering author who helped launch Lighthouse Trails nearly 16 years ago. His cutting-edge book A Time of Departing was released in the fall of 2002, six months after Lighthouse Trails began. Ray finished the rough draft of Simple Answers in the spring of 2016; on October 16th of that year, before the book was ready to be released, Ray passed away from unexpected complications of a cancer treatment.
During the year that Ray wrote Simple Answers, he told the editors at Lighthouse Trails that he believed Simple Answers was one of the most important projects he had ever done. We hope you will agree. We have chosen October 16, 2017 for the release date to commemorate Ray’s passing into glory.
The evangelical church is at a crucial point in its history. There are many voices crying out for a dramatic change in the way evangelicals have traditionally viewed Catholicism; these voices are taking the church in a radically different direction, one that fits in with Bible prophecy.
In 1991, an ex-Catholic pointed out that many Catholics had been leaving the Catholic Church over the previous forty years. The reason for this: Catholics were receiving simple answers from evangelicals regarding salvation.
Today, the need for simple answers has reemerged as we are witnessing a reversal where evangelicals are looking to the Catholic Church for guidance on Christian living and spirituality. Much of this is because the precepts of the Gospel are either minimized or forgotten.
It is not just a fluke or an aberration that the evangelical churches and the Catholic Church are coming into alignment with each other. The Catholic Church is taking a softer view of the evangelical church, and the evangelical church is starting to downplay the traditional and significant differences that have kept it at bay with the Roman Catholic Church.
Simple Answers is a presentation of the facts regarding salvation according to the Gospel in contrast to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Click here to order your copy today
Book Info:
RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 16, 2017
Retail: $12.95 | quantity discounts
Softbound | 160 pages
9781942423119
Click here to order your copy today. MOST ORDERS SHIPS WITHIN 24-48 HOURS
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NEW RELEASE - DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW DEVOTIONAL RELEASE: Pressing On Through It All By Warren B. Smith |
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SUPPORTING LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS: For those who would like to support Lighthouse Trails, we always appreciate both your prayers and your giving. And for those who have faithfully done that over the years, we thank you with all of our hearts. We know that some people may have the impression that Lighthouse Trails does quite well financially because we sell products that we publish and because our resources have had such a far reach; but, the truth is, other than a small salary for each of our two main editors - Dave and Deborah Dombrowski - and royalties for our authors, it takes everything made through sales to keep Lighthouse Trails operating. Publishing, at least for small presses such as ours, is rarely a high-profit business. It would take a best seller to see that, one that the masses of people love. And because we are not just a business, but even more so a ministry, we keep our prices as low as we can, give away many resources, and have also made much of our material available for free on the research site and blog. That's not how big corporations run things as that would hurt the bottom line (profit), but we see the needs out there, and we trust God to keep us going as long as He sees fit.
It is our prayer that we will faithfully be humble servants of the Lord’s work for years to come should the Lord tarry. If you would like to donate to Lighthouse Trails, you may send a donation by mailing it to: Lighthouse Trails, P.O. Box 908, Eureka, MT 59917. Or you may call 866/876-3910. There is also a donate option on our store website. (There is also a PayPal option on that page.)
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