In This Issue |
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Lighthouse Trails Research JOURNAL: Our low-cost subscription-based print journal is mailed out to homes and offices 6 times a year. The 32-page journal contains the most important stories from our e-newsletter from the previous 8 weeks and also other features. You may wish to receive that in addition to this free e-newsletter. You can sign up any time during the year for the print journal. You can also buy individual or past issues here. Many people have now signed up for the print journal, and we are getting very favorable feedback that the journal is most beneficial. For common questions about the journal, click here.
Note: Because we are a research ministry, we do post news articles from various secular and Christian sources along with our own in-house articles if we believe our readers can benefit from the information. We also post video clips from YouTube at times. Also please note, any advertising on YouTube videos is not in any way connected to Lighthouse Trails and is beyond our control, but we make every effort to use only video clips that have no obscene or vulgar content including in advertising.
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Letter to the Editor: Widespread Compromise by Most Pastors Leaves Reader in Dilemma |
Dear Lighthouse Trails,
In regards to the first article in this week’s newsletter, I have run into this constantly. You probably don’t remember me, but I needed info 8 to 10 years ago on the Emergent Church movement and you sent me two books free of charge. I am very thankful for that. I didn’t want my ministry to go into discernment ministry, but that is a huge part of it now. I understand why now as things have gotten much worse. Discernment ministers are treated as outcasts, and it gets very lonely. I bet many of these ministers would seethe with hatred toward John the Baptist or a Josiah or Jeremiah if they think those standing for truth are so bad. Many of the big ministries have been warned for over 30 years now and don’t seem to care such as when God sent Dr. Walter Martin to TBN in 1988 and was never asked to come back. They are so blinded. I have so many family members who really do love God but are following so many false prophets so I am very outspoken against obvious heresy. Some pastors, even when you go to them one on one, will say things like, “I am not going to look behind every door for a demon.” I dealt with a pastor of a big Church of God church when Rob Bell first was getting popular, and that is what I was told. Everyone that cares now knows that Rob Bell has left Christ and is propagating so many false things.
It is sad to see so many pastors, and I say that very hesitantly, are not living up to God’s standard in the least bit as good under-shepherds. Many have pride and use the “love excuse” for a reason to not have any church discipline or discernment. The churches are loaded with leaven both doctrinally and in the lives in many. The Gospel is being so watered down that even the devil can get saved in their eyes. The same ones who talk about love so much are the first ones who will ask you to leave their churches, or let’s face it, are hoping you will leave.
What is happening in the churches today is nothing new but an amplification of all the end-times deceptions, which are many. I finally quit going to church after 36 years. I am unable to find a pastor or church that teaches God’s Word anymore, so I had to find a few on YouTube who are not compromising or okaying gay marriage or are so political that it has become idolatry. I don’t know if we should start a house church or not. I consider myself an evangelist, watchman, and teacher. I know the requirements for pastoring, and it scares me to go that route without 100% assurance that God would want me to do that.
I would appreciate your prayers and your readers’ prayers in God’s direction. I don’t feel it is right not having corporate fellowship or worship but the compromise is getting so bad.
In Christ,
Bob |
Letter to the Editor: A Pastor’s Wife Encourages Church to Use Enneagram |
Dear Lighthouse Trails:
I wanted to write and share with you yet another example of church leadership embracing New Age methods. Recently, an acquaintance on Facebook posted a link to an Enneagram chart happily reporting her number and encouraging others to contact her if they want to know more about the Enneagram. What concerned me the most is that this acquaintance is the wife of a pastor of a young, but rapidly growing church in our area. Though not familiar with the Enneagram, I knew it likely had mystic / New Age origins by its very description. It broke my heart that a pastor’s wife would encourage such a thing. A day after her post, and after researching it for myself, I reached out to her privately warning her of its roots. I encouraged this pastor’s wife that God’s Word is enough and then hoped for a gracious response.
Her response was quick and indeed gracious, but defended their use of the Enneagram by explaining how they have looked at several resources tying what the Enneagram reveals back to the Gospel and that they were using it much like the Myers-Briggs or other personality type system to learn more about each other in order to build one another up.
Sadly, that is how so many of these New Age ideas enter even the conservative church. Someone somewhere at some point put a Christian spin on such an idea, wraps it up in attractive packaging, and tags it “christian.” And the young, hip, “relevant” pastors / leaders gobble it up. All discernment thus goes out the window. For the discerner, it is both sad and frustrating.
I did reply back to my acquaintance and gently yet firmly challenged her that if they were indeed just using the Enneagram as a personality test such as the Myers-Briggs, why not then just use the Myers-Briggs? Why use something that opens up the door to other mystic / occult type practices that seekers or young-in-faith believers might choose to explore?
She never replied back.
This is yet another reminder of how Satan is the master of deceit and confusion. What better way to continue to destroy the church by “innocently” introducing things that seem otherwise “harmless”? Both leaders and lay people need to be courageous at speaking up and warning others about such practices and reject them unequivocally.
Best,
___________
LTRJ Comments:
By Mike Oppenheimer: “Enneagram claims to be an entry point for deep personal healing and renewal. Enneagram is a psychological and spiritual system for a higher consciousness. We are told it will help us understand the personality types and the differences in each other which should reduce unnecessary conflicts (transforming one into a more tolerant person). We can transform our habits by being our own observer in how we think and go from unconscious behavior to conscious behavior. This is done through a series of probing questions called a PERSONALITY PROFILE questionnaire where one learns what his or her type is.
“The Enneagram symbol is a nine-pointed, star-like figure. The nine lines comprise a perfect triangle and a twisted hexagon contained within a circle. This is a New Age type mandala, a mystical gateway to personality classification. The drawing is based upon a belief in the mystical properties of the numbers 7 and 3.” (source)
Click here for more research on the Enneagram. |
December 25th in a German Labor Camp during WWII |
By Anita Dittman (Holocaust Survivor)
December 25th in a German Labor Camp during WWII:
photo; Anita (14), in Germany during WW II
We prayed that God would miraculously sustain our strength; each day our food rations diminished so the German soldiers on the battlefronts could receive more food. Shortly after all of us Christians had prayed for physical strength, the neighboring farmers again rallied for us. Risking their lives, they smuggled us sausage, bread, and cheese and told us to eat the nourishing mushrooms in the forest where we cut trees. God seemed to pack a thousand calories in each tiny mushroom and bite of bread as we who trusted Jesus were given physical and spiritual sustenance.
Two horrible realities faced us women in December: winter and the traitors among us. To make life more comfortable for themselves,some women were reporting others to the guards for such things as conversations, attitudes, or anti-Nazi sentiment–anything that would make their lives more comfortable. Many of them spent the night with the guards and were given preferential treatment.
As the winter winds increased, everyone’s spirits sank. Our uniforms were terribly inadequate, and many of us were sent clothes from home. Father sent me some warm socks, gloves, and a jacket. If we worked long enough and hard enough, we could keep ourselves relatively warm on the work line. But marching to and from the work area was difficult because the wind raced through our clothing.
Again we anxiously awaited the whistle when the horse cart would bring us warm, lumpy soup. But it tasted awful, and usually it was cold by the time it reached us. The chunks in the soup were like tree bark. I watched Gunther one day as he took his bowl of soup to a mock grave. Pouring the soup in the grave, he covered it with dirt. Then he took a large stone and placed it over the grave site. On the stone he wrote: “Hier ruhet still una unvergessen, unser heutiges Mittagessen.” (“Here rests, still and unforgotten, today’s menu.”)
Just before Christmas I met another beautiful believer: Christian Risel. We met on the work line while cutting trees and, in our own silent way, quickly fell in love. Though I loved Rudi, Wolfgang, Gerhard, and Gunther, the love in my heart for Christian was different. A little older than I, he was strong and handsome in spite of the months of labor and deprivation. His eyes virtually sparkled, while the eyes of others in the camp were glassy and dazed. He had a smile when everyone else had a negative word, for he loved everyone in a special way. He even had Christian compassion for the Nazis. But he loved me the most. Of course no time was allowed for romance in the camp. It was too cold to stay outside much in our thin clothing, and we couldn’t go inside each other’s quarters. But we cut trees together frequently and got to know one another better. Each day that we were together, our love was reaffirmed.
“Someday, Anita, we will be gloriously free and happy once again,” Christian said as his axe cut into a thick pine tree. “We will have money to spend and food to eat, and we will have loved ones surrounding us. We’ll never have to dread another knock on our door. Do you believe that too, Anita?”
“I do. God reaffirms it every day. But I would rather be locked away and have Jesus than to be my sister, Hella, safe in the free world but denying the very One who gave her freedom.”
“Nothing happens without a purpose, doesn’t it?” Christian said. “What do you suppose is our ultimate purpose for being trapped in Nazi Germany? I think it is to glorify God in the end. Do you think that is true?”
“I do, Christian.”
“Anita, do you know what day it is today?”
“No.”
“It is Christmas Eve. I have a surprise for you and the other Christians in the camp.”
“Why have you waited so long to tell me, Christian?”
“Because it was just confirmed at lunchtime.” Christian’s eyes really sparkled with excitement now. “Mr. Anders has given me permission to take all the Christians to a Christmas Eve service in Ostlinde tonight! Of course a guard will accompany us, but he will be exposed to the gospel too.”
“Christian, you don’t mean it! A real Christmas Eve service. We must spread the news. Oh, it is another miracle of God.” To war-weary Christian prisoners who loved Jesus, this was the best news in months, perhaps years. But the camp’s unbelievers had no time for our happiness; most of them felt no special comfort each day as we believers did. Whether they were jealous or skeptical, they preferred that we keep to ourselves, which only drew us closer together.
Twenty of us trudged over the snow-covered hills and meadows that night to a little country church at the edge of Ostlinde. The snow was falling lightly, and both melted snowflakes and tears dampened my face as Christian took my hand. “This will be the most meaningful Christmas I’ve ever had,” I told him. “It shows God’s very special love for us. It tells me He cares for us and that we’ll be all right in the end.”
“The birth of Jesus must have been like this,” Christian said quietly. “He was poor and persecuted, and He was misunderstood and rejected, yet He always forgave. We have to forgive too, Anita, even the Nazis.”
That night we huddled in the little church with a hundred or more of the farmers and townspeople. We sang Christmas carols and praised the Lord until well after midnight. As we read the Christmas story, we were reassured that Jesus knew our every ache because He also had been a man and had experienced human grief. In the dim candlelight we all gathered at the altar on our knees and prayed for Germany and our separated families; the guard stood careful watch in the doorway. Then we trudged home in the moonlight, for the snow had stopped falling. No one spoke a word; we all were savoring every minute of this blessed Christmas Eve.
[A]s we headed back to the camp over the snowdrifts, in the stillness of that dark, dark night, nobody spoke. Our silent communication conveyed a oneness that superseded all verbal expression. Saturated with the restful music and with gratitude to God, I sank into a deep and restful sleep on my straw mattress. (Anita Dittman was 17 years old when this story took place. Today, she is 90 and lives in Minnesota. She still speaks to groups about her experience during the Holocaust. For more about her story, see Trapped in Hitler’s Hell)
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At Lighthouse Trails, Looking Back at 2017 and Pressing On in 2018 |
Looking Back at 2017
At the end of each year, we reflect on the things that have taken place at Lighthouse Trails throughout that year, remembering the accomplishments and blessings as well as the challenges and heartaches.
In May of 2017, Lighthouse Trails author Warren Smith suffered a heart attack after a tumultuous 2016 where a house fire left four of his family pets dead and he and his wife without a home for over a year while the house was being renovated. One might think that with all those things happening, it would not be a very productive time, ministry-wise, but on the contrary, it was during these last two years that Warren Smith wrote his Through It All booklet series culminating in the book release in the fall of 2017 of Pressing On Through It All. Written under the weight (and blessing) of suffering and trials, this is perhaps Warren’s most valuable work as it brings readers right to the foot of the Word of God reminding us of Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” As of this month, December 2017, Warren’s house has been fully renovated, he has recovered from the heart attack, and he is devoting his time to researching, writing, and ministering to people, especially those coming out of the New Age. Warren’s exposes in 2017 on Shack author William Paul Young and how TBN allowed Young to share his universalist views with millions are invaluable in their contribution to contending for the biblical faith.
There are two outstanding words that describe the danger that children in America (and really throughout the world) are in: transgenderism and mindfulness. Lighthouse Trails author Lois Putnam capsulated the transgender issue well in her article “A Public School Transgender Agenda Alert: A Wake-Up Call for Christians.” It is truly unbelievable to fathom this level of child abuse that children are being subjected from the homosexual/transgender movement. To top it off, thousands of public schools in America are now teaching children mindfulness meditation. So between sexual and gender deviance from God’s plan and occultic practices, how can children in America ever have a chance?! Also tragic is how so many modern-day proclaiming Christians are falling into step with the world by embracing these two dangers and trying to make it look like God sanctions both.
2017 marked the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, and with it came a slew of ecumenical, anti-Israel, emergent, unity-at-all-costs, road-to-Rome activities instigated by some of Christianity’s most followed leaders today. Two of the main stories we covered on this are:
1. George Wood (who was General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God until this year) was the subject of a 4-part report by Cedric Fisher and LT editors regarding the AoG Resolution 3 that was to be voted on at this year’s General Conference and was shown by Fisher to be an anti-Israel resolution disguised as a peacemaking, justice proposal. After Fisher exposed the truth behind the resolution and the AoG’s move away from Israel and the Jews, Resolution 3 was dropped and George Wood shocked his comrades by stepping down from his long-held position as General Superintendent.
2. In recognition of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, in September of 2017, hundreds of Christian leaders, professors, and pastors signed a document called the “Reforming Catholic Confession.” In our report on this, we stated:
“It stands to reason, based on evidence, that the “Reforming Catholic Confession” is just an extension of the Manhattan Declaration’s goal to “build a movement” of Catholics, Evangelical and Orthodox Christians “who will stand together.” It seems naïve at best, deceiving at worst, to come out with this new document and claim that it is an effort to renew the Christian church, when in fact it has all the earmarks of helping to bring the “lost brethren” back into the fold of the “Mother Church,” whether the drafters or signatories realize it or not.”
You can read our Year in Review top-ten posts to read these and other issues we covered in 2017.
In 2017, Lighthouse Trails published several booklets covering topics such as Teresa of Avila, Shack theology, Freemasonry, how to help your kids keep their faith, the Reformation, The Circle Maker, and even a booklet titled The Cross and the Marijuana Leaf. We also published six books: Roger Oakland’s book, The Good Shepherd Calls; Ray Yungen’s book, Simple Answers: Understanding the Catholic Faith; Tony Pearce’s The Messiah Factor (a new LT edition of a formerly published book); Moscow Express and Other Stories From Russia by Georgi Vins (a prisoner of Communist prisons); Chris Lawson’s book, Taizé: A Community and Worship – An Ecumenical Reconciliation or An Interfaith Delusion?; and Mike Oppenheimer’s book The Trinity. We also began carrying three new books by Bill Randles (God Remembers, Beware the New Prophets, and A Sword on the Land). Pastor Randles’ research and writings on the nation of Israel and the connection to biblical prophecy and current events are essential. Titles from other publishers that we added to our book collection in 2017 for our readers included Dave Hunt’s What Love Is This?, Warren B. Smith’s Pressing On Through It All, and Rachmiel Frydland’s When Being Jewish Was a Crime.
The Lighthouse Trails headquarters, located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, is off the “beaten track,” so to speak. So we were blessed and delighted when Gospel singer and songwriter Trevor Baker (with his lovely wife Jenny) took the time to veer off his tour path to come meet us face to face this past year. It meant a lot to us. If you have never heard this dear gifted man in concert or listened to any of his music, you are missing out on something very special.
2017 ended on a sad note with the sudden passing on December 29th of Larry DeBruyn. As one colleague stated to us, “Larry was a pillar in the discernment community.” Larry’s death brought to the forefront of our minds the loss of Ray Yungen and Caryl Matrisciana just one year earlier. While we rejoice for those who have gone ahead of us (“to be with Christ; which is far better”), we mourn the loss of fellow-laborers in the Gospel (” to abide in the flesh is more needful”).
Many things took place in 2017 from the small offices of Lighthouse Trails. Countless people called, e-mailed, and wrote letters looking for information or just for some encouragement. We shipped out books, booklets, and DVDs to several countries throughout the world, while thousands of people visited our websites to obtain, print, and/or distribute free articles, reports, and book excerpts. It is always our prayer that God is glorified and honored through the materials at Lighthouse Trails and that the only name by which man can be saved is lifted up and that many would come to salvation through the hearing of His Word. We called our ministry Lighthouse Trails because we wanted to be a trail that pointed to THE LIGHTHOUSE, Jesus Christ. We hope we have accomplished that in 2017.
Pressing On Into 2018
In 2018, Lord willing, Lighthouse Trails will:
- Continue on for the third year in a row mailing booklets and short letters to Christian leaders throughout the U.S. Currently, the list has over 160 names, and our goal is to send three mailings in 2018. While we have only heard back from a few of these leaders (such as Pat Boone and Ben Kinchlow), our expectations have never been to hear from many of them but rather it has been to do our part in warning them.
- In January 2013, we launched the Lighthouse Trails Research Journal (a subscription-based publication mailed to people’s homes, offices, and churches) and the topical booklets (currently with 122 different booklet titles). We will continue the journal and booklets in 2018. Some of the booklet topics we hope to cover this year include: Holiness (the false and the true) by Harry Ironside, mindfulness, transgenderism, A Course in Miracles, fearing God, a booklet called New Wine or Old Deception (on the hyper-charismatic movement) by Roger Oakland, and others.
- While our projections of book releases are sometimes postponed for editorial reasons, we do our best to meet our yearly goals. This year we are planning to release several books: Changed by Beholding by Harry Ironside; Calvinism: None Dare Call it Heresy by Bob Kirkland; Father ten Boom: God’s Man by Corrie ten Boom; Cedric Fisher’s biography; Messiah, Israel, and the End Times by Tony Pearce; Witness for This Generation by Roger Oakland; and Trojan Church by Greg Reid.
- In 2018, we plan to launch the first Lighthouse Trails Gospel tracts. We have had numerous requests over the years for such a tool, and while those in the emerging church have stated that tracts are no longer a useful way in reaching the lost, we do not agree. We believe there will always be a place for the written printed word, and small easy-to-hand-out tracts can reach many in a non-threatening yet effective manner.
As we soon begin our 17th year of ministry, Lighthouse Trails will press on in 2018 as the Lord provides the strength, guidance, resources, and help that is needed. We know we cannot (nor do we desire to) continue without His hand in our lives and in the work we do. We do not lean on our own frailties and weaknesses but rather on His strength and His faithfulness. Our hearts go out to the countless Bible-believing Christians who are on the front lines trying to warn their churches, families, and believing friends of the spiritual deception that has woven its way so deeply into the church today and who are trying to share the message of salvation to a lost world where hearts are growing harder and more deceived all the time. If you are one of these believers doing what you can to reach others, be encouraged—the Lord is with you and will not forsake you no matter how dark this world gets. Great is His faithfulness.
(Photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission.) |
Lighthouse Trails 2017 YEAR IN REVIEW – PART 1 – Top 10 Letters to the Editor |
Every year around this time, Lighthouse Trails presents its Year in Review posting our top stories from different categories from 2017. This is an opportunity to read stories you may have missed and also to get a wide-lens glance at important things happening in the church and the world from a discernment and biblical point of view. As always, our primary focus at Lighthouse Trails is the Gospel. We hope this Year in Review will point readers to that very message.
Our first category is Letters to the Editor. Throughout the year, we receive many letters to our editors. When we post them, they become a source of encouragement, understanding, and even direction for our readers as many are going through similar experiences. The following 10 letters from 2017 are in order of date posted.
Saturdays are good because I pick up Joan [not real name], a family member and go early to the Farmers Market. I went into the house, and Joan, who is close to 50 years old, excitedly showed me some Disney character socks she purchased for her friends and herself. They depicted the Evil Queen and two other Characters from that movie. We got in the car, and I noticed she had on her Evil Queen shoes and socks. The conversation goes to Christmas gifts, and she said her 11-year-old son says he wants an X Box so he can play games.
Back in the early 1990s, my family was able to relocate to a small town in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. We had previously been members of an independent Bible church in Florida. Among our first priorities after settling in was to find a similar church that preached the Word and was focused on missions. We found a very small Christian and Missionary Alliance Church that at the time had only about 30 members with a very young pastor that had just graduated from seminary.
When I met my husband in 2005, I was attending a nondenominational church while he attended a local megachurch. During our attendance at his church, it was discovered that sexual sin was being allowed by the leadership among servers in the children’s ministry, so we went back to what had been my home church. What happened there turned out to be the test of our Christian lives.
You may recall previous e-mails from me about the state of some Calvary Chapel fellowships here in the UK. It would appear that the majority are maintaining links with Brian Brodersen’s new CCGN including our pastor. I made mention that our pastor is very unhappy with organizations such as yourselves and questions your ability to be truly discerning. He wrote an article criticizing people whom he says have “isolated themselves” and others from the body of Christ by doing something he calls “association fallacy.”
Bethel has gotten more sophisticated with their lingo and presentation of some rehashed Latter Rain heresies and “revival” pep-speak, but the calculated supposed “upgrade” that has escalated in the past few years has been an attempt to repackage their same old “kingdom-now,” Christian dominionism,” 7 mountain mandate,” into more palatable, mainstream language.
A while back I alerted you to the fact that Awana was joining forces with Josh Griffin who was the youth pastor for Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church. Josh Griffin is also associated with Youth Specialties, an organization that promotes occult [contemplative] practices to youth. Unfortunately, Awana is continuing down the emergent road. Here are some examples:
I was born into a devout Catholic family and culture, knowing only one non-Catholic family until I entered high school. As a baby of just a few weeks old, I was baptized by sprinkling with water. My parents, who simply knew no better just as I did not for so many years, believed that this baptism meant that I was “ born-again.” I went to a Catholic school where I counted an old Franciscan priest as a dear friend. So devout was I that I consistently went to novenas, nine-day prayer vigils to honor Mary. On Saturdays, it was customary to go to weekly confession (now called the sacrament of penance) where I would confess my sins, whether venial (minor) or mortal (punishable by hell) . . .
I was born and raised Roman Catholic. My parents were not especially religious but they raised us (nine children) on Christian principles such as being kind and considerate of others and to follow the Ten Commandments. I attended mass regularly on Sundays and Holy Days according to church rules. But I always knew something was missing.
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.
In regards to the first article in this week’s newsletter, I have run into this constantly. You probably don’t remember me, but I needed info 8 to 10 years ago on the Emergent Church movement and you sent me two books free of charge. I am very thankful for that. I didn’t want my ministry to go into discernment ministry, but that is a huge part of it now. I understand why now as things have gotten much worse. Discernment ministers are treated as outcasts, and it gets very lonely.
(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)
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2017 YEAR IN REVIEW – PART 2 – Top 10 Articles By Like-Minded Ministries |
The following are the Top 10 stories in 2017 written by like-minded ministries (who are also authors Lighthouse Trails represents):
1/Preliminary to Armageddon . . . Paris Jan 15
(Bill Randles)
An event is occurring today which portends to be one of the last preliminaries to the shattering events outlined in the book of Revelation, and the end of the world as we know it. The event is the opening of a new Embassy, the Palestinian Embassy in Vatican City. This will be the opening of the first Palestinian Embassy in the European Union.
The main characters in this scenario are Pope Francis and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian State and the Vatican.
2/Boy Scouts’ Rulings Put Boys at Risk
(Greg Reid)
The cost to a kid who gets molested is higher than most people know. It’s too easy to minimize the damage by saying, “It’s just one of those things,” or “Get over it.” Sexual violation is a violent thing even when it’s not violent. It takes so much inside. After many years, I’ve taken notice of the losses (much of which has been healed and restored), and I want to tell you about it so you’ll know.
3/“What’s Next – Temple Prostitutes?”
(Lynn Lusby Pratt)
About a decade ago, I became aware of the new wave of false teaching entering the church. One aspect of that teaching hinted that our experience with Jesus was (should be?) sexual. (Christians who use a mantra, as in contemplative prayer, and go into an altered state of consciousness sometimes have erotic experiences, which they mistakenly believe to be “union” with God/Jesus.)
4/Signs of the Times – Global ID and the Cashless Society
(Tony Pearce)
The next generation of children born in Britain ‘will not know what money is,’ Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, has predicted as he promoted the smartphone app, Apple Pay, (Daily Telegraph 11/11/15). Speaking to students in Dublin, he forecast the death of cash by the time current university students have a family.
5/“The Shack,” TBN, and the New Age
(Warren B. Smith)
Trinity Broadcasting Network has seen fit to provide The Shack author William Paul Young with the world’s largest “Christian” stage—his very own television series on TBN. Young’s “Restoring the Shack” episodes are masterfully produced on location in beautiful Montana. His presentations are usually underscored and enhanced with soothing music that is clearly designed to evoke a strong emotional response and positive assent from viewers to whatever Young may be preaching or teaching.
6/Salt-Free Christianity—the Way of Today’s Church
(Mike Oppenheimer)
We hear of all different kinds of ingredients in food that we should avoid for our health. Salt is high on the list. Today, salt is used as a flavor enhancer, but in biblical times, it had a more important purpose, it preserved meats. It was the most available way to keep meat from going bad.
7/A Further Unveiling of Assemblies of God Resolution 3 & the Serious Implications
(Cedric Fisher)
When I wrote my commentary on July 28th about the Assemblies of God Resolution 3, which will be voted on during the 57th Assemblies General Council (August 7-11th) in Anaheim, California, I was quite unprepared for the firestorm that ensued.(1) I was especially surprised by George Wood’s response.(2)
8/Taizé Worship – Growing in Popularity, But Roots Are in Mystical Monasticism
(Chris Lawson)
The worship practiced at Taizé has attracted many people from around the globe and from many different denominations. While many of the words found in Taizé worship music are words found in Scripture or words that do not necessarily contradict Scripture, the Taizé songs and worship services themselves are centered around contemplative, ecumenical, and oftentimes emergent spirituality themes. The emphasis is not on the teaching or exhortation of the Word of God but rather is to help participants “experience” God through sensory-focused music and singing.
9/A Public School Transgender Agenda Alert: A Wake Up Call for Christians
(Lois Putnam)
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
10/Jerusalem – The Capital of Israel
(Roger Oakland)
(photo by bigstockphoto.com; used with permission | You may read more by these authors by searching for their names on our two sites: Lighthouse Trails and Lighthouse Trails Research Project) |
2017 YEAR IN REVIEW – PART 3 – Top 10 Stories From Various Out-of-House News Sources |
The following are the top ten out-of-house news articles. These were posted throughout the year for informational and research purposes and not as an endorsement of the content or the source, but we believe the information is important to be aware of. Listed in order of date posted.
1/Boy Scouts, Reversing Century-Old Stance, Will Allow Transgender Boys (New York Times)
Reversing its stance of more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America said on Monday that the group would begin accepting members based on the gender listed on their application, paving the way for transgender boys to join the organization.
2/Mindfulness, Meditation Techniques Being Used in Public School Classrooms Across County on 750,000 Students (Ivanhoe Newswire)
Mindfulness and meditation techniques are being used in schools across the country. A recent study by the University of California-Davis and the non-profit organization, Mindful Schools, shows mindfulness triples students’ ability to focus and participate in class activities.
3/”Bible Answer Man” Hank Hanegraaff Leaves Evangelicalism, Joins Eastern Orthodox Church (Christian Post)
An evangelical radio personality known as “The Bible Answer Man” and president and chairman of the Christian Research Institute was formally received into the Eastern Orthodox Church Sunday. The Christian Post confirmed that Hank Hanegraaff was chrismated on Palm Sunday at Saint Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
4/Ontario Approves Measure That Allows Government to Take Children From Parents Who Oppose Gender Ideology (The Christian Times)
The Canadian province of Ontario has passed a legislation that has been described by critics as “totalitarian” as it allows the government to seize children from families who do not accept gender ideology.
5/Yoga: How Did it Conquer the World and What’s Changed? (BBC News)
Millions of people around the world have rolled out their yoga mats to celebrate a tradition that was once the preserve of Hindu holy men but is now a worldwide phenomenon.
6/RNS Interview Reveals The Message Author Eugene Peterson Changes Mind About “Gay” Issues/Marriage (Religious News Service)
When a journalist has a chance to interview a paragon of the Christian faith like Eugene Peterson, there’s a lot of pressure to pick the perfect questions. I’d asked him about why he was leaving the public eye and if he was afraid of death. I’d asked him about Donald Trump and the state of American Christianity. But there was one more topic I wanted to cover: same-sex relationships and marriage.
7/Barcelona Chief Rabbi to Jews: Get Out, Go To Israel (Israel Today)
Following the Barcelona terror attacks in which 14 people were killed and some 130 wounded, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) asked the Spanish city’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Meir Bar-Hen, what he thought of the future of Jews there.
8/Rick Warren, Calif. Bishop Hail Unity as Model for Evangelicals and Catholics to Follow (The Christian Post)
Megachurch pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and California Roman Catholic Bishop Kevin Vann recently opened up about their years-long friendship and cooperation as a model for evangelicals and Catholics around the world to follow.
9/After Yoga, Meditation Breaks Into the Mainstream (The Daily Star)
It is 5 p.m., otherwise known as rush hour in Manhattan. Julia Lyons, 31, finishes work and heads straight for her daily dose of peace and quiet – half an hour at meditation studio “Mndfl.” Since April 2016, when she discovered the studio, the investment bank employee has abandoned yoga and embraced meditation.
10/On Reformation Milestone, Experts Detect “Astounding” Thirst For Unity (Crux)
Two experts on the Catholic/Lutheran relationship, one Catholic and the other Lutheran, both say that joint commemorations of today’s 500th anniversary of the launch of the Protestant Reformation reflect a strong yearning for unity in the grassroots, and may represent a new “springtime” in ecumenism, meaning the quest for Christian unity. |
2017 YEAR IN REVIEW – PART 4 – Coverage on Christian Colleges & Seminaries |
The following is our 2017 coverage on Christian colleges and seminaries. For nearly 16 years, Lighthouse Trails has been tracking how contemplative spirituality and the emerging church (i.e., the “New” Spirituality) have been entering Christian schools. We estimate, based on our research, that over 90% of the Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries have been introducing their students to this mystical emergent Christianity. To see our list of schools, click here. You can also use our site search engine to find information on other schools we have reported on.
Evangelical Universities & Seminaries Offering Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation – Going into the Deeper Waters of Contemplative Spirituality
Over the past decade, while most evangelical colleges, seminaries, and universities have allowed the influence of the Spiritual Formation movement into their schools to one degree or another, not all of them had gone so far as to create a Master’s Degree program in Spiritual Formation. In fact, ten years ago, there weren’t that many schools that had Spiritual Formation degree programs. But things are changing rapidly. Today, a large number of the evangelical seminaries and universities have such degree programs.
Biola University Brings in Emergent Speaker for Students, as Pathway to Apostasy Continues
On February 22nd, 2017, Biola University hosted a one-evening live recording of the renowned public radio podcast “ON BEING with Krista Tippett.” During the event, which was free to attend to all Biola students and others, Tippett interviewed artist Enrique Martinez Celaya. Biola, a Christian university, began wandering into the contemplative/emergent camp many years ago, particularly via their Spiritual Formation program at the Talbot School of Theology, but it has now spread into other areas as well.
Letter to the Editor: Please Add BiblicalTraining.Org to Colleges/Schools Promoting Spiritual Formation (Contemplative Prayer)
I have been studying Bill Mounce’s “Basics of Biblical Greek” textbook. It is an excellent course of study, but Mr. Mounce puts a plug for his website biblicaltraining.org. Though they are a Calvinist-based ministry, there are some good apologetic things and history things that I’ve looked at. I was shocked though when in their Foundations area (designed for new or young Christians) they have an entire course on Spiritual Formation. I thought it might just be a bad choice of words so I checked the syllabus. It turns out the instructor quotes Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and references the “Nine Sacred Pathways.”
Dallas Theological Seminary Not Contemplative? – New Evidence Shows Otherwise
Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) has always maintained that while they teach Spiritual Formation, they only teach the “good” kind and that they are not a school that promotes contemplative spirituality. Lighthouse Trails has always challenged these suppositions. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago when Lighthouse Trails editors had some correspondence with two different DTS faculty members (one a dean) who insisted that DTS was not promoting contemplative spirituality and that Lighthouse Trails should not include their name in our Contemplative College list or in our booklet An Epidemic of Apostasy – How Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate “Spiritual Formation” to Become Accredited” that names several evangelical seminaries (including DTS) that promote contemplative spirituality.
Is Your Child or Grandchild Heading to Christian College This Fall? – 9 Things You Should Do Before He Goes
Fall is quickly approaching, and by now, if you have a child or grandchild who is going to attend Christian college this year, he or she is most likely enrolled and ready to go. As Lighthouse Trails has reported over the last several years, the majority of evangelical/Protestant colleges, seminaries, and universities are now, to varying degrees, integrating contemplative spirituality and emerging ideologies into the lives of their students.
Letter From Dallas Theological Seminary to Lighthouse Trails Reader Reveals “Required” Spiritual Formation
As we have maintained since the inception of Lighthouse Trails – there is no “good” Spiritual Formation as it always leads to the mystics and puts practitioners in harm’s way. DTS is no exception. Our reader (who is a DTS alumni) told us he has been receiving update letters from DTS for years, and this is the first time he has seen them actually mention Spiritual Formation in an alumni letter.
A Rose By Any Other Name OR A Deception By Any Other Name – It’s All the Same (Prairie Bible Institute, now called Prairie College)
We can gain some insight into who PBI is turning to for spiritual guidance by looking at PBI’s current textbook list for 2017. These may or may not be books being used in PBI’s Christian Formation program, but they are books being used in the school. One thing we’ve learned over the years, when a school is immersed in contemplative spirituality, it isn’t just in the Spiritual Formation program; rather, it is integrated throughout the school.
Dallas Theological Seminary’s Women’s Conference Speaker, Christine Caine, Raises Concerns for Reader
Having just read your article in the newsletter, I received this notice [see photo below] for the upcoming women’s conference. It is not surprising that it would be the women who would lack the discernment to recognize the belief system of Christine Caine [see excerpt below], but it is apparent the worldly mindset has saturated many levels of authority at DTS.
Christian University Graduate Agrees—Celebration of Discipline/Richard Foster Bypass the Cross—As CoD Soon Celebrates 40-Year Anniversary!
Three years ago this past September, I began my studies at Tyndale University in Toronto, Ontario. Right away, for one class, we were asked to study one author in particular whom I had never heard of, Richard Foster and his book Celebration of Discipline. I went online to do research and came across your website, and found your analysis of Foster to be spot on. As I read Foster, I realized he had completely bypassed the role of the Cross in bringing man into relationship with God, and instead substituted what he calls the “spiritual disciplines.” This is of course heresy.
Related Information:
2015 College Coverage
2014 College Coverage
2013 College Coverage
2012 College Coverage
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2017 YEAR IN REVIEW – FINAL PART – Top 10 In-House Stories for 2017 |
The following are the 10 top stories for 2017 written by the editors at Lighthouse Trails. Listed in order of date posted.
1/Emergent IF: Gathering Conference Coming to a Town Near You (Coming For Your Daughters and Granddaughters)!
Have you heard of the IF: Gathering? If you haven’t, you most likely will soon enough. The women’s movement started just a few years ago but is already making some big inroads into the evangelical scene. On the outer appearance, this looks like a legitimate Christian movement – the women who lead and speak at IF: Gathering are young and vibrant; they talk about Jesus, they go to church; some of them homeschool their kids—it all looks so Christian. But underneath this outer thin Christian layer lies an emergent atmosphere . . . and the target is your young evangelical daughters and granddaughters.
2/Fresno, California “Church Calendar” Illustrates Major Paradigm Shift in “Church in America”
Purpose Driven, ecumenism, eastern meditation, the road to Rome, social justice, interspirituality, Chrislam, Oneness, and the New Age. This is the new landscape of church in America.
3/What Your Church Needs to Know Before Doing a Priscilla Shirer Study
This week, our office received a call from a woman who was concerned that her church is going to be doing a study using material by Priscilla Shirer. Our caller wanted to get some information she can show her pastor as to why her church should not be doing a Priscilla Shirer study.
4/Discernment Ministries Not Needed? Would the Apostle Paul Agree?
This week, someone sent us an online article, written by a pastor who said that the church does not need discernment ministries anymore. While the pastor’s comments that such ministries are making great money by doing this kind of work were erroneous, it was the pastor’s rationale and conclusions about discernment ministries as a whole that were most troubling. His rationale was that discernment ministries should not be criticizing and challenging leaders and teachers within the church (but rather outside the church; e.g cults, Mormonism); his conclusion was the church does not need discernment ministries and people should stop listening to them.
5/Dr. George Wood Responds to Lighthouse Trails Article on AoG Resolution 3 and Israel
On July 28th, Lighthouse Trails posted a commentary by Lighthouse Trails author Cedric Fisher titled “Assembly of God (AOG) General Council to Vote on Resolution Against Israel.” This commentary set off a fire storm on the Internet, and on Saturday July 29th, Lighthouse Trails editors received an e-mail from Dr. George Wood (General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God). Dr. Wood is familiar with Lighthouse Trails because of a controversy in 2013 where Dr. Wood gave his blessing and permission for contemplative emergent Ruth Haley Barton to speak at the 2013 AoG General Council Conference resulting in some Lighthouse Trails articles addressing the seriousness of such promotion.
6/Hundreds of Protestant Scholars and Pastors Sign “Reforming Catholic Confession,” But Can the Church Trust This Document?
Hundreds of Protestant and evangelical scholars, pastors, and theologians have signed a document called “Reforming Catholic Confession” to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which will be commemorated on October 31, 2017. According to Dr. Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, who co-chaired the Confession’s steering committee, “a significant motivating factor of the Confession’s participants is to call the Church to spiritual renewal.”
7/The Las Vegas Shooting—Mourning the Loss in So Many Ways
We mourn deeply for the tragic event that took place in Las Vegas on October 1st. We mourn for the families and friends of those who were murdered, knowing their lives will never be the same. We mourn at the thought that some of those who perished may not have been ready to meet their Maker. And while it’s hard at a time like this to even think of mourning for the man who caused this horrific rampage of death, we mourn because another pitiful soul has chosen death and Hell over eternal life.
8/Brian McLaren, You Have Missed the Boat With Your “All-Inclusive Reformation”—Homosexuals and Feminists: Yes; The Bible and White Christian Men: No
As groups around the world celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation with highly ecumenical events and speeches, Brian McLaren, once likened to Luther,1 has outlined his view of what the next reformation will look like in an article he wrote on November 1, 2017 titled, “The Last Reformation … and the Next Reformation.” A disgruntled former evangelical Christian, McLaren says that the first reformation was led by white European men whose belief of an inerrant Bible was “papal authority with paper authority.”
9/What You Need to Tell Your Local Public School Officials About Children and Mindfulness Meditation
Whether you have children at a public school or not, do what you can to help prevent your own local public school from incorporating meditation into the lives of the children. And keep in mind, it’s just a matter of time before Christian schools will be introducing mindfulness meditation and Yoga as well. We know this because the condition of today’s North American Christianity is of such a nature that Christians are being persuaded to go along with the culture; and, of course, with contemplative meditation so prevalent in the church, Christians are being conditioned to accept all forms of New Age meditation.
10/Mysticism Takes the Place of Christianity – Hostility Against Believers Will Grow
As many of you may know, Lynne Hybels is part of the emergent church and someone who has proven herself to be against the nation of Israel. If someone were to ask us what are two of the main characteristics of the emerging church, we would say mysticism and an anti-Israel sentiment. It is interesting to note that Hybels says she lost the Christianity of her youth 25 years ago.
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