| Hard Lessons in Discernment |
 By David Dombrowski
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. (Ephesians 4: 13-15)
People often wonder, whether they verbalize it or not, why Lighthouse Trails has taken on the task of “criticizing other ministries.” After all, isn’t unity the most important thing in all of Christianity?
Recently, for example, our office received an e-mail from someone who was very upset over our critiques and concerns of the movie series, The Chosen. Below is a portion of the comments we received from this person:
With all due respect, you’re absolutely wrong, and bearing (in a documented way) false witness against a brother [Dallas Jenkins] and his ministry. Maybe check up on what the word says about those practices, eh? . . . [Lighthouse Trails] is an organization that fashions themselves after the Pharisees of scripture . . . and gatekeeping the faith. . . . It’s sad but true that there will always be that percentage of Christians who relish judging others and being purveyors of gossip and false witness, and you’ve found purpose in providing them fodder for their sinful attitudes. For shame.
It is difficult to read such harsh criticism; but we also know we don’t stand alone; many of our readers have been accused of ungodly behavior when expressing concerns over practices or teachings they felt were unbiblical and spiritually dangerous.
If you have read my booklet, My Journey Out of Catholicism,1 you know that I was raised Catholic and found the Lord after being drafted and sent to Germany as the Vietnam War was just ending. During this era, many young people in the ’60s and ’70s found the Lord as the Gospel was presented to hearts that were searching and hungry for truth. After my military duty ended, and I returned home (now as a born-again believer), I first got involved with a group in the Catholic charismatic movement. One of the great ironies of my Christian walk is that it was the charismatic Catholics who told me I had a “gift of discernment.” I say ironic because it was discernment that led me out of the Catholic Church. As difficult as that time period was, it was also somewhat amusing that the spiritual gift the Catholic charismatics said I had was actually rejected by them as I began questioning practices like “inner healing,” contemplative prayer, “slaying in the Spirit,” and deliverance rituals.
Lessons in Harsh Criticisms
Over the years since then, I’ve given a lot of thought to what biblical discernment is all about and have come to realize that it’s so important to be sensitive to what the Lord wants us to do as a ministry. For one, we know we can’t cover every topic, so we seek the Lord on what He would have us to do.
This may come as a surprise, but some of the harshest criticisms we’ve ever received were not about exposing error in the church but that we weren’t doing enough. In at least two cases, the offended party told us they would do all they could do to destroy Lighthouse Trails and the ministries of some of our authors because we would not post or cover an issue they felt we should cover. At this point, their initial request that we would post their material now became a demand! The argument in each case was basically that because we would not expose a particular person or error, we must be in league with the enemy, and consequently, heretics and deceivers. These threats were brutal in that these parties said they would use whatever means or media they could avail themselves with to destroy Lighthouse Trails. As far as handling such situations, we made the decision many years ago that if an attack was unwarranted, rather than quickly coming to our own defense, we would lean on the Lord’s protection and trust Him to vindicate us as He saw fit.
There were a few reasons why we refused to post these materials on our website: first and foremost, we wanted to be led by the Lord and not by intimidation and threats; second, in these severe cases and in others as well, the materials being presented to us were vehement, poorly researched, and even slanderous and erroneous. Lighthouse Trails has always tried to be careful in our treatment of those who bring false teachings into the church. As much as we can, we try to keep our focus on the false teachings themselves with the hopes that these false teachings might cease—or at least be exposed and avoided. We realize it is not our job or even within our ability to know the heart and motives of those presenting false teachings. But, at the same time, we are not naïve enough as to not see the apostasy that is presently sweeping our world and the church.
One of these individuals who said he would destroy Lighthouse Trails (largely because we wouldn’t post his materials) said that when he exposes someone, he likes to go for the “shock and the awe” as he attempts to destroy someone’s reputation. As we see it, such an attitude goes against the purpose of a biblical discernment ministry, which is to aid and serve the body of Christ by exposing things that are a dangerous hinderance to finding or walking with God and exhorting the church to remain anchored to the truth found in God’s Word.
The Chosen: An Unpleasant Task in Discernment
In First John chapter 4, John distinguishes the spirit of antichrist from the true Christ by using the Gospel itself as the standard for measurement. I have written about this before: It is the idea that anything that tears down the Gospel is not of God, and whatever builds it up is of God. This standard has also been the tool we employ in deciding what subjects to write about. You see, the Gospel has everything to do with our eternal destiny, so it is essential that we defend and protect it. It’s important to remember too that the spirit of antichrist is not always portrayed as hatred of Christ, but it can often come in a much more subtle form as a substitute for Christ or an imitation (i.e., false) Christ.
In this article about difficult lessons in discernment, I decided to use The Chosen as an example. What I said in the previous paragraph is why we took on warning about it. Doing this has not been a pleasant task; we already had friends, family members, and readers who felt, at first, that The Chosen was a wonderful way of presenting the Gospel, and after all, Christian leaders are recommending it.
But there was something amiss; and as we did our research, it became apparent that a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) dismantling of the Gospel was taking place where Jesus, the Son of God, takes on more and more human qualities to the point that He is just like us. Now, it may seem OK to some to do this since the Gospel teaches us that Jesus is fully God and fully man; but what happens when we see, on the screen, that Jesus is just another one of us? What happens when we see one of Jesus’ disciples helping Him recite His lines for His sermon on the Mount? And what will happen to Derral Eves’ (The Chosen’s Mormon CEO and Executive Producer) teenage son, who rushed to his father in the middle of the night with joyful tears in his eyes, saying “Dad, Jesus really does live, doesn’t he . . . and he’s a real person, right?” His son said this after viewing a scene in The Chosen in season three where “Jesus” was “blowing raspberries” (i.e., making flatulence sounds with his lips) while interacting among children.2
This scene was obviously intended to be funny, but it was clearly an attempt to bring Jesus down to our level which very much lines up with Mormonism (which teaches that Jesus was just a man who attained divinity, just as Mormon believers will attain godhood). As we learn more about Mormonism, we find that Heaven will be a place where Joseph Smith will be seated next to the Father (in as much prominence as Jesus Christ), and Jesus will be further removed sitting among various historical figures.
Then consider John the Baptist who is depicted in The Chosen as “Creepy John.”3 At face value, John could have been seen as creepy to his culture; after all, he was out there in the desert eating locusts and honey. But if we search the Scriptures to see what John was really like and how people perceived him, to call him “Creepy John” is not “plausible”4 as Dallas Jenkins likes to call his version of Bible stories—it is fabrication and slanderous!
As it turns out, John was loved and respected by many—both Jew and Gentile. More importantly, we should note how God perceived him. In Luke, chapter one, an angel spoke these words about John:
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. . . . And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:15, 17)
Then in Luke, chapter 7, Jesus spoke of John’s ministry as very honorable saying, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:28). With these verses in mind, it is puzzling, then, that The Chosen would depict “creepy John” as someone Jesus felt was going off the deep end and needing correction.5
Reading further in Luke 7, and in light of the depiction of John in The Chosen, it is amazing to see what Jesus said next because, while multitudes of people went to hear and be baptized by John, a small minority would not hear him, and these were “the Pharisees and lawyers [who] rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him” (Luke 7:30). What caught my attention first in this Bible passage is the fact that Jesus addresses the Pharisees and describes what they are like; so I was curious to see what Jesus had to say about them, having been freshly accused of being modern-day Pharisees ourselves. Speaking of these men, Jesus said:
Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! (Luke 7:31-34)
Now, let’s be careful here in understanding what Jesus is trying to say: Jesus is not authenticating the view that Jesus (or His disciples) are party animals who go out and get drunk, nor is He authenticating the view that John the Baptist is creepy or mad or “hath a devil.” No actually, He is denying it.
Reading these verses reminded me again about The Chosen episode where Jesus has a disciple help recite His lines for the Sermon on the Mount. In Scripture, did Jesus have something to say on that subject? Let’s consider the following words of Jesus:
Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. (John 8:28)
Does this sound like Jesus practiced His lines with the help of a disciple, where in fact, He only wanted to speak what He received of the Father? Jesus spoke the things He received directly from the Father because Jesus was eternally God with the Father. And He is telling the people here that when they see Him crucified, die, and rise again, they will know who was with them. Again, we see a gradual whittling down of Jesus in The Chosen to being just a man. Dallas Jenkins claims to be presenting the “authentic Jesus”6 in this series while only using five percent of Scripture.7 It seems more like they are trying to present an authentic Jesus while contradicting Scripture (something impossible to do!). Again, the die has been cast, and it appears that the Jesus of The Chosen resembles more that of the Book of Mormon than that of Holy Scripture.
A Lesson in Finding the Truth: The Chosen and the Mormons
Given that the Mormon producers of The Chosen are obligated by their religion to stay true to the Book of Mormon, how can they justify depicting Jesus as revealed in the Holy Bible when their Book of Mormon supersedes the Bible? This is a real predicament as the Mormons have invested heavily into this production. Perhaps for a time, it will be possible to ride the fence of neutrality, but the day will surely come when they will have to abide by their true persuasions. Most likely, by then, the damage will already be done in gradually sizing Jesus down to just a man who eventually became “god” just as all Mormons will one day become gods—that is, as the Book of Mormon teaches.
A while back, Dallas Jenkins made a statement indicating that it is OK to have Mormons involved in the creation of The Chosen series, by saying that Mormons and Christians believe in the same Jesus.8 What he should have said is Christianity and Mormonism have entirely separate views of who Jesus was and who He is. Jesus, according to Mormonism, was never part of the eternal Godhead but attained godhood just as they believe man can attain godhood. Consequently, Jesus can never become one’s Savior under that belief system.
What we see happening in The Chosen series is a subtle and gradual dismantling of Jesus Christ, the disciples, and the Bible itself. This is serious because, while this series may be entertaining, the distortions to Scripture can have eternal consequences. Some argue that The Chosen will stimulate people to read their Bibles; but just like the Book of Mormon, this series may easily supplant the Bible (and probably already has because of its powerful seduction of the senses), and it will be the only “Bible” many viewers will ever know. We have already seen this happen with Jesus Calling, where readers of this book contacted us to admit that they had become so “addicted” to and enamored with the romantic nature of this “Jesus” that they increasingly set their Bibles aside and used this book for their devotional reading.
A Lesson in Knowing Who We Are and Who He Is
In closing, I would like to make a few remarks about distinguishing truth from error. First, in referring back to the e-mail we received from our critic who parenthetically injected a keen observation about our position on The Chosen, I am very thankful. She said we present our information “in a documented way,” which, in and of itself, is a compliment. We research things carefully to get to the truth on any issue. For example, when we said that only five percent of The Chosen is from the Bible, we were quoting Dallas Jenkins himself who said this. The point being, it’s valuable to do the research though it takes much time and effort before making an observation or a criticism. Another point she made was in referring to us as gatekeepers of the faith, which I also take as a compliment, but one that we have neither earned nor deserve. Jesus is the sheepgate. He stated that when He said:
I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9).
By this, Jesus was indicating that He is our all in all things. Paul expanded on the various aspects of what Jesus does for us when he said:
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)
In other words, Jesus provides everything we need for salvation and Christian living. Indeed, He is both the gate and the gatekeeper of our faith, enabling us to discern what is good and what is not.
There will come a time when we will meet the Lord, and there will be plenty of surprises when God reveals how much that was done “for God” was actually counter-productive. May we humbly seek Him to help us to build His kingdom and not tear it down. On that day, God will test our lives (and ministries) as with fire to a house—some built with straw and some built with stone.
I find myself described in the same chapter from Paul when he says:
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1: 26-31; emphasis added)
Do you find yourself described in these verses? If so, you are in good company, and God can use you even through the hardest lessons of discernment.
Endnotes
- https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=10964.
- “So You Still Think The Chosen Is an Accurate Reflection of the “Authentic” Jesus Christ? Really?,” https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=35080.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTh3glbl8s4.
- Dallas Jenkins often says that the fictionalized stories he’s created are “plausible.” According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word plausible means “superficially fair, reasonable, or valuable but often specious (i.e., having a “false look of truth or genuineness” and “having deceptive attraction or allure”).
- https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=34616.
- “A Candid Conversation with Dallas Jenkins, Director of The Chosen” (Melissa Dougherty, 4/27/21, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__-Yyq1FPQI), mm: 67:45-67:55.
- Ibid., mm: 25:11.
- “Interview with a Mormon and an Evangelical!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXIiv3NhIhc&t=796s, mm: 9:37-10:55.
David Dombrowski is the co-founder and chief editor of Lighthouse Trails and the author of several booklets and articles.
(painting is from istockphoto.com; used with permission)
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| What Christian Leaders and Pastors Need to Know – The Final Outcome of Practicing Contemplative Prayer |
LTRP Note: With the majority of Christian colleges and seminaries now bringing in contemplative spirituality via Spiritual Formation programs, and with Christian leaders such as Rick Warren and Beth Moore endorsing the movement, and with countless pastors giving it a thumbs up to their congregations, isn’t it time professors, pastors, and leaders understand what the final outcome of contemplative prayer is? Isn’t it time they understand that leading Christians and church goers down this path is leading them away from the Cross, not toward it. At Lighthouse Trails, we believe it is beyond time for this understanding to occur.
By Ray Yungen
The final outcome of contemplative prayer is interspirituality. If you have truly grasped the portrait I have tried to paint in my books and articles, you have begun to see what this term signifies. The focus of my criticism of mystical prayer must be understood in the light of interspirituality.
Just what exactly is interspirituality? The premise behind interspirituality is that divinity (God) is in all things, and the presence of God is in all religions; there is a connecting together of all things, and through mysticism (i.e., meditation) this state of divinity can be recognized. Consequently, this is a premise that is based on and upheld by an experience that occurs during a self-hypnotic trance linking one to an unseen world rather than to the sound doctrine of the Bible.
It is important to understand that interspirituality is a uniting of the world’s religions through the common thread of mysticism. Wayne Teasdale, a lay monk who coined the term interspirituality, says that interspirituality is “the spiritual common ground which exists among the world’s religions.”1 Teasdale, in talking about this universal church also states:
She [the church] also has a responsibility in our age to be a bridge for reconciling the human family . . . the Spirit is inspiring her through the signs of the times to open to Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Taoists, Confucians, and indigenous peoples. As matrix [a binding substance], the Church would no longer see members of other traditions as outside her life. She would promote the study of these traditions, seek common ground and parallel insights.2 (emphasis mine)
An article in my local newspaper revealed just how well received interspirituality has become in certain circles. One Presbyterian elder who was described as a “Spiritual Director” made it clear when she said:
I also have a strong interest in Buddhism and do a sitting meditation in Portland [Oregon] as often as I can. I considered myself ecumenical not only in the Christian tradition, but with all religions.3 (emphasis mine)
There is a profound and imminent danger taking place within the walls of Christianity. Doctrine has become less important than feeling, and this has led to a mystical paradigm shift. Sound doctrine must be central to this debate because New Ageism has a very idealistic side to it, offering a mystical approach to solve human problems. Everyone would like to have his or her problems solved. Right? That is the practical aspect I have written about before—a seemingly direct route to a happy and fulfilled life. However, one can promote the attributes of God without actually having God.
People who promote a presumably godly form of spirituality can indeed come against the truth of Christ. Then how can you be assured that what you believe and practice is of God?
The Christian message has been clear from the beginning—God has sent a Savior. If man only had to practice some kind of mystical prayer to gain access to God then the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was a fruitless, hollow endeavor.
Sound Christian doctrine comes from the understanding that mankind is sinful, fallen, and separated from God. Man needs a saving work by God! A teaching like panentheism (God is in everybody) cannot be reconciled to the finished work of Christ. How could Jesus be our Savior then? New Age constituents will say He is a model for Christ consciousness, but the Bible teaches He is the Savior of mankind. Therefore, panentheism cannot be a true doctrine.
The problem is that many well-intentioned people embrace the teachings of panentheism because it sounds so good. It appears less bigoted on God’s part. No one is left out—all are connected to God. There is a great appeal in this message. Nevertheless, the Bible does not teach a universal salvation for man. In contrast, Jesus said:
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Christ’s message is the polar opposite of these universalist teachings. Many people (even Christians) today think only a few really bad people will be sent to hell. But in Matthew, the words of Jesus make it clear that this just is not so.
While God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of the world, He did not say all would be saved. His words are clear that many would reject the salvation He provided. But those who are saved have been given the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18) making an appeal to those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3). The Christian message is not samadhi, Zen, kundalini, or the contemplative silence. It is the power of the Cross!
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Yes, perishing—and not just unaware of their “true self” (as contemplatives like Brennan Manning proclaim).
In an opinion poll, the startling results describe how Americans actually view God. Spirituality and Health magazine hired a reputable pollster organization to gauge the spiritual beliefs of the American public. This national poll revealed that 84 percent of those questioned believed God to be “everywhere and in everything” rather than “someone somewhere.”4 This means panentheism is now the more popular view of God. If true, then a high percentage of evangelical Christians in America already lean towards a panentheistic view of God. Perhaps many of these Christians are fuzzy about the true nature of God.
How could this mystical revolution have come about? How could this perspective have become so widespread? The answer is that over the last thirty or forty years, a number of authors have struck a deep chord with millions of readers and seekers within Christianity. These writers have presented and promoted the contemplative view to the extent that many now see it as the only way to “go deeper” in the Christian life. They are the ones who prompt men and women to plunge into contemplative practice. It is their message that leads people to experience the “lights” and the “inner adviser!”
Endnotes:
1. Wayne Teasdale, “Mysticism as the Crossing of Ultimate Boundaries: A Theological Reflection” (The Golden String newsletter, http://clarusbooks.com/Teasdale.html, accessed 10/2009).
2. Wayne Teasdale, A Monk in the World (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2002), p. 64.
3. Jan Alsever quoted in Statesman Journal, January 27th, 1996, Religion Section.
4. Katherine Kurs, “Are You Religious or Are You Spiritual?” (Spirituality & Health Magazine, Spring 2001), p. 28.
(Photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission) |
| Video: “Warren B Smith – A Former New Ager Returns to Philadelphia” |
 photo: Warren Smith – taken while he was involved in the New Age Chris Lawson, of Spiritual Research Network, has posted a new video on Warren B. Smith’s YouTube channel. Warren is a former New Age follower and a Lighthouse Trails author who has written numerous books and booklets including his autobiography, The Light That Was Dark. In this newly posted video, Warren is speaking at pastor Joe Focht’s Calvary Chapel church in Philadelphia in 2009. “Warren speaks about his life, testimony, and escaping the New Age movement and coming to know Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.”
If you have never been on Warren’s YouTube channel, it contains dozens of Warren’s talks at various venues. We hope you will consider subscribing to the channel so you can be notified when new videos are released.
You can visit Warren’s website, newagetoamazinggrace.com, where there are articles, videos, and contact information.
Warren B. Smith (B.A. University of Pennsylvania; M.S.W. Tulane University)—A former community social worker, who served as a program coordinator for people with special needs, directing several homeless programs and working as a Hospice social worker in New Orleans and on the California coast. After leaving the New Age movement and becoming a Christian, he began writing extensively on the subject of spiritual deception.
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| “Social Media’s Antisemitic Underbelly” |
 Chris Katulka LTRP Note: The following is posted for informational and research purposes. It is from the Christian publication, Israel My Glory. The publishers, The Friends of Israel, just released a special edition on antisemitism: “A Biblical Look at Antisemitism. Below is one of the articles in that edition. You may read the entire edition by clicking here.
“If you’re not an active Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram user, you might think these trends don’t affect you. But even if you don’t get your news from social media, many people you know do.” – Chris Katulka
By Chris Katulka
Israel My Glory
Twitter and Instagram recently locked rapper Kanye West out of his accounts after he posted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going full death [sic] con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
West is a social media influencer with more than 49 million followers between the two social media platforms. What he says, sells, and shares reaches a global audience in seconds. His antisemitic post followed an interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson in which the rapper claimed Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s Jewish son-in-law, arranged the peace agreements between Israel and the Arab nations “to make money.”
In a separate interview, West claimed Kushner “is an example of how the Jewish people have their hand on every single business that controls the world.” Besides being untrue, his statement is a textbook antisemitic trope that singles out the entire Jewish race for the world’s problems. His words follow a disturbingly familiar pattern: When there is no one left to blame, you can always point the finger at the Jewish people. Click here to continue reading.
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| “Exiled Moscow Chief Rabbi: Jews Should Leave Russia Before They Are Scapegoated” |
 photo: Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt: taken from a 2-second YouTube video; used in accordance with the U.S. Fair Use Act: LTRP Note: The following is posted for informational and research purposes.
By Ash Obel
Times of Israel
Amid rising antisemitism, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt warns that historical precedent indicates Jewish community will be blamed for country’s problems
Moscow’s exiled former chief rabbi, Pinchas Goldschmidt, has warned Russian Jews that they may become scapegoats for hardships brought on by Moscow’s sputtering war in Ukraine, and encouraged them to leave the country.
In an interview with Britain’s The Guardian, Goldschmidt said there was historical precedent that shows the Jewish community could end up being blamed.
“When we look back over Russian history, whenever the political system was in danger you saw the government trying to redirect the anger and discontent of the masses towards the Jewish community,” he said. “We saw this in tsarist times and at the end of the Stalinist regime.” Click here to continue reading.
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| “New Zealand’s Prime Minister Is The First Covid Tyrant To Fall, But She Won’t Be The Last” |
LTRP Note: The following is posted for informational and research purposes.
By Helen Raleigh
The Federalist
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation this week after being the nation’s leader for six years. She cited “burnout” as the reason. But many believe Ardern chose to exit early because she expected to face a humiliating defeat in this year’s election. Many Kiwis (a nickname for New Zealanders) are fed up with her government’s harsh Covid-19 restrictions.
Ardern was only 37 when she was elected as prime minister. She championed leftists’ favorite causes, such as climate change and so-called gender equality. She rose to international fame following the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attack, when a gunman killed 51 people in two mosques. Ardern quickly introduced a strict gun law that banned all “military-style” semi-automatic guns and so-called “assault rifles,” and established a mandatory gun “buyback” program. Arden also wore a hijab to show her respect for the Muslim community. She became a leftist darling and gained fans worldwide. . . .
It turned out the strict gun law Ardern championed failed to curb gun crimes. On the contrary, gun crimes rose to a 10-year high after the law went into effect, according to Radio New Zealand. But the pandemic was really the defining moment for Ardern and revealed that she is not the compassionate democracy defender she wanted us to believe. Click here to continue reading.
Related Reading:
“Dying COVID-19 Patient Recovers After Court Orders Hospital to Administer Ivermectin”
“Nonprofit Sues HHS to Immediately Stop Emergency Use Authorization of COVID-19 Vaccines”
“Covid, Vaccines, Global Reset, and Israel”
(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)
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| The Story of Mask-e-pe-toon – A Powerful Cree Chief Who Found the Truth Through Forgiveness |
By Egerton Ryerson Young
(Missionary to the Cree people in Manitoba in the late 1800s)
The following incident occurred years ago on the great plains of the Canadian Northwest, long before the waves of Anglo-Saxon civilization began to surge over those glorious fertile prairies which for so many generations were hid from the gaze of the outside busy world. Among the Indian tribes that roamed over those vast regions, the Crees in those days were perhaps the most numerous and powerful. The terrible small-pox and other epidemic diseases had not entered in among them, mowing them down by thousands, leaving them, as they are today, but a shadow or a wreck of their former glory. The most powerful chief among this tribe was called Mask-e-pe-toon, or “Crooked Arm,” from the fact that one of his arms had been so hacked and wounded in his hand-to-hand conflicts with his neighbors, the Blackfeet Indians, that, in healing, the muscles had so contracted and stiffened that the arm remained crooked. He was a warlike chief, and his delight was in all the excitements of Indian conflicts, in cunning ambuscades, and, when successful, in the practice of unheard-of barbarities upon the captives of other tribes who fell into his hands. Very picturesque was the dress of many of these warriors of the plains. The quills of the eagle, which with them is considered the royal bird, formed the head-dress. Their shield was generally made of the tough leather of the neck of an old buffalo bull. The clothing, which was most elaborately ornamented and fringed, was made of the skins of the deer or moose, most beautifully tanned and prepared by the Indian women. Some of their horses were really magnificent animals and trained for Indian warfare.
The Rev. Mr. Rundle, of the English Missionary Society, was the first missionary who at great personal risk visited the Cree tribes and faithfully declared the message of salvation to them. It was news indeed and startled those wild prairie warriors; and the question went around among them, “Where did this little man come from with such strange tidings?” The conjurers were called upon to solve the question, and the answer was that he had come direct from heaven wrapped in a large piece of paper.
The Rev. James Evans also visited Mask-e-pe-toon and faithfully preached to him and his people. Some accepted the truth and became Christians, but Mask-e-pe-toon was too fond of war to quickly receive the message of peace.
A number of years later the Rev. George McDougall went out, in prosecution of his missionary work, to those mighty plains, on one of which in after years he so mysteriously died. That he might be more successful in his efforts to bring them to Christ, Mr. McDougall frequently left his own home, and for months together lived with these red men as they wandered over vast stretches of country, hunting the buffalo and other game. His custom was always to have religious service every evening where they camped for the night. . . . At these camp-fire services, hymns were sung, prayers were offered, and God’s Word was read and expounded. One evening, Mr. McDougall read as his lesson the story of the trial and death of the Lord Jesus. He dwelt particularly upon the prayer of the Savior for his murderers, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” and, well aware of the Indian spirit of revenge that was so prominent in the hearts of his hearers, he dwelt strongly upon it and plainly told them that if they really expected forgiveness from God they must have the same mind that was in Christ and forgive their enemies. Mask-e-pe-toon was observed to be deeply moved under the sermon, but nothing was said to him that evening. The next day, as the great company, consisting of many hundreds, was riding along over the beautiful prairies, an Indian chief rode quickly to the side of Mr. McDougall, and in quiet but excited tones asked him to fall back in the rear, as they did not wish him, the missionary, to witness the torture and killing of a man who was in that little band of Indians that was approaching them, although still so far away as to be almost indistinguishable to the eyes of a white man.
It seems that months before this Mask-e-pe-toon had sent his son across a mountain range or pass to bring from a sheltered valley a herd of horses which had there wintered. Very sublime and magnificent is some of the Rocky Mountain scenery. Travelers who have visited the Alps and other picturesque mountainous regions declare that some of the views in the Canadian “Rockies” are not excelled in any other part of the world. . . . Among the foothills of these mountains are many beautiful valleys, where the grass and herbage abound, and it was in one of them that Mask-e-pe-toon had kept his reserved horses. He selected one of his warriors as his son’s comrade to aid him in the work. From what afterward was found out it seems that the man, having a chance to sell the horses, his cupidity was excited, and so he murdered the chief’s son, disposed of the horses, and hiding for the time his booty returned to the tribe with the plausible story that when they were coming across one of the dangerous passes in the mountains the young man lost his foothold and fell over one of the awful precipices, and was dashed to pieces, and that he alone was unable to manage the herd of horses, and so they had scattered on the plains.
Knowing nothing at the time to the contrary, Mask-e-pe-toon and his people were obliged to accept this story, improbable as it seemed. However, the truth came out after a while, for there had been, unknown to the murderer, witnesses of the tragedy. And now, for the first time since the truth had been revealed, the father was approaching the band in which was the murderer of his son. That the missionary might not see the dire vengeance that would be wreaked upon the culprit was the reason why this subordinate chief had requested Mr. McDougall to slacken his pace and fall into the rear of the crowd. Instead of doing so he quickened the speed of his horse and rode up to a position a little in the rear of the mighty chief, who, splendidly mounted, was leading the van of his warriors. On they galloped over the beautiful green sward, the missionary’s heart uplifted in prayer that the wrath of man might be turned to the praise of God.
When the two bands approached within a few hundred yards of each other, the eagle eye of the old warrior chief detected the murderer, and, drawing his tomahawk from his belt, he rode up until he was face to face with the man who had done him the greatest injury that was possible to inflict upon him. Mr. McDougall, who still kept near enough to hear and see all that transpired, says that Mask-e-pe-toon, with a voice tremulous with suppressed feeling, and yet with an admirable command over himself, looking the man in the face who had nearly broken his heart, thus sternly addressed him: “You have murdered my boy, and you deserve to die. I picked you out as his trusted companion and gave you the post of honor as his comrade, and you have betrayed my trust and cruelly killed my only son. You have done me and the tribe the greatest injury possible for a man to do, for you have broken my heart and you have destroyed him who was to have succeeded me when I am not among the living. You deserve to die, and but for what I heard from the missionary last night at the campfire before this I would have buried this tomahawk in your brains. The missionary told us that if we expected the Great Spirit to forgive us we must forgive our enemies, even those who had done us the greatest wrong. You have been my worst enemy, and you deserve to die.” Then, in a voice tremulous with deepest emotion, he added, “As I hope the Great Spirit will forgive me I forgive you.” Then, speaking up sternly, he added, “But go immediately from among my people, and let me never see your face again.” Then hastily pulling up his war-bonnet over his head his forced calmness gave way, and, quivering with the suppressed feelings that tore his heart, he bowed down over his horse’s neck and gave way to an agony of tears.
Talk not of grief till thou hast seen
The tears of warlike men.
Mask-e-pe-toon lived for years afterward the life of a devoted, consistent Christian. All his old warlike habits were given up, and, mastering the syllabic characters in which the Cree Bible is printed, the Word of God became his solace and his joy. He spent the remainder of his days in doing good. Very earnest and thrilling were the addresses which he gave to his own people as he urged them to give up all their old sinful ways and become followers of that Savior who had so grandly saved him. Many listened to his words and, like him, gave up their old warlike habits and settled down to quiet, peaceful lives. Anxious to benefit his old enemies, the Blackfeet, and to tell to them the story of the Savior’s love, he fearlessly and unarmed went among them with his Bible in his hand. A blood-thirsty chief of that tribe saw him coming, and, remembering some of their fierce conflicts of other days, and perhaps having lost by Mask-e-pe-toon’s prowess some of his own relations in those conflicts, he seized his gun, and in defiance of all rules of humanity he coolly shot the converted Christian chieftain down.
Thus sadly fell Mask-e-pe-toon, a wondrous trophy of the cross, and one whose conversion did a vast amount of good, showing the power of the Gospel to change the hardest heart even under the most extreme provocation, where very few indeed could have found fault if the price of blood had been exacted and the murderer summarily executed.
(From Stories from Indian Wigwams and Northern Campfires)
Photo: Cree Chief Maskepetoon; Glenbow Archives, NA-4169-1
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LTRP Note: The following news story is posted for informational and research purposes. Lighthouse Trails has been posting reports on the case of cake baker, Jack Phillips, for a number of years now. Mr. Phillips has been in a legal battle because he refused to create a cake honoring transgenderism because of his Christian beliefs. He did not refuse to bake and create a cake for a transgender, only one that had wording and decoration that was transgender promoting.
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