As
we continue to expose contemplative spirituality, we have
joined many ministries and individual believers who too
seek to defend the faith and the Gospel. 2005 was a very
eventful year for the church as contemplative spirituality
gained momentum and has literally swept into churches, colleges,
organizations and ministries at an astronomical rate. From
Purpose Driven to the emerging church movement, from once
respected Christian leaders to publishing companies and
nearly every denomination, few stones have been left unturned
... contemplative spirituality is here. But through Scripture
and solid documentation, it has been proven to be a detriment
to all. While there have been several attempts to silence
and discredit those believers who are speaking the truth
in love, the Lord has been faithful.
As we enter our 5th year of publishing books and websites
that warn of impending dangers, we pray that the Lord will
give courage and strength to the brothers and sisters around
the world who defend the precious faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And by the grace of God, Lighthouse Trails is here
for another year.
"Wherefore
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the
end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ." I Peter 1:13
| Deception in the Church and the Coming of the Lord |
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by Dr. Johan Malan
"Various mystical but unbiblical techniques are applied
to experience the presence and power of God – or rather
a pantheistic god who is hidden within human beings
and within all of creation. Among these techniques
are 'Christian' meditation, yoga, visualization,
hypnotic regression, inner healing, as well as alternative
healing therapies for disease and illness. Ultimately,
prayer is altogether replaced by meditation and people learn the technique of achieving a state
of alternative consciousness within a few minutes,
thereby opening up their 'creative right brain' to
unidentified influences from mystical spheres. Scripture-reading
is replaced by mystical revelations of God through
dreams, visions and inner voices, thereby marginalizing
the Bible to a larger extent." Read: Theology
and Objectives of the Church by Professor Malan,University
of Limpopo, South Africa
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| INTERSPIRITUALITY WATCH ... "Emergent Christian and Jewish
Leaders in First-Ever Meeting" |
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"Leaders
from across the United States gathered during the
inaugural session of the S3K Leadership Network's
Working Group on Emergent Sacred Communities, which
took place January 16-17, 2006, at the Brandeis-Bardin
Institute in Simi Valley, California."
Just a few months earlier, in June, Rick Warren met
with the S3K Leadership Network to discuss the building
of a "compelling spiritual community." ( Watch videos of this meeting.) And, Emergent leader Brian
McLaren (A New Kind of Christian) "has
met with Synagogue 3000's leadership three times in
recent months to discuss shared concerns, particularly
surrounding attempts by younger Christians and Jews
to express their spiritual commitments through social
justice. 'We have so much common ground on so many
levels,' he notes." Read
More...
Related News:
Rick
Warren and Synagogue 3000
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| How Did Rick Warren Sell So Many Books? |
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According
to The Purpose Driven Life's marketing director,
Greg Stielstra, the success of the book was because
of Pyromarketing techniques. The same held true for
Mel Gibson's Passion movie.
"Book marketing professionals know the secrets of
success that drove sales of Rick Warren’s The Purpose
Driven Life and Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the
Christ.' They understand that sales of both blockbusters
were driven by techniques outlined in a new book called
PyroMarketing by Greg Stielstra. Stielstra was the
marketing director for The Purpose Driven Life, the
best-selling hardcover book in history." - PyroMarketing-
The Secret of Book Marketing Success
Related information:
Promote
It Yourself
Pyromarketing Gets the Green Light
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| Youth Specialties No Longer Writing Youth Worker Journal |
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The
magazine that has been handled by Youth Specialties
for some time now, has been taken over by Salem Communications. Youth Worker Journal, which has been a conduit
for contemplative spirituality, has been owned by
Salem Communications for some time now but Youth Specialties
was in charge of developing content and editing.
For more on this and on Youth Specialties:
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| Amazing Quotes |
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"Today
there really aren't that many Fundamentalists left;
I don't know if you know that or not, but they are
such a minority; there aren't that many Fundamentalists
left in America ... Now the word 'fundamentalist'
actually comes from a document in the 1920s called
the Five Fundamentals of the Faith. And it is a very
legalistic, narrow view of Christianity." Quote
by Rick
Warren, May 2005
[Fundamentalism is]"one of the big enemies of the
21st century." "Muslim fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalism,
Jewish fundamentalism, secular fundamentalism - they're
all motivated by fear. Fear of each other." - Rick
Warren, January 2006
"Christianity IS an eastern religion. It has
all its roots in the East! It's a bit baffling to
me that people lose sight of this, and insist on creating
a false separation [see note below] between eastern
religions and (apparently) western Christianity." Mark Oestreicher, President
Youth Specialties
"Emergent doesn't have a position on absolute truth,
or on anything for that matter. Do you show up at
a dinner party with your neighbors and ask, 'What's
this dinner party's position on absolute truth?' No,
you don't, because it's a nonsensical question." Tony
Jones At the 2005 National Youth Workers Convention
"My goal is to destroy Christianity as a world
religion and be a recatalyst for the movement of Jesus
Christ," McManus, author of a new book called The
Barbarian Way, said in a telephone interview. "Some
people are upset with me because it sounds like I'm
anti-Christian. I think they might be right."—Erwin
McManus, from The Barbarian Way
More
Amazing Quotes
Emerging
Church Leader Quotes
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| MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT |
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"The
Berean Beacon Ministries proclaims the Good News of
Salvation (the Gospel of Jesus Christ). The President
and founder is Richard Bennett, a former Roman Catholic
Priest. Bennett's website is a wonderful resource
with articles, books, videos and audios. He addresses
Catholicism, mysticism, the emerging church and PDL.
More about Richard Bennett's ministry.
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| Rick Warren Promotes Another Contemplative Book |
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In
the January 18, 2006
issue of Rick Warren's weekly e-newsletter, in
the Ministry Library Section, Warren recommends a
book called Serious
Times by James Emery White.
The book is filled with contemplative references including
numerous mentions of Thomas Merton, Richard Foster,
the desert fathers and so on. The author encourages
the use of lectio divina (see our feature article)
and the silence to enhance our spiritual lives.
Related Information:
Article
on Pastors.com by James Emery White
Rick
Warren and Contemplative Prayer
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| CHRISTIAN MYSTICS FROM THE PAST |
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Many
of the modern day contemplatives quote and favorably
refer to "Christian" mystics from the past. Here is
a partial list to help you with your research:
If
you study the works of the modern day contemplatives,
you will see these names referred to often.
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| Youth For Christ Teams Up With Youth Specialties and
Contemplative Spirituality |
|
This
summer, in two locations (DC and LA), a Youth
Specialties and Youth For Christ hosted event
will take place - DCLA.
The event is geared for middle high and high school
students and will allow students to "experience intimate
worship, relevant training, and interaction with thousands
of other students that will lead to life-changing
impact."
Just how will this "life-changing impact" happen?
To begin with, "training" will include
the use of a labyrinth.
Speakers for the events include Youth Specialties
President, Mark Oestreicher, and Doug Fields, Youth
Pastor of Saddleback Church.
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| Announcing Our New "Letter to the Editor" Section |
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This
month we implemented a "Letter
to the Editor" form on our research site. We hear
from so many wonderful brothers and sisters in the
Lord, many of whom have suffered greatly while defending
the faith. If you'd like to share your story, it will
be a great encouragement to those who feel that they
are all alone.
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| Denomination Rejects Purpose Driven and Calls for Rick
Warren's Repentance |
|
"At
its 69th General Synod, the Bible Presbyterian denomination
urged congregations and 'all believers of whatever
denomination' to fiercely repudiate and expose the
'egregious error' espoused by Rick Warren and other
proponents of the 'purpose-driven paradigm' (PDP)
of church growth, reported John T. Dyck, Assistant
Clerk of Synod." From Baptist Bulletin, Denomination Repudiates Rick Warren and Purpose-Driven
Teaching
Bible Presbyterian
Church Resolution 69:13 "The essential problem
with the PDP is that man is unabashedly the measure
of all things (Judges 21:25). This problem results
in numerous erroneous approaches to the ministry of
the Church....We call upon Mr. Warren to repent of
his heretical teachings. We are resolved to stand
firm against this perversion of Biblical Christianity,
and guard against its insidious intrusion into the
lives of our churches."
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| The New Age - Here to Stay |
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For
those who thought that the New Age has diminished
and that the term has become obsolete, try typing
"New Age" into google's search engine. That phrase
pops up nearly 23 million times. Listen now to a few
quotes by some of the New Age movement's most prominent
leaders.
"All of your life you have been told that God created
you. I come now to tell you this: You are creating
God." - Neale
Donald Walsch, (Conversations with God,
book 3, p. 256.)
"The concept of a divine, or 'Christ'-mind, is the
idea that, at our core, we are not just identical,
but actually the same being." - Marianne
Williamson, A Return to Love, p. 30-31.
"One day, very soon now, when enough people are responding
to His Presence and His energy, the Christ will allow
Himself to be discovered. - Benjamin Creme, Reappearance,
p. 49.
"A new politics is emerging for the twenty-first century
... It is a mystical revolution that will usher in
a mystical age." - Marianne Williamson
"Tell them to recognize the God within themselves,
and to follow that light through the darkness of the
tribulations to the dawn of the Universal Age, when
only the God-conscious continue to exist, and everyone
is like Christ." - Barbara
Marx Hubbard, The Revelation, p. 102.
"In the twinkling of an eye, we are all changed by
this experience. It is a mass metanoia, a shared spiritual
experience for the human race, a peaceful second coming
of the divine in us as us." - Marx Hubbard |
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