Ph: 9780979131516
Yoga Month Poised to Make Statement at Democratic National Convention
Source: Miscellaneous News Source
LTRP Note: The following news article is not intended to be an endorsement for Yoga but is issued for research and informational purposes. To understand the New Age/Hinduism implications of Yoga, please refer to our research site.
by Yoga Month
Denver, CO - Yoga Month 09.2008, a national awareness campaign to inspire a healthy and informed lifestyle, kicks off the eve before the Democratic National Convention in Denver with a nonpartisan yoga health festival and benefit concert.
The Yoga Health Foundation, a 501 c (3) nonprofit organization, will officially launch Yoga Month, a national awareness campaign to inspire a healthy and informed lifestyle, in Denver on the eve of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). On August 24 and 25, the Yoga Health Foundation and OmPass, a yoga and health resource company, will produce the Yoga Month Denver Health Festival at the City Park in the Minsuk Cho Architectural Pavilion for Public Discourse. The festival is nonpartisan and is part of Dialog:City, an event supported by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee and the City of Denver Office of Cultural Affairs.
For Lighthouse Trails research on Yoga, click here.
This article or excerpt was posted on August 27, 2008@ 4:31 pm .
From:
Category: * YOGA
Donald Miller, the Emerging Church, and the Democratic National Convention
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
A Special Lighthouse Trails Commentary
On Monday night, August 25th, emerging church author Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) gave the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. This comes on the heels of the news that Brian McLaren (prolific writer and emerging church leader) is now an advisor to Barack Obama.
A concerted effort is taking place to draw emerging church voters into the Democratic arena. It is quite possible that the emerging vote will be the tipping factor in the upcoming presidential election. In a 2006 CBS Special Report, it was suggested that there could be as many as twenty million participants in the emerging church. 1 Even if this figure is higher than the actual number, based on the number of emerging church books that have sold, those influenced by and attracted to this spirituality are in the millions.
Two myths should be dispelled in order to gain a better understanding of this effort:
Myth 1: Donald Miller is not really an emerging church figure. Wrong. Miller shares the same spiritual outlook as other emerging leaders (even in Blue Like Jazz, which has sold over a million copies and has gained enormous influence in the evangelical church). That is why atonement-denier Brian McLaren said there is "no better book than Blue Like Jazz to introduce Christian spirituality." McLaren said this about Miller because he recognizes Miller as a soul mate of emerging spirituality.
The following quote by Miller (in BLJ) reveals much about his spiritual propensities:
For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained (p. 115).
When Miller says that "Christian spirituality" cannot be explained, he means that solid, unchangeable biblical doctrine and theology do not exist. When Miller says "Christian spirituality" can only be "experienced," this is referring to mysticism. That can be substantiated when Miller says: "You cannot be a Christian without being a mystic" (p. 202). He has echoed mystic Karl Rahner's words who said the Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will be nothing. Some may say that Miller is merely defending ideas like the trinity or eternity (which he refers to in BLJ) as being mystical. But putting in context Miller's statement above, he is actually defending "Christian writers" who embrace "mysticism." These are two different things. When the "Christian" mystics speak of mysticism, they are referring to altered states of consciousness (the silence) reached during mantric-style meditation. And while Miller doesn't mention contemplative or mantras in his books, he helps condition people to see mysticism as a legitimate and valuable practice.For those who may be skeptical regarding Miller's view on mysticism, in Searching for God Knows Whatin the acknowledgements, Miller thanks New Age meditation proponent Daniel Goleman. Goleman (author of The Meditative Mind) writes favorably about mantra meditation and Buddhism. He was the editor for a book titled Healing Emotions: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness, Emotions, and Health.
Miller backs up his dismissal of doctrine and theology (an earmark of all emerging leaders) when he says he has "climb[ed] outside my pat answers [doctrine]," and says "Too much of our time is spent trying to chart God on a grid" (p. 205). That might sound acceptable to many people today in our feel-good, redefining society, but it is the "pat answers" and the "chart" that the Bible has given us so we can understand God, life, and salvation. Miller reiterates his rejection of immoveable doctrine by concluding:
At the end of the day, when I am lying in bed and I know the chances of any of our theology being exactly right are a million to one, I need to know that God has things figured out, that if my math is wrong we are still going to be okay. And wonder is that feeling we get when we let go of our silly answers, our mapped out rules that we want God to follow.
A million to one is very low odds that "any" of our theology is right. What about the theology of the atonement? Is our chance of understanding that a million to one? What about the theology of Jesus Christ's return? Can we possibly know whether or not He is coming back? And what about the theology of biblical inerrancy? Can we even trust the Bible? With the odds Miller suggests, no, we can trust nothing about God's Word at all. Praise God, that Miller's odds are completely wrong.Myth 2: The emerging church isn't against debating the abortion or gay issues; they just don't want those to be the ONLY issues.In Donald Miller's second book, Searching for God Knows What, mystic proponent, Tony Campolo, endorsed the book, saying, "We need this book." Brian McLaren and other emergent leaders endorsed the book as well. In that book, Miller echoes the emergent voices when he states:
I wondered if the Christian faith in America had not been hijacked as well, hijacked by those same two issues: abortion and gay marriage. How did a spirituality such as Christianity, a spirituality that speaks of eternity, of a world without end, of forgiveness of sins and a mysterious union with the Godhead, come to be represented by a moralist agenda and a trickle-down economic theory?
The mantra of the emerging church is (including by Rick Warren) the false accusation that the only two things biblical Christians care about is stopping abortion and gay marriage. They state publicly that we should also care about the sick, the poor, and the needy. But you see, this is not what they mean: Since biblical Christians have cared about the poor, the sick, and the needy already, what they really mean is those two issues should be dumped altogether.Rick Warren and other emerging leaders are not being honest when they use the media and their books to convince the masses that biblical Christians do not care about those in need. And whether they know it or not, they are helping to bring about a new spirituality, which has its foundation based on death. How's that? The driving force behind the emerging church is mysticism. The premise behind mysticism is man's divinity. Believing that man is God ultimately leads to death because in that belief system, there is no need for a Savior. Man erroneously thinks he can save himself. Thus, he dies in his sin because he rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Everything that Satan does leads to death. Abortion and practicing homosexuality are in essence practices of death, and it only makes sense that this new age mystical spirituality that is entering the church condemns Christians who oppose abortion and the practice of homosexuality.
The reason the emerging church must ultimately accept practicing homosexuality and abortion is because both of these practices lead to death, and emerging spirituality is ultimately a belief system that draws people away from biblical truth that gives lifeand takes them toward an interspiritual, panentheistic "religion" (i.e., man is God) that leads to spiritual death (see Sue Monk Kidd).
Basically, the agendas of the Democratic Party and the emerging church are strikingly similar. Is it any wonder that the Democratic National Convention and the Obama ticket are using emerging church leaders to win this next election?
Related Information:
Donald Miller's "prayer" at the Democratic National Convention
The Era of the Single Savior is Overby Warren Smith
This article or excerpt was posted on August 26, 2008@ 2:40 pm .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Politics
Green Like Envy: An Ex-pagan Looks at Blue Like Jazz
Source: Kjos Ministries
The overarching theme of Miller's book is the glorification of rebellion by preaching false freedom. That's exactly what the Haight-Ashbury preached; it's exactly what drugs promise; and it's exactly what the Emergent Church movement promotes today.
by Richard and Linda NathanA phenomenon in evangelical circles, Blue Like Jazzby Donald Miller has sold over 800,000 copies and made the New York Times bestseller list since its publication by Thomas Nelson Publishers in 2003, and its popularity continues to grow. An icon in the burgeoning Emergent Church movement, it attracts countless youth in contemporary Christian culture. Seminarians nationwide are reading it avidly, and some Christian ministries and pastors are even using it to evangelize.
Why? And what does that popularity reveal about evangelicalism today?
I first read Blue Like Jazzbecause Christians I knew were whispering about what a wonderful book it is. I had no idea what it was about, but I figured with a name like that it could be about anything. Now, after reading it, a better title has occurred to me: Green Like Envy. I chose this title because it refers to my overwhelming impression that Don Miller envies the non-Christian or pagan life but feels confined by Christian roots. Instead, he hangs around the outskirts of paganism, hoping that something will rub off on him that he thinks Christians don't have and pagans do.
A big focus of Miller's book is his attraction to Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where, although he doesn't attend, he spends a lot of time. He reports getting involved with the few Christians on campus and mingling with the students. The book's high point is his description of an annual festival he thinks is cool.
"Each year at Reed they have a festival called Ren Fayre. They shut down the campus so students can party. Security keeps the authorities away, and everybody gets pretty drunk and high, and some people get naked. Friday night is mostly about getting drunk, and Saturday night is about getting high. The school brings in White Bird, a medical unit that specializes in treating bad drug trips. The students create special lounges with black lights and television screens to enhance kids' mushroom trips." [Author's note: Hallucinogenic mushrooms are also called "magic" mushrooms.]
"Saturday evening at Ren Fayre is alive and fun. The sun goes down over the campus, and shortly after dark they shoot fireworks over the tennis courts. Students lay out on a hill and laugh and point in blurry-eyed fascination. The highlight of the evening is a glow opera that packs the amphitheater with students and friends. The opera is designed to enhance mushroom trips."
Now why would a "Christian" call an immoral festival where people run around nude high on drugs "alive and fun"? Why does he think of this as hip and cool?Click here to read this entire article.
Related:
Emerging Church Author to Give Prayer at Democratic National Convention
This article or excerpt was posted on August 25, 2008@ 3:26 pm .
From: http://www.crossroad.to/
Category: * Emerging Church
Pepperdine University "Bible Lectures" Go Contemplative!
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
Pepperdine University is a Christian school located in California. Since the 1940s, Pepperdine University has been presenting their "Bible Lectures" series. This year the university presented the "65th Annual Bible Lectures," a four-day event. On three of the four days, a session titled "An Introduction to Contemplative Prayer" was given.1 The three workshops were titled: Through Imaging Prayer (guided imagery), Lectio Divina, and The Process of Examen (Ignatius exercises).
Jackie Halstead, an assistant professor at Abilene Christian University Texas was the presenter. Halstead has a special interest in spiritual formation. Abilene University is listed on the Lighthouse Trails "Colleges that Promote Contemplative." 2 The school uses textbooks by several emergent and contemplative figures and has a strong spiritual formation program. Some of the authors representing textbooks used in classes are: Doug Pagitt, Henri Nouwen, Tony Jones, Lauren Winner, Richard Foster, Walter Brueggemann, Robert Webber, and Duffy Robbins, all of whom are contemplative/emerging proponents. Abilene is also using a book (in UNIV 203: Prof. Tate) by New Age Gerald Jampolsky (a proponent of A Course in Miracles, the New Age "bible"). Abilene's spiritual formation section lists several emerging/contemplative resources for students including The Ooze, Worship Leader magazine, and Willow Creek. 3
Part of the reason Pepperdine University is going in this direction may have to do with its Provost, Darryl Tippens("chief academic officer" of Pepperdine University), who lists the following people as those he admires: Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Soren Kierkegaard, Kathleen Norris, and Anne Lamott (all promoters of mysticism). In Tippens own book, Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life, Tippens references Thomas Merton a number of times and encourages the use of contemplative practices such as lectio divina, going into the silence (the outcome of mantric-style practices), attending "silent retreats," and repeating the Jesus Prayer. Tippens book is riddled with favorable quoting or referencing of contemplative authors; some of those are Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, Marjorie Thompson (Soul Feast), Kathleen Norris, Donald Miller, Julian of Norwich, and Flannery O' Conner. These all have contemplative propensities. With a line up like this, there is no question that Tippens resonates with the contemplative prayer movement. Unfortunately, this will have a profound (in the negative sense) impact in the oveall spiritual outlook at Pepperdine University. The Introduction to Contemplative Prayer at Pepperdine's Bible Lectures this past spring is proof of that.
To understand the spirituality that Tippens is promoting, a look at Marjorie Thompson's book, Soul Feast (which Tippens says will "greatly enrich one's understanding and practice" (of contemplative silence) is vital (please click here to read our book review of Soul Feast).
This article or excerpt was posted on August 24, 2008@ 1:11 pm .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Contemplative
Ravi Zacharias Joins Robert Schuller for Rethink 2009
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
Evangelical speaker and author, Ravi Zacharias, is scheduled to speak at Robert Schuller's second ,Rethink Conference at Crystal Cathedral in February 2009.
Other speakers scheduled so far for the 2009 event are emerging church pastor, Dan Kimball, Miles McPherson, Nancy Ortberg, Robert Schuller, Henry Cloud and others. More are expected to be added to the list. The 2008 Rethink Conference had over 40 speakers, including the ones mentioned above, except for Zacharias who is new this year.
Lighthouse Trails reported on last year's event in an article titled: "Erwin McManus Teams Up with Robert Schuller - Could Have Far-Reaching Effects" The 2008 Rethink was hosted by Schuller, Sr. and emerging church futurist Erwin McManus. One of the things our 2007 report brought out was the contemplative (i.e., mystical) aspect several of the speakers shared. Some of those in that category were Kay Warren, John and Nancy Ortberg, Erwin McManus, and Dan Kimball.
Ravi Zacharias is not without his own contemplative leanings. In an article titled, "Ravi Zacharias Ministries Points to Nouwen, Merton, and Foster," it was brought out that "Ravi Zacharias International Ministry website is carrying numerous articles, which speak favorably of Catholic mystic Henri Nouwen, Catholic monk and mystic, Thomas Merton, and contemplative Richard Foster." Those articles are still on Zacharias' website.
Our 2007 report on the Rethink also stated:
The Rethink Conference is bringing together leaders from several different philosophical and religious camps under the auspices of Robert Schuller. If one wonders what his purpose is, that answer might be found in his book, My Journey, when Schuller states:
It is still unknown who all the speakers will be at the 2009 Rethink, but unless Ravi Zacharias comes to realize his sharing a platform with Schuller will hurt, not help, the Gospel message from getting out, he will most likely be one of the them.I met once more with the Grand Mufti [a Muslim], truly one of the great Christ-honoring leaders of faith.... I'm dreaming a bold impossible dream: that positive-thinking believers in God will rise above the illusions that our sectarian religions have imposed on the world, and that leaders of the major faiths will rise above doctrinal idiosyncrasies, choosing not to focus on disagreements, but rather to transcend divisive dogmas to work together to bring peace and prosperity and hope to the world.... p. 502
Standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I know that we're all doing God's work together. Standing on the edge of a new millennium, we're laboring hand in hand to repair the breach." p. 501
What is really taking place at the Rethink Conference is the reality of Schuller's dream that there be a global unity among all religions and beliefs and that all these paths lead to the same God (i.e., "we're all doing God's work" and all these paths can "bring peace and prosperity and hope to the world.")Standing before a crowd of devout Muslims with the Grand Mufti, I know that we're all doing God's work together. Standing on the edge of a new millennium, we're laboring hand in hand to repair the breach." p. 501
More information:
Rethinking Robert Schuller by Warren Smith
Lighthouse Trails research page on Rethink
This article or excerpt was posted on @ 10:58 am .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Emerging Church
Emerging Church Author to Give Prayer at Democratic National Convention
Source: Miscellaneous News Source
Sarah Pulliam
Christianity Today
"Donald Miller to Give DNC Benediction"
Best-selling author Donald Miller will give a benediction Monday night at the Democratic National Convention. He replaces Relevant Magazine founder and CEO Cameron Strang, who decided not to give the benediction at the Democratic National Convention as previously planned.
Christianity Today featured Miller on its cover in June 2007, and his spirituality book Blue Like Jazz has sold more than one million copies.
"Don is one of the top names among young evangelicals," said Joshua DuBois, director of religious affairs for the Barack Obama campaign. "We didn't think he would do it. We're just ecstatic. I love Blue Like Jazz myself. I think it sends a huge signal that someone who's is helping to lead off the conventions is an evangelical of his calibre." Click here to read this entire article.
***
Related Information:
Book Review: Blue Like Jazz (by Pastor Gary Gilley)
In Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, in the Acknowledgements, Miller thanks New Age meditation proponent Daniel Goleman, who writes books about mantra meditation, Buddhism. He was the editor for Healing Emotions: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness, Emotions, and Health
"For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained." Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz, p. 115 See The New Missiology
Brian McLaren: Hoping Obama Will Be Our Next President
Obama Enjoys Support of New Generation of Christian Leaders
Obama Wows Iowa Meditators
This article or excerpt was posted on @ 3:21 am .
From:
Category: * Politics
"One World - One Dream"
Source: Kjos Ministries
'One World One Dream' fully reflects the essence and the universal values of the Olympic spirit -- Unity, Friendship, Progress, Harmony, Participation and Dream.... It highlights the theme of 'the whole Mankind lives in the same world and seeks for the same dream and ideal.'" Beijing 2008
"The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem '... is filled with Beijing's hospitality and hopes.... The color 'red' is intensively used in the emblem, pushing the passion up to a new level.... Red is the color of the Sun and the Holy Fire, representing life and a new beginning." The Olympic Emblem
[Meanwhile] "...a number of Chinese House Church Pastors were forced to sign a written agreement that they would not participate in religious services while the Olympic Games are taking place...." China Aid
Like its familiar Yin Yang symbol, China's Olympics is full of contrasts. The opening ceremony seemed flawless but raised questions about integrity. It showed a "dazzling chain of massive fireworks," which turned out to be "mostly computer-generated." We heard a nine-year old girl singing an amazing solo, but a more beautiful girl (with a less perfect voice) stood in her place, mimed the words and received the applause of 91,000 spectators."The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem '... is filled with Beijing's hospitality and hopes.... The color 'red' is intensively used in the emblem, pushing the passion up to a new level.... Red is the color of the Sun and the Holy Fire, representing life and a new beginning." The Olympic Emblem
[Meanwhile] "...a number of Chinese House Church Pastors were forced to sign a written agreement that they would not participate in religious services while the Olympic Games are taking place...." China Aid
The next days prompted more questions. Were the vast Olympic construction projects worth evicting more than a million people? Was winning a gold medal worth lying about the age of a gifted gymnast? Did banishing Christian leaders and their families from Beijing before the Olympics fit the vision of a "One World" union?
Communism has always clashed with truth, freedom and integrity, and China's choices illustrate the point. Only by unthinkable compromise can the "free world" find "common ground" with Communist totalitarianism. Yet, countless clues suggest that its masses are now marching blindly toward an illusion of unity, following leaders who willingly trade conviction for compromise....
Aldous Huxley shared some interesting observations about mandatory oneness in a book he wrote after Hitler temporarily shattered the socialist vision of an evolving utopia. In Brave New World Revisited, he wrote,
"The future dictator's subjects will be painlessly regimented by a corps of highly trained social engineers....
"Their behavior is determined, not by knowledge and reason, but by feelings and unconscious drives. It is in these drives and feelings that 'the roots of their positive as well as their negative attitudes are implanted.' To be successful a propagandist must learn how to manipulate these instincts and emotions.... Whoever wishes to win over the masses must know the key that will open the door of their hearts.' Click here to read this entire article.
This article or excerpt was posted on August 22, 2008@ 12:01 am .
From: http://www.crossroad.to/
Category: * Global Peace
Update on Alistair Begg/Reimagine Conference
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
On August 19th, someone from the CCCA office contacted Lighthouse Trails to confirm that Alistair Begg would not be speaking at the Reimagine Conference. His name has now been removed from the Reimagine website. We were also told by that CCCA hoped to replace him with another solid teacher. (Click here to read full story.)
This article or excerpt was posted on August 20, 2008@ 12:59 am .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Conference Alerts
Obama Caught Red-Handed in Abortion Lie
Source: Miscellaneous News Source
By Peter J. Smith
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Barack Obama and National Right to Life went head-to-head over Obama's abortion record, and Obama blinked. The Democratic presidential candidate now has backed off his claims that pro-life advocates were "lying" over his vote to kill a bill that would have prevented infanticide in Illinois. Obama's campaign now acknowledges he "misrepresented" his position.
Obama's decision to sabotage the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) has repeatedly come back from the grave to haunt his campaign. Pro-life advocates, and National Right to Life, have hounded Obama over his "no" vote to BAIPA while a state senator in 2003.
BAIPA was a bill intended to clarify that any baby who is entirely expelled from his or her mother, and who shows any signs of life, is to be regarded as a legal "person" with all the rights thereto, whether or not the baby was born during an attempted abortion.
After appearing at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church on Saturday to debate John McCain, Obama sat down to an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) correspondent David Brody.
Brody asked Obama to respond to questions over why he voted "no" to BAIPA, since Obama voted down the Illinois version, which was exactly identical to a federal bill passed unanimously by the US Senate. Obama became visibly irritated and accused NRTL of "lying" about his record.
"They have not been telling the truth," Mr. Obama said. "And I hate to say that people are lying, but here's a situation where folks are lying."Click here to read entire story.
Related Stories:
The Spirituality of Obama and Rick Warren
CNN: Brian McLaren, Advisor to Obama - Obama Seeking Emerging Church Voters
James Dobson Rightly Defends the Unborn, Challenges Obama - But Focus on the Family Still Defends Contemplative - "Please, Dr. Dobson, read this."
This article or excerpt was posted on August 19, 2008@ 9:30 am .
From:
Category: * Politics
Bridging the Gap between Good and Evil
Source: Understand the Times with Roger Oakland
The serpent's temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden, that we can be like God, remains with mankind to this very day. Satan's plan is to lessen or eliminate (he hopes) the gap between himself and God. The following explanation puts it well:
It is important to understand that Satan is not simply trying to draw people to the dark side of a good versus evil conflict. Actually, he is trying to eradicate the gap between himself and God, between good and evil, altogether. When we understand this approach it helps us see why Thomas Merton said everyone is already united with God or why Jack Canfield said he felt God flowing through all things. All means all--nothing left out. Such reasoning implies that God has given His glory to all of creation; since Satan is part of creation, then he too shares in this glory, and thus is "like the Most High."1
When those in the emerging church try to persuade people that we need to bridge the gap between Christians (or Christ-followers as they put it) and non-Christians, they aren't really talking about reaching out to the unsaved in order to share the Gospel with them. They are talking about coming to a consensus, a common ground. Leonard Sweet explains:
The key to navigating postmodernity's choppy, crazy waters is not to seek some balance or "safe middle ground," but to ride the waves and bridge the opposites, especially where they converge in reconciliation and illumination.2
It takes a little thinking to figure out what Sweet is saying by this statement, but when he talks about bridging the opposites, he's referring to a chasm that exists between good and evil. This tension between the two is called dualism, and at the heart of occultism is the effort to eradicate it. If that gap could truly be closed, then Satan and God would be equal. The Bible clearly states this will never happen, but it also says that it is Satan's desire:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.(Isaiah 14:12-15)
This misguided effort to unite all things, to give people the option of maintaining their own religious practices, suggesting they do not have to call themselves Christians is a spiritually slippery slope and an undoing of the Christian faith.Samir Selmanovic was raised in a European Muslim home, then served as a Seventh Day Adventist pastor in the US. Today, he helps to develop the emerging church through his role in the Coordinating Group at Emergent Village and his leadership in Re-church Network. Selmanovic has some interesting and alarming views on Christianity. He states:
The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not Christianity but rather the kingdom of God.... to believe that God is limited to it [Christianity] would be an attempt to manage God. If one holds that Christ is confined to Christianity, one has chosen a god that is not sovereign. Soren Kierkegaard argued that the moment one decides to become a Christian, one is liable to idolatry.3
On Selmanovic's website, Faith House project, he presents an interfaith vision that will:
...seek to bring progressive Jews, Christians, Muslims, and spiritual seekers of no faith to become an interfaith community for the good of the world. We have one world and one God.4
While Selmanovic says he includes Christians in this interspiritual dream for the world, he makes it clear that while they might be included, they are in no way beholders of an exclusive truth. He states:
Is our religion [Christianity] the only one that understands the true meaning of life? Or does God place his truth in others too? Well, God decides, and not us. The gospel is not our gospel, but the gospel of the kingdom of God, and what belongs to the kingdom of God cannot be hijacked by Christianity.5
While it is true that God is the One who decides where He is going to place truth, He has already made that decision. And the answer to that is found in the Bible. When Selmanovic asks if Christianity is the only religion that understands the true meaning of life, the answer is yes. How can a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Muslim fully understand truth when their religions omit a Savior who died for their sins?Though world religions may share some moral precepts (don't lie, steal, etc), the core essence of Christianity (redemption) is radically different from all of them. Interspirituality may sound noble on the surface, but in actuality, Selmanovic and the other emerging church leaders are facilitating occultist Alice Bailey's rejuvenation of the churches. In her rejuvenation, everyone remains diverse (staying in their own religion), yet united in perspective, with no one religion claiming a unique corner on the truth. In other words all religions lead to the same destination and emanate from the same source. And of course, Bailey believed that a "coming one"6 whom she called Christ would appear on the scene in order to lead united humanity into an era of global peace. However, you can be sure that if such a scenario were to take place as Bailey predicted, there would be no room for those who cling to biblical truth.
As is the case with so many emergent leaders, Selmanovic's confusing language dances obscurely around his theology, whether he realizes it or not. Sadly, for those who are lost and who are trying to find the way, the emerging church movement offers confusion in place of clarity. It blurs if not obliterates the walls of distinction between good and evil, truth and falsehood, leaving people to stumble along a broken path, hoping to find light. In sharp contrast, Jesus commanded believers to stand out as beacon lights in this dark world, bearing the Word of God to a lost and dying generation. In such times as these, in which we live, let us not be quickly deceived, but let us heed the words that give life and true peace:
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. (Matthew 5:14-15)
From chapter 10, Faith Undoneby Roger OaklandNotes:
1. Ray Yungen, A Time of Departing, p. 108.
2. Leonard Sweet, Soul Tsunami, p. 163.
3. Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, Samir Selmanovic section, "The Sweet Problem of Inclusiveness," pp. 192-193.
4. From Faith House Project website: http://samirselmanovic. typepad.com/faith_house/2.WhatisFaithHouseProject.pdf.
5. Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, p. 194.
6. Alice Bailey, The Externalization of the Hierarchy.
This article or excerpt was posted on August 18, 2008@ 3:48 pm .
From: http://www.understandthetimes.org
Category: * Interspirituality
Presidential Forum - ABC Interview with Rick Warren: Warren Takes On His Critics
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
In an article dated August 15th by ABC news Senior National Correspondent (based in Washington, DC) Jake Tapper, Rick Warren is interviewed about his critics. Warren stated:
I'm a big target ... It doesn't bother me. It's like ... during the Civil War the guy who wore the Union blue top and the Confederate blue bottom and he got shot at from both sides. That's just part of trying to be a bridge builder, a moderator, a voice of civility. Our civilization is becoming increasingly uncivil. We're becoming ruder. We're not getting nicer to each other we're getting ruder.
Warren has stated that because he represents both political sides, he gets criticism from both sides. This however, is an inaccurate statement for the most part, as there have been very few critical analyses toward Warren by the liberal. On the contrary, there have been many positive ones. He has been a favorite guest for Larry King a number of times, and even popular New Ager Marianne Williamson has come to his defense (their common ground is mysticism), 1as have many in the liberal emerging church.Warren has often made these statements about "getting ruder," when he is discussing his critics. For the record, Lighthouse Trails Publishing (and Lighthouse Trails Research) has not been rude with regard to its reporting on Rick Warren. We have reported in a forthright manner without using mean-spirited, sarcastic, or acerbic language.
When Warren told Tapper regarding criticism, "It doesn't bother me," Tapper questioned this statement:
And it seems like it might bother you a little bit ... You are a huge success and your good works are undeniable and I'm not trying to take away from that. But I sense in this interview that these people get under your skin a little bit.
Tapper recognized that criticism does bother Rick Warren, as Warren has proven time and again with Lighthouse Trails, such as when he called Lighthouse Trails "evil" and "liars" and when Saddleback said that federal agents were investigating Lighthouse Trails because Saddleback suggested we had broken into their server (something that was never true).2Warren answered Tapper:
[P]eople get under my skin for about five seconds. I consider both praise and criticism, it's kind of like chewing gum. You chew on it for a little while but you don't swallow because ultimately I'm living for Jesus Christ. That's my goal. And my philosophy when criticism comes at me, if it's true: listen and learn from it. If it's untrue ignore it and forget it.
This is not accurate when Warren says, "if it's true: listen and learn from it." Lighthouse Trails has been reporting that Rick Warren has been promoting the emerging church and contemplative spirituality for many years. We have shown this countless times through many well-documented articles and books. While Warren wrote a note to Lighthouse Trails once five years ago, calling contemplative "a hot topic," he has never shown any sign that he has learned from our criticisms and public concerns. On the contrary, he has moved closer to contemplative spirituality and emerging spirituality. (e.g., recently he had New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet teach at Saddleback 3, and secondly, even today he recommends books on his website by outright mystics 4).At the recent Presidential Forum at Saddleback, Warren ended the evening with the following words: "We've got to learn to disagree without demonizing each other and we need to restore civility. We need to restore civility in our civil discourse." He has made this same statement before with regard to his critics. The insinuation in this statement is that those who criticize Rick Warren should not be doing so. But he is giving a false impression - many of his critics have given accurate and straightforward information about the teachings and beliefs of Rick Warren. As for Lighthouse Trails, we have avoided calling him names, saying whether or not he is a Christian (leaving that up to God), have never threatened him or accused him of breaking into our server, and never said he was of the devil. And yet, Rick Warren's chief apologist recently wrote an article calling Warren's critics cult-like delusional people who behave like David Koresh (Waco), who are heresy-hunters, paranoid, and extremists. 5
While millions hear the words of Rick Warren through both secular and Christian media and through Purpose Driven venues, and while many will believe what he says about his critics, Lighthouse Trails will continue to provide accurate information regarding the contemplative prayer movement and the "emerging" spirituality that is quickly overtaking much of Christianity. As we have stated many times, we do so not to villanize those we critique but rather to warn the body of Christ that the Gospel is under attack through a mystical spirituality that says man is divine. The Bible says that there will be a time when false doctrine and apostasy will run rampant and as believers we are to speak up against these things for the sake of the body of Christ and the Gospel message that can save lost souls.
******
For documentation on Rick Warren's promotion of contemplative spirituality and the emerging church, read A Time of Departing and Faith Undone, visit Lighthouse Trails Research Project.
This article or excerpt was posted on @ 11:23 am .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Purpose Driven
Alistair Begg Withdraws from Reimagine Conference with Leonard Sweet
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
The Reimagine Conference, which will be held in December and hosted by the CCCA (Christian Camp and Conference Association), is featuring New Age sympathizer and mystic proponent Leonard Sweet. Widely popular and trusted teacher and pastor,Alistair Begg is also scheduled to be one of the speakers, but according to an assistant at Begg's office, Begg has withdrawn from the conference. Lighthouse Trails spoke with Begg's office last week about the spirituality of Leonard Sweet. Begg's assistant contacted Lighthouse Trails on August 15th and said: "After prayerful consideration, as of today Alistair has respectfully asked to be removed as one of the speakers at the Reimagine Conference in December."
This is not the first time CCCA has brought in emerging church leaders to speak at their sponsored events. Past speakers include Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren, both who would resonated with Leonard Sweet.
The Reimagine Conference is one of many conferences taking place across North America right now that is propagating the emerging (merging) church movement, which is founded on mysticism, interspirituality, and panentheism. Leonard Sweet has been sharing what he calls the "New Light" movement for nearly two decades. He recently spoke at Rick Warren's Small Group Conference. In view of the following statement by Sweet, this should concern all biblical Christians:
The power of small groups is in their ability to develop the discipline to get people "in-phase" with the Christ consciousness and connected with one another. (Leonard Sweet, Quantum Spirituality, P. 147)
In addition to Sweet's view on the "Christ consciousness" (a New Age belief that God is in all), Sweet is a strong advocate for mysticism (the avenue through which man supposedly awakens to his divine self). The following quote by Sweet is just one (of many) example of his propensity toward mysticism:
Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center.... In the words of one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, "The Christian of tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will be nothing." [Mysticism] is metaphysics arrived at through mindbody experiences. Mysticism begins in experience; it ends in theology. (Leonard Sweet, Quantum Spirituality page 76)
For those who understand New Age spirituality, an examination of Sweet's book, Quantum Spirituality(found on his website as a a href="http://www.leonardsweet.com"> free download) will reveal the true nature of Sweet's beliefs as well as the direction he and Rick Warren (who has endorsed, promoted, and partnered with Sweet since 1995) are heading.Lighthouse Trails is grateful that Alistair Begg has apparently removed himself from the Reimagine Conference. However, as of this writing (Saturday, August 16th), his name, photo, speaking schedule, and description are still on the Reimagine website. Because Begg is such a highly respected Christian figure among many Bible believing Christians, his name on the website will possibly draw many unsuspecting and trusting individuals to attend the conference. Therefore, Lighthouse Trails beseeches Alistair Begg to not only have his name and photo removed from that website very soon but also to come out with a public statement warning of the dangers of Leonard Sweet's spirituality and the emerging church at large. Because promotional material has already been distributed by Reimagine with Begg's name and photo, a public statement is essential.
It is very troubling to watch the partnering of respected authors, pastors, and teachers with those who are involved with the contemplative prayer movement (i.e., spiritual formation) and the emerging church movement. A number of respected teachers have partnered with, sponsored, and teamed up with Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, two of the emerging churches greatest evangelists. Some have also partnered with Robert Schuller, Ken Blanchard, and a host of other leaders in the same camp as Rick Warren and Bill Hybels. With so much spiritual deception pervading our society and our churches, isn't this a time for biblical leaders to stand courageously for the truth, even if it costs them dearly?
Related:
Christian Camps and Retreat Centers - Often Havens for Contemplative
Christian Camping and Conference Association Bringing in Emerging Speakers
This article or excerpt was posted on August 16, 2008@ 2:43 pm .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Conference Alerts
IMPORTANT NEW SERIES ON THE EMERGING CHURCH
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
Silverton, Oregon
August 14, 2008
The new 4-DVD Emerging Church series by Roger Oakland is now available.
Based on Faith Undone: the emerging church - a new reformation or an endtime deception, each DVD is 70 minutes long and features lecturer and author Roger Oakland of Understand the Times. This is a hard-hitting expose' of the apostasy entering the church through the emerging church, Purpose Driven, contemplative, etc. It provides a solid and convincing defense of the biblical Christian faith, which is under attack today. (Filmed in 2008)
Some of the topics covered in the series include:
1. Peace Plans from the past, present, and future
2. The ecumenical, inter-faith three-legged stool
3. Ancient-future Christianity
4. The new evangelization plan
5. New Age spirituality and a one-world religion
6. Last days deception and biblical prophecy
7. Contemplative mysticism
8. The dangers and deception of Purpose-Driven
and much more ...
See synopsis of each DVD below.
DVDs can be ordered separately or as a set. To order the entire set, click here.
For information and/or ordering for individual DVDs, click here.
Emerging Church DVD Series
$14.95 per DVD
$49.95 for set
Lighthouse Trails Publishing
To Order: www.lighthousetrails.com
Toll Free Order Line: 866/876-3910
*************
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED THIS SERIES AND IT HAS BEEN ON BACKORDER, ALL BACKORDERS SHIPPED AUGUST 12TH AND 13TH.
Synopsis of DVD series:
Part 1
DVD Information:
70 Minutes
Retail $14.95
Description:Throughout biblical history, Satan, the god of this world, has had a plan to deceive man. When man turns away from God and His Word, he will first begin to trust in his own reasoning and then turn to the gods (the fallen spiritual realm).
In The Emerging Church-Part One: Man's Spiritual Journey, Past, Present and Future, Roger Oakland presents documentation to show that Satan's three-legged stool plan, which was introduced at the Tower of Babel, is being reintroduced today. This plan is setting the world up for a one-world government, a one-world economy and a one-world religion just as Bible prophecy reveals will take place in the last days.
Part 2
DVD Information:
70 Minutes
Retail $14.95
Description:According to Emerging Church proponents, the present postmodern generation can only be enticed to embrace Christianity through experiences and ideas which stimulate the senses. The experiences they recommend seem to be the same ones that Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have always provided.
In The Emerging Church-Road to Rome, Roger Oakland presents documentation to show that many worshippers are being drawn into the Roman Catholic New Evangelization program without being aware of it. Icons, incense, candles, sacraments and images are preparing the way for the revelation of the Roman Catholic Eucharistic Christ.
Part 3
DVD Information:
70 Minutes
Retail $14.95
Description:Central to the emerging church is the idea that one can get closer to God through contemplative mystical practices that are rooted in an experience-based eastern (remove mystical - redundant) religious spirituality. These practices have been introduced to both mainstream and evangelical Christianity through Roman Catholic monks and priests who promote what they call spiritual disciplines (which were originally practiced by mystics and the Desert Monks of the third century).
In The Emerging Church- Road to Babylon, Roger Oakland addresses this fast growing emerging church movement, showing how it is seducing this generation and leading it toward a false one world religious system and a utopian kingdom of God that emerging proponents say will be established here on earth by human effort.
Part 4
DVD Information:
70 Minutes
Retail $14.95
Description: Bible prophecy indicates that the last days before Jesus Christ returns will be characterized by a time of great deception. Based on current trends, it appears that the one world government, the one world economy and the one world religion predicted could soon be here. However, in the midst of this scenario, God is calling Bible-believing Christians to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as our only hope to the whole world.
In Proclaiming the Gospel in the Midst of Last Days Apostasy, Roger provides the documentation to show we are living at the very time that the last days spiritual "strong delusion" is underway. While documenting the dangers and pitfalls of the purpose-driven, emerging, and contemplative Christianity, Roger encourages Bible believing Christians to boldly stand for the truth and to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
This article or excerpt was posted on August 14, 2008@ 4:27 pm .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Emerging Church
Beware of This Doctrine of Demons
Source: Olive Tree Views
By Heidi Swander
It's called "contemplative" or "centering" prayer and if you haven't heard about it yet, chances are unfortunately good that you will soon. It's invading churches like a virus in which submicroscopic pathogens contaminate the body many hours or days before the victim is aware of its presence.
Contemplative prayer is one of a number of ancient mystical practices or spiritual disciplines, as their proponents refer to them, which are being encouraged at an alarming rate by evangelical churches. It is all part of something called Spiritual Formation and the Emergent Church, a movement that as John MacArthur states in his book, The Truth War, is subtly changing the beliefs and doctrines of the evangelical church as we know it.
In its pure form, contemplative prayer is practiced by sitting still, quieting, and concentrating on your breathing and repeating a word of choice (maybe the name Jesus, for instance) over and over again. You're to concentrate on that word and your breathing, and work to eliminate all thoughts from your mind. Over a period of maybe 20 minutes -- and with practice -- you can enter into "the silence." Your mind is blank. You have, in fact, hypnotized yourself. And it is in "the silence" where "God" allegedly speaks to you. Click here to read this entire article.
This article or excerpt was posted on August 12, 2008@ 1:03 pm .
From: http://www.olivetreeviews.org
Category: * Contemplative
Rick Warren and Other Contemplative Proponents at Thomas Road Baptist Innovate Church Conference
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
Contemplative proponents Rick Warren and Lance Witt will be speaking at Thomas Road Baptist Church (home of the late Jerry Falwell) at the Innovate Church conference, starting Monday, August 11th going through Wednesday, the 13th.
Rick Warren, who has been promoting contemplative for over a decade and whose website recommends some of the most blatant mystical promoting books in the Christian market today, will speak Monday night. One of the books featured on Warren's site right now is SpiritualDisciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. This book promotes mantra meditation, giving detailed instructions on several types of contemplative practices. In addition, the author quotes from many New Age sympathizers and New Age contemplatives. In Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Ahlberg Calhoun encourages the use of centering prayer, breath prayers, contemplative prayer, labyrinths, palms-up, palms-down exercises, and recommends for further reading a who's who of mystics.
Lance Witt, another speaker at Thomas Road Baptist this week, is pastor of Spiritual Maturity at Saddleback. In an article written by Witt, titled "Enjoying God's Presence in Solitude,", Witt says we are "designed to enjoy the presence of God, but that's easier said than done." In the article, Witt uses Thomas Merton as an example of someone who knew about solitude. But Merton's solitude was connected to his Buddhist sympathies. Merton likened contemplative prayer to an LSD trip.
Lighthouse Trails has spoken with Lance Witt, via email, and asked him if the kind of contemplative prayer he taught was a practice in which words or phrases are repeated over and over. He told us that it was indeed this type of prayer he taught.
Tim Clinton will also be speaking at Innovate Church. Clinton is the president of the AACC (American Association of Christian Colleges). This organization has been promoting contemplative spirituality for some time. In the AACC Code of Ethics, which incidentally is sitting on the Liberty University website, it admits that mystic Richard Foster has "influenced" the work at AACC (and Liberty?). 1 (see p. 3) The AACC website promotes the following mysticism-promoting authors: David Benner, John Ortberg, Gary Thomas
in the recent past Leonard Sweet, Dan Allender. In Clinton's own book, Competent Christian Counseling, he turns to mystics proponents such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, New Ager M. Scott Peck and others for spiritual insights. Gleaning from Foster and Willard (p. 421), Clinton says spiritual disciplines, including solitude (contemplative) must be taught.
Dave Earley will also be speaking at the conference this week. Earley is Chairman of the Department of Pastoral Ministries and Church Expansion at Liberty Theological Seminary. In an article on his website that he wrote titled Special Intimacy Prayer, Earley says: "Special intimacy prayer is more than prayer of the lips or of the mind. It is the deep prayer of the heart." This is where he references Richard Foster's book, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. In that book, Foster explains what he means by "prayer of the heart." He recommends the practice of breath prayer (p. 122) - picking a single word or short phrase and repeating it in conjunction with the breath. This is classic contemplative mysticism (Yungen). Foster adds: "You must bind the mind with one thought" (p. 124). As research analyst Ray Yungen points out, "The goal of prayer should not be to bind the mind with a word or phrase in order to induce a mystical trance but rather to use the mind to glory in the grace of God" (A Time of Departing, p. 75). In that same book, Foster says: "What is the goal of Contemplative Prayer? ... union with God.... our final goal is union with God, which is a pure relationship where we see nothing." But when Foster says "union with God," he isn't referring just to the born-again believer. He has stated many times throughout his writings that he believes contemplative prayer is for everyone, not just the believer. It is impossible for an unbeliever to have "union with God." Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man.
Related information:
Saddleback Church IS a Contemplative Church
Research on Richard Foster and Contemplative Prayer
This article or excerpt was posted on August 11, 2008@ 3:18 pm .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Conference Alerts
Richard Foster "Retirement Party" - Stepping Back at Renovare
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
On July 31, 2008, a Retirement Party was held for Richard Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline. According to correspondence with a Renovare (Foster's organization) Coordinator, Foster is "stepping back from active leadership at RENOVARE," in order to "spend more time writing."
First published in 1978, Celebration of Discipline has had a massive influence on Christianity. Unfortunately, the influence has helped to saturate the church with mystical contemplative prayer.
Foster said in the book, that we "should all without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer." (p. 13, 1978 ed.) In other books and writings he makes it very clear that this "contemplative prayer" is the eastern style mantra meditation to which mystic monk Thomas Merton adhered. In fact, Foster once told Ray Yungen (author of A Time of Departing) that Thomas Merton tried to awaken God's people.
Thomas Merton, who said he was impregnated with Sufism and wanted to "become as good a Buddhist" as he could be, believed that "God's people" lacked one thing ... mysticism and this is to what they needed "awakening." Of Merton, Foster says: "Thomas Merton has perhaps done more than any other twentieth-century figure to make the life of prayer widely known and understood." (Spiritual Classics, p. 17)
Listed under "excellent books on spirituality," in some editions of Celebration of Discipline, Foster says of Tilden Edwards' book, Spiritual Friend that it helps "clear away the confusion and invites us to see that we do not have to live the spiritual life in isolation." And yet, Tilden Edwards, founder of the Christian/Buddhist Shalem Institute in Washington, DC, said that contemplative spirituality was the "Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality" (A Time of Departing, p. 49).
In Celebration of Discipline, Foster says "we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation" (COD, p.13.) He says the "masters of meditation beckon us." Just prior to that remark, he favorably quotes Carl Jung and Thomas Merton.
Celebration of Discipline has helped to pave the way for Thomas Merton's pantheistic belief system. It has opened the door for other Christian authors, speakers, and pastors to bring contemplative spirituality into the lives of millions of people.
Countless ministers and ministries are promoting and endorsing Celebration of Discipline. If they really knew what Foster's "celebration" was all about, we think many of them would race away from the teachings of Merton and Foster and back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
*****
For links and endnote material to this article, click here.
For more information on Richard Foster and his other books.
More on Celebration of Discipline
This article or excerpt was posted on August 10, 2008@ 11:12 pm .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Contemplative
Reiki Found at Many Catholic Convents - The Near Future for Evangelicalism
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
A growing number of Catholic convents are incorporating the practice of Reiki into their programs. Reiki is a New Age therapeutic touch practice in which it is believed that a universal energy (chi) flows through all things and can be passed on from a practitioner to a client.
An example of Reiki being used in convents is the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. Their Spirituality Center offers Reiki, labyrinths, and spiritual direction (contemplative). The center believes that "all life is sacred," which is another way of saying that divinity or God is within all things and all people. Sister Mary Fran Davisson, one of the sisters at the Sisters of Charity is a Reiki Master. Their website describes their Reiki sessions:
It is the God-consciousness, REI, that guides the life energy, KI, in the practice of Reiki. A person is fully clothed during a session. He/she may experience an opening of blocked energy, a sense of balance and centeredness, an awakening of the body's natural ability to heal itself, and a sense of personal well-being and peace.
Another convent that incorporates Reiki is the Sisters of St. Benedict, also in Indiana.1A First Degree Reiki courseis being held on August 9th at that convent. Sister Anita Louise Lowe is a Reiki Master and has been practicing energy healing since 1995.Another convent that includes Reiki is the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville (Kentucky). Reiki is being taught during their 2008 summer program.2And there is the Racine Dominicans (Wisconsin) where two of the sisters provide Reiki instruction.3
Contemplative spirituality is strongly integrated into Catholicism (largely credited to monks Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, and Basil Pennington); and considering the connection between contemplative and Reiki, it is little wonder that this move to bring Reiki into the convents is taking place. And with the closing gap between Catholicism and evangelicalism (largely credited to Richard Foster, Chuck Colson, Rick Warren, and the emerging church, et. al.), it is just a matter of time before Reiki becomes an integral part of evangelical churches begin as so many have already brought in contemplative spirituality (and yoga). In view of the following statement about Reiki, discerning, biblical Christians should find this growing acceptance of Reiki very troubling:
Reiki came to the United States (from Japan) in the mid 1970s. It took about twenty years for this particular practice to reach 500,000 practitioners. This number is comparable to those who were serving in the entire U.S. Army at that time. By the year 2005, the number skyrocketed to an astonishing one million practitioners in just the U.S.! ... Reiki is in line with all the other New Age transformation efforts. It changes the way people perceive reality. Most practitioners acknowledge the truth of this. A German Reiki channeler makes this comment:
William Lee Rand, a New Age advocate for Reiki states:
It frequently happens that patients will come into contact with new ideas after a few Reiki treatments. Some will start doing yoga or autogenous training or start to meditate or practise [sic] some other kind of spiritual method..... Fundamental changes will set in and new things will start to develop. You will find it easier to cast off old, outlived structures and you will notice that you are being led and guided more and more....
Of all the New Age practices and modalities, Reiki holds the title to being the most intriguing and perhaps eerie one. This is brought out in the following observations made by one of the leading Reiki masters in the country. He reveals:
When I looked psychically at the energy, I could often see it as thousands of small particles of light, like "corpuscles" filled with radiant Reiki energy flowing through me and out of my hands. It was as though these Reiki "corpuscles" of light had a purpose and intelligence. (Ray Yungen, FMSC, chapter 6)
Reiki can be defined as a non-physical healing energy made up of life force energy that is guided by the Higher Intelligence, or spiritually guided life force energy.
We believe this "Higher intelligence" reached during Reiki sessions is not a source of good universal energy as is stated by Reiki masters but rather is of a demonic nature.Just as contemplative prayer and yoga have entered evangelical Christianity at a continually fast pace, Reiki will do the same. "The reason for this level of acceptance is easy to understand. Most people, many Christians included, believe if something is spiritually positive then it is of God" (Yungen). Unfortunately, Reiki, as with contemplative and yoga, is not spiritually beneficial, and as it is more and more accepted into the Christian faith, spiritual deception will grow exponentially stronger too.
****
For further research on Reiki, click here.
This article or excerpt was posted on August 9, 2008@ 3:59 pm .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * New Age Practices
New Book Release: THINGS WE COULDN'T SAY IS HERE!
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
Silverton, Oregon
August 8, 2008
Lighthouse Trails Publishing is pleased to announce the release of Things We Couldn't Say by Diet Eman.
This is the true story of Diet Eman, a young Christian woman who joined the resistance movement in the Netherlands during WWII. Together with her fiance and other Dutch men and women, "Group Hein" risked their lives to save the lives of Jews who were in danger of becoming victims of Hitler's "final solution."
Things We Couldn't Say is an endearing and moving love story that occurs in the midst of extreme danger and often unbearable circumstances and loss. Before the war ends, Eman, her fiance, and several in their group are arrested and sent to concentration camps-many of them lose their own lives. 
A time in history that should not be forgotten. A story that will inspire Christians to live more courageously and stand for what is right, doing so by the power and grace of God.
Table of ContentsLighthouse Trails Publishing
$14.95 Retail * 352 pages * Softbound
Photos * Illustrations
For more information: www.lighthousetrails.com
Toll Free Order Line: 866/876-3910 (M-F/8-5)
Or order from your local bookstore after August 21st.
*************
A Note from the Publisher
We at Lighthouse Trails chose this book because we agree with Diet Eman that the Nazi Holocaust must never be forgotten. Many voices have arisen that say the Holocaust never happened, and as we move more generations away, this denial of history grows only stronger. Yet the evidence and the proof exists, as is demonstrated in this book.
Often, it has been stated that the study of history is good because it helps us learn from the past, with the implication that if we just educate ourselves we could have a utopian world. But true history does not leave God's redemption through Jesus Christ out of the picture. The prophets have foretold that there will be no lasting peace until Jesus Christ establishes a new Kingdom after He returns. In the meantime, we know there will continue to be wars and rumors of war and a future Antichrist on the horizon. But rather than grow fatalistic, we believe now more than ever before, it is time to ring out a warning and offer a word of hope. Diet's book does all these things. Beyond this, it is a very practical manual of how godly people were able to engage an ungodly world. It offers not only a look at the past but a way to look to the future.
It is our hope, therefore, that this book will serve as a wake-up call to things that are happening today. When we look at the theological sentiments (e.g., deifying man and denying his sin nature), the growing anti-Semitism, and the lack of people in today's world who think for themselves, we are alarmed, but at the same time comforted, in knowing that we have this book ready to place in the hands of those willing to listen.
We thank God for His faithfulness, and for precious people who have suffered so immensely when doing what is right, such as the ones in this book. Their lives, their sufferings, and their courage are an inspiration. In our hearts, as we read this book, we cannot imagine that we could ever have the strength to endure so much as these did, but we know, just as Diet and her friends knew, it was by His grace that they stood.
Publisher Note:In 1998, Diet received the Righteous Among the Nations medal from Israel's Yad Vashem in recognition of her aid to Jewish people during the war.
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED THIS BOOK AND IT HAS BEEN ON BACKORDER, WE WILL BE SHIPPING ALL BACKORDERS on August 8th, 2008.
This article or excerpt was posted on August 8, 2008@ 2:20 am .
From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Publishing NEWS
* About Christianity
* Alpha Course
* BOOK REVIEWS
* Children and Meditation
* Christian Bookstores
* Conference Alerts
* Contemplative
* Contemplative Churches
* Contemplative Colleges
* Defending the Faith
* Denomination News
* Denying the Atonement
* Emerging Church
* Eschatology
* Eucharistic Adoration
* General Information
* Global Peace
* Harry Potter
* Holocaust
* Interspirituality
* Israel
* Misc. Topics
* Music
* New Age Movies/Films
* New Age Practices
* New Age/New Spirituality
* New Evangelicalism
* Other Religions
* Politics
* Publishing NEWS
* Purpose Driven
* Signs of the Times
* Signs, Wonders, and Visions
* Spiritual Formation
* SUNDAY MORNING
* The New Age Movement
* The Oneness Movement
* The Secret
* The Shack
* Willow Creek
* YOGA
*NON-Contemplative "Good" Christian Colleges
blog home — who we are — research material — contact us — resources — links
Book Review: Faith Undone
Source: Miscellaneous News Source
Book Review of Faith Undone by Roger Oakland
Lighthouse Trails Publishing
Review by Alistair Montgomery
Dundee, Scotland
(written for the British Magazine The Sword )
August 29, 2008 - Faith Undone has been written to warn the Church about a phenomenon called "The Emergent Church." Like the warnings of the prophets, peoples' reaction to this book will vary from alarm through indifference to offence.
Although the book is written in a popular style to be accessible to non academics, it does contain footnotes detailing references so the reader may check the veracity of claims for themselves.
After the introductory chapter, the author traces the origins of the Emergent Church from as early as the 1950s describing how an American business guru influenced a group of church leaders in the 1980s, which in turn gathered and influenced a younger generation of pastors in the 1990s. There was a belief that the church needed to change dramatically to meet the challenge of the post-modern world. Influences that were affecting and shaping the new perceptions of these people appeared to have their roots in New Age and Eastern philosophies. They were also able to gain backing from influential publishers to widely disseminate their views and vision. Like the New Age movement, the Emergent Church is a more a diverse network rather than an organisation.
The book goes on to describe characteristics of the Emergent phenomenon. There is a tendency to promote experience as being more authoritative than scripture, which is no longer held to be absolute truth. This appeal for experience leads to an emphasis on rituals, mysticism and multi-sensory worship. This is justified as a "return" to the practice of the early church fathers and re-discovering of "ancient wisdom." Contemplative prayer is promoted with "centering down," "visualisation," and use of repetitive "mantra-like" prayers such as "The Jesus Prayer." There is also a move from the traditional Protestant view of Holy Communion towards a Roman Catholic perception of transubstantiation and the worship of the Eucharist. Because the author supports a traditional protestant understanding of this subject, and questions the Vatican's possible motives in encouraging the Emergent church in this area, it is likely that some readers will be offended by Oakland's warnings.
Other characteristics of the Emergent Church include "Kingdom Now Theology" which will include a "Replacement Theology" of Israel by the Church. There is a re-defining of "Christ" reminiscent of New Age "cosmic christs." Some proponents of Emergent Theology are uncomfortable with the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, holding it as an example of sacrifice rather than a requirement of God's justice. There is a tendency to emphasise the social side of the Gospel to exclusion of correct belief. Some Emergent leaders are uncertain on issues such as homosexuality.
Throughout the book the author tries not to needlessly "name names" for its own sake, but where necessary identifies key protagonists with relevant quotes. Some of the names may come as a surprise and cause upset.
The author undoubtedly perceives the Emergent influence as a threat to Christian Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy, preparing the way for a lukewarm compromising church that would be open to the deception of end times. I believe Roger Oakland to be sincere in his concern, though others may feel that he is over reacting, seeing dangers where none exist. However the issues raised are important and need to be debated in an open and mature manner. This is an issue which will not go away and all Christians need to be aware of what is happening and will have to make a decision. I would recommend this book as a good introduction to the subject and a starting point for prayer, study and discussion.
For more information on and/or to purchase Faith Undone, click here. ISBN: 978-0-9791315-1-6
This article or excerpt was posted on August 29, 2008@ 2:33 pm .
From:
Category: * BOOK REVIEWS
Contemplative Christians and Contemplative Conferences Coming Your Way
Source: Editors at Lighthouse Trails
The following conferences will be taking place during the next 12 months. Each of these conferences has at least one contemplative- and/or emerging church-promoting speaker. The number of these contemplative conferences is increasing rapidly. Please warn your loved ones about these events.
Note: Contemplative speakers are in bold. For information on these contemplative/emerging-proponents, go to our research site and use the search engine.
October 2008: Lead Like Jesus Revolution with Ken Blanchard, John Ortberg, George Barna, Nancy Ortberg, and Miles McPherson
October 2008: Group Life Conference with Mark Batterson, John Burke, and Miles McPherson
October - November 2008: National Youth Workers Convention with numerous contemplative/emerging speakers such as Duffy Robbins, Jim Burns, Maggie Robbins, Mark Oestreicher, Phyllis Tickle, Shane Claiborne, and Tony Campolo
November 2008: Lead Now Simulcast with Erwin McManus, Margaret Feinberg
December 2008: Reimagine Conference with Leonard Sweet and Sally Morgenthaler
February 2009: Focus on Marriage with Beth Moore, Gary Thomas, and Gary Smalley
February 2009: National Pastors Convention with Brian McLaren, Shane Claiborne, Bill Hybels, J.P. Moreland, Larry Osborne, Leighton Ford, Rob Bell, Ruth Haley Barton, Scot McKnight, and more.
June and July 2009: DCLA 09 with Shane Claiborne, Duffy Robbins, Frances Chan
For more "Conference Alerts," click here (scroll down page).
This article or excerpt was posted on August 28, 2008@ 2:29 pm .
From: