The article called "Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Wake Up Leonard Sweet!" by Sandy Simpson can be read here.

(2) New Age/Eastern Mysticism In The Churches by Sandy Simpson, 9/18/05
Within my lifetime there has been a monumental change in the churches. In the last few decades New Age Eastern Mysticism and Gnosticism has entered a majority of Christian churches. It entered very slowly, like a frog in a pot. When the pot is slowly brought to a boil with a live frog in the pot it has been observed that he will not jump out because he does not feel the changes in temperature until he is boiled to death. The "slow boil" of New Age brainwashing in the churches started a long time ago, but even in the last 20 years or so the changes are stark. None of the New Age practices I will mention could be found in most churches at that time, and would have been soundly dismissed as unbiblical and heretical. Many will ask, "Where has the New Age entered the churches?" All you have to do is think about it a little and you will see that many churches have adopted New Age teachings and ideas and "Christianized" them, when none of them are biblical.

(3) THE EMERGING CHURCH - Revival or Return To Darkness? by Roger Oakland, Understand The Times, 10/05
History reveals that Christian fads and trends come and go. It seems that it is common for many pastors and church leaders to constantly look for some new methodology, "new wave" or "new thing" God is doing, "right now."  We live at a period in church history that is characterized by enthusiasm for methods and means that facilitate church growth. Large churches are commonly equated with successful pastors and successful church growth methods. Whatever it takes to reach that objective, is acceptable, we are told. Church growth has become the measuring stick for successful Christianity.

(4) The Emergent Church by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 11/05
A series of articles on the Emerging Church.

(5) The Emergent Church: A Dangerous Fad or Solid New Movement?  by Jan Markell, Olive Tree Ministries, Inc., 5/05
While the movement is ecumenical and attracts numbers and particularly youthful followers, it hardly seems biblical when so much involves the extra-biblical. 

(6) The Emerging/Emergent Church - and their use of "diaprax"  by Sandy Simpson, 11/28/05
The concept of the Emerging Church, as advertised worldwide in books, the web and on TV by the likes of Brian Mclaren, Leonard Sweet, Richard Foster, Dan Kimball, Rick Warren, Ken Blanchard and a whole host of others, seeks to cater to the postmodern mindset while using diaprax to achieve its goals.  The Hegelian Dialectic is used in concert with praxis (known as "diaprax") to brainwash an entire generation into creating a new hybrid Christianity. This new religion is full of Eastern mysticism and Gnosticism, while systematically redefining the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostles and Prophets within a subjectivist, existentialist worldview. 

(7) Satan, The First Postmodernist by Sandy Simpson, 12/1/05
This is an article written after giving further thought to the definition of "postmodernism" given by the likes of postmodernist Leonard Sweet and other Emerging Church promoters.

(8) Eastern Regional Watch Ministries (ERWM) - Emerging Church by Steve Muse
Great apologetics site on Emerging Church.

(9) Lowering Standards In Christ's Name by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 12/05
Let's stop here for a moment and apply this text to our times of lowering standards in Christ Name in favor of our quite irreverent seeker sensitive purpose driven emerging "worship" so common today. I offer that, in what might have begun as good intentions, we are now making the exact same mistake that Uzzah made. Evangelical leaders and pastors have decided for themselves that our Lord understands how our arrogant and capricious culture doesn't like "formal" worship, so we took it upon ourselves to make a few changes.

(10) Dr. Larry Spargimino Interviews Warren Smith About Present Day 'Repackaging of the New Age' - Part One by Southwest Radio Church Ministries, 12/17/05
RealPlayer - Windows Media Player

(11) Dr. Larry Spargimino Interviews Warren Smith About Present Day 'Repackaging of the New Age' Part Two by Southwest Radio Church Ministries, 12/17/05
RealPlayer - Windows Media Player

(12) Crosstalk's Ingrid Schlueter Interviews Brian Flynn About 'Christian' Yogaby VCY America, 12/17/05

(13) Series Of Articles On the Emerging Church by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 1/06
Go to this web site to read a whole continuing series on the Emerging Church.

(14) The Emerging Church Markets Catholicism by Richard Bennett, Berean Beacon, PDF, 01/25/06

(15) The Transformation of the Emerging Church by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 1/06
In this next series I will present conclusive evidence that there are those in and around Emergent-US who have found the emphasis on "Christian" mystic traditions-a core doctrine of the theology of the Emergent Church-fertile ground in which to plant neo-pagan spiritual elements absolutely hostile to the historic Christian faith. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4.

(16) Emerging: from Tradition to Transition to Transformation by Herescope, 1/31/06
In order to understand the Leadership Network's involvement with the formation of an Emergent Church movement, it is necessary to take a few posts to explain the bigger picture. There is a much broader historical and philosophical context in which to view this "paradigm shift" to an "emerging" church.

(17) Emergent "New Breed" Leaders by Herescope, 2/2/06
One of the key tenets of the Latter Rain cult is the concept of a "NEW BREED" or a "NEW SEED" of elite super-Christians, the formation of a superior race of young generation believers who will manifest great power to conduct end-time signs and wonders and rule over the Earth.

(18) A GREAT Compromise by Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, 2/10/06

(19) A How Can These Things Be? - Purpose Driven, Emergent, Transformational, & New Age in the Church by Scott MacIntyre, Wood & Steel, 2005
Today's churches are full of men who have lost sight of the fact that it is Jesus who builds the church"not their ideas, plans, or abilities. Christian men who have recognized their own abilities as leaders in the corporate sense have mistakenly believed they are imminently qualified to be pastors. It becomes a career move largely based upon their own inventory of abilities and strengths. 

(20) Emergent Evangelical Prophet Tony Campolo by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 02/05/06
Also read Part 4.

(21) The Emergent Elijah by Dave Green, The Kingdom Come, 3/06
What if the Emergent Church crowd could re-write some of the "meanie" parts of the Bible?  What would it look like? The following is an account from the story of Elijah & the prophets of Baal.  Much of the narrative is from actual things Brian McLaren has written in his books (McLaren is one of the main advocates of the "emergents").

(22) Evangelical Leaders Promote New Age and Eastern Spiritual Practices by Lighthouse Trails
In what appears to be a sweeping phenomenon, Christian leaders are embracing practices and a new spirituality that borrows from Eastern mysticism and New Age philosophy. The changes are taking place worldwide and involve many of the most popular evangelical leaders including Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Richard Foster, Tony Campolo, and Eugene Peterson. 

(23) Contemplative Christian Wizardry by Steve Muse, Eastern Regional Watch, 3/22/06
Every example of prayer in the Bible has the individual that is praying actively involved in the process, and praying to God with words or tongues and/or asking a petition of God.  Never is there a mention of emptying our minds of all thought so that we can achieve "divine union" with God.

(24) Emerging Church Deception
Good web page on Emerging Church issues.

(25) The Emerging Church by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, April 2006
A series of articles on the Emerging Church.  Read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3.

(26) Think, It's Not Illegal...Yet by Ken Silva, May 15, 2006 
Again I rise to warn the Church that what is going on through the Devil's pagan practice of Contemplative/Centering Prayer (transcendental meditation in Christian terminology) is that his forces are marshaling an attempt to get you to shut down your critical reasoning skills through an influx of Eastern non-thinking. The short of it is they are actually spreading the logical fallacy of a false analogy regarding so-called "Christian" mysticism. Basically this is like comparing apples with oranges, both are fruit but with differing distinguishing characteristics that make each unique or dissimilar.

(27) Calvary Chapel's New Official Position Paper On The Emerging Church/Contemplative Prayer by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, 5/06
Pastor Chuck Smith has come out with the official Calvary Chapel Outreach Fellowship Statement on the Emerging Church.  This is apparently in response to some in Calvary Chapels who are teaching the false doctrines of the Emerging Church such as Chuck Smith, Jr. and Danny Lehmann.

(28) Soaking Prayer And It's Connection To Contemplative, Reiki And The Occult by Lighthouse Trails Research Project, 5/26/06
"Soaking prayer is a modern form of contemplative prayer ... People put themselves in an attitude of stillness, focusing on Jesus and open to the Holy Spirit but with no requests or agenda. The aim is to be still in God?s presence, "waste time with Jesus.". The Toronto church sees soaking prayer as one of the main ways in which they encourage people to be open to the Holy Spirit." (SOAKING PRAYER by Roger Harper)

(29) Yoga and Christianity Compatible? posted by Jim Bublitz, Slice Of Laodicea, May 27, 2006
Here's an interesting email posted on the Lighthouse Trails website. It should be of interest to the Emerging Church "communities" that are integrating yoga into their services, and for other churches that offer it as a midweek elective. The email is from the Classical Yoga Hindu Academy.

(30) THOMAS KEATING ON CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 5/27/06
What you are about to see is the definition of Contemplative/Centering Prayer, or what is actually transcendental meditation lightly sprayed with Christian terminology from a man universally known as an authority of this practice. In his own book on so-called spiritual "practices and disciplines" called The Sacred Way Emergent theologian Tony Jones recommends a book called Open Mind, Open Heart (OMOH) by Thomas Keating.

(31) Series Of Radio Programs & Transcripts On The Emerging Church by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 5/06

(32) Beth Moore Gives Thumbs Up to "Be Still" DVD by Lighthouse Trails Research Project, Newsletter, 6/06
Beth Moore's statement of "apology" should be disregarded - new information takes precedence. The Be Still DVD by Fox Home Entertainment was just released in April. Featured speakers include Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Max Lucado, Beth Moore and many others. Shortly after the DVD was released, Ingrid Schlueter of Slice of Laodicea spoke with Beth Moore and told Moore that the DVD was promoting the mystical practice of contemplative prayer. Within one hour, Moore issued a statement to Slice of Laodicea and asked that they post it on their website, which they did. However, there has been a growing concern about her statement and the fact that Moore's ministry, Living Proof Ministries, never placed the statement on their website. Lighthouse Trails has now received emails from a number of people who have sent us a new statement from Living Proof Ministries. Because Living Proof is issuing this statement to the public, we are making this available for all to read. According to this recent email, Moore's original statement of apology should now be disregarded. The statement clarified: "[W]e believe that once you view the Be Still video you will agree that there is no problem with its expression of Truth." Living Proof is offering to send a free copy of the DVD to anyone who receives their email statement and wishes to view the DVD, saying that, "[I]t would be our privilege to do this for you to assure you that there is no problem with Beth's participation in the Be Still video."

(33) The Emerging Church: Another Road to Rome by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 6/06
A prayer station created for use during the Emerging Church service at Capo Beach Calvary illustrates what Chuck Smith Jr. means by allowing his congregation to "feel" and "know with the heart and not with the brain."  This prayer station was on display during the month of April, 2005. Further, the prayer station complete with candles, incense and icons featured an instruction sheet to assist church attendees in how to pray with an icon.

(34) Beth Moore's Illicit Tent of Meeting by Bob DeWaay, 6/06
Recently, on Ingrid Schlueter's Web site Beth Moore denies that she promotes approaches to prayer that have Eastern overtones. The issue arose from her participation on the Be Still DVD which has been critiqued on this site by Ingrid and then Brian Flynn. Brian and I viewed a segment of Beth Moore on that DVD. We found disconcerting her poor understanding of Exodus 33:7-11, the passage she uses as her proof text. In her discussion of Moses' tent of meeting she proposes that each believer can have their own tent of meeting where they can go to have two way conversations with God.

(35) Emerging Interfaith Compromise by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 6/06
Finally, as far as those in the other false religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, you have already seen that the Bible has told us in no uncertain terms these people are in reality offering their worship and sacrifices to demons and not to God. So what knowledge about the Lord could the true Christian possibly acquire from them? The truth is that child of God isn't to learn about our Creator from pagans, rather as an ambassador of Christ, the job of the Christian is to proclaim the Gospel of salvation to these lost people. And it most cetrtainly is not to end up in Emergent Interfaith Compromise with them.

(36) What's Wrong With Yoga, Especially Christian Yoga? by Cassandrah Batya, June 21, 2006
Biblical Christians should start asking their own questions of all churches and individuals that are promoting "Christian" Yoga.  Where is this practice in the Bible?  Why is this eastern pagan heresy being given a Christian title?  How does The Gospel of Christ fit into any of this?  What does light have to do with darkness?

(37) The Emerging Church by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 6/22/06
For some years we have seen some dramatic changes in terms of how the church has changed. While it is true Christianity must be relevant in order to be effective, how far can we stray from biblical standards and still be sound Christian witnesses of the gospel?

(38) Emerging Into What? by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 6/23/06
Rick Warren and others are saying we need to pay attention to the emerging church. Things are changing, they say and the "emerging church" has the answers for our generation. But what will the emerging church emerge into? Could it be a form of Christianity that embraces experience rather than God's Word?

(38) The Kundalini Effect and Contemplative Prayer by Brian Flynn, 6/06
On a pro-contemplative spirituality web site, I came across the descriptions of those who had experienced the effect of contemplative prayer. Some of this is very disturbing and should be read with care.

(39) The Kundalini Connection: Evangelicals Embrace Energy Of The Serpent excerpts from the new book "Yoga And The Body Of Christ" by Dave Hunt, The Berean Call, Newsletter, July 2006
This entire discussion always brings us back to the most fundamental fact about yoga. No matter what physical beneit might be derived from the exercises themselves, yoga inevitably involves Eastern meditation. And Eastern meditation, unlike Western contemplation or reflection, accompanies an intentional dissociation from our conscious minds. This shutting down of the mind is, in fact, a total abdication of our God-given responsibility that Jesus declared is the first and great commandment: to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind (Deuteronomy 6:5-6, Matthew 22:37). Thus, we are violating one of the true God's most basic commandments every time we give our minds over to the intentional "nothingness" of yoga and associated "relaxation techniques."

(41) New Age Pathways In The Church by Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, 7/06
People will always chase the new thing[s] down wherever they are not holding to and practicing the old thing accurately- God's eternal word. Ancient it may be, but it is the truth that stands the test of time, to all cultures and all generations and that is what our focus should be on.

(42) Thomas Merton: The Contemplative Dark Thread by Jackie Alnor, Apostasy Alert, 7/06
It is remarkable that elements within the church today would point to dead heretics such as Merton as a source for any kind of spiritual truth. The man was truly demonized and corrupted many undiscerning souls who no doubt are with him in hell to this day.

(43) Christian Yoga Renamed Is Still Hindu by Subhas R. Tiwari, Hinduism Today, 07/19/06
CAUTION: This article us by a Hindu master in yoga philosophy.  But it does show that Yoga can never be severed from its roots in Kundalini Hinduism.

(44) Tony Jones Says by Rev. Ken Silva, July 22, 2006
"Tony Jones is the National Coordinator of Emergent. He talked with RELEVANT about the movement, its leaders and dispelled rumors about what Emergent is really all about. A full profile of the emerging church and Emergent was featured in the July/August issue."

(45) Emerging Church and Postmodern Spirituality Debate by Bob Dewaay, Pastor of Twin City Fellowship, radio host of Critical Issues Commentary vs. Doug Pagitt, author of "Church Re-Imagined: The Spiritual Formation of People in Communities of Faith"
This is a PodCast of the event also available on CD.

(46) Focus On The Family Says OK Once Again To Contemplative Prayer by Lighthouse Trails Research, 8/5/06
We find it incredible that Focus on the Family likens contemplative prayer (which has roots in Hinduism and other eastern religions) to attending church services, reading the Bible, singing hymns and listening to sermons? This is a preposterous statement. Has Focus on the Family slipped so far down the contemplative spirituality slope that they do not at all see this? How can they in any measure endorse the writings of Richard Foster who teaches that anyone at all can be a sanctuary for God by practicing contemplative prayer and who says we should all without shame enroll in the school of contemplative prayer? What a grievous time this is!

(47) Enemies Of The Cross by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 8/6/06
The above mentioned evangelical organizations are giving money and support to, as well as publishing the books of, men reversing the Reformation and openly denying the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ before the world. Men and women, I ask you: What else could we possibly call these but enemies of the Cross? It truly is as my dear friend and brother in arms Cecil Andrews of Take Heed Ministries has keenly observed: "I have found over the years that what I would call the "shoots and buds" of someone's "heresies" have a tendency to develop and strengthen over time until they eventually "blossom fully.""No one who denies the Son has the Father"

(48) Postmodernism by Michael Penfold, Webtruth, 8/06
A new kind of language stalks the land, based on a widespread contempo­rary ideology called postmodernism, the chief characteristic of which is the rejection of absolute objective truth. "What's true for you may not be true for me," encapsulates the postmodern idiom fairly well. Despite its recent origin, postmodernism already dominates the media, academia, politics and much of 'the church'. Statistics reveal that a majority of young people in the West hold to the following 'truth'; "There is no such thing as truth." A thing may be cool, OK or workable, but to say it is 'true' implies something else is 'false', a judgment call that assumes a hierarchy of correctness - perish the thought.

(49) Laurie Beth Jones' Four [Pagan] Elements of Success by Bob DeWaay, Critical Issues Commentary, 8/11/06
Now, Laurie Beth Jones enters the market promoting yet another version of temperament study: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Using these ancient pagan categories, she has developed her Path Elements Profile (PEP) and sells the program to businesses. She claims, "Insights surrounding PEP have helped save marriages, unite families, discern career directions, and select everything from jobs to spouses." (from her book The Four Elements of Success).

(50) Emergent Church: Spencer Burke's Panentheism Emerges by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 8/11/06
Here is another example of just how far off the rails the Ecumenical Church of Deceit actually is and why the deception of the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church is going to have catastrophic results upon the youth of our nation. Some of you might remember an article I did here at Apprising Ministries called The Emergent Road To Universalism which dealt with a forthcoming book by Spencer Burke of the Emergent Ooze. Frankly I dropped the story because I thought it was just too ridiculous even by substandard Emergent standards.

(51) What is the New Age Movement? - A brief synopsis by Sarah Leslie, Discernment Ministries Newsletter, September-October 2006
In the following excerpt you will learn how New Age leaders are "working" the media in order to best position themselves and their message. You will gain backstage information about how publicity decisions are made, how leaders have learned to pull back when their message is too controversial, and how they patiently wait for a ripe opportunity to launch the next phase of their agenda. The similarities to leading evangelicals, who also manipulate public relations, will be quite evident.

(52) Unwinding the Labyrinth: A Christian walk ... away from God by Brian Flynn, excerpt from Running Against the Wind, September 4, 2006
If you are a church pastor that promotes this practice or has one installed in your church then I would say you should do one of two things: either throw a rug over it and apologize to your congregation or resign. If you lack the fundamentals of understanding, the means of grace by which your flock can truly draw closer to Him, then you are not qualified to pastor anyone.

(53) Assemblies of God: Committed to Spiritual Formation, Contemplative and Emerging by Lighthouse Trails Research, 9/06
With all of the influence that contemplative/emerging is having on AOG denomination, it is not surprising to find out that Purpose Driven has also found its way into the movement (it too is a big proponent of both contemplative and emerging). A search on the AOG USA website produces over 600 entries for "Purpose Driven." 

(54) Dallas Willard - An Emergent Conspirator by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 9/18/06
The current issue of Christianity Today tells us Dallas Willard "is on a quiet quest to subvert nominal Christianity." But with the Reformation denying Spiritual Formation (aka Contemplative Spirituality) espoused by Willard and his co-conspirator Living Spiritual Teacher Richard Foster the truth is they are actually on a quest to subvert true historic orthodox Christianity.

(55) Neo-Orthodoxy: An Emergent Overview by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon, 10/06
The following comes from Contemporary Theology""an overview of theology over the last 50 years. It deals mainly with pinpointing certain theological trends and the most influential and well known movements of the day" by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon.  As you read through this you should be able to see where the new evangelicalism has been heading. The views of neo-orthodoxy are quite obvious within the three major pillars of the Ecumenical Church of Deceit - the the Purpose Driven Church, the Word Faith Church and most particularly the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church.

(56) Meaningless Offerings and Christ's Return by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 10/16/06
My guess is that there are some who have come to be a bit exasperated with me and are awaiting a thorough biblical analysis of the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church within the new evangelicalism. Some Christians hoping for Bible verses with which to confront the Emergent, and the Emergent looking for verses with which they can dispute. And this is one of the important points I am making in this short piece. The so-called "conversation" of the Emergent Church movement is not really interested in dialogue because they have already decided beforehand what they believe. In my experience with leaders and pastors within Emergent Church I've yet to meet one who was actually willing to truly consider an opposing view.

(57) "Christian" Yoga by Roger Oakland, Understand The Times Radio Commentary, 10/25/06
There are a number of people in the world today who believe mankind is entering into a whole new era. The pathway to higher consciousness, they say, is within the grasp of all those who are willing to pursue it. Is this thinking here to stay, or is it just a passing fad?

(58) Red Moon Rising: An Army for God with a "Violent Reaction" by Lighthouse Trails Research, 10/19/06
While Greig's book and ministry may, at first glance, appear to be a movement of prayer, research shows that both the book and the movement are heavily influenced by contemplative spirituality and New Age thought. And while youth around the world are taking shifts (to pray) in Greig's boiler rooms (prayer rooms), they may be getting into something entirely different than biblical prayer. If your youth group is considering incorporating Red Moon Rising and 24-7 Prayer into their agenda, a second look may be worthwhile. 

(59) Rob Bell Denies The Gospel by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 10/21/06
When I continue in Part Two I'll show you a bit more about the social gospel which is being repainted by Emergent Hollow Men like Rob Bell, who through their misunderstanding the true nature of man are simply reimagining all over again the very "Cult of Liberal Theology."

(60) The Emerging Church - Revival Or Return To Darkness? by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, September 2006
History reveals that Christian fads and trends come and go. It seems that it is common for many pastors and church leaders to constantly look for some new methodology, "new wave" or "new thing" God is doing, "right now."  We live at a period in church history that is characterized by enthusiasm for methods and means that facilitate church growth. Large churches are commonly equated with successful pastors and successful church growth methods. Whatever it takes to reach that objective, is acceptable, we are told. Church growth has become the measuring stick for successful Christianity.

(61) What Are They Saying? by Lighthouse Trails Research, 11/03/06
Quotes from Emergent leaders.

(62) Ted Haggard Replacement (as President of the NAE) Promotes Contemplative Spirituality and the Emerging Church by Lighthouse Trails Research, 11/07/06
After the recent exposure of Ted Haggard, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has replaced Haggard with interim president, Leith Anderson. Anderson is the pastor of Wooddale Church in Minneapolis, which is the former church of Lighthouse Trails author Brian Flynn, (author of Running Against the Wind). Choosing Anderson for the NAE president may help to speed up the infiltration of contemplative spirituality into the evangelical church - Wooddale Church has been promoting it for some time. 

(63) A Southern Baptist Pastor Investigates Emergent And Contemplative Within The SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 11/14/06
As this progresses you will see that I have great reason for concern that the influence of the Emergent Church and its core doctrine of Contemplative Spirituality is indeed spreading within the once conservative Southern Baptist Convention which at last check still claims to be a Protestant denomination.

(64) Emergents Help Humanity Awaken to a New Spirituality by Slice Of Laodicea, 12/11/06 (Note: this article is no longer online or archived)
Take some time on this New Spirituality book site. Study the titles of the books and see how the mystical Jesus, the experiential Jesus, the redefined Jesus, is the man of the hour. Study the titles and see where things are headed. Some of these titles would rest easily on the shelves of your Christian bookstore like, Putting on the Mind of Christ. (It's not the Christ of the Bible..) The church without discernment is being actively seduced into this satanic deception of counterfeit spirituality.

(65) How to Create an Emergent Movement by Herescope, 11/16/06
"Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?" (Lamentations 3:37)

(66) WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT: THREE MEN OF GOD EXPOSE THE ROTTEN ROOT OF THE "POSTMODERN" EMERGENT CHURCH by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 12/11/06
We simply must face facts here, evangelicalism has become a thing “an idol“the way we "do church." And because the Christian Church in America has been waffling on the doctrines of grace for too long God has sent and allowed deceptions into our midst. Not to mention extremely well placed attacks by Satan e.g. the counterfeit Christianity of the new cult of liberal theology the Emergent Church. And the Lord had warned us“ For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17, KJV).

(67) The Church Growth, Emerging Church - Daiprax Agenda - The Diabolical Practices of 'Ministers' Across America Today by Dean Gotcher, Authority Research, 12/12/06
We are not to be an offense to others, but in sharing God's word with others, when it becomes an offense, it is not up to us to water it down, candy coat it, or to change it?humanize it, to make it acceptable. To behave in such a way is not only a praxis of deceiving ourselves but also a praxis of taking pleasure in deceiving others. The definition of the word offense is "(skan-dal-id'-zo) to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, to entice to sin, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey, to cause to fall away, to be offended in one." Source: The Bible Collection 10.1.629 (c) 2006

(68) The Critical Question Before The Church by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 12/12/06
The Emergent Church is not a move of God.

(69) BIBLE BUTCHERY - How To Make God's Word Say Whatever You Like And Ignore What God Said It Actually Says - The Cut & Paste Hermeneutics Of Rick Warren and The Gnostic Interpretation Of The Parables By Brian Maclaren & Peter Tsukahira by Jacob Prasch, Moriel Ministries, 12/14/06
"Let Not Many Of You Be Teachers, For We Teachers Shall Be Judged More Strictly Than the Rest"  (James 3:1) This warning The Holy Spirit gives through The Apostle James is daunting. While we shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ, those of us posing to teach God's Word to others will be held more accountable than others, because teachers can most easily mislead others. Being misled is one thing, but misleading others - either being cognizant of the error, or teaching error out of out own ignorance doesn't matter. In the secular world if a non lawyer gives false legal advice he can mislead another with serious consequences, or if a non-medic mutilates a sick or injured person , it is unimportant if he or she were sincerely trying to do good or not. If they really cared about the ones they tried to help they would not have attempted to illegally practice medicine or law, misrepresenting themselves as qualified in a field they are not. Their acts are ones of criminal fraud, and the law does not care about their professed 'good intentions'.

(70) Understanding The Emerging Church by Roger Oakland, Understanding the Times, 12/06
Attempting to come up with a definitive explanation to describe all that is happening in the Emerging Church movement is an impossible task. Probably the best way to do this would be to examine the numerous books that have been written on this topic and come up with some general trends that seem to be consistent. This series of programs will attempt to do this.

(71) How to Know When the Emerging Church Shows Signs of Emerging in Your Church by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 12/06
The world is changing. So is the Christian evangelical church. There was a time - not that long ago - when the Bible was considered to be the Word of God by the majority of evangelical Christians. Now that we are well into the third millennium and the post-modern, post-Christian era, the term evangelical can mean almost anything. What has happened? Why is this happening and what is the future for mainstream Christianity?

(72) Eastern Mysticism in Evangelicalism interview with Sarah Leslie and Ingrid Schlueter, 1/2/07
This is an audio interview available in these formats: RealAudio | Windows Media | MP3 | Order Tape or CD

(73) Christian Or Christ "Follower" by Lighthouse Trails Research, 12/22/06
Christian or Christ-follower. It's a distinction that is being made more and more today, and often the latter term, Christ follower, is replacing the former term, Christian. Even many Christian leaders are making the switch. But just what does it mean? Emerging church leader, Erwin McManus says his "goal is to destroy Christianity as a world religion and be a recatalyst for the movement of Jesus Christ." 

(74) Christian Yoga: Rooted in Hindu Occultism by Chris Lawson, 1/5/2007 
Dear reader, the following article has been written in order to convey information about the unbiblical practice of Christian Yoga. Sadly, many professing Christians in the church are too undiscerning to know any better. Even Hindu's recognize that "Christian Yoga is still Hindu".

(75) Christianity Today Article Promotes Lectio Divina and Breath Prayers by Lighthouse Trails Research, 1/19/07
In the current online edition of Christianity Today, an article by contemplative proponent Keri Wyatt Kent is instructing on the practice of lectio divina and breath prayers. As with most contemplatives, Wyatt Kent says that her prayer time was filled with too many "words," saying her time studying the Bible became "stale." She then explains how she found the solution to the dreariness of her spiritual life.

(76) Online Christian Bookstores Continue to Promote Yoga and the New Age Movement by Bud Press, Christiani Research Service, 1/22/07
They continue to do it, despite the Biblical warnings against it.

(70) Roman Emergent Matrix by Watcher's Lamp, 3/20/07
Folks who experienced the 40 Days of Purpose in their churches or who have read the book, may not have noticed the embedded references to Catholicism.

(71) A Line Has Been Crossed ... No Turning Back? by Lighthouse Trails Research, 3/30/07
Right before our very eyes mainstream Christendom is converging with the New Age movement. In 2007, two events are scheduled, and if they actually occur without a public outcry by Christian leaders then we will have entered into a full-fledged paradigm shift, and a line will have been crossed that will very likely mean no turning back.

(72) The Emerging Civil War by Paul Proctor, Biblically Speaking, NewsWithViews
And you know what? It's working - because this Emergent leaven is everywhere in Southern Baptist life today and almost no one in SBC leadership and authority that I know of is resisting it - at least not publicly. 

(73) An Open Rebuttal to Rev. Jerry Falwell's Commentary, The 'Emerging Church': Straying from the Gospel by Paul Proctor, 4/07
Though it is laudible that Falwell has seen some problems in the Emerging Church, his statement leaves room for major false teaching to continue.

(74) The Emerging Spiritual Revolution by Herescope, 4/17/07
In his blueprint for "the emerging spiritual revolution" (The Emerging Order, p. 95), Jeremy Rifkin wrote about how to manipulate the Charismatics to create a new Dominionist worldview for science, economics and spirituality. This worldview is New Age, representing a new world order created out of the humus of Hermeticism. Rifkin suggested that the Charismatics could provide the nonrational component, while the evangelicals could work on the theological logistics of a "new covenant vision and a new world view."

(75) AM/CRN Exclusive: Erwin McManus At Origins - The Experience 2007 by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 4/07
The Origins Conference (April 30-May 3), put on by cultural architect, distinguished futurist and lead pastor for Mosaic Erwin McManus is now underway. Origins is "an interactive experience which mobilizes people to serve through the discovery of one's uniqueness. Includes Gallup's StrengthsFinder, Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and Character Matrix (based on Uprising by Erwin McManus)."

(76) On Tap-Have Suds With Your Buds! - A "Ministry" of The Journey Church by Sherry Neese, ApostasyAlert, May 31, 2007
The real kicker was an event for the men of the church called "On Tap". The "requirement" for attending this group is to be over 21 and "a person who wants to think or at least think about thinking and have a beer and some suicide wings with other guys" at a local restaurant. Great! The church is promoting alcohol consumption as the manly thing to do. What kind of message is this sending to the boys in the church?

(77) Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? by Lighthouse Trails Research, 6/11/07
Is your church involved in a Spiritual Formation program? If so, you might want to ask the question, what does Spiritual Formation look like? It's a fair question, and one, that if not asked, could end up surprising you when your church changes in ways you never imagined.

(78) Dan Kimball and the Emerging Church and Eastern Meditation by Steve Muse, Eastern Regional Watch, 6/13/07
As I read Dan Kimball's book, The Emerging Church, I realized the book opened up a Pandora's Box of concerns for what Kimball was communicating to this new generation of churches about vintage Christianity. Reading the book, I became impressed with a very disturbing sense that Kimball is attempting to take today's youth back into an experience-based relationship with God much like the Catholic mystics have revealed to us through their writings. And now through contemplative prayer and contemplative spirituality we are to come into a deeper relationship with God. On the Internet, countless sites promote the Emerging Church experience with its myriad forms of worship and prayer-and on most of these sites Kimball's book is heartily promoted.

(79) Rob Bell: Hitting the road on a mission of "misplaced" faith by Lighthouse Trails, 6/14/07
"A lot of people see Jesus as just for Christians but I keep discovering that his teachings are really about what it means to be human." - Rob Bell, Manchester Evening News (June 15, 2007). According to a news report from Manchester Evening News (Britain), emergent leader Rob Bell is "setting out on an ambitious theatre tour of Britain with his message, Calling All Peacemakers." As do most emergents, Bell believes in a universal/interfaith religion where all one has to do is add Jesus to their own religion - it isn't necessary to become a Christian and identify with the body of Christ. One can remain a Hindu, continue practicing Hindu rituals but just say they like Jesus the best. This is what we call the new missiology, and its evangelists include Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, and many other emerging church proponents.

(80) Episcopal Priest says, "I am Both Muslim and Christian" -- That's OK with the Emerging Church by Lighthouse Trails Research, 6/18/07
The June 17th headline in the Seattle Times newspaper reads, "I Am Both Muslim and Christian." Janet Tu, religion reporter for the Times has written the piece on an Episcopal priest named Ann Holmes Redding. Redding has been a priest for more than 20 years, and she became Muslim 15 months ago. The article is her coming-out-of-the-closet debut. Redding explains: "I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both." Interestingly, the article quotes Kurt Fredrickson, director of the doctor of ministry program at the pro-contemplative/emerging Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. Of Redding's choosing to be both Muslim and Christian, Fredrickson seems to be opposed to Redding's decision and states, "The most basic [question] would be: What do you do with Jesus?" But there is a twist to this story, and obviously, it's one the Seattle Times didn't include in their own report. While Fuller Theological Seminary and probably most evangelical institutions would say you can't be both Muslim and Christian, in truth they are saying the opposite every day. How you ask? Simply by promoting contemplative and/or the emerging church, which countless Christian organizations, ministries, schools and churches do now. 

(81) LifeWay's Fitness Expert Promotes Yoga - New Age Movement continues to Haunt Southern Baptist Convention by Bud Press, Director, Christian Research Service, June 29, 2007
For years, the Southern Baptist Convention (hereinafter SBC) has warned Christians about the dangers of Yoga and the New Age Movement. The SBC has developed articles, resolutions, and Interfaith Evangelism Belief Bulletins warning against the New Age Movement and Yoga. LifeWay Christian Stores, a division of the SBC, removed Susan Bordenkircher's Yoga for Christians and Brooke Boon's Holy Yoga from its main online bookstore. SBC officials have spoken out against Yoga and other forms of the New Age Movement. For decades, solid, Bible-based Christian apologists and cult-evangelists have warned the body of Christ about Yoga and the New Age Movement. God's word, the Bible, warns about false teachers, worldly philosophies, strange doctrines, and traditions of men, and commands Christians to avoid them. But despite the warnings, LifeWay and its own fitness expert, Branda Polk, promotes Yoga and encourages Christians to participate in Yoga classes.

(82) Contextual Theology - Falling From Truth Through the Emerging Church by Roger Oakland, Understand the Times, 7/24/07
In order for the emerging church to succeed, the Bible has to be looked at through entirely different glasses, and Christianity needs to be open to a new type of faith. Brian McLaren calls this new faith a "generous orthodoxy."1 While such an orthodoxy allows a smorgasbord of ideas to be proclaimed in the name of Christ, many of these ideas are actually forbidden and rejected by Scripture. 

(83) Southern Baptist 'Kids' Bowing To Yoga - The Facts, the Dangers, the Photos, the Warnings by Bud Press, Director, Christian Research Service, August 16, 2007
Introduction: Across the Western world, professing Christians are participating in New Age practices such as contemplative spirituality, labyrinth, and Yoga--all of which is preparing the way for something darker and more sinister.
 
 
 

(84) Faith Undone by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 8/07 Is the emerging church movement just another passing fad, a more contemporary approach to church, or a bunch of disillusioned young people looking for answers? In fact, it is actually much broader and is influencing Christianity to a significant degree. Grounded in a centuries-old mystical approach, this movement is powerful, yet highly deceptive, and it draws its energy from practices and experiences that are foreign to traditional evangelical Christianity. The path that the emerging church is taking is leading right into the arms of Roman Catholicism and ultimately to an interfaith perspective that has prophetically profound ramifications.

(85) Emerging Arrogance by Herescope, 8/27/07
Daily we are inundated with a flood of evangelical literature and e-mails and website postings that all indicate a crazy new form of arrogance flaunted by Christian leaders. Much of this is new doctrine -- under various guises, with inventive interpretations that suit the need of the moment. Perhaps nowhere is this most evident than in the new teachings on so-called "servant leadership."

(89) Artificial Milk - Weaning Evangelicals Off The Word by T.A. McMahon, The Berean Call, 2/07
Apostasy is rampant within the evangelical church today. At least that's my perspective as one who has observed religious trends and developments for three decades. Read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3.

(90) End-time Deception in the Emerging Church by Prof. Johan Malan, Middelburg, South Africa, 9/07
We are living in a time when increased pressure is exerted upon all churches to fundamentally change their doctrines. The Bible is considered less dogmatic since modern humanity is not prepared to restrict its freedom by a narrow and literal interpretation of Scripture. A biblical concept of God, an evangelical doctrine of salvation and premillennial teachings on end-time events are among the major casualties in the new reformation which is currently under way. These tenets all stand in the way of kingdom reforms aimed at ensuring a happy future to a united humanity of all faiths. In the emerging postmodern world, people regard themselves free to determine their own values and beliefs. When their religious views differ substantially from the Bible they merely discount biblical teachings as having been written from the perspective of an ancient world-view when people still believed in a devil and hell, and also in a vindictive God who is intent on punishing sin. In the postmodern world, people think in terms of new paradigms which clash with a literal interpretation of Scripture. Since religion is no longer determined by faith but by subjective human reasoning, they simply deconstruct modern and pre-modern beliefs, and substitute them with postmodern views which emanate from their humanistic world-view.

(91) Christians Are Mixed Up - In Mysticism by Marsha West, NewsWithViews.com, September 15, 2007
More and more of those who profess Christ are "experiencing God" in ways that lands them smack dab in the middle of the New Age movement.  Read Part 1 and Part 2.

(92) Novelty and Change Will Lead Them by Orrel Steinkamp,The Plumbline, Volume 12, No. 5, Sept/Oct 2007
There exist today hundreds of people in Christian think tanks and agencies whose whole view of ministry is to promote and induce cultural change into the church. It is called contextualization or transformation. But transformation is basically inducing change into the Christian church. Pastors who are properly trained in transformation and contextualization principles are known as transformational pastors. Pastors are also called to be "change agents." For further reading on this topic, please refer to my earlier newsletter, entitled "Transformation Thinking for Dummies." The overriding feature of seeker-sensitive and transformational activities is to change the church to resemble the culture as closely as possible and thereby insure survival and success in today's changing society. There is more to it than outward appearances. Seeker-sensitive churches low key their doctrinal statements, lest they scare away the seekers. Although doctrinal stances do not officially change, the week-by-week teaching exhibits the church as fellow travelers in the culture. The process of transformation calls not only for change but perpetual, ongoing change; in order to entice an ever-~hanging seeker population. Forgotten entirely these days, is the fact that God's people are meant to be a leaven within the culture, a pocket of resistance to the foibles and ethos of the flesh. However, I suspect there are still some seekers left who expect to find something unique and noticeably different at church than in the world at large.

(93) Emergent Confusion by The Berean Call, 9/26/07
The emergent church is fond of quoting St. Francis regarding his "take" on how one communicates the Gospel.

(94) Surrender is not an Option: An Evaluation of Emergent Epistemology by David Kowalski, 9/29/07
While most leading Evangelical scholars have strongly opposed the many unscriptural teachings found in the emerging church movement, some popular Evangelical leaders have openly befriended the movement and some Christian magazines have spoken favorably of certain emergent books. This phenomenon may pass with time. David Smith observes that when the theology of hope first appeared in the 1960's "Many conservatives early in the movement's life saw the theologians of hope as fellow travelers"[38] due to certain outward similarities to Evangelicalism. As conservatives became more familiar with the substance of this movement's teachings they realized their first impression had been wrong. Perhaps as more Evangelicals become familiar with all of the teachings of the emerging church movement and consider the serious implications of their theology of surrender they will choose to disagree with the sociologically based theology, morality, and spirituality which the epistemology of this movement has birthed.

(95) The Kingdom of Emergent Theology - Part 1 by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, 9/07
Emergent kingdom theology, like its liberal postmillennial predecessor, is based not so much on the observation of an improving world but on feelings of desperation. McLaren admits that many might see his kingdom views as a mere pipe dream, but if that is so, "what do [we] have to look forward to if they are right?  Simply more of the same in human history"" But truth does not emerge from groundless optimism or "what if" desperation; it emerges from the Scriptures.  What God says about life now, the future and the kingdom is what matters.  In answer to McLaren's question, we have much to look forward to, for Christ will one day bring His kingdom to earth, at which time the very social and earthly issues that concern emergent people will be corrected and made right.  But this kingdom will come through the power of Christ, not the good deeds of men. It will come when He returns, not as a prelude to it.  It will not only remedy societal wrongs it will usher in the world-wide righteousness and justice of Christ.  We have much to look forward to when the kingdom comes, but it will come about because of God's actions, not ours.  It is right that we seek to correct social ills, but our actions do not usher in Christ's kingdom.  Read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3.

(96) Mysticism & Global Mind Change - Shaping a New Civilization - Part 1 by Berit Kjos, Kjos Ministries, 10/04/07
Do you wonder why yoga, labyrinths and other meditational practices have suddenly emerged in churches across America?  Or why "Christians" now use the old occult formulas practiced by sorcerers, alchemists and "enlightened" yogis (a combination of concentration, meditation, visualization and mental projection) to invoke the presence of "God"?  This East-West synthesis didn't happen by chance. For several decades, influential church leaders have been promoting a "new way of thinking," a more experiential religion, an end to "separatism," and an inclusive oneness that would fulfill their vision of an earthly "Kingdom of God."

(97) The Avalanche of Spiritual Formation by Lighthouse Trails, 10/03/07
A move away from the truth of God's Word to a mystical form of Christianity has infiltrated, to some degree, nearly all evangelical denominations. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, most do not realize it has even happened. 

(98) Todd Friel Interviews Doug Pagitt of the Emergent Church, Reformed Voices blog, Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Listen to this interview with Emerging Church leader Doug Pagitt to understand Pagitts view on hell, other religions, etc.  It it clear from this interview that Pagitt has little understanding of the Bible and is trying to diaprax people with the heretical views of the Emerging Church.

(99) Transcript Of Todd Friel And Doug Pagitt On WOTM Radio on Apprising Ministries, 11/8/07
If you haven't seen the below Apprising Ministries would like to point you to a post by Rob Willmann where he made the time to transcribe the recent appearance on Way of the Master Radio by Doug Pagitt, a leader in the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church.

(100) Contemplative Proponent J. P. Moreland Says Christians Too Committed to Bible by Lighthouse Trails Research, 11/21/07
According to a Christianity Today article, Biola University professor J.P. Moreland says evangelical Christians are too committed to the Bible. His talk at a recent Evangelical Theology Society meeting was titled "How Evangelicals Became Over-Committed to the Bible and What Can Be Done About It." 

(101) Ken Blanchard Endorses Book 'Inspired' by Hindu Guru Co-founder of Lead Like Jesus continues down New Age road by Bud Press, Director, Christian Research Service, November 26, 2007
But now, over two years later, Ken Blanchard has not kept his promise. He continues down the broad New Age road. He is hindering the furtherance of the gospel, and is causing the unwary to stumble along the way.

(102) Pastor John MacArthur of Grace To You Refutes Doug Pagitt, Emergent church leader by John MacArthur, Grace To You, 11/07
This is a video clip of MacArthur refuting Pagitt's promotion of Yoga in churches.

(103) Dumping Sola Scriptura by Herescope, 11/29/07
When evangelical leaders talk about a Second Reformation, they mean reversing the tenets of the First Reformation. A stunning example of this occurred recently when evangelical professor J.P. Moreland blasted "over-commitment to the Bible" and neglect of "work on broad cultural themes." If this is the current state of apologetics in the evangelical world, then grievous times have arrived.

(104) Contextualization by Steve Camp, Camponthis, 12/15/07
Contextualization. It is the latest buzz word adopted by emerging/emergent/missional adherents who want to be contemporary and cool, yet biblical both at the same time thinking they have found something new that will revolutionize evangelism and redefine the church of the 21st century. This missional arrogance has its roots in what is known as Sociolinguistics. "It is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context on the way language is used. Sociolinguistics overlaps to a considerable degree with pragmatics." 

(105) Warren Smith at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa on The New Age and Emerging Church, 1/29/08
Listen to Warren Smith's talk on The New Age and The Emerging Church at the the Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa last week online here. Simply click on the link to his speech. We've been astonished to find that Warren's previous Herescope posts about Oprah Winfrey, Marianne Williamson and the Course in Miracles have taken on a life of their own in cyberspace. Many people around the country have been sending these posts to family and friends and their loops. Praise the Lord for this important warning getting out. For people desiring more information about the false gospel in A Course in Miracles, Warren Smith's first book The Light That Was Dark contains his fascinating testimony about his personal experiences with this Course.

(106) Can a pagan practice be Christianized? by Marsha West, 1/25/08
Is yoga just a way of reducing stress or is there more to it than that? I mean, everyone's doing it so it has to be a good thing"right? The short answer is that there's more to yoga than meets the eye. So bear with me as I explain the reasons practicing yoga "stretches traditional Christian boundaries" and why Christians should avoid yoga and seek other alternatives.

(107) Evangelical Mysticism? by T.A. McMahon, The Berean Call, February 1, 2008 
I find myself increasingly grieved these days by what I see taking place among those who profess to be evangelicals. I know the term "evangelical" has undergone radical changes regarding its meaning and practice. Yet when I use the term, I'm going by a very simple definition: I'm referring to those who claim to accept the Bible alone as their authority for knowing and receiving God's way of salvation and for living their lives in a way that is pleasing to Him.

(108) 5 Reasons Why the Emerging Church is Now Receding (Don't Bury The Emerging Church, Yet!) by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 2/5/08
Trevin Wax's article titled "5 Reasons Why the Emerging Church is Now Receding" posted February 5, 2008, asks some interesting questions and raises some valid concerns with regard to the Emerging Church. However, unfortunately Wax has drawn conclusions that steer readers far from an accurate picture of understanding the times from a biblical perspective and it is necessary to sound the alarm.

(109) In Defense of Chuck Smith & Calvary Chapel, Dave Hunt and Roger Oakland by Jacob J. Prasch, Moriel Ministries, 2/6/08
Moriel Ministries & Jacob Prasch take extreme exception to the statement  critical of Chuck Smith, various Calvary Chapels, Roger Oakland and Dave Hunt by Richard Abanes of Saddleback Church in reaction to their expressed position regarding The Purpose Driven Agenda of Rick Warren.

(110) "Pragmatic Evangelicalism" Has Peaked by Orrel Steinkamp, The Plumbline, Volume 13, No. 1, January/February, 2008
"Something ... just happened in the evangelical community. For most of a generation evangelicals have been romanced by the 'seeker-sensitive' movement spawned by Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. The guru of this movement is Bill Hybels. He and others have been telling us for decades to throw out everything we have previously thought and been taught about church growth and replace it with a new paradigm, a new way to do ministry... The size of the crowd rather than the depth of heart determined success. If the crowd was large then surely God was blessing the ministry. Churches were built by demographic studies, professional strategists, marketing research, meeting 'felt needs' and sermons with these techniques. We were told that preaching was out, relevance was in. Doctrine didn't matter nearly as much as innovation. If it wasn't 'cutting edge' and consumer friendly it was doomed. The mention of sin, salvation and sanctification were taboo and replaced by Starbucks, strategy and sensitivity.

(111) Rob Bell "Undefines" Holiness by Bob DeWaay, 2/14/08
In Velvet Elvis, Bell lists a number of transcendent experiences that he claims overwhelmed him to be in awe of God. The first one for Bell happened as a teenager at a concert performed by Irish rock group U2, where he was "overwhelmed with the word true."[i] These extraordinary experiences he also describes as "holy" and "sacred." The problem is that his usage has nothing to do with the Biblical meaning of the terms "holy" or "or sacred." 

(112) Emerging Church Leading Protestants Back To Rome by Mike Gendron, Proclaiming The Gospel Ministries, 2/08
We have been receiving an increasing number of reports about Protestants who are converting to Roman Catholicism. There is now a series of three books which herald the testimonies of former Protestant pastors who have found the broad way to Rome more enticing and fulfilling. What is causing this growing apostasy? Who is behind this reversal of the Reformation? Why are so many Protestants being seduced by the piety of this false religion? Many evangelicals are puzzled and are searching for answers. Although it is disheartening and discouraging, we should not be surprised because: "the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). 

(113) The Death Of Discernment In The Church by Mike Gendron, Proclaiming The Gospel Ministries, 2/08
The critical issue in the Church today is the purity of the Gospel. That alone is the rudder that must guide the Church through stormy waters that have been stirred up by every wind of doctrine. Take away the ability to discern objective truth and churches turn into cafeterias serving whatever junk food people want instead of the disciplined diet they need for spiritual life and health. Without a steady diet of the whole counsel of God, churches become entertainment centers for goats instead of sanctuaries for the Shepherd's sheep (Mat. 25:32). Unregenerate people, who are never exhorted to examine their faith, will continue attending church to enjoy the music, entertainment and "feel good" messages. Unless these people are confronted with their sin, their need for a Savior and the eternal consequences of a spurious faith, they are destined to hear these terrifying words from Jesus: "'I never knew you; depart from Me" (Mat. 7:23). 

(114) Christian Yoga by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 2/20/08
There are a number of people in the world today who believe mankind is entering into a whole new era. The pathway to higher consciousness, they say, is within the grasp of all those who are willing to pursue it. Is this thinking here to stay, or is it just a passing fad?

(115) Evangelical Mysticism? by T.A.McMahon, The Berean Call, February 1, 2008
I find myself increasingly grieved these days by what I see taking place among those who profess to be evangelicals. I know the term "evangelical" has undergone radical changes regarding its meaning and practice. Yet when I use the term, I'm going by a very simple definition: I'm referring to those who claim to accept the Bible alone as their authority for knowing and receiving God's way of salvation and for living their lives in a way that is pleasing to Him.

(116) Ancient-Future Heresies by McMahon, T.A., The Berean Call, February 28, 2008 
We desperately need to heed the words of Jesus in Revelation chapters 2-3 that give critical warnings to churches that profess to be His.

(117) Your Local Christian Bookstore Could Be Dangerous to Your Spiritual Health by Orrel Steinkamp, The Plumbline, Volume 13, No. 2, March/April
Gone are the days when filling your cart at a Christian bookstore is safe for your spiritual health. 

(118) Potentialy Harmful, and Dangerous Spiritual Practices Researched and Compiled by Chris Lawson, Spiritual Research Network, 3/27/08
Please note that the SRN staff issues a warning about the following topics because they are either or all of the following:: (1) Founded on occult principles; (2) Dangerous forms of occult and mystical practices; (3) Based on the writings and beliefs associated with either paganism, spiritism, occultism or mysticism; (4) Mystical and supernaturalistic health related methods.

(119) Does Rick Warren Have Reservations about the Emerging Church? by Lighthouse Trails, 3/29/08
If Rick Warren has reservations about some things in the emerging church, those reservations are not about the mystical components of this movement. 

(120) Confession is Good for the Soul by Jackie Alnor, Apostasy Alert, March 31, 2008
When I see Bible-believing churches adopt Roman Catholic traditions, such as the liturgical use of incense, candles, and icons, I recoil in disgust. When Roman Catholic church fathers are quoted by Protestants to prove some theological point, I roll my eyes.

(121) One step forward and three steps back by Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, 4/08
Willow Creeks affiliation with the emergent church movement.

(122) Warfield and Contemplative Spirituality by Herescope, 4/10/08
Benjamin B. Warfield's writings on mysticism help to orient Christian believers to understand the implications of contemplative and mystical spirituality's challenge to orthodox and biblical Christianity.

(123) Emerging Church Spreading Spiritual Cancer by Marsha West, 4/18/08
What this is really all about is truth. False teachers stare at Truth but fail to recognize the identity of truth. Jesus himself said, "I am truth." Thus we know that Truth is an aspect of God Himself. Christianity is the only truth because it is anchored in the Person of Jesus Christ. Moreover, truth is crucial to a realistic worldview. Which is why committed Christians mustn't buy into the lie that truth is a matter of preference or opinion. In case you haven't notices, in our postmodern culture we are experiencing the death of truth - and the death of truth could mean the death of civilizzation! I wrote this down, but I don't remember who said it. "Truth is true if no one believes it. A lie is a lie if everyone believes it." And that's the truth!

(124) Emergent MIND Change by Herscope, 4/25/08
Dr. Dennis Cuddy, in his bi-weekly NewsWithViews column on April 7 made a startling observation. Cuddy, an historian and author with expertise in the mental health arena,* noticed that there were similarities in Brian McLaren's new book everything must change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope and Eckhart Tolle's new book touted by Oprah's Book Club, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Both authors define mental illness in terms of wrong belief systems which are harming the planet:

(125) POINTS to PONDER - Rick Warren, Richard Abanes, Ken Blanchard, Psychics, Yoga by  Bud Press, Christian Research Service, April 26, 2008
Richard Abanes' book, Rick Warren and the Purpose that Drives Him, was published July 2005. On page 15, Abanes tells of an interview between he and Warren, which took place on May 4, 2005. During the interview on pages 28-29, Abanes records Rick Warren stating that, "Well, I do know Ken Blanchard. But we're not close friends--no closer friends than half-a-dozen other celebrities" (emp. added, book on file).However, in his February 19-20, 2005 article, "The Skills of Leadership: Leading Like Jesus Part 3," Rick Warren stated that, "My good friend Ken Blanchard who wrote The One Minute Manager and a bunch of other books he always says, Catch people doing something right. We always do the opposite. We catch them doing something wrong. But catch people doing something right and affirm it" (Pastors.com, click HERE for PDF file, page 12, bold emp. added).

(126) Do The Dobsons and Focus on the Family Agree with the Emergent Church? by Brannon S. Howse, 4/28/08
While I respect much of the great work of Dr. Dobson, Shirley Dobson and Focus on the Family, there has been a recent trend that is disturbing. This past weekend, Shirley Dobson appeared with Dr. Robert Schuller on his Hour of Power. Click here to view her appearance: http://www.crystalcathedral.org/hour_of_power/index.php
I don't take issue with Mrs. Dobson's message on behalf of the National Day of Prayer but rather her appearance on his show and her closing remark that affirmed the "work" of Dr. Schuller. 

(127) What Is Contemplative Prayer? by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 4/29/08
Contemplative prayer can be traced back to 3rd century monks who were looking for ways to contact God by mystical techniques. Such prayer methods are making a comeback. Will Christians be enlightened or will they be introduced to eastern mysticism?

(128) The New Wave of Apologetics by Tim Wirth, Nogoofyzone Weblog, 4/26/08
There is a New Wave of Apologetics sweeping through the Body Of Christ for some years now. But before we see what apologetics is not, let's study and see what it is.

(129) The New Age Morphing . . . Into the Church by Herescope, 5/13/08
How has the New Age morphed itself over the past 35 years since the public launching of "The Aquarian Conspiracy"?

(130) Emergent Road Show Receives Sponsorship From Major Organizations by Lighthouse Trails, 5/22/08
Three "of the most outspoken" leaders of the emerging church (Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and Mark Scandrette) will be going on a national road tour this summer and are receiving sponsorship from several large organizations. Some of those sponsors are Christianbook.com, Jossey-Bass, Compassion International, International Bible Society, and Zondervan.

(131) The Emerging Church - The Rising Generation - A Maturing Church? by Jewel Grewe, Discernment Ministries, Discernment Newsletter, Volume 19, Number 3, May/June 2008
How far from Biblical Authenticity this has come! We now have Ancient-Future Heresies that Journey to the Past to find Future Spirituality. 

(132) Earth: The Old Story, The New Story by Herescope, 5/29/08
Emergent church leaders are re-packaging and marketing the Creation Spirituality myth to the evangelical church. According to Emergent church leader Brian McLaren, human beings on planet Earth need to change our "framing story."

(133) Ancient-Future Faith Or Do All Roads Lead to Rome by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things Newsletter, June 2008 - Volume 14, Issue 6
Rumors are starting to circulate that the emergent church movement is running out of steam.  After making the biggest splash and the most noise of anything in the Christian community for many years it appears to be approaching exhaustion.  Some like Rob Bell and Erwin McManus who are clearly in the "emergent conversation" have denied their involvement.  And people seem a bit tired of hearing about postmodernism, its rejection of universal truth and its promotion of relativism.  After all, how long can people live questioning the obvious and denying reality?  These things play out nicely in philosophy class and in college coffee shops, but have serious limitations in the real world. Maybe it is time for the emergent ship to leave the dock and make way for the next fad.

(134) What is Centering? - Can we find God or enhance our experience of Jesus by entering into an altered state of consciousness? by Pastor Don Matzat, 7/08
The reality of Christ is never discovered within but is always extra nos, outside of us. Christ is to be sought, not in the inner self nor in some questionable technique borrowed from occultism or the fringes of psychological theory, but in the external and objective means of Word and Sacrament.
The intrusion of these methods into the church should not only cause us concern, but anger!

(135) Ancient-Future Faith, Its Practices by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, July 2008 - Volume 14, Issue 7
In a recent sermon dealing with the emergent/emerging church, Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle and self-described emerging church leader, identified four lanes in which the emergent/emerging movement is traveling. In the first lane are emerging evangelicals who believe in basic Christian doctrine, such as the Bible being God's Word and Jesus dying for our sins. They also tend to form the "hip, cool church," according to Driscoll. Pastors who may fall in this category include Dan Kimball and Donald Miller.  Without taking much time to debate with Driscoll at this point, I would certainly challenge the notion that Donald Miller is a supporter of basic Christian doctrine.  Kimball, on the other hand, does hold to certain doctrinal positions such as the three ancient ecumenical creeds, but would not want to drift much beyond them.

(136) Beware of This Doctrine of Demons by Heidi Swander, Herescope, 8/12/08
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.

(137) The Emerging Church by Jason Carlson, 8/30/08
Carlson relates his experience in and out of the Emergent Church . He sounds an alarm at our Olive Tree Ministries "Understanding the Times 2007" conference.  This is an MP3 of his radio interview with Jan Markel.

(138) Who's Laughing Now? by Bud Press, Christian Research Service, September 9, 2008 
Years ago, many parents laughed when their children were introduced to Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, relaxation, and visualization techniques in the secular schools and YMCA. Many school teachers and principles shrugged their shoulders and thought the techniques would help develop calmer, better behaved students. On the job-site, professing Christians participated in company-sponsored "Stress Reduction" seminars. They laughed under their breath and refused to speak out against it--for fear of losing their jobs. Now, many companies across the nation offer Yoga, Tai Chi, Reiki, and other New Age practices as regular motivational courses for employees. Despite the complaints and concerns, many bookstore managers and officials within the "Christian bookstore" industry laughed and continued to advertise and promote books written by New Age authors. The "bottom line" (money) was more important than the spiritual welfare of the innocent and unwary.

(139) Ancient-Future Faith - It's Beliefs by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things Newsletter, August 2008
In his most recent book Finding Our Way Again, The Return of the Ancient Practices, Brian McLaren, the most recognizable name in the emergent church movement, signals a shift, or at least a new emphasis within emergent, toward ancient practices of earlier periods of church history. 

(140) Spirituality & Sex - The God of Sex versus Sex God by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 9/08
Read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3.

(141) The American Church - Descent Into Darkness Part 1 by No Other Gospel, 10/7/08
ICABOD is written upon our doorposts. We have embraced other gods, we have turned our backs upon the Lord God, the only God, maker of heaven and earth. We have embraced a social gospel, which lauds mans good works and excludes the Savior that bought them. ICABOD is written upon our house.

(142) Who Goes There? - Encountering Voices in the Silence of Contemplative Prayer by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 10/8/08
Through practicing the discipline of solitude and silence, contemplative spiritualists hope to hear God personally speak to them. As one nationally known personality stated on the Be Still DVD, "intimacy automatically breeds revelation."[1] But if a voice speaks, there is some question regarding its identity. Therefore, in the video's same segment, "Fear of Silence," Richard Foster offers advice about how to discern who might communicate in the stillness. 

(143) MacArthur: The Emergent Church is a Form of Paganism interview with John MacArthur by Paul Edwards
"The Paul Edwards Program," WLQV Detroit, 10/08
Paul Edwards, host of "The Paul Edwards Program" on WLQV in Detroit, interviewed pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church John MacArthur about the emerging church movement in America. Paul begins the interview by asking Pastor John to respond to a radio interview with prominent emerging church leader Doug Pagitt. In the clip from October 22, 2007, Pagitt denied that there is a place of eternal conscious torment for persons who die apart from faith in Jesus Christ. 

(144) The Nanotechnological Transhuman Cyborg by John Loeffler of the Steel On Steel, radio program interviewed Dr. Martin Erdmann, Saturday, October 18, 2008
John Loeffler of the Steel On Steel radio program interviewed Dr. Martin Erdmann this week on the topic of the new emergent scientific religion of transhumanism and how it seeks to use nanotechnology to design super humans and super soldiers of the future: part human, part machine. Herescope readers have special permission to access this fascinating interview online. 

(145) Coming From a Nazarene University President by Psalm 11:3 - Warning The Nazarene Denomination About The Emergent Menance, 10/25/08
I am printing with permission a  exchange a friend and sister in the Lord of mine had with a president of a Nazarene University. You should be shocked at his comments. I have left the names out at the request of my friend.

(146) Going Downhill Always Goes Faster Than Going Uphill by Mike Oppenheimer, October 20, 2008
We welcome new leaders and recognize them for their service to Christ. Today there are many new leaders, but there is a shortage of biblically well trained leaders who are aware of the issues and have answers to them. 

(147) My Reflections on the Emerging Church by Scott Tibbetts, 11/08
... the EC is left with no gospel, no good news for the nations.  This is why I have felt when I read EC literature I sense no conviction of true guilt before a holy God, no great appreciation for the atoning work of Christ on the cross, no longing for heaven.  EC is very big on bringing in the Kingdom of God to earth now, they are big on "Christian spirituality," big on an "encounter with God," but the pining for heaven as expressed by the Apostle Paul in Phil. 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain," I sense very little.  If there is no real gospel, no real people will go to a real heaven. And this is the burden of my heart. 

(148) Understanding The Emerging Church by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 11/17/08
My greatest concern about the Emerging Church is the overall direction that I discern it is headed. This direction, in my opinion is away from a faith in Jesus that is based on His Word, to a faith driven by experience and headed towards Roman Catholicism.

(149) Why Christian Leaders Should Not Promote Henri Nouwen by Lighthouse Trails, 11/22/08
At the end of his life, in the last book he ever wrote (Sabbatical Journey), Henri Nouwen said the following: Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.1 Even though such a statement does not at all fit within biblical Christianity, and in essence denies the very foundation of Christ's work on the Cross, Henri Nouwen is touted as a great spiritual figure by countless Christian leaders, pastors, seminary professors, etc. 

(150) Irony: Muslim Leaders Warn Against Yoga - Christian Leaders Remain Silent by Lighthouse Trails, 11/23/08
According to a Fox News article, Muslim leaders in Malaysia are telling Muslims that Yoga is dangerous for them because of its Hindu roots. And yet, Christian leaders in America say virtually nothing against contemplative spirituality, which is also based on eastern-style meditation principles and practices. 

(151) A Still Small Voice - "Contemplative Prayer and the 'Elijah Experience'of 1 Kings 19:12" by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 11/24/08
Elijah's Mt. Horeb experience, when he heard "a sound of sheer silence" (1 Kings 19:12, NRSV), has stimulated a tradition of desert spirituality which pursues solitude in order to hear the voice of God. Practitioners of lectio divina (i.e., reading sacred things) also desire such encounters.

(152) Memoirs of an Emergent Church Victim by Heidi Swander, 12/8/08
I realize as I write this that there are many of you who only dream of finding a solidly biblical church home.  Some continue to attend an unhealthy church because you don't know what else to do.  Some choose to stay and fight - which I did for a while -- but you have to know when the gig is up and it's time to move on.  And then, where to move on to?  Pray about it.  Set standards that you will not waver from.  For me a church must be Bible-based, doctrinally sound, pro-Israel, premillennial.  Sit down with the pastor and grill him on your important standards that are essential to a healthy church.

(153) A Personal Testimony: Why Christian Leaders Should Not Promote Henri Nouwen by For the Author, 12/12/08
Please read the important article at Lighthouse Trails
Why Christian Leaders Should Not Promote Henri Nouwen that inspired the diatribe which follows.

(154) Emerging Church Quotes compled by Sandy Simpson, 12/08
Quotes by Emerging Church leaders.

(155) Allelon: Unity in the Church or Unity with the World? by Sandy Simpson, 12/08
The EC promoted and taught by groups like Allelon is full of the teachings of false teachers who have introduced ideas and practices that are not Biblical.

(156) The Fallacious Arguments of Neo-Universalists
by Sandy Simpson, 1/4/09
The new Universalists are not as vocal about their Universalism ideas but are far more deadly to the Church as they are not rejected like classic Universalists were decades ago.  The new Universalists would include Emerging Church leaders like Brian McLaren, Leonard Sweet, Spencer Burke, Alan Jones and others like Wycliffe, Society of  Biblical Literature, World Christian Gathering of Indigenous Peoples, Richard Twiss, Daniel Kikawa, Terry LeBlanc, Rick Warren, Henry Nowen, YWAM, Tony Campolo, Robert Schuller, George Otis Jr., and even Billy Graham.

(157) The Emerging Church by Mike Oppenheimer, 1/09
(1) The Emergent church's view on the Bible
(2) The underlying problem with the Emergent Church movement?

(158) Desperate Sheep Without a Shepherd by Jan Markell, Olive Tree Ministries, 3/2/2009
The impact of the "New Age Movement", also called "the new spirituality," in all Western societies is overwhelming. Learn more here.

(159)  The Emergent Church Could Submerge Yours! by Jan Markell, Olive Tree Ministries, 3/12/09
What are the signs that you may be in an Emergent Church?

(160) The Challenge of Pragmatism - Part 1 by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things Newsletter, 3/09
If there is a common religion to be found within the Western world it surely is pragmatism - the religion of "what works?"  Pragmatism has no cathedrals; it follows no liturgy, hires no pastors and cannot be found in any listing of denominations, yet it is woven into the very fabric of the Western church. 

(161) The Ugly Side Of Diaprax by Sandy Simpson, 4/10/09
There has been a concerted effort by the false teachers from many movements inside the church such as Word of Faith, New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)/Latter Rain, World Gathering on Indigenous People and Emerging Church among others to diaprax people into thinking that the church has been ineffective until they came along with their new and improved ideas on how to take over the world.  This is always a feature of the Hegelian Dialectical process put into action by praxis, thus diaprax.  In order to form a new paradigm or worldview the leadership of these movements must villify orthodox Biblical Christianity.  Let's look at some of those statements.

(162) Jesse Middendorf promotes the new age/Catholic practice of Spiritual Formation by Nazarenepsalm113, April 16, 2009
Dr. Jesse Middendorf, general superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene, recently expressed his support of this event, noting that "Spiritual formation is at the heart of our understanding of a Wesleyan-Holiness lifestyle. Our theology requires that we apply ourselves to growth both in understanding and in practice. I applaud the effort to provide this event for members of our global family in the Church of the Nazarene."

(163) Spiritual Formation? - Another name for Contemplative Spirituality by Lighthouse Trails, 4/09
Those who are teaching "spiritual formation" believe we cannot be "deep" Christians without it. 

(164) Corrupt Counsel by the Double-Minded:The American Association of Counselors by Sherry Neese, 1/14/08
Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Journey, Soul Care, Spiritual Disciplines; What do they mean? Much of so-called Christian counseling is replete with buzzwords such as spiritual formation, spiritual journey, soul care, spiritual disciplines, etc., as several discernment ministries have documented. Spiritual Formation: "A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contemplative spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement."

(165) WASHINGTON: Walking the Labyrinth at Washington's Church by Mark Tooley, VirtueOnline, 4/18/09
Would George Washington or Robert E. Lee have walked the labyrinth? This potentially New Age tool is now available at Christ Episcopal Church in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, which both generals once soberly attended. 

(166) Coming to Christ Through Mysticism? by Roger Oakland, Understand the Times, 4/19/09
The spiritual formation movement teaches that if people practice certain spiritual disciplines, they can become like Jesus and model their lives after Him. But being born again and having the indwelling of Christ is not a prerequisite. Neither is receiving Him as Lord and absolute Savior. What spiritual formation offers is an alternative to God's plan of salvation revealed in Scripture. 

Updated! (167) The Emerging Church - Introducing Heresies by Sandy Simpson, 4/20/09
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. (2 Pet. 2:1)

(168) Some Contemplative Terms and What they Mean by Ray Yungen, Lighthouse Trails, 4/30/09
In order to help others who might be involved with some form of mysticism, it is important to be aware of these terms and understand their basic meanings.

Updated! (169) The Emerging Church - Circa 1970 by Herescope, 5/1/09 - Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8 & Part 9.
The Emergent/emerging church movement was first tried with that name back in 1970 at a series of conferences sponsored by Faith at Work. This fact is disclosed in Hiley Ward's book Religion 2101 A.D.: Who or What Will Be God? (Doubleday, 1975). The book is a compendium of futurist thought, including the science fiction and paranormal and metaphysics activities extant in the early 1970s. But first the background information to put this all in context.

(170) Mark Driscoll to Speak at Crystal Cathedral by Lighthouse Trails, 5/7/09
According to Mark Driscoll's church calendar and other reports as well, Mark Driscoll will be speaking at Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral on June 14th. While many evangelical leaders have promoted Driscoll, he has been the topic of a number of Lighthouse Trails articles. Driscoll was one of the early "emergent" leaders mentored by Leadership Network (Bob Buford) to form the first emergent team (McLaren, Pagitt, Seay, etc.) Since then, Driscoll has publicly denounced some of the teachings and "theology" of that group. However, he has promoted contemplative spirituality and the new sexual spirituality, both of which are part of the emerging philosophy. 

(171) Early Experiential Emergents by Herescope, 5/9/09
The fact that Faith at Work was attempting to start an Emerging Church Movement as early as 1970 is quite relevant to the Emergent/Emerging Church today. The ramifications of this are quite stunning. For example, Faith at Work was a leading sponsor of Brian McLaren's "Everything Must Change" tour a year ago. 

(172) "Emerging Theology" Is An Oxymoron by Sandy Simpson, 5/8/09
There was no theology presented in this lecture, per se.  The overriding theme was that the EC wants to help Christians "find God in the world" and for them to "look like Jesus".  Sounds good but what does that mean?  Does that mean going back to Roman Catholic liturgy and the Eucharist which Middendorf promotes?  Does it mean incorporating mystical and New Age practices into the churches?  Does that look like Jesus?  I think not. 

(173) Donald Whitney and Spiritual Disciplines - Spirituality Without Boundaries by Bob DeWaay, Critical Issues Commentary, Issue 111, March/April 2009
The problems with Whitney's book are these: serious category errors, a lack of boundaries, failure to understand the means of grace, pragmatism, the endorsement of false teachers such as Richard Foster and Dallas Willard without caveat, and his own toned-down version of mysticism. I shall proceed to show what I mean by interacting with his ideas.

(174) "The Spiritualization of Science, Technology, and Education in a One-World Society" by Herescope, 5/21/09
This emerging trans-modern worldview, involves a shift in the locus of authority from external to 'inner knowing.' It has basically turned away from the older scientific view that ultimate reality is "fundamental particles," and trusts perceptions of the wholeness and spiritual aspect of organisms, ecosystems, Gaia and Cosmos. This implies a spiritual reality, and ultimate trust in the authority of the whole. It amounts to a reconciliation of scientific inquiry with the "perennial wisdom" at the core of the world's spiritual traditions. It continues to involve a confidence in scientific inquiry, but an inquiry whose metaphysical base has shifted from the reductionist, objectivist, positivist base of 19th- and 20th-century science to a more holistic and transcendental metaphysical foundation. - Willis Harman's essay, "Bringing About the Transition to Sustainable Peace" (Part One: "A Changing Worldview"), cited in footnote bb, Erdmann, M Eur J Nanomed 2009; 2:31-38.

(175) Emergent New Paradigm Pastor (Mike Erre) to Speak at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesaby Lighthouse Trails, 5/25/09
Emerging/emergent spirituality is making serious inroads into Christianity. Churches and Christian colleges, unaware of the subtle undermining of such spirituality, are embracing teachers and leaders of this movement and pointing others to them. Often they are unaware of what these teachers really believe and teach. In light of an event (Movement 2009) scheduled to take place on May 29th at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, the Calvary Chapel mother church, with RockHarbor pastor, Mike Erre (and a similar event (Pure Worship) that took place earlier this month), Lighthouse Trails is posting this special report. 

(176) "Emergent" or "Emerging"? Makes No Difference - Going in the Same Direction - Away from Truth toward Deception by Lighthouse Trails, 5/30/09
It was Shakespeare who said a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. In the case of the "new spirituality" that has pervaded so much of Christianity, emergent church by any other name is just as harmful. While some are saying they are not "emergent" but are emerging, the overall beliefs (and mission) of each--emergent and emerging--are the same.

(177) Is the gospel being preached in the emergent church movement? by Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, 6/1/09
We are to be keepers, protectors and proclaimers of the gospel, it is to be the same message that was given to the apostles nearly 2,000 years ago. The gospel can be changed from applying new innovations.

(178) The Depths of Our Concerns for Calvary Chapel and Other Christian Organizations by the Editors at Lighthouse Trails, 6/10/09
Calvary Chapel is not the only Christian organization that is being influenced and changed because of contemplative/emerging spirituality. The Nazarene Church has deeply absorbed this new spirituality, as we have reported in many articles. Also, the Christian Missionary Alliance and Mennonite denominations have been hugely affected. Southern Baptist is another that has been pulled into the contemplative/emerging whirl of deception. Many Reformed/Calvinist churches have started going in this direction, as have Foursquare and Assemblies of God. It has even been reported to us that some Amish communities and Independent Baptist churches are feeling the effects. And the list could go on and on. 

(179) Evangelicals: Emergent and Erotic by Herescope, 6/12/09
This fall (October, 2009), one major seminary is hosting a one-day seminar on, "Sacred Sexuality." One purpose of the conference includes, "Casting a Vision for the Sexually Healthy Church," and one workshop is titled, "Holy Eroticism: Marital Intimacy."

(180) 2009 Summer/Fall Christian Conferences Provide Platform for Contemplative/Emerging Speakers by Editors at Lighthouse Trails, 6/16/09
Many Christian-led conferences taking place throughout North America during the summer and fall of 2009 are providing platforms for speakers who are helping to further the new spirituality. In many conferences, the speaker line-ups are a blending of non-emerging/non-contemplative speakers with those who are of that camp. Doing this gives an unmerited credibility to the teachings of the contemplative/emerging speakers. While some say there is nothing wrong with Christian teachers sharing the platform with those who promote a false approach to God (i.e., mysticism), the Bible is clear that "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9). And by silently standing with the wayward teacher, one must now share the responsibility of his or her error.

(181) Should Pastors Warn Their Congregations About Contemplative Spirituality? by Lighthouse Trails, 6/29/09
Lighthouse Trails believes that contemplative spirituality must be addressed head on. Recently, we were contacted by a pastor who told us he did not see the reason to focus on these "negative" aspects (such as contemplative and emerging). He wanted to know why we did what we did. 

(182) Christian Leaders Giving Mysticism to Our Youth by Ray Yungen, Lighthouse Trails, 7/1/09
The cover of the July/August 1999 issue of Group Magazine, a leading resource magazine for Christian youth leaders, featured a teenage girl, eyes shut, doing contemplative prayer. The article, "Ancient-Future Youth Ministry" begins by declaring: "It's Sunday just after 5 p.m.... Seven adults are sitting around a "Christ-candle" in the youth room. There is no talking, no laughter. For 10 minutes, the only noise is the sound of their breathing ... now it's 7 p.m.--one hour into the night's youth group gathering. There are 18 senior highers and five adults sitting in a candlelit sanctuary. A gold cross stands on a table.... They're chanting the "Jesus Prayer," an ancient meditative practice."

(183) Spiritual Formation is Dangerous.... And Here's Why from a book review on Castles in the Sand by C. Pack, 7/8/09
As a former New Ager, I have become increasingly alarmed at the New Age/New Spirituality practices and beliefs that I have seen flowing into the church. I was saved in a conservative, evangelical church that boldly proclaimed the gospel: Jesus is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life, and no-one comes to the Father but by Him. Yet, within 2 years time, this same precious church began to preach sermons on past mystics (St. John of the Cross), began offering yoga classes, and began to adopt practices that eerily reminded me of my New Age days... all of which are an assault on the true gospel. 

(184) Are Christian and Emerging Leaders Heading Toward a False Christ Through Quantum Spirituality? byWarren Smith, 7/11/09
[The question must be asked] Are they [Christian and emerging leaders] about to take a big "quantum leap" into the New Spirituality of a New Age that is based on the findings of the "new science"? 

(185) Disciplines to Deception in the Southern Baptist Convention by Ken Silva, 7/15/09
Within a source paper called Spiritual Disciplines: Pathway to Christian Maturity (SDPCM), from the Georgia Baptist Convention (SBC), we learn what is now considered consistent with a proper Protestant approach to spirituality for Christians in the Southern Baptist Convention. Continuing along the lines of Richard Foster Forming Protestant Southern Baptist Convention Spirituality here Apprising Ministries begins with the following from Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster in SDPCM. 

(186) Spree Wales by Miguel Hayworth, 7/17/09
Spree Wales is organised by Ecumenical/Emergent groups such as Ignite, The Salvation Army, Big Ideas, Scripture Union, The Boys Brigade, Evangelical Alliance, Show Jesus and World Horizon.

(187) Divination Is Forbidden By God - Divination: any attempt to foretell the unknown by occult means by Chris Lawson, Spiritual Research Network, 7/18/09
Divination also includes forms of Contemplative Centering Prayer whereby contact with the spirit world [demonic] can easily be made.  This occult prayer method [which many Christianize] can and does oftentimes lead to the full conversion of ones spirituality to a pantheistic, panentheistic, Eastern occult view of reality.   This form of prayer divination places into the minds of humans ideas that are not only unbiblical, but thoroughly occult and antichrist.  The Self-induction and alteration of ones consciousness [into the Alpha-state], which so often is engaged in by undiscerning people, can quickly lead to full blown spirit contact, "snapping", and even demonic possession. Thorough documentation is abounding in Indian Yogic Spirituality; Self-Realization cults, etc.

(188) Spectacles for Spectators by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 7/21/09
Were the accommodating Aaron a leader in a contemporary church, he would have called for the worship team-a drummer, lead singers, and guitarists-to be assembled, the electrical crew to ready the "sanctuary" with the newest audio-visual equipment including multiple giant screens on which to project a fast paced collage of images, and the sound techs to coordinate the flashing strobe lights with the pulse of the drum beat, and to time the release of a fireworks display that would flash, bang, and belch forth smoke as the worship reached a frenzied climax. All of this, and perhaps more, could be employed to recreate the narrative of Israel's Sinai experience (See Exodus 19:18-19; Exodus 32:17-18.).

(189) A Chat with Ray Yungen and Mike Oppenheimer posted by nazarenepsalm113 on July 22, 2009
A chat we filmed back when we originally filmed our Concerned Nazarenes DVD. This is the first time this has been seen publically. Mike and Ray chat about contemplative prayer, its roots as well as the new age and the new spirituality as well as some bits about Rick Warren and Saddleback..

(190) New YouTube: Ray Yungen on the Emerging Church & Interspirituality at Lighthouse Trails, 7/23/09
The following is a 10-minute YouTube preview of Ray Yungen's DVD from the New Face of Mystical Spirituality series. 

(191) "Rick Warren, Leonard Sweet, and Sweet's 'New Light' Leaders" by Warren Smith, 7/28/09
Shortly after Deceived on Purpose was published, I came across a book titled Quantum Spirituality: A Postmodern Dialectic written by Rick Warren's "Evangelical" colleague Leonard Sweet. Also, around the same time, I was given a cassette tape set of a presentation Sweet had done with Warren in 1995. Their recorded discussion is titled The Tides of Change and was packaged as part of an ongoing series called "Choice Voices for Church Leadership." At the time this audio project took place, Sweet was a Christian author, Methodist minister, and the Dean of the Theological School at Drew University. According to information on the tape set, this presentation was about ministry on the emerging "new frontier."

(192) Chief Saddleback Apologist Defends New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet by Warren Smith, 7/28/09
This is part two of an introduction to Warren Smith's new book, A "Wonderful" Deception. In last week's installment, it was revealed that Rick Warren's and Leonard Sweet's evangelical "new reformation" appears to be moving toward the New Age/New Spirituality. In this week's section, Saddleback's chief apologist defends Leonard Sweet's working relationship with Rick Warren, even though Sweet's affinity with New Age leaders is clearly evident.

(193) A "Wonderful" Deception - The Further New Age Implications of the Emerging Purpose Driven Movement by Warren Smith, 7/09
"A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" Jeremiah 5:30-31 Five years after writing Deceived on Purpose: the New Age Implications of the Purpose Driven Church, former New Age follower Warren Smith continues to reveal how Christian leaders-wittingly or unwittingly-are leading the church into a spiritual trap. A "Wonderful" Deception examines church metaphors, concepts, and beliefs that are essentially the same as those being used in today's New Age teachings. And while biblical prophecy is being minimized and explained away, the "new science" is being used to prepare the world-and the church-to accept a New Spirituality and a false New Age Christ. This book explains how all the puzzle pieces are in place for the "strong delusion" described in 2 Thessalonians. A "Wonderful" Deception pierces right into the heart of this deception while preparing believers in Jesus Christ to effectively stand against it.

(194) Our Father in Heaven or Our Mother on Earth? by Berit Kjos, 8/5/09
The following from Berit Kjos is from her book A Twist of Faith, which identifies and warns against "goddess spirituality." Keep in mind that The Shack and Sue Monk Kidd's book, The Secret Life of Bees (recently made into a movie) carry the "goddess spirituality" theme within their pages through the Black Madonna figure. We should not underestimate the impact these books (and their spiritual overtones) are having on millions of people. It can be subtle at first, but remember what happened to Sue Monk Kidd: she started out as a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher. After she was introduced to the writings of Thomas Merton, her spiritual outlook began to change. Eventually, she came to believe that the God of the Bible was not the true God and that a feminine goddess (one which dwelt in all things - even graffetti on a wall) was. Is it any wonder that Lighthouse Trails became alarmed to see David Jeremiah favorably talking about Sue Monk Kidd in his book Life Open Wide and saying that she was one of a handful of people who had learned the secret to a "passionate" life. If you have not read some of our material regarding Sue Monk Kidd, The Shack, and David Jeremiah's book, we urge you to do so. The spiritual welfare of your loved ones may be at stake. (see links at bottom of this post)

(195) "Fractals, Chaos Theory, Quantum Spirituality, and The Shack" by Warren Smith, 8/9/09
The following is the third installment (see: part one, part two) that we are posting of Warren Smith's new book, A "Wonderful" Deception. We hope you have find the chance to read all three chapters that we have made available. They are very important in helping to explain the new spirituality that has come into Christianity through today's major Christian figures.

(196) Emergent Ideology is Here, What Will You Do? by Manny Silva, August 19, 2009
It is clear to me, that the movement called the emergent church movement has slowly but surely infiltrated into the very heart of the Nazarene denomination.  There is no doubt about it now.  The only question now is, what do we do?  At first I thought it was just a few renegade churches and colleges, but that is not the case.  It is more than that, and it is very disturbing.  It has particularly been welcomed by almost all Nazarene universities, and even our seminaries and Bible colleges.

(197) Understanding the Error of Spiritual Formation by Roger Oakland, 8/23/09
A move away from the truth of God's Word to a mystical form of Christianity has infiltrated, to some degree, nearly all evangelical denominations. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, most do not realize it has even happened. 

(198) A Renewed Confidence in the Word of God by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, August/September 2009 - Volume 15, Issue 5
Emergent spokesman Brian McLaren calls for the evangelical community to get over its love affair with certainty.  He writes, "Drop any affair you may have with certainty, proof, argument - and replace it with dialogue, conversation, intrigue, and search."[1]  Are we to take McLaren seriously?  If so, then the best way to get over our love affair with certainty, according to McLaren, would be to replace it with uncertainty, or more commonly, mystery.  It is definitely in vogue at this point in church history to make the rather "certain" claim that we cannot be certain about anything.  Of course, the irony of such certainty about uncertainty is obvious.  But much like impossible political promises, when statements are left unanalyzed and unchallenged they tend to be uncritically absorbed by the minds of some people, often resulting in great harm. 

(199) The Emergent church?  The New Apostolic Reformation? How would you know if your church partakes of these false doctrines? by Last Days Alert, 8/28/09
If your church has replaced their teaching format, introduced new spiritual classes or changed their worship style, I urge you to research the authors in your church book store and also the guest speakers to find out if they belong to the Emergent Church or The New Apostolic Reformation.

(200)  Why Must Everything Change? by Jan Markell, August 31, 2009
That "old-time religion" we once loved is evaporating because guys like Brian McLaren and his Emergent buddies have convinced people that "everything must change." The one-world religion is literally on the horizon. Look over a fence and you will see it approaching. 

(201) Carl Rogers - Father of the Emergent Culture by Sarah H. Leslie, 1993 
NOTE: This article was originally published in 1993. It was rediscovered recently while sorting old papers. It is timely and applicable to the current series Herescope has been running on the early history of the Emergent/Emerging church movement. The context of the early Emerging Church culture was Humanistic psychology with all of its tenets and practices, which were being imported into the evangelical and Protestant churches indiscriminately and wholeheartedly at the time.

(202) Meditation and Contemplative Prayer: Test the Spirits by Warren B. Smith, 9/19/09
Not long after our conversion, my wife and I sat down one day and talked about the ultimate spiritual deception described in the Bible--the great "falling away" of the church and the coming of Antichrist. We agreed that for someone like Antichrist to be credible in the world, he would need a majority of the people who call themselves Christians to believe that he was Christ. If he could get enough Christians--especially Christian leaders--to follow him, he could then discredit and marginalize those who oppose him. But to get people who call themselves Christians to believe that he was Christ he would first have to successfully redefine Christianity. To do that he would have to introduce non-Christian teachings and practices into the church, while at the same time make them appear Christian. His obvious goal would be to convert undiscerning and unsuspecting believers into a more eastern and mystical, New Age "Christianity." While invoking the name of "God" and "Christ" he would actually turn the Bible upside down--just as we had seen in A Course in Miracles and in our New Age teachings.

(203) G12 Master Plan Could Expose Thousands of Nazarenes to Contemplative/Emerging Spirituality by Philip Gray, 10/3/09
"Training Today's Leaders for Tomorrow's Churches" is the motto for New Church Specialties, a Christian consulting organization that largely reaches Nazarenes. But New Church Specialties and the affiliated New Church University (where pastors and leaders are mentored and trained) are a conduit for the new spirituality, and their G12 Master's Plan could potentially expose thousands of Nazarenes to contemplative spirituality and the emerging church.

(204) Emergent Inebriates - Some thoughts on "Pub Theology." by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 10/10/09
As he begins to rip into "a screaming guitar solo," a band member sarcastically yells out at the audience, "Let's go to church boys!"[1] Welcome to Pub Theology. As the reporter describes it, Pub Theology is "a Sunday night show that's one part church and one part party." Among other posters on the barroom walls, one alludes and adds to the final verse of the biblical chapter on love. It reads, "Faith, Hope, Love and Beer." WARNING: The biblical text reads, "But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13, NASB).[2]

(205) Discussion of the Emergent Conference by Pastor Bob DeWaay with Chris Rosebrough, 10/09
This is an MP3 file.  In this must-hear discussion at TFC you'll hear DeWaay and Rosebrough explain how this EC apostasia-paloosa is very rapidly emerging into another religion entirely.

(206) "Pub Theology" Emergent Inebriates - There They Go Again! by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 10/14/09
"A growing number of Christian groups from a variety of denominations are taking God to the bars, launching religious-themed pub nights dubbed 'martini masses' or 'theology on tap' in an effort to broaden their reach."

(207) Merton & Nouwen: Sacrificing Truth for Mystical Experiences by Ray Yungen, 11/01/09
Contemplative advocates propose that there has been something vital and important missing from the church for centuries. The insinuation is that Christians have been lacking something necessary for their spiritual vitality; but that would mean the Holy Spirit has not been fully effective for hundreds of years and only now the secret key has been found that unlocks God's full power to know Him. These proponents believe that Christianity has been seriously crippled without this extra ingredient.

(208) Emergent SAMIR SELMANOVIC on Finding God in all Religions posted by Lighthouse Trails under The Emerging Church, 11/5/09
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.

(209) A List Of Christian Colleges Promoting Contemplative/Emerging Church Teachings by Lighthouse Trails, 11/09
In November 2004, Lighthouse Trails Research issued its first alert to Christian colleges that are promoting contemplative spirituality. The four colleges listed in that alert were San Fransisco Theological Seminary, Biola University, Bethel University, and Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. Since then, several other alerts have been issued. What has become all too painfully clear is that the majority of Christian colleges in North America have in varying degrees begun to incorporate contemplative spirituality into their colleges. It is not just a few schools - it is most, and for those who understand the dangers of contemplative (and emerging), it is obvious that Christian colleges are in a crisis of faith.

(210) The Two Trees by Herescope, 11/20/09
Looking at this tree, it is obvious that what passes for "Christian" meditation in our modern era springs from the Gnostic roots of this occult tree. Is it any wonder that this tree then bears corresponding occult fruit? Note that this contemplative tree does not promise life, only "wisdom," which just happens to be what the serpent promised Eve if she ate of the fruit of the tree in the Garden of Eden.

(211) The New [Age] Spirituality: The Folly of the Ages by Ray Yungen, 11/09
The reason the New Age is wrong is that it takes devotion, trust, and glory away from the One who created us and gives it to man and the rebellious familiar spirits who deceive man into self-glorification. An analogy of this would be that of an artist's canvas or paint-rather than the artist taking credit for the painting, the canvas or paint takes the credit.

(212) Christian Soldiers Standing Up For Jesus? by Ken Silva, 11/23/09
You know I can't help but wonder, among our professing Christian brothers and sisters today, just where are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6)? Among our so-called Christian "leaders" we see striving for phony unity with their compromised man-centered message-while courting their favor-speaking from the viewpoint of the world, which is why the world listens to them (1 John 4:5);  just where are those who are persecuted because of righteousness (Matthew 5:10)? Do they seriously not know that Christ Jesus said of those who do hunger, and of those that are persecuted, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

(213) More Questions About Break Forth Canada by Pastor Adam Gislason, 11/27/09
First, is this a "Christian Conference?" I am not convinced that it is from the research that I have done on both Break Forth Canada and their line up of false teachers. 

(214) Taize services are gaining in popularity by Lighthouse Trails, 12/7/09
Taize is part of the contemplative prayer movement. This article is posted, not as an endorsement but rather to report on the growing popularity of contemplative practices. 

(215) "Bus Ride to the Future" - A True Story About Yoga by Caryl Matrisciana, 12/17/09
When I was twenty years old, my family returned from India, where I was born and lived for most of my life, to England, our homeland. It was during the turbulent sixties, and I was about to be introduced to a movement that didn't even have a name yet. How could I have possibly known then that the strange and mystical religion I had been surrounded by in India would someday be at the heart of a spirituality that would influence millions around the world?

(216) The Dangers of Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Disciplines - A Critique of Dallas Willard and The Spirit of the Disciplines by Bob DeWaay, 12/09
Practices called "spiritual disciplines" that are deemed necessary for "spiritual formation" have entered evangelicalism. 

(217) Mark Driscoll IS a Contemplative Proponent by Lighthouse Trails, December 21st, 2009
Although Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Fellowship in Seattle Washington, is said to have denounced certain aspects of the emergent church, Driscoll is a proponent of the main element behind the emerging church - contemplative prayer.

(218) Article on Mark Driscoll's Site Takes Scripture Out of Context to Defend Contemplative by Lighthouse Trails, 12/24/09
LTRP Note: The following comment was sent to Lighthouse Trails from a man in Holland regarding our recent article, Mark Driscoll IS a Contemplative Proponent. We have posted it to help people see how contemplative proponents have taken Scripture out of context to erroneously defend mystical-type spirituality. To see another example of this misuse of Scripture regarding contemplative, see Ray Yungen's comments at bottom of this post.

(219) Journey Into Wholeness or Journey Into Worldliness? - A comment on "40 Days of Reflection & Growth" (Spiritual Formation) being taught at Trevecca Nazarene University by Sandy Simpson, 12/15/09
The bottom line is that this EC type of questionnaire gets the student to look within themselves for the answer instead of to the written Word.  This can only lead to more confusion and will certainly not lead to spiritual formation. Part 1 - Journey Into Wholeness or Journey Into Worldliness? - A comment on "40 Days of Reflection & Growth" (Spiritual Formation) being taught at Trevecca Nazarene University by Sandy Simpson, 12/15/09
Part 2 - Pragmatic Methodology versus Practical Theology - a comment on "Finding Your Spiritual Gifts" by C. Peter Wagner by Sandy Simpson, 1/18/10

(220) What's Wrong With A More Social Gospel? by Paul Proctor, January 6, 2010
With a self-sustaining focus on acquiring evermore results and relationships (i.e., "church growth") by way of pragmatism and consensus, none of which is biblical, today's Christians are, by and large, being persuaded and trained week after week to embrace surveys, marketing principles, public relations programs and people skills as their new commandments with dialectically-trained consultants and facilitators posing as prophets and preachers - people pleasers who know how to work the crowd and steer the herd while selectively applying the scriptures as needed to maintain a biblical appearance of righteousness and religiosity.

(221) Enter The Labyrinth by Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, 1/11/10
Walking the labyrinth has become a popular spiritual exercise across the country and around the world. I first read of it in Leadership Magazine, a Christian publication and became a bit concerned, since looking into it further I'm definitely concerned.

(222) Nazarene Church Has Lost It's Way by WordPress.com, 1/16/10
Blog detailing the Nazarene denomination's fall into apostasy.

(223) Contemplating the 12 Steps by John Lanagan, My Word Like Fire, 1/17/10
As time has gone on, I have become increasingly  aware that contemplative spirituality is latently, sometimes blatantly,  interwoven throughout 12 Step Spirituality. When we think of meditation in AA (and other 12 Step groups), we naturally think of Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

(224) Emergent Worship-Wonder Or Wasteland? by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, Discernment Newsletter, Vol. 21, No. 1, January/February 2010
If evangelicals seek to derive worship experiences from ancient traditions or contemporary culture, they will become bound to those bases and turn worship from the wonder of the Word into a wasteland of the world. Worship will be so carnal minded that it is of no spiritual and heavenly good.

(225) Fictionally Fighting Contemplative Spirituality by John Lanagan, My Word Like Fire, January 25th, 2010
As Lighthouse Trails Ministries has grimly noted, 2009 was a year in which contemplative spirituality-essentially New Age meditation-made great inroads into the culture, and especially into the church. A Canadian writer is fighting back. Castles in the Sand is Carolyn Greene's intriguing novel about the invasion of contemplative spirituality into a traditional Christian college. Greene is using fiction as a weapon, and while the book may not seem like one of the "great stones" hurled by King Uzziah's soldiers, even a small stone, if guided by the Lord, can cause a giant to fall.

(226) Buddhist/Universalist Sympathizer Woos Nazarene Students at NNU by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 1/25/10 
Below is a link to a video* of a lecture that took place at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho, one of the Nazarene Universities that is strongly promoting the contemplative/emerging spirituality. The lecture, presented by NNU Thomas Oord and College of Idaho, Denny Clark, was taught by Dr. Jay McDaniel, a self-proclaimed "Christian" Buddhist universalist sympathizer who is said to be highly influenced by the late Catholic panentheistic monk, Thomas Merton. This is an 83 minute video, but for those who want to understand the paradigm shift that has occurred in the church and continues wooing millions with the mystical, universalist spirituality, this video is well worth the watch.

(227) God in all things? The basis for contemplative spirituality by Ray Yungen, Lighthouse Trails, 1/26/10
It is, of course, easy to find many passages which link the way of the Christian Knower with that of his brother in the East. They bear witness to the same efficacy of method.  What did she mean by the term "Christian Knower"? The answer is unmistakable! In the first chapter, we saw how occultism is awakening the mystical faculties to see God in everything.

(228) Northwest Nazarene University President Responds Regarding New Spirituality Speaker by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 1/29/10
We believe this is a case of a university president who does not appear to understand the nature of the current spiritual deception sweeping through the church, and very much so the Nazarene denomination. 

(229) "Into" the Mystery - On Musical Mediatrixes by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 2/1/10
The New Testament knows nothing of musicians who possess either the position and authority to escort Christians into God's "soaking" presence. No matter how talented, singers and worship leaders who make claim to being mediators between God in heaven and Christians on earth can do so only by usurping the role of Christ for us and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us.

(230) The "Kingdom of God" in the Emerging Church: A Theology of Despair and Hopelessness by Bob DeWaay, February 11th, 2010
Imagine a world where the polarity of time is reversed so that history moves backward toward Paradise rather than forward toward judgment. Consider a world in which God is so immanently involved in the creation that He is undoing entropy1 and recreating the world now through processes already at work. Think of a world where the future is leading to God Himself in a saving way for all people and all of creation. This imaginary world is our world viewed through the lens of Emergent eschatology.

(231) Assemblies of God Leader Promotes Universalist "Christian" in AOG Magazine by John Lanagan, Word Like Fire, February 15th, 2010
What would you do if a Superintendent of a large denominational district wrote an article promoting a universalist author? And what if this article was published and distributed in a popular  denominational magazine? What if, in several months of back and forth emails, the Superintendent never took steps to correct this, and in fact, continued to express his admiration for the universalist?

(232) Dr. Jay McDaniel And Mysticism At Northwest Nazarene University by Ken Silva, 2/15/10
Along with other online apologetics and discernment ministries such as Lighthouse Trails Research (LTR) at Apprising Ministries I'm doing what I can to alert you as to how far corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) ala Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster, with an assist from his spiritual twin Dallas Willard, has now penetrated mainstream evangelicalism.

(233) Universalism: The Gospel Message of Emergent and New Age Spirituality by Sola Sisters, 2/18/10
One of the greatest misconceptions in this country today is that the New Age Movement of the 80s and 90s is (1) a thing of the past and (2) has nothing whatsoever in common with Christianity.  Nothing could be further from the truth on either count.  Let me explain.

(234) The Quantum Christ: Entering the World AND the Church Through Popular New Age & Christian Leaders by Warren B. Smith, 2/17/10
The New Age/New Spirituality is already heralding quantum physics as a "scientific" basis for their contention that God is not only transcendent but also immanent-"in" everyone and everything. Physicist Fritjof Capra's 1975 best-selling book on quantum physics-The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism-was the first to present this proposed scientific/spiritual model to a mass audience.

(235) Contextual Theology - Falling From Truth Through the Emerging Church by Roger Oakland, 1/10/10
In order for the emerging church to succeed, the Bible has to be looked at through entirely different glasses, and Christianity needs to be open to a new type of faith. Brian McLaren calls this new faith a "generous orthodoxy." While such an orthodoxy allows a smorgasbord of ideas to be proclaimed in the name of Christ, many of these ideas are actually forbidden and rejected by Scripture.

(236) Nazarene Pastor Fired For Fighting Emergent Ideology by ReformedNazarene, 2/19/10
Disturbing trends continue to develop in our denomination.  Recently, I sent out a prayer request for a pastor and his church that decided to leave the Nazarene denomination, rather than stay and bow to emergent ideology and priorities.  Soon, I will be posting some information regarding those who have been forced to leave their churches ("Divorced From The Church").  More and more Bible believing Nazarenes are finding themselves ostracized and are even being labeled as cult members, hateful, dividers, "used by the devil""etc.  On and on it goes, with no biblical justification!  Students are subject to ridicule or harassment for standing up against unbiblical teachings at their universities.

(237) Misguided Shepherds: Christian leaders who have given in to Contemplative Spirituality by Lighthouse Trails, 2/10
David Jeremiah of Turning Point Ministries walk toward contrmplative spirituality.

(238) Keating, Kundalini and Contemplative Prayer by Brian Flynn, 2/10
How much more evidence do the leaders in our churches require before they repent of promoting this practice When Rick Warren stated in his first book, Purpose Driven Church that Foster's spiritual formation was a wakeup call to the church, he gave the green light to millions to practice something that could potentially have long or permanent lasting damage on practitioners. 

(239) Could This Really Be the End of the Age? by Ray Yungen, February 28th, 2010
However, in 1984 I had an unexpected encounter that changed my entire outlook. A newfound friend educated me about the New Age movement and its end-times implications. After a period of investigation, I came to believe this could very well be the time period the book of Revelation showcases. Instead of a vague and obscure manifestation of prophecy, I saw something distinct and pervasive happening in our churches and society. And incredibly enough, this shift has been predicted from both sides of the struggle.

(240) Missionary or Missional - The Emerging Church "On a Mission from God" by Bob DeWaay, 3/3/10
For hundreds, if not thousands, of years Christians have used the term "missionary" to describe one who goes out to preach the gospel to an unsaved world headed toward judgment-repentance for the forgiveness of sin found in the death and resurrection of Christ. The mission of the missionary was to proclaim the absolute truth of the gospel-a fact proven by Jesus' resurrection from the dead. The gospel is "good news" because it provides condemned sinners with a certain escape from God's wrath. Emergent's word "missional" does not convey this meaning.

(241) Updated! The Emerging Church - Introducing Heresies by Sandy Simpson, 4/20/09
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. (2 Pet. 2:1)

(242) Castles in the Sand visits Shane Claiborne by John Lanagan, My Word Like Fire Ministries, 3/11/10
Before a packed auditorium at Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon,  activist Shane Claiborne gave his message of peace, love, and brotherhood. An engaging speaker, and a man dedicated to his beliefs, Claiborne had the crowd laughing and reminiscing with him as he recounted past adventures and experiences. During the time he spoke he emphasized again and again our Christian duty to help the poor and the oppressed.

(243) The Cross versus the "Higher Self" by Ray Yungen, 2/12/10
The New Age and Christianity definitely clash on the answer to the question of human imperfection. The former [the New Age] espouses the doctrine of becoming self-realized and united with the universe, which they see as God but in reality is the realm of familiar spirits. On the other hand, the Gospel that Christians embrace offers salvation to humanity through grace (unmerited favor).

(244) A Beth Moore Expose' by Apprising Ministries, 3/13/10
Apprising Ministries pieces like How Would You Know Beth Moore? I've shared my concerns about people like Moore who appear to claiming to receive special revelation directly from God. 

(245) Into the Arms of Rome Through Ancient Church Fathers and the Eurcharist by Roger Oakland, March 18th, 2010
Many emerging church leaders are suggesting the need to study the ideas and beliefs of church leaders of the post-disciple era. They say if pastors and church leaders reintroduce these teachings from the past, we will have spiritual transformation and successful churches in the 21st century.  But wait a minute! If the church that emerged from the New Testament church was based on ideas and beliefs foreign to Scripture, why would we want to emulate a previous error? When doctrines of men replace the doctrine of Scripture, many are led astray. It has happened in the past, and it is happening now. Following doctrine not based on the Word of God always results in the undoing of faith. (from Faith Undone, ch. 5, pp. 77-80).

(246) BEWITCHED! "Evil Eye over Evangelicalism" by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 3/28/10
Of their attitude toward this New Age system of spirituality, Horowitz notes the double minded attitude of evangelicals towards it (See James 1:8.). He notes that even while evangelicals "heaped scorn upon the New Age," they
adopted "some of its most popular therapeutic premises."

(247) Jan Markel interview with Pastor Bob DeWaay and his trip to an Emergent Conference at Critical Issues Commentary, 3/29/10
This is an MP3 file.

(248) Emerging Church Leaders, Evangelicals Sign'Covenant For Civility' by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 3/30/10
Emergent Church leader Brian McClaren, social justice guru Jim Wallis and some evangelical notables such as Chuck Colson, have signed a document called the "Covenant for Civility".

(249) A Covenant for Civility - A New Order of the Third Way by Herescope, 3/31/10
This is getting to be a regular event! Yet another broad ecumenical coalition has gathered together to sign yet another "covenant" for "common ground" and "civility." The Discernment Research Group warned over a year ago that this tactic would be increasing.

(250) Man's Dangerous Hunger for the Occult and the Supernatural by Carl Tiechrib, 3/31/10
Yes, the physical world is a marvelous wonder, filled with many transfixing and puzzling surprises. It still baffles man by its beauty and complexity. So too the non-physical universe, including mental and spiritual components, is a place of fascination. However, when dabbling and dealing with the supernatural - and the mind sciences that sometimes attempt to explain or exploit it-a mental, emotional, and spiritual minefield is encountered. And just as wandering into a physical minefield will destroy the body, so too will a spiritual minefield destroy the soul.

(251) Christian Leaders Celebrate Easter But Promote Atonement Deniers - Makes No Sense by Lighthouse Trails, 4/1/10
The contemplative prayer movement and the new emerging spirituality continue to wreak havoc on the body of Christ and on the preaching of the Gospel to the lost. For eight years, Lighthouse Trails has shown through one report after the next the teachings by many that outright or indirectly deny the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ (the basic essence of the salvation for the believer). And yet today many Christian leaders, professors, and pastors continue to promote atonement deniers or those who resonate with them. And we say again, it makes no sense to celebrate Easter while promoting those who deny the atonement. A case in point. Calvary Chapel teacher, Gayle Erwin, has his endorsement of The Shack on the back cover of the book and on The Shack website. Yet,  Erwin continues addressing Calvary Chapel pastors (e.g. recently at the SW Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference with Greg Laurie and other Calvary Chapel pastors). But William Paul Young, author of The Shack has denied the biblical substitutionary atonement as we showed in John Lanagan's 2009 article, The Shack Author Rejects Biblical Substitutionary Atonement.

(252) Why Evangelicalism is failing a new generation as is the Emerging Church by Apprising Ministries, 4/4/10
And there you go; as a former Southern Baptist, Carol Howard Merritt would walk away and then find a home in an innovative, intergenerational congregation within the liberal/progressive PCUSA. Merritt said above that "this is an important moment for progressive Christians"; that's where the Emerging Church is headed, toward a new form of progressive Christianity with its lie of universalism. So I counter that this is instead a very critical moment in time for actual evangelicals; do you now have the spiritual intestinal fortitude to expel such as these-who are spiritually immoral-from among your midst? Because if you do not, you'd best know this; their spiritual cancer will also kill the mainstream of the visible church in just the same way as that of their evil forebears once mortally wounded the mainline denominations.

(252) YOGA: All the things they failed to warn you about! at Spiritual Research Network, 4/8/10
A page with many articles on the dangers of Yoga and Christian Yoga.

(253) The Seductive Poison of Apostasy: A look at "180", a new book from the Nazarene Publishing House by Eric Barger, April 15, 2010
180 is a compilation of several authors, including Emergent leader and author, Leonard Sweet, Frederica Mathewes-Green (who, along with Sweet and Emergent godfather, Brian McLaren, contributed to the book The Church in the Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives), G.P (Graham) Taylor (author of Shadowmancer), and Baptist-bred biographer-turned-fiction-writer, Ace Collins. A few of the other contributing authors include Emergent youth speaker, Mark Oestreicher, Karen Spears Zacharias, Patricia Raybon (who has endorsed contemplative spirituality and favors Catholic mystics), Cameron Conant and Bob Buford, the founder of Leadership Network, (the suspected genesis point which spawned today's Emergent movement and its original leaders). Buford also served as the initial chairman of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, now known as "Leader to Leader Institute."

(254) Emergent: "Why Can't Everybody be Right?" by Bob DeWaay, 4/19/10
Emergent writers decry any approach that declares some ideas to be true and others false. Propositions force people to decide what to believe. One Emergent writer, Dwight J. Friesen, explains his view: "The theological method of orthoparadoxy surrenders the right to be right for the sake of movement toward being reconciled one with the other, while simultaneously seeking to bring the fullness of convictions and beliefs to the other. Current theological methods that often stress agreement/disagreement, win/loss, good/bad, orthodoxy/heresy, and the like set people up for constant battles to convince and convert the other to their way of believing and being in the world." Propositional truth claims do not fit into the Emergent "conversation" because they divide people. But the price of giving up such claims is to give up the very claims that the Biblical writers made.

(255) What Are We Left With? by Jacob Prasch, Moriel Ministries, 4/2/10
As emergent apostate McLaren continues his satanic agenda to dismantle the Gospel, and as John Piper promotes Rick Warren, the real question emerges: "What Are We Really Left With?"

(256) Emerging Church Theologian Leonard Sweet Not To Speak At Pastor Skip Heitzig's Calvary Chapel by Ken Silva, 4/28/10
Sandy Simpson comments:  "This is a victory for the cause of Christ.  Let's just hope their claim to not support the agenda and teachings of the EC is true.  Jackie Alnor comments: "And Phoenix Preacher bloggers have a collective conniption fit! PP's leader, Michael Newnham says: "Heitzig just breathed new life into the ODM movement"they are now empowered as never before." Translation ODM means "online discernment ministries" which is a derisive term." ... Ken Silva comments: "Today however, I was contacted by Nelson Walker, who is a pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque (CoA) where Skip Heitzig is Senior Pastor. What pastor Walker told me was that CoA happens to have "beautiful facilities" that are also sometimes used by others, which would be the case of this National Worship Leader Conference. He told me that this was not a CoA event, but even so, Leonard Sweet has been asked "not to speak though he will be in attendance. Pastor Walker said that CoA was in not supportive of the Emerging Church."

(257) Questions Arise: Is New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet Speaking at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque or Not? by Lighthouse Trails, 5/1/10
Stablein told my associate that a decision whether or not have Sweet speak at CoA has not yet been made and she felt it was "premature" for pastor Walker to have said Sweet will definitely not be speaking at CoA. In addition, I've just spoken myself with Lighthouse Trails Research (LTR); I was informed that also on Thursday, April 29 they were contacted by David Bow, another pastor at CoA. Bow told LTR, at that time, he was under the impression that Sweet was going to be speaking at CoA. So you may wish to stay tuned as we attempt to bring this rather fuzzy picture into focus.

(258) WARNING: Monvee - Leadership Network's Spiritual Formation & Mystical Spirituality by A Ministry In His Service, Sola Sisters, 5/5/10
In a recent post about Monvee, we talked about Catholic mystic Thomas Merton who once compared mystical meditation to the same powerful experience generated by mind-altering drugs.  And as we noted, the problem with mystical meditation is that it is far more dangerous than drugs.  Monvee, the new product put out by Leadership Network, markets itself as a way for Christians to draw closer to God through something called "Spiritual Formation."  But, the Spiritual Formation techniques taught by Monvee, which are the same thing as the "mystical meditation" referenced by Thomas Merton, are identical to classic occultic meditation practices taught in Hinduism, Buddhism, wicca, paganism,etc.

(259) The National Worship Leader Conference is still advertising that both Skip Heitzig and Leonard Sweet will be speaking at their conference at the Calvary Chapel Albequerque church by Ken Silva, 5/8/10
A number of Lighthouse Trails' readers contacted us over the last couple days sending us copies of an email they each received from an undisclosed personnel at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque. The form letter states: Thank you for contacting us here at The Connection and thanks for writing to Pastor Skip. We always love to hear from you. The conference is not a Calvary conference.  The conference is being put on by Worship Leader Magazine using our facility - just like CAPE, Home school graduation, funerals, etc.  Therefore, Leonard Sweet is not speaking at "Skip's Church".  [LT: Heitzig is one of the speakers at this event.] He is part of a conference using Calvary's facilities. Leonard Sweet will attend the conference but WILL NOT BE SPEAKING. It is our prayer that God will continue to reveal Himself to you through His Word as you seek to know Him.Love in Christ, Connection Communications. Despite these emails sent out by CCA, Leonard Sweet AND Skip Heitzig are listed as speakers.  What is Skip's picture and name doing there if he is not a part of it? So what is this garbage about Skip just letting them use his church? Someone is not telling the truth!

(260) Letter to the Editor: National Worship Conference & Calvary Chapel Not a Good Mix at Lighthouse Trails, 5/13/10
I have been reading your posts regarding C.C. Albuquerque and Leonard Sweet. I thought you might like the following information so that we might all be able to determine the truth regarding this matter. According to Calvary Chapel Albuquerque's website on their upcoming events page, Dr. Leonard Sweet will in fact be speaking. If you scroll down to about the 17th event " National Worship Conference " there is an audio promo posted which states that Mr. Sweet will in fact be speaking: http://www.calvaryabq.org/events.asp I would also like to point out that Leonard Sweet while blatantly New Age, is not the only speaker in question. There are many other people in this upcoming conference who are a part of Saddleback and Willow Creek. Both pastors of both churches, Rick Warren* and Bill Hybels respectively, are graduates of the Robert Schuller School of Church Leadership, and both pastors also endorse contemplative prayer, a 'Christianized' brand of Hindu meditation practices.

(261) Beyond a Doubt: Contemplative Spirituality = New Age Movement by Ray Yungen, 5/18/10
Before writing my book, A Time of Departing, I made sure I could prove, beyond a doubt, that contemplative prayer had not only slipped into the Christian faith, but also prove it is an integral part of the New Age movement. 

(262) Emerging or Submerging? by Brian Brodersen, Calvary Chapel Magazine, Issue 44, Summer 2010
Finally a good response from a Calvary Chapel pastor to the influx of Emergent teachings into Calvary Chapels.  The only statement I disagree with in this article is that Brodersen says: "I believe time will tell that this new movement will turn out to be nothing more than a passing fancy of a few disenchanted men."  We know from long experience that heresy begets heresy and does not really ever go away till Christ comes back which is why we must reject it. However this article does call EC teachings what they are ... heresy.  Thanks for this article Brian.

(263) ON CREATION 2010 - "Contemporary Christian Music Sways Youth to Worldly Lifestyles, Doctrinal Confusion and New Age Spirituality" by Ellen Pope, Free-Lance Writer, 5/25/10
We believe the following commentary is thought-provoking and useful in further understanding the methods of the new spirituality. Keep in mind that a growing number of Christian musicians are becoming involved in the contemplative emerging movement.

(264) The Other Side of Emergent: The New Apostolic Reformation by Herescope, 6/1/10
Today is the launching of a new book, co-authored by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. This marks the open marriage of the Emergent movement with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Sweet and Viola's book, Jesus Manifesto, is subtitled "Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ," and it pushes the envelope on redefining Jesus, including "You can be a Jesus Manifest."[2] A quick glance at the lineup of key endorsers for this book includes a list of who's who in Emergent, the Latter Rain cult, neoevangelicalism and the New Apostolic Reformation.

(265) Using Contemplative/Centering Prayer as "Christian" Meditation by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 6/4/10
The most dangerous aspect of the new spirituality is this idea of some supposed "spiritual disciplines," which must be performed in order to more fully "experience" God.

(266) A Revolutionary World Peace - Whose Revolution? by Warren Smith, 6/6/10
As more and more talk arises about a "spiritual revolution" or awakening, believers should be asking, is this a revolution from God? Or is this coming global "revolution" part of the great falling away of which the Bible speaks? Consider the following article by Warren B. Smith, and next time you hear a Christian leader talking about revolution, ask yourself, "Whose revolution is this?"

(267) Deceitful Mysticism by Ken Silva, 6/10/10
In recent posts such as Leonard Sweet, Frank Viola, And The Third Way and Root Of This New Downgrade here at Apprising Ministries I've been showing you how deeply the practice, and results, of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) within the pretending to be Protestant squishy evanjellyfish community. And in Mark Driscoll And Neo-Reformed New Calvinist Contemplative Spirituality I've also shown you that CSM has now pretty much metastasized throughout the church visible as it's now even festering within the neo-Reformed camp. 

(268) A Subtle And Dangerous Shift In Christianity By Marsha West, News With Views, June 13, 2010
It seems everyone's practicing yoga meditation these days. Physicians recommend it to their patients which means it's beneficial"right? Meditation is said to relieve stress, anxiety, hypertension, acne and post-nasal drip, so go for it! Just tighten those abdominal muscles, inhale deeply and chant Maaaaaaaaa all in one breath and your concerns will drift away like a feather floating on the win........

(269) Saddleback Promotes Chrstianized Mantra Meditation by by Christine Pack, Sola Sisters, 6/15/10
Rick Warren's Saddleback Church website features two books by Quaker and mystic Richard Foster, today's leading proponent of something known as "Spiritual Disciplines" or "Spiritual Formation."  Also promoted are several other books focusing on the Spiritual Disciplines, which teach a practice that is nothing more than a "Christianized" version of mantra meditation, a pagan practice borrowed from Hinduism and Buddhism.  In this pagan practice, a person will "empty" the mind employing some kind of device: rhythmic music, repeating a word or phrase, focusing on breathing, etc., in an attempt to connect to God.

(271) Dangerous Prayers by Paul Proctor, News With Views, June 25, 2010
You see, there are those in the Church today who practice what is called "Contemplative Prayer" - a New Age style mantra that is all about emptying one's mind to allegedly "find God within" by repeating certain words or phrases over and over until the mind is disengaged and no longer thinking - achieving an altered state of consciousness or (alpha state) known as "The Silence" which is indeed "dangerous" considering it opens one up to what the Bible calls "familiar spirits" (demonic influences). It's rooted in Eastern Mysticism where it is more commonly referred to as "Transcendental Meditation."

(272) Rising Christian Imperialism Fueled By Dominionism Theology by Don Koenig, Apprising Ministries, 7/2/10
Most Christians might think I would have to be nuts to warn others about the possibility of rising Christian imperialism at a time when Christianity is under oppression by the secular Far Left and Islam but apart from my mental condition I try to stay one step ahead of the curve.

(273) Dialectic Deception: Do you know where they are taking you? by Sandy Simpson, exceprt from the DVD "The Emerging Church", 7/2/10
Sandy Simpson on Dialectic Deception. The following video link is to a segment from Concerned Nazarenes DVD project on the new spirituality. This particular segment is an interview between missionary Sandy Simpson (founder of Deception in the Church) and interviewer John Loeffler. 

(274) Experiencing God through Deceitful Mysticism by James Sundquist, Richard Bennett, Berean Beacon Ministries and a former Roman Catholic Priest, 7/9/10 - YouTube video
Professional deception and clever fraudulence are running rampant in mystical claims to experience God. Thus, the signature of Satan is seen in St. John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, Madame Guyon, Carl Jung, Richard Foster, and in such as Mother Teresa, Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Leonard Sweet, Phyllis Tickle, and other deceivers of the Emerging Church movement who transmit this plague.  In this illustrated DVD, Richard Bennett and James Sundquist expose the deceitful shams that prevail at the present time.  They also explain the scriptural method of biblical meditation and genuinely experiencing God.

(275) Is BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) Heading in the Contemplative Direction? by Lighthouse Trails, 7/13/10
Bible Study Fellowship, a ministry of Bible studies that has been around for over 50 years, is utilized by many Bible believing Christians. On the BSF website, it states: "In all, there are over 1,000 BSF classes with 200,000 class members in 38 nations across six continents! Over 800 of the classes are held in the U.S." Recently, a number of BSF supporters/participants contacted Lighthouse Trails with concerns that the organization may be becoming influenced by contemplative sources, most likely unbeknownst to many or most of BSF board of directors and Bible Study teachers. In the May 2010 issue of the BSF magazine, a book list includes three contemplative proponents: contemplative pioneer Dallas Willard, emerging proponent Dan Allender, and Pastor Timothy Keller of Redeemed Presbyterian in New York.

(276) The CORNERSTONE Festival - My Cornerstone Experience by Herescope, 7/16/10
Among the bands and speakers, there were a many Dominionists, Vineyard, and Protestant/Catholic combined peoples putting out their theology. The Gospel may have been presented, but not once did I hear mention of Jesus Christ's sanctifying work or His precious gift of salvation. Instead I heard about the greatness of the monks and the need to make productive communities.

(277) Update on the Church of the Nazarene and the Emerging/Contemplative Movement: Where are the Battlegrounds? by Reformed Nazarene, 7/16/10
The Emergent Church Movement is a serious problem for the Christian church.  It threatens practically all Christians regardless of denomination.  I've been a Nazarene all my life, but if you are reading this and are anything but Nazarene, it probably makes no difference.  Whether you are Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Calvary Chapel, or one of many other evangelical denominations, chances are you are either facing this danger, or you will be soon.

(278) Did Jesus Teach the Divinity of Humanity?  - Investigating the intent of Jesus' statement, "You are gods" by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 8/3/10
Mystic, New Age, cultic and Word of Faith spiritualists commonly assume that in the essence of their being they are divine, that either they are or can become gods.[1] For example, by employing The Third Eye mystics attempt to contemplate into a consciousness of their divine nature.

(279) Evangelical Christianity Catapulted into Seeing "God" with New Interspiritual Eyes by Ray Yungen, 8/13/10
Contemplative advocates propose that there has been something vital and important missing from the church for centuries. The insinuation is that Christians have been lacking something necessary for their spiritual vitality; but that would mean the Holy Spirit has not been fully effective for hundreds of years and only now the secret key has been found that unlocks God's full power to know Him. These proponents believe that Christianity has been seriously crippled without this extra ingredient. This kind of thinking leads one to believe that traditional, biblical Christianity is merely a philosophy without the contemplative prayer element. Contemplatives are making a distinction between studying and meditating on the Word of God versus experiencing Him, suggesting that we cannot hear Him or really know Him simply by studying His Word or even through normal prayer-we must be contemplative to accomplish this. But the Bible makes it clear that the Word of God is living and active, and has always been that way, and it is in filling our minds with it that we come to love Him, not through a mystical practice of stopping the flow of thought (the stillness) that is never once mentioned in the Bible, except in warnings against vain repetitions.

(280) A Special Report: Christianity Today Treats Contemplative Controversy as Legitimate Issue in Cover Story About Beth Moore by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 8/16/10
In the August 2010 cover story of Christianity Today, the magazine has brought out two things that the major Christian media has thus far ignored - one, that Beth Moore, described as "the most popular Bible teacher in America"  by CT is a proponent of contemplative prayer, and two, that there is a debate over whether contemplative meditation is of Eastern religious origin or not. This Lighthouse Trails special report will look at both of these facets, Beth Moore's contemplative propensities (incidentally, she is noted in CT  for influencing "millions" of women) and the vital question as to whether contemplative prayer is indeed rooted in Eastern mysticism. 

(281)  From Truth to a New Spirituality by Berit Kjos, March 10, 2008
To view a chart showing the transition from truth to a New Spirituality, click the link above. This is a helpful tool when trying to explain to others how this transition is taking place in the world, and in the church today.

(282) Sexuality in the New Reformation by Roger Oakland, 8/24/10
It may seem out of place to include a section on sexuality in [Faith Undone] on the postmodern reformation. However, one aspect of the topic cannot be ignored, and it has become an earmark in the emerging church-that aspect is related to homosexuality.

(283) Letter from a Victim of "Spiritual Formation" in his Church from Nick, a Lighthouse Trails reader, 8/25/10
I'm praying on once again opening dialogue with my Pastor (by e-mail) and asking bluntly if the church is Emergent and/or Universalist.   I don't know if he's rationalized the changes or truly doesn't see the danger involved, but his ministry staff is all for it, and sadly even his wife (Creative Arts Ministry Director). My heart goes out to him and yet I have this need to have him say yes, so I can move on.  I know this is not right, yet I can't seem to help myself. God continues to show me that this is not going away.

(284) A Warning And A Plea by Ray Yungen, 9/3/10
Many people today believe that it is wrong to talk about and warn of an endtime, apocolyptic time period. Rather, they say, we should spend time meditating and employing our higher powers to reach happiness and enlightenment in life. We each have a choice to make. Do we seek after this consciousness, or do we humbly call upon the living God and accept His free gift of salvation and eternal life?

(285) Confronting The Superstitious Church Of The 21st Century by G. Richard Fisher, PFO, 1998
How do we go about resisting the superstition, the fads, the nonsense and mysticism that has overtaken the Church at large? 1) A Total Commitment To The Doctrines Of Scripture.2) A Total Commitment To The Local Church. 3) Total Commitment To and Reliance On The Christ Of The Scriptures.

(286) Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) Peddling Contemplative Spirituality by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 9/6/10
You are probably aware that CBN stands for the Christian Broadcasting Network, which was started by Pat Robertson[2], and is very popular with-as well as highly influential within-the more middle-of-the-road crowd of the charismatic and Pentecostal movement; whereas the Trinity Broadcasting Network comprises sort of the lunatic fringe, and the more heretical, of the Word Faith movement. So you see, with CBN and its programming, we're undoubtedly dealing here with a very large segment of Christians within the church visible. Not long ago in Beth Moore Attacks The Protestant Reformation, if you don't know Moore is a wildly popular SBC Bible teacher who works closely with the aforementioned Shirer, I reminded you that the crown jewel of CSM is a form of meditation in an altered state of consciousness known as Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP); i.e. transcendental meditation lightly sprayed with Christian terminology. It has become a real source of concern for those of us in the ministry field of online apologetics and discernment because this spurious CCP, which attacks the Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura, is now even associated with people around the neo-Reformed camp like "New Calvinists" such as Dr. Tim Keller, and the controversial Mark Driscoll with his church planting Acts 29 Network, which is already on the outskirts of the Emerging Church.

(287) Christian Yoga Classes At Your Church? - Churches That Promote Yoga and so-called "Christian Yoga" by Spiritual Research Network, 9/10/10
The ministry of SRN does not endorse YOGA practice in any form.  This page lists churches / ministries that undiscerningly provide YOGA classes for Christians and church-goers.

(288) Eucharistic Adoration and the Emerging Church by Roger Oakland, 9/12/10
When Christians begin to chase after powerful mystical experiences that supposedly bring them closer to Christ, this becomes like a slippery slope that will have disastrous results. The emerging church is on this slope.

(289) Jim Wallis and Soujourners making Muslim-Christians by Ken Silva, 9/25/10
That's precisely what's wrong with a lot of "mission" work in the big tent way; there's no such thing as "a biblical faith" that functions as part of "a Reformation movement within" a pagan religion. You need to understand that apart from faith in God through Jesus Christ all other religions, no matter how noble they may appear on a purely human level, are idolatry i.e. worship a false god that is, in reality, at least a demon. 

(290) Dallas Willard Says: Follow the Example of Mystic Teresa of Avila by Carolyn A. Greene, 10/3/10
Many Christian organizations, schools, and ministries are using the writings of Spiritual Formation pioneer (and a colleague of Richard Foster) Dallas Willard. Yet on his website, he tells his readers to follow the example of Teresa of Avila. (source) If you have not read the based on a true story novel Castles in the Sand, we highly recommend it as it shows the truth behind spiritual formation and focuses in particularly on Teresa of Avila, a Catholic nun from several centuries ago who used mystical experiences to "enter God's presence," even to the point of levitating. Below is a chapter from Castles in the Sand  by Carolyn A. Greene. Then you decide if Dallas Willard is giving sound advice when he says that Teresa of Avila is an example to follow.

(291) The Emerging Church And Spiritual Evolution by Ken Silva, 10/5/10
I've told you here at Apprising Ministries that evangelicalism made a horrible mistake when it embraced the sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emerging Church-a veritable Trojan Horse full of heresy-now blossomed into an Emerging Church 2.0 pushing its new form of postmodern Progressive Christianity as "big tent" Emergence Christianity.

(292) The New Age Movement: Who's Laughing Now? by Bud Press, Christian Research Service, September 9, 2008 
Years ago, many laughed and brushed-off the New Age Movement as a mere fad that would eventually fade away. But behind the scenes, it slithered into every strata of our society--homes, elementary and high schools, bookstores, jobs, colleges, universities, churches, and pulpits.

(293) Southern Baptist leader on yoga: Not Christianity by Dylan Lovan, Associated Press, Oct 7, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Southern Baptist leader who is calling for Christians to avoid yoga and its spiritual attachments is getting plenty of pushback from enthusiasts who defend the ancient practice. Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler says the stretching and meditative discipline derived from Eastern religions is not a Christian pathway to God.

(294) Ancient-Future Spirituality Not Biblical by Roger Oakland, 10/9/10
(Robert) Webber, like many emergent leaders, was trying to differentiate between Roman Catholic and catholic (as a universal body). However, the Roman Catholic Church does not make this distinction because they claim an apostolic succession of papacy (popes) beginning with the apostle Peter. Therefore, all of Catholicism is Roman Catholicism. Some in the emerging church do not show an attachment to the authority of the papacy but embrace the practices and early history of the Catholic Church as described above by Webber. But many Protestants who began by attaching themselves to the history, teachings, and practices of the early Catholic Church have now taken the natural next step of becoming Roman Catholic. (For more on this, see chapter 5, Faith Undone.)

(295) Biblical Atonement or New Age At-One-Ment? by Warren B. Smith, 10/14/10
This "Atonement," or "atoning," is when each person remembers and affirms and experiences their "oneness" (at-one-ment) with God and creation. The "Atonement" is the Course's key to undoing "fear" and dispelling the illusion that man is "separate" from God. The Course  stresses that the healing of the world is dependent upon each person's fulfilling their Atonement "function" to teach this "oneness" to the world. When everyone comes to understand that "all is love and all is God," then "inner peace" and "world peace" will finally happen. Only "fear" and the illusion of "separation" stand in the way of man's attaining this peace for himself and his world. (For more on this and the "false christ," read Warren B. Smith's new Lighthouse Trails release, False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care?

(296) Emerging Church Leader Samir Selmanovic Worships With Witches by Ken Silva, 10/15/10
Well, accolades from apostates aside, you should be able to see that with FHM Samir Selmanovic is in violation of God's Word with this interspiritual worship; it's well beyond simply befriending people of other faith, which is desirable for the Christian. No, with Selmanovic and others in the Emergent Church we cross the line into participating in pagan religions, which has always been something God forbids. O, but just because Jesus wants us to know - what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons (1 Corinthians 10:20), heretics like Selmanovic aren't going to let a little thing like what the Lords says stop them because they are - lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:2).

(297) Christians Troubled When They Learn The Truth About Yoga by Marsha West, News With Views, 10/16/10
Believers are called to meditate upon the Word of God - an external Word that comes to us by divine revelation - not to meditate by means of incomprehensible syllables." -Albert Mohler "All forms of yoga involve occult assumptions, even hatha yoga, which is often presented as a merely physical discipline." -Douglas Groothuis

(298) Fighting Spiritual Evolution In The Emerging Church by Ken Silva, 10/18/10
I want you to realize that the prevailing view in contemporary educational institutions is postmodern. Emergent is postmodern theology. I talked to a college professor from Japan who spoke at a conference here in America that was attended only by other college professors-Christian ones. He said almost to a person those professors were postmodern. They were praising people like Stanley Grenz for saving evangelicalism from irrelevance. 

(299) COLLEGE ALERT: CMA Simpson University Students Seek Contemplative Chapel Experience reported by Lighthouse Trails Research, October 19th, 2010
Simpson University in Redding California (part of Christian Missionary Alliance) is just one of countless Christian schools that has gone into the contemplative/emerging camp. Please see our links below this article for more information.

(300) In Need of a Pastor for Your Church? Try Looking at NON-Contemplative Colleges by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 10/20/10
We received the following email today from a pastor in Belgium. We are posting it because we believe there are many Christian churches who start off with biblically-based pastors but end up with pro-contemplative, pro-emerging replacement pastors because they are often choosing new pastors from Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries, of which the majority are training future pastors right into the "new" spirituality. If your church is in search of a new pastor, please use  wisdom, knowledge, and discernment, praying always that the Lord will guide you.  And if your particular denomination is one that is especially bent toward the contemplative/emerging spirituality (sadly, most of the denominations are this way - some more than others), then you have a bigger challenge than you may have realized.

(301) A Glorious Destiny? by Roger Oakland, 10/22/10
Neale Donald Walsch, a prominent leader in the New Age, is one of those with new reformation on his mind. He states: "We are suggesting that people become modern day Martin Luther's and take the five steps to peace and tack them up on church house doors, as Martin Luther did with his 95 theses in 1517 in Wittenburg, Germany, which started of course, the first Reformation. Our intention is to stimulate the second great Reformation of world religion. That is our intention, our goal and our purpose. We intend to, in fact, inspire the second great Reformation of world religion." Comments like the one above are quite interesting because Walsch is not a Christian, but he speaks of a religious reformation he is hoping to witness. But Walsch's reformation does not include Jesus Christ.

Updated! (302) Quantum Physics and the New Spirituality - From Cosmos, To Chaos, To Consciousness: Part 1 By Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 10/23/10 - Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 & Part 6.
Only in the eternal Logos of God do we find the revelatory and reasonable account for the origin of everything. But into the perceived orderly working of the universe, some physicists have thrown a proverbial "monkey wrench."

(303) Atonement Wars by Gary Gilley, 11/4/10
When Steve Chalk and Brian McLaren accused evangelicals who believed in the substitutionary death of Christ of embracing a form of Divine child abuse,[1] Christians everywhere did a double-take.  Having sung with gusto for years that great line penned by Charles Wesley, "Amazing love, how can it be that Thou my God shouldst die for me" Christians could not believe that they were being accused of promoting child abuse by men who claimed to be at least on the fringes of the evangelical community.   What McLaren and Chalk had done was bring to the surface for all to see the long-standing debate by theologians about the meaning of the cross.   Almost no one in Christian circles doubts the historicity of the crucifixion, but why Christ died has long been contested.  Of late, due to the rising popularity of everything from the Emergent Church to the Ancient-Future Faith movement to the New Perspective on Paul, the significance of Christ's cross-work, often called the atonement, has regained traction.  In particular what has often been called "penal substitution," that the Son, "suffer[ed] instead of us the death, punishment and curse due to fallen humanity as the penalty for sin" has come under intense attack.[2]  It is the purpose of this study to identify the various views held by Christians on the atonement, analyze briefly the three major theories, and then develop a biblical defense for penal substitution as the central meaning and purpose behind the cross. Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(304) On Spiritual Formation by Pastor Larry DeBruyn,  Contemplative Spirituality, 11/11/10
Within evangelical movement, especially on the part of the emerging church, we hear a lot of talk about "spiritual formation."[1] The difference I have with the spiritual formation movement is not regarding the destination-Paul wrote that Christians need to grow-up "to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13)-but over the journey, how emerging evangelicals are proposing we get there. As the Holy Spirit incorporates Christ within and among believers, He sets Christ-likeness as the objective for every believer because that is the very meaning of the name, "Christian."

(305) VCY America/Lighthouse Trails Radio Show on Those Who Claim Orthodox Christianity But Promote Emerging/Contemplative by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 11/17/10
On Tuesday, November 16th, Ingrid Schlueter invited Lighthouse Trails editor Deborah  Dombrowski on the CrossTalk radio program to discuss Christian figures who claim to hold to orthodox Christian doctrinal statements yet continually promote the emerging/contemplative spirituality. You can listen to this broadcast by clicking here.

(306) Author/Lecturer Roger Oakland Says Good-bye to Calvary Chapel by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 11/23/10
The initial reaction by Chuck Smith over Faith Undone, released in 2007, was very favorable. But that was not the consensus by many in the movement. Roger had named names, including Rick Warren as well as Chuck Smith's nephew Chuck Fromm (editor of Worship Leadermagazine). Soon, Roger began feeling the heat for speaking up. A number of events took place, many of which Lighthouse Trails reported on as they occurred.

(307) Bible Gateway Now Gateway to Heretical Authors - Could Point Millions to Emerging Teachings by John Lanagan, 11/28/10
For years Bible Gateway has been relied upon for accurate Bible translation.  In 2008, Bible Gateway was purchased by Zondervan Publishing, and for some months now, Bible Gateway's online General Store has served as gateway to a number of heretical authors.

(308) The Dangers of Yoga - Introduction (MP3 Audio Message) by Chris Lawson, Spiritual Research Network, 12/5/10
This introductory message entitled the Dangers of Yoga - Introduction is for Christians and non-Christians alike. The message includes an overview of why yoga is dangerous and why Christians are deceived in their thinking that they can combine yoga with the Christian faith.  The message includes definitions of Yoga, the biblical prohibition in Deuteronomy 18 condemning any and all involvement with the world of the occult, "occultism" defined, the philosophy and practice of yoga cannot be separated, the aim and purpose of all yoga - Kundalini arousal and possession states [called Enlightenment in India], overview of Dangers of Yoga series, and more.

(309) The "Creeping" Effect - The New Age and Evangelical Christianity by Ray Yungen, 12/6/10
If you have ever wondered why New Age authors and their teachings are creeping past many Christians, then maybe the definition of creeping might help. The term means: slowly advancing at a speed that is not really apparent until you look back over a long time period. For instance, creeping inflation is not noticed in the short term, but when one looks back over twenty to thirty years, it is shocking. A meal that cost two dollars in 1970 now may cost eight dollars-however, the increase moved so slowly that the impact was diminished.

(310) Philip Yancey and the Gay Christian Network by Ken Silva, 12/8/10
... here we have Philip Yancey, an alleged evangelical Protestant and editor at large for Christianity Today magazine, going to apostate Roman Catholic mystics to learn about prayer. He even says that if we want to "go deeper" into Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP), meditation in an altered state of consciousness which is the crowning jewel of CSM, "there's Thomas Merton." 

(311) Spread Of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism: Lectio Divina by Ken Silva, 12/9/10
A main focus of the online apologetics and discernment ministry Apprising Ministries has been covering the rise in popularity within Protestant evangelicalism of practicing corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) ala Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster and his spiritual twin Dallas Willard. It's a rapidly spreading-and very dangerous-fad; and if left unchecked by spiritually timid evangelical leaders, at the very least CSM is going to be the cause of much division within the church visible, and at its worst it will blur doctrinal distinctives to the point of laying foundation for a Global Religion.

(312) Mysticism by Gary Gilley, 12/9/10
Article that catalogs the entrance of mysticism into evengelical Christianity.  Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, & Part 5.

(313) The Emergent Church Teaching On The Trinity "Loving Community" by Sandy Simpson, 12/10/10
There is a fairly new teaching in the Emergent Church (EC) on the Trinity as an example of a "loving community" thereby giving evidence that anyone who names the name of Christ is to be a loving community, in unity with "humanity".

(314) Max Lucado's Quoting Of Contemplative Mystics by Lighthouse Trails, 12/17/10
Cure for the Common Life, by author Max Lucado, is a book about "living in your sweet spot." Lucado tells readers in chapter one to "[h]eed that inner music," and quoting mystic Martin Buber from his book, The Way of Man (a book on Jewish mysticism), Lucado tells readers they each have a "divine spark." Buber had panentheistic affinities as he embraced the teachings of Hasidism (Jewish mysticism) and believed that this divine spark that Lucado refers to is in every human being and every part of creation. Through Lucado's book he quotes other mystics and contemplatives: Saint Thomas Aquinas,Thomas Merton, Eugene Peterson and Richard Foster.

(315) Letter to the Editor: Contemplative Prayer Alive and "Well" in American Churches at Lighthouse Trails, 12/19/10
This fall I ordered Ray Yungen's book, A Time of Departing, and was also sent Roger Oakland's book, Faith Undone.  Thank you!  I first devoured Ray's book and finished Roger's this morning. "Speechless" is how I feel!  I hardly know what to say, except that I am very grateful for their research and writing.  Ten years ago I may have wondered what it was they were upset about; however, in recent years I can attest personally to some of these atrocities within the church.  A few years ago, we were members of a PCUSA church in which the associate pastor and his wife (dear friends) delved full-speed into studies, sessions, and retreats on Prayer (contemplative, meditative, breath, Taize, etc.).  I participated but all the while sensed there was something not right about all of it.  All of what Ray and Roger mention regarding contemplative prayer and related mysticism is definitely alive and well.   And, we are in a mid-size midwest town.

(316) What is Contemplative Spirituality and Why is it Dangerous? by John Caddock from 1997, 12/20/10
One of the best articles we have ever read on Contemplative Spirituality.

(317) Considering Reiki? Watch This Video First posted by Lighthouse Trails, 12/29/10
Video on the practice of Reiki invading the churches as promoted by the Emerging Church.

(318) The Emerging Church Is Unaware It's Dead by Ken Silva, 12/31/10
Its primary legacy is that through its core doctrine of corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), masquerading as spurious Spiritual Formation ala Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster and his spiritual twin Dallas Willard, the Emergent Church leaders have been quite successful in taking the focus off proper Christian spirituality; and instead putting it upon mere subjective feelings.

(319) Spread Of Contemplative Spiritualiy/Mysticism: Lectio Divina by Ken Silva, 1/1/11
It's a rapidly spreading-and very dangerous-fad; and if left unchecked by spiritually timid evangelical leaders, at the very least CSM is going to be the cause of much division within the church visible, and at its worst it will blur doctrinal distinctives to the point of laying foundation for a Global Religion. 

(320) Be Prepared - A Vast Number Are Coming in Christ's Name by Ray Yungen, 1/7/11
I have heard two interpretations of Jesus' reply. The first interpretation asserts various individuals will claim to be the returning, incumbent Jesus Christ. The other view says a number of messiah figures will appear and gather followers to themselves in a similar fashion to cult leader Jim Jones or Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the guru leader who set up his idea of utopia in Oregon. I now believe neither of these interpretations encompass the bigger picture. It is in light of numerous New Age statements that Matthew 24 takes on new significance.

(321) Baptism, Bible ... and beer? by Patrick Condon, Associated Press, 1/7/2011
A Minnesota bar is one of the unconventional places of worship around the country fostered by an evangelical movement known as "the emerging church."

(322) The Truth Behind The Postmodern Emergent Church by Sandy Simpson, 1/7/11
I am quite familiar with what drives the younger generation today because it was what I had to repent of when I was a youth.  So I know the desire to try to justify yourself and what you are doing because you want to be able to continue to do those things while assuaging your conscience because so many others are doing them along with you.  I attempted some of the same tactics when I had drifted away from the Lord early in my life.  But no amount of jury-rigging the truth can change God's absolute truth.  The bottom line is that, as believers, we either have to choose to follow the foolishness of men or the wisdom of God. 1Co 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; {Job 5:13}

(323) Does the emergent church movement preach the gospel that saves? by Mike Oppenheimer, 1/10/11
An appeal to pursuers of the new church movements. We have a duty to be keepers, protectors and proclaimers of the gospel, it is to be the same message that was given to the apostles nearly 2,000 years ago. What has saved us is to save others. This gospel can be changed from applying new innovations. Even Brian McLaren admits the way that emerging church presents the message can be changing the gospel.

(324) Samir Selmanovic, The Emerging Church and Pagan New Humanism by Ken Silva, 2/17/11
When we look at the bio on his personal website, we find that Samir Selmanovic has "been integral to the birth of the emerging church movement, serving as a member of the Coordinating Group of Emergent Village, as well as representing emergents at the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches."[1] So, as one of the leaders within this EC-seeker driven for the "counter-culture"-movement he's a primary source as to what its warped and toxic theology is all about: The love of the self (cf. 2 Timothy 3:2), i.e. mankind in love with its own kind. We may indeed be living in the time when we'll at least see the beginning of the end of the Age of Grace.

(325) The New Age Christian-An Accepted Oxymoron by Ray Yungen, 2/18/11
The current popularity with meditative mysticism presents a very new and perplexing challenge for evangelical Christianity. We are beginning to encounter the New Age or Aquarian Christian. This new term describes someone who remains in his or her home church and professes the Christian faith but has also incorporated various aspects of the New Age or Aquarian mindset into his or her life. New Age author David Spangler was very optimistic about the possibility of this integration when he wrote, "The point is that the New Age is here " it builds itself and forms itself in the midst of the old."1

(326) PARENTS BEWARE: American Girl Doll Company Recommends Yoga, Mantras, Meditation, and Breath Prayers by Lighthouse Trails, 2/27/11
American Girl is a doll company that has had a reputation for selling wholesome dolls; for many Christian parents, American Girl has been an  alternative to Barbie Dolls. Once included in American Doll's mission statement was the goal to "reinforce positive social and moral values."1 That statement was found on their website in 2000. But American Girl today is reinforcing and promoting New Age practices.

(327) Emerging Church Infiltrates Nazarene Church, Are You Next? by Southwest Radio Ministries, 3/2/11
Audio program on YouTube talking about the invasion of Emerging Church into the Nazarene denomination.

(328) Understanding the Age of Aquarius and Metaphysics by Ray Yungen, 3/4/11
The Age of Aquarius is when we are all supposed to come to the understanding that man is God.

(329) Postmodern Liberalism Pits Jesus Against The Bible by Ken Silva, 3/6/11
Unfortunately, we're living in a time of growing spiritual blindness as Jesus sends 1 Peter 4:17 judgments against the visible Christian church; this darkness is why mainstream evangelicalism would make such a foolish decision to embrace the sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church with its quasi-universalism in a new version of postmodern Progressive Christian theology under their spiritual circus "big tent" of empty Emergence Christianity. Apprising Ministries brings you the following words of warning circa 1985 by Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989), a renowned defender of what he so often referred to as "the historic orthodox Christian faith."

(330) Nazarene Pastor Fired For Fighting Emergent Ideology by Manny Silva, Concerned Nazarenes, 2/20/10
Disturbing trends continue to develop in our denomination.  Recently, I sent out a prayer request for a pastor and his church that decided to leave the Nazarene denomination, rather than stay and bow to emergent ideology and priorities.  Soon, I will be posting some information regarding those who have been forced to leave their churches ("Divorced From The Church").  More and more Bible believing Nazarenes are finding themselves ostracized and are even being labeled as cult members, hateful, dividers, "used by the devil""etc.  On and on it goes, with no biblical justification!  Students are subject to ridicule or harassment for standing up against unbiblical teachings at their universities.

(331) Mennonite Blog Follows and Reports on Mennonite Brethren's Slide into Contemplative by A Ministry in His Service, 3/10/11
LTRP Note: The following article intro is from Menno-Lite, a blog that is faithfully  reporting on the Mennonite Brethren's slide into the contemplative camp.

(332) The New Age Christian-An Accepted Oxymoron by Ray Yungen, Lighthouse Trails Research, March 18, 2011
The current popularity with meditative mysticism presents a very new and perplexing challenge for evangelical Christianity. We are beginning to encounter the New Age or Aquarian Christian. This new term describes someone who remains in his or her home church and professes the Christian faith but has also incorporated various aspects of the New Age or Aquarian mindset into his or her life. New Age author David Spangler was very optimistic about the possibility of this integration when he wrote, "The point is that the New Age is here " it builds itself and forms itself in the midst of the old."

(333) WIDE IS THE GATE- The Emerging New Christianity by Caryl Matrisciana, 3/21/11
When Christianity starts to leave the Bible out of the equation, apostasy isn't far off! YouTube video featuring Caryl Matrisciana, Roger Oakland, Mike Gendron and others.

(334) Body-Mind-Spirit - Changing Science, Changing Mind by Herescope, 3/29/11
The New Age Movement has always seen itself as being in charge of the healthcare reform agenda. This may surprise people who think that this is just a secular political agenda. From its very beginning healthcare reform was intended to be the chief conduit for global mind change. To the New Age "Aquarians," healthcare reform itself was viewed as a channel in an occult sense, a pathway to communicate a New Age worldview. To pull off this massive shift would necessitate a transformation from a scientific paradigm to the mystical. Medicine needed to become holistic with an active spirituality component - the New Age/New Spirituality.

(335) David Jeremiah's Book Life Wide Open - Still Sold on His Website - Still Includes New Agers by Lighthouse Trails, 3/29/11
Lighthouse Trails receives emails from time to time from readers asking if there is still "a problem" with David Jeremiah and his 2003 (redone in 2005) book, Life Wide Open. In the second edition of A Time of Departingby Ray Yungen is an expose about the book, and today some question as to whether our report is still relevant has arisen. Because David Jeremiah continues selling the book on his website and through the general book marketing avenues (Amazon, etc), we believe our report remains valid.

(336) How the "Quantum Christ" (God is in everything) is Tranforming the World . . . and Entering the Church! by Warren B. Smith, 3/30/11
In his 2009 book So Beautiful, Leonard Sweet underscores his quantum "relational worldview"14 by favorably quoting from William Young's The Shack regarding relationship.15 He also tells readers to look to Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science to further understand his quantum view on the "spiritual and social significance of relationship."16 And he still continues to refer readers back to his 1991 book, Quantum Spirituality. While appearing to be somewhat of a 21st century renaissance man who leaves everyone in the wake of his postmodern intellect, Leonard Sweet's "scientific" postmodern/quantum/New Age view on things raises some critical questions-particularly in regard to his association with Rick Warren. If Warren, Sweet, and other Christian leaders continue to move the church towards the New Spirituality, how will it ultimately play out? Will we see Warren, Schuller, Sweet, McLaren, and other "New Light" leaders signing a mutual accord someday affirming that God is "in" everything? Will that proclamation be based on new "scientific findings" from quantum physics? Will they explain that [Jesuit] Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and the "God" of Neale Donald Walsch and William Young had it right-that "the sub-atomic reality" is that God is in every atom? That God really is-scientifically speaking-"in" everyone and everything? But what about the inevitable reaction that will come from those referred to by Rick Warren as "fundamentalists"18 when they accuse Warren of flip-flopping? Will Warren defend his new worldview by repeating what he said at the Saddleback Civil Forum-that "sometimes flip-flopping is smart because you actually have decided a better position based on knowledge that you didn't have"? Armed with seemingly scientific "facts" from quantum physics, will Warren defend his new worldview by stating, "That's not flip-flopping. Sometimes that's growing in wisdom"? Is this where Warren, Sweet, and other Christian leaders will try to take the church? Are they about to take a big "quantum leap" into the New Spirituality of a New Age that is based on the findings of the "new science"? Given the continued New Age implications of the emerging Purpose Driven movement, it would seem that this is a real possibility.

(337) The Visible Church In An Accelerating Apostasy by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 4/2/11
Let me tell you something that I have learned; I know the liberals. I know them well; I was one of them. And they are the most dangerous, insidious, and all-pervading cult that's loose in the United States right at this moment. They make the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Mormons, and all of the Mind Sciences, and the Occult, look like Sunday School teachers. Do you know why? Because these other people are outside the Church; and these devils are in it! And they're doing it in Jesus' Name.

(338) Hazards unfolded by Emerging Church leaders by Richard Bennett, 4/4/11
It is quite difficult to define properly the Emerging Church movement. The basic conviction behind the movement is that Christianity needs to be reinvented to become relevant to our postmodern generation. 

(339) Bryan and Hope Colleges Added to Contemplative Christian School List by Lighthouse Trails, 4/15/11
Bryan College has been added to our list of Christian colleges and seminaries that promote contemplative/spiritual formation.  We also added Hope College of Holland, Michigan to our contemplative list today. A look at their 2010 textbook list shows evidence that the teachers at Hope College are turning to contemplative advocates to teach Hope College students.

(340) Knowing the True Christ in an Age of Counterfeits on Crosstalk Radio, Date: April 21, 2011 •  Host: Ingrid Schlueter  •  Guest: Warren Smith
Warren Smith (B.A. University of Pennsylvania; M.S.W. Tulane University) is a free lance writer and community social worker who was formerly involved in the New Age movement. He has served as a program coordinator for people with special needs, directed several homeless programs, and has worked most recently as a Hospice social worker in New Orleans and on the California coast. He has written extensively on the subject of spiritual deception and has been widely interviewed on radio and television. He is author of The Light that was Dark, Deceived on Purpose, A Wonderful Deception and False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care? Having been saved out of the New Age movement, Warren Smith knows that there are many "christs" in the world today. As we are about to observe Good Friday and the resurrection of Christ, Warren underscores the importance of knowing the true and risen Christ, not a counterfeit. The discussion begins with mention of Shirley McClain. She may not have been taken seriously years ago because of her New Age beliefs yet she was recently on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Why? It's because some New Age teachings are no longer considered "fringe" but are now mainstream. Smith proves the point when he references Purpose-Driven author Rick Warren who has brought in three New Age doctors into his church through his "Daniel Plan". From there the discussion moves on to Marianne Williamson and her deceptive book, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, the deceptive use of Bible terminology by New Age proponents, the experience that pointed him to Christ, the ties that the Emergentmovement has with the New Age, and more. Also mentioned was Chuck Klein's Understanding the Times conference on April 30th in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Pastor Larry Debruyn, Sarah Leslie and Warren Smith will be speaking on counterfeit spirituality. Listen: RealAudio | Windows Media | MP3

(341) Celebrating the Resurrection, But Denying the Atonement by Lighthouse Trails, 4/24/11
As we here at Lighthouse Trails have joined with other believers in exposing the truth about the emerging /contemplative spirituality, we have come to learn that the core of the New Age believes that the teachings of the East and of the West must be fused and blended before the true and universal religion-for which the world waits-could appear on earth. In other words, all religions must come together under the umbrella of metaphysics (mysticism). While the average Christian would agree that this doesn't line up with Scripture, the Christian church has been overtaken by this very concept, but in a deceitful and often subtle manner. The underlying layers of this dark and anti-Christ theology rejects the very thing that can save a soul-the atonement for sin on the Cross by Jesus Christ. He was a substitute, and He took our place. Without that atonement, we are lost forever.

(342) Altered States: A Different Gate - The sober Christian in a spiritually inebriated age by Sarah Leslie and Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 4/28/11
New Age Movement (NAM) rose in prominence during the late 1970s, and remains popular today. One component of NAM spirituality was meditation associated with "Transcendental Medication" (TM), a Hindu religious practice that was popularized and introduced to the Western culture by the Beatles and their personal guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1914-2008).[1] The Maharishi is credited with introducing Hindu mysticism to western culture along with that religion's spiritual disciplines such as Yoga. A savvy marketer, he seized every opportunity to repackage Hindu spirituality to sell to American culture, one part of which consisted of meditative techniques that promised practitioners "increased creativity and flexibility, increased productivity, improved job satisfaction, improved relations with supervisors and co-workers," and so on.[2] At that time TM was marketed so as not to appear as a religion, but propagandized to be a way to realize "better health, stress relief and spiritual enlightenment."

(343) Defend The Deity Of Christ by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 5/5/11
Do you see now; the Bible teaches that Jesus always has been God, and when He was born of the Virgin Mary, He then became Man. Whether someone wants to believe this or not is between that person and God. However, if they choose not to believe what God's Word says they should stop telling people that the Christian Church "made this doctrine up." Yet this is precisely what skeptics, the Mind Sciences-like Christian Science and the Unity School of Christianity-are telling people around you.

(344) The New Look of Christian Missions by Roger Oakland, 5/18/11
Emerging spirituality is changing the way missions is being conducted. The idea is that you can go for Jesus, but you don't have to identify yourself as a Christian or part of the Christian church. This concept spills over into some missionary societies too, where they teach people from other religions they can keep their religion, just add Jesus to the equation. They don't have to embrace the term Christian. 

(345) Yoga in the Church by Lighthous Trails, 5/21/11
More than ever, Yoga has entered the Christian church. Lighthouse Trails receives reports nearly daily of Christians who are practicing Yoga and churches that are allowing Yoga to be practiced at their churches. Yoga is the heartbeat of Hinduism, a belief system that completely contradicts biblical Christianity and puts practitioners in harm's way. Yoga is a gateway into eastern mysticism. If you have loved ones who are getting into Yoga, please warn them of its dangers. 

(346) Manchester Cathedral Transforms into a Serpent's Casino - A study in the paradigm shift of the Emergent church by Mike Oppenheimer, 5/22/11
Sacred space, inclusive gospel, pilgrimage, spiritual formation are all recognized words found in emergent/new age teaching. This is a church that has been refashioned to be something to everyone and stands with next to nothing that Christianity holds to. While one can read of a very short statement of faith that is orthodox, it is missing important details. What they practice is in contradistinction to what they claim to believe.

(347) The Cost for Being Careless About the Gospel by Lighthouse Trails, 6/14/11
You may recall that in the Old Testament the Israelites took great pains in transporting the Ark of the Covenant. According to the instructions given by God to Moses (Exodus 25:13-15), the Ark was to be carried by staves (poles) on the shoulders of the Levites (1 Chronicles 15:15). However, in 1 Chronicles 13:7-10, contrary to Moses' specific instructions, they put the Ark on a cart to be pulled by oxen. But the unexpected happened. When "Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled . . . the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him" (1 Chronicles 13:9-10). The Levites, who were the "pastors" of that day, were careless about following Moses' instructions; and it ended up costing a life. The Ark of the Covenant was a type and foreshadowing of the Gospel. It was sprinkled with blood to symbolize Christ's death on the Cross. Today, similar to back then, so many pastors and Christian leaders have become careless about the Gospel. If you are one who has grown careless with the Gospel, isn't it time to make some changes and return to following the instructions of the Lord?

(348) Letter to the Editor: Pastor Stopped Purpose Driven/Emergent Teachings After Learning of the Errors by Lighthouse Trails, 6/15/11
Concerning the last article here, by Steve Muse, I want to share a word of encouragement to him and to you!  After learning in the past year of the attacks on the people of God, the church, from reading at Lighthouse Trails website, God led me to share with my three pastors . . . Senior, and two young assistants . . . the information I learned from you.  In the past few months, they have stopped the "Emergent, Rick Warren, and all of the other false teachings, and are once again preaching and teaching the Word of God!!  And guess what?!  Souls are being saved so wonderfully that it is almost too much to take in . . . the change is so dramatic that all I can do is praise our Wonderful Lord as I stand in awe at His marvelous Grace!! 

(349) TRAVESTY at LIFEST - PARENTS: Don't Send Your Kids - Radical-Emergent/Liberal Jim Wallis to Speak at Lifest (What is Luis Palau Doing There?) by Lighthouse Trails and VCY America, 6/17/11
From Ingrid Schlueter at VCY America: Each summer, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, hosts the "Lifest"Christian music festival. This festival, which is expecting as many as 70,000 in attendance, has put Jim Wallis on the docket of speakers for July 9th. Wallis' upcoming appearance at Lifest proves that he is an individual who continues to secure his position as the leading voice of the political arm of the emergent New Spirituality movement. Those who recognize his name probably know him through his 40 year relationship with the "Sojourners" organization. As an establishment liberal, he weaves his brand of social justice into the Bible, all the while blaming Wall Street for the ills of American society and calling for state-sponsored redistribution of wealth. Click here to listen to an interview between Ingrid Schlueter and Mare Danielsen regarding the beliefs of Lifest speaker Jim Wallis.

(350) LABYRINTHS in the Spirit of Life event, are prayer Paths that Promote the Occult by First Plumbline Apologetics, 6/18/11
What is a Labyrinth? A maze, a prison, a sacred precinct, a place of peace... the labyrinth is an enigma and a riddle, one that has puzzled historians for centuries. Where did it come from, how was it used? Why
is it making a comeback?

(351) How Much Does the Gospel Weigh? by Lighthouse Trails, 6/20/11
In last week's article, "The Cost for Being Careless About Gospel," we established how the Gospel is a standard  and the central theme of the entire Bible. We can think of it like a balancing scale, weighing truth against error. But how much does the Gospel weigh? That might sound like a foolish question, but let's take a moment to see how a balancing scale works. Basically, it is an arm extending from both sides with a fulcrum in the middle. A standardized weight is then placed on one side, and subsequently everything placed on the other arm of the scale with be measured and valued by that standardized weight. A false scale, as Proverbs states, uses a deceptive weight purported to be a standardized weight when it really is not. Consequently, everything weighed on that scale for the next five, ten, or a thousand years will have an erroneous result. A false scale just keeps on lying because the standard is wrong.

(352) New Book and Upcoming Conference Bring More Confusion Out of Calvary Chapel Movement by Lighthouse Trails, 6/24/11
In 2006, Calvary Chapel made a public stand against  contemplative spirituality and the emerging church; they also stated:  "The teaching and positions of Rick Warren have come into conflict with us at Calvary Chapel. Pastor Chuck has directed us to discontinue this product effective immediately. Chuck Smith read Deceived on Purpose, A Time of Departing, and Faith Undone and found them right on. In a number of radio programs, Smith favorably acknowledged the work of Lighthouse Trails, and in private e-mails to editors at Lighthouse Trails, he made his support of our work and warnings to the body of Christ evident. But over the past few years, several confusing things have taken place that leave many wondering just what direction the Calvary Chapel movement is really heading. An upcoming conference called Twelve: 2011 Global Online Gathering held by Saddleback Church and Rick Warren is another example of why many people are becoming increasingly confused about Calvary Chapel.

(353) WIDE IS THE GATE - The Emerging New Christianity Vol.1 by Caryl Productions, 6/27/11
Once there were two Church choices, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, but in recent decades Christianity has been redefined giving rise to unprecedented quasi-Christian spiritual philosophies and practices. Claiming to be "revivals" are these the counterfeits Jesus warned would occur before His return? (Luke 18:8) Many so-called Christian leaders are introducing innovative teachings based on new Bible translations and paraphrases that alter the timeless truths of Holy Scripture. A more progressive spirituality, with roots in eastern mysticism, is replacing faith in God's Word. This "New Christian Spirituality" poses as a more relevant "New Gospel" for today's Postmodern culture that prefers subjective and emotional feelings, rather than absolute truths. Biblical Truth is the foundation for knowing God. His promises and prophecies. At Pentecost, the Church was given the Holy Spirit of Truth to be guided into all Truth. Jesus Christ, Who is Truth Incarnate, taught that after His death, resurrection and ascension to Heaven, He would bring His Church to His Father's house before returning with them to govern the world for a 1000 year Kingdom period. Biblical faith trusts God's promise to fulfil these prophecies. However many within the Emerging, Seeker-friendly, Purpose Driven, New Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Reformed, neo-Evangelical, Charismatic and Pentecostal Churches deny many teachings and Prophesies in God's Word as literal Truth. Many promote the false gospel of transforming the world for the common good, encouraging a "working together", and bringing about social justice on planet earth. Through modern marketing techniques and business management skills a global agenda of faith, commerce and government is being orchestrated for churches to partner with other faiths for world peace and unity. This man made utopia will usher in the reign of Antichrist and his kingdom, preceding the coming of the True Jesus Christ and the True Kingdom of God on earth.

(354) Maintream Evangelicalism Embracing Contemplative Mysticism by Ken Silva, 6/29/11
The EC would prove to be a Trojan Horse where Satan has been able to off-load his ne0-Gnostic mystic corruption Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), an infestation of which is now becoming pandemic within the very heart of the church visible. I've told you before that this spurious CSM-the refried Roman Catholic mysticism "discovered" by Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster, and now perpetrated as supposed Spiritual Formation with an able assist from his spiritual twin SBC minister Dallas Willard, was a core doctrine in the EC right from its hatching in hell.

(355) Contemplative Spirituality Lands on Charles Stanley's In Touch Magazine . . . Again by Mike Stanwood, 6/30/11
Is this the kind of example of biblical Christian living that Charles Stanley's readers have come to expect to see in his magazine? Unfortunately, this is not the first time an article promoting contemplative/emerging figures has emerged from the In Touch magazine. 

(356) Seven-Eleven Songs by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 7/2/11
Some songs, that repeat . . . repeat . . . and repeat . . . the same seven-word lyrics eleven times or more, are called "seven-eleven" songs. As with repetitive praying (Jesus warned about this when He said, "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words," Matthew 6:7.), questions surround the musical mechanism of repetitive praising, singing, or chanting, as a means of inducing consciousness of God.

(357) TBN Hosts "Ancient Wisdom" Author Laurie Beth Jones by Lighthouse Trails, 7/3/11
On June 30th, TBN (Trinity Broadcasting) hosted an event that focused on Christian counseling. One of the speakers was "Ancient Wisdom" author Laurie Beth Jones.  A little research on and quotes by Laurie Beth Jones describing her spirituality. Her Mission: "To inspire the divine connection in all of us" (from back cover, Jesus, Entrepreneur: Using Ancient Wisdom to Launch and Live Your Dreams)

(358) Does the ministry of "the four living beings" justify lyrical repeating? by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 7/12/11
Some songs, that repeat . . . repeat . . . and repeat . . . the same seven-word lyrics eleven times or more, are called "seven-eleven" songs. As with repetitive praying (Jesus warned about this when He said, "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words," Matthew 6:7.), questions surround the musical mechanism of repetitive praising, singing, or chanting, as a means of inducing consciousness of God.

(359) Is the "Emerging Church" the Latest Postmodern Fad? by Dr. Ron J. Bigalke, CARM, 7/12/11
What is the "Emerging Church"? Is the movement another fad that is popular currently but will be soon forgotten? Certainly, we can recall many recent crazes of our own lifetime. It seems, in their search to be relevant, many pastors and church leaders are always seeking new methods to grow the church. The contemporary church is inundated with those seeking new methods and means of church growth. Whatever pragmatic approaches allow one to accomplish church growth, it is accepted. However, time and again in the Bible, it is primarily the preaching of the Word-the enunciation of words-that God uses to draw the lost to Himself. 

(360) The "New" Emerging Theology Breeds Atheism in a Generation of Young People by Lighthouse Trails, 7/25/11
One day we received a call from one of our readers who wanted to share some news concerning his pastor's son. He told us the son, after sitting under Dallas Willard for four years in university, declared himself to now be an atheist. How could this have happened? The boy was raised in a Christian home. Dallas Willard claims to be a Christian. While we do not know the details of this boy's story, the following fictionalized account could very well be his story and that of many other young Christians today.

(361) The Shack Bible by Ken Silva, 8/3/11
Yes, you read that right. Get on your heavy mud gear as Apprising Ministries takes you off-road mentally mudding deeply into the postmodern Wonderland of Humpty Dumpty language where the meanings of words descend into its muck and mire.

(362) YOGA: Posture to Apostasy - Can yogic practices be integrated with the Christian faith? by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 8/15/11
East is east, and west is west, and if Christianity is to remain Christian, "the twain," meaning yoga and Christianity, should never be integrated. The soul that is engaged to Jesus Christ cannot commit spiritual harlotry by flirting with the yogic practices intended to introduce them to Hindu gods. As John the Apostle wrote: "Little chidren, guard yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).

(363) Southern Baptist Convention Rejects Gender-Neutral NIV Bible But Embraces The Message, Renovare Bible, and Contemplative Books by Lighthouse Trails, 9/4/11
While the SBC's willingness to stand up against this new translation Bible translation is worth noting, we are puzzled that they find nothing wrong with Eugene Peterson's translation The Message paraphrase and Richard Foster's Renovare Spiritual Formation Study Bible. On their LifeWay Resources website, they sell The Message and the Renovare "Bible." They also carry the New Men's Devotional Bible (NIV), which includes "contributions" by New Age sympathizer Rob Bell.  They also carry books by contemplative authors such as Gary Thomas, including his book Sacred Pathways where he tells readers to repeat a word for twenty minutes and Sacred Marriage where he references several times a tantric sex advocate.1  They carry books by contemplative proponent Pete Scazzero including Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, a resource for those wanting to practice contemplative prayer. To get a good glimpse at Scazzero's propensities, check out his favorite books section on his website - it's a plethora of mystics, emergents, and New Agers sympathizers. And there are countless other examples of contemplative authors that LifeWay is selling. A search on the store website will bring these up.

(364) Ron Luce Of Teen Mania Leading Your Youth Into Spiritual Bondage by Ken Silva, 6/22/11
Here's yet another example of how evangelicalism is spiritually passing your youth through the fire of Molech. "Youth ministers" like Ron Luce-a regular on Trinity (Blasphemy) Broadcasting Network steeped in the Word Faith heresy-are leading your youth right back into the spiritual bondage of CSM and its crown jewel, a form of meditation in an altered state of consciousness commonly known as Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP), which flowered through the antibiblical monastic traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism.

(365) Turning to Contemplative Mysticism or a Relationship with Jesus Christ? Which Will it Be? by Ray Yungen, 9/25/11
If you have read A Time of Departing, the book I wrote about contemplative spirituality, and are left wondering about your relationship with God, remember that knowing Jesus Christ is not merely religion or spirituality but is rather a personal relationship with Him.

(362) Just Say No To Contemplative/Centering Prayer by Ken Silva, 10/24/11
The crown jewel of CSM is a supposed spiritual discipline known as Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP); however, this is actually a form of meditation while in an altered state of consciousness-i.e. transcendental meditation-lightly sprayed with Christian terminology. No way around it; warped "wordless" prayer.

Updated! (363) The Social Gospel, Yesterday and Today by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, October/November 2011 - Volume 17, Issue 5 - Read Part 1 & Part 2.
What is unfolding before us is what the Emergent leader Brian McLaren terms "missional." Missional, McLaren tells us, is "a generous third way," between the conservative "personal Savior" gospel and liberal version of it.[35] McLaren further explains, "My missional calling: blessed in this life to be a blessing to everyone on earth" My mission isn't to figure out who is already blessed, or not blessed, or unblessable. My calling is to be blessed so I can bless everyone."[36] He continues, "From this understanding we place less emphasis on whose lineage, rites, doctrines, structures, and terminology are right and more emphasis on whose actions, service, outreach, kindness, and effectiveness are good". (In order) to help our world get back on the road to being truly and wholly good again, the way God created it to be""[37] Rob Bell adds, "For Jesus, the question wasn't how do I get into Heaven? But how do I bring heaven here?...The goal isn't escaping this world but making this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people who can do this kind of work."[38] The rationale of McLaren and Bell is a mere echo of the original founders of liberalism.

(364) "Contextualization" of the Gospel - A Free-Falling Catastrophe by Roger Oakland, 11/5/11
While reaching today's generation for the cause of Christ is something we as Christians should all desire, we must remember Jesus Christ challenged us to follow Him and be obedient to His Word. Scripture commands us to "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). But the emergents are leading followers in the opposite direction, teaching that the Word of God needs to be conformed to people and cultures instead of allowing it to conform lives through Jesus Christ. Reimagining Christianity allows a dangerous kind of freedom; like cutting the suspension ropes on a hot air balloon, the free fall may be exhilarating but the results catastrophic. 

(365) An Epidemic of Apostasy - Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate "Spiritual Formation" to Become Accredited by Lighthouse Trails, 11/16/11
What do the two accreditation organizations - Association of Theological Seminaries and Association for Biblical Higher Education - have in common? Both associations require schools that wish to be accredited to include Spiritual Formation within the school's infrastructure. Just what exactly does that mean for these 350 some seminaries and Bible colleges? Well, it means that if they want to receive and maintain their accreditation, they are going to have to incorporate Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality) into the lives of their students.

(366) The "Selection Process" - New Age Eschatology by Warren B. Smith, 11/26/11
SELF-described "futurist" and "conscious evolutionist" Barbara Marx Hubbard writes that in 1966 she heard an "inner voice" that came in response to a question she had asked aloud and directed to God-"What is our story? What in our age is comparable to the birth of Christ?" After asking the question she said she fell into a dreamlike state and was given an intense vision of the future.

(397) Letter to the Editor: Heartbroken in Southern California at Lighthouse Trails, 11/27/11
I am tired"and very heartbroken"I never thought it was going to be like this. I thought the "them" would not be inside the Church. The Lord has given me a crash course on Jude, 2 Peter, and 1 Tim.

(398) "A Whole New Species of Church Is Emerging" by Tamara Hartzell, Lighthouse Trails, 12/9/11
There is a "Christian" book that epitomizes the current path of the counterfeit Christianity, which is emerging as the old faith crumbles away. Although there are many such books published now, Growing Spiritual Redwoods by William Easum and Thomas Bandy provides a clear illustration of the "new way of thinking," and has been acclaimed as "perhaps the best book about church transformation."Bill Easum is "one of the pioneering pastors of the church growth movement," and is "one of the most highly respected church consultants and Christian futurists in North America." Tom Bandy "consults with congregations for church growth and transformation," and "congregational and denominational leaders regard Tom as one of the leading thinkers and writers today."4 The two joined forces to form Easum, Bandy and Associates, which consults "with churches of every size and culture" and links "countless" leaders through "one of the largest religious interactive websites in North America."In spite of the blatant (New Age) New Spirituality in their book, Growing Spiritual Redwoods has received high praises by men who are popular leaders themselves in today's Christianity. Rick Warren, Lyle Schaller, and Leonard Sweet-whose own books are self-evident that he has fallen for the (New Age) New Spirituality-have given this book the following endorsements:

(399) Moody Publishers Releases Prayers for Today: A Yearlong Journey of Contemplative Prayer by Lighthouse Trails, 12/13/11
What we are going to address in this article is the new book that Moody Publishers just released in September, Prayers for Today: A yearlong journey of Contemplative Prayer. This is not going to be a full fledged book review. It doesn't need to be to prove our point. The book is a collection of various prayers by a wide assortment of writers (e.g. the prayer of confession, the prayer of thanksgiving, the prayer of renewal, etc). Near the end of the book, Kurt Bjorklund, the author, has a section titled "Works Cited." He lists "the sources for prayer utilized in this book." There are around 70 sources. It is from these sources that the prayer collections are gathered. At least a dozen of these are books by contemplative authors who Lighthouse Trails has written about in the past: Richard Foster, Brennan Manning, Ken Boa, Leighton Ford,  Max Lucado, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, and Mother Teresa, all strong advocates of contemplative prayer.

(400) Labyrinths - Popping Up at Lots of Seminaries and Christian Colleges by Lighthouse Trails, 12/14/11
Speaking of Christian seminaries and spiritual formations, check out some of the seminaries that now have labyrinths, a tool used for contemplative prayer, but we hope you won't consider going to these schools. We believe that labyrinths will be showing up in more and more Protestant/evangelical schools and churches as contemplative spirituality sinks its teeth into modern day Christianity, holding on for the long haul.

(401) On Theosis, or Divinization by Pastor Larry DeBruyn for Contemplative Spirituality, Mysticism, 1/11/12
As defined by the Orthodox Church, deification (theosis) postulates that a Christian can become subjected to "God's full and perfect penetration . . . in which [state of being] the operations and energies of human nature cease, having been replaced by the Divine Operations and Energies." Though it has been part of "the spirituality" of the Orthodox Church for centuries, belief in divinization or theosis is emerging amongst today's evangelicals.

(402) Six Years Later - Focus on the Family Still Defending Contemplative Prayer by Lighthouse Trails, 1/14/12
LTRP Note: The following letter to the LT editor and the response this person received from Focus on the Family is used with permission from our reader. Important to note that FOF's response is similar to the response FOF was giving back in 2006 (when we received a letter from them) when asked why they were promoting Richard Foster and Gary Thomas and where they stood regarding contemplative spirituality in general. In comparison, the 2011 response from FOF is more detailed than the 2006 letter from the same FOF staff member (Tim Masters from the Executive Office) but is essentially saying the same thing. Worth noting, the arguments that Masters gives in defense of contemplative prayer have been scripturally refuted by Lighthouse Trails authors, showing how contemplative advocates have taken Bible verses and used them out of context. We have given references to a number of those refutations below.

(403) 100 Top Contemplative Proponents Evangelical Christians Turn To Today by Lighthouse Trails, 1/15/12
Over the years, many of our readers have asked for a list of authors who are promoting contemplative prayer. Well here is a list we have compiled.  This is from 10 years of research at Lighthouse Trails.  The list includes those authors who directly teach contemplative prayer as well as those who have consistently promoted contemplative prayer teachers. All of the names below are in one of these two categories. If you are a skeptic, this is not guilt by association, but is rather guilt by promotion or proxy. It is not possible to list every single contemplative prayer advocate, as the number of those in this category increases weekly with new book releases. Some of these names are not "evangelical" Christians but are to be found in either the Catholic camp or the New Age camp. We include those in this list because they are names that are being recommended or referenced by evangelical/Protestant leaders. We have found these names below to be the most influential in this area. At times, we will replace names with others as they come to our attention. If you need information on any of these names below, you can find most of them using our blog search engine or our research site Topical Index.

(404) 50 Top Organizations With a Significant Role in Bringing Contemplative Spirituality to the Church by Lighthouse Trails, 1/21/12
From 10 years of research at Lighthouse Trails Research Project, we have found the following fifty organizations to have had a significant role in bringing contemplative spirituality into the evangelical/Protestant church. If you do not know or understand the implications of this, we urge you to educate yourself as soon as possible.

(405) Lectio Divina: A Doorway to Contemplative and Centering prayer by Lighthouse Trails, 2/2/12
Lectio divina! There's a lot of talk about it these days. Numerous books have been published and more are on the way. An increasing number of evangelical/Protestant figures are writing, endorsing, and teaching it. Some people think lectio divina simply means to read a passage of Scripture slowly (or "praying the Scriptures") then ponder or think on that Scripture. That can be a part of it. But if you ask mystics or contemplatives what it entails (- and who would know better than they?), they will tell you that lectio divina (pronounced lex-ee-o di-veen-a) always includes taking a passage of Scripture (or other writings), reading it slowly, then working your way down until you have just a word or small phrase from the passage that you are meditating on (repeating over and over). 

(406) The New Look of Christian Missions by Roger Oakland, 2/9/12
Emerging spirituality is changing the way missions is being conducted. The idea is that you can go for Jesus, but you don't have to identify yourself as a Christian or part of the Christian church. This concept spills over into some missionary societies too, where they teach people from other religions they can keep their religion, just add Jesus to the equation. They don't have to embrace the term Christian.

(407) Olivet Nazarene University 105th School Added to Lighthouse Trails Contemplative School List by Lighthouse Trails, 2/11/12
On Saturday morning, Lighthouse Trails received an e-mail from a concerned parent whose child is attending Olivet Nazarene University. The parent told us that Richard Foster's book Celebration of Discipline is part of a required Freshman course. We have also discovered that Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality) is integrated in various aspects of the school including their Christian Education program, Practical Ministries, Youth Ministry, and the School of Theology. Thus we have added Olivet Nazarene University to our list of Christian schools that promote Spiritual Formation.

(408) Reader finds "An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School" to be "Junk" by Lighthouse Trails, 2/11/12
After posting an excerpt of the Lighthouse Trails novel Castles in the Sand last week, which we titled "An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School," we received the following e-mail from a pastor.

(409) The Submerging Church by Josaph M. Shimmel, 2/29/12
What are Emergent Church leaders teaching that has so many of our current generation tuned in to their "doctrine," but tuned out to holy scripture? How have Emergent leaders captured the hearts and minds of unsuspecting people all over the world, departing from many of the clear teachings, commandments and warnings found in the pages of the bible? Often preferred to be understood as a "conversation" or a... Go to the link above to order this DVD.

(410) "Deliteralizing" the Bible: from Plato to Peterson - Scripture amidst the Shadows by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 3/2/12
Increasingly, evangelical-emergent leaders are viewing the Bible as "metaphor"-to be constituted of less than literal language from which the reader subjectively derives spiritual meanings. To fully grasp the sense of God's Word, the reader must do so through the lens of the metaphor.[2] This "new hermeneutic" asserts that ignoring the nuances of metaphor makes the Bible unintelligible. For example, Eugene H. Peterson (well-known composer of The Message) states in Eat This Book that "if we do not appreciate the way a metaphor works we will never comprehend the meaning of the text."

(411) "The Lord's Prayer" in The Message by Gary F. Zeolla, 3/2/12
"The Lord's Prayer" is the simple prayer that Jesus gave to us as an example of how to pray. Most Christians have it memorized. But maybe the prayer as Jesus gave it to us is too "outdated" or hard to understand for today. At least, that is the attitude of some Bible versions. They feel a need to alter it to make it updated and easier to understand. The Message (MSG) by Eugene Peterson is one such version. This article will compare The Lord's Prayer as it appears in the MSG to an actual literal translation of the Greek text. For the latter, I will use The Lord's Prayer as it appears in my forthcoming Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Devotional Version (ALTD).

(412) Young Life's History of Embracing Contemplative Authors Continues by Lighthouse Trails, 3/8/12
No one can doubt that Young Life, a 72 year old Christian organization  that reaches out to young people, has a heart for kids. Volunteers and paid staff work diligently week after week in communities throughout America, Canada, and over 60 other countries to help get teens on the right path in life. In the course of a year, hundreds of thousands of kids come into contact with Young Life. Unfortunately, while their zeal to help kids is commendable, Young Life has been turning to contemplative mystics for guidance and spiritual instruction for at least two decades.

(413) Saddleback's Interfaith Initiatives Pastor Teaches Kingdom Circles (the New Emerging Missiology) by Amy Spreeman, Stand Up For Truth, 3/13/12
With all the buzz about the interfaith aspect of Saddleback Church's P.E.A.C.E. Plan and the controversy over the King's Way initiative that partners Rick Warren's church together with the Islamic community, many question just how Saddleback is reaching Muslims after promising not to convert anyone to Christianity. Could it be that not converting anyone is one reason Pastor Warren is getting so many questions about Chrislam?

(414) Evil Men and Imposters Grow Worse and Deceive by Heidi Swander, March 21, 2012
I've been memorizing the tiny book of Jude in the last few weeks. It is amazing to me to think of Jesus' brother writing to first century Christians and saying, "For certain men have crept in unnoticed . . . ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ," (v. 4). It's amazing because it sounds like the DVD I've just previewed; a new and timely video entitled, The Submerging Church: How the Emerging Church is Drawing Multitudes Away from Biblical Christianity.   What we're observing in the 21st century was already prevalent at the inception of the church. 

(415) Romantic Panentheism: A Review of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp by Bob DeWaay, 3/22/12
Let me state this clearly: Ann Voskamp has written a book sharing her pain and offering help through her discovery of eucharisteo_ (to give thanks). She chose a literary style that I and other reviewers found difficult to work with, but the style she chooses is her prerogative. Where her work warrants challenge is in her reliance on panentheism, romanticism, sensual language and those whose viewpoints she approvingly cites. What follows is my evaluation of Voskamp's contribution, and, through my analysis I intend to protect her readers from the errors she has introduced. 

(416) Today's Evangullible Church by Warren B. Smith, 3/27/12
In today's evangullible church, countless believers are yielding to the temptations of our Adversary and falling away (Luke 8:13). Giving in to the compromised teachings of the emerging apostate church, once faithful believers are succumbing to the deception that Jesus warned would come in His name (Matthew 24:3-5). Those who could have been overcomers become succumbers-unless, of course, they remember what they received and heard, and hold fast, and repent (Revelation 3:3).

(417) Kundalini Energy (the effects of Soaking Prayer) by Ray Yungen, 3/27/12
Because "soaking prayer" is becoming increasingly popular, and because we believe the effects of it are potentially dangerous (kundalini), we are posting this warning by Ray Yungen. As well as the links below this article, we have information on our research site about "soaking prayer."

(418) Theater Church - Spectacles, Stories and Diminishing Scripture by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 4/9/12
It is impossible to see how the emotiveness and imaginings of theater church will serve in any way to promote the mind of Christ in believers by reining their thoughts into obedience to Him. So, "Believers, Beware!" EXODUS THIRTY-TWO may soon be coming to a theater-church near you!

(419) Mark Driscoll and Liberty University Are Good Match - Both Promote Contemplative Spirituality by Lighthouse Trails, 4/10/12
While there has been some efforts, including a ballot, to stop Driscoll from speaking at Liberty University (Liberty is co-sponsoring the event), Lighthouse Trails can see how Mark Driscoll and the Liberty University of today are a good match with respect to contemplative spirituality - they both promote it. When all is said and done, contemplative is such a significant issue (given that its roots are anti-Gospel) that to share this propensity with each other, as Driscoll and Liberty do, from our point of view, makes the two entities on the same page. In other words, Driscoll is there because the school resonates with him.

(420) Henry Blackaby's Mysticism-Lite Negates Sola Scriptura by Ken Silva, 4/12/12
The central issue with the Blackabys, as well as with gurus teaching the Contemporary Spirituality/Mysticism of Foster-Willardism, is that their "experience" always ends up interpreting the Bible for them. However, this is absolutely backward-and sure to lead to spiritual disaster. In fact, this is really the exact same dead-end road that would end up producing the centered on the self (i.e. mankind) theology of apostate Roman Catholicism in the first place.

(421) Joe Schimmel's Submerging Church Capsulates the "New" Spirituality Exposing Mark Driscoll, Rick Warren, Rob Bell, and Bono by Joe Schimmel, 4/13/12
A fantastic  and vital contribution! Schimmel has brought together his own research from the last 30 years with the warnings of Lighthouse Trails, Roger Oakland, Ray Yungen, and Warren Smith and has connected all the dots.-David Dombrowski, Lighthouse Trails Chief Editor

(422) Revisting Awana's Move Toward Contemplative - And Another Look at "Perspectives on Children's Spiritual Formation by Lighthouse Trails, 4/14/12 
Update April 2012: Because Awana's book, Perspectives on Children's Spiritual Formation is circulating the market, and because we hear from Lighthouse Trails readers who ask about Awana and their promotion of Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative), we are reposting this information about this book. Prior to posting this revisit article, we contacted Broadman and Holman, the publishers of the book, and learned that the book is still in active print.

(423) Contemplative Prayer by Gary Gilley, 4/17/12 
Of all the spiritual disciplines the Spiritual Formation Movement promotes, none is more important than prayer and the intake of God's Word. On the surface we would expect little resistance to these two disciplines since they have been recognized as essential to spiritual growth by virtually all Christians from all traditions. Sadly, upon closer examination we discover that what is meant by most evangelical Christians when they reference prayer and Bible intake is not always what the leaders within spiritual formation mean. 

(424) God in Everything? The Premise of Contemplative Prayer by Ray Yungen, 4/18/12
The physical world, human beings, and everything that is are all forms of the Ultimate Reality, all expressions of God, all "one with the Father." He means not all Christians but all people. This is nothing less than Hindu samadhi with Christian spray paint. Those in this movement who are honest have no qualms about acknowledging this-as one adherent did so aptly when he confessed, "The meditation of advanced occultists is identical with the prayer of advanced mystics." (Ray Yungen, A Time of Departing, 2nd ed. 2006, pp. 28-32)

(425) Jesus: The illumined Illuminator by Marsha West, at Forgotten Word Ministries, 4/30/12
Contemporary Christianity is following "every wind of doctrine" in spite of the fact that Scripture warns about taking this route. Self-professed Christ followers no longer "endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions" (2 Tim. 4:3). Regrettably, many believers have embraced neo-Gnosticism. One of the many obstacles the first century Church faced was Gnosticism, a heresy that held that salvation was only available to those who possessed the hidden truths of Christ. 

(426) The Great Evangelical Disaster by Jan Markell, May 1, 2012
Dr. Frances Schaeffer correctly summed things up years ago when he said, "Here is the great evangelical disaster -- the failure of the evangelical church to stand for truth. The evangelical church has accommodated the spirit of this age. First there has been the accommodation of Scripture, so that many who call themselves evangelicals hold a weakened view of the Bible and no longer affirm the truth of all that it teaches." How did we get here? Paul Smith -- brother of Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith -- brilliantly documents the decline and fall of evangelicalism in his new book, New Evangelicalism: The New World Order.

(427) Clowning Around in the Pulpit: Fresh Expression of Emerging Church Ecumensim by Christ Lawson, Spiritual Research Network, 5/2/12
This issue contains an example of rife apostasy that will shock the uninformed and serve as a sober reminder of the battle for truth that we are all in. The title of my article is Clowning Around in the Pulpit: Fresh Expressions of Emerging Church Ecumenism. What you read is what I saw personally in Scotland. This is just a sampling of what is really occurring in the United Kingdom as far as apostasy.

(428) The Origins Of Contemplative/Centering Prayer by Ken Silva, 5/4/12
You also need to realize that this spurious CSM, with its spurious spiritual practices aka "disciplines," is actually absolutely hostile to the historic Christian faith and still very much an integral part of the theology of the neo-liberal cult operating openly now within the Emerging Church. In laying out this case as would a prosecutor in a court of law I'll call upon a couple of these leading EC authorities as expert witnesses concerning the origin of CCP, being its one of their core practices.

(429) A Global Religion - Is God in Grafitti? by Ray Yungen, 5/9/12
What is happening to mainstream Christianity is the same thing that is happening to business, health, education, counseling, and other areas of society. Christendom is being cultivated for a role in the New Age.

(430) Beware Of Emerging Spirituality and Emergence Theory by Ken Silva, 5/11/12
Along the lines of the Apprising Ministries post The Emergence Of A New God, here we'll hear a bit more about the mystic mush god with a man-shaped hole in its heart, now being preached by the sinfully ecumenical Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church (EC). The EC is far from dead.

(431) Updated! Quantum Mysticism In The Church: Cosmos, Codes, And Cryptologies by Gaylene Goodroad, 5/12/12 - Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8 & Conclusion.
Initially, terms such as Chaos Theory, Metacosm, and Hyperdimensional  or Holographic Universe seemed starkly out of place. Familiar with the bizarre teachings and science fictionesque concepts of Tom Horn (the subject of two previous Herescope articles),[ii] the more I read, the more I began to see other ominous connections between Horn, his collaborators, and New Age physics.[iii] These men are not only taking their readers beyond physical realities, but beyond what is written in Scripture.[iv]  Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(432) Roman Catholic Mysticism And Emergence Christianity by Ken Silva, 5/12/12
Video teaching.

(433) Chuck Swindoll - Still Pointing to Henri Nouwen - Confusing Message Being Sent by Lighthouse Trails, 5/23/12
Just this week, on Swindoll's website in an article he wrote, "Segments of Solitude," he is again pointing his readers toward Henri Nouwen.

(434) Seminary President in Iowa Warns Against the New Spirituality and Spiritual Formation by Dr. James Maxwell III, President Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary, Ankeny, Iowa, 5/26/12
Like many false teachings, The New Spirituality uses Christian terms and practices but infuses into them meanings far different from what we find in Scripture. Even some evangelicals have embraced various forms and teachings of this movement. In this article Dr. James D. Maxwell III, the president of Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary, exposes the dangers of The New Spirituality and offers suggestions for how believers should respond to it.

(435) Catholic Mysticism and the Emerging Church by Richard Bennett, 5/29/12
Mysticism attempts to gain ultimate knowledge of God by a direct experience that bypasses the mind. Catholic mysticism working together with the Emerging Church, needs to be reexamined. Old-time mystics such as Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross need to be examined again along with modern so-called evangelical mystics such as Richard Foster. All of this, and more, is accomplished in this professional presentation along with graphic inserts of persons and events. An analysis is also made of Phyllis Tickle who has surfaced as a formidable leader of this toxic movement. The fall from power of Tony Jones, a former leading light of the movement, is also documented. As we reexamine this topic we notice that show has been viewed more than 13,800 times on You-Tube alone. As you watch and listen to this distinctive DVD, we encourage you to make it known by forwarding its URL to others.  YouTube video.

(436) Sacred Reading (Lectio Divina) by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, 6/15/12
As we have seen in the last two Think on These Things articles, "Spiritual formation is viewed by a growing number of evangelicals as an ancient ministry of the church, concerned with the 'forming' or 'shaping' of a believer's character and actions into the likeness of Christ." [1]   Spiritual formation is distinguished from biblical discipleship primarily by its source of authority and its methodology.  On the one hand, discipleship as defined by the Bible turns to the Word of God as the final and ultimate authority over all matters of life and godliness.  This means that if one truly desires to be a follower of Jesus Christ, he will turn to the inspired Scriptures to determine both truth and how to "observe all that I [Christ] commanded you" (Matt 28:20).  Spiritual formation pays lip-service to Scripture but the true source behind the movement is the extrabiblical teachings and experiences of those in the past who supposedly have discovered the "secret" of deeper intimacy with God. Bruce Demarest says it this way: "For our help, [in the context of growth in the Spirit] we can turn to our Christian past - to men and women who understood how the soul finds satisfaction as we grow in God, and how His Spirit finds a more ready home in us." [2]   Richard Foster and Gayle Beebe concur: "Through their reflections, the great saints witness to the work of the Holy Spirit and, when we study them, guide our spiritual life as well." [3]   While Scripture is referenced by spiritual formation leaders, it is Scripture filtered through the experiences and insights of the "spiritual masters," as they are often called, that set the pace in spiritual formation. 

(437) Wide is the Gate: The Emerging New Christianity, Vol. 2 by Caryl Matrisciana, 6/25/12
This DVD (in five parts, 216 minutes total) lays bare today's deceptive movements and the popular trends that are leading an undiscerning church away from biblical Christianity and into the ecumenical unity of the one-world religion of the coming Antichrist. It gives an urgent warning to believers and calls for a return to the faith once-for-all delivered to the saints. Watch the preview here.

(438) Yoga in the Church: A Conspiracy Leading to Strong Delusion? by Dave Hunt, 6/27/12
We are the most highly informed and sophisticated society in history and are currently in the midst of a hi-tech explosion beyond anyone's wildest imagination only a few years ago. Yet at the same time, increasing millions in the West are buying into yoga, an occult practice that has been part of primitive Oriental superstitions and religions for thousands of years. Why is this happening? Finding an answer to that question will give us a good start toward understanding what yoga really is, why it is so appealing, and the havoc it is wreaking upon our culture.

(439) Where Are We Going? by David Dombrowski, 7/3/12
At Lighthouse Trails, we have dedicated ourselves over the years to expose the delusions that have crept into the church and to exhort believers to cling to the Gospel message as our only true assurance of safety. May I say, too, that most of the opposition (and often the most vehement) we have encountered comes from those who call themselves Christians.

(440) Emerging Spirituality - Bridging the Gap between Good and Evil by Roger Oakland, 7/6/12
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. 

(441) Are all angels safe? by Marsha West, 7/13/12
Sadly, many Christians who have embraced The Silence aka contemplative, or centering, or breath prayer are woefully unaware that what they're practicing is unbiblical meditation. And then we have "Christian yoga" spreading like a wild fire through the Christian community. I realize that this may not go over well with some readers, however, even if your yoga class is led by a Christian and held in a church, it is taboo! The bottom line is this: Angels would not, could not, promote anything God expressly forbids - and He forbids His children to have any part in pagan religious practices, nor are we to embrace the world's philosophies.

(442) Video Clip: Contemplative Prayer, Mysticism, & Kundalini Coming into the Church video clip from The Submerging Church DVD with Joe Schimmel, 7/15/12
This short video sample is from The Submerging Church with Joe Schimmel. For more information or to order this entire 2-DVD set, click here. 

(443) Biola's New Gay and Lesbian Student Group - A "Fruit" of Their Contemplative Propensities? by Lighthouse Trails, 7/25/12
LTRP Note: Regarding the article below about Biola University, we find it little wonder that Biola University now has a homosexual student group that has formed on campus. Biola has been promoting contemplative spirituality for several years, and as we have often indicated, when people being embracing contemplative/emerging spirituality (as Biola has done), spiritual (and morality) outlooks change. One of the "fruits" of contemplative spirituality, aside from interspirituality, is a change and leniency in attitudes toward homosexuality. Roger Oakland talks about this in Faith Undone in the section on the new sexuality (see excerpt below).  Thus, Biola, perhaps unwittingly, has provided a breeding ground for homosexuality for students. Whether homosexuals have come to Biola to infiltrate it or whether already existing Biola students have decided to begin living a homosexual lifestyle (likely both senarios have occurred), the fact is when Biola entered the contemplative arena, they entered into a realm that produces dramatic and devastating results. When you've got Christian figures such as Dan Kimball, Philip Yancey, Tony Campolo, Mark Driscoll, and other popular authors who have become advocates for the "new" sexuality (some of them outrightly promoting a laxed view on the homosexual lifestyle), you are going to see countless Christian youth turning toward homosexuality. Why can't parents see this before putting their kids into contemplative colleges. Your child may come home at Christmas break, not just practicing mantra meditation and yoga but also telling you he or she is now gay or lesbian.

(444) Exposing the Quantum Lie: God is NOT in Everything by Bob DeWaay and Warren B. Smith, 7/28/12 - These are 4 video preview clips (each about 10 minutes long) taken from Bob DeWaay and Warren B. Smith's lecture series, Exposing the Quantum Lie: God is NOT in Everything. You can get the entire 4 lectures at the Lighthouse Trails store.

(445) New Zealand Pastors Create Sports Bar Church Service Complete With Beer Drinking by Christine Thomasos , Christian Post Reporter, 8/1/12
Pastors Calvin Culverwell and Vic Francis will officially turn Albany Sports Bar in Auckland, New Zealand into a house of worship on Sunday. After the initiative was in the works for a year, the Albany Sports Bar will officially serve as a church on the first Sunday of each month beginning on Aug. 5.

(446) The Cross is Barbarity & a Slaughterhouse Religion - So Says Emerging Church Leaders by Roger Oakland from "Faith Undone", 8/7/12 
The heart and core of the Christian faith is based upon Jesus Christ's shed blood at Calvary as the only acceptable substitutionary atonement for mankind's sins. The Gospel message requires this foundation. The Bible says the wages of sin is death-thus every person alive should receive the penalty of spiritual death because none of us is without sin, since we are born with our sin nature intact. Satan hates the Gospel message. He understands what the Gospel means, and his agenda is to deceive mankind from understanding and believing so they can suffer eternally with him. While Scripture is very clear about the necessity of Christ's death in order for us to be saved, some believe this would make God a blood-thirsty barbarian. Embedded within the structure of the emerging church is just such a belief.

(447) Former New Age Follower Shares Testimony and Warning by Warren B. Smith (From False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care?), 8/8/12
As New Age believers years ago, my wife and I had no reason to doubt any of the "new revelation" that was coming our way. When we were students of A Course in Miracles in the early 1980s, it never occurred to us that Helen Schucman had received her spiritual dictation from anyone other than the real Jesus Christ. As members of A Course in Miracles study group, we studied what the "Jesus" of the Course said and applied his teachings to our lives. Having never read the whole Bible for ourselves, we thought the Course was helping us to understand what the Bible was "really" saying. We accepted the Course's interpretation of the Bible completely. It had a certain logic and seemed to make sense. We believed we were on the right path. Meaningful "coincidence" that had led us to the Course, and the supernatural signs that often accompanied our study appeared to confirm that we were spiritually where we were supposed to be.

(448) Letter to the Editor: Eastern University to Add Labyrinth With Grant From Calvin Institute at Lighthouse Trails, 8/13/12
Hi Lighthouse Trails: I've read your blog and appreciate very much all of the information and insights you share with your readers. I wanted to update you on a recent development on the university where my _______ attends.  I recently read a press release that they are building a labyrinth, and this caused me great concern.  Of course, that is the school that Tony Campolo helped to form.  Even more unsettling is the organization that they received the grant from [Calvin Institute]. . . .  My hope is that it will not be a requirement for the students, but I still find it quite sad, and almost a rebellion from their Protestant background. My thought is that you might use this to sound a warning when and if appropriate.  I am thankful for organizations such as yours that work to get the word out to others.

(449) "A Utopian Kingdom and Global Healing?" by Roger Oakland, Understand The Times, 8/18/12
The emerging church talks a lot about the kingdom of God on earth, but in language and philosophy much different from the Bible. One emergent writer hopes the emerging church will handle the problems of this world in a manner that is "smarter" and "more effective" than those who have gone before.

(450) New Theology, Gnosticism and the New Age by Gene K. Smith, 2006
Most Christians don't really want to talk about "negative" issues such as sin and Satan. Most would rather believe the modernist Post Millennial view that the all church members are truly Christian. Many still believe that mankind can, by his own efforts, eliminate evil, poverty, war, etc. and then usher in God's eternal Kingdom for all. But God's unchanging Word presents a different scenario ...

(451) Quantum Mysticism Conference DVDs by Herescope, 8/21/12
Discernment Ministries held a very special research conference in Niles, Michigan June 21-23. Niles is the new home of our ministry's library, the Opal Reddin Library, which archives over 40 years of research material in the Latter Rain, Dominionism, Third Wave and New Apostolic Reformation.  We heard incredible sessions from Warren Smith, Dr. Martin Erdmann, Pastor Larry DeBruyn, Gaylene Goodroad, Jewel Grewe, Pastor Jeff Whittaker, and Sarah Leslie, which covered:

· The emerging eschatology involving the return of space alien creatures, Nephilim and Mayan legends in December 2012.
· The rise of Quantum Spirituality, merging quantum physics with eastern mysticism and postmodern evangelicalism.
· Technocracy and Transhumanism and how the this is changing the church and the world.
· The latest research on the New Apostolic Reformation and the Latter Rain false apostles and prophets.
· How Hollywood is being used by the Quantum Spirituality advocates to create stimulating new imagery to promote pagan mythologies and idolatries.
· How evangelical leaders are using ancient occult writings, apocryphal writings, astrology and modern UFO lore to build upon Scripture.

(453) To Open Worship Perry Noble's Newspring Church Rocks Kiss by Ken Silva, 8/29/12
This is Perry Nobles' NewSpring Church worship band playing Rock And Roll All Night by the secular rock band Kiss. And if you're not familiar with this ode to hedonism, no need to worry, NewSpring Church even supplies the lyrics for your"*cough* entertainment"

(454) Solitude and Silence by Gary Gilley, 8/30/12
But when the leaders of the Spiritual Formation Movement speak of quiet and solitude they are referencing something very different from a "quiet time" comprised of Bible reading and prayer. 

(455) Lectio Divina: What it is, What it is Not, and Why It is a Dangerous Practice by Lighthouse Trails, 8/30/12
Lectio Divina - There's a lot of talk about it today; umpteen books are published and more are on the way about lectio divina; and an increasing number of evangelical/Protestant figures are writing about it, endorsing it, and teaching it. Some people think lectio divina simply means to read a passage of Scripture slowly (or "praying the Scriptures") then ponder or think on that Scripture. That can be a part of it. But if you ask mystics or contemplatives what it entails (And who would know better than they?), they will tell you that lectio divina (pronounced lex-ee-o di-veen-a) always includes taking a passage of Scripture (or other writings), reading it slowly, then working your way down until you have just a word or small phrase from the passage that you are meditating on (repeating over and over). Basically, you are coming up with a mantra-like word or phrase that has been extracted from a passage of Scripture, which, according to contemplatives, if repeated for several minutes will help you get rid of thoughts and distractions, so then, they say, you can hear the voice of God and feel His presence.

(456) Southern Baptist Convention Rejects Gender-Neutral NIV Bible But Embraces The Message, Renovare Bible, and Contemplative Books by Lighthouse Trails, 9/23/12
While the SBC's willingness to stand up against this new translation Bible translation is worth noting, we are puzzled that they find nothing wrong with Eugene Peterson's translation The Message paraphrase and Richard Foster's Renovare Spiritual Formation Study Bible. On their LifeWay Resources website, they sell The Message and the Renovare "Bible." They also carry the New Men's Devotional Bible (NIV), which includes "contributions" by New Age sympathizer Rob Bell.  They also carry books by contemplative authors such as Gary Thomas, including his book Sacred Pathways where he tells readers to repeat a word for twenty minutes and Sacred Marriage where he references several times a tantric sex advocate.1  They carry books by contemplative proponent Pete Scazzero including Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, a resource for those wanting to practice contemplative prayer. To get a good glimpse at Scazzero's propensities, check out his favorite books section on his website - it's a plethora of mystics, emergents, and New Agers sympathizers. And there are countless other examples of contemplative authors that LifeWay is selling. A search on the store website will bring these up.

(457) Be Still - Contemplative, or Listening Prayer and Psalm 46:10 by Pastor Larry DeBruyn for Contemplative Spirituality, 9/23/12
"Be still, and know that I am God . . ." (Psalm 46:10). Those promoting contemplative or "listening" prayer refer to this Scripture as a biblical endorsement for pursuing this spiritual discipline. As a precondition for experiencing Soul-to-soul communication from God, contemplative Christians advocate cultivating quietude for the purpose of creating a spiritual tabula rasa (i.e., Latin for blank slate) in which personal communication from God can be received. Influential Christian leaders and spiritual directors encourage listening prayer (praying without words) as a means to experience "God's guidance in everyday life." At face value, Psalm 46 verse 10 appears to endorse this increasingly popular but ancient and mystical way to pray.

(458) The Submerging Church: How are the Emergent Church and the Purpose Driven Movements Related? by Joe Schimmel, 9/24/12
Video clip from "The Submerging Church".

(459) Profane Preachers Contribute to Killing the Conscience by Marsha West, The Christian Post, 9/29/12
There seems to be a growing trend in the Church for the clergy to feed the sensual appetite through their sermons. What we are dealing with are pastors who have dirty minds and potty mouths. The word that best describes them is profane.

(460) "Prepare to chill out, D.C.: Eckhart Tolle, spiritual mega-teacher, making his first D.C. appearance" with comment by Lighthouse Trails, 10/1/12
"Christ is your God-essence or the Self, as it is sometimes called in the East. The only difference between Christ and presence is that Christ refers to your indwelling divinity regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not, whereas presence means your awakened divinity or God-essence." (Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, p. 104) LTRP Note: The following article is posted not as an endorsement but rather for research and informational purposes. Lighthouse Trails has posted articles about New Age guru Eckhart Tolle before (especially after the big promotion Oprah gave him a few years ago), and we find it  worth noting that the visit by Tolle to Washington DC takes place the day after the first presidential debate for this election. As we have often reported, the new age/"new" spirituality permeates our Western society including those who govern our countries. See the "Related Articles" below for important information and documentation.

(461) The Labyrinth Journey: Walking the Path to Fulfillment? by Carl Teichrib, Forcing Change, 10/9/12
Understand, Christians looking for ways to bring in new relevancy within church worship did not "rediscover" the labyrinth as a spiritual tool. As we shall see, it's been part of the esoteric world for a very long time. Which is why, today, labyrinth walks and "prayer journeys" are being promoted by Rosicrucian groups [4], at New Age festivals and celebrations [5], and throughout the neo-pagan world. Not surprisingly, one of America's largest witch, shaman, and neo-pagan assemblies, the 2005 Pagan Spirit Gathering at Wisteria, OH, held a night-time Summer Solstice Labyrinth ritual, which was described as a "transformative, walking meditation through an all night labyrinth formed by 1000 lighted candles".

(462) The Social Gospel, Yesterday and Today by Gary Gilley, 11/2/12
What is unfolding before us is what the Emergent leader Brian McLaren terms "missional." Missional, McLaren tells us, is "a generous third way," between the conservative "personal Savior" gospel and liberal version of it.[35] McLaren further explains, "My missional calling: blessed in this life to be a blessing to everyone on earth" My mission isn't to figure out who is already blessed, or not blessed, or unblessable. My calling is to be blessed so I can bless everyone."[36] He continues, "From this understanding we place less emphasis on whose lineage, rites, doctrines, structures, and terminology are right and more emphasis on whose actions, service, outreach, kindness, and effectiveness are good". (In order) to help our world get back on the road to being truly and wholly good again, the way God created it to be""[37] Rob Bell adds, "For Jesus, the question wasn't how do I get into heaven? But how do I bring heaven here?...The goal isn't escaping this world but making this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people who can do this kind of work."[38] The rationale of McLaren and Bell is a mere echo of the original founders of liberalism.  Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(463) The Idolatry of "I am!" by Larry DeBruyn, Guarding His Flock Ministries, 11/15/12
One of my seminary professors stated in a theology class, "God created man in His own likeness and image, and man has been returning the compliment ever since." Again, like one pundit put it, "Man is the ape that wants to be God." In many ways, shapes, and sizes, the "man-is-God" teaching still comes to us.

(464) Calvary Chapel & Purpose Driven Pastors Doing Yoga? by Chris Lawson, Spiritual Research Network, 11/16/12
Vimeo video.

(465)  Spiritual Formation at Worship by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, October/November 2012 - Volume 18, Issue 5
The “face” of the Spiritual Formation Movement, as well as contemplative spirituality and emergent Christianity, is often first noticed within evangelical churches by the incorporation of traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practices and liturgies. Many of these practices are being introduced at special events and eventually find their way into the regular services of the church. Worshippers are often confused by what they are experiencing and do not understand what is taking place. It should be understood that when traditions borrowed from errant groups such as Catholics and Orthodoxy are taken into evangelical worship and life, and are done so without a careful examination of Scripture, what is being adopted is more than just methods. There is a comprehensive, and in many ways wrong, theology upon which these practices rest. Methods do matter, and we are naïve to think that we can take techniques from false religions and not eventually embrace their theology.

(466) Should Christians Do Contemplative Prayer? That's a Good Question! by Lynn Lusby Pratt, 11/21/12
The process itself is the same for mystics of all religions-in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, in Hinduism with transcendental meditation and yoga, in Sufism (Islamic mysticism), in the meditation of New Age spirituality, and in contemplative prayer. Participants are advised to choose a “sacred word.” But the repetition renders any words meaningless (ask a psych prof), so it doesn't really matter whether a Christian says "Jesus loves me" or a Buddhist says "Hail to the Lotus." The repetition induces an altered state of consciousness in which the practitioner senses a "union with the divine," having presumably contacted the god of choice.

(467) Christian Mysticism by Pastor Daryl Hilbert, 11/26/12
... in one degree or another, Christian Mysticism does not rely upon the Scriptures for its truth and spirituality, but rather upon one’s own feelings, impressions, and intuitions.

(468) How the "Quantum Christ" (God is in everything) is Tranforming the World . . . and Entering the Church! by Warren B. Smith, 3/12
The New Age/New Spirituality is already heralding quantum physics as a "scientific" basis for their contention that God is not only transcendent but also immanent "in" everyone and everything. Physicist Fritjof Capra"s 1975 best-selling book on quantum physics "The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism "was the first to present this proposed scientific/spiritual model to a mass audience. In it, Capra explains that he gained new spiritual insights through a mystical experience he had sitting on a beach in Santa Cruz, California in 1969...

(469) The Top 50 "Christian" Contemplative Books – A "NOT RECOMMENDED Reading List" and 25 Christian "Bridgers" to Them at Lighthouse Trails, 12/10/12
LTRP Note: Ray Yungen and the editors at Lighthouse Trails have put together our Top 50 "Christian" Contemplative Books - A "Not Recommended Reading List." If your pastor, your professor, your children, or your friends are reading any of these books, then they are being led down a path that will take them toward a mystical, panentheistic spirituality where only deception  lies in wait. And keep in mind, if they are reading other books that are pointing to the books and authors below, this may ultimately have the same results.

(470) Fantasy or Reality? - Where is your faith? by Sarah Leslie, 12/10/12
The Emerging Fantasy-Driven Worldview - With the rise of interest in the Mayan calendar date of Dec. 21, 2012 among Evangelicals, there is a concurrent noticeable shift in perceptions of reality. What is reality? What is fantasy? Are church people mixing the two together in strange new ways?

(471) Emerging Christianity by Berit Kjos, 2006
Those who read A New Kind of Christian and its popular sequel will be caught up in an unusual dialogue. Identifying with the "Christian" teacher Neo and others who model the "new" Christian beliefs, readers are encouraged to challenge God, question His commands, twist disturbing truths, and pursue visions that fit contemporary culture.  Read Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3.

(472) COMPARISON: “New Spirituality” Leaders Reject and Ridicule the Second Coming of the Lord VERSUS Bible Prophecies Standing in Stark Contrast by Lighthouse Trails, 12/23/12
Many people feared that the world would come to an end on December 21, 2012 because of Mayan calendar "prophecies." Many New Agers believed that the 21st would be significant in seeing a global wide spiritual epiphany. In the midst of all this, there is the issue of the return of Jesus Christ. What do New Spirituality “ leaders have to say about the end-times and the return of Jesus Christ versus what does the Bible have to say? There is a vast difference in the two.  The Bible tells us that in the last days men will be scoff and scorn the idea of Jesus Christ returning.

(473) The Post-Truth Transformation of a Wordless "Faith" by Tamara Hartzell, 12/24/12
In today's shifting Christianity, people think it is simply a matter of "moving the fence" in order to be more inclusive. They don't understand that we can't broaden the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is any more than we can broaden the truth of Who God is. The Word of God tells us the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is, and, again, the truth and faith that are in the Word of God give us the Christian faith, not the faith of another religion. In other words, the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is gives us the Christian faith. This is the faith that is given to us by God in His Word. The Lord Jesus Christ does not 'move the fence;' that is, He does not change the truth of Who He is to be more inclusive. The truth is what it is whether people believe it or not.

(474) "The Lord is my Shepherd! I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) by David Dombrowski, Lighthouse Trails Research, 12/30/12
Many people feared that the world would come to an end on December 21, 2012 because of Mayan calendar "prophecies." Many New Agers believed that the 21st would be significant in seeing a global wide spiritual epiphany. In the midst of all this, there is the issue of the return of Jesus Christ. What do New Spirituality “ leaders have to say about the end-times and the return of Jesus Christ versus what does the Bible have to say? There is a vast difference in the two. The Bible tells us that in the last days men will be scoff and scorn the idea of Jesus Christ returning.

(475)  Ignatius by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, December/January 2012/2013 - Volume 18, Issue 6
One of the most popular and strongly promoted activities within spiritual formation is known as “The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola.” As the name implies, these are exercises or activities invented by the Roman Catholic monk Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century to enhance spiritual life, first his own and then that of the monks within his monasteries. The exercises are complicated and difficult, and were practiced almost exclusively by Catholic monks for over 400 years until the birth of the modern Spiritual Formation Movement in the latter part of the 20th century. Today there is no doubt more interest in the exercises than at any other point in history. To grasp Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises, we will begin with a short history of Ignatius, including the society of monks he founded, move to the original 16th century exercises as found in Ignatius’s book, examine their modern application especially among Protestants, and then discuss why the Exercises are of deep concern to lovers of biblical Christianity.

(476) A Brief Snyopsis of The Emerging Church by Pastor Daryl Hilbert, 1/1/13
How do we respond to the Emerging Church Movement? Answer: the same way the Scriptures have always exhorted believers to respond, by putting forth an emphatic effort and strenuous struggle on behalf of the truth, by contending earnestly for the faith once for all handed down to the saints, and metaphorically, by waging war for the truth.

(477) “Reimagining” God by Tamara Hartzell, 1/6/13
In today’s shifting Christianity, people think it is simply a matter of “moving the fence” in order to be more inclusive. They don’t understand that we can’t broaden the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is any more than we can broaden the truth of Who God is. The Word of God tells us the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is, and, again, the truth and faith that are in the Word of God give us the Christian faith, not the faith of another religion. In other words, the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is gives us the Christian faith. This is the faith that is given to us by God in His Word. The Lord Jesus Christ does not “move the fence!” That is, He does not change the truth of Who He is to be more inclusive. The truth is what it is whether people believe it or not.

(478) The Cross versus the “Higher Self” by Ray Yungen, 1/17/13
The New Age and Christianity definitely clash on the answer to the question of human imperfection. The former [the New Age] espouses the doctrine of becoming self-realized and united with the universe, which they see as God but in reality is the realm of familiar spirits. On the other hand, the Gospel that Christians embrace offers salvation to humanity through grace (unmerited favor). Romans 3:24 boldly states: “… being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” In Romans 6:23 we read: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This gift is not earned or given as a reward for earnest or good intentions as Scripture clearly states.

(479) The Postmodern Deconstruction of Biblical Truths by Prof. Johan Malan, Mossel Bay, South Africa (December 2012)
We are living in a time of the most immense and relentless attacks on the Christian faith since the beginning of the church dispensation. The present onslaught does not primarily occur on the physical level in order to persecute and torture Christians, but rather on the spiritual and doctrinal level with a view to utterly deceiving them. These assaults constitute a determined and final effort by the kingdom of darkness to completely obliterate the Christian faith and replace it with the Antichrist’s alliance of false world religions.

(480) The Emerging Church And The Wild Goose Chase Into Postmodern Progressive Christianity by Ken Silva, 6/5/11
The sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church continues on their foolish Wild Goose Chase; so here at Apprising Ministries I continue tracking the destruction in the wake of The New Downgrade And Its Apostles Of Unbelief. As I do you’ll come to see that the EC’s new postmodern version of Progressive Christian theology under their spiritual circus “big tent” Emergence Christianity depends upon philosophy and not Biblical theology.

(481) Soaking – the Trendy Approach to a Holy God by Kevin Kleint, 1/29/13
During my stint at the Elijah List (2001-2008), the practice of “soaking” grew immensely in popularity among the “prophetic” church, and continues to grow now.  Usually, the “soaker” has a “soaking” CD playing in the background that is conducive to the “soaking” experience. Most of the time, these CD’s have music playing, with a “prophet” or “prophetic person” either speaking, “prophesying” or singing with the music. Elijah List contributors such as Todd Bentley, Stacey Campbell and the Kansas City prophets (Mike Bickle, Bob Jones, Paul Cain, etc.) have released entire “worship” CD series created for this very purpose. To the spiritually young and immature, the practice of  “soaking” seems SO RIGHT. They think: “Who wouldn’t want to get in contact with God’s Holy Spirit? What better way to experience the Presence of God? The people who practice it prophesy a LOT and they seem so ‘spiritual’, this MUST be the right way to do things …… Right?” Unfortunately, Wrong.

(482) The Post-truth Transformation of a Wordless Faith at The Berean Call, 2/5/13
In today’s shifting Christianity, people think it is simply a matter of “moving the fence” in order to be more inclusive. They don’t understand that we can’t "broaden" the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is any more than we can broaden the truth of Who God is. The Word of God tells us the truth of Who the Lord Jesus Christ is, and, again, the truth and faith that are in the Word of God give us the Christian faith, not the faith of another religion.

(483) LifeWay Stores Drops “Warning” Labels on Emergent Books – Says Not Relevant Anymore by Lighthouse Trails, 2/11/11
According to a Christianity Today article, LifeWay Christian Stores (resource department for Southern Baptist Convention) has decided to end their “Read with Discernment” labels program that began in 2007.1 Books that LifeWay was carrying at that time by emerging church authors such as Rob Bell and Brian McLaren were suppose to receive labels telling potential readers that they should used discernment when reading the books as the books “may have espoused thoughts, ideas, or concepts that could be considered inconsistent with historical evangelical theology.” But, says Christianity Today, LifeWay has decided to end the warning program. Chris Rodgers, LifeWay’s director of product standards and customer relations, said: “We have been thinking about doing away with them for some time . . . They have kind of become irrelevant.”

(484) "LECTIO DIVINA" List - Who is Promoting it? by Lighthouse Trails, 2/26/11
This list is taken from our Lectio Divina: What it is, What it is Not, and Should Christians Practice it? Print Booklet Tract. This list will be updated as needed. You can read that booklet by going here.

(485) The Eerie Silence of a Silent Church by Warren B. Smith, author of False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care?, 3/1/13
Why is there almost no call for spiritual discernment within the Church? . . . Why are there so few warnings about a counterfeit “new gospel” movement that maligns the person of Jesus Christ and threatens the lives of His followers?

(486) The Real Roots of the Emergent Church (Film) by Elliott Nesch, Holy Bible Prophecy, 3/4/13
Film: This Christian documentary film The Real Roots of the Emergent Church will take an honest look at the leaders of the Emerging Church movement such as Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, Rob Bell, Tony Campolo, Steve Chalke, Peter Rollins, Dan Kimball, Richard Rohr, Phyllis Tickle, Spencer Burke and others. Who are they and what are they teaching? Become familiar with the postmodern Emergent Church and its popular tactic of literary deconstruction applied to the Bible. This film takes an in-depth look at what the Emerging Church believes concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, absolute truth, hell, homosexuality, mysticism, contemplative prayer, other religions, and eschatology in comparison to the Bible. Much more than candles and couches! Participants: Eric Ludy, Joe Schimmel, Chris Rosebrough, Bob DeWaay, Gary Gilley, Ray Yungen, Robert LeBus, Jay Peters, James Sundquist, and Elliott Nesch.

(487) The Rise of Apocalyptic Paganism in the Church: Bible Prophecy in Crisis by Herescope, 3/7/13
The eschatological teachings of the postmodern evangelical church are in a state of revision and flux. It is no longer possible to categorize endtime teachings according to the old standard recognizable Postmillennialism, Amillennialism and Premillennialism. There are emerging permutations in these teachings, hybrid eschatologies that blend in New Age evolutionary progression, quantum physics (including quantum spirituality), “incarnating” Christ, “Forerunner Eschatology,” science fiction, UFO lore, secret codes, and ancient pagan mythology, astrology and apocryphal writings. The result is a prophecy mish-mash. These strange new configurations of eschatology are apocalyptic in nature and go far beyond the descriptions of an apocalypse that are found in Scripture alone. Postmodern endtime prophecy no longer reflects the humble Gospel message of salvation, nor does it find hope in the soon return of Jesus Christ. 

(488) Questions For Those Considering Yoga (4:18) - Video by Chris Lawson, 3/8/13
It is for good reason that Christian pastors in India have been found to weep over the ignorance of Christians in the West that do yoga for "exercise." Christian or non-Christian, it seems that most people in Western civilization have never been properly warned about the dangers of yoga. Asking simple questions, Chris Lawson presents various straightforward considerations that people should seriously think about before launching themselves - and those around them - into influences that the the world of yoga can produce within them, upon them and through them.

(489) John Piper Says No to Catholic Contemplatives But Yes to Protestant Contemplatives by Lighthouse Trails, 3/11/13
This past week we received an e-mail from a reader who brought to our attention a video online showing where popular Calvinist teacher John Piper is asked the question: “Is there such a thing as contemplative prayer or Christian meditation in the Reformed and Puritan tradition?”

(490) Emerging “Progressive” Spirituality: Joining the New Age with Christianity, and Christian Leaders Say OK by Lighthouse Trails, 3/21/13
No one group understands emerging “progressive” spirituality as much as those in the New Age. That’s because it is their religion. So when the evangelical emerging church movement rose to the forefront, New Agers must have found it quite intriguing and most likely rewarding to see their belief system finally take root in Christianity.

(491) Reputedly Conservative Churches Embrace 'Holy Yoga' by Dr. Paul M. Elliott, 4/3/13
"Holy Yoga" is a syncretistic mingling of Hinduism and Christianity. It is a latter-day manifestation of the same evil spirit that drove King Ahaz of ancient Judah. We find the sad record of his syncretism in 2 Kings chapter 16 and 2 Chronicles chapter 28. Ahaz saw and admired a great pagan altar in Damascus. So, he decided to have a copy of it made in Jerusalem and set up in the temple alongside the brazen altar of the one true and living God. Ahaz caused the Levitical priests to offer sacrifices upon it. 

(492) Contemporary Christian Divination: The False Claims and Practices of Christian Mystics by Bob DeWaay, 2007
Those today who are evangelical Christians, who know God through the gospel, yet dabble in the practices of the pagans, are spiritual “sons of Jeroboam.” They are, like Jeroboam, very creative in making Christianity relevant to the current culture. The problem is not Western rationalism as the contemporary mystics all claim. They are fighting an obsolete battle. The prevailing culture in America is very much “spiritual.” They claim the need for mystical experience to fight against modernity when they are in a post-modern culture that has embraced the East. The danger today is not that people think that the material realm is all there is, it is that they think they can contact the spiritual realm their own way. They are practicing divination.

(493) How to Know When the Emerging Church Shows Signs of Emerging Into Your Church (Booklet) by Lighthouse Trails, 4/7/13
I am convinced we are seeing apostasy underway, exactly as the Scriptures have forewarned. This means that this current trend is not likely to disappear. We must continue to proclaim the truth in the midst of deception with love. 

(494) Christians mystically encountering God by Marsha West, RenewAmerica, 4/16/13
For a couple of decades there has been a big push by numerous evangelical leaders to incorporate pagan practices into the visible Church. These unbiblical practices have their origins in Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, likewise the New Age movement. Roman Catholic Trappist Monks fully embraced Eastern religion's pagan practices. Through the writings of Thomas Merton, Basil Pennington, William Menninger and Thomas Keating these practices have been introduced into mainline Protestant churches as well as independent, nondenominational, charismatic and Pentecostal churches.

(495) NEW PRINT BOOKLET TRACT: The New Missiology – Doing Missions Without the Gospel by Roger Oakland, 4/27/13
Emerging “progressive Christianity” is changing the way evangelical/Protestant missions is being conducted. The idea is that you can go for Jesus, but you don’t have to identify yourself as a Christian or part of the Christian church. This concept spills over into some missionary societies too, where they teach people from other religions they can keep their religion, just add Jesus to the equation. They don’t have to embrace the term Christian.

(496) Christian Colleges that Promote Contemplative by Lighthouse Trails, 4/29/13
A list of "Christian" colleges that promote Emerging Church, Contemplative Prayer and Spiritual Formation.

(497) Christian Colleges that DO NOT Promote Contemplative by Lighthouse Trails, 4/29/13
A list of "Christian" colleges that DO NOT promote Emerging Church, Contemplative Prayer and Spiritual Formation.

(498) Fasting and Spiritual Direction by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, April/May 2013,Volume 19, Issue 2
The list of spiritual disciplines that has been adopted within the Spiritual Formation Movement is almost endless. We could analyze the divine office, Benedict’s Rule, use of the Rosary and prayer ropes, monasticism, journaling, the Eucharist, and pilgrimage, among many others. But we will conclude our study of the disciplines with fasting and spiritual direction.

(499) Avoiding the Dangers of Yoga, Mysticism, New Age and the Occult by Chris Lawson, 5/10/13
Some portions of these articles were originally published in 2010, under the title "Defining Deception: What Is Yoga, Mysticism, New Age and The Occult?" The following, which is part one of this two-part series, covers the terms “Mysticism” and “Yoga.” Part two of this series (see below) covers the term “New Age (New Spirituality/New Gospel/Contemplative spirituality) and the term “Occult.” Biblical warnings against these philosophies and the spiritual practices they entail are given throughout both articles.  Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(500) SPECIAL FOLLOW-UP REPORT: Lighthouse Trails Statement to Assemblies of God Response Regarding Invitation of Ruth Haley Barton by Ray Yungen & Lighthouse Trails, 5/13/13
To begin, we want to clarify that the names we mention below are not people who are loosely and inadvertently associated with this mystical spirituality but rather are practitioners and dedicated advocates of it.

(501) Letter to the Editor: Christian & Missionary Alliance OK With Ruth Haley Barton and Other Contemplatives by Lighthouse Trails, 5/16/13
Two and a half years ago the leadership of the Western PA District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance invited Ruth Haley Barton to speak to its pastors and lay delegates at its annual District Conference. I sat in amazement as I watched my fellow pastors nod their heads in affirmation as Mrs. Barton said Moses went in to the desert to meditate.  I didn’t see my fellow pastors turn to the book of Exodus to read the account of Moses.  My Bible says Moses went to the desert to escape being killed by Pharaoh.

(502) Harding University & School of Theology – Another Christian University Added to Contemplative Colleges List by Lighthouse Trails, 5/20/13
After a concerned parent contacted us, we researched Harding University in Arkansas and Harding School of Theology in Tennessee (both under the same umbrella) and discovered that Harding needed to be added to our list of Christian schools that are promoting contemplative spirituality. Both the University and the School of Theology have integrated Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative)  into their schools.

(503) Moody Pastors Conference Teaching Lectio Divina This Week
; And Seven Years of Warning by Lighthouse Trails Go Unheeded by Lighthouse Trails, 5/22/13
On May 20-23, Moody Bible Institute held its annual Pastors Conference (this year called re|Focus). Keynote speakers included Alistair Begg, Voddie Bauchman, Michael Easley (former Moody Bible Institute president) and a number of other evangelical pastors and speakers. On Tuesday, during one of the breakout sessions, Peter Spychalla, Director of Prayer Ministries, East White Oak Bible Church in Illinois gave a teaching on the contemplative practice called lectio divina (see page 35 of brochure)

(504) Will Assemblies of God Leaders Ignore Contemplative Evidence? by Lighthouse Trails, 5/26/13
LTRP Note: This an update to our previous articles regarding Assemblies of God’s invitation of contemplative leader Ruth Haley Barton to their 2013 General Council conference. Please see the links at the bottom of this page for a chronological listing of articles relating to this matter.

(505) Contemplative Spirituality Concerns Part 1 (Video) by Chris Lawson, Spiritual Research Network, 5/31/13
Many people today - Christians and non-Christians - are engaging in Contemplative Spirituality practices. What many do not realize is that the Spiritual Formation "centering prayer" movement, with its mystical and occult methods and techniques, is part of a global Interfaith system of spirituality, a spirituality that is rooted in Eastern mysticism and philosophies such as pantheism (All is God, God is all), monism (All is one) and panentheistic (All in God, God in all) evolutionary occultism (the "hidden" things, "universal cosmic energies," quantum spirituality, etc). This short introductory video speaks to fact that the "centering prayer" and "meditation" movements within the the New Spirituality/New Gospel/New Age movement are hostile to the Person, nature and work of Jesus Christ and the biblical Gospel.

(506) The New Missiology: Doing Missions Without the Gospel (Tract) by Roger Oakland, 6/4/13
Emerging "progressive Christianity" is changing the way evangelical/Protestant missions is being conducted. The idea is that you can go for Jesus, but you don't have to identify yourself as a Christian or part of the Christian church. This concept spills over into some missionary societies too, where they teach people from other religions they can keep their religion, just add Jesus to the equation. They don?t have to embrace the term Christian.

(507) Coming to Christ Through Mysticism? by Roger Oakland, 6/9/13
The spiritual formation movement teaches that if people practice certain spiritual disciplines, they can become like Jesus and model their lives after Him. But being born again and having the indwelling of Christ is not a prerequisite. Neither is receiving Him as Lord and absolute Savior. What spiritual formation offers is an alternative to God’s plan of salvation revealed in Scripture.

(508) Concerns Grow as Moody Presses Forth Down Contemplative Path by Lighthouse Trails, 6/10/13
As we explained in our May 22nd article, “Moody’s Pastors’ Conference Teaching Lectio Divina This Week”  we have been warning Moody Bible Institute and Moody Radio (owned by MBI) for seven years. Moody has rejected our warnings, has refused to accept our free, non-obligatory copies of A Time of Departing and Faith Undone, and has continued to promote contemplative spirituality.

(509) New Age “Christianity”? by Roger Oakland, 6/13/13
The amazing thing to me is how quickly Christianity has been changed in such a short period of time. Why has this happened? Does it have something to do with the Word of God being undermined? It seems to me that Christians have joined hands with the New Age, and we now have a New Age Christianity that the Bible warns us about. 

(510) NEW BOOKLET TRACT: An Epidemic of Apostasy – How Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate “Spiritual Formation” to Become Accredited by Lighthouse Trails, 6/16/13
What do the two accreditation organizations—Association of Theological Seminaries and Association for Biblical Higher Education—have in common? Both associations require schools that wish to be accredited to include Spiritual Formation within the school’s infrastructure. Just what exactly does that mean for these 350 some seminaries and Bible colleges? Well, it means that if they want to receive and maintain their accreditation, they are going to have to incorporate Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality) into the lives of their students.

(511) "Contextualization" of the Gospel: A Free-Falling Catastrophe by Roger Oakland, 6/19/13
If Paul had been adjusting (contextualizing) the Word of God to fit the culture and context of the lives of those he spoke to, he would not have said “the aroma of death leading to death.” He took the spiritual state of these people very seriously, and he had full confidence that God’s Word, unaltered and unchanged, could reach into the heart and soul of any person who would receive Christ by faith. Whether a person is young, mentally challenged, or of a different culture or ethnic group, the Gospel is God’s Gospel, and He made it so that all who receive it by faith will understand His love and forgiveness and have eternal life. . . .

(512) The Truth About Energy Healing (Booklet) by Ray Yungen, Lighthouse Trails, 6/25/13
New Agers and occultists believe that man has more than one body, that there are other invisible bodies superimposed on the physical body. They refer to one of these as the etheric body and believe there lies within it energy centers called chakras (pronounced shock-ras). The term chakra means whirling wheel in Sanskrit, the ancient Hindu language. They were seen by those with clairvoyant powers as spinning balls of psychic energy. It is taught that there are seven chakras, which start at the base of the spine and end at the crown chakra at the top of the head.

(513) The Duty And Danger Of Opposing The“Emergent” Movement by Bill McCumber, 6/28/13
The duty is simple. The gurus and leaders of this emergent movement, conversation, dialogue—call it what they will—do not base their teachings and writings upon Scripture but upon their own opinions. They do not submit to the authority of the Bible but seek to impose their authority upon the Bible. They dismiss the clear witness of the Bible to itself as the inspired Word of God. When this has been done the witness of the Bible to God, to Jesus Christ and to salvation from sin is rejected outright or dangerously distorted.

(514) The Labyrinth Journey: Walking the Path to Fulfillment? (Booklet) by Carl Teichrib, Lighthouse Trails, 7/2/13
Beyond all of this, just as walking the labyrinth is used for initiation in cults, it serves as a catalyst to draw people into more serious forms of New Age or eastern-style meditation cloaked under terms like “the silence,” “centering prayer,” or “contemplative prayer.” Yes, the majority of Christians would affirm that their labyrinth prayer walk is completely focused on Jesus Christ. That may be true, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that the labyrinth is, by its theological nature, an inter-religious and deeply mystical device. If God is going to bless the labyrinth experience, how is He going to deal with 2 Corinthians 6:14-16?

(515) Author Phyllis Tickle brings emergent church discussion to Menucha lectures at Understand The Times, 7/5/13
Phyllis Tickle, a lively authority on the future of the Christian church, will present the 2013 Wright Lectures on Oct. 13-15 at Menucha Retreat and Conference Center in Corbett. Attendance is limited to 60 people, and registration is open. Tickle will speak on two of her books, "The Great Emergence" and "Emergence Christianity: What It Is, Where It Is Going and Why It Matters." She will offer extended question and answer periods and encourage small group conversations on the implications of what participants are hearing. Tickle is an Episcopal lay minister and founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly. She says the Christian church is entering a post-denominational period against a backdrop of sociological and cultural shifts that have created a distrust of all institutions. Mainline churches are becoming less hierarchical and more communal, she says, allowing Protestantism to renew and redefine itself. "Wherever it's going, there's every reason right now to rejoice," she says. "God is doing a new thing amongst us and it's call emerging or emergent Christianity." 

(516) YOGA and Christianity – Are They Compatible? (Booklet) by Chris Lawson, Lighthouse Trails, 7/7/13
Western Culture Embraces Yoga: It is no secret that Yoga is taking Western civilization by storm. In just a little over a hundred years, a mystical revolution has occurred that millions of Westerners have wholeheartedly embraced. Amazingly, the Western Judeo-Christian view is in the process of a paradigm shift toward the same perspective as yogic India.

(517) Exposing the Quantum Lie: God is NOT in Everything (Video Preview Clips) by Bob DeWaay and Warren B. Smith, Lighthouse Trails, 7/12/13
4 video preview clips (each about 10 minutes long) taken from Bob DeWaay and Warren B. Smith’s lecture series, Exposing the Quantum Lie: God is NOT in Everything. You can get the entire 4 lectures at the Lighthouse Trails store.

(518) From the Frying Pan into the Fire: Women of Faith Partners with New Age Advocate Roma Downey by Lighthouse Trails, 7/25/13
We fear we must say yes to John Lanagan’s question. Women of Faith is going from the frying pan into the fire. In a June 21st Christian Post article, “Mark Burnett, Roma Downey Partner With Women of Faith, ‘Believe God Can Do Anything’ Tour,”  it explains how Women of Faith “has partnered with ‘The Bible’ producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey to incorporate parts of the highly successful History Channel program into its ‘life-changing’ tour. That probably sounds UN-alarming to most people. After all, what could be wrong with a  program called The Bible?  And the series (now seen by over 100 million people), The Bible,  is being promoted widely by many Christian organizations and ministries with a broad marketing target.

(519) The Spirituality of Teresa of Avila – A Mystic to Whom Contemplatives Turn by Lighthouse Trails, 7/27/13
Castles in the Sand by Carolyn A. Greene is a story based on true facts and addresses the fast growing contemplative prayer movement within the evangelical/Protestant church. The story is about a 21st century Christian college girl who is introduced to the writings of a 15th century mystic girl, Teresa of Avila in her Spiritual Formation class.  Teresa of Avila is one of the ancient mystics to whom modern day contemplatives turn. For example, Richard Foster includes her in Devotional Classics, Sanctuary of the Soul, and Longing for God.  We think when you read this chapter of Castles in the Sand, you will see how the spiritual practices of Teresa of Avila line up with the occult but not with biblical Christianity. If you didn’t get a chance to read chapter one  when we posted it, here it is again: (chapter one). Below is an excerpt to chapter two with a link to the entire chapter.

(520) An Epidemic of Apostasy – How Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate “Spiritual Formation” to Become Accredited (Booklet) by Lighthouse Trails, 8/1/13
Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case, you will find contemplative spirituality and its “pioneers” such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Henri Nouwen. Spiritual Formation is based on “spiritual disciplines” that can be practiced by people of any faith to make them more “Christ-like.” Rebirth through Jesus Christ and regeneration through the Holy Spirit are not essential. Rather it is a works-based “theology” that has strong roots in Roman Catholicism and ancient paganism.

(521) WHO GOES THERE? Encountering voices in the silence of contemplative prayer by Larry DeBruyn, 8/22/13
If whispers repeat the Word of God, then they are unnecessary. If whispers contradict the Word of God, then they are heresy. If they add to the Word of God, then they point to Scripture’s inadequacy and insufficiency. To this point Proverbs warns: “Add thou not unto his [God’s] words, lest he [God] reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6, KJV). – DeBruyn

(522) The Stillness and Lectio Divina at a Mennonite “Biblical” Seminary? by Menno-lite, 8/29/13
The seminary for the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches is there to equip and educate future pastors, leaders, missionaries, counsellors and teachers for ministry within the Mennonite Brethren constituency. This fall, one of the courses offered by the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary to equip future pastors and teachers and missionaries is listed on the CMU 2013-14 COURSE TIMETABLE: BTS-5960M Being with God in Stillness and Scripture (1.0 credit hour) This course will draw on biblical, historical and experiential resources for developing a conversational relationship with Jesus Christ through the practices of stillness, and `sacred reading’ of Scripture (lectio divina). Students will complete several assignments after participating in a one-day workshop. (In 2013 this workshop will be offered in two Ontario locations.) Instructor: Andrew Dyck
http://www.mbseminary.ca/cmu-courses Is this really a biblical practice?

(523) The Quantum Christ: Entering the World AND the Church Through Popular New Age & Christian Leaders by Warren Smith, 8/30/13
The New Age/New Spirituality is already heralding quantum physics as a “scientific” basis for their contention that God is not only transcendent but also immanent—“in” everyone and everything. Physicist Fritjof Capra’s 1975 best-selling book on quantum physics—The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism—was the first to present this proposed scientific/spiritual model to a mass audience. In it, Capra explains that he gained new spiritual insights through a mystical experience he had sitting on a beach in Santa Cruz, California in 1969

(524) When Mysticism Fills the Vacuum of Nominal Christianity by Ray Yungen, 9/4/13
Why are the mainstream denominations so open to meditative and holistic practices?

(525) The Metaphysical Explosion & the Higher Self – A Path to Spiritual Enlightenment or a Road to Dangerous Deception? by Ray Yungen, 9/7/13
After 25 years of research, I fully understand why so many people have embraced metaphysics (mysticism) and why they seek transformation for humanity as a whole. By and large, they have rejected orthodox (old paradigm) Christianity as being unacceptable, but still want to retain spiritual meaning and a utopian vision in their lives. In addition, they see metaphysics as helpful towards improving the quality of their daily lives, whether it be better health, more loving relationships, inner peace, or guidance for success and prosperity. They would think it the height of ignorance and folly to condemn such seemingly wonderful ways to better the human condition.

(526) Drinking to the Gospel: Presbyterian Church in New Zealand Embraces Alcohol to Evangelize, Attract Members, Make Money at Understand The Times, 9/13/13
With promotional events like "Wine and theology evenings" and "Beer and barbeque" church services, congregants of New Zealand's dying Presbyterian Church are now embracing alcohol as an evangelism tool to attract more members and increase their bottom line according to a new study coming out of that country. Highlighting new research by religion expert, Dr. Geoff Troughton of Victoria University of Wellington, in a Medical Xpress report on Tuesday, revealed that the Presbyterian Church's anti-alcohol campaign had slacked off radically since the 1990s to shore up their bottom line and attract more people to the dying church. "Some churches are now experimenting with using alcohol as an evangelization tool. Rather than seeing alcohol consumption as a marker of secular culture in need of change, it has become part of efforts to promote Christianity. 'Wine and theology' evenings and 'beer and barbeque' church services are among the methods being explored," said Troughton in the report.

(527) Emergent Church: Is The Bible Inerrant by Ken Silva, 9/21/13
As a pastor-teacher sent by Christ someone is welcome ask me the exact same question: “Do you believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God?” Answer: Absolutely; it is the only Book inspired the one true and living God–the Creator of mankind–and as such it is the sole source of authority for how God wishes all of His creation to live their lives, no matter what culture they may be part of. My reason for stating it like that is because this is exactly how Jesus Christ of Nazareth approached Holy Scripture, and no one has the right to call themselves Christian without having the same view of the Scriptures that His Master had.

(528) Biola Conference Welcomes Ruth Haley Barton as it Continues Heartily Down Contemplative Path by Lighthouse Trails, 10/9/13
On October 16th, Biola University will host its Torrey Conference 2013, and contemplative teacher Ruth Haley Barton will be a featured speaker at the event. 

(529) Letter to the Editor: The Affects of “Spiritual Formation” in a Christian Church at Lighthouse Trails, 10/10/13
From Lighthouse Trails I ordered the book by Ray Yungen For Many Shall Come In My Name.  This is where I first was introduced to the concept or should I say the term Centering Prayer.  The subject matter so moved me that I ordered 10 copies and provided it to my pastor to distribute it to the ministry team at church. Thinking maybe they were unaware of the direction the church was moving in. Looking back I never realized how naïve I was! How unprepared! I believed that the books would be read and I would receive some type of response. Negative! Upon giving the Pastor the book and its copies, the reaction was not what I hoped for. He looked at the back and said that it had no supporting commentaries[endorsements] on the back. Looking inside, he said it looks like he’s probably a Baptist. Getting over the shock of that statement, or should I say trying not to show how much that statement shocked me, I told him that the supporting commentaries might get me to read the book, but it would be the contents that would make or break the book for me.  He thanked me and took the books with a promise of getting back to me. 

(530) The Advent of the “Ancient Wisdom” by Ray Yungen, 10/11/13
A Time magazine article on what America believes reveals that fourteen percent of the U.S. population sees God as “a Higher Power or Cosmic Force.”9 This would confirm the number that Eckhart Tolle spoke of (thirty million New Agers). How would any movement achieve such an enormous following so quickly? What is it that drives such rapid growth? The answer to this question cannot be ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. (For more information, read Ray Yungen’s book, For Many Shall Come in My Name)

(531) Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? by Lighthouse Trails, 10/14/13
Is your church involved in a Spiritual Formation program? If so, you might want to ask the question, what does Spiritual Formation look like? It’s a fair question, and one, that if not asked, could end up surprising you when your church changes in ways you never imagined. In a 2002 Christianity Today article, it stated: “Spiritual Formation is in.” The article reveals who is largely responsible for starting the movement: "Now many evangelical seminaries offer programs in spiritual formation. Renovare, which Richard Foster and others founded in 1989 to cultivate spiritual formation (especially among evangelicals), today offers retreats and resources worldwide."

(532) Only 1 in 3 Young Born-Again Evangelicals Believe Jesus Is Only Way to Heaven, Apologist Says at Understand The Times, 10/15/13
Young American born-again believers are moving away from a biblically-centered worldview, with only one in three affirming that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, according to Steve Cable, senior vice president of Probe Ministries. 

(533) Letter From Focus on the Family Confirms Past Reports – They DO Promote Contemplative Spirituality by Lighthouse Trails, 10/18/13
Recently, Lighthouse Trails received a letter from one of our readers who sent us a letter she had received in 2012 from Focus on the Family after she inquired about their views on contemplative spirituality. On a number of occasions in the past, Lighthouse Trails has issued reports showing Focus on the Family’s promotion of contemplative spirituality. In more than one instance, Tim Masters (in the Office of the President), on behalf of Focus on the Family,  has written to Lighthouse Trails and/or LT readers expressing the organization’s acceptance of contemplative.

(534) Mega-Pastor Steven Furtick Faces Examination by Trinity Foundation, 10/30/13
Elevation Church Pastor Steven Furtick has attracted some unwanted attention.  WCNC reporter Stuart Watson recently uncovered Furtick’s large $1.7M house tucked in the woods away from public scrutiny and doubly hidden in a specially created trust. The expose asks a lot of questions about how mega-pastors with a ready-made audience can profit from book royalties.  It also raises questions about the suitability of compensation committees comprised of fellow pastors with a vested interest as contrasted with a long-held church tradition of elders and deacons having decision-making authority.

(535) Does God Sanction Mystical Experiences? by Ray Yungen, 11/9/13
Nowhere in the Bible is the silence equated with the “power of God,” but the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18) most certainly is!

(536) Sojourners Founder Jim Wallis’ Revolutionary Anti-Christian “Gospel” (and Will Christian Leaders Stand with Wallis?) by M. Danielsen, Lighthouse Trails, 11/23/13
LTRP Note: We first posted the following commentary in June 2010. We felt it was timely to post it again for those who have forgotten about it or for those who have not yet read it, especially in view of Jim Wallis’ SoJourner magazine’s endorsement of Brian McLaren’s new CANA Initiative, which we wrote about yesterday. If you want to know where things are going, this article will be most “enlightening.”

(537) Letter to the Editor: A New Believer Shocked to Learn New Age Practices in Christian College by Lighthouse Trails, 11/24/13
No question about it in my mind – this is the great falling away happening before our eyes. I was also once a member of the Anthroposophical Society – an offshoot of the Theosophical society. The mystical Christ being preached more and more is the same as the  anthroposophical Christ taught by Rudolf Steiner, a gnostic version of Christ. 

(538) Another Jesus Calling (Book) by Warren B. Smith, 11/25/13
For those who have read Jesus Calling and been troubled by it but didn’t know why, “Another Jesus” Calling will give substance to your concerns and will equip you to help your friends who may be reading Young’s book also. And if you have read Jesus Calling and see nothing wrong with it, consider the claims of “Another Jesus” Calling. Beyond all this, “Another Jesus” Calling serves as a discernment tool in rightly handling the Word of God. You will lay down this book with renewed understanding of the essential role of the Bible and the Gospel message in keeping on (or returning to) the right path.

(539) Mennonite University Considering Policy Change to Allow Homosexual Faculty by Heather Clark, Christian News Network, 11/26/13
LTRP Note: Another example of a contemplative college that changes its views on homosexuality.

(540) Letter to the Editor: Campus Crusade for Christ “Gospel Message” Includes Spiritual Formation/Contemplative Spirituality by Lighthouse Trails, 11/28/13
A couple years ago Campus Crusade for Christ changed their 60-year-long name to CRU in order, they said, to reach more people for Christ. What they don’t realize is that the “Christ” of contemplative prayer is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible. The “Christ” of contemplative prayer will introduce adherents to Henri Nouwen, who stated near the end of his life after years of practicing contemplative mysticism.

(541) Letter to the Editor: Church of 43 Years Builds Labyrinth, Promotes Mystical Rituals and Social Gospel by Lighthouse Trails, 12/5/13
I left my church of 43 years, because they were promoting books like Ruth Haley Barton’s “Solitude and Silence”; they had built a Labyrinth next to the Memorial garden where my parents ashes lay and were performing mystic rituals along with contemplative prayer and Spiritual Formation. 

(542) Embracing Contemplative Shows Ill Effects at Moody Bible Institute in Ecumenical “Road to Rome” Event by Lighthouse Trails, 12/14/13
For over seven years now, Lighthouse Trails has followed Moody Bible Institute’s continued promotion of contemplative spirituality. Although the organization has denied that they are promoting contemplative, the evidence has consistently existed. Those who have a good understanding of contemplative spirituality are aware of the inevitable outcome for followers of contemplative. This outcome is a change in spiritual attitude that leads to the following – ecumenism (a joining together of all religious traditions, in particularly Catholicism first, then Islam),  interspirituality (all paths lead to God), panentheism (God is in all), and eventually universalism (all are saved, regardless of belief – thus no need for the Cross).

(543) Biblical Discipleship – Prayer by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, November/December 2013 - Volume 19, Issue 5
The Spiritual Formation Movement has rocked the church. Ancient disciplines, most often practiced within the monastic movement in the early centuries of Christianity, have been dusted off, repacked, and resubmitted to believers as the means for obtaining spiritual growth. There is increasing discussion about fasting, journaling, pilgrimage, simplicity, solitude, silence, contemplative prayer, and spiritual direction in Christian literature. What can be learned from this renewed interest in spiritual formation and what are the dangers? The last eight editions of “Think on These Things” have been written to interact with the history, teachings and dangers of the Spiritual Formation Movement. I want to now turn from the disciplines practiced in modern spiritual formation to the biblical alternative to spiritual formation, as described in the earlier articles. We will examine the means, or disciplines if you choose, which the Word of God clearly identifies as ways God has designed for His people to be transformed into Christ-likeness and to experience intimacy with Him.

(544) Letter to the Editor: Where Can My College-Age Child Receive a Four-Year Degree? by Lighthouse Trails, 12/20/13
We appreciate your attention to the wayward teaching at many Christian schools, but have a serious question. The list of non-contemplative schools is mostly Bible colleges. What would you suggest to a student who is not going into full-time ministry, is looking for a liberal arts or sciences degree, and quite frankly, needs the fellowship of other believers at his age? Our son will latch onto campus lifestyle, is involved at church, but is not inclined to seek philosophy or meditative styles. He’s a straight shooter who has been in Christian schools all his life.  Our initial thoughts are to consider a Bible school for a semester or two prior to going to a Christian university, or to be extra critical of which professors and classes are taken for Bible requirements. What would you do?

(545) Holiday Cheer & Christianizing "Shiva" - Lord of Yoga? by Chris Lawson, 12/23/13
"Yoga may for a time provide seemingly beneficial health and an abundance of physical energy. However, in the end there is a trade off, the human soul and spirit become spiritually defiled. Moreover, a built in hostile resistance against the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Word becomes a subtle, and even blatant, reality in the life of the practitioner. When one engages in Yoga, biblical discernment goes out, and human will softness and the free acceptance of New Age spirituality comes in. In the end, the forces of darkness have their way - the practitioner of Yoga is enslaved to the will of hostile baleful entities. Although all might seem well and happy on the outside, the internal life of the striving yogi becomes dismantled, piece by piece, year after year, until at last, the soul is damned in its rejection of Christ the Savior of the world."  - Chris Lawson

(546) The Present of “His Presence” - “Emmanuel” — God is with us! by Larry DeBruyn, Herescope, 1/1/14
As biblical as Pratico’s statement is, it is deficient in one major aspect. Not only is God “with” us, but under terms of the New Covenant, He’s “in” us! He’s present in/with us at all times and through all the experiences of life, death and eternity. That is why the Lord Jesus described that which He would give to believers eternal life (John 3:15, 16, 36; 6:40; 10:28; 17:2-3). In continuum, the Lord’s presence resides with/in believers from now into eternity, and this divine presence we cultivate by faith in God’s Word, not by invoking it.

(547) T.A. McMahon on "Social Gospel" In "Wide Is The Gate" by T.A. McMahon, 1/2/14
Question: I’ve been watching the  Wide Is the Gate  video series with some friends. We watched “Youth Movements and the Social Gospel” from volume 2 in which T. A. McMahon states: “in trying to solve the problems, fix the world, many Christians don’t realize that they’re actually going to be helping the Antichrist develop his kingdom.” My friends were disturbed by this statement and understood it to mean that Christians should not help with anything that makes the world a better place. The world is destined to be destroyed and only those who are going to follow the Antichrist want to make it better. Is this what you meant? 

(548) An “Enlightened” Race? by Caryl Matrisciana, 1/5/14
I see many similarities in the United States, and in the Western world at large, to German society in the 1930s. Christians by the carloads rush from one conference to another to learn about community, leadership, small groups, and the like. But I propose that what they are getting isn’t training to be good leaders but rather subtle induction to being good followers, lulled to lay aside independent thinking. “Follow, follow, follow!” chants the chorus of today’s leaders, all the while singing the praises of Eastern concepts and mystical practices. Our way of thinking–and not thinking–is being radically altered, and the majority of people, including Christians, don’t even see what is happening. (Extracted from Out of India by Caryl Matrisciana, pp. 213-216)

(549) John Piper And Linger Conference With Ihop’s Stephen Venable And His Contemplative Teaching by Ken Silva, 1/18/14
Yesterday Apprising Ministries told you about John Piper And Stephen Venable Of IHOP Together At Linger Conference. The upcoming Linger Conference (LC), scheduled for February 14-15, 2014. features NC mentor John Piper, a well-known charismatic, and current Acts 29 president and “reformed charismatic” Matt Chandler. Also at LC will be Stephen Venable, who is “a missionary at” IHOP currently serving ”as an instructor” at IHOP University. In addition, he’s “part of the senior leadership team of the Antioch Center for Training,” which is an extension of IHOP. The truth is, Stephen Venable is as dedicated to IHOP as it gets.

(550) Understanding Mantra Meditation and Altered States by Ray Yungen, 1/21/14
The meditation most of us are familiar with involves a deep, continuous thinking about something. But New Age meditation does just the opposite. It involves ridding oneself of all thoughts in order to still the mind by putting it in the equivalent of pause or neutral. A comparison would be that of turning a fast-moving stream into a still pond. When meditation is employed by damming the free flow of thinking, it holds back active thought and causes a shift in consciousness. This condition is not to be confused with daydreaming, where the mind dwells on a subject. New Age meditation works as a holding mechanism until the mind becomes thoughtless, empty and silent.

(551) Letter to the Editor: Evangelical Free Church Snowballing into Spiritual Deception Through Contemplative/Emerging by Lighthouse Trails, 1/22/14
I never thought I would be writing you, but I would like to tell you how much I appreciate your efforts, for few are those doing your type of ministry, certainly not in my experience, especially at the local level by church leadership! Let me get straight to the point of my writing—my wife and I have been attending an Evangelical Free Church for approximately five years now, but recently things are beginning to snowball in several areas.

(552) Updated! Dave & Tom Classic - The Seduction of Christianity (Part 1) by Dave Hunt and Tom McMahon, The Berean Call, 1/31/14 - This page has the transcript and MP3 of this discussion. - Also read Part 2.

(553)  Biblical Discipleship – Prayer by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, November/December 2013 - Volume 19, Issue 5
The Spiritual Formation Movement has rocked the church. Ancient disciplines, most often practiced within the monastic movement in the early centuries of Christianity, have been dusted off, repacked, and resubmitted to believers as the means for obtaining spiritual growth. There is increasing discussion about fasting, journaling, pilgrimage, simplicity, solitude, silence, contemplative prayer, and spiritual direction in Christian literature. What can be learned from this renewed interest in spiritual formation and what are the dangers? The last eight editions of “Think on These Things” have been written to interact with the history, teachings and dangers of the Spiritual Formation Movement. I want to now turn from the disciplines practiced in modern spiritual formation to the biblical alternative to spiritual formation, as described in the earlier articles. We will examine the means, or disciplines if you choose, which the Word of God clearly identifies as ways God has designed for His people to be transformed into Christ-likeness and to experience intimacy with Him.

(554) “Christian Palestinianism” & Emergents Lynn Hybels and Jim Wallis Come to Multnomah University For “Justice” Conference by Lighthouse Trails, 2/15/14
On February 21st and 22nd, Multnomah University (formerly called Multnomah School of the Bible) in Portland, Oregon, once considered a biblically-based evangelical school, will be hosting the simulcast Justice Conference with speakers Lynn Hybels and Jim Wallis (both emergent leaders who are part of the “Christian Palestinian” movement). Other emergents such as N.T. Wright will also be at the Justice Conference.

(555) Pastor Steven Furtick’s “House from Heaven” by Herescope, 2/19/14
My intention in drawing attention to the controversy over Furtick’s house-scandal is because what’s happening with him and Elevation Church are symptomatic of what is going wrong in evangelicalism. As a whole and for the most part, excepting, of course, Samaritan’s Purse and many other good and godly missions and ministries, the evangelical movement does not have a good reputation among outsiders. As far as the movement’s PR is concerned, rotten apples are spoiling the whole, and millions of followers are allowing it to happen. So it becomes incumbent that these wealth-gospel ministers and ministries be held up to the scrutiny of Holy Scripture to see how God’s word indicts their obvious and blatant spiritual shenanigans.

(556) How Elevation Church, Pastor Furtick produces 'spontaneous' baptisms by Stuart Watson / NBC Charlotte, 2/23/14
To get those thousands of baptisms takes a lot of planning. And Elevation produced a document to show other churches how they could do likewise. It’s titled “Spontaneous Baptisms – A How-To Guide” and the church shared it freely on the Sun Stand Still website. But parts of the mass baptism guide have drawn sharp criticism – from other Christians. Page one shows that the first people instructed to respond to Pastor Steven’s call to baptism were not converts suddenly inspired but Elevation volunteers carefully planted in the crowd. 

(557) Letter to the Editor: Radio Bible Class – Continuing to Go Contemplative – And Pushes “As Below, So Above” at Lighthouse Trails, 2/26/14
We would like to assist in continuing to illustrate that RBC [Radio Bible Class] has yet to cease from “going contemplative” – regardless of their statements to the contrary. We offer two recent examples from their Our Daily Bread (ODB) product.

(558) Multi-Sensory Worship: Prayer Stations, Icons, Incense, and Candles by Roger Oakland, 3/7/13
Stimulating images that provide spiritual experiences are an essential element of the emerging church. While many are bewildered as to why their churches are darkening their sanctuaries and setting up prayer stations with candles, incense, and icons, promoters of the emerging church movement say they know exactly what they are doing. 

(559) Hegel’s Marxist Dialectic – a Tool Used By the Emerging Church to Bring About a “New World Order” by Mike Oppenheimer, 3/17/14
One of the earliest forms of employing the dialectical method was the Dialogues of Greek philosopher Plato. in which the author sought to study truth through discussion in the form of questions and answers. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, thought of dialectic as the search for the philosophic basis of science, and he frequently used the term as a synonym for the science of logic.

(560) Biblical Discipleship – Fellowship by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, March/April 2014 - Volume 20, Issue 2
As we continue to pursue the specific means found in Scripture that the Lord has given us to aid in spiritual growth, we now turn to the subject of fellowship. We are reminded at this point that some within the Spiritual Formation Movement claim that virtually anything can become a means of spiritual formation. But without specific biblical support it is presumptuous on our part to infuse some activity, no matter how spiritual or pious it may seem, with qualities which aid our progressive sanctification. If we are to be true to the inspired text of Scripture we must search for instruments which the Holy Spirit has explicitly proclaimed to be means of promoting discipleship. So far we have found that both biblical prayer and the Scriptures are two such activities. Now we will examine another, that of fellowship with other believers, and the body of Christ.

(561) Mark Driscoll’s Distorted View on Noah and Salvation . . . (And How Some People Have a Very Strange Idea as to the Meaning of God’s Salvation) by Lighthouse Trails, 3/30/14
LTRP Note: With the release of the Hollywood movie Noah and its blasphemous representation of God’s truth as told in the Bible and an outright attack on Bible-believing Christians, coupled with emerging Christian figures (such as Mark Driscoll who misses the point while trying to make a point in his claims that Noah was not a righteous man1), the article below by Dr. Harry Ironside is timely.

(562) Visualizing Jesus? by Caryl Matrisciana, 4/7/14
To a person such as myself, who has been exposed to the Hindu concept of maya (that life is an illusion), this method becomes particularly suspect. Can we mentally create an “envisioned Jesus” to speak to us at our whim? What makes us think we can manipulate the God of the universe to appear at our every request? How can we be sure we’ve contacted the real Jesus?

(563) Why Yoga Cannot Be Christianized! (Audio) by Chris Lawson, 4/8/14
Yoga poses (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama) are based upon Yoga's pantheistic occult evolutionary philosophy. They are designed to work together, as a New Age occult Worldview. And Christians are trying to mix the poses and breathwork with their Christian beliefs?

(564) They Say God Would Never Send His Son to a Violent Death For the Sins of Mankind at Lighthouse Trails, 4/18/14
LTRP Note: As you read this article by Roger Oakland, remember that as millions of proclaiming Christians give remembrance this weekend to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, countless pastors, teachers, and leaders will be promoting contemplative spirituality, which is a driving force behind the view that is addressed in this article. Thus, we ask the question this time every year, do they not realize that by promoting contemplative spirituality, they are in essence, by proxy, denying the atonement? Next time your pastor or Sunday school teacher favorably quotes Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning, or any number of contemplative mystics or encourages the practice of lectio divina or walking the labyrinth, consider sharing this article with that pastor or teacher.

(565) Understanding the Difference: Biblical Atonement or New Age At-One-Ment? by Warren B. Smith, 4/19/14
The Course also teaches that while “Christ” is in Jesus, so “Christ” is in everyone—and that the “Christ” in everyone is their divine connection with God and with each other. The Course further teaches that a “slain Christ has no meaning.”4 It states that wrong thinking has produced the misperception that man is a “sinner” and that he needs an external Christ to save him from his “sins.” The Course teaches that salvation has nothing to do with Jesus’ death on the cross. Salvation comes from what the Course calls the “Atonement” (“at-one-ment”) process.

(566) From Truth to a New Spirituality by Berit Kjos, March 10, 2008
The occult quotes listed under Transition and New Spirituality were dictated by seducing spirits channeled by influential occultists such as Alice Bailey (spirit guide Djwhal Khul) and Neale Donald Walsch (a counterfeit "God"). These revealing messages were compiled by our friend and fellow-researcher Tamara Hartzell and explained in her insightful report: "Are you 'Being led away with Error of the Wicked' to the New Age Ark of Oneness?" The endnotes are numbered as they appear in her report. 

(567) The Real Roots Of The Emergent Church Documentary (Video) by Elliot Nesch, 5/2/14
Expose of the EC.

(568) The Mission Of The Church Is To Preach The Gospel by Ken Silva, 5/4/14
But historically, conservative Christianity has always seen social improvement as taking a backseat to the church’s true calling of proclaiming the gospel and making  disciples.  It has never seen the social  agenda as an end in itself – until now.  The social gospel became the hallmark of the liberal church,…because the liberals had emptied their message and ministry of  biblical truth and were left with no other “good news” than solving physical problems.  Sadly, evangelicals today are increasingly adopting the missional, social gospel of liberalism.

(569) Major Christian conference accused of 'pushing mysticism' - Controversial prayer technique at evangelical gathering by Jim Fletcher, 5/5/14
A major Christian church-leadership organization, which brought thousands of pastors and church workers together in Carrollton, Texas, this week, raised the eyebrows of some attendees because of its promotion of “contemplative spirituality.”

(570) That Time of Year Again~Looking for a Christian College This Fall For Your Child? Better Think Carefully About Which One to Attend by Lighthouse Trails, 5/6/14
As Lighthouse Trails has reported over the last several years, a growing number of evangelical/Protestant colleges, seminaries, and universities are integrating contemplative spirituality and emerging ideologies into their schools. If you, or someone you know, are currently looking for a Christian school, we beseech you to check potential schools very carefully. Ask to see textbook lists, search their websites to see if they have spiritual formation programs, and find out who speaks at their student chapels. It would also be a good idea to contact the school chaplain and ask some good questions.

(571) Mennonites Teaching Contemplative Spirituality to Children by Lighthouse Trails, 5/16/14
Are the Mennonites who are teaching contemplative spirituality to children leading them astray?

(572) Campus Crusade for Christ “Gospel Message” Includes Spiritual Formation/Contemplative Spirituality by Lighthouse Trails, 5/17/14
I am a semi-retired pastor who has been growing more and more troubled by the trend in evangelical churches toward new age, emergent, and eastern mysticism. We were looking for some sound material to give to a Korean lady who is showing interest in Christianity. We went to Power to Change, __________  (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) to secure something useful for this purpose. We were sold a booklet titled “Knowing Jesus Personally.” It was looking good as we studied the content, until we came to the chapter on being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

(573) One Woman’s Story About Jesus Calling: A Surprise I Never Expected That Changed My Life! at Lighthouse Trails, 5/21/14
Over the past month, God has opened my eyes to see just how deceived I have been when it comes to what I read, what I listen to, and who I go to for Godly wisdom. As a Christian, my greatest desire is to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, the REAL Jesus Christ. In order to pursue that, I must know the Truth, I must know Jesus Christ, I must know the Word of God. I would like to share my testimony with you in regards to this past month and talk about how God has rekindled a deep desire in me for the Truth. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31 & 32.

(574) The New Age/New Spirituality’s Alternative to Armageddon – The Selection Process by Warren B. Smith, 5/31/14
In this future described by Hubbard’s “Christ,” anyone who refuses to see themselves and others as “God” and “Christ” will be removed by the “selection process.” Those professing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior would be subject to this process.

(575) Oprah Winfrey to portray God in film adaptation of The Shack by BreathCast News, 6/12/14
It appears Hollywood is not slowing the trend of christian faith inspired films as the global hit "The Shack" will soon be heading to the big screen. Originally a book written by William P. Young, it will be adapted into a film directed by Oscar Winner Forest Whitaker and will star Oprah Winfrey and British actor Idris Elba, best known for his role of Russel 'Stringer' Bell in HBO's "The Wire." 

(576) Letter to the Editor: What To Do When Christian Charities, Such as Compassion, Turn Contemplative/Emergent by Lighthouse Trails, 6/21/14
While Lighthouse Trails does not make recommendations for churches and organizations (largely because we do not have the manpower to follow up on such recommendations to confirm whether a particular church or organization is still biblically based), we do bring warnings to the body of Christ about groups that have strayed from a biblical viewpoint and become ecumenical, contemplative, emerging, and a part of the liberal social justice movement.

(577) The Dangers of Spiritual Formation?—And Some Ways it is Influencing Your Children by Berit Kjos, 8/9/14
Spiritual Formation has become a widely used term that was introduced to the evangelical church in the 1970s, primarily through a Thomas Merton disciple named Richard Foster and his longstanding, best-selling book, Celebration of Discipline. Today, there are few venues in the church that have not been influenced by the Merton/Foster model of Spiritual Formation.

(578) Baptist Church Cancels Gungor Concert for Rejecting Genesis as Literal By Heather Clark, Christian News Network, 8/10/14
LTRP Note: Lighthouse Trails has posted other articles in the past (see links below) about the “Christian” band called Gungor in connection with its contemplative/emerging beliefs and the appearances at some Calvary Chapel churches (including Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade). For those who would like more information on the biblical account of creation, please watch Roger Oakland’s lecture series, Searching for the Truth on Origins.1 Also, Larry DeBruyn’s article “The Music and the Mystical” is very insightful regarding the “Christian” music being presented in many evangelical settings today. In a related post, read this story from 2012: Letter to the Editor: Tens of Thousands Introduced to Contemplative Advocates Gungor and David Crowder at Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade

Updated! (579) The low-information evangelical by Marsha West, 8/12/14
Being that the Lord condemns paganism, His people are to have nothing to do with it. No dabbling! Steer clear of anything to do with mantra meditation. Methods such as contemplative prayer...centering prayer...breath prayer...are forbidden! Even though this will ruffle some feathers, my advice is to steer clear of "Christian" yoga. "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." (Eph 5:11)  Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(580) The “Tree of Contemplative Practices” – Is Your Church Practicing Some of These? by L. Putnam, 8/13/14

(581) Discernment Detractors: Calling Good Evil by Warren B. Smith, 8/17/14
While our Adversary furiously attempts to undermine the importance of discernment by ridiculing it, we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).

(582) How the New Age Has “Creeped” Into the Church by Ray Yungen, 8/21/14
If you have ever wondered why New Age authors and their teachings are creeping past many Christians, then maybe the definition of creeping might help. The term means: slowly advancing at a speed that is not really apparent until you look back over a long time period. For instance, creeping inflation is not noticed in the short term, but when one looks back over twenty to thirty years, it is shocking. A meal that cost two dollars in 1970 now may cost eight dollars—however, the increase moved so slowly that the impact was diminished. This same kind of movement has happened within our society and has gradually become mainstream. What was once seen as flaky is normal today—even useful. This trend is impacting evangelical Christianity at only a slightly lesser degree than secular society. The reason for the slight variance is that many, perhaps most, Christians have not yet grasped, or come to terms with, the practical mystic approach that New Age proponents have already incorporated into the secular world, as well as Christendom.

(583) Contemplative Spiritual Formation in Mennonite Sunday School Curriculum by Menno-Lite Blog, 9/9/14
The September issue of the Mennonite Brethren Herald[1] is promoting a long awaited new curriculum for children from age 3 to grade 8. Shine has been in the works for three years, and is now available and coming to Sunday School classrooms in a Mennonite church near you. ... The article explains the importance of one of the aspects of this curriculum – the spiritual formation of children: Why is spiritual formation for children important, and why do you call it that now instead of “Sunday school”?

(584) Roots of the Spiritual Formation Movement by Gary Gilley, 9/12/14
For these reasons, and perhaps several more, I do not see any diminishing of the influence of spiritual formation on the church in the decades to come. This is certainly one of the greatest threats facing biblical Christianity today. May the Lord raise up a generation that will return to the Sacred Text and stand once again on Sola Scriptura.

(585) We Are Not Abandoned - The Culture Which Gave Rise to Mark Driscoll by Herescope, 9/18/14
Compare Peter Drucker's remarks to Mark Driscoll's. Does "organized abandonment" equal "blessed subtraction"? This is the question we will be addressing in this post. Read Part 1: The Culture Which Gave Rise to Mark Driscoll  - We Are Not Abandoned - What "blessed subtraction" and "anonymous" mean and Part 2: The Culture Which Gave Rise to Mark Driscoll "Under the Bus" and "Off the Map" - The Out-of-Control Bus That Runs Over Sheep

(586) Church of Tares: Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Church Growth & New World Order (Video) by Elliott Nesch, 9/20/14
Can the Church borrow the marketing tools of the world and apply them to the Church? What is the history of the Church Growth movement and its false premises? Who is involved in the new evangelicalism and second reformation? Why are these movements embracing contemplative mysticism? How does this movement play into the New World Order? These questions and more are answered in Church of Tares: Purpose Driven, Seeker-Sensitive, Church Growth & New World Order. Church of Tares chronicles the man-centered pragmatism of these evangelical Christian movements in comparison to the Bible's instruction for building the Church of Jesus Christ. As a sequel to The Real Roots of the Emergent Church, Church of Tares documents the connections between the liberal Emergent Church movement and the Church Growth movement. Both movements' leadership were discipled by business management guru Peter Drucker, who was attracted to the megachurch movement as a social phenomenon that could bring about his "new society" and New World Order. Megacurch pastors Rick Warren and Bill Hybels as well as Leadership Network founder Bob Buford all acknowledge Drucker (who professed not to be a Christian) as their mentor and have built their organizations upon his secular business management philosophies rather than the foundation of Jesus Christ. The fruit of these movements is great compromise of the Gospel and the Great Commission. Rick Warren claims to be ushering in a new spiritual awakening and second reformation with his P.E.A.C.E. Plan. But this reform appears to be a social reformation rather than a spiritual one by joining together in ministry with unbelievers to fight global giants. Such compromise has led to the affirming response letter to the Common Word document which declares Muhammad to be a prophet and the Bible and Qur'an to be of the "same Divine origin." Written, edited, narrated and directed by Elliott Nesch. Original interviews with: Paul Smith, leader in the Calvary Chapel movement founded by his brother Chuck Smith, who also wrote the foreword to Paul Smith's book New Evangelicalism: The New World Order. Phil Johnson, executive Director of Grace to You, a Christian tape and radio ministry featuring the preaching ministry of John MacArthur. http://teampyro.blogspot.com Chris Rosebrough, Captain of Pirate Christian Radio and Host of the Fighting for the Faith radio program, holds a degree in Religious Studies and Biblical Languages from Concordia University. http://www.fightingforthefaith.com Joe Schimmel, Senior Pastor of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley, California, head of Good Fight Ministries and producer of such films as The Submerging Church and They Sold Their Souls for Rock and Roll. http://www.submergingchurch.com & http://www.goodfight.org Gary Gilley, Senior Pastor of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, Illinois, and author of several books including This Little Church Went to the Market: The Church in the Age of Entertainment. Bob DeWaay, former Senior Pastor of Twin City Fellowship in Minneapolis, Minnesota, author of Redefining Christianity: Understanding the Purpose Driven Life Movement, The Emergent Church -- Undefining Christianity as well as over 90 articles on important theological issues through Critical Issues Commentary (http://cicministry.org/). Ray Yungen, speaker, research analyst and author of A Time of Departing and For Many Shall Come in My Name. James Sundquist, founder of Rock Salt Publishing and author of Who's Driving the Purpose Driven Church? http://www.perfectpeaceplan.com Eric Ludy, bestselling author of dozens of books on Christian thought and living, the President of Ellerslie Mission Society, teaching pastor at the Church at Ellerslie, the lead instructor in the Ellerslie Leadership Training. Robert LeBus, Bible researcher, apologist and evangelist.

(587) Christian meditation: what's biblical and what's not by Marsha West, 9/23/14
In Joshua 1:8 God said: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it." So, what exactly did God have in mind when He told Joshua to meditate on His word? Well we can be certain of one thing. The Lord was not suggesting that Joshua sit in the lotus position and repeat a mantra until he attained altered states of consciousness. "These help bring one into states other than normal waking consciousness, in which a person becomes open to mystical experience, the spirit realm, or cosmic consciousness," warns Bill Muehlenberg.  The sort of meditation God had in mind was not Eastern meditation. He has made it clear that His people are not to adopt pagan practices and those who do are out of His will. The purpose of eastern-style meditation is to "seek the God within." That's pantheism, brethren. People who hold this view believe that God is all and all is God. "A tree is God, a rock is God, an animal is God, the sky is God, the sun is God, you are God, etc." The biblical view is that God is separate from His creation. Genesis 1:1-30

(588) Contemplative Music for Children? by Berit Kjos, 9/25/14
While Christian contemplative music specifically for children has not become popular yet within the evangelical church, there is plenty of music designed to help children meditate in New Age, Catholic, and mainstream (Episcopal, Orthodox, etc.) circles. One CD, Children’s Yoga Songs and Meditations plays songs repeating various mantras such as “Om,” “Sa Ta Na Ma” (a form of Kirtin Kriya yoga), and other Hindu and Buddhist chants.

(589) Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? - Important Reasons Why They Shouldn’t (Booklet) by Lighthouse Trails, 10/2/14
Is your church involved in a Spiritual Formation program? If so, you might want to ask the question, what exactly is Spiritual Formation? It’s a fair question, and one that, if not asked, could end up surprising you when your church changes in ways you never imagined.

(590) Evangelical Christianity Being Catapulted into Seeing God with the New Eyes of Contemplative Prayer by Ray Yungen, 10/8/14
Contemplative advocates propose that there has been something vital and important missing from the church for centuries. The insinuation is that Christians have been lacking something necessary for their spiritual vitality; but that would mean the Holy Spirit has not been fully effective for hundreds of years and only now the secret key has been found that unlocks God’s full power to know Him.

(591) Letter to the Editor From Missionary Couple: Young Missionary Women From AIM (Adventures in Missions) Being Taught Contemplative Prayer by Lighthouse Trails, 11/16/14
LTRP Note: We have removed a couple identifying elements in this letter to protect the identity of a group of young missionary women who responded favorably to warnings about contemplative prayer practices that they have been taught by their missionary sending organization.

(592) Should Christians Practice Martial Arts? (MP3) with Gaylene Goodroad, 11/28/14
Program Description: Tom continues his discussion with Gaylene Goodroad, author of My Life in "The Way" and former second-degree black belt sensei nidan. Is it true, as the saying goes, that "nobody fools Chuck Norris"? Or has he been deceived by the Eastern philosophies of his profession? Listen to Part 1 & Part 2.

(593) Letter to the Editor From a FORMER Contemplative: Focus on the Family’s “Father Gilbert’s Mysteries” Points Listeners to Contemplative Prayer by Lighthouse Trails, 12/2/14
LTRP Note: This is perhaps one of the most significant letters we have ever received, not just because it exposes more of Focus on the Family’s contemplative propensities, but because it  shows the results (i.e., the “fruit”) of practicing contemplative prayer. This “fruit” is precisely why Lighthouse Trails has been crying out a warning for nearly 13 years.

(594) Mennonite Magazine Offers: “Find Yourself a Thin Place this Christmas” by Menno-Lite, Lighthouse Trails, 12/13/14
In an article called Have a “thin” Christmas in the December 2014 issue of the MB Herald, readers are encouraged to find God in the ‘thin places‘ this Christmas.

(595) Letter to the Editor: There is No Doubt That Moody Has Gone Contemplative – This Year’s Radio Programs Proves It by Lighthouse Trails, 12/20/14
LTRP Note: Lighthouse Trails first brought up the issue of Moody Bible Institute (and Moody Radio) heading in the contemplative direction over eight years ago (see links below). At one point, Moody issued a statement titled “Moody Responds to Lighthouse Trails,” denying our claims. That statement remained on their website for over 5 years. We noticed recently that the statement has now been removed. But even though Moody has denied that they are going contemplative, we have watched in dismay as they have  continued to do so. This past week, we were notified by two different Lighthouse Trails readers that Moody’s radio program Midday Connection has brought on as a radio guest James Bryan Smith 9 times this year to do a series on contemplative spirituality. Smith is a founding member of Richard Foster’s contemplative-pioneering organization Renovare and a minister of the United Methodist Church. He is also the author of a number of works promoting and/or teaching Spiritual Formation and contemplative spirituality. You can read one article we wrote about him here. The book by Smith that is discussed below that is being used by Moody in a series is titled The Good and Beautiful God. This is the first in a series by Smith called The Apprentice Series. There is also The Good and Beautiful Life and The Good and Beautiful Community. The Good and Beautiful God teaches the contemplative practice called lectio divina and espouses the teachings of Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. It appears that Moody is pulling out all the stops when it comes to contemplative spirituality. And we know what that means—an eventual distancing from the biblical Gospel. Drs. Harry A. Ironside (early 1900s) and Dwight L. Moody (1800s – founder of Moody Bible Insititute and Moody Publishers (also going contemplative), were both preachers at Moody Church. Can you imagine their shock and horror if they were here today to witness this apostasy at one of the most historically trusted Christian organizations?

(596) ‘Hip’ Church Gives Biblical Christians New Label: ‘Hater’ by Jim Fletcher, 12/23/14
Oddly, within American evangelicalism and media circles, a concept and term have emerged that place conservative Christians on the outside, in effect, becoming “other.” And we all know what happens when a group is labeled “other” (see Jews, World War II). Sometime back, the progressive mega church pastor, Steven Furtick (Elevation Church, Charlotte, North Carolina), mentored as he is by evangelical bigwigs like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, felt bold enough to post a YouTube video in which he sneeringly challenged what I’d call traditional Christians to basically get out of the way, because their time is past.

(597) Letter to the Editor: The “Mentoring-Leadership” From the Past Four Decades That Has Caused Downward Paradigm Shift at Lighthouse Trails, 2/21/15
What captured my attention was not the movement!  It was the “mentoring-leadership” shown at high seminary levels of the eventual blending of Catholicism (the late Dr. Chuck Colson spoke at one of D.T.S.’s graduations), contemporary “Christian” music, and charismatic leaders into the mix of evangelism, counseling, and music fields including dozens of nationally known evangelicals.  It was not surprising, therefore, to see the very rapid acceptance of marginal Christianity in the leadership of Hybels, Warren, Bright, and now emergent leaders such as Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and the more extreme theological departures of such leadership. My heart is very saddened with the compromise of the late Howard Hendricks (at one time one of my four favorite teachers at seminary).  I had written to him but was given mild rebuke for being critical of the PK movement.  I filed it away but now see the “rubbed shoulder” philosophy affecting virtually every former evangelical leader including Dr. Erwin Lutzer and others. The purpose of this e-mail is to encourage someone there to put together a booklet that synthesizes these trends into one gradual, but obvious, move into apostate Christianity.

(598) IF: Gathering Leader/Pastor Melissa Greene—A Female Version of McLaren, Bell, Rohr, and Merton at Lighthouse Trails, 2/24/15
Today, we received this letter to the editor: Recently my church hosted an IF Gathering conference.  I had already done research and found some disturbing facts about some of the various speakers.  I wrote a letter to the leadership detailing all the information I had gathered.  I thought I would pass it along for your info.  NOTE: Melissa Greene, one of the IF Team – she has a very revealing message that is posted on her profile page which is linked to the IF Gathering page.  In her message she references several New Age and Emergent authors including , Richard Rohr, Phyllis Tickle, Brian McLaren, Frederick Buechner and Rob Bell… Her ending comments on her message are pretty shocking.  If you have someone on your staff who has the time to listen to it, I think it would be worth the time.

(599) Destroying Your Christian Faith Through Yoga - Theological Implications (MP3) by Chris Lawson, 3/7/15
MP3 Sermon

(600) Biblical Principles That Cut Through Ecumenical New Age Christianity by Chris Lawson, 3/25/15
MP3 Sermon

(601) Christian Pastors and Leaders – Exchanging the Word of God for a “New” Way of Doing Things by David Dombrowski, 4/13/15
The church of today is very much astir. Everywhere we turn,  embellishments are being added to Christianity as if to improve it. The old ways do not seem to satisfy anymore. A great influx of new teachings and practices have exchanged the God of old as depicted in the pages of the Bible with a deity much more palatable to the post-modern mind. Brennan Manning illustrates this when he stated in one of his books, “ . . . the god who exacts the last drop of blood from His Son, so that His just anger, evoked by sin, may be appeased is not the God revealed by and in Jesus Christ. And if he is not the God of Jesus, he does not exist.”  This “progressive” contemplative/emerging church has gone so far as to place in pulpits men who blaspheme God and who deny the atonement. But let us step back for a moment to see how emerging thought has developed. Such a statement did not come out of the blue, but as Ray Yungen suggests, a “creeping” effect made it all possible.

(602) Mennonites Walk Ruth Haley Barton’s Mystical Bridge by Lighthouse Trails, 4/15/15
Ruth Haley Barton, founder of The Transforming Centre[1], was trained at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation which teaches: “This mystical stream [contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality … It is no accident that the most active frontier between Christian and Eastern religions today is between contemplative Christian monks and their Eastern equivalents.” —Tilden Edwards, Shalem Founder[2] Barton, who could not find peace or direction in her Baptist roots or through reading the Bible and praying, found fulfillment through spiritual direction. Now she incorporates a blend of Eastern and Roman Catholic contemplative spirituality and monastic practices in her retreats and books on practicing the presence of God in the silence and sacred rhythms of prayer. Lately she has been very instrumental in leading entire Protestant and Anabaptist church congregations and their leaders into these same practices through spiritual direction and discernment seminars.This year, the Mennonites have once again[3] brought in Ruth Haley Barton to help them make decisions in the silence regarding some very important upcoming issues that include LGBTQ and anti-Israel BDS resolutions. How tragic to see an entire church delegation over looking all that is necessary in their discernment process (the Bible), thereby shunning to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) in seeking guidance from an apprentice of Thomas Merton and Tilden Edwards. 

(603) The Labyrinth Journey: Walking the Path to Fulfillment? at Lighthouse Trails, 4/27/15
The following article is also in booklet form. Click here to see if there are labyrinths in your region. The number of them is growing significantly as contemplative spirituality continues overtaking many denominations and ministries.

(604) Letter to the Editor: “Awakening America Alliance” Brings SBC President Ronnie Floyd Together with New Age Roma Downey by Lighthouse Trails, 4/28/15
I’m sending you this e-mail (see below) that I got from the “Awakening America Alliance” about their recent biennial “RESET SUMMIT” held in Atlanta, Georgia. “Awakening America Alliance” states this as their ultimate goal: “The Alliance’s ultimate goal is serving kingdom initiatives for spiritual awakening and missional living. The Reset Summit is a part of their pursuit of a fresh Christ-Awakening across the nation—in every state, every county, every church, and every heart. Gathering leaders from these various spheres of influence not only builds relationships, but reflects one of their foundational principles—“history is transformed among friends.” I am sending you this because I noticed that participants included Roma Downey (and husband Mark Burnett)! This is a conference for national Christian leaders, and Ronnie Floyd (President of the Southern Baptist Convention) along with other denominational prayer and church leaders participated. What is Roma Downey doing at a National Christian Leader’s conference for an American “spiritual awakening”?

(605) A Fortress of Solitude … Entering the SILENCE by Mike Oppenheimer, 5/4/15
Jim Burns is President of HomeWord and Executive Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. His radio broadcast is heard on over 800 stations a day (including Calvary chapels KLHT in Hawaii) and heard around the world via podcast at HomeWord.com So when I heard Burns interview with Ruth Haley Barton giving her such a great review I was very concerned. 

(606) God’s Desire and A Warning and a Plea by Ray Yungen, 5/5/15
Just what exactly is God’s desire for mankind? Does He want to send people to Hell? Does He want anyone to live eternally without Him? Scripture is very clear about this when it says: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9) God makes a strong plea to all people, giving them every opportunity to receive Him. It is God’s desire that none should perish eternally. That’s why he offered His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—the only perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sin: Therefore as by the offence of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (Romans 5:18) What it comes down to is the preaching of the higher self versus the preaching of the Cross. The New Age is saying that God is the higher self in man—that God is just a meditation away.

(607) IF it is of God—Answering the questions of IF:Gathering (Booklet) by Cedric H. Fisher, 5/9/15
IF:Gathering came in like a storm, one of those winter events that seem to appear out of nowhere. No one saw it coming. A team of highly popular women—authors, bloggers, and speakers coming together—what a great idea. But it wasn’t novel. Professing Christians have been making pilgrimages for decades to high-energy conferences with a star list of speakers and singers. As with so many of these other conferences, IF purported to do the work of God. However, IF was unique in that it was mostly a digital event. It was greatly effective. The IF:Gathering held its second event in February of 2015 and involved 1200 women at the physical location, with a possible 100,000 or more watching by 40,000 live links in more than 120 countries. The ongoing influence of IF after the conference has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of women all while flying under the radar of pastors and church leaders who may be accepting IF:Gathering at face value, not knowing anything about this group of high energy talented women leaders.

(608) C3 Presence Conference 2015 HeresyReel: Day 1 Session 4 – Phil Pringle by Churchwatcher, 5/12/15
This is one of a series of articles covering the absurdity preached at Presence Conference 2015. We are broadcasting these HeresyReels to discourage you from accepting the messages from the clearly false teachers invited to speak at these C3 Presence Conferences  –  remember, just because they are “popular” does not mean they are legitimate.

(609) Quantum Christianity: Has the gateway to heaven been discovered? by Albert James Dagar, Media Spotlight 5/13/15
It is my hope that those who read this will at the very least  question  what  they  hear  from  well-known  teachers within  the  Body  of  Christ,  and  will  study  God’s  Word diligently  to  show  themselves  approved—workmen  who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. God’s mysteries in relation to His creation are to remain mysteries  until  He  reveals  all  He  wishes  to  reveal  to  His resurrected  saints.  What  happens  in  the  quantum  realm stays in the quantum realm. Let’s live in the real world in which He desires us to move in obedience to Him.

(610) What's New with the New Age? with Warren Smith (Part 1), 5/16/15
(Tom McMahon) Today and next week I’ll be discussing an important topic with a friend of mine who is an author of numerous books, including The Light That Was Dark: From the New Age to Amazing Grace , and Deceived On Purpose , as well as another very valuable book that we discussed in detail when he was on with me last, and the book is Another Jesus Calling . But the topic for today and for next week, the Lord willing, is sorcery, and my guest is Warren Smith. Warren, thanks for joining me on Search the Scriptures 24/7. 

(611) Questions on the New Age (Video) by Ray Yungen, 5/17/15
A five part serious answering questions about New Age spirituality and its effect on the world and the churches. View Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.

(612) The Ultimate New Age Deception: Many Shall Come, Saying “I Am Christ” by Ray Yungen, 5/27/15
I believe the Bible contains an important signal that the changes of times and seasons may indeed be at hand. In Matthew 24:3-5, which is a chapter dealing with the tribulation period, Jesus spoke these revealing words to His disciples concerning the signs of His coming and the end of the world (age): "And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign [indication] of thy coming, and of the end of the world [age]? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” 

(613) A Fortress of Solitude … Entering the SILENCE by Mike Oppenheimer, 6/1/15
Jim Burns is President of HomeWord and Executive Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. His radio broadcast is heard on over 800 stations a day (including Calvary chapels KLHT in Hawaii) and heard around the world via podcast at HomeWord.com So when I heard Burns interview with Ruth Haley Barton giving her such a great review I was very concerned. Read Part 1 - A Fortress of Solitude … Entering the SILENCE & Part 2 - Man's Wisdom or God's.

(614) Be Still and Know That You are Not God!—God is Not “in” Everyone and Everything (Booklet) by Warren B. Smith, 6/22/15
Our Spiritual Adversary would have everyone believe that we are all “one” because God is “in” everyone and everything. Using every promotional means possible—including a creative and ingenious perversion of quantum physics—he is attempting to convince the world and the church that while Jesus was Christ, so is everyone. And while Jesus was God, so is everyone else. To underscore this heretical New Age doctrine of God and Christ “in” everyone, he would have us further believe that nothing of any significance happened on the Cross of Calvary. However, the Bible makes it very clear that something extremely wonderful and overwhelmingly significant did happen on the Cross of Calvary. For it was on that Cross that Jesus Christ died to save the world as He defeated sin (1 John 2:2), death (2 Timothy 1:10), and the Devil himself (Hebrews 2:14). As the one and only Christ, He is our Rock (1 Corinthians 10:1-4), He is our Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11), and in every sense of the word He is the Saviour of the world (1 John 4:14).

(615) Perilous Times and the True Purpose and Dangers of Yoga (MP3) by Chris Lawson, 6/26/15
This past Friday I visited one of the wealthiest churches in Newport Beach, California.  With full permission from the "Holy Yoga" instructor, I sat quietly in the back of the church Yoga Class. I simply attended the class as an observer and I quietly wrote down some notes.  I was as transparent and kind and respectful as possible when I arrived early and I personally asked the instructor for permission to observe the class. Permission was granted. I then sat as silently as is humanly possible as an observer, sitting near the back of the yoga class. After about 15 minutes I was told to leave. Why was I told to leave? I was told to leave because I was "making people feel uncomfortable." Uncomfortable? Yes, "uncomfortable." For taking notes on "Holy Yoga", and as a Christian and former attendee of this church? Again, I simply went to observe the "Holy Yoga" class. Even the church website invites us to this class - "All generations and levels of experience are welcome!" As I sat and observed the blending of Yoga with Christianity, and was then asked to leave the Holy Yoga class, my concerns for the spiritual safety of the attendees was thoroughly validated - again!  (Perhaps more details on this later!) 

(616) Christian Colleges Falling Deeper into Apostasy As They Cave in to Supreme Court Ruling by Lighthouse Trails, 7/9/15
Quick to jump on the band wagon for accepting the homosexual lifestyle is Baylor University, (the largest Baptist university in the world). According to a July 8th 2015 Time magazine article titled “This University Has Dropped Its Ban on ‘Homosexual Acts,’”  Baylor “dropped a prohibition on ‘homosexual acts’ from its sexual conduct policy”this past May. But Baylor is not the only one. A Christianity Today article, dated July 8th 2015, titled “Hope College and Belmont to Offer Benefits to Same-Sex Spouses” explains how Belmont University (in TN) and Hope College (MI) are “extending benefits to same-sex spouses of employees after last month’s Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.” By the way, you can be sure Christianity Today isn’t too upset about these changes—they’ve been promoting the emerging church and contemplative spirituality for a long time. Wheaton College has already headed down this path showing acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, and many others will follow suit. And remember, those colleges are training the next generation of pastors and church leaders so the affects will undoubtedly be remarkable. It appears it is too late to stop the tide of what is happening to Christian colleges. But at Lighthouse Trails, we will continue to send out a warning to parents and grandparents to keep their kids out of these schools and try to find ones that are in a fast-diminishing group of biblically based colleges. At the very least, we hope parents and grandparents will make sure their college-age kids and grandkids are well equipped to live in a world that rejects Christ and in a church that ignores spiritual deception.

(617) Letter to the Editor: Looking for Good Bible Based Children’s Curriculum by Lighthouse Trails, 7/12/15
To Lighthouse Trails: I am coordinator of my church’s children & youth ministries, and I am looking for solid, Bible-based children’s and youth curriculum. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have.  I am so skeptical of much of the curriculum out there now especially with so much of the emergent ideas creeping in. Thank you for any input you can offer. Our Comment: The publishers on the following list are Christian publishers that have been publishing contemplative and emergent materials for several years: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/publishers.htm.This list includes Zondervan, NavPress, Thomas Nelson (and Tommie Nelson), and InterVarsity. Baker Books and Multnomah publishers are also on the list as they too now publish that type of material. If curriculum is used from any of the publishers in this list, there will most likely be threads of contemplative/emergent ideas woven throughout much of their material. The list of publishers on this page –  http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/publishersgood.htm – do not publish contemplative, emergent material to our knowledge. However, many of them are smaller publishers and may not have study curriculum. We do mention Harvest House and Barbour publishing on this list; however we include them with a cautionary note. Sadly, we removed Moody Publishers from this list some time ago. As with all things, use discernment and weigh all things against Scripture. As Christians, we must “Test all things” and “Try the spirits” through the screen of Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1).

(618) In Case You Still Aren’t Sure About The Shack and Its Author . . . by Lighthouse Trails, 7/17/15
In case you still aren’t sure about William Paul Young and his book The Shack—in case you still have some doubts as to whether Young is really of a New Age/New Spirituality persuasion—in case after reading articles at Lighthouse Trails revealing Young’s anti-biblical views on atonement and the Cross—and in case after reading Warren B. Smith’s booklet The Shack and Its New Age Leaven that documents Young’s affinity with New Age thinking, then perhaps his recently posted “Twenty Books Everyone Should Read” list on Young’s blog will convince you that The Shack or any of Young’s writings should not be sitting on the shelves of Christian bookstores and North American pastors’ offices and should never have become a New York Times best-seller having found itself there through primarily Christian readers (not to mention the big plug it received from endorsements by Eugene Peterson [The Message] and Calvary Chapel speaker Gayle Erwin. You can see the entire list of Young’s recommended books by clicking here. Below we are giving you a partial list of the authors whom William P. Young recommends. After looking at this list, you decide for yourself.

(619) Would Jesus Magnify His Presence Above the Word of God? by Warren B. Smith, 7/22/15
In Jesus Calling, “Jesus” promotes the experience of his presence above God’s Word. Psalm 138:2 tells us: "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."  Because God has magnified His Word above His name, this lets us know we will never experience His presence in any way that is not totally consistent with the truth of His Word. Thus, we can know that any presence that comes calling and claims the name of “Jesus” as its own but does not line up in every way with God’s Word is not the presence of God. God will never put His name or experiencing His presence above His Word.

(620) The New Age Then and Now - Acts 19 (Audio) by Chris Lawson, 7/23/15
We live in a world that is hostile to the biblical Jesus Christ of Nazareth. So too, many of us have experienced growing hostility from non-Christians and from apostate Christian churches that have become theologically offensive to Jesus Christ. This audio message considers various topics in the Christian missions life, cross-cultural work, spiritual warfare, and the biblical injunction to confront teachings that are hostile to biblical revelation. Topics mentioned: - Boldly reasoning, speaking and persuading individuals to repent of sin and believe in the biblical Gospel, instead of ecumenical Interfaith “dialogue.” - The danger of Occult healing arts, lying signs and wonders, and demonic manifestation and possession states that deceptively mislead people under the guise of being "gifts of the Holy Spirit." - The problem of New Age and ecumenical Christian churches engaging in dialogue and alleged “Gay Christian” workshops. Teachings and people mentioned: New Thought Metaphysics (Warren Felt Evans, Phineas Quimby), Christianized Metaphysics for Evangelical Ecumenism (Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller), Mormonism (Brigham Young, Joseph Smith), Evolutionism, Hinduism, Yogi’s, Theosophy and Occultism (Helena P. Blavatsky, Annie Besant), Mind Science Cults (Christian Science - May Baker Eddy), Guru’s (The Beatles and the Hare Krishna cult), Modern Occultism (George Gurdjeiff), Theosophical Society (Helena P. Blavatsky, Annie Besant, Nicholas Roerich), Spiritism, Spiritualism and Christian Spiritualism (Moses Hull), Rudolph Steiner (Anthroposophy and the Anthroposophical Society), Rosicrucian Movement (Max Heindel and the Order of the Rose Cross), Unity School of Christianity (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore), Church Universal and Triumphant (Elizabeth Claire Prophet), Science of Mind and Religious Science (Ernest Holmes), Religious Science (Terry Cole Whitaker), The Sleeping Prophet (Edgar Cayce), George Baker (aka “Father Divine”), Scientology (L. Ron Hubbard), Erhard Seminars Training (Werner Hans Erhard), Foundation of Human Understanding (Roy Masters), The Silva Method (Jose Silva), The Aquarian Conspiracy (Marilyn Ferguson), The Master Plan (Alice Bailey), Unitarianism (Richard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller), Templeton Prize (John Marks Templeton, Bill Bright and Charles Colson), Word of Faith Movement (Prosperity Gospel - Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Marilyn Hickey, Oral Roberts), and more.

(621) Video: Ray Yungen on the Emerging Church & Interspirituality – Committing Spiritual Adultery at Lighthouse Trails, 7/29/15
The following is a 10-minute YouTube preview of Ray Yungen’s DVD from the New Face of Mystical Spiritualityseries. This one is on the Emerging Church and Interspirituality.

(622) A Trip to India—to Learn the Truth About Hinduism and Yoga (Booklet) by Caryl Matrisciana, 8/25/15
Thirteen years had passed since my family had left India. Now I found myself on an airplane returning there. I was filled with excitement and nostalgic memories. Would I bump into old friends with whom I had lost contact over the years? Would anything have changed? I was travelling with a small group of international cult experts. We had received a grant enabling our research group to travel around India, visiting gurus and their ashrams.

(623) Letter to the Editor: Please Send Your Evidence and Examples for Calvin College ASAP by Lighthouse Trails, 8/30/15
Dear Lighthouse Trails: You list Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI, as being contemplative, formation.  Please give me evidence, examples of this, also any emergent info, too on them.  ASAP, please. Our Response: Finding evidence and examples to show Calvin College’s contemplative/emergent persuasions is NOT like finding a needle in a haystack. This college is saturated with evidence and examples. Here are a few ...

(624) The New Age Desire versus God’s Desire by Ray Yungen, 9/14/15
What it comes down to is the preaching of the higher self versus the preaching of the Cross. The New Age is saying that God is the higher self in man—that God is just a meditation away.

(625) “Contemplative Spirituality – the Source of the Catholic Church’s Expansion” by Ray Yungen, 9/24/15
I had always been confused as to the real nature of this advance in the Catholic church. Was this just the work of a few mavericks and renegades, or did the church hierarchy sanction this practice? My concerns were affirmed when I read in an interview that the mystical prayer movement not only had the approval of the highest echelons of Catholicism but also was, in fact, the source of its expansion. 

(626) Be Still and Know That YOU Are God? Is That Really What Scripture Says? by Warren B. Smith, 10/1/15
Eileen Caddy’s New Age understanding of the “God within” and “oneness” started with an inner voice that told her “Be still and know that I am God.” Like Caddy, so many people who have been raised in today’s church have been similarly deceived into believing that the “be still” verse from Psalm 46:10 is God’s heavenly instruction to enter into solitude and silence so they can hear His voice. Ironically, the real meaning of this verse has nothing to do with sitting in silence, practicing the presence, or any meditative practice. Undiscerning church leaders have misappropriated Psalm 46:10 to justify contemplative prayer. They now use this verse to incubate a “conversation with God.”

(627) Letter to the Editor: Left Standing Alone After Challenging Pastor Over C&MA Emergent Teachings at Lighthouse Trails, 10/3/15
At some point, I began to see, through Lighthouse Trails, a few things on the Alliance and its ties with the emergent church and spiritual formation. As I really began to dig, I was horrified. I called four C&MA seminaries to ask them if they offered classes on Spiritual Formation. I was told very enthusiastically, yes they offered many classes in Spiritual Formation. When I called Simpson University, I was even told that if I wanted to dig deeper into that sort of thing, they recommended Bill Johnson’s [Bethel Church] School of the Supernatural.

(628) YOGA: Exercise or Religion—Does it Matter? (Booklet) by Ray Yungen, 10/9/15
The Yoga boom, which began in the 1990s, is changing the very social fabric of our society in a way that will last well into the future. People need to be aware that Yoga serves spiritual ends and also need to realize just what the nature of that spirituality entails. Yoga is the religion of namasté (i.e., man is God). The fact is, there is no need for the Cross of Jesus Christ in Yoga. To the contrary, Scripture tells us: . . . that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.(Ephesians 2:7)

(629) Letter to the Editor: Heartbroken in Leaving Her Southern Baptist Church Over Deception Issues at Lighthouse Trails, 10/19/15
At that time, I had to leave on a trip for a family matter.  Before we returned from that trip, I checked the local newsletter online and saw the announcement that the pastor had cancelled Prayer Meetings and instituted Cottage meetings to teach Richard Foster’s book on Contemplative Prayer.  I was heartsick. 

(630) Spiritual Formation Versus The Life of Christ—Which One Will You Choose? by Lighthouse Trails, 11/9/15
Spiritual formation is sweeping quickly throughout Christianity today. It’s no wonder, when the majority of Christian leaders have either endorsed the movement or given it a silent pass. For instance, in Chuck Swindoll’s book So You Want to Be Like Christ: 8 Essential Disciplines to Get Your There, Swindoll favorably quotes Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. Swindoll calls Celebration of Discipline a “meaningful work”1 and Willard’s book The Spirit of the Disciplines “excellent work.”2 In chapter three,”Silence and Solitude,” Swindoll talks about “digging for secrets . . . that will deepen our intimacy with God.”3 Quoting the contemplative poster-verse Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God,” Swindoll says the verse is a call to the “discipline of silence.”4 As other contemplative proponents have done, he has taken this verse very much out of context.

(631) ‘Too Much God Talk’: Rob Bell’s ‘Progressive’ Successor Steps Down from Leading Mars Hill by Heather Clark, 1/26/15
GRANDVILLE, Mich. — Kent Dobson, who took over the leadership role at Mars Hill in 2012 after controversial author and speaker Rob Bell left the congregation he founded, has now also decided to step down, stating that “being a pastor is not who I am.” “My place here has not felt right, like I was wearing someone else’s suit that didn’t quite fit and I tried to get it tailored and maybe I had shoulder pads from the 90’s or something. I don’t know,” he told the congregation on Sunday. “It just felt like it didn’t quite fit me so well.” Dobson said that he feels restless and uncomfortable around “too much God talk.” “I’ve felt restless, but I’ve always felt restless and a bit homeless when it comes to church and when it comes to God talk,” he explained. “When I hear too much God talk, I start to feel like (shudders) [it’s] too much religion. I don’t know; it gives me a restless feeling. A lot of times I feel like an outsider at my own party.” 

(632) What Christian Leaders Need to Know – The Final Outcome of Practicing Contemplative Prayer: Interspirituality by Ray Yungen, 12/5/15
LTRP Note: With more than 90% of the 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.

(633) Are Christian Leaders Leading the Church Down the Broad Road of Delusion? by Warren B. Smith, 12/9/15
Traditional Christian believers frequently mention the analogy of the frog that is so slowly and gradually boiled in a kettle of water that it dies before ever realizing what is going on. Yet many believers fail to realize that the very same thing is happening to them as they tell that story. How else do you explain the rapid rise of the “new gospel” movement with hardly a word of concern within the Church about what’s been happening? As “new gospel” advocates continue to publish bestselling books and flock to the airwaves in ever-increasing numbers to advance their cause, there is a strange silence within Christianity. Does the Church have any idea what is going on?

(634) Children at Risk: Mudras, Chakras, Mantras: Deceptive Meditative Techniques by L. Putnam, 12/19/15
A recent Facebook Post captioned: “Help Your Child Achieve Calmness!” showed a picture of a little girl sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, hands out, and with her fingers fixed in a mudra position.  What finger position is that?  To be precise, it is the “Gyan Mudra” or “Chin Mudra” finger position in which the index finger touches the thumb tip to form as perfect a circle as possible with the other fingers extending upward. Why do people do this?  Yoga aficionado Gertud Hirschi, in her book Mudras: Yoga in Your Hands,  tells us why: “We can effectively engage and influence our body and our mind by bending, crossing, extending, or touching the fingers with other fingers.”  Hirschi goes on to pinpoint just what this finger position really means: “The thumb is symbolic of cosmic (divine) and the index finger is symbolic of individual (human) consciousness.  The ultimate goal … is oneness of humanity with cosmic consciousness.” 

(635) Letters to the Editor: Anne Graham Lotz Promoting Circle Making at Lighthouse Trails, 1/6/16
LTRP Note: Lighthouse Trails  has received a number of e-mails in the last few days (see two of them below) regarding the issue of Anne Graham Lotz promoting circle making recently. This is taken from emerging church leader Mark Batterson’s book, The Circle Maker.  Please read 2 articles we have on circle making: The Circle Makers by Cedric Fisher and The Native Spirituality “Medicine Wheel” and The Circle Maker by Cree author Nanci Des Gerlaise.

(636) Catholic Contemplative Meditation Techniques Explode Top Down Among Alliance Denominational Leaders by Orrel Stienkamp, 1/9/16
Maybe you haven't heard much about Catholic Contemplative PrayerfSpirituality. Generally it hasn't reached congregational level that much. But Catholic Contemplative prayer techniques and spirituality is often hidden by the code word “Spiritual Formation.” This incursion into Evangelical training and leadership training, nevertheless is deep and broad. This includes many traditional evangelical denominations and non denominational mega churches. Rick Warren promotes it. lI—IOP and Bill Johnson‘s Redding movement. It can be discovered by perusing course offerings and especially required reading in Spiritual Formation offerings and leadership courses in the majority of Evangelical Schools and seminaries. In my case in the large church I attend it appeared out of nowhere in a study book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” calling us to get off the fast paced life style. But Peter Scazzaro, the author, told our class directly on a DVD that he was introducing us to Contemplative Prayer. The Pulpit ministry followed the book thematically but avoided terms like contemplative and centering prayer and nobody knew what was actually going on, thankfully. But once again in the small groups the Scazzaro's bibliographies were loaded with quotes of the most famous Catholic Contemplative authors, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Richard Rohr Thomas Keating and others. But until recently I never thought that it had burrowed deeply across the board among virtually all evangelical leadership groups from say Focus on the Family to Fuller Seminary.

(637) Letter to the Editor: “Christian” Psychology Going Contemplative? at Lighthouse Trails, 1/14/16
Many Christians seek the help of psychologists or counselors. While psychology generally does not lead one to Christ or point to His Word and typically has a humanistic foundation, and while many Christian counselors do not offer biblically based counsel as well, things have gotten even worse as Lighthouse Trails has witnessed over the last 15 years as both camps are moving more and more into the New Age/contemplative meditation camp. 

(638) Letter to the Editor: Anne Graham Lotz Responds Regarding Promotion of Honi, the Mystic and Prayer Circles at Lighthouse Trails, 1/16/16
LTRP Note: The following is from a Lighthouse Trails reader who had written to Anne Graham Lotz regarding her recent promotion of Honi, the mystic, and prayer circles. You may wish to refer to our two previous posts on this situation: Letters to the Editor: Anne Graham Lotz Promoting Circle Making  and Letters to the Editor: Anne Graham Lotz Promoting Circle Making.  Also read: Please read 2 articles we have on circle making: The Circle Makers by Cedric Fisher and The Native Spirituality “Medicine Wheel” and The Circle Maker by Cree author Nanci Des Gerlaise. 

(639) Authors To Avoid: Who is Bringing the “New” Spirituality Into the Church? by Chris Lawson, 1/16/16
Each of the following authors professes to be Christian and/or uses biblical terminology in his or her writing, yet promotes at least one of the following serious false teachings: contemplative spirituality (i.e., Spiritual Formation), the emergent, progressive “new” spirituality, the seeker-friendly, church-growth movement (e.g., Willow Creek, Purpose Driven) and/or Yoga. (This list is from the booklet A Directory of Authors: Three NOT Recommended Lists.)

(640) Meditation and Experience by Herescope, 1/24/16
Spiritual meditation, as it is commonly practiced around the world, is done for the purpose of achieving an experience of the presence of God. This "presence" feeling, often described as a sense of oneness with the Divine, can create a powerful psychological and physical sense of peace. This much-desired spiritual experience thus serves to validate one's faith -- if one "feels" God's presence then that means one is on the right path to a higher form of spirituality. Thus meditation becomes a discipline, a device, even an art, whereby man believes he can do things to achieve inner peace and a unity with God. 

(641) Is The Emerging Church History, or Has it Entered Your Church? by Roger Oakland, 2/29/16
Recently, I read a Facebook post by a southern California pastor stating that the “emerging church” was no longer a problem for him or his church. He also stated that the “emerging church” was just another passing fad that had come and then disappeared never to be heard of again. His church was going to focus on what was positive and insinuated that “hyper discernment ministries” were scaring his sheep into believing they were living in the last days and that apostasy was rampant. The comments by this pastor are not uncommon. In fact, there are few shepherds today who are warning the sheep in their flocks of the dangers that lurk not only outside the fold but also within their own fold that they are called to protect. A good shepherd must keep watch over his flock as there are many wolves lurking around seeking whom they may devour. Ignoring these dangers does not make the problems go away. Sheep can easily be misled by false unbiblical teachings that act as a grain of arsenic in a milk shake. The milk shake may look and taste good, but the grain of arsenic will be enough to kill someone.

(642) Looking for a Christian College for Your Child in 2016 – Better Be Careful! by Lighthouse Trails, 3/6/16
Spring 2016 is almost here, which means parents will be diligently helping their college-age children search for Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities for enrollment for this coming fall. As many of you know, Lighthouse Trails has been researching Christian colleges for 14 years. Three years ago, we published a report called An Epidemic of Apostasy, which revealed that the majority of Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities had begun to incorporate contemplative spirituality (through Spiritual Formation programs) into their schools. The report showed how much of this was happening because accreditation associations were requiring schools to include Spiritual Formation in the lives of their students if they wanted to be accredited. 

(643) Roots of the Spiritual Formation Movement by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, August 2014 - Volume 20, Issue 4
During the past two years most of the articles sent out by Think on These Things have dealt with the issue of the Spiritual Formation Movement. And while we have examined the birth of the modern movement as well as its key beliefs, leaders and teachers, both past and present, we now want to turn our attention in this final article to their ancient roots. Coupled with this it would be of value to discuss the attraction of the movement, especially for evangelicals. Having already documented in previous articles serious errors in doctrine and practice, why do so many evangelicals embrace the disciplines and look to the so-called “spiritual masters” for guidance? These issues of origin and attraction overlap but we will look at them separately for clarity’s sake.

(644) Kyle Odom, the Man Who Shot Idaho Pastor, Says Meditation Started it All by Lighthouse Trails, 3/11/16
LTRP: A “manifesto,” written by former Marine Kyle Odom, the 30-year-old man who shot Idaho pastor Kyle Remmington, reveals that his life started to change drastically when he began doing meditation while in university to relieve stress. The meditation experiences led him to come into contact with familiar spirits (which he thought were aliens) and eventually led to two suicide attempts and then the shooting of Pastor Remmington. While Lighthouse Trails is not saying that every person who practices meditation is going to go crazy and start shooting people, we stand by our warning of 14 years that meditation does introduce meditators to demonic realms. For most, this realm seduces people into a complacent deception, and they may even appear more peaceful. For other meditators, like the student at Le Tourneau Christian University who graduated and told his parents he was now an atheist, they turn away from their Christian faith. Satan has many different methods of stealing a soul. And for some, these demons torture and torment a person, until they can eventually become like Kyle Odom. The occult (Satan’s domain) is not to be tampered with. When you consider that over 90% of the Christian colleges and seminaries are introducing contemplative spirituality (a belief system that incorporates meditation) to the lives of their students, it should make every Christian shudder and every Christian leader repent for allowing this into the church (not to mention how it has entered secularism even more so). Remember when Richard Foster told his contemplative followers that they needed to say a prayer of protection before practicing contemplative prayer. Why would one need to do that . . . unless he is entering demonic realms? Meditation leads one to believe that God is in everything and all is connected together (this belief is an anti-christ religion, and that is why when people practice meditation, they are going to be influenced by familiar spirits).

(645) Fortune Magazine: “Meditation Has Become A Billion-Dollar Business” by Jen Wieczner, Fortune, 3/16/16
In 2015 the meditation and mindfulness industry raked in nearly $1 billion, according to research by IBISWorld, which breaks out the category from the alternative health care sector.

(646) The Defiling Influence of Spirit Contact by Chris Lawson, 3/18/16
We are living at a time where contact with the spirit world is commonplace. Even in many Christian settings, where spiritistic activity and occult literature are condemned, “messages” and so-called “words from God” that have been communicated to humans by fallen angels (and peoples’ vain imaginations) are misleading people on a grand scale. Furthermore, the amount of heretical practices and material that countless ministries and leading names in the Christian bookstore industry, create and promote, both locally and globally, is staggering.

(647) A History of AWANA’s Contemplative Tract Record and the Implications of Their New CEO by Lighthouse Trails, 3/19/16
For over a decade  now, Lighthouse Trails editors have been concerned about the direction that the AWANA children’s club is heading. Today, in this report, we want to first give an overview of our past decade of reporting on AWANA, and then we want to share some new information that should concern every parent and grandparent who has a child or grandchild in AWANA.

(1) Deconstructing Rob Bell's False Gospel by Chris Rosebrough, Fighting For Faith, July 21st, 2009
In this version of his Fighting for the Faith podcast from his Pirate Christian Radio apologist Chris Rosebrough does a serious and thorough deconstruction of the gospel-less gospel of Rob Bell, a popular icon in the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church-morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC). How refreshing to hear Rosebrough bring our attention to the critical importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as he reminds the Body of Christ that "the Gospel is not a side issue. The Gospel is at the very heart and center of Christianity; you get the Gospel wrong, you are sending yoursefl-and other people to Hell."

(2) What Does Rob Bell Think about the TNIV? comment by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 9/19/10
The clip that you are about to watch is of paramount importance. If ever there was someone speaking Jesuit "speak" the speaker on the clip is speaking Jesuit "speak". Question: Why is the Word of God under so much attack? Why are those who stand up for the Word of God under attack? Answer: Satan hates the Word of God. He hates God. There is an organization that wants to set up the kingdom of god with out God. Hello! You can read about this organization in the book of Revelation. Why would anyone want to take the word man (http://www.av1611.org/) out of the Bible? Could it be to hide the fact that there is a man who will someday say that he is god. This man will be embodied by Satan. Hello! If our web site is down following this alert, you will know what happened. God says He will protect men (women) (children) from wolves who are wolves although they look like shepherds or even the sheep. Come on Bible believing Christians. Wake up! Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18) Taken from the Holy Bible and not the TNIV ... Check It Out!

(3) Everything is not Spiritual - A Critique of Rob Bell's Pan-Spiritual Worldview by Pastor Larry DeBruyn for The New Spirituality, 2/12/11
Among emergent church leaders there exists a growing trend to merge the secular with the sacred, to mix unspiritual and spiritual together. Emergent reality is viewed to be One, to be a monistic whole.

(4) Rob Bell Teaching Universalism by Ken Silva, 2/26/11
Two years ago in Rob Bell And Christian Universalism I began to show you that Rob Bell is as much a universalist as his friends comprising the unholy EC trinity of apostates, Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian McLaren, universalist Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt, and his friend Tony Jones, the progressive "theologian in residence" at Solomon's Porch.

(5) Love Wins, A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell - Reviewed by Steve Blackwell
In the sixties we were bombarded with "love," and we have seen what that experiment has produced; a whole generation of babies murdered in the womb. Today, love is in the air once again, and Rob Bell has captured the essence of this love fest by making scandalous claims against God. He has put words into the mouth of God that are pure and simple lies; Rob has made God a liar. Rob's definition of love has been plucked out of thin air, and can nowhere be found in the document given to us by God Himself. Rob's definition of love comes not from the Living God, so it must come from another source. Where, or who, might that source be. There is only one other source; if it is not from Heaven then, it is from Hell; if it is not God, then it is Satan. This is a trustworthy saying, because it comes from the Book of Truth, the Bible, God's own words.

(6) Rob Bell the wolf exposed by Nazarenepsalm113, March 16, 2011
MSNBC Host Makes Rob Bell Squirm: "You're Amending The Gospel So That It's Palatable!" 

(7) If Rob Bell and Neale Donald Walsch are Right, Then Hitler Will Be in Heaven! by Lighthouse Trails Research, 3/20/11
If Rob Bell is right, in his new book Love Wins, then Adolph Hitler (murderer of over 6 million Jews) will be in Heaven. According to the prolific New Age author Neale Donald Walsch (author of the best-selling Conversations with God), Hitler will indeed be in Heaven. He says God told him so. The following excerpt from Warren Smith's book False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care? has some interesting insights and quotes about Walsch's views on Hitler.

(8) Brian McLaren Takes On Al Mohler Over Rob Bell by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 3/23/11
With this in mind, I'll bring to your attention that guru McLaren has decided to wade into the minor flap raised by one of his disciples, the Emerging Church rock star pastor Rob Bell, with his new book of mythology called Love Wins. The saga of Mohler and McLaren begins with Mohler's article We Have Seen All This Before: Rob Bell and the (Re)Emergence of Liberal Theology where he correctly showed that Bell's musings are indeed quite similar to what the late cult expert Dr. Walter Martin labeled, "The Cult of Liberalism."

(9) Open Rebuke by Paul Proctor, News With Views, 3/23/11
The Emerging Church controversy has caught the attention of the mainstream media again and in a big way with the latest book from Rob Bell, entitled, "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" - a "universalist" view from a popular "Christian" author and pastor that has already drawn numerous objections from many evangelical leaders including several sharp commentaries from the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, R. Albert Mohler Jr. - the latest of which appeared in the Baptist Press, titled, "Rob Bell and the (re)emergence of liberal theology."

(10) Love Wins, A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell - Reviewed by Beret Kjos - Read it here or here.

(11) "Is Rob Bell teaching Universalism?  Are people saved after death?"by Alex Carmichael, CARM, 4/6/11
From a Biblical perspective, all one really needs to counter Bell's claim that there is the possibility of a sinner coming to saving faith in Christ after death is to look at one verse, to see if that hypothesis holds any water.  And that verse is (Hebrews 9:27). (Hebrews 9:27, NKJV) says:  "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment," This is a key verse in refuting Bell's claim. 

(12) First Sermon By Rob Bell At Mars Hill Bible Church by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 4/11/11
If one doesn't recognize here that Bell is praising "the mystics" for their supposedly superior spiritual understanding, which is but a reimagined Gnosticism, I personally believe it's simply because they just do not wish to see. And a classic symptom of the deception one receives as they continue on in this unbiblical practice of meditation in altered states of consciousness is a distorted view of the actual nature of unregenerate mankind.

Updated! (13) Rob Bell needs to hear the Gong! by Mike Oppenheimer, 4/19/11
The newest philosophy from Mars Hill. Read Rob Bell needs to hear the Gong!, The tragedy of not understanding the gospel & Without Faith there is no salvation - the fatal flaw of universalism.

(14) New Zondervan CEO Fan Of Rob Bell by Ken Silva, 5/7/11
It's critical that you recognize that for years now postmodern progressive liberal leaders in the Emerging Church have been using the exact same strategies to take over the younger sectors of mainstream evangelicalism. This is the proper backdrop to consider New Zondervan CEO Scott Macdonald says he's a fan of Rob Bell.

(15) The Unbelief Of Rob Bell by Ken Silva, 5/9/11
Rob Bell's denial of eternal punishment goes hand in hand with a warped view of the gospel" Having rejected biblical authority, Bell has set himself up as his own authority.

(16) Hell-Questioning Pastor Resigns From Michigan Megachurch by Billy Hallowell, The Blaze, 9/23/11
GRANDVILLE, Mich. (The Blaze/AP) - An evangelical pastor (Rob Bell) who started a firestorm earlier this year with his book that questions traditional Christian beliefs about hell is leaving his Michigan megachurch to share his message with a broader audience.

(17) 'Love Wins' raised hell for Rob Bell at Mars Hill, The New Yorker says by Matt Vande Bunte, MLive, 11/29/12
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Fallout from Rob Bell’s bestselling “Love Wins” book pushed him to leave the West Michigan megachurch he founded, according to The New Yorker. And the television show Bell went to work on in California has stalled, Kelefa Sanneh writes in the magazine’s Nov. 26 issue. In a profile of Bell called “The Hell-Raiser,” Sanneh chronicles the former Mars Hill Bible Church pastor’s personal “search for a more forgiving faith," and concludes that he might fit better on the beaches of southern California than in a West Michigan pulpit.

(18) Rob Bell to Teach Teens That Christian Beliefs About Hell are ‘Misguided and Toxic’ at Lighthouse Trails, 3/9/13
Author and speaker Rob Bell is set to release a teen version of his book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived nationwide next month. In a promotional video created for Love Wins: For Teens, Bell explains that the book is designed to teach youth that God is the life of the party, rather than the one that spoils everyone’s fun.

(19) Rob Bell Emerges Out of the Closet . . . and the Wool (Again) by Elliott Nesch, 3/19/13
The Emergence Christianity leaders continue to come out of the closet, and out of their sheep costumes, as one after another they end up mirroring Western postmodern culture in support of gay marriage.

(20) Accommodating the Culture: The author of Sex God endorses same-sex marriages by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 3/21/13
As one who has followed Rob Bell’s career for almost a decade, from the time he was the youth pastor at the church I grew up in, Calvary Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and then as the founding pastor of the Mars Hill Bible Church in suburban Grandville of the same city, I wondered when he, as he seemed so bent to be culturally relevant, would finally out what he really thought about same sex marriages.[2] Well, now he has, and not surprisingly, at least to me (I spotted him as a false teacher a decade ago, for false teachers always seem engaged to the culture more than to Christ), he recently endorsed same sex marriages in the friendly confines in of all places, the liberal Grace Cathedral in San Francisco during a forum held Sunday, March 17, 2013.[3] In this endorsement he has taken cue from political leaders (the President comes to mind, as also recently, Hillary Clinton), for they too are ever testing the political winds of fortune to see which direction they’re a’ blowing.

(21) No Hell Bell Comes Out in Support of Homosexuality by The Berean Call, 4/1/13
Rob Bell, author of the best-selling and controversial book Love Wins , which challenges the Christian teaching of Hell, came out in support of homosexual marriage on Sunday and called “narrow” Christians to repentance.

(22) Rob Bell Debates Homosexuality vs. The Bible (VIDEO) at Lighthouse Trails, 6/5/13
LTRP Note: The following is from Stand Up For the Truth radio program. We apologize for the occasion in the interview where Rob Bell swears. It is shortly after the 16 minute mark so you could mute the video at that point. We do believe this is an interview worth watching, however. We would like to point out also, for those who may think that Rob Bell is in a minority extreme group for thinking the way he does, that popular evangelical leaders such as Tony Campolo, Philip Yancey, Dan Kimball, and others have all played a part in bringing about this paradigm shift within evangelical Christianity. It’s not just Rob Bell and Brian McLaren 

(23) Rob Bell's 'Love Wins' Nudged 1,000 People to Leave Mars Hill Bible Church, Says Michigan Megachurch Successor at Understand The Times, 11/21/13
Mars Hill Bible Church, the congregation founded by author Rob Bell, lost about 1,000 people over their former pastor's controversial 2011 book, Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, according to the Grandville, Mich., megachurch's new pastor Kent Dobson. Dobson was chosen by Mars Hill Bible Church in 2012 to replace Bell, who founded the congregation in 1999. "I would say about 1,000 people left (over 'Love Wins'), and that's okay. I don't think even a lot of them left in anger," he added. "They just thought 'Well, Mars Hill's not the place I thought it was.' Surely some people were upset, but on the other hand it wasn't exactly a mass exodus. Rob had been saying everything in that book for five years."

(24) Rob Bell Is Now Walking With Oprah Winfrey Through The New Spirituality by Ken Silva, 4/16/14
Neo-gnostics like Oprah Winfrey, and possibly Bell himself now, are trying to get others to understand that it doesn’t so much matter what you believe about God as long as you believe the world is spiritual. I showed you before, also using her own words, that Oprah Winfrey is not a Christian—though “she was raised Baptist.”

(25) Rob Bell and Oprah Wrap Up New Age Tour—EQUALLY YOKED by Lighthouse Trails, 11/22/14
This past weekend, former evangelical pastor Rob Bell and former television icon Oprah wrapped up their national 8-city “Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend” New Age tour. Joining Bell and Oprah on the tour were other two New Age sympathizers –  Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love). There was a time, not too many years ago, when Bell’s best-selling book Velvet Elvis was being read by millions of young evangelicals, and the book was touted by Christian leaders and college professors. It was a disaster in discernment in the church as even back then Bell was promoting the New Age. In a 2007 article, a Lighthouse Trails stated, “Velvet Elvis and Bell’s Noomas are a trojan horse that will deliver to young unsuspecting kids from Christian homes a hearty helping of the New Age (i.e., mysticism and panentheism). And if they are introduced to the New Age under the guise of Christian literature, many of them will be seduced by ‘doctrines of devils.'” Bell, who stepped down from the evangelical pastorate in 2011, has finally openly shown his true New Age colors by yoking himself with Oprah Winfrey, the most influential New Ager in the world today.

(26) Rob Bell promotes “Mother God” and “apophatic meditation” in new “Liturgists” show at Understand The Times, 7/25/15
In addition to (or perhaps because of) his new The Rob Bell Show on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN channel, Rob Bell has been busy with his ZIMZUM of Love book promotions and now his new The Liturgists program, a podcast he has quietly launched with a dozen or so other theological partners who “do not actively promote our names and personal images” for ego reasons. What do The Liturgists talk about when they talk about God the Father? Well actually, they talk about God the Mother.  That’s not a typo.

(27) Universalist Rob Bell Jumps on Mysticism Bandwagon at Understand The Times, 8/4/15
Hipster preacher Rob Bell is mashing up quantum physics, Jewish Kabbalah and Catholic mysticism to explain humanity's future evolution.  In his 30-city "Everything is Spiritual" tour, the former megachurch pastor and short-lived Oprah Winfrey Network talk-show host delivers a two-hour monologue aimed at a millennial generation less interested in sin and judgment and more attuned to science and cosmic connections. "A bunch of the old stories that we used to rely on just aren't working anymore," Bell told a crowd of almost 500 during a tour stop in Durham. "I want to take a stab at a new story." Wearing a gray denim jacket, a white collared shirt, chinos and ankle boots, Bell used only one visual aid: a large dry-erase board in the shape of a long, skinny triangle. In the far left corner he drew a small black dot representing the Big Bang. Moving to the right, as the universe expanded over the course of his talk, he sketched milestones of evolution over 13.8 billion years.

(28) Insider’s View of Rob Bell’s Stop in SF for “Everything is Spiritual Tour” at Lighthouse Trails, 8/19/15
LTRP Note: We post this because it is important for people to understand what the deception looks like that young Christians are being saturated with through individuals such as Rob Bell. Bell’s tour, Everything is  Spiritual, is panentheistic in nature but disguised in some Christian vernacular.

(1) A Critique On The Ministry Of Richard Foster by Wendy Howard, editor of Despatch magazine, Queensland, Australia, 1999
I feel very bad about this expose' as Richard Foster was a former youth pastor in a church I attended some 29 year ago.  At that time he was a real blessing to our youth group and was not dabbling in New Age mysticism. When I first read his book "Celebration of Discipline" I thought that it had some good ideas.  At that time I was very naive to the dangers of the New Age entering the church.  It wasn't until I read Dave Hunt's book "The Seduction Of Christianity" that those issues were brought to light in my mind.  At that time I didn't like the way Richard Foster had been "singled out" by Hunt, but I later realized that my anger at Hunt mainly stemmed from the fact that Richard was my friend.  Hunt also attacked me, in a round about way, because I was doing Christian instrumental music which had been given the unfortunate label of "Christian New Age" by the CCM industry.  I was no more into New Age than Hunt but was producing Christian music with Biblical themes.  I also believe that meditation on Scripture and prayer is a perfectly Christian practice.  What I did not like in Foster's book was the "visualization" techniques because they smacked of the occult and necromancy.  Little did we all know that Dave Hunt's book would turn out to be very prophetic in it's prediction that these occult techniques would take the current Third Wave counterfeit revival movement straight into the occult.  Now, with hindsight, we can see where Foster went away from truth into error. I hope this expose' will help him to see the error he was partially responsible for in the Third Wave today, and repent of it.  We have all made mistakes, we have all sinned.  It is our responsibility to believe and repent.  I repented of my mixing of New Age concepts with Christianity long ago.  I can only pray that Richard Foster will do the same.

(2) Response To A Defender Of Richard Foster by James Sundquist, 12/04
The departure from these teachings by Richard Foster and the host of teachers he promotes is the reason we must withdraw from them. "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."  II John 2:10-11 Thomas Merton, Morton Kelsey, Basil Pennington, Benedictine Monks, Ignatius Loyola, Brennan Manning, Isaac Pennington, Basil Pennington, Madeleine L'Engle, Thomas Keating, Harvey Cox, Agnes Sanford, Madame Guyon, John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Kelly, Tilden Edwards, William Vaswig (also of Renovare who, like Foster learned his meditation from Agnes Sanford and a great admirer of occultist Carl Jung and his "sitting in silence" therapy), Karen Mains, Lynda Graybeal, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Meister Eckhart, George Fox, Henri Nouwen,  Teresa of Avila, Brother Lawrence (who also taught the emptying of the mind), Julian of Norwich, Siang Yan Tan (psychologist), Lao-Tse (Taoism), Zarathrustra (Zorastrianism) and a host of other "masters" or "spiritual directors" (past or present) of the Traditions of Discipline that Richard Foster promotes and endorses do not bring this doctrine, so none of them, or their teachings should be brought into our houses or houses of worship.  And by doing so, we do become partakers of their evil deeds....yes false doctrine is evil deeds.    We must command them as Paul did Timothy to the Ephesians to "Not teach false doctrines any longer!"" Richard Foster's teachings whether or not he says otherwise, are a blend of Eastern mysticism and gnosticism...another Jesus and another gospel.  Oh foolish Americans, who hath bewitched you?

(3) Renovare' Renovates The Bible by Dave Hunt, The Berean Call, August 2005
God never adjusts Himself or His Word to the tastes of men. He never changes anything to appeal to the corrupt appetites of the ungodly in any age-all must come to Him on His terms. He commands all men everywhere to repent because of coming judgment (Acts 17:30, 31). "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD"" (Is 55:7). There is no softening of the gospel to make it "seeker friendly."

(4) Richard Foster and Gnostic Mysticism by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 05/19/06
There are those who have been offended that I dared enter the Contemplative Temple and touch their "anointed" Buddha Thomas Merton. But here is another example of the reimagined Gnostic mysticism currently being taught to your pastor through Living Spiritual Teacher Richard Foster. Through his books the Guru of Contemplation has introduced Evelyn Underhill as an expert witness on the subject of alleged "Christian" mysticism. Therefore we have just as much right to read and interpret her materials as Foster himself does.

(5) A Call To Repentance by Dave Hunt, The Berean Call, 11/06
Some of the worst heretics and practitioners of the occult, while claiming to be Christians, have gotten together in what they call the Chrysostom Society. It began with Richard Foster, Calvin Miller, and Karen Mains, joined later by Eugene Peterson. "They felt it was really important to just get together, write together, and believe in each other as practitioners of a craft to the glory of God."(Mars Hill Review, 1995, "A Conversation with Eugene Peterson.") It is a "craft," all right.
Truth has been assassinated by political correctness, the gospel has fallen victim to "we must not offend other religions," God is being mocked, and eternal souls are being robbed of the salvation that is only in Jesus Christ. That tragedy prevails in nearly all churches. Let us weep and repent for the church, for our country, for ourselves, and speak the truth in love.

(6) Reiki, Thomas Merton and Richard Foster by Ray Yungen, From the Lighthouse, 11/07
This is why it is so important to understand the connection between the writings of Richard Foster and Brennan Manning with Merton. Promotion indicates attachment, and attachment indicates common ground. Something is terribly wrong when a Reiki master and two of the most influential figures in the evangelical church today both point to the same man as an example of their spiritual path. (from chapter 5, A Time of Departing) To understand more about the connection between Foster, Manning, and Merton, read A Time of Departing in its entirety.

(7) Richard Foster by Roger Oakland, Understanding The Times, 4/1/08
Richard Foster, a promoter of contemplative prayer is a student of Thomas Merton. In a previous program we documented that Merton learned his procedures for contemplative prayer from Buddhists and Hindus. So what about Foster? Does he also believe you can Christianize messages from demons?

(8) Richard Foster: The Bible a reliable guide despite inconsistencies by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 3/18/10
It's not evangelical Protestant Christianity; and worse, this highly subjective CSM is truly hostile to the proper Christian spirituality of Sola Scriptura. Here's a couple of examples from Foster. The first is from a 2005 piece in Quaker Life called The With God Life: An Interview with Richard Foster.  While hawking The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible, which had just come out, the Quaker mystic tells us how the experience-oriented Quakers subjectively approach God "in the gathered silence."

(9) Contemplative Pioneer Richard Foster's Spiritual "Legacy" by David Cloud, Way of Life Ministries, 6/30/10
Richard Foster's writings have been at the forefront of the contemplative movement since the 1970s. No one has done more than this man to spread contemplative mysticism throughout Protestant and Baptist churches.

(10) Richard Foster's Renovare Turns to Panentheist Mystic Richard Rohr and Emerging Darling Phyllis Tickle For New Book Project by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 9/15/10
... take a look on the 25 Books form page and see the list of members on the 25 Books Editorial Team. Of course, there is Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. But look at two other names: Phyllis Tickle, the emerging church's darling "mentor" (who once said that Brian McLaren was the next Luther), and Richard Rohr, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation. For those who still have yet to be convinced that Richard Foster is indeed a New Age sympathizer, this should seal the verdict by the fact that Tickle and Rohr are included in an editorial board to decide which 25 books Christians should read.

(11) Richard Foster on Meditation AKA Contemplative Prayer by Ken Silva, 12/7/10
Richard Foster: Contemplative Prayer immerses us into the silence of God. How desperately we in the modern world need this wordless baptism" Contemplative Prayer is the one discipline that can free us from our addiction to words. Progress in intimacy with God means progress toward silence" It is recreating silence to which we are called in Contemplative Prayer"

(12) "Inward Journey" Taught By Mystics Like Richard Foster Is Divination by Ken Silva, 11/5/11
The following quote is from Richard Foster - Celebration Of Deception Evangelical Mysticism, an important Critcal Issues Commentary article by Christian apologist Bob DeWaay. It also highlights another aspect of the rancid fruit of CSM; a growing rebellion within evanjellyfish against Sola Scriptura. With this article DeWaay sends a clear Biblical warning concerning a core teaching of spurious CSM.

(13) Richard Foster's Contemplative Prayer or Terror? by Roger Oakland, 11/14/11
Proponents of contemplative prayer say the purpose of contemplative prayer is to tune in with God and hear His voice. However, Richard Foster claims that practitioners must use caution. He admits that in contemplative prayer "we are entering deeply into the spiritual realm" and that sometimes it is not the realm of God even though it is "supernatural." He admits there are spiritual beings and that a prayer of protection should be said beforehand something to the effect of "All dark and evil spirits must now leave."1 Where in Scripture do we find such a prayer? Where in witchcraft?

(14) Richard Foster's Renovare President Admits They Have Taught Spiritual Formation to "Hundreds of Thousands of People" by Lighthouse Trails, 12/10/11
Renovare, as many of you know, is Richard Foster's organization and his mainstay platform for promoting contemplative spirituality. In a November 2011 letter to supporters, Renovare president Christopher Webb states the following: "At this writing I am attending a gathering of national ministries that promote Bible reading and engagement; spiritual formation is at the very top of the agenda. Last week I spoke at a conference for three hundred pastors; spiritual formation was the number one concern. In the few weeks before that I led a retreat for spiritual directors, spoke at a congregational conference, and addressed a denominational gathering; in each case, spiritual formation was at the heart of the conversation." Webb admits that "Renovare has played a crucial role in focusing the attention of pastors, churches, seminaries, and denominations on spiritual formation," saying that they have taught the "basic principles of [spiritual formation] to hundreds of thousands of people." Webb adds "But more than this, we've advocated for the central importance of formation in Christlikeness to the wider Church."

(15) Richard Foster's Renovare Promoting Emerging Heretic Tony Jones by Ken Silva, 12/30/11
Now to be sure, we're not the least bit surprised that Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster would recommend the warped work of apostate Dr. Tony Jones, heretical "theologian in residence" at the social gathering (not a church in the Biblical sense) of his equally heretical friend and "pastor," universalist Doug Pagitt. I mean, not when at least two state conventions in the Southern Baptist Convention quite specifically recommend both guru Foster and wannabe guru Jones as you'll see clearly documented in Alabama Baptist Convention (SBC) Encourages You To Learn Lectio Divina From Apostate Tony Jones. Nah, really comes as no surprise at all.

(16) The Roots of Spiritual Formation by Lighthouse Trails, 4/15/12
To understand spiritual formation, all one needs to do is understand the spirituality of Richard Foster. Lighthouse Trails has documented his beliefs through A Time of Departing and Faith Undone, as well as through numerous articles on the Lighthouse Trails Research site. In this particular article, let us turn to a small book Richard Foster wrote called Meditative Prayer. Foster says that the purpose of meditative prayer is to create a "spiritual space" or "inner sanctuary" through "specific meditation exercises" (p. 9). Foster references several mystics in the book who can point the way to these exercises: Madame Guyon, Teresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, Henri Nouwen, and Thomas Merton. Foster breaks the contemplative process down into three steps.

(17) Renovare To Hold Contemplative Retreat at the Billy Graham Training Center – A Big Green Light For Contemplative Prayer by Lighthouse Trails, 6/24/13
This coming October contemplative pioneer, Richard Foster’s Renovare team will hold their Life With God Retreat at the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove. Those who are familiar with the infrastructure of Richard Foster’s spirituality will understand that the teachings that are represented at Renovare do not line up with traditional evangelical teachings. While the doctrinal statements on paper between Renovare and many evangelical/Protestant churches may look similar, what is believed, taught, and emphasized in reality is much different as Lighthouse Trails has documented for 11 years now. The model of spirituality that Richard Foster and Renovare have drawn from is developed by Catholic monks who because of their mystical practices embrace panentheism (God is in all people and all  things) and interspirituality (all religions lead to God at the mystical level).

(18) Larry Crabb to Join Richard Foster’s Renovare Contemplative Conference – Christian Leaders Continue to Promote Crabb by Lighthouse Trails, 3/10/13
On April 3rd, Richard Foster’s Renovare organization will be presenting the Formation for Whole Life conference in Houston, Texas. According to several sources, including Rick Warren, Christianity Today, and Lighthouse Trails, Richard Foster is a key player in the contemplative prayer movement (aka: Spiritual Formation movement). Speakers at this year’s Renovare conference include contemplative figures Ruth Haley Barton, Mark Scandrette, Richard Foster, and Kyle Strobel. Joining the team of speakers will be Larry Crabb, a popular evangelical author and speaker, who years ago switched from a psychology focus to a focus on Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative prayer).

(19) "What is Renovaré / the Renovaré Bible?" by GotQuestions, 3/3/15
For these and other reasons, Renovaré is considered by some to be a theologically dangerous movement. Like many parts of the contemplative spirituality movement, Renovaré preys upon the spiritually hungry and points them not to the cross of Christ or God’s inerrant Word but to man’s traditions and emotional human experience. The wise and discerning Christian will examine carefully all claims of the Renovaré movement and compare each with Scripture. That which contradicts the Word of God must be rejected.

(20) A Serious Look at Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer (Booklet) by Ray Yungen, 9/1/15
"[W]e should all without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer."1—Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: :the Path to Spiritual Growth Christianity is not complete without the contemplative dimension."2—Richard Foster In Portland, Oregon there is a large bookstore devoted entirely to New Age spirituality. Every Eastern mystical and metaphysical topic under the sun is found there. Interestingly, there is a sizable section on contemplative prayer with Catholic monk Thomas Merton having a whole shelf devoted just to his writings. Why would a New Age bookstore give valuable space to a topic that purports to be Christian? That is a legitimate question. May I suggest the reason is that the “Christian” mystical tradition (i.e., contemplative prayer) shares a sense of profound kinship with the Eastern mystical tradition. There is ample evidence to support this claim.

Updated! (21) Fostering a new Spiritual Discipline: Follow me into ... the quiet zone by Mike Oppenheimer, 2/3/16 - Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5.
Richard Foster is known for his book “Celebration of Discipline.” Few are aware that it contains numerous New Age teachings in it. Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline, has sold several million copies, was selected by Christianity Today as one of the top ten books of the 20th century. Christianity Today named it number eleven in the "Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals." Despite their endorsement, it is a book that should be avoided at all costs. This may sound harsh to some but if you hear what Foster teaches it become apparent, it is not what the Bible teaches.

(1) Why is Steven Furtick Acting Like a Cult Leader? by Crosswalk, 3/20/15
Charlotte pastor Steven Furtick and his Elevation Church are making waves this week as more is revealed about Elevation’s odd fixation on their “Lead Pastor” as well as some of the questionable practices of the church, including “spontaneous baptism.” Indeed, many people are sounding the alarm and calling Pastor Furtick a “cult-leader in the making,” though Elevation Church describes him as a visionary they need to unequivocally support. Reformation 21’s Todd Pruitt and Matthew Paul Turner both share a page from Elevation’s Sunday school coloring book that’s been circulating around. The image depicts the Elevation congregation looking up at Furtick in the pulpit. The text reads, “We are united under the visionary,” and “Elevation Church is built on the vision God gave Pastor Steven. We will protect our Unity in Supporting His Vision.” Of this, Matthew Paul Turner writes, “While the grownups are listening to Pastor Steven preach, the little ones are in Sunday school learning about “unity.” I actually cringed when I saw this. Not even the fundamentalist church I was raised in featured coloring pictures of our pastor. There’s nothing good or holy or trustworthy about this kind of b.s. It’s dangerous religion. It’s the kind of evangelical brainwashing that all of us should be calling out. This should make us angry. Because its wrong. And because it’s not Christianity.”

(2) Steven Furtick by Matt Slick, CARM, 3/20/15
First of all, Furtick is not very doctrinally minded; otherwise, he wouldn't allow a heretic such as T. D. Jakes (who denies the Trinity) to preach in his church.  Furtick affirms the Trinity and the deity of Christ11, but as a pastor he is required to uphold orthodoxy and not promote preachers who deny even one essential christian doctrine.  This is a very serious issue. Second, he violates scripture in his promotion of women pastors.  This is also a serious issue, and I politely offer to publicly debate Pastor Furtick on this topic.12  My goal is promote God's truth, not man's opinions. Third, his mockery of the doctrines of grace is shameful.  We are not saying he must affirm the doctrines of grace as found in Calvinism, but his disdainful attack upon them and those who hold to those doctrines is a serious concern.  It shows a lack of pastoral care for Christians who don't agree with him on these issues, and it risks violating Scripture. So, Pastor Steven Furtick, if you are interested I would be glad to talk to you about these issues.  I invite you to do so in Christian love and concern, letting the Bible be our guide.

(3) ‘Hip’ Church Gives Biblical Christians New Label: ‘Hater’ by Jim Fletcher, 3/20/15
Sometime back, the progressive mega church pastor, Steven Furtick (Elevation Church, Charlotte, North Carolina), mentored as he is by evangelical bigwigs like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, felt bold enough to post a YouTube video in which he sneeringly challenged what I’d call traditional Christians to basically get out of the way, because their time is past.

(4) Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick - Reviewed by Ken Silva

(1) Tony Jones' continuous leftward slide into apostasy by Marsha West, 12/1/08
Emergent Church guru Tony Jones, the former national coordinator of Emergent Village, has been holding the issue of homosexuality "in abeyance" because "homosexuality is one issue that I don't want to get wrong." On November 23 he came out with his personal view on this hotly debated topic. Drum roll please"" He's for it. After years of pondering and praying, praying and pondering, he managed to come up with the wrong answer. How do I know this? Because his "revelation" doesn't line up with Scripture.

(2) Heretic Alert: Tony Jones by Chrystal, Slaughter of the Sheep, 2/6/09
Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." I don't really believe I need to post any commentary on Emergent church author and speaker, Tony Jones.  His nonsense speaks for itself.  However, I will say a few words on one of his latest posts from his blog.  He maintains that original sin is not Biblical. What he has effectively done to those who put credence in his words is amputate the whole of salvation and Christ Jesus' atoning work from the Bible, and has set them on a works-based path that will lead to nothing but destruction.

(3) The Emergence of a new god by Apprising Ministries, 9/10/09
In articles such as Christianity 21: Emerging Voices Of A Pseudo-Christian Faith and Tony Jones And Christianity 21: The Future Of Apostate Christianity, a while back, Apprising Ministries first brought this upcoming Emerging Church C21 conference to your attention.

(4) Tony Jones Argues For Open Marriage And Polyamory by Ken SIlva, 8/11/11
Behold where the Emerging Church will now begin trying to move the younger sectors of evangelicalism, who like the leaders in the neo-liberal cult within the EC, largely do not hold to sola Scriptura themselves: open marriages and practicing polyamory (many partners). Here you have a professor of Christian spirituality with a well known ostensibly evangelical seminary arguing against monogamy.

(1) Dan Kimball and the Emerging Church and Eastern Meditation by Steve Muse, Eastern Regional Watch, 6/13/07
As I read Dan Kimball's book, The Emerging Church, I realized the book opened up a Pandora's Box of concerns for what Kimball was communicating to this new generation of churches about vintage Christianity. Reading the book, I became impressed with a very disturbing sense that Kimball is attempting to take today's youth back into an experience-based relationship with God much like the Catholic mystics have revealed to us through their writings. And now through contemplative prayer and contemplative spirituality we are to come into a deeper relationship with God. On the Internet, countless sites promote the Emerging Church experience with its myriad forms of worship and prayer-and on most of these sites Kimball's book is heartily promoted.

(2) Emerging Church Quotes compled by Sandy Simpson, 12/08
Quotes by Emerging Church leaders.

(3) The Emerging Church by Dan Kimball - Reviewed by Gary Gilley

(4) The Emerging Church by Dan Kimball - Reviewed by Steve Muse

(5) They Like Jesus, But Not The Church by Dan Kimball - Reviewed by Lighthouse Trails Research

(6) Follow Up: Dan Kimball and the Emerging Church by Lighthouse Trails Editors, 11/22/10
This is a follow up to the recent radio show between VCY America and Lighthouse Trails. If you haven't already listened to it, you can do so here.  Below we are providing some documentation to support what was said on the radio show.

(1) Beware of Wolves in Sheep's Clothing by Mike Gendron, Proclaiming The Gospel
In the last ten years, he has become a popular speaker in many "evangelical" churches. Manning was ordained to the Franciscan priesthood after graduating from St. Francis Seminary in 1963. Later he was theology instructor at the University of Steubenville (a Catholic seminary and catalyst for Mary to be named co-redeemer). After being treated for alcoholism and leaving the Franciscan Order in 1982, he married Roslyn Ann Walker. The marriage has since ended in divorce but his popularity as a writer and speaker continues to grow despite his proclamation of "another" gospel.

(2) Brennan Manning’s “New Monks” & Their Dangerous Contemplative Spirituality (Booklet) by Lighthouse Trails, 8/26/13
Little did I know when I began to read The Signature of Jesus, the time and effort that would be involved in understanding it. I am not a theologian by training. My background is in technical management in electronic component manufacturing. However, I stumbled onto something that I became convinced was very dangerous and little understood.

(1) Brian McLaren In Denial by Rev. Ken Silva, December 30, 2005
As the "New Christianity" of the growing synchronistic ecumenical religion of Purpose Driven new Evangelicalism within the Emergent Church takes deeper root we see more and more leaders within the Body of Christ in apparent denial concerning an emerging New Downgrade No-Controversy. For example, Brian McLaren, a leading churchman in the Emergent convoluted conversation, is in denial about the vicarious penal substitutionary atonement of Christ Jesus on the cross.

(2) Brian McLaren And Hell by Rev. Ken Silva, December 30, 2005 
Prominent Emergent Church theologian Brian McLaren has said: "For many Christians, their faith is primarily about what happens to people after they die. That distracts them from seeking justice and living in a compassionate way while we're still alive in this life. We need to go back and take another look at Jesus' teachings about hell. For so many people, the conventional teaching about hell makes God seem vicious. That's not something we should let stand."

(3) Brian McLaren And Evangelical Panentheism by Rev. Ken Silva, 1/18/06
In Brian McLaren And The Emerging Church I began to explore what McLaren's particular theology has been emerging into, and now beginning with this series we start putting all the pieces together. As I previously stated I am not someone prone to conspiracy theories so what I offer is something I was most definitely not looking for. However, what I am going to be showing you is based on my careful and personal analysis of what McLaren himself writes as well as what those he associates with and endorses have said in their own books.  Also read Part 2, Part 3,Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6.

(4) An Emerging Pastoral Assessment by Rev. Ken Silva, 1/30/06
I feel led to present the following pastoral assessment for the edification of the true Body of Christ as evidence of the devastating results that the counterfeit Christian teachings of men like Brian McLaren have already been having on the Christian witness among our youth. You are about to see a living testimony of what has been happening within our Lord's Church because our leaders failed in recognizing the new liberalism which is now being spread like the black plague of theology throughout Evangelicalism by this Emerging Church movement.

(5) Brain McLaren: Turning Aside To Myths by Rev. Ken Silva, 2/10/06
I will have to admit that I find it a little odd looking around at the various writings about Brian McLaren where his non-stand about homosexuality (or about anything else for that matter) actually has surprised people. There is little chance that McLaren is ever going to come down on the side of what the Bible says about this forbidden lifestyle because of his own views on Scripture. In fact, this becomes near impossible now through his involvement with "living spiritual teachers" like Alan Jones and Marcus Borg. You see their warped view of Christian spirituality, twisted as it is by the practice of neo-pagan mysticism only figures to draw McLaren further away from believing what Holy Scripture says. This is also tied to how McLaren approaches the Bible because the Emergent spiritual director follows a very allegorical "Alexandrian School" approach to Holy Scripture so he would not readily see what it clearly appears to be saying when read at face value. Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(6) Brain McLaren: A Prime Example Of Diaprax by Sandy Simpson, 2/16/06
I have written in a previous article called The Emerging/Emergent Church - and their use of "diaprax" briefly detailing the use of the Hegelian Dialectic and praxis (diaprax) by New Apostolic and Emerging Church leaders.  What I want to show in this article is a perfect example of diaprax in the teachings of Brian McLaren, a main leader in the Emerging Church.  If you want to read the entire transcript of "An New Kind Of Christian - Part 1", a video teaching by Brian McLaren, you can access it here.  I also urge you to watch the video for yourself which is available online here.  When you watch be aware of the intentional and even unintentional uses of brainwashing techniques.  I will only quote certain parts of McLaren's teachings to emphasize the use of diaprax as well as other false teachings.

(7) Examining the Theology and Dangers of Contemplative Emerging Church Spiritualityby Spiritual Research Network, 2/06
Brian McLaren Confused About Homosexuality? This ought to be a very clear warning to the entire Evangelical Church how bad Mr. McLaren's theology is.

(8) Christianity Defaced as Leader of Emergent Church Movement Embraces Mysticism by Richard Bennett, 3/06
The Emerging Church movement has hailed as its "manifesto" Brian McLaren's book, A Generous
Orthodoxy.

(9) Brian McLaren - Emerging, But Into What? by Lighthouse Trails
A good page of artilces on McLaren.

(10) Brian McLaren - A True Son Of Lucifer by Jacob Prasch, Moriel Ministries, 3/06
But with no biblical compass for determining the direction in which he is misleading his followers because of his dismissal of propositional truth, truth itself can not be a factor in McLarens unsolvable equation in his delusional fantasy world where two plus two can equal six or co-equally can equal ten if you feel that works for you. Objective reality is assassinated by a subjective morality that in the end is by any biblical standard - no morality at all; Post modernism comes to church.

(11) The Emergent "Jesus Worldview" by Discernment Research Network, 6/6/06
Herescope has warned about a "biblical worldview" and a "Christian worldview" in previous posts because these terms are loaded with extra-biblical agendas and meanings, particularly dominionism. The other day we encountered the phrase "Jesus worldview" from none other than Brian McLaren of Emergent Church fame.

(12) Brian McLaren: The Emergent Cult Leader by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 7/19/06
Brian McLaren is beyond question a leading authority in the Emergent Church and is influencing thousands through his speaking engagements and numerous writings. In his latest book The Secret Message of Jesus McLaren apparently has "discovered" what has escaped the Church of Jesus Christ for nearly two thousand years until he happened to come along. In typical fashion McLaren tries to hide his criticism and contradiction of the historic orthodox Christian faith behind "if," but it becomes clear enough that these are his own personal beliefs.  Right in line with other religious cult leaders McLaren shows he doesn't think the Church has correctly understood the message of Jesus down through the centuries when he writes: "if this reading of the Gospels is accurate, why didn't scholars see it a hundred or five hundred or eighteen hundred years ago?"

(13) Brian McLaren: Sower Of Confusion by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 8/7/06
Brian D. McLaren is Chair of the Board of Directors of Emergent Village as well as an author published by Zondervan. He is also among Adjunct and Visiting Professors, along with his good friend Leonard Sweet, at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, a school designed to demonstrate "the meaning of Jesus Christ by offering spiritual formation and education for ministry." McLaren's website lists him as speaker, emergent networker, Christian activist." He also just happens to be a "Christian" minister of the Gospel who openly denines the vicarious penal substitutionary atonement on the Cross of Jesus Christ: "I'm sure that [justification by grace through faith in the finished atoning work of Christ on the cross] is a facet of the gospel, and it's the facet that modern evangelical protestants have assumed is the whole gospel, the heart of the gospel. But what's the point of that gospel?"

(14) Emergent Church: All Faith Traditions Emerging by Rev. Ken Silva on August 11, 2006
In this short piece I remind you of the "historic" meeting between leaders of these two Emergent "faith traditions" in January of this year. We are headed toward a universal inclusivism that Landres himself says is "blurring the line between the 'sacred' and the 'secular';..." This is not in any, way shape or form, Christian theology and yet Emergent Guru Brian McLaren says: "I'm thrilled with the possibility of developing friendship and collaboration in ways that help God's dreams come true for our synagogues, churches, and the world."

(15) Emergent  Inclusiveness and Brian McLaren by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 9/4/06
One of the most prominent leaders within the Ecumenical Church of Deceit is Emergent leader Brian McLaren. McLaren is slated as plenary speaker at Going Forward Together: Third Millennium Christianity taking place November 16-19, 2006 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.Lord willing I'll have more on this later but for now I have been trying to warn the Body of Christ about this neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church which is attempting to bring inclusivism into the Lord's Church. Years ago Dr. Walter Martin preached a message called The Spirit of the Age in which he said the spirit of the age was universalism. It turns out Martin was right and as he further warned that it is "actually quite hostile to the historic orthodox Christian faith."

(16) Brian McLaren: Save The Planet by Slice of Laodicea, 9/11/06
Below Steve Muse of Eastern Regional Watch wrote: "I came across this article yesterday, Evangelical Author Puts Progressive Spin On Traditional Faith by Caryle Murphy of the Washington Post, which clearly reveals Brian McLaren's heart and mind with regard to Evangelical Christianity." In this article Murphy unknowingly brings out just how far away from the Christian mission the Emergent rebellion against the Bible led by McLaren has now strayed.

(17) Report On Brian McLaren, Emergent Church Leader by Jewel Grewe, Dicernment Ministries Newsletter, Volume 17, Number 6, Novemeber/December 2006
On October 24, 2006 Brian McLaren spoke at the Wake Divinity School, Wait Chapel, North Carolina. A friend of Discernment Ministries went to hear this talk and below are some notes taken during this event.

(18) Brian McLaren And The Clarity Of Scripture by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 12/06
Read this whole series.

1. Brian McLaren And The Clarity Of Scripture 1
2. Brian McLaren And The Clarity Of Scripture 2
3. Brian McLaren And The Clarity Of Scripture 3
4. Brian McLaren And The Clarity Of Scripture 4
5. Brian McLaren And The Clarity Of Scripture 5

(20) Brian McLaren: Postmodern Christianity Understood as Story by Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter, Mon, Feb. 18 2008 02:43 PM ET
He (McLaren) suggested that the mainline become more flexible in practice while evangelicals "loosen up" on some of their doctrinal system.

(21) "Reframing Jesus" by Herescope, 2/29/08
Be prepared for a total makeover of Christianity in Brian McLaren's most recent book, Everything Must Change.

(22) Formula Zero - Racing towards oblivion - Who is Brian McLaren? by Neil Richardson, Vanguard Newsletter, Issue 23, July 2007
Brian McLaren's brand new formula of Christianity when tested by the Word of God proves to be, like the first chapter of A Generous Orthodoxy, nothing but a big zero. He dismantles every single major doctrine of the Bible: the
authority of Scripture, the nature of God and Creation, the nature of Man and Sin, who the Lord Jesus is, why He died, who the Holy Spirit is, what His work is in converting unbelievers, what the unchanging Gospel is that we proclaim, what being part of the Body of Christ means, how truth and unity must connect, the doctrines of hell and the devil.

(23) Updated! How "Everything Must Change" - A Pastor Reports on Brian McLaren's "Everything Must Change" Tour by Herescope, 6/2/08 - Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5.
The emergent community's fixation with non-Biblical practices rooted in the Middle Ages has been responsible for leading many sincere pilgrims to explore the "ancient-modern" church through candles, incense, adoration of icons and relics, etc. The audience was repeatedly encouraged to cast off their old "framing story" (the way they see the world) including such bad things as doctrinal and systematic Bible study, since (according to emergent thought) nothing can be definitely known. Therefore, any positive statements that sounded like confidence in the existence of absolute truth were scoffed at as being "narrow minded and proud".

(24) McLaren's "Everything Must Change" Tour by Pastor Jeffrey Whittaker, 6/08
We've all heard it said: "The more things change, the more they remain the same". The Bible says it another way in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10: The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us. I found that the essence of these statements are still proving to be axiomatic after my experience at the "Everything Must Change" conference held at Goshen
College in Goshen, Indiana with emergent church leader Brian McLaren. I sat through session after session listening to the emergent "gospel"; complete with medieval chants and choruses of despair, apologies to the Native American
Indians of the St. Joseph River Valley, as well as to "Mother Earth" for scarring her through our mining and oil drilling operations. The sarcasm with which traditional Scriptural positions were discussed, coupled with repeated swipes at
Christians who were (in McLaren's opinion) waiting to be "snatched away", "evacuated", or "beamed up", brought one particular Scripture passage constantly to my heart and mind.

(25) Transformation Of The Church by Jeff Whittaker, Herescope, 10/14/08
Pastor Whittaker gives a lively and animated report of his personal experience attending Emergent church leader Brian McLaren's "Everything Must Change" conference in Goshen, Indiana. His entertaining and eye-opening report details the extent to which this movment has adopted the non-biblical practices and doctrines of earth-centered spirituality.

(26) The Mindset Of Mockers In The Last Days by Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, 11/6/08
The Bible speaks a lot about  scoffers and mockers in the last days, those who question the word because they have departed from the faith.

(27) THE COMING KINGDOM - Evolution or Revolution? by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, November 17, 2008
According to Brian McLaren, "the Second Coming Jesus"-once held by an evangelical consensus to be one of the five fundamentals of the Christian faith-needs rethinking.

(28) Brian McLaren and his views on hell and the atonement and other issues by Nazarenepsalm113, March 31, 2009
Unbeliever Brian McLaren and his views on hell and the atonement. Scary that this guy was voted one of the top influential evangelicals by Time Magazine.

(29) Brian McLaren Wants End Time Believing Christians Robustly Confronted by Editors at Lighthouse Trails, 5/4/09
In an April 2009 article in Sojourner's magazine by emerging church leader, Brian McLaren, McLaren clearly has targeted Christians. But not just any Christians. McLaren is talking about Christians who believe Jesus Christ is coming back again, suggesting that these type of Christians are the reason there is no peace in the Middle East. He says what these end-time believing Christians are doing is "terrible," "deadly," and "distorted."

(30) Brian McLaren of Emerging Church to Celebrate Ramadan by Apprising Minsitries, 8/17/09
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting for spiritual renewal and purification. It commemorates the month during which Muslims believe Mohammed received the Quran through divine revelation, and it calls Muslims to self-control, sacrificial generosity and solidarity with the poor, diligent reading of the Quran, and intensified prayer. This year, I, along with a few Christian friends (and perhaps others currently unknown to us will want to join in) will be joining Muslim friends in the fast which begins August 21. We are not doing so in order to become Muslims: we are deeply committed Christians. But as Christians, we want to come close to our Muslim neighbors and to share this important part of life with them" (Online source)

(31) Brian McLaren Imagining A Different God by Ken Silva, 9/4/09
Today McLaren informs us that: "Sister Joan Chittister writes a provocative reflection on God and evolution, and on the God of evolution, here. (Thanks Mike Todd!) There are strong resonances between what Joan is saying and what my upcoming book explores. Most of us grew up learning about the God of Laws, the God who made sense in Sir Isaac Newton's mechanistic universe. (Nothing expressed this contextualization better than the little booklet "Four Spiritual Laws," which could have been called "Four Spiritual Mechanisms.") Now, we are struggling to imagine a bigger God, a God who makes sense in the evolutionary universe of Darwin, Einstein, LeMaitre, Hubble, Heisenberg, and Kuhn "" (Online source)

(32) Brian McLaren and Evangelical Pantheism by Ken Silva, 9/09
A mystic himself McLaren also associates with such as Living Spiritual Teacher Alan Jones and "Progessive Christian" scholar Marcus Borg, another Living Spiritual Teacher, who will all take us into the void of a bankrupt New Age of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM). In truth we're encountering a neo-paganism consistent with Eastern religions e.g. Buddhism and Hinduism all mixed up into a new Gnosticism, which then emerges as a pseudo-Christianity teaching that within all mankind is the indwelling spark of the divine; i.e. that on some level, man is also like God. Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4

(33) Liberalism 2.0 - The New Progressive Christian Theology by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 3/16/10
Since this attempt at "transforming Christian theology," to use McLaren's friend progressive/process theologian Dr. Philip Clayton's term, is still developing I would say there is a level of sincerity in McLaren's posture of asking questions. However, don't kid yourself, such as these new Gnostics believe that they're on a mission from God and they're not about to stop actively promoting what some are beginning to call a "big tent" version of Christianity. Let's be clear; this is absolutely not merely a rehash of liberalism, rather, it's an attempt to cobble together a new, more user-friendly, version of it.

(34) Brian McLaren:12 Step groups may help us escape Bible by John Lanagan, My Word Like Fire, 3/23/10
In his book, A New Kind of Christianity, Emergent leader Brian McLaren attacks Biblical understanding, and tries to revise both God and the Bible. In his chapter on reinterpreting God's Word, he notes, "Even for those of us on this quest, breaking out of centuries-old habits won't be easy""

(35) Apostatizing from the Apostle - Oh, and By the Way, from Jesus Too! by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, 4/3/10
An ideology contending that Paul somehow obstructs the understanding of Jesus is not a new. At core, liberal Christianity disdains Paul's message. Professing Christians can show themselves to be "enemies of the cross of Christ" (Philippians 3:18), and because they are, they will seek to dismiss Paul's letters as relevant to a "Jesus-only" faith. But at stake in the debate about whether Paul hinders or helps our understanding of the life and mission of Jesus is the authority that his writings, as well as those of Peter, Matthew, and John, will play in that understanding. If these apostolic writings are dismissed, then Christians will be removed from "the foundation of the apostles and prophets," will be without "Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone," and will be "foreigners and aliens" in the world (Ephesians 2:20, NIV).

(36) Brian McLaren Spreading Division In Christianity by Apprising Ministries, 4/7/10
McLaren's idea of writing a scholarly approach to "Christian Faith of tomorrow" seems to involve mischaracterizing Christians, setting up and knocking down a laughable straw-man argument that we view Scripture through a "Greco-Roman" lens, spewing forth vitriol at fellow Christians - all the while holding forth a smug attitude of false humility and piety.

(37) Brian McLaren Inadvertantly Reveals Who He Worships by Ken Silva, July 16, 2010
The god Of Mysticism's Mystery Not The One True And Living God Revealed In The Bible. Apprising Ministries reminds you that just about a year ago Living Spiritual Teacher and Emerging Church guru Brian McLaren placed up the video below, which he tells us was "a song i've written over the last few days "" It's actually an ode to his god whom we find out McLaren refers to as Majestic Mystery. So as you can see from our opening text above, McLaren and the Mystics have now inadvertently revealed just who it is that they are worshipping"

(38) Why Are Women of Faith Promoting Mystic/Emerging Brian McLaren? by John Lanagan, My Word Like Fire Ministries, 10/15/10
Who owns Women of Faith? Founded by Christian 12 Step advocate and author Steve Arterburn, Women of Faith was purchased by Thomas Nelson Publishers in 2000. Many of the books promoted by Women of Faith are, logically enough, published by Thomas Nelson. Incredibly, one author who has a number of books for sale in the Women of Faith bookstore is apostate Brian McLaren. In describing McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus, we are informed: "When Brian McLaren began offering an alternative vision of Christian faith and life in books such as A New Kind of Christianand A Generous Orthodoxy, he ignited a firestorm of praise and condemnation that continues to spread across the religious landscape. To some religious conservatives, McLaren is a dangerous rebel without a doctrinally-correct cause. Some fundamentalist websites have even claimed he's in league with the devil and have consigned him to flames." [1] "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5) As noted in the article, Women of Faith Spread The Message, this organization is already exposing thousands of women, many of them new believers, to Eugene Peterson's deceptive paraphrase,The Message.

(39) Brian McLaren and Richard Foster's Editorial Team Agree with Lighthouse Trails - Contemplative Prayer and Eastern Mysticism Are Same Thing by Lighthouse Trails, 11/2/10
To those who know and embrace the glorious Gospel of Christ, there can be no fellowship with religions that reject the very foundation of the biblical Christian faith. Something is radically wrong when someone who claims to be a Christian has a sense of solidarity with someone who has a view that man is divine (i.e., man is God). Shear logic should point out the truth of what we are trying to say. Lighthouse Trails' hope is that you look at this issue with an open mind and honest discernment. The truth is in plain view.

(40) Time's Up Brian McLaren by Ken Silva, 1/20/11
Well, looking again at Brian McLaren's non-stand about homosexuality (or about anything else for that matter), you need to understand this. There was always little chance that McLaren is ever going to come down on the side of what the Bible actually says about the deviant and sinful lifestyle of having sexual relations with another of the same sex, i.e homosexuality, because of his own warped and toxic views concerning the inspired texts of Holy Scripture. You should know that McLaren sees the Bible in a very allegorical "Alexandrian School" approach to Scripture so he would not readily see what it clearly appears to be saying when simply read at face value.

(41) The Crossless Gospel by Gary Gilley, Think On These Things, February/March 2011 - Volume 16, Issue 6
In Brian McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus he claims to have discovered the true gospel that Jesus came to give.  According to McLaren this message has been missed by Christians for generations but fortunately for all of us he and a few of his friends in the emergent church movement have been able to break Jesus' code and unravel His true, but secret, message. I should clarify at this point that in no sense do I view McLaren as an evangelical; I believe he and the emergent church are old fashioned liberals with new window dressing.  Be that as it may, many in evangelical circles are listening to him and therefore his positions need to be addressed. Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(42) Brian McLaren Takes On Al Mohler Over Rob Bell by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 3/23/11
With this in mind, I'll bring to your attention that guru McLaren has decided to wade into the minor flap raised by one of his disciples, the Emerging Church rock star pastor Rob Bell, with his new book of mythology called Love Wins. The saga of Mohler and McLaren begins with Mohler's article We Have Seen All This Before: Rob Bell and the (Re)Emergence of Liberal Theology where he correctly showed that Bell's musings are indeed quite similar to what the late cult expert Dr. Walter Martin labeled, "The Cult of Liberalism."

(43) Connecting the "Dots" on Brian McLaren by Michael Theophilus (a Christian pseudonym), 5/13/11
First, let me say that this research report is prepared under the Christian pseudonym, Michael Theophilus, i.e., Michael (who is like God-made in "our image") and Theophilus (lover of God). The main reason for the pseudonym is that the author is not intended to be the subject nor the focus of this report. Rather, it is this Watchman's prayer and wish that the reader's entire focus be on the information that is revealed in this report so that my fellow Watchmen may sound theirs alarms as the Lord directs them to do so. PURPOSE: The purpose of this report is to connect the dots, i.e., the false teachers (heretics and apostates), some of whom are currently in "the church" with one another, as well as revealing some of their connections with others who claim no Christian beliefs, but rather are shown and/or are known to be Satanically connected directly or indirectly through their occultic (New Age, Gnostic, etc.) writings and/or affiliations, e.g., Brian McLaren being connected to Barbara Marx Hubbard and both of them being connected to Lucis Trust.

(44) Albert Mohler Gains Brian McLaren's Empathy For Mohler's "Progressive" View on Christians and "Homophobia" at Lighthouse Trails, 6/25/11
A Southern Baptist seminary president has reaffirmed confusing and controversial comments he made earlier when he called for his fellow Baptists to repent of a "form of homophobia."

(45) An Open Letter to Brian McLaren by Jim Fletcher, 8/19/11
Jim Fletcher is right. Friends of Israel today are treated like we have a mental disease. Even within evangelicalism, we are scorned and marginalized. What is our crime? I guess it's our interpretation of the Bible for we see Israel's land as God-given, not a piece of property that can be divided up and handed over to terrorists. I have written and spoken on Emergent Church issues for years and have aimed often at one of its leaders, Brian McLaren. Most of those in this stream consider Israel to be an inconvenience at best and dangerous at worst. Sister ministry leader Jim Fletcher expresses my sentiments about McLaren and his followers who claim that friends of Israel are worse than Muslim terrorists. Thanks, Jim. 

(46) Conference To Indoctrinate Children Into Brian McLaren Mythology by Ken Silva, 9/7/11
In this way, Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian McLaren, universalist EC pastor Doug Pagitt, and his friend Dr. Tony Jones, the progressive "theologian in residence" at Solomon's Porch headed by Pagitt-along with a whole host of Emergent apostates-were given virtually free reign over what are now a new generation of teachers.

(47) Brian McLaren:12 Step groups may help us escape Bible by John Lanagan, My Word Like Fire, 5/23/10
In his book, A New Kind of Christianity, Emergent leader Brian McLaren attacks Biblical understanding, and tries to revise both God and the Bible. In his chapter on reinterpreting God's Word, he notes, "Even for those of us on this quest, breaking out of centuries-old habits won't be easy"In the same paragraph, McLaren makes an interesting statement. "No wonder those of us who want and need to change our approach may need to form twelve-step groups to deprogram our thinking."

(48) Like We Said, Brian McLaren Wants the Minds of Your Children and Grandchildren by Lighthouse Trails, 4/7/12
On May 7-10 2012, in Washington, DC, Brian McLaren will be a speaker at the Children, Youth, and a New Kind of Christianity event. He will be joining other emergent leaders - Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne, Samir Selmanovic and other "progressives." In the video below (a promotional for the event) McLaren tells viewers that they are holding the conference so they can figure out how to get their message into children's curriculum. And, no doubt, they will do it. After all, virtually all of the large Christian publishers are now publishing emerging/contemplative material.

(49) May 2012 Conference To Indoctrinate Children Into Brian McLaren's Mythology by Ken Silva, 4/19/12
Now you have the necessary backdrop to see what's going on-and what's at stake-with this piece from American Baptist Press Conference seeks to nurture children, youth in 'new kind of Christianity'. 

(50) Conference Seeks to Nurture Youth in a New Kind of "Christianity" by The Berean Call, 4/25/12
TBC: McLaren's purpose is to "reach" Christian youth with his ideas, which in practice deviates little from far left politicians, and is devoid of the hope of the Gospel. For example, the speakers at this apostate event include Rev. Jeremiah Wright and speaker's topics include: Ivy Beckwith, "Godspell, Footloose (the original) and a New Kind of Children and Youth Ministry," Susan Burt, "Opening the World of Faith by Nurturing the Imaginative, Questioning Spirit," Patricia Lyons, "Harry Potter, God and Youth: Using Fiction to Transform Young Readers into Young Theologians," Dave McNeely, "A New Kind of Sexuality: Finding a Framework," Melinda Melone, "Welcoming Rainbow Kids: Resources and Approaches for Working with Youth in the GLBTIQA (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Transexual, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Ally) Community.

(51) Emerging Church Guru Brian McLaren On Why He Rejects Biblical Teaching On Homosexuality by Ken Silva, 9/16/12
The link takes us to NPR and Embracing Diversity In A 'Multi-Faith World' where Pagitt's pal Brian McLaren admits that he's gay affirming now because he didn't want to believe Biblical theology concerning homosexuality ...

(52) Brian McLaren Leads Ceremony At Son's Same-Sex Wedding by Ken Silva, 9/26/12
Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian and a prominent Christian speaker, led a non-traditional marriage commitment ceremony this weekend, according to The New York Times. Held at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase, Maryland, this ceremony included "traditional Christian elements," but no bride. And the groom-one of them-was McLaren's son, Trevor McLaren. The Timesreports that Trevor McLaren wed Owen Ryan Saturday in Washington, D.C., followed by the afternoon commitment ceremony.

(53) Brian McLaren tour focuses on inter-faith relations at Understand The Times, 10/25/12
Emerging church leader Brian McLaren will be visiting six English cities this winter. He'll be picking up on the themes of his new book, "Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?" The tour has been organised by Greenbelt in partnership with book publisher Hodder & Stoughton. McLaren will be joined in each city by a faith leader from a non-Christian faith tradition. Together, they will explore Christian identity in a multi-faith world and respectful engagement between the faiths.

(54) Smilingly Leading You To Hell by Forgotten Word Ministrires, 12/1/12
Brian McLaren may well be the nicest guy around. He recently faced a good bit of criticism for leading a commitment ceremony following his son’s same-sex wedding—a ceremony that included “traditional Christian elements.” In the aftermath, McLaren was as nice as he has ever been. On his blog he answered a former fan who now understood that he could no longer see McLaren as a mentor. This person was reeling, trying to figure out who could now help guide him in his understanding of the Christian faith. McLaren’s answer was nice; it had the appearance of humility and genuinely sorrowful affection. Yet it was radically opposed to the Bible. He rashly changed the way we interpret Scripture, denying what the Bible makes so clear. If you allow him to, Brian McLaren will “nice” you straight to hell.

(55) Brian McLaren addresses SDA conference by The Berean Call, 10/7/13
Brian McLaren is making inroads with his unbiblical Gospel in many places, including the Seventh day Adventists. Here are some excerpts from the 2013 Adventist Forum Conference

(56) Are You a Laggard? If So, You Are in the Way of the New Spirituality “Christ” & the Emerging Church by Ray Yungen, 10/11/13
In view of Brian McLaren’s recent plea for money in order to re-organize the emerging church and his comment about “laggards,” this article by Ray Yungen is a must read.

(57) Brian McLaren’s Mystery Project Out of the Bag – Cana Initiative – A Gathering of Emergents by Lighthouse Trails, 11/21/13
If you want to understand where the emerging/emergent/contemplative/progressive church is heading and how they are going to get there, just read the chapter by chapter synopsis of Faith Undone. Pay attention to the sections that talk about the denial of the atonement of Jesus Christ for our sins and the kingdom of God on earth now (prior to Christ’s return) being established. We don’t know how much money Brian McLaren and his wife donated to kick off the new initiative, but we do know he and the others means business.  Watch in the future to see how many books are published by CANA initiators. In the past decade, numerous publishers have provided ample platform for McLaren and the others. Some of the more outstanding publishers catering to emergent have been: Wiley & Sons, Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, Baker (Emersion Books), Intervarsity Press, and NavPress. McLaren’s most recent book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World  and his 2014 upcoming book We Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation are examples of what we have to look forward to from these CANA Initiators.

(58) Brian McLaren’s Palestinian Justice Speech by Menno-lite, 6/6/14
The Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) regional conference recently took place this last April at First United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon[1]. It was called Seeds for Justice and Hope for Palestinians and Israelis – What is required of US? Since there are quite a few Mennonites who are fond of both Brian McLaren and Sabeel, it is fitting for this blog to draw attention to what was taught during McLaren’s one hour plenary session.  Read Part 1 & Part 2.

(59) McLaren's "Palestinian Justice" Speech, part 1 by The Berean Call, 9/3/14
The Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) regional conference recently took place this last April at First United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon[1]. It was called Seeds for Justice and Hope for Palestinians and Israelis – What is required of US? During the first half hour[2], McLaren’s talk began with his background in the Plymouth Brethren, Darby, dispensationalism, and the Jesus people movement. From there he went to questioning his beliefs in the Bible, fast-forwarding to Greenbelt to Sabeel to Israel – all parts of his journey to rethinking and writing. Unfortunately, McLaren’s experiences on his quest left him with a jaded perception of ‘church’ as a place where there are questions you can’t ask and explanations you can’t give. Through his doubting and rethinking process, he concluded that in the same way that the Christian religion created Europe and failed Europe, the Christians created the injustice that currently exists in Palestine.

(60) Brian McLaren and a New Era of Bible Reading at The Berean Call, 11/12/14
We've moved into a new era of approaching the Bible, controversial Christian author and speaker Brian McLaren says. It's an era that could see Christians abandoning the idea that there is one "right" way of interpreting Scripture – an era he calls Bible 3.0. Bible 3.0, as McLaren characterises it, is an approach that sees the Bible less as inerrant and more as being "in conversation with everything and everyone." It is an approach to Scripture that has been made necessary, if not inevitable, by the unprecedented access readers of the Bible have to a broad range of readings and interpretations of the Bible through the internet. Whereas in the past, Christians might have had to go to another denomination's church or part of the world to hear a different take on Scripture, today the internet allows us to immediately access a myriad of different interpretations of the same text.

ACT Note: Though not a recognized EC leader she endorses Be Still DVD and eastern religious style "prayer".

(1) Beth Moore Gives Thumbs Up to "Be Still" DVD by Lighthouse Trails Research Project, Newsletter, 6/06
Beth Moore's statement of "apology" should be disregarded - new information takes precedence. The Be Still DVD by Fox Home Entertainment was just released in April. Featured speakers include Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Max Lucado, Beth Moore and many others. Shortly after the DVD was released, Ingrid Schlueter of Slice of Laodicea spoke with Beth Moore and told Moore that the DVD was promoting the mystical practice of contemplative prayer. Within one hour, Moore issued a statement to Slice of Laodicea and asked that they post it on their website, which they did. However, there has been a growing concern about her statement and the fact that Moore's ministry, Living Proof Ministries, never placed the statement on their website. Lighthouse Trails has now received emails from a number of people who have sent us a new statement from Living Proof Ministries. Because Living Proof is issuing this statement to the public, we are making this available for all to read. According to this recent email, Moore's original statement of apology should now be disregarded. The statement clarified: "[W]e believe that once you view the Be Still video you will agree that there is no problem with its expression of Truth." Living Proof is offering to send a free copy of the DVD to anyone who receives their email statement and wishes to view the DVD, saying that, "[I]t would be our privilege to do this for you to assure you that there is no problem with Beth's participation in the Be Still video."

(4) Beth Moore's Illicit Tent of Meeting by Bob DeWaay, 6/06
Recently, on Ingrid Schlueter's Web site Beth Moore denies that she promotes approaches to prayer that have Eastern overtones. The issue arose from her participation on the Be Still DVD which has been critiqued on this site by Ingrid and then Brian Flynn. Brian and I viewed a segment of Beth Moore on that DVD. We found disconcerting her poor understanding of Exodus 33:7-11, the passage she uses as her proof text. In her discussion of Moses' tent of meeting she proposes that each believer can have their own tent of meeting where they can go to have two way conversations with God.

(3) A Beth Moore Expose' by Apprising Ministries, 3/13/10
Apprising Ministries pieces like How Would You Know Beth Moore? I've shared my concerns about people like Moore who appear to claiming to receive special revelation directly from God.

(4) Beth Moore Exposés by PFO, 6/6/10
She is a best-selling author whose Bible study books and workbooks have sold more than 10 million copies, and who leads the pack of authors at LifeWay, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. She is said to be an "evangelical superstar" and "one of the most respected and sought-after Bible teachers," whose conferences draw women - and some men - by the thousands. She's Beth Moore, the blond, petite 52-year-old with a Texas accent, who has become a Christian darling among believers of all denominations.  Unfortunately, what she does deliver in her many resources is a lack of discernment, an unhealthy ecumenism, careless use of words, and a poor exegesis of the Word of God. In 2007, following repeated requests for a critique of Beth Moore, PFO offered its first article which examined both the teaching found in her best-selling book, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things, and her unorthodox associations.  Because of the popularity of that initial evaluation, PFO received calls for additional articles surveying her unabashed mysticism and faulty biblical interpretations.

(5) Beth Moore Praises Brother Lawrence And Obscures The Reformation by Ken Silva, 9/5/11
Interstingly enough, both of them are pretty iffy about Reformation theology, most specifically that the Roman Catholic Church teaches another gospel. This clip below is from the Be Still DVD, which is an ode to the unbiblical practice of Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP).

(6) SBC Lifeway Bible Teacher Beth Moore Praising Apostate Mystic and Contemplative Prayer by Ken Silva, 12/21/11
In the section of the Be Still"And Know That I Am God DVD called Cloud of Witnesses: Contemplative Figures Throughout History, i.e. so-called "Christian" mystics, SBC Bible teacher Beth Moore gives us some very revealing information concerning a growing rebellion against Sola Scriptura within "Protestant" evangelicalism.

(7) Beth Moore: God's Vision For The Church Includes The Roman Catholic Church "Denomination" at Apprising Ministries, 12/23/11
Video clip.

(8) Beth Moore The Mystic by Ken Silva, 1/12/12
As I pointed out in Beth Moore Seeking Direct Revelation From God At Passion 2012 Moore tells us herself she was apparently doing so along with the other speakers: "I didn't take many pictures during the sessions because I didn't want to be distracted and miss God. I wanted to worship and to receive a word myself! I know you get that." (Online source) It seems to me that if she meant in Scripture then she wouldn't have to worry about "missing" what God has to say and can "receive a word" from God at any time, no?

(9) Straightening Out Beth Moore On Discernment by Ken Silva, 2/19/12
The Roman Catholic Church condemned the Gospel of Jesus Christ; this was at the very heart of the Protestant Reformation. So we have to ask: Does SBC Bible teacher not know this? And we also need to ask: Why does Lifeway, publishing arm of the SBC, promote Beth Moore's heretical view on its website?

(10) Beth Moore's Classic Chat With God by Ken Silva, 8/19/12
The reason I brought this up is because charismatic big names in the SBC, e.g. like Rick Warren and Beth Moore, have been led by their subjective feelings-allegedly by God-to become protholics. They're not really Protestant, and not quite Roman Catholic. Unfortunately, all who follow feelings eventually end up there. Don't you think it's rather odd that two of the most visible voices in the SBC, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, actually repudiate the Protestant Reformation with their sinful ecumenicism? Yet, Warren and Moore will often claim to be receiving direct revelation form God. In fact, you'll hear Beth Moore below even tell us that Jesus "can be the bossiest thing." This video is Moore's infamous "Hair Brush Story," which she retold on Life Today January 11th of this year. Seems in April of 2005 she was at the Knoxville airport waiting to board the plane when apparently God took over control of her ...

(11) Beth Moore and Ken Silva Discuss Her Demonic Vision by Ken Silva, 9/26/12
The Roman Catholic Church long ago condemned the Gospel of Jesus Christ; this was at the very heart of the Protestant Reformation. Beth Moore needs to be brought to account for this demonic vision and to repent of her sinful ecumenical teaching. And shame on the SBC for not only promoting it, but even charging people for it!

(12) Beth Moore Bio by Matt Slick, CARM, 1/14/13
We must be very careful when listening to a teacher.  Beth Moore, in my opinion, is not to be trusted to properly teach from the word of God.  She is leading many astray with her approval of contemplative prayer, personal revelations, and faulty biblical exegesis.  Yes, I know that many claim to have been helped by her.  That is fine.  But, the experience of feeling helped is not where truth lies.  Rather, it is God's word that is the standard of what is good and bad, not if we are helped through the wolf of pop psychology in Christian terminology.  Therefore, I cannot endorse Beth Moore.

(13) Examining Beth Moore's statement: the 'Bride is paralyzed by unbelief' by The End Times, 7/8/13
Last night, I was thinking about something Beth Moore said. I want to look closely at the content of what Beth Moore said in this example I will show you. I am personally offended by it and I'm spiritually grieved by it.

(14) Beth Moore's 'Twelfth Month Redemption' by Don't Not Be Surprised, 12/12/13
She tells her viewers that she used a search on Bible Gateway to find every instance of the 'twelfth month' in Scripture. Then she looked up these passages and found that many of them described some type of reversal in circumstances. This, she concludes, must mean that God offers reversals of fortune in the twelfth month of the year. Thus, everyone who has had a difficult and trying 2013 needs to pray that God would redeem the year in this final month of December. Moore's attempt to universally apply a principle that God redeems an entire year in the twelfth month is pure manipulation of the biblical text that could lead many of her devoted followers into despair if they find that such a reversal does not happen to them.

(15) Beth Moore Worships At Joel Osteen's Church As Pastrix Christine Caine Preaches by Ken Silva, 12/24/13
Certainly we should be able to see that Joel Osteen Moving One Step Closer To Mainstream Evangelicalism when someone as revered in conservative Christian circles as Beth Moore feels comfortable enough to announce she was going to go and join in fellowship with 1) someone like Osteen and his false gospel, and 2) with women in rebellion against God’s Word.

(16) Future Outpouring “Prophecy” Of Beth Moore by Ken Silva, 3/24/14
Moore tells us, “In mid-November of 2012, God dropped a word so convicting on my heart,” so “I knew God was talking to me” and “ I have rarely – if ever – received clearer orders from God.” In her post Moore speaks of a ”fresh work of Christ” bringing a “revival” through the “wind” of the Holy Spirit, i.e. a new outpouring.

(17) Is Beth Moore’s “Spiritual Awakening” Taking the Evangelical Church Toward Rome? by Lighthouse Trails, 8/14/14
Editor’s Note: Lighthouse Trails bears no animosity toward Catholics. We have a genuine love and concern for them. However, we are obliged to speak up about the teachings of the Catholic Church, especially as we witness the “emerging” of Protestantism and Catholicism, which is taking place via Christian leaders today.

(18) Beth Moore Talks 'Unity' with Word Faith Teacher Joyce Meyer by Do Not Be Surprised, 8/15/14
Is this what Beth Moore meant when she claimed to have received personal, direct revelation from God to "stop sowing over and over again in the same field"? Is this the unity of which Moore spoke at James Robison's Awaken Conference? It certainly seems that way.

(19) Beth Moore & Priscilla Shirer’s History of Contemplative Prayer and Why War Room Should Not Have Used Them (Booklet) by John Lanagan and the Editors at Lighthouse Trails, 9/22/15
Contemplative prayer, which Priscilla Shirer refers to as her “brand new way” and Beth Moore says is essential in really knowing God, is in reality an ancient prayer practice that is essentially the same as New Age or Eastern meditation though disguised with Christian terminology. Those who participate and enter the contemplative silence, as it is called, open themselves to great deception.

(20) The Beleaguered Disciple: One Woman’s story of finding discernment and losing Beth Moore at The Pen, 10/10/15
The bottom line is this.  I don’t care if Beth Moore studies are actually “good” and do not contain false teaching – one cannot separate the studies from what Moore says and does elsewhere, with whom she associates.  She associates with Joyce Meyer, Christine Caine, Joel Osteen, James Robison, and Hillsong.  This is associating with false teaching at best, heresy at worst.

(21) Letter to the Editor: Churches in Deception Covering Their Tracks and Targeting Women at Lighthouse Trails, 3/214/16
It used to be on a church website somehow—some slide, or announcement, etc.—but then later it  was hidden in the links, or the church bulletin, or the  women’s ministry where a Beth Moore book was listed. Now in the bulletin, when it is a Beth Moore book, they only label the study with a title or theme name.  But when I  Google that name, I get a book title by Beth Moore.  They are hiding it deliberately.

(1) Doug Pagitt and the Emerging Church Gay Agenda by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 8/26/10
A couple of these apostate EC elite I mentioned above would be the heretical quasi-universalist Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt, who heads the Emergent Solomon's Porch, and his equally heretical "theologian in residence" Tony Jones. As I showed you in Emergence Christianity Theologian Tony Jones And His Unrepentant Homosexual Christians Jones has played the man and gone on record that he personally affirms a lifestyle of having sexual relations with another of the same sex, i.e homosexuality, is a viable one for the regenerated Christian. Doug Pagitt, not so much; although the evidence I brought out in Doug Pagitt, The Emerging Church, And Affirming Homosexuality leaves little doubt that Doug Pagitt's in agreement with his friend Tony Jones.

(2) The Kind Of Christianity Doug Pagitt Offers by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 9/1/10
Apprising Ministries has told you before that the sinfully ecumenical Emerging Church, which has now blossomed into a full-blown neo-liberal cult that's operating within mainstream evangelicalism itself, would prove to be a Trojan Horse unloading critical-thinking skills numbing Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism under the guise of so-called Spiritual Formation ala Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster and his spiritual twin Dallas Willard. Online apologetics and discernment ministries tried to warn you that the primary goal of the Emergent Church has been to attack the Protestant Reformation-specifically Sola Scriptura-but, unfortunately, the warnings went unheeded. Instead mainstream evangelical churches made the horrible decision to use their Young Adult and Youth ministries as spiritual guinea pigs feeding them on materials from apostate EC leaders. Two of the most notorious of these would be the heretical quasi-universalist Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt, who heads the Emergent Solomon's Porch, along with his equally heretical "theologian in residence" Tony Jones; two-thirds of the unholy trinity of the Emerging Church, with the other being guru Brian McLaren. Sadly, these men will have much to answer for having caused so many to make shipwreck of their faith (see-1 Timothy 1:19).

(3) Toxic Theology Of Doug Pagitt by Ken Silva, 9/3/10
Here I agree that Pagitt is quite right; pagan religions are "not at all in contrast with [his] Christianity"; however, this is not even remotely close to the historic, orthodox, Christian faith once for all delivered to the saints. 

(4) Articles on Doug Pagitt by Apprising Ministries, 9/20/10
A number of articles on Pagitt.

(5) Doug Pagitt and homosexual sin by Ken Silva, 10/12/10
In Doug Pagitt And The Emerging Church Gay Agenda I reiterated that online apologetics and discernment ministries tried to warn you the primary goal of the EC has been to attack the Protestant Reformation-specifically Sola Scriptura-but, unfortunately, the warnings went unheeded. As I pointed out before, this is the reason why God moved me to begin covering the issue of a growing acceptance within evangelicalism that the deviant and sinful lifestyle of having sexual relations with another of the same sex, i.e homosexuality, is a viable one for the regenerated Christian.

(6) Doug Pagitt Excited About Interfaith Powwows At Solomon's Porch by Ken Silva, 2/3/11
The link takes us to the You Tube clip below, which in part we have because Fuller Seminary Sponsors Emerging Church Heretic Doug Pagitt; such is the growing syncretism within rapidly apostatizing evangelicalism. As you'll see Pagitt's excited that tonight the "Holistic, Missional, Christian Community" Solomon's Porch kicks off its new "Thursday Torah Teaching with Rabi Joseph Eidelheidt [sic]"[1] series at something called "Solomon's Porch Gathering Space." 

(1) Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Wake Up Leonard Sweet!
by Sandy Simpson, 11/27/05
This article will expose Leonord Sweet as a postmodernist who apparently is so caught up in his postmodern paradigm shift that he is unable to think clearly at all, let alone teach.  On his The Double Ring Video by Leonard Sweet, Sweet's SoulCafe, 1998, Vol. 3 which I have transcribed here in totality, you can hear the bell toll twice announcing the demise of Christianity falling headlong into a global apostate end times false religion.

(2) Satan, The First Postmodernist by Sandy Simpson, 12/1/05
This is an article written after giving further thought to the definition of "postmodernism" given by the likes of postmodernist Leonard Sweet and other Emerging Church promoters.

(3) Eastern Regional Watch Ministries (ERWM) - Emerging Church by Steve Muse
Great apologetics site on Emerging Church.

(4) Leonard Sweet: Quantum Spirituality and 
a Christ Consciousness! by Lighthouse Trails
Leonard Sweet (endorsed by Rick Warren) thanks New Agers for helping him find the "New Light"

(5) Engineering The Emergent Experience by Watcher's Lamp, 2/12/07
In a classic case of the dialectic process, Leonard Sweet has declared, " "the old model of church is killing the West," at a conference at Baylor University. Sweet continues to state, "in the midst of an ever-changing culture, and more specifically, postmodernism the church must become missional, relational and incarnational, rather than remain attractional, propositional and colonial." In layman's terms"the emergent way is in, the seeker-sensitive is out. Perhaps the seeker-sensitive way is the first step toward the emergent way, with the final destination for Rome ?

(6) Rick Warren and Leonard Sweet Together Again -- Sweet: Reinvent yourself for the 21st century or die by Lighthouse Trails Research, 5/07
The 2007 Catalyst Conference will be taking place this October, and long-time colleagues Rick Warren and New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet will be speakers.

(7) New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet To Speak at Pastor Skip Heitzig's Calvary Chapel Church from Warren B. Smith's book, A "Wonderful" Deception, 3/26/2010
LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS REPORT:This coming June, Calvary Chapel Albuquerque (a veteran Calvary Chapel church pastored by Skip Heitzig) will host the National Worship Leader Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will feature New Age sympathizer and emerging church leader, Leonard Sweet. The NWLC event will take place in three different U.S. locations with Sweet participating in two of them.

Updated! (8) Leonard Sweet Quotes compiled by Sandy Simpson. 3/10
This is a page containing a number of quotes proving Leonard Sweet, probably the leading spokesman promoting Emergent Church, is a false teacher. I will comment in blue about each quote.  The issue of Sweet being invited into many churches and Christian universities to speak has become even direr as recently he was invited to speak at a Calvary Chapel conference.

(9) David Spangler, Leonard Sweet and Quantum Spirituality by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 5/2/10
Apprising Ministries has been telling you in posts like Liberalism 2.0 The New Progressive Christian Theology and Brian McLaren Addresses TransFORM East Coast Conference that, while the spiritually obtuse within evangelicalism would like to think so, the neo-liberal cult of the Emerging Church is not dead at all. In fact, the just wrapped up TransForm East Coast conference launches the Emergent Church 2.0 with a  new more clearly defined progressive/neo-liberal theology aka Emergence Christianity.

(10) On Emergent Church leaders calling apologetics and discernment ministries "Online Discernment Ministries" (ODM) by Sandy Simpson, 5/14/10
It does not surprise me at all that prominent Emergent Church (EC) leadership and others associated with that movement would use name calling as a way to try to shut up opposition to their false teachings.  This is typical for Christian liberals.  Rather than answer to what they have been writing in their books and teaching on in public for years, they resort to name calling.  The term they are using lately is ODM meaning online discernment ministries.  They use that term in a disparaging way but the term itself shows that they do not know how to do research and are not interested in the facts about many apologetics ministries.

(11) Letter to George Fox University regarding Leonard Sweet by James Sundquist, 6/4/10
Dear President Robin Baker, Chuck Conniry, Dean, Faculty and Administration of George Fox University and fellow defenders of The Faith: Please find attached my response to Chuck Conniry and Randy Woodley of George Fox University, the complete comprehensive full report on Leonard Sweet vs. Scripture. In particular, I respond to Randy Woodley's accusations.

(12) Leonard Sweet, Frank Viola and the Third Way by Ken Silva, 6/8/10
This would be the third way, the alleged "new reformation" of the Emerging Church 2.0 with its Emergence [theory] Christianity that's slithering its way deeper into the mainstream of the squishy evanjellyfish community; and, maybe into your own local church. If I were you, I'd be closely checking the theology of your Worship leaders and Youth pastors by asking some very hard, and precisely defined, questions. It's an incontrovertible fact that this spiritual skubalon has been coming out of mainstream evangelical publishing houses for years now aimed right at that demographic; you ignore this at their peril. 

(13) Quantum Spirituality Has Entered the Church Through Christian Leaders by Warren Smith, 7/20/10
Leonard Sweet is definitely one of the point men for today's emerging/postmodern/Purpose Driven Church. As Rick Warren has aligned himself with Sweet, it is important to remember that Sweet has described former and present New Age figures as his "heroes" and "role models." He has openly acknowledged that his quantum "new cell theory" understanding of "new light leadership" was formulated with the help of veteran New Age leader David Spangler. Additionally, Sweet describes mystical New Age priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin as "Twentieth-century Christianity's major voice." And while Sweet's almost "in your face" New Age sympathies are there for all to see, Rick Warren, and other Christian figures continue to hold him in high esteem. But it is just business as usual as Warren's apologist tells us that "Doctrinally/theologically, Leonard Sweet is about as Christian as anyone can get."

(14) Moriel and Way of Life Ministries Report on Concerns Over Calvary Chapel Embracing of New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet at Lighthouse Trails Research, April 26th, 2010
Moriel has received a number of inquiries and comments regarding the invitation by Skip Heitzig extended to Leonard Sweet, the New Age Christian mystic usually identified with the "Emergent Church", a movement against which senior Calvary pastor and founder Pastor Chuck Smith publicly opposed. The event is to be held at Calvary Chapel, Albuquerque along with the so-called music ministry of a Roman Catholic worship leader in what has been described as the first official New Age/Ecumenical event to take place at a Calvary Chapel. This despite the majority of Calvary Chapel pastors not subscribing to the event's Ecumenical agenda who support the expressed position of Pastor Chuck Smith opposing tenets and practices of the Post-Modern mysticism defining the Emergent Church, seeking to prevent it from entering into Calvary Chapels. The announcement follows a public financial scandal reaching the secular press at the same church in 2008. Moriel cannot speak for Skip Heitzig and we urge those contacting us to rather direct their comments and questions to him. Moriel and Jacob Prasch do dismiss Leonard Sweet as a dangerous deceiver, and although not opposed to Catholic people we reject Ecumenical union of any kind with Roman Catholicism. We also firmly endorse the position expressed by Pastor Chuck Smith in opposition to this "emergence" which was undertaken by him in a personally painful yet noble and necessary reaction to its attempted influx into a Calvary Chapel in California. Moriel and Jacob Prasch also sanction the caveats issued to Calvary Chapel pastors by former New Ager Warren Smith who was invited by Chuck Smith to address a major Calvary Chapel pastors conference regarding these faulty trends.

(15) Leonard Sweet and His Quantum Spirituality
Date: September 09, 2010
Host: Ingrid Schlueter, Crosstalk Radio
Guest: Sandy Simpson
Listen: RealAudio | Windows Media | MP3 | Order Tape or CD

(16) 10 Minute Video Preview - Part 4 - Exposing the Quantum Lie by Warren Smith, 9/10/10
Warren Smith continues to expose the Quantum Lie, and a lot more proponents come onto the scene as the big picture begins to unfold. Watch how The Shack, The Truth Project, The Secret, Rick Warren, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Neale Donald Walsch and others all begin to be "on the same page" in terms of belief. For the Full DVD please see http://www.lighthousetrails.com.

(17) Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Professor Earl Creps Promote Contemplative Spirituality by Lighthouse Trails, 9/10/10
While Creps ends that discussion with "I am painfully orthodox doctrinally," resources he offers throughout his blogs and websites would paint another picture. Under Apologetics Resources, Creps recommends Leonard Sweet's book, Quantum Spirituality. Listen to Sweet, as he describes the New Light in his book: "I have followed those 'New Light leaders' ... [S]ome of those who led [me] into new light are: ... Matthew Fox, Richard Mouw, Rowan Williams." Others that Leonard Sweet thanks include: Morton Kelsey, M. Scott Peck, Walter Bruggemann, Ken Wilber, Thomas Berry and many other New Age sympathizers.

(18) Giving Leonard Sweet a nudge by Ken Silva, 9/14/10 
So his theology hasn't changed despite what he said in his rather patronizing A Response to Recent Misunderstandings filled with postmodern Humpty Dumpty language; the truth is, Christian missionary Sandy Simpson of the respected online apologetics and discernment ministry Deception In The Church put together Leonard Sweet Quotes, and nothing he quotes Sweet as saying there, or in my Emergence Christianity: Quantum Shift To Panentheism, has been retracted. 

(19) Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Gives Favorable Review of Book by New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet by Lighthouse Trails, 2/23/11
In the January 24th issue of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's Towers magazine sits a review of Leonard Sweet's recent book, Jesus Manifesto (p. 11). The review states that Sweet's book "can be a good resource for young and old Christians alike." The review was written by Towers managing editor Aaron Cline Hanbury who on his own blog recommends "grounded" Christians read Rob Bell's book, Velvet Elviswhere Bell tells readers to study New Age mystic and tantric sex advocate Ken Wilber for three months for a "mind-blowing introduction to emergence theory and divine creativity [panentheism (God in all) and pantheism (all is God)]" (p.192 V.E.). 

(20) How the "Quantum Christ" (God is in everything) is Tranforming the World . . . and Entering the Church! by Warren B. Smith, 3/30/11
In his 2009 book So Beautiful, Leonard Sweet underscores his quantum "relational worldview"14 by favorably quoting from William Young's The Shack regarding relationship.15 He also tells readers to look to Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science to further understand his quantum view on the "spiritual and social significance of relationship."16 And he still continues to refer readers back to his 1991 book, Quantum Spirituality. While appearing to be somewhat of a 21st century renaissance man who leaves everyone in the wake of his postmodern intellect, Leonard Sweet's "scientific" postmodern/quantum/New Age view on things raises some critical questions-particularly in regard to his association with Rick Warren. If Warren, Sweet, and other Christian leaders continue to move the church towards the New Spirituality, how will it ultimately play out? Will we see Warren, Schuller, Sweet, McLaren, and other "New Light" leaders signing a mutual accord someday affirming that God is "in" everything? Will that proclamation be based on new "scientific findings" from quantum physics? Will they explain that [Jesuit] Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and the "God" of Neale Donald Walsch and William Young had it right-that "the sub-atomic reality" is that God is in every atom? That God really is-scientifically speaking-"in" everyone and everything? But what about the inevitable reaction that will come from those referred to by Rick Warren as "fundamentalists"18 when they accuse Warren of flip-flopping? Will Warren defend his new worldview by repeating what he said at the Saddleback Civil Forum-that "sometimes flip-flopping is smart because you actually have decided a better position based on knowledge that you didn't have"? Armed with seemingly scientific "facts" from quantum physics, will Warren defend his new worldview by stating, "That's not flip-flopping. Sometimes that's growing in wisdom"? Is this where Warren, Sweet, and other Christian leaders will try to take the church? Are they about to take a big "quantum leap" into the New Spirituality of a New Age that is based on the findings of the "new science"? Given the continued New Age implications of the emerging Purpose Driven movement, it would seem that this is a real possibility.

(21) Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Gives Favorable Review of Book by New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet By Lighthouse Trails, April 1, 2011In the January 24th issue of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's Towers magazine sits a review of Leonard Sweet's recent book, Jesus Manifesto (p.11). The review states that Sweet's book "can be a good resource for young and old Christians alike." The review was written by Towers managing editor Aaron Cline Hanbury who on his own blog recommends "grounded" Christians read Rob Bell's book, Velvet Elvis, where Bell tells readers to study New Age mystic and tantric sex advocate Ken Wilber for three months for a "mind-blowing introduction to emergence theory and divine creativity [panentheism (God in all) and pantheism (all is God)]" (p.192 V.E.).

(22) Leonard Sweet Set For Adrian Rogers Symposium by Ken Silva, 8/18/11

I told you we were headed into a land where words have no fixed meaning; as we're told Leonard Sweet is "one of the top Evangelical leaders." Essentially the word has become meaningless; and Sweet is a minister in the rather liberal United Methodist Church.

(23) The "Energymatter" Jesus excerpt from Tamara Hartzell's new online book: "Reimagining" God: Turning the Light off to Look for "Truth" in the Corner of a Dark Round Room, 1/25/13

A relevant discussion of the "new gospel" taught by Leonard Sweet and other evangelical and New Age leaders. Excerpt is from Chapter 5, p. 136.

 

(24) Incarnating Christ excerpt from Tamara Hartzell's new online book: "Reimagining" God: Turning the Light off to Look for "Truth" in the Corner of a Dark Round Room, 2/5/13
Not only is today's shifting Christianity obviously changing its methods and message in its purposeful shift to darkness, but it is also changing to "another gospel,another spirit & another Jesus," as well as another "Christ" and another "God."

(25) Leonard Sweet: Changing The Emergent Leopard’s Spots by Discerning The World, 3/5/15
Like Leonard Sweet who hails New Ager, David Spangler, Willis Harman, M, Scott Peck, Matthew Fox and other contemplatives as the “New Light Leaders” and among the most creative religious leaders in America today, (who) . . . . are . . . . carving out channels for new ideas to flow, (2) Sephan Joubert has his own little crowd of Emergent contemplatives whom he lusciously hails as “Today’s new saints [who] are those who in solitude find peace and quiet with God and manifest it in genuine ways.”  Leonard Sweet 2015However hard they may try to persuade their followers that their association with well-known contemplatives and New Agers does not defile their own spotless anti-Emergent character, they need to explain why they are still tenaciously, happily and openly fraternizing with the leaders of the Mosaïek Church in Fairland, Johannesburg who are all full-blooded contemplative emergents.  (Please see the billboard on the left announcing Leonard Sweet’s visit to the Mosaïek Church on March 10th, 2015).

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New Sandy Simpson Messages 
on CD & DVD

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NEW!

“Overtake you like a thief”
by Sandy Simpson

This DVD is a message based on this article.

1 Thessalonians 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; How serious will it be for a person to be overtaken in “that day” like a thief overtakes a household when he slips in and steals?  Will it just be a surprise for those who claim to be Christians who will get a slap on the wrist by the Lord but still proceed to heaven?  Will they simply lose rewards but still gain the ultimate reward?  What is this darkness that the brethren are not in?  1 Thessalonians 5:3-5 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or of darkness; 

Only $10. plus s/h. for US. 

Go here for further information.

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Generic and Specific
by Sandy Simpson

This DVD is a message based on this article.

In my article “Blasphemizing the Bible” (http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/blasphemizingthebible.html) I give a number of examples of how a lot of modern Bible translation societies are putting the names of “supreme beings” in the Bible in the place of God or YHWH. In this article I'm going to examine two of the excuses they make for making those substitutions in the Bible in many hundreds of different languages today. 

(1) They claim that God has many different names and therefore they think they are justified in putting the names of various gods of various cultures in Bibles, as long as they are considered “supreme beings”. 

(2) The second excuse they give is that the names of the “gods” they are placing in the Bible are generic terms for God, like the words “God”, “Theos”, “Dios” and “Elohim”. By generic I mean a word that can be used for any deity whether of the one true God or other false gods who claim to be God. 

I will go through both of these excuses and show that they are both unbiblical, therefore the Bibles they have translated with names of other gods in them, or names they claim are generic, prove that they have “blasphemized” those Bibles.

Only $10. plus s/h. for US. 

Go here for further information.

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