BIOLA UNIVERSITY: GOING, GOING, GONE AS PRESIDENT TAKES SABBATICAL AT CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE MONASTERY

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  Our Lady of Glastonbury Abbey is a community of Benedictine monks who
live in Hingham, Massachusetts. They follow the Rule of Saint Benedict,
dedicating themselves to a life of prayer, service and hospitality.
All are welcome to enjoy the monastery grounds and join the monks in
daily Mass and prayer services. Glastonbury celebrates its 60th
anniversary in 2014. For more info, www.GlastonbutyAbbey.org.
SEE:
EXCERPT:
 A few
minutes after five o’clock, the bells began to ring from the abbey’s
chapel, reminding us that it was time for the afternoon vespers.
Acapella in that simple space, we sang psalms with words like, “Hear the
voice of my pleading as I call for help, as I lift up my hands in a
prayer to your holy place.” With the monks, I began to sing words sung
for thousands of years by the people of God. After the benediction, the
Benedictines headed for supper and I followed. The evening meal was
silent, save for the opening prayer and the memories read of monks long
gone.”
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BIOLA UNIVERSITY: GOING, GOING, GONE 
AS PRESIDENT TAKES SABBATICAL 
AT CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE MONASTERY 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

For many years, Lighthouse Trails has written about the slide that
Biola University in Southern California has taken into contemplative
spirituality. Our first indication that the school was heading that way
was in February of 2006 when we learned that Biola was actively participating in a publication called Conversations Journal,
a magazine whose primary purpose is to bring contemplative
spirituality to the church, and editorial involvement includes names
such as Richard Foster, Basil Pennington (a Catholic mystic), Tilden
Edwards (co-founder of the panentheistic Shalem Institute), and others
of the contemplative viewpoint. Since then, we have watched as Biola
has gotten whole-heartedly on the contemplative band wagon with its
own Institute for Spiritual Formation through Biola’s Talbot School of Theology.

Fast forward nearly twelve years to the
fall of 2017 when the longstanding president of Biola, Dr. Barry
Corey, took a month-long sabbatical leave starting with a week at the Glastonbury Abbey in Massachusetts
(a Benedictine monastery) then wrote about his time of contemplative
silence at the Abbey for the students of Biola in an article titled “The Abbey Makes Space for the Soul” in the school’s student-run newspaper Chimes.

Of course, it makes sense to us that the
president of a strongly contemplative university would spend time in
silence at a Catholic mystical retreat center. We have been explaining
for many years now that contemplative prayer came to the evangelical
church from the Catholic monasteries (e.g. Thomas Merton at
the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky). So naturally, a contemplative
proponent such as Corey would be drawn to a Catholic contemplative
retreat center. It’s like going back to the roots of what has become
the foundation of Biola’s “faith.” And with the president himself
boasting of his time at the Glastonbury Abbey, no doubt, many students
will wish to follow suit. Most of them probably won’t have the money
to take a week off and fly across the country to Massachusetts
(college students are generally strapped for funds – Biola’s yearly
tuition runs over $40,000 a year). But with President Corey’s glowing
report of his time at Glastonbury, students can at least order a few
books from Glastonbury’s online bookstore.

Here are some titles Biola students might purchase from the Glastonbury bookstore: Becoming the Presence of God (Contemplative Ministry for Everyone) by Michael Ford, Finding Our Sacred Center by Henri Nouwen, Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation by Richard Rohr, Christ in All Things: Exploring Spirituality with Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, Guidelines for Mystical Prayer, What the Mystics Know: Seven Pathways to Your Deeper Self
by Rohr, and a multitude of other similar books. The majority of the
books in Glastonbury’s bookstore radiates with the contemplative message
that God is in everyone. For those who are new to
understanding contemplative spirituality, THAT is the foundation of
contemplative prayer (i.e., Spiritual Formation)
– God in everyone, which of course, if was true, then Christ died for
us in vain as man would not need a Savior separate from himself. This
is why we have given our lives up to warn the church about the
infiltration of this panentheistic spirituality that now affects over
90% of the Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries. If
contemplative spirituality (as promoted at Biola) is legitimate, then
the Gospel is not needed, and those of us who believe in it are the
worst of fools.


Some reading this may be thinking, well,
just because Dr. Corey visited a contemplative monastery doesn’t mean
that Biola itself is promoting or teaching contemplative prayer. On
that matter, we could give one example after the next (see links to
some of our former research below). But let’s look at just a few
recent things from Biola’s website:


First, in Biola’s Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care,
in the Fall 2017 issue is an abstract from an article titled
“Evangelical Spiritual Disciplines: Practices for Knowing God” written
by Dr. Tom Schwanda (Associate Professor of Christian Formation &
Spirituality at Wheaton College). It reads:

Evangelicals are not known for their awareness of or appreciation for their own history. . . . “evangelicals . . . have never been introduced to the richness of their own spirituality. Many evangelicals, and more broadly Protestants, were unaware of spiritual disciplines until Richard Foster’s groundbreaking publication Celebration of Discipline first released in 1978. While Foster wrote as an evangelical he was recovering the classic spiritual disciplines
that have been shaped by 2,000 years of the Christian church. As
important as this was there is also both historical and practical value
for evangelicals to recognize the rich spiritual treasures within their stream of Christian spirituality. This article seeks to redress this weakness in one limited way by examining the origin of evangelical spiritual disciplines and their development over the past three centuries. (source; emphasis added)

What Dr. Schwanda means is that
evangelicals have been missing out on “classic spiritual disciplines”
(primarily contemplative prayer), that is until Richard Foster brought
them to us. He’s also saying that Christians don’t have to look for
these disciplines from other religions or belief systems because we
already have a heritage of Christian mysticism in our own backyard
(i.e., a long line of Catholic mystics). Ray Yungen tried to explain
this in his book, A Time of Departing. Read the section below, which should provide some insight:

In [Thomas] Merton’s efforts to become a
mystic, he found guidance from a Hindu swami, whom Merton referred to
as Dr. Bramachari. Bramachari played a pivotal role in Merton’s future
spiritual outlook. [Henri] Nouwen divulged this when he said:
“Thus he [Merton] was more impressed when
this Hindu monk pointed him to the Christian mystical tradition. . . .
It seems providential indeed that this Hindu monk relativized [sic]
Merton’s youthful curiosity for the East and made him sensitive to the
richness of Western mysticism.”
Why would a Hindu monk advocate the
Christian mystical tradition? The answer is simple: they are one in
the same. Even though the repetitive words used may differ (e.g.
Christian words: Abba, Father, etc. rather than Hindu words), the end
result is the same. And the Hindu monk knew this to be true.
Bramachari understood that Merton didn’t need to switch to Hinduism to
get the same enlightenment that he himself experienced through the
Hindu mystical tradition. In essence, Bramachari backed up what I am
trying to get across in A Time of Departing, that all the world’s
mystical traditions basically come from the same source and teach the
same precepts . . . and that source is not the God of the Old and New
Testaments. The biblical God is not interspiritual!
Evangelical Christianity is now being
invited, perhaps even catapulted, into seeing God with these new eyes
of contemplative prayer. And so the question must be asked, is Thomas
Merton’s silence, Henri Nouwen’s space, and Richard Foster’s
contemplative prayer the way in which we can know and be close to God?
Or is this actually a spiritual belief system that is contrary to the
true message that the Bible so absolutely defines—that there is only
one way to God and that is through His only begotten Son, Jesus
Christ, whose sacrifice on the Cross obtained our full salvation? ( A Time of Departing, 2nd ed., p. 199)

Second, to show that Biola is promoting contemplative spirituality, if you examine the editorial staff for the Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care,
you will see numerous contemplative and/or emergent names (Ruth Haley
Barton, Klaus Issler, Kyle Strobel, Larry Crabb, Bruce Demarest to name
a few); there is no way that the Journal is not going to be promoting contemplative spirituality.
One more example, in Biola’s class SEED570
Introduction to Spiritual Formation, one of the textbooks being used
is Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. In a Lighthouse Trails review of this book, we quote Calhoun from her book where she states:

I would be remiss not to mention the spiritual tutors that I know only through books: Dorothy Bass, Eugene Peterson, Gerald May, M. Basil Pennington, Dallas Willard, Phyllis Tickle, Fredrick Buechner, Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Richard Rohr, Jonathan Edwards [not a contemplative], Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, St. Benedict, Julian of Norwich
and many more. Their ideas, voices and examples have shaped my own
words and experience of the disciplines. (Acknowledgment’s page)

If you are not familiar with these names,
please take some time to study them. They are all mystical advocates.
Calhoun’s book does not belong in any school that calls itself
Christian. You can see on the Biola website
that Calhoun spoke at the school in 2013 as well. In our review of
Calhoun, we showed how she advocates the spirituality of Catholic
panentheists Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington.
If there is a Biola student reading this
article, we beseech you to weigh this matter out in light of
Scripture. Your president is pointing you to a spiritual outlook that
negates the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is as New Age, panentheistic,
and universalistic as it gets. Henri Nouwen, whom you have most likely
heard about in some of your classes at Biola, said this statement
near the end of his life after spending years practicing contemplative
prayer:

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.”—From Sabbatical Journey, Henri Nouwen’s last book, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition

Nouwen came to this conclusion after
immersing himself in the very same contemplative silence that
Glasonbury Abbey lives by. If the above statement by Nouwen were true,
then everyone (even Hitler) will be saved, and it really doesn’t
matter what belief a person holds to because every way, every path (be
it Buddhism, Hinduism, even atheism) will be a path to God.
Biola University has been introducing
students to the beliefs of Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and many other
mystics for a long time. Forty thousand dollars a year is a lot of
money to pay for an education like that!

Note: Any Biola student, professor, or staff member who would be willing to read A Time of Departing,
the book we publish that explains contemplative spirituality, we will
be happy to send a free copy. Please just email us at
editors@lighthousetrails.com. Your name will be kept confidential.

Some of our other coverage on Biola University since 2006:
2017 – Biola University Brings in Emergent Speaker for Students, as Pathway to Apostasy Continues
2017 – Evangelical
Universities & Seminaries Offering Master of Arts in Spiritual
Formation – Going into the Deeper Waters of Contemplative Spirituality

2016 – Erwin
McManus, Moody, Liberty, Cedarville, and Biola Help Pave the
Emergent/Social Justice/Progressive Future with Barefoot Tribe

2016 – Mindfulness! Heard of It? What Does it Mean, and Where is it Showing Up in Christian Circles?
2014 – Letter to the Editor: Rick Warren, the Road to Rome, and More Trouble at Biola University
2013 – Biola Conference Welcomes Ruth Haley Barton as it Continues Heartily Down Contemplative Path
2008 – Lee Strobel’s Son – Founder of Contemplative Ministry – Biola Named as “Partner,” Lee Strobel as “Supporter”
2008 – Biola Magazine Managing Editor Admits Biola Promotes Contemplative Spirituality
2008 – Biola University Student Reports on Contemplative Chapel Services – Warns Parents to Avoid Biola
2006 – The Shape of Things to Come: Biola University Embraces Contemplative Spirituality
2006 – Biola University … and Emerging Spirituality

CHURCHES GOING CONTEMPLATIVE WITH DIANA BUTLER BASS’S BOOK “CHRISTIANITY FOR THE REST OF US”

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CHURCHES GOING CONTEMPLATIVE WITH 
DIANA BUTLER BASS’S BOOK 
“CHRISTIANITY FOR THE REST OF US” 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

A Lighthouse Trails reader sent us an article this week from a
Pacific Northwest newspaper* describing how members of a local church
are changing the way they practice church and view Christianity, doing
away with their traditional church methods and embracing what they call a
“contemplative approach.” The article states that they were inspired,
in part, to go in this direction from reading Diana Butler Bass’ book Christianity for the Rest of Us. 


It’s no wonder a church would head in
the contemplative direction if congregants are turning to Butler Bass
for spiritual nourishment. You may recall a Lighthouse Trails article in
November of 2015 about Diana Butler Bass titled “New Spirituality Teacher Says ‘The Jig is Up’ to Those Who Believe in ‘the Blood of the Lamb.’”  Bass
is a contemplative proponent, and like so many of her contemplative
constituents who wander into the contemplative prayer world, her views
toward the Cross and the atonement have become outright hostile; and
those who adhere to the “blood of the lamb” and who cling to the old
rugged Cross are seen as an enemy and hindrance to world peace and
“restoration.”

Christianity for the Rest of Us is
filled with the ideologies of contemplatives, emergents, and
socialist-like figures such as  Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Eddie
Gibbs, Marcus Borg, Joan Chittister,
Parker Palmer, and her “friend” Brian McLaren. A prevailing theme in
the book is “sitting in silence,” meditation, and contemplation. She
says things like:

People need silence to find their
way back to interior wisdom. They need a recovery of the contemplative
arts of “thinking, meditating, ruminating.” (Kindle Locations
1789-1790).

True knowledge of the self, of love and meaning, comes only in silence. (Kindle Locations 1795-1796).

If this and other churches continue following
the same path as Diana Butler Bass, they may also begin to embrace her
view that “the jig is up” to those who believe in the “blood of the
lamb.” Below is the article we wrote in 2015. If your church is reading
books by authors such as Diana Butler Bass, please urge them to
reconsider what they are doing.

New Spirituality Teacher Says “The Jig is Up” to Those Who Believe in “the Blood of the Lamb”

Every now and then something come along that
presents our case in such a succinct and obvious way that we are
compelled to share it with our readers with the hope it will leave no
question as to how serious the present situation is with regard to
Christianity in the Western world. Religious author Diana Butler Bass,
who was one of the speakers at the [2015] Parliament of the World’s
Religions in Salt Lake City, has written a book titled Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. In it, she makes the stunning statement:

Conventional, comforting
Christianity has failed. It does not work. For the churches that insist
on preaching it, the jig is up. We cannot go back, and we should not
want to. . . . In earlier American awakenings, preachers extolled
“old-time religion” as the answer to questions about God, morality, and
existence. This awakening is different . . . it is not about sawdust
trails, mortification of sin [putting to death the old man], and being washed in the blood of the Lamb
[the preaching of the Cross – emphasis ours]. The awakening going on
around us is not an evangelical revival; it is not returning to the
faith of our fathers or re-creating our grandparents church. Instead, it
is a Great Returning to ancient understandings of the human quest for
the divine. (pp. 36, 99).

Contrast this with 2 Corinthians 5: 18-21, which states:

And all things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us
the ministry of reconciliation;  to wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

It could not be any more clear what’s at stake
here. The term “the jig is up” is a slang term that has the connotation
of someone being caught at doing something wrong. It has an
intrinsically militant tone that is more or less saying “you’re not
going to get away with this any longer.” By Butler Bass saying “the jig
is up,” there is an underlying implication of a mounting consensus that
backs up that statement, such as what Ray Yungen and others we know
recently witnessed at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, where
14,000 people attended and where a clear animosity toward biblical
Christians was prevalent.

Inside Diana Butler Bass’ book that so openly
rejects the Cross and the atonement are the following glowing
endorsements of people you have probably heard of:

She’s spot-on prophetic, compelling, and most important, hopeful. —Rob Bell, author of Love Wins

Join her in rebuilding religion from the bottom up!—Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation and author of Falling Upward

She has a good nose to sniff out crappy
religion, but she also has the eyes to see new life budding from the
compost of Christendom. Shane Claiborne, mentored by Tony Campolo

Diana Butler Bass has a keen eye for what is
happening in the Christian world these days— so keen, she is able to see
through the bad news for the good news that is emerging. Parker Palmer

Bass as one of our foremost commentators on twenty-first century Christianity.—Marcus Borg

I expect (and hope) that this will be the
must-read ‘church book’ for every Christian leader— clergy and lay— for
years to come.” —Brian D. McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity and Naked Spirituality

We hope our readers will pass this information
onto to many they know and pray it may jolt quite a number of people out
of complacency or even skepticism into the realization that what we’ve
been reporting on these past nearly 14 years is actually occurring.

What Butler Bass refers to as the “ancient
understandings of the human quest for the divine” is what the apostle
Paul called the mystery of iniquity. This is where man is deceived by
familiar spirits (demons) into believing that man is God.


And when it comes to the preaching of the
Cross, Diana Butler Bass, Marcus Borg, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, and
Shane Claiborne are wrong.
On the contrary to what they believe, the
preaching of the Cross DOES work. People ARE reconciled to God when they
are washed in the blood of the lamb. In other words, they’re not just
wrong, they are terribly tragically wrong.

And they [the saints of Jesus
Christ] overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word
of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
(Revelation 12:11)

*Note: Because our reader is hoping to reach out to this church with some information, we are not naming the church or the city.

SOCIAL JUSTICE EMERGENT JIM WALLIS & SOJOURNERS PRESENTS WORLD CHANGE THROUGH FAITH & JUSTICE SUMMIT~ANYTHING BUT BIBLICAL

 The Summit 2017: Healing and Resistance
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 Linda Sarsour, Muslim Jihadist Activist
Featured Elder And Movement Honoree
 avatar for Linda Sarsour
Rep. Joe Kennedy at The Summit:
 ‘We Are Locked in a Battle Over the Character of Our Country’
 Published on Jun 28, 2017
Rep.
Joe Kennedy III delivered this speech at The Summit, Sojourners’ annual
gathering of faith and justice leaders, on opening night, June 22,
2017. Read the transcript here:
 SOCIAL JUSTICE EMERGENT JIM WALLIS & SOJOURNERS PRESENTS WORLD CHANGE THROUGH FAITH & JUSTICE SUMMIT 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

LTRP Note: The force behind this event that took
place in June is Jim Wallis and his organization SoJourners. To
understand the socialist, anti-biblical roots of this effort, read Mary
Danielsen’s article/booklet What You Need to Know About Jim Wallis and the Social-Justice Gospel.
It is important to  be aware of events such as the one described below
because this is what the younger generations are being drawn into, and
many of these young people are coming from Christian homes. The result
is, they leave their biblical faith and exchange it for an
anti-Christian lie. Your children, your grandchildren are being
targeted. Also because environmentalism plays a huge role in this “new”
spirituality, read Roger Oakland’s article/booklet A Christian Perspective on the Environment.
Submitted by a researcher and a Lighthouse Trails reader
On June 21-23, 2017, an event took place in Washington, DC called The Healing + Resistance Summit: World Change through Faith and Justice.  The Summit is organized by Jim Wallis’ Sojourners Ministries and Magazine:  https://sojo.net/
While many Christians do attend this Summit and while the stated
purpose of Sojourners Ministries does use some Christian terms
(erroneously) when talking about the “biblical” call to social justice
and the need for “Christians” to “act on their faith” to bring world
peace and justice,  Sojourners and their Summit is anything but
biblical.  Jesus’ work on the Cross is not mentioned.  Man’s need for a
personal Savior because of our fallen state and sinfulness is not
addressed either.  Instead, Sojourners’ Healing + Resistance Summit
believes that men and women can and should unite together to transform
individuals, communities, the church, and the world in order to achieve
justice and peace.  There is a strong contemplative emphasis (Yoga,
centering prayer, body prayer, and spiritual direction) and ecumenical
and interfaith emphases and participation as well.
According to the Sojourners Ministries website, the following is the mission and vision of Sojourners:
Mission

“The mission of Sojourners is to articulate the
biblical call to social justice, to inspire hope and build a movement to
transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world.
Vision
We envision a future in which Christians put
their faith into action in the passionate pursuit of social justice,
peace, and environmental stewardship, working in partnership with people
of other perspectives, for the common good of communities, families and
individuals. We articulate that vision, convene and mobilize
constituencies, and build alliances for effective advocacy.”
https://sojo.net/about-us/who-we-are
According to Sojourner’s The Healing +
Resistance Summit 2017 promotional video, 300 activists, leaders,
artists, and others gathered together in June to find new solutions
toward justice as the world becomes more and more unjust.  The Summit
investigates the power of healing and resistance through exploring 5
themes, which are:

(1)  the power of story to mend gaps
(2)  truthtelling and ordering the world around truth
(3)  resistance of the “normalization of injustice” by the faithful
(4)  disruption of injustice in systems, which
means reimagining and rebuilding the institutions of government,
business, and church where injustice exists
(5)  healing because “sustainable dissent must
also include reconciliation with our bodies, our relationships, and our
God”
The purpose of the Summit is to give individuals a clear vision on how to fight injustice.
https://summitforchange.com/
Some sessions from the Healing + Resistance Summit 2017 are:
Morning Yoga

“Yoga is an ancient mind-body practice that
compliments any faith tradition. In a Christian context, yoga can be
understood as “body prayer.” Join us for an hour of centering the mind,
heart, and body through body movement and breath work. You’ll enjoy
gentle stretching and intentional breathing as a way of bringing your
whole self in service to God.”
Morning Centering
“A spiritual director and a featured artist will guide us into a grounded, prayerful space.”
Spiritual Direction Sessions
“Spiritual direction is an ancient spiritual
discipline in which persons are assisted in observing God’s presence and
work in their lives. A spiritual director offers a listening, open,
prayerful presence to another while they walk together with God. Most
simply, a spiritual director “listens to God on a person’s behalf.”
All participants are invited to engage one of our spiritual directors at The Summit.”
Praying with the Body
“We will learn several body prayer techniques
and somatic and neuro‐kinetic exercises that will allow us to connect to
centering breath, to release the mind, and to balance the nervous
system. By entering into sacred movement we will allow for our bodies to
usher us into a deeper experience with God.”
“Faiths” for Climate Action
“Religious‐environmentalism is now poised to
evolve to a new level of reach and impact, with local faith communities
coming together to join the new “glocal” (global‐local) climate and
environmental movement. This session will trace key factors in the
development of the religious‐environmental movement, analyze the current
context, and offer a vision for the movement’s future that creates
opportunities for holistic eco‐discipleship that will represent a
foundation for church development in the anthropocene era.”
Courageous Conversations
“The profound level of global conflict, the
apocalyptic disruptions in human and civil rights, and the vitriolic
tensions in the U.S. call us to confront the power of our spiritual
practices and strengthen our capacity to hold conversations and create
dialogue across our different experiences. In order for us to continue
creating the Beloved Community, we must increase our ability to listen,
hear, understand, analyze, and empathize with those who possess
different social identities and worldviews.”
Climate Justice
Global Peace
LBGTQIA
Racial Justice
Disability Justice

https://summitforchange.com/schedule/
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THESE ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATED IN THE SUMMIT
Interfaith
Baha’is of the United States
U.S. Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs
Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quaker)
Equal Exchange Interfaith Program
Interfaith Connections TV show
Parliament of the World’s Religions
Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)
Interfaith Youth Core
Wild Goose Festival
Catholic
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas (Catholic)
Madonna University
Political
Congressman Joe Kennedy III, D-MA
University President
Georgetown University, President
Evangelical Christian
Kathy Khang, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA
Church World Service
Christ Ministry Center
North American Assn of Christians in Social Work (NACSW)
Progressive National Baptist Convention
National Council of Churches USA
Christian Churches Together in the USA
American Baptist International Ministries
Willow Creek Community Church
World Relief
Environmental
GreenFaith
Honor the Earth; Sacred Pipe Resource Center
Bono’s Organization
Bono’s THE ONE Campaign
https://summitforchange.com/schedule/   (Click on Attendees for full list.)
INFORMATION ON SOME OF THE SUMMIT LEADERS
Phileena Heurertz

*During the Summit, Phileena led Morning Yoga
and was one of the leaders of the Spiritual Direction sessions.
Background Info
“Phileena Heuertz is an author, speaker, spiritual director, retreat guide and yoga instructor.”
“founding partner” of Gravity – a center for
contemplative activism with her husband, Christopher Heuretz
” A member of the New Friar movement”
“Phileena has led contemplative retreats for a
number of faith communities including: Word Made Flesh, World Vision
International, Compassion International, as well as non-faith and
interfaith groups in leading cities across the nation.”
“certified spiritual director in the Ignatian contemplative evocative method.”
“She is  a board member emeritus for Duke
Divinity School’s Center for Reconciliation and board member for Richard
Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation.”
http://phileena.com/biography/
https://gravitycenter.com/learn/community/founders/
Jenny Yang, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief
*During the Summit, Jenny Yang was one of the leaders on the Core Conversation of Healing.
Background Info
Speaker at The Justice Conference 17 at Willow
Creek Community Church, IF Gathering, ERLC and Focus on the Family’s
Evangelicals for Life 17 in DC
Schedule:  https://www.jennyhyang.com/speaking/
“Chair of the Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) Africa
Work Group, and was named one of the “50 Women to Watch” by
Christianity Today”
https://www.jennyhyang.com/
Amena Brown
*During the Summit, Amena Brown was one of the
leaders of the Core Conversations session on Story, and co-led Morning
Centering.
Background Info
Speaker and performer at The Justice Conference
17 at Willow Creek, IF Gathering, and MOPS’ MOMcon Conference
“performed and spoken at events across the
nation such as The RightNow Conference, Creativity World Forum, Catalyst
Conference, Chick-fil-A Leadercast, as well as touring with Gungor.”
http://www.amenabrown.com/about/
Sojourners has already determined that the dates for its next Summit will be June 13-15, 2018 in Washington, DC.
_______________________________________________________
SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST ABOUT HEUERTZ:
 CATALYST CONTEMPLATIVE LAB LED BY CSM GURU PHILEENA HEUERTZ 
https://ratherexposethem.org/2014/05/catalyst-contemplative-lab-led-by-csm.html 

STAND UP FOR TRUMP OR LOSE AMERICA FOREVER

STAND UP FOR TRUMP OR LOSE AMERICA FOREVER 
BY KELLEIGH NELSON
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

Media, Deep State, GOP RINOs, Democrats and Never Trumpers out to destroy our president

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” —Coco Chanel

The elite media has been caught in so many lies because of false
statements that its whole reputation has eroded, their circulation is
down, and their profits are down.
—Geraldo Rivera

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men
to do nothing. Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing
because he could do only a little. Those who don’t know history are
destined to repeat it.”
Edmund Burke

Why the Media Lies 

Well, Geraldo, you don’t know the half of it, and undoubtedly you
haven’t done your homework to know why the Democratic socialist media is
allowed to lie with impunity.  It all started in 1964 with the supreme
court case, NYTs v. Sullivan
This progressive Warren Court decision destroyed the dignity of the
American people.  Prior to ’64, media could not and did not lie about
others for fear of retribution, (i.e., being sued for libel or slander)
but with this SCOTUS decision, all that has changed.  We can thank the
liberal 1964 Warren Supreme Court for a unanimous decision in New York Times Company v. Sullivan.  Remember, they’re the same court that in 1962 took prayer out of school.

This landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 84 S. Ct. 710, 11 L. Ed. 2d 686 (1964), extended the First Amendment‘s guarantee of free speech to LIBEL cases brought by public officials. The Supreme Court sought to encourage public debate by changing the rules involving libel that had previously been the province of state law and state courts.
 And now we see what this decision has allowed leftist media to do to
the President chosen by grassroots Americans who were tired of the lies,
deceit and destruction of our beloved country. Middle America had had
enough, and although the pollsters and the pipers tried to convince us
to not even bother to vote, we were fed up with the denizens of the
swamp. It was time, and we got our first non-globalist, non-New World
Order president in decades.

Left Still Screaming Election Rigged

The same party who had ridiculed Trump on his comments about the election being rigged, (see Devvy Kidd’s latest)
started screaming that the election was rigged. They even advocated
having the election repeated. They created mobs that burned and
pillaged, stopped traffic, threatened murder, battery and rape of Trump
supporters, and became the anarchists that the socialist dream thrives
upon.  Anything to derail Trump from winning.

The insanity continues blaming the Russians and even Senator Diane Feinstein says,
“We have zero evidence of Russian collusion during the 2016
presidential campaign.”  That’s because there is no truth whatsoever to
this claim.  However, the leftist media glommed onto it when Trump made a
joke about Hillary’s missing emails.

During one of the Presidential debates, while speaking about the
hacking of DNC emails, Trump made a sarcastic joke and said, “Russia, if
you’re listening, I hope you’ll be able to find the 30,000 emails that
are missing.”  And that’s all it took for the Socialist media to accuse
Trump of collusion with Russia.

Trump Fires Comey

President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey and was accused of
sharing top-secret intelligence data with the Russian foreign minister
and the Russian ambassador to the United States, the latter a known
Russian spy.  The firing was not done with Presidential class, yet I
understand completely why Trump got rid of him, as we all knew Comey was
in Obama’s pocket.  And there is far more to this than meets the eye,
more in an upcoming article.

The left hated Comey as they perceived he cost Hillary the election.  Reid wanted Comey investigated, the leftist Atlantic stated that Comey had done lasting damage to the FBI, Politico claimed Comey had destroyed Clinton’s chances
and needed to go.  Every leftist rag and all the Democrats piled on
Comey, but when Trump fired him, the left was in a predicament.  They
are now claiming that Trump interfered with the investigation into the
non-existent Russian involvement in the 2016 election by getting rid of
the man charged with investigating this claim.  The hogwash and bull
dung is shoulder deep.

Media Attacks on Trump

The Washington Post, owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is promoting the
intentional evil destruction of this American electorate supported
presidency.  The Post declared that Trump met with the Russian foreign
minister and ambassador and shared intelligence with the Russians, which by the way, he has the right to do. Why?  Because, as President, he can declassify anything anytime he chooses.
 Undoubtedly a rogue intelligence agent gave this information to the
Post, and in doing so, committed a felony.  Typical of the Obama
elitists.

Now the Post has stated
that, “A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination,
one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin
McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private
conversation on Capitol Hill with his fellow GOP leaders: that Trump
could be the beneficiary of payments from Russian President Vladimir
Putin.”

“There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,”
McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016,
exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post.
 Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a
fervent defender of Putin and Russia.

It wasn’t long ago that the leftists all loved Russia and wanted to
snuggle up to them, but now they’re using these lies to say that our
President is in bed with Russia’s leader.

Kevin McCarthy is an obvious globalist neo-con Trotskyite to even suggest such balderdash.

The Leaks

All these leaks mean Trump must fear his own Intel Community.  He
needs to tell Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, to annul both of his
recusals.  The first recusal was given during his confirmation hearing
where he recused himself from ever going after Hillary Clinton’s alleged
criminal actions.  The second recusal was that he wouldn’t be in charge
of this phony Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

He also needs to tell AG Sessions to can anyone who was hired by
former administrations, no matter who it was.  None of them are
trustworthy.

We are now stuck with Deputy AG, Rod Rosenberg’s choice of
investigator, Robert Mueller, and it was approved by the President. 
This is another democrat coup.

 
Who is Robert Mueller?

Democrats have just been gifted their Special Prosecutor by Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.  Rick Wells reported, “They’re popping
the champagne at the DNC and in various swamp watering holes across the
sewer that is our nation’s capital, one of the many traitors within the
Trump administration has, as is typical, given in to Democrat demands.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has named former FBI Director Robert Mueller,
a longtime associate of the fired former FBI Director James Comey, as
the Special Prosecutor they’ve been lusting for.”  Rick’s words are spot
on!

Why should we be uncomfortable with Mueller?  Here are four reasons
from a fellow researcher… 1) The leftist establishment is comfortable
with him. 2) He worked in tandem with Comey on a couple of high profile
cases. 3) He was chosen as FBI head by George W Bush (hater of Trump and
owner of the words “That was some weird shit,” in describing Trump
Inauguration speech. 4) Obama, felt so comfortable with Mueller that
upon taking office he extended Mueller’s ten-year tenure an additional
two years.

Not exactly a resume I feel comfortable in handing our president’s fate over to.

It is worth reiterating Mueller’s misguided handiwork and
collaboration with radical Islamic organizations as FBI director.
Judicial Watch exclusively obtained droves of records back in 2013
documenting how, under Mueller’s leadership, the FBI purged all
anti-terrorism training material deemed “offensive” to Muslims after
secret meetings between Islamic organizations and the FBI chief.
Judicial Watch had to sue to get the records and published an in-depth report on the scandal in 2013 and a lengthier, updated follow-up in 2015.  Read Judicial Watch’s full report.

Also check out Comey and Mueller’s showdown at John Ashcroft’s hospital bed.  Link

Trump says, “Never Give Up!”

Trump gave a beautiful speech to the Coast Guard Academy
Commencement.  Trump told the cadets that “adversity makes you stronger”
and to never “give in,” “back down,” or “stop doing what you know is
right.”

“Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy,” he said. “And the
more righteous your fight, the more opposition that you will face.”

Here is his entire speech, and everything he says is spot on!  For
once we have a President who tells the truth! Trump’s speech starts at
1:09:40.

Where is Trump’s Support?

Are his only supporters Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity?  Where are any
true conservatives in Congress who should be standing up for the
President the American people elected?

Remember the words of Irish statesman, Edmund Burke, “The only thing
necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.  Nobody
made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only
a little.  Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”

So, again folks, it’s up to us.  If we don’t support the man we chose
to save our country, no one else will.  The Congress is full of
globalist socialists on both sides of the aisle.  We must be active. 
The left is funded and promoted by George Soros’ monies and they march
and scream and want their communist USA. See Shaun Hannity show last
night. He’s right on. If we don’t wake up and help our president you
will live under Communism and lose America forever.

To stop this insanity, it’s all up to us.  As Burke said, if we do nothing, evil will triumph.

The White House phone number – (202) 456-1111

Capitol Switchboard for your Senators and representatives (202) 224-3121

When you call the Capital tell the Republican’s to get a backbone and stand up to the Communists, I mean the DemocRats. An Elephant isn’t scared of a Jackass.

If you don’t know your representatives, go to whoismyrepresentative.com and enter your zip code or state.

One of my readers told me an even better place to write, but I can’t find it…lost in all the emails.

NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT!: EUROPEAN UNION “FAIRY” ESCORTS WAR TORN MIGRANTS FROM MIDDLE EAST ON FLYING CARPET IN PROPAGANDA VIDEOS

 

EU-sponsored propaganda video shows fairy godmother bringing migrants to Europe on flying carpet

BY CHRISTINE WILLIAMS

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/05/eu-sponsored-propaganda-video-shows-fairy-godmother-bringing-migrants-to-europe-on-flying-carpet; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

 This open borders fairy godmother propagandist video is intended to
influence children; it marks a new low and antagonizes those who have
suffered at the hands of migrant Muslim jihadists and supremacists.

The European Commission appears to have a death wish for its
citizens; while it presents a glowing utopia of harmony and peace
between Europeans and Muslim migrants, welcoming in unvetted migrants
has caused massive chaos and tragedy. In addition, Europeans are footing
multi-billion dollar bills that they cannot afford, in order to pay for
this bedlam.

“‘Fairy Godmother’ Brings Migrants to Europe on a Flying Carpet in EU-Backed Cartoon”, by Jack Montgomery, Breitbart, March 15, 2017:

A Européens Sans Frontières (Europeans Without Borders)
video sponsored by the European Commission depicts the EU as a fairy
godmother bringing migrants to Western Europe after ‘racist’ Eastern
Europeans refuse to welcome them.

The short film, titled Eurodame, Help!, was funded in part by the
European Commission, the French government, and third-party groups such
as the Fondation Hippocrène.

Fondation Hippocrène is a non-profit organisation which has funded a
number of projects alongside George Soros‘s Open Society Foundations
network, and says its mission is to “promote the construction of genuine
European citizenship” by targeting young people.

The animated short opens on a migrant man, his hijab-clad wife, and
their two young sons approaching the gateway of a forbidding wall, with
the words FRONTEX emblazoned above it.

An EU Border Agency (Frontex) official is shown shooing away a young
man seeking work and a people-smuggler. However, he waves through the
migrant family without further scrutiny after the father claims to be
fleeing war – accompanied by a fluttering fairy godmother representing
the EU.

The fairy, wearing red-framed, hipster-style glasses and a white
t-shirt with the EU flag branded across the chest, asks the migrants to
follow her into a tent, where she asks a man of Arabic appearance to
give them “passage to Europe” on a magic carpet.

Following a celestial compass in the night sky, the group first land
in Eastern Europe – where they are greeted by a crowd of racist white
men shouting that they do not want asylum seekers.

“But it’s their right!” the EU fairy retorts angrily, but to no avail.

The migrants are instead brought to an unnamed country in Western
Europe, where they receive a warm welcome and express gratitude to their
hosts.

“Welcome. We really need you,” a Western European man tells the migrant man.

“Thank you,” the migrant man replies. “Long live Europe.”

The film ends with the migrant family sitting down to a sociable
dinner with a Western European family, as a child narrator asks the
viewer: “Europe protects her borders and Europeans open their hearts to
refugees. And you?”…

_______________________________________________________

 “EURODAME-HELP” ENGLISH VERSION VIDEO:
 Globalist Migrant-Transporter Fairies!
 Published on May 15, 2017

EURODAME, HELP! THAT WOMAN IS BEING RAPED BY THE MIGRANTS YOU FLEW IN VIA ILLEGAL CARPET AIRCRAFT!

BILL WOULD NULLIFY OBAMA PLOT TO “DIVERSIFY” YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

BILL WOULD NULLIFY OBAMA PLOT TO 
“DIVERSIFY” YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD 
BY ALEX NEWMAN
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

Legislation has been introduced in Congress to defund and overturn a controversial Obama administration decree
from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to
transform and “diversify” American neighborhoods under the direction of
Big Brother. The new bill would also reverse the attempted
unconstitutional usurpation of power over local zoning decisions by the
federal government and the unelected regional authorities charged with
managing the transformation. And the measure would end a “geospatial
database” mandated under the scheme to track the racial and income
composition of each area, a key element of the scheme to redistribute
people based on their melanin content and earnings.

The Obama administration’s race-obsessed decree, known as the “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
(AFFH) rule, became a lightning rod for criticism by conservatives and
constitutionalists last year.
A coalition of Republican lawmakers,
facing outrage among their constituents, tried to defund the
unconstitutional scheme while Obama was still in office. However, establishment
Republicans quietly worked behind the scenes to betray conservatives by
supporting Obama’s radical power grab and handing even more tax money
to Obama’s HUD
. With those establishment lawmakers still in power,
passage of the new bill remains far from assured, even with Trump in the
White House, Ben Carson at HUD, and the GOP in control of both houses
of Congress. But prospects are better than before, analysts say.
The bill to overturn the AFFH decree is known as the “Local Zoning Decisions Protection Act of 2017.”
In the House of Representatives, where it was introduced by
Representative Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), the legislation is known as H.R.
482. In the Senate, the companion bill, S. 103. was introduced by
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah). Both Representative Gosar and Senator Lee led
the way last year in the unsuccessful attempt to defund and defang the
AFFH scheme. Supporters of the effort, though, hope this year the
chances for success will be better considering the new political
dynamics — at least if the American people continue to speak out.  

The description of the six-page bill reads: “To nullify certain
regulations and notices of the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, and for other purposes.” In particular, the bill targets
Obama’s AFFH scheme, adopted by Obama’s HUD in July of 2015, as well as
any substantially similar regulation that may be published in the
future. Under the legislation, the AFFH “shall have no force or effect.”
The department is also prohibited from using any funds to implement the
scheme, or to build the associated federal database containing
“geospatial information” on the racial and income composition of
American communities. 

Senator Lee was bold in slamming the scheme last year, saying it
turns HUD into a “National Zoning Board.” Indeed, the explicit purpose
of AFFH was “to empower federal bureaucrats to dictate where a
community’s low-income residents will live,” he said. Lee also outlined
how the Obama HUD edict would purport to empower D.C. bureaucrats to run
roughshod over local communities and their elected officials. “If any
aspect of a community’s housing and demographic patterns fails to meet
HUD bureaucrats’ expansive definition of ‘fair housing,’ the local
government must submit a plan to reorganize the community’s housing
practices according to the preferences and priorities of the
bureaucrats,” he explained.  

The New American was among the earliest voices to expose the Obama administration’s AFFH scheme. In fact, this magazine warned as far back as 2013
— years before the regulation was formally approved — that Obama was
plotting precisely such a scheme as part of his stated goal of
“fundamentally transforming” America. And if it goes forward, the AFFH
would indeed fundamentally transform America, down to the most minute
local decisions. And of course, by redistributing people across America
using federal funds, and hijacking control over local zoning decisions,
the Obama scheme would also fundamentally transform politics by diluting
the conservative vote in communities across the country. Similar schemes are being pushed at the global level by the United Nations.

Under the expansive regulations, cities and towns that accept federal
money from the HUD would be required to submit to vast federal controls
over their policy decisions. For instance, if a community receives an
HUD grant, the AFFH purports to mandate costly demographic analyses at
the local and regional level to determine whether there are enough
low-income and minority residents living in each neighborhood, as
defined by HUD bureaucrats. The giant database would include records on
residents including income, race, color, religion, national origin, and
much more.

If the HUD determines that not enough welfare recipients live in your
neighborhood, for instance, the bureaucracy would declare your
community to be “out of balance” and not in compliance with the AFFH. In
response, the massive bureaucracy would use taxpayer funds — or
borrowed money, considering the $20 trillion and counting in national
debt — to file lawsuits against the community and impose its will. That
might take the form of building more government-subsidized low-income
housing in your neighborhood to attract enough welfare recipients to put
your community back in balance. In short, it is social engineering by
the federal government on a massive scale.

In fact, HUD has been involved in such scheming for years, with
targeted communities going up against the might of Uncle Sam. In
Westchester County, New York, for example, the Obama administration went
to war with the community and its elected officials because they did
not have enough low-income, high-density housing developments to satisfy
federal bureaucrats. When local officials and residents fought back,
the administration sued them, and even went so far as to seek a gag
order against the county executive who was leading the fight against
Obama’s AFFH.

In an e-mail to members and supporters, the constitutionalist John
Birch Society, which publishes this magazine, warned that the Obama
scheme was an attack on fundamental American values. “AFFH is dangerous
to American property owners and to local government in our communities,”
the organization warned last week, calling the scheme “Barack Obama’s
most radical assault on American private property rights and locally
elected governments.” Among other concerns, the JBS, which has chapters
active in all 50 states, warned that the AFFH “obliterates personal
property rights and destroys property values in whole neighborhoods.”

The Obama scheme also destroys cherished American traditions of local
governance. “As HUD demands that the ‘imbalance’ be corrected by
forcing federally subsidized housing into more affluent neighborhoods,
property values plummet. Equity in those homes will be lost,” explained
Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center. “In addition, as
HUD moves to enforce these badly defined rules, its agents begin to
dictate to local officials how their communities will develop. Locally
elected officials simply become pawns to carry out HUD rules. Home rule
in America will die under AFFH.”

The Left and Big Government forces, he said, are gearing up to claim
that the bill to nullify AFFH is somehow “damaging” to the poor. But in
reality, the AFFH itself is damaging to the poor and everyone else
except government cronies — not to mention freedom, the Constitution,
and key individual rights. “So AFFH is a threefold threat,” DeWeese
concluded. “It destroys property rights and values. It usurps local
government control. And it steals homes and dreams from the poor.” As
such, property-rights advocates and constitutionalists are urging all
Americans to get involved in the fight.

“There is great optimism by the sponsors of the bills that they will
pass and that President Trump will sign them into law,” DeWeese noted.
“However, there is growing pressure from civil rights groups,
developers, and their lobbyists who fully understand the dangers these
bills represent to their big government agenda. It is vital that those
of us opposed to AFFH and HUD over reach keep up our own pressure by
calling our Representatives and Senators to demand they support HR 482
and S.103.” The only caveat he mentioned was that the bills contain
language forcing HUD to talk with “regional councils,” language he said
he is hoping to have removed.

Cosponsors of the legislation in the House include Brian Babin
(R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rod Blum (R-Iowa), Ken Buck
(R-Colo.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), Jeff
Duncan (R-S.C.), John Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.),
Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Tom
McClintock (R-Calif.), Ted Poe (R-Texas), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.),
Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.),
Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), Dave Brat (R-Va.), David Joyce (R-Ohio), Andy Biggs
(R-Ariz.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.), and Lamar Smith (R-Texas). In the
Senate, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is also a cosponsor.

Beyond simply nullifying the Obama administration’s illegal rule,
Congress should also work to abolish the entire agency. There is no
authority contained in the Constitution for federal involvement in
either housing or urban development. As such, there is no need for, or
authority for, a federal department dealing with those issues. If the
electorate feels that government must be involved in housing or urban
development — a dubious notion, at best — then the proper sphere of
government for that is the state or local level, constitutionally
speaking.

But progress limiting government to its constitutional confines at
federal level may take a long time. So in the meantime, Americans should
also continue to work at the local level to prevent federal meddling in
their communities, while educating the electorate on constitutional
governance. A good place to start is working to end the unconstitutional
flow of federal tax dollars — and the strings they come attached with —
to state and local governments. The feds were never meant to control
local government or zoning decisions. It is time for that to stop.


Related articles:

Battle Rages as GOP Saves Obama Plot to Diversify Neighborhoods

Obama Seeks to Reshape Neighborhoods With Housing “Diversity”

UN’s “New Urban Agenda” to Assault Liberty in a City Near You

Private Property Ownership — the First American Right To Die Under Barack Obama’s Tyranny

CFR Globalist: End U.S. States, Build China-style Regional Gov’t

President’s New Housing Plan: Another Racist Policy

A New Symbol Has Been Cast: People • Property • Liberty

HUD Seeks to Address “Inequality” in Wealthy Neighborhoods Through Regulations

“Smart Cities” to Spy on You in Ways Orwell Never Imagined

Communist Chinese Regime Forcing Rural Population Into Cities

NEW BOOKLET: PROGRESSION TO DECEPTION; HOW NEW AGE INFLUENCE IS DESTROYING THE CHURCH, ONE STEP AFTER THE NEXT

NEW BOOKLET: PROGRESSION TO DECEPTION; 
HOW NEW AGE INFLUENCE IS DESTROYING 
THE CHURCH, ONE STEP AFTER THE NEXT 
BY GREGORY REID
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

NEW BOOKLET: Progression to Deception: How New Age
Influence is  Destroying the Church—One Step After the Next by Gregory
Reid is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet.

The Booklet is 14 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies.
Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Our Booklets are
designed to give away to others or for your own personal use. Below is the content of the booklet.
To order copies of Progression to Deception: How New Age Influence is  Destroying the Church—One Step After the Next, click here.

Progression to Deception: How New Age Influence is  Destroying the Church—One Step After the Next

By Gregory Reid

Deception—A Progressive Disease
The church has opened the door to the New Age.
What started out as just a crack has now become a wide open door. In
just a few short decades, the walls of biblical discernment have been so
completely torn down that not only do the majority of church goers seem
completely oblivious to the deception that has entered, many of the
church’s leaders are actually promoting the various avenues through
which the New Age/New Spirituality has come in.
This is exactly what
Theosophist leader Alice Bailey predicted would be part of the New Age infiltration into the church:

The Christian church in its many branches can
serve as a St. John the Baptist, as a voice crying in the wilderness,
and as a nucleus through which world illumination [New Age thought] may
be accomplished.1

This paradigm shift has been underway for some
time. It probably began to get a real foothold in our present time with
Norman Vincent Peale’s “Power of Positive Thinking” theology, quickly
adapted by Rev. Robert Schuller who was really the first modern
“megachurch” and “seeker friendly” church pastor. The ideas of these two
men were once considered an aberration from mainstream Christian
doctrine. But here we are decades later, and seeker friendly and power
of positive thinking has become the norm and goes unchallenged. The
crack into Bible-based evangelical churches had begun to open just a
little . . .

Fast forward: In the last three decades, we
have opened our doors to things like the holy laughter movement, barking
like dogs and oinking like pigs (calling it the “anoinking of the
Spirit”), and worse. A number of leaders challenged these things, but
its promoters did not repent.

Eventually came spiritual formation, “be still”
meditation, breathing techniques, “Christian” Yoga, “the sacred
feminine,” labyrinths, and most recently circle making—all an extension
of exotic and pagan religions, eastern mysticism, and Buddhist/Hindu
tools to reach “the divine within.” These began to creep into church
media, books, music, sermons, seminars, and movies. Even Catholic priest
and mystic Thomas Merton came to be revered by many evangelicals though
he was a man who once said he intended “to become as good a Buddhist as
[he] can;”2 and the writings of the late Catholic mystic Henri Nouwen
continue influencing millions of evangelicals, even though his
spirituality led him to deny that Jesus was the only way to the Father
by the end of life.3

The door opened a little wider . . . where were
the watchmen? Where were the shepherds? Even pastors were welcoming
these things. And as these heretical movements crept in, the Word of God
began to become an addendum to our lives, a devotional nicety but not
central in our walk with Jesus, and no longer our final determination of
truth.

Slowly, the poison seeped into our ranks . . .
one book, one DVD, one conference, one movie at a time. Everyone ignored
the subtle twisting of the Word of God in Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, hailing it as “groundbreaking.” And indeed, it was, but not in a good way. His next book, The Sex God
raised a few eyebrows, but youth pastors everywhere still adored him,
emulated him, and bought glasses and cool clothes to look just like him
in an attempt to “relate to youth.” Millennial youth pastors began
diluting (or just plain dismissing) the Word of God and preparing little
mini-messages to justify their increasingly party-like youth-group
atmosphere which was strong on entertainment and weak on the Word of
God.

Then Rob Bell wrote Love Wins, denying
Hell and proclaiming universalism—the idea that everyone gets saved.
Today, he is sharing platforms with Oprah Winfrey and with New Age guru
Deepak Chopra at conferences with titles like “The Seduction of
Spirit.”4 Some seducing is going on, that’s for sure!

When Bell was finally exposed as being truly a
non-evangelical false teacher, I heard nothing but cricket sounds from
all those who formerly sang his praises. But by then, everyone was off
chasing the next big thing anyway, the next bestseller, the next
circle-making, ear-tickling, Scripture-diluting fiasco. We had formed a
pattern of going after the latest “it,” or hottest speaker, or
bestselling book, and then when it turned out the thing or person was
exposed as fraudulent, in error, or full of deception, almost no one
took responsibility for originally supporting or promoting them in the
first place—least of all the Christian media and those who peddled their
products.

I could give countless examples where Christian
leaders and pastors promoted someone who was espousing anti-biblical
views, and then later when the wrongness became publicized, these same
Christian leaders and pastors did nothing to rectify the damage they did
in pointing thousands, if not millions, in the wrong direction. No
words of regret, no humility, no warnings to what they should have seen
in the first place—just silence . . . until the next big thing came
along.

Rarely do people say, “we were wrong.” Rarely
do leaders say, “We were in error.” And because of that, unrepentant
error in discernment has led to greater and greater error, because
deception is a progressive disease.

The more error we receive and engage in, the
more the ability to discern goes numb and then finally dies altogether.
The church has stepped through the door of deception, and now one step
at a time, the descent down the stairway to spiritual destruction is
underway.

Few seemed alarmed that Roma Downey had no
sooner graduated from a New Age college when she began work on her and
her husband’s television series The Bible or that she has never
renounced her New Age beliefs.5 And in fact, the highest levels of
leadership in the church gave her a pass on those issues because, they
said, the benefits of how it would reach people outweighed the
theological or doctrinal problems. Downey’s movies have been sprinkled
with gnostic teachings; and, to be honest, by the time these concerns
were raised, certain denominations and groups had invested far too much
money in promoting the movies to retract, recall product, and publicly
repent at that point. In the end, I believe financial concerns were more
important than truth.

The Shack—A Temporary Fix
By the time the book The Shack came
around, we had already been prepped through years of “felt need”
theology, experiential-based faith, and cherry-picking Scriptures we
liked while ignoring the ones we didn’t.

As the Internet grew, I began to understand the
power of the appeal to our emotions. More than once, I had seen almost
an entire five to ten-minute video on some issue and found myself in
tears before I found out at the end that not only was it not a Christian
video and did not have a Christian message, but it was produced by
people who represented a view that was unbiblical, New Age, and worse. I
got emotionally hooked before I learned the truth. Those without a
biblical foundation of truth stay hooked. Basically, they get seduced.
They have become addicted to being seduced and need the next sensually
induced, carnally-inspired fix because that is what has become the
foundation of their “faith,” and they have come to believe they can’t
get by without it.

People loved The Shack because it
replaced the God of the Bible (which deep down they possibly didn’t feel
comfortable with because His ways are beyond our understanding and bad
things happen, and it upsets our sunshine version of Christianity) and
gave them a God who made them feel good, who took the God of the Bible
and said, “That’s not really God, this is what God is like . . .” and
gave them a diluted, false version of Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and a
dose of Sophia, Greek goddess of “wisdom.”

I was sure that anyone with even a modicum of
discernment would throw the book in the trash. I had underestimated how
wide the door of deception had opened. I lost friends that were pastors
who were furious at me for questioning the book. One pastor railed at
me, “I haven’t had a relationship with God for years, but now I have my
‘Papa’ back! You can’t take that from me!”

Nothing jarred me more than seeing grown men of
God just abandoning clear truth because something tugged their heart,
justifying the scriptural butchering by saying, “It’s just fiction; it’s
not the Bible!” I confronted someone on this the other night. “What
about the satanic Necronomicon. Can I read it? It’s just fiction. Can I
read pornography? It’s just fiction.” They thought that a bit extreme.
Of course it was. My point was, what was their criteria, where was their
own event horizon they were not willing to cross because it was just
too obviously wrong? How much
Scripture bending or ignoring would they accept
and justify as OK because it was “just fiction” before they had enough
and said no more?

The genius of The Shack is how
cleverly it has clothed itself in a loose and nebulous garment of
Scriptures—just enough to justify the complete butchering of the true
nature of God and morph Him into a Trinitarian hybrid god that
represents whatever will make you feel better about your horrible
tragedies and “great sadness.”6 The fact is, though, God will not appear
as whatever we want. One person said, “God appeared as a fiery bush,
but I know he’s not a bush!” But He did not appear as a bush. He
appeared in a bush. God will not appear as Shiva, Buddha, or Sarayu,
because He says, “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). We can say God is like a
rock, but we cannot say God is like Baal. It’s not about imagery; it is
about the nature and character of God. And The Shack gives a false representation of both of these.7

Look, I get it. I’ve suffered innumerable
losses my entire life, and every one of us at some point cries out,
“WHY, GOD?” And in those moments, people either reject Him as uncaring,
or call upon His name wherein He brings us into His Kingdom, and we
learn to trust Him in the midst of, sometimes in spite of, tragedies
that seem to have no reason.

We may find ourselves once again crying out in pain, “Why God!?”

He has answered this in His Word. It’s called having faith, trusting Him, and knowing He loves us.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. (Psalm 18:30)

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. (1 John 3:1)

The Shack is a quick fix to feeling
better, a panacea, a spiritual drug that allows you to embrace a
conception of God that may temporarily take away the pain but leaves you
with an open door to deception because it is not the God of the Word.
It is not the real thing! And the Jesus it presents is not the real
Jesus.

Is The Shack the God portrayed in
Scripture? Is God a woman? Is Jesus a clumsy Jewish kid? Is the Holy
Spirit a Japanese girl named after a Hindu river? Is the judge of our
lives Sophia? Is everyone saved? Is Jesus just the best way to the
Father, as the book suggests, or is He what the Bible says—the only way?

“But they’re just parables! Stories! It’s not
the Bible!” some argue. So is it acceptable to distort the truth in the
guise of fiction just to make a point? How is that ever acceptable? The Shack
presents a God who does not judge, one who can change, and one who
suggests Jesus is simply a better way to God, not the only way. But
feeling has trumped truth, and the book has become a multi-million
bestseller. To simplify the responses I have heard, “Don’t confuse me
with biblical facts. It makes me feel good!”

It did not bother leaders and publishers that Young’s second book, Eve—a
“reimagining” of the Adam and Eve story—was laced with kabbalistic
themes and occultic, gnostic fairy tales. “It’s just a story.” The door
opened wider. . . .

You see, Satan keeps pushing the goalpost
deeper and deeper into the center of the church, and every time he sees
no resistance, he is emboldened and takes it to “the next level.”

In March of 2017, The Shack movie was
released. People seem just as fascinated with the movie as they are with
the book. But I notice one difference—those who support The Shack
appear to be much angrier at those with questions than before. “You’re
so judgmental!” “Who do you think you are?” “You must be looking for a
book deal or something.” “You’ll never lead anyone to Christ, and I
doubt if you ever did before.” I’ve had it all thrown at me with the
release of the movie as I have tried to reason it out with folks. And I
have come to realize that the level of deception has gone so deep that
not only are people willing to embrace a lie and ignore the error, but
worse—they see themselves as loyal Christian believers while at the same
have no problem promoting a story by a man who claims that everyone is
“in Christ” already. And you cannot reason with that level of delusion.
It’s gone beyond the intellectual. It’s now in the realm of “seducing
spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1).

A Church Enamored with New Age Mysticism
Universalism—the “all paths lead to God”
religion—is exactly what is needed to turn millions of proclaiming
Christians into participants of the one-world antichrist mystery
religion that Alice Bailey wrote about and all Luciferian world leaders
are counting on.

We did not accept Rob Bell’s universalism. But
now we are willing to ignore William Paul Young’s. That is the
malignancy of deception unchecked.

The Shack movie comes at a time when
eastern meditation techniques are being welcomed wholeheartedly into the
public educational system under the guise of “mindfulness.”8
Mindfulness is a Buddhist technique of detachment, leading practitioners
to realizing the “divine within,” which eventually supposedly leads to
Nirvana—nonexistence. North American children, as young as pre-school
age, are being taught how to meditate and do Yoga to reach this Nirvana
state.

This eastern meditation paradigm shift is
occurring in the church as well via contemplative prayer and the
“spiritual disciplines.”9 In 2017, several “Christian” books came on the
scene promoting meditation and mindfulness practices under the guise of
“devotional” books and “adult coloring books.” One book on
contemplative meditation is The Wired Soul: Finding Spiritual Balance in a Hyper-connected Age
by Tricia McCary Rhodes. Her book “reintroduces us to the classic
disciplines of Scripture reading, meditation, prayer, and
contemplation.”10 Rick Warren was promoting Rhodes book, The Soul at Rest: A Journey into Contemplative Prayer, as far back as 2003 on his website that stated:

This book is a quiet-time companion for those
who hunger for a greater intimacy with God. It offers fresh insight
into little understood aspects of prayer and introduces a step-by-step
journey of learning contemplative prayer.11

The site referred to Tricia Rhodes as “one of our favorite authors on contemplative prayer.”12 In The Soul at Rest, Rhodes gives instruction on contemplative prayer:

Take deep breaths, concentrating on relaxing
your body. Establish a slow, rhythmic pattern. Breathe in God’s peace,
and breathe out your stresses, distractions, and fears. Breathe in God’s
love, forgiveness, and compassion, and breathe out your sins, failures,
and frustrations. Make every effort to “stop the flow of talking going
on within you—to slow it down until it comes to a halt.”13

Rick Warren’s promotion of her book in 2003
helped to make a solid place for Rhodes in the evangelical church, and
today she, along with so many others like her, is securely wedged in,
all the while presenting a panentheistic (i.e., God in all)
eastern-style meditation belief system to an unsuspecting church that’s
proved itself to have little or no discernment. Does that bother Rick
Warren or any of the others who endorsed her? Do they feel the need to
warn the church about an author they promoted to millions of people? The
answer to that is a resounding no!

So, the church just keeps on going further on
the path to the New Age goal of “east meets west,” where we all become
one under a false one-world religion and we all recognize the “Christ
spirit” or godhood in each other.

Tragically, young Christians are perhaps the
biggest target of Satan. The emerging church got the ball rolling and
convinced millions of church-going young people that their parents way
of seeing Christianity was old fashioned, colonial, and ineffective. And
emerging church leaders had the perfect tool to get a hold of the minds
of the youth—meditation. It started back in the late nineties and is in
full swing today. A 2013 book titled, God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God
by Canadian pastor Ken Shigematsu, is being used in Christian youth
groups. According to the publisher, Zondervan, the book “draws on both
eastern and western perspectives in writing and speaking.”14 Those are
buzzwords for introducing a mixing of eastern religion thought processes
with Christianity. The book is packed with quotes by and references to
numerous mystics such as Thomas Merton and Basil Pennington. Catholic
priest and panentheist Richard Rohr is a major advocate for mystical
prayer. He said in an interview that his publisher told him his biggest
audience is young evangelical men!15 Are Christian leaders and pastors
shocked that their young people are being taught by mystics,
panentheists, universalists, etc? Apparently not.

All of this is producing Christian minds that
are malleable, soft, undiscerning, half-drugged, feeling good, and
completely open to the power of suggestion from . . . whoever, and
whatever. That is what eastern meditation techniques do. You empty your
mind, “turn off distractions,” enter your “sacred space,” and accept
that whatever comes must be good and right and from God.

The High Price of Having Our Ears Tickled
The church has become an entity seeking to have
her ears tickled. Christians are seeking to feel better about their
painful lives. Seeking to be successful, happy, and prosperous. What is it you seek? Step right up folks . . . we’ve got everything for you right now.

Everything except the whole truth of the Word
of God, the way of the Cross, the power of the blood to save and heal
and forgive, the altar of God where we come to be broken and changed,
healed, and set free. Everything which made the Gospel powerful has and
is being systematically removed by the enemy of our souls—not because it
is not powerful, but because we no longer wish to humble ourselves, bow
to its holiness and its truth. The church has exchanged the truth for a
lie.

We are seeing the “fruit” of nearly thirty
years of dumbing-down and de-prioritizing the Word of God, giving it a
mini-place in our lives while shiny things and baubles and the newest
“move” catch our attention and send us off on a fruitless quest for the
next experience. It’s no wonder young Christians are falling for it so
rapidly—their parents and grandparents have had no discernment and
therefore could hardly lead and warn the younger generation of spiritual
deception. The seed of the Word of God has corporately fallen on stony
ground, without depth, where it grows up quick, shrivels, and dies.

I know I am very passionate about this,
reluctant to even use the word passionate, so overused it is in today’s
“New Spirituality.” However, I have every reason to be this way. I grew
up in the occult—a world of delusions, lies, and darkness. When I tried
to turn to New Age thought to dispel the darkness—turning to Hinduism,
Buddhism, and becoming an avid follower of Paramahansa Yogananda in my
little bedroom devouring his every word as “truth”—I ended up deceived,
wrecked, and in utter darkness, even though some of it temporarily
numbed my pain and made me “feel good.”

I understand many of these Christians who are so emotionally bound to The Shack and Jesus Calling
that they have thrown caution to the wind and ignored the dangerous
reality that in fact promotes unbiblical lies. I was a universalist when
I got saved. I didn’t know what the Word of God said. I still believed
all paths led to God! I was totally brainwashed. Then came this “mean
man,” this “judgmental Christian” Bible study leader who dared to get
out the Word of God and without holding back challenged me about my
beliefs. This “judgmental, mean man” saved my spiritual life. (I thank
God for Dave; may his memory be blessed!) I needed a hard word to break
through the lies.

In all my dealings with everything from Rob Bell to The Shack,
I understand that simple logic and reason isn’t working with people who
are emotionally invested in the teachers or the stories. People need a
wake-up call, and that may not feel good or seem loving. But I cannot
apologize for my approach because I see that in the end, The Shack
is not just a book or a movie but a game-changer that is extinguishing
some of the last lights of discernment out of the hearts of who knows
how many thousands (even millions) of believers. I know how they feel. I
have been there. And I thank God that someone cared enough to hurt me
with the truth. When a house is burning down and people are asleep
inside, one cannot afford to meekly whisper, hoping the people hear. You
have to shout at the top of your lungs, “Get out, quickly!” In dealing
with these new delusions, it may be necessary to jar people awake.

Jesus said in Matthew 24 that all of this would
happen. Paul said, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). The great falling
away is at hand. But a remnant will remain faithful. I can only pray
humbly not to be one who falls for the lies in a moment of
vulnerability, or weakness, or pain or giving up, for we are all
vulnerable, and it’s only by the grace of God we can stand. That is
where I understand the motto of the French foreign legion that a friend
shared with me: “If I falter, straighten me out. If I stumble, pick me
up. If I retreat, shoot me.” Blunt, but as a spiritual warrior, it
resonates in my heart. None of us is exempt from having to diligently
guard against the lies of this age, outside and inside the church.

These progressive deceptions over the last few
decades have been just the build-up to the next great delusion, which
could be the final one. God help us to turn away from the slow poisoning
taking place in the church through breath-prayers, eastern meditation,
mindfulness, Yoga, etc. God help us to surrender our soulish ways of
perceiving God based on a book written by a wounded man, William Paul
Young —unhealed from abuse and bitter church hurts—whom those seeking to
make a profit have promoted regardless of his spiritual fragility and
woundedness—a man who rejected the God of the Bible for a god who would
somehow ease his pain—one that eases your pain as it kills your soul. The Shack is the spiritual Jack Kevorkian of our age.

Pray for William Paul Young, that God would
pull him out of this most dangerous and deadly strange fire. Pray for
the multitudes who are believing lies. And may God deal with those
mercenaries and money changers who care more about what sells and profits
them than about the care and protection of the flock of God.

Alice Bailey’s plans are about to come to full fruition. The greatest lie is just around the corner.

Stay strong, saints. “And when these things
begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28)

To order copies of Progression to Deception: How New Age Influence is  Destroying the Church—One Step After the Next, click here.

Endnotes:
1. Alice Bailey, The Externalization of the Hierarchy (Lucis Publishing Companies), p. 510.
2. David Steindl-Rast, “Recollection of Thomas Merton’s Last Days in the West” (Monastic Studies, 7:10, 1969).
3.Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey (New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 1998), p. 51.
4. http://www.carlsbadlifestylepubs.com/am_event/seduction-of-spirit-i-am-wholeness.
5. See Greg Reid’s booklet/article: Confused by an Angel: The Dilemma of Roma Downey’s New Age Beliefs. Online at http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=16968 or order from Lighthouse Trails.
6. Chapter four of The Shack is titled “The Great Sadness,” and the term is frequently used throughout The Shack.
7. See The Shack and Its New Age Leaven by Warren B. Smith. Online at http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=12290 or order from Lighthouse Trails.
8. Kris O’Donnell, “Mindfulness, Meditation
Techniques Being Used in Public School Classrooms Across County on
750,000 Students” (Ivanhoe Newswire, http://www.ksat.com/health/mindfulness-meditation-techniques-being-used-in-classroom).
9. Visit the Lighthouse Trails Research blog for
extensive information on contemplative spirituality and the “spiritual
disciplines”: www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog or request their bi-monthly research journal mailed to homes and offices.
10. Tricia McCary Rhodes, The Wired Soul: Finding Spiritual Balance in a Hyperconnected Age (from the publisher’s description, found on the NavPress website where the book is being sold: https://navresources.ca/product_details.php?item_id=5458).
11. Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox, (September 3, 2003, http://web.archive.org/web/20081227031846/http://legacy.pastors.com/RWMT/?ID=118).
12. Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox (February 18, 2004, http://web.archive.org/web/20081227044251/http://legacy.pastors.com/RWMT/?ID=142).
13. Tricia Rhodes, The Soul at Rest (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p. 28.
14. Ken Shigematsu, God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013); from Zondervan’s website: http://www.zondervan.com/god-in-my-everything.
15. “The Cosmic Christ with Richard Rohr” (http://podcast.theliturgists.com/e/episode-35-the-cosmic-christ-with-richard-rohr/).

To order copies of Progression to Deception: How New Age Influence is  Destroying the Church—One Step After the Next, click here.

MYSTIC HERETIC BRIAN ZAHND’S BOOK “WATER TO WINE”~HIS “CONFESSION & APOLOGY” TO THE LGBT COMMUNITY

 http://petervandever.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Brian-Zahnd.jpg
MYSTIC HERETIC BRIAN ZAHND’S BOOK 
“WATER TO WINE”
 Letter to the Editor: Former Pastor and Popular Author, Brian Zahnd, Becomes a Mystic

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

I read the story
behind Lighthouse Trails a couple of times, and it hit me that we are
going to reach only a fraction of evangelical believers because the
movement has progressed so much farther into Contemplative Spirituality
(CS) than I had realized. I became aware of CS five years ago, so when I
read that Ray Yungen
wrote his book (which I am re-reading currently) in 2002, it occurred to
me that the battle is nearly won by the forces of evil. Out of all the
people I have tried to reach, only two have been receptive to my
warning. Of course, your ministry can reach many more than any one
individual. Jesus told us we would see this apostasy in the end.

I
sent the link for your story of LHT to a friend, who said she had the
very same reaction I had—that is, CS has infiltrated the Church more
than she realized and that she felt it is too late. Neither she nor I
will give up on trying to warn believers—if only a few have their eyes
opened, we will have done what Jesus commands.

I do wish you would do some research on Pastor Brian Zahnd, my former
pastor. His church went emergent, and he is deep into Contemplative
Spirituality. He teaches seminars on Contemplative Prayer at Word of
Life Church in St. Joseph, MO. He is now taking his prayer school on the
road. And like Roger Oakland says, he’s on the “road to Rome.” He is
currently writing his sixth book. https://brianzahnd.com/books/

If you were to read his blog and his Twitter account, you’d see just how far he has gone into apostasy. https://twitter.com/BrianZahnd

He has said he is a friend of Eugene Peterson.
He quotes Thomas Merton, Richard Rohr, and many other CS authors and
“theologians” on Twitter. One tweet said: “The future of Christianity
belongs to the Thomas Merton kind of Christian, not the heirs of Jerry
Falwell.”

Recently he had a reply to one of his tweets from Ann Coulter, so he is not an unknown.

He has jettisoned the OT (though he says not, but then he says he’s not Emergent) and is against substitutionary atonement.

I sent my current pastor your booklet on Brennan Manning and got no response. So I guess I’ll be looking for a new church again.

May God bless you in your vital work.

Ruth

Lighthouse Trails Comments: As
Ruth has perceived, Brian Zahnd is a mystic. If you asked him if he
was, he would proudly tell you yes. He’s not ashamed of it. His book Water to Wine
tells of his mystical experiences and the outcome of those experiences.
It’s in that book that Zahnd made the Merton/Falwell quote. Here is a
little more of that quote:

The way forward is far less political and far
more mystical. A generation ago the great Catholic theologian Karl
Rahner famously predicted, “The devout Christian of the future will
either be a ‘mystic’, one who has ‘experienced’ something, or he will
cease to be anything at all.” The future of Christianity belongs to the
Thomas Merton kind of Christian, not the heirs of Jerry Falwell. This
should be seen as a welcome change. It is only our false hopes that are
being disappointed in the death of Christendom. (Zahnd, Brian. Water To Wine: Some of My Story (Kindle Locations 1606-1610). Spello Press. Kindle Edition)

Photo: Brian Zahnd

During the course of our author Ray Yungen’s
adult life, he studied the New Age, occultism, and mysticism, their
connection to each other, and their influence in the world and in the
church. He frequently mentioned Karl Rahner’s quote that the Christian
of the future will be a mystic or he will be nothing. That is how the
mystics view their belief that a Christian must engage in mystical
practices if he really wants to be spiritual. They believe these
practices will produce esoteric experiences that if practiced by enough
of mankind, the earth and the world can be saved. They believe that real
love and a change of heart can only come from these experiences. The
mystics believe that this mystical transformation can happen to anyone,
of any belief, of any religion, or of no religion at all. That’s because
it isn’t about Jesus Christ (though they may say they like him) and man
realizing he is a sinner in great need of a Savior. It can’t be about
that—that would take away from the mystic’s belief that divinity dwells
in all people and in all things. Though a bit obscure in the following
quote by Zahnd, he puts it this way:

Love all of God’s creation, both the whole of
it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light.
Love animals, love plants, love each thing. If you love each thing, you will perceive the mystery of God in things.
Once you have perceived it, you will begin tirelessly to perceive more
and more of it every day. And you will come at last to love the whole
world with an entire, universal love. (Zahnd, Brian. Water To Wine: Some
of My Story (Kindle Locations 1897-1900). Spello Press. Kindle Edition,
emphasis added)

As Ray Yungen often pointed out, the “fruit” of
contemplative prayer (which Zahnd refers to over 40 times in the book)
is interspirituality (all paths lead to God) and panentheism (God in
all).  Zahnd explains in his book that when he moved from the moral
(doctrine) to the mystical, he became interspiritual:

When I was converted from sectarian to
eclectic [mystical], I obtained a passport that allowed me to travel
freely throughout the whole body of Christ. In my theological travels I
have discovered a Christianity that has both historical depth and
ecumenical width. Now I can’t imagine not being able to access all the
great contributors to contemporary Christian thought. Orthodox thinkers
like Kallistos Ware and David Bentley Hart. Catholic thinkers like
Richard Rohr and William Cavanaugh. Anglican thinkers like Rowen
Williams and N.T. Wright. Mainline thinkers like Walter Brueggemann and
Eugene Peterson. Without them my Christianity would be horribly
impoverished. (Zahnd, Brian. Water To Wine: Some of My Story (Kindle
Locations 459-463). Spello Press. Kindle Edition)

Water to Wine is filled with
interspiritual statements like the one above. Using words such as
“tribalism,” he says we must get rid of this notion that traditional
(biblical) Christianity is more true or right than other religious
traditions.  Just prior to the statement above, Zahnd quoted Thomas
Merton saying:

If I can unite in myself the thought and the
devotion of Eastern and Western Christendom, the Greek and the Latin
Fathers, the Russian with the Spanish mystics, I can prepare in myself
the reunion of divided Christians… If we want to bring together what is
divided, we cannot do so by imposing one division [doctrine] upon the
other. If we do this, the union is not Christian. It is political and
doomed to further conflict. We must contain all the divided worlds in
ourselves and transcend them in Christ. (Kindle Locations 454-459,
quoting Merton’s Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Colorado Springs,
CO: Image Books, 1968, 14).

You may recall when Thomas Merton spoke via
letter with a Sufi master (an Islamic mystic) and told him that
doctrinal differences needed to be laid aside, and we must turn
to esoteric experiences as a common ground for unity and fellowship
between all . He actually used the Cross as an example of one of those
doctrines that had to be laid aside. (Rob Baker and Gray Henry, Editors,
Merton and Sufism, Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 1999, p. 109)

While Zahnd’s book is filled with examples of
his “new life” as a mystic, we’d like to bring out just one more point
about Zahnd because it reveals some insight that affects a huge
percentage of today’s Christian culture, and it is the person who
initially pointed the way for Zahnd to become a mystic. You will know
the name. Most likely, your own pastor has read at least one of his
books. Read what Zahnd has to say:

On a summer afternoon I was at home browsing
my bookshelves. I was deliberately looking for a book that would “give
me a breakthrough.” I couldn’t settle on anything. So I prayed, “God,
show me what to read.” And I sensed…nothing. I went downstairs feeling a
bit agitated and slumped into a chair. Within a minute or two my wife,
Peri, walked into the room, handed me a book and said, “I think you
should read this.” She knew nothing of my moments ago prayer, but she
had just handed me a book, and told me to read it. This was my
Augustine-like “take and read” moment. It sent chills down my spine.
Somehow I knew it was the answer to my prayer. The book was Dallas
Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy. The strange thing was Peri had
not read this book and had no more idea who Dallas Willard was than I
did. (As I said, I was embarrassingly ignorant of the good stuff.)
Neither of us were sure how the book had even made its way into our
house. But, oh my, was it ever an answer to prayer! The next day I was
flying somewhere and I took out the book providentially given to me by
an angel. I began to read. And my life changed forever. Hyperbole? No.
Stone cold fact. Reading Dallas Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy
was like having a door kicked open in my mind. It opened my eyes to the
kingdom of God. And the kingdom of God is, well, everything! In his
foreword to The Divine Conspiracy, Richard Foster writes: “The Divine Conspiracy
is the book I have been searching for all my life. Like Michelangelo’s
Sistine ceiling, it is a masterpiece and a wonder… I would place The Divine Conspiracy
in rare company indeed: along-side the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
and John Wesley, John Calvin and Martin Luther, Teresa of Avila and
Hildegard of Bingen, and perhaps even Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of
Hippo. If the parousia tarries, this is a book for the next millennium.”
That’s exactly what I needed! Augustine and Aquinas for the
twenty-first century! Dallas Willard was my gateway to the good stuff.
Directly or indirectly reading Willard led me to others: N.T. Wright,
Walter Brueggemann, Eugene Peterson, Frederick Buechner, Stanley
Hauerwas, John Howard Yoder, René Girard, Miroslav Volf, Karl Barth,
Hans Urs von Balthasar, David Bentley Hart, Wendell Berry, Scot
McKnight, Thomas Merton, Richard Rohr, and so many more. (Kindle
Locations 116-133)

Sadly, the spirituality that Brian Zahnd found
in those authors cannot save souls and does not point to the Cross of
redemption through Jesus Christ. Like so many mystics before him, Zahnd
has discarded the idea that Christianity is dualistic in that it is
separate from all other belief systems (and that there is a right and
wrong, true and false, good and bad, etc), and the doctrines that the
mystics so readily dismiss are the very framework of our Christian
faith. Within those rejected doctrines is the doctrine of the Cross that
says man is not divine and he desperately needs a Savior who
is just one Person, Jesus Christ who died a violent death on behalf of
mankind. He took our place. To reject dualism (two sides) is to reject
the Cross. The contemplative emergent Episcopal bishope Alan Jones
illustrated this in his book Reimagining Christianity. In Roger Oakland’s book, Faith Undone, Oakland states:

[Alan] Jones carries through with this idea
that God never intended Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross to be considered a
payment for our sins:

“The Church’s fixation on the death of Jesus
as the universal saving act must end, and the place of the cross must be
reimagined in Christian faith. Why? Because of the cult of suffering
and the vindictive God behind it.”

“The other thread of just criticism addresses
the suggestion implicit in the cross that Jesus’ sacrifice was to
appease an angry God. Penal substitution [the Cross] was the name of
this vile doctrine.” (Faith Undone, Lighthouse Trails, 2007, p. 193, quoting Alan Jones, Reimagining Christianity, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons, 200, pp. 132, 168)

Jones calls the doctrine of the Cross a “vile
doctrine,” similar to Brian McLaren who said the doctrine of the Cross
and Hell are “false advertising” for God.* Brennan Manning did the same
thing when he said that the God who exacted the last drop of his blood
to appease His anger for our sins does not exist. (Above All, Manning, p. 58) Brian Zahnd says it this way:

Over time I began to see the cross in a much deeper way—not as a mere factor in an atonement theory equation, but as the moment in time and space where God reclaimed creation. I saw the cross as the place where Jesus refounded the world. Instead of being organized around an axis of power enforced by violence, at the cross the world was refounded around an axis of love expressed in forgiveness. (Water To Wine, Kindle Locations 305-308, emphasis added)

It’s a perfect ploy of Satan to get people to
stop believing in that atonement. Remember, our adversary hates the
atonement. And once a person begins down that road of mystical
experiences, entering esoteric realms (really demonic realms), Satan
will even allow that mystic to think he has become a fully evolved
enlightened person who loves everyone and everything. All the while that
person, who is being seduced by familiar spirits, is moving further and
further away from the only path God has provided for salvation. And he
will share this “mystical revolution” with as many people as he can.
This is what happened with all the “great” mystics, and tragically, it
appears to have happened to Brian Zahnd and who knows how many other
evangelical pastors.

Extra Footnotes:
* Interview by Leif Hansen (The Bleeding Purple
Podcast) with Brian McLaren, January 8th, 2006); Part 1: http://bleeding
purple podcast .blog
spot.com/2006/01/brian-mclaren-interview-part-i.html; Part II:
http://bleeding purple pod cast. blog
spot.com/2006/01/interview-with-brian-mclaren-part-ii.html).
______________________________________________________

 ZAHND’S “APOLOGY” TO THE GAY COMMUNITY 
FOR ITS “TREATMENT” BY THE CHURCH
 ZAHND AND OTHER MYSTIC HERETICS 
CONFESS THEIR 
“SIN OF SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION” 
TO THE LGBT COMMUNITY:
Published on Jan 22, 2017
Greg
Boyd, Brian McLaren, Bruxy Cavey and Brian Zahnd confess the sin of
sexual discrimination in the Church in North America’s past and present.

MYSTIC HERETIC “SHACK” AUTHOR PAUL YOUNG STATES: “CHRIST IS ‘IN’ EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING”, IN JUST RELEASED NEW BOOK

 http://wmpaulyoung.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/perks-1.jpg
“SHACK” AUTHOR PAUL YOUNG STATES: 
“CHRIST IS ‘IN’ EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING”, 
IN JUST RELEASED NEW BOOK
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

By Warren B. Smith

For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, Having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from
the truth and shall be turned unto fables.
(2 Timothy 4:3-4)

YOUNG PUBLICLY ENDORSES UNIVERSAL SALVATION
In his just-released book (March 7th), Lies We Believe About God,
best-selling author Paul Young openly describes himself as a
universalist. In chapter 13, Young would have us believe it is a “lie”
to tell someone, “You need to get saved.”1 Young asks himself the
rhetorical questions, “Are you suggesting that everyone is saved? That
you believe in universal salvation?”2 He answers, “That is exactly what I
am saying!”3 Young then goes on to teach that “every single human being
is in Christ” and that “Christ is in them.”4 With this unbiblical
teaching, one recalls how Young put these same heretical words in the
mouth of his “Jesus” character in The Shack. He wrote:

God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things.5

THE TRINITARIAN LIE
Young would have us believe his trinitarian lie that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit inherently indwell everyone.6
This is exactly what the false “Christ” of the New Age teaches. In
fact, it is the foundational teaching of the New Age/New
Spirituality/New World Religion that has progressively moved into the
world and into the church.

NEW AGE IN THE CHURCH
As I pointed out in my booklet, The Shack and Its New Age Leaven,7
the teaching that God is “in” everyone is a heretical New Age teaching
that has been increasingly popularized over the last thirty years by New
Age authors and teachers and heavily promoted by people like Oprah
Winfrey. Sadly, it is also found in the books and teachings of
well-known church figures like Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, Eugene
Peterson, Leonard Sweet, and Sarah Young.8 And in a November 1, 2016 Catholic News Service
article titled, “Pope Offers New Beatitudes for Saints of a New Age”
Pope Francis, in a Catholic Mass in Malmo, Sweden, proposed a new
“beatitude”—”Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to
make others also discover him.”9

WHAT WILL THE CHURCH DO?
Paul Young wanted to have a conversation about the
nature of God, and that conversation is now front and center before the
church. Will pastors and leaders and day-to-day believers contend for
the faith and fight the good fight, or will they let false teachers like
Paul Young have their uncontested say and have their uncontested way?

Endnotes:
1. Chapter 13 title in Lies We Believe About God is “You need to get saved.”
2. William Paul Young, Lies We Believe About God (New York, NY: Atria Books; An imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2017), p. 118.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid., p. 119.
5. William P. Young, The Shack (Newbury Park, CA: Windblown Media, 2007), p. 112.
6. In C. Baxter Kruger’s book, The Shack Revisited: There Is More Going On Here Than You Ever Dared to Dream, in the foreword, Shack author William Paul Young writes: I want to say, “Thank you, and please read The Shack Revisited.” He adds, “If you want to understand better the perspectives and theology that frame The Shack,
this book is for you. Baxter has taken on the incredible task of
exploring the nature and character of the God who met me in my own shack” (p. ix). On page 49 of The Shack Revisited , Kruger writes: “For inside of us all, because of Jesus, is nothing short of the very trinitarian life of God.” C. Baxter Kruger, The Shack Revisited: There Is More Going On Here than You Ever Dared to Dream (New York, NY: FaithWords), p. 49.
7. To read this booklet, click here: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=12290.
8.  I have documented a short history of how this deceptive
New Age teaching has entered the world and the church in my booklet Be Still and Know That You Are Not God. The booklet includes quotes by each of these figures. To read this booklet, click here: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=17572.
9. Cathy Wooden, “Pope Offers New Beatitudes for Saints of a New Age” (Catholic News Service, November 1, 2016,).
_____________________________________________________

 Fourth Letter to Christian Leaders Goes Out – 
A Warning About The Shack

Lighthouse Trails has now sent out its 4th letter since early 2016 to
over 130 prominent Christian leaders. Along with the letter, we
included a copy of the booklet we publish, The Shack and Its New Age Leaven
plus a news brief we released recently. Both the booklet and the news
brief are written by former New Age follower Warren B. Smith. Here is
the letter we wrote to the leaders introducing the material:

Dear Christian Leader:

Please find enclosed one of our booklets titled The Shack and Its New Age Leaven by Lighthouse Trails author Warren B. Smith along with a short news brief we released on March 9th. As you probably know, The Shack movie came out this month, which no doubt will bring renewed interest in the book, The Shack.
When you read this booklet and the news brief, we hope you will
understand our sense of urgency given that many Christian leaders and
pastors are now endorsing The Shack. In William Paul Young’s newest book, Lies We Believe About God, he once again openly rejects biblical tenets of the Christian faith.

We hope you will read and prayerfully consider the content of both the booklet and the news brief.

Sincerely in Christ,

The Editors at
Lighthouse Trails Publishing, Inc.

The letters and booklets were mailed out from our office in Montana on March 13th. You can read the news brief we included by clicking here. And here is the link to the content of the booklet we sent.

Since we began sending out letters and booklets to Christian leaders in early 2016, we have received the following responses:

Short letters of thanks from the ministry offices of: Chuck Missler, Nancy DeMoss, Tony Evans, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Beth Moore

Notes of thanks personally signed by Tim Tebow, Kay Arthur, George Wood (Assemblies of God General Superintendent)

A letter of thanks via e-mail from Ben Kinchlow’s ministry manager (Kinchlow is the founder of Americans for Israel and former 700 Club host)

An e-email from the office of Chuck Swindoll telling us to stop sending booklets (we have since removed his name from our list).

It is our hope and prayer that many of the leaders on our list will take a few moments to read the material we sent out on The Shack.

If you would like us to add the name of a leader to our
Christian leaders list, please send the name and mailing address to us
at: editors@lighthousetrails.com. Because of time restraints, we will
not be able to add a name without an address. Plus, because we cannot
send out these letters and booklets to every pastor in the country,
we ask that you only submit names of pastors and/or church leaders who
have written at least one book (you can check Amazon) thus moving him
or her into a place of influence throughout the church at large.

We wish we could send booklets to every Christian pastor in
North America. However, here is an idea given to us from one of our
readers for anyone who feels compelled to reach the pastors in his or
her denomination and/or state: Last month, a woman contacted us from
Mississippi who learned that we were sending out booklets to Christian
leaders and pastors. She said she was burdened for Southern Baptist
pastors in her state and asked us to put together a mailing of two
booklets and a letter and mail it to every Southern Baptist pastor in
Mississippi.  Our reader paid for the list (which we purchased for her),
the booklets, the postage, and our labor. At her request, we sent
each pastor a copy of 10 Scriptural Reasons Jesus Calling is a Dangerous Book by Warren B. Smith and 5 Things You Should Know About Contemplative Prayer by Ray Yungen. If you have a group you would like us to reach in this manner, please contact our office.

If you would like to view and/or print a list of the
Christian leaders we are currently sending booklets and short letters
to 3-4 times a year, click here.
Perhaps you would like to pray for these men and women who, in total,
influence millions and millions of people throughout the world.
Incidentally, just because a name is on this list does not necessarily
mean that leader is in deception. We have included a wide assortment of
names in this list. There are many pastors and Christian leaders who
may not be part of the deception but, for various reasons, are not
aware of what is happening in the church today.
_____________________________________________________

This is Not a Review of the “SHACK”: 
BY C.H. FISHER
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

I’m not going to write a review or detailed critique of William P.
Young’s book or movie both entitled “The Shack.” The reason is because
there are already a number of good reviews available. You can access
plenty of information on Lighthouse Trails Research. What I will do is
present a warning.

First, I want to point out that there are some heresies and
deceptions that one should not need a review to recognize and reject.
The televangelist selling God’s favor, which increases with the size of
the donation, is one. Another one is a preacher smoking pot or getting
drunk on video while claiming that it is the way to get closer to God.
One more is the preacher that declares that God has entrusted only him
with new revelation essential to understanding the Bible. Likewise, does
anyone really need to inform a true Christian about what is wrong with
“The Shack”?

Now for the warning. God’s word declares that the end times will be
very dangerous for Christians. There will be many spiritually wicked
individuals masquerading as servants of God. They will present heresies
and other lies for the purpose of deceiving God’s people. However, some
professing Christians declare that it is impossible for Christians to be
deceived and apostatize. If that is true, then who is Satan deceiving
and who is apostatizing? The lost are already deceived and cannot
apostatize from faith that they do not have.

Obviously, the deception has to be very clever. If it were disguised
as an orange, it would appear exactly as a genuine orange. Therefore, we
can expect lies disguised exactly as truth. However, if people accept
enough false oranges loaded with a mind-numbing drug, it stands to
reason that false oranges will no longer be needed. Then whatever is
being disguised by the falseness will be offered without pretense.

Leading Christians accepted and promoted movies such as the “Son of
God” and “Noah”. Now professing Christians are accepting “Silence” and
“The Shack”, movies, which are more obviously wicked. Does anyone want
to know what is coming next that professing Christians might support?

William Paul Young, author of “The Shack”, wrote another book, “Eve.” Young explains about his book:

“As The Shack awakened readers to a personal, non-religious
understanding of God, Eve will free us from faulty interpretations that
have corrupted human relationships since the Garden of Eden.”

Any warning bells going off yet? If one is deceived by “The Shack”
one is probably unaware of the diabolical boasts in Young’s explanation.
Remember, this is not the author of a timeless Christian classic, but
the author of a heretical book that blasphemes the Holy Spirit.

What is it that Young intended to set us free from with “Eve”? Here are a few links in the chain of our “bondage.”

  1. The story of Creation is replaced by the Big Bang.
  2. Adam was an infant nursed by the breasts of God.
  3. Adam was a sinner before Eve was created.
  4. Adam became pregnant and gave birth to Eve.
  5. Adam and Satan conspired to deceive Eve.

But it gets even worse. Young has a new book entitled, “Lies We
Believe About God.” Here are some of what Young calls lies about God.

  1. “God wants to use me.”
  2. “God is in control.”
  3. “God is a prude.”
  4. “God does not submit.”
  5. “Hell is separation from God.”
  6. “Sin separates us from God.”
  7. “God is disappointed in me.”

If professing Christians accept the blatancy of that satanic
deception, their fate is sealed. When one of these books also becomes a
movie, professing Christians will fawn all over them and declare that
anyone that opposes them is ignorant or just plain mean-spirited.

The false orange is no longer needed. Professing Christians are
significantly deceived by number and intensity to consume the raw lies.

However, the subsequent deception does not stop with convincing them
to believe the lies. Additionally, they believe that the fact they can
so easily line up for the feast is not proof of deception. Instead, they
consider it to be evidence that they are superior in spirituality and
knowledge to the ones who refrain.   Tragically, those feasting masses
can be warned, but they are unable to receive the warnings.
_______________________________________________________

 When People Say, “But The Shack is Just a Novel!” 

A woman standing in line outside the theater to see The Shack movie was eager to talk with me about Paul Young’s best-selling book. She said she “loved” The Shack
and couldn’t understand why it had so many critics on the Internet. She
was especially perplexed by the number of “negative” comments made by
pastors. Obviously confused by all the controversy, she suddenly
exclaimed—”But The Shack is just a novel!”

What the woman and so many other Shack
readers fail to take into account is that the book is much more than
just a novel. It is a carefully crafted presentation of Paul Young’s
alternative “Christian” universalist theology based on “real”
conversations he claims to have had with God. In Young’s forward to The Shack Revisited, a book written by his friend C. Baxter Kruger, Young corrects any misunderstanding that The Shack is “just a novel.” He writes:

Please don’t misunderstand me; The Shack is theology. But it is theology wrapped in story.1

If you want to understand better the perspectives and theology that frame The Shack,
this book [Kruger’s] is for you. Baxter has taken on the incredible
task of exploring the nature and character of the God who met me in my
own shack.2

According to Young, God came to him in the “Great Sadness” of his own “shack” and communicated directly with him. Much of The Shack’s theology is based on what Young learned in his conversations with God.

Young’s Conversations with God

A Christian news source recently reprinted
excerpts from several posts Young made on his personal blog back in
August 2007. In these excerpts, Young explained that The Shack is a story, but it is a story based on real conversations he was having with God, his friends, and his family. He writes:

Remember, I am thinking about writing
this for my kids, so I am searching for a good vehicle to communicate
through. I figure a good story would be great . . . but I didn’t have
one. So I started with what I did have . . . conversations. So, off and
on, for about three months I wrote down conversations; conversations that I was having with God mostly, but which often included friends or family.3 [emphasis added by W. Smith]

Is the story “real”? The story is
fiction. I made it up. Now, having said that, I will add that the
emotional pain with all its intensity and the process that tears into
Mack’s heart and soul are very real. I have my “shack,” the place I had
to go through to find healing. I have my Great Sadness . . . that is all
real. And the conversations are very real and true. . . .

So is the story true? The pain, the loss, the grief, the process, the conversations,
the questions, the anger, the longing, the secrets, the lies, the
forgiveness . . . all real, all true.4 [emphasis added by W. Smith]

Young’s “Christian” Universalism

In a February 16, 2008 post on a blog called Christian Universalism: The Beautiful Heresy: The Shack,
an avowed “friend” of Paul Young corroborates Young’s 2007 blog post
about his conversations with God. The friend describes how the
conversations Young’s main character Mack has with God in The Shack
are “real conversations” that Paul Young actually had with God. She
reveals how these conversations “revolutionized” Young, his family, and
friends such as herself. She says that the “radically dangerous”
teachings that Young put in his novel have become her new “systematic
theology” and The Shack is her new “systematic theology
handbook.” The following are her exact words and punctuation as they
were originally posted on the “Christian Universalism” blog:

I know the author well—a personal friend.
(Our whole house church devoured it last summer, and Paul came to our
home to discuss it—WONDERFUL time!) The conversations that “Mack” has with God, are real conversations that Paul Young had with God . . .  and they revolutionized him, his family, and friends
(Paul had a very traumatic past, raised by missionary parents, who left
him in the care of the stone-age Dani tribe, while they did “God’s
work.” He was abused by them, in the process—and there were other
tragedies in his life, later on. When he was a broken mess, God began to speak to him).
He wrote the story (rather than a “sermon”) to give the real
conversations context—and because Jesus also used simple stories to
engage our hearts, even by-passing our objective brains, in order to
have His message take root in our hearts, and grow. . . .

I had already come to believe all the
“radically dangerous” teachings within this book—so it mostly confirmed
what I already believed. But, it most definitely highlighted the reality
that I don’t yet KNOW (KNOW!) how much God loves me. I want the
relationship with God that I see in Paul Young’s life. . . .

This was the first book that I read
straight through 4 times. First to absorb it. Secondly, to underline.
Third to highlight. Fourth, to put “headers” on the top of each page, so
that I could find certain passages again. It’s become my new
“systematic theology” handbook!5  [emphasis added by W. Smith]

Thus, by his own account and that of his friend, Paul Young would be the first to deny that The Shack is “just a novel.”

Young the Universalist

Back to my conversation with the woman in front of the movie theater. When she said that The Shack
was “just a novel,” I described how his novel was actually a fictional
device used as a “vehicle” for presenting some of his own misguided
theological teachings—teachings that had more in common with New Age
teachings than biblical Christianity. When she acknowledged knowing
about the New Age movement, I told her that some of The Shack’s
teachings were actually New Age teachings. But before I could explain
what those specific teachings were and how I had once been involved in
the New Age myself, the theater doors opened, the line started moving,
and our conversation was suddenly over. She seemed relieved as she
turned toward the theater and away from me. Praying that she would come
to understand that Paul Young has more in common with New Age
universalism than biblical Christianity. I had no idea at the time that
Young was about to publicly declare in a new book what so many of us
already knew. In Lies We Believe About God, which was released
on March 7th, Young states that he believes in “universal salvation”6
and that “every single human being is in Christ” and “Christ is in
them.”7 Thus, Young himself makes it very clear in his own words that The Shack
is not “just a novel” but rather a “cunningly devised fable” (2 Peter
1:16) for presenting some of his own heretical universalistic New Age
views.

Who is Paul Young Really Listening To and Conversing With?

Paul Young would have us believe that he has been having “real” conversations with God and that he was inspired by God to write The Shack. Yet
he is now declaring himself to be a universalist who believes in the
false New Age trinitarian doctrine that God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit
are already  “in” everyone. In other words, Young, as a professing
universalist, would have us believe that all of humanity is already
saved (universal salvation). The question that naturally arises and
that is now before the church is—just who is Paul Young
actually listening to and conversing with? The God of the Bible or the
false “God” of the New Age?

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that
in the latter times some depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils. (1 Timothy 4:1)

Endnotes

1. C. Baxter Kruger, The Shack Revisited: There Is More Going on Here than You Ever Dared to Dream ( New York, NY: FaithWorks, Hatchette Book Group, 2012), p. xi.
2. Ibid., p. viiii.
3. Sunny Shell, “The Shack, a Biblical and Interactive Review” (http://blogs.christianpost.com/abandoned-to-christ/the-shack-a-biblical-and-interactive-review-28674/, posted 2/16/17, quoting Paul Young from his August 15, 2007 blog titled “The Shack
– update – Background #2″
(http://web.archive.org/web/20070911092057/http://www.windrumors.com/29/the-shack-update-background-2/).
4. Sunny Shell, “The Shack, a Biblical and Interactive Review” (http://blogs.christianpost.com/abandoned-to-christ/the-shack-a-biblical-and-interactive-review-28674/, posted 2/16/17, quoting Paul Young from his August 15, 2007 blog titled “Is the story of THE SHACK
true . . . is Mack a “real” person?
(http://web.archive.org/web/20070911092319/http://www.windrumors.com/30/is-the-story-of-the-shack-trueis-mack-a-real-person/).
5. Christian Universalism-The Beautiful Heresy: The Shack (http://web.archive.org/web/20080307051159/http://christian-universalism.blogs.com/thebeautifulheresy/2008/02/the-shack.html, posted February 16, 2008 by Dena Brehm. (Thanks to Kent McElroy for bringing this blog to my attention).
6. Wm. Paul Young, Lies We Believe About God (New York, NY: Atria Books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2017), p. 118.
7. Ibid., p. 119.
_______________________________________________________

William Paul Young (The Shack Author) 
& His Connection with Panentheist Richard Rohr 

LTRP Note: The Shack movie has just been
released. Millions of Americans will go to theaters to watch the movie.
Most likely, the majority of them will be church goers and proclaiming
Christians since The Shack book is vetted as a Christian story.
Recently, a church contacted Lighthouse Trails and ordered 300 copies
of Warren B. Smith’s booklet The Shack and Its New Age Leaven.
If you have family, church members, pastors, and friends who might be
considering attending this movie, please pick up some copies of the
booklet and pass them out. As you can see from the piece below by
Lighthouse Trails author Lois Putnam, William Paul Young resonates with
panentheists (God is IN all), and we know from our research that The Shack resonates with this concept too. Please do what you can to warn everyone you know. The false “Christ” of The Shack
has big plans to deceive many. If you can’t afford to buy the booklet,
you can print the content from our blog; but we believe this very inexpensive booklet is a better way to go (in a published bound format, it helps give credibility to the material and the source).

By Lois Putnam

Catholic priest and panentheist mystic Richard Rohr (along with co-author mystic emergent Mike Morrell) recently wrote the book The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation.  William
Paul Young wrote its foreword.  Inside, its dedication says:  “From
Richard Rohr: To all unsuspecting folks who do not know they are already
within the ‘Divine Flow’” [i.e., panentheism].  In the foreword, Young
says, “May we feel within us the eternal life of Jesus reaching through
our hands–to heal, to hold, to hug–and celebrate the bread of our
Humanity, the sanctity of the Ordinary, and Participation in the
Trinity.”

Other endorsers include Rob Bell, Brian D.
McLaren, and a host of others.  As Lighthouse Trails Research points out
in “In Case You Still Aren’t Sure About the Shack and Its
Author,” perhaps Young’s “Twenty Books Everyone Should Read” will
convince you otherwise.  Click onto the article here: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=17684

And Young, continuing his close association
with Rohr, will join him and Cynthia Bourgeault in April 6-8, 2017 to
take part in a program titled: “Trinity: The Soul of Creation”
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its online descriptive ad reads, “Rohr,
Bourgeault, and Young believe the Trinity . . .  has the capacity to
change everything.  We already participate within this dance whether we
realize it or not [that God is in everyone].  But when we consciously
engage in loving communion, we open ourselves to being transformed at
the deepest levels.  Bring your heart, mind, and body to this . . . 
conversation.  Join an ecumenical and inter-faith gathering, moving
together through reflective experiences, including contemplative prayer,
music, movement (Yoga, Tai Chi Chin, and walking meditation), group and
individual processing. …” To read Lois Putnam’s entire article on The Shack, click here.  

Note: Cynthia Bourgeault is a
name we know well at Lighthouse Trails. Ray Yungen spoke of her to us
often. She is an Episcopal priest who is a devoted advocate for
everything contemplative. Here is a list of some of her books to prove our point.

Related Articles:

Something to Think About – Richard Rohr, the New Age, and Young Evangelical Christians

IF: Gathering Leader/Pastor Melissa Greene—A Female Version of McLaren, Bell, Rohr, and Merton

Richard Foster’s Renovare Turns to Panentheist Mystic Richard Rohr and Emerging Darling Phyllis Tickle For New Book Project 
_______________________________________________________
SEE OUR POST ABOUT CATHOLIC MYSTIC RICHARD ROHR:
https://ratherexposethem.org/2013/04/much-more-on-rohr-plus-enneagrams.html 
 

DANGER: EMERGENT “‘IF’ GATHERING” CONFERENCE COMING FOR YOUR DAUGHTERS & GRANDDAUGHTERS IN A TOWN NEAR YOU!

ALL SMILES, BUT GREATLY DECEIVED
WARNING:
 Photo: Some of the IF women – photo used in accordance with the US
Fair Use Act for critical review and reporting. (source:
http://www.jennieallen.com/if-we-were-wild-and-full-of-faith-its-time/)
(Jen Hatmaker and Melissa Greene in photo)
DANGER: EMERGENT “‘IF’ GATHERING” CONFERENCE COMING FOR YOUR DAUGHTERS & GRANDDAUGHTERS IN A TOWN NEAR YOU, FEBRUARY 2-3, 2017
BY LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
 

[God] will take this hell on earth and someday show us how hell was building heaven.—Jennie Allen (founder of IF: Gathering)

Have you heard of the IF: Gathering? If you
haven’t, you most likely will soon enough. The women’s movement
started just a few years ago but is already making some big inroads
into the evangelical scene. On the outer appearance, this looks like a
legitimate Christian movement – the women who lead and speak at IF:
Gathering are young and vibrant; they talk about Jesus, they go to
church; some of them homeschool their kids—it all looks so Christian.
But underneath this outer thin Christian layer lies an emergent
atmosphere . . . and the target is your young evangelical daughters
and granddaughters.

In a few days (February 2-3), IF: Gathering
will be presenting their annual conference in Austin, Texas. The
conference, called IF:2017 will also be live-streamed to many churches
throughout America and Canada (and in some other countries as well).
Lighthouse Trails has received a number of phone calls and e-mails by
concerned parents and grandparents whose daughters and granddaughters
are attending the conference, either in Austin or one of the
sponsoring churches. Here is a link to the list of churches
that will be holding the IF:2017 conference next week via live-stream.
According to the IF website, there are over 2000 live-streamed events
for this year’s event. If you multiply that by even just 150, that is
nearly 300,000 women! 
When you go to the list, type in your
zip code, see if there is a conference being held in your city or
town, and if there is, start alerting those you know. Your friends may
have daughters who are attending.

This year’s event will apparently not include
IF speaker Jen Hatmaker who, we have learned, dropped out of IF last
year for undisclosed reasons (recently she came out promoting gay
marriage, and this got her into trouble with LifeWay Resources who dropped her books at that point). Speakers for this year’s event include Jennie Allen (IF’s founder), Ann VosKamp (author of One Thousand Gifts – see section in Cedric Fisher’s article below), Lysa Terkeurst, Jennie Yang, Jeanne Stevens (Co-Pastor with Husband of Soul City Church – http://jeannestevens.com/about/– former staff member of Willow Creek and associated with Erwin
McManus: ), and Jo Saxton.
You may not be familiar with these names, but
we encourage you to do your research and please read Cedric’s article
so you might come to understand the underlying agenda of IF. As
Cedric says, we don’t question the sincerity of these women, but we do
question the direction they are heading spiritually. While her name
doesn’t appear in this year’s line up, Melissa Greene is  involved
with IF as well (please see article below to learn about Greene’s
beliefs and this video of her). Greene, a pastor, resonates with emergent leader Brian McLaren, and her church made headlines when it came out promoting same-sex marriage.

In May of 2015, Lighthouse Trails author, Cedric Fisher, wrote a booklet titled “ IF it is of God—Answering the questions of IF:Gathering.”
We are posting that booklet in its entirety below. If you scroll to
the bottom of his article and hit the green Print button, it will
format a nice PDF copy for you (you can buy it in booklet format too,
but you’ll have to print it in order to have it in time before the
conference). If you know a woman who is planning to attend the
IF:Gathering conference next week, please print this article and give
her a copy to read. Because the emergent “theology” is deceptive and
spiritually dangerous, these young women need to be given a heads up.

Lest some say that Jennie Allen has cleaned up
IF by not having Jen Hatmaker and Melissa Greene at this year’s event,
keep in mind that Jennie Allen knew what these two friends believed
when she invited them to be part of IF just a few years ago. How can
we trust our daughters and granddaughters to someone who shows no
discernment and who very likely will continue connecting with and
inviting speakers who are of a similar emergent mindset.1 For example, Shauna Niequist (Bill and Lynn Hybels daughter) is involved with IF (they sell her book on their site, she contributes on the blog, and she is one of the speakers at IF:2017) and recently she gave her “blessing” to Jen Hatmaker’s acceptance of same-sex marriage and endorses Jesus Calling.

Once you read Cedric’s article below, we
believe you will understand why we are so concerned about this
movement. Writing this article reminds us of another article we wrote a
number of years ago in 2008. It was titled “Brian McLaren’s Hope for the Future – The Minds of Your Grandchildren.” 
Since then, the emergent church has continued growing and indeed
grabbing the minds of countless young people, many of them from
Christian homes. We hope and pray parents and grandparents will do all
they can to keep their own young people from going down that same path,
this time via IF.

Don’t forget to check the list of places IF:2017 will be livestreaming to see if your town or city is hosting an IF conference.

IF IT IS OF GOD—Answering the questions of IF:Gathering

By Cedric H. Fisher

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.

After reading the list of IF speakers and
researching information about them, I have become convinced that IF
poses a significant risk to Christian women, who unwittingly are
submitting themselves to IF’s speakers and teachers. The danger? It
comes in the form of emergent ideology, spiritual formation,
and contemplative spirituality (contemplative prayer is a mantra-like
“prayer” practice that vitalizes the “progressive” “new” Christianity
(i.e., the emerging church).
Thus, I am compelled to report on my
findings regarding IF.

How did IF:Gathering come about and is it
ordained by God? These are questions every responsible Christian needs
to ask concerning anything claiming to be a new move or revelation
from God. Those questions are especially important during such a time
as this, a time when the church is suffering from great deception and
apostasy. Is IF influencing women to draw nearer to God or rather
leading them onto a spiritually dangerous path to heresy?

IF’s Beginning—A Whisper from the Sky
The 2015 IF:Gathering did not end when the
conference was over. It continues to function through the network
established before the conference occurred. Its influence continues
through local churches and individuals who hosted the event, through
social media, available videos of the event, and the “IF:Table,”* all
of which have the potential to reach countless more women and evolve
into a major women’s movement. If that occurs, it will help set the
agenda of how the future generation perceives and implements
Christianity.

The first statement on their website under “Who We Are” is:

We exist to gather, equip and unleash the next generation of women to live out their purpose.1

The founder of IF:Gathering, Jennie Allen, is a
bright and energetic, best-selling author, blogger, and popular
speaker. She appears sincere and dedicated to ministering to people.
She and her husband have been involved in ministry for a number of
years. However, since she is the founder, we must consider her
activity, her influences, and her statements about the birth of
IF:Gathering.

Allen is a Bible teacher who had been teaching
groups of girls and young women since high school. She studied at the
University of Arkansas for three years, completed her B.S. in
Communications at Carson Newman College in Tennessee, and graduated
from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master’s in Biblical Studies
in 2005. It would be two years after her graduation from DTS when she
had an experience that birthed IF: Gathering.

Allen signed a multi-project contract in 2011
with Thomas Nelson, which included a series of seven DVD-based Bible
studies and two trade books. Her first study released in 2011,
followed by another one released in 2012. Her first trade book was
also released in 2012. Allen’s book Restless: Because You Were Made for More and the Restless video-based Bible study were released simultaneously in January 2014, a month before the first IF:Gathering.

Allen was also one of the speakers in the
neo-emergent Nines Conference in 2014, which hosted a speaker lineup
that included some of the main influences in the New Christianity
movement.

How did the IF:Gathering originate? There are
different and conflicting explanations given by Allen. The first
account was presented by Allen in the initial IF:Gathering in Austin,
Texas, 2014:



About 7 years ago, a voice from the sky—that
doesn’t often speak to me—but that day there was this whisper. It was
the middle of the night, actually. And it was “Gather and equip your
generation.”
And this was ridiculous, because honestly, I was a stay
at home Mom, I didn’t know anybody that could help me with that job.
And it was a completely ridiculous statement. So ridiculous that I
just, for two days my bones hurt, and I didn’t know what to do with
it. My bones hurt, for two days.

I thought, Okay God, what do you want me to do? Wisely my friend said, “Jennie, if
it’s God,” cause it may not be. All voices from the sky are not always
God, FYI. But, “if it’s God, then He’s going to give you everything
you need to accomplish His purposes. So just wait.” And so I waited,
and that was seven years ago, guys.2

Allen eventually came to believe it was God who
whispered.
She would wait several years for Him to put IF: Gathering
together. However, a year after the account of IF’s birth that she
gave in the 2014 conference, she posted another account on her blog:

Truth is, IF:Gathering began as more of a hunch than a vision.3

A month later, and one year after her first
account, Allen gave another account of how the IF came about during
the IF: Gathering February, 2015:

I mean, 7 years ago, 8 years ago now, I heard
a voice that . . . well, okay, I didn’t. This is like all different
theologies right now. Okay, just give me grace. I don’t know, but I’m
just telling you, in the night I woke up, and I was overcome with
these words, “Disciple a generation.”


But I sat on it. I put it in my back pocket
and said, “Okay God, if you want to do something crazy like that,
you’re gonna have to make it happen.”
4

I read Allen’s book, Anything: The Prayer that Unlocked my God and My Soul,
written a couple of years after her experience with the sky
whisperer. In her book, Allen describes deep intimacy with God and
willingness to obey Him completely. However, she does not mention
anything about Sky Whisperer or his commission to organize the IF:
Gathering. I find that puzzling. What better place to introduce and
expound on such a life-changing intimate experience and surrender than
in a book describing full surrender?

I’m willing to concede that there could be a
good reason for the inconsistencies of her accounts as to how IF came
about. But an individual whom God supernaturally calls to accomplish a
significant work should give a credible and unambiguous account of
that call. One could say, “I saw a need and did my best to meet it.”
However, when one says, “I heard a voice from God,” a different
standard is involved. The reason is because something that has a
supernatural event as an origin will have a much greater weight of
influence. It presents the individual as a special agent of God, just
as any of the figures in the Bible whom God used to accomplish
unprecedented purposes. It almost immunizes the revelation and the
individual from critical examination.

Therefore, I believe it is proper and
reasonable to examine Jennie Allen’s statements concerning the origin
of the IF: Gathering. The questions are: “Is Allen’s explanations of
the origin of IF:Gathering convincing and does she provide viable and
credible information that concludes IF: Gathering originated from God?
One should prayerfully consider those questions and ultimately should
ask: if it’s origin is in question and if it’s founder is involved in
emergent conferences, can IF:Gathering produce good fruit? The next
section concerning the speakers in IF:Gathering may help answer that
last question.

For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor
does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own
fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather
grapes from a bramble bush. (Luke 6:43-44)

IF, The Speakers: Ambassadors of God or Emergent Collaborators

If Jeannie Allen did indeed hear supernaturally
from God, and if God supernaturally equipped her to organize the
IF:Gathering, we would expect good fruit from the conference and the
speakers. We would not expect people who are influenced by emergent,
New Age, and other aberrant authors and teachers. It is logical to
expect that the speakers would be stellar Christian examples.

Space does not permit me to deal with all the
conference speakers, so I have chosen several whom I believe need to
be examined. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Sarah Bessey
After reading portions of her book, Jesus Feminist,
I get the impression Sarah Bessey believes that Christianity is stuck
with the Woman Suffrage movement somewhere in the 1920s. She
references radical feminist, social activist, and journalist Dorothy
Day in her book and seems to draw from secular feminism. From that
concept, she tries to invent a need for radical feminism in
Christianity, presenting bizarre commentary on the Scriptures to back
up her position.
The following quote illustrates her view:

Many of the seminal social issues of our
time—poverty, lack of education, human trafficking, war and torture,
domestic abuse—can track their way to our theology of, or beliefs
about, women, which has its roots in what we believe about the nature,
purposes, and character of God.5

In the back of Jesus Feminist under “Further Reading,” Bessey offers a book titled How I Changed My Mind About Women in Leadership, which includes essays from emerging church authors Tony Campolo, John Ortberg, and Bill and Lynne Hybels. Jesus Feminist also has endorsements in the book by Brian McLaren and Tony Jones. On her blog, she lists among her favorites A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren and Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning.6 She also promotes The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen.7 There’s no question that Bessey resonates with the views of these men.

With such emergent and contemplative influences, how can good fruit be produced by this speaker?

Christine Caine
Christine Caine claims Joyce Meyer as her
“spiritual mother” and lists Word of Faith preacher Sheryl Brady as a
dear friend calling her “flat out the best chick preacher of the
word.”8 Caine has “preached” in seeker/emergent Steven Furtick’s mega
church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The following is transcribed from
Caine’s opening statement in Furtick’s church:

This place is a little bit like God, take
this in context, in that like you are omnipresent. You are here. You
are across the room. You are down the street. You are all over the
worldwide web. It is like wherever you look, here we are and it is my
honor and privilege to be here, I couldn’t wait.9

Caine also declared that her heart was
“knitted” to Furtick.
One whose heart is surrendered to God could not
possibly be knitted to an individual such as Furtick. Journalist and
researcher Jim Fletcher says this about Furtick:

Steven Furtick . . . 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. Presumably, to Furtick, it’s the “new
generation’s” time now, so step aside with your stodgy hymns and
expositional preaching style. . . . Masked a bit by a pious nod toward
humanitarian causes, the leadership of this group is quite nasty,
albeit in subtle ways.10

Further, according to the itinerary on
Christine Caine’s website, she will be speaking at NAR (New Apostolic
Reformation) leader Bill Johnson’s Bethel Church in Redding,
California in August 2015 in the Bethel Women’s Conference. Why does
this matter? It shows a pattern of being willing to associate with
people and “minister” in churches that are teaching and promoting
false and dangerous teachings.
11

Melissa Greene
Melissa Greene is the pastor of worship and arts
at GracePointe Church in Franklin, Tennessee. The church made national headlines in January of 2015 as senior
pastor, Stan Mitchell, declared his church now accepts homosexual
marriage.12

When I pull up Greene’s website, I immediately
notice the picture of her sitting in a Yoga position. In a May 25th,
2014 message on her website titled “Worth,” Greene admits to reading
emerging church pioneer Brian McLaren’s book, A Generous Orthodoxy
(and McLaren spoke at GracePointe in the fall of 2014). Greene
favorably quotes other prolific New Spirituality names: Phyllis
Tickle, Richard Rohr, Frederick Buechner, Rob Bell, Nicholas
Wolterstorff, Thomas Merton, Peter Gomes, Aldous Huxley—a list that
reads like a veritable who’s who in emergent and contemplative heresy.

In “Worth,” Greene declares that, “Christianity
is broad and diverse.”13 Considering that many of her influences
accept all religions as being of God, there is no doubt to what she
means when she states this. Greene also made the audacious statement:
“The most devastating fear in people’s lives is the fear of God.”14
She attempts to validate her statement by taking verses out of context
and misapplying them. What does God’s word declare?

And do not fear those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Therefore, having these promises, beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

For thousands of young Christian-professing women to submit to someone like Melissa Greene could have a detrimental effect.

Jen Hatmaker
In Jen Hatmaker’s book, Interrupted: When Jesus Wreck Your Comfortable Christianity,
she makes it clear that she is influenced by a number of New Age/New
Spirituality individuals. She quotes Catholic priest and contemplative
activist Richard Rohr and emergent leader Shane Claiborne. On her
blog, she promotes the book, The Circle Maker, by Mark
Batterson, a book that encourages readers to draw circles around
specific things in order to have more answered prayers. Batterson was
inspired with this idea by an ancient sage.

In Hatmaker’s book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess,
she reveals that her family takes part in a Roman Catholic ritual
with mystical origins, the “Seven Sacred Pauses.”15 Hatmaker got her
inspiration from Seven Sacred Pauses, a book by Macrina Wiederkehr who is a spiritual director
in the contemplative prayer movement. In Wiederkehr’s retreats, seekers
are guided through experiences of silence, contemplation and lectio divina
(a contemplative practice where words and phrases from the Bible are
repeated in mantra-like fashion). The “seven sacred pauses” are seven
times a day to pause and pray, which Wiederkehr describes as “breathing
spells for the soul.”

Consider Hatmaker’s statement concerning the preaching of God’s Word:

I have spent half my life listening to
someone else talk about God. Because of this history, I’ve developed
something of an immunity to sermons.16

This is eerily similar to the sentiment of Sue Monk Kidd (author of The Secret Life of Bees),
who once, as a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher,
expressed her dissatisfaction (and eventual rejection) of the preaching
of God’s Word. That led Monk Kidd down a path away from the Christian
faith and straight into the New Age. Today, she worships the goddess
Sophia.

This disgruntlement of God’s Word is so
prevalent among leaders of the emerging New Spirituality church. If
not preaching, then what? Is it emotionally charged conventions and
books with flowering, poetic phrases that open up to spit out a toxic
drop of heresy? If Hatmaker is immune to preaching, she has rejected
God’s method in favor of her own.

Ann VosKamp
Ann VosKamp’s highly popular book, One Thousand Gifts,
is peppered with favorable references to and quotes by various
mystics, pantheists, and universalists. The following is a list of
some of those influences:



Sarah Ban Breathnach, Teresa of Avila, Julian
of Norwich, Evelyn Underhill, Brennan Manning, Annie Dillard, Thomas
Aquinas, Peter Kreeft, Walter Brueggemann, Francis de Sales, Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin, Henri Nouwen, and Jean-Pierre de Caussade. She
also quotes mystic Catholic nun Kathleen Norris on her blog.17

You may not have heard of all these names, but
in my research, I have found that they all embrace a panentheistic
mystical-based spirituality. For VosKamp to quote and reference so
many authors in this category shows she is embracing and absorbing the
spirituality of these figures.

In the last chapter of One Thousand Gifts, “The Joy of Intimacy,” Voskamp writes:

Mystical union. This, the highest degree of
importance. God as Husband in sacred wedlock, bound together, body and
soul, fed by His body, quenched by His blood . . . God, He has
blessed—caressed. I could bless God—caress with thanks. It’s our
making love. God makes love with grace upon grace, every moment a
making of His love for us . . . couldn’t I make love to God, making
every moment love for Him? To know Him the way Adam knew Eve. Spirit
skin to spirit skin . . . The intercourse of soul with God is the very
climax of joy . . . To enter into Christ and Christ enter into us—to
cohabit.18

This is what contemplatives consider “intimacy”
with God, as if God is more a lover or a boyfriend than the Creator
of the Universe, the King of Kings, and our beloved Savior. This is
what millions of young Christian women are being introduced to.

The question is, are Sarah Bessey, Christine
Cane, Melissa Greene, Jen Hatmaker, and Ann VosKamp really called from
God as they profess to be? While I won’t question their sincerity, I
must ask the questions: How can the IF:Gathering be ordained by God?
How can Jennie Allen have supernaturally heard from God concerning her
conference? And how could righteous God Almighty have sanctioned a
movement that is so influenced by diabolical sources?

The IF:Gatherings promise great solutions, but
in practice, they covertly chip away at biblical concepts of God, the
Holy Spirit, and biblical Christianity. They are based on flawed
concepts masked by alluring phrases. Like all other emerging church
“coaches” and mentors, the IF leaders intend to solve the problem of
what they insist is failed Christianity. They believe a
replacement—New Christianity—is the solution.

Considering the influences of the speakers, the
IF:Gatherings will lead to dangerous, alternate spirituality. The
Conference overwhelms susceptible women with music, visuals, and
emotional camaraderie. When their hearts are prepped and open,
provocative questions are presented, and  answers that conflict with
God’s word are offered.

IF the Fruit is Good
When I was a worldling, I visited the notorious
Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Fresh from the Oklahoma hills, I had
never witnessed anything remotely like it. One thing that fascinated
me most were the barkers. The barkers were men who stood outside of
the many establishments attempting to coax passersby to enter them.
They were so convincing. Their skills had been honed by trial and
error. Bending to the persuasive and captivating power of their words,
I entered one of those establishments. Once inside, I was shocked at
the total absences of morals. Although it made my cheeks blush, and my
moral upbringing urged me to leave, I was with a couple of friends
and didn’t want to be considered a prude. So I stayed. The longer I
stayed, the more I got used to the immorality. The more I got used to
it, the more I wanted of it.

The speakers at the IF:Gathering are barkers.
They are luring many professing Christian women with persuasive and
captivating words. A repetitive error I noticed in the Conference was
that a speaker would set up a straw man, and then mix the answer to it
with Scripture. She would then insist that the conclusion was a valid
point. An example was when Jen Hatmaker argued that we cannot
possibly know all of God. She quoted a Scripture from Romans 11:33.
Her conclusion was that because we cannot know God fully, it is not
detrimental to faith to have doubt. However, faith does not depend on
knowledge, but trust. Lack of knowledge should not make us doubt, but
rather a lack of trust. This was a prevailing theme at IF.

Hatmaker also insisted that God set us free
simply to set us free; that He set us free for us. Again, this does
not agree with God’s Word:

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

We were created for God’s purpose, to worship
and serve Him. He set us free so we could belong to Him to honor and
serve Him with all our hearts, mind, bodies, and spirits.

One constant thing that made me cringe was the
cavalier attitude that some of the speakers, especially Jennie Allen,
exhibited toward God. At one point, Allen, says, “Darn it, darn it,”
and goes off on a rant implying that God is stupid, mean, and that His
plan is absurd. The rant came only minutes after she declared she was
nearly overcome with reverential fear of God.19

In Melissa Greene’s “Worth” sermon, one comes away with the following conclusions:

Certainty is bad; Questions (and no answers) is good.

The old-fashioned faith of our parents and grandparents is outdated and irrelevant.

References to numerous mystics and emergents

The “text” (the Bible) is OK, but there is so much more to be grasped.

In the end, everyone is saved.20

As I mentioned earlier, Greene admits to
reading Brian McLaren, and from the content of the “Worth” video,
McLaren’s spirituality has become her own. The IF leaders hope to lead
as many women as possible into the same direction as Jennie Allen
declares:

While I wish I were a more confident,
rebellious pioneer, God had to nearly force me to the wild, new path
He had for IF. I am however compelled to call as many of you as
possible to the roads less traveled because there are many wandering
who may never make it up to the highway.21

IF Conclusion

[God] will take this hell on earth and someday show us how hell was building heaven.22—Jennie Allen

The IF conferences are full of emotional
manipulation with videos of heartbreaking stories and impassioned
pleas to do something; draw near to God, have more faith, win the
lost, help the less fortunate, etc. At various points in the 2015
conference, a speaker would burst out in an impassioned plea to do
something about the plight of humanity as if it were the fallback
position when passion was otherwise lacking.

IF’s leaders insist that biblical Christianity has failed as a viable work of God and that God and they are bringing forth a cure—New Christianity.

I fear that IF’s excellent adventure
is advertisement for a mass departure from God’s Word. Rather than
having their faith built up, participants are encouraged to question
“traditional” Christianity. And those who are giving the answers—the
IF women—are unfortunately getting their information from emergents and mystics who present a different gospel and another Jesus.

It is addictive, this linguistic confection.
The mind is overcome with giddiness. But is it of God? Or is it rather
a “beautiful” seduction? I believe the latter is true.

To order copies of IF it is of God—Answering the questions of IF:Gathering, click here.

* IF:Table is a dinner hosted by one person on
the second Sunday of each month. It is described as six women, four
questions, two hours (https://ifgathering.com/new-to-the-table/)

Endnotes:
1. IF:Gathering website, “Who We Are”: https://ifgathering.com/who-we-are.
2. Jennie Allen, 2014 IF:Gathering: https://ifgathering.com/if-gathering-2014.
3. Jennie Allen’s blog, “How to Leave Normal”:
https://ifgathering.com/2015/01/how-to-leave-normal, January 21, 2015.
4. Jennie Allen, IF: Gathering: https://ifgathering.com/2014/09/ifgathering-2015, February 2015.
5. Sarah Bessey, Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women (New York, NY: Howard Books), p. 169.
6. Sarah Bessey’s blog: http://sarahbessey.com, December 30, 2008.
7. Ibid., July 17, 2008.
8. http://instagram.mislav.net/users/christinecaine?max_id=216035535549657297_2724891.
9. Christine Caine, Elevation Church, Code
Orange Revival 2012,
http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/codeorangerevival (some of her sermon
can be watched at:
http://www.god.tv/code-orange-revival/night-4-anything-is-possible-with-god).
10. Jim Fletcher, “‘Hip’ church gives biblical
Christians new label: ‘Hater’” (WorldNetDaily,
http://mobile.wnd.com/2014/12/hip-church-gives-biblical-christians-new-label-hater/#JEfipOHtSOZJfZeD.99).
11. Read John Lanagan’s article/booklet titled The New Age Implications of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson where it discusses Johnson’s propensity toward “quantum spirituality” (the belief that God is in everyone).
12. Elizabeth Dias, “Nashville Evangelical Church Comes Out for Marriage Equality” (Time Magazine, January 29, 2015; http://time.com/3687368/gracepointe-church-nashville-marriage-equality).
13. Melissa Greene, “Worth”
(http://melissagreenemusic.com/tag/worth, May 25, 2014, watch video
at: https://vimeo.com/97252399, 22:40 minutes to 22:47 minutes).
14. Ibid, 24:18 minutes to 24:25 minutes.
15. Jen Hatmaker, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2012, Digital Edition), Kindle location 3266.
16. Ibid., Kindle location 435.
17. Ann VosKamp, (http://www.aholyexperience.com/2006/11/memorizing-word).
18. Ann VosKamp, One Thousand Gifts (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), pp. 213, 216-217.
19. Jennie Allen, IF:Gathering; Session 1- 03.
20. Melissa Greene, “Worth,” op. cit.
21. Jennie Allen, “How to Leave Normal,” op. cit.
22. Jennie Allen, Restless: Because You Were Made for More (Nashville, TN: W Publishing, 2013), p. 74.

To order copies of IF it is of God—Answering the questions of IF:Gathering, click here.

LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN STORES PULLS JEN HATMAKER BOOKS OVER HER SUPPORT FOR SAME SEX “MARRIAGE”

hatmaker-compressed
SEE THIS BLOG’S PREVIOUS POST: 
LIFEWAY CHRISTIAN STORES PULLS 
JEN HATMAKER BOOKS OVER HER SUPPORT FOR SAME SEX “MARRIAGE”
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and 
research purposes, originally from: 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/10
/31/the-high-cost-of-popular-evangelical-jen-hatmakers-gay-marriage
-comments/

Fans of Jen Hatmaker like her because she is, in one word, relatable. The Texas author and speaker writes often about her “messy” family life, confessing in a viral 2013 post to being the “worst end-of-school year mom ever.” Her homespun approach has garnered her spots on the New York Times bestseller list and an HGTV series alongside husband Brandon and five children.
But last week, Hatmaker broke from her evangelical base, telling Religion News Service columnist Jonathan Merritt that she supports same-sex marriage and believes LGBT relationships can be holy. Such statements followed a social media post this April in which Hatmaker called for LGBT inclusion in churches. Her recent comments prompted LifeWay Christian Stores, the large Southern Baptist bookseller that published her 2012 bestseller “7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess,” to discontinue selling her Bible studies and books.
The backlash to both Hatmaker’s comments and to LifeWay’s decision reveals growing rancor in evangelical circles over same-sex relationships. White evangelical Protestants remain the U.S. religious group least likely to support same-sex marriage. Absent a pope or a unifying denomination, evangelicals turn to the Bible as the authority on all matters, and most believe Scripture forbids same-sex relations.
But in recent years, evangelical groups have divided over how to practice that teaching in church ministry and outreach. In 2013, humanitarian group World Vision incited swift backlash and quickly reversed course after announcing it would hire staff in same-sex marriages.
Individual leaders who break from the traditional teaching on same-sex relationships — among them ethicist David Gushee, pastor Tony Campolo and former Christianity Today editor David Neff — raise questions over whether one can affirm LGBT relationships and remain an evangelical.
Today Hatmaker published a follow-up post on her Facebook page, stating that she came to her conclusion “with prayer and careful study and deliberation.” “Our view of the Word is still very high, as is it for the hundreds of thousands of faithful believers who believe likewise,” she wrote, suggesting that one can be an evangelical, holding Scripture as the authority on all matters, and affirm same-sex relationships.
Hatmaker is the most prominent female evangelical leader to date to express support for same-sex relationships. The backlash she faces illuminates how tricky it can be for such leaders to take a stand on thorny cultural and political issues without losing followers.
“Christian female celebrities are usually known for their personal stories, not their theological belief statements,” notes Kate Bowler, a professor of Christian history at Duke Divinity School, who is writing a new book about evangelical women and authority. “It is both unusual and remarkable that Hatmaker … took this stand in a culture that doesn’t typically reward it [taking stands] in women.”
Many evangelicals believe that women are unfit for spiritual leadership, Bowler notes. So many evangelical women today wield influence via storytelling and persona rather than positions of institutional leadership.
Miller notes that Hatmaker has been a “trailblazer” in this regard; she has spoken out on racial reconciliation and the global refugee crisis in recent years. This spring, she published a controversial Facebook post that expressed support and inclusion for LGBT people. Many of her followers applauded her stance, while others expressed concern that she was defying scriptural teaching.
Kate Shellnutt, an editor at Christianity Today magazine, said Hatmaker’s most recent comments on same-sex marriage are consistent with her overall “all are welcome” approach. “Jen is very sensitive to the outsider … she is so passionate about including others: cultural outsiders, the homeless, racial minorities, people who have been hurt by the church,” Shellnutt said. She said Hatmaker’s comments last week serve to “clarify her position, and update what she’s said previously.”
Shellnutt believes Hatmaker’s recent comments might be used to confirm that women can’t be trusted to lead on spiritual matters. “For the haters, it’s an ‘I told you so’ moment, and worse, ammunition to decry women’s events and women teachers more generally,” said Shellnutt.
Two of Hatmaker’s stage mates, writer Shauna Niequist and musician Nichole Nordeman, have since expressed support for Hatmaker after last week’s comments. But many other individual women have taken to social media to say they won’t attend Belong or read Hatmaker’s books.
Jennie Allen, founder of another popular Christian women’s conference, the IF:Gathering, responded to Hatmaker’s comments last week after her “phone and inboxes started to blow up.” She affirmed that IF:Gathering — which has featured Hatmaker as a speaker since it launched in 2014 — holds to the traditional teaching on same-sex relationships. She said that Hatmaker would not be speaking at next year’s IF, as Hatmaker “took herself out of IF many months ago for reasons that are her own.”
But Allen also said that she had trouble issuing a “statement” on Hatmaker, as she didn’t want to “drive a relational wedge between me and someone I love so dearly and hurt members of the LGBTQ community, many who are friends.” She urged readers to practice Christian unity in a divisive moment for many evangelicals. She said the issue of homosexuality is difficult not because the Bible isn’t clear but because “it is not an issue — it is people. And people we love.”
Miller believes this relational approach could bode well for Hatmaker’s stance within evangelicalism, especially among female followers. “Many of the women who disagree with her are still grateful for her teaching and her influence on their lives, and they are able to hold those things together,” Miller said. She believes Hatmaker represents a wave of evangelical women “who are not content to silo their faith,” or to publicly support only the things that every Christian agrees on. “I happen to think that’s a good thing.”
_____________________________________________________
SEE ALSO:
http://pulpitandpen.org/2016/11/03/lead-artist-of-hillsong-united-finds-jen-hatmakers-affirmation-of-gay-marriage-refreshing/
_____________________________________________________
FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2016/newsletter20161109.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
LifeWay Resources (SBC) Stops Selling Same-Sex Marriage Promoter Jen Hatmaker; 
But LifeWay Still Not Seeing the Big Picture
According to a Christianity Today article, LifeWay Resources (the Southern Baptist Convention resource arm) has stopped selling products by Jen Hatmaker because of her promotion of same-sex marriage. The CT article stated:
Jen Hatmaker posted a 650-word response on her Facebook page Monday, saying she “wrestled with and through Scripture, not around it” before coming to a decision to affirm same-sex relationships, which recently led to LifeWay Christian Resources pulling her books from its stores.
Hatmaker has been the topic of Lighthouse Trails articles and Cedric Fisher’s booklet called IF it is of God: Answering the Questions About IF: Gathering as she is part of the group of women who head up the women’s movement called IF: Gathering. You can read that booklet by Fisher by clicking here. In Fisher’s booklet, he says this about Jen Hatmaker:
In Jen Hatmaker’s book, Interrupted: When Jesus Wreck Your Comfortable Christianity, she makes it clear that she is influenced by a number of New Age/New Spirituality individuals. She quotes Catholic priest and contemplative activist Richard Rohr and emergent leader Shane Claiborne. 
On her blog, she promotes the book, The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson, a book that encourages readers to draw circles around specific things in order to have more answered prayers. Batterson was inspired with this idea by an ancient sage.
In Hatmaker’s book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, she reveals that her family takes part in a Roman Catholic ritual with mystical origins, the “Seven Sacred Pauses.” Hatmaker got her inspiration from Seven Sacred Pauses, a book by Macrina Wiederkehr who is a spiritual director in the contemplative prayer movement. 
In Wiederkehr’s retreats, seekers are guided through experiences of silence, contemplation and lectio divina (a contemplative practice where words and phrases from the Bible are repeated in mantra-like fashion). The “seven sacred pauses” are seven times a day to pause and pray, which Wiederkehr describes as “breathing spells for the soul.”
Consider Hatmaker’s statement concerning the preaching of God’s Word:
“I have spent half my life listening to someone else talk about God. Because of this history, I’ve developed something of an immunity to sermons.”
This is eerily similar to the sentiment of Sue Monk Kidd (author of The Secret Life of Bees), who once, as a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher, expressed her dissatisfaction (and eventual rejection) of the preaching of God’s Word. That led Monk Kidd down a path away from the Christian faith and straight into the New Age. Today, she worships the goddess Sophia.
This disgruntlement of God’s Word is so prevalent among leaders of the emerging New Spirituality church. If not preaching, then what? Is it emotionally charged conventions and books with flowering, poetic phrases that open up to spit out a toxic drop of heresy? If Hatmaker is immune to preaching, she has rejected God’s method in favor of her own. (source and footnotes)
While LifeWay did the right thing in dropping Hatmaker’s products, they still do not see the big picture as they keep a tight grasp on numerous problematic authors such as Sarah Young (and her cash-cow Jesus Calling books and Bibles), Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Gary Thomas, Ruth Haley Barton, and many more contemplative, emergent authors.
The fact that LifeWay will remove books by someone promoting same-sex marriage but not remove books by authors who promote a mystical, panentheistic inter-spiritual prayer shows once again that Christian leaders and ministries just don’t get it. How is it that one is OK and the other is not? After all, they are both going in the same direction, and that is away from the Gospel and away from God’s Word. Where are the overseers of LifeWay and the Southern Baptist Convention? Surely, they are learned men who should be able to figure this out.




			
		

HILLARY CLINTON’S LOVE OF ISLAM & HER “HILLARYCARE” SCHEME TO DISSOLVE SECOND AMENDMENT VIA MENTAL HEALTH TESTING, TRACKING

HILLARY CLINTON’S LOVE OF ISLAM
SEE: http://newswithviews.com/Nelson/kelleigh347.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

By Kelleigh Nelson

September 12, 2016
NewsWithViews.com
“Let’s be clear: Islam is not our adversary. Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.” -Hillary Clinton Nov. 16, 2015.
“Radical Islamists intend to create an even larger Islamic state based on the ancient precepts of Radical Islam, and they are fully prepared to use absolute violence to achieve it.” -LTG Michael T. Flynn, The Field of Fight
Hillary and Chelsea Study Islam
The March, 25, 1996 San Jose Mercury News contained an article, “First Lady Studying Islam Faith.” In part, it states the following:
Clinton and her 16-year-old daughter, Chelsea, who studied Islamic history in school, are off on an eight-day international trip whose main theme is religious tolerance.
They’ll visit the Bosnian city of Tuzia to cheer up U.S. troops and meet with religious leaders.
Then it’s off to Turkey for some sightseeing and more religious discussion at the Islamic Cultural Center in Istanbul.
Throughout her journey, Clinton will preach “a theme of religious harmony,” according to an aide.
You’d have thought the two of them would have figured out that Islam is a political system, not a religion, and that 96% of all Islamic doctrine subjugates women. They obviously couldn’t care less. You never hear the National Organization of Women say squat about the inhumane treatment of females by Muslim men.
It was only too obvious at the Democratic Convention with Khizr Khan’s wife standing silent beside him with her hijab covering her head. We now know all about Khan and his use of his dead son, who has been gone for over 12 years, as a ploy for Hillary and against Donald Trump.
Hillary Sides with Obama and Jarrett on Muslims
Valerie Jarrett is an Iranian Muslim. She also has five secret service agents, and I wonder why. In 1977, while at Stanford University, she stated, “I am anIranian by birth and of my Islamic faith. I am also an American citizen and I seek to help change America to be a more Islamic country. My faith guides me, and I feel like it is going well in the transition of using freedom of religion in America against itself.”
Jarrett’s father, Vernon, was an avowed communist. The Chicago connection is also there, the Mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, was Valerie’s former boss. Richard’s brother William M. Daley, was Obama’s former Chief of Staff.
Hillary even sided with George W. Bush regarding Islam by referencing a speech he made where he stated, “We must all stand up against offensive, inflammatory, hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric.” I lost total respect for Dubya when he said about Islam, “We all worship the same God.” Sorry Georgie, but you do not know God’s Word.
Iranian Islamist, Valerie Jarrett, is President Obama’s Senior Advisor. Secretary of State, John Kerry, has an Iranian son-in-law. Hillary’s top aide for over 20 years is an Islamist! They are all in love with Islam!
Of course Hillary, whose youth was infiltrated with Saul Alinsky Marxist propaganda, ignores the once sound teaching of her Methodist “faith,” and embraces Islam as though it’s equal in stature to our Judeo-Christian faiths. Hillary Clinton told Women in the World Summit that Christians must deny their faith through the enforcement of laws, by stating that the Christian belief in being pro-life, and anti-abortion, must change, and that this should be done through laws and “political will.”
Sorry Hillary, but God said, “Choose Life” in Deuteronomy, and I’ll stick with Him! More on Hillary’s love of baby murder in another article.
Jihadi Hillary
Last November, Hillary Clinton, the American woman most responsible for the current refugee crisis in the Middle East, blasted Republicans for not wanting to accept unvetted Syrian Muslim refugees in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks. It seems the entire left has a strange love of Islamists, and actually prefer Muslims over Christians. Islamic countries are daily murdering Christians, and yet Hillary and her like minded pals want to flood our nation with more of them! The rapes, murders, pillaging, and destruction taking place in Europe doesn’t seem to bother them one iota. See the shocking video below.
Neither did Ft. Hood, Orlando, San Bernardino, Muslim snipers in Tacoma, Washington, the Boston Marathon, Chattanooga, TN, and countless other single murderous attacks. [Link] Second class citizenry for females, honor killings, the covering of their entire bodies, murder of wives, female mutilations, decapitations, acid thrown in women’s faces, stoning if they make the mistake of talking to another man, or getting raped, torturous murder of dogs and animals, hatred of Jews and Christians, nothing seems to bother these leftists and their love fest with Muslims. [Link], [Link], [Link]
Trump v. Clinton
Mr. Trump believes the Constitution covers everyone who is an American citizen, and rightly it should. He has stated that the LBGTQ community has the right to be protected just like any other citizen. It is why, after the Orlando massacre of 50 people in a gay nightclub by a Muslim, Mr. Trump again stated that we must stop the influx of all these foreign Islamist refugees until we can vet each and every one of them. Islam hates gays. Executions for being gay have been carried out in Iran and Saudi Arabia, and eight other Muslim nations have laws against homosexuality.
So how does this wash with Hillary Clinton’s love of Islam and her alleged pro-gay marriage stance. How too does this stance hold up with Hillary’s statement in Newsweek in early 2011, where she stated, “I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st Century.”
Really Hillary? Sounds pretty cold and devious to me. If you love Islam and want another 550% brought into our country, then how can you say you’ll protect the rights of gay Americans or of American women and girls? Europe is experiencing a rape fest via Islamist refugees!
It’s a dichotomy Hillary, and it doesn’t wash! Your words belie your actions!
Hillary’s Caretaker, Huma Abedin
Hillary Clinton’s top campaign aide, for a decade, edited a radical Muslim publication that opposed women’s rights and blamed the US for 9/11. Huma Abedin was assistant editor of the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs working under her mother, who remains editor-in-chief. She was also working in the White House as an intern for the first lady, Hillary Clinton.
Huma began working for Hillary in 1996, when she was a 19-year-old intern fresh from George Washington University assigned to the First Lady’s office. Her mother convinced her to take the job, and now 20 years later, she is Hillary’s traveling chief of staff, a senior adviser, and a deputy chief of staff when Hillary was secretary of state. She is the vice-chair of Hillary’s 2016 presidential campaign.
She has one child and is married to the infamous sextist, Anthony Weiner, although they recently separated after his latest sexting scandal. They were married by President Bill Clinton, but unlike Hillary, Huma is not standing by her man.
Back in 2012, the press asked Trump about Anthony Weiner. Trump said he knew the guy was a grade A jerk then. Weiner’s latest sexting with his little boy snuggled up next to him on the bed in the background proves Trump was right.In this one-minute video, Trump calls Weiner a whack job pervert.
Huma’s Radical Islamic Ties
Her mother, Saleha Mahmood Abedin, is Pakistani; her late father, Syed Zainul Abedin, was Indian.
When Abedin was two years old, the family moved to Jidda, Saudi Arabia, where, with the backing of Abdullah Omar Nasseef, then the president of King Abdulaziz University, her father founded the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. Nasseef served as Secretary General of the Muslim World League, which was specifically mentioned as a funding source by Osama Bin Laden. (The Saudis kept the Muslim League off terrorist lists to protect Huma Abedin.) In addition to Al Qaeda finance connections, Naseef also worked for a group of Hamas financiers. So did Huma’s mom. The purpose of the Muslim League was to support efforts to proselytize Islam in the West.
After Syed died, his wife, Saleha, succeeded him as director of the institute and editor of the Journal, positions she still holds. She has also been active in the International Islamic Council for Da’wa and Relief, which is now headed by Nasseef and was banned in Israel because of its ties to the Union of Good, a pro-Hamas fund-raising network, run by Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
The Obama White House recently hosted Qaradawi’s principal deputy, Sheikh Abdulla bin Bayyah, who also endorsed the fatwa calling for the killing of U.S. troops, Jews, and Americans along with personnel in Iraq.
In an article in Breitbart, Roger Stone stated, “Omar Abdul Naseef, who also founded the Rabita Trust, was identified by the Department of Justice as one of the funders of the attack on America on 9/11. Those are indisputable facts. Huma also comes out of the Institute for Muslim Minority Affairs, as did Mr. Khan, who of course got quite a bit of press at the Democratic convention. Two radical Islamic organizations.”
Huma’s mother, Saleha Abedin, is closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood and to supporters of violent jihad. Among other things, she directs an organization – the International Islamic Committee for Woman and Child.
Saleha Abedin is an influential sharia activist who has published a book called, Women in Islam, that claims man-made laws enslave women. It is ‘women’s rights’ in the repressive sharia context. It reportedly provides sharia justifications for such practices as female-genital mutilation, the death penalty for apostates from Islam, the legal subordination of women, and the participation of women in violent jihad.
Hillary Clinton at the Dar al-Hekma college for women during a “town hall” meeting in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah in 2010. Abedin’s mother, Dr. Saleha Mahmood Abedin, is on Clinton’s right. Photo: Getty Images
Huma Abedin Emails
Several of Abedin’s emails on Hillary Clinton’s server have drawn scrutiny amid accusations that donors to the Clinton Foundation received special access to the state department. Watch the hour long Clinton Cash movie for full documentation.
Charles Grassley (R) of Iowa is Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and has questioned Abedin’s arrangement to earn income privately while she worked for Mrs. Clinton at the State Department. In addition to being on Hillary’s personal payroll, Abedin received money from the Clinton Foundation and Teneo, a consulting firm founded by Doug Band, formerly a senior aide to Bill Clinton. See my previous article on Teneo.
Islam and Its Barbaric Convictions
In General Michael T. Flynn’s book, The Field of Fight, on page 110, he states the following:
Islamists want to impose a worldwide system based on their version of Sharia law that denies freedoms of conscience, choices, and liberties. Basic freedoms! When one starts messing with freedom of conscience, one is not only violating the U.S. Constitution, but also denying a universal human right. I firmly believe that Radical Islam is a tribal cult and must be crushed. Critics get buried in the details of sunna, hadiths, the umma, and the musings of countless Muslim clerics and imams.

 These so-called Islamic scholars keep their message so complicated so as to create chaos, to confuse in order to control. Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin, and Mussolini were more transparent. Sharia is a violent law that is buried in barbaric convictions.

Perhaps the scariest part about this to a man who grew up in tiny Rhode Island is that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) now says if we criticize the Prophet or Islam, we can be charged with blasphemy. That is like saying as a Roman Catholic (and a St. Mary’s School-education Catholic at that), I cannot criticize the priests who rape and the cardinals and bishops who cover it up.
If General Michael T. Flynn finds Radical Islam and their demands scary, then we all had better realize what a massive and overwhelming danger we would face with Hillary Clinton in our White House.
________________________________________________________
HILLARYCARE AND HER SCHEME TO DISSOLVE THE SECOND AMENDMENT THROUGH MENTAL HEALTH
SEE: http://www.newswithviews.com/Hoge/anita129.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

By Anita Hoge

September 12, 2016
NewsWithViews.com
“It’s mental health, stupid!”
Part 1: Parents and 2A Citizens Be Warned
Background Information About Hillary, HillaryCare, and Medicaid In Schools
It’s ALL about the kids. Right? Just ask Hillary. This background information will help Donald Trump and his supporters understand the inner workings in education where Common Core expands into the HillaryCare/ObamaCarefailed system. We must stop Hillary at all costs…and a Trump Administration can STOP these shenanigans. Hillary starts with the children and gradually incorporates all age groups into her mental health agenda to eliminate the Second Amendment. RINO Rep. Tim Murphy (PA-R) has combined his mental health efforts by combining his efforts with Hillary by proposing legislation that engulfs the entire country in psychotherapy. This agenda is not new. (Source:  ) Guns, Congress and Murphy’s Law, HR 2646, already passed through the House and was sent to the Senate with RINO Speaker Paul Ryan at the helm of this drastic plan. Alarm bells should be going off.
When HillaryCare crashed and burned in 1993, option # 3 had taken center stage… universal healthcare for children. It’s the ” hidden hand of Hillary.” Her backdoor goal has always been control the children and control guns. Common Core and Murphy’s law will completely disband the sale of guns through mental health codes placed on kids permanent records called DSM codes, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders. This is how Common Core connects to ObamaCare…Medicaid billing at school. The following is her record of experimental/psychological skulduggery.
Hillary was on the Board of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that funded the model in Pennsylvania. Former Governor Bob Casey was quick to set up the Children’s Cabinet that set the system in motion to allow Medicaid waivers to be approved outside of the legislature. Pennsylvania was the mental health model that linked education with health care by allowing schools to bill Medicaid for mental health interventions. While working with several legislators in Pennsylvania, Rep. Sam Rohrer, was able to expose this agenda with a complete investigation called HR 37. Outcome-based education/psychology standards were being fought at the time, while I crisis-crossed the state in townhall meetings and hundreds of radio interviews to defeat Outcome-Based Education (OBE).
In 1994, I was asked to testify as an Expert Witness, at the Department of Interior National Infrastructure Health and Education Data Security hearing. On December 8, 1994 I presented a paper entitled “Exposing The Medicalization of Schools.” This paper and presentation explained how Medicaid would become the financial vehicle mandating and remediating mental health outcomes. It documented how schools would be required to obtain a partial hospitalization license to bill for Medicaid through Mental Health Wrap-Around Services at school through the identification and re-definition of disabilities of ALL children as “AT RISK” through Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This substantiated the following statement by Ira Magaziner of the Hillary Care hearings in Washington, D.C., in which he said: “Medicaid would merge into the main healthcare system.”
Education, Mental Health, and 2nd Amendment Gun Rights
Hillary’s agenda has always been control – control the kids and control guns… through mental health. If Hillary would get her way, mental health at school under the soothing banner of social, emotional, and behavioral standards, will fully implement her original plan from 1993, which will eliminate the 2nd Amendment by coding children with mental health disabilities.
ObamaCare, the successor to the HillaryCare plan, has funded school-based health/mental health services called Promise Neighborhood Schools, as a precursor to the next step in this agenda. ESSA has legislated Promise Neighborhoods and Community Schools which have now merged with ObamaCare. Here Common Core psychological standards have been legislated to identify and label kids as disabled for normal behavior using Title I and IDEA Special Education. CHILD FIND uses scavenging psychological techniques to identify and put as many normal children as possible into the brain-dipping meat grinder. (See my previous articles for extensive documentation on these key points.) These psychological techniques identify children who are leaders and followers. Leaders are the target for interventions. Go along to get along are the global citizens of tomorrow.
These intervention strategies will change our American children into the worker drones for the global economy birth to age 21. No child will escape, especially independent thinkers, children of patriotic parents, or any child who refuses to bend under the grip of these “change makers.”
The Common Core social, emotional, and behavioral aspects of our children, their personalities, are the target. CHILD FIND promises to find every normal American child and mold them to the international globalist agenda, Common Core and Common Core psych interventions.
Bill Clinton had a favorite slogan that was popular when he was President,
“It’s the Economy, Stupid.”
But, Hillary’s slogan is just as potent and much more dangerous,
“It’s mental health, stupid!”
My following testimony explains HillaryCare and her ambitious plan to control our children and change our country with her globalist lynchpin…education.
Many thanks go out to Jeannie Georges from Media Bypass for printing my testimony February 1995, that took a while to find in my archives, but, find it I did. “Womb To Tomb’ Children will be held Captive Until They Meet Federal Outcomes. No Child Will Escapes.”

PRISCILLA SHIRER & WOMEN’S BIBLE “MIS-STUDIES”: WHEN YOUR CHURCH DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR SOUL (OR THE SCRIPTURE)

DECEIVERS OF GULLIBLE WOMEN; 
ALLEGING TO HEAR FROM GOD FOR A PRICE
2 Timothy 3:6-7-“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
ABOVE: KAY ARTHUR, PRISCILLA SHIRER, BETH MOORE
QUOTE FROM AHLHEIM’S ARTICLE BELOW: “The current appeal for mystical, spiritualized, esoteric faith is perhaps unparalleled in Christian history. But its eager reception by undiscerning churches, pastors, and lay leaders poses authentic jeopardy for the believer. While the authentic believer is assured of salvation, the remaining option for the enemy is to thwart, frustrate, and nullify our effectiveness. If our faith is wrecked (1 Timothy 1:19) and we become useless to the Lord through the embrace of unsound teaching, the enemy has shut down a believer who should be a valiant voice for truth in an otherwise darkening world.  The teaching of contemplative spirituality, as Shirer promotes, is a powerful, popular, diabolical weapon to frustrate authentic Biblical faith.”
PRISCILLA SHIRER & WOMEN’S BIBLE 
“MIS-STUDIES”: 
WHEN YOUR CHURCH DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR SOUL (OR THE SCRIPTURE)
BY BUD AHLHEIM
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2016/09/09/priscilla-shirer-womens-bible-mis-studies-when-your-church-doesnt-care-about-your-soul-or-the-scripture/republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
As fall arrives, and with school back in session, women’s groups at churches are revving up for “Bible studies.” If they are Southern Baptist, or are otherwise prone to utilize the spiritually dangerous wares from Lifeway, one of the prevalent “teachers” being promoted is Priscilla Shirer.
This is not a review of Armor of God or Fervent, either the books or the related curricula. You can find more on Shirer HEREHEREHERE, HERE, and HERE.  For more Pulpit & Pen posts on Shirer, goHERE.
9781433688676-1This is a reminder about the danger of Shirer. It does not take much discernment to recognize her as a false teacher with toxic teaching. If Christ’s presentation of the antithetical “two paths” is correct (Matthew 7:13) – and, OF COURSE, it is – Shirer’s anti-orthodox, anti-Biblical teaching falls on that undesirable, though emotionally appealing, wide path. She promotes a contemplative, emotions-based, mystical form of faith that is completely foreign to “the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”  (Jude 3)
If you are in a church that will, this fall, promote Shirer’s curricula for women’s “Bible” studies, know this: it is evidence that the pastor and leadership of that church do not practice Biblically-commanded discernment. (1 John 4:1Philippians 1:9-10Colossians 2:81 Timothy 6:3-5Romans 12:2Romans 16:17-18)  They are not “contending” for the “sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3) of the faith.
(Indeed, ask yourself the question, what wolves – if any – is my pastor warning me against?  It’s a critical part of his role as a shepherd, but one that is virtually absent in the modern evangelical church.  Most prefer, it seems, to keep you engaged with popular falseness, rather than edified and challenged by clear Scriptural truth.)
They are yielding, rather, to the popular embrace that bestselling authors tend to garner. But “best” doesn’t mean it is “best” for edifying your soul, “best” for teaching sound Biblical truth, or “best” for providing valid Scriptural encouragement. It’s “best” because it’s selling. Popularity, however, is no gauge for soundness. Jesus, you may recall, was not a particularly popular fellow when He trod the dusty trails of 1st century Galilee.
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In 2009, LifeWay Press, the publishing and retail arm affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, published Shirer’s booklet, Is That You God? A Taste of Discerning The Voice of God. It should not require a pastor, or a Bible-imbibing believer, to go much farther than the introduction of this booklet to recognize the spiritual peril Shirer represents. While not negating Scripture, what Shirer does is a common enough practice acceptable in charismatic, prosperity gospel circles, but is thoroughly disdained by orthodox, Biblical Christianity. She promotes extra-biblical revelation.
“Before you read any further, let me assure you of an important point. To not speak contradicts God’s nature. The second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, is called the Word (see John 1:1). That designation stands at odds with silence. God loved you enough to die for you; He loves you enough to communicate with you. The Lord and and will speak to you if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus. First, however, you must expect and anticipate that the divine voice of God can ring in your ears and heart.”  Priscilla Shirer
While her premise seems innocuously agreeable – disregarding the hint of the dangerous “God is love and nothing else” theology – Shirer goes beyond the bounds of Scripture by emphasizing that God will speak to you personally, privately, and specifically. But there is no Scripture that teaches this mystical “it’s all about me” mode of divine interaction.
“Throughout this booklet we will focus on the Holy Spirit’s role in tuning our spiritual ears to the sound of God’s voice.”  Priscilla Shirer
Here is the first evidence that Shirer is serving up wide-path teaching. (Matthew 7:13) Nowhere does Scripture instruct, compel, or defend the need for a believer to “focus on the Holy Spirit.” In fact, from the highly recommended Strange Fire conference, John MacArthur made the following point:
“Show me a person obsessed with the Holy Spirit, and I’ll show you a person not filled with the Holy Spirit.”  John MacArthur
The Holy Spirit never points a believer to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit always points the believer to Jesus in the Word.
“I don’t know about you, but I want God’s specific revelation to flow through my heart to impact my choices and path. When I say I want to hear from God, I mean that I need to know what job He wants me to take. I need to know what spouse He wants me to marry. I need to know whether He’s calling me into fulltime ministry or if He wants me to stay on my full-time, corporate job. I need to know if I’m supposed to buy this house or that one. I need to know if I’m supposed to live in Chicago or Dallas. I need specifics. I’m looking for details.”  Priscilla Shirer
Now ...right this moment … you or I can randomly turn on “Christian” television and probably quickly find cosmetically-gifted, finely dressed charlatans proclaiming – with specificity – the “word of the Lord.” A poor fellow in Detroit with a cyst on his left lower lung will be healed. The Lord told the charlatan, you see. It’s common enough that this nonsense sadly passes as “Christianity.” But it’s also clear enough to be easily recognized – by the authentic believer – as diabolical. God does not work this way. Neither does He operate as Shirer suggests, with “specific revelation” to guide her. It’s wide path charlatanry that sounds appealing … and sells … to the undiscerning.
Shirer continues building her case for private revelation by reminding readers that “fifteen times the New Testament records, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mattew 13:9).” While she does not say these verses mean the physical ear, but refer rather “to a spiritual ear,” she twists these words of Christ to imply that each believer has a mystical, inner ability to hear God speak. We just need to “lean in and listen.”
This is Scripture-twisting deception. Christ’s references to “hearing” or “seeing” refer not to apprehending the personal revelation of God’s voice, but the personal understanding of God’s message in His Word.  Christ Himself used parables so that “seeing they may not perceive.” (Mark 4:12)  Meaning  – understanding what Scripture means by what it says – is revealed to the believer.  Paul speaks about the prevalence of “zeal” without understanding.  “For I bear witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” (Romans 10:2)  And guess where you get that “knowledge?” Right. Scripture. Zeal?  Worthless without it.
“When you become a Christian, you receive the supernatural ability to hear God’s guidance and specific direction for your life.”  Priscilla Shirer
You shouldn’t need fireworks, warning tocsins or “danger ahead” alarms going off to catch the extra-biblical emphasis of Shirer in this statement. Clearly, if your pastor and church tolerate someone who touts this as complicit with Christian faith, you have evidence that reliance on Scripture as the supreme authority for the believer is a secondary concern. “Examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5) would be the appropriate response.
Shirer completes her introduction with a soothing, almost-sounds-Biblical appeal.
“I live in awe that the God of the universe wants to talk to me, but I am so glad He does! As we study the Holy Spirit’s awesome role in connecting our ears to God’s heart, lay aside the doubts. Let go of your fears. Quiet your mind. Hush. Our Shepherd calls…”  Priscilla Shirer
Tah-dah. There you have, in a nutshell, Shirer’s summary statement of her heresy-rich teaching. It’s called contemplative prayer and it is an ever-increasingly popular false form of faith. In order to engage in this, Shirer encourages readers to “lay aside the doubts,” which, of course, means lay aside the Bible.
“Quiet your mind. Hush.” Why? Because, unlike what Scripture actually teaches – a renewed mind (Romans 12:2) engaged with the revealed truth of God within His Word– Shirer teaches a disengaged mind, one turned inward towards self rather than outwards towards God and His Word. This is mysticism. It is not Christian. It is not Biblical. It is not orthodox. And … it is not “narrow path.”
As though Shirer’s preference for extra-biblical heresy wasn’t evident enough from her introduction, a few pages into chapter one, she removes any doubt by glowingly citing perhaps the preeminent proponent of contemplative spirituality.
“But, as author Dallas Willard said, “Far be it from me to deny that spectacular experiences occur or that they are, sometimes at least, given by God.”  Priscilla Shirer
Like Shirer, Dallas Willard is a wolf. His works emphasize contemplative prayer, subjective spiritualism, and techniques drawn from paganism, Roman Catholicism, eastern philosophy, and new age methodologies. Slathered with ill-used Scripture, these techniques have become “Christianized” and are increasingly accepted as correct disciplines for the Christian faith. While they are not remotely Christian teachings, they have deceived many … all the while the enemy laughs at the lack of discernment.
But Shirer confirms her alignment with Willard’s false teaching.
“I believe as he, however, that “the still small voice— or the interior or inner voice, as it is also called—is the preferred and most valuable form of individualized communication for God’s purposes.”  Priscilla Shirer
Uh, nope. No. This is pure pagan mysticism.  God has spoken in His Word and, apart from it, not in your head or your heart.  In response to Shirer’s emphasis on her spiritual “inner voice” – one that is completely absent in the teaching of Scripture (Paul instructed Timothy to “preach the word,” not to share what his inner, spiritual ear was hearing) – and her eagerness to abandon Scripture as sufficient, consider this observation from a giant of answered prayer from the halls of faithful Christendom.
“The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions.”  George Mueller
Nowhere does Scripture teach that the believer should go outside of Scripture for faithful guidance from God.  One of the reasons we have “hidden your Word in my heart” (Psalm 119:11) is because the Holy Spirit uses that Word to bolster us in moments of temptation and to encourage us in moments of doubt.  God has clearly, definitively, and sufficiently revealed His truth to us in His Word.
Scripture itself is replete with self-proclaiming evidence of its own sufficiency.  (See a helpful list below.)  While every believer is familiar with 2 Timothy 3:16 reminding us of the “God-breathed” authority of Scripture, we often miss less obvious assurances of its sufficiency.  Consider Christ’s well-known words from Matthew 4:4 …
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Matthew 4:4
What believers often miss is the little word “every” from this verse.  “Every word” serves as the spiritual sustenance from which our life of faith is nourished.  And “every word” is found exclusively IN the Word, the Bible.  It is a certainty that neither Shirer nor any authentic believer has fully comprehended “every word” that has come from “the mouth of God” in Holy Scripture.  And it is an equal certainty that no other “words” are forthcoming from the mystical experiences Shirer promotes.
“Contrary to what many are teaching today, there is no need for additional revelations, visions, words of prophecy, or insights from modern psychology. In contrast to the theories of men, God’s Word is true and absolutely comprehensive. Rather than seeking something more than God’s glorious revelation, Christians need only to study and obey what they already have. Scripture is sufficient.”  John MacArthur (Source)
The current appeal for mystical, spiritualized, esoteric faith is perhaps unparalleled in Christian history. But its eager reception by undiscerning churches, pastors, and lay leaders poses authentic jeopardy for the believer. While the authentic believer is assured of salvation, the remaining option for the enemy is to thwart, frustrate, and nullify our effectiveness. If our faith is wrecked (1 Timothy 1:19) and we become useless to the Lord through the embrace of unsound teaching, the enemy has shut down a believer who should be a valiant voice for truth in an otherwise darkening world.  The teaching of contemplative spirituality, as Shirer promotes, is a powerful, popular, diabolical weapon to frustrate authentic Biblical faith.
Chasing a mystical voice, rather than relying on God’s revelation in Scripture, is a maneuver that can quickly mitigate the faithfulness of an authentic believer. As Voddie Baucham quipped, “The Lord told me so’ is no substitute for “the Bible says.” Indeed, the apostle Peter reminds us that we need nothing else because we have that “knowledge of him who called us.”  (2 Peter 1:3-4)
This fall, you might be able to gauge the concern for the edification of your soul by your church and its leadership by the Bible studies it will offer to you.  If Priscilla Shirer is among them, know this … you’re being given a clue that it disregards discernment and implicitly supports extra-biblical revelation.  It willingly embraces teaching not founded on the “knowledge of him who called us” as revealed to us in the Word.  In fact, it will be tolerating something quite contrary to that Word.
Though such “woman” pleasing curricula may be acceptable to undiscerning churches, the question is, is it acceptable to you?
Please, don’t be misled by “mis-studies” from dangerous teachers that serve to scratch itching ears. (2 Timothy 4:3) Instead, be a disciple …  “abide in my Word.”  (John 8:31)
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JOHN MACARTHUR ON THE ALLEGED “STILL SMALL VOICE”:
JUSTIN PETERS EXPOSES FALSE WORD OF FAITH PREACHERS


MONEY TALKS: SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION ALLOWING WOMEN IN THE PULPITS?~YES, FOR A LONG TIME, E.G., THE LIKES OF BETH MOORE, PRISCILLA SHIRER, CHRISTINE CAINE, JOYCE MEYER

Southern Baptist Convention Allowing Women in the Pulpits?
BY JEFF MAPLES
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2016/08/24/southern-baptist-convention-allowing-women-in-the-pulpits/republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
holly
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in yall the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. – 1 Corinthians 14:33-35
I’m not sure what’s so difficult to understand about this passage. I didn’t write it. The Apostle Paul wrote it. Historically, Southern Baptists believe that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16)–that is, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So if you have a problem with it, take it up with your Creator.
Though the Baptist Faith & Message, a statement of faith that Southern Baptists have historically agreed upon, affirms the biblical role of men and women in the church, it is non-binding on the individual churches. In fact, the only requirement to be recognized as a Southern Baptist is to send them a few bucks every now and then.
Yet, the convention recently booted a Southern Baptist church for officiating a gay “wedding.” Apparently, they found this sinful enough to take action, even though there is no written, binding prohibition against it. So the convention CAN remove your church if they find your church operating in an unbiblical manner. But how much money are they losing by giving the boot to a small church? The SBC can save face, while sacrificing nothing, by removing a small congregation who contributes a relatively small amount to the organization.
Enter Elevation Church.
Elevation Church, mislead by Steven Furtick, is a multisite megachurch with thousands of members. Elevation Church rakes in millions. Elevation Church is a major player on both the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program, and the NC Baptist Association’s bottom line.
We can overlook a little bit of sin…After all, it’s not as bad as officiating a gay wedding, right?
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. – 1 Tim 2:12 (Emphasis mine)
Holly Furtick, Steven’s wife, with her histrionic performance of pastoral theatrics this past weekend, took to the pulpit–wait, there is no pulpit–the stage to teach twist Scripture, and lead people to a rightful misunderstanding of God’s Word. I suppose she gets a pass, though, since they don’t actually qualify as a church.
I suppose she gets a pass, though, since they don’t actually qualify as a church. But hey, as long as they’re sending in the dough, and lining the pockets of the convention elites, we can turn a blind eye to a little leaven–after all, the good outweighs the bad.
But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. – Revelation 2:20
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WOMEN PASTORS, PRISCILLA SHIRER, AND THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

BY KEN SILVA; SEE: http://apprising.org/2012/02/27/women-pastors-priscilla-shirer-and-the-southern-baptist-convention/republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Apprising Ministries reminds you that while the issue of women being ordained elders and pastors has been debated within some of evangelicalism, up until now it’s been essentially contained within the more charismatic and Pentecostal fringes.
The more mainstream denominations, e.g. the Southern Baptist Convention, have for the most part still maintained the proper Biblical position that women cannot be ordained as elders.
However, as one whose work in the Lord is to monitor Intel along the Internet Front and assess trends within the larger visible church, it’s my considered opinion that this will soon be changing.
You need to know that placing women in the pastorate is now going to be a real push by those falling victim to the delusion of Rodney King theology passing as Christian doctrine in too much of the church visible.
In fact, this issue is closer to the nearly anything goes SBC than you may realize. For example, in
Emerging Ecumenical Evangelephants And The Word Faith Movement I reminded you that Elevation Church of prophet-pastor Steven Furtick was a 2007 plant of the North Carolina Baptists, the NC state convention for the Southern Baptist Convention:
You might wonder what this has to do with the subject of women pastors. Well, I showed you recently that Word Faith Pastrix Christine Caine Preaches Sunday Morning sermon For Steven Furtick. Caine is a pastrix at the nefarious Word Faith Hillsong Church in Australia where pastor Brian and pastrix Bobbie are the “senior pastors.”
Quite obviously, given his growing ties with the Word Faith movement in general and with Hillsong in particular, Steven Furtick has no problem with women in the unbiblical role as pastor. Apparently, neither does Priscilla Shirer, who is a good friend of wildly popular SBC Bible teacher Beth Moore and featured here at Lifeway:
If you didn’t know, Lifeway is the publishing arm of the SBC. I think it’s also interesting to note here that Priscilla Shirer’s bio tells us her mentor is motivational speaker Zig Ziglar:
You’ll probably remember that Shirer appeared with her friend Beth Moore in the infamous Be Still DVD promoting the corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) of Foster-Willardism. We do have real reason to be concerned about Shirer’s discernment when we also consider Priscilla Shirer Points Us To Richard Rohr.
She does so while she was “anxious to connect you with some folks who I think you’ll be so blessed by.” One of them was Jan Johnson, whom Shirer tells us about in her July 2010 post Wisbits. Notice Shirer informs us in language common to Word Faith theology that “Ms. Jan spoke wisdom into my life” years ago:
Self-professed “spiritual director” Jan Johnson herself tells us that she actually works with Richard Foster and Dallas Willard at Renovare teaching their CSM:
Since it’s not the thrust of this article, here I’ll just draw your attention to a few key points: 1) Shirer’s been familiar with Jan Johnson’s work for years, so 2) she would undoubtedly know Johnson’s teachings about Foster-Willardism, and 3) the Johnson post Shirer republishes is built around the mythology of Richard Rohr.
You need to know that Rohr is a universalist Roman Catholic mystic who works closely with Living Spiritual Teacher and Emerging Church guru Brian McLaren. McLaren is one third of the Emergent Church unholy trinity along with universalist EC pastor Doug Pagitt, and his friend Dr. Tony Jones, the progressive “theologian in residence” at Solomon’s Porch headed by Pagitt.
Now, I’m not saying that Priscilla Shirer endorses the mythology of the Emerging Church. That said, it’s beyond a reasonable doubt that Jan Johnson, whom Shirer does recommend, advances Foster-Willardism. And no less an authority than Brian McLaren told us long ago that Richard Foster and his spiritual twin Dallas Willard were “key mentors” of the EC.
It’s also an incontrovertible fact that Richard Rohr is directly involved in promulgating postmodern Progressive Christian theology—a Liberalism 2.0 that these EC rebels against the authority of God’s Word often refer to as “big tent” Emergence Christianity. The point being, this is a fruit of the CSM of Foster-Willardism.
Now it’s sinful ecumenicism comes another step closer to mainstream evangelical churches. As CSM spreads it’s bringing with it a syncretism drawing sectors of Christendom together that a few years ago not many would have ever believed. Who would have foreseen the mainstreaming of Word Faith mogul T.D. Jakes in Elephant Room 2?
Yet because of ER2 James MacDonald resigned from the Gospel Coalition in order to embrace Jakes as his Christian brother, which you see in There’s More To The Resignation of James MacDonald From Gospel Coalition. Now the parallel issues of women pastors and mainstream acceptance of Word Faith preachers moves even closer to you.
Consider that on Saturday night the aforementioned Priscilla Shirer tweeted:
Notice Shirer uses the pastoral reference “to sit under” pastrix Caine’s teaching. Then yesterday Shirer said:
I’ll have you know this is the same WF pastrix whom I mentioned earlier had preached for Steven Furtick. The two quite obviously hit it off as Shirer would also tweet the picture below:
Shirer was no doubt very impressed with the sermon from pastrix Caine:
You’ve probably heard the term bromance, well here we see that a femance was born as Caine would also tweet out the pic of her new friend Priscilla Shirer:
Caine would also tweet:
I’ll explain what Caine meant when she told Shirer “see you at Colour” in a moment. First however, obviously Trinity Church was impressed with their special guest pastrix:
Not all that surprising as Trinity Church is an Assemblies of God outfit that’s already off the rails being headed by pastor Jim Hennesy and his wife, pastrix Becky:
As I get set to close this out, for now, I’m going to show you yet more surprising syncretism coming about because of CSM and charismania. Let me remind you that in Beth Moore To Speak At Hillsong Church I originally drew attention to the upcoming Colour conference which pastrix Christine Caine referenced above.
Within that piece I told you about the below tweet from Bobbie Houston, whom I said above is senior pastrix of Hillsong Church along with her husband Brian. Remember, Caine is a pastrix there as well:
To which Beth Moore would respond:
I think we now have even more reason to be concerned about the discernment of Southern Baptist Bible teacher Beth Moore if she actually thinks that Bobbie Houston, a rebel against the Word of God, is a “faithful servant of Christ.” Is she really “humbled” to be speaking at heretical Hillsong Church?
The fact is, Hillsong regularly features the major prosperity preachers of the heretical Word Faith movement at their annual conferences such as Joyce MeyerJoel Osteen, and his new friend T.D. Jakes. Yet Moore’s set, along with her own good friend Priscilla Shirer, as Key Speakers for Hillsong’s upcoming Colour Conference.
And you’ll see, Shirer’s already been there before:

 The conference itself purports to be:

ONE LOVE, ONE HEART, ONE SISTERHOOD frames The Colour Conference, the Colour Sisterhood and a rising movement of women across the earth, who have a devotion, love and commitment to be the change in their local and global communities. (Online source)
While a noble goal, here we have two high profile Southern Baptist Convention endorsed Bible teachers partnering with Word Faith pastries who clearly are in rebellion against the authority of God’s Word. Such is the sorry state of the SBC. You should be able to see it has much bigger problems than worrying about a name change.
See also:



LARRY CRABB, SPIRITUAL FORMATION LEADER, PUSHES PSYCHOHERESY, CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM & SOCIALIST COMMUNITARIANISM FOR PROFIT UNDER GUISE OF CHRISTIANITY

THERE’S MONEY TO BE MADE 
OFF GULLIBLE CHRISTIANS
SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST: 

“LARRY CRABB TO JOIN RICHARD FOSTER’S “RENOVARE” CONTEMPLATIVE CONFERENCE”:

Renovaré National Conference in Houston, Texas
ALSO SEE: 

“About the School of Spiritual Direction”

QUOTE: Led by myself and two colleagues, the course offers a newly developed model of spiritual direction that draws on both the age-old wisdom of the church and more recent perspectives. I call it the Passion/Wisdom Model of Spiritual Direction, and I see it as offering the opportunity for our interior worlds and supernatural reality to meet.”

Certificate in Spiritual Direction:
The Ministry of Healing ($40)

Certificate
QUOTE: This certificate will be awarded through NewWay Ministries, intentionally non-accredited by a recognized accrediting agency, and will serve as indication that those receiving the certificate have completed all required training and are prepared not for professional counseling (for therapeutic, psychological work) nor for vocational ministry, (though certificate holders may be equipped for vocational Christian ministry), but rather for organic, relational opportunities to engage in conversations that matter, that further the purposes of God in people’s lives.”

SoulCare Experience Curriculum

Spiritual Formation Leader, Larry Crabb, Says “The greatest need in modern civilization is the development of communities.”
BY LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2016/newsletter20160516.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

Larry Crabb’s recent remarks perfectly illustrate the “fruit” of contemplative spirituality – a move away from the Gospel and personal salvation through Jesus Christ and a move toward an emerging, ecumenical all-paths-lead-to-God kind of mentality. Where did Christ or the disciples ever say man’s greatest need in in the development of communities?

The Greatest Need In Modern Civilization | Larry Crabb’s New Way Ministries Blog

“The crisis of care in modern culture, especially in the Western church, will not be resolved by training more therapists….It will be worsened by moralists who never reach deeply into the hearts of people in their efforts to impose their standards of behavior on others, even when those standards are biblical.
The greatest need in modern civilization is the development of communities—true communities where the heart of God is home, where the humble and wise learn to shepherd those on the path behind them, where trusting strugglers lock arms with others as together they journey on.” – Dr. Larry Crabb, Connecting, Introduction pg xvi-xvii

Quotes by Larry Crabb:

I’ve practiced centering prayer. I’ve contemplatively prayed. I’ve prayed liturgically . . . I’ve benefited from each, and I still do. In ways you’ll see, elements of each style are still with me.Larry Crabb in The Papa Prayer, p.9
I’m glad that as a conservative evangelical who still believes in biblical inerrancy and penal substitution, I’ve gotten over my Catholic phobia, and I’ve been studying contemplative prayer, practicing lectio divina, valuing monastic retreats, and worshipping through ancient liturgy. I appreciate Bernard of Clairvaux’s provocative insights. I’m drawn to Brother Lawrence’s profoundly simple ways to practice God’s presence. I’m intrigued and enticed by Julian of Norwich’s mysterious appearings of Jesus.—Larry CrabbReal Church, p. 41

Quote by Roger Oakland:

This togetherness/community mindset is the same message that [occultist] Alice Baileyreferred to as “right human relations” and the same one the emerging church hopes to convey to the people of the world. A personal, individual relationship with Christ is considered self-centered,6 because it doesn’t focus on the global, common good. Communal spirituality is seen as the only path to the world’s survival. Listen to today’s new reformation thinkers:
“The church is only an anticipation of the full, promised community of the whole world … the church itself is not a goal of God’s creation.”—Walter Brueggemann, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, p. 311.
“The Church, in all its expressions—Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Protestant and many others—has 2.3 billion followers.… Let’s use the grassroots network that is already on the ground. It’s time to lay aside our prejudices and work together”—Rick Warren,“The Power of Parishioners” (Forbes magazine, May 7, 2007, http://www.forbes.com).
“We are emerging into a new era of Christian faith as a “living color” global community. … It is immediately clear that this kind of emergence must lead to a convergence … a kind of relationship that has never before existed.”—Brian McLaren, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, p. 149.
Unfortunately, the “global community” so often spoken of in the emerging church camp is disguised language for a world-wide religious body that incorporates all belief systems. As [New Age leader] Neale Donald Walsch said, it’s a “global movement … which makes no one else wrong for the way in which they are doing it.” (from Faith Undone)

Quote by Lighthouse Trails and Ray Yungen:

Perhaps one of the most sure-tell indicators of where Larry Crabb’s spiritual sympathies lie . . .  can be found in a book Crabb wrote the foreword to. The book, Sacred Companions(written by David Benner), heartily recommends a plethora of contemplative mystics: Thomas Keating, Henri Nouwen, Basil Pennington, Richard Foster, John of the Cross, Gerald May, John Main, Thomas Merton, Richard Rohr, Alan Jones and several others. Many of these are panentheistic (God is in all), universalist (all are saved), and interspiritual (all paths lead to God). Ray Yungen talked about Benner’s book in the first edition of A Time of Departing. Yungen stated: “[C]ontemplative prayer stands on the threshold of exploding worldwide. Dr. Larry Crabb . . . has written the foreword to a book [Spiritual Companions] that expounds on the future of spiritual direction in the evangelical church. . . . It is safe to assume then that we are looking at a contemplative approach. With that in mind, Dr. Crabb predicted [in Sacred Companions]: ‘The spiritual climate is ripe. Jesus seekers across the world are being prepared to abandon the old way of the written code for the new way of the Spirit.’” (ATOD, 1st ed., p. 137)
Christianity Today article, “Got Your Spiritual Director Yet?,” confirmed two things, one that spiritual direction is contemplative, and two that it is on its way to becoming an integral part of evangelical Christianity. The article explains that popular Christian author Larry Crabb changed his views and went from psychology thinking to “spiritual direction.”

Related Information:
Trusted Evangelical Leaders Endorse The Papa Prayer by Larry Crabb!
The Moody Church of Chicago Welcomes Contemplative Advocate Larry Crabb As Guest Speaker
Chuck Swindoll’s Book “So You Want to Be Like Christ? (Eight Essential Disciplines to Get Your There)—A Fiasco of No Discernment Pointing to the “Silence”

DAVID G. BENNER’S “THE GIFT OF BEING YOURSELF” REVIEWED~ANOTHER INTERSPIRITUALIST MYSTIC WRITES HERESIES, INCLUDING CATHOLIC

David G. Benner

AN ECUMENICAL HUB FOR THE STUDY & PRACTICE OF 
“CHRISTIAN” SPIRITUALITY
EXCERPTS: Internationally known depth psychologist whose life’s work focuses on the interaction of psychological and spiritual dynamics and the pursuit of transformation via the unfolding of the self through the journey of awakening. Author or editor of more than 25 books, including the recent titles Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human and Spirituality and the Awakening Self. A master teacher at the Rohr Institute’s Living School for Action and Contemplation.” (See this blog’s previous posts about Richard Rohr, Catholic priest and mystic: 
Richard Rohr
“Franciscan priest of the New Mexico province and globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the perennial tradition. Founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is home to the Rohr Institute, where he is the academic dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Author of numerous best-selling books, including Everything Belongs, The Naked Now, Falling Upward, and Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self. Learn more on his website.”

MUCH MORE ON ROHR, PLUS ENNEAGRAMS, KYTHING & NON-DUALITY THINKING:

https://ratherexposethem.org/2013/04/much-more-on-rohr-plus-enneagrams.html

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FROM: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2016/newsletter20160222.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

To Lighthouse Trails:
Our Pastor has started a series based on a book “The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self Discovery” by David G. Benner. What can you tell me about this book and the author? What our pastor has read from this book is very strange because in the first few pages there is no mention of the Bible. Can you help me because I think this book is a farce.
B.G.
Dear B.G.
david bennerDavid Benner is one of the major heavy weights in contemplative spirituality. First of all, this particular book of his is promoted and endorsed by some of the most prolific contemplative mystics out there today, including the Catholic interspiritualist priest Richard Rohr (a modern day Thomas Merton) and Adele Ahlberg Calhoun (Handbook on Spiritual Disciplines). In addition to the endorsements, the foreword is written by Basil Pennington. Ray Yungen discusses Pennington in his book A Time of Departing. Yungen explains:

In the book Finding Grace at the Center, written by Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington (both Catholic monks), the following advice is given: “We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and capture it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible … Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices …” Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington have taken their Christianity and blended it with Eastern mysticism through a contemplative method they call centering prayer … Keating and Pennington have both authored a number of influential books on contemplative prayer thus advancing this movement greatly. Pennington essentially wrote a treatise on the subject called Centering Prayer while Keating has written the popular and influential classic, Open Mind, Open Heart, and both are major evangelists for contemplative prayer. (p. 64)

The following two quotes by Pennington show his panentheistic beliefs (God is in all):

It is my sense, from having meditated with persons from many different [non-Christian] traditions, that in the silence we experience a deep unity. When we go beyond the portals of the rational mind into the experience, there is only one God to be experienced. ( Centered Living, p. 192)
The Spirit enlightened him [Merton] in the true synthesis [unity] of all and in the harmony of that huge chorus of living beings. In the midst of it he lived out a vision of a new world, where all divisions have fallen away and the divine goodness is perceived and enjoyed as present in all and through all. (Thomas Merton, My Brother, pp. 199-200.)

Enneagram

Enneagram

Regarding the specific book by Benner of which you inquired, it is loaded with quotes by, references to, and ideas from numerous contemplative mystics including Thomas Merton, Dallas Willard, Gary Moon, Richard Rohr, Thomas Keating, and of course, Basil Pennington. And throughout the book, Benner recommends contemplative meditation, enneagrams (a meditation tool), visualization, and other means to help the reader become a contemplative mystic. The fact is, the very essence of this book shares the same vision and emphasis that most contemplative books do.  It is important to understand what the contemplative means by “self-discovery,” or finding your true self. To the contemplative, we each have a false self and a true self. This true self can only be reached or attained to through going into the meditative silence, whereupon, they say, we find that true self which is the divinity within all human beings. The core of contemplative spirituality is panentheism (God in all) and the fruit is interspirituality (all paths lead to God).  In The Gift of Being Yourself, Benner’s focus is on helping readers find their “true self,” their divinity within (not dependent on being born again and having Jesus Christ living in you).
Benner has devoted his writing career to spreading the contemplative prayer message such as his book Open to God: Lectio Divina and Life as Prayer, in which teaches readers the contemplative practice lectio divina. You can read our article/booklet on this subject: LECTIO DIVINA-What it is, What it is not, and Should Christians Practice it?
Isn’t it something that The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self Discovery is published by InterVarsity Press! While they have certainly published many contemplative books, this one truly shows how strongly they believe in this panentheistic, interspiritual spirituality. And it reminds us once again that the Christian church is in very big trouble, and yet virtually no Christian leader is warning about it. On the contrary. Rick Warren himself has promoted many contemplatives over the years including Henri Nouwen, Richard Foster, Gary Thomas, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, and several others.
We would encourage you to see if your pastor would read a copy of A Time of Departing. However, we fear that he, like so many other pastors today, may be well down the contemplative road. If he, himself, is practicing contemplative meditation, then he is being drawn in by seducing spirits (familiar spirits); and to convince someone to step away and denounce those euphoric mind-altering experiences is as hard as convincing a drug addict to give up heroin. That’s why the Catholic priest Thomas Merton likened an LSD trip to the contemplative experience. Both entice their victims to think they are reaching God when in fact they are falling into spiritual darkness.
Note: You can find more information about most of the names mentioned above on our research site:www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com and in our books and booklets.


MEDITATION! PATHWAY TO WELLNESS OR DOORWAY TO THE OCCULT?~WHO IS BRINGING THE “NEW” SPIRITUALITY INTO THE CHURCH?

MEDITATION! PATHWAY TO WELLNESS OR DOORWAY TO THE OCCULT?
BY RAY YUNGEN
SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2016/newsletter20160125.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

NEW BOOKLET TRACT: Meditation! Pathway to Wellness or Doorway to the Occult? by Ray Yungen is our newestLighthouse Trails Booklet Tract.  The Booklet Tract is 14 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Our Booklet Tracts are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use.  Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of Meditation! Pathway to Wellness or Doorway to the Occult?, click here.
Meditation! Pathway to Wellness or Doorway to the Occult?
By Ray Yungen
In the West, mysticism always used to be restricted to a tiny fraction of the population (i.e., shamans, esoteric brotherhoods, and small spiritually elite groups). Never before has there been a widespread teaching of these methods to the general population. Now, mysticism pervades the Western world. How did this happen?
The first such book to reach a broad audience was Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain. This book could rightfully be called a practical mystic’s “Bible.” Many people can trace their first involvement with metaphysics to this book. Since its publication in 1978, it has sold millions of copies and has influenced the fields of psychology, health, business, and athletics.
This book became so popular because it addresses such topics as creativity, career goals, relationships, better health, and simple relaxation and peacefulness. Who wouldn’t want to have all this, especially if all it takes is engaging in a simple practice?
Gawain spells out very clearly what that practice entails. She teaches her readers:

Almost any form of meditation will eventually take you to an experience of yourself as source, or your higher self . . . Eventually you will start experiencing certain moments during your meditation when there is a sort of “click” in your consciousness and you feel like things are really working; you may even experience a lot of energy flowing through you or a warm radiant glow in your body. These are signs that you are beginning to channel the energy of your higher self.1

There were books like hers before, but those appealed to people already in the New Age subculture. This wasn’t true ofCreative Visualization. This book had just the right secular slant on something inherently spiritual. Gawain believed that one could stay a Jew, Catholic, or Protestant and still practice the teachings of the book. All you needed to do was develop yourself, not change your religion.
Today, sales of this book and others like it have exploded in the Western world. This is not an understatement or scare-tactic conjecture. Take a look at book sales for some of the major New Age authors around today. Just the top two, Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra, have sold fifty million books between them. James Redfield, the author of The Celestine Prophecy can boast of a staggering twenty million books sold, and Neal Donald Walsch, the channeler of Conversations with God, a surprising seven million.
The basic message of these books and hundreds of others like them could be reduced to one simple word, a word that cries out a uniform consistent theme—meditate! That is to say, you’re not going to get anywhere in this life unless you get that “click” that Gawain spoke of earlier, and to do it, you must meditate.
If you think the New Age movement is a colorful assortment of strange cults dressed in orange and populated by free-spirited aging hippies and assorted oddballs who are being duped by money-hungry charlatans and egocentric frauds, then think again. We are not dealing with fringe religious groups or chanting flower-children anymore but with a broad-based concerted effort to influence and restructure our whole society.
Shakti Gawain says any form of meditation will work, but what she really means is that any form of a particular type of meditation will work. She is not talking about the kind of “meditation” in which one ponders on or considers a certain topic. The type she practices and promotes involves stopping the normal flow of human thought. You can’t get the “click” she speaks of unless you go all the way by emptying the mind versus simply just sitting and thinking. Merely pondering does not suffice. To meditate “successfully,” you must employ a specific method which produces a void referred to by many New Age practitioners as “the silence”—or “the voice of the silence.”
But how does one engage in the actual practice of New Age meditation? For starters, one begins by repeating a single world or short phrase for a minimum of twenty minutes (once a meditator is good at meditating, he can even shorten that time). But if for some reason, the meditator finds himself given to active thought again, he must revert back to repeating that same word or phrase. This word or phrase is what is referred to as “the mantra.” A similar method involves focusing on the breath for the same amount of time. Yet another method, commonly found in Shamanic cultures, incorporates the use of both chanting and drumming. Alongside of this, there exists an even more subtle “Christian” form of meditation, which employs the use of biblical phrases, a single word such as “Jesus,” and spiritual-sounding phrases such as “Maranatha,” “Abba Father,” “You are my Lord,” and “Here I Am.”
Meditation has always been the precursor to mysticism, and this especially applies to the underpinnings of far-eastern religions in particular (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism). We are all familiar with the stereotype of the Hindu guru or the Buddhist monk depicted in the lotus position, but this stereotype no longer is reflective of what meditation has come to mean in our post-modern or pseudo-modern society.
Meditation as we know it to be now has literally busted out from its foundational origins into a wide array of options and expressions. Undoubtedly, the most common way in which most encounter meditation is within the therapeutic realm. Many are incredulous when they discover meditation is not just for stress reduction but possesses a definite mystical component, irrespective of one’s intent. We will now examine in more depth the existing evidence which bears witness to this.
Stress is believed to be one of the leading causes of illness in America today. Millions of people suffer from disorders such as headaches, insomnia, nerves, and stomach problems because of excessive stress in their lives. In response to this situation, an army of practitioners have come forth to teach relaxation skills and stress reduction techniques to the afflicted millions. A newspaper article proclaims:

Once a practice that appealed mostly to mystics and occult followers, meditation now is reaching the USA’s mainstream. . . . The medical establishment now recognizes the value of meditation and other mind-over-body states in dealing with stress-related illnesses.2

Does all meditation lead to New Age mysticism? Can a person meditate without having a metaphysical motive? Can it be done just to relax and get rid of tension without any spiritual side effects? These are legitimate questions. Suppose a company brings in a stress specialist to give a seminar and all employees are required to attend. What if a doctor prescribes meditation to relieve migraine headaches? Say an aerobics instructor has participants of the class lie on their backs, close their eyes, and do breathing exercises. Is there such a thing as neutral meditation?
I once asked John Klimo (who wrote what has been called the definitive book on channeling) if the millions of people meditating for stress reduction could become transformed as a result. His response almost sent me through the ceiling! “Most certainly,” he replied with marked enthusiasm. Being a channeler himself, he viewed the possibility of this with great expectation.
His optimism was well-founded. When the meditation techniques used in stress reduction are compared to the meditation used in New Age spirituality, it is clear to see they are basically the same. Both use either the breathing or mantra method to still the mind. A blank state of mind is all that is necessary for contact to occur.
Some well-known channelers became so because meditation catapulted them into the world of spirit entities. Jach Pursel, who channels the immensely popular “Lazaris,” explains how this entity first came to him:

Early evening. Sitting on the bed, plumped up in pillows, I am preparing to meditate (ha!). I am going to seek insight (ha!) to help guide our lives. . . . Two hours later, Peny [his wife] didn’t hear my sheepish apology for having dozed off. She was excitedly tumbling over words trying to tell me that an entity had spoken through me. She thought I had fallen asleep again, too. This time, however, my head didn’t bob, so she waited. Some minutes passed, and then a deep, resonant voice began where mine had left off. The answers, however, were powerful, not of the caliber of mine. She listened. She wrote as fast as she could. . . .
The entity explained that he was Lazaris! . . . Lazaris requested two weeks of our time to finalize the necessary adjustments so he could “channel” through me. He provided Peny with a simple, but detailed, method I should use to enter trance more easily. He assured her that this experience would never be detrimental, that although he had neither a body nor time, he appreciated that we did, and he would never abuse either.3

Kevin Ryerson (featured in Shirley MacLaine’s book and television movie Out on a Limb) also got into channeling by accident. He joined a meditation group hoping he could tap into some inner reservoir of creativity just as many in the business world are now doing. He relates:

When I entered this group, I had no intention or expectation of becoming a trance medium. But after six months, in the course of one of our sessions, I entered into a “spontaneous channeling state,” as I refer to it now.4

John Randolph Price, founder of the Quartus Foundation and instigator of the World Healing Day Meditation, also became involved in metaphysics through this route. He reveals:

Back when I was in the business world, the American Management Association put out a little book on meditation, which indicated that meditation was a way to attain peace of mind and reduce stress in a corporate environment. So I decided I’d try it. . . . I learned that I could go into meditation as a human being, and within a matter of minutes, have transcended my sense of humanness. I discovered how to come into a new sphere of consciousness. Consciousness actually shifts, and you move into a realm you may not have even known existed.5

So, can meditation be done without potential spiritual side effects? For those who still say yes, give ear to the following:

In alpha [meditative state] the mind opens up to nonordinary forms of communication, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition . . . In alpha the rational filters that process ordinary reality are weakened or removed, and the mind is receptive to nonordinary realities. (emphasis mine)6
You must be willing to slow down, to stop and just be quiet. It is into this quiet space [meditation], not the noisy one, that Spirit enters. Make a sacred space for your Higher Self to enter by being silent and willing to listen, willing to simply BE. This attracts your superconscious essence like a magnet.7
First and foremost, almost all mediums agree on the significance and the importance of regular daily meditation. This single practice, above all others, is no doubt the very shaft that drives the wheel of development.8

Even though meditation can bring you seeming peace of mind and improved health, I believe it is evident, by the accounts just given, that those who engage in it may find themselves in similar circumstances. According to New Ager Betty Bethards, “Meditation can, and does, change your life because it changes you.”9 Ken Wilber, another New Age writer and expert in the field of higher consciousness, aptly puts it:

If you’re doing meditation correctly, you’re in for some very rough and frightening times. Meditation as a relaxation response is a joke.10

I understand the bizarre implications of what I am trying to convey and certainly can see where a skeptic might laugh at such accusations. But evidence to the contrary is abundant. In 1996, Time magazine actually did an article on just such a reality. The article called “Ambushed by Spirituality” was written by a Hollywood studio executive and producer who described himself as “the last guy you’d figure would go spiritual on you.”11 Marty Kaplin explained how he “stumbled” onto “meditation” to keep from grinding his teeth when he became stressed. The following account backs up my bold assertion:

I got more from mind-body medicine than I bargained for. I got religion. . . . The spirituality of it ambushed me. Unwittingly, I was engaging in a practice [meditation] that has been at the heart of religious mysticism for millenniums. . . . Now I know there is a consciousness that transcends science, a consciousness toward which our species is sputteringly evolving.12

Nathaniel Mead, another authority that was honest and open about the side effects of simple meditation practice, echoed what Ken Wilber warned about. In a natural health magazine, Mead states:

One source of meditation problems comes from the attempt to turn a powerful, psychological technique into a simple physical therapy. When a meditator is led to expect stress reduction and instead comes face to face with his true self, the result can be anything but relaxing.13

But in spite of the dangers and risks, meditation continues to be promoted by those in the alternative health profession. The prestigious and highly respected Mayo Clinic has put its stamp of approval on meditation as well in its book The Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. The book gives the green light by stating:

Today many people use meditation for health and wellness purposes. In meditation, a person focuses attention on his or her breathing, or on repeating a word, phrase or sound in order to suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupies the conscious mind. . . . Meditation may be used to treat a number of problems, including anxiety, pain, depression, stress and insomnia.14

The book then devotes an entire page with step-by-step instructions on how to meditate. These instructions are the exact same type of meditation you have been reading about in this booklet (i.e., focus on the breath and repetition of words and phrases). The Mayo Clinic’s acceptance of Eastern-style meditation is an excellent barometer for how widespread meditation has become in respectable and mainstream society. And with the explosion of stress and anxiety in Western culture and the promotion of meditative techniques by such reputable institutions as the Mayo Clinic, this will neutralize any opposition people may have to meditation based on the perception of it being unorthodox. In essence, meditation is now for the masses!
Meditation has found its way to the masses through many routes—a primary one of which pertains to physical fitness in the form of Yoga. The very word “Yoga” means union with the god of Hinduism, namely Brahman. Meditation is the vehicle by which to accomplish this union. Vedic, which is Hindu literature, is filled with references to Yoga in this context. Although, in America, Yoga has erroneously been looked upon as just a series of simple stretching exercises, the mystical aspects are clearly evident if one takes the time to look into the matter more deeply. A considerably high percentage of those who are drawn to Yoga, roughly thirty percent, delve into the religious aspects of Yoga eventually. Yoga’s popularity is to spirituality, what a gateway drug is to harder drugs; and it has laid the groundwork for an acceptance of meditation that wouldn’t otherwise exist.
In recent years, a type of meditation known as mindfulness has made a surprising showing. Based on current trends, it has the potential to eclipse even Yoga in popularity. You will now find it everywhere that people are seeking therapeutic approaches to ailments or disorders. True to its Buddhist roots, mindfulness involves focusing on the breath to stop the normal flow of thought. In effect, it acts the same way as a mantra; and as with Yoga, it is presented as something to cure society’s ills.
You will recall my mention of Marty Caplan who said he was ambushed by spirituality. This means there was someone or something that did the ambushing. The apostle Paul identifies these ambushers when he writes:

But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. (1 Corinthians 10:20)

These religions of which Paul speaks are the source of the modern meditation movement. It is not hard to find examples of this in various accounts of meditative experiences.
Lori Cabot, in her book Power of the Witch, actually backs up the apostle Paul’s assertion, but instead of calling them devils, she refers to them as “spirit helpers.” In her chapter on meditation (which she refers to as alpha—the brain waves level when one is in a meditative state), she makes the following recommendation:

Establish a reciprocal relationship with your spirit helpers from the start. Be aware of how you fit into their mission and purpose, and do your best to be a partner or companion to your spirit guides.15

In the Western world today, meditation has become a kind of cure-all for all manner of mental and physical problems, for both young and old alike. Most people in the modern world see meditation as more of a therapeutic practice than a spiritual one. But as I’ve illustrated in this booklet, intent is not the main factor in determining the outcome of meditation practice. Before you or a loved one accepts the premise that meditation is a pathway to wellness, please give the contents of this booklet your most serious consideration.

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. (Proverbs 8:11)

To order copies of Meditation! Pathway to Wellness or Doorway to the Occult?, click here.
Endnotes:
1. Shakti Gawain, Creative Visualization (Novato, CA: Nataraj Publishing, 1983, 9th Printing, p. 57.
2. USA Weekend Sunday Supplement, July 24-26, 1987, p. 12
3. Jach Pursel, “Introduction from the Sacred Journey: You and Your Higher Self,” taken from Jach Pursel’s website, http://www.lazaris.com/publibrary/pubjach.cfm.
4. Mark Vaz, “The Many Faces of Keven Ryerson” (Yoga Journal, July/August 1986), p. 28.
5. “Two Billion People for Peace,” Interview with John Randolph Price (Science of Mind, Aug. 1989), p. 24.
6. Laurie Cabot, Power of the Witch (New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing, 1989), p. 173.
7. Kathleen Vande Kieft, Innersource: Channeling Your Unlimited Self (New York, NY: Ballantine Books, third printing, 1989), p. 114.
8. Zolar, Zolar’s Book of the Spirits (New York, NY: Prentice Hall Press, 1987), p. 227.
9. Betty Bethards, Way to Awareness: A Technique of Concentration and Meditation (Novato, CA: Inner Light Foundation, 1987), p. 23.
10. “The Pundit of Transpersonal Psychology” (Yoga Journal, September/October 1987), p. 43.
11. Marty Kaplan, “Ambushed by Spirituality” (Time magazine, June 24, 1996, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984754,00.html).
12. Ibid.
13. Andrea Honebrick, “Meditation: Hazardous to your health?” (Utne Reader, March/April 1994), citing Nathaniel Mead(Natural Health, November/December 1993, taken from the Transcendental Meditation Ex-Members Support Group, TM-EX Newsletter at http://minet.org/news94sm.dtp.0.html).
14. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine (Time, Inc., Home Entertainment Books, 2007), p. 90.
15. Lori Cabot, Power of the Witch (New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday, 1989), p. 198.

To order copies of Meditation! Pathway to Wellness or Doorway to the Occult?, click here.
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Who is Bringing the “New” Spirituality 
Into the Church?

By Chris Lawson
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.) Chris Lawson is the director and founder of Spiritual Research Network.

A
Abbott, David L.
Adams, James Rowe
Allender, Dan
Arico, Carl J.
Armstrong, Karen
Artress, Lauren
Assagioli, Roberto
B
Babbs, Liz
Bakker, Jay
Barton, Ruth Haley
Bass, Diana Butler
Batterson, Mark
Baxter, Mary
Bell, Rob
Benner, David
Bennison, John
Bentley, Todd
Bickle, Mike
Bjorklund, Kurt
Blanchard, Ken
Boa, Kenneth
Bolger, Ryan
Bolz-Weber, Nadia
Bono
Bordenkircher, Susan
Borg, Marcus
Boyd, Gregory
Bourgeault, Cynthia
Bronsink, Troy
Brother Lawrence
Brueggemann, Walter
Bruteau, Beatrice
Buchanan, John M.
Budziszewski, J.
Buford, Bob
Burke, Spencer
C
Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg
Caliguire, Mindy
Campbell, Joseph
Campolo, Bart
Campolo, Tony
Canfield, Jack
Card, Michael
Carroll, L. Patrick
Chalke, Steve
Chalmers, Joseph
Chinmoy, Sri
Chittister, Joan
Claiborne, Shane
Coe, John
Coffin, William Sloane
Collins, Jim
Crabb, Larry
Cron, Ian
Crossan, John Dominic
Crowder, David
D
De Mello, Anthony De Waal, Esther
Demarest, Bruce
Dillard, Annie
Dowd, Michael
Dykes, David R
Driscoll, Mark
Drury, Keith
Dyckman, Katherine Marie
E
Edwards, Gene
Edwards, Tilden
Egan, Harvey
Epperly, Bruce
Evans, Rachel Held
F
Felten, David
Fleming, Dave
Flowers, Betty Sue
Ford, Leighton
Fosdick, Harry Emerson
Foster, Richard
Fox, George
Fox, Matthew
Friend, Howard E., Jr.
Funk, Mary Margaret
G
Garrison, Becky
Geering, Lloyd
Gibbs, Eddie
Gire, Ken
Goleman, Daniel
Goll, James
Graham, Dom Alfred
Greig, Pete
Griffin, Emilie
Griffiths, Bede
Gungor
H
Haas, Peter Traban
Haight, Roger
Haliczer, Stephen
Hall, Thelma
Hansen, Mark Victor
Hays, Edward
Hazard, David
Healey, Charles
Hedrick, Charles
Hildegard of Bingen
Hipps, Shane
Holmes, Emily
Hougen, Judith
Humphreys, Carolyn
Hunard, Hannah
Hunt, Anne
Hunter, Todd
Hybels, Bill
Ignatius Loyola, St.
Issler, Klaus
J
Jager, Willigis
Jenks, Gregory C.
Johnson, Jan
Johnston, William
Jones, Alan
Jones, Laurie Beth
Jones, Tony
K
Kaisch, Ken
Keating, Thomas
Kelsey, Morton
Kent, Keri Wyatt
Kidd, Sue Monk
Kimball, Dan
King, Mike
King, Robert H.
Kraft, Robert A.
Kreeft, Peter
L
L’Engle, Madeleine
Lamott, Anne
Law, William
M
Madigan, Shawn
Main, John
Manning, Brennan
Martin, James
Mattioli, Joseph
Matus, Thomas
May, Gerald
McColman, Carl
McKnight, Scot
McLaren, Brian
McManus, Erwin
Meninger, William
Meyers, Robin R.
Miller, Calvin
Miller, Donald
Moon, Gary
Moore, Beth
Moore, Brian P.
Moran, Michael T.
Moreland, J.P.
Morganthaler, Sally
Mother Theresa
Mundy, Linus
Muyskens, John David
N
Newcomer, Carrie
Norris, Gunilla Brodde
Norris, Kathleen
Nouwen, Henri
O
Ortberg, John
P
Pagels, Elaine
Pagitt, Doug
Palmer, Parker
Paloma, Margaret M.
Patterson, Stephen J.
Peace, Richard
Peale, Norman Vincent
Pennington, Basil
Pepper, Howard
Peterson, Eugene
Piper, John
Plumer, Fred
Pope Benedict XVI
Procter-Murphy, Jeff
R
Rakoczy, Susan
Reininger, Gustave
Rhodes, Tricia
Robbins, Duffy
Robbins, Maggie
Rohr, Richard
Rolle, Richard
Rollins, Peter
Romney, Rodney
Ruether, Rosemary Radford
Rupp, Joyce
Russell, A.J.
Ryan, Thomas
S
Sampson, Will
Sanford, Agnes
Scandrette, Mark
Scazzero, Pete
Schuller, Robert
Selmanovic, Samir
Senge, Peter
Shannon, William
Shore, John
Sinetar, Marsha
Sittser, Gerald
Smith, Chuck, Jr.
Smith, Elizabeth
Smith, James Bryan
Southerland, Dan
Spangler, Ann
Spong, John Shelby
St. Romain, Philip
Stanley, Andy
Steindl-Rast, David
Strobel, Kyle
Sweet, Leonard
T
Talbot, John Michael
Tasto, Maria
Taylor, Barbara Brown
Teague, David
Thomas, Gary
Thompson, Marjorie
Thresher, Tom
Tiberghien, Susan
Tickle, Phyllis
Treece, Patricia
Tuoti, Frank
Twiss, Richard
V
Vaswig, William (Bill)
Virkler, Mark
Voskamp, Ann
W
Wallis, Jim
Wakefield, James
Ward, Benedicta
Ward, Karen
Warren, Rick
Webber, Robert
Wilhoit, James C.
Willard, Dallas
Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan
Winner, Lauren
Wink, Walter
Wolsey, Roger
Wright, N.T.
Y
Yaconelli, Mark
Yaconelli, Mike
Yancey, Phillip
Yanni, Kathryn A.
Yarian, Br. Karekin M., BSG
Young, Sarah
Young, William Paul
Yungblut, John R.
Z
Zeidler, Frank P.

“THE SILENCE & THE SOUND” BY SORENSON, FORMER BAYLOR MUSIC PROFESSOR~A CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICAL CHRISTMAS CANTATA IMPORTED BY FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH DELAWARE

APOSTATE MUSIC FOR THE “HOLIDAYS”
INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICING THE SILENCE, CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE STYLE 
FOR CHRISTMAS;
FEELINGS BASED; LEAVES OUT AND/OR ADDS TO SCRIPTURE NARRATIVE
CHRIST NOT FOUND WITHIN; 
REVELATION NOT FOUND WITHIN
I “I am learning to embrace my marks; you see, every time God’s chisel chips away a part of me, it exposes a piece of Christ underneath. The scars that seemed to strip me of my own beauty are changing me into a picture of God’s Beautiful Son. And in this light, I am honored to bear God’s marks. They have changed my image of God, my relationship with God, and they have changed my worship of God.” 

Deeply Etched,
Heather
Heather Sorenson
DRAWING ON CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM & FRENCH ECUMENICAL TAIZE SILENCE AND MANTRA HYMNS, INFLUENCED BY  APOSTATE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY:
HEATHER SORENSON’S CANTATA:
PRODUCT MOSTLY OF HER IMAGINATION 
FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH, 
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE
“THE SILENCE AND THE SOUND Christmas cantata will be 
our 10:45AM morning service on December 20. This 
presentation is more than just a retelling of the nativity; this 
presentation explores both the mystery and the majesty of 
Christ’s birth. Filled with original sacred songs and beloved 
carols, this innovative cantata is not only a beautiful concert 
experience, but it is also a true worship experience. We hope 
you will join us and bring a friend!”
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COMPOSER, ARRANGER, PIANIST, CLINICIAN 
EXCERPTS:
Composer and arranger Heather Sorenson entered the church music industry several years ago, and her name has quickly become a welcomed fixture in the publishing world. Heather is hired by the largest and most respected publishers in the world, and her pieces remain at the top of bestseller lists and Editor’s Choice selections.

Heather’s publications include choral compositions, piano books, children’s music, orchestrations, and two piano albums.  Her compositions are performed weekly in thousands of churches around the world, as well as in historic concert venues including the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., DAR Constitution Hall, and Carnegie Hall in NYC.
Teaching has become a large part of Heather’s career and ministry.  She taught all elementary levels of music at Grace Academy of Dallas for 4 years, served as an adjunct music professor at Baylor University, and has served on many master class panels in piano and songwriting.  Heather regularly is a guest speaker and conductor at churches across America, and leads scores of sessions each year at various worship conferences, schools, and universities. 

Currently Heather spends her time juggling a full writing load as well as traveling as a guest artist and lecturer.  She makes her home in the Dallas, TX area with her beagle baby. 
_________________________________________________________________
“GOD WAS SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO ME” 
WHEN I COMPOSED & ARRANGED THIS CANTATA
“POPPED INTO HER HEAD”, BUT DID NOT CHECK WITH GOD’S WORD

________________________________________________________
PERFORMANCE AT BRANDYWINE VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE; INTERVIEW AT SAINT MATTHEWS LUTHERAN CHURCH, HANOVER, PENNSYLVANIA
NEW (ECUMENICAL) PASSIONS?
Published on Aug 14, 2015
Heather Sorenson tells Pepper about her dream to have her music performed by popular contemporaries.
Published on Aug 14, 2015
Heather Sorenson talks about what makes her music popular with both contemporary and traditional worship communities.
____________________________________________________
INFLUENCED BY BAYLOR UNIVERSITY’S CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUAL FORMATION PROGRAM

Baylor University Invites Ken Blanchard, Contemplative Proponent:

EXCERPT: 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.”

FULL BORE INTO CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM & SPIRITUAL FORMATION DISCIPLINES, BORROWED FROM THE MONKS

Baylor University Spiritual Life Celebrates Opening of Elliston Chapel with a Week of Contemplative Services

EXCERPT: WACO, Texas (April 29, 2015) – Baylor University will celebrate the completion and opening of Elliston Chapel with gatherings and services from Tuesday, April 28, to Thursday, April 30.
“We wanted to build a sacred space as part East Village, but we also wanted this one to be accessible to the general Baylor community,” said Burt Burleson, D.Min., university chaplain and dean of spiritual life. “Elliston Chapel is unique in that it’s not a part of another facility. It’s everyone’s chapel.”
Each service will last less than 30 minutes and be contemplative in nature.
The schedule of events is as follows.
Tuesday, April 28, at 4:30 p.m. – Prayers for the Persecuted
Wednesday, April 29, at 3:30 p.m. – Vespers, a liturgical prayer service
Thursday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m. – Taize, (http://taize.fr/), a prayer service based on the simple, chant-like approach to prayer of a monastery in southern France
In addition to the three public services, Elliston Chapel will welcome prayer services and religious programming from various campus groups.
Elliston Chapel is a 3,000-square-foot, 120-seat chapel that will accommodate small Bible studies, group worship and individual reflection. It was funded with a lead gift from Molli, B.S. (Education) ’75, and Gary Elliston of Dallas.
The chapel is located at 1701 S. Third St. It is open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“Elliston Chapel is an uplifting space filled with bright energy and open windows,” Burleson said. “Our hope is that it will be used not by chaplains leading services, but that student organizations will use it for worship, prayer and various other spiritual programming. We wanted to celebrate its first week by welcoming the chapel to Baylor with all of these services.”

FROM: http://www.baylor.edu/alumni/magazine/1203/news.php?action=story&story=142716; EXCERPT:

“At their regular February meeting, Baylor University’s Board of Regents approved $1.7 million for the design and construction of the Elliston Chapel, a 3,000-square-foot chapel that will accommodate small group Bible study, group worship and individual reflection. Funded with a lead gift from Molli, BA ‘75, and Baylor Regent Gary Elliston of Dallas, the 100-seat chapel will be built next to Hallie Earle Hall on the East Village property at Third Street and Bagby Avenue. Construction on Elliston Chapel is expected to begin this spring and be completed by spring 2015.
“We are truly grateful to Molli and Gary Elliston for this generous gift to the University,” said Richard S Willis, BBA ‘81, MBA ‘82, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents. “Molli and Gary believe that the pursuit of truth and calling is at the heart of the Baylor student experience. With this gift, the Ellistons have made possible the creation of a sacred space on our campus that will provide the opportunity for worship and reflection and empower our students as they become agents of transformation, advancing God’s kingdom in all that they do.””
_____________________________________________________________

Blake Burleson, Ph.D., Talks about his Book on Contemplative Prayer:

“Entempling: Baptist Wisdom for Contemplative Prayer”
EXCERPT: About Praxis: Praxis was founded ten years ago to publish and manufacture quality materials, texts and resources for the contemporary spiritual seeker. Since our small beginnings we have grown and produced books and texts, a journal, educational materials, manuals for study and reflection, and provide retreats and seminars. We produce and sell the original handmade Anglican Rosary as well as other products of quality such as bells for meditation purposes. 


Juli Rosenbaum, MA 

Licensures and Certifications

  • Reiki Healing Level I, American Reiki Academy (September 6, 2011 – Present)

Presentations and Proceedings

“Using the Enneagram in Business and Teaching,” presented at the Dean’s Teaching Tea Workshop: The Enneagram, Cashion 404, November 2013. 


“Using the Enneagram in Business and Teaching,” presented at the Dean’s Teaching Luncheon Workshop #2: The Enneagram, Cashion 404, November 2013. 


“Contemplative Pedagogy,” presented at the Contemplative Pedagogy at the University Level, Faculty McMullen Center, November 2013. 


SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST ABOUT ENNEAGRAMS:
_________________________________________________________________
SEE ALSO:
MYSTICISM: 
SPIRITUAL FORMATION PROGRAM: 
LETTER FROM SPIRITUAL FORMATION TO INCOMING TRUETT SEMINARY STUDENTS:
Dear Incoming Truett Student,

We are so happy that you have elected to come to Truett Seminary. We think you will find Truett Seminary a warm and welcoming Christian community in which you will be challenged to grow both academically and spiritually. The spiritual formation program at Truett is based on small group discipleship. These small groups are made up of six to eight students who meet weekly for prayer and spiritual formation. Students stay together within their group for their entire time at seminary. This allows them to build strong bonds of spiritual trust and an environment of encouragement and growth throughout their Truett experience.
Each semester the focus of the group changes so that students are exposed to the challenge of reshaping their lives around their commitment to Jesus Christ in a variety of ways and situations. You, as a first year student, will be exposed to basic spiritual disciplines including prayer, community and the use of silence in the spiritual life.
Your spiritual formation program for each semester will include reading a book, practicing the different spiritual disciplines found within the book and then sharing about that experience with your covenant group. You will also practice these disciplines with your group as you meet each week. You will be given the name of the book at the first covenant group orientation so that you may be able to purchase it. Most first and second semester groups have an outside leader or mentor to help the group along. They act as a guide for your meeting times together in which you will read Scripture and pray. You are also encouraged to meet your group occasionally for lunch or other outside fellowship time, to help you further develop community with each other. Most first and second semester covenant groups meet at 9:30am on Thursdays at Truett (except for those groups that are for commuter students or dual-degree students). We suggest allotting five hours a week for spiritual formation. This time will include one hour per week in Chapel, one hour per week in your covenant group, and thirty minutes, five days a week, for covenant group readings and prayer. You must receive credit at the end of each of the six semesters of covenant groups as part of the basic requirements for graduation and the M.Div. degree.
Please make sure you complete this Covenant Group Questionnaire. This will help us in placing you in a group. You will also need to purchase and read Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas (you can also purchase the Kindle edition). We will discuss this book at the New Student Orientation on Thursday, January 10th and you will also reflect upon the information learned in the book in your first assignment for covenant group (and again in your final). This book describes nine distinct spiritual temperaments. In one or more of them, you will see yourself and the ways you most naturally express your relationship with God. Please take the short quiz with each chapter to help you identify which temperament most reflects you at this time. We will discuss these during our time in new student orientation. I have attached a scanned copy of the first chapter for you to help you get started.
Mark your calendars for Thursdays January 17th and 24th at 9:30 am in the chapel for your covenant group orientations. We look forward to getting to know you next semester.
Sincerely,
Tiffani Harris
Assistant Director of Spiritual Formation, Truett Seminary
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SIMILAR TO BETH MOORE’S FALSE VISION IN PICTURES ABOUT CATHOLICISM
JOHN PIPER LEADS CATHOLIC “LECTIO DIVINA” IN SILENCE 
WITH BETH MOORE

JOHN MACARTHUR DEBUNKS CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM
“DIVINE REVELATION” IS EXTERNAL TO HUMANS; 
NOT FOUND WITHIN










APOSTATE “THEOLOGIAN” & AUTHOR JENNIFER G. BIRD LECTURES KIM DAVIS IN OPEN LETTER~AUTHOR’S ENDORSERS ARE BIBLE & CHRIST DENIERS

APOSTATE SENDS HER FALSE GNOSTIC ADVICE TO KIM DAVIS & ALL GULLIBLE CHRISTIANS, ETC.

Writer and Bible professor Jennifer Grace Bird offers a manual on 

fearless reading of the Bible in her new book, ‘Permission Granted: 

Take the Bible into Your Own Hands.’ Bird will be speaking in 

Birmingham and Huntsville on Aug. 15 and 16, 2015. (Courtesy/Jessica 

Johnson)

An Open Letter to Kim Davis

BY JENNIFER GRACE BIRD
SEE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-g-bird/an-open-letter-to-kim-davis_b_8094166.htmlrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Dear Kim,
In light of all of the attention being focused on you and your family at the moment, there are three things I would like to say to you.
The first is that I am impressed by your ability to stand by your own beliefs and convictions. I absolutely do believe you when you say that this matter is not about holding ill will against anyone but that it is about God and God’s Word. And I can identify with the reassurance you have felt and received when you joined your church four years ago. That kind of forgiveness is no small thing and I’m glad that you have found such peace.
The second is related to your strong convictions: I am so terribly sorry that you have received such horrible reactions from people, including death threats, and that you have been under such intense scrutiny by many news outlets, which has brought out the less pleasant sides of many people. Rude and harmful behavior is never appropriate or justified, in my opinion.
The third thing I would like to say comes from my own convictions as an educator. My area happens to be biblical studies, which means that the Bible is so important to me that I spent nine years in graduate school learning more about it. In my twenties, I spent a great deal of time memorizing biblical passages, so that I had them with me at all times, and encouraged others to also become a follower of Christ.
It is because of my own background that I can say that I do understand why this matter is not about what other people think or say; it is truly about God’s Word for you. And that is why, as an educator, I would like to ask that you take a few moments to think about the way you read the Bible.
For instance, when you read a passage such as Leviticus 18:22 or 20:13, do you ever stop to think about why that was being said? It is noteworthy that it is in the midst of an incredibly long list of people that men were not to have sexual relations with — none of which seem to need to be said (all women he would see at a family reunion).
What I do not hear people talking about when they reference Lev 20:13 is the why. For a group of people who had been promised they would outnumber the stars having children, and lots of them, was pretty important. Notice there isn’t a parallel command to women. Back then, people tended to believe that all that was needed for a child to begin gestating was the male’s sperm. The woman was perceived as an incubator. Thus, there are three passages that warn men against “wasting their seed.” (Gen 38:8-10, Lev 18:22 and Lev 20:13). Those passages are not addressing two men in love; they are addressing sexual relations that cannot lead to children.
Many people refer to Genesis 19, the Sodom story, in this conversation, as well. The thing is, if you read that passage slowly and carefully, and try to imagine what music you would put in the background if you were filming it, you are likely to notice that what the men of Sodom had in mind, regardless of the recipients, was harm. When Lot offers up his two virgin daughters to take the place of his visitors he is simply trying to turn the intention of harming someone away from his visitors. The idea that the men of Sodom were going to have sex with the two visitors is misinformed, in part by the wording in the story itself.
“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them” (NIV, Genesis 19: ]5).
The Hebrew verb there is “to know,” and we do see this used as a euphemism for sexual relations. The thing is those men did not want to have consensual sex; they wanted to rape the two visitors. Perhaps the people who wrote down this story had not stopped to think about the difference, but I assure you that there is a huge difference. Sex is about pleasure and certainly it is entered into consensually. Rape is about power and often about shaming or humiliating the other person.
In the story, the actions and intentions of the men of Sodom would have been no less harmful if Lot had succeeded in handing over his two daughters to them. Notice that in 19:9 the men say, “Now we will deal worse with you than with them,” implying that they would like to inflict harm on Lot, instead. The Sodom story is sending a message that God wants His people to be kind and hospitable.
When people look at Genesis 2:24 and say, “See! There is Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” I do understand why. This is the first couple discussed in the Bible, and of course it is a man and a woman. The tricky thing about this verse, though, is that it is not even talking about marriage. It is talking about the human tendency to want to pair up and strike out on our own, away from our families of origin, to start our own families. The use of “wife” in 2:24 is a choice by our translation committees. It can just as easily say “woman,” instead, just as it does in the previous verse, “this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.”
Many people also look at Genesis 1:28 and claim that couples are meant to be able to procreate, since God commands the two newly-formed-humans to, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.” I understand the focus on this verse, but again, the story was initially written to a small group of people who had been promised they would outnumber the stars. Today we have an overpopulation issue on this planet, do we not?
Additionally, I do not see people claiming that the very next verse still needs to be upheld. “God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food'” (Genesis 1:29). But if a person has to endorse procreation as essential for couples, then it seems to me that you also need to be a strict vegan. As self-proclaimed “hillbilly types,” I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you are not vegans.
I understand that the Bible is central in your life and that you are committed to upholding what you read there. Thinking about how we read the Bible is just as important, it seems to me. It was those same convictions that led me to seek education about the Bible. That education, in turn, led to me teaching many courses on the Bible, and to writing a book that presents important basic information about the Bible on topics such as this one.
Nowhere in the Bible does God say that two men or two women who love each other are going to hell for it. Nowhere. What the Bible does say about marriage and sex is at times rather startling. I think it would be in your own best interest to be fully informed on them, given your stance regarding marriage licenses.

False Biblical “Experts” Agree, Kim Davis was Wrong!

NO AMOUNT OF FALSE TEACHING WILL DISSUADE KIM DAVIS 
OR OTHER BIBLICAL CHRISTIANS
Published on Sep 10, 2015
Both conservative and liberal commentators have excoriated Kim Davis for taking a stand against homo-tyranny. In this video, Jio explains how those “experts” miss the mark in their criticisms and are, in fact, teachers that are influential with the itching ears crowd. (2 Tim. 4:3, 4)

Website: http://www.redlettersdialogues.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/redletterstalks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/redlettersdia…

Links:
– Open Letter to Kim Davis from Jennifer Grace Bird: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennife…
– al.com article delineating Bird’s ideology: http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/20…

DEGREES FROM LIBERAL, CORRUPT SCHOOLS
HER BOOK ENDORSED BY OTHER APOSTATES
Jennifer Grace Bird book

“Jennifer Grace Bird ‘Grants Permission’ To Read Bible Honestly”

EXCERPTS:
“Bird’s informal way of speaking belies the fact she holds very serious degrees in her field: her master’s in divinity is from Princeton Theological Seminary, and her doctorate in New Testament and Early Christianity is from Vanderbilt Divinity School.
The book has been well received since its publication this spring. Rachel Held Evans, an author with a wide and growing audience among Evangelical Christians, calls the book, “an accessible, encouraging and enlightening guide to understanding the Bible better.” Marcus Borg, a theologian long admired by mainline and progressive Christians, read the book in manuscript and encouraged Bird to publish it. His is among the endorsements on the book’s cover.
Laced with the substance of a scholarly approach to the Bible is Bird’s unabashed and always alert feminism. Most of the Bible swims in a kind of soup of assumed misogyny, she says. It’s past time for feminist scholars to help people detect those destructive cultural patterns in the Bible and see how the Spirit of God works to defeat them.”
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SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT RACHEL HELD EVANS:
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MARCUS BORG: 
UNIVERSALIST, DENIER OF JESUS CHRIST & BIBLE TRUTHS
BY KEN SILVA
SEE: http://apprising.org/2010/03/07/marcus-borg-and-christians-who-dont-believe-in-jesus/republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
It’s always interesting how the Lord works. I’d been feeling led to discuss the issue of how, right now, belief concerning Who Jesus actually is has all but been pushed to the side for the sake of unity in the visible Christian church. But then I started thinking that it’s even kind of silly to have to bring it up at all; until I came across the post Archbishop Rowan Williams on the Uniqueness and Finality of Christ today from Jeremy Bouma. 
You may recall Bouma from Radio Interview With Jeremy Bouma The Insider Who Just Left The Emerging Church. Bouma’s timely post begins: 
In an address exploring the finality of Christ in a pluralist world on Tuesday, Dr Rowan Williams said people who believed in absolute truth were liable to be branded bigots or intolerant by those who felt that what was right for some was not necessarily right for others. 
“Belief in the uniqueness or finality of Christ is something that sits very badly indeed, not just with a plural society but with a society that regards itself as liberal or democratic,” he said. (Online source
And as I said in my comment to Jeremy concerning the phrase “affirming the uniqueness and finality of Christ”: 
As I see it, the issue is, what does one mean by those words? In my opinion, it’s time to ask some serious questions and get people to define their terms. 
One quick example; even Marcus Borg, who denies the Deity (uniqueness?) of Jesus on Nazareth, would agree that the “finality” of Christ is that “Christ” is the way Christians refer to the logos (spark of the divine) of God that’s in all of creation itself. 
Years ago in his classic textbook The Kingdom of the Cults Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989) spoke of the importance of scaling the language barrier because: 
The well-trained cultist will carefully avoid definition of terms concerning cardinal doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the Atonement, the bodily resurrection of our Lord, the process of salvation by grace and justification by faith. If pressed in these areas, he will redefine the terms to fit the semantic framework of orthodoxy unless he is forced to define his terms explicitly. [1] 
How sad that I’m finding I now have to employ techniques that I once used for evangelizing non-Christian cultists with people who are associated e.g. with the Emerging Church and Brian McLaren. For example, in Brian McLaren Invites You On His Quest To Destroy Christianity I showed you that in his latest book A New Kind of Christianity McLaren confides there was a time when he “began losing faith” in the way he once read the Bible.  
But then he goes on to tell us that he was so fortunate to be able to learn a new way to approach the Scriptures “from Christian scholars” such as Roman “Catholics” like fellow Red Letter Christian “Richard Rohr” as well as “Protestants” like Progessive Christian scholar “Marcus Borg.” However, when we consider Borg’s testimony from the interspiritual website Explore Faith, where he’s on the Editorial Board along with Phyllis Tickle of Emergence Christianity [2], we encounter a very serious problem: 
To be Christian means to find the decisive revelation of God in Jesus. To be Muslim means to find the decisive revelation of God in the Koran. 
To be Jewish means to find the decisive revelation of God in the Torah, and so forth. I don’t think that one of these is better than the other. You could even say they are all divinely given paths to the sacred. To be Christian in this kind of context means to be deeply committed to one’s own tradition, even as one recognizes the validity of other traditions. (Online source, emphasis in original) 
A nice sentiment from Dr. Borg, but not a Christian view; and taken along with his denial of the Deity of Jesus Christ, I find myself asking: Can you actually be a Christian when you don’t even believe what Christians believe? Jesus Himself said to Jewish religious leaders—men every bit as pious as Marcus Borg — “I said therefore to you that you will die in the sins of you; for if you believe not that I Am [the eternal God], you will die in the sins of you” (John 8:24, literal Greek). 
The Good News of Christ Jesus is repentance and forgiveness of sins in His Name; in other words, the regenerated believer will not die in his sins. But Marcus Borg, by his own admission, does not believe Jesus is God in human flesh i.e. very God of very God; so by definition then, 1) this is a different Jesus (see—2 Corinthians11:4), and 2) Dr. Borg is in danger of dying in his sins. Therefore, if we love Marcus Borg, we won’t let him deceive himself into thinking he’s a Christian; no instead, we’ll pray for his repentance and preach the Gospel to him. 
__________________________________________________________
Endnotes:  
1. Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults, Ravi Zacharias, Gen. Ed. (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2005), 33.
2. http://www.explorefaith.org/about/editorial_board/index.php, accessed 3/7/10. 
SEE: http://www.challies.com/articles/the-false-teachers-marcus-borgrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
A few weeks ago I set out on a new series of articles through which I am scanning the history of the church—from its earliest days all the way to the present time—to examine some of Christianity’s most notorious false teachers. Along the way we have visited such figures as Arius, Pelagius, Joseph Smith, and Ellen G. White. Today we will look at the life and legacy of a man who assumed and further developed theological Liberalism and paved the way for what became known as Progressive Christianity. His name is Marcus Borg.

MARCUS BORG

Marcus BorgMarcus Borg was born in 1942 to a Lutheran family in North Dakota. After high school he went to Concordia College in Minnesota determined to become an astrophysicist but soon changed his major to math and physics, and then again to political science and philosophy. As a young man he experienced great doubts about his Christian faith and decided to pursue postgraduate studies at Union Seminary in New York City and here he was heavily influenced by W.D. Davies, a man who laid the groundwork for what has become known as the New Perspective on Paul. After graduating from Union he moved overseas to Mansfield College, Oxford University, where he earned his Doctorate of Philosophy.
In 1979 Borg became a member of the faculty at Oregon State University, a position he would hold until he retired in 2007 as Distinguished Professor in Religion and Culture and the Hundere Endowed Chair in Religious Studies. However, his career as a professor would be overshadowed by his career as a writer and public figure, and his leadership in what has become known as Progressive Christianity, an updated form of theological Liberalism.
Borg is a gifted writer who is adept at popularizing difficult concepts and his prose is attractive for its lively and meditative style. One person he has influenced writes, “Almost single-handedly among progressives, Borg has opened up new avenues of experience and thought for lapsed Christians or nonbelievers interested in re-visioning the Christianity of their childhood. He writes clearly and concisely about the meaning of wisdom, compassion, justice, the kingdom of God, and life as a journey of transformation. His books boldly take us into fresh fields of wonder, mystery, and passion in regard to Jesus, God, the Bible, and the Christian way.”1
His most significant contributions have been as a scholar whose focus has been on the person and work of Jesus Christ. He has written or edited more than twenty-five books, and the great majority of them have been focused on Jesus. He also led two nationally-televised symposia—one focused on Jesus and the other on God—, served as national chair of the Historical Jesus Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, and has made regular appearances on PBS and other television networks. His bestselling book is Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, and it is in this book that he most clearly lays out his convictions. He draws on his own journey, from a childhood, childish faith in Christ to the development of what he considers a deeper, richer, and more plausible set of beliefs based on a historical rather than fabled Jesus. He teaches here that the Christian life is not meant to be rooted in dogma or creed, but in compassion and community.
In 1985 Robert Funk founded the Jesus Seminar, a group of 150 critical scholars who were tasked with re-examining the traditions surrounding the historicity of Jesus, and in particular, his deeds and his sayings. Among these scholars was Marcus Borg. The scholars employed social anthropology, history and textual analysis to attempt to reconstruct Jesus’ life and to separate the historical Jesus from what they take as myth. They famously used a voting system that relied on colored beads to represent whether one of Jesus’ deeds or sayings was authentic. Of the over five hundred sayings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels, they determined that only thirty-one were authentic with the rest being possibly authentic, doubtful or completely inauthentic. Over their many meetings and through much dialog they eventually determined that Jesus was a mortal man who, like the rest of us, had been born of two parents, that he did not perform miracles, that any healings attributed to him were merely psychosomatic, that he did not die a substitutionary death, that he was not physically resurrected, and that the post-resurrection sightings of Jesus were merely visions.

Marcus Borg became and remains one of the foremost leaders in what has become known as Progressive Christianity which differs from Evangelical Christianity in a number of important ways. Where Evangelical Christianity emphasizes life after death, sin and forgiveness, the substitutionary atoning work of Jesus Christ, and grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone as the only way of salvation, Progressive Christianity takes a historical and metaphorical (rather than literal) approach to the Bible, affirms that God can be known through every religion, is far more concerned with good behavior than orthodox beliefs, and pursues progressive social and political views.
Today Marcus Borg has retired from Oregon State University but continues to serve as Canon Theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland. He also remains an active writer and blogs often at Patheos.

FALSE TEACHING

As a Progressive Christian, Borg denies important tenets of the historical Christian faith while affirming what Christians have long held as unorthodox or outright heretical positions. He has long denied the inspiration and authority of the Bible, saying, “I let go of the notion that the Bible is a divine product. I learned that it is a human cultural product, the product of two ancient communities, biblical Israel and early Christianity. As such, it contained their understandings and affirmations, not statements coming directly or somewhat directly from God.” He explicitly denies Jesus’ virgin birth: “Jesus almost certainly was not born of a virgin, did not think of himself as the Son of God, and did not see his purpose as dying for the sins of the world.” He also denies the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ: “I do not think that the gospel stories of Easter require us to think of the resurrection in material physical terms. I see them as parables of the resurrection. Parables are about meaning. They are truth-filled and truthful stories, even as they may not be literally factual.” In fact, he denies so much of the core beliefs of the Christian faith that it becomes nearly absurd to consider him a Christian at all.

FOLLOWERS & MODERN ADHERENTS

As one of the foremost Progressive Christians, Borg has been an influence on many of today’s Liberal and Progressives Christians. These would include Tony Campolo, Brian McLaren, Karen Armstrong, Shane Claiborne, Anne Lamott, Jim Wallis and many others. He has lent the weight of his scholarship to their attempts to renegotiate the place of Scripture in the Christian life and faith, and to rethink many of its most sacred doctrines. He is often quoted favorably by those who want to consider themselves Christians but without holding to inerrancy, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and others beliefs most Christians have long held sacred.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

2 Timothy 3:16 assures us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Peter speaks of Scripture as God’s inerrant and inspired revelation of himself saying, “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). The writer to the Hebrews says that, because Scripture is God’s Word, it is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). If any or all of these things are true, then we do not read and judge Scripture—it reads and judges us. We have no right to stand over Scripture; instead, we have the privilege of sitting under it as it does its work in and through us.
____________________________________________________________
MARCUS BORG AND THE BIBLE 
ACCORDING TO HIS READING OF IT:

Marcus Borg – What is God?





A SERIOUS LOOK AT RICHARD FOSTER’S “SCHOOL” OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER~CALVIN COLLEGE CORRUPT WITH CATHOLIC/NEW AGE MYSTICAL PRACTICES

A SERIOUS LOOK AT RICHARD FOSTER’S “SCHOOL” OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH: 
http://lighthousetrailsresearch.com/republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

LTRP Note: For thirteen years, Lighthouse Trails has been warning about the contemplative prayer movement. In this new booklet tract, Ray Yungen has provided new information that makes the contemplative argument (against it) irrefutable. We intend to send a copy of this booklet to all of the major Christian leaders whom we have challenged including Beth Moore, Rick Warren, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll,  Focus on the Family, Dr. George Wood (AOG), and Erwin Lutzer. If these leaders will read this evidence, we do not see how they can continue to promote contemplative spirituality or Richard Foster’s “school” of contemplative prayer.
A Serious Look at Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer by Ray Yungen is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet Tract. The Booklet Tract is 14 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Our Booklet Tracts are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use.  Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of A Serious Look at Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer,  click here.


By Ray Yungen

[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.
In this booklet, we are going to examine a few of the major players in the contemplative prayer movement to show that Richard Foster’s “school” of contemplative prayer does not belong in Christianity. In fact, as you will see, the message behind it is the very opposite of biblical Christianity and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What is the “School” of Contemplative Prayer?
In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says “we should all without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer.” What does he mean when he says “school” of contemplative prayer? When Foster uses the word school, he does not mean, of course, a building or an institution somewhere. For example, Webster’s New World College Dictionary has nine different definitions for the word school. The one that fits what we are trying to get across is:

. . . a group of people held together by the same teachings, beliefs, opinions, methods, etc.3

When one examines the spiritual context of this definition, one can see what kind of spiritual “fruit” it produces. The only way you can ascertain the real essence of a movement is to look at the leaders or prominent individuals in that “school” to see just where their practices have led them, what conclusions they have come to, and what propels their vision of truth.
Let’s first establish what is meant by the word contemplation. Carl McColman in his Big Book of Christian Mysticism explains the context of it in the following way:

[Contemplation] comes from the Latin word contemplare, which means “to observe” or “to notice.” The word is also rooted in the word “temple,” however, relating it to sacred space. . . . Once Christianized, contemplation lost its association with divination [soothsaying] and came to signify the prayerful practice of attending to the presence of God.4

So if Foster is correct, the leaders of this movement are those who have turned to the presence of God in a unique and profound way, and their methods should be followed to achieve the same results.
Now let’s look at the spiritual perspectives of these leaders in the “school of contemplative prayer.”
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk, is the most widely recognized of the modern-day contemplative writers. His influence is enormous in the contemplative field. Richard Foster quotes Merton over a dozen times in Celebration of Discipline and in other books as well, and many other evangelicals also quote Merton. The following entry from Merton’s published work, The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton (written during his last trip to Asia*) speaks volumes as to Merton’s spiritual sympathies:

We went looking first for Chatral Rimpoche [a Tibetan holy man] at his hermitage above Ghoom. . . . We were told he was at an ani gompa, a nunnery, down the road. . . . So off we went toward Bagdogra and with some difficulty found the tiny nunnery . . . and there was Chatral, the greatest rimpoche [a Buddhist teacher] I have met so far and a very impressive person.
. . . We started talking about dzogchen and Nyingmapa meditation and “direct realization” and soon saw that we agreed very well. . . . The unspoken or half-spoken message of the talk was our complete understanding of each other as people who were somehow on the edge of great realization . . . and that it was a grace for us to meet one another. I wish I could see more of Chatral. He burst out and called me a rangjung Sangay (which apparently means a “natural Buddha”) . . . He told me, seriously, that perhaps he and I would attain to complete Buddhahood in our next lives, perhaps even in this life, and the parting note was a kind of compact that we would both do our best to make it in this life. I was profoundly moved, because he is so obviously a great man, the true practitioner of dzogchen, the best of the Nyingmapa lamas, marked by complete simplicity and freedom. He was surprised at getting on so well with a Christian and at one point laughed and said, “There must be something wrong here!” If I were going to settle down with a Tibetan guru, I think Chatral would be the one I’d choose.5 (emphasis added)

An equally revealing aspect of Merton’s Asian trip is what he experienced at a Buddhist shrine in Ceylon:

. . . an inner clearness, clarity, as if exploding from the rocks themselves, became evident and obvious. . . . All problems are resolved and everything is clear, simply because what matters is clear. The rock, all matter, all life, is charged with dharmakaya [the unity of all things and all people]. . . I don’t know when in my life I have ever had such a sense of beauty and spiritual validity running together in one aesthetic illumination. Surely . . . my Asian pilgrimage has come clear and purified itself. I . . . have seen what I was obscurely looking for. I don’t know what else remains.6 (emphasis added)

Why would someone who was so heavily involved in “Christian” mysticism be so entwined in and enthusiastically embracing of Buddhist mysticism? I considered titling this booklet Something’s Wrong Here because even though Chatral meant it in a positive way, when he said those words to Merton, he himself was shocked that Merton, a professing Christian, was basically on the same page as him and that they were able to fellowship.
One of Merton’s biographers, William Shannon, made this very clear when he explained:

If one wants to understand Merton’s going to the East it is important to understand that it was his rootedness in his own faith tradition [Catholicism] that gave him the spiritual equipment [contemplative prayer] he needed to grasp the way of wisdom that is proper to the East.7

What Merton meant by “dharmakaya” is actually what the New Age and eastern religions call cosmic consciousness (i.e., God is in everything and everybody.) But Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, guarantees the reader that what he’s promoting will not lead to cosmic consciousness. He states, “It involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics, no esoteric flights into the cosmic consciousness.”8
Foster’s attempt to assuage any suspicion of practicing contemplative prayer is countered by William Shannon’s assertion that it was precisely contemplative prayer that brought Merton into his embracing of this Buddhist worldview.
A skeptic might say, well, Merton was just an anomaly who got off track, but in general the contemplative leads to the God of the Bible. I beg to differ. To show this is not the case, we need to look at other teachers in the “school of contemplative prayer.”
Henri Nouwen
Dutch Catholic priest, Henri Nouwen, would probably rank second to Merton in influence and admiration. Popular evangelical author Tony Campolo calls Nouwen “one of the great Christians of our time,” stating:

[Nouwen’s] writings have guided and inspired Christians of all persuasions . . . whose life was a brilliant example of twentieth-century saintliness.9

Campolo’s admiration is widely mirrored in the evangelical world; just as Merton is quoted in many evangelical books these days, so also is Nouwen. Kay Warren, Rick Warren’s wife, is one of the popular evangelicals who sees great value in Nouwen’s work:

My wife, Kay, recommends this book: “It’s a short book, but it hits at the heart of the minister. It mentions the struggles common to those of us in ministry: the temptation to be relevant, spectacular and powerful. I highlighted almost every word!”10 (emphasis added)

The book Kay Warren recommends is In the Name of Jesus by Nouwen, who devotes an entire chapter of that book to contemplative prayer, saying:

Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen to the voice of love . . . For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.11 (emphasis added)

But just as Merton had absorbed eastern spirituality so too had Nouwen, which is no surprise because he was a disciple of Merton. Nouwen wrote the foreword to a book that mixes Christianity with Hindu spirituality, in which he says:
[T]he author shows a wonderful openness to the gifts of Buddhism, Hinduism and Moslem religion. He discovers their great wisdom for the spiritual life of the Christian . . . Ryan [the author] went to India to learn from spiritual traditions other than his own. He brought home many treasures and offers them to us in the book.12
Nouwen apparently took these approaches seriously himself. In his book, The Way of the Heart, he advised his readers:

The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart . . . This way of simple prayer . . . opens us to God’s active presence.13

But what “God’s active presence” taught him, unfortunately, stood more in line with Hinduism than evangelical Christianity. He wrote:

Prayer is “soul work” because our souls are those sacred centers where all is one, . . . It is in the heart of God that we can come to the full realization of the unity of all that is.14 (emphasis mine)

Again, a Christian admirer of Nouwen may think the previous quotes could fit into a legitimate Christian experience of God’s love and grace and that I am just taking these out of context. But this is certainly not the case. Nouwen himself revealed his spiritual influences in his diary, Sabbatical Journey, which he wrote shortly before his death:

On our way to the health club I had bought a Walkman to listen to an audiotape with a talk by Matthew Fox called “Creation, Spirituality, and the Seven Chakras.” So, while working up a sweat on the trotter, I tried to make my time useful listening to Matthew Fox.15

 This piece of information reveals that Nouwen was connected to the idea that the chakras, (which the previous quotes are based on) are integral to spiritual development. The crown chakra, in particular, is the one that is tied to the idea that all is one and the unity of everything that is.16
In the book, The Essential Henri Nouwen, which is published by Shambhala Publications (a Buddhist publishing house), Nouwen said contemplative prayer “opens our eyes to the presence of the divine Spirit in all that surrounds us.”17 That is exactly the same as what Merton meant bydharmakaya, that God is in everything that exists (panentheism, which mirrors occultism).
Thomas Keating
Thomas Keating, a trappist monk like Merton, is head of an organization called Contemplative Outreach. He is closely identified with the contemplative prayer (which he calls centering prayer) movement. Keating has written numerous books on the subject of contemplative prayer; in fact, one of evangelical Christianity’s most popular teachers, Ruth Haley Barton, considers Keating to be a strong spiritual influence in her life.18

Keating actually makes this point when he informs his readers that “‘meditation’ means to people exposed to Eastern methods what we Christians mean by contemplation as a way of disregarding the usual flow of thoughts for certain periods of time.”19
As with the others, Keating went in a Hindu or New Age direction, and he wrote the foreword to a book devoted to what practitioners of Yoga call the Kundalini or serpent power:

Since this energy [kundalini] is also at work today in numerous persons who are devoting themselves to contemplative prayer, this book is an important contribution to the renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition. It will be a great consolation to those who have experienced physical symptoms arising from the awakening of kundalini in the course of their spiritual journey . . . Most spiritual disciplines world-wide insist on some kind of serious discipline before techniques of awakening kundalini are communicated. In Christian tradition . . . the regular practice of the stages of Christian prayer . . . contemplation are the essential disciplines.20

To show how far someone can stray using contemplative prayer as a way to reach God, Keating is a perfect example. Keating enthusiastically endorses a book titled Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey in Christian Hermeticism. Fortune-telling Tarot cards are one of the major tools for divination in occultism; and Hermeticism is a set of ancient esoteric beliefs based on the writings of Hermes Trismegistus, the one who coined the occult term “as above so below.” Keating said the book is one of the “great spiritual classics of this century.”21 He drifted so afield from even Catholicism that it is difficult to comprehend.
Richard Rohr
Without a doubt, Catholic priest Richard Rohr is one of the most prominent living proponents of contemplative prayer today. His organization, The Center for Contemplation and Action, is a bastion for contemplative spirituality. And like our other contemplative prayer “school” masters, he has been embraced by numerous popular evangelical authors. Richard Foster, for example, had Rohr on an advisory board for a 2010 book Foster edited titled 25 Books Every Christian Should Read: A Guide to the Essential Devotional Classics.22

Rohr has essentially become the new Thomas Merton to an entirely new generation of evangelical Christians. In an interview, Rohr said:

[O]ne of my publishers . . . told me that right now my single biggest demographic is young evangelicals—young evangelicals. Some of my books are rather heavy. I’m just amazed.23

 Rohr’s statement is correct about young evangelicals. A case in point is an organization called IF: Gathering. The leaders of IF are dynamic energetic women who hold large conferences geared primarily toward young evangelical women. While these women may be sincere in what they are trying to do, they promote figures such as emergent leaders Brian McLaren and Rob Bell, as well as Richard Rohr. Lighthouse Trails has published a booklet on IF that I encourage you to read to understand the full scope of this growing women’s movement.24
To further understand the significance of this, Rohr is a prominent champion for the idea of a global religion that would unify the world. He says that “religion needs a new language.”25 And that language to bring about this one-world religion is mysticism (i.e., contemplative prayer)! Rohr stated:

Right now there is an emergence . . . it’s coming from so many different traditions and sources and parts of the world. Maybe it’s an example of the globalization of spirituality.26

This view ties in perfectly with the emerging church’s perspective that is so popular among younger evangelicals today. It’s no wonder that Richard Rohr and emerging church leaders (such as Brian McLaren) are so supportive of each other and endorse each other’s books.
In echoing Merton and Nouwen, Rohr also advocates the concept of dharmakaya. This is the recurring theme of the “school” of contemplative prayer. Rohr states:

God’s hope for humanity is that one day we will all recognize that the divine dwelling place is all of creation. Christ comes again whenever we see that matter and spirit co-exist. This truly deserves to be called good news.27

To dispel any confusion about what Rohr is saying, he makes it clear in the same paragraph what he means by God dwelling in all creation. He uses a term that one finds throughout contemplative literature, which signifies that Christ is more of an energy than a personal being. Rohr explains the term “cosmic Christ,” telling readers that everything and everyone belongs to God’s kingdom.28 That’s even the name of one of his books,Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer.
In his 2011 book, Falling Upward, Rohr implies that we (humanity) are all an “immaculate conception.”29 If these things are true, then there was no need for Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for the sins of mankind. We would not need a Savior because we would already be divine ourselves. In truth, contemplative spirituality is the antithesis of the Gospel. That is why there are countless mystics who claim to know God (or Jesus) but will have nothing to do with the Cross.
The New Age Connection
Lighthouse Trails Publishing’s main endeavor since its inception has been to show the strong connection between the contemplative prayer movement and the broader spectrum of New Age spirituality as pointed out at the beginning of this booklet. One can prove the overwhelmingly strong parallels. The authors I have just profiled are not unique in what they say. I could list several pages of other contemplative authors that say the identical things.

I want to showcase one other author who represents the typical contemplative viewpoint. Tom Harpur, a well-known author, broadcaster, and Anglican priest in Canada sums up what you would find in virtually every contemplative book from the Roman Catholic and Anglican tradition. In talking about his upbringing in the traditional Anglican church, he explains the radical difference between his former Christianity and his contemplative Christianity:

There was much more emphasis on our basic sinfulness and depravity than there ever was on the possibility of God already being present in our souls or “hearts.” I was told to again accept Christ and “let him come in” instead of being helped to acknowledge the fact that all I had to do was to open my inner eye and realize God was already there waiting to be known and followed. We were taught little, if anything, about the great mystics and about the long tradition of meditation in our own Christian faith.30 (emphasis added)
Harpur makes Lighthouse Trails’ point very succinctly that the mystical tradition that is coming to the forefront now does not correspond to the biblical Gospel that has been at the heart of Christianity.
Let me say this: If the contemplative prayer movement was not connected to historically respected denominations, that if it was an independent organization such as the ones found in books on cults, then the contemplative prayer movement would be labeled a cult by most evangelical organizations because of the extreme aberrations one finds concerning the Gospel. Merton’s dharmakaya cannot be reconciled with justification through faith by the blood of Christ.
The Age of Enlightenment
Another good example to show that contemplative prayer shares the same view as known occultists can be found in a book called Tomorrow’s Godby New Age author Neale Donald Walsch, in which he presents the coming world religion that will unify mankind in what is called the Age of Aquarius or Age of Enlightenment (i.e., the New Age). He says the first step is to “[b]egin a schedule of daily practice in meditation, deep prayer, silent listening.”31 After giving the mechanics of the new spirituality, Walsch gives the theology which is: “In the days of the New spirituality the unity of all things will be experiential.”32

This is what the contemplatives experience in their mystical sessions. Walsch again says, “The Big Idea is that there is only One God, and this one God does not care whether you are Catholic or Protestant, Jewish or Muslim, Hindu or Mormon, or have no religion at all.”33 This is basically what Richard Rohr is saying in Everything Belongs. And this is the reason why Richard Foster’s “school” of contemplative prayer is not, and never will be, compatible with traditional biblical Christianity or the Gospel message proclaimed by Jesus Christ and his disciples.
Final Thoughts
If I were to ever meet someone who asked me, “why are you out to destroy Richard Foster?,” I would tell them: I actually care about Richard Foster. The things I write about him are not out of malice or ill-will but out of a deep sense of commitment to his and his readers’ spiritual well-being.Celebration of Discipline is at the heart (both directly or indirectly) of the majority of Spiritual Formation programs in Bible schools, seminaries, Christian colleges, and universities. What the Tibetan holy man said in response to Thomas Merton’s belief—“There must be something wrong here!”—is the same sentiment that propels the writing of this booklet. There is something wrong here!

Contrary to what the contemplatives teach, there is duality, and the Bible teaches it—there are the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the tares, the saved and the unsaved, and the righteous and the unrighteous. New Age thinkers would reject this because they believe all is God. In the contemplative camp when Richard Rohr says everything belongs, this is what makes it New Age. The golden calf and Yahweh are not the same God. It was the cause for God’s anger. Simply put, everything does not belong!
My prayer is that people can see the logic in this. And what makes it even more imperative is that this contemplative view comes from supernatural sources. We are not dealing with just human perspectives and ideas.
Richard Foster’s “school” of contemplative prayer employs the same methods as those of Richard Rohr and Thomas Merton that lead to a certain perception. The following quote by Foster further illustrates this:

We shut out every other source of stimulation—sensual, intellectual and reflective—in order to focus on God alone. At this level, we even move beyond our thoughts of God in order to dwell in his presence without thought or distraction.34

 This is exactly the contemplative prayer that Thomas Merton embraced, which led Episcopal priest Brian C. Taylor to say:

The God he [Merton] knew in prayer was the same experience that Buddhists describe in their enlightenment.35

What we conclude is that Thomas Merton’s spirituality has come into the evangelical church through Richard Foster’s “school” of contemplative prayer. And this is one school where no Christian should enroll.
To order copies of A Serious Look at Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer,  click here.
Endnotes:
1. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1978 edition), p. 13.
2. Interview with Richard Foster, Lou Davies Radio Program (KPAM radio, Portland, Oregon, Nov. 24, 1998).
3. Webster’s New World College Dictionary, p. 1283.
4. Carl McColman, Big Book of Christian Mysticism (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Road Publishing, 2010), p. 222.
5. Thomas Merton, The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton (New Directions Books, 1975), pp. 234-236.
6. Ibid.
7. William Shannon, Silence on Fire (New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1991), p. 99.
8. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (HarperCollins, 2009, Kindle Edition), p. 17.
9. Tony Campolo, Speaking My Mind (Nashville, TN: W. Publishing Group, 2004), p. 72.
10. Rick Warren quoting Kay Warren on the Ministry Toolbox (Issue #54, 6/5/2002, http://web.archive.org/web/20050306004007/http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/?ID=54).
11. Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus (New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 2000), pp. 6, 31-32.
12. Thomas Ryan, Disciplines for Christian Living (Mawah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1993), pp. 2-3 (the foreword by Henri Nouwen).
13. Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1991), p. 81.
14. Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1997), Jan. 15 and Nov. 16 daily readings.
15. Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey (New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, Kindle Edition), Kindle Locations 496-497.
16. These two thoughts are found in the writings of Matthew Fox and many other New Age advocates.
17. Robert A. Jonas (Editor), The Essential Henri Nouwen (Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications, 2009), p. 38.
18. Lighthouse Trails Editors, “More Evidence and a Final Plea as Assemblies of God Conference with Ruth Haley Barton Begins August 5th” (Lighthouse Trails blog: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=12401).
19. Thomas Keating, Intimacy with God (New York, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1994), p. 117.
20. Philip St. Romain, Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality (Crossroad, 1995). This excerpt is in the foreword by Thomas Keating.
21. Thomas Keating, review: http://www.allthingshealing.com/Tarot/Book-Review-Meditations-on-the-Tarot/9699#.VeGxISLbKos.
22. Lighthouse Trails Editors, “Richard Foster’s Renovare Turns to Panentheist Mystic Richard Rohr and Emerging Darling Phyllis Tickle For New Book Project” (September 14, 2010, http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=4986).
23. Kristen Hobby, “What Happens When Religion Isn’t Doing Its Job: an interview with Richard Rohr, OFM” (Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction, Volume 20, No. 1, March 2014), pp. 6-11.
24. You can read the entire booklet at: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=17334 or purchase it as a booklet atwww.lighthousetrails.com.
25. Kristen Hobby interview with Richard Rohr, op. cit. , p. 6
26. Ibid.
27. Rich Heffern, “The Eternal Christ in the Cosmic Story” (National Catholic Reporter, December 11, 2009, http://ncronline.org/news/spirituality/eternal-christ-cosmic-story).
28. Ibid.
29. Richard Rohr, Falling Upward (San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass, 2011), p. ix.
30. Tom Harpur, Prayer: The Hidden Fire (Wood Lake Publishing, Kindle Edition, 2012), Kindle Locations 1099-1102.

31. Neale Donald Walsch, Tomorrow’s God (New York, NY: Atria Books, 2004), p. 223.
32. Ibid., p. 263.
33. Ibid., p. 241.
34. Richard Foster, Gayle Beede, Longing for God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2009), p. 252.
35. Brian C. Taylor, Setting the Gospel Free (New York, NY: Continuum Publishing, 1996), p. 76.

To order copies of A Serious Look at Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer,  click here.
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CALVIN COLLEGE CORRUPT WITH CATHOLIC/NEW AGE MYSTICAL PRACTICES
from Lighthouse Trails Research as above; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

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:
2015 article talking about how Calvin College is incorporating Taize Worship: http://www.calvin.edu/chimes/2015/04/30/world-language-chapels-provide-wider-worship-opportunities (Taize is a form of contemplative worship and meditative practices developed at the interspiritual Taize community in France: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/taize.htm).
Another example of CC using Taize (this one in one of their Chapel services): http://www.calvin.edu/offices-services/campus-ministries/worship/archives/?pageNumber=103&numberToShow=10.
Also in the  example above, it shows contemplative/emerging figure Michael Gungor as a chapel leader this year. Gungor is a strong contemplative/emerging advocate: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=9848. In this article on Gungor, we show his views rejecting the biblical account of creation: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=15886.
Here you can see a Calvin College “Sabbath” exercise, which was inspired by emergent Shane Claiborne: http://www.calvin.edu/dotAsset/381ecf55-8803-4f21-b6f3-5ac6c10aef97.pdf.
In 2014, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (part of Calvin College) presented an event by Dr. Michael Higgins exalting contemplative Catholics Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen. http://worship.calvin.edu/news-events/events/roots-of-influence-thomas-merton-and-henri-nouwen-a-presentation-by-dr-michael-w-higgins/ Higgins calls Merton and Nouwen, “two of the 20th century’s most important and articulate Christian voices.” This event was held at the Catholic Information Center and was sponsored in part by Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
A prayer Labyrinth in March 2015 in the chapel multi-purpose room:
https://www.calvin.edu/calendar/event.html?id=dde727e6-8f7d-4497-8bc2-d34020e977bf

Calvin College

 You can read more about labyrinths here: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/labyrinth.htm.
In a 2013 chapel service, students were taught how to do lectio divina, a contemplative practice: http://www.calvin.edu/chimes/2013/10/19/chapel-schedule-oct-21-25/. Here you can read a good article describing what lectio divina is: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=10887.
2013 – Developing a Christian Mind course | Description: IDIS 150 10 DCM: The New Monasticism. “Ever wonder what life is like in a Christian monastery? Ever ask why Shane Claiborne urges serious followers of Jesus today to return to the past—to pay careful attention to early Christian monastic life and practices, and to adopt for themselves a “new monasticism?”    This course will focus on what Christian monks, disciples strangely out-of-step with prevailing culture, can teach about staying in step with Jesus. Students will read (ancient and contemporary) books on Christian monastic life and practice and explore ways to implement them today . The course will conclude with a week-long stay at a tranquil Christian monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemane, spiritual home of Thomas Merton. Off campus dates January 14-18. Fee: $400. D. Cooper. 8:30 a.m. to noon.” http://www.calvin.edu/academic/services/registration/interim/2013/dcm.html
To show the “fruit” of the contemplative spirituality that Calvin College is embracing, see this 2016 interfaith conference: http://www.calvin.edu/calendar/event.html?id=e0f5d8c9-dcb7-4a1e-ae70-796233a6925b.
At Calvin’s Henry Institute, an interesting list of speakers including anti-Israel Jim Wallis and Stephen Sizer: http://henry.calvin.edu/news-events/past-events.html. See our articles on both these men at our site. Also watch this video: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=16058.
In Calvin College’s mission statement page, they reference the very Socialist leaning emerging magazine SoJourners (Jim Wallis’ magazine)http://www.calvin.edu/sao/about-us.html
The Christian Classics Ethereal Library is located on the Calvin campus, and to show its connection to the college, many of the Board members are Calvin College faculty and staff: http://www.ccel.org/info/structure. The CCEL is on the Lighthouse Trails top organizations bringing contemplative into the church. They even promote Emanuel Swedenborg, an occult influenced figure: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=5618.
In this 2011 course, From Worldview to Worship, one of the textbooks is a socialist promoting book titled Desiring the Kingdom.http://www.calvin.edu/~jks4/fromworldviewtoworshipsyllabus.pdf. You can read excerpts of that book on Amazon.
The list above covers everything from contemplative meditation, emergent theologies, interfaith connections, Islam, Israel, the occult and socialism. And finally, the homosexual issue. Just type in LGBT in the Calvin College search engine, and you will have a day’s worth of reading:http://search.calvin.edu/search/.
You can also check out their textbooks here: http://www.bkstr.com/calvinstore/shop/books/textbooks-and-course-materials.
I hope this helps. This is just the tip of the iceberg for Calvin College.


CHRISTIAN & MISSIONARY ALLIANCE EXPOSED FOR PROMOTING/PRACTICING CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM & SPIRITUAL FORMATION


Letter to the Editor: Lighthouse Trails Has Exaggerated Condition of Christian Missionary Alliance
REFUTED
SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2015/newsletter20150824.htmrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Dear Editors at Lighthouse Trails:
I stumbled onto your website while looking for a video from this year’s Alliance Council featuring John Stumbo. In your writings, you largely promote the idea the C&MA is espousing the emergent church, contemplative prayer, spiritual formation blather.
I have never, ever heard this in my church. EVER. So, for you to paint the C&MA with such a wide brush is sensationalistic, to say the least. Perhaps occasionally a misled pastor will go down that road. Such a pastor needs to be brought into line, in my opinion. The colleges that “teach” these courses—are they teaching them to promote them, or are they teaching these classes in a effort to enlighten students as to the evils that can weave their way into ministry? You don’t say which in your writings which I find, again, sensationalistic.
Never once have I heard or read anything from John Stumbo promoting any of this emergent church ‘trend’.
Defend yourself. I’ll be waiting for a reply.
SN
Dear SN:
We wish we were being sensationalistic and exaggerating the issue. Unfortunately (and sadly), Christian and Missionary Alliance (and most other evangelical denominations) have been embracing contemplative prayer, Spiritual Formation, and the emerging “new” spirituality for quite some time, and we see no signs of this letting up. A few denominations are just dabbling in it, but most, including C&MA, are well immersed as Lighthouse Trails has been documenting for over 13 years. Does this mean that every church in each of these denominations is involved in this? No, and Lighthouse Trails has always maintained that. But in virtually every case where a denomination is moving in this direction, there is evidence that it is existent in upper leadership. A case in point is C&MA. Just visit the main C&MA website, search through their magazine archives, books they are selling, and so forth, and you will find numerous contemplative/emergent references, such as an article written by the late (d. 2011) C&MA Senior Pastor from Salem, Oregon Donald Bubna titled “The Journey” where Bubna states:

To learn from others on the spiritual journey, I have discovered and devoured the writings of Henri Nouwen, Philip Yancey and Thomas Merton on the issue of full surrender to the deeper life.

Nouwen and Merton were both interspiritual Catholic mystics. Yancey is an evangelical contemplative advocate. Bubna was not an “occasional” example of a C&MA pastor who has had such persuasions. And in fact, the Salem C&MA church has been a contemplative influence for many years on Alliance members.
Another example: In a 2013 C&MA magazine article titled “The Lord’s Dream,” the author explains how a C&MA church in Philadelphia, PA is in close relationship with emergent author Shane Claiborne’s church, and on at least one occasion, Claiborne spoke at the C&MA church, filling in for the pastor one Sunday. Claiborne was mentored by and resonates with emergent leader Tony Campolo.
And a third example, Richard Bush, superintendent of the New England District of the U.S. C&MA, wrote an article titled “Transformed,” in which he favorably quotes heavy-weight contemplative leader Ruth Haley Barton. Barton was trained at the New Age sympathizing interspiritual Shalem Prayer Institute in Washington, DC, and she has an organization that teaches thousands of pastors contemplative practices and Spiritual Formation. Clearly, Bush resonates with Barton for him to use her as an example of Christians being “transformed.”
One last example, at the 2013 C&MA Council conference, one of the seminars was presented by a woman who  taught the class in the contemplative practice of “lectio divina.”
These examples are coming from C&MA leadership. With 500,000 members in 2000 churches, the C&MA is a strong force within evangelical Christianity, and if they end up in the wrong place, they’ll be taking a lot of people with them.
In reference to your comment about C&MA president John Stumbo, Lighthouse Trails has only mentioned him inone article and that was one this past summer where we stated that Stumbo will be sharing a platform with New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet at the Christian Missionary Alliance Mahaffey Family Camp. Please refer to that article for information about the beliefs of Leonard Sweet. Incidentally, John Stumbo was the senior pastor of Salem Missionary Alliance prior to becoming C&MA president. During those years, Salem C&MA was promoting contemplative spirituality (in fact, Ray Yungen talks about this church in his book A Time of Departing).
Listed below are several articles (which all have documentation) regarding Christian & Missionary Alliance that we have posted over the years. Please take the time to study this information, and in so doing, you will see that C&MA has indeed gone down the contemplative/emergent path. As for the college situation, after 13 years of tracking the evangelical colleges and seminaries, over 90% of them are now promoting this same path, and we have documented this time and again as well.  As a matter of fact, we have learned that all C&MA colleges and seminaries are promoting this.
While we acknowledge that it is difficult to hear these things about one’s own denomination, for the sake of truth, we hope Christians reading Lighthouse Trails material will take it to heart, do their homework, and see if these things we say are not true.
C&MA Research Articles:
The Christian and Missionary Alliance Hooks Up with the IAHR (International Association of Healing Rooms)
Letter to the Editor: Christian & Missionary Alliance (Canada) Promoting Interspiritual, Panentheist Monk, Basil Pennington
Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) Mahaffey Family Camp Brings in New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet as Camp Speaker
Christian & Missionary Alliance Rob Reimer Loses His Way in “Pathways to the King:” A Review
Letter to the Editor: Saddened by Christian & Missionary Alliance and Ambrose University Continuing Plunge into Contemplative
Letter to the Editor: Christian & Missionary Alliance OK With Ruth Haley Barton and Other Contemplatives
Alliance Theological Seminary Dean Ron Walborn Recommends NAR Bill Johnson (and more!) for Pastors
COLLEGE ALERT: CMA Simpson University Students Seek Contemplative Chapel Experience
Ambrose University (CMA & Nazarene) Full Speed into Contemplative/Emergent
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RELEVANT ARTICLES:
https://muddystreams.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/christian-missionary-alliance-students-taught-to-listen-to-god-contemplative-style/


https://muddystreams.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/christian-missionary-alliance-and-focus-on-the-family-canada-leading-christians-across-the-contemplative-bridge/


https://ratherexposethem.org/2012/05/ambrose-university-college-hires-jesuit.html
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“To Hear, To Contemplate, To Act”

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

A stilled, receptive spirit may prove elusive in the bustle of an academic semester, but during the annual Fall Spiritual Emphasis Days, that is exactly what planners hoped to foster. With the theme Listening to God, the flurry of activity on the Ambrose campus ground to a standstill as students, faculty and staff took a break from classes to come together as a community for two days. From workshops to worship to facilitated mealtime conversations, corporate, small group and individual activities gave rich context to campus opportunities for acts of service. Rev. Steve Kerr, an alumnus of Ambrose University College, pushed even further the theme of Listening to God while serving as this year’s keynote speaker. Kerr is the lead pastor of Gateway Church in Caledonia, Ontario.
New Campus Pastor Dr. Gordon Grieve explains the felt need for contemplation among a student population. “Students are incredibly busy. The majority of Ambrose students are commuters. Many students are juggling studies, jobs, relationships. It is so easy for the life of the spirit to be crowded out by multiple demands. I know I speak with the planning team when I say that our prayer has been that students discover the delight of communing with Christ – not only during scheduled “quiet times’ but also throughout the day. As Steve emphasized, every human being has a profound thirst that God intends to be satisfied in a relationship with Himself.”
Rev. Kerr presented his keynote addresses in such a way as to make “contemplation” and “stillness” anything but sleepy. “He brought many things to the table. He was able to engage everyone from the get-go, demonstrating a deep grasp of the full scope of God’s revelation in Scripture and making it interesting and relevant. His humor and transparency kept listeners interested and responsive.”
While Rev. Kerr preached during plenary sessions about Listening to God, Ambrose faculty and staff facilitated further opportunities for learning, reflection and growth. Students were invited to participate in a diverse array of workshops, like “Centering Prayer: A Pathway to Experiencing God’s Presence,” taught by Dr. Miriam Charter. Students learned that “Centering Prayer is a gift to us from the Desert Fathers who sought a way to deepen their relationship with the living Christ. It is “listening” prayer that may become for the serious pilgrim a pathway for receiving and experiencing the gift of God’s Presence.”
Additional workshops included “Hear the Divine Voice…Make the Right Choice,” by Dr. Charles Nienkirchen, “Hearing God through Nature: A Walk Through the Ambrose Aspen Stand,” by Wally Rude, “Making (Some) Sense of the Pain: Hearing God in Times of Difficulty and Suffering,”  by Dr. Gordon Smith, “Lectio Divina” (Divine Reading) with Kevin Cawthra, “Going Global? A Conversation about Discerning God's call to Serve Internationally,” and “Hearing the Voice of Jesus through Imaging,” with Joy Ulrich.
Faculty and staff members also hosted lunch discussions while other faculty and staff members served the students lunch; this parallel current of service was crafted to flow organically from the explorations of the interior life. An Operation 5:16 project offered students the option to engage in a community clean-up. More horticulturally-inclined students were invited to help plant bulbs in the “1000 Yellow Daffodils” project with a goal to “bring some spring joy to the Ambrose community as well as to our Springborough Community neighbours.” Handmade thank-you cards were delivered to the neighbouring Springborough Professional Building, and a table was set up for students to utilize materials for crafting encouragement cards.
Dr. Grieve celebrates the widespread campus involvement. “The strong attendance of students and their high level of engagement throughout the two days was very gratifying to the planning team. After all, while attendance was certainly encouraged, it was voluntary!”
Planners hope that the themes of listening, centering and service fleshed out during the Spiritual Emphasis Days will bear fruit throughout the rest of the school year.
For more information contact:
Pastor Gordon Grieve Campus Chaplain Email: ggrieve@ambrose.edu Tel: 403.410.2000

DEMOCRATS & GOP REBELS SAVE THE DAY ON OBAMATRADE (TPP/TPA)~BOEHNER & SCALISE SPITEFULLY PURGE OPPONENTS IN SENATE & HOUSE

Democrats and GOP Rebels Save The Day 

On Obamatrade

BY CHUCK BALDWIN
SEE: http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/Articles/tabid/109/ID/3329/Democrats-And-GOP-Rebels-Save-The-Day-On-Obamatrade.aspxrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
After the Republican-controlled Senate foolishly passed the so-called “Obamatrade” bill, the House leadership (John Boehner, Steve Scalise, Paul Ryan, et al.) worked their tails off to pass the bill. But a majority of Democrats and liberty-minded Republicans (small in number) rallied in opposition to the bill and voted it down. HOORAY! In this case, it was mostly Democrats that saved the day!
I have been saying for years that people who think the Republican establishment is a friend to liberty are extremely naïve. On issues regarding so-called “free trade” (it’s NOT free trade; it’s globalism masquerading as free trade), the Warfare State, deficit spending, globalism, and civil liberties, the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., is FAR WORSE than the Democrat Party. In general terms, the Democrat Party is worse on issues that deal with gun control, welfare, abortion, gay marriage, and extremist environmentalist policies. As one should easily be able to see, there is no “lesser of two evils” between these two parties. Each party is a greater evil, depending on the issue. And taken as a whole, both parties in Washington, D.C., are selling our liberties down the river.
But this so-called Obamatrade bill is a nightmare. If you thought NAFTA and GATT are bad (and they are), Obamatrade (TPP) is far worse. Even worse is that congressional leaders will not allow the public to know what’s in the bill. Heck, most of the congressmen and senators who are voting on the bill don’t know what’s in it.
Matt Drudge paraphrases Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) angrily growling at reporters, “You will read it after we pass it.” What a pompous, arrogant jackass Mr. Ryan is. Obviously, he has been in Congress too long.
One of the senators who did read the bill is Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama). And he is doing his best to warn the American people about just how horrific this bill really is. Breitbart.com recently interviewed one of Senator Sessions’ staff leaders regarding the impact of passing TPP.
“Stephen Miller, one of the staff leaders for Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), joined Breitbart News Sunday and was asked by Breitbart’s Executive Chairman and host, Stephen K. Bannon: ‘Isn’t the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) really a global governance deal, rather than a trade agreement? Is this a way to get the United States into a Pacific Union, as Senator Sessions lays out, that is very much like the European Union?’
“‘That’s exactly what is happening here,’ said Miller. ‘The Pacific Union that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) refers to is the new transnational governance body that would be created by the Transpacific Partnership.’
“‘What this means,’ explained Miller, ‘is the house and the senate together would be authorizing the president to enter the United States into a new trans-national union.’
“The Union would consist at first of twelve countries, but additional countries could join and be added over time. ‘It could issue regulations about labor policy, about immigration policy, about environmental policies, and many other areas impacting American life, American jobs, and American wages.’
“Also appearing on the program, which airs on Sirius XM, Patriot Radio, channel 125, was Lord Christopher Monckton. Monckton, who served as a policy advisor for former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, argues that a Trans Pacific Union would bear a significant resemblance to the European Union, which Monckton insists is a serious detriment to democracy and leads to dictatorship.”
“As a result, Miller added, ‘the president can enter into an unlimited number of large sweeping international agreements. And, congress can’t filibuster them, at any point, for the next six full years.’
“Monckton retorted, ‘We’ve used this word before on this program–dictatorship. This is dictatorship.’”
See the report here:
The Obamatrade bill was proffered in two roll call votes. According to the rules established by House leaders, BOTH bills had to pass in order for “fast track” trade authority to be granted to President Obama. Boehner did this because he knew it would fail in one vote, as it was widely opposed by both Republican freedomists (a small group but enough to help defeat the bill) and liberal Democrats (liberals are not wrong on every issue). He was hoping he could muster enough support from both groups by separating the votes. His plan backfired. The first bill failed by a wide margin, so even though the second bill passed (barely), it was a moot point. The way to find the Republican rebels (America-first constitutionalists) is to look at the ones who voted against Obamatrade on BOTH votes. Here are those 37 brave Republican House members:
Justin Amash (MI); Dave Brat (VA); James Bridenstine (OK); Mo Brooks (AL); Ken Buck (CO); Michael Burgess (TX); Curt Clawson (FL); Doug Collins (GA); Chris Collins (NY); Paul Cook (CA); Jeff Duncan (SC); John J. Duncan (TN); Morgan Griffith (VA); Andy Harris (MD); Duncan Hunter (CA); Lynn Jenkins (KS); Walter Jones (NC); Jim Jordan (OH); David Joyce (OH); Raul Labrador (ID); Frank LoBiondo (NJ); Richard Nugent (FL); Gary Palmer (AL); Steve Pearce (NM); Scott Perry (PA); Bruce Poliquin (ME); Bill Posey (FL); Dana Rohrabacher (CA); Keith Rothfus (PA); Steve Russell (OK); Chris Smith (NJ); Daniel Webster (FL); Lynn Westmoreland (GA); Rob Wittman (VA); Ted Yoho (FL); Don Young (AK); Lee Zeldon (NY).
If you live in the district of one of these congressmen, you can be very proud of your representative.
And for those GOP House members who voted “Nay” on either vote, there is retribution from the Republican leadership. NationalJournal.com has this part of the story:
“House Republican leaders are cracking down on rebellious members after a near-disaster on a trade vote last week.
“Reps. Cynthia Lummis, Steve Pearce, and Trent Franks have been removed from the whip team after they sided with GOP rebels to vote against a rule governing debate on a trade bill, according to sources close to the team.”
“But House Majority Whip Steve Scalise had said earlier in the year that he would not tolerate members voting against rules and has already removed two other members [Jeff Duncan and Ron DeSantis] close to the conservative movement.”
See the report here:
As for House Democrats, they held together in their opposition to TPP even when President Barack Obama personally went to Capitol Hill and lobbied them to support it. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) must be given credit on this issue, as she held fast in her opposition to TPP and encouraged Democrats to stand together in opposing it–which they did.
What is it about Democrat presidents who campaign against these so-called “free trade” deals when they are candidates and then become full-fledged supporters of the deals after being elected? Bill Clinton did the exact same thing. It just further demonstrates what I’ve been saying all along: at the highest levels of government, party affiliation, party platforms, and promises to party grassroots mean NOTHING. Powerbrokers are calling the shots; and the President (no matter the party) is too often but a pawn of these Machiavellians.
And if there is any issue that these international elites who are dominating Washington politics are doggedly determined to bring into being, it is the breakdown of national economic borders and the establishment of a global financial system.
Of course, one cannot have a global financial system without enacting a global political and military system to control and manage it. And, that, folks, is what all of these wars in the Middle East are about. It has NOTHING to do with the “war on terror.” It is all about establishing global government. The global elite are merely manipulating the West vs. Muslim façade to bring down those governments in the Middle East (Iran and Syria) that refuse to submit to the Federal Reserve’s international banking system and bring the oil-rich region of the Middle East completely under the Fed’s control.
Consider this: Saudi Arabia beheads far more people than ISIS. In fact, Saudi Arabia is one country that is indeed governed by strict Sharia Law. Yet, the United States considers the Saudis our dear friends and allies. And Christians seem totally oblivious to Saudi Arabia’s barbarism and intolerance. When is the last time you heard any pastor or Christian calling for war against Saudi Arabia?
Furthermore, independent news agencies are reporting that the United States is actually ASSISTING ISIS militarily.
Please take the time to read this report:
Folks, please turn off FOX News long enough to do some independent research. America is not at war with ISIS. America’s CIA created ISIS and continues to assist it. The U.S. government is using ISIS to attack its real target: the leaders of Iran and Syria who staunchly stand in the way of the U.S./Saudi Arabia/Israel machinations to centralize the banking systems of the Middle East. That is what the wars in the Middle East are truly about.
At this writing (Tuesday, June 16), GOP leaders and President Obama are collaborating on how to bring “fast track” trade authority back to the House floor for passage. But for now, it was House Democrats and that small number of Republican rebels who saved the day on Obamatrade.
P.S. Let me remind readers that we have just produced an hour-long DVD wherein Attorney Tim Baldwin lectures (complete with instructional slides) on the topic: “Police Contact: How To Respond.”
Tim explains your rights and the law regarding police contacts in a variety of circumstances, such as traffic stops, etc. He explains the rights and protections you have under the Constitution. He presents a constitutional, legal analysis of what you should and shouldn’t do when brought into contact with a police officer, sheriff’s deputy, or highway patrolman.
Tim is a former felony prosecutor and is now a criminal defense attorney. He has seen both sides of the criminal justice system and is imminently qualified to discuss this subject. He knows that for an attorney to best protect his or her clients, his clients need to know how to protect themselves before and during the investigative and arrest procedures.
Police officers are SERVANTS of the People and are as obligated to obey the Constitution as are each of us. Knowing these rights and protections will give you much CONFIDENCE when you are pulled over by a police officer.
Let me hasten to say that I am ALWAYS respectful to a police officer. And so should we always be. We must respect his position. But mostly, we must respect the law that he, the police officer, is sworn to uphold. But how can we respect the law if we don’t even know and understand the law? How can officers improve their law-enforcement practice unless citizens know when police are following the law? How is the legal system benefited if police can trample citizens’ constitutional rights with the consent of the people? Tim’s DVD will help tremendously in this regard.
In light of the climate that we all live in today, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that we become familiar with our constitutional rights and responsibilities. If enough of the American people would learn these constitutional principles, they could stem the growing tide of unconstitutional conduct by our public servants, including, and especially, by those in law enforcement.
Here is where you can order the DVD, “Police Contact: How To Respond,” by Attorney Tim Baldwin.
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THE “PAID” ENFORCERS MAKE THE REBELS PAY FOR THEIR REBELLION AGAINST THE COLLECTIVIST “TEAM” & OBAMA

JOHN BOEHNER
STEVE SCALISE DIDN’T KNOW?
UNWITTING TIES TO MASONIC, RACIST, 
ANTI-SEMITIC NEO-NAZI GROUPS?

EXCERPTS: At Louisiana State University, Scalise was a member of Acacia Fraternity.”
“In 2014, political blogger Lamar White, Jr. uncovered anonymous comments from 2002 on the white supremacist website Stormfront that referenced a speech Scalise had given, from which he concluded Scalise addressed the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), a group founded by David Duke. White posted his findings on his blog and soon after the media took note. Scalise said that he had spoken at the conference in 2002 and stated that he did not know of the “racist nature of the group”.
EXCERPT: Acacia Fraternity was founded on May 12, 1904, by a group of 14 Freemasons
SEE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European-American_Unity_and_Rights_Organization
EXCERPT: American organization led by former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux KlanDavid Duke. Founded in 2000, the group has been described as white nationalist and white supremacist.
EXCERPT: Stormfront is a white nationalist, white supremacist and neo-Nazi Internet forum that was the Web‘s first major racial hate siteStormfront began as an online bulletin board system in the early 1990s before being established as a website in 1995 by former Ku Klux Klan leader and white nationalist Don Black.” (www.stormfront.org)
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Boehner & Scalise Purge Conservatives 

Who Defy on ObamaTrade Votes

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) have taken swift retribution against House members who dared to break ranks with “the team” on a rule vote for Trade Promotion Authority (Fast Track). On Monday, June 15, Scalise booted GOP Reps. Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.), Steve Pearce (N.M.) and Trent Franks (Ariz.) — all members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) — from the whip team.
Reps. Lummis and Franks both issued conciliatory statements saying they completely “respect” Chairman Scalise’s decision — perhaps to avoid further retribution. Rep. Pearce was less tilted toward appeasement. “Not much has changed in the House. I came here to represent the people of the Second Congressional District of New Mexico. That means considering each vote on its merits and striving to do the right thing for them,” Pearce said in a statement. “Sometimes that demands casting hard votes, as I did last week. I always strive to vote on principle and that won’t change.”
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told Congressional Quarterly Roll Call that it was “unfortunate” HFC members were getting booted from the whip team. “I think it’s wrong,” he said.
Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) is another HFC member who was among the 34 House Republicans voting against the TPA rule. He sees the Boehner-Scalise revenge going deeper and attacking their donor base. “Because voting against the rule is almost like a capital crime here, and we know what’s going to happen to us,” Labrador told Congressional Quarterly Roll Call. “We know that the leadership is going to come against us, we know that they’re already telling our donors not to give money to us, which, by the way, I think is unethical. We know exactly what they’re doing.”
According to Labrador, there is mounting dissatisfaction with the current House GOP leadership’s iron-fisted rule. “That’s not leadership,” Labrador said. “That’s tyranny.”
On Tuesday, in his weekly conference with House Republicans, Speaker John Boehner gave a tongue lashing to those who had voted against the trade rule the previous Thursday. “I made it pretty clear to the members today I was not very happy about it,” Boehner told reporters after the closed-door meeting at the Capitol Hill Club. “You know, we’re a team. And we’ve worked hard to get the majority; we’ve worked hard to stay in the majority.”
“And I expect our team to act like a team, and frankly, I made it pretty clear I wasn’t very happy,” he added.
In the meeting, Boehner told his fellow Republicans it was “nonsense” that some of them had voted against leadership, according to The Hill, which quoted an unnamed GOP lawmaker who was in the room.
Team Obama-Boehner-Wall Street
But, to which “team” is Speaker Boehner referring? Quite obviously he, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the other GOP Congressional leaders have teamed up with the Obama White House, Goldman Sachs and other corporate globalists to foist the secret, sovereignty-destroying TPP/TTIP/TISA treaties on the American people before they find out about them and develop widespread organized opposition. However, the outrageous lengths to which Team Obama-Boehner-McConnell has gone to keep these agreements secret and to rush them through Congress has, in the end, worked to stir public anger and unify resistance across the political spectrum. The defeat of the Trade Promotion Authority/Trade Adjustment Assistance package in the House last week, and the failure of Obama, Boehner, Scalise, and company to twist enough arms or bribe enough support for a revote on Tuesday is a hopeful sign that more members of Congress are Choosing Team America over Team Obama-Boehner-McConnell.
Related articles:
Corporations Bribe Senators to Vote for TPP Fast-Track
_______________________________________________________

DAVID DUKE OF THE KU KLUX KLAN, SCALISE, AND BOEHNER

David Duke & Ahmadinejad at Holocaust Denier Conference in Iran (2006)

Scalise must go, already: Seriously, why does he still have a GOP leadership job?

Reince Priebus said GOP would work hard to win black votes. Instead, it's backing “David Duke without the baggage"

EXCERPT:
"A week ago, I broke the story about Steve Scalise, the current House majority whip, attending a conference hosted by the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (or EURO), a white nationalist organization led by David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan."
__________________________________________________

THEY "DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR"; 

BUT NOT TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION!

Boehner doubles down on support for Scalise 

"A Man of High Integrity"

‘I know what’s in his heart'

EXCERPTS:
House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday reiterated his support for Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who has come under fire after acknowledging that he gave a speech to members of a white supremacist group as a state lawmaker in 2002.
"I reject any form of bigotry, bigotry of all kinds. I'll refer you back to our statement. I think that's where the story ends," said Scalise.
________________________________________________
VOTING RECORD PROVES:
DAVID DUKE ADVISER CONTRIBUTES TO SCALISE CAMPAIGN:
SECRET SOCIETIES OPPOSED TO HIS "CATHOLIC FAITH"; 
EXCEPT FOR THE SECRETIVE "KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS", THAT IS

“NEW WAYS” SODOMITE CATHOLIC GROUP GETS RECOGNITION & VALIDATION FROM POPE FRANCIS~SOME STILL KNOW SODOMY IS SIN & REFUSE TO CONDONE IT

Sodomite Catholic group gets VIP treatment at Vatican for first time
AND
New Ways Ministry pilgrims pose in St. Peter’s Square 
following the papal audience with Pope Francis.
“a gay-positive ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Catholics, and reconciliation within the larger Christian and civil communities.
Through research, publication and education about homosexuality, we foster dialogue among groups and individuals, identify and combat personal and structural homophobia, work for changes in attitudes and promote the acceptance of LGBT people as full and equal members of church and society.
New Ways Ministry is a member of Equally Blessed, a coalition of faithful Catholics who support full equality for LGBT people both in the Church and in civil society.”
SEE: http://the-trumpet-online.com/sodomite-catholic-group-gets-vip-treatment-vatican-first-time/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – A prominent American Catholic gay rights group was given VIP treatment for the first time at an audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday, a move members saw as a sign of change in the Roman Catholic Church.
“This is a sign of movement that’s due to the Francis effect,” said Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, which ministers to homosexual Catholics and promotes gay rights in the 1.2 billion-member Church.
Gramick and executive director Francis DeBernardo led a pilgrimage of 50 homosexual Catholics to the audience in St. Peter’s Square.
They told Reuters in an interview afterwards that when the group came to Rome on Catholic pilgrimages during the papacies of Francis’s predecessors John Paul and Benedict, “they just ignored us”.
This time, a U.S. bishop and a top Vatican official backed their request and they sat in a front section with dignitaries and special Catholic groups. As the pope passed, they sang “All Are Welcome,” a hymn symbolizing their desire for a more inclusive Church.
Sister Jeannine Gramick and Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry. (Reuters)A list of participants released by the Vatican listed “a group of lay people accompanied by a sister” but did not mention that they were a gay rights organization.
“What this says is that there is movement in our Church, movement to welcome people from the outside closer to the inside,” Gramick said in St. Peter’s Square.
Several months after his election, Francis made his now-famous remark about how he could not judge gay people who are have good will and are seeking God.
But he so far shown no sign the Church will change its teaching that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are.
Last October, bishops from around the world meeting in Rome to debate questions concerning family issued an interim report calling for greater acceptance of gays in the Church.
That passage was watered down in the final version of the report after conservative bishops complained. A second and final meeting on family issues is scheduled for October.
DeBernardo said Catholic gay and lesbian couples and other non-traditional families should be invited to the meeting, known as a synod, to speak to the bishops about their faith and their sexuality.
_____________________________________________________________

Pope says gay people must not be judged:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnT-uBAArDE



_____________________________________________________________

SISTER JEANNINE GRAMICK
FRANCIS DE BERNARDO
New Ways Ministry’s LGBT Catholic Pilgrims Get VIP Seats at Papal Audience
republished below in full unedited:

In what is surely the most official welcome from Church officials that New Ways Ministry has received in its 38-year history, a pilgrimage group of 48 LGBT Catholics and supporters led by our co-founder, Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, received VIP seating at the papal audience in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2015.
Sister Jeannine had written to Pope Francis in December 2014, asking him to meet personally with the group when they visited Rome as part of their ten-day pilgrimage to Florence, Assisi, and the Eternal City.
Two weeks before departure on February 12th, she received a letter from Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Prefect of the Papal Household, letting her know that he had reserved tickets for the group for the Ash Wednesday audience.  She assumed that these were the general seating tickets. On the night of February 17th, when the group picked up the tickets at St. Peter’s, they learned that they were VIP seating.
When the group arrived at St. Peter’s Square in the morning, we were guided by papal ushers to the level of the Square where the pope sits.  All were astonished!    While we were not able to shake the pope’s hand personally, it is very significant that the Vatican responded so positively to an LGBT group by giving us such a prominent place at the audience.
When the pope passed by our group, we all sang “All Are Welcome,” a popular hymn which calls for an inclusive church.  We also called out several times that “We are LGBT Catholics!”
Pope Francis greets pilgrims at the Ash Wednesday audience.

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at the Ash Wednesday audience.

Although Sister Jeannine Gramick has led two other pilgrimages to Rome under the two previous popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, their presence was ignored at the papal audiences.

Religion News Service story in The Washington Post noted that it was not just Vatican recognition that was significant, but that several other Church leaders helped the process along the way:

“. . . Archbishop Georg Ganswein, head of the papal household and the top aide to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, responded to New Ways’ request for a papal meet-and-greet by reserving tickets for the group at Francis’ weekly public audience in St. Peter’s Square. It’s not a private meeting — which is tough for anyone to get — but it’s not nothing.

“The pope’s ambassador to Washington forwarded a similar request to Rome. Even San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone — point man for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ battle against gay marriage — had written a letter to the Vatican on their behalf.

“Last December, Cordileone had a constructive meeting with Frank DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways, and Sister Jeannine Gramick, a co-founder of New Ways and a longtime advocate for LGBT inclusion in the church. But they were still surprised by the archbishop’s willingness to write a letter for them.”

Sister Jeannine Gramick and Francis DeBernardo in St. Peter's Square following the Ash Wednesday audience.

Sister Jeannine Gramick and Francis DeBernardo in St. Peter’s Square following the Ash Wednesday audience.
Gibson also noted that a British cardinal has given similar prestigious recognition to an LGBT Catholic pilgrimage which is also in Rome this week:

” . . . British Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster sent a warm blessing to a group of LGBT Catholics from London who are joining up with New Ways in Rome. ‘Be assured of my prayers for each and every one of you,’ Nichols wrote. ‘Have a wonderful pilgrimage. God bless you all.’ “

Reuters story published on Huffington Post captured the response of New Ways Ministry’s leaders just after they left the papal audience:

” ‘What this says is that there is movement in our Church, movement to welcome people from the outside closer to the inside,’ Gramick said in St. Peter’s Square. . . . “DeBernardo said Catholic gay and lesbian couples and other non-traditional families should be invited to the meeting, known as a synod, to speak to the bishops about their faith and their sexuality.”

An Associated Press video also reported their reactions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhM3UMRl830 Several of the LGBT pilgrims were visibly moved by the welcome they received and by the experience of seeing the pope in person.  Several noted that they felt this was one more step in the progress–albeit, slow–that LGBT Catholics have been making in the Church for several decades.  All agreed that this day will never be forgotten.
–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry
_______________________________________________________________
“THE GATHERING AND DRAINING OF DESIRE”:
SEE NEW WAYS EVENT FACILITATED BY RICHARD ROHR 
NEW AGE, CONTEMPLATIVE, MYSTICAL FRANCISCAN MONK AT:
FOR $225 PER PERSON
The goal of the retreat is to provide a supportive environment in which gay
priests and brothers, their leaders, and formators can explore how to create conversations around issues of gay sexuality and spirituality in their faith
communities. The retreat will include lecture, prayer, quiet time, and dialogue
sessions with the speakers and with one another.

Richard Rohr, OFM, is a Franciscan priest and internationally known inspirational
speaker. He is best known for his writings on spirituality and his audio and video 
recordings. Scripture as liberation, the integration of action and contemplation,
community building, peace and justice issues, male spirituality, the Enneagram
and eco-spirituality are themes that he addresses in his writing and preaching. 

Fr. Rohr founded the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1971 and
the Center for Action and Contemplation inAlbuquerque, New Mexico in 1986, where he presently serves as Founding Director. He is a contributing editor and writer for Sojourners magazine. 
______________________________________________________

Detroit Archbishop Blocks Pro-Gay New Ways Ministry From Speaking At Catholic Parish:

November 24, 2014
Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

On Monday, LifeSiteNews reported that Detroit’s archbishop Allen Vigneron exercised his authority over his archdiocese by blocking the activist group New Ways Ministry, a nominally Catholic organization that seeks to change the church’s teaching on homosexuality, from speaking at Christ the King Parish in northwestern Detroit. 
Despite the headlines, the Catholic church has not changed its teaching on homosexuality or gay marriage, but that didn’t stop Christ the King pastor Father Victor Clore from violating Canon law when he decided his parish would serve host New Ways Ministry leader Francis DeBernardo giving a presentation to Fortunate Families, a group for Catholics whose children are openly homosexual.
New Ways Ministry has already been banned by the Vatican and has also been condemned by several bishops since 1984, including Pope Benedict XVI back in 1999 when he was known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. 
Both Father Victor Clore and Francis DeBernardo have protested archbishop Vigneron’s decision, citing Pope Francis as their reason. 
“I’ll give you a quote from one of my parishioners, who said, ‘It amazes me how Pope Francis eagerly and happily engages those who openly deny the divinity of Christ, yet DeBernardo is deemed unworthy to enter our church,’” Father Clore said. “That’s pretty much my feeling, too,” the priest continued. “It’s treating people as if they were children.”
DeBernardo told the Detroit Free Press, “The Detroit archdiocese’s actions run counter to Pope Francis’ more sympathetic posture toward gay Catholics.”
A spokesman for Archbishop Vigneron said New Ways Ministry is not an approved organization to address Catholic teachings on homosexuality.
“It was brought to the archdiocese’s attention a few weeks back that New Ways Ministry had been scheduled to speak at Christ the King Church,” Joe Kohn said in a statement. “Because New Ways Ministry had been identified as a group that might cause confusion in regards to Catholic church teaching, the archdiocese did clarify that a presentation by New Ways Ministry should not be hosted on church property.”
The event was moved to clubhouse of a local condominium. 
_____________________________________________________________


Gay Catholics Receive Vatican Welcome:

Rob Bell to Oprah: Church Is ‘Moments Away’ from Embracing Same-Sex ‘Marriage’

February 18, 2015 by Heather Clark
Bell
SEE: http://christiannews.net/2015/02/18/rob-bell-to-oprah-church-is-moments-away-from-embracing-same-sex-marriage/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

This past Sunday, during an episode of Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday,” Rob Bell, the former head “pastor” of Michigan’s Mars Hill Bible Church and author of “Love Wins,” a book questioning the orthodox Christian view of Hell, told the talk show host that he believes the Church is “moments away” from embracing same-sex “marriage.”
Bell had appeared on the broadcast with his wife Kristen to discuss their book “The Zimzum of Love: A New Way of Understanding Marriage.”
“I think it’s great that you all made a conscious choice to include gay marriage in [the book],” Oprah states following a clip showing Mrs. Bell reading a selection claiming that same-sex nuptials are a gift to the world. “Why [did you do that]?”
“One of the oldest aches in the bones of humanity is loneliness,” Rob Bell replied. “Loneliness is not good for the world. Whoever you are, gay or straight, it is totally normal, natural and healthy to want someone to go through life with. It’s central to our humanity. We want someone to go on the journey with.”
“When is the Church going to get that?” Oprah asked.
“We’re close,” he responded.
“I think it’s evolving,” Bell’s wife interjected.
“Lots of people are already there,” Bell added. “We think it’s inevitable and we’re moments away from the Church accepting it.”
He asserted that the Church will “continue to be even more irrelevant” if it continues to cite the Bible’s prohibitions on homosexual behavior.
“I think culture is already there, and the Church will continue to be even more irrelevant when it quotes letters from 2,000 years ago as their best defense,” Bell said, “when you have in front of you flesh-and-blood people who are your brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles, and co-workers and neighbors, and they love each other and just want to go through life.”
“There are churches who are moving forward and there are churches who are almost regressing and making it more of a battle,” his wife added.
As previously reported, Bell first publicly came out in support of same-sex “marriage” in 2013.
“I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man,” he said. “I think the ship has sailed and I think the church needs—I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”
Bell likewise opined that many evangelicals can no longer be classified as conservatives because their beliefs have changed with the times.
“I think we are witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn’t work. … You sort of die or you adapt,” he asserted. “And we have supported policies and ways of viewing the world that are actually destructive. And we’ve done it in the name of God and we need to repent.”
In light of his controversial views, some have said that Bell is leading many down a dark and destructive path.
“Plain and simple, Rob Bell’s teachings are not true to the words of Scripture,” Eric Ludy, pastor of Church at Ellerslie and president of Ellerslie Mission Society in Windsor, Colorado, told Christian News Network in 2013. “They are a sly attempt at blending the philosophies of our post-modern age with the vernacular of pop-Christianity. The end product is highly dangerous to the human soul because it is the forging of a golden calf god—a god of our culture’s making—and certainly not the God of the Bible.”
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CHRISTMAS 2014: MENNONITES GRABBING A “THIN PLACE” BETWEEN HEAVEN & EARTH WHERE GOD CAN BE EXPERIENCED?

FORFEITING THE WORD OF GOD 
FOR MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES 
OPENS ONE UP TO DEMONIC ACTIVITY & INFLUENCE

WHY ARE MENNONITES ENAMORED WITH “THIN PLACES”?
THIN PLACES EXPLAINED?

“Find Yourself a Thin Place this Christmas”: 

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

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.
God comes near
In North America, with the endless noise and rush of life, it’s often difficult to find places where we can steal a glimpse of heaven . . . we all long for places where the veil of eternity becomes slightly more transparent, awareness of God’s presence is heightened and intimacy with Jesus grows. . .
The ancient Celts called these “thin places.”
Whether thin places are actual geographical locations, or simply moments when we allow ourselves to be more aware of Jesus’ presence in our lives, they’re essential to our spiritual well-being.
New York Times writer Eric Weiner says thin places make us feel disoriented – in a good way. “They confuse. We lose our bearings, and find new ones. Or not. Either way, we are jolted out of old ways of seeing the world.”
“Thin places” at Christmas
The Christmas season offers ample opportunities for us to discover “thin places” in our world. They allow us to become disoriented for just a moment. They open the door for God to show us new ways of seeing things – to renew our hope and faith, and to reorient our spiritual compass.
Perhaps it’s a stirring performance of Handel’s “Messiah,” reminding us again of the majesty and grandeur of our Saviour. Perhaps it’s a quiet evening spent by the fire reading God’s Word, seeking his direction for the new year. Perhaps it’s a smile and an embrace from an old friend in the form of a Christmas card, allowing the joy of community to warmly enfold us.
Or perhaps it’s an unexpected faith conversation with a stranger on the subway after a hectic day of Christmas shopping, jarring us out of the ordinary and reminding us of what’s really important.
Wherever the thin places are for you this Christmas season, I wish you many moments discovering the nearness of God in this world.
After all, more than creating a thin space, Jesus’ birth on earth tore the veil in two. On the first Christmas, he emptied himself to dwell with his people, so we might truly see God face-to-face.
SOURCE – Have a “thin” Christmas by Laura Kalmar
http://mbherald.com/thin-christmas/
Are thin places a biblical way to meet God? Does the Bible teach us to seek God through the concept of thin places?
Before the answers to these questions are explored, one important point must be addressed. In the article, MB Herald editor Laura Kalmar refers to New York Times writer Eric Weiner as one of her information sources on thin places. In the Weiner’s NY Times article, called Where Heaven and Earth Come Closer, he calls thin places “locales where the distance between heaven and earth collapses and we’re able to catch glimpses of the divine, or the transcendent or, as I like to think of it, the Infinite Whatever.” Weiner is also an author of Man Seeks God: My Flirtations With the Divine. In the writing of this book, Weiner describes . . .
“… a wild ride that takes me to Nepal, where I meditate with Tibetan lamas and a guy named Wayne; to Turkey, where I whirl (not so well, as it turns out) with Sufi dervishes; to China, where I attempts to unblock my chi; to Israel, where I study Kabbalah, sans Madonna; to the Bronx, where I volunteer at a homeless shelter run by Franciscan friars; and even to Las Vegas, where I have a close encounter with Raelians, followers of the world’s largest UFO-based religion.
Along the way, I learn that I am not alone in my spiritual restlessness. The latest studies find that nearly one in three Americans will change their religious affiliation at some point in their lives. We are, more than ever, a nation of God hoppers.
I am willing to do anything to better understand faith, and to find the god or gods that speak to me. I maintain an open mind, leaving judgment at the door…”
It is unfortunate, if not shocking, that the editor of a Christian magazine would draw from the spiritually restless Weiner as a source for an article on how Christians might experience God.
This isn’t the first time that Christians have looked to other religious sources and extra-biblical spiritual means to experience the presence of God. On page 26 of his book called Letters to a Young Evangelical, well known Christian author Tony Campolo writes that every morning “I am able to create what the ancient Celtic Christians call “the thin place.”” This term is the thin line between spirituality and panentheism, implying that God is in all things. The thin place is also considered the gap between God and man where everything thins out and ultimately disappears in meditation.[1]
When Jesus and the power of the gospel is not enough for some people, they often turn to such concepts of ancient spirituality, like Campolo, who says:
“Believing the gospel was never a problem for me, but during times of reflection I sensed that believing in Jesus and living out His teachings just wasn’t enough. There was a yearning for something more, and I found that I was increasingly spiritually gratified as I adopted older ways of praying–ways that have largely been ignored by those of us in the Protestant tradition. Counter-Reformation saints like Ignatius of Loyola have become important sources of help as I have begun to learn from them modes of contemplative prayer. I practice what is known as “centering prayer,” in which a sacred word is repeated as a way to be in God’s presence.
… I’ve got to push everything out of mind save the name of Jesus. I say His name over and over again, for as long as fifteen minutes, until I find my soul suspended in what the ancient Celtic Christians called a “thin place”–a state where the boundary between heaven and earth, divine and human, dissolves. You could say that I use the name of Jesus as my koan.”
-Tony Campolo[2]
Campolo’s friend Samir Selmanovic[3], who has participated in the emergent conversation with Shane Claiborne and Brian McLaren, says of thin places:
“Celtic Christians sought after ‘thin places,’ spots where the membrane between mere physical reality and the reality of God’s presence thins out and becomes soft and permeable. For them, thin places are locations in space or time where God’s world (‘reality as it really is’) intersects with our world (‘reality as we happen to experience it’) so that it can be seen, touched, tasted, or sensed in some unmistakable way. They believed that at places like shorelines, fjords, rivers, and wells, the veil was so sheer, one could almost step through it. . . . A thin place could be a conversation, a dream, a room, a tree, a dawn, a shore, a dance, a person, a scientific lab, a Sabbath, a Eucharist, an early morning meal before the Ramadan fast begins.” 
— Samir Selmanovic in It’s Really All About God, Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian
It appears that, like contemplative spiritual formation, this is all part of a progression of (un)belief that leads people towards universalism. Like the labyrinth, a thin place appears to be another spiritual tool or means where people seek a supernatural experience or feeling. But what exactly is a ‘thin place’?
A thin place is a place of energy. A place where the veil between this world and the eternal world is thin. A thin place is where one can walk in two worlds – the worlds are fused together, knitted loosely where the differences can be discerned or tightly where the two worlds become one.
Thin places aren’t perceived with the five senses. Experiencing them goes beyond those limits.
Fascination with the “Other world” has occupied our human minds since early recordings of history and likely before that. A thin place pulsates with an energy that connects with our own energy – we feel it, but we do not see it. We know there’s another side – another world – another existence. To some it is heaven, the Kingdom, paradise. To others it may be hell, an abyss, the unknown. Whatever you perceive the Other world to be, a thin place is a place where connection to that world seems effortless, and ephemeral signs of its existence are almost palpable.
Mahatma Ghandi in his Spiritual Message to the World in 1931, speaks of this.
“There is an indefinable, mysterious power that pervades everything. I feel it, though I do not see it. It is this unseen power that makes itself felt and yet defies all proof, because it is so unlike all that I perceive through my senses. It transcends the senses”
Source – What is a Thin Place?
http://www.thinplaces.net/openingarticle.htm
The practice of trying to find the doorway connecting to the other world is definitely not a concept from biblical origins, as an excerpt from thinplace.netexplains:
The Celts were a culture of people that arrived in Ireland after 500 BC. The idea of thin places or doorways to the Otherworld were solidly a part of the Irish culture long before the Celts came. …The thin places concept was a part of the pre-Christian or pagan charism and these beliefs or sensitivities – existed prior to the Celts. The concept is rejected by many of the present day Christian communities, often being linked to “new age” heathenism. …These pre-Christian Irish people believed the thin place itself had the mystical or spiritual power. One didn’t create a thin place simply by moving into a state of contemplation or spiritual trance. The site itself was thin and that made spiritual contemplation more powerful.[4]
Christianizing the concept of thin spaces is simply another a new blend of spirituality that is not taught in the Bible, if not forbidden. Attempting to sense a spiritual energy or presence through the supernatural veil is an occultic practice. If ‘occult’ means ‘hidden’ spiritual mysteries and the supernatural, those who attempt to peer through the veil between the realms in order to ‘steal a glimpse of heaven’ to hear or see or feel God may be practicing a form of occultism. Occult methods involve seeking the hidden realm beyond rational reason to find a supernatural experience. Such an attempt outside the word of God might be compared to a soldier stepping into enemy territory without his sword. If Satan masquerades as an angel of light, why take the chance of being deceived by the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:1-2) while looking for a nice supernatural experience in a ‘hidden’ thin place?
While the spiritually restless and misinformed seek supernatural experiences in the thin spaces, it is only in the Bible that the deepest truths can be found. In its pages we read how the Creator of time and space stepped into this darkened world at the perfect time to fulfill prophecy and die for our sins to reconcile us back to Him. His death (not his birth) tore the veil in two, because He was the High Priest who made the final sacrifice (Himself), once and for all (Hebrews 10:10). When our resurrected Lord ascended in heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to help, teach and comfort us with His presence that indwells and empowers every believer. We don’t need to seek a doorway or experience, we only need to seek and abide in Him. He is the door (John 10:9). Instead of looking to discover “thin places” in our world this season, believers in Christ need only to draw near to God and abide in Him, every day of the year.
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 ESV
_______
[1]Campolo Crosses Bridge to Celtic Thin Place
http://muddystreams.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/campolo-finds-the-thin-place/
[2] 
http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2006/02/Mystical-Encounters-For-Christians.aspx
[3] Selmanovic is the founder of “Faith House Manhattan”, an interfaith community of Christians, Muslims, Jews and humanists/atheists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samir_Selmanovic)
[4] http://www.thinplace.net/2011/03/richard-rohr-celts-didnt-invent-thin.html
Related: *Read more about the thin places of Celtic Spirituality and which so called Christians promote them, in this article:
In Touch Magazine Draws Readers to “Celtic Spirituality”
*What are Celtic thin places?



AVOID: NEW FILM BY MAKERS OF FIREPROOF & COURAGEOUS USES “TALENTS” OF CONTEMPLATIVES BETH MOORE & PRISCILLA SHIRER

SSad Ne

SOUTHERN BAPTIST APOSTASY SPREADS 
INTO FAMILY FILM MAKING
Beth Moore
FAMILY ORIENTED FILM MAKERS 
MAKE USE OF CONTEMPLATIVE 
PROPONENTS IN NEW FILM:
BETH MOORE & PRISCILLA SHIRER
FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH AT: 

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2014/newsletter20140811.htm
LTRP Note: The following news story is posted for research and informational purposes only and not as an endorsement for CCM magazine. It is with dismay that we have learned that the creators of Fireproof andCourageous (two family-oriented Christian films) have turned to Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer for their new film on prayer. Both Shirer and Moore are contemplative proponents, and their inclusion in the new film will inadvertently introduce many to their teachings on prayer. You can read about Beth Moore’s contemplative propensities by getting our free PDF article titled “Why We Say Beth Moore is a Contemplative Advocate.”

Related Material:

 “Courageous and Fireproof Creators Wrap Fifth Film”

Alex and Stephen Kendrick—creators of hit faith films FIREPROOF and COURAGEOUS—have just wrapped principal photography on their anticipated fifth movie—a family drama with humor and heart focused on the power of prayer and its primary role in the Christian life. “We made this film to inspire, challenge and motivate families to fight the right kind of battles and to fight them the best way possible,” said Director and Co-Writer Alex Kendrick. “We have plans for everything—careers, finances, health. But what about a strategy for prayer for our lives, our spouses and our children?”The Kendricks’ fifth film is their first project independent of Sherwood Pictures, the movie ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church. Pre-production began in 2013 with the blessing and support of the Sherwood family, where they remain associate pastors. To continue reading, click here.
________________________________________________________________________________
SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS BELOW ABOUT BETH MOORE AS WELL AS MANY AT APPRISING.ORG:

BETH MOORE-SBC WORD OF FAITH PROPHETESS:

DIAPRAX OF ERROR: BETH MOORE & WAYNE GRUDEM BOTH CONTINUATIONISTS:

BETH MOORE STILL HEARING DIRECT REVELATION FROM GOD ATTACKS CRITICS OF ECUMENICAL UNITY AS SCOFFERS:

CHRIS ROSEBROUGH EXPOSES BETH MOORE’S FUTURE OUTPOURING “PROPHECY”~WARNING ABOUT BIBLE-BASED “SCOFFERS” FROM WITHIN CHRISTIANITY:

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ALSO SEE RELEVANT POSTS ABOUT PRISCILLA SHIRER:

NANCY LEIGH DEMOSS “HEARTS REVIVED”, BUT AT WHAT PRICE? A VENEER OF CHRISTIANITY HIDING SPIRITUAL FORMATION DISCIPLINES, CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM & WITCHCRAFT?:

ROMA DOWNEY NEW AGE ADVOCATE PARTNERS WITH “WOMEN OF FAITH”~WOMEN SHOULD AVOID THESE CONFERENCES:

both of which above refer to the Apprising.org links:

s – Courageous and Fireproof Filmmakers Include Contemplatives Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer in New Film on PrayeraSad News – Courageous and Fireproof Filmmakers Include Contemplatives Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer in New Film on Prayerd NSad News – Courageous and Fireproof Filmmakers Include Contemplatives Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer in New Film on Prayerews – Courageous and Fireproof Filmmakers Include Contemplatives Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer in New Film on Prayer

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