Escape the Lie, An Interview

Looky what just “escaped” from the internet:

Escape From Bethel

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The website containing my interview is no longer in operation. Just “poof” and it is no longer there, along with the contact e-mail. Not sure if it will be available. Just will wait and see. Sorry all.

Here is the audio of an interview I did this morning exposing the trap and darkness of “Bethel”.

Pass it on.

A former “Seer Prophet” tells her story and helps to expose the false teachings of Bill Johnson, Todd Bentley, John Paul Jackson and others. The Healing Rooms and Word of Faith ministries

It has been brought to my attention that his other site supports AA and 12 Stepping, Celebrate Recovery. I understand these practices to not be of God and I am not condoning or supporting them in any way. I believe Christ is enough. You will find links of supporting information against these programs from My Word Like Fire in the comments section for more info on these topics. It is only my intention, as it has been since the beginning of my blogging days, to support Christianity in it’s true form, as found written in the word of God.

Caryl Matrisciana on Hinduism

Caryl Matrisciana, author and filmmaker, tells an interesting story here of her Hindu-influenced Roman Catholic upbringing while living in India, her delve into “new age” and the night she recognized her need for salvation through Christ. In this interview by Christ in Prophecy, she makes the striking connection between Hindu thought and current thinking that has invaded our churches.

The Vineyard – Emergent Connection

If you attend a Vineyard Church, or if the names John Wimber, Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Madam Guyon resonate as great spiritual teachers, please take some time to consider who you are following. Spiritual formation, contemplative prayer, meditation, and yoga are not spiritual teachings of the bible.

I noticed these names at the Vineyard I used to attend and I had no idea of who they were or what they stood for. After I began my research I started to see the connection between these names, the Vineyard and the Emergent Church. It didn’t take me long to find the truth and to recognize these teachers are not of Christ.

Remember, we were warned in Matthew 24 by Jesus that many would come in His name and many would be deceived.

Important read from Lighthouse Trails –

This week we received an e-mail from someone who asked us to check up on a workshop taking place at the Vineyard in Anaheim, California. Our reader shared her concern that this may be an emerging type workshop and that the church might be going in that direction.

Our Response:

“The Vineyard Movement Grabs Hold of Contemplative Spirituality”

The Vineyard movement was started in the 1970s by John Wimber (who had been a leader in the Friends (Quaker) church) after breaking off from Calvary Chapel where Kenn and Joanie Gulliksen had started the first meetings. Vineyard Anaheim is the “mother” or “flagship” Vineyard church, pastored today by Lance Pittluck. Regarding the  ”Spiritual Formation” workshop that our reader wrote to us about, on the church website, it states:

We believe that every disciple is invited by the Holy Spirit into becoming conformed to the Image of Christ through the disciplines encompassed by solitude, silence, scripture-meditation and reflection.

Vineyard Anaheim has turned to Richard Foster’s Renovare to bring these “disciplines” to their church members. Richard Foster, also a Quaker, is one of the pioneers in bringing contemplative spirituality to the evangelical/Protestant church and is a disciple of Thomas Merton. Foster believes that Merton tried to “awaken” God’s people (through mysticism)2 and that he “has perhaps done more than any other twentieth-century figure to make the life of prayer widely known and understood.3 Yet Merton’s panentheistic view (i.e., God in all) coupled with his strong affinity to Buddhism (he once stated: “I see no contradiction between Buddhism and Christianity … I intend to become as good a Buddhist as I can”4) is contrary to the God of the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Richard Foster so resonates with Merton that he includes him in his list of spiritual masters in his two books Spiritual Classics and Devotional Classics.

It’s not just Richard Foster that Vineyard is looking to for “spiritual formation.” On the ”Pastoral Staff Recommends” page, there is a who’s who of contemplative mystics listed. Craig Lockwood, the pastor who will be heading up the Spiritual Formation program, includes Dallas Willard, Jan Johnson, Larry Crabb, Madame Guyon, Richard Foster, Gary Thomas, Morton Kelsey, and Adele Calhoun on his recommended reading list. These are some of the “heavy weights” in the contemplative movement, and you can read about most of them in A Time of Departing by Ray Yungen or on our research site. Typical of the contemplative mindset, one of those listed, Morton Kelsey, stated: “You can find most of the New Age practices in the depth of Christianity . . . I believe that the Holy One lives in every soul.”5

In Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (which Lockwood recommends), Ahlberg Calhoun promotes mantra meditation, giving detailed instructions on several types of contemplative practices. In addition, she quotes from many New Age sympathizers and New Age contemplatives and encourages the use of centering prayer, breath prayers, contemplative prayer, labyrinths, palms-up, palms-down exercises, and recommends for further reading a plethora of mystics. One of those she lists is Tilden Edwards, the founder of the mysticism promoting Shalem Prayer Institute, who said that contemplative prayer is the bridge between Christianity and Eastern religion.6

An interesting name shows up on the “Pastoral Staff Recommends” page at Vineyard Anaheim – J.P. Moreland. The beliefs of Moreland have been discussed in a number of Lighthouse Trails articles regarding his contemplative views, but we didn’t realize that he attends Vineyard Anaheim. When we saw his name on the Pastoral Staff Recommends page, we called Vineyard and were told that Moreland attends Vineyard Anaheim and “sometimes speaks” there. Moreland, a teacher at Biola University and Summit Ministries (in Colorado) recommends a number of Dallas Willard books and The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen. In that book, which is a primer on contemplative prayer, Nouwen states:

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. 7

What Nouwen is describing here is mantra meditation (i.e., eastern-style meditation). Practicing mysticism is what led Nouwen to say near the end of his life:

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.8

By saying this, Nouwen illustrated the “fruit” of contemplative spirituality – panentheism (God in all) and interspirituality. This can be further proven by Nouwen’s strong affinity with New Age meditation proponent, Beatrice Bruteau where he called her a  “trustworthy guide to contemplative consciousness” (from Abba’s Child) . J.P. Moreland’s endorsement of The Way of the Heart will point Vineyard members to the same spirituality Nouwen came to  embrace.

In a book review of Moreland’s book Kingdom Triangle, he lays out a three-step process to bring about a kingdom of God on earth through spiritual formation (i.e., contemplative prayer). This would resonate with what Vineyard is doing – turning to contemplative to accelerate their kingdom of God on earth goals.

In Kevin Reeves book The Other Side of the River, Reeves addresses the spiritual viewpoints of John Wimber. Wimber said that the Western church needed to go through a major paradigm shift because of its resistance to the supernatural.9 Reeves explains some of Wimber’s ideas:

 The old study and learn method (commended by the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 4:13-16, and II Timothy 3:14-17) is no longer adequate. In fact, according to Wimber and a flood of Third Wave teachers, it never has been. Experience is what counts, they say, and all that head knowledge we’ve been accumulating all these years is a big waste of time. This teaching states that to really know God, His power and miracles, we need to shuck all that dead letter stuff and get into the life.

 Wimber also first introduced into mainstream charismatic congregations the incredibly strange manifestations that are supposedly initiated by the Holy Spirit. Pogoing (jumping up and down in place), rippling on or under the skin, tingling, shaking, convulsions, uncontrollable laughter—many of the same kinds of manifestations traditionally attributed to demonic influence—have now attained prominence in River meetings. It is shocking and frightening to see the similarities between Wimber’s manifestations and what is called Kundalini, “a Hindu term for the mystical power or force that underlies Hindu spirituality.” Here is a list of Kundalini symptoms:

* Burning hot or ice cold streams moving up the spine.

* Pains in varying locations throughout the body.

* Vibrations, unease, or cramps in legs and other parts of body.

* Fast pulse and increased metabolism.

* Disturbance in the breathing–and/or heart function.

* Sensitivity to sound, light, smell, and proximity of other people.

* Mystical/religious experiences.

* Parapsychological abilities.

* Persistent anxiety or anxiety attacks, confusion

* Insomnia, manic high spirits or deep depression. Energy loss.

* Impaired concentration and memory.

* Total isolation due to inability to communicate inner experiences out.

* Experiences of possession and poltergeist phenomena. 10

What some may not realize is that many of these symptoms are also experienced during deep contemplative meditation. By combining the hyper-charismatic experiences with contemplative spirituality (as Vineyard is doing), the process of going into altered states of consciousness (i.e., demonic realms) is speeded up; and the voice heard, believed to be God, may not be Him at all. Reeves points out that Wimber was drawn to the writings of Agnes Sanford and Morton Kelsey. Did Wimber realize that Kelsey “equates the ministry of Jesus with shamanism, commends encounters with the dead as natural spirit-earth links,bases much of his book on paganistic Jungian psychology, and calls the atonement a “hypothesis developed” by the early church”?11

An article titled “Buried Seed: Spiritual Direction and the Vineyard Movement” written by a Vineyard “spiritual director” in New Zealand reveals the efforts by spiritual directors in Vineyard to integrate spiritual formation into the Vineyard movement. Just to show the lack of discernment that occurs by contemplative advocates, the author of the article lists Thomas Keating as a source he used to write the article. Keating, like Merton, is a panentheist and mystic Catholic priest.

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, especially where they have been initiated by reliable teachers and have a solidly developed Christian faith to find inner form and meaning to the resulting experiences. 12

Our reader who sent us the e-mail inquiring about Vineyard Anaheim asked if there was any emergent connection to spiritual formation. We have always contended that they are basically the same thing (see Faith Undone). What’s more, on the recommended reading list of Vineyard Anaheim, senior pastor Lance Pittluck recommends Rob Bell along with several other contemplative/emerging figures (Nouwen, Sider, Manning, Miller, Boyd, etc). It is clear that Pittluck resonates with these people.

For those who wonder if the contemplative/emerging infiltration is confined to just Vineyard Anaheim, a Book Recommendations for Youth list on the main USA Vineyard website recommends emerging church favorites N.T. Wright, Andy Stanley, Erwin McManus, and Shane Claiborne, and contemplatives Henri Nouwen, Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Jim Burns, and John Eldredge.  Sadly, Vineyard youth are being introduced to these contemplative/emerging leaders. In addition, Vineyard has at least one leader who is designated to work with Vineyard churches in spiritual formation. And just as a sampling to show this is not an isolated situation, listed below are a few Vineyard churches that are incorporating “spiritual formation” into church life:

Vineyard City Church – Redding California’ (also links to the very contemplative/emerging Simpson College and Bethel Church in Redding)

 Live Oak Vineyard – Monrovia California (promotes New Age sympathizer Phyllis Tickle)

Friends Langley Vineyard – BC Canada

Vineyard Community Church – Cincinnati, OH

All this would leave little doubt that the Vineyard movement has hopped onto the contemplative/emergent track, seemingly full speed ahead.

Notes:

1. Bill Jackson, The Quest For The Radical Middle: A History of the Vineyard, ch 3, p. 80.
2. Ray Yungen, A Time of Departing (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2nd ed, 2006), pp. 76-77, quoting Richard Foster at a seminar Yungen attended.
3. Richard Foster and Emilie Griffin, Spiritual Classics (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 2000), p. 17.
4. David Steindl-Rast, “Recollection of Thomas Merton’s Last Days in the West” (Monastic Studies, 7:10, 1969).
5. Morton Kelsey cited in Charles H. Simpkinson, “In the Spirit of the Early Christians.”
6. Tilden Edwards, Spiritual Friend (New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1980), pp. 18.
7. Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1991), p. 81.
8. Henri  Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey (New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 1998), p. 51.
9. John Wimber: 1934-1997. Wimber’s “paradigm shift” is discussed and documented in several books and articles such as C. Peter Wagner’s Acts of the Holy Spirit (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2000), p. 123.
10. Kevin Reeves, The Other Side of the River (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2007), pp. 167-168.
11.  Ibid, p. 169.
12.  M. Basil Pennington, Thomas Keating, Thomas E. Clarke, Finding Grace at the Center  (Petersham, MA: St. Bede’s Pub., 1978), pp. 5-6.

Resources from Roger Oakland

Some free resources to help you – highly recommend! 🙂

Understanding the Times – Roger Oakland

Jude 3-4

3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rick Warren and…

A collection of links and articles written by others that will show who and what Rick Warren is involved with.  (Also see previous article.)

This page may be updated in the future. If you have references, please send them in if you wish. 🙂

Rick Warren Endorses 2013 Book, “Catholics Come Home” – Calls Catholic Evangelization “Critically Important”

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=11347

See what “America’s Pastor” is saying about this 2013 release on the Roman Catholic” new evangelization program to bring back the “lost [Protestant] brethren” to the “Mother Church”:

Warren openly attempts to unite Christians and Muslims –

The Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and one of America’s most influential Christian leaders, has embarked on an effort to heal divisions between evangelical Christians and Muslims by partnering with Southern California mosques and proposing a set of theological principles that includes acknowledging that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.  read more

Crosstalk Blog

We are reminding readers of the use of the term “leaven” in Galatians 5:9 in regard to false teaching. How does leaven work? We all know. A small amount placed in the dough will leaven all of it.

Rick Warren and John Piper as Keynote Speakers, Aspire Conference

A Photo with Steve Camp Says it All

The seduction of the “Reformed” camp by Rick Warren continues apace. The Tweet in the photo is by Steve Camp from last June, a man who spent  a number of years exposing the Purpose-Driven false gospel only to do a 180-degree turnaround recently.

PRN Newswire:

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to Join Rick Warren in one-on-one discussion

LAKE FOREST, Calif., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Rick Warren and Saddleback Church will host Tony Blair on Sunday, March 6 at the Civil Forum on Peace in A Globalized Economy.

Lake Forest Patch:

Tony Blair to give tickets to Saddleback attendees

Christian Post:

Pastor’s Convention Aim to Plant More Churches

We don’t need another conference or more sermons…but what we need is a fresh awakening, a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would begin something that would literally change the world, said Pitman, who is also the lead pastor of Hope Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nev.

This convention is the Aspire Conference linked in the first article The quoted comment sounds just like those involved in charismania who constantly look for the next move, the next outpouring as though God needs to do something more for us than He already has. The true message is one of repentance. It is our responsibility to respond to God in heeding the message already laid out. Planting churches is a great goal if there is proper need. But in looking at the big picture, these men are no longer bringing a gospel message, but one mixed with many other focuses. When the message of the cross has become “Jesus and” it is no longer the true gospel. It has become heretical.

Chuck Colson Breakpoint:

Video Series by Chuck Colson and Rick Warren -Christian leaders Chuck Colson and Rick Warren have joined together to produce a stimulating study called Wide Angle: Framing Your Worldview.

Keep in mind the previous push for signatures on the Manhattan Declaration. Is it a wonder Chuck Colson has also teamed up with Warren being they are both “purpose driven”? When I hear the word “worldview” it makes me think dominionism or one world religion/government. I know some who use this word do not have that in their view or teaching, but many others do and we will see that connection between those who have evil intent.

Lighthouse Trails Blog:

3 Contemplative Proponents -Leonard Sweet, Rick Warren, and Mark Driscoll – Named Among “Top 10 Most Influential Christians” of 2010

“What influenced the choices were their accomplishments in 2010, polling data and frequency of mention in the press.”1 What the article does not say though is that all three of these “leaders” in Christianity are contemplative proponents, which means that in view of this huge influence, thousands and thousands are being influenced toward contemplative spirituality (a belief system that ultimately leads to New Age thinking).

Lighthouse Trails has some very good reference material regarding the New Age and false christs. I highly recommend these books and teachings!

Eye-Witness Account: Global Peace Forum at Saddleback with Rick Warren and Tony Blair Raises Serious Questions About Global Peace Plan

On March 7, 2011, Roger Oakland, founder of Understand the Times, International, and two other members from his ministry attended the Peace in a Globalized Society forum at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, which featured Rick Warren and special guest, former UK prime minister Tony Blair. Roger Oakland and his co-workers obtained eye-witness seats at the event that included well over 2000 people in attendance. Although cameras and recorders were not allowed in the main sanctuary where the interview took place, the UTT team took notes.

2theadvocate:

Warren Visits Bethany for Conference

He (Warren) said he has trained more than 400,000 people in the 40-day, “Purpose Driven” program in 164 foreign nations, and some of those people have told him, “The uprisings are not religious or political; everybody is working together.”

In introducing Warren to the conference audience, the Rev. Larry Stockstill, senior pastor at Bethany, said Warren has “an apostolic calling on a worldwide scale.”

“A mantle that Billy Graham has been carrying is falling upon him,” Stockstill said. Warren’s “greatest desire is to see the American pastor and pastors across this globe develop a purity of lifestyle that shines like stars in the firmament.”

emphasis mine

Apprising Ministries:

THE DANIEL PLAN OF RICK WARREN ENCOURAGES UNBIBLICAL MEDITATION: http://apprising.org/2011/02/17/the-daniel-plan-of-rick-warren-encourages-unbiblical-meditation/

Jesus didn’t wear socks. I don’t wear socks. I want to be like him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Rick Warren’s Health Seminar

I was very happy to find a testimony from someone who had first hand knowledge of the goings on at this seminar. It is so important to the church that we get the truth out there. Please pay attention if you still think Warren is a Christian. This is only one thing he has his hand in. There are others and he is proving to be quite dangerous.  Thanks to Jennifer, Ponderings from Patmos. For Reference See Weight Loss at All Costs and A Purpose  Driven Whatever A Visit to Rick Warren’s Health Seminar The Unfolding of a Global New Age Plan by Jennifer Pekich, Ponderings from Patmos Background information: Rick Warren’s New Health and Wellness Initiative

Home  1-23-11

The following is written by a LighthouseTrails reader and researcher who attended Rick Warren’s health seminar on January 15, 2011 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:20-21

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I first arrived to Saddleback’s campus only to be told that “all parking lots were full.” I drove across the street to see if there were any spots available in the business lots, and they were full too. I ended up parking in a housing tract and walked a mile or two back to Saddleback’s campus. As I arrived, I overheard a parking lot attendant say they estimated about 6,000 people had come to the seminar.I was a little late, so I was grateful to my nephew who went online and began to relay what was being said in the opening comments, as I didn’t want to miss what was to be the foundation of the talks that day. I was a little taken aback when my nephew told me the first speaker, Dr. Amen, made reference to the Egyptian pyramids and how they were built upon an “idea,” and if man could build something like that all those thousands of years ago, what could he do today if he put his mind to it? I found that to be somewhat disturbing, as the pyramids, no matter how impressive they were, represent the ancient pagan religions which got their start in Babylon when Nimrod gathered men (the community) together to commit idolatry by building a tower to honor themselves as gods (Gen. Ch. 11).[1]

And yet here it was, the analogy that was chosen to illustrate this new “idea” Saddleback would launch their 52 week program with. No matter what Dr. Amen’s intent was, I believe the analogy was appropriate, and the subtle message is telling…”MAN CAN DO ANYTHING HE PUTS HIS MIND TO.” Sound familiar? (Read Gen. 3:4-5).[2]

As I began to head up the hill toward the main sanctuary, a Saddleback tram pulled up and the driver asked if I wanted a lift. I said I preferred to walk, but thanks. The driver yelled, “Let’s all give her a hand folks, she’s started the Daniel Plan already!” And the people on the tram cheered. Never mind the fact that I have been walking my entire life because I enjoy doing so, not because of some health and fitness campaign. I sensed I was entering a nightmare.

The main sanctuary was full, & it was standing room only. They told me the overflow areas were full too. So I found a spot on the patio outside the main sanctuary looking in. I had a good view and could see the stage perfectly. Their outdoor sound system made it so I could roam around, observe the audience, continue to listen to the guest speakers, and take notes.

To begin, I’d like to state that Saturday Jan. 15th, 2011 will go down in the history books as the day Saddleback Church was sold a bill of goods. The masses had come out in droves for answers to their weight loss difficulties & health problems, but unbeknownst to them, they were being given a prescription for restructuring society & population control.

The prescription goes by the name Agenda 21, a.k.a. “Sustainable Development” or “Smart Growth.” Agenda 21 is a published document put out by the United Nations with the intent to put limits on population and to restructure nation-states into a global society.[3] Rick Warren’s “new friends” had dubbed it, “The Daniel Plan – God’s Prescription For Your Health.” A more appropriate title would’ve been, “Sustainable Living – Destroying Inalienable Rights, One Community at a Time.”

By the time I settled into listening more intently, the second speaker, Mark Hyman, began. It didn’t take too long to figure out what the basis of his message was: We “need to heal with community” (he termed this “accompaniment”), “we’re here for the sake of each other,” this plan “is our way out,” this plan “saved me,” and in fact will “change the world.”

Saddleback was being told they were a “test community” to show the world how to live “healthy and sustainably.” When I heard these words, my heart sank. It was as I’d feared. I knew which buzzwords to listen for, and he was hitting them all. The audience was told they would be champions in health to show the world what “living sustainably” was all about, but Dr. Hyman is a leftist who is more than a champion in health, he’s a change agent for the global elite, as is Dr. Oz & Dr. Amen. Dr. Hyman is the founder and medical director of the Ultra Wellness Center, he advises Dr. Oz’s healthcore group, and he’s a nominee to President Obama’s advisory group on prevention, health promotion, and integrative and public health. [4] Hmmmmmm. I smell an agenda.

Dr. Hyman practices what’s known as “functional medicine,” which means he uses a “whole systems” approach to medicine; in other words, he practices medicine “wholistically,” This is also known as “Mind Body” medicine. At Saddleback’s seminar, “mind body” or “functional” medicine was presented as if it’s completely scientific. Any scientist worth his salt will tell you that yes, the body can be measured scientifically, but the mind falls into an entirely different category which can never be measured by science. As stated by Dave Hunt in his book Occult Invasion – The Subtle Seduction of the World and Church, “Physical science, by very definition, can make no judgments concerning a nonphysical realm” as is the mind & the soul.[5] In other words, the mind and the soul are scientifically immeasurable.

It’s the same with the religions of “Mind Science.” Calling a religion “Mind Science” or “Scientology,” when there’s nothing scientific about it, is the same as calling a cereal “Grapenuts” when it contains no grapes or nuts. But we live in an era when the masses have been sufficiently dumbed down, and all it takes to impress is clever packaging and branding. If “they” say it’s science, then dog-gone-it, it’s science! After all, “these doctors are on television.”

As I sat through all 3 presentations by Dr.’s Hyman, Amen, & Oz, what came to mind were the traveling salesmen of the 1800s. They talk fast, so fast that the message that’s really being given, goes right over people’s heads. They used tactics to tug at the heart strings such as videos of sick little girls who suddenly got well from being on “the program” and have been “set free” from relying on medications. Then they flooded the audience with “facts” and “statistics” to scare any grandmother, such as “a tsunami of disease is hitting us,” “life expectancy is going down,” “1 out of 2 people are diabetic or pre-diabetic,” “70% of all agricultural land is taken up by growing animals to feed all the people,” “the bigger your body gets, the more your brain shrinks,” etc.

I about fell off my chair when Dr. Hyman stated, “The key to the success of the “Daniel Plan” is “group living” … “individuals” will not succeed, our only hope lies in “community.” [LT Note:This is exactly what the emerging church is teaching.]  And with that, it was announced that the “Saddleback community” would be an example of “sustainable living” and would set the course to “change this world” … and the crowd went wild!  [LT Note: Remember, when we reported how Rick Warren talked glowingly about a critical mass needed to change our world?]

Dr. Hyman said that he is a Jew, Dr. Amen said he is a Christian, and Dr. Oz said he is a Muslim. And doesn’t that represent the demographic of “most of the population of the world”? But then he said, “we’re all the same underneath.” True to his salesman fashion, Dr. Hyman didn’t define his terms. What in the world does he mean “we’re all the same underneath”? That can mean a number of things. Since he was speaking to a religious crowd, I’d venture to say some of the folks present took that to mean we’re all children of God (Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.), which is patently false according to the Bible. The Bible says there are only two groups, children of wrath and children of God. You’re either one or the other, a believer in Christ Jesus, or a non-believer. We aren’t “all the same underneath.” (Ephesians Ch. 2).[6]

The only way in which we’re “all the same underneath” is we’re all sinners in need of a Savior; and the Savior isn’t “sustainable living.” [LT Note: Remember, the New Age says the era of the single savior is OVER!] The Savior is Jesus Christ, and He is the only way unto salvation (John 14:6).[7] And to become a child of God, Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John Ch. 3). [8] The tragic thing about this day at Saddleback is, Jesus was never mentioned … and I mean NEVER. There were a few passing references to God; Daniel Amen mentioned that our bodies were “a temple of the Holy Spirit and the brain is the inner sanctum” [Amen means that all humans are the temple of the Holy Spirit], but Jesus never made the cut –  ”sustainable lifestyles” and “group living” did.

Following Dr. Hyman’s talk, my best friend arrived to observe the day with me, only to hear Dr. Amen mention in his presentation that he did a brain scan on one of his clients who had a habit of cheating on his wife. The brain scan showed that there were “holes in the pre-frontal cortex of his brain” which controls the impulses. In other words, this man wasn’t sinful, he was “mentally ill.” All he needed was to get on the “Change Your Brain, Change Your Body” program, and his personal struggles with sin were remedied. Once again, Jesus was removed from the equation. My friend and I were dumbfounded when we listened to the Saddleback crowd cheer. My best friend couldn’t contain it any longer and let out a, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” My thoughts exactly!

Dr. Hyman recommended Yoga and meditation to the crowd. Dr. Amen gave a diplomatic denunciation of Yoga (which is contradictory since he has recommended it himself), but about 5 sentences later mentioned a study done by a friend of his named Andy Newberg who did brain scans on Tibetan nuns and Franciscan priests while in “prayer and contemplation” and the study showed that “spiritual connection” is healthy. Dr. Amen has been an advocate of “Sa Ta Na Ma” meditation.[9]

If by chance any attendees of the Saddleback “Health and Fitness Seminar” read this blog post, I encourage you to educate yourself about what globalism truly is. You also need to research Agenda 21. As stated earlier, the purpose of Agenda 21 is to restructure society. Sounds conspiratorial, I know. But it isn’t a conspiracy; it’s a published document of the United Nations that’s in full swing. Anywhere you hear the terms, “Sustainable Development,”  ”sustainable living,” “smart growth,”  ”going green,”  etc., rest assured you’ve just been exposed to the U.N.’s Agenda 21. [10]

It shouldn’t surprise us that Rick Warren would allow a seminar of this nature at Saddleback; after all, he himself has “GONE GREEN.” [11] He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[12] This illustrates the natural progression of one being unequally yoked with non-believers & buying into heresies such as “Kingdom Now,” “Dominionism,” or “Restoration Theology.” Where these heresies reign, as they do at Saddleback, you will find that the focus subtly shifts from salvation in Christ alone, through faith alone, to misguided efforts to restore mankind & the earth through “community” works, sustainable living, and social justice. How convenient that these just happen to be the vehicles which the United Nations is using to further it’s own agenda to restructure society & unite the world under its governing body of global elites.

TRUE TRUTH: “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

(I found it to be slightly humorous that, on page 9 of the booklet which Saddleback passed out to attendees, the symptom of “itchy ears” was listed in the “Medical Symptom/Toxicity Questionnaire”…oh, the irony!) (source: Ponderings from Patmos)

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Endnotes:
1. Genesis 11:4 – “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’”

2. Genesis 3:4-5 – “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

3. Agenda 21 – http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21

4. Mark Hyman’s presentation at “Authors @ Google” titled, The UltraMind Solution: Healthy Body, Powerful Mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAZVpsd2Nao

5. Occult Invasion – The Subtle Seduction of the World and the Church, Dave Hunt, Harvest House Publishers 1998, pg. 61

6. Ephesians Ch. 2:1-5 – And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

7. John 14:6 – “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

8. John 3:3 – “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

9. Dr. Amen recommends “Sa Ta Na Ma” meditation a form of Kirtin Kriya yoga. http://richardeward.com/kirtin-kriya-sa-ta-na-ma-meditation/

10. Agenda 21 – “The U.N. Plan for Your Sustainable Community. ” http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/la21_198.html

11. A Greener Spirit: Evangelicals Embrace “Creation Care”. http://environment.change.org/blog/view/a_greener_spirit_evangelicals_embrace_creation_care

12. Council on Foreign Relations Membership Roster. http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=W

For more information on Reiki and the New Age plan, read For Many Shall Come in My Name.

on not losing my mind

Like many of you I have been watching the things going on in the Middle East and here in America. We are certainly seeing events that we have not seen in the past, or at least what we are witnessing is in greater proportion than before. It reminds me of the coming of Christ, as we are seeing so many countries affected and in need of peace. Who will be their peacemaker?

It makes me think of the minds of people with a need to assemble, to rise up to speak against the evil brought against them, the unfairness of those who were set in place to protect them and to see to their own good. After all, isn’t that the makings of a true leader? To protect and lead those who put them in office? Isn’t that what we have been taught to do here in America, to speak against all that is wrong? To speak our minds, to vote?

This isn’t what we are seeing these days. We expect the evil from third world countries, those who are under the harsh rule of the dictator. We hate their treatment but we are certainly aware of it. We do not expect it from our leaders here in America. But, sadly this is exactly what is taking place as Obama’s heavy hand waves away so many rights of the people. Rights that have been enacted by law long before he was ever born, long before those who stood up for what was right ever expected to see a dictator rise from the loins of American soil. But, it is happening before our very eyes and we have been rendered powerless to stop the tirade against freedom. Ok. Breathe.

A few days ago I began to pull together some articles as I again see an uprising in the Evangelical realm. Hehe. If we dare to continue to call it “evangelical”. I like Apprising’s word – evanjellyfish much better. (Thanks Ken!) Why? Because so many who we once adhered to as great teachers of the word of God have lost their backbone to stand for the truth. Instead they gather in groups which they refer to as conferences, doing the good ol buddy routine, endorsing the plans of this one, the success of that one.

They bring in heretical doctrine, an oxymoron in its own terms. One claims, “this is the way, follow me”. They trade literally in the name of Jesus. They forget the church was born and still exists through the power of the Holy Spirit and not through do it my way programs and how to books. But they continue to write them. They need to teach us a method instead of teaching how to be Spirit-led which is what we are supposed to be. They bring in gurus from other religions under the guise of health and deeper spirituality. They teach meditation. They teach yoga. They teach breath prayers. They teach unity. They teach another jesus. Do not be fooled to think otherwise.

We have the technology. We have the documentation.

How many of us were offended at Obama’s remark that America is no longer a Christian nation? It is the one thing I agreed with him on. It is not. America has gone “New Age”.

Right there I am reminded of the return of the Lord when He questioned if He will find faith here. What have we as a Christian nation allowed ourselves to become?

Not only did I feel angry at these things taking place, but I felt ignored. Who is listening to this silly – once a false prophet and was wrong then squat of a middle-aged woman. A woman. It was the woman who held the apple after all. It is the woman who is weaker. The woman who must not be permitted to speak.

It was then I found myself in a silent scream and not for the first time  – – “IF I BE LIKENED TO EVE, WHERE IS ADAM WHO WAS GIVEN THE WORD??”

I am confessing I began to think “why bother” and from there I began to wonder if truly I was losing my mind, not for the first time either. Others don’t seem to concerned about this uprising of evanjellyfish. Maybe everything is ok and I only need to go get a job and trust the people who were put over me to do the right thing. After all we need to unite, right? In our numbers we are stronger. Clothe the naked, feed the poor, see to the needs of those less fortunate.

Hmmm…. and I Hmmm-ed for a few days. I fumed as I Hmmm-ed and slowly simmered in my silent anger.

That was when I stumbled on Ingrid’s blog. I didn’t even know she had a blog! There I saw some of the same articles posted as I had put into my “read it later” file for safe keeping. I realized I was not the only one, and in that one precious thought I realized I was not in the process of losing my mind. Thank God for Ingrid. And thank Him for the others who research and write who have a deeper understanding of things that I know so little of. Because of them I have learned to listen to that bugginess going off in my head – that thing that says this is not right, but won’t let me rest until I find why.

No, I am not crazy. Nor am I finished. Keep reading.

Weight Loss At All Costs

Matthew 16:25-27

²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Lighthouse Trails has some important information regarding Rick Warren (Saddleback Church) and his newly formed  weight loss program.  (I think this story has gone viral!) Warren’s latest plan is another instance of those willing to follow a leader who has inadequate bible knowledge, yet esteemed as “America’s Pastor”. It says a lot for the church today; lazy and laid back, entertained, fat and happy. We want to know God but we don’t want to study the bible for ourselves. We want someone else to do the work and feed it to us. And when that teacher is found to be wrong what price are we willing to pay to keep him on top?

We want to lose weight but don’t want to work at it. It used to be “take this pill, or drink this liquid”. Now, according to Dr. Oz we are being told we can meditate those pounds away. Meditation is free. I wonder what the late Jack La Layne would have to say here. (On a personal note, I have recently lost 25 pounds and intend on losing more, and I did not do it by meditation. I did it the old-fashioned way, by exercise and saying no to the oreos!)

Jesus did not take the easy way out although He certainly could have. He went to the cross to bear our sins– and in the scripture above “MY SAKE” means for Him. What are we willing to give up to speak the truth so that others may be saved from destructive teachings as these?

From Lighthouse Trails –

In the video below, Dr. Oz, the new weight-loss mentor for thousands of Christians through Rick Warren’s new Daniel Plan, talks to New Ager Deepak Chopra about meditating to lose weight. What they don’t tell you in this video is that eastern-style meditation can put participants into contact with demonic spirits. The Bible warns against such harmful practices. Yet, Dr. Oz, also a Reiki advocate, is taking his spiritual “insights” to Rick Warren’s followers.

Go here to watch the video, please heed the warning and need for prayer

(Please note there are other good articles and information from LT on this and other topics. I’m only nailing some things together that I found out.)

Dr. Oz (made famous by Oprah) is Swedenborgian. This from their beliefs page.

Salvation

The requirements for salvation are simple: live well, believe rightly, and you will be saved. We believe that all people who live good lives, no matter what their religion, have a place in heaven. Heaven is limitless in its capacity for angels, in fact, the more angels there are, the more heaven thrives. Everyone born on this earth has been predestined for heaven. The only reason someone would go to hell is because they have chosen to go there of their own volition.

In determining whether or not we have lived well, God leads us to assess the whole of our lives — the highs and lows, causes and effects, the mistakes made and genuinely good things done. If there is any possible way He can lead us into heaven, He will. In other words, it’s pretty difficult to go to hell. God’s greatest wish for us is that we find our highest happiness within the angel body. Those who choose hell are people who put themselves above all else, repeatedly indulging in things which are hurtful to others. The only reason hell exists is to preserve the freedom of choice which God grants to all His people.

We play an active role in our salvation every day of our lives. When we look to the Divine and live according to what we believe is right, we move closer towards heaven. If we shun good, we move closer to hell. Thus, salvation and freedom of choice are inseparable from each other.

Salvation is not dependent on the doctrinal specifics of the religion you have followed on earth. As long as you have lived a life acknowledging God and refraining from evil because it is against Him, you will be saved. Acknowledging God does not necessarily mean recognizing Him by name. A person can be ignorant of religion and still acknowledge God by living a life of goodwill. This is because the choices that we make on a daily basis are what determine whether we end up in heaven or hell. Yes, worshipping God is essential for admittance into heaven, but we worship Him through the actions of our lives.

And the theology –

Emanuel Swedenborg

The New Church bases its doctrine on the Bible as illuminated by the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century theologian and scientist (read the full biography). This theology is founded on the belief that God used Swedenborg as a vessel through which to spread His teachings to people on earth. During a process of divinely inspired revelations, Swedenborg wrote thirty-five volumes of theological books, referred to as the Writings or Heavenly Doctrines, addressing the mysteries of human life which had previously gone unexplained or been misunderstood.One of the prime purposes for his work was to reveal an inner meaning in the Bible, thus uncovering new relevance and hope for mankind. Within the Writings, Swedenborg describes the nature of the Divine, the function of creation, and the life which awaits us after death. He also provides practical guidelines for having a relationship with God and bringing religion into everyday life.

Above all, Swedenborgian theology seeks to make God accessible to humankind:

“Linking with an invisible God is like linking the sight of the eye with the expanse of the universe, the bounds of which are not to be seen. Or it is like looking out in the middle of the ocean, when the gaze falls on the air and sea and is frustrated. But linking with a visible God is like seeing a man in the air or the sea opening His arms and inviting you to come into His embrace.” (True Christian Religion 787)

The mission of the New Church is to carry out this purpose in the modern-day world.

Swedenborgian theology DOES NOT and CANNOT connect mankind to God. Jesus Christ did that for us when He went to the cross! John 3:16! It is only through our faith in him that we can be saved and hope to have a relationship with God!

How much like the false teachers and prophets of charismania, the NAR and Dominionism with their bizarre visitations, out-of-body experiences, dreams and visions of “God told me” directives and the new thing God is doing!

Yet Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us  that there is no new revelation!

¹ God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

It only stands to reason there is a great possibility that many from Saddleback will be caught up in this “New Church”/Swedenborgian Theology, and/or the practices of eastern religious meditation. And it makes me wonder again what Rick Warren is really up to, and who this “jesus” is that he serves. Because it is not the Jesus written about in the bible. And the reason why we can say this with confidence is because Warren’s teachings do not line up with the word, nor does he heed it’s warnings.

From Christian Post here

Rick Warren pledges to lose 90 pounds during a 52-week church fitness plan, developed by Dr. Oz and two other medical experts, that will launch on Saturday at Saddleback Church.

(Photo: Saddleback Church via The Christian Post)

The Daniel Plan, based on the prophet Daniel who chose healthy eating instead of the king’s rich foods, is a yearlong, churchwide program to help the Saddleback parishoners get physically healthier.

“The Bible says that God wants you to be as healthy physically as you are spiritually,” said Warren in a video announcing the event. “The plan will help you feel better, look better, have more energy, get in shape, and use your body the way God wants you to.”

Does anyone know what scripture Warren is referring to that states God wants us to be as healthy physically as we are spiritually? Does God ever refer to “spiritual health”? And for that matter, the prophet Daniel was not fasting or refusing rich foods for weight loss or health reasons! Warren is twisting the words of the bible to say what he wants them to. But why?

1 Timothy 4:7-9

⁷ But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. ⁸ For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. ⁹ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

An interesting connection between Swedenborg and AA’s 12 Steps from My Word Like Fire here

noting that Warren has his own version of 12 stepping in his famous Celebrate Recovery Program. MWLF has more articles on this topic. Again, I am only nailing some pieces together.

And how many of us were in awe of those Helen Keller stories??? A little detail was left out. Her religion spelled out here.

Colossians 2:6-10

⁶ As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
⁸ Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Wellesley, Massachusetts Public School Students Learn to Pray to Allah

In late May of 2010, Wellesley, Massachusetts public middle school students took a field trip to the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center – a controversial Saudi-funded mega-mosque run by the Muslim American Society of Bostn. There, the students were separated by gender and the boys were asked to join the Muslim adults in their prayer. Several of the public school boys took part.

Julia Roberts Converts to Hinduism via filming Eat, Pray, Love

The news of her conversion gave me the chills. I had to read it for myself – here it is. How many more will follow her steps given her influence and fame?

NEW DELHI: Her parents were Baptist and Catholic and she was born in Georgia, part of the US Bible Belt. But Hollywood superstar Julia Roberts says she is now a practising Hindu. Speaking to the September issue of Elle magazine, Roberts said she goes to the temple to “chant, pray and celebrate.”

Read more: Julia Roberts embraces Hinduism – India – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Julia-Roberts-embraces-Hinduism/articleshow/6267826.cms#ixzz0w8alZeLy