I ran across a couple of good articles on the postmodern emergent church movement. First Norman L. Geisler wrote a really brilliant article on this movement. This is probably the most informative article about the emergent movement that I have ever seen

Below is just the first paragraph of the article but the whole article is packed with Geisler’s brilliant logical way of presenting information

There is one key influence on the Emergent Church movement—postmodernism. While not all Emegents accept all premises of post-modernism, nonetheless, they all breathe the same air. Post modernism embraces the following characteristics: 1) The “Death of God”—Atheism; 2) The death of objective truth—Relativism; 3) The death of exclusive truth—Pluralism; 4) Death of objective meaning—Conventionalism; 5) The death of thinking (logic)—Anti-Foundationalism; 6) The death of objective interpretation—Deconstructionism, and 7) the death of objective values—Subjectivism.
From post-modernism Emergents devise the following key ideas: They consider themselves: 1)Post-Protestant; 2)Post-Orthodox; 3)Post-Denominational; 4)Post-Doctrinal; 5) Post-Individual; 6) Post-Foundational; 7) Post-Creedal; 8 )
Post-Rational, and 8)Post-Absolute. It is noteworthy that “post” is a euphemism for “anti.” So, in reality they are against all these things and more.
Full article

Next Jan Markel wrote an article Will the Emergent Church submerge yours. Jan’s article puts together some bullet statements on the warning signs of a church that is buying into the Emergent movement. If your seeing them you need to do what you can to change the postmodern thinking and if you cannot get leaders in your church to stay on solid ground you may have to relocate.

I think one key point is what they believe about Bible prophecy if they think it all happened in the past and the Church is Israel and that you need to help bring in a socialistic kingdom on earth here and now, you probably are in a very liberal mainline Church or your in a postmodern emergent church or both.

What would you think if you went to a physician and he purposely make things up as he went along in regards to your medical treatment? He called himself a Board Certified Purpose Driven specialist. Whatever he think works is the best treatment.

What if you took a formal English course because it was a required course for your advancement and the professor taught you ghetto slang instead? He said you need to be able to be able to communicate with the underclass.

What if you were blind and the word scanner paraphrased the words out of your calculus text book because the program designer believed that truth is relative?

What if you go to Bible college to learn the Bible and they teach you how to do everything but learn proper biblical exegesis. Guess what, the latter is happening all over this country.

Christian Worldview Network - Brannon Howse - Pastoral Malpractice and the Visible Church

Suppose you were to contract a potentially serious medical condition and went to see a doctor. Upon asking him details about the diagnosis and medical consequences you found out that he does not take medical literature literally. In addition, he has not kept up on the latest medical research and has been out of medical school for several decades. He prefers to make his patients happy and comfortable rather than to force them to confront the truth about their health condition. Would you see such a doctor? Neither would I. Such a doctor eventually could be found guilty of malpractice.

I have assumed in Warren’s case that he indeed has the tools to perform sound exegesis. Some of the other leaders of large congregations—Bill Hybels, Robert Schuller, or Joel Osteen—likely are capable of doing sound Biblical exegesis and correctly applying the Bible to the lives of those who attend their churches. But sadly they often do not use sound exegesis—or even use the Bible as the main source of their messages.

Pastor Warren may be correct that you cannot do both—expound important Biblical topics and appear attractive to seekers at the same time. But I disagree completely with the idea that we must appear attractive to lost sinners. We need to preach Christ to lost sinners so that they can know the terms of the gospel. That is the only valid “diagnosis” that will do them any good. In the book of Acts this was done up front, and not through a back door after presenting an alternative that would seem attractive to people in their lost state.

The Bible does not give pastors the liberty to handle the Bible in a sloppy manner.

The issue of motivation to develop the skills and use the tools to perform Biblical exegesis also has reached seminaries. Because of a growing lethargy concerning Biblical interpretation and sound doctrine, many have turned to such sidetracks as “marriage and family therapy” or deceptive mysticism such as “spiritual formation.” Young people from around the country have written us stating that they want to go into the ministry but cannot find a school where they can gain a solid theological education without being subjected to postmodernism, mysticism, the therapeutic gospel, or church growth theory. If many churches are not looking for those who “labor in word and doctrine,” seminaries have little market to train people to do just that. So we find ourselves in the lamentable situation where young people who want to be godly pastors trained with the tools to accurately handle the Bible have difficulty finding a place to be educated, and those who actually do find such an education have difficulty finding churches that want them. As a result, our evangelical movement has grown accustomed to pastoral malpractice as though it were the norm.

The standards are strict and generally well observed for those who treat our bodies and cure our physical ailments. But the standards for those who care for our souls have fallen woefully short.

Full article

According to Julia Duin evangelicals are fleeing their churches and not attending on Sunday. There are probably several things going on here besides Duin not counting some non denominational churches that are growing. Has anyone considered that maybe half of the people in the seeker friendly churches that are now so prominent across America were never Christians in the first place? They were brought in by hype and great expectation for a purpose driven life but they never believed or were given the gospel of Salvation that defines a Christian.

Let me make a few observations. I occasionally attended a large mega church in St Louis and the pastor realized that even through he was having alter calls and scores of people were emotionally coming to the alter each Sunday for salvation or renewal the church was no longer growing. He realized the people were going out the back door as fast as they went in the front door. He soon changed to follow the format of Willow Creek Church and adopted the seeker sensitive church growth model. He no longer gave alter calls and did not present a dynamic gospel message on Sundays but mainly presented an entertainment packed gospel light service that would appeal to young professionals. Now almost two decades later the Church still has about the same attendance numbers as it had before he switched to the Creeker format but the people in attendance today are almost a completely different membership. In others words in 15 or so years there has been a ninety percent turnover in the membership. He replaced a church of fervent believers with all Baby Boomer Evangelicals and seekers.

This has been going on in many seeker sensitive churches across the country. They cater to the unbelievers and lose their core Church membership. They pad their church board with those who will agree with the pastor’s seeker model and drive out the leadership that wish to retain biblical teaching on Sunday. In addition, the seekers are not going to the mid week services to learn the gospel of salvation like the leadership had hoped. So the seekers stick around for a little while and also leave out the back door seldom to be seen again

Even Bill Hybells the father of the Creeker Movement of churches has recently admitted that the seeker sensitive church growth model has been a failure. He said it did not produce mature Christians. He and others are now rethinking everything and probably looking for a new gimmick to bring people in and keep them in attendance. The whole Emergent Church movement is doing likewise.

The problem is that the Body of Christ is not grown through gimmicks and entertainment services. It is grown through conversion to Jesus Christ through hearing and believing the gospel and this does not happen unless the gospel is given and the Holy Spirit draws them (not Elvis impersonators). Gimmicks of the church might get people to attend on Sundays for awhile but that wears off and most soon leave.

Also, the local church spiritual health is not based on numbers. It is based on Spirit indwelt Christians with gifts of the Spirit that are using these gifts for the good of the whole Body. The Body does not even have to be in Sunday attendance for that to happen. The Church needs to work beyond the four walls that many assembly in on Sunday. Much too often those who do attend each Sunday think that have done their Christian service and their calling because they attended the Sunday gathering service. No. They have just attended a Sunday gathering service. If you want to do what Christians were called to do you need to be helping to fulfill the great commission using your gifts to build up the Body of Christ in order for the Body of Christ (the Church) to actually fulfill the great commission. Grow the membership in the Body of Christ and the Church will be attending and it will be doing its job. This does not happen just on Sunday but every day of the week and that job will never primarily be done under the roofs of church building.

The buildings are primarily there for the use of the Church not for the use of unbelievers. I have encountered many Bible believing Christians that will not attend a Church building because of what they feel goes on under these roofs and we all know that their arguments are often valid. So the solution might be for pastors to start looking more at third world models where the Church is actually living out Christianity daily rather than the latest Madison Ave westernized two hour Sunday media event model.

I believe if all the big Church buildings in America disappeared the Church in America would be much more effective and dynamic being a Church that goes out into the streets.

Sunday Morning, Staying Home

According to Julia Duin, a religion reporter for the Washington Times, more and more evangelicals are in fact fleeing their churches. Indeed, Ms. Duin regards church-quitting, at least among evangelicals, as nothing less than an epidemic. The problem, in her view, is not in the souls of the church quitters but in the character of the churches they choose to leave. “Something,” she observes, “is not right with . . . evangelical church life.”

The faults she points to–relying on her own reporting and survey data–are many. They are surprising, too, running counter to the stereotype of evangelicals bonding happily in their churches. She reports, among other things: a lack of a feeling of community among church members, inducing loneliness and boredom; church teaching that fails to go beyond the basics of the faith or to reach members grappling with suffering or unanswered prayer; pastors who are either out of touch with their parishioners or themselves unhappy, or who fail to shepherd their flocks, or who are caught up in scandal, or who try to control the lives of church members in a high-handed way. She claims that many churches have “inefficient leadership models” and that many, preoccupied with the care of families, neglect single people.

According to Ms. Duin, churches dedicated to making disciples will “do well in this era of dumbed-down, purpose-driven, seeker-friendly Christianity.” But is that really true? From a theological perspective, there is no guarantee that churches will prosper as they attempt to make disciples–if we judge prosperity by church membership alone. A church might conscientiously carry out its biblical tasks and yet, by measures of popularity, do poorly in this world. Such a church would not be doing right if it adjusted its mission for the sake of higher attendance records.

Full article

I always said wait until the counterculture hippies grew up and they got into positions of power. Well that day has arrived and they have taken control of the education system, political system, national media, and the religious systems of America. They also produced postmodern brainwashed children who now believe themselves to be the norm. So unless real Christians and real conservatives win this cultural war it is the end of this nation. When the far left hippies and their offspring gain total control they will embrace a totally pagan fascist world system. Woe to any who oppose them.

Had anyone said that America would decline this rapidly fifty years ago people would have thought you were smoking dope. Now half of our society is smoking dope or worse and they all think that they are perfectly sane. The Democrat running for President even claimed to be a crack user himself but does anyone care? The Democrat running for President never distinguished himself in any position he ever held but does anyone care? The hippies and their offspring just want change toward a secular idealism that is not possible with man’s evil nature. They like murder of the unborn being their own choice, so they all hail the Obamanation. They like it that homosexuality is destroying morality in America so they will have no moral restraints, so they all hail the Obamanation. They think Christianity is creating a world utopia on earth for people to continue in their abominations, so they all hail the Obamanation. All the idol worshipers now worship the Obamanation because he has the same demented values of the old hippies and their young offspring.

Christian Worldview Network - Brannon Howse - Jezebel and the Cultural Creatives

The Emergent Village and “progressive” Christian liberalism are but a drop in the progressive bucket. To their left, “cultural creatives” or “new progressives” are brimming over with an optimistic vision for taking political power.

Who are the “cultural creatives”? They define themselves as the “organic food-buying, national-health-care-supporting, yoga-practicing, misunderstood counter-culturalists.” According to the high-end spirituality magazine, What Is Enlightenment? (August/October, 2008), their ranks continue to swell, thanks to Al Gore’s movie, Barack Obama’s “change”, and Eckhardt Tolle and Oprah Winfrey’s “New Earth” webinar (see NC #47). This movement favors “ecological sustainability (read: green collectivism), non-traditional spirituality (neo-pagan religion), civil rights (rights for all sexual expressions) and grassroots politics (non-democratic, non-governmental organizations working under the geo-political umbrella of the United Nations). They also distinguish themselves from “modernism” (secular humanism) and “traditionalism” (Christianity).

Their appearance is of immense historical and religious significance. They explicitly identify themselves as inheritors of the “values revolution [of] the Sixties [that] is still developing and maturing.”

They are the maturing fruit of a development that no one expected. We all thought the Sixties was an ephemeral social event driven by marginal drop-out hippies. Whoops, they dropped back in! In the Left Coast New Age spirituality we witnessed the first signs of a major religious and social revolution. Its conquering march through the institutions has established as normative a worldview of drug-aided mystical, neo-pagan spirituality, radical egalitarianism and total sexual license. The marginal cult has now morphed into a master plan, a full-blown all-inclusive spiritual worldview to transform every aspect of life on the planet. The bizarre views of the Sixties counter-culturalists, though few knew it, signaled the disturbing germination, in “Christian” America, of the age-old alternative to biblical theism, namely spiritual paganism.

Full article

The article I link to in this post says a lot and not just about contemplative prayer. It explains the demonic deceptions that are going on in many churches today in the name of being relevant to our postmodern society. I doubt that there are many large evangelical churches that are not to some extent being negatively influenced by this by either the pastor, some assistant pastor or one or more lay leaders. Certain influential national leaders are mixing various amounts of poison wrapped in Christian speak and Christian sounding programs and many are buying into their deadly deceptions because they never hear any biblical counter argument.

Someone needs to form an expense paid national conference for top pastors and evangelical leaders where they would hear the arguments of authors like John MacArthur, Roger Oakland, Dave Hunt, Bob DeWaay etc. to educate the church leadership on the doctrines of demons now being introduced in most large churches. Then the conference should be put on a internet site and on DVD and a copy should be given to all lay leaders in the church. We need some some Christian foundation or a group of discerning churches to fund this. If certain churches can put together postmodern rethinking and shifting conferences you would think that someone could also put together a biblical thinking conference to counter them.

Beware of This Doctrine of Demons

It’s called “contemplative” or “centering” prayer and if you haven’t heard about it yet, chances are unfortunately good that you will soon. It’s invading churches like a virus in which submicroscopic pathogens contaminate the body many hours or days before the victim is aware of its presence.
Contemplative prayer is one of a number of ancient mystical practices or spiritual disciplines, as their proponents refer to them, which are being encouraged at an alarming rate by evangelical churches. It is all part of something called Spiritual Formation and the Emergent Church, a movement that as John MacArthur states in his book, The Truth war, is subtly changing the beliefs and doctrines of the evangelical church as we know it.

In its pure form, contemplative prayer is practiced by sitting still, quieting, and concentrating on your breathing and repeating a word of choice (maybe the name Jesus, for instance) over and over again. You’re to concentrate on that word and your breathing, and work to eliminate all thoughts from your mind. Over a period of maybe 20 minutes — and with practice — you can enter into “the silence.” Your mind is blank. You have, in fact, hypnotized yourself. And it is in “the silence” where “God” allegedly speaks to you.

According to the testimony of one former, now-redeemed New Ager I recently read this is the exact method used by New Agers and Eastern mystics to enter an altered state of consciousness that opens a person up to demonic influence. Ray Yungen, author of the book, A Time of Departing, confirms this and says, “Unknown to most people, a blank mind in a meditative state is all that is necessary for contact with a spirit guide.” He also points out, “Those who lack discernment are at great risk.”

Read full article

Peter Jones has it right in this article. Pseudo Christianity will again be going to war again against those true Christians who actually believe the Bible. When the youth of those going to the churches of today grow up (many of them already have) will those four percent that still believe the Bible actually be tolerated by Christianity? Of course not. Pseudo Christianity has persecuted the Church before in history and it will do it again. Christianity is now progressing to enable the coming postmodern inquisitions.

The persecution at the fifth seal of Revelation comes from the religious Harlot not the Antichrist because at this point he has not even arrived on the scene. I believe the Trumpet Judgments are the Lamb’s response to a world that persecuted His Saints. Then the religious Harlot in turn will be destroyed by the Beast she rode.

The ostracizing of Bible believing Christians has already started with “Christian” leaders calling believers that hold to the fundamentals of the faith dangerous and biblical doctrine divisive. In the “tolerant” “politically correct” world of the next decade the Bible will be rewritten, and redefined to accommodate sinful lifestyles. They will outlaw uncensored literal interpretations of the Bible that might offend anyone.

At that point those who speak against politically correct sins of society will be charged with hate speech. The truths of the Bible and true Christianity will be replaced with a world harlot religion where everyone is free do what is right in their own eyes as long as they do not offend or proselytize someone else. All world beliefs including paganism will have equal standing but any religion that claims some exclusive way to God or that offends someone’s self esteem will be called intolerant and will be outlawed.

At that point, which is not that far off, there will be no more reason for the true Church to be here on earth.

Christian Worldview Network - Brannon Howse - New “Progressive Christianity”: An Old Liberal Swindle

Much of what Progressive Christians believe fits with the principles of the radical Emergent Village, emerging from Evangelicalism. Indeed, Liberal Progressives intentionally include “the more progressive evangelicals” in their ranks. In their descriptions of a “generous way” of “following Jesus” (not Christ, for Christ is far too “Christian”), the “progressives” echo Brian McLaren’s A Generous Orthodoxy, in which he calls himself “a Jesus follower.” They focus on Jesus as a mystical human being for all the religions. This is not Jesus, the God/man and Savior, for their “progressive” religion denies sin, claims no unique means of salvation, and, like McLaren, accepts all: “believers, agnostics, atheists and all sexual orientations and gender identities.”

Though “all-inclusive,” Progressives abhor the “modern heresy of fundamentalist Christianity.” Though rejecting absolute truth, they define their “god” as “absolute love, justice, and peace,” rejoicing to find their new absolutism in the “godless European Union with its insistence on equal justice for women and gay people.” The absolute mess which is present-day Europe, held up as the ideal for the future of America and the planet, ought to fill us with despair!

Progressives are euphoric as they ride a new social wave of all-inclusive social justice globalism, for it provides a timely pretext to justify their basic unbelief about the Christian Gospel. With undisguised optimism they believe their time has come, in two ways:

1. they rejoice in the theological implosion of historic Christianity, and, for the good of the planet, you understand, salivate over the fact that only “four percent of Bible believing teenagers will be Bible-believing Christians as adults”;

2. they are eager to capitalize on, and I quote, “a historic opportunity to seize the country’s foundational narratives about itself, and recast them in a way that opens doors to the [global] future we seek.” Is this what the political Left, which also now describes itself as “progressive” and claims to be “Christian,” really means by “change”?

As the third millennium began, Frederic Baue (The Spiritual Society) predicted the coming of “a phase of Western or world civilization that is innately religious but hostile to Christianity…or worse, a dominant but false church that brings all of its forces to bear against the truth of God’s Word.”

Is “Christian” liberalism beginning to join with spiritual pagans and activist courts, to demonize, marginalize, and ultimately silence the biblical message by defining the Gospel as a global hate crime?

Is America now under judgment? When are acts of God acts of God? Has America done anything worthy of judgment? You be the judge.

• So far this year we are involved in two foreign wars with another war being a distinct possibility.
• We have had unprecedented numbers of tornadoes.
• The Mid-West floods have been catastrophic.
• More of California has burned this year then in any year in history and the fires are still burning with a fire season that still has a long way to go

On the Economic Front.

• Falling Real estate values have caused the greatest financial crises since the great depression.
• Tens of millions are losing equity in there homes, millions are losing their homes.
• The stock market is down 20 percent and pension funds and insurance will also lose at least that much value.
• Banks, brokerage firms and corporations are failing and need to be bailed out by the government.
• The U.S. dollar is the weakest it has been in modern times.
• Gasoline prices are four times what they were a few years ago.
• Heating bills will be much higher this winter.
• All electric bills are about to shoot up about twenty percent in one year.
• Food prices are up 10 to 20 percent this year.
• Inflation across the board is the worst in years and most of the costs have not even been passed through yet.
• Services in the U.S. are becoming unreliable.
• Unemployment is on the rise and it is going to get much higher.
• Due to falling revenues state and local governments are going to run into major deficit problems

Crime and amorality

• Gangs have taken over much of our inner cities.
• Drug trafficking is epidemic.
• Illegal drugs are used by a very large percentage of our population.
• 2.2 million people are in prison in this nation. This is the highest incarceration rate in the world.
• There are 10 to 20 million people in this country illegally.
• One in four adults in the U.S. has a VD. Homosexual males have a ten year shorter life span, yet, the pushing of homosexuality and sexual promiscuity is all over the media and sexual perversion is taught in our schools as normal healthy lifestyles and this is forced on suggestible children.
• Homosexual marriage is now legal in two states.
• There have been 50 million abortions in the U.S. and taxpayers in one way or another are paying much of the cost. Much of the black population in the U.S. is being aborted but most black leaders keep promoting it.
• Scams and rip-off schemes are epidemic especially on the Internet.

Politics.

• Congress has a nine percent approval rating.
• Judges are legislating law from the bench contrary to the Constitution.
• Special interest groups control almost all politicians and it is now almost impossible to get incumbents out of office.
• Thanks to the voters we have two choices for the President that want more globalism and more socialism. Both will bring in a liberal supreme court. Both will pass hate speech laws that will negatively impact Christians.

Religion.

• A generation of seeker friendly services has watered down much of what is left of Evangelical Christianity.
• The Emergent movement is redefining biblical truths and downplaying biblical doctrine.
• Most claiming to be Christians are biblically illiterate not having read through the Bible even once in their lives, far less have understanding of the passages in context.
• People flaunting their sins are put in church leadership roles.
• Psychology theories originated from the occult have corrupted much Christian counseling and other programs.
• New Age pagan thought is now all over the media and is being accepted by many claiming to be Christians.
• Much of the youth is leaving Christianity for postmodern relativism

If God were to continue judging this nation what might our immediate future hold?

• The economy would continue to decline.
• Hyperinflation is a very real possibility.
• Unemployment may become a very serious issue.
• There could be much greater weather related storms, droughts and crop failures.
• Major earthquakes would become likely.
• Major volcanic activity is certainly possible.
• Leadership in government could continue to get worse (even lower then scraping the bottom).
• Terrorist attacks would become likely.
• Hate speech laws will be passed and constitutional freedoms will be redefined by the courts. Government tyranny will become a major issue.
• A nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack may happen. It would leave the nation helpless without electric for months or years. (This would be the ultimate judgment it would most likely bring the complete collapse of our society).
• The complete collapse of our economic system is possible.
• Collapse of our social system and declining into anarchy is possible.
• The break up of the Union is possible.

The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Don’t you think it would be wise for people in this nation to fear the Lord instead of Him having to send correction because we will not do what is right?

This is a good article on the Emergent Movement that sums up things quite accurately. They are a bunch of heretics that the Bible clearly warned us would come in these last days to tickle the ears.

A Christian & Missionary Alliance Preacher Speaks Against Emergent Movement Heresy - CWN

To the Emergent Movement there is no systematic theology. The questioning of the absolute truth of the central doctrines of Christian teaching is sinful. Why you ask? Because it is not that they ask questions in order to gain greater understanding that would be fine. They ask for the purpose of calling into question the need to hold to the sacred teachings of the central doctrines of Christianity.

We are now told that unity and inclusiveness matters more than anything. Unity at the expense of truth is not something any true Christian is willing to give in to. When people who call themselves Christians begin to question the truth of the virgin Birth, the bodily resurrection, the inerrancy of the Bible, the substitutionary sacrifice, the Deity of Christ, man’s need of Christ for Salvation, and salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, there is a problem.

There is a word for this. It is not a politically correct word. It is the word “heresy.” We no longer have the right to use this word in a world that holds a relativistic world-view. It is pathetic what the Church has come to

The main principles of the Reformation are:

Solo Scriptura – The Scripture alone.
Solo Fide – By Faith alone.
Solo Christo – In Christ alone.
Sole Deo Gloria – To God alone be the glory.

This is too black and white for the Emergent Movement. These are being replaced by a relativistic world-view that places experience and human wisdom above the central doctrines of the Bible. The idea is not that the Bible is true and we come under its authority. The Emergent Movement is more of a “what does it mean to you?” Open interpretation is the view since Rob Bell says that all theological positions are only “opinion.”

So I ask the question; If you do not break fellowship with women who call themselves “Pastors” while at the same time are practicing Lesbians who not only practice homosexuality, but embrace it as “God given,” just when do you break fellowship? Since there is no absolute truth with these Emergent heretics, there is no belief that is absolutely wrong and thus never a doctrinal reason to break fellowship. Just put the name Jesus on it and your good to go. Furthermore, even if you do not put the name Jesus on it you are probably ok as well. What is going on?!!!!

Post modern Emergent Movement teachers are appeasing the human lusts with teaching that tickles the ears of those who do not want repentance as part of their religion.

Wake up and smell the truth! The Emergent movement is bad news. It is heresy pure and simple. I want to warn you though. If you take a stand you will be ostracized by many in your own church for not going along with this ungodly movement. I am sure I will be attacked by those in The C&MA who do not want me to call them out on this. Let them do what they will, and say what they will. I stand for the Bible.

Here is the take from the Lighthouse on Brian Mclaren’s newest book “Finding Our Way Again” Brian Mclaren is obviously a blind soul who could not even find his way with his seeing eye dog. What Mclaren teaches is not Christianity and I wish that Bible colleges and book stores would quit peddling his pagan delusions as something the church needs to learn about. We do not need to know these things any more then we need to know what was in the books that the early Church burned.

There is a common thread in all these emerging teachers. These are nothing but wolves dressed in old gnostic wolves sheep’s clothing. These religious perverts want us to believe that religion will unite on some higher plain where all paths lead to God through everyone looking inside themselves for some self deception. They think satanic illumination will bring peace and brotherhood to the planet. Oh brother! How demented can these people get and why is the church contemplating their teachings? Has the Christian church also gone nuts?

They believe the world is going to become united on mystical religion and they are right. Who do you think the Women that rides the Beast is? She is Mystery Babylon the harlot religion. So please understand that their purpose driven life is to merge Oprahitis with Mclarenstupiditis and come up with the Bell Tolled for all those that Foster this mother of all harlots.

From the Lighthouse

Brian McLaren’s newest book, Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices, is the first in a series of eight books by Thomas Nelson publishers. The General Editor of the series, which is titled The Ancient Practices Series, is emerging church proponent Phyllis Tickle. Other authors in the series include Dan Allender, Scot McKnight, Diana Butler Bass and Joan Chittister.

In Finding Our Way Again, McLaren thanks several contemplatives like Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Joan Chittister. He also says he is “indebted” to Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis and recognizes Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones for teaching him contemplative practices. It is not surprising that McLaren thanks these listed teachers - McLaren has been in the emergent camp from the beginning of its inception, and where there is emerging, there is contemplative.

The interfaith theme is threaded through Finding Our Way Again. In one section, McLaren says that even Christian communion is something to be shared with people of all faiths (in particularly with the Jewish faith and Islam); he states that this “sacred meal” is a celebration of “inclusion” and “reconciliation” (p. 26). This makes a mockery of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who told believers to do this in remembrance of Him, acknowledging His atonement for sin - a mockery because the beliefs of other religions reject Christ as being God and the slain Lamb who could take away sin.

As do other emerging/contemplative teachers, McLaren believes in a literal global kingdom of God on earth before Christ returns that will incorporate all the world’s religions and all creation, a “world yet to be born” that “desperately” needs “these spiritual practices.” He also relates: “[T]hese practices” have “enlivened the three Abrahamic faiths” (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) and should not be “allowed to go extinct” (p. 29).

Finding Our Way Again emulates McLaren’s previous writings on atonement, on Jesus being the only way to God and salvation, on the return of Christ and on the last days. The difference with this book is that the emphasis is on how we can attain to this awakened state - through mystical practices. One chapter is devoted primarily to these contemplative exercises, but the entire book is seeping with its core message - “reconciliation with God, one another, and all creation in a global community” (p. 42).

In the last chapter of McLaren’s book, “Theosis (via Unitiva),” he sums up his calling by stating that “The purpose of the via purgativa [the practices] is to prepare us for the via illuminativa [the awakening], and the purpose of the via illuminativa is to prepare us for the via unitiva [all is one], the union of our nature with the nature of God” (pp. 171-172). He calls God “fire” and says, “We join God in being fire … Before the beginning … God was All, and All was God” (p. 175). This is the exact same message that Eckhart Tolle and Oprah are propagating. But while many Christians are now condemning Tolle’s message, they don’t realize that the very same message is permeating their very own churches. For those readers who care about the spiritual future of their children and grandchildren, it is vital they understand the meaning of McLaren’s spirituality in particular and the emerging/contemplative movement in general. We believe this is an extremely compelling motivation and should prompt us as believers to defend the faith and the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

I was not going to write about Tony Blair’s kick off speech to his new Faith foundation http://tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/2008/05/tony-blairs-speech-to-launch-t.html because I did not want to rain on this social effort and just look at the end time implications.

As You can see I changed my mind. While I was out cutting grass half the day I got an email asking for me to do a radio interview on the one world church implications of this (from a very well known Conservative Christian organization). When I came back in and answered the email it probably was too late for the show anyway. I am not a great one for doing interviews because I like to think about what I am saying before I say it. When I talk my mouth does not usually allow my brain to do that. My brain still runs on a single processor. When I combine talking and thinking it never comes out the way I would have wished.

I also highly suspect that they were really trying to get a radio interview with Bill Koenig since he does the speaking circuits. This mix up has happened before since there are two Koenig’s in the Bible prophecy field.

The other reason I decided to write this article is that after thinking about it this foundation could be the most significant political creation in history that will move the world toward a pluralist tolerant all faiths mentality.

In other words this may be the actual start of putting together the harlot woman who rides the end time Beast Antichrist world system into power (Rev 17:17).

With that in mind lets looks at Tony Blair’s speech. Also be mindful that Tony Blair has just converted to Roman Catholicism and although his faith in the Roman Church may be real, he is going to use this Catholic platform to bring in globalism through religion.

The foundation will concern itself with six leading faiths.Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jewish, That includes the major religious influences in the world today.

Tony thinks as globalism goes forward and national boundaries are broken down the glue that will hold mankind together to solve the global problems will be religion. He equate religion with faith but it is not.

He says religion provides a common basis of values and beliefs for people to get along together. Obviously he is not talking about religions as they are today. He is talking about some idealist unified religion that only exists in his thoughts of what religion could become if everyone would just agrees that everyone is right.

He says his foundation wants to show faith in action. That sounds wonderful but faith in action is different things to different people? Is faith in action doing social good works or is it proclaiming the gospel with those social good works? In Blair’s faith in action scheme preaching Christianity would not be allowed.

Tony also wants everyone to know what other religions believe and he thinks that will make them comfortable with other religions. Obviously he thinks we all really just have a different way to the same God and we just have to learn that so we can get along.

I fully know about the beliefs of some of these other religions and it just makes me more uncomfortable because their way to God is not the way that Jesus said was the only way to God. I would have to give up my Christian beliefs to think that these others religions are on a path to God. My faith says that without Jesus Christ they are doomed. No greater understanding of their man make religions with their man made god’s is going to make me accept religions where man is justified by his own good works. How does fully understanding Islam change the lies in Islam? Or how does fully understanding that Hindus worship of millions of god’s change my view of that damnable pagan practice etc.

The course Tony Blair wants designed in Universities is called “Faith and Globalisation” Well we know that globalisation is what Tony Blair wants but most people in the world do not want globalisation. Elitists like Blair want it so that they can totally manage our lives and its prophetic that he intends to do it through a unification of the religions.

Another avenue they plan to take is education through the mass media. You might call that mass brainwashing because that is what it will really be. Pretty soon “Faith and Globalisation” will be played side by side will Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” to continue the brainwashing of everyone in the world.

Tony Blair in his speech equates religious differences with race and gender differences as if education about skin color or sex is no different than education about religion. I have news, race problems are not usually about skin color at all it is mostly about cultural differences. Do you see the world ethnic groups becoming closer because they are now educated in race relations? That is rediculous. There is more ethnic hatred now than there was before the education programs. It will be worse with religion. Learning about someone else’s religion is not going to bridge the gap between the huge differences. It will just make more people aware of the reasons why that hate those in other religions.

I think the social works they are planning to do are commendable but social works are not going to save the world. If they can use religion to help people socially fine but that is what humans should be doing regardless.

Blair wants to expand the Abraham house in London to include those of other beliefs. I am not sure what the point ot this is. Mixing God’s word with doctrines of demons is not going to produce a hybrid unless it looks like the Devil.

The most troubling part of Blair’s speech is his stand against all extremism. Well Mr. Blair, true Christianity is an extreme religion. It clams that the only way to God is through His Son Jesus Christ. So that form of Christianity is sure to go on the interfaith chopping block. I am sure Blair would love everyone to keep their rituals so they can make pretend that they are doing something spiritual and Holy like many Catholics. He also says that extremists in Islam are a perversion of that faith. In fact, the extremists are the only ones that are keeping the true teachings of Islam. So in other words, Blair wants to modify all religions to appease all other religion. He does not call that watering it down, call it what you want Mr. Blair but it is really taking out what offends me from your religion and then I will take out what offends you. I can see it now, a long ongoing summit of religions to bargain away their passages.

Jesus did not say that Christiantiy would unify faiths he said,

Mat 10:24″Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Christianity is a radical religion and that is why millions have given up their lives to get out the message of salvation to the world. Now they want modern Christians to just forget about that divine commission and instead promote a gospel of can’t we all get along? Faith in Christ is supposed to pull people apart. Believers are leaving the world and becoming new creations. Blair says that this is destructive and dangerous. Well maybe from the world’s point of view it is, but we are not of this world and that is why people who want to build their own utopia right here and now without the Lordship of Jesus on earth really hate our message.

Well guess who is on the advisory counsel of Blair’s foundation? None other than Rick and Kay Warren who show up in all the CFR worldly places. I guess that should not surprise anyone these days.

Sayyid Syeed a veteran of interfaith outreach, said it is possible to find common ground without watering down religious teachings if the work is based on sound scholarship about each faith. I guess Sayyid really means scholarship from liberals who do not take the text literally anyway.

So that is the Blair Witch Project. So where is this all heading?

I think this will continue to grow among the Liberals and the postmodern emerging Christians who want a pluralistc soft dominionism but I do not think it will catch fire until after the world religious wars. This is just setting the foundation for the real interfaith program that will become a mandatory world wide program after those wars. At that point everyone will be brainwashed into believing that a interfaith solution is the only answer for world peace.

After the religious wars governments will be so afraid of new religious wars that they will outlaw all speech that is offensive to any other religion. As a Christian that will mean that you cannot say that Jesus is the only way to God, or that anyone is a sinner going to hell. You will also not be able to talk about a coming judgment or a physical second coming of Jesus. Saying these things will be breaking the law and if you do they will either send you to a brainwashing camp or you will be put in prison as a danger to world peace.

The Roman Church will speak for the interfaith religion, by the way, she already has a seat at the U.N and has embassy’s in many countries. This interfaith harlot will be the woman that rides the Beast of Revelation. She will help bring the Beast world system into power but when the Antichrist figure arrives on the scene he will turn on this harlot and burn her with fire, And that is the fate of Rick Warren’s Global Peace Plan. The Antichrist that arises will claim to be above anything called God and he will demand that everyone in the world worship him.

Seeing the foundation for globalism and interfaith religion is being set up now, you can be fairly certain that the rest will follow shortly.

Rev. Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries has written a really good article about Richard Foster and how he is connected with the Emergent Church movement and the Contemplative/Centering Prayer that is now being taught to future pastors in many seminars and Bible colleges. Below are a few excerpts from this article but read the entire article there is much good information here. But while your at it don’t stop at this article on Richard Foster. Apprising Ministries www.apprising.org has many well documented articles on the emergent/emerging church heresies which are leading institutional “Christianity” into latter day apostasy. It is this emerging harlot woman that will ride the Beast Antichrist into power in these last days.

All leaders in Christianity need to be able to discuss these issues because people in your congregations are buying their popular books and they are being heavily influenced by these emerging Gnostic teachers. In the final analysis, these doctrines are repackaged “New Age” thinking. They all dance around a pluralist all-ways to God paganism even if they happen to mention the name of Jesus.

2Ti 4:3 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;

WHO IS RICHARD FOSTER?

WHO IS RICHARD FOSTER?

Due to the importance of this topic of Contemplative/Centering Prayer, which is the primary source for a reemergence of Gnostic neo-pagan “Christian” mysticism in new evangelicalism, I began this series as quickly as I could. I am asking the interested reader to please keep an eye out for this work to be ongoing to cover various mystics who are influential in the new spirituality that is now infecting the evangelical community of our Lord’s Church. Let me also point out that each of these pieces will continue to be expanded as well when new information is forthcoming.

We will begin now with Richard Foster who is arguably the leading proponent of this so-called contemplative spirituality rooted in Rome. Undoubtedly however, he is certainly its most recognized teacher. Foster is also very highly respected in the marred and mystical Emergent Church as evidenced in an article in Christianity Today called “The Emergent Mystique.” None other than Brian McLaren, the prominent theologian in “Emergent, the emerging church network that he and several other church planters and pastors lead,” points to “Dallas Willard and Richard Foster, with their emphasis on spiritual disciplines, as key mentors for the emerging church.”

I cover Teresa of Avila in more depth elsewhere, but here you can clearly see that her mystic musings have undoubtedly impacted Foster. In fact in COD he includes this troubled Roman Catholic nun among “the great writers of the devotional life,” which he says goes “from St. Augustine to St. Francis, from John Calvin to John Wesley, from Teresa of Avila to Juliana of Norwich” (5, emphasis mine). You might make note here that the highly ecumenical Foster is undoubtedly influenced in his own aberrant mystic views by the apostate Church of Rome and in opposition to the theology of the Reformers the Guru of Contemplation obviously considers the Roman Catholic Church a part of the true Body of Christ.

This now brings us to another critical issue that has not been thoroughly explored in the study of this invasion of contemplative spirituality into the evangelical camp. The fact is that Guru Foster is himself a Quaker, or a member of The Religious Society of Friends, as they are also known. Therefore if someone wants to better understand how Foster’s own teachings about this supposed “inward life” were themselves shaped then it becomes necessary to have a working background of the theology inherent in this group he has been raised within. As a matter of fact Quakerinfo.com enlightens us that Richard Foster is “[p]erhaps the best known Quaker in the world today.”

This idea in Quaker theology that every man has this alleged “Inner Light” is further corroborated in GREAT RELIGIONS of the World which tells us that Fox “insisted that the ‘light of Christ’ glimmered in all men” (375, emphasis mine) We’ll be coming back to this “inner light” that is supposed to glimmer “in every human heart,” but first, in his classic two volume set A History Of Christianity (AHOC) the great historian Kenneth Scott Latourette adds a bit more background information about the person through whom the Quakers originated:

And here we have uncovered the reason why so many professing Christians today can believe that all religions should be friends now and seek our common ground as we work together to usher in “the kingdom” of God’s Global Peace. Take an honest look at the warped and toxic theology of men like Richard Foster, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Alan Jones, Steve Chalke and even the Pied Piper of Purpose Driven Rick Warren–all men involved to one degree or another in the practice of contemplative spirituality. You see no bold stance on their part that the only way any human being anywhere upon God’s planet can ever be saved from an eternity of conscious torment in a literal place our Creator called Hell is personal faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth and His vicarious penal substitutionary atonement on the Cross. In fact, you will see quite the contrary.

Doug Giles has it right. We need a Detergent Church like Spic-and-Span or Mister Clean and not the wimpy postmodern Emergent Church with their wimpy Loving Bubbles that claim to clean without any personal effort and that does not even work. The postmodern church programs have become much like a Laurence Welk rerun where everyone-is-going-to have-good-time waltzing around Christian doctrines.

AD: The Detergent Church (c) - Guest - May 27, 08

I went on to edumicate my inquirer that I prefer a Detergent Church to an emergent church. Yes sir, I think what we need is a “movement” that would purge the skid mark that sin has left on man’s soul and our society rather than a group of nerdy Christians trying to be Ryan Seacrest.

Yep, a Detergent Church is the type of church that flicks my switch. As far as I’m concerned, a “church” that does not alter culture in a weighty way isn’t worth its salt-no matter how “successful” it may be momentarily. And seeing that our culture is getting more bizarre by the flippin’ day I’d say that whatever the church is doing to be au courant just ain’t cutting it.
Here’s my laundry list (to become a book) regarding how the “called out ones” can be the holy hellfire Detergent Church they’re ’spose to be. You might want to put on a cup . . .

1. Get men who dig being rowdy back in the pulpit.
2. Could we have some sound doctrine, por favor?
3. Preach scary sermons (at least every fourth one).
4. Get rid of 99.9% of “Christian” TV and sappy Christian music.
5. Quit trying to be relevant and instead become prophetic contrarians, I’m talking contra mundus, mama!
6. Put a 10-year moratorium on “God wants you rich” sermons (yeah, that’s what we need to hear nowadays, you morons, more sermons about money, money, money!).
7. Embrace apologetics and shun shallow faith.
8. Evangelize like it’s 1999.
9. Push lazy Christians to get a life or join a Satanic Church.
10. Demand that if a Christian gets involved in the arts that their “craft” must scream excellence and not excrement.

Allow me to elaborate, my little ones . . .

It is disturbing that Kay Warren, Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis and Samir Selmanovic would take part in these conferences that promote a pluralist cosmic false Christ and Universalism but it not surprising. If people cannot see where these undiscerning people are taking “emerging Christianity by now they have not been paying attention.

Kay Warren will be joining Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis, Samir Selmanovic and a number of other emerging church leaders at the Envision 08 Conference - CWN

Kay Warren will be joining Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis, Samir Selmanovic and a number of other emerging church leaders at the Envision 08 Conference. A reader clicked on the Envison 08 link for Evangelicals for Social Action, one of the sponsors of the event, and came across the organization’s magazine, Prism from March/April of this year. It contains a most interesting article by Paul Gordon-Chandler entitled, “Following Christ on Eastern Roads.” The article is so bad it has to be seen to be believed. What is highly interesting is the preface the editor attaches to the article.

The Editor’s Note at the front end is itself riddled with contradiction, yet the biggest contradiction of all is the running of this article after the editor claims to believe that Jesus Christ alone is the way, the truth and the life. As you can see when you read the article, this “Christ” has been redefined to walk within Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. He is a Christ who wants us to look to the good things in other religions so we can learn from them. This Christ is present everywhere, in all people already. This is, in fact, another Christ, and ESA and Ron Sider are promoting him. The growing interest in interspirituality is evident everywhere today. That Kay Warren could participate in something that is sponsored by deceiving groups like this is deeply disturbing.

Bono, Rick warren, Schuller, Bill Hybells, George Bush, Obama, and many others and most of the Emerging Church movement shape shifters all believe in pluralism and universalism while claiming to be Christians. Their Christianity is really religious dominionism. They want to use religion, government, media and the power elite to bring in total world governance and establishment of their idealist earthly utopia in the name of their higher power. What they will actually bring in will be the Antichrist figure who will claim to fulfill all the expectations of religions. The harlot woman is about to ride the Beast.

Bono, Universalism, and the Emerging Church? - CWN

On Relevant Magazine’s website, Tara Leigh Cobble gives an interesting report of what she says she witnessed at a Bono concert:

About five songs into their set, Bono stopped the show and strapped on a headband with writing on it. I stared up at the JumboTron to see that the handwritten lettering said: COEXIST.

Coexisting sounds like a great idea. I fully support the peaceful philanthropy that Bono has encouraged, and this seemed like another way that he was trying to spread the message.

Except, it started to feel like more than a political message. The “C” in “coexist” was the Islamic crescent moon, the “X” was the Star of David, and the “T” was the cross of Christ. Bono pointed at the symbols on his headband—first to the cross, then to the star, then to the crescent moon—and he began to repeat:

“Jesus, Jew, Mohammed—all true. Jesus, Jew, Mohammed—all true.”

He repeated the words like a mantra, and some people even began to repeat it with him. I suddenly wanted to crawl out of my skin.

While some at the concert dispute exactly what Bono said, media outlets have reported Bono wearing the Coexist logo.

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/379359.html

The Coexist logo is certainly about promoting the worldview of pluralism and universalism. Pluralism is the belief that all religions are equal, and universalism is the belief that all religions are true and everyone will be saved because all roads lead to God.

The worldwide acceptance of pluralism and universalism will eventually lead to a one-world religion as discussed in the Bible. However, it appears that not everyone is opposed to the Coexist message. Who am I talking about? Well, it happens to be the Emerging Church. In the words of Gomer Pile I say, “Surprise! Surprise!”

Carla at “More Books and Things” put together some good information and links on modern day false prophets such as Rick Joyner, Bob Jones, Mike Bickle, Paul Cain, and Benny Hinn. She also mentions and has links on Todd Bentley’s book “The Journey into the Miraculous” and Carla lets us find out what Jim Goll is saying. This is really pretty twisted stuff.

Like I have indicated before, the spiritual deception is not just coming from New Age teachers like Oprah. It is coming from the Emergent leaders and Word-Faith. You need to read the article and follow the links to begin to understand how fast this end time deception is taking shape. The intention is a religious paradigm shift toward a pantheistic spirituality to deceive the world. These movements use the name of Christ but they all reinvent Jesus Christ.

More Books and Things…: Bentley Book

Don’t know if anyone has been watching some of those crazy clips from the big new revival down in Florida. They s