TONY JONES AND THE EMERGENT SACRED WAY

From Apprising Ministries:

The fact is that Tony Jones openly advocates somewhat obscure “spiritual disciplines” of contemplative mysticism. Some of these originated with apostate eastern “Desert Fathers and Mothers” such as Contemplative Prayer–so-called “Christian” meditation–Lectio Divina, praying to Icons and the Labyrinth, most of which would germinate within the anti-biblical monastic system of the apostate Church of Rome. Jones is not alone in advocating this type of spirituality because these types of mystical practices and others form a core doctrine found in most Emergent Churches.

As such he is in fact one of many spreading New Age type teachings of spirituality which are somewhat comparable to the Gnosticism that spread through much of the early Christian church in the first several centuries. And the seeking of mystical gnosis is a basic staple of the Emergent Church movement as was reported on the PBS Special in July of 2005: “Individual emerging churches may look different, but they share many characteristics; most are casual with a big emphasis on the experiential.”

Youth Ministry & The Doctrine of Demons

Youth Specialties' Growing Souls

Experiments in Contemplative Youth Ministry

Author Mark Yaconelli is the co-founder and director of the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project. His research and ministry with young people has been groundbreaking in its exploration of spiritual direction, contemplation, and ancient spiritual practices as the basis of discipleship with young people.

From Growing Souls...

Despite the many youth leaders and youth who expressed a sense of transformation through contemplative prayer and presence, it’s important to name the ways in which churches struggled and often faltered in their attempt to practice contemplative youth ministry.

Icons, prayer beads, and labyrinths are now commonly found in youth rooms across the country. Unfortunately, there is often little understanding of how these sacred objects and practices relate to a congregation’s doctrines, theology, and tradition.

The true way of relationship, the true way of faith is to again and again return our eyes and ears to the presence of the Beloved, to return our eyes and ears to the presence of the other person.

The spiritual disciplines the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project has emphasized—disciplines like prayer, silence, solitude, spiritual direction, and contemplative listening—are desperately needed within a culture that seems to be losing its ability to attend to the depths of life.


An Emergent Church Leader and author appears at the Youth Specialties bookstore...

Soul Shaper
Exploring spirituality and contemplative practices in youth ministry By Tony Jones

Tony Jones is the National Coordinator of Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.org), a network of innovative, missional Christians. He's also a doctoral fellow and senior research fellow in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Tony has written several books on philosophy, theology, ministry, and prayer, including Postmodern Youth Ministry and The Sacred Way. He's a sought-after speaker on the topics of theology and the emerging church.

"Soul Shaper resources use historic, contemplative practices and flesh them out in the context of modern youth ministry. Students learn to see God in their everyday lives and connect to God's unfolding story through silence, scriptural meditation, contemplative prayer, spiritual listening, and a host of other counter-cultural practices. You may think, "Isn't that just new-age stuff?" No! Just because new-agers coopted spiritual practices that began as devotions to Jesus doesn't mean we should shy away from them. They're part of our tradition, part of our story. These revolutionary, old ways of listening to God will help students move God from being academic and distant to being relational and intimate."

Read about Youth Specialties' MTV Awards Bible Study

THE EMERGING CHURCH AND YOUTH SPECIALTIES

Come Out From Among Them

The Peculiar Pilgrim concludes his purpose-driven, blessed subtraction experience in this post Coming Out From Among Them - Epilogue

"For those out there who are struggling against the Purpose-Driven/Church Growth transformation in your own church, please learn a lesson from my story. Don’t be afraid to boldly stand for convictions founded upon the sure word of God. It will cost you, that I can guarantee. Yet, the rewards for well-doing will be great for those who do not grow weary. God is faithful to His own..."

"Psalm 1 states: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

Read how it all started here...

The True Gospel Produces True Children of God

Pastor -Teacher Jamey Day of Grace Fellowship reveals the transforming power of the true Gospel in the concluding chapter of the Book of Romans...

"The Apostle Paul's doxology in the Book of Romans summarizes the euangellon – the Gospel of God – the true Gospel.... the overall purpose – was to bring Glory and Honor to the name of Jesus Christ."

"Paul...could never have conceived in his wildest imaginations, of a Gospel that does not take hold of a believer's heart and transform them into servants of righteousness. He didn’t preach perfection – we will never be perfect this side of heaven – but he preached a Gospel that transforms us into a people who hunger and thirst for righteousness and who demonstrate a consistent pattern of obedience to God’s Word and Command."

"True children of God are children of righteousness and obedience. This Gospels does not summon us to demonstrate how good we are – because there is nothing good about us . . .
This Gospel calls us to trust in God – who is able to establish us – who was able to raise Jesus from the dead – that trust fill us with the power to live obedient lives."

"...you – who have been called by God – set apart for salvation –have also been called into radical obedience of the faith. And you will never no the full power of God – until you live in that obedience as Paul did. Paul preached the Gospel – Paul lived the Gospel – and Paul gave the Glory – to the only wise God -through Jesus Christ."

"God’s glory reaches its pinnacle – its apex through the work and ministry of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ God revealed his Great Grace and Great Wisdom. Now will you walk in obedience to him – giving him all the glory? Your life – should be a walking doxology – to the transforming power of the True Gospel."

Read of the truth, the power and the glory of God presented by Pastor Day at the conclusion of the two year, expository study of the Book of Romans.

Listen to the audio sermon of The Conclusion of The Book of Romans.

Simpsons to Teach Theology, Boost Attendance

From Christian Research Network:

Church of England Recruits Simpsons to Teach Theology, Boost Attendance by Eric Young, Christian Post:

LONDON – The Church of England is getting help from the Simpsons to provide a more relevant way of teaching children about theology and to give a boost to dwindling congregations. Mixing it Up with the “Simpsons”, a book to be released by the Church of England’s publishing company, will be sent to youth advisers in every diocese across the country next week, the Sunday Telegraph reported, with the hope of showing how Christianity is relevant to life today through issues tackled in the popular U.S. TV cartoon series. Clergy will be urged to show episodes of “The Simpsons” that focus on Christian themes such as love and punishment.

Photo: AP / Toby Talbot

Rolling Stones Bible Study?

If a Youth Bible study can be driven by gangsta / rapper / pornographer Snoop Dogg and the MTV Music Awards, then surely there should be a Bible study for the greying Baby Boomers...

A Little Leaven reveals the appeal...

"The Rolling Stones is a band known for its drug use, sexual conquests and their rock-star lifestyle. The one thing you can say with confidence is that none of the members of the Rolling Stones can be held up as role models of the Christian life. Apparently these facts don't matter to the folks over at Standard Publishing. They've just developed a new Small Group Study Curriculum based on the Songs of the Rolling Stones called "Tuning Into God". (They didn't stop there. They also released Small Group Study Curriculum based on songs by the Eagles and the Beatles also.)

Obama Casts The Next Stone

True Discernment reports on the stone-throwing by Barack Obama...

"Hailing from the apostate United Church of Christ, which ordains homosexuals and endorses same-sex marriages, and is pro-abortion; Sen. Barack Obama has lashed out against Bible-believing Christians who oppose these heresies. “I don’t know what Bible they’re reading, but it doesn’t jibe with my version,” Obama said in prepared remarks.
While it is true that there are many spurious translations in use today, most of the heretical doctrines being taught do not stem from them; instead, those bibles are printed after the fact to conform to heresies which are at first contrived by men. Accurate translations make clear the purpose of the different designs in mankind as created by God, the function of one man and one woman in the marriage union, and the sanctity of life while still in the womb."

Read more here...

Throwing Youth Ministry Into The Lions' Den

While the felt needs of the adult unchurched are being met and scripture is being contextualized in "big church" to reach the culture, what's happening in the youth department? Here's just one example...

Youth Specialties, who has worked alongside "Christian" youth workers of just about every denomination for over 30 years offers Today's Featured Free Resources:

MTV Video Music Awards Questions and Bible Study
"Looking for a relevant cultural lesson for Sunday night? Don't miss our MTV Video Music Awards Questions and Bible study. Be advised that the images and words found in some of the nominated videos of the year may be offensive. Please use caution, and consider your group's maturity level when using this study with your students."

Instructions include how to view the top four videos and have a party to ask questions of the invitees. Collectively, the videos display abuse, violence, drugs, and sexual content.

Gangsta / rapper/pornographer Snoop Dog, and his music (strong adult content) video of Drop It Like It's Hot clearly demonstrates all four attributes and more. The "Bible" study questions associated with "Drop It Like It's Hot" are:

"The images in the video show some of the “perks” that go along with great wealth. If you had unlimited money at your disposal what would be the first “perk” you would by? It’s okay to think selfishly for this question."

"Do you think those with great wealth are blessed by God? Do you think if you are blessed you have a responsibility to share it?"

"Mr. Dogg’s lyrics at the end of the video seem to be a warning about belonging to gang-like organizations; that this great wealth can come with a price. Do you think it’s true? Do you think those with lots of money are generally happier then those without?"

Here's the lyrics to Drop It Like It's Hot:

Editor's note: This is just the tip of the Youth Specialties' iceberg. We will continue to look at the ecumenical and mystical practices of Youth Specialties, and those organizations that are affiliated with Youth Specialties.

Purpose Driven Trojan Horse

From Christian Research Network:

Pastor Nathan Morton at Word and World shares a few thoughts on Rick Warren’s many twistings…

"…the term Fundamentalist has taken on a lot of improper definition but historically it was a good thing. Some have forgotten that. Rick Warren has become the darling of the modern evangelical but I’m afraid that as time marches on we are seeing that his “purpose” is more Trojan horse than truth. Listen to Rick Warren’s explanation of fundamentalism. Not only is it disingenuous (if the quoted source is correct) it is also historically incorrect."

"What is worldly success other than access to carnal authority? Americans worship at the altar of celebrity, popularity, and marketing success. I do not want to be a gloom speaker but what has happened to the church? Is our hope for carnal authority tempting us to violate scripture?"

A Sober View of Evan Almighty

Tim Challes shares a sober perspective of Christian marketing and Evan Almighty...

"...this movie, like the one before it, makes light of our faith. When people walked out of Bruce Almighty I don't think they had a greater and deeper understanding of God. They did not have greater love for and respect for Him. The genre simply could not bring so serious and important and biblical a message. Amidst all of the laughs and vulgarity there would simply not have been opportunity to really help people understand God better, despite the filmmaker's attempts. And when people walk away from Evan Almighty they will not love God more. I don't think they will have a greater understanding of the Bible. In fact, I suspect they'll see the biblical story of the flood as being as fictional as this movie--a quaint plot but completely unrealistic and implausible. Mere fiction. This movie will not and cannot bring anyone closer to God. Rather, it will necessarily project a false image of God, a false understanding of Him. And we're being told to watch this, to enjoy this, and to bring our families to see it so they can laugh with us.

Editor's note:
Not sure how a congregation participating in this campaign could approach the concepts of judgement and mercy, (let alone mortification of the sin nature and the newness of life in the Spirit) seriously after holding hands with Hollywood.

See related articles:

Evan Almighty & "Good Deeds" Marketing

Evan Help Us?

Is The SBC Worth Saving?

Timmy Brister cuts to the chase regarding the SBC's Annual Meeting in his piece, Saving the SBC...

"I see traces of such leadership (examples include David Dockery, Danny Akin, Tom Ascol, and Thom Rainer), though it is still not enough to marshal a movement that will save the SBC. More than that, however, I am finding it even more difficult to find special men who will take ownership of this special task. I find too many men who are more concerned about preserving their political clout, too many men in denial of our denominational pride, too many men who hold fast to their personal agendas, too many men more committed to personal allegiances and SBC political correctness than the betterment of the SBC and her local churches, too many men who would prefer selective silence than a bold confrontation of our waywardness, too many men who
I find to be either cowards or cronies rather than men of courage and conviction.

Where will we find such men who will put their reputation on the line for the sake of the truth, crucify the fear of men and the “one of us” allegiances, and lay down their lives for the sake of the local churches in the SBC which are becoming increasingly unregenerate and devoid of the gospel?"

More coverage of the SBC 2007 Annual Meeting at SBC Voices Blog

Dr. Voddie Baucham calls for SBC repentance.

THE ETERNAL VALUE OF “THE THREE C’S”

Apprising Ministries exposes the error of the ecumenical and the purpose driven...

"If Roman Catholicism is “error” and a “counterfeit” of true Christianity–and it most certainly is, then it is in fact a religion which has been hatched by Satan himself. When will the average evangelical “Protestant” finally understand this? We are not talking about some abstract theology here; we are talking about a real-life spiritual warfare–for real eternal souls–of real people and we are in a real battle with the actual enemy of men’s souls the Devil himself!"

"When in the world is the true Body of Christ finally going to wake up and say, “Enough!” “Enough with trying to reform a church–which is not a Christian church–any more than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a “Christian” church despite what Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren says."

Does Ahmadinutjob Want to Hasten Armageddon?

Israel: The Battle Has Just Begun

June 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War, when Israel captured Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The headlines this month reflect the continuing battle, not just for Jerusalem, but all of Israel.

Pressure is mounting against Israel from political and religious organizations. The World Council of Churches has called for the end of the Israeli 'occupation'. The WCC general secretary to visit Palestine/Israel to witness "First-hand exposure to the hardships imposed on Palestinians by the Israeli occupation of their territories is part of the itinerary, which will include Palestinian towns and refugee camps in the West Bank."

Pope Benedict calls Christians to "accept, dialogue and respect everyone" with the certainty of faith for the sake of global peace and unity.

Meanwhile, the US resumes aid to Palestinians under Abbas and the U.S., EU restore Palestinian ties. Caroline B. Glick of the Jewish World Review shares the how the U.S. is forcing Israel to endanger itself. Glick states "The administration is not just asking Israel to facilitate the arming of its enemies. It is also placing restrictions on Israel's ability to arm itself." Regarding the U.S. position on a nuclear Iran "...the administration apparently now subscribes to the belief that they will be better off out of Iraq with a nuclear-armed Iran than in Iraq without a nuclear-armed Iran."

Iran has repeatedly stated it's intention for the removal of the nation of Israel.
Now, it seems without U.S. intervention in Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israel stands alone in it's fight to exist.

From The Malta Sunday Times, an ominous editorial reads...
"...This is serious enough in the context of a Hamas government backed by Iran. In the further context of a Hizbollah "movement", backed by Syria and Iran, in Lebanon to Israel's north, the spectre of a fourth "state" becomes daunting. Some see Armageddon approaching... We are on a razor's edge."

Chris Mitchell of CBN News captures the prophetic aspects of what is unfolding in his article, Battle Continues for Holy City.
"Forty years is generally accepted as a biblical generation. We have had 40 years and Jerusalem is still in the hands of the Jewish people," Lambert said. "Now there's going to be an enormous battle and conflict and strife over this and the prophet Zechariah says it. He says all nations will come against Jerusalem. We shall see what that means."

"Jews have controlled Jerusalem for the past 40 years - a Biblical generation. But the battle over the future of the holy city is far from over. In fact, it may have just begun."

Zechariah 12
2Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
3And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Watch related video, What Really Happened In The Middle East.

Debate on 2007 Resolution on Integrity in Church Membership by Tom Ascol

Digest of SBC Membership Debate

SBC Voices presents a digest of articles related to Tom Ascol's SBC membership resolution that was refused by the SBC Resolution Committee.

Read Tom Ascol's own comments here...

Read Tom Ascol's wrap of the 2007 SBC Annual Meeting: The Good, The Bad and The Confusing

Where Can The Church Find God's Will?

Does your church wholly rely on the sufficiency of God's Word? Does the pulpit reflect this confidence and dependency?

Pastor -Teacher Jamie Day of Grace Fellowship continues his examination of The Heart of a Pastor in the light of the Book of Romans.

Listen to Part I

Listen to Part II

What Really Happened In The Middle East

The David Horowitz Freedom Center is releasing a 10-minute flash video, What Really Happened In The Middle East, that restores reality to the Israeli-Arab conflict, as a fifty-year war by Arab Muslims to reverse what they refer to as the “Nahkba” – the catastrophe of Israel’s birth as a nation.

What Are The Traits Of A Faithful Pastor?

It's the most important thing your pastor can do. What is it? . . . and how can you evaluate how well he's doing it?

Dr. John MacArthur shares insight into a pastor's heart, and the marks of a biblical shepherd.

"...the most powerful apologetic for the Scripture is just to preach it, because it so obviously discloses God."

"...if you are going to go down into divine truth, in order that you might carry people up into praise, if you are going to go into the depths of divine truth and to the height of worship, you have only one tool to do that...Scripture."

Listen now at Oneplace.com

Listen to Part 2 here

Click Here For Hope For The Future

SBC: Silence Breeds Confusion

Back in 1998, The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (A.C.E.) called on all true Evangelicals to stand with A.C.E.'s formal response to Evangelicals and Catholics Together .

The A.C.E. formal response included the following statement in the opening paragraph:
"...we are profoundly distressed by its assertions and omissions, which leave it seriously flawed. We understand it to be expressed in terms that are consistent with historic Roman Catholic theology, while failing adequately to express the essential Protestant understanding of the gospel, and we plead with our fellow evangelicals not to be misled by this new initiative but instead to hold firm to the doctrine of "justification by grace alone because of Christ alone through faith alone," which is the biblical Gospel..."

Further in the response...
"But the heart and soul of that unity has been and must remain our unswerving commitment to Christ and his Gospel. We believe that indeed it is the Gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. Unity apart from the Gospel is not biblical unity. In these troubled times we dare not compromise the Gospel in the slightest degree.

"...we protest against declaring that Evangelicals and Roman Catholics share a common faith and mission."

"We are concerned for the flock of Jesus that it may not be confused or misled by ambiguous views of the Gospel."

"We are concerned for the task of evangelism, being convinced that without the evangel there is no authentic evangelism. We agree with the Reformers that justification by faith alone is the article by which the church stands or falls and is indeed the article by which we stand or fall."

Now that Chuck Colson, cochairman of ECT, has graced the stage of the SBC's 2007 Annual meeting, (along with a cameo appearance of another author of confusion), it is apparent that the response by the SBC leadership's to the call by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals has only echoed the sound of silence.

Isaiah 1
21How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
22Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:

See related articles:
Calling The SBC

Southern Baptists Urged to End Infighting

RICK WARREN JOINS SBC PRESIDENT DR. FRANK PAGE AS "PROTESTANT" LEADERS SIGNING ECUMENICAL DOCUMENT ACKNOWLEDGING THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AS CHRISTIAN

The SBC-No You Can’t, Yes You Can, No Wait…

Mike Corley comments on The SBC's Annual Meeting...

"In a discussion today with a friend who is attending the convention, I posed the following question, “If every Southern Baptist church is autonomous, and the denomination’s leadership cannot mandate what churches and members do, then why even bother to have a convention meeting, let alone introduce and debate resolutions?”

"...for the last several years, one prominent SBC pastor has introduced a resolution that in effect states that if someone wants to be a member of a Southern Baptist church, they must actually be born-again. In other words, to be a member of a Christian church, you must actually be a Christian. Amazingly, that resolution has not been approved."

"Here’s the point, the meetings, the resolutions, the debates, the special programs and cute curriculum titles mean absolutely nothing, if the SBC and in fact all denominations, are not willing to take a firm and solid commitment to the truth."

Colson's Surprise Guest For SBC's Annual Meeting

Wire services focused on Chuck Colson's comments to the SBC Pastors' Conference at the opening of the SBC's 2007 Annual Meeting regarding the threats of Islamo-facism and neoatheism. Colson painted the picture of global threats, and the danger of the times. Colson also described the abandonment of moral truth.

A segment later in Colson's presentation went largely unnoticed by the major news bureaus. Colson began to describe the need for a biblical worldview in light of society and culture. Certainly a true statement.

Bob Allen of Ethics Daily details the following ...Colson asks "How do you respond to this?" Colson continues to say ""The only thing you do to respond to something like this is to do a better job of explaining what we believe and why we believe it."

"We've got to stop looking at Christianity as simply a personal relationship with Jesus," he said. We have to understand that Christianity is a worldview. When Jesus came he announced the kingdom, which means that the reign of God has come upon earth and the kingdom will come in power when he reigns again for a thousand years. That's what he's announcing, and that's a worldview. That's a way of seeing all of life, every aspect of life under the Lordship of Christ."

"Colson introduced a new six-week DVD course he recently released with Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren, Wide Angle: Framing Your Worldview, summarizing Colson's writings over the years about what it means to have a biblical worldview."

"According to product descriptions on both Colson's and Warren's Web sites, the study tackles issues like truth vs. relativism, creationism vs. Darwinism, tolerance, terrorism and more."

"What is our purpose in life?" Colson asked Southern Baptist pastors. "It is to restore the fallen culture to the glory of God. It's to take command and dominion over every aspect of life, whether it's music, science, law, politics, communities, families, to bring Christianity to bear in every single area of life. And that's exactly what Rick and I teach in that series. That's what I have been teaching."

While Colson was describing the collaborative effort, a silent video image of Rick Warren and Chuck Colson was displayed on the jumbotron above the stage. Colson commented on how he perusaded Warren to wear a solid color shirt and socks as a concession to Colson.

On Colson's website, Warren has a video clip describing the worldview program, "Wide Angle".
Warren describes how the program is built around four questions..."What does it mean to have a Christian worldview? , Where did I come from?, Why is this world in such a mess?, What is God's answer?, and What are we going to do about it?

How you answer is just as important as the question... If your worldview includes dominionism and the embrace of all religions that claim to be Christian, then The Word of God ceases to be your authority, and what remains is defined as religion.

Visit the SBC Annual Meeting website and watch the video of Colson's presentation. Click on the link "Watch the 2007 Pastor's Conference", once on that page, click on "Archived Programs" to the left of the viewer screen. At the bottom of the page, scroll down through the frame to Colson's "Engaging the Culture". Or go direct to the viewer with this link.

See related articles, Calling The SBC, SBC: Soiled By Compromise, Roman Emergent Matrix, The Growing Ecumenical Vortex

Alignment of New Evangelicals with Apostasy

Former Roman Catholic priest Richard Bennett asks why Evangelicals such as Chuck Colson would sign on to Evangelicals and Catholics Together.

Evangelical Church More Sick Than It Has Ever Been

Old Truth.com shares thought provoking comments on a 7 minute audio clip from RC Sproul Addressing Our Culture w/Reformed Christianity ...

" Today's evangelicals are never amazed by grace, because they don't understand sovereignty, they don't understand God. The evangelical church today is sick, more sick than it has ever been. We need a style and a variety of Christianity that is not a religion, but is a life and a worldview, where at the heart and foundational structure of it is a sound and deep biblical concept of the character of God."

Listen to Mike Corley's discussion of the dire condition of today's form of "evangelism" and RC Sproul's message on The Mike Corley program.

The Falling Away Of the Evangelical Church

As a watchman on the wall, Pastor Ken Silva trumpets the alarm of the rising flood of deception...

"...anyone who loves Jesus and His Church, and has any amount of discernment can't help but see the drift into a new “Downgrade.” Who could possibly deny that large sections of the the evangelical church here in postmodern America have lost much of that fear of God right before our very eyes! Truly we are witnessing a “falling away” that is taking place in our midst as this apostasy grows."

"Case in point is the recent issue of The Quarterly Journal, published by Personal Freedom Outreach (a leading and very much-needed counter-cult/discernment ministry), that devoted virtually the entire publication to discernment issues within the evangelical church itself!"

Editor's note: Fear God? How do hundreds of churches who have signed up to hold hands with Hollywood actually explain the concept of fearing God after promoting Evan Almighty?

How about the 400,000+ churches that have signed up for the self-centered, ecumenical and commercial "God has a wonderful plan for your life and loves you just the way you are" Purpose Driven franchise?

See related video Evangelical Christianity is Fighting For It's Life

Evan Help Us?

Pulpit Magazine has a few words to say about Christianity Today's advertising of 'Evan Almighty.'

"Behold the cover of the latest Christianity Today. This was the first of a four-page spread (front and back covers, inside and out) shamelessly plugging the less-than-reverent sequel to Bruce Almighty. Under the guise of a “ministry initiative” called Ark Almighty, the film’s producers are targeting evangelical churches in a big way. "

"But to have this film flaunted on the cover of Christianity Today? What were the editors thinking?"

Editor's note: The same thing hundred's of other churches have been thinking...popularity and attractiveness. And for some, perhaps profit.

See Evan Almighty & "Good Deeds" Marketing

Warren's Recommended Catholic Reading For Pastors

From Apprising Ministries:

From the blog for Rick Warren’s Ministry Podcast comes the post “List of the Books We Mentioned Last Week”:

"...The list below was typed up by the Saddleback Staff and we wanted to make it available to you for your reference." (Online source).

One of the books on this list is Letters to a Young Catholic: Art of Mentoring (LYC) by George Weigel. Although it should be obvious this is a pro-Roman Catholic book, for those who may not know Weigel is listed on its back cover as “a Roman Catholic theologian” and “a consultant on Vatican Affairs for NBC News.”

Rather curious that Rick Warren, arguably the most visible minister in the SBC (Slowly Becoming Catholic), which itself is the largest allegedly “Protestant” denomination in the country, would be encouraging his supposedly “Protestant” brother pastors to be reading about mentoring from an apostate.

Editor's note: Don't miss the video Apprising Ministries shares at the end of the post.

Related articles: The Growing Ecumenical Vortex, Ecumenical Unity, American Style ,
The Roman Emergent Matrix, If Rick Says It's OK, Then It Must Be OK !,

Warren & Mouw Light Up the Ecumenical Radar

Rick Warren's recent podcast How To Stay Mentally Fresh For Ministry, featured Dr. Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary. Rick Warren also received his doctorate degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, and participates in Fuller's " Pastor's Update" , an audio series designed to answer the cry of church leaders in need of practical training.

Dr. Mouw is no stranger to controversy, as he has offered an apology to Mormons, and
was quoted in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune on January 22, 2000:
“Mouw said he supports rights and benefits for committed same-sex domestic partners, but believes the sacrament of marriage should be confined to heterosexual couples in the Judeo-Christian tradition.”

Dr. Mouw is a board member of the Ecumenical venture - Conference on Faith and Order in North America. The effort is notable in seeking out evangelical and Pentecostal churches that have not traditionally been a part of Faith and Order discussions, along with Roman Catholics, Orthodox and mainline Protestants.

Fuller Theological Seminary has a distinguished history in ecumenical, psychological and mystical aspects of religion.

Fuller Theological has also hosted the Southern California Ecumenical Symposium, with Dr Mouw as a key note speaker.

In February 2007, Fuller Theological stood united with the Christian Churches Together. The ecumenical group involves churches from all five Christian "families" – Catholics, Evangelicals and Pentecostals, Mainline Protestants, Orthodox, and racial or ethnic churches – and represents the broadest ecumenical fellowship ever formed in this country.

Rick Warren continues to come out from underneath the radar regarding his unbiblical, ecumenical alliances.

QBC-UK: "Quickly Becoming Catholic" & UK Emergent

In this post, "The Eucharist", the Emergent UK Media Arts website promotes the very Catholic practices of the Eucharist and Lectio Divina. The post's comments regarding self examination are of value, but the endorsement of the Roman Catholic Eucharist departs from scripture with the unbiblical doctrine of transubstantiation.

The article also introduces a future tense of salvation, as effected by the Eucharist. "...finally it will lead to the realisation that the Eucharist will be for the forgiveness of our sins, for the healing of our souls, our bodies and for our salvation and not for our own condemnation and judgment." 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 clearly demonstrates that the Biblical Lord's Supper is done in "remembrance of Me". Christ's atoning work on the Cross, not the taking of the transubstantiated Eucharist, is the only source of salvation.

In the website's article, "Silence was golden" contemplative prayer is endorsed...

"Contemplative prayers such as Lectio Divina are becoming ever more popular even though it has been part of Christian life since the earliest days." The (Catholic) Order of St Benedict was recommended as a source for performing Lectio Divina, as well as the Celtic Christian and the Orthodox Christian Information Centre.

The two post above, combined with The UK's Emerging Liturgy , seems to complete the experiential Emergent worship experience.

Editor's note:
Warnings similar to the paragraph below are often offered by some who promote contemplative prayer:

"...the dangers inherent in this kind of practice, and its astonishing similarity to transcendental meditation and other dangerous rituals, should be carefully considered. It has the potential to become, and often does become, a pursuit of mystical experience, where the goal is to empty and free the mind and empower oneself."

In his article, THE EMERGENCE OF THE EUCHARIST IN THE EMERGING CHURCH, Roger Oakland concludes with this statement:

"Now that the Eucharist has emerged in the Emerging Church I will make a prediction. You can expect Eucharistic evangelization to become more popular and successful. We are living in the Last Days and spiritual deception is intensifying in the name of Jesus."

Here's just one of hundred's of examples of the spiritual deception referred to by Oakland.

Related article: Contemplative Prayer - Emerging Church and Roman Catholicism

The Tyranny of 3-Legged Branding

Herescope continues to expose the roots of the growing global social gospel...

"...can the Church set a truly global-compassionate agenda? Or will all of this partnering degenerate into mutual back-scratching, nation-building, and coffer-filling? In fact, will the Church merely function as the water-boy for the multinationals and the governments they control? Who is funding all of this P.E.A.C.E.? The potential exists for Rick Warren's global "distribution system" to be utterly compromised by its "partnering" with Corporate and State legs -- locally, nationally, and even globally. Rick Warren wrote:

"At the World Economic Forum in Davos you will hear endlessly recited the importance of public and private partnerships in attacking global problems. While that is certainly essential, it is not enough. Neither business nor government has the universal distribution, the army of volunteers or the credibility in villages to get the job done. A one- or two-legged stool will fall over. You need three legs."

Will this 3-legged, institutionalized, networked, corporatized, branded global church be an antidote to "tyranny"? Or, will it perpetuate "tyranny" in the name of compassion?

CATHOLICISM, BILLY GRAHAM, AND THE RESULTING “EVANGELICAL” INCLUSIVISM

The hard truth of the slippery slope of ecumenism...Apprising Ministries shares the video above along with the details...

"Dr. John MacArthur giving some of the background for the current apostasy where evangelical are now accepting apostate Roman Catholicism as genuine Christianity. He also quotes from the transcript of an appearance by Billy Graham on Hour of Power with Robert Schuller..."

The Heart Of A Preacher

Marketing, programs and decision cards may create the appearance of a true church. However, when tested by the fire of God's Word, one sees how quickly these popular tools turn to ashes.
A look at Roman's 15 reveals The Heart of a Pastor, and the only Biblical method for reaching lost...preaching the Word of God.

Listen to this powerful message and see that God's Method is God's Message...
from Pastor / Teacher Jamie Day of Grace Fellowship.

Rom. 15:14-21
The Heart of a Preacher

Evan Almighty & "Good Deeds" Marketing

On Wednesday, April 18, 2007, Watcher's Lamp posted the following piece regarding the cooperative & incentivised marketing of the movie " Evan Almighty" through the Willow Creek Network of churches...

Willow Creek Lights The Fire for Bruce Almighty Sequel
Willow Creek Church Association is putting up $50,000 to encourage "random acts of kindness" within member churches as promotion for the upcoming "Bruce Almighty" sequel, "Evan Almighty".

On Friday, April 27, 2007 Watcher's Lamp reported...

Harlots of Hollywood
The Emergent church movement is following the Willow Creek Association, aka seeker sensitive movement, as the latest Hollywood marketing agency for the movie "Evan Almighty". The Emergent Village website announced "Get $1,000 to Impact Your Community...Our friends at Youth Specialties have teamed up with Grace Hill Media and Universal Studios on a project called Ark ALMIGHTY, which is a good deeds initiative inspired by the upcoming movie, Evan Almighty."

Now the real story behind the congregational "good deeds" promotion...
The duping of the well-intentioned and the sincere is revealed in the following article from the New York Times Makers of Comedy Film Aim for Religious Audience. The article reveals the true motive behind the "good deeds"marketing of "Evan Almighty"...

"Mr. Bock was approached last year by Universal executives to help with publicity for “Evan Almighty,” the sequel to the director Tom Shadyac’s 2003 movie “Bruce Almighty,” which starred Jim Carrey."

"One result of the effort is ArkAlmighty.com, a Web site that promotes good deeds. It suggests acts of random kindness and helps participating congregations create online bulletin boards to post requests for help and offers of service among members."

In addition, Universal has held several screenings of “Evan Almighty” with religious leaders, hoping that they will recommend the film — with a PG rating and a protagonist who heeds a call to change the world — to their congregations.

"More important than the lesson Mel Gibson taught Hollywood about drunken anti-Semitic tirades (that they’re bad for publicity) is the one gleaned from his 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ.” The movie demonstrated just how many evangelical moviegoers there are and how much money can be made from them. "

"Mindful of that market, Universal Pictures has teamed up with Grace Hill Media, a public relations firm that reaches out to religious groups, to publicize the mainstream film “Evan Almighty.”

At the end of the day, the term "harlot" seems too polite a term to describe the merchandising of the flock.

Liberty University Sponsors Purpose Driven Church Conference

Slice of Laodicia comments on CRN's report: Liberty University Sponsors Purpose Driven Church Conference...

"Last night I received a phone call about a large Southern Baptist Church that sent its starry-eyed Purpose Driven pastor packing. The congregation grew alarmed when the pastor, following Rick Warren’s church transformation checklist, followed the tiresome course of dumping the hymns, etc. etc. etc. What he could not have anticipated was the backlash from the church members who basically told him, “NO WAY!”

Editor's note: No doubt this congregation was awake and alert during the sermons. They didn't allow the pastor a CEO-style rule over them, and prevented their church from being hijacked.

SBC: Slowly Becoming Catholic

Pastor Ken Silva performs a "gut check" of the transformation of the Southern Baptist Convention...

"Aren't there any real men among the leadership of the SBC who have had enough of the nauseatingly pathetic example of these man-loving ministers to actually speak up? "Non-essentials"?! The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Rick Warren, is a "non-essential" to you? How despicable this cowardly compromise and capitulation to the Church of Rome is to our glorious and majestic, great and mighty LORD God Almighty."

Editor's note:
An old, but cherished song cries out from the Baptist hymnal..."May those who come behind us find us faithful..."

Related articles: Global Economic and Religious Unity Spinning Up Roman Emergent Matrix The Growing Ecumenical Vortex The Growing Ecumenical Vortex, PART II If Rick Says It's OK, Then It Must Be OK ! Here come the candles...Southern Baptist Convention Teams Up with Ken Blanchard And Erwin McManus