BATTLES IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

Over at Camp On This Steve Camp writes:

When we are wronged, spoken falsely about, our character maligned and reputation smudged, how should we as Christians respond? What does the Word of God teach about this, especially when it comes to the arena of blogging?

There has been an issue of late where…, Ken Silva, and his website were forced to go dark because of one complaint lodged against him by another blogger. This other blogger claimed he was slandered by Ken; IMHO, after reading all the documents I could find, he wasn’t. This other blogger made a few mistakes: he never contacted Ken directly; he did not follow biblical guidelines for resolve; and he tried to deal with this by reporting Ken to an easily intimated web hosting company of his blog. The next thing you know, Ken’s site is gone - sent to electron heaven…

HT: Christian Research Network

See related article and links: Where's The Libel or Defamation, Mr. Abanes? , The Tainted Fruit of Purpose Driven

Schuller Kicks Off Christian-Muslim Conference at Yale

At Yale, A Call For Christians, Muslims To Be At Peace by ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER Courant Staff WriterJuly 31, 2008NEW HAVEN —

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, a California pastor and host of television’s “Hour of Power,” reaches 20 million Christian followers around the world. Sheik Al-Habib Ali Al-Jifri ranks among the 10 most popular Muslim preachers worldwide, with followers in the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia and across the Arab world.

On Wednesday, they shared a pulpit and a message: Muslims and Christians must come together and embrace their similarities. Loving God requires loving people, no matter their faith. And religion must be reclaimed from those who use it to divide people, or worse.

Let’s focus on what God wants us to do, to build, to redeem,” Schuller told the audience of Muslim and Christian scholars and religious leaders from around the world who gathered at Yale for a conference that organizers described as a seminal moment in interfaith relations.

The conference grew out of a 2007 open letter, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” signed by 138 Islamic scholars and clerics worldwide.

Editor’s note: The Christianity Today blog highlights the following:

Some 500 Christian leaders signed the document, including pastors Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, missions expert Jonathan J. Bonk, National Association of Evangelicals’ president Leith Anderson, theologian John Stott, and CT editor in chief David Neff.

See related articles: Common Ground: Conciliation with a Lie ,Islam and Christianity: The Deity of Christ , Islam: That Old Obstacle by J.Gresham Machen , Begging forgiveness of Islam? , Common Ground: Conciliation with a Lie , Rick Warren, Evangelicals, Invite Muslims to Love God Together** , Provoking The God of Jealousy

Here's more on Warren's pursuit of interfaith unity.

HT: Christian Research Network

Rick Warren's PEACE Plan Invokes Hitler

Back in 2005, Rick Warren used the 25th Anniversary of Saddleback Church as the springboard to launch his PEACE plan. During the ceremony at the Angels Stadium, Warren told the crowd:

“ In 1939, Hitler and his brown shirts stood in stadium. The men formed a human sign that said, “Hitler, we are yours.” They nearly took the world. Lenin said, “Give me 100 men, I will change the world.” In China, young men committed to memory the sayings of Chairman Mao, they took China by storm. As American Christians, if we memorize and commit ourselves to the new vision, we can change the world.”

God says, Can I be yours ? If we use the same technique with the Bible, memorize, we can take the world !"

Read the account of this two hour event here.

Watch the Saddleback 25th anniversary video here.

See related articles here:

Rick Warren, Facism & The Family

UK to U.S. Red Letter Christians: Admit You Are Marxists!

Monasticism or Marxism

Provoking The God of Jealousy

As evidenced by the last two articles, RICK WARREN STILL DOESN'T GET IT? and Is Rick Warren Ignoring Sin In Search For 'Peace'? Southern Baptist Pastor Rick Warren's PEACE Train is on a collision course with the God of Jealousy, who shares His Glory with no one.

Deuteronomy 32:15-17
15"But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek;then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger.17 They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known,to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.

Exodus 20:5-6
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands[a] of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Exodus 34:13-15
13You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim 14(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice

Numbers 25:12-13
12Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.'"

Deuteronomy 6:15
15for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God— lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

See more of the God of Jealousy here.

If you or your church is on the Rick Warren-Purpose Driven PEACE TRAIN, GET OFF IT NOW... before it's too late.

RICK WARREN STILL DOESN'T GET IT?

Paul Proctor highlights the urgency for Discernment in the rising flood of deception...
By Paul Proctor, NewsWithViews.com

OneNewsNow.com recently reported the following in an article by Jim Brown titled Interfaith "cooperation" at Saddleback:

California mega-church pastor Rick Warren says Christians should not be reticent to work with Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists, and even atheists to cure societal problems.

In conjunction with the presidential forum he is hosting next month at Saddleback Church, Pastor Rick Warren will convene an interfaith meeting for 30 Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders "to discuss cooperation for the common good of all Americans."

Now I don't, for a minute, expect anyone outside the Body of Christ to appreciate the things of God, His sovereignty, His glory, His purpose, His Word or even the gospel. If you're a social worker - even a Christian working as a volunteer within a charitable, yet secular organization, you are to be commended for your service to society.

But the church was not established by Jesus Christ to partner with other world religions and beliefs to share God's glory with Allah, Joseph Smith, Buddha or Madeline Murray O'Hare. Neither were we called by Christ to bring their followers into the ministry with us.

Those who have truly been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb ought to know better than this.

Editor's note: "Those who have truly been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb ought to know better than this."

For those who do know better, they are obligated to warn the Church.

See related articles and links:

Rick Warren, Facism & The Family
The Unholy Marriage Between Religion and Politics
Protestant Pope's Self Promotion & Presidential Politics
Is Rick Warren Ignoring Sin In Search For 'Peace'?
Warren's PEACE Plan VS The Biblical Peace

Is Rick Warren Ignoring Sin In Search For 'Peace'?

Jim Brown - OneNewsNow

Christian broadcaster and author Tom McMahon says evangelical pastor Rick Warren's belief that the church must take the lead in solving the world's problems of poverty, disease, and war cannot be reconciled with the scriptures.

Pastor Warren will be hosting an interfaith meeting next month with 30 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders "to discuss cooperation for the common good of all Americans." Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan mobilizes churches to address global problems. But McMahon, president of The Berean Call ministry, says the popular Christian author is introducing evangelical Christianity to the social gospel that he learned from his mentor, social scientist Peter Drucker.

The Tainted Fruit of Purpose Driven

Are There Two Christianities? by Mike Ratliff of Possessing The Treasure

The great divide between what is genuine Christianity and what claims to be, but isn’t, is becoming more and more clear, it seems, everyday. We have seen the type of “Christian” that the Purpose Driven Church paradigm produces in the sorry situation in which a PDC apologist, Richard Abanes, attempted to get a Christian blog taken off line by threatening the blogger’s ISP with a legal action implying that a certain post contained objectionable, slanderous, or libelous material against him. I am convinced that this is only the beginning. This incident was the result of a “debate” in which the blogger, Ken Silva, refused to back down against the insistence by Abanes that any attempt to show the unbiblical nature of the seeker-sensitive, church growth, or Purpose Driven paradigms was inherently devious and wrong.

Behold The Fruit of The PD Paradigm

Daniel Chew, author of Driven Away by Purpose: An Analysis of the Purpose Driven Life and Related Issues shares the following regarding his Richard Abanes experiences…

Richard Abanes, onetime member of Saddleback Church and defender of the Purpose Driven paradigm, is no stranger to controversy, and I have clashed swords with him before. Abanes’ recent action, however, sets a new record low even for him. Objecting to Pastor Ken’s assessment as a pastor about his somewhat less-than-polite and not-very-humble dismissal of Pastor Ken’s objection to the Purpose-Driven paradigm, Abanes resorted to threatening legal action against the IP server of Apprising Ministries, alleging defamation and libel.

Editor's note: As the ol' saying goes..."Rotten fruit...check the root." See what's at the root of the Purpose Driven Movement in this article, Wicked Roots of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life

Where's The Libel or Defamation, Mr. Abanes?

Pastor’s Assessment of Richard Abanes

Here is the article at the heart of this issue concerning Richard Abanes and Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. Abanes notified IPower, the ISP hosting the now defunct website, that he considered it libel and slander. Upon his insinuation that he might turn this over to his attorneys IPower gave Silva 48 hours to remove it or they would terminate the site. He refused and now CRN will let the readers make up their own minds.

Editor's note:
def·a·ma·tion / –noun the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel; calumny

Richard Abanes to Sue Apprising Ministries over Defamation-Libel?
Richard Abanes: Ken Silva - More Lies, More Sensationalism, More Sin
Pride Arrogance and HumilityAttack on Apprising Ministries
Throwing Cyber-Sand In The Face of A Purpose-Driven Resister
Saddleback “Apologist” Convinces IPower Hosting to Shut Down Critics Website
Abanes Quick To Cry Wolf?
Indy Watchman on The Abanes Attack on Apprising
Abanes Guilty of Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism?
Web Hosting Service Caves To Purpose Driven Pressure
The Abanes Spin Zone
Poof! Apprising Ministries Online is Now Dark
Before Abanes Turned I-Power To I-Cower...
PRESS RELEASE: Blog Shut Down by 'Christian' Apologist's Threat

PRESS RELEASE: Blog Shut Down by 'Christian' Apologist's Threat

From Christian News Wire:

Blog Shut Down by 'Christian' Apologist's Threat
Contact: Pastor Dustin Segers, Coalition of Concerned Bloggers, ChristianResearchNetwork.com, 336-848-7197

MEDIA ADVISORY, July 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Pastor Dustin Segers submits the following and is available for comment:

How safe are our blogs? That question was raised again when on the evening of July 26, 2008, a popular religious blog was shut down by an Internet service provider. A complaint filed by Christian author and apologist, Richard Abanes, claiming that one article on the religious opinion site, Apprising.org, had slandered him, caused the web host, IPower, to send its publisher, Ken Silva, a 48-hour warning to remove the offending piece or be taken down. In that the piece was not believed to be slander at all, but rather religious and theological opinion, he refused to be forced into censoring his site by Richard Abanes. The site went down.

There are serious implications here for all bloggers, regardless of what sort of blog they publish. Anyone who has a complaint about your views can claim that you have engaged in slander and the ISP Terms of Service usually allow for the companies to remove your website if you don't take the material in question down. The First Amendment means nothing in these cases. ISP's cannot and will not explore the claims of slander and simply notify bloggers to remove whatever is causing the problem. This opens the door for anyone to censor what a blogger writes online.

Everyone who values the right to read and publish blogs on the Internet has a vested interested in the issue. There is growing concern in the blog world over this, and a number of servers are popping up that offer "First Amendment" hosting. These are web hosts which require a court order before they will remove someone's website. Their day has clearly come.

Before Abanes Turned I-Power To I-Cower...

Before Richard Abanes turned Apprising Ministries web hosting service I-Power to I-Cower with threats of legal action, it seems Abanes originally attacked websites directly...

Back in 2006, The Fide-O blog was threatened directly by Richard Abanes. The blog resisted, Abanes lost. Perhaps after that experience, Mr. Abanes develop the strategy to use the web hosting services terms of agreement against his critics...

From The Fide-O Blog:

Yesterday, I recieved a string of crazy emails, sent to me by Richard Abanes, threatening legal action over my posting of two of said emails.

For those of you who are just entering into this discussion I will post my interpretation of the four emails sent to me by Richard Abanes. This is not the actual email (for apparently if you think very highly of yourself then your emails are copyrighted.) Let me reiterate; this is only my personal interpretation of the emails, not the actual email itself

Email 1. Waaaaaa. Waaaaaa. Remove in 48 hours or lawyers. Waaaaa.

Email 2. You didn't respond to my threat. Waaaaa. Waaaaaa. Waaaaaa. I'll sue.

Email 3. Waaa. You had better listen to me right now! Now! Now! Now! Now! Now!

Email 4. See below.

See the rest of the story at the FIDE-O blog.

Poof! Apprising Ministries Online is Now Dark

From Slice of Laodicea

Due to Richard’s (Abanes) claims of slander and libel regarding a 2005 article written by Apprising Ministries head, Ken Silva, the web hosting service,which does not check out any of these claims to see if there is any merit to them, gave Ken 48 hours to conform to Richard’s ideas of what should be on his website. The choice was this: take down your piece or lose your website. Ken correctly did not give in to this kind of threat and the site is now down.

The implications for all bloggers, religious or otherwise, are clear. Anyone who has a complaint about your views can claim that you have engaged in slander and the ISP Terms of Service usually allow for the companies to remove your website if you don’t take the material in question down. The First Amendment means nothing in these cases.

The Abanes Spin Zone

Pastor Bob DeWaay, author of Redefing Christianity: Understanding the Purpose Driven Movement recently met with Rick Warren, asking Warren to preach Christ alone. Pastor DeWaay describes how Warren’s apologist, Richard Abanes, “spins” one of Pastor DeWaay’s comments from that meeting on this Southwest Radio Ministries Program:





Listen to the entire Southwest Radio Ministry interview with Pastor Bob DeWaay & James Sundquist here.

See related articles:
Richard Abanes to Sue Apprising Ministries over Defamation-Libel?
Richard Abanes: Ken Silva - More Lies, More Sensationalism, More Sin
Pride Arrogance and Humility
Attack on Apprising Ministries
Throwing Cyber-Sand In The Face of A Purpose-Driven Resister
Saddleback “Apologist” Convinces IPower Hosting to Shut Down Critics Website
Abanes Quick To Cry Wolf?
Indy Watchman on The Abanes Attack on Apprising
Abanes Guilty of Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism?
Web Hosting Service Caves To Purpose Driven Pressure

Web Hosting Service Caves To Purpose Driven Pressure

Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries has advised that Apprising Ministries is "officially offline", due to the pressure Purpose Driven Apologist Richard Abanes exerted on Apprising Ministries web hosting company IPower.

It is a sad day for Christians on the 'Net and the First Amendment. No doubt it's the sign of things to come.

As America's Pastor, Rick Warren says "fundamentalism is the enemy of the 21st century."

Well, looks like the persecution has entered cyberspace at the hands of the religious elite.

Congratulations Mr. Abanes. You should be real proud of yourself...right along side of pastors who have kicked out and driven out hundreds purpose driven resisters and their families in churches across the world.

Jim Lupacchino
Watcher's Lamp

See related article:
Throwing Cyber-sand In The Face of A Purpose-Driven Resister

Warren's PEACE Plan VS The Biblical Peace

Originaly posted April 2008
James Sundquist, author and founder of Rock Salt Publishing offers this no-cost online book,
Rick Warren's Global PEACE Plan vs. Scriptural Teachings on Peace.

Dedicated to the churches of Jesus Christ our Saviour in the 67 countries in which Rick Warren has tested his pilot PEACE plan in 2005, the 131 countries he has been working on for the last two years, to those who speak the 56 languages in which Purpose Driven Life has already been translated, and to rest of the nations throughout the uttermost parts of the earth that he has targeted to consummate the roll-out for his plan in 2006.

This is also dedicated to the tens of thousands of churches which have already been stolen by Rick Warren’s teachings and to the saints who were purpose-driven from those churches for opposing his teachings and covenants, many of whom now have no church; and to all of those pastors and church members still on the fence about Rick Warren’s teachings. We hope this will help alert you to the magnitude and scope of this religion and movement and sound an alarm to those Christians who have never heard of Rick Warren.

From the plight of purpose driven refugees to Rick Warren's goal of global expansion, James Sundquist documents the error of the Purpose Driven theology. Hardcopy also avaliable at Amazon.com

Visit the Abrahamic Faith website to see James Sundquist's extensive research on the Purpose Driven church growth movement.

Listen to James Sundquist discuss the issues concerning purpose driven resisters and the P.E.A.C.E. plan on Southwest Radio Ministries.

See related articles: SBC President Not Interested In the Victims of Purpose Driven , Wicked Roots of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life , and more on the Purpose Driven PEACE Train.

Throwing Cyber-sand In The Face of A Purpose-Driven Resister

Richard Abanes, author of Rick Warren And The Purpose That Drives Him: An Insider Looks At The Phenomenal Bestseller, has escalated his debate with Pastor Ken Silva regarding Abanes' defense of the Purpose Driven Movement.

Apparently Pastor Silva caught the attention of Abanes in this piece The Falling Away of the Evangelical Church. No doubt, Abanes saw this statement:

This kind of unpalatable rubbish from Schuller we have just looked at, pure uncut skubalon, has even infiltrated the evangelical community through the apostatizing PDL Pope Rick Warren and his so-called Purpose-Driven Church. Point of fact, it would truthfully be more proper to call it the Pragmatic Church, as Warren is no doubt a devotee of Schuller's centered of the self pragmatic ideas for growing a church.

And there are similar statements throughout the article.

In this piece, SETTING RICHARD ABANES STRAIGHT ON MY RICK WARREN "ATTACK"
Pastor Silva shares an exchange where Abanes makes the following comment:

Unfortunately, Silva has widely missed the mark regarding Rick Warren. He has seemingly fallen for several urban legends about Warren, most notably the widespread false notion that Warren is some kind of "disciple" of Robert Schuller.

Pastor Silva responded with prima facie evidence of the Schuller-Warren connection.

The article clearly illustrates Abanes' focus on what he percieved as an attack on Warren by Silva. Meanwhile Pastor Silva appears to be focused on what he perceives is an attack on Biblical truth.

Abanes declares Pastor Silva the de facto winner of that debate when Abanes resorts to contacting the webhosting service of Apprising Ministries and demands that the article be removed.

How ironic. Mr. Abanes, as such an ardent champion of Rick Warren and the Purpose Driven Movement, wants to erase the very document that reflects his defensive tactics.

Certainly not a vote of confidence in those tactics of defense, or the person Mr. Abanes is attempting to defend.

Sounds like someone is trying to throw cyber-sand in the face of a purpose-driven resister. I wonder where that idea came from.

See related articles: Christian Leader Pays For Speaking Out Against Rick Warren , Selling Salvation: Flipping Souls Like Hamburgers The Purpose Driven Way , More Purpose Driven Division , Dealing With Purpose Driven Resisters , More Collateral Damage From A Purpose Driven Pastor , Collateral Damage of the Purpose Driven Pastor , Dismembered By A Purpose Driven Pastor , Christian Leader Pays For Speaking Out Against Rick Warren , The Commencement Season , The Prophets Against Purpose Driven Division

See more Purpose Driven dismemberment articles here and Resisting the Purpose Driven here.

Southern Baptist Convention Silent on Warren's Reversing The Reformation

Rick Warren and Saddleback Church are in the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC is the largest Protestant ( born out of the protest against Rome ) denomination in America. Pastor-teacher Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries asks the 64 million dollar question in his article, RICK WARREN REVERSING THE REFORMATION:

How is it that one of the most powerful and prominent pastors in the SouthernBaptist Convention—the largest Protestant denomination in America—flatly contradicts the doctrine of the Reformation he says he believes in and no SBC leader has stepped forward to call him to account for his sin?

Individual SBC pastors have spoken out against the heresy of Rick Warren's theology to little avail. The local SBC pastor and church is autonomous and subject only to oversight within the local congregation. There is no hierarchical governance body over individual SBC churches.

Interesting to note that the SBC, as an organization, does have authority over one SBC entity, Lifeway Publishing. The fact that Lifeway continues to promote Purpose Driven products is a strong indication that an SBC hierarchical governance body, if it existed, would not resist the Purpose Driven, or it's attempt to reverse the Reformation.

Looks like the money changers trump doctrinal purity and Biblical truth.

See more on the silence of the SBC here.

Rick Warren at World Economic Forum - Religious Pluralism

Listen to Rick Warren describe the impact of the global faith sector..."Can we all get along...I don't care why you do good, as long as you do good"





See related articles: Preview of The Coming Global Religion, Co-Starring Rick Warren , The Tyranny of 3-Legged Branding , Who Are the "WE" and the "THEM" of Warren's Global PEACE Plan? , Warren & McLaren at The World Economic Forum , The Golden Rule Twisted , The Smell of Purpose Driven Ecumenism Is In The Air , Warren Saddles Up With Blair's Faith Foundation , PEACE Coalition: Harlotry Rising , Give the Glory to God! , Who Gets the Glory for Doing Good? , Why Criticize Saddleback? , Time Magazine on Rick Warren's New Global Reformation and His PEACE Coalition , Singing Out of The Global Hymnal , Warren Solos Out of The Global Hymnal , Spreading The Global Religion , Worldview Matters: Warren & One World Religion , RICK WARREN: “EVERY FACET OF CHRISTIANITY — INCLUDING CATHOLICISM” , Warren's ecumenical embrace of Roman Catholicism

See more on how Warren's PEACE train leads to Rome.

Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan: Sacrificing Truth In The Name Of Unity

In the Name of Purpose: Sacrificing Truth on the Altar of Unity by Tamara Hartzell

"I happen to know people who are followers of Christ in other religions." —Rick Warren

Simply being a Christian does not automatically immunize us from deception. Scripture's numerous warnings are meant to be heeded. If Christians couldn't be deceived, then the Holy Spirit would be wrong about those who will "depart from the faith" (see 1 Timothy 4:1).

Sadly, this departure from the faith will be so great that the Lord Jesus Christ asks us to consider whether He will actually find faith on the earth when He returns (see Luke 18:8). Since Christians today are trading in the truth of the faith for interfaith unity and are falling for the false gospel of the (New Age) New Spirituality that says all religions are equally valid paths to God, it's no wonder the Lord Jesus Christ asked this.

The universal religion with its spiritual transformation is not coming; it is here. The Angel of light's kingdom is gathering together "all men of peace" from "every world religion" "as the embodiment of the emerging Kingdom of God on earth."

In addition, his global Paradigm is even seeking purpose-driven “men of peace” from any religion and no religion to participate in the purpose-driven works of his P.E.A.C.E. Plan. His goal is to fight five global giants (which include “spiritual lostness”) through interfaith unity. This upside-down deception is the result of falling for the broad way’s method of synthesizing light and darkness into a new reality -- a “paradigm shift.”

The Paradigm’s purpose-driven interfaith unity cannot be separated from its "blueprint” The Purpose Driven Life. Definitions of basic purposes have been enlarged to facilitate a more inclusive and less offensive world view. Inevitably, this has laid the foundation for interfaith unity in the P.E.A.C.E. Plan.

Read Hartzell's book online at no cost here. Order the hardcopy here.

Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E Plan: Undoing The Reformation

FAITH UNDONE by Roger Oakland, author-lecturer and founder of Understand The Times International.

A new form of Christianity will replace faith with a faith that says man can find his own path to God and create a perfect kingdom of God here on the earth. The Word will become secondary to a system of works and rituals driven by ancient mystical practices.” (pp. 12-13)

“Rick Warren’s reformation, which will bring in the Kingdom of God through global cooperation for a common cause, will include Catholics, Muslims, and homosexuals - a combination hardly similar to the 16th century reformation…Rick Warren believes that God has shown him not only the boundaries (or lack of them) of this coming global kingdom, but also the strategy to bring it about. Before Warren came up with the plan, he says he asked Jesus to show him how to reach the world. He explains:” (Warren’s comments in red)

"Then I said, ‘How did You do it? You wouldn’t have left us without a strategy.’ And I found the answer in a passage in Matthew 10 and Luke 10 where Jesus sends His first followers out…He says, ‘When you go into a village, you find the man of peace in every village, in every government, in every business, in every church.* The man of peace does not have to be a Christian believer. Could be Muslim. Could be Jewish. Because when Jesus said, ‘Find the man of peace, there were no Christians yet. Jesus hadn’t died on the cross. There was no resurrection. He’s just saying, go out and find somebody to work with.” (pp. 149-150)

“I stand before you confidently right now and say to you that God is going to use you to change the world…I’m looking at a stadium full of people who are telling God they will do whatever it takes to establish God’s Kingdom ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’ What will happen if the followers of Jesus say to Him, ‘We are yours’? What kind of spiritual awakening will occur?” (p. 153)

HT: DiscernIT

See more warnings from Roger Oakland on Purpose Driven alliances with world religions, rituals and contemplative prayer .

Purpose Driven Dismemberment On Southwest Radio Ministries

Southwest Radio Ministries dedicates 3 programs on the error of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church growth movement and the merging of the pulpit, profit and politics in Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan...

HOW TO KNOW YOUR CHURCH IS GOING PURPOSE DRIVEN Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Noah Hutchings and Douglas Stauffer give signs you can look for in your church to know if it is adopting the Purpose Driven Church program and what you can do. Listen here.

MEETING WITH RICK WARREN Thursday, July 24, 2008

Rick Warren invited James Sundquist and Bob DeWaay to meet with him and discuss the issues they had with Warren's Purpose Driven Church movement. Bob DeWaay went but James Sundquist did not. The men reveal what happened at the meeting, what Rick Warren said, and the reasons why they did and did not attend the meeting. Listen here.

INSIGHTS ON THE PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH Friday, July 25, 2008

Mary Garzelloni left her Michigan church because it started going Purpose Driven. Mary tells her experiences in the church and why she had to take such a drastic step. Listen here.

See related articles: Selling Salvation: Flipping Souls Like Hamburgers The Purpose Driven Way , More Purpose Driven Division , Dealing With Purpose Driven Resisters , More Collateral Damage From A Purpose Driven Pastor , Collateral Damage of the Purpose Driven Pastor , Dismembered By A Purpose Driven Pastor , Christian Leader Pays For Speaking Out Against Rick Warren , The Commencement Season , The Prophets Against Purpose Driven Division

See more Purpose Driven dismemberment articles here

DeWaay on Warren's Ecumenical Cooperation Reformation

Evangelical pastor Bob DeWaay is author of the book Redefining Christianity and founder of the apologetics ministry Critical Issues Commentary. He says Warren wants the ear and influence of any world leader he can get to back his P.E.A.C.E. plan. (Listen to audio report)

"Some years ago he was already saying that this P.E.A.C.E. plan didn't need Christians necessarily to work, that Muslims could be part of it, or anybody else -- and then he calls the P.E.A.C.E. plan a 'reformation.' So how are you going to have a reformation based on working with all the world religions?" DeWaay asks.

"What does that got to do with the Great Commission, or the real Reformation, the authority of Scripture – all of the things that are important to us as evangelical Christians? I don't see how you can make a reformation based on cooperating world religions."

DeWaay says Warren is operating under the mistaken notion that uniting all religions to fight problems like AIDS and poverty will "warm people up" to Christianity. According to DeWaay, that is not the gospel God called Christians to preach. However, he admits many Evangelicals still have a strong affinity for Pastor Warren -- even though he wants to "reform" the church to focus on social action rather than gospel preaching.

"He's a very likeable guy on the surface, and I think pastors and Christians think, 'Well, look at this, if he can get all these people on board and he can build a big church and he's popular, and maybe if we get on board with that, some of that will rub off. Maybe we'll learn how to have a bigger church and how to be popular,'" DeWaay contends. "And I've been [telling people that] Jesus told us that the world would hate us. Okay, so something's seriously wrong if we do achieve popularity with the world.'"

HT: One News Now

See related articles: Purpose Driven Reformation Dafamation , Warren's PEACE Plan VS The Biblical Peace , RICK WARREN SAYS “GREAT SPIRITUAL AWAKENING” COMING , Bob DeWaay on Iron Sharpens Iron Radio , Two Witnesses Appear at Saddleback , PEACE Coalition: Harlotry Rising ,Crosstalk Examines Warren's PEACE Coalition , Give the Glory to God! , Why Criticize Saddleback? , Time Magazine on Rick Warren's New Global Reformation and His PEACE Coalition , Warren Saddles Up With Blair's Faith Foundation , Spin Doctor of Rick Warren's Cosmopolitan Reformation , Crosstalk Examines Warren's PEACE Coalition ,Warren's PEACE Plan VS the Biblical Peace plan e-book

See more on Warren's "deeds not creeds" reformation.

Rick Warren Partners With Pro-Homosexual Group For Presidential Forum

Jim Brown of One News Now reports on Rick Warren's upcoming presidential forum. The article reveals the disturbing partnership between Southern Baptist pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church and the liberal social justice group Faith in Public Life.

The two-hour forum is co-sponsored by Warren's Saddleback Church and the liberal social justice group Faith in Public Life, whose board president is Meg Riley, a Unitarian Universalist minister who previously ran the denomination's
homosexual advocacy office. The group's board members include other theological liberals, among them a pro-abortion Muslim leader and a Jewish rabbi.

The author of The Purpose Driven Life says he does not believe the biblical gospel is compromised when he teams up with non-Christians in efforts to promote the "common good."

Editor's note: Faith in Public Life promotes the homosexual agenda as a human rights / social justice issue. The FiPL website offers resources for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) community.

The Catholic Media Coalition produced this investigative piece revealing 150+ groups concerned with “gay rights” associated with Faith in Public Life:

27+ Dignity chapters: specifically targets the Roman Catholic Church, seeking nothing less than a complete reversal of Church moral teaching about sexuality and sin. Seeks full legal protection of same-sex marriages

18+ Soulforce (GLBT) chapters: It seeks “freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance” and claims that it is a misuse of religion and spiritual violence “to sanction the condemnation and rejection of any of God’s children.” Seeks full legal protection of same-sex marriages

WATER (Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual) groups: feminist liberation, pro-choice and lesbian advocates

Is Rick Warren, by association, indirectly or directly endorsing the homosexual agenda by partnering with Faith in Public Life in the upcoming presidential forum at Saddleback Church?

Stephanie Block of CMC would say "YES".

Commenting on the Faith in Public Life groups affiliation with The Maryland Catholic Conference, Block writes:

Does this mean that the Maryland Catholic Conference is supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage? Yes, it does. By its placement among progressive-minded organizations, the force of its reputation as a religious representative of the Holy, Roman Catholic Church gives progressive political goals moral credibility. They are supporting same-sex marriage.

Let's insert Rick Warren's Saddleback Church for the Maryland Catholic Conference and see how Block's statement would read if she reported on the forum sponsorship between Saddleback and Faith in Public Life:

Does this mean that Rick Warren's Saddleback Church is supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage? Yes, it does. By its placement among progressive-minded organizations, the force of its reputation as a religious representative of the American Evangelical Community gives progressive political goals moral credibility. They are supporting same-sex marriage.

Are there any Scriptures that would shed light on the topic of a church aligning itself with an organization such as faith in Public Life? Here's just a few (click on the links for more)...

Exodus 20:1 Then God spoke all these words,saying, 2"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3"You shall have no other gods before Me.

Amos 3:3 Shall two walk together, except they have agreed??

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

Galations 1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:1 When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

See related articles: Saddleback & SoulForce: Rick Warren's Half Lie? , Rick Warren Washes His Hands of SoulForce But Saddleback Sets The Table , Saddleback Set To Entertain Gay Activists , Rick Warren: Playing Both Sides of the Gay Agenda , Christian Leader Pays For Speaking Out Against Rick Warren , Protestant Pope's Self Promotion & Presidential Politics

Protestant Pope's Self Promotion & Presidential Politics

Purpose-Driven Politics from World On The Web:

Pastor Rick Warren has pulled together Barack Obama and John McCain for their first joint appearance of the presidential campaign. The two will appear in a “non-debate” format, open to all media and 6,500 ticket holders, on August 16 at the Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion, which will be held on the Saddleback Church campus in California.

...The Saddleback Civil Forum was established this year to promote civil discourse and the common good of all. The first forum featured five Holocaust survivors sharing their stories. The third Civil Forum will feature former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in September.

Editor's note: Warren declares “In addition to my primary calling to proclaim the Gospel Truth of salvation in Jesus Christ, these Civil Forums further three other life goals: helping individuals accept responsibility, helping the Church regain credibility and encouraging our society to return to civility...”

Gospel truth of salvation in Jesus Christ? Rick Warren's "salvation" and "good works" false gospel is leading thousands away from the Biblical Salvation through the Biblical Savior.

Rick Warren has denied the Biblical Gospel Truth and promotes an ecumenical, humanistic belief system that honors gods of other religions. All in the name of global unity and the global good.

Here's just some of the evidence: The Unholy Marriage Between Religion and Politics , Why Criticize Saddleback? , Rick Warren, Facism & The Family , UK to U.S. Red Letter Christians: Admit You Are Marxists! , Is The Gospel of the Kingdom the Gospel? , What are Red Letter Christians? , Evangelicals Broadening Issues to Include Poverty, Education , The Social Gospel ,

Warren Saddles Up With Blair's Faith Foundation , PEACE Coalition: Harlotry Rising , The Smell of Purpose Driven Ecumenism Is In The Air , Warren Promotes PEACE Plan & Politics Preview of The Coming Global Religion, Co-Starring Rick Warren , Warren's Works Gospel Doesn't Work

Time Magazine on Rick Warren's New Global Reformation and His PEACE Coalition , Singing Out of The Global Hymnal , Warren Solos Out of The Global Hymnal , Purpose Driven PEACE Train: Destination ROME , Purpose Driven Peace Plan & The Vatican sending the same message ?, The Seeds of Socialized Christianity ,

Spreading The Global Religion , Warren & The One World Religion , Decoding The Evangelical Manifesto's Call For Global Ecumenism , The Evangelical Manifesto: Poison In The Pot , Purpose Driven Power Politics , Colson's Surprise Guest For SBC's Annual Meeting , The Global Peace Plan for a Global People , The CFR, The Social Gospel, & The Peace Plan

See more related posts here.

NavPress Promotes Lectio Divina For Kids

NavPress promotes contemplative prayer for kids with this very misleading statement:

"Contemplative prayer is a form of meditative prayer that focuses on communing with God. Although sometimes confused with its Eastern (and non-Christian) counterpart, true Christian meditation has been practiced since Bible times."

Contemplative prayer is not Biblical, nor can you find any Scriptural references to support such a misleading statement. "Christian mediation" is an oxymoron. The type of meditation NavPress promotes is not Christian. NavPress goes into greater detail by describing the very Roman Catholic "Lectio Divina" for Kids. NavPress endorses Roman Catholic mystic Brother Lawrence as well.

NavPress should check church history. Eastern mysticism was converted to "Christianized" contemplative prayer by the Roman Catholic Church several hundred years after the New Testament time frame. The Roman Catholic church didn't exist during "Biblical Times".

See it for yourself here. Learn more of the roots of contemplative prayer here: Ministry, Mysticism and Mayhem.

Roman Catholicism is the Perfect Illustration of Another Gospel

From Christian Research Network:

In RICK WARREN IS SAYING PROTESTANT REFORMERS LUTHER AND CALVIN WERE WRONG I point out that compromisers of Christianity like Southern Baptist "Protestant" Rick Warren have done away with the Reformation and fully accept the Roman Catholic Church as a Christian church.

However, one of the clearest ways to show that apostate Roman Catholicism is another gospel, which is no gospel at all, is to look more closely at chapter 1 of the Book of Galatians. And this is what Apprising Ministries does in this piece.

The Coming Harvest Of The Earth

What would you do if you knew that a catastrophic event was coming? What lengths would you go to, what personal sacrifices would you make to warn others?

Unlike the popular purpose and prosperity messages coming from pulpits today, Bible believing Christians know the fate of an unbelieving world. The wrath of God is certain and it is coming.

What will your response be...will you water down the Gospel and just tell people "God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life"? Will you join the ranks of those who deny God's judgment? Or will you remain neutral and live out your life, being safe and comfortable?

Pastor-teacher Jamey Day of Grace Fellowship breaks open Rev. 14:14-20 which initiates the pouring out of God's judgements on a rebellious, Christ-rejecting world.

Listen to this message of warning here and determine where you stand.

See related video Season of Signs: Passover Through Pentecost 2008 .

The Nature of God’s Word is to be Persecuted

From Mike Ratliff of Possessing The Treasure

We have pastors such as Rick Warren loudly proclaiming that the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church are of God and are Christian, thereby attempting to nullify the Protestant Reformation. Why would anyone seek to do this? Warren is on a mission to bring unity amongst all professing Christians regardless of severe doctrinal differences. Have you noticed my brethren that that includes all professing Christians except those who refuse to broaden the Gospel, who teach that the Church is made up of the elect of God and that is not in any way editable by anyone?

The message by men such as Rick Warren is appealing. Why? It is inclusive instead of exclusive. It is easy instead of hard. In other words, it is appealing to the flesh, but a dead end to the spirit. It is as if the Purpose Driven Church model is a very large bulldozer or earth mover that has widened and smoothed the path to the Celestial City so as many people as possible can make the trip without all of that repentance, trials, tests, and dangers that God uses to grow His saints.

Evangelicals Embrace Science To Become Environmentalists

From DetNews.com Ken Wilson: Faith and Policy

There is a shift in the American religious landscape. Evangelicals who have been known to affix the adjective "wacko" to the term "environmentalist" are starting to go green.
Calls to return to the biblical heritage of environmental stewardship are pouring from leaders like Richard Cizik, the vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, Rick Warren, the author of "The Purpose Driven Life," and Bill Hybels, the voice for over 6,000 churches in his Willow Creek Association.

What began as a trickle and has swelled into a steady stream is bound to become a flood as evangelicals in America become the new environmentalists. We will bring new energy to address the growing global environmental crisis of a warming climate, an alarming extinction rate, the rapid loss of land that can grow crops and more than a billion people without clean drinking water.

Calif. Wildfires Largest 'fire event' in State History

From MSNBC: The nearly 1,300 square miles blackened eclipses 2003 record

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A large wildfire in a national forest spread farther away from the storied coastal town of Big Sur on Monday but forced residents of another community to stay away from their homes for a third day.

Evacuation orders first issued Saturday morning remained in place for more than 200 homes in the rural Cachagua community northeast of Big Sur. The blaze, which already has charred 187 square miles and destroyed 27 homes, was about 1 1/2 miles from the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

See related video: Season of Signs: Passover Through Pentecost 2008

Wall Street Fears Wave Of Bank Failures

From Political Bulletin

Last night's evening news broadcasts included warnings that the collapse of IndyMac bank is likely only the first of a series of such failures. NBC Nightly News reported, "Luckily, most Americans don't know much more about bank failures than we all learned from watching the Christmastime classic 'It's A Wonderful Life' with Jimmy Stewart. ...

So when a big bank failed in California just a few days ago and, given some uneasy rumors about others, there are worries in this era of mortgage meltdowns that there could perhaps be more on the way."

See related articles:Financial collapse edges closer , SEC steps in to stop 'short selling' of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae ... , Analyst warns on Wachovia amid more bank worries , Nervous investors mull more potential bank failures , 'Serious financial crisis' as bank stocks sink, mortgage bigs get ... , Government's Rescue Plan Leaves Unresolved Problems

Skepticism Precedes Saudi-led Interfaith Meeting

From The AP Wire by PAUL HAVEN
MADRID, Spain (AP) — A Saudi-sponsored conference that will bring together Israeli and American rabbis with clerics from the strict Wahhabi sect of Islam — as well as global religious leaders of nearly every persuasion — is either a rare opportunity for dialogue or a cynical publicity stunt.

It all depends on whom you ask.

And like any confab that includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and representatives of several other religions — there is no shortage of opinion.

The conference opening in Madrid on Wednesday is the brainchild of Saudi King Abdullah, who has cast it as a way to ease tensions between Islam, Christianity and Judaism — part of an effort to reposition oil-rich Saudi Arabia as a force for moderation in the region.

See related articles:
Saudi Arabia Leader Calls for Interfaith Dialogue ,Saudi Arabia: No Churches Unless Prophet Mohammed Recognised, Says Expert , Saudi King to Visit the Vatican ,Anglicans Welcome Muslim Call for Peace

HT: Christian Research Network

'World will pay price for Iran attack'

From The Jerusalem Post

Syrian President Bashar Assad warned Monday that Israel, the US and the entire world would pay a heavy price if Iran is attacked.

"The US and the world will pay a heavy price," Assad said in an interview with the French Radio station, Inter-Radio, adding, "Iran has already emphasized that Israel will pay directly for such an attack."

"The problem is that when one side begins such an operation in the Middle East, it won't be possible to control the consequences which will likely influence the region for many years to come," continued the Syrian president.

10 People Flee Island After Volcanic Eruption in Alaska

Denver Post

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A fishing vessel rescued 10 people after a volcano erupted, sending rocks and ash down on a cattle ranch on a remote island in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
The Tara Gaila picked up the people Saturday night after an urgent call from the Coast Guard. They were taken to a hotel in Dutch Harbor, about 65 miles away.

Financial Markets Turmoil Deepens Global Crisis

From the UAE Business 24/7

US federal authorities' seizure of mortgage lender IndyMac Bancorp Inc on Friday after withdrawals by panicked depositors is seen by analysts as a sign that the worst is not over yet in the global financial crisis. The news was exacerbated by the market wiping almost half the share value of the two biggest mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, before they recovered a bit with the news of government support if needed. The two government-chartered, shareholder-owned giants underpin some $5 trillion (Dh18.35trn) in home loans and both have lost around 75 per cent since the start of the year.

See related article: IndyMac bank crisis signals new takeover era

Lourdes: Making Money Off Mary

Lourdes fears priestly scandal will make profits dry up by Jason Burke The Guardian.UK The Observer

It is called the 'Zambelli Affair' and for the town of Lourdes, one of the world's most famous sites of pilgrimage, it could not have come at a worse time. Last week it was disclosed that Fr Raymond Zambelli, the priest in charge of the sanctuaries of Lourdes, was being investigated by financial police after a computer highlighted suspicious deposits in his personal account, amounting to £360,000.

Lourdes is in the spotlight like never before. It is the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous, a poor, illiterate local girl, in a cave beside the Gave de Pau river and a total of eight million pilgrims are expected at the shrine this year, a third more than usual: in September, Benedict XVI is coming. According to a leaked letter, prosecutors have even suggested soft-pedalling the investigation until after the pope's visit.

For those selling Lourdes water for €3(£2.50) a litre, the rosaries, the statuettes and the flashing plastic models of Bernadette , the fear is that the scandal will cost hard cash. 'It's like the Tour de France. One rider done for doping and the public think they are all on drugs,' said Anton Dupont, a taxi driver.

Church authorities have acted recently to restrain the souvenir sellers' commercial excesses. Bottles of wine with the Virgin Mary on the label and place mats picturing the shrine's famous cave were banned, though healing mints made with holy water from the Lourdes spring are still on the shelves.

PHOTO: Lourdes Water Mints, a wonderfully tasting mint with the benefit of being made with Lourdes water. The container has the image of Our Lady of Lourdes on the front. A unique gift guaranteed to have been made with the miraculous Lourdes water, brought to you direct from Lourdes.

Larry King Live On Texas Mass UFO Sightings

British UFO Sightings at 'Bizarre' Levels , Russian Muslims and Jews Admit Alien Existence , What Does the Vatican Know About Extraterrestial Life? , Prepping The World For Alien Disclosure? , Vatican Astronomer: Aliens May Not Need Redemption , Vatican: Space Aliens Might Actually ExistNASA: Water Found On Mars , MARS MISSION: The Search for Life ,

Global Coral Crisis Is In Full Bloom

Study: Global Coral Crisis Is In Full Bloom by John Nielsen at NPR

Coral reefs around the world are in bad shape these days. But a new research paper in the journal Science says their problems may be getting worse. The paper says as much as a third of the world's coral species may now be headed toward extinction, thanks to problems ranging from destructive fishing boats to ocean waters warmed by global climate change.

Coral experts say these reefs hold 25 percent of the world's marine species. That list includes sponges, lobsters, turtles, shrimp, sharks and commercially important fish. Philip Munday, a reef expert at Australia's James Cook University, says that's why coral reefs are often called "the rain forests of the ocean."

Catholicism Does Not Believe Jesus Only.

See more at In The Days.

See related articles Vatican: All Religions Are Equal , RICK WARREN: “EVERY FACET OF CHRISTIANITY — INCLUDING CATHOLICISM” , Pope to Meet Leaders of Other Faiths , Roman Catholicism Spawned the Current Apostasy in Evangelicalism , Why Evangelicals are Returning to Rome , The Smell of Purpose Driven Ecumenism Is In The Air , What Divides Catholics and Protestants?

IMF Knocks on Uncle Sam's Door

From Australia's THE AGE

IMAGINE the Reserve Bank of Australia, concerned that its friends in the city of Sydney (but perhaps Melbourne) who, having wallowed in wealth all their adult lives, were no longer gainfully employable and their wildly extravagant lifestyles were in danger, and, having the powers to intervene in the market, decided to do just that on their behalf.

Imagine them offering to enter the market and buy shares that would prop up the foolish gambles of the bankers, gambles they had encouraged them, until recently, to take by providing them with cheap money.

On top of that, they told this group they would provide hundreds of billions of dollars in credits to these same profiteers on the grounds they were so big and important to the economy they were indeed too big to fail.

Then, imagine, despite pouring untold taxpayers money into stocks and allowing their cronies access to vast sums, the system continued to fail. So they announced they would need greater power and with it more secrecy.

For its growing band of critics has, perhaps unwittingly and in the interest of public good, this has become the principal function of the US Federal Reserve.

See related articles Cramer: Stocks are Doomed, Sell Now , THE FINAL GLOBALIZATION OF THE U.S. BANKING SYSTEM , Crisis wipes $1 trillion from financial stocks

US will not hesitate to defend Israel

· Vow comes on second day of ballistic missile tests · Leaders threaten to shut vital oil route if attacked by Julian Borger, diplomatic editor and Ewen MacAskill in Washington The Guardian

The US vowed to defend Israel and its other allies in the Gulf, as Iran carried out its second ballistic missile test in two days yesterday.

As the situation worsened in the Gulf, the French oil company Total said it would pull out of a large-scale investment in an Iranian gas field - a serious blow to Tehran, which is keen to exploit its gas reserves, and a victory for the Bush administration, which has been seeking to isolate the Iranian government.

Saber-Rattling from Iran and Russia

From TIME Magazine: The missile-bound game of nuclear tic-tac-toe continued across the Middle East and Europe Wednesday as Russia made a provocative response to an expansion of the U.S. missile shield in Europe, and Iran followed with a provocation of its own. After the U.S. and Czech Republic signed an agreement calling for the basing of a U.S. radar south of Prague, Moscow responded with a threat of unspecified "military" action if the system is ever deployed.

Then, less than 24 hours later, apparently responding to increasing chatter from the U.S. and Israel about attacking Tehran's nuclear production sites, Iran test-fired a barrage of missiles at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a vital waterway through which about 40% of the world's oil — much of it bound for the U.S. and the West — passes.

Iron Sharpens Iron: The Kaballah

Ken Silva Talks About Kabbalah with Chris Arnzen on Iron Sharpens Iron

On this Iron Sharpens Iron program you’ll hear, while Kabbalah represents the mystic tradition of Judaism, there is a real similarity to the corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism of so-called Spiritual Formation.

Now a pop culture trend, which involves people from Madonna to Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, to Paris Hilton, Jeff Goldblum and Elizabeth Taylor to Barbara Streisand and now even Brittany Spears; Hollywood’s hottest and other celebrities have been embracing this ancient practice of Jewish Bible study known as Kabbalah.

As you’ll also hear that someone into Kabbalah would say where the Jewish law focuses on what God wants from man, Kabbalah is trying to penetrate deeper into the unio mystica—in other words, union with God in essence. Apprising Ministries has the link where you can listen to and/or download the program.

Cramer: Stocks are Doomed, Sell Now

Money News Street Talk

Jim Cramer, the often loud and always bullish host of a popular CNBC show, is now bearish.
Cramer frequently tells his audience that he believes there is always a bull market somewhere, and it’s his goal to help them find it.

“But this time is different; it’s doom itself,” Cramer recently wrote in New York magazine. “In 25 years on Wall Street, I have never seen things this bad.”

Apparitions of Mary - "Messages from Heaven"

See related article and links: Rome Marks Apparition Of "Sinless" Mary & The Miraculous Medal

Food Shortages in Syria, United Arab Emirates

From The Jerusalem Post by THE MEDIA LINE NEWS AGENCY

This year's wheat harvest in Syria will be the lowest in nearly two decades, the Syrian business newsletter The Syria Report reported.

According to the newsletter, the news could not have come at a worse time for the Syrian government: Instead of being able to export wheat and enjoy the current high prices on the world market, the government will now have to import wheat, adding an extra burden to the country's economy.

Rome Marks Apparition Of "Sinless" Mary & The Miraculous Medal

From ZENIT

Rome, July 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Association of the Miraculous Medal was given pontifical approval 100 years ago today, and a centenary is beginning to mark the anniversary.

The association, established after the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to St. Catherine Laboure, was recognized formally on July 8, 1909. The miraculous medal was manifested by the Blessed Virgin to St. Catherine in Paris in 1830.

The medal shows Our Lady standing on a globe with her arms outstretched and with the rays of light streaming from her fingers. Framing the figure is the inscription: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. The back of the medal has 12 stars encircling a large "M" from which arises a cross. Below are two hearts with flames arising from them. One heart is encircled in thorns and the other is pierced by a sword.

Editor's note: In 1957, Pope Pius XII emphasized the Roman Catholic Marian dogma which holds that the Virgin Mary was "from her very origin exempt from sin" and her apparitions worthy of worship.

See related articles: Exorcists Disagree on Source of Marion Apparition ,Reconcile This, Rick Warren? , Avoid Them Like The Plague , The Feast of the Sacred Heart , Virgin Mary Miracle in Bosnia , Vatican Recognizes Marian Apparition in France , , The World, The Eucharist and the Co-Redeemer , , Mary & Messages From Heaven , Mary: The Refuge, The Peace, The Path To God , Pray Rosary for Peace, Benedict XVI Urges , , Pope Benedict XVI elevates "Mary" to a place of Deity Avoid Them Like The Plague, Faith Undone, The ABC's of Catholicism, Far from Rome, Near to God , Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth, Pope Casts The Next Stone, Growing Evangelical Fascination with Rome, Evangelical Christians & Catholic Mysticism., Alignment of New Evangelicals with Apostacy

Visit What Every Catholic Should Know, and Eternal Productions for more on Roman Catholicism witnessing resources.

Thousands Flee California Wildfires

The Press Association: Thousands of US residents north of Sacramento, California, have been told to flee after erratic winds blew embers across wildfire containment lines, the latest setback for already strained fire crews.

Disaster News Network: More than 13,000 people who live in this city in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains have either been told to leave their homes or to be prepared to evacuate.

Editor's note: The Reuter's News Video below counts 1,780 fires in California over the last two weeks.



See related video Season of Signs: Passover Through Pentecost 2008