Important press release
I just received this from my friends at Lighthouse Trails.
Now I am no fan of Big Jim and his politics at Focus on the Family but it does break my heart to see the path Focus on the Family is taking. They used to be a great source of good information. Sadly as they promote the occult lectio divina and contemplative they need to be marked and avoided. But we also need to keep them in praye.
In the bible it mentions many time(concerning the end times).
Do not be deceived, reader beware etc..
We need to use a lot of caution these days.
Here is the press release-
Family Warns Parents ...............
But Parents Should Be Warned about FOF ......
Focus on the Family - Parents Should Be Warned
Telling supporters that they are against mysticism, they are actually promoting it.
In an email brief titled A Night of "Spiritual Naturalism," sent out on October 31st from Focus on the Family, FOF Institute President Del Tackett warns parents about the increase of mysticism in our culture. He says:
The night of fun [Halloween] has become a mainstream part of our culture. The messages of popular songs, movies and television are increasingly "dark." New Age and Eastern mysticism thought are pervasive, found even in our kindergartens. The spiritual animation of the material world is a growing phenomenon. Wicca attracts more and more young women into its covens.... [W]e are seeing a rapid rise in what I call "spiritual naturalism." This is not a movement toward the transcendent God of the universe, but simply adding "spirit" to the matter and energy of the natural realm. I would argue that it is not a movement toward the "supernatural," but more toward the "sub- natural" for it draws people ever deeper into the darkness of the spiritual forces of hell, not heaven.... Parents, beware. The messages we allow our children to hear often carry a virus.
Hearing this from Focus on the Family seems almost preposterous. Why? Because this Christian ministry is promoting contemplative spirituality, which is as "sub-natural" as "spiritual naturalism" and draws people just as deeply into "the darkness of the spiritual forces of hell."
We contacted Focus on the Family several months ago to warn them about the dangers of contemplative spirituality and to tell them that they were promoting it by endorsing such teachers as Gary Thomas (who teaches mantra meditation) and FOF's own H.B. London who has a CD set on Spiritual Formation that extols Richard Foster, who said "we should all without shame enroll in the school of contemplative prayer" (Celebration of Discipline). London says that Foster is an "expert" on the subject and includes contemplative promoters John Ortberg and Larry Crabb in the set, calling them experts as well. Focus on the Family strengthens their stand for contemplative in a four part article on the TrueU website (a FOF website), written by J. P. Moreland (professor at Talbot School of Theology), who espouses the spiritual disciplines (i.e., contemplative spirituality). In the article, Moreland says, a "Christian spiritual discipline is a repeated bodily practice" and leaves one to view the Christian life as regimented rituals that just might eventually make us holy if we practice them enough. Moreland says: "People are coming to see that repeated bodily practice in the form of spiritual exercises/disciplines is at the heart of spiritual transformation."
Just in case anyone would still question Focus on the Family's true affinity toward contemplative, an article on FOF's Boundless magazine, writer Sarah E. Hinlicky not only talks favorably about lectio divina but goes so far as to favorably quote and discuss panentheist Thomas Keating. Lighthouse Trails told FOF about this article, but months later, it remains on their site. No one can know how many people have read that article over the last several years and no one knows how many of those have been led away from the gospel message of Jesus Christ and into the spirituality of Thomas Keating.
How can Focus on the Family partake in this type of controlled opposition, saying they are against mysticism but yet promoting it at the same time. In a way, it is even worse, because the mysticism they promote is hidden within Christian terminology. So if a warning is to go out to parents, it must include a warning about Focus on the Family, who by their own admission (in a letter to us) , "believe that there is and always has been a strong tradition of contemplative prayer in the Christian church that has nothing to do with mantras and Eastern meditation." But the men they are promoting (Thomas, Crabb, Keating, and Foster) do believe in mantras and Eastern style meditation! And for that, Focus on the Family leaders should apologize to the body of Christ and turn away from contemplative spirituality.
For more on Focus on the Family and their promotion of Contemplative Prayer:
Focus on the Family Promotes Contemplative Authors
Focus on the Family Defends Contemplative Author
Christian Leaders Network Together in Dangerous Venture
Spiritual Formation - How Widespread Has it Become?
Brio Magazine and Thomas Merton
FOF, Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen and the Silence
Lighthouse Trails Research Project
Editors - Lighthouse Trails Publishing
editor@lighthousetrails.com
503/873-9092
Please feel free to distribute this press release.
Now I am no fan of Big Jim and his politics at Focus on the Family but it does break my heart to see the path Focus on the Family is taking. They used to be a great source of good information. Sadly as they promote the occult lectio divina and contemplative they need to be marked and avoided. But we also need to keep them in praye.
In the bible it mentions many time(concerning the end times).
Do not be deceived, reader beware etc..
We need to use a lot of caution these days.
Here is the press release-
Family Warns Parents ...............
But Parents Should Be Warned about FOF ......
Focus on the Family - Parents Should Be Warned
Telling supporters that they are against mysticism, they are actually promoting it.
In an email brief titled A Night of "Spiritual Naturalism," sent out on October 31st from Focus on the Family, FOF Institute President Del Tackett warns parents about the increase of mysticism in our culture. He says:
The night of fun [Halloween] has become a mainstream part of our culture. The messages of popular songs, movies and television are increasingly "dark." New Age and Eastern mysticism thought are pervasive, found even in our kindergartens. The spiritual animation of the material world is a growing phenomenon. Wicca attracts more and more young women into its covens.... [W]e are seeing a rapid rise in what I call "spiritual naturalism." This is not a movement toward the transcendent God of the universe, but simply adding "spirit" to the matter and energy of the natural realm. I would argue that it is not a movement toward the "supernatural," but more toward the "sub- natural" for it draws people ever deeper into the darkness of the spiritual forces of hell, not heaven.... Parents, beware. The messages we allow our children to hear often carry a virus.
Hearing this from Focus on the Family seems almost preposterous. Why? Because this Christian ministry is promoting contemplative spirituality, which is as "sub-natural" as "spiritual naturalism" and draws people just as deeply into "the darkness of the spiritual forces of hell."
We contacted Focus on the Family several months ago to warn them about the dangers of contemplative spirituality and to tell them that they were promoting it by endorsing such teachers as Gary Thomas (who teaches mantra meditation) and FOF's own H.B. London who has a CD set on Spiritual Formation that extols Richard Foster, who said "we should all without shame enroll in the school of contemplative prayer" (Celebration of Discipline). London says that Foster is an "expert" on the subject and includes contemplative promoters John Ortberg and Larry Crabb in the set, calling them experts as well. Focus on the Family strengthens their stand for contemplative in a four part article on the TrueU website (a FOF website), written by J. P. Moreland (professor at Talbot School of Theology), who espouses the spiritual disciplines (i.e., contemplative spirituality). In the article, Moreland says, a "Christian spiritual discipline is a repeated bodily practice" and leaves one to view the Christian life as regimented rituals that just might eventually make us holy if we practice them enough. Moreland says: "People are coming to see that repeated bodily practice in the form of spiritual exercises/disciplines is at the heart of spiritual transformation."
Just in case anyone would still question Focus on the Family's true affinity toward contemplative, an article on FOF's Boundless magazine, writer Sarah E. Hinlicky not only talks favorably about lectio divina but goes so far as to favorably quote and discuss panentheist Thomas Keating. Lighthouse Trails told FOF about this article, but months later, it remains on their site. No one can know how many people have read that article over the last several years and no one knows how many of those have been led away from the gospel message of Jesus Christ and into the spirituality of Thomas Keating.
How can Focus on the Family partake in this type of controlled opposition, saying they are against mysticism but yet promoting it at the same time. In a way, it is even worse, because the mysticism they promote is hidden within Christian terminology. So if a warning is to go out to parents, it must include a warning about Focus on the Family, who by their own admission (in a letter to us) , "believe that there is and always has been a strong tradition of contemplative prayer in the Christian church that has nothing to do with mantras and Eastern meditation." But the men they are promoting (Thomas, Crabb, Keating, and Foster) do believe in mantras and Eastern style meditation! And for that, Focus on the Family leaders should apologize to the body of Christ and turn away from contemplative spirituality.
For more on Focus on the Family and their promotion of Contemplative Prayer:
Focus on the Family Promotes Contemplative Authors
Focus on the Family Defends Contemplative Author
Christian Leaders Network Together in Dangerous Venture
Spiritual Formation - How Widespread Has it Become?
Brio Magazine and Thomas Merton
FOF, Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen and the Silence
Lighthouse Trails Research Project
Editors - Lighthouse Trails Publishing
editor@lighthousetrails.com
503/873-9092
Please feel free to distribute this press release.
posted by Tim Wirth | 10:49 AM
2 Comments:
As a practicing Wiccan I would like to say that we are not a danger to Christianity. The Christians have always sought to destroy the old ways but we will have none of that. We teach that people should have a choice about what they believe. There is no one true way to God. Whatever feels right to you is what feels right to you. If you are at peace with what you believe then that is great. We do not bash Christianity. Why would you bash ours? Where's the respect and open mindedness that should be allowed for?
As a Christian the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Way, The Truth, and the Light. The only way. And indeed if the Bible is true (which I believe it is) Jesus is the only way to eternal life in heaven.
Now this is not something I wrote but God wrote through the Holy Spirit using human writers.
So wo goes to heaven or hell is certainly not my call.
And inspite of other beliefs one day this will all come to a head and the bottom line will be just that.
I dont see that the article bashes wicca but warns against it.
As a Christian we believe that God does not allow us to play around with the occult in any way shape or form.
We do not believe in white magic or black but believe it comes from only one source.
And that is our enemy satan.
And yes everyone does have the right to choose what they believe.
And I have also known some wiccans who are kind and decent people.
But we do not believe that good works gets us to heaven.
Only believing that Jesus died on the cross for all our sins (yours to).
Jesus made us right with God and only through His righteousness can we come to the Father and eternal life in heaven.
There is only one true way to God and thats through Jesus Christ.
Thanks for your comments.
Tim
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