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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH: "MY CHURCH-HEADING INTO TROUBLED WATERS WITH ONE DECEPTIVE TEACHER AFTER THE NEXT"

LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS RESEARCH: "MY CHURCH-HEADING INTO TROUBLED WATERS WITH ONE DECEPTIVE TEACHER AFTER THE NEXT" 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
Dear Lighthouse Trails:
I recently began reading A Time of Departing. A very well-documented book. I am blown away by the amount of research Ray Yungen put into that book! Thank you for publishing it. Thank you also for your posts dealing with the Spiritual Formation movement, contemplative prayer, etc. I do not know exactly how I first got onto the scent of the Spiritual Formation trail about two years ago, but I think it was through research I was doing into some “worship” songs that were being used at our church. While concerned for different reasons, I was introduced into Bethel Church (directly through our church’s music selection) and Spiritual Formation indirectly as I was becoming aware of the broader things that ail the “evangelical” church. Initially, I was concerned enough about what I was discovering about Spiritual Formation to learn more about it, but at the same time I was thinking, “this is important to know about, but I can’t see this affecting the Christian circles I run in.”
I was wrong.
After gaining a basic understanding on the ideas and players in Spiritual Formation, I moved on to other things. It was about six months later that our church (a small rural church) called a new pastor. It was kind of a “shot-gun” marriage so to speak. The elders announced they had found their candidate, he would preach in church on the following Sunday, a Q&A would follow the service, and a vote would be held two days later. Yikes!  As the Q&A began that Sunday, there was the initial awkward silence. No questions. I was thinking, “Good grief, this most likely will be our new pastor, we know next to nothing about him, and no one has any questions!” So I raised my hand to ask a question. Keep in mind that I am in introvert extraordinaire so I am about the last person to ordinarily speak in such a situation. What question(s) does one ask in such a situation when rightfully a million questions should be asked? I asked this: “What pastors/theologians do you read?”  I figured as with a book, the footnotes would give as much information on the content of the book as could be ascertained in such a short time. His reply, among other names, included Brennan Manning and John Ortberg. . . . That day there were one or two other questions on his philosophy of ministry and that was about it. The rest of the questions were small talk: dogs, cats, kids, weather, etc. I was quite disappointed that the members of the church seemed to care so little about his beliefs. . . .  The pastor was voted in as fully expected.
A few months later, a message went out to the women of the church from the pastor’s wife inviting them to go to an area church for the IF:Gathering. I had never heard of the IF:Gathering before, but thought I’d look it up. As you know, it is quite new so I could not find much information on it. Since the conference seemed to be flying under the radar, I began looking up who past speakers had been. Needless to say when I saw the likes of Jen Hatmaker and Christine Caine, I became concerned. It didn’t take me long to stumble across one of the speakers referring to “contemplative prayer.” Then another woman making the same reference. I began looking for connections between the other women and Spiritual Formation/Contemplative Prayer; it seemed like it was one right after another. Now this stuff IS showing up in the circles I run in! It just took a pastor and his wife who are big into the “conference culture” to bring it to us; the “conference culture” is new to our church and its absence had spared us from many of the things that ail evangelicalism.
At this point, I knew I could not be silent. I approached our pastor about my concerns. This is the first time I have approached a pastor about something that I have adamantly disagreed about, and that is no small thing for an introvert like me. One evening, we met and I read for about 1.5 hours the things that these women had written, said, and people that they quoted (the heretical, mystical, universalist Richard Rohr seemed to be their favorite person to quote). I think the pastor was taken aback both by what these women believed and that I was able to produce so much horrid material on them. I only read him their own words; I did not read him your blog (or anyone else’s) because I figured anything that was not original source material might be dismissed as opinion/speculation. He agreed that the mysticism was bad, but that they didn’t teach this stuff at the conference because his wife has gone before and she has good discernment. To me it does not matter if they teach this stuff or not, you are leading people to teachers who are into dangerous things. The claim that they do not “teach” this stuff at the conference may or may not be true, but IF:Gathering does sell on their website books on the Desert Fathers and Mothers, books written by Catholic spiritual directors, they include Richard Foster in their material, and they gave away Pete Scazzero’sbook Emotionally Healthy Spirituality to the live conference attendees this year.
Our pastor said he would think about what to do. Fortunately, he told the church that the church would no longer advertise the event due to some of the beliefs of the speakers. Unfortunately, his wife hosted the webcast conference as a private event in their home; about 1/3 of the women of the church attended.
There have been additional things that have occurred at church since then that very much make my future in that church quite uncertain.
I wanted to bring to your attention Chris and Phileena Heuertz. You mention each in passing in a couple of your blog posts, but nothing too in-depth. I first became aware of Phileena when I was researching Shauna Niequist for the IF:Gathering. Shauna is big into contemplative spirituality, and Phileena is the one who taught her Centering Prayer. Also, Shauna has written the foreword to one of Phileena’s books. Phileena Heuertz is a very memorable name, so while I did not devote too much attention to her in my research of Shauna, the name stuck with me.
Recently, the ladies of our church were invited to another upcoming women’s conference. Two of the speakers have been speakers at IF:Gathering. But there are two new faces, one of which is the “campus pastor” of the “conservative” Christian college hosting the event. She has a degree in Spiritual Formation and is into the Enneagram. When I looked further into her, I found that she has written an endorsement of Chris Heuertz’s book, The Sacred Enneagram. Furthermore, she has had Chris Heuertz [Phileena’s husband] speak a few times at that college’s chapels. Chris recently spoke at a local church on the Enneagram. He and his wife are constantly traveling and speaking at such events. Richard Rohr is a spiritual mentor to them both; Rohr serves on the board of directors of their organization (https://gravitycenter.com/home-page/host/community/board-of-directors/); another board member is a Muslim woman.
Anyway, I keep seeing this couple appear. I don’t know if their presence is growing or if I am just seeing them more because I know the name. I have never seen anything from either of these two that remotely approaches the Gospel. They are very much into interspirituality.
Much could be said about this couple, but here are a few things for your consideration:
This short video by Chris on his book is so un-Biblical it’s unbelievable that he would be permitted into a “conservative” evangelical college: https://gravitycenter.com/sacredenneagram/
A recent tweet from Chris showing his un-biblical worldview:
 


Here is a flavor of Phileena’s view on spirituality as seen in her recent reTweet: We are all of one religion? Really? More evidence where this mysticism really does lead.
 
Her tribute to Thomas Keating [who just died] (what an apropos photo to choose):
 
Anyway, I want to put this couple on your radar as they are up to no good and they are gaining acceptance into the evangelical church.
Blessings.
Jake
(photo: from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)

WRITE TO TRUMP NOW TO STOP BIG TECH FROM CENSORING YOU~SEND YOUR PERSONAL MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT TODAY!

WRITE TO TRUMP NOW TO STOP BIG TECH 
FROM CENSORING YOU~
SEND YOUR PERSONAL MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT TODAY! 
BY ROGER STONE
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
Infowars Action Alert
Are you upset about Tuesday’s election? Think Republicans should have not only held the House but also increased their majority?
Today, the censorship of conservatives, libertarians, Republicans, and disaffected Democrats is worse than ever.

Donald Trump was able to win in 2016 only because there was a vibrant, robust, and fully accessible new media on the Internet.
Together We Ignited The Trump Revolution
Now, the Democrats and their giant contributors in Silicon Valley and Big Tech want to systematically snuff out our ability to communicate our pro-Trump views. They hope to use this censorship to throttle Donald Trump in an impeachment battle. We saw this in the recent Kavanaugh fight, where he prevailed, despite duplicitous attacks from the mainstream media.
This is why we lost the House and many important governorships, despite solid gains in the Senate with two Democrats who voted against Kavanaugh going down.
It is clear that Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube colluded in the coordinated use of various techniques to limit the reach of conservatives, Republicans, and Trump supporters. This is coupled with outright deception, bans on Twitter, de-platforming millions on Facebook, as well as mass censorship on Reddit and demonetization on Youtube.
These acts violate federal anti-competitive and anti-trust laws.
They are using these monopolistic and illegal tactics to snuff out our First Amendment rights and compete in any future election.
The very future of the Trump presidency, the future of the president’s reform agenda, and indeed Donald Trump’s legacy are entirely contingent to a level playing field on the internet.
You Can Take Action Now
We plan to send one million letters to direct Trump’s new acting Attorney General to move aggressively against the anti-competitive and illegal racketeering by these tech giants to restore a free and unfettered internet where all opinions can be heard.
Sign The Letter Now
We pay the postage! We will deliver your letter to the post office along with hundreds of thousands of others. You also have the option of printing out and mailing your letter directly to the president.
Please act today! America’s future depends on it. 
Go to writetrump.com now. 

UN DEMANDS BAN ON TRUMP-STYLE "NATIONALIST POPULISM"

 https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/590x/secondary/1329566.jpg
UN DEMANDS BAN ON TRUMP-STYLE 
"NATIONALIST POPULISM" 
BY ALEX NEWMAN
 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
BRINDISI, Italy — The United Nations is seriously stepping up its campaign to undermine free speech, online freedom, and a surge in opposition to globalism worldwide. Pointing to what it calls “international law” against racism and “intolerance,” the UN is demanding a global crackdown on fundamental human rights as well as what is described as “nationalist populism.” In particular, the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment must go. As part of the attack, political and economic ideas the UN hates — populism, concern about corrupt elites, nationalism, individual liberty, borders, and more — are also now officially in the UN’s crosshairs. Basically, opposition to globalism and open borders is now racism that must be crushed by government, according to the arguments made in a new UN report to the UN General Assembly and the UN “Human Rights Council.” Christians and conservatives have a giant UN bullseye painted on their back.
The threat to the most basic liberties and national identity from the UN is deep and broad. And it is becoming increasingly obvious. From disgorging reports demanding laws criminalizing freedom of speech, to re-appointing an actual Chinese Communist to run the agency they hope will regulate the Internet, the UN is getting bolder in its escalating assault on even the most basic freedoms. It even labeled British politicians and media as racists this month for challenging an unhinged UN “investigation.” The UN attacks also come amid growing efforts by the European Union and Big Tech giants to censor the World Wide Web — and to silence all critics of globalism, homosexuality, open borders, Islam, and more. However, as that happens, the globalist would-be speech controllers are increasingly being defied and ridiculed by the public around the world.

The latest shoe to drop in the UN war on speech came from fringe leftist activist Tendayi Achiume (shown), whose formal title is literally “UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.” According to her biography at UCLA, the assistant law professor's work focuses on “the global governance of racism and xenophobia.” In other words, she is a globalist and a professional race hustler hoping to implement global speech controls. Another one of her interests is flooding what remains of Western Christian civilization with massive immigration from alien cultures, part of what she calls “Migration as Decolonization.” Achiume, identified by the UN as a Zambian, also has worked for South Africa's notoriously corrupt judicial system dominated by the African National Congress (ANC) and its South African Communist Party controllers.
In a new report to the discredited UN “Human Rights Council,” Achiume claims “ascendant nationalist populist ideologies and strategies pose a sobering threat to racial equality by fuelling discrimination, intolerance and the creation of institutions and structures that will have enduring legacies of racial exclusion.” Translated into normal English, for Americans who do not inhabit the tax-funded world of far-left academia, Achiume is claiming that the agenda promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and many other national leaders, is racist and illegal. Ironically, the UN “human rights” outfit is literally dominated by mass murderers and tyrants — the regimes ruling Cuba, China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and more all sit on it. And so, the U.S. government recently withdrew.
But the sentiments expressed in the new report are not new. Indeed, the report celebrates attacks by anti-Trump activist and former UN “High Commissioner for Human Rights” Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, a prince for an Islamic dictatorship, against a number of popular elected leaders. The report says Hussein, who resigned in disgrace over scandalous persecution of whistleblowers and protecting child-raping UN officials, “rightly” took a “bold stand” by “publicly denouncing” them. Among the victims of Hussein's vitriol: Norbert Hofer (Austria), Miloš Zeman (Czech Republic), Marine Le Pen (France), Orbán (Hungary), Geert Wilders (Netherlands), Robert Fico (Slovakia), Nigel Farage (United Kingdom), and Trump. Italy and its new anti-establishment alliance in power are singled out repeatedly in the new report.
Hussein compared Trump's “tactics” to ISIS and called the president “dangerous,” suggesting Trump could be prosecuted for his comments exposing the “fake news” media. The new UN report, meanwhile, describes Trump's rhetoric as “xenophobic,” “misogynistic,” and more. “In the United States, President Donald Trump’s xenophobic nationalist populist rhetoric has consistently stigmatized and vilified migrants, refugees and racial and ethnic minorities,” the UN report claims without citing examples, suggesting that Trumpism is a violation of the UN's “international law.” Why the same taxpayers who elected those leaders should be forced to finance the UN's increasingly unhinged attacks on their own elected leaders was not made clear. But the fact that the UN believes Trumpism and similar viewpoints should be made illegal was perfectly clear.
Populism is defined in the report as concern over corrupt, conspiring “elites” working against the people. “Generally speaking, the ideology of populism focuses on societal cleavage between unaccountable or corrupt elites and the people, a general populace viewed as exploited or neglected by those power-holding elites,” said the UN report, without acknowledging that such a situation exists — provably so — not just in America but worldwide. “Nationalist populism often successfully advances heteronormative, patriarchal visions of the nation, and a version of traditional values.” Populists also do not approve of the murder of unborn children, euphemistically referred to in the report as “reproductive and sexual rights.”
In other words, anyone concerned about global elites building a totalitarian “New World Order” while undermining morality is a populist, and therefore an evil racist and potentially even genocidal. At least that is what the UN and its fringe “special rapporteur” want people to believe. And because racism, intolerance, and discrimination are supposedly banned by what the UN calls “international law,” the UN and many of its member governments and dictatorships feel not just entitled to wage war against “populists” and “nationalists” — but obligated to. Basically, the UN and the shady characters that congregate around its disgraced “Human Rights” apparatus — communists, socialists, Islamists, radical LGBT activists, dictators, abortion advocates, and others — seem to have realized that their narrative is coming apart at the seams.
The Achiume report goes on to argue that despite some tyranny, “left-wing” populism is really no big deal, because it is “oriented toward internationalism” and groups people into “social classes” rather than viewing them as distinct nations, peoples, religions, and so on. Meanwhile, “right-wing” varieties of populism such as those emerging in Europe and the United States support nationhood rather than globalism, and therefore must be combated by the UN. In particular, the report and its author claim “multiculturalism” is under threat from right-wing nationalist populists and that this multiculturalism must be expanded and preserved über alles. Basically, only National Socialists (Nazis) and racists do not love globalism, multiculturalism, and open borders, the tax-funded report argues, absurdly. And they are very dangerous, supposedly.
Yet, as an example of the horror unleashed when these “nationalist populists” rise to power, she pointed to demands for photo ID to vote. Seriously. Another example of the terrors waiting to befall humanity if “nationalist populists” take power is the “Stop Soros” Act in Hungary, aimed at reining in the subversion and mass illegal migration being funded by the extremist U.S.-based billionaire. Finally, the report warns that “nationalist populists” often oppose feminism and “gender mainstreaming.” A “far-right” presidential candidate in Austria even had the nerve to say that “the legal definition of marriage presumed the intention to produce and raise children.” And some female politicians in America argued that the slaughter of unborn children should be outlawed! Oh, the horror!
Part of the reason that resistance has escalated to the UN-backed New World Order agenda is that “new forms of media,” particularly online, have helped rouse the public, the report warns. And so, governments must actively work to stop it. “States,” the report says, meaning governments, have a “legal obligation to combat the structural effects of nationalist populism.” Indeed, they must go even further. According to the report, “international law” supposedly “requires” governments to combat not just actual discrimination, but even “de facto or unintentional racial discrimination.” And because everything the UN does not like is defined as racial discrimination or intolerance, including support for “populism” or “nationalism,” governments all over the world are required to wage war on everything and everyone the UN hates. See how that works?
Governments must also ban “hate speech” or other forms of expression that might “incite” to “discrimination” or “intolerance” against immigrants, homosexuals, Muslims, individuals confused about their gender, and so on. Indeed, the UN report is packed with demands for banning all sorts of speech — even indirect or symbolic speech that might be in code — that the UN claims is banned under “international law.” Of course, the First Amendment specifically prohibits any government prohibitions on speech. And yet, even though American taxpayers are by far the largest financiers of the dictators club, the UN demands their Constitution and their God-given rights be trampled. Ironically, the whole concept of "hate speech" was first promoted by the mass-murdering regime in the Soviet Union to ban speech it hated.
Now the UN has taken up the cry. “Action is required by more states to implement anti-hate speech laws and ensure equality and non-discrimination including online, in accordance with international human rights law,” claimed Achiume, the fringe left-wing UN rapporteur behind the report, in a press release. “Criminal and civil penalties alone will not put an end to racial and xenophobic intolerance. A state’s first step must be explicit recognition that the proliferation of nationalist populist mobilizations and Neo-Nazi groups threaten racial equality.” Technology companies must do more to censor and silence Christians, conservatives, and others who oppose the UN agenda, she suggested, calling for a ban on “extremist, sensationalist, conspiratorial” news and material as well. And “education” to combat “nationalist populism” is also needed, the surreal report concluded.
Meanwhile, a separate UN bureaucrat last week accused British lawmakers of racism for ridiculing the UN’s ongoing “investigation” into “poverty” in the United Kingdom. “Unfortunately several recent visits to the U.K. by UN Special Rapporteurs have been marred by misleading, hostile and occasionally racist reportage,” whined the UN in a statement. “At times this reporting appears to have been encouraged by MPs and on occasion government ministers.” The UN also smeared political leaders including Prime Minister Theresa May for allegedly having “undermined” their “work.” Of course, their work deserves to be ridiculed — it is practically a parody of itself! But saying that is now potentially illegal hate speech in UN world.
The same totalitarian ideologists and servants of mass-murdering dictators working to ban criticism of their evil have made great progress installing their minions up and down the “multilateral” system. In the European Union, the EU pseudo-Parliament just voted for a resolution demanding that criticism of Islam or the LGBT agenda be punished all over Europe. Meanwhile, the primary UN agency that globalists are grooming to regulate and censor the Internet, known as the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU), just re-elected a Communist Chinese agent named Houlin Zhao for the top job. This is the same tyrant who, after his first election, claimed censorship was in the eye of the beholder.
The fact that the UN and the forces behind it have become so desperate that they are willing to demand full-blown censorship and persecution of those who disagree with their agenda is telling. It means that globalists, communists, Islamists, and others working through the UN system to wage war on Western Christian civilization realize they are losing the war for hearts and minds. Even a rigged marketplace of ideas featuring shadow bans and rigged Google algorithms is not enough. Instead, the totalitarians demand that thought criminals who believe in life, liberty, nation-states, the Bible, and more be terrorized, prosecuted, and silenced by the state. That means the good guys are winning. But the battle will be raging for a long time to come — and the outcome is by no means certain.
Related articles:
Islamic UN “Human Rights” Boss Seeks “Proactive” Web Censorship
UN Plots War on Free Speech to Stop “Extremism” Online
UN: Trump Could Be Prosecuted for “Incitement” Against Media
After Charlottesville, UN Demands U.S. Quash First Amendment
UN Seeks to Criminalize Free Speech, Citing “Human Rights”
United Nations Exploits Pseudo-“Human Rights” to Attack U.S.
UN “Human Rights” Council Now Officially Controlled by Dictators
UN and Obama Launch Global War on “Ideologies”
Chinese Communist to Lead UN Agency Seeking to Control Internet
EU Resolution Demands Critics of LGBT and Islam Be Prosecuted
New Obama Terror Czar Will Target Conservatives, Christians
Big Tech and Big Government Censoring the Internet. Who's Next?
UN “Investigating” Poverty ... in America
Chinese Communist to Lead UN Agency Seeking to Control Internet
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 The Nationalist Populist Right is Unstoppable - and the Left Still Doesn’t Get It!!!
 

ALABAMA APPROVES AMENDMENT: UNBORN BABIES "RIGHT TO LIFE"

ALABAMA APPROVES AMENDMENT: 
UNBORN BABIES "RIGHT TO LIFE"
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
LifeNews
Alabama voters proved once again that when people get a chance to go to the polls they generally vote for unborn children. And they did just that tonight by approving an amendment saying unborn babies have a right to life.
The proposed constitutional amendment asked voters to “affirm that it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, most importantly the right to life in all manners and measures appropriate and lawful.” The amendment also would guarantee that “the constitution of this state does not protect the right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”
Voters said yes by a 60-40 margin.
The vote came despite the Planned Parenthood abortion business spending $1.5 million to defeat it.

Yellowhammer News reports the out-of-state, dark money came from the abortion giant Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups. These groups spent about $1.5 million to attack Amendment 2, which would affirm unborn babies’ right to life in the Alabama constitution, according to the report.
To continue reading, click here

SOUTHERN BAPTIST MINISTER: BEING TRANSGENDER IS NOT A SIN

 
 Mark Wingfield
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MINISTER: 
BEING TRANSGENDER IS NOT A SIN 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
In reality, there’s no such thing as being “transgender.” No one in the history of mankind has ever “trans” their gender. This is, of course, because gender is the same as sex and sex is molecular; it can’t be changed by chopping off one thing or adding another. However, there are some who pretend as though their gender is something it’s not and it is commonly known as “transgenderism,” an unscientific term if ever there was one. Mark Wingfield, the associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, recently claimed in an Op-Ed in Baptist News Global that it’s not a sin to lie about your gender.
Wingfield has served Wilshire Baptist Church as associate pastor since 2004 and from1998 to 2003, he served as managing editor of the Baptist Standard, the newspaper for Texas Baptists. He also wrote for the Western Recorder, a newspaper of Kentucky Baptists. Wingfield has also served as associate director of news and information for the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board and director of news and information for Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He’s a product of the Southern Baptist Convention, through and through.
Wingfield wrote in Baptist News Global, a publication for which he’s a columnist, “Even among Christians who appear kind or progressive, too often the existence of someone who identifies as transgender gets chalked up to ‘sin.’ No doubt that’s the root reason so many Christians happily pile on against transgender persons and their family members about bathrooms and schools because in their heart of hearts, they don’t understand transgender identity and simply default to thinking it is a sinful lifestyle choice.”
Of course, Wingfield’s claim is highly reductionist. Right-thinking Christians don’t argue that sin is a “choice” definitionally. Because of the doctrine of Original Sin (which anyone with more than an ounce of Christian theological training embraces), sin is not merely a matter of what we do, but who we are. We are not sinners because we sin, but through Biblical lenses, we sin because we are sinners. He continues:
Even among Christians who appear kind or progressive, too often the existence of someone who identifies as transgender gets chalked up to ‘sin.’
Transgenderism is a sin because God gets to make and identify people as either male or female (Genesis 5:2), not the individual. Transgenderism is also a sin because it’s a violation of the 9th Commandment, a lie. Lying about one’s gender is as sinful as lying about anything else.
On top of that, transgenderism is usually closely associated with other kinds of more overt sexual perversions (which are also sins by Biblical definition). Wingfield claims, however, that sin is only sin if there’s a volitional choice (which is flawed theology). He then assumes that lying about one’s gender somehow isn’t a choice.
I think we all can agree that a “sin” is something we do that we shouldn’t do, something we have a choice about. If I eat an entire half-gallon of ice cream, I am likely guilty of the sin of gluttony.* I didn’t have to eat the ice cream. If I fixate on why other people are more athletic and agile than me in my mid-life body, I probably am guilty of the sin of envy. There is a way for me to redirect my thoughts to avoid envy.
[Editor’s Note: “Over-eating” is not the sin of gluttony. Gluttony is selfish eating when others go hungry or snobby eating, which could bring insult to others. God invented feasting, after all]
The same is not true of transgender identity. Emphatically and conclusively, this is not a choice. It is who a person is. Did you choose to have red hair? Did you choose to be tall or short? Did you choose to have the genetic markers you have? Of course not. Transgender persons are simply acknowledging that the gender identity assigned to them at birth because of physical anatomy does not match the brain, biochemical and genetic gender identity they know inside.
Notice the cognitive dissonance of Wingfield’s argument. He asks, “Did you choose to have red hair? Your height? Your genetic markers?” What do all of these things have in common? Your hair color, height, and genetic markers are like your penis or vagina; they are given by God. Wingfield says flippantly, as though it were somehow a matter of science, that their “physical anatomy does not match the brain,” whatever that means.
Where are all the red-haired people who claim that it doesn’t match their brain and they are, in fact, blonde? Where are all the tall people who claim that doesn’t match their brain and they are, in fact, short? Of course, those people might be called mentally ill. And if they actually demanded to be identified by the wrong hair color or height, they would be guilty of lying and encouraging others to lie.
I could quote chapter and verse for study after study, and that would not change the minds of some people who are determined to label as sinful anything they do not understand, usually because “the Bible says so.” In these cases, I ask people to tell me where in the Bible being transgender is condemned as sinful. The only answer usually offered is Deuteronomy 22:5, which says: “A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whoever does such things is abhorrent to the Lord your God.”
Here’s the problem with even a literal reading of that passage: Transgender persons will tell you they are not “men” putting on “women’s” clothing or “women” putting on “men’s” clothing.
We understand transgenderism, of course. God has given them over to a debased and depraved mind, and men think they’re women and women think they’re men. Instead of repenting of this depraved insanity, they insist people reinforce their delusions. Those who don’t love them do reinforce their delusions. We get it.
Of course, Wingfield implies there’s a non-literal reading of Deuteronomy 22:5 (I’d be curious to hear what a metaphorical reading would entail), before claiming matter-of-factly that they’re not a man putting on a woman’s clothing because they’re actually a woman on the inside. Of course, they’re a man on the inside also in every scientific way that can be measured. They’re only a woman subjectively, in unquantified ways, and only presuming the existence of soul or spirit.
The problem with arguing that transgenderism exists at all is that it requires a belief in the supernatural and metaphysical. Scientifically and from a naturalist worldview, it is absolutely impossible to claim that someone is a different gender “on the inside” from “on the outside.” That argument requires a belief in the soul or spirit, that someone is metaphysically different from who they are physically. But once they acknowledge the metaphysic and supernatural, we’re on to the realm of God. And God says he makes you male or female. So whether from a naturalist or supernaturalist perspective, transgenderism ranks up there as one of the dumbest ideas ever thought of, like New Coke or spray-on hair for bald men.
Occasionally, people will point to Genesis 1:27 as a condemnation of transgender identity: “male and female he created them.” Most transgender persons will tell you they believe God has, in fact, created them as either male or female; the problem is how they have been labeled by others who are not God.
God did not “label them” by placing a subtle whisper in their heart about what gender they are. He labeled them when he slapped their genitalia on.
Wingfield’s post is an adventure in Scripture-twisting, even going so far as to argue that Genesis demonstrates someone can be “gender fluid” because God made “night and day” and “land and sea,” and therefore one person can be two things. Seriously. That’s his argument. You can read it here.

JONATHAN MERRITT, GAY CHRISTIAN JOURNALIST, PROMOTES CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER, UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF PHILEENA HEUERTZ

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CATHOLIC INFLUENCE
 

Centering Prayer Taught By Mystic 

Phileena Heuertz at Catalyst Dallas

SEE: http://www.solasisters.com/2014/04/centering-prayer-taught-by-mystic.htmlrepublished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
"Centering Prayer" exercise,
Catalyst Dallas
Posted by Christine Pack

Writer Jim Fletcher is reporting from the Catalyst Dallas conference that a Centering Prayer exercise was recently led by mystic and contemplative spiritualist Phileena Heuertz at Catalyst conference, which is a Christian conference that moves from city to city. The current Catalyst is being held April 30-May 2, 2014 in Dallas, TX.  Heuertz, who is the author of Pilgrimage of the Soul, was listed as a "lab speaker," which means that her session was probably a breakout session in which not all of the conference attendees were participants. Some of the other Catalyst Dallas speakers includeTullian Tchividjian, Dave Ramsey, Louie Giglio, Mark Batterson, Jen Hatmaker, Craig Groeschel, and Francis Chan.

(HT: Jules LaPierre, Jim Fletcher)



Phileena Heuertz
Some background information on Phileena Heuertz: Heuertz and her husband teach contemplative mysticism at their websitegravity, as well as other mystical/pagan practices:
Breath Prayer 
Centering Prayer
Labyrinth 
Lectio Divina
Yoga
On her Centering Prayer page, Heuertz talks about having been taught Centering Prayer by Roman Catholic mystic monk Thomas Keating himself, with whom the practice of mystical centering prayer originated. (Learn more about Thomas Keating here on a show by Chris Rosebrough of Fighting For The Faith.According to Heuertz's bio on the Sojourners website, Heuertz is "a member of the New Friar movement," teaches and writes on contemplative spirituality and facilitates contemplative retreats. 
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SEE: http://phileena.com/
AND OUR PREVIOUS POST:
 https://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2014/05/catalyst-contemplative-lab-led-by-csm.html
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 JONATHAN MERRITT, GAY CHRISTIAN JOURNALIST, PROMOTES CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

 Watching Queer as Folk.
Kissing Oscar Wilde’s grave.
Earrings only in the right ear.
A grown man at a Madonna concert.

 These things all have one thing in common. They’re all slightly less gay than Jonathan Merritt, the grown son of megachurch pastor, James Merritt and a journalist who has become a favorite of the Evangelical Intelligentsia. Merritt was outed as having “been with” a dude back in 2012 before he slinked back into the closet with some help from Ed Stetzer and others who frantically scurried to cover up his trail of gayness.
Today, Merritt still officially holds to the position that homosexuality is – at least on some level – God’s “imperfect design” while promoting and supporting the Revoice-style leftists who promote “gay Christianity.” Regardless of whatever concession Merritt has had to make on sodomy to remain profitable (and employed) in Christian journalism, it’s fair to say that Jonathan Merritt is no more straight than a two-dollar bill. This hasn’t prevented America’s Evangelical Intelligentsia, and especially the newly woke “Reformed” Social Justice Warriors, from treating him like a gay bestie in high school.
Demonstrating that the evangelical establishment’s promotion of Jonathan Merritt couldn’t be unwisely misappropriated any further, yesterday Merritt promoted the New Age and mystic practice of contemplative prayer (left).
Phileena Heuertz is a yoga instructor and mystic whose main career is as a “retreat guide” (picture teaching upper-class housewives over a weekend on how to get in touch with their feelings and presume their inner-voice belongs to God while assuming the Lotus Position). She has also spoken at leftist and progressive events like Sojourner’s Summit and Q Ideas. In other words, she’s exactly the type of person you would assume a gay man would be good friends with.
Endorsing Heuertz’ books include a bevy of lady pastors and Episcopal priests. Her general schtick is the combining of Eastern Mysticism with a general Christian-flavored theism. That you could find Merritt somewhere in yoga pants doing the Downward Dog is not implausible. Combining such poppycock with evangelical Christianity, however, is distasteful.
In the last 24 hours, Merritt has taken to Twitter to attack Judge Kavanaugh, promote gun control, and push Social Justice. And yet, Merritt remains the single greatest ally in the press of the ‘woke’ faux-Reformed intelligentsia who have taken over the Presbyterian Church of America and the Southern Baptist Convention

LAWSUIT CRAZY: $270 THOUSAND EMBEZZLED FROM JAMES MCDONALD'S HARVEST BIBLE CHURCH (LESS THAN 1% OF GIVING)~LAWSUITS A TOOL TO RECOVER FUNDS?

 WHEN THE COFFERS ARE LOW, SUE YOUR CRITICS
 James MacDonald Sues Harvest Bible Chapel Critics for Libel
 James MacDonald
EXCERPTS:
 Pastor James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel filed a lawsuit this month against two ex-members and former Moody Radio host Julie Roys, accusing them of spreading false information about the Chicago-area megachurch’s financial health and leadership.
The main targets of the church’s defamation complaint are Ryan Mahoney and Scott Bryant, who together run the blog The Elephant’s Debt. The site has culled stories of alleged mismanagement at Harvest since 2012, including claims of as much as $70 million in mortgage debt and a lack of accountability from its elder board.
Harvest has addressed some of the criticisms. MacDonald, its founder and senior pastor, apologized in 2014 to a trio of former elders who were disciplined for speaking out about a “culture of fear and intimidation.”
 “You don’t see churches suing disgruntled former members often because they don’t have grounds,” attorney Charles Philbrick, who is representing Roys, told CT. “When people leave churches, really what they are voicing are their opinions, and opinions are not actionable per se.”
$270 THOUSAND EMBEZZLED FROM 
JAMES MCDONALD'S HARVEST BIBLE CHURCH 
(LESS THAN 1% OF GIVING)
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
 
James McDonald, whose megachurch joined the SBC in 2015, has been busy frivolously suing blogger-journalists for hurting his image by having the audacity to publish true things. 
 Harvest Bible Church made McDonald step down from his position as “president” of the organization in 2017, but retaining him as a celebrity teacher. As Pulpit & Pen reported at the time, this is after more than 600 thousand dollars allegedly went missing from the coffers.
Harvest Bible Church members were reportedly sent a mass email on October 23, 2018, alerting them to several controversies. Included in that letter, aside from notifying them a staff member was credibly accused of sexual assault and a brief mention of their frivolous lawsuits, the church explained that 270 thousand dollars was embezzled from the church. Never fear, however…that’s less than one percent of the church’s overall giving.
The church email is as follows…
October 23, 2018
Dear Church Family:
The mission given to us by Jesus Christ is so wonderful, isn’t it?  We get to tell the world the good news that Christ is risen, sins are forgiven, and joy is available to all who trust Him in everything. Good News.
Maybe that is why it’s so hard to give difficult news. Nevertheless, we have a responsibility to be transparent with our congregation in order to keep trust high.
Last week, we discovered evidence that a non-ministry member of our staff who worked in operations defrauded the church of an amount of money. If the evidence proves true, this would lead to a criminal charge being filed, and a preliminary report was filed today with the Elgin police department. The amount of money in question appears to be less than 1% of our annual budget and the time period appears to be less than a year. This person has never led any public ministry in our church and is on leave pending the completion of this investigation. We are looking to lay leaders and outside expertise who will work with our insurance on maximum recovery of funds. A full report will come to the congregation as soon as the investigation is complete and the facts are fully known.
I am also sorry to report that a youth director who served with us a few short months was involuntarily released last January when illegal and disqualifying behavior came to light. The three affected families, as well as parents of students on those campuses, as well as DCFS were notified immediately. Find here the statement issued to the press and their article here. The June call they reference was a follow up from Craig Steiner, our Aurora Campus Pastor. That call seems to have provoked what the initial January reports did not. All of this is documented.
Please also be in prayer about the lawsuit filed to protect our church from lies that seek to discredit our ministry. For example, in the matter mentioned above, we have had to resist extensive efforts to distort the truth about a matter our church handled with integrity toward all parties involved. You can read more about the legal protection we are seeking in the October Elder Update, including our biblical rationale and how we came to this decision.
You may direct any questions in these matters to our Elders in writing at elders@harvestbiblechapel.org.
We should not be surprised when the enemy is attacking and agitating, “as though something strange were happening to [us]” (1 Peter 4:12). We are involved in a battle of intense fury, where the enemy is scheming to knock us down. May we redouble our efforts to keep the Good News central and our Vertical focus strong.
Please pray and “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11).
God is good, and we can trust Him.
Pastor James and Pastor Rick
Lead Pastors Trei Tatum, Luke MacDonald, Jeff Donaldson, Mohan Zachariah, and Landon MacDonald

Alleged police report on the embezzlement of funds.

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[Editor’s Note: HT Wartburg Watch]