THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
Senior reporter Bob Woodward whose career goes back to the Nixon era and Watergate, has been threatened in an email by Gene Sperling of the White House. The text of the email includes the veiled threat "You will regret this"
Rush Limbaugh sees down the road where he claims Woodward will be done in by an Obamacare death panel sometime in the future for his daring to expose the facts about the sequester.
Revelation 3:17-"Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' --- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked ---."
Willowdale Chapelhttp://www.willowdalechapel.org, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (the mushroom capitol of the world) has been pastored in recent years by Greg Lafferty, a former teacher at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church of California. A very large percentage of Willowdale's congregation is comprised of former, but mostly present Catholics who supplement their Mass going with emergent entertainment. This non-denominational church also regularly offers the heretical Catholic sympathizing and charismatic "Alpha Course" of Nicky Gumbel's doing.
Here in this video is Lafferty giving the opening prayer for the House of Repesentatives, followed by a commendation of Lafferty by Joseph Pitts, representative from Pennsylvania and member of the Willowdale Chapel:
Naturally, in accordance with the "Purpose Driven" methodologies of Warren, Lafferty has grown this church in membership to where even the expansion of the facilities over recent years has become inadequate to the grandiose plans he and his church have.
Plans for more expansion were recently unveiled in print and on their website, after meeting with Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian of New York City www.redeemer.com for wisdom, and presented to the world with the title of "Shine Like Stars". This is estimated to cost $6.5 million, which is no problem for the well connected and affluent population of this area of Chester County, PA, and includes the following:
Complete our facility, expanding our worship center and creating new ministry space for children.
Retire our debt, freeing up over $200,000 a year to be invested in ministry.
Go multi-site, taking our church to new locations.
Create an agency to network existing organizations and incubate new enterprises for the common good of our culture.
Also included in this release are three documents in pdf which show the basis and philosophy behind such a large project. They are:
The star-filled "Constellation Vision" includes creating a non-profit organization called "Longwood Ventures", a type of centralized social services hub, as an extension of a social gospel. The main features of both revolve around "collectivist" (fascist) and "dominionist" ideologies, which include a "seven mountains mandate" derived from the New Apostolic Reformation.Quotes: "Thus we dream of a multi-church, multi-organizational movement!" and "The objective is to enlist, network, and move organizations toward the vision of collective impact, and, ultimately, community shalom." The word "shalom" is Jewish meaning peace/properity, and as used here hints at a Messianic Hebraic influence.
These are the main themes included therein:
Two dynamics characterize this vision:
1) A movement rather than an institutional dynamic.
2) A multi-church rather than a mega-church dynamic.
Three areas of impact are targeted in this vision:
1) Individuals
2) Systems
3) Culture
Strategy:
1) Identify the “channels” of culture that we want to impact and articulate a vision for each.
We have identified at least seven sectors of our culture that we believe are central to creating a
thriving community.
Church Arts
Family Business
Education Government
Social Sector
2) Convene organizations within each channel of culture and/or create new ones to serve the
common good.
3) Unleash the power of network.
“Collective Impact,” an article published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review
Launch Steps and Tactics:
1) Enlist like-minded church partners.
2) Convene a board of directors.
3) Create Longwood Ventures. This non-profit will:
a) Align to the vision.
b) Convene partners and create the network “glue”.
c) Incubate new organizations and accelerate existing ones.
d) Serve as thought-partner and trainer.
e) Provide services and empowerment.
f) Raise investment capital.
g) Hire an Executive Director.
The "Constellation Vision" ends with a quote from Richard Mouw, president of the ultra-liberal apostate Fuller Theological Seminary. Clearly, Lafferty and Willowdale's leadership identify with Mouw's ideas as well: "Richard Mouw, one of the great theologians of common grace, wrote: 'For those who do not feel called to cultural abstinence, it is important to consider the notion of common grace ministries….We should not just stand back and watch for signs that God is restraining sin in the world, or hope that we might witness acts of civic righteousness popping up here and there. We ought to look for ways God can use us to restrain the power of sin in the larger human community, and to perform our own works of civic good….Abraham Kuyper referred to the Christian obligation ‘to continually expand the dominance of nobler and purer ideals in civil society by the courageous action of its members in every area of life'. See Apprising.org's posts about Mouw, who is a Catholic synpathizer and endorser: http://apprising.org/2008/12/02/dr-richard-mouw-evangelical-ecumenism/. http://apprising.org/2008/12/02/dr-richard-mouw-fuller-theological-seminary-so-proud-of-rob-bell/, in which Mouw praises and supports the universalist emerging pastor Rob Bell. http://apprising.org/2008/12/02/dr-richard-mouw-mormon-apologist-trusting-the-jesus-of-the-bible/, in which Mouw supports and approves of a Mormon apologist. http://apprising.org/2012/11/19/fuller-theological-seminary-and-inerrancy-of-scripture/, which describes Fuller's drift toward apostasy.
There are several Vimeo videos where Lafferty is shown meeting with Tim Keller for his bits of wisdom:
Keller has roots in Kennett Square, a Catholic and Quaker area, where "Jesus is not the only way". We can see him promoting Catholic and Quaker mysticism, and recommending the Quaker mystic Richard Foster among a host of Catholic mystics in this YouTube video/audio. Keller, Lafferty, and Willowdale are of like minds.
But Lafferty and Willowdale's leadership have apparently learned a lot from Keller as well as Warren. Of course, all these emergents would claim a biblical mandate from Scripture. That may be so, but the implementation is not. They all seem to want to redeem the culture with good works, applying "salt and light" and/or present an attractive image to the unregenerate. Unfortunately, they will attempt to accomplish that goal through implementing a collectivist/fascist business model based on Peter Drucker's ideas for business (the three legged stool), and which is the foundation of Warren's "Purpose Driven" methods.
The second aim appears to be the establishment of God's kingdom on earth or at least preparing the way, allegedly to reign, but not to rule, falling just short of the seven "dominionist" aims of the New Apostolic Reformation which includes ruling the culture.
Lost in all this is the one-on-one traditional biblical model of evangelism, as well as the important role of individuals in such. Now, the message is that the sum total of all individuals spreading the gospel cannot be as effective as the collectivist community inside a business model. This is explored at length by Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith (Pirate Radio) in this audio "Resistance is Futile. You Will Be Assimilated into The Community", among several others:
An good example of Tim Keller's thoughts on all this is in this short video which again references Kuyper:
What, then, does all this evidence say about Willowdale Chapel and its direction?
Ian Morgan Cronhttp://www.iancron.com/, has been discovered recently by Lighthouse Trails Research and exposed for being the contemplative mystic he is: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?tag=ian-morgan-cron. This article refers to the ongoing increase in contemplative mysticism within the Nazarene denomination, whose leadership either denies it is happening, and/or minimizes it. See Manny Silva's work to expose all this at: http://reformednazarene.wordpress.com/, and Stand for Truth Ministries. This is a video of Cron's visit to Willow Creek church talking about his Catholic communion experience:
Interview with Cron about his mystical experiences, wherein he states "the future of the Church is silence":
We recently recommended GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) http://netgrace.org/. In the resources area of this website we found an article that we disagree with. Here's why: Andrew Schmutzer of Moody Bible Institute, has written for Biola University's "Institute of Spiritual Formation", specifically their "Journal of Spirtitual Formation and Soul Care". Biola is one of the most exteme proponents of contemplative mysticism and new age spiritual formation, as reported by Lighthouse Trails Research here: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=1416. Schmutzer's is a mystical article recommending such practices for the sexually abused at: http://netgrace.org/wp-content/uploads/Sexual-Abuse-and-Formation_Schmutzer-copy.pdf.
We are warning Bible believing, Reformation adhering Christians to avoid any such program which maligns traditional "Western" Christianity as lacking the ability to heal the full person who has been sexually abused. See pages 77-83 of this article in particular, which alleges that Christianity has had a gross problem with sexuality in all forms, demonstrated in the quote:
"Precisely where transformation and healing are needed in SA, one may encounter a minimization of the 'soma' as a suspicion of the 'flesh' and a practical denial of sexual impulses. When this occurs, it has 'left us with a disembodied theology and a great deal of shame.' Assessing spiritual transformation, for example, Dallas Willard has recently lamented that it often does not work because it 'does not involve the body in the process of transformation.' Willard quips, 'One of the ironies of spiritual formation is that every ‘spiritual’ discipline is or involves bodily behavior.' This disembodied theology remains one of the greatest hindrances to the healing of the sexually abused in Christian ministries".
This mystical and unmeasurable theory claims that, based on the "Eastern" (Hindu/Buddhist/Taoist) new age philosophies and theologies of persons like Dallas Willard,
the practices of spiritual formation, comprised of individual but mostly communal rituals, liturgies, and practices (unspecified), can heal the sexually abused where just "ordinary" Christian counseling, prayer and study in the word of God fails, because traditional Christianity ignores the "whole person".
This is gnosticism pure and simple, which makes the claim to have found superior knowledge that only the select few highly educated have discovered and revealed to us, and which ordinary Christians are ill-equipped to understand.
For Schmutzer to rely on the recommendations of Dallas Willard and people of similar beliefs is first a repudiation of the Reformation and the five solas, and is de facto, an alignment with the Catholic Church's many "anathemas" of the Inquisition. Secondly the practices of spiritual formation are doubly dangerous, because it purports to be a new found methodology of a cure for the sexually abused who should not be experimented with, and who also risk being spiritually abused by a system which has pagan, Catholic, and new age roots, without any disclaimers or warnings. Disclaimers and/or warnings would have been appropriate in view of the non-Christian roots of these practices (noticeably lacking in the article), with the added very real possibility that a participant would "bring down" and "connect with" a demon or demons who masquerade as the one true God. Thirdly, Scmutzer maligns the Western church's reliance on "grace", and implying that those who subscribe to grace rather than a methodology of works as found in spiritual formation would feel "hedged in" by such works. We would propose that true Bible believers would in fact not just feel so, but likewise condemn such practices not only because it is works added to grace, but also because it is non-Christian to the core.
Schmutzer and his wife lead a "CHAI" (Courageous Healing of Abuse and Isolation) group at Wheaton Bible Church for the sexually abused: http://lifeatwheatonbiblechurch.com/2012/02/22/like-chai-its-catching-on/.
References and research on Dallas Willard and his contemplative/mystical/new age associations: From Lighthouse Trails Research: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/dallaswillard.htm. http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?tag=dallas-willard. http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=5734. http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=5058. http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/withgod.htm. http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=3837.
The Police Loophole http://www.thepoliceloophole.com/, has a list of gun companies that will not sell arms to municipalities that restrict gun ownership to individual citizens. As of today, 73 companies have signed on.
Joe Biden, who lives with the wealthy in the outskirts of Wilmington, DE advises a lady to not buy an AR-15, but just a shotgun, which she can fire from her balcony into the air above an intruder's head solely as a warning shot. And this is what he has already advised his wife to do. Delaware should be proud! Small state, small minds! In this case, in a high position!
P.S. Who is he to scold the questioner and admonish her that her questions are inappropriate?
The same Andy Stanley who thinks the traditional biblical views on marriage need revision, along with our views on homosexuality, and names Obama as "pastor-in-chief", has some inspired advice for us.
Despite Obama's blatant and aggressive support of the gay agenda and abortion, he closed his eyes to those facts like a blithering fool in conveying this honorary title on the President, and now has the audacity to suggest that churches and their leadership should subscribe to his wisdom for church growth which are based entirely on Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven" model, which is a reformatting of the old business models of Peter Drucker.
Stanley advises against tweaking your church and its ministries, but proposes constant evaluating and making everything new to trigger momentum in your church. But it is going to cost a lot of money. Does your church have deep pockets? Will your church borrow from the bank to grow bigger and better? No matter, in the world of emergent "vision casting" pastors, the ends justify the means, and you the congregation are only there to follow their orders and carry the work load. Definitely not the "congregational" church government model here, where ordinary and lowly Christians have a voice.
Excerpted from M. Basil Pennington's book "Thomas Merton: My Brother" is the following excerpt. Pennington was a fellow Catholic Trappist monk and friend of Merton. In it you will see how Merton loves the Buddha. Merton has been the inspiration and motivation for many in the "Mindfulness" movement as described in earlier posts.
Pennington writes: “At Polonnaruwa,…Merton was able to enter into the sanctuary with the solitariness he wanted. The pilgrim took off his shoes and let the dampness of the living earth speak to him. At this point it is not only best but necessary to let Merton speak for himself”:
I am able to approach the Buddhas barefoot and undisturbed, my feet in wet grass, wet sand. Then the silence of the extraordinary faces. The great smiles. Huge and yet subtle. Filled with every possibility, questioning nothing, knowing everything, rejecting nothing, the peace not of emotional resignation but of Madhyamika [the “Middle Path” school of Buddhism], of sunyata [“emptiness, the Void” – a basic concept in Buddhism], that has seen through every question without trying to discredit anyone or anything – without refutation – without establishing some argument. For the doctrinaire, the mind that needs well established positions, such peace, such silence, can be frightening.
I was knocked over with a rush of relief and thankfulness at the obvious clarity of the figures, the clarity and fluidity of shape and line, the design of the monumental bodies composed into the rock shape and landscape, figure rock and tree. And the sweep of bare rock slopping away on the other side of the hollow, where you can go back and see different aspects of the figures. Looking at these figures I was suddenly, almost forcibly, jerked clean out of the habitual, half-tied vision of things, and an inner clearness, clarity, as if exploding from the rocks themselves, became evident and obvious. The queer evidence of the reclining figure, the smile, the sad smile of Ananda standing with arms folded (much more “imperative” than Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa because completely simple and straightforward).
The thing about all this is that there is no puzzle, no problem and really no “mystery.” All problems are resolved and everything is clear, simply because what matters is clear. The rock, all matter, all life is charged with dharmakaya… everything is emptiness and everything is compassion. I don’t know when in my life I have ever had such a sense of beauty and spiritual validity running together in one aesthetic illumination. Surely, with Mahabalipuram and Polonnaruwa my Asian pilgrimage had become clear and had purified itself. I mean, I know and have seen what I was obscurely looking for. I don’t know what else remains, but I have now seen and have pierced through the surface and have got beyond the shadow and the disguise.
Basil Pennington then adds, “here through the aesthetic experience that Merton entered into and sought to express the mystical experience…quiet, isolation, simplicity and freshness. There is a wholeness. Merton said he could not express it adequately. He might have added, as did his Cistercian Fathers in speaking of such moments of total integration, that those who have experienced it know what he was talking about, and those who have not should seek the experience so that they will know.”
