LTRP Note: Lighthouse Trails has been posting articles by Manny Silva for many years. Manny became part of a group called Concerned Nazarenes over fifteen years ago to warn the Church of the Nazarene denomination about the emergent movement and how it was entering into that denomination. Those warnings were largely unheeded by Nazarene leadership. … [Read more…]
For many years, Lighthouse Trails has tried to warn the church about evangelical publishing houses that are releasing countless materials which promote and teach contemplative spirituality. One of the publishing companies that is at the forefront of this effort to bring the New Age/new spirituality practice of contemplative prayer into the church is InterVarsity Press … [Read more…]
LTRJ Note: For 18 years, Lighthouse Trails has been warning about the contemplative prayer movement and its role in creating an “emergent” “progressive” church. Part of our investigative research scope has included Christian universities and seminaries, a majority of which now promote contemplative spirituality. Liberty University, one of the largest Christian universities in the U.S., … [Read more…]
In 2013, we posted an article titled “What’s Up with Lilly Endowment – Funding Pastoral Sabbaticals with a Contemplative Agenda.” Below is a copy of that article (with excerpts from a related 2007 article). In it, it provides a link to the list of churches whose pastors were “winners” of the 2012 Lilly Endowment grants. … [Read more…]
On December 19th, 2019, Christianity Today, the magazine that considers itself the “flagship” magazine for Christianity released an article written by the just-retired editor-in-chief, Mark Galli, titled, “Trump Should Be Removed from Office.” According to CT, the article set off a firestorm. And by our estimates, millions have now seen the article as scores of … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: The following letter to the editor is in regard to our article: Walk to Emmaus and Tres Dias – A Walk to Deception. To Lighthouse Trails: There are NO MANTRAS in the Walk to Emmaus or any other cursillo movement. We follow a strict Bible centered curriculum covered with prayer and praise. I … [Read more…]
To Lighthouse Trails and readers: As I stood at the bedside of my dad in a hospital, in shock at his unexpected passing, I looked up at the wall, and there on the whiteboard was written, “Last rites- 2:00 pm.” I had spent two and a half months visiting daily in the hospital while my … [Read more…]
We received the top two photos this week from a reader. Below that are photos of various labyrinths in churches across North America. We have posted these, not to single out these particular churches, but rather to show examples of how many denominations have now incorporated the contemplative mystical practice of walking the labyrinth. And … [Read more…]
NEW BOOKLET: Mandala Color Books: Relaxing Fun or a Tool for New Age Meditation? by Lois Putnam is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 10 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or … [Read more…]
Dear Lighthouse Trails: You list Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI, as being contemplative, formation. Please give me evidence, examples of this, also any emergent info, too on them. ASAP, please. Our Response: Finding evidence and examples to show Calvin College’s contemplative/emergent persuasions is NOT like finding a needle in a haystack. This college is saturated … [Read more…]
The following article is also in booklet form. Click here to see if there are labyrinths in your region. The number of them is growing significantly as contemplative spirituality continues overtaking many denominations and ministries. Carl Teichrib Symbols are keyholes to doors in the walls of space, and through them man peers into Eternity . . … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: After receiving this letter to the editor and after doing some of our own research, Lighthouse Trails has placed Texas Christian University on our “Contemplative Colleges List.” To see an example of the “fruit” of contemplative spirituality, check out Texas University’s Interfaith Initiative. Dear Lighthouse Trails: I read you recent article on the … [Read more…]
Courtesy of Menno-Lite LTRP Note: The following article is posted by Menno-lite for informational and research purposes only and not as an endorsement of labyrinths. Hesston College dedicates prayer labyrinth Written By: Emily Kauffman The Mennonite – Daily News Hesston (Kan.) College and the local community now have a new place to go for quiet … [Read more…]
Summer is here, and the kids are out of school until fall. Many Christian parents will be sending their youth to Christian summer camps or retreats. But there are now many Christian retreat and conference centers that are advocating or promoting contemplative spirituality and the emerging church. Such camps would be spiritually dangerous choices to send … [Read more…]
The Labyrinth Journey: Walking the Path to Fulfillment?, written by Carl Teichrib, is our newest Lighthouse Trails Print Booklet. The booklet is 18 pages long and sells for $1.85 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of The Labyrinth Journey, click here. The … [Read more…]
by Carl Teichrib Forcing Change “Symbols are keyholes to doors in the walls of space, and through them man peers into Eternity…Symbolism, then, is the divine language, and its figures are a celestial alphabet…” – Manly P. Hall . “…symbolical rites are the external expressions of man’s inward desire to unite with Divinity.” – Roberta … [Read more…]
Speaking of Christian seminaries and spiritual formations, check out some of the seminaries that now have labyrinths, a tool used for contemplative prayer, but we hope you won’t consider going to these schools. We believe that labyrinths will be showing up in more and more Protestant/evangelical schools and churches as contemplative spirituality sinks its teeth … [Read more…]
We received the following e-mail this week: “Are you familiar with Northwestern College in Iowa? (I was told it is a Christian college). How can I find out if they are a biblically sound Christian Christian college or if they are open to emergent beliefs?” This is our answer: Northwestern College, located in Orange City, Iowa, a Reformed … [Read more…]
BOOK REVIEW OF CASTLES IN THE SAND BY CAROLYN A. GREENE by Books and Chocolate Castles in the Sand is “fiction with a message” that tells a composite story of how contemplative spirituality is impacting Christian colleges and universities, churches, and seminaries worldwide. While the book features fictional characters, it is based on the real … [Read more…]
By John L. Inman III Democrat Staff To kickoff the Lenten season, United Church of Christ (UCC), California, hosted a three-day opportunity to walk a labyrinth. The labyrinth was a replica of the design from one of the most famous labyrinths which is in the Chartes Cathedral in France. The Rev. Collette R. Jones, associate … [Read more…]
by Mike Oppenheimer Let Us Reason Ministries Walking the labyrinth has become a popular spiritual exercise across the country and around the world. I first read of it in Leadership Magazine, a Christian publication and became a bit concerned, since looking into it further I’m definitely concerned. Labyrinths are said to been used for over … [Read more…]
by Mark Tooley VirtueOnline out-of-house writer Would George Washington or Robert E. Lee have walked the labyrinth? This potentially New Age tool is now available at Christ Episcopal Church in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, which both generals once soberly attended. Almost maze like, a labyrinth is a circle with a winding path within it, … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: The following news story from a Canadian news source reports on the growing popularity of labyrinths. The structures, used to practice meditation and contemplative prayer, are being built all across North America. Please review our research on labyrinths as well (click here). BRENNAN CLARKE The Globe and Mail Toronto, Canada …If all this … [Read more…]
By LARRY MITCHELL ChicoER.com A labyrinth is painted on a 34-by-34-foot canvas at Faith Lutheran Church in August. A church in Chico plans to offer the community an ancient form of healing. It’s called walking the labyrinth. People walk along a series of paths, just being quiet, or meditating or praying. They may come away … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: Labyrinths are part of the present day contemplative prayer movement. They have their roots in pagan history as we have documented at Lighthouse Trails Research. The article below is another example how mysticism is entering Christianity. “Following the path of prayer: Labyrinth dedicated at EMU” By Laura Lehman Amstutz Eastern Mennonite University HARRISONBURG, … [Read more…]
by Roll Over Menno Labyrinths are found in many Christian and non-Christian settings alike these days. If you have never seen or heard of a labyrinth, you need to look no farther than some Mennonite organizations, churches and universities to find one. However, the labyrinth is not a Christian concept. Professor Johan Malan of South … [Read more…]
Note: Several months ago, Youth for Christ was offering a labyrinth kit on their online bookstore. That kit has since been removed; however Youth for Christ UK still has an online labyrinth that can be freely accessed. And with Youth For Christ (USA) sponsoring Youth Specialities events, we believe parents need to be alerted to … [Read more…]
On Sunday night, Dan Kimball, author of The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations, wrote to Lighthouse Trails regarding an article that Kimball wrote on labyrinths in 2001. Kimball stated to us that his article is no longer posted on his website, and he wondered why we still had a link to it. The … [Read more…]
You may not have one at your church yet, but one thing is for sure – labyrinths are growing in popularity. A google search shows 116,000 web pages on labyrinths in the spring of 2004. A year later that number climbed to over 300,000. Today, that number is over 1,300,000. While this is certainly not … [Read more…]
by Let Us Reason Ministries (Mike Oppenheimer) Walking the labyrinth has become a popular spiritual exercise across the country and around the world. I first read of it in Leadership Magazine, a Christian publication and became a bit concerned, since looking into it further I’m definitely concerned. Labyrinths are said to been used for over … [Read more…]