LTRJ Note: As we were preparing to post this letter to the editor that came to us recently, we came across Christian radio host Janet Mefferd’s Twitter comments about Southern Baptist Convention president J.D. Greear’s involvement with a “Neighborly Faith” event on March 5th titled “Hope in the Current Age: A Conversation on Christianity and … [Read more…]
To Lighthouse Trails: Please make it very clear that Youth With A Mission (YWAM) was helping to head up The Send. In fact, YWAMers went to Lou Engle, and together they formed the idea for The Send. As a very recent former YWAM staff who was naive to all things NAR and contemplative, I am … [Read more…]
See also Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of our 2018 Year in Review. The following are the 10 top stories for 2018 written by the editors at Lighthouse Trails. Listed in order of date posted. 1. Moody Bible Institute—Trying to Hold on to a Biblical Heritage While Riding the Wave of … [Read more…]
Two weeks ago, a 26-year-old Christian man named John Allen Chau was killed when he attempted to make contact with a remote tribe on North Sentinel Island, one of the Andaman Islands of India According to reports, Chau had spent several years preparing for the trip, saying that he wanted to tell these isolated … [Read more…]
On October 23rd, Lighthouse Trails sent out the 6th letter plus two booklets to 160 influential Christian leaders in the evangelical camp. We began mailing out short letters and Lighthouse Trails booklets in February 2016 to a list that started with 100 names. To learn more about this project, click here to read the first … [Read more…]
In 2012, Lighthouse Trails posted an article titled “Young Life’s History of Embracing Contemplative Authors Continues,” showing that the Christian youth organization, Young Life, was introducing Young Life leaders and kids to contemplative/emergent authors and speakers. The article we wrote talked about a meeting we had in 2002 with the Young Life director of training … [Read more…]
By Roger Oakland In an article titled “Christ-Followers in India Flourishing Outside the Church,” the following statement is made regarding the research of Herbert Hoefer, author of Churchless Christianity: In striking research undertaken in the mid-eighties and published in 1991, Herbert E. Hoefer found that the people of Madras City are far closer to historic … [Read more…]
Hello Lighthouse Trails: Our daughter is a junior in high school and has been receiving college flyers in the mail from secular as well as “Christian” universities. She received the following flyer in a packet.William Jessup University flyer and have attached it as it mentioned “Spiritual Formation Groups” that are used to “reconcile issues surrounding … [Read more…]
Are the “Supreme Beings” of the Nations the True God? by Sandy Simpson is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 16 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 for your own personal use. Below … [Read more…]
By Sandy Simpson Deception in the Church Ministries I have some questions for those of the World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People (WCGIP) adherents such as Don Richardson, Daniel Kikawa, Richard Twiss (deceased), Terry LeBlanc, Danny Lehman, Aloha Ke Akua, YWAM as well as many in the Emergent Church (EC). The questions arise from their … [Read more…]
By David Dombrowski Editor at Lighthouse Trails Publishing & Research I find it rather interesting how God has orchestrated things in life, which demonstrate His great love and ongoing mercy to ordinary people like myself. But, more specifically, I am thinking right now about how years ago I happened to come across a copy of … [Read more…]
By Roger Oakland Understand the Times, International I thank God for pastors and churches that see missions as a means of spreading the gospel. They and their board of directors promote missions for the purpose of establishing gospel lighthouses located in dark places all over the planet. Individual missionaries are assisted and at least partially … [Read more…]
1) Can Christians Be Spiritually Deceived, and How Can They Avoid it? By Roger Oakland 2) Rising PERSECUTION in the “Land of the Free”? By Berit Kjos 3) How to Protect Your Child From Sexual Predators – With Prayer & the Word By Patrick Crough 4) A Jewish Believer’s Response to the New Mythology of Daniel Kikawa … [Read more…]
By Sandy Simpson Deception in the Church Four men changed the world into their postmodern, communist, evolutionist, materialist, Narcissistic concept of reality. There are also four books that have corrupted Christianity worldwide. The four men who changed the world, not for the better, were Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud. … [Read more…]
By Mike Oppenheimer Let Us Reason Ministries I was brought up Jewish and went to Hebrew school twice a week learning under the Rabbi and cantor. Though this is many years later, I have retained some of what I learned, still knowing the basics. In 1994, I came across the claims of Daniel Kikawa in … [Read more…]
by Bob DeWaay Missionary or Missional? For hundreds, if not thousands, of years Christians have used the term “missionary” to describe one who goes out to preach the gospel to an unsaved world headed toward judgment—repentance for the forgiveness of sin found in the death and resurrection of Christ. The mission of the missionary was … [Read more…]
We hope you love this new slideshow from the Bryce Homes for Widows and Children in Kenya as much as we do. First, you will see most of the new homes that have been built for these Christian families in Kenya, solely from the donations of Understand the Times and Lighthouse Trails readers. This project, which began just … [Read more…]
Can Cultures Be Redeemed? (Some Things You Should Know About the Indigenous People’s Movement) written by Nanci Des Gerlaise is our newest Lighthouse Trails 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 … [Read more…]
Native Spirituality “Renewal” & the Emerging Church written by Nanci Des Gerlaise is our newest Lighthouse Trails Print Booklet. The booklet is 16 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 Native Spirituality “Renewal” … [Read more…]
By Roger Oakland In an article titled “Christ-Followers in India Flourishing Outside the Church,” the following statement is made regarding the research of Herbert Hoefer, author of Churchless Christianity: In striking research undertaken in the mid-eighties and published in 1991, Herbert E. Hoefer found that the people of Madras City are far closer to historic Christianity … [Read more…]
A better name for David Teague’s 2012 book Godly Servants – Discipleship & Spiritual Formation for Missionaries would be Making Contemplative Missionaries. Published by the pro-contemplative Zondervan, Godly Servants falls into step with the numerous other books that advocate for spiritual formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality). However, this may be the first book that is specifically geared toward missionaries, and … [Read more…]
Dear Lighthouse Trails: Yesterday several of my family were talking, and one member mentioned they were involved in “A missional church.” I don’t know anything about this terminology “missional” but I don’t think I like it. Your thoughts please? ___________________ Dear _________________, We are quite familiar with that term, and in virtually every case we have seen … [Read more…]
The following is a preview video clip of Sandy Simpson in the First Nations Movement DVD Series: For more information on this DVD series, click here.
The following is the first of four previews of the First Nations Movement DVD lecture series with Mike Oppenheimer (Let Us Reason Ministries) and Sandy Simpson (Deception in the Church). This is a powerful series that no Christian should miss. If you would like to order the DVD set, click here. We’ll be posting the other … [Read more…]
By Larry DeBruyn Guarding His Flock Ministries What might it all mean, and where might it all lead? “Therefore I make known to you, that . . . no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:2, NASB Amongst pan-evangelicals nowadays, there’s a lot of talk . . . talk . … [Read more…]
In a growing controversy where Wycliffe Bible Translators is removing “familial terms” such as Son of God and Father in their Bible translations in order to accommodate Muslim readers, the organization posted a statement on February 7th, saying: While we have never intentionally sponsored a translation that neglects to properly communicate the divine familial terms, … [Read more…]
By Hussein Hajji Wario Yahoo! Contributor Network (courtesy True Discernment blog) A controversy is brewing over three reputable Christian organizations, which are based in North America, whose efforts have ousted the words “Father” and “Son” from new Bibles. Wycliffe Bible Translators, Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and Frontiers are under fire for “producing Bibles that … [Read more…]
by Roger Oakland “I must add, though, that I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts.1 – Brian McLaren Emerging spirituality is changing the way … [Read more…]