It looked like yesterday that Bishop Francis Wale Oke, leading a team of several other anointed men of God came to Ile-Ife to officially commission the Church Arise! LivingWater Ministries. But it’s now ten solid years, praise the Lord! After three years of publishing the bi-monthly newsletter, CA!, we were led to seek the laying-on of hands by the Church for strength and grace to fulfill the ministry evidently committed unto us by the Lord. The vision for the work had been received during the 3rd God’s End-Time Army Conference, convened in March 1997 by Bishop Francis Wale Oke. Joining the Bishop to lay hands on Dr and Mrs Joshua Ojo on April 6 2001 were Pastor Adewole Haastrup, then state Pastor of the RCCG, Osun State, His Royal Highness, Pastor Julius Fatanmi (the Olura of Ira and chairman of CA! Board), and Mrs O. Ayeni, among other Christian dignitaries.
To mark the tenth anniversary, we will be releasing a sequel to our 2001 book titled The Time is Fulfilled. The sequel will be a Trilogy – titled Behold I come quickly Books 1-3. Book 1 is subtitled Alerts from Science and Technology, Book 2 is a compilation of Signs from Society and Governance, while Book 3 is subtitled Warnings from Religions and Spiritual Expressions. The books are an orderly and indexed compilation of the contents of Church Arise! from Volume 4 no 3 to date.
All these will be available, in the first instance, as e-books which can be freely downloaded from our website. Also to be released is a must-read book How is the gold become dim!– providing original little-known facts and details on evolution of norms, doctrines and practices in the Cherubim and Seraphim Society – an indigenous Church movement in Nigeria. Dr Ojo spent the first thirty years of his life (and the first ten of his Christian life) in this Church movement, and so writes as a priviledged insider. By God’s grace, the paper versions of these books will be released as soon as the financial details can be settled.
Meanwhile to the glory of God, traffic to our website (www.churcharise.org) more than doubled from 3,403 unique visits in 2009 to 8,631 in 2010. Visitors in 2010 came from several other new countries, in addition to the over 30 countries from where we received visitors in 2009. Starting from April 1, our blog : http://churcharise.blogspot.com/ will now be updated with new articles and commentaries EVERY WEEK. The blog is where to get fresh information from us, just as the website is the place to get our archived materials and an incredibly vast amount of other resources and links to other ministries. Please pay us a visit today!
We appreciate everyone who has encouraged us so far with letters, finances, and most important of all, prayers. We trust God to keep growing in leaps and bounds till the shouts of the Trump and the voice of the Archangel brings this present dispensation to a close!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Pastor Ayo charges on Coming Elections: RSVP
“I would say to Nigerians, for once, let us see Nigeria as a project…. Let us see Nigeria as a project worth sacrificing for. We must all agree and say, I will register. Then make a selection of who you would vote for. Don’t let people intimidate or buy you, because if they give you money——how much would they really give you?—if they come into office, they are not obligated to give you anything because they had given you what is due you for the next four years. So, register, select, then when it’s time to vote; go out and vote and protect your vote. That is RSVP—Register, Select who you would vote for, Vote and [Protect] your vote. It’s very important. That is part of the sacrifice”
– Pastor Ayo Oritsajefor, President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
(http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/12/religious-leaders-sue-for-peace-at-christmas/)
– Pastor Ayo Oritsajefor, President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
(http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/12/religious-leaders-sue-for-peace-at-christmas/)
Earth in Convulsion
The above expression borrowed from the 2011 prophecies of Pastor E.A. Adeboye best describes the present situation on planet earth. First is the political turmoil currently engulfing the Gulf and Arab states. It all began in Tunisia on December 17 2010, when a policewoman confiscated the unlicenced vegetable cart of a street trader, Mohamed Bouazizi, and refused all reasonable entreaties. This is a fairly common incident in several parts of the world -, Nigeria not excluded. So when a desperate Bouazizi doused himself with some inflammable liquid and set himself ablaze, something snapped in the previously docilely watching masses; and they took to the streets. When Bouazizi eventually died on January 4, 2011, the protests – fanned by facebook and youtube, went out of control. At the end of the day the President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to resign his 23 year old reign and flee to Saudi Arabia.
Inspired by the events in neighbouring Tunisia, it was the turn of the Egyptians to demand the resignation of President Moubarak, citing gross corruption and injustice. This was a very dicey one, for Egypt under Moubarak has proven over the years (since the murder of Anwar Sadat by Muslim extremists opposed to the peace treaty with Israel in 1981) to be pivotal to the strategic interests of both the United States and also Israel. Moubarak was however sorely disappointed to find President Obama rooting deeply for the Muslim Brotherhood-led opposition, and after several futile efforts to remain in power, finally handed over to the nation’s military 17 tense days after. [see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/egypt-revolution-2011_n_816026.html for details]
The blunt back-turning of Obama to a supposed ally in time of dire need was a shocking eye-opener to many Arab leaders – not the least Saudi’s King Fahd, who was a personal close friend of Mubarak. Now the masses all across Arabia knew it could be possible to throw away the yoke of their oppressive dictators, while the dictators on their own knew no help would come from America. So as the unrest swelled up through Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, United Arab Emirate and Mauritania, it assumes different colouration and resulted in different outcomes. One of the major factors that was stirred up, was the ancient rivalry between Shiite (as in Iran) and Sunni (as in Saudi Arabia) moslems. For instance the “pro-democracy revolution” in Bahrain quickly assumed the religious picture of Shiites challenging a Sunni king. With this interpretation, Saudi Arabia justified the sending of a 1000 strong troop to Bahrain, under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council. One country where the division between the revolutionists and the sitting dictator was maximally exploited was in Libya. Ghadaffi showed no emotion as he ordered his fellow countrymen, in their hundreds, mowed down by machine guns and aerial strafing. Libyan soldiers who refused to shoot were summarily executed, and very soon mercenaries from Chad, Dafur, Guinea, Nigeria (north to be sure!) and elsewhere were recruited in exterminating the demonstrators - famously described by Ghaddafi as “cockroaches!” The carnage is on-going as we write, and even western media have started to call the demonstrators, “ rebels”.
Of course, all these developments cannot be cheery news for Israel. The Arab dictators, under America’s patronage, have played pivotal role in maintaining peace in the Middle East by defending Israel from the Arab’s masses who are under a religious conviction that Israel should not exist. Now, that is changing! Furthermore, Obama has never hidden his disdain for Israel since coming to power, and the only favours Israel still get from her traditional greatest ally only come as a result of pressures from the US Congress. The European Union has always been anti-Israel, and Turkey under Erdogan moved against her traditional ally Israel several months ago – with the Flotilla incident marking a record low in their relationship. Even a traditionally quiet and neutral country like Japan recently issued a strongly anti-Israel’s statement adding to the pressure that Israel should give up the strategic West Bank and become totally defenseless.( http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2010/3/0311_01.html). And so, as the company of Israel’s ally diminishes very rapidly, the prophecy of all the nations agreeing to attack Israel (Zech. 12:1-3) looms. But Israel not only has one of the best intelligence and military forces in the world, it is also a nuclear power. And like one of the great Judges of that nation, Samson, it is not likely Israel would allow itself to be wiped off the map without taking the world along with it. Does that sound like Armageddon?
But the convulsion of planet earth is beyond the man-made turmoils in the Middle East (not to talk of what would now amount to ‘skirmishes’ in countries like Ivory Coast), there are also “acts of God” – as people refer to natural disasters. Beginning from the floods and mudslides in Rio de Janeiro, flash floods in Australia and New Zealand, the North American winter storm, to the on-going earthquake and accompanying tsunami in Japan (which struck, incidentally on the same day Japan released its vicious anti-Israel statement),several thousands of human lives have sadly perished.
Human lives and property losses apart, there is the additional fear of the future with respect to the irreplaceable basic need for Energy. Now with the on-going leakage of radiation from one of the nuclear reactors at Fukushima, Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami, these formidable facilities suddenly don’t look as safe as people thought – or rather, the magnitude of havoc that could result from the admittedly very very slim chance of accident, has become very daunting and scary! As pointed out by one writer, though the current magnitude 8.9 earthquake is the largest in Japan’s recorded history, it is clear that it would not be the last! If this one could compromise the “fail-proof” reactor at Fukushima, who can be sure of what would happen, sometimes in the future, to the dozens of other reactors located on other earthquake-prone sites in Japan? These grievous concerns arising at a time when many are reading the events in the Middle East as a wake-up call to diversify from fossil fuels to other alternatives (nuclear being the prime alternative) is confounding mankind. To cap all these avalanche of landmark tumultuous events, is the announcement of the find of 16 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in Israel – making it a fresh target not only to those who wanted to take over that land for religious reasons, but now for economic reasons. In fact, according to Bible prophecies, one of the major reasons for the attack by the nations on Israel, like the gulf war on Iraq, would be to loot….. (http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/discovery-of-giant-gasfield-sparks-frenzy-in-israel, Ezekiel 38:10ff).
Dear reader, if you think all these convulsions of the planet earth is merely fascinating reading of events that don’t affect you personally, please think again. The end of the current world order is right across the corner. Unlike those caught in the spates of disasters highlighted above, you still have the opportunity to re-locate yourself out of disaster region. Noah’s Ark is still boarding! No matter your current circumstances, you don’t have to go hell. Turn to Jesus in all sincerity today in order not to miss the imminent Rapture. This is a personal decision that would profoundly affect the rest of your life and eternity. And the time for that decision is NOW.
Inspired by the events in neighbouring Tunisia, it was the turn of the Egyptians to demand the resignation of President Moubarak, citing gross corruption and injustice. This was a very dicey one, for Egypt under Moubarak has proven over the years (since the murder of Anwar Sadat by Muslim extremists opposed to the peace treaty with Israel in 1981) to be pivotal to the strategic interests of both the United States and also Israel. Moubarak was however sorely disappointed to find President Obama rooting deeply for the Muslim Brotherhood-led opposition, and after several futile efforts to remain in power, finally handed over to the nation’s military 17 tense days after. [see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/egypt-revolution-2011_n_816026.html for details]
The blunt back-turning of Obama to a supposed ally in time of dire need was a shocking eye-opener to many Arab leaders – not the least Saudi’s King Fahd, who was a personal close friend of Mubarak. Now the masses all across Arabia knew it could be possible to throw away the yoke of their oppressive dictators, while the dictators on their own knew no help would come from America. So as the unrest swelled up through Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, United Arab Emirate and Mauritania, it assumes different colouration and resulted in different outcomes. One of the major factors that was stirred up, was the ancient rivalry between Shiite (as in Iran) and Sunni (as in Saudi Arabia) moslems. For instance the “pro-democracy revolution” in Bahrain quickly assumed the religious picture of Shiites challenging a Sunni king. With this interpretation, Saudi Arabia justified the sending of a 1000 strong troop to Bahrain, under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council. One country where the division between the revolutionists and the sitting dictator was maximally exploited was in Libya. Ghadaffi showed no emotion as he ordered his fellow countrymen, in their hundreds, mowed down by machine guns and aerial strafing. Libyan soldiers who refused to shoot were summarily executed, and very soon mercenaries from Chad, Dafur, Guinea, Nigeria (north to be sure!) and elsewhere were recruited in exterminating the demonstrators - famously described by Ghaddafi as “cockroaches!” The carnage is on-going as we write, and even western media have started to call the demonstrators, “ rebels”.
Of course, all these developments cannot be cheery news for Israel. The Arab dictators, under America’s patronage, have played pivotal role in maintaining peace in the Middle East by defending Israel from the Arab’s masses who are under a religious conviction that Israel should not exist. Now, that is changing! Furthermore, Obama has never hidden his disdain for Israel since coming to power, and the only favours Israel still get from her traditional greatest ally only come as a result of pressures from the US Congress. The European Union has always been anti-Israel, and Turkey under Erdogan moved against her traditional ally Israel several months ago – with the Flotilla incident marking a record low in their relationship. Even a traditionally quiet and neutral country like Japan recently issued a strongly anti-Israel’s statement adding to the pressure that Israel should give up the strategic West Bank and become totally defenseless.( http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2010/3/0311_01.html). And so, as the company of Israel’s ally diminishes very rapidly, the prophecy of all the nations agreeing to attack Israel (Zech. 12:1-3) looms. But Israel not only has one of the best intelligence and military forces in the world, it is also a nuclear power. And like one of the great Judges of that nation, Samson, it is not likely Israel would allow itself to be wiped off the map without taking the world along with it. Does that sound like Armageddon?
But the convulsion of planet earth is beyond the man-made turmoils in the Middle East (not to talk of what would now amount to ‘skirmishes’ in countries like Ivory Coast), there are also “acts of God” – as people refer to natural disasters. Beginning from the floods and mudslides in Rio de Janeiro, flash floods in Australia and New Zealand, the North American winter storm, to the on-going earthquake and accompanying tsunami in Japan (which struck, incidentally on the same day Japan released its vicious anti-Israel statement),several thousands of human lives have sadly perished.
Human lives and property losses apart, there is the additional fear of the future with respect to the irreplaceable basic need for Energy. Now with the on-going leakage of radiation from one of the nuclear reactors at Fukushima, Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami, these formidable facilities suddenly don’t look as safe as people thought – or rather, the magnitude of havoc that could result from the admittedly very very slim chance of accident, has become very daunting and scary! As pointed out by one writer, though the current magnitude 8.9 earthquake is the largest in Japan’s recorded history, it is clear that it would not be the last! If this one could compromise the “fail-proof” reactor at Fukushima, who can be sure of what would happen, sometimes in the future, to the dozens of other reactors located on other earthquake-prone sites in Japan? These grievous concerns arising at a time when many are reading the events in the Middle East as a wake-up call to diversify from fossil fuels to other alternatives (nuclear being the prime alternative) is confounding mankind. To cap all these avalanche of landmark tumultuous events, is the announcement of the find of 16 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves in Israel – making it a fresh target not only to those who wanted to take over that land for religious reasons, but now for economic reasons. In fact, according to Bible prophecies, one of the major reasons for the attack by the nations on Israel, like the gulf war on Iraq, would be to loot….. (http://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/discovery-of-giant-gasfield-sparks-frenzy-in-israel, Ezekiel 38:10ff).
Dear reader, if you think all these convulsions of the planet earth is merely fascinating reading of events that don’t affect you personally, please think again. The end of the current world order is right across the corner. Unlike those caught in the spates of disasters highlighted above, you still have the opportunity to re-locate yourself out of disaster region. Noah’s Ark is still boarding! No matter your current circumstances, you don’t have to go hell. Turn to Jesus in all sincerity today in order not to miss the imminent Rapture. This is a personal decision that would profoundly affect the rest of your life and eternity. And the time for that decision is NOW.
Middle East: Lessons from Sudetenland
Koinona House in their February issues of khouse news, published a three-part series with the above title, extracted from the book A Place Among The Nations, published in 1993 by current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s really amazing how the current developments and dilemma in the Middle East parallel events leading to World War II. Netanyahu describes in clear terms the strategic barrier that Czechoslovakia constituted to Hitler’s plan to overrun Europe in his dream of starting the 1000 years rule of the Third Reich.: With the Sudeten mountains bordering Germany and Czechoslovakia being virtually militarily unassailable by Hitler, the only option left for him to move forward was political. Hitler therefore clamoured that the Germans in Sudetenland who were minorities in Czechoslovakia were not getting their rights (a string of deliberately provocative, never-ending demands) and he was set to defend them. The whole world, desperate to have, in the word of Britain’s Chamberlain “peace in our time” mounted obscene, shameless but irresistible pressure on Czechoslovakia to withdraw his troops from his own country. Hitler wasted no time, in less than six months –on March 15, 1939, in rolling his tanks into the remaining part of Czechoslovakia, and WWII was on in full swing. Today, the whole world is mounting identical pressure on Israel to withdraw from the West Banks, land that historically had been Jewish for thousands of years and which are critical to her defenses. Read the entire article as first published by k-house in 1997 at http://www.khouse.org/articles/1997/11/
'If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.
If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel ."
Benjamin Netanyahu (see http://www.ipi-usa.org/faq.htm)
'If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.
If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel ."
Benjamin Netanyahu (see http://www.ipi-usa.org/faq.htm)
Update on murderous abortion doctor “ I don’t know what I did wrong!”
We provide an update on Dr Kermit Gosnell, the West Philadelphia doctor who specialized in late-term abortion, particularly for black girls (see last edition of CA!). Dr Gosnell said at his arraignment in Court that he did not understand why he was being charged in the deaths of the babies.” According to the grand jury “He told his staff that this barbaric conduct was standard medical practice. It was not. It was criminal behavior” Gosnell was jailed without bail. (www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/25/checks-of-pa-abortion-clinics-find-some-problems/?page=1).
Church Arise! certainly understands the confusion of Dr Gosnell. He apparently can’t understand what to him is the out-of-proportion rumpus to his choosing to kill a few hundred condemned infants immediately after their induced birth rather than kill them with the same scissors inside the wombs of their mothers in the name of abortion! Dr Gosnell’s logic is quite simple: Just because late-abortions are dangerous to the mothers, people have to pay exorbitant fees at specialist clinics who are licensed to carry them out. The problem of late abortion is basically that the baby having grown considerably, cannot be so easily cut into pieces and every piece completely evacuated from the womb without risks of serious contaminations and infection. So, we have the Gosnell’s cheap, effective commonsense approach: Simply allow the baby to develop even a little more in the womb, let her come out naturally through the process of birth (induced or normal); and immediately the baby comes out, meet her with a stroke of the scissors at the back of the nape!. What is the difference killing the baby in the womb (with so much risks of complications), or simply killing him safely immediately it comes out of the womb?
The respectable-looking elderly doctor has consistently applied this logic and practice a couple of several hundred times over a decade - with tremendous revenue accruing!
In Dr Gosnell’s thinking, as long as no one is questioning why the babies have to die, it’s pure hypocrisy complaining whether they were killed within the womb (with only a few elitist centres getting the licence for such killing) or killing them more safely outside the womb! As a matter of fact, it was only in 2002 that it became illegal to simply throw away (or use for research) babies who survive the abortion process and come out alive. And even then, there is still no penalty specified for defaulters! (http://www.opposingviews.com/i/protecting-babies-who-survive-abortions) . Unfortunately, abortion advocates seem incapable of seeing all these contradictions. For now they are ready to feed Gosnell , apparently just one of their disposable “useful idiots” to the dogs and go on with their sordid business. For more info on abortion in the US, including partial birth/live birth abortion, see http://prolifeaction.org/faq/abortion.php#roe
Meanwhile as reported on Moriel website, the 53rd million American child was aborted sometimes late last year , 38 years after the landmark Supreme court’s Roe vs. Wade ruling making the procedure perfectly legal in the United States.. (http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/news/staggering-u-s-passed-53-million-abortion-mark-in-2010) Moriel.org also drew attention to a parallel story announcing that 40% of all pregnancies in New York city now end up being aborted The same players who have brought America thus far in her unenviable track are currently furiously working hard to accomplish the same in Nigeria and elsewhere. Hence the need for those on the side of the Truth to speak out and act as led by the Spirit. Moriel threw up two Scriptures to provoke further discussions on abortion:
Lk 1:41: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Heb 7:9–10: And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Church Arise! certainly understands the confusion of Dr Gosnell. He apparently can’t understand what to him is the out-of-proportion rumpus to his choosing to kill a few hundred condemned infants immediately after their induced birth rather than kill them with the same scissors inside the wombs of their mothers in the name of abortion! Dr Gosnell’s logic is quite simple: Just because late-abortions are dangerous to the mothers, people have to pay exorbitant fees at specialist clinics who are licensed to carry them out. The problem of late abortion is basically that the baby having grown considerably, cannot be so easily cut into pieces and every piece completely evacuated from the womb without risks of serious contaminations and infection. So, we have the Gosnell’s cheap, effective commonsense approach: Simply allow the baby to develop even a little more in the womb, let her come out naturally through the process of birth (induced or normal); and immediately the baby comes out, meet her with a stroke of the scissors at the back of the nape!. What is the difference killing the baby in the womb (with so much risks of complications), or simply killing him safely immediately it comes out of the womb?
The respectable-looking elderly doctor has consistently applied this logic and practice a couple of several hundred times over a decade - with tremendous revenue accruing!
In Dr Gosnell’s thinking, as long as no one is questioning why the babies have to die, it’s pure hypocrisy complaining whether they were killed within the womb (with only a few elitist centres getting the licence for such killing) or killing them more safely outside the womb! As a matter of fact, it was only in 2002 that it became illegal to simply throw away (or use for research) babies who survive the abortion process and come out alive. And even then, there is still no penalty specified for defaulters! (http://www.opposingviews.com/i/protecting-babies-who-survive-abortions) . Unfortunately, abortion advocates seem incapable of seeing all these contradictions. For now they are ready to feed Gosnell , apparently just one of their disposable “useful idiots” to the dogs and go on with their sordid business. For more info on abortion in the US, including partial birth/live birth abortion, see http://prolifeaction.org/faq/abortion.php#roe
Meanwhile as reported on Moriel website, the 53rd million American child was aborted sometimes late last year , 38 years after the landmark Supreme court’s Roe vs. Wade ruling making the procedure perfectly legal in the United States.. (http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/news/staggering-u-s-passed-53-million-abortion-mark-in-2010) Moriel.org also drew attention to a parallel story announcing that 40% of all pregnancies in New York city now end up being aborted The same players who have brought America thus far in her unenviable track are currently furiously working hard to accomplish the same in Nigeria and elsewhere. Hence the need for those on the side of the Truth to speak out and act as led by the Spirit. Moriel threw up two Scriptures to provoke further discussions on abortion:
Lk 1:41: When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Heb 7:9–10: And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
Caught on Camera: How Planned Parenthood encourages prostitution of teens
A recent large scale expose of Planned Parenthood by the NGO Live Action is making the rounds on the internet. Right on (hidden) camera, PP staff from many centers across the USA gave brutal counsel on how pimps and prostitutes using little children (as young as 13 years) as sex-slaves could procure abortion and other “reproductive health care” for these unfortunate children, using free government’s fund. In law and by society’s moral standard, the PP officials were required to have reported the cases to government. Unfortunately for the PP, the convincingly real “pimps and prostitutes” they were speaking with were professional actors and actresses [which brings out a new ministry for Christian actors!] Check details (videos and transcripts) at LiveAction sites( http://liveaction.org/traffick)
Sex slavery of youngsters now a global epidemic
While the world’s attention is gripped by the massive convulsion currently shaking the planet (from social upheaveals to natural disasters of flash floodings, earthquakes and tsunamis), it is easy to overlook a no less catastrophe that is consuming the world, pointing at the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the thriving sex slave business.
A recent article in the NEWS OF THE WORLD (Feb 13) indicate that an incredible 13 million children have been enslaved worldwide, with the current annual figure standing at a staggering 800,000. Most of the sex slaves are from developing countries of the world, including Africa and Eastern Europe. At least 30,000 abused sex slaves die every year as a result of different ailments and maltreatment. However, organizations such as Planned Parenthood [PP] and their many collaborators (many of them hiding under nice-sounding programmes in Secondary and Tertiary institutions of learning in Nigeria) would have us focus on providing treatments for these ailments rather than cutting from the roots the business of sex-slavery itself. This is the core issue in the new sex revolution that is threatening to engulf the world right now. Is making abortion, licentious sex, etc safe what matters or the morality of it? Incidentally improving one of these (e.g. safety) will dramatically worsen the other (i.e. morality), as found out by an Indian community where improved social and reproductive health care for prostitutes made it so inviting that husbands and fathers had to protest the impact on their society (see Vol 7 No 4) .
It’s really amazing that so-called educated people could come out boldly to attack the simple and beautiful blueprint for the expression of sexuality as designed by the Creator of sex: have all the sex you wish, but only within the context of a marriage contract! This guarantees security not only for the couple but also the products of the sexual act, and as well provide safeguards against emotional heartaches, and a battery of STDs, the latest being HIV/AIDS. To really see the seriousness of these sex czars and their utter disdain for the rest of society and our sense of morality, download a copy of their latest report at www.glaa.org/archive/2010/woodhullreport1019.pdf
While majority of the trafficked sex slaves are young naïve girls lured into cities with offer of good fortune, such as Irina of Chermigov in Ukraine cited by the News of the World, others had a rough idea of what awaited them in the city. However, by the time they face the reality of having to sleep with about a dozen men every day, seven days a week, they realized too late that their future is quite bleak. They also discover too late that they are quite expendable as their pimps have a ready supply of fresh replacements for them! In a recent local example published in the PM News report of Friday 4th February, when a 13-year old girl brought to work as a sex slave complained to her aunt that she was suffering severe pains in her private parts (after two months of daily sex with up to 10 men), the aunt only encouraged her to work harder. It was only because of the pain and the lack of attention that she finally absconded from her brothel room and was picked up by the police. But the really sad aspect about such stories, as lamented by a law enforcement officer, is that as soon as such sex-slaves are returned to their parents/guardians in the South-South, fresh attempts are made to send them back to Lagos. In other words, the primary pimps were the parents of these unfortunate children themselves!
====================================================
For related stories see:
Nigerian pastor faces jail in UK over ‘human trafficking’ February 15th, 2011 in News, Society
Outrage over Nigerian gay pastor in UK , Sunday, 06 March 2011
Lucky escape: How Immigration men rescued teenagers from child traffickers. Daily Sun. Thursday, March 03, 2011
====================================================
A recent article in the NEWS OF THE WORLD (Feb 13) indicate that an incredible 13 million children have been enslaved worldwide, with the current annual figure standing at a staggering 800,000. Most of the sex slaves are from developing countries of the world, including Africa and Eastern Europe. At least 30,000 abused sex slaves die every year as a result of different ailments and maltreatment. However, organizations such as Planned Parenthood [PP] and their many collaborators (many of them hiding under nice-sounding programmes in Secondary and Tertiary institutions of learning in Nigeria) would have us focus on providing treatments for these ailments rather than cutting from the roots the business of sex-slavery itself. This is the core issue in the new sex revolution that is threatening to engulf the world right now. Is making abortion, licentious sex, etc safe what matters or the morality of it? Incidentally improving one of these (e.g. safety) will dramatically worsen the other (i.e. morality), as found out by an Indian community where improved social and reproductive health care for prostitutes made it so inviting that husbands and fathers had to protest the impact on their society (see Vol 7 No 4) .
It’s really amazing that so-called educated people could come out boldly to attack the simple and beautiful blueprint for the expression of sexuality as designed by the Creator of sex: have all the sex you wish, but only within the context of a marriage contract! This guarantees security not only for the couple but also the products of the sexual act, and as well provide safeguards against emotional heartaches, and a battery of STDs, the latest being HIV/AIDS. To really see the seriousness of these sex czars and their utter disdain for the rest of society and our sense of morality, download a copy of their latest report at www.glaa.org/archive/2010/woodhullreport1019.pdf
While majority of the trafficked sex slaves are young naïve girls lured into cities with offer of good fortune, such as Irina of Chermigov in Ukraine cited by the News of the World, others had a rough idea of what awaited them in the city. However, by the time they face the reality of having to sleep with about a dozen men every day, seven days a week, they realized too late that their future is quite bleak. They also discover too late that they are quite expendable as their pimps have a ready supply of fresh replacements for them! In a recent local example published in the PM News report of Friday 4th February, when a 13-year old girl brought to work as a sex slave complained to her aunt that she was suffering severe pains in her private parts (after two months of daily sex with up to 10 men), the aunt only encouraged her to work harder. It was only because of the pain and the lack of attention that she finally absconded from her brothel room and was picked up by the police. But the really sad aspect about such stories, as lamented by a law enforcement officer, is that as soon as such sex-slaves are returned to their parents/guardians in the South-South, fresh attempts are made to send them back to Lagos. In other words, the primary pimps were the parents of these unfortunate children themselves!
====================================================
For related stories see:
Nigerian pastor faces jail in UK over ‘human trafficking’ February 15th, 2011 in News, Society
Outrage over Nigerian gay pastor in UK , Sunday, 06 March 2011
Lucky escape: How Immigration men rescued teenagers from child traffickers. Daily Sun. Thursday, March 03, 2011
====================================================
Meanwhile Comprehensive “catch-‘em-young” sex-ed forges ahead
As reported in OneNewsNow of February 28, (http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=1301602 the Montana's school district in the US has decided to ignore public outcry and proceed with its plans to teach sex education to young students. But parents and state lawmakers are still fighting the initiative.
According to Jeff Laszloffy, president of the Montana Family Foundation, while many fed-up parents are taking their kids out of public schools to pursue other education options, others are so outraged that that are taking legal action against the school district. Progress is also being made along legislative line, as the state House, lobbied by the Montana family Foundation, has passed a bill that obliges schools to notify parents at least 48 hours prior to sex education courses. It also requires them to receive written consent before the children can attend.
Parents in Germany are however no so lucky. We have reported in previous editions (e.g. Vol 10 No 1) that parents who opted to take their children off government-supervised schooling have been jailed in Germany. Now, even those who keep them in public school with the hope of having them excused from certain corrupting classes, such as comprehensive sex-education, are also being jailed. As reported in OneNewsNow of March 9, up to ten parents in Germany have been jailed for keeping their children from attending sex-education programs at school.
According to Roger Kiska, a legal counsel in the Alliance Defense Fund (http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/), the new curriculum makes it mandatory for nine- and ten-year-olds to participate in the programs, which include an “interactive play”.
The imprisoned parents have also been fined the equivalent of nearly $1,300 (U.S.).
According to Jeff Laszloffy, president of the Montana Family Foundation, while many fed-up parents are taking their kids out of public schools to pursue other education options, others are so outraged that that are taking legal action against the school district. Progress is also being made along legislative line, as the state House, lobbied by the Montana family Foundation, has passed a bill that obliges schools to notify parents at least 48 hours prior to sex education courses. It also requires them to receive written consent before the children can attend.
Parents in Germany are however no so lucky. We have reported in previous editions (e.g. Vol 10 No 1) that parents who opted to take their children off government-supervised schooling have been jailed in Germany. Now, even those who keep them in public school with the hope of having them excused from certain corrupting classes, such as comprehensive sex-education, are also being jailed. As reported in OneNewsNow of March 9, up to ten parents in Germany have been jailed for keeping their children from attending sex-education programs at school.
According to Roger Kiska, a legal counsel in the Alliance Defense Fund (http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/), the new curriculum makes it mandatory for nine- and ten-year-olds to participate in the programs, which include an “interactive play”.
The imprisoned parents have also been fined the equivalent of nearly $1,300 (U.S.).
Death of a gay activist
The murder of David Kato, Ugandan gay activist on January 27 made global headlines, as to be expected. Many are cashing in on it to seek concessions for homosexual activism. Even after the murderer of Kato, Nsubuga Enock has confessed, clarifying that the gruesome murder was over personal issues and neither for robbery nor lifestyle, gay activists insist the murder must have been provoked by a newspaper report which last October published pictures and addresses of several Ugandan gay activists, including Kato’s. As far as the majority of world’s news outlets are concerned, the police must be covering up the hate crime! (http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/02/03/Uganda_Police_Kato_Forced_Killer_Into_Sodomy/)
From all indications, the murderer was even a sleeping partner to Kato; and is known to be a criminal. As a matter of fact, David Kato had just bailed Nsubuga out of jail (on January 24) and had him stay with him for two days, just before his death. What then is there to cover up? Who can keep a tab on how many people have been killed by dissatisfied lovers, all over the world all through history? Does Kato’s homosexual activism absolve him from reaping what he sowed?
Uganda is being portrayed by international lobbies for homosexuality, as a draconian, unreasonable homophobic society. Yet no one is saying, even in Uganda, that homosexuals should not live any lifestyle they please. Talk less of them being killed for doing so. What sane voices in society all over the world are demanding is that the gay lobby should not be allowed to criminalize any criticism of homosexual lifestyle. Homosexuals, just like heterosexuals, should just keep their sexual lives to their bedroom and allow society to focus on more productive issues. On the contrary, what the gay lobbies are demanding is that they be given the public platform to recruit from our kith and kins into their unproductive, unhealthy, unnatural and abominable acts; while we all must keep mute, not allowed to even respond. (Please read our previous article on gay advocacy at http://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2006/feb/072.html
The so-called draconian bill in Uganda calls for death sentence for “serial offenders” – men who rape boys and other men, repeating the crime over and over again – especially when they know they are HIV positive!. Why is such a suggestion draconian? Why not look at the issue from the point of view of the rest of society – of the people being exposed to the serial rapist? Of the society trying to cope with the onslaught of HIV/AIDS known to be mainly transmitted through gay sex? If drug pushers, armed robbers, drug counterfeiters, terrorists, etc could be sent to the gallows, what make men who repeatedly rape men (or even women) so sacred, that they could go on over and over committing their heinous deeds with impunity?
From all indications, the murderer was even a sleeping partner to Kato; and is known to be a criminal. As a matter of fact, David Kato had just bailed Nsubuga out of jail (on January 24) and had him stay with him for two days, just before his death. What then is there to cover up? Who can keep a tab on how many people have been killed by dissatisfied lovers, all over the world all through history? Does Kato’s homosexual activism absolve him from reaping what he sowed?
Uganda is being portrayed by international lobbies for homosexuality, as a draconian, unreasonable homophobic society. Yet no one is saying, even in Uganda, that homosexuals should not live any lifestyle they please. Talk less of them being killed for doing so. What sane voices in society all over the world are demanding is that the gay lobby should not be allowed to criminalize any criticism of homosexual lifestyle. Homosexuals, just like heterosexuals, should just keep their sexual lives to their bedroom and allow society to focus on more productive issues. On the contrary, what the gay lobbies are demanding is that they be given the public platform to recruit from our kith and kins into their unproductive, unhealthy, unnatural and abominable acts; while we all must keep mute, not allowed to even respond. (Please read our previous article on gay advocacy at http://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2006/feb/072.html
The so-called draconian bill in Uganda calls for death sentence for “serial offenders” – men who rape boys and other men, repeating the crime over and over again – especially when they know they are HIV positive!. Why is such a suggestion draconian? Why not look at the issue from the point of view of the rest of society – of the people being exposed to the serial rapist? Of the society trying to cope with the onslaught of HIV/AIDS known to be mainly transmitted through gay sex? If drug pushers, armed robbers, drug counterfeiters, terrorists, etc could be sent to the gallows, what make men who repeatedly rape men (or even women) so sacred, that they could go on over and over committing their heinous deeds with impunity?
Prostitutes Pushed to dance on Lagos Streets by foreign funded Sexuality NGOs
With apparent pomp, placards and banners, about 50 commercial sex workers and sponsoring sex activists reportedly marched through the streets of Ikoyi, Lagos to mark the International Sex ‘workers rights Day on March 3.( http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/arts/life-midweek-magazine/29915.html)
The “peaceful protest march” was carried out under the banner of the African Sex Workers Alliance (ASWA) Nigeria, described as “a coalition of NGOs working to promote equity and justice among citizens.” ASWA's continental head office is housed by the Sex Worker Education & Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa. The self-labeled “gender and economic rights organization” has presence in six East/South African countries and is reaching out of that enclave to make Nigeria the seventh.
Oddly enough, in its self-assigned task of “leading the fight for sex workers' respect and rights” the ASWA says it is “advocating the de-criminalisation of sex work…” But what de-criminalisation?. If sex works were being treated as a crime, why do we have all the brothels openly practicing their trade without government’s molestation?
Speaking to the press, Executive Director of Safe Haven International in Nigeria and coordinator of ASWA, Magaret Onah revealed the true desires of her organization as she “called on government, especially the Lagos State government, to come up with policies to encourage sex work”. ASWA is out to raise more prostitutes, by emboldening, encouraging and even deceiving them. Pure and simple.
The truth of the matter is that the so called ASWA is nothing more than a group of individuals backed by limitless funds from the Bill Gates of this world (see previous editions of CA!, e.g. vol 13 no 4) with a mission to promote prostitution. With only a fraction of the budget they spend on advocacy and “fighting for respects”, these NGOs could as well have taken majority of people who were pushed into prostitution by socio-economic situation out of their humiliating and destructive profession.
As revealed in the news report, “ASWA is currently being run by a group of NGOs working with sex workers until the sex workers are empowered to run ASWA themselves.” Meaning? ASWA is nothing more than foreign-funded NGO staff, trying to raise, encourage, and embolden local prostitutes. . How far are these sex NGOs ready to go in putting sex work on the same level of respectability as being a school teacher? We reported in vol 9 no 3 the case in Berlin of a young lady who having lost her job as a waitress refused to accept one as a sex worker in a brothel. She was threatened with losing her unemployment benefit for refusing legal work! The argument, as we have been told endlessly in the case of homosexuality, is that you are not allowed to denigrate the choice of others
According to Rex Ajenifuja, described as the Lagos Coordinator for Nigeria, “global partners” organized their African minions into ASWA for the first meeting in South Africa two years ago – confirming that the initiative and funds are from outside Africa. Obviously, these externally-funded agents driving the sexual revolution in Africa are the real danger. The actual sex workers practice their trades in shame and quietness, with many of them nursing the desire of someday getting out of the demeaning and dangerous business. Our so-called educated and rights advocates come along [inspired by foreign funds] to goad the confused sex-worker into the open and encourage them to express how proud they are of their business. How can anyone in their right senses be proud of presenting himself/herself naked to just anybody that comes along (irrespective of age, mental/social/health status, etc); and for a token, yield up that naked body for whatever would catch the fancy of this total stranger!
Even without addressing the graver issues of ritual sex, bestiality, and the ultimate rendezvous with the “devil and his angels” in hell fire, it’s clear that these hapless pawns in the hand of the NGOs are billed to start experiencing hell on earth in just a matter of years if they persist with their trade. Getting these people to come out and dance on the street (obviously for a fat fee) only takes their humiliation and de-humanization to a new low! It’s a sign of the times that these NGOs are just too influential for government to do anything about them, except perhaps curry their favour and ask for good words to be put in for their political aspirations with the Bill Gates and Warren Buffetts of this world. The recent Wikileaks confirm this scenario! (see for instance http://techrights.org/2010/12/20/pfizer-scandal/
Are you a prostitute – either official or unofficial? Jesus loves you and He will provide you with genuine help if you will allow Him. Please contact a Pastor in a serious Bible believing church near you to find out how. Please do that TODAY.
(Original report from: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NIgerianWorldForum/message/98728)
The “peaceful protest march” was carried out under the banner of the African Sex Workers Alliance (ASWA) Nigeria, described as “a coalition of NGOs working to promote equity and justice among citizens.” ASWA's continental head office is housed by the Sex Worker Education & Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa. The self-labeled “gender and economic rights organization” has presence in six East/South African countries and is reaching out of that enclave to make Nigeria the seventh.
Oddly enough, in its self-assigned task of “leading the fight for sex workers' respect and rights” the ASWA says it is “advocating the de-criminalisation of sex work…” But what de-criminalisation?. If sex works were being treated as a crime, why do we have all the brothels openly practicing their trade without government’s molestation?
Speaking to the press, Executive Director of Safe Haven International in Nigeria and coordinator of ASWA, Magaret Onah revealed the true desires of her organization as she “called on government, especially the Lagos State government, to come up with policies to encourage sex work”. ASWA is out to raise more prostitutes, by emboldening, encouraging and even deceiving them. Pure and simple.
The truth of the matter is that the so called ASWA is nothing more than a group of individuals backed by limitless funds from the Bill Gates of this world (see previous editions of CA!, e.g. vol 13 no 4) with a mission to promote prostitution. With only a fraction of the budget they spend on advocacy and “fighting for respects”, these NGOs could as well have taken majority of people who were pushed into prostitution by socio-economic situation out of their humiliating and destructive profession.
As revealed in the news report, “ASWA is currently being run by a group of NGOs working with sex workers until the sex workers are empowered to run ASWA themselves.” Meaning? ASWA is nothing more than foreign-funded NGO staff, trying to raise, encourage, and embolden local prostitutes. . How far are these sex NGOs ready to go in putting sex work on the same level of respectability as being a school teacher? We reported in vol 9 no 3 the case in Berlin of a young lady who having lost her job as a waitress refused to accept one as a sex worker in a brothel. She was threatened with losing her unemployment benefit for refusing legal work! The argument, as we have been told endlessly in the case of homosexuality, is that you are not allowed to denigrate the choice of others
According to Rex Ajenifuja, described as the Lagos Coordinator for Nigeria, “global partners” organized their African minions into ASWA for the first meeting in South Africa two years ago – confirming that the initiative and funds are from outside Africa. Obviously, these externally-funded agents driving the sexual revolution in Africa are the real danger. The actual sex workers practice their trades in shame and quietness, with many of them nursing the desire of someday getting out of the demeaning and dangerous business. Our so-called educated and rights advocates come along [inspired by foreign funds] to goad the confused sex-worker into the open and encourage them to express how proud they are of their business. How can anyone in their right senses be proud of presenting himself/herself naked to just anybody that comes along (irrespective of age, mental/social/health status, etc); and for a token, yield up that naked body for whatever would catch the fancy of this total stranger!
Even without addressing the graver issues of ritual sex, bestiality, and the ultimate rendezvous with the “devil and his angels” in hell fire, it’s clear that these hapless pawns in the hand of the NGOs are billed to start experiencing hell on earth in just a matter of years if they persist with their trade. Getting these people to come out and dance on the street (obviously for a fat fee) only takes their humiliation and de-humanization to a new low! It’s a sign of the times that these NGOs are just too influential for government to do anything about them, except perhaps curry their favour and ask for good words to be put in for their political aspirations with the Bill Gates and Warren Buffetts of this world. The recent Wikileaks confirm this scenario! (see for instance http://techrights.org/2010/12/20/pfizer-scandal/
Are you a prostitute – either official or unofficial? Jesus loves you and He will provide you with genuine help if you will allow Him. Please contact a Pastor in a serious Bible believing church near you to find out how. Please do that TODAY.
(Original report from: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NIgerianWorldForum/message/98728)
US passports move closer to gender neutrality
FoxNews.com. January 07, 2011
The words “mother” and “father” will be removed from U.S. passport applications and replaced with - ‘parent one’ and ‘parent two.’" FoxNews reported on January 7. A statement on the State Department website reportedly noted: “These improvements are being made to provide a gender neutral description of a child’s parents and in recognition of different types of families.”
These “improvements”(!) come after several years of intense lobby by Gay rights groups, who are overwhelmed in applauding the latest pandering to their interest by the Obama administration.
Bible-believing Christians on the other hand are voicing their outrage over the decision. “Only in the topsy-turvy world of left-wing political correctness could it be considered an ‘improvement’ for a birth-related document to provide less information about the circumstances of that birth,” wrote Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council in a statement to Fox News Radio. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, concurred, stating that “It’s part of an overall attempt at political correctness to diminish the distinction between men and women and to somehow suggest you don’t need both a father and a mother to raise a child successfully. (This decision) was made to make homosexual couples feel more comfortable in rearing children.”
The words “mother” and “father” will be removed from U.S. passport applications and replaced with - ‘parent one’ and ‘parent two.’" FoxNews reported on January 7. A statement on the State Department website reportedly noted: “These improvements are being made to provide a gender neutral description of a child’s parents and in recognition of different types of families.”
These “improvements”(!) come after several years of intense lobby by Gay rights groups, who are overwhelmed in applauding the latest pandering to their interest by the Obama administration.
Bible-believing Christians on the other hand are voicing their outrage over the decision. “Only in the topsy-turvy world of left-wing political correctness could it be considered an ‘improvement’ for a birth-related document to provide less information about the circumstances of that birth,” wrote Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council in a statement to Fox News Radio. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, concurred, stating that “It’s part of an overall attempt at political correctness to diminish the distinction between men and women and to somehow suggest you don’t need both a father and a mother to raise a child successfully. (This decision) was made to make homosexual couples feel more comfortable in rearing children.”
End of the world – May 21, 2011?
Have you heard the new date when the world would come to an end?. Based on a supposed scholarly study by 88 year old Harold Camping, the planet earth will probably stop spinning come May 21, this year! Never mind that the failure of a previous date set by Mr Camping for the return the Lord Jesus (Sept 6 1994) was later explained as due to a “mathematical error”. What’s amazing is how much efforts are being put into pushing obvious unbiblical nonsense as these to the populace. (http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-01-01/bay-area/17466332_1_east-bay-bay-area-first-time-camping ). However, all these attempts to confuse issues and probably get people to resignedly cast off restraints and become hardened to the news of the promised imminent return of the Lord, do confirm that the real end, though clearly stated in the Bible as scheduled for a date nobody will ever be able to predict in advance, is “at the doors” – Mathew 24:33. Now that’s information worth all the energy, money and time we can muster to push around.
Killings continue in Plateau villages. Divine protection for churches
The killing of Christians by so-called Fulani marauders continue in Plateau state. The latest is the slaughter of five member s of the Bitrus family at Kai Village, Barkin Ladi LGA on Monday14th March
According to a bulletin issued by the state police command, apart from the killings, nothing was stolen or destroyed. The police said that on the receipt of the information, security personnel rushed to the scene but they could not get the attackers. Unfortunately, a story all too familiar. (http://www.compassnewspaper.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2347:-again-family-of-five-killed-in-jos-crisis&catid=308:headlines&Itemid=600)
Thank God however, for ultimate, unfailing divine security. As reported by the Sun newspaper (March 21, 2011): “Another major bloodshed was averted in Jos, the Plateau State capital, when two attempts to detonate bombs in two separate locations [on Sunday March 20] failed through divine intervention”. It was gathered that two men, who were carrying bomb on a motor cycle heading for where to plant it had the device exploded on them around Dualla junction between ECWA and COCIN churches at about 9.45 am when Sunday morning services were in progress.
According to the Daily Sun, yet another bomb blast was averted at the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church, off Murtala Muhammad Way in Jos, when men of the Special Task Force, who were going round the church during the service discovered a bomb, “which was capable of bringing down the whole building and even those around if it had detonated”
Immediately the bomb was discovered the church service was abruptly brought to an end and the area condoned off. Although the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Abdulrahman Akano confirmed that four youths had been arrested in connection with the explosive found near the church, we are yet to see any prosecution so far
According to a bulletin issued by the state police command, apart from the killings, nothing was stolen or destroyed. The police said that on the receipt of the information, security personnel rushed to the scene but they could not get the attackers. Unfortunately, a story all too familiar. (http://www.compassnewspaper.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2347:-again-family-of-five-killed-in-jos-crisis&catid=308:headlines&Itemid=600)
Thank God however, for ultimate, unfailing divine security. As reported by the Sun newspaper (March 21, 2011): “Another major bloodshed was averted in Jos, the Plateau State capital, when two attempts to detonate bombs in two separate locations [on Sunday March 20] failed through divine intervention”. It was gathered that two men, who were carrying bomb on a motor cycle heading for where to plant it had the device exploded on them around Dualla junction between ECWA and COCIN churches at about 9.45 am when Sunday morning services were in progress.
According to the Daily Sun, yet another bomb blast was averted at the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church, off Murtala Muhammad Way in Jos, when men of the Special Task Force, who were going round the church during the service discovered a bomb, “which was capable of bringing down the whole building and even those around if it had detonated”
Immediately the bomb was discovered the church service was abruptly brought to an end and the area condoned off. Although the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Abdulrahman Akano confirmed that four youths had been arrested in connection with the explosive found near the church, we are yet to see any prosecution so far
Islamists continue to be readily available as tools to decimate local innocent Christians
In the last edition of CA! we reported on a minutes of the meeting of an Islamic group, the Jama’atul Nasril Islam, which gave details of the decision to attack Christians near election time, to the extent that the government will have no choice but declare a state of emergency in Plateau state. It was clear that some desperate politicians who have threatened to make the country ungovernable have found the perfect tool to achieve their dastard plans. Thank God for His sovereign power in overruling these wicked plots.
However, it seems the concept of using Islamists to attack Christians and so create political upheavals is an appealing strategy in many places all over the world, not just in Nigeria alone. Apparently there is no local shortage of easily ignitable Islamists ready to spring forth murdering Christians at the minimum mobilization. In the latest of such incidents, faced by an imminent popular uprising, the government of Ethiopia has successfully incited moslems in Asendabo Jimna Zone and other western Ethiopian towns to attack Christians.
At the last count, the rioting Islamists have razed down 13 Churches, a bible school and over 150 houses belonging to Christians. The attacks, featuring about ten thousand muslims began after the Friday prayers on March 2, on the allegation that some Christians had desecrated the Qur’an. Federal security forces sent to quell the riot claimed they couldn’t stop the crowd. And so for now, the government of Meles Zenawi has gotten some reprieve, like Nero did centuries ago – at the expense of followers of Jesus Christ. Read details about the Ethiopian attacks as reported by local Ethiopians, citing the International Christian Concern at http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/32041
However, it seems the concept of using Islamists to attack Christians and so create political upheavals is an appealing strategy in many places all over the world, not just in Nigeria alone. Apparently there is no local shortage of easily ignitable Islamists ready to spring forth murdering Christians at the minimum mobilization. In the latest of such incidents, faced by an imminent popular uprising, the government of Ethiopia has successfully incited moslems in Asendabo Jimna Zone and other western Ethiopian towns to attack Christians.
At the last count, the rioting Islamists have razed down 13 Churches, a bible school and over 150 houses belonging to Christians. The attacks, featuring about ten thousand muslims began after the Friday prayers on March 2, on the allegation that some Christians had desecrated the Qur’an. Federal security forces sent to quell the riot claimed they couldn’t stop the crowd. And so for now, the government of Meles Zenawi has gotten some reprieve, like Nero did centuries ago – at the expense of followers of Jesus Christ. Read details about the Ethiopian attacks as reported by local Ethiopians, citing the International Christian Concern at http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/32041
Cooperation and Tolerance gone too far
While Islam continues its desperate concerted efforts to destroy Christians and Biblical Christianity, some so-called Christian leaders appear to be totally oblivious to the dangerous developments. Hence we reported in vol 9 no 6 how a retired German clergyman committed suicide seeing the foolish pandering to Islamic interests by the church in his country. A church in Germany actually, at one time, raised money from members to help build an imposing mosque in that country!
Unfortunately, such evident lack of discernment by Christian leaders continues to be displayed at deeper levels today. In the news recently is the Claremont School of Theology, located in Southern California, USA, which has announced that it will be partnering with Jewish and Islamic schools to offer clerical training to students of various faiths. According to the Seminary’s president, the Rev. Jerry Campbell, students will be trained in their own religious traditions as well as gain understanding of other faiths through shared classes with the Academy for Jewish Religion and the Islamic Center of Southern California. He said the program will eventually be expanded to include Hinduism and Buddhism, among others. All these, Rev Campbell believes, will “better prepare students for the multi-religious world they are living in.” Claremont is a Methodist Bible College established in 1885. John Wesley, as the saying goes, must be turning in his grave! (details at http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100611/methodist-seminary-is-abdicating-christianity-says-theologian/index.html)
Apart from a Bible College offering to train and produce Imams for the Moslem religion, another example of tolerance gone too far is the case at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, in Alexandria, Virginia which is currently allowing the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) to hold regular Friday prayers in its facility while their new mosque is under construction. [OneNewsNow (24th February)] – just like Heartsong Church near Memphis allowed members of the Memphis Islamic Center to hold Ramadan prayers in its building last September.
Alan Wisdom, of The Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD), believes that while it is important for Christians to reach out and share the gospel with Muslims, God's house should not be used by those who do not accept Jesus. According to Wisdom: "Worship is a sacred thing. We dedicate our sanctuaries to the worship of Jesus Christ. It is not appropriate in a space that's dedicated to the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ to have prayers said based on the false prophecy of Mohammad," In closing, Wisdom contends. "And I would venture to say that I doubt that Muslims would allow us to pray in the name of Jesus Christ in a mosque that was dedicated to Islam." http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1299800
Meanwhile, while undiscerning Church leaders are offering their facilities for the service of Islam, elsewhere Christian property are being confiscated and taken over by Islam. For instance, in Somalia, Islamists are right now busy confiscating land of Christians who dare attend Bible studies . According to the International Christian Concerns, eight farms have been confiscated since January 19. In another story from Somalia, a teenage girl, Nurta Mohamed Farah, who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death late last year. It was generally believed that the two unidentified men who shot her in the chest and head with a pistol were relatives or acting on relatives’ behest. For details please see http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/somalia/29407/
Unfortunately, such evident lack of discernment by Christian leaders continues to be displayed at deeper levels today. In the news recently is the Claremont School of Theology, located in Southern California, USA, which has announced that it will be partnering with Jewish and Islamic schools to offer clerical training to students of various faiths. According to the Seminary’s president, the Rev. Jerry Campbell, students will be trained in their own religious traditions as well as gain understanding of other faiths through shared classes with the Academy for Jewish Religion and the Islamic Center of Southern California. He said the program will eventually be expanded to include Hinduism and Buddhism, among others. All these, Rev Campbell believes, will “better prepare students for the multi-religious world they are living in.” Claremont is a Methodist Bible College established in 1885. John Wesley, as the saying goes, must be turning in his grave! (details at http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100611/methodist-seminary-is-abdicating-christianity-says-theologian/index.html)
Apart from a Bible College offering to train and produce Imams for the Moslem religion, another example of tolerance gone too far is the case at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, in Alexandria, Virginia which is currently allowing the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) to hold regular Friday prayers in its facility while their new mosque is under construction. [OneNewsNow (24th February)] – just like Heartsong Church near Memphis allowed members of the Memphis Islamic Center to hold Ramadan prayers in its building last September.
Alan Wisdom, of The Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD), believes that while it is important for Christians to reach out and share the gospel with Muslims, God's house should not be used by those who do not accept Jesus. According to Wisdom: "Worship is a sacred thing. We dedicate our sanctuaries to the worship of Jesus Christ. It is not appropriate in a space that's dedicated to the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ to have prayers said based on the false prophecy of Mohammad," In closing, Wisdom contends. "And I would venture to say that I doubt that Muslims would allow us to pray in the name of Jesus Christ in a mosque that was dedicated to Islam." http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1299800
Meanwhile, while undiscerning Church leaders are offering their facilities for the service of Islam, elsewhere Christian property are being confiscated and taken over by Islam. For instance, in Somalia, Islamists are right now busy confiscating land of Christians who dare attend Bible studies . According to the International Christian Concerns, eight farms have been confiscated since January 19. In another story from Somalia, a teenage girl, Nurta Mohamed Farah, who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death late last year. It was generally believed that the two unidentified men who shot her in the chest and head with a pistol were relatives or acting on relatives’ behest. For details please see http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/somalia/29407/
Commercial Bio-engineered fuel now feasible?
A US biotechnology company, Joule Unlimited, says it has invented a genetically engineered organism that simply secretes diesel fuel or ethanol wherever it finds sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company says it can manipulate the organism to produce the renewable fuels on demand at unprecedented rates, and can do it in facilities large and small at costs comparable to the cheapest fossil fuels.
What can it mean? “No less than ``energy independence'', Joule's website tells the world, even if the world's not quite convinced.
"If we're half right, this revolutionises the world's largest industry, which is the oil and gas industry." And if we're right, there's no reason why this technology can't change the world.''
Work to create fuel from solar energy has been done for decades, such as by making ethanol from corn or extracting fuel from algae. Philip Pienkos, scientist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory which is a competitor with Joules Unlimited, said Joule's technology is exciting but unproven, and their claims of efficiency are undercut by difficulties they could have just collecting the fuel their organism is producing. The reality will soon be demonstrated however as Joules breaks ground on a four-hectare demonstration facility this year. The company hopes to take off commercial operation within two years.[details at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110228/ap_on_re_us/us_growing_fuel]
What can it mean? “No less than ``energy independence'', Joule's website tells the world, even if the world's not quite convinced.
"If we're half right, this revolutionises the world's largest industry, which is the oil and gas industry." And if we're right, there's no reason why this technology can't change the world.''
Work to create fuel from solar energy has been done for decades, such as by making ethanol from corn or extracting fuel from algae. Philip Pienkos, scientist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory which is a competitor with Joules Unlimited, said Joule's technology is exciting but unproven, and their claims of efficiency are undercut by difficulties they could have just collecting the fuel their organism is producing. The reality will soon be demonstrated however as Joules breaks ground on a four-hectare demonstration facility this year. The company hopes to take off commercial operation within two years.[details at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110228/ap_on_re_us/us_growing_fuel]
Eastern mysticism creeps, settles, into the Church
Not many children of God in Nigeria will be familiar with the terms “contemplative spirituality” or “spiritual formation”. Yet, increasingly many are being introduced into these concepts, without actually being aware of their origin, and quite importantly, their ultimate destination. A few others would have learnt “wonderful” aspects of these practices, after which they swallow the entire concept line, hook, and sinker – just as intended by the purveyors of these dangerous concepts. It is elementary that any deception worth its salt would be packaged within at least 90% innocuous and probably useful materials.
Christians of our generation owe the Lighthouse Trails Research (http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/) an immense gratitude for their painstaking efforts to clearly and patiently expose the great evil lurking behind the nice-sounding concepts of Contemplative spirituality. This massive and highly loaded site is set up specifically to alert the Church about the deadly threat creeping in into the Church from Eastern mysticism. As overall strategy, these new age gurus seek to draw Christians to occult practices rooted in Eastern mysticism under a veneer of Christian terminologies. The Bible talks about the devil turning himself to an angel of light in order to deceive! (2 Cor. 11:14)
What can be so dangerous about ‘meditation’? Of course the Bible encourages us to “meditate” on the word of God, and one doesn’t need a Gbile Akanni retreat to appreciate the spiritual value of ruminating over spiritual, and even every day, matters – as Isaac was reportedly doing while awaiting the arrival of Rebecca, as recorded in Genesis 24:63
The problem is that midway into such excursions into spiritual formation/contemplative spirituality, the definitions change! Furthermore, as people are encouraged to trust their “fresh experiences” more than “stale words of Scriptures”, key Christian doctrines become suddenly “non essentials” and disposable. The rest of the story is sadly all too common. We have cited several instances in previous editions of Church Arise! - with the key point being that this is the major route facilitating interfaithism and through which the predicted end-time apostasy is taking roots. Please try and meditate on this point!
Many Christians naively think that when folks from the Spiritual Formation movement speak of meditation, they are referring to the use of our minds to ruminate again and again over the gems in God’s infallible word. The truth of the matter however, is that new agers and mystics mean something quite opposite, teaching that meditation should involve shutting out the mind and entering a state called “the silence” – gateway to apparently limitless interaction with the spirit world. As explained by The Lighthouse, “the silence” is nothing other than the well-known “altered states of consciousness”. The Lighthouse further explains that “the premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many others.
The clear danger in entering altered states of consciousness (also achievable through many other means, including drugs, e.g. hallucinogenic “God’s tea” - see vol 8 No 1; or even microchip implant – see vol 13 no 5) has been discussed in previous editions of Church Arise!. Such a state effectively gives demonic entities opportunity to take over the mind of the deceived.[How these entities manifest depend on the background and expectations of the persons involved – as ufos/extra-terrestrial aliens, ‘angels of light’, counselors, spirit guides, ascended masters, dead relatives, etc – see vol 7 No 3]. Altered state of consciousness has attained an epidemic proportion in our generation and is on display in various situations – ranging from shamanism, various mediumistic possessions in ‘traditional’ religions (Sango, Osun, etc), through “spiritual churches” like Olumba’s Brotherhood of Star and Cross or TB Joshua’s Synagogue, etc; But evidently, the last bus stop this movement is headed for, is the Bible-believing Evangelical Church.
Hence, the need to sound again these rather unpalatable but very necessary alerts and warnings. Obviously, those that would be used by the devil to infiltrate the Church have to be respected and possibly idolized charismatic leaders. Otherwise, infiltration simply won’t work. However, infiltration and consequent apostasy in the Church during the end times, is a recurring theme not only in Bible prophecy (e.g. 2 Thess 2:3, 1 Jhn 2:18), but is a well-articulated strategy of the devil. The mystic and occult prophet Alice Bailey is considered the mother of the modern New Age Movement. She was the chief channeler for the demon Djwhal Khul, (the Tibetan Master), who dictated through her nearly 20 books. In the 1957 volume, The Externalisation of the Hierarchy. Djwhal Khul (through Alice Bailey) revealed the key strategies that the spiritual dark forces known as the “Hierarchy” hope to use to reveal or externalize themselves in the physical world.
One key strategy expressed is that the Christian Church would be infiltrated, and with its message modified, be transformed as an instrument for the Universal Religion of the 21st Century. According to Alice Bailey: “there will appear the Church Universal, and its definite outlines will appear towards the close of this century… the Christian church in its many branches can serve as a nucleus through which world illumination may be accomplished… the church as a teaching factor should take the great basic doctrines and (shattering the old forms in which they are expressed and held) show their true and inner spiritual significance. The prime work of the church is to teach, and teach ceaselessly, preserving the outer appearance in order to reach the many who are accustomed to church usages. Teachers must be trained; Bible knowledge must be spread; the sacraments must be mystically interpreted, and the power of the church to heal must be demonstrated.”(Alice Bailey, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, 1957, Lucis Publishing.) [Appendix A in One World Religion by Gary Kah]
All these we see unfolding all around us today, exactly as predicted!
In the United States (arguably still the spiritual capital of Biblical Christianity), the currently acknowledged most popular and most influential pastor is Rick Warren. Unfortunately, his utterances, associations, and deeds over the recent years (see past editions of CA!) fits perfectly the Pauline description of “seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3:13.)
John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire Ministries has recently compiled some key quotes from key leaders in Contemplative Prayers and Spiritual Formation; and he shows how these quotes and leaders are affirmed and endorsed unto the Evangelical Church.by Pastor Rick Warren We cite a few of these quotes:
First, Gary Thomas describes what exactly is meant by contemplative/centering prayer: “It is particularly difficult to describe this type of prayer in writing, as it is best taught in person. In general however, centering prayer works like this: Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing
Brennan Manning and Tricia Rhodes, other top notches, add some practical details. According to Manning in his best selling Ragamuffin Gospel: “[T]he first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer … simply return to listening to your sacred word. Gently return your mind to your sacred word.” (p. 212, 218)
And from Rhodes: “Take deep breaths, concentrating on relaxing your body. Establish a slow, rhythmic pattern. Breathe in God’s peace, and breathe out your stresses, distractions, and fears. Breathe in God’s love, forgiveness, and compassion, and breathe out your sins, failures, and frustrations. Make every effort to “stop the flow of talking going on within you—to slow it down until it comes to a halt.’” (emphasis added)
Contrasting these well-known age-long new age mystic practices with Biblical meditation, Lanagan explains: “In biblical meditation, a repetitive word or chant is never used, the mind never ceases being active, and there is never an altered state of consciousness. Thus, one does not enter what is known as the silence.” Check our previous link of eastern meditation to catholic and Islamic repetitive chants in Vol 9 No 3
Pastor Rick Warren obviously understands Biblical meditation, as he demonstrated in a recent attempt to blunt the growing criticism of his supports for eastern meditation. For example he said: “So when the Bible says meditate it’s not talking about zone-out in some psychic, New Age trance, or put your mind in neutral and contemplate your navel….” (see Lanagan’s article). But the problem is, even as Rick Warren is rightly describing biblical meditation with one side of his mouth, he also finds it necessary, due to a number of other considerations, to affirm and endorse those who spearhead new age meditation, with the other side of his mouth
For instance, of Gary Thomas (first cited above), Rick Warren states: “I think highly of his work … he tells them [readers] how they can make the most of their spiritual journeys. He places an emphasis on practical spiritual exercises.”. And concerning Tricia Rhodes book, Rick Warren writes: “This book is a quiet-time companion for those who hunger for a greater intimacy with God. It offers fresh insight into little understood aspects of prayer and introduces a step-by-step journey of learning contemplative prayer.” Manning’s Ragamuffin Gospel is listed on Rick Warren’s website, under “Must Read Books.” Lighthouse Trails points out that “It is this very book that reveals Manning’s true affinity with contemplative spirituality. In the back of the book Manning makes reference to Basil Pennington saying that Pennington’s methods will provide us with “a way of praying that leads to a deep living relationship with God.” However, Pennington doesn’t hide his believe that his prayer methods are based on Eastern mysticism. Advocating that Christians “should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and ‘capture’ it for Christ”, Pennington writes that “Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible. Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices.( http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/pennington.htm).
And so, through such “a little-to-the-right, a little-to-the-left” panderings, Rick Warren manages to build fanatical supports on both sides of the divide. Especially from those who put “tolerance” and “unity” far above Truth and sound doctrine. This method is further demonstrated in recent weeks, by Rick Warren under his Daniel Plan. Here, to teach and mentor Christians on the supposedly secular subject of well living, Warren has engaged as resource persons, well known and outspoken New Age teachers who are guaranteed to bring in the subject of eastern mysticism into the business now and then in subtle or even not so subtle manner. It’s like asking Pastors William Kumuyi and Enoch Adeboye to come deliver a week-long mathematics seminar at a mosque; and pretending to believe the audience will somehow be left unexposed to Jesus Christ!
The dangers lurking behind Spiritual Formation, are best demonstrated by showing some of the “fruit” of Contemplative Prayer. As the Lord said, “By their fruits you shall know them”.
As shown by Lanagan, many of those who enter the silence frequently end up believing in pantheism or panentheism. (defined previously above) A prime example was Sue Monk Kidd who started off as a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher, but after being introduced to Thomas Merton, had her whole spiritual outlook changed. She eventually became a worshipper of the goddess Sophia, saying that God is even in excrement.”
Another famous example is contemplative spirituality practictioner, Miller who wrote in his book (Blue Like Jazz) “For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained” (p. 115).
In his last book, father of spiritual formation, Henri Nouwen, writes: “Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.”—From Sabbatical Journey, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition
Leonard Sweet gives an apt summary of where the movement is headed for: “Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center.… In the words of one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, “The Christian of tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will be nothing.” [Mysticism] is metaphysics arrived at through mindbody experiences. Mysticism begins in experience; it ends in theology.” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 76).
PS: Most of these quotes above are taken from Ray Yungen’s book, A Time of Departing. and Faith Undone.by Roger Oakland These two books are highly recommended. They show clearly the destination anyone who delves into Spiritual Formation is headed for. The transformation won’t happen overnight, but the destination is sure.
LifeWay Stores Drops “Warning” Labels on Emergent Books –
Meanwhile according to a Christianity Today article, LifeWay Christian Stores (resource department for Southern Baptist Convention) has decided to discontinue its “Read with Discernment” labels program. In the program which began in 2007, readers are alerted that certain books they were about to buy may contain ideas, such as Spiritual Formation which are not mainstream Christianity. Lifeway now says the program ”have kind of become irrelevant”, but the truth is probably closer to the observation made by Lighthouse Trails. “We realize that for them to remove all contemplative aspects of their store, their shelves might be sparsely filled unless they turned to biblical publishers.” The problem with much of organized Christianity today is that the cost is too high and the loss financially too great to make these changes. But the eternal cost of NOT doing what is right is far greater, and the implications could be staggering (http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=5769)
Christians of our generation owe the Lighthouse Trails Research (http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/) an immense gratitude for their painstaking efforts to clearly and patiently expose the great evil lurking behind the nice-sounding concepts of Contemplative spirituality. This massive and highly loaded site is set up specifically to alert the Church about the deadly threat creeping in into the Church from Eastern mysticism. As overall strategy, these new age gurus seek to draw Christians to occult practices rooted in Eastern mysticism under a veneer of Christian terminologies. The Bible talks about the devil turning himself to an angel of light in order to deceive! (2 Cor. 11:14)
What can be so dangerous about ‘meditation’? Of course the Bible encourages us to “meditate” on the word of God, and one doesn’t need a Gbile Akanni retreat to appreciate the spiritual value of ruminating over spiritual, and even every day, matters – as Isaac was reportedly doing while awaiting the arrival of Rebecca, as recorded in Genesis 24:63
The problem is that midway into such excursions into spiritual formation/contemplative spirituality, the definitions change! Furthermore, as people are encouraged to trust their “fresh experiences” more than “stale words of Scriptures”, key Christian doctrines become suddenly “non essentials” and disposable. The rest of the story is sadly all too common. We have cited several instances in previous editions of Church Arise! - with the key point being that this is the major route facilitating interfaithism and through which the predicted end-time apostasy is taking roots. Please try and meditate on this point!
Many Christians naively think that when folks from the Spiritual Formation movement speak of meditation, they are referring to the use of our minds to ruminate again and again over the gems in God’s infallible word. The truth of the matter however, is that new agers and mystics mean something quite opposite, teaching that meditation should involve shutting out the mind and entering a state called “the silence” – gateway to apparently limitless interaction with the spirit world. As explained by The Lighthouse, “the silence” is nothing other than the well-known “altered states of consciousness”. The Lighthouse further explains that “the premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many others.
The clear danger in entering altered states of consciousness (also achievable through many other means, including drugs, e.g. hallucinogenic “God’s tea” - see vol 8 No 1; or even microchip implant – see vol 13 no 5) has been discussed in previous editions of Church Arise!. Such a state effectively gives demonic entities opportunity to take over the mind of the deceived.[How these entities manifest depend on the background and expectations of the persons involved – as ufos/extra-terrestrial aliens, ‘angels of light’, counselors, spirit guides, ascended masters, dead relatives, etc – see vol 7 No 3]. Altered state of consciousness has attained an epidemic proportion in our generation and is on display in various situations – ranging from shamanism, various mediumistic possessions in ‘traditional’ religions (Sango, Osun, etc), through “spiritual churches” like Olumba’s Brotherhood of Star and Cross or TB Joshua’s Synagogue, etc; But evidently, the last bus stop this movement is headed for, is the Bible-believing Evangelical Church.
Hence, the need to sound again these rather unpalatable but very necessary alerts and warnings. Obviously, those that would be used by the devil to infiltrate the Church have to be respected and possibly idolized charismatic leaders. Otherwise, infiltration simply won’t work. However, infiltration and consequent apostasy in the Church during the end times, is a recurring theme not only in Bible prophecy (e.g. 2 Thess 2:3, 1 Jhn 2:18), but is a well-articulated strategy of the devil. The mystic and occult prophet Alice Bailey is considered the mother of the modern New Age Movement. She was the chief channeler for the demon Djwhal Khul, (the Tibetan Master), who dictated through her nearly 20 books. In the 1957 volume, The Externalisation of the Hierarchy. Djwhal Khul (through Alice Bailey) revealed the key strategies that the spiritual dark forces known as the “Hierarchy” hope to use to reveal or externalize themselves in the physical world.
One key strategy expressed is that the Christian Church would be infiltrated, and with its message modified, be transformed as an instrument for the Universal Religion of the 21st Century. According to Alice Bailey: “there will appear the Church Universal, and its definite outlines will appear towards the close of this century… the Christian church in its many branches can serve as a nucleus through which world illumination may be accomplished… the church as a teaching factor should take the great basic doctrines and (shattering the old forms in which they are expressed and held) show their true and inner spiritual significance. The prime work of the church is to teach, and teach ceaselessly, preserving the outer appearance in order to reach the many who are accustomed to church usages. Teachers must be trained; Bible knowledge must be spread; the sacraments must be mystically interpreted, and the power of the church to heal must be demonstrated.”(Alice Bailey, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, 1957, Lucis Publishing.) [Appendix A in One World Religion by Gary Kah]
All these we see unfolding all around us today, exactly as predicted!
In the United States (arguably still the spiritual capital of Biblical Christianity), the currently acknowledged most popular and most influential pastor is Rick Warren. Unfortunately, his utterances, associations, and deeds over the recent years (see past editions of CA!) fits perfectly the Pauline description of “seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3:13.)
John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire Ministries has recently compiled some key quotes from key leaders in Contemplative Prayers and Spiritual Formation; and he shows how these quotes and leaders are affirmed and endorsed unto the Evangelical Church.by Pastor Rick Warren We cite a few of these quotes:
First, Gary Thomas describes what exactly is meant by contemplative/centering prayer: “It is particularly difficult to describe this type of prayer in writing, as it is best taught in person. In general however, centering prayer works like this: Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing
Brennan Manning and Tricia Rhodes, other top notches, add some practical details. According to Manning in his best selling Ragamuffin Gospel: “[T]he first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer … simply return to listening to your sacred word. Gently return your mind to your sacred word.” (p. 212, 218)
And from Rhodes: “Take deep breaths, concentrating on relaxing your body. Establish a slow, rhythmic pattern. Breathe in God’s peace, and breathe out your stresses, distractions, and fears. Breathe in God’s love, forgiveness, and compassion, and breathe out your sins, failures, and frustrations. Make every effort to “stop the flow of talking going on within you—to slow it down until it comes to a halt.’” (emphasis added)
Contrasting these well-known age-long new age mystic practices with Biblical meditation, Lanagan explains: “In biblical meditation, a repetitive word or chant is never used, the mind never ceases being active, and there is never an altered state of consciousness. Thus, one does not enter what is known as the silence.” Check our previous link of eastern meditation to catholic and Islamic repetitive chants in Vol 9 No 3
Pastor Rick Warren obviously understands Biblical meditation, as he demonstrated in a recent attempt to blunt the growing criticism of his supports for eastern meditation. For example he said: “So when the Bible says meditate it’s not talking about zone-out in some psychic, New Age trance, or put your mind in neutral and contemplate your navel….” (see Lanagan’s article). But the problem is, even as Rick Warren is rightly describing biblical meditation with one side of his mouth, he also finds it necessary, due to a number of other considerations, to affirm and endorse those who spearhead new age meditation, with the other side of his mouth
For instance, of Gary Thomas (first cited above), Rick Warren states: “I think highly of his work … he tells them [readers] how they can make the most of their spiritual journeys. He places an emphasis on practical spiritual exercises.”. And concerning Tricia Rhodes book, Rick Warren writes: “This book is a quiet-time companion for those who hunger for a greater intimacy with God. It offers fresh insight into little understood aspects of prayer and introduces a step-by-step journey of learning contemplative prayer.” Manning’s Ragamuffin Gospel is listed on Rick Warren’s website, under “Must Read Books.” Lighthouse Trails points out that “It is this very book that reveals Manning’s true affinity with contemplative spirituality. In the back of the book Manning makes reference to Basil Pennington saying that Pennington’s methods will provide us with “a way of praying that leads to a deep living relationship with God.” However, Pennington doesn’t hide his believe that his prayer methods are based on Eastern mysticism. Advocating that Christians “should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and ‘capture’ it for Christ”, Pennington writes that “Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible. Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices.( http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/pennington.htm).
And so, through such “a little-to-the-right, a little-to-the-left” panderings, Rick Warren manages to build fanatical supports on both sides of the divide. Especially from those who put “tolerance” and “unity” far above Truth and sound doctrine. This method is further demonstrated in recent weeks, by Rick Warren under his Daniel Plan. Here, to teach and mentor Christians on the supposedly secular subject of well living, Warren has engaged as resource persons, well known and outspoken New Age teachers who are guaranteed to bring in the subject of eastern mysticism into the business now and then in subtle or even not so subtle manner. It’s like asking Pastors William Kumuyi and Enoch Adeboye to come deliver a week-long mathematics seminar at a mosque; and pretending to believe the audience will somehow be left unexposed to Jesus Christ!
The dangers lurking behind Spiritual Formation, are best demonstrated by showing some of the “fruit” of Contemplative Prayer. As the Lord said, “By their fruits you shall know them”.
As shown by Lanagan, many of those who enter the silence frequently end up believing in pantheism or panentheism. (defined previously above) A prime example was Sue Monk Kidd who started off as a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher, but after being introduced to Thomas Merton, had her whole spiritual outlook changed. She eventually became a worshipper of the goddess Sophia, saying that God is even in excrement.”
Another famous example is contemplative spirituality practictioner, Miller who wrote in his book (Blue Like Jazz) “For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained” (p. 115).
In his last book, father of spiritual formation, Henri Nouwen, writes: “Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.”—From Sabbatical Journey, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition
Leonard Sweet gives an apt summary of where the movement is headed for: “Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center.… In the words of one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, “The Christian of tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will be nothing.” [Mysticism] is metaphysics arrived at through mindbody experiences. Mysticism begins in experience; it ends in theology.” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 76).
PS: Most of these quotes above are taken from Ray Yungen’s book, A Time of Departing. and Faith Undone.by Roger Oakland These two books are highly recommended. They show clearly the destination anyone who delves into Spiritual Formation is headed for. The transformation won’t happen overnight, but the destination is sure.
LifeWay Stores Drops “Warning” Labels on Emergent Books –
Meanwhile according to a Christianity Today article, LifeWay Christian Stores (resource department for Southern Baptist Convention) has decided to discontinue its “Read with Discernment” labels program. In the program which began in 2007, readers are alerted that certain books they were about to buy may contain ideas, such as Spiritual Formation which are not mainstream Christianity. Lifeway now says the program ”have kind of become irrelevant”, but the truth is probably closer to the observation made by Lighthouse Trails. “We realize that for them to remove all contemplative aspects of their store, their shelves might be sparsely filled unless they turned to biblical publishers.” The problem with much of organized Christianity today is that the cost is too high and the loss financially too great to make these changes. But the eternal cost of NOT doing what is right is far greater, and the implications could be staggering (http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=5769)
EXHORTATION: A Tough Period Ahead - Jim Fletcher
An Associated Press article the day Mubarak resigned under pressure quoted an Israeli official who said what everyone is thinking:
"We have a tough period ahead of us," Zvi Mazel, a former Israeli ambassador in Egypt, told Israel TV. "Iran and Turkey will consolidate positions against us. Forget about the former Egypt. Now it's a completely new reality, and it won't be easy."
It appears that Egypt will become an overt threat to Israel, with Iran and Turkey in the north providing same. The odds are good that other regimes in the region will fall, like Jordan. Suddenly, almost overnight, nightmare scenarios are falling into place.
But, my friends, we are not like the unbelievers. We know who is in control. In the literal end, we are going to God. He is the Master of the universe, and He is never surprised.
Let me be frank: I have problems just like you do, probably many of the same ones. I never remember seeing so much anxiety and almost crippling stress, both from people I know and just watching the news. Egypt’s disintegration certainly doesn’t help.
However…we must keep our eyes on the prize. What a magnificent time to be alive! I am watching the nefarious schemes of men who want to wrap the world in evil. Yet I am absolutely certain that our God is in complete control.
Israel is not going to disappear, you will not disappear, God’s word will never disappear. He has promised us over and over again….that He is the ultimate safety.
If he promised us individual peace and rest (Matthew 28 and elsewhere), and we see age-old prophecies being fulfilled now with the speed of a bullet train, can we make the decision to embrace joy? I am happy. As I see the dark shadows spread over the earth, I know that a bright and eternal morning is just ‘round the bend.
Let us pray for those poor souls in Egypt, who do not know truth. Let us pray for our leaders, that they also find discernment.
God is magnificent and majestic and in complete control. His word cannot and will not fail. We are going through a tough period, but it does have a period at the end of its sentence.
Jim Fletcher (jim@prophecymatters.com ) . http://www.raptureready.com/rap15.html
"We have a tough period ahead of us," Zvi Mazel, a former Israeli ambassador in Egypt, told Israel TV. "Iran and Turkey will consolidate positions against us. Forget about the former Egypt. Now it's a completely new reality, and it won't be easy."
It appears that Egypt will become an overt threat to Israel, with Iran and Turkey in the north providing same. The odds are good that other regimes in the region will fall, like Jordan. Suddenly, almost overnight, nightmare scenarios are falling into place.
But, my friends, we are not like the unbelievers. We know who is in control. In the literal end, we are going to God. He is the Master of the universe, and He is never surprised.
Let me be frank: I have problems just like you do, probably many of the same ones. I never remember seeing so much anxiety and almost crippling stress, both from people I know and just watching the news. Egypt’s disintegration certainly doesn’t help.
However…we must keep our eyes on the prize. What a magnificent time to be alive! I am watching the nefarious schemes of men who want to wrap the world in evil. Yet I am absolutely certain that our God is in complete control.
Israel is not going to disappear, you will not disappear, God’s word will never disappear. He has promised us over and over again….that He is the ultimate safety.
If he promised us individual peace and rest (Matthew 28 and elsewhere), and we see age-old prophecies being fulfilled now with the speed of a bullet train, can we make the decision to embrace joy? I am happy. As I see the dark shadows spread over the earth, I know that a bright and eternal morning is just ‘round the bend.
Let us pray for those poor souls in Egypt, who do not know truth. Let us pray for our leaders, that they also find discernment.
God is magnificent and majestic and in complete control. His word cannot and will not fail. We are going through a tough period, but it does have a period at the end of its sentence.
Jim Fletcher (jim@prophecymatters.com ) . http://www.raptureready.com/rap15.html