"...giving thanks always for all things
to
God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ....”
(Ephesians 5:18-20)
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to
acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to
be grateful for his benefits..."[3]
George
Washington, 1789
"In God we trust." Stamped on US
coins and paper currency.
"I used to believe that pagans in far countries were lost if they did
not have the gospel of Christ preached to them.... I no longer believe that."[4]
Billy Graham
"The first Reformation was about belief;
this one's going to be about behavior.... The first one was about
creeds;
this one's going to be about our deeds.
The first one divided the church; this time it will unify
the church."[5]
Rick Warren
”We all belong to
the same family. Hindus, Muslims and all peoples
are our brothers and sisters. They too are the children of God."[6] Mother Teresa
"I believe in an almighty God, and I
believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or
any other
religion, prays to the same God. That's what I believe."[7]
President George W. Bush
"…what I believe is that Jesus came
to show us Christ consciousness.... to show us the higher
consciousness that we’re all talking about here...”[8] Oprah
Winfrey
“...the
religious elites of Western Christendom have given up on the belief that
there is no salvation outside the church."[9]
The Globalization
Reader
"Have 'the
elites of Western Christendom' grown so disillusioned," asked Mike
Miller in an email to our website, "that they would
trade the
inner peace of God for the 'worldly peace' envisioned
by U.N. leaders and loyalists?"
Yes, they have! The world's "elite" don't rise to
such heights without compromise. Unlike
the firm faith of the persecuted pilgrims who sought freedom to follow
God in America, today's popular Christianity embraces the
wants and ways -- along with the feelings and failures -- of this postmodern world.
All around us
we see the
poisoned fruit of seeds planted in universities, seminaries,
schools and churches long ago. (This gradual shift from Biblical
truth to a "social gospel" is outlined in these two
articles:
Treason and
Subverting the Church.) When
our church leaders began to trade God's unchanging Word for a
humanist social agenda, pluralism filled the spiritual vacuum.
Resisters were
seen as obstacles to the process. "[B]ecause
you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you," warned Jesus long ago. "If they persecuted Me they will
persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." (John 15:19-21)
With the
gradual quenching of Truth, discernment fades.
That's one reason why a growing list of "Christian" elites are
now guiding the world toward a man-shaped vision of collective "salvation."
But don't thank God for the change! This is humanity's futile
work, a sign that "the whole world is under the sway of the evil one!"
(1
John 5:19)
The pastors and
world leaders listed below are only a small representation of all
the participants in this
transformation:
Millennium Development Goals:
"The Tony Blair Faith Foundation will organise a global campaign to mobilise
young people, across religious divides.... The foundation... will promote understanding between the major faiths, and
increase understanding of the role of faith in the modern world.
The foundation will work with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus,
Sikhs and Buddhists."[10]
Tony Blair:
"...religious faith is a good thing in
itself, that so far from being a reactionary force, it...
should be a force for progress. But it has to be rescued... from
the extremist and exclusionary tendency within
religion today."[11]
Rick Warren joins Tony Blair’s
interfaith movement: "The Tony
Blair Faith Foundation will fight extremism.... 'There is a new reality....
And it implies... peaceful coexistence or catastrophe,' said Blair.... The
group’s advisory council includes evangelical megapastor Rick Warren...
Ismail Khudr Al-Shatti, an adviser to the prime minister of Kuwait; and
world Baptist and Jewish leaders."[12]
Rick Warren, the Interfaith Activist: (Interview at the
Clinton Global Initiative)
"Warren consistently used the language of a religious pluralist.
He spoke of 'mosques, temples and churches' as central to
the life of villages in the developing world.... Those
people of faith can be trained to be the arms and legs of
any development plan.... This is a big deal, because it signals
an important turn in the American Evangelical tradition - from
viewing people of other faiths primarily as lost souls requiring
conversion to viewing them as partners in the plan
to make earth more humane...."[13]
Obama:
“I’m rooted in the Christian
tradition.... I believe there are many paths to the same place,
and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that
we are connected as a people."[14]
Trinity United
Church of Christ (It's yoga page):
[Obama's church until recently] "Within each us is the seed of
Divinity. Each Soul is divine. I bow to the divinity in us all!"[15]
In Our Own Words:
"In Our Own Words (IOOW) provides a meaningful
heart-centered bridge between diverse groups of Americans.... Thus, this project is intended to accelerate
healing on a large social scale and to facilitate a more conscious
evolution of
Humanity.... Our energy is the combined
will of all people with the spirit of the natural
world, to be of one body, one heart, and one mind.'"[16]
Faith Without Borders:
"Prof.
Stackhouse believes that a public theology must offer a 'compelling
view of transcendence' to 'fuel the
spiritual capital'
of a civilization and thereby sustain its moral fiber. He argues
that Christianity is particularly adaptable as the basic
component of a public philosophy that would
serve the world-wide civil
society that is coming into being.... "[17]
United
Religions Initiative (URI): "California's [Episcopal] Bishop William Swing... founded the
United Religions Initiative (URI), a global
organization designed to bring all religions together to dialogue and
seek common ground. 'You can work in terms of the model of the UN,' he
explained.... While Christians around the world lament the election of a homosexual Bishop... few realize that this denomination has
condoned outright paganism for years....
"I sat down in the back of the Presidio's small
interfaith chapel to watch. The leader began. 'We are all branches of the
one tree.... Lift us to the level of the universal…. Chant the names of the gods.
Start with om….' 'Visualize whatever form shows your understanding of the divine,' urged
a woman in a soft, hypnotic voice….”[18]
Interfaith Conference:
"An international interfaith conference taking place in Madrid
next week is being hosted by a Saudi charity that is affiliated
with organizations blacklisted by the U.S. government.... Among those invited to attend
the gathering organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) are former
Vice President Al Gore
and senior figures from the world’s leading religions.”[19]
The "New
Spirituality" promoted by Oprah through occult books (written in an
enticing form of Christianese) may be the most seductive of all. For
example,
The
Secret and
A Course in Miracles
are based on messages channeled by demons masquerading as
Biblical messengers who call themselves by Biblical names such as "Abraham"
and "Jesus."
The Shack
and other "Christian" fiction blend "positive" truths with captivating plots
that re-imagine a "God" more compatible with today's world. Readers learn to love
fictional gods that blind their eyes to
Biblical reality.
Neale Donald Walsch wrote
Conversations with God
back in the 90s. He has seduced seekers both inside and outside the
church to trust his spirit guide who calls himself "God." His
website, "New Spirituality,"
promotes the worldwide "Humanity's Team."
Ponder this description:
"Humanity’s Team... proposes a New Spirituality
that enlarges and enhances humanity’s current beliefs about God... bringing peace and harmony to our planet at last. The New Spirituality... is an
expansion of all our present theologies; an updating of them; a refreshing of them, rendering
all of our current
sacred teachings even more relevant to our present day....
God is not separate from anyone or anything...."[20]
Our true God
still reigns!
No global agenda can thwart His eternal
plan! No pluralistic vision can cloud His bright promises to those
who are His! No earthly obstacle can diminish the wonders of
His unchanging Word in the hearts of those who love Him. It guides
us, comforts us, and gives us hope. It also warns us:
