"...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
"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."
"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 -- YOGA: [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:
