Rick Warren Daniel Plan News - Dr. Oz Hypnotizes America

By Justin Edwards

As was announced on Friday, February 4th, Dr. Oz hosted British hypnotist Paul McKenna on his Dr.  Oz Show Monday. From Friday's announcement:

Hypnosis for weight loss with Paul McKenna - Hypnosis has profound powers that can help you. On Monday, Feb. 7, Dr. Oz is unlocking its powers to show viewers how to use hypnosis to combat overeating. With hypnotist Paul McKenna, Dr. Oz will explain how hypnosis works, whether anyone can be hypnotized and why it can help in losing weight.

Yes, this is the same Dr. Oz who hosted pantheist New Ager Deepak Chopra on his show a few weeks ago, and it's the same Dr. Oz who has been embraced, along with New Age Drs. Amen and Hyman, by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church to promote and implement Warren's so-called "Daniel Plan".  What's more, and quite sadly and disturbing enough, this is the same Rick Warren who has been endorsed, promoted, praised, and welcomed as a biblical pastor who "at root...is theological and doctrinal and sound" by none other than Dr. John Piper (article here).

The question must be asked of Saddleback Church - is there any among you who has an ounce, no, a gram of discernment, to see that this Trojan Horse of New Age and mystical deception has entered your courts? Can you not see that your pastor, so-called "America's pastor", has opened this door of contemplative spirituality and Eastern meditative mysticism (CSM) into your church? Please, do yourself a favor - do your family a favor - and research what is happening here. Check out the three links above to see why your pastor is leading you down the path of ecumenical destruction. Unless he separates himself from the works of Belial, we have no choice but to believe he is of Belial. Years of Warren's pragmatic, moralistic, man-centered messages; flirtations with CSM; interfaith fellowship; and ecumenical compromise have led him and your church to this moment.

It is time for you to wake up and smell the incense.

Under no circumstances should Christians ever be hypnotized, yet, Rick Warren has partnered with "America's Doctor" who promotes and endorses this mind-altering pagan practice. Gotquestions provides an excellent list for why hypnotism is problematic for Christians. I've summed the article as follows:

1) Through hypnosis, we transfer the ability to control ourselves to someone else, which is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:21 that gives us self-control by His power.

2) We are to yield ourselves to God and He alone. It is His power alone, once we yield ourselves to His will, that helps us overcome sin (Romans 6:12-13). Hypnosis causes us to yield ourselves to someone else (or something else).

3) Hypnosis leads people into an altered state of consciousness, thus making the mind susceptible to outside influence, which may not be restricted to the hypnotist. Scripture tells us to be self-controlled and alert because Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We are not able to be watchful if our minds have been swept away by hypnosis.

4) Hypnosis, just like CSM and Eastern religious meditative practices (Hinduism and Buddhism), causes one to look at self, or their inner self, to find the solution. Taken to the extreme, which is where CSM always leads, it causes us to find the inner light within us, or the god within us, or that perfect state that is immune to sin within us. Essentially, this leads to the idea that God is within us all, regardless of whether one is a Christian (pantheism). Scripture, on the other hand, teaches us to look to Christ alone (Hebrews 12:2), for the answers do not lie within us (Romans 7:18) and our only solution is found in Christ (Romans 8:2).

5) As mentioned, hypnosis is shared by mystical and religious systems, including the occult, New Age transcendental meditation, Hindu (yoga) and Buddhist meditation, and contemplative spirituality. All of these are linked to spiritual darkness and the Christian must flee from such idol worship of self.

Even so, Rick Warren has yoked himself with this New Age practitioner, Dr. Oz.

I hesitate to post the following video from the Dr. Oz Show, which is available on his website. I trust that you will only view this video with extreme caution, capable of distracting your mind from the intended hypnosis. This is posted for informational purposes only. Do not watch this without praying first, and if you do not believe you are capable of resisting the hypnosis, then please skip to the transcript below.

Paul Mckenna Hypnosis: Supercharge Your Metabolism

(Click to view - embed code not working)

Partial Transcipt beginning at about the 2:55 mark:

...as you relax my voice will go with you , and you might hear it in many different ways, and you don't even have to think about it, just let the focus sink deeper and deeper towards your own inner stillness, and you can notice words, and you can notice noticing words, and you can notice noticing your body can relax, and your mind can relax, and your mind has become very sensitive to my suggestions that help you most, your breathing carries on all by itself, your mind carries on all by itself, and you can watch it wonder away, your experience, your understanding, your awareness can just detach and slow down. Relax the muscles around your eyes again, relax your jaw, ease off the muscles in your neck, and let your shoulders drop, and with each out breath, let them drop a little more until all the tension is released, as you free your mind to concentrate on success, you build up the energy to take action. Every day you'll do something to move yourself toward your ideal weight, every day you'll take action, your unconscious mind will remind you you have the energy you need ready and waiting, you just stop to work and the energy will become available, you'll become more and more responsive to your situations and the people you work with, every day you'll understand more and more and respond more to the situations and the people around you, you'll become more flexible and adaptable so you can continue to work towards your ideal weight whatever happens around you. Everyday , your tenacity will increase, you can keep going, persevering, achieving, working, and pressing on so that every day you achieve something. And very soon, it will be time to awaken, and before you awaken, I'd like you to reinforce every positive thought you've ever had about yourself. And as you become awake, you can feel the wish to be active, you can find your self enjoying that. We all know we can day dream, we can all sleep, and we can all wake up, although we don't consciously know how we can wake up, yet we do, and you can awake now...

I am not an expert on the New Age or hypnotism, but I do know this is nothing short of self-worshiping idolatry. It is focused on man and his inner self, instead of Jesus Christ and what He has done and will do in the life of the born again believer. Instead of looking to the Lord Jesus Christ and His transforming power, hypnosis looks to what man can do for himself (just like all forms of meditation). This, of course, lines up perfectly with Rick Warren's Pelagian, moralistic tendencies for behavior modification. Warren believes that one can just change the way they think in order to change their behavior and their life. Scripture, on the other hand, tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), which is achieved by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit through the objective reading of the Word of God and through prayer. What's more, McKenna seeks to open your mind to his influence, which he clearly states will help you the most. Sounds a lot like a certain garden serpent, yes?

To those who follow, support, endorse, and/or are taught under the ministry of Rick Warren, how much more evidence do you need? How much longer will you travel down this road of destruction, and how much longer will you expose your family to this pagan idolatry? How much longer will you, purpose-driven pastor, continue to lead your flock into the darkness alongside Rick Warren? I call for you to repent and separate yourself from any and all associations with Rick Warren.

How much longer will you reject this warning?

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? - 2 Corinthians 6:14-15

To be sure you know where to go next in your research, please see these links:

Dr. Oz and Deepak Chopra

Rick Warren's Daniel Plan, New Age, Mysticism, and More

Rick Warren Introduces "The Devil Plan"

Rick Warren knowingly exposes Saddleback congregants to New Age mysticism through The Daniel Plan

Personal Report on Saddleback Church Health and Fitness Seminar

A Look at Rick Warren's New Age Health Plan

What Is Contemplative Prayer and Mysticism?

What is "Christian Mysticism"?

What Is Soaking Prayer?

Todd Bentley and Morningstar Apostasy

By Justin Edwards

Before I share the story about Todd Bentley, I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you about some exciting news - this week I began publishing for Examiner.com as the Charlotte Apologetics Examiner. Because this is a secular online publication, this will be a unique audience to reach with the Gospel as I post articles defending the faith and the Christian worldview, much like I do here, but with a local bent. You can subscribe to my articles on Examiner.com by email or RSS feed. I'm really looking forward to what God has in store for this new audience and I appreciate your support!

Now, to the matter at hand. Todd Bentley may be most well-known for the Florida Lakeland "Revival" of 2008, but he continues to operate as a wolf in sheep's clothing under false prophet Rick Joyner. Earlier this week, a video was uploaded by Michael Krysty showing the abominations Bentley and his ilk performed in front of their ear-tickled sheople at Morningstar. It is heartbreaking to think of how many people are being deceived by these "annointed" false teachers (yes, they're annointed alright, perhaps by Satan himself).

To see what the latest is from Todd Bentley and his Fresh Fire Ministries, please follow the link:

Todd Bentley and Morningstar Deception

Please also see: Charismania - When False Spirits Enter the Church

New Page on airō: Cults and World Religions

By Justin Edwards

A new page full of excellent resources on major Cults and World Religions with an emphasis in reaching those trapped under these false teachings has been added to the blog.  Here's the intro:

Jesus made it clear that salvation comes through no other but Himself in John 14:6 when He said,

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Yet one must only survey the multitudes of world religions and cults to understand the majority of the world's population deny this truth. And while Christian cults may acknowledge and accept the words of Christ in the passage above, they twist and distort other Scriptures to deny the deity of Christ and the doctrine of justification by faith alone, thus stripping away the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sin and adding works as necessary for salvation.

Similar to the Last Days Apostasy page, this page is dedicated to providing you the best resources to equip and prepare you to understand the basic teachings of religions and cults in order for you to defend the Christian faith and share the Gospel with the lost. In these last days of deception, Christian intolerance, paganism, and calls for religious unity at the cost of denying the fundamentals of Christianity, it is imperative you are well-informed not only to defend the truth against the lies, but to

...always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear... - 1 Peter 3:15

Each section is broken down by religion or cult and will include various trusted websites, books, videos, and other tools to prepare you for battle. This is a lot of information, so please take your time and visit often as you finish with each resource. The Cults and World Religions page will be updated as new resources are discovered. I pray God uses this page

...for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. - Ephesians 4:12

If you are a non-Christian and perhaps belong to one of the belief systems mentioned on this page, please know the purpose here is to lead you to the love, grace, and mercy of the One True God through His Son Jesus Christ. Please consider exploring the resources in the applicable section and seriously examine whether what you believe is actually true. Eternity is forever, so it is critical you have the right Answer as our beliefs do not create truth, rather our beliefs must conform to the truth. I pray you seek the Truth that offers you eternal life, for there is no other name, Jesus Christ, under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). And remember,

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6

Please click the following link to visit the new page: Cults and World Religions

The Embrace of Contemplative Spirituality in the (Post)Modern Church

By Justin Edwards

Lighthouse Trails Research has just posted a revealing article illustrating the extent to which contemplative spirituality and mysticism (CSM) has infiltrated the evangelical church. In a new book titled, The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, author Carl McColman explains there is no distinction between Christian mysticism and non-Christian mysticism. Proponents of contemplative prayer include Brian McLaren, Leonard Sweet, Tony Campola, Richard Rohr, Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Rob Bell, and Phyllis Tickle who embrace the teachings of mystics Thomas Merton, Brennan Manning, Henri Nowen, and Brother Lawrence. However, you might be surprised to learn popular teachers such as Rick Warren, Beth Moore, Mark Driscoll, Bill Hybels, Max Lucado, John Ortberg, and even a major Christian empire like Focus on the Family endorse these practices.

Please take the time to see how these share a common thread in contemplative spirituality by clicking on the following link to the LHTR blog: Brian McLaren and Richard Foster’s Editorial Team Agree with Lighthouse Trails – Contemplative Prayer and Eastern Mysticism Are Same Thing

The article closes with this bottom line and offers the concluding p.s.:

To those who know and embrace the glorious Gospel of Christ, there can be no fellowship with religions that reject the very foundation of the biblical Christian faith. Something is radically wrong when someone who claims to be a Christian has a sense of solidarity with someone who has a view that man is divine (i.e., man is God). Shear logic should point out the truth of what we are trying to say. Lighthouse Trails’ hope is that you look at this issue with an open mind and honest discernment. The truth is in plain view.

P.S. If you have had family members or friends who have rejected or ridiculed you for speaking up against contemplative spirituality (i.e., spiritual formation), show them this article.

This is that important. You might also want to check out the following post that lists common buzzwords and major proponents of CSM:  Emergence Christianity - Naming Names and Providing Terms. Please don't sweep this under the rug or brush it off and accuse these matters as legalism. The visible church is very sick, and it's a blaring indication that Jesus Christ is coming for His True Church soon. What we are witnessing is the falling away of the church (2 Thessalonians 2:3), and we must arm ourselves with the whole armor of God and defend the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Deception is running amok, and it's imperative we cling to sound doctrine, never compromising the truth.

Please heed the warnings.

Charismania - When False Spirits Enter the Church (Kundalini)

By Justin Edwards

Making its rounds across the internet, a 3-part series on deceiving spirits from Andrew Strom, author of Kundalini Warning, gives us a shocking inside look into the world of Charismania™ (hyper-charismatic).  This firestorm of "strange annointing" or impartation began with Rodney Howard-Brown, known as the "Holy Ghost Bartender", who gave this annointing to none other than Randy Clark, "father" of the Toronto Blessing that began in 1994. This "annointing" continues to make its way around the world through ministries of apostates such as Rick Joyner and Todd Bentley, and many nondiscerning charismatics have been swept up in the movement thanks to major publications such as Charisma Magazine and CBN (The 700 Club).

As Strom explains in his video, this "annointing" is strikingly similar, if not identical, to the Kundalini Awakening of Hinduism (for more information, please see Comparison Between the Kundalini Practice and the so-called Toronto Blessing). In both spiritual experiences, practitioners experience joy, weeping, shaking, trembling, making animal sounds, chants, laughter, and chaotic movements or dancing. And most disturbing, over the last few years we have seen a movement that has reached blasphemous proportions through the antichrist ministry of "new mystic" John Crowder. Being "drunk in the spirit", "toking the ghost", or "drunken glory" are pop phrases for this blasphemy, and the same "manifestations" of chaos seen at such events as the Lakeland Revival of 2008 are seen in the gatherings like Crowder's "Sloshfest". To give you a peek into what John Crowder offers in his "Mystical Schools", here's this from his website:

Our Mystical School is an intensive, three-day course with in-depth instruction, activation and hands-on impartation with John Crowder. These deeper courses in contemplative, supernatural Christianity are geared for a smaller group environment, with limited registration, to foster an atmosphere of intimacy, personal prophecy and vigorous impartation. There will be ample time for questions and answers, with sessions running 6-8 hours each day and mornings free for prayer, soaking and reflection. In these courses you will:

Operate in Trances, Raptures & Ecstatic Prayer Experience Physical Phenomena of Mysticism Get Activated in Creative Miracles, Signs & Wonders Understand & Access New Creation Realities Gain A Historical Grid of Miracle Workers & Mystics Be Activated in the Seer Realm, Prophecy, Spirit Travel Receive Open Heavens & Revelatory Understanding Access and Manifest the Glory Realm (emphasis original)

The deception is widespread among charismatic churches and its main targets are youth and young adults. Just down the road from me in Fort Mill, SC is "prophet" Rick Joyner's Morningstar Ministries, where nothing short of pagan idolatry and witchcraft takes place. Here's a prime example of children chanting and performing tribal dancing:

Perhaps you didn't think there was much wrong with the above video. Maybe they were just "making a joyful noise"? I don't think you'll come to the same conclusion in the following video. This is demonic possession and oppression, my friends:

More demonic possession and oppression:

And that brings us back to false spirits entering the church. Pagan and mystical practices have increasingly infiltrated the visible church in epidemic proportions. While much of this spiritual idolatry is taking place in pentecostalism, similar mystical practices have entered in through Emergence Christianity. While Bill Johnson, Rick Joyner, Todd Bentley, Peter Wagoner, Mike Bickle, Patricia King, Joshua Mills, Randy Clark, Rodney Howard-Brown, Sid Roth, Bob Jones, and William Branham have played significant roles to destroy the church from the charismatic extreme, emergent mystics such as Rob Bell, Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Tony Jones, Brian McLaren, John Ortberg, and Doug Padgitt are seeking to destroy the Bride of Christ through interfaith mysticism, the occult, and relativism. Either way, the deception in the church is evident.

My brothers and sisters, the state of the church gives clear evidence of the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. During these times, the Aposle Paul warns in 2 Timothy 3:13,

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

We must put on the whole armor of God and submerge ourselves in the Scriptures. We must flee from this idolatry and give Satan no room to take a stronghold. The hour is late and the devil is working overtime. What we are seeing is a merging of religious ideas, mystical practices, and outright blasphemies of the character of God and a perversion of His everlasting truths.

Please take a moment to watch the three videos from Andrew Strom in order to gain understanding of this demonic infiltration into the church:

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy." - 1 Peter 5:13-16

Emergent Church Pastor Rob Bell Praises New Age Author Huston Smith

By Justin Edwards

Thanks to the Sola Sisters blog for reposting this critical red flag from Ingrid Schlueter of Crosstalk blog. Rob Bell is one of the most dangerous men in the visible church today. Here's the story:

Reprinted in part from Crosstalk blog, by Ingrid Schlueter

Rob Bell’s 40,000 something followers on Twitter were treated to this tweet where Bell calls New Age Interspiritualist author Huston Smith’s book “great.”  See tweet here. And here Huston Smith holds forth on one of the world’s religions. YouTube is filled with Mr. Smith’s praise for Hinduism, Buddhism and other world religions and their “truth.” Christianity is just one of many choices, according to Smith.

Why should this be especially alarming? Because Rob Bell is a rock star among today's youth and church youth leaders.  His books (Sex God, Velvet Elvis, Drops Like Stars, etc.) have been bestsellers, and his NOOMA videos are shown in church youth groups all across the country.  Discerning, mature Christian adults may "get" why Rob Bell is dangerous, but it is the children and the youth who are being targeted and indoctrinated into Rob Bell's interfaith religious syncretism, sometimes right under their parent's noses.

We can thank Rob Bell for openly admitting what many of us have been warning about for years. He represents a version of Christianity that is, in fact, anti-Christ. While Bell roots around in the books of rank interspiritualists for “truth”, true Christians look to our only and final authority, the unchanging Word of God.

(HT: Sola Sisters)

Warning: Christianity and Yoga Do Not Mix!

By Jason Carlson and Ron Carlson

“Yoga purists are bent out of shape”. This was the headline of a recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. The article explained that traditional Yoga “experts contend that Hindu religious elements are being profaned by fad versions of the ancient practice.”

So, what are these “fad versions” of yoga that are upsetting the Hindu yogis? The article cites as an example the “millions of Americans… practicing yoga to improve flexibility, strengthen muscles and relieve stress.” These 16.5 million American yoga enthusiasts “spend nearly $3 billion annually on classes and products”.

The problem with this, according to the Hindu yogis quoted in the article, is that yoga was never designed to be an exercise, yet alone an exercise “fad”. Rather, yoga is an ancient Hindu religious practice, intended to unite a person’s soul with the impersonal, universal force Hindus call “god”. The Hindu Sanskrit word “yoga” literally means to be yoked or joined in union. And the goal of every Hindu yogi is to use the religious practice of yoga to lose their personality and individuality and to become one with the monistic-pantheistic spiritual force of Hinduism. This is done through Hatha Yoga (the physical disciplines), where one seeks to call up what Hindus say is the Kundalini or spiritual force described as a “coiled white serpent of light” to aid them in their transcendence to impersonal spiritual monism. There should be no doubt about it; yoga is a 2,000 year old Hindu religious practice designed for very specific spiritual and occult purposes.

This Star Tribune article should be a wake-up call to the thousands, if not millions, of Christians who are regularly practicing yoga. And it should be a wake-up call to the hundreds, if not thousands, of Christian churches that have embraced yoga as a regular part of their weekly worship. Too many Christians have erroneously strayed into participating in various forms of this Hindu religious practice. The common claim is that they’re only doing yoga “for its exercise benefits”; or for those aware of its Hindu religious origins, that their yoga meditation is “directed towards Jesus Christ and not the gods of Hinduism”. The fact of the matter is this, God strictly forbids his people from dabbling in the false religious activities of the world.

As you read through Scripture, you will not find one example of God tolerating His people’s participation in pagan religious activities. Rather, over and over again God explicitly condemns this. So, why should we think that just because yoga has some exercise benefits, that God’s standards have now changed? Why should we think that a pagan religious practice, even one that may work, is suddenly acceptable in God’s eyes? Think about it, there are a lot of pagan religious practices that work (witchcraft, sorcery, spiritism, ouija boards, etc.), but we don’t recommend that our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ participate in them. So, why should yoga be any different?

Christians who have mistakenly gotten involved in the practice of yoga need to stop now; there is no excuse for staying involved in a pagan religious activity. And Christian churches that have embraced yoga as a regular part of their worship need to put an end to this and repent; God will not tolerate His people’s participation in pagan religious practices. God calls His people to be set-apart, to be salt and light to the world. How are we being faithful to this calling if we are participating in the rituals of pagan religions?

Minneapolis Star Tribune “Faith & Values” July 30, 2005, p. B5

(From Christian Ministries International)