IMPORTANT STUFF TO KNOW ABOUT THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CONFERENCE

Roll Over Menno, a blog exposing the mystical and emergent leanings of the MB Conference (which would likely cause Menno Simons to roll over in his grave), has enumerated five major concerns as evidence that it is departing from the faith once delivered to the saints. According the this blog, they are:

1. The MB Conference promoting contemplative retreats, contemplative spirituality and centering prayer

2. The MB Conference having emergent church leaders speak at their gatherings

3. The MB Conference using Natural Church Development by Christian Schwarz to refocus churches instead of the Bible

4. The MB Herald’s promotion of Catholicism/ecumenism and contemplative spirituality, Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren

5. MBBS training pastors in contemplative spirituality 1.

To read the articles related to these concerns, click HERE to go to Roll Over Menno.

Warning: Be prepared to be saddened and dismayed by this information, but also encouraged that this is a sign of Christ's soon return for His Bride and time to get your spiritual house in order.

1. http://rollovermenno.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/canadian-mb-conference-top-five-areas-of-concern/

REINVENTING THE APOSTLE PAUL

There is a lot of reinventing going on these days concerning the Apostle Paul. Those who have bought into higher criticism are trying to tell us that we have misinterpreted his writings and are incorrectly looking through the glasses of the Reformation at them. One of the issues under attack is the meaning of justification according to Paul and the book of Romans. The Feminist movement has tried to convince us that he was a "woman-hater". And I have also been noticing of late that some people promoting contemplative spirituality are using the argument that Saint Paul was a mystic to back up their unbiblical beliefs and practices. This begs the question, "what does Scripture really tell us about Paul?"

Herescope, the blog of Discernment Ministries has posted a 4-part article entitled "Was Paul a Mystic?" and another entitled "Was Paul a Pragmatist?" (would the apostle have employed "any means to save some"?) by Pastor Larry DeBruyn, author of Church on the Rise: Why I am not a Purpose-Driven Pastor.

I encourage you to read these articles as you will probably encounter these questions in the future. All of them were written in May 2008. You can access them HERE. (You will have to scroll down the page to find them - May 5-8 and May 15). I trust they will be of help to you in defense of the faith.

Then there's another article, one with the strange title, The New Testament Gospel Without Paul, about people who are trying to discredit him totally. Oh puh-leeese!!

Jude 1:3
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

AN INADEQUATE GOSPEL LEADS TO APOSTASY

John MacArthur and Todd Friel expose the doctrinal errors and omissions in Rick Warren's book "The Purpose-Driven Life".

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS IN THE MB HERALD

Many of you have noticed that I have not posted anything on my blog for quite some time. For now I'll just say that I've had other priorities. I'm doing okay, so nothing to worry about there, and I'll try to fill in a few details another time.

For now, I've sensed the need to quickly get some information out onto the web to alert and inform those who have received their issue of the October 2008 MB Herald, regarding the issues of the emerging church and their (MB Conference institutions) receiving funding from the Eli Lilly Foundation in the form of an endowment. These are issues on which I have spent considerable time reading and studying, and now have grave concerns about.

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In Gareth Brandt's article, Strange Bedfellows: Anabaptism and the emergent church, the two are given a favorable comparison. This is contrary to my understanding and it is troubling to me that the emergent conversation is being promoted in a positive light. The article compares the emerging church to the reformation and calls it a new reformation, whereas I would label the emerging church movement a DEformation: the creation of a deformed church. This movement is a front under which lies contemplative spirituality and the social gospel (a movement which by minimizing repentance, separation from the world and its values, and the spiritual nature of salvation and promoting spiritual experiences, good works and the promotion and preservation of the global community to such a degree that it actually compromises the truth and alters the gospel message). The only thing positive I can see about the emergence of the emergent church is that it will serve to separate those who hold solidly to biblical innerancy and truth from those who are in the process of departing from the faith once delivered and are forming the the apostate church (falling away) prophesied in scripture concerning the last days before Christ gathers His Bride to Himself.

Some people may say I am being overly dramatic by making such statements. My reply to that is please do some research of your own. If you have a love for the truth, you will desire to know what it is and won't be afraid to look for it. Examine for yourself to see if what I say is true; don't take my word for it. It is not my job to convince you, only to provide some resources in your search. I believe that convincing people of the truth is the job of the Holy Spirit. So if you love the truth you have nothing to fear. I am not saying there is nothing at stake, for there is much at stake, or I would not be writing this post, but I firmly believe that God watches over His own. Do you fear God or do you fear man? If you fear God, you will also want to know the truth.

To start you on your search you can go to my sidebar and find a number of articles under the heading Emergent/Emerging Church. I also recommend a well-researched and documented book called Faith Undone by Roger Oakland, which gives the background and implications of the emerging chuch. It can be ordered HERE. Another book, which I have not yet read but am ordering this week and looks like a good read is What is the Emerging Church? by David Cloud.

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The second article in question in the latest issue of the MB Herald is entitled Source of donations raises ethical questions. I thank Will Braun, the article's author for bring this issue to light. I believe the tough questions DO need to be asked of the MB Conference regarding their acceptance of these funds from the secular organization, the Lilly Foundation. (The Eli Lilly Corporation is the maker of the prescription drug Prozac). I do not doubt that accepting donations from such an organization will lead to spiritual compromise. For some reason the Lilly Foundation is sending vast amounts of money to a number of institutions that are promoting contemplative spirituality, including the MB Seminary's Ministry Quest Program. MBBS is also promoting contemplative spirituality through its Spiritual Formation curriculum. (See here, and here).

It's website says the Lilly Fund exists to "benefit young people and promote leadership education and financial self-sufficiency in the nonprofit, charitable sector".1 Ever wonder why a secular insitution would want to be involved in promoting leadership education within a Christian seminary? I think it is important to find these things out.

From several hundred hours of research I have come to the conclusion that the contemplative spirituality movement is a link that ultimately unites peoples of all faiths (including the Eastern religions, the New Age, the occult, and paganism with Christianity) in a spiritual form of global unity. Some of you are probably shaking your heads in disbelief, but once again I ask you to do your homework. Hey, who said finding and knowing the truth was easy in the day and age in which we live? Do you want to know the truth or not? Should the MB Conference be receiving funds from such an organization, and should the MB Conference be promoting contemplative spirituality in its educational institutes?

If you want to read more about this topic, if you like you can start with the links on my sidebar under the title Mysticism/Contemplative Spirituality/Spiritual Formation. My book recommendations are A Time of Departing by Ray Yungen and Contemplative Mysticism: A Powerful Ecumenical Bond by David Cloud.

For more information about the Eli Lilly Foundation read There's Something about Lilly.

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I have heard many people give me the excuse that they are just too busy to take the time to research what I am telling them. To those people I ask the question:"What if you are being spiritually deceived by the emerging church and contemplative spirituality movements? What if that deception deludes you into believing in another gospel, another Christ and another spirit? Will you be able to tell God that nobody tried to warn you?" If after reading this post you have ignored this warning, you have no more excuses!

Once again, I offer a free copy of the book Faith Undone to anyone who knows me personally. It and A Time of Departing are also available in our church library for those who live in my area.

~ Bonnie

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1. http://www.lillyendowment.org/theendowment.html

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ADDED NOTE: October 24, 2008

Since the writing of this post, I have decided to post a copy of it on the bulletin board of the church my husband and I attend. I have decided it is imperative to warn my fellow-Mennonites of the false doctrines entering the homes of Mennonite Brethren through the MB Herald. It has bold-facedly promoted the emerging church in its last edition as something to be welcomed with open arms. In light of this, I am giving anyone who would like to warn others about this aberrant movement permission to copy and distribute this post. I have also decided at this point to reveal my last name, so that you can give this article proper attribution, for I believe I must be willing to be held accountable for what I have written. If you need to contact me, please send me an email at fortheauthor@gmail.com. May God bless you as you stand for the truth.