Lighthouse Trails Research Journal
Letters to the Editor—continued from previous page
state of consciousness. These dangerous and
heterodox teachings often masquerade as
Christian spirituality. We categorically reject
these practices and their claims.”
I can confirm that at no point have I
been personally guided in meditation, lectio
divina, etc. Unfortunately, some at DTS are
undeniably informed by eastern mysticism,
and the school actively recommends further
study in that direction. Jacob (not real name)
Nothing Wrong With Jesus Calling
Brothers and sisters in Christ, there is ab-
solutely nothing wrong with Jesus Calling.
The author, Sarah Young, states, “The
devotions . . . are meant to be read slowly,
preferably in a quiet place with your Bible
open.” Bringing people to the Bible is
not Satan’s handiwork. In my opinion,
her work is divinely inspired. Just as a
minister or a preacher or a priest brings
people to Christ, so does Sarah through
her work. Dave
A Simple Faith
I am a born again believer. I remember the
day God called me to Him in the backyard
of my home in rural Texas when I was
seven. My faith must be very simple be-
cause I believe in the literal interpretation
of God’s Word. He reveals so much to me
through His Word. I do not understand
Calvinism or Critical Race Theory. I am
not sure how I managed to get through
college without being tainted by Marxism,
Darwinism, Nietzche or all the rest. Based
on my faith in God and in His Son Christ
Jesus, I could never make any sense of the
other stuff. It seemed trivial and useless
to me. I don’t understand why people
are enthralled by it, embrace it or believe
in it. I don’t even understand Oprah’s
philosophy.
I am 74 years old. I prefer my theology
Bible based. I used to teach Bible classes
to adults, but they were not really inter-
ested in what the Bible says. They were
VOLUME 8—NO. 1
37
enthralled with what Beth Moore, Rick War-
ren, and Bill Hybels had to say. I have pretty
much given up on the mainstream church. I
still belong to an SBC . . . only because out
of the three churches in my community,
it seems to stay closest to the Word. The
Disciples of Christ church’s lesbian pastor
lives with her significant other openly and
boldly. The Methodist church is now em-
broiled with the LGBTQ controversy and
the embargo movement against Israel.
Since my husband is disabled, we mainly
stay at home. I share my thoughts/beliefs/
observations on blogs or in e-mails to my
friends and family and on my FB page. Pray
for those of us who are being driven away
from the church by those who refuse to read
the Word and abide in it. Dawn
Stories From Indian Wigwams
and Northern Campfires
I am reading Egerton Ryerson Young’s
amazing first-hand account of his mission-
ary work among the natives of Canada and
northern territories of N. America. It is my
second time. It is a must-read for all believ-
ers. This true account shows how the Indi-
ans themselves told the missionary that they
had been waiting in darkness for a light of
hope to come to them from the people with
the book (the Bible). They had been look-
ing for and waiting for the missionaries to
come. Young’s book shows how the lives of
pagan Indians were totally changed by the
Gospel. They stopped abusing their wives
and participating in brutal tribal traditions.
They prayed to the Lord and Creator of the
universe instead of idols. Those who say
that missionaries ruined Indian cultures
should read this book. Elizabeth
The Head of the Church
Jesus is the head of His church; the church
should be governed by the Bible—the
inspired word of God—and not tossed
and driven by the whims of fallen man.
Rendering God’s Word void and replacing
it with the “wisdom” of finite, fallen man
constitutes an arrogant “dethroning” of the
omnipotent, omniscient Creator. Tommie
The Persecuted Church
Thank you for alerting your readers to
the passing of Natasha Vins. Our family
was privileged to meet Natasha and her
father, Georgi, after they came to America,
through a Swedish cousin, Ingemar Martin-
son. The Vins family were always willing to
travel and speak about their experiences and
the persecuted church. They had a depth of
love for the Lord that must only come with
suffering for Him.
Ingemar Martinson, my mother’s
first cousin, was the head of the Swedish
Slavic Mission for many years. The Mis-
sion supported the families of prisoners
all throughout the Communist world
but especially in the Soviet Union. They
also smuggled in Bibles and Christian
literature, and smuggled out letters, films,
and messages from the persecuted church.
Ingemar was in close contact with Brother
Andrew of Open Doors ministry also,
and others working with the persecuted
church in Communist countries. Thank
you, Lighthouse Trails, for drawing our
attention again to the persecuted church.
Sandy
Any Good Churches Left?
I’m curious what denomination or
church LT might recommend today.
Not saying you’re wrong, but in your
latest articles you’ve eliminated Calvin-
ist churches, churches aligning with
spiritual formation, liberal churches
and those that promote Critical Race
Theory and social justice, emergent/
mega churches, and the growing liberal
Southern Baptists. Is there anything
left that you’d recommend so we don’t
forsake the assembly? There aren’t any
in my area that don’t come under one
or two of these categories. Mike
Letters conclude at top right of page 39
SPRING 2020