A "Wonderful" Deception [Paperback]

Warren B. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2009

The Further New Age Implications of the Emerging Purpose Driven Movement - A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?--Jeremiah 5:30-31 Five years after writing Deceived on Purpose: the New Age Implications of the Purpose Driven Church, former New Age follower Warren Smith continues to reveal how Christian leaders wittingly or unwittingly are leading the church into a spiritual trap. A Wonderful Deception examines church metaphors, concepts, and beliefs that are essentially the same as those being used in today s New Age teachings. And while biblical prophecy is being minimized and explained away, the new science is being used to prepare the world and the church to accept a New Spirituality and a false New Age Christ. This book explains how all the puzzle pieces are in place for the strong delusion described in 2 Thessalonians. A Wonderful Deception pierces right into the heart of this deception while preparing believers in Jesus Christ to effectively stand against it. Some key areas addressed in this book: -How a broad way Christianity is deceiving many in the church -How the new science will try to prove that God is in everything -How Rick Warren continues to align himself with New Age sympathizers -How attempts have been made to discredit critics of the Purpose Driven movement -How the best-selling novel, The Shack, fits into the wonderful deception -Ten scriptural reasons not to be connected with the Purpose Driven movement

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is [Warren Smith's] magnum opus! A fantastic work ... [T]his volume is the most extensive critique of Purpose Driven teachings and emergent teaching that I have ever seen ... a wealth of information, lots of footnotes, lots of quotations ... showing where the apostasy is and how it has been so pervasive through the church today ... I am so moved by reading A "Wonderful" Deception. --Larry Spargimino, Southwest Radio Church Ministries

About the Author

Warren Smith (B.A. University of Pennsylvania; M.S.W. Tulane University) A free lance writer and community social worker who was formerly involved in the New Age movement. He has served as a program coordinator for people with special needs, directed several homeless programs, and has worked most recently as a Hospice social worker in New Orleans and on the California coast. He has written extensively on the subject of spiritual deception and has been widely interviewed on radio and television.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Lighthouse Trails Publishing (June 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982488106
• ISBN-13: 978-0982488102
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #807,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Warren Smith (B.A. University of Pennsylvania; M.S.W. Tulane University) A free lance writer and community social worker who was formerly involved in the New Age movement. He has served as a program coordinator for people with special needs, directed several homeless programs, and has worked most recently as a Hospice social worker in New Orleans and on the California coast. He has written extensively on the subject of spiritual deception and has been widely interviewed on radio and television.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Discerning Christians and all good Bereans!!, July 7, 2009

By 

Roxanne A (Collings Lakes, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A "Wonderful" Deception (Paperback)

The depth and scope of the deception going on in the churches today is unimaginiable, I am glad Rick Warren and his cohorts are getting exposed for the wolves in sheeps clothing they are. Thank you Warren Smith for contending earnestly for the faith---I pray souls will be saved and pray likewise that Rick Warren and all those taking part in the deception bow a knee in repentance to the ONLY way to the Father--the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and kick that New Age "Master Jesus" they are following to the curb!

I am a former Jehovah's Witness---I did NOT come out of that cult, just to get sucked into this Purpose Driven-New Age-Ecumenical-Emergent false christianity! Thank you Jesus for paying the penalty for my sin. I am a sinner and I need a Saviour and I WILL CLING TO THE OLD RUGGED CROSS and CONCERN myself with bible prophecy, even though I wasn't in the New Age like Warren Smith ----it was also BECAUSE Bible prophecy that I got saved. Yes, there really ARE people posing as "Christian" leaders that are promoting doctrines of devils. It is our biblical duty to protect and warn the Body of Christ in these perilous times!

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific Community Poised To "Prove" Hindu Worldview (God "In" Everything)?, July 15, 2009

By 

Christine Pack (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A "Wonderful" Deception (Paperback)

In his book A Wonderful Deception, Warren Smith comes to the starting conclusion that the new age, instead of being a bygone movement of the past, is alive and well, and in the process of merging with a false church in a movement that threatens to destroy orthodox Christianity as we know it. (Church + New Age = Emergent Church) It is a movement that will "deceive wonderfully" (Daniel 8:24).

And that's just for starters. What this is all leading to is an ecumenical, one world religion (as prophesied many places in scripture, most notably in Revelation). This global religion will be panentheistic in nature; that is, the belief that God is "in" everything. This of course stands in distinct contrast to the Christian view, which holds that God is separate from, and transcendent to, His creation. But Smith even makes the case that the scientific community is on the verge of proclaiming that this religious worldview - panentheism - is not only true, but is scientifically verifiable. As Christians, we know that God "writes" his signature on many aspects of creation, just as a painter might sign his painting, signifying that the work is His. But the (largely atheistic) scientific community, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, does not (or will not) "see" any evidence for a sovereign, creator God who stands separate from His creation. Instead, they are on the brink of "proving" a god who is identical to the pagan and occultic worldview of what god is: god as vibration, as energy, as chi, prana or flow (depending on the worldview one holds). This belief is of course preferable to an atheist, who does not want to bend the knee in humble submission to the creator God of the universe. Vibration? Energy? Those are just natural laws - and require no response because they are, in essence, "neutral." But the sovereign creator God does require a response from His creation: either repent of sin, love Him and come to him as he requires (through the blood of Christ) or rebel against him. The Bible states that there are only two choices! Jesus himself said plainly: "He who is not for me is against me." (Luke 11:23)

As a former new ager, I have also been doing new age research for a few years, and have noticed a curious trend in the publications I review: there is increasing talk about something described as a "quantum leap," a "planetary evolution." These terms are used for the new age belief that the world as a whole will begin to move from "individual co-creation" with the world around it to a "planetary co-creation." This is new age parlance for the idea that the number of people awakening to their "inner divinity" will reach such a "critical mass" that the entire world, including those not in alignment with this belief system, will be swept along toward the next stage of planetary evolution: world peace. This of course is also in direct contrast to scripture which states that because of the Fall, we are born wicked and "dead in our sins." We have no inner divinity. But many innocent Christians today, thanks to a generation of "seeker sensitive" churches teaching "doctrine lite," do not even know the truth of scripture enough to recognize deception when they see it - and thus are buying into this belief system, which is nothing more than a spiritual wolf in sheep's clothing.

Warren Smith also makes the case well that this "one-ness" and "inner divinity" new age talk is going on in the emergent church movement. The underlying belief in both the new age and in the emergent church seems to be that only when our world awakens to its "one-ness" will there be peace. This is a false eschatology and is actually fulfillment of the prophetic statement in Jeremiah 8:11 (" 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace."). The traditional Christian view has always been that there is no peace and there will be never be peace until Christ returns and reigns over his earthly kingdom.

Warren Smith is a meticulous researcher who dots all his i's and crosses all his t's. If you have heard the terms emergent church, contemplative prayer, fractal theory, quantum leap, etc., and wondered what they meant, then this is a must-read. Satan's lies and schemes aren't new....but they are remarkably effective. Arm yourself with truth so that you may stand against the deceptions and lies of Satan. Warren Smith's book will open your eyes and help you see the deceptions flowing into today's church.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Wonderful" Book Exposing New Age Pseudo-Christians, September 20, 2009

By 

Frank Savelli (Flowery Branch, Georgia. USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A "Wonderful" Deception (Paperback)

A much needed book by a former New Ager himself, Warren Smith. You will find out all about Leonard Sweet, Rick Warren and his links to the New Age Pastor Robert Schuller. There is so much information on these people that are attempting to corrupt the Christian faith you will be left in disbelief as to how they have deceived so many people. Copious amounts of information about the New Age/New Spirituality/Quantum Spirituality movement along with the Emerging Church and Postmodernism/Deconstruction movements. The apostate book "The Shack" by William P. Young is also exposed here.

This book reads like a mystery novel, but unfortunately it's all true and completely end-noted. If you truly care about the faith and want to see where it is going, this is a must read for the discerning Christian. Thank the Lord there are people like Warren Smith with the fortitude to expose these people for what they really are: Wolves in sheep's clothing.

Acts 8:37,38: And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.