Customer Reviews

Trojan Horse: How the New Age Movement Infiltrates the Church

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At the time this book was published in 1993, Samantha Smith was "a nationally-recognized investigative researcher, journalist, and lecturer on the dangers of the New Age movement," and Brenda Scott was a freelance writer.

They write in the Preface, "We are researchers, writers, lecturers, and sisters in Christ, whose joint purpose is to expose the seductive heresies that have been brought into the church by Madeleine L'Engle (author of books such as The Wrinkle in Time Quintet Boxed Set (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time)) and her associates. Had L'Engle remained in the secular realm, this book would not have been written... Despite her blatant denial of the basic tenets of the faith, Madeleine L'Engle's influence has deeply penetrated mainstream Christianity. Under the guise of 'Christian literature,' this prolific writer has been instrumental in introducing New Age/occult concepts and techniques in the church."

Here are some additional quotations from the book:

"Madeleine L'Engle would have Christians believe that occult psychic powers, if used for good, are not from Satan, but from God himself." (Pg. 17)
"In spite of what she says to the contrary, Madeleine L'Engle's writings do contain, promote, and teach a whole gamut of New Age topics, philosophies, and techniques, including, but not limited to: magic, divination, spirit guides, crystal balls, mediums, fortune telling, spells, monism, pantheism, nature worship, Zen meditation, lesbianism, graphic fornication, cosmic consciousness, druids, human sacrifice, demons, dragons, runes, divination, astral travel, and on and on." (Pg. 40)
"(Fritjof) Capra found it difficult to enter 'altered states' through meditation alone during the early years of his mystical training, so he used drugs... These 'power plants' are actually hallucinogenic plants, such as poppies (which L'Engle used in childhood to enhance her dreams), psychedelic mushrooms, and other drugs." (Pg. 181)

These researchers document how New Age philosophy infiltrates Christian churches and organizations. This book will open your eyes or it might step on your toes. But don't blindly accept or discount the contentions of the authors. Check out the research references for yourself and then draw your own conclusions. If you are a Texe Marrs fan, then you will want to pick up a copy of Trojan Horse and Samantha Smith's second book, Goddess Earth, which documents ties between New Age philosophy and the environmental movement

[...]

The book under review by Claris Van Kuiken, Battle to Destroy Truth, documents simply but with remarkable attention to detail her attempt to warn her local Christian Reformed Church of the dangers of subtle theological apostasy. What, you may ask, has orthodox Orland Park Christian Reformed Church of Chicago to do with apostate Saint John the Divine of New York City? The connection is quite simply the books of Madeleine L'Engle, which Van Kuiken discovered in the Orland Park church library. As she tells it, Van Kuiken was not attempting to have the books removed. She simply wanted the pastoral staff and the librarian to be cognizant of the subtle and not so subtle errors in L'Engle's works in order to have church parents and Christian school teachers aware of the issues. Her efforts met with delays, accusations and in the end, massive resistance from the pastors and elders, and, when she and a few of her friends had exhausted all the channels, local, regional and national, she was forced to leave the denomination she loved. Her account, told in the first person singular, is a theological page-turner.

Anyone who believes Madeleine L'Engle promotes paganism or anything immoral totally misunderstands her work. These authors have twisted facts to promote their OWN agenda, which is unfair to Mrs. L'Engle. Her books reflect her faith and love of Christ. People like the authors of this book want our right to free speech to be revoked. Anything that goes against their interpretation of the Bible makes them very afraid. Their aim is not to spread love (as is Mrs. L'Engle's), but to act in judgment of others. They don't want you to believe like they do because they are concerned for you; they just desparately want you to validate their myopic beliefs. God is the only one who can judge anyone else. The fact that these women wrote a book whose pupose was to condemn another human being because of her writings (which have helped countless people become closer to God) speaks for itself. God doesn't need anyone to police the universe.