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Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute.
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"What's New in the Headlines" and "New Opportunities for CRI
Abroad" (articles from the Headline News and International columns
of the Christian Research Newsletter, Volume 7: Number 1, 1994) by
Ron Rhodes.
The editor of the Christian Research Newsletter is Ron
Rhodes.
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*Norman Vincent Peale, the Popular Preacher of Positive Thinking,
Died at Age 95 on December 24, 1993.*
Peale passed away during his sleep on Christmas Eve at his farm
in Pawling, New York, 60 miles north of New York City. His death
was attributed to the effects of a stroke he suffered two weeks
previously.
As reported in the December 26, 1993 _Orange County Register,_
Peale wrote more than 46 books. His 1952 book _The Power of
Positive Thinking_ was the nation's top-selling nonfiction
bestseller for two years, and has sold nearly 20 million copies in
41 languages.
Peale's "positive thinking" doctrine has been criticized
through the years because of its close affinities to the (cultic)
New Thought movement founded by Phineas P. Quimby in the 1800s.
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*New Ager Deepak Chopra Has Become the Executive Director of the
Institute for Human Potential and Mind-Body Medicine at the
Prestigious Sharp Medical Center in San Diego, California.*
The January/February 1994 _New Age Journal_ reports that this
new institute will utilize "ayurvedic medicine" in treating people.
This form of New Age holistic medicine is the heart of Chopra's
best-selling books, which now collectively total over two million
in print.
The article notes that Chopra is very far outside the medical
mainstream. "He describes the body as something akin to a computer
network infused with a soul: 'The fact is we have a thinking body,'
he says. 'Our cells are constantly eavesdropping on our minds.'" In
ayurvedic medicine, "health comes when the forces of the body and
mind are in balance, and restoring balance begins with a knowledge
of the patient's mind-body type." (Different mind-body types
require different treatments, we are told.)
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that literally means "the science
of life." The article notes, "Ayurveda is a multifaceted approach
to health that relies on meditation, herbal remedies, pulse
diagnosis, _panchakarma_ purification techniques (which use
massage, healing oils, and enemas), and special diets keyed to body
type and personality. Treatments may include aromatherapy,
stimulation of _marmas,_ or sensitive points on the skin, even
music therapy. Yoga is recommended for strength and flexibility, as
are specific kinds of exercises that vary depending on the time of
year and the patient's constitution."
A study published in _The New England Journal of Medicine_
shows there is a very high interest in alternative forms of
medicine. "A research team headed by Harvard Medical School
instructor David Eisenberg, M.D., calculated that Americans in 1990
had spent a staggering $10.3 billion out of pocket on alternative
healing techniques -- comparable to the estimated $12.8 billion
they paid out of pocket for hospitalization."
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*American Indians Speak Out Against New Agers Who Are "Exploiting"
Sacred Indian Rituals.*
In an article entitled "Spiritual Seekers Borrow Indians' Ways"
in the December 27, 1993 _New York Times,_ we read: "In an ancient
rite of American Indians, wisps of smoke rose from burning herbs in
prayer to Mother Earth and Father Sky, as the pipe-carrier intoned
solemnly, 'Creator, we come to you in a sacred manner.'" There were
"Indian chants, a song about the return of the bison, and some
reverent words offered for 'the red nation.'" All that was missing
was an Indian.
The individuals taking part in this ritual, the _Times_
reports, were "adherents of the growing New Age movement, which
emulates Indian ways in a spiritual quest....But many Indian tribes
and organizations, far from being flattered by the imitators, have
denounced the movement as cultural robbery."
John Lavelle, a Santee Sioux who is the director of the center
for Support and Protection of Indian Religions and Indigenous
Traditions, is quoted in the article as saying, "This is the final
phase of genocide....First whites took the land and all that was
physical. Now they're going after what is intangible."
Not all Indians have been so critical of New Agers. Ed McGaa,
author of _Mother Earth Spirituality_ (Harper Collins, 1990), said
"most of the New Age adherents were sincere, tolerant people who
simply wished to find spiritual nourishment." McGaa urged, "If we
want the white man to change, we must teach him....If we don't
share our medicine, we'll lose it. We're all brothers." Some
Indians have responded to McGaa by saying he is a disgrace to his
tribe.
--Ron Rhodes
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*New Opportunities for CRI Abroad*
*The kingdom of the cults has no borders.* As the need for
solid discernment resources grows around the world, so do
opportunities for the Christian Research Institute, which is
actively extending its outreach in Western Europe, Eurasia, and
Africa.
*United Kingdom* -- An important thrust in CRI's efforts to
extend its ministry throughout the English-speaking world is the UK
Outreach, led by Martin and Jo Galvin. Beginning in 1994, the UK
Outreach will act as the exclusive subscription agent for the
_Christian Research Journal_ and exclusive distributor of CRI's
audiocassettes in the British Isles. For ordering information, UK
citizens should write:
CRI United Kingdom Outreach
125 High Street West
Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 8DN
England
*Russia* -- CRI International has joined hands with Gospel
Truths Ministries, Witness, Inc., and Jesus People USA to launch a
unique joint ministry venture on one of the world's most strategic
spiritual battlegrounds: the Commonwealth Center for Apologetics
Research (CCAR) in St. Petersburg, Russia. Among its many
outreaches, the Center emphasizes literature, evangelism, and
training of nationals. In November 1993, Bill McKeever of Mormonism
Research Ministry and John Warren of Witness, Inc. presented a
series of training seminars on the cults to Christian leaders and
laymen in three Russian cities. The Center's staff includes two CRI
missionaries, Charles Spine and Melissa McGowan, as well as a
dedicated team of nationals.
*Brazil* -- CRI's South American publishing effort continues to
grow, as our Sao Paulo-based affiliate joins hands with a major
evangelical publisher to launch the exciting new _Defesa da Fe_
("Defense of the Faith") booklet series on cult and
apologetics-related issues, drawing heavily from articles first
published in the _Christian Research Journal._ Director Paulo
Romeiro and his team hope that this important new series will equip
believers to resist and evangelize the cults in Portugal and
elsewhere.
*Mozambique* -- One remarkable result of CRI Brazil's
contagious enthusiasm for practical apologetics is its first
overseas offshoot, the Instituto Cristao de Pesquisas de Mocambique
in southern Africa. Founded in August 1993 by a former student of
Brazilian senior researcher Natanael Rinaldi, the Instituto and its
interdenominational leadership are seeking to serve the population
of this Portuguese-speaking nation to "answer the cry of a people
who are being invaded by heretical sects."
_All of these outreaches need your prayers! Please ask that God
would prosper them, using each to unify and strengthen the body of
Christ for the extension of His glorious kingdom._
-- _Paul Carden_
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End of document, CRN0073A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"What's New in the Headlines" and "New Opportunities for CRI
Abroad"
release A, July 31, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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