[Faith-talk] The Christ of Lightworkers Media

Wed Mar 18 16:30:12 UTC 2015

Hi all,

I thought this information might be helpful to some here.

  Blessings,

Linda

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The Christ of Lightworkers Media

March 18, 2015

__________

Roma Downey is the co-owner, with her husband Mark Burnett, of 
Lightworkers Media, the producer of The Bible miniseries which aired 
in 2013 (the History Channel) and The Son of God movie which appeared 
in 2014 (20th Century Fox). The movie was adapted from the 
miniseries. In December 2014, Lightworkers Media will air Women of Bible.

The fact that Roma's productions are widely promoted by "evangelical" 
Christians is evidence of the width and depth of the apostasy that we 
are witnessing in these end times.

The Bible miniseries was endorsed by Rick Warren, Jim Daly of Focus 
on the Family, T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Lisa Harper of Women of 
Faith, Luis Palau, Dick Rolfe, and many others. Osteen, Warren, and 
Jakes were advisers for the Lightworkers Media production. Rick 
Warren rented movie theaters for the showing of the Son of God movie. 
Osteen purchased and distributed 8,000 tickets.

Victoria Osteen and Kay Warren appear in the Women of the Bible. 
These women are wives of the pastors of two of the largest 
"evangelical" churches in America. Joyce Meyer is also featured in 
Women of the Bible.

Roma Downey played a prominent role in the January 2015 We Will Stand 
Contemporary Music concert, which featured Michael W. Smith, Amy 
Grant, Newsboys, Don Moen, Mark Schultz, Sandi Patti, Travis Cottrell 
(Beth Moore's worship leader), Steven Curtis Chapman, Steve Green, 
Dallas Holm, Russ Taff, The Imperials, Don Francisco, First Call, 
Michael Omartian, Francesca Battistelli, Kari Jobe, Laura Story, 
Petra, 4Him, Point of Grace, Carman, Nicole Mullen, among others.

Downey's productions have been hugely popular.

The first episode of The Bible, which ran on March 2013, was seen by 
more than 13 million viewers, the largest cable television audience 
that year ("Mark Burnett's The Bible begets record ratings," 
Entertainment Weekly, March 4, 2013). When The Bible was released on 
DVD a month later, it quickly sold more than one-half million copies 
to become the top-selling TV miniseries. Within the first month, the 
miniseries had been viewed by an estimated 95 million people ("#1 TV 
on DVD in last five years," HollywoodJesus.com, April 8, 2013). The 
YouVersion Bible App, the official app of The Bible miniseries, had 
88 million downloads and was the in top 15 of all free apps in the 
iTunes store.

The Son of God movie made $26.5 million in its first weekend, and 
within three months it had grossed $68 million.

Shouldn't we rejoice that multitudes of people are seeing these 
multimedia presentations about the Bible and Jesus?

God warns His people to prove all things and to try the spirits. He 
warns of false christs and false spirits and false gospels.

"For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall 
deceive many" (Matthew 24:5).

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through 
his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity 
that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they 
are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" 
(1 John 4:1).

In light of what Roma Downey believes and practices, it is obvious 
that her programs and movies are introducing people to a false 
christ, a false spirit, and a false gospel.

NEW AGE SELF WORSHIP

Roma, who became famous for her role as "the angel Monica" in the 
New-agey TV series Touched by an Angel, is a Roman Catholic who holds 
New Age principles and communes with the dead.

Touched by an Angel promotes the New Age doctrines that men are not 
estranged from God by sin, that they do not have to be reconciled 
through Christ's atonement, that God is the Father of all men, that 
angels are not perfect, and that salvation is by human kindness.

When Roma was married in 2007 to television producer Mark Burnett 
(her second marriage), the ceremony was performed by Della Reese, her 
co-star in Touched by an Angel. Reese is the co-founder with Johnnie 
Coleman of the Understanding Principles for Better Living Church. 
Coleman is a New Thought minister of the Unity School of 
Christianity, which teaches, "We are Divine through the Christ 
within, the individualization of God in us."

Roma graduated from the University of Santa Monica with a masters 
degree in Spiritual Psychology. The university was "founded by New 
Age spiritual and self-help guru John-Roger" ("Roma Downey Happy Out 
of Spotlight," Beck/Smith Hollywood, April 23, 2013). The 
university's web site describes Spiritual Psychology as "the study 
and practice of the art and science of human evolution in 
consciousness." It says that the benefits of Spiritual Psychology 
include "experiencing enhanced spiritual awareness through knowing 
yourself as a Divine Being," "individual evolution," and "learning to 
relate to yourself with greater compassion and awareness of yourself 
as a Divine Being having a human experience."

The New Age book Loyalty to Your Soul by Ron and Mary Hulnick carries 
Roma Downey's recommendation as follows: "The teachings in this 
beautiful book have sent me on a journey to the very center of my own 
being where, wrapped in the safe wings of Love, I feel as though I 
have come home."

Loyalty to Your Soul teaches self worship. "Center your awareness in 
your heart and consciously look for the Loving Essence in the person 
in your presence. By doing so, you're signifying your respect for the 
Soul before you ...  Maintain awareness that you're in conversation 
with another Divine Being who is engaged in having a human 
experience" (p. 209).

She says that she listens to books on tape by New Age guru Eckhart 
Tolle, who teaches the divinity of man. (See our book The New Age 
Tower of Babel for documentation.) Tolle says, "God, the scripture is 
saying, is formless consciousness and the essence of who you are" 
(The New Earth, p. 219), and, "Christ is your God-essence or Self" 
(The Power of Now, p. 104).

COMMUNING WITH MARY

Roma says, "I have prayed to Mary and loved her my whole life" ("The 
Bible: An Epic Mini-Series," Catholiclane.com, Feb. 28, 2013). (She 
plays the part of Mary in The Bible miniseries.) She promotes the use 
of the Rosary as a meditation practice. By this, practitioners pray 
to Mary as the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God. The Catholic 
Mary is a mediator between God and man who can hear and answer the 
prayers of every petitioner, thus having the divine attributes of 
omnipresence and omnipotence.

COMMUNING WITH THE DEAD

Roma also communes with the dead. On the Crossing Over television 
program on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2002, she supposedly talked to her 
mother through the mediumship of psychic Jonathan Edwards (Drew 
MacKenzie, "Roma's TV chat to dead mother," TheFreeLibrary.com). 
Roma's CD "Meditation" is included with Jonathan Edward's book 
Practical Praying: Using the Rosary to Enhance Your Life.

"And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and 
after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face 
against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people" 
(Leviticus 20:6).

"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar 
spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a 
people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" (Isaiah 8:19).

A FALSE CHRIST

The christ of The Bible miniseries and The Son of God movie is not 
the Christ of Scripture. The christ of Lightworkers Media is the 
typical long-haired hippy of popular mythical imagination. He looks 
and acts like a cool surfer dude, a miracle-working super hero. He 
does not call people to repentance from sin; he does not warn of 
hell; he does not require the new birth for salvation. The christ of 
The Bible miniseries and The Son of God movie is the non-judgmental 
christ of The Shack, a christ who accepts everyone, sees the goodness 
in every person, and "puts no obligations on anyone." He is a cool, 
modern christ. At the Last Supper, the christ of the Son of God movie 
does not mention "the forgiveness of sins" in connection with the cup 
and his death.

The Son of God promotes a New Age world in which all men will be 
saved, in which all religions are accepted by God. Before he is 
beheaded, John the Baptist says, "His [Jesus] power will draw all men 
to a new world."

"In the 'Son of God' what they are trying to present is not the 
Orthodox Christ, but one who's message is not of repentance but of 
uniting all faiths into and earthly kingdom where all are welcome. In 
Antichrist's kingdom heretics and sinners, all are told they are 
accepted as they are" ("Son of God: A Charismatic Revival 
Masterpiece," Orthodox Views, March 1, 2014).

It can be no accident that the actor of The Son of God movie bears an 
uncanny resemblance to a New Age "cosmic christ" and ascended master 
called Sananda who is channelled by occultists.