Smoke, Mirrors and Disinformation…
Part I
CRI ~ “A bastion for orthodoxy”
The Christian Research Institute’s Journal carried the following statement proclaiming CRI’s adherence to the Lausanne Covenant, which was drafted by John Stott and other participants at the 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism which was convened by Billy Graham:
"…CRI's mission is to serve the entire church, and this is done better as an independent parachurch organization. There is, however, mutual accountability—not only within CRI, but in the larger field of countercult and discernment ministry. We are members in good standing of Evangelical Ministries to New Religions [EMNR], a network of respected organizations which annually affirm the orthodox statements of the Lausanne Covenant…" CRI senior editor Elliot Miller, Christian Research Journal, Winter/Spring, 1990
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About Lausanne
“Lausanne is a Congress on evangelization, not a Congress on evangelism.”—Anglican Bishop A. Jack Dain, Executive Chairman of ICOWE
“The word ‘covenant’ is not used in its technical, biblical sense, but in the ordinary sense of a binding contract. For example, in seventeenth century Scotland there were the famous ‘Covenanters’ who bound themselves by a ‘solemn league and covenant’ to maintain the freedom of the church. The reason the expression ‘Lausanne Covenant’ was chosen in preference to ‘Lausanne Declaration’ is that we wanted to do more than find an agreed formula of words. We were determined not just to declare something, but to do something, namely to commit ourselves to the task of world evangelization.”—Anglican Minister Rev. John Stott, Chairman of Lausanne Covenant Drafting Committee
“Since the Lausanne Congress in 1974, Christians increasingly have been called upon to provide leadership in areas where they were a small minority or almost did not exist before. Evangelism has taken on a new meaning. It is a time of great opportunity, but also a time of great responsibility. We are stewards of our Christian heritage. We must evangelize at all costs where there is yet time. World problems of poverty, overpopulation and the threat of nuclear war mount by the hour. The world is in desperate need of the gospel, now!”—Dr. Billy Graham, Honorary Chairman of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization
“We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression… Here too we express penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. …[W]e affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty…. We therefore pray for the leaders of nations and call upon them to guarantee freedom of thought and conscience, and freedom to practise and propagate religion in accordance with the will of God and as set forth in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” [UN Declaration of Human Rights]—The Lausanne Covenant
“Bishop Jack Dain, Chairman of the Congress, has referred to Lausanne as ‘a process, not just an event.’"—John Stott
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The Lausanne Consultation on World Evangelization, Pattaya, Thailand, 1980
Four years after the opening Lausanne Congress, LCWE sponsored a mini-consultation on *Reaching Mystics and Cultists* in Pattaya, Thailand. Members of the mini-consultation drafted a report—The Christian Witness to New Religious Movements—one of a series of Lausanne Occasional Papers (LOPs) that emerged from this historic convention. Peter Savage, who served as International Coordinator of the pre-COWE study groups on mystics and cultists, is the chair of International Fellowship of Evangelical Students [IFES].
One participant in the sub-group *Reaching Mystics and Cultists* was Dr. Gordon Lewis, who is also a contributing editor to the Christian Research Institute Journal. In 1982, Gordon Lewis would found Evangelical Ministries to Cultists [renamed Evangelical Ministries to New Religions/EMNR in 1984], with Walter Martin, director of Christian Research Institute, James Bjornstad, future president and current vice president of EMNR, and Ron Enroth, who served on the Spiritual Counterfeits Project Boards of Reference & Trustees and would restructure SCP with Tal Brooke in 1988:
“Charter board members of [EMNR] included Dr. [Gordon] Lewis, the late Walter Martin, James Bjornstad, and Ronald Enroth.”— EMNR president John W. Morehead
"Indeed, Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR) was formed with exactly this identity and purpose in mind… EMNR came about as a result of the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization…"— EMNR president John W. Morehead, Tired of Treading Water
Walter Martin, founder
· Member of Rockefeller-affiliated AAR/American Academy of Religion
· Founder of EMNR/Evangelical Ministries to New Religions
· Member of the National Association of Evangelicals/NAE
· Founder of Simon Greenleaf Law School and School of Apologetics
· Associated with the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights, Strasbourg France [John Warwick Montgomery]
· Was he Walter Martin’s chosen successor?
· Charges of financial mismanagement, authoritarian leadership and plagiarism
Past & Present
· World Congress on Families––NGO of the United Nations
· Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity––with ties to the John Templeton Foundation
· International Institute of Christian Studies/IICS––associate member the World Evangelical Fellowship/WEF
· Council of Christian Colleges & Universities/CCCU–– partnered with CRI’s EQUIP University
and many, many more associations…
· For the integration of “law, human rights and Christian apologetics”
· Simon Greenleaf founders: Walter Martin, James W. Montgomery
[ECLJ/European Centre for Law & Justice] and Harold Lindsell [Christianity Today]
· Simon Greenleaf’s prominent faculty & visiting professors
· Simon Greenleaf's Annual International Institute of Human Rights, Strasbourg, France
Under the auspices of the Free Evangelical Church of America/ECFA denomination and Trinity International University
· TLS’s Annual International Institute of Human Rights, Strasbourg, France
· Trinity Law School’s Dean Frost charged with plagiarism
International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights
Strasbourg France—John Warwick Montgomery
· Seminar Sponsors including:
· Christian Apologetics Program, Biola University, LaMirada, CA, USA
Now merged/under the name of Assn. of Confessing Evangelicals/ACE
European Centre for Law and Justice [ECLJ]
John Warwick Montgomery, senior counsel
ECLJ is the European affiliate of the ACLJ/American Center for Law & Justice [Pat Robertson/CNP & Jay Sekulow/CNP]
CESNUR 14th International Conference—ECLJ’s J.W. Montgomery
Summit Ministries and CRI—David Noebel member of the Council for National Policy
CRI—“The Pentagon of Christian Apologetics"Following found on the CRI/ EQUIP.org web site:
“The Christian Research Institute (CRI) was founded in 1960 by the late Dr. Walter Martin, the first evangelical Christian clergy to recognize the threat and opportunity presented to the Christian church by cults and alternative religious systems [term would evolve over time into new religions, more recently to new spiritualities]. First Peter 3:15 was the inspiration for CRI: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” Recognizing that the American Christian church had abdicated its position as the spiritual conscience of America’s social, political, and ethical systems, Dr. Martin committed CRI to ‘contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3)."
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Organizations represented at Christian Research Institute:
Cross-Referencing of CRI’s Editorial Board and their associations
•Acton Institute
•Alpha & Omega Ministries [EMNR member]
•American Family Foundation & old CAN/Cult Awareness Network
•Apologia/AR-talk/Apologetics Index [EMNR member]
•Association of Theological Schools/ATS—Rockefeller affiliated/The Fund
•Canadian Institute of Theology, Law and Public Policy
•Campus Crusade for Christ [Bill Bright, CNP]
•Campus Crusade for Christ Leadership U
•Campus Crusade for Christ, Int’l School of Theology/ISOT [Rockefeller-affiliated Assn. of Theological Schools member]
•Council for Christian Colleges & Universities/CCCU––CUGN/Christian University GlobalNet –– Hanegraaff’s Equip University is affiliated to CUGN
•Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
•CAPO/Center for the Advancement of Paleo Orthodoxy
•Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity/CBHD
•Christian Action Council/CAC [O.J. Harold Brown & C. Everett Koop]
•Christianity Today
•Christianity Today International Institute
•Coalition on Revival/COR
•Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
•Discovery Institute, Center for Renewal of Science & Culture Fellows
[Hudson Institute/ RAND Corporation/Council on Foreign Relations/CFR/John Templeton Foundation affiliations]
•English Standard Version/ESV Translation Committee
•Eternity Magazine
•European Centre for Law and Justice/ECLJ––affiliate of ACLJ [Pat Robertson/CNP, John Warwick Montgomery]
•Evangelical Theological Society/ETS
•Evangelicals & Catholics Together II
•Family Research Council
•Focus on the Family
•Fuller Theological Seminary [Rockefeller-affiliated Assn. of Theological Schools member]
•Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary—Walter Martin on advisory board with Billy Graham and Harold Ockenga
[Rockefeller-affiliated Assn. of Theological Schools member]
•ICA/Institute for Christian Apologetics
•International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights, Strasbourg, France—
interfaces with the United Nations––U.N. human rights experts teach in the seminars
•International Fellowship of Evangelical Students [John Stott & Lindsay Brown]
•International Institute of Christian Studies/IICS—associate member of the World Evangelical Fellowship/WEF
•International Students, Inc. [Tom Phillips––Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn.]
•InterVarsity Press/IVP
•Lausanne Consultation
•Jesus Film––a project of Campus Crusade as promo for Lausanne
•John Ankerberg Theological Institute [member of the secret CNP]
•National Association of Evangelicals/NAE [organ of WEF/World Evangelical Fellowship—NGO of the United Nations]
•Nevada Policy Research Institute––Heritage Foundation state affiliate http://www.npri.org/
•Personal Freedom Outreach/PFO [EMNR member]
•Probe Ministries––affiliated with Campus Crusade
•Reformed Theological Seminary [member of Rockefeller-affiliated Assn. of Theological Schools member]
•Rockford Conference on Discernment and Evangelism, 1989
•Rockford Institute>>Howard Center>>World Congress of Families—NGO of the United Nations [influenced by Hudson Institute, Brigham Young University/BYU and Focus on the Family; an alliance with other world religions––Mormons, Buddhists, Muslims et al]
•Society of Christian Philosophers
•Southern Evangelical Seminary [Norman Geisler]
•Spiritual Counterfeits Project
•Summit Ministries Conference and Curriculum [David Noebel, CNP]
•Summit's Worldview Weekends [Brandon Howse]
•Trinity Evangelical Divinity Schools/TEDS [Rockefeller-affiliated Assn. of Theological Schools member
•Trinity Int'l University Graduate School
•Trinity Law School [one of 3 Trinity Int'l University/TIU campuses; Trinity Evangelical Divinity School/TEDS is a member of the Rockefeller-affiliated Assn. of Theological Schools/ATS]
•Wilberforce Forum
•World Journalism Institute/WJI [with CATO Institute, Sun Myung Moon’s Washington Times et al]
•World Vision—NGO of the United Nations
•Worldwide Church of God [Joseph Tkach]
CRI personnel acted as apologists on behalf of the WCG––Hanegraaff, Paul Carden, Passantinos, Alan Gomes
•Zondervan Publishers [publishers of the New International Version/NIV]
Editor’s Note:
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About United Nations NGO Status
Most if not all of the organizations listed above as represented in CRI are members of the World Evangelical Fellowship [WEF] or the National Association of Evangelicals [NAE]. The NAE is under the umbrella of WEF, which appears in the United Nations’ Database as an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). A 1996 resolution outlining the stipulations for “Consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations” requires that organizations in this category be in agreement with the “spirit, purposes and principles” of the U.N. and “undertake to support the work of the U.N.” Also, such organizations must promote the goals of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Principles applied in establishing consultative relations with non-governmental organizations:
2. The aims and purposes of the organization shall be in conformity with the spirit, purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. 3. The organization shall undertake to support the work of the United Nations and to promote knowledge of its principles and activities, in accordance with its own aims and purposes and the nature and scope of its competence and activities. 25. Organizations to be accorded special consultative status because of their interest in the field of human rights should pursue the goals of promotion and protection of human rights in accordance with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.
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Walter Martin (1929-1989), CRI Founder
· Martin was editorial research associate of Action Magazine, official organ of the National Association of Evangelicals/NAE which is a member body of the World Evangelical Fellowship/WEF
· Martin worked for five years as contributing editor to Eternity magazine.
See background info on Eternity magazine below.
· Martin was the Editor of Zondervan Publishing House [10 years], heading up its Division of Cult Apologetics, which he founded in 1955. Zondervan publishes the NIV/New International Version of the Bible and a gender-neutral version of the NIV.
· Martin was part of the Pastor's Conference Team of World Vision Inc. [NGO of the UN]
· In 1969 Martin became a founding board member of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with Billy Graham and GCTS's first president Harold J. Ockenga—co-founder of the National Association of Evangelicals/NAE.
· Martin was a co-founder and director of the Simon Greenleaf University School of Law & School of Christian Apologetics, 1980. [Now Trinity School of Law]
Other Simon Greenleaf University co-founders:
· Harold Lindsell––Fuller Theological Seminary faculty and Editor of Christianity Today 1964-1978.
· James Warwick Montgomery, who is today…
ü Senior Counsel to the European Centre for Law and Justice/ECLJ (The European counter-part of the ACLJ––Pat Robertson [CNP] and Jay Sekulow [CNP])
ü Professor in Residence of the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights, Strasbourg, France, which interfaces with the United Nations. [See: Diakrisis: Discernment or Deception: ACE/CURE]
These issues and many, any more are presented in the following CRI Report, as we take an in-depth look at CRI's history, the people who work at Christian Research Institute as contributing editors and the mind-spinning maze of inter-connections.
Following taken from a CRI brochure [1980s]…
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CRI The Bible ANSWER MAN ~ Who is Walter Martin?
The Reverend Walter Martin holds four earned degrees and received his education at Stony Brook School, Shelton College, Adelphi University and Biblical Seminary; his Master's degree from New York University; and his Ph.D. from California Western University in 1976. He has authored 12 full-length books… He is a recognized authority on religions having their origins in the United States. The late Donald Grey Barnhouse once wrote of him, "I know of no one who equals him in his field."
The Kingdom of the Cults, Professor Martin's largest and most comprehensive text (421 double-column pages), which deals with 20 of the most notable sects of our day, was selected by both Christianity Today and Eternity magazines as "one of the best" of the year in 1965 and has since been revised and updated.
Professor Martin served for six years as associate professor of biblical studies at the King's College in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and has worked as editorial research associate of Action Magazine, official organ of the National Association of Evangelicals. He has frequently contributed to leading Christian magazines and has published articles in Christianity Today, Christian Life, Action [NAE's publication], Eternity,* The Christian Reader and many others. For five years he was a contributing editor to Eternity magazine and served for ten years as an editor of Zondervan Publishing House, heading up its Division of Cult Apologetics which he founded in 1955.
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A Brief Chronology of Walter R. Martin's Ministry
~ abbreviated; editor has added a few missing events
September 10, 1928
Walter R. Martin was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1944
Ed. Note: According to friend Bill Seaver, Walter Martin had a conversion experience while at Stony Brook School.
1951
Was ordained as a Baptist minister.
1954-1956
Public Relations and Alumni Director at Stony Brook School.
1955
Founded the Division of Cult Apologetics at the Zondervan Publishing House.
1956
Obtained a Master's degree from New York University and Biblical Seminary.
1956-1957
Dr. Martin and Donald Grey Barnhouse [see Miles Sanford on Barnhouse & Martin below] engaged in a formal conference with several major representatives of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventism. The purpose of the meeting was to gather doctrinal information on this controversial group.
1957
Questions on Doctrine was published by the Adventist denomination largely in response to questions raised by Dr. Martin.
1957-1960
Walter Martin and Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote a number of important articles on Seventh-day Adventism for Eternity magazine.
1958
Part of the Pastor's Conference Team of World Vision Inc. [NGO/UN] Traveled some 25,000 miles and spoke to over 5,000 Christians about the problem of non-Christian cults on the mission field. Tour stops included Formosa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, India, and Ghana.
1960 (October 1)
Founded Christian Research Institute. Served as its President for almost thirty years.
1960
Published The Truth about Seventh-day Adventism.
1960-1965
Taught at King's College in New York.
1961-1962
The Religious Research Digest was published by the Christian Research Institute. This quarterly publication featured such writers as Wilbur M. Smith and Donald Grey Barnhouse.
1965
Published the classic The Kingdom of the Cults. This book was selected by both Christianity Today and Eternity magazines as "one of the best" of the year in 1965…The July 1985 edition of Newsweek magazine listed the book as "one of the 10 best selling spiritual books in America." Approximately 500,000 copies have been published to date.
Radio ministry expanded with the addition of "The Bible Answer Man" program, a live telephone talk show in which Walter Martin answered questions about the Bible and related subjects. The program was recognized by the National Religious Broadcasters [affiliate org of the NAE/Nat’l Assn of Evangelicals] as "one of the most controversially stimulating programs in Christian radio!"
Editor’s Note: Martin’s Chronology fails to mention [what was stated in the CRI brochure above]
that Martin “worked as editorial research associate of Action Magazine, official organ of the National Association of Evangelicals.”
1966-1973
Took over the Bible Class of Donald Grey Barnhouse, held every Monday evening in New York City.
1968-1979
Founding board member at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
1974
Walter Martin moved from New Jersey to California where he eventually set up CRI's International Headquarters.
Began teaching "Cults and the Occult" at [the ecumenical] Melodyland School of Theology. [See MST below.] His class at Melodyland evolved into a regular Sunday school class in Southern California.
1975
Began broadcasting "The Bible Answer Man" in Southern California.
1976
Obtained a Ph.D. degree from California Western University.
1978
Interviewed on national television (NBC) following the Jonestown tragedy.
Founded FORWARD magazine. This magazine evolved to the present CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL.
1980
Published The New Cults, a book which examines and evaluates the newer cults infiltrating society [with Gretchen Passantino].
Published Walter Martin's Cults Reference Bible.
Published The New Cults, a book which examines and evaluates the newer cults infiltrating society.
Became the Director of the MA program at Simon Greenleaf School of Law.
Co-founders were Walter Martin, James Warwick Montgomery and Harold Lindsell and others
An Honor Citation was given to CRI by the National Religious Broadcasters for "The Bible Answer Man" program.
An Award of Excellence was presented to CRI for "The Bible Answer Man" by RIM (Religion In Media).
Editor’s entry: The Thailand Report on New Religious Movements
Lausanne Consultation on World Evangelization
Mini-Consultation on Reaching Mystics and Cultists held at Pattaya, Thailand, June 16-27 1980––Participants included: Gordon Lewis [Denver Seminary], Brooke Alexander [Spiritual Counterfeits Project] and Caryl Williams-Matrisciana [Gloria Deo Trust, UK], Peter Beyerhaus [Diakrisis Institute, Germany], et al
1982
Editor’s entry: Following Dr. Lewis’ involvement with Lausanne, he along with other participants at the Santa Barbara conference [1982], voted to organize a ministry known as Evangelical Ministry to Cultists (EMTC). The organization held on to this name until 1984. Charter board members of this organization included Dr. Gordon Lewis, the late Walter Martin, Ronald Enroth and James Bjornstad. EMTC was originally promoted as an organization affiliated with Lausanne…
1983
Spoke in Brazil, the spiritist capital of the world, and established a CRI office there
1984
Editor’s entry: founders of Evangelical Ministry to Cultists/EMTC [Walter Martin, Gordon Lewis, Ronald Enroth and James Bjornstad], voted to change the name of the organization to Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR), a name it has kept to the present time.
Source of info: Cornerstone Mag
1985
CRI opened an office in Canada.
1987 (October 30)
Discussed Satanism on the 700 Club with Pat Robertson.
1987
Secret Power, written by D. L. Moody and first published in 1881, was edited by Walter Martin and republished. Dr. Martin wanted to republish the book because it showed that Moody subscribed to the Charismatic emphasis on the need for the power of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.
Editor's entry: Walter Martin and Constance Cumbey meet for lunch in Seattle. See Cumbey's memoirs below.
1988
CRI moved into its new International Headquarters building in Irvine, California.
1989
Published his last book, The New Age Cult, which examines and evaluates some of the major tenets of the New Age movement.
1989 (June 17)
Delivered his last seminar at Arrowhead Springs Christian Conference Center for a small Pastor's Conference where Dr. Martin preached on holiness.
1989 (June 24)
Debate with Bishop Spong on "The John Ankerberg Show," the weekend prior to his death.
1989 (June 26)
Walter R. Martin died peacefully at his home in San Juan Capistrano, California. He was 60 years old.
~ emphasis and editorial comments added
Closer Examination of Walter Martin’s Chronology 1987
Constance Cumbey’s Luncheon with Walter Martin
Constance Cumbey’sNEW AGE MONITOR
Pointe Publishers, Inc. Mark Spaulding, President P.O. Box 3078 CenterLine, Michigan 48015-0078 Copyright © 1991 by Constance Cumbey. All Rights Reserved
May 1991
Dear Reader:
Pointe Publishers has new capable leadership in the form of Marks Spaudling and Raymond Delaforce who have promised to take the administrative load off my back so that I can concentrate on my dual and heavy responsibilities of managing my ever growing law practice and keeping you informed of the New Age Movement and related developments at the same time. I have come back reluctantly – realizing the need for information and at the same time feeling – not without justification – that if people don’t know about the New Age Movement, it is not my fault. At the same time, there is more disinformation circulating through the Christian community and I know I can no longer remain silent. It is hard to tell you all that ranged through my mind the past two years. In June, 1989, I was ready to release a newsletter that frankly tackled the subject of Walter Martin and his deliberate campaign of disinformation to conceal the true facts of the New age Movement from the Christian public. I had prepared the newsletter. I was in Seattle debating a demonic channeled entity calling itself “Mafu” together with New Age leader, Marcel Vogel. I went to Vancouver for a talk and on the way we stopped at a bookstore in Bellingham, Washington. There I spotted the book, The New Age Cult by Walter Martin. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Whole paragraphs were obviously plagiarized from The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow. He spoke to Jim Jones and claimed that no previous book critical of the New Age Movement had brought out the occult connections of Jim Jones and his People’s Temple.
Since Walter Martin and many of his protégées had publicly criticized me for saying that Jim Jones was connected with the New Age I found this most surprising. Indeed it was a lie. Jim Jones’ occult connections were most certainly mentioned in my book – pages 16-17 of my Preface and more extensively on pages 59 and 60 of The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow.
“My Lunch with Walter Martin”
I had lunch with Walter Martin in Tacoma, Washington in 1987. The luncheon was arranged by his secretary Joni. [Tells how the meeting was set up] According to Dr. Martin, I was “paranoid” and “seeing New Agers everywhere.”
“But I was in the New Age Movement and was saved after I read The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow!” said his secretary. According to [the person who would later set up the Cumbey-Martin meeting], Dr. Martin, then nearly broke down, and said” I know there’s a rift between Constance Cumbey and myself and I don’t know how to heal it. I was so busy researching the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses that I didn’t have time to investigate the New Age Movement. I had to take the word of my staff which told me there was no New Age Movement,” said Walter.
Joni, evidently believing Dr. Martin to be sincere took upon herself the role of peace maker. She heard that Walter Martin and myself were both scheduled to be in the Seattle area and she arranged a luncheon. I decided not to go alone and that proved to be wise decision. Dr. Martin was accompanied by two men – one with a reputation for deep anti-Semitism. His approach to me was a total mocking one. He was obviously playing what was called ‘mind games’ in the era of the 60’s and 70’s. He kept cupping his hands over his eyes and demanding “Connie, Connie – look at me Connie.” (I was far from being on a nickname basis with him!) Then he would mockingly say, “What’s the matter Connie? Are you afraid I am going to hypnotize you, Connie?” Contrarily to what Joni told me, Walter Martin wanted to hear nothing of the New Age Movement. Nor did he repudiate the work of his staff.
I finally confronted him with an item from page 14 of an earlier edition of Kingdom of the Cults where he wrote that Jesus came to show us that there was such a thing as “divine humanity.” I was sure he would say that I had taken him out of context – that he was referring to Jesus and nobody but Jesus. No! He was referring, he said, “to the glory that would be revealed in us at the manifestation of the Sons of God.” I could not resist it, “Walter, with all due respect, I don’t think that Joseph Smith could have said it much better than that!”
I asked him too about his claims, quoted in James McKeever’s books that he was the first “unimpeachable source to witness and photograph a UFO.” There was no serious answer to this either – only rude flippancy. At this point, I said, “Walter, if I saw a UFO, I wouldn’t have time to take a picture!” At that point, he mockingly said, “Do you want to see my rainbow? Do you want to see my unicorn pin?” We terminated the meeting. It brought to mind the New Age Movie, My Dinner with Andre. I was so tempted to write the script for a Christian equivalent. My Luncheon with Walter Martin. I finally decided to write about the entire campaign he had staged from 1982 until 1989 to keep people from learning the true facts about the New Age Movement. I prepared a newsletter and advertised it as being the content of the next issue. That next issue was prepared dealing with “Walter Martin’s Deliberate Disinformation Campaign.” I was in Seattle debating New Ager Marcel Vogel and Mafu (Penny Torres) on June 19, 1989. I stayed a week. As I was waiting for a delayed flight to Detroit in the Seattle SeaTac airport, I was paged. Answering the page, and returning the requested call. I was told that Walter Martin had died.
I was faced with a personal dilemma. I have a personal ethic that one should not kick a corpse. I have several reasons for this. I don’t know if the Bible mandates it, but when one dies, there are grieving relatives. I believe it is frankly “tacky” to go on the attack at such a time, even if one is justified! I scrapped my copy, even though not surprisingly the corpse continues to vigorously kick me. The book Witch Hunt by John [Bob] and Gretchen Passantino* contains a posthumous introduction by Walter Martin! During his lifetime Walter Martin vigorously defended hypnosis (what he called “Christian hypnosis”); UFO sightings; acupuncture (he claimed it had nothing to do with the Chinese theories of Yin and Yang!) and said on one classic tape in my collection, ‘The New Age is a figment of Constance Cumbey’s imagination!”
It is hard for me to watch Walter Martin’s book The New Age Cult be given such credibility, when I know that we got the word out about the New Age Movement absolutely no thanks to Walter Martin. If he had given accurate information, I still don’t think I would have been as concerned – “for whatever motive they are preaching the gospel, still the gospel is being preached.” But basically the book incorporated my information and said, “so what” and told people to go back to sleep!
*Found:
Apologetics Index [Anton Hein], RE: Gretchen Passantino, editor of
Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults
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Walter Martin's Religious InfoNet
Walter Martin’s Religious InfoNet web site is hosted by Martin's son-in-law Kevin Rische. Rische is also the web master for EMNR.