December 31, 2011
December 30, 2011
REPROVE - REBUKE - EXHORT - IF Believers Don't Speak & Stand For TRUTH - Who Will?
Earnestly Contend
by Dave Hunt
Hundreds of fulfilled prophecies prove God’s existence, that the Bible is His inerrant Word, the Jews His chosen people, and Jesus of Nazareth the promised Messiah who died for our sins, has resurrected, and is coming again. Yet prophecy is neglected by most Christian preachers and writers. No wonder that the “last-days” apostasy warned of in God’s Word is now upon us with a vengeance!
The few who do teach prophecy, when referring to “last-days signs,” seldom mention apostasy. Yet when asked by His disciples, “What shall be the sign of thy coming...?” (Mat:24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?), Christ three times warned that the major sign would be apostasy, with false prophets and false Christs using false “signs and wonders” to deceive (24:4-5,11,24). That warning was echoed by Paul (2 Tim:3:8Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.) and by Jude, who said we must “earnestly contend for the faith...once delivered to the saints” because “certain men [have] crept [into the church] unawares...ungodly men...denying...God, and...Christ” (Jude 3-4).
“False Christs”?! There have been many in our day, from Jim Jones to David Koresh. Numerous gurus in India claim to be “Christ.” The false “Christs” presented by novels, videos, and movies have multiplied since Jesus Christ Superstar . The “Jesus” of The DaVinci Code is a fraud. The “Jesus” of ABC-TV’s Judas confessed that he “blew it” in chasing the moneychangers out of the Temple. The media bombards us with false Christs!
That evangelical leaders called Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ “biblically accurate” is distressing. It was almost entirely unbiblical: A sinful man pretending to be the One who declared, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” and whom Paul described as “God manifest in the flesh”; this Hollywood “Christ” stomping on a huge serpent slithering into Gethsemane, and Satan tempting Him there; the two Marys wiping up “Christ’s” blood with linens supplied by Pilate’s wife; “Christ,” knocked off a bridge on the way to Calvary, dangling from a chain and confronting Judas hiding beneath; “Saint Veronica” giving her veil to “Christ” to wipe his face, and the image of his face remaining on it as the first icon; a raven plucking out the eye of a thief on an adjoining cross; the endless beatings by Roman soldiers, giving the false impression that Christ’s physical sufferings paid for our sins, etc. None of this is in the Bible! Nor was there even a hint of the true payment for sin: “The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all...it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,” etc. The Passion portrayed a false gospel of mostly myth!
The Bible is being “improved” by script writers, movie directors, and actors, who are replacing the actual “incorruptible...word of God” by which we are “born again,” with dramatic representations. The entire New Testament is now on video, which may soon be the only “Bible” youth know. Who will earnestly contend?
For three years, “night and day with tears” (Acts:20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.), Paul warned the Ephesian elders about coming apostasy. Who warns about apostasy today? Rick Warren wouldn’t dare for fear of losing his following. A prophesied apostasy doesn’t fit Warren’s plans and popularity, nor does it fit the mushrooming growth of other mega churches—or does it? Is the Bible wrong—or is this the apostasy foretold? What is the real condition of the church? A recent Barna poll revealed that 71 percent of Americans, 64 percent of “born-agains,” and 40 percent of “evangelicals” reject absolute truth.
Paul faithfully declared “all the counsel of God [holding] back nothing” (Acts:20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,, 27). But the church today, like the world it mimics, believes the lie that to be “successful” one must always be “positive.” Thus, most of the Bible is avoided. Were Jeremiah or any other prophets “positive”? Was Jesus “positive” when He said, “...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Lk 13:3,5)? He repeatedly warned about hell. From which Christian leaders do we hear such warnings today?
Watching TBN, or reading James Rutz’s MegaShift (“A megashift of spiritual power...is about to...put [the world] into vastly better shape....A whole new form of Christianity promises to bring a far greater impact than the Protestant Reformation”), would lead one to believe that the real sign of the last days is a worldwide revival (the “latter rain outpouring of the Spirit”) fueled by miraculous “signs and wonders.” The Bible, however, calls it a deadly delusion led by false prophets.
Peter Howard, executive assistant to Bishop Michael Sheridan, head of the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, warned Catholics not to attend Protestant services. In “positive” response, Ted Haggard, Senior Pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs and president of the 30-million-member National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), said, “New Life doesn’t try to ‘convert’ Catholics” and would never discourage its members “from becoming Catholic or attending Catholic Mass.” The 16th-century Reformers would be aghast!
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) was the response of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) to the Reformation. It pronounced more than 100 anathemas against the true gospel, damning to hell all who believe it. For example: “If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law [Catholic rituals] are not necessary for salvation but...men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification...let him be anathema.”
On December 31, 1995, honoring Trent’s 450th anniversary, Pope John Paul II declared: “Its conclusions maintain all their value.” Those who claim that Christ paid the full penalty for sin on the Cross, who deny the necessity of suffering for one’s sins in purgatory, and who reject indulgences to shorten that suffering are still anathematized by Rome. Yet in The Body (1992), Charles Colson denied that indulgences are still offered by Rome. I sent him the seventeen pages on indulgences from Vatican II, including Pope Paul’s anathema upon those who deny indulgences today. Colson never acknowledged his error, which has led multitudes astray.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association published a special “Crusade Edition” (1962, 1964, 1969) of Halley’s Bible Handbook and boldly removed Halley’s careful documentation of the evil of the popes and the slaughter of true Christians. Zondervan published a revised edition of Halley’s Bible Handbook in 2000, which likewise eliminated references to the RCC’s heresies and the millions of evangelical Christians slaughtered by Rome. Instead, it says: “The Roman Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation by reforming and renewing itself.”
When challenged about its lies, Stan Gundry, Zondervan’s Vice President and Editor-in-Chief responded, “The purpose of the rewriting was...to give a more balanced portrayal of the history of Christianity.” Whitewashing Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and leaving out the slaughter of millions of Christians gives a “more balanced” history?! And who owns Zondervan, publisher of The Purpose-Driven Life ?
In 1988, Zondervan and its NIV Bible were purchased by Harper & Row Publishers (now HarperCollins Publishers), who put out pro-homosexual books such as Making Out, The Book of Lesbian Sex and Sexuality (“Beautifully illustrated with full-color photography...”) and others! HarperCollins is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s The News Corporation which owns Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Broadcasting. The latter produces some of the most immoral, anti-family shows on television. Murdoch—to whom Pat Robertson sold the Family Channel (paid for by CBN donors) for $1.9 billion—was knighted by the Pope after donating $10 million for a new Catholic cathedral in Los Angeles. And Rick Warren claims to be Murdoch’s pastor.
Christian publishers have put profits ahead of sound doctrine and have made a lot of money by giving customers what they want instead of the biblical truth they need, selling out to the world monetarily as they already had morally. Isn’t this the opposite of contending for the faith?
On October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and of the RCC signed a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ). The Reformation was overturned! Colson says, “Justification by faith alone...doesn’t mean today among evangelicals what it meant in the reformers’ time.” The gospel has changed?!
For 1.1 billion Roman Catholics nothing changed. They still pray to Mary for salvation and wear her scapular, which declares, “Whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.” What an insult to Christ! The very doctrine of indulgences that sparked the Reformation remains a mainstay of Catholicism. Mocking JDDJ, John Paul II opened four “holy doors” in Rome and offered plenary indulgences for walking through them. (Catholic pilgrims came by the millions to do so, rejecting Christ as the only door to eternal life!)
Kneeling beside the Pope in front of the first “holy door” opened was George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the Church of England. John Stott said, “Evangelicals should join [the] Church of England in working toward full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.”
Do we believe the entire Bible or just the “positive” parts of it? Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see [or enter] the kingdom of God” (Jn:3:3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.,5). Peter said that a man is “born again...by the word of God...which by the gospel is preached” (1 Pt 1:23-25). Without believing the gospel one is lost eternally (Rom:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.; Acts:16:31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house., etc.). Haggard affirms “the necessity of being born again....” Yet he accepts Catholics as Christians who have been born again by infant baptism!
What is the faith (gospel) for which we are to “earnestly contend”? Paul defines it as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures . Surely that involves who God is, who Christ is, the problem between God and man, the only means of man’s forgiveness by God, and the eternal consequences for those who reject the biblical gospel—all according to the Scriptures.
The entire Word of God is foundational to the faith. Sadly, the church and world are being robbed of the pure Word of God by professing evangelicals. Eugene Peterson’s The Message (NavPress, 1993) changes God’s Word into the “social gospel,” downgrading salvation to earthly improvement. (See TBC Oct ’95 ; Feb ’04 .) The Renovaré “Bible” rejects divine inspiration and prophecies about Israel and Christ. (See TBC Aug ’05 .)
The subject of Israel takes up most of the Bible. Its history and prophets lay the foundation for the Messiah’s identity and mission. If the Bible is not 100 percent true about Israel (as many evangelicals claim), we cannot believe what it says about Christ and our “redemption through His blood.”
For decades, Billy Graham has declared that his beliefs are “essentially the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics....” He praised Pope John Paul II as a preacher of the true gospel and for “his strong Catholic faith,” hailing him as “the greatest moral and spiritual leader of the last 100 years....I don’t know anyone else that I could put as high as he is. He’s traveled the whole world...spreading the Catholic faith....He and I agree on almost everything.”
It is indisputable that John Paul II, though praised by evangelicals, trusted Mary instead of Christ for his eternal destiny. (See TBC May ’05 .) Yet, like Graham, Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptists’ Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, emphasized that any disagreements Protestants may have had “with John Paul II are [irrelevant] to the foundations of the faith.” Land praised the Pope’s “staunch defense of traditional Christian faith....” Pat Robertson enthused, “Pope John Paul II stands like a rock...in his clear enunciation of the foundational principles of the Christian faith.” Jack Van Impe has hailed the Pope as a staunch Christian and defender of the faith. J.I. Packer, a signatory to ECT, called John Paul II “a fine Christian man” and declared, “Catholics are among the most loyal and virile brothers evangelicals can find these days.”
Who will obey Jude’s injunction to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints”? Not Rick Warren. Nor has Billy Graham ever raised a voice against those who deny the faith. Charles Dullea, Jesuit Superior of Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute, urged Catholics to attend Graham’s crusades because “A Catholic will hear...no word against Mass or Sacraments or Catholic practice.” Graham called the Mass “a very beautiful thing...straight and clear in the gospel I believe....” He recommended a biography of Pope John XXIII as “a classic in devotion.” Yet it contains page after page of John XXIII’s devotion to Mary and the Saints, worship of the host, and trust in the sacraments for salvation.
Billy Graham hailed Bishop Fulton Sheen as the “greatest communicator of the 20th century.” Though Sheen preached a false gospel, Billy exulted in their “common commitment to evangelism” and thanked Sheen “for his ministry and his focus on Christ.” Yet Sheen’s hope of heaven was in his 40 pilgrimages to Marian shrines at Fatima and Lourdes. When Sheen died, Billy said, “I...look forward to our reunion in heaven.”
Many evangelical leaders who generally preach the true gospel, commend, approve of, and praise those who preach a false gospel. Is it any less damning to souls for Billy Graham to praise and endorse Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, Pope John Paul II, and others who preach a false gospel than to preach it himself?
In The Body , Chuck Colson called for union with Rome. In an article titled, “Why Catholics are Our Allies,” he wrote: “And let’s be certain that we are firing our polemical rifles against the enemies, not [allies] fighting in the trenches alongside us in the defense of the Truth.” It would shock the Reformers (especially the millions Rome tortured and slaughtered for their faith in Christ) to learn that the enemies of the gospel were actually their allies “in defense of the Truth”!
Just as His people Israel, to whom He sent His prophets to warn them of their apostasy and its dire consequences, would not listen, so it is today in the church. Glad to follow any pied piper who plays an enticing tune, and unwilling (and one day unable) to hear the Lord, millions dance merrily on to judgment. Time on this earth will soon end. Let us earnestly contend for “the faith once delivered unto the saints”—and thereby rescue many before it is forever too late. And may our example give renewed courage and conviction to many others.
by Dave Hunt
Hundreds of fulfilled prophecies prove God’s existence, that the Bible is His inerrant Word, the Jews His chosen people, and Jesus of Nazareth the promised Messiah who died for our sins, has resurrected, and is coming again. Yet prophecy is neglected by most Christian preachers and writers. No wonder that the “last-days” apostasy warned of in God’s Word is now upon us with a vengeance!
The few who do teach prophecy, when referring to “last-days signs,” seldom mention apostasy. Yet when asked by His disciples, “What shall be the sign of thy coming...?” (Mat:24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?), Christ three times warned that the major sign would be apostasy, with false prophets and false Christs using false “signs and wonders” to deceive (24:4-5,11,24). That warning was echoed by Paul (2 Tim:3:8Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.) and by Jude, who said we must “earnestly contend for the faith...once delivered to the saints” because “certain men [have] crept [into the church] unawares...ungodly men...denying...God, and...Christ” (Jude 3-4).
“False Christs”?! There have been many in our day, from Jim Jones to David Koresh. Numerous gurus in India claim to be “Christ.” The false “Christs” presented by novels, videos, and movies have multiplied since Jesus Christ Superstar . The “Jesus” of The DaVinci Code is a fraud. The “Jesus” of ABC-TV’s Judas confessed that he “blew it” in chasing the moneychangers out of the Temple. The media bombards us with false Christs!
That evangelical leaders called Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ “biblically accurate” is distressing. It was almost entirely unbiblical: A sinful man pretending to be the One who declared, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” and whom Paul described as “God manifest in the flesh”; this Hollywood “Christ” stomping on a huge serpent slithering into Gethsemane, and Satan tempting Him there; the two Marys wiping up “Christ’s” blood with linens supplied by Pilate’s wife; “Christ,” knocked off a bridge on the way to Calvary, dangling from a chain and confronting Judas hiding beneath; “Saint Veronica” giving her veil to “Christ” to wipe his face, and the image of his face remaining on it as the first icon; a raven plucking out the eye of a thief on an adjoining cross; the endless beatings by Roman soldiers, giving the false impression that Christ’s physical sufferings paid for our sins, etc. None of this is in the Bible! Nor was there even a hint of the true payment for sin: “The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all...it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,” etc. The Passion portrayed a false gospel of mostly myth!
The Bible is being “improved” by script writers, movie directors, and actors, who are replacing the actual “incorruptible...word of God” by which we are “born again,” with dramatic representations. The entire New Testament is now on video, which may soon be the only “Bible” youth know. Who will earnestly contend?
For three years, “night and day with tears” (Acts:20:31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.), Paul warned the Ephesian elders about coming apostasy. Who warns about apostasy today? Rick Warren wouldn’t dare for fear of losing his following. A prophesied apostasy doesn’t fit Warren’s plans and popularity, nor does it fit the mushrooming growth of other mega churches—or does it? Is the Bible wrong—or is this the apostasy foretold? What is the real condition of the church? A recent Barna poll revealed that 71 percent of Americans, 64 percent of “born-agains,” and 40 percent of “evangelicals” reject absolute truth.
Paul faithfully declared “all the counsel of God [holding] back nothing” (Acts:20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,, 27). But the church today, like the world it mimics, believes the lie that to be “successful” one must always be “positive.” Thus, most of the Bible is avoided. Were Jeremiah or any other prophets “positive”? Was Jesus “positive” when He said, “...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Lk 13:3,5)? He repeatedly warned about hell. From which Christian leaders do we hear such warnings today?
Watching TBN, or reading James Rutz’s MegaShift (“A megashift of spiritual power...is about to...put [the world] into vastly better shape....A whole new form of Christianity promises to bring a far greater impact than the Protestant Reformation”), would lead one to believe that the real sign of the last days is a worldwide revival (the “latter rain outpouring of the Spirit”) fueled by miraculous “signs and wonders.” The Bible, however, calls it a deadly delusion led by false prophets.
Peter Howard, executive assistant to Bishop Michael Sheridan, head of the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, warned Catholics not to attend Protestant services. In “positive” response, Ted Haggard, Senior Pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs and president of the 30-million-member National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), said, “New Life doesn’t try to ‘convert’ Catholics” and would never discourage its members “from becoming Catholic or attending Catholic Mass.” The 16th-century Reformers would be aghast!
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) was the response of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) to the Reformation. It pronounced more than 100 anathemas against the true gospel, damning to hell all who believe it. For example: “If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law [Catholic rituals] are not necessary for salvation but...men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification...let him be anathema.”
On December 31, 1995, honoring Trent’s 450th anniversary, Pope John Paul II declared: “Its conclusions maintain all their value.” Those who claim that Christ paid the full penalty for sin on the Cross, who deny the necessity of suffering for one’s sins in purgatory, and who reject indulgences to shorten that suffering are still anathematized by Rome. Yet in The Body (1992), Charles Colson denied that indulgences are still offered by Rome. I sent him the seventeen pages on indulgences from Vatican II, including Pope Paul’s anathema upon those who deny indulgences today. Colson never acknowledged his error, which has led multitudes astray.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association published a special “Crusade Edition” (1962, 1964, 1969) of Halley’s Bible Handbook and boldly removed Halley’s careful documentation of the evil of the popes and the slaughter of true Christians. Zondervan published a revised edition of Halley’s Bible Handbook in 2000, which likewise eliminated references to the RCC’s heresies and the millions of evangelical Christians slaughtered by Rome. Instead, it says: “The Roman Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation by reforming and renewing itself.”
When challenged about its lies, Stan Gundry, Zondervan’s Vice President and Editor-in-Chief responded, “The purpose of the rewriting was...to give a more balanced portrayal of the history of Christianity.” Whitewashing Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and leaving out the slaughter of millions of Christians gives a “more balanced” history?! And who owns Zondervan, publisher of The Purpose-Driven Life ?
In 1988, Zondervan and its NIV Bible were purchased by Harper & Row Publishers (now HarperCollins Publishers), who put out pro-homosexual books such as Making Out, The Book of Lesbian Sex and Sexuality (“Beautifully illustrated with full-color photography...”) and others! HarperCollins is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s The News Corporation which owns Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Broadcasting. The latter produces some of the most immoral, anti-family shows on television. Murdoch—to whom Pat Robertson sold the Family Channel (paid for by CBN donors) for $1.9 billion—was knighted by the Pope after donating $10 million for a new Catholic cathedral in Los Angeles. And Rick Warren claims to be Murdoch’s pastor.
Christian publishers have put profits ahead of sound doctrine and have made a lot of money by giving customers what they want instead of the biblical truth they need, selling out to the world monetarily as they already had morally. Isn’t this the opposite of contending for the faith?
On October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and of the RCC signed a Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ). The Reformation was overturned! Colson says, “Justification by faith alone...doesn’t mean today among evangelicals what it meant in the reformers’ time.” The gospel has changed?!
For 1.1 billion Roman Catholics nothing changed. They still pray to Mary for salvation and wear her scapular, which declares, “Whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.” What an insult to Christ! The very doctrine of indulgences that sparked the Reformation remains a mainstay of Catholicism. Mocking JDDJ, John Paul II opened four “holy doors” in Rome and offered plenary indulgences for walking through them. (Catholic pilgrims came by the millions to do so, rejecting Christ as the only door to eternal life!)
Kneeling beside the Pope in front of the first “holy door” opened was George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the Church of England. John Stott said, “Evangelicals should join [the] Church of England in working toward full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.”
Do we believe the entire Bible or just the “positive” parts of it? Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see [or enter] the kingdom of God” (Jn:3:3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.,5). Peter said that a man is “born again...by the word of God...which by the gospel is preached” (1 Pt 1:23-25). Without believing the gospel one is lost eternally (Rom:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.; Acts:16:31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house., etc.). Haggard affirms “the necessity of being born again....” Yet he accepts Catholics as Christians who have been born again by infant baptism!
What is the faith (gospel) for which we are to “earnestly contend”? Paul defines it as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures . Surely that involves who God is, who Christ is, the problem between God and man, the only means of man’s forgiveness by God, and the eternal consequences for those who reject the biblical gospel—all according to the Scriptures.
The entire Word of God is foundational to the faith. Sadly, the church and world are being robbed of the pure Word of God by professing evangelicals. Eugene Peterson’s The Message (NavPress, 1993) changes God’s Word into the “social gospel,” downgrading salvation to earthly improvement. (See TBC Oct ’95 ; Feb ’04 .) The Renovaré “Bible” rejects divine inspiration and prophecies about Israel and Christ. (See TBC Aug ’05 .)
The subject of Israel takes up most of the Bible. Its history and prophets lay the foundation for the Messiah’s identity and mission. If the Bible is not 100 percent true about Israel (as many evangelicals claim), we cannot believe what it says about Christ and our “redemption through His blood.”
For decades, Billy Graham has declared that his beliefs are “essentially the same as those of orthodox Roman Catholics....” He praised Pope John Paul II as a preacher of the true gospel and for “his strong Catholic faith,” hailing him as “the greatest moral and spiritual leader of the last 100 years....I don’t know anyone else that I could put as high as he is. He’s traveled the whole world...spreading the Catholic faith....He and I agree on almost everything.”
It is indisputable that John Paul II, though praised by evangelicals, trusted Mary instead of Christ for his eternal destiny. (See TBC May ’05 .) Yet, like Graham, Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptists’ Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, emphasized that any disagreements Protestants may have had “with John Paul II are [irrelevant] to the foundations of the faith.” Land praised the Pope’s “staunch defense of traditional Christian faith....” Pat Robertson enthused, “Pope John Paul II stands like a rock...in his clear enunciation of the foundational principles of the Christian faith.” Jack Van Impe has hailed the Pope as a staunch Christian and defender of the faith. J.I. Packer, a signatory to ECT, called John Paul II “a fine Christian man” and declared, “Catholics are among the most loyal and virile brothers evangelicals can find these days.”
Who will obey Jude’s injunction to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints”? Not Rick Warren. Nor has Billy Graham ever raised a voice against those who deny the faith. Charles Dullea, Jesuit Superior of Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute, urged Catholics to attend Graham’s crusades because “A Catholic will hear...no word against Mass or Sacraments or Catholic practice.” Graham called the Mass “a very beautiful thing...straight and clear in the gospel I believe....” He recommended a biography of Pope John XXIII as “a classic in devotion.” Yet it contains page after page of John XXIII’s devotion to Mary and the Saints, worship of the host, and trust in the sacraments for salvation.
Billy Graham hailed Bishop Fulton Sheen as the “greatest communicator of the 20th century.” Though Sheen preached a false gospel, Billy exulted in their “common commitment to evangelism” and thanked Sheen “for his ministry and his focus on Christ.” Yet Sheen’s hope of heaven was in his 40 pilgrimages to Marian shrines at Fatima and Lourdes. When Sheen died, Billy said, “I...look forward to our reunion in heaven.”
Many evangelical leaders who generally preach the true gospel, commend, approve of, and praise those who preach a false gospel. Is it any less damning to souls for Billy Graham to praise and endorse Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, Pope John Paul II, and others who preach a false gospel than to preach it himself?
In The Body , Chuck Colson called for union with Rome. In an article titled, “Why Catholics are Our Allies,” he wrote: “And let’s be certain that we are firing our polemical rifles against the enemies, not [allies] fighting in the trenches alongside us in the defense of the Truth.” It would shock the Reformers (especially the millions Rome tortured and slaughtered for their faith in Christ) to learn that the enemies of the gospel were actually their allies “in defense of the Truth”!
Just as His people Israel, to whom He sent His prophets to warn them of their apostasy and its dire consequences, would not listen, so it is today in the church. Glad to follow any pied piper who plays an enticing tune, and unwilling (and one day unable) to hear the Lord, millions dance merrily on to judgment. Time on this earth will soon end. Let us earnestly contend for “the faith once delivered unto the saints”—and thereby rescue many before it is forever too late. And may our example give renewed courage and conviction to many others.
December 29, 2011
December 6, 2011
If You Go to Church, Heed This Warning
By Dr. Mercola
Recently the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, held an invitation-only call.
The call was co-sponsored by the U.S. Health and Human Services, the Office of Minority Health, and CDC.
Conspicuously, the end of the invitation read:
“This call is off the record and is not for press purposes” -- but it became public when it showed up on the HHS website.
Fortunately one of our staff was able to get on the call.
The focus of the call was on getting faith-based organizations to sponsor flu clinics with Walgreens.
Basically, they want to move inside your church, mosque or synagogue, and set up shop, with your pastor, priest, imam and rabbi on hand to convince you to get a flu shot.
As an example, they cited a priest who stopped in the middle of mass to roll up his sleeve and get vaccinated, inspiring the rest of his parish to line up behind him.
Talk to God, Get a Shot
The idea of holding out your arm and getting a shot in the middle of a worship service, with your pastoral leader urging you on, really seems to be pushing it. The reason they’re doing this, health officials said on the phone, is that they’ve found that non-traditional settings such as worship services can be highly effective in influencing people’s decisions.
Speaking directly to church leaders, Joshua DuBois, executive director of the White House Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership, said:
“As trusted messengers, you’re able to spread messages and help get people vaccinated.”
Zeroing in on minorities, particularly older adults, blacks and Latinos, health officials said churches, mosques and schools are places where barriers to vaccinations can be taken down, and these minorities can be convinced to get vaccinated. Besides hosting flu shot clinics, churches can also help by putting reminders in their bulletins, and by church members personally reminding others to get their shots, officials said.
They even went so far as to encourage the churches to pay people’s insurance co-pays so they’d be more inclined to get the shots. For those who simply can’t pay anything, there’ll be 300,000 free shots given out as part of the flu vaccine crusade.
Who's Funding This?
The original concept of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, developed in 2001, was to help community leaders enhance the 1998 Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health.
The partnership targets cancer screening, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS and vaccinations. It also originally covered complementary and alternative health care options, although that type of care, which would include health measures other than vaccines, was not even listed as an option during this phone conference.
For at least 10 years, this collaboration of community-based volunteers, nonprofit organizations and faith-based groups worked at a grassroots level in their respective neighborhoods, funded by Congress through various health care grants.
However, in 2010 the initiative took a turn with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which moved the initiative’s management to the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, paving the way for the federal government to fund and run projects like flu clinics right in your church.
Interestingly, flu shots were already covered by most insurance plans, Medicare and the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
But for some reason health officials have decided it’s OK to push the government into places of worship, mid-service, to sell and administer vaccines – and this no-press-allowed phone call reiterated that over and over again. I can only wonder which vaccine they’ll move into your church next, all in the name of “community health.”
The Secret's Out – Flu Shots Are Hardly Effective, If at All
In February 2011, new research showed that 76 percent of white seniors get flu vaccines, with 68 percent of English-speaking Hispanic seniors getting them, and 64 percent of Spanish-speaking Hispanic seniors doing so. In the phone conference, officials emphasized that they want to increase flu vaccine coverage beyond those numbers.
But unfortunately, they neglected to mention the shocking lack of evidence supporting flu vaccines.
The truth is flu vaccines just don’t do what the CDC claims they do. I’ve written about this several times so far this year and the past few years, along with major news media like Time Health. Even the Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) admitted on its website on November 4, 2011 that it’s time to revise public messages regarding this vaccine.
Specifically, what happened is that a study published in the prestigious journal The Lancet revealed that flu shots provide only “moderate protection” against the flu, and in some seasons is altogether “reduced or absent.”
Specifically, the Lancet said the vaccine is about 59 percent effective. But when you break the numbers down statistically, what it really works out to is that the vaccine prevents flu 1.5 times out of 100.
That’s right. Using the Lancet’s own numbers, statistics show that the vaccine only works 1.5 times out of 100.
It’s a far cry from the 60 percent the CDC claims on its website, or the 70 to 90 percent it claimed before it changed the numbers this year. Some people call this lying with statistics, but any way you look at it the secret’s out: flu vaccine statistics just don’t add up to warrant pushing them in your church – or anywhere for that matter.
The Real Way to Good Health this Winter
Only the CDC, HHS and the Faith-Based Partnership Center can say why they’re pushing flu vaccines in churches in the wake of statistics like this. So instead of trying to second-guess them, what I’ll do is offer up some good ways to stay healthy this winter.
Ultimately it is the state of your immune system that determines whether or not you will get sick from being exposed to viral or bacterial organisms associated with infectious diseases like the flu.
The key to boosting your immune system, then, and making it a "lean, mean, disease-fighting machine" lies in your lifestyle habits -- healthy food, stress relief, exercise, sleep, and safe exposure to sunlight, among other things. Artificially manipulating your immune system with a vaccine to try to stay healthy is not the same thing, nor does it produce the same kind of immunity and sought-after, disease-fighting result. It may actually make you less healthy in the long run.
Since numerous studies show that vitamin D boosts immunity, particularly vitamin D3, the first thing you want to do is make sure you maintain your vitamin D levels at 50-70 ng/ml year-round. The only way you can be sure of what your levels are is to be tested. For an in-depth explanation of everything you need to know before you get tested, please read my latest updates in Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.
While a supplement is OK, the best way to get your vitamin D is with safe exposure to sunshine, or by using a safe tanning bed (one with electronic ballasts rather than magnetic ballasts, to avoid unnecessary exposure to EMF fields). Other things that you can do include eating healthy, avoiding sugars and artificial sweeteners, exercising, and getting enough sleep. I address these issues in my free nutrition plan here. My free one-hour vitamin D lecture can help you here.
Other Supplements
Other supplements that can be used as an adjunct to healthy dietary and lifestyle measures are:
Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; use a natural form such as acerola, which contains associated micronutrients. You can take several grams every hour till you are better unless you start developing loose stools.
Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.
Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response.
A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
Olive leaf extract: Ancient Egyptians and Mediterranean cultures used it for a variety of health-promoting uses and it is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.
Educate Yourself on Vaccines
Now that the government is moving into the most sacred area of your life – your place of worship – you need to be informed more than ever about vaccines and your rights when it comes to vaccine choice. The best place to learn this is from the National Vaccine Information Center. There, you’ll find resources that’ll tell you the ingredients in vaccines, their possible side effects, and the information you need to make intelligent, informed decisions about vaccinations.
This is important because when it comes right down to it, the only one who can protect you is YOU. Mass vaccination policies are made at the federal level. The laws are made at the state level. That means you must be vigilant in watching BOTH state and federal moves and programs – programs like this one that want to interrupt your church service to give you a vaccine.
One way to keep abreast of what’s going on at a state and national level is to sign up for NVIC’s free Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org, where you’ll get access to practical, useful information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community. This portal will also give you up-to-date information and call-to-action items that you can use.
And finally, I encourage you to visit the following NVIC web pages, where you can learn even more:
NVIC Memorial for Vaccine Victims: View descriptions and photos of children and adults, who have suffered vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths. If you or your child experiences an adverse vaccine event, please consider posting and sharing your story here.
If You Vaccinate, Ask 8 Questions: Learn how to recognize vaccine reaction symptoms and prevent vaccine injuries.
Vaccine Freedom Wall: View or post descriptions of harassment by doctors or government officials for making independent vaccine choices.
Recently the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, held an invitation-only call.
The call was co-sponsored by the U.S. Health and Human Services, the Office of Minority Health, and CDC.
Conspicuously, the end of the invitation read:
“This call is off the record and is not for press purposes” -- but it became public when it showed up on the HHS website.
Fortunately one of our staff was able to get on the call.
The focus of the call was on getting faith-based organizations to sponsor flu clinics with Walgreens.
Basically, they want to move inside your church, mosque or synagogue, and set up shop, with your pastor, priest, imam and rabbi on hand to convince you to get a flu shot.
As an example, they cited a priest who stopped in the middle of mass to roll up his sleeve and get vaccinated, inspiring the rest of his parish to line up behind him.
Talk to God, Get a Shot
The idea of holding out your arm and getting a shot in the middle of a worship service, with your pastoral leader urging you on, really seems to be pushing it. The reason they’re doing this, health officials said on the phone, is that they’ve found that non-traditional settings such as worship services can be highly effective in influencing people’s decisions.
Speaking directly to church leaders, Joshua DuBois, executive director of the White House Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership, said:
“As trusted messengers, you’re able to spread messages and help get people vaccinated.”
Zeroing in on minorities, particularly older adults, blacks and Latinos, health officials said churches, mosques and schools are places where barriers to vaccinations can be taken down, and these minorities can be convinced to get vaccinated. Besides hosting flu shot clinics, churches can also help by putting reminders in their bulletins, and by church members personally reminding others to get their shots, officials said.
They even went so far as to encourage the churches to pay people’s insurance co-pays so they’d be more inclined to get the shots. For those who simply can’t pay anything, there’ll be 300,000 free shots given out as part of the flu vaccine crusade.
Who's Funding This?
The original concept of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, developed in 2001, was to help community leaders enhance the 1998 Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health.
The partnership targets cancer screening, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS and vaccinations. It also originally covered complementary and alternative health care options, although that type of care, which would include health measures other than vaccines, was not even listed as an option during this phone conference.
For at least 10 years, this collaboration of community-based volunteers, nonprofit organizations and faith-based groups worked at a grassroots level in their respective neighborhoods, funded by Congress through various health care grants.
However, in 2010 the initiative took a turn with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which moved the initiative’s management to the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, paving the way for the federal government to fund and run projects like flu clinics right in your church.
Interestingly, flu shots were already covered by most insurance plans, Medicare and the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
But for some reason health officials have decided it’s OK to push the government into places of worship, mid-service, to sell and administer vaccines – and this no-press-allowed phone call reiterated that over and over again. I can only wonder which vaccine they’ll move into your church next, all in the name of “community health.”
The Secret's Out – Flu Shots Are Hardly Effective, If at All
In February 2011, new research showed that 76 percent of white seniors get flu vaccines, with 68 percent of English-speaking Hispanic seniors getting them, and 64 percent of Spanish-speaking Hispanic seniors doing so. In the phone conference, officials emphasized that they want to increase flu vaccine coverage beyond those numbers.
But unfortunately, they neglected to mention the shocking lack of evidence supporting flu vaccines.
The truth is flu vaccines just don’t do what the CDC claims they do. I’ve written about this several times so far this year and the past few years, along with major news media like Time Health. Even the Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) admitted on its website on November 4, 2011 that it’s time to revise public messages regarding this vaccine.
Specifically, what happened is that a study published in the prestigious journal The Lancet revealed that flu shots provide only “moderate protection” against the flu, and in some seasons is altogether “reduced or absent.”
Specifically, the Lancet said the vaccine is about 59 percent effective. But when you break the numbers down statistically, what it really works out to is that the vaccine prevents flu 1.5 times out of 100.
That’s right. Using the Lancet’s own numbers, statistics show that the vaccine only works 1.5 times out of 100.
It’s a far cry from the 60 percent the CDC claims on its website, or the 70 to 90 percent it claimed before it changed the numbers this year. Some people call this lying with statistics, but any way you look at it the secret’s out: flu vaccine statistics just don’t add up to warrant pushing them in your church – or anywhere for that matter.
The Real Way to Good Health this Winter
Only the CDC, HHS and the Faith-Based Partnership Center can say why they’re pushing flu vaccines in churches in the wake of statistics like this. So instead of trying to second-guess them, what I’ll do is offer up some good ways to stay healthy this winter.
Ultimately it is the state of your immune system that determines whether or not you will get sick from being exposed to viral or bacterial organisms associated with infectious diseases like the flu.
The key to boosting your immune system, then, and making it a "lean, mean, disease-fighting machine" lies in your lifestyle habits -- healthy food, stress relief, exercise, sleep, and safe exposure to sunlight, among other things. Artificially manipulating your immune system with a vaccine to try to stay healthy is not the same thing, nor does it produce the same kind of immunity and sought-after, disease-fighting result. It may actually make you less healthy in the long run.
Since numerous studies show that vitamin D boosts immunity, particularly vitamin D3, the first thing you want to do is make sure you maintain your vitamin D levels at 50-70 ng/ml year-round. The only way you can be sure of what your levels are is to be tested. For an in-depth explanation of everything you need to know before you get tested, please read my latest updates in Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.
While a supplement is OK, the best way to get your vitamin D is with safe exposure to sunshine, or by using a safe tanning bed (one with electronic ballasts rather than magnetic ballasts, to avoid unnecessary exposure to EMF fields). Other things that you can do include eating healthy, avoiding sugars and artificial sweeteners, exercising, and getting enough sleep. I address these issues in my free nutrition plan here. My free one-hour vitamin D lecture can help you here.
Other Supplements
Other supplements that can be used as an adjunct to healthy dietary and lifestyle measures are:
Vitamin C: A very potent antioxidant; use a natural form such as acerola, which contains associated micronutrients. You can take several grams every hour till you are better unless you start developing loose stools.
Oregano Oil: The higher the carvacrol concentration, the more effective it is. Carvacrol is the most active antimicrobial agent in oregano oil.
Propolis: A bee resin and one of the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds in the world; propolis is also the richest source of caffeic acid and apigenin, two very important compounds that aid in immune response.
A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
Olive leaf extract: Ancient Egyptians and Mediterranean cultures used it for a variety of health-promoting uses and it is widely known as a natural, non-toxic immune system builder.
Educate Yourself on Vaccines
Now that the government is moving into the most sacred area of your life – your place of worship – you need to be informed more than ever about vaccines and your rights when it comes to vaccine choice. The best place to learn this is from the National Vaccine Information Center. There, you’ll find resources that’ll tell you the ingredients in vaccines, their possible side effects, and the information you need to make intelligent, informed decisions about vaccinations.
This is important because when it comes right down to it, the only one who can protect you is YOU. Mass vaccination policies are made at the federal level. The laws are made at the state level. That means you must be vigilant in watching BOTH state and federal moves and programs – programs like this one that want to interrupt your church service to give you a vaccine.
One way to keep abreast of what’s going on at a state and national level is to sign up for NVIC’s free Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org, where you’ll get access to practical, useful information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community. This portal will also give you up-to-date information and call-to-action items that you can use.
And finally, I encourage you to visit the following NVIC web pages, where you can learn even more:
NVIC Memorial for Vaccine Victims: View descriptions and photos of children and adults, who have suffered vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths. If you or your child experiences an adverse vaccine event, please consider posting and sharing your story here.
If You Vaccinate, Ask 8 Questions: Learn how to recognize vaccine reaction symptoms and prevent vaccine injuries.
Vaccine Freedom Wall: View or post descriptions of harassment by doctors or government officials for making independent vaccine choices.
November 23, 2011
November 22, 2011
OH NO! Not Butterball!
WND Exclusive
IMAM, BASEBALL AND APPLE PIE
Has your Thanksgiving turkey been sacrificed to idols?
Surprise! America's favorite meal may be secretly dedicated to Allah
By Drew Zahn
© 2011 WND
As you sit down with your family on Thanksgiving and consider offering a prayer of gratitude, be aware the turkey at the center of the table may have already been "blessed" – in the name of Allah.
Customer service representatives from Butterball, one of America's most popular Turkey brands, confirmed to WND that the company's whole turkeys are – without being labeled as such – slaughtered according to Islamic "halal" standards.
"Halal slaughter involves cutting the trachea, the esophagus and the jugular vein and letting the blood drain out while saying, 'Bismillah allahu akbar' – 'in the name of Allah the greatest,'" explains Pamela Geller, author of "Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance." "Many people refuse to eat it on religious grounds. Many Christians, Hindus or Sikhs and Jews find it offensive to eat meat slaughtered according to Islamic ritual."
She continues on her blog, Atlas Shrugs, "I don't want to eat halal. Not a bite – and yet this is being shoved down the throats of Americans without their knowledge."
What can you do? Read "Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance."
Multiple phone representatives at Butterball confirmed the turkeys are slaughtered according to halal standards, and one named Tracy (she declined to give her last name) further confirmed the words of Islamic dedication are spoken over the birds. None, however, could explain exactly how the slaughters are performed.
"I don't actually work in the processing plant," Tracy explained.
As WND reported earlier this year, however, Butterball isn't the only company that may be serving halal meats to unaware customers.
Pastor Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash., has been sounding the the alarm for Christians to be aware of what he calls the "backdoor Shariah" now nibbling its way across the fruited plain.
Muslims join many Jews and some Christians in avoiding the consumption of certain animals such as pigs and birds of prey, but those of the Islamic faith also have their meat blessed in the name of their god, Allah.
"From the Christian standpoint, Allah would be an idol," Biltz told WND.
In a sermon that he posted online, Biltz explained, "You could be eating beef, chicken, etc., offered up to Allah and not even know it. I can just imagine at a Passover Seder the caterer unbeknownst to anyone is serving halal meat! It could be on your pizza without you knowing it, or at your favorite restaurant. People don't realize they could be eating meat sacrificed to idols!"
Has your Thanksgiving turkey been sacrificed to idols? CLICK to read more
IMAM, BASEBALL AND APPLE PIE
Has your Thanksgiving turkey been sacrificed to idols?
Surprise! America's favorite meal may be secretly dedicated to Allah
By Drew Zahn
© 2011 WND
As you sit down with your family on Thanksgiving and consider offering a prayer of gratitude, be aware the turkey at the center of the table may have already been "blessed" – in the name of Allah.
Customer service representatives from Butterball, one of America's most popular Turkey brands, confirmed to WND that the company's whole turkeys are – without being labeled as such – slaughtered according to Islamic "halal" standards.
"Halal slaughter involves cutting the trachea, the esophagus and the jugular vein and letting the blood drain out while saying, 'Bismillah allahu akbar' – 'in the name of Allah the greatest,'" explains Pamela Geller, author of "Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance." "Many people refuse to eat it on religious grounds. Many Christians, Hindus or Sikhs and Jews find it offensive to eat meat slaughtered according to Islamic ritual."
She continues on her blog, Atlas Shrugs, "I don't want to eat halal. Not a bite – and yet this is being shoved down the throats of Americans without their knowledge."
What can you do? Read "Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance."
Multiple phone representatives at Butterball confirmed the turkeys are slaughtered according to halal standards, and one named Tracy (she declined to give her last name) further confirmed the words of Islamic dedication are spoken over the birds. None, however, could explain exactly how the slaughters are performed.
"I don't actually work in the processing plant," Tracy explained.
As WND reported earlier this year, however, Butterball isn't the only company that may be serving halal meats to unaware customers.
Pastor Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash., has been sounding the the alarm for Christians to be aware of what he calls the "backdoor Shariah" now nibbling its way across the fruited plain.
Muslims join many Jews and some Christians in avoiding the consumption of certain animals such as pigs and birds of prey, but those of the Islamic faith also have their meat blessed in the name of their god, Allah.
"From the Christian standpoint, Allah would be an idol," Biltz told WND.
In a sermon that he posted online, Biltz explained, "You could be eating beef, chicken, etc., offered up to Allah and not even know it. I can just imagine at a Passover Seder the caterer unbeknownst to anyone is serving halal meat! It could be on your pizza without you knowing it, or at your favorite restaurant. People don't realize they could be eating meat sacrificed to idols!"
Has your Thanksgiving turkey been sacrificed to idols? CLICK to read more
November 15, 2011
Brian McLaren: 12 Step Groups May Help Us Escape Bible
by My Word Like Fire
In his book, A New Kind of Christianity, Emergent leader Brian McLaren attacks Biblical understanding, and tries to revise both God and the Bible. In his chapter on reinterpreting God’s Word, he notes, “Even for those of us on this quest, breaking out of centuries-old habits won’t be easy…”[1]
In the same paragraph, McLaren makes an interesting statement. “No wonder those of us who want and need to change our approach may need to form twelve-step groups to deprogram our thinking.”[2] (Bold Mine)
Wait a minute. 12 Steps groups to help people reject the Bible as the literal Word of God?
Is this shocking? Hardly. McLaren knows this has already happened–and is continuing to happen–through both Christian and cultural acceptance of 12 Step spirituality. Unlike numerous Bible-believing pastors who allow 12 Step groups to meet in their churches, the Emergent leaders are clearly aware of what AA and other 12 Step groups have brought about.
McLaren wrote the foreword to A Heretic’s Guide To Eternity. In this book, Emergent authors Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor write, “As Phyllis Tickle [another Emergent leader] has noted, the development of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) probably did as much as other, more celebrated events to undermine our concept of religion. Emerging in the late 1930s, AA made it acceptable to talk about a generic God–a ‘higher power.’”[3] (Bold mine)
Burke and Taylor further note what has resulted from this: “Consequently, a generation of people began speaking about God in new ways not previously sanctioned by the consensual illusion–and traditional religious perspectives began to change as a result.”[4] (Bold mine)
Due to acceptance of the chameleon nature of AA’s “higher power,” our culture has been put at ease with custom-made gods and even with blended belief systems. Undeniably, Biblical Christianity has been greatly weakened.
This has always been the objective of the spiritual forces that created AA.[5] (Ephesians 6:12)
Yes, but what about the people helped by Alcoholics Anonymous? We should be grateful for the estimated five percent of alcoholics who do gain sobriety through AA. Yet, in terms of alcoholism, this success is in public relations and publicity rather than treatment effectiveness. Herein lies a real tragedy, because most believe only AA can help. Many who have quit drinking in another manner have been called “dry drunks” (not really sober) by AA members. This can be extremely hurtful.
AA’s teachings can also be terrifying. There are Christians in AA who fear to leave because they believe they will relapse unless AA and the 12 Steps are involved. And so, out of fear, they disobey Scripture, or rationalize reasons for remaining. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17, Galatians 1: 6-9, Amos 3:3) For others, AA has become an idol. For these people, it is more important to defend AA than to acknowledge what the Scriptures command.
In his book, The Sober Alcoholic, Irving Peter Gellman observes, “A member who suggests that AA is not as effective as maintained, and who implies that some improvement might be made, will be censured when broaching these ideas. The AA program is deemed infallible, whereas other methods are deemed less than perfect.”[6] (Bold mine.)
Like many in the Emergent and Contemplative movements, many–perhaps most– in AA who call Christ their “higher power” do not worship the Biblical Christ at all. This is not intended to offend those in 12 Step spirituality who do worship the God of the Bible, but true Christians desperately need to understand this. The 12 Steps are not our friend. Truly, Emergent, Contemplative and 12 Step spirituality are blending. Homospirituality grows daily as a religious force, and may ultimately merge with the other three systems.
As others have pointed out, wherever one finds the Emergent movement, there will also be found Contemplative Spirituality. Perhaps this will also be said of 12 Step spirituality in the near future. AA’s eleventh step states: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.”
Considering that AA’s Step Three allows the addict to make up, customize, or borrow any “god” that holds appeal, the act of opening oneself further through Step Eleven meditation can have very real spiritual consequences.
The contemplative roots of AA can be traced back to Frank Buchman and the Oxford Group.[7] Today these roots are being watered by many meditative and contemplative advocates.[8]
Brian McLaren calls himself a “contemplative/reflexive.”[9] While we must continue to expose the apostasy of Emergents such as McLaren, Spencer Burke, and Phyllis Tickle, it is time we listen to their unintended warning about the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
~For more info CLICK HERE~
Endnotes:
1. Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, pg.85-86
2. Ibid., pg. 86
3. Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor, A Heretics Guide To Eternity, pg. 34-35, foreword by Brian McClaren.
4. Ibid.
5. Seances, Spirits, and 12 Steps: http://mywordlikefire.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/seances-spirits-and-12-steps/
6. Irving Peter Gellman, The Sober Alcoholic
7. Alcoholics Anonymous and Contemplative Spirituality: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=1196
8. 12 Step Outreach: http://cp12stepoutreach.org/ 11th Step Meditation Newsletter http://www.11thstepmeditation.org/11th_step_meetings/overview.htm
9. Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, pg.226.
In his book, A New Kind of Christianity, Emergent leader Brian McLaren attacks Biblical understanding, and tries to revise both God and the Bible. In his chapter on reinterpreting God’s Word, he notes, “Even for those of us on this quest, breaking out of centuries-old habits won’t be easy…”[1]
In the same paragraph, McLaren makes an interesting statement. “No wonder those of us who want and need to change our approach may need to form twelve-step groups to deprogram our thinking.”[2] (Bold Mine)
Wait a minute. 12 Steps groups to help people reject the Bible as the literal Word of God?
Is this shocking? Hardly. McLaren knows this has already happened–and is continuing to happen–through both Christian and cultural acceptance of 12 Step spirituality. Unlike numerous Bible-believing pastors who allow 12 Step groups to meet in their churches, the Emergent leaders are clearly aware of what AA and other 12 Step groups have brought about.
McLaren wrote the foreword to A Heretic’s Guide To Eternity. In this book, Emergent authors Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor write, “As Phyllis Tickle [another Emergent leader] has noted, the development of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) probably did as much as other, more celebrated events to undermine our concept of religion. Emerging in the late 1930s, AA made it acceptable to talk about a generic God–a ‘higher power.’”[3] (Bold mine)
Burke and Taylor further note what has resulted from this: “Consequently, a generation of people began speaking about God in new ways not previously sanctioned by the consensual illusion–and traditional religious perspectives began to change as a result.”[4] (Bold mine)
Due to acceptance of the chameleon nature of AA’s “higher power,” our culture has been put at ease with custom-made gods and even with blended belief systems. Undeniably, Biblical Christianity has been greatly weakened.
This has always been the objective of the spiritual forces that created AA.[5] (Ephesians 6:12)
Yes, but what about the people helped by Alcoholics Anonymous? We should be grateful for the estimated five percent of alcoholics who do gain sobriety through AA. Yet, in terms of alcoholism, this success is in public relations and publicity rather than treatment effectiveness. Herein lies a real tragedy, because most believe only AA can help. Many who have quit drinking in another manner have been called “dry drunks” (not really sober) by AA members. This can be extremely hurtful.
AA’s teachings can also be terrifying. There are Christians in AA who fear to leave because they believe they will relapse unless AA and the 12 Steps are involved. And so, out of fear, they disobey Scripture, or rationalize reasons for remaining. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17, Galatians 1: 6-9, Amos 3:3) For others, AA has become an idol. For these people, it is more important to defend AA than to acknowledge what the Scriptures command.
In his book, The Sober Alcoholic, Irving Peter Gellman observes, “A member who suggests that AA is not as effective as maintained, and who implies that some improvement might be made, will be censured when broaching these ideas. The AA program is deemed infallible, whereas other methods are deemed less than perfect.”[6] (Bold mine.)
Like many in the Emergent and Contemplative movements, many–perhaps most– in AA who call Christ their “higher power” do not worship the Biblical Christ at all. This is not intended to offend those in 12 Step spirituality who do worship the God of the Bible, but true Christians desperately need to understand this. The 12 Steps are not our friend. Truly, Emergent, Contemplative and 12 Step spirituality are blending. Homospirituality grows daily as a religious force, and may ultimately merge with the other three systems.
As others have pointed out, wherever one finds the Emergent movement, there will also be found Contemplative Spirituality. Perhaps this will also be said of 12 Step spirituality in the near future. AA’s eleventh step states: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.”
Considering that AA’s Step Three allows the addict to make up, customize, or borrow any “god” that holds appeal, the act of opening oneself further through Step Eleven meditation can have very real spiritual consequences.
The contemplative roots of AA can be traced back to Frank Buchman and the Oxford Group.[7] Today these roots are being watered by many meditative and contemplative advocates.[8]
Brian McLaren calls himself a “contemplative/reflexive.”[9] While we must continue to expose the apostasy of Emergents such as McLaren, Spencer Burke, and Phyllis Tickle, it is time we listen to their unintended warning about the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
~For more info CLICK HERE~
Endnotes:
1. Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, pg.85-86
2. Ibid., pg. 86
3. Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor, A Heretics Guide To Eternity, pg. 34-35, foreword by Brian McClaren.
4. Ibid.
5. Seances, Spirits, and 12 Steps: http://mywordlikefire.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/seances-spirits-and-12-steps/
6. Irving Peter Gellman, The Sober Alcoholic
7. Alcoholics Anonymous and Contemplative Spirituality: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=1196
8. 12 Step Outreach: http://cp12stepoutreach.org/ 11th Step Meditation Newsletter http://www.11thstepmeditation.org/11th_step_meetings/overview.htm
9. Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, pg.226.
November 9, 2011
Teen Mania - How Truly "Christian" is it?
by Judie
The definition of Mania according to Webster is - excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood; specifically : the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm.
Is this what this group is promoting to teens?
MSNBC aired an expose' recently on the movement (I refuse to refer to it as a ministry) called 'Teen Mania', AKA, 'Acquire the Fire". Ron Luce, who is also a promoter of 'The Call's' Lou Engle, heads up this organization.
After watching the documentary I was so sickened by the display of this so-called Christian "training" that I thought it necessary to make people aware of what's really going on with this group. I know they've been around for awhile and had certainly heard of them, but I had no idea that this kind of treatment of teens was taking place within their ranks.
One disturbing fact among many, is that...according to the documentary, the cost to attend this school, and suffer the kind of abuse they provide, is a whooping $8,000! WOW, can you say chaaaa ching! Hmmm, I wonder what Jesus charged the disciples for the intense training they received during the years they spent in His "school"?
The documentary also stated that the teens are strongly persuaded to volunteer, under unpleasant conditions I might add, to fund-raise for 8-10
hours a day during part of their stay there. I have to say, that it's amazing to me that parents who are fully aware of what goes on actually PAY to send their young people to a place like this. A place where they are guilt-ed into a "system of works" instead of being taught to trust in Christ and His work on the Cross ALONE for their salvation and sanctification. Take note of some of the remarks made in the video and I think you'll plainly see why I make that comment.
In any event, my overall thoughts after watching the documentary are - WHY does the church continue to support and promote groups like this? What on earth does putting people through such RIDICULOUS tasks while demeaning and disrespecting them have to do with biblical Christianity? Did Jesus train and disciple the 12 this way? Hardly!
I mean, think about it, can you even remotely picture Peter, John, or any of the other 12 eating cat food and rolling down a hill in other people's vomit to "try" and improve their relationship with the Lord and others? How completely ludicrous is that? Yet, that's exactly what this sadly misguided group is teaching teens about what it means to serve and follow Christ. They are teaching them to "try" to improve themselves by trusting in their own "good works" instead of trusting the Lord to work His righteousness in them. What a seriously GROSS misrepresentation of God's grace and WHO the Lord truly is, not to mention HOW He really does work in our lives. My heart really goes out to those who've been exposed to and misled by groups such as this, and I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit is sorely grieved with the thoroughly WRONG concept of God that these vulnerable teens are being erroneously given.
WHEN will the church wake up and DO something about the many abuses and false teachings that take place under these spiritually bankrupt, inept leaders? How lukewarm and BLIND has the church become that they can truly no longer SEE what is happening right before their very eyes? Do most even care to see anymore? Definitely food for thought.
Okay, enough ranting. I realize we're living in the last days and as scripture says, false teachers will abound and "things will continue to grow worse and worse", but at times what I see going on in the church just gets TOO frustrating and upsetting and I have to let off some steam. Be that as it may, however, I guess all that's left to say is...God please help us to continue on the straight and narrow and to always stay true to your Word; and please put an end soon to this utter foolishness that takes place in your Name under the guise of biblical Christianity.
I've posted the video below to show some of what the teens are subjected to in the group's "ESOAL training". At the end there are other videos you can view as well if you'd like to gather more information, and/or do further research on the movement. In addition, if you google 'Teen Mania' you'll also find some Blogs that include testimonies of those who attended this school.
In closing, I'd like to include a special note to those who may be reading this that were victims of spiritual and mental abuse while attending Teen Mania - I pray that God will heal your heart and mind and that you will come to hear the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that the Lord will send you true leaders and shepherds who will uplift and encourage you...those who will genuinely care for your soul. Know that the Lord has NOT given up on you and that He loves you more than you can imagine. Lastly, please don't ever let what others do, no matter what label they choose to wear, cause you to give up on HIM! God bless.
Judie <><
The definition of Mania according to Webster is - excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood; specifically : the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm.
Is this what this group is promoting to teens?
MSNBC aired an expose' recently on the movement (I refuse to refer to it as a ministry) called 'Teen Mania', AKA, 'Acquire the Fire". Ron Luce, who is also a promoter of 'The Call's' Lou Engle, heads up this organization.
After watching the documentary I was so sickened by the display of this so-called Christian "training" that I thought it necessary to make people aware of what's really going on with this group. I know they've been around for awhile and had certainly heard of them, but I had no idea that this kind of treatment of teens was taking place within their ranks.
One disturbing fact among many, is that...according to the documentary, the cost to attend this school, and suffer the kind of abuse they provide, is a whooping $8,000! WOW, can you say chaaaa ching! Hmmm, I wonder what Jesus charged the disciples for the intense training they received during the years they spent in His "school"?
The documentary also stated that the teens are strongly persuaded to volunteer, under unpleasant conditions I might add, to fund-raise for 8-10
hours a day during part of their stay there. I have to say, that it's amazing to me that parents who are fully aware of what goes on actually PAY to send their young people to a place like this. A place where they are guilt-ed into a "system of works" instead of being taught to trust in Christ and His work on the Cross ALONE for their salvation and sanctification. Take note of some of the remarks made in the video and I think you'll plainly see why I make that comment.
In any event, my overall thoughts after watching the documentary are - WHY does the church continue to support and promote groups like this? What on earth does putting people through such RIDICULOUS tasks while demeaning and disrespecting them have to do with biblical Christianity? Did Jesus train and disciple the 12 this way? Hardly!
I mean, think about it, can you even remotely picture Peter, John, or any of the other 12 eating cat food and rolling down a hill in other people's vomit to "try" and improve their relationship with the Lord and others? How completely ludicrous is that? Yet, that's exactly what this sadly misguided group is teaching teens about what it means to serve and follow Christ. They are teaching them to "try" to improve themselves by trusting in their own "good works" instead of trusting the Lord to work His righteousness in them. What a seriously GROSS misrepresentation of God's grace and WHO the Lord truly is, not to mention HOW He really does work in our lives. My heart really goes out to those who've been exposed to and misled by groups such as this, and I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit is sorely grieved with the thoroughly WRONG concept of God that these vulnerable teens are being erroneously given.
WHEN will the church wake up and DO something about the many abuses and false teachings that take place under these spiritually bankrupt, inept leaders? How lukewarm and BLIND has the church become that they can truly no longer SEE what is happening right before their very eyes? Do most even care to see anymore? Definitely food for thought.
Okay, enough ranting. I realize we're living in the last days and as scripture says, false teachers will abound and "things will continue to grow worse and worse", but at times what I see going on in the church just gets TOO frustrating and upsetting and I have to let off some steam. Be that as it may, however, I guess all that's left to say is...God please help us to continue on the straight and narrow and to always stay true to your Word; and please put an end soon to this utter foolishness that takes place in your Name under the guise of biblical Christianity.
I've posted the video below to show some of what the teens are subjected to in the group's "ESOAL training". At the end there are other videos you can view as well if you'd like to gather more information, and/or do further research on the movement. In addition, if you google 'Teen Mania' you'll also find some Blogs that include testimonies of those who attended this school.
In closing, I'd like to include a special note to those who may be reading this that were victims of spiritual and mental abuse while attending Teen Mania - I pray that God will heal your heart and mind and that you will come to hear the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that the Lord will send you true leaders and shepherds who will uplift and encourage you...those who will genuinely care for your soul. Know that the Lord has NOT given up on you and that He loves you more than you can imagine. Lastly, please don't ever let what others do, no matter what label they choose to wear, cause you to give up on HIM! God bless.
Judie <><
November 1, 2011
Latter Rain: The Spawning of Apostasy
LTRP Note: The following article by Kevin Reeves describes the background of much of the Word-Faith, River movement, Latter Rain, IHOP, Joel’s Army, Apostles and Prophets movement, etc. taking place today. Todd Bentley, Rick Joyner, John Wimber, and many others have risen out of the 1940s Latter Rain movement. Followers believe that the Latter Rain “revival” is the latter rain referred to in such Scriptures as Jeremiah 3:3, Joel 2:23, and Hosea 6:3. These movements have now intersected with the contemplative prayer movement; now combined with Purpose Driven, the emerging church, Willow Creek, etc. a powerful mystical body is merging as an apostate, end-time church.
“The Headwaters of the River”
by Kevin Reeves
In February of 1948 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, a community of believers met to seek God for His power. A power did manifest. Miracles were reported, and Christians from all over set out on a pilgrimage to get this power. The Latter Rain movement emerged full-blown, evidencing supposed signs and wonders, prophetic utterances, and impartations via the laying on of hands. The movement was also marked with a spirit of elitism, false prophecies, and an inbred authority structure based upon the new “word of the Lord.” When the Christian community was faced with the decision between solid biblical teaching and awe-inspiring miracles, many swung their legs over the fence of indecision and jumped with both feet into one of the first major 20th century tributaries of the “River.” The reasoning went that a new thing, based on the prophecy in Isaiah 43:18-19, had sprung up. All concerns about doctrine or practice could be dealt with sometime down the road, if at all. The pendulum had swung from the Word to experience as the final arbiter.
What many do not realize is that two issues factored heavily into this revival. The first is that a 1946 book written by Franklin Hall, called Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer,1 was read and promoted by the revival’s leaders. The other is that one of the foremost prophets of the era, William Branham, had imparted his ministry power through the laying on of hands to some of those involved in this revival. His teachings were a strong determining factor in the Saskatchewan revival’s course.
The Franklin Hall book is a strong call to return the church to a pattern of fasting and prayer. While the premise of fasting is itself biblical, the book strangely asserted that without the discipline of fasting, prayer goes unanswered. As proof, Hall even cites the answered prayer received by pagans offering supplications to their false gods. In his excellent analysis of Dominion doctrine and practice, Vengeance Is Ours: The Church in Dominion, noted Christian researcher Al Dager astutely observes:
If we analyze Hall’s claims, we must come to the conclusion that those who pray to demons will have their prayers answered if they fast, but Christians will not have their prayers answered if they don’t fast. At the least, it seems, they would be hindered greatly.2
In another of Hall’s books, he wrote that the church would eventually produce an elite group of overcomers with the power to defy the laws of gravity, to walk upside down, and even attain to present immortality. He also spoke of a shining gold dust appearing on the skin of believers. Interesting that reports of this kind of phenomena have been circulating in River churches–even though at least one chemically-analyzed “gold dust” sample proved to be nothing more than children’s plastic glitter.3
William Branham, called by some in today’s prophetic ministries the greatest prophet to have ever lived, had also drunk deeply of Hall’s teachings, including Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer. Emerging into the late 1940s spotlight with a reputation for accurate words of knowledge and miraculous healing power, Branham astounded the multitudes. It was said he could tell a person he’d never before met what conversations the person had and the situation which he was facing, and he could speak restoration to a chronically diseased part of the body and heal it. He made it known that he was a prophet of the Lord, and his preaching drew the crowds. But what those same crowds didn’t generally hear were some of his other pet doctrines.
Branham taught that Satan had sex with Eve in the Garden of Eden, and Cain was the result of that union. He taught that he himself was the seventh angel of the book of Revelation, that he was Elijah the prophet, and that a belief in the Trinity was of the devil. But as long as he kept these beliefs under his hat and continued to wow the mob, the invitations to speak at churches worldwide kept pouring in.
His life certainly appeared marked by the miraculous. And Branham had no hesitation to say so. His testimony included a halo around him at his birth, and an actual photo of him in later life shows what appears to be a ring of light around his head while he stands at the pulpit preaching. It’s what his followers have sometimes called The Pillar of Fire. This strange phenomenon supposedly happened in grander manifestation on June 11, 1933 as Branham was baptizing converts in the Ohio River near Jefferson, Indiana. Hearing a voice tell him to look up, Branham beheld a mysterious, star-like light in the sky, which rapidly descended until it rested just above him. Some in the crowd of 4,000 fell in worship, others ran in terror. The voice commissioned Branham, telling him that as John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah, so Branham would be the forerunner of Christ’s second coming.
On February 28, 1963 a few miles from Tucson, Arizona, an immense, bright ring of cloud appeared in the clear sky. Branham claimed he was caught up into its midst where it turned out to be “seven mighty angels” who had appeared to give him yet another divine commission; this time he was to make known to the church the mystery of the seven seals of the book of Revelation.4
Taken at face value, this means that the incomplete church had waited two thousand years for Branham to appear on the scene.
A presence made itself known around Branham throughout his life. He had been followed since childhood by a spiritual being that, when Branham reached manhood, manifested as a young man with long hair and flowing robes. Stepping out from a ball of brilliant light, this being commissioned him to go out and heal the afflicted and said that he would know of diseases present that affected an individual by vibrations in his left hand. Branham also claimed to have been given another spiritual gift–he would know what was in the hearts of men.5
Killed by injuries received in an automobile collision in 1965, Branham has physically faded from the scene, but his legacy of incredible tales, supernatural signs, and prophetic anointing lives on. He has a following to this day.
Branham’s tradition of sensing the anointing in one’s hands is something that continues as well. Many of those within the old Latter Rain ranks, and in the Faith Movement that followed, claim heat or vibrations in their hands which they believe indicates the presence of God for healing…. While Branham and Latter Rain proponents claimed allegiance to God’s inerrant Word, their practices and peculiar doctrines denied it. Here are some of the basic beliefs they do adhere to:
* A great, end-times army will arise and take authority over the earth, putting Satan and his minions under their feet.
*The last days remnant of the true church (meaning those adhering to the Latter Rain doctrine) are the elite.
* Specific desirable anointings can be imparted from person to person by the laying on of hands.
* The church needs to experience restoration of all the gifts and revelation knowledge of who we really are in order to walk in fullness of power and finally be complete.
* Modern apostles and prophets must be set up in the church and the elect must submit to them.
* Restoration of the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11 must take place for that authority structure to be erected.
* The church must come into complete physical unity.
* The rapture of believers is a myth, spawned by Satan to corral the church into a retreat mentality.
Some Latter Rain adherents no longer wait with yearning for the redemption of our bodies at the Second Coming. Now, in place of the rapture, they teach to expect Christ to come in us, instead of for us.
According to the Bible, believers in the last days are not, in triumph, going to make the nations fall at their feet (Matthew 24:9). And as for the need for restoration of revelation knowledge in order to be complete–we’ve always been complete in Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:10). We have always had all the authority (Matthew 28:18; Titus 2:11-15), gifts, and revelation knowledge needed to live righteous before Him and be witnesses of Christ before a lost world (II Peter 1:3)…. The God of the Bible is big enough to carry on the work of the Spirit’s empowering throughout world history. He doesn’t need to create it over and over, as Latter Rain doctrine insists. The canon of Scripture is forever closed. Prophets, by their pronouncements, add to the Bible. This was their purpose before the complete written testimony was set down. There is nothing lacking in the scriptural record. Today’s supposed prophets add to the Bible. While they vehemently deny this, a quick glance at their words from the Lord is enough evidence to stop them cold.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Timothy 4:3-4)
(excerpt from The Other Side of the River, pp. 171-176)
Notes:
1. Franklin Hall, Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer, 1946.
2. Albert James Dager, Vengeance is Ours (Redmond, WA: Sword Publishers, 1990). p. 51.
3. Mary Owen, “Oregon church says gold dust, feathers fell during meetings” (Charisma magazine, September 2000, http://www. charisma mag.com /display.php?id=517, accessed 02/07); also see “There’s Gold in Them Thar Teeth” by Mike Oppenheimer, http://www.letusreason.org/Pent5.htm, accessed 02/07.
4. Mike Oppenheimer, “The Teachings of ‘the Prophet’ William Branham” (Let Us Reason ministries, http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain4.htm, accessed on 01/07).
5. Ibid. For photos, history and detailed information on William Branham, see http://www.biblebelievers.org.
“The Headwaters of the River”
by Kevin Reeves
In February of 1948 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, a community of believers met to seek God for His power. A power did manifest. Miracles were reported, and Christians from all over set out on a pilgrimage to get this power. The Latter Rain movement emerged full-blown, evidencing supposed signs and wonders, prophetic utterances, and impartations via the laying on of hands. The movement was also marked with a spirit of elitism, false prophecies, and an inbred authority structure based upon the new “word of the Lord.” When the Christian community was faced with the decision between solid biblical teaching and awe-inspiring miracles, many swung their legs over the fence of indecision and jumped with both feet into one of the first major 20th century tributaries of the “River.” The reasoning went that a new thing, based on the prophecy in Isaiah 43:18-19, had sprung up. All concerns about doctrine or practice could be dealt with sometime down the road, if at all. The pendulum had swung from the Word to experience as the final arbiter.
What many do not realize is that two issues factored heavily into this revival. The first is that a 1946 book written by Franklin Hall, called Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer,1 was read and promoted by the revival’s leaders. The other is that one of the foremost prophets of the era, William Branham, had imparted his ministry power through the laying on of hands to some of those involved in this revival. His teachings were a strong determining factor in the Saskatchewan revival’s course.
The Franklin Hall book is a strong call to return the church to a pattern of fasting and prayer. While the premise of fasting is itself biblical, the book strangely asserted that without the discipline of fasting, prayer goes unanswered. As proof, Hall even cites the answered prayer received by pagans offering supplications to their false gods. In his excellent analysis of Dominion doctrine and practice, Vengeance Is Ours: The Church in Dominion, noted Christian researcher Al Dager astutely observes:
If we analyze Hall’s claims, we must come to the conclusion that those who pray to demons will have their prayers answered if they fast, but Christians will not have their prayers answered if they don’t fast. At the least, it seems, they would be hindered greatly.2
In another of Hall’s books, he wrote that the church would eventually produce an elite group of overcomers with the power to defy the laws of gravity, to walk upside down, and even attain to present immortality. He also spoke of a shining gold dust appearing on the skin of believers. Interesting that reports of this kind of phenomena have been circulating in River churches–even though at least one chemically-analyzed “gold dust” sample proved to be nothing more than children’s plastic glitter.3
William Branham, called by some in today’s prophetic ministries the greatest prophet to have ever lived, had also drunk deeply of Hall’s teachings, including Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer. Emerging into the late 1940s spotlight with a reputation for accurate words of knowledge and miraculous healing power, Branham astounded the multitudes. It was said he could tell a person he’d never before met what conversations the person had and the situation which he was facing, and he could speak restoration to a chronically diseased part of the body and heal it. He made it known that he was a prophet of the Lord, and his preaching drew the crowds. But what those same crowds didn’t generally hear were some of his other pet doctrines.
Branham taught that Satan had sex with Eve in the Garden of Eden, and Cain was the result of that union. He taught that he himself was the seventh angel of the book of Revelation, that he was Elijah the prophet, and that a belief in the Trinity was of the devil. But as long as he kept these beliefs under his hat and continued to wow the mob, the invitations to speak at churches worldwide kept pouring in.
His life certainly appeared marked by the miraculous. And Branham had no hesitation to say so. His testimony included a halo around him at his birth, and an actual photo of him in later life shows what appears to be a ring of light around his head while he stands at the pulpit preaching. It’s what his followers have sometimes called The Pillar of Fire. This strange phenomenon supposedly happened in grander manifestation on June 11, 1933 as Branham was baptizing converts in the Ohio River near Jefferson, Indiana. Hearing a voice tell him to look up, Branham beheld a mysterious, star-like light in the sky, which rapidly descended until it rested just above him. Some in the crowd of 4,000 fell in worship, others ran in terror. The voice commissioned Branham, telling him that as John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah, so Branham would be the forerunner of Christ’s second coming.
On February 28, 1963 a few miles from Tucson, Arizona, an immense, bright ring of cloud appeared in the clear sky. Branham claimed he was caught up into its midst where it turned out to be “seven mighty angels” who had appeared to give him yet another divine commission; this time he was to make known to the church the mystery of the seven seals of the book of Revelation.4
Taken at face value, this means that the incomplete church had waited two thousand years for Branham to appear on the scene.
A presence made itself known around Branham throughout his life. He had been followed since childhood by a spiritual being that, when Branham reached manhood, manifested as a young man with long hair and flowing robes. Stepping out from a ball of brilliant light, this being commissioned him to go out and heal the afflicted and said that he would know of diseases present that affected an individual by vibrations in his left hand. Branham also claimed to have been given another spiritual gift–he would know what was in the hearts of men.5
Killed by injuries received in an automobile collision in 1965, Branham has physically faded from the scene, but his legacy of incredible tales, supernatural signs, and prophetic anointing lives on. He has a following to this day.
Branham’s tradition of sensing the anointing in one’s hands is something that continues as well. Many of those within the old Latter Rain ranks, and in the Faith Movement that followed, claim heat or vibrations in their hands which they believe indicates the presence of God for healing…. While Branham and Latter Rain proponents claimed allegiance to God’s inerrant Word, their practices and peculiar doctrines denied it. Here are some of the basic beliefs they do adhere to:
* A great, end-times army will arise and take authority over the earth, putting Satan and his minions under their feet.
*The last days remnant of the true church (meaning those adhering to the Latter Rain doctrine) are the elite.
* Specific desirable anointings can be imparted from person to person by the laying on of hands.
* The church needs to experience restoration of all the gifts and revelation knowledge of who we really are in order to walk in fullness of power and finally be complete.
* Modern apostles and prophets must be set up in the church and the elect must submit to them.
* Restoration of the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11 must take place for that authority structure to be erected.
* The church must come into complete physical unity.
* The rapture of believers is a myth, spawned by Satan to corral the church into a retreat mentality.
Some Latter Rain adherents no longer wait with yearning for the redemption of our bodies at the Second Coming. Now, in place of the rapture, they teach to expect Christ to come in us, instead of for us.
According to the Bible, believers in the last days are not, in triumph, going to make the nations fall at their feet (Matthew 24:9). And as for the need for restoration of revelation knowledge in order to be complete–we’ve always been complete in Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:10). We have always had all the authority (Matthew 28:18; Titus 2:11-15), gifts, and revelation knowledge needed to live righteous before Him and be witnesses of Christ before a lost world (II Peter 1:3)…. The God of the Bible is big enough to carry on the work of the Spirit’s empowering throughout world history. He doesn’t need to create it over and over, as Latter Rain doctrine insists. The canon of Scripture is forever closed. Prophets, by their pronouncements, add to the Bible. This was their purpose before the complete written testimony was set down. There is nothing lacking in the scriptural record. Today’s supposed prophets add to the Bible. While they vehemently deny this, a quick glance at their words from the Lord is enough evidence to stop them cold.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Timothy 4:3-4)
(excerpt from The Other Side of the River, pp. 171-176)
Notes:
1. Franklin Hall, Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer, 1946.
2. Albert James Dager, Vengeance is Ours (Redmond, WA: Sword Publishers, 1990). p. 51.
3. Mary Owen, “Oregon church says gold dust, feathers fell during meetings” (Charisma magazine, September 2000, http://www. charisma mag.com /display.php?id=517, accessed 02/07); also see “There’s Gold in Them Thar Teeth” by Mike Oppenheimer, http://www.letusreason.org/Pent5.htm, accessed 02/07.
4. Mike Oppenheimer, “The Teachings of ‘the Prophet’ William Branham” (Let Us Reason ministries, http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain4.htm, accessed on 01/07).
5. Ibid. For photos, history and detailed information on William Branham, see http://www.biblebelievers.org.
October 15, 2011
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October 13, 2011
Picture of a Prophet
By Leonard Ravenhill
The prophet in his day is fully accepted of God and totally rejected by
men.
Years back, Dr. Gregory Mantle was right when he said, "No man can be
fully accepted until he is totally rejected." The prophet of the Lord is
aware of both these experiences. They are his "brand name."
The group, challenged by the prophet because they are smug and comfortably
insulated from a perishing world in their warm but untested theology, is
not likely to vote him "Man of the year" when he refers to them as
habituates of the synagogue of Satan!
The prophet comes to set up that which is upset. His work is to call into
line those who are out of line! He is unpopular because he opposes the
popular in morality and spirituality. In a day of faceless politicians and
voiceless preachers, there is not a more urgent national need than that we
cry to God for a prophet! The function of the prophet, as Austin-Sparks
once said, "has almost always been that of recovery."
The prophet is God's detective seeking for a lost treasure. The degree of
his effectiveness is determined by his measure of unpopularity. Compromise
is not known to him.
He has no price tags.
He is totally "otherworldly."
He is unquestionably controversial and unpardonably hostile.
He marches to another drummer!
He breathes the rarefied air of inspiration.
He is a "seer" who comes to lead the blind.
He lives in the heights of God and comes into the valley with a "thus saith
the Lord."
He shares some of the foreknowledge of God and so is aware of
impending judgment.
He lives in "splendid isolation."
He is forthright and outright, but he claims no birthright.
His message is "repent, be reconciled to God or else...!"
His prophecies are parried.
His truth brings torment, but his voice is never void.
He is the villain of today and the hero of tomorrow.
He is excommunicated while alive and exalted when dead!
He is dishonored with epithets when breathing and honored with
epitaphs when dead.
He is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but few "make the grade" in his class.
He is friendless while living and famous when dead.
He is against the establishment in ministry; then he is established
as a saint by posterity.
He eats daily the bread of affliction while he ministers, but he
feeds the Bread of Life to those who listen.
He walks before men for days but has walked before God for years.
He is a scourge to the nation before he is scourged by the nation.
He announces, pronounces, and denounces!
He has a heart like a volcano and his words are as fire.
He talks to men about God.
He carries the lamp of truth amongst heretics while he is lampooned
by men.
He faces God before he faces men, but he is self-effacing.
He hides with God in the secret place, but he has nothing to hide in the marketplace.
He is naturally sensitive but supernaturally spiritual.
He has passion, purpose and pugnacity.
He is ordained of God but disdained by men.
Our national need at this hour is not that the dollar recover its
strength, or that we save face over the Watergate affair, or that we find
the answer to the ecology problem. We need a God-sent prophet!
I am bombarded with talk or letters about the coming shortages in our
national life: bread, fuel, energy. I read between the lines from people
not practiced in scaring folk. They feel that the "seven years of plenty"
are over for us. The "seven years of famine" are ahead. But the greatest
famine of all in this nation at this given moment is a FAMINE OF THE
HEARING OF THE WORDS OF GOD (Amos 8:11).
Millions have been spent on evangelism in the last twenty-five years.
Hundreds of gospel messages streak through the air over the nation every
day. Crusades have been held; healing meetings have made a vital
contribution. "Come-outers" have "come out" and settled, too, without a
nation-shaking revival. Organizers we have. Skilled preachers abound.
Multi-million dollar Christian organizations straddle the nation. BUT
where, oh where, is the prophet? Where are the incandescent men fresh from
the holy place? Where is the Moses to plead in fasting before the holiness
of the Lord for our moldy morality, our political perfidy, and sour and
sick spirituality?
GOD'S MEN ARE IN HIDING UNTIL THE DAY OF THEIR SHOWING FORTH.
They will come. The prophet is violated during his ministry, but he is
vindicated by history.
There is a terrible vacuum in evangelical Christianity today. The missing
person in our ranks is the prophet. The man with a terrible earnestness.
The man totally otherworldly. The man rejected by other men, even other
good men, because they consider him too austere, too severely committed,
too negative and unsociable.
Let him be as plain as John the Baptist.
Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modern
theology and stagnant "churchianity."
Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle.
Let him, too, say and live, "This ONE thing I do."
Let him reject ecclesiastical favors.
Let him be self-abasing, nonself-seeking, nonself-projecting,
nonself- righteous, nonself-glorying, nonself-promoting.
Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself but only that
which will move men to God.
Let him come daily from the throne room of a holy God, the place
where he has received the order of the day.
Let him, under God, unstop the ears of the millions who are deaf
through the clatter of shekels milked from this hour of material mesmerism.
Let him cry with a voice this century has not heard because he has
seen a vision no man in this century has seen. God send us this Moses
to lead us from the wilderness of crass materialism, where the rattlesnakes
of lust bite us and where enlightened men, totally blind spiritually, lead
us to an ever-nearing Armageddon.
God have mercy! Send us PROPHETS!
COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS: This data file is the sole
property of Leonard Ravenhill. It may not be altered or edited in
any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation
as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file
must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1994 by
Leonard Ravenhill."). This data file may not be used without the
permission of Leonard Ravenhill for resale or the enhancement of any
other product sold. This includes all of its content with the exception
of a few brief quotations. Please give the following source credit:
Copyright (C) 1994 by Leonard Ravenhill, Lindale Texas -
http://www.ravenhill.org
The prophet in his day is fully accepted of God and totally rejected by
men.
Years back, Dr. Gregory Mantle was right when he said, "No man can be
fully accepted until he is totally rejected." The prophet of the Lord is
aware of both these experiences. They are his "brand name."
The group, challenged by the prophet because they are smug and comfortably
insulated from a perishing world in their warm but untested theology, is
not likely to vote him "Man of the year" when he refers to them as
habituates of the synagogue of Satan!
The prophet comes to set up that which is upset. His work is to call into
line those who are out of line! He is unpopular because he opposes the
popular in morality and spirituality. In a day of faceless politicians and
voiceless preachers, there is not a more urgent national need than that we
cry to God for a prophet! The function of the prophet, as Austin-Sparks
once said, "has almost always been that of recovery."
The prophet is God's detective seeking for a lost treasure. The degree of
his effectiveness is determined by his measure of unpopularity. Compromise
is not known to him.
He has no price tags.
He is totally "otherworldly."
He is unquestionably controversial and unpardonably hostile.
He marches to another drummer!
He breathes the rarefied air of inspiration.
He is a "seer" who comes to lead the blind.
He lives in the heights of God and comes into the valley with a "thus saith
the Lord."
He shares some of the foreknowledge of God and so is aware of
impending judgment.
He lives in "splendid isolation."
He is forthright and outright, but he claims no birthright.
His message is "repent, be reconciled to God or else...!"
His prophecies are parried.
His truth brings torment, but his voice is never void.
He is the villain of today and the hero of tomorrow.
He is excommunicated while alive and exalted when dead!
He is dishonored with epithets when breathing and honored with
epitaphs when dead.
He is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but few "make the grade" in his class.
He is friendless while living and famous when dead.
He is against the establishment in ministry; then he is established
as a saint by posterity.
He eats daily the bread of affliction while he ministers, but he
feeds the Bread of Life to those who listen.
He walks before men for days but has walked before God for years.
He is a scourge to the nation before he is scourged by the nation.
He announces, pronounces, and denounces!
He has a heart like a volcano and his words are as fire.
He talks to men about God.
He carries the lamp of truth amongst heretics while he is lampooned
by men.
He faces God before he faces men, but he is self-effacing.
He hides with God in the secret place, but he has nothing to hide in the marketplace.
He is naturally sensitive but supernaturally spiritual.
He has passion, purpose and pugnacity.
He is ordained of God but disdained by men.
Our national need at this hour is not that the dollar recover its
strength, or that we save face over the Watergate affair, or that we find
the answer to the ecology problem. We need a God-sent prophet!
I am bombarded with talk or letters about the coming shortages in our
national life: bread, fuel, energy. I read between the lines from people
not practiced in scaring folk. They feel that the "seven years of plenty"
are over for us. The "seven years of famine" are ahead. But the greatest
famine of all in this nation at this given moment is a FAMINE OF THE
HEARING OF THE WORDS OF GOD (Amos 8:11).
Millions have been spent on evangelism in the last twenty-five years.
Hundreds of gospel messages streak through the air over the nation every
day. Crusades have been held; healing meetings have made a vital
contribution. "Come-outers" have "come out" and settled, too, without a
nation-shaking revival. Organizers we have. Skilled preachers abound.
Multi-million dollar Christian organizations straddle the nation. BUT
where, oh where, is the prophet? Where are the incandescent men fresh from
the holy place? Where is the Moses to plead in fasting before the holiness
of the Lord for our moldy morality, our political perfidy, and sour and
sick spirituality?
GOD'S MEN ARE IN HIDING UNTIL THE DAY OF THEIR SHOWING FORTH.
They will come. The prophet is violated during his ministry, but he is
vindicated by history.
There is a terrible vacuum in evangelical Christianity today. The missing
person in our ranks is the prophet. The man with a terrible earnestness.
The man totally otherworldly. The man rejected by other men, even other
good men, because they consider him too austere, too severely committed,
too negative and unsociable.
Let him be as plain as John the Baptist.
Let him for a season be a voice crying in the wilderness of modern
theology and stagnant "churchianity."
Let him be as selfless as Paul the apostle.
Let him, too, say and live, "This ONE thing I do."
Let him reject ecclesiastical favors.
Let him be self-abasing, nonself-seeking, nonself-projecting,
nonself- righteous, nonself-glorying, nonself-promoting.
Let him say nothing that will draw men to himself but only that
which will move men to God.
Let him come daily from the throne room of a holy God, the place
where he has received the order of the day.
Let him, under God, unstop the ears of the millions who are deaf
through the clatter of shekels milked from this hour of material mesmerism.
Let him cry with a voice this century has not heard because he has
seen a vision no man in this century has seen. God send us this Moses
to lead us from the wilderness of crass materialism, where the rattlesnakes
of lust bite us and where enlightened men, totally blind spiritually, lead
us to an ever-nearing Armageddon.
God have mercy! Send us PROPHETS!
COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS: This data file is the sole
property of Leonard Ravenhill. It may not be altered or edited in
any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation
as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file
must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1994 by
Leonard Ravenhill."). This data file may not be used without the
permission of Leonard Ravenhill for resale or the enhancement of any
other product sold. This includes all of its content with the exception
of a few brief quotations. Please give the following source credit:
Copyright (C) 1994 by Leonard Ravenhill, Lindale Texas -
http://www.ravenhill.org
October 5, 2011
I ONCE LONGED FOR NEW THINGS TO OBEY
Excellent word by Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church!
Recently I have been studying the lives of Bible characters who started out well yet finished poorly. I began in full-time ministry when I was 33 years old and I am now 57. It has been an incredible journey and I know that I have been supernaturally helped all along the way. However, I noticed in the Scriptures that many men who walked mightily with God seemed to falter in the latter part of their lives. I do not know about you, but I certainly do not want to finish poorly and look back with regret at the end of this journey.
I believe that one way to avoid the pitfalls is to study the Scriptures with an open heart, for as Paul told Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The word perfect conveys the meaning of being brought to where God wants us to be—into His perfect will for each of our lives.
UZZIAH
Uzziah began his reign over Judah at the age of sixteen and ruled for fifty-two years, only to end up a leper. In his early days, he walked in the ways of God, “...and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper” (2 Chronicles 26:5). Uzziah was given a brilliant intellect and the ability to lead the people into a period of peace and advancement for the kingdom of God.
“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense” (2 Chronicles 26:16). It is almost unthinkable that Uzziah would do such a thing. As king, he must have known that he had no authority to go into the temple and do what God reserved strictly for the priesthood. I personally do not know how to understand this other than to conclude that Uzziah must have lost the fear of God.
There is great danger in assuming that the Lord will no longer hold us accountable for what we do after having walked in the blessing of God for many years, knowing nothing but His kindness and favor. Suddenly the things we ran from in our youth somehow seem right in our eyes. It is part of that fallen human nature that ultimately wants to be its own god and determine what is good and what is evil, even if it is completely contrary to God’s Word. Perhaps this applies to you today—you have walked with God for years, experiencing His blessing and favor. Yet now you are worshiping in church while doing something that you clearly know is a violation of the Word of God. However, you mistakenly assume in your heart that you will not be held accountable.
When Azariah and the other priests went in after Uzziah to withstand him, “Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death...” (2 Chronicles 26:19–21).
Imagine, fifty-two years of history wiped out by one foolish act! There should have been a glorious conclusion to Uzziah’s life, but instead he ended up in a leper colony, literally put away by the hand of God. The leprosy on his forehead was a type, of the disease that had taken hold of his mind. When you have walked for a long time in the blessing of the Lord, beware! Beware of the casualness; beware of assuming that because God has blessed you for so long, you are now free to do what you once knew was sin and somehow not suffer any consequences.
ASA
Asa was another king of Judah who had a promising beginning. “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves” (2 Chronicles 14:2–3). Asa started out with a desire to do things God’s way. He wholeheartedly served the Lord and led others into obedience, and the people built and prospered under his leadership. When the Ethiopian army came against the people of Judah with almost two-to-one odds, Asa went straight to prayer. “Lord, it does not really matter how many of them there are or how weak we are. If You are in this, we are going to win the battle, and we are going to fight it for Your glory” (see 2 Chronicles 14:11). So the Lord smote the Ethiopians.
Similarly, you have walked in impossible places. You have faced trials and times in your life when you knew you were powerless to get out of what held you captive. Yet you went into the prayer closet and cried, “Lord, I know I am weak, but it doesn’t matter because the power of Your Holy Spirit is on me. For the glory of Your name, take me out of this place and into where You want me to go!” And God did exactly that, opening the door of impossibility.
Later, during the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, the northern kingdom of Israel came and built a fortified city against one of the areas of Judah. Despite witnessing the faithfulness of God over and over, suddenly we see a turn in Asa. He did go into the house of the Lord, but this time he did not go there to pray that God would once again glorify His name in an impossible situation. Rather, Asa went into the house of the Lord to take out the treasures so he could hire a foreign army to help fight against his enemy.
Accepting Asa’s offer of silver and gold, the Syrian king sent the captains of his armies to come to Judah’s aid, causing the northern kingdom to retreat. “Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah” (2 Chronicles 16:6). It all certainly looked successful—they won again and outsmarted the enemy. Asa may have even given some credit to God for this. The people of Judah took down the fortified city that was being built against them and used the stones to build additional places of habitation for the people of God in Judah. What possible problem could God have with this?
CUTTING OFF YOUR OWN STRENGTH
“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand...Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:7, 9). It all had an appearance of success, but the prophet of God said, “No! It is not success, it is foolishness. You began in the Spirit with a wholehearted trust in God, but you have turned to the flesh, scheming and reasoning how to get through. You have literally cut off the source of your own strength, and now the end result is that you are going to have trouble for the rest of your life.”
After so many years of walking with the Lord, Asa should have been open to correction. One would think that he would have fallen on his face before the Lord in repentance. But we read in verse 10, “Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house.” In other words, he locked away the voice of correction and now held the key to what could and could not be spoken.
That is exactly what the backslidden Christian will always do with the voice of God. He will come into church and conclude, “If the pastor speaks this, then I will let him out and listen. If he doesn’t, I will lock him up again. I will choose what is truth; I will choose when to bend my knee. No one has the right to tell me that what I am doing is wrong after all these years of walking with God!”
How dangerous it is when we become angry with spiritual authority! Asa probably continued to smile and walk regally and royally, yet he was filled with rage. He could not escape the thought that he was rebuked, which is often the dilemma of those who have long walked with God.
DEAD INSIDE
“And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the physicians” (2 Chronicles 16:12). Uzziah was diseased in his forehead because his mind had turned against the ways of God and here we see Asa diseased in his feet because he was pursuing a direction contrary to God’s desire. However, God’s incredible mercy is still evident. As the psalmist said, “I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me” (Psalms 119:75). God faithfully allowed this ailment in order to prompt Asa to turn back to Him.
If something has come into your life that you do not understand, I encourage you to stop for a moment. Consider that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28). Could it be that God has allowed this circumstance in your life in order to stop you from making a foolish decision? If only Asa had turned to God and asked, “Lord, why are my feet diseased?” I am sure the Lord would have sent a prophet to him if he could not discern the answer for himself. He would have heard, “You are walking on the wrong path! You are walking in the flesh. You started in the Spirit but now you are walking in your own strength!”
“And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him” (2 Chronicles 16:13–14). Here we see a picture of what happens when you lose dependence on the Holy Spirit. You look good, you smell sweet, but in reality you are very, very dead. The Lord said to one of the churches in the book of Revelation, “...Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1). The word dead means “cut off from the enlivening influence of the Holy Spirit.” It is that simple. You are now walking in the flesh. You have learned how to sing the songs, clap your hands, shout at the right time, get to church on time—yet you are cut off from the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit. That is exactly how Asa ended up!
RENEWING THE ALTAR
I believe at a significant point during Asa’s reign he could have avoided the disease in his feet just by staying on the right path. “And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God...But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them...And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 15:1–8).
God has been showing me one of the keys to not finishing poorly as Asa did. He renewed the altar of the Lord! The Bible describes the altar as the place where we lay our lives down as a living sacrifice for the purposes of God. It is where we agree that we should not live according to our thoughts, our way, or our will, but the Lord’s.
It is time to renew the altar. It is time to get back to that place where you once shunned all evil and embraced good—that altar! Where your heart burned when you read the Word of God because you knew it was your life and your hope—that altar! Remember when your eyes would fill with tears at the mention of Jesus’ name? Remember when you considered that being a servant was the highest calling? Get back! Get back to the place where you once longed for new things to obey—where your heart’s cry was, “Lord, what would you have me do? I want to be at work in Your kingdom. It doesn’t matter what it is—it doesn’t have to be big—it can be a broom! Just let me glorify You!”
Notice also that before he renewed the altar of the Lord, Asa took courage and put away all the idols in the land. Today, if you have doubtful practices in your life, put them away. If you have embraced sin, erroneously believing that there will be no judgment for it, flee from it as quickly as you can. Walk in what is right and do not ever lose the fear of God. Do not get to the place where you cannot be corrected—where you fail because of success; where you falter because there has been a history of faithfulness. God is wonderful, loving, just, and kind, but you cannot mock Him. You cannot play games with a holy God—there must be honesty in the heart.
Perhaps you have put away all the known idols in your life, yet you still find yourself with no passion for the things of God. If this is where you are today, your only hope is to come to God and say, “Oh, Lord, help me to renew the altar. Bring me back to the place where I counted it a privilege to lay down my life. Bring me back to the place where I once longed for new things to obey!” As you come to the Lord with an honest cry in your heart, He will answer you. He will see to it that you not only start well, but that you finish the race with your hands raised, with a crown of righteousness laid up for you, and your voice giving Him praise! Hallelujah!
Carter Conlon
©2011 Times Square Church
Recently I have been studying the lives of Bible characters who started out well yet finished poorly. I began in full-time ministry when I was 33 years old and I am now 57. It has been an incredible journey and I know that I have been supernaturally helped all along the way. However, I noticed in the Scriptures that many men who walked mightily with God seemed to falter in the latter part of their lives. I do not know about you, but I certainly do not want to finish poorly and look back with regret at the end of this journey.
I believe that one way to avoid the pitfalls is to study the Scriptures with an open heart, for as Paul told Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The word perfect conveys the meaning of being brought to where God wants us to be—into His perfect will for each of our lives.
UZZIAH
Uzziah began his reign over Judah at the age of sixteen and ruled for fifty-two years, only to end up a leper. In his early days, he walked in the ways of God, “...and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper” (2 Chronicles 26:5). Uzziah was given a brilliant intellect and the ability to lead the people into a period of peace and advancement for the kingdom of God.
“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense” (2 Chronicles 26:16). It is almost unthinkable that Uzziah would do such a thing. As king, he must have known that he had no authority to go into the temple and do what God reserved strictly for the priesthood. I personally do not know how to understand this other than to conclude that Uzziah must have lost the fear of God.
There is great danger in assuming that the Lord will no longer hold us accountable for what we do after having walked in the blessing of God for many years, knowing nothing but His kindness and favor. Suddenly the things we ran from in our youth somehow seem right in our eyes. It is part of that fallen human nature that ultimately wants to be its own god and determine what is good and what is evil, even if it is completely contrary to God’s Word. Perhaps this applies to you today—you have walked with God for years, experiencing His blessing and favor. Yet now you are worshiping in church while doing something that you clearly know is a violation of the Word of God. However, you mistakenly assume in your heart that you will not be held accountable.
When Azariah and the other priests went in after Uzziah to withstand him, “Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death...” (2 Chronicles 26:19–21).
Imagine, fifty-two years of history wiped out by one foolish act! There should have been a glorious conclusion to Uzziah’s life, but instead he ended up in a leper colony, literally put away by the hand of God. The leprosy on his forehead was a type, of the disease that had taken hold of his mind. When you have walked for a long time in the blessing of the Lord, beware! Beware of the casualness; beware of assuming that because God has blessed you for so long, you are now free to do what you once knew was sin and somehow not suffer any consequences.
ASA
Asa was another king of Judah who had a promising beginning. “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves” (2 Chronicles 14:2–3). Asa started out with a desire to do things God’s way. He wholeheartedly served the Lord and led others into obedience, and the people built and prospered under his leadership. When the Ethiopian army came against the people of Judah with almost two-to-one odds, Asa went straight to prayer. “Lord, it does not really matter how many of them there are or how weak we are. If You are in this, we are going to win the battle, and we are going to fight it for Your glory” (see 2 Chronicles 14:11). So the Lord smote the Ethiopians.
Similarly, you have walked in impossible places. You have faced trials and times in your life when you knew you were powerless to get out of what held you captive. Yet you went into the prayer closet and cried, “Lord, I know I am weak, but it doesn’t matter because the power of Your Holy Spirit is on me. For the glory of Your name, take me out of this place and into where You want me to go!” And God did exactly that, opening the door of impossibility.
Later, during the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, the northern kingdom of Israel came and built a fortified city against one of the areas of Judah. Despite witnessing the faithfulness of God over and over, suddenly we see a turn in Asa. He did go into the house of the Lord, but this time he did not go there to pray that God would once again glorify His name in an impossible situation. Rather, Asa went into the house of the Lord to take out the treasures so he could hire a foreign army to help fight against his enemy.
Accepting Asa’s offer of silver and gold, the Syrian king sent the captains of his armies to come to Judah’s aid, causing the northern kingdom to retreat. “Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah” (2 Chronicles 16:6). It all certainly looked successful—they won again and outsmarted the enemy. Asa may have even given some credit to God for this. The people of Judah took down the fortified city that was being built against them and used the stones to build additional places of habitation for the people of God in Judah. What possible problem could God have with this?
CUTTING OFF YOUR OWN STRENGTH
“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand...Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:7, 9). It all had an appearance of success, but the prophet of God said, “No! It is not success, it is foolishness. You began in the Spirit with a wholehearted trust in God, but you have turned to the flesh, scheming and reasoning how to get through. You have literally cut off the source of your own strength, and now the end result is that you are going to have trouble for the rest of your life.”
After so many years of walking with the Lord, Asa should have been open to correction. One would think that he would have fallen on his face before the Lord in repentance. But we read in verse 10, “Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house.” In other words, he locked away the voice of correction and now held the key to what could and could not be spoken.
That is exactly what the backslidden Christian will always do with the voice of God. He will come into church and conclude, “If the pastor speaks this, then I will let him out and listen. If he doesn’t, I will lock him up again. I will choose what is truth; I will choose when to bend my knee. No one has the right to tell me that what I am doing is wrong after all these years of walking with God!”
How dangerous it is when we become angry with spiritual authority! Asa probably continued to smile and walk regally and royally, yet he was filled with rage. He could not escape the thought that he was rebuked, which is often the dilemma of those who have long walked with God.
DEAD INSIDE
“And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the physicians” (2 Chronicles 16:12). Uzziah was diseased in his forehead because his mind had turned against the ways of God and here we see Asa diseased in his feet because he was pursuing a direction contrary to God’s desire. However, God’s incredible mercy is still evident. As the psalmist said, “I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me” (Psalms 119:75). God faithfully allowed this ailment in order to prompt Asa to turn back to Him.
If something has come into your life that you do not understand, I encourage you to stop for a moment. Consider that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28). Could it be that God has allowed this circumstance in your life in order to stop you from making a foolish decision? If only Asa had turned to God and asked, “Lord, why are my feet diseased?” I am sure the Lord would have sent a prophet to him if he could not discern the answer for himself. He would have heard, “You are walking on the wrong path! You are walking in the flesh. You started in the Spirit but now you are walking in your own strength!”
“And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him” (2 Chronicles 16:13–14). Here we see a picture of what happens when you lose dependence on the Holy Spirit. You look good, you smell sweet, but in reality you are very, very dead. The Lord said to one of the churches in the book of Revelation, “...Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1). The word dead means “cut off from the enlivening influence of the Holy Spirit.” It is that simple. You are now walking in the flesh. You have learned how to sing the songs, clap your hands, shout at the right time, get to church on time—yet you are cut off from the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit. That is exactly how Asa ended up!
RENEWING THE ALTAR
I believe at a significant point during Asa’s reign he could have avoided the disease in his feet just by staying on the right path. “And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God...But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them...And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 15:1–8).
God has been showing me one of the keys to not finishing poorly as Asa did. He renewed the altar of the Lord! The Bible describes the altar as the place where we lay our lives down as a living sacrifice for the purposes of God. It is where we agree that we should not live according to our thoughts, our way, or our will, but the Lord’s.
It is time to renew the altar. It is time to get back to that place where you once shunned all evil and embraced good—that altar! Where your heart burned when you read the Word of God because you knew it was your life and your hope—that altar! Remember when your eyes would fill with tears at the mention of Jesus’ name? Remember when you considered that being a servant was the highest calling? Get back! Get back to the place where you once longed for new things to obey—where your heart’s cry was, “Lord, what would you have me do? I want to be at work in Your kingdom. It doesn’t matter what it is—it doesn’t have to be big—it can be a broom! Just let me glorify You!”
Notice also that before he renewed the altar of the Lord, Asa took courage and put away all the idols in the land. Today, if you have doubtful practices in your life, put them away. If you have embraced sin, erroneously believing that there will be no judgment for it, flee from it as quickly as you can. Walk in what is right and do not ever lose the fear of God. Do not get to the place where you cannot be corrected—where you fail because of success; where you falter because there has been a history of faithfulness. God is wonderful, loving, just, and kind, but you cannot mock Him. You cannot play games with a holy God—there must be honesty in the heart.
Perhaps you have put away all the known idols in your life, yet you still find yourself with no passion for the things of God. If this is where you are today, your only hope is to come to God and say, “Oh, Lord, help me to renew the altar. Bring me back to the place where I counted it a privilege to lay down my life. Bring me back to the place where I once longed for new things to obey!” As you come to the Lord with an honest cry in your heart, He will answer you. He will see to it that you not only start well, but that you finish the race with your hands raised, with a crown of righteousness laid up for you, and your voice giving Him praise! Hallelujah!
Carter Conlon
©2011 Times Square Church
October 2, 2011
Is Your Eschatology Showing?
by T. A. McMahon
When I became a believer, the most popular Christian book of the day was The Late Great Planet Earth, written by Hal Lindsey. It stimulated a great deal of interest in biblical prophecy and, in particular, in the doctrine of the Rapture of the church. Prophecy and the Rapture were two theological concepts that were foreign to someone like me, who had been raised in the Roman Catholic Church. I couldn't figure out what either one of them was about or what they had to do with Christianity.
As I grew in my understanding of the Scriptures, however, I began to get very excited about both doctrines. The idea that Jesus could be coming back at any time to take me to heaven to be with Him was indeed a blessed hope (Titus 2:12-13). Yet only a few years later I noticed that some of my evangelical friends (and just Christians in general) didn't share my excitement--or at least the interest in it seemed to be on the wane.
Enthusiasm appeared to be fading into a blasé attitude regarding the imminent return of Jesus for His bride. Great expectation wilted to a posture of semi-confusion: "He could be returning prior to the Great Tribulation," or "He may come back for us midway through the Tribulation," or "perhaps at the end of the Tribulation." To keep it from becoming a debate issue among evangelicals, some called themselves "pan-tribbers," meaning pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib--whatever panned out would be fine with them.
A number of things contributed to that attitude. It was recognized that the timing of the Rapture was not a doctrine that was essential for salvation, nor was a belief in it critical. It would take place for those who were truly born again--whether or not they believed that it would, and no matter when they believed it would take place. Thus the feeling among many grew that it was no big deal what one believed.
Some were also intimidated by the rise of anti-Rapture teachers, who were quite militant and aggressive in their attempts to prove that the doctrine wasn't in the Bible or even that it was heretical. The problem with these objections is that they reflect the thinking of men rather than the teaching of God, something that is always a recipe for serious problems (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). This also raises a question (which for most evangelicals didn't seem relevant 30 years ago but today begs an answer) that is quite significant: Is your eschatology showing?
Eschatology is the study of what the Bible teaches about the End Times. It considers the events that will take place related to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: what will precede His return, what will happen during His return, and what takes place following His coming back to earth. Obviously, since He hasn't returned yet (though some would dispute that), all of the related teachings make up biblical prophecy. So, eschatology has to do with what the Scriptures teach prophetically about the Last Days.
What, then, do I mean by asking, "Is your eschatology showing?"
Scripture tells us that the just (i.e., justified believers) shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:7, Galatians 3:1, Hebrews 10:38). This means that what we believe must be lived out in order for our lives to be fruitful and pleasing to the Lord. If our understanding of what the Word of God says will take place in the future is not true to the Scriptures, our activities based upon that misunderstanding will be unfruitful and even spiritually destructive. I have given some reasons above why people avoid eschatological issues, to which I could add that some regard them as too far in the future to be of any practical concern or value in their lifetime. That's never been the case, and the practical realities of eschatological beliefs are becoming more evident every day.
The most prevalent eschatological teachings in church history are Premillennialism and Amillennialism. Premillennialism is the belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth in an event known as the Second Coming, which will be at the beginning of His thousand-year reign from Jerusalem. Then there is Amillennialism. Amillennialists do not believe in a literal thousand-year reign of Jesus on the earth; rather, He is said to have taken dominion over the earth right after His resurrection and now rules from heaven.
A somewhat related view is that of Postmillennialism, which declares that Christ's Second Coming will take place following His figurative millennial reign from heaven.
Is the eschatological view of Amillennialism showing? Yes, and it has been for millennia, starting back in the fourth century. Augustine, the chief architect of the major dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church, is credited with introducing Amillennialism in his book The City of God.
To maintain some semblance of biblical veracity, Amillennialists must spiritualize nearly all of the prophetic scriptures related to Israel and the Millennium because a literal interpretation completely contradicts their eschatology. Spiritualizing is a process of interpretation that disregards the plain sense of the text in order to ascertain a "higher" meaning, especially one that reinforces one's doctrinal bias. That approach to interpreting the Word of God, however, has had terribly destructive consequences. For example, the prophetic scriptures that refer to Israel have been spiritualized by Amillennialists to apply to the church. That false doctrine is known as replacement theology, although in replacing Israel with the church, those who teach such things major on the blessings and rarely if ever apply to the church the curses directed at Israel.
Roman Catholicism started the Amillennial ball rolling, and it was continued by the Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, with the difference, of course, being their belief that the Protestant church rather than the Church of Rome had replaced Israel. Among its other problems, replacement theology has been instrumental in sowing the seeds of anti-Semitism within Christendom. The Catholic Church published more than 100 anti-Semitic documents between the sixth and twentieth centuries (see A Woman Rides the Beast).
Luther, in particular, exemplified anti-Semitism among the reformers. The vicious diatribes in his writings such as On the Jews and Their Lies, although not based solely on his Amillennialism, were certainly dependent on it.
Calvin's Amillennialism was the basis for his attempt to create a Christian utopia in the city of Geneva, which he controlled. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Amillennialism was the breeding ground for Preterism. During the counterreformation, Jesuit priest Luis de Alcasar interpreted the prophecies of the Book of Revelation as having already been fulfilled in the first century A.D. It wasn't until the early eighteenth century, however, that Preterism, the belief that most, if not all, biblical prophecies have been fulfilled, began to be espoused by Protestants.
That, of course, was then--but what about today? Amillennialism is the most common eschatological belief among professing Christians. It is the view of Roman Catholics, Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Episcopalians, the Church of Christ, some Independent Baptists, and most Calvinists (with some notable exceptions). In the last quarter-century Amillennialism has spawned Christian Reconstructionism/Theonomy, a latter-day attempt similar to Calvin's failed experiment to set up the "City of God" in Geneva.
The goal today, however, is far more ambitious as it seeks to take dominion over the world. The Reconstructionists, a.k.a. Theonomists, are all about setting up the Kingdom of God on earth through the implementation of the Old and New Testament laws and principles. An offshoot of Reconstructionism is the Coalition On Revival, or COR. This is a movement that made some headway in the decade of the '90s through the support of leading evangelicals and through the political activism of the religious right.
Its strategy is to make the Christian worldview dominant in all "spheres of society": education, science, politics, the arts, the military, and so forth. As the name more than implies, the eschatology of COR, or Coalition on Revival, is focused on bringing about worldwide revival, something that most Christians would find favorable. That may be the reason that some highly visible evangelical leaders who do not hold to an Amillennial theology--or its offspring--signed the original COR Manifesto. As one might expect, the Coalition On Revival is decidedly anti-Prophecy and anti-Rapture. The biblical doctrines of Prophecy and the Rapture do not support the agendas or goals of the Amillennial-driven COR proponents.
Though Christian Reconstructionism and the Coalition On Revival seem to be past their heyday of influence within Christendom, they are regarded by some as nothing more than a passing trend. I disagree. Trends such as the Manifest Sons of God, the Shepherding Movement, the Word/Faith teachings, the Church Growth trend, the Emerging Church Movement, and so on and so forth, come in waves much like an ocean wave, which approaches the beach, crests, and then crashes upon the sand, dumping whatever debris it carries. What's deposited by the wave sometimes sticks in the sand, while other flotsam disappears back out to sea. That's the way it is with unbiblical teachings and trends that have attracted large numbers of Christians throughout church history.
The Kingdom-dominionism of the Latter-rain, Manifest Sons of God movement that I mentioned earlier is a classic example. It started in Canada in the mid-1940s, and has ebbed and flowed throughout Christendom, particularly among Pentecostals and Charismatics. You can see its heretical teachings reflected today in so-called spiritual revivals and movements such as the Toronto Blessing, the Brownsville Revival, the Kansas City Prophets, the International House of Prayer (IHOP), and the New Apostolic Reformation.
Christian Reconstructionism influences and Coalition On Revival concepts are also making a modest yet effective return. There is a high-quality apologetics series produced by Focus on the Family titled The Truth Project(see TBC 9/11) that has been capturing the hearts and minds of young-adult evangelicals throughout the country. Significant doctrinal problems arise, however, because a major "scriptural worldview" of the series, albeit unstated, is Amillennialism. Some of the key teachers are Calvinists. Reconstructionism is never mentioned; nevertheless, the central teachings of Reconstructionism and Theonomy are apparent.
Scripture clearly rejects Amillennialism. The Bible foretells that the imminent Rapture of the church, the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming, the Millennial Reign of Christ, the Dissolving of Our Present Heavens and Earth, and the Creating of a New Heaven and New Earth, will all take place, in that order. That prophetic biblical scenario, however, does not fit with Amillennialism (or Postmillennialism) or any of the other attempts to usher in the Kingdom of God (See Whatever Happened to Heaven? Resource Pages).
The true scriptural view is that the biblical events that I just listed will literally take place and need to be considered in regard to any plans or agendas of men or ministries. We should not expect worldwide revival or a global Christian transformation--not, that is, until the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, because the Bible declares that the Last Days will be characterized by great spiritual deception in the world and apostasy in the church. Does that mean that we should bail out on the world? No. But there is no scriptural basis for believing that the world will be or can be transformed through biblical law or biblical principles.
It should be apparent that one's Amillennial beliefs have practical consequences for anyone who lives those doctrines out in his life. However, the same is true for those who claim to be Premillennialists, who believe that Jesus must return in order to begin His literal one-thousand-year reign on this earth.
What does the Bible say regarding the living out of a Premillennial eschatology? First of all, the doctrine is characterized primarily as a believer's "blessed hope": "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12-13). Verse 12 indicates what our lives should be like as we are "looking for that blessed hope": "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" John, the beloved, and likely the last of the apostles to go to be with Jesus, gives us this exhortation, which no doubt he himself lived out: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3).
Jesus said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words" (John 14:23). And in Luke 6:46, Jesus posed this question: "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" We need to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, once and for all delivered unto the saints.
Paul wasn't simply passing on some platitudes or a take-it-or-leave-it suggestion to young Timothy when he wrote, "But thou, O man of God, flee [sinful] things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God...that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Timothy 6:11-14).
Our lives need to reflect what Paul wrote as we look forward to Christ's appearing. To that John adds, "...abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). Peter not only wraps it up for us, he mentions the difficulties involved and then underscores where our hearts need to be as we look forward to an event that will be more exciting than anyone of us can imagine. He declares, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:6-9).
I hope and pray that our true biblical eschatology is showing. Maranatha! TBC
Quotable
Second Corinthians 5:10 assures us, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Do you really believe as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ that there will be a day on which you will stand before His throne? We will each go one-on-one with the God of this universe. Can you imagine that? Do you think it will matter on that day whether you told a very lost and dying world about the only answer for a soul--Jesus? Yes, it will. It will matter whether you shared the most precious thing you have with everyone you could.
Mark Cahill, One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven
When I became a believer, the most popular Christian book of the day was The Late Great Planet Earth, written by Hal Lindsey. It stimulated a great deal of interest in biblical prophecy and, in particular, in the doctrine of the Rapture of the church. Prophecy and the Rapture were two theological concepts that were foreign to someone like me, who had been raised in the Roman Catholic Church. I couldn't figure out what either one of them was about or what they had to do with Christianity.
As I grew in my understanding of the Scriptures, however, I began to get very excited about both doctrines. The idea that Jesus could be coming back at any time to take me to heaven to be with Him was indeed a blessed hope (Titus 2:12-13). Yet only a few years later I noticed that some of my evangelical friends (and just Christians in general) didn't share my excitement--or at least the interest in it seemed to be on the wane.
Enthusiasm appeared to be fading into a blasé attitude regarding the imminent return of Jesus for His bride. Great expectation wilted to a posture of semi-confusion: "He could be returning prior to the Great Tribulation," or "He may come back for us midway through the Tribulation," or "perhaps at the end of the Tribulation." To keep it from becoming a debate issue among evangelicals, some called themselves "pan-tribbers," meaning pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib--whatever panned out would be fine with them.
A number of things contributed to that attitude. It was recognized that the timing of the Rapture was not a doctrine that was essential for salvation, nor was a belief in it critical. It would take place for those who were truly born again--whether or not they believed that it would, and no matter when they believed it would take place. Thus the feeling among many grew that it was no big deal what one believed.
Some were also intimidated by the rise of anti-Rapture teachers, who were quite militant and aggressive in their attempts to prove that the doctrine wasn't in the Bible or even that it was heretical. The problem with these objections is that they reflect the thinking of men rather than the teaching of God, something that is always a recipe for serious problems (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). This also raises a question (which for most evangelicals didn't seem relevant 30 years ago but today begs an answer) that is quite significant: Is your eschatology showing?
Eschatology is the study of what the Bible teaches about the End Times. It considers the events that will take place related to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: what will precede His return, what will happen during His return, and what takes place following His coming back to earth. Obviously, since He hasn't returned yet (though some would dispute that), all of the related teachings make up biblical prophecy. So, eschatology has to do with what the Scriptures teach prophetically about the Last Days.
What, then, do I mean by asking, "Is your eschatology showing?"
Scripture tells us that the just (i.e., justified believers) shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:7, Galatians 3:1, Hebrews 10:38). This means that what we believe must be lived out in order for our lives to be fruitful and pleasing to the Lord. If our understanding of what the Word of God says will take place in the future is not true to the Scriptures, our activities based upon that misunderstanding will be unfruitful and even spiritually destructive. I have given some reasons above why people avoid eschatological issues, to which I could add that some regard them as too far in the future to be of any practical concern or value in their lifetime. That's never been the case, and the practical realities of eschatological beliefs are becoming more evident every day.
The most prevalent eschatological teachings in church history are Premillennialism and Amillennialism. Premillennialism is the belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth in an event known as the Second Coming, which will be at the beginning of His thousand-year reign from Jerusalem. Then there is Amillennialism. Amillennialists do not believe in a literal thousand-year reign of Jesus on the earth; rather, He is said to have taken dominion over the earth right after His resurrection and now rules from heaven.
A somewhat related view is that of Postmillennialism, which declares that Christ's Second Coming will take place following His figurative millennial reign from heaven.
Is the eschatological view of Amillennialism showing? Yes, and it has been for millennia, starting back in the fourth century. Augustine, the chief architect of the major dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church, is credited with introducing Amillennialism in his book The City of God.
To maintain some semblance of biblical veracity, Amillennialists must spiritualize nearly all of the prophetic scriptures related to Israel and the Millennium because a literal interpretation completely contradicts their eschatology. Spiritualizing is a process of interpretation that disregards the plain sense of the text in order to ascertain a "higher" meaning, especially one that reinforces one's doctrinal bias. That approach to interpreting the Word of God, however, has had terribly destructive consequences. For example, the prophetic scriptures that refer to Israel have been spiritualized by Amillennialists to apply to the church. That false doctrine is known as replacement theology, although in replacing Israel with the church, those who teach such things major on the blessings and rarely if ever apply to the church the curses directed at Israel.
Roman Catholicism started the Amillennial ball rolling, and it was continued by the Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, with the difference, of course, being their belief that the Protestant church rather than the Church of Rome had replaced Israel. Among its other problems, replacement theology has been instrumental in sowing the seeds of anti-Semitism within Christendom. The Catholic Church published more than 100 anti-Semitic documents between the sixth and twentieth centuries (see A Woman Rides the Beast).
Luther, in particular, exemplified anti-Semitism among the reformers. The vicious diatribes in his writings such as On the Jews and Their Lies, although not based solely on his Amillennialism, were certainly dependent on it.
Calvin's Amillennialism was the basis for his attempt to create a Christian utopia in the city of Geneva, which he controlled. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Amillennialism was the breeding ground for Preterism. During the counterreformation, Jesuit priest Luis de Alcasar interpreted the prophecies of the Book of Revelation as having already been fulfilled in the first century A.D. It wasn't until the early eighteenth century, however, that Preterism, the belief that most, if not all, biblical prophecies have been fulfilled, began to be espoused by Protestants.
That, of course, was then--but what about today? Amillennialism is the most common eschatological belief among professing Christians. It is the view of Roman Catholics, Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Episcopalians, the Church of Christ, some Independent Baptists, and most Calvinists (with some notable exceptions). In the last quarter-century Amillennialism has spawned Christian Reconstructionism/Theonomy, a latter-day attempt similar to Calvin's failed experiment to set up the "City of God" in Geneva.
The goal today, however, is far more ambitious as it seeks to take dominion over the world. The Reconstructionists, a.k.a. Theonomists, are all about setting up the Kingdom of God on earth through the implementation of the Old and New Testament laws and principles. An offshoot of Reconstructionism is the Coalition On Revival, or COR. This is a movement that made some headway in the decade of the '90s through the support of leading evangelicals and through the political activism of the religious right.
Its strategy is to make the Christian worldview dominant in all "spheres of society": education, science, politics, the arts, the military, and so forth. As the name more than implies, the eschatology of COR, or Coalition on Revival, is focused on bringing about worldwide revival, something that most Christians would find favorable. That may be the reason that some highly visible evangelical leaders who do not hold to an Amillennial theology--or its offspring--signed the original COR Manifesto. As one might expect, the Coalition On Revival is decidedly anti-Prophecy and anti-Rapture. The biblical doctrines of Prophecy and the Rapture do not support the agendas or goals of the Amillennial-driven COR proponents.
Though Christian Reconstructionism and the Coalition On Revival seem to be past their heyday of influence within Christendom, they are regarded by some as nothing more than a passing trend. I disagree. Trends such as the Manifest Sons of God, the Shepherding Movement, the Word/Faith teachings, the Church Growth trend, the Emerging Church Movement, and so on and so forth, come in waves much like an ocean wave, which approaches the beach, crests, and then crashes upon the sand, dumping whatever debris it carries. What's deposited by the wave sometimes sticks in the sand, while other flotsam disappears back out to sea. That's the way it is with unbiblical teachings and trends that have attracted large numbers of Christians throughout church history.
The Kingdom-dominionism of the Latter-rain, Manifest Sons of God movement that I mentioned earlier is a classic example. It started in Canada in the mid-1940s, and has ebbed and flowed throughout Christendom, particularly among Pentecostals and Charismatics. You can see its heretical teachings reflected today in so-called spiritual revivals and movements such as the Toronto Blessing, the Brownsville Revival, the Kansas City Prophets, the International House of Prayer (IHOP), and the New Apostolic Reformation.
Christian Reconstructionism influences and Coalition On Revival concepts are also making a modest yet effective return. There is a high-quality apologetics series produced by Focus on the Family titled The Truth Project(see TBC 9/11) that has been capturing the hearts and minds of young-adult evangelicals throughout the country. Significant doctrinal problems arise, however, because a major "scriptural worldview" of the series, albeit unstated, is Amillennialism. Some of the key teachers are Calvinists. Reconstructionism is never mentioned; nevertheless, the central teachings of Reconstructionism and Theonomy are apparent.
Scripture clearly rejects Amillennialism. The Bible foretells that the imminent Rapture of the church, the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming, the Millennial Reign of Christ, the Dissolving of Our Present Heavens and Earth, and the Creating of a New Heaven and New Earth, will all take place, in that order. That prophetic biblical scenario, however, does not fit with Amillennialism (or Postmillennialism) or any of the other attempts to usher in the Kingdom of God (See Whatever Happened to Heaven? Resource Pages).
The true scriptural view is that the biblical events that I just listed will literally take place and need to be considered in regard to any plans or agendas of men or ministries. We should not expect worldwide revival or a global Christian transformation--not, that is, until the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, because the Bible declares that the Last Days will be characterized by great spiritual deception in the world and apostasy in the church. Does that mean that we should bail out on the world? No. But there is no scriptural basis for believing that the world will be or can be transformed through biblical law or biblical principles.
It should be apparent that one's Amillennial beliefs have practical consequences for anyone who lives those doctrines out in his life. However, the same is true for those who claim to be Premillennialists, who believe that Jesus must return in order to begin His literal one-thousand-year reign on this earth.
What does the Bible say regarding the living out of a Premillennial eschatology? First of all, the doctrine is characterized primarily as a believer's "blessed hope": "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12-13). Verse 12 indicates what our lives should be like as we are "looking for that blessed hope": "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" John, the beloved, and likely the last of the apostles to go to be with Jesus, gives us this exhortation, which no doubt he himself lived out: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3).
Jesus said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words" (John 14:23). And in Luke 6:46, Jesus posed this question: "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" We need to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, once and for all delivered unto the saints.
Paul wasn't simply passing on some platitudes or a take-it-or-leave-it suggestion to young Timothy when he wrote, "But thou, O man of God, flee [sinful] things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God...that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Timothy 6:11-14).
Our lives need to reflect what Paul wrote as we look forward to Christ's appearing. To that John adds, "...abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). Peter not only wraps it up for us, he mentions the difficulties involved and then underscores where our hearts need to be as we look forward to an event that will be more exciting than anyone of us can imagine. He declares, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:6-9).
I hope and pray that our true biblical eschatology is showing. Maranatha! TBC
Quotable
Second Corinthians 5:10 assures us, "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Do you really believe as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ that there will be a day on which you will stand before His throne? We will each go one-on-one with the God of this universe. Can you imagine that? Do you think it will matter on that day whether you told a very lost and dying world about the only answer for a soul--Jesus? Yes, it will. It will matter whether you shared the most precious thing you have with everyone you could.
Mark Cahill, One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven
September 13, 2011
Alcoholics Anonymous and Contemplative Spirituality
by John Lanagan
“For our struggle is … against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The elements of the false church continue to take shape. Some, it seems, are already here. Striving to unite into one smooth apostasy, spiritual forces behind emergent and contemplative heresy continue to mix, and mesh, and blend with other systems. One such system is the 12 Step spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous. This powerful, theological chameleon has already done much damage to the Body of Christ.
In 2008, two influential contemplative advocates, Fr. Richard Rohr and centering prayer pioneer Fr. Thomas Keating, facilitated a conference “to demonstrate to those in 12 Step fellowship ways to embrace the invitation of the 11th Step to improve our conscious contact with God….[This] will offer us all a wonderful opportunity to deepen our contemplative practices.”[1] (italics mine)
In 2007, Fr. Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation presented ‘How Do We Breathe Underwater?? The Gospel And 12 Step Spirituality.’[2] Rohr has also authored ‘The 12 Steps as Coded Gospel.’[3]
Such subject matter sounds very Biblical. Yet Fr. Rohr is a proponent of interspirituality via meditation. He believes, like many contemplatives, that God is in all, and all is in God.
Fr. Thomas Keating has introduced thousands to centering prayer. His book, Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps, demonstrates “the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve-Step method and its connections to, and similarities with, the Christian mystical traditions of centering prayer and Lectio Divina.”[4]
So what is going on here? Why such interest in 12 Step spirituality? Contemplatives recognize the meditative Silence–”thoughtless, empty, and void”[5]–that has been simmering in Alcoholics Anonymous since its inception.
Much like farmers kneeling in rich, fertile soil, Rohr, Keating, and other contemplatives are tending a meditative garden that has already produced much fruit. There are now 12 Step groups for everything from overeating to sexual addiction. Literally millions of people have already experienced meditation as part of their 12 Step program.
AA’s 11th Step states: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
“Meditation is something that can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, either of width or height,” writes AA co-founder Bill Wilson.[6] This is equally true of 12 Step theology–there are absolutely no boundaries when it comes to defining the “higher power.”
In the Bible, we are clearly told, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
According to Alcoholics Anonymous, “We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.”[7]
This undefined “god” is meant, of course, to help. Tormented people, in the grasp of some overwhelming bondage, enter a 12 Step group and are told they must turn to a higher power. It doesn’t matter what you believe in, they are told, but it is crucial you believe in something.
So they do. They choose a spirit, perhaps, or a self-designed deity, or decide to worship the universe, or St. Jerome, or virtually anything else. But they surely reach out to something.
Then, when they reach the 11th Step, they seek through prayer and meditation even deeper communion with whatever idol–or entity–they have invited into their lives. As instructed, they ask for knowledge. What does the deity want them to do? They ask for power. And some enter the silence.
While the silence has always existed in the thorny undergrowth of 12 Step spirituality, Rohr, Keating, and others would like to see this become an integral part of the 11th Step. Thus the contemplatives have brought the tools of their trade. They have introduced the repetitive word (mantra/centering prayer), and repetitive phrase (Lectio Divina), and breath prayer at their contemplative/12 Step conferences and workshops.
Roger Oakland writes, “When [someone] is introduced to meditation, which produces a feeling of euphoria and well-being, he mistakes this for the presence of God. And thus the foundation of his faith is not on Christ or the Word of God, but rather on this feeling.”[8]
“No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Historically, around the world, much has been experienced in the meditative silence. Bliss. Spirit-guides. A higher self. Oneness. And there have been false “christs,” wrapped in shining deception, communicating instructions and “wisdom” to some.
We can see the effect of one such false “christ” through the Oxford Group book, God Calling, in early AA history. Alcoholics Anonymous came out of Dr. Frank Buchman’s neo-evangelical Oxford Group of the 1930s. Buchman is credited with spreading meditation on every continent.[9]
AA co-founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith attended Buchman’s Oxford Group meetings together and separately. They poured Oxford Group meditative practices, along with its generic spiritual principles, into the bubbling stew of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Walter Martin, in Kingdom of the Cults, places Oxford Group founder Frank Buchman alongside cult figures such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy.[10]
Pastor H.A. Ironside, who preached during the 1930s and 1940s, was familiar with the Oxford Group in his own city. He had grave concerns about its meditative practices:
“Each [Oxford Group] member is urged … to sit quietly with the mind emptied of every thought … waiting for God to say something to them…. Sometimes they tell me nothing happens, at other times the most amazing things come. Tested by the Word of God, many of these things are unscriptural. They lay themselves open for demons to communicate their blasphemous thoughts to them.”[11] (italics mine)
Oxford Group member (and minister) C. Irving Benson cautions about this Quiet Time/guidance and notes use of the Bible during this meditative period. Nevertheless, he writes, “The silence becomes a sacrament wherein God comes to us.”[12] Benson also states, “I wait in self-forgetting silence, contemplating the presence of God.”[13]
This brings us to God Calling, a book written by two women who identified themselves simply as “Two Listeners.”[14] Receiving Quiet Time “guidance” in the manner taught by the Oxford Group, they believed they recorded the words that Jesus Christ gave them daily.
The false “christ” that was channeled through these women advised, among other things, “Cultivate silence. ‘God speaks in silences.’ A silence, a soft wind. Each can be a message to convey MY meaning to the heart, though by no voice, or even word.” (January 7)
And, “Seek sometimes not even to hear me. Seek a silence of spirit-understanding.” (Feb. 27)
An ex-Oxford Group member named Richmond Walker, years later as an AA member, compiled prayers and meditations into one little book. Much of it was based on the demonic writings found in God Calling.
Walker, however, eliminated every reference to the Two Listeners’ “jesus” in favor of universal spirituality. The book, Twenty-Four Hours a Day, begins with an ancient Sanskrit proverb. “Twenty-Four Hours a Day” has been read by–and has influenced–millions of AA members.
According to an AA history website,
“[The book] explained how to practice meditation by quieting the mind and entering the Divine Silence in order to enter the divine peace and calm and restore our souls.”[15]
This meditation book also resonates with the New Age teaching that God is within: “There is a spark of the Divine in every one of us. Each has some of God’s spirit that can be developed by spiritual exercise.” (April 30)[16]
Do Christians in AA realize this New Age teaching can also be found in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book (the AA “bible”): “We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis, it is only there He can be found.”[17] (italics mine)
This belief that God is in all people is rapidly spreading. Alcoholics Anonymous and contemplatives like Rohr and Keating are wrong–God’s indwelling is not possible without receiving the Salvation of Christ. (Ephesians 1:13, 1 Cor 15:50, John 14: 15-17)
Yet Christians who embrace the 12 Steps are in error as well (2 Corinthians 6:14-17, Galatians 1:6-9). Cultural acceptance of higher power theology already has us on the verge of universalism; this growing fusion of contemplative/12 Step spirituality will produce, and ultimately proliferate, the great and terrible delusion of man’s divinity.
For more on Alcoholics Anonymous, see John Lanagan’s website.
Endnotes:
1. Inner Room Conference promotional material http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/
2. “How Do We Breathe Underwater?? The Gospel And 12 Step Spirituality,” Center for Action and Contemplation, promotional material
3. Fr. Richard Rohr, “The 12 Steps as Coded Gospel”
4. Fr. Thomas Keating, “Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps,” promotional material
5. Ray Yungen, A Time of Departing, Lighthouse Trails Publishing, pg. 15
6. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 101
7. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 46-47
8. Roger Oakland, Faith Undone, Lighthouse Trails Publishing, pg.112
9. Dave Hunt, Adaptation of Occult Invasion, 1998
10. Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults, Bethany House Publishers, pg. 30
11. H.A. Ironside, The Oxford Group Movement: Is It Scriptural? http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-ironside.html
12. C. Irving Benson, The Eight Points of the Oxford Group: An Exposition for Christians and Pagans, Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, pg. 67
13. Ibid., pg.69
14. Two Listeners, God Calling, Barbour Publishing, Inc.
15. AA History–The 24 Hours a Day book http://www.barefootsworld.net/aa24hoursbook.html
16. Richmond Walker, Twenty-Four Hours a Day, Hazelden Foundation, Meditation for the Day, April 30
17. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 55
“For our struggle is … against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The elements of the false church continue to take shape. Some, it seems, are already here. Striving to unite into one smooth apostasy, spiritual forces behind emergent and contemplative heresy continue to mix, and mesh, and blend with other systems. One such system is the 12 Step spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous. This powerful, theological chameleon has already done much damage to the Body of Christ.
In 2008, two influential contemplative advocates, Fr. Richard Rohr and centering prayer pioneer Fr. Thomas Keating, facilitated a conference “to demonstrate to those in 12 Step fellowship ways to embrace the invitation of the 11th Step to improve our conscious contact with God….[This] will offer us all a wonderful opportunity to deepen our contemplative practices.”[1] (italics mine)
In 2007, Fr. Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation presented ‘How Do We Breathe Underwater?? The Gospel And 12 Step Spirituality.’[2] Rohr has also authored ‘The 12 Steps as Coded Gospel.’[3]
Such subject matter sounds very Biblical. Yet Fr. Rohr is a proponent of interspirituality via meditation. He believes, like many contemplatives, that God is in all, and all is in God.
Fr. Thomas Keating has introduced thousands to centering prayer. His book, Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps, demonstrates “the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve-Step method and its connections to, and similarities with, the Christian mystical traditions of centering prayer and Lectio Divina.”[4]
So what is going on here? Why such interest in 12 Step spirituality? Contemplatives recognize the meditative Silence–”thoughtless, empty, and void”[5]–that has been simmering in Alcoholics Anonymous since its inception.
Much like farmers kneeling in rich, fertile soil, Rohr, Keating, and other contemplatives are tending a meditative garden that has already produced much fruit. There are now 12 Step groups for everything from overeating to sexual addiction. Literally millions of people have already experienced meditation as part of their 12 Step program.
AA’s 11th Step states: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
“Meditation is something that can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, either of width or height,” writes AA co-founder Bill Wilson.[6] This is equally true of 12 Step theology–there are absolutely no boundaries when it comes to defining the “higher power.”
In the Bible, we are clearly told, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
According to Alcoholics Anonymous, “We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.”[7]
This undefined “god” is meant, of course, to help. Tormented people, in the grasp of some overwhelming bondage, enter a 12 Step group and are told they must turn to a higher power. It doesn’t matter what you believe in, they are told, but it is crucial you believe in something.
So they do. They choose a spirit, perhaps, or a self-designed deity, or decide to worship the universe, or St. Jerome, or virtually anything else. But they surely reach out to something.
Then, when they reach the 11th Step, they seek through prayer and meditation even deeper communion with whatever idol–or entity–they have invited into their lives. As instructed, they ask for knowledge. What does the deity want them to do? They ask for power. And some enter the silence.
While the silence has always existed in the thorny undergrowth of 12 Step spirituality, Rohr, Keating, and others would like to see this become an integral part of the 11th Step. Thus the contemplatives have brought the tools of their trade. They have introduced the repetitive word (mantra/centering prayer), and repetitive phrase (Lectio Divina), and breath prayer at their contemplative/12 Step conferences and workshops.
Roger Oakland writes, “When [someone] is introduced to meditation, which produces a feeling of euphoria and well-being, he mistakes this for the presence of God. And thus the foundation of his faith is not on Christ or the Word of God, but rather on this feeling.”[8]
“No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Historically, around the world, much has been experienced in the meditative silence. Bliss. Spirit-guides. A higher self. Oneness. And there have been false “christs,” wrapped in shining deception, communicating instructions and “wisdom” to some.
We can see the effect of one such false “christ” through the Oxford Group book, God Calling, in early AA history. Alcoholics Anonymous came out of Dr. Frank Buchman’s neo-evangelical Oxford Group of the 1930s. Buchman is credited with spreading meditation on every continent.[9]
AA co-founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith attended Buchman’s Oxford Group meetings together and separately. They poured Oxford Group meditative practices, along with its generic spiritual principles, into the bubbling stew of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Walter Martin, in Kingdom of the Cults, places Oxford Group founder Frank Buchman alongside cult figures such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy.[10]
Pastor H.A. Ironside, who preached during the 1930s and 1940s, was familiar with the Oxford Group in his own city. He had grave concerns about its meditative practices:
“Each [Oxford Group] member is urged … to sit quietly with the mind emptied of every thought … waiting for God to say something to them…. Sometimes they tell me nothing happens, at other times the most amazing things come. Tested by the Word of God, many of these things are unscriptural. They lay themselves open for demons to communicate their blasphemous thoughts to them.”[11] (italics mine)
Oxford Group member (and minister) C. Irving Benson cautions about this Quiet Time/guidance and notes use of the Bible during this meditative period. Nevertheless, he writes, “The silence becomes a sacrament wherein God comes to us.”[12] Benson also states, “I wait in self-forgetting silence, contemplating the presence of God.”[13]
This brings us to God Calling, a book written by two women who identified themselves simply as “Two Listeners.”[14] Receiving Quiet Time “guidance” in the manner taught by the Oxford Group, they believed they recorded the words that Jesus Christ gave them daily.
The false “christ” that was channeled through these women advised, among other things, “Cultivate silence. ‘God speaks in silences.’ A silence, a soft wind. Each can be a message to convey MY meaning to the heart, though by no voice, or even word.” (January 7)
And, “Seek sometimes not even to hear me. Seek a silence of spirit-understanding.” (Feb. 27)
An ex-Oxford Group member named Richmond Walker, years later as an AA member, compiled prayers and meditations into one little book. Much of it was based on the demonic writings found in God Calling.
Walker, however, eliminated every reference to the Two Listeners’ “jesus” in favor of universal spirituality. The book, Twenty-Four Hours a Day, begins with an ancient Sanskrit proverb. “Twenty-Four Hours a Day” has been read by–and has influenced–millions of AA members.
According to an AA history website,
“[The book] explained how to practice meditation by quieting the mind and entering the Divine Silence in order to enter the divine peace and calm and restore our souls.”[15]
This meditation book also resonates with the New Age teaching that God is within: “There is a spark of the Divine in every one of us. Each has some of God’s spirit that can be developed by spiritual exercise.” (April 30)[16]
Do Christians in AA realize this New Age teaching can also be found in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book (the AA “bible”): “We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis, it is only there He can be found.”[17] (italics mine)
This belief that God is in all people is rapidly spreading. Alcoholics Anonymous and contemplatives like Rohr and Keating are wrong–God’s indwelling is not possible without receiving the Salvation of Christ. (Ephesians 1:13, 1 Cor 15:50, John 14: 15-17)
Yet Christians who embrace the 12 Steps are in error as well (2 Corinthians 6:14-17, Galatians 1:6-9). Cultural acceptance of higher power theology already has us on the verge of universalism; this growing fusion of contemplative/12 Step spirituality will produce, and ultimately proliferate, the great and terrible delusion of man’s divinity.
For more on Alcoholics Anonymous, see John Lanagan’s website.
Endnotes:
1. Inner Room Conference promotional material http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/
2. “How Do We Breathe Underwater?? The Gospel And 12 Step Spirituality,” Center for Action and Contemplation, promotional material
3. Fr. Richard Rohr, “The 12 Steps as Coded Gospel”
4. Fr. Thomas Keating, “Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps,” promotional material
5. Ray Yungen, A Time of Departing, Lighthouse Trails Publishing, pg. 15
6. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 101
7. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 46-47
8. Roger Oakland, Faith Undone, Lighthouse Trails Publishing, pg.112
9. Dave Hunt, Adaptation of Occult Invasion, 1998
10. Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults, Bethany House Publishers, pg. 30
11. H.A. Ironside, The Oxford Group Movement: Is It Scriptural? http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-ironside.html
12. C. Irving Benson, The Eight Points of the Oxford Group: An Exposition for Christians and Pagans, Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, pg. 67
13. Ibid., pg.69
14. Two Listeners, God Calling, Barbour Publishing, Inc.
15. AA History–The 24 Hours a Day book http://www.barefootsworld.net/aa24hoursbook.html
16. Richmond Walker, Twenty-Four Hours a Day, Hazelden Foundation, Meditation for the Day, April 30
17. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 55
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