Very sad news for the Body of Christ today, one of God's most faithful generals has gone Home. :(
I grew up spiritually with Brother Wilkerson's ministry, attended his leadership school in NYC, and considered him a spiritual father - needless to say I was both shocked and very saddened when I received this news, it really has hit me pretty hard - even as I type these words I still can hardly believe this has happened. Right now I am simply asking the Lord "why". Why was his life taken when we have so few left in the church who are still wholeheartedly serving the Lord by remaining true to His Word? Why was his life taken when he has done so much good for the Body and when there is still so much more that needs to be done - especially now when the church has drifted into apostasy and deception seemingly at every turn? In the natural, I just can't make any sense of this at all right now.
In any event, my only comfort over this news at the moment is to know that he is in a much better place with the Lord he served so faithfully and loved so much. To know that the many things he has suffered in this life are finally over for him, that's the only thing I can find comfort in right now. I thank God for my dear brother's life, for the many of us he so deeply touched and blessed. He will surely be greatly missed.
Please pray for his wife Gwen, who's in critical condition, and for the rest of his family as well. The church has asked that people looking to find out details of the services keep an eye on the Times Square Church website and not to call as the family will release details shortly. The funeral is expected to be streamed live online as the ministry of the World Challenge Ministries is known globally.
TEEN CHALLENGE FOUNDER, DAVID WILKERSON, KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT
Rev. David Wilkerson, founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City and author of the well-known book The Cross and the Switchblade, was killed Wednesday in a head-on collision in Texas. He was 79.
"It is with deepest of sadness that we have to inform you of the sudden passing of Reverend David Wilkerson, our founding pastor," Times Square Church Senior Pastor Carter Conlon said in a statement on the church website.
Conlon added that details of the family's wishes and a memorial service would be provided as information became available.
Crash Details
Wilkerson was driving east on U.S. 175 in Texas Wednesday afternoon, and moved into the opposite lane where a tractor trailer was driving westbound. The truck driver saw the car and tried to move out of the way, but still collided with the pastor's car head on, according to Public Safety Trooper Eric Long.
It's unclear what caused Wilkerson to veer into the other lane. His wife Gwen was also involved in the crash and rushed to the hospital, along with the truck driver.
Wilkerson was pronounced dead on the scene.
Below is the last devotional he wrote, ironically it was dated the day the Lord took him Home...
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011
WHEN ALL MEANS FAIL
To believe when all means fail is exceedingly pleasing to God and is most acceptable. Jesus said to Thomas, “You have believed because you have seen, but blessed are those that do believe and have not seen” (John 20:29).
Blessed are those who believe when there is no evidence of an answer to prayer—who trust beyond hope when all means have failed.
Someone has come to the place of hopelessness—the end of hope—the end of all means. A loved one is facing death and doctors give no hope. Death seems inevitable. Hope is gone. The miracle prayed for is not happening.
That is when Satan’s hordes come to attack your mind with fear, anger, overwhelming questions: “Where is your God now? You prayed until you had no tears left. You fasted. You stood on promises. You trusted.”
Blasphemous thoughts will be injected into your mind: “Prayer failed. Faith failed. Don’t quit on God—just do not trust him anymore. It doesn’t pay!”
Even questioning God’s existence will be injected into your mind. These have been the devices of Satan for centuries. Some of the godliest men and women who ever lived were under such demonic attacks.
To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights—and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, “I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident. It was no failure on your part. Hold fast. Let me embrace you in your hour of pain.”
Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail—his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world.
April 28, 2011
April 19, 2011
New "Message" for a New Age - Beware!
Dr. Terry Watkins
Dial-the-Truth Ministries
With today’s epidemic of Bible per-versions spreading like a runaway virus, nothing should shock us . . . but buckle up! If you have any spiritual pulse, Eugene Peterson’s The Message will shock you. The Message promotes the mystical New Age message with a boldness never seen in a mainstream Bible. The Message has sold over 10 million copies and has continually ranked among the top five best-selling Bibles. The Message website (www.navpress.com) displays endorsements from such prominent Christians as Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, Christianity Today, Dan Quayle, Bill Hybels, Gordon Fee, J.I. Packer, Jack Hayford, Jerry Jenkins, Jerry Savelle, John Maxwell, Max Lucado, Richard Foster, Rick Warren, Rod Parsley, Tony Campolo and Warren Wiersbe, among many others.
This article will barely scratch the surface of the mystic New Age religion filling The Message. And this article only examines the New Age mysticism in The Message, we do not examine the treason against the Deity of Jesus Christ, salvation and scores of other fundamental doctrines. Note: We’ll refer to the King James Bible as KJB, the New Age Movement as NAM, and The Message Bible as The Mess.
º THE MASTER PLAN OF THE MESSAGE º
The first blast from The Mess attacks the "Lord."
The "Lord" occurs a whopping 7970 times in the KJB -- more than any other noun. Of the 8,000-plus different words used in the KJB, the "Lord" ranks 14th among the most occurrences (number 13 is the single letter "a"). Only helper words such as "the"; "of"; "in"; "to"; et. al. occur more often.
The Mess contains the "Lord" only 71 times! The "Lord" ranks 1087th among words in The Mess. It appears the same number of times as words like "question" or "reputation."
In the New Testament, (ironically, the Testament of the "Lord" Jesus Christ) the "Lord" appears a skimpy 23 times in The Mess. The Mess NEVER directly honors Jesus Christ as Lord. The "Lord Jesus" occurs 118 times in the King James Bible. The "Lord Jesus Christ" occurs 84 times in the King James Bible. The phrase "Lord Jesus Christ" or "Lord Jesus" is not in The Mess! The outright denial of the "Lord" Jesus has never occurred in ANY translation.
Let us clarify something . . . the total amputation of the "Lord Jesus" is no accident. It is not an issue of translation or Greek manuscripts. It is not a matter of updating archaic words or making it easier to understand. It was a deliberate and intentional doctrinal decision to remove the "Lord Jesus."
And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord. . .
John 20:13
It is interesting that Judas Iscariot never calls Jesus "Lord."
The Bible states 13 times Judas "betrayed" the Lord Jesus; Judas was possessed of Satan (Luke 22:3); Jesus Christ calls Judas "a devil" (John 6:70); Jesus calls Judas the "son of perdition" (John 17:12 – which is also the title of the antichrist in 2 Thess. 2:3). The Bible describes hell as Judas’ "own place" (Acts 1:25).
Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?. . .
Matthew 26:25, KJB
Judas always addressed Jesus as "Master" -- never "Lord." Following the footsteps of Judas the "betrayer," the Mess also "betrays" the Lord, always calling Jesus "Master" – never "Lord"!
Another partner in the "Master Jesus" plan is the New Age religion. The root of the New Age Movement (NAM) teaches during various "ages," teachers or guides arise called "Masters." Helena Blavatsky, the guru of the modern-day New Age Movement, wrote extensively of these enlightened "masters." In the 1980’s, the book Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow by Constance Cumbey, exposed the New Age Movement. Mrs. Cumbey defines the mystic new age as:
A vast organizational network today, the New Age Movement received its modern start in 1875 with the founding of the Theosophical Society by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. . . Strongly propounding the theory of evolution, they also believed in the existence of ‘masters’ who were either spirit beings or fortunate men more highly ‘evolved’ than the common herd. (Cumbey, Constance, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 44)
In his best selling book, A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, author Elliot Miller describes the new age Jesus as:
The New Age Jesus became ‘the Christ’ only after purifying himself of ‘bad karma’ through many incarnations, and even now (as many New Agers believe) he is only one of several ‘masters’. . . (Miller, Elliot. A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, p. 30)
Second only to Blavatasky in the New Age hierarchy, is Alice Bailey. Author Constance Cumbey says Bailey, ". . . did more than anyone, except perhaps H. P. Blavatsky, to build the foundations for the ‘New Age’." (Cumbey, Constance, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 49) In 1922 Alice Bailey formed Lucifer Trust Publishing, which was later renamed to the subtle Lucis Trust Publishing. Bailey wrote extensively on the "Master Jesus." The following quote are but one of the hundreds of references to the New Age "Master Jesus":
"There is a growing and developing belief that Christ is in us, as He was in the Master Jesus. . ."
(Bailey, Alice, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 592)
New age researchers quickly discover the Jesus of the New Age is not the "Lord" Jesus but "Master" Jesus:
Jesus to the New Age is a man who ascended to be a Master. . .
(Understanding the New Age, Watchman Fellowship Inc.) A basic tenet of the New Age thinking is that of the Master Jesus. . .
(Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing, p. 112)
º MASTER JESUS IN THE MESSAGE º
The Mess calls Jesus "Master" over 400 times and the unique New Age phrase "Master Jesus" appears 76 times! The only other Bible I found "Master Jesus" in was the New Age Bible titled The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ!
The following examples (among many) of the "Master Jesus" in The Mess loudly echo the Judas-inspired, New Age doctrine of the "Master Jesus."
As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, "Master Jesus, take my life."
Acts 7:59 Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus.
Acts 11:20 And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive.
2 Corinthians 4:14 He who testifies to all these things says it again: "I'm on my way! I'll be there soon!" Yes! Come, Master Jesus! The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!
Revelation 22:20-21
The Bible in 1 Corinthians 12:3 warns against spiritual counterfeits such as The Mess that deny Jesus is the "Lord." Notice how the Mess attempts to cover its tracks by perverting the same verse.
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Cor. 12:3, KJB
For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" Nor would anyone be inclined to say "Jesus is Master!" without the insight of the Holy Spirit. 1Cor. 12:3, The Mess
º THE MASTER GOD º
Not content with propagating the NAM "Master Jesus," The Mess continues its "master" plan. The "Lord God" occurs 546 times in the King James Bible. The "Lord God" briefly appears 9 times in the Mess. The Mess replaces the "Lord God" with "Master God." I could not find the "Master God" in any other Bible version.
Again, notice the new age, mystic tone of the "Master God" in the Mess.
Abram said, "Master GOD, how am I to know this, that it will all be mine?"
Genesis 15:8 King David went in, took his place before GOD, and prayed: "Who am I, my Master GOD, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life?
2 Samuel 7:18 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Master GOD, only you know that."
Ezekiel 37:3
The Mess travels to "loony land" deleting the "Lord." Rather than correctly translate the "Lord God," The Mess crafts the gobbledygook phrase "God, God." It also deceitfully slips in a comma attempting to justify the goofy Mess.
GOD passed in front of him and called out, "GOD, GOD, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient--so much love, so deeply true—
Exodus 34:6 Attention, Israel! GOD, our God! GOD the one and only!
Deuteronomy 6:4
º THE DIVINE GUARDIANS º
The NAM identifies their "Masters" as "divine guardians" and "custodians of the Divine Plan." The New-Age Tara Center describes the "Masters" as "custodians" of the Divine Plane:
The Masters, together forming the Spiritual Hierarchy, are the custodians of the Divine Plan for this planet.
(Basics of Ageless Wisdom, Tara Center, p. 3).
In Deuteronomy 32:8, the Mess also references these "divine guardians" who "care for the Earth." This is not Bible Christianity. And this is not in the Hebrew text! Notice the complete change from the King James Bible.
When the High God gave the nations their stake, gave them their place on Earth, He put each of the peoples within boundaries under the care of divine guardians.
Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:8, KJB
º “THE ONE” º
The New Age Movement revolves around the “One.” Riplinger writes in New Age Versions: "Virtually all exposes on the New Age Movement observe ‘the One’ is this movement’s object of worship." (Riplinger, G.A. New Age Versions, p. 85)
New Age guru H.P. Blavatsky teaches the NAM begins with "the One":
"The esoteric theogony begins with the One. . . "
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 1, Page 94)
"The Secret Doctrine carries this idea into the region of metaphysics and postulates a ‘One Form of Existence’ as the basis and source of all things."
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 1, Page 46)
In the following quote Blavatsky states Jehovah and the Serpent [Satan] that tempted Eve both are the "One".
It is curious that Jehovah's name in Hebrew should also be One,. . . Jehovah -- esoterically (as Elohim) -- is also the Serpent or Dragon that tempted Eve. . .
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 1, Page 73)
The One theology stems from pantheism. The word Pantheism derives from the Greek words pan meaning "all" and theos meaning "god." Pantheism teaches God is All and All is God or "One". It rejects a personal, loving God, instead defining God as "Presence" or "One." Infoplease defines "pantheism" as "a denial of God's personality and expresses a tendency to identify God and nature." The god Pan appears as a cloven-foot, half-man, half-goat satyr playing the hypnotic "pan pipes." (Ezek. 28:13) Occultist Albert Pike describes Satan as ". . . the mythologic and horned form of the God Pan. . ." (Pike, Morals and Dogma, p. 102) The Satanic Bible (p. 144) also includes Pan in its list of Infernal Names of Satan. Hence, a pan-theist follows Satan.
During a NAM meeting in Boulder, New Age leader Jose Arguelles told his listeners to, ". . . invite "PAN" in, accepting him as the leader and guide for their lives. . . that 'right now Mother Earth is bringing Pan back to save us and lead us into the New Age. We can help by surrendering to him. . ." (www.raidersnewsupdate.com/gaia.htm)
Make no mistake — Pan is the "One" of the New Age religion.
The New Testament of the King James Bible never refers to God or the Lord Jesus as the impersonal One. Several times Jesus Christ is called the Holy One and the Just One, but never an impersonal, mystic One. The Mess changes the personal pronouns such as he and him (that reference Jesus and God) and personal nouns such as the Father, with the impersonal pantheistic "One" over 102 times in the New Testament! The following verses from The Mess loudly resonant the New Age "One" mantra.
No one has seen the Father except the One who has his Being alongside the Father--and you can see me.
John 6:46 As John was finishing up his work, he said, 'Did you think I was the One? No, I'm not the One. But the One you've been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I'm about to disappear.'
Act 13:25
Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn't hesitate to treat them as family,
Hebrews 2:11
Every time the Animals gave glory and honor and thanks to the One Seated on the Throne--the age-after-age Living One—
Revelation 4:9
º ONENESS º
Building upon the "One" concept, a distinct code-word among the mystic New Agers is "oneness."
"The root idea of the New Age is oneness, unity and wholeness—the One for all."
(Groothuis, Douglas R. Unmasking the New Age, Illinois: InterVarsity Press 1986, p. 115) "This oneness of life is the crux of the New Age movement."
(Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing, Lighthouse Trails Publishing, Silverton, 2002 p. 130)
"Oneness" is an unusual and bizarre word, not appearing in most dictionaries. Only New Agers recognize the "oneness" teaching. Following the mystic New Age "Oneness" script, The Mess says in Ephesians 4:6, "Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness". The word "permeate" means "spread throughout" or "to penetrate". According to The Mess, "Everything you are and think and do is spread throughout with Oneness." Make no mistake about it -- this is heavy-duty New Age doctrine.
The New Age guidebook Metaphysical Primer: A Guide to Understanding Metaphysics gives nearly the exact same principle of the New Age Movement, "Everything is one with everything else. All that is on Earth is an expression of the One Deity and is permeated with Its energies." (Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing, p. 52)
The Mess doesn’t stop there. It continues to spread the New Age "Oneness."
I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness. . .
John 17:23 Because there is one loaf, our many-ness becomes one-ness. . .
1 Corinthians 10:17
Another "oneness" term the New Age Religion exercises is "interdependence."
Constance Cumbey writes in The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, "Another key teaching of this movement is that all things are ‘interconnected’ or ‘interdependent’". (Cumbey, Constance, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 67)
Cult author Dr. Walter Martin, identifies "interdependence" as a New Age "buzz-word" used to "describe the oneness".
Interdependence/Interconnectedness – These words are used by New Agers to describe the oneness and essential unity of everything in the universe.
(Martin, Walter, The New Age Cult, p. 129)
Like a hypnotized cobra being charmed by the sweet sound of the piper, The Mess serenely dances to the New Age Piper (Ezek. 28:13) while singing the song of interdependence.
Everyone I meet--it matters little whether they're mannered or rude, smart or simple--deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation.
Romans 1:14
º THE PRESENCE º
Another key New Age teaching surrounds "the Presence." The NAM "Presence" forms a mystic, impersonal pantheist "presence" of God. The following quotes reveal the importance of the "Presence" in the New Age agenda.
Occultism sums up the ‘One Existence’ thus: ‘Deity is an arcane, living (or moving) fire, and the eternal witnesses to this unseen Presence. . ."
(Blavatsy, H.P. The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1, Page 2) The Christ Self, then, has communication with the Father who in both Principle and Person is the Presence of God, the I AM THAT I AM, or the I AM Presence.
(Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Mysteries of the Holy Grail, p. 217)
Alice Bailey reveals the "Presence" strikes a blow at the Biblical "transcendent" God or a God that exists apart from nature and man.
This inevitably brings in the concept of the Presence, or of God Immanent and is the result of the needed revolt against the one-sidedness of the belief in God Transcendent."
(Bailey, Alice, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 355)
The Mess refers to God at least 34 times as the NAM "Presence." Teaching the God of the Bible as a mystic Presence constitutes blatant blasphemy. This can only be defined within a New Age viewpoint. In sharp contrast, remember, the Mess NEVER directly refers to Jesus as Lord. The following verses (of many) echo the NAM mystic "Presence" of the Mess:
No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man.
John 3:13 I saw a Great White Throne and the One Enthroned. Nothing could stand before or against the Presence, nothing in Heaven, nothing on earth.
Revelation 20:11
The Mess calls the sacred "shewbread" as the mystic "Bread of the Presence" eight times [Ex. 25:30, 35:13, 39:36, 1 Sam. 21:6, 1 Kings 7:48, 2 Chron. 4:19, 29:18].
Always keep fresh Bread of the Presence on the Table before me. Exodus 25:30
º THE ENERGY º
Energy activates the spiritual "force" of the New Age religion. Prayers, meditations, invocations, and rituals all create energies.
The inflow of this energy has brought many hundreds of people into a new and deeper spiritual realization;. . . Thus is the New Age dawning . . . This is the occult law.
(Bailey, Alice. The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 7) Every man should realize that in the use of energy lies direction and the treading of the Path. . . Students should familiarize themselves with the ‘energy concept’ and learn to regard themselves as energy units displaying certain types of energy.
(Bailey, Alice. The Rays and the Initiations, p. 4)
Alice Bailey references "energy" over 1029 in the Rays and The Initiations. New Age disciple and popular, folk-rocker Tori Amos, defines this New Age energy as Lucifer, while readily confessing her love and worship of Lucifer.
I wanted to marry Lucifer. . . I don’t consider Lucifer an evil force. We can all tap into that free-running current of distorted energy."
Tori Amos, (Francesca Lia Block, "The Volcano Lover", SPIN, March 1996)
To visit Father Lucifer, to have a moment to dance... to go down in the dark, to visit with the dude! Not these little ‘Prince of Darkness’ wannabes... some of them are cute, but to visit the real energy force that has held the darkness: you go there with honor. . ."
(A bottle of red: Tori Amos, B-Side Magazine, Sandra A. Garcia, May-June 1996)
The Mess explicitly promotes the NAM mystical "energy." Energy appears 40 times in The Mess. Note: Energy only appears one time in some of the other per-versions. The Mess leaves no doubt concerning its faith in the New Age "energy" force.
In Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28, the Mess changes "pray" to "the energies of prayer." Apparently, God no longer answers our prayers, instead, the prayer itself, generates "the energy." The Bible definition of prayer means "to ask." (Matthew 21:22)
When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person.
Luke 6:28
Mark 5:30 and Luke 16:19 no longer reads "virtue" leaving the Lord Jesus, but "energy discharging" or "surging" from him.
At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?"
Mark 5:30
The following are a few more (of many) undeniable NAM "energy" doctrine in the Mess:
All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven,
Ephesians 1:20
That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.
Philippians 2:13
º THE LIGHT º
A casual study of the New Age religion quickly exposes their light-god. A best selling New Age book of the 90’s was Embraced by the Light by Betty Eadie. Light is the cornerstone of NAM.
The popular new age prayer called The Great Invocation by Alice Bailey, (originally published by Lucifer Publishing), begins with the words, "From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let Light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth." And it ends with "Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth."
Marilyn Ferguson, states in her best-selling New-Age guidebook, The Aquarian Conspiracy:
Always, the vision of evolution toward the light. Light is the oldest and most pervasive metaphor in spiritual experience. We speak of enlightenment, the city of light, the Light of the Word, children of light, the ‘white-light experience’,
(Ferguson, Marilyn. The Aquarian Conspiracy, p. 385)
The guiding light of NAM is Lucifer, which means "light bearer." Hence, new age disciples proudly label themselves, "light bearers." The Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto, under the listing for "Lucifer," simply says "see LIGHT." (p. 329) The definition for "light" then reads ". . . Latin lux ‘light’ which English gets Lucifer, literally ‘light bearer’." (Ayto, John. Dictionary of Word Origins, p. 323) 2 Corinthians 11:14, says, ". . . Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." In Luke 10:18, Jesus Christ says, ". . . I beheld Satan as lightning . . ."
The following excerpts from New Age material testify of their "light" god:
This Light will irradiate (in a fashion unknown before) not only the Father's House, which is the source of all our planetary light. . This light will now flood the world of men, bringing illumination to men's minds and light into the dark places of human living It is light and - above all else . . ."
(Bailey, Alice. The Reappearance of the Christ, p. 58)
To this light the mystics testify, and it is this light into which they enter, and which enters into them, revealing the light which is latent and drawing it forth to potency. "In Thy light shall we see light." This is the outstanding fact of scientific mysticism. God is light. . .
(Bailey, Alice. From Bethlehem to Calvary, p. 153)
The Mess is flooded with the mystic NAM "light." The Mess adds "light" when light is not in the text. It magically transforms simple "light" into NAM "God-light" or "Life-light." The following verses from The Mess compared with the KJB clearly reveal the NAM "light" agenda.
NEW AGE LIGHT FLOODING THE MESSAGE
Psalm 27:1 Light, space, zest-- that's GOD! (MESS)
The Lord is my light. . . (KJB)
John 3:19-21 God-light (MESS)
Light (3 times) (KJB)
Luke 2:32 God-revealing light (MESS)
light (KJB)
John 1:5, 7, 9 Life-Light (3 times) (MESS)
light (KJB)
Psalms 36:9 fountain of cascading light (MESS)
fountain of life (KJB)
Deuteronomy 33:2 He radiated light (MESS)
he shined forth (KJB)
Matthew 17:15 & Luke 9:34 a light-radiant cloud (MESS)
a bright cloud (KJB)
Job 24:13 the light-filled path (MESS)
the paths (KJB)
1 John 1:7 God himself being the light (MESS)
he is in the light (KJB)
John 12:36 the light will be within you (MESS)
the children of light (KJB)
Act 26:23 first rays of God's daylight (MESS)
Nothing (KJB)
Philippians 2:15 Carry the light-giving Message into the night (MESS)
shine as lights in the world (KJB)
James 1:17 first rays of God's daylight (MESS)
Every good gift. . . cometh down from the Father of lights, (KJB)
Revelation 2:1 the golden seven-lights' circle (MESS)
seven golden candlesticks (KJB)
Revelation 2:5 your light from the golden circle (MESS)
thy candlestick out of his place (KJB)
Revelation 22:5 The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs (MESS)
the Lord God giveth them light (KJB)
º LIGHT-BEARERS º
Lucifer literally means "light bearer." And New Agers, who recognize Lucifer as their god, proudly wear the title "light-bearer."
". . . the one in whom the light shines becomes a light-bearer in a dark world."
(Bailey, Alice. The Rays and The Initiations, p. 49)
These words carry meaning to all true disciples and present them with an analogous goal which they define to themselves as that of finding the light, appropriating the light, and themselves becoming light-bearers.
(Bailey, Alice. The Rays and The Initiations, p. 143)
The Mystic Mess also claims the Luciferian New Age banner, "light-bearer."
If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you?. . .
Matthew 5:15
Another well-known NAM term is "light-seeds." And again (and again. . .), The Mess preaches NAM agenda.
Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people. . .
Psalm 97:11
º THE MYSTIC LOTUS º
Anyone familiar with New Age and Eastern mysticism knows the importance of the lotus. H.P. Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine contains a chapter titled "The Lotus as a Universal Symbol." The Secret Doctrine, directly mentions the mystic lotus over 80 times. In Alice Bailey’s A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, the lotus carries over 249 references. No symbol is more sacred in the New Age mysticism than the lotus.
Blavatsky describes the "Lotus" god of the New Age.
In chapter lxxxi. of the Ritual (Book of the Dead), called ‘Transformation into the Lotus,’ a head emerging from this flower, the god exclaims: "I am the pure lotus, emerging from the Luminous one [Lucifer]. . . . . I carry the messages of Horus. I am the pure lotus which comes from the Solar Fields. . .
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine, p. 380)
The New Age Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, crowns Jesus with the "Lotus wreath."
19) This man, approved by all the master minds of heaven and earth, this man from Galilee, this Jesus, chief of all the sages of the world, we gladly recognize.
20) In recognition of this wisdom that he brings to men, we crown him with the Lotus wreath.
The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
The Dictionary of Symbolism states the sacred "lotus blossom" originated from "primordial ooze" and arose to become "the divine creator of the world."
Lotus: In ancient Egypt the lotus blossom is mentioned in the myth of the creation of the world: it originated from primordial ooze, and the divine creator of the world arose from its calyx.
(Biedermann, Hans. Dictionary of Symbolism, pp 212-213)
The Mess writes the most blasphemous and openly New Age propaganda ever recorded in a mainstream Bible. The Mess transforms the Lord Jesus from the "lily of the valley" to the mystic "lotus blossom from the valley pools."
I'm just a wildflower picked from the plains of Sharon, a lotus blossom from the valley pools. A lotus blossoming in a swamp of weeds-- that's my dear friend among the girls in the village.
Song of Solomon 2:1-2
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
Song of Solomon 2:1, KJB
Notice the Mess degrades the beautiful "rose of Sharon" to a crude "wildflower picked from the plains of Sharon."
In Micah 7:14, The Mess performs more New Age magick. It transforms "midst of Carmel" into a blatant new age phrase "centered in lotus land."
Shepherd, O GOD, your people with your staff, your dear and precious flock. Uniquely yours in a grove of trees, centered in lotus land. . .
Micah 7:14
º THE GREEN HOPE º
In Romans 15:13, the Mess contains the most bizarre statement ever in a mainstream Bible.
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Romans 15:13
Who is the "God of green hope"?
The "green hope" originated with the hellish, human sacrificing, Druids. The publication Talks on Freemasonry states, "Green was, with the Druids, a symbol of hope and the virtue of hope with a Freemason illustrates the hope of immortality." (Kenneth Tuckwood, Talks on Freemasonry) The "green hope" mantra is a popular rallying cry in the new age Mother-Earth environmental movement. In NAM "green" signifies Oneness with the Earth, hence the title of William Anderson’s book, Green Man: The Archetype of Our Oneness with the Earth.
". . . the devil appears as ‘the green one’. . ."
(Biedermann, Hans. Dictionary of Symbolism, p. 159)
º CHANTING º
Chanting occupies a central role in paganism and mysticism. The popular book, Chant and be Happy, featuring former Beatle and Krishna disciple George Harrison states, "By serving GOD through each thought, word, and DEED, and by chanting HIS Holy Names, the devotee quickly develops God-consciousness." Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, defines "chanting" as: "The continuous recitation of a mantra. . . which helps one achieve an altered state of conscious, ecstasy, communion with the divine. . ." (Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, p. 92). The word "chant" occurs only one time (Amos 6:5) in the KJB and refers to idolatry. The mystic Mess includes "chant" 9 times. (Jdg 5:11; Psa 35:15; Psa 71:24; Jer 9:10; Jer 51:14; Eze 26:17; Eze 32:16 (3 times); Rev 4:8; Rev 4:10) In Revelation 4, the four and twenty elders (vs 10) and the four beasts (vs 8), before the throne of God, are "chanting."
The Four Animals were winged, each with six wings. They were all eyes, seeing around and within. And they chanted night and day, never taking a break: Holy, holy, holy Is God our Master, Sovereign-Strong, THE WAS, THE IS, THE COMING.
Revelation 4:8
º AGE AFTER AGE AFTER AGE º
As the name implies, the New Age religion teaches a series of "ages." The Mess promotes the New Age religion with the phrases "age after age" (Rev. 4:9; 4:10; 14:11) and "age after age after age" (Psalm 72:5; Rev. 5:13; 22:5).
Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with him age after age after age. Revelation 22:5
º AS ABOVE, SO BELOW º
A popular New Age, Oneness-Pantheistic, teaching says, "as above, so below." New Age Journal published a book titled As Above, So Below. The Introduction says, "’As above, so below’ means that the two worlds are instantaneously seen to be one when we realize our essential unity with God. . . . The One and the many, time and eternity are all One." (New Age Journal, So Above, So Below, p. xi)
The Mess quietly transforms the hallowed "Lord’s Prayer" into a New Age "as above, so below" invocation.
In Matthew 6:10, The King James begins with the familiar, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
The mystic Mess reads, "Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best-- as above, so below."
º SEX, SEX, AND MORE SEX º
The Bible says in Psalm 119:140, "Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it."
Note. The following verses from The Message include vulgar and offensive language. I recognize the sensitivity of my readers, but The Message is heavily marketed towards the youth by scores of Contemporary Christian Musicians, including CDs of verses from The Message. The only accurate way to expose this filth is to show the verses. Remember this is a "Bible" recommended by tons of prominent Christian leaders!
When the King James Bible describes intimate relationships and immoral behavior there remains a careful wholesome tone in its wording. It doesn’t sugar-coat the sin, but it doesn’t smell with the stench of the world. Contrary to the pure Words of God – the Mess wallows in the sewers of smut. The Mess smells of "sex, sex, and more sex."
. . . Sniffing the wind for the slightest scent of sex. Who could possibly corral her! On the hunt for sex, sex, and more sex-- insatiable, indiscriminate, promiscuous.
Jeremiah 2:24
The word "sex" appears 199 times, (remember the "lord" appears only 71 times). The Mess contains enough "sex" to satisfy even Hugh Hefner. There is sexual intercourse (Jdg 21:11); sex goddess (2Ki 21:7); sexual predators (Job 24:15); sexual excesses (Job 36:14); sex shrines (Jer 5:7); sluttish sex (Eze 16:24); sex orgies (Eze 16:26); sexual prowess (Eze 23:21); obsessive sex (Eze 23:49); filthy sex (Eze 24:13); loose sex (Hos 4:2); drunk on sex (Hos 4:12); sex-worship (Hos 4:19); popular sex gods (Hos 11:2); lewd sex-worship (Hos 13:1); sacred sex-and-power centers (Mic 5:14); sexual orgies (Hab 2:15); sexually confused (Rom 1:27); sexual transmission (Rom 9:8); scandalous sex (1Co 5:1); sexually promiscuous (1Co 5:9); sexual sins (1Co 6:18); sexual relations (1Co 7:1); sexual drives (1Co 7:2); sexually tortured life (1Co 7:9); sexual disorder (2Co 12:21); cheap sex (Gal 5:19); sexual obsession (Eph 4:19); casual and illicit sex (Heb 13:4); sexual filth (2Pe 2:7); sexual rack and ruin (Jud 1:7); dirty sex (Jud 1:8); and sex peddlers (Rev 21:8). Note: most of the above phrases occur several times.
The Mess routinely uses crude words such as "genitals," "semen", "slut," and "streetwalking whore."
Saul exploded in anger at Jonathan: "You son of a slut!. . .
1 Samuel 20:30
I'll expose her genitals to the public. . .
Hosea 2:10
. . . Drunk on sex, they can't find their way home. They've replaced their God with their genitals.
Hosea 4:12
"Look around at the hills. Where have you not had sex? You've camped out like hunters stalking deer. You've solicited many lover-gods, Like a streetwalking whore chasing after other gods.
Jeremiah 3:2
. . .. After all, they're involved in this as well as you; if you don't come to terms, they'll be eating their own turds and drinking their own pee right along with you."
2 Kings 18:27
Jeremiah 8:13 even quotes a Holy God calling Israel "a slut." Notice the wording of the King James Bible.
GOD's Message: "Ask around. Survey the godless nations. Has anyone heard the likes of this? Virgin Israel has become a slut!Jeremiah 18:13
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
Jeremiah 18:13 King James Bible
In Ezekiel 16:24, The Mess spews the most vulgar and crude language ever recorded in a mainstream Bible:
At every major intersection you built your bold brothels and exposed your sluttish sex, spreading your legs for everyone who passed by.
Ezekiel 16:24
While "sex, sex, and more sex" floods the Mess, the sodomites disappear. The "men" of Sodom in Genesis 13:13 are now "people of Sodom." The Mess completely pardons the "sodomites," replacing them with the inoffensive and meaningless "sacred prostitutes."
º CORRUPT COMMUNICATION º
The Bible admonishes us to, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. . ." (Eph. 4:29) The Mess routinely speaks "corrupt communication" with some curse words in its pages.
"Damn" appears many times in precarious settings.
Go, curse Jacob for me; go, damn Israel." Num 23:7
Break their miserable hearts! Damn their eyes! Lam 3:65
Take care of that damned woman 2 Kings 9:34
I'd rather be damned by God than drink this! 1 Chron. 11:19
We're damned if we do and damned if we don't Jer 8:14
you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" 1 Cor. 12:3
Nothing seems sacred to the Mess, even descending to using the "G.D." word.
Here is GOD's Message to the prophets, the preachers who lie to my people: "For as long as they're well paid and well fed, the prophets preach, 'Isn't life wonderful! Peace to all!' But if you don't pay up and jump on their bandwagon, their 'God bless you' turns into 'God damn you.'
Micah 3:5
Notice how different the words of God's tender compassion found in the King James Bible in Micah 3:5:
Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Micah 3:5, KJB
º HELL-RAISERS, HELLHOUNDS and HELLHOLES º
Like this "present evil world," The Mess enjoys perverting and redefining the word "hell."
a gang of local hell-raisers all Judg 19:22
hell-raisers Judg 20:13
you hellhound! 2 Sam. 16:7
a fool hellbent on folly. Pro 17:12
rebels to rot in hell. Psa 68:6
I'm camped on the edge of hell. Psa 88:3
"Let's go out and raise some hell. Pro 1:11
We've been to hell and back. Lam 3:47
hellholes. Zep 1:9
hellbent on destruction, 1 Cor. 1:18
"To hell with your money! Act 8:20
And then all hell broke loose Rom 1:29
And there’s a lot more filth in The Mess. . . This contains just a small drop in the mystic and malignant poison infecting the Mystic Message.
I’m reminded of Ronald Reagan’s eloquent critique of the Good News Bible during his famous radio address on September 6. 1977. Comparing the Good New Bible to the King James Bible, President Reagan closed with these insightful words:
“The sponsors of the Good News version boast that their Bible is as readable as the daily paper – and so it is. But do readers of the daily news find themselves moved to wonder, "at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth"? Mr. Hanser [author of The Law and The Prophets] suggests that sadly the "tinkering & general horsing around with the sacred texts will no doubt continue" as pious drudges try to get it right.
It will not dawn on them that it has already been gotten right.
This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.”
*Note: Tracts are available on the website, just click on title above.
Dial-the-Truth Ministries
THE MYSTIC MESS
With today’s epidemic of Bible per-versions spreading like a runaway virus, nothing should shock us . . . but buckle up! If you have any spiritual pulse, Eugene Peterson’s The Message will shock you. The Message promotes the mystical New Age message with a boldness never seen in a mainstream Bible. The Message has sold over 10 million copies and has continually ranked among the top five best-selling Bibles. The Message website (www.navpress.com) displays endorsements from such prominent Christians as Billy Graham, Chuck Swindoll, Christianity Today, Dan Quayle, Bill Hybels, Gordon Fee, J.I. Packer, Jack Hayford, Jerry Jenkins, Jerry Savelle, John Maxwell, Max Lucado, Richard Foster, Rick Warren, Rod Parsley, Tony Campolo and Warren Wiersbe, among many others.
This article will barely scratch the surface of the mystic New Age religion filling The Message. And this article only examines the New Age mysticism in The Message, we do not examine the treason against the Deity of Jesus Christ, salvation and scores of other fundamental doctrines. Note: We’ll refer to the King James Bible as KJB, the New Age Movement as NAM, and The Message Bible as The Mess.
º THE MASTER PLAN OF THE MESSAGE º
The first blast from The Mess attacks the "Lord."
The "Lord" occurs a whopping 7970 times in the KJB -- more than any other noun. Of the 8,000-plus different words used in the KJB, the "Lord" ranks 14th among the most occurrences (number 13 is the single letter "a"). Only helper words such as "the"; "of"; "in"; "to"; et. al. occur more often.
The Mess contains the "Lord" only 71 times! The "Lord" ranks 1087th among words in The Mess. It appears the same number of times as words like "question" or "reputation."
In the New Testament, (ironically, the Testament of the "Lord" Jesus Christ) the "Lord" appears a skimpy 23 times in The Mess. The Mess NEVER directly honors Jesus Christ as Lord. The "Lord Jesus" occurs 118 times in the King James Bible. The "Lord Jesus Christ" occurs 84 times in the King James Bible. The phrase "Lord Jesus Christ" or "Lord Jesus" is not in The Mess! The outright denial of the "Lord" Jesus has never occurred in ANY translation.
Let us clarify something . . . the total amputation of the "Lord Jesus" is no accident. It is not an issue of translation or Greek manuscripts. It is not a matter of updating archaic words or making it easier to understand. It was a deliberate and intentional doctrinal decision to remove the "Lord Jesus."
And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord. . .
John 20:13
It is interesting that Judas Iscariot never calls Jesus "Lord."
The Bible states 13 times Judas "betrayed" the Lord Jesus; Judas was possessed of Satan (Luke 22:3); Jesus Christ calls Judas "a devil" (John 6:70); Jesus calls Judas the "son of perdition" (John 17:12 – which is also the title of the antichrist in 2 Thess. 2:3). The Bible describes hell as Judas’ "own place" (Acts 1:25).
Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?. . .
Matthew 26:25, KJB
Judas always addressed Jesus as "Master" -- never "Lord." Following the footsteps of Judas the "betrayer," the Mess also "betrays" the Lord, always calling Jesus "Master" – never "Lord"!
Another partner in the "Master Jesus" plan is the New Age religion. The root of the New Age Movement (NAM) teaches during various "ages," teachers or guides arise called "Masters." Helena Blavatsky, the guru of the modern-day New Age Movement, wrote extensively of these enlightened "masters." In the 1980’s, the book Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow by Constance Cumbey, exposed the New Age Movement. Mrs. Cumbey defines the mystic new age as:
A vast organizational network today, the New Age Movement received its modern start in 1875 with the founding of the Theosophical Society by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. . . Strongly propounding the theory of evolution, they also believed in the existence of ‘masters’ who were either spirit beings or fortunate men more highly ‘evolved’ than the common herd. (Cumbey, Constance, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 44)
In his best selling book, A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, author Elliot Miller describes the new age Jesus as:
The New Age Jesus became ‘the Christ’ only after purifying himself of ‘bad karma’ through many incarnations, and even now (as many New Agers believe) he is only one of several ‘masters’. . . (Miller, Elliot. A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, p. 30)
Second only to Blavatasky in the New Age hierarchy, is Alice Bailey. Author Constance Cumbey says Bailey, ". . . did more than anyone, except perhaps H. P. Blavatsky, to build the foundations for the ‘New Age’." (Cumbey, Constance, Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 49) In 1922 Alice Bailey formed Lucifer Trust Publishing, which was later renamed to the subtle Lucis Trust Publishing. Bailey wrote extensively on the "Master Jesus." The following quote are but one of the hundreds of references to the New Age "Master Jesus":
"There is a growing and developing belief that Christ is in us, as He was in the Master Jesus. . ."
(Bailey, Alice, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 592)
New age researchers quickly discover the Jesus of the New Age is not the "Lord" Jesus but "Master" Jesus:
Jesus to the New Age is a man who ascended to be a Master. . .
(Understanding the New Age, Watchman Fellowship Inc.) A basic tenet of the New Age thinking is that of the Master Jesus. . .
(Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing, p. 112)
º MASTER JESUS IN THE MESSAGE º
The Mess calls Jesus "Master" over 400 times and the unique New Age phrase "Master Jesus" appears 76 times! The only other Bible I found "Master Jesus" in was the New Age Bible titled The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ!
The following examples (among many) of the "Master Jesus" in The Mess loudly echo the Judas-inspired, New Age doctrine of the "Master Jesus."
As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, "Master Jesus, take my life."
Acts 7:59 Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus.
Acts 11:20 And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive.
2 Corinthians 4:14 He who testifies to all these things says it again: "I'm on my way! I'll be there soon!" Yes! Come, Master Jesus! The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!
Revelation 22:20-21
The Bible in 1 Corinthians 12:3 warns against spiritual counterfeits such as The Mess that deny Jesus is the "Lord." Notice how the Mess attempts to cover its tracks by perverting the same verse.
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Cor. 12:3, KJB
For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" Nor would anyone be inclined to say "Jesus is Master!" without the insight of the Holy Spirit. 1Cor. 12:3, The Mess
º THE MASTER GOD º
Not content with propagating the NAM "Master Jesus," The Mess continues its "master" plan. The "Lord God" occurs 546 times in the King James Bible. The "Lord God" briefly appears 9 times in the Mess. The Mess replaces the "Lord God" with "Master God." I could not find the "Master God" in any other Bible version.
Again, notice the new age, mystic tone of the "Master God" in the Mess.
Abram said, "Master GOD, how am I to know this, that it will all be mine?"
Genesis 15:8 King David went in, took his place before GOD, and prayed: "Who am I, my Master GOD, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life?
2 Samuel 7:18 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Master GOD, only you know that."
Ezekiel 37:3
The Mess travels to "loony land" deleting the "Lord." Rather than correctly translate the "Lord God," The Mess crafts the gobbledygook phrase "God, God." It also deceitfully slips in a comma attempting to justify the goofy Mess.
GOD passed in front of him and called out, "GOD, GOD, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient--so much love, so deeply true—
Exodus 34:6 Attention, Israel! GOD, our God! GOD the one and only!
Deuteronomy 6:4
º THE DIVINE GUARDIANS º
The NAM identifies their "Masters" as "divine guardians" and "custodians of the Divine Plan." The New-Age Tara Center describes the "Masters" as "custodians" of the Divine Plane:
The Masters, together forming the Spiritual Hierarchy, are the custodians of the Divine Plan for this planet.
(Basics of Ageless Wisdom, Tara Center, p. 3).
In Deuteronomy 32:8, the Mess also references these "divine guardians" who "care for the Earth." This is not Bible Christianity. And this is not in the Hebrew text! Notice the complete change from the King James Bible.
When the High God gave the nations their stake, gave them their place on Earth, He put each of the peoples within boundaries under the care of divine guardians.
Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:8, KJB
º “THE ONE” º
The New Age Movement revolves around the “One.” Riplinger writes in New Age Versions: "Virtually all exposes on the New Age Movement observe ‘the One’ is this movement’s object of worship." (Riplinger, G.A. New Age Versions, p. 85)
New Age guru H.P. Blavatsky teaches the NAM begins with "the One":
"The esoteric theogony begins with the One. . . "
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 1, Page 94)
"The Secret Doctrine carries this idea into the region of metaphysics and postulates a ‘One Form of Existence’ as the basis and source of all things."
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 1, Page 46)
In the following quote Blavatsky states Jehovah and the Serpent [Satan] that tempted Eve both are the "One".
It is curious that Jehovah's name in Hebrew should also be One,. . . Jehovah -- esoterically (as Elohim) -- is also the Serpent or Dragon that tempted Eve. . .
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 1, Page 73)
The One theology stems from pantheism. The word Pantheism derives from the Greek words pan meaning "all" and theos meaning "god." Pantheism teaches God is All and All is God or "One". It rejects a personal, loving God, instead defining God as "Presence" or "One." Infoplease defines "pantheism" as "a denial of God's personality and expresses a tendency to identify God and nature." The god Pan appears as a cloven-foot, half-man, half-goat satyr playing the hypnotic "pan pipes." (Ezek. 28:13) Occultist Albert Pike describes Satan as ". . . the mythologic and horned form of the God Pan. . ." (Pike, Morals and Dogma, p. 102) The Satanic Bible (p. 144) also includes Pan in its list of Infernal Names of Satan. Hence, a pan-theist follows Satan.
During a NAM meeting in Boulder, New Age leader Jose Arguelles told his listeners to, ". . . invite "PAN" in, accepting him as the leader and guide for their lives. . . that 'right now Mother Earth is bringing Pan back to save us and lead us into the New Age. We can help by surrendering to him. . ." (www.raidersnewsupdate.com/gaia.htm)
Make no mistake — Pan is the "One" of the New Age religion.
The New Testament of the King James Bible never refers to God or the Lord Jesus as the impersonal One. Several times Jesus Christ is called the Holy One and the Just One, but never an impersonal, mystic One. The Mess changes the personal pronouns such as he and him (that reference Jesus and God) and personal nouns such as the Father, with the impersonal pantheistic "One" over 102 times in the New Testament! The following verses from The Mess loudly resonant the New Age "One" mantra.
No one has seen the Father except the One who has his Being alongside the Father--and you can see me.
John 6:46 As John was finishing up his work, he said, 'Did you think I was the One? No, I'm not the One. But the One you've been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I'm about to disappear.'
Act 13:25
Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn't hesitate to treat them as family,
Hebrews 2:11
Every time the Animals gave glory and honor and thanks to the One Seated on the Throne--the age-after-age Living One—
Revelation 4:9
º ONENESS º
Building upon the "One" concept, a distinct code-word among the mystic New Agers is "oneness."
"The root idea of the New Age is oneness, unity and wholeness—the One for all."
(Groothuis, Douglas R. Unmasking the New Age, Illinois: InterVarsity Press 1986, p. 115) "This oneness of life is the crux of the New Age movement."
(Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing, Lighthouse Trails Publishing, Silverton, 2002 p. 130)
"Oneness" is an unusual and bizarre word, not appearing in most dictionaries. Only New Agers recognize the "oneness" teaching. Following the mystic New Age "Oneness" script, The Mess says in Ephesians 4:6, "Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness". The word "permeate" means "spread throughout" or "to penetrate". According to The Mess, "Everything you are and think and do is spread throughout with Oneness." Make no mistake about it -- this is heavy-duty New Age doctrine.
The New Age guidebook Metaphysical Primer: A Guide to Understanding Metaphysics gives nearly the exact same principle of the New Age Movement, "Everything is one with everything else. All that is on Earth is an expression of the One Deity and is permeated with Its energies." (Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing, p. 52)
The Mess doesn’t stop there. It continues to spread the New Age "Oneness."
I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness. . .
John 17:23 Because there is one loaf, our many-ness becomes one-ness. . .
1 Corinthians 10:17
Another "oneness" term the New Age Religion exercises is "interdependence."
Constance Cumbey writes in The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, "Another key teaching of this movement is that all things are ‘interconnected’ or ‘interdependent’". (Cumbey, Constance, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 67)
Cult author Dr. Walter Martin, identifies "interdependence" as a New Age "buzz-word" used to "describe the oneness".
Interdependence/Interconnectedness – These words are used by New Agers to describe the oneness and essential unity of everything in the universe.
(Martin, Walter, The New Age Cult, p. 129)
Like a hypnotized cobra being charmed by the sweet sound of the piper, The Mess serenely dances to the New Age Piper (Ezek. 28:13) while singing the song of interdependence.
Everyone I meet--it matters little whether they're mannered or rude, smart or simple--deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation.
Romans 1:14
º THE PRESENCE º
Another key New Age teaching surrounds "the Presence." The NAM "Presence" forms a mystic, impersonal pantheist "presence" of God. The following quotes reveal the importance of the "Presence" in the New Age agenda.
Occultism sums up the ‘One Existence’ thus: ‘Deity is an arcane, living (or moving) fire, and the eternal witnesses to this unseen Presence. . ."
(Blavatsy, H.P. The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1, Page 2) The Christ Self, then, has communication with the Father who in both Principle and Person is the Presence of God, the I AM THAT I AM, or the I AM Presence.
(Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Mysteries of the Holy Grail, p. 217)
Alice Bailey reveals the "Presence" strikes a blow at the Biblical "transcendent" God or a God that exists apart from nature and man.
This inevitably brings in the concept of the Presence, or of God Immanent and is the result of the needed revolt against the one-sidedness of the belief in God Transcendent."
(Bailey, Alice, The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 355)
The Mess refers to God at least 34 times as the NAM "Presence." Teaching the God of the Bible as a mystic Presence constitutes blatant blasphemy. This can only be defined within a New Age viewpoint. In sharp contrast, remember, the Mess NEVER directly refers to Jesus as Lord. The following verses (of many) echo the NAM mystic "Presence" of the Mess:
No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man.
John 3:13 I saw a Great White Throne and the One Enthroned. Nothing could stand before or against the Presence, nothing in Heaven, nothing on earth.
Revelation 20:11
The Mess calls the sacred "shewbread" as the mystic "Bread of the Presence" eight times [Ex. 25:30, 35:13, 39:36, 1 Sam. 21:6, 1 Kings 7:48, 2 Chron. 4:19, 29:18].
Always keep fresh Bread of the Presence on the Table before me. Exodus 25:30
º THE ENERGY º
Energy activates the spiritual "force" of the New Age religion. Prayers, meditations, invocations, and rituals all create energies.
The inflow of this energy has brought many hundreds of people into a new and deeper spiritual realization;. . . Thus is the New Age dawning . . . This is the occult law.
(Bailey, Alice. The Externalization of the Hierarchy, p. 7) Every man should realize that in the use of energy lies direction and the treading of the Path. . . Students should familiarize themselves with the ‘energy concept’ and learn to regard themselves as energy units displaying certain types of energy.
(Bailey, Alice. The Rays and the Initiations, p. 4)
Alice Bailey references "energy" over 1029 in the Rays and The Initiations. New Age disciple and popular, folk-rocker Tori Amos, defines this New Age energy as Lucifer, while readily confessing her love and worship of Lucifer.
I wanted to marry Lucifer. . . I don’t consider Lucifer an evil force. We can all tap into that free-running current of distorted energy."
Tori Amos, (Francesca Lia Block, "The Volcano Lover", SPIN, March 1996)
To visit Father Lucifer, to have a moment to dance... to go down in the dark, to visit with the dude! Not these little ‘Prince of Darkness’ wannabes... some of them are cute, but to visit the real energy force that has held the darkness: you go there with honor. . ."
(A bottle of red: Tori Amos, B-Side Magazine, Sandra A. Garcia, May-June 1996)
The Mess explicitly promotes the NAM mystical "energy." Energy appears 40 times in The Mess. Note: Energy only appears one time in some of the other per-versions. The Mess leaves no doubt concerning its faith in the New Age "energy" force.
In Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28, the Mess changes "pray" to "the energies of prayer." Apparently, God no longer answers our prayers, instead, the prayer itself, generates "the energy." The Bible definition of prayer means "to ask." (Matthew 21:22)
When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person.
Luke 6:28
Mark 5:30 and Luke 16:19 no longer reads "virtue" leaving the Lord Jesus, but "energy discharging" or "surging" from him.
At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, "Who touched my robe?"
Mark 5:30
The following are a few more (of many) undeniable NAM "energy" doctrine in the Mess:
All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven,
Ephesians 1:20
That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.
Philippians 2:13
º THE LIGHT º
A casual study of the New Age religion quickly exposes their light-god. A best selling New Age book of the 90’s was Embraced by the Light by Betty Eadie. Light is the cornerstone of NAM.
The popular new age prayer called The Great Invocation by Alice Bailey, (originally published by Lucifer Publishing), begins with the words, "From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let Light stream forth into the minds of men. Let Light descend on Earth." And it ends with "Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth."
Marilyn Ferguson, states in her best-selling New-Age guidebook, The Aquarian Conspiracy:
Always, the vision of evolution toward the light. Light is the oldest and most pervasive metaphor in spiritual experience. We speak of enlightenment, the city of light, the Light of the Word, children of light, the ‘white-light experience’,
(Ferguson, Marilyn. The Aquarian Conspiracy, p. 385)
The guiding light of NAM is Lucifer, which means "light bearer." Hence, new age disciples proudly label themselves, "light bearers." The Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto, under the listing for "Lucifer," simply says "see LIGHT." (p. 329) The definition for "light" then reads ". . . Latin lux ‘light’ which English gets Lucifer, literally ‘light bearer’." (Ayto, John. Dictionary of Word Origins, p. 323) 2 Corinthians 11:14, says, ". . . Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." In Luke 10:18, Jesus Christ says, ". . . I beheld Satan as lightning . . ."
The following excerpts from New Age material testify of their "light" god:
This Light will irradiate (in a fashion unknown before) not only the Father's House, which is the source of all our planetary light. . This light will now flood the world of men, bringing illumination to men's minds and light into the dark places of human living It is light and - above all else . . ."
(Bailey, Alice. The Reappearance of the Christ, p. 58)
To this light the mystics testify, and it is this light into which they enter, and which enters into them, revealing the light which is latent and drawing it forth to potency. "In Thy light shall we see light." This is the outstanding fact of scientific mysticism. God is light. . .
(Bailey, Alice. From Bethlehem to Calvary, p. 153)
The Mess is flooded with the mystic NAM "light." The Mess adds "light" when light is not in the text. It magically transforms simple "light" into NAM "God-light" or "Life-light." The following verses from The Mess compared with the KJB clearly reveal the NAM "light" agenda.
NEW AGE LIGHT FLOODING THE MESSAGE
Psalm 27:1 Light, space, zest-- that's GOD! (MESS)
The Lord is my light. . . (KJB)
John 3:19-21 God-light (MESS)
Light (3 times) (KJB)
Luke 2:32 God-revealing light (MESS)
light (KJB)
John 1:5, 7, 9 Life-Light (3 times) (MESS)
light (KJB)
Psalms 36:9 fountain of cascading light (MESS)
fountain of life (KJB)
Deuteronomy 33:2 He radiated light (MESS)
he shined forth (KJB)
Matthew 17:15 & Luke 9:34 a light-radiant cloud (MESS)
a bright cloud (KJB)
Job 24:13 the light-filled path (MESS)
the paths (KJB)
1 John 1:7 God himself being the light (MESS)
he is in the light (KJB)
John 12:36 the light will be within you (MESS)
the children of light (KJB)
Act 26:23 first rays of God's daylight (MESS)
Nothing (KJB)
Philippians 2:15 Carry the light-giving Message into the night (MESS)
shine as lights in the world (KJB)
James 1:17 first rays of God's daylight (MESS)
Every good gift. . . cometh down from the Father of lights, (KJB)
Revelation 2:1 the golden seven-lights' circle (MESS)
seven golden candlesticks (KJB)
Revelation 2:5 your light from the golden circle (MESS)
thy candlestick out of his place (KJB)
Revelation 22:5 The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs (MESS)
the Lord God giveth them light (KJB)
º LIGHT-BEARERS º
Lucifer literally means "light bearer." And New Agers, who recognize Lucifer as their god, proudly wear the title "light-bearer."
". . . the one in whom the light shines becomes a light-bearer in a dark world."
(Bailey, Alice. The Rays and The Initiations, p. 49)
These words carry meaning to all true disciples and present them with an analogous goal which they define to themselves as that of finding the light, appropriating the light, and themselves becoming light-bearers.
(Bailey, Alice. The Rays and The Initiations, p. 143)
The Mystic Mess also claims the Luciferian New Age banner, "light-bearer."
If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you?. . .
Matthew 5:15
Another well-known NAM term is "light-seeds." And again (and again. . .), The Mess preaches NAM agenda.
Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people. . .
Psalm 97:11
º THE MYSTIC LOTUS º
Anyone familiar with New Age and Eastern mysticism knows the importance of the lotus. H.P. Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine contains a chapter titled "The Lotus as a Universal Symbol." The Secret Doctrine, directly mentions the mystic lotus over 80 times. In Alice Bailey’s A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, the lotus carries over 249 references. No symbol is more sacred in the New Age mysticism than the lotus.
Blavatsky describes the "Lotus" god of the New Age.
In chapter lxxxi. of the Ritual (Book of the Dead), called ‘Transformation into the Lotus,’ a head emerging from this flower, the god exclaims: "I am the pure lotus, emerging from the Luminous one [Lucifer]. . . . . I carry the messages of Horus. I am the pure lotus which comes from the Solar Fields. . .
(Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine, p. 380)
The New Age Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, crowns Jesus with the "Lotus wreath."
19) This man, approved by all the master minds of heaven and earth, this man from Galilee, this Jesus, chief of all the sages of the world, we gladly recognize.
20) In recognition of this wisdom that he brings to men, we crown him with the Lotus wreath.
The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
The Dictionary of Symbolism states the sacred "lotus blossom" originated from "primordial ooze" and arose to become "the divine creator of the world."
Lotus: In ancient Egypt the lotus blossom is mentioned in the myth of the creation of the world: it originated from primordial ooze, and the divine creator of the world arose from its calyx.
(Biedermann, Hans. Dictionary of Symbolism, pp 212-213)
The Mess writes the most blasphemous and openly New Age propaganda ever recorded in a mainstream Bible. The Mess transforms the Lord Jesus from the "lily of the valley" to the mystic "lotus blossom from the valley pools."
I'm just a wildflower picked from the plains of Sharon, a lotus blossom from the valley pools. A lotus blossoming in a swamp of weeds-- that's my dear friend among the girls in the village.
Song of Solomon 2:1-2
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
Song of Solomon 2:1, KJB
Notice the Mess degrades the beautiful "rose of Sharon" to a crude "wildflower picked from the plains of Sharon."
In Micah 7:14, The Mess performs more New Age magick. It transforms "midst of Carmel" into a blatant new age phrase "centered in lotus land."
Shepherd, O GOD, your people with your staff, your dear and precious flock. Uniquely yours in a grove of trees, centered in lotus land. . .
Micah 7:14
º THE GREEN HOPE º
In Romans 15:13, the Mess contains the most bizarre statement ever in a mainstream Bible.
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Romans 15:13
Who is the "God of green hope"?
The "green hope" originated with the hellish, human sacrificing, Druids. The publication Talks on Freemasonry states, "Green was, with the Druids, a symbol of hope and the virtue of hope with a Freemason illustrates the hope of immortality." (Kenneth Tuckwood, Talks on Freemasonry) The "green hope" mantra is a popular rallying cry in the new age Mother-Earth environmental movement. In NAM "green" signifies Oneness with the Earth, hence the title of William Anderson’s book, Green Man: The Archetype of Our Oneness with the Earth.
". . . the devil appears as ‘the green one’. . ."
(Biedermann, Hans. Dictionary of Symbolism, p. 159)
º CHANTING º
Chanting occupies a central role in paganism and mysticism. The popular book, Chant and be Happy, featuring former Beatle and Krishna disciple George Harrison states, "By serving GOD through each thought, word, and DEED, and by chanting HIS Holy Names, the devotee quickly develops God-consciousness." Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, defines "chanting" as: "The continuous recitation of a mantra. . . which helps one achieve an altered state of conscious, ecstasy, communion with the divine. . ." (Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience, p. 92). The word "chant" occurs only one time (Amos 6:5) in the KJB and refers to idolatry. The mystic Mess includes "chant" 9 times. (Jdg 5:11; Psa 35:15; Psa 71:24; Jer 9:10; Jer 51:14; Eze 26:17; Eze 32:16 (3 times); Rev 4:8; Rev 4:10) In Revelation 4, the four and twenty elders (vs 10) and the four beasts (vs 8), before the throne of God, are "chanting."
The Four Animals were winged, each with six wings. They were all eyes, seeing around and within. And they chanted night and day, never taking a break: Holy, holy, holy Is God our Master, Sovereign-Strong, THE WAS, THE IS, THE COMING.
Revelation 4:8
º AGE AFTER AGE AFTER AGE º
As the name implies, the New Age religion teaches a series of "ages." The Mess promotes the New Age religion with the phrases "age after age" (Rev. 4:9; 4:10; 14:11) and "age after age after age" (Psalm 72:5; Rev. 5:13; 22:5).
Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with him age after age after age. Revelation 22:5
º AS ABOVE, SO BELOW º
A popular New Age, Oneness-Pantheistic, teaching says, "as above, so below." New Age Journal published a book titled As Above, So Below. The Introduction says, "’As above, so below’ means that the two worlds are instantaneously seen to be one when we realize our essential unity with God. . . . The One and the many, time and eternity are all One." (New Age Journal, So Above, So Below, p. xi)
The Mess quietly transforms the hallowed "Lord’s Prayer" into a New Age "as above, so below" invocation.
In Matthew 6:10, The King James begins with the familiar, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
The mystic Mess reads, "Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best-- as above, so below."
º SEX, SEX, AND MORE SEX º
The Bible says in Psalm 119:140, "Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it."
Note. The following verses from The Message include vulgar and offensive language. I recognize the sensitivity of my readers, but The Message is heavily marketed towards the youth by scores of Contemporary Christian Musicians, including CDs of verses from The Message. The only accurate way to expose this filth is to show the verses. Remember this is a "Bible" recommended by tons of prominent Christian leaders!
When the King James Bible describes intimate relationships and immoral behavior there remains a careful wholesome tone in its wording. It doesn’t sugar-coat the sin, but it doesn’t smell with the stench of the world. Contrary to the pure Words of God – the Mess wallows in the sewers of smut. The Mess smells of "sex, sex, and more sex."
. . . Sniffing the wind for the slightest scent of sex. Who could possibly corral her! On the hunt for sex, sex, and more sex-- insatiable, indiscriminate, promiscuous.
Jeremiah 2:24
The word "sex" appears 199 times, (remember the "lord" appears only 71 times). The Mess contains enough "sex" to satisfy even Hugh Hefner. There is sexual intercourse (Jdg 21:11); sex goddess (2Ki 21:7); sexual predators (Job 24:15); sexual excesses (Job 36:14); sex shrines (Jer 5:7); sluttish sex (Eze 16:24); sex orgies (Eze 16:26); sexual prowess (Eze 23:21); obsessive sex (Eze 23:49); filthy sex (Eze 24:13); loose sex (Hos 4:2); drunk on sex (Hos 4:12); sex-worship (Hos 4:19); popular sex gods (Hos 11:2); lewd sex-worship (Hos 13:1); sacred sex-and-power centers (Mic 5:14); sexual orgies (Hab 2:15); sexually confused (Rom 1:27); sexual transmission (Rom 9:8); scandalous sex (1Co 5:1); sexually promiscuous (1Co 5:9); sexual sins (1Co 6:18); sexual relations (1Co 7:1); sexual drives (1Co 7:2); sexually tortured life (1Co 7:9); sexual disorder (2Co 12:21); cheap sex (Gal 5:19); sexual obsession (Eph 4:19); casual and illicit sex (Heb 13:4); sexual filth (2Pe 2:7); sexual rack and ruin (Jud 1:7); dirty sex (Jud 1:8); and sex peddlers (Rev 21:8). Note: most of the above phrases occur several times.
The Mess routinely uses crude words such as "genitals," "semen", "slut," and "streetwalking whore."
Saul exploded in anger at Jonathan: "You son of a slut!. . .
1 Samuel 20:30
I'll expose her genitals to the public. . .
Hosea 2:10
. . . Drunk on sex, they can't find their way home. They've replaced their God with their genitals.
Hosea 4:12
"Look around at the hills. Where have you not had sex? You've camped out like hunters stalking deer. You've solicited many lover-gods, Like a streetwalking whore chasing after other gods.
Jeremiah 3:2
. . .. After all, they're involved in this as well as you; if you don't come to terms, they'll be eating their own turds and drinking their own pee right along with you."
2 Kings 18:27
Jeremiah 8:13 even quotes a Holy God calling Israel "a slut." Notice the wording of the King James Bible.
GOD's Message: "Ask around. Survey the godless nations. Has anyone heard the likes of this? Virgin Israel has become a slut!Jeremiah 18:13
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
Jeremiah 18:13 King James Bible
In Ezekiel 16:24, The Mess spews the most vulgar and crude language ever recorded in a mainstream Bible:
At every major intersection you built your bold brothels and exposed your sluttish sex, spreading your legs for everyone who passed by.
Ezekiel 16:24
While "sex, sex, and more sex" floods the Mess, the sodomites disappear. The "men" of Sodom in Genesis 13:13 are now "people of Sodom." The Mess completely pardons the "sodomites," replacing them with the inoffensive and meaningless "sacred prostitutes."
º CORRUPT COMMUNICATION º
The Bible admonishes us to, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. . ." (Eph. 4:29) The Mess routinely speaks "corrupt communication" with some curse words in its pages.
"Damn" appears many times in precarious settings.
Go, curse Jacob for me; go, damn Israel." Num 23:7
Break their miserable hearts! Damn their eyes! Lam 3:65
Take care of that damned woman 2 Kings 9:34
I'd rather be damned by God than drink this! 1 Chron. 11:19
We're damned if we do and damned if we don't Jer 8:14
you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" 1 Cor. 12:3
Nothing seems sacred to the Mess, even descending to using the "G.D." word.
Here is GOD's Message to the prophets, the preachers who lie to my people: "For as long as they're well paid and well fed, the prophets preach, 'Isn't life wonderful! Peace to all!' But if you don't pay up and jump on their bandwagon, their 'God bless you' turns into 'God damn you.'
Micah 3:5
Notice how different the words of God's tender compassion found in the King James Bible in Micah 3:5:
Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Micah 3:5, KJB
º HELL-RAISERS, HELLHOUNDS and HELLHOLES º
Like this "present evil world," The Mess enjoys perverting and redefining the word "hell."
a gang of local hell-raisers all Judg 19:22
hell-raisers Judg 20:13
you hellhound! 2 Sam. 16:7
a fool hellbent on folly. Pro 17:12
rebels to rot in hell. Psa 68:6
I'm camped on the edge of hell. Psa 88:3
"Let's go out and raise some hell. Pro 1:11
We've been to hell and back. Lam 3:47
hellholes. Zep 1:9
hellbent on destruction, 1 Cor. 1:18
"To hell with your money! Act 8:20
And then all hell broke loose Rom 1:29
And there’s a lot more filth in The Mess. . . This contains just a small drop in the mystic and malignant poison infecting the Mystic Message.
I’m reminded of Ronald Reagan’s eloquent critique of the Good News Bible during his famous radio address on September 6. 1977. Comparing the Good New Bible to the King James Bible, President Reagan closed with these insightful words:
“The sponsors of the Good News version boast that their Bible is as readable as the daily paper – and so it is. But do readers of the daily news find themselves moved to wonder, "at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth"? Mr. Hanser [author of The Law and The Prophets] suggests that sadly the "tinkering & general horsing around with the sacred texts will no doubt continue" as pious drudges try to get it right.
It will not dawn on them that it has already been gotten right.
This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.”
*Note: Tracts are available on the website, just click on title above.
The Emerging Church Warning Signs
How to Know When the Emerging Church Shows Signs of Emerging in Your Church
Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org
The world is changing. So is the Christian evangelical church. There was a time— not that long ago—when the Bible was considered to be the Word of God by the majority of evangelical Christians. Now that we are well into the third millennium and the post-modern, post-Christian era, the term evangelical can mean almost anything. What has happened? Why is this happening and what is the future for mainstream Christianity?
For the past several years, I have been speaking around the world on current trends that are impacting Christianity. After these presentations, I am approached by Christians who come from many different church backgrounds. Many are expressing their concerns about what is happening in their churches, troubled by the new direction they see their church going. While they may not always be able to discern what is wrong, they know something is wrong and that it needs to be addressed.
Further, many have told me they have attempted to express their concerns with their pastors or church elders. In almost every case, they were told they had a choice to make—get with the new program or get out of the church.
This move towards a reinvented Christianity (one designed to “reach people”) seems to be here for the long haul. It is not just a passing fad. I am often asked by concerned brothers and sisters in Christ to provide an explanation in order to help them understand what they have encountered. They want to know why these changes are underway and what to expect in the future. As well, they want to know what, if anything can be done, to stem this tide. It is for this reason I am writing this commentary—to provide biblical insight regarding the Emerging Church and where it is heading in the future.
The Gospel According to the Scriptures
Throughout church history, various trends have come and gone. While culture changes from place to place, biblical Christianity has always been based upon the central message of the Bible which is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the message never changes.
This gospel message is about who Jesus Christ is, and what He has done. A child can understand the gospel message. This message proclaims that life here on planet earth is finite and that life after death is eternal. The good news is that we can be saved from our sins if we will repent and simply ask for forgiveness and follow Him.
How we respond to the gospel message during the time we have on earth determines where we spend eternity—heaven or hell. Jesus, the Creator of the universe, provided a way and the only way we can spend eternity with Him. It is a matter of making a personal decision whether or not we will accept the plan He has provided.
God’s adversary does not want mankind to understand the simple message. His plan is to deceive the world. If he can blind people from the gospel or convince them that they believe the gospel when indeed they do not, his plan has been successful. Throughout the ages, countless billions have been duped, either rejecting the truth, or believing that they had believed the truth when instead they had been deceived.
The Gospel According to Postmoderism
Times change! However, the gospel must remain the same no matter what else changes. We are now living in the postmodern era. In a sincere attempt to reach the postmodern generation with the gospel, it seems many Christians have become postmodern in their thinking.
Perhaps the term postmodern is new to you. Let’s examine what it means.
First, the modern era was characterized by a time of rational thinking based on factual observation. Many claim the modern era ended in the mid 1900s.
The postmodern mindset moves beyond the rational and the factual to the experiential and the mystical. In other words, in the past it was possible to know right from wrong and black from white. In the postmodern era all things are relative to the beholder. What may be right for you may be wrong for someone else. There is no such thing as absolute truth. The only thing that is absolute is that there is no absolute.
We now live in a time in history that is characterized as postmodern. Professors at universities teach students there is no right or wrong. All things are relative. The gospel message to the postmodern mindset is far too dogmatic and arrogant. They say it is necessary to find a more moderate gospel that can be accepted by the masses.
Many church leaders are now looking for ways to reach the postmodern generation. They believe they can find the appropriate methods to do so without changing the message. However, in their attempt to reach this postmodern generation, they have become postmodern themselves and have changed the message. As the gospel is fixed upon the Scriptures, the gospel cannot change, unless of course it becomes another gospel. I believe this is what is happening in the Emerging Church.
He Didn’t Come
Many have noticed that since the turn of the millennium, their churches have changed positions on Bible prophecy and the Second Coming of Jesus. Many have given up on the return of Jesus. From the ‘60s on there was an excitement about the imminent return of Jesus. The Jesus People were excited about Bible prophecy and could see signs that Jesus would descend from the heavens for His Bride at any moment.
The year 2000 was of particular importance. When Jesus didn’t show up, it seems many were apparently disappointed. “Perhaps Jesus has delayed His coming,” some have said. Others are even taking the position that He may not be coming at all, at least not in the manner we have been taught. They are now convinced that we need to be busy about “building His Kingdom” here on earth by “whatever human effort is required.”
The Gospel of the Kingdom
One of the main indicators that something has changed can be seen in the way the future is perceived. Rather than urgently proclaiming the gospel according to the Scriptures and believing the time to do so is short, the emphasis has now shifted. No longer are “signs of the times” significant. The battle cry is very different. A major emphasis among evangelicals is the idea that the world can be radically improved through social programs.
This concept, while on the surface may sound very good, has some serious biblical implications. According to the Scriptures, there will be no kingdom of God until the King arrives. All the human effort man can muster up will fall short of bringing utopia. In fact, according to the Scriptures, fallen man will lead us further down the road to a society of despair and lawlessness just like it was in the days of Noah.
Thus, this purpose-driven view of establishing global utopia may be a plan, but it is “driven” by humanistic reasoning and not led by the Holy Spirit. While it is of course good to do good unto others, all the goodness that we can do will not be good enough. Pastors and church leaders who get involved in such man-driven programs can usually be identified by certain characteristics:
* Sound biblical doctrine is dangerous and divisive, and the experiential (i.e.,mystical) is given a greater role than doctrine.
* Bible prophecy is no longer taught and is considered a waste of time
* Israel becomes less and less important and has no biblical significance
* Eventually the promises for Israel are applied to the church and not Israel (Replacement Theology).
* Bible study is replaced by studying someone’s book and his methods
* Church health is evaluated on the quantity of people who attend.
* The truth of God’s Word becomes less and less important
* God’s Word, especially concepts like hell, sin and repentance, is eventually downplayed so the unbeliever is not offended.
Spiritual Formation and Transformation
Much of what I have described provides the formula for a dumbing-down of Christianity that paves the way for an apostasy that will only intensify in the future. This trend away from the authority of God’s Word to the reinvented form of Christianity has overcome all evangelical denominations like an avalanche. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, few realize it has even happened.
However, there is another big piece to the puzzle that must be identified in order to understand what is emerging in the Emerging Church. While biblical Christianity has been dumbed-down and the light of God’s Word diminished, another avalanche of deception is underway that is equally devastating.
This is best described by the Word of God giving way to experiences that God’s Word forbids. The best way to understand this process is to recall what happened during the Dark Ages when the Bible became the “forbidden book.” Until the Reformers translated the Bible into the language of the common person, the people were in darkness. When the light of God’s Word became available, the gospel according to the Scriptures was once again understood.
This trend, which is underway today, shows us that history is in the process of repeating itself. As the Word of God becomes less and less important, the rise of mystical experiences is alarming and these experiences are being presented to convince the unsuspecting that Christianity is about feeling, touching, smelling and seeing God. The postmodern mindset is the perfect environment for the fostering of what is called “spiritual formation.” This teaching suggests there are various ways and means to get closer to God. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals and find God within. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is not a prerequisite.
These teachings, while actually rooted in ancient wisdom (the occult), were presented to Christendom post-New Testament and not found in the Word of God. The spiritual formation movement is based upon experiences promoted by desert monks and Roman Catholic mystics – these mystics encouraged the use of rituals and practices, that if performed would bring the practitioner closer to God (or come into God’s presence). The premise was that if one went into the silence or sacred space, then the mind was emptied of distractions and the voice of God could be heard. In truth, these hypnotic, mantric style practices were leading these monks into altered states of consciousness. The methods they used are the same that Buddhists and the Hindus use as a means of encountering the spiritual realm
Such methods are dangerous, and are not sanctioned in the Bible – God gives no instruction for this. On the contrary, he warns severely against divination, which is practicing a ritual or method in order to obtain information from a spiritual source. While proponents of spiritual formation (like Richard Foster) say these methods show that the Holy Spirit is doing something new to refresh Christianity, I would suggest that what is happening is not new and is not the Holy Spirit.
The spiritual formation movement is being widely promoted at colleges and seminaries as the latest and the greatest way to become a spiritual leader in these days. These ideas are then being exported from seminaries to churches by graduates who have been primed to take Christianity to a new level of enlightenment.
As well, these contemplative practices are being promoted by emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren, Robert Webber, Dallas Willard and others. Publishers like NavPress, InterVarsity and Zondervan are flooding the market with books promoting contemplative practices based on Eastern mysticism. Pastors and church leaders read these books and then promote the ideas as if they were the scriptural answer to drawing close to God.
Signs the Emerging Church is Emerging
There are specific warning signs that are symptomatic that a church may be headed down the emergent/contemplative road. In some cases a pastor may not be aware that he is on this road nor understand where the road ends up.
Here are some of the warning signs:
* Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
* The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel.
* More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the warnings of Scripture about the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a coming judgment in the future.
* The teaching that Jesus Christ will rule and reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical.
* The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced.
* The teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past
* An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the postmodern generation.
* Ideas are promoted teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
* The pastor may implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity.
* While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God.
* These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.
* There seems to be a strong emphasis on ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church.
* Some evangelical Protestant leaders are saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion.
* There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God.
* Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.
What does the Future Hold?
If the Emerging Church continues unfolding at the present pace, mainstream evangelical Christianity will be reinvented and the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures will be considered too narrow and too restrictive. In other words, the narrow way to heaven that Jesus proclaimed will eventually be abandoned for a wider way that embraces pagan experiential practices. I call this reinvented, re-imagined form of Christianity that is unfolding—“Christian Babylonianism”.
This new form of Christianity will replace biblical faith with a faith that says man can establish the kingdom of God here on earth. The Word will continue to become secondary to a system of works driven by experiences.
An ecumenical pattern towards unity with Rome will become more apparent. Those who refuse to embrace this direction will be considered spiritual oddballs that need to be reprimanded. Those who stand up for biblical faith will be considered the obstructions to the one world spirituality that is promoted as the answer for peace.
The best way to be prepared for what is coming is to gain an understanding of what is happening now. While there are not many who seem to discern the trend underway, there are some. Without the Bible and the Holy Spirit as our guide, the darkness that is coming would be overwhelming. However, the light of God’s Word penetrates the darkness and there are those who are being delivered from deception and see what is taking place.
I am convinced we are seeing apostasy underway, exactly as the Scriptures have forewarned. This means that this current trend is not likely to disappear. We must continue to proclaim the truth in the midst of deception with love. As Paul instructed Timothy:
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (2 Timothy 2: 24-26).
There are still pastors and churches who are dedicated to proclaiming the truth. Find out where they are and support them. If you are in a location where this does not seem to be possible, seek out materials that are available from solid Bible-based Christian ministries and hold Bible studies in your own home.
And keep looking up! Jesus is coming soon.
Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org
The world is changing. So is the Christian evangelical church. There was a time— not that long ago—when the Bible was considered to be the Word of God by the majority of evangelical Christians. Now that we are well into the third millennium and the post-modern, post-Christian era, the term evangelical can mean almost anything. What has happened? Why is this happening and what is the future for mainstream Christianity?
For the past several years, I have been speaking around the world on current trends that are impacting Christianity. After these presentations, I am approached by Christians who come from many different church backgrounds. Many are expressing their concerns about what is happening in their churches, troubled by the new direction they see their church going. While they may not always be able to discern what is wrong, they know something is wrong and that it needs to be addressed.
Further, many have told me they have attempted to express their concerns with their pastors or church elders. In almost every case, they were told they had a choice to make—get with the new program or get out of the church.
This move towards a reinvented Christianity (one designed to “reach people”) seems to be here for the long haul. It is not just a passing fad. I am often asked by concerned brothers and sisters in Christ to provide an explanation in order to help them understand what they have encountered. They want to know why these changes are underway and what to expect in the future. As well, they want to know what, if anything can be done, to stem this tide. It is for this reason I am writing this commentary—to provide biblical insight regarding the Emerging Church and where it is heading in the future.
The Gospel According to the Scriptures
Throughout church history, various trends have come and gone. While culture changes from place to place, biblical Christianity has always been based upon the central message of the Bible which is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the message never changes.
This gospel message is about who Jesus Christ is, and what He has done. A child can understand the gospel message. This message proclaims that life here on planet earth is finite and that life after death is eternal. The good news is that we can be saved from our sins if we will repent and simply ask for forgiveness and follow Him.
How we respond to the gospel message during the time we have on earth determines where we spend eternity—heaven or hell. Jesus, the Creator of the universe, provided a way and the only way we can spend eternity with Him. It is a matter of making a personal decision whether or not we will accept the plan He has provided.
God’s adversary does not want mankind to understand the simple message. His plan is to deceive the world. If he can blind people from the gospel or convince them that they believe the gospel when indeed they do not, his plan has been successful. Throughout the ages, countless billions have been duped, either rejecting the truth, or believing that they had believed the truth when instead they had been deceived.
The Gospel According to Postmoderism
Times change! However, the gospel must remain the same no matter what else changes. We are now living in the postmodern era. In a sincere attempt to reach the postmodern generation with the gospel, it seems many Christians have become postmodern in their thinking.
Perhaps the term postmodern is new to you. Let’s examine what it means.
First, the modern era was characterized by a time of rational thinking based on factual observation. Many claim the modern era ended in the mid 1900s.
The postmodern mindset moves beyond the rational and the factual to the experiential and the mystical. In other words, in the past it was possible to know right from wrong and black from white. In the postmodern era all things are relative to the beholder. What may be right for you may be wrong for someone else. There is no such thing as absolute truth. The only thing that is absolute is that there is no absolute.
We now live in a time in history that is characterized as postmodern. Professors at universities teach students there is no right or wrong. All things are relative. The gospel message to the postmodern mindset is far too dogmatic and arrogant. They say it is necessary to find a more moderate gospel that can be accepted by the masses.
Many church leaders are now looking for ways to reach the postmodern generation. They believe they can find the appropriate methods to do so without changing the message. However, in their attempt to reach this postmodern generation, they have become postmodern themselves and have changed the message. As the gospel is fixed upon the Scriptures, the gospel cannot change, unless of course it becomes another gospel. I believe this is what is happening in the Emerging Church.
He Didn’t Come
Many have noticed that since the turn of the millennium, their churches have changed positions on Bible prophecy and the Second Coming of Jesus. Many have given up on the return of Jesus. From the ‘60s on there was an excitement about the imminent return of Jesus. The Jesus People were excited about Bible prophecy and could see signs that Jesus would descend from the heavens for His Bride at any moment.
The year 2000 was of particular importance. When Jesus didn’t show up, it seems many were apparently disappointed. “Perhaps Jesus has delayed His coming,” some have said. Others are even taking the position that He may not be coming at all, at least not in the manner we have been taught. They are now convinced that we need to be busy about “building His Kingdom” here on earth by “whatever human effort is required.”
The Gospel of the Kingdom
One of the main indicators that something has changed can be seen in the way the future is perceived. Rather than urgently proclaiming the gospel according to the Scriptures and believing the time to do so is short, the emphasis has now shifted. No longer are “signs of the times” significant. The battle cry is very different. A major emphasis among evangelicals is the idea that the world can be radically improved through social programs.
This concept, while on the surface may sound very good, has some serious biblical implications. According to the Scriptures, there will be no kingdom of God until the King arrives. All the human effort man can muster up will fall short of bringing utopia. In fact, according to the Scriptures, fallen man will lead us further down the road to a society of despair and lawlessness just like it was in the days of Noah.
Thus, this purpose-driven view of establishing global utopia may be a plan, but it is “driven” by humanistic reasoning and not led by the Holy Spirit. While it is of course good to do good unto others, all the goodness that we can do will not be good enough. Pastors and church leaders who get involved in such man-driven programs can usually be identified by certain characteristics:
* Sound biblical doctrine is dangerous and divisive, and the experiential (i.e.,mystical) is given a greater role than doctrine.
* Bible prophecy is no longer taught and is considered a waste of time
* Israel becomes less and less important and has no biblical significance
* Eventually the promises for Israel are applied to the church and not Israel (Replacement Theology).
* Bible study is replaced by studying someone’s book and his methods
* Church health is evaluated on the quantity of people who attend.
* The truth of God’s Word becomes less and less important
* God’s Word, especially concepts like hell, sin and repentance, is eventually downplayed so the unbeliever is not offended.
Spiritual Formation and Transformation
Much of what I have described provides the formula for a dumbing-down of Christianity that paves the way for an apostasy that will only intensify in the future. This trend away from the authority of God’s Word to the reinvented form of Christianity has overcome all evangelical denominations like an avalanche. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, few realize it has even happened.
However, there is another big piece to the puzzle that must be identified in order to understand what is emerging in the Emerging Church. While biblical Christianity has been dumbed-down and the light of God’s Word diminished, another avalanche of deception is underway that is equally devastating.
This is best described by the Word of God giving way to experiences that God’s Word forbids. The best way to understand this process is to recall what happened during the Dark Ages when the Bible became the “forbidden book.” Until the Reformers translated the Bible into the language of the common person, the people were in darkness. When the light of God’s Word became available, the gospel according to the Scriptures was once again understood.
This trend, which is underway today, shows us that history is in the process of repeating itself. As the Word of God becomes less and less important, the rise of mystical experiences is alarming and these experiences are being presented to convince the unsuspecting that Christianity is about feeling, touching, smelling and seeing God. The postmodern mindset is the perfect environment for the fostering of what is called “spiritual formation.” This teaching suggests there are various ways and means to get closer to God. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals and find God within. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is not a prerequisite.
These teachings, while actually rooted in ancient wisdom (the occult), were presented to Christendom post-New Testament and not found in the Word of God. The spiritual formation movement is based upon experiences promoted by desert monks and Roman Catholic mystics – these mystics encouraged the use of rituals and practices, that if performed would bring the practitioner closer to God (or come into God’s presence). The premise was that if one went into the silence or sacred space, then the mind was emptied of distractions and the voice of God could be heard. In truth, these hypnotic, mantric style practices were leading these monks into altered states of consciousness. The methods they used are the same that Buddhists and the Hindus use as a means of encountering the spiritual realm
Such methods are dangerous, and are not sanctioned in the Bible – God gives no instruction for this. On the contrary, he warns severely against divination, which is practicing a ritual or method in order to obtain information from a spiritual source. While proponents of spiritual formation (like Richard Foster) say these methods show that the Holy Spirit is doing something new to refresh Christianity, I would suggest that what is happening is not new and is not the Holy Spirit.
The spiritual formation movement is being widely promoted at colleges and seminaries as the latest and the greatest way to become a spiritual leader in these days. These ideas are then being exported from seminaries to churches by graduates who have been primed to take Christianity to a new level of enlightenment.
As well, these contemplative practices are being promoted by emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren, Robert Webber, Dallas Willard and others. Publishers like NavPress, InterVarsity and Zondervan are flooding the market with books promoting contemplative practices based on Eastern mysticism. Pastors and church leaders read these books and then promote the ideas as if they were the scriptural answer to drawing close to God.
Signs the Emerging Church is Emerging
There are specific warning signs that are symptomatic that a church may be headed down the emergent/contemplative road. In some cases a pastor may not be aware that he is on this road nor understand where the road ends up.
Here are some of the warning signs:
* Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
* The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel.
* More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the warnings of Scripture about the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a coming judgment in the future.
* The teaching that Jesus Christ will rule and reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical.
* The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced.
* The teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past
* An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the postmodern generation.
* Ideas are promoted teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
* The pastor may implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity.
* While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God.
* These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.
* There seems to be a strong emphasis on ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church.
* Some evangelical Protestant leaders are saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion.
* There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God.
* Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.
What does the Future Hold?
If the Emerging Church continues unfolding at the present pace, mainstream evangelical Christianity will be reinvented and the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures will be considered too narrow and too restrictive. In other words, the narrow way to heaven that Jesus proclaimed will eventually be abandoned for a wider way that embraces pagan experiential practices. I call this reinvented, re-imagined form of Christianity that is unfolding—“Christian Babylonianism”.
This new form of Christianity will replace biblical faith with a faith that says man can establish the kingdom of God here on earth. The Word will continue to become secondary to a system of works driven by experiences.
An ecumenical pattern towards unity with Rome will become more apparent. Those who refuse to embrace this direction will be considered spiritual oddballs that need to be reprimanded. Those who stand up for biblical faith will be considered the obstructions to the one world spirituality that is promoted as the answer for peace.
The best way to be prepared for what is coming is to gain an understanding of what is happening now. While there are not many who seem to discern the trend underway, there are some. Without the Bible and the Holy Spirit as our guide, the darkness that is coming would be overwhelming. However, the light of God’s Word penetrates the darkness and there are those who are being delivered from deception and see what is taking place.
I am convinced we are seeing apostasy underway, exactly as the Scriptures have forewarned. This means that this current trend is not likely to disappear. We must continue to proclaim the truth in the midst of deception with love. As Paul instructed Timothy:
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (2 Timothy 2: 24-26).
There are still pastors and churches who are dedicated to proclaiming the truth. Find out where they are and support them. If you are in a location where this does not seem to be possible, seek out materials that are available from solid Bible-based Christian ministries and hold Bible studies in your own home.
And keep looking up! Jesus is coming soon.
April 17, 2011
List of Catholic Heresies
CATHOLIC HERESIES and TRADITIONS ADOPTED and PERPETUATED by the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE COURSE OF 1600 YEARS
Compiled by Rev. Stephen L. Testa
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
Notice: These dates are in many cases approximate. Many of these heresies had been current in the Church years before, but only when they were officially adopted by a Church council and proclaimed by the pope as dogma of faith, did they become binding on Catholics.
And doctrine to be true must conform to the Word of God. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20)
At the Reformation in the 16th Century these heresies were repudiated as having no part in the Religion of Jesus as taught in the New Testament.
OF ALL THE HUMAN TRADITIONS taught and practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, which are contrary to the Bible, the most ancient are the prayers for the dead and the sign of the Cross. Both began 300 years after Christ. 310
Wax Candles introduced in church - about 320
Veneration of angels and dead saints. 375
The Mass, as a daily celebration, adopted. 394
The worship of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the use of the term, "Mother of God", as applied to her, originated in the Council of Ephesus. 431
Priests began to dress differently from the laity. 500
Extreme Unction. 526
The doctrine of Purgatory was first established by Gregory the Great. 593
The Latin language, as the language of prayer and worship in churches, was also imposed by Pope Gregory I. 600 years after Christ
The Word of God forbids praying and teaching in an unknown tongue. (1st Corinthians 14:9). 600
The Bible teaches that we pray to God alone. In the primitive church never were prayers directed to Mary, or to dead saints. This practice began in the Roman Church. (Matthew 11:28; Luke 1:46; Acts 10:25-26; 14:14-18) 600
The Papacy is of pagan origin. The title of pope or universal bishop, was first given to the bishop of Rome by the wicked emperor Phocas...
This he did to spite Bishop Ciriacus of Constantinople, who had justly excommunicated him for his having caused the assassination of his predecessor emperor Mauritius. Gregory 1, then bishop of Rome, refused the title, but his successor, Boniface III, first assumed title "pope."
Jesus did not appoint Peter to the headship of the apostles and forbade any such notion. (Luke 22:24-26; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; 1st Corinthians 3:11).
Note: Nor is there any mention in Scripture, nor in history, that Peter ever was in Rome, much less that he was pope there for 25 years; Clement, 3rd bishop of Rome, remarks that "there is no real 1st century evidence that Peter ever was in Rome." 610
The kissing of the Pope's feet...
It had been a pagan custom to kiss the feet of emperors. The Word of God forbids such practices. (Read Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 19:10; 22:9). 709
The Temporal power of the Popes...
When Pepin, the usurper of the throne of France, descended into Italy, called by Pope Stephen II, to war against the Italian Lombards, he defeated them and gave the city of Rome and surrounding territory to the pope. Jesus expressly forbade such a thing, and He himself refused worldly kingship. (Read Matthew 4:8-9; 20:25-26; John 18:38). 750
Worship of the cross, images and relics was authorized...
This was by order of Dowager Empress Irene of Constantinople, who first caused to pluck the eyes of her own son, Constantine VI, and then called a church council at the request of Hadrian I, pope of Rome at that time.
Such practice is called simply IDOLATRY in the Bible, and is severely condemned. (Read Exodus 20:4; 3:17; Deuteronomy 27:15; Psalm 115). 788
Holy Water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by the priest, was authorized. 850
The veneration of St. Joseph began. 890
The baptism of bells was instituted by Pope John XIV. 965
Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV.
Every believer and follower of Christ is called saint in the Bible. (Read Romans 1:7; 1st Colossians 1:2). 995
Fasting on Fridays and during Lent were imposed...
Imposed by popes said to be interested in the commerce of fish. (Bull, or permit to eat meat), some authorities say, began in the year 700. This is against the plain teaching of the Bible. (Read Matthew 15:10; 1st Corinthians 10:25; 1st Timothy 4:1-3). 998
The Mass was developed gradually as a sacrifice; attendance made obligatory in the 11th century...
The Bible teaches that the sacrifice of Christ was offered once and for all, and is not to be repeated, but only commemorated in the Lord's Supper. (Read Hebrews 7:27; 9:26-28; 10:10-14).
The celibacy of the priesthood was decreed by Pope Hildebrand, Boniface VII...
Jesus imposed no such rule, nor did any of the apostles. On the contrary, St. Peter was a married man, and St. Paul says that bishops were to have wife and children. (Read 1st Timothy 3:2,5, and 12; Matthew 8:14-15). 1079
The Rosary, or prayer beads was introduced by Peter the Hermit, in the year 1090. Copied from Hindus and Mohammedans...
The counting of prayers is a pagan practice and is expressly condemned by Christ. (Matthew 6:5-13). 1090
The Inquisition of heretics was instituted by the Council of Verona in the year 1184. Jesus never taught the use of force to spread His religion. 1184
The sale of Indulgences, commonly regarded as a purchase of forgiveness and a permit to indulge in sin...
Christianity, as taught in the Bible, condemns such a traffic and it was the protest against this traffic that brought on the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. 1190
The dogma of Transubstantiation was decreed by Pope Innocent III...
By this doctrine the priest pretends to perform a daily miracle by changing a wafer into the body of Christ, and then he pretends to eat Him alive in the presence of his people during Mass. The Bible condemns such absurdities; for the Lord's Supper is simply a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ. The spiritual presence of Christ is implied in the Lord's Supper. (Read Luke 22:19-20; John 6:35; 1st Corinthians 11:26). 1215
Confession of sin to the priest at least once a year was instituted by Pope Innocent III., in the Lateran Council...
The Bible commands us to confess our sins direct to God. (Read Psalm 51:1-10; Luke 7:48; 15:21; 1st John 1:8-9). 1215
The adoration of the wafer (Host), was decreed by Pope Honorius...
So the Roman Church worships a God made by human hands. This is plain idolatry and absolutely contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. (Read John 4:24). 1220
The Bible forbidden to laymen and placed in the Index of forbidden books by the Council of Valencia...
Jesus commanded that the Scriptures should be read by all. (John 5:39; 1st Timothy 3:15-17). 1229
The Scapular was invented by Simon Stock, and English monk...
It is a piece of brown cloth, with the picture of the Virgin and supposed to contain supernatural virtue to protect from all dangers those who wear it on naked skin. This is fetishism. 1287
The Roman Church forbade the cup to the laity, by instituting the communion of one kind in the Council of Constance...
The Bible commands us to celebrate the Lord's Supper with unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. (Read Matthew 26:27; 1st Corinthians 11:26-29). 1414
The doctrine of Purgatory was proclaimed as a dogma of faith by Council of Florence...
There is not one word in the Bible that would teach the purgatory of priests. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins. (Read 1st John 1:7-9; 2:1-2; John 5:24; Romans 8:1). 1439
The doctrine of 7 Sacraments affirmed...
The Bible says that Christ instituted only two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. (Read Matthew 28:19-20; 26:26-28). 1439
The Ave Maria, part of the last...
It was completed 50 years afterward and finally approved by Pope Sixtus V, at the end of the 16th century. 1508
The Council of Trent, held in the year 1545, declared that Tradition is of equal authority with the Bible...
By tradition is meant human teachings. The Pharisees believed the same way, and Jesus bitterly condemned them, for by teaching human tradition, they nullified the commandments of God. (Read Mark 7:7-13; Colossians 2:8; Revelation 22:18). 1545
The apocryphal books were added to the Bible also by the Council of Trent...
These books were not recognized as canonical by the Jewish Church. (See Revelation 22:8-9). 1546
The Creed of Pope Pius IV was imposed as the official creed 1560 years after Christ and the apostles...
True Christians retain the Holy Scriptures as their creed. Hence their creed is 1500 years older than the creed of Roman Catholics. (Read Galatians 1:8). 1560
The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX...
The Bible states that all men, with the sole exception of Christ, are sinners. Mary herself had need of a Savior. (Read Romans 3:23; 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Luke 1:30,46,47). 1834
In the year 1870 after Christ, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of Papal Infallibility...
This is a blasphemy and the sign of the apostasy and of the antichrist predicted by St. Paul. (Read 2nd Thessalonians 2:2-12; Revelation 17:1-9; 13:5-8,18).
Many Bible students see the number of the beast (Rev. 13:18), 666 in the Roman letters of the Pope's title: "VICARIVS FILII DEI." -- V-5, I-1; C-100, I-1; V-S, I-1; L-50, I-1; I-1; D-500, I-l — Total, 666. 1870
Pope Plus X, in the year 1907, condemned together with "Modernism", all the discoveries of modern science which are not approved by the Church.
Pius IX had done the same thing in the Syllabus of 1864. 1907
In the year 1930 Pius XI, condemned the Public Schools. 1930
In the year 1931 the same pope Pius XI, reaffirmed the doctrine that Mary is "the Mother of God"...
This doctrine was first invented by the Council of Ephesus in the year 431. This is a heresy contrary by Mary's own words. (Read Luke 1:46-49; John 2: l-5). 1931
In the year 1950 the last dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. 1950
CONCLUSION
What will be the next invention? The Roman Church says it never changes; yet, it has done nothing else but invent new doctrines which are contrary to the Bible, and has practiced rites and ceremonies taken bodily from paganism. Some scholar has found that 75% of the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Church are of pagan origin.
Note: Cardinal Newman, in his book, “The Development of the Christian Religion,” admits that ... “Temples, incense, oil lamps, votive offerings, holy water, holidays and season of devotions, processions, blessing of fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure (of priests and monks and nuns), images ... are all of pagan origin...” (Page 359).
HERESIES are those doctrines and practices which are contrary to the Bible. They are also called "human traditions" or "doctrines of men". Both Peter and Paul predicted and warned that in the later times "false teachers" would rise within the Church and bring in "damnable heresies" and "doctrines of devils". (Read 2nd Peter 2:1-3, and 1st Timothy 3:2-5). Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, for they transgressed the commandments of God by keeping their traditions. “in vain,” He said, "they worship me by keeping for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:3,9).
The real heretics therefore, are the Roman Catholics and the true orthodox are the Evangelical Christians.
BRETHREN! The Word of God commands us to get out of Babylon, saying: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4). All true Christians will remain faithful to the religion of Christ as taught in the Bible, and heed the warning of the Apostle Paul, who said: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8).
Compiled by Rev. Stephen L. Testa
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
Notice: These dates are in many cases approximate. Many of these heresies had been current in the Church years before, but only when they were officially adopted by a Church council and proclaimed by the pope as dogma of faith, did they become binding on Catholics.
And doctrine to be true must conform to the Word of God. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20)
At the Reformation in the 16th Century these heresies were repudiated as having no part in the Religion of Jesus as taught in the New Testament.
OF ALL THE HUMAN TRADITIONS taught and practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, which are contrary to the Bible, the most ancient are the prayers for the dead and the sign of the Cross. Both began 300 years after Christ. 310
Wax Candles introduced in church - about 320
Veneration of angels and dead saints. 375
The Mass, as a daily celebration, adopted. 394
The worship of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the use of the term, "Mother of God", as applied to her, originated in the Council of Ephesus. 431
Priests began to dress differently from the laity. 500
Extreme Unction. 526
The doctrine of Purgatory was first established by Gregory the Great. 593
The Latin language, as the language of prayer and worship in churches, was also imposed by Pope Gregory I. 600 years after Christ
The Word of God forbids praying and teaching in an unknown tongue. (1st Corinthians 14:9). 600
The Bible teaches that we pray to God alone. In the primitive church never were prayers directed to Mary, or to dead saints. This practice began in the Roman Church. (Matthew 11:28; Luke 1:46; Acts 10:25-26; 14:14-18) 600
The Papacy is of pagan origin. The title of pope or universal bishop, was first given to the bishop of Rome by the wicked emperor Phocas...
This he did to spite Bishop Ciriacus of Constantinople, who had justly excommunicated him for his having caused the assassination of his predecessor emperor Mauritius. Gregory 1, then bishop of Rome, refused the title, but his successor, Boniface III, first assumed title "pope."
Jesus did not appoint Peter to the headship of the apostles and forbade any such notion. (Luke 22:24-26; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; 1st Corinthians 3:11).
Note: Nor is there any mention in Scripture, nor in history, that Peter ever was in Rome, much less that he was pope there for 25 years; Clement, 3rd bishop of Rome, remarks that "there is no real 1st century evidence that Peter ever was in Rome." 610
The kissing of the Pope's feet...
It had been a pagan custom to kiss the feet of emperors. The Word of God forbids such practices. (Read Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 19:10; 22:9). 709
The Temporal power of the Popes...
When Pepin, the usurper of the throne of France, descended into Italy, called by Pope Stephen II, to war against the Italian Lombards, he defeated them and gave the city of Rome and surrounding territory to the pope. Jesus expressly forbade such a thing, and He himself refused worldly kingship. (Read Matthew 4:8-9; 20:25-26; John 18:38). 750
Worship of the cross, images and relics was authorized...
This was by order of Dowager Empress Irene of Constantinople, who first caused to pluck the eyes of her own son, Constantine VI, and then called a church council at the request of Hadrian I, pope of Rome at that time.
Such practice is called simply IDOLATRY in the Bible, and is severely condemned. (Read Exodus 20:4; 3:17; Deuteronomy 27:15; Psalm 115). 788
Holy Water, mixed with a pinch of salt and blessed by the priest, was authorized. 850
The veneration of St. Joseph began. 890
The baptism of bells was instituted by Pope John XIV. 965
Canonization of dead saints, first by Pope John XV.
Every believer and follower of Christ is called saint in the Bible. (Read Romans 1:7; 1st Colossians 1:2). 995
Fasting on Fridays and during Lent were imposed...
Imposed by popes said to be interested in the commerce of fish. (Bull, or permit to eat meat), some authorities say, began in the year 700. This is against the plain teaching of the Bible. (Read Matthew 15:10; 1st Corinthians 10:25; 1st Timothy 4:1-3). 998
The Mass was developed gradually as a sacrifice; attendance made obligatory in the 11th century...
The Bible teaches that the sacrifice of Christ was offered once and for all, and is not to be repeated, but only commemorated in the Lord's Supper. (Read Hebrews 7:27; 9:26-28; 10:10-14).
The celibacy of the priesthood was decreed by Pope Hildebrand, Boniface VII...
Jesus imposed no such rule, nor did any of the apostles. On the contrary, St. Peter was a married man, and St. Paul says that bishops were to have wife and children. (Read 1st Timothy 3:2,5, and 12; Matthew 8:14-15). 1079
The Rosary, or prayer beads was introduced by Peter the Hermit, in the year 1090. Copied from Hindus and Mohammedans...
The counting of prayers is a pagan practice and is expressly condemned by Christ. (Matthew 6:5-13). 1090
The Inquisition of heretics was instituted by the Council of Verona in the year 1184. Jesus never taught the use of force to spread His religion. 1184
The sale of Indulgences, commonly regarded as a purchase of forgiveness and a permit to indulge in sin...
Christianity, as taught in the Bible, condemns such a traffic and it was the protest against this traffic that brought on the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. 1190
The dogma of Transubstantiation was decreed by Pope Innocent III...
By this doctrine the priest pretends to perform a daily miracle by changing a wafer into the body of Christ, and then he pretends to eat Him alive in the presence of his people during Mass. The Bible condemns such absurdities; for the Lord's Supper is simply a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ. The spiritual presence of Christ is implied in the Lord's Supper. (Read Luke 22:19-20; John 6:35; 1st Corinthians 11:26). 1215
Confession of sin to the priest at least once a year was instituted by Pope Innocent III., in the Lateran Council...
The Bible commands us to confess our sins direct to God. (Read Psalm 51:1-10; Luke 7:48; 15:21; 1st John 1:8-9). 1215
The adoration of the wafer (Host), was decreed by Pope Honorius...
So the Roman Church worships a God made by human hands. This is plain idolatry and absolutely contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. (Read John 4:24). 1220
The Bible forbidden to laymen and placed in the Index of forbidden books by the Council of Valencia...
Jesus commanded that the Scriptures should be read by all. (John 5:39; 1st Timothy 3:15-17). 1229
The Scapular was invented by Simon Stock, and English monk...
It is a piece of brown cloth, with the picture of the Virgin and supposed to contain supernatural virtue to protect from all dangers those who wear it on naked skin. This is fetishism. 1287
The Roman Church forbade the cup to the laity, by instituting the communion of one kind in the Council of Constance...
The Bible commands us to celebrate the Lord's Supper with unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. (Read Matthew 26:27; 1st Corinthians 11:26-29). 1414
The doctrine of Purgatory was proclaimed as a dogma of faith by Council of Florence...
There is not one word in the Bible that would teach the purgatory of priests. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins. (Read 1st John 1:7-9; 2:1-2; John 5:24; Romans 8:1). 1439
The doctrine of 7 Sacraments affirmed...
The Bible says that Christ instituted only two ordinances, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. (Read Matthew 28:19-20; 26:26-28). 1439
The Ave Maria, part of the last...
It was completed 50 years afterward and finally approved by Pope Sixtus V, at the end of the 16th century. 1508
The Council of Trent, held in the year 1545, declared that Tradition is of equal authority with the Bible...
By tradition is meant human teachings. The Pharisees believed the same way, and Jesus bitterly condemned them, for by teaching human tradition, they nullified the commandments of God. (Read Mark 7:7-13; Colossians 2:8; Revelation 22:18). 1545
The apocryphal books were added to the Bible also by the Council of Trent...
These books were not recognized as canonical by the Jewish Church. (See Revelation 22:8-9). 1546
The Creed of Pope Pius IV was imposed as the official creed 1560 years after Christ and the apostles...
True Christians retain the Holy Scriptures as their creed. Hence their creed is 1500 years older than the creed of Roman Catholics. (Read Galatians 1:8). 1560
The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX...
The Bible states that all men, with the sole exception of Christ, are sinners. Mary herself had need of a Savior. (Read Romans 3:23; 5:12; Psalm 51:5; Luke 1:30,46,47). 1834
In the year 1870 after Christ, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of Papal Infallibility...
This is a blasphemy and the sign of the apostasy and of the antichrist predicted by St. Paul. (Read 2nd Thessalonians 2:2-12; Revelation 17:1-9; 13:5-8,18).
Many Bible students see the number of the beast (Rev. 13:18), 666 in the Roman letters of the Pope's title: "VICARIVS FILII DEI." -- V-5, I-1; C-100, I-1; V-S, I-1; L-50, I-1; I-1; D-500, I-l — Total, 666. 1870
Pope Plus X, in the year 1907, condemned together with "Modernism", all the discoveries of modern science which are not approved by the Church.
Pius IX had done the same thing in the Syllabus of 1864. 1907
In the year 1930 Pius XI, condemned the Public Schools. 1930
In the year 1931 the same pope Pius XI, reaffirmed the doctrine that Mary is "the Mother of God"...
This doctrine was first invented by the Council of Ephesus in the year 431. This is a heresy contrary by Mary's own words. (Read Luke 1:46-49; John 2: l-5). 1931
In the year 1950 the last dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. 1950
CONCLUSION
What will be the next invention? The Roman Church says it never changes; yet, it has done nothing else but invent new doctrines which are contrary to the Bible, and has practiced rites and ceremonies taken bodily from paganism. Some scholar has found that 75% of the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Church are of pagan origin.
Note: Cardinal Newman, in his book, “The Development of the Christian Religion,” admits that ... “Temples, incense, oil lamps, votive offerings, holy water, holidays and season of devotions, processions, blessing of fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure (of priests and monks and nuns), images ... are all of pagan origin...” (Page 359).
HERESIES are those doctrines and practices which are contrary to the Bible. They are also called "human traditions" or "doctrines of men". Both Peter and Paul predicted and warned that in the later times "false teachers" would rise within the Church and bring in "damnable heresies" and "doctrines of devils". (Read 2nd Peter 2:1-3, and 1st Timothy 3:2-5). Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, for they transgressed the commandments of God by keeping their traditions. “in vain,” He said, "they worship me by keeping for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:3,9).
The real heretics therefore, are the Roman Catholics and the true orthodox are the Evangelical Christians.
BRETHREN! The Word of God commands us to get out of Babylon, saying: "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4). All true Christians will remain faithful to the religion of Christ as taught in the Bible, and heed the warning of the Apostle Paul, who said: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8).
April 14, 2011
A. W. Tozer Denied Being A "Mystic"
A good response from TBC on the rumors being spread throughout the emergent/contemplative movement of A.W. Tozer being a "mystic" - clearly they are seeking, for credibility sake, to claim Tozer as one of their own, which he absolutely is NOT!
Question: You have promoted books by A.W. Tozer, yet Tozer constantly quoted from Catholic mystics, and some have said that he even practiced "Lectio Divina." In view of your warnings regarding the Contemplative Movement, how could you offer his books, knowing of his practices?
Response: Tozer did not practice Lectio Divina, a method that many mystics and occultists have used to supposedly experience God. The exercise involves reading a Bible verse or phrase, often repeating it many times like a mantra, for the purpose of stimulating insights that transcend what might be gained from the normal reading and understanding of the Scriptures. Rather than understanding a passage based on the objective meaning of the words, the grammar of the verses, and the context, the words become devices for receiving personal, subjective revelation from God. Anyone who is familiar with the writings of Tozer knows that such a technique is completely foreign to what he taught throughout his lifetime. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped some people from referring to him in order to support their promotion of mystical methods and teachings. John Armstrong, for example (who is general editor of Roman Catholicism: Evangelical Protestants Analyze What Unites and Divides Us, Moody Press, 1994), has stated that Tozer "listened to God and practiced lectio divina in his reading habits." The "Emerging Thought" blog, among other Emergent writers, has commented, "I am going to go through the book by Brother Lawrence called Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life. I already had someone on the leadership team comment (jokingly) about me teaching RCC stuff. Yet, I see that John Wesley and A. W. Tozer both recommended him."
To quote someone does not necessarily include recommending him. Yet, we would take issue with Tozer regarding some of the people he quotes. In chapter 3 of The Pursuit of God, "Removing the Veil," Tozer quotes Chinese sage, Lao-tze: "That is the first step, and as...Lao-tze has said, 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.'" Quoting this one point, which is hardly profound, is not "endorsing" Lao-Tze. One might wonder, however, where Tozer stood when one considers the Roman Catholics (Augustine, Nicholas of Cusa, Thomas á Kempis, Francis of Assisi, von Hugel, Bernard of Clairvaux, the poet William Blake, and hymn writer Frederick Faber, a convert to Catholicism) that he has quoted or referred to in his books. That's rather puzzling, since the gospel that Tozer preached and wrote about so well couldn't be more contrary to the gospel and dogmas of Catholicism, beliefs strictly held by those mentioned and most of whom were canonized as saints by the Church of Rome. TBC does not condone Tozer when he quotes those with whom we have serious theological disagreement (and with whom, we are sure, he would also disagree). Moreover, instances of such quotes are so few in his many, many volumes that it's clear they were in no way significant to his teaching.
Tozer himself recognized the confusion he generated by quoting those noted for their Roman Catholic mysticism. He wrote in his own defense, "Some of my friends good-humoredly--and some a little bit severely-have called me a 'mystic.' Well I'd like to say this about any mysticism I may suppose to have. If an archangel from heaven were to come, and were to start...telling me, teaching me, and giving me instruction, I'd ask him for the text. I'd say, 'Where's it say that in the Bible? I want to know.' And I would insist that it was according to the scriptures, because I do not believe in any extra-scriptural teachings, nor any anti-scriptural teachings, or any sub-scriptural teachings. I think we ought to put the emphasis where God puts it, and continue to put it there, and to expound the scriptures, and stay by the scriptures. I wouldn't--no matter if I saw a light above the light of the sun, I'd keep my mouth shut about it 'til I'd checked with Daniel and Revelation and the rest of the scriptures to see if it had any basis in truth....I don't believe in anything that is unscriptural or that is anti-scripture" (A.W. Tozer, "What Difference Does the Holy Spirit Make?")
Even so, some object that quoting Tozer to prove he wasn't a mystic ignored his advice to "get still to wait on God" with the "Bible outspread." To say that Tozer practiced lectio divina because of this statement is to be driven more by surmise than substance. The full paragraph reads: "It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Then if we will, we may draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak to us in our hearts. I think for the average person the progression will be something like this: First a sound as of a Presence walking in the garden. Then a voice, more intelligible, but still far from clear. Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the Scriptures, and that which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend. Then will come life and light, and best of all, ability to see and rest in and embrace Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and All."
There is a vast difference between Tozer's teaching and lectio divina. The Lord tells us to "be still" at times. To "be still" is not to empty our minds, as in lectio divina. Reading Scripture without distraction, we trust the Lord to bring illumination, or "understanding." Though Tozer speaks of a "sound as of a Presence walking in the garden," he means that the Holy Spirit begins to bring understanding (1 Cor 2:11). "Then a voice," denotes better understanding of a formerly opaque Scripture. Tozer speaks of "an intelligible word" consistently throughout his writing. His focus remains "the Word." "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein" (Jos 1:8).
The Scriptures warn us to fully discern the truth of a matter. Discernment is more than suspicion. We are cautioned in the scriptures against "evil surmising" (1 Tm 6:4), which today might be called "evil suspicion." To establish Tozer as a "Catholic mystic" cannot be done objectively, without exaggeration, and with only selective use of evidence.
Question: You have promoted books by A.W. Tozer, yet Tozer constantly quoted from Catholic mystics, and some have said that he even practiced "Lectio Divina." In view of your warnings regarding the Contemplative Movement, how could you offer his books, knowing of his practices?
Response: Tozer did not practice Lectio Divina, a method that many mystics and occultists have used to supposedly experience God. The exercise involves reading a Bible verse or phrase, often repeating it many times like a mantra, for the purpose of stimulating insights that transcend what might be gained from the normal reading and understanding of the Scriptures. Rather than understanding a passage based on the objective meaning of the words, the grammar of the verses, and the context, the words become devices for receiving personal, subjective revelation from God. Anyone who is familiar with the writings of Tozer knows that such a technique is completely foreign to what he taught throughout his lifetime. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped some people from referring to him in order to support their promotion of mystical methods and teachings. John Armstrong, for example (who is general editor of Roman Catholicism: Evangelical Protestants Analyze What Unites and Divides Us, Moody Press, 1994), has stated that Tozer "listened to God and practiced lectio divina in his reading habits." The "Emerging Thought" blog, among other Emergent writers, has commented, "I am going to go through the book by Brother Lawrence called Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life. I already had someone on the leadership team comment (jokingly) about me teaching RCC stuff. Yet, I see that John Wesley and A. W. Tozer both recommended him."
To quote someone does not necessarily include recommending him. Yet, we would take issue with Tozer regarding some of the people he quotes. In chapter 3 of The Pursuit of God, "Removing the Veil," Tozer quotes Chinese sage, Lao-tze: "That is the first step, and as...Lao-tze has said, 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.'" Quoting this one point, which is hardly profound, is not "endorsing" Lao-Tze. One might wonder, however, where Tozer stood when one considers the Roman Catholics (Augustine, Nicholas of Cusa, Thomas á Kempis, Francis of Assisi, von Hugel, Bernard of Clairvaux, the poet William Blake, and hymn writer Frederick Faber, a convert to Catholicism) that he has quoted or referred to in his books. That's rather puzzling, since the gospel that Tozer preached and wrote about so well couldn't be more contrary to the gospel and dogmas of Catholicism, beliefs strictly held by those mentioned and most of whom were canonized as saints by the Church of Rome. TBC does not condone Tozer when he quotes those with whom we have serious theological disagreement (and with whom, we are sure, he would also disagree). Moreover, instances of such quotes are so few in his many, many volumes that it's clear they were in no way significant to his teaching.
Tozer himself recognized the confusion he generated by quoting those noted for their Roman Catholic mysticism. He wrote in his own defense, "Some of my friends good-humoredly--and some a little bit severely-have called me a 'mystic.' Well I'd like to say this about any mysticism I may suppose to have. If an archangel from heaven were to come, and were to start...telling me, teaching me, and giving me instruction, I'd ask him for the text. I'd say, 'Where's it say that in the Bible? I want to know.' And I would insist that it was according to the scriptures, because I do not believe in any extra-scriptural teachings, nor any anti-scriptural teachings, or any sub-scriptural teachings. I think we ought to put the emphasis where God puts it, and continue to put it there, and to expound the scriptures, and stay by the scriptures. I wouldn't--no matter if I saw a light above the light of the sun, I'd keep my mouth shut about it 'til I'd checked with Daniel and Revelation and the rest of the scriptures to see if it had any basis in truth....I don't believe in anything that is unscriptural or that is anti-scripture" (A.W. Tozer, "What Difference Does the Holy Spirit Make?")
Even so, some object that quoting Tozer to prove he wasn't a mystic ignored his advice to "get still to wait on God" with the "Bible outspread." To say that Tozer practiced lectio divina because of this statement is to be driven more by surmise than substance. The full paragraph reads: "It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Then if we will, we may draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak to us in our hearts. I think for the average person the progression will be something like this: First a sound as of a Presence walking in the garden. Then a voice, more intelligible, but still far from clear. Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the Scriptures, and that which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend. Then will come life and light, and best of all, ability to see and rest in and embrace Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and All."
There is a vast difference between Tozer's teaching and lectio divina. The Lord tells us to "be still" at times. To "be still" is not to empty our minds, as in lectio divina. Reading Scripture without distraction, we trust the Lord to bring illumination, or "understanding." Though Tozer speaks of a "sound as of a Presence walking in the garden," he means that the Holy Spirit begins to bring understanding (1 Cor 2:11). "Then a voice," denotes better understanding of a formerly opaque Scripture. Tozer speaks of "an intelligible word" consistently throughout his writing. His focus remains "the Word." "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein" (Jos 1:8).
The Scriptures warn us to fully discern the truth of a matter. Discernment is more than suspicion. We are cautioned in the scriptures against "evil surmising" (1 Tm 6:4), which today might be called "evil suspicion." To establish Tozer as a "Catholic mystic" cannot be done objectively, without exaggeration, and with only selective use of evidence.
John Todd a former Illuminatist： (Explaining The Illuminati)
This video is the first of a 7 part series by John Todd explaining the Illuminati. Very enlightening. The book he talks about in the video (Atlas Shrugged) has recently been made into a movie and will begin showing this Friday, April 15.
April 8, 2011
Rick Warren Speaks Out Against Those Warning the Church of Meditation
Rick Warren Speaks Out Against Those Warning the Church of Meditation
February 14th, 2011 | Author: Free-Lance Writers
by John Lanagan
My Word Like Fire Ministries
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Perhaps stung by criticism about his Daniel Plan alliance with three well known New Age doctors, Rick Warren simultaneously addressed and sidestepped the meditation issue during a recent sermon.1 Warren never acknowledged his own promotion of teachers of anti-biblical meditative practices such as contemplative prayer, never addressed the Daniel Plan controversy, but seemed to accuse instead the Christians who sounded the alarm about Eastern/New Age meditation advocates Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Daniel Amen, and Dr. Mark Hyman.
In a seeming attempt to “spin” the continuing controversy, Rick Warren claimed Christians on the Internet have been warning against biblical meditation!
With a touch of sarcasm and making a scary, mocking, wooing sound, Rick Warren stated:
It’s called meditation. Meditation? What in the world is that? Some people think, wow, that’s scary. This has actually become a controversial word. Some very, very confused believers have been teaching—I’ve seen it on the Internet—that Christians should be afraid of meditation and run from meditation. That’s nonsense! The Bible talks about meditation and commands it.
Wait a minute. He’s “seen it on the Internet”? In reality, Rick Warren cannot identify one Bible-believing blogger or online discernment or research ministry that teaches that Christians should fear and “run from” biblical meditation.
Biblical meditation is simply reflecting upon or pondering the Word of God. We “chew” upon it, or as Warren himself described it, we “ruminate” on what we read in God’s Word. It is wonderful, powerful, and something we are commanded to do. (Joshua 1:8)
In biblical meditation, a repetitive word or chant is never used, the mind never ceases being active, and there is never an altered state of consciousness. Thus, one does not enter what is known as the silence. But this is exactly what happens during Eastern/New Age meditation. In his sermon, Warren explained it very well: “So when the Bible says meditate it’s not talking about zone-out in some psychic, New Age trance, or put your mind in neutral and contemplate your navel. Ommm.” (Bold mine)
“Ommm,” indeed. Rick Warren has played a significant role for many years in promoting contemplative prayer—the barely disguised, “Christian-ized” version of Eastern/New Age meditation. Popular and influential, he has helped publicize very many contemplative teachers—Richard Foster and Dallas Willard (both exalted in The Purpose Driven Church, pp. 126-127), Henri Nouwen (a favorite of his wife’s, he says), Tricia Rhodes, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Gary Thomas (a “friend” of Warren’s), and many others (see quotes at the end of this article.)
Contemplative teachers in the Christian camp will not advise believers to focus on a mantra like “Ommm” (for example), but rather on a word or phrase like “Jesus” or “Abba Father.” In this way, the contemplative prayer appears “Christian” but nevertheless serves as entrance to the silence.
Many of those who enter the silence frequently end up believing all is in God, or God is in all—beliefs contradictory to biblical teaching and to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Sue Monk Kidd is just such a person. She started off as a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher, but when she was introduced to Thomas Merton, it changed her whole spiritual outlook, and eventually she became a worshipper of the goddess Sophia, saying that God is even in excrement. And should we not be concerned that her name sits on the back of Dallas Willard’s book, The Spirit of the Disciplines, and yet Rick Warren recommends that book on his website and shows great admiration and recognition for Willard’s role in the Spiritual Formation (contemplative prayer) movement in Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Church.
The silence is the realm of deceptive spirits. And more and more churches, ministries, organizations, and schools are going contemplative. For Rick Warren to stand up (just days after New Age meditation advocates Oz, Hyman, and Amen have addressed his congregation and even referring at times to their style of meditation) and belittle, mock, and scorn Christians who are warning against eastern style meditation coming into the church all the while he has been promoting the teachers of such meditation for years, is astounding, not to mention very wrong.
As you will see in this video below, Rick Warren essentially gives a long and detailed explanation of biblical meditation (You will see in the video below – 32 min. mark – this is where he seemingly mocks those who are warning against meditation.) Rick Warren’s explanation on biblical meditation is not the explanation Christians need to hear, not when Henri Nouwen, Gary Thomas, Richard Foster, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Brennan Manning, Thomas Merton, and others who have been extolled by Warren are teaching millions to go into the contemplative silence .
(Start the video around the 32 minute mark for information pertaining to this article.)
This video clip has been posted here because of embedded code that was offered for public use from the Saddleback site.
From Lighthouse Trails: Quotes by some of those whom Rick Warren has promoted over the last couple decades:
Gary Thomas: “It is particularly difficult to describe this type of prayer in writing, as it is best taught in person. In general however, centering prayer works like this: Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing.2
Of Gary Thomas, Rick Warren states: “I think highly of his work … he tells them [readers] how they can make the most of their spiritual journeys. He places an emphasis on practical spiritual exercises.”3
Tricia Rhodes: “Take deep breaths, concentrating on relaxing your body. Establish a slow, rhythmic pattern. Breathe in God’s peace, and breathe out your stresses, distractions, and fears. Breathe in God’s love, forgiveness, and compassion, and breathe out your sins, failures, and frustrations. Make every effort to “stop the flow of talking going on within you—to slow it down until it comes to a halt.’”4 (emphasis added)
Rick Warren about Rhodes: “This book is a quiet-time companion for those who hunger for a greater intimacy with God. It offers fresh insight into little understood aspects of prayer and introduces a step-by-step journey of learning contemplative prayer.”5
Henri Nouwen:“Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen to the voice of love … For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.” (Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, pp. 6, 31-32)
Of Henri Nouwen, Rick Warren says: “My wife, Kay, recommends this book [In the Name of Jesus]: “It’s a short book, but it hits at the heart of the minister. It mentions the struggles common to those of us in ministry: the temptation to be relevant, spectacular and powerful. I highlighted almost every word!”7 (Nouwen’s books also sit on the Saddleback website today.)
Dan Kimball: “Meditative prayer like that we experienced in the labyrinth resonates with hearts of emerging generations. If we had the room, we would set up a permanent labyrinth to promote deeper prayer.”8
Rick Warren about Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church:“This book is a wonderful, detailed example of what a purpose-driven church can look like in a postmodern world.… Dan’s book explains how to do it [reach an “emerging generation”] with the cultural-creatives who think and feel in postmodern terms. You need to pay attention to him [Kimball] because times are changing.”9 (This book of Kimball’s also talks about the labyrinth as well as other forms of contemplative such as lectio divina.)
Brennan Manning: “[T]he first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer … simply return to listening to your sacred word. Gently return your mind to your sacred word.” (Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 212, 218)
Rick Warren on Manning: Ragamuffin Gospel sits on Rick Warren’s website today, under “Must Read Books.” It is this very book that reveals Manning’s true affinity with contemplative spirituality. In the back of the book, Manning makes reference to Basil Pennington saying that Pennington’s methods will provide us with “a way of praying that leads to a deep living relationship with God.” However, Pennington’s methods of prayer draw from Eastern religions. In his book, Finding Grace at the Center, Pennington says:
We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and “capture” it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible. Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices. (pp. 5-6)
Saddleback readers will get Pennington when they are given Ragamuffin Gospel.
Leonard Sweet: “Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center.… In the words of one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, “The Christian of tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will be nothing.” [Mysticism] is metaphysics arrived at through mindbody experiences. Mysticism begins in experience; it ends in theology.” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 76).
Rick Warren on Leonard Sweet:For extensive documentation on Warren’s ongoing comradeship with Leonard Sweet, read A “Wonderful” Deception by Warren B. Smith. Leonard Sweet spoke at the Saddleback Small Groups Conference a couple years ago, for one example.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun: One of the authors that has been in the Saddleback Spiritual Growth Center for a long time is Adele Ahlberg Calhoun author of Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (the one Saddleback is recommending). The book is promoting mantra meditation, giving detailed instructions on several types of contemplative practices. In addition, the author quotes from many New Age sympathizers and New Age contemplatives. In Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Ahlberg Calhoun encourages the use of centering prayer, breath prayers, contemplative prayer, labyrinths, palms-up, palms-down exercises, and recommends for further reading a who’s who of mystics.
What is the “Fruit” of Contemplative Prayer
Where does contemplative prayer lead? Listen to these two quotes by men who have been promoted by Rick Warren, and you will see the answer to that question. It is an answer that should greatly trouble Bible believing Christians, realizing the implications by “America’s Pastor”:
Henri Nouwen: “Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.”—From Sabbatical Journey, Nouwen’s last book, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition
Thomas Merton: “It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, … now I realize what we all are.… If only they [people] could all see themselves as they really are … I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.… At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusions, a point of pure truth.… This little point … is the pure glory of God in us. It is in everybody.” (emphasis mine) Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, pp. 157-158.
**Most of these quotes above are taken from Ray Yungen’s book, A Time of Departing.
Endnotes:
1. Part 4: The Prayer That Changes You http://saddleback.com/mc/m/903D
2. Gary Thomas, (from Sacred Pathways, 1st ed. p. 185)
3. Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox, “Book Look” section (Issue #40, 2/20/2002)
4. Tricia Rhodes, The Soul at Rest (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p. 28.
5. Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox (February 18, 2004).
6. Quote by Saddleback pastor Lance Witt, “Enjoying God’s Presence in Solitude”
7. Rick Warren quoting Kay Warren on the Ministry Toolbox (Issue #54, 6/5/2002).
8. Dan Kimball, “A-Maze-ing Prayer” (http://web.archive.org/web/20041019214503/www.vintagefaith.com/artilces/labyrinth.html).
9. Rick Warren in the foreword of Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church
February 14th, 2011 | Author: Free-Lance Writers
by John Lanagan
My Word Like Fire Ministries
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Perhaps stung by criticism about his Daniel Plan alliance with three well known New Age doctors, Rick Warren simultaneously addressed and sidestepped the meditation issue during a recent sermon.1 Warren never acknowledged his own promotion of teachers of anti-biblical meditative practices such as contemplative prayer, never addressed the Daniel Plan controversy, but seemed to accuse instead the Christians who sounded the alarm about Eastern/New Age meditation advocates Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Daniel Amen, and Dr. Mark Hyman.
In a seeming attempt to “spin” the continuing controversy, Rick Warren claimed Christians on the Internet have been warning against biblical meditation!
With a touch of sarcasm and making a scary, mocking, wooing sound, Rick Warren stated:
It’s called meditation. Meditation? What in the world is that? Some people think, wow, that’s scary. This has actually become a controversial word. Some very, very confused believers have been teaching—I’ve seen it on the Internet—that Christians should be afraid of meditation and run from meditation. That’s nonsense! The Bible talks about meditation and commands it.
Wait a minute. He’s “seen it on the Internet”? In reality, Rick Warren cannot identify one Bible-believing blogger or online discernment or research ministry that teaches that Christians should fear and “run from” biblical meditation.
Biblical meditation is simply reflecting upon or pondering the Word of God. We “chew” upon it, or as Warren himself described it, we “ruminate” on what we read in God’s Word. It is wonderful, powerful, and something we are commanded to do. (Joshua 1:8)
In biblical meditation, a repetitive word or chant is never used, the mind never ceases being active, and there is never an altered state of consciousness. Thus, one does not enter what is known as the silence. But this is exactly what happens during Eastern/New Age meditation. In his sermon, Warren explained it very well: “So when the Bible says meditate it’s not talking about zone-out in some psychic, New Age trance, or put your mind in neutral and contemplate your navel. Ommm.” (Bold mine)
“Ommm,” indeed. Rick Warren has played a significant role for many years in promoting contemplative prayer—the barely disguised, “Christian-ized” version of Eastern/New Age meditation. Popular and influential, he has helped publicize very many contemplative teachers—Richard Foster and Dallas Willard (both exalted in The Purpose Driven Church, pp. 126-127), Henri Nouwen (a favorite of his wife’s, he says), Tricia Rhodes, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Gary Thomas (a “friend” of Warren’s), and many others (see quotes at the end of this article.)
Contemplative teachers in the Christian camp will not advise believers to focus on a mantra like “Ommm” (for example), but rather on a word or phrase like “Jesus” or “Abba Father.” In this way, the contemplative prayer appears “Christian” but nevertheless serves as entrance to the silence.
Many of those who enter the silence frequently end up believing all is in God, or God is in all—beliefs contradictory to biblical teaching and to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Sue Monk Kidd is just such a person. She started off as a conservative Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher, but when she was introduced to Thomas Merton, it changed her whole spiritual outlook, and eventually she became a worshipper of the goddess Sophia, saying that God is even in excrement. And should we not be concerned that her name sits on the back of Dallas Willard’s book, The Spirit of the Disciplines, and yet Rick Warren recommends that book on his website and shows great admiration and recognition for Willard’s role in the Spiritual Formation (contemplative prayer) movement in Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Church.
The silence is the realm of deceptive spirits. And more and more churches, ministries, organizations, and schools are going contemplative. For Rick Warren to stand up (just days after New Age meditation advocates Oz, Hyman, and Amen have addressed his congregation and even referring at times to their style of meditation) and belittle, mock, and scorn Christians who are warning against eastern style meditation coming into the church all the while he has been promoting the teachers of such meditation for years, is astounding, not to mention very wrong.
As you will see in this video below, Rick Warren essentially gives a long and detailed explanation of biblical meditation (You will see in the video below – 32 min. mark – this is where he seemingly mocks those who are warning against meditation.) Rick Warren’s explanation on biblical meditation is not the explanation Christians need to hear, not when Henri Nouwen, Gary Thomas, Richard Foster, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Brennan Manning, Thomas Merton, and others who have been extolled by Warren are teaching millions to go into the contemplative silence .
(Start the video around the 32 minute mark for information pertaining to this article.)
This video clip has been posted here because of embedded code that was offered for public use from the Saddleback site.
From Lighthouse Trails: Quotes by some of those whom Rick Warren has promoted over the last couple decades:
Gary Thomas: “It is particularly difficult to describe this type of prayer in writing, as it is best taught in person. In general however, centering prayer works like this: Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing.2
Of Gary Thomas, Rick Warren states: “I think highly of his work … he tells them [readers] how they can make the most of their spiritual journeys. He places an emphasis on practical spiritual exercises.”3
Tricia Rhodes: “Take deep breaths, concentrating on relaxing your body. Establish a slow, rhythmic pattern. Breathe in God’s peace, and breathe out your stresses, distractions, and fears. Breathe in God’s love, forgiveness, and compassion, and breathe out your sins, failures, and frustrations. Make every effort to “stop the flow of talking going on within you—to slow it down until it comes to a halt.’”4 (emphasis added)
Rick Warren about Rhodes: “This book is a quiet-time companion for those who hunger for a greater intimacy with God. It offers fresh insight into little understood aspects of prayer and introduces a step-by-step journey of learning contemplative prayer.”5
Henri Nouwen:“Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen to the voice of love … For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.” (Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, pp. 6, 31-32)
Of Henri Nouwen, Rick Warren says: “My wife, Kay, recommends this book [In the Name of Jesus]: “It’s a short book, but it hits at the heart of the minister. It mentions the struggles common to those of us in ministry: the temptation to be relevant, spectacular and powerful. I highlighted almost every word!”7 (Nouwen’s books also sit on the Saddleback website today.)
Dan Kimball: “Meditative prayer like that we experienced in the labyrinth resonates with hearts of emerging generations. If we had the room, we would set up a permanent labyrinth to promote deeper prayer.”8
Rick Warren about Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church:“This book is a wonderful, detailed example of what a purpose-driven church can look like in a postmodern world.… Dan’s book explains how to do it [reach an “emerging generation”] with the cultural-creatives who think and feel in postmodern terms. You need to pay attention to him [Kimball] because times are changing.”9 (This book of Kimball’s also talks about the labyrinth as well as other forms of contemplative such as lectio divina.)
Brennan Manning: “[T]he first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer … simply return to listening to your sacred word. Gently return your mind to your sacred word.” (Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 212, 218)
Rick Warren on Manning: Ragamuffin Gospel sits on Rick Warren’s website today, under “Must Read Books.” It is this very book that reveals Manning’s true affinity with contemplative spirituality. In the back of the book, Manning makes reference to Basil Pennington saying that Pennington’s methods will provide us with “a way of praying that leads to a deep living relationship with God.” However, Pennington’s methods of prayer draw from Eastern religions. In his book, Finding Grace at the Center, Pennington says:
We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and “capture” it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible. Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices. (pp. 5-6)
Saddleback readers will get Pennington when they are given Ragamuffin Gospel.
Leonard Sweet: “Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center.… In the words of one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, “The Christian of tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has experienced something, or he will be nothing.” [Mysticism] is metaphysics arrived at through mindbody experiences. Mysticism begins in experience; it ends in theology.” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 76).
Rick Warren on Leonard Sweet:For extensive documentation on Warren’s ongoing comradeship with Leonard Sweet, read A “Wonderful” Deception by Warren B. Smith. Leonard Sweet spoke at the Saddleback Small Groups Conference a couple years ago, for one example.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun: One of the authors that has been in the Saddleback Spiritual Growth Center for a long time is Adele Ahlberg Calhoun author of Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (the one Saddleback is recommending). The book is promoting mantra meditation, giving detailed instructions on several types of contemplative practices. In addition, the author quotes from many New Age sympathizers and New Age contemplatives. In Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Ahlberg Calhoun encourages the use of centering prayer, breath prayers, contemplative prayer, labyrinths, palms-up, palms-down exercises, and recommends for further reading a who’s who of mystics.
What is the “Fruit” of Contemplative Prayer
Where does contemplative prayer lead? Listen to these two quotes by men who have been promoted by Rick Warren, and you will see the answer to that question. It is an answer that should greatly trouble Bible believing Christians, realizing the implications by “America’s Pastor”:
Henri Nouwen: “Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.”—From Sabbatical Journey, Nouwen’s last book, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition
Thomas Merton: “It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race, … now I realize what we all are.… If only they [people] could all see themselves as they really are … I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.… At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusions, a point of pure truth.… This little point … is the pure glory of God in us. It is in everybody.” (emphasis mine) Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, pp. 157-158.
**Most of these quotes above are taken from Ray Yungen’s book, A Time of Departing.
Endnotes:
1. Part 4: The Prayer That Changes You http://saddleback.com/mc/m/903D
2. Gary Thomas, (from Sacred Pathways, 1st ed. p. 185)
3. Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox, “Book Look” section (Issue #40, 2/20/2002)
4. Tricia Rhodes, The Soul at Rest (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), p. 28.
5. Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox (February 18, 2004).
6. Quote by Saddleback pastor Lance Witt, “Enjoying God’s Presence in Solitude”
7. Rick Warren quoting Kay Warren on the Ministry Toolbox (Issue #54, 6/5/2002).
8. Dan Kimball, “A-Maze-ing Prayer” (http://web.archive.org/web/20041019214503/www.vintagefaith.com/artilces/labyrinth.html).
9. Rick Warren in the foreword of Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church
The Spiritual Formation Movement
What is the Spiritual Formation Movement and Why is it Unbiblical?
by Roger Oakland
Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contemplative spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement.
When I first began writing in the field in the late 70s and early 80s the term “Spiritual Formation” was hardly known, except for highly specialized references in relation to the Catholic orders. Today it is a rare person who has not heard the term. Seminary courses in Spiritual Formation proliferate like baby rabbits. Huge numbers are seeking to become certified as Spiritual Directors to answer the cry of multiplied thousands for spiritual direction.1–Richard Foster
A move away from the truth of God’s Word to a mystical form of Christianity has infiltrated, to some degree, nearly all evangelical denominations. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, most do not realize it has even happened.
The best way to understand this process is to recall what happened during the Dark Ages when the Bible became the forbidden book. Until the reformers translated the Bible into the language of the common people, the great masses were in darkness. When the light of God’s Word became available, the Gospel was once again understood.
I believe history is repeating itself. As the Word of God becomes less and less important, the rise in mystical experiences escalates, and these experiences are presented to convince the unsuspecting that Christianity is about feeling, touching, smelling, and seeing God. The postmodern mindset is the perfect environment for fostering spiritual formation. This term suggests there are various ways and means to get closer to God and to emulate Him. Thus the idea that if you do certain practices, you can be more like Jesus. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals and find God within. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is not a prerequisite. In a DVD called Be Still, which promotes contemplative prayer, Richard Foster says that contemplative prayer is for anyone and that by practicing it, one becomes “a portable sanctuary” for “the presence of God.”2
Rather than having the indwelling of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, spiritual formation through the spiritual disciplines supposedly transforms the seeker by his or her entering an altered realm of consciousness.
The spiritual formation movement is widely promoted at colleges and seminaries as the latest and the greatest way to become a spiritual leader. It teaches people that this is how they can become more intimate with God and truly hear His voice. Even Christian leaders with long-standing reputations of teaching God’s Word seem to be succumbing. In so doing, many Christian leaders are frivolously playing with fire, and the result will be thousands, probably millions, getting burned.
It isn’t going into the silence that transforms a person’s life. It is in accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and allowing Him to change us that transformation occurs.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. (Colossians 1:21-23)
We are reconciled to God only through Christ’s death (the atonement for sin), and we are presented “holy and unblamable and unreproveable” when we belong to Him through rebirth. It has nothing to do with works, rituals, or mystical experiences. It is Christ’s life in the converted believer that transforms him. (For more information on this topic and emerging spirituality, read Faith Undone.)
by Roger Oakland
Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contemplative spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement.
When I first began writing in the field in the late 70s and early 80s the term “Spiritual Formation” was hardly known, except for highly specialized references in relation to the Catholic orders. Today it is a rare person who has not heard the term. Seminary courses in Spiritual Formation proliferate like baby rabbits. Huge numbers are seeking to become certified as Spiritual Directors to answer the cry of multiplied thousands for spiritual direction.1–Richard Foster
A move away from the truth of God’s Word to a mystical form of Christianity has infiltrated, to some degree, nearly all evangelical denominations. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, most do not realize it has even happened.
The best way to understand this process is to recall what happened during the Dark Ages when the Bible became the forbidden book. Until the reformers translated the Bible into the language of the common people, the great masses were in darkness. When the light of God’s Word became available, the Gospel was once again understood.
I believe history is repeating itself. As the Word of God becomes less and less important, the rise in mystical experiences escalates, and these experiences are presented to convince the unsuspecting that Christianity is about feeling, touching, smelling, and seeing God. The postmodern mindset is the perfect environment for fostering spiritual formation. This term suggests there are various ways and means to get closer to God and to emulate Him. Thus the idea that if you do certain practices, you can be more like Jesus. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals and find God within. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is not a prerequisite. In a DVD called Be Still, which promotes contemplative prayer, Richard Foster says that contemplative prayer is for anyone and that by practicing it, one becomes “a portable sanctuary” for “the presence of God.”2
Rather than having the indwelling of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, spiritual formation through the spiritual disciplines supposedly transforms the seeker by his or her entering an altered realm of consciousness.
The spiritual formation movement is widely promoted at colleges and seminaries as the latest and the greatest way to become a spiritual leader. It teaches people that this is how they can become more intimate with God and truly hear His voice. Even Christian leaders with long-standing reputations of teaching God’s Word seem to be succumbing. In so doing, many Christian leaders are frivolously playing with fire, and the result will be thousands, probably millions, getting burned.
It isn’t going into the silence that transforms a person’s life. It is in accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and allowing Him to change us that transformation occurs.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. (Colossians 1:21-23)
We are reconciled to God only through Christ’s death (the atonement for sin), and we are presented “holy and unblamable and unreproveable” when we belong to Him through rebirth. It has nothing to do with works, rituals, or mystical experiences. It is Christ’s life in the converted believer that transforms him. (For more information on this topic and emerging spirituality, read Faith Undone.)
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