August 2004
DOUBTING BELL AND DESPAIRING KIERKEGAARD
SUBVERSIVE FULLER SEMINARY
CULTURAL CREATIVES
SUBVERSIVE FULLER SEMINARY
CULTURAL CREATIVES
SPIRITUAL FORMATION: “ESOTERIC” CONTEMPLATION
ANCIENT BABYLONIAN MYSTICISM
The Webster Dictionary defines subvert as “to pervert or corrupt by an undermining of morals, allegiance, or faith.” It is to “overthrow or overturn from the foundation—to turn from beneath.” Fuller graduate Bell has been working on “reframing faith in Jesus Christ” through misinformation, theatrics, and doubts. The 33-year old pastor Rob Bell emphasizes “realness” at his Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan.
ANCIENT BABYLONIAN MYSTICISM
The Webster Dictionary defines subvert as “to pervert or corrupt by an undermining of morals, allegiance, or faith.” It is to “overthrow or overturn from the foundation—to turn from beneath.” Fuller graduate Bell has been working on “reframing faith in Jesus Christ” through misinformation, theatrics, and doubts. The 33-year old pastor Rob Bell emphasizes “realness” at his Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan.
(click image to enlarge) Bell is well-known at Bill Hybels’ Willow Creek and has spoken at the National Pastors Conventions with various Willow Creek leaders as well as Catholic mystic Brennan Manning, Gordon MacDonald, Moody’s Joseph Stowell, Saddleback’s Rick Warren and the late contemplative Youth Specialties’ Michael Yaconelli. Spiritual transformation is promoted at these conventions with sustainable living, labyrinths, yoga, spiritual direction, contemplative prayer, and ecology.
Ironically, it was a place called Mar’s hill that the apostle Paul who, according to Acts 17, came in God’s name to correct disorders in religion, and to turn people from the service of idols, and of Satan in them, to the true and living God in Christ. Paul was so disturbed by their abominable ignorance and superstition that he did not want to appear publicly until Silas and Timothy came for any chance of establishing the Word. He spoke boldly there for three months disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8). The major problem with the Ephesian church was a heresay that combined gnosticism, decadent Judiasm,and false asceticism. Gnosticism is the thought and practice of various cults of late pre-Christian and early Christian centuries distinguished by the conviction that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis. Gnosis is esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient Gnostics to be essential to salvation (Miriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary).In the 4/10/04 World Magazine an article on Gen-X Churches writes that Rob Bell is keeping it real. For those who are turned off by the “watered-down preaching” of many boomer churches, a new generation of evangelicals was forging a new breed of church. Aware that the self-esteem message is bankrupt, Bell promotes sharing personal struggles and being passionate about spiritual transformation because this is what today's generation wants. Another new movement is predicted in 20 years when the children of Gen-Xers come of age. In the spring of 2004 Christianity Today’s “Leadership Journal,” Rob Bell described his subversive art of preaching. Bell said his whole package is subversive like Jesus. His plan is to “rescue preaching with poets and artists” and say great things about God and the revolution…
“There’s a MYSTERY to a man or a woman in a room, when the text has done something and then it’s coming out of them—whatever that looks like… It’s a parable; IT’S SILENCE; IT’S A SERIES OF DESPARATE IMAGES THAT DON’T SEEM TO HAVE ANY CONNECTION, AND YET SOMEHOW THEY DO… The true ORTHODOX FAITH IS DEEPLY MYSTERIOUS, and every question that’s answered leads to a new set of questions.” Bell continues to add confusion to the pure and simple Word of God as he writes, “There are thousands and thousands of pages of ancient writings that Christians are oblivious to…. when Jesus becomes a kind of esoteric figure and not a real dude in a real place at a real time, the really subversive economic and political things he’s saying get lost in an effort to proclaim him as Son of God, which we do. But he’s also a Jewish rabbi who lived in a Jewish way in a Jewish time, and we have a lot of information about what that world was like.” Bell’s emphasis on the customs of the culture overshadows the Word of God and distorts it.
“Extra-biblical literature is available from those days… extra-biblical ancient documents that tell us that Nimrod had a wife who was appointed as a head of these Babylonian mysteries. She was the high priestess of this idolatrous system. The true meanings and rights of the symbols were secret. They were only given to the initiates; the one who were enlightened. It was all a counterfeit wisdom. They believed in astrology, sorcery, spiritism, and many of the other occultic things. In their rite they involved themselves with baptisms, confession to their priests, incense burning, celibate priesthood, holy water, holy women orders that were vestal virgins—women committed to prostitution in the temples, etc. The foremost mystery was the goddess mother and child. Nimrod’s wife gave birth to a son and she claimed that there was a miraculous conception. This son was proclaimed to be the savior. She said that this was the fulfillment of the promised Eve that there would be one coming that was the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent. Satan was anticipating the true coming of the seed of Jesus Christ and was beginning to inject the counterfeit mindset into the world. This is the oldest form of idolatry; the goddess mother and child cult. She was called the queen of heaven and her son was the son of god. He reputably was killed by a wild bore but then was raised again from the dead. This mystery religion spread out in various forms throughout the whole earth.”
“The custodian and the high priest of the Babylonian mysteries was called the Pontifix Maximus. He was the “supreme bridge-keeper.” This spread from Egypt to Persia and eventually to Rome. Wherever the world kingdom was of he day the Babylonian mysticism was there. All of the outstanding festivals of the Roman Catholic Church are really of Babylonian origin. The Roman Catholic Church today is a form of Babylonian mysticism. We desire the people to be saved but we are to be against false religion. We must be. The doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, not the people, but the official dogma of this church derives much of itself from the Babylonian mysticism. Some of things they teach are true, like the deity of Christ and the Trinity, yet there is this merging that has occurred. Roman Catholic doctrine is just enough to lull people into a false sense of security, but they never teach of the finished work of God and His grace. We cannot abide by any false teaching, we must bring the truth to people to people so that they can be saved. At Rome it infiltrated Christianity. It became the masterpiece of Satan’s counterfeits. The final manifestation in the last days will be when all the children are merged into this great world religion. Although it will be different than what we see today, Rome will be the headquarters”(19).
Contrary to Bell’s unbiblical promotion of “doubting,” Jesus said that if we have as little as a mustard seed of faith, if it is placed in him, we can move mountains. Faith must have an object in order for power to occur. Our object is Jesus Christ and what He provided for us at the Cross. As you grow in your understanding of all of the provisions God has made for you, you will begin to see God is bigger than all of your problems. It's not about how much faith you have, but how faithful, worthy, and powerful Jesus is. Christ won victory over our three great enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Numerous places in the New Testament Paul makes clear God’s plan for subjecting all hostile powers to Christ and those who believe in Him. We don't find any theatrics and doubts in the role of pastors. The pastor is not only the head of the local church, he is an employee of the church and an elected servant of the people. The Lord has chosen the church as a means of spreading the message of salvation to the entire world. The pastor must be committed to feeding, organizing and leading a well-trained group of God’s people to fulfill HIS WILL. 1,2 Timothy and Titus are both pastor epistles giving instruction to Timothy and Titus concerning the pastoral care of the churches. The recurring themes include (1) God the Savior (Titus 1:3); sound doctrine, faith and teaching (Titus 1:9); and (3) godliness (1 Tim. 2:2). The pastor is God’s spiritual example to the flock and the people of the community. True Christianity is not esoteric and Jesus was not and esoteric figure—HE WAS/IS NOT SUBVERSIVE MR. BELL.
Bell states, “When you tell a story well, you don’t have to bash. In fact, in Acts 19, the city clerk says to the rioting mob, ‘Paul has never blasphemed the goddess.’ One of the distinctive things about the JESUS REVOLUTION is they never blasphemed the gods of the cities, and yet the whole city became Christian… That has unbelievable implications for what Christians are doing right now—preachers bashing Hollywood…” But contrary to Bell’s concern for Hollywood, Scripture does contain godly men ridiculing and disputing against false gods. Some examples include Acts 19:8 where PAUL SPEAKS BOLDLY for three months DISPUTING AND PERSUADING the things concerning the kingdom of God, and in 1 Kings 18:27 in order to draw a sharp contrast between the worship of the Lord and the worship of Baal, to eliminate the apostate idea that both deities could be worshipped in a syncretistic way, ELIJAH RIDICULES BAAL. “And it came to pass at noon, that ELIJAH MOCKED THEM, and said, ‘Cry aloud; for he “is” god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey (has to go the bathroom!), or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be wakened.”
The apostle Paul purposefully avoided the ideas of the culture, which happened to consist of various sects of philosophers. He called it a “vain thing”(Acts 17:21-25). These people were not genuinely interested in “old-fashioned ways” and at their “theater at Mars’ hill” they merely desired to “hear something new.” They preferred telling and hearing. Knowledge begot in this manner was flashy and superficial. They wanted new schemes and new notions in philosophy, and new forms of religion, for new gods that came newly up, new demons, new fashioned images and altars; they were given to change (16). According to The Association of Christian Camps and Conferences, Rob Bell is considered one of the “freshest communicators of our time.” He has also been a keynote speaker at events like YOUTH SPECIALTIES’ NATIONAL YOUTH WORKERS CONVENTION, WILLOW CREEK’S STUDENT MINISTRIES CONFERENCE, and the Creation Festival. Rob Bell currently heads Nooma, a ministry producing short dramatic videos of his talks, shot MTV—style on location at airports, forests, and city streets. (11)
In a letter from Mark Yaconelli, son of the Youth Specialties’ late Mike Yaconelli, “Sabbath retreats” are discontinued. “It's with a mixture of sadness and deep gratitude that I announce that the “Sabbath retreat” directed by the Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project and produced by Youth Specialties since 1996 will be discontinued after this spring… The decision to discontinue Sabbath comes after a long and careful discernment. Changes in the structure and purpose of the Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project and the recent drop in participants makes it too difficult to continue the retreat, especially when combined with the recent death of my dad and co-leader... Mike Yaconelli. In the early 1990s my spiritual life and ministry with youth had been deeply TRANSFORMED THROUGH SILENCE, SPIRITUAL DIRECTION AND CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER. I was eager to share this experience with other youth workers. In 1996, I designed a retreat that drew on EXERCISES AND PRACTICES FROM THE (forgotten) CONTEMPLATIVE TRADITION of the Christian tradition. Sixteen people attended this first “Sabbath retreat.” These were the days when no one used the word “contemplative” in youth ministry and MANY WERE SUSPICIOUS THAT SILENCE, CHRISTIAN MEDITATION, LABYRINTHS AND CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER WERE EITHER SATANIC OR NEW AGE… WE ENGAGED IN HOLY PLAY. We prayed, colored, sat in silence, napped, meditated on scripture, laughed, questioned God, took communion, prayed for one another and somehow left the week transformed. For the next eight years “Sabbath retreats” became a safe place for youth workers to drop their ministry role and simply become seekers of God. Dad and I led the retreat for the first five years. As the event grew we brought in other gifted leaders and SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS who helped produce the event...”(9).
DOUBTING BELL AND DESPAIRING KIERKEGAARD
One of the MAJOR SINS the Lord Jesus earnestly warns the disciples against and supplies a variety of arguments, is the sin of disquieting, distrustful cares about the things of life, which are a bad sign that both the treasure and the heart are on the earth. DISTRUSTFUL UNBELIEVEING THOUGHTS ARE NOT TO BE FOUND AMONGST THE BELIEVER WHO GOD HAS PROMISED TO PROVIDE FOR. IT IS AN ACTIVE FAITH THAT OVERCOMES DOUBT. We are not to seek to independently comfort our own souls, but show how much we have Christ in our hearts. If we take care about our souls and eternity, which are more than the body, and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less” (13, p.1641; Matthew 6: 25-34). Jesus said that if we have as little as a mustard seed of faith, if it’s placed in Him, we can move mountains. But faith must have an object in order for power to occur. Our object is Jesus Christ and what He provided for us at the Cross. As you grow in your understanding of all of the provisions God has made for you, you will begin to see God is bigger than all of your problems.
Bell references Soren Kierkegaard in his article on subversive preaching, “Kierkegaard talks about faith in FEAR AND TREMBLING as absolutely necessary for there to be real faith. It’s very easy to say, ‘Just believe. You got all the facts.’ But it doesn’t work that way. Two weeks ago I sponsored a ‘Doubt Night.’ I said, ‘I want to talk about my own doubts about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, faith. And if you have some, bring them. Write them down and pass them forward, we’ll read and we’ll see what happens next.”(13)
SOREN KIERKEGAARD was a nineteenth century philosophical theologian who’s writings are “a denial of the basic tenets of the Christian faith” and show disdain for those who do not agree with his intellectual pursuits. Kierkegaard was the first man to launch a system of thought in which DESPAIR WAS THE UNDERLYING CURRENT. Two of his books reflect this very mood of despondency, “FEAR AND TREMBLING AND TREMBLING” and “Sickness Unto Death.” His belief was that EVERYONE COMES TO A POINT WHERE THEY CANNOT FIND ANY DEFINITE REASONS FOR TRUTH OR FOR LIFE. We need to take a “leap of faith” which has no rationality behind it at all. He introduced the tenets of Kant and Hegel into the theology of the Christian faith. The idea that there is NO RATIONAL BASIS FOR THINGS BEYOND THE FIVE SENSES, but that we must take an irrational leap of blind faith to find purpose in life came out of Kant’s teaching. The idea that there is NO ABSOLUTE TRUTH and we must therefore find relative reasons on which to base our life resulted from Hegel’s teaching. This beginning of existential thought has provided the framework for “the doctrines of demons” which Paul said would sweep the world in the latter times before Christ’s return (12, pp. 87,88).
“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for ALL MEN HAVE NOT FAITH. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD TOUCHING YOU, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the PATIENT WAITING FOR CHRIST” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5). You know that you are saved by what God’s Word says and it testifies to your spirit. When you become a new creature you have a love for God that was never there before. He is your Father now and you SENSE THAT. You now have a love for the Word of God that was not there—the Bible becomes alive to you. Now you have a love for righteousness, you don’t want to live the way you used to live and you have a love for Christians and A LOVE FOR THE LOST. These values and character qualities begin to produce a life of good works. God in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells within the body of the believer in Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19). We do not have to try to consciously think of God throughout the day. It is something that comes natural. The Holy Spirit brings to mind the things He would have us know.
1,2 Timothy and Titus are both pastor epistles giving instruction to Timothy and Titus concerning the pastoral care of the churches. The recurring themes include (1) God the Savior (Titus 1:3); sound doctrine, faith and teaching (Titus 1:9); and (3) godliness (1 Tim. 2:2). The pastor is God’s spiritual example to the flock and the people of the community. We don’t find any theatrics or doubts in the role of pastors. The pastor is not only the head of the local church, he is an employee of the church and an elected servant of the people. The Lord has chosen the church as a means of spreading the message of salvation to the entire world. The pastor must be committed to feeding, organizing and leading a well-trained group of God’s people to fulfill HIS WILL.
Paul spoke of “not offending a weaker brother,” those who were new Christians who may be sensitive to what is right and wrong. He never engaged in activities that involve unbelief or opposition to Christianity. The Scriptures have Paul DEFINING A CHANGED LIFE with the people around him, not vying for their attention by “doing what they think they want that year.” A man is going one way in life, his own self-willed way, and when he repents he turns to go God’s way. When the Gospel was preached by Paul HE SAW MANY OF THE THESSALONIANS COME TO FAITH and HE RECOGNIZED THAT GOD HAD LOVED THEM, AND HAD DRAWN THEM, AND CALLED THEM THROUGH THE GOSPEL. That is how you hear the voice of God—through the Gospel. When you believed in Jesus Christ it was because you heard, not an audible voice, but you could not resist the call to come to Him. That was the call of God—the effectual call. The effectual call is the Holy Spirit that produces faith in your heart and brings you to salvation if you are one of His people. Those who are chosen are foreknown and given a destiny and in time you are called to God. Then, immediately upon calling is justification. You are given a right standing before God because of your faith, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). We are given a just standing before God “in Christ” because we are still sinners—imputed righteousness. We have no real standing before God as a sinner, but God gives us a standing because he gives us Christ’s own righteousness on our account. The final step is glorification where we will be given new bodies. By using “past tense” we see that what Paul is saying has not occurred yet. He uses the past tense BECAUSE THAT IS HOW CERTAIN HE IS THAT THE PLAN OF GOD WILL BE COMPLETED. “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Romans 8:30).
Let’s take a CLOSER LOOK at Rob Bell as he describes his preaching style: “I preached that sermon one time at Willow Creek and the goat pooped right on the stage. A GREAT MOMENT IN THAT FINE CHRUCH’S HISTORY… I FEEL LIKE I HELPED THEM GO TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF MINISTRY in the Chicago suburbs. The same thing happened here at Mars Hill—I GUESS IT’S A THEME IN MY PREACHING (laughter)… I had a shepherd and a sheep on stage, and I brought all the kids down. Then I wanted them to run all over the building, all over the place shouting, ‘GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST.’ AND AT THAT MOMENT THE SHEEP IS POOPING ON THE STAGE. So I’m trying to tell the kids to go, and they’re all staring at the sheep. IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT.”
Not only is Bell “subversively blasphemous,” he “weaves New Age thought” throughout his ideas: “Jesus said, ‘Look at those birds, look at the tree… The world of the Scriptures is full of pictures. Jesus says, ‘Spirit is like wind.’ The Eastern mind thinks in terms of pictures, the Western mind in words. The Eastern thinks, ‘God is a rock.’ The Western mind makes a statement of faith—more comfortable with definitions and precision… Today you have a culture that thinks in images. I’m a child of television, part of a whole generation that’s image-based in its thinking.”
“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess to know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:15,15).
SUBVERSIVE FULLER SEMINARY
Rob Bell is among the literal thousands of church leaders have been trained and "deployed" into "power" positions from this seminary…. “C. E. Fuller.. STARTED A RADIO BROADCAST THAT WAS A PROTOTYPE OF THE ECUMENICAL PASTORING THAT NOW DOMINATES TELEVISION AND RADIO EVANGELISM. One of the first major broadcasts, Fuller's "Old Fashioned Revival Hour" (REVIVAL - get it?), LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR A GLOBAL MINISTRY THAT TRANSCENDED DENOMINATIONAL BARRIERS, AND BEGAN TO SIPHON OFF CHURCH DOLLARS INTO THIS MOVEMENT. Fuller founded an ecumenical "think tank" seminary...Fuller Evangelical Seminary in Pasadena Ca.”
“Richard Foster - Renovare' –A FULLER PSYCHOLOGIST who has fine-tuned the encounter group methodology that has pervaded the church...the precursor to [Robert] Hicks, and the tie to Catholicism, by IMPLEMENTING THE “COMTEMPLATIVE” VIRTUES BACK INTO THE CHURCH, words cannot describe the impact his meditative techniques have had globally! THE ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS MERGING OF HINDUISM WITH CHRISTIANITY, HAS BEEN VERY HIGHLY DEVELOPED AS A TOOL IN THIS MOVEMENT….. It is not a mistake that Fuller Seminary has three schools. Theology, Psychology, and Missions. Their theology is reconstruction and Manifested Sons of God. THEIR PSYCHOLOGY IS ANS ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND MIND CONTROL TECHNIQUES, THEIR “MISSION” IS TO TAKE OVER GOVERNMENTS FOR JESUS! And they are succeeding! ”
“Dr. Arthur Glasser - who defined the technology of "progression of Integration theory". Basically this was THE METHODOLOGY IMPLOYED FOR ECUMENISM. It is still successfully being used to integrate their doctrines with peoples globally. The four steps of integration are:
1) COMMUNICATIONS (DIALOG AND CONSENSUS) getting people together so they can "talk" and find areas of agreement..."consensus" The most successful strategy for implementing "communication" has been to hold ecumenical prayer meetings. This has been employed at the city level-regional level, national level, global level, and has been utilized in areas of interest (secretaries, etc), and among people groups as well...pastors prayer breakfasts, women’s prayer organizations (Aglow), Businessmen (FGBMI), denominations, etc. Concerts of Prayer, and Mission America are currently being employed.
2) FELLOWSHIP - Due to dialog and consensus, they now begin to like one another, have camaraderie.
3) CO-OPERATION - get together around a common goal or project - March for Jesus is a good example or the Billy Graham Crusades, Spiritual Warfare conferences, General of Intercession, Post-denominational church seminars, at this level there are still denominational differences.
4) The fourth and final step of integration is "ASSOCIATION", this is creating a whole new organizational identity - non-denominational churches were an example, PEOPLE LEFT THEIR DENOMINATIONS AND RE-GROUPED INTO A NEW “FORM,” Promise Keepers appears to be a new form (even though they adamantly deny this, their small group structure promises to bind men together in groups that will find consensus etc), as well as Antioch Networks and Cell churches.. Where people leave their denominations and create all-new organizational structures. Many, many more!”
“…ALL THESE MEN ARE FROM FULLER… BILLY GRAHAM has been on the board of trustees of Fuller, and BILL BRIGHTS was there during the "think tank" years...... And all of these men work in conjunction with DAVID (PAUL) YONGI CHO, under the guidance of whom they have modeled their cell group church structure . This cell church structure (and software!) includes an integration technology that ties it to PK's database, Bethany World Prayer Center, Brigada, et al….A GLOBAL DATA BASE THAT SOON WILL INCLUDE EVERY MAN, WOMEN AND CHILD ON EARTH: where they are, what they are doing, and what ETHNICITY they are! Ethnic cleansing is at the root of this monster, and is part of a highly kept secret doctrine to eradicate many of those they happily 'embrace' at the moment. MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS ARE BEING UTILIZED TO BRING ABOUT THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION, all in the name of evangelizing the world... (2).
THE CULTURE: A CHRISTIAN REVIEW?
In Willow Creek’s Bookstore I purchased the November/December 2003 issue of “Books and Culture: a Christian Review,” a publication of Christianity Today International. On p.22 I found a book review that helped me understand the “angle with the culture” that was surfacing. “What Heresy?” by Frederica Mathews-Green, who “claims” to be a Christian, expresses an author’s interest with Gnostic theology and texts as she reviews his book. Not unlike Richard Foster’s non-Christian call for “renewal” promoted at Willow Creek, she felt that Christianity was “called afresh” to what she claims to be “the truth about God” in this book review. Her truth was the false idea that “God is within and permeates all creation”(pantheism—God is “omnipresent” and separate from His creation; sadly, new Bible versions created from corrupt Greek texts rewritten by Spiritists are confusing this greatly). FREDERICA BELIEVES THAT IT IS THE CULTURE THAT EITHER EMPHASIZES OR NEGLECTS THE FACT THAT ANYONE CAN EXPERIENCE GOD DIRECTLY. She goes on to describe it not only as a DIRECT but an ELECTRIFYING ENCOUNTER with the INTERIOR PRESENCE OF GOD. She claims that she had her first contemplative experience as a “non-Christian” and that anyone can experience this because GOD IS WITHIN EVERYTHING HE CREATES. So when the Gnostics claim that “The Kingdom of God is within you,” in Frederica’s opinion, it’s hardly a heretical statement. She goes on to report that today’s Neo-Gnostics would find a crowd around them, from 17th century Spanish nuns to 21st century American Pentecostals, saying, “That sounds like what I’m talking about.”
Although Frederica is right about Pentecostals and nuns following this thought, she is “clearly wrong about Christianity and the true God of the universe.” Sadly, both Pentecostals and mystic nuns have sought an “experience” and not true Christianity. Reliance upon outside, rational, and experimental proofs like deep breathing exercises (yoga), and meditation yield to inner, intuitional, and experimental proofs, but we need to follow God’s Word which establishes the values we are to believe and by which we are to act.
CULTURAL CREATIVES “REFRAME” THE CULTURE
Sociologist Paul H. Ray was the guest on Jeffrey Mishloves’ “Thinking Allowed” talk show on the Wisdom Channel this past July. He spoke about “cultural creatives.” Ray believes that the “traditionals are becoming moderns.” “According to Time Magazine, “moderns” are really living in a world of getting and spending—a world of materialism. Your body is like a machine, your organization is like a machine, time is money, that kind of concern…. A third population has emerged since the 60s. The “cultural creatives” then were too few to measure but they are growing. The philosopher Houston Smith talks about the distinction between traditional values, modern values, and then he calls them post-modern values. Rather than calling the cultural creatives “post-modern” they are considered “transmodern” which is SOMETHING THAT CUTS ACROSS MAKING THEIR OWN SYNTHESIS OF THE TRADITIONALS AND THE MODERNS, FINDING THE BEST STUFF AND TRYING TO CREATE A NEW KIND OF CULTURE. These are folks from all different social classes, races, ethnic groups, and heavily women who want a new way of life—not just a small group of hyper modernism as found in the post-modern tearing down the last vestiges of modernism. They want a world that is ecologically sustainable—they’re concerned about the whole planet, not just a nationalistic perspective but a large planetary view but also an INNER DEVELOPMENT SET OF CONCERNS WITH WHAT IS SUBJECTIVELY TRUE IS TRUE FOR ME HAS TO REALLY WORK AND IT ALSO HAS TO WORK IN THE BIG PICTURE OF THE WHOLE PLANET. ”
The cultural creatives’ subculture is a group of people who don’t really know each other. Each person got there all by themselves. They had to have become very individualistic and drop out of either modern or traditional cultures way of understanding the world. The cultural creatives have one thing in common, those concerns for environment, for women’s issues, for relationships, for social justice, and alternative healthcare WHICH ALL GROW OUT OF THE 60s, 70s, 80S, and 90s SOCIAL MOVEMENTS—a whole set of OF CHANGES IN CONSCIOUSNESS THAT WE COULD CALL “CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENTS”—big trends and movements with people demonstrating on the barricades but all the cultural creatives are supporters of the people they don’t have to be the most active of activists. EACH OF THE MOVEMENTS ENGAGED IN “REFRAMING.” They had cases like Martin Luther King of the mid to late 50s considered a real troublemaker by the other black leadership because he didn’t play the game of ethnic politics, rather he said this condition of the blacks in the south is a violation of freedom, justice, the Constitution, basic human dignity, and it violates the promises we made to ourselves as Americans. He articulated our ideals and he articulated the concept of non-violence to go with it. About that time other people picked up “REFRAMING THE ISSUES” as well. Bettty Fredian in the “Feminine Mystic”—merely said “this is about who women are.” At the same time Rachael Carson said “this is about the death of nature….” THOSE “REFRAMINGS” WERE REALLY DEEP AND FUNDAMENTAL BECAUSE THEY TOOK A CASUAL EXPLAINATION THAT WAS NEW AND A MORAL EXPLAINATION THAT WAS NEW AND ADDED “NEW MORAL CATEGORIES” so Americans who consider themselves very moral are rather different than the Americans who saw the world in a moral stance in the 50s and 60s.
Part of the issue with psychedelics, holistic health instead of standard medical care, personal growth psychology was dealing directly with the issue of what’s personally authentic. “WHAT’S REAL FOR ME ‘INWARDLY’ IS A BIG DEAL” and has gotten redefined just as the large planetary concerns or social justice concerns have gotten redefined. SO WE’VE LITERALLY ADDED 15-20 MORAL CATEGORIES THAT WE DID NOT HAVE. And we’ve created a kind of systemsy worldview instead of the fragmented factoids of modernism—nose tight to the grindstone focus, business as usual and the traditionals are kind of fending things off while the cultural creatives are picking this fact and that one…and are creating a new worldview…. We want a work environment that satisfies our “inner being.”
SPIRITUAL FORMATION: ESOTERIC CONTEMPLATION
The Christian is not going to find the truth in ESOTERIC CONTEMPLATION. Actively engaging in EMPTYING YOUR MIND through occulitc/Hindu practices will leave you wide open to the demonic realm. Although we don’t fully understand how the mind (metaphysical) and the brain (physical) act, this is the realm in which the demons work and they understand it perfectly. Demon possession has a logical explanation. If your mind can effect you own brain, then the similar non-physical nature of another mind might also be able to effect your brain. This gives rise to hearing a voices or seeing a visions or having the mind speak or write by controlling your body the same way you normally control your body. God in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells within the body of the believer in Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19).
The unconscious, or the subconscious, was something that Freud really made popular in his theories in psychotherapy, the religious science. In the process of subjecting his patients to dream analysis and hypnotic trance in pursuit of childhood memories, Freud discovered that there was an unconscious side to consciousness. He concluded that it was in fact the most important part. He also suspected that it might be greater in scope than the individual’s own experience (tapped into a great universal something). Spirit possessed Carl Jung decided, with encouragement from his “spirit guide” Philemon, that at this unconscious level all minds are part of what he called the collective unconsciousness (Hindu concept) and described it as the source of mystical powers. Not in any scientific basis, these twin beliefs were accepted by faith by the disciples of Freud and Jung and became the foundation for the many psychologies and therapies that followed. Due to this nearly everyone accepts, as scientific fact, the religious belief that this vast unexplored region of innerspace, your subconscious, is a reservoir of magical powers. There is this great reservoir called the unconscious, or subconscious, that is the seed of all your motivations. You do all these things without your even understanding because it comes from “somewhere deep inside you.”
On the less than solid foundations of such theories and mystical experiences that seem to confirm them, the human potential movement has been built. Self-improvement seminar leaders assure us that by simply LOOKING WITHIN OURSELVES we can discover all truth, all knowledge, and all power. In order to mind this supposedly unlimited potential, psychologists have attempted to explore unconsciousness THROUGH EASTERN MYSTICISM’S ALTERED STATES. States of consciousness that were first explored through hypnosis and then LSD. The further one retreats from normal consciousness, the more enlightened one becomes.
“When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, OR A CONSULTER WITH FAMILIAR SPIRITS, or a wizard, or a necromancer. FOR ALL THAT DO THESE THINGS ARE AN ABOMINATION UNTO THE LORD: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God (entirely obedient)”(Deut. 18:9-13).
The work of James A. Connor is considered comparable to the work of Thomas Merton and Henry Nouwen. In his book “Silent Fire,” Connor, who was a Catholic priest and member of the Jesuit Order for 18 years, speaks of bringing the spirituality of silence to everyday life. He states, “In meditation the journey of an entire life will be manifest as a state of relaxation and a state of activity, forever a balancing act between sleeping and waking...” On page 2 he describes “I found myself whispering over and over, drawing further into the thickening silence...until all hushed, until I was quiet inside...At last I lost all thought of myself...The hall of mirrors we call consciousness had opened...I was no longer doing anything.. I was no longer looking... at myself.” He described it as an insight that he does not exist—only one ineffable reality. It made him want to dance with joy and he looked forward to experiencing it again. When he discovered the writings of Thomas Merton and his Asian journal, he felt he found religion at its core and from that time on he studied both Western and Eastern meditation. He commented that studying both Christianity and Zen Buddhism made him giddy. He was relieved to be away from the wars between organized religion that, in his opinion were merely theological disputes of frightened people who were afraid to love. He felt that if religion was to be authentic it needed to “blend traditions.” Thomas Merton describes “contemplation” as the highest expression of human intellect and the spiritual life, an expression that pulls together the entire person and goes beyond rational consciousness. It is a supposed to be a connection between something higher and ourselves, an opening to God. Our human soul is described as an imperishable flame, which is the same energy that permeates all things. At a Zen retreat he learned that Zen doesn’t end with sitting meditation—it is with you every moment of every day, drawing closer to the world in bits, until you are flat against it in an endless embrace. (47)
ANCIENT BABYLONIAN MYSTICISM
We live in a day of great deception. We need to stay close to the Lord and stay close to His Word so that we will not be susceptible to the great deceptions of our day. The Bible tells us that Babylon was the womb of unparalleled evil. It was Satan’s headquarters of rebellion against God. It was also the site of the first false religious system that was a substitute for the worship of the true God. THIS MYSTERY RELIGION, CALLED BABYLON THE GREAT, CONTINUES TO OUR VERY DAY. IT ENSLAVES PEOPLE TO SUPERSTITION AND DARKNESS.
The apostle John is given a vision in Revelation 17 and 18 of the final destruction of this religious system. His vision describes a time just prior the Second Coming of Jesus Christ after His church has been removed from the earth by the rapture. The world will be united economically, politically (new world order by the antichrist), and religiously (one world religion unified together in a worship system against God).
THE SIGNS OF OUR DAY INDICATE THAT THE FORMATION OF THE END TIMES’ FALSE RELIGION IS VERY NEAR. There are three factors working toward that goal.
1. ECUMENISM. The Roman Catholic Church is at the forefront of this movement to unite religions, specifically Pope John Paul. The World Council of Churches promotes church unity and the unity of the human family. Ecumenism in the Middle East is in the process of making churches more open it is also an attempt to bring the church, the synagogue, and the mosque closer to one another. It is a vision of one god for all the faiths. In the fall of 1985 a meeting was held between parliamentarians from five continents and spiritual leaders from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The meeting was to initiate a dialogue on issues of global survival. The new coalition named itself “The Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival.” The global forum participant US congressman contended more directly that we need to merge the ethical and the practical, the political and the priest, the sacred and the secular. The 1988 gathering was hosted by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury who is the head of the church of England. It was attended by Mother Teresa, Dalai Lama, UN secretary general, and many others. It was stated that we are learning that we are all interdependent in spiritual matters, that there is a certain incompleteness in each of our traditions, and that some claims about the exclusiveness of the church have to be renounced in the name of a new and larger vision of unity. All religions were believed to have only a portion of the truth, but none of them have the complete truth. The exclusiveness of the church that has been proclaimed for two thousand years as having the only gospel that saves people must be renounced for the sake of a larger vision of unity. The only group that was singled out as a problem in this conference, which included shamans, medicine men, and rainforest rituals, was against those fundamentalist, narrow-minded Christians who believe that the current global situation is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. They don’t want to hear anymore about the coming of the end of the world and that it has no place in “authentic” religious awareness. Christians are outcasts.
2. THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT. This will be the glue that will cause these religions to adhere to one another. It is an ingenious application of the ancient Babylonian mysticism. The rebirth of pagan mystery religion. The three characteristics of the New Age Movement. (1) MONISM: Everything is one. The universe, this world, man, plants, we are all just waves in the cosmic ocean. (2) PANTHEISM: All is god and god is all. That is different from what the Bible teaches about omnipresence. The Bible teaches that God is omnipresent, He is everywhere at once at the same time. The Bible does not say that God is everything, He is separate from that which He has created. Pantheism says He is everything and everything is god. (3) DEITY OF MAN: If everything is one, and everything is god, then you and I are god too.
The heart of the New Age Movement is that man needs to rediscover his divinity; to be enlightened (Babylonian mysticism). The cosmic process that’s going on, the New Age Movement will tell you, is as a result of two great eternal principles; the principles of rebirth and the cause and effect. The principle of rebirth is reincarnation. The principle of cause and effect is called karma. How ever you live now sets up opportunities or possibilities in the next life. If you live a life that is bad you will suffer in you next life because of it. The goal is to live a life that is so virtuous and to finally realize your own deity so that you will not be reincarnated again but you will join a hierarchy called the ascended masters. This is where the great delusion comes in. The New Age Movement will reinterpret all of the doctrines of the major world religions. They will start first of all with the ascended masters, the ones who have gone on and have become part of the cosmic consciousness, they are in fact from the spiritual realm guiding humanity right now. They are benevolent and trying to help us to understand our deity. It is a case of spiritual evolution and we are heading toward that day when the whole planet is going to realize this and a new age is coming. When they appear at times to people, or talk to people through channeling, they call themselves divas—the Scriptures call them demons. They claim that there is a person called “the christ,” not Jesus Christ. That person is the head of the ascended masters. He is the great one. He has entered history at different times. He indwelled Nimrod, Krishna, Jesus, and Mohammed. Jesus was one who was simply very near to becoming part of the ascended masters and “the christ” came upon him and indwelled him. This is blasphemous. They say Jesus was only trying to teach us to understand our own deity. They believe all religions contains some insights into this ageless wisdom. But only a portion, no religion has all of it and christ (Satan) has promised one day to usher in that new age. They believe that when he comes he will fulfill the predictions of all of the religions. We only have a limited understanding of this they say.
THE LAST THING THAT WILL TRIGGER ALL OF THIS IS THE RAPTURE; THE REMOVAL OF THE CHURCH. All that will be left will be Babylonian mysticism.
“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come, until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way.”
The “He” that is the restrainer is the Holy Spirit through the church. He is the only one that has been around for two thousand years (not just a person). He will continue to restrain the final formation of the apostasy and the revelation of the man of sin until he is taken out of the way (the rapture). When the spirit is taken out of the way, and we who are joined to Him permanently, we are going to have to go too.
“…And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness”(2 Thessalonians 2: 3-12). (TheFaithfulWord@ameritech.net: JMREV31 "The Great Harlot.")
RELATED
Mfairlady Faith blogs.
WORKS CITED
(Updated websites replace seasonally—e-mail for a copy at http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady for any lost information.)
1. “Filling In The Blanks With Fuller.” http://watch.pair.com/fuller.html
2. “Keeping It Real,” World Magazine 4/10/04. http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/04-10-04/national_4.asp
3. “Spiritual Formation at Bill Hybels’ Willow Creek.” http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady
4. Willow Creek Church Growth: Occultic Roots.” http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady
5. “NPC Rob Bell speaker 2003” http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/2003/bios/speakers/bell.php (seasonally updated—see “scanned documents” at http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady )
6. http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/programs/gs/sandiego.php “Stowell, Warren, Manning—NPC”
7. http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/sched/nashville/4.php “Nancy Beach, John Ortberg—labyrinths”
8. http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/sched/nashville/full.php?printIt=yes “Ruth Haley Barton, Compolo, Manning, Gordon MacDonald, Howard Hendricks, Townsend & Cloud, Nancy Beach, Margaret Becker, John Ortberg—labyrinths, yoga, contemplative prayer, sustainable life forum: Ecology, Post Evangelical book club, seizing your divine moment…”
9. http://www.youthspecialties.com/sabbath/future.php “Mike Yaconelli: labyrinths, silence, meditation—for youth.”
10. http://www.willowcreek.com/servicebuilder/servicepages/service.asp?servid=154 “Bell at Willow Creek”
11. http://cci.gospelcom.net/ccihome/PPF/pg/convention/toc/program/default.asp “Assoc. of Christian Camps and Conferences—Rob Bell bio.—Youth Specialties, Willow Creek, NOOMA..”
12. Willow Creek Community Church Service Detail. “A Day of Atonement” by Rob Bell. http://www.willowcreek.com/servicebuilder/servicepages/service.asp?servid=154
13. “Subversive Preaching”. CCN—Church Communication Network. http://www.ccn.tv/programming/event/evt_03jun04.htm
14. “The Subversive Art.” Leadership Journal.net.; Christianity Today.com. http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2004/002/1.24.html
15. King James Bible
16. Matthew Henry Commentary
17. TheFaithfulWord “Hypnosis.”
18. TheFaithfulWord "The Great Harlot."
19. Stanford, Miles. “Position to Person.” Colorado Springs, CO. 1995.
20. Lindsay, Hal. “Satan Is Alive And Well On Planet Earth.” Zondervan Publishing House, 1972. http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/
21. Mere, Michael. “Bible Doctrines For Today.” Pensocola Christian College, 3rd. ed. 1996. http://www.abeka.org/
22. Riplinger, Gail. “New Age Bible Versions.” A.V. Publications Corporation, 1993. http://www.avpublications.com/
23. Dager, Al. “Renovare: Taking Leave Of One’s Senses.” Media Spotlight, 1992. http://www.mediaspotlight.org/
24. Frejer, B. Earnest. “The Edgar Case Companion.” New York: Barns & Noble, 1995.
25. Marck, John T. “Oh Look Out! Part 9, Magical Mystery Tour.” I Am The Beatles. http://iamthebeatles.com/article1010.html
26. Myss, Caroline. “Anatomy of the Spirit.” Three Rivers Press, 1996.
27. “Gods of the New Age.” Jeremiah Films, 1988. http://www.jerimiahfilms.com/
28. Lapham, Lewis H. “There Once Was a Guru From Rishkesh.” The Saturday Evening Post May 4, 1968.
29. Watts, Alan, “Buddhism: The Religion of No Religion,” Charles E. Tuttle Co., inc., Rutland, VT & Tokyo, Japan, 1996
30. Hearts & Minds. http://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/articles/jan02.htm
“Extra-biblical literature is available from those days… extra-biblical ancient documents that tell us that Nimrod had a wife who was appointed as a head of these Babylonian mysteries. She was the high priestess of this idolatrous system. The true meanings and rights of the symbols were secret. They were only given to the initiates; the one who were enlightened. It was all a counterfeit wisdom. They believed in astrology, sorcery, spiritism, and many of the other occultic things. In their rite they involved themselves with baptisms, confession to their priests, incense burning, celibate priesthood, holy water, holy women orders that were vestal virgins—women committed to prostitution in the temples, etc. The foremost mystery was the goddess mother and child. Nimrod’s wife gave birth to a son and she claimed that there was a miraculous conception. This son was proclaimed to be the savior. She said that this was the fulfillment of the promised Eve that there would be one coming that was the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent. Satan was anticipating the true coming of the seed of Jesus Christ and was beginning to inject the counterfeit mindset into the world. This is the oldest form of idolatry; the goddess mother and child cult. She was called the queen of heaven and her son was the son of god. He reputably was killed by a wild bore but then was raised again from the dead. This mystery religion spread out in various forms throughout the whole earth.”
“The custodian and the high priest of the Babylonian mysteries was called the Pontifix Maximus. He was the “supreme bridge-keeper.” This spread from Egypt to Persia and eventually to Rome. Wherever the world kingdom was of he day the Babylonian mysticism was there. All of the outstanding festivals of the Roman Catholic Church are really of Babylonian origin. The Roman Catholic Church today is a form of Babylonian mysticism. We desire the people to be saved but we are to be against false religion. We must be. The doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, not the people, but the official dogma of this church derives much of itself from the Babylonian mysticism. Some of things they teach are true, like the deity of Christ and the Trinity, yet there is this merging that has occurred. Roman Catholic doctrine is just enough to lull people into a false sense of security, but they never teach of the finished work of God and His grace. We cannot abide by any false teaching, we must bring the truth to people to people so that they can be saved. At Rome it infiltrated Christianity. It became the masterpiece of Satan’s counterfeits. The final manifestation in the last days will be when all the children are merged into this great world religion. Although it will be different than what we see today, Rome will be the headquarters”(19).
Contrary to Bell’s unbiblical promotion of “doubting,” Jesus said that if we have as little as a mustard seed of faith, if it is placed in him, we can move mountains. Faith must have an object in order for power to occur. Our object is Jesus Christ and what He provided for us at the Cross. As you grow in your understanding of all of the provisions God has made for you, you will begin to see God is bigger than all of your problems. It's not about how much faith you have, but how faithful, worthy, and powerful Jesus is. Christ won victory over our three great enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Numerous places in the New Testament Paul makes clear God’s plan for subjecting all hostile powers to Christ and those who believe in Him. We don't find any theatrics and doubts in the role of pastors. The pastor is not only the head of the local church, he is an employee of the church and an elected servant of the people. The Lord has chosen the church as a means of spreading the message of salvation to the entire world. The pastor must be committed to feeding, organizing and leading a well-trained group of God’s people to fulfill HIS WILL. 1,2 Timothy and Titus are both pastor epistles giving instruction to Timothy and Titus concerning the pastoral care of the churches. The recurring themes include (1) God the Savior (Titus 1:3); sound doctrine, faith and teaching (Titus 1:9); and (3) godliness (1 Tim. 2:2). The pastor is God’s spiritual example to the flock and the people of the community. True Christianity is not esoteric and Jesus was not and esoteric figure—HE WAS/IS NOT SUBVERSIVE MR. BELL.
Bell states, “When you tell a story well, you don’t have to bash. In fact, in Acts 19, the city clerk says to the rioting mob, ‘Paul has never blasphemed the goddess.’ One of the distinctive things about the JESUS REVOLUTION is they never blasphemed the gods of the cities, and yet the whole city became Christian… That has unbelievable implications for what Christians are doing right now—preachers bashing Hollywood…” But contrary to Bell’s concern for Hollywood, Scripture does contain godly men ridiculing and disputing against false gods. Some examples include Acts 19:8 where PAUL SPEAKS BOLDLY for three months DISPUTING AND PERSUADING the things concerning the kingdom of God, and in 1 Kings 18:27 in order to draw a sharp contrast between the worship of the Lord and the worship of Baal, to eliminate the apostate idea that both deities could be worshipped in a syncretistic way, ELIJAH RIDICULES BAAL. “And it came to pass at noon, that ELIJAH MOCKED THEM, and said, ‘Cry aloud; for he “is” god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey (has to go the bathroom!), or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be wakened.”
The apostle Paul purposefully avoided the ideas of the culture, which happened to consist of various sects of philosophers. He called it a “vain thing”(Acts 17:21-25). These people were not genuinely interested in “old-fashioned ways” and at their “theater at Mars’ hill” they merely desired to “hear something new.” They preferred telling and hearing. Knowledge begot in this manner was flashy and superficial. They wanted new schemes and new notions in philosophy, and new forms of religion, for new gods that came newly up, new demons, new fashioned images and altars; they were given to change (16). According to The Association of Christian Camps and Conferences, Rob Bell is considered one of the “freshest communicators of our time.” He has also been a keynote speaker at events like YOUTH SPECIALTIES’ NATIONAL YOUTH WORKERS CONVENTION, WILLOW CREEK’S STUDENT MINISTRIES CONFERENCE, and the Creation Festival. Rob Bell currently heads Nooma, a ministry producing short dramatic videos of his talks, shot MTV—style on location at airports, forests, and city streets. (11)
In a letter from Mark Yaconelli, son of the Youth Specialties’ late Mike Yaconelli, “Sabbath retreats” are discontinued. “It's with a mixture of sadness and deep gratitude that I announce that the “Sabbath retreat” directed by the Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project and produced by Youth Specialties since 1996 will be discontinued after this spring… The decision to discontinue Sabbath comes after a long and careful discernment. Changes in the structure and purpose of the Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project and the recent drop in participants makes it too difficult to continue the retreat, especially when combined with the recent death of my dad and co-leader... Mike Yaconelli. In the early 1990s my spiritual life and ministry with youth had been deeply TRANSFORMED THROUGH SILENCE, SPIRITUAL DIRECTION AND CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER. I was eager to share this experience with other youth workers. In 1996, I designed a retreat that drew on EXERCISES AND PRACTICES FROM THE (forgotten) CONTEMPLATIVE TRADITION of the Christian tradition. Sixteen people attended this first “Sabbath retreat.” These were the days when no one used the word “contemplative” in youth ministry and MANY WERE SUSPICIOUS THAT SILENCE, CHRISTIAN MEDITATION, LABYRINTHS AND CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER WERE EITHER SATANIC OR NEW AGE… WE ENGAGED IN HOLY PLAY. We prayed, colored, sat in silence, napped, meditated on scripture, laughed, questioned God, took communion, prayed for one another and somehow left the week transformed. For the next eight years “Sabbath retreats” became a safe place for youth workers to drop their ministry role and simply become seekers of God. Dad and I led the retreat for the first five years. As the event grew we brought in other gifted leaders and SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS who helped produce the event...”(9).
DOUBTING BELL AND DESPAIRING KIERKEGAARD
One of the MAJOR SINS the Lord Jesus earnestly warns the disciples against and supplies a variety of arguments, is the sin of disquieting, distrustful cares about the things of life, which are a bad sign that both the treasure and the heart are on the earth. DISTRUSTFUL UNBELIEVEING THOUGHTS ARE NOT TO BE FOUND AMONGST THE BELIEVER WHO GOD HAS PROMISED TO PROVIDE FOR. IT IS AN ACTIVE FAITH THAT OVERCOMES DOUBT. We are not to seek to independently comfort our own souls, but show how much we have Christ in our hearts. If we take care about our souls and eternity, which are more than the body, and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less” (13, p.1641; Matthew 6: 25-34). Jesus said that if we have as little as a mustard seed of faith, if it’s placed in Him, we can move mountains. But faith must have an object in order for power to occur. Our object is Jesus Christ and what He provided for us at the Cross. As you grow in your understanding of all of the provisions God has made for you, you will begin to see God is bigger than all of your problems.
Bell references Soren Kierkegaard in his article on subversive preaching, “Kierkegaard talks about faith in FEAR AND TREMBLING as absolutely necessary for there to be real faith. It’s very easy to say, ‘Just believe. You got all the facts.’ But it doesn’t work that way. Two weeks ago I sponsored a ‘Doubt Night.’ I said, ‘I want to talk about my own doubts about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, faith. And if you have some, bring them. Write them down and pass them forward, we’ll read and we’ll see what happens next.”(13)
SOREN KIERKEGAARD was a nineteenth century philosophical theologian who’s writings are “a denial of the basic tenets of the Christian faith” and show disdain for those who do not agree with his intellectual pursuits. Kierkegaard was the first man to launch a system of thought in which DESPAIR WAS THE UNDERLYING CURRENT. Two of his books reflect this very mood of despondency, “FEAR AND TREMBLING AND TREMBLING” and “Sickness Unto Death.” His belief was that EVERYONE COMES TO A POINT WHERE THEY CANNOT FIND ANY DEFINITE REASONS FOR TRUTH OR FOR LIFE. We need to take a “leap of faith” which has no rationality behind it at all. He introduced the tenets of Kant and Hegel into the theology of the Christian faith. The idea that there is NO RATIONAL BASIS FOR THINGS BEYOND THE FIVE SENSES, but that we must take an irrational leap of blind faith to find purpose in life came out of Kant’s teaching. The idea that there is NO ABSOLUTE TRUTH and we must therefore find relative reasons on which to base our life resulted from Hegel’s teaching. This beginning of existential thought has provided the framework for “the doctrines of demons” which Paul said would sweep the world in the latter times before Christ’s return (12, pp. 87,88).
“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for ALL MEN HAVE NOT FAITH. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD TOUCHING YOU, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the PATIENT WAITING FOR CHRIST” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5). You know that you are saved by what God’s Word says and it testifies to your spirit. When you become a new creature you have a love for God that was never there before. He is your Father now and you SENSE THAT. You now have a love for the Word of God that was not there—the Bible becomes alive to you. Now you have a love for righteousness, you don’t want to live the way you used to live and you have a love for Christians and A LOVE FOR THE LOST. These values and character qualities begin to produce a life of good works. God in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells within the body of the believer in Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19). We do not have to try to consciously think of God throughout the day. It is something that comes natural. The Holy Spirit brings to mind the things He would have us know.
1,2 Timothy and Titus are both pastor epistles giving instruction to Timothy and Titus concerning the pastoral care of the churches. The recurring themes include (1) God the Savior (Titus 1:3); sound doctrine, faith and teaching (Titus 1:9); and (3) godliness (1 Tim. 2:2). The pastor is God’s spiritual example to the flock and the people of the community. We don’t find any theatrics or doubts in the role of pastors. The pastor is not only the head of the local church, he is an employee of the church and an elected servant of the people. The Lord has chosen the church as a means of spreading the message of salvation to the entire world. The pastor must be committed to feeding, organizing and leading a well-trained group of God’s people to fulfill HIS WILL.
Paul spoke of “not offending a weaker brother,” those who were new Christians who may be sensitive to what is right and wrong. He never engaged in activities that involve unbelief or opposition to Christianity. The Scriptures have Paul DEFINING A CHANGED LIFE with the people around him, not vying for their attention by “doing what they think they want that year.” A man is going one way in life, his own self-willed way, and when he repents he turns to go God’s way. When the Gospel was preached by Paul HE SAW MANY OF THE THESSALONIANS COME TO FAITH and HE RECOGNIZED THAT GOD HAD LOVED THEM, AND HAD DRAWN THEM, AND CALLED THEM THROUGH THE GOSPEL. That is how you hear the voice of God—through the Gospel. When you believed in Jesus Christ it was because you heard, not an audible voice, but you could not resist the call to come to Him. That was the call of God—the effectual call. The effectual call is the Holy Spirit that produces faith in your heart and brings you to salvation if you are one of His people. Those who are chosen are foreknown and given a destiny and in time you are called to God. Then, immediately upon calling is justification. You are given a right standing before God because of your faith, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). We are given a just standing before God “in Christ” because we are still sinners—imputed righteousness. We have no real standing before God as a sinner, but God gives us a standing because he gives us Christ’s own righteousness on our account. The final step is glorification where we will be given new bodies. By using “past tense” we see that what Paul is saying has not occurred yet. He uses the past tense BECAUSE THAT IS HOW CERTAIN HE IS THAT THE PLAN OF GOD WILL BE COMPLETED. “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Romans 8:30).
Let’s take a CLOSER LOOK at Rob Bell as he describes his preaching style: “I preached that sermon one time at Willow Creek and the goat pooped right on the stage. A GREAT MOMENT IN THAT FINE CHRUCH’S HISTORY… I FEEL LIKE I HELPED THEM GO TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF MINISTRY in the Chicago suburbs. The same thing happened here at Mars Hill—I GUESS IT’S A THEME IN MY PREACHING (laughter)… I had a shepherd and a sheep on stage, and I brought all the kids down. Then I wanted them to run all over the building, all over the place shouting, ‘GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST.’ AND AT THAT MOMENT THE SHEEP IS POOPING ON THE STAGE. So I’m trying to tell the kids to go, and they’re all staring at the sheep. IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT.”
Not only is Bell “subversively blasphemous,” he “weaves New Age thought” throughout his ideas: “Jesus said, ‘Look at those birds, look at the tree… The world of the Scriptures is full of pictures. Jesus says, ‘Spirit is like wind.’ The Eastern mind thinks in terms of pictures, the Western mind in words. The Eastern thinks, ‘God is a rock.’ The Western mind makes a statement of faith—more comfortable with definitions and precision… Today you have a culture that thinks in images. I’m a child of television, part of a whole generation that’s image-based in its thinking.”
“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess to know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:15,15).
SUBVERSIVE FULLER SEMINARY
Rob Bell is among the literal thousands of church leaders have been trained and "deployed" into "power" positions from this seminary…. “C. E. Fuller.. STARTED A RADIO BROADCAST THAT WAS A PROTOTYPE OF THE ECUMENICAL PASTORING THAT NOW DOMINATES TELEVISION AND RADIO EVANGELISM. One of the first major broadcasts, Fuller's "Old Fashioned Revival Hour" (REVIVAL - get it?), LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR A GLOBAL MINISTRY THAT TRANSCENDED DENOMINATIONAL BARRIERS, AND BEGAN TO SIPHON OFF CHURCH DOLLARS INTO THIS MOVEMENT. Fuller founded an ecumenical "think tank" seminary...Fuller Evangelical Seminary in Pasadena Ca.”
“Richard Foster - Renovare' –A FULLER PSYCHOLOGIST who has fine-tuned the encounter group methodology that has pervaded the church...the precursor to [Robert] Hicks, and the tie to Catholicism, by IMPLEMENTING THE “COMTEMPLATIVE” VIRTUES BACK INTO THE CHURCH, words cannot describe the impact his meditative techniques have had globally! THE ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS MERGING OF HINDUISM WITH CHRISTIANITY, HAS BEEN VERY HIGHLY DEVELOPED AS A TOOL IN THIS MOVEMENT….. It is not a mistake that Fuller Seminary has three schools. Theology, Psychology, and Missions. Their theology is reconstruction and Manifested Sons of God. THEIR PSYCHOLOGY IS ANS ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND MIND CONTROL TECHNIQUES, THEIR “MISSION” IS TO TAKE OVER GOVERNMENTS FOR JESUS! And they are succeeding! ”
“Dr. Arthur Glasser - who defined the technology of "progression of Integration theory". Basically this was THE METHODOLOGY IMPLOYED FOR ECUMENISM. It is still successfully being used to integrate their doctrines with peoples globally. The four steps of integration are:
1) COMMUNICATIONS (DIALOG AND CONSENSUS) getting people together so they can "talk" and find areas of agreement..."consensus" The most successful strategy for implementing "communication" has been to hold ecumenical prayer meetings. This has been employed at the city level-regional level, national level, global level, and has been utilized in areas of interest (secretaries, etc), and among people groups as well...pastors prayer breakfasts, women’s prayer organizations (Aglow), Businessmen (FGBMI), denominations, etc. Concerts of Prayer, and Mission America are currently being employed.
2) FELLOWSHIP - Due to dialog and consensus, they now begin to like one another, have camaraderie.
3) CO-OPERATION - get together around a common goal or project - March for Jesus is a good example or the Billy Graham Crusades, Spiritual Warfare conferences, General of Intercession, Post-denominational church seminars, at this level there are still denominational differences.
4) The fourth and final step of integration is "ASSOCIATION", this is creating a whole new organizational identity - non-denominational churches were an example, PEOPLE LEFT THEIR DENOMINATIONS AND RE-GROUPED INTO A NEW “FORM,” Promise Keepers appears to be a new form (even though they adamantly deny this, their small group structure promises to bind men together in groups that will find consensus etc), as well as Antioch Networks and Cell churches.. Where people leave their denominations and create all-new organizational structures. Many, many more!”
“…ALL THESE MEN ARE FROM FULLER… BILLY GRAHAM has been on the board of trustees of Fuller, and BILL BRIGHTS was there during the "think tank" years...... And all of these men work in conjunction with DAVID (PAUL) YONGI CHO, under the guidance of whom they have modeled their cell group church structure . This cell church structure (and software!) includes an integration technology that ties it to PK's database, Bethany World Prayer Center, Brigada, et al….A GLOBAL DATA BASE THAT SOON WILL INCLUDE EVERY MAN, WOMEN AND CHILD ON EARTH: where they are, what they are doing, and what ETHNICITY they are! Ethnic cleansing is at the root of this monster, and is part of a highly kept secret doctrine to eradicate many of those they happily 'embrace' at the moment. MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS ARE BEING UTILIZED TO BRING ABOUT THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION, all in the name of evangelizing the world... (2).
THE CULTURE: A CHRISTIAN REVIEW?
In Willow Creek’s Bookstore I purchased the November/December 2003 issue of “Books and Culture: a Christian Review,” a publication of Christianity Today International. On p.22 I found a book review that helped me understand the “angle with the culture” that was surfacing. “What Heresy?” by Frederica Mathews-Green, who “claims” to be a Christian, expresses an author’s interest with Gnostic theology and texts as she reviews his book. Not unlike Richard Foster’s non-Christian call for “renewal” promoted at Willow Creek, she felt that Christianity was “called afresh” to what she claims to be “the truth about God” in this book review. Her truth was the false idea that “God is within and permeates all creation”(pantheism—God is “omnipresent” and separate from His creation; sadly, new Bible versions created from corrupt Greek texts rewritten by Spiritists are confusing this greatly). FREDERICA BELIEVES THAT IT IS THE CULTURE THAT EITHER EMPHASIZES OR NEGLECTS THE FACT THAT ANYONE CAN EXPERIENCE GOD DIRECTLY. She goes on to describe it not only as a DIRECT but an ELECTRIFYING ENCOUNTER with the INTERIOR PRESENCE OF GOD. She claims that she had her first contemplative experience as a “non-Christian” and that anyone can experience this because GOD IS WITHIN EVERYTHING HE CREATES. So when the Gnostics claim that “The Kingdom of God is within you,” in Frederica’s opinion, it’s hardly a heretical statement. She goes on to report that today’s Neo-Gnostics would find a crowd around them, from 17th century Spanish nuns to 21st century American Pentecostals, saying, “That sounds like what I’m talking about.”
Although Frederica is right about Pentecostals and nuns following this thought, she is “clearly wrong about Christianity and the true God of the universe.” Sadly, both Pentecostals and mystic nuns have sought an “experience” and not true Christianity. Reliance upon outside, rational, and experimental proofs like deep breathing exercises (yoga), and meditation yield to inner, intuitional, and experimental proofs, but we need to follow God’s Word which establishes the values we are to believe and by which we are to act.
CULTURAL CREATIVES “REFRAME” THE CULTURE
Sociologist Paul H. Ray was the guest on Jeffrey Mishloves’ “Thinking Allowed” talk show on the Wisdom Channel this past July. He spoke about “cultural creatives.” Ray believes that the “traditionals are becoming moderns.” “According to Time Magazine, “moderns” are really living in a world of getting and spending—a world of materialism. Your body is like a machine, your organization is like a machine, time is money, that kind of concern…. A third population has emerged since the 60s. The “cultural creatives” then were too few to measure but they are growing. The philosopher Houston Smith talks about the distinction between traditional values, modern values, and then he calls them post-modern values. Rather than calling the cultural creatives “post-modern” they are considered “transmodern” which is SOMETHING THAT CUTS ACROSS MAKING THEIR OWN SYNTHESIS OF THE TRADITIONALS AND THE MODERNS, FINDING THE BEST STUFF AND TRYING TO CREATE A NEW KIND OF CULTURE. These are folks from all different social classes, races, ethnic groups, and heavily women who want a new way of life—not just a small group of hyper modernism as found in the post-modern tearing down the last vestiges of modernism. They want a world that is ecologically sustainable—they’re concerned about the whole planet, not just a nationalistic perspective but a large planetary view but also an INNER DEVELOPMENT SET OF CONCERNS WITH WHAT IS SUBJECTIVELY TRUE IS TRUE FOR ME HAS TO REALLY WORK AND IT ALSO HAS TO WORK IN THE BIG PICTURE OF THE WHOLE PLANET. ”
The cultural creatives’ subculture is a group of people who don’t really know each other. Each person got there all by themselves. They had to have become very individualistic and drop out of either modern or traditional cultures way of understanding the world. The cultural creatives have one thing in common, those concerns for environment, for women’s issues, for relationships, for social justice, and alternative healthcare WHICH ALL GROW OUT OF THE 60s, 70s, 80S, and 90s SOCIAL MOVEMENTS—a whole set of OF CHANGES IN CONSCIOUSNESS THAT WE COULD CALL “CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENTS”—big trends and movements with people demonstrating on the barricades but all the cultural creatives are supporters of the people they don’t have to be the most active of activists. EACH OF THE MOVEMENTS ENGAGED IN “REFRAMING.” They had cases like Martin Luther King of the mid to late 50s considered a real troublemaker by the other black leadership because he didn’t play the game of ethnic politics, rather he said this condition of the blacks in the south is a violation of freedom, justice, the Constitution, basic human dignity, and it violates the promises we made to ourselves as Americans. He articulated our ideals and he articulated the concept of non-violence to go with it. About that time other people picked up “REFRAMING THE ISSUES” as well. Bettty Fredian in the “Feminine Mystic”—merely said “this is about who women are.” At the same time Rachael Carson said “this is about the death of nature….” THOSE “REFRAMINGS” WERE REALLY DEEP AND FUNDAMENTAL BECAUSE THEY TOOK A CASUAL EXPLAINATION THAT WAS NEW AND A MORAL EXPLAINATION THAT WAS NEW AND ADDED “NEW MORAL CATEGORIES” so Americans who consider themselves very moral are rather different than the Americans who saw the world in a moral stance in the 50s and 60s.
Part of the issue with psychedelics, holistic health instead of standard medical care, personal growth psychology was dealing directly with the issue of what’s personally authentic. “WHAT’S REAL FOR ME ‘INWARDLY’ IS A BIG DEAL” and has gotten redefined just as the large planetary concerns or social justice concerns have gotten redefined. SO WE’VE LITERALLY ADDED 15-20 MORAL CATEGORIES THAT WE DID NOT HAVE. And we’ve created a kind of systemsy worldview instead of the fragmented factoids of modernism—nose tight to the grindstone focus, business as usual and the traditionals are kind of fending things off while the cultural creatives are picking this fact and that one…and are creating a new worldview…. We want a work environment that satisfies our “inner being.”
SPIRITUAL FORMATION: ESOTERIC CONTEMPLATION
The Christian is not going to find the truth in ESOTERIC CONTEMPLATION. Actively engaging in EMPTYING YOUR MIND through occulitc/Hindu practices will leave you wide open to the demonic realm. Although we don’t fully understand how the mind (metaphysical) and the brain (physical) act, this is the realm in which the demons work and they understand it perfectly. Demon possession has a logical explanation. If your mind can effect you own brain, then the similar non-physical nature of another mind might also be able to effect your brain. This gives rise to hearing a voices or seeing a visions or having the mind speak or write by controlling your body the same way you normally control your body. God in the person of the Holy Spirit dwells within the body of the believer in Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:19).
The unconscious, or the subconscious, was something that Freud really made popular in his theories in psychotherapy, the religious science. In the process of subjecting his patients to dream analysis and hypnotic trance in pursuit of childhood memories, Freud discovered that there was an unconscious side to consciousness. He concluded that it was in fact the most important part. He also suspected that it might be greater in scope than the individual’s own experience (tapped into a great universal something). Spirit possessed Carl Jung decided, with encouragement from his “spirit guide” Philemon, that at this unconscious level all minds are part of what he called the collective unconsciousness (Hindu concept) and described it as the source of mystical powers. Not in any scientific basis, these twin beliefs were accepted by faith by the disciples of Freud and Jung and became the foundation for the many psychologies and therapies that followed. Due to this nearly everyone accepts, as scientific fact, the religious belief that this vast unexplored region of innerspace, your subconscious, is a reservoir of magical powers. There is this great reservoir called the unconscious, or subconscious, that is the seed of all your motivations. You do all these things without your even understanding because it comes from “somewhere deep inside you.”
On the less than solid foundations of such theories and mystical experiences that seem to confirm them, the human potential movement has been built. Self-improvement seminar leaders assure us that by simply LOOKING WITHIN OURSELVES we can discover all truth, all knowledge, and all power. In order to mind this supposedly unlimited potential, psychologists have attempted to explore unconsciousness THROUGH EASTERN MYSTICISM’S ALTERED STATES. States of consciousness that were first explored through hypnosis and then LSD. The further one retreats from normal consciousness, the more enlightened one becomes.
“When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, OR A CONSULTER WITH FAMILIAR SPIRITS, or a wizard, or a necromancer. FOR ALL THAT DO THESE THINGS ARE AN ABOMINATION UNTO THE LORD: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God (entirely obedient)”(Deut. 18:9-13).
The work of James A. Connor is considered comparable to the work of Thomas Merton and Henry Nouwen. In his book “Silent Fire,” Connor, who was a Catholic priest and member of the Jesuit Order for 18 years, speaks of bringing the spirituality of silence to everyday life. He states, “In meditation the journey of an entire life will be manifest as a state of relaxation and a state of activity, forever a balancing act between sleeping and waking...” On page 2 he describes “I found myself whispering over and over, drawing further into the thickening silence...until all hushed, until I was quiet inside...At last I lost all thought of myself...The hall of mirrors we call consciousness had opened...I was no longer doing anything.. I was no longer looking... at myself.” He described it as an insight that he does not exist—only one ineffable reality. It made him want to dance with joy and he looked forward to experiencing it again. When he discovered the writings of Thomas Merton and his Asian journal, he felt he found religion at its core and from that time on he studied both Western and Eastern meditation. He commented that studying both Christianity and Zen Buddhism made him giddy. He was relieved to be away from the wars between organized religion that, in his opinion were merely theological disputes of frightened people who were afraid to love. He felt that if religion was to be authentic it needed to “blend traditions.” Thomas Merton describes “contemplation” as the highest expression of human intellect and the spiritual life, an expression that pulls together the entire person and goes beyond rational consciousness. It is a supposed to be a connection between something higher and ourselves, an opening to God. Our human soul is described as an imperishable flame, which is the same energy that permeates all things. At a Zen retreat he learned that Zen doesn’t end with sitting meditation—it is with you every moment of every day, drawing closer to the world in bits, until you are flat against it in an endless embrace. (47)
ANCIENT BABYLONIAN MYSTICISM
We live in a day of great deception. We need to stay close to the Lord and stay close to His Word so that we will not be susceptible to the great deceptions of our day. The Bible tells us that Babylon was the womb of unparalleled evil. It was Satan’s headquarters of rebellion against God. It was also the site of the first false religious system that was a substitute for the worship of the true God. THIS MYSTERY RELIGION, CALLED BABYLON THE GREAT, CONTINUES TO OUR VERY DAY. IT ENSLAVES PEOPLE TO SUPERSTITION AND DARKNESS.
The apostle John is given a vision in Revelation 17 and 18 of the final destruction of this religious system. His vision describes a time just prior the Second Coming of Jesus Christ after His church has been removed from the earth by the rapture. The world will be united economically, politically (new world order by the antichrist), and religiously (one world religion unified together in a worship system against God).
THE SIGNS OF OUR DAY INDICATE THAT THE FORMATION OF THE END TIMES’ FALSE RELIGION IS VERY NEAR. There are three factors working toward that goal.
1. ECUMENISM. The Roman Catholic Church is at the forefront of this movement to unite religions, specifically Pope John Paul. The World Council of Churches promotes church unity and the unity of the human family. Ecumenism in the Middle East is in the process of making churches more open it is also an attempt to bring the church, the synagogue, and the mosque closer to one another. It is a vision of one god for all the faiths. In the fall of 1985 a meeting was held between parliamentarians from five continents and spiritual leaders from Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The meeting was to initiate a dialogue on issues of global survival. The new coalition named itself “The Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival.” The global forum participant US congressman contended more directly that we need to merge the ethical and the practical, the political and the priest, the sacred and the secular. The 1988 gathering was hosted by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury who is the head of the church of England. It was attended by Mother Teresa, Dalai Lama, UN secretary general, and many others. It was stated that we are learning that we are all interdependent in spiritual matters, that there is a certain incompleteness in each of our traditions, and that some claims about the exclusiveness of the church have to be renounced in the name of a new and larger vision of unity. All religions were believed to have only a portion of the truth, but none of them have the complete truth. The exclusiveness of the church that has been proclaimed for two thousand years as having the only gospel that saves people must be renounced for the sake of a larger vision of unity. The only group that was singled out as a problem in this conference, which included shamans, medicine men, and rainforest rituals, was against those fundamentalist, narrow-minded Christians who believe that the current global situation is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. They don’t want to hear anymore about the coming of the end of the world and that it has no place in “authentic” religious awareness. Christians are outcasts.
2. THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT. This will be the glue that will cause these religions to adhere to one another. It is an ingenious application of the ancient Babylonian mysticism. The rebirth of pagan mystery religion. The three characteristics of the New Age Movement. (1) MONISM: Everything is one. The universe, this world, man, plants, we are all just waves in the cosmic ocean. (2) PANTHEISM: All is god and god is all. That is different from what the Bible teaches about omnipresence. The Bible teaches that God is omnipresent, He is everywhere at once at the same time. The Bible does not say that God is everything, He is separate from that which He has created. Pantheism says He is everything and everything is god. (3) DEITY OF MAN: If everything is one, and everything is god, then you and I are god too.
The heart of the New Age Movement is that man needs to rediscover his divinity; to be enlightened (Babylonian mysticism). The cosmic process that’s going on, the New Age Movement will tell you, is as a result of two great eternal principles; the principles of rebirth and the cause and effect. The principle of rebirth is reincarnation. The principle of cause and effect is called karma. How ever you live now sets up opportunities or possibilities in the next life. If you live a life that is bad you will suffer in you next life because of it. The goal is to live a life that is so virtuous and to finally realize your own deity so that you will not be reincarnated again but you will join a hierarchy called the ascended masters. This is where the great delusion comes in. The New Age Movement will reinterpret all of the doctrines of the major world religions. They will start first of all with the ascended masters, the ones who have gone on and have become part of the cosmic consciousness, they are in fact from the spiritual realm guiding humanity right now. They are benevolent and trying to help us to understand our deity. It is a case of spiritual evolution and we are heading toward that day when the whole planet is going to realize this and a new age is coming. When they appear at times to people, or talk to people through channeling, they call themselves divas—the Scriptures call them demons. They claim that there is a person called “the christ,” not Jesus Christ. That person is the head of the ascended masters. He is the great one. He has entered history at different times. He indwelled Nimrod, Krishna, Jesus, and Mohammed. Jesus was one who was simply very near to becoming part of the ascended masters and “the christ” came upon him and indwelled him. This is blasphemous. They say Jesus was only trying to teach us to understand our own deity. They believe all religions contains some insights into this ageless wisdom. But only a portion, no religion has all of it and christ (Satan) has promised one day to usher in that new age. They believe that when he comes he will fulfill the predictions of all of the religions. We only have a limited understanding of this they say.
THE LAST THING THAT WILL TRIGGER ALL OF THIS IS THE RAPTURE; THE REMOVAL OF THE CHURCH. All that will be left will be Babylonian mysticism.
“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come, until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way.”
The “He” that is the restrainer is the Holy Spirit through the church. He is the only one that has been around for two thousand years (not just a person). He will continue to restrain the final formation of the apostasy and the revelation of the man of sin until he is taken out of the way (the rapture). When the spirit is taken out of the way, and we who are joined to Him permanently, we are going to have to go too.
“…And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness”(2 Thessalonians 2: 3-12). (TheFaithfulWord@ameritech.net: JMREV31 "The Great Harlot.")
RELATED
Mfairlady Faith blogs.
WORKS CITED
(Updated websites replace seasonally—e-mail for a copy at http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady for any lost information.)
1. “Filling In The Blanks With Fuller.” http://watch.pair.com/fuller.html
2. “Keeping It Real,” World Magazine 4/10/04. http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/04-10-04/national_4.asp
3. “Spiritual Formation at Bill Hybels’ Willow Creek.” http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady
4. Willow Creek Church Growth: Occultic Roots.” http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady
5. “NPC Rob Bell speaker 2003” http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/2003/bios/speakers/bell.php (seasonally updated—see “scanned documents” at http://home.comcast.net/~m.fairlady )
6. http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/programs/gs/sandiego.php “Stowell, Warren, Manning—NPC”
7. http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/sched/nashville/4.php “Nancy Beach, John Ortberg—labyrinths”
8. http://nationalpastorsconvention.com/sched/nashville/full.php?printIt=yes “Ruth Haley Barton, Compolo, Manning, Gordon MacDonald, Howard Hendricks, Townsend & Cloud, Nancy Beach, Margaret Becker, John Ortberg—labyrinths, yoga, contemplative prayer, sustainable life forum: Ecology, Post Evangelical book club, seizing your divine moment…”
9. http://www.youthspecialties.com/sabbath/future.php “Mike Yaconelli: labyrinths, silence, meditation—for youth.”
10. http://www.willowcreek.com/servicebuilder/servicepages/service.asp?servid=154 “Bell at Willow Creek”
11. http://cci.gospelcom.net/ccihome/PPF/pg/convention/toc/program/default.asp “Assoc. of Christian Camps and Conferences—Rob Bell bio.—Youth Specialties, Willow Creek, NOOMA..”
12. Willow Creek Community Church Service Detail. “A Day of Atonement” by Rob Bell. http://www.willowcreek.com/servicebuilder/servicepages/service.asp?servid=154
13. “Subversive Preaching”. CCN—Church Communication Network. http://www.ccn.tv/programming/event/evt_03jun04.htm
14. “The Subversive Art.” Leadership Journal.net.; Christianity Today.com. http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2004/002/1.24.html
15. King James Bible
16. Matthew Henry Commentary
17. TheFaithfulWord “Hypnosis.”
18. TheFaithfulWord "The Great Harlot."
19. Stanford, Miles. “Position to Person.” Colorado Springs, CO. 1995.
20. Lindsay, Hal. “Satan Is Alive And Well On Planet Earth.” Zondervan Publishing House, 1972. http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/
21. Mere, Michael. “Bible Doctrines For Today.” Pensocola Christian College, 3rd. ed. 1996. http://www.abeka.org/
22. Riplinger, Gail. “New Age Bible Versions.” A.V. Publications Corporation, 1993. http://www.avpublications.com/
23. Dager, Al. “Renovare: Taking Leave Of One’s Senses.” Media Spotlight, 1992. http://www.mediaspotlight.org/
24. Frejer, B. Earnest. “The Edgar Case Companion.” New York: Barns & Noble, 1995.
25. Marck, John T. “Oh Look Out! Part 9, Magical Mystery Tour.” I Am The Beatles. http://iamthebeatles.com/article1010.html
26. Myss, Caroline. “Anatomy of the Spirit.” Three Rivers Press, 1996.
27. “Gods of the New Age.” Jeremiah Films, 1988. http://www.jerimiahfilms.com/
28. Lapham, Lewis H. “There Once Was a Guru From Rishkesh.” The Saturday Evening Post May 4, 1968.
29. Watts, Alan, “Buddhism: The Religion of No Religion,” Charles E. Tuttle Co., inc., Rutland, VT & Tokyo, Japan, 1996
30. Hearts & Minds. http://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/articles/jan02.htm
Which RC doctrines are Babylonian inspired? Have you studied church history? Or read the Fathers?
ReplyDeleteThe beast, which has been represented in chapters 12 and 13 of the Book of Revelation, represents this great kingdom which is going to arise on the earth, a worldwide kingdom. She is sitting on this worldwide kingdom of the beast. Her seat is at the throne of the beast. In verse 18, the woman is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. What city ruled over the kings of the earth in John’s day? Rome. This harlot’s headquarters is in Rome. She sits upon the nations and rules through the kingdom that is coming. The mystery religion of Babylon will be the guiding force behind the beast and his kingdom: the union of religion and state. The church of Jesus Christ has never sought political office or political power. Jesus said his kingdom was not of this world. The only way you come into Jesus’ kingdom is by a new birth through faith in Him. He will come the second time to establish His earthly kingdom. Individual Christians are still to be good citizens and are to participate in offices of government but not to usurp the authority of kings of the earth. Such has not been the practice of the Babylonian idolatrous religion. Lenin was quoted as having said if you want to neutralize the influence of the church politicize it. The power of the church does not come from any sort of political activity, it comes from a message: the message of the Gospel.... http://www.mfairladyblogspot.com/2009/07/revelation-171-6-by-pastor-jim-mooberry.html
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