The Bible’s Abraham an Idolater?
Jesus Calling describes the biblical patriarch Abraham as an undisciplined son-worshipper and idolater.
In the August 23rd “devotion” found on page 246 in the original hardcover edition of Jesus Calling, Sarah Young’s “Jesus” states:
Remember the extreme measures I used with Abraham and Isaac. I took Isaac to the very point of death to free Abraham from son-worship. Both Abraham and Isaac suffered terribly because of the father’s undisciplined emotions. I detest idolatry, even in the form of parental love.1
Abraham, like all of us, was not sinless, but Sarah Young and her “Jesus” have greatly misconstrued him. This biblical figure was not guilty of “undisciplined emotions,” “son-worship,” and “idolatry.” In what can only be described as extra biblical New Age revisionism, this account by Sarah Young’s “Jesus” is as bizarre as it is heretical.
Contrary to what one would expect, this obvious disparagement of the person and character of Abraham by Sarah Young’s “Jesus”—along with a number of other critical issues—has not diminished the books popularity. It remains a top-selling Christian book and was the #5 best seller of all Amazon books sold in 2013. Apparently most pastors and Christian leaders are either unaware, unconcerned, or unwilling to make any comment about some of the controversial messages found in Jesus Calling—reputedly conveyed to Sarah Young from Jesus Christ Himself.
Note: The special pink-covered ladies edition of Jesus Calling has an alternate August 23rd entry. Sarah Young’s “Jesus,” rather than making disparaging remarks about Abraham and Isaac, makes some of these same disparaging remarks about Joseph and Jacob:
Joseph suffered terribly, as did his father, Jacob, because the father loved Joseph more than any of his other sons and they knew it! They hated Joseph and plotted against him. Ultimately, I used that situation for good, but Jacob and Joseph endured years of separation and suffering as a result of the father’s undisciplined favoritism. I detest idolatry, even in the form of parental love.2 (emphasis in original)
Curiously, this new alternate entry has many of the same words and phrases that were used in the Abraham and Isaac account in the original hardcover edition. Four complete sentences were exactly the same—including the phrase “I detest idolatry, even in the form of parental love.” Inexplicably, it appears that many of the words from the Abraham account could have been cut and pasted to the Jacob and Joseph Account. When we contacted Thomas Nelson Publishers there was no explanation given as to why there were two accounts. We were told that they were using both versions—that they were both “still in print,” and “both are correct.”
Next: Sarah Young describes how she was inspired to get messages from “Jesus” after reading a channeled New Age book.
Notes:
1. Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004), p. 246, ISBN: 978-1-59145-188-4 (hardcover).
2. Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004), p. 246, ISBN: 978-1-4003-2011-0.
The information in the article above can be found in Warren B. Smith’s new book, “Another Jesus” Calling.
“Jesus Calling”- I Think Not! | Doula Faith
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