{"id":29709,"date":"2019-02-26T08:09:50","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T15:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/?p=29709"},"modified":"2026-09-11T03:17:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T10:17:49","slug":"new-booklet-eugene-petersons-mixed-message-a-subversive-bible-for-a-new-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/new-booklet-eugene-petersons-mixed-message-a-subversive-bible-for-a-new-age\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW BOOKLET: Eugene Peterson’s Mixed Message: A Subversive Bible for a New Age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Eugene<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

NEW BOOKLET: Eugene Peterson’s Mixed Message: A Subversive Bible for a New Age <\/em>by Warren B. Smith <\/strong>is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet.<\/a> The Booklet is 18 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are available. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use. Below is the content of the booklet. To order copies of<\/strong> Eugene Peterson’s Mixed Message: A Subversive Bible for a New Age,<\/strong><\/em> click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eugene Peterson\u2019s Mixed Message Subversive Bible for a New Age (Examining Ten Variant Verses) <\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By Warren B. Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent looking and, therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation. To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died.1 Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Subversive Spirituality<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Eugene Peterson placed great emphasis on being\u2014in his own words\u2014\u201csubversive.\u201d In a 1987 interview with Christianity Today,<\/em> Peterson stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what I have tried to develop first of all, in myself, is the mentality of the subversive.2 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Subversive Pastor\u201d is the title of a chapter in his book The Contemplative Pastor<\/em> (1989). Subversive Spirituality<\/em> is the title of a book he released in 1994 while he was writing The Message<\/em>. And if anyone doubts Peterson being a bit subversive, one need only look at his enthusiastic endorsements of three books with serious New Age implications\u2014William Paul Young\u2019s The Shack<\/em>, Rob Bell\u2019s universalistic Love Wins, <\/em>and Sue Monk Kidd\u2019s When the Heart Waits<\/em>. But many people would say\u2014\u201cSo what? His Message<\/em> translation has won the praise of everyone from Bono to Beth Moore to Billy Graham.\u201d But while Peterson delights many believers with what has been described as his \u201cexegetical deftness,\u201d he has also introduced a lot of leaven\u2014some of it decidedly New Age. And it is Peterson himself who warns\u2014\u201cAnd please don\u2019t toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread\u201d (Galatians 5:9 MSG<\/em>). It is because of leaven\u2014particularly New Age leaven\u2014that Peterson\u2019s Message <\/em>is a spiritually dangerous mixed<\/em> Message.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is New Age?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Most people do not understand that the New Age\/New Spirituality has been\u2014and continues to be\u2014the<\/em> driving force moving the world and the church toward a New World Religion. It teaches that \u201cwe are all One<\/em>\u201d and \u201cwe are all a part <\/em>of God\u201d because God is \u201cin<\/em>\u201d everyone and everything. This Doctrine of \u201cOneness\u201d is the foundational doctrine of the New Age\/New World Religion. The false God and the false Christ of the New Age have proclaimed through their many channels and teachers that \u201cOneness\u201d is the foundational truth of the New Spirituality.3 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a former member of the New Age movement, I realize how easy it is for most believers to miss references to a belief system of which they were never a part and don\u2019t really understand. However, it is crucial we recognize any<\/em> leaven\u2014especially New Age leaven\u2014when it appears in more recent Bible translations like The Message <\/em>(1993, 2003), The Voice <\/em>(2012), and The Passion <\/em>(2017). A clear example of how New Age teachings are often hidden in plain sight<\/em> is seen in The Voice<\/em> translation of 2 Peter 3:18 when compared to the King James Version<\/em>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Peter 3:18
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Voice<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, grow in grace and in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Annointed, to whom be glory, now and until the coming of the new age.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Why King James<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Eugene Peterson\u2019s Message <\/em>was published by NavPress\u2014the publishing arm of the longstanding Navigators organization. This Christian outreach was founded by the late evangelist Dawson Trotman (1906-1956). Highly respected, Trotman favored the King James Version<\/em> in his teaching and preaching of God\u2019s Word.4 In 2011, NavPress published The Book of Proverbs: KJV\/The Message<\/em>. The book presented comparative verses from The Message <\/em>and the King James Version<\/em> as it celebrated the KJV<\/em> \u201cas a cornerstone of the church, Western culture, and the development of the English language.\u201d5 Given all this, and because of my own use of the KJV<\/em>, this version will be used for the purposes of this booklet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examining Ten Variant Verses<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

1\u2014As Above, So Below<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Matthew 6:9-10
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what\u2019s best\u2014as above, so below. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What most people don\u2019t realize when reading this particular verse from The Message<\/em> is that Eugene Peterson has inserted a several-thousand-year-old occult\/New Age maxim into the mouth of Jesus and into the Lord\u2019s Prayer. Instead of \u201cin earth, as it is in heaven,\u201d Peterson translated it \u201cas above, so below.\u201d This may seem harmless to most people, but as a former New Ager, I recognized \u201cas above, so below\u201d for what it was\u2014an ancient mystical New Age concept that is said to be the key to all magic and all mysteries. It means that all is \u201cOne\u201d because God is \u201cin\u201d everyone and everything. As already noted, this Doctrine of \u201cOneness\u201d is the foundational teaching of the New Age\/New World Religion. But universal \u201cOneness\u201d is a New Age lie. God is not \u201cin<\/em>\u201d everyone and everything. As Above, So Below<\/em>\u2014a book authored by the editors of the New Age Journal and published in 1992\u2014summarizes the New Age significance of \u201cas above, so below\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, the great master alchemist Hermes Trismegistus, believed to be a contemporary of the Hebrew prophet Abraham, proclaimed this fundamental truth about the universe: \u201cAs above, so below; as below, so above.\u201d This maxim implies that the transcendent God beyond the physical universe and the immanent God within ourselves are one.6<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When I initially searched the term \u201cas above, so below\u201d on the Internet, the first site that appeared said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This phrase comes from the beginning of The Emerald Tablet and embraces the entire system of traditional and modern magic which was inscribed upon the tablet in cryptic wording by Hermes Trismegistus. The significance of this phrase is that it is believed to hold the key to all mysteries. All systems of magic are claimed to function by this formula. \u201c\u2018That which is above is the same as that which is below\u2019 . . . The universe is the same as God, God is the same as man.\u201d7<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Peterson Was Told<\/strong>
Because of all this, the question arises\u2014Did anyone ever confront Peterson about using this New Age expression that, in effect, turns the Lord\u2019s Prayer into an occult\/New Age prayer? The answer is yes. Soon after The Message <\/em>was first published in 1993, a concerned reader wrote Peterson and asked him if he was aware that \u201cas above, so below\u201d was an occult\/New Age term. Because my book Deceived on Purpose <\/em>(2004) discussed this issue, the reader had contacted me and informed me that Peterson had written him back and said if he had known that \u201cas above, so below\u201d was a New Age term, he never would have used it. Certainly, Peterson\u2014if he had truly cared\u2014could have had it removed from subsequent printings of The Message.<\/em> Yet more than two decades after his book first came out, \u201cas above, so below,\u201d still remains in his translation\u2014as do Peterson\u2019s references to \u201cOneness\u201d and God being \u201cin\u201d everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2\u2014Oneness: God \u201cin\u201d Everything<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ephesians 4:4-6
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

New Age Doctrine of Oneness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By not removing \u201cas above, so below\u201d from The Message<\/em>, Peterson actually reinforces its New Age meaning by translating Ephesians 4:4-6 to state that God is universally \u201cpresent in all\u201d and that \u201cEverything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.\u201d The \u201cGod\u201d of the New Age, channeled through one of his top leaders, describes those who introduce the concept of \u201cOneness\u201d (God \u201cin\u201d everything) as the \u201cmessengers,\u201d \u201cvisionaries,\u201d and \u201cheralds of a New Age.\u201d8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the KJV<\/em>, Ephesians 4:6 states \u201cin you all\u201d to make it clear that Paul is only speaking to \u201cthe saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus\u201d (Ephesians 1:1). He is not stating that God is universally present in everyone and that a universal \u201cOneness\u201d pervades everything we \u201care and think and do.\u201d Rather, he is specifically talking to believers to whom the Holy Spirit had been previously sent because of their commitment to Christ (John 15:26). Paul is not making a statement about \u201cOneness\u201d and God being \u201cpresent in all.\u201d In a published interview, Peterson said that one of the breakthrough moments in his knowing that he could create a new translation of the Bible was when he realized how \u201ceasy\u201d it would be for him to \u201cuntangle\u201d the apostle Paul:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe I could do Paul, because Paul is easy in a sense because he gets tangled up and you can untangle him.9<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The irony is that in trying to \u201cuntangle\u201d Paul in Ephesians 4:4-6 (as if Paul needed untangling), Peterson is the one who gets all tangled up as he ends up presenting a mixed New Age message instead of the gospel truth. In another Message<\/em> verse with special New Age implications, Peterson\u2019s Jesus is never described as Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3\u2014The \u201cMaster Jesus<\/strong>\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

John 13:13
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You address me as \u201cTeacher\u201d and \u201cMaster,\u201d and rightly so. That is what I am.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The late New Age leader, Benjamin Creme, taught that Jesus is not the Christ but rather a \u201cdisciple\u201d of Christ. Creme explained that when the New Age Christ appears, he will not come as \u201cSavior,\u201d but as \u201cTeacher,\u201d and in his own name\u2014which is exactly what the true Christ said would happen (John 5:43). New Age leaders like Creme teach that this New Age Christ will set things right<\/em> by teaching everyone the Doctrine of Oneness\u2014that God is immanent \u201cin man and all creation\u201d\u2014and that he is present in all religions. Creme wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But eventually a new world religion will be inaugurated which will be a fusion and synthesis of the approach of the East and the approach of the West. The Christ will bring together, not simply Christianity and Buddhism, but the concept of God transcendent\u2014outside of His creation\u2014and also the concept of God immanent in all creation\u2014in man and all creation.10<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In explaining how Jesus was not the Christ but rather his disciple, Creme described how the first century Jesus allowed the \u201cChrist\u201d to \u201covershadow\u201d him and work through him after he was baptized by John. Counterfeiting the true Christ\u2019s return with his \u201cmighty angels\u201d (2 Thessalonians 1:7), Creme explained that when the New Age Christ appears he will come with his \u201ctwelve Masters of Wisdom.\u201d These Masters\u2014one of whom will be the \u201cMaster Jesus\u201d\u2014will help the New Age Christ do his work in the world. Thus, according to Creme and other New Age leaders, \u201cJesus\u201d is not the \u201cLord\u201d and he is not the \u201cChrist\u201d\u2014he is simply the \u201cMaster Jesus.\u201d Creme\u2014speaking for this New Age Christ\u2014explains how this \u201cMaster Jesus\u201d will assume the throne of St. Peter and head up the \u201cChristian\u201d Church which will be centered in Rome as part of the New World Religion. Creme stated that the \u201cMaster Jesus\u201d\u2014obviously a false Jesus\u2014will be in charge of a new reformation. It will be his job to \u201creform the Christian churches\u201d11 so they conform to the \u201cnew reality\u201d of the New World Religion which the return of the false Christ and his Masters will create.12 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Age leaders have made it clear that in the New Age\/New Spirituality\/New World Religion, you can identify yourself with any or no religion as long as you confess that \u201cwe are all One\u201d because \u201cGod is in everyone and everything.\u201d And, of course, you must profess that the New Age Christ\u2014not Jesus Christ\u2014is your Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of all this, it is important to note that The Message<\/em> never refers to Jesus as Lord\u2014not even once. Consistent with New Age teachings, Peterson\u2019s Jesus is repeatedly referred to as the \u201cMaster Jesus.\u201d And while the disciples of the true Jesus Christ called him Master, it was always with the understanding that He was also their Lord\u2014and they continually and constantly addressed Him as such. And even when they addressed Him as Master, they never referred to Him as the \u201cMaster Jesus.\u201d Yet the term \u201cMaster Jesus\u201d appears repeatedly in passage after passage in The Message.<\/em> An example of this is in Revelation 22:20-21: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes! Come, Master Jesus! The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When \u201cas above, so below,\u201d \u201cOneness,\u201d \u201cGod in everything,\u201d \u201cMaster Jesus,\u201d and all the other occult elements of the New Age\/New Spirituality are taken as a whole, occultists collectively describe it as the \u201cGreat Work\u201d\u2014another mixed message found in The Message.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4\u2014Great Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Philippians 1:6
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreat Work\u201d in The Message<\/em><\/strong>
The Greek word agathos<\/em> in Philippians 1:6 is commonly translated into English as \u201cgood\u201d\u2014not \u201cgreat.\u201d But in this passage, Peterson translates agathos as \u201cgreat\u201d\u2014not \u201cgood.\u201d Thus, it becomes a \u201cgreat work\u201d that God is doing in you\u2014not \u201cgood work.\u201d Yet when he translated this same word agathos twenty-one verses previous in Ephesians 6:8, he translated it \u201cgood\u201d\u2014rather than \u201cgreat.\u201d Of the more than fifty Gateway Bible versions listed on the Internet, all but three translated Philippians 1:6 as \u201cgood work.\u201d The three that translated it \u201cgreat work\u201d were the more recent controversial translations\u2014The Voice, The Passion,<\/em> and The Message<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreat Work\u201d in the New Age<\/strong>
The term \u201cgreat work\u201d that Eugene Peterson inserted into Philippians 1:6 is yet another New Age term like \u201cas above, so below\u201d that is hidden in plain sight. Terms like \u201cas above, so below,\u201d \u201cOneness,\u201d and \u201cgreat work\u201d might seem inconsequential to most Christians\u2014but they are not. They are a part of the emerging and overlapping language of the New Age\/New World Religion reminiscent of the one language that God found so reprehensible in Babel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. (Genesis 11:6)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The first entry that arose when I searched the Internet for \u201cGreat Work\u201d immediately connected it with the \u201cas above, so below\u201d teachings of Hermeticism and the New Age\/New Spirituality.13 In False Christ Coming: Does Anybody Care?<\/em> (2011), I quote the false Christ Maitreya inviting everyone to \u201cshare\u201d in his \u201cGreat Work\u201d of transforming the world. He said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Share with Me, My friends, in a Great Work\u2014nothing less than the transformation of this world.14<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Also in False Christ Coming<\/em>, I described how New Age leader (and 2020 presidential candidate) Marianne Williamson invokes this same occult\/New Age term \u201cGreat Work\u201d in her 2000 book Healing the Soul of America<\/em>. She describes how the evolution of humanity will come through the enactment of the esoteric traditions collectively referred to as the \u201cGreat Work\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the appearances of history, there is a great and glorious unfolding plan for the destiny of nations. According to the mystical traditions, God carries this plan within His mind, seeking always, in every way, channels for its furtherance. His plan for the evolution of humanity, and the preparation of teachers to guide it, is called within the esoteric traditions the Great Work.15<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another New Age source describes how the completion of the \u201cGreat Work\u201d will be accomplished when it has been introduced in multiple ways \u201cacross numerous fields\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The so-called \u201cGreat Work\u201d of the occultists is at the heart of all esoteric activities in both the East and the West. And the \u201ccompletion\u201d of this \u201cGreat Work\u201d is alluded to via a multiplicity of euphemisms scattered across numerous fields.16<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGreat Work\u201d in Gospel Music<\/strong>
The term \u201cGreat Work\u201d has been introduced not only into three contemporary Bible translations, but also into contemporary Christian music. The album and title song \u201cA Great Work\u201d were both nominated for 2018 Dove and 2019 Grammy awards as the song for \u201cbest contemporary gospel song\u201d and the album for \u201cbest contemporary gospel album.\u201d Featuring Philippians 1:6 as the centerpiece of his album and song, popular Christian recording artist Brian Courtney Wilson sings: \u201cHe that has begun a great work in you is faithful to perform it.\u201d In what has been described as his \u201cpurpose-driven lyrics,\u201d17 the term \u201cgreat work\u201d is repeated over fifty times by the singer and the accompanying choir.18 This popular hit song is another graphic example of how an overlapping New Age term has become part of our day-to-day \u201cChristian\u201d language. But this is the way Satan, the Devil, Lucifer\u2014also known as the \u201clight-bearer\u201d\u2014works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5\u2014Light-bearer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Matthew 5:15
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I make you light-bearers, you don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to hide you under a bucket do you? I\u2019m putting you on a light stand. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In my Internet search for the definition of light-bearer, I was immediately redirected to the name Lucifer.19 An online thesaurus listed the following synonyms for the word \u201clight-bearer\u201d\u2014Lucifer, Beelzebub, Devil, Prince of Darkness, and Tempter.20 The occult\/New Age Theosophical Society published a monthly journal as far back as the late 1800s titled Lucifer<\/em> that featured a front-cover banner that read\u2014\u201cThe Light-bearer is the Morning Star or Lucifer.\u201d21 The Canadian branch of this same Theosophical Society continues to publish their seasonal magazine titled The Light Bearer<\/em>.22 And the late New Age channeler Elizabeth Clare Prophet\u2019s Summit Lighthouse organization advertised their 2018 annual conference by proclaiming\u2014\u201cLightbearers of the World Unite.\u201d23 Even a Lightbearer coffee mug with a \u201cunique esoteric satanic 666 Luciferian seal symbol\u201d can be purchased online. The product description further reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucifer the Lightbearer Satanic Mug\u2014perfect gift for you or someone dear to you.24<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Like light-bearer and the other terms already mentioned, \u201cgolden circle\u201d is yet one more mixed message with occult\/New Age implications found in The Message.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6-Golden Circle<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Revelation 2:5
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have any idea how far you\u2019ve fallen? A Lucifer fall! Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I\u2019m well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201cgolden circle\u201d is not found in the original manuscripts. In fact, the single word \u201ccircle\u201d is found only once in the KJV<\/em> and refers to the circumference of the earth (Isaiah 40:22). An Internet search for \u201cgolden circle\u201d does not bring up anything that equates to being biblical. But it does connect the term to, among other things, a Masonic ritual, a secret society, and modern-day witchcraft. \u201cThe Order of the Golden Circle\u201d is the women\u2019s auxiliary of the 33 degree Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.25 The \u201cKnights of the Golden Circle\u201d was a radical secret society in mid-nineteenth century America,26 and Wiccans\u2014with their \u201cgolden chalk\u201d and \u201cgolden energy\u201d\u2014often invoke the term \u201cas above, so below\u201d to seal their \u201critual circles\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Witches seal a circle casting, sacred space or a spell, they often say the words \u201cAs above, so below.<\/em>\u201d27<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Maxim \u201cAs above, so below<\/em>\u201d (as well as others you\u2019ll study in the future) does tell us that Wicca carries with it into the twenty-first century a heavy coil of very old, very ancient, golden energy.28<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Golden chalk is used to draw the heart glyph at the center of a ritual circle. Golden chalk is crafted in a witches\u2019 cauldron.29<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And just as Peterson added the term \u201cgolden circle\u201d in translating Revelation 2:5, he added the word \u201cgreen\u201d to his translation of Romans 15:13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7\u2014God of Green Hope<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Romans 15:13
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope! <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Green New Age<\/strong>
The word \u201cgreen\u201d for most people has come to mean recycling, reducing our carbon footprint, and overall good stewardship of the earth. However, in recent times, the word \u201cgreen\u201d has also come to represent some of the more extreme environmental activism and earth worship identified with Paganism, Witchcraft, and the New Age movement. One online site straightforwardly states that the word \u201cgreen\u201d is synonymous with the term New Age:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone who came to be associated with the New Age phenomenon openly embraced the term \u201cNew Age\u201d . . . Other terms that were employed synonymously with \u201cNew Age\u201d in this milieu included \u201cGreen.\u201d30<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cGreen Movement\u201d is commonly associated with Gaia and earth worship and has been described as being \u201cat the very heart of the Global Green Agenda.\u201d31 Consistent with New Age teachings, Gaia philosophy is the belief that humanity can save \u201cMother Earth\u201d by recognizing its \u201cOneness\u201d with \u201cher.\u201d Gaia is acknowledged to be part of the \u201cGreen Agenda\u201d for a united \u201cGreen Religion.\u201d The all-encompassing \u201cGreen Movement\u201d is presently and actively promoting current environmental policies. Popular with progressive politicians and New Age spiritualists, a \u201cGreen New Deal\u201d is already in the works. There is also a \u201cGreen Witchcraft,\u201d32 and the \u201cGreen Horned God\u201d of Wicca is frequently referred to as the \u201cGreen Man.\u201d33 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peterson\u2019s \u201cGod of green hope\u201d translation lends itself to all of the above as it conveniently meshes with Paganism, Witchcraft, and the New Age movement. The Bible warns that we cannot just add words like \u201cgolden circle\u201d and \u201cgreen\u201d that are not in the original manuscripts and call it a translation (Proverbs 30:6). It is as wrong as describing God\u2019s creation as \u201cGod-craft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8\u2014God-Craft<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 19:1
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Peterson\u2019s introduction of the term \u201cGod-craft\u201d seems to offer a euphemistic olive branch to those practicing witchcraft. In two videos posted by a self-professing \u201cChristian witch,\u201d he describes how he mixes his faith in \u201cChrist\u201d with his faith in witchcraft. He used the same overlapping term used by Peterson in The Message<\/em> to describe his faith as “more of a God-craft”:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people don\u2019t necessarily understand how you can mix Christianity and the love of Christ with a word like magic, and power, or the craft or the label Christian witch.34<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Do I believe, do I practice a form of the craft? Yes I do, but I believe its more of a God-craft than it is, say, what most people would determine as witchcraft.35<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Thus, Peterson\u2019s translation of the Psalm 19:1 verse that reads \u201cGod-craft on exhibit across the horizon\u201d seems more suggestive of witches riding the night skies than the heavens declaring God\u2019s glory. Peterson has not only added terms like \u201cgolden circle\u201d and \u201cGod-craft,\u201d but he has also removed important phrases like \u201ccunningly devised fables\u201d and replaced them with misleading substitutes like \u201cwishing on a star.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9\u2014Wishing on a Star<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

2 Peter 1:16
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We weren\u2019t, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t take a Bible scholar to see that the key phrase \u201ccunningly devised fables\u201d was removed and the meaning of the passage completely changed by Eugene Peterson. \u201cWe weren\u2019t, you know, just wishing on a star\u201d bears no resemblance to \u201cFor we have not followed cunningly devised fables.\u201d Peterson\u2019s \u201cwishing on a star\u201d sounds more like Walt Disney and Pinocchio than the apostle Peter. What was a strong biblical warning about spiritual deception now sounds more like an indirect reference to Jiminy Cricket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those of us who were formerly involved in the New Age movement were not \u201cwishing on a star\u201d regarding the \u201ccoming of Christ.\u201d We were following a \u201ccunningly devised fable\u201d\u2014a \u201cnew story\u201d and a \u201cnew narrative\u201d for the coming New Age. This \u201ccunningly devised\u201d New Age\/New Gospel fable convinced us that we were all \u201cOne\u201d because God was \u201cin\u201d everyone and everything. But Peterson chose to eliminate this sharp as a two-edged sword warning about \u201ccunningly devised fables,\u201d replacing it with the flat-as-a-butter knife reference to \u201cwishing on a star.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best-selling book The Shack<\/em> is a perfect example of a cunningly devised fable. William Paul Young\u2019s \u201cJesus\u201d presents the same deceptive \u201cas above, so below\u201d teaching found in The Message<\/em>\u2014that God is \u201cin\u201d everyone and everything. Young\u2019s \u201cJesus\u201d says, \u201cGod, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things.\u201d36 Not surprisingly, Eugene Peterson\u2014the man who removed the apostle Peter\u2019s warning about \u201ccunningly devised fables\u201d\u2014provides a glowing front cover endorsement for William Paul Young\u2019s cunningly devised fable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eugene Peterson, in using phrases like \u201cas above, so below,\u201d \u201clight-bearer,\u201d and \u201cGod-craft\u201d has created confusion with terms that overlap with the occult and the New Age. It was Peterson, himself, who warned:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We cannot be too careful about the words we use; we start out using them and then they end up using us.37<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But if you question today\u2019s Christian leaders regarding any of this, you may find yourself being labeled as \u201cdefiant\u201d and \u201cmutinous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10\u2014Defiant or Mutinous<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Proverbs 24:21
KJV<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MSG<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear God, dear child\u2014respect your leaders; don\u2019t be defiant or mutinous. Without warning your life can turn upside down, and who knows how or when it might happen?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

One of the predominant ways the New Age has entered the church is through new translations that change the meaning of otherwise properly translated Scripture. Somehow, we are to just trust that these translations have only our best interest in mind. Proverbs 24:21 warns of the ruinous consequences for getting involved with change-agent leaders who are \u201cgiven to change.\u201d Yet, Eugene Peterson removes the reference to change and, instead, warns of the ruinous consequences for not following these change-agent leaders! Those not respecting their leaders are described as \u201cdefiant\u201d and \u201cmutinous\u201d and as a result may find their lives being turned \u201cupside down.\u201d But the only way Peterson can come up with this translation is to turn the original Hebrew upside down. It is not \u201cmutinous\u201d or \u201cdefiant\u201d to search the Scriptures to see if what these leaders are saying is \u201cso\u201d (Acts 17:11). Isaiah specifically warned about leaders who were leading people astray\u2014\u201cO my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths\u201d (Isaiah 3:12). He warned that ruinous destruction would not come to those who defied these errant leaders but to those who unquestioningly followed them\u2014\u201cFor the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed\u201d (Isaiah 9:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epilogue\u2014A Dangerous Walk<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The danger of entrusting one\u2019s Christian walk to Eugene Peterson and his Message<\/em> translation was dramatically underscored in a 2007 book Peterson wrote titled The Jesus Way<\/em>. In describing a group hike he took with friends and family in Glacier National Park, Peterson discloses how he purposely withheld crucial information from his family and friends prior to their setting out on their walk. In a moment of almost inexplicable candor, Peterson reveals how he \u201crelished the spurt of adrenaline\u201d he experienced in not telling his fellow hikers how a grizzly bear had mauled a hiker just the week before on the very same trail they were about to take. What makes his account especially disturbing is that his group included a friend\u2019s two-year-old child and his pregnant daughter-in-law. Peterson wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago a grizzly attacked a hiker not far from our home and mauled him badly. The hiker had heard of the wonder and beauty of the mountains of Montana and drove across the country from North Carolina to experience them for himself. Interviewed from his hospital bed, he said, \u201cI\u2019m never coming back to this place!\u201d He didn\u2019t know that wonder and beauty can also be dangerous.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A week after that grizzly mauling, Jan and I along with our son and his wife, plus another friend with her two-year-old son, were hiking on that same trail. At the trailhead a notice was posted: \u201cDanger: Grizzly activity on this trail. Hike at your own risk.\u201d None of the others knew of the previous week\u2019s mauling and I didn\u2019t say anything. I relished the spurt of adrenaline. The danger to life heightens the sense of life.38<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Peterson goes on to describe how the group later encountered a grizzly bear and her cub that were up the trail from where they were walking. Obviously, concerned for her safety and that of her unborn child, Peterson\u2019s pregnant daughter-in-law insisted on leaving immediately. Peterson attempts to use the incident to illustrate how the beauty of one\u2019s surroundings can also be a threat to the \u201cfragility and preciousness of life.\u201d He explains that \u201cHoly ground\u201d can also be \u201cdangerous ground”:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then Amy, our daughter-in-law, who was five months pregnant and therefore especially aware of the fragility and preciousness of life, said, \u201cI want to get out of here.\u201d And we did get out. Holy ground, but dangerous ground.39<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And while Peterson waxes poetic about the mix of beauty and danger inherent in life, his point falls flat as an obvious question arises\u2014What kind of a man would put others in harm\u2019s way for his own personal adrenalin rush? As I read Peterson\u2019s strange account, I realized the incident was a perfect metaphor for what I had come to believe about Peterson and his Message<\/em> translation. You are walking on a very dangerous path when you choose to walk with Eugene Peterson\u2014whether it is in Glacier National Park or through the pages of his Message<\/em> \u201cBible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s True Word<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. (2 Timothy 4:3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:5) <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To order copies of<\/strong> Eugene Peterson’s Mixed Message: A Subversive Bible for a New Age,<\/strong><\/em> click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Endnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Dr. Harry Ironside, \u201cIs Exposing Error Worthwhile?\u201d (TBC Extra, April 2008, posted on The Berean Call website, https:\/\/www.thebereancall.org\/content\/exposing-error-it-worthwhile<\/a>).<\/li>
  2. \u201cEugene Peterson: \u201cA Monk Out of Habit,\u201d Interview by Rodney Clapp (Christianity Today<\/em>, April 3, 1987, Vol. 31, No. 6), p. 24. <\/li>
  3. One example of this statement is seen here: Neale Donald Walsch, Tomorrow\u2019s God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge<\/em> (New York, NY: Atria Books, 2004), p. 167. <\/li>
  4. Betty Lee Skinner, Daws: A Man Who Trusted God<\/em> (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress Publishing Group, 1974), pp, 153-155, 371.<\/li>
  5. The Book of Proverbs KJV\/The Message: Celebrating 400 Years of Scripture<\/em> (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2011), product description on Amazon.com.<\/li>
  6. Ronald S. Miller and The Editors of New Age Journal, As Above, So Below: Paths to Spiritual Renewal in Daily Life <\/em>(Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1992), p. xi.<\/li>
  7. http:\/\/www.themystica.com\/mystica\/articles\/a\/below_above.html<\/a>. <\/li>
  8. Neale Donald Walsch, Friendship with God: an Uncommon Dialogue<\/em> (New York, NY: G.P. Putnam\u2019s Sons, 1999), pp. 295-296.<\/li>
  9. Michael J. Cusick, \u201cA Conversation with Eugene Peterson\u201d (Mars Hill Review 3<\/em> , Fall 1995, Issue No. 3, www.marshillreview.com\/sojo\/peterson.shtm), pp. 73-90. <\/li>
  10. Benjamin Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom<\/em> (London, England: The Tara Press, 1980), p. 88.<\/li>
  11. Ibid., p. 30.<\/li>
  12. Ibid., p. 46.<\/li>
  13. https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great-Work. <\/li>
  14. Maitreya, Messages from Maitreya the Christ: One Hundred Forty Messages <\/em>(Los Angeles, CA: Share International Foundation, 2001), p. 142. <\/li>
  15. Marianne Williamson, Healing the Soul of America; Reclaiming Our Voices as Spiritual Citizens <\/em>(New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000), p. 195.<\/li>
  16. Nick Sandberg, \u201cThe Great Work\u201d (Hidden Mysteries: The Magazine<\/em>, Vol. 14, July 2000, http:\/\/www.hiddenmysteries.org\/themagazine\/vol14\/articles\/occult-notes.shtml<\/a>).<\/li>
  17. Praise 96.5 FM (https:\/\/www.praise965.com\/music\/brian-courtney-wilson-a-great-work-number-one-on-billboard-gospel-airplay-chart<\/a>).<\/li>
  18. https:\/\/m.youtube.com\/watch?v=QYL-A1G9teE<\/a>.<\/li>
  19. https:\/\/www.thefreedictionary.com<\/a>.<\/li>
  20. http:\/\/www.freethesaurus.com.<\/li>
  21. https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lucifer_(magazine)#\/media\/File%3ABlavlucifer.jpg<\/a>.<\/li>
  22. The Light Bearer (https:\/\/www.levir.com.br\/theosophy\/magazine.htm<\/a>).<\/li>
  23. https:\/\/bozemantc.org\/tag\/montana<\/a>. <\/li>
  24. Amazon.com: \u201cesoteric coffee mug-Lucifer the LIGHTBEARER.\u201d<\/li>
  25. https:\/\/www.aasrphasj.org\/index.php\/golden-circle<\/a>. <\/li>
  26. http:\/\/knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com<\/a>. <\/li>
  27. https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170309164831\/http:\/\/www.angelfire.com\/moon2\/mystique_angel\/AASB.html<\/a>. <\/li>
  28. Ibid.<\/li>
  29. https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/witcherymod\/golden-chalk<\/a>. <\/li>
  30. “New Age” (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Age<\/a>), citing Stephen J. Sutcliffe in Children of the New Age<\/em> (London and New York: Routledge 2003), p. 128.<\/li>
  31. http:\/\/www.green-agenda.com\/gaia.html<\/a>.<\/li>
  32. Ann Moura, Green Witchcraft<\/em> (Woodbury, MN: Lewellyn Publications, 2002).<\/li>
  33. https:\/\/whisperingworlds.com\/wiccan\/wiccan_god.php<\/a>.<\/li>
  34. \u201cAn Invitation to the Kingdom Coven\u201d (Kingdom Coven YouTube, https:\/\/m.youtube.com\/watch?v=F67U4dikvQE), 4:20 minute mark.<\/li>
  35. \u201cThe truth about the craft and Magick\u201d (Kingdom Coven YouTube, https:\/\/m.youtube.com\/watch?v=qos4H5g95CY), 3:00 minute mark.<\/li>
  36. William P. Young, The Shack<\/em> (Los Angeles, CA: Windblown Media, 2007), p. 112.<\/li>
  37. Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing, 2005), p. 39.<\/li>
  38. Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way: a conversation on the ways that Jesus is the way<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Erdman\u2019s Publishing Co., 2007), p. 131.<\/li>
  39. Ibid.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    To order copies of<\/strong> Eugene Peterson’s Mixed Message: A Subversive Bible for a New Age,<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Also see John Lanagan’s booklet: <\/strong> The Message \u201cBible\u201d\u2014 A Breach of Truth<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    NEW BOOKLET: Eugene Peterson’s Mixed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":29710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,87,1664,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-new-spirituality","category-the-word-of-god-defending-the-faith","category-booklets","category-the-new-age-movement","wpcat-63-id","wpcat-87-id","wpcat-1664-id","wpcat-95-id"],"yoast_head":"\nNEW BOOKLET: Eugene Peterson's Mixed Message: A Subversive Bible for a New Age - From the Lighthouse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/new-booklet-eugene-petersons-mixed-message-a-subversive-bible-for-a-new-age\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NEW BOOKLET: Eugene Peterson's Mixed Message: A Subversive Bible for a New Age\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NEW BOOKLET: Eugene Peterson’s Mixed...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/new-booklet-eugene-petersons-mixed-message-a-subversive-bible-for-a-new-age\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"From the Lighthouse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LighthouseTrailsResearch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-26T15:09:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-11T10:17:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/BKT-WS-MSG-S-e1789121861259.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"501\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"313\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Warren B. 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