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The
apostle Paul was a great comfort to Timothy,
and he instructed him in the ways of the Lord.
We too can be encouraged through his words
and find guidance from his instruction. And
when difficult days come, we can draw strength
and courage. Paul suffered terribly for standing
for the faith, but he knew the Truth and followed
the Good Shepherd. May we, who suffer much
less than Paul did, do the same.
The
apostle Paul:
"I thank God, whom I serve with a
pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as
without ceasing I remember you in my prayers
night and day, greatly desiring to see you,
being mindful of your tears, that I may be
filled with joy, when I call to remembrance
the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt
first in your grandmother Lois and your mother
Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift
of God which is in you through the laying
on of my hands. For God has not given us a
spirit of fear, but of power and of love and
of a sound mind.
"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share
with me in the sufferings for the gospel according
to the power of God, who has saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace which was given to us in Christ
Jesus before time began, but has now been
revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus
Christ, who has abolished death and brought
life and immortality to light through the
gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher,
an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
For this reason I also suffer these things;
nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know
whom I have believed and am persuaded that
He is able to keep what I have committed to
Him until that Day." II Timothy 1:3-9
"A New Vision for God's Kingdom on Earth" |
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"Imagine
a World, A New Vision for God's Kingdom
on Earth" - These are the words used
to describe the upcoming "Big
Event 2007" with Brian
McLaren held at Woods Memorial Presbyterian
Church, Severna Park, Maryland in February.
With workshops titled "What are the
world's greatest problems?" and "Youth
in Today's Challenging World," at a
quick glance to most, the conference
would seem benign. But just what does
this mean, "A New Vision for God's Kingdom
on Earth," or as a PowerPoint
presentation* says
about the event, "the kingdom of God
is here now"? The PowerPoint presentation
quotes McLaren as saying:
...if
we have a new world, we will need a
new church. We won't need a new religion
per se, but a new framework for our
theology. Not a new Spirit, but a new
spirituality. Not a new Christ, but
a new Christian.
What
this kind of language means is that we
should not be thinking about those mansions
in the sky that Jesus promised, or about
a second coming or an Armageddon. No,
we should believe that the Kingdom of
God is already here, and once the people
of the world come together in unity and
peace, then that Kingdom will be realized
fully.
While the thought of having a world without
hunger, war, and disease is a wonderful
idea, it is not what the Bible says is
going to happen before Jesus Christ returns.
According to Scripture, there will never
be a time when lasting peace will reign
on the earth, prior to the physical return
of Christ. Thus our focus as Christians
should not be to eliminate global
problems, but rather our focus should
be to bring the gospel message (while
remembering to help the poor, the needy
and the afflicted as Christians have and
continue to do through many means) to
all the nations of the world.
So just why is it wrong to try to bring
the Kingdom of God to earth in the manner
that McLaren and other emergents and contemplatives
suggest? The detriment in it is that these
efforts will culminate in bringing about
a world ruler that the Bible warns about
called the anti-Christ, and such efforts
will not cause people to accept Jesus
Christ as Lord of their lives but will
actually deceive them into worshipping
a false christ.
As many of you may already know, New Agers
such as Alice
Bailey, Marianne
Williamson and Neale
Donald Walsch were/are working to
establish a "Kingdom of God on earth"
as well. Those who adhere to New Ageism
believe that this utopia will come about
by a critical mass of humanity meditating
together which will help the rest of the
world realize their oneness with each
other and that God dwells within every
part of creation including every human
being.
To understand that McLaren (and many other
emerging/contemplative teachers) shares
an affinity to the New Age emphasis on
unity through meditation, we point you
to a book called Reimagining Christianity by Episcopalian Bishop Alan
Jones (San Francisco's Grace Cathedral).
In the book, Jones states:
...the
life of contemplative
prayer, ... Loved and in communion
with all things, the soul is born in
and out of the secret silence of God.
This silence at the heart of mysticism
is not only the meeting point of the
great traditions but also where all
hearts might meet.1
In
another section of Jones' book, he says:
But
another ancient strand of Christianity
teaches that we are all caught up in
the Divine Mystery we call God, that
the Spirit is in everyone, and that
there are depths of interpretation yet
to be plumbed.... At the cathedral we
"break the bread" for those who follow
the path of the Buddha and walk the
way of the Hindus (p. 89).
Brian
McLaren is drawn to Jones' spirituality.
On the back cover of Reimagining Christianity sits McLaren's endorsement:
It
used to be that Christian institutions
and systems of dogma sustained the spiritual
life of Christians. Increasingly, spirituality
itself is what sustains everything else.
Alan Jones is a pioneer in reimagining
a Christian faith that emerges from
authentic spirituality. His work stimulates
and encourages me deeply.
If
only more Christians could understand
that the premise behind these ideas
ultimately leads to the denial of the
Cross. Many New Agers and New Age type
"Christians" say that a loving God would
not send His son to a violent death.
In Jones' book, he says the doctrine
of the Cross is a vile doctrine. But
God did send His Son to the Cross so
that many might have salvation.
Hearing the words of this conference
"Imagine a World," I am reminded of
a song that hit the best selling charts
many years ago during the hippie revolution
that depicts a world that seeks after
peace but without the Prince of Peace:
"Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today ...
"And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace."2
For those who believe the Bible to be
the truly inspired Word of God, we know
that this Kingdom of peace will not
come to the earth until He returns in
glory.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His
shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Notes:
*:
You may need to have PowerPoint on your
computer for this to work.
1.
From page 174 of Reimagining Christianity,
as quoted from page 175 of A
Time of Departing, 2nd ed. |
Kay Arthur/Josh McDowell Share Platform with
Contemplative Campolo |
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This
past weekend, the Break
Forth Conference took place in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada. Emergent/contemplative Tony
Campolo shared the speaking platform
with Kay Arthur, Josh McDowell, and
Jack Hayford. (see
poster) It is our hope that Kay
Arthur and Josh McDowell warned those
who attended that they should steer
clear of contemplative and emergent
spirituality, which might have been
presented at the conference if Tony
Campolo's recent book, Letters to
a Young Evangelical, is any indication.
In the book, which is a collection of
letters to young believers, Campolo
states: "[T]he West had severed itself
from an ancient, magical form of religiosity
and replaced it with a modern worldview
in which religion was reduced to that
which is rational and ethical (p.10)."
He adds that he is seeking to become
an "actualized Christian" where:
"[I]
ntimacy with Christ has developed gradually
over the years, primarily through what
Catholic mystics call "centering prayer."
Each morning, as soon as I wake up,
I take time--sometimes as much as a
half hour--to center myself on Jesus.
I say his name over and over again to
drive back the 101 things that begin
to clutter up my mind the minute I open
my eyes. Jesus is my mantra, as some
would say. The constant repetition of
his name clears my head of everything
but the awareness of his presence. By
driving back all other concerns, I am
able to create what the ancient Celtic
Christians called "the thin place."...
After a while, an inner stillness pervades
(p. 26)."
He
later reiterates: "Having an intimate
relationship with Christ is at the core
of being an Evangelical." He explains
there are three things to consider:
1. "Centering prayer," 2. "Contemplative
Bible study" (lectio divina), and 3.
"spiritual disciplines." Campolo says
he "learned about this way of having
a born-again experience from reading
the Catholic mystics, especially The
Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola"
who developed "a 'oneness' with God,"
through contemplative practices. Campolo
says that when the Reformation took
place, we "left too much behind (p.
31)" and that "some Catholic saints"
helped to deepen his prayer life. As
with other contemplatives, Campolo had
deep mystical experiences from practicing
this mantra-style prayer:
"When
I rise after engaging in this centering
kind of prayer, I sense a fullness
in my soul (p.31)" and "something
happens to me that is strange and
blessed" (p. 33).
In
Campolo's book, Speaking My Mind,
he suggests that the bond between Christianity
and Islam is a mystical state. This
idea is actually at the very heart of
the New Age that teaches that all things
are connected together and the realization
that universal oneness comes through
practicing meditation. If Josh McDowell
and Kay Arthur are going to be doing
"Christian" conferences with Tony Campolo,
we hope they will tell the conference
attendees that contemplative spirituality
does not truly make one more intimate
with God, regardless of the high feelings
and emotions it may produce.
|
Emerging Spirituality: Joining the New Age
with Christendom |
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No one group understands emerging spirituality
as much as those in the New Age. That's
because it is their religion. So when
the evangelical emerging church movement
rose to the forefront, New Agers must
have found it quite intriguing and most
likely rewarding to see their belief
system finally take root in Christendom.
In the book, As
Above, So Below, written by
Ronald S. Miller and the editors of
New Age Journal, the authors appropriately
name the first chapter "The Emerging
Spirituality." Now some may say, "Oh,
they might call it that, but it isn't
the same as the Emerging Church ala
McLaren, Kimball, Pagitt, etc. That's
an entirely different ball game." Well,
let's take a look at this chapter in
the New Age book. The chapter, "The
Emerging Spirituality" starts off with
a story about Jesus and Moses. That
would certainly throw a few people--only
Christians talk about Jesus, right?
The book then quotes New Ager Joan
Borysenko who explains the significance
of the story they relate:
Like
the Jesus of this story, ... many of
us lose touch with our own indwelling
Divine nature-the unlimited creative
potential of love the real Jesus assured
us could literally move mountains.
The
book goes on to say that the problem with
most people is they have forgotten who
they really are, don't know their purpose
or reason for existing and just need to
reach higher to grasp their utmost potential.
It sounds just like some of our most popular
evangelical leaders. And like many emerging
church leaders, the book says we need
to get away from "automatized programs"
and have a wake up call. The book tells
us that this "wake up call" comes in the
form of the metaphysical (mysticism),
the "esoteric core of all the world's
spiritual traditions." This mirrors what
Rick Warren (who promotes the emerging
church and its spirituality) said in his
book, the Purpose Driven Church,
where he praised the "Spiritual
Formation" movement which he sees
as God's way of bringing "believers to
full maturity." Warren said that the movement
had a "valid message for the church" and
gave "the body of Christ a wake-up call"
(pp. 126-127). The problem is that the
Spiritual Formation movement draws on
the same mystical techniques as found
in the New Age movement, (eg., mantras
breath prayers). In Warren's book, he
touts Richard
Foster and Dallas
Willard as icons of the Spiritual
Formation movement. When Warren said maturity,
it implies that the church has been immature
because of it's lack of mystical deficiency.
At other times Rick Warren has stated
that his "new
reformation," an idea that New Agers
share, would incorporate those from different
religious traditions. Warren may use the
name of Jesus often, but the overall concept
implies that faith in Jesus is not really
necessary to bring peace into the world,
and this is exactly the thing that the
New Age teaches.
As Above, So Below (a type of manual
for the New Age) says that "we possess
a hidden higher self, the spark of divinity
within the soul" (p. 3). Once again, we
can turn to emerging/contemplative leaders
within Christendom to see they are saying
the same thing. Anyone who has read Brennan
Manning will recognize the term higher
self. And in Max Lucado's book, Cure
for the Common Life, Lucado talks
about the "divine
spark" that is in each person. And
we could give numerous other examples
of contemplative emerging authors and
leaders who talk like this, even though
they name the name of Christ. The New
Age teaches a higher self and a "spark
of divinity" within the soul of every
person, and so do Christian leaders.
Miller's book says that mysticism is the
"highest common factor" (p. 2) that links
all religions together. He adds that we
can practice this mysticism and still
remain in our own religion. That's exactly
what Thomas Merton came to believe when
he spoke with Dr. Bramachari,1 a Hindu monk who told him he didn't have
to leave the Christian tradition to be
the best Buddhist he could be. Tony Campolo,
another emerging/contemplative evangelical
saw this common factor and suggested this
very thing in his book, Speaking
My Mind :
Beyond
these models of reconciliation, a theology
of mysticism provides some hope for
common ground between Christianity and
Islam. Both religions have within their
histories examples of ecstatic union
with God ... I do not know what to make
of the Muslim mystics, especially those
who have come to be known as the Sufis.
What do they experience in their mystical
experiences? Could they have encountered
the same God we do in our Christian
mysticism?" (pp. 149-150)
Ron
Miller sounds very much like many of today's
emerging leaders when he says: "The modern
age requires that we use our newly gained
wisdom to transform the world (p. 7)."
It is alarming to hear him say that mysticism
(i.e., meditation) is the catalyst for
"planetary healing," naming various ecological
and social problems facing the world today.
Because some of the most influential Christian
leaders and organizations today are promoting
contemplative spirituality with one hand
and working towards global transformation
and unity on the other, we believe they
are going in the same direction and with
the same vehicle (mysticism) as the New
Age. And when one realizes that the philosophy
behind the New Age is panentheism (God
in all) and that it totally negates the
gospel message of Jesus Christ, then it
is easier to see why it is so disturbing
to see Christians promoting the emerging
church and contemplative spirituality.
For those readers who may be skeptical
of our assertions, As Above, So Below has an entire chapter devoted to contemplative
spirituality (chapter 3) and its vital
place in its panoply of respected New
Age practices. And yet that chapter makes
reference to some of the same authors
that Christians are now adhering to: Thomas
Keating, Thomas Merton, the
Desert Fathers, Julian
of Norwich, and Martin Buber (quoted
by Max Lucado on the divine spark). The
fact is, Miller makes our point for us
as no one else could.
Notes: 1. Henri J.M. Nouwen, Thomas
Merton: Contemplative Critic (San
Francisco, CA: Harper & Row Publishers,
1991, Triumph Books Edition)
|
Broadest Faith Groups to Inaugurate Christian
Churches Together |
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From
the Christian Post
Courtesy: Prophezine
Magazine
"Christians from five traditions, including
Roman Catholic, will officially inaugurate
a new national ecumenical body next
month.
"Thirty-six churches and national Christian
organizations representing over 100
million Christians will be the founding
members of Christian Churches Together
in the U.S.A. (CCT), which is said to
be the only venue where all the major
groupings of churches come together
and also the most extensive ecumenical
effort in U.S. history.
"'The creation of Christian Churches
Together in the U.S.A. is an exciting
development in the ecumenical world.
It is an opportunity to broaden the
ecumenical table or perhaps more directly
to invite more people into ecumenical
conversation,' said the Rev. Randall
R. Lee, an executive for the ELCA (Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America)'s Ecumenical
and Inter- Religious Relations, in a
statement.
"After years of conversations, CCT made
its official public flight and announced
their formation in spring 2006, setting
aside differences over theology and
other issues and strengthening their
Christian witness in the world." Click
here to read this entire article.
Related Information:
See our research on Interspirituality.
Also see other articles and news on Interspirituality.
|
Dominionism and Its Human Empire |
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by
Professor Johan Malan
Millions of Christians all over the
world are confronted with the growing
tide of dominionism. This is a form
of Christian humanism in which believers
see themselves as commissioned and empowered
by God to manifest His kingdom on earth
to the good of all. Dominionism is based
upon kingdom theology since it claims
to physically reveal the kingdom of
God with all its benefits to humanity.
Its institution is described as reconstructionism
or a transformation movement because
of the far-reaching changes that society
must undergo to ensure a better life
for all. This situation is described
by some as "heaven on earth" and presupposes
the incapacitating of Satan’s opposing
kingdom of darkness.
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THE ESSENCE WITHIN: DIVINITY OR DEPRAVITY? |
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by
Pastor Larry De Bruyn
On the contemplative delusion that the
kingdom of God is "within."
In common with eastern mysticism and
New Age religion, contemplative spiritualists
assume that all humanity possesses a
divine essence within their souls, an
essence waiting to be awakened through
meditative contact with God. Because
"God is within and permeates all creation,"
one contemplative states, "Every person
can awaken to this and experience God
directly." She then adds, ". . . anyone
can experience this dynamic presence
of God, because God is within everything
he creates. . . . So 'The Kingdom of
God is within you' is hardly a heretical
statement."[1] Her reference to the
"kingdom-of-God-within" derives from
Jesus' statement in the Gospels where
in responding to the Pharisees' question
about how the kingdom of God would come,
Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God cometh
not with observation: Neither shall
they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for,
behold, the kingdom of God is within
you" (Luke 17:20b-21, KJV). As assumed
by contemplative spiritualists, did
Jesus mean to infer that all persons
possess a "dynamic presence," a kingdom
of God within them?
In answering the question, it must first
be noted that translations vary in how
they treat Jesus' statement (Greek,
'entós 'umon 'estin). They read in one
of two ways: first, that "the kingdom
of God is within you" (KJV, NKJV, ASV,
NIV); or second, that "the Kingdom of
God is among you" (NAB, NRSV, NLT),
or "in your midst" (NASB). So did Jesus
mean to say to his hearers that the
kingdom of God was "inside you" or,
"in your presence"? The preposition
will bear either meaning. So the understanding
of what Jesus meant will depend upon
other relevant contextual and theological
issues.
First, the pronoun "you" (plural) refers
to Pharisees who broached the question
to Jesus. When Jesus said "the kingdom
of God is within you", he was addressing
a situation unique to the Pharisees
at that time, and not alluding to a
spiritual condition characteristic of
the whole of humanity. Clarification
regarding what Jesus meant about "the
kingdom within" will be gained by knowing
something of the Pharisees in general,
and of one Pharisee in particular, Nicodemus.
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Missionary Highlight |
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Evangelist
Roger Oakland of Understand the Times,
is currently in Asia where he will be
ministering for two weeks to pastors
and two orphanages. You may view a video
clip of this region and his work there
by clicking
here.
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Publishing News |
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We
will be going to print with The
Other Side of the River in about
a week. Please pray for us as we wrap
up the editing of this important biography
by Kevin Reeves from Alaska.
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