Henri Nouwen New Age and the Church Today

 

A while back I noted a quote in the bulletin by Henry Nouwen. I am concerned that the one who used the quote may not realize that Henry Nouwen was a Catholic Mystic who was a proponent of the New Age philosophy of contemplative spirituality, contemplative prayer, and universalism. https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/why-christian-leaders-should-not-promote-henri-nouwen/

Perhaps one of the biggest battles the church is encountering today is against the infiltration of New Ageism. Many pastors do not realize how prevalent this issue is. We are being bombarded with teachings such as the Word of Faith idea that we are all little gods, Bethel Church’s endorsement of “ spirit” boards which are just Ouija boards with a Christian label, and “Angel” cards which are tarot cards with a Christian label. Believers are being encouraged to seek the experiential over the hard work of Biblical study. Unfortunately, instead of building a strong base of Biblical knowledge, those who seek an experiential experience find that the experience in itself has an addictive quality. The modern church, to become more culturally relevant, has embraced some New Age practices with open arms. I'm sure that there is a certain amount of naivete within these churches. Most would not realize that through music, rhythm, repetition, lighting, and special effects they are opening their congregations to altered states of consciousness, manipulation, and mind control. Also, Christian colleges are known to promote the practice of walking the labyrinth, a contemplative prayer exercise. Under the guise of exercise, yoga has been introduced into many churches. This Hindu practice of venerating Hindu gods and goddesses through exercise poses (asanas) does not belong in our churches.

The sad thing is that there are prominent spiritual leaders who are knowingly or unknowingly leading the sheep to enter the fold of the enemy. Rick Warren and Billy Graham are prominent proponents of ecumenism to name only two. There are so many false prophets and teachers and, it seems, more come to the front every day.

Currently, under the guise of patriotism, the Reawaken America rallies that have been happening over the last few years disguise Dominionism/Kingdom Now teachings. In addition to those teachings, some of the presenters have brought their New Age philosophy to the stage. For example. Scott McKay and Sasha Stone drop the words “the Christ consciousness” and “becoming ascendant” quite often. Amanda Grace channels her words of prophecy (seeking revelatory knowledge outside of the Bible is a dangerous path to trod) and Michael Flynn led those at a rally into a prayer almost word for word from the Mystic Elizabeth Claire Prophet, referencing the 7 Points of Light which comes straight from Theosophy.

Books, like The Shack, Jesus Calling, and A Course in Miracles have been used as study guides in various churches. The first espouses God as being a mother figure and the concept of universalism and the other two are books channeled by spirits. The television program “The Chosen”, while claiming to present the “authentic Jesus” surreptitiously presents a Mormon Jesus with Roman Catholic overtones (definitely not the Jesus of the Bible).

As believers, we need to get into the habit of defining terms when we're faced with what appears to be a new and exciting concept. For example, when the Mormons say they believe in Jesus, if we don't ask them to define their Jesus, we will not see that their Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer and the Jehovah's Witnesses see Jesus as the Archangel Michael. The New Age definition of at-one-m
ent is not our definition of atonement but rather becoming one with the Christ consciousness, the God within us. The yoga greeting “namaste” is not merely a greeting. It is literally saying, “The God within me bows to the God within you”.

Believers today have a great responsibility to use discernment, research, and to be Bereans in searching the Scriptures to see that what they are encountering is of God. With only 11% of Americans reading their Bibles daily and just 6% having a Biblical worldview, it is easy to see how many are being influenced to head down a deceptive path.

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

 

“Life is filled with guns and war and everyone was trampled on the floor. I wish we'd all been ready. Children died. The days grew cold. A piece of bread would buy a bag of gold. I wish we'd all been ready.” This is the first line of a song written by Larry Norman in 1969. It was a time when one of the most popular Christian books written was by Hal Lindsey. It was entitled The Late Great Planet Earth. There was a great concern that the end of the world was about to happen. Israel had become a nation in 1948 and many Christians felt that the Bible had expressed the idea that Jesus would be coming back within 40 years or so after this event. The world did not end in 1969 or even a few years after that but as we head into the latter part of 2022 we see the world moving toward the true fulfillment of what Larry Norman wrote in his song. Currently, Ukraine is fighting Russia, China is saber-rattling over Taiwan, and there are famines, floods, and droughts happening all over the world. Children are being trafficked and abused on a large scale. In school, children are encountering Critical Race Theory, drag queen shows, and being encouraged to question their gender. What used to be anathema to the majority of Americans has in the last few years been shoved down our throats as normal behavior. We're told by the World Economic Forum that we should give up our liberties so that we can have a one-world government that will take care of us. Their mantra is “You will have nothing and be happy”. The Zero Population Growth (ZPG) of the 1970s has morphed into population control by the elites. These evil individuals, want to drop the current 7 billion people of the world down to a mere 500 million. Their way of doing this is by providing vaccines that are not vaccines but rather are used to eliminate large swaths of the population. The most vulnerable are the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. They are using health crises to crumble economies and to eliminate further population growth because the vaccines tend to make those who take them infertile. Those who wish to control our world attempt to convince us that they're doing this for our benefit.

Larry Norman continues: “Man and wife asleep in bed, she hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone, I wish we'd all been ready. Two men walking up a hill, one disappears and one’s left standing still, I wish we'd all been ready. There's no time to change your mind, the Son has come and you've been left behind.” This is a reminder of what Jesus said in Matthew 24:40-42, “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore, keep watch because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Just like in the days of Noah, life will be going on its normal course. Those in Noah's time disregarded and mocked Noah’s warnings. When it started to rain, and the door of the ark was shut, the people suddenly realized their folly. Just as it was too late after the door was shut for the people in Noah's time, when the end comes in our time, it will be too late for those who do not heed the warnings.

Our response may be that we are Christians and attend church therefore we should not have to worry about when the end comes and whether we're ready or not. Really? A recent poll has shown that only 38% of pastors have a biblical worldview. Another poll points out that of all those who claim to be Christians, a mere 10% hold a truly biblical worldview. Jesus addressed this issue in Matthew 25 verses 34-46. Here he says, “Come you who are blessed by my father and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will answer them, I will tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine you did it for me. Then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they too will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed? Then he will answer them, I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me. And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” This is an indictment against those who think that just doing good works will get them to heaven. Being a good person and doing good work is admirable. however, that is not the requirement that God asks for us as our passports into heaven. God requires in addition to works for us to confess our sins and believe in Jesus as our Savior. Our salvation is to be based on grace and not works, lest we are opened up to boasting about our works being our means to heaven.

Syncretism seems to be the word that best defines a good share of the church today. It is the marriage of culture and Christianity. We see syncretism in the early church. Paul warns both the Ephesian church and the Corinthian church against the false teachers and false doctrines that are trying to creep into the church. It is well known that the Catholic Church, to make the gospel more acceptable to the pagans, incorporated some of the Pagan belief systems into the Catholic Church. We see this expressed in the example of overlaying Saturnalia with Christmas. That is one of many examples. Today, we see our culture invading our churches. New age beliefs are rampant. There are churches, having added New Age teaching, that extends their spiritual leadership to include Angel boards in place of Ouija boards, and in place of tarot cards Angel cards, Things like astral projection, and in the place of the true moving of the Holy Spirit, the chaotic rendering of the kundalini spirit is passed off the as the moving of the Holy Spirit. Culture has invaded our churches, encouraging things like abortion, same-sex marriages and attractions, and even drag queen shows in the sanctuaries. So few Christians know truly what the Bible says on these topics, since a large share do not avail themselves of Bible study therefore, are easily led down this pathway.

Larry Norman ends his song, “There there's no time to change your mind, how could you have been so blind? The father spoke the demons dined, the Son has come and you've been left behind.” Norman expresses there will come a time when it will be too late. In the meantime, however, an effort should be made to prepare the church. The question of today's church should be, “How can we prepare our people for the times they will be facing?” What pastor wants to stand before their church and have to say “I wish we'd all been ready? “

Query: Follower or Disciple?

 In this day of social media having a large number of "followers" is considered a good thing. What does that mean, however? Most people choose to "follow" someone whom they agree with most times, and they watch for any "posts" the person may make. It does NOT necessarily mean that the post reader acts on the post other than to read it. Occasionally a "like" will be made and/or a short comment on the post will be left. 

If Jesus were on Facebook, how many "followers" do you think He would have? I'm thinking that He would prefer disciples over followers. Disciples are learners whose goal is to become like their teacher so they can also teach. A follower is just that. Someone who follows and listens to the teacher but has little to no impetus to go the further step to becoming a disciple. Jesus at one point had a large amount of followers desert Him, so many in fact, that He turned to His disciples and asked them if they were going to leave also. 

I contend that Jesus has millions of "followers" but few disciples. Part of the Great Commission is to "make disciples of all nations". Instead, we seem to be making followers. Followers lack commitment and "follow" to try to get those things they are interested in and to avoid those things they don't care about. How would you categorize those who "name it and claim it" or see things from the angle of "living their best life now"? Would you consider them followers or disciples? When the going gets tough where are they? Do you think they would click the "like" button on Jesus saying, "In the world you will have tribulation..."?

What are you? A follower or disciple?

Contend for the Faith

 The Book of Jude tells us to "contend for the faith". What does that mean? The dictionary defines "contend" as: 

• 1) To argue or state earnestly, 
• 2) Struggle,
•  3) Compete with others in a struggle to achieve (something).

It makes one wonder how they might "contend for the faith". First, it needs to be said that we are not to pick and choose what we wish to believe in God's Word. Only reading and believing the "positive" parts of the Word leaves a lot out.

In New Testament times, Christianity was competing with Gnosticism. The Gnostics saw Jesus as merely a spiritual being and not a physical being. They felt that the physical part of life was evil and only the spiritual mattered. This was convenient in that it meant that they could literally do whatever they wished with their physical bodies as long as their spiritual body was on the right path. 

Paul was thinking about the Gnostics when he admonished the believers to make sure that anyone who taught them needed to believe that Jesus is God and that He was raised bodily from the dead. Consider that since we are saved by faith, if Satan can destroy the faith, he has destroyed salvation.

The Book of Jude addresses the fact that false teachers in the church are to be condemned and removed. He wanted to expose the false teachers that had infiltrated the church and to encourage Christians to stand firm and fight for the truth. Jude thought more than just being aware of false teachers and their teachings, believers were to stand against those working against the faith. How?

• Remember the teaching of the apostles.
• Build each other up in the faith.
• Pray in the Holy Spirit.
• Keep themselves in the love of God.

"Christianity was never intended to be the follow-the-leader-blindly cult" (Dave Hunt) It is important for us to do as the Bereans and to search Scripture to ensure we are not being led astray. We need to stand against error and to not allow the Gospel to be homogenized with our culture. Gnosticism did not fade away. It is alive and well today, just difficult to see unless you are looking for it.

We should be asking the questions, what can make a church vulnerable to false teachings today? Have we been "sucked in" because we don't know the Word as well as we should?  

According to a poll:

• Only 36% of those who attend church weekly believe Jesus is the only way to heaven.
• 57% believe other religions can lead to eternal life.
• Only 22% believe the Bible to be God-inspired.
• Over 82% of American Christians only read their Bibles on Sundays while in church.

Christians Don’t Read Their Bible | The Ponce Foundation

Thoughts: What is a Prophet?

 

Truth

There were prophets in the OT, not so much in the NT. Perhaps because once the Holy Spirit was given, God could and would speak to individual believers. The office of prophet was not entirely eliminated however, since it is listed as one of the five ministries. Today I see several "prophets" arise. The question is, "Do they all speak for God?" How do we know which do and which do not? How do they compare to the OT prophets? Think about the OT prophets, Moses, Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, to name a few. What did they all have in common?

1. They all were not particularly liked by the nation's leaders and the religious leaders.
2. Most, if not all experienced some type of persecution.
3. Their message focused on repentance and returning to the Lord and the consequences of not returning more than what might happen tomorrow.

If we were to line up those who profess to be prophets today, how would they line up?

1. Does what they say come to pass?
2. Have they been persecuted for their message?
3. What is the focus of their message? Is it repentance and returning?
4. In Jeremiah, the people only wanted to listen to the prophets that gave hope. Are we doing that?
5. I have heard a few of today's prophets talk about Christ consciousness. How many people would recognize that for New Age teaching?
6. How many people would prefer to listen to these prophets than to read or study their Bibles? Wouldn't that make the prophet almost operate as a medium?

Don't be fooled, in the last days many prophets will arise. Be careful who you listen to. Realize that the dark side has their prophets too.

We need to be able to discern double agents. Those who profess one thing but hide the fact they are working for the enemy. It disturbs me that a recent poll shows only 37% of church leaders have a Biblical worldview. That would mean almost 60% of our church leaders are double agents. Where do you think they are leading their people?

Antidote: 

• Watch to see or hear a message of repent and return. 
• Study your Bible to know if you are following the right path and pray for discernment.
•  Remember the dark side is skilled at fake news.

Thoughts: Taking the Name of the Lord in Vain

 

What does it mean to take the name of the Lord in vain? Most of us have been taught that means we should not swear. True, but there is much more to it. The Jews neither speak nor write God's name, choosing to avoid any chance of using it in vain. Christians, on the other hand, bandy God's name around without much thought. They even risk using it as a magical incantation. What thought is given to the phrase, "In Jesus' name" when it is tacked on the end of a prayer? If we would be honest, it comes off as a type of listing our requests and since the Bible says, "If you ask anything in My name, believing, you will receive", we think we can blackmail God into giving us what we want because we asked in His name.

At marriage, a woman takes her husband's name. As a result, from then on everything she says and does reflects on her husband. The same thing is true for a nation's ambassador. He is operating under the authority of the nation, but his words and actions also reflect on the nation. As Christians we are ambassadors for Christ, operating under His authority. 

How often do we think upon how our words and actions reflect upon Him?

 If we took our respect for His name seriously, wouldn't we be more careful how lightly we use His name?

 Would that change the flippant way we use the phrase, "In Jesus' name"? 

How can we use God's name more respectfully?

  Are we offended when someone doesn't show proper respect? 

Are we really any better than those who use God's name as a swear word, if we use it disrespectfully?

Are we so vain that we choose to speak for God? How would that look?

Don't Be a Rock, Be a River

 

I've been considering Moses. He was known for his humility which made him an asset to God. The times he stepped out of his humility put him in a lot of trouble. The event of striking the rock to get water instead of speaking to it, as he was told to do, got him banned from the promised land. Moses also dealt with a group of frustrating people, yet he also acted as a mediator between God and them when God wanted to get rid of them.

The idea of "don't be a rock, be a river" opens the door to better understand humility. The rock sticks up in the river, not moving, but causing the river to go over or around it. Sometimes the rock seems to impede the water's flow. We are like the rock when we insist on our own way. The river on the other hand, doesn't allow the rock to stop it. It gently flows over or around obstacles. There are times you can hear the river crying as it encounters a group of rocks. Rapids or waterfalls may impact the river, yet it continues on its course. The rock stubbornly remains in its place while the river moves on to create power, beauty and life, eventually making its way to the sea. The river uses the rocks in its way to enhance its beauty and increase its force.

If given a choice, I would be a river. The river doesn't fight the rocks it encounters it uses them. If I were a rock, I would want everything to be about me and would find forgiving and moving on near to impossible. I would impede other's lives and sometimes be the source of hurt to them

Which would you choose to be? A rock or a river?