"THE SHACK" & Its New Age Leaven

To read a good book review by Warren Smith of "The Shack", a novel by William Young currently on New York's bestseller list, visit the Herescope website.

THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PART 4

I thank my fellow-blogger from Evangelista's Diary for alerting me to the following information. This post is the latest addition to a series I began in December 2007. Click HERE to read THE GOLDEN RULE TWISTED ~ PARTS 1-3.

Karen Armstrong was one of the winners of the 2008 TED Prize for her dream to build a "Charter for Compassion" based on the Golden Rule. She is the author of "A History of God", a book I borrowed from our local library last fall. I recall getting the impression that she believes that all religions worship the same god, or at least are one of many pathways to the same god. She has strong ties to the Roman Catholic church, and was a nun for a time.

The TED Community appears to be a clearinghouse for all ideas global in nature, and much of its focus emphasizes New Age ideology and methodology.

From the TED website:

"The TED Prize is designed to leverage the TED Community's exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to three exceptional individuals who each receive $100,000 and, much more important, the granting of "One Wish to Change the World." After several months of preparation, they unveil their wish at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. These wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.

Today, TED is ... best thought of as a global community. It's a community welcoming people from every discipline and culture who have just two things in common: they seek a deeper understanding of the world, and they hope to turn that understanding into a better future for us all."1

YouTube posts this description of the speech which won Karen Armstrong the 2008 TED prize:

"As she accepts her 2008 TED Prize, author and scholar Karen Armstrong talks about how the Abrahamic religions -- Islam, Judaism, Christianity -- have been diverted from the moral purpose they share to foster compassion. But Armstrong has seen a yearning to change this fact. People want to be religious, she says; we should act to help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help her build a Charter for Compassion -- to help restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine." 2.

Once again the Golden Rule is being used to attempt to create global peace and harmony amongst the world's religions. However, the fact remains that they have irreconcilable differences which cannot be ignored. The differences between the world's religions and Christianity will not be tolerated by the world; or rather Christians who are faithful to God and His Word will not be tolerated in a world which preaches tolerance. Many verses would have to be cut out of the Bible or their meanings altered for the those intent on "religious tolerance" and the hoped-for peace that they believe should be the result of that.

The Christian faith stands out above all in that it is the only one which worships the true and living God, the God who has existed for all eternity without beginning or end, the God who has a Son named Jesus who is the (one and only) Christ who gave His life to reconcile man to God following man's failure to live up to God's standard of holiness. There is no peace apart from acceptance of this gift. No other "god" can claim to be a son of the living God. The histories of the world's religions have no record of any of their leaders claiming to be God's one and only Son. Christianity is the only faith in the world that bases its salvation solely on the grace of God. All of the world's religions (and here I do not classify Christianity as a religion) are man's attempts to reach God by their own efforts. None of man's efforts are sufficient to save. The Bible, the Christian Scriptures, teach that there is no other name (Jesus Christ) under heaven by which men may be saved. Jesus Himself said that "no man comes to the Father but by me", and that "it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not of works lest any man should boast".

The concept of world peace before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is but an illusion. One element of commonality does not harmony make. If there is any type of world-wide unity to take place (and there will be a wholesale attempt to do so) it will be because mankind has rejected the true and living God in favor of a god of their own making, a false god and a false christ. This will not create peace but destruction. One cannot turn their back on the Creator of all things and expect Him to be pleased. Those who reject God's Son as the atoning sacrifice which reconciles them to God have rejected His gift of salvation. Why should He in turn accept those who turn away from Him in rebellion? God is loving and merciful to provide the way to enter into His presence, and He is also fair and just to deny it to those who reject the greatest gift He has ever given to mankind. True peace and unity are not found in the Golden Rule. They are only found in Christ.

There are some who name the name of Christ (claim to be Christians) who misrepresent God's purpose and plan for the world. They misrepresent His Son by denying His plan and purpose for coming to earth. They misrepresent God's revelation to mankind by being unfaithful to it, by twisting it to say something other than it says, by altering its focus, or by ignoring the truths which they find inconvenient or incompatible with their religious beliefs. They are psuedo-Christians; in fact according to God's Word, they do not belong to Him at all.

I will restate what I have said in the previous related posts: The Golden Rule is a moral law or standard that has no power to save. In a court of law, the laws themselves can only condemn those who break the law. If you are guilty of one crime only, you will be judged for it regardless of other good deeds you may have done in your life. Helping granny across the street will not exonerate you in a court of law if you have just stolen her wallet out of her handbag. There is no man on earth who has ever kept God's moral standard perfectly at all times in their life except for Jesus Christ. We are all guilty of breaking His law at some point in time and are therefore guilty in spite of our best efforts to balance that with good works. God in His mercy provides a pardon to all who will accept the offer of His Son who paid the price, who satisfied the requirements and paid the penalty on our behalf through His death. WON'T YOU COME TO HIM TODAY? THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!


1. http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/5
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJMm4RAwVLo

JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS

I found an article today on the topic of environmentalism that I think gives a balanced view in light of the Bible's teachings. Although God's Word teaches that we are to be good stewards, the majority of environmentalist are using the world's "groanings" as a front to implement a worldwide unity (rebellion) against the Creator of all that is, rather than as an indication of the effects of sin on the world and a warning to avoid God's coming wrath against Satan and his forces. Read Bible Prophecy and Environmentalism by Todd Strandberg at the Rapture Ready website. Although I'm not sure I agree with everything Strandberg says in this article about the source of energy we should be using (nuclear), I agree with his stance in general. You can also read my article, ECO SALVATION?, which deals with a similar topic and reveals the New Age philosophy behind much of the environmental program.

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In the past few weeks I've received some comments on my article about the Noahide Laws by somebody who strongly believes that all Christians will go through the 7-year Tribulation period prophesied in Scripture. It was because of this that I have been reading many articles today at the Rapture Ready website after browsing through one of Carla's latest posts (Back to Reality - 10 End-Time Signs for Heathens) linking to their site. Defending the Pre-Trib Rapture, another article by Todd Strandberg answers some of the objections some Christians have to the idea of the rapture of the church at the beginning of the Tribulation, as well as some of the problems that arise with this view.

One of the main reasons those who defend the church's presence during the Tribulation is that they think pre-tribbers will be fooled into accepting the anti-christ as the one who shows up in the clouds as part of his attempt to deceive even the elect. Although I do understand that Satan has many tricks up his sleeve, I also believe that those who have a love of the truth will also be given discernment in this area. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 addresses this topic. For this reason, I personally am not afraid of being deceived. This is not a matter of being prideful or of burying my head in the sand, but rather because of my confidence and trust in Christ's work on the cross and my love for the written Word including my understanding of prophetic events about lying signs and wonders and the modern-day false prophets. I do think that Satan will provide his own theory to explain the rapture away to those who are left behind, and that the technology may exist to create a fake type of rapture. When I first heard about this quite some time ago it gave me some cause for worry for a time, until I remembered that God knows who His own are and that His sheep know His voice. There is no doubt in my heart and mind where my faith and hope lie, and so I have confidence that He will keep me in the shadow of His wings.

"...for I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
( 2 Timothy 1:12)

There have been a number of times I have wavered from the pre-tribulation view, but I have to keep coming back to it every time because I always run into a serious snag with all the others. Pre-trib just makes the most sense according to Scripture most any way I look at it. Although I'm not sure I agree unequivocally with everything on this site (babes being snatched from the womb's of unsaved women at the rapture?), it does provide a whole truckload of good information for anyone struggling with the issue. Take some time to check it out for yourself. As always, be a Berean; if it doesn't line up with Scripture, toss it out.

A TIME TO LAUGH! (AT MYSELF THIS TIME)

Okay, okay, I just noticed that I posted two nearly identical posts, the previous one "RE-WHAT" and the one on April 24, "'MAN'-UAL TRANSMISSIONS, SHIFTING AND THE NEW SPIRITUALITY". One of my foggier moments, I must admit. I had worked on the draft for it a long time ago and must have forgotten I had posted a similar version. I guess that's what happens when you blog intermittently. Oh well, if any of you noticed it I hope you had a good laugh too, and that it made you feel good knowing you're not the only absent-minded person on the planet! I decided to leave them both on just in case anybody else comes across my blunder and is in need of a good chuckle.

RE-WHAT?

I'm getting really sick and tired of all the reinventing, reimagining, rethinking and redefining that is going on within Christianity these days. What the church really needs is to RE-PENT, as we are told by Christ in the book of Revelation, lest He remove our lampstands before He RE-TURNS to gather His bride to meet her in the air. I pray she will be found faithful and have kept herself pure and unspotted by the world on that day by washing her robes in the blood of the Lamb.

Here is a look at the reinvented and redefined "New Christianity" from a website by the same name. (Please note the Hindu concept of union with God and the unbiblical methods for doing so):

Source: http://www.newchristianity.typepad.com/

Basic Concepts of the New Christianity

1. The New Christianity (NC) presents concrete solutions to the problems of life, and concrete methods for living it. The NC seeks to clarify and explain Christian teachings.

2. The NC encompasses religion, psychology and philosophy.

3. The ultimate goal of the NC is Union with God in this Lifetime. (aka, Heaven, from “The Kingdom of God is within you”, aka Enlightened Freedom from Suffering)

4. Union with God requires control of the thought-waves in the mind.

5. Repeat: Union with God requires control of the thought-waves in the mind.

6. Everything in the Bible, and everything that Jesus Christ taught-as well as every other TRULY highly evolved spiritual leader-concerns the issue of obtaining control of the thought-waves in the mind.

7. In our current state, we do not have control over our own thought-waves. They are controlled by external stimuli and rooted in the events of our individual pasts.

8. Our thoughts lead to words, and our words in turn lead to our actions. Our actions, when repeated, become habits. Our habits become our character, and our character ensures our destiny. Thus, our thoughts-which our not “our own”-control our destiny.

9. The thoughts we plant today are the seeds of our futures. “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

10. Thus, we are chained and imprisoned by our thoughts: this is Hell.

11. We have the ability to become free from those bindings-to change our thoughts-and the suffering it causes: this is Heaven or Union with God.

12. The NC is concerned solely with breaking free from these bindings. Whether one “believes” in Christ or not, everyone can benefit from the methods of the NC, as the NC contains psychological truths which are universal and objective in nature.

13. Before one can break free from one’s bindings-escape from Hell-one must learn what those bindings are. Thus, the first exercise of the NC is to “Know thyself,” from which the practice of Watchfulness, or Witnessing, is derived. This directive is all over the Bible and all over spiritual texts of any sort, including Jewish, Hindu, Islamic and Buddhist teachings. The importance of this cannot be understated. (Note that the term Witness is used here in a completely different way than is commonly understood. This term will be more fully discussed in a later posting, but it is the opinion of this writer that common use of the term has arisen due to misunderstanding of its true intent.)

14. The Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins are merely examples of common ways that human beings allow their thoughts to be controlled. They are guidelines to help one see one’s thoughts.

15. Unfortunately, in a way, the word “Sin” has itself become a sin in the sense that the word itself conjures up automatic thoughts and feelings of guilt, repulsion, judgment and/or condemnation. Some people can become stuck at these very points-thus, the teachings about sin have had the exact opposite of their original intention by imprisoning instead of showing the path to freedom.

16. The NC does not condemn nor judge “sinners”. To do so is to violate many, many passages of the Bible. Further, those who condemn and judge others reveal their own sins, for “The faults one finds in others, are the faults one has oneself.” This is a universal law. Use it when observing your own thoughts, and you will start to become free.

17. Among other things, The Devil is the personification of the Ego. It is the ego that must be subdued, controlled, destroyed. The Bible and other spiritual texts address ego issues such as self-image, pride/humility/vanity, greed/covetousness, and anger, over and over again. Many such negative thoughts originate in the ego.

18. Opinions and beliefs are dangerous when one’s self-image becomes too heavily invested in, too attached to, those opinions. This includes the beliefs in one’s religion, including Christianity. This means that one’s religion can be a source of imprisonment, the very thing religion is intended to help one escape from.

19. The NC teaches methods of obtaining control over one’s own thoughts. These methods are scattered throughout the Bible and many other texts. For some reason, these methods have been lost and are not practiced by the majority of Christians. These methods include, first and foremost, the concept and practice of Watchfulness or Witnessing, from which all other practices derive, Christian meditations, Christian mantras, prayer done correctly, and affirmations, as well as other methods.

20. Religion should not function to control one’s thoughts, but should show how one can control one’s own thoughts. Religion should not tell one what to do, but should show people how to find out for themselves what to do. Religion should not label, condemn and divide, but should deconstruct, value and unite.

The Essentials of New Christianity website had this to say about this adulterated form of Christianity with its New Age terminology (selected excerpts):

Source: http://www.newchristianity.ca/About/
WhatisNewChristianity/tabid/56/Default.aspx

This New Christianity is a spiritual renewal that will reclaim the essence of Christ’s life and teachings. For many of us the path of Jesus has been a way to awakening deep spiritual truths. As we have grown the church has failed us in its inability to move past the Old Testament war God into a relationship with the God of Love, the Source, the God of Creation, the Divine that all people of faith seek to experience.

The shift to a New Christianity does not necessarily mean that we need to abandon the organized church. It does mean that we need to move beyond rote practices and weary metaphors in order to connect powerfully with the divine energy in and around each of us. For some of us we will need to leave or at least take a sabbatical from organized Christianity in order to find our own connection with the divine through Jesus Christ.

As a Christian leader with a thorough understanding of the Christian life and a deep love for the Creator, I am developing a spiritual understanding that integrates Christ’s life and teachings with eastern energy practices that allow me to continue to deepen my connection with the divine. (emphasis in these quotes is mine - Bonnie)

This website, with four pages of recommended resources, lists the books/dvds The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace (M. Scott Peck), The Celestine Prophecy (new age philosophy), The Power of Now: A guide to Spiritual Enlightenment (Eckart Tolle, new age), A Return to Love (Marianne Williamson, new age), and Blue Like Jazz (in which the author, Donald Miller says, "I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze."). This is pantheism, not Christianity.

It is apparent that those who haven't learned from history are bound to repeat its mistakes. Over and over in the Old Testament God warned His people not to worship the gods of the nations around them and to adopt their spiritual practices. Doing so was a serious affront to Him. He knew that doing this would lead them into spiritual darkness. The New Testament also warns us not to live like the Gentiles in the futility of their thinking with their false worship of false gods. Syncretism is equated with unfaithfulness in God's Word.

I find it very disturbing when people say we need to "let God out of the box". Christians have not put God in a box, although it certainly seems many people want to put Christians in a box by saying they do. The written Word is an inerrant account of the revealed Word of God. Is God confined to the pages of a book? Of course not, but the complete revelation to us for this age is. It seems to me that the problem is one of rebellion rather than a lack of knowledge.

In answer to those who have become disillusioned with the church, I believe the problem has more to do with our own disobedience to the words of God. Have Christians down through the ages failed to perfectly do what they are supposed to as the bride of Christ? Of course they have, and yet Christ has not given up on the church. The Holy Spirit continues to guide those who desire to be faithful to Him and His Word even though they sometimes stumble along the way. Christ continues to build His true church as He promised He would. Our infallibility is why we continually need to return to God's Word for correction. There are many in the Christian church who have strayed from God's Word: this is the real problem. It was God who instituted the church, just as He instituted marriage. If we don't like the model, does that mean we can change it. That would be like saying marriage is a good thing, but an affair on the side is a healthy thing to explore. There is no perfect marriage and no perfect church, but there are faithful marriage partners and there are faithful believers even though they may not have a perfect relationship with their spouse. But God honors and rewards their faithfulness.

Contrary to what those promoting the "New Christianity" appear to believe, the way is narrow, and there are few who find it.(Matthew 7:13-15). I have no personal vendetta against those who promote false teaching. I feel pity for those who have been led away from the safety of the Scriptures. That is why I expose doctrine that is contrary to God's Word and warn others about it, in the same way I would warn my teenagers not to drive on the wrong side of the road. The human race needs a standard to follow and an orderly way of doing things. Those who try to "wing it" with their spiritual beliefs have no assurance they are on the right track, and theology is only dry to those who have lost their first love. If you are reading this blog because you are exploring the "New Christianity" I implore you to REPENT and turn to Christ alone for salvation by the way of His atonement for your sin by His shed blood on the cross.

NEW LINKS

I've been a little slow on the draw on this one since the news of Ray Yungen's new website, A Time of Departing Ministries, was announced quite some time ago. Ray is the author of the book A Time of Departing, which exposes the dangers of participating in ancient mystical practices. But then again, maybe there are those of you out there who haven't yet heard. I've added his site on my sidebar under Discernment Ministries. Take the time to visit the site if you haven't yet done so.

Another website I have added which I discovered today is Tzedakah Ministries. I am impressed with the resources provided on the site to help Christians understand the issues Jewish Christians have to deal with, and their perspective on Bible prophecy. Here is a description of this ministry from their site:

The purpose of Tzedakah Ministries can be found in its name -- Tzedakah -- which in Hebrew means "righteousness." However, Tzedakah means so much more. As the Holman Bible Dictionary explains, “.... righteousness is the fulfillment of the terms of a covenant between God and humanity or between humans in the full range of human relationships.”

Tzedakah Ministries has a burden to see the Jewish people restored to a righteous covenant relationship with Him -- one that is only possible through Messiah Jesus.

Tzedakah Ministries presents a weekly look at major Biblical prophecies or thoughts from Scriptures, called Tzedakah Moment.

Click HERE to read a book review of John Hagee's Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World found on Tzedakah Ministries website.