Former IHOP Member Explains Why IHOP (International House of Prayer) Is A Cult

Posted by Christine Pack, reprinted in full, with permission from the author
(formerly published on The Gospel Masquerade blog)

International House of Prayer (IHOP)

A cult? Strong word you might say...and you are correct. It is not a word I use lightly or carelessly to label anything. But much prayer, time and years of research and personal experience have brought me to the conclusion that I can say confidently that the root system--or foundation--that IHOP is built on follows the basic premises and signs of a cult religious group. When I first left IHOP, I went through a severe culture shock that is hard to put into words. When I began studying the signs of cult fallout and the things that cult members go through after leaving a cult, my eyes began to open to what I had been a part of and recently come out of.

Below I have listed some common signs of cult operation. Below them, I cite in RED text short examples of my personal experiences at IHOP which illustrates these particular signs in action. After 5 years of being out of IHOP, I still hold to my position that it is a dangerous place for people’s hearts and have seen much destruction of families, relationships and marriages of those who have been involved with this movement.

I appreciate your taking the time to read and prayerfully consider the research and personal testimony I’ve included below.

1. A destructive cult tends to be totalitarian in its control of its members' behavior. Cults are likely to dictate in great detail not only what members believe, but also what members wear and eat, when and where members work, sleep, and bathe, and how members think, speak, and conduct familial, marital, or sexual relationships.

Mike Bickle

As an intern at IHOP, our day to day lives were closely monitored and dictated. I was not allowed to go anywhere or leave IHOP premises without express verbal permission from a community leader except on our one day off. Our schedules started early in the morning with hours in the prayer room, then classes, then back to the prayer room. Our nights often ran late with required attendance at EGS (Encounter God Services) or any other special event Mike Bickle spoke at that we were required to attend. Sometimes we had to attend worship sets that ended at 10 pm or midnight. Sleep was minimal and was often un-restful when I did get it. Sleep deprivation is a commonly used tactic in many cult groups to weaken the mind and make a person more susceptible to the embracing of the doctrines taught by that cult. There are many biological and psychological effects of sleep deprivation on the mind.

2. A destructive cult tends to have an ethical double standard. Members are urged to be obedient to the cult, to carefully follow cult rules. They are also encouraged to be revealing and open in the group, confessing all to the leaders. On the other hand, outside the group they are encouraged to act unethically, manipulating outsiders or nonmembers, and either deceiving them or simply revealing very little about themselves or the group. In contrast to destructive cults, honorable groups teach members to abide by one set of ethics and act ethically and truthfully to all people in all situations.

Anyone who rebelled against IHOP’s rules went through a strict disciplinarian process. At its most minimal level of discipline, for an intern, this meant the loss of having a day off and having to do manual labor. Everyone was kept on a short leash. We also had weekly groups as interns that we were required to participate in where everyone was "interrogated" and pressured to open up and share their personal struggles, etc and answer personal questions about their lives, struggles, thoughts, fears, and walks with G-d. It often felt like going to some kind of confession (as in Catholicism) and some interns out and out refused to be so vulnerable and disclosing in front of people they did not know. We were all given journals and told that we had mandatory writing assignments to complete. We were to record details of our IHOP prayer room times, things God spoke to us, dreams, visions, or whatever else that happened in us spiritually and then had to turn in our journals weekly to have an internship leader review/read them. In the last month or so I was at IHOP, I paid particularly close attention to the fact that internship leaders ironically prayed things over me in prayer times or at the altar in the prayer room that related directly to things I had put in my journals. So what often might have seemed prophetic was the result of the information about me they already had access to.

3. A destructive cult has only two basic purposes: recruiting new members and fund-raising. Altruistic movements, established religions, and other honorable groups also recruit and raise funds. However, these actions are incidental to an honorable group's main purpose of improving the lives of its members and of humankind in general. Destructive cults may claim to make social contributions, but in actuality such claims are superficial and only serve as gestures or fronts for recruiting and fund-raising. A cult's real goal is to increase the prestige and often the wealth of the leader.

There was always an underlying pressure to bring people into IHOP. We were encouraged to invite others and get them to join what we were doing. IHOP campaigns big time to recruit new interns. At every conference, advertising and marketing videos are used to this day to promote the internships. They are played on large TV screens like presidential campaigns and are just part of the propaganda used to "sell" young people on this new version of what walking with God is supposed to look like.

Each intern paid $4,500 to attend a 6 month internship. This covered some books/teaching material we were given as well as food, lodging etc. Check this out though: Every intern lived in the Hernhutt apartments (located next door) which IHOP owned anyway so the only expense was utilities and general upkeep. There was no rent. Plus when there was a mandatory fasting day, weekend, week, etc. no meals were served. So those who didn’t choose to fast had to go out and buy food and no interns were not allowed to have jobs so this got to be a big expense since there wasn't extra money to live on.

I lived in a 2-bedroom apartment. It housed 6 girls from the ages of 20-23. 4 of us shared one room and 2 shared another. The prayer room costs nothing to attend and is free and open to the public. So hmmm….$4,500 for meals, my electric bill and some IHOP books. I currently live in my own apartment, pay all of my own bills including rent, food, gasoline, renter’s insurance, credit card bills, student loans, electric, cell phone, etc etc and ALL of that costs me approximately $1,500 a month. So basic math says that someone was getting a big paycheck because my expenses would have never cost that in an internship program where we were given so little.

4. A destructive cult appears to be innovative and exclusive. The leader claims to be breaking with tradition, offering something novel, and instituting the ONLY viable system for change that will solve life's problems or the world's ills. But these claims are empty and only used to recruit members who are then surreptitiously subjected to mind control to inhibit their ability to examine the actual validity of the claims of the leader and the cult.

In the time I was there Mike often used “them and us” types of statements when referring to “the church” or those outside of IHOP. We were given a sense of being on the “cutting edge” because we were ahead of the church and were doing something new & innovative that was going to sweep the world. It all sounded good so everyone wanted to be in on it as a “forerunner” and liked the label of being on the front lines. So no one dared questioned it.

5. A destructive cult is authoritarian in its power structure. The leader is regarded as the supreme authority. He or she may delegate certain power to a few subordinates for the purpose of seeing that members adhere to the leader's wishes. There is no appeal outside his or her system to a greater system of justice. For example, if a schoolteacher feels unjustly treated by a principal, an appeal can be made to the superintendent. In a destructive cult, the leader claims to have the only and final ruling on all matters.

Our family became friends with a Jewish couple who were in KC for a conference. They were part of the Ethiopian Jewish congregation in Israel and were missionaries in the US. They had some grave concerns and red flags (regarding IHOP’s theology, the model that is used with everything IHOP related, etc) that they attempted to meet with Mike and discuss. After being brushed off by Mike multiple times in his refusal to meet with him…even though they were Jewish leaders from Israel and Mike knew of them, he finally told these friends of ours that “This is how we do things here. This is just how IHOP is. It’s not for everyone.” If there was something you didn’t like or didn’t agree with, you were basically told “IHOP wasn’t for everyone so if you couldn’t handle it, maybe you shouldn’t be here.” There was no actual accountability for anything deemed wrong/un-Biblical. We were told that IHOP has its own “culture” and you must assimilate into that culture and language to really understand it. If you had a problem with something, you were told that you just had not been around long enough to understand how they did things OR that you just weren’t a good fit. These were the answers I was given when I met with internship leaders right before leaving. There was never actual admittance of wrong doing or hurting anyone who was caught in the crossfire.

6. A destructive cult's leader is a self-appointed messianic person claiming to have a special mission in life. For example, leaders of flying saucer cults claim that beings from outer space have commissioned them to lead people away from Earth, so that only the leaders can save them from impending doom.

Every intern was required to listen to the 12 hours of IHOP’s recorded history on CD footage. Much of this content was heavily edited before its publication. These tapes told of “prophetic words” and signs that were given to some of Mike’s mentors (Bob Jones, Paul Cain, etc)—who were all naming him as the leader of the next “big thing” God was doing. Over and over and over again I’ve heard it said (both directly by Mike as well as from others) that he (Mike) would be the leader of a movement that “changed the nature and expression of Christianity in the earth”. Every time, all recognition points to Mike. His “mission” to transform the church and capture the hearts of America’s youth has been his declared goal since the early 1980’s. One of the major dangers is that these grandious sounding claims and "prophetic" words are laden with flattery, narcissism, elitism and are a perfect guise under which anything Mike introduces through IHOP can fall under the heading of being a "new thing" God is doing.

This elitist teaching puts Mike on a pedestal and he has a Messianic-like devoted following of people who would do anything if he told them to without a moment of questioning or hesitation. From my observations and experiences on staff, IHOP members do not think for themselves or question Mike's interpretation of scripture or the slant in the way he teaches it. At any conference, one will easily observe that if Mike recommends a book or promotes a teaching, a t-shirt or a speaker, at the next break, ALL of that item will be sold out in their bookstore. When I was on staff, I heard people continually sing Mike’s praises around the clock and quote more of what Mike says or thinks or teaches than actual scripture.

Mike has an alluring charisma and many seem to be instantly drawn to his convincing appearance of direction and purpose. He teaches with passion and emotion rather than truth and it's that charisma that draws and hooks people causing many to blindly follow (and defend) his message.

I believe that the IHOP lifestyle by and large sets people up for disillusionment through the false hope that its deception provides. It is a pseudo, manufactured reality where people are told “you can live in Nirvana and enjoy the 'high' of being in God’s presence 24/7 and that can be ALL that you live for” so people sell all that they have, buy into a dream and move across the country to be a part of a ministry that makes captivating claims…and then their world often crumble to ashes when things aren’t as they seem once they arrive.

Mike's primary target and focus is on the young people. His appeals from the pulpit and his well-polished speeches aim at capturing the hearts of America’s youth. Children and youth are not told or encouraged to respect or honor the parents G-d gave them. Instead, wedges are driven between families and a seed of pride, rebellion and elitism gets planted into the hearts of youth when they are told things like the following…

This is a very close paraphrase of what I’ve heard many, many times at One Thing, IHOP conferences and in teachings by leaders:

“YOU are called to be on the cutting edge. Come here and join a community of other people who are like you, called to what you’re called to. We understand you. You’ve been mis-understood in the church. You’ve had your wings clipped, your gifts misunderstood. Here you can fulfill your forerunner calling that your family just hasn’t understood about you. You might feel like you don’t fit back home, you’re on the outside, no one understands the fire in you. Well we get it. You are the leaders that G-d is raising up in these end times and you will be kings and queens on the earth—reigning with Him. You were made for this place. IHOP is an incubator for people like you.”

Narcissistic speeches like this instill a sense of pride, arrogance and elitism in the hearts of youth who hear it and it feeds their need for validation and identity. They run to IHOP, leave their families, join internships…hoping that what they’ve heard is true. They go to IHOP looking for identity…instead of finding it in Jesus.

Once outside of the IHOP environment, they are terrified and overwhelmed by the “real” world and don’t know how to function in it when they’ve been in an intensive internship environment. There is a degree of re-acclimating to normal life that feels like an IHOP detox afterward. It’s a severe emotional drop because the hyped up services and conferences that were your manna are now gone and when there is no prayer room, your life in God feels empty and lifeless. Many simply don’t know how to engage with God in a real day-to-day basis once they’ve left. I experienced this and heard the exact same thing from a handful of my friends after they left IHOP and the internship. At that point when disillusionment sets in, I know many interns that walked away from God completely upon leaving the internship and went back into lifestyles worse than the ones they left when they came to IHOP originally.

7. A destructive cult's leader centers the veneration of members upon himself or herself. Priests, rabbis, ministers, democratic leaders, and other leaders of genuinely altruistic movements focus the veneration of adherents on God or a set of ethical principles. Cult leaders, in contrast, keep the focus of love, devotion, and allegiance on themselves.

I believe my statements above illustrate this so I won't be redundant.

8. A destructive cult's leader tends to be determined, domineering, and charismatic. Such a leader effectively persuades followers to abandon or alter their families, friends, and careers to follow the cult. The leader then takes control over followers' possessions, money, time, and lives.

Youth are pumped up at conferences and then go home to tell their parents they are moving to Kansas City to join IHOP, be part of an internship, etc. At the time, sadly, they don't realize how much more they are giving up and leaving behind than just their families. I was hurled into a system that took control of my time, when I ate, slept, had time alone, etc. Picking up the pieces of my heart and rebuilding a Biblical view of God after getting outside of IHOP was quite a long process. I hope that by sharing all of this, I am able to spare others the heartache of what I went through.

Please don't just take my word for it. Start doing your own research. Ask the Father to lead you as you pursue what is TRUTH. Don't just stop at the facts--look deeper. Do Google searches on cults and ask the Lord to unveil deceptions.

Blessings to you on your journey of walking with Him.

photo credit: vasekvi via photopin cc
photo credit: Nathan Bedford via photopin cc

 Additional Resources 

Charismatic Chaos (Book) - John MacArthur

Charismatic Chaos (13-part Sermon Series, free download) - John MacArthur

Does Experience Determine Truth? 

Does God Still Give Revelation? 

Does God Still Give Prophecies? 

Proper Biblical Interpretation 

Does God Do Miracles Today? 

The Third Wave 

How Do Spiritual Gifts Operate? 

What Was Happening in the Early Church? 

Does God Still Heal? 

Speaking in Tongues 

What Is True Spirituality? 

Does God Promise Health and Wealth? Part 1 

Does God Promise Health and Wealth? Part 2

Slaughter of the Sheep

IHOP and Latter Rain

Mike Bickle and International House of Prayer (IHOP)

Apostles, Prophets and the Foundation of the Church: Biblical Exegesis That Proves that Only the New Testament Apostles Are Authoritative

Chain Emails, and What Exactly Is the Gospel?

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." Romans 1:16

The following is a chain email that I received in my in-box yesterday morning. You know the kind: they're typically short letters with a feel good message, often there is some mention of God, and usually something dire is vaguely threatened if you "break the chain" by not resending the message to 14 of your closest friends. It is extremely rare that I ever forward any of these messages that show up from time to time in my email, but on the few occasions when I have deemed a message worthy enough to have forwarding privileges, the one thing I always do is remove all the silly threatening at the end. We can either be superstitious, or we can be people who trust in God's sovereignty, but we cannot be both.

Anyway. I received the following one just yesterday morning, and it has been verified on Snopes (for what that's worth) as a true story. My commentary will come at the end of the email.

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, 'I hope he doesn't come over here.' But sure enough, the man did come over to their table. 

'Where are you folks from?' he asked in a friendly voice. 

' Oklahoma,' they answered. 

'Great to have you here in Tennessee,' the stranger said, 'What do you do for a living?' 

'I teach at a seminary,' he replied. 

'Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really great story for you.' And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple. 

The professor groaned and thought to himself, 'Great......Just what I need.....another preacher story!' 

The man started, 'See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, 'Hey boy, Who's your daddy?' Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?' 

He would hide at recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going in to stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?' 

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. 

Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's your daddy?' 

The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's your daddy?' 

'This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy: 'Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now, You are a child of God.' 

With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.' 

'With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a Child of God.'' 

The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, 'Isn't that a great story?' 

The professor responded that it really was a great story! 

As the man turned to leave, he said, 'You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!' And he walked away....

The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and asked her, 'Do you know who that man was -- the one who just left that was sitting at our table?' 

The waitress grinned and said, 'Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee!'

Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they're one of God's children! 

'The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever.' ~~Isaiah 

YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

I received the above chain email from my mother, who is a fairly new Christian. But she is most definitely born again: she is a transformed person, she is growing in holiness, and she loves God and the truth that set her free with all heart. This is how I responded to her:

"Sweet story, but definitely not one to send to anyone who is lost......they already think they are God's children (the arrogance of the unregenerated heart!!)

There is nothing in this story of the gospel message as we know it from Scripture:

- Nothing of wretched and depraved man, who rebelled against his sovereign creator God and sinned by breaking God's moral laws,

- A high and holy God (with whom no sin can dwell),

- God's righteous wrath against sin,

- God's remedy for this situation: His Son, Jesus, the "God-man," who came to earth and lived the life that we could never live, and in so doing, earned the right to offer his life as an unblemished ransom for many. Only those who repent and place their faith in Jesus' death on the Cross can appropriate this "payment" made on their behalf.....only those have the right to be known as "children of God." All the rest are children of wrath.....they are under God's wrath.

The problem with sending such a story to people in our country/culture is this: 

- The lost already think (mistakenly, that is) that they know God, and have a relationship with him, and this story will do nothing to help them see their wretched depravity and need for a Savior; and 

- The saved - who might respond emotionally to this story - are letting their own minds unconsciously "fill in the gaps" that are missing in this supposed gospel presentation. 

Perhaps the Governor of Tennessee, Ben Hooper, truly is a Christian, and wants to share Christ with others through this story. God bless him for that! But this message does not have enough of the critical components of the gospel message to be salvific."

Feel good messages that make people smile aren't necessarily a bad thing, but when they imply salvation without even giving a true gospel message, then they are dangerous.  Eternity is what is at stake here. It is important for us as Christians to remember that we have the one thing that the rest of the world does not: salvation. This is no small thing, and it is imperative that we think through what exactly the full gospel message is, so that we can share this message of hope, this Good News, in a lost and dying world that so desperately needs it.

photo credit: Sean MacEntee via photopin cc

 Additional Resources 

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Is Not Christianity

The Message “Bible” Inserts Earth Reverence, God of “Green” Hope

by John Lanagan, My Word Like Fire blog

"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!" (Bold mine) (The Message, Romans 15:13)

Huh? What God of “green” hope? Why does The Message do this?

Before we examine what seems suggestive of earth reverence/earth worship, let us restate some of what has been covered elsewhere about The Message:

A generation has been raised on this disturbing “paraphrase” of the Bible. This is the primary version so many now rely on, and nationally known preachers quote from it with regularity. Yet, as we have seen, The Message flat out omits the sin of homosexuality from several key passages. We see this in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and also in 1 Timothy 1: 8-11 (read about that here).

Does the acceptance and use of The Message explain why many Christians are lukewarm on the issue of homosexuality? Certainly The Message is not the only factor–we dwell in a pro-homosexual media/culture–but place this “Bible” in a person’s hands and it can have, over time, significant influence. How can we understand God’s Truth when Truth is no longer there to be read?

"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart." (Proverbs 4:20-21)

The beloved author of The Message, Eugene Peterson, has now endorsed two heretical books: The Shack, and Rob Bell’s sly ode to universalism, Love Wins. The Message, bluntly stated, seems written to make Christians less knowledgeable about the Word of God. While that may seem a strong comment, please consider what Eugene Peterson himself said about the Bible:

“Why do people spend so much time studying the Bible? How much do you need to know? We invest all this time in understanding the text which has a separate life of its own and we think we’re being more pious and spiritual when we’re doing it….[Christians] should be studying it less, not more. You need just enough to pay attention to God….I’m just not at all pleased with the emphasis on Bible study as if it’s some kind of special thing that Christians do, and the more the better.” [1] (Bold mine)

I believe The Message is forerunner to a christless, sinless bible that will be used by the false church. There will be a “christ” mentioned, but not our Christ. Not the sinless Savior of humanity. Sin will be addressed, of course, but perhaps more in line with the Alcoholics Anonymous generic theology of “wrongs” and “making amends.”

Homosexuality will be perfectly acceptable, even sacred. And nature, the earth itself, will be worshiped. We have already addressed Eugene Peterson’s removal of homosexuality and other sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, but he also inserts the phrase “use and abuse the earth,” something the Lord did not place there at all.

Here is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 from The Message:

“Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who do not care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A number of you know what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.” (Bold mine)

Did you catch that? Peterson’s version claims those who “use and abuse the earth” will not be saved!

Here is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, from the NASB:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

You will not find this apparent form of earth-reverence in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 in any reputable translation of the Bible. It simply is not there.

“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

Remember this past Easter? Some were not simply celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. According to Jan Markell:

“A very special week was hijacked by the environmental movement last week. What is known as Earth Day landed on the same day as Good Friday, so our crucified Lord had to share the spotlight that day. And if you think this was only the typical antics of the religious Left, think again. Evangelicals have now jumped into this arena. The cause of caring for God’s creation is our responsibility, although we cannot ‘save the planet’ as many herald. Should conservative Christians really be making the theological leap that it was significant that both observances were placed on the calendar on the same day?” [2] (Read entire article here)

It has started, even in the church. Perhaps especially in the church. Earth/nature worship is going to increase in scope and intensity. Peterson’s insertion of ”green” into Romans 15:13 shows us the way the false church will go. This changes the understanding of the passage, allowing a potential God/nature/earth interpretation that simply is not there.

"Oh! May the God of green hope* 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!" (Bold mine) (The Message, Romans 15:13)

Why has Peterson never corrected these things, in all the years The Message has been with us?

Here is NASB, Romans 15:13:

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

You may disagree with my view of the coming false church, and how The Message fits into this. I understand. But I hope you understand the seriousness of what Peterson has done. He has omitted, and he has added. The Message should not be used by the Body of Christ at all.

 Endnotes: 

1. A Conversation with Eugene Peterson, “Mars Hill Review,” Fall 1995, Issue No. 3, pgs. 73-90

2. Mixing Paganism with the Passion, by Jan Markell, second article down on her webpage 

* Eugene Peterson is a contemplative. Interestingly, “Without  this green livery of hope in God alone” is a phrase used in Dark Night of the Soul, the influential contemplative treatise by St. John of the Cross, pg. 112 (read here). Perhaps this was a subtle tribute to an influential contemplative, unbeknownst to the numerous evangelical leaders who glowingly endorsed The Message.

But The Message is not about Eugene Peterson, and never has been. The Message is best understood through Scripture: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

As time goes on, these passages in The Message (1 Cor. 6:9-11, Romans 15:13) will increasingly be viewed and used in terms of earth/nature reverence and spirituality.


 Additional Resources 

Earth Day: The High Holy Day of Paganism

Paganism: The Natural Default of the Human Mind

The Bible is Our Firewall Against Paganism

New Study Suggests "Born Again Christians" Have Smaller Brains?

Thank you to Brannon Howse for his show today which discusses a newly released study that makes the startling claim that born again Christians have "smaller brains" than their Protestant counterparts who do not claim to have had this spiritual experience. The study, which was conducted by Duke University Medical Center, ruled out depression as a contributing factor and assessed 268 adults over an 11-year period. According to the USA Today article which ran this story on 5/27/11, the study:

"found an association between participants’ professed religious affiliation and the physical structure of their brain. Specifically, those identified as Protestant who did not have a religious conversion or born-again experience — more common among their evangelical brethren — had a bigger hippocampus.”

Christians today seem to be the last group that it is acceptable to demonize, but articles such as the one cited above are not new strategies. Margaret Sanger of Planned Parenthood, widely known for championing women's rights, was also a racist who advocated that blacks ought to be sterilized for the "purity" of the Caucasion race.  Hitler despised the Jewish race to the extent that he came up with the "Final Solution" which he implemented in his attempt to exterminate them from the earth.

Click here to listen to Brannon's show about this latest tactic to demonize conservative, Bible-believing Christians.


 Additional Resources 

Worldview Matters Radio Show

American Idol Gives Back....To Pro-Abortion Group?

Paradise Lost......Paradise Regained

by Ansley Mathews, 10 years old (Honorary Sola Sister)

In the beginning,
God created it all;
Here's the story of how it went,
From "very good" to "the Fall."

First the heavens and then the earth,
Then the Garden God did create,
A home for Adam,
And Eve his mate.

God said to Adam and Eve,
Do not eat of this special tree,
There is only one rule in this garden....
You must obey Me.

God provided everything they needed:
Life, love, his presence, and peace;
God said, But if you sin....
Then all of this will cease.

But Satan came along,
And sweetly tempted Eve:
Eat of this fruit and be wise...
Your God you should not believe.

Eve took the fruit:
Tastes good to me.
She offered it to Adam:
It's delicious, you'll see.

Adam took the fruit;
And tragically had a bite;
They realized they were naked;
Then tried to hide from God's sight.

God was very angry;
For Adam turned on Eve;
But then Eve blamed the Serpent;
Oh, how Satan does deceive.

God kicked them out of the garden -
Guarding the entrance with cherubim;
At this sad moment;
They realized the gravity of their sin.

But all was not lost,
For God had a plan.
Even in the curse;
He promised a way to save man.

God would one day
Send his only Son;
For the redemption of man,
He was the only One.

He died on the Cross,
For the forgiveness of sin;
But you must repent and believe,
And then you'll be born again.

Once again God and man,
Are fully reconciled,
As God's plan of redemption,
Came through the death of his Child.

What Is The Enneagram?

by Marcia Montenegro, Christian Answers for the New Age

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority." Colossians 2:8-10 (NASB)

What is your number? the Enneagram asks. What is the Enneagram? you may ask back. For those who aren't aware of this fast-growing phenomenon, the Enneagram is a diagram depicting numbers one through nine, with lines connecting each number to two other numbers, and is promoted by its adherents as a tool to use for personality analysis. But the Enneagram, despite being endorsed as an aid for psychological assessment, actually has its roots in the occult, as this article will show. More disturbing than that, in recent years the Enneagram - along with so many other occultic practices - has crept into the Christian church. This is even more startling than seeing it used in the secular world. Not only is it being used and promoted by some Christians, but it is even being defended as a tool based on biblical principles.

 A Little Background on the Enneagram 

The Enneagram was promoted by mystic George Gurdjieff (1866?-1949) and by his followers, P. D. Ouspensky (1878-1947) and Oscar Ichazo (b. 1931). Gurdjieff claimed to have learned the Enneagram from the Sufis (a mystical spin-off sect of Islam), though many dispute this.

Psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo (b. 1932), a pioneer of New Age related psychological theories, breathed new life into the Enneagram by refining it as a tool of psychological assessment in which a person discovers his number in the chart, and then studies the best and worst traits of that number via the diagram. Each number represents a particular personality type, and is connected to two other numbers, one which supposedly highlights the worst traits, and the other representing the best.

 Meet the Teachers 

Gurdjieff was an Armenian teacher of esoteric spiritual philosophies based on knowledge he allegedly garnered during travels and contacts with secret groups, which are recounted in his book, Meetings with Remarkable Men (in the beginning years of her New Age journey, the writer of this article saw a movie based on this book and was strongly influenced by it). However, these accounts were never verified. Gurdjieff held that man is not aware of true reality and needs an awakening of consciousness. He is widely credited as the first person to make the Enneagram publicly known.

Ouspensky, Gurdjieff's pupil, presented Gurdjieff's ideas as the Fourth Way. Ouspensky's teachings on the Enneagram appear in his books, In Search of the Miraculous and The Fourth Way. Like Gurdjieff, Ouspensky wrote about the Enneagram in terms of the "law of seven" and the "law of three," based on Gurdjieff's view of the esoteric laws by which the cosmos operated.

Oscar Ichazo, heavily involved in psychedelic drugs and shamanism,* asserted that he had "received instructions from a higher entity called Metatron" and that his group "was guided by an interior master."

Naranjo, the psychiatrist who studied with Ichazo in Chile, passed on the Enneagram teachings to Jesuit Bob Ochs, who then brought it into Roman Catholic circles at the New Age Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, where Naranjo taught ("A Closer Look at the Enneagram," Dorothy Garrity Ranaghan [South Bend, Indiana: Greenlawn Press, 1989], 9).

Gurdjieff's legacy lives on today in many facets of the New Age Movement. The New Age has inserted itself so subtly into mainstream culture, including the health field (as well as hospitals), education, psychology, business, and sports, that people no longer perceive it as alien. Indeed, some of these areas have been willing, if not eager, vehicles through which New Age concepts have entered society.

 The Enneagram's True Essence 

In the 1990s, the Enneagram star rose in the secular world, and several business companies began to use it as a tool for personality analysis. At the time, this writer found this odd since the Enneagram, technically speaking, is an occult tool. There is no objective basis for the nine numbers, their categories (such as Reformer, Helper, Achiever, Individualist, etc), or the alleged relationships between the numbers. Most importantly, the Enneagram has as its purpose a spiritual awakening.

The Enneagram purports to lead a person to not only self-understanding, but to an integration of all aspects of the self and, ultimately, to an awakening to the true Self. "Self" is capitalized because the Self is considered by the original (and most contemporary) Enneagram teachers to be divine. The nine numbers most likely originate with Ichazo's belief in the "nine divine forms" of Self, a Self which supposedly has been subverted by ego distortions. There are also the "triads," which is how "your" number is related both positively and negatively through two other numbers. The philosophy for this is directly derived from the esoteric values of Sacred Geometry and from Gnostic views of the self as sacred and pure in essence.

The website for The Enneagram Institute openly refers to concepts from Gurdjieff and company, such as "the Work" and "inner work," to refer to mystical work on the inner self. This "Work," as expressed by Ichazo, involves transcending one's ego in order to find one's "Essence." This is fundamental in Gnostic-based, Eastern, and New Age views.

In this paradigm, one's true self is divine and perfect, but through confusion from wrong beliefs and misperceptions, one has identified with the ego, which is the false self. Thus, there is the "true Self" versus the "false self," a concept familiar to anyone who has studied Eastern religions or New Age teachings. The Enneagram Institute claims that the Enneagram will uncover the wrong view of self and lead one to realize the true Self and thus "live in Essence;" that is, to live fully in the reality of the true divine Self.

The Enneagram Institute itself admits that "the philosophy behind the Enneagram contains components from mystical Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and ancient Greek philosophy (particularly Socrates, Plato, and the Neo-Platonists)."

The reference to Christianity undoubtedly refers to what is sometimes called "mystical" or "esoteric Christianity." This type of Christianity was often claimed by Gurdjieff and other forerunners of the New Age, and in actuality is a Gnostic (neo-Platonic) distortion of Christianity, not authentic historic Christianity. Gurdjieff, his predecessors in Theosophy,** and those who followed the various offshoots of Theosophy and related groups usually referred to themselves as Christians and believed they had discovered the "true" Christianity. Many today who follow New Age and other arcane philosophies will claim to be mystical or esoteric Christians.

The fact that the origin of the Enneagram is spiritual, that its purpose is spiritual, and that it was passed down through teachers of cryptic spiritualities, should clearly indicate that its validity as any sort of tool to understand self or truth is questionable at best.

 The Enneagram's Penetration into the Church 

As mentioned previously, the Enneagram has crept into the Christian church in recent years. This is even more disturbing than seeing it taught in the secular world, where one might naturally expect it to be. But not only is the Enneagram being used and promoted by some Christians, it is also being defended as a tool based on biblical principles.

One Christian, Alice Fryling, who promotes and teaches the Enneagram, admits that the roots of the Enneagram and most of the material on it is not Christian, yet she advises people to do a lot of reading "about the Enneagram paradigm" (page 5) to discover their type. She considers the Enneagram to be a "very deep and complex system." This is hardly a recommendation since this describes all occult and New Age systems. Indeed, it is the complexity of such spiritualities that often makes them seductive.

Fryling also claims that the Enneagram can "lead us to a self-awareness that brings us to our knees before the God of grace" (page 2). However, from a Christian standpoint, it is only God's word that gives true self-awareness -- the awareness of man's essential sin nature and need for redemption, as well as convicting and shaping a Christian believer (credit for this point goes to Viola Larson of Naming the Grace Blogspot). It is God's word and the Holy Spirit that convict, teach, and correct man through God's truth (Psalm 119; John 16:8; James 2:9; 2 Timothy 3:16).

It should be noted that Fryling approvingly refers to Richard Rohr, a Franciscan friar who runs the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At his conferences, Rohr promotes not only the Enneagram, but panentheism (God is in everything, i.e., the earth as God's "body"), Buddhism, and New Ager Marianne Williamson.  Fryling's apparent admiration of Rohr is seriously unsettling.

Another well-known Christian advocate of the Enneagram, Suzanne Stabile, promotes Richard Rohr and has taught the Enneagram at his Conferences. She describes the Enneagram as "primarily a spiritual tool."

 The Heretical Monk 

Fryling asserts that Christian origins of the Enneagram go back to a 4th century "desert monk," Evagrius Ponticus, who wrote on "life patterns" discovered by the "ancient spiritual teachers" (non-Christians) who originated the Enneagram and passed it on via "oral tradition." However, she gives no historical references or explanation for the origin or validity of these "life patterns." One must wonder if these so-called "life patterns" are the occult paradigms derived from Sufis or other similar groups referred to by Gurdjieff. The "ancient spiritual teachers" are pagan, not Christian.

Furthermore, Ponticus was influenced and inspired by the esoteric philosophy of Neo-Platonism, a deadly mixture of Gnosticism and Christianity. Ponticus was also a student of the heretical teachings of Origen of Alexandria. Ponticus himself was later condemned for his teachings in 400 and 533.

Ponticus held that Jesus was not the incarnated Son of God, but rather a sinless "intellect" who assumed a body to show humanity the way back to its "original union" with God. This is a Gnostic teaching. Through Ponticus, these false teachings spread to monastic leaders and theologians (http://www.kalvesmaki.com/evagpont/ ; http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/byzantine_theology_j_meyendorf.htm; http://www.theandros.com/evagrius.html; http://www.john-uebersax.com/plato/routes.htm).

It is mystifying as to why Fryling would use Ponticus as a Christian rationale for the Enneagram. It seems that referencing this monk in a positive way would be an embarrassment to any Christian, and, if anything, it gives evidence for the non-Christian nature of the Enneagram.

 Sacred Geometry and Physics 

The reason given by the Enneagram Institute for the nine types is a Gnostic idea of the "nine divine forms," and a presumption that man's natural essence is perfect and in union with Divinity.

Advocates of the Enneagram point to the geometric proportions in the diagram that illustrate the relationship of the numbers to each other as support for their view that there is a special meaning and purpose to the diagram. This is sacred geometry, an occult belief that shapes, patterns, or certain proportions have special inner meaning. Sacred geometry is central to Feng Shui as well as being found in a number of other occult arts.

Sacred Geometry most closely relates to occult divination, which in this case is interpreting hidden meaning in shapes or patterns.*** Divination is the belief that an image, number, or pattern conceals a hidden meaning or message and, if properly interpreted, provides information or guidance outside any objective support for this interpretation. The fact that there are recurring geometric shapes and patterns in the natural world actually reveals that there is an Intelligence as the source of creation -- the Creator God who by His power created the world from nothing. Geometric patterns are evidence for God, not harbingers of hidden messages that must be divined.

There is no objective basis for dividing personality types into nine types. Astrology has twelve personality distinctions. Why nine? Why not twelve, seven, or five? Re-tooling occult arts with psychology for contemporary times is an ongoing process to gain credibility (and possibly to market new products and practices). Mixing in a so-called psychological assessment does not validate either the tool -- whether it be astrology or the Enneagram -- or the psychological analysis itself. Psychology is rife with competing theories; one can hardly claim any objective basis for a particular psychological approach or analysis of personality.

The interview with Fryling cited above offers a list of books on the Enneagram, including The Enneagram in Love and Work by Helen Palmer, an influential proponent in the modern use of the Enneagram. Palmer is also a psychic. On her website, she calls herself "an internationally recognized teacher of intuition and psychology." The website states that Palmer is "a teacher of intuition, psychology and a point of contact between them, the Enneagram, a matrix of personality structures that recognizes nine observable points of view." Whenever someone is described as an "intuitive" or a "teacher of intuition," you can be sure the person is a psychic (even though the person may reject this term), and is also likely a follower of New Age and/or occult philosophies.

Palmer's online course, "Using the Enneagram In Psychological Assessment and Practice," has been approved by the American Psychological Association, and taking the course earns the graduate and doctoral student 15 hours or credits of Continuing Education credit.

Credit is offered despite the fact that the course's page openly states that one of the objectives is for the student to "understand the spiritual significance of the Enneagram." Though not surprising, it is a sad commentary on our society that the theories and advice of a psychic are taken seriously by psychologists. It only further confirms the infiltration of New Age philosophy into the mainstream.

 Self-Absorption 

As a former professional astrologer, one objection this writer has for finding "one's type," is that our nature is such that we too easily revel in a label that we can use as an identity, and then continue to view ourselves through that filter. A Christian should strive to view himself through God's word; man-based categories detract from and may blur or negate that perspective.

Focusing on the self easily leads to self-absorption. It is fine to know one's strengths and weaknesses, but the Enneagram is not needed for this, especially because 1) there is no objective basis for the Enneagram, and 2) the Enneagram claims to offer solutions via an "awakening" to the "True Self." Using the Enneagram to identify one's type too easily becomes a pathway to its prescribed solution.

Indeed, the Enneagram claims to be "a map of wholeness" and "a tool and guide for exploring the depths of the human soul" that leads us "toward a deeper realization of our True Nature," the "True Nature" being, of course, a divine "Essence."

According to Palmer (the psychic), "The ultimate vocation of the Enneagram is to awaken the 'Inner Observer' in service to psychological wholeness, authentic spirituality and ultimately compassion for ourselves and each other." In contrast, Christians are being made whole and complete in Christ (Philippians 1:6; Colossians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:17) through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

 Occult Initiation 

A simple investigation into the Enneagram reveals that its theories of personality are based on esoteric teachings and an occult worldview. The clear origin and purpose of the Enneagram is to initiate a Gnostic spiritual awakening to one's alleged true divine Self, which is in itself an occult initiation. This is the claim and goal of virtually all occult and New Age teachings. The purpose of such initiation is a shift in consciousness, a change in the way one views reality -- God, the world, others, and self.

Occult initiation can be found in many non-Christian systems, desired or not. In Yoga and certain forms of meditation, it is the awakening of the Kundalini, the alleged serpent-like power at the base of the spine; in Reiki, the teacher "awakens" or "activates" the purported healing energy within the student; in Eastern meditation, it involves being given a mantra (a word or phrase to be repeated in meditation); Eastern gurus give their followers shaktipat, which supposedly confers grace and arouses the Kundalini; and the altered states of Eastern and New Age based meditations will certainly lead to occult awakening.

Occult initiations also occur spontaneously -- and unbidden -- if the person is involved in Eastern, New Age, or occult practices. An occult initiation may culminate in meeting one's "spirit guide," a disembodied being who is supposedly one's spiritual teacher. ****

The Gnostic initiation or awakening is the occult counterfeit of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His regeneration of the believer upon faith in Christ. This regeneration, called by Jesus being "born from above" (John 3:3; see also 2 Corinthians 5:17), is supernatural, life-giving, and from God. Gnostic or occult awakening is the kiss of death. Though it appears to open a door onto a shining vista, its light is artificial and it brings the person only into bondage. The true light is Jesus Christ: "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." (John 12:46, KJV).


 Notes 

*Shamanism is primarily healing via contact with and aid from spirit beings; incantations and rituals are used to concoct remedies. For sources on Ichazo and Metatron, see Craig Branch, "Profile of The Enneagram," Watchman Fellowship; see also, John C. Lilly and Joseph E. Hart, "The Arica Training," in Transpersonal Psychologies, ed. Charles T. Hart (Harper & Row, 1975, p. 342), from footnote 16 in Dorothy Garrity Ranaghan, "A Closer Look at the Enneagram," (South Bend, IN: Greenlawn Press, 1975), p. 9.

** The Theosophical Society, founded in New York in 1875 by Madame Helena Blavatsky, includes Hindu-based beliefs combined with a belief that humanity is guided by disembodied, enlightened "Masters" and other esoteric teachings whose messages can only be interpreted by a few. Theosophy greatly influenced early thinkers of the New Age movement. For the fascinating story of Theosophy, see Peter Washington's Madame Blavatsky's Baboon (Schocken, 1996, paperback edition)

***Divination is also attributing hidden meaning to images such as with Tarot cards; to numbers, as in numerology, also called arithmancy; or to patterns in the natural world, as in astrology or palmistry; as well as seeking information via occult supernatural means or sources .

****The writer of this article had spirit guides, the first one being introduced via a guided meditation.

 Sources & Links to More Information 

Excellent Christian analysis of the Enneagram 

Donald Miller, Enneagram and Who "Feels" Closer to God

Christian response from Viola Larson to the use of the Enneagram in the church (see also Larson's responses to comments below the article)

Christian resource with more information on Ichazo and Naranjo

A brief Christian evaluation

Assessment and critique from a Roman Catholic viewpoint

Excellent booklet with overview of the Enneagram and why it is incompatible with Christianity:
"A Closer Look at the Enneagram," Dorothy Garrity Ranaghan (South Bend, Indiana: Greenlawn Press, 1989).

Excellent and entertaining resource on the history, beliefs, and personalities of the influential Theosophical Society, including Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, and others: Madame Blavatsky's Baboon, Peter Washington (Schocken, 1996).

 Pro-Enneagram Links 

History of the modern Enneagram's use

From the website of The Enneagram Institute, a page revealing the occult spirituality behind the Enneagram

 Other Links 

Video of guru giving shaktipat (an occult initiation)

How Trials Separate True Converts From False Converts

by J.C. Ryle

“A person’s religion may look well for a season. An ignorant eye may detect no difference between the possessor of such a religion, and a true Christian. Both may worship in the same Church. Both may use the same ordinances. Both may profess the same faith. The outward appearance of the house built on the rock, and the house without any solid foundation, may be much the same. But the day of trial and affliction is the test which the religion of the mere outward professor cannot stand. When storm and tempest beat on the house which has no foundation, the walls which looked well in sunshine and fair weather, are sure to come to the ground. The Christianity which consists of merely hearing religion taught, without doing anything, is a building which must finally fall. Great indeed will be the ruin! There is no loss like the loss of a soul.”