Justin Peters On The Dangerous Word of Faith Movement

“The dangers of the Word of Faith Movement are as real as they are pervasive. The message from thousands of pulpits is that God wants you to be happy, healthy, and rich. But this is not biblical Christianity, as Justin Peters so adequately demonstrates in his exceptional presentation. With clarity and credibility, Peters exposes the Word of Faith Movement for what it really is—a farce. Local churches will benefit greatly from his personal experience and vast research on this important topic.”

Dr. John MacArthur
Pastor, Grace Community Church
Sun Valley, CA

 Additional Resources 

Justin Peters' DVD Collection "A Call For Discernment"

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The Temptation

Pastor Jeff Noblit,
Grace Life Church

"Satan says (to today's pastors), 'Don't worry about following the Word of God too closely. Don't force a two thousand year message and two thousand year old methods on this contemporary culture.' Satan says 'There are new ideas, there are clever, creative approaches that will work better. Don't emphasize biblical doctrine, don't make the Cross the center of your message...this will bore people, even offend people. If you want results and a big name and big numbers and big popularity, you must accomodate today's world.' It comes at us all the time. Satan's point is this: if you'll just violate Scripture, God will bless, protect and breathe on your carnal efforts. But that's a lie." 

-Jeff Noblit, Grace Life Church, The Temptation of Jesus (Sermon from 5/15/2011)

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.


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