Eckhart Tolle Gives Us Just Another Rat Wheel

Posted by Christine Pack

Life is challenging.  There are bills to pay, relationships to navigate, children to raise, health issues that rear their heads, family problems to tend to, and on and on.  So what is the "prescription" for bringing peace into our difficult and challenging lives?  In a recent USA Today interview, today's premier spiritual writer, Eckhart Tolle, has a very simple prescription:

     "Stop. Drop those thoughts. Breathe. Be still. Just be."

Tolle, who rocketed to fame after his appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show, explains to us in his best-selling books, A New Earth and The Power of Now, that the ultimate path to inner peace is available to all of us, and at any time.  All we have to do is let go of all our thoughts.  But this thinking is nothing new, and even Eckhart Tolle understands that. Tolle was born Ulrich Tolle, but later in life took the name of "Eckhart" in honor of Catholic mystic Meister Eckhart, one of many mystics throughout the ages who have championed this idea of inner-peace-through-mysticism.  Tolle himself is a modern day mystic, determined to bring this message of inner peace through mystical practices to the masses.

But can this methodology bring peace?  In practical terms, what happens after a person has given himself or herself a little "mental spa treatment," à la Tolle's prescription?  They've got to come back to reality at some point.  Which means, back to the same circumstances.  Back to themselves.  Nothing's changed, and this is why this prescription for inner peace doesn't work.  A trip to the spa might temporarily lift the spirits and remove one from life's circumstances.....but in the end, it's back to same situation.  And more importantly, back to the same you. Sure, when times are tough - whether it's the economy, or a troubled marriage or whatever - a little escapism is enticing.  (Just ask a person who struggles with depression: oversleeping is a major symptom of depression, because sleep can oftentimes be used as an escape.)  But in the end, if there is no inner change in a person, how can outer change be effected?

I contend that Eckhart Tolle's prescription for inner peace, besides teaching one how to temporarily escape from life, is just another rat wheel.  All false religions and cults have a rat wheel for its adherents to get on - and "works" for them to start churning out - in an effort to have peace.  You see, innately, all humans have eternity written on their hearts.  People instinctively know that there is a sovereign Creator God to whom they are beholden.  But how to have peace with this God? That's the eternal question.  Of all the world's religions, only Christianity answers this question satisfactorily.  We have peace with our Maker only through the means provided by Him, by God.  After all, if a Hindu or a Buddhist could achieve peace through yoga and meditation and fasting; if a Muslem could achieve peace through jihad or mecca; if a Catholic could achieve peace through the sacraments or good works, then what would be the point of the Cross?  None of the practices of other religions can bring peace because all they are are man's pitiful attempts to figure out a way to have peace with God. The systems of "works" generated by western civilization may be a little more sophisticated than the system of works designed by cultures that do rain dances and sacrifice village maidens, but they're still just works. They're still just another rat wheel to get on in an attempt to assuage our consciences.

Take a look at some of the key points from Tolle's teachings (along with scriptural truth which refutes that any of these things are possible in an unregenerated state):

To find abundance, give it away. (Jesus tells us that we will have life and more abundantly - but it will only be through Him).

Take responsibility for your inner state. (The Bible tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked and beyond repair.)

See, hear and appreciate. (Only Christ can give us eyes to see and ears that hear spiritual truth.)

In contrast to Tolle's teaching, the Cross stands as a monument to the exclusivity of Christianity - and the futility of works. Christianity is different in that Christians understand that salvation - peace with God - comes only from God, through the Cross, and not from themselves.  Peace comes from God reaching down to us, and never from us reaching up to Him.  Scripture tells us that there is no one who is righteous, and none who seek God.  Salvation is a gift from God, and comes not by works, so that no one can boast.

If all other religions could make a way for peace with God through adherence to some system of works, then the New Age mantra of "All paths lead to God" would be true.  But we know it is not.  We know that only those who have been born again through repentance from their sins and faith in Christ's sacrifice on their behalf will be given that oh-so-elusive inner peace.  A true and lasting peace, rather than a cheap kind of  temporary peace that comes from generating some kind of mystical experience.  Christianity offers the kind of peace that comes from knowing that - regardless of life's circumstances, - they have peace with their Maker.  They won't be given perfect circumstances - in fact, often just the opposite - but what they will have is a Lord who is an ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), a peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7), and a transformed inner nature that will enable them to truly love and give from the heart (2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 5:22-24).  Makes a "mental spa treatment" seem kind of small by comparison, doesn't it?

Eckhart Tolle is seducing many Christians into New Age spirituality with his books which artfully blend liberal doses of Scripture with Universalist theology. If you or anyone you know have been lured into this apostasy, please realize that this is not biblical Christianity.  True Christian faith recognizes and proclaims that there is only one way to God, and it is through Christ.  And no matter how good a book may sound or "feel," if this truth is not at its core, it is false teaching.  Repent, and run back to the Savior, for He is mighty to forgive.

photo credit: Earthworm via photo pin cc

An Open Letter To John Piper

Posted by Christine Pack

Dr. John Piper

When I heard the news that John Piper had invited Rick Warren to be his keynote speaker at the 2010 Desiring God conference, I literally laughed. I thought it had to be a joke.  It was even a couple of days before April 1, so I think I can be forgiven for thinking someone might be playing an early April Fools prank on me.  The Desiring God National Conference, where Rick Warren will be speaking, is scheduled this year for October 1-3 in Minneapolis.  This is an annual event held by John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church.  John Piper, who has also authored many books, is widely well regarded in evangelical circles as being very doctrinally solid. So, I don't think I'm overstating it to say that many of us are simply in shock at hearing this news.  The blogosphere has exploded with back and forth talk on this topic.  Tweets are furiously twittering.  In just the past few hours, my inbox has had more than 100 messages about this issue.

With a white-hot spotlight on this topic right now, I'm going to take this opportunity to publicly address Dr. John Piper at Desiring God on this issue.  So here goes....

Rick Warren

Dear Dr. Piper,

I want to express my shock and sadness over Rick Warren being invited to speak at the 2010 Desiring God conference.  As a new Christian, I trained to be in leadership with Celebrate Recovery, a Saddleback ministry.  As time passed during my training, I became more and more uncomfortable at being under the authority of Rick Warren.  While I was learning how to lead groups in going through steps that would ostensibly free them from addiction, I began to privately think to myself: "These people don't need 12 steps to get sober, they need one step - to see God as He really is, high and holy."  And these groups I attended did not lift God up high and holy. I heard nothing of the glorious gospel, of wretched sinners being under the wrath of God, without merit and without hope, but that God, being rich in mercy, intervened into this bleak and hopeless situation by sending a Savior, Jesus, who gave himself up as a sacrifice for sins, so that all who would repent and place their faith and trust in him would be set free from the curse of sin.  When I asked about this, I was told that yes, this was definitely a "weakness" of the program.  A "weakness" of the program.....proclaiming God rightly?  But you see, this is everything....

I thank God that he graciously opened my eyes to the unbiblical nature of the Celebrate Recovery program, which led me to research Rick Warren, and what the whole Purpose Driven movement was all about.  Dr. Piper, I hope you don't feel it is ungracious of me to ask you please rethink your decision to invite Rick Warren into your church. You have done so much over the years to protect the purity of the gospel message, and I hope that your eyes are beginning to be opened about the unbiblical nature of Rick Warren's teaching, which undermine the gospel in so many ways.  I hope that you will do some more research about Rick Warren, and if you do, I think you will see that the gospel Rick Warren proclaims is "another gospel." (Galatians 1:6-9)

With kindest regards,

Sola Sisters


 Additional Resources 

Pastor Bob DeWaay Visits Rick Warren, Asks Him To Preach Christ

Redefining Christianity: Understanding The Purpose Driven Movement

Redefining Christianity - 15-part Radio Program

Who Says The "Begats" Are Boring?

Posted by Christine Pack

It has been said that all of the Old Testament is an arrow pointing to Christ.  It is a grand account, filled with instantly recognizable characters: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jonah. It is an account of a chosen people, and the beginning of the unfolding of God's plan of salvation.  There are amazing miracles and epic stories of kings and nations.  There are amazing displays of God's might and power: the devastation of the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, water from rocks, a talking donkey. And yet, you can almost feel the excitement as the Old Testament comes to a close, and we find ourselves at the beginning of the New Testament.  There is a fresh wind blowing: Messiah is coming!  We open to the first page of the New Testament, the Gospel According to Matthew, and we find.....a genealogy?!  Bor - ing!!  Or is it?

Genealogies are those looong passages interspersed throughout the Bible that trace the bloodline of Jesus. They're also known as the "begats."  As in, so-and so-begat so-and-so, and he begat so-and-so, and he begat.......  The one at the beginning of Matthew, and running for several paragraphs, covers more than 2,000 years and 40 generations.  These are the passages that people joke about as being boring, even painful to read.  Can't sleep? goes the old joke, just read through a genealogy, that ought to do the trick.  And yet, one of the things that God used to save me was the genealogy lines in the Bible.  It's true. Here's how it happened.....

I grew up faithfully attending church with my family.  We loved our church and were involved in many activities: choir, Sunday school, youth group, food drives, retreats, etc., etc. But, it was a very liberal church, and by that I mean, I can't say that I ever heard a clear gospel message in all the years that we attended.  The messages would generally start out with the reading of a Bible verse, but would wind up being a blend of moralism, pop psychology, worldly wisdom and self-help, sometimes with a measure of good old-fashioned American work ethic thrown in.  But no gospel.  And the Bible was sort of viewed as the message given to us by God about how to live Godly lives, with Jesus of course as the primary example.  I remember hearing the story of Adam and Eve as a child in Sunday school, but being told, "Of course, this didn't literally happen since we know that the earth is millions of years old."  Obviously, we were told, God was speaking in metaphorical terms here.  "Adam" as a representative figure of mankind, and "Eve" as a representative figure for womankind.  But there was never a literal "Adam" and a literal "Eve."

Along with this, we were taught that Jesus didn't really perform all the miracles accredited to him by the gospel accounts.  One class in particular stands out in my mind: a teacher earnestly laboring to help us see that Jesus couldn't have possibly fed 5,000 people with just one small meal.  What really happened, he explained to us, was that Jesus brought the little boy with the five loaves of bread and two fishes before the crowd, and the people, being moved by seeing such generosity of spirit in a child, were shamed into pulling out their own secret stashes and sharing.  I'm convinced that this was how the Jesus-as-a-great-moral-example teaching became so entrenched in liberal circles. In bowing down to the false "god" of science (which put forth, among other things, that the earth was millions of years old and miracles weren't possible), liberal theologians had to find a way to make the miracles of Jesus make sense.  This was how they did it.  But, about those pesky genealogies.....

Flash forward 15 years. I have left the church long ago and wound my way circuitously through many different religions, all of which, ultimately, proved futile.  I'm an agnostic now, and back in church giving this Christianity thing a second look, though with massive amounts of skepticism.  Still, I'm attending faithfully with my husband, taking notes, listening intently.  Our pastor stands up one Sunday and says to us, "For those of you who have never read the Bible, I want to invite you to get a reading guide and start reading through it."  I mentally have a forehead smack moment.  As in, why hadn't I ever read the Bible? After all, I had read the Tao Te Ching, the Sutras and Upanishads, the sayings of Buddha, Theosophical writings, etc.  Somewhat sheepishly, I got my reading guide after the service, went to the store the next day and got a study Bible, and started reading.

When I got to one of the bloodlines, okay I admit it, my eyes did roll up in my head at the first reading.  But then I went down to the study notes, which rather matter-of-factly explained that the "begats" were given so that people would know that (1) the Bible was a real book, of real history and real people fixed in time; and was therefore (2) a bloodline that could be traced from Adam and Eve to Jesus.  My brain began to short-circuit.  All those years of allegorized, evolutionized "facts" I had been taught were clashing with this book being presented as historical fact.  I knew I could not reconcile the story of the Garden of Eden with the science I had grown up with.  Where did you squeeze in the millions of years of slow, evolutionary development? Adam and Eve were presented as two real people, the first two people, fully and completely formed. This was a big problem for me, you see, because I was thoroughly postmodern in my thinking.  My generation was probably the first full generation to be raised on the tenets of postmodernism.  Postmodern thought, in a nutshell, is this: your truth is your truth, and my truth is my truth, and even if they are different truths, they can peacefully co-exist. So that's why my brain was short-circuiting; all my postmodern thinking was being challenged by this presentation of Bible history as fact - fact which could not peacefully co-exist with the "science" of millions of years.

So one of these was true and one was not...but which one?  I began to study the bloodline, and realized that it simply wasn't possible to squeeze those millions in.  So what was I going to believe? Well, in his providence, God led me to two things:

(1) Answers in Genesis. AIG is an amazing ministry with many scientists who have gone on record categorically stating that the scientific evidence, rather than proving millions of years, instead is beginning to point more and more to a "young earth" timeline.....as in, a timeline that lines up with about the same amount of time given in the Bible. You can go here to see a very long list of scientists in agreement with the "young earth" timeline.  Bear in mind that these men and women are experts in their field, most of them in some area of specialized scientific study (archaeology, astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry, etc.).  My point is this: you simply cannot look at this long list of scientists and give the standard worldly line: "Well, you must be an uneducated idiot to believe in the young earth theory!"  You can say a lot of things when you look at this list of scientists, but you definitely can't say that.

(2) James Ussher's 'Adams' Chart of History. James Ussher was a 17th century Anglican bishop who painstakingly charted out the bloodline from Adam and Eve to Jesus.  His chart features the Biblical timeline going across the top and the corresponding world history underneath it. It's so amazing to look at it, and see God's hand sovereignly guiding all of human history.  Below the scarlet thread of Jesus's bloodline, you see nations and kings rise and fall, but above it all, God's bloodline marches steadily onward toward the fulfillment of his purposes (Psalm 90).  And what are those purposes?  What exactly is the point of the bloodline? Well, the point is where it ends.  Like in the Old Testament, remember? All of it an arrow pointing to Christ?  This is also what the bloodline does, it puts the spotlight on the one single Person at the end of it:  Jesus, the Messiah.  Jesus, the Lamb of God "who takes away the sins of the world." Jesus, who came and did what no other human being could have ever done: He lived a perfect, sinless life, the life that not one of us could ever live, and he took his perfect life and offered it up as a sacrifice for many. He was crucified and buried, but on the third day after his death, he was raised, proof that his sacrifice was acceptable to God and efficacious for the cleansing of sin.  And anyone who repents and puts their trust in him will be given a new heart and new desires, raised from death to life, born again.  His ultimate reason for coming to this earth was so that He would die. And God put a great big spotlight on that with the begats so that we wouldn't miss the one life - and death - that mattered above all others.

As Americans, we tend to think that we are so mighty, the greatest nation on earth.  Well, when you look at Ussher's timeline, you realize that ALL these kingdoms once had their day in the sun, but where are they now?  Egypt was once the mightiest nation in the world, known for the architectural magnificence of their awe-inspiring pyramids, and for taming the Nile River.  Babylon, known for their acclaimed Hanging Gardens, and brilliant military campaigns led by Nebuchadnezzar.  Rome, their amazing Roman roads and contributions to education and government.  Where are they now?  Some of them are still around, but do they rule the world?  Looking at this chart is truly humbling. It brings the deeper realization of that corny old chestnut: "History is really His - Story"  All of history is "His" story, and it's all about Christ.  All of history is about him.  That's why the Bible so carefully and methodically lays out that bloodline time and time again.  The begats aren't boring - quite the opposite.  They serve the very important purpose of anchoring the Son of God in time and space, a real person, who really lived at a fixed point in history.  The begats take the Bible out of the realm of allegory, and make it something that must be contended with on its own terms.  There is no "filler" in the Bible; all of God's word is holy, inspired, valuable, important (2 Tim 3:16). Even the begats. And for some of us oddballs, especially the begats.

photo credit: Lawrence OP via photopin cc


 Additional Resources 

Answers in Genesis

Adam's Synchronological Chart of History (compiled by James Ussher) 

Scientists Who Have Examined the Data and Conclude that the Evidence Points To Young Earth

The Dark Side of Darwin (interview with Dr. Jerry Bergman)

When The World Determines the Message of the Church

A great discussion by Pastor Bob DeWaay of Twin City Fellowship in Minnesota.  Pastor Bob DeWaay, a thorough and biblical researcher, hosts a weekly program called Critical Issues Commentary.  On this program he has covered such wide ranging topics as:

Finding God's Will 

Personal Words From God 

Binding and Loosing 

Generational Curses 

Theophostics Ministry/Healing of Memories 

The Sufficiency of Christ 

The Church Growth Movement 

The Seeker Sensitive Movement 

The Blood Atonement 

Pietism 

Sanctification 

Divination, Mysticism & Spiritual Formation 

Emergent Church 

False Spiritual Warfare Teachings 

Free Will 

Apostles & Prophets 

Biblical Judging 

Means of Grace 

Hebrews 

This particular program is entitled When The World Determines the Message of the Church.  It is a strong counter-point to the present day conventional wisdom that, as the culture changes, the church needs to change with it and adapt its message to whatever culture it finds itself in.  This is unbiblical thinking and Bob DeWaay explains why.  We have a God who transcends cultures.  Whatever culture, whatever time or place we find ourselves in, fallen man must conform himself to God, not seek to conform God to the culture of the day.

"Breaking Free" from Beth Moore and Her "Try Hard" Theology

by Lisa Nunley, guest writer

Scroll down and you will find just a few emails I have gotten in the past 4 years (and am still getting) since I came out of the closet and confessed why I am not a Beth Moore fan anymore. These emails are from her current fan club. I will share 3 scary ones and 3 somewhat tame ones. Though, mind you, I have received well-over 50 and the majority would end up in the more-scary-than-not category. Also consider that these are professing Christian women who think they have been greatly changed under Beth Moore's teaching. I will begin with her freakish fans, of which I have had to replace the expletives with representative symbols because I just can't bring myself to post those words. Apparently if I were "culturally relevant" I would leave them in as is.

Oh... and my responses to these emails are point-by-point in italicized blue because it is such a nice color.
And the links turn pretty pink. The links will lead you to other articles that I recommend you read.

I would like to begin with what I like about Beth Moore. She has a very bubbly, engaging personality. She is a beautiful, gifted speaker and she is what I consider "almost right" in her theology... which is a very dangerous place to be.

As I have written on a friend's post on Beth Moore: ...I have been through several Beth Moore studies, but being that it is more important to be a Berean and love Jesus more than any teacher, preacher, friend, family member, etc., we must understand, as I often say, that no one is above being held accountable. Even sweet Beth Moore must be held accountable, as should you, me, ...and every Christian. She is spiraling ever downward in her teaching [that is] in grievous error. It is teaching that I personally can account to as some of the worst of the “almost right” which makes it more on the sheep in wolf's clothing type. It is the “almost-right” teaching that Christians are especially warned to be on Guard against in God’s holy Word of Truth. (Read Galatians 1:6-10)

She has some truth thrown in there with her teaching which may appear to give it credibility. ...be on guard. I plead with you to sincerely pray about this before the throne of grace and search the Scriptures as a Berean with a sincere heart to know God’s Truth as He has revealed and not how Beth has revealed, in her sweet, engagingly dynamic almost-true teaching style.

Please note that though I consider her a gifted speaker, I am very concerned about her teaching on many levels. And I am not the only one... as there are more and more women who have been through many of her studies that are coming out of the closet expressing deep concern about her teaching. Here's the sad thing. So many more are mortified at saying anything because Beth Moore's fans are actually kinda... scary...

The scary Beth Moore fan club emails: (Notice: I DON'T comment on these emails)

<1.> You $%#@!!! HOW DARE YOU JUDGE BETH MOORE!!! She changed my life and here you sit on your self-appointed @#$% throne and JUDGE HER!!! I pray your life is miserable you SICK @#@%!!! That your brain lesions from your MS take over your pea-sized brain and you die soon so you will SHUT THE #@%$# UP!!!

<2.> WHY, WHY, WHY would you hurt Beth Moore? Do you know what she’s been through? Do you have any clue about anything? Obviously you have no idea how to live what you {think} you are. A Christian? I don’t think so. Here’s what I think you are %$# %$#%$#& %$# ###$#&$#*^%$ %$#%$*^%&$ #^%^ and I have no doubt you are going straight to hell.

Here’s the thing. You think you know more than Beth Moore? HAHAHAHA!!! That makes me laugh. You know NOTHING!!! NOTHING!!!! You are filled with a demon. HOW DARE YOU say ANYTHING about Beth Moore. SHAME ON YOU!!!!

<3.> Okay, so I just can't post anymore of these... I can't. Though I will share that I have been told by some of her fans that my family would be better off without me as I have also been "hexed" several times for Beth Moore's sake. I think you get the picture. Why am I the target of all this "love" from so many of her fans? I think it is because of what happens when you google "Beth Moore Blog" or "More on Beth Moore")

So the next group is not so scary, but they definitely miss the mark on sound doctrine... probably because they are under Beth Moore's teaching.

Before I share more emails, I want to highlight
just a few concerns in Beth Moore's teaching:

a. She teaches generational bondage/ sin (both in "Breaking Free" and "Believing God") of which I address here: Generational Curses: Is This Belief Biblical?

b. She has a mystical/ psychological approach to sin issues instead of a Biblical one as she claims that God reveals himself and his purposes in many ways, including emotions, and mystical experiences. (sounds like a roller coaster ride of self-sustained religion)

c. She openly endorses contemplative prayer in the "Be Still" DVD where she encourages emptying your mind. This type of prayer is used by Eastern Religions and Catholic Mystics not based on Scripture and running acceptably rampant as the norm in way too many "Christian" churches. Scripture is clear that when we meditate on God's Word, we do not empty it, but fill it with His truth. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; Psalm 77:12; Psalm 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 99, 148; Psalm 143:5; Psalm 145:5)

d. She is a pragmatist which essentially makes all truth relative as she advocates the sweeping in of self-help, me-centered, positive thinking, and avoidance of offending any biblical doctrine as God's Word is twisted to meet the individuals needs, rather than preached without compromise.

e. Beth Moore teaches that knowing God is experiential at the expense of sound doctrine. I think she may really want to be theological, but ends up explaining theological truths away with a shallow don't let theology and doctrine confuse you when you can figure it out with God for yourself in a way that works for you. (okay, so this point is similar to the last one)

f. Beth actually gives some great advice... but it gets severely clouded in special revelations and horrendous hermeneutics (aka eisegesis) which leads to more and more misuses of Scripture.

g. In her "encouragement" to break free, she actually puts you in further legalistic bondage with her approach. Hmmm. Didn't Christ come to set us free from legalistic, Pharisaical bondage? (Matthew 12:1-21)

h. Beth actually says that Jesus “thinks it will be heaven because you will be there.” and then speaks the line of a song, “When He was on the Cross, I was on his mind.” ...So, if you end up in hell, is heaven no longer heaven to Jesus? (That just seems utterly blasphemous to me)

i. Oh, and she teaches men. (But, as you can see above in "a" thru "h", this is actually not the one and only concern and might even somewhat pale in comparison to the other stuff.)

The somewhat tame Beth Moore fan club emails: (Notice: I DO comment and provide links on these emails)

<1.> I think you do millions of women a great disservice with your negative remarks about Beth Moore. You seem to think you can stand in judgment of not only her, but also her pastors and husband - amazing! You need to understand that the New Testament was written in Greek and the English language is not able to always, totally accurately, translate words and passages. I Timothy 2:12 is a perfect example of trying to tidy-up the Greek into a short English sentence - and it's just impossible to do. It doesn't actually say (in Greek) that women should NEVER teach men, it actually says something more like 'a married woman should not try to assert herself so that it appears that she is trying to be the teacher of her husband and have authority over him'. She is to do nothing to usurp her husband's position (as head of the marriage/couple) or embarrass him.
Consider reading this: A Call to Discernment and On Women's Ordination

Obviously, there are some slightly varying opinions of this, but I believe that is for God to sort out. I do know that He is not a God of confusion or division and it really bothers me when one Christian - or one Christian church - stands in judgement of another AND advertises it on a website!
Consider reading why God's truth is knowable HERE
I agree with you regarding confusion and division. Read THIS by Spurgeon, as well as: Do We Really Need to Wage War Against False Doctrine?

Beth Moore has an amazing love for and belief in Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit and God the Father; she has reached so many for the eternal kingdom and her faith is counted as righteousness.
Please consider that only God can truly determine whose faith is "counted as righteousness" and how many she has truly reached for the eternal kingdom and how many she has actually led down the path of false assurance roller-coaster ride of self-sustained religion

(next day, same gal above sent another email)

...If women are being saved and growing in Christ, is that not evidence, in all likelihood, of His hand in Beth Moore's ministry?
Ummmmm. No. Wish it was.

(I personally know 2 women who have been led to Christ beacuse of being in a Beth Moore study.) You find something about Beth Moore that YOU believe is not in accordance with Scripture and you would disregard her entire ministry? That's the old ''baby with the bath water mentality'! You're saying that all the Biblical truths that I and millions of others have learned and have had come alive for us in greater, deeper, more meaningful ways are all garbage because a few men have dared to sit in on Mrs. Moore's Sunday School class???
And now I pray that the Lord will lead them to a loving and Biblically solid church with sound teaching... and I dare say that it is God that draws His children to Himself in His time through the preaching of the Gospel of His Son. Go back and read my concerns "a" thru "i" above.

Somehow I'm pretty sure God doesn't see it that way!
"His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts"

Again, others who have studied scripture - and it's Greek parentage - far beyond what you and I have, believe that the scripture in question refers to a married woman not usurping her husband's authority, embarrassing him, etc. With the husband's permisson a woman IS allowed to speak and teach. Other men have the option to listen or not. Of course the woman is to be discreet and modest as she does this.
I have already provided you a link in the first email you sent. Ummmm... please read it. It is quite thorough and spot on.

Do you cover your head every time you go to church? Do you braid your or your daughter's hair? Do you wear pearls or other jewelry? I'm sure I already know the answer to these questions, yet they are scripturally off-limits to the women of Paul's day. (And again, knowing the Greek translation would probably be clarifying and beneficial.) My point is that some things/actions were off-limits because of local customs and because they would be distracting and divisive - but that may not be the case today.
Consider reading this entire site, which includes Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth

Matthew 7:5 and John 8:7 seem to be excellent, God-breathed words to live by, as they were spoken by Jesus himself. I know I need to be reminded.
I agree. Those are excellent Scriptures that we all have to be reminded of often. 

<2.> i got your email due to your blog about beth moore.
now i know maybe i shouldnt be sending this email, but that beth moore blog got me thinking. beth moore loves to share the word of the Lord. now shouldnt we be moore concerned about someone speaking untrue things about Him?
I would love it if she would learn things like exegesis and sound doctrine so that uncompromising, Biblical teaching will permeate her gift for speaking.
The answer to your question is "yes, we should be concerned about someone speaking untrue things about Him. . That is why I am writing this. I am very concerned about Beth Moore teaching untrue things.

what if someone is teaching false facts? even talking people out of christianity? Lets go even further.. what about starvation, sex traders, abortions?
True saving faith Christians cannot be talked out of Christianity. All those blatant sins you have listed are horrendous. But then, before God, sin is sin.

i feel like there are so much more things that are to our concerns in this world. yes you are right it does say in the bible about women not preaching to men. WHAT ABOUT JUDGING OTHERS?
Except that the God of the Bible warns us over and over and over in the Bible about false teachers and wolves in sheep's clothing, so it doesn't seem like we should gloss over it.
There is unrighteous judgment and discerning righteous judgment and here is something you need to read, though I have already linked it: But here I go again

i think you might be getting this belief of yours out of hate. i dont know where you stand now. i know that blog was a long time ago.
but be careful on your website. people might be looking for answers on the internet and find a blog from you, an amazing God loving strong woman, and how does that look that you are judging speakers out there serving Him?

If you mean hatred of things evil, which includes false teaching... yes. If you mean hatred of Beth Moore, no.
Where do I stand? Besides the fact that I am sitting, my concerns are not only the same, they have grown!
If people are looking for answers on the internet and end up on my blog, perhaps so they might actually read a post about the uncompromising Gospel. If I said nothing and buried my head in the sand, not caring about people falling prey to this teaching, how would that look?
As I have already written here, no one is above being held accountable... Not me, you, Beth Moore, my best friend, favorite preacher... no one.

i dont really want an email back. ill be praying for you.
Okay. So I will address this publicly. and please remember, God doesn't turn His ear to hear certain prayers

<3.> This is regarding your post about Beth Moore (and female teachers in general)
I don't comment so much on this one because I will be merely repeating myself over and over with the same comments and links... so... see above... though this one seems to slam me personally more and yet claim not to be angry. Another emotional roller coaster ride.
I do not understand this, for a rebuke or reproof the statements were too harsh...following your trail of reasoning..should she be stopped from sharing the word? Should her ministry be stopped as well due to the fact that her messages (and the fact that she teaches men) were supposedly flawed? I don't understand...So should I listen to you then cuz you seem to have all the correct theology and flawless interpretation of the word? My heart is really sore, no wonder Jesus prayed for unity we are Christians but we are just so different...What can you say about the female missionary who taught in our village? Is that heresy as well? Should we not believe in her words cuz she's a woman? I'll be honest, you really made me cry, I uphold Christ as our only source (don't get me wrong) but it was Beth Moore whom God has used to reach out to my suicidal atheistic sister, she is now serving the Lord in our church... how can a bad tree bear such good fruits? (I'm really crying as I type this)...there's only one thing that I know of, in our villages...for those people who live in the mountains being a Calvinist or Armenian doesn't matter...what matters is our relationship with Jesus (you all have no idea what it is like) I am just wondering, since the theological intricacies of biblical concepts were not so much preached to local men in the islands...does that make them less acceptable to God and make you all more? (not to mention we have female teachers here)
I am not really angry, I was just hurt to see that those who have not really experienced reaching out to other people can say such terrible things. That a person who have not as much lifted a finger to share the word of God outside their own safe place can speak such intense words.
Please listen to What Does the Bible Say a Good Work Is? and also to What is the Biblical Definition of a Good Work?

I don't know but as we say here...ang Diyos ang maghuhusga sa iyo at sa lahat ng iyong mga gawa... God will be the ultimate judge...
"Every lofty thought lifted up against Christ has to be torn down and in its place there has to be obedience to the truth of God in Christ revealed in Scripture. So spiritual war is a battle for the mind. It is a battle between truth and error. It calls for discernment."-JMac

This is not about being holier than thou. This is about sincere grievous concern over false teaching from someone very popular, personable and persuasive. Let me plead with my Christian brothers and sisters to not fall back on easy phrases like "that shalt not judge" or "God will be the judge" and do the scriptural thing and hold everything up to scripture as a Berean.

"Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." 2 Corinthians 4:2




 Additional Resources 

Theology......More or Less With Beth (Sarah Flashing, Midwest Christian Outreach)

An Overview of Beth Moore (CARM)

Beth Moore's Dangerous Bible Twisting (Fighting For The Faith radio)

Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth

Mysticism: Spiritual Crack

Posted by Christine Pack

Roman Catholic mystic Thomas Merton once compared mystical meditation to the same powerful experience generated by mind-altering drugs.

"Isn't it a pity that people are going into LSD to have spiritual experiences, when we have a tradition in the Church [contemplative prayer] which no one knows anything about?" (Thomas Merton, from  a letter he wrote to fellow mystic Matthew Fox)

The thing that Merton (like all mystics before him and since) didn't understand is that mystical meditation is far more dangerous than drugs. Entering into an altered state of consciousness is playing with spiritual dynamite, and not in a good way.

Monvee, the new product put out by Leadership Network, markets itself as a way for Christians to draw closer to God through something called "Spiritual Formation." Spiritual Formation, for those who don't know, is the main avenue by which mysticism is coming into today's churches.  Today's Christians who are enamoured by this Christian sounding practice try to make the distinction that there is a difference between "bad" mysticism and "good" mysticism. Obviously, to those pleading this case, "bad" mysticism would be occultic, and eastern in origin. But "good" mysticism, so the reasoning goes, would be a type of mysticism that is Christian, biblical, and necessary for spiritual development.  

But the "Christian" mysticism taught in Spiritual Formation courses - and referenced by Thomas Merton above - is not Christian, and is in fact identical to classic occultic meditation practices taught in Hinduism, Buddhism, wicca, paganism, etc.  The technique is always the same: corraling one's thoughts through the use of some device (mantra, breathing, etc.), entering into an altered state of consciousness, then "listening" to God.  This is not Christian.  This is what pagans do. And wiccans. And Buddhists. And Hindus.  And just like with crack, a Monvee user will have to come back over and over again, trying to find that elusive high, trying to get another spiritual charge.  Christians "listen" to God through the study of scripture, not through using a mantra meditation to alter their state of  consciousness so they can get a little spiritual "bump" from God.

Instead of actually drawing a person closer to God, these occultic practices generate a "counterfeit Holy Spirit experience" which "feels" very real, very profound, and very spiritual.  Actually, when people engage in these practices, what they're experiencing is spiritual...only, it is not from God.

"And no wonder, for even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." (2 Cor 11:14). 

Beware of Spiritual Formation - and warn your brothers and sisters in Christ.  We "listen" to God not by powering down and getting a spiritual "hit" from God, but by reading and studying the Bible- Sola Scriptura.  Spiritual Formation techniques have many different names, but here are some of the most well known:

Lectio Divina 

Contemplative Prayer 

Contemplative Spirituality 

Ancient Future 

Spiritual Disciplines 

Centering Prayer 

Jesus Prayer

photo credit: daveblume via photo pin cc


 Additional Resources 

Secular Interview About What Mysticism Is - BBC Radio Program

What Is Mysticism? (Sola Sisters Article)

What Is Mysticism? (3-Part Series by Dr. Gary Gilley) - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5

Mystical Youth Ministry

Contemplative Monvee: Placing Experience Above Scripture

Contemplative Prayer, Spiritual Formation and the Kundalini Effect 

Mysticism: A Counterfeit Holy Spirit

Fighting For The Faith Interview on Mysticism - Testimony of a Former Mystic

Is Dallas Willard A Universalist?

Dallas Willard and popular author John Ortberg have teamed together to create a new product being launched right now called Monvee.  What is Monvee? Monvee, which bills itself as "the future of spiritual formation," is an online assessment tool that is used to "handcraft" a personalized plan for spiritual development for its participants.  That sounds great, except that there's a problem.  And that problem, one of them anyway, is Dallas Willard.

Dallas Willard, for those who don't know him, has been a darling of the evangelical world for years.  He has been a prolific writer in Christendom, churning out very popular books such as The Divine Conspiracy (Christianity Today's Book of the Year in 1998), The Spirit of the Disciplines, Hearing God, Renovation of the Heart, and, most recently, The Great Omission.  But Dallas Willard, though he is identified as an evangelical, is anything but orthodox in his views.  In a recent interview, Willard made these shocking statements:

“Now, I believe that everyone who deserves to be saved will be saved no matter where they are or what they do.” 

"(God) is open and in touch with everyone in the world, and for all who seek them with all of their heart—and that is defined in terms of coming to love Him, and not just have the right beliefs about Him—but coming to love Him, and loving their neighbor as themselves."

And then on Dallas Willard's own website, he makes this universalist statement:

"I am not going to stand in the way of anyone whom God wants to save. I am not going to say ‘he can’t save them.’ I am happy for God to save anyone he wants in any way he can.  It is possible for someone who does not know Jesus to be saved."

In these statements, Dallas Willard - a professing Christian, might I remind you - is making the classic argument put forward by all skeptics who don't want to believe Jesus when Jesus said these words: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father but by me."  And that argument is this: what about the "good Buddhist" or the "good atheist?" I know that it feels good and more loving to think that God will save people, who to our eyes anyway, appear to be good, decent, moral people.  Our error comes when we view this problem with human eyes, and not with God's eyes.  More importantly, we use our own standards for "good" to gauge a person's "goodness" or "worthiness" rather than God's holy standard.

The problem with that is that our human standards are notoriously fickle and self-serving.  After all, Hitler thought he was a good and moral person. Now, I'm purposefully using Hitler as an example here because he has come to be such an iconic figure for the personification of monumental evil.  I agree that he was monumentally evil, but what most people don't realize is that this universal understanding of his evilness only came about after World War II.  The truth is that, in his day, Hitler was loved and adored. Adoring crowds cheered his speeches, women fainted, children timidly offered bouquets.  Hitler was also a very pragmatic leader.  Along with getting rid of all those "filthy Jews," he cleaned up the streets and made the trains run on time.  Hey, what's a little mass murder when someone can make good time getting to Stuttgart?  It wasn't until the discovery of the concentration camps by the liberators that everyone shrank back in horror from him and he became the iconic, universal figure that we point to when we are struggling to describe evil of great magnitude.

So clearly, human judgment for what is good and what is evil simply cannot be trusted.  There is a higher truth, a higher standard, and that standard is given by God.  While we might struggle to understand why someone who is not a Christian, but whom we know and care about, would be cast into hell for refusing to  repent and bend the knee to Christ in humble submission, we know that we must not formulate our own doctrines (like Dallas Willard's brand of Universalism) to make this make sense.  We must go to Scripture, we must trust in the LORD with all our hearts, leaning not on our own understanding, but acknowledging him in all our ways....and only then will our paths be straight. (Prov 3:5-6)  My pastor often makes the statement: "We are reformed, always reforming."  Meaning, we all have gaps in our theology, but we don't "close the gaps" with our own man-made wisdom....we allow Scripture to "reform" our thinking.  Let's say there is something that I hold as a "truth," something that I think has guided me faithfully for years.  I love this truth, I embrace it, I speak about it to others, it has value to me.  And let's say that in ongoing Bible study, one day I realize this "truth" to be in error.  What happens to this "truth?"  Bye-bye, is what happens to it.  It has to go.  It's been great knowing you, dear "truth," but I have something better: God's truth.  Scripture.

Let me come right out and admit that Universalism was one of the "truths" that I loved and held to for many years.  I harbored it secretly in my heart as I grew up attending church, and then I let this truth run free as a young adult when I cast off my Christian upbringing and wholeheartedly embraced the New Age movement.  It seemed so much more tolerant and loving to repeat that postmodern, Universalist mantra: "All paths lead to God."  I was also working in an industry that attracted many homosexuals, some of whom I became friends with.  The biblical idea that these friends of mine would be damned for their sin was absolutely ludicrous to me.  Who could believe in such a God?  Moreover, who could love such a God?

What I came to realize after God saved me was that their sin of unrepentant homosexuality was no greater than my own sins of unrepentant covetousness, unrepentant pride, unrepentant stubborness. Like Jesus, we are to love the sinner but hate the sin.  Many people point to the story of Jesus and the adulterous woman as an example of Jesus-accepts-you-just-as-you-are tolerance.  Only, they conveniently leave out the last part where Jesus told the woman: "Go, and sin no more." (John 8:1-11)

We must - in love and with great compassion - exhort our homosexual friends to repent and bend the knee before their sovereign creator God, just as we would any other lost person.  And then we must understand  that all of us have besetting sins that we struggle with, all of us must seek to subdue and crucify our flesh, not in a works-righteous way, but in a God honoring and God glorifying way, so that our wills, our hearts, our minds, our bodies all come under the authority of Christ (Rom 13:14, Gal 3:27, Eph 4:24).  No, it's not easy, and yes, there are setbacks and ongoing struggles.  But when God saves us, He mercifully gives us the Holy Spirit, our ally behind enemy lines, as it were, who helps us grow and gives us strength and aids us as we become more and more conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).

What I have discovered in my own life, as I grow older and study the Bible more, is that the ideas I've come up with as I travel through life - which oftentimes have seemed so profound along the way - have always been shown for what they are in light of Scripture: Silly little nothings. Futile thinking. Vain imaginations. (2 Cor. 10:5, Rom 1:21-22).  I must reform my thinking in light of Scripture because I am a Christian.  I do not insist that its truths must "work" alongside mine.  I bow the knee in humble submission.

What I hear and read in Dallas Willard's articles and interviews is not a man who bows the knee in humble submission to God's word.  I see a man who tries to wear the cloak of Christianity and who uses Christian terminology, but whose core doctrines, when you get right down to it, are not Christian.  Not even close.  To which I say, fine, be who you are, only be it honestly.  If you believe what the pagans believe, go for it, knock yourself out, run wild in the streets with them.  Only, don't try to bring it into our churches.

So my final question is, if Dallas Willard is a Universalist, as it appears to me, where does that leave John Ortberg, his partner and co-creator of Monvee?  And what does that make Monvee.....a good thing or a bad thing?  We'll look at that in more detail in an upcoming post.

photo credit: Michael Dawes via photo pin cc

 Additional Resources 

Monvee: Mysticism For The Masses

Is Dallas Willard A Christian?