Herescope Archives

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

As we look at Wisdom University, we can see a culmination of New Age spirituality and ancient philosophies being brought together into a unique forum to train other students in the process of transforming something common into something special, or what is known as "alchemy." This is clearly revealed as you enter the world of the New Chartes School, a new course described as "A Seven Stage Initiatory Journey into the Mysteries of the Seven Liberal Arts of Antiquity as Gateways of Transformation."

"New Chartres School is designed as an initiation into the wellspring of wisdom developed by the wise ones of civilizations long past..."

"[O]ffering an intitiatory exploration of the Seven Liberal Arts of Grammatica, Dialectica, Rhetorica, Musica, Arithmetica, Geometrica and Astronomica, as refracted through the portals of alchemy, astrology and sacred art. Each intensive will also include an immersion into one of the world's wisdom traditions."

According to the New Chartres School description of the Seven Intensives, the world's wisdom traditions are comprised of seven different mystical traditions, each a gateway to further enlightenment finally birthing the "Divine Human":

Sufism, Kabbalah, Medieval Christian mysticism (Contemplative Spirituality), Hindu mysticism, Shammanic mysticism, Tibetan Buddhist mysticism, and Integral mysticism or a "coming together of all of the world's wisdom traditions, the whole of which is far greater than the sum of the parts."

In the Seventh Intensive, we see the realized goal of the fusion of spirituality and social action - "Sacred Activism: The Birthing of a New World."

"In the final Intensive, we bring to an integrated conclusion the demands for deeper spiritual commitment and the imperative for more effective social action. In a time such as ours, spirituality without activism is arid intellectualism. Activism without spirituality has effect but little depth. What is needed is a radical fusion of the two, in which we experience both a deepening of our mystical self through an immersion into sacred practices as well as a strong commitment to social activism, leading to an integration of the two that enriches our interior journey. Integrated as a single movement of soul and service, sacred activism can transform lives and change the world."

The Truth:

To put all of the above in simple terms, the role of this "university" is to bring students into a level of communication with the cosmic consciousness through meditative practices to encounter the ancient ones or spirit guides. Through this process, those trained in this New Spirituality are to intitiate global transformation reaching out to every area of society. This is at the core of all New Age teaching.

We are seeing this very same philosophy and teaching infiltrating the body of Christ in every denomination. Even the terminology being used is the same in many instances. "Sacred Activism - The Birthing of a New World" is eerily similar to the kingdom-building transformation espoused by the New Apostolic Reformation leaders.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1)

In the last three postings of Herescope we have witnessed the rise of a growing darkness that is quickly overshadowing the world through various organizations and institutions such as Wisdom University. For many years these undertakings have remained hidden to the mainstream public but the work continued unabated creeping slowly so as not to be noticed until leadership, organizations and networks were formed and firmly established gaining power and acceptabilty in all levels of society.

Jim Garrison, the Chairman and President of both Wisdom University and the State of the World Forum, has used his influence, both spiritual and political, to bring about global transformation. He is one of the key players in bridging the New Spirituality with the political powers of the world through the efforts of "Sacred Activism".

Garrison is considered to be one of the world's leading Christian theologians as well as one of the world's key political change agents. In his role as a New Age activist, he is bringing the New Spirituality to the forefront as a viable means for shaping and changing the world through globalization strategies.

Here are some quotes from a press release from Paraview Press from November 2000, announcing a release of Garrison's book Civilization and the Transformation of Power:

"At the turn of the millennium the world is burning.” With these words begins the visionary new book by Jim Garrison, president of the State of the World Forum (http://worldforum.org/ ), a non-profit institution dedicated to discerning and implementing those principles, values, and actions necessary to guide humanity toward a more sustainable global civilization.

"Transformation is occurring in every sector, at every scale, in every dimension,” continues Garrison. “Nothing we have inherited from the past is able to withstand the accelerated pace of change; everything from the future remains a perpetual possibility. Society has become completely malleable to the power of science and technology; our mind, continually susceptible to novelty; our relationships, opened to new configurations and meanings…It is almost unbelievable that 90 percent of everything that has been discovered or invented in the entire history of civilization has been invented or discovered in the past seventy-five years...Yet all these achievements have not made us more ethically balanced or more wise.

”At the same time, notes Garrison, “a global consciousness, spawned by economic globalization and mass communication, is for the first time uniting all of humanity into a single unit, bringing the six thousand discrete cultures and societies now existing around the world into sustained interaction. Human civilization is being reborn on a global scale.”

This is the long awaited "birthing" of a vision of the "new Jesus" that had been cast in the late 1800's by the early Theosophists; from Helena Blavatsky to Alice Bailey to Robert Muller and now to Jim Garrison through his position with Wisdom University and the State of the World Forum.

An article was posted today at Kjos Ministries written by Carl Teichrib, The Globalization Strategy: America and Europe in the Crucible. In it Jim Garrison is quoted showing his further role in perpetrating the New Age transformation through globalization strategies.

The leaders of this world are quickly embracing his ideas and philosophies for change. With continuing crises about us any discernment concerning spiritual Truth has been lost. The churches and denominations will inevitably see this as an important opportunity to join in this move for transformation, to bring some kind of peace upon the earth.

The Truth:

Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: (Luke 12:51)

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Th 5:3-8)

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (Matthew 24:24-26)

The following quote reflects the heart and soul of Matthew Fox, and one is able to see the plan unfolding that he had envisioned with the founding of Wisdom University:

"In Christianity, the archetype for mysticism is the 'Cosmic Christ.' While the quest for the historical Jesus has preoccupied modern scholarship for two hundred years and has reached a fruitful climax in our time, where, oh where, is the research on the Cosmic Christ? Is the Cosmic Christ studied in our seminaries and theological literature? One cannot study it if one is working exclusively from a left-brain perspective, for the Cosmic Christ, like its Eastern counterpart, the Buddha Nature, is the Divine Image ( Imago Dei ) found in all beings. It is the image and likeness of the Divine in all things. It requires heart work to encounter it." ("The Environment's Role in Deconstructing and Reconstructing Theology and Religion," by Matthew Fox)

Fox wrote in his article, "One Truth, Many Paths," for Yoga Journal, "there is a panentheistic—that is, mystical—dimension to Christianity that embraces the wisdom tradition that the historical Jesus knew and practiced. (This is the Cosmic Christ tradition.)"

The unbiblical and erroneous beliefs of Matthew Fox have taken him on a mission to bring all of humanity into a mystical union with his Cosmic Christ, to be enlightened, fully realizing and embracing our own divinity. He would have us believe that each of us was born with a spark or blessing of divinity within, similar to the Gnostics that the Apostle Paul dealt with in Colossae with his letter to the Colossians.

The second edition of A Time of Departing by Ray Yungen was recently published. In his book Yungen reveals how ancient mystical practices are uniting Christians with the world's religions.

Here is an excerpt from Chapter three of Ray's book concerning Matthew Fox:

"The individual most often spoken of as being the proponent of New Age mysticism within Christianity is writer and Episcopalian priest Matthew Fox. His popular books, Original Blessing and The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, are primers for what he calls creation-centered spirituality, which is nothing more than simple panentheism with a glorified title.

"Fox has a sizable following in both Catholic and mainline Protestant circles, although he has not generated near the enthusiasm or respect of Thomas Merton or Henri Nouwen. Yet Fox manifests the same God-in-everything view and aligns with Eastern religion as did Merton and Nouwen:

"Divinity is found in all creatures. . . The Cosmic Christ is the "I am" in every creature. (Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ (60)

"Fox believes that mysticism is essential to humanity in saying:

"Without mysticism there will be no 'deep ecumenism,' no unleashing of the power of wisdom from all the world's religious traditions. Without this [mysticism] I am convinced there will never be a global peace or justice since the human race needs spiritual depths and disciplines, celebrations and rituals to awaken its better selves. ( 61)

"Fox coined the term 'deep ecumenism,' which is a synonym for interspirituality. As the name implies, this would be a unity that goes well beyond the surface level to the mystical core of all religions.

"Fox founded a school to teach these principles to a wide number of students. It was called the University of Creation Spirituality but is now known as the more exotic sounding Wisdom University."

Endnotes:

60 Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ (New York, NY, HarperCollins Publishers, 1980), p. 154

61 Ibid, p. 65

[Excerpt reprinted with permission]

The Truth:

The University of Creation Spirituality (now Wisdom University) has become Fox's medium, his stage, to begin the "heart work" in those seeking his vision for transformation. By using the ancient mystical wisdoms of the various religions he hopes to bring a "new reformation" of Inclusive Spirituality to the world, uniting humanity under one flag of "deeper ecumenism".

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Col. 2:8)

I just did a search on the internet for the phrase “experience God” and came up with over 51 million references![1] Wow, that must be an important idea! “Well off course it is”, I hear you say. “We must experience God” has become such a common idea amongst Christians today that we all accept, without question, that this is God’s will for us. And of course none of us want to be so unspiritual that we don’t want to have an experience with God and so many who have not “experienced God” silently sneak away feeling embarrassed, cheated, and inferior. Then there are those special, highly spiritual ones who have experienced God and walk around feeling superior to the rest of those who have never experienced this level of spirituality.

But what is the truth about experiencing God? I did a search through the Bible and found that neither the King James nor the New King James version use the phrase “experience God” at all. The English word “experience” appears three times in the New King James[2] and three times in the King James.[3] None of these scriptures refer to experiencing God in any way.

The idea of experiencing God is simply not based on the Bible. It finds its source in ancient occultic and pagan practices, and the modern entertainment oriented world where the emphasis is on experiences to the degree that many will use any means, even narcotics and witchcraft, just to have some kind of an experience. The whole entertainment industry is built around the idea of giving people an experience. Even shopping is supposed to be a wonderful experience which, it seems, only the fairer sex are capable of enjoying.

There is just no scripture that enjoins us to experience God, or that Jesus died that we might have an experience with (or of) God. Is God like a movie or a theme park or a bungee jump that has to be experienced? Is He the ultimate thrill? I guess to some people He is just that. A denomination in South Africa used to run a full page, full color, advertisement in a trendy magazine showing the derrière of a curvaceous young girl clad in denims. The following words were embroidered on the pocket of the jeans: “You’ve tried it all, now try Jesus”. No wonder the leader and founder of the denomination was fired for multiple adulteries.

Did Abraham, Moses, Paul or anyone else in the Bible “experience” God? What was the experience like? What did they feel when the experienced Him? No, none of these men (or any others) experienced God. Some saw some aspect of Him and others heard him “speak” but none of the saints of the old or New Testaments “experienced” Him. The closest any one came to experiencing Him was John and the other disciples, who wrote “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled…” (1John 1:1). But that was unique to those who saw Jesus in the flesh and even they did not “experience” Him in the mystic way which is now being promoted.

If we were to experience Him, what would that experience feel like? Is it like the goose bumps we feel when they play the national anthem or the hair standing erect on our necks on an eerie night? Or is it like the experience of hearing a live orchestra play a stirring piece of music, or for some, the bagpipes or when the pipe organ hits those low notes that makes your very soul reverberate? Well, it seems that whatever experience some may claim to have, the world is able to produce exactly the same feelings, and even greater.

How do we get to “experience God”? One writer says: “Many have never had a personal experience of God’s presence with images as the primary medium”[4]. So God’s presence is in pictures? Yea right! Others will insist we can experience God through music, worship and meditation. None of these ideas have any biblical basis. Can you see Jesus on the mountain looking at a DVD so He could “experience” His Father, or Paul attending a contemporary Christian music concert so he could “feel” God?

And what are these experiences supposed to do? They are supposed to change us. Wilson and Moore speak about “…the power of digital media to create transformative experiences of God”.[5] Well, they have that partly right. These experiences are transformative and changing. But while the scriptures want us to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus (Rom 12:2), these experiences will change us into the image of the world. And no, it is not God you experience in the concert hall, at the parade or on a dark and stormy night and it is not God you experience when looking at the beautiful (often abstract) pictures of the PowerPoint presentation; neither is He in that magnificent cathedral with the powerful pipe organ. Oh, and was there not something about not making an image of God and worshipping it? (Exodus 20:4). (Sorry, I forgot that was Old Testament – modern Christians are far to clever to be bound by such ancient rules!)

Paul had this to say “we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising” (Acts 17:29). This kind of idolatry, for that is what it is, is exactly what Paul had in mind when he wrote about those who, “Professing to be wise… became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image…” (Romans 1:22,23).

Praise God, He can be known, heard and seen but not with natural senses and not through the use of technology and techniques. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1Cor 2:14). God is hidden from natural eyes, ears and emotions. There is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. No service, multimedia show, picture, music or drama can bring you into His presence – it is only by the shed blood and broken body of His Son that we are able to draw near to God. (Heb 10:19-22)

[1] Google
[2] Gen 30:27, Ecc 8:5, 1Pet 5:9.
[3] Gen 30:27, Ecc 1:16, Rom 5:4.
[4] Len Wilson and Jason Moore. Help! My Pastor Won’t Plan Ahead. Technologies for Worship. October 2005. p15. (The article deals with how to get the pastor to allow the “media minister” more freedom to manipulate people’s emotions through the use of media)
[5] Ibid

One of the many problems with the notion of “experiencing God” is that it is man-centered. In other words, God is there for our pleasure, so we can have goose-bumps and liver-shivers. This presupposes that the purpose for a relationship with God is that He may bless us by, amongst other things, giving us pleasurable feelings. So, according to this philosophy we know that we have been in God’s presence because we had a warm, fuzzy experience and some wonderful feelings. Most of these experiences are spoken of in extremely positive terms and are described as wonderful, uplifting, calming, exciting, thrilling or moving. Once-again these ideas are contrary to all teaching in the Bible. This is because we have built up a whole tradition of what it is to experience God, which has no touch with reality or God’s Word.

It may be helpful to examine the “experiences” of a few men who did “meet” with God as recorded in the Scriptures. The first man who met with God, apart from Adam who hid himself, was Moses. “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:6) At the end of his meeting with God, this well educated and eloquent man said: “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10). Jacob met with God and was left a broken man (Gen 32:31).

Job had a conversation with God and his response to was: “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes: (Job 42:5). Later Isaiah had a vision of God and he cried: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5). The angel of the Lord appeared to Samson’s parents and they said: “We shall surely die, because we have seen God” (Judges 13:22). Daniel tells of his vision of God: “when I saw this great vision… no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength” (Daniel 10:8). Habakkuk heard God speak and said: “O Lord, I have heard your speech and was afraid… my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself” (Habakkuk 3:2,16).

In the New Testament the first man to “see” the glorified Lord was Saul who was struck to the ground and was blinded by the meeting (Acts 9:4,8). Three of the disciples heard God’s “voice” on the mount of transfiguration and “And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid” (Matthew 17:6). John, who lay on the Lord’s bosom saw a vision of the ascended Lord said: “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17).

There is not a single account in the whole of Scripture of anyone who had an encounter with God and spoke of the experience as being, cool, wonderful, uplifting, exciting or thrilling. Every one of them spoke of terror and the awesomeness of a living God. None were left with warm fuzzy feelings, goose bumps, chills or a wonderful peace. Every person who ever had a real meeting with the real God was left broken, humbled, quaking and with a deep sense of their sinfulness and unworthiness. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that if your experience with God left you thrilled and excited that you experienced something other than God.

Here is another test. If the person comes away from the “experience” and they cannot stop speaking of how wonderful it was and what they felt and what they experienced, they have most certainly not met with God. Those who truly touched the hem of His garment do not come away speaking of the wonderful feelings and how exciting it was. If, and when, they do talk it will be about the goodness, kindness and grace of a glorious God who drew near to a pitiful sinner. Every man who met with God in the Bible was left with a deep awareness of God’s glory and holiness and of their own unworthiness.

As for those who boast, write books and grant interviews about their experience with God have most certainly not met with God. The closer we get to Him, the more broken and humbled it will leave us. It just cannot be any other way. How can a sinful, albeit redeemed man see, hear or be touched by the King of the Universe and be left with anything but self-loathing and adoration for such a gracious and merciful God?

Indeed any meeting with God has to leave us radically and permanently changed. Moses’ face shone, Paul was no longer the ambitious, self-righteous hater of the believers but became one whose very life was poured out as a sacrifice for the church he persecuted. Quiet frankly, I am sick of people who claim to have had some experience with God and who continue in their lying, deceitful, destructive and self-centered ways. Any true meeting with God has to result in real and fundamental changes. These changes are enduring and not a shallow veneer of holiness and piety. Neither are they the feeble results at self-reform. Every one of the men mentioned above was never the same after their encounters. Their speech, goals, lifestyle and attitudes were all dramatically changed – often in a way that was beyond human comprehension. Those who “experience God” during Sunday morning worship or a 5 minute stint at the altar, complete with a couple of tears and who emerge simply to continue with their gossip around the Sunday lunch table can indeed claim to have “been there, done that, bought the T shirt” but they cannot claim to have met with God.

These pseudo experiences are right from the pit of hell for one simple reason: They are a placebo that prevents millions of sincere souls from hungering and thirsting for the real thing.

Yes, God still touches frail humans. Yes, He still speaks and still reveals Himself, but the true revelation of God is infinitely more than a circus act, or a ride on an emotional roller-coaster, or a variety show. A confrontation with God is truly transformative.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2Cor 3:18)

One of the most important statements Jesus made was: “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23,24) If we are to meet with God then it has to be in the realm of the spirit and of truth.

Spirit, or spiritual, in this context is the opposite of fleshly, carnal or soulish. Most interaction between God and man in the Old Testament was in the realm of the flesh. Men saw manifestations of God with their human eyes and heard His voice with their human ears. These men then responded to God by doing physical things such as bowing down, falling on their faces removing their shoes etc. While there were a few people in those days who had a deeper relationship with God which went beyond the physical, the vast majority of people had an external relationship with God which seldom entered the spiritual.

But God wanted something more for us and therefore made some dramatic promises which included: That the laws would no longer be externally written on tables of stone but would be written in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33), we would not be totally dependant on human teachers but the Spirit Himself will teach us (Jeremiah 31:34), His Spirit will no longer come upon us as an external power, but His Spirit will dwell within us (Ezek 36:27), and we will no longer have to go to a specific place to worship God but will be able to worship Him anywhere (John 4: 21). All these promises, and more, pointed to a shift away from the external to the internal, from the fleshly to the spiritual.

Even in the Old Testament there were indications that the Lord intended the anointing of oil to be a very sacred and profound process. There were very clear and specific rules that governed the use of the anointing oil which was a type of the Holy Spirit and which foreshadowed what His expectations for New Testament believers would be. First, the anointing was in order that they may minister to the Lord (Exodus 30:30). They were not anointed for their own experience or pleasure but in order to equip them for service. Today people speak of receiving “the anointing” as a result of worship or some other form of service. No, the empowering of God is needed before we enter into His presence and before we touch anything for service. Also note that the purpose of the anointing with oil was to sanctify and consecrate them to serve. They were not anointed so their hair could shine or their skin would glow – it had nothing to do with their own benefit. It is also important to note that they were anointed to serve the Lord. Today everything is focused on man’s needs and pleasure, not on the Lord’s.

Second, “It shall not be poured on man's flesh” (Exodus 30:32). It was to be poured on Aaron’s head and his robes but not on his flesh. Yet, today it all seems to be about man’s flesh. Without exception every modern experience and every single consequence, like shaking, jumping, being slain, and goose bumps are all manifestations in the flesh, in which it is claimed, “the spirit made me do it”. If the flesh was not to be anointed in the Old Testament, then it is even less to be anointed in the New Testament.

Third, it was not to be copied or imitated (Exodus 30:32). This was so serious that anyone who produced a copy of the anointing oil was to be cut off from the people (Exodus 30:32). Today there seem to be so many copies and imitations of God’s anointing and presence that the genuine is almost impossible to find. Sometimes people copy a manufactured product and actually improve on the original product. The copies of God’s presence are very bad imitations and it is sad that people are so undiscerning that they cannot differentiae between the genuine and the false. And do we excommunicate the charlatans that produce these fake “moves of God”? No, we worship them as mighty men of God and gurus who have discovered some new and unique blessing. Many are blatant enough to explain that this “latest move of God is a new thing God is doing” and that God does not work within the constraints of His Word. I pray that every reader will have the courage to banish forever everyone who dares simulate the workings of God and who dares create a human substitute for the Divine move of God upon our spirits.

Fourth, the oil was not to be placed on outsiders. (Exodus 30:33). It was strictly for those who had been sanctified and consecrated to the Lord’s service. Why is it then that in the last 30 years we have frequently heard about profane persons “receiving the Spirit”, or about unbelievers who manifest many of the weird and wonderful things that are ascribed to the Holy Spirit? No, God is Holy and His Spirit is specifically called the Holy Spirit. God has no dealings with the unsaved, except to lead them to repentance and if the oil was not to be put on outsiders in the Old Testament then neither will He give unbelievers his approval by giving them a spiritual experience, except to bring them to their knees in repentance.

Finally, the man so anointed was not to “go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God” (Leviticus 21:12). This speaks of a complete dedication to the Lord and His service. Today, we are the temple and He dwells with and in us (1Corinthians 3:16). Thus the Lord’s presence in our lives requires that we abide in Him and that we live holy and consecrated lives. The Lord has no interest in giving unsanctified and disobedient believers a spiritual “trip” so they can have some good feelings. Neither does He touch those who live their lives far from Him, steeped in the world all week but who want a quick spiritual experience on a Sunday morning.

The concept of brief and temporal “anointings” is an Old Testament concept. We have a promise of a far deeper and more enduring Presence in the New Testament. I pray that we will reject the false and seek the genuine.

“I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you”. (John 14:16,17)

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1Cor 2:9,10). The things of God cannot be seen with natural eyes, heard through natural ears or perceived through natural emotions because God is a Spirit and spiritual things can only be perceived by that which is spiritual.

In the same way as a man born physically deaf cannot understand the glory of music and a person born blind cannot begin to partake of the visual beauty of God’s creation, so spiritual things cannot be perceived through the natural senses and emotions. The only way you can receive and be affected by a glorious piece of music is by hearing it. You cannot hear music with your tongue or nose and you cannot “experience” God with natural senses. Thus “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1Cor 2:14). The natural man is the man who operates in the realm of the carnal, fleshly or soulish and in that realm, he will not encounter God. Thus the first requirement to meet with God is that man needs to move beyond the natural to the spiritual. This does not only require that he be born-again, but that he be willing to meet God on His terms.

The man who is governed by fleshly and carnal desires will not be able to meet with God as his carnality will blind him to spiritual matters. Thus the church of Laodicea was pronounced “blind” because of their worldliness (Rev 3:17); the brother filled with hatred is in darkness (1John 2:11) and the person who is not diligently pursuing Christlikeness is shortsighted and blind (2Pet 1:5-9). There have been many very wise, sensitive and perceptive people on this earth who never met God simply because they could not or would not go beyond their human faculties.

As much as God cannot be “seen” by the natural man so He can also not be revealed by natural means. You can put on the most magnificent audio and visual display, throw in some smells, vibrate the building so you can feel the motion and then dish out some snacks to taste and thus assault every one of the five natural senses but none of this can, or will, give you an “experience” of God. This is true simply because God is a Spirit and spirit cannot be heard, seen, smelt, touched or tasted. The millions of dollars that churches spend on appealing to the natural senses can not and never will give people an experience of God. People have experiences all right, but it is not God! In the context of the first two chapters of Corinthians, Paul also includes excellent oratory, human wisdom and miracles as some of the things that are not able to cross-over from that which is natural to that which is spiritual.

On the other hand there are many that are propagating many mystical ways of accessing God. These include chants, meditation, mantras, labyrinths etc. Most of these methods have existed in the church for a long time but are also very much part of Eastern religions. These are simply different ways of stirring the soul within man and also do not go beyond the natural, except in those cases where demons hijack the process.

How then do I get to meet with God?. First we have to understand that we cannot meet Him through natural means. Then we need to realize that we cannot work ourselves into a spiritual state or earn the right to meet with Him. We have access into His presence through a new and living way. That’s right – no more sacrifices, chants, endless singing, ear-splitting decibels or trying to earn the right. We have access through three things: His shed Blood, His broken Body and His high priestly ministry (Heb 10:19-21). It has all been done for us. Don’t let people deceive you by promises that they will allow you to experience God, usher you into His presence, bring the glory of God down etc etc. We have access. It has all been done by Jesus. If we are born again, we have every right to enter directly into the holiest of all. It is complete and anything added to this will simply drag you back into the Old Testament Laws and rituals. Why then do so many promote those things? Because it makes you dependant on them to “experience God” and that is how they make their money. We need none of those things. Jesus did it all at Calvary. The way is open. Anything else is smoke and mirrors and will lead you to experience something that is not God.

So is there nothing we need to do? Yes, there is one thing. “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6). That’s very easy, but also very difficult. Faith requires that I simply accept that I am able to draw near to His presence because of the complete work of the Cross. If we really believe that, then we will not need the manipulations of men or to work ourselves up to “feel” God. We will simply accept His promises that He will never leave nor forsake us (Heb 13:5). Those who truly believe, do not need a sign, feelings or some display to prove that He is with us. “We will believe His Word in spite the absence of physical evidence of His presence, and walk with Him. As Paul said: “in him we live, and move, and have our being“ (Acts 17:28). Those who need the experiences are not approaching God by faith and He rejects those who do not come by faith. He also rejects, as thieves and robbers, any who come by some other way, except through the door – Jesus.

"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Heb 10:19-23)

Inclusive Spirituality Part VI - The Dalai Lama and the "United Nations of Religion"

Christian leaders are now finding common ground with the Dalai Lama!

An article was posted recently at the Assist News Service website reporting the Dalai Lama participating in an interfaith forum in San Francisco, CA. Tibet's spiritual leader came in response to a prominent California iman's invitation to help form a "United Nations of Religion" devoted to countering extremist violence throughout the world. He called for the cooperation of the leaders of all faiths to find solutions for peace with the Muslim community by standing together on their common ground.

This article brings to light the extent of the efforts being made to bring all of the religions of the world to work together to find solutions to the world's problems through spiritual means.

According to Scriptures, Jesus Christ teaches a message of exclusivity, that He is the only way to God (John 14:6). But the supposed "Christian" message of the day given by Tim Timmons, a well known voice in mainstream Christianity, was that of universalism and cooperation with Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish attendees all the while giving full affirmation to the message of the Dalai Lama.

This is another example of Sacred Activism as described in the Herescope series "Inclusive Spirituality, New Age Transformation," beginning April 27, 2006.

Here is the May 2, 2006 Assist News Service article, which is reproduced in its entirety:

What is Jesus doing at a Buddhist-Muslim gathering in San Francisco?

By Michael Buskey, CEO—DM SourcingSpecial to ASSIST News Service

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (ANS) -- The Dalai Lama took center stage at an unprecedented anti-terror summit with Muslim clerics and other religious leaders from around the world. Tibet's spiritual leader came in response to a prominent California imam's invitation to help form a “United Nations of Religion” devoted to countering extremist violence. Imam Seyed Mehdi Khorasani said the idea came after he met Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso in the US state of Idaho late last year.

Event organizers say the Dalai Lama interrupted his schedule to fly to San Francisco and meet Islamic scholars and leaders from other faiths to discuss reducing violence and extremism. Security was tight at the invitation-only event, which drew about 500 religious leaders and scholars. The conference included speakers and presenters from numerous faiths and roughly 30 countries.

The Dalai Lama defended Islam at this historic religious gathering in San Francisco, saying suicide bombings were tragic “mischief” that could plague any religion. Organizers heralded the assembly as the establishment of a multi-religious body that will work to quell violence and promote harmony between people of different faiths.

After several panel sessions between leaders from all faiths had convened to share their views on faith and compassion, the main event was set for Saturday afternoon. The Dalai Lama and Imam Khorisani hosted the afternoon session where several leaders were given a few minutes to speak before an audience that had grown from the invited 500 to 750.

The audience was primarily Muslim and Buddhist with a few Hindu, Jewish and Christian attendees.

The Dalai Lama opened the session with words of gratefulness to the various faiths and cultures gathered together, noting that this conference was only the beginning of many more gatherings “where we may find a gathering of hearts to bring peace to our world.” After his words of greeting, we heard from a variety of speakers (Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian and Buddhist) beginning with the well-known author of world religions, Huston Smith.

“I bring you greetings in the name of Jesus”

The last speaker summed up the day with “I bring you greetings in the name of Jesus.” It was the first time I had heard Jesus mentioned by the speakers and it was sort of a shock. Tim Timmons, a self-proclaimed “stubborn follower of Jesus plus nothing”, said “Since Jesus is not owned by Christians or Christianity, not bound by any system of do’s and don’ts, and not exclusive but all-inclusive in his approach to people everywhere, then it is appropriate to bring greetings in his name at this event.”

Timmons shocked the assembly with “In following Jesus I have come to realize that what the world needs now is not more love.” After a pregnant pause, he continues, “…but more lovers—love in action.” He brought greetings from Senator Pell and Doug Coe to the Dalai Lama, telling of a massive housing project that was built in the Dalai Lama’s community, housing over 1200 of the poorest of the poor in northern India. Timmons points out, “This was a project of love in action—a project with no strings attached—working hand-in-hand with the Buddhist community, all in the name of Jesus.”

Timmons spoke with great clarity in challenging the conference participants to be contagious in spreading peace, love and compassion. He affirmed the Dalai Lama and the Imam for their courage in forging a personal relationship of peace and understanding and challenged the audience to follow this example. He said, “If there are five birds sitting on a log and three decide to fly away, how many birds are left? There are still five! Just because you decide to fly away, doesn’t mean that you will.”

Then Timmons ended his words with a most unusual blessing, “May Jesus fill your hearts and minds with His peace, His joy, His love and His compassion…and may He bind us together in such a way that we might be contagious.”

When asked after the session was over, “Isn’t it a bit unusual to bring Jesus into an ecumenical setting such as this? Don’t you run the risk of offending other religions?” Timmons replied, “Jesus isn’t the head of any religious system or in competition with any of these cultures or faiths. Jesus is far above all that! Jesus stands uniquely in history as the only one to perfectly walk the walk that he talked. Even the Dalai Lama said that he is not worthy to be compared with Jesus…what causes all the problems within the religious systems of the world is the religious extremists, whether they be Muslim, Hindu, Jewish or Christian.”

The summit is the first assembly of a “religious parliament” that will meet once or twice annually in countries throughout the world, according to Khorasani. The intent is for religious leaders to unite in dispelling misunderstanding and injustice that breed extremism, Khorasani said.

** You may republish this story with proper attribution.
ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA

Stay tuned. . . . More on this topic tomorrow. . . .

The Truth:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Cor. 6:14-18)

Nebulous: 1. of or like a nebula or nebulae 2. cloudy; misty 2. unclear; vague; indefinite. (Webster's Dictionary)

The name "Jesus" can mean many things to many people. It is easy to bandy about the name of Jesus. But what does it mean? To some evangelicals Jesus is a slogan, a brand name, a logo. Jesus sells. Jesus is a name that can be tacked on to programs, ideas, philosophies, agendas. . . . Many use His name, but the Scriptures warn about these phenomena in the last days.

In a story related to yesterday's Herescope post about Christians finding common ground with the Dalai Lama, Tim Timmons, who was featured in the Dalai Lama story, also wrote a story for the February 4, 2006 ASSIST News Service about another "gathering" in "the name of Jesus" which was held in Washington, D.C. at the National Prayer Breakfast. At this "gathering" the evangelicals found common ground with the Moslem faith and Judaism.

These two events were both connected to a secretive Washington, D.C.-based cult group called the "Family" or "Fellowship." This organization is connected with much of the dominionist effort in the last half-century, especially including the Christian Right in politics. Its focus has always been global, and it has been intricately involved in international governments. This organization is likely the birthplace of the marketplace apostle component of the New Apostolic Reformation.

A fascinating inside story on this "Family" or "Fellowship" organization and its agenda can be found in an article published in Harper's Magazine, March 2003 by Jeffrey Sharlet, entitled "Jesus Plus Nothing." [http://www.harpers.org/JesusPlusNothing.html] At the end of the article Sharlet concludes that the nebulous slogan "Jesus plus nothing" used by members of this secret society is more similar to Buddhism than classic Christianity. Another nebulous slogan commonly bandied about by this group is "in the name of Jesus."

It is therefore relevant to examine the ASSIST News Service account of the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. In this article the phrase "Jesus plus nothing" is used to describe the contextualization process by which a "Moslem businessman is still a Moslem businessman" even though he is supposedly a "new believer and follower of Jesus." There are many other comments of concern, particularly the definition of salvation that does not include conversion. The article below was written by Tim Timmons, who was mentioned in yesterday's post as having found common ground with the Dalai Lama.

A GATHERING IN THE NAME OF JESUS IN THE NATION’S CAPITOL
Reflections on this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, by Tim Timmons Special to ASSIST News Service. [http://tinyurl.com/oglgd]

WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- Every year in early February a rare gathering of people from all over the world occurs called the National Prayer Breakfast. It has always been a rare happening, but this year was most extraordinary! Never before has there been such a coming together of the three major religious faiths of Moslem, Judaism and Christianity. What’s important to note is that this breakfast is not a gathering of Christians, but a gathering of all cultural faiths and backgrounds in the name of Jesus. This was most clear at this year’s event.

Dignitaries, corporate executives, and people from all walks of life, representing 160 countries, participate in this event. Everyone comes at the invitation of a friend to enjoy a time of fellowship with old friends and to make new ones around the table at the breakfast with the President of the United States…all in the name of Jesus. The National Prayer Breakfast has been convening since President Eisenhower’s administration. It is hosted by either Members of the House or Senate, alternating each year. This year the breakfast was coordinated by the United States Senate prayer group, co-chaired by Senator Norman Coleman (Minnesota) and Senator Mark Pryor (Arkansas).

At the breakfast itself there was a variety of participation from 7 Senators, 2 Congressmen, the Chief of Naval Operations, King Abdullah II of Jordan, the President of the United States and music from Karen Mason and Point of Grace. There was a clear spectrum of diversity from Democrat to Republican, Jewish, Muslim and Christian, all bowing their heads and hearts to the God of gods.

BONO OF U2
The most electrifying time at the breakfast was the keynote speaker, Bono, lead singer of the famous U2 Irish rock band. Bono may be one of the most recognized figures in the world today, not only for his music, but for his leadership toward solving the leprosy of our day -- AIDS.

Bono, in so many ways, is a most unlikely speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast. Although he has made himself known as a believer and follower of Jesus through his music and interviews, he is quite critical of the “traders” of religion (especially Christianity), as in the traders in the Temple that Jesus kicked out.

On the other hand, Bono is a most excellent and appropriate choice to keynote this event. He is a radical believer and follower of Jesus plus nothing.

Growing up in an Irish home, split between his parents’ faith -- one a Catholic and the other a Protestant -- Bono resented religion from day one. He avoids religious people, because he believes religion often gets in the way of God.

Bono’s theme is right at the heart of God. He believes God is with the vulnerable, the poor, the hungry and those who are struck with the disease of AIDS. Bono shared his thinking about the heart of God by using a variety of Biblical passages. He did it in such a way that made you feel like he had actually found this passage for himself in the Bible, rather than transmitting something he had heard from another. He warned that taking care of the poor and afflicted is not an issue of charity, but of justice—of doing what is right. Bono challenged the governments of the world to enter into a partnership with Africa—a partnership in which each country would commit 1% of its annual budget. It was a most powerful and persuasive appeal by the rock star.

Bono shared advice from a spiritual mentor that penetrated the hearts of his audience. It was “Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing. It’s already blessed!”

BEYOND BONO
In addition to the powerful speech by Bono, there was another rarity that was very evident. As I mentioned earlier, this international event, contrary to public opinion, is not a gathering of Christians. If you approach the breakfast with this thinking, you will miss the entire point of the gathering.

The National Prayer Breakfast is for everyone from everywhere with every kind of religious and cultural background imaginable. And, all gather to this event from all over the world in the name of Jesus. There is no confusion about this among the Moslem, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu participants who attend.

If there is any confusion, it might come from the Christian. In my experience Christians seem to believe that Christianity owns Jesus. Jesus, however, is for everyone everywhere! He didn’t come to planet earth to start a religion, but to initiate a personal relationship with the God of gods.

This year at the National Prayer Breakfast there were Jews, Buddhists, Moslems, Hindi, Catholics and even some Christians who lifted Jesus up in their testimonials. This was most refreshing!

A Moslem businessman working in Saudi Arabia shared his encounter with Jesus. Before 9/11 he thought of himself as a Moslem “missionary”, feeling he was on a mission to convert everyone he met to the peaceful faith of Islam. Then 9/11 hit. He was so discouraged, because this act of terrorism was anything but peaceful or in the spirit of Islam. Through a friend this Muslim’s heart was apprehended by Jesus. Now he has real peace to share with his world—the love and peace of Jesus.

This Moslem businessman was not converted to Christianity, but drawn to Jesus. You see, all of the religions of the world are basically a way of life emerging from their cultural backgrounds. To convert a Moslem and make him a Christian would mean to deny his culture and to accept a foreign culture. So, this Moslem businessman is still a Moslem businessman, however he is a new believer and follower of Jesus. To hear him share this story was most powerful!

When you examine Paul’s life in the New Testament, this man’s experience is a lot like Paul’s. Paul was a faithful Jew who was a follower of the Christ. He was persecuting the followers of Jesus, because they seemed to be a threat to His faith as he understood it. Then, Jesus apprehended Paul on the road to Damascus. Paul was not converted from being Jewish, but from that day on was devoted to Jesus as the Messiah.

This is only one of many non-Christian testimonials shared in regional dinners and sessions. All who shared their stories had one thing in common—the person and teachings of Jesus. Since 1984 I have been attending the National Prayer Breakfast and have always found the friends and family at this event to be most refreshing and challenging to my personal relationship with Jesus. The overwhelming theme is most life-changing. It is JESUS PLUS NOTHING. What makes JESUS PLUS NOTHING work are three habits that are practiced world-wide in the fellowship of Jesus…

1) Walking with Jesus
2) Walking with others
3) Waiting on Jesus to lead out

The National Prayer Breakfast is a wonderful event where believers in Jesus come to fellowship together and those who are interested hear about the King of kings and Lord of lords—Jesus. The Acts of Jesus are still happening in the four corners of the world. Let’s not ask the Lord to bless what we’re doing, but join in on what God is doing because it’s already blessed!. . . [all emphases added]

The Truth:

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:20-23)

Must reading for anyone seeking to understand the rise of Christian dominionism is the article cited in yesterday's Herescope post: "Jesus Plus Nothing" by Jeffrey Sharlet, originally published in Harper's Magazine, March 2003.

In this article, Sharlet chronicled his journey into the Christian dominionism underground, a shadowy Washington, D.C.-based "Fellowship" group. This organization, according to Sharlet and other observers, required oaths ("covenants"), maintained secrecy, and was built upon a hierarchical cell model. The authoritarian structure was monastic, and authoritarian, not unlike the abusive shepherding cults of the past several decades.

A follow-up interview with Jeffrey Sharlet was conducted later in 2003 and is archived. In this interview Sharlet details the cult-like atmosphere surrounding the "Fellowship" and subsequent threats to his life:

"Would there be consequences for your friend who recommended you, if he was to be named?
"I don't know, but I can tell you that ever since the article has come out, a lot of people have gotten in touch with me. Some former residents of Ivanwald, who will only speak anonymously because they're afraid of retaliation. Some have already experienced retaliation, people who are still working in this world. There's a whole range of corporations associate with the Family, and you might be working for this guy who's a part of it, and he hears that you've been causing trouble and so takes action. I've received an email saying that I would be dealt with as a traitor, vaguely threatening letters. Other people have gotten in contact with me hiding the fact that they were involved with the Family. . . ."

". . . And then one day they had this ritual where they trick you and another guy to get down on the floor and lie on your belly to arm-wrestle, and you're arm-wrestling to prove your manhood. And you start to do it, and they all jump on you and start beating you. It's called a "Fumble". So there's 15 people beating and hitting me, and by this time I had already been there a couple of weeks and thought this place was weird. When this beating happened, I just hit back with full force because I was really scared. And they liked that, they liked the fact that I hit back. That was their idea of manliness, . . . "

Taking Over Governments

Sharlet's original Harper's Magazine article details some sensitive negotiations that took place between leaders of the Fellowship and leaders of African nations, particularly Rwanda. This information, while not significant at the time, sheds considerable light on Rick Warren's easy foray into creating a purpose-driven government structure in that country. Further, Sharlet's comments in the follow-up interview reveal how the Fellowship was working to change the government of Fiji -- a significant nation in the George Otis Transformation video series:

"I started running into all these political figures there and hearing about how all these political negotiations had occurred at The Cedars, their private mansion headquarters. I was shown a video about the island of Fiji and their leader. And you can say, well, who cares about Fiji? Well, this is how they work, small country by small country. Fiji now is a theocracy. And they take credit for that. And I thought, this is quite messed up. I started asking questions, and started writing a journal of what was going on and looking around.

"They talk about Hitler all the time, and I asked what the deal was with that, and they said, "Oh no, it's just his leadership skills that we like." When I left, I discovered their archives and there's seventy years of the Family making friends with the world's worst and nastiest of world leaders."

Theocracy

Sharlet concludes this enlightening interview with the following frightening observations:

"So what do you think is the end result that they're after? Is it only "power" in the abstract sense?
"They state their goals in their private documents pretty explicitly. A world leadership led by Christ. Every single world leader and politician making every decision under Christ's will. And you could quibble over semantics, but I would say that worldwide theocracy is their goal."

The two previous Herescope posts detailed the "Fellowship's" role in leading the way towards finding common ground with other faiths. Two nebulous slogans: "Jesus plus nothing" and "in the name of Jesus" were tossed about in mind-numbing fashion to evoke agreement with this heretical cause. Herescope commented that this "Jesus" was a nebulous sort, ill-defined sort of fellow that conveniently fitted any marketing modality. In fact, Sharlet makes this same point repeatedly in his article and interview. It is obvious that no one introduced him to the biblical Jesus while spending time with this cult. Rather this Jesus was a "kingdom-building" Jesus who was setting up a theocracy on earth. In the Harper's article, Sharlet commented on this mystical "Jesus":

"Their faith and practice seemed closer to a perverted sort of Buddhism, their God outside 'the truth,' their Christ everywhere and nowhere at once."

The Truth:

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" (Ephesians 2:9-10)

"I was there to meet Jesus, and I was: the new ruling Jesus, whose ways are secret." --Jeffrey Sharlet, Harpers.

What is this Washington, D.C.-based "Fellowship" group that found common ground with the Dalai Lama? (See this week's Herescope posts for details.) No one knows for sure because its past, present and future are hidden in the murky depths of secrecy. One fact readily discernible is its dominionist agenda to build some sort of "kingdom" on earth for their nebulous "Jesus."

An interesting follow-up article to Jeffrey Sharlet's groundbreaking Harper's Magazine article, was published online. This article entitled "Family Fortunes", in a paragraph quoting the president of the Fellowship Foundation, observed:

"'We have hundreds of people working all around the world. We see ourselves as a Family. This is a group that believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ and that believes in the spirit of Christ.' He even maintained you could be a Muslim or a Jew and be part of the Family. You just have to believe, he said, that the New Testament’s I Corinthians: 13 has a message for everyone:. . .

"But the Family is worrisome for other people, especially because its central mission is to capture the politically powerful within a governmental system supposedly based on the separation of church and state — and this government now has, both supporters and critics agree, imperial power over the world. . . .

"On the Fellowship Foundation’s annual Form 990 tax-exempt-organization report to the Internal Revenue Service, under 'Relationship of Activities to Accomplishment of Exempt Purposes,' the foundation declares that its aim is 'to identify laymen who have an understanding of what it means to work towards a leadership led by God and introduce them to others with similar goals and interests.' Theocracy literally means government by God, and it could be defined as 'a leadership led by God.'"

Note the emphasis on the goal of developing "leadership" in the quoted paragraph above. Leadership development happens to be a major global focus of neo-evangelical leaders working on dominionism and "tranformation." It is not known for sure how many of these neo-evangelical leaders might be members of the "Fellowship" because of its covert operations. But the Fellowship Foundation has a deeply disturbing philosophy about leadership, which was described by Sharlet in the Harper's article:

"The day I worked at C Street I ran into Doug Coe, who was tutoring Todd Tiahrt, a Republican congressman from Kansas. A friendly, plainspoken man with a bright, lazy smile, Coe has worked for the Family since 1959, soon after he graduated from college, and has led it since 1969.

"Tiahrt was a short shot glass of a man, two parts flawless hair and one part teeth. He wanted to know the best way 'for the Christian to win the race with the Muslim.' The Muslim, he said, has too many babies, while Americans kill too many of theirs.

"Doug agreed this could be a problem. But he was more concerned that the focus on labels like 'Christian' might get in the way of the congressman's prayers. Religion distracts people from Jesus, Doug said, and allows them to isolate Christ's will from their work in the world.

'People separate it out,' he warned Tiahrt. '“'Oh, okay, I got religion, that's private.'" As if Jesus doesn't know anything about building highways, or Social Security. We gotta take Jesus out of the religious wrapping.'

“'All right, how do we do that?' Tiahrt asked.

“'A covenant,' Doug answered. The congressman half-smiled, as if caught between confessing his ignorance and pretending he knew what Doug was talking about. 'Like the Mafia,' Doug clarified. 'Look at the strength of their bonds.' He made a fist and held it before Tiahrt's face. Tiahrt nodded, squinting. 'See, for them it's honor,' Doug said. 'For us, it's Jesus.'

"Coe listed other men who had changed the world through the strength of the covenants they had forged with their 'brothers': 'Look at Hitler,' he said. 'Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, Bin Laden.' The Family, of course, possessed a weapon those leaders lacked: the 'total Jesus' of a brotherhood in Christ.

“'That's what you get with a covenant,' said Coe. 'Jesus plus nothing.'”

Inventing a Dalai Lama Jesus for the new global kingdom

Astute readers may already be noticing the striking parallels between the nebulous "Jesus" of the emerging church movement and that of this Fellowship Foundation, which has found common ground with the Dalai Lama. The emerging church is also redefining the biblical Jesus Christ into a nebulous, mystical idol. Both groups are chipping away at any remnants of traditional "religion" and introducing neo-gnostic, quasi-Buddhist abstractions. Both groups are working to find common ground with Hindus, Muslims, etc. by adopting an inclusive, nebulous-Jesus worshipping religion. And both groups are dominionist.

Berit Kjos, leading expert on global church development, has recently written an article entitled "Who defines the Kingdom of God? A rebuttal to Brian McLaren's new book: The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything." She begins this important article by asking:

"Where is the Kingdom of God? How inclusive is it? Who defines the terms?

"'What if Jesus' secret message reveals a secret plan?" asks Brian McLaren in his new book, The Secret Message of Jesus. 'What if he didn't come to start a new religion--but rather came to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution that would give birth to a new world?'[1-page 4]

"Nothing secret about that notion! That's what many believed back when Jesus first demonstrated His power among His people. But Jesus corrected them with these words: 'My kingdom is not of this world.' John 18:36

"Yet emerging church movements today are still trying to move the boundaries of His Kingdom. They have redefined God's Word and are fast embracing the latest versions of the old Gnostic quest for secret knowledge (gnosis) and self-actualization, whether through mystical experience or collective imagination."

The Truth:

"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto ? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblines, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;" (Isaiah 1:11-16)

It isn't just the neo-evangelical leaders who are finding common ground with other world religions (see this week's Herescope posts). The 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, held February 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil is leading the charge. And the NAE isn't far behind!

This event was reported on by the American Council of Christian Churches (Spring 2006 newsletter) by Dr. Ralph G. Colas, Executive Secretary. An address was given by Katsunori Yamamoi, "a member of the Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai." According to the ACCC report:

"He asked the WCC to talk 'hand in hand with all of the Buddhists in this organization and to participate in the Buddhist Assembly scheduled for August 2006.' Immediately he was followed by a Hindu who shared a few lines from the Hindu's sacred text that included these words, 'God is the ocean; God's servants are the rain clouds; God is the sandal tree; God's servants are the winds.'"

Lest the reader mistakenly assume that surely evangelicals wouldn't be part of such a gathering, the ACCC report indicates:

". . . [T]he World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) International Director, Rev. Geoff Tunnicliffe, presented a statement to the accredited press that had been prepared with three other Pentecostal/Evangelicals praising the WCC. The WEA is made up of 127 Evangelical Alliances (including the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) led by Dr. Ted Haggard of Colorado Springs, CO). They expressed gratitude that the WCC invited them because after all they represented almost 400 million Evangelicals around the world."

Dr. Colas of the ACCC reported that Rev. Tunnicliffe indicated he "wanted the WCC to understand they desire to get more involved with social action by 'deepening Christian engagement with the poor and to cut world poverty in half by the year 2015.'"

Of course, this global poverty program would be consistent with the goals of Rick Warren's Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan. This indicates how far evangelical leaders are willing to go in order to find common ground to achieve their plan for global "transformation."

The ACCC report continued:

"One major speaker who was welcomed by the entire Assembly was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, who declared, 'The exclusive claims of Christianity are not claims to absolute knowledge. I reject aggressive efforts to convert those of other faiths.' At the press conference when questioned about his address, he said that two approaches were very unhelpful -- 'One was to claim an exclusive possession of the truth, while the other was to lose confidence in one's faith.'

"Following Williams remarks, a Karen Baptist from Myanmar spoke to the delegates and told her family's experiences with Buddhist and Muslim neighbors. She concluded by saying, 'My Muslim and Buddhist neighbors may not know the name of Jesus, but I believe God has found a path for himself to them.'"

In his conclusion, Dr. Colas of ACCC astutely noted:

"5. While there was much talk about "a transformed world," at no time was the answer given from the Bible that 'If any man be in Christ he is a new creation' (II Cor. 5:17). The change comes not from without but from within, but that answer was never given. Rather the WCC teaches that all religions are equal. According to Aram I, the Holy Spirit dwells in other religions than Christianity. Nothing could be further from the truth of God's Word.

"6. It is important to understand that even the very words these liberal clergy use have a different meaning. We must do what the apostle John tells us to do and 'Try the spirits whether they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.' (I John 4:1)."

The Truth:

"Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with another." (Mark 9:50)