Sometimes the influence that the New Age is having upon the body of Christ really gets to me and I end up writing something that might be considered as judgmental. But the truth is that Y’shua HaMassiach taught us to ‘watch and pray’ and be careful of ‘wolves who come to us in sheeps clothing.’
All of us are prone to errors, being that we are not prefect and though we try to be error free; sometimese we go so far over to the darkside that sometimes something needs to be said and done. (I do not advocate violence, but rather intelligent discussion and debate.)
I could write a few volumes about keeping a balance between what is mystical, and dogmatic scriptural ideas, for either excess is harmful and in this particular case it was the massive step away from dogmatic scriptural ideas and sloughing into an abundance of mystical ideas, bordering on the Occult!
In our present day and age when such as thing is fashionable, and with fiction being believed as fact ie. Da Vinci Code and weak arguments against the existence of YHVH ignoring of current scholarship and taking advantage of the masses who feed on propoganda coutesy of the movies, television, the internet and peer groups, as well as social proramming. ie. The God Delusion –
The truth is that not one of us (and that includes people who flash their degrees around) is a final judge or authority on matters relating to YHVH, so this booklet needs to be considered in that light. It was a knee jerk reaction to the influence of ‘THE CHURCH GROWTH MOVEMENT’ and Pastor Rick Warren’s book, ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ upon the churches in our valley….in 2004. What the SHAKE UP did for me, was to show me that our laziness in personal Bible Study and Prayer leaves us open and vulnerable to every ‘Johnny Come Lately’ with a new book promising quick growth and maturity…sort of reminds me of the guy who said, “I am taking a course in becoming a Superman, I am just waiting for them to send the muscles”. Maturity is not a commodity, and Spirituality cannot be contained in a testube. Quick-fix, Self-help and immediate answer systems never apply in the life in the Spirit….:
®Driven or ©Led?
®Driven or ©Led?
Rick Driven or Christ Led?
Eric J. Sawyer
October 2004
‘The architects of church reform believe that it is possible to measure the intangible things of the spirit, to set behavioral standards upon which to judge effectiveness in spiritual matters, and to set criteria upon which “results” can be attained. Obviously, some people won’t measure up. They will not exhibit the proper amount of “spiritual” maturity (spiritual capital) to succeed in their local church. And what will happen to these poor servants, when they compare themselves with this elite corps of “leadership”? What will happen to those fragile sheep, newborns in the Word, who have never heard the Gospel of Grace but have only been taught Purpose-Driven, results-based Christianity?’ (page 46 – The Pied Pipers of Purpose by Lynn D. Leslie who holds a B.S. in Business Administration, and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resourses (SPHR). Sarah H. Leslie holds a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Counseling. Susan J. Conway holds a B.A. in History and a Master of Education.)
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the Church had a prayer meeting, but they did not pray. ‘Lord, grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are.’ If they ceased not for preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments – scattered by persecution they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down, that is the only difference! Lord, clear the Church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her and bring us back to apostolic methods. (Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats – Charles Haddon Spugeon)
Dr. Robert Klenck, an orthopedic surgeon, has been speaking out at conferences around the country about the origination of this new covenant agenda. He explains that Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Church, has sold a million copies and that over 150,000 pastors and church leaders have been trained in his model. Rick Warren was mentored by Peter Drucker, a corporate management guru with strong ties to the New Age/New World Order. Drucker “Influenced the start and growth of the Saddleback Church.” (The Sheparding Movement Comes of Age – Lynn and Sarah Leslie Jan/Feb 2003 Discernment Newsletter)
In this same book, Warren cites “St. John of the Cross” (a Catholic, p. 108), Madame Guyon (a Catholic Mystic, p. 193), and Mother Theresa (p. 125, 231). (From an article titled: Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Death)
‘In 1994, Rick Warren led the people at Saddleback in a faith commitment that included a one day cash offering of $ 1, 400, 000 and a commitment to give $ 22, 000, 000 over the following 36 months. In 1997, using the same program, the people at Saddleback gave $ 3, 000, 000 as a one time offering and pledged to give $ 31,000, 000 over the next 36 months.’ (It’s not about money – it’s about BIG money – from Diaprax by Dr. Robert Klenck)
‘When the Word of God is dialogued (as opposed to being taught didactically) between believers and unbelievers, and consensus is reached – agreement that all are comfortable with – then the message of the Word of God has been watered down, and the participants have been conditioned to accept (and even celebrate) their compromise. This [new synthesis] becomes the starting point [thesis] for the next meeting. The fear of alienation from the group is the pressure that prevents an individual from standing firm for the truth of the Word of God. The fear of man then overrides the fear of God.’ (What is Diaprax ? – from Diaprax by Dr. Robert Klenck)
‘Rick Warren’s reintroduction of The Message into my life only reinforced the concerns I had originally voiced on the radio when Peterson’s book first came out. Why was Rick Warren so drawn to The Message? The Message not only obscured prophetic Scriptures like Matthew 24:3-5, it also introduced paraphrased material like “as above, so below” [cited in Rick’s PDL – The Lord’s Prayer and Colossians 1:16] that made it appear that some of the teachings of the Bible were “at One” with the teachings of the New Age.’ (extract from ‘Deceived on Purpose’ by Warren Smith)
‘I described Bernie Siegel [a leading New Age author and spokesman] because I was about to discover that Rick Warren suddenly and inexplicably made reference to Bernie Siegel in Chapter Three of The Purpose-Driven Life. He used Seigel’s name in conjunction with remarks he was making about people who have “hope” and a “deep sense of life purpose.”
The reference follows Rick Warren’s strange characterization of Isaiah and Job as two men who exemplified life “without purpose” and life “without God.” (Why Siegel – from ‘Deceived on Purpose’ by Warren Smith) ***** a must read book
‘I have taken only the first eight days of this book to analyze, as they are a good indication of the tone and problems throughout this book. These problems are not just in the first eight days, but are prevalent throughout the book. I believe it would be futile to review the whole book, as anyone who really does have an open mind and truly loves God’s Word, will see what is presented here that there are serious problems with, not only this book, but with Rick Warren’s theology and exegesis. (Analysis of the Book – Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren – by Merv Tucker)
This is a worthy read, clearly examining just how the Scripture has been misunderstood and thereby a erroneous doctrine or opinion has been arrived at. Please note for those of you who have already read “The Pied Pipers of Purpose” there is a very good article spanning six chapters, having commenced in November 2003 by Berit Kjos called Spirit-Led or Purpose Driven with many links at the end of each chapter.
In particular the fourth chapter which begins the process that I would like to think of as separating the sheep. Those who are going with the program and those who don’t. Those who prefer to insist upon the leading of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the infallible Word of God will be classified as, wait for it, ‘resisters’. Where is Warren taking those sheep who are following him? Our Shepherd is ………..
‘In that I derive no personal pleasure from commenting on The Purpose Driven Life, further discussions of the remainder of this book will be undertaken by this author only if the posted discussions on the forum indicate a real and beneficial purpose in so doing.’ (extract from Larry D. Harvey evaluation featured at Crossties Counseling Ministries.)
Larry found so many conflicting issues doctrinally and that the weight of correcting so many flaws, that he opened it to the forum. Rick’s asserting in the opening line of his book, that it is more than a book starts the fire crackling very loudly. Also is the most important question ‘What on earth am I here for?’ or is it not perhaps, “What is the answer to my sinful condition.’ Fixing ? I found Larry’s review sensitive but realistic. I think Rick really needs to let the Holy Spirit teach him the truth about the Gospel. (This writer suggests that he start with the letter to the Romans)
I first noticed that this book had a poor reception in the theological community, when I happened upon an article written in 1998 by Dennis Costella – The Church Growth Movement (an analysis of Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven” Church Growth Strategy) This report really got me thinking, but then there was no talk of it here in South Africa. Until it spread like a wild fire through the United States of America, and now is threatening our Valleys. This is a lot more serious than I first realized. Tampering with the Word of God, and specifically the message of Salvation, is not the wisest of things to do. It will result in a sickly bride. With the coming of our Lord so close at hand we need to stay pure to the Scriptures and keep focused on Jesus, not on any new leader. (I think you know what I mean. Anti-?)
(…read more…)
