Contemplative Spiritually and Mysticism (CSM) is the New Tie that Binds Christianity, Islam and More!?

In part 1 of Reimagining the Trinity, Islam and Women in the Church, I established a baseline picture of the flawed logic that leads to a redefining of God, a departure from the foundational thinking of the 5 Solas, and from the scriptures in a fashion not seen since the reformation. We are witnessing a falling away, an apostasy – or in another terms used often today, a paradigm shift away from the faith once delivered to the saints, a counter-reformation.

Could CSM be an empowering force behind what we are witnessing with these doctrines of demons? Could it be a sort of “hive mind,” a veritable Jungian global consciousness not unlike the Star Trek New Generation Borg? Does that sound pretty far-fetched? Well those involved in CSM are preaching something quite similar, and when the dots are connected between the teachings of Karl Jung and popular teacher/mystic Richard Foster known for statements such as, “True service comes from a relationship with the divine Other deep inside. We serve out of whispered promptings, divine urgings.” (Celebration of Discipline, page 128) It sounds like the Borg collective’s, “Resistance is futile!” The new church hive thinking is infused and energized with CSM, it is one of the basic ingredients in the recipe making up the new reimagined church today!

Taking this to the next level of the paradigm shift, these new leaders have invented a new type of Christianity: a different bible, a redefined God (Trinity), promotion of CSM in meditation rooted in New Age thinking, some teaching God speaks to them in their dreams and visions (outside of scriptures), some claim direct revelations from God, a reliance on secular psychology, oh and especially their postmodern eclectic thinking that shifts according to which way the wind is blowing. Its a not so new way of thinking… it is Hegelian Dialectic! So what is Hegelian Dialectic? My simplified definition would be the art of speaking out both sides of your mouth OR being double tongued.

John Piper and Beth Moore on Lecto Divina seen here are recent examples of this. Rick Warren posting then removing Centering Prayer in October 2011 quickly backing away from his support of it when some in the work of discernment questioned it, a typical Modus Operandi we see time and again. In my opinion, they are testing the waters of acceptance with their new ways of doing church – repeatedly.  More can be seen in examples of Warren’s antics, he can be seen below firmly planting himself on both sides of the fence as both ecumenical but a supporter of the Reformation’s 5 Solas. He would join with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church with those of the reformation who would have rejected such thinking in the strongest terms:

You may recall this classic PDL Bull where Warren decreed, “I see absolutely zero reason in separating my fellowship from anybody.” [1] In the real world, which is the only one we have, this puts Rick Warren against the Lord’s Protestant Reformers; i.e. he’s bigger than the Reformation.

Then there’s the following from a 2005 report on Warren by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Now I don’t agree with everything in everybody’s denomination, including my own. I don’t agree with everything that Catholics do or Pentecostals do, but what binds us together is so much stronger than what divides us,” he said. “I really do feel that these people are brothers and sisters in God’s family. I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church...”

 Yet a year earlier in a 2004 interview of Rick Warren by Modern Reformation he tells us:

Theologically, I am a monergist and firmly hold to the five solas of the Reformation.

Link to source: Apprising Ministries Tweet Rick Warren Will Regret

There are many others I consider Double Tongued like Warren who would openly teach CSM while at the same time laying claim to being Biblical Christian. It is more like playing politics with the scriptures depending on what teaching they are propping up or tearing down, often it may sound good, and even Biblical until you investigate it more closely. One way to see if you are being played to be the fool is when you listen to these men and women exclaiming we have been “doing church” wrong for the last two millennia. You must carefully examine what is being taught by these teachers because they redefine church by their own terms, connotations, ideas, invented words, pseudo-science with their own materials and numerous unbiblical resources. Another sign to watch for is how they promote one another in their mega-conferences, seminars, and other leadership speaking engagements. For more on this growing cult of so-called evangelical leadership see Herescope’s latest article: CA$H COW$ & FAT CAT$ – The Cult of Evangelical Leadership, Part 2 — And no, we are not being paid for this endorsement our message is the one of the Bereans Acts 17:11 – you need to be aware!

Here is how a Christian answers Hegelian Dialectic with all of its twists, turns and contortions to get scriptures to say what they want – we must answer directly! Provide with evidence that we are not the ones introducing the error. Exposing them in accordance with Romans 16:17-18 showing them to be the ones needing a mark as divisive that they are contrary to Biblical doctrine – and how we can show they serve their greed, egos, and wallet by way of those “fair speeches” to deceive. Does this mean it will turn all those you reach? No, the other half of the equation is PRAY FIRST! Only the Holy Spirit can open the eyes to the deceit and bring conviction, my own experience has been those who are already seeking the truth earnestly will thank you and very few come out once involved in such postmodernist thought – it is very pervasive and invasive!

As Christians, we must consider what the logical conclusions of our presuppositions are. Here we are speaking of apologetics, not abstractly, not scholastically, not as a subject taught in a Christian school, but as practiced in the battles of our generation. Christian apologetics must be able to show intellectually that Christianity speaks of true truth; but it must also exhibit that it is not just a theory. This is needed for the defense of the flock of Christ, and also in the positive sense of reaching out to those who are honestly asking questions. What is observable, both individually and corporately, is also included in Christian apologetics. Christians should always have comprehended and considered this; but it is overwhelmingly important in view of the thought-forms of our generation to show that Christianity is not just a better dialectic. (bold emphasis mine) Dr. Francis Schaeffer

Bringing It All Together – Into Something Bigger than the Church!?

Again from Frank Viola’s Reimagining Church, page 147, “Drawing it all together” quotes Miroslav Volf,

 “As Miroslav Volf says, “The church lives from something and toward something that is greater than the church itself.” That something is God and His eternal purpose.” (page 147)

Woven into this corrupt fabric of CSM there are men and women of questionable origins, ties to various liberal postmodern organizations, new age, contemplative teachings, the wackiest side of charismaticism, the Leadership Network, New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), Dominionist, Reconstructionist and Word of Faith origins.The roots these leaders are not only postmodern replacing experience over scripture they are attempting to redefine what scriptures mean, removing black and white or turning it gray to obfuscate what scripture plainly states. – My opinion is how can theybe trusted!? As stated in part 1, Miroslav Volf has made NO secret as to what kind of “church” he is referring – it includes Muslims. On the Yale University website, Volf is one of the key persons in the November 2007 article, Loving God And Neighbor Together: A Christian Response To A Common Word Between Us And You,

“Indeed, together with you we believe that we need to move beyond “a polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders” and work diligently together to reshape relations between our communities and our nations so that they genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another.”

A number of the signatories of the document in part 1 includes Rick Warren, to bring about peace (or should I say P.E.A.C.E.) to the Islamic, Jewish and Christian communities but most at the same time claim it is not moving us towards a one world religion!? This is a not so subtle move away from what Bible Believing Christians could call true truth, as first coined by the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer as they constantly muddy the waters with various CSM practices woven into what has become a redefined foundation for what the church is!

I believe strongly, while denying they are part of what has been called Chrislam the fruits of their own teachings inexorably connect these men and women to it. Need more? Praying as Rick Warren did, replacing Jesus’ name with the Quran’s name of Isa for Jesus in the presidential inaugural prayer for President Obama’s first term. Again, a number of these men and women have connections to others and each other, our site scratches the surface of some of them (here) and you can easily browse a site such as Apprising.org for more evidence. However do you see anyone aside from those in the discernment work revealing these connections? No. They function as a growing well oiled political propaganda machine that marginalizes their opposition rather than answer scripture with scripture. The answer is to silence the opposing voices as being judgmental, extremist, disruptive, divisive and etc.

More Results of Liberal CSM Inundated Christian Schools and Seminaries
– Into a Hotbed for Bad Bible Translations!?

The evidence of how far their reach has gone is seen in the actions of Bible translators associated with Wycliffe and SIL removing of the Son of God from the Bibles in Pakistan which led to a falling out with the PCA there in spite of denials from the organizations behind it. This is more than guilt by association, there is something “afoot” in the well-organized and methodical manner in which it is being done. More resources on this topic click here

Christian, if you are reading this, it is past time to warn your pastor. Pastors, if you are reading this, it is time for you to look at what you are teaching and whose material you are relying on. Likened to the warning in the book of Jude, these wolves are in our midst, among us and pretending to be of us! You need to determine who they are and root them out of your churches. Return to your first love who should be the Christ of the Bible (not one of the tainted versions used by these I have just spoken about). You can know them by their fruit!

The contextualization of the Bible to reach the Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist means taking the Bible into our own hands, not only reinterpreting it but taking the Son of God out of it by changing Him to “prince” or giving Him some other name so as not to offend those of other religions. Since when has it been alright for God’s Word to become a playground for political correctness? The dark hole they are digging gets deeper. Their missionaries are not encouraging the new convert to leave their false religion, but rather to stay and carry on in their traditions as long as they include Jesus in them, then pointing them to alleged scriptures (of the Quran) that lead supposedly to a Biblical Jesus and Biblical salvation is the straw the breaks the camel’s back. The perversion of the individual is complete on both sides. The context is to keep the peace at all cost; remove the offense of the Gospel, confuse and intermingle scriptures that are holy to the Christian with the (false) scriptures of the Quran – holy to the Muslim, for a hybrid of both. As in the book Chrislam describes it, a sterile Mule!

The Trinity is also torn down in the contextualization process especially since the Trinity is a heresy to Islam. They also view the Trinity in another light based on Roman Catholicism of Mohammad’s day as Father, Son and Mother Mary – but that twist is old news. Those rewriting scripture attempt to remove the offense of the Trinity in order to win more over. However, what is being done in so called Chrislam is a very dangerous rewriting and revising of the Bible! These are doctrines of demons subverting the Word of God and deny the Christ who bought us at such a high price! Chrislam in any shape or form must be rejected, not only for its falsehoods, but must be rooted out because like the other cults already harming the mission fields, this one will spread like a cancer!

Following is a small example taken from the book Chrislam exposing some of this to accommodate as to not offend the Muslim:

	KJV	Lives of the Prophets	Bengali Translation	Shellabear Revision
Matt. 28:18-20	And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.	God has given Me all authority in heaven and on earth, so go and tell the people from all the nations about the message of salvation so that they may be my followers…and baptize them with water in the name of God and His Messiah and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to do all that I commanded you to do. And be sure that I am with you all the days until the end time.	Jesus talked to them by coming near. He said, “I have been given all power and rights of the heaven and earth. So, you go and make all nations my disciples. Baptize them in the name of Allah, Messiah and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to obey the commands I have given to you. And remember, I am with you every day until the last days.”	Jesus said to them, “All power has been handed over to me in heaven and earth. Because of this, go make all races my followers. Imadkan them with the name of Father, prince and Holy Spirit.”

The book Chrislam: How Missionaries Are Promoting An Islamized Gospel is a publication of i2 Ministries. The research i2 has compiled pulls no punches in critiquing these InsiderMovements. The book in my opinion is an invaluable resource revealing a greater war going on within the translation community and the danger it will create for our missionaries. For more on this topic on Truth with Snares click here. We have several other articles showing various deliberate mistranslations in spite of the denials from Wycliffe and SIL.

I presented the scripture from Matthew 28 above to show how the line of the watershed has been crossed to develop the basis for a paradigm shift in Christian thinking. To be clear, it is not Christian thinking at all – it denies the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God who died on the cross for our sins, one of the Trinity and voluntarily in submission to His Father. We are witnessing the changing of the Bible established hierarchy of the God Head, the removal of the subordination of women, you can now by syncretism (a joining together opposing religious principles) develop a new paradigm for Christianity, develop a new church, new doctrine to gain greater acceptance in the global community for your faith. However, doing this is something a Christian can never do when attempting to contextualize (how we relate the Gospel to another culture or people religion). Redefining God and the Church are basic principles that must be ignored in order to produce the verses above that subvert the very essence of the Great Commission! The goal of winning people to Christ becomes more a methodology where the Muslim can adapt the Christian thinking into their daily Muslim traditions, attend the mosque, go about many things no differently than they did before Christian thought was added. It is clear from those promoting this new paradigm, their intentions reach far beyond just the Christian Church, and the Muslim, but also into other religions in order to bring us all together in one hybrid faith.

Ok You’ve Heard of Chrislam – How about Chrisikh or Chrisdu!?

More evidence of this was released during the writing of this article by the Christian Post with the following piece, Following Jesus Yet Still Hindu or Sikh? Mission Leaders Weigh In on New Communities. The problem is, the positive spin the Christian Post put on the article or allowed it to be heard in a non-judgmental journalistic way at best. Can one be both Christian and Sikh or Hindu? What is missing is the exclusivity of Christ. We cannot compromise on this and still have Christianity. The Bible is Holy and wholly true without any plus or minus to it or it is not the Bible. The same is applicable to our Christian faith, it is an inexorable truth, fundamental to our faith and the meaning of the 5 Solas of the reformation – have we forgotten? Do we need to be reminded of basics, the milk of the Word? We cannot hold onto our idols, our ways tied to other gods who are no gods at all, we serve a JEALOUS God – that is if you serve the God of the Bible!

I know my critics will say, “but what about the new person coming to an understanding of Christ who is coming out of Islam, Hindu, Sikh and etc., they are ostracized and worse.” Yes, this is true, but we are not given any room to continue in those ways that are patently of another religion. If it is an offense to the glory of God, counter to scripture, we are called to come out and separate from it. Millions have done it, and for us to second guess the Gospel of Christ is to blaspheme and deny His power to guide and protect His children!

So put aside discussion of those just coming to Christianity who will have to be discipled to remove their idols, we are talking doctrine of a continuing and growing walk in Jesus Christ. You cannot have someone considered to be in Christ who still worships side by side with idolaters! It is no different than those who came out of the Roman Catholic Church with its worship of Mary and the saints.

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

1 Peter 4:16 “Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

Coming full circle to the start of Part 2, in my humble opinion, there is more than the power of men at work here. CSM, Contemplative Spirituality and Mysticism is a common thread weaving things together. The other religions, especially those of the East employ various forms of mediation routinely. Is it any coincidence that those propagating everything deny the hierarchy of God, the subordination of women, and promote the acceptance of sinful behavior control the while gamut of this thinking?

There are too many examples to list but suffice it to say you can start to see the picture with books like The Shack that promotes another God, attacks the fundamentals of biblical Christianity and has gained such acceptance with a number of big names of contemporary Christianity, along with a host of other things including Lecto Divina, Centering Prayer as discussed earlier. This is not conspiracy theory, it is cold hard fact. We are living in an apostate day where those who appear to have some form of godliness, through their actions deny the Lord who they claim bought them!  Take a step back and look at the list of verses below which describe the age of sin we live in.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

 Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

 Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

 Jer 23:25-26 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall [this] be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, [they are] prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

Lam 2:14 Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

Ezek 13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made [others] to hope that they would confirm the word.

Mic 3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, [Is] not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.

Mt 7:15-17 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

2 Cor 11:13-15 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

2 Peter 2:1-2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

 Is 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

 2 Thess 2:9-11 [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

 2 Tim 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Mt 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

 Mt 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

 Mark 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and [love] salutations in the marketplaces,

 Col 2:8 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.

 Mt 24:24-25 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.

 Deut 13:1-3 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

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

Rom 16:17-18  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Eph 4:14 That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

 1 Tim 4:1-2 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; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

 Is 56:11 Yea, [they are] greedy dogs [which] can never have enough, and they [are] shepherds [that] cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

 Acts 20:29-30 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.