Spirit Guides: Coming to a Church Near You? (Reiki)

by Leisa Garcia

In a previous article entitled “Whatever Happened to the New Age, Part I,”  I showed that many famous New (Age) Spirituality writers claim to receive their inspiration or works directly from Spirit Guides:

·       Alice Bailey, occultist and New Age Matriarch, who some credit with coining the phrase “New Age,” and of which the New (Age) Spirituality leaders reference quite often, had a spirit guide called Djwhal Khul (DJ).

·       Helen Schuchman transcribed “A Course in Miracles” as dictated by her Spirit Guide--an inner voice which identified itself as “Jesus.

·       Barbara Marx Hubbard transcribed her book “The Revelation:  A Message of Hope for the New Millennium” from her Spirit Guide--an inner voice which identified itself as “Christ.”

·       Neale Donald Walsch wrote an angry letter to God and was amazed when “God” immediately answered his letter by speaking to him through an inner voice which resulted in his book “Conversations with God.”

·       Ester Hicks bases her best selling books on translations of thought she claims she channels from a group of non-physical entities called “Abraham.”

·       David Spangler wrote many New Age books including “The Birth of a New Age” which he said was a compilation of channeled transmission he received from his disembodied spirit guide “John.”

·       Bernie Segal, an author and leader in the New (Age) Spirituality, claims to have a spirit guide named “George” whom he met the very first time he meditated.

Spirit Guides, which in scripture are described as “familiar Spirits,” are a common factor in New (Age) Spirituality practices.  Many times these Spirit Guides are acquired through Mystical Meditation either purposely, or unexpectedly.  Communication or the use of familiar Spirits is forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:10-11 “Therefore shall not be found among you any one … (who is) a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard…”

·       Consulter of familiar spirits – communicator with fallen angels or demonic entities in the spirit world. 

·       Wizard – one who has supernatural knowledge which is attained through communication with familiar Spirits, a “knower.”

Familiar Spirits are simply demonic entities which commonly  manifest themselves as “angels of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) and are believed to be beneficial and benevolent by those involved with them.

Another method of acquiring Spirit Guides is through another New (Age) Spirituality practice—Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) a form of energy healing.  It incorporates the assistance of Spirit Guides, whether the practitioners choose to acknowledge them or not.

One Reiki practitioner was a Reiki Master before he finally discovered that he had Reiki guides.   He first met one of them through a meditation session.  He then created a meditation specifically designed for each Reiki practitioner to find and communicate with the Spirit Guides assisting them in the Reiki sessions:  “In all my Reiki courses, I offer a simple meditation for students to meet their Reiki guide. I am pleased to say that nowadays most do.”¹

Although the most frequent definition given of the word “Reiki” is “Universal Life force,”  Reiki practitioners give a variety of explanations:

·       When seeking a definition from a more spiritual context, we find that Rei can be defined as the Higher Intelligence that guides the creation and functioning of the universe…Ki is the non-physical energy that animates all living things. Ki is flowing in everything that is alive including plants, animals and humans. ²

·       In Japan, the word Reiki is not commonly associated with Dr. Usui’s healing system at all, but is simply a generic word that refers to the occult, to healing, or to things relating to spirit.³ [Emphasis mine]

·       The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy.”  So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."⁴  [Emphasis mine]

The last definition is from Reiki.org, a website called “The International Center for Reiki Training.”  In another section called “Developing Your Reiki Practice” it states: 

“…There are higher sources of help you can call on. Angels, beings of light and Reiki spirit guides as well as your own enlightened self are available to help you. They can help you develop your Reiki practice by directing clients to you and assisting with treatments…⁵

Origins of Reiki

According to an online medical-dictionary:

“Reiki was developed in the mid-1800s by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese scholar of religion. According to the story that has been passed down among reiki teachers, Usui was a Christian who was intrigued by the idea that Christ could heal sick people by touching them with his hands. Searching for clues that would explain the secrets of healing with hands, Usui made a long pilgrimage around the world, visiting many ancient religious sects and studying ancient books. Some reiki teachers claim that Usui found clues leading back nearly 10,000 years to healing arts that originated in ancient Tibet. During his intense studies, Usui claimed he had a spiritual experience, which enabled him to heal with his own hands by becoming aware of and tapping into the universal life force.”⁶

When Dr Mikaeo Usui died, his power was transferred to one of his students.  Many Reiki Masters are able to trace their Reiki “lineage” back through the various masters to Dr. Mikao Usui himself. 

What is a Reiki Treatment?

A Reiki treatment is usually performed by the practitioner holding his or her hands a few inches above different areas of the body, holding each position until they sense it is time to move to the next position.  The traditional Reiki hand positions (especially in the West) cover all the important major chakras and many acupuncture points.   Chakras are part of the eastern religions such as Hinduism and addressed in Yoga and Mystical Meditation.

During a Reiki treatment some feel as if there are more hands on them then just the practitioners hands or sometimes feel that the practitioners hands are over a different area of the body than they actually are. This common occurrence is called “Phantom hands.”⁷

There are four Reiki symbols used by many Reiki practitioners and one of them is used to perform Reiki treatments over long distances. 

“This symbol broadly means, having no past, no present and no future. Another way of interpreting this symbol is saying, "The Buddha in me contacts the Buddha in you". The Reiki distance-healing symbol is used to send Reiki energy from one place to another. The Reiki practitioner is in a particular place and from there he sends the Reiki energy to another place. When you use the Reiki distance-healing symbol time and distance have no meaning. Most Reiki practitioners believe that the distance-healing symbol is the most helpful and powerful symbol of Reiki. Using the symbol gives the practitioner access to the life records or "Akashic Records", of a person…⁸

The attention to Chakras, the involvement of Spirit Guides, New (Age) Spirituality practices, Mystical meditation and many Eastern religion practices all add up to something a believer should not be involved in.

Reiki for Christians??

The term “laying on of hands” is used to describe Reiki and also another energy healing technique called Therapeutic Touch.  Many, including Dr. Usui who founded Reiki, have the belief that energy healing is what Jesus used to heal people and is the same thing as having the “Gift of Healing” spoken of in scripture.   

But the power of God resides in God Himself, His power does not exist separate from Himself so that everyone can somehow tap into it and use the same power.  Jesus had the power to heal (just as he was able to forgive sins) because He was and IS God.

The Gifts of the Spirit are given and operated through the power of the Holy Spirit.  There are no instructions whatsoever that indicate the Gift of Healing can be transferred from one person to another or that it requires a number of different hand positions to balance life energies.  It is given to specific believers by the Holy Spirit.

A Nitrous Oxide Boost to Reiki

On January 9, 2010, Dr. Mehmet Oz told 2 million viewers to “try Reiki.”  Dr. Oz’s wife, Lisa, is a Reiki Master who called Reiki “my favorite treatment that could change the future of medicine forever.”¹⁰

Regarding this TV program, one Reiki website, The Reiki Digest” stated:

“As word spread via the Internet across the global Reiki community, web traffic here at The Reiki Digest increased tenfold, and hundreds of new readers subscribed to our email edition. To accommodate the many inquiries coming in from people seeking Reiki treatments, training, or more information, we set up a free referral service to help clients and students find qualified practitioners. “ [Emphasis mine]

Dr. Oz is one of three doctors chosen (the other two are Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mark Hyman) to give health advice to the thousands of Christians who are or will be participating in the Daniel Plan, a year-long program to lose weight and to get healthy that was kicked off in January 2011.

Undoubtedly, these doctors have a lot of excellent medical advice, however, interspersed with all of the good advice are New (Age) Spirituality techniques such as Yoga, meditation, and energy healing (Reiki)

In the first interview of Dr. Amen for the Daniel Plan, he stated “There is a meditation exercise from Harvard--It’s not religious at all, it’s called the ‘relaxation response.’  Take a big breath, blow it out.  Every time you breath out, say the word ‘one.’  Do it for 10 minutes, you’ve got all these thoughts coming into your head.  Imagine a big broom--sweep them away.”   [Emphasis mine]

The instructions given are the exact ones given for any form of Mystical Meditation--Relaxing, slow methodical breathing, repeating a single word over and over again (it doesn’t matter what word you choose), doing this for at least 10 minutes a day, and clearing your mind of all thoughts.  You’ll find these basic instructions for any form of Mystical Meditation you hear about including Contemplative Prayer.

Thousands of Christians are and will become involved in the Daniel Plan and trust these three doctors to help them.  The fact that no warning was given as to the dangers of mystical meditation in this first interview with Dr. Amen is disconcerting and may indicate the acceptance of other New (Age) Spirituality practices such as Reiki later on.

The mystical practices have already entered the church through other avenues, but the influence of the Daniel Plan if not handled properly, has the potential of opening up a floodgate.

_____________________________

¹ http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Do-Reiki-Healers-Channel--reiki-Guides--/177437

²http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/whatislg.html

³http://lightworkers.org/blog/48134/reiki-a-woking-definition

⁴http://www.reiki.org/FAQ/WhatIsReiki.html

⁵http://www.reiki.org/reikipractice/practicehomepage.html

⁶http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/reiki

⁷http://www.reiki.nu/treatment/chakra/chakra.html

⁸http://www.indobase.com/reiki/info-for-practioners/reiki-symbols.html

⁹http://www.indobase.com/reiki/receiving-reiki/reiki-distance-healing.htmlhttp://www.christianreiki.org/

¹⁰http://reikidigest.blogspot.com/2010/01/try-reiki-dr-oz-tells-millions-on-tv.html

Whatever Happened to the New Age? Part I

by Leisa Garcia

During the 1980’s, Bible believing pastors, teachers, and watchmen for “The Faith” stood up and began to prevail against the New Age Movement.

By the mid 1990’s, it appeared as if the church assumed the threat had passed. It was as if a veil of deception enveloped the church to hide the truth - not only had the New Age Movement NOT faded away, it was spreading exponentially into the very fabric of society.

Ray Yungen, author of “A Time of Departing” describes this New (Age) Spirituality as “The Invisible Denomination.”¹   It has been hiding in plain sight for two decades.    It is time for the Church to remove the veil of deception and see this New (Age) Spirituality that has permeated evangelical denominations, Bible schools, seminaries, Christian publishers and also the teachings of respected Bible teachers.


Paganism in Modern Dress

Walter Martin evaluated these practices in his 1989 book “The New Age Cult” in which he states, “The New Age Cult is a revival of this ancient occultism.  It holds historical ties to Sumerian, Indian, Egyptian, Chaldean, Babylonian, and Persian religious practices.”²

The following occult practices (among others) are described in Deuteronomy 18:10-11:

·         Divination - a “catch all” name for using any method to discover details of what is happening around you or to learn what will happen in the future by any means other than through God himself, who alone knows the beginning from the end

·         Enchanter - another name for a sorcerer, one who practices the arts of magic of all kinds--magical remedies, potions, drugs and hallucinogens to see into the future.

·         Witchcraft - “the craft” or WICCA, includes sorcery and the worship the mother Goddess, nature, trees, etc.

·         Charmer  - binds something physical with the spiritual--charms, amulets, something worn or carried on one's person (i.e., good luck charm or religious article supposedly with a supposed blessing attached)

·         Consulter of familiar spirits – communicator with fallen angels or demonic entities in the spirit world. 

·         Wizard – one who has supernatural knowledge which is attained through communication with familiar Spirits, a “knower”.

·         Necromancer - one who attempts to communicate with the spirits of the dead to acquire knowledge or to ask for assistance in some way by praying to anyone other than God Himself

New (Age) Spirituality includes the practice of many of these things; most notably consultation with and channeling information from familiar spirits, called “Spirit Guides.”

Common New (Age) Spirituality Practices

There is one key practice called “Mystical Meditation” from which certain beliefs emerge.  Mystical Meditation is an essential part of New (Age) Spirituality, as well as other Eastern religions, mystical sects (i.e., Muslim Sufis and Jewish Kaballah), and the occult (i.e., Satanists and witchcraft).

 There are a multitude of variations of Mystical Meditation.  Some are given specific “brand names,” such as, Transcendental Meditation and Silva Mind Control, but they commonly share the following characteristics:

1.  Comfortable Positions (i.e., sitting, laying down or an accepted Yoga position) to maintain a relaxed physical state without distraction.

  

2.  Methods of concentrated focus (i.e., rhythmic breathing, maintained visual contact on a single object,  or silent word repetitions) often accompanied by specific types of soft music, assist the practitioner in reaching an altered state of consciousness in which the mind is cleared of all conscious thought.  This state of consciousness has often been referred to as “The Thin Place” -- a state of mind in which the physical and spiritual worlds meet.  

 When the practitioner experiences random thoughts, he reacquires the altered state quickly by returning to the focus method.

At this point, the practitioner may “experience a sense of unity with all creation.”  Many attain new knowledge or understanding, become “enlightened,” and may also experience various physical sensations.  It is important to note, as discussed earlier, that the Hebrew word for “Wizard” means  “a knower.”   This practice is wizardry.

Channeling from Spirit Guides

During meditation, practitioners are often instructed to use visualization to connect with their Spirit Guide(s).   Others may be instructed to await the appearance of a Spirit Guide in either human or animal form.  Some choose religious personages, including Jesus, admired historical figures, angelic beings, or a “more successful self” created in parallel reality to teach how to become more successful in life.

Many famous New (Age) Spirituality writers claim to receive their inspiration or works directly from their Spirit Guide(s):

·         Alice Bailey , occultist and New Age Matriarch, who some credit with coining the phrase “New Age,” and of which the New (Age) Spirituality leaders reference quite often, had a spirit guide called Djwhal Khul (DJ).

·         Helen Schuchman transcribed “A Course in Miracles” as dictated by her Spirit Guide--an inner voice which identified itself as “Jesus.

·         Barbara Marx Hubbard transcribed her book “The Revelation:  A Message of Hope for the New Millennium” from her Spirit Guide--an inner voice which identified itself as “Christ.”

·         Neale Donald Walsch wrote an angry letter to God and was amazed when “God” immediately answered his letter by speaking to him through an inner voice which resulted in his book “Conversations with God.”

·         Ester Hicks bases her best selling books on translations of thought she claims she channels from a group of non-physical entities called “Abraham.”

·         David Spangler wrote many New Age books including “The Birth of a New Age” which he said was a compilation of channeled transmission he received from his disembodied spirit guide “John.”

·         Bernie Segal, an author and leader in the New (Age) Spirituality, claims to have a spirit guide named “George” whom he met the very first time he meditated.

The New (Age) Spirituality is not just a fad practiced and believed by a minority.  It has entered society today through many different avenues.

The New Spirituality/Occultism in Post-modern Society

Following are some of the areas in which the New (Age) Spirituality is accepted in society today:

Meditation in the work place

A number of corporations (i.e., Apple, Google, McKinsey, Deutsche Bank, Texas Instruments, AOL, Yahoo!, Raytheon, Nortel Networks, Medtronic’s, Viacom International Inc., and Monsanto) provide meditation training to reduce stress and increase productivity.

Napolean Hill & A Positive Mental Attitude

Napolean Hill, author of the famous book “Think and Grow Rich,” credits his foundational teachings of the success, motivation and positive mental attitude books, courses and seminars to the teachings of disembodied spirits who called themselves “Ascended Masters.”  Apparently Mr. Hill earned the right to reveal a Supreme Secret to others, “You have been under the guidance of the Great School…now you must give the world a blueprint…”³  Millions of business people, including Christians, have taken these courses and seminars not realizing that they are being taught “doctrines of demons.”

Reiki in the Health Care System

The ability to heal came to Mikao Usui during a spiritual experience on a sacred mountain. The ability was called “Reiki” (Ray-key).  According to the American Hospital Association, Reiki is being offered in a growing number of hospitals within the U.S.

A Reiki.org article entitled, “Developing Your Reiki Practice” clearly identifies the practice: “Sensing the presence of spiritual beings, feeling their touch, knowing they work with you. Being raised into ever greater levels of joy and peace by simply placing your hands on another. Watching your life grow and develop as your continual immersion in Reiki transforms your attitudes, values and beliefs. Sensing that because of your commitment to help others, beings of light are focusing their love and healing on you and carefully guiding you on your spiritual path…”⁴

Meditation in the Prison System

The Dharma Foundation is a nonprofit organization which produces a newsletter about meditation for those who are in correction facilities.  Volunteers from their organization work with programs such as centering prayer, Zen meditations, and conflict resolution.  They assert that 85% of inmates who have practiced substantive meditation never return as repeat offenders.

In an online presentation of the Dharma Seeds Foundation, it states:

“For any human to transform into the natural spiritual creation they are, they first must accept their own salvation from lower self towards the true SELF. Once they have done this they can then incorporate their own spiritual upbringing…”⁵

Meditation in the Public School System
The children in the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse in Detroit meditate for ten minutes twice a day.  The University of Michigan followed 140 of the school’s 10-14 year olds and reported the children were more connected, happy, satisfied, peaceful  and calm.  Their studies indicate that children who meditate do better in school than those who do not.

The so-called benefits of meditation practices can be found in many websites.  An example from a Health & Yoga website:

“Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, it also has many health benefits. The yoga and meditation techniques are being implemented in management of life threatening diseases; in transformation of molecular and genetic structure; in reversal of mental illnesses, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in solving problems and atomic and nuclear physics; in gaining better ecological understanding; in management of lifestyle and future world problems.”⁶

If all these results come from mystical meditation, then how could God possibly object to it?  Scripture, especially Deuteronomy 18, does not allow for a “if it feels good, do it” attitude.

We as Christians should not be ignorant of Satan’s devices and should recognize when these practices creep into our lives and our churches.  However, repackaging New Age fundamental practices with Christian words has allowed an unsettling infiltration of both.

GO TO:  Whatever Happened to the New Age? Part II
__________________________

Works Cited

¹Yungen, Ray. A Time of Departing  pp. 9. 2nd Ed. Oregon: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2006.

²Martin, Walter.  The New Age Cult. pp 15. Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1989

³Hill, Napolean.  Grow Rich with Peace of Mind.  pp.  158-160. Ballantine Books, 1967

⁴Rand, William Lee.  “Developing Your Reiki Practice”
            http://www.reiki.org/ReikiPractice/PracticeHomepage.html

⁵Dharma Seeds Foundation, Inc. 
           http://st-raphael-monastery.org/dharmaseeds/pdfs2008BOA%20presentationPDF.pdf

⁶Health & Yoga.  http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/meditation/objectives.html

Whatever Happened to the New Age? Part II

by Leisa Garcia

GO TO:  Whatever Happened to the New Age? Part I

As discussed in Part 1 of this series, the New (Age) Spirituality which is “paganism (the occult) in modern dress” continued to grow through the 1990’s and has became even more prominent during the first decade of the 21^st century.  It currently can be found in the work place, hospitals, public schools, prisons, on television, in bookstores, and as we will be discussing, it has been welcomed by the church with open arms!

In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul took it for granted that the people of Corinth were not ignorant of Satan’s devices. Sadly that can’t be said of many believers today.  The discernment skills of many believers are either very weak or nonexistent.  The combination of a profound Biblical illiteracy and lack of a literal hermeneutic, i.e. "God says what He means and means what He says," has left the church wide open for New (Age) Spirituality deception.

Spiritual Discernment and the Mature Believer

Both Hebrews 5:14 and Ephesians 4:14 describe the discernment skills characteristic of a mature believer.  Specifically, Hebrews 5:14 describes a mature believer as one who through practice has exercised vigorously their faculty of the mind for perceiving, understanding, and judging to discern both good and evil—truth and lie. 

Although there is a specific gift of the Spirit given to some called “discerning of Spirits,” as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12:10, the discernment skills referenced by both Hebrews 5:14 and Ephesians 4:13, 14, are characteristic of ALL mature believers.

 Jesus declares in John 17:11, “Thy Word is Truth.”  Mature believers use objective reasoning skills to compare unfamiliar or new teachings and practices with the Truth of God’s Word to prove all things.  The word “prove” as used in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 means:  to test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), to recognize as genuine after examination.

As mature believers, let’s examine some of the main forms of New (Age) Spirituality which have crept into the church.

“Christian” Yoga?

Mystical Meditation is the foundation of New (Age) Spirituality and has entered the Church in two main forms.  The most transparent of which is called “Christian” Yoga.   The word "yoga" comes from the Hindu Sanskrit root “yuj,” which means "to join" or "to yoke."  The question then comes to mind, what is the practitioner joining with?

“Traditionally, yoga is a method joining the individual self with the Divine, Universal Spirit, or Cosmic Consciousness. Physical and mental exercises are designed to help achieve this goal, also called self-transcendence or enlightenment.”¹

This “joining” is becoming one with the divine and becoming enlightened to the fact that you ARE divine--self-realization.  All creation is God (Pantheism) and God is in all creation (Panentheism)—God is everywhere and is IN everyone. 

Some supporters and promoters of “Christian” Yoga claim they only use the physical exercises (as in the Hatha form of Yoga).  Their intentions are to worship God not the Hindu gods so they have no problem with “Christian” Yoga.

However, Hatha Yoga concentrates on the Yoga positions called Asanas.  In Hinduism everything is god.  Each position is representative of a different being of creation.   Hinduism teaches that the creative force that runs through all creation is called Kundalini.

The Sanskrit word Kundalini means the curled one, and is referenced as Kundalini awakening or the awakening of the serpent power (Kundalini Shakti).

Jean Lim, author/speaker and expert on the supernatural states:

“Yoga is actually a form of spiritual exercise, and those who practice Yoga will be filled with the spirit of Yoga, which is the spirit of the serpent…I don’t think we can separate Yoga, the practice of Yoga, from the spiritual into just a form of exercise, because every form of the Yoga movement derives from the serpent and there is a root behind it, so when a person practices Yoga, they actually are inherently bowing down to the god of the serpent.²

God commands His people to not bow down or worship any other god in Exodus 34:14.  The Israelites are warned in Joshua 23:7 that when “ye come among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear [by them], neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them”

“Christian” Yoga is as incongruous as “Christian” Ouija.  Intent doesn’t matter.  You wouldn’t use Yoga to worship the true God anymore than you would use an Ouija board to speak to Jesus Christ.  Both are an entry point into the spirit world that opens the door to spiritual deception.

There are many Believers who understand this concept and do not have anything to do with Yoga.  However, they may have fallen for something even more deceptive.

Centering / Contemplative Prayer

The terms Centering Prayer and Contemplative Prayer are becoming well known in Christian circles.  For the most part, these terms have been used interchangeably.  However, Centering Prayer appears to be the methodology which creates the “spiritual” environment for Contemplative Prayer which is defined as contemplating God with the soul, NOT with your mind or rational thought.

Centering Prayer/Contemplative Prayer was brought into the Roman Catholic Church in 1977 by three trappist monks:  (Abbot) Thomas Keating, William Meninger, Basil Pennington.  This was in response to Vatican Council II’s call for “the revitalization of the path of contemplative prayer”

These three joined with ecumenically oriented Catholic theologians, an Eastern Zen master who offered retreats on Buddhist meditation and a former trappist monk who taught transcendental meditation.  Together they created “centering prayer.”

In the forward to the book Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality by Philip S. Romain, Thomas Keating (the most famous of the three trappist monks) wrote:
 

“Reading the Christian mystics from the perspective of his [Philip St. Romain] own experience of kundalini energy, the author sees many examples of its working in the lives of Christian saints and mystics. Since this energy is also at work today in numerous persons who are devoting themselves to contemplative prayer, this book is an important contribution to the renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition. It will be of great consolation to those who have experienced physical symptoms arising from the awakening of kundalini in the course of their spiritual journey, even if they have not experienced it to the fullest extent described by the author. His [Philip St. Romain] compelling testimony is a powerful affirmation of the potential of every human being for higher states of consciousness.”³

Full Text of Forward

Although its proponents will argue against it, Centering/Contemplative Prayer IS most definitely a form of Eastern Meditation, i.e. Mystical Meditation.  Below is a comparison between what is taught by the New (Age) Spirituality and the method of meditation that is taught for Centering/Contemplative Prayer:

Mystical Meditation	Centering / Contemplative Prayer
Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight	Sit comfortably with your eyes closed
Choose a mantra and repeat it silently	Choose a sacred word or phrase and introduce it silently
If and when you notice that your attention has drifted completely off the mantra, gently begin repeating it again, and continue with minimal effort	Whenever you become aware of anything (thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, associations, etc.) simply and gently return to your sacred word  (This obviously results in repetition of the word)
The intended Goal:  become enlightened, knowing truth by experience and ultimately “ascension” - which is self-realization, knowing that “I am divine”	The intended Goal:  To reach “The Silence” when all distractive thoughts are gone, a thin place where the spiritual barrier is the thinnest, where you can contemplate God with your soul NOT with your intellect.

As you probably noticed, the steps taken are identical.  Both use the same method to induce an altered state of consciousness – void of thought, just contemplating spiritual truth in an experiential fashion and accepting it as truth without discernment.  This is a spiritually dangerous condition.  The door to the spiritual realm of intense experience becomes the basis for truth instead of the Word of God.

Be Not Deceived

Each Believer has the ultimate responsibility to use his/her discernment skills and not be deceived.  However, the shepherds of the flock such as Pastors, Bible teachers and Christian leaders also bear responsibility for teaching the whole counsel of God and warning of false doctrine.

In Paul’s farewell instructions to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:27-31, Paul declared “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.  ²⁸Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.  ²⁹For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.  ³⁰Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.
 

³¹Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”

May all pastors as shepherds of the flock of Jesus Christ follow Paul’s example, and may we as Believers practice our discernment skills and heed Jesus’ warnings to “be not deceived.”

______________________________

¹ “Yoga Definition” Answers.com. http://www.answers.com/topic/yoga
²Matrisciana, Caryl.  Yoga Uncoiled Part III http://www.radiofreechurch.com/topics_display?page=31&sort=alpha

³Philip St. Romain, Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality: A Path to Growth and Healing, pp 7

New York: The Crossroads Publishing Company, 1994

Kingdom Now? Part III

by Leisa Garcia

(GO TO: Kingdom Now? Part I;  Kingdom Now? Part II)

As discussed in Part II, the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) has been dubbed the “largest religious movement you never heard of,”¹  and David Barret, the author of World Christian Encyclopedia indicates that “Not only is the New Apostolic Reformation the largest of the four non-Catholic megablocks, but significantly, it is the only one of all five megablocks that is growing faster than Islam.”²  [Emphasis mine]  

Bolstered by the conviction that they have an “urgent mandate from God to actively engage in transforming society,”³  it is not likely that they will just fade away if ignored.

The Great Commission Redefined by the NAR:  The Cultural Mandate to Disciple all “Nations.”

C. Peter Wagner, the founder of the New Apostolic Reformation, and many others involved, think that many Bible scholars through church history have misunderstood the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20.

“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:”  (KJV)

C. Peter Wagner believes it is not about making disciples of individuals.  It’s about transforming nations and societies  from the top down at a national level, through the seven mountains which he refers to as --“seven supreme molders of culture—namely religion, family, government, arts and entertainment, media, business, and education.”⁴    

C. Peter Wagner has taken one definition of the English word “nation” that references a social entity including the political system and the territory it occupies, and has ignored the definition of a multitude or group of individuals that make up an ethincity.  Even then, his definition is only viable in English, if the word is taken out of the context of the Matthew passage.

The Greek word ἔθνος  (ethnos), refers to the individual people who make up the nation and is where we get the English word ethnicity.  The Blue Letter Bible gives the primary meanings as “a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together as in a company, troop, or swarm.   A multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus such as the human family.”⁵

So in this passage, “nation” does not refer to a social entity, but the individuals who make up the society. 

A better translation of the word “teach” in this passage is “disciple” since the Greek word is actually μαθητεύω  (mathēteuō) which means to “make disciples” by teaching and instructing them.  How would you make a disciple of a nation as a single entity?  Additionally, reading this passage in context, it continues:  “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”  How would you baptize a nation?  In context, it is clearly speaking of the individuals that make up a national group.

The International Standard Version (ISV) gives a translation of this scripture passage which is an excellent representation of the actual meaning of the Greek text:

“Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve com­manded you…” (ISV)⁶

Strategic Spiritual Warfare

C. Peter Wagner teaches that there are three levels of spiritual warfare:

1.  Ground level spiritual warfare which is casting out demons from individuals. 

2.  Occult level spiritual warfare which is not confronting demons directly, but by dealing with the organized occultic activities that are found in Witchcraft, Voodoo, Wicca, etc.

 3.  Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare, which is the highest level dealing with confrontation of territorial principalities that control entire communities, ethnic groups, religions, and nations.⁷

The third level which is Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare is one of the primary tools the NAR employs to achieve their perceived mandate to “disciple all nations” resulting in Social transformation.  They believe that the principalities and powers of darkness often take the form of territorial spirits who are assigned to keep entire geographical areas, social spheres and cultural groups in bondage to evil.⁸

They appear to believe that there are demons for anything and everything.  According to C. Peter Wagner, one such demon that needs to be cast out is “The Spirit of poverty, a demonic agent of Satan, intent on preventing the people from enjoying God-given prosperity.”⁹

C. Peter Wagner believes that since the early 1990s God has been promising a “great transfer of wealth” through his modern day (self-appointed) Apostles and Prophets.  He is convinced that “a significant reason why we have not yet taken any of our cities for God is that we have not had enough money at our disposal.”¹⁰

He believes that the demon called “Mammon” is one of the highest ranking demonic powers to thwart Christians from shifting from poverty to prosperity and that he uses four subordinate demonic spirits in his attempt to entrap believers:  The Spirits of Greed, Covetousness, Parsimony (stinginess) and Self-reliance. (Just to be clear, he isn’t speaking allegorically!)¹¹

As indicated in Part II, this great transfer of wealth is planned to occur when the NAR takes over the “Mountain of Business.”  In turn, this wealth obtained will be used primarily to conquer the “Mountain of Government,” along with the other five mountains.

A Government controlled by the NAR?

C. Peter Wagner believes that the NAR can reach their goals through the Democratic process and he rejects the idea of a theocracy which means “Rule by God.”   His understanding of a theocracy is when the state or government owns and runs the churches such as implemented by Constantine, the Anglican Church and Islam with the belief that those in power are put in place by “God” (whatever the definition) and ruling on his behalf.

He does not mention what he thinks about a “theonomy” as described by the Reconstructionists, which means “God’s Law” as in “the Law of God, or Biblical Law, as codified in the Old Testament should be instituted as the law of the United States and every nation on earth before the return of Christ.”¹² 

In addition to rejecting a Theocracy, he also rejects the idea of the “Rule of the Church” or Ecclesiastical rule which would entail a church-run government—in other words, the church would actually be the government.

Instead, C. Peter Wagner believes that “the best form of human government before Jesus returns is not theocracy, but democracy.¹³

“In a democracy, while there is no established religion, religious people can be elected to office as freely as can non-religious people, and they can also rise to the highest and most influential positions in the other six non-governmental molders of culture.¹⁴  [The previously mentioned seven mountains]

Taking dominion comes about by playing by the rules of the democratic game and, fairly and squarely, gaining the necessary influence in the seven molders of culture to ultimately benefit a nation….¹⁵

The rules of the democratic game opens the doors for Christians, as well as for non-Christians who have Kingdom values, to move into positions of leadership influential enough to shape the whole nation from top to bottom.”¹⁴  [Emphasis mine]

The difference between this and the church being the government becomes a matter of semantics, because if the church or any religious organization took control over all the mountains of influence, it would amount to the same thing that he calls the “Rule of the Church” -- the U.S. being governed by a church or a religious organization, in this case, the New Apostolic Reformation.

It is interesting that he includes “non-Christians who have Kingdom values.”  It is doubtful that an unregenerated, unbeliever could have “Kingdom” values in the true sense of the word because as 1 Cor. 2:13 states “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”   Not to mention the fact that the Apostle Paul sternly warns against being unequally yoked with unbelievers.

Could what C. Peter Wagner and the New Apostolic Reformation are describing be considered making (or some would say remaking) the U.S. a Christian Nation?

What is the definition of a “Christian” Nation?

The assertion that the U.S. was founded as a “Christian” nation has been proclaimed for many years.   But what is the definition of a Christian nation, and do we really want the U.S. or any country in the world to be a so-called “Christian” Nation?   Whose version of a “Christian” nation would we choose?

A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ who believes that God came in the flesh, died for our sins, and rose again on the third day--a new creation, a child of God.   A nation cannot actually be a “Christian” in the scriptural sense.  It is the individuals that make up a nation that are Christian.     

If you ask a Roman Catholic, what would their definition of a “Christian” nation be?  If you ask a Southern Baptist, what would their definition of a “Christian” nation be?  If you asked a Lutheran, a Quaker, or someone from any specific denomination, would you get the same definition? 

If you asked a Reconstructionist, you would get a very specific definition of a “Christian” nation.  A nation ruled solely by the Mosaic Law, including Capital Punishment for Homosexuality, Adultery, and possibly even Sabbath breaking among a host of others.

What is the New Apostolic Reformation’s  definition of a “Christian” nation?  It is the Christians and Non-Christians with Kingdom values controlling the seven mountains of influence to mold the society into their version of God’s Kingdom on earth.  Once they have control over these mountains, their self-appointed, mutually affirmed Apostles and prophets will have authority over the rest of believers as the primary church government and their word will be taken as the Word of God.

Whose version of a “Christian” nation do we really want?  Do we really want someone’s or some religious organization’s version of a Christian nation? 

The true Kingdom of God, the Kingdom from Heaven, the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, and the yet future Millennial kingdom where the Messiah himself will rule with a rod of iron over the entire world, will be inaugurated by the 2^nd Coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

___________________________________

¹Berkowitz, Bill. 01 March 2010 Web. 8 October 2010  http://www.alternet.org/

²Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!  How Kingdom Action Can Change the Word.  pg 23-24.  Michigan:  Chosen Books, 2008.  Print.

³Ibid.  Pg 11

⁴Ibid.  Pg 12

⁵“Ethnos”  def. 1-2.  Blue Letter Bible.  Web.  7 November 2010

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1484&t=KJV

⁶Giacumakis, George and William P. Welty.  Editors. The International Standard Version.  10 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. http://www.isv.org/index.htm

⁷Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!  How Kingdom Action Can Change the Word.  pg 126-127.   Michigan:  Chosen Books, 2008.  Print

⁸Ibid.  Pg 127

⁹Ibid.  Pg. 185

¹⁰Ibid. Pg. 181

¹¹Ibid.  Pg.  190

¹²House, H. Wayne and Thomas Ice.  Dominion Theology:  Blessing or Curse?  An Analysis of Christian Reconstructionism. Pg 27. Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1985.  Print.

¹³Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!  How Kingdom Action Can Change the Word.  pg 14.   Michigan:  Chosen Books, 2008.  Print

¹⁴Ibid. Pg. 15

¹⁵Ibid. Pg. 18

¹⁶Ibid. Pg. 15

Kingdom Now? Part II

by Leisa Garcia

(GO TO: Kingdom Now? Part I)

As discussed in Part I, although the Kingdom of God clearly has a present and continuing spiritual aspect, scripture still consistently describes a future kingdom on Earth which will be inaugurated by the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 

This Dispensational, Pre-millennial belief is that the Millennium will be inaugurated at the 2^nd Coming of Christ, and that He will set up the Kingdom and reign for an actual duration of 1,000 years.  (Rev. 20:2-7)

In direct contrast, Post-Millennialists believe the Kingdom of God must be built by believers, and that Jesus cannot come until the Kingdom has been firmly established by the end of the Millennial period.  The Millennial period started with the first coming of Jesus.  It will possibly have an indefinite period of time near the end where there will be a kind of utopia here on Earth, which will culminate in the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ.

Foundational to Post-Millennial, Dominion Theology is the belief that the mandate given before the Fall by God in Genesis 1:28, which commanded Adam and Eve to subdue the Earth and have dominion, became operative again after the first coming of Jesus Christ, and that “the urgent mandate of God for the Church is to actively engage in transforming society.”¹

Brief History of the Post-Millennial/Dominionist view

There isn’t much support for the post-millennial view until the dawn of modern Reformed theology.  The early supporters of this view are A. A. Hodge (1823-1886); B.B. Warfield (1851-1921), A. H. Strong (Baptist, 1836-1921), and Loraine Boettner (1932-2000).²

The primary modern foundation for postmillennialism is the Reconstructionist Movement  begun by R. J. Rushdooney (1916-2001).   In the 1980’s, H. Wayne House and Thomas Ice wrote a book refuting much of the Reconstructionist teachings entitled “Dominion Theology:  Blessing or Curse?  An Analysis of Christian Reconstructionism.”  This book comprehensively discussed the Reconstructionist Movement.

In the Preface, Thomas Ice states:

“After fourteen years of study it is my belief that there is not one passage anywhere in Scripture that would lead to the postmillennial system…I believe they have an agenda, such as politics or social reform…Most are attracted to dominion theology through the back door, rather than through the front door of Biblical study.  They are arriving at these views not from the study of Scripture, but by the romantic attraction of changing the world.  We must let Scripture set the agenda.”³

This is true of a number of subsequent groups which have come up with their own version of Kingdom Now, or Dominion Theology--The Latter Rain in the 1940s, the Manifest Sons of God (basically a spin off from the Latter Rain), and Shepherding in the late 1960’s/early 1970s. But the most recent is significantly eclipsing all of them by the sheer numbers of adherents and concentrated social and political action—The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).

The New Apostolic Reformation

Dubbed the “largest religious movement you never heard of,”⁴ the New Apostolic Reformation is a name coined in the 1990’s by C. Peter Wagner who believes we are in the Second Apostolic Age that began in 2001.  This was preceded by the 1970s when the body of Christ began recognizing the gift and office of intercessor,  and in the 1980s began to affirm the office of the Prophet.  Then finally Mr. Wagner states:

“The decade of the 1990s saw a beginning recognition of the gift and office of apostle in today’s Church.  True, many Christian leaders do not as yet believe that we now have legitimate apostles on the level of Peter or Paul or John, but a critical mass of the Church agrees that apostles are actually here.  For example, at this writing, the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA), over which I currently preside, includes over five hundred members who mutually recognize and affirm each other as legitimate apostles.”⁵  [emphasis mine]

(We will have to take C. Peter Wagner’s word for it that the ICA includes over five hundred members, because at this time, you have to become a member to see who the other members are.)⁶

In scripture, the foundational apostles had to fit specific criteria as described in Acts 1:21-22.  Nowhere in scripture does it allow for self-appointed foundational Apostles.  Affirmation by other people does not make it true.  In a sense, those who are “sent out” as missionaries could be called apostles, since that is the basic meaning of the Greek word ἀπόστολος (apostolos), however, these are claiming to be foundational apostles at the level and authority of Peter, Paul or John .

The Seven Mountains of Influence

The NAR focuses on the spheres of influence which some in their movement call the Seven Mountains, or as C. Peter Wagner calls them “seven supreme molders of culture—namely religion, family, government, arts and entertainment, media, business, and education.”⁷

It may seem like a pretty impossible task that the NAR could reach their goal of taking over the seven mountains.   However, they believe that if they succeed in first taking the Mountain of Business, which controls the money, the finances will become available to topple the other six. 

“As long as the business mountain is held by enemies of the gospel, funding for the other mountains will always be constrained, and any efforts to advance the Kingdom of God will be hindered.  Imagine God’s people reclaiming their cities and government, in the arts and entertainment, in the media and education, in the family, in religious influence, but only limited by their imagination, and not by a lack of finances.  It’s possible, but first we must take back the mountain of business.  God’s move to take this mountain back has already begun.”⁸

As another leader in the NAR, Lance Wallnau, indicates, it wouldn’t take a majority to control these seven mountains and states: “It only takes 3-5% of a population to form a tipping point that creates a culture, because the minority occupying the high places are stronger than a majority that are irrelevant.”⁹  [emphasis mine]

C. Peter Wagner points out that the NAR is by no means a minority in the five megablocks of Religion:

“David Barrett, one of our most respected researchers and author of the massive World Christian Encyclopedia, has divided world Christianity into five ‘megablocks.’  The largest is Roman Catholicism, with over one billion members.  However, of the four non-Catholic megablocks, the New Apostolic Reformation (which Barrett calls Neo-Apostolic, Independent or Postdenominational) is the largest, with over 432 million adherents, compared to smaller numbers for the Protestant/Evangelical, Orthodox and Anglican megablocks.  These Neo-Apostolics comprised only 3 percent of non-Catholic Christianity in 1900, but they are projected to include almost 50 percent by 2025…

…Not only is the New Apostolic Reformation the largest of the four non-Catholic megablocks, but significantly, it is the only one of all five megablocks that is growing faster than Islam.”¹⁰  [Emphasis mine]

If this is true, the New Apostolic Reformation appears to be a force to be reckoned with and should not be ignored.

Could it be, that while our eyes have been focused on Islam, worrying about their influence, we could be ignoring a much greater threat--a relatively large minority in control of the United States and other countries, enforcing their man-made version of the Kingdom of God?  We’ll explore that issue in Part III.

GO TO PART III: Kingdom Now? Part III

___________________________

¹Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!  How Kingdom Action Can Change the Word.  pg 11.   Michigan:  Chosen Books, 2008.  Print.

² Geisler, Norman.  Systematic Theology:  Volume Four – Church, Last Things. pg 551.  Minneapolis:  Bethany House. 2005.  Print.

³House, H. Wayne and Thomas Ice.  Dominion Theology:  Blessing or Curse?  An Analysis of Christian Reconstructionism. pg 9. Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1985.  Print.

⁴Berkowitz, Bill. 01 March 2010 Web. 8 October 2010  http://www.alternet.org/

⁵Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!  How Kingdom Action Can Change the Word.  pg 26.  Michigan:  Chosen Books, 2008.  Print.

⁶ International Coalition of Apostles. Web. 10 October 2010  http://www.coalitionofapostles.com/

⁷Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!  How Kingdom Action Can Change the Word.  pg 12.  Michigan:  Chosen Books, 2008.  Print.

⁸ “7 Mountains of Culture.” youtube.com Web.  10 October 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xges7mFi6iY&feature=related

⁹ Wallnau, Lance. “Seven Mountains” Youtube.com. Web. 9 October 2010   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwjBei4-HU4&feature=related

¹⁰Wagner, C. Peter. Dominion!  How Kingdom Action Can Change the Word.  pg 23.  Michigan:  Chosen Books, 2008.  Print.