When Evangelical Leaders Give Credibility to Ecumenicalism, Pluralism, and Pagan spirituality Mixed with Christianity
In the last 30 years of moral collapse in America, evangelical Christians managed to raise up a Moral Majority. When that didn’t stop the collapse, they formed the Christian Coalition. Things continued to spiral downward and the Christian Coalition faded into obscurity. Countless conferences, rallies and gatherings have since occurred, attempting to stop America’s relentless slide into the dustbin of history and calling on Christians to “take America back.” One such conference will take place this week, April 8-9, 2011 at the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. The “Awaken 2011 conference” includes such invited speakers as “prophets” Lou Engle and Harry Jackson. Sponsors or members of the conference include “prophet” Cindy Jacobs and her organization, as well as “prophet” Rick Joyner and his organization. Additionally invited speakers include Richard Land of the Southern Baptist, David Barton of Wallbuilders and many others.
The slogan for the conference is “Because our Faith matters…..because our Freedom matters.”
What kind of faith is it if you can include “prophets” of the New Apostolic Reformation movement that are promoting extra-biblical revelations, false prophecies, talking to angels, visiting heaven and calling for a civil war inside the church?
On his April 4, 2011 David Barton’s radio program description included, “Culture can be divided into 7 pillars of influence- Family, Religion, Education, Media, Entertainment, Business and Government.”
This is the exact same pillars of C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation “Seven Mountain Mandate”. In a May 31, 2007 letter C. Peter Wagner wrote:
In my view it is not possible to get an operational handle on how to initiate corporate action toward social transformation without taking into account the seven mountains or what I like to call "molders of culture." The seven are religion, family, business, arts & entertainment, government, education, and media.
Barton appears to have identified himself with the dominion theology crowd by promoting what he called the seven pillars on his radio program.
In the heat of the culture wars, bizarre coalitions have formed across religious boundaries that create a distinct unease among those who value biblical truth. Is it OK to partner with Glenn Beck, a New Age Mormon if the goal is to take dominion from the Leftists? It is OK to share the stage at a conference with “prophets” of the New Apostolic Reformation movement?
Does it matter what patriotic political leaders mean when they talk about God? Does it matter if it is the God of the Bible or a god of a new civil religion across spiritual boundaries? Does saving America trump the Great Commission of Jesus Christ? Shouldn’t we agree on what the “Gospel” actually is before partnering to save the nation? In brief, should we hoist the American flag over the Bible?
Worldview Weekend founder Brannon Howse does not believe that Christians can compromise the gospel while defending liberty. Howse passionately stated on his national radio program:
Christians that partner with false teachers in spiritual enterprises and think they are defending liberty for the sake of the gospel are actually compromising the gospel for the sake of liberty.
The mixing of evangelicals with false prophets for the sake of the culture war is really an offense to the Gospel. God is not dependent on us to violate Biblical principles in order to be successful at restoring righteousness. How can we restore righteousness through an unrighteous manner? How can we hope to restore Biblical principles within government when we have willingly violated Biblical principles within the church? The end does not justify the means.
Howse believes that Christian leaders must be very careful who and what they embrace and for this reason Worldview Weekend has even had to make the tough decision of no longer partnering with one of his longtime friends and past Worldview Weekend speakers David Barton.
Howse has addressed the issue on his national radio program because he has been swamped with questions about his friend David Barton since Barton has so publically embraced Glenn Beck. Howse notes:
David has participated in spiritual enterprises with members of the New Apostolic Reformation, was involved in organizing and promoting a spiritual enterprise with Mormon Glenn Beck and has appeared on a DVD that promotes the Law of Attraction. The DVD also praises the New Age book and DVD The Secret. Therefore, Worldview Weekend ceased carrying his radio program on our website, carrying his books and DVDs, and inviting him to speak for our conferences. This is very hard to do because David has been a close friend for many years. However, my ultimate commitment must be to the Word of God.
Brannon Howse of Worldview Weekend has been concerned for several years that many evangelical leaders are giving credibility to the rise of ecumenicalism, pluralism, and pagan spirituality being mixed with Christianity. Howse says it is really difficult to see people you have admired taking part in activities that he believes are clearly a violation of Biblical theology and doctrine. Howse stated:
In March of 2008, a Christian talk-show host called and informed me that David Barton of Wallbuilders was appearing on a DVD called The Source of the Secret that described how Christians could benefit from the Law of Attraction that was being widely promoted by New Agers on the Oprah Winfrey Show. I immediately called David and explained to him that Oprah was promoting the “Law of Attraction” and that perhaps he did not know that this was a blatantly New Age concept.
David told me that he believed that what Oprah was doing was unbiblical but that what he and the other presenters were talking about on the DVD was the biblical manner in which Christians could benefit from this Law. I explained to David my objections to such thinking and implored him to have himself taken out of this documentary before it was released. It was not until March 28, 2011, three years later, that I was informed that in May of 2010, this documentary aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) with David’s promotion of a so-called “Christian” version of the Law of Attraction. I am very sad to see my friend of many years going in the theological direction that he is headed.
David Barton was not only warned by Brannon Howse of the New Age and occult roots of the Law of Attraction, but another syndicated Christian talk show host, Ingrid Schlueter, also warned him in an email exchange in March of 2008. It was to no avail. Barton retained his part in the documentary that featured a line-up of Word of Faith, name-it-and-claim-it teachers including the now deceased Oral Roberts and also an orthodox Jew who talked about how this Law of Attraction works. Apparently, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was not required to make the Law bring you what you desire. (A link to the trailer for The Source of the Secret can be seen here and a partial transcript of what David Barton and the other participants claimed about the biblical basis for the Law of Attraction is here.
The Source of the Secret DVD seems very contradictory. The DVD praises the law of attraction, praises the Secret and then it seems to warn about potential dangers and then again praises the Secret and law of attraction.
Click here to listen to Brannon’s radio program on the dangers of Christian leaders appearing on The Source of Secret DVD.
Author Kerry Shook appears on the DVD with David Barton and others and says:
I have talked to a lot of people who said The Secret has forever changed my life and I agree that it has because they’re putting Biblical principles into their life whether they realize it or not it is going to change their life. Now I want them to take a step further and give credit to the source and the source is Jesus Christ.
How can these people be saying that The Secret is a good thing when it is clearly false teaching as Kerby Anderson revealed in his excellent article on our website in July of 2007 titled, “The False Teaching of The Secret”? How can the people appearing on the DVD, The Source of the Secret, say you need to look behind the source of the false teaching to Jesus Christ or to God? What Jesus or God are they talking about? It is certainly not the Jesus or God of the Bible. Only a false teacher would say the source behind the new age book and DVD, The Secret, is the God of the Bible.
The message that come across to those of us that watched the DVD and read the transcript is that the New Age book and DVD The Secret was a positive thing but that people need to meet the “God” behind the law of attraction that was presented in the new age book and DVD. Does this not reveal just how far the church and its leaders in America have sunk?
In I Kings 18:20-21 Elijah declared to the Children of Israel, who were seeking to follow God while also mixing their worship of God with pagan spirituality, that they must choose to whom they would pledge their allegiance. Elijah asked the Israelites "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."
Bob Harrison, "America's Increase Activist" appears on the DVD and proclaims:
Knowing that millions of copies of The Secret book and video have been sold, and people have listened to it and read, I feel it is a positive thing because it can introduce them to the Law of Attraction, one of the principles that cause them to have greater success. But the danger is it's not going to take them far enough unless they learn the Source.
How can it be a positive thing that people are reading false teaching? I am afraid the danger is if people DO meet the source of The Secret they are going to meet the doctrines of demons. I Timothy 4:1 warns:
Now the spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
Never within the DVD is the gospel given. At no time in the DVD does the producer, or those he interviews, ever explain the way to meet the “God” they claim is the source behind the secret. The message is simply that the source of the secret is God and that the original book and DVD The Secret did not go far enough.
Shad Wehrli, Life Coach/Co-Creator of The Source of The Secret says:
The source to "The Secret" is God and a relationship with Him. He is the source for everything. And that's when I saw the initial "Secret". I saw that it was incomplete because it talked about the universe but not The One who created the universe, talked about creation, but not the Creator. And so, I saw that it was absolutely incomplete. The source is God. I mean, after all, the Law of Attraction sounds good, but how can you have a Law without a Lawgiver?
The narrator concludes the The Source of the Secret DVD by saying:
The discovery of the Law of Attraction is just the beginning. The journey can and must go deeper. Be inspired to continue your own journey as you search for and discover the Source behind these laws. For when you seek, you will find. And, through this journey, come face-to-face with a loving God, the true Source of Life, Love, and all the good you have ever known.
Brannon Howse says he also warned David Barton about entering into a spiritual enterprise with Glenn Beck and helping to organize Beck’s pluralistic and ecumenical “Black Robe Regiment” in August of 2010:
A week before Glenn Beck’s 8/27 service at the Kennedy Center and his 8/28 rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, I released the article “Following Glenn Beck’s Divine Destiny or God’s Word” to our e-mail list of over 200,000 people. I warned that Beck’s beliefs were not much different than those of New Ager, Oprah Winfrey. The next day I received an e-mail from David Barton about my article. I called David and he told me that he was receiving phone calls from pastors that had read my article and were stating they were not sure they could appear on stage as part of Beck’s 8/27 or 8/28 rally. I asked David why he was receiving such calls and he informed me that he had helped organize the “Black Robe Regiment” for Glenn Beck. David tried to convince me that the 8/27 and 8/28 events were not going to be pluralistic as I had portrayed in my article. I told David that despite his intentions Beck had made it perfectly clear on his own website that the 8/27 service at the Kennedy Center would be an evening in which "nationally-known religious figures from all faiths will unite…” David and I had a very cordial conversation but I was not able to convince him that he, nor the other evangelical pastors, should take part in Beck’s 8/27 or 8/28 rally.
At the 8/28 rally, numerous Christian leaders including Richard Land of The SBC, John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio and David Barton of Wallbuilders locked arms with religious leaders of numerous faiths, including Muslim Imams, in a clear violation of 2 Corinthians 6:14 and 2 John 9-11. Saving America was the excuse for these unbiblical spiritual partnerships.
Howse says that his warnings about Glenn Beck’s spiritual agenda was confirmed with the release of Beck’s book in January of this year:
When Glenn Beck’s book, Seven Wonders that Will Change Your Life, was released, I wrote an article revealing that my warnings in August of 2010 that Beck was a New Age Mormon were confirmed by Beck himself in this new book. However, Barton continued to appear on Beck’s television program. I am now very concerned because the “Law of Attraction” documentary that Barton has appeared on also has some New Age overtones. I am very concerned to see evangelical leaders involved in religious syncretism.
Howse summed up his concerns this way:
The Source of the Secret DVD that Barton has appeared on, despite warnings, includes Word of Faith false teachers. The sad truth is that there is very little difference between Oprah’s Winfrey’s New Age Law of Attraction and the Word of Faith Law of Attraction. David’s promotion of the Law of Attraction, helping to organize Beck’s pluralistic and ecumenical “Black Robe Regiment”, and appearing on the television program of name-it-and-claim-it Kenneth Copeland, raises a lot of questions. If David is part of the New Apostolic Reformation, embraces Dominion Theology that is calling for building God’s Kingdom on earth, then he needs to be very straight forward with this fact. Right now scores of evangelicals are very confused as to David’s theological beliefs. David has spoken at NAR events such as Cindy “The Convergence 09” with known members of the NAR such as Cindy Jacobs, Dutch Sheets, Jim Hennesy, Lance Wallnau, and Chuck Pierce. David owes it to the hundreds of thousands of evangelicals that have followed his ministry and purchased his resources to clearly state if he agrees with the Word of Faith, New Apostolic Reformation, and Dominion Theology or if he believes that the NAR is promoting unbiblical and heretical teachings such as extra-biblical revelations that are equal to the Word of God.
America is not just in trouble because liberals have taken down our Constitution and bankrupted us financially and morally. They have certainly done that. But God is dealing with America because the evangelical church has largely abandoned sound doctrine and has allowed false teaching to flourish. Rather than deal with the rejection of Scripture Alone as our measure of truth within God’s House, American Christians are being encouraged into inter-spiritual liaisons in hopes of propping up the collapsing walls of our Republic. Rather than face down the moral evils of our day with Scripture firmly in hand with full recognition of its authority, and with the Gospel of Jesus Christ front and center, we have every manner of cooperation with those who reject sound, Biblical theology and with some that are even promoting another Jesus altogether.
God cannot and will not bless the evangelical moralism and nationalism that substitutes for faithfulness to His Word. Leaders of the God and Country movement must define which God they are talking about and cease in partnering in spiritual enterprises and endeavors with false teachers.
Far too many evangelicals have been busy hoisting the American flag above the Bible and mixing Christianity with New Age Spirituality. The lack of commitment to Biblical theology and doctrine results in an ever greater spiritual compromise that renders Christians useless in the darkening culture.
