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Moriel Ministries > Teachings > Be Alert! Archive |
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Be Alert! - Nov. 12, 2006
Article List SCIENCE CONFIRMS BIBLE ALERT A Neuroscientific Look at Speaking in Tongues 2 Peter 2:1-3 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Colossians 2:8 Statement Regarding Ted Haggard While we regret the damage done to the cause of Christ and reputation of the church by Ted Haggard’s perverted sexual immorality, we feel a particular sense of compassion for his family and urge prayer for them. Before his public admission that he is a “deceiver and a liar”, (after that was public knowledge), many already knew that a liar is precisely what he has been for some time. His denial of involvement with the unbiblical ecumenical Apostles & Prophets Movement of C. Peter Wagner ( also here)and his refusal to address his dishonesty on this issue on the advice of James Dobson (another ecumenical figure preaching an unscriptural hybrid of Christianity and psychology) made it clear enough what kind of person Ted Haggard (was) before his sexual perversion came to light. As we have already seen so often in the past such doctrinal apostasy is a symptom of immorality and general backsliding. Our fear is the church will not learn from this lesson as it has not learned from other fallen leaders involved in the ecumenical movement ( also here), Toronto Experiences ( also here , and here), Pensacola hype artistry, faith prosperity religious con artistry, and the apostles and prophets movement ( also here , here , here , and here). God makes it vividly clear in His Word that those who get in bed spiritually with false prophets and false teachers will more often than not in the end become involved in gross moral scandal. His struggles with drugs and immorality are issues we would have preferred to see God deliver him from, as God has helped and delivered many. His compromise of biblical doctrine as a consummate theocrat however makes his removal from ministry a blessing in disguise, how be it a costly one in terms of the harm inflicted on the reputation of the church. We have absolutely no confidence whatsoever in his proposed rehabilitation under the supervision of those we can only regard as fellow deceived men who likewise deceive others such as James Dobson and Jack Hayford. It is the blind leading the blind. Indeed, we publicly saluted the decision of K-WAVE Christian radio in California to drop Dobson’s broadcasts when he engaged in what was rightly judged to be an un-necessary and un-edifying discussion of female masturbation and the use of ‘sex toys’ by Christian women that many listeners regarded as crude, and unbecoming. If this is Mr. Haggard’s counselor on sexual problems, he will have more problems. Jack Hayford's condemnation of the critics of Oral Roberts after he claims a 900 foot tall Jesus Christ demanded millions from him or he would kill him, and of proven false prophet Benny Hinn demonstrates that Mr. Hayford himself is a protector of the unbiblical. Thus how can Jack Hayford be in a position to help with the cure when he himself is centrally part of the disease? Had Sandy Simpson, Mike Oppenheimer and others who tried to raise the alarm about Ted Haggard been listened to instead of hampered by men like Dobson, the Body of Christ might have been spared yet another discrediting spectacle in the public media. Also, if Ted had accepted the counsel of the above people two and one half years ago when he was in dialogue with them he would have spared himself and his family much grief, and The Body of Christ much open humiliation. Morel Ministries Peace Plans? The New Testament clearly relates the divine plan for global peace in and through Christ. Ultimately, wars and rumors of wars are determined. Not until Jesus returns will nations fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy of beating spears into pruning hooks. The way the church as a ministry is to work for global peace now is through the evangelism that will see the Kingdom of Messiah arrive in its fullness according to Ephesians 6 and Isaiah 52. It is therefore no coincidence that to entertain the alternative Rick Warren P.E.A.C.E. Plan, we must first reject the one of Christ. Warren does a 'cut and paste' hatchet job on the text of Acts chapter 1 to argue by a conspicuously flawed exegesis that the church should not focus on eschatology and the return of Christ as Prince of Peace. While in Acts 1 Jesus was replying to questions about the restoration of Israel as a kingdom, Warren substitutes the apostle's question with the text of Matthew 24:3, where they ask about the last days. Hence, Warren falsely teaches that Jesus told the apostles to avoid the issue of the last days, while the entirety of Matthew 24 & 25 specifically addresses it. Warren thus has Jesus answering a different question to the one asked, by twisting scripture out of context in a manner that would make a Jehovah's Witness blush. Once rejecting the Words of Jesus read in context, Warren then proposes a plan of his own invention, owing more to the Dominion Theology of theonomic reconstructionists than The Word of God. His is built on a view of church planting, making no mention of evangelism, followed by equipping leaders in his Purpose Driven model of leadership based not on scripture but on a combination of Peter Drucker style Communitarianism based on General Systems Theory(an institutionalized/Government controlled private sector i.e. faith based vouchers etc…) and business marketing philosophies and the consumerist psychology “Possibility Thinking Gospel” of Norman Vincent Peale protégé’ Robert Schuller. This, together with the New Age views of Ken Blanchard and the post modernism and Gnosticism of Brian Maclaren is then compounded with a social gospel based on education, assisting leaders, care for the sick etc. But there is a conspicuous absence of any mention of the gospel, the bible teaches is central to peace. But why should he include the gospel given the fact that in his book Warren flatly rejects preaching the gospel in the New Testament sense because he teaches against warning the unsaved to repent in contradiction to biblical evangelism as in Acts chapter 2 verse 38. It is therefore not surprising that the gurus Warren uses to promote his peace plan are John Ortberg and Jim Wallis, a pair of theocratic hooligans who want to carve up the nation Israel to create an Islamic Palestinian State, in addition to the already demographically and historically existing in Jordan. Ortberg and Wallis understand neither scripture nor Islam. When Israel gave up the Gaza Strip and withdrew from southern Lebanon, Islamists simply used those areas left by Israel in its quest for peace to continue their jihad and launch missals and rockets. Wallis and Ortberg idiotically feel that response should be to award the Moslems more land in the quest for peace. They seem to offer no solution to the Islamic persecution of Christians in the Moslem countries. In their quest for peace, this is all but ignored. Warren 's Gospel is not the biblical gospel. And Rick Warren's Peace Plan is not the biblical plan for Peace. As Jeremiah and Paul warned: 'Woe to them who say Peace, Peace when there is no peace'. J. Jacob Prasch Dobson Quits Haggard Counseling Team "Emotionally and spiritually, I wanted to be of help — but the reality is I don't have the time to devote to such a critical responsibility," Dobson said. The other two members of the team, Pastors Jack Hayford of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, Calif., and Tommy Barnett of First Assembly of God in Phoenix, declined to comment. Haggard was forced out as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church on Saturday after a former male escort alleged they had sex repeatedly and that Haggard used methamphetamines. In a statement read at the church Sunday, Haggard confessed to unspecified "sexual immorality," accepted responsibility for his actions and asked forgiveness. The counseling process, called restoration, could take years, said H.B. London, vice president for church and clergy at Focus on the Family. http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Haggard_Dobson.html The Fall of Ted Haggard APOSTASY ALERT - November 8, 2006 Most people may think that all that needs to be said has been said about the Haggard debacle. Is there not valuable insight to be gained through hindsight? This is the first installment of a 3 part report on the fall of Ted Haggard. I hope it is helpful and edifying. It is not intended to kick Mr. Haggard while he is down, but to give insight into the events that led to his demise and what the future holds for New Life Church and how this affects the Church at large. This has been a church teetering on the brink of disaster under Haggard’s leadership for quite some time. There were warning signs and red flags all along the way. Sadly, it took the actions of an unregenerate man to air the dirty linen, dethrone the megachurch leader and national religious leader which led to the resultant repentance. Through clever timing the accuser was able to make political gains for the gay cause and the Church was brought up to ridicule. Links are provided throughout the report to document information given and provide further information. Part I - Credit Given Where Credit Deserved To be fair, one must give credit where credit is due. Kudos go to New Life Church for the system they had in place to handle a failure in leadership. The transition went smoothly because of this and other churches would do well to follow their example. To his credit, the humble and contrite statement by Haggard to his former congregation was certainly appropriate. He appears to be accepting total responsibility and much pain as he faces the consequences of his actions. He calls himself a deceiver and a liar. One cannot expect more. Rather, he has been seduced and deceived by the master of deceit and lies. His wife is to be admired for her statement as well and comes across as a woman of great grace. She has had to endure much. In watching his "interview" when a reporter came up to his vehicle as he and his wife were leaving their home, Haggard seemed to have no regard for his beleaguered wife as he stopped the vehicle and proceeded to visit with the reporter, calmly discussing the situation. Pain and sadness was etched on her face as she sat patiently waiting for the exchange to come to an end. Why did he not protect her from further humiliation and embarrassment? Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse? It is unsettling to consider the men chosen to oversee Haggard’s healing and restoration. One is Jack Hayford, pastor of TBN's Paul and Jan Crouch and The Church on the Way, of the Foursquare Gospel denomination. He believes that unsaved visitors should be invited to partake of the Lord’s Supper, and that is the practice in his church. Much more could be said about Hayford, his extreme ecumenism, etc. Another one is Tommy Barnett who is totally and completely sold out to TBN and hosts all kinds of false teachers in his church. The 3rd is James Dobson about whom much could be said. Although Dr. Dobson has done a lot of good by standing for conservative causes and defending moral values, the fact remains that if morality is the common denominator and Biblical doctrine is compromised, it is nothing more than being under law. Dobson has met with the Pope, works closely with other ecumenical leaders and he certainly cannot be described as a defender of doctrinal truth. It seems that Haggard is not new to half-truths. Down a Path of Destruction Involvement with False Teaching of Dominionist Reconstructionist Apostolic Movement and Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare To look at their website, one could easily be led to believe that New Life, Ted Haggard’s former church, is rock solid. But on closer examination, there are gaping cracks in the foundation. For those who have followed Haggard, his fall should come as no surprise. His participation in the apostolic movement with the likes of C. Peter Wagner, Tommy Tenney, Mike Bickle, Dutch Sheets, the Latter Day Rain Movement, etc. is well-documented. These movements are dominionist, re-constructionist, experience-oriented and fraught with error. The sources of the letter of concern to the NAE (see link), watchmen Sandy Simpson and Mike Oppenheimer have earned the trust of the Church. It contains quotes from Haggard that are disturbing. Please note: Since this article was written there has been a doctrinal statement posted on the New Life website. More on that later. In 1999 a National School of the Prophets was held at New Life. It was a Who’s Who of Apostolic false teachers. Among the speakers was Paul Cain. In 2004 Cain was finally outed as an alcoholic and a homosexual. Promoters of Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare (apostolic) see it as a necessary prelude to the work of evangelism. Once the battle in the heavenlies has been won, all Christians have to do is move in and engage in a spiritual mopping-up operation, reaping vast numbers of converts in specific geographical zones. Michael Reid ably exposes this thinking as being entirely fallacious and as having no biblical moorings, regarding it as founded upon a biased evaluation of experience and anecdotal data. However, his main point is that SLSW has provided a sidetrack, drawing people away from the proclamation of the gospel message and from the eternal truths of Scripture. What’s Coming in Part II Warning Signs & Red Flags Go Unheeded New Life Pastoral Staff & Off-the-wall Observations Ted’s No Hypocrite! Ross the Boss – One Apostle Follows Another Comments to Sherry Neese at truthandgrace@cox.net http://www.apostasyalert.org/haggard.htm Haggard's Replacement Promotes Contemplative Spirituality and the Emerging Church After my conversion, many Christians asked to hear my testimony. What started as a short explanation grew into a full-fledged seminar refuting the New Age, its philosophies, and its practices.... Until recently I did not have a concrete example of any New Age practice or teaching within the church other than the influence of pop culture. That changed after reading Ray Yungen's book, A Time of Departing, and the research, which culminated afterwards. Approaching some local pastors about the subject, they seemed rather nonplussed, explaining to me that it was simply a practice of prayer by the monks in the early history of the church. In other words - nothing to worry about. At first, I accepted their opinion because they certainly had more years of study and experience than I. For a while I tried to shove the nagging notion that something was amiss into the back closets of my mind. But something Ray Yungen said in his book haunted me: In the spiritual climate of today a unifying mystical prayer practice fits the paradigm necessary to unite the various world faiths. In Western civilization, this model is the contemplative prayer movement.... [T]his movement is on the slippery slope that will lead to ... apostasy. For this to happen, as the Bible says, there will be "seducing spirits" who design a spirituality very closely related to the truth. Every Christian must therefore discern whether or not the contemplative prayer movement is a deeper way of walking with God or a deception that is attempting to undermine the very gospel itself. Finally, the light came on and I knew he was right—I could not ignore it any longer. Delving into the books written by the contemplatives themselves and well-documented research papers, I became convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that contemplative spirituality was and is a heretical practice. I took my discovery to the next level and began including it in my seminar - a natural response to an important discovery. However, this caused quite a stir. Pastors seemed offended when I challenged the well-known names of the contemplatives: Foster, Manning, Merton, and Nouwen. Some of them acted as if I had blasphemed the Lord Himself. Suddenly I was called divisive, a trouble-maker, and unloving. At my home church (a large metropolitan church)[Wooddale Church], the pastors insisted that if I was going to continue my seminar there, I was forbidden to name names, and in fact, the pastors did not even want me mentioning the practice of contemplative prayer. "That's odd," I thought. "If we aren't promoting contemplative prayer in this church, why stop me from warning believers?" But I honored their request. "After all," I told myself, "this church isn't teaching contemplative prayer; at least I can warn my congregation of other New Age practices they might run up against." I was relieved to know my own church was not involved in Richard Foster's or Brennan Manning's form of spirituality. But then one day something strange took place. I learned that Ray Yungen's book, which had been purchased by our church bookstore, had suddenly been banned from the store. The reason I discovered later—the book named names. I felt a little alarmed at even the idea that the book was now forbidden. A few weeks later, on a Saturday afternoon, while teaching the seminar in one of the church's classrooms, someone came up at break and told me that directly across the hall another seminar was taking place with a guest speaker—an avid promoter of Richard Foster and contemplative prayer! I was shocked ... and angry. Here I and other watchmen were being silenced to speak the truth, while contemplative prayer was being ushered into my church. I had naively believed the pastors when they said they just didn't want to name names because it was too divisive; in reality, they had far more sympathy and dealings with contemplative spirituality than I ever would have imagined. And it broke my heart to know it. After that, I knew I had to name names. And I knew I had to warn my brothers and sisters about contemplative prayer. Within a few weeks, I was called into a special meeting. Those present were furious with me—explaining to me that the church's policy was to never name names. I had violated that policy, and the pastors insisted I comply. But how could I in good conscience? To do so would be disobedience to God. How can one warn the flock of false teaching if the names of false teachers cannot be discussed and analyzed? By this standard, the Apostle Paul would have to be silenced. Paul had no hesitation in naming the names of Hymenaeus and Philetus (II Timothy 2:16,17). Scripture gives many other examples of men of God, true believers, who had to name names to effectively warn the church. Not naming names would be like a parent sending her child out to play in the yard and not warning him to stay out of the street because the cars passing drove very fast. "I cannot keep silent about this," I told the pastors that day. "Richard Foster is teaching heresy. The premise of contemplative prayer is that all paths lead to God, thus completely negating the gospel message of salvation through Christ's atoning work alone. And by your refusal to examine closely these teachings, you are leading the flock into a dangerous place of heresy and deception." I respectfully told them I was compelled to share the truth—I would not be able to comply with their wishes. Thus, it became clear to everyone in the room that day that I no longer had a place in that church. My passion to protect Christians from the practices and lies I was taught in the New Age stood in the way. With much sadness and a feeling of deep loss, I drove away from the church I loved. Where once I had been accepted and received with open arms, I was now looked at by the leaders as a trouble maker. I had been a voice in that church, a testimony of what the New Age really offers, of what it really entails. Now, my brothers and sisters would not be warned, and I feared that contemplative spirituality would race in and flood that church I once called home. How could I ignore such blatant heretical practices within the walls of the church? I chose to violate policy rather than ignore the needs of my Christian brethren. For this deed, I was silenced. I have never been asked to speak at that church again, and some of my closest friends who attend there have begun to distance themselves from me because of my stand.( Running Against the Wind, pp. 193-196) In addition to Wooddale Church silencing Brian Flynn on the matter of contemplative prayer, they have begun to openly embrace aspects of the emerging church (see Wooddale Church Starts the Gathering). For instance, Leith Anderson has shared a speaking platform with Erwin McManus at the Leadership Network Innovation Series, and together Anderson and McManus present the Doctor of Ministry Program for Emerging Leaders at Bethel University's seminary. McManus is author of The Barbarian Way, in which he tells readers that the story of the Crusades "awakens within me a primal longing that I am convinced waits to be unleashed within everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ." But McManus has an unusual definition of "follower of Jesus Christ." He says: "When asked if they [Barbarians] are Christians, their answer might surprisingly be no, they are passionate followers of Jesus Christ." This might sound OK on the surface, but it is part of the new missiology and the new evangelicalism that Rick Warren and others proclaim, God doesn't care what religion you are, just add Jesus to what you already have. Thus you can be a Buddhist with Jesus, a Hindu with Jesus—that's OK. McManus clarifies this when he states: "The greatest enemy to the movement of Jesus Christ is Christianity." According to Bethel's Prospectus for the program that Anderson and McManus lead: Bethel Seminary is launching a prototype cohort ... that will feature Dr. Leith Anderson as its primary instructor and mentor.... This cohort will seek to engage its members in multi-sensory learning experiences in an effort to ... developing leaders ... to serve as senior leaders in larger emerging churches." (See Prospectus) Bethel University promotes both contemplative spirituality and the emerging church, and Anderson has been a vital part of those efforts. When we spoke with various leaders (including Leith Anderson via email) at Wooddale Church a few years ago, we shared our concerns with them about contemplative spirituality. We explained that their Youth Pastor, Heather Flies was (and still is) a regular speaker at Youth Specialties events. Youth Specialties, now owned by Zondervan Publishing, is one of the most influential voices in the Christian contemplative movement. At the time, leaders at Wooddale told us and other concerned members of the church who had contacted us that they were not promoting contemplative spirituality or the authors who teach it. However, at the same time, their onsite church bookstore was selling books by Henri Nouwen and Brennan Manning but keeping them under the counter where they could not be seen. We called and spoke with the store manager and asked her about this. She told us that one of their pastors had told her to keep all the contemplative books out of view and just bring them out when a customer asks for one. On two separate occasions, church members who witnessed a book being pulled out at a customer's request contacted us. In addition to Wooddale's ties with Youth Specialties, the church was instrumental in bringing Richard Foster's Renovare Conference to Minneapolis in 2003. Richard Foster is a pioneer in introducing Thomas Merton's eastern-style meditation to evangelicalism. Wooddale's ministry online bookstore, My Work Life carries a hodgepodge of New Age and contemplative promoting authors. Some of those are: Thomas Keating, Brian McLaren, Leonard Sweet, Thomas Merton, Mark Victor Hansen, and countless others (see Lighthouse Trails Research for detailed research on these spiritual teachers). The bookstore also carries Yoga for Christians as well as Alan Jones'book, Reimagining Christianity, in which Jones says the doctrine of the Cross is a vile doctrine. Just where will Leith Anderson help lead evangelicals? There seems little doubt that contemplative and emerging spiritualities will be on the menu for the NAE, while under the guidance of Anderson. But Anderson has not really kept his spiritual proclivities a secret. He has been promoting experience-emphasized spirituality for many years. For example, In Dan Kimball's book, The Emerging Church, Kimball quotes Anderson from his book, A Church for the Twenty-First Century: "The old paradigm taught that if you had the right teaching, you will experience God. The new paradigm says that if you experience God, you will have the right teaching. This may be disturbing for many who assume propositional truth must always precede and dictate religious experience." Regarding the two view points, Anderson says," It is not so much that one is right and the other is wrong: it is more of a matter of the perspective one takes on God's touch and God's truth." (p. 188, The Emerging Church) But if this "religious experience" that Anderson refers to, which takes precedence over biblical doctrine, lines up with Thomas Merton, then those who follow this advice may be going into altered states of silence that ultimately lead to the belief that God is in all (panentheism), and once again the gospel message of Jesus Christ will be severely compromised. For further information: A Special Report On Two New Evangelical Organizations Leith Anderson, "America's Wisest Pastor"? Leadership Network Hires Wooddale Youth Pastor to Launch Emerging Church Leith Anderson on Ecumenism - An Interview http://www.fromthelighthouse.com/blog/index.php?p=335&more=1&c=1 Fired Evangelist Slams Gays in New Movie In one scene of the film, which follows a group of children as they develop evangelical Christian beliefs, directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady visit Haggard's 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo. He tells the vast audience, "We don't have to debate about what we should think about homosexual activity. It's written in the Bible." Then Haggard looks into the camera and says kiddingly: "I think I know what you did last night," drawing laughs from the crowd. "If you send me a thousand dollars, I won't tell your wife." Later, another joke for the filmmakers: "If you use any of this, I'll sue you." The married, 50-year-old father of five admitted in a letter read Sunday to his followers that he was "guilty of sexual immorality." He has yet to address specific claims by a male escort that Haggard paid him for sex over the past three years. Haggard has acknowledged that he paid Mike Jones of Denver for a massage and for methamphetamine, but said he didn't have sex with Jones and didn't take the drug. He resigned last week as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents 30 million people, and was removed Saturday as leader of his own church. "Jesus Camp" is playing in several cities and expands to more on Friday and throughout the year. Ewing and Grady said that when they shot footage for the film at the New Life Church in October 2005, they were struck by how enraptured Haggard's followers looked. "Pastor Ted, they were so proud of him. They thought he was hip, young, he didn't have that stodgy James Dobson feel," Ewing said Monday, referring to the Focus on the Family founder. "They all really adored him, that's the first thing I thought _ those people, those faces, they hung and took notes on every word he said _ I can't imagine what those people must be feeling." Haggard has disputed the way he's portrayed in "Jesus Camp," saying on his Web site (in a posting that since has been removed) that the filmmakers shot for hours at his church and only used the parts in which he was playing with negative stereotypes. "You can expect to learn as much about the Catholic Church from 'Nacho Libre' as you can learn about evangelicalism from 'Jesus Camp,'" he wrote. Ewing and Grady say Haggard is the only one who has complained about the way he was depicted in the film. "Jesus Camp" also shows Haggard speaking to an aspiring young preacher named Levi, asking him whether people listen to him because he's a kid or because he has something to say. His advice: "Use your cute-kid thing until you're 30, and by then you'll have good content." Grady said that when she first heard about the accusations against Haggard, "I was shocked but I was not surprised in any way because he did come across as somewhat of a hypocrite even in our movie _ in a smaller way, of course. He was so cynical in that exchange with that child in our movie, it was odd and it popped out." Haggard also leads the audience in praying for President Bush to select a Supreme Court nominee who supports their beliefs (it would end up becoming Samuel Alito) and later brags about the rapid expansion of evangelicalism. "It's got enough growth to essentially sway every election," Haggard says with a smile. "If the evangelicals vote, they determine the election." http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/06/D8L7OAK80.html Treason In The Church: Trading Truth For A “Social Gospel” "Some even believe we [the Rockefellers] are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure--one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it." [2] David Rockefeller's Memoirs "...we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting..." Ephesians 4:14-15 Infiltration and deception have been tools of conspirators through the ages, and the Church has been a primary target! After all, God warns us that "the whole world is under the sway of the evil one." (1 John 5:19) One of his most effective schemes is to redefine God's Word and divert Christians from His unchanging Truth to man's shifting ideals. For example, God calls and equips us to serve the poor. That's why His true followers around the world have willingly given their lives to share His truth and love in perilous places. But today's world-centered church illustrates a different kind of service. Designed to please man rather than God, it trains its servers to hide the "offensive" truths of the gospel. Like Rick Warren, it uses the Bible to validate its purposes but emphasizes organizational behavior rather than Biblical beliefs -- in short, deeds instead of creeds. [3] Behind its noble appearance hides a postmodern version of the century-old "Christian Socialism." THE SOCIAL GOSPEL AND THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES Called "Father of the Social Gospel," Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918), grew up in a German Lutheran immigrant family in New York. He studied theology at the University of Rochester, one of hundreds of educational and "Christian" institutions funded by John D. Rockefeller. After pastoring a Baptist Church among poor immigrants in New York City for a few years, he joined the faculty at Rochester Theological Seminary -- also funded by Rockefeller. In 1902 he became its Professor of Church History. From this prominent platform, he wrote books such as "Christianizing the Social Order" and "A Theology for the Social Gospel." [4] Steeped in "higher criticism" and socialist ideology, he taught what many considered a more relevant and compassionate gospel. Eventually, he "changed both the emphases and the direction of American Protestantism." [5] Rauschenbusch introduced Jesus "not as one who would come to save sinners from their sins but as one who had a 'social passion' for society." [6] He and his comrades established the "Brotherhood of the Kingdom," which unified like-minded church leaders under a common socialist quest for an earthly " Kingdom of God." Their plan would have fit our times! It called for political reform, ecumenical unity, "social justice" (ending poverty), and global peace. To justify its place in "Christian" theology, words like redemption and regeneration were redefined to fit their socialist ideals. [7] Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Popular church leaders use the same strategy today! Pastor Brian McLaren's recent book, The Secret Message of Jesus, twists God's Word into an endorsement of an earthly, interfaith Kingdom. [8] Likewise, Tony Campolo's hope of earthly perfection mocks the Biblical promise of eternal life: "The gospel is not about... pie-in-the-sky when they die.... It is imperative that the up and coming generation recognize that the biblical Jesus was committed to the realization of a new social order in this world.... Becoming a Christian, therefore, is a call to social action." [9] In 1907, Rauschenbusch met with the leaders of Fabian socialism in England, Sidney Webb and Beatrice Potter Webb. Unlike impatient Marxist revolutionaries, the methodical Fabians emphasized peaceful transformation through propaganda and infiltration of universities, seminaries and churches. Through the years, this socialist movement grew to include Bertrand Russell, H. G. Wells (who wrote Open Conspiracy), Sinclair Lewis, Theosophical leader Annie Besant, and the Communist leader Harry Dexter White who worked with Alger Hiss to establish the United Nations.[10] It spread through Western nations -- thanks, in part, to liberal churches that preached its message as if backed by the authority of God. As you saw in Part 1, the Rockefellers and other powerful "change agents" fueled this movement. Their funding would sway universities, seminaries, and churches from coast to coast. They supported psycho-social research through Hitler's eugenics program, through London's Tavistock Institute, and through various American Universities and institutions. This new "science" would raise propaganda, persuasion, and mind control to ever more sophisticated levels. With Rockefeller support, Rauschenbusch and his comrade Rev. Harry Ward helped establish the Federal Council of Churches (FCC) in 1908. [11] Dr. Ward, through his Soviet connections and influential positions, would become the main source of Communist infiltration into the FCC (later renamed NCC: "National Council of Churches"), Christian seminaries, and compassionate unsuspecting pastors and congregations across the country. Hard to believe? Then look at the evidence below. COMMUNIST INFILTRATION The following testimonies were given under oath before the Committee on Un-American Activities of the U.S. House of Representatives, 83rd Congress, in July, 1953.[12] Robert Kunzig, chief counsel for the committee, asked the questions. Manning Johnson, formerly a top member of the Communist Party, answered this particular set of questions. Page 2266, Congressional Record. KUNZIG: "...the name Harry Ward has appeared in so many of these various organizations and groups. It seems as if there is almost an interlacing tie-up... through various sects and denominations. Have you any comment to make on this situation? JOHNSON: "Yes, I have. Dr. Harry F. Ward, for many years, has been the chief architect for Communist infiltration and subversion in the religious field. According to this Congressional Report, Rev. Ward also taught "Christian ethics" at Union Theological Seminary [funded by the Rockefellers], presided over the Federal Council of Churches, chaired the American Civil Liberties Union, and worked with the Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A. and the Interchurch World Movement. [13] Page 2170. JOHNSON: "I would first like to read to you what William Z. Foster [General Secretary of the U.S. Communist Party USA] has to say on this matter." 'Communists must ever be keen to cultivate the democratic spirit of mutual tolerance among the religious sects.... A still greater lesson for us to learn, however, is how to work freely with religious strata for the accomplishment of democratic mass objectives.... 'A very serious mistake of the American left wing during many years... has been its attempt arbitrarily to wave aside religious sentiments among the masses. Reactionary forces [mainly concerned Christians] have already known how to take advantage of this shortsighted sectarian error.... 'In recent years, however, the Communist Party, with its policy of ‘the outstretched hand,’ has done much to overcome the harmful left-wing narrowness of former years and to develop a more healthy cooperation with the religious masses....'” KUNZIG: "Was deceit a major policy of Communist propaganda and activity?" Mr. JOHNSON: "Yes, it was. They made fine gestures and honeyed words to the church people which could be well likened unto the song of the fabled sea nymphs luring millions to moral decay, spiritual death, and spiritual slavery....." Pages 2201 and 2202. JOHNSON: "The Methodist Federation for Social Service or the Methodist Federation for Social Action, headed by the Rev. Harry F. Ward, whom I have already identified as a Party member, was invaluable to the Communist Party... because through it the Party was able to get contacts with thousands of ministers all over the country. "...quite a few ministers, for example, participated in the united front known as the American League Against War and Fascism.... In fact, they were so deeply involved through Harry F. Ward that they became the spokesmen -- the advocates, the builders, and the leaders of this most important Communist front that engaged in everything from simple assault on a government to espionage, sabotage and the overthrow of the Government...." Page 2228. Part of Manning Johnson's testimony was an article in the Daily Worker (5-7-53). This "Exhibit No. 21" reports on a dinner held in Dr. Ward's honor. Notice the name of Corliss Lamont, the communist son of Thomas Lamont, the head of the J. P. Morgan banking conglomerate, who was introduced in Part 1 of this series: "...New World Review, a progressive monthly devoted to circulating the truth about the Socialist and People’s Democracies abroad... brought out several hundred friends and former students of Dr. Ward, and some of those who knew him well, like... Corliss Lamont... told the others of how Dr. Ward’s teachings enriched them personally and how his tremendous work for brotherhood, peace, and justice has influenced the nation." KUNZIG: "...could you give us a summary of the overall manner in which the Communists have attempted to infiltrate and poison the religious organizations of America wherever possible?" JOHNSON: "Once the tactic of infiltrating religious organizations was set by the Kremlin, the actual mechanics of implementing the 'new line' was a question of following the... church movement in Russia, where the Communists discovered that the destruction of religion could proceed much faster through infiltration of the church by Communist agents operating within the church itself. "...the infiltration tactic in this country would have to adapt itself to American conditions.... In the earliest stages it was determined that with only small forces available it would be necessary to concentrate Communist agents in the seminaries and divinity schools. The practical conclusion drawn by the Red leaders was that these institutions would make it possible for a small Communist minority to influence the ideology of future clergymen.... "...the idea was to divert the emphasis of clerical thinking from the spiritual to the material.... Instead of emphasis towards the spiritual and matters of the soul, the new and heavy emphasis was to deal with those matters which, in the main, led toward the Communist program of “immediate demands” [or "felt needs"].... Does the last point sound familiar? It should to those who are concerned about the worldwide Purpose-Driven movement. For Rick Warren prompted that same shift from "the spiritual" to "the material." As he told thousands of pastors around the world through his "Ministry Toolbox," the focus of his ministry has shifted from faith in God's Word to service to the world: "The first Reformation clarified what we believe. This reformation is all about how we act and operate in the world. It involves the key components of purpose, decentralization, lay mobilization, use of technology, and continuous learning. Churches that change are thriving and growing more effective. Churches that refuse to change will miss the reformation, and are dying." [14] --Rick Warren Not true! God's uncompromising and eternal Church can never die! As Jesus, the head of His Church, told His disciples, "My kingdom is not of this world." Nor are His followers "of the world!" Yet, He sends us "into the world" so that we, "speaking the truth in love," [15] may demonstrate His truth and love (not man's pragmatic ideals) to all who will hear. "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.... Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." John 17:14,17 In Part 3, we will compare the strategies of the socialist/Communist infiltrators with the new transformational strategies used by trained facilitator/leaders within the Church Growth and Purpose-Driven movements. For part one click here. See weblink for footnotes http://www.newswithviews.com/BeritKjos/kjos64.htm Contemplative Spirituality - The Latest 'Christian' Craze NEWS WITH VIEWS.com - By Paul Proctor - November 8, 2006 -- The greatest danger to the church today is not the atheist, the agnostic, the liberal, the humanist, the Marxist or even the Muslim extremist, but rather the "Christian" who subtly blends truth and lie resulting in a designer deity and discipline that finds common ground with the very enemies of Christ so as to become modish and marketable to the mainstream. When one leavens the Christian faith with New Age teachings and practices, the result is a sacrilegious synthetic that is every bit as damning as the New Age itself, minus the stigma, rendering it more perilous than its predecessor precisely because of its churchy disguise. By way of the Hegelian Dialectic, many professing Christians are now embracing and promoting the hottest new hybrid to hit the church today, called "Contemplative Spirituality," that brings certain beliefs and practices from Eastern Mysticism into otherwise Christian worship to effectively permit, provide and promote what biblical Christianity does not. Thesis (Christianity) + Antithesis (New Age) = Synthesis (Contemplative) This dialectic derivative and its use of chants, more commonly associated with Zen Buddhism and the Transcendental Meditation of Hinduism, is becoming well entrenched in the Christian culture and being practiced for the sole purpose of emptying one's mind in order to experience an altered state of consciousness, (aka, "Alpha," "Nirvana," etc.) and the spiritual empowerment of "finding God within," which ultimately results in, among other things, silence, darkness, voices, visions and a "presence" erroneously assumed to be Divine - certainly not something Jesus taught His followers, but instead what He often delivered the demonically oppressed and possessed from - now ironically and tragically what many young "Christians" are actually seeking. "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first." - Luke 11:24-26 Nowhere in scripture are we encouraged to recite mind-emptying mantras but are in fact, specifically commanded NOT to engage in them. Jesus considered such things to be a "heathen" practice. Nevertheless, today's Emergent enthusiasts fondly refer to it as "Contemplative Prayer" or "Centering Prayer." Some even use biblical words and phrases as their mantra, known to many as "lectio divina," which essentially turns the Word of God into a meaningless mechanism of magical mush. Still others choose the repetition of very short prayers that can each be voiced within in a single breath to achieve "the silence" – calling them "breath prayers." "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." - Matthew 6:7 And please don't write me citing the Lord's Prayer as an example of God condoning recitation. The Lord's Prayer was an example of HOW to pray, not WHAT to pray. We all know what an insult it is to be patronized and propagandized by anonymously authored speeches, store bought sermons and ghostwritten books where someone feigns the wisdom, insight and sincerity of another by claiming and/or reciting their words as their own before an audience to artificially accomplish what they could not authentically articulate themselves. Even though this is becoming an increasingly accepted practice in our conscience-free culture, when it comes right down to it, nobody likes a hypocrite or a schmooze. And when we perform prefabricated prayers or chant monotonous mumbo jumbo to vacate our brains for ecstatic experiences instead of honestly opening our hearts in prayer and supplication before the Lord Jesus Christ, we demonstrate to Him and everyone else that we have nothing real to offer, and worse, aren't all that interested in anything He has to say to us through His Word, because we're in it for the high, not for religious "dogma," as it is so insultingly referred to by many from within the Emerging Church movement who are clearly no more convicted by the Holy Spirit than the carnally-minded crowds that followed Jesus around to get their stomachs stuffed. Imagine your child communicating with you by reading someone else's scripted speech - or just repeating to you the very same words and phrases over and over and over until their eyes roll back in the head. Do you honestly think that would bring the two of you closer together? Why then do Contemplatives think recitations and incantations will bring us closer to our Father in Heaven? I dare say that the only one it will bring them closer to is the prince of this world. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." - 1st John 4:1 Frankly, those who indulge in Contemplative prayer and walk Labyrinths to get a buzz for Jesus are no better off than winos mumbling and stumbling through a maze of darkened downtown streets only to wind up languishing alone on cardboard beds beneath bridges and between buildings, because the end is the same - confusion, delusion, depression and death. They're not following Christ or obeying His Word, they're only junkies chasing a high and running from the reality of their own rebellion by attempting to anesthetize their pain and escape accountability - all the while justifying themselves by sorting through the conjectural compost of beard-stroking street urchins and calling it "Emergent conversation." "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." - Colossians 2:8 Contemplative Spirituality is finding its way into the church these days largely through youth groups, events, conferences, concerts, and coffee houses where Emergent leaders and their wayward wisdom wow young wannabes into mind-numbing mysticism right under the noses of ignorant and/or delinquent parents and pastors who assume their teens are being instructed in the faith of their fathers, having, in absentia, abdicated their spiritual duty over to change agents so they themselves can passionately pursue their own purpose driven lives. The seeker-sensitive pulpits of America long ago jettisoned the fear of the Lord and the Gospel of repentance in order to partake in the pragmatic pleasures of personal experience and cuddle in the cozy compromise of consensus, spawning a generation of "Christians" that care not about the absolute truth of God's Word but only about turning inward for gratification and guidance and outward for adulation and affirmation, just like their PDL parents, making them more compliant to the coming one-world religion of tolerance, diversity and unity. Simply put, Contemplative prayer is quickly becoming the transition tool of choice to ultimately unite a compromised church with a wanton world through mysticism. "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…" - Romans 1:21-22 If you would like to know just who these Contemplative gurus are and what they're teaching today's young people, I would invite you to bookmark the following websites below #1, 2, and 3, where a wealth of information is available. Just because your son or daughter is an active member of a "traditional church," don't make the mistake of thinking they aren't being tempted to join in and experience this latest "Christian" craze. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." - 2nd Corinthians 6:14-17 Related Articles: [see links on web page] http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor104.htm The spiritual spin doctor THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER - By Gwendolyn Driscoll - November 5, 2006 -- On a small stage freckled with the flashes of camera bulbs, Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren opens his mouth to admit a small, white swab. Steps away – far enough to be out of the camera's glare – a lanky, white-haired Dallas native named A. Larry Ross watches with admiration and professional respect. Respect because Warren is doing something that is supposed to be Ross' job: melding a personality to a powerful cause in the most public of venues, a press conference. On this stage, however, the student may be the master. "The AIDS test was his idea," Ross recalls, of Warren's decision to take an orally administered HIV test – perhaps the first major evangelical Christian leader to do so publicly – at a Saddleback-organized conference on AIDS last November. "Rick intuitively knows how to deal with the media." Ross should know. The 6-foot-8-inch Texan towers above most of his peers in the growing field of Christian public relations. Ross' client list includes Mel Gibson (Ross helped publicize "The Passion of the Christ"), Pentecostal preacher T.D. Jakes and, most notably, the Rev. Billy Graham. In Warren he may have found a Graham-like talent – a master of both ministry and marketing with an appealing communication style, a best-selling book and an ambitious evangelistic and humanitarian endeavor: the PEACE plan. That intuition, willingness to grapple with controversial matters such as AIDS, and material success have made Warren an attractive face for the evangelical movement in the secular press. Warren regularly appears on "Larry King Live" and his beaming, congenial mug has graced the covers of Time and Newsweek. He is also a willing invitee at international AIDS conferences, presidential prayer breakfasts and high-wattage confabs such as the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland. The net result: In 2005, Warren's Saddleback Church was described as "the nation's most influential American congregation" by the Church Report, a Christian business trade magazine. (In 2006, Saddleback ranked No. 2, behind Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill.) Warren attributes what he calls his "affluence and influence" to God and to the "life-changing message" of "The Purpose-Driven Life," the best-selling book upon which his relatively recent fame and fortune are built. If the book's success was an act of God, the work Warren and hired guns such as Ross have done to promote and build upon that success may also reflect significant human effort. Warren is described as a "pastor, global strategist, theologian, and philanthropist" in a biographical statement distributed by Saddleback Church. Ross has another descriptor for Warren: "an authoritative resource to the media." Since the launch of the PEACE plan last year, Warren and his team have engaged in a public-relations campaign remarkable for its strategiccultivation of the world's famous and influential – all in the name, Warren says, of promoting the message of Christ and to "speak up for those who cannot speak up themselves." ( Warren frequently quotes the Bible's Psalm 72, "The Reign of the Righteous King," in which King Solomon seeks power if only to "save the children of the needy and ... break in pieces the oppressor.") Each week, Warren receives 20 to 30 speaking invitations and requests for media interviews. It is Ross' job, along with a team that includes Warren's chief of staff, David Chrzan, to identify which might best magnify the message and, in Chrzan's words, "influence a culture." "The numbers are the influencers," Chrzan says. "We'll decide to go to a meeting where there are 25 CEOs and one or two billionaires. That's a pretty hefty meeting. We'll go have a meeting with Ray Chambers and Jeffrey Sachs ... because that's pretty hefty. We'll go speak to 4,500 pastors rather than 4,500 church members. And we realize there are certain magazines and publications that help us with framing a conversation." "All these things have created and opened doors for us to talk to influencers." Chrzan says there is no concrete goal such as donations or policy change behind such a communications strategy. "Fundamentally he's just trying to get the message out," Chrzan says. Warren 's popularity makes Ross' job easy. "We've basically been managing his publicity, not creating it," Ross says. A devout evangelical who prays at staff meetings, Ross likens his job to a Bible verse about those who held up the arms of Moses during a pivotal battle. "That's my job – to hold up the arms of a man of God," Ross says. He has also reinforced media relations efforts of some of evangelical Christianity's biggest brands, including the "Left Behind" films and the Christian cartoon "Jonah." Animation stills from Disney's "The Prince of Egypt" hang in Ross' Dallas office. Although Ross says he is careful not to presume on client relationships, he notes that "the symbiotic aspect does result in even greater effectiveness in ministry." "The Passion of the Christ," for example, was heavily publicized by Saddleback Church. ( Warren preached two sermons on "Understanding the Passion," booked 47 theater screens for his congregation and "unchurched" friends, and invited local VIPs to a premiere.) The film grossed more than $370 million in the United States alone. "Rick really set the bar," Ross says. "What they did at Saddleback became a model." The two men reconnected at a Graham crusade, where Warren described his PEACE plan. "And the next day I said, 'Larry, would you be willing to work with me on this?' " Warren recalls. "And he looks at me and says ... 'In fact, I feel like my entire life I've been preparing for this.' " Since that time, Ross has traveled the world with Warren, helping to manage both his media relations and Saddleback's learning curve about the needs and expectations of the press. (Ross intervened earlier this year when a Saddleback staffer tried to ask The Orange County Register to sign a document limiting the scope of its reporting on the church.) "What we can help do is to try to help avoid insular thinking," Ross says. "We try to encourage a policy of engagement. Not circling the wagons, but engaging." Engagement with popular culture – from the pulpit, on the Internet and in the movie theater – is important, Ross says, because that is where the next generation of Christians will be found. "The average teenager sees 50 films a year – one a week," Ross says. "It makes filmmakers the new high priests of our culture. These are where values are being formed." Ross, who has represented Harvest Crusades' Greg Laurie and Fellowship Church's Ed Young, is too discreet to say whether Warren might assume Billy Graham's mantle as " America's Pastor." But he compares Warren's communication style to Graham's, in that it is "very progressive in using every means possible to reach as many people as possible." Such an expressed pursuit of publicity has occasionally elicited squirms among even Warren's professional associates. Some expressed an admiration for Warren's intent but a concern about his style, which they say runs counter to a Christian tradition of modesty. Warren is known for peppering his interviews and speeches with celebrity names and events. In one interview with the Register, Warren mentioned encounters with actor John Cusack, U2's Bono, Sen. John McCain, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and also contrasted his experiences with those of Graham and former South African President Nelson Mandela. Warren 's team also caused some discomfort among members of his evangelical community earlier this year by precipitously announcing a trip to North Korea. The trip did not happen, although Warren says a visit is planned for March 2007. What did happen was significant – and for some critics, unearned – publicity about Warren's intention to be, in his words, "the first preacher in 60 years to speak publicly in North Korea." Warren 's "friendly" critics declined to speak on the record, fearing repercussions to their career – an indication, perhaps, of how far Warren's influence extends. Both independent experts and Saddleback staff members said they worried more broadly about repercussions to their movement should an evangelical star crash – as happened last week to the National Evangelical Association's president, the Rev. Ted Haggard, who resigned over allegations that he paid for homosexual sex. "With increased visibility comes increased scrutiny, which is entirely fair, but the stakes are suddenly higher," says Mark DeMoss, president of the Georgia-based Christian public relations agency, the DeMoss Group. Ross says any gaffes reflect Warren's desire to do good and his enthusiastic, often off-the-cuff charm. "You have to go back to look at his heart," Ross says. "I think he's very sincere in what he says. I think he's enthusiastic. There may be a comment or two that ... may not be accurate. (But) I go to the heart of the man, and he's all about serving people and working tirelessly." http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1345003.php Rick Warren now has the Jews deceived. Typically, not an easy thing to do for a false "Christian" teacher. Jesus’ Man Has a Plan That’s not a fair question. There are few people of any faith like Warren. JEWISH JOURNAL.com - By Rob Eshman, Editor-in-Chief - June 23, 2006 -- As I sat listening to him speak at Sinai Temple’s Friday Night Live Shabbat services last week, I thought of the only other person I’d met with Warren’s eloquence, charisma, and passion — but Bill Clinton carries a certain amount of baggage that Warren doesn’t. Warren spoke at Sinai as part of the Synagogue 3000 program, which aims to revitalize Jewish worship. The program’s leader, Rabbi Ron Wolfson, met Warren a decade ago and was influenced by the pastor’s first book, “The Purpose-Driven Church” (Zondervan, 1995). And to demonstrate what such a church looked like in action, Wolfson brought two busloads of synagogue leaders to Warren’s Saddleback Church in South Orange County to experience firsthand the pastor’s success. The church has 87,000 members. Its Sunday service draws 22,000 worshippers to a 145-acre campus in the midst of affluent, unaffiliated exurbia. Clearly, Warren has reached the kind of demographic synagogues had all but given up on. There are two aspects to Warren’s success, and both were on display Friday night. First, he is an organizational genius. His mentor was management guru Peter Drucker. “I spoke with him constantly,” Warren said, right up until Drucker died last year at age 95. It is Drucker’s theory of “management by objectives” that Warren replicates in every endeavor — translating long-term objectives into more immediate goals. Here let’s pause to consider that Jews are learning to reorganize thier faith from a Christian who was mentored by a Jew. In his church, Warren serves as pastor to five subordinate pastors, who in turn serve 300 full-time staff, who administer to 9,000 lay volunteers, who pastor 82,000 members spread out among 83 Southern California cities. “It’s the individual cells that make the body,” he told the Sinai crowd. All his church’s endeavors — from working to cure diseases in African villages to reinventing houses of worship — work according to a model that parcels larger goals into smaller ones, empowering believers to take action along the way. The other secret to his success is his passion for God and Jesus. Warren managed to speak for the entire evening without once mentioning Jesus — a testament to his savvy message-tailoring. But make no mistake, the driving purpose of an evangelical church is to evangelize, and it is Warren’s devotion to spreading the words of the Christian Bible that drive his ministry. Good for him and his flock — and not so bad for us either. His teachings apply to 95 percent of all people, regardless of religious belief. As he put it to a group of rabbis at a conference last year — using a metaphor that might be described as a Paulian slip: “Eat the fish and throw away the bones.” Warren told Wolfson his interest is in helping all houses of worship, not in converting Jews. He said there are more than enough Christian souls to deal with for starters. The success of Warren’s second book, “The Purpose-Driven Life” (Zondervan, 2002), demonstrates his ability to turn a particular gospel into a universal one. As Sinai Temple’s Rabbi David Wolpe told the capacity audience of some 1,500, “The Purpose-Driven Life”turned the self-help model on its head by asserting that the answer to personal fulfillment does not reside with the self. “Looking within yourself for your purpose doesn’t work,” the book begins. “If it did, we’d know it by now. As with any complex invention, to figure out your purpose, you need to talk to the inventor and read the owner’s manual — in this case, God and the Bible.” “The Purpose-Driven Life” has sold 25 million copies in 57 languages. As Warren pointed out — with an odd ability to be humble and matter of fact about it — it is reportedly the biggest-selling nonfiction book in American history. It brought him fame and fortune. Warren spent much of his sermon describing how he dealt with his new-found money and influence, turning his personal solutions into lessons on confronting the spiritual empt |
