THE AMERICAN LEGION GIVES BIG PUSH FOR VETERANS TO PRACTICE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION

EDITOR JEFF STOFFER:

SEE: https://mrmagazine.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/an-advocate-and-a-voice-for-veterans-the-american-legion-magazine-stands-behind-their-membership-a-mr-magazine-memorial-day-weekend-special-interview/

THE AMERICAN LEGION GIVES BIG PUSH 

FOR VETERANS TO PRACTICE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION 

SEE: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2020/newsletter20200316.htm; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research 

purposes:

In a 2020 three-part series titled “Mysteries of the Mind,” The American Legion magazine tells veterans they should practice transcendental meditation if they feel stressed, saying that TM “can help veterans confronting PTSD.” Writer of the article, American Legion magazine editor Jeff Stoffer, enthusiastically adds:


Those who practice TM say the key to unlocking clear thought and function, no matter the situation, is to spend 20 minutes twice a day deliberately thinking about nothing, allowing the brain to essentially have a mind of its own. . . . Transcendental meditation, as a treatment for veterans diagnosed with PTSD, is not a New Age fad.


The American Legion has a strong influence throughout the world. According toThe American Legion magazine website,


The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, servicemembers and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. . . . Today, membership stands at nearly 2 million in more than 13,000 posts worldwide.


Stoffer’s article does nothing but offer praise and accolades for meditation and downplays those who have concerns about it:


TM should not be ruled out because of any stereotypes or cultural biases. . . . Some skepticism is based on a perception that TM is a religious activity or has a specific spiritual or ideological bent. “To the contrary, we have found people becoming more understanding of their religion, more at peace with their god,” [brain-scientist Tony] Nader says. “We used to say that if religion is to invite God to your home, TM can be like cleaning your home.” . . .

“You’re not changing how you think. You’re not changing politics. You can be a Republican. You can be a Democrat. You can be Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim – it doesn’t change you. You’re still who you are. Your mind is just in a better place. It doesn’t change you. It changes your physiology. It changes your mind. It changes how you deal with everything else.”


It is most unfortunate that Stoffer’s article gives no warning of the potential dangers in practicing meditation. His one-sided, biased view will no doubt convince many American Legion readers (veterans) to give it a try. And if they take Stoffer’s word for it, they’ll probably never research the matter and discover the real dynamics behind meditation. Stoffer’s article claims that meditation “doesn’t change you,” but admits it “changes your mind.” What a contradiction! If something changes your mind, it does change you. And as we have witnessed within Christianity with contemplative prayer (a “Christianized” eastern-meditation practice), meditation alters the way one thinks about God, sin, salvation, and just about everything in life itself—and, biblically speaking, not for the good.

The American Legion magazine’s motto is “For God and Country Since 1919,” but we do not believe the God of the Bible would agree with its efforts to turn veterans into eastern-religion meditators.

If you know a veteran, perhaps you might consider giving them a copy of Ray Yungen’s booklet, Meditation! Pathway to Wellness or Doorway to the Occult?. If you want to give a copy of this booklet to a veteran and cannot afford to purchase the booklet, e-mail us at editors@lighthousetrails.com, and we will send you a free copy to give to your veteran friend or relative.

The following list of the possible results from meditating is derived from the various sources we used to compile our booklet on mindfulness meditation:


insomnia
fear
hypersensitivity to light and sound
anxiety
difficulty eating
panic and paranoia
psychosis
seizures
mania
visual hallucinations
unable to function or work
a loss of sense of identity
psychotic depression
elevated mood and grandiose delusions
unrestrained behaviors (sexual and violence)
pain
confusion and disorientation
feelings of emptiness and ennui (listlessness, dissatisfaction)
depersonalization
impairment of social relationships
cognitive, perceptual and sensory aberrations
disempowering
causes passiveness and compliance (even when those are negative responses to certain situations)

__________________________________________________________________

SEE:

AUDIO: https://www.legion.org/sites/legion.org/files/legion/audio/

06%20-%20Mysteries%20Of%20The%20Mind%2C%20Wanted%20-

%20Your%20Brain.mp3



https://www.legion.org/magazine/247895/mysteries-mind-part-1-

wanted-your-brain



https://www.legion.org/magazine/248103/mysteries-mind-part-2-

journey-inward



https://www.legion.org/magazine/248353/mysteries-mind-part-3-

truth-about-tbi

NEW AGE MYSTIC SPEAKS AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CHAPEL, PRAYS TO “MOTHER MYSTERY” (LATER DENIED)

NEW AGE MYSTIC SPEAKS AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CHAPEL, PRAYS TO 

“MOTHER MYSTERY”

BY DAVID CLOUD

SEE: https://www.wayoflife.org/friday_church_news/21-08.php; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes: 

Kaitlin Curtice spoke at Baylor University chapel on February 12 and prayed to “Mother Mystic.” Baylor, the world’s largest Baptist university, is affiliated with the Texas Baptist Convention at the state level and the Southern Baptist Convention at the national level. Curtice is a practitioner of New Age contemplative mysticism. She defines “contemplation” as “listening to the Divine/Mystery/Higher Power/God, and letting the overflow of that love stretch into other realms of life” (Curtice, “A Shared Vision of Contemplative Activism,” Sojourners, Sep. 4, 2019). She is an environmental activist and nature worshipper. In her speech at Baylor she said that she dipped a tobacco leaf into the water of Lake Michigan and “Mother Earth spoke to her” (“BU speaker’s prayer sparks campus controversy,” KWTX television, Feb. 13, 2020). Baylor University has been welcoming heretics since the early 20th century. In 1921, Baylor professor Grover Dow was teaching the evolution of man from apes with the textbook Introduction to Sociology. “As to his body we have very little exact knowledge, for the skeletons left by him are fragmentary, seldom amounting to more than one or two bones. But from these, by the use of our imagination, we have come to the conclusion that he was a squat, ugly, somewhat stooped, powerful being, half human and half animal who sought refuge from the wild beasts first in the trees and later in caves, and that he was half way between the anthropoid ape and modern man.”

__________________________________________________________________

Potawatomi Christian chapel speaker Kaitlin Curtice draws ire of Baylor student group

BY Emily McFarlan Miller

SEE: https://religionnews.com/2020/02/20/potawatomi-christian-chapel-speaker-kaitlin-curtice-draws-ire-of-baylor-student-group/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research 

purposes:

(RNS) — A week after Potawatomi Christian author and speaker Kaitlin Curtice spoke in chapel at Baylor University, people are still talking about it.

Although perhaps not for reasons the school or speaker would hope.

Curtice’s remarks during the school's three chapel services about her journey of “decolonizing” her faith drew pushback from a student group at the private Christian university in Texas, and her message was reportedly interrupted by a shouting student.


RELATED: Kaitlin Curtice talks about ‘everyday glory’ and her Native American heritage


The incident has drawn public apologies from at least one faculty member and an alum and brought back memories of a chapel service last year in which Kathy Khang, another progressive Christian author and speaker who is Korean-American, was heckled.

“I challenged some of them on a deep enough level that it rattled the walls of patriarchal white supremacy that they hide behind, and, well, I’ve done my job,” tweeted Curtice, who has declined interviews about the incident.

In the video of one Feb. 12 service posted on Baylor’s website, Curtice was introduced by Ryan Richardson, associate chaplain and director of worship and chapel at the school.

Richardson referenced an Air Force chaplain who had spoken in chapel the week before and said some people had disagreed with the chaplain’s comments. Similarly, some people might feel triggered by Curtice’s comments, he said, and he invited those people to come to the chapel table in the lobby and discuss what made them uncomfortable.

“This is a place that we’re going to bring diverse ideas and understandings of what it means to be a Christian in the world,” he said.

The chapel table always is available to students, Baylor told Religion News Service.

In her message, Curtice described her upbringing in a Southern Baptist home, the daughter of a mother of European descent and a father who was Potawatomi.


Kaitlin Curtice, Native American author, speaker and worship leader. Photo by Amy Paulson, courtesy of Kaitlin Curtice


After her family moved from Oklahoma and New Mexico to Missouri and her father left, she said, she lost her connection to her Potawatomi identity. Her journey as a Christian and as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation has been one of “disconnect and reconnect” she said.

Part of that, she said, has been recognizing how colonization and the forced removal of Indigenous people from their homelands have left many disconnected from their identity, culture and spirituality. The Potawatomi were forced from Indiana to Kansas in 1838 on the Trail of Death.

“For me, as a mixed European and Potawatomi woman whose inner and outer voice has been silenced, especially by the church, I am reclaiming who I am, wrestling with all parts of my identity, my white privilege, my Native feminism, my spirituality,” Curtice said during the service.

“I’m questioning the systems that I participate in. I’m challenging myself to understand all the aspects of myself and the world around me.”

She encouraged students to “envision a decolonized spirituality” with her, calling out “white supremacy,” “toxic patriarchy,” “settler colonialism” and “capitalist greed.”

When the speaker said women are told they aren’t valued as much as men in society, a male student reportedly shouted, “Nobody says that!”

Curtice later tweeted she actually was interrupted twice by the same student — both times while talking about women.

The outburst was not part of the service that Baylor recorded and posted on its website.

After Curtice’s chapel message, a student group called Baylor Young Conservatives of Texas posted a statement on Twitter disavowing the service, where the group said it was met by “the liberal agenda.” It called on the university to apologize “for breaking with their mission to provide an unapologetically Christian chapel experience and for allowing a speaker with pagan sympathies to mislead students once again.”

One member of the group, Jake Neidert, told a local news outlet what was “most offensive” was that Curtice had not prayed to God, but to “Mother Mystery.”


Burleson Quadrangle, the heart of Baylor University's campus in Waco, Texas. Photo courtesy of Baylor University/Robert Rogers


On Tuesday, Baylor confirmed in an email to RNS that it had reviewed video of all three chapel services in which Curtice spoke. At no time did she refer to “Mother Mystery,” the school concluded.

“We would apologize for reporting that incorrectly, but the rest of our statement still stands,” Baylor YCT said in an email to RNS. 

Curtice noted in a tweet she’s never used “Mother Mystery” in a talk — but she’s “definitely going to now.”

In the video, the speaker begins her prayers by addressing God as “Mystery,” as she does in several prayers in her first book, “Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places,” published by Christian publisher Paraclete Press in 2017. That’s not without precedent in Christian tradition, according to Christian publication Relevant Magazine, which pointed to the ancient Latin text “O Magnum Mysterium,” or "O Great Mystery."

Curtice's second book, “Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God,” will be released May 5 by Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group that publishes books by Christian thinkers.

Baylor told RNS it had spoken with Curtice before she came to chapel and expected her to speak from “Glory Happening.”

The college seemed to imply in a statement sent to those who had questions about chapel that it was surprised by her message. That statement reads in part: “On occasion, a speaker may veer away from our understanding of the message they planned to convey. When this happens, we address the matter with our Chapel students and invite them to come talk to us after Chapel.”

Curtice responded on Twitter, “The Baylor chapel leaders knew exactly what I was speaking on before I came.”

“We can pretend that what happened at Baylor is about me praying to Mystery, or we can recognize that based on the onslaught of anti-native attacks and accusations of being a pagan I’ve received since speaking there, it’s about something else,” she tweeted.


RELATED: Author Kathy Khang on why Christians need to speak up — on politics and everything else


The episode follows a similar disruption during chapel almost exactly one year ago at Baylor when Khang said she ended a message on several of Jesus’ healing miracles in the Gospel of Mark with a list of things that were breaking her heart and making her “desperate for Jesus.” Among them was the arrest of an 11-year-old Florida boy who had refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.


Author Kathy Khang. Photo courtesy of Kathy Khang


That’s when she said a man yelled back, “That’s a lie. He made terrorist threats!”

The boy had no tie to terrorism. Florida police said he was arrested on charges of disrupting the classroom after an altercation with a substitute teacher over his ongoing refusal to stand for the pledge, according to reports at the time.

“This has never happened when a white male was speaking. This has never happened when a white woman was speaking,” student Meg Peck wrote in the Baylor Lariat.

“The common denominator in the equation? Both speakers were minority women," wrote Peck. "This is white supremacy occurring in the exact place it should be combated, and this record of how Baylor students treat women of color who come to speak is not only shameful, but it says, to all speakers of color, they are not welcome here.”

Khang said she felt unsafe when she was heckled during Baylor’s chapel.

“If you are inviting me to talk about and call out institutional racism, if you are asking and inviting me to talk about what justice looks like and how that is drawn out and addressed in Scripture, I will do that. And organizations need to know, institutions need to know that sometimes their audiences are not as prepared as you think they are,” she said.

“And so I think that the safety concern has always been an honest and real one, but not taken very seriously.”

It’s not just Baylor, said Khang, who authored the book “Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up.”

Just last week, panelists at Brigham Young University reportedly were bombarded with anonymous, racist messages as they discussed their experiences as people of color and immigrants at the Utah school, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

That reflects shifts in society and culture, she said. And it touches on all kinds of topics that are uncomfortable to discuss, like power dynamics and disagreement.

“I think what is happening is that well-intentioned folks on the spectrum of politics within Christianity are not actually having the conversation around free speech and accountability … and how do we do that honoring the Imago Dei in one another?” Khang said.

On Twitter, Curtice pointed to the land acknowledgement she gave at the beginning of her message, a practice gaining popularity in the United States that names and honors the people indigenous to the land where the acknowledgement is delivered.

“If they reject everything else, at least every student at Baylor who walked into chapel heard that they were on Kickapoo/Tonkawa land, and they can never un-know that,” she said.

“I've done my job. I hope they do theirs, too.”

________________________________________________________

SEE ALSO: https://religionnews.com/2017/11/22/kaitlin-curtice-talks-about-everyday-glory-and-her-native-american-heritage/

________________________________________________________

Accusations of bias follow Chapel speech

BY MATTHEW MUIR

SEE: https://baylorlariat.com/2020/02/13/accusations-of-bias-follow

-chapel-speech/; 
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research 
purposes:



The Chapel guest speaker Wednesday sparked controversy with a speech some in the Baylor community have criticized for being political and un-Christian.

Kaitlin Curtice, Christian, author and member of the Potawatomi Nation, spoke on politically charged topics. In her speech, Curtice said fighting for “true justice” means undoing the historical effects of colonialism.

“For the world to survive, for true justice to take place among us, decolonization must be a goal,” Curtice said. “We must fight against systems of oppression, systems like toxic patriarchy and capitalist greed that give no care to the land, and we must do it for the sake of all of us.”

Curtice also began her prayers with “oh mystery” rather than addressing them toward God or Jesus Christ.

In response, Baylor Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) issued a statement lambasting Curtice and the Chapel organizers who invited her.

The statement said Curtice’s understanding of Christianity was “surface level at best” and said Baylor allowed “a speaker with pagan sympathies to mislead students.” The YCT statement also said Baylor Chapel pushes a left-wing agenda.

“It has once again come to our attention that Baylor’s university chapel has taken on the political agenda of the progressive wing of the Baylor Faculty,” the statement said. “This morning, several of our members attended university Chapel and were met again with the liberal agenda.”

Reflective of the political tone of Curtice’s speech, Baylor Democrats conversely issued a statement defending Curtice. The statement said inviting a speaker with different views of Christianity could help students grow in their own faith.

“We support Baylor’s decision to have the inclusion of someone who shares a view of Christianity that is strongly shaped by the cultures and ideals of the Potawatomi Nation of which she is a member of, and providing a new perspective for students to have a personal relationship with their own faith,” the Democrats’ statement said.

Denison sophomore Jake Neidert, vice president of Baylor YCT, said he was particularly offended by the apparent lack of Christianity in Curtice’s prayers.

“I have no idea what she was talking about but it seemed to be very pagan, not very Christian, and I really had no respect for it whatsoever,” Neidert said.

Neidert also said he likely would have “just laughed about” the political aspects of Curtice’s speech had her prayer followed a more conventionally biblical template.

Shreveport, La, freshman Veronica Penales, Baylor Democrat’s vice president, said she didn’t see anything wrong with Curtice’s prayer.

“I think she was right in praying the way she wanted to pray, it was her chapel service to lead. I don’t think she crossed the line in that sense,” Penales said. “I support her, everything she did in that Chapel service including praying to Mother Mystery.”

The phrase “Mother Mystery” was never said by Curtice, but has been incorrectly used by others referencing her Chapel speeches.

In a response to parents’ concerns, Baylor said instances such as this can be seen as “problems – or as learning opportunities.” The university said while Baylor works with its chapel guests to plan material ahead of time, speakers may go off-script on occasion.

“Every Chapel speaker works with us ahead of time on what message they will be sharing, but on occasion, a speaker may veer away from our understanding of the message they planned to convey,” the response said. “When this happens, we address the matter with our Chapel students and invite them to come talk to us after Chapel.”

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Curtice addressed her prayers to “Mother Mystery.” Potawatomi Nation was also misspelled.

"CHRISTIAN" COLLEGES & SEMINARIES IN MORE TROUBLE THAN EVER AS MANY PLUNGE INTO EMERGENT SPIRITUALITY

"CHRISTIAN" COLLEGES & SEMINARIES IN MORE TROUBLE THAN EVER AS MANY PLUNGE INTO EMERGENT SPIRITUALITY

SEE: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2020/newsletter20200128.htm; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research 

purposes:

For nearly 18 years, Lighthouse Trails has been reporting on the slide that evangelical colleges, universities, and seminaries have been taking into the contemplative/emergent/ecumenical river. It would be great if we could say there’s been a real turn around and things at these colleges are getting better. It would be great if we could say that your college-age child is safe in most Christian colleges today. And it would be great if we could say that these schools have realized the error of their ways and have made dramatic efforts to get back on the biblical course. Unfortunately, we cannot say any of these things because they simply are not true.

We were once again reminded of how far off the track evangelical schools have gone when earlier this month we received an e-blast from Christianity Today announcing a 50%-off tuition special for qualifying students to Seattle Pacific University. That will sound very enticing to parents who are looking for Christian education for their college-age children at affordable rates. But let’s take a glance at what these children will be introduced to if they attend Seattle Pacific University:

At SPU’s Center for Biblical and Theological Education, students will be introduced to various forms of contemplative spirituality, and faculty members are being trained to pass them on. For instance, in a 2019 faculty retreat syllabus, the list of activities at the retreat include lectio divina, praying with icons, sabbath keeping, Ignatian Spirituality, and Prayer of Examen. At the upcoming 2020 Winter Discernment Weekend, prospective students will be introduced to “Guided Prayer” and Lectio Divina. “Spiritual Formation” and contemplative spirituality are integrated throughout the spiritual infrastructure of SPU. Faculty Staff Bulletins are peppered with recommendation and accolades for Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and numerous other hard-core mystics and panentheists.

In addition to the heavily contemplative element at SPU, you will find promotion for all things emergent such as “critical race theory” (a Marxist-leaning ideology) and the so-called “social-justice gospel” (with recommendations for social justice leaders such as Shane Claiborne and SoJourners).

For anyone who understands contemplative spirituality, these things we are sharing won’t come as a surprise because contemplative prayer is the gateway ‘drug,” so to speak, to all things emergent, socialist, Marxist, New Age, and anti-morality. And if there is one thing we hope to get across in this article, it is this: A very large number of Christian higher education institutions are now exhibiting signs that they are being influenced and directed by emergent ideologies; and many of these same schools are the ones we warned about years ago as they started down the contemplative path; the inevitable “fruit” of contemplative prayer is a drastic change in spiritual outlook (i.e., no longer resembling biblical Christianity; i.e., now emergent).

Lancaster Bible College in PA, one of the schools that has been on the Lighthouse Trails Contemplative College List for several years, continues down the contemplative path going deeper and deeper into the emergent world. For a convincing example, their Formational Leadership Master of Arts Degree program is taught by contemplative/emergent/Replacement Theology/New Missiology leader Wayne Cordiero. (More information on this program).

Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho continues incorporating emergent believes into the lives of its students. Some of our readers may remember our 2010 story titled “Buddhist/Universalist Sympathizer Woos Nazarene Students at NNU.” Most Nazarene universities had already been seduced by Catholic contemplative mystic Brennan Manning by then, and so bringing in a Buddhist/universalist sympathizer to NNU was just following contemplative protocol, which they have continued to do.

A few examples of NNU’s current status are the following: In the THEO4900 Religion Capstone course, The Living Reminder by Catholic mystic Henri Nouwen is one of two required textbooks. A graduate course titled COUN6594A Mindfulness Approaches uses Mindfulness and Psychotherapy for its textbook. Another graduate course (YCFM6730 Missional Ministry) uses these four textbooks— Celtic Way of Evangelism, Future Faith, Kingdom Come, and Creating a Missional Culture. In Creating a Missional Culture, the author introduces the reader to Jurgen Moltmann, Karl Barth, Marcus Borg, and several others of the same caliber (these three men are heroes of the emergent movement). In these NNU textbooks, you find the path to emergent, “progressive,” socialist, New Age “Christianity”—something that has become the hallmark for Nazarene universities today. If you attend a Nazarene church, and that church is looking for a new pastor, it would be a good idea to find out how much of his seminary/university training rubbed off on him because you can be sure, he’ll be bringing it to your church.

In 2013, we released our special report titled An Epidemic of Apostasy – How Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate “Spiritual Formation” to Become Accredited, documenting how contemplative spirituality was entering the Christian colleges at an alarming rate. Fast forward to today, and many of these schools are hardly recognizable from where they were at just seven years ago.

In this relatively short article, we have provided examples of just three schools. But we could give countless more of other schools that began opening their doors to the contemplative element, and now are becoming full-fledged emergent schools.

When we started warning about the contemplative movement entering the church through the evangelical colleges, seminaries, and universities back in the early part of this present millennium, our warnings were brushed off and dismissed by many Christian leaders. Today, some of these same leaders are being vocal about the left-leaning, anti-God, socialistic condition of this country. But they either don’t realize or don’t care that the early contemplative pioneers that they embraced twenty plus years ago brought in that very same mindset into the church through contemplative prayer. And now, as older pastors are retiring or passing away, the new younger pastors, trained in the colleges and seminaries, have become evangelists for this anti-Gospel, anti-biblical worldview.

The Calvinist Factor

For the editors at Lighthouse Trails, and for many of our readers, we are not surprised that this paradigm shift has occurred. We have witnessed the terrible apathy and indifference by Christian leaders and many pastors for nearly 18 years. Not only has there been apathy and indifference, but there has been hostility and anger. Just last week, a pastor in Oregon who had been placed on our Christian leaders and pastors booklet mailing list (at the request of one of our readers) called and told us to remove him from the list. He then proceeded to list off about a dozen adjectives to describe us including pugnacious, slanderous, and hateful.

We were curious about this pastor’s church and checked it out on the Internet. It was a Calvinist-promoting church. One reason we have experienced a new level of anger by some pastors and leaders is because of the book we published in 2018 warning about Calvinism (Calvinism: None Dare Call it Heresy). And this brings us to something that needs to be said in this article with regard to the direction evangelical colleges, universities, and seminaries have headed: Many Christian colleges and universities are now embracing or are in the process of embracing Calvinism and Reformed Theology.

This presents a different set of serious problems, in one respect. But as we have stated in other articles, and wholeheartedly believe based on what we have observed, many young people trained in or drawn into Calvinism end up emergent or leaving the faith altogether (such as in the case of the recent departure from the faith by I Kissed Dating Goodbye author Josh Harris).

Aside from the colleges that have historically been Calvinist and Reformed (e.g., The Master’s Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Calvin College), new ones are continually getting on board with Calvinism. A perfect example of this is Bob Jones University (historically the antithesis of a Calvinist school), which now has a Calvinist president. And then there is Southern Baptist Convention. We estimate that as many as half of the Southern Baptist colleges and universities are now Calvinist leaning. One caller, who is a longstanding SBC member that has been in leadership positions, told us that almost all the SBC universities are now Calvinist or Calvinist influenced. A 2007 Christian Post article titled “Calvinism on the Rise” stated: “Nearly 30 percent of recent SBC seminary graduates now serving as church pastors indicate they are Calvinists.” This statistic was based on data presented at the 2006 SBC “Building Bridges: Southern Baptists and Calvinism” conference. We believe that percentage is much higher today because of the increase in Calvinism in the schools. And if our theory is right that many young Calvinists will eventually become emergent or defect the faith (sometimes because they cannot handle the dismal beliefs of John Calvin and Calvinism and sometimes because they haven’t found a personal relationship with Christ through Calvinism), then the outcome is going to be disastrous.

CONCLUSION

Either way you look at it, Christian/evangelical colleges, universities, and seminaries are in trouble. And if they are in trouble, then so are our churches because the schools are producing today’s and tomorrow’s pastors and leaders.

Our exhortation to parents and grandparents is to carefully and prayerfully choose the schools your children and grandchildren will attend. The pickings are getting slimmer every day, but your choices can potentially have eternal consequences or eternal blessings. Please don’t take it lightly.


Editor’s Note: If you know of a young person who attends or who plans to attend a Christian college, university, or seminary, please consider asking him or her to read Castles in the Sand or A Time of Departing. If you cannot afford to get one of these books, write to us at editors@lighthousetrails.com, and we will send a free copy for you to give to that college-age person. If you are wondering why we have so much concern about this, read an article we wrote in 2013 titled “Want Your Child to Become an Atheist? – Send Him to LeTourneau University in Texas (or Any Other Contemplative/Emergent School For That Matter).” It’s a true story, and tragically, it is happening too often.

WARREN SMITH: "FEARING GOD IN A FEARLESS NEW AGE"

WARREN SMITH: 

"FEARING GOD IN A FEARLESS NEW AGE"

SEE: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2020/newsletter20200108.htm;  

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research 

purposes:

From Warren Smith's Through It All Scripture Series

By Warren B. Smith

Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. (Psalm 128:1)

We are living in fearful times, yet the Bible repeatedly tells us to “Fear not.” Scripture assures us that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). It teaches us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and that “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). But at the same time the Bible continually tells us to “Fear God.” How is this seemingly apparent contradiction regarding fear to be reconciled by those who wish to follow God and do His will?

The New Age Take on Fear

In this rapidly changing world, it is important to understand how the biblical concept of “fear” is being redefined by both the world and the church. In particular, a variety of voices on both sides would now have us believe that “the opposite of love is not hate but fear.” It is important to note that this deceptive concept about fear was popularly introduced into the world by a channeled New Age Christ through a set of metaphysical/occult teachings titled A Course in Miracles. In the Introduction on the very first page of this over 1000 page tome, The Course’s “Jesus” proposes this foundational New Age teaching that “the opposite of love is fear” but cleverly adds—“but what is all-encompassing [love] can have no opposite.”1 He says—“Teach only love, for that is what you are.”2 Thus, The Course’s New Age reality is that because love is “all-encompassing” and because God is love, all is therefore God. Consequently, The Course’s false Christ teaches that all fear is delusional and part of a hapless dream from which the dreamer needs to be “gently wakened” by God’s “happy dream.”3 To deliver us out of our “fearful dream,” we are told that God’s dream” is being sent to bring us to our senses and to the realization that we are love and we are God. There is no fear! What becomes apparent is that these false teachings lay the groundwork for a New Age/New Gospel/New Spirituality to completely supplant biblical Christianity. No fear and no fear of God because we are all love and we are all God—all in the name of “God’s dream.” How unbiblical and truly diabolical!

A Course in Miracles and God’s Dream

First published in 1975, A Course in Miracles has become a cult classic that is often referred to as the New Age “Bible.” Allegedly channeled by “Jesus” to clarify “misunderstood” Bible teachings with his “new” revelation, The Course’s false Christ emphatically teaches God’s “happy dream” that there is no sin,4 no evil,5 no Devil,6 and no need to get saved by an external Savior named Jesus Christ. He says we save ourselves7 and the world by recognizing that we are all “one”8 because we are all “Christ”9 and we are all “God.”10 This New Age “Jesus” teaches that “a slain Christ has no meaning”11 and warns us not to make “the pathetic error of clinging to the old rugged cross.”12 He declares that “The journey to the cross should be the last useless journey.”13 Again, all of these false teachings are described as part of “God’s dream” to save the planet as he “wakens” everyone from their “fearful dreams” with his “happy dream”14 that we are all “one” because we are all “God.”

“Fearing God” is Insanity and Madness?

A Course in Miracles lesson number 48 states—“There is nothing to fear”15 and that especially includes not “fearing God.” Fearing God according to this New Age “Jesus” is bogus and directly equated to one’s fear of being God. The Course’s false Christ says we are not to fear God because we are God.16 But he takes our not fearing God a significant step further. In redefining fear, The Course’s New Age “Jesus” describes the Bible’s teaching on the “fear of God” as “stark insanity and raving madness.”17 He goes so far as to state that the Bible’s take on the “fear of God” is the last remaining “obstacle” to “peace.”18 He says that when humanity overcomes its “fear of God” and is collectively “awakened” by “God’s dream” to the reality that they are God—then and only then—can inner peace and world peace be finally realized. However, the Bible’s teachings on the “fear of God” have nothing to do with fear being the opposite of love and our being God. More importantly, Scripture is unequivocal in its oft repeated teachings on the fear of God and how we are to literally fear and revere and joyously worship the one true God who we definitely are not.

Gerald Jampolsky, Oprah Winfrey Endorse The Course

A Course in Miracles gained enormous popularity when psychiatrist/author Dr. Gerald Jampolsky’s best-selling 1979 book Love is Letting Go of Fear promoted The Course and its New Age teachings. However, the biggest endorsement of The Course came in February 1992 when Oprah Winfrey featured then-fledgling author Marianne Williamson and her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah told her worldwide television audience that she had purchased a thousand copies of Williamson’s book because she had never “been as moved by a book” as she had by Williamson’s book about A Course in Miracles. Oprah said she believed that the teachings of A Course in Miracles “could change the world.”19 Thanks to Oprah, the false New Age Christ had just been mainstreamed into everybody’s living room. After Oprah’s endorsement, Williamson’s book about The Course shot to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for several months.

Pastors Following New Age Suit

Robert Schuller
Several years after the publication of Jampolsky’s 1979 book Love is Letting Go of Fear, Pastor Robert Schuller celebrated Jampolsky as his featured guest on his worldwide Hour of Power television program. The late Schuller also cited him in his best-selling 1982 book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation. Quoting Jampolsky’s Course teaching that “The opposite of love is not hate, but fear,” Schuller described this false teaching as “profound theology.”20 In this same Self-Esteem book, Schuller made multiple references to the New Age term “God’s dream.” Through his writings, teachings, and television ministry, Schuller passed along The Course’s New Age take on “fear being the opposite of love” and the term “God’s dream” to millions of people—but perhaps most especially pastors. At his longstanding Robert H. Schuller Institute for Successful Church Leadership, Schuller communicated his beliefs and teachings to countless pastors over the years. Graduates from Schuller’s Institute routinely incorporated Schuller’s teachings into their own ministries. Perhaps the most famous “graduate” from Schuller’s Institute is Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren.21

Rick Warren
Echoing Schuller, Jampolsky, and the false Christ of A Course in Miracles, Rick Warren took the New Age teaching on “fear being the opposite of love” one step further. He tried to make it biblical! In an April 9, 2009 article written for The Christian Post, Rick Warren, without citing any Bible reference, wrote—“The Bible says the opposite of love is fear, and the opposite of fear is love.”22 Yet, there is no properly translated Bible that says this. The only “Bible” that says this is A Course in Miracles—the New Age “Bible.” What Schuller described as “profound theology,” Rick Warren was now describing as biblical. And just as Schuller passed this false New Age teaching about fear being the opposite of love to countless pastors like Rick Warren, Warren is now passing this false teaching on to a new generation of pastors—pastors like Mark Batterson and Jason Mitchell.

Mark Batterson
Echoing A Course in Miracles, Robert Schuller, and Rick Warren, Circle Maker author Mark Batterson writes:

The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is fear.23

In his best-selling book Chase the Lion, Batterson uses the word dream over 500 times. He not only references the term “God’s Dream,”24 but like the false Christ of A Course in Miracles, he introduces the idea of God’s dream “within” a dream.25 In addition to his controversial endorsements of The Shack26 and Jesus Calling,27 Batterson has also publicly praised and recommended a number of books by New Age authors (e.g. Eckhart Tolle, James Redfield, and Jack Canfield).28 Wittingly or unwittingly, Batterson is using the overlapping language of the New Age, Robert Schuller, and Rick Warren (whom he openly respects and praises).29

Jason Mitchell
In the May 5, 2017 edition of the popular Christian publication Relevant Magazine, there was an article by Pastor Jason Mitchell titled “The Opposite of Love Isn’t Hate.” In the article, Mitchell wrote—“The opposite of love isn’t hate—it’s fear.”30 Several months prior to the publication of his article, Mitchell’s Pennsylvania church spent six weeks of Sundays going through Rick Warren’s book The Purpose-Driven Life. Whether or not Mitchell picked up this teaching of fear directly from Rick Warren is not the point. The point is that—thanks to Robert Schuller and Rick Warren—this false New Age teaching on fear is now in the church.

The Bible’s Warning

Not surprisingly, the Bible specifically warns about false teachings on fear that are taught by the precepts of men and not by God:

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. (Isaiah 29:13)

Fear God—Yes!

Consult any dictionary or thesaurus, and it will not tell you that the opposite of love is fear; it is hate. And while the word “fear” in the Bible is translated from Hebrew and Greek words that have slightly varying and nuanced meanings, the word fear generally means just that—fear. The degree of fear in these definitions can range from “mild uneasiness to stark terror.”31 The frequent biblical command to “Fear not” means we are not to give undue respect or regard to man or to be unnecessarily anxious or afraid of the challenging circumstances that inevitably arise in our lives. But the Bible is exceedingly clear that we are to definitely fear God. But our fear of God is ideally tempered with joyous love, worshipful adoration, and reverential regard. This loving but real fear of God bears witness to the supreme significance of our relationship with Him and to the eternal consequences the relationship holds. We are to both love and fear who He is—“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).

Fear Man—No!

An important distinction must be maintained between the “fear of God” and the “fear of man.” The Bible says we are not to fear the “reproach” or “revilings” of man (Isaiah 51:7). It warns that the fear of man is a “snare” (Proverbs 29:25) and a “sin” (1 Samuel 15:24-25). But the fear of God is “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). The Bible teaches that while we are not to fear man or the circumstantial challenges we may be confronted with—we are to fear God. But why? So the Lord can scare, intimidate, manipulate, demean, and ultimately control us? Not at all. Scripture makes it clear that the “fear of God” is a most amazing and wonderful thing. It is the beginning of “knowledge” and “wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). Our fear of God is not only not an “obstacle” to peace—it is something that will bless us (Psalm 128:1), make us “happy,” (Proverbs 28:14) and cause our soul to “dwell at ease” (Psalm 25:12-13).

“Fear of the Lord” Rests Upon Jesus

The prophet Isaiah—prophesying about the coming of the Messiah (the true Jesus Christ)—describes how the spirit of “the fear of the LORD” literally rests upon Him.

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Jesus Taught the Fear of God

Our Spiritual Adversary, through his deceptive “God’s dream” theology, wants to redefine fear as something that is the opposite of love and not even real. He wants to eliminate fear because he does not want us to fear and revere the one true God. He does not want us to know the benefits and blessings that come from fearing God. And he most certainly does not want us to know that Jesus Christ Himself specifically taught that we should all fear God. Jesus said we are not to fear those who kill the body, but we are to “fear him” who is “able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:27-28)

The “fear of the Lord” is not only something God desires (Deuteronomy 5:29) but also what He requires (Deuteronomy 10:12)—not for His good, but “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). Contrary to the false New Age Christ and those who wittingly or unwittingly espouse his false New Age teachings about fear, Scripture repeatedly tells us just how important and necessary the fear of God is for the serious believer.

Fear Of God

Fearing God is What God Desires
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! (Deuteronomy 5:29)

Fearing God is What God Requires
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12)

Fearing the Lord is a Fountain of Life
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)

Fear of the Lord is His Treasure
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)

Fearing God Pleases God
The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalm 147:11)

Fearing God for Our Good
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. (Jeremiah 32:39-40)

Fearing God is for Our Good Always
And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. (Deuteronomy 6:24)

Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

Fear of the Lord is to be Sought and Understood
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)

Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)

Fear of the Lord is the Instruction of Wisdom
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Proverbs 15:33)

Fear the Lord and Bless the Lord
Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD. (Psalm 135:20)

Fear the Lord and be Blessed
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. (Psalm 128:1)

Fear the Lord and Praise the Lord
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. (Psalm 22:23)

Fear the Lord and be Praised
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

Fear the Lord and Trust the Lord
Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. (Psalm 115:11)

Fear God and Obey His Voice
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)

Fear the Lord Above All Other Gods
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. (Psalm 96:4)

Fear God—There is None Like Him
Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. (Jeremiah 10:7)

Fear God and Go Not After Other Gods
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you. (Deuteronomy 6:13-14)

Fear God and Worship Him
But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. (Psalm 5:7)

Fear the Lord with Reverence and Godly Fear
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Fear God Greatly and Revere Him in the Assembly
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. (Psalm 89:7)

Fear the Lord and Let Him Be Your Fear
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. (Isaiah 8:13)

Fear the Lord and Rejoice With Trembling
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)

Fear God by Serving Him and Cleaving to Him
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. (Deuteronomy 10:20)

Fear the Lord and His Angel is With Thee
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. (Psalm 34:7)

Fear God and Serve Him Only
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. (Joshua 24:14)

Fear God and Serve Him in Truth
Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24)

Fear the Lord and His Eye Is Upon You
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19)

Fear God and Be Accepted by Him
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35)

Fear the Lord and Have No Want
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. (Psalm 34:8-9)

Fear God and Receive His Goodness
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! (Psalm 31:19)

Fear God and Receive His Mercy
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. (Psalm 103:11)

Fear God and It Shall Be Well
Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 8:12)

Fear the Lord and Be Satisfied
The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. (Proverbs 19:23)

Fear God and Your Soul Shall Be at Ease
What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. (Psalm 25:12-13)

Fear the Lord and Be Happy
Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. (Proverbs 28:14)

Fear of the Lord Is to Hate Evil
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)

Fear the Lord and Depart From Evil
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7)

Fear God and Avoid False Prophets
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. (Deuteronomy 13:1-4)

Fear God and be Delivered from Your Enemies
But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. (2 Kings 17:39)

Fear God and Have Strong Confidence and a Place of Refuge
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.(Proverbs 14:26)

Fear the Lord and Don’t Sin
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. (Exodus 20:20)

Fear the Lord and be Shown His Covenant
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)

Fear God and Receive a Banner
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. (Psalm 60:4)

Fear of God for Those Who Rule
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. (2 Samuel 23:3)

Fear God and Honor All Men
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. (1 Peter 2:17)

Fear God and Fellowship with One Another
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. (Malachi 3:16)

Fear God and Submit Yourselves One to Another
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21)

Fear God and be a Companion to Those Who Keep His Precepts
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. (Psalm 119:63)

Fear God and Beware of Those Given to Change
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change. (Proverbs 24:21)

Fear of the Lord is Clean
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever. (Psalm 19:9)

Fear of the Lord Brings Honor
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. (Proverbs 22:4)

Fear the Lord and Walk Uprightly
He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him. (Proverbs 14:2)

Fear God and Walk in His Ways
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. (Deuteronomy 8:6)

Fear God and Perfect Holiness
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Fear God and Declare His Works
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing. (Psalm 64:9)

Fear God and Declare What He has Done For Your Soul
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. (Psalm 66:16)

Fear God and Teach Your Children to Fear God
Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. (Deuteronomy 4:10)

Fear God and Individually Grow
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2)

Fear God and Churches Grow
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)

Fear God and His Salvation is Nigh
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. (Psalm 85:9)

Fear God and Be Saved
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. (Psalm 145:19)

Fear God and Give Him Glory
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him. (Revelation 14:6-7)

Fear God and Fear His Name
Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. (Psalm 86:11)

Fear God and Glorify His Name
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. (Revelation 15:4)

Fear God by Passing Your Time Here in Fear
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. (1 Peter 1:17)

Fear God From All the Ends of the Earth
God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. (Psalm 67:7)

Fear God and His Goodness in the Latter Days
Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:5)

Fear God All the Earth
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)

Fear God All Day Long
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. (Proverbs 23:17)

Fear God as Long as You Live
Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. (Deuteronomy 4:10)

Fear the Lord Through All Generations
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. (Psalm 72:5)

Fear God Forever
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever. (Joshua 4:24)

Fear of God: Foundational to Our Faith

Scripture tells us that one of the foundational attributes of the early church was their fear of God:

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. (Acts 2:42-43)

If the anti-Christ false Christ of the New Age movement continues to have his way, fear will continue to be redefined out of the world, out of the church, and out of our lives. This redefinition of fear is at the heart of the deception and why fear being the opposite of love is taught on the very first page of the New Age “Bible”—A Course in Miracles. But those who truly love God and His Word also fear Him. When it comes to the fear of God, fear and love are intimately bound together—they are not opposites. Teaching that they are opposites is to play right into the hands of our Spiritual Adversary and His anti-christ New Age/New Spirituality.

The Conclusion—Fear God

The Bible makes it very clear that we are to fear God, and we are not to adopt false teachings about fear that are taught by the precepts of men (Isaiah 29:13). In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon states that when all is said and done—we are to fear God and keep His commandments:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

To order copies of Fearing God in a Fearless New Age in booklet format,click here.

Endnotes
1. A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume (Glen Ellen, California: Foundation for Inner Peace,1975), (Introduction) p. 1.
2. Ibid., (Text) p. 94.
3. Ibid., (Text) p. 584; p. 377.
4. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 183.
5. Ibid., (Text) p. 38.
6. Ibid., (Text) pp. 49-50.
7. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 119 Lesson 70 “My salvation comes from me.”
8. Ibid., (Text) p. 125.
9. Ibid., (Manual) p. 87.
10. Ibid., (Text) p. 147.
11. Ibid., (Text) p. 425.
12. Ibid., (Text) p. 52.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid., (Text) p.377.
15. Ibid., (Workbook) p. 77.
16. Ibid., (Text) p. 147.
17. Ibid., (Text) p. 422.
18. Ibid., (Text) p. 420, p. 606.
19. The Oprah Winfrey Show, February 4, 1992, quoted from DVD copy of program and transcribed by author.
20. Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982), p. 51.
21. Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church (Mountain Stream Press: Magalia, CA, 2004), p. 80.
22. Rick Warren, “Easter: God’s Antidote to Fear” (The Christian Post, April 9, 2009, https://www.christianpost.com/news/easter-god-s-antidote-to-fear-37969).

23. Mark Batterson, Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You It’s Too Small (New York, NY: Multnomah, 2016), p. 124.
24. Ibid., p. 4
25. Ibid., p. 7.
26. Mark Batterson’s review of The Shack: https://web.archive.org/web/20101226173947/http://evotional.com/2008/05/what-im-reading.html.
27. Jesus Calling endorsement by Mark Batterson: https://www.jesuscalling.com/blog/gregalan-williams-mark-batterson.
28. “Recommended Reading” list on Batterson’s website: http://web.archive.org/web/20061209190909/www.evotional.com/reading.htm.
29. Mark Batterson, Chase the Lion, op. cit., p. 36.
30. Pastor Jason Mitchell, “The Opposite of Love Isn’t Hate” (Relevant Magazine, May 5, 2017, https://relevantmagazine.com/god/faith/the-opposite-of-love-isnt-hate).
31. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology online at biblestudytools.com.

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