Leonard Sweet & Willis Harman: "Spiritual Sciences"

Willis W. Harman is quoted favorably in neoevangelical Leonard I. Sweet's online book, Quantum Spirituality: A Postmodern Apologetic:

"New Lights must catch the waves of a spiritual Gulf Stream taking them into unknown regions of what Nobel laureate/philosopher/London School of Economics professor Karl Popper and electrical engineer/Stanford University professor Willis W. Harman call the 'Spiritual Sciences.'"6 ( p. 218)

Here Sweet introduces the concept of the "Spiritual Sciences." He would have Christians believe that this is a necessary part of the journey to enlightenment, to becoming "New Lights." Willis Harman describes his concept of "spiritual sciences" in an interview with Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D.:

"Then there's a fourth level, which I would call the spiritual sciences, and we don't have very good representations of that yet, although some of the Tibetan Buddhist psychological work certainly would qualify as part of that. There are certain things in the Gnostic tradition of Christianity that would, and transpersonal psychology." TWM, SCIENCE AND RELIGION with WILLIS HARMAN, Ph.D. [Emphasis added] [http://twm.co.nz/harm_scirel.htm]

A more in-depth definition of "spiritual sciences" can be found at ASTROMIND - Cognitive Research and Development, a mind development and research lab. This definition clearly demonstrates the occult nature of this so-called "science." [http://www.astromind.com/articles/sciences.html]

"Spiritual Sciences

"Spiritual science focuses on integrating and unifying the substance of reality. It teaches the importance of action, feeling, awareness, collective observation, active detachment and the scientific practice to create more freedom, existence and being. It produces true visionaries through the skillful utilization of creativity, intuition, initiative and intent. Mastery of this discipline leads to great vision and spiritual illumination. The following is a list of various traditions within the field of spiritual science.

"Agni Yoga.
Alistair Crowley.
Arhatic Yoga.
Asparsha Yoga.Astanga Yoga.
Bhakti Yoga.
Carlos Castaneda.
The Sorcerer's Way.
D.E.Harding.
The Headless Way.
est.
G.I.Gurdjieff.
The Fourth Way.
Gnosis.Hatha Yoga.
Hindu Yoga.
Integral Yoga.
Jnana Yoga.
Karma Yoga.
Kriya Yoga.
Kripalu Yoga.
Kundalini Yoga.
Lambika Yoga.
Laya Yoga.
Mantra Yoga.
Metaphysics.
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.
Power Yoga.
Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO).
Osho.
Raja Yoga.
Sahaja Yoga.
Sankirtan Yoga.
Shamanism.
Shiva Yoga.
Siddha Yoga.
Sri Adi Da Avatar.
Free Daism.
Surat Shabd Yoga or Nada Yoga.
Taoism.
Tantra.
Taraka Yoga.
Theravadan Buddhism.
Tibetan Buddhism.
Yantra Yoga.
Yoni Tantra.
Zen Buddhism."

The Truth:

Leonard Sweet's introduction to "Spiritual Sciences" does not lead Christian believers into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ but leads into the same esoteric state as yoga. Believers in Christ are not called to catch the waves of a spiritual movement but rather we are exhorted to grow up "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." (Ephesians 4:13-15)

Stay tuned!

Yoga and the Harman's Psychic "Science"

Christian Research Service (CRS) prepared a fact sheet today about the introduction of Yoga into a Southern Baptist Church (9/28/05). Yet at the same time the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has provided materials that are in total opposition to the New Age, yoga and yoga techniques. One such SBC position paper warns:

"Many New Agers teach that our sensation of existing as finite creatures is an illusion. Humanity has forgotten that it is divine. As a result, people need to become enlightened about their true divinity in order to experientially become one with the All. Exercises intended to transform consciousness can help one attain enlightenment. Techniques such as yoga, meditation, past-life regression, soul travel, and channeling spiritual guides may help one achieve enlightenment" ("New Age," SBC Interfaith Evangelism BELIEF BULLETIN," p. 2, click HERE for complete article, bold print added).

To illustrate the psychic nature of Yoga, Christian apologist Bud Press of CRS looked up a working definition of Yoga on the Internet. Note the use of the term "science" in this definition. And notice the many references to the mind in a spiritual sense. Yoga isn't just about physical exercise!

"The Center for Yoga and Health Inc. is available to all for the purpose of awakening consciousness through physical, mental or spiritual development. The Center offers varied levels of yoga instruction. Yoga is a highly evolved set of esoteric exercises, described as 'a science and art of living and being'. Yoga does not require certain metaphysical notions; it is a universal art that flourishes whenever an individual is committed to higher values. Yoga is dedicated to discovering the sacredness in life. A continued yoga practice allows the individual to out distance the ego mind, and attain a path to inner joy and outer harmony. All classes are based on Hatha Yoga (yoga of physical application, and Jnana Yoga (yoga of knowledge. All classes include four of the eight limbs of yoga:
Pranayama (breathwork)
Asana (physical postures)
Pratyahara (relaxation)
Dhyana (a meditative state)."
[Source for above: http://www.centerforyogaandhealth.com/; bold print theirs]

The CRS Fact Sheet quotes from a Southern Baptist Convention "Resolution On The New Age Movement, dated June ,1988," [http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=785], which opposed the rise of the New Age Movement and encouraged "our Convention agencies, local associations, pastors, and church staffs to warn and educate our Baptist constituency of the deception and critical dangers of this movement." (To see the full CRS Fact Sheet go to http://www.christianresearchservice.com/CRSFactSheetYoga.htm.) How things have changed!

Why has Yoga made such inroads into evangelicalism? Perhaps because of the groundwork laid at the 1979 Consultation by Willis Harman, who proposed that the discipline of rational science be opened up to explore the realms of the occult. Harman's work with the Institute of Noetic Sciences was not listed in the "Program Personnel" of An Evangelical Agenda: 1984 and beyond. Did the organizers of the Consultation intentionally omit Harman's potentially controversial activities in the New Age and New World Order? Even the official description of the Institute of Noetic Sciences should set off red flags for Christian believers:

"Promotes research and education on the noetic sciences and the subject of human consciousness. (Noetic sciences encompass diverse ways of knowing including intellectual, sensate, and intuitive). Seeks to broaden knowledge of the nature and abilities of the mind and consciousness and to apply that knowledge toward the enhancement of human well-being and the quality of life. Encourages scientific research into the mind-body relationship; provides network of communication and discourse between scientists and scholars." (Encyclopedia of Associations, 36th Ed., 2000)

Harman's address, expounding on "A Utopian Perspective on the Future," forged that network between Theosophists and Evangelicals. Make no mistake about it -- Harman essentially proposed a new classification of "science" which would include the spiritual. As yesterday's post reveals, this especially included things of the "mind." The "mind" does not mean the brain when Harman is referring to it, but rather things of the spirit!

The Truth:

Not everything "spiritual" or "scientific" is TRUTH. Particularly, when it pertains to the mind. New Age writer and researcher Constance Cumbey warned believers as early as 1983 about the dangers of the New Age infiltrating the church:

"New Agers often receive what they believe to be an experience of overpowering beauty and glory. Because of the immensity of the experience they assume they have come in contact with the Lord. God recognized our vulnerability in this area and for this reason wisely commanded his people not to get involved in occult practices. Deception has been Satan's game since the Garden of Eden and our times are no exception. We are told that the antichrist will come with great signs and wonders -- great enough to deceive the elect "if it were possible." Those dabbling in New Age psychotechnologies, including all too often clergy who ignore clear Bible doctrine, have received some of the end-time deception well in advance of the coming grand finale'. (The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 174)

Pertaining to the mind, 2 Cor. 10:5 admonishes believers, "But casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Philippians 2:5 exhorts, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

[Post revised 10/4/05]

To be continued. . . .

Willis Harman Introduces Psychic "Science" to Evangelical Leaders

In his address on "A Utopian Perspective on the Future" to the 1979 Consultation with leading evangelicals, Willis Harman promoted a new “paradigm-shaking” science. He shifted the boundaries of rational objective science. His science included not only the humanistic "sciences" of psychology and sociology but also the psychic. In his address, Harman listed some “representative examples” of New Age research into the psychic:

“—Unconscious knowing is far more extensive than ordinarily assumed, and includes not only the sorts of knowledge of ‘involuntary’ bodily processes brought to light by biofeedback, but also unconscious knowledge of the various realms of psychic phenomena

“—Because of the preponderance of the unconscious in our mental processes, there are previously unsuspected powers associated with beliefs, images, suggestions, etc.

“—Mind is ultimately dominant over biological processes (rather than being some sort of epiphenomenon deriving from them)

“—Mind is extended in time and space (as evidenced by such phenomena as ‘remote viewing’ and precognition)

“—Minds are joined, in ways other than the usually assumed physical mechanisms of communication

“—Mind is ultimately predominant over the physical world, as evidenced by psychokinetic phenomena

“—Thus the arguments by which an earlier generation of scientists had declared the fundamental tenets of religion to be illusion, turn out themselves to be invalid

“—Hence we are led to revised views of the possibility of knowing meaning in life, of transcendent goals for the individual and society, of the significance of ‘losing one’s mind,’ of birth and death” (An Evangelical Agenda: 1884 and beyond, pp. 35-36)

This so-called "science" of the mind is a laundry list of New Age mysticism that stormed across America during the 1970s. ESP, Transcendental Meditation, mystical experiences, altered states of consciousness, drug-induced (LSD) hallucinations, psycho-technologies, guided imagery, visualization, and the proliferation of cults and gurus all taught new ways of "seeing" reality that delved deeply into the occult. New Age apologist Marilyn Ferguson described an "open conspiracy among scientists who have discovered... metaphysical realities... a fraternity of paradigm breakers who cross into each other's territory for new insights." (The Aquarian Conspiracy, 1980, p. 152)

The Truth:

1 Timothy 6:20 warns believers about the psuedo-sciences: “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”

The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer, who watched the onslaught of new philosophies against Christian orthodoxy -- particularly during the 1960s and '70s -- strongly warned about the consequences of embracing such pseudo-sciences:

“When psychology and social sciences were made a part of a closed cause-and-effect system, along with physics, astronomy and chemistry, it was not only God who died. Man died. And within this framework love died. There is no place for love in a totally closed cause-and-effect system. There is no place for the freedom of people in a totally closed cause-and-effect system. Man becomes a zero. People and all they do become only a part of the machinery.” (How Shall We Then Live? 1976, p. 147-148)

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

COMING UP: How the 1979 Consultation laid groundwork for the transformation of evangelicalism

Barbara Marx Hubbard, Willis Harman and Metanoia

Metanoia is a favorite word of the Theosophists. New Age leader Barbara Marx Hubbard used the term, too -- in the same manner that Willis Harman and Leonard Sweet used it (see previous post), only with a twist. Her use of the word has to do with creating an alternative future for mankind. The Theosophists don't like the biblical scenario in the book of Revelation that speaks of endtime disasters and God's judgment. Instead, Hubbard wrote her own book The Revelation in which she proposed an Armageddon alternative called the "Planetary Pentecost." She said:

"In the twinkling of an eye, we are all changed by this experience. It is a mass metanoia, a shared spiritual experience for the human race, a peaceful second coming of the divine in us as us." ( p. 324)

"Armageddon is, dearly beloved, the dreadful script which you and I rewrite now." (p. 204)

"Here we are, now poised either on the brink of destruction greater than the world has ever seen -- a destruction which will cripple planet Earth forever and release only the few to go on -- or on the threshold of global co-creation wherein each person on Earth will be attracted to participate in his or her own evolution to godliness." (p. 174)

Why are these quotes from Barbara Marx Hubbard relevant to Willis Harman and his speech about the future to a group of evangelical leaders back in 1979? Because many of the leading New Age Theosophists have continued to find common ground with neoevangelicals over the past 25 years. And, particularly since 9/11, there has been a dramatic escalation in cooperation between New Age Theosophists and leading evangelicals. (For more information, visit www.reinventingjesuschrist.com.)

The Truth:

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:5-8)

Hubbard & Harmon: the new Psychic "Science"

Dr. Dennis Cuddy wrote of the relationship between Barbara Marx Hubbard and Willis Harman in his book Now Is the Dawning of the New Age New World Order (Hearthstone, 1991). On pages 279-280 he explains Barbara Marx Hubbard's work with First Earth Battalion, a spiritual warfare project connected with military experiments with the use of psychic powers.

"The creed of the FEB 'guerilla gurus' or 'warriors of the spirit' includes: 'I take personal responsibility for generating evolutionary conspiracies as a part of my work. I will select and create conspiratorial mechanisms . . . that will create and perform evolutionary breakthrough actions on behalf of people and planet. One people, one planet.'

"How this might transpire is described by Willis Harman in a World Goodwill (Lucis [Lucifer] Trust) Occasional Paper, "For a New Society, a New Economics," published in the April, May and June 1987 issues of Development Forum, by the United Nations Division for Economic and Social Information and the United Nations University. In this paper, Harman borrows from Abraham Maslow's 'self-actualization' theories and his Eupsychean Network to say 'a respiritualization of society is taking place, but one more experiential and non-institutionalized, less fundamentalist and sacerdotal, than most of the historically familiar forms of religion. With this change comes a long-term shift in value emphasis. . . . There may indeed be a conflict between dogmatic esoteric religion and positivistic science. However, there is not an inevitable conflict between the esoteric "perennial wisdom" of the world's spiritual traditions and a science based on certain metaphysical assumptions.'"

Tomorrow: Harman's psychic science and the evangelical response

Leonard Sweet & Willis Harmon -- Metanoia/Transformation

In 1991 Leonard I. Sweet, a renouned neoevangelial leader, re-defined the Greek word metanoia in his book Quantum Spirituality: A Postmodern Apologetic (posted on-line at http://www.leonardsweet.com/Quantum/index.asp). He wrote:

"Metanoia can mean, literally, 'after thought.' What metanoia does is turn our minds after the mind of God, transform our consciousness so that it is connected to the divine consciousness, tune us into a logos logic. In other words, metanoia enables a metanoized self to think God's afterthoughts. Metanoia bestows on the believer a Logos-Christ consciousness, a logos logic that is based not on dialectic and struggle, but on harmony and wholeness." (p. 63)

"Faith is the state of excitation of a set of metanoia-inducing, space-pervading fields -- a consuming-fire transformation of consciousness that reorients one's ambitions, motives, presumptions, and energies. 'Religion consists in an intercourse between ourselves and our Maker,' America's greatest theologian contended. Metanoia is the most transformative, explosive encounter one can have. In a metanoized self, a pilot light becomes a consuming flame. Theologian/feminist Sharon Welch describes it as a 'epistemic shift' of consciousness. Metanoia totally transforms one's life. It totally transforms the course of history." (p. 69-70) [emphases added]

This word was one of Willis Harman's favorites. He used the word to describe the total transformation of the spirituality of mankind. When addressing the 1979 Consultation, Harman explained his concept of METANOIA:

"Both in the culture at large, and in the fringe areas in the scientific community, the dominant science-technology paradigm is being challenged in a fundamental sense. Survey data indicate a significant cultural shift in the direction of more interest in spiritual and psychic matters, particularly among the better educated. The challenge amounts to a reconsideration of the outmoded 'warfare between science and religion.'... The growing suspicion is that traditional religion and conventional science alike are both partial and flawed, and due to be superseded by a more unified view of reality." (p. 34-35) An Evangelical Agenda: 1984 and beyond, copyright 1979 by the Billy Graham Center and published by the William Carey Library (Fuller Theological Seminary). [emphasis added]

The seeds of Theosophic syncretism were planted when Willis Harman's address to evangelical leaders in 1979 was not challenged. It began to produce recognizable fruit by 1991 in this work by Leonard Sweet. And it has now come to full fruit in neoevangelicalism today.

The Truth:

Obviously, these definitions above have far more to do with the doctrines of Theosophy than traditional Christianity. In the Bible metanoia is simply translated as repentance.

To refresh the spirit with a traditional understanding of repentance, here is Matthew Poole's Commentary on Hebrews 6:1:

Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works: "the first Christian principle or doctrine to be learnt, was that of repentance, which is the fundamental change of a sinner's mind, and, in that, of himself; it carrieth in it knowledge, conviction of sin by God's law, bitter sorrow for it, and full conversion of the soul to God from it, as it is described, 2 Cor. vii.9-11; as from all sinful works flowing from it while lapsed from God; dead in sins, which would have eaten out and destroyed their souls for ever, Rom. vi. 23; Eph. ii. 1,2." (p. 830)

"Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." ( 2 Cor. 7:9-11)

"Godly sorrow; that sorrow which is according to God, either commanded by him, (as sorrow for our own or others' sins, or for the judgments of God, as they are the indications of God's wrath and displeasure for sin,) or which he, as the God of grace, worketh in the soul, touching the heart by the finger of his Spirit, Zech. xii.10. Or, that sorrow whose end is the glory of God, in the reformation of the person sorrowing, by a hatred and detestation of sin, and a hearty turning from it." (p. 621)

Next: Harman synthesizes psychic science with religion!

Willis Harman speaks to evangelicals virtually unopposed

Willis Harman, taught 1979 Consultation participants about his new psychic “science.” Urging them to adopt this new paradigm, he said:

“Science will produce the knowledge we need. Modern society has developed science and technology that enable it to accomplish feats which other societies could only dream about. Yet it is clearly confused in matters of guiding values and ultimate goals. The deepest value commitments and the ultimate goals of all societies that ever existed have come from the profound inner experiences of some group of people – religious leaders, prophets, mystics, poet-philosophers, or in some visionary cultures the majority of the adult population. Some form of systematic knowledge of the world of inner experience, publicly validated and widely disseminated, would seem to be among the knowledge most needed to guide society in its crucial choices. Yet modern society’s official knowledge system – science – tends to assume a priori that these experiences will in the end be explained (or explained away) as epiphenomena from a perishable brain, and has steadfastly excluded these phenomena from its field of study. The prevailing view in the culture is that such systematization of, and consensus on, inner wisdom is impracticable.” (p. 33) [emphasis added]

Remarkably, Willis Harman was able to proclaim an alternative Luciferian future to evangelical leaders without any significant resistance. This is because potential debate at the 1979 Consultation on “Future Evangelical Concerns” was stifled. The format of the Consultation was orchestrated in such a manner that no contrary opinions were permitted.

After an overview by Donald E. Hoke, and keynote address “In Search of Noah’s Faith” by Leighton Ford, the Consultation was broken down into six sessions of “Addresses and Responses.” This portion of the Consultation included the presentation of a paper followed by a “brief response from a Consultation participant, selected in advance.” The Preface states that “contrary to the 1977 format, responders had been instructed to summarize and capsulize the assigned paper rather than debate the issues raised.” In other words, the presentations – some of them very controversial and heretical – were not to be challenged! Some responders merely “urged cautions.”

William H. Garrison, who was vice-chairman of the Dallas Theological Seminary board at the time, chose to stay within the confines of the directive and issued a weak response to Willis Harman's address:

“…[W]e could take issue with him on his optimistic view…. But my role as a responder is not to take issue with him so much as to try to highlight or sharpen the focus of the issue as it relates to the church and whatever agenda it should develop for itself to meet this changing situation.”

Garrison did warn that

“…we have to take issue with Dr. Harman’s utopian or optimistic view as he sees Christianity as only a part of a great synthesis…. We should expect the synthesis which Dr. Harman suggests is going to occur, but to the extent to which Christianity becomes a part of it and loses its distinctive and its exclusive emphasis upon directing men and women to the living God, it will become a syncretism – a putting together of totally irreconcilable ideas.” (p. 40-41)

The astute reader will recognize that the groundrules of the Consultation, rather than simply a matter of being "polite," were actually based on psycho-social group manipulation techniques -- ensuring that debate would not take place by using methods of peer pressure, adherence to pre-set rules of conduct, and conformity to pre-established criteria. This set the stage for decades to come. With virtually no opposition from leadership, Willis Harman's virulent new syncretism became embedded in "emergent" theologies, and has been widely promulgated to evangelicaldom ever since.

The Truth:

“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8)

What follows is a list of the “Addresses and Responses” at the 1979 Consultation:

“A Utopian Perspective on the Future:
Address by Dr. Willis W. Harman
Response by Mr. William H. Garrison

“A Dystopian Perspective on the Future: Challenge for the Churches:
Address by Dr. Peter J. Henriot
Response by Dr. David E. Johnston

“The Future of the Church: Its Nurture, Form, and Function”
Address by Dr. Gene A. Getz
Response by Dr. Gordon MacDonald

“The Future of the Church: The Christian Family”
Address by Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., M.D.
Response by Dr. Howard G. Hendricks

“The Future of the Church: In a Secular Society”
Address by Dr. Ted Ward
Response by Rev. John M. Perkins

“The Future of the Church: The Essential Components of World Evangelization”
Address by Dr. Ralph D. Winter
Response by Dr. J. Robertson McQuilkin

Part 3 of the Consultation consisted of seven “Scenarios.”

Scenario, Study Group 1 Dr. William C. Brownson, Jr.
Scenario, Study Group 2 Dr. Richard F. Lovelace
Scenario, Study Group 3 Dr. Ted Ward
Scenario, Study Group 4 Dr. Ralph D. Winter
Scenario, Study Group 5 Dr. Cathy Stonehouse
Scenario, Study Group 6 Dr. Larry W. Poland
Scenario, Study Group 7 Dr. David E. Johnston

Coming up – What Willis Harman taught about the new “science,” and why evangelical leaders were not equipped to defend the Gospel from the coming onslaught of the New Age.

Why was a Theosophist teaching Christians about the future?

Why did evangelical leaders bring in a Luciferian Theosophist, Willis Harman, to address a 1979 Consultation on the topic of the future – when Scripture plainly teaches that our future blessed hope rests in Jesus Christ and His imminent return? Perhaps more than anything else, the presence of Willis Harman at this event indicates the serious erosion in the sufficiency of the Word of God that was already taking place in evangelical leadership circles during this time in history.

In the book An Evangelical Agenda: 1984 and beyond we learn that the 1979 Consultation’s purpose was to “enlarge the vision of God’s people and enable them to have a still more effective stewardship of time and opportunity in these critical days,” according to Hudson T. Armerding, Chairman, in his Foreword.

This Consultation represents one of the first publicly-disclosed occasions where Evangelicals and New Agers met together to address common ground. Is it possible that this event marked the beginning of the public phase of the integration of Theosophy with Christianity? Indeed it seems so, when one reads the proposals made by Willis Harman to integrate the psychic into Christianity to create a new synthesized "truth."

The Program Personnel included:

Hudson T. Armerding
William C. Brownson, Jr.
Leighton Ford
William Garrison
Gene A. Getz
Willis W. Harmon
Howard G. Hendricks
Peter J. Henriot
Donald E. Hoke
David E. Johnston
Richard F. Lovelace
Gordon MacDonald
J. Robertson McQuilkin
Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., M.D.
John M. Perkins
Larry W. Poland
Cathy Stonehouse
Ted Ward
Ralph D. Winter

Many of these leaders were well-known at the time, and many are still alive and active in evangelical transformation. Who else attended this Consultation? What did they go on to accomplish in their Christian walk over the ensuing years? Were any of them uncomfortable about their participation in this event? Did any publicly repent for their involvement? Did any warn about the mixture of error that entered into the church via these proceedings? More on this topic tomorrow….

The Preface indicates that an earlier 1977 Consultation included 84 participants, and a book of proceedings was published out of that event entitled Evangelicals Face the Future, edited by Donald E. Hoke and published by the William Carey Library for the Billy Graham Center. The Preface lists more names of evangelical leaders who helped to organize the 1979 event:

“This Consultation was chaired by Dr. Hudson T. Armerding, president of Wheaton College, and the planning and coordination was the responsibility of Dr. Donald E. Hoke – both men repeating the roles they filled in 1977. They were ably assisted by a planning committee, also chaired by Dr. Armerding, composed of: Drs. John W. Alexander, Leighton Ford, Herschel H. Hobbs, Kenneth S. Kantzer, and Ted Ward. Dr. Tom Sine performed the very key role of facilitating the ‘breakout’ study groups as they worked to write the scenarios presented in Part III of this volume.”

It is interesting that Dr. Tom Sine is commended for role as facilitator for this 1979 Consultation. Constance Cumbey warned about Sine’s New Age activities and beliefs during this same era in her 1985 book A Planned Deception: The Staging of a New Age “Messiah.” In a lengthy challenge to Sine's claims to be an evangelical Christian, she concludes by noting that Sine was associated closely with Willis Harman:

“Since [Sine] says he is also a member of the World Future Society, and is on a first name basis with William Irwin Thompson, Hazel Henderson, Willis Harman, and other New Agers of distinction, again, and his books advocate their programs, I fail to see just how he can plead innocence with a straight face.” (p. 114)

The Truth:

“Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (I Cor. 5:6b)

Tomorrow – The addresses and respondents!

Willis Harman proposed Gnostic "science" for the evangelical future

In his 1979 consultation with leading evangelicals (see previous post), Willis Harman advocated for the validity of “subjective experience” in the psychic world, which could become subject to “the same sort of open, free, publicly validated search for empirical truth.”

Harman "was invited to come up to the Institute for Noetic Sciences" in 1977 (http://twm.co.nz/Harm_bio.html) where he served as president until shortly before his death. This organization was dedicated to creating a paradigm shift in what constitutes science and truth. This group's purpose was to market the paranormal psychic as if it were hard science, and to mainstream the occult into the culture.

Harman clearly had this intent as he challenged evangelical leaders to reconsider" the "outmoded 'warfare between science and religion'...." He stated:

“This new ‘noetic’ science would eliminate the apparent contradiction between the experiential understanding of Hindu, Moslem, and Christian. For the first time in history we see emerging a growing, progressively funded body of empirically established experience about man’s inner life – particularly about the perennial wisdom of the great religious traditions and Gnostic groups. For the first time there is hope that this knowledge can become, not a secret repeatedly lost in dogmatization and institutionalization, or degenerating into manifold varieties of cultism and occultism, but the living heritage of all mankind.” (p. 37)

A margin note on this same page indicates that the “root of the word ‘noetic’ is the same as for the words gnosis, diagnosis, agnostic, and knowledge; it refers to intuitive knowing. Williams James used the term in The Varieties of Religious Experience in defining mysticism.”

What is Gnosticism?

“The doctrinal core of Gnosticism is basically a form of mystical religious or philosophical doctrines which other adherents and some early Christian sects spread and which the early Church leaders vehemently rejected as heresy. Believers in Gnosticism are called Gnostics. The word ‘Gnostic’ is derived from the Greek word gnostiko or gnosis (inner mystic knowledge). The Gnostics believe that ‘gnosis’ is subjective (internally perceived by the mind or feelings) knowledge of the divine element or spark in every man that needs to be discovered to be known. They believe the divine spark originally came from the ‘realm of light’ (totally alienated from the world and the flesh), and is resident in the soul of man and is held there in captivity by the flesh (a product of demons). The only way to release the divine spark is through divine ‘revelation knowledge,’ experienced within the spirit. Also they believe that only when the unconscious spirit in man is awakened by revelation from the ‘realm of light can he come to know his real self – the god within.” (From Travers and Jewel van der Merwe, Strange Fire: The Rise of Gnosticism in the Church, posted at http://www.discernment-ministries.org/StrangeFire1.htm, p. 12.) [emphasis added]

The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer warned about this encroaching Gnosticism in his book, The New Super-Spirituality (Crossway, 1972).

"...[W]e surely must again speak against the new Platonic super-spirituality, for it is a weakening of full biblical Christianity.... [O]ne of the identifying marks is the incorrect biblical exegesis of 1 Corinthians 1,2.... The 1 Corinthians passage is a rejection of the incipient gnosticism (a salvation by knowledge) and of worldly wisdom (humanistic or rationalistic), in contrast to the knowledge that God has given us by revelation. Paul rejects both autonomous intellectualism and autonomous contemplation. In other words, it is autonomous humanistic wisdom versus revelation which is intended here."

As we watch the rapid rise and widespread acceptance of a mystical neo-evangelicalism, one can only wonder if this is the ultimate result of the Gnostic leaven of Willis Harman introduced to an evangelical Consultation of leaders back in 1979.

The Truth:

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4,5)

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” (2 Peter 2:1)

Tomorrow – find out who attended this Consultation!

Willis Harman consults with evangelical leaders: circa 1979

Evangelical leaders were meeting together with New Age leaders openly by the late 1970s. Meeting transcripts were published in a book entitled An Evangelical Agenda: 1984 and beyond, copyright 1979 by the Billy Graham Center and published by the William Carey Library (Fuller Theological Seminary). The book contains “Addresses, Responses, and Scenarios from the ‘Continuing Consultation on Future Evangelical Concerns’ held in Overland Park, Kansas, December 11-14, 1979.” The event was sponsored by the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College.

Willis Harman addressed this group on the topic of “A Utopian Perspective on the Future,” in which he advocated a broadening of the concept of science to include the psychic:

“Once-taboo areas of science – notably sleep and dreams, creativity, hypnosis, unconscious processes, psychosomatic theories of illness – have become legitimatized. Psychic phenomena such as “remote viewing,” precognition, and psychokinesis are being explored with renewed interest. Altered states of consciousness related to those traditionally known by such terms as meditation, contemplation and ‘graces of interior prayer,’ are being tentatively explored via biofeedback training and other routes.” (p. 35)

Who is Willis Harman?

According to Constance Cumbey, the Michigan attorney who first warned evangelicals about the dangers of the New Age:

“[Willis] Harman’s influence in the New Age Movement is virtually unlimited. It has ranged from superintending the Kettering Foundation financed “Changing Images of Man” study to serving as president of the astronaut Edgar Mitchell-founded Institute of Noetic Sciences. That report was heavily relied upon by New Age activist Marilyn Ferguson in The Aquarian Conspiracy. Harman also substantially influenced the notorious and disturbing Global 2000 Report to President Carter. Harman is also a part of Planetary Citizens/Planetary Initiative as well as one of its convening organizations: the limited membership United States Association for the Club of Rome.” (From A Planned Deception: The Staging of a New Age ‘Messiah’ by Constance Cumbey, Pointe Publishers, 1985, p. 39.)

For current information about Willis Harman’s connections to leading neo-evangelicals, see http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/willisharman.htm

MORE TOMORROW! Stay tuned!

COR and compulsory salvation: are you guilty of treason?

In a letter dated May 1993, addressed to "Dear friends of C.O.R. [Coalition On Revival] and Crosswinds," Dr. Jay Grimstead wrote to a newly formed "Church Council Steering Committee. This Steering Committee" was made up of forty well-known Charismatic leaders and Reconstructionists, united upon a common doctrine of "dominionism" pertaining to building the Kingdom of God here on Earth. Here are a few scary quotes from this letter:

"1. The Kingdom of God was inaugurated and the King was installed and seated in the First Century A.D. and we need not wait for the King's second coming to get the Kingdom started here on earth....

"4. At this moment of history, all humans on earth, whether Jew or Gentile, believer or unbeliever, private person or public official, are OBLIGATED TO BOW THEIR KNEES to THIS King Jesus, confess Him as Lord of the universe with their tongues, and submit to His lordship over every aspect of their lives in thought, word and deed.

"5. Biblical evangelism according to the Great Commission of Matt. 28:18-20 is not truly accomplished unless that message of Christ's lordship from point #4 above is given to the person being evangelized SO THAT THEY KNOW that an attempt at PERSONAL NEUTRALITY BEFORE KING JESUS IS SIN and TREASON in this universe....

"7. The Lord's Prayer stating that "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" was meant to be prayed by us with the hope that this condition would happen on earth BEFORE Christ's second coming wherever and whenever the Christians of any geography decided to band together to help make it happen."

The Truth:

For more information on the doctrines of dominionism and the interlocking network of Charismatic and Reconstructionist leaders intent on building the Kingdom of God on earth, we refer the viewer to a book by Al Dager (Sword Publishers) entitled Vengeance Is Ours: The Church In Dominion which can be ordered at 206-391-7315.

To learn about the history of Church and State, and these doctrines of compulsory worship, read Paul Shirk's book Come Out of Her My People. The only place this book is sold is Discernment Ministries at http://www.discernment-ministries.org. (903-567-6423) An extended quotation from Shirk's book about Church and State is excerpted below (pg. 187-190):

"Christ has been exalted to the right hand of the Father, far above all principalities and powers and as such is reigning over the affairs of this life. On this premise the Scripture is very clear. His kingdom also is portrayed as, "not of this world" but a spiritual rule in the hearts of men; for it cometh not with observation but is within us (Luke 17:10,21), which also extends over all the kingdoms of this world. This is the SPIRITUAL aspect of the kingdom, which makes it differ from all other earthly kingdoms, in that the rule of Christ not only governs the outward actions but also the thoughts and intents of the heart. The rule of Christ, which orders the affairs of this world to serve eternal purposes, is also outside the kingdom of heaven, which is comprised ONLY of those who have been born of water and of the Spirit.

"Christ first rules in the hearts of those who have been born again into His kingdom and then shall rule with His saints after the day of the Lord, when righteousness shall cover the earth. The fourteenth chapter of Zecharaiah speaks of a rule of Christ that will not be realized UNTIL HE RETURNS and stands upon the mount of Olives at the day of the Lord. There is certain criteria in this chapter (Zech. 14) that must be met in order for this to be fulfilled, which also illustrated why it must yet be in the future. All the nations of the world must be assembled together against Jerusalem (vs. 2), and then the Lord will go out Himself, and fight against those nations (vs. 3), and bring a great destruction upon them (vs. 12, 13) (Ezekiel 38:18-39;21, Revelations 19:11-21).

"There has NEVER been a time in history when 'all' nations have been gathered outside Jerusalem to battle when the Lord went out against them and slew them with a great slaughter. When Rome came against Jerusalem (in 70 A.D.) this was not 'all' the nations, nor did the Lord lay waste their armies, for they, in fact, wasted Israel. The battle spoke of here is yet future. The Mount of Olives has not cleaved in half (vs. 4) forming a great valley. It is WHEN THESE EVENTS TAKE PLACE that the Lord shall be King over all the earth (vs. 9). This is His second coming as described in Revelation 19:15 when He shall smite the nations and rule them with a rod of iron.

"Some have sought to evade the import of this passage by spiritualizing this coming of the Lord. If the graphic descriptions of this passage are merely spiritual illustrations, then upon what basis do we suppose Christ's first coming was a literal revelation of God in the flesh? Was He merely a phantom figure upon whom a divine spirit rested? Shades of Gnosticism! (Gnostics denied that God could become visible flesh). Any attempt to evade the literal events of this passage is the equal hermeneutics of spiritualizing the first advent....

"The earlier Christians all looked forward to the future rule of Christ upon this earth; but when the CHURCH and the STATE interlocked arms, the Church began spiritualizing the millennial passages and understanding that the reign of Christ would be realized THROUGH CHRISTIAN CIVIL LEADERS. They saw the triumph of Christianity over paganism in Rome as a sign of the thousand years of Christ's rule. Augustine was primarily responsible for making this dogma popular in the church once he fully embraced the concept of a CHURCH STATE.

"This concept was fully embraced by the Reformers also, as they sought to establish "Christian" countries. [Ed note: This concept is once again gaining great momentum as part of the "dominion" and Great Commission "mandates" of the Apostolic Transformation, marketplace missions, etc.]

"But if the rule of Christ was implemented and Satan was bound, why now have the nations of this world become decadent under Christ's civil rule? Has His rule been overthrown? Has it ceased? Why has its prophesied continual increase ceased? How will Christ rule at His second coming over the nations of this earth if those prophecies are already fulfilled? Yet the Scriptures indicate there will be a rule of Christ over the nations at His appearing (Rev. 19:15). There is NOTHING in Scripture to indicate that Christ's direct CIVIL RULE over the NATIONS of this world (even though He now sits at the right hand of God) will occur BEFORE He returns as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is now calling men into His Kingdom through the gospel, and those who are called and chosen will be joint heirs together with Him WHEN HE RETURNS. Those who have suffered with Him will also reign.

"We may wonder still what practical bearing the premillennial understanding of prophecy has upon our daily life. A premillennial understanding of prophecy is a major tenet that supports a SEPARATION of CHURCH and STATE as well as RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. If Christ is ruling now, in fulfillment of the millenial prophecies, through civil powers, then they have every right to institute Christian laws, for they themselves are under the rule of Christ, and verily ARE the rule of Christ. It is THIS understanding that undergirded Reformed thinking of the necessity for having National Covenants and binding religious oaths in order to COMPEL men to accept the true faith, so that the civil rule of Christ might be advanced.

"It was the rise of Premillennial thought, largely through the Baptists, that helped to overthrow Postmillennial (and Amillennial to a lesser degree) thinking that all governments of this world should be COERCED to embrace the Christian faith. With the spread of their doctrines through the world, religious liberty was again given its proper Christian understanding and the Church was SEPARATED from the affairs of the STATE."

A Final Comment:

The dominion "mandate" as expressed byGrimstead's letter, therefore, is an example of the new activities to "take the gospel" to the nations, and a doctrine which teaches that nations as a corporate entity can be "saved" through coercions of various kinds. This false doctrine also teaches a present hope rather than the blessed hope to come.

[Emphasis was added in the quotations above.]

Mixing markets with missions

"To achieve its purpose, the business mission company must develop and invest in Great Commission efforts that are synergistic with and leveraged by the company's presence in strategically selected markets. It must set standards for evangelism and discipleship, measure results, and evaluate results per dollar invested for every sphere of influence identified in the market analysis. Company spheres of influence and the spheres of influence of each team member are specific market segments targeted for impact.... Any parts of the company that do not produce to standards are pruned. An axe is laid to the root of those that do not produce at all."

[John Cragin, Chapter 15, "The Business of Missions -- The Missions of Business," in On Kingdom Business: Transforming Missions Through Entrepreneurial Strategies (Crossway, 2003).]

The Truth: "Buy the truth, and sell it not:" (Prov. 23: 23a)

A new definition of "church" by C. Peter Wagner

"We need to understand that there's a church in the workplace. I want you to write that down. a church in the workplace. Now I’m going to give you two Greek words in this teaching. I’m not great for quoting a lot of Greek, mainly because I don’t know very much of it [audience laughter]. When I went to seminary I did know a little Greek… he ran a restaurant on Colorado Boulevard [laughs]. But here’s the word, here’s the Greek word. Ekklesia is a Greek word for “church;” you can spell it with two “k”s or two “c”s, whichever you want, e k k l e s i a, that’s how you spell it, that’s the word for church. That’s what I want to give you, the basic, core, root meaning of that. The meaning of ekklesia, in the New Testament, is, “the people of God.” That’s the church, the people of God. In other words, most of the people, when you see somebody and you talk about church, where do you go to church, and what goes on in their mind, a building, you know, how many churches do you have, well, we have 100 churches in our city or whatever, ok? That’s the normal understanding of the word church. It’s a congregation that has a hierarchical leadership and all that kind of thing. But that’s not the Biblical… that’s not bad, I’m not saying that we should just stop using the word for that, in normal use. However, what we’ve got to understand is, that’s not what the root is, the root is the people of God. Now, in the New Testament, that word ekklesia is used in two different ways. It’s used sometimes to describe the people of God when they’re all gathered together, and it’s used other times in the New Testament to describe the people of God when they’re scattered out there in the workplace. They’re still the people of God. You understand what I’m saying? So where do you find the ekklesia? You find it one day a week gathered together in congregations like Gateway, or other different denominations. But six days a week, everybody, you find the people of God in the workplace. That’s the church. In other words, the people of God aren’t the church one day a week, the people of God are the church seven days a week. And so that is very, very important to understand. I’m talking about renewing our mind, understand this paradigm shift, ok?"

Excerpted from: “The Agenda & Teaching Of The New Apostolic Reformation,” transcript of C. Peter Wagner, Arise Prophetic Conference, Gateway Church, San Jose, CA, 10-10-2004 with forward by Sandy Simpson, 5/23/05, posted at http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/arise.html


Matthew Poole’s Commentary on 1 John 4:1:

Believe not every spirit; i.e. not every one pretending to inspiration, or a revelation; spirit, whether good or bad, being put for the person acted thereby. But try the spirits; there being a judgment of discretion or discerning, common to Christians, de jure, and which they ought to endeavour for and to use upon such occasions, Acts 17:11; Phil. 1:9.10; 1 Thess. 5:21; and the attainment and exercise whereof is, in reference to the great essentials of religion, more facile and sure: as when heretofore among the Jews, any should attempt the drawing them off from the true God, as Deut. 13:1,2; and so when with Christians it should be endeavoured to tempt them away from Christ, as the false prophets or teachers did, now gone out into the world.

A Commentary on the Holy Bible: Volume III: Matthew-Revelation (Hendrickson Publishers)

"Cultivating" what?

"Cultivating the Great Commission Ecosphere" is a paragraph heading introducing EFMA, which then goes on to read:

"EFMA exists to cultivate the Great Commission Ecosphere so that it bears good and abundant fruit and God is glorified among all people. To this end the Fellowship works in depth with members to enhance mutual effectiveness and increase capacity as we work to extend Christ's Kingdom. EFMA works broadly within the mission community who share a commitment to Christ, the Scriptures, and obedience to God's command to disciple the nations."

EFMA stands for Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies. The website is http://efma.gospelcom.net. This website also talks about "Synergistic Kingdom Advance" and "co-evolution" -- new doctrines that resemble New Age doctrines more than orthodox Christianity.