SOLA MYSTICA

Neologisms for Evangelicals



SOLA MYSTICA [(soh’-luh) (mis’-tik-uh)]

[Sola 1685–95; and Italian, Latin sōlus alone] [Mystica:1275–1325; Middle English mystic; Latin mysticus; Greek mystikós, equivalent to mýst (ēs) an initiate into the mysteries + -ikos -ic; akin to myeîn to initiate, teach]

1. Mystical experience alone—in contrast to the Reformation which set forth the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (the Bible alone)—as the basis for spiritual authority; new revelation and/or spiritual encounters deriving from mystical experience as modern evangelicalism's basis for final authority spiritual matters.
2. Ascribing superior significance and insight to paranormal encounters and mysterious experiences so that they provide new revelations and/or insights which supplement, enhance, enliven, enlighten and even supplant the Word of God.
3. Believing that mystical experience trumps Bible Truth and doctrine in matters pertaining to life and godliness.
4. Devotion to mystical experience as the great arbiter of truth in matters pertaining to spirituality.
5. Personal preoccupation with or addiction to mystical experiences as the foundation for living out one’s daily faith.
6. The idea that spiritual maturity may be obtained by multiple mystical experiences, and that the increasing frequency and intensity of these experiences elevates one’s spirituality above others who have not had these experiences.
7. The arrogant belief that through accumulated experiences, the experiencer attains greater spiritual power and potential for leadership. These meritorious benefits lead the experiencer to have a more expansive “kingdom work” of transforming one’s self, others and society.

Related Concepts: Sola Experientia and Mystica Scriptura

Examples:

In "waiting upon the Lord" we are both "quickened" and "lifted" into the realms of the Spirit. While we wait, the Lord works, re-orienting our desires and creating within us a sensitivity and openness to the "realm of the Spirit." This process of maturing us spiritually may be hindered as, while we work, the Lord waits. It is much easier to work for the Lord than to come apart and become quiet so we can wait on Him.[1]

“Warrior activation exercises in extreme levels of prophetic proficiency & accuracy accomplishing your maximum spiritual aptitude development…. Optimal prophetic activation exercises in properly delivering prophetic words, visions, dream interpretations, prophetic evangelism & THE SUPERNATURAL!... Ongoing, interactive and creative prophetic activation exercises purposed and guaranteed to produce accelerated prophetic growth for the serious warrior… as you journey into a new discovery of God’s heart and destiny for your life as God equips you to be a part of His end time prophetic army!”[2]

Commentary:

The new Elite doctrine undermines the message of evangelism. Everyone is just where he is supposed to be - where God wants him at that time. Recruits for the movement are not obtained from the ranks of the unsaved, but are plucked off one or two at a time from Christian groups by phrases like "Wouldn't you like to learn new, deep truths?", "Have you entered in?", "Come into the inner court", or "Surely, you want to move on with God?". These phrases stir spiritual pride and elitism in most, as well as a sense of inferiority or feeling of being unspiritual if we do not understand and want to participate. Everyone else seems to understand, why not us? Spiritual pride comes to those who think they understand and are part of the "New Thing" because they have these "new deeper truths" and the rest are just poor babes.[3]

As in the eastern religions, the perception of God is sought subjectively rather than in God Himself and the written Word. There is a desire to know God through feelings, mystic thoughts, voices, visions and dreams. A "sense" of the "presence of God" is believed on as long as spiritual experiences last. When these experiences subside or cease, spiritual fervour wears down to rise again when a spurt of vain and endless fantasy starts a new "spiritual" cycle. Gnostic prophets are known to have a form of godliness based on a spiritual roller coaster experience. Their philosophy of known God depends on touching God experientially. Faith is produced subjectively through experiences and then turned inward on self until a feeling of "knowing God" or "possessing God" comes about. The Word of God and the commandments are not believed on as the final voice of God, or as the only source by which He is known. One of the characteristics of a false prophet, albeit sometimes hard to detect, is the lack of love toward the commandments of God. (1 John 4:6; John 3:23, 24: John 14:15). Warning: If a prophet tries to draw one to God either by mystic or subjective experiences without reference to the Scriptures as the only authentic way of knowing God, he is false and must be avoided! To impress the ignorant or naive Christians that they (the Gnostic prophets) have profound knowledge and a deep spirituality, it is not uncommon to see them manifest certain quirks thought to be spiritual traits.

By the spiritualising of the Scriptures they eloquently express fantastic ideas to reveal how deep they "feel" and "think" about God. It is appropriate to say that spiritual experiences are not necessarily wrong. However, if they conflict with the Holy Scriptures, draw a believer away from the Word of God or substitute the Word of God, as do the Gnostic experiences, they are devilish.

"Gnostic" prophets subtly send out a message that their insight of God exceeds that of the written Word of God. They appear as if they know something about God that others need to search for through them. It is as if they have the keys which unlock the secrets of divine life.

Christians are told to look inward to find God. The danger in this pagan belief makes Christians open to input from the supernatural realm beyond God's written Word. Claiming to know God in any way other than through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is religious speculation. History proves it leads to doctrines of devils. God in His wisdom gave man the Bible. Through this precious Book he can come to know God without man's religious wisdom. Anything short of the Scriptures stops short of the redemptive knowledge of God. All the sought-after experiences to know God on a deeper level lead to both carnal and demonic activities.

How do you know God? The answer is so simple. You know Him through His Written Word! The Holy Spirit leads and teaches in no other way![4]

Every word of God is pure:
(Proverbs 30:5)

Endnotes:
[1] Wade E. Taylor, “Maintaining Our Spirituality,” The Elijah List, 9/24/11, http://www.elijahlist.com/words/html/textonly-092411-Taylor.html Bold in original.
[2] Advertisement for the “Warrior's International University ONLINE PROPHETIC MATRIX TRAINING and School of Prophets” run by “anointed and Apostolic Prophet and Prophetic Psalmist” Reeni Mederos (who is under Bill Hamon’s Christian International Apostolic Network), The Elijah List, 7/19/10, http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=8965 Bold in original.
[3] Travers and Jewel van der Merwe, Strange Fire: The Rise of Gnosticism in the Church, (Lafayette, IN: Discernment Ministries, 1995)  http://discernment-ministries.org/StrangeFire.pdf, p. 29. See also page 35, "Mysticism Defined." 
[4] Ibid, pp. 48-49. 



Adapted from www.dictionary.com

NOTE: This post is authored by several members of the Discernment Research Group, including Pastor Larry DeBruyn and Sarah Leslie, along with Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. This is part of a joint project to develop a descriptive vocabulary for the new doctrines, practices and heresies of the emerging evangelical church.

MANTRA SCRIPTURA

Neologisms for Evangelicals



MANTRA SCRIPTURA [(man’-truh) (skriptər' uh)

[C19: from Sanskrit, literally: speech, instrument of thought, from man to think. 1808, “that part of the Vedas which contains hymns,” from Skt. mantra-s “sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel,” lit. “instrument of thought,” related to manyate “thinks.” Sense of “special word used for meditation” is first recorded in Eng. 1956.] [Scriptura: 1250–1300; Middle English and Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure]

1. The repetitious use of the words of Scripture by means of prayers, chants, incantations, words and musical verse, performed in order to reach a higher level of spirituality, to attain greater spiritual perfection, to ascend to ultimate reality, to access the heavens, to gain new revelation, to encounter interior spiritual oneness with God, and/or experience peace, harmony, unity, euphoria, ecstasy, self-awareness, self-actualization, enlightenment and bliss. [See Mystica Scriptura)
2. The teaching that in Scripture all things are not plain, nor sufficient, nor alike clear unto all, but that God’s Word needs to be enhanced by repetitive, formulaic, hypnotic and mind-altering extra-scriptural rituals, practices, techniques and ceremonies that induce religious feelings in participants, particularly when performed in combination with solitude, silence, and/or self-denial through the deprivation of nutrition and sleep. (See Sola Experientia)
3. The view that beneath and beyond the Bible’s plain meaning there exists hidden meanings that are only accessed via repetitive verbal, formulaic, meditative and shaped physical movements that supersede the written text in their intense spiritual expression—including such practices as breathing, posing, posturing, centering, aligning, shaping, imaging and visualizing; walking labyrinths, forming prayer circles, engaging spiritual disciplines, reciting liturgies, praying rosaries, etc.
4. The belief that repetitive words, prayers, chants, etc., magically assist the participant to obey God thereby resulting in deeper spirituality. In these repetitions, the supremacy of the canonical-biblical text in matters pertaining to life and godliness becomes discounted and downgraded (1 Peter 1:3).
5. Downgrading the necessity of obedience to the canonical-biblical text (1 Peter 4:17), while investing with divine significance obedience to spiritual exercises which can produce altered states of consciousness in practitioners.
6. Salvation and/or sanctification achieved through the above described repetitive activities—1) salvation that is independent from hearing the Word of the Gospel which leads to actual repentance from dead works; and 2) sanctification that is independent of real obedience to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and His production of genuine spiritual fruit in the Christian life. Instead, being focused upon illusory spiritual growth which is technique-driven, self-authenticating and self-centered. (See Inclusiva Scriptura)
7. The belief that the Word of God possesses magical power when sufficiently repeated over and over, either individually or corporately, which repetitions result in greater spiritual power for the performer. The corollary teaching that God cannot or will not hear prayers unless they are offered in a repetitive and ritualistic manner, especially when executed either in utter solitude, or with increasing amplitude in large stadium-style group events. (See Matthew 6:7; Compare 1 Kings 18:26).
8. Habitual and obsessive rumination on scripted prayers, historical creeds, patristic texts, poetry, sacred writings, liturgical works, etc., in the quest to experience at-one-ment with the divine. In this compulsion, a profound diminishing of the significance of Jesus Christ’s finished work on the Cross as the way to eternal life; seeking at-one-ment with God by means other than faith in the Lord Jesus Christ’s atonement for sin and resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and full acceptance of the reconciliation with God that comes to the human heart for reason of trusting the Gospel (Romans 5:8-11).

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

- Jesus, Matthew 6:7

Quotations and Illustrations:

“One way [to become best friends with God] is to use ‘breath prayers’ throughout the day, as many Christians have done for centuries. You choose a brief sentence or a simple phrase that can be repeated in one breath.... [Then after providing ten examples of short biblical phrases that could work as breath prayers, Rick Warren advises] Pray it as often as possible so it is rooted deep in your heart.”[1]

“The simple words ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ can be spoken quietly and persistently in such a way that they become like a hedge around a garden in which God's shepherding can be sensed. These words, which at first might seem to be no more that an interesting metaphor, can slowly descend from the mind into the heart. There they may offer the context in which an inner transformation, by the God who transcends all human words and concepts, can take place. Thus, the words ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ lead to the silent pastures where we can dwell in the loving presence of him whose Name the preacher speaks. This meditative preaching is one way to practice the ministry of silence.”[2]

“There is a very helpful suggestion for us, people who depend so much on verbal ability. The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart. This repetition has nothing to do with magic. It is not meant to throw a spell on God or to force him into hearing us. On the contrary, a word or sentence repeated frequently can help us to concentrate, to move to the center, to create and inner stillness and thus to listen to the voice of God. When we simply try to sit silently and wait for God to speak to us, we find ourselves bombarded with endless conflicting thoughts and ideas. But when we use a simple sentence such as ‘O God, come to my assistance,’ or ‘Jesus, master, have mercy on me,’ or a word such as ‘Lord’ or ‘Jesus,’ it is easier to let the many distractions pass by without being misled by them. Such a simple, repeated prayer can slowly empty out our crowded interior life and create the quiet space where we can dwell with God. It can be like a ladder along which we can descend into the heart and ascend to God. Our choice of words depends on our needs and the circumstances of the moment, but it is best to use words from Scripture.”[3]

“In praying the Jesus Prayer [‘Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.’], our holy Fathers tell us, we say it over and over hundreds of times as part of our daily prayer rule. It is best to add the Jesus Prayer to your morning prayers as this is when the mind is the quietest. Begin by saying the Jesus Prayer verbally focusing on each word. Repeat the Jesus Prayer continually for 15 minutes at first and then expand to 30 minutes. You will experience the challenge of dealing with your thoughts, the tendency for you mind to wander. Attention when praying the Jesus Prayer is important. Be sincere in your prayer and repeat it with contrition. Praying the Jesus Prayer is that simple!”[4]

“In Christianity the chanting of the name of Jesus in prayer was recommended by Diadochus of Photice in the middle of the fifth century, and by John Climacus in the early seventh century.”[5]


“The addiction to physical manifestations in the current revival is often linked directly to TOD [Tabernacle of David] type worship.  It has been pragmatically discovered that long extended and repetitive worship will usually cause God to 'show up.' So worship techniques often become the prelude for God showing up in power.  'Showing up' is shorthand for the whole catalogue of physical manifestations associated with the current revival.  The right kind of worship will attract the manifestations which are a sign that God has shown up.  Much of the teaching that praise attracts and brings God's presence is based on an obscure verse in the OT [Old Testament] which I believe has been misinterpreted....”[6] 

Endnotes:
[1] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002): 87-89.
[2] Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Ministry (New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1981): 61, chapter “Silence and Preaching.”
[3] Ibid, 81-82, chapter “Nurtured by Short Prayers.”
[4] “Jesus Prayer—Prayer of the Heart,” Orthodox Prayer, Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Greenville, SC. http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Jesus%20Prayer.html.
[5] Rosemary Ellen Guiley, “Chanting,” Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991): 92.
[6] Dr. Orrel Steinkamp commenting on the purported beliefs of the IHOP and NAR movements in his landmark article "The Restoration of Davidic Warfare/Worship," The Plumbline, Vol. 7, No. 4, September/October 2002, http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/orrel11.html 


See also: Altered States: A Different Gate


Adapted from www.dictionary.com

NOTE: This post is authored by several members of the Discernment Research Group, including Pastor Larry DeBruyn, Susan J. Conway and Sarah H. Leslie, along with Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. This is part of a joint project to develop a descriptive vocabulary for the new doctrines, practices and heresies of the emerging evangelical church. 

MYSTICA SCRIPTURA

Neologisms for Evangelicals


MYSTICA SCRIPTURA [(mis'-tik-uh) (skriptər' uh)]

[Mystica:1275–1325; Middle English mystic; Latin mysticus; Greek mystikós, equivalent to mýst (ēs) an initiate into the mysteries + -ikos -ic; akin to myeîn to initiate, teach] [Scriptura: 1250–1300; Middle English and Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure]

1. The teaching that in Scripture all things are not plain, nor sufficient, nor alike clear unto all, but that God’s Word needs to be enhanced by extra-scriptural rituals, practices and ceremonies (i.e., meditative techniques, art, dance, drama, chanting, music, etc.) that induce and alter religious feelings in observers and participants. In an ecstatic state induced by these mechanical means, worshippers may experience altered states of consciousness that they believe will enable them to penetrate the spiritual mystery which surrounds humanity’s existence.
2. The doctrine that superior spiritual insight may be discovered by employing mystical/spiritual disciplines (e.g., lectio divina, prayer labyrinths, etc.) to uncover deeper meaning in selected biblical texts. To this end, contemplators will practice solitude and silence with a goal of creating a tabula rasa (blank slate) in which state of mind they expect God will deliver to them exciting fresh revelations. These new insights are considered as enabling initiates or adepts to attain higher levels of spiritual consciousness as they penetrate the mysteries of the immense universe in which humanity lives, moves and has its being. The secrets thus attained are personal and known only to initiates.
3. As a sacred text, the Bible as significant only as it coexists within the vast canon of cross-cultural mystical writings of mankind throughout history; a guiding canon which includes mystical writings from all ages and from all religions, but especially those originating during the Medieval period of Christian history. See Inclusiva Scriptura.
4. The Word of God as incomplete in itself, needing to be supplemented by spiritual encounters and experiences which it is believed will validate, enrich, or illumine Scripture. See Sola Experientia.

Related Words: mystic, mysterious, mystical, occult, orphic, secret
 

Quotations and Illustrations:

“We’re using the cathedral [St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Denver, Colorado] in new ways, making it more inviting and even sensual. It’s meant to celebrate and bring alive all the human senses. We’re trying to explore new ways of worshiping.... We have what everybody else is wanting. We have the theological depth and breadth of a 2,000-year-old spiritual tradition.... Yet we also have exploration of new language and religious experience.... We’re trying to explore new ways of worshiping.”[1]

“The only way to bring the different Christian traditions together in worship is to tone down doctrine and emphasize ceremony and ritual.... Religious ritual without doctrine ultimately becomes self-mystification, and points in the same direction as the “religious” use of L.S.D.: toward feeling and “experience” which cannot be interpreted or communicated.”[2]

“People have been trying to follow God for thousands of years, Christians for the last two thousand years. Maybe somewhere along the line some of them had come up with ways of connecting with God that could help people like me.”[3]

See also: Altered States: A Different Gate


Endnotes:
1. Peter Eaton quoted by Electa Draper, “Finding faith in the wilderness,” The Denver Post, March 3,2009. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11707039.
2. Harold O.J. Brown, The Protest of a Troubled Protestant (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969): 35-36.
3. Tony Jones, The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Youth Specialties and Zondervan, 2005): 15.

“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations....”
(Romans 16:25-26, NASB)

Adapted from www.dictionary.com

NOTE: This post is authored by several members of the Discernment Research Group, including Pastor Larry DeBruyn and Sarah Leslie, along with Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. This is part of a joint project to develop a descriptive vocabulary for the new doctrines, practices and heresies of the emerging evangelical church.

METAPHORA SCRIPTURA

Neologisms for Neoevangelicals


METAPHORA SCRIPTURA ([met-uh-fawr' uh] [skriptər’ uh])

[metaphor:1530s, from M.Fr. metaphore, from L. metaphora, from Gk. metaphora "a transfer," especially of the sense of one word to a different word, lit. "a carrying over," from metapherein "transfer, carry over," from meta- "over, across" (see meta-) + pherein "to carry, bear." (Related: Metaphoric; metaphorical; metaphorically.)] [Scriptura: 1250–1300; Middle English and Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure]

1. The Word of God as allegory, metaphor and narrative with abstract, potential, subjective, esoteric and variable meanings.
2. The teaching that in Scripture all things are not plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all, nor the fixed absolute truths of God, but that Scripture is a record of people’s experiences or encounters with God.
3. The Bible as a story about God and man, the creation and the cosmos, that provides a master narrative one may employ to contextualize and shape one's own spiritual experiences.
4. The doctrine that superior spiritual insight may be found by viewing Scripture as a complex mixture of individual narratives that build upon the semantic variability of a larger linguistic framework.
5. The Word of God as a semantic abstraction with no one meaning; the language of the Bible as a symbolical narrative based on metaphor, chronicle, tale, recital, history of an event or events, dialogue or imagery.
6. The Bible as a story of God’s missional purpose for mankind to restore the fallen creation, bringing redemptive blessing to the nations by recovering culture and discovering a new worldview, thus serving as a new imaginative framing story by which the planet may be pristinely restored.
7. The Word of God divorced from the literal written text and deconstructed into audio, visual, oral, poetic and/or theatrical images.
8. The transference or shifting from the Word of God to a different world and worldview.

Examples from Eugene Peterson’s Eat This Book:

“The raw stuff of the world is not matter but energy. How do we express this interconnected vitality? We use metaphor.”[1]

“The place to begin with, though, is not, as is often supposed, with a grammar and a dictionary. The fixity of the words on paper, removed from the nuances and ambiguities of the living voice, gives an illusion of preciseness and seems to invite a matching preciseness in the reader. We do better to begin with a consideration of metaphor.... If we don’t understand how metaphor works we will misunderstand most of what we read in the Bible. No matter how carefully we parse our Hebrew and Greek sentences, no matter how precisely we use our dictionaries and trace our etymologies, no matter how exactly we define the words on the page, if we do not appreciate the way a metaphor works we will never comprehend the meaning of the text.”[2]

“I sometimes marvel that God chose to risk his revelation in the ambiguities of language.”[3]

“A metaphor states as true something that is not true.”[4]

Endnotes:
1. Eugene H. Peterson, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006): 96.
2. Eat, 93.
3. Eat, 93.
4. Eat, 94.

"For the word of the LORD is right;..."
(Psalm 33:4a)

"...Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

(2 Peter 3:15b-16)

Adapted from www.dictionary.com

NOTE: This post is authored by several members of the Discernment Research Group, including Pastor Larry DeBruyn and Sarah Leslie, along with Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. This is part of a joint project to develop a descriptive vocabulary for the new doctrines, practices and heresies of the emerging evangelical church. 

INCLUSIVA SCRIPTURA

Neologisms for Neoevangelicals



INCLUSIVA SCRIPTURA [in-kloo'-siv-uh] [skriptər’ uh]


[inclusiva: c.1600, from M.L. inclusivus, from L. inclus-, pp. stem of includere (see include); equivalent to Latin inclūs (us) (see incluse) + -īvus -ive] [Scriptura: 1250–1300; Middle English and Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure]

1. Belief in an open canon, as opposed to a closed canon, as the word of God. The canonical biblical text plus anything else. See Plura Scriptura.
2. Disbelief in, disavowal, disregard, discounting, disparagement of, and deconstruction of the Bible on the one hand, while on the other, investing alternative “sacred texts,” “inspired” stories and/or personal revelations with divine authority.
3. Supplementing the Bible with “sacred” writings considered to be of equal or superior spiritual value to the Holy Bible. Genres of writings invested with divine authority include: apocryphal, pseudepigraphical and Gnostic writings; ancient mythologies, folklore and legends; astrological and zodiacal imagery; science fiction (UFOs, alien visitations, etc.); magical and alchemical writings; psychological (Jungian), anthropological, sociological and philosophical writings; scientific and pseudo-scientific theories; the writings of various mystics; oracles and ghost stories of spiritualism; the Mayan calendar; Masonic lore; inspirational literature; modern speculative writings including fairy tales, poetry and fiction, and other quasi-spiritual sources.
4. For reason of making the Bible culturally relevant, revising, altering, adding to and deleting from the biblical text by incorporating new language and terminology into new translations thus redefining and confusing the plain meaning of Holy Scripture. See Nebula Scriptura.
5. A belief in the evolution of human spirituality necessitating that the biblical text (Truth) must also change by incorporating evolving human discoveries of “spirituality.”
6. Downgrading the supremacy of the canonical-biblical text in all matters that pertain to life and godliness (1 Peter 1:3), while deriving spiritual inspiration from alternative sources of “spirituality.”
7. Downgrading the necessity of obedience to the canonical-biblical text (1 Pet. 4:17), while investing with divine authority other sources of spirituality and novelly applying their ideas to the Christian faith.
8. Belief in open and inclusive rule of faith which sends the understanding of the traditional canon into chaos. The canon in chaos.
9. The development of new doctrines, theories and practices based upon the teachings of extra-canonical sources.

Synonyms: Open Scripture; Inclusive Canonicity.


Cognate Influences: New Revelations, Syncretic Faith, Experiences in the Occult.

Examples:

“Extra-biblical revelation. Some object to the notion that God communicates directly with us, supposing that everything that God wanted to reveal He revealed in the Bible. This cannot be true, however, because there is nothing in the Bible that says it has 66 books. It actually took God a couple of hundred years to reveal to the church which writings should be included in the Bible and which should not. That is extra-biblical revelation. Even so, Catholics and Protestants still disagree on the number. Beyond that, I believe that prayer is two way, we speak to God and expect Him to speak with us. We can hear God's voice. He also reveals new things to prophets as we have seen. The one major rule governing any new revelation from God is that it cannot contradict what has already been written in the Bible. It may supplement it, however.”

(C. Peter Wagner, letter dated August 19, 2011)

“Dead religion

“All religions, at one point or another in their evolution tried to proclaim their single, inerrant consistency. All religions even the most liberal, were tempted by the reactionary impulse to freeze faith in place. Because as jesus teaches, it's easy to be threatened by the reality of the complicated, messy, syncretic, God-bearing truth that becomes incarnate among us and makes things new. We'd rather have a dead religion than a living God.”

(Sarah Miles, Jesus Freak. MINemergent: A Daily Communique, The Emergent Village, February, 2, 2012)

Adapted from www.dictionary.com

NOTE: This post is authored by several members of the Discernment Research Group, including Pastor Larry DeBruyn and Sarah Leslie, along with Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. This is part of a joint project to develop a descriptive vocabulary for the new doctrines, practices and heresies of the emerging evangelical church.This post is also HERE.

NEBULA SCRIPTURA

Neologisms for Neoevangelicals



NEBULA SCRIPTURA ([neb’ yuh luh] [skript ər’ uh])


[(Nebula: 1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin nebulōsus full of mist, foggy, cloudy; related to Greek nephétē cloud, Old High German nebul cloud, Old Norse njól night). (Scriptura: 1250–1300; Middle English and Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure)]

1. Hazy, vague, indistinct, irrational, unsound or confused biblical doctrine, theology, interpretation or teaching.
2. Biblical interpretation lacking definite form, shape, or content; doctrine that is vague or amorphous, continually fluctuating and shifting.
3. The deconstruction of biblical Truth via misty or hazy interpretation that varies from moment to moment and which is influenced by circumstance, environment and/or experience. See Sola Experientia.
4. The doctrine that the Bible contains knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness, and that superior spiritual wisdom can be attained through fluctuating, vacillating and innovative theological variables.
5. Continuous biblical amendment; the spiraling cycle of supplementing plain Scripture with subjective, imprecise, irregular and/or anomalous embellishments. See Plura Scriptura.
6. Biblical interpretation lacking a solid foundation; doctrinal deviation arising from illusion, fantasy, caprice, whim, vagary, emotion, ecstasy and/or imagination. See Narcigesis.
7. Unmethodical, unsystematic; disorderly, capricious, erratic, eccentric, lawless and random tenets that bear some resemblance to biblical doctrine via the use of selective isolated words, phrases, verses, passages, and metaphors.
8. Mystical or metaphysical aberrations of the basic Gospel message, including phenomena, apparitions, mysteries, secrets, codes, revelations, divinations, paranormal visitations and visits, flights, mythological or quasi-spiritual creatures, alignments, portals, astrological signs and occult symbols. See Domystic.

“…CLOUDS they are without water, carried about of WINDS;…” (Jude 1:14b)

“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;” (Eph. 4:14)

Adapted from www.dictionary.com

NOTE: The original posting can be found HERE. A project of the Discernment Research Group and Apprising Ministries.

NARCIGESIS

Neologisms for Neoevangelicals

NARCIGESIS [nahr- si -jee’ -sis]

[(From: narcissus; 1540–50; Latin from Greek nárkissos plant name, traditionally connected, by virtue of plant's narcotic effects, with nárkç numbness, torpor; probably from a pre-Gk. Aegean word, but associated with Gk. narke "numbness" (see narcotic) because of the plant's sedative effect.) (From: eisegesis; 1890–95; from Greek eisḗgesis, equivalent to eis- into + ( h ) çge- (stem of hçgeîsthai to lead) + -sis -sis {C19: from Greek eis into, in + -egesis, as in exegesis}.)]

ORIGINS:

Classical Mythology: a mythological youth (Narcissus) who fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool and wasted away from unsatisfied desire, whereupon he was transformed a plant bearing his name, commonly associated with an amaryllidaceous plant of the Eurasian genus Narcissus, esp N. poeticus, whose yellow, orange, or white flowers have a crown surrounded by spreading segments.

Classical Psychology: “Narcissists” are people completely absorbed in themselves. (See narcissism.) Inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.

noun

1. The reading of one’s own life experiences and/or that of another’s life experience into the text of Scripture; the need to make the Bible all about themselves.
2. An interpretation of Scripture based on the interpreter's self-authority, particularly driven by self-esteem, self-actualization, mystical experiences and/or the interpreter’s “felt needs.” (See Sola Experientia.)
3. A personal and/or mystical interpretation of Scripture based on the interpreter’s own ideas, biases, opinions, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, experiences, impressions, dreams, revelations, or the like, rather than based upon the plain meaning of the text.
4. The reading of one's own doctrinal theories into Scripture (as opposed to exegesis, which is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of biblical text), particularly as a result of personal experience. (See Sola Experientia.)
5. Self-centered, self-defined and self-authenticating biblical interpretation, application and counsel.
6. The reading of one’s own interpretation into Scripture based upon the egotistic belief that all things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; and that only the learned, the elect, or the leadership elite (of which the interpreter considers himself), may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them. (See Plura Scriptura.)
7. The egotistical drive to invent new theologies, doctrines, revelations, applications and philosophies about Scripture, often manifested in self-aggrandizement activities such as book publishing, conferences, setting up organizations and websites, money-making schemes and publicity drives.

Oxymoron: Subjective exegesis.


adjectives: narcigetic, narcigetical



See: PLURA SCRIPTURA and SOLA EXPERIENTIA

*Adapted from http://www.dictionary.com/

NOTE: The original posting can be found HERE. A project of the Discernment Research Group and Apprising Ministries.