It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Returning To Romanticized Roman Catholicism 

In posts like Emerging Church To TransFORM Outlaw Preachers and Emerging Church And Adele Sakler TransFORM Gay Agenda In Evangelicalism at Apprising Ministries I introduced you to TransFORM, a network created by “Kingdom Journalist” Steve Knight of Emergent Village, within the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church, which is a cult of postliberalism—now morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC).

As I’ve said before, most all of the familiar names in the EC existential rebellion against the final authority of the Bible are to be found among TransFORM. You’d best wake up to the fact that this EC as Liberalism 2.0 isn’t dead; it’s…well…transformed. I’ve also just brought out again, e.g. in The Roman Catholic Church Preaches A Different Gospel, yet another example as to why I have been saying the EC is egregiously ecumenical.

I showed you that the other day that TransFORM tweeted:

RT @tallskinnykiwi: What do Catholics have to do with the emerging church? A lot, actually. http://bit.ly/5QyCZT (Online source)

But since apostate Roman Catholicism preaches another gospel, which God says is really not another (see—Galatians 1:6-10) the question that should be asked is: What has the emerging church to do with the Church of Rome? Well the truth is, the EC is an unwitting dupe (being charitable) for the man-pleasing Roman Catholic Church, and her bid to portray herself as being of Christ, when she long ago condemned the very Gospel of God’s Christ at her Council of Trent.

Unfortunately through spiritually obtuse evangelical leaders we’re seeing a very foolish attempt today in their insipid Rodney King theology of “Can’t we all just get along” *sniff, sniff* to embrace the Church of Rome as a legitimate Christian denomination. Therein is a large part of the reason why in Christian Soldiers Standing Up For Jesus? I told you about very rough spiritual waters dead ahead in the church visible; that and the now widespread acceptance of this EC postliberal cult within mainstream evangelicalism.

You had better come to realize that for years the EC—which at its heart is an outright rebellion against the proper Christian spirituality of Sola Scriptura—has been busy embedding itself within the leadership structures of  mainstream evangelical denominations, as well as within its seminaries, and inside its publishing houses. They have learned well from their evil forebears in the original Cult of Liberalism; you can see an excellent example of this in ELCA, Gospel Reductionism, And Homosexuality.

With this in mind I bring you another illustration of the EC blurring the lines through their core doctrine of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) ala Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster along with his spiritual twin, and Southern Baptist minister Dallas Willard. You may recall that as far back as 2004 EC guru Brian McLaren told you that that Foster and Willard were “key mentors” of the EC. So what did you think these purveyors of spurious Spiritual Formation were teaching?

The following will show those with eyes that see even more result of these years of leaving your evangelical Young Adult and Youth Groups to be used as spiritual guinea pigs for antibiblical teachings of EC luminaries e.g. like McLaren’s good friend Tony Jones, “theologian in residence” at the EC church of his equally heretical quasi-universalist pastor Doug Pagitt. Today TransFORM tweets:

new video: @BlaineHogan shares the Lord’s Prayer as a spiritual practice: http://is.gd/57WAu (Online source)

That link takes you to the video at the bottom of this piece. So, why did I say that what you’ll see within is more result of these years of leaving your evangelical Young Adult and Youth Groups to be used as spiritual practice ground; well, I’m glad you asked. Hogan’s Twitter bio tells us that he happens to be an “Artist, actor, writer, producer. Experience Engineer @ Willow Creek Community Church.” You know, one of the leading churches initially practicing tactics of the semi-pelagian Church Growth Movement.

We Can’t Be So Creative That We Pollute The Genuine Gospel of Jesus Christ

Willow Creek where Bill Hybels is pastor; and you may also recall ultimate man-pleaser Robert Schueller tells us, of his Institute for Successful Church Leadership, that alumni include pastors Bill Hybels and Rick Warren. And, if you’d like to know more about all of this, I recommend Faulty Premises of the Church Growth Movement by my friend Bob DeWaay, pastor of Twin City Fellowship. But back to the matter at hand, “Church Communications guy” Tim Schraeder says of “Experience Engineer” Blaine Hogan:

My friend Blaine is the Experience Engineer out at Willow Creek (what a cool title, huh?) and he and his team put together a phenomenal piece called Behold the Dreamer Cometh for the opening of the Willow Creek Arts Conference back in June. (Online source)

Now as one quite familiar with the false teachings of Rob Bell—the Elvis of the EC—I can tell from looking at other videos by Blaine Hogan it seems pretty obvious that he’s, at least, influenced by Bell’s Nooma DVDs. Hogan appears to be quite creative, which in and of itself, is not wrong. Being a songwriter, I’ve been known to use creativity myself. Though I don’t perform the song anymore because of its lyrical content, I had worked out a solo arrangement of “Black Magic Woman” that I’d sing and percussively play on acoustic guitar.

Be that as it may, with Hogan being with Willow Creek, sadly, this now places us squarely within the mainstream of the church visible. And concerning the video itself from Hogan below, you’ll be getting another glimpse of what CSM has being doing to your young. It’s important to realize that, in the real world—not the ones conjured up by these EC spiritual adolescents—CSM actually originated with apostate desert hermits, and then later, it flowers within the antibiblical monastic tradtions of the Roman Catholic Church.

In other words CSM is what would eventually lead, what would later become the Roman Catholic Church, away from the holy catholic and apostolic church one reads about in the early Christian creeds. And being that I’m a former Roman Catholic myself, you may believe me when I tell you based upon years of it, I immediately recognize mindless repetition when I see it. Remember, this CSM is rooted in the corrupt Counter Reformation spirituality of apostates (at best) like Ignatius of Loyola—founder of the spiritual Gestapo Unit known as the Jesuits.

The practice of CSM draws one into ascetic practices of pietism and will eventually lead them away from the Lord Himself which the life of Ignatius, forever a slave to Rome, demonstrates quite well. And just Who do you think raised up the Reformers to return His Church to proper Christian spirituality? Hint: Not Rome’s popes, who blaspheme usurping the title Vicar of Christ from its rightful Owner—God the Holy Spirit. Now, as he introduces the video at TransFORM, Knight tells us in the lingo of CSM: Blaine Hogan shares a personal spiritual practice, repeating the Lord’s Prayer.

And that’s why I feel very sad as I watch Blaine Hogan inform us, via what he writes in the video with a marker, that: 

My discipline is repetition of “The Lord’s Prayer” when I’m anxious, scared, hopeless. I repeat it over and over and over and…

Having been given a shepherd’s heart as a pastor, I’m sorry when anyone feels that way; however,  Hogan et al need to understand that disobeying Jesus isn’t the answer. No; it’s the problem itself. For you see oddly enough, just prior to teaching us what proper prayer should consist of, the Lord Himself most clearly tells us — “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them” (Matthew 6:7-8, NASB).

Let us pray that God, in His great mercy, will grant such as these repentance that they find the glorious freedom of the sons of God…

See also:

BETHEL UNIVERSITY INTERRELIGIOUS SYMPOSIUM 2009

DONALD WHITNEY AND EVANGELICAL CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY/MYSTICISM

THE TERMINOLOGY TRAP OF “SPIRITUAL FORMATION”

CORRUPT CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY/MYSTICISM GAINING GROUND IN EVANGELICALISM

DISCIPLINES TO DECEPTION IN SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

“INWARD JOURNEY” ESPOUSED BY RICHARD FOSTER IS A FORM OF DIVINATION

HAS THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH REALLY CHANGED?