“When you come to appear before Me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of My courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings!”

My guess is that there are some who have come to read this and are awaiting a thorough biblical analysis of this cult which has emerged within new evangelicalism. Some Christians hoping for Bible verses with which to confront the Emergent, and the Emergent looking for verses with which they can dispute. And this is one of the important points I am making in this short piece. The so-called “conversation” of the Emerging Church movement is not really interested in dialogue because they have already decided beforehand what they believe. In my experience with pastors of Emerging churches I’ve yet to meet one who was actually willing to consider an opposing view.

All one need do to see the truth of what I have just shared is to take a quick peek at Emergent What? , for example, and watch them descend like piranha upon anyone who happens to disagree with their pontifications. Well thought out arguments from Holy Scripture have been presented only to be immediately dismissed because one or more the resident Emergents simply say that the other person’s “interpretation” is wrong. Based on letters I am receiving from brother pastors I am trying to help you see here that if one truly wishes to understand the Emerging Church movement it really is rather simple. This entire cult that is blossoming within our Lord’s Church is nothing more than a rebellion against authority of any kind, and most particularly the Bible itself.

This is why the traditional apologetic approach so common in evangelicalism today is useless. There is no reason to try and coddle this rebellion and to find its “good points.” Yet this also is a sad sign of these tepid times in our Lord’s Church where we lack men with strong spiritual backbone. A tragically false over emphasis on the love of God is now so ingrained in the American Christian Church that we are literally afraid of our own spiritual shadows. I am thankful to see that recently Dr. John MacArthur, who has been a real blessing to the Church of our Lord, did a whole series on the lack of discernment in Christianity today. And with that lack of discernment has come an unwillingness to speak out against the false teaching that is now so rampant.

A New Reformation Of Love?

It’s time for us to come to see the bigger picture because the Emergent Church itself is a primary part of the new evangelical Ecumenical Church of Deceit that has nearly fully arrived on the scene of timid American Christianity. The other major cogs in this Devil-designed serpentine vehicle to enable people in these later times to abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons would be the Purpose Driven Church and the Word Faith Church.

And what needs to be further understood is that they themselves are judgments upon the apostatizing Christian Church that have been allowed by the Lord Himself just as He permits their Mother in Rome to exist. Well, at least until they all finally serve His ultimate purposes. God does not sleep. I am currently in dialogue with a couple of brother missionaries who are stationed in Europe and sadly they are battling much more advanced versions of these terrible excuses for Christianity.

Men and women, it’s not like our Lord didn’t try and prepare us. But unfortunately instead we have seen the rise of effete milquetoast leaders. Ones who fear almost anything and instead of defending the honor of God he or she seeks rather to please their fellow man. The reason I mentioned my missionary brothers is that it has partially been through their correspondence that the Lord has been able to help me see the state of the Church in this country from a fresh perspective. What has come emerging as I have talked with them is that many they have been in dialogue with regarding the Emergent Church, so-called “Christian” mysticism, and seeker sensitive doctrine feel God is bringing about a new reformation. This one is to be a reformation of unity, love and acceptance.

The Devil’s Double Play Combo Shows Up Again

The practice of contemplative spirituality–which has been sweeping through the Church for a few years now–is what is behind this growing false sense of the love of God. This practice is really meditation with no real difference than that practiced in TM or Zen. Here’s a quick example of how it slithered its way into the modern Christian Church. In my library is a book called Spiritual Healing: The Art and Science of Meditation which is edited by Willis Kinnear. This book is published by Science of Mind Publications, a division of Religious Science International, which itself is a Mind Science cult founded by Ernest Holmes. And who should show up on the back cover? None other than Norman Vincent Peale who says: “I am very grateful for [this] wonderful book.”

Peale was a practitioner and advocate of meditation himself and this “spiritual discipline” was then picked up by his most prominent disciple, one Robert Schuller. So from the Devil’s deadly duo the practice of meditation then found its way to Rick Warren, who also endorses contemplative spirituality, into the Purpose Driven Church. Meanwhile in the early 90’s an idea was hatched to develop a parallel seeker sensitive movement for the young that developed into the Emerging Church. One of the doctrines at its very core is the new spirituality of so-called “Christian” mysticism. Quaker Richard Foster, who is one of the “key mentors” of the EC, now had a forum from which to teach his warped concept of “spiritual disciplines” gleaned from his mentors such as heretical Roman Catholic monk Thomas Merton.

Then “theologians” like Brian McLaren, who seems to have been waiting for an opportunity such as this, and Tony Jones would rise to prominence as they encouraged these practices further. Jones has written the definitive book on the subject of spiritual practices/disciplines called The Sacred Way. In fact the recommended resources in the back of this book reads like a veritable “who’s who” of dubious sources and misguided mystics. I am currently working on a more in depth look at this whole subject of contemplative prayer/meditation and how we are told to practice it by Jones and Richard Foster. The main point of this little piece is to encourage you not to waste time in fruitless arguments from Scripture with people who are involved in this spiritual “Tower of Babel” because the deception runs soul deep.

By all means you must be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15). However, at the same time the Bible also tells the Christian – And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:24-26). The time has certainly arrived where the true follower of Jesus must conform ourselves to what the Bible tells us is proper Christian conduct.

Lovers Of Themselves

Because the next chapter of that same book I just quoted also tells us – But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1). That doesn’t sound too much like there’s going to be a new reformation of love and unity to me. After all, what could possibly be construed as “terrible” about that? But let’s look closely at something that is quite revealing in the very first clause of the next verse – People will be lovers of themselves (v.2). Customarily when this is preached it is with the idea people shall be lovers of their own selves – as the King James Version puts it. As in conceited and in love with themselves, or self-centered.

Undoubtedly this is happening now and as long as the Lord tarries this loving of one’s “felt needs” and one’s self will only grow worse. However, I believe the Lord would wish me to inform you that this truth concerning the last days where mankind will be lovers of themselves has an even deeper spiritual meaning. Through contemplative prayer/meditation people will also become lovers of mankind itself. You can already see this beginning as the seeker sensitive Ecumenical Church of Deceit attempts to undo the Reformation brought about by God the Holy Spirit. She must do so in preparation for a new dance with her Mother in Rome, which will then lead people to a false unity that is actually based on mankind’s love for himself. You see, men shall be lovers of their own selves – their own kind.

Now think back to what the Holy Spirit tells us in Romans 1:25 – They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Mankind is preparing to worship himself through the “enlightenment/transformation” that invariably comes to all who continue the practice of transcendental meditation. Remember 2 Thessalonians 2:10 – they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Do you think you can find a better fit for this verse than the postmodern Emergent Church? But what happens in the next two verses? For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Yes, these verses find their ultimate fulfillment when the Antichrist himself finally shows up, but don’t you remember God has already told us – even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. Beloved, we need to understand the times we live in, as God abandons those who refuse to love the truth they will begin to worship themselves, which is idolatry and that is to delight in wickedness. As this new evangelical Ecumenical Church of Deceit further becomes lovers of themselves and their own agenda you will see the following words from our Lord Jesus Christ may even have a fulfillment in our time as well:

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. (Matthew 24:10-12)

Can you see, a falling away–an apostasy. Betraying and hating each other when people who profess to be Christian hate men like myself who are only trying to call them back to the true Christian faith, calling them away from idolatry and back to the worship of God. False prophets have appeared preaching peace and love, deceiving people into a counterfeit sense of unity as they now attempt to build a spiritual “Tower of Babel” through the practices of mysticism long ago condemned by the Lord. And because God is abandoning these people who refuse to love the Truth we are seeing an increase of wickedness, until the love of most is growing cold. O no, but not as it might first have appeared.

Once we may have thought that as the end of the Age of Grace approaches there was going to be a decrease of spirituality, but instead it now appears as if there will instead actually be an increase of religious fervor. Still though the love of Truth, the love for God, and for His Christ will grow cold…until finally Jesus asks – “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” You must understand that the Master knows there will be faith on the earth, mankind will have plenty of faith in himself. You see, our Lord’s melancholy question actually means: “When I return, will I find faith in the holy and majestic LORD God Almighty as revealed in the Bible on the earth?”

He who has an ear, let him hear…