ADDENDUM: RECURRING PROBLEMS WITH MARK BATTERSON’S TEACHINGS

PRIMAL

The Circle Maker is not the first book I have studied by Pastor Batterson; nor is it the last. I have noticed that each book I’ve studied introduce subtle teachings that are extra-Biblical. Often they sound religious or spiritual, but they are not Biblical because chapter and verse cannot be given for them. At other times these teachings are scientific or psychological, but, again, not Biblical.

But also [in those days] there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines – destructive heresies – even denying and disowning the Master Who bought them.
– 2Peter 2:1

In the reading of Pastor Mark Batterson’s book Primal, I became aware quite early on of concepts that had subtly and stealthily come into his teachings that I knew the Bible warned against. The Bible is stern on…

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Talking ’bout Tarzan

In many ways, Tarzan of the Apes was the first fictional “superhero” to win the loyalty and affection of Americans. [1] Edgar Rice Burroughs, the writer who created Tarzan, was incredibly adept at marketing his character–resulting in numerous Tarzan movies, Tarzan newspaper comic strips, even Tarzan toothpaste.

According to John Taliaferro, author of Tarzan Forever, a biography of Edgar Rice Burroughs, “By 1939, there was hardly a male in America, or the world for that matter, who had not read a Tarzan story, seen a Tarzan movie, or imagined himself as lord of the jungle. Over the years, Burroughs had received thousands of letters from fans expressing their delight, nitpicking narrative flaws, or soliciting his blessing before running away to Africa. In his consummate diligence, he saved and answered every fan letter he ever received. ‘When you play Tarzan in the trees, be careful that you don’t fall out,’ he gently advised.” (pg.312)

Taliaferro notes that Burroughs “was particularly taken with Jackie Strong, the seven-year old boy who had survived three days and nights alone in the Oregon wilderness by practicing woodcraft he had picked up from Tarzan stories.” (pg. 312)

Reading about Jackie Strong, I remembered that the first (and only) deer I shot was also due to the “woodcraft” of the Tarzan books. While my friends thrashed around the forest, I took the wind into account (Tarzan always made sure his prey did not pick up his scent), and remained still and silent. Sure enough, I came back to camp with the deer slung over my shoulder.

My friend, who had not had success in three years of hunting, asked how I did it.

“Tarzan,” I said. “I read Tarzan.”

Edgar Rice Burroughs was not a great writer. But he was good enough, and original enough, to captivate millions of people with his improbable stories.

John Taliaferro’s biography of Edgar Rice Burroughs is very thorough, and does not omit the negative aspects of Burroughs’ writing or his life. We hear about his wife’s alcoholism, his frequently distasteful portrayal of black Africans, and much else.

Tarzan Forever is an interesting biography for those who have experienced the Tarzan movies or books–and that, of course, is most of us.

Endnotes:
1. This designation of Tarzan as first “superhero” is from biographer John Taliaferro.

LSD researcher Betty and A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson

“But when [A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson] walked into the den…I knew this was his session…” (From Remembrances of LSD therapy past, pg. 27) (bold emphasis mine)

One of the researchers involved with the LSD experiments of the 1950s and 1960s was Betty Grover Eisner, Ph.D., a woman whose book, Remembrances of LSD therapy past, is a fascinating and sad account of the attempt to use LSD as a therapeutic device. In the first two chapters of the book we learn about Eisner’s association with A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson and early A.A. member Tom Powers.

Bill Wilson’s first LSD experience was in Los Angeles in 1956. In February of 1957, Bill Wilson again ingested LSD, this time at Betty Eisner’s house. Present were Tom Powers, Dr. Sid Cohen, and Will and Betty Eisner. [1]

Interestingly, while Eisner personally experienced LSD, she was also familiar with meditation. The same can be said for Bill Wilson. (Read) Another early explorer of LSD was Alan Watts, the man who introduced Zen to popular culture. Mysticism appears common to some of the key figures in the LSD experiments of the 1950s. Betty Eisner herself studied the Eastern religions before beginning her work with the then-legal chemical.

In a fond letter to early A.A. member Tom Powers, Eisner writes, “Thomas Merton just isn’t a substitute for Thomas Powers–much as some of his things help.” [2] (Thomas Merton)

Those interested in A.A. history may know of Bill Wilson’s friendship with mystic Gerald Heard and Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World. Huxley, in fact, called Wilson the “greatest social architect of the century.” [3] PASS IT ON, the official A.A. biography of Wilson, refers to Huxley as a “pioneer of New Age consciousness.” [4]

Heard and Huxley delved into the psychedelic realm with great enthusiasm.

Eisner writes, “Gerald Heard, the English philosopher who was very interested in the LSD work at this time, was just as brilliant as Aldous [Huxley] … I had met Gerald Heard at Trabuco, a meditation retreat he and Felix Greene founded and built in southern California in the 1940′s. I will never forget the Benedictine silence at Trabuco, and the meditation room, built in the three descending circular levels and fitted with black curtains so that it was a place where no light could ever penetrate – of the worldly type, that is.” [5]

Eisner expresses gratitude for discovering the contemplative writings of John of the Cross, either during or shortly after a very tough LSD experience. “In any case, in the midst of the profound depression, I may have saved my life and I certainly saved my sanity, by searching through our library, book by book until I came upon what finally helped. All night long I submerged myself in the writings of St. John of the Cross – that long, long night of the dark of my soul!” [6]

Thomas Merton believed it was a sad thing people were seeking spiritual truth via LSD ingestion, when the contemplative (meditative) tradition was right there in the Catholic church.**But both LSD and anti-biblical meditation are altered states of consciousness, and both invite spiritual deception.

What is meant by the term, anti-biblical meditation? This is new age/Eastern meditation, also known in its disguised (my choice of descriptive word) form as contemplative prayer, which has been taught by Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, Richard Foster, Mike Bickle of IHOP (Read), and others.

Contemplative prayer is “Christianese-packaged” anti-biblical meditation, but the goal is still the quieting of the mind, the cessation of thinking, thus facilitating entrance into the silence. To reiterate, while wrapped in “Christianese” terminology, it is virtually the same thing as new age/Eastern meditation.

Our minds are like rushing rivers, with our thoughts constantly moving and flowing. The silence of anti-biblical meditation takes place when that river is stopped, dammed up, and all is still. In this meditative state, the mind is void of thought, and in this void, spiritual visitation and deception can occur.*

On the other hand, biblical meditation is an active thing, with our minds pondering, or chewing (so to speak) upon the Word of God. We do not attempt to cease thinking with the goal of entering the silence.

Gerald Heard reportedly meditated three times daily while at Trabuco, which he ended up donating to the Vedanta Society of Southern California. Heard was present at Bill Wilson’s first LSD experience. Betty Eisner’s own references to mystics like Merton and John of the Cross are revealing, but the book is primarily a look at the rise and fall of LSD therapy, and one can almost feel the author being swept along the psychedelic path.

Mentioned early in the first chapter of Remembrances of LSD therapy past are Bill Wilson and Tom Powers. According to Eisner, “During this period, the fall of 1956 and early 1957, there was a boiling activity. We read report after report – dozens – of people who had taken LSD and/or mescaline. And we discussed them, Sid [Cohen] and I – and Al, and Humphry Osmond when he visited, and people like Tom Powers who came from the east coast to experience LSD, bringing W. Wilson from AA on several trips. Every one of the people wanted to talk about their experiences, experiences which were so unique that each one of us was busy trying to make sense of all the phenomena which were occurring, and to fit them into some intelligible description, category, and understanding.” [7] (bold mine)

Wilson hoped LSD would help those addicted to alcohol. He realized that A.A. simply did not work for every motivated alcoholic. According to Wilson, “It is a generally acknowledged fact in spiritual development that ego reduction makes the influx of God’s grace possible. If, therefore, under LSD we can have a temporary reduction, so that we can better see what we are and where we are going–well, that might be of some help.” [8]

For those who assume that Bill Wilson was a Christian, the fact that he believed LSD could possibly facilitate the “influx of God’s grace” [9] demonstrates much. There was no understanding of the grace of Christ. According to his secretary, Nell Wing, during Bill’s own ingestion of LSD, “He had an experience [that] was totally spiritual, [like] his initial spiritual experience.” [10]

The hope that Eisner places in the therapeutic power of LSD, and her own descriptions of its effects after taking the drug herself, are remarkable. She mentions her hope for the A.A. people through ingestion of LSD. “I want to test some of these hypotheses — another of which is that alcoholics, with proper preparation — are almost the best possible subjects — A.A.’s that is. They’ve been living through their hell on earth and if really close to accepting the third step are really open to what LSD can do for them… if you have any questions I’d love to try to answer them…” [11]

Eisner and her husband seem to have had a good relationship with A.A. member Tom Powers, who is prominent in some of these experiments. Betty Grover Eisner describes Wilson’s reactions in one of the LSD sessions. Wilson himself writes the Eisners a letter (1957). These quotes below are as Eisner presents them in the book, and it seems these are sentences she has perhaps excerpted from Bill Wilson’s entire letter:

Dear Folks,

“Please forgive this late response in thanking you both for all the friendship you gave me so freely on my last trip to the Coast. More often than you can guess, I have continued to think of you.”

“Since returning home I have felt – and hope have acted! – exceedingly well. I can make no doubt that the Eisner-Cohen- Powers-LSD therapy has contributed not a little to this happier state of affairs.”

“It looks like the contract for our television show is about to be signed. One of the best things about this is that it may bring Tom [Powers] and me within sight and sound of you both once more.”

Devotedly yours, W. (W. Wilson) [12]

There is more involving Bill Wilson and Tom Powers. The reference to the television show is a mystery. So is much else in this fascinating account. You can link to the entire online book, right HERE.

Endnotes:

1. Sarah W. Tracy, Caroline Jean Acker, Editors, Altering American Consciousness: The History of Alcohol annd Drug Use in the United States 1800-2000, pg. 360

2. Betty Eisner, Remembrances of LSD therapy past, pg.33

3. PASS IT ON, pg. 368

4. PASS IT ON, pg. 368

5. Betty Grover Eisner, Remembrances of LSD therapy past, Chapter One: Initiations Into Infinity, pg. 12

6. Betty Grover Eisner, Remembrances of LSD therapy past, Chapter One: Initiations Into Infinity, pg. 16

7. Betty Grover Eisner, Remembrances of LSD therapy past, Chapter One: Initiations Into Infinity, pg. 14

8. PASS IT ON, pg. 370

9. PASS IT ON, pg. 370

10. PASS IT ON, pg. 370

11. Betty Grover Eisner, Remembrances of LSD therapy past, Chapter Two: The Parameters of Infinity, pg. 19

12. Betty Grover Eisner, Remembrances of LSD therapy past, Chapter Two: The Parameters of Infinity, pg. 29-30

* This description using a river is paraphrased from Ray Yungen, I think…

** “I wrote to Thomas Merton about this in 1967 and he said ‘Isn’t it a pity that people are going into LSD to have spiritual experiences, when we have a
tradition in the Church which no one knows anything about.’” — panentheist Matthew Fox

Alcoholics Anonymous co-founders sought contact with dead

“[It] might be said for the cofounders at least, A.A. was entangled with spiritualism from the very beginning.” –Matthew J. Raphael, Bill W. and Mr. Wilson, pg. 159

“There shall not be found among you…a medium or a spiritist or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:10, 11, 12)

“It is not clear when [Bill Wilson] first became interested in extrasensory phenomena; the field was something that Dr. Bob and Anne Smith were also deeply involved with. Whether or not Bill initially became interested through them, there are references to seances and other psychic events in the letters Bill wrote to Lois [his wife] during that first Akron summer with the Smiths, in 1935.” –PASS IT ON, pg.275 (emphasis mine)

Do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead even expose them; (Ephesians 5:11)

“Bill and Dr. Bob believed vigorously and aggressively. They were working away at the spiritualism; it was not just a hobby.” — Early A.A. member Tom Powers, quoted in PASS IT ON, pg. 280

Channeled book, “God Calling,” spiritually influenced Alcoholics Anonymous

Warren B. Smith notes that God Calling is “the channeled book that inspired Sarah Young to try and receive her own personal messages from Jesus.” [1] Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling is an immensely popular book, through which the contemplative “christ” continues to spread.

God Calling can be seen as the spiritual parent of Jesus Calling, but God Calling also greatly influenced Alcoholics Anonymous. This began with the Oxford Group, an ecumenical movement of the 1930s. Both A.A.’s co-founders, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, attended O.G. meetings, and Alcoholics Anonymous itself came out of the Oxford Group.

The great preacher H.A. Ironside was very concerned about the Oxford’s Group’s ecumenism–but also about the unholy meditative practices its attendees participated in. According to Ironside:

“Each [Oxford Group member] is urged in the morning to sit down quietly with the mind emptied of every thought, generally with a pencil in hand, waiting for God to say something to them. They wait and wait and wait. Sometimes they tell me nothing happens, at other times the most amazing things come. Tested by the Word of God many of these things are unscriptural. They lay themselves open for demons to communicate their blasphemous thoughts to them.” [2] (italics mine)

God Calling was channeled by two women who identified themselves simply as “Two Listeners.”[3] Receiving Quiet Time “guidance” in the manner taught by the Oxford Group, they believed they recorded the words that Jesus Christ gave them daily.

The false “christ” of God Calling that was channeled through these women advised, among other things, “Cultivate silence. ‘God speaks in silences.’ A silence, a soft wind. Each can be a message to convey MY meaning to the heart, though by no voice, or even word.” (January 7)

And, “Seek sometimes not even to hear me. Seek a silence of spirit-understanding.” (Feb. 27)

An ex-Oxford Group member named Richmond Walker, years later as an A.A. member, compiled prayers and meditations into one little book. Much of it was based on the demonic writings found in God Calling. [4]

Walker, however, eliminated every reference to the Two Listeners’ “jesus” in favor of universal spirituality. The book, Twenty-Four Hours a Day, begins with an ancient Sanskrit proverb. Twenty-Four Hours a Day has been read by millions of AA members.

According to an A.A. history website,
“[The book] explained how to practice meditation by quieting the mind and entering the Divine Silence in order to enter the divine peace and calm and restore our souls.”[5]

This meditation book also resonates with the New Age teaching that God is within: “There is a spark of the Divine in every one of us. Each has some of God’s spirit that can be developed by spiritual exercise.” (April 30)[6]

Christians are rightfully concerned over A.A.’s “higher power” definition of “god,” where “god” can be anything or everything. This, of course, is A.A.’s 3rd Step. Equal concern should be given to A.A.’s 11th Step–the meditation step.

Step 11 reads: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

Considering A.A.’s wide open understanding of meditation, and that the most popular A.A. meditation book is based in part on God Calling, it is not surprising that many have entered the deceptive silence.

Endnotes:

1. Warren B. Smith, “Another Jesus” Calling, p.

2. H.A. Ironside, The Oxford Group: Is It Scriptural? (New York: Loizeauz Brothers, Publishers,1943)

3. Two Listeners, God Calling, Barbour Publishing, Inc.

4. Part 3 of “Richmond Walker and the Twenty-Four Hour Book” (Glenn C. talk) http://hindsfoot.org/RWfla3.html

5. http://www.barefootsworld.net/aa24hoursbook.html

6. Richmond Walker, Twenty-Four Hours a Day, Hazelden Foundation, Meditation for the Day, April 30

Epic Fail: Vallotton’s 5 non-biblical tests for a true prophet

Another good one from Pivec. Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error writes:

I was disturbed this week by Kris Vallotton’s article titled “5 Tests of a True Prophet.” I was even more disturbed to see that his article was published by Charisma Magazine. For those who don’t know, Vallotton is the senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and a bestselling author. His article in Charisma is excerpted from a curriculum he developed titled Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry.

Not a single one of Vallotton’s five tests of a true prophet is given in Scripture. Astoundingly, he completely overlooks the three tests that are given. Here are Vallotton’s woefully inadequate tests.

Click here to read the rest of Pivec’s article

Presenting a Different Jesus

judya49's Blog

Published on thebereancall.org (https://www.thebereancall.org)

TBC Today

The Jesus being presented in many churches today is different because He is not the One we find in the Bible. The popular Jesus being presented is the one who fills churches to the rafters with fans and not disciples. People are following a genie in a bottle that will grant them all of their hopes and dreams. He is a Hallmark card version of Jesus who is willing to overlook sin and just be a good friend to pal around with. He never makes us feel bad or consider ourselves less than number one.

Many of our modern churches focus on self-improvement instead of dying to self. This is works based nonsense and basically, the same thing practiced among many pseudo-Christian cults including Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormonism. The logic is if you work hard enough…

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A whiff of A.A. Higher Power Cologne

Cleverly tapping into the the vast twelve step recovery community, Ace Marketing has released Higher Power Cologne, now available in stores throughout the nation.

Based on the Alcoholics Anonymous concept of a design-your-own-god, Higher Power Cologne possesses a fragrance that smells like whatever one wants it to smell like.

“Umm-yum, mine smells like bacon,” marveled Jack C., a recovering addict from Orlando, Florida.

Higher Power Cologne can even smell like perfume, something sure to please the lady twelve steppers. Tupper May Broxie, manager of Dayton’s popular Colognes and Perfumes Outlet, and author of Odors of Recovery, described her own bottle as “Lemon with a hint of mint, and perhaps a bit of vanilla.”

According to Ace Marketing representative William Billerton, the next product in the Ace Recovery Line is Big Book Bubble Bath, which will be available by early summer. [This article is satire, but just barely.]

Being then the children of God, we should not think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:29-31)

Our views of God in the songs we sing

Do not flatter yourselves; if you go to places of worship merely to look about you or to hear music, you are not worshipping God.

— C.H. Spurgeon

Perhaps our views of God are nowhere more obvious than in the songs we sing when we gather together. …The song service is such an easy way to promote our views of God that we must be particularly careful. Catchy tunes may cloak the deeper question: What are these words teaching about God?

— Pastor John Snyder, BEHOLD YOUR GOD Workbook, pg. 204

No flattering of heroes

The Bible NEVER flatters its heroes. It tells us the truth about each one of them in order that against the background of human breakdown and failure we may magnify the grace of God and recognize that it is the delight of the Spirit of God to work upon the platform of human impossibilities.

― Alan Redpath, The Making of a Man of God: Lessons from the Life of David

HT: The Berean Call