Month: December 2019

Did Henri Nouwen mean God is gay? Man is God? Or something else?

“You know already that the young, attractive, affectionate, caring, intelligent, spiritual, and socially conscious gay man has only one name: God!” (Henri Nouwen, Love Henri, pg. 336, from his letter to a gay friend named Everet)

What did Nouwen mean in his letter? That God is gay? That man is God? Or something else entirely? Nouwen was a kind man, a celibate homosexual Catholic priest who was a prodigious writer. But he was lost in the deception of his contemplative practices, and his understanding of God was far from biblical.

Although he died in 1996,  Nouwen’s books are still endorsed by a number of well known Christians today. This is unfortunate, because his writing serves as a potential gateway into contemplative prayer.

Contemplative prayer is really the same as Eastern or New Age meditation, only with a “Christian” word or phrase used as the mantra. By presenting a supposedly Christian mantra, contemplative advocates have convinced many in the visible church to partake in this spiritually dangerous practice. This mind-emptying, unsafe, and unholy meditation has opened many to demonic deception.

But you would never hear this from Henri Nouwen. Those trapped in deception do not see their chains. Consider how lovely and wonderful Nouwen makes the “Christian” mantra sound in his letter to a woman named Olga:

“As you know, the most used Christian mantra is ‘Lord Jesus, have mercy on me.’ Other Christian mantras, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, come.’ Another example, ‘The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want,’ and some people say, ‘Make me an instrument of your peace,’ but your mantra is beautiful too, and ‘You are my beloved, on you my favor rests,’ may be the most appropriate for you even when you use only the first part, and then there is always the name of Jesus, his name is a beautiful mantra to carry in your heart.” (Henri Nouwen, Love, Henri, pg. 326)

According to G. Richard Fisher:

“Nouwen was no friend to Bible believers. He was not a trustworthy guide or teacher. He assigned meanings to Bible passages that were not there and applied salvation universally to most except those who opt out. In his scheme there was no stated need of personal repentance and faith in Christ for salvation. He openly embraced Buddhist concepts and asserted we can learn from them. He was a self-confessed homosexual
who supported the idea of homosexual unions.” [1]

At the beginning of this article the question was asked about the meaning of Henri Nouwen’s statement to  his gay friend, Everet. Is Nouwen saying that God is gay? Is he saying that man is God? Or is he saying something else entirely?

Here is the better question: Why do we continue to allow Mike Bickle,* Francis Chan,* and others to encourage Christians–many of them young believers–into Henri Nouwen’s sphere of influence?

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Source Notes:

1. G. Richard Fisher, The Quarterly Journal, April-June 2011, “Evangelicalism’s Favorite Priest: Is Henri Nouwen a friend or foe?)

*Within the next ten days the article about Chan, Bickle, and Nouwen will be posted…

 

 

 

 

Worry less about which Bible Reading Plan to use and more about which Bible

[The article below is from Chapter 3 Ministries. My wife will be handing this excellent article out at her Bible Study for women this Thursday. Chapter 3 Ministries focuses on marriage and apologetics (and other subjects), and is for women. We really appreciate the emphasis on choosing a good Bible translation, and also the warning about The Message “Bible” and The Passion “Bible.” Feel free to send this  article to any Christian women you feel may benefit from reading it.]

According to Chapter 3 Ministries:

This time of year there is usually a lot of attention given to Bible reading plans. People are gearing up to start a plan January 1 and are looking around and asking for suggestions. That’s great! I love that there is desire to read God’s word regularly, and a Bible reading plan is a great way to accomplish that.

What I do not see is emphasis on which Bible to use. This should be considered carefully so that the time you spend with your Bible reading plan is time well spent. For example, if you chose a highly recommend reading plan but paired it with The Message Bible or The Passion Translation, you would not be spending your time well nor contributing to your spiritual health. Quite the opposite. These versions would create a wedge between you and the inspired words of Scripture because they alter the words and meaning of Scripture to a great degree. (Continue reading article)

False teachers copying the words from other false teachers part 2

From researcher/writer Mike Oppenheimer. Please note the quote from Joyce Meyers among others:

On Jesus going to hell

Copeland

He [Jesus] allowed the devil to drag Him into the depths of hell….He allowed Himself to come under Satan’s control…every demon in hell came down on Him to annihilate Him….They tortured Him beyond anything anybody had ever conceived.  For three days He suffered everything there is to suffer. (The Price of It All, p.3)

Jesus “had to give up His righteousness” (Kenneth Copeland, The Incarnation, side 2.)

Jesus had to “accept the sin nature of Satan.” (Kenneth Copeland, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne, side 2.)

“Satan conquered Jesus on the Cross and took His spirit to the dark regions of hell” (Kenneth Copeland, Holy Bible: Kenneth Copeland Reference Edition (Kenneth Copeland, Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1991), 129.)

Kenneth Copeland : “I can’t understand Christians that refuse to believe that Jesus went to hell. I want to tell you something if he didn’t go, you’re going to have to.” (The Christian Channel Europe “Believer’s Voice of Victory” [May 1998)

 “That Word of the living God went down into that pit of destruction and charged the spirit of Jesus with resurrection power! Suddenly His twisted, death-wracked spirit began to fill out and come back to life….Jesus was born again — the firstborn from the dead the Word calls Him — and He whipped the devil in his own backyard.” (The Price of It All, p4-6.)

“Jesus was dragged down into the bowels of Hell where He was beaten and bruised by Satan and his demons until Jesus could finally fight His way out of Hell 3 days later. (Classic Redemption, p.13) and (Believer’s Voice of Victory, September 11, 1991)

“Jesus was reborn in the pits of hell.” (What Happened From the Cross to the Throne, Tape #00-0303)

Joyce Meyer

“During that time He entered hell, where you and I deserved to go (legally) because of our sin. He paid the price there” (The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make p.35)

Click here to continue reading

Did “The Shack” author write this?

The author writes, “What I see here is God as Mother, receiving back into her womb the one whom she has made in her own image.” [1] The author claims the return to “God’s womb” is the “deeper meaning” to the story of the prodigal son. [2]

God as Mother? Nowhere in the Bible are we ever instructed to address God in this manner. Yet this has become increasingly common. We have already seen in the past year an ostensibly Christian church worshiping a Mother Goddess. 

According to the author, “The mystery, indeed, is that God in her infinite compassion has linked herself for eternity with the life of her children.” [3]

Finally, the author speaks of the “first and everlasting love of a God who is Father as well as Mother.” [4]

What’s going on here? Pretty much the same thing that Satan has been trying to accomplish since Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This is all about watering down or perverting the biblical understanding of God.

Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Some have tried to present God as goddess (call it for what it is) because Christ used the simile about a mother hen  protecting her chicks. (Matthew 23:27, Luke 13:34) This is quite a stretch, attempting to justify this based on this one passage. And Dads and grandpas and uncles can be pretty protective and tender as well, right?

So, who is the author? Surprisingly, it’s not Paul Young, author of The Shack. The man who wrote this is contemplative darling Henri Nouwen, a heretic who remains popular in seminaries and with many Christian leaders. It is not surprising to find one of Nouwen’s books on The Shack author’s list of “Twenty Books Everyone Should Read.” 

Young and Nouwen are purveyors of another Jesus, and therefore another gospel, which is not the gospel at all:

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! (Galatians 1:8)

Nouwen, deceased since 1996, continues to serve as a lure into contemplative practices and his version of universalism. How can this be? Nouwen has powerful advocates, such as Mike Bickle, Francis Chan, and others.

The Chan/Bickle/Nouwen connection will be examined at length in an upcoming article.

Source Notes:

1. Henri Nouwen, Spiritual Direction, pg. 76-77

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

Related article click here…

The Principal Foundation

Godly John Owen declared, long ago, that if there was any one point more than another that Satan wished to overthrow, it was the Priestly office of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. “Satan knew well,” he said, that it was the “principal foundation of faith and consolation of the Church.” Right views about Christ’s office are of essential importance in the present day if men would not fall into error.
—J.C. Ryle (10 May 1816 – 10 June 1900, English evangelical Anglican bishop).HT

Why did Francis Chan and Mike Bickle promote the contemplative Henri Nouwen?

In The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen explains contemplative prayer:

The quiet repetition of a single word can help us descend with the mind into the heart. …a word or sentence repeated frequently can help us to concentrate, to move to the center, to create an inner stillness and thus listen to the voice of God. (pg.81)

But Henri Nouwen was not hearing the “voice of God.” Contemplative prayer is essentially the same as Eastern or New Age meditation, and will take you into sweet deception. It will alter or addle your theology.

It is wrong to promote a practitioner of contemplative prayer. Henri Nouwen’s particular universalist understanding of God is the result of his contemplative practices; and yet his books continue to be recommended by seminaries and celebrity Christians alike.

Francis Chan and Mike Bickle, for instance, speaking before thousands, asked the audience to vow not to read any of Chan’s or Bickle’s books until they had first read Nouwen’s The Way of the Heart. [1]

Let’s examine what the Bible teaches, followed by the theology of Henri Nouwen. Concerning salvation and the exclusivity of Christ, the Bible states:

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no no other name under heaven that is given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6)

But Henri Nouwen stated:

I, therefore, believe that all human beings are embraced by God’s love and are called to enjoy the fruits of God’s redemption. For me, this implies two very important things. First of all, that nobody, whether Buddhist, Christian, or Muslim is automatically excluded from the saving work of Jesus. (Love, Henri, pg.163)*

According to Nouwen:

Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God. (Sabbatical Journey, p. 51.)

Henri Nouwen also stated:

I also want to say that it is important that we realize the presence of God’s Spirit, “who blows where he wants” in Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the faith of the Moslems. I am deeply convinced that Jesus is completely unique in the world as the full revelation of God’s life, but I also believe that many people can come to Christ even when they have never formally known Christ or had the opportunity to accept him. (Love Henri, pg. 303)**

Why did Chan and Bickle encourage thousands and thousands of mostly young Christians to get Nouwen’s book, The Way of the Heart? Maybe Chan and Bickle weren’t aware of Nouwen’s universalism. That’s possible, even if this fact has been on the internet for some time now.

However, both had to know that Nouwen was a contemplative. That wouldn’t bother Bickle–he’s been practicing and promoting contemplative prayer for decades. That, in fact, is precisely why he was encouraging the audience to get the book.

What about Francis Chan?

End Part 1

*From a Nouwen letter to John 12/28/87

**From a Nouwen letter to Mark 9/1/92

Source Notes:

1. IHOP-KC’s Onething Conference, 2018

Ceremony by Greg Simpson

[Below is Ceremony, by Greg Simpson, which I often call the “world’s scariest poem.” This poem was one of the factors that influenced me to give up television for many years.]… 

She sat quietly, in the electronics section of the Fred Meyer Department Store, with straight black hair, wearing a dress, knee-high socks and patent leather shoes. She must have been around three years old; her face just inches away from the television screen.

Innocence coupled with violence without the opportunity to make a distinction.

There were no other family members gathered, no witnesses, no special ceremony.

Her parents close by looking at a wall of monitors, trying to decide on which one to purchase; oblivious to their child’s baptism into the world.

A Bethel Redding School Masquerading as an Assemblies of God Bible Institute?

“You’ve probably heard of a single church being taken over by an individual or group from within. But have you ever heard of an entire network of churches within a denomination being taken over? As unprecedented as that may sound, that is exactly what appears to be happening now in the Assemblies of God (AG) denomination in Northern California and Nevada,” writes Holly Pivec. (Click here to continue reading…)

Is God deep down within every human being?

According to the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book (the A.A. “bible”): “Sometimes we had to search fearlessly, but He was there. He was as much a fact as we were. We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis, it is only there that He may be found. It was so with us.” (pg. 55, emphasis mine)

Can God be found “deep down within us” all? Is that where He can be found? Well, no. God dwells only within His people–those who know Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us:

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in      you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Romans 8:9)

Without Christ we are doomed to eternal torment. Yet the Father in His mercy sent us Christ, who died for our sins, that we might live forever with Him.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6)