It is said that young people know everything and get dumber as they age. By the time they are 50 years of age, they know far less than they did at 20.
But, how do you know what you know? You aren't born with knowledge of anything! That means everything you know, you've learned...somehow. Does that mean our understanding of life is the sum-total of all we've learned or been exposed to? As they say in Minnesota: You Betcha!
Politicians are solidly behind the idea that lower taxes mean more production and wealth --- or is it higher taxes mean greater opportunity to extend possibilities and thereby expand wealth for everyone?
It can't be both! But people line up on one side or the other, often with strident opinions which are expressed in absolute terms!
What makes for these differences? The simple answer is: exposure to information and circumstances. It's education, experience and conditioning. For some, it's opportunism, but that's another discussion.
Underneath, however, it's really spiritual. We call it our 'Worldview' and all worldviews are rooted in religious beliefs.
Dr. Al Mohler [albertmohler.com] reminds us of what Carl F. Henry wrote: "Divine revelation is the source of all truth, the truth of Christianity included; reason is the instrument for recognizing it; Scripture is its verifying principle; logical consistency is a negative test for truth and coherence a subordinate test. The task of Christian Theology is to exhibit the content of biblical revelation as an orderly whole."
Heard any biblical content, recently? I mean, by that, any preaching which featured divine revelation, offered in a Theological context, connected to the flow of biblical revelation.
The truth is, most of what we hear from the Big Name Preachers is fluff! Fundamentalists want everyone to be saved. Evangelicals want everyone to have the tools for living a better life. Charismatics want everyone to feel good and be wealthy. Liberals want to feed the world and save the dolphins. And the Contemporary crowd just wants everyone to feel good!
Sprinkled in among all of this are occultic techniques, Eastern meditation and the power of positive thinking (or confession).
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, however, thrives on the knowledge of God: His holiness, mercy, justice, grace and love. The Bible is a Treasure Trove of significant and practical doctrinal instruction. It is the knowledge of God that informs the rest of our life.
Telling us how to relate to our mates or raise our children or overcome fears may serve a practical purpose, but without the doctrinal foundation all the knowledge you have is one-dimensional. You may have a lot of it, but it's standing alone.
Maybe this is why so many of us don't really have a biblical worldview. Abortion, stem-cell research, homosexual unions, economics, law, politics, education, global warming and a host of lessor issues are held captive to our perspectives.
Remember: Whatever it is that forms your knowledge and understanding, forms the way you perceive life and how you make decisions.
So....what do you know about God?
Showing posts with label Spiritual Confusion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Confusion. Show all posts
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Our Love Affair With The Occult
The visible church has a lot to answer for! Take it's love affair with the occult.
Occult: From the Latin word for hidden. Our traditional definition for occult practices includes any act of divination or spiritual practice which appears to tap into unseen forces, not available on a physical plane. This ability or knowledge is hidden from ordinary sight and must either be taught or developed through practice.
Occultic practices have been the unique domain of pagan worship....until recently. Today, however, they are mainstreamed in churches and homes throughout the world.
What was once the unique domain of strange fringe groups has found its way into almost every church group you can name. It's hard to find a church-group that doesn't embrace some form of occultic practice.
Think of the preacher who claims to be informed by God of someone's illness or personal plight. There is nothing in the Bible that identifies this sort of behavior. So, what's going on?
The preacher is either scamming his audience or he's channeling a demon!
Consider the common practice of "faith healing." The Faith-Healer says certain words or touches the afflicted in a certain way (Oral Roberts claimed the power was only in his right hand) and they are healed [by God].
It may be, according to them, God has given him or her the power, or it may be he or she has simply learned how to do this. Either way, it falls into the category of the occult.
Then there's the Deliverance from Demonic Possession. To accomplish this a person has to a) have the gift, and b) say certain words, in order to cast out the demon. This, too, fits the definition of occultic.
It's about secret knowledge and ability, being transmitted to one individual or another, who is then able to tap into forces beyond the physical, or beyond the ken of science.
Witchcraft is about the ability or knowledge of spells: saying certain words (incantations) and performing certain rituals (waving something, touching someone, etc.) in order to affect the desired result.
Pat Robertson wrote in his book, "Beyond Reason," that there are metaphysical powers in the universe that anyone can tap into, if they know the "Law of Miracles."
The entire Faith Movement rests upon the belief, according to Kenneth Copeland, that "faith is a force just like electricity or gravity," which obeys laws any Christian can use.
"Positive Confession" is Napoleon Hill's "Supreme Secret" which was given to him by demonic entities. He called it "The Magic Power of Belief." [Peace of Mind, pg 176]
These folks have re-defined biblical faith, re-interpreted spiritual gifts and re-structured Christianity to fit their own needs, desires and passions. They are growing wealthy as a result while the people they use are being deceived.
How do they succeed? The Spirit expressly says that in the latter days some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. [I Tim. 4:1]
This is what that looks like!
Occult: From the Latin word for hidden. Our traditional definition for occult practices includes any act of divination or spiritual practice which appears to tap into unseen forces, not available on a physical plane. This ability or knowledge is hidden from ordinary sight and must either be taught or developed through practice.
Occultic practices have been the unique domain of pagan worship....until recently. Today, however, they are mainstreamed in churches and homes throughout the world.
What was once the unique domain of strange fringe groups has found its way into almost every church group you can name. It's hard to find a church-group that doesn't embrace some form of occultic practice.
Think of the preacher who claims to be informed by God of someone's illness or personal plight. There is nothing in the Bible that identifies this sort of behavior. So, what's going on?
The preacher is either scamming his audience or he's channeling a demon!
Consider the common practice of "faith healing." The Faith-Healer says certain words or touches the afflicted in a certain way (Oral Roberts claimed the power was only in his right hand) and they are healed [by God].
It may be, according to them, God has given him or her the power, or it may be he or she has simply learned how to do this. Either way, it falls into the category of the occult.
Then there's the Deliverance from Demonic Possession. To accomplish this a person has to a) have the gift, and b) say certain words, in order to cast out the demon. This, too, fits the definition of occultic.
It's about secret knowledge and ability, being transmitted to one individual or another, who is then able to tap into forces beyond the physical, or beyond the ken of science.
Witchcraft is about the ability or knowledge of spells: saying certain words (incantations) and performing certain rituals (waving something, touching someone, etc.) in order to affect the desired result.
Pat Robertson wrote in his book, "Beyond Reason," that there are metaphysical powers in the universe that anyone can tap into, if they know the "Law of Miracles."
The entire Faith Movement rests upon the belief, according to Kenneth Copeland, that "faith is a force just like electricity or gravity," which obeys laws any Christian can use.
"Positive Confession" is Napoleon Hill's "Supreme Secret" which was given to him by demonic entities. He called it "The Magic Power of Belief." [Peace of Mind, pg 176]
These folks have re-defined biblical faith, re-interpreted spiritual gifts and re-structured Christianity to fit their own needs, desires and passions. They are growing wealthy as a result while the people they use are being deceived.
How do they succeed? The Spirit expressly says that in the latter days some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. [I Tim. 4:1]
This is what that looks like!
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