EXPOSING A DARK SPIRITUAL DECEPTION 2

What’s to be gained by a born-again believer exposing a deceptive form of godliness that prevents the power of God from truly working in the lives of its followers (2 Timothy 3:5)?

Born-again believer and author Warren Smith said he was once deceived by a form of religion mentioned above; and now wants help those who truly desire to worship God, avoid being deceived as he was, when he was into the New Age/ Spirituality movement. 

This continued report on Mr. Smith’s endeavors, in his book, Deceived on Purpose,to expose and enlighten God’s true worshippers about the spiritual dangers of the New Age/Spirituality teachings of Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback mega-Church. In the Pastor’s book, The Purpose Driven Life,  Mr. Smith says the Pastor is involved in these teachings, even while the he denies his connections with leaders of the New Age/Spirituality movement. (The first part of this report, Exposing Spiritual Deception 1, was previously posted on Facebook and jesusliftedup.com).

The purpose Driven Life, published in 2002, is said to be “one of the bestselling nonfiction books in publishing history.” And by 2019 it was published in “more than 85 languages.”

 Mr. Smith wrote that famed Pastor Rick Warren  “is in the process of leading the church astray”—by his New Age teachings that God is in everyone. Smith sees this as being out of line with the teachings of the Holy Bible– Repenting of sin and believing in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ is required for anyone to be born-again, and the for Spirit of God to be in the person (John 3:16-18; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38). Having been deeply involved with the New Age doctrines, Mr. Smith sees Pastor Warren’s type of deceptiveness as being particularly dangerous to the Church, because of his near “magic”  ability to mingle New Age/Spirituality teachings with Christian doctrines; and because of  his great influence in Christian circles. (One could easily read the Purpose Driven Life as good Christian writing, without being aware of its mingling with, and your being opened to New Age/Spirituality deceptions.) 

EXPOSING PASTOR WARREN’S INVOLVEMENT WITH NEW AGE DECEIVERS 

Due to Pastor Rick Warren’s denial of his connections with the New Age movement and his great influence and ability to deceive in the Church community, Smith said he had to do research and diligent observations to show the Pastor’s connections New Agers and their deceptive teachings.

Pastor Rick Warren had high regards for New Ager Bernie Siegel

• Warren Smith tells us about an instance where Pastor Warren showed his high regard for a recognized New Age leader, while the Pastor disparaged two Bible heroes. In a comparing Bernie Siegel to Job and Isaiah of the Bible, the Pastor portrayed Bernie as a man who viewed life with “hope” and “purpose”; while he spoke of Job and Isaiah as complainers who saw life “without purpose” and “without God” (Deceived pp.48-51; Driven pp. 30-31).

Bernie Siegel associated with covert New Ager Pastor Robert Schuller

• Mr. Smith wondered why Pastor Rick Warren would introduce his readers to a New Age leader like Bernie Siegel. And he wondered why the Pastor was citing Bernie in reference to “hope” and “purpose” in life. When Smith searched the internet and other sources of information he discovered that Pastor Robert Schuller was influential in the matter having to do with Bernie Siegel. 
• He found that in one of Schuller’s sermons, he had cited Bernie Siegel in reference to “hope”. He also found that Bernie Siegel had endorsed one of Robert Schuller’s books. 
• Going even further back, he found that Schuller had written about “hope and purpose” in a 1982 book, Self Esteem: The New Reformation.  Smith believed it was Pastor Robert Schuler’s high regard for Bernie Siegel, and Pastor Warren’s great respect for Pastor Robert Schuller that caused Pastor Warren to reference Siegel in The Purpose Driven Life.
• Smith said he found that Pastor Rick had a tendency to cite people “who are quoted or cited by Schuller.” Furthermore, he reports on Pastor Warren using “unattributed Schuller material” in several of Warren’s own writings (chapter 10).

Pastor Robert Schuller’s used his Crystal Cathedral to teach the New Ager’s unchristian doctrines of “A Course in Miracles.”

• What caused Pastor Robert Schuller to lean toward the New Age? This was a question that Warren Smith had, particular in view of Pastor Schuller’s influence on Rick Warren. Smith discovered that Robert Schuller reported having an out of body encounter with “Jesus Christ” as early as 1977. He said the encounter resulted from using relaxation and meditative techniques. 
• Smith said people like himself who came out of the New Age movement understood how Schuller could unwittingly have opened himself up to spiritual deception. 
• Shortly after his spiritual encounter, Schuller involved his Crystal Cathedral in the false New Age techniques of A Course In Miracles. 
• He even went further to conducting workshops on A Course In Miracleswith recognized New Age leader Jerry Jampolsky. 

EXPOSING PASTOR WARREN’S COVERTLY TEACHING NEW AGE/SPIRITUALITY

Pastor Warren became a student and teacher of  New Age doctrines at Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral.

• According to Smith, Pastor Warren and many Pastors and religious teachers came to the Crystal Cathedral to learn Pastor Schuller’s principles of church leadership. Smith believed they were hoping to learn how to build a big “successful” church like Schuler’s church–They did not come to learn how to defend and promote true Christian faith. 
• Rick Warren was one of the Pastors who achieved “success.” He graduated from Schuler’s institute for successful church leadership and then taught there. He instructed others on how to use Schuller’s principles of combining traditional teachings of Christianity with New Age ideas. 
• Using the same principles—mixing Christian and New Spirituality ideas—Pastor Warren built his big “successful” Saddleback Church.

However, the Holy Bible emphatically denounces the practice of altering the Word of God– mixing truth with untruth (Galatians 1:8; Revelation 22:18-19).

EXPOSING PASTOR WARREN’S  DECEPTIVE GLOBAL PEACE PLAN

• We are informed by Smith that Rick Warren developed a 5-step “Global PEACE” plan to teach his New Age doctrines—New Spirituality mixed with Christianity– to the world.  
• Much earlier Neal Donald Walsh, a prominent New Age/Spirituality leader had purposed a 5-step PEACE plan that was to bring differ religions of the world together (p125). This plan is contrary to the Bible which says, Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father and eternal live, John 14:6; John 3:16.  
• Pastor Rick used New Age leader Bruce Wilkinson to launch the “Global PEACE” plan at the Pastor’s Saddleback Church.  In launching the Global plan, Wilkinson used the term “God Dream” that Pastor Robert Schuller had introduced years earlier.                     

FULL BIBLE LIGHT OVERCOMES DARK SPIRITUAL DECEPTIONS

• Mr. Smith has exposed and enlightened us about Pastor Rick Smith’s Purpose Driven Lifeand Global PEACE plan having untruths which are contrary to the traditional Bible.
• Smith says mixing even the slightest bit of untruth with the truth can ultimately result in great deception. He said that is how he ended up with the false “God” and “Jesus” and “Holy Spirit” of the New Age.  
• Scripture tells us that “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (Galatians 5:9)
• We are advised to follow the example of the Berean Christians in Acts 17:11 who studied the scriptures to see if what they were being taught, even by the Apostle Paul, was in line with the whole truth and Spirit of the Scripture. 
• The Holy Bible clearly instructs us “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship have light with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
• However, the Bible tells us to pray for and meekly try to teach those who are misled, that God may perhaps lead them to the  whole truth of his Word (2 Timothy 2:25).

Jesus said, “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

https://youtu.be/TPdTxSNcC5Y    David Wilkerson—Last Days Deception

https://youtu.be/RzyGrcCv-fk.   Wake up church