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Pastor Mark Driscoll preached this sermon at the Exchange conference on June 17th in San Diego, California.
The biggest church planting event we've ever done. September 29-30 in Seattle. Church Planter: A29 National Bootcamp.
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Want to see an epic example of pagan one-ism in a movie we all love? Watch this clip of "The Circle of Life" song from The Lion King. See the following posts to learn more about one-ism and two-ism:
Learn all about one-ism and two-ism at the Exchange conference in San Diego. Sign up at thexchangeconference.com. Get huge group discounts with groups of 3 or more.
Mark Driscoll, Peter Jones, Francis Chan, Kevin DeYoung, and others will teach you how to distinguish the Truth from the Lie in all of life at the Exchange Conference.
In Evan Almighty, Hollywood’s cleverly titled farce about Noah’s Ark, Morgan Freeman plays God. Freeman’s incarnation of God is one part groovy yoga instructor, one part Vegas magician, and one part high-end, New Age life coach in Deepak Chopra pajamas. No part of him, however, suggests the Old Testament deity who wipes out his creation with a flood and starts again—which is the whole point of the story of Noah’s Ark. There you have it—a stark contrast between two types of God.
The choice is not really between a cool God and a mean one. The issue goes deeper. The worship of creation is our attempt to fill the gaping hole made by our refusal to worship the true God, who created all things. In Romans 1:18–20, Paul makes a series of earth-shaking statements about human beings who stand before the Creator. They know God, but “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” about him (v 18). They know God because “what can be known about God is plain . . . . in the things that have been made” (vv 19–20).
They know God exists and long to connect with him, yet deliberately reject him and the evidence of his creative handiwork.
G. K. Chesterton said, “When men cease to believe in God they do not believe in nothing; they believe in anything!” The Lie about God is a substitute, taken from within creation. This is One-ism, or paganism (paganus comes from the Latin word meaning “of the earth”). In Paul’s words, “they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (v 23).
To learn more about one-ism and two-ism and see how it plays out in all kinds of ways in our church and culture, come to the Exchange conference in San Diego. Mark Driscoll, Peter Jones, Francis Chan, Kevin DeYoung, and others will teach you how to distinguish the Truth from the Lie in all of life. Exchange is June 17 & 18 in San Diego, California. Find out more.
Mark Driscoll, Peter Jones, Francis Chan, Kevin DeYoung, and others will teach you how to distinguish the Truth from the Lie in all of life at the Exchange Conference.
For years I have been seeking terms to identify the enemy of the Christian faith in the modern world, since you cannot engage an enemy until you have clearly identified it. An enemy that describes itself or “frames the issues” in its favor will always wear camouflage, and will catch you in a catastrophic ambush.
Truth is framed by the social and religious Left as cutting-edge, late-breaking, progressive thinking for “freedom” and “equality.” Biblical notions are dismissed as “repressive,” “backward-looking,” “old-school.”
In fact, everyone’s spirituality is old. In the yoga gyms in LA they go back to 6th-century BC Buddha! Deep ecologists promote the worship of Nature found in ancient Native American spirituality.
J. Gresham Machen, the great early-twentieth-century defender of biblical orthodoxy, already saw through this in 1925:
In 1898 the brilliant theologian Abraham Kuyper, Prime Minister of Holland, observed:
Indeed, the real issues are virtually timeless, “as old as the hills,” two ageless, contradictory ways of seeing reality. One constantly tries to cover itself in the false claim of newness, though among those in the know, it calls itself the Perennial [perpetual] Philosophy. The other is happy and proud to admit its age.
I have tried to come up with a “frame” to help Christians speak the truth of the Gospel with confidence and clarity in our culture and time.
I began with Christianity vs. Paganism, but people saw “pagan” as an insult. I then used the terms Theism (the biblical notion of the Creator/creature distinction) vs. Monism (the theory of All is One), but some complained that this was all too abstract and intimidating.
My final attempt is about as simple as it gets: One-ism vs. Two-ism. Everyone can count from one to two, and indeed my next book to appear this spring, an application of Romans 1 for the 21st century, is entitled One or Two: Seeing a World of Difference. For 2000 years Romans 1:25 laid out One-ism and Two-ism right under our noses. Here Paul defines these two antithetical ways of thinking as “The Lie” (worshiping creation and believing that all is one) or “The Truth” (worshiping the Creator and recognizing two distinct realities—God the Creator, and everything else, which is created).
These simple categories of One-ism and Two-ism indicate that truth is both much bigger than you could imagine, and far simpler than you have been told. In South America where I spoke, they now use “un-ismo” and “dos-ismo”; a missionary in Malaysia who heard me speak in Indonesia tells me they now use the terms in Malaysia; Mark Driscoll effectively used them in his debate with Deepak Chopra on national TV—and that is “the origin of a conference.”
Mark and I dreamed up a conference that would apply these terms to various areas of Christian thinking and living—worship, law, education, sexuality, family, social justice, and Gospel preaching—in order to open the mouths of Christians to witness about Jesus without fear of intimidation. The conference is called Exchange: The Truth & The Lie, and it's June 17-18, 2010, in San Diego.
Come to the Exchange conference this summer and learn with many other Christians how to celebrate the beauty and the glory of biblical Two-ness. Let’s raise a banner to the honor of our transcendent, wholly other Lord who, in Jesus, came with unparalleled condescension into our created world to restore us to fellowship with him.
Do you see it? This is not just theory. Without Two-ism you have no Gospel to preach.
P.S. There are a few very large churches in our area who are keen to have their congregations attend, so if you want a seat, register now. I look forward to meeting you there!
You can watch an interview Pastor Mark did with Dr. Jones in 2008.
June 17-18, San Diego: A conference about identifying the Truth and the Lie of life. Learn more.
This series deals with acupuncture and provides a guide for careful Christian engagement with this eastern healing practice. Here are quick links to each part in the series:
Get all the audio and video content from D.A. Carson's lectures at Mars Hill Church in December 2008. Read More.
Eastern Healing Series: Click | View Series
Continued from: Part 7
Now with a foundational understanding of the basics of Eastern healing practices and some elements of alternative healing, we can begin to carefully evaluate the various practices in alternative medicine. This vast subject requires a basic blueprint that would assist the Christian in knowing what to receive, redeem, reject, and relate in the faith experience. This is essential because every successive generation that is not given proper education about these Eastern practices endangers Christendom.
There is evidence that Christians accept and reject practices which they do not understand. I have personally seen devastating outcomes when Christians accepted and allowed healing practices that are clearly anti-theistic (anti-God) and were seriously injured as a result. Conversely, I have seen Christians reject valuable healing resources that are biblically safe. By basing their opinion on hearsay rather than researching and investigating for themselves, they give a valuable practice the reputation of being satanic. Guessing is not a safe option here; knowledge and understanding is crucial.
Christian, you must know how serious this is. The church as a whole is threatened by the dangerous encroachment of Eastern philosophy, which we are warned not to embrace. In 2 Peter 2:17-19 we are warned not to be given to false teaching:"Those false teachers are like springs without water and clouds blown by a storm. A place in the blackest darkness has been kept for them. They brag with words that mean nothing. By their evil desires they lead people into the trap of sin--people who are just beginning to escape from others who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are not free. They are slaves of things that will be destroyed. For people are slaves of anything that controls them." (New Century Version)
I believe that the "4 R" evaluation method above will be very valuable to assess whether or not certain practices are acceptable. It is very simple to use, and I will provide the basic blueprint of this method in the following posts. At the very least the Christian will be able after this evaluation to deduce what aspects of a particular practice does or does not violate Christian faith, theology, and doctrine, and see more clearly the reasons why acceptance or rejection is necessary.
To be continued.
Eastern Healing Series: Click | View Series
Continued from: Part 6
"The true Christian life, true spirituality, is not merely a negative not-doing of any small list of things. Even if the list began as a very excellent list of things to beware of in that particular historic setting, we still must emphasize that the Christian life, or true spirituality, is more than refraining from a certain external list of taboos in a mechanical way."
—Francis Schaeffer (True Spirituality)
Every Christian needs some form of healing spiritually, emotionally and physically. The overwhelming number of healing resources available for the Christian is exhausting. There are many authors with many views, some claiming to be Christian. The lists and requirements go on ad infinitum. As Christians we need to know that our spirituality can be seriously altered if we allow false teachings and dark practices to become the staples of our total healing and well-being. Any healing practices must first be carefully researched and verified as to whether they are in line with the Christian worldview and are theologically sound.
True spirituality involves knowing the ultimate effects that a healing practice may have upon total well-being, not just developing a list of practices to stay away from. It understands the eternal threat some practices pose if embraced and integrated in experience.
Francis Schaeffer says it well:
"The Bible makes the possibility of healing very clear, and our experience confirms this teaching. We have seen times in which God reached down into history and completely healed, either physically or psychologically, at a certain point of time. But we must point out that both Scripture and experience show that while sometimes God does this, sometimes He does not. This is not always a matter of faith, or of the lack of faith. God is personal, and He has his own purposes: God is not a mechanical dispensing machine. Just because a person is not healed physically, we must not assume that this necessarily implies a lack of faith. . . . (True Spirituality)
The Scripture is clear on all types of occult art and practice. The use of crystals, jewels, dust of precious metals, tarot cards, ritualistic use of plants, animal parts, and other elements, metaphysical and transcendental meditation, and any sacrificial ritual is clearly anti-theistic in nature. The worship of nature is not the same as worship of the Creator of nature. God can and does use the beauty of nature, the healing principles of plants, and the healing retreats of deep reflection, contemplation, and prayer to achieve his healing work. God is not the inventor of magic, nor does he need it to accomplish his complete work of healing in his highest creation of humankind. C. S. Lewis warns that beyond the obvious practical benefits of modern scientific advance, there may emerge a kind of religious energy very much like the old occult arts:
There is something which unites magic and applied science while separating both from the "wisdom" of earlier ages. For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men. (The Abolition of Man)
To be continued.
Part of the Eastern Healing series.
Continued from Part 5.
All of the following theories are pagan in nature and none of the philosophical views are Christian whatsoever. The goal here is that by understanding the foundational philosophies of these theories that are anti-God, Christians can discern where these philosophies have crept in to some healing practices. We can then carefully weed out the bad elements in order not to allow other gods in under the guise of Christian faith.
Mary Baker Eddy is the founder of Christian Science and its healing system. Metaphysical healing and psychosomatic healing are strong systems in Christian Science. It acknowledges that the power of healing comes from a Supreme Being, but it denies that the power of healing belongs to the only true God in and through his Son Jesus Christ.
The basic views of Christian Science deny the existence of the Trinity and the redemptive work of Christ:
The basis of her theory is best framed in her own words: "I submitted my metaphysical system of treating disease to the broadest practical tests. Since then this system has gradually gained ground, and has proved itself, whenever scientifically employed, to be the most effective curative agent in medical practice."
Scientology views man as a sole spiritual being and denies that God created this spirit being. It is centrally humanistic, based upon human intellect and evolutionary thought. In fact, this theory affirms that man deteriorates to the degree that he denies his spiritual nature and ceases to live with moral values, such as trust, honesty, integrity, and other sometimes intangible characteristics.
Though this all sounds good, humankind is left without the source that gives hope to live life with moral values, trust, honesty, and integrity. It is impossible to please God without the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of all healing.
Scientology strongly draws upon the metaphysical healing theory and has specific names for different types of healing. They are known as "assists," and there are several different types, including contact, touch, nerve, and location process assists.
"An assist, then, can be described as a Scientology process which is done to alleviate a present time discomfort. A process is an exact series of directions or sequence of actions taken to accomplish a desired result. There are many processes contained in the materials of Scientology, but assists make up a class of processes in themselves." (Scientology Handbook)
Again, we see the denial of the Supreme God, the Trinity, and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. I love the words of John Piper that sum up all that is contrary to our infinite personal God: "If all the universe and everything in it exist by the design of an infinite, personal God to make his manifold glory known and loved, then to treat any subject without reference to God's glory is not scholarship, but insurrection." (The Pleasures of God)
Continued from Part 4.
All of the following theories are pagan in nature and none of the philosophical views are Christian whatsoever. The goal here is that by understanding the foundational philosophies of these theories that are anti-God, Christians can discern where these philosophies have crept in to some healing practices. We can then carefully weed out the bad elements in order not to allow other gods in under the guise of Christian faith.
The theory of evolution can contain both theistic (Intelligent Design) and atheistic elements (Darwinism). In general it is the view that the cosmos has developed from crude, homogenous material to its present state. Darwinist evolution is anti-theistic. Charles Hodge states,
"God has revealed his existence and his government of the world so clearly and so authoritatively, that any philosophical or scientific speculations inconsistent with those truths are like cobwebs in the track of a tornado. They offer no sensible resistance. The mere naturalist, the man devoted so exclusively to the study of nature as to believe in nothing but natural causes, is not able to understand the strength with which moral and religious convictions take hold of the minds of men. These convictions, however, are the strongest, the most ennobling, and the most dangerous for any class of men to disregard or ignore." (Systematic Theology)
This evolutionary worldview is integrated in many alternative forms of healing.
This is basically a system of psychological criteria that denies the reality of the soul as a psychical being. This theory states that the facts of experience are all to be explained by reference to the reality, activities, and laws of physical and material substance. This is definitely seen in mind control and elements of psychology.
The belief that there are thousands of gods. This is part of the fundamental doctrine of Animism, Hinduism, Wicca, and the New Age philosophy.
Pantheism is the first logical consequence of animism: All the world is divine. A mountain is god, a rock, an animal; anything that is part of nature is god. There is no creator; it is all god.
The theory of positivism basically assumes that humankind's knowledge is restricted to phenomena, and humans can know of these only in part.
The term "metaphysics" refers to what Aristotle claimed to be "a science which investigates being as being and the attributes which belong to this in virtue of its own nature." He distinguished this "science" from all the "so-called special sciences," for none of them dealt "generally with being as being." Although the etymology and traditional use of the term "ontology" makes it a synonym of "metaphysics," its meaning has become narrowed in contemporary philosophy. This constriction began with Immanuel Kant's theoretical separation of reality from the appearance of reality and the limitation of human knowledge to the latter.
Within the realm of healing the theory applies mainly to the mind as being the central place of healing. It places less emphasis upon the healing of the spirit. Christian healing emphasizes healing of the spirit, soul, and physical body in harmony with God's design.
The metaphysical system of healing claims to restore harmony and health to mind and body to those who accept and recognize the supremacy of divine Mind. This metaphysical Mind-healing system is based on the spiritual power of the divine Science of Mind and affirmative prayers bringing health and harmony in every situation.
To be continued
Continued from Part 3.
In order to properly discern particulars in Eastern and alternative healing practices that may be misleading and deceptive, one must realize that there are many forms of anti-theism in the matrix of these practices and teachings. Once elements of these false theories can be properly identified and discarded, there may be some valuable usable parts that are in perfect harmony with biblical healing. God gives us discernment and wisdom when we ask for it, and now is a good time to ask for it.
All of the following theories are pagan in nature and none of the philosophical views are Christian whatsoever. The goal here is that by understanding the foundational philosophies of these theories that are anti-God, Christians can discern where these philosophies have crept in to some healing practices. We can then carefully weed out the bad elements in order not to allow other gods in under the guise of Christian faith. There are many anti-theistic theories, but I will only briefly discuss those that are relevant to our topic.
Before we discuss anti-theistic theories, we must know what theism is all about. Christianity is theistic, meaning that we believe in one God existing in the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Lewis Sperry Chafer defines it well:
"Theism means a belief in God and in its naturalistic form is a rational philosophy regarding God which is restricted to the one divine Essence. Biblical theism believes that Essence, according to revelation, subsists in three Persons. As a rationalistic philosophy, naturalistic theism is sustained by the traditional arguments already considered, and may be distinguished from certain antitheistic theories." (Systematic Theology)
Atheism: An open and positive denial of the existence of God. Chafer writes, "To the atheist the material universe is only an accident and all its marvels of coordination and development are fortuitous. He knows no cause for anything, even his own existence. He has no hope for himself in time or eternity. When he denies the existence of God it is by an assumption of knowledge which transcends the limitations which his negative creed allows." (Systematic Theology)
Agnosticism: Not knowing whether God exists. "The term agnostic comes from the Greek gnosis, meaning "knowledge," accompanied by the a prefix. Therefore, an agnostic means one who lacks knowledge of God. Hence, an agnostic is one who says we cannot know that God even exists. The term, first coined by Thomas Huxley, covers varying degrees of skepticism. Agnostics are followers of pragmatism; their belief in something has to be scientifically verifiable, and because God is not scientifically verifiable, they leave Him out of their discussion." (Paul Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology)
Animism: The theory that everything has a soul, including physical objects of nature and the heavens. For the Animist, God is not a person, just as for the Hindu, god is the Energy, the Force, the Power, the Universal Mind, the Absolute, the Unknown, the Divine Being: not a "he" but an "it." It is not somebody but something. This "god" is powerful, able to get wonderful things for you if you use magic and worship this Force or Energy.
To be continued.
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