It is sad but true, very many born-again Christians in twenty-first century America have a very deep theological faith. Many 'in the church' are not even saved. But even true believers are so influenced by what I call the "American Occulture" that many would not recognize sin if it knocked their Kindle out of their hand. Whenever something has the word "Christian" placed in front of it, they breathe a sigh of relief and dive right in! "It's
Christian-
it even SAYS SO! It
must be good for me!" Meanwhile, the Holy Bible collects dust...the American Occulture is now the final authority instead of the Word of God.
The senses are dulled, the church is deeply asleep, and the door is wide open for false doctrine to take root. This is exactly what has happened especially over the past forty years in America. Now we have "Christian-rock," "Christian-yoga," "Christian-dance clubs" and "Christian-movies," all in the name of being seeker friendly. But instead of the church seeking and affecting the lost, what has happened is; the world has sought after and corrupted the church. Our enemy Satan is having his way with the church.
Christians need to WAKE UP!
1 Timothy 4 warns "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;" This warning most certainly applies to this age we are living in. To attempt to articulate the amount of error and blatant heresy in this modern American "Christian" Occulture, would be a bit fultile. It can't be cataloged by a human but I assure you, Almighty God is keeping track. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." (Jesus Christ, Revelation 22:12)
I would like to address a matter of grave importance, a doctrine that has crept into the church unawares so-to-speak. This would be the doctrines of "Christian-Psychology." Most of the "Christian-psychology is masked in terms not understood by the well meaning general church going believer. Because terms like 'Christian Concepts' are in the title, or because scripture is inserted or used in the therapy, it has been "Christianized." What I would like to warn the brethren about is something called "Theophostic Counseling." Don't stop reading! (I know that term sounds oh-so boring, but read on, beloved.)
The "Inner Healing" movement is based on eastern-mystycism, and it was mainly introduced to 'the church' through a woman named Agnes Sanford.
She was demon possessed when she wrote her famous book The Healing Light.
The following is a transcript from Berean Call radio, Dave Hunt and T.A. McMahon:
Does no one have any discernment? And John and Paula Sanford, they were associated with her for years, they have denounced us, and yet they admit that she was involved in Unity, in spiritualism, in occultism. John even declared that she had been unsaved and demon possessed at the time she wrote The Healing Light , and founded the schools of pastoral care where he taught with her and that he led her to Christ and cast the demon out in 1964! Yet they are studying inner healing and learning it from this woman!
Tom:
Right. Dave, one of the tragedies of this movement, especially as it was taken to heart in many Christian circles, was repressed memories and healing of memories.
Dave:
Right, she’s the one who led the church into the healing of memories. (end transcript)
Of course Agnes Sanford's demonic ideas all line up with Jungian psychology, too. These teachings deceive the church into using dangerous and forbidden spiritual practices, and lead the church further away from the sufficiency of God’s Word.
(the following is quoted from http://agnessanford.wwwhubs.com/)
Agnes Sanford believed “experience comes before theology.” She taught various visualization techniques, teaching that one could forgive another's sins through visualization. The technique of visualization became the key to her inner healing teachings. One visualizes a situation in the past, then visualizes Jesus coming into their circumstance to solve the problem. She stated “I believe imagination is one of the most important keys to effective praying . . . God touches me through my imagination . . . Imagination is one of the keys to the relationship of prayer with God.” “Prayer through the imagination . . . picturing the healing.” She also promoted Jungian psychotherapy, and believed Jesus became a part of the collective unconscious of the human race. Sanford called God “primal energy,” “the very life-force existing in a radiation of an energy ... from which all things evolved,” that “God ... made everything out of Himself and He put a part of Himself into everything” and called Jesus “that most profound of psychiatrists.” Sanford's pastor was Morton Kelsey who studied at the C.G. Jung Institute near Zurich, Switzerland, and who became a Jungian psychologist, as did Sanford's son, John Sanford.
Agnes Sanford began a healing ministry in the '40s; received Pentecostal exp., in '53/54; pioneered teaching for the "healing of memories"; part of the "positive thinking" movement she presented God's healing work as following the laws of nature and positive thinking; she believed that God could work through "good" spirits as well as the spirits of people who have died; she taught that God used some mediums to heal; she believed that angels and dead saints could "speak and act in and through us."
Occult practices such as Listening Prayer and Visualization are encouraged and used by John Regier's 'Biblical Concepts in Counseling.' Many well meaning believers are being taught to focus on their past pain, negative feelings and emotions, and achieve inner healing through these occult procedures. They are encouraged to find root causes of certain sins. None of this is taught in the Holy Bible! These practices are ALL rooted in the occult, and many New-Age Healers site John Regier as a mentor in their journey to the new age!
I can guarantee you, when I google Pastor Adrian Rogers, I don't find any new-age guru's hailing HIM as their mentor! Inner Healing is the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, it is called regeneration and it happens when a sinner is born again!! *
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:5-7
AMEN!
We need to wake up, repent from using these "Occultural" materials, and trust CHRIST alone as our healer!! We are not victims!! We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who loves us!!!
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new." 2Cr 5:17
"
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."
Psa 103:12
"
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1Jo 1:9
"
Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins."
Psa 25:18
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things. Phl 4:8
It is high time the Christian church in America to wake up, stop playing with the 'Christianized' Occulture
, look to the Word of GOD as our FINAL authority, and kick Satan out of our homes, our personal spiritual relationship with Christ, and kick that father of lies out of church!!!
* if you need to know what it means be saved, born again, see the message at this link, or read John chapter 3 in the King James Bible, and the book of Romans for starters
http://brianmoonan.blogspot.com/2011/08/heaven-or-hell.html
