Critical Issues Commentary A BIBLICALLY BASED COMMENTARY ON ISSUES THAT IMPACT YOU July/August 2004 Issue Number 83 found in the Bible. I will claim that CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN DIVINATION those who borrow practices from the B Y B OB D E W AAY pagans and try to use them as means to come to God sin in the same manner “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with Jeroboam sinned. great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves CAN MAN DECIDE HOW teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the TO COME TO GOD? truth, and will turn aside to myths.” (2Timothy 4:2-4) In the previous issue of CIC, I argued that methods are not neutral: either here was a king in Israel who decid- of Aaron’s words. C. F. Keil comments, humans can come to the true God by any ed that he could set up his own “What Jeroboam meant to say by the means that they see fit or God restricts Tway of coming to God. This king’s words, ‘Behold thy God,’ etc., was, ‘this the means by which we can come to story will provide a needed warning for is no new religion, but this was the form Him. This was proven by the fact that those today that do likewise. of worship which our fathers used in the various forms of divination are forbidden The king was Jeroboam. Jeroboam desert, with Aaron himself leading the where divination is defined as any tech- received a prophecy that God was going way.’”1 He did not mean that the calves nique used to gain secret information to tear 10 tribes away from Solomon literally brought them out, but that they that God has not chosen to reveal. If and give them to him (1Kings 11:31) were representative of God who had we could come by any means, then tarot because of the idolatry of Solomon brought them out. Keil goes on to argue cards, Ouija boards, crystal balls, psychic (1Kings 11:33). Solomon then decided that rather than instituting an entirely powers, etc. could all legitimately be to put Jeroboam to death, but Jeroboam different religion, Jeroboam was altering used to contact God. Since certain tech- fled to Egypt until Solomon died (1Kings the worship of God to suit his religious niques are forbidden, then the claim that 11:40). At Solomon’s death the proph- and political needs. Says Keil, “The sin humans can come to God by any means ecy came true and Jeroboam became of which Jeroboam was guilty consisted whatsoever is unbiblical. Therefore, we king over the 10 northern tribes. in the fact that he no longer allowed the conclude that God has restricted the However, once God had made people to go to the house of the Lord means of coming to Him and worship- Jeroboam king, Jeroboam became con- in Jerusalem, but induced or compelled ping Him. cerned. He reasoned: “If this people go up them to worship Jehovah before one or There are restrictions. The question to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at the other of the calves which he had is, “Who determines them?” The options Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will set up . .”2 are that individuals determine them for return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king Jeroboam thought he could come themselves, church traditions determine of Judah; and they will kill me and return to to God anyway that he saw fit, that the restrictions, or the Scriptures deter- Rehoboam king of Judah” (1Kings 12:27). he could institute his own version of mine the restrictions. I argue that if So, being a pragmatist, he set up two worshipping God. Prophets of God spoke individuals determine the restrictions for convenient houses of worship: Dan in to him (1Kings 11:31; 13:1; 14:7-10) themselves, there are no restrictions. A the northern part of the realm and Bethel and he was healed by God (1Kings good example is Morton Kelsey, the most in the southern. Then he made priests 13:6), but in the end he was judged as an prolific writer among twentieth century out of non-Levites and instituted his evil doer (1Kings 14:10-14). Jeroboam Christian mystics. Kelsey, open to any own feast day, hoping to keep the people saw no need to follow the prescriptions religious practice that will help in the from going to Jerusalem as required by of Torah concerning how Israel was to “inner journey,” writes, “The inner jour- Torah. worship God. How wrong he was! ney is as individual as our thumbprint. To further make the new way of wor- I believe that God reveals the only We need to guide others on their way shipping God amenable to the people, means by which we can legitimately come and never impose our way upon them.”3 he placed a golden calf in each place of to Him. In this article we will examine Many Christian mystics opt for the worship: “So the king consulted, and made the claims of contemporary Christian second option -- church traditions. They two golden calves, and he said to them, ‘It mystics who assert that they have dis- find that mystics and their practices is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; covered methods to contact God, hear existed from the very early days of church behold your gods, O Israel, that brought His voice, and even see inner images of history.4 It is surprising that contempo- you up from the land of Egypt’” (1King Jesus that come alive and speak: methods rary evangelicals sometimes cite Catholic 12:28). His words reminded the people borrowed from worldly sources and not and Eastern Orthodox traditions to jus- July/August 2004 2 Issue Number 83 tify their practices; but many do. They divine “force” is within each person to Pharisees took an inward journey using usually try to also find Biblical support, be tapped into if they only knew the laws meditative techniques they would find but such support cannot be found with- that govern that force.7 God’s kingdom! out twisting the Scriptures. Another twentieth century mystic I believe that Scripture alone deter- who taught of the kingdom within was ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS mines the valid means of coming to Ruth Carter Stapleton, the 1970’s teach- In 1980, the movie “Altered States” was God. The Scripture reveals one obvious er of inner healing and sister of President released. It was about a man who used restriction: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Jimmy Carter. She wrote, “The concen- hallucinatory mushrooms and an isola- way, and the truth, and the life; no one trated mind is more amazing. It can tion chamber to achieve a terrifying comes to the Father, but through Me’” become a vehicle for communicating altered state of consciousness. The movie (John 14:6). The Bible not only reveals with the core of our being which Jesus showed the dangers of such a journey. 8 the only way to salvation, but it also called ‘the kingdom of God within.’” Interestingly, many of the teachers of provides the means of grace for living the Morton Kelsey also taught this: Christian mysticism also warn of dangers Christian life. God does not leave this up “What meditation does mean is a way that lurk for those who journey within. to man’s ingenuity. He has not left us to for us to unlock and open the door to Kelsey, who learned his version of sift through the religious practices of the the kingdom of heaven. Jesus began his Christian mysticism by integrating many cultures of the world in order to choose ministry by proclaiming that this holy diverse religious practices with the depth 9 which ones to “Christianize.” Those who kingdom was within us and among us.” psychology of Carl Jung,12 claimed that do are modern day Jeroboams who will Jose Silva taught that the kingdom of below our rational consciousness lays a not grant to God the right to tell them God was within us and that we needed whole inner world where one meets the how God will be worshipped. to get into an alpha brain wave level and “Other.”13 The problem is that when our right brain hemispheres to unlock people learn techniques to access this 10 THE CLAIMS OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICS the powers of the kingdom of God. inner realm beyond the conscious mind, Silva is the founder of the Silva Mind In the past few weeks I have studied they often meet horrible forces of dark- Control method that boasted 6 million many books written by Christian mystics ness. According to Kelsey, evil exists followers in the 1980’s, but Silva is rarely between 1947 and 2004. Comparing their there that is both intrinsic and extrinsic confused with evangelicals. 14 teachings, one to another, has led me to to the human psyche. Some who go on Mystics latch onto the idea of the conclude that these mystics differ little this journey do not have a strong ego kingdom within because the idea gives a in their practices and their use of the and a strong connection to the outer, compelling reason for a “journey inward.” 15 Bible. I will cite many of their works, material world, and cannot get back.