Posted on 02/27/2014 6:43:38 AM PST by Gamecock
I keep hoping that the fascination with Sarah Young's bestseller Jesus Calling will fade away. If you are not familiar with Jesus Calling, it is a book of 365 daily devotions that the author claims are messages from Jesus spoken directly to her. In fact the book is written in the first person from Jesus. If this troubles you at all then you are not alone. If you have spoken up about it you have very likely encountered the wrath of well meaning brothers and sisters who no doubt wonder how in the world you could speak against such a sincere offering.
For the sake of clarity allow me to make a few things clear. First, I do not know Sara Young and therefore gladly assume that her motives are good. I do not believe that she wrote Jesus Calling to confuse anyone or cause division in the church. I believe that she believes Jesus speaks directly to her outside of the Bible.
Second, I have not spoken to Sara Young and do not plan on contacting her personally. She has not sinned against me. I point this out so that no one will misapply Matthew 18. Miss Young has written an enormous bestseller. Her books are read by millions of men and women around the world. Therefore it is appropriate for critiques to be offered publically. And since I believe Jesus Calling to be unhelpful, misleading, and even dangerous, it is my responsibility as a pastor to say so.
As I see it Sarah Young commits at least three errors in Jesus Calling:
1. She distorts the biblical doctrines of revelation and inspiration.
Miss Young claims a kind of direct revelation that even the apostles did not claim. While Paul gives evidence that he knew at times that what he was writing was by way of revelation he does not write with the claim of direct dictation from Jesus as Young does. That is why I am confused by what she writes in the introduction that her book is not inerrant as is the Bible. Follow me here. She claims that Jesus has given her the words she has written. She is, in her mind, quite literally quoting Jesus. Why in the world is her book, then, not inerrant or authoritative? Has she not claimed divine inspiration, indeed dictation? When does Jesus speak in a way that is errant and un-authoritative? This is a troubling and confused view of revelation and inspiration.
At a church where I previously served, an elder expressed concern to me that an adult Sunday School class was using Jesus Calling as "a supplement to the Bible." But if we believe Miss Young's claims we should not only use Jesus Calling as a supplement to our Bibles but as the next testament.
2. She undermines the sufficiency of Scripture.
In the introduction of Jesus Calling Miss Young states that while she had the Bible, she desired more. She desired a voice from God that was more direct, more immediate, more tailor made for her. Sadly, what she does not understand is that God does not promise us unmediated access. Indeed we have no unmediated access to God. God has given us his divinely appointed means of grace by which we hear him speak and experience his presence. The means of grace are the preaching of the Word and the Sacraments. It seems that Miss Young desires an experience of God (and encourages her readers to seek an experience of God) that is outside his promised means.
God is a speaking God to be sure. He has spoken and continues to speak to his people. In past days of redemptive history God spoke in various ways through the prophets and apostles (Heb 1:1-2). But the canon is now closed. We live in that privileged age of redemptive history where we possess God's completed and inscripturated Word. It is a living and active Word. It is an unerring and authoritative Word. It is also a sufficient Word not needing to be supplemented by extra-biblical voices, messages, revelations, or vague murmurings.
How about we try this: Once we fully exhaust the vast revelation of God given to us in the Scriptures we can then worry about finding additional messages from Jesus.
3. She misrepresents Jesus.
The Jesus of Jesus Calling does not sound like the Jesus of the Bible. His messages to Miss Young are largely therapeutic. The Jesus of Jesus Calling never commands. He never preaches God's holy law. It should be no surprise that Miss Young's Jesus sounds much like a 21st century American woman with 21st century western concerns. This is not meant as a slight against Young. Indeed, if I began writing messages from Jesus I imagine he would sound a lot like a balding middle-aged American man.
In this way Jesus Calling comes dangerously close to blasphemy. That is, admittedly, a serious charge. I thought about it and decided the charge was appropriate. After all, if Sarah Young is not receiving direct revelation from Jesus; if she is not quoting Jesus then she is putting words in his mouth. She is attributing to Jesus 365 days worth of messages that he never spoke. And that is a serious error. It is bad enough to put words in the mouths of a friend or stranger. It is bad enough to say, "My neighbor said so-and-so" when they said nothing of the kind. That is bearing false witness. It is, in a word, lying. It seems to me the offense is infinitely magnified if we put words in the mouth of our Lord. Is it not a serious matter to say, "Jesus said," when he most certainly did not?
No doubt Miss Young did not intend her book to be divisive. But it has become quite divisive. I know of many pastors and elders who have spoken about their concerns only to be met with sharp criticism as a result. These faithful men have been excoriated and accused of being unloving because they take seriously their calling to watch over the flock of God. Miss Young bears a level of responsibility in this. She has written a book that claims direct revelation from Jesus. The true believers therefore are understandably upset, angry, etc. when a pastor or elder criticizes these supposed words from our Lord. Paul makes it clear in Romans 16 that those who cause division within the church are not those who cling to sound doctrine but those who depart from it.
As I wrote above, I keep hoping the Jesus Calling phenomena will fade. But that does not seem to be happening. Indeed there are a variety of spin-off publications. Miss Young's messages from Jesus have become a big business. At the risk of sounding cynical, the good folks at Thomas Nelson have made a lot of money on Jesus Calling and its various spin-offs. They no doubt want the messages to keep coming. It is simple supply and demand. There is a demand among evangelicals for direct encounters with God, extra-biblical messages, and a Jesus who sounds like us. I will not try to discern the motives of Sarah Young. To do so would be a sin. But is there any doubt that the publishing company has a wonderful plan for Young's life? It is a rare thing for a book to sell as well as Jesus Calling. Every publishing house, particularly a Christian publishing house dreams of such success. It only makes sense for Thomas Nelson to want lightening to strike twice.
But my FRiend, this IS THE VERY BATTLE that we should be fighting right now. The "battle" for America is being fought in heaven as well as on earth. America is one of the last bastions of Christianity left on earth. If Satan wants to win, he must destroy Christianity, and when Christianity is destroyed (or radically weakened) in America, then so is America, as we knew it, gone. The heresy of New Age spiritualism is fooling many many Christians and weakening many many churches.
Politically, America has most likely passed the point of no return and it is going to take a miracle (God's Mercy and Grace) to pull us out of this. Just as the Old Testament recounts God's bringing Israel out of their self-inflected bondage quite a few times, when they turned back to Him. And I think if you are truly Christian, you will KNOW this to be true without a doubt in your heart. And you will also know that our Republican form of government cannot exist in a Godless society.
It is sad that publishers like Thomas Nelson are putting out this type of books. They used to have standards.
My copy doesn't just have the scriptural references but the scripture supporting the daily devotional printed out as well. The devotional doesn't contradict the scripture IMO.
Much ado about nothing.
Exactly. I don't know how that can not bother people. Do the defenders of this book believe that Jesus really did dictate these words to this author? Aren't they at least a little concerned that there may be errors in it?
***but there are many battles we can and should fight right now***
Who won Israel’s battles?
God did.
When Israel didn’t worship God properly they were cast out of the land.
It’s time to repent of silliness like this, as well as the fluff that passes for American Christianity and return to the God of the Bible.
Stuff like this mocks God and He is not amused.
She claims to speak with Jesus and recieve new interpretations of the Bible.
That is heresy.
There are many such books, the classic “The Imitation of Christ” comes to mind. This is private revelation. Most Catholic saints have written journals, later turned in to books, with their own revelations. While they may be sound theology, we do not know as yet. The Catholic Church does review all writings for accuracy before a saint is canonized. As a Catholic, I stick to those writings for inspiration, should I be so predisposed to read them. There are many such writings with purported revelation from Jesus. While I believe that God is talking to us daily, I choose not to pay too much attention to this.
I have not heard of this book before, though. Thanks for posting.
I agree with your take on this. Sounds new age to me. I had never heard of this until this thread, thanks for the heads up.
I note some on this thread seem to think this is but another “private revelation” similar to other books along this line. Not if this book gets “legs” and becomes a major devotional standard! Which, apparently it is doing.
You brought up this about Abraham and Isaak. Makes one wonder how many other such like things there are in the book. For those of us who haven’t read the book, can you give other examples?
Many in the New Age Spirituality movement and other false religions and cults make the same claim “For more”.....
In a manner of speaking they are accusing God of withholding “something else” from them they believe they should know or experience....so it's not only accusing God but it's a lack of faith in God to provide what He knows they need.
Additionally....What I have found in those who seek ‘Experiences’ rather than relying and trusting Christ alone...is the enemy of men's souls is quick to accommodate them.... .... He is known to transform himself into an angel of light, So as a result of what they experience they seek further experiences as “evidence” of their connection to God.....a dangerous path to tread as it stunts the growth once needs to “walk by faith” and conditions them to place their trust in what they experience with their senses.
Interesting enough is they will further rely on “others” experiences when they have gabs in theirs. Thus groups become codependent on one another rather than Christ.
The enemy knows if he can focus people on these experiences he can manipulate them them away from a relationship with Christ to a false sense of “spirituality” and security. Young's books and others like hers, and there are many, cause people to seek experiences over and above 'faith' in Jesus Christ and His Word. They instead use his word to justify what they do.
Nice post.
Now that I think about it “for more...” is nothing but good old fashioned gnosticism.
.....”One of the great dangers of this entire approach is that experience trumps Scripture because it is considered direct revelation to the individual”.....
Exactly...thus giving the individual a ‘false sense’ of security.
It is an especially difficult thing to assist individuals to seek the truth and rely on the scriptures once they become dependent on what ‘they believe’ they have experienced with their senses.
Most in the New Age Spirituality have no understanding in how the imaginations of the mind/brain can and does distort reality....further because they are “seeking” special encounters/experiences refuse to believe they can actually imagine these happening. They end up relying on these rather than Jesus Christ as evidence of their spiritual condition...or lack of.
New Age Spirituality falls under many sub-headings as well, which has infiltrated so many churches of all denominations. And most of those “practices” come directly from Eastern Mysticism and the various Gurus who years ago saw the USA as a rich ground for recruiting followers for monetary gain..and many came here for just that reason.
But the US has been, for years, departing the faith, which leaves a gap many false teachers are more than willing to fill, and do. There are other Movements fast now infiltrating even solid based Bible believing churches....From Prosperity Teachers, Motivational Instructors and the like to the fast growing 'Emergent Church Movement' the "push" is on.
These would not be spreading like wildfire were the people not "ripe" for the picking...reminding me that Jesus spoke of a great "falling away" from the truth.
New Age Spirituality falls under many sub-headings as well, which has infiltrated so many churches of all denominations. And most of those “practices” come directly from Eastern Mysticism and the various Gurus who years ago saw the USA as a rich ground for recruiting followers for monetary gain..and many came here for just that reason.
But the US has been, for years, departing the faith, which leaves a gap many false teachers are more than willing to fill, and do. There are other Movements fast now infiltrating even solid based Bible believing churches....From Prosperity Teachers, Motivational Instructors and the like to the fast growing 'Emergent Church Movement' the "push" is on.
These would not be spreading like wildfire were the people not "ripe" for the picking...reminding me that Jesus spoke of a great "falling away" from the truth.
These groups..Word of Faith....Emergient Church...New age deception...and their counterparts...... are steadily permeating the wheat field with tares while a lost and dying world is being ‘cross-evangelized by false apostles’ utterly incapable of presenting the true gospel; for they do not know it themselves.
“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. ...Jude 1:3,4
You would think people would find it strange that God had a message for our very day which he somehow omitted from his Word.... Is God forgetful?..... Is he incapable of putting the entirety of the revelation of himself into his Word?.......
It is even stranger that the utterly self-sacrificial prophets, apostles and disciples of the early church were somehow deemed unworthy to receive such revelations?.... which are suddenly today suppose to trump them and His written Word?
The “MORE” that is so common with all these encounters and many of the teachers who promote these experiences is exactly “Gnosticism”...just as you say. Only what we see today adds so much false teaching with it, that the Gospel Message is altogether suffocated or distorted from it’s intended message.....
The focus is always on the person and their “Experience”...Jesus and scripture are ‘added’ to give it the credibility and justification they desire to continue “believing” what they experience.
BTW “Believing in” what they experience is different from thinking it is so.
You would think people would find it strange that God had a message for our very day which he somehow omitted from his Word.... Is God forgetful?..... Is he incapable of putting the entirety of the revelation of himself into his Word?.......
It is even stranger that the utterly self-sacrificial prophets, apostles and disciples of the early church were somehow deemed unworthy to receive such revelations?.... which are suddenly today suppose to trump them and His written Word?
The “MORE” that is so common with all these encounters and many of the teachers who promote these experiences is exactly “Gnosticism”...just as you say. Only what we see today adds so much false teaching with it, that the Gospel Message is altogether suffocated or distorted from it’s intended message.....
The focus is always on the person and their “Experience”...Jesus and scripture are ‘added’ to give it the credibility and justification they desire to continue “believing” what they experience.
BTW “Believing in” what they experience is different from thinking it is so.
There are times that it seems some of my Christian friends spend more time with their devotionals than the Word of God. I’ve seen some good devotionals, but none are as good as the pure Word of God.
I have been studying the Bible almost 50 years and I still discover new things. Its wonderful how God will reveal a fresh perspective on a verse just when you need it. My Sister and I are constantly sharing our discoveries with each other like kids at Christmas. The Bible is like an inexhaustible mine full of God’s precious Wisdom waiting to be discovered.
His Word is ALIVE and POWERFUL. It is Spirit, full of Truth and relevant today, tomorrow, and forever.
If she has heard from the Lord, every word will agree with The Word. If it doesn’t, set it aside.
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