"Mainstream"

Winter 1994 Edition - Part One

"DO not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." (Matt 10:34-38)

Division is a word we are going to be hearing more and more. Some would have us believe that all division in the Church is a work of the devil. Is this true? Others expect division, but for the wrong reasons. Confusion reigns! The Toronto "renewal" has already caused much division. People are lining up for and against in an unprecedented way. No other dispute in recent Church history has had this effect - so what is happening?

LINE IN THE SAND

On both sides of the line, there is equal conviction. Each group claims to have God's blessing and to be in His will. Each group points to the other side as deceivers and persecutors of the true Church. Examining the claims and counter-claims will only lead to confusion; but as we shall see, there are reliable guidelines for making a decision.

However, understanding the present situation is not easy. Especially so when thinking and analysing are firmly discouraged. Rodney Howard Browne prays for his followers "Step over, step over, into the realm of the supernatural; step out of the realm of reason" as if the two are mutually exclusive.

At the Toronto Airport, this sort of prophecy is heard: "I shall SHOUT from Zion, saith God. I shall roar with victory! You will plunder the camp of the enemy! I am coming! I am a man of war! ...Do not allow your ears, do not allow your hearts to be turned to those that would say unto you "Be reasonable! Be rational! This is not logical." I say unto you, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. Allow Me, allow Me to speak, allow Me, allow Me to move through you!"

Logic is presented as being in conflict with the will of God, and the written Word is seen as a hindrance rather than a help. What is left? The feel-good factor! But trusting in feelings and experiences, instead of the commands of God, is an error as old as the Garden of Eden.

PROOF TEXTS GALORE

Toronto apologists have one string to their bow: "prove the manifestations are genuine and all is well." That is a very shallow and short-sighted view. Like a magician using sleight-of-hand, satan is focusing our attention on the noise and the razzmatazz, while behind his back he tinkers with the beliefs of the Church. If we are not careful, the experience itself will get all our attention while we lose sight of its ultimate intention. Don't forget that history has an agenda. God has his plan; Satan also has a plot and is busily working towards a definite end.

THE PLAN

PURPOSE = Dominion

PROBLEM = Dissent

SOLUTION = Purge

The goal of the new churches for years now has been, briefly, to convert the greater portion of the world's population and thus establish the kingdom on earth before the return of Christ. Nothing has been changed by this spiritual outpouring. On the contrary, the empowerment now coming on churches is seen as central to the accomplishment of this goal!

Here are two statements made at a meeting at the Airport Vineyard on 14th October 1994:

"And I'll say this, and I'll say it publicly, 'cause Mike Bickle said it for years publicly. The Lord has showed him that the Lord is going to bring in one billion souls in the sweep of time. A billion souls will come into the kingdom." (Wes Campbell)

"Oh Lord we thank You for this wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We thank You for it, that You are pouring out Your Spirit so that we might have power to be a witness, to reach the 5, 6 billion people in the world. Half of them have never heard Your name. Lord God, this is not about manifestations, this is about the power of the Holy Ghost to win the whole world, to see the whole earth filled with the glory of God. To see the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God, and that the whole earth might be filled with Your mighty glory". (Bob Weiner)

Already the talk is of the "next move". Supposedly, there is to be a time of repentance, holiness and greater unity in all the churches, leading to the long-awaited global revival. Sounds good? So did the idea of eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in God's Garden of Eden!

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the Woman, the Church of Christ, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not be victorious over all the works of the devil?"

"And the Woman said unto the serpent, 'We are more than conquerors in Him, but in the endtimes there shall come tribulation, and all the world shall follow the Beast'."

  And the serpent said unto the woman, "Nay, for Jesus said the Church would prevail against the gates of hell and transform your feet into feet that can go forward with the gospel against the gates of hell [Marc Dupont, prophecy May 1992] and ye shall not surely suffer nor be defeated."

"For God doth know that in the day ye come into the fullness of his power and begin to use the authority he hath given you in the earth, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil, without having to refer to the Bible. And Behold, you shall be ONE harmonious Body, having one aim, one heart and one mind, and now nothing will be restrained from you, which you have visualised you can do." (Gen 11:6)  

And when the woman saw that this would be a very good thing, and that she needed deeper revelation to understand it, and that she needed power to do it, she took in her hand the golden cup brimming over with the new wine of Toronto, and did "take a deep drink" (RHB), and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did drink; and then he took authority over the members of his church and commanded them likewise to drink." (Gen 3:1-6)

REBELLIOUS CHRISTIANS

The thorn in their side is a pesky little band of rebellious Christians. They will insist on examining new revelations and prophecies by the Word of God. They keep saying that the salvation of the nations will not occur until the Lord Jesus returns. They go on believing in the Rapture and the Millennium, and see something called the Great Tribulation in scripture instead of harmony, victory and reconstruction. Despite every onslaught against these teachings, and the insistence of Leaders that Christians adopt a "new paradigm"; certain individuals persist in the above "heresies".

So a new move in the churches is planned. Adding to the guilt already sown in some hearts, there is to be a campaign of soul-baring and confession in order to weed out the undecided. This is no time to prevaricate! The weak will go to the wall! Any who remain in affected churches are about to be rounded on and told to confess their doubts, or come under the judgement of God.

Notice the subtle about-turn of doctrine as exemplified in this "prophecy":

"And in the days of power, and in the days of sight, when many miraculous things are being done around you, and many signs and wonders are happening, and many outpourings and much joy, and many good things are given, the Lord would say Choose, choose, choose. Will you be like Job, who said "Shall I accept good from the hand of the Lord and not evil?"

Will you take both the good and the bad? "For I am telling you, grab all you can while you can get it, take what you can while you can have it, for the days are coming, says the Lord, when a great division will begin in the church, and a man's enemies will be those of his own household, and your parents will criticise you, and speak evil of you, and say they have lost you to a cult. And your sons and your daughters will say, My parents have gone crazy. And there will be mourning in the house of God?"

"And I tell you there are those even among you now who are here simply to spread discord among the brethren. And there are even things that the Lord hates, that are an abomination to Him, and one of them is a man who deliberately comes seeking to spread division in his church, seeking to destroy and to divide, who, in the name of truth abandons love and stirs up hate, who does not understand that love covers a multitude of sins.  

"And the Lord says the word of correction is to be brought in love. And the Lord does correct, and the Lord does like correction, and He calls for it to happen, but the Lord hates, HATES division. And for the one who comes to bring division, to divide the Church of Christ, to cut off His arms from His legs, and the toes from His feet, the Lord says it would be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than it will be for that one on that day.  

"But I tell you, nonetheless, that division will come, and it is even now brewing like a leaven in the church. For the Lord calls you right now, this day, seeing what you are seeing, hearing of the miracles you are hearing of, seeing the fruit of God that you are seeing, to call it God, endure to the end and be saved, or to follow after human wisdom and reasoning that kills the word of faith and brings division and justifies in self-righteousness the dividing of the church.  

"The Lord wants you to purpose in your heart this night, is it God or isn't it, and to stand by your commitment as you are called to stand by your confession of faith". (Stacy Campbell, Wes Campbell's wife; October 1994)

See how questions are discouraged and made to sound unchristian. The call is to accept both good and BAD in this revival, without question.

Truth (objective biblical doctrine) is seen as opposed to "love" - and this is a new kind of love that ignores error in the name of unity.

YIELD OR DIE

Most disturbing is the implication that dissenters are actually outside the faith, and doomed to die! God is supposedly threatening people who do not yield to the power, with the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah - total annihilation! The way Jesus applied this was to people who rejected Him as Saviour and Messiah. (Matt 10:14-15)

Are we now to suppose that rejecting the Toronto Phenomenon is akin to rejecting God, and will lead to death? Reading the last paragraph of the "prophecy" certainly gives that impression. People are urged to stand by their acceptance of Toronto as they would stand by their "confession of faith" in the Lord Jesus. The two are becoming linked in people's minds. THIS IS A HIGHLY DANGEROUS DEVELOPMENT!

Toronto is rapidly becoming a test of loyalty and doctrinal orthodoxy. Kenneth Copeland, for instance, has suggested that those who resist God's move could fall over and die! "One of these days, you may just be talking to someone, asking them how things went at church last Sunday, and they may say, Oh it was great! The glory of God was so strong it healed ten cripples, opened the ears of thirty deaf people, cured seven cases of cancer and killed Brother Bigmouth and Sister Strife" ("Voice of Victory" Oct 94)

Christians have a vital choice to make, Copeland says:

"When the fire of God begins to burn and the rivers of the Spirit start to flow, he'll have to do one of two things: he'll either have to yield to the Spirit and let go of that sin by repenting, or he'll have to resist the flood of God's Spirit and be swept away."

What is this sin that puts Christians in danger of death? It is resisting the move of God! Those who unite one with another in revival power can "have a wonderful time" Copeland tells us. After telling the story of Ananias and Sapphira Copeland says that the Christians in that meeting "were having such a glorious time that even when Ananias dropped dead right there in front of the preacher, they just went right on worshipping."

The sin of Ananias, in fact, was not lack of submission to his elders or quenching the Spirit, but "lying to the Holy Spirit" - see Acts 5:2-6

"And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? ...You have not lied to men but to God." Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him."

Not much sign of a Toronto-style meetings in progress there! However, Copeland nonetheless teaches from this passage that those who resist the last-days outpouring are in mortal danger. The message seems plain. Yield or die!

This sort of teaching about judgement upon opponents has been building up for some time. It was prominent in the prophecies and teachings of the Kansas City Prophets; probably because of their connection to the Manifest Sons doctrines which taught that denominational Christianity was Babylon, and that only the perfected saints of the New Order would emerge in the endtimes as the Chosen of God, while Babylon suffered defeat and death during the Tribulation to come.

However, any doctrine that brings a certain elite group into prominence as World Saviours, will inevitably have to tackle the problem of dissenters.

BIGOTRY

THE SIN OF DISSENT

There will be some genuine repentance, I have no doubt. But we are likely to see a re-definition of repentance and holiness, and those who refuse to accept the revival will be portrayed as the sinners.

We already see a hardness creeping in. Treatment of Toronto dissenters has not reflected the gentleness of Christ, despite official guidelines exhorting love and humility. The reason for this anomaly is baffling, if we are in the midst of true revival as they claim, for the work of the Holy Spirit should lead to a change in the nature of those touched by His power. His fruit ought to be demonstrated: love, kindness, patience, goodness and self-control. Instead, many of those who get the "blessing" turn into aggressive, arrogant and self-obsessed individuals who can tolerate no opposition. There is something awry here!

The "love" that is being talked about as the greatest fruit of Toronto is not, when it comes down to it, gentleness and forbearance towards other church members, and especially not towards opponents! It seems primarily to be a feeling of passion for God; an ecstatic state almost, devoid of moral content. This happy condition is doubtless enjoyable for the participant, but if it does not lead to Christ-like love being shown to others, then where is the lasting fruit?

Those who harbour doubts about the renewal are accused of stubbornness and Pharisaical legalism; those who test the spirits are called blasphemers of the Holy Spirit; those who put questions to their elders are accused of "rebellion".

SUBMISSION

The first attitude rejects the possibility of spiritual deception - which is plainly unscriptural. The Bible commands us to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1Thes 5:21) The second rejects the possibility of sin and falsehood - which is equally unscriptural. The Bible commands us to "withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." (II Th 3:6)

Firstly, spiritual submission is to the will and Word of God. This is now being re-defined. The suggestion is that truly obedient Christians must perform any act "for God" no matter how foolish, meaningless or disruptive. Repentance is commanded for any who have not passed this ultimate test of submission!

It is sadly all too easy to browbeat sincere Christians into this kind of tomfoolery. It is mature Christians, who have a genuine desire to obey and serve God, who are the ones most pressured by the devil to jump through hoops to prove their submission to voices and impressions. Centuries of experience has convinced the devil that he can more easily steer Christians off course by an excess of obedience than by the lack of it.

FALSE UNITY

"What does this mean for you and me" he asks. "If we'll get sin out of our lives and get right with our brothers and sisters, then in this day of glory God will work wonders through us. We won't have to worry about the glory killing us when it hits our flesh." Those leaders who will not allow the phenomena to break out in their churches are of the "old order" and they will be swept aside, it is said, removed from their places and left behind. That was the thinking behind Rick Joyner's "The Harvest" prophecy in which he predicted a new move of the Spirit.

In the section entitled "Remove the Barriers and Facades that Separate us from the Lord and Each other", he writes of those who continue in "individual truths or works" apart from the one united Body of the endtimes. They will "perish from the ministry with such demonstration that a pure and holy fear of the Lord will sweep the Body of Christ. This will help the Church to move into true spiritual worship and a unity that is based on worship".

Today, six years after he wrote those words, we do see a new "unity based on worship", at Toronto meetings; will his words come true for ministers who still insist on unity based on Truth?

In a widely circulated prophecy, Marc Dupont, assistant pastor at the Airport Vineyard, said he sensed "extreme danger for leaders who continue to resist the Holy Spirit." God is supposed to have promised an increase in evangelism, intercession and power, and at the same time "the refiner's fire is going to increase, particularly with the current leadership". There will be a sharp division between the "obedient" and the "sinful" and the latter will "leave the ministry or bring judgement on themselves and their churches."

Speaking of the flow of living water spreading out from Toronto, Dupont says that any rocks which resist the Spirit "will be broken down into dust" and says "there will not be any true unity among churches until they begin to respond to the prophetic call of the Father".

DIVISION IS NEEDED

If repentance means no longer holding to the Word of God; if holiness means being willing to quack like a duck for Jesus; if unity means letting false teachings go unchecked - then repentance, holiness and unity are NOT as good as they sound.

We need to understand that not all division is a work of the devil. Jesus knew that the truth would always divide people: "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division." (Luke 12:51)

The Apostle Paul said division highlighted the difference between the true Church and the false teachers:

"For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognised among you." (1 Cor 11:18-19)

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." (I Jn 2:19)

He certainly did not preach tolerance towards heresy, nor did he stay in fellowship with false teachers, much less repent of his resistance to their teachings!

MAKE A STAND

Firstly, the attraction of emotional release, bonds of friendship, a common cause, powerful spiritual experiences and the thrill of finding something "that works". As a commitment is made to attend meetings, the pressure to become part of the group mounts up unbearably. Individualism is severely censured. Participants are taught to be suspicious of anyone who would dissuade them - it is suggested that all outside the movement are "ignorant" and "deluded".  

Thought, quiet reflection and study of opposing opinions are banned, while frenetic activity, over excitement and late nights are encouraged. Teachings are introduced as indisputable, and any who resist them are singled out as "troublemakers". The group are encouraged to persecute these individuals until they yield.  

On the other hand, those who adopt the teachings are encouraged to feel they are on a higher spiritual plane than ordinary folk. This makes them feel special and important to the Plan.   Then comes regular soul-baring, when open confession of doubt is encouraged. This has a two-fold benefit to the cult. It allows the Leaders to identify those who are still wavering, while at the same time filling the initiates with the dread of being excluded or rejected (or even of being punished).  

It is either stated explicitly or hinted that any further rebellion will result in "bad things happening" either to the dissenters or the cult as a whole, for which the dissenter - naturally - feels himself responsible.    

Only after this indoctrination process has taken its toll on the mind and beliefs of the new member, will the more bizarre inner core teachings be presented. By then, the member is too weary, shell-shocked, cowed and submissive to reject them.

While many will feel that their churches bear no resemblance to a cult, there are others (especially Toronto victims) who will readily identify with the above description.

BELIEF IS THE KEY

Although this is not the ONLY test, because God can use men and churches despite a certain amount of doctrinal error, the question must be asked - why has the Manifest Presence of God (if that is what it is) not reproved the errors and brought repentance of false doctrines? Instead, the very reverse is happening!

This newsletter has been speaking out for some six years against Ecumenism, Revivalism, New-Age Mysticism, Revelation Knowledge, Restoration, Replacement Theology, Spiritual Warfare, Latter Rain, Post-Millennialism, Word-of-Faith, Kingdom-Dominion teachings - and on and on. The latest developments have not come as any surprise! They were inevitable! The only surprise is that so few Christians were willing to make a stand before now.

God has been calling out for ten years to any who would listen: "Take heed!" He has raised up watchmen all around the world who have been preaching the same message of separation from error. This he did in his mercy, not wanting any to be caught unawares. But some slumbered on.

Today, many are saying - how do I know if this is of God? Simple! Can God contradict His own Word? After spending so many arduous years exposing false teaching, would He now pour out his Holy Spirit on those same false teachings and endorse them with power to be preached? Is he going to anoint the mouths of those who preach error? Absolutely not - it is unthinkable.

On the other hand, since a counterfeit church system has to arise, and since the Bible predicts false teachers and false christs arising with miracle-working power such that, if possible, even the very elect could be deceived, isn't it a fair assumption that it would happen through a counterfeit revival very like the present one?

CLUES FROM EDWARDS

In another book, he listed five positive fruits of a true revival:

• Jesus is lifted up and honoured
• People become less self-centred
• There's a new hunger for the Word
• Truth becomes paramount
• Love of others is evident

We have already seen how truth and Christ-like love have become casualties in this new move. To take the other three points one by one:

1. JESUS LIFTED UP?

There is much TALK of Jesus but in reality "this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me" (Isa 29:13)  

It is the Spirit, in isolation, who is given the attention, even though the Word tells us that he does not come in his own name. It is the Spirit who is being called upon, invoked and even commanded to "come". Some even give the Spirit a will of His own outside the written Word of God, because "The Spirit is sovereign and can do as He wills".   At the same time, Jesus is reduced to one of the boys; a bar-room companion who wants to toy around, guffaw and make risqué jokes with his pals. One man said he had a vision of Jesus coming to him with a huge grin on his face; this made the man laugh until he dropped. (For what purpose?).

2. PEOPLE LESS SELFISH? Any trawl of testimonies will prove that the emphasis is on what I felt, what I need and how the experience benefited ME. Trying to talk anyone out of going back to get more spiritual LSD is like trying to take away a child's favourite toy. Logic is not the issue - feelings, needs, sensual desires and the thrill of spiritual encounters is what drives this new-found zeal!

3. LOVE OF THE WORD? The Toronto Experience is not conveyed by sound Bible preaching, but by personal contact and the recounting of testimonies. There is little teaching, and what there is draws heavily on allegory and Old Testament symbolism. Some meetings depend almost entirely on anecdotes.  

Wes Campbell, who was delighted to have found the power at Toronto said: "We just went to our church and I just started to preach this. I told them all the stories. I told them every story I could get. I said, fax me stories. You wouldn't believe it! ...I started just preaching stories, stories, stories, the glory of God, God touching people, and you wouldn't have believed it. These people began to rise up. In three to four weeks they had faith, and we had the greatest outpouring that we'd ever had in the history of our church, "in Phnom Penh, they just told stories of Toronto and the power of the Spirit began to sweep through that church.... in India, they just told stories of what was happening, Boom, the power of the Spirit was sweeping through there. They hadn't even read about this stuff, they just heard a story."

It seems that not one of Edward's five proofs applies to what is happening today. That should shock those who depend so much on him to validate it. Can a revival that has such a shaky foundation truly be of God?

Compare the translations of some familiar passages of scripture in two Bibles - the Authorised Version (King James) and "The Message":

KING JAMES VERSION: "Our Father who art in Heaven; Hallowed be thy name"
THE MESSAGE: "Our Father In Heaven; Reveal who you are. "

KING JAMES VERSION: "The Father is greater than I".
THE MESSAGE: "The Father is the goal and purpose of my life. "

KING JAMES VERSION: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."
THE MESSAGE: "Enjoy the best of Jesus! "

There is no stemming the flood of new Bibles. Each one seems destined to push the boundaries ever further - inclusive language, political correctness, liberal thought and a lack of reverence for the literal truth of the original manuscripts appears now to dominate the scene.

Three new translations illustrate this trend, one of which - "The Message" by Eugene H. Peterson (NavPress) is the subject of this particular review.

The second edition of the Good News Bible (Bible Soc./Harper Collins) tidies up various inaccuracies of the first edition, but has made a change to inclusive language. This has meant changing "sons" to "children" and "brothers" to "brothers and sisters" or "people". The edges become blurred and the precise meaning of scripture is lost. For the word "brother" denotes a fellow Christian, whereas "people" or "any" could include unbelievers.

The New Century Version (Nelson Word) is advertised as a Youth Bible, and a "downmarket version of the Good News Bible". It expects even less of the reader than the Good News. Like the GNB, it is not a literal translation and is so loose as to be meaningless in parts. For example, where the King James renders Psalm 144:2 as "My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.", the NCV reads "...he helps me keep my people under control". The onus has therefore shifted from God to David!

The biggest threat, however, is posed by a paraphrase, the work of pastor and scholar Eugene Peterson. His book, "The Message" is about to be launched in this country, and could do untold damage. "The Message" is not an accurate translation of the Word of God, but a personal interpretation. The introduction explains that "the goal is not to render a word-for-word conversion of Greek into English, but rather to convert the tone, rhythms, the ideas, into the way we actually think and speak".

But should we rewrite the Bible to fit our own shallow and worldly communications? Should we reinterpret the holy Word to sound more like a TV advert or film script?

Today's culture needs to be challenged by scripture. "The Message" gets it the other way round. It conforms to secular standards in an attempt to be attractive to everyone. It re-educates readers to:

• Refuse to criticise or judge anyone's behaviour
• Reject specific actions as sin, e.g. homosexuality
• Deny hell, and the biblical consequences of sin.
• Deny the reality of Satan and demons

"THE MESSAGE" IMPLIES SIN DOES NOT SEPARATE FROM GOD

Rom 8:35-36 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (KJV)  

Do you think anyone is going to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, hot homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture. (The Message)

"THE MESSAGE" DISTORTS AND ADDS TO GOD'S WORD

Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. (KJV)  

You don't need a telescope, a microscope or a horoscope to realise the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. (The Message)

"THE MESSAGE" ADDS ENVIRONMENTAL SIN

1 Cor 6: 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (KJV)  

"Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. (The Message)

"THE MESSAGE" PROMOTES FALSE UNITY

2 Cor 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (KJV)  

We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. (The Message)

Missing from these scriptures is the essential truth about man's fallen condition, and the need for God Himself to provide a unique remedy in the Cross. Peterson's lax attittude towards sin may reflect his respect for Catholic mystics such as Teresa of Avila and Julian of Norwich, who said "sin need be no shame to man but can even be worthwhile". ("Spirit Quest", Christianity Today magazine, November 1993).

Eugene Peterson has written that he seeks "spirituality - a fusion of intimacy and transcendence", but his personal interpretation of the scripture attempts to reach that goal without encountering sin or judgement. Therefore this is a thoroughly flawed message.