Wat is waarheid?

Pilatus het hierdie vraag aan die Here Jesus op die vooraand van sy kruisiging gestel nadat die gesprek soos volg tussen hulle verloop het:

Johannes 18:33-38 Pilatus gaan toe weer in die goewerneur se paleis en roep Jesus en sê vir Hom: Is U die Koning van die Jode? Jesus antwoord hom: Sê u dit uit uself, of het ander u dit van My gesê? Pilatus antwoord: Is ek dan ‘n Jood? U volk en die owerpriesters het U aan my oorgelewer. Wat het U gedoen? Jesus antwoord: My koninkryk is nie van hierdie wêreld nie; as my koninkryk van hierdie wêreld was, sou my dienaars geveg het, dat Ek nie aan die Jode oorgelewer word nie. Maar nou is my koninkryk nie van hier nie. Pilatus sê toe vir Hom: Is U dan tog ‘n koning? Jesus antwoord: U sê dat Ek ‘n koning is. Hiervoor is Ek gebore en hiervoor het Ek in die wêreld gekom, om vir die waarheid te getuig. Elkeen wat uit die waarheid is, luister na my stem. Pilatus sê vir Hom: Wat is waarheid? En toe hy dit gesê het, gaan hy weer uit na die Jode en sê vir hulle: Ek vind geen skuld in Hom nie. (Klem bygevoeg)

Kom ons wees sommer wansuit eerlik met mekaar en verklaar onomwonde dat enigeen wat daarop aanspraak maak dat hy die Here Jesus liefhet en hom volg maar versuim om netsoos HY vir SY waarheid (leerstellings, dogmas, doktrines) te getuig. is besig om homself te bedrieg. So’n persoon kan ‘n duisend keer op ‘n dag sê “Ek is ‘n volgeling van Jesus” maar as hy of sy, SY waarheid nie liefhet nie en nie vir SY waarheid getuig soos Hy dit self gedoen het nie, is besig om ‘n ander Jesus te volg. Ons leef in tye waar daar geweldig baie klem gelê word op liefde, verhoudings, onderlinge gesprek, verdraagsaamheid, barmhartigheid en respek (veral t.o.v. die onderskeie godsdienste in die wêreld), maar hierdie dinge word nagejaag ten koste van die waarheid soos ons in in God se Woord vind. Gevolglik word die waarheid waarvoor Jesus Chirstus as ‘n getuie mens geword en aarde toe gekom het in repies geskeur en in die snippermandjie gegooi. Enigeen wat in gehoorsaamheid vir Jesus Christus se waarheid wil getuig word sonder seremonie as liefdelose, arrogante fundamentaliste bestempel omdat hulle kwansuis veroordelend pleks van liefdevol optree.

Dis opmerklik dat Pilatus nie gewag het op ‘n antwoord van die Here Jesus nie, maar hom onmiddellik tot die Joodse gespuis gewend het om SY onskuld te verklaar maar ook om Hom in deselfde asem te verdoem deur Hom gerieflikheidshalwe in hulle hande oor te lewer. Ek verstout my deur te sê dat Stephan Joubert waarskynlik ‘n baie beter joppie sou doen om aan Pilatus te verduidelik wat waarheid is. Ek sê dit op grond van sy onlangse relaas oor wat hy as waarheid definieer op e-kerk se webblad. Kom ons wees gehoorsaam aan die Here Jesus, van wie Stpehan getuig dat Hy die essensie van warheid is, en stel alles wat hy op die webblad kwytgeraak het aan die hand van die Skrif op die proef om vas te stel of sy woorde uit God is, al dan nie.

Stephan begin deur te sê:

Die waarheid is nie proposisies, leerstukke, belydenisse of teologiese geskrifte nie. (Klem bygevoeg)

Stephan, soos die meeste ander ontluikende Kerk leiers, is ‘n baie goeie naprater. Trouens, hy gebruik  soms presies dieselfde woorde om sy idees oor te dra.

The truth of the Bible, like any truth, is not best seen ‘objectively’ . . . Where, then can I find authority that I can be sure of? Since God is (by and large) invisible, we are left with ordinary people holding a book. As we had said before, we cannot simply ‘go to the book.’ Truth cannot properly reside as a mere proposition on a paper. Truth lives in persons and relationships.” (Klem bygevoeg). Neil Livingstone

Indien dit nie nodig was om die waarheid in leerstukke (leerstellings, dogmas of dokrines) neer te skryf en in geskriffte saam te vat nie, sou die Here waarskynlik nooit sy eie gekose profete en apostels geïnspireer het om SY waarheid in 66 boeke op te skryf nie. Ons sou dus vandag geen geskrewe bewyse gehad het oor die kernleerstellings rondom Christus se maagdelike geboorte, sy fisieke kruisging, sy fisieke opstanding uit die dood en sy hemelvaart nie. Wat sê die Woord van God — die WAARHEID waarvoor die Here Jesus aarde toe gekom het om ‘n getuienis te wees.

1 Johannes 5: 13 Dit het ek geskrywe aan julle wat glo in die Naam van die Seun van God, sodat julle kan weet dat julle die ewige lewe het en kan glo in die Naam van die Seun van God.

2 Timotheus 3:16 en 17 Die hele Skrif is deur God ingegee en is nuttig tot lering, tot weerlegging, tot teregwysing, tot onderwysing in die geregtigheid, sodat die mens van God volkome kan wees, vir elke goeie werk volkome toegerus.

Dit is die geskrewe Woord, ‘n samevatting van God se leerstellings, wat God se kinders die sekerheid gee dat hulle nou reeds die ewige lewe as ‘n onontneembare werklikheid besit. Dis vir my tog te ironies dat almal, sekerlik ook Stephan Joubert, aanvaar dat ons land se wetgewing en konstitusie as geskrewe dokument bindend en geldend is vir alle burgers, maar sodra diie Woord van God se wetgewing en leerstellings ter sprake kom, kan ons maar daarmee maak wat ons wil. Dit sou voorwaar dom wees om van die land se burgers te verwag om binne die land se konstitusionele ordeningstukture te lewe as dit nie in ‘n algemeen geldende dokument saamgevat was nie. Objektiewe “kopgimnastiek” is miskien nie die uiteindelike doelwit nie maar dit is beslis die beginpunt vir ‘n lewe van gehoorsaamheid aan God en sy leerstellings. Jesus het dan self gesê: “En dit is die ewige lewe, dat hulle U ken, die enige waaragtige God, en Jesus Christus wat U gestuur het”  (Johannes 17: 3). Hoe sou ons ooit vir God en sy Seun leer ken as ons nie hulle leerstellings in ‘n leerstuk (die Bybel) beskikbaar gehad het nie. Maar nouja, wanneer Stephan later sê “Sy Waarheid word geleef, gedoen, gesien, gevoel. Hierdie Waarheid gaan veel meer oor die lewe as oor leerstukke” bedoel hy maar eintlik dat die Bybel nie ‘n geslote kanon is nie, maar dat elkeen se persoonlike spirituele reis, gesprekke (“converstations”) en mistieke ervaringe ‘n bydrae maak tot die voorgesette en voortdurende beskrywing, herskrywing en by-skrywing van die Bybel. Dit is dus ‘n “lewende boek” (“open-ended book”) wat nog nie klaar geskrywe is nie.

The Bible is not considered an accurate, absolute, authoritative, or authoritarian source but a book to be experienced and one experience can be as valid as any other can. Experience, dialogue, feelings, and conversations are equated with Scripture while certitude, authority, and doctrine are to be eschewed! No doctrines are to be absolute and truth or doctrine must be considered only with personal experiences, traditions, historical perspectives, etc. The Bible is not an answer book. (Brian, McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity, p. 52.)

EC leader Tony Jones, youth speaker and National Coordinator of Emergent Village, declared, “I am quite convinced that the Bible is a subversive text, that it constantly undermines our assumptions, transgresses our boundaries, and subverts our comforts. This may sound like academic mumbo-jumbo, but I really mean it. I think the Bible is a f***ing scary book (pardon my French, but that’s the only way I know how to convey how strongly I feel about this.)”(Tony Jones, “Why is the Emerging Church drawn to deconstructive theology?, The church and postmodern culture: Conversation website, 3-26-2007.) Lees hier. (Klem bygevoeg)

Tony Jones se uit die hel aangesteekte uitspraak dat die Bybel hulle grense oorskry en hulle gemaksug ondermyn, laat my dink aan Psalm 2

Laat ons hulle bande stukkend ruk en hulle toue van ons afwerp! Hy wat in die hemel woon, lag; die Here spot met hulle. Dan sal Hy hulle aanspreek in sy toorn, en in sy grimmigheid sal Hy hulle verskrik. (Klem bygevoeg)

Het dit nie tyd geword dat Stephan Joubert en sy e-kerk boeties ronduit vir ons sê waar hulle staan t.o.v. sulke sataniese uitlatings nie? Het dit nie tyd geword vir julle om die Ontluikende Kerk leierfigure soos Tony Jones, Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, en Leonard Sweet soos manlike mans in die openbaar te repudieer nie  . . . of moet ons aanvaar dat hierdie klomp God-haters se integriteit en aansien vir julle belangriker is as die allerheiligste Naam van Jesus Christus? Beteken julle vriendskap en broederskap met hierdie valse apostels en profete vir julle meer as julle volgeling-verhouding met Jesus Christus? Hoe kan ons aanvaar dat julle waarlik gered is as julle onbeskaamd voortploeter om hulle lof te besing terwyl hulle God die Vader, God die Seun en God die Heilige Gees se ewige en onveranderlike leerstellings in die Bybel bespot? Die Here sê tog uitdruklik in 2 Johannes 9 dat enigiemand wat nie bly in die leer van Christus nie, nie gered is nie, en tog hou jy, Stephan Joubert, en jou boeties nog steeds vol dat hulle ware en tere kinders van die Here is.

Ons sou vandag die ellendigste van mense wees indien God sou versuim om sy leerstellings m.b.t. die wedergeboorte, heiligmaking en die ewige lewe in sy Woord laat opteken het nie. Selfs ook die feit dat die Here Jesus die essensie van waarheid is, sou vir ons onbekend wees indien dit nie as ‘n leerstelling in ‘n teologiese boek soos die Bybel vir ons opgeteken was nie. Waar anders sou Stephan Joubert leer dat die waarheid ‘n persoon is en dat sy Naam Christus is? Jy kan nie ‘n enkele leerstelling soos dat Jesus die eesensie van waarheid is uit ‘n leerstellige boek soos die Bybel aanvaar nie sonder om ook ander leersstellige waarhede, ook uit ‘n teologiese geskrif soos die Bybel, te aanvaar nie. Dis egter tragies dat Stephan nie die rede waarom Christus die waarheid is volledig aanhaal nie. Hy is nie net die essensie van Waarheid nie, maar ook die enigste Weg en die Lewe na God die Vader. Hy is dus die enigste Waarheid omdat Hy terselfdetyd ook die enigste Weg en Lewe na die Vader is. Waarom versnipper Stephan Joubert Johannes 14:6 op so ‘n onvanpaste wyse? Is dit nie miskien omdat hy al in die verlede verklaar het dat daar ook waarhede in ander godsdienste soos die Boeddhisme en selfs in die ateïsme is nie? Wil hy daarmee te kenne gee dat jy Jesus, die essensie van waarheid, ook in ander godsdienste kan vind op voorwaarde dat jy sy essensiële eienskappe soos dat Hy ook die enigste Weg en Lewe is, weglaat?

Die Ontluikende Kerk plaas geweldig baie klem op barmhartigheidswerk, veral onder die armes en die vertotelinge, maar in 2 Timotheus 3: 16 en 17 sien ons baie duidelik dat as jy nie die hele Skrif as ‘n nuttige leerstuk beskou om leuens te weerlê, die afvalliges tereg te wys en hulle in die geregtigheid te onderlê nie, beteken jou goeie werke net mooi niks nie. Dis dan ook om hierdie rede dat die Here Jesus gebid het; “Heilig hulle in U waarheid; U Woord (leerstellige geskrifte) is die waarheid” (Johannes 17: 17). Heiligmaking word dus pertinent deur God se leerstukke in sy Woord bewerkstellig en nie deur goeie werke nie.

Stephan Joubert sê voorts:

Waarheid is nie objektiewe kennis wat in kerklike dokumente of teologiese laaie weggepak is wat mens na willekeur daar kan uithaal en objektief bespreek nie. Waarheid is nie blote kop-gimnastiek nie. Sulke soort waarheid kos jou nie veel nie.

Toegegee, waarheid wat stof in laaie of op rakke versamel beteken ook niks nie. Leerstellige waarhede wat jy alleen in God se Woord kan opdiep, moet in jou daaglikse lewenswandel ‘n werklikheid wees; dit moet jou hele uitkyk op God, jouself, die wêreld en veral ook die onglowiges in ander godsdienste sodanig moduleer dat jy daarna kyk volgens God se perspektiewe en nie jou eie vooropgestelde idees nie. Stephan het nog altyd die noodsaaklikheid en die belang van kosteberekning in die beoefening van die waarheid beklemtoon. Kosteberekning kom daarop neer dat elke Christen stil moet gaan sit om te besluit of hy werklik bereid is om “na Hom te gaan buite die laer om sy smaad te dra.” (Hebreërs 13:13). Wat is hierdie smaad? Christene wat dit hulle erns maak om die Here Jesus te volg al sou dit ook hulle lewens kos, moet verwag om die smaad en die hoon van hulle eie familielede, vriende, kollegas, mede-Christene, en kerkgenote te verduur. Hierdie smaad en hoon word hulle deel, veral wanneer hulle hard stry vir die leerstellings wat eenmaal deur die apostels aan ons oorgelewer is (Judas 1:3). U kan maar verseker weet dat as Jesus Christus wat aarde toe gekom het om vir die waarheid te getuig ter wille van hierdie waarheid gekruisiig is, gaan elkeen wat ook bereid is om vir dieselfde waarheid te getuig ook verguis, vervolg, verneder en selfs doodgemaak word (soos diit tans in baie lande die geval is). Dis die prys wat elke ware volgeling van Jesus besreid moet wees om te betaal.

Ek het eintlik nog nooit hierdie tipe kosteberekening om Jesus se smaad buitekant die laer te verra by Stephan Joubert of enige van sy mede-ontuikende broers gewaar nie. Trouens, van die toonaangewendste leierfigure wat nog steeds in Stephan Joubert se goeie boekies is, sê soms skreiend godddelose dinge sonder dat hy hulle in die openbaar repudieer, teregwys of ten minste so ‘n bietjie reghelp na aanleiding van 2 Timotheus 4: 1-3.

2 Timotheus 4:1-3 Ek besweer jou dan voor God en die Here Jesus Christus, wat die lewende en die dode sal oordeel by sy verskyning en sy koninkryk: ver-kondig die woord; hou aan tydig en ontydig; weerlê, bestraf, vermaan in alle lankmoedigheid en lering; want daar sal ‘n tyd wees wanneer hulle die gesonde leer nie sal verdra nie, maar, omdat hulle in hul gehoor gestreel wil wees, vir hulle ‘n menigte leraars sal versamel volgens hulle eie begeerlikhede, en die oor sal afkeer van die waarheid en hulle sal wend tot fabels. Maar wees jy in alles nugter; ly verdrukking; doen die werk van ‘n evangelis; vervul jou bediening. (Klem bygevoeg).

Indien die Evangelie van Jesus Christus die waarheid is, en ‘n mens sou nogal dink dat dit wel die waarheid is omdat Christus self verklaar het dat die waarheid die mens vrymaak, dan moet Stephan Joubert se ontluikende boeties besig wees om die waarheid te verkondig omdat hulle, volgens Stephan, die Evangelie in die wereld uitdra. Is dit die waarheid? Verkondig hulle werklikwaar die waarheid van die Evangelie. Stephan Joubert dink so.

Rob Bell — ek het hom al sien optree — baie keer. Hy stap op daai verhoog, met sy swart bril en sy weird klere en sy kitaar, maar as hy sy mond oopmaak dan is dit die Evangelie. Dieselfde met Dan Kimball. Ons sit en luister in Amerika, in Los Angeles, laasjaar en soos ek sê hierdie ou het nie een plek, het hy die Skrif oortree nie.  Hy sê “ek glo in die hel, letterlik.” “Ek glo in die opstanding, letterlik.” “Ek glo in die maagdelike geboorte.” “Ek dink homoseksualiteit is verkeerd.” Maar hy word beskou as die leier van die emerging church. Hy lyk net weird . . . . sulke mowhawk hare wat so staan. Dit lyk of daar een of ander, of iets in sy kop ontplof het. Maar dit is mense wat die vraag vra hoe gaan ek die wêreld in 2008, 2009, 2010 vir Jesus bereik? Maar moet ek die kerk transformeer op ’n nuwe manier?

Vir die waarheid om werklik waarheid te kan wees, moet dit onveranderlik, absoluut en onfeilbaar wees. Indien waarheid vandag so en more anders is, d.w.s. as waarheid sommer so goedmoeds aangepas of verander word om nuwe generasies en hulle behoeftes te akkomodeer, kan gister se waarheid hoegenaamd nie meer as die waarheid beskou word nie. Gister se waarheid sou dan nie meer betroubaar wees nie en indien gister se waarheid onbetroubaar is, sal vandag se waarheid oor ‘n klompie jare self ook onbetroubaar wees. Dis die einste rede waarom die ontluikende boeties en sussies voortdurend praat van hulle spirituele reis (“spiritual journey”), ‘n reis waarop hulle voortdurend soek na die waarheid. Brian McLaren sê “We need a new quest” bedoelende dat die ou waarhede uitgedien is.

Hoe dit ookal sy, Stephan Joubert stem blykbaar saam dat die waarheid onveranderlik moet wees want hy sê met oortuiging die volgende:

Maar is die waarheid net proposies, leerstukke en preke? Nee, die waarheid is ‘n persoon. Sy naam is Christus. Sy Waarheid is relasioneel, verhoudings-gedrewe. Sy Waarheid word geleef, gedoen, gesien, gevoel. Hierdie Waarheid gaan veel meer oor die lewe as oor leerstukke. Geen wonder nie dat die eerste volgelinge van Jesus “mense van die Weg” genoem is. Hulle het Waarheid geleef, Jesus se soort. (Klem bygevoeg)

Dit klink baie mooi en suiwer evangelies, maar dis beslis nie die waarheid nie. Christus Jesus het baie meer waarde geheg aan die waarheid van sy Evangelie as aan verhoudingsgedrewe relasies. Trouens Hyself het op ‘n kol baie duidelik gesê:

Moenie dink dat Ek gekom het om vrede op die aarde te bring nie. Ek het nie gekom om vrede te bring nie, maar die swaard. Want Ek het gekom om tweedrag te verwek tussen ‘n man en sy vader, en tussen ‘n dogter en haar moeder, en ‘n skoondogter en haar skoonmoeder. En ‘n mens se huisgenote sal sy vyande wees. Wie vader of moeder bo My liefhet, is My nie waardig nie; en wie seun of dogter bo My liefhet, is My nie waardig nie. (Klem bygevoeg).

Hoor u dit? Om enigiemand wat die Evangelie van Jesus Christus wil her-bedink of –oordink, wil herverwoord en “repaint,” as ware en suiwere evangelieverkondigers te loof en te prys, is nie besig om hulle verhouding met Jesus Christus te bou of te verstewig nie maar is juis besig om hulle verhouding met Hom te vernietig deur hulleself onwaardig te maak. Hulle heg meer waarde aan hulle verhouding met valse sg. evangelieverkondigers as aan Jesus Christus en sy waarheid. Hoe durf hulle dit doen as Jesus Christus self sy waarheid bokant sy eie Naam verhewe het?

Ps 138: 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!

Indien Jesus Christus die waarheid is, en Hy IS inderdaad die waarheid, dan moet die waarheid ook ewigdurend onveranderlik, onbuigsaam, onfeilbaar en onaantasbaar wees omdat Jesus Christus gister en vandag en tot in alle ewigheid dieselfde is. En tog is Stephan Joubert en sy ontluikende boeties voortdurend besig om die Evangelie (die waarheid van God) te her-oordink (“re-think”), te herverwoord, en te “repaint” (soos Rob Bell dit in sy boek “Velvet Elvis” stel). Die spirituele reis waarop hulle hul begeef maak dat hulle voortdurend dinge verkondig wat hoegenaamd nie met die Woord van God ooreenkom nie. Hoe op deeske aarde kan Stephan Joubert in die openbaar in een van sy preke verklaar dat wanneer Rob Bell sy mond oopmaak dan is dit die Evangelie, as die man God se Woord (dié Woord wat die Evangelie van Jesus Christus bevat) verkleineer? Rob Bell het ‘n besondere lae dunk van die Woord van God. Syns insiens kan niemand met sekerheid sê “Ek ken die Here en sy waarheid” nie. Die beste wat ons kan doen is om inwaarts te keer en te luister na ons innerlike stem. Vir hom is die Bybel te misterieus om volledig verstaan te kan word.

“One of the great ‘theologians’ of our time, Sean Penn, put it this way: ‘When everything gets answered, it’s fake. The mystery is the truth. ”The mystery is the truth” (Velvet Elvis, p. 33).

“Jesus wants to heal our souls, wants to give us the shalom of God. And so we have to stop. We have to slow down. We have to sit still and stare out the window and let the engine come to an idle. We have to listen to what our inner voice is saying.” (Rob Bell: Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith p. 118). (Emphasis added)

Een van die groot teoloë van ons tyd, Sean Penn, het dit so gestel: “Wanneer alles ‘n antwoord het, is dit ‘n namaaksel. Die misterie is die waarheid. “Die misterie is die waarheid.”

Jesus wil ons siele heelmaak, wil ons die shalom van God gee. En daarom moet ons stop. Ons moet ons pas verminder. Ons moet stilsit en by die venster uitstaar en die enjin laat luier. Ons moet luister na wat ons innerlike stem sê.” (Klem bygevoeg)

God sê tog baie duidelik dat “sy goddelike krag ons alles geskenk [het] wat tot die lewe en godsvrug dien, deur die kennis van Hom wat ons geroep het deur sy heerlikheid en deug” (2 Petrus 1:3). Let asseblief daarop dat dit “deur die kennis van Hom” is dat sy kinders in staat gestel word om sy  godsvrug te belewe en uit te lewe. Dis nie iets hier binne-in onsself (die innerlike stem) waarna ons moet luister om die vrede van God en sy siels-helende werking te ervaar nie. Jou innerlike stem of intuitiewe waarneming is met een woord gesê onbetroubaar omdat jou hart bo alles bedrieglik en uiters verdorwe is m.d.g. dat jyself dit nie kan ken nie (Jeremia 17: 9). In weerwil hiervan, suggereer Rob Bell dat jou innerlike stem die medium is waardeur God ons siele wil heelmaak en ons die shalom (vrede) van God wil gee. Dit is niks anders as ‘n ander heils-evangelie nie (wat natuurlik nie, soos Paulus gesê het, bestaan nie – Galasiërs 1:6 en 7). Dit kom daarop neer dat jy jou heil in jouself moet soek deur die enjin so ‘n beitjie te laat “idle” sodat jy na jou innerlike stem kan luister. Is dit nie ironies nie? Rob Bell verruil God se Woord wat absoluut betroubaar is en ten volle aangeneem moet word (2 Timotheus 2:11) vir die “innerlike stem” wat geheel en al onbetroubaar is. Moet ons verbaas wees oor Rob Bell se onbybelse uitlatings? Hoegenaamd nie, veral nie wanneer ons in ag neem wat sy siening rondom die verkondiging en uitdra van die Evangelie van Jesus Christus is nie. Luister ‘n bietjie hierna:

“Oftentimes the Christian community has sent the message that we love people and build relationships in order to convert them to the Christian faith. So there is an agenda. And when there is an agenda, it isn’t really love, is it? It’s something else. We have to discover love, period. Love that loves because it is what Jesus teaches us to do. We have to surrender our agendas” (Velvet Elvis, p. 167).

Die Christen gemeesnkap het dikwels die boodskap uitgedra dat ons mense liefhet en verhoudings bou met die doel om hulle tot die Christelike geloof te bekeer. Daar is dus ‘n agenda. En wanneer daar ‘n agenda is is dit nie ware liefde nie, is dit? Dis iets anders. Ons moet liefde ontdek, punt. Liefde wat liefhet want dit is wat Jesus ons leer om te doen. Ons moet ons agendas prysgee.

Rob Bell het ‘n volkome skewe siening van wat ware liefde is. Maar, voordat ons sy baanbrekerswaarhede onder die loep neem wat, soos Stephan ons probeer oortuig, die suiwere Evanglie is sodra die man sy mond oopmaak, moet ons eers gaan kyk wat God sê:

2 Korinthiërs 5:11-14 Omdat ons dan die vrees van die Here ken, probeer ons om die mense te oortuig; maar voor God is ons openbaar, en ek hoop om ook in julle gewetens openbaar te wees. Want ons beveel ons nie weer by julle aan nie, maar ons gee julle aanleiding tot roem oor ons, sodat julle iets kan hê teenoor die wat hulle op die uiterlike beroem en nie op die hart nie. Want as ons uitsinnig is, is dit tot eer van God; en as ons by ons verstand is, is dit om julle ontwil. Want die liefde van Christus dring ons. (Klem bygevoeg)

Uit die bg. gedeelte is dit baie duidelik dat Paulus ‘n besondere agenda gehad het en daardie agenda was om mense te probeer oortuig om hulle tot die Here Jesus te bekeer omdat die liefde van Christus hom daartoe gedring het. Dit is uiters belangrik om te weet dat alleenlik diegene wat die vrees van die Here ken se kop reg opgeskroef sal wees om God se agenda van bekering, wederbaring en verlossing aan mense te verkondig. Hulle wat die vrees van die Here nie ken nie sal agendas, insluitende Paulus s’n, prysgee — en dit nogal ter wille van ‘n sg. liefde. Hoedat intelligente en hoogaangeskrewe mense soos Stephan Joubert sulke uitlatings as suiwer envangelie kan beskou, gaan ‘n mens se verstand te bowe. Dink ‘n bietjie daaraan, Rob Bell sê “Ons moet liefde ontdek – liefde wat liefhet want dit is wat Jesus ons leer om te doen.” Van watter Jesus praat hy? Dit kan beslis nie die Jesus van die Bybel wees nie. Paulus sê dat dit nie sy eie liefde is wat hom gedring het om mens met die Evangelie te bereik nie, maar die liefde van Christus (in Hom) wat hom daartoe gedring het. Dis dus ‘n liefde wat jy nie nodig het om nog te ontdek nie of waarvoor jy op ‘n eindelose spirituele reis moet gaan om dit te soek nie. Dis ‘n liefde wat nog altyd daar was omdat Jesus Christus gister en vandag en tot in alle ewigheid onveranderlik dieselfde is. Hy is die essensie van liefde en sy liefde kan jou alleenlik dring wanneer sy liefde in jou hart uitgestort is en dit geskied alleenlik by jou bekering. As jy nog nie tot bekering gekom het nie, sal jy beslis nog nie sy liefde in jou binneste ervaar nie en sal jy noodwendig op ‘n nimmereindigende reis moet gaan om ‘n ander soort “liefde” te ontdek, ‘n liefde wat God se agenda om mense te oortuig om hulle tot Hom te bekeer, eenkant skuiwe. En Stephan Joubert het die vermetelheid om in die openbaar te verklaar dat wanneer Rob Bell sy mond oopmaak, is dit die Evangelie en dat hy ‘n persoon is wat die vraag vra “hoe gaan ek die wêreld in 2008, 2009, 2010 vir Jesus bereik.” Vergeet dit! Hy sal nooit in der ewigheid ‘n enkele persoon vir Christus wen as hy Jesus, Paulus en die ander apostels se agenda om verlore sondaars tot bekering te lei, prysgee nie.

‘n Verkeerde sotereologie lei onomwonde tot ‘n verkeerde siening m.b.t. die ewigheidebestemming van gelowiges en ongelowiges asook ‘n onbybelse benadering tot die regverdige oordele van God. Die liefde wat Rob Bell sê ons moet ontdek, hou verband met sy siening oor die hemel en die hel. Die algemeen aanvaarde vooropstelling wat in baie geestelike kringe geld, is dat ‘n God van liefde nooit enige van sy skepsels ‘n ‘n verskriklike plek soos die hel, sal werp nie. Daarom probeer hulle voortdurend om die hel eerder op ‘n ander plek, soos hier op aarde, te lokaliseer. Rob Bell sê:

“Now if there is a life in heaven, and we can choose it, then there’s also another way. A way of living out of sync with how God created us to live. The word for this is hell: a way, a place, a realm absent of how God desires things to be. We can bring heaven to earth; we can bring hell to earth.

For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the life beyond this one because he understood that the life beyond this one is a continuation of the kinds of choices we make here and now.

For Jesus, the question wasn’t, how do I get into heaven? But how do I bring heaven here? The question wasn’t, how do I get in there? But how do I get there, here?” (Velvet Elvis, p. 147).

Nou, as daar ‘n lewe in die hemel is, en ons kan dit kies, dan is daar ook ‘n ander weg, ‘n lewensweg wat nie in harmonie is met hoe God ons geskape het om te lewe nie. Die woord hiervoor is hel: a weg, ‘n plek, ‘n gebied waar God se begeertes vir dinge om te wees, afwesig is. Ons kan hemel op aarde bring; ons kan hel op aarde bring.

Vir Jesus was hemel en hel teenswoordige realiteite. Weë wat ons kan betree hier en nou. Hy het baie min oor die lewe anderkant hierdie een gepraat omdat Hy verstaan het dat die lewe anderkant hierdie een ‘n voortsetting is van die soort keuses wat ons hier en nou maak.

Vir Jesus as die vraag nie, hoe kom ek in die hemel? Maar hoe ek hemel hierheen bring? Die vraag was nie, hoe kom ek daar in nie? Maar hoedat ek hier daar uitkom?

Die Here Jesus het op ‘n dag gesê: “Dan sal Hy ook vir dié aan sy linkerhand sê: Gaan weg van My, julle vervloektes, in die ewige vuur wat berei is vir die duiwel en sy engele” (Matteus 25: 41). As ons, soos Stephan Joubert, ons sou oorgee aan die Rob-Bell-hemel-en-hel-evangelie, dan moet ons glo dat die Here Jesus, deur wie alles ontstaan het (Johannes 1:3), so wrintie waar die aarde vir die duiwel en sy engele gemaak het. U sien, sodra ‘n mens sulke Bybel-vreemde opmerkings maak dan val ander gedeeltes in die Woord so gevaarlik uit plek dat dit in ‘n sirkus ontaard. Ja, ek word kwaad en ek het die reg om kwaad te word wanneer ek sien hoedat ons jongmense deur sulke snert mislei en verlei word. Hulle vergeet gerieflikheidshalwe Jesus se woorde in Matteus 18: “ . . . maar elkeen wat een van hierdie kleintjies wat in My glo, laat struikel, dit is vir hom beter dat ‘n meulsteen aan sy nek gehang word en hy wegsink in die diepte van die see.” Rob Bell se heils-evangelie — dié een wat Stephan Joubert die ware Evangelie noem — berus op die soort keuses wat ons hierdie kant van die graf maak. As jy ‘n bietjie dieper delf, sal jy agterkom dat Rob Bell maar eintlik verwys na die Oosterse begrip van goeie en slegte karma.

Weer eens, enigiemand wat elke woord uit Rob Bell se mond as suiwer evangelie beskou, moet óf ‘n klap van die windmeul weghê óf moes reeds so ver van die Here af weggedryf het dat hy nie meer die ware evangelie van ‘n valse een kan onderskei nie. Trouens, die Woord van God waarsku baie ernstig teen die gevaar om al hoe verder en verder van die Here af weg te dryf.

Hebreërs 2:1-4 Daarom moet ons des te meer ag gee op wat ons gehoor het, dat ons nie miskien wegdrywe nie. Want as die woord deur engele gespreek, onwankelbaar was, en elke oortreding en ongehoorsaamheid regverdige vergelding ontvang het, hoe sal ons ontvlug as ons so ‘n groot saligheid veronagsaam wat, nadat dit eers deur die Here verkondig is, aan ons bevestig is deur die wat dit gehoor het, terwyl God ook nog saam getuig het deur tekens en wonders en allerhande kragtige dade en bedélinge van die Heilige Gees volgens sy wil?

Rob Bell dryf soms openlik die spot met die Evangelie van Jesus Christus. Hy skryf onder andere:

“The presentation often begins with sin and the condition of human beings, separated from God and without hope in the world. God then came up with a way to fix the problem by sending Jesus, who came to the world to give us a way out of the mess we find ourselves in. So if we were to draw a continuum of the story of the Bible, Jesus essentially shows up late in the game” (Velvet Elvis, p. 82).

Die aanbieding begin dikwels met sonde en die toestand van mense, geskei van God sonder hoop in die wêreld. God het toe met ‘n manier vorendag gekom deur Jesus te stuur wat na die wêreld gekom het om vir ons ‘n manier uit die gemors waarin ons ons bevind, te gee. As ons dus ‘n konrtinuüm van die verhaal van die Bybel moet deurtrek, dan het Jesus essensiëel laat in die spel opgedaag.

Volgens Rob Bell is God so ‘n bietjie onkant betrap deur die sondeval van die mens en het eers heelwat later in die konrtinuüm van die verhaal van die Bybel besluit om sy Seun te stuur, in die eerste plek nie om vir ons sondes aan die kruis te betaal nie maar om vir ons ‘n nuwe visie te gee omtrent die lewe wat ons met mekaar moet deel en om ons ‘n beter weg aan te dui vir die wêreld waarin ons lewe.

I’m part of this global, historic stream of people who believe that God has not left us alone but has been involved in human history from the beginning. People who believe that in Jesus, God came among us in a unique and powerful way, showing us a new kind of life. Giving each of us a new vision for our life together, for the world we live in” (Velvet Elvis, p. 12).

Ek is deel van hierdie globale, historiese stroom van mense wat glo dat God ons nie alleen gelaat het nie maar van die begin af betrokke was in die mens se geskiedenis. Mense wat glo dat God in Jesus op ‘n unieke en kragtige wyse onder ons kom woon het om ‘n nuwe soort lewe vir ons aan te dui, wat elkeen van ons ‘n nuwe visie vir ons lewens saam en vir die wêreld waarin ons lewe, te gee.

Die sg. herbeskildering van die Evangelie is nie om dowe neute nie. Die hele doel daaragter is om die mensdom en veral die vervalle Christendom voor te berei vir ‘n “Christus” wat ons ‘n nuwe visie sal gee om te leer hoe om met mekaar in vrede en harmonie saam te lewe en om die pad vorentoe vir ons aan te dui.

WHO IS THE CHRIST?

Throughout history, humanity’s evolution has been guided by a group of enlightened men, the Masters of Wisdom. They have remained largely in the remote desert and mountain places of earth, working mainly through their disciples who live openly in the world. This message of the Christ’s reappearance has been given primarily by such a disciple trained for his task for over 20 years.

At the centre of this Spiritual Hierrarchy stands the World Teacher, Lord Maitreya, known by Christians as the Christ. And as Christians await the Second Coming, so the Jews await the Messiah, the Bhuddists the fifth Buddha, the Moslims the Imam Mahdi, and the Hindus await Krishna. These are all names for one individual.

His presence in the world guarantees there will be no Third World War.

WHAT IS HE SAYING?

My task will be to show you how to live together peacefully as brothers. This is simpler than you imagine, My friends, for it requires only the acceptance of sharing.

How can you be content with the modes within which you now live: when millions starve and die in squalor; when the rich parade their wealth before the poor; when each man is his neighbor’s enemy; when no man trusts his brother?

Allow me to show you the way forward into a simpler life where no man lacks; where no two are alike; where the Joy of Brotherhood manifests through all men.

Take your brother’s needs as the measure of your action and solve the problems of the world.

WIE IS DIE CHIRSTUS?

Die mens se evolusie is dwardeur die geskiedenis deur ‘n groep verligte mans, die Meesters van Wysheid, gebaan. Hulle het hoofsaaklik in die verafgeleë woestyn en bergstreke van die aarde gebly en werk grotendeels deur hulle dissipels wat openlik in die wêreld woon. Hierdie boodskap van die Christus se herverskyning word hoofsaaklik deur so ‘n dissipel wat vir meer as 20 jaar opgelei is vir sy taak, uitgedra.

In die senter van hierdie Spiriutele Hiërargie staan die Wêreldleermeester, Heer Maitreya, wat vir die Christene bekend staan as die Christus. En soos die Christene wat wag vir sy Tweede Koms, so wag die Jode vir die Messias, die Boeddhiste vir die vyfde Boeddha, die Moslems vir die Imam Mahdi, en die Hindoes vir die Krishna. Dit is almal name van een persoon.

Sy teenwoordigheid in die wêreld waarborg dat daar nie ‘n Derde Wêreldoorlog sal wees nie.

WAT Sê HY?

My taak sal wees om julle te wys hoe om as broers saam in vrede te lewe. Dit is eenvoudiger as wat julle dink, My vriende, want dit verg maar net ‘n bereidwilligheid om mededeelsaam te wees.

Hoe kan julle tevrede wees met die maniere waarop julle nou lewe: wanneer miljoene honger lei en in ellende sterwe; wanneer die rykes hulle rykdom voor die armes paradeer; wanneer elke persoon sy naaste se vyand is; wanneer niemand sy broer vertrou nie?

Laat my toe om vir julle die weg vorentoe aan te dui na ‘n eenvoudiger lewe waar niemand gebrek lei nie; waar niemand dieselfde sal wees nie; waar die Vreugde van Broederskap deur alle mense gemanifesteer sal word.

Neem jou broer se behoeftes as die maat vir jou aksie en los so die probleme van die wêreld op.

Die bg. volblad advertensie het op Saterdag, 24 April 1982 in die Rand Daily Mail en in koerante dwarsoor die wêreld verskyn. Sedertdien is die Maitreya se dissipels verwoed besig om sy boodskap in die hele wêreld uit te dra. Die naam Christus (Gesalfde Een) moet noodwendig van al sy unieke karaktereinskappe gestroop word om aan te pas by die valse Christus (anti-Chris) wat sal kom om die wêreld onder Satan se heerskappy te bring. Om dit te kan doen moet die Evangelie van Christus natuurlik ook herbedink en herverwoord word om in te pas by die Antichris se doelwitte. Hierdie valse Christus kan hoegenaamd nie sondes vergewe nie en ook nie die ewige lewe in die hemel aan jou voorsien nie; al wat hy vir jou kan doen is om ‘n visie vir ‘n nuwe lewe hier en nou op aarde te verskaf, waarin die ganse mensdom saam onder een spirituele sambreel as broers en susters in vrede en liefde saam verkeer — en om dan te sê “DIE KONINKRYK VAN GOD HET UITEINDELIK HIER EN NOU OP AARDE GEKOM.”

Dit is dan ook een van die hoofredes waarom kennis en insig as sodanig uitgefaseer moet word want die Satan weet baie goed dat ‘n gebrek daaraan die Here se volk ten gronde rig (Hosea 4: 6), en daarom word daar voortdrend vir hulle gesê: “Julle kan die waarheid nie ken nie en daarom moet ons saam daarna soek op ons gesamentlike spirituele reis.” Daar is hoofsaaklik twee duidelike raakpunte in die doelstellings van die Ontluikende Kerk en dié van die sg. Maitreya – hulle wil die armes, die onderdruktes en die vertraptes se lewenspeil ophef en verbeter (wat natuurlik ‘n baie mooi en deugsame ding is) en hulle wil die Koninkryk van God hier en nou op aarde vestig (wat natuurlik ook ‘n baie mooi en deurgsame ding  blyk te wees).  Daar is egter een probleem hiermee: hulle wil dit doen deur die waarheid soos ons dit in die Woord van God opgeteken vind (sy leerstellings, doktrines of dogmas) “repaint,” en “rethink,” sodat dit nie meer langer ‘n beskrywing moet wees van Jesus Christus, die essensie van Waarheid, die Weg en die Lewe, nie maar van ‘n ander Christus wie se taak dit is om vir ons te wys watter pad ons moet loop op ons nimmereindigende spirituele reis sodat absolute waarheid geneutraliseer kan word en ons as broers en susters kan saamlewe (wat natuurlik ook ‘n baie mooi en deugsame ding blyk te wees).

2 Johannes 9-11 Elkeen wat ‘n oortreder is en nie bly in die leer van Christus nie, hy het God nie. Wie in die leer van Christus bly, hy het die Vader sowel as die Seun. As iemand na julle kom en hierdie leer nie bring nie, ontvang hom nie in die huis nie en groet hom nie.  Want die een wat hom groet, het gemeenskap aan sy bose werke.

Let Us Reason Ministries skryf as volg:

The attitude of liberalism is strong in the Emergent church as they try to reshape Christianity into something different. Experience is held above doctrine which is straight out of the New Age movement’s handbook. New age promoter the late Marilyn Ferguson wrote The Aquarian Conspiracy stating, “The radical Center of spiritual experience seems to be knowing without doctrine … the teacher does not impart knowledge but technique. This is the ‘transmission of knowledge by direct experience.’ Doctrine on the other hand, is second-hand knowledge, a danger” (Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy pp. 371, 377.)

Metanoia – Part 2

Considering the fact that Jesus used the word “metanoia” in his very first public sermon, it is arguably one of the most important and potent words in the Bible. Having said that, we should be very careful how we interpret it and how we use it in our own evangelizing outreaches. Unfortunately the Emerging Church has very stealthily changed its intended meaning, not by changing its meaning per se but by changing its application, and a person who has contributed to this subtle change in meaning is Eugene Peterson, the author of the paraphrased version of the Bible, The Message. Like most Emergent Church devotees Dries Cronjé of e-church fame, regards The Message to be his favourite Bible paraphrase because it supposedly “uses language that’s compatible with the language we speak today to communicate the timeless truths of the Bible” . . . but does it faithfully portray the eternal and infallible truths in the Bible? I really don’t think so. To substantiate my confident affirmation that it is not a trustworthy paraphrase of God’s Word, I would like to quote the same verse Dries Cronjé used on his blog and compare it with some other translations of Mark 1:14 and 15.

After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.” (The Message)

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (New International Version)

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (New American Standard Bible)

Now after John was arrested and put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God, And saying, The appointed period of] time is fulfilled (completed), and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent (have a change of mind which issues in regret for past sins and in change of conduct for the better) and believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to) the good news (the Gospel). (Amplified Bible) (Emphasis added throughout)

It is obvious that Eugene Peterson, in keeping with the Emergent Church’s doctrine of Kingdom Now Theology, deliberately changed the entire last sentence in this verse to convey their idea that God’s Kingdom is already here in our midst. The words “Times up” is a far cry from “the kingdom of God is near,” and “the kingdom of God is at hand.” If the Kingdom is already here, then we should stop praying the prayer Jesus taught us: Let thy Kingdom come, let thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  As we shall see, this infamous alteration of the meaning of Jesus original words inevitably leads to a change of meaning of the word “metanoia.” Listen carefully to what Dries Cronjé says in the following few paragraphs and you will immediately see what I mean. Read the entire article here.

The Greek word for “change your lives” in the verse above (which is also translated in other bible translations as ‘repent’) is metanoia.

It comes from two significant words. Meta means ‘after’ or ‘beyond’, and noia means ‘mind’. In it’s regular usage meta was also often used for the word ‘change’ (Thomas Moore explained this to me in his latest book, Writing in the Sand).

Therefore, true repentance or metanoia is to change your mind or to shift your vision. Jesus says we must metanoia and believe his message — a message of the kingdom of God being here, now. This kingdom is a new reality we can enter if we live according to the new kingdom instructions (or commands). What we need as a start is metanoia, something Thomas Moore calls a radical shift in vision.

Although Cronje acknowledges that “metanoia” is rendered as “repent” in other Bible translations, he emphasizes that the act of repentance actually means to radically change your vision which translates into a firm belief in — not the Gospel — but in the message of the Kingdom of God as being here now. This opens a whole new can of worms, simply because it facilitates their intention to steer away from the real meaning of “metanoia” as a radical change of mind and heart in order to enter into the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:13). “Metanoia” as a change of mind always goes hand in hand with a regret for one’s past sins and a change in conduct for the better. In contrast to this, a change of vision suggests that everyone (of all religious persuasions) are already in the Kingdom of God that is already here and that they only need to change their vision (mindset; to go beyond your present state of mind) in order to benefit from the blessings of God’s Kingdom. The Kingdom is already a new reality anyone can enter by living according to the new kingdom instructions (or commands). “What we need as a start,” according to Dries Cronje,“is metanoia, something Thomas Moore calls a radical shift in vision.” Of course, another way of describing this shift, is to say that we need a paradigm shift, which involves, according to Rob Bell’s and Brian McLaren’s Universal/Interfaith belief, merely that Jesus be added to all the other religions. Rob Bell says:

A lot of people see Jesus as just for Christians but I keep discovering that his teachings are really about what it means to be human. – Rob Bell, Manchester Evening News (June 15, 2007)

In a book by Oppenheimer and Sandy Simpson titled Idolatry in Their Hearts, they show how widespread this new missiology has become. Listen to some of the comments made by a few new missiology evangelists: Read here.

New Light embodiment means to be “in connection” and “information” with other faiths…. One can be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ without denying the flickers of the sacred in followers of Yahweh, or Kali, or Krishna.”-Leonard Sweet

I happen to know people who are followers of Christ in other religions.-Rick Warren

I see no contradiction between Buddhism and Christianity. . . . I intend to become as good a Buddhist as I can.-Thomas Merton

Allah is not another God…we worship the same God. The same God! The very same God we worship in Christ is the God the Jews—and the Muslims—worship.-Peter Kreeft

In the emergent vocabulary the word metanoia no longer means a change of mind in order to be saved from your past sins and lost status so that you may be granted entrance into the Kingdom of God, but a radical shift in vision (paradigm shift) with the purpose of including all religions in the already present Kingdom of God. This is apparently what it means to be truly human —a hotchpotch of religions serving and worshiping a god that is not the God of the Bible.

The principle of following Jesus Christ has also undergone a very serious paradigm shift or radical visionary shift within the ranks of the Emergent Church. This is how Dries Cronje articulated it:

So, as we start our journey here with Jesus’ very first command in Mark, realize that to be a serious follower of Jesus you have to first undergo a radical shift in vision. How we go about that practically is part of the mystery that’s the whole reason behind this category of echurch. I hope that the teaching offered here will help you with this shift in vision. We’ll be looking into some practical details as we progress, but keep in mind that the spiritual journey is a mystery with only the very next step being revealed most of the time.

The radical shift in vision involves a shift away from the doctrine of self-mortification, (the only prerequisite to follow Jesus – Matthew 16:24); from what you are to what you do. The what you are followers realize there is nothing good in their old Adam nature and therefore take Christ’s command to deny yourself and take up your cross (die to yourself) very seriously. Paul’s entire discourse in Romans 7 explains in great detail the futility of trying to do good without having the cross of Jesus Christ doing its mortifying work to the flesh. The what you do followers of Jesus Christ have transformed the doctrine of mortification through the cross into a social Gospel. For them it does not matter to what religion you belong for, as we’ve noticed in many of the emergent leaders’ bold statements, you can become a follower of Jesus without having to relinquish your own religion. Mysticism plays a major part because it is the unifying catalyst between all the religions in the emergent movement. The spiritual journey on which they have embarked is a mystery which in essence means that every traveller on this journey is given the opportunity to include their own spiritual experiences in this growing hotchpotch of spiritualities without having to be examined or evaluated by clear-cut doctrines. In short it means: Your spiritual experience is as valid and true as mine because we are both on a spiritual journey shrouded in mystery. Indeed, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH is emerging before our eyes.

E-church heresies or “genuine copies of the original”

I have it on the highest authority that the sowing of doubt is one of the most dangerous forms of telling a lie. Think of it . . . the most idyllically beautiful place on the earth became the backdrop for the downfall of the whole of mankind and it all started with “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” or as the Amplified Bible renders it.”Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?” No wonder the author of Genesis described the serpent as the most subtle and crafty beast of the field and Jesus called him the father of all lies from the beginning whose lies are murderous tools, killing, maiming and destroying everyone who believes his lies. Another equally dangerous way of sowing doubt is to juxtapose the truth with the lie without demarcating the lie from the truth. In layman’s terms it is called NOOMA /015 or “YOU ARE THE GOSPEL.” I’ll explain what I mean in a minute or two. [You can watch the video clip here.]

Genuine copies of the original

As a kid, years ago, I saw a movie that fascinated me. A bunch of criminals hired (by “gentle” persuasion) an amateur painter who had an exceptional talent to reproduce the oil paintings of the old masters. The thieves would then break into art museums, swap some of the original paintings with the reproductions and make a fortune by selling the  stolen paintings on the black market. The reproduced paintings were so perfectly done that even the most educated art dealer was unable to distinguish between the fake and the original paintings. However, there was one man who had studied the original paintings all his life and was able to effortlessly detect a fake painting. Needless to say, the criminals tried to kill the man but he outwitted them again and again.

Reproductions or copies in the spiritual realm are one of Satan’s cleverest methods to steer people away from Jesus Christ and his salvation. In fact, he is a past master at reproducing a “gospel” that comes so close to the original that multitudes of people are led astray on a daily basis. Peter, whose testimony that Jesus is the Son of the living God became the rock on which Christ promised to build his church, had scarcely finished uttering these profound divinely inspired words when Satan viciously and maliciously provoked him to not have the things of God in mind but the things of men (Matthew 16:23). Multitudes of deceived preachers and teachers who believe they have the things of God at heart are being used of Satan in a similar way to promote his counterfeit “gospel.” Rob Bell, one of the more popular young preachers in the emergent church, who has been dubbed the new Billy Graham, is one of the major proponents of the emergent church’s Gospel reproductions. His presentation of these reproductions, particularly in his series of videos called NOOMA, are so convincing that the unsuspecting listener is easily hood-winked into believing that it is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is very alarming to see that the electronic church in South Africa, known as e-church and e-kerk under the  auspices of Stephan Joubert, Dries Lombaard and Dries Cronje are increasingly promoting him on their blogs and websites. In a short article written by Dries Cronje that appeared on e-church (6 June 2008) he sings the praises of Rob Bell that just about tops the praises Jesus received when He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to present Himself publicly and openly as the Jewish Messiah. In his discussion of Bell’s NOOMA video #15, Dries Cronje makes the following statement:

Rob Bell sketches the background for his important message by sharing the origins of words like evangelical and ecclesia from his vast knowledge of the first century world. He touches issues at the heart of what it means to be a Christian and part of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Then he reaches a stunning conclusion. I don’t want to spoil the NOOMA for you, but he makes the bold claim that… You are the good news. You are the gospel.

Only someone who does not know the original and genuine Gospel is capable of saying something so utterly anti-God and anti-biblical. He may as well have said “You are God” because the Gospel (the Word of God) was made flesh and dwelt among us as Immanuel (God with us). Where did this anti-God and anti-biblical reproduction of the Gospel stem from? It has its roots in the infamous incarnational spirituality that espouses the belief that Christ ought to be incarnated into the world cultures by means of community service and the doing of humanitarian deeds. It was probably Eugene Peterson, the author of a transliteration of the Bible called The Message, that introduced the idea of an incarnational spirituality to an unsuspecting church. His transliteration of 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10 reads as follows:

^7-10Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom.

Jim Montgomery from DAWN Ministries, claims that the LORD spoke to him these words.

‘See to it that I, the Lord, truly become incarnate… in every small group of people on earth.”

In an interview with Relevant Magazine Leonard Sweet responded as follows to one of their questions:-

Relevant Magazine: You’ve said a bit in the past about the church needing to use the medium of pop culture as a vehicle for the Gospel. Why is that?

Leonard Sweet: Because it’s the Roman road; it’s the road people are traveling on; it’s the dominant global culture. For the church not to speak to pop culture, not to use images that come from it and sounds that come from it, smells that come from it, well … that’s not being very incarnational … In order to incarnate Christ into the culture that is there, then we have to look to redeem pop culture.

I remember some time ago a dear sister of mine in the Lord, who makes much ado about nothing (Peterson’s The Message), told me that we should stop preaching the Gospel and start living it. Well! that sounds just grand, but is it the Gospel truth? Even Jesus, the only Person who ever lived a perfect sinless life and did more good deeds of love and compassion than anyone else in the entire family of the human race, once said: “ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (Johan 15:3). The preaching of the Gospel, the spoken word of God, is sharper than a two-edged sword that divides asunder soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart and not you or your wonderful life of community service to put a broken world back together again. Saving faith comes by hearing and hearing by the preaching of the unadulterated Gospel of God (Romans 10:17). If I were to sum up the main purpose of those who espouse an incarnational spirituality I would have to say their main aim is to downplay and even openly denigrate the uniqueness of God’s Word. If you can get people to believe that the Bible is just another holy book with no inherent uniqueness of its own, and indeed to sow seeds of doubt as to the distinctive matchlessness of the Bible, you can mesmerize people into believing just about anything you say. This is exactly what Rob Bell sets out to do in his NOOMA video no. 15. Let us now place some of the things he says in his video under the microscopic scrutiny of the Word of God to see whether the things he says are true.

He kicks off by saying “Sometime in the First Century, around the year 30, a movement was started by a group of Jews who insisted that their Rabbi, a man named Jesus from the Galilee region in Israel had risen from the dead after being crucified by the Roman Empire. They claimed that after His resurrection they had seen Him and that they had had conversations with Him and eaten meals with Him. And then they said that He had ascended to heaven and that someday he would return.” I would like you to take special note of two things he says that are completely out of touch with the Word of God.

• A movement was started by a group of Jews. (The Christian faith is not just a movement that was started by a group of Jews. In fact, his disciples were hardly in any position to start anything due to their timidity and fear of being captured and crucified like their Lord subsequent to his crucifixion, resurrection and shortly after his ascension. When Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome went to Jesus’ grave to anoint his body, they found the great and heavy stone that sealed the sepulchre rolled away. Inside they saw a young man clothed in a long white garment who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Did they immediately go out to start a new movement proclaiming that He had risen? Hardly! because the Bible says the women who first visited his grave were sorely afraid and did not tell anybody that He had risen, despite the angel’s bidding to tell his disciples that He was going to meet them in Galilee. Only when Jesus  personally appeared to Mary Magdalene did she take courage to tell the disciples that she had met with Him and seen Him. What were the disciples reaction when they heard the awesome news of his resurrection? Did they immediately start a new movement insisting that He had risen from the dead? Hardly! because they did not believe Mary Magdalene. Eventually, when more and more of his followers were informed that He had risen from the dead but failed to believe, He rebuked them sternly for their unbelief and hardness of heart (Mark 16:14). It was only on the Day of Pentecost, when the promise of the Holy Ghost’s indwelling power became a reality, that the disciples and everyone who received the life quickening empowerment of God’s Spirit were able to preach the Gospel with conviction and without fear. Jesus and His Spirit inaugurated the Christian faith. They did not merely start a movement or a club or an institution. They did not even establish a Gospel, but the Gospel and the only Gospel that saves sinners from God’s eternal judgment in hell. None of these facts are even once mentioned by Rob Bell in his NOOMA video. Could it be that he is following a certain agenda and this this agenda is to rethink and re-interpret the Gospel?)

• The Roman Empire crucified Jesus Christ. (The Roman judicial system put Jesus on trial and through a series of illegal processes found him guilty and crucified him. Roman soldiers drove the nails through his hands and feet and it was a Roman soldier who pierced his side with his spear. But, it was the Jewish Sanhedrin, through the heinous betrayal of Judas (a Jew), who delivered him over to the Roman authorities. And yet Jesus declared that no man had the power to take his life unless He willingly and lovingly laid it down Himself [John 10:18]. He expressly told Pilate at his bar that he could have no power at all against him except it were given him by his Father [John 19:11]. Isaiah 53: 10 says that it pleased God to bruise his Son and Peter declared on the Day of Pentecost: “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” [Acts 2:23]. The wicked hands that crucified Him were merely the instruments God used to prove his unfathomable love and to accomplish his will in saving the many who would believe. These facts are supremely important and cannot be ignored because they speak of the magnanimity of God’s love for a dying world. Nevertheless, Rob Bell fails to mention these facts even once. The question is: why does he circumvent the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the omission of these facts?)

Although it is evident that Bell has no intention of putting “the movement a group of Jews started,” as he refers to the Christian faith, on par with many other religious movements that existed during the reign of the Roman Empire, the inherent danger of his statements is that they may and actually do sow doubt in the hearts of his listeners. To prove that the Jewish movement was not regarded as that unique in the Roman Empire and that its first century citizens were not particularly impressed by these Jewish Christians’ claim that their God had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, he mentions several idolatrous practices in those days that also believed their gods had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. He proceeds to explain that the gods Mithra and Attis were believed to have risen from the dead and ascended to heaven. In his short history lesson he also mentions that the Caesars were worshipped as gods and that many of the words the early Christians used to describe their movement were derived from the Caesars vocabulary — words such as euangelion and ekklesia which the Caesars used to propagandize their military conquests and political achievements, and the places of worship they established where their subordinates declared them to be Lord. The new Jewish movement usurped these words and changed them into evangelical and church, according to Bell, and used them to describe their own places of worship where they declared Jesus Christ as their Lord. Bell’s interpretation of the meaning of these words aren’t correct. For one, the word ekklesia or ecclesia means “called out ones” and expresses the essence of the new birth which is to be called out of the corrupt world system and to be grounded in God’s Kingdom where everyone worships and obeys Jesus Christ as their Lord and King. Paul explained this spiritual principle in Colossians 1:12-14.

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Emphasis added)

The alarming thing about Rob Bell’s Nooma video is that, while he downplays the very core of Christianity by juxtaposing Christ’s death and resurrection with those of other Roman gods such as Mithras and Attis, he brings to the fore both the Roman Caesars’ and the early Christians’ efforts to make a better place of this world. Both had the same idea but the only difference is that the Roman Empire with her Caesars pledged to do it through military might, coercion and strict laws while the Christians ventured to do it through love, compassion and service. Here’s what Bell says in his video:

Now, for them [the Christians], this future restoration had nothing to do with leaving this world, it was all about the restoration, the renewing and the reclaiming of this world. And so they saw in Jesus’ resurrection the beginning of this universe-wide movement to put it all back together. Well. This, of course, brought them into direct conflict with the Roman Empire, because remember, for the Caesars, it was all about Caesar’s belief that he was making a better world through his power, through his armies and through his wealth . . . For them, this Gospel was about serving the world, especially those on the underside of the Empire. For them it was about serving, not ruling. And so they took this Empire propaganda term “gospel,” and they used it to describe this new world that Jesus and his followers were making right under the nose of the Empire, because their way, the way of Jesus, was totally opposed to the way of Rome. And so, when we read accounts of how they lived, we read that they shared their possessions, they fed the hungry and that they carried each other’s burdens. Well, it’s because the Gospel for them was a whole way of life, a whole new world, right in the midst of this one.

The Gospel according to Bell which is a very clever counterfeit of the original Gospel of Jesus Christ, revolves around the restoration of the world through acts of love, compassion and selfless sacrificial living amongst the poor, the destitute and especially those on the underside of the world. Although these humanitarian deeds should be part of every Christian’s make-up, Peter and the disciples seem to have been very careful not to place too much emphasis on it for fear that it might deter them in the preaching of the Gospel, something Bell hardly ever does according to Scripture.

Acts 6:1-4 NOW ABOUT this time, when the number of the disciples was greatly increasing, complaint was made by the Hellenists (the Greek-speaking Jews) against the [native] Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked and neglected in the daily ministration (distribution of relief). So the Twelve [apostles] convened the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not seemly or desirable or right that we should have to give up or neglect [preaching] the Word of God in order to attend to serving at tables and superintending the distribution of food. Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business and duty. But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.

Negligence of the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ for the sake of humanitarian deeds of love and compassion is not a service but a gross disservice to the community. In that case you may as well become a second Mother Theresa who abounded in deeds of love and compassion but sent thousands into a Christ-less eternity because she believed it was her duty, not to make the people she cared for disciples of Jesus Christ, but to make of a Hindu a better Hindu, of a Muslim a better Muslim and of a Catholic a better Catholic . . . and in doing so to make a better place of our crooked and corrupt world. Or perhaps, like Rob Bell, you may want to attend one of the Dalai Lama’s Seeds of Compassion Conferences and learn how to join hands with other religions in making a better place of our world. The incarnational spirituality doesn’t seem to care by whom or what the incarnation is done. All that matters is the restoration, the renewing and the reclaiming of this world which is nothing short of a giant resurrection rescue of this world as Rob Bell describes it. Really? Is that what Jesus taught his disciples to do — to restore this world to a new euphoric Garden of Eden where everyone may continue to live as he pleases, worship whom he pleases and to just love, love and compassionately love one another without really caring where people are going to spend eternity?

Did Jesus send his disciples out to restore all things and to renew and reclaim the world?

The word “ecclesia” as I mentioned earlier means “that which is called out,” and conveys the idea that a sent messenger heralds a stern warning to everyone to come out (separate) themselves from the world of the lost and indeed the world of Satan. In the book of Revelation this herald not only sounds a word of warning to come out of the world but also out of the Babylonian religious system (end-time church) which is going to provide a haven for every conceivable religious persuasion (Revelation 18:4). Therefore, the call of God is not to restore, renew and reclaim the world but to separate oneself from it. This of course does not mean that the present-day disciples or followers of Christ should turn a blind eye to the suffering caused by sin and the injustices in the world; it means not to compromise the Gospel of salvation for the sake of an interreligious collaboration to make a better place of our world. It is not of God. In fact, the Spirit of the Lord expressly warns that in the last days when all the religions of the world begin to work together to bring about peace through love, compassion and service, sudden destruction is going to come upon them (11 Thessalonians 5:3).

From whom or what must we reclaim the world? From Satan, the god of this world?

When Satan tried to tempt Jesus into worshipping him by offering Him all the kingdoms of the earth, He did not deny the devil’s claim that all the kingdoms of the earth belonged to him. Indeed, he is presently the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4: 4) and will not capitulate his position until He is forced to do so by Jesus Christ when He returns to set up his Kingdom of Peace for a thousand years. Only then all things will be restored (Isaiah 65; Revelation 20).

Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The Emergent Church may be of the opinion that they are restoring, renewing and reclaiming the world and that they are instrumental in the giant resurrection rescue that is allegedly underway, but they are actually succumbing to Satan’s temptation to worship him in return for the kingdoms of the earth. This is no surprise because God’s Word clearly states that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). The most dangerous deceivers are those who claim to be Christians but have no qualms in asserting that there are truths in religions other than the Christian faith. E-church and e-kerk, engineered by Stephan Joubert, Dries Lombaard, Dries Cronjé and others, have openly supported Rob Bell’s claim that there is truth in other religions such as Buddhism. Some of you may query my allegation that they are succumbing to the wiles of the devil and actually bowing to his whims to grant them the kingdoms of the earth if they but worshipped him. Paul clearly states in 1 Corinthians 10:20 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” The worst form of fellowshipping with idolaters who sacrifice to devils is when you unashamedly allot truth to those religions while Jesus Himself said: “I AM the Truth.” He is the complete embodiment of truth and anything or anyone from whatever religious persuasion that rejects His claim as being the only truth are not in fellowship with the Triune God and neither are those “Christians” who avow that there is truth in other religions.

Are you the Gospel?

No you are NOT the Gospel. If you have the testimony of the Holy Spirit in your heart that you are a child of God, then you are merely a sheep of the Good Shepherd who has sent you out amongst ravenous wolves to preach the unadulterated Gospel of God (Matthew 10:16) so that others may be saved according to Scripture (remember Colossians 11:12-14).

Om die Voorhangsel van Onder na Bo te Skeur

READ THE ENGLISH VERSION OF MY COMMENTARY HERE.

Matteus 27:51

En kyk, die voorhangsel van die tempel het in twee geskeur, van bo tot onder (Klem bygevoeg)

Wat reken u sou die uitslag wees as ons ‘n steekproef sou doen en mense die vraag vra: “As u die belangrikste en mees rewolusionêre gebeurtenis in die ganse geskiedenis van die mensdom kon meebring, wat sou dit wees?” Die meerderheid sou waarkynlik ‘n geneesmiddel vir VIGS of kanker wou uitvind of miskien blywende wêreldvrede inlui. Ander sou miskien armoede vir eens en altyd wou uitwis. Glo dit as u wil, dit is nie die belangrikste dinge wat die postmoderne en “ontluikende” denkers beoog nie, al sê hulle ook so. Wat hulle in werklikheid in gedagte het, is om “nuwe” maniere te vind om in die teewoordigheid van God te kom. Sedert die Sondeval het baie probeer om die koninkryk van die hemel met geweld (hulle eie pogings) te gryp omdat hulle God se manier verwerp het. Moenie geflous word deur hulle manifeste van “om armoede te verlig,” “om hulle met die armes te assosieer deur saam met hulle te gaan woon,” en “om in die voetspore van Jesus te volg om sy voorbeeld na te volg” nie. Dit is alles mooi geplaveide kliptrappies (eie pogings en goeie werke) om hulle in die teenwoordigheid van God te bring.

In die antieke tye was dit lewensgevaarlik om ‘n koning sonder sy toestemming te nader. Selfs vandag nog, in sommige dele van Afrika, word jy nie toegelaat om ‘n stat of gehuggie sonder die hoof se toestemming binne te gaan nie. Die normale prosedure is om eers die hoof se persoonlike assistent te nader en hom te vra of jy hom mag besoek. Hy sal dan na gelang hy die hoof se toestemming verkry het, jou inlig of en wanneer jy die hoof mag sien. Sodra ‘n aanvaarbare besoektyd bepaal is, ontmoet jy die assistent by die ingang en hy begelei jou dan na die hoof se huis in die middel van die stat. Moet nie eers daarin dink om aan sy deur te klop nie. Dis slegte maniere. Die assistent gaan alleen in die huis en dan eers mag jy die hoof se huis betree — dis te sê as die hoof nie intussen besluit het om sy afspraak met jou op diie laaste nippertjie uit of af te stel nie. Frustrerend . . .? Dis uiters frustrerend, maar dis die manier waarop jy jou respek en waardering teenoor die hoof as jou meerdere in sy huis en stat betoon. Nie net dit nie; dit toon aan die assistent en sy hoof dat jy gewillig is om jouself nederig te gdra in hulle teenwoordigheid. Daar is ‘n soortgelyke narratief in die Ou Testement. Toe Mordegai, koningin Ester se oom, Haman se komplot om al die Jode uit te wis aan haar meegedeel het, het hy by haar gepleit om haar man op sy troon te nader om hom oor die komplot in te lig. Sy was aanvanklik onwillig omdat dit lewensgevaarlik was om haar man, Ahasvéros, ongevraagd in sy troonkamer te nader. Hier’s hoe Ester haar oom geantwoord het:

Ester 4:11 Al die dienaars van die koning en die volk van die provinsies van die koning weet dat vir elke man of vrou wat na die koning in die binneste voorhof ingaan, sonder dat hy geroep is, een en dieselfde wet geld: hy moet gedood word; behalwe wanneer die koning sy goue septer na hom uitsteek, dat hy mag lewe; en ek is nou al dertig dae lank nie geroep om by die koning in te kom nie. (Klem bygevoeg)

Die uitkoms van hierdie gebeure is alombekend. Toe Ester die koning nader, het hy sy goue septer as ‘n gebaar van toegeeflikheid na haar toe uitgehou en sy het die punt van die septer aangeraak waardeur sy sy gesag oor haar as haar koning en heer erken het. Het sy dit nie gedoen nie sou Haman se komplot om haar volk, die Jode, uit te wis nie gestuit kon word nie. As die koninklike protokol so streng was in daardie dae hoe kan ons straks verwag dat die Koning van die konings en die Here van die here mensgemaakte weë om Hom in sy allerheiligste troonkamer in die hemel te nader moet aanvaar? Desnieteenstaande, wend die aanhangers van die Ontluikende Kerk hulle toenemend tot mensgemaakte maniere om hulleself in die teenwoordigheid van God te bring. HUlle is inderdaad besig om die voorhangsel met geweld van onder na bo te skeur. In hulle pogings om dit te doen, vereis die nuwe geslag “Christen” predikante, pastore, spostels, dissipels en leermeesters dat ons op nuwe en vars maniere oor ons spiritualiteit moet nadink en ook in die besonder oor die manier waarop ons ons Christenheid ervaar.

Die voorvoegsel “re” (in Engels) het een van die kragtigste taalfoefies in ons postmoderne tyd geword. Ten spyte van sy twee-letter omvang het dit ‘n geweldige potensiaal om jou lewe te verander. Woorde soos “think,” “imagine,” “construct,” “define,” en “painit” (met dank aan Rob Bell in sy “Velvet Elvis”) kry ‘n algeheel nuwe betekenis wanneer die voorvoegsel “re” bygevoeg word. ‘n Vinnige “google”-soektog op die internet het my stomgeslaan toe ek die volgende resultate sien:

• Rethinking the world (1 300 000 results)
• Rethinking leadership (2 020 000 results)
• Rethinking the future (1 340 000)

Die idee om die wêreld, leierskap en die toekoms te “her”-interpreteer (“rethink”) is nie tot die sekulêre wêreld beperk nie maar word toenemend in die kerk bepleit. Een van die toonaangewende voorspraakmakers van die “possibility thinking” of “positive thinking” kulte, Robert Schuller, het verlede jaar ‘n “Rethink” Konferensie in sy Crystal Cathedral aangebied. ‘n Konferensie was vir hierdie jaar geskeduleer maar is uitgestel tot 2010. Baie van die sprekers by verlede jaar se konferensie, waaronder Erwin McManus, Kay Warren (Rick Warren se vrou) en Dan Kimball bevorder kontemplatiewe mistisisme en meditasie. Vyf e-kerk lede uit Suid-Afrika, insluitende Stephan Joubert, en Dries Lombaard, het die konferensie in 2008 bygewoon en skouers gevrywe met hierdie gesiene denkers wat daarop ingestel is om die aangesig van die Christendom vir ewig te verander. Hulle maak ‘n geweldige impak op ons jonger Suid-Afrikaanse kerklui wat op hulle beurt baie jongmense beïnvloed en bekendstel aan kontemplatiewe mistisisme. Die e-kerk webtuistes (Afrikaans en Engels), wat onder die beheer staan van Stephan Joubert en Dries Lombaard onderskeidelik, propageer met flinke oorgawe die kontemplatiewe spiritualliteit onder die dekmantel van “Jesliefhebbers en volgelinge van Jesus.” Om die waarheid te sê alle volgelinge van Jesus is welkom om op hulle webtuistes kommentaar te lewer en om deel te neem aan hulle “verhoudings-gesprekke” mits jy ook ‘n vurige navolger is van hulle gurus Rob Bell, Leonard Sweet, Nelus Niemandt, Erwin McManus, Doug Pgitt en baie ander kontemplatiewe mistieke Christene. Diegene wat in harmonie is met Stephan Joubert en Rob Bell dat waarheid ook in ander godsdienste soos die Bhoeddisme, Judaïsme en selfs ateïsme te vind is, is meer as welkom op hulle webtuistes maar jy word summier verban sodra jy hulle teen hulle kontemplatiewe maatjies waarsku.

Ek wil graag in orreenstemming met die “her-interpretasie (“rethinking”) kultuur van die kontemplatiewes ten minste ‘n enkele gedeelte uit die Skrif (Matteus 7:22-23) her-interpreteer, herverwoord en rekonstrueer om te illustreer hoedat hulle die voorhangsel van onder na bo skeur.

Here, Here, kyk net wat het ons vir U gedoen! Ons het voorwaar opreg eerbare en goeie baanbrekersweg gedoen deur die gemors en puinhope in die bosveld op te ruim en ‘n pragtige labirint in die plek daarvan te bou. Ons weet werklik nie hoe ons Afrikaanse jeug sal reageer wanneer ons hulle aan ons labirint blootstel nie maar ons probeer hard om hulle ware volgelinge van Jesus te maak. Miskien is dit iets van wat ons probeer om te doen as volgelinge van Jesus. Om die puinhope in die wêreld skoon te maak sodat ons plekke kan skep waar mense vrede en harmonie kan vind en met transendensie kan konnekteer. Toe het die “Labirint-Jesus” wat hulle met soveel liefde en oorgawe volg geantwoord: “Ek het julle nog altyd geken. Julle het my Weg (labirint) getrou, liefdevol en met vuur bewandel. Kom in die teenwoordigheid van my vader.

Verbaas . . .? Geskok . . . ? Dink u miskien . . . .? Hoe vermetel van hom om die Woord van God op so ‘n godslasterike wyse te verander en te herinterpreteer! Voordat u besluit om my te stenig met die klippies waarmee julle jul labirinte bou, lees gerus eers baie noukeurig hier. Wat makeer die ouens? Lees hulle nooit hulle Bybels om te leer wat die regte Jesus te sê het oor blywende vrede, harmonie en verbondenheid met God nie? Het hulle so blind geword vir die waarheid dat hulle met domastrantheid hulle wend tot die moddermeul en stowwerige weë van hulle eie maniere om God se vrede en teenwoordigheid te smaak? Het hulle dan vergeet wat Jesus gesê het?

Johannes 14:27 Vrede laat Ek vir julle na, my vrede gee Ek aan julle; nie soos die wêreld gee, gee Ek aan julle nie.

Dit is beslis nie die “Labirint-Jesus” wat hier praat nie. Maar wie is in elk geval die “Labirint-Jesus?” Om ‘n gepaste antwoord te kry moet ons so ‘n bietjie teruggaan in die heidense geskiedenis. Wikipedia voorsien ‘n deeglike gesdkiedkundige agtergrond van die labirint wat bewys dat dit gewis nie van God kom nie. Roger Oakland omskryf die betekenis van die labirint soos volg in sy boek “Faith Undone.”

Die labirint is ‘n doolhof-agtige struktuur wat in gewildheid toeneem en tydens tye van kontemplatiewe gebede gebruik word. Die deelnemer loop deur hierdie stuktuur tot in die middel daarvan en weer terug. Anders as die doolhof wat verskeie paaie het, het die labirint net een paadjie. Dikwels word gebedstasies (met kerse, ikone, prente, ens.) langs hierdie paadjie besoek. Die labirint het in vroeë heidense gemeenskappe ontstaan. Die gewone scenario vereis dat die bidder ‘n soort van ‘n meditasie moet doen, wat hom in staat stel om te sentreer (d.w.s. om in God se teenwoordigheid te kom) terwyl hy die middel van die labirint bereik (Uit die Engels vertaal. Klem bygevoeg)

Wat lê aan die hart van kontemplatiewe praktyke soos die labirint, die stilte, asemgebede, eensaamheid, Jesus-kerse, ikone, die Jesus-gebed, lectio divina, lectio continua, 12 kruisstasies, wat jou na bewering in die allerheiligste teenwoordigheid van God bring. Dit het alles by Kain se bloedlose offer begin. Pa Adam en ma Eva het hom, nes vir hulle seun Abel, geleer dat God se onmeetbare heiligheid vereis het dat Hy op geen ander manier genader mag word as deur die storting van die bloed van ‘n onskuldige slagoffer nie. Kain, daarenteen, het God se slagting van ‘n onskuldige slagoffer om hulle naaktheid (sondes) te versoen (te bedek) verag en besluit om Hom met sy eie pogings en goeie werke tevrede te stel en te versadig. Sedertdien is sy weg, wat in die Bybel bekend staan as die weg van Kain (Judas 1:11) deur die eeue heen voortgesit deur mans en vroue wat God se oplossing vir ons sondes met gelyke argwaan bejeen. Brian McLaren se onbeskaamde ontkenning van die ware betekenis van die kruis is simptomaties van die ontluikende beweging. Hy skryf:

“Miskien is ons ‘inwaarts-gekeerde, individuele-verlossing-georiënteerde, nie-aanpasbare Christenheid’ ‘n kolossale en tragiese misverstand, en miskien moet ons weer luister na die ware lied van verlossing wat goeie nuus is vir die hele skepping. Dus is dit miskien die beste om dit, indien enigiets, oor boord te gooi wat jy ‘weet’ aangande wat dit beteken om Jesus jou ‘Verlosser’ te noem en om die saak rondom verlossing weer nuut te oordink. Kom ons begin gewoonweg. In die Bybel beteken verlossing ‘redding,’ of “heelmaking’ [‘genesing’]. Dit beteken beslis nie om ‘uit die hel gered te word’ of ‘om die ewige lewe na die dood te ontvang’  soos sommige leraars preek na preek verkondig nie. Die betekenis daarvan wissel eerder van teks tot teks, maar in die algemeen, in enige konteks, beteken verlossing ‘om uit die moeilikheid te kom.’ Die moeiliheid kan siekte, oorlog, politieke intrige, verdrukking, armoede, tronkstraf of enige ander tipe gevaar of boosheid wees.” (A Generous Orthodoxy, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004, p. 93) (Uit die Engels vertaal).

Die kruisdood van Christus is vir McLaren niks meer en niks minder nie as ‘n tydelike verligting van die mensdom se lyding wat deur siektes, politieke intriges, verdrukking, armoede, gevangenisstraf (ongeag die redes vir ‘n misdadiger se tronkstraf) of enige ander soort gevaar of euwel meegebring word. Rob Bell se filosofie van verlossing hou ook verband met die tydelike in hierdie wêreld en nie soseer met ‘n plek (hemel of hel) waarheen jy gaan wanneer jy te sterwe kom nie.  Sy probleem lê nie by Jesus wat alle mense wil red en alles in Hom weer nuut wil maak nie, maar met dié mense wat daarop aandring dat net sekere mense hemel toe gaan. Tydens sy Mars Hill Konferensie in Januarie 2007 het hy enkele tersaaklike maar baie gevaarlike vrae gevra — gevaarlik vir almal wat hom glo.

Gaan jy hemel toe? . . .  Is dit al?  Die beste wat ons kan doen is om iets soos net ‘n versekering teen brand aan te bied? Ons het nodig om net siele te red? Is dit ‘n boodskap vir die wêreld? Dit is wanhoop.  . . . Is dit die beste wat God kan doen? Ek het vandag hulp nodig . . . Is dit wat Jesus voor mense se neuse gehou het?

Party Jesusse moet verwerp word. . . . Die Jesus wat mense inhok en doodmaak moet verwerp word. Glo julle in ‘n God wat biljoene mense geskape het net om te kyk hoe hulle brand met geen kans op enige ander soort toekoms nie? In wat se soort God glo julle?

Indien iemand julle sou vra “Hoe word ‘n persoon gered, bekeer, verlos ens?” en julle het net die Bybel gehad om die vraag te antwoord, sou daar baie antwoorde tot julle beskikking wees. [Dit] behels handelinge van liefde wat ‘n hartsverandering en lastige uitruilings demonstreer; dit is oral . . . Mense kom na Jesus op allerhande soorte maniere. As ons kon sê “dis hoe dit gebeur” – sou dit wonderlik wees, maar die probleem is dat dit nie so is soos ons dit insien nie. Mense gaan op allerhande maniere al struikelend die koninkryk in. Verlossing is holisties van aard. Jesus wil ons almal red. Jesus wil jou red van jou verlede, van jou vrese, van jou verlammende bekommernisse, jou haat, van die mite van ‘n verlossende geweld, van rassisme, armoede, enigiets wat die volledige shalom wat God vir hierdie wêreld geskep het, verhinder. (Klem bygevoeg)

Bell se evangelie van hoop (in teenstelling met God se Evangelie van wanhoop) wat verklaar dat Jesus almal van ons wil red, selfs van die klad van armoede, is seker die onmenslikste, oppervlakkigste en mees destruktiewe stukkie eksegeses wat ek nog ooit gehoor het. Tydens sy 2007 Leraarkonferensie het hy gewaarsku dat sommige Jesusse verwerp moet word maar hy het hoegenaamd geen gewetenswroeginge om ‘n ander Jesus te omhels wat die armes van hulle armoede wil red nie. Sy Jesus is beslis nie die Jesus wat gesê het:  “Want die armes het julle altyd by julle, maar My het julle nie altyd nie (Johannes 12:8). Daar is biljoene desperate arm mense op die planeet. Wat moet hulle dink van ‘n Jesus wat hulle almal van hulle armoede wil red maar dit nie doen nie? Ek is bewus van ‘n “Christus” wat belowe het om die benarde toestand van die armstes onder die armes hok te slaan en selfs uit te wis. Sy naam is Maitreya. Hoor ‘n bietjie wat sê sy “wegbereider,” of “Johannes die Doper,” Benjamin Creme:

Al die hoofstroom godsdienste verwag ‘n goddelike boodskapper, hoewel onder verskillende name, sê Creme, en Maitreya het gekom om die profesieë van elkeen te vervul. Hy het weens die dringendheid van die tye vroeër gekom as wat baie religieuse groepe verwag het om sy raad aan ‘n wêreld in krisis te bied. Sy prioroteite is eenvoudig: voedsel, skuiling, gesondheidsdienste en opleiding as gewaarborgde regte vir almal. Sy raad aan die mensdom is netso eenvoudig. Wees mededeelsaam en red die wêreld. Wanneer die dilemma van die armes en die honger-sterwende miljoene verlig is, sal die herwinning van die omgewing eerste prioriteit geniet (Benjamin Creme op ‘n perskonferensie op 15 Augustus 2006) (Klem byegevoeg).

My taak is om vir julle te wys hoe om as broers in vrede saam te woon. Dit is eenvoudiger as wat julle dink, my vriende, want dit verg net ‘n gesindheid van mededeelsaamheid. Hoe kan julle tevrede wees met die omstandighede waarin julle tans lewe terwyl miljoene sterwe en in ellende omkom; terwyl die rykes hulle rykdom voor die armes paradeer; terwyl elkeen sy broer nie vertrou nie? Laat my toe om julle die pad vorentoe na ‘n eenvoudiger lewe waar niemand gebrek ly nie, aan te dui; waar niemand dieselfde is nie; waar die vreugde van Broederskap deur alle mense geopenbaar word. Neem jou broer se behoeftes as die meetsnoer vir jou optrede en los die probleme van die wêreld so op (“The Christ is Now Here”, advertensie in die Rand Daily Mail, 24 April 1982)

Is die bogenoemde die Jesus waarna Rob Bell verwys? Dit moet wees want die ware Jesus van die Bybel is in staat om mense van die regverdige oordele van God te red deur selfs gebruik te maak van die haglikste omstandighede wat deur ekstreme armoede veroorsaak word. In lande soos China het baie mense verlossing in Jesus gevind nadat hulle alles verloor het — hulle wonings, hulle vrouens, hulle mans, hulle besparings, ens. Hulle het geleer om tevrede te wees met wat hulle het ten spyte van hulle buitengewone armoede. (Hebreërs 13:5).

Die prediking van die Evangelie ter wille van die redding van siele vanuit die regverdige oordele van God is vir Rob Bell ‘n evangelie van wanhoop. Nee, sê Rob Bell, die boodskap van die Evangelie is dat God nooit biljoene mense sou maak net om te sien hoe hulle in die hel brand sonder enige kans op ‘n ander soort toekoms nie. Sy aanname dat mense op allerhande maniere na Jesus kom vir hulle verlossing maak die deur wawyd oop vir mense van ander geloofsoortuigings om hulle in die kontemplatiewe mistisisme te begewe.  Dit is daarom geen wonder nie dat so ‘n lae dunk van Christus se offer aanleiding gegee het tot die siening dat labirinte en ander kontemplatiewe praktyke misties gemagtig is om enigeen, ongeag hulle mening van die kruis, in die teenwoordigheid van God te bring. In ‘n aflaaibare PDF dokument van Rob Bell se Mars Hill Kerk word die volgende raad in die sesde fase van die mistieke praktyk van “lectio divina” voorsien.

Kontemplasie

Eindig deur jou aandag te fokus op die feit dat jy in God se teenwoordigheid is. Indien jy, terwyl jy op God se teenwoordigheid probeer fokus, ‘n behoefte het om die teks weer te lees, om voort te gaan met jou meditasie, of om eenvoudig net aan te hou om met God te praat, gun jouself dan die kans om dit te doen. Terwyl jy dit doen, weet dat jy in die teenwoordigheid van God is (Klem bygevoeg).

Siedaar! Jou eie doen (werke) van “lectio divina” bring jou in die teenwoordigheid van die Almagtige God. Hulle is maar net besig om Kain se weg om die voorhangsel van onder na bo te skeur, voort te sit. Dit is die manne na wie ons mees geëerde en gerespekteerde geetelike leiers soos Stephan Joubert, Dries Lombaard en Dries Cronjé opkyk vir geestelike leiding. Dries Cronjé, ‘n geestelike boetie van Dries Lombaard en Stephan Joubert het die volgende te sê gehad oor Rob Bell op hulle e-kerk webtuiste:

Ek was onlangs bevoorreg genoeg om my hande (en oë) te lê op Everything is Spiritual van Rob Bell.

Jy vra “Waarom weer Rob Bell? Het jy sy materiaal nie verlede keer bespreek nie?” Wel, ek is besig om nogal heelwat by hierdie mees-geniale dissipel van Jesus te leer en ek wil my opgewondenheid met julle deel. My volgende pos sal oor iets anders wees . . . Belowe.

“Die mees geniale dissipel van Jesus?” Werklik? Die een wat onbeskaamd die Evanglie van verlossing verdraai? Die een wat ‘n soort universele verslossing verkondig? Ek weet nie van u nie, maar ek verkies om die lof te besing van die vernaamste sondaars onder die dissipels van Jesus Christus. Sy naam was Paulus wat op ‘n dag gesê het:

1Timotheus 1:15 Dit is ‘n betroubare woord en werd om ten volle aangeneem te word, dat Christus Jesus in die wêreld gekom het om sondaars te red, van wie ek die vernaamste is. (Klem bygevoeg)

Paulus, my arme broer, hoe kon jy met soveel minagting van jouself praat? Dis jammer dat jy nie vandag nog hier saam met ons kan wees nie want dié is seker, as jy vandag nog gelewe het, sou Dries Cronjé jou voorstel aan een van die mees geniale dissipels van ons tyd — Rob Bell, wat jou “self-esteem” en “self-image” ‘n geweldige hupstoot sou gee.  Het ons so gewoond geraak aan ons moedswillige afvalligheid dat ons eiesinniglik weier om die gees van die  antichris in diegene wat ons as volgelinge van Jesus beskou, raak te sien?

In my inleiding het ek na Ester verwys wat bang was om haar man, koning Ahasvéros, te nader omdat sy nie seker was of hy sy septer van outoriteit en goedkeuring na haar toe sou uithou nie. Hoewel ons vermaan word om God te vrees omdat dit ‘n verskriklike ding is om in die hande van die lewende God te val (Hebreërs 10:31), het alle gelowiges wat van hulle sondes gereinig  is deur die bloed van Christus die vrymoedigheid en die vertroue om in sy teenwoordigheid in die allerheiligste heiligdom in die hemel te gaan. Hulle mag enige tyd en enige plek vir die res van hulle lewe hier op aarde voor Hom verskyn totdat hulle Jesus van aangesig tot aangesig ontmoet.

Hebr 10:19-22: Terwyl ons dan, broeders, vrymoedigheid het om in die heiligdom in te gaan deur die bloed van Jesus op die nuwe en lewende weg wat Hy vir ons ingewy het deur die voorhangsel heen, dit is sy vlees, en ons ‘n groot Priester oor die huis van God het, laat ons toetree met ‘n waaragtige hart in volle geloofsversekerdheid, die harte deur besprenkeling gereinig van ‘n slegte gewete en die liggaam gewas met rein water (Klem bygevoeg).

Wat meer as dit wil ons hê? Wat meer as dit het ons nodig? Almal wat meen hulle kan in die teenwoordigheid van God kom d.m.v. hulle stowwerige en vuil labirinte in die bosvled of selfs op die stowwerige marmervloere van verhewe katedrale en ander mistieke kontemplatiewe monderings is mislei en is besig om ander te mislei, veral ons jeug. Hulle volg nie vir Jesus Christus, die Seun van die lewende God nie, maar ‘n ander Jesus. Hou op met julle nonsens en keer terug na die kruis van Jesus Christus. Die bloed van die kruis is God se septer wat na almal uitgereik word wat gewillig is om die kruis in geloof aan te raak vir hulle redding sodat hulle in sy teenwoordigheid mag kom met blydskap en ewige danksegging.

Rending the Veil from the Bottom to the Top

Matthew 27:51 And at once the curtain of the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; (Emphasis added)

What do you think the result would be if we were to do a survey asking people the question: “If you were able to bring about the most important and revolutionary event in the entire history of mankind, what would you do?” The majority would probably want to find a cure for AIDS or cancer, or usher in a lasting global peace. Some would probably want to eradicate poverty once and for all. Believe it nor not, these are not the the most important things the post modern and “emergent” thinkers are aiming to do, although they may say so. What they do have in mind is to seek “new” ways and means of entering into the presence of God. Since mankind’s Fall many have tried to take the kingdom of heaven by force (their own efforts), simply because they have rejected God’s way. Don’t be hoodwinked by their manifestos of “wanting to alleviate poverty,” “associating with the poor by living amongst them,” “following in the footsteps of Jesus by exemplifying his example.” These are all stepping stones (own efforts and good works) to bring them into the presence of God.

In ancient times it was a very dangerous and a life threatening experience to approach a king without his permission. Even today, in some parts of Africa, you are not allowed to enter a village without the resident chief’s permission. The normal procedure is to first request the chief’s personal assistant to convey your wish to visit him. He would then inform you if and when you may meet with the chief. When an appropriate time is set the envoy meets you at the entrance of the village and accompanies you to the chief’s house in the centre of the village. Don’t even think to knock on his door. That’s bad manners. The envoy enters the chiefs house alone, informs him of your arrival and only then may you enter his home — provided that the chief does not decide to reverse his initial invitation and turn you away at the last moment. Frustrating . . . ? Very frustrating, but that’s the way you need to express your respect and appreciation for the chief as your superior in his village. Not only that; it also proves to the envoy and his chief that you are prepared to humble yourself in their presence. There is a similar narrative in the Old Testament. When Mordecai, queen Esther’s uncle disclosed Haman’s plot to destroy all the Jews, he begged her to approach her husband, king Ahasuerus, on his throne and to inform him of the murderous plot. She was at first reluctant because it was too dangerous for her to do so uninvited. Here’s how Esther answered her uncle.

Esther 4:11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” (Emphasis added)

The outcome of this event is well-known. When queen Esther approached the king he held out his golden sceptre as a gesture that she may come closer and she touched the top of his sceptre, acknowledging thereby his supreme authority over her as her king and her lord. Had she not done so a multitude of her brethren, the Jews, would have been murdered in a plot which had been orchestrated by Haman. If royal protocol in those days were adhered to so strictly how can we possibly expect the King of kings and the Lord of lords to accept manmade ways to approach Him in His most holy sanctuary in heaven? However, adherents to the Emerging Church are increasingly turning to manmade ways to usher themselves into the presence of God. Indeed, they are forcefully trying to rend the veil from the bottom to the top. In their endeavors to accomplish this the new breed of “Christian” ministers, pastors, apostles, disciples and teachers are demanding a complete change in the way we think about our spirituality, and particularly in the way we experience Christianity.

The prefix “re” has become one of the most potent lingo doohickeys in our postmodern society. Despite it’s two-lettered confines it has a vast potential to revolutionize your life. Words like “think,” “imagine,” “construct,” “define,” and “paint” (with due thanks to Rob Bell in his “Velvet Elvis”) have taken on a whole new meaning when the prefix “re” is added. By doing a quick google search of the words “rethink” and “rethinking” on the internet I was dumbfounded to see the following results:

• Rethinking our world (1 300 000 results)
• Rethinking leadership (2 020 000 results)
• Rethinking the future (1 340 000 results)

The idea of rethinking our world, leadership and the future is not limited to the secular world but is also increasingly and aggressively advocated in the church. One of the leading proponents of the “possibility thinking” or “positive thinking” cult, Robert Schuller, hosted a “Rethink Conference” in his Crystal Cathedral last year. A conference was scheduled for this year but has been postponed to 2010. Many of the speakers at last year’s conference, amongst them, Erwin McManus, Kay Warren (wife of Rick Warren) and Dan Kimball are proponents of contemplative mysticism and meditation. Fifty e-church members in South Africa, including Stephan Joubert and Dries Lombaard attended the conference in 2008 to rub shoulders with these most distinguished thinkers who are bent on changing the face of Christianity for evermore. They have made a great impact on our younger South African church clergy who in  turn are influencing many young people and introducing them to contemplative mysticism. The e-church websites (Afrikaans and English), engineered by Stephan Joubert and Dries Lombaard respectively, are vigorously promoting the contemplative spirituality under the guise of “loving and following Jesus.” In fact, all the followers of Jesus are welcome to comment on their sites and to participate in a relational conversation provided that you are also an avid follower of their gurus, Rob Bell, Leonard Sweet, Nelus Niemandt, Erwin McManus, Doug Pagitt and many other contemplative Christian mystics. Those in agreement with Stephan Joubert and Rob Bell that truth may be found in other religions such as Buddhism, Judaism and even atheism are more than welcome on their websites but you will be summarily ostracized as soon as you sound a warning against their contemplative buddies.

In accordance with the “rethinking” culture of the contemplatives, I have decided to rethink, re-imagine, and reconstruct at least one passage from Scripture (Matthew 7: 22-23) to illustrate how they are trying to rend the veil from the bottom to the top.

Lord, Lord, look what we have done for you! We have done some real honest-to-good bundubashing by clearing away some trash and debris in the bushveld and built a beautiful labyrinth. We really do not know how our Afrikaans Reformed youth will react when we introduce them to our labyrinth but we are trying to make them genuine followers of you. Maybe this is something of what we are trying to do as followers of Jesus. To clean out the rubish [sic] in the world in order to create places where people can find peace, harmony, and connect with transcendence. Then the “Labyrinth Jesus” who they follow with so much love and commitment answered: “I have always known you. You have trod my way (labyrinth) faithfully, lovingly and with gusto. Enter into the holy presence of my father.”

Amazed? . . . . Shocked . . .? Thinking . . .? What nerve does he have to change and rethink the Word of God in such a blasphemous way? Before you decide to stone me with some of the “klippies” you used to build your labyrinths, read here very carefully. What’s up with these guys? Don’t they ever read their Bibles to learn what the real Jesus has to say about lasting peace, harmony and connectedness with God? Have they become so blind to the truth that they are mindlessly resorting to all kinds of dredge and dust-filled ways to seek after God’s peace and presence? Have they forgotten what Jesus said?:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

This is definitely not the “labyrinth-Jesus” speaking here. Who is this “labyrinth-Jesus, anyway? To find a suitable answer we need to go back into pagan history. Wikipedia provides an elaborate history of the origins of the labyrinth which proves that it is not of God. Roger Oakland explains the meaning of the labyrinth as follows in his book “Faith Undone.”

The labyrinth is a maze-like structure that is growing in popularity, used during times of contemplative prayer. The participant walks through this structure until he comes to the center, then back out again. Unlike a maze, which has several paths, the labyrinth has one path. Often prayer stations (with candles, icons, pictures, etc.) can be visited along the way. The labyrinth originated in early pagan societ­ies. The usual scenario calls for the prayer to do some sort of medi­tation practice, enabling him or her to center down (i.e., reach God’s presence), while reaching the center of the labyrinth. (Emphasis added)

What lies at the heart of contemplative practices such as the labyrinth, silence, breath prayers, solitude, Jesus candles, icons, the Jesus prayer, lectio continua, lectio divina, 12  stages of the cross, which allegedly usher you into the holy presence of God? It all started with Cain’s bloodless sacrifice. Dad Adam and mom Eve taught him, as they did their son Abel, that God’s infinite holiness demanded no other way to approach Him but through the shedding of an innocent victim’s blood. Cain, however, despised God’s slaughtering of an innocent victim to cover up (atone for) their nakedness (sins) and decided to appease and satisfy Him with his own efforts and good works. Since then his way, in biblical terms known as the way of Cain (Jude 1:11), has been perpetuated throughout the ages by men and women who equally despise God’s remedy for our sins. Brian McLaren’s outright denial of the true meaning of the cross is symptomatic of the emergent movement.

“Perhaps our ‘inward-turned, individual-salvation-oriented, un-adapted Christianity’ is a colossal and tragic misunderstanding, and perhaps we need to listen again for the true song of salvation, which is ‘good news to all creation.’ So perhaps it’s best to suspend what, if anything, you ‘know’ about what it means to call Jesus ‘Savior’ and to give the matter of salvation some fresh attention. Let’s start simply. In the Bible, save means ‘rescue’ or ‘heal’. It emphatically does not mean ‘save from hell’ or ‘give eternal life after death,’ as many preachers seem to imply in sermon after sermon. Rather its meaning varies from passage to passage, but in general, in any context, save means ‘get out of trouble.’ The trouble could be sickness, war, political intrigue, oppression, poverty, imprisonment, or any kind of danger or evil.” (A Generous Orthodoxy, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004, p. 93).

The crucifixion to McLaren is nothing more and nothing less than a temporal alleviation of mankind’s suffering caused by sickness, political intrigue, oppression, poverty, imprisonment (regardless of the reasons for a criminal’s incarceration) or any kind of danger or evil. Rob’ Bell’s philosophy of salvation is also related to the temporal in this world and not so much a place (heaven or hell) you go to in the afterlife after you’ve died. His problem is not with Jesus who wants to save all people and restore all things to Himself but with those who affirm that only certain people go to heaven. At his Mars Hill Pastor’s Conference held in January 2007 he asked some pertinent but very dangerous questions — dangerous for those who believe him.

Going to heaven? .  . . “That’s it?” The best we can do is some other just fire insurance? Just have to save  souls? That’s message to the world? That’s despair. . . . Is that the best God can do? I need help today. . . . Is this what Jesus waved in front of people?

Some Jesus’ should be rejected.  . . . The Jesus who herds people in and kills them should be rejected. Do you believe in a God who would create billions of people only to watch them burn with no chance for any other sort of future? What kind of God do you believe in?

If you were asked the question “How does a person get saved, converted, in, redeemed, etc.?” and you only had the Bible to answer the question . . . you would have lots of answers. [It] Involves acts of love that demonstrate a change of heart, awkward exchanges, it’s all over the place . . . People come to Jesus in all sorts of ways. When we say “this is how it’s done” – it would be nice, but the problem is it’s not the way we see it. People stumble into the kingdom in all sorts of ways. Observations based on passages – how does a congregation move forward, how do you move forward, how do you proclaim? Salvation is holistic in nature. Jesus wants to save all of us. Jesus wants to save you from your past, from fear, from crippling worry, hatred, the myth of redemptive violence, from hating, racism, poverty, anything that hinders the full shalom that God created for the entire world. (Emphasis added)

Bell’s gospel of hope (in contrast with God’s Gospel of despair), declaring that Jesus wants to save all of us even from the scourge of poverty, is the most unkind, frivolous and destructive bit of exegeses I have ever heard. During his 2007 pastor’s Conference he warned that some Jesus’ ought to be rejected but he has no qualms whatsoever to embrace another Jesus who claims he wants to save the poor from their poverty. His Jesus is definitely not the Jesus who said: “You will always have the poor with you” (John 12:8). There are billions of desperately poor people on the earth. What are they supposed to think of a Jesus who wants to save them from their poverty but fails to do so? I am aware of a “Christ” who has  promised to alleviate and even eradicate the plight of the poorest of the poor. His name is Maitreya.

All major religions are expecting a divine messenger, albeit under different names, says Creme, and Maitreya has come in fulfillment of the prophecies of each. He has come earlier than anticipated by many religious groups because of the urgency of the times, in order to offer his counsel to a world in crisis. His priorities are simple: food, shelter, health care and education for everyone as guaranteed rights. His advice to humanity is just as simple. Share and save the world. When the plight of the poor and starving millions is alleviated then the recovery of the environment will become the first priority (Benjamin Creme during a press conference on 15 August 2006) (Emphasis added).

My task will be to show you how to live together peacefully as brothers. This is simpler than you imagine, My friends, for it requires only the acceptance of sharing. How can you be content with the modes within which you now live: when millions starve and die in squalor; when the rich parade their wealth before the poor; when each man is his neighbor’s enemy; when no man trusts his brother? Allow me to show you the way forward into a simpler life where no man lacks; where no two are alike; where the Joy of Brotherhood manifests through all men. Take your brother’s needs as the measure of your action and solve the problems of the world. (The Christ is Now Here, advertisement in the Rand Daily Mail, 24 April 1982).

Is this the Jesus Rob Bell is referring to? It must be because the real Jesus of the Bible is quite capable of saving people from the righteous judgments of God even by utilizing the dire circumstances caused by extreme poverty. In countries like China many people have found salvation in Jesus Christ after they had lost everything — their homes, their wives, their husbands, their savings, etc. They have learnt to be content with what they have despite their extreme poverty (Hebrews 13:5).

The preaching of the Gospel in order to save souls from the righteous judgements of God is to Rob Bell a Gospel of despair? Its just a fire insurance? No! says Rob Bell, the message of the Gospel is that God would never have created billions of people only to have them burn in hell with no chance for any other sort of future. His inference that people come to Jesus in all sorts of ways for their salvation opens the door wide for people of all religious persuasions to indulge in contemplative mysticism. It is therefore no wonder that such a low estimate of Christ’s sacrifice has lead to the notion that labyrinths and other contemplative practices are mystically empowered to bring anyone, regardless of their opinion of the cross, into the presence of God. In a downloadable PDF document of Bell’s Mars Hill church the sixth phase of the mystic practice of “lectio divina” the following advice is given.

Contemplation
Finish by focusing your attention on the fact that God’s presence is with you. If as you try to focus on God’s presence you sense a need to read the text again, to continue meditating, or to simply continue talking with God, allow yourself to do so. As you do, know that you are in the presence of God. (Emphasis added).

Voila! Your own doing (works) of “lectio divina” brings you into the holy presence of Almighty God. They are merely perpetuating Cain’s way of rending the veil from the bottom to the top. These are the men some of our most revered and respected spiritual leaders, amongst them Stephan Joubert, Dries Lombaard, Dries Cronjé and many other young pastors, are looking up to for spiritual guidance. Dries Cronjé, a spiritual buddy of Dries Lombaard and Stephan Joubert had the following to say about Rob Bell on their e-church site:

Recently, I was privileged enough to get my hands (and eyes!) on Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell.

You ask “Why Rob Bell again? Didn’t you review his material last time?” Well, I’m learning quite a bit from this most-genial disciple of Jesus and I want to share my excitement. My next post will be on someone different… Promise.

“The most-genial disciple of Jesus?” Really? The one who unashamedly distorts the Gospel of salvation? The one who promotes a kind of universalistic redemption?  Have we grown so accustomed to our wilful apostasy that we wilfully refuse to discern the spirit of antichrist in those whom we regard as followers of Jesus?

In my introduction I mentioned Esther who was afraid to approach her husband, king Ahasuerus, because she feared that he may not extend his sceptre of authority and approval to her. Although we are admonished to fear God, for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31), all believers who have been cleansed of their sins in the blood of Christ have the confidence and boldness to enter into his presence in the most holy of holies in heaven. They may do so anytime and anywhere for the rest of their lives here on earth until they meet with Jesus face to face.

Hebrews 10:10-22 Therefore, brethren, since we have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus, By this fresh (new) and living way which He initiated and dedicated and opened for us through the separating curtain (veil of the Holy of Holies), that is, through His flesh, And since we have [such] a great and wonderful and noble Priest [Who rules] over the house of God, Let us all come forward and draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith (by that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. (Emphasis added)

What more do we want? What more do we need? Those who believe they may enter into the presence of God by means of their dusty and filthy labyrinths in the bushveld or even on the dusty marble floors of lofty cathedrals and other mystical contemplative paraphernalia are deceived and are deceiving others, especially our youth. They are not following Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, but another Jesus. Stop your nonsense and return to the cross of Jesus Christ. The blood of His cross is God’s sceptre He extends to everyone who is willing to touch the cross in faith for their salvation so that they may enter into His presence with rejoicing and eternal thanksgiving.

The Enigmatic Ping-Pong Love of the Emergent Fraternity

King Solomon’s wise remark in Ecclesiastes 1:9 “The thing that has been, it is what will be; and that which has been done is that which will be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” is relevant and true to this very day. It is particularly true of most people’s reactions, and especially high profile persons such as professors, doctors, and pastors (“dominees)” in the post modern emergent camp, when they are confronted with the unalterable, infallible and eternal truth of God. Allow me to explain this in terms of an incident in the Bible when Paul and Silas were severely beaten in prison subsequent to their witnessing to the truth. Paul and Silas, as with all the other disciples, witnessed to the truth; they heralded it and never sought to engage in a conversation with the idolaters of their time. They never said: “Ok you guys, let us congenially gather around the coffee table where you may teach us the beatitudes in your religion and we will teach you ours. We’re not interested in converting you to our religion; we’re merely trying to find common ground so that we may learn from one another.”

Acts 16:25-37

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household. Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.” (Emphasis added)

That’s what I love about Paul. Contrary to today’s emergent leaders such as Stephan Joubert who make such a big fuss of the integrity of Rob Bell, his own name and even those of his fellowmen were of little concern to him (Galatians 2:6) when matters pertaining to God’s truth and the doctrine of salvation needed to be defended in the face of Christ’s enemies. Nevertheless, when simple justice called for it, he stood his ground like a man and confronted his persecutors head-on: “Hey, you guys cannot just cast us out like common dirt when you violated your own country’s laws. They have beaten us mercilessly and now your highly respected magistrates whose integrity you hold in high esteem want to thrust us out shamelessly and secretly? Tell your highly esteemed magistrates to come here and accompany us out with due respect and honour.”

Before I continue, I would like to emphasize that I have no concern for my own name when it is maligned in behalf of Christ and His Gospel. In fact, the “black-and-white” defined truth is that all Christians should leap with joy when they are maligned, ridiculed and persecuted for the Name of Jesus Christ and His Gospel (Matthew 5: 11; Acts 5:41). However, I fail to understand how someone who calls himself a Christian can publicly associate my name with the devil, who is the father of all lies and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44), and subsequently make an about turn to send me a private e-mail, assuring me that he is praying for me and my family. A serious dilemma arises: should he pray to God for Tom Lessing and his family or should he pray for “an agent of the devil (the father of all lies and a murderer from the beginning) and his family? He reminds me of Dr. Johan van den Heever of the Eldoraigne Dutch Reformed Emergent Church who recently also very piously called me his brother. It is this kind of ping-pong love no one dares to trust, because you never know what they are going to call you next. A fountain cannot bring forth bitter and sweet water (James 3:11).

Although Rev. Guillaume Smit did not give me permission to post on my blog an e-mail he recently sent me, he has no authority to prevent me from disclosing the general content of his mail. I never gave him permission to label me an agent of the devil and yet he wilfully and maliciously called me the agent of the father of all lies who is a murderer from the beginning on the internet for the entire world to see. Now he clandestinely wants me to continue our discussion in private. He wants to gently and secretly get rid of me like those magistrates in Paul’s day. Nonetheless, I have decided to disclose, on the internet as he had done in calling me an agent of the devil, that he has now piously decided to pray for me and my family. He is determined to pray that God would overcome me with His love; that He would open my spiritual eyes so that I may know the truth, and yet when I presented him with the truth from Scripture he accused me of legalism and pharaseeism; and that my “black-and-white” theology is an outright fallacy. His ad hominem accusations are not even original. He parrot-talks after other emergent gurus who call themselves Christians. In one of his reviews of Ron Martoia’s book, “Static,” he wrote here:

“I also re-read Ron Martoia’s book, Static, in this time. Martoia challenges his readers to rethink salvation and sin in light of a biblical understanding of Scripture rather than a theological understanding (my words). I agree with him on the issue: We are way too obsessed with black-white legalistic issues when it comes to Christian life and ethics. It results in the Christian church becoming more and more like a Pharisaical religion in stead of being an authentic Jesus movement” (Emphasis added).

The overriding meaning of the above quoted section is evident: If you believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, unalterable and eternal Word of God, you are a “black-and-white-legalistic-Pharisee” as opposed to the “authentic Jesus movement” that promotes yoga and other disciplines in Hinduism, Buddhism and New Age philosophies. Many emergent preachers claim that all religions have wonderful and beautiful truths that may be incorporated freely into Christianity in order to enhance the “authentic Jesus movement’s” evangelical outreach throughout the world.

The questions we should ask is why we need to have second thoughts about biblical salvation and what the purpose is behind the emergent fraternities “rethinking” process. Biblical salvation is an individual-istic redemption. The Holy Spirit deals with every individual in a personal way convicting him/her of their own particular sins with the purpose of bringing them to a position where they contritely acknowledge (confess) their sins and eternal lostness to Jesus Christ in order for them to be saved from the righteous wrath and indignation of an infinitely holy God. Not so with the emergent church. This kind of salvation is too narrow-minded, too harsh and judgmental, too simplistic and out of touch with postmodern man’s immediate needs. They can no longer wait for Jesus Christ to usher in His Kingdom of peace, wholeness, and wellness. They want it here and now, the result being that they have derailed biblical salvation and shunted it to a parallel sounding rail of a global resurrection or salvation, which is nothing more than a social gospel. Rev. Jannie Pelser’s transformational theology to inculcate healthy and sound norms and values in our society falls squarely in this category.

In Flip Loots’ programme “Oop Gesprek” (Sunday, 12 April 2009) his two guests, Jannie Pelser and Graham Power (who was one of the sponsors of of the “Parliament of the World’s Religions” in Cape Town in December 1999), once again advertised their missional programme to inculcate sound and healthy norms and values in our society. How do they aim to forge healthy and civilized norms and values in our society when they unashamedly tolerate the corruption and highly unethical transformation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their churches and seminaries, and unashamedly and publicly spread the lie that we may learn from other religions and even the New Age because they too have certain beneficial truths inherent in their beliefs? (read here). Strengthened by their maxim “unashamedly ethical” they aim to eradicate corruption, crime and unethical practices from the top to the bottom. How dare they appoint themselves to the lofty position of guardians of social ethics (norms and values) when they unashamedly cuddle up to men who unashamedly corrupt the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Jannie Pelser admitted that we are living in the last of the last days which, according to Scripture, will be unashamedly characterized by a falling away from the faith. And yet, Jannie and Graham Power are confident and very excited that their missional thrust to transform South Africa and the whole of Africa with their norms-and-values-heart-transplant will be a resounding success. Who should we believe —  God or Jannie Pelser and Graham Power? I have written extensively on the fallacies of their unbiblical transformational “gospel” here and here.

I have already posted one of Rob Bell’s Nooma videos in one of my previous comments but would like to do so here again to prove to you what I mean.

The Gospel is NOT just about God not having given up on the world; that a giant resurrection rescue is on its way and that He wants to put it all back together, you, me and the whole world, again. The Gospel is the Good News of God’s unending longsuffering toward mankind as a whole, not willing that any should perish but that the entire world should come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The sad news, however, is that the majority shun God’s divinely ordained way of saving lost sinners. They have rejected the cross of His Son because to them it is sheer foolishness  (1 Corinthians 1:18). They want Him to resurrect them into a new and wonderful life of well-being, wholeness and peace without the blood of His cross. The Gospel is the Good News only to those who in faith and repentance have responded to God’s divinely ordained way of salvation. To those who reject His free gift of salvation, there is no peace (Isaiah 42:22).

The late Alice Bailey, a Theosophist during her life, who was used as a channel by die spirit guide, Djwal Kuhl, said something very similar about a universal resurrection in her book The Externalization of the Hierarchy – Section III – Forces behind the Evolutionary Process

An Easter Message

Easter Day 1945

On this day, we recall to our minds the fact of Resurrection – a universal and eternally recurring resurrection. I would like to talk with you anent the Christ, about His work as head of the Hierarchy, and about the rebuilding which humanity must undertake and which the Hierarchy is seeking to impulse at this time. A great period of reconstruction is planned. Here are the two words around which I wish to create my theme: Resurrection and Reconstruction. It will be a reconstruction implemented by Those Who know the meaning of resurrection, and it will involve a resurrection of humanity through the medium of its intelligentsia and men and women of goodwill. These two groups (the Hierarchy and Humanity) will need to be brought into a closer rapport, and this is entirely possible if the followers of the Christ realize their opportunity and shoulder their responsibilities. I would point out that when I use the phrase “followers of the Christ” I refer to all those who love their fellowmen, irrespective of creed or religion. Only upon this basic premise can a hopeful future be founded.

I do not care whether or not those who read my words accept the occult teaching of a spiritual and planetary Hierarchy over which the Christ presides, or whether they think in terms of Christ and His disciples. The essential recognition for which I plead is that this great group of spiritual Individuals, Who receive so general a recognition throughout the world and in all the great religions, should be [469] regarded as active. The Christian view of the Christ is built upon that which He enacted for us two thousand years ago and through which He symbolically indicated to us the way which all aspirants must go. It portrays a picture of a waiting, quiescent Christ, living in some vague and far away heaven, “resting on His laurels” and practically doing nothing very much until such time as the sons of men of every race and creed acclaim Him as Savior; this they must do both as individuals and as representing the organized Christian Church. It is a picture of a listening, observing Christ, animated by pity and compassion, but Who has done all He could and now waits for us to do our part; it is also a picture of One Who waits to see what humanity, as a whole, will accept theologically. In the mind of the narrow, fundamentalist theologian, Christ is seen as presiding over a peaceful place called Heaven, into which the elect are welcomed; He is also seen as consigning all who remain aware of their own spiritual integrity and responsibility, who refuse to be gathered into organized churches or who go idly or wickedly through life, to some vague place of eternal punishment. To this vast multitude (probably the majority) His love and compassion apparently do not reach, and His heart remains untouched. It appears that He cares not whether they suffer eternally or attain complete annihilation.

This surely cannot be so. None of these pictures is accurate or adequate; they are not true in any sense of the word. . . Resurrection is the clue to the world of meaning, and is the fundamental [470] theme of all the world religions – past, present and the future. Resurrection of the spirit in man, in all forms in all kingdoms, is the objective of the entire evolutionary process and this involves liberation from materialism and selfishness. In that resurrection, evolution and death are only preparatory and familiar stages. The note and message sounded by the Christ when last on Earth was resurrection, but so morbid has been mankind and so enveloped in glamor and illusion, that His death has been permitted to sidestep understanding; consequently, for centuries, the emphasis has been laid upon death, and only on Easter Day or in the cemeteries is the resurrection acclaimed. This must change. It is not helpful to a progressive understanding of the eternal verities to have this condition perpetuated. The Hierarchy is today dedicated to bringing about this change and thus altering the approach of mankind to the world of the unseen and to the spiritual realities. (Emphasis added).

“Liberation from materialism and selfishness” is a recurring theme in many religions and philosophies. On Saturday, 24 April 1982 the following advertisement appeared in the Rand Daily Mail under the title “THE CHRIST IS NOW HERE.”

WHO IS THE CHRIST?

Throughout history, humanity’s evolution has been guided by a group of enlightened men, the Masters of Wisdom. They have remained largely in the remote desert and mountain places of earth, working mainly through their disciples who live openly in the world. This message if the Christ’s reappearance has been given primarily by such a disciple trained for his task for over 20 years.

At the centre of this Spiritual Hierarchy stands the World Teacher, Lord Maitreya, known by Christians as the Christ. And as Christians await the Second Coming, so the Jews await the Messiah, the Buddhists the fifth Buddha, the Muslims’ the Imam Mahdi, and the Hindus await Krishna. These are all names for one individual.

His presence in the world guarantees there will be no Third World War.

WHAT IS HE SAYING?

My task will be to show you how to live together peacefully as brothers. This is simpler than you imagine, My friends, for it requires only the acceptance of sharing.

How can you be content with the modes within which you now live: when millions starve and die in squalor; when the rich parade their wealth before the poor; when each man is his neighbour’s enemy; when no man trusts his brother?

Allow me to show you the way forward into a simpler life where no man lacks; where no two are alike; where the Joy of Brotherhood manifests through all men.

Take your brother’s needs as the measure of your action and solve the problems of the world.

It is very interesting that yoga and transcendental meditation are presented on the internet as metaphysical ways to alleviate the suffering in the world:

Transcendental Meditation can improve your grades, make you a better citizen, assure you of a higher salary, alleviate world suffering, and increase the productivity of the national economy, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi promised an overflow crowd of about 200 in Leverett House Junior Common Room last night.(Read here).

It is evident that this resurrection of humanity will take take place by means of a massive paradigm shift, corporately induced primarily through meditation, and contemplative spirituality (centering prayer) which, in turn, is solidly embedded in Eastern religious practices such as yoga and other New Age philosophies. The Bible warns against passivity or inactivity of the mind because the mind, according to Scripture, is the avenue by which change and transformation is brought about in a person’s life. Paul warns us not to be conformed to this world system and its philosophies but to be transformed by the renewal of our mind so that we may prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2). In Ephesians 4:23 he says that we should be renewed by the spirit of our mind and Peter in his first Epistle (1:13) warns that we should gird up the loins of our mind. Our minds should continually be taken captive in obedience to the will of Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 10: 5). Indeed, the mind is the battleground for the souls of men and Satan will  do everything in his power to neutralize the mind so that he may invade and take captive the thoughts of men in obedience to his will. In fact, the Bible states very clearly that it is he, the god of this world, who blinds the minds of unbelievers so as to keep the Gospel veiled in them that perish (2 Corinthians 4:3). Contemplative spirituality with its emphasis on stillness and passivity of the mind (altered states) is unmistakably the primary vehicle Satan utilizes to captivate the hearts of men and to bring about change in the world; a change that allegedly brings on global peace, tranquillity, wholeness, wellness and euphoric love and compassion. This kind of peace, love, wholeness and wellness cannot and will not last because its orchestrator is bent on the destruction of mankind. No wonder the Bible says that when they say peace and safety a sudden inescapable destruction will come upon them (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Ron Martoia who pleads that we should rethink salvation and sin in the light of a biblical understanding of Scripture and whose ideas Rev. Guillaume Smit endorses wholeheartedly, has some very unbiblical ideas about salvation and sin. In his opinion Jesus rarely said anything about getting to heaven. Tony Cartledge of the ABP Associated Baptist Press released a report on 8 February 2007 of a conversation Ron Martoia had with several religious leaders on January 29. 2007. He wrote:

CONOVER, N.C. (ABP) — Despite decades of tweaking evangelistic methods, there is little evidence that many Christians are experiencing true life change, Ron Martoia told church leaders Jan. 29. (Read he entire article here.)

Perhaps, the church consultant said, that failure is because Christians in the Western world have been prone to think of salvation as a “point-of-sale” transaction that focuses on getting to heaven instead of appreciating that Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament promise of shalom, a concept that suggests wholeness, wellness, and peace.

Based on surveys he has done, Martoia said nine out of 10 pastors define the gospel as the good news that Jesus died for people’s sins so they can go to heaven. But Jesus rarely said anything about getting to heaven. He focused mainly on present human needs. Jesus’ self-stated mission, as found in Luke 4:16-19, is derived from Isaiah 61:1-2 and incorporated the Old Testament sense of bringing deliverance, healing and wholeness.

Preaching about forgiveness from sin becomes increasingly ineffective in a postmodern world where a sense of guilt and obligation is less often operative, Martoia said. In contemporary American culture, one can no longer assume that people identify themselves as sinners in need of grace.

“People may not think of themselves as sinners going to hell, but they seek wholeness and recognize they’re not there,” he said.

Thus, Martoia suggested that the Genesis 1 creation of humankind in God’s image (imago Dei) is a better starting point for evangelism than beginning with the “fall” story of Genesis 3: “What would it be like for us to begin the conversation with people as if we’re trying to live out the image of God in us and want them to live out the image of God in them?”

The inner imago Dei creates the yearning to believe that there is purpose to life, that life can be better, and that belonging is possible, Martoia said. It’s a trio of longings that correspond to faith, hope and love, he said.

Helping others identify and get in touch with the image of God in them is more of a process than a one-time transaction. And seeing the gospel through imago Dei calls for an apologetic that begins relationally, not just rationally, Martoia said. (Emphasis added)

You need not look far to realize what Ron Martoia, also known as a transformational architect, means when he says “get in touch with the image of God in them is more than a one-time transaction” (i.e. being born from above). It provides ample proof why he is into Eastern mysticism and why his ideas on salvation (i.e. wholeness wellness and peace) are based on his keen interest in yoga and the integral theory. The “Excellerators” website describes Ron Martoia as a transformational architect who is addicted to golf and is also a yoga instructor. A short description of his book here reads as follows:

Dr. Ron Martoia proposes using modern interpretations of basic Christian terms sometimes employed in evangelistic attempts. So many witness encounters are compromised by, among other things, the unwillingness to rephrase biblical language into something more understandable to the listener. Maybe the words we sometimes use confuse more than inform. Is the Christian message hopelessly out of date? Dr. Martoia would say no, it just needs to be rephrased. Addressing secondary elements of the witness encounter (the basics of conscience-level communication and subsequent conviction are not addressed), Martoia tells the story of his interaction with two young adults and their attempt to fully present the Gospel to their friend. While advocating positive positions on some issues that many feel are at odds with Christianity, including yoga and feminism, Martoia does address the need for a change from how evangelism has been attempted in recent years. (Emphasis added).

If Jesus rarely spoke of heaven and focused mainly on human needs, his crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension would have been a nonsequitur. The biblical facts, as He Himself stipulated prior to His ascension, are that He was going to prepare a place in heaven for all His true followers (John 14:1, 2). In addition, He also promised them that they would encounter hatred, persecution, affliction and tribulation in this world but that they should remain vigilant and loyal to Him, even unto death, because He would never forsake or leave them. Biblical salvation is not a transaction; it is a command. When the biblical Jesus began his public ministry His very first words were “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Repentance is not an option, it is an absolute necessity and anyone who disobeys His command will forfeit eternal life in heaven (John 23:36). Brother Paul said, in stark contrast to Ron Martoia’s rethinking philosophies, the following:

1 Cor 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (Emphasis added)

I have not only recently been accused of being an agent of the devil but also of unethical practices such as “stealing.” What can be more unethical than stealing away the truth out of the hearts of men, women and children who could have been saved if they had heard the true Gospel instead of the mishmash “gospel” of the emergent church? What is more unethical than the infringement of God’s sole rights on His Gospel by rethinking, changing and revamping it to make it more palatable for the postmodern creature? It is not only unethical and not only amounts to spiritual theft but is also downright dangerous. Read here.

When Mr. Sarel van der Merwe (in Jannie Pelser’s programme “Brandpunt” – 03/04/2009) pointed out that Rob Bell promotes Yoga in his Mars Hill sermons they thought he was off his rocker. Subsequent to the programme, Rev. Guillaume Smit wrote a comment on his blog under the title “Does Rob Bell teach Yoga?” After a quick survey on the internet he found a sermon Rob preached on May 29, 2005 called “breath.” Instead of doing an in depth survey on the dangers of yoga, he came to the conclusion that Rob only used Yoga as an illustration and ended his comment in sympathetic praise for yoga. Read his comment here.

But as I’m not a member of his community I’m not privy to the subcultures prevalent in Mars Hill. Maybe yoga is practiced by a lot of his church members as part of their daily exercise routine. After all, yoga, as with karate and judo and other martial arts sports, can be practiced without getting involved in eastern religions or eastern philosophy. (Emphasis added)

The issue is not whether Rob Bell’s congregants practice yoga but that he promotes and teaches yoga during some of his sermons.

The Hindu masters or yogis themselves maintain that Yoga cannot be divorced from its inherent spiritual purpose which is to be yoked to the impersonal Hindu God Brahman. Yogi Baba Prem, Vedavisharada, CYI, C.ay, C.va wrote:

It was quite astonishing to see on the flyer “Christian Yoga! This Thursday night….” I could feel the wheels spinning in my brain. “Christian Yoga”, I thought. Now while Christians can practice yoga, I am not aware of any Christian teachings about yoga. Yoga is not a Judeo/Christian word! It is not a part of the Roman Catholic teachings and certainly not a part of protestant teachings. It is not found within the King James Version of the bible. It is a Hindu word, or more correctly a Sanskrit word from the Vedic civilization. So how did we get “Christian Yoga”? From this I could conclude that “Christian Yoga” could only indicate one of two possibilities:

1) Christianity is threatened by yoga and is attempting to take over this system that “invaded their turf” pertaining to spiritual teachings and techniques.

2) Christianity is subconsciously attempting to return to the spiritual roots of civilization—the Vedic civilization.

I thought to myself, “why would they want to take over yoga?” Could it be due to the decline of members within the Christian church within the last 60 years? Is this an extensive marketing plan cooked up in some New York marketing guru’s head? Is it an attempt to water down the teachings of yoga and import their own teachings into the system? Or is it that they cannot stand not to own everything spiritual? I think the best reason might be that yoga, and eastern spirituality, offered answers to the spiritual questions that the spiritually hungry masses had. It offered a practical, rational, logical, and truthful approach to spirituality. It did not contain any form of self-righteous condemnation, but offered love and acceptance to all. It did not prey upon victims with terms such as “Sin” and “eternal damnation”. But most importantly, it had answers! It offered a practical approach to cultivating a relationship with divinity. It offered a systematic approach and an abstract approach to meet the varying temperaments of the spirituality hungry.

The second possibility was that Christianity was itself looking for answers. A small book filled with judgment, inflexibility, and condemnation was no longer fulfilling the needs of the masses or the leaders of the church. Offering yoga classes allowed the Christian to secretly practice Hinduism without having to renounce their Christian tradition. Possibly by embracing the technology of yoga and meditation, the Christian church could finally return to the idea of love and acceptance that it believed it was founded upon. It is ironic that one religion would need to look to another religion to teach them about love, peace, harmony, and forgiveness. If successful, it could embrace these ancient teachings and save itself from the fate it planted over the last few thousand years. (From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com) (Emphasis added).

This is exactly what happens to Christians who practice yoga. They become yoked to a Hindu god (a demonic entity) who teaches them that the Bible and the God of the Bible are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of people in a wretched world full of misery, suffering, poverty and disease. It has become a redundant “black-and-white” book that only makes people feel guilty about themselves while all they need is love, love and more love — they need a relational (an experience orientated) and not a rational theology.

The following excerpt comes from The Encyclopaedia of New Age Beliefs, p. 595

The Oxford American Dictionary defines “yoga” in the following manner: “1) A Hindu system of meditation and self-control designed to produce mystical experience and spiritual insight. 2) A system of physical exercises and breathing control (4414:1085). Most people only think of yoga in terms of the second definition. We will show that this is a mistake. When examining the true goal of yoga, one sees why these two definitions cannot ultimately be separated. In other words the one who practices yoga as “a system of exercises and breathing control” is also practicing a system “designed to produce mystical experience and spiritual (occult) insight.” For example, Ernest L. Rossi of the Department of Psychology at UCLA states how yoga is designed to induce altered states of consciousness.

“When one considers the ancient yoga science of pranayama (controlled breathing) to have relevance, then one must admit that the manual manipulation dyhana is the most thoroughly documented of techniques for altering consciousness. For thousands of years these techniques for the subtle alterations of nasal breathing have been gradually codified into classical texts: Hatha Yoga Pradipika (II, 6-9, 19-20) Siva Samhita (III: 24, 25), Geranda Samhita (V: 49-52) and Yoga Chudamani Upsanisad (V: 98-100). A new tradition of psychological and experimental research exploring these ancient techniques has been developing during the past decades (Gasegawa en Kern, 1978), the work of Vinekar (1966), Rao and Potdar (1970), Eccles (1978), and Funk and Clarke (1980) also provides a broad background of independent studies using Western laboratory methods in studying the relationship of this nasal cycle to the ancient yogic tradition of pranayama in achieving psychosomatic health and the transpersonal states of dhyana (deep contemplation and Samadhi or occult enlightenment) (1046:113-14).

The end purpose is for the individual to realize that he or she is one essence with God or ultimate reality. In other words, one must realize he or she is God. Whatever school of yoga is used (hatha, raja, bhakti etc.) whether it is Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Sufi, Tantric or some other, the goal is typically the same: occult enlightenment achieved by internal manipulation of occult energies (prana, chi) leading to altered states of consciousness in order to produce awareness of one’s inherent union with God or ultimate reality (611).

Read here what Rev. Guillaume Smit says about Ron Martoia who is a yoga instructor and practices yoga himself.

“Ron Martoia said in his book, Transformational Architecture, that we reduced the Bible to a set of propositional statements that explain salvation and that we further on focus on the communication of information. We miss the reality that the Bible testimony is of God’s work on earth by way of a collection of stories.”

Who is Ron Martoia? Look here:

In an interview (emergent conversation) with Ron Martoia 11/28/2006) he said:

“But I will say this, I am renewed in the commitment for a quiet daily centering prayer practice and the immense impact it brings. I have just come off a five-day integral Christianity conference with father Thomas Keating, eighty-three-year-old Benedictine monk. One of the things we did each day was at least two to four sessions of centering prayer at a minimum of twenty minutes a session. Total silence, total inner silence.” “I think the thing I am challenging is the either/or of your questions “either wholeheartedly Christian or ashamedly secular?” We have to have both of those . . . all out full card carrying members of both. When we start to see unity where we have seen distinction, and I mean this in the sacred/secular distinction way, we will see spiritual emergence is happening and arising all around us and it is up to us to clear the obstacles that would impede that emergence. This is really an articulation also of John 16 that lets us see the Holy Spirit is at work in the life of every unbeliever (just like every believer) and it is up to us to help point out that activity.”

Also read here.

Now to Rhythm…
“Spiritual solitude is key for me as well. I have already mentioned the value and importance of a regula fidei and I genuinely believe in it’s centrality. That said, there is one thing I do every day, that is centering prayer. I have been on this pattern for nearly 4 full years now. Two times a day/20 min. (sometimes only one but ALWAYS at least one) I do centering prayer of the Father Thomas Keating sort. This is the way I enact and live into Psalm 46.10. I am convinced a centering practice along with daily input channels are what accounts for whatever creative and theological reflection I have going on in my life. My writing flows from the confluence of these two patterns.”

“Seven years ago I started down the yoga trail. Ashtanga Yoga is the power yoga, get a hard sweaty workout type of yoga. Some of you hear the word yoga and all sorts of red flags go up. Get a grip and do some reading. Yoga practice does not require you to be Buddhist, so relax. My nearly daily practice has improved so much. Yoga’s interface with a centering practice is actually a very interesting interplay. Maybe sometime I will write a post on that.”

Thomas Keating is one of the frequent lecturers on Ken Wilber’s website “Integral Spirituality.” The introduction to his site consists of a logo depicting the many symbols of different faiths with a cross right in the middle which all come together and merge into one single abstract symbol of ultimate unity. One can hardly miss the meaning when we take into account that the entire world is rapidly moving toward a one-world religion in which the infiltration of yoga and especially the contemplative spirituality into the Christian church are playing a major part.

Ray Yungen speaks on Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington. Read here.

“In the book Finding Grace at the Center, written by these two Catholic monks, the following advice is given: ‘We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and “capture” it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible … Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices … “Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington have taken their Christianity and blended it with Eastern mysticism through a contemplative method they call centering prayer. I met a woman who once enthusiastically told me that in her church ‘we use a mantra to get in touch with God.’ She was referring to centering prayer … Keating and Pennington have both authored a number of influential books on contemplative prayer thus advancing this movement greatly. Pennington essentially wrote a treatise on the subject called Centering Prayer while Keating has written the popular and influential classic, Open Mind, Open Heart, and both are major evangelists for contemplative prayer.

This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that contemplative spirituality and yoga are wholly compatible and indeed strange bedfellows. These are the kind of issues we are dealing with — the infiltration of the New Age and the practices of other religions, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism. These are the dangers that are causing immense harm to the body of Christ, especially the younger generation (little lambs). What is the church going to do about it? Probably nothing, because most of them are already so deep into it that it would take a miracle to convince them they are playing with fire.

1 Tim 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

Re 18:4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;”

I have Become an Enemy of the State – Rev. Guillaume Smit

When Paul rebuked brother Peter in the presence of all (Galatians 2:14), Peter did not cuddle up in a little corner and cy out “Oh woe is me, Paul has branded me an enemy of the state.” No! He knew what it meant to be contrite, for His Lord had taught him so, and he also knew what it meant to accept someone’s rebuke in humility. What’s interesting about this incident in Peter’s life was not that he humbled him before Paul, but in obedience to the Word of God. Paul wielded the Sword of the Spirit, not his own thoughts, and when Peter realized this he immediately yielded to Paul’s rebuke. Why . . . ? Because he was keenly aware that Paul’s rebuke was for his own benefit. Had he not done so, his spiritual life would have taken a sharp turn for the worst into fettered darkness and despair.

Contrary to Peter’s example of contrition, Rev. Guillaume Smit plays the victim of an alleged conspiracy against him and his emergent cohorts. In my commentary on current events surrounding the Emerging Church in South Africa I have constantly used the Sword of the Spirit to expose the dangers inherent in the emergent spirituality and particularly the dangers lurking in the words of high profile persons such as Stephan Joubert, Nelus Niemandt, Jannie Pelser, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt and many many more. Biblical Christianity is being bombarded by “emergent” attacks in public, via the internet and other media, at an alarming rate. And yet, when disciples of Jesus Christ (please note: the biblical Jesus and not another Jesus) voice their concerns in public, they are branded the persecutors of the emergent fraternity. In stead of engaging in a scholarly and adult discussion, they usually and deliberately sidetrack the issues at hand and divert to sarcasm, ridicule and even scoffing. Listen to Guillaume’s ingenious reaction to my commentary on Jannie Pelser’s programme “Brandpunt” aired on “Radio Pulpit” on 3 April this year.

He [Tom Lessing] is rather scathing in his attack. I feel quite privileged, however, as he uses my name in the same sentence as Stephan Joubert, Nelus Niemandt, and Jannie Pelser. Didn’t think I am that important!

This is usually the innuendo or heavily over toned kind of remarks our dear South African reverends and pastors make when they do not know how to defend their faith from Scripture. Guillaume, unlike Paul, is more concerned about the integrity and position of his heroes than God and His infallible Word. Paul said:

Gal 2:4-6 [My precaution was] because of false brethren who had been secretly smuggled in [to the Christian brotherhood]; . . . To them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the Gospel might continue to be [preserved] for you [in its purity]. Moreover, [no new requirements were made] by those who were reputed to be something—though what was their individual position and whether they really were of importance or not makes no difference to me; God is not impressed with the positions that men hold and He is not partial and recognizes no external distinctions—those [I say] who were of repute imposed no new requirements upon me [had nothing to add to my Gospel, and from them I received no new suggestions].  (From The Amplified Bible, emphasis added).

I am intensely concerned for the sheep and and especially the lambs who are being taught to follow high profile men of integrity, high esteem, and “upright hearts” while these men themselves do not know the voice of  the Great Shepherd. Had they indeed known His voice, they would never ever have followed another or even contemplated the possibility of finding salvivic (redemptive) truths in other religions. Okay! you may try and convince me that you have never implied that their are redemptive truths in other religions. If not, then how would the other non-salvivic truths in other religions benefit the Christian? Its absurd to think that the other non-salvivic truths in other religions are able to enhance the one and only true salvivic truth for all men. Rob Bell is well-known for saying things that are not in harmony with Scripture and yet you accept and respect Stephan Joubert’s testimony of him? On your blog under the title “Does Rob Bell” teach Yoga?” you wrote:

One of my old univerity [sic] lecturers, Stephan Joubert, shared with me that he personally knows Rob and can testify to his love and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Your criteria or barometer for biblical discernment is the “integrity” a man of flesh and blood of whom God said “ . . . let God be true, but every man a liar; . . . ? (Romans 3:4). God’s Word unequivocally teaches that anyone who claims to love Jesus MUST keep His commandments (John 14: 21) and one of His commandments, as we’ve already seen in Paul’s discourse in Galatians 2:4-6, is that the truth of the Gospel must continue to be preserved in its purity. One only needs to read some of Rob Bell’s blatantly unbiblical statements to see that he is not obeying Christ’s commandments with regard to the preaching of His Word. Despite your in depth research on the internet and his video, proving that Bell teaches Yoga, you insist that he is a Christian who loves Jesus. Here follows a transcript of some of the things Rob Bell said:

“Feel free to breathe as deep as you can without snoring…(laughter)… Central to the Christian tradition for thousands of years have been disciplines of meditation, reflection, silence and breathing. It was understood to be a healthy person, to be fully connected with God and fully centered, you would spend significant parts of your day in silence, breathing, meditating, praying, allowing the Spirit of God to transform you and touch you.” (4’ 34” – 05’ 20”)

“In Yoga, one of the central tenets of Yoga is your breath needs to remain the same regardless of the pose (posture). So whether you’re making the letter Q with your whatever (laughter)…In Yoga one of the things you learn right away is no matter how difficult the pose is – especially if you happen to have someone from the Grand Rapids Ballet on the mat next to you, who can, that can see their own back, this way (laughter)…its not how flexible you are, its not whether you can do the poses, its not how much you can bend yourself, its, can you keep your breath (breathes in an out) consistent, through whatever you’re doing. And the Yoga Masters say this is how it is when you follow Jesus and surrender to God. Is it your breath being consistent? Its your connection with God, regardless of the pose you find yourself in. That’s integrating the Divine into the daily. (7’ 54” – 8’ 58”)

Rev. Smit, have you noticed Rob Bells emphatic statement “Yoga Masters say this is how it is when you follow Jesus and surrender to God . . . Its your connection to God”? Do you really and truly believe  Stephan Joubert’s testimony that Rob Bell loves the Lord Jesus Christ and is wholly committed to Him? Let us gently set aside Stephan’s “wonderful” testimony and rather look at what God’s Word says.

Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Emphasis added).

If you acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, you have no right to say or to believe, via Stephan Joubert, that Rob Bell loves the Lord Jesus Christ while God’s Word says the very opposite. Who’s testimony are you going too trust—God’s or that of Stephan Joubert? Bell says in his book “Velvet Elvis.”

“One of the lies is that truth only resides in this particular community or that particular thought system.” . . . “I affirm the truth anywhere in any religious system, in any worldview. If it’s true, it belongs to God.”

The truth of God in all its aspects resides in His Son Jesus Christ. Do you believe that Jesus Christ resides in all religions?

In reference to your worldwide “Twitter” announcement: “I have officially been blacklisted by those South Africans who are opposed to the emerging church, notably Sarel vd Merwe and his followers.” the following: I am not a follower of Sarel van der Merwe. Both he and I are followers of Jesus Christ and His eternal, uncompromised infallible truth. Both of us abhor any lies because all lies emanate from the father of lies, the devil. We have committed ourselves to Christ’s command to have “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them: (Ephesians 5:11). It is obvious that Jean Oosthuizen’s (of infamous “Kletskerk” fame) incongruous and unfounded accusation that Mr. Sarel van der Merwe keeps a blacklist of all of South Africa’s wayward pastors, has influenced you heavily. Your nightmare that you have been blacklisted is a figment of your imagination and reminds me of a portion of Scripture in the book Leviticus.

Lev 26:36 . . .the sound of a driven leaf shall put them to hasty and tumultuous flight, and they shall flee as if from the sword . . .

Moenie vir koue pampoen skrik nie. Staan jou man en begin jou standpunte te verdedig vanuit die Woord van God. Moenie spoke opjaag wat nie daar is nie. En moet asseblief nie vir ons sê, jy sê so omdat Styephan Joubert so sê nie.

(For those who do not understand Afrikaans, I have encouraged Rev. Guillaume Smit to stand his ground like a man and not to allow cold pumpkin to put him to flight so easily. In addition I encouraged him to defend his faith from the Word of God and not to say “I say so because Stephan Joubert had said so.”

May I suggest that in stead of saying “I have become an enemy of the state” to rather say “There is something rotten in the state . . . of the church” with thanks to Hamlet by Shakespeare.

Die “Brandpunt” van Suid-Afrika se Ontluikende Kerk

Ds. Jannie Pelser, die leierleraar van die Rant en Dal Gemeenskapskerk in Krugersdorp, het in sy program “Brandpunt” op Radio Kansel (3 April 2009 om 06:30) een van die hedendaagse mees besproke onderwerpe onder die loep geneem, nl. die Ontluikende Kerk (“Emerging Church” of “Emergent Church”). Sy drie gesprekgenote was mnr. Sarel van de Merwe, ‘n voormalige New Ager wat die Here sowat drie en dertig jaar gelede gered het en sedertdien navorsing doen oor verskeie strominge in die kerk. Hy is veral betrokke by die maak van hoë kwaliteit DVD’s en die aanbieding van seminare dwarsoor die land. Hy was ook onlangs in die nuus toe Kerkbode ‘n voorbladberig oor een van sy seminare oor die Ontluikende Kerk geplaas het en waarin Dr. Nelus Niemandt, die outeur van “Nuwe Drome vir Nuwe Werklikhede, ‘n striemende aanval op hom gemaak het. Die res van Pelser se paneel het bestaan uit ds. Guillame Smit, predikant van die NG Kerk in Brackenfell-Wes in die Kaap en ds. Cobus van Wyngaard, leraar van die Kameeldrif NG Gemeeente in Pretoria wat die Ontluikende spiritualiteit met oorgawe verkondig.

Byvoeglike naamwoorde kan nogal handig wees wanneer jy die stemming van ‘n gesprek in ‘n sekere rigting wil stuur of wanneer jy op subtiele wyse die gedagtegang van mense subliminaal wil beïnvloed. Ds. Jannie Pelser se inleidende woorde tot sy program “Brandpunt” is ‘n sprekende voorbeeld hiervan.

“Die afgelope tyd is die sg. Opkomende Kerk, die ‘Emerging Church’ baie in die nuus, en sommige mense is onbeskaamd krities daaroor; andere is weer rasend opgewonde en nou, hoe moet ‘n mens daaroor oordeel.” (Klem bygevoeg)

Sy woordkeuse van “onbeskaamd” en “rasend opgewonde” toon nie net waar sy eie lojaliteite lê nie, maar dit het mnr. Sarel van Merwe onmiddellik in die beskuldigde bank geplaas. Hy kon net sowel gesê het “Mnr van der Merwe, skaam jy jou nie om so krities teenoor die Ontluikende Kerk te wees nie?" Sou dit enigsins ‘n verskil maak indien hy sy program eerder as volg ingelui het?

"Die afgelope tyd is die sg. Opkomende Kerk, die ‘Emerging Church’ baie in die nuus, en sommige mense is onbeskaamd opgewonde daaroor; andere staan weer rasend krities daarteenoor."

Die woordjie “skaam” kom nogal heel dikwels in die Bybel voor en dit kan geweldige implikasies vir die mens inhou, veral wanneer dit betrekking het op die verkondiging van die Evangelie van Jesus Christus. Die enigste Verlosser van die mensdom het juis op ‘n dag gesê:

Mar 8:36-38 . . . wat sal dit ‘n mens baat as hy die hele wêreld win en aan sy siel skade ly? Of wat sal ‘n mens gee as losprys vir sy siel? Want elkeen wat hom vir My en my woorde skaam in hierdie owerspelige en sondige geslag, vir hom sal die Seun van die mens Hom ook skaam wanneer Hy kom in die heerlikheid van sy Vader met die heilige engele.(Klem bygevoeg)

Daar is natuurlik verskeie maniere waarop jy jou vir die woorde van Jesus Christus kan skaam. Die ooglopendste hiervan is om stil te bly en nie ‘n woord te sê nie wanneer jy die geleentheid kry om Christus se Naam voor mense te bely en onbeskaamd vir hulle te vertel dat Hy die enigste Verlosser is. Ek kan talle voorbeelde noem van Ontluikende Kerk-leraars wat wonderlike geleenthede gehad het maar hopeloos versuim het om sy Naam te bely. Verlede jaar het Rob Bell en Doug Pagitt, twee van die mees toonaangewende figure van die Ontluikende Kerk, onbeskaamd hulle solidariteit met die Dalai Lama en sy “Seeds of Compassion” Konferensie in Seattle Amerika getoon toe hulle saam met Desmond Tutu op dieselfde verhoog as Tenzin Gyatso (die 14de geïnkarneerde Dalai Lama van Tibet) verskyn het. So-ook het die NG Kerk hulle solidariteit met die Dalai Lama getoon toe hulle onlangs by monde van hulle Algemene Sekretaris, Dr. J.J. Gerber, in ‘n amptelike persverklaring hulle van die ANC gedistansieer het omdat hulle hom nie wou toelaat om die Vredeskonferensie op die vooraand van die 2010 wêreldbeker sokkertoenooi by te woon nie.

Dit is opvallend dat Boeddhisme en ook die New Age beweging ‘n magnetiese trekkrag het vir baie mense wat hulleself Christene noem, veral ook in die geledere van die Ontluikende Kerk. Die rede hiervoor is dat die Dalai Lama, die 14de geïnkarneerde Boeddha van barmahartigheid (“Bodhisattva of compassion”), beskou word as ‘n besondere en geëerde geestelike leier wat vrede, verdraagsamheid, nie-geweldadigheid, en onderlinge respek predik en bevorder waar hy ookal as spreker optree. Die hele wêreld smag na vrede maar die tragedie is dat die meeste mense, en selfs ook baie Christene, vrede wil hê sonder die kruis van Jesus Christus. Sy vrede kan alleenlik via sy kruis geskied maar dit het vir baie ‘n struikelblok in die weg na hulle siening van vrede geword en hulle is selfs bereid om die Evangelie van die kruis ter wille van ‘n mensgemaakte vrede te kompromiteer en selfs ook te verwerp. Daarom sê die Skrif ook baie duidelik:

Jes 53:5 Maar Hy is ter wille van ons oortredinge deurboor, ter wille van ons ongeregtighede is Hy verbrysel; die straf wat vir ons die vrede aanbring, was op Hom, en deur sy wonde het daar vir ons genesing gekom.

1Kor 1:18 Want die woord van die kruis is wel dwaasheid vir die wat verlore gaan, maar vir ons wat gered word, is dit die krag van God;

Die ironie is dat baie Christene, ook hier ons eie land, nooit sal ontken dat die kruis van Jesus Christus die vrede aanbring nie, maar terselfdertyd onbesonne dinge sê oor die vredesinisiatiewe van ander godsdienste en die beweerde waarhede wat kwansuis in godsdienste soos die Boeddhisme en selfs die ateïsme opgesluit lê. Stephan Joubert, een van die voorste bevorderaars van die Ontluikende Kerk in Suid-Afrika het in een van sy onlangse preke (Sondag, 1 Maart 2009) gesê:

Hy (Rob Bell) sê jy moet die kultuur “engage.” Jy moet gaan luister na die Boeddhiste. Jy moet gaan hoor wat sê daai ouens. Dan skrik Christene hulle dood, want hulle hoor nie wat Rob Bell mooi sê nie. Hy sê nie word soos hulle nie, hy sê maar gaan lees hulle goeters, gaan hoor hoekom hulle so belangrik is. Hulle het ook dalk waarheid. Waarheid is nie net in die Christendom nie. Waarheid vind jy by Judaïsme. Jy kan waarheid vind by ateïsme. Jy kan waarheid vind by wie ook al. God se algemene openbaring is ‘n bietjie wyer, maar jy sê Jesus is die Here. Dis waarnatoe jy op pad is met hulle met so ’n beweging.

My vraag aan Stephan is nog steeds: Kan jy ook by die Satanskerk van Anton la Vey waarheid vind? Hy sê mos "jy kan waarheid vind by wie ookal." Stephan sal hierdie vraag natuurlik as verregaande beskou, maar hy vergeet gerieflikheidshalwe Paulus se waarkuwing dat die afgodiese godsdienste aan duiwels offer en nie aan God nie – 1 Kor 10:20. Jy kan dus maar kers opsteek by ander godsdienste wat aan die duiwels hulle lofoffers bring, netso lank jy sê "Jesus is die Here." Die Naam "Jesus’ word dan ‘n soort towerwoord wat jou vrywaar van jou soeke na waarheid in ander godsdienste en die New Age. Wat sê die Here self? "Nie elkeen wat vir My sê: Here, Here! sal ingaan in die koninkryk van die hemele nie, maar hy wat die wil doen van my Vader wat in die hemele is. Baie sal in daardie dag vir My sê: Here, Here, het ons nie in u Naam geprofeteer en in u Naam duiwels uitgedrywe en in u Naam baie kragte gedoen nie?" Deesdae word die duiwels nie uitgedryf nie; daar word eerder vir die mense gesê om by die duiwelofferaars [in weerwil van Paulus van Tarsus se waarskuwing] heerlike, kopoopmakende waarhede te soek. Natuurllik sal baie Christene skrik wanneer hulle hoor wat Rob Bell oor die Boeddhisme en ander godsdienste sê. Skrik is  ‘n goeie ding en dikwels ‘n bedekte seën want dit weerhou jou van dinge wat jy miskien sou wou doen, omdat die vrees van die Here die begin van die wysheid is. Maar dan is daar ook baie jong Christene (die lammertjies wat spesifiek deur die Ontluikende Kerk geteiken word) wat deesdae so oorweldig word deur die leierfigure in die Ontluikende Kerk dat hulle geredelik makliker gehoor gee aan hulle ghoeroes se mooi Christelike aanbevelings, en daadwerklik in ander godsdienste begin soek na waarhede wat die waarhede in God se Woord kwansuis sou aanvul. Wat sê die Woord:

Mar 9:42 En elkeen wat een van hierdie kleintjies wat in My glo, laat struikel, dit is beter vir hom as ‘n meulsteen om sy nek gehang en hy in die see gegooi word (M.a.w. daar waar God, metafories gesproke, die sondes van bekeerde mense gooi – Miga 7:19)

Sommige van die gevaarlikste uitsprake wat al amper ‘n spreekwoord in die geledere van die Ontluikende Kerk geword het, is dat “God se algemene openbaring ‘n bietjie wyer is” en dat “God se openbaring groter is as net die Christendom en sy geopenbaarde woord.” In sy boek “Velvet Elvis” begin Rob Bell te vertel hoedat hy op ‘n dag ‘n skildery van Elvis Presley langs die pad gekoop het. Die beste deel van hierdie skildery, sê Rob, is heel links-onder aan die skildery waar die kunstenaar net sy voorletter “R” geverf het want, as jy so goed is, is dit nie nodig om jou volle naam te onderteken nie. Veronderstel, sê hy voorts, die ondergetekende kunsteaar “R” sou dan ‘n verklaring uitreik dat sy skildery die allerlaaste en beslissende meesterstuk is en dat niemand dus voortaan meer nodig het om ‘n verfkwas in die hand te neem om te skilder nie. Hulle sou m.a.w. geen nuwe bydrae tot sy allerbeste meesterstuk kon lewer nie. Dan skryf Rob Bell, wat sommiges as die opvolger van Billy Graham beskou, die volgende op bls. 10 van sy boek "Velvet Elvis."

"We would say that R had lost his mind. We say this because we instinctively understand that art has to, in some way, keep going. Keep exploring, keep arranging,, keep shaping, and forming and bringing in new perspectives. For thousands of years followers of Jesus, like artists have understood that we have to keep going, exploring what it means to live in harmony with God and each other. The Christian faith tradition is filled with change and growth and transformation. Jesus took part in this process by calling people to rethink faith and the Bible and hope and love and everything else and by inviting them into the endless process of working out how to live as God created us to live." (Klem bygevoeg)

Volgens Rob Bell het die fundamentaliste hulle verstand verloor omdat hulle die Woord van God as ‘n geslote kanon (of as die volledig geskilderde meesterstuk van God) beskou en glo dat die Here se “goddelike krag ons alles geskenk [het] wat tot die lewe en godsvrug dien, deur die kennis van Hom wat ons geroep het deur sy heerlikheid en deug” (2 Petrus 1:3). Hulle is, volgens Rob Bell, totaal buite hulle sinne. Werklik? Die woord vir “goddelike” (“theias”) in hierdie gedeelte is afgelei van “theos” (God) en word slegs drie keer in die Nuwe Testament gebruik (hier en in Handelinge 17:29 en 2 Petrus 1:4). “Krag: (“dynameos” – die woord waarvan ons woord “dinamiet” afgelei is) is een van Petrus se geliefkoosde woorde (1 Petrus 1:5; 3:22; 2 Petrus 1:16; 2: 11). Die enigste ding wat alle gelowiges nodig het om in die regte verhouding met God en hulle medemens te lewe, is verkrygbaar deur hulle kennis van Christus wat hulle tussen die bladsye van Genesis tot Openbaring vind. Dit is hoofsaaklik hulle kennis van hulle posisie in Christus Jesus waar Hy tans aan die regterhand van God sit, en die inwonende Gees van God wat hulle in staat stel om ‘n goddelike lewe te lei en daagliks in die regte verhouding met God en hulle medemens te lewe. Die Drie-enige God wat hemel en aarde gemaak het en alles wat daarin is, wat van ewigheid tot ewigheid dieselfde is, wat geen man is dat Hy sou lieg nie, by wie daar geen verandering of skaduwee van omkering is nie, en wie in ondeurdringbare lig lewe, sê: “My Enigste Seun het aan die Kruis namens julle uitgeroep ‘Dit is volbring;’ Ek het my Heilige Gees na julle gestuur om in julle diepste binneste te woon sodat HY julle in die HELE waarheid kan lei; sodat julle heilig kan lewe omdat Ekself heilig is; sodat julle my getuienisse kan wees tot aan die uiteindes van die aarde; sodat julle niks kortkom in heerlikheid, deugsaamheid en goddelike krag nie.” Maar nee! ons spiksplinternuwe Billy Graham, Rob Bell, wat soos ons almal eendag in die graf gaan beland en tot stof toe sal terugkeer, weet beter as die ewig onveranderlike God. Hy sê:

"Jesus took part in this proces by calling people to rethink faith and the Bible and hope and love and everything else and by inviting them into the endless process of working out how to live as God created us to live." (Velvet Elvis, p. 10)

"As part of this tradition [the Reformation] I embrace the need to keep painting, to keep reforming. By this I do not mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music, sharper graphics and new methods with easy-to-follow steps. I mean theology: the beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way teh Christian faith is defined,, lived and explained." (Velvet Elvis, p. 12) (Klem bygevoeg).

Brian McLaren, nog een van die toonaangewende leierfigure in die Ontluikende Kerk, stem heelhartig met Rob Bell saam dat ons eindeloos moet voortgaan om die geloof oor God, Jesus, die Bybel, verlossing en die toekoms te oordink, te herverwoord en met nuwe skakeringe te beskilder. Brian, wat volgens ons eie ontluikende kerk se opkomende meesterskilders (Stephan Joubert, Nelus Niemandt en so baie ander NG predikante), navolgingswaardig is, het gesê:

“I’d have to say that we probably have a couple of things right, but a lot of things wrong, and even more spreads before us unseen and unimagined. But at least our eyes are open! To be a Christian in a generously orthodox way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall.” (Brian McLaren, The Emergent Mystique, Christianity Today, 2004) (Jesus sê: "Joh 9:41  As julle blind was, sou julle geen sonde hê nie; maar nou sê julle: Ons sien! ["at least our eyes are open") Daarom bly julle sonde." Stephan Joubert, Nelus Niemandt, Dr. Johan van den Heever, ds. Guillaume Smit, ds. Jannie Pelser, ds. Cobus van Wyngaard en al die ander Ontluikende leraars in ons land behoort eintlik so vinnig en so hard hulle kan soos Josef weg te hardloop van die hedendaagse Potifar-vrouens; maar nee, hulle verkies om hulle te skaar aan die kant van 'n klomp geestelike hoereerders en gemeenskap ["conversations"] met hulle te hou).

I don’t think we’ve got the gospel right yet. "What does it mean to be “saved?”

“I must add, though, that I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts.” (A Generous Orthodoxy, p. 260)

Wat sê die Skrif van persone wat nie tevrede is met God se finale en geopenbaarde “meesterstuk” nie en die vermetelheid het om hulle verfkwas in die palette van ander gosdienste te doop sodat hulle kwansuis by hulle kan leer. Ek haal aan uit die Amplified Bybel.

2 John 9 Anyone who runs on ahead [of God] and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ [who is not content with what He taught] does not have God; but he who continues to live in the doctrine (teaching) of Christ [does have God], he has both the Father and the Son. (Klem bygevoeg)

Enigeen, en dit maak nie saak wie dit is of watter hoë aansien hy in die samelewing en die kerk geniet nie, wat nie tevrede en vergenoeg is met Christus se leerstellings en sy openabaring (en enigste meesterwerk) soos ons dit in sy Woord teëkom nie, is nie gered nie. Dis nie ek wat so sê nie maar die einste apostel van liefde. Moet my dus asseblief nie van liefdeloosheid, verwaandheid en arrogansie beskuldig nie. Daarom is dit ook ‘n skreiende skande en skokkend dat ds. Jannie Pelser tydens die onderhoud wat hy in sy program Brandpunt met Sarel van der Merwe en ds. Guillaume Smit en ds. Cobus van Wyngaard gevoer het, gesê het:

"Is God se openbaring, God se werk, nie groter as net die Christendom nie? Sou daar nie ook elemente wees, sou ons nie by mekaar kon leer [nie], selfs al moet dit nou die New Age wees. Maar as ek dink rondom die kontemplatiewe . . . ‘n stil word voor God, ‘n oopstel voor God. is dit nie ‘n winsmoment nie?"

Die New Age is ten diepste ‘n afgodiese beweging wat die leuen verkondig dat die mens self God kan word. Wil ds. Jannie Pelser werklikwaar by hulle kers opsteek om die groter openbaringe van God te ontdek en te verkondig? Miskien is hy alreeds besig om dit te doen, veral as ‘n mens in oënskou neem dat hy verlede jaar op 21 November in ‘n preek die motiveringspreker en New Age aanhanger, Annie Coetzee, met waardering aangehaal het. Ds. Jannie, ek het jou reeds by vorige geleenthede dringend versoek om jou te bekeer van die pad waarop jy jou tans begewe en ek wil dit nou weer doen. Jy speel met vuur.

In antwoord op ds Jannie se simpatieke benadering tot die New Age en veral ook die kontemplatiewe spiritualiteit, het ds. Gullaume Smit as volg gereageer:

Ongetwyfeld is dit ‘n winsmoment. Die Bybel self sê vir ons, in Romeine nogal, dat waar die mense nie die wet van Moses het nie, gaan God in hulle harte kyk want hulle skryf hulle eie wet in hulle harte neer en die konteks daar is baie duidelik dat dit gaan oor mense wat nie die openbaring van die Jode gekry het voordat hulle Christene geword het nie, of dan nou selfs doodgegaan het sonder blootstelling aan die Joodse geloof of die Christelike geloof nie. ‘n Mens kry die idee dat die Bybel self die uitspraak lewer dat God met die hele wêreld besig is, ook buite om die Christendom. Daarmee sê ek nie almal gaan hemel toe nie. Daarom sê ek ons moet daai vraag op die tafel sit dat God besig is met alles en met almal en dat ons die draers van die openbaring is, as gelowige Christene, maar spesifiek wil ek dan ook sê, die winsmoment is die feit dat ons die geleentheid het om in gesprek te tree met kultuuruitinge wat ons in staat stel om tot stilstand te kom sodat ons weer op ‘n vars manier kan hoor wat God vir ons wil sê. Jy het na die kontemplatiewe verwys. Die kontemplatiewe lê toevallig in die vroeë kerk . . . en kom uit die kloosterera uit en as ‘n mens daarop sou ingaan dan dink ek nie ‘n mens moet die baba met die badwater uitgooi nie. En ‘n mens moet veral ook bereid wees om, wanneer ‘n mens mense wil beoordeel, in gesprek met hulle te tree en na hulle te luister want om ‘n ding krities te ondersoek beteken nie dat jy net foute uitlig nie maar dat jy ook na die persoon se hart gaan kyk en na sy integriteit gaan kyk. (Klem bygevoeg).

Waar ds. Guillaume Smit sy idees vandaan kry weet nugter, maar dit is baie duidelik dat hyself ook reeds deur die Ontluikende Kerk beïmvloed is. Ons lees nêrens in die Skrif dat Christene in gesprek moet tree met ander klultuuruitinge (godsdienste) om ons in staat te stel om op nuwe en vars maniere te hoor wat God vir ons wil sê nie. Die Here sê mos baie duidelik dat Hy sy finale Woord deur sy eniggebore Seun, Jesus Christus, met en tot ons gespreek het. Vergun my die geleentheid om ons drie hooggeëerde en hooggeleerde predikante te herinner aan sy woorde in Hebreërs 1:

Hebr. 1:1-2 Nadat God baiekeer en op baie maniere in die ou tyd gespreek het tot die vaders deur die profete, het Hy in hierdie laaste dae tot ons gespreek deur die Seun wat Hy as erfgenaam van alles aangestel het, deur wie Hy ook die wêreld gemaak het.

Die probleem met ons “ontluikende” of “opkomende kerk”-vriende is dat hulle nie wil hoor nie en ook nie sal hoor nie, nie tensy hulle hul van hul ketterse uitsprake en leerstellings bekeer nie. Smit se “winsmoment” soos hierbo aangehaal, is niks anders as ‘n dwarsklap na die gesig van Jesus Christus nie. Wat hy entlik sê, soos ds. Jannie Pelser ook in sy vraag gesuggereer het, is dat God se openbaring deur sy Seun nie voldoende is nie en dat ons in gesprek moet tree met ander kultuuruitinge (godsdiense) sodat ons met nuwe insigte en op vars maniere kan hoor wat God vir ons wil sê. Op die koop toe moet ons hulle nie aanspreek net om hulle foute uit te lig nie, maar ons moet na hulle harte gaan kyk (so asof Smit die vermoë het om mense se harte te sien. Lees gerus maar weer Jeremia 17:9, ds. Smit). Dit is juis die hele probleem. Hierdie valse leraars se integriteit en harte word so geweldig hoog aangerprys deur die samelewing en die kerk dat hulle maar kan sê net wat hulle wil; die arme skape en lammertjies loop nog steeds soos verlore skape agter hulle aan. Gn wonder Paulus het op ‘n kol gesê nie:

Hand 20: 29, 30 Want ek weet dit, dat ná my vertrek wrede wolwe onder julle sal inkom en die kudde nie sal spaar nie. Ja, uit julle self sal daar manne opstaan wat verkeerde dinge praat om die dissipels weg te trek agter hulle aan.

Weer eens, die Heilige Skrif moedig ons nie aan om in gesprek te tree met ander kultuuruitinge (godsdienste) nie. Paulus vermaan sy jonger boetie in die Here:

2 Tim 4:2-4 . . . verkondig die woord; hou aan tydig en ontydig; weerlê, bestraf, vermaan in alle lankmoedigheid en lering; want daar sal ‘n tyd wees wanneer hulle die gesonde leer nie sal verdra nie, maar, omdat hulle in hul gehoor gestreel wil wees, vir hulle ‘n menigte leraars sal versamel volgens hulle eie begeerlikhede, en die oor sal afkeer van die waarheid en hulle sal wend tot fabels. (Klem bygevoeg).

Die woord vir verkondig, is κηρύσσω [kerusso /kay·roos·so/] en beteken om die Woord heraldies uit te roep, altyd met die voorneme om dit formeel en met groot erns en outoriteit uit te dra want daar MOET daarna geluister word en dit MOET gehoorsaam word. Daarom sê Paulus:

1Kor 9:16 Want as ek die evangelie verkondig, is dit vir my geen roem nie; want die dwang is my opgelê, en wee my as ek die evangelie nie verkondig nie!

Waarom MOET almal gehoorsaam wees aan die heraldiese roep van die Evanglie?

Joh 3:36 Hy wat in die Seun glo, het die ewige lewe; maar hy wat die Seun ongehoorsaam is, sal die lewe nie sien nie, maar die toorn van God bly op hom. (Klem bygevoeg).

Let tog asseblief noukeurig op, Jannie, Guillaume en Cobus, Paulus het nie gesê “tree in gesprek met ander kultuuruitinge sodat julle God se stem nuut en vars kan hoor nie.” Soos Paulus, wil ek ook vir julle sê “Wee julle as julle die evangelie nie verkondig nie,” en moet asseblief nie vir my sê dat julle wel deeglik die evangelie verkondig nie want as julle dit reeds doen, sou julle nooit sulke onbesonne dinge sê soos “maar spesifiek wil ek dan ook sê, die winsmoment is die feit dat ons die geleentheid het om in gesprek te tree met kultuuruitinge wat ons in staat stel om tot stilstand te kom sodat ons weer op ‘n vars manier kan hoor wat God vir ons wil sê.”

Ek wou ook baie graag kommentaar op ds. Guillaume Smit se eienaardige eksegese oor Romeine 1 lewer, maar ek sal dit liewer oorlaat tot ‘n volgende keer.

Ek sluit af met Jesus se woorde in Johannes 21.

Joh 21:15-17 Toe hulle dan klaar was met die môre-ete, vra Jesus vir Simon Petrus: Simon, seun van Jona, het jy My waarlik lief, meer as hulle hier? Hy antwoord Hom: Ja, Here, U weet dat ek U liefhet. Hy sê vir hom: Laat my lammers wei. Hy vra hom weer die tweede maal: Simon, seun van Jona, het jy My waarlik lief? Hy antwoord Hom: Ja, Here, U weet dat ek U liefhet. Hy sê vir hom: Pas my skape op. Hy vra hom die derde maal: Simon, seun van Jona, het jy My lief? Petrus het bedroef geword, omdat Hy hom die derde maal vra: Het jy My lief? En hy antwoord Hom: Here, U weet alles, U weet dat ek U liefhet. Jesus sê vir hom: Laat my skape wei.

Indien Jannie, Guillaume en Cobus die Here Jesus waarlik liefhet, sal hulle sorg dat God se skape en lammertjies die regte geestelike weiding en voedsel kry en glo my hulle sal dit nimmer as’t nooit in ander weivelde (kultuuruitinge of godsdienste) vind nie. Julle speel met vuur.

Die Waarheid Maak Seer

My oorlede pa was nie ‘n geleerde man nie. Hy het maar net Std. 5 gemaak en moes toe noodgedwonge inspring om hulle groot gesin van dertien kinders te help versorg. Desnieteenstaande het hy dikwels wyshede kwytgeraak wat my tot vandag toe nog bybly. Hy het op ‘n dag vir my gesê:

Ou seun, die waarheid maak kalm, nie kwaad nie. As iemand sê hy dra die waarheid in sy boesem om . . .  maar word maklik kwaad wanneer jy hom daaroor uitvra om seker te maak of hy wel die waarheid praat , moet jy weet hy speel eintlik met leuens. Dan maak die waarheid seer en nie kalm nie.

Jare na my bekering het ek besef dis nogal ‘n heel Bybelse waarneming, veral in die lig van die feit dat die Waarheid ‘n mens vry maak. Dit maak jou vry van woede, van kleinserigheid, van selfverdediging, van eersug en grootdoenerigheid; om die waarheid te sê, die waarheid maak jou vry van jouself.

Sy woorde het onwillekeurig na my toe teruggekom toe ek die woedende tirade teen mnr. Sarel van der Merwe in die NGK “Kerkbode” (6 Maart 2009) gelees het. Die berig het verskyn na aanleiding van ‘n seminaar wat mnr. van der Merwe op 28 Februarie in Centurion, Pretoria oor die Ontluikende Kerk aangebied het.

Kom ek val sommer dadelik met die deur in die huis en haal aan wat die bewakers van die Ontluikende Kerk en die Teologiese Fakulteit op UP hom op die voorblad van “Kerkbode” toegesnou het. Skynbaar het Kerkbode ‘n baie handige spreekbuis geword vir ons geestelike leiers (?) om ander mense te laster. Kerkbode het soos volg berig:

Prof. Niemandt, wat ook assessor van die NG Kerk se Algemene Sinode is, het by navraag aan Kerkbode gesê ’n mens huiwer eintlik om op die wilde stellings van mnr Van der Merwe te reageer. Hy beskuldig hom van haatspraak en sê dié “selfaangestelde aanklaer, regter en laksman is besig met ’n volgende rondte leuens en karaktermoord”.

“Kort gelede nog het hy by wyse van ’n DVD teologiedosente van dwaalleringe beskuldig. Ná ’n groot klomp ondersoeke en vergaderings het die kerk hulle onskuldig bevind. Nou gebruik mnr. Van der Merwe ’n konferensie om sy haatspraak voort te sit. Die reklamemateriaal daarvoor kan in drie woorde opgesom word: leuens, laster en liefdeloos. Die Inkwisisie is dood! Lank lewe die Inkwisisie!” het prof Niemandt aan Kerkbode gesê met verwysing na mnr. Van der Merwe se optrede.

Ek het mnr. Sarel van de Merwe se seminaar oor die Ontluikende Kerk  bygewoon en nie ‘n enkele keer gehoor dat hy die man en nie die bal speel nie — ‘n “gentleman’s” kunsvaardigheid wat sy aanklaers by die Teologiese Fakulteit op UP nog lank nie onder die knie kon kry nie. Hy het telkens met noukeurige presiesheid slegs die feite op die tafel gelê wat hy deur die jare by wyse van nougesette en wetenskaplike navorsing ondersoek het. Sy hele aanslag is gebou op God se opdrag om die geeste te toets omdat hulle nie almal uit God is nie (1 Johannes 4). Nie een van die persone wat hom so liederlik in Kerkbode beswadder, is in staat om hom vanuit die Woord van God te repudieer nie en wend nie eens die geringste poging aan om hom met die “regte” feite (hulle eie navorsing) oor die Ontluikende Kerk te konfronteer nie. Nee! Pleks daarvan snou hulle hom die mees lasterlike woorde toe.

Ek kan tot nou toe nog nie begryp waarom ‘n klomp hooggeleerde en hoogwaardeerde teoloë en akadmici aan UP se Teologiese Fakulteit nie  ‘n enkele keer vir Jean Oostuizen op die voorblad van Kerkbode aangetree het oor sy Kletskerk nie. Mnr. Oosthuizen is tans op die redaksiepersoneel van Kerkbode. Christus word gereeld op sy Kletskerk gelaster en die aller vieslikste krutaal word gereeld daarin gebruik. Hoe werk julle koppe menere, professore en doktore? Prof. Stephan Joubert roem daarop dat sy kop geswaai is nadat hy Dr. Nelus Niemandt se blitsverkoper, Nuwe Drome vir Nuwe Werklikhede gelees het. Ek wil van hierdie geleentheid gebruik maak om hom vriendelik te versoek om sy kop net nog ‘n bietjie meer te swaai en soos ‘n wafferse man ‘n artikel vir die voorblad van Kerkbode te skryf waarin hy Jean Oosthuizen en sy God-onterende webblad Kletskerk aanvat en in die sterkste taal in die openbaar repudieer. Dit sal vir my ‘n aanduiding wees dat die Ontluikende Kerk wat hy en Nelus Niemandt in ons land bevorder diep begaan is oor die wyse waarop die eer en die Naam van God op Kletskerk belaster word. Indien hulle dit nie sou doen nie, sal dit ‘n aanduiding wees dat hulle mense soos Jean Oosthuizen en sy Godloënaar maatjies met broederlike liefde verdra en omarm terwyl hulle diegene wat werklik begaan is oor die eer van die Here van liefdeloosheid, haatspraak, en leuens beskuldig. Wat se soort liefde is dit? Toe mnr. van der Merwe Dr. Nelus Niemand by geleentheid van ‘n  vergadering in die Wonderboom NGK Gemeente  (11 Maart 2009) met behulp van aanhalings uit Leonard Sweet se boek “Quantum Spiritulaity” bewys dat die Ontluikende Kerk se leiersfigure en hulle filosofie diep ingebed is in die New Age en die Oosterse godsdienste (soos o.a. joga en meditasie) het die Voorsitter die vergadering op versoek van Nelus Niemandt onmiddellik beëindig. Die Teologiese Fakulteit op UP kla voortdurend dat mnr. van der Merwe nie die broederlike pad van Mattheus 18 met hulle wil loop nie, maar dit lyk eerder of dit hulle is wat verseg om hierdie pad met hom te loop. Sodra hy sy mond oopmaak, maak hulle hom stil, soos ons “broeders in die Here” tydens die genoemde vergadering op so ‘n mooi “Christelike” wyse gedoen het.

Soos ek reeds in een van my vorige skrywes gesê het, is vleitaal ‘n opperste onding. Daarvan getuig verskeie gedeeltes in die Bybel wat daarteen waarsku.

Job 32:21, 22 Ek wil nie partydig wees nie; en ‘n mens vlei, sal ek nie. Want ek verstaan nie om te vlei nie; gou sou my Maker my wegneem!

Spr 28:23 Hy wat ‘n mens teregwys, sal agterna meer guns vind as hy wat vlei.

Spr 29:5 ‘n Man wat sy naaste vlei, sprei ‘n net uit voor sy voetstappe.

Jud 1:16 Hulle is murmureerders wat oor hul lot klae, en volgens hulle begeerlikhede wandel; en hulle mond spreek trotse woorde, terwyl hulle mense vlei ter wille van voordeel.

Vleitaal is waarskynlik ‘n algemene verskynsel onder die Ontluikende kerklui en veral hulle leraars. Sodra jy hulle konfronteer met onskriftuurlike aanhalings uit die boeke van mense soos Leonard Sweet, Rob Bell, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones en nog vele ander, skakel hulle onmiddellik oor in vleitaal-rat en sê gewooonlik iets in dier voege: “Prof. Stephan Joubert en Dr. Nelus Niemandt praat met groot lof van Leonard Sweet se aansien, integriteit, intellek en energieke dinamika en ek aanvaar hulle woord en dis vir my genoeg” – so asof dit die barometer is waaraan ‘n mens die waarheid moet meet en nie die Woord van God nie. Kom ons toets hulle hoogaangeskrewe integriteit aan die hand van ‘n paar voorbeelde uit die Ontluikende Kerk se leierskorps.

“Quantum spirituality bonds us to all creation as well as to other members of the human family. New Light pastors are what Arthur Peacocke calls ‘priests of creation’  earth ministers who can relate the realm of nature to God, who can help nurture a brother-sister relationship with the living organism called Planet Earth. This entails a radical doctrine of embodiment of God in the very substance of creation. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (1974) identifies the difference between pantheism and panentheism:

“Pantheism is ‘the belief or theory that God and the universe are identical’ panentheism is ‘the belief that the Being of God includes and penetrates the whole universe, so that every part of it exists in Him, but… that His Being is more than, and is not exhausted by, the Universe.”

“New Light spirituality does more than settle for the created order, as many forms of New Age pantheism do. But a spirituality that is not in some way entheistic (whether pan- or trans-), that does not extend to the spirit-matter of the cosmos, is not Christian.”  (http://www.leonardsweet.com/Quantum/quantum-ebook.pdfp. 123-124)

Ware Christenskap word dus nie gemeet aan jou verhouding met God deur Jesus Christus nie, maar jou verbondenheid aan en afhanklikheid van die geestes-materie van die kosmos. Dit is suiwer paganistiese New Age spiritualiteit en tog verklaar Stephan Joubert en Nelus Niemandt asook hulle meelopers dat Leonard Sweet ‘n leiersfiguur met groot integriteit in die Ontluikende Kerk is. Het hulle dan blinde leiers van blindes geword of was hulle nog altyd so gewees?

“New Light embodiment means to be ‘in connection’ and ‘information’ with other faiths. To be in-formation means to know  each other’s songs almost as well as one knows them oneself, and to enlarge the community to include those whose conceptions of God differ from ours in form. To be in connection means to be able to sing, not only selected stanzas, but all the verses….” (p. 129)

“One can be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ without denying the flickers of the sacred in followers of Yahweh, or Kali, or Krishna. A globalization of evangelism ‘in connection’ with others, and a globally ‘in-formed’ gospel, is capable of talking across the fence with Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim – people from other so called ‘new’ religious traditions (‘new’ only to us) – without assumption of superiority and power.”(p. 129-130) [Thomas se kommentaar: Die Hindoe godin Kali is die godin van die "dood" en "vernietiging" of "verwoesting." Ten spyte van haar konnotasies hiermee word sy ook beskou as die godin van "tyd" en "verandering." 'n Mens kan miskien ook nou beter verstaan waarom die Ontluikende Kerk, in sy affiliasie met ander godsdienste, soveel klem lê op die noodsaak vir verandering. Brian McLaren het 'n boek geskryf met die titel "Everything Must Change." Die Ontluikende leraars sal voortdurend vir jou sê dat jy nie jou verhouding met die Lewende God, Jesus Christus, kompromiteer nie al sou jy sekere konsepte - soos in hierdie geval "verandering" - in jou Christelike godsdiens assimileer. Die bloeddorstige Kali word ook as Bhavatarini aanbid (letterlik "die verlosser van die heelal"). Ook hier kan die raakpunte tussen die Ontluikende Kerk en ander godsdienste opgediep word. Soos die Hindoeïsme glo die Ontluikende Kerk ook dat verlossing nie net tot die individu beperk word nie maar dat dit van toepassing moet wees op die ganse heelal. Dit is dus 'n universele verlossing wat alles en almal insluit. Dit kan nie anders nie omdat die konsep van panenteïsme - God  is in alles en alles is in God - dit vereis. Indien God in alles en alles in God is, dan is dit mos vanselfsprekend waarom alles en almal met hierdie panentieïstiese God versoen moet word en dis hoogs interessant dat die kontemplatiewe spiritualiteit van die Roomse Desert Fathers die medium is waardeur almal nou in die teenwoordigheid van God kan lewe. Die meer resente bewegings in die Hindoeïsme aanbid Kali as die "moeder godin." Is dit so moeilik om te sien waarop dit alles uiteindelik gaan uitloop?]

“…It will take a decolonized theology for Christians to appreciate the genuineness of others’ faiths, and to see and celebrate what is good, beautiful, and true in their beliefs without any illusions that down deep we all are believers in the same thing.” [Thomas se kommentaar: Die Ontluikende leierskorps maak gereeld gebruik van gelaaide terme om hulle invloedsfeer soveel makliker uit te brei. Een hiervan is die woord "decolonized" wat sinspeel op die koloniale era waartydens sendelinge die boorlinge van ongekerstende volkere kwansuis gedwing het om hulle kultuur, gewoontes, folklore ens. prys te gee ter wille van die Christelike gosdiens.  Dit is gewoon nie waar nie. Hoewel sekere gevalle voorgekom het waar sendelinge boorlinge geleer het om hulle halfnaakte deurtrekkertjies met westerse kleredrag te vervang, het hulle slegs die kulture wat ingebed was in voorvadergeeste en afgodery baie streng aangespreek en die boorlinge geleer dat dit nie met die Christelike godsdiens versoenbaar is nie. Op hierdie wyse word die sendingaksies van vervloë dae waartydens die Evangelie suiwer verkondig is onder verdenking gebring en gedemoniseer. Die hedendaagse missionêre kerk het die klem verskuif vanaf  'n kompromielose Evangelie na 'n kompromiterende "Evangelie" waarvolgens "waarhede" in ander godsdienste as algemeen geldende riglyne, selfs ook vir die Christelike godsdiens, aanvaar word. Kontemplatiewe spiritualiteit speel 'n geweldige groot rol in die vervaging en selfs uitwissing van die grenslyne tussen godsdienste. Lees gerus hierdie artikel. Kerklidmate wie se lewens nie gebou is op die Rots (Jesus Christus) nie, en nie vertroud is met die hele raad van God soos Paulus dit in sy sendbriewe aan ons oorgedra het, val baie maklik ten prooi van hierdie nuwe kompromiterende "Evangelie" wat eintlik maar geen evangelie is nie. Dis niks anders as 'n baie slim namaaksel van die ware Evangelie nie.

Dis absoluut verstommend dat sg. behoudende leraars soos Stephan Joubert, Nelus Niemandt, Dries Lombaard en baie ander jong predikante in die NGK kerkfamilie mense soos Leonard Sweet kan verdedig en goedpraat terwyl hy sê dat Christene met behulp van 'n gedekoloniseerde teologie kan leer om ander gelowe se geloofwaardigheid te waardeer en om dit wat goed, mooi en waar is in hulle geloofstrukture, te waardeer sonder om enige voorbehoude te hê dat ons ten diepste almal gelowiges is van dieselfde ding. Dis dan ook geen wonder nie dat Paulus waarsku dat in die laaste dae die mense 'n gedaante van godsaligheid sal hê terwyl hulle die krag daarvan verloën. Soos ek reeds in talle van my ander kommentare verwys het, is die kruis van Jesus Christus die krag en die wysheid van God (1 Kor 1:18). Daar is hoegenaamd nie 'n greintjie van hierdie krag en wysheid in die sg. waarhede, goedheid en skoonheid van ander godsdiens aanwesig nie omdat hulle die kruis van Jesus Christus summier verwerp en tog verklaar Stephan Joubert en sy maatjies skaamteloos dat daar waarhede in ander godsdienste soos die Boeddhisme en selfs in nie-godsdienste soos die ateïsme aanwesig is. As dit nie 'n blatante verloëning is van God se enigste Waarheid en die kruis van Jesus Christus nie, dan weet ek nie meer so mooi nie.]

“The tide of an exoticized and orientalized theology is already at flood stage in New Age thinking partly because of modernist Christianity’s theological xenophobia…. An example of East-West integration that is less a subversion of the Christian tradition than an homage to it is the flourishing field of study known as transpersonal psychology, where the West’s emphasis on material processes of self-realization become mutually dependent on the East’s emphasis on consciousness journeys of self-annihilation.

“The interfaith embodiment of a quantum spirituality is based not on the Enlightenment search for what the world religions hold in common but on the multitudinousness and uniqueness of each particular vision of truth.” (Quantum Spirituality, 129-130 Lees hier.

Paulus het natuurlik ook “the flickers of the sacred in followers of Yahweh, or Kali, or Krishna” raakgesien en hy het ook erken dat “spirituality is based not on the Enlightenment search for what the world religions hold in common but on the multitudinousness and uniqueness of each particular vision of truth.” en daarom het hy die volgende woorde neergepen:

2Kor 6:14 Moenie in dieselfde juk trek saam met ongelowiges nie, want watter deelgenootskap het die geregtigheid met die ongeregtigheid, en watter gemeenskap het die lig met die duisternis?

Stephan en Nelus asook hulle meelopers sal natuurlik heel gou vir jou sê dat hulle darem nie met alles saamstem wat Leonard Sweet sê en skryf nie. Sê tog asseblief vir my hoe jy integriteit aan iemand kan toedig as jy nie met alles kan saamstem wat hy sê nie, veral rondom die kernboodskap van die Evangelie, nl die verlossing? Tog sê Stephan Joubert nes sy herder, Lennie, dat die Christendom nie alleenreg het op die waarheid nie maar dat daar ook in ander godsdienste soos die Boeddisme en Judaïsme waarhede opgesluit lê – ja, en selfs ook in die ateïsme. Wat makeer die man? Kan die sg. waarhede in die ander godsdienste die mens vrymaak van sy sonde en verlorenheid? Kan dit jou die sekerheid gee dat jy hemel toe gaan as jy die dag te sterwe kom? Indien nie, dan beteken daardie sg. waarhede in ander godsdienste net mooi niks nie. ‘n Mens sê sulke dinge wanneer jy nie tussen lig en duisternis kan onderskei nie. Nog meer, sodra iemand uit oortuiging en ware liefde vir hulle waarsku teen die dwaalweë waarop hulle hul begeef, kryt hulle jou uit as “selfaangestelde aanklaers, regters en laksmanne [wat besig] is met ’n volgende rondte leuens en karaktermoord”.  Het hulle nie miskien al daaraan gedink dat hulle self besig is om die Here Jesus wat gesê het “Ek is die Waarheid” se onkreukbare karakter te vermoor nie? Is hulle nie besig om self as aanklaers, regters en laksmanne van die enigste ware Evangelie op te tree nie. Maar natuurlik nie! . . . al wat hulle besig is om te doen is om die Here Jesus as die enigste Waarheid te verloën deur te sê daar is ook geldige waarhede in ander godsdienste. Mag die Here Suid-Afrika van hierdie geestelike laksmanne bewaar en veral ook die skape en lammers in hulle eie gemeentes.

Soos in die verlede, wil ek julle weer eens smeek om julle te bekeer van julle verkeerde weë, want . . . . julle speel met vuur.

1Pet 4:14 As julle beledig word oor die Naam van Christus, is julle gelukkig, omdat die Gees van die heerlikheid en van God op julle rus. Wat hulle betref, word Hy wel gelaster; maar wat julle betref, word Hy verheerlik.

Waaroor Gaan die Evangelie dan nou Eintlik?

Daar is deesdae so ‘n wanklankige kakofonie van stemme wat oral opklink rondom die godsdiens en spiritualiteit dat ‘n mens kwalik kan byhou. Die ironie, of sal ek liewer sê, die gevaar hiervan is dat hierdie kakofoniese wanklanke voortspruit uit die monde van persone wat hoë aansien geniet by hulle kerkgenote, akademiese kollegas en selfs by mense van ander gelowe. Hulle is mense wat in die samelewing bekend staan as manne van God, maar is hulle dit werklik? Die Here sê dat ons hulle sal uitken aan hulle vrugte maar deesdae word ‘n mens gedwing om ook die vrug van hulle monde onder die loep te neem.

Waarom skarrel en tas hierdie sg. “manne van God” in die newels van die ontluikende spiritualiteit rond om nuwe idees te formuleer oor die godsdiens; om die Bybel en veral die Evangelie te herverwoord; om alles te verander, soos Brian McLaren dit in sy boek “Everything must Change” dit stel;” en om “Nuwe Drome vir Nuwe Werklikhede” te koester, soos Dr. Nelus Niemandt dit in sy boek met dieselfde naam uitspel? Waarom . . .? Ons het nie nodig om ver te gaan soek vir ‘n antwoord nie omdat Paulus dit reeds duisende jare gelede neergepen het.

2 Tim 4:3 . . . want daar sal ‘n tyd wees wanneer hulle die gesonde leer nie sal verdra nie, maar, omdat hulle in hul gehoor gestreel wil wees, vir hulle ‘n menigte leraars sal versamel volgens hulle eie begeerlikhede, en die oor sal afkeer van die waarheid en hulle sal wend tot fabels. (Klem bygevoeg)

Alles Moet Verander

Toe my vrou en ek onlangs inkopies gaan doen het, het ons by ‘n advertensiebord verby gery waarop die woorde “It is time to change to a new homeloan.” gepryk het. Terwyl ek in die motor vir haar sit en wag het, het ek ‘n advertensie oor die radio gehoor wat min of meer soos volg geklink het, “Dit is tyd om te verander na ‘n ander kortermynverserking.” Byna onmiddellik daarna het hulle  ‘n liedjie gespeel waarin die woorde, “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m going.” gespeel het. Dit onderstreep die feit dat ons hele kultuur deursuur is met ‘n gesug na verandering. Die woorde “It is time to change” en “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m going” was vir my so kentekenend van die Ontluikende Kerk dat ek nie anders kon as om te glimlag nie, hoewel dit eintlik maar ‘n baie tragiese aangeleentheid is. Verandering moet kom, buig of bars, al weet ons nie so mooi waarheen dit ons uiteindelik gaan lei nie. In ‘n onderhoud met Brian McLaren waarin die onderhoudvoerder gevra het om anoniem te bly het hy die onsekerheid van die pad waarop die Ontluikende Kerk hom begeef soos volg in sy vraag verwoord.

One blogger who refers to you as the godfather – not sure how you feel about that – offered another metaphor. You’re telling people there’s this great new restaurant across town, and they go there with you, only to hear on arrival that the menu won’t be printed for another twenty years. (Klem bygevoeg)

McLaren het soos volg gereageer:

I can see how that’s frustrating. I think the metaphor makes the point very well. But I wonder if I could put a spin on it. Maybe that story should continue by the people saying, “Hey, let’s go in the kitchen and see if we can help create some new recipes.” If we get more people involved in the creative process, maybe it will only be ten years, not twenty. I think people need to feel empowered, like they’re contributors, not consumers buying the latest “postmodern ministry in a box” program. We’re all in this thing together. (Lees hier) (Klem bygevoeg).

Dit laat my nogal dink aan wat Prof. Malan Nel, Direkteur van die Sentrum vir Kontekstuele Bediening by die Universiteit van Pretoria wat ook betrokke is by voortgesette bedienings-ontwikkeling in die NG Kerk,  in die program “Oop Gesprek” (Sondag, 14 Septemeber 2008) gesê het:

Ons het arm geword aan die waarheid wat in die vroeë kerk sterker gefunksioneer het. Een persoon het nie die wysheid in pag nie. Die onderskeiding van die wil van die Here is ‘n kollektiewe – die Bybelse woord “corpus” vir liggaam – is ‘n korporatiewe onderneming. Dis deel van die teologie . . . In goeie akademiese onderrig moet jy met al jou gespreksgenote rekening hou en dominees behoort gemeentes te help om te verstaan dat dit is ons verantwoordelikheid om saam te worstel oor hoe verstaan ons die leiding van die Heilige Gees deur ‘n teks. (Klem bygevoeg).

Ons kan die waarheid dus eers vaspen wanneer al die gespreksgenote, gespreksvennote of rolspelers saam besin het oor die waarheid en saam tot die slotsom kom om te sê “Dis die ware waarheid.” Die probleem is egter dat die akademici meesal eensydig besluit wat die waarheid is en dit van bo-af (paternalisties) op die arme voetsool lidmate van hulle gemeentes afdwing. Dit is presies wat op die oomblik gebeur met die indoktrinering van die Ontluikende Kerk. En wanneer sommige van die gemeentelede nie met hulle saamstem nie word hulle voor tugkomitees gedaag om hulle op vernederende wyse te viktimiseer en sommige word soms versoek om maar liefs hulle goedjies te vat en uit die kerk pad te gee. Die uitdrukking “saam te worstel oor die Skrif” is mos deesdae die aller-nederigste manier om die Bybel te lees. Hulle moet net oppas om nie te lank saam te worstel oor Johannes 3:16 nie terwyl hulle eie gemeentelede moontlik ‘n Christuslose ewigheid binnegaan.

Brian McLaren het ook in die bg. onderhoud gesê:

The postmodern transition is well underway, but it’s still in process. The early deconstructive phase of the postmodern transition is evolving into a more constructive and creative phase, exemplified (for me) by thinkers and writers like Wendell Berry and Ken Wilber in the culture at large, plus a number of us writing specifically for the Christian community. (Of course, some folks are still fighting against the earliest phases, not realizing that the “battle lines” keep moving. But I shouldn’t use battle imagery, because I don’t see it that way.) For all the work we’ve done and all the progress we’ve made, we still have so far to go. – Brian McLaren (http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/000133.html) (Klem bygevoeg).

Hoe op deeske aarde kan jy jou vertroue plaas in ‘n ding wat niemand weet waarheen dit op pad is nie omdat dit nog in ‘n proses van ontwikkeling is? Paulus het gesê:

2 Tim 1:12  Om hierdie rede ly ek ook hierdie dinge; maar ek skaam my nie, want ek weet in wie ek geglo het, en ek is oortuig dat Hy mag het om my pand te bewaar tot dié dag toe. (Klem bygevoeg)

Johannes skryf:

1 Joh 5: 10-13 Wie in die Seun van God glo, het die getuienis in homself. Hy wat God nie glo nie, het Hom tot leuenaar gemaak, omdat hy die getuienis nie geglo het wat God aangaande sy Seun getuig het nie. En dit is die getuienis: dat God ons die ewige lewe gegee het, en dié lewe is in sy Seun. Hy wat die Seun het, het die lewe; wie die Seun van God nie het nie, het nie die lewe nie. Dit het ek geskrywe aan julle wat glo in die Naam van die Seun van God, sodat julle kan weet dat julle die ewige lewe het en kan glo in die Naam van die Seun van God. (Klem bygevoeg).

Enigiemand wat sê ons moet eers lank saamsit om te worstel oor die betekenis van die bg. Skrifgedeeltes moet ten minste ‘n klap van die windmeuel weghê. Ek vra weer: Hoe lank gaan die Suid-Afrikaanse kerkgemeenskap hierdie wolwe in skaapsklere verduur? Hoe lank nog? Die “ontluikende” Christen weet nie so mooi waarheen hy op pad is nie en ook nie wat sy eindbestemming is nie. Hy worstel met die nederigste nederigheid saam met ander ontluikende Christene oor die betekenis van Bybeltekse want hulle wil darem nou nie soos die funfamentalistiese Christene so arrogant wees om te dink hulle het die volle waarheid in pag nie. Daarom is hulle, soos Stephan Joubert en sy maatjie Rob Bell, selfs bereid om die kultuur buite die kerk te omarm, om kers op te steek by die Boeddhiste en selfs ook die ateïste (wat die Here sommer reguit dwase noem – Ps 14:1) om hulle nuwe “brand” van die Christendom te verryk en aan te vul met hulle waarhede. Die Bybelse Christen, daarenteen, weet waarheen hy op pad is en wat sy eindbestemming is.

Dit is veral die eksponensiële ontwikkeling van die tegnologie wat die mens op ‘n baie subtiele manier breinspoel om verandering goedsmoeds te aanvaar. Wat vandag ‘n nuutjie is, is more verouderd en die verouderde dinge word summier soos ou uitgediende rekenaarkomponente weggegooi. Maar kan ‘n mens dit met die Christelike Godsdiens wat op God se Woord begrond is, doen? Durf ons die eeu-oue waarhede in die Skrif verander om aan te pas by ons postmoderne kultuur? Die leraars en voorbankers in die Ontluikende Kerk dink blykbaar so. Maar wat sê God:

1 Pet  1: 24, 25 Want alle vlees is soos gras, en al die heerlikheid van die mens soos ‘n blom van die gras. Die gras verdor en sy blom val af, maar die woord van die Here bly tot in ewigheid. En dit is die woord wat aan julle verkondig is.

Menere die ontluikende leaars, akademici, en kerklidmate, het julle dit gehoor? Julle is soos ‘n blom van die gras wat vir ‘n kort tydjie hier op aarde is (tot so 90, 95 jaar as die genade van die Here dit toelaat) en dan sterf  julle soos ‘n blom wat droog geword het en afval. Maar, die Woord van die Here bly tot in alle ewigheid.

Ek het onlangs ‘n transkripsie van Stephan Joubert se preek wat hy op Sondag 1 Maart vanjaar by Kemptonkruin gelewer het onder oë gehad en raai wat? Ja u het reg geraai. Hy het ter inleiding gesê: “Die interessante is, vriende, die wêreld verander.” Nee! Dr. Joubert, die wêreld het nie verander nie en is ook nie besig om te verander nie. Dieselfde ou sondes wat ons voorvaders gedoen het, is nog steeds dieselfde ou sondes wat ons vandag nog doen. Vandag se ouens en veral die kerk is net ‘n bietjie meer toegewend in die doen van daardie sondes. En daar is nog steeds net een oplossing vir dieselfde ou sondes — die kruisdood van Jesus Christus. Niks het verander nie. Die hart van die mens is nog steeds die bedrieglikste ding onder die son (Jer 17:9).

Hy verwys dan na Dan Kimball, een van die leierfigure in die Ontluikende Kerk in Amerika en voltydse leraar in San Diego, wat tot die slotsom gekom het dat die kerk op pad is na nêrens. Sy woorde is “The Church is going nowhere slowly.” So ongeveer 2 minute na sy inleidende woorde oor die Ontluikende Kerk sê Stephan Joubert ‘n baie diepsinnige waarheid wat my nogal baie sterk herinner aan die woorde van die Here Jesus toe Hy sy dissipels uigestuur het om die Evangelie te verkondig. Ek haal aan:

Aan My is gegee alle mag in die hemel en op aarde. Gaan dan heen, “engage” die Romeinse kultuur en prakseer  vindingryke idees, weë en maniere om te kyk of julle die kultuur binne julle eie geledere (die kerk) met die kultuur van die Romeinse heidendom kan versoen want dit is my soewereine wil dat die kultuur binne die kerk en die kultuur buite die kerk mekaar moet ontmoet. Ek wl ook hê dat julle die dissipels wat deur die jare na julle kom, moet leer om dieselfde te doen. Luister baie mooi na my. Dit is rêrig ”bad” daarbuite, sleg en sondig, maar ek wil nie hê julle moet te veel klem daarop lê nie. Dis darem te paternalisties en liefdeloos. Daar is ‘n baie beter manier om  hulle kultuur te omhels. Sit die Evangelie in hulle midde sover hulle dit kan verstaan; maak die Evangelie wat Ek aan julle verkondig het, relevant en siedaar, kul jou hier en kul jou daar, hulle sal julle met ope arms ontvang en met ongekende dankbaarheid vereer.

Net om te wys dat ek niks uit my duim suig nie en dat ons voortreflikste teoloë die Here Jesus getrou navolg en te alle tye gehoorsaam is aan sy opdragte, haal ek vir julle aan wat Stephan Joubert gesê het.

In die lig daarvan [“The Church is going nowhere slowly.”] het Dan Kimball-hulle agtergekom, en ‘n klomp ouens na hom ook, dat die eerste groot uitdaging wat ons het, is om te kyk of die kultuur binne die kerk en die kultuur buite die kerk mekaar kan ontmoet . . . Studie op studie, volgens hulle, [het] begin wys dat die kultuur buite die kerk so vinnig verander dat die kultuur binne die kerk, al wat hulle kan sê is: “It is bad out there.” sleg, sondig. Maar, dat daar ‘n beter manier is om daardie kultuur te omhels en die Evangelie, so ver moontlik hulle dit dan nou verstaan, relevant daarbinne neer te sit.

In kort kom dit daarop neer dat die reeds uitgediende “Christendom”, soos hulle dit graag noem, alewig net ‘n veroordelende vinger na die wêreld gewys het om hulle sondes en verlorenheid te beklemtoon, pleks daarvan om hulle kultuur te omarm en die Evangelie sodanig aan te pas dat die wêreldling dit kan verstaan. Dit gaan my verstand te bowe dat leraars wat veronderstel is om die Evangelie te ken en dit onvervals aan mense oor te dra sodat wêreldlinge gered kan word, daarop aandring dat die kerk hom by die wêreld moet aanpas. Nouja, hulle kan gerus probeer maar ek kan hulle verseker dat Jesus Christus (die Jesus van die Bybel) nie saam met hulle in dieselfde juk sal trek nie. Luister wat sê HY:

Joh 7:7  Die wêreld kan julle nie haat nie; maar My haat hy, omdat Ek van hom getuig dat sy werke boos is. (Klem bygevoeg)

Miskien moet ons hierdie gedeelte uit die Bybel uitskeur want dit herinner te veel aan die ou kultuur binne die kerk en dis tog nie wat ons ontluikende vriende wil hê nie, nê? Die wêreld sal en kan jou nie haat as jy soos Stephan Joubert en sy ontluikende pêlle die kultuur van die wêreld omarm en nie soos Jesus sy bose werke aanspreek nie. Jakobus, die broer van Jesus, het die liefhebbers van die kultuur van die wêreld baie strenger bestraf.

Jak 4:4 Egbrekers en egbreeksters, weet julle nie dat die vriendskap van die wêreld vyandskap teen God is nie? Wie dan ‘n vriend van die wêreld wil wees, word ‘n vyand van God.

Sodra ‘n persoon wat daarop aanspraak maak dat hy kind van God is, kompromie maak met die wêreld en sy kultuur omarm, begin God teen daardie persoon te stry. Daar kom ‘n diep skeiding wat eers weer reggestel kan word wanneer die persoon sy sonde van kompromie voor God bely en hom heelhartig tot Hom bekeer.

Die Evangelie van Jesus Christus is nie maar sommer net ‘n kultuur soos enige ander kultuur nie, en nog minder is dit ‘n kultuur wat aanpasbaar gemaak kan word om ander kulture in die wêreld te omarm. Die Evangelie sentreer om die kruis van Jesus Christus wat die krag en die wysheid van God is (1 Kor 1:18). Dit is die unieke, eenmalige, onveranderlike en ewige manier waardeur God die sondes van bekeerlinge kan vergewe. Daarom sê die Skrif, “Maar by U is vergewing, dat U gevrees mag word” (Ps 130: 4). Dit beteken dat daar alleenlik by God ‘n saliggewende vergewing van sondes is en kan wees. Geen ander kultuur of godsdiens kan hierdie vergifnis vir mense bied nie en tog durf Stephan Joubert sê, soos ek later aandui, dat ander godsdienste ook waarhede in pag het. Dit kom neer op godslastering, of hy dit wil erken of nie.

Maar kom ons kyk vir eers na Dan Kimball wie Stephan Joubert so hoog aanprys en vereer. Die webblad “Lighthouse Trails Research” het soos volg sy boek “They Like Jesus but Not the Church” geresenseer:

According to Kimball’s book, there are two categories of Christians. Here is the first Kimball describes: [P]eople who are always saying negative things about the world, are anti-gay, take the whole Bible literally, are card-carrying Republicans, are pro-Israel, read end-times novels, and endorse snake handling and fire-and-brimstone preaching. They think of King-James, finger-pointing, teetotaling, vengeful people who credit God for using natural disasters to punish people for sin, and who use Christian jargon and are arrogant and unloving toward anyone but themselves. Kimball masterfully condemns Christians who are pro-Israel, take the Bible literally, study Bible end time prophecy and talk about hell, and likens them to negative, arrogant, unloving and vengeful people. He makes a mockery of the Bride of Christ and thus a mockery of Christ Himself. Kimball is careful to install built in defenses into the book that will self-validate his message. He says that if you are uncomfortable reading the book, it may be that you NEED to read the book because you are guilty of all these things. So who is going to want to say anything bad about Kimball’s book? The glue that binds all this together is in Kimball’s last chapter, “A Great Hope for the Future.” He starts the chapter off with a quote by mystic Henri Nouwen. You see Kimball is a contemplative proponent. He promotes the use of labyrinths and stations of the Cross (meditative centers). He also encourages lectio divina and recommends books by mantra meditation proponents like Gary Thomas, Mike Yaconelli, John Michael Talbot, Brian McLaren and others. In They Like Jesus But Not the Church Kimball recommends Henri Nouwen’s book, In the Name of Jesus and John Shelby Spong’s book, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism (though he gives a disclaimer of this latter but still thinks it’s good to be “familiar” with it). However, Kimball gives no disclaimer for his recommendation of Nouwen who said: Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.(Sabbatical Journey, p. 51, 1998 edition). (Klem bygevoeg)

Die verandering wat plaas moet vind, is dus ‘n wegbeweeg van die fundamentele waarhede in die Skrif omdat die wêreld nie baie hou van die fundamentaliste wat vir hulle leer dat hulle eers waaragtigtig tot bekering moet kom alvorens hulle in die hemel toegelaat kan word nie. Dis darem te paternalisties. Hulle soek ‘n Jesus wat nie so sreng leerstellig is nie, maar een wat hulle knus en warm kan laat voel in hulle sondige kultuur. Stephan Joubert en sy vriend, Dan Kimball, vergeet gerieflikheidshalwe dat die regte Jesus gesê het:

2 Joh 9 Elkeen wat ‘n oortreder is en nie bly in die leer van Christus nie, hy het God nie. Wie in die leer van Christus bly, hy het die Vader sowel as die Seun.

Miskien moet Stephan Joubert weer ‘n slag goed gaan kyk wat die leer van Christus alles behels.

Het ander gelowe ook dalk die waarheid in pag?

Voordat ek Stephan Joubert aan die woord stel oor sy siening van die waarheid, wil ek  my klein groepie lesers net weer herinner aan wat die Bybel oor die waarheid sê.

Joh 17: 38, 39 Pilatus sê toe vir Hom: Is U dan tog ‘n koning? Jesus antwoord: U sê dat Ek ‘n koning is. Hiervoor is Ek gebore en hiervoor het Ek in die wêreld gekom, om vir die waarheid te getuig. Elkeen wat uit die waarheid is, luister na my stem. Pilatus sê vir Hom: Wat is waarheid? (Klem bygevoeg).

Dit is opvallend dat Pilatus nie gevra het wat “die waarheid” is nie maar “wat is “waarheid.” Dit wil vir my lyk of hy eintlik gevra het: “Wat is die essensie van waarheid?” of om dit so ‘n bietjie anders te stel, “Wat is dit wat die waarheid as waarheid bevestig?” Waaraan meet ‘n mens die waarheid? Die enigste waterdigte en betroubare toets om te bepaal of enige geestelike waarheid volhoubaar vrymakend is, moet dit opgehou word teen die lig van ‘n onveranderlike, ewigdurende, en essensiële bron van waarheid en ons het beslis so ‘n waarheid — Jesus Chrisus wat gesê het “Ek IS die Waarheid.” ‘n Waarheid wat nie in staat is om vry te maak nie, vry te maak van die leuen en die sonde nie, is geen waarheid nie, en ons het beslis so ‘n waarheid — Jesus Christus wat gesê het, “Julle sal die waarheid ken en die waarheid sal julle vrymaak.” Baie ander gelowe onderskryf en verkondig sekere waarhede wat in die Christelike godsdiens teruggevind kan word, maar dit kan nie vrymaak nie omdat dit Jesus Christus, die essensie van waarheid, uitsluit. Neem bevoorbeeld begrippe soos barmhartigheid (“compassion”), liefde, hulpvaardigheid, mededoëndheid, sagmoedigheid, en nederigheid; dit is almal geestelike waarhede wat in sommige ander godsdienste gevind en selfs uiteleef word, maar dit beteken net mooi niks nie omdat die onderbou en fondament van daardie waarhede in ander godsdienste ontbreek. Jesus self het gesê, “Sonder my kan julle niks doen nie.” Dit is dus geheel en al futiel om waarhede in ander godsdienste te soek en te glo dat ons daaruit kan leer. Luister nou wat sê Stephan Joubert in weerwil hiervan.

Hy (Rob Bell) sê jy moet die kultuur “engage.” Jy moet gaan luister na die Boeddhiste. Jy moet gaan hoor wat sê daai ouens. Dan skrik Christene hulle dood, want hulle hoor nie wat Rob Bell mooi sê nie. Hy sê nie word soos hulle nie, hy sê maar gaan lees hulle goeters, gaan hoor hoekom hulle so belangrik is. Hulle het ook dalk waarheid. Waarheid is nie net in die Christendom nie. Waarheid vind jy by Judaïsme. Jy kan waarheid vind by ateïsme. Jy kan waarheid vind by wie ook al (ook by Anton la Vey se Satanskerk, prof. Joubert?). God se algemene openbaring is ‘n bietjie wyer, maar jy sê Jesus is die Here. Dis waarnatoe jy op pad is met hulle met so ’n beweging.

Om te sê “Jesus is die Here” beteken net mooi niks nie.

Mat 7:21-23 Nie elkeen wat vir My sê: Here, Here! sal ingaan in die koninkryk van die hemele nie, maar hy wat die wil doen van my Vader wat in die hemele is. Baie sal in daardie dag vir My sê: Here, Here, het ons nie in u Naam geprofeteer en in u Naam duiwels uitgedrywe en in u Naam baie kragte gedoen nie? En dan sal Ek aan hulle sê: Ek het julle nooit geken nie. Gaan weg van My, julle wat die ongeregtigheid werk! (Klem bygevoeg).

So terloops, Stephan moet nie sommer aweregs uitsprake maak oor wat Rob Bell sou gesê het en nie sou gesê het nie sonder om die feite in oënskou te neem. Rob Bell het nog nooit gesê “word [nie] soos hulle nie.” Trouens hy het op ‘n keer baie duidelik gesê:

“This is not just the same old message with new methods. We’re rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life. (Christianity Today The Emergent Mystique). (Klem bygevoeg).

Moenie dink dat hy daarmee wil sê dat die Westerse spiritualiteit in lyn gebring moet word met die Hebreeuse spiritualiteit in die Ooste nie. Sy teenwoordigheid by die “Seeds of Compassion” Konferensie verlede jaar (11-15 April) in Seattle, Amerika, spreek boekdele. Daar het hy in eerbied voor die 14de geïnkarneerde Dalai Lama van Tibet gebuig en hom as “His Holiness” (hy word as ‘n god beskou) aangespreek. Bell se hele siening rondom versoening en rekonsiliasie pas baie goed in by die “Seeds of Compassion” van die Dalai Lama. Hy sê:

[T]here are around a billion people in the world who don’t have clean drinking water, and 46 million Americans don’t have health care. That means if they get sick, they don’t have anywhere to go. Half of the world, 3 billion people, live on less than two American dollars a day, so the world is an emergency. It’s on fire. It’s drowning. It’s an absolute crisis, and when followers of Jesus can think of nothing better to do with their time than to pick apart and shred to pieces the work of other followers of Jesus who are trying to do something about the world, that’s tragic, and I don’t owe those people anything. The world is desperately in need of people who will break themselves open and pour themselves out for the reconciliation of all things. When a Christian can find nothing better to do with their time in the face of this much pain and heartbreak, you start realizing that some Christians need to be saved. (Klem bygevoeg) (Relevant magazine)

Hy suggereer dus dat Christene wat nie bereid is om hande van barmhartigheid uit te steek na ‘n wêreld wat besig is om te verdrink nie, ongered is. Sy suggestie kom op niks anders neer as ‘n werkesaligheidsgeloof nie. Ek wonder net wat die een man aan die kruis langs Jesus, wie se hande en voete soos dié van Jesus aan ‘n houtkruis vasgespyker was, kon doen om die pyn en lyding van mense in die Romeinse Ryk te verlig. Ek weet net dat hy nou saam met Jesus in die paradys is.

Sodra jy van die Evangelie ‘n “social Gospel” wil maak, loop jy die gevaar om dié dinge wat die Here Jesus alleen in staat is om te doen, by Hom oor te neem en in eie krag te wil doen.  HY het nie gesê “julle moet alles nuut maak” nie maar “Ek maak alles nuut.” Dit sal alleenlik plaasvind nadat die Satan, die Antichris en die valse profeet in die poel van vuur gewerp is en die ongelowiges by die Wittroon oordeel geoordeel is. Dit gaan hier oor God se skepping van ‘n nuwe hemel en ‘n nuwe aarde en nie die doen van filantropiese werk om van hierdie teenswoordige wêreld ‘n beter plek te maak nie.  Hoe lees die Ontluikende leraars die Bybel? Hulle verstaan meesal nie die gedeeltes in die Bybel wat oor die eindtye handel nie omdat hulle dit as “ontvlugtingsteologie” beskou.

Indien Jesus Christus se aanspraak dat Hy die enigste waarheid is, soos HY ook daarop aanspraak maak dat HY die enigste weg en lewe is, wel die waarheid is, en as die Christelike godsdiens se aanspraak dat hy hierdie waarheid onvervals verkondig, ook die waarheid is, dan is die waarheid in geen ander godsdiens nie omdat Christus self in geen ander godsdiens is nie. In die lig hiervan, is Stephan Joubert se uitspraak dat waarheid nie net in in die Christendom is nie, uiters skokkend want dit suggereer dat Jesus Christus (dié Waarheid) gemeenskap het met die duiwel en sy gevalle engele. Paulus daarenteen sê onomwonde:

2 Kor 6:14-16 Moenie in dieselfde juk trek saam met ongelowiges nie, want watter deelgenootskap het die geregtigheid met die ongeregtigheid, en watter gemeenskap het die lig met die duisternis? En watter ooreenstemming het Christus met Bélial, of watter aandeel het die gelowige met die ongelowige? Of watter ooreenkoms het die tempel van God met die afgode?

Word die Stem van die Kerk (“Eklesia” of die uitgeroeptes) al hoe stiller?

So, ek kan verstaan dat die stem van die tradisionele kerk al hoe stiller raak. Dit is die wêreld waarin ons lewe. Dis waar die “emergent church” [in]kom. Nou is daar verskillende soorte “emerging churches” en “emergent churches.” Ek vind my by ‘n groep van hulle wat ‘n groot passie het om die wêreld weer terug te wen, iemand soos Rob Bell in Amerika wat sy eie huis verkoop in Grand Rapids en tussen die armste mense in die stad intrek. Rob Bell is waarskynlik tans die mees sigbare, die mees prominente jong Christen leier in die VSA. As die Here wil, dan sien ek hom die 16 Maart, dan eet ek saam met hom ontbyt daar in Grand Rapids – Stephan Joubert

Ek kry gereeld nuusbriewe van sendelinge wat skryf oor die formidabele groei van die Kerk in Sjina ten spyte van, of moet ek liewer sê, by wyse van die gruwelike vervolging onder die Christene. Dit staan soos ‘n paal bo water dat vervolging dikwels die Bybelse manier is om groei, en in die besonder geestelike groei, onder God se kinders aan te wakker en te bevorder maar ook om hulle gemaksones so ‘n bietjie te skud sodat hulle na ander mense kan begin uitreik met die Evangelie van verlossing. Ons sien dit in Handelinge 8. Hierdie vervolging onder die Christene in lande soos Sjina, die Soedan, en ook elders in die Ooste, is vir my ‘n klinkklare bewys dat die Here sy belofte gestand doen en die  Kerk bou in weerwil van die duiwel se pogings om die Kerk te vernietig. Het HY dan nie self gesê: “ . . .op hierdie rots sal Ek my gemeente bou, en die poorte van die doderyk sal dit nie oorweldig nie”? (Mat 16:18). Maar nee, die Emergents het ‘n towerstaffie ontwerp, genaamd “contextual and cultural engagement” om die wêreld  weer terug te wen vir Christus. Terug the wen . . . ? Op watter stadium in die geskiedenis van die wêreld het die wêreld Christus geken en toe weer teruggeval sodat hulle nou weer teruggewen moet word? Dit is nou maar weer net die ou-ou storie van, “Ons moet die Koninkryk van God hier en nou op aarde vestig sodat ons almal in ‘n wonderlike Utopia van vrede kan lewe.” Die stem van die tradisionele kerke in Suid-Afrika en ook elders in die Westerse wêreld is miskien besig om al hoe stiller te raak omdat hulle lank nie meer die suiwere Evangelie van Jesus Christus verkondig nie, maar die kerk in die Ooste is besig om die Kerk met hulle eie bloed en die genade van God te bou. G’n wonder Tertullius het op ‘n dag gesê: “The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Let asseblief op Stephan Joubert en al die ander “emergent” gurus: Dis nie Rob Bell se “cultural engagement” wat  die Kerk bou nie maar die bloed van die kruis van Christus en almal wat sy bloed met hulle eie bloed omhels (“engage”) wat aan die die Kerk (die Bruid van Christus) haar groei en stukrag verleen.

Stephan sê voorts:

Dit [die Ontluikende Kerk] het met mense te doen wat ‘n passie het om te sê [ons wil] die wêreld vir Jesus in ons generasie weer terugkry; die kultuur weer terugkry. En daarom gaan ek nie hulle kultuur kritiseer nie, maar ek gaan dit “engage.”  Daarom gaan ek nie ander ouens se spiritualiteit aanvat en my waarhede postuleer nie. Ek gaan luister wat hulle sê. Want ek kan die waarheid bewys ad infinitum soos, as ek in die 1960’s geleef het, en ek debateer met Boeddhis of ‘n Hindoe, sal ek daar sit en sê hier is my waarhede, hier is my goeters. Nou sal ek as ek in die “emerging church” is, sal ek sê, kom ons luister . . . Ek wil jou nie probeer verander nie, maar jy het ook die reg om te hoor hoe ek glo en ek gaan nie ekskuus sê vir wie ek is nie. Ek gaan nie my geloof in jou keel afdruk nie.

Die Evangelie van Jesus Christus gaan juis oor ‘n diepgrondige verandering wat begin by die verandering van jou gemoed.  As ek so luister dan wonder ek of Stephan Joubert en die ander ontluikende leraars die Evangelie van Jesus Christus werklik ken. Die Bybelse Christene (Bruid van Christus) het nog nooit die lewende Water van God in mense se kele afgegooi of afgedruk nie. Hulle het in gehoorsaamheid aan Christus, soms ten koste van hulle lewens, SY woorde getrou aan mense oorgedra sodat hulle self ‘n besluit kon maak of hulle die Lewende water verniet wil neem al dan nie.

Openb. 22:17 En die Gees en die bruid sê: Kom! En laat hom wat hoor, sê: Kom! En laat hom wat dors het, kom; en laat hom wat wil, die water van die lewe neem, verniet.

Die Evangelie van Christus kom beslis nie neer op ‘n dialoog tussen mense van verskillende gelowe om bloot net wedersydse respek vir mekaar se geloofsoortuigings te kweek nie. Die ontluikende predikers gee voor dat hulle hul mede aardse reisgenote baie lief het en hulle vir Christus wil terugwen, maar dit is ‘n liefde wat nie tred hou met God se liefde nie. God se liefde is ‘n gee-liefde en nie net ‘n sê-liefde nie en dit help ook net mooi niks om, soos Rob Bell dit stel, “to break yourself open and to pour yourself out for the reconciliation of all things” as jy versuim om ‘n verloregaande wêreld te vertel dat God sy eie Seun verbrysel het sodat hulle met Hom versoen kan word. Sodra jy klem lê op jou eie offervaardige goeie dade om die wêreld se kultuur terug te wen, soos Stephan Joubert Rob Bell telkens in sy preek die lof besing het, dan vervaag die betekenis van Jesus se kruisdood in die agtergrond. Daarom sê die Bybel dat wanneer ons barmhartigheidswerk doen ons linkerhand nie moet weet wat ons regterhand doen nie. In weerwil hiervan prys Stephan Joubert die barmhartigheidswerk van Rob Bell ten hemele.

Wat doen Rob Bell om die Evangelie uit te dra? Hy verkoop sy huis. Hy sit sy kinders in die armste skool waar die “drug lords” is en hy gaan bedien hulle met die Evangelie. Hulle is betrokke in Soweto saam met Johan Geyser-hulle van Mosaïek met ‘n reuse armsorg projek in sy gemeente.

Wonderlik! Maar . . . . .

Verkondig Rob Bell die Evangelie?

Stephan sê:

Ek het hom [Rob Bell] al sien optree, baie keer. Hy stap op daai verhoog, met sy swart bril en sy weird klere en sy kitaar, maar as hy sy mond oopmaak dan is dit die Evangelie. (Klem bygevoeg).

Die vleeswording of inkarnasie van die Here Jesus Christus by wyse van die maagdelike geboorte is die kern van die Evangelie. As Hy nie in die gedaante van ‘n mens na die aarde gekom het nie sou Hy nooit vir ons sondes aan die kruis kon betaal nie.  Daarom is dit dan ook so gevaarlik om die maagdelike geboorte te ontken of te onderspeel want elkeen wat dit doen, plaas homself in die kader van die Antichris. Luister weer ‘n slag hierna:

1 Joh 4: 1-3 Geliefdes, glo nie elke gees nie, maar stel die geeste op die proef of hulle uit God is, want baie valse profete het in die wêreld uitgegaan. Hieraan ken julle die Gees van God: elke gees wat bely dat Jesus Christus in die vlees gekom het, is uit God en elke gees wat nie bely dat Jesus Christus in die vlees gekom het nie, is nie uit God nie; en dit is die gees van die Antichris waarvan julle gehoor het dat hy kom, en hy is nou al in die wêreld.

Rob Bell sê in sy boek, Velvet Elvis op bladsy 027 dat hy in die maagdelike geboorte van Christus glo, maar op bladsy 026 sinspeel hy op die gedagte dat ‘n persoon nog steeds ‘n Christen kan wees en die Here waarlik lief kan hê al sou hy nie in die maagdelike geboorte glo nie. Hy maak die deur dus wyd oop vir ‘n antichristelike siening van die maagdelike geboorte sonder om sy eie siening daaroor in die gedrang te bring. Hy het dus ‘n dialektiese en dualistiese siening oor die maagdelike ontvangenis. Hy gebruik albei na gelang dit nodig is om aan te pas by die gehoor waarin hy hom bevind.

In sy vergelyking van die Christelike Godsdiens met ‘n trampolien, sê Bell die volgende:

What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births?

But what if, as you study the origin of the word “virgin” you discover that the word “virgin” in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word “virgin” could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being “born of a virgin” also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?

What if that spring [of the trampoline] were seriously questioned? Could a person keep on jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart? (026,027)

Rob Bell saai maar eintlik twyfel in die harte van sy lesers deur te sê “Is dit ook so dat God gesê het . . .?”

Dan Kimball, van wie Stephan met groot lof in sy preek praat, het ook ‘n algeheel onbybelse siening van die verlossing in Christus. Hy skryf:

“Without a doubt, the books that have made the most influence in my thinking on discipleship and spiritual formation for the emerging church are the following from Dallas Willard. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (NavPress 2002) and The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God (Harper Collins, 1998)” —Dan Kimball from his newsletter, 2002

The following is an excerpt of an article written by Dallas Willard, in which he hypothetically responds to a college girl who was raised a Christian but has now rejected the Christian faith and believes all paths lead to God …

“What Paul is clearly saying is that if anyone is worthy of being saved, they will be saved. At that point many Christians get very anxious, saying that absolutely no one is worthy of being saved. The implication of that is that a person can be almost totally good, but miss the message about Jesus, and be sent to hell. What kind of a God would do that? I am not going to stand in the way of anyone whom God wants to save. I am not going to say “he can’t save them.” I am happy for God to save anyone he wants in any way he can. It is possible for someone who does not know Jesus to be saved.”—Dallas Willard, Apologetics in Action.

Ons kan tereg vrae: Waaroor gaan die Evangelie dan nou eintlik? Dit is duidelik dat die Evangelie besig is om ‘n drastiese gedaanteverwisseling te ondergaan en die rede hiervoor is omdat die verkondigers van hierdie Evangelie die gedaante van godsaligheid het maar die krag van die ware Evangelie verloën het. Ek sluit af met hierdie tekse in julle midde.

Joh 10:26  Maar julle glo nie, want julle is nie van my skape nie, soos Ek vir julle gesê het.

Joh 10:27  My skape luister na my stem, en Ek ken hulle, en hulle volg My.

Ek kan maar net weer soos in die verlede ‘n ernstige versoek rig tot Stephan Joubert dat hy hom sal bekeer van die pad waarop hy hom tans begewe want dit is ‘n verderflike pad.

Moet ons Werklik Nuwe Maniere vind om die Evangelie te Verkondig?

Stephan Joubert sê in sy preek:

Ons moet nuwe maniere vind. Ons moet nuwe gestaltes vind. Ons moet nuwe gespreksvennote vind. Ons moet luister as die grootste groeiende spiritualiteit in die wêreld, tans nie die Christendom is nie. Dan moet ons gaan vra hoekom nie? Hoekom groei die Boeddhiste die vinnigste? Wat het hulle wat ons nie het nie? Hoekom kry die Amerikaanse Neurologiese Vereniging, as 40 000 van die wêreld se neuroloë saamtrek, die Dalai Lama om hulle te kom toespreek? Hoekom kry hulle die Dalai Lama, die hoof van die Boeddhiste?

Ons voortreflikste teoloë in die land wil nou maar eemaal nie verstaan dat sukses nie gemeet word aan getalle nie. Dit is beslis nie die hoeveelheid koppe wat die barometer vir sukses is nie. Indien getalle die litmustoets moes wees vir sukses dan was die hel ‘n helse suksesvolle plek gewees. Sê die Here Jesus dan nie juis dat daar maar baie min is wat die nou poort en die smal pad wat na die ewige lewe lei, vind nie? (Mat 7:13; Luk 13:24). En dan wil die Ontluikende leraars op die koop toe die nou poort en die smal pad toemaak en sluit deur vir die mense te sê, : Daar is ander maniere, ander gestaltes, ander gespreksvennote, ander vinnig-groeiene spiritualiteite wat julle kan help om die regte pad te vind. Wat sê God:

Jer 6:16  So spreek die HERE: Staan op die weë, en kyk en vra na die ou paaie, waar tog die goeie weg is, en wandel daarin; en julle sal rus vind vir julle siel. Maar hulle het gesê: Ons wil daarin nie wandel nie. (Klem bygevoeg)

Ek moet u miskien dan maar vertel, Stephan Joubert, waarom 40 000 neuroloë van die Amerikaanse Neurologiese Vereniging ‘n afgod, die 14de geïnkarneerde Dalai Lama, gevra het om hulle toe te spreek en nie iemand wat die Here Jesus liefhet en waarlik volg nie. Soos Israel van ouds sê hulle ook: “Ons wil daarin [die ou paaie] nie wandel nie.” “Gee eerder vir ons nuwe maniere, nuwe gestaltes, nuwe gespreksvennote nuwe vinnig-groeiende spiritualiteite. Daarin lê ons heil, ons toekoms, ons vrede en ons redding.”

Ten slotte wil ek weer eens baie ernstig by jou pleit, Stephan Jounert: Bekeer jou van jou verkeerde weë want jy speel met vuur.